i spent the holiday with my friend greg who invited me up to his family's house in jaffery, new hampshire. what a pretty new england town! i always forget how lovely new england is until i escape the city and drive through the sleepy little towns with tree-lined streets and old-timey town halls and quaint bed and breakfasts. jaffery was no exception. we stayed with greg's family who were very sweet people. greg is one of 13 children so i expected the thanksgiving to be a huge family affair. always fun to have a totally different experience than what you're used to. coming from a family where i'm the only child and 3 other living close relatives, it's a whole different ball game to be in the presence of a giant family.
the actual dinner was held at greg's sister's house who had 7 children of her own! i had no idea what i was in for. the kids were all so sweet but i have to say, they were a handful. running around, screaming, playing, fighting, crying. it was fun but one day of it was definitely enough. made me rethink the whole children thing. i probably still want one, MAYBE two. but that's it!
the whole family was super nice. must have been well over 25 people (including 10 kids)... i lost track after shaking the up-teenth person's hand. but the dinner was great. and there were 10 pies! never seen so much food at a thanksgiving table ever. delicious. i find it fascinating to witness other families and their traditions. this one was pretty normal. accept instead of watching football, the men cut down a couple trees outside. very manly of them. and kinda random. but fun to watch all the same. i'd take that over football any day. oh yeah, and it snowed that day which made it an extra special day. gotta love the first snow.
check out some pics from the day here
Sunday, November 27, 2005
Thursday, November 17, 2005
too busy to blog
i have not been a very good blogger lately. at all. here are some of the reasons/excuses why:
1. i went through a pretty gnarly break-up/get back together briefly/break-up again (details not to be discussed here).
2. i wasn't really eating for a good 3 weeks (the trusty ol' break-up diet). major loss of appetite = lack of energy. but hey, my skinny jeans are loose on me now. besides feeling sick when i want to eat, i can't complain about my new svelte self (and yes, i'm eating a little bit more now thank you very much).
3. i got bombarded with work. this has been a real blessing. not only is the money finally coming in (i was reeeeeally broke there for a bit), i've got some cool projects to work on. my own work projects started to pile up last week (love when that phone rings) and out of the blue i was asked to freelance at an in-house job this week. i was unsure of what it entailed... they didn't even want to meet before starting me on the job, but when they asked my rate, i upped it and they agreed. figured 2 weeks of good cash couldn't be too painful.
well, it turns out that the job has been great. the place is a groovy design studio in mid-town. they have some really big accounts and work on interesting projects. and the people are all quite friendly and cool. i was a bit nervous about walking into a "real" design studio. let's face it, it's been a while since i've been in a working creative environment and i wasn't certain of my competence level. i mean, when you've worked for yourself for a couple years, you tend to do things your own way (and maybe cut a few corners here and there).
they put me on my first assignment on monday. it was a cool project and i was stoked to be working on something from scratch, coming up with concepts, excuting ideas and presenting to the creative director. it's weird to seek approval from a c.d., since i'm the only one who has to approve my own work. again, i was nervous to present, but lo and behold, my ideas actually looked pretty good compared to the other designers working on the project. maybe i was better than i thought. i can't tell you the wonders this did for my ego (the same ego that had been shit on a couple days earlier). AND, i found out today that the client selected my idea. woo-hoo!
and today i was asked to create a concept for a coffee table type of book. so stoked. it's a little stressful (deadline is friday), but i'm happy to be back in this position. regular scheduled hours, intersting projects to work on, and no time to think of said break-up. plus, i've been working on my other projects at night (up past midnight every night this week so far). i usually hate being this busy, but i'm welcoming it and have to say, it feels damn good. bring on the busy i say.
1. i went through a pretty gnarly break-up/get back together briefly/break-up again (details not to be discussed here).
2. i wasn't really eating for a good 3 weeks (the trusty ol' break-up diet). major loss of appetite = lack of energy. but hey, my skinny jeans are loose on me now. besides feeling sick when i want to eat, i can't complain about my new svelte self (and yes, i'm eating a little bit more now thank you very much).
3. i got bombarded with work. this has been a real blessing. not only is the money finally coming in (i was reeeeeally broke there for a bit), i've got some cool projects to work on. my own work projects started to pile up last week (love when that phone rings) and out of the blue i was asked to freelance at an in-house job this week. i was unsure of what it entailed... they didn't even want to meet before starting me on the job, but when they asked my rate, i upped it and they agreed. figured 2 weeks of good cash couldn't be too painful.
well, it turns out that the job has been great. the place is a groovy design studio in mid-town. they have some really big accounts and work on interesting projects. and the people are all quite friendly and cool. i was a bit nervous about walking into a "real" design studio. let's face it, it's been a while since i've been in a working creative environment and i wasn't certain of my competence level. i mean, when you've worked for yourself for a couple years, you tend to do things your own way (and maybe cut a few corners here and there).
they put me on my first assignment on monday. it was a cool project and i was stoked to be working on something from scratch, coming up with concepts, excuting ideas and presenting to the creative director. it's weird to seek approval from a c.d., since i'm the only one who has to approve my own work. again, i was nervous to present, but lo and behold, my ideas actually looked pretty good compared to the other designers working on the project. maybe i was better than i thought. i can't tell you the wonders this did for my ego (the same ego that had been shit on a couple days earlier). AND, i found out today that the client selected my idea. woo-hoo!
and today i was asked to create a concept for a coffee table type of book. so stoked. it's a little stressful (deadline is friday), but i'm happy to be back in this position. regular scheduled hours, intersting projects to work on, and no time to think of said break-up. plus, i've been working on my other projects at night (up past midnight every night this week so far). i usually hate being this busy, but i'm welcoming it and have to say, it feels damn good. bring on the busy i say.
Friday, November 04, 2005
Thursday, October 27, 2005
carving party!
cutest pumpkin
Originally uploaded by megasoul.
a bunch of folks joined GAS for a little pumpkin carving party. check out some of the creations on my flickr page.
Monday, October 24, 2005
weekend
besides feeling rather low the last week (apologies for lack of posts, but i was in a serious funk), i was able to get out a few times and managed to have some fun. good old mark frosty mcneil breezed through town on thursday night. he was on tour with devendra banhart. got to check out the show at webster hall which was pretty great. good music, fun performances. it bugged me out a little though... the whole band had a total frosty vibe... they all had the same hair and danced like mark. must be spending all that time together on a tour bus or something.
we also hit up my favorite bar in town, milk and honey (only go on special occassions). delicious beverages, fantastic atmosphere, impecable service. love.
friday night was the opening of the pony project. no, i was never a collector of my little ponies but i still loved the idea behind the project. they gave different arists a blank canvas (a big white hasbro pony) to see what they could come up with. fun idea. i was worried the scene would be ultra hipster annoyance, but i was pleasantly surprised to find interesting ny arty characters. and plenty of children which added to the merriment of the show. check out some of my pics of my favorite ponies in the show here.
saturday night was a friend's band playing at a local spot by my house. i was in total home mode that day, but decided since it was around the corner it would be good to get out. the show was amusing, fun performances and a bit of dancing afterwards. but the after party was out of control. one of the band members had a studio across the street and invited almost the whole crowd over. picture a tiny music studio full of equipment and a group of about 30 people standing all around squished together holding cups of champagne. i wasn't quite sure what they were celebrating, but they kept popping bottles open and passing blunts. it was a bit uncomfortable in there and i wasn't sure how long i would last in such a strange environment. but all of a sudden, the dj friend stepped up to the turntables and busted out the funky flavors and that tiny room became a sweaty dance party. various people were getting up to the mike, mcing, beat boxing, rapping. then rod stewart's "do you think i'm sexy" comes on and the place goes nuts. don't think i ever got down that hard to that track before. hilarious! and so so random. it was like we were seriously partying with a "real band" but they were just some local dudes. gotta love brooklyn sometimes.
and sunday was a making amends day. i re-established a friendship with a certain someone who had been causing me plenty of heartache the week before. we were able to lay all of our crap out on the table and actually moved forward. even hung out for a while and it was good. a little weird, but good. i think we're on the right track to being friends again, so that felt nice and i'm already getting past the despression cloud that i was trapped in last week. nice. amazing what a little communication can do.
we also hit up my favorite bar in town, milk and honey (only go on special occassions). delicious beverages, fantastic atmosphere, impecable service. love.
friday night was the opening of the pony project. no, i was never a collector of my little ponies but i still loved the idea behind the project. they gave different arists a blank canvas (a big white hasbro pony) to see what they could come up with. fun idea. i was worried the scene would be ultra hipster annoyance, but i was pleasantly surprised to find interesting ny arty characters. and plenty of children which added to the merriment of the show. check out some of my pics of my favorite ponies in the show here.
saturday night was a friend's band playing at a local spot by my house. i was in total home mode that day, but decided since it was around the corner it would be good to get out. the show was amusing, fun performances and a bit of dancing afterwards. but the after party was out of control. one of the band members had a studio across the street and invited almost the whole crowd over. picture a tiny music studio full of equipment and a group of about 30 people standing all around squished together holding cups of champagne. i wasn't quite sure what they were celebrating, but they kept popping bottles open and passing blunts. it was a bit uncomfortable in there and i wasn't sure how long i would last in such a strange environment. but all of a sudden, the dj friend stepped up to the turntables and busted out the funky flavors and that tiny room became a sweaty dance party. various people were getting up to the mike, mcing, beat boxing, rapping. then rod stewart's "do you think i'm sexy" comes on and the place goes nuts. don't think i ever got down that hard to that track before. hilarious! and so so random. it was like we were seriously partying with a "real band" but they were just some local dudes. gotta love brooklyn sometimes.
and sunday was a making amends day. i re-established a friendship with a certain someone who had been causing me plenty of heartache the week before. we were able to lay all of our crap out on the table and actually moved forward. even hung out for a while and it was good. a little weird, but good. i think we're on the right track to being friends again, so that felt nice and i'm already getting past the despression cloud that i was trapped in last week. nice. amazing what a little communication can do.
Friday, October 14, 2005
lean on me
amy was here this last week and it was awesome. love my amy. i had some high points and some super low points while she was here and thank god she was here for those low ones. i would have been a wallowing mess. she got me out of the house and out and about and after a couple days the lows went away.
my new favorite cure for the blues: a great night of hard dancing. i went out tuesday night, still feeling a bit sad but after the music by my old favorite dj was played, i was over the blues. i think i sweat out all my anger and confusion and sadness right on to the dancefloor. i woke up the next day feeling rather sore but happy and seemingly stress-free. which also made my meeting with the person who was making me feel sad go better than expected. all was sorted out and i'm back to being my old self. even all this rain can't get me down.
too much to recap the past few weeks...
perhaps the pics can tell the story.
my new favorite cure for the blues: a great night of hard dancing. i went out tuesday night, still feeling a bit sad but after the music by my old favorite dj was played, i was over the blues. i think i sweat out all my anger and confusion and sadness right on to the dancefloor. i woke up the next day feeling rather sore but happy and seemingly stress-free. which also made my meeting with the person who was making me feel sad go better than expected. all was sorted out and i'm back to being my old self. even all this rain can't get me down.
too much to recap the past few weeks...
perhaps the pics can tell the story.
