If you've ever taken public transportation in NYC during the summer, you know the feeling of peering down a dark tunnel and waiting for the light as sweat streams down your back and your pants stick to your legs. It's aggravating, especially since the MTA raised their fares and reduced service. But now we may have something else to worry about.
Chris Schoenfeld tried to save some suffering with an iPhone app called StationStops. Meant to provide people with MTA schedules, it would reduce wait time and help people navigate schedules with ease. But then the MTA sent him a cease and desist letter. Apparently MTA schedules are copyrighted material and therefore off limits to people like Schoenfeld.
Why does the MTA care so much? Maybe they're worried about losing control or website hits? I'm not really sure, but it seems that they've left me sweating, staring at that dark tunnel and waiting for the light.
***
You may have heard him on This American Life, but if not you'd best check him out now. David Berkeley.
August 12th, Ottos Shrunken Head, 10pm, ottoshrunkenhead.com - An evening of cover songs remixed by DJ Xerox and others.
August 13th, 679 Riverside Drive at the Riverbank State Park Skate Rink, 8-11pm - Robot Chicken on Wheels, a free skating extravaganza with a performance by The Gym Class Heroes and special appearances by Seth Green and Matt Senreich. (I'm not entirely sure if this is my scene, but listening to live music while skating, that sounds like a ball)
August 13 - Borough President Billy Joel Starlight Tribute Concert on Staten Island, 10pm
ONGOING
Exit 9 in the East Village - An excellent place to wander around checking out kitsch and all sorts of items you don't need but would really make your life that much happier.
La Plaza Cultural (E. 9th St at Ave C, laplazacultural.org) - A great place to hang your hat and rest awhile, this relaxing lawn and pond area features scultures by Rolando Politi.
Mogador (101 St. Marks between 1st Ave and Ave A, cafemogador.com) - Their $9 lunch special will blow you away.
Free, Almost Daily Boating in Hallets Cove (liceboathouse.org, 718.228.9214) - Grab a kayak or canoe and push off from the Socrates Sculpture Garden onto the East River.
The Tree Museum, Grand Concourse between Moshulu Pkwy North and 138th St, Bronx all the way to 149th St and Grand Concourse, Daily thru Oct 12 - 100 trees, 100 tales. Dial the numbers posted on the trees to hear different stories about the borough.
Free Hyperlocal Story Scavenger Hunt, fluffyseme.net/groups/entry/hyperlocal, Daily thru Aug 31 - Receive text messages to send you on various missions and save your answers in order to solve the final mystery.
Free Public Tours of the Plaza Hotel (Tues and Sat at 3pm, RSVP required to 212.546.5477)
Today's blog is a simple survey that's been sent to me dozens of times via email. Rather than respond with a grand spam message, I'm posting it here. Feel free to skip over it if the post seems uninteresting. I would understand. I like these sorts of surveys though because they seem to possess unwritten instructions that say, "Answer these questions and you'll be well on your way to self discovery.
1. What is your occupation? I've recently decided that my primary occupation is to add letters to the end of my name. MA, PhD, DJ, CSCS, etc, etc. In actuality though, I am an assistant softball coach at Columbia University, a publicist at a record label, a writer at various magazines, and a graduate student.
2. What color are your socks right now? I'm a bit of a free spirit taken to traipsing around barefoot.
3. What are you listening to right now? Nina Simone's "See Line Woman." It's going to be a part of my first live DJ performance and mixtape, played directly in front of Feist's "Sea Lion Woman." As a side note, you can expect excellent lyrical streams from my upcoming compilations.
4. What was the last thing that you ate? A melted Slurpee and left over chile rellenos with rice and beans. Hunger seems to have crept on me again though. Perhaps I'll have some Nutella on toast or a homemade sopapilla.
5. Can you drive a stick shift? It depends on how far you'd like me to drive you before stalling.
6. Last person you spoke to on the phone? My dad.
7. How old are you today? 23 today, 23 tomorrow.
8. What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? I'm not necessarily one for watching sports but I enjoy the X games quite a lot.
9. What is your favorite drink? It depends on my mood, but it's probably Quik chocolate milk, a suicide Slurpee (all flavors), or root beer. One of my goals for 2009 is to start brewing my own root beer from scratch.
10.Have you ever dyed your hair ? That I have.
11. What is your favorite food? Again, it depends on my mood. Anything spicy will do the trick (e.g. Mexican, Indian, etc). Cream cheese is one of my favorite ingredients (e.g. everything from bean dip to Oreo cake and cheesecake), and of course anything sweet is an absolute delight.
12. What is the last movie you watched?
An advanced screening of Public Enemies. You can read the review I wrote at hx.com
13. What is your favorite day of the year? I wish I could say whatever day it happens to be, but let's face it, I'm already anticipating next Thanksgiving with vigor.
14. How do you vent anger? Vent anger, what? I don't get angry or if I do it's almost always at myself (sometimes for getting angry). If anger lingers though, I usually turn it into laughter.
15. What was your favorite toy as a child? I cherished mi peona and a stuffed raccoon, as well as a gaggle of figurines that included everything from zoo animals and foamy grow animals and a ninja turtle I found on the ground.
16. What is your favorite season? I like the variety of seasons but if you're going to make me pick I'll have to go with the sweet relief of layers in Fall.
17. Cherries or Blueberries? I picked on the previous question, spare me the choice here? Let's go with both.
18. Who is the most likely to respond? I haven't the slightest.
19. Who is least likely to respond? Someone who doesn't read this.
20. Living arrangements? Happiness. I have three roommates in a respectively spacious apartment in Manhattan but to say this is my only home would be cutting myself short. Something Corporate put it well when he said, "If I kept tattoos for every home I've loved I would paint my body until all my skin was gone." I don't get tattoos though.
21. When was the last time you laughed? Just a moment ago. Those puns will keep you revved up but if we're talking belly laughs, I might have to rewind back to when I was singing "Pool Party" on the phone earlier today.
22. What is on the floor of your closet? A tupperware container of athletic sweatshirts and sweatpants.
23. What did you do last night
Ate Mexican food over a discussion of NYC Pride, stopped for a suicide Slurpee (the Tribeca Seven 11 has the best flavors I've ever seen), went over to a friend's, and fell into a deep, satisfying sleep.
24. What are you most afraid of? I'm terrified of the prospect of losing my ability to take care of myself. Losing my ability to think is also one of the most unsettling thoughts I fear.
25. Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Spicy hamburgers with pepper jack cheese.
26. What is your favorite dog breed? The cat. As an aside, if you see someone walking their dog, saying something to the effect of, "Ohhh how cute!" (Pause) "And your dog's cute too," is apparently quite a successful line.
27. What is your favorite day of the week? This depends on a multitude of factors.
28. How many states have you lived in? New York, Massachusetts, California, Arizona, Washington (and you might count the UK). In other words, 5.
29. Diamonds or pearls? Diamonds and 32 necklaces.
30. What is your favorite flower? The Zantedeschia aethiopica and Zantedeschia elliottiana, otherwise known as the white and yellow calla lily's respectively.
31. What is your favorite smell? What a beautiful question, and one that's nearly impossible to answer. To name a select few, I love the smell of asphalt when it first starts to rain, cookies in the oven, tennis balls, new shoes, electronics fresh out of the package, clean laundry, fresh citrus like perfumes, books that have been cared for, and anything that's reminiscent of the people that I've loved.
32. Your favorite sound? Again, this is nearly impossible to answer because we're inundated with gifts in this regard. My favorite sound in New York City might be the changing of street lights, something that can only be heard when you find yourself somewhat isolated in one of the world's largest cities. I also adore the beating of warm melodies, heartfelt laughter, birds chirping, and the way the word "peripatetic" rolls of the tongue when it's used casually in conversation.
Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading. Since you made it all the way to question 32, I'll reward you with a nice little music recommendation. Check out Sissy Wish, a Norwegian singer-songwriter with a penchant for sounding like a high pitched version of the old fashioned Chordettes meets the modernity of Shiny Toy Guns.
Scrabulous sales are fabulous, so why haven’t game developers joined in on the profits? Namely, someone needs to teach the Parker Brothers some coding because a modern Clue (or Cluedo if you’re from Europe) would be a hoot and a holler on the iPhone.
Just picture Clue: New York on an iPhone. You could call me Professor Plum and I have at least six friends whom I’d love to call Colonel Mustard. Add some code names and mystery to people’s lives and you’ll have people running around New York City exclaiming, “Was it Miss Scarlet with the wrench in the parlor of the Metropolitan Opera?”
Praise Gallatin, free cake, and good music. In the meantime, take a listen to An Horse, a Tegan and Sara type band for the mixed crowd. They are, after all, strikingly beautiful.
If you've ever eaten with me (or probably if you've ever spoken to me), you know. I love food. Mexican food, desserts, Ethiopian Food, cream cheese. Indian food, garlic bread, Thai food, and tofu. It's all beautiful to me, and meals in my company are more like celebrations that last hours. I enjoy every bite, bask in every moment, and appreciate (almost) every morsel.
Being in New York City, I'm constantly tempted by the compendious food choices that surround me. When I do decide to go out I find myself spinning in circles in an attempt to decide which place to enter. There are thousands of restaurants in the city (I tried to devise methods for accurately estimating but fear I have yet to think of an efficient way of doing so) and I want to go to taste what every single one has to offer.
I'm not sure if it's the overachiever in me, the romantic idea of accomplishment that comes with eating something from every restaurant, or the value I place on the social currency of truly being able to offer solid recommendations to people based on their interests, but I might be a lot obsessed with the thought of eating in every New York City restaurant. I achieved this in Northampton, Massachusetts right before I moved away, but the issue of closures and change in the city would make such a feat nearly impossible in New York City.
Still, I would very much like to explore the idea of trying. Because of money restrictions such an idea is out of the question, but of course I'm not willing to give up so quickly, and here is where I need your brilliant minds. If I were to pursue this goal I would need a lot of money. Some sort of funding would need to be made available, either via a V.C, sponsorship(s), or a means of monetizing my restaurant attendance (perhaps Super Size Me or Fast Food Nation style?) would certainly be in order.
If I could get that, or if I were to propose such a thing, what would be required on my part? For the unadulterated pleasure of thought exercises, I wish to explore the proposition below:
According to a Google Answers response the Census Bureau recorded 14,590 restaurants and bars in New York City at the end of 2002. For the sake of estimation and such, let's just assume there are 15,000 restaurants in the city. I'm not a math major here so correct me if I'm wrong, but if I went to one restaurant per day, it would take me 15,000 days or 41.1 years to conquer the city's food venues (not taking into account leap years). At an average of $25 per meal (I pulled that number from thin air) I would need $375,000 to eat out once per day for the next 41.1 years.
The first thought that pops into my head when I think about 41 years is the way native New Yorkers talk about how New York used to feel in the 1970's. It seems like a completely different world, and with different worlds undoubtedly comes different restaurants. Few of the mainstays from when I began my project would still exist 41 years from now, meaning I should, in theory, give up on the idea.
But then I think about how wonderful it would be to try every restaurant. It wouldn't be a matter of which restaurant I wanted to experience, but for what occasion and when I wanted to experience it. I can imagine drawing graphs and posting oversized maps illustrating my quest through the city's cuisine.
When I was little (like two or three) I wanted to be a pirate. Something about that desire still fascinates me, but this restaurant proposition even beats the dreamy elements of choosing "pirate" as a career path.
