It's All About The Moment

Where the hell am I?

Well, I am doing that weird thing that happens where there's an upsurge in experiences that will then translate into blogging, later. Until then, I thought I would share another graffiti I found this weekend (which would turn out to be magickally-prophetic and you will read about that in due time, my dears) and I wanted to share images of our amazing Christmas Cactus that is in full bloom in our home. So beautiful!

Graffiti at Metropolitan Bar, Brooklyn

CHRISTMAS CACTUS BLOOMS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!

More Graffiti

Until I have a chance to make a proper entry, I wanted to post these recent images for my collection of graffiti:

FUN BAR in BROOKLYN

METROPOLITAN BAR in BROOKLYN

[ABOVE READS: why have you left the one you left me for?]

FIRST AVE STATION / L Train

I threw these in because, for some reason, they cracked me up

Happening RIGHT NOW!

Tonight is one of the many reasons I love my new neighborhood, even though it is also the very reason I sometimes can't stand it. In the end, the creativity and joy of expression wins over my heart...

The eve started unfolding early to the sounds of catchy electronica and experimental techno bouncing off the walls and windows of our twin warehouses, with light displays, digital art, and happy people bopping all over the place. As the night is wearing on (and it is STILL EARLY!), accordions, girls in burlesque petticoat dresses on stilts, and circus-like band music churns and prances about while a fire dancer/breather/spinner stops traffic.

The BUSHWICK ART PROJECTS is well under way! Technically, I live in Williamsburg, but the blur between proud Bushwick and pompous Williamsburg stretches for several stops on our lovely L train, clashing occassionally, but tonight, it's just... celebration!

On my floor, in a few minutes, two doors down, there will be celebrity chefs and a "kitchen show" featuring "The Shaydes" and "Purity Kisses" (??), so this should prove to be an interesting night in my building and on my block.

Live Love Life!

Looking down right NOW from my window:

METRIC: My latest published Review

Guess who's back to writing reviews!! ME! YAY! I love writing so much. This is such a great hobby for me; especially writing about entertainment. LOVE it. It really balances my sense of life after working and writing on such etheric and otherworldly topics as metaphysics and channeling.

And, finally, I am writing for a magazine of which I am really proud. My friend, Liberation, spun off his own magazine from the magazine for which we both worked, NewYorkCool.com I love his magazine so much more, as it focuses more on the art, music, and life that specifically contributes to the revitalization of the East Village mentality. If you don't know what that means, then you probably didn't live in the Village pre-90's. I will always have a soft spot for NewYorkCool, though. I highly suggest it as a resource for the New Yorker who wants to know what's going on below the surface of commercial art and entertainment.

Trigger Magazine

Direct Link to METRIC review

A Walk Along the L

Although I am still torn between Manhattan and Brooklyn, my heart continues to embrace Brooklyn more and more, of course. Manhattan has become the place of tourists and those who continue to move there are oddly like permanent tourists.

I could handle fighting through the throngs of gawking tourists, knowing they were benefiting our little town and that they would eventually leave, but now they take up residence and try to act and live as if New York is what they see on TV. Sex and the City ruined everything. A swarm of people moved here during Sex and the City and it just hasn't been the same.

You can always tell who is a "true" New Yorker vs a "tourist" New Yorker just by who finds Sex and the City to be an accurate portrayal.

Thanks to Jane, I was able to read a great article about my neighborhood in NEW YORK MAGAZINE this past week. It was very interesting...

PHOEBE'S CAFE

In the photo gallery for the article, there is actually a picture of my street AND building!! But I am not going to feature it here, but for those of you who know me, you will see it.

ARTICLE:
L-ification

Bush Don't Talk Correct

The Genius behind the Bush

Speak For Yourself

I am really bummed that I missed out on Imogen's concert this past Sunday night... but at least I have this:

IMOGEN HEAP on KCRW
(real player required)

YAY!!

OTHER LINKS:
Imogen Heap
Frou Frou
LYRICS

I love Imogen (of Frou Frou) because she sings STORIES with odd lyrics that are indicative of the power in mundanity, while somehow making the most addictive pop songs, ever. Another thing I love about Immi is her faltering style of singing. She can sing so beautiful and flawed at the same time. This strain to rise above her limitations is humble and inspiring. She's sort of a modern Jane Siberry.

You can enjoy tracks from Imogen's latest album, SPEAK FOR YOURSELF, (released in the U.S. yesterday) in my TruthLoveEnergy Lounge!

Take some time and enjoy...

More graffiti

In keeping with my promise to myself to snap poignant, deep, thought-provoking bathroom graffiti, I captured this from the PHOENIX bathroom:

Hmmm...

The Day After

Well, I made it through Halloween Night in my town! I took the easy way out, though, and did NOT make my way down to the monstrous parade of obnoxiousness and potential violence. Instead, I became my own parade and danced my own dance of obnoxiousness and stupidity. But oh my god, I had so much fun!!

First, no one would come out and play. All of my friends were either too tentative to come out on such a troubled night, were too tired for a Monday night outing, or had other plans. I was SO slack in making any plans and organizing anything, so blamed no one for leaving me in the dust on a holiday. I can make my own party! YAY!

BUT, thanks to my wonderful, beautiful, adorable friend, Fabio, I was not all alone!!

It was so good to see him. I hadn't seen him for some time because he had been on a trip, so I was so glad he came out.

Here's to Fabio, Me, & Halloween!!

I've had a really rough year or so and I had slumped, once again, into an ebb of happiness and a flow of depression. It's weird to actually use that word, "depression," because I'm not what you would think of as a "depressed" person, but in all honesty, whether I am smiling or having a great time, there is a net of depression just beneath the surface that holds the process of all of my losses lately. Sometimes I just lose that daily footing and there I go... sliding down like Marshal, Will, and Holly... down into the Land of the Lost. So sometimes I have to just get out and LAUGH! And there are certain sources of laughter that I can always count on... one of those is HEDDA LETTUCE!! YAY!!

CocteauBoy n Hedda!

I haven't seen Hedda (or Steve) since she went to Province Town for her Summer shows, so I really missed her. Halloween was the perfect night for our reunion! I knew one of the first things she would ask me about was X, so I had actually braced myself. She was always skeptical of X and had playfully raised an eyebrow at his intentions. I always suspected she just didn't trust him. When I told her what happened, she was not surprised, which was comforting and really embarrassing at the same time. I said to her, "You always did seem skeptical of him." Hedda threw up her hands and shrugged, "well, I HAD always suspected he was slightly retarded in some way." LOL!

Now, for what it's worth, Hedda IS a stand-up comic, so these lines were more to just make me laugh than as a serious observation. So, X, if you are reading this, don't hate Hedda.

HEDDA LETTUCE @ East of Eighth

CocteauBoy DID NOT dress up for Halloween this year!
(remember THIS?!)

BUT EVERYBODY ELSE DID!! YAY!!
We made lots of new pals!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
2005

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

BOO!

Just me, in the mornin'!

Reach Out For The Hand

It never fails... I watch this and my skin and spirit soar. What I wouldn't have done to have had her sing me to sleep when I was a kid. What I wouldn't do to have her do it even now.

Especially now.
REQUIRES QUICKTIME

CAROLYN'S FINGERS
CLICK TO LAUNCH
or
RIGHT-CLICK and SAVE TARGET AS, then launch
(it will still be a stream, though, when launched)

Pay close attention to her otherworldly means of bringing sound into our world.

"Reach out for the hand" - Cocteau Twins - Carolyn's Fingers

Breathing Trouble

Sometimes it gets really heavy in here... in my heart; and I can't breathe; like tonight.

It's weird how one day everything seems so alive and so new and then some days seem so consumed by time, loss, resentment, anger, sadness,...


Sometimes I look at POST SECRET (which one should never do when feeling bruised) and think I might send in my very own secrets...

...but I find that others have already sent them in for me.