Thursday, October 06, 2005
friends a-coming
miss amy french will be here tomorrow. yay! i'm excited to have her here and show her around my brooklyn. last time she was here, i was not. and the time before that, i was living on mulberry street in the city when i didn't know the 6 subway train from the Q. now i know most of the trains and where they go.
so this time will be a little different. we've already got some plans sorted out. meeting of the friends, dinners, outings, etc. i'm stoked for her to meet the new peeps, see the work space, my newly rearranged apartment, show her around my cool hood. it always makes you appreciate where you are and what you've got when people come to town. and i could use a little of that right now.
i've been quite the confused girl lately. about life, love, my career, this city, where i want to be, where i want to go, what i want to do. the usual life questions. i'm guessing it has to do with the new season... almost everyone i know has been going through the same thoughts and have been rather depressed (feeling like they aren't where they should be). the blahs. i'm plugging along though. have been more present to getting healthier... i'm swimming almost every day now, i'm trying to cook at home and eat better and get more sleep. and i feel better for it most days. now if i could just drum up some work, i'd be all set. i know it's just a low point. goes with the freelance lifestyle. it'll get better. i'm sure of it.
and new creative projects on the horizon. more on that when those ideas come to fruition.
so this time will be a little different. we've already got some plans sorted out. meeting of the friends, dinners, outings, etc. i'm stoked for her to meet the new peeps, see the work space, my newly rearranged apartment, show her around my cool hood. it always makes you appreciate where you are and what you've got when people come to town. and i could use a little of that right now.
i've been quite the confused girl lately. about life, love, my career, this city, where i want to be, where i want to go, what i want to do. the usual life questions. i'm guessing it has to do with the new season... almost everyone i know has been going through the same thoughts and have been rather depressed (feeling like they aren't where they should be). the blahs. i'm plugging along though. have been more present to getting healthier... i'm swimming almost every day now, i'm trying to cook at home and eat better and get more sleep. and i feel better for it most days. now if i could just drum up some work, i'd be all set. i know it's just a low point. goes with the freelance lifestyle. it'll get better. i'm sure of it.
and new creative projects on the horizon. more on that when those ideas come to fruition.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
what a difference a day makes
shit, what was that commercial that had that song as the theme? some cosmetics or something. anyway, for those of you concerned with my sadness yesterday... it's gone.
i wasn't depressed per se, just feeling bummed out.
and lo and behold, after an evening of chilling at home with some tv, a book, a few lovely phone conversations, a healthy meal, a bit of exercize and a good night's sleep, i feel great today. i guess it's all about taking care of oneself really. so easy and so necessary, yet so hard to keep up in this crazy city with this nutty life. fall is upon us and it's a great time to settle in to getting back to caring for ourselves. it's important.
my NY 2 year anniversary is almost here! can't quite believe that. it seems to have whizzed by, yet so much has happened. new lives, new loves, new homes, new places and with all the newness has come loss in most of those domains. the ups and downs. the perpetual roller coaster. bring it on i say, bring it on.
i wasn't depressed per se, just feeling bummed out.
and lo and behold, after an evening of chilling at home with some tv, a book, a few lovely phone conversations, a healthy meal, a bit of exercize and a good night's sleep, i feel great today. i guess it's all about taking care of oneself really. so easy and so necessary, yet so hard to keep up in this crazy city with this nutty life. fall is upon us and it's a great time to settle in to getting back to caring for ourselves. it's important.
my NY 2 year anniversary is almost here! can't quite believe that. it seems to have whizzed by, yet so much has happened. new lives, new loves, new homes, new places and with all the newness has come loss in most of those domains. the ups and downs. the perpetual roller coaster. bring it on i say, bring it on.
Monday, September 26, 2005
monday blues
woke up this morning feeling rather blue. i think my mind and body are finally saying "enough!" i've been exhausting myself and i'm so tired. i've also put on some weight and have been feeling rather depressed about that as well. weight has never been a big issue for me, but when i put on my "nice" jeans on saturday i got a painful stomach ache from the too tightness of them. at dinner i had to not only unbutton the waist, i had to unzip them too! i was mortified.
so today, i have decided to sign up at the gym/swimming pool down the street from work and do something about it instead of whine. i'm hoping that a little daily work-out will help with my bummed out frame of mind as well.
the weekend was again full to the max. all good things, just tiring. highlights included a lovely hangout with vic in my hood, taking the kids from the shelter apple picking and hiking on a beautiful saturday afternoon, going out for michelle's israeli cousin's birthday (dinner at my favorite restaurant and hilarious dancing at the bulgarian club), and seeing danny's play "but i'm a cheerleader: the musical" yesterday (AMAZING!). i love how my two favorite people involved in theater (amy and danny) directed plays about cheerleaders. something about those big end of the play cheer numbers made me ridiculously happy both times.
kinda funny this morning when i walked into G.A.S... apparently i wasn't too good at hiding my sadness and dear olia picked up on it right away. dawn was also feeling blue and we all had a big heart to heart group therapy session. so great! i'm already feeling better. i'm so blessed that i have these ladies in my life. if i was still stuck at home, i'd be festering this feeling of poopiness and would probably be listening to depressing music, staring at the ceiling. i'm a lucky girl.
ok, now back to creating my day...
so today, i have decided to sign up at the gym/swimming pool down the street from work and do something about it instead of whine. i'm hoping that a little daily work-out will help with my bummed out frame of mind as well.
the weekend was again full to the max. all good things, just tiring. highlights included a lovely hangout with vic in my hood, taking the kids from the shelter apple picking and hiking on a beautiful saturday afternoon, going out for michelle's israeli cousin's birthday (dinner at my favorite restaurant and hilarious dancing at the bulgarian club), and seeing danny's play "but i'm a cheerleader: the musical" yesterday (AMAZING!). i love how my two favorite people involved in theater (amy and danny) directed plays about cheerleaders. something about those big end of the play cheer numbers made me ridiculously happy both times.
kinda funny this morning when i walked into G.A.S... apparently i wasn't too good at hiding my sadness and dear olia picked up on it right away. dawn was also feeling blue and we all had a big heart to heart group therapy session. so great! i'm already feeling better. i'm so blessed that i have these ladies in my life. if i was still stuck at home, i'd be festering this feeling of poopiness and would probably be listening to depressing music, staring at the ceiling. i'm a lucky girl.
ok, now back to creating my day...
Thursday, September 22, 2005
a day in the life at G.A.S.
today was a very good day. granted, i didn't get a whole lot done in the work department, i did have a lovely time enjoying my workmates. everyone happened to be at GAS (grand artisan space) today for the first time in forever and we did it up: playing with bear (our GAS mascot), laughing with each other, telling stories, checking out each other's projects, and at the end of the day, ingri, our resident toy maker, brought ingredients for ice cream sundae's on the roof! so fun!!
witness the fun!
witness the fun!
Wednesday, September 21, 2005
absense makes the heart grow fonder
apologies for the lack of postings. reasons reasons reasons... none of which are good reasons. just stories. but i'm making an effort to be back, to be present.
where to start? ok, i suppose a little back story can be mentioned. i can't remember the last time i had a day/night to myself at home. i've been out with friends, been working in the city, been taking dance classes, been going to these intense life seminars, been visiting with visitors, been going out of town for country fun and weddings, and been falling for a lovely lovely new certain someone. excuses, sure, but all good things. i'm just pooped, that's all.
i'm so very excited for fall. the summer has been an icky sticky whirlwind of non-stop action. so so fun, but like i said, i'm feeling a bit worn thin. just what i don't want to be. i'm ready to settle back into my neglected home. start saving money (been spending like i have it) and make soups and watch netflix and snuggle in bed and talk about future travels and creative projects. yeah, that sounds nice.
to catch up visually, check the flickr page.
here's to a happy transition into fall for all.
where to start? ok, i suppose a little back story can be mentioned. i can't remember the last time i had a day/night to myself at home. i've been out with friends, been working in the city, been taking dance classes, been going to these intense life seminars, been visiting with visitors, been going out of town for country fun and weddings, and been falling for a lovely lovely new certain someone. excuses, sure, but all good things. i'm just pooped, that's all.
i'm so very excited for fall. the summer has been an icky sticky whirlwind of non-stop action. so so fun, but like i said, i'm feeling a bit worn thin. just what i don't want to be. i'm ready to settle back into my neglected home. start saving money (been spending like i have it) and make soups and watch netflix and snuggle in bed and talk about future travels and creative projects. yeah, that sounds nice.
to catch up visually, check the flickr page.
here's to a happy transition into fall for all.
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
right back at it
it's been a whirlwind few weeks for me. working working working, into flying across the country and socializing and laughing with dear old friends in LA. so fun! then amy's fantastic play which i thoroughly loved (proud proud proud)... go see it if you live in LA and haven't done so.
then down to fallbrook to visit with the fam. mom, aunt, debbie, grandma. all the ladies. dinners, swimming, hugs and laughter. good times.
then back to NY where shannon (my new zealand travel buddy from toronto) and her sister, kalen were staying at my place. the vacation continued. we hung out, ate, drank, partied up like the good ol' days. it was like i was travel binging with her, out chatting it up, laughing it up and dancing it up with lots of random dudes. hilarity ensued as well as a massive hang-over the next day. greasy breakfasts and coney island freak shows and cyclone rides, followed by ice cream cones and stolls along the wooden-planked broadwalk. a walk across the brooklyn bridge with friends over to a fantabulous dinner at the dumbo hotspot. too tired to party that night, we called it an early one.
next day was volunteering with the flatlands shelter kids. we took them canoeing in stamford, ct which was great, but quite tiring after all my go-go-going. and the following few days have been getting my life back in order (you know, reconnecting with friends, uploading pics, getting back to the ol' neglected blog, catching up on friend's blogs, getting through ridiculous amounts of laundry, sorting through piles of work/mail/bills, etc).
but at the end of the day, i'm happy to be back and to get back on track. feeling good, feeling very good.
then down to fallbrook to visit with the fam. mom, aunt, debbie, grandma. all the ladies. dinners, swimming, hugs and laughter. good times.
then back to NY where shannon (my new zealand travel buddy from toronto) and her sister, kalen were staying at my place. the vacation continued. we hung out, ate, drank, partied up like the good ol' days. it was like i was travel binging with her, out chatting it up, laughing it up and dancing it up with lots of random dudes. hilarity ensued as well as a massive hang-over the next day. greasy breakfasts and coney island freak shows and cyclone rides, followed by ice cream cones and stolls along the wooden-planked broadwalk. a walk across the brooklyn bridge with friends over to a fantabulous dinner at the dumbo hotspot. too tired to party that night, we called it an early one.
next day was volunteering with the flatlands shelter kids. we took them canoeing in stamford, ct which was great, but quite tiring after all my go-go-going. and the following few days have been getting my life back in order (you know, reconnecting with friends, uploading pics, getting back to the ol' neglected blog, catching up on friend's blogs, getting through ridiculous amounts of laundry, sorting through piles of work/mail/bills, etc).
but at the end of the day, i'm happy to be back and to get back on track. feeling good, feeling very good.