I may not ever get to every restaurant in New York City, but what if I could eat in every location? What is Grotto on 100 Forsyth Street today might be a completely different restaurant in 2050, but I would still be able to say that I, at the tender age of 22, once sat in that restaurant back before they started serving whatever will be the unimaginably futuristic and trendy cuisine of 41 years from now.
The visions of the past are mostly irrelevant to most, but in my eyes that doesn't devalue the idea of chasing my goal. The restaurants I attend may not always exist but I know I'll always remember the way it felt to bask in the nautical environment of Grotto, for example, as I shared entrees of tortellini and pork with someone I hope will still be in my life in one way or another 41.1 years from now.
Unwavering I stand. I'm not saying there won't be nights when I want to stay in, but I foresee unmatched good times. I could become the Beatle Bob of New York City's restaurants, the foodie version of Dale Webster (the man who has surfed every day for more than 32 years), or the aficionado of food history in New York. Whatever the case, it sounds like a beautiful mission.
Anybody care to share how I could monetize this or find some sort of funding? I'll show you lots of appreciation, and if you're lucky, take you out to dinner.
***
Today's music recommendations honor two wonderful artists who, in my opinion, have provided beautiful work on New York.
LCD Soundsystem - "New York I Love You" (The scenes are from a Carson film about NYC in the 1950's)
Kelly McRae - "BQE" (I couldn't find the actual song in video form, but check it out. It has some of the most beautiful lyrics I've ever heard when it comes to appreciating the city.)
As some of you may or may not know, one of my many moonlighting occupations resides with HX Magazine. This weekend the magazine is hosting a Gay Life Expo in the NYC Javitz center (11th Av/36th St), so if you're fresh off the Stop the H8 Prop 8 protest near City Hall this weekend and wondering where to go afterward, walk Northwest young man/woman/anything in between.
The Expo features networking events, a career center, vendors, charities, and much more. Obviously, it's the performers and musicians that have me most excited. Below you'll find a list and short summary of what some of them are all about. Enjoy and I hope to see you in the Javitz center this weekend. SATURDAY / NOV 15
Show # 1 The Marvelous Wonderettes Poodle skirts and wholesome 1950’s high school girl stereotypes coupled with sidesplitting antics and a ten year reunion that takes place in the typical miniskirt culture of 1968, The Marvelous Wondrettes are a sensational act that will take the Gay Life Expo by storm with their renditions of “Respect,” Son of a Preacher Man,” and much, much more.
Jonathan Whitton One look from Jonathan Whitton’s glimmering eyes and you’ll melt into heavenly eternity.
Emily McNamara Emily McNamara grew up belting “Bettie Davis Eyes” into her hairbrush as she swooped around the living room with creative stuffed-animal-leaping dance moves. If you ask her about it today she’ll still admit to the same living room renditions, only now she is living the life she had dreamed of as a girl.
Show # 3 Naommon French born fashionista Naommon (pronounced NOW-mon) crossed the pond with a grungy, florescent New York in mind. Now based in Harlem, his latest collection of bouncy bass lines and dark, sequin lined disco tracks spew with sultry refrains and images of the beautifully moody New York that keeps us gliding across the dance floor against hard bodies covered in sweat.
Peppermint To know Peppermint is to love Peppermint. She’s been deemed HX Magazine’s Drag Queen of the Year, Entertainer of the Year in the Glammy Awards, and a part of Paper Magazine’s 10th Annual Beautiful People issue. Constantly on the nightlife circuit and always a pleasure, Peppermint is sure to deliver
Lori Michaels “Me & the Girls” Lori Michaels just released her full length album “Living My Life Out Loud” and she’s ready to rock the stage with her Pink meets Timbaland in the back of a hot club style.
Murray Hill Polyester clad, mustachioed Murray Hill emceed Madonna’s record release party, hosted a Antony and the Johnsons show, and appeared in Gossip’s video for “Listen Up.” If there’s anyone who is connected in the New York performance world it’s Murray Hill. He may not have won mayor of New York in 1997 (he received 341 write-in votes) but he’s guaranteed to step up to the stage and fill the room with laughter.
SUNDAY / NOV 16 Show # 1 Neon Glitter Bliss If beats could kill I wouldn’t mind going out on the ethereal, hook filled syncopation of Neon Glitter Bliss. Pounding the scene with warm original sounds, the Brooklyn based electro pop trio sounds wonderfully familiar but completely original at the same time. The name says it all; this out of the box trio is pure bliss.
Show # 2 Brian Kent Recently featured on Project Runway and Sirius Radio’s Out Hot 20, as well as Billboard’s #5 Breakout Dance Club Play, Brian Kent’s light, airy progressive house throbs with sexual energy. Earnest and melodic, but also spinning in whirlwinds of sound, these club thumpers will keep house fiends hot under the collar all night long.
Show # 3 Broadway Boys Everything seems perfect when the hottest voices currently working on the New York stage agree to dress in dandy suits and let it all belt out. Redefining the classics we can’t live without and making original compositions sound as appealing as the standards, the six hunks that make up the Broadway Boys promise to keep you on the edge of your sequin seats in sheer delight.
Dorothy Bishop Redefining everything from Puccini and Dusty Springfield to Cher and Donna Summer, this Southern born, Yale trained soprano, serves up tantalizing opera hovering over fast paced dance tracks and undeniable synth hooks. Many have called Dorothy Bishop’s performances “popratic,” and there’s no doubt her sense of humor and three octave vocal range will leave you begging for more.
Brett Gleason A former New York State Gymnastics Champion, Brett Gleason has always been drawn into obscure musical landscapes. Now a one man band, he plays his own piano and guitar before weaving the live sounds into dark digital soundscapes. Part Fiona Apple, part Aphex Twin, Gleason will serve up a New York based ferocious sonic chaos that actually makes sense.
Margoh! Channing Claiming William Hung and Britney Spears as inspiration, Margoh! Channing has finally embarked on the singing career she said she lost after a night of undeniable passion with Neil Sedaka. With her fluffy black updo, humongous sense of humor, and long black sequined dress she’s sure to bring you along on a snarky, playful romp through fifteen minutes of fame that will surely last a lifetime.
In the spirit of this weekend's expo, you can of course see this transcending trio this weekend in the Javitz center. My favorite tracks are "Wilted Flower" and "Drama." In fact, I would very much enjoy a society where dramatic situations were suddenly created with people gallivanting along and singing "I don't want no, (high voice) drama; in my life this, (high voice) moment. I don't want no, (high voice) drama; till the casket, (high voice) closes."
To enjoy the music, click on "Audio" in the widget below and then select the songs you'd like to listen to (or just follow the link above).
The other evening I was strolling along toward the F train on W. 35th Street as the woman ahead of me shrieked into her cell phone. "I did what?" she cackled. I endured a short pause and then cell-phone-talking, perfume-trailing woman revealed what had had her so simultaneously surprised and excited. "You're not joking, I really stood up on the bed in my sleep? We've only known each other two weeks!"
She was appalled but also all smiles and exploding with laughter. When she asked the person on the other end of her Verizon network to explain what had happened again in more detail I realized an important general truth: People love to hear about what they do in their sleep.
Of course everyone wants to hear a little about themselves here and there, but tell someone they mumbled fragmented conversation or twitched like crazy in their sleep and you're bound to receive a response brimming with enthusiasm. An action that would normally cause extreme embarrassment becomes strangely endearing to the sleeper, and you're bound to hear multiple requests to "tell it again."
It kind of makes me smile, how quirky we are.
--Lauren Proctor
***
Today's music recommendation is Jukebox the Ghost. Their keyboard based pop sensibilities will have you flying in no time.
There's something magical about finding yourself in a place the moment the street lights switch on to illuminate the night. Like seeing the sun rise against the buildings of New York City as the 1 train emerges from underground on my way to Columbia softball practice, it happens every day but will never lose its power over me.
Maybe it's the idea of a grand system reliably engaging at the exact same moment before the sun drops away, or maybe it's the fact that I tend to find meaning in even the smallest of events. To me though, there's something personal in being one of the few who actually notices the lights turning on.
Blink and you might miss it, but try too hard to see it intentionally and the moment loses its pleasurable element of surprise.
Like glancing at your watch the moment the clock changes to bring in a new day or standing in a liminal space only to find that you do in fact belong somewhere, the lights provide simple solutions and respite. Both reliable and shocking, the lights illuminate our paths as we proceed through the night. Just before we find ourselves lost in the dark, boom.
They're on.
Feeling like part of the moment when the street lamps first shed light on the life below is like receiving a gift. Whether it's mere coincidence or something that was meant to be is beyond me. But being a part of that moment is like finding that someone important has suddenly illuminated your life. Blink and you could have missed it, but for some reason it's there and it's obvious.
It's almost as if you never had to look. It just happened while you were living and now everything is different.
May we all stay illuminated.
-- Lauren Proctor
Photo Caption: A view of the Brooklyn Bridge at an outdoor showing of The Shining.
***
I may be lost (or found) in the lights, but I haven't forgotten your music. I've been obsessed with Joshua Radin's new album "Simple Times" as of late and I feel like it matches the tone of this post, so I'm going to go ahead and recommend him.
He's not particularly obscure, but for good reason. You can stream the album at the link I provided above, or watch the YouTube video below for a faily good live recording of a couple of his songs.
Joshua Radin - "One of Those Days" and "Brand New Day" "Best New Day" might be my favorite song off the new album.
Joshua Radin - "Vegetable Car" Based off of a hook that would even convert Dracula, this lighthearted ditty is as sweet as songwriting gets these days.
I'm not entirely sure what this implies about my place of residence, but a week or so back there were signs up demanding no one park along the street where I live. When I took a moment to finally read the scribbled writing explaining why no one would be allowed to park in a neighborhood where spaces are like blocks of gold, I realized that the length around my house needed to be completely cleared off so that they could use our peaceful street for the backdrop of Law and Order.
It's one thing to say that your apartment has been used for the set of Gossip Girl or Fraser. After all, those are shows of class and status. Touting your neighborhood as a scene for Law and Order though, is an entirely different matter. I can just picture someone pacing down Monroe Street and flipping open their mobile to say, "Oh James, I found the perfect spot. It's safe enough for us to film but it looks like the perfect scene for a crime, just the type of slum looking scene we need."
The call to James was apparently made and now the rest is history. My walk home from the subway was especially dramatic the night they filmed. Spotlights were shining on the neighbors' building and my shadows were stretched long as bright white lights spanned the entire block.
It was drizzling that night, and the photo I took (shown above) is the view from my house. The softball field across the street was flooded with people in panchos, cameras, and lots of light. The real drama wasn't the light though, it was in the blaring sirens. Apparently that's not something they add later on in the editing process.
And so it stands. The filming was short but the span of my neighborhood that was filmed will remain in the archives of Law and Order forever. Slap a few more articles down about how Chinatown and the Lower East Side are the "it" neighborhoods and maybe next year we'll get Beverly Hills 90210.
***
Many of you have probably already heard me rave about Rilo Kiley, but the band's front woman Jenny Lewis has collaborated (yet again) with the Watson Twins. They just released their new album "Acid Tongue" and it's well worth every measure. Check out some of the videos below and follow the links to hear these soft, poignant harmonies.
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - "Acid Tongue"
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - "You Are What You Love"
Jenny Lewis and the Watson Twins - "Handle Me With Care" (cover)
Snippet of "Let My Love Open the Door," a cover that will show EXACTLY I wouldn't kick Jenny out of bed for eatin' crackers.
During the past few weeks I have found myself utterly incapable of falling asleep unless I am absolutely exhausted. Most people say it's worry that keeps them up, but the nature of my insomnia is the direct opposite. It's as if suddenly I realized that the world is too full of beauty for me to close my eyes much longer than the duration of a blink, and I am left trying to take it all in. I want to find art in the city, learn everything about the economic situation, absorb every fact or deception in the current race to the presidency, and read as much wisdom as journalists and writers will impart on their audiences. Then I want to master pop culture and take time to slow down to notice the clouds or the architecture.
Periods of intense learning, for me, come in dramatic phases. I love being informed and you'll always find me glued to some sort of publication, but every now and then I get especially ambitious in my attempts. I am an eternal learner, but I call phases like what I am in now my learning resurgence. Only resurgence implies that something has come back again, and the degree at which I am attempting to take everything in is absolutely unprecedented. I've never seen anyone like this.
Even I know that my current sprint for knowledge and awareness is more than ridiculous. But what do you do besides keep pace with them as scholars and critics reference one another in trails of relevant information? Giroux leads to Poplin, leads to Stein, leads to Anderson, and the next thing I know I am face down on top of my sheets, the imprint of a book digging into my right cheek. I'll sleep in that deep immovable state for hours, but it's only because I've gone so long without a proper night's sleep that my body can't help but finally surrender to its biological imperatives.
And right now, at this very moment, nothing is more imperative than learning. Oh what I would do to be able to absorb it and truly understand with one big blast. They could call it The Big Bang, only this time no one would have to study it because they would know. But hey, maybe, just maybe, that's the point anyway. If we ever knew it all, from the future of marketing to the point of our existence, then existing at all wouldn't be so wonderful anyway.
I'll turn to ashes before I find the end of this trail, but until then I'll burn in my pursuit of knowledge, snapping and crackling with intellectual secrets of the world. With deep breaths that stick in my lungs and stay trapped in my being, I will learn as much as humanly possible. That is my learning resurgence. That is The Big Bang.
***
Random Note: For those of you curious about the picture, this is one of the service change signs posted at the subway station I frequent. I thought it said a lot about where I live (and only strengthened my desire to learn Chinese for more than intellectual purposes), so I took a picture to share.
***
And even though I have a hankering desire to escape into the grasp of Bellah, Madsen, and Tipton, I'll share a recent music discovery that I think will remain a favorite for years to come. Check out The Ballet. Electro infused rock with a violin never felt so infectious and sparkling. All Music Guide calls them "yearning, wistful, melancholy, literate, reflective, bittersweet, earnest, delicate, intimate, precious, and poignant. I couldn't have said it better. So even if you've ignored this section before, click here and enjoy.
Random Musing: New York radiates so bright that it's almost impossible to pick out a star if you look up at the Manhattan sky in the dead of night. Sometimes I miss getting lost in the constellations, but every time I step off the train about midnight with a book in hand, I appreciate New York's light. There are few places where I could read on the streets at two am without a portable light source. New York is one of those places though, and I'm loving every word.
***
Cool like Juno's Paulie Bleeker or argyle sweater vests with crisp shirts and double windsor knotted ties, Noah and the Whale is enchanting and totally nerdy in a good way. You've got to love a ukulele wielding band that describes love as "Two items in a molecule, inseparably combined" (see "Two Bodies, One Heart" below). If anybody will take you tiptoeing through the tulips it'll be Noah and the Whale in tracks like "Five Years Time." In more serious songs lead singer Charlie Fink sings from deep in his stomach, producing a voice that groans in a Chris Martin from Coldplay sort of way.
I am officially a New Yorker. Not only is it the new address, it's the library card, the fact that I walk quickly while disregarding cross walk signs, and most important, the fact that I am enrolled at NYU.
I will explain my apartment search in another blog entry, but as a teaser, here is the outside of my apartment. You'll see that the door is just a grate, but it provides a nice draft.
