Nightscape
Jersey City pier on the last workday of 2004
R.I.P. Jerry Orbach
"When a Broadway baby says 'Good night,'
It's early in the morning.
Manhattan babies don't sleep tight until the dawn.
Good night, baby,
Good night, milkman's on his way.
Sleep tight, baby,
Sleep tight, let's call it a day,
Listen to the lullaby of old Broadway."
- Julian Marsh, 42nd Street
Happy anniversary, higher focused morality
In the lobby of Margie, super psychotherapist, on our first anniversary
Stopping by Bandit on a snowy evening
Off to hang out with Bandit, my black lab-shephard mix pal, who requires my dog-walking assistance while his humans are out of town for the holidays. He likes the snow. Me, too.
Jews and Orphans Xmas
The Jews and orphans congregated at Michele's for our traditional holiday meal. The gathered consisted of Michele, Kelly, Cindee, Jeff, Dan, Josh, Kimberly and I. We ate, we drank, we played Celebrity. Baby Jesus smiled.
Highlights of J&O Xmas:
- Best Celebrity Answer - Michele for "Domuel Day Lewis" (real answer - Dom DeLuise)
- Best Celebrity Clue - me for "Dancing amputee" (answer - Chita Rivera)
- Best Description of Historical Occurrences - Cindee for her reimagining of Pontius Pilates' role in the Crucifixion
Soundtrack:
Jews and Orphans Xmas Mix - 2004
We Need a Little Christmas - Angela Lansbury
Christmas Wrapping - The Waitresses
The Lonely Jew On Christmas - Kyle/South Park
Hooray For Santa Claus - Sloppy Seconds
Jingle Bells/It's Christmas Time All Over the World - Sammy Davis, Jr.
R2D2, We Wish You a Merry Little Christmas - C3PO and youth choir
The Man With All the Toys - Beach Boys
All I Wanted For Christmas Is - Cledus T. Judd
Santa Wants Some Lovin' - unknown blues guy
The Night Santa Went Crazy - Weird Al Yankovic
Let It Snow - bit shifter
Hard Candy Christmas - Dolly Parton
Christmas Is - Run D.M.C.
Hanukkah in Santa Monica - Tom Leherer
Christmas Christmas - Mojo Nixon
Jingle Bells/Jingle Bell Rock - The Muppets
Hang Your Balls On The Xmas Tree - Kay Martin and Her Bodyguards
Merry Christmas - The Ramones
My Simple Christmas Wish - Emily Skinner
Christmas Conga - Cyndi Lauper
Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee
Santa's Beard - They Might Be Giants
Deck The Halls - William Hung
Fairytale of New York - The Pogues
Skating - Vince Guaraldi Trio
Silent Night - The Dickies
The Christmas Song - Nat King Cole
Messiah - unknown choir with drunk organist
The Grey Knights at Christmas
Lobby of the Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle
Whole Foods
The Grey Knights protect the Upper West Side from Hell's Kitchen.
Farewell to Jenny
Descending a staircase in a paper shop in Chelsea
Having a cocktail at G on 19th Street
I spent the evening with my darling friend and brilliant hair stylist, Jenny, who just informed me that she is moving back to New Zealand. My hair is sad; but mostly, my heart is sad.
Is NZ too far for a haircut?
Siriusly, people are good
Shuffling through the corridors of Sirius Satellite Radio studios
I have beautiful friends. Amy and Michele got the Gs and fellow
improvisors on a message board involved with
NY Cares to be Secret Santas for underprivileged kids; Teresa organized her co-workers, friends and said improvisors to donate gifts to a family in need and, well, