Author Archives: Natasha Shapiro, ATR-BC, LCAT

Great to have the wide angle lens on the phone. This is the stove at my parents place, probably made in the 20s. I grew up with this gorgeous stove that I’ve always loved.

Photos from the Tribeca Farmer’s Market. I just love how beautiful the produce is.

I could do a photo series just on sunflowers as I love them so much and they keep popping up everywhere!

More Beauty in the Beast from last week and weekend:

When I saw this I hadn’t see. The news as I watch it sporadically which I feel bad about but I control my dosage of the ptsd of reality. What surprises me now is the amount of times Jayland Walker was shot: 46 gunshot wounds. It’s sickening and disgusting and all too ubiquitous and constant, an innocent black man , 25 years old, slaughtered by the police.

His cousin: “I keep saying his name. Young, African American male from Akron, Ohio, who was looking to explore the world, lively young man, loved to travel, even made plans to come down to Houston to visit the rodeo, renaissance festival, and even catch a live WWE event,” he said.

What a tragedy. I feel like this post has to stand alone.

Driving Lesson number 20. In true Adhd form, I have no idea whether I discussed the whole thing about getting my first driver’s license at 54.

I probably have as I got the permit a while ago and can’t remember when I started the lessons. It’s been quite a “ride”! A lot of fear and anxiety made worse at first by having abrupt random changes in teacher . I’ve had 3 teachers and tomorrow I’m trying a different person who runs his own business and meets in a perfect spot for my weekend.

I’ve developed a fear of buses I’m trying to work on.

There is more but here’s a “before “ photo waiting to start my lesson:

The beauty today is my attitude. I’ve prepared in that I woke up at 7 with no alarm which I love to do. Then I futzed around before getting bagels and cream cheese. I’m trying the gluten thing again so I use rice cakes instead of bagels. I did an almost 40 minute workout strength and cardio which helps to prepare. Then we ate and I left quickly as I like to be early.

I was gearing up, pun intended, for large streets with buses and lane changes, my least favorite thing, so of course this week we didn’t do any of that, easy turns etc. and parallel parking.

Never heard of/seen this restaurant, don’t know what they serve; the outdoor table with beautiful plant is part of it ; Felice – origin means Happy… Not sure where I was! Just looked it up, near my office and 2 friends’ apartments, scouted a cool restaurant to try. It turns out it’s on Gold Street and they have a bunch of locations around the city

Recent photos I’ve taken for this series about finding beautiful things/subjects in the Beast that is NY, NY:

The Church of the Village, West 13th Street

I had an “embarrassment of riches” in beauty in the past few days. Why is it an “embarrassment” of riches??? Supposedly too much of a good thing, however given the current situation of reality: inflation, more Covid, the pro choice rights being brutally hacked and dismantled, the prospect of a certain person running again for re-election, etc., how can there be too much beauty in the midst of ugly reality? Isn’t art and inspiration and beauty here for a reminder that joy and creativity and beauty are also real and exist in this sorry excuse for a country? Does not the little green sprout rising up from a crack in the concrete sidewalk, not given care nor nourishment nor a welcoming environment, inspire hope right now?

That’s what it says in this mosaic mural on the Lexington Ave 59th street subway wall. A strange concept and weird for a mural. Beautiful mosaic but not inspiring for me. Dreams are ok to be wild. They’re dreams; if we can’t dream of impossible things, where is the beauty of imagination?

On a walk yesterday evening I saw these lights that looked like drawings, so beautiful:

How do you make something of beauty out of something so ugly- racism in America? Through art and poetry. Here is a brilliant art show that accomplishes that. Portraits in watercolor, of the victims killed at the Tops grocery shootings to inspiring figures like Maya Angelou and Harrier Tubman.

Here are a few photos. There were writings on the wall and in the paintings, of the poet/artist Pamela Sneed:

Link to the show:

https://visualaids.org/events/detail/about-time-pamela-sneed