*(images courtesy of POST SECRET)*

Everyone is Famous

BOILER ROOM BATHROOM

Sometimes I am so fascinated by and even impressed by the graffiti of New Yorkers. Wander into any public bathroom across the rest of the United States and you will see the invariable puns, raunchy jokes, hate words, or sex ads, and you can find those in New York, too, but more often than not, you will find political expressions, poetry, poignant commentary, and empowering or thought-provoking quotes. Just stop into any Starbuck's bathroom (some of the most disgusting bathrooms on the planet). It's really surreal and sometimes I wish I had my camera with me! Lately, I have remembered to bring my camera and captured these!

"How does it feel to never see him again?"

DICK'S BAR BATHROOM

The graffiti above made my heart sink, but I am not in the mood to go into that right now. I just thought when I read it, "wow..."

So my Halloween Weekend was launched by going to PYRAMID CLUB for 1984, this time featuring MADONNA all night long. I was only interested in going because I love my pals, but I had NO IDEA I would end up having such a great time! The entire idea was John's, so I want to give him credit here. I love that guy so much. I don't see him enough.

THANKS, JOHN!!!
(he is so going to kill me for posting this)

Before I met up with the entirety of the gang, I met up with my homey, Soce, so we could spend some quality time together.

COCTEAUBOY n SOCE

While I had waited for Soce to arrive, I had kept my personal space pretty clear of the advances of some of the fellas, even though they were all perfectly nice guys. I just wanted to be alone, though, and think, feel, ponder... but eventually I was struck by the immediate warmth, kindness, and vibe of one particular guy who approached me a couple of times. Nothing sexual or creepy or invasive, just totally friendly conversation. So we were chattin' it up and he finally reveals to me that he is BARRY Z of the famous BARRY Z SHOW that is a New York City cornerstone of Public Access TV here! I mean, Barry has interviewed everybody and anybody who has ever passed through the entertainment industry of New York City within the past 13 years or so, especially in the Broadway, Off-Broadway world! So fascinating!

Public Access Television is one of the coolest things EVER in NYC, even though it's popularity and cool population have moved on to more digital, online mediums in more recent years. Still, it's place in art and entertainment and porn culture for the New Yorker is permanent, and Barry Z is an icon. It was truly wonderful to spend time with him and hear his stories and see his genuine excitement to hear about the work I do, and even more exciting for him was to find out he could meet the hot SOCE! He's been trying to score an interview with Soce for a long time, apparently! Anyway, I was really honored to have met him and have plans to hang out again! WOO HOO!

CocteauBoy n Soce n Barry Z

BARRY Z SHOW
New York Premier Entertainment TV
News Magazine show focusing on celebrity interviews, broadway, off- broadway, film and and music.

CocteauBoy n Soce n Christian

Johnny finally met up with Soce and me, before heading over to Pyramid Club for our night of dancing and lovin'. Christian finally met up with me, too! We've been in contact for more than a year ONLINE, but finally met last night! YAY! My gosh, he is so cute and nice and we had a really good time! We definitely bonded.

I always wait way too long to meet people from online. I get all weird and evasive, but I have a new resolve this year. I'm inviting them all out to meet me and I can't wait! I don't meet these guys without a LOT of interaction online first, AND I never meet someone just on a whim. Something has to strike me about that person. Interestingly, I met Soce through Friendster about a year ago, too! I will forever by grateful for that choice. He's a seriously inspiring, sweet, powerful and smart guy. I love him so much!

I sometimes forget how many amazing people I know because of the wonders of the pixel and light of cyberspace.

So the night was SO fun and I danced and laughed and hugged and smooched and loved and gyrated and boogied and everyone was so happy. And... one of my favorite parts of the night? SEEING MY SWEETHEART, DEANDRA!! YAY!!!

CocteauBoy n Deandra

I almost didn't go, but I am so glad I did!

Most surprising part of the night? Having some gorgeous girl tap me on the head and ask me if my hat stood for ANIMAL RIGHTS (it reads A/R with "animal rights" in smaller print, so she couldn't read it). I said, why yes! And she hugged and raved that she was so happy to see someone standing for the animals, even in the midst of fun and dancing. It really makes me happy to know others care.

Who knows what the rest of the holiday weekend will bring.