Monday, August 15, 2005
coming to LA
been waaaay too busy to write lately. so much has happened. too much to tell here. let's just say i've had some awesome enlightenments in life and love in the last couple weeks. all good things.
i'm heading out to LA this thursday. will be coming out with victoria (my college bud) to stay with amy for a girls weekend. we will see amy's play that she directed (very excited) on saturday night at the lilian theater (so if you want to see the play and us, come out!). other than that, no major plans have been made. i'm sure there will be eating, drinking and merriment. i'm excited to escape this city for a bit and head to another. will also get to see the fam for a couple days as well. i'm sure it will go too fast but when i come back, the shit is gonna hit the fan... in a good. plans plans plans. people, places and things to play with. all things good.
more details when i get a moment (perhaps the plane ride).
i'm heading out to LA this thursday. will be coming out with victoria (my college bud) to stay with amy for a girls weekend. we will see amy's play that she directed (very excited) on saturday night at the lilian theater (so if you want to see the play and us, come out!). other than that, no major plans have been made. i'm sure there will be eating, drinking and merriment. i'm excited to escape this city for a bit and head to another. will also get to see the fam for a couple days as well. i'm sure it will go too fast but when i come back, the shit is gonna hit the fan... in a good. plans plans plans. people, places and things to play with. all things good.
more details when i get a moment (perhaps the plane ride).
Thursday, August 04, 2005
the underground flautist and the bruised russian
it never ceases to amaze me what people will do for a buck performing their "talent" on the subway. today was mr. mustache flute man. after waiting in a ridiculously uncomfortable subway station for what seemed like hours in sweltering humidity, the train finally came. i was thoroughly excited to sit in an air conditioned zone for a good few minutes before having to go back out in the yuck. finding a seat, i settled in next to a woman reading a russian newspaper whose rump spilled over into my seat. whatever, nothing new. i just wanted to tune out the world with my ipod for those lovely 15 air conditioned minutes.
i was happily listening to some groovy cymande song when a loud screech rang out over my earphones. i looked to my left and there he was, mr. mustache flute man. usually, if someone is performing, i'm genuinely curious, pause my ipod and listen to what said performer is bringing to the table. i've seen them all... a couple mariachi dudes singing and strumming cheap crappy guitars, boom box trumpet man playing the classic ny favorites, violin lady sawing away the classical melodies, even the electric clarinet guy. and usually i'll give them some change or a buck because they are out there working the train cars, showing off their talent for a few cents here and there. and most always they've got something (either a nice voice, a funny gimmick, a bizarre instrument or an actual gift at their craft).
but mr. mustache flute man was a whole different story. he was just plain BAD. i had a feeling he was may be on his way to his flute lessons and just decided to practice on the train infront of a car full of miserable people at rush hour on a hot summer's day. this time, i didn't even have to pause the ipod, homeboy was so loud, just toot toot tooting away. he started off with a lovely rendition of "tequila" then moved into my personal favorite "puttin on the ritz" followed by "la cucaracha." each song choice got progressively worse. there were bad notes, terrible timing, and just poor tone quality overall. not that i'm a music critic, but come on.
now here is the kicker of the whole story. i was annoyed, sure. but everyone else around me wasn't really feeling him either. i saw plenty of snickers, eye rolls, even a little silent giggling. but the woman next to me with the largish rump was his least favorite fan. about half way through the tooting of "puttin on the ritz" she nudged me (pretty hard) with her elbow. i looked over and she says to me in her thick russian accent "i cannot stan zis. it is buzzingah in my ears. ohhh, my head." i look at her and give an understanding nod. then she touches her head and says "i have zee operation. this ringing all the time. and thees man. i cannot stan zis. OOOOOHHH!" this time i feel her pain and just say a comforting "yeah." then she begins riffling through her purse and pulls out an envelope of photos. she takes them out to show me... they are terrifying photographs of this woman's naked body with HUGE black, yellow, brown and blue bruises and scars (did i mention NAKED??). not something i want to be looking at, hungover at 9:30 in the morning on one of the hottest days of the summer whilst mr. mustache flute man has now transitioned into "la cucaracha."
my eyes were buldging, not knowing quite what to do or say. i think i just said "yikes." i tried desperately of what else i might be able to come up with but ultimately drew a blank. i mean what the fuck do you say to a large russian woman complaining of the buzzing in her head while she shows you images of her naked fleshy bruised body? it was one of the weirdest subway incidents to date. i should start a strange subway stories book. perhaps a video with re-inactments. too freaking trippy. there's not much more to the story than the woman putting her photos back safely in her bag, probably ready to show them to the next unassuming passenger that gets lucky enough to sit next to her. oh yeah, and mr. mustache flute man did make a round of collections after his triumphant performance (i saw 2 dollar bills in his hat as he passed by).
i was happily listening to some groovy cymande song when a loud screech rang out over my earphones. i looked to my left and there he was, mr. mustache flute man. usually, if someone is performing, i'm genuinely curious, pause my ipod and listen to what said performer is bringing to the table. i've seen them all... a couple mariachi dudes singing and strumming cheap crappy guitars, boom box trumpet man playing the classic ny favorites, violin lady sawing away the classical melodies, even the electric clarinet guy. and usually i'll give them some change or a buck because they are out there working the train cars, showing off their talent for a few cents here and there. and most always they've got something (either a nice voice, a funny gimmick, a bizarre instrument or an actual gift at their craft).