Totally kidding. (That one was for my parents.) Pictures will come soon, but the apartment search is a little to fresh to review as of today. Instead I'll tell you about a recent adventure.
I spent the day organizing my room and getting distracted with this and that. I have to go to Ikea to get a wardrobe closet (a task I am ecstatic about other than the fact that is an act of spending money) so I am limited in terms of how much I can organize. Slowly but surely though, I am buying the necessary extension cords, etc.
I technically live on the lower east side (Losida for locals) but it's what I would consider wonderfully close to Chinatown. I decided I would rather get an extension cord from a local vendor as opposed to Path Mark so I started walking. I wandered in and out of stores that connected to other stores off the street level and saw many places without even a dollar sign or English number.
I bought my extension cord at a shop with the dollar signs I understood and continued to wander, loving every second of this new and foreign place that was and is so close to my home. I felt illiterate but wanted nothing more than to satiate my curiosity. I wanted to reach out and touch the Chinese characters, absorb their meaning, and taste all the foods I'd never seen.
One second it would smell like fresh fish, the next like steamed rice. There were moments when I regretted deeply inhaling because I was bombarded with odorous trash, but as soon as I smelled a bakery I ducked inside. The long, narrow shop was filled with people eating. I didn't recognize a thing, but saw that the items were only 80 cents so I figured I would try something.
The lady working there in her red v-neck Clima-lite shirt and bright yellow Nike trucker hat (which was, I confirmed, the uniform) looked at me with inquiry, as if to say, "What do white people get when they come to Chinese bakeries, I've never seen one here."
I walked back and forth across the display and saw items that appeared to have meat beside items that seemed pure as angel cake. I opted for something that looked like a gyro roll sprinkled with fine coconut sprinkles and filled with white stuff. Cautious of spending 80 cents on something suspect (yes, I am frugal), I asked the lady what was in the middle. She was nice about it, and answered in a tone that seemed to say, I think the English word for it is "cream."
I smiled thankfully as she put it on a red tray for me before I made my way over to pay. As I got to the front of the line I asked the cashier what one might call the pastry I had picked out, and she answered quite simply, "Cream."
Thus begin my Lessons From Chinatown. Lesson No. 1 goes like this: 1. Learning Chinese and infiltrating Chinese culture is appealing, but it isn't going to happen one dessert at a time (as I had loftily hoped as I ducked into that bakery whose name I couldn't tell you beyond the fact that it contained a few Chinese characters).
It's a lesson Chinatown may have to teach me again. This bakery couldn't keep me away if it tried. My Cream wasn't very sugary like most American pastries, but it was heavy and incredible, the perfect 80 cent dinner. I ate it at home, searching forums for someone who would like to meet once a month or so to learn English so I can learn what a Cream is really called.
***
And although I haven't blogged in forever, I haven't forgotten about music recommendations.
Check out Josh Pyke. The Aussie Acoustic folk artist will have you pensively relaxing, but then smash you out of that space with a shocking lyric here or there.
This video doesn't require much of an introduction. Let's just say these riders are heroic, and possibly a bit crazy. But isn't some degree of crazy a prerequisite for any type of heroism? I won't bore you with that thought process, but check out these unicycle riders as they tear through Manhattan.
Before I leave you I'd like to introduce you to an amazing band. Check out The Feeling. These guys are like the Elton John of the new millennium.
I am a determined lover of life who insists on trying almost everything at least once and becoming passionately obsessed with most of it. I read constantly, eat frequently, and rarely lose sight of my goals.
My work has brought me into LuxuryLab (a new think tank/luxury brand consulting company), music publicity, magazine writing (music features, restaurant reviews, etc), and coaching Columbia University softball. Learning is at the core of my being so I'm an aspiring DJ and renegade marketer on the verge of new academic discovery at NYU.
More than that, I'm the person you'll find dancing in the living room as the sun rises over New York City.
Posts
