The Bearskin Rug
In November of 2008 I moved to Brooklyn after four years on the Upper East Side. The new apartment is the first place in New York I’ve lived in alone, the first place in my life where I haven’t had to share a bathroom, the first place I didn’t need my mom to cosign for, the first place where I am sole master of the DVR and can record as much Dog Whisperer as I want, and the first place where the pieces of furniture that I bought finally outnumber the pieces of furniture given to me after decades of use by my family members. I would almost feel like an adult if it weren’t for all of the children’s books and muppet movies laying around, and the pirate ice cube trays in the freezer.
It’s also the first place I’ve lived that has a fake fireplace.
Luckily, it’s also the first place I’ve lived that is big enough to not be dominated by the presence of a fake bearskin rug in front of said fake fireplace. So I had my mom buy me one for Christmas.
The Rules of the Rug are simple: Anyone who sets foot in my apartment has to take a picture with or on it, and you only get one pose. By posing with the bear you also consent to allowing your picture to be added to the video slide show set to Boyz II Men’s “I’ll Make Love To You” I’ll be compiling as soon as I have enough material.
In reverse chronological order of the photo time and date stamps, the gallery appears below:
Allen: The Splay
Jack: The Hunted
Bob & Vicki & Jack: The Family Portrait
Sara: The Fire Marshal
Maggie: The Show-Me State
Katie: The Engulfed
Kyle: The Sensitivity Training Session
Emily: The Vested Interest
Kate: The Porcelain Goddess
Jeremy: The Vegas Billboard
Margaret: The Annie Get Your Gun
Mom: The Mama Bear
Aunt Roe: The Lazy Sunday Morning
Janelle: The Upright Cowgirl
Matt: The Wide Receiver
Danny: The Secret Shame
Peej: The Pashmina
Bud: The Shocked Turtle
Cristin: The Christmas Morning