but mr. mustache flute man was a whole different story. he was just plain BAD. i had a feeling he was may be on his way to his flute lessons and just decided to practice on the train infront of a car full of miserable people at rush hour on a hot summer's day. this time, i didn't even have to pause the ipod, homeboy was so loud, just toot toot tooting away. he started off with a lovely rendition of "tequila" then moved into my personal favorite "puttin on the ritz" followed by "la cucaracha." each song choice got progressively worse. there were bad notes, terrible timing, and just poor tone quality overall. not that i'm a music critic, but come on.
now here is the kicker of the whole story. i was annoyed, sure. but everyone else around me wasn't really feeling him either. i saw plenty of snickers, eye rolls, even a little silent giggling. but the woman next to me with the largish rump was his least favorite fan. about half way through the tooting of "puttin on the ritz" she nudged me (pretty hard) with her elbow. i looked over and she says to me in her thick russian accent "i cannot stan zis. it is buzzingah in my ears. ohhh, my head." i look at her and give an understanding nod. then she touches her head and says "i have zee operation. this ringing all the time. and thees man. i cannot stan zis. OOOOOHHH!" this time i feel her pain and just say a comforting "yeah." then she begins riffling through her purse and pulls out an envelope of photos. she takes them out to show me... they are terrifying photographs of this woman's naked body with HUGE black, yellow, brown and blue bruises and scars (did i mention NAKED??). not something i want to be looking at, hungover at 9:30 in the morning on one of the hottest days of the summer whilst mr. mustache flute man has now transitioned into "la cucaracha."
my eyes were buldging, not knowing quite what to do or say. i think i just said "yikes." i tried desperately of what else i might be able to come up with but ultimately drew a blank. i mean what the fuck do you say to a large russian woman complaining of the buzzing in her head while she shows you images of her naked fleshy bruised body? it was one of the weirdest subway incidents to date. i should start a strange subway stories book. perhaps a video with re-inactments. too freaking trippy. there's not much more to the story than the woman putting her photos back safely in her bag, probably ready to show them to the next unassuming passenger that gets lucky enough to sit next to her. oh yeah, and mr. mustache flute man did make a round of collections after his triumphant performance (i saw 2 dollar bills in his hat as he passed by).
Thursday, July 28, 2005
woodstock weekend
i could die here
Originally uploaded by megasoul.
i spent the last weekend up in woodstock, NY... yes the famous place for the famous festivals. it was lovely, just lovely. i really needed to escape the city and breathe in some fresh air. hiking and swimming in the nearby swimming holes, complete with the gorgeous waterfall, yard saling and flea markets, a big old family hippy party (huge pot luck... free food and beverage!), jam bands, twirling dancing girls, kids wacking piñatas, doggies running all over, old and young partying and dancing it up, street fair, more swimming, more dancing, chilling in the hammock, and meeting lovely country folk. i couldn't have asked for a better party/chill-out weekend. i will be back!
Tuesday, July 19, 2005
current currents
it seems like the older i get, the universe continues to challenge the conventions of how i think, act and feel. you'd think by age 30, you'd be pretty set in your ways... knowing what kind of people you want as friends, how you work, what kind of partner is good for you, the things in life that are important to you. but no! those notions seem to continually shift, like the planets and the stars.
my own standards of convention were seriously shifted this last weekend... perhaps a certain star was out of alignment or something, but i had a bit of an identity crisis. too personal to get into the silly details but let's just say i was all sorts of confused about who i was and what i thought i knew about myself.
my horoscope this month said this:
To make sure you notice that a new day has dawned, a new moon in July may bring love, just when you had practically given up, and when you least expected to be pierced by Cupid's arrow. for some reason, i've got some serious mojo this month. i don't even mean to, but whatever vibes i'm subconsciously emanating, the fish are biting! yowza!
my own standards of convention were seriously shifted this last weekend... perhaps a certain star was out of alignment or something, but i had a bit of an identity crisis. too personal to get into the silly details but let's just say i was all sorts of confused about who i was and what i thought i knew about myself.
my horoscope this month said this:
To make sure you notice that a new day has dawned, a new moon in July may bring love, just when you had practically given up, and when you least expected to be pierced by Cupid's arrow. for some reason, i've got some serious mojo this month. i don't even mean to, but whatever vibes i'm subconsciously emanating, the fish are biting! yowza!
Wednesday, July 13, 2005
no time to blog
again, sorry for the lack of posts. this summer has proved to be non-stop action. whether it be crazy busy at work in the new space (did i mention LOVING the new space and it's new inhabitants... LOVING THEM ALL!) or entertaining old friends or going out with new friends, it's been quite the summer of fun!
last weekend wanna, my dear wanna, who i haven't seen in a year came to town. we had a total whirlwind weekend. can't comment on it all, but here's the rundown.
-thursday: wanna's arrival 1:30am, go to moe's for beers.
-friday: go to workspace and hang. meet griffin at MOMA. checked out cezanne and pissaro exhibition (awesome!) and friedlander photos (great!). back to my house. dinner at my fave south african restaurant in the hood. then to bembe in williamburg for latin dance party. then to zebullon for mellow out session.
-saturday: local fort greene flea market (bought cool earrings). brunch at mexican spot. tooling around the hood (griffin and wanna both fell in love with fort greene... how can you not?). walked thru the park. wanna and i met with marieange about sri lanka project. i did errands while they continued the meeting. then off to williamsburg. met at workspace for beers and ping pong on the roof. then bar hopping all over the hood. ended up at black betty late night style. my friend got projectile puked on (lovely!).
-sunday: wanna and i did some cheapy clothes shopping. then bought picnic fixin's. fixed up some picnic yumminess. met with friends in FG park for the first soul music summit of the summer. had the best time ever eating, drinking, chilling, people watching, picture taking and of course, dancing. back to my place for the after party. then back into the city for jazz at small's. so TIRED!
monday: wanna leaves early. i go to work all day (late!). met with frenchie to have "the talk." we resolve to be friends.
-tuesday: work work work. then beach time at jones beach on long island with karina and shonda (who knew NY had such lovely beaches? impressed). then off to the erykah badu, jill scott, queen latifah, floetry concert at the ampitheater (wicked!).
now back at work. needless to say i'm exhausted and ready to chill out again. new plan is to be productive, get back in shape, save money and mellow out a bit. at least for this week!
last weekend wanna, my dear wanna, who i haven't seen in a year came to town. we had a total whirlwind weekend. can't comment on it all, but here's the rundown.
-thursday: wanna's arrival 1:30am, go to moe's for beers.
-friday: go to workspace and hang. meet griffin at MOMA. checked out cezanne and pissaro exhibition (awesome!) and friedlander photos (great!). back to my house. dinner at my fave south african restaurant in the hood. then to bembe in williamburg for latin dance party. then to zebullon for mellow out session.
-saturday: local fort greene flea market (bought cool earrings). brunch at mexican spot. tooling around the hood (griffin and wanna both fell in love with fort greene... how can you not?). walked thru the park. wanna and i met with marieange about sri lanka project. i did errands while they continued the meeting. then off to williamsburg. met at workspace for beers and ping pong on the roof. then bar hopping all over the hood. ended up at black betty late night style. my friend got projectile puked on (lovely!).
-sunday: wanna and i did some cheapy clothes shopping. then bought picnic fixin's. fixed up some picnic yumminess. met with friends in FG park for the first soul music summit of the summer. had the best time ever eating, drinking, chilling, people watching, picture taking and of course, dancing. back to my place for the after party. then back into the city for jazz at small's. so TIRED!
monday: wanna leaves early. i go to work all day (late!). met with frenchie to have "the talk." we resolve to be friends.
-tuesday: work work work. then beach time at jones beach on long island with karina and shonda (who knew NY had such lovely beaches? impressed). then off to the erykah badu, jill scott, queen latifah, floetry concert at the ampitheater (wicked!).
now back at work. needless to say i'm exhausted and ready to chill out again. new plan is to be productive, get back in shape, save money and mellow out a bit. at least for this week!
Thursday, July 07, 2005
4 frenchies and me on a boat
so the weekend sailing trip was just that... a trip.
it was actually quite nice. i honestly had no idea what to expect but the boys that i didn't know were all perfectly nice gentleman. it was by no means a party boat. it was all quite civilized, very well-organized and planned out. i didn't have to do much but sit around on the deck of the boat and be served white wine and fancy french cheeses.
the views were all quite lovely... the long island sound had so many fancy homes along the water. pretty incredible. all that sailing around with civilized french bankers looking at big fancy homes sorta made me crave "the good life." but really really thinking about it and all the b.s. that goes with that lifestyle made me change my tune.
sure, it'd be nice to have the finer things in life, but is that what life is really all about? i don't think so. i realized i enjoy that stuff from time to time, but if you have it all the time you just stop appreciating it. funny how that little trip helped me figure out what is important and what i do and don't need to be happy. nice!
unfortunately i don't have any good speedo orgy stories. like i said, there was no funny business. if it had been me and my friends i'm sure the ride would have been a little more rocky, so to speak. it was rather enjoyable to be out on the water under the summer sun but i would have done it a little differently. let's just leave it like that.
my actual 4th was lovely. brunch with my friend followed by a fun afternoon in the park and then rooftop fireworks watching from my friend's place in greenpoint. it was the perfect viewing spot. totally unobstructed, big bursts of wonderment right in front of us. loved!!
and then last night was a fantastic show at S.O.B.'s... fertile ground (my faves!) and amp fiddler. if you ever have a chance to see fertile ground play live, GO!
it was actually quite nice. i honestly had no idea what to expect but the boys that i didn't know were all perfectly nice gentleman. it was by no means a party boat. it was all quite civilized, very well-organized and planned out. i didn't have to do much but sit around on the deck of the boat and be served white wine and fancy french cheeses.
the views were all quite lovely... the long island sound had so many fancy homes along the water. pretty incredible. all that sailing around with civilized french bankers looking at big fancy homes sorta made me crave "the good life." but really really thinking about it and all the b.s. that goes with that lifestyle made me change my tune.
sure, it'd be nice to have the finer things in life, but is that what life is really all about? i don't think so. i realized i enjoy that stuff from time to time, but if you have it all the time you just stop appreciating it. funny how that little trip helped me figure out what is important and what i do and don't need to be happy. nice!
unfortunately i don't have any good speedo orgy stories. like i said, there was no funny business. if it had been me and my friends i'm sure the ride would have been a little more rocky, so to speak. it was rather enjoyable to be out on the water under the summer sun but i would have done it a little differently. let's just leave it like that.
my actual 4th was lovely. brunch with my friend followed by a fun afternoon in the park and then rooftop fireworks watching from my friend's place in greenpoint. it was the perfect viewing spot. totally unobstructed, big bursts of wonderment right in front of us. loved!!
and then last night was a fantastic show at S.O.B.'s... fertile ground (my faves!) and amp fiddler. if you ever have a chance to see fertile ground play live, GO!
Thursday, June 30, 2005
this just in...
it looks like i'll be taking off for the holiday weekend. it was a maybe and now it's a definite. i will be joining frenchie along with 3 other frenchies on a sailboat off of the connecticut coast this weekend! i only know my frenchie. never met the other frenchies. as far as i know, i'm going to be the only lady on this boat. weeee! it should be a hoot... if nothing else, i'll have a good story to share upon my return. and of course, pictures! i'm visualizing a boat-full of men in speedos (wonder if there is a flickr group called "speedo?"). HA!!!!!!!
Monday, June 27, 2005
too much
apologies for the lack of posts lately. i've noticed that i haven't been as keen to write now that i'm at an office space and feel like i don't have as much free time to slack off (although i still do have my fair share of slacking instant messaging sessions). i just can't seem to find time in the day to blog. and quite honestly, i haven't had all that much of interest to report. just lots of work (so far... the move to the office space is going great... business is good and i'm happy there) and plenty of summer socializing. not sure if it's due to the fact that i've been here for a good year and a half to warrant enough friends to have an active social life or if it's just the time of year when people want to be out and do stuff. in any case, i've been very very busy.
case in point: last weekend. i decided to give my group organization skills a shot in nyc. in LA it seemed like i did a lot of organization of group activities and was actually a little happy to move to a place where i didn't know many people and would thus, retire my position as the party planner. well, i'm back at it. i suppose i just like to do it. i decided to plan a potluck picnic in prospect park (notice the alliteration?). antibalas and soulive were playing a free show on friday and i thought it to be the perfect time to invite people out.
well, it was a huge success. friends invited friends who invited more friends and we ended up having well over 30 people show up who all pitched in, bringing yummy food and beverages. the night was perfect, the music was great and everyone got along swimmingly. i couldn't have been more pleased with my first attempt at something like this. yay!
saturday morning was tough since i had to get up at 6am to go meet the kids from the homeless shelter. our volunteer group took 12 kids out on the delaware river on the new jersey/pennsylvania border. we were out on the river for over 4 hours under burning heat. and the river had little to no current (we were actually paddling against the wind on many occassions). the kids remained in relatively good spirits with minor complaints like "how much further?" and "my arms hurt." yeah, my arms hurt too (feeling the pain today!) but i managed to keep the troops going. i also played swim instructor/human buoy. many of the kids didn't know how to swim and even though they were wearing life vests, they didn't like being out in deep water. at one point i had about 3 kids holding on to me for dear life, dunking me under as we went down the river. with much encouragement, i got 2 of the kids to let go, hold their head back and float! once they mastered that, they didn't want to get out. pretty neat!
i was sooooo tired after that day but managed to get to GAS (work space) for a rooftop movie screening. very fun, but i was too out of it to really enjoy. and sunday was mellow movie day. saw "rize" and "batman begins." both pretty darn good. rize made me miss LA and want to move my body like those kids. i attempted the "stripper style" krumping (it's really called that in the film) in the mirror when i got home, but didn't come close. i could mimic the butt motion but the speed was impossible. and batman was better than expected although not amazing by any means. oh and while i'm on movies, go see "mad hot ballroom." loved.
see, boring writing. but at least you know why i've been too busy too write. promise to write more interesting stuff soon... as soon as something interesting happens. ;)
case in point: last weekend. i decided to give my group organization skills a shot in nyc. in LA it seemed like i did a lot of organization of group activities and was actually a little happy to move to a place where i didn't know many people and would thus, retire my position as the party planner. well, i'm back at it. i suppose i just like to do it. i decided to plan a potluck picnic in prospect park (notice the alliteration?). antibalas and soulive were playing a free show on friday and i thought it to be the perfect time to invite people out.
well, it was a huge success. friends invited friends who invited more friends and we ended up having well over 30 people show up who all pitched in, bringing yummy food and beverages. the night was perfect, the music was great and everyone got along swimmingly. i couldn't have been more pleased with my first attempt at something like this. yay!
saturday morning was tough since i had to get up at 6am to go meet the kids from the homeless shelter. our volunteer group took 12 kids out on the delaware river on the new jersey/pennsylvania border. we were out on the river for over 4 hours under burning heat. and the river had little to no current (we were actually paddling against the wind on many occassions). the kids remained in relatively good spirits with minor complaints like "how much further?" and "my arms hurt." yeah, my arms hurt too (feeling the pain today!) but i managed to keep the troops going. i also played swim instructor/human buoy. many of the kids didn't know how to swim and even though they were wearing life vests, they didn't like being out in deep water. at one point i had about 3 kids holding on to me for dear life, dunking me under as we went down the river. with much encouragement, i got 2 of the kids to let go, hold their head back and float! once they mastered that, they didn't want to get out. pretty neat!
i was sooooo tired after that day but managed to get to GAS (work space) for a rooftop movie screening. very fun, but i was too out of it to really enjoy. and sunday was mellow movie day. saw "rize" and "batman begins." both pretty darn good. rize made me miss LA and want to move my body like those kids. i attempted the "stripper style" krumping (it's really called that in the film) in the mirror when i got home, but didn't come close. i could mimic the butt motion but the speed was impossible. and batman was better than expected although not amazing by any means. oh and while i'm on movies, go see "mad hot ballroom." loved.
see, boring writing. but at least you know why i've been too busy too write. promise to write more interesting stuff soon... as soon as something interesting happens. ;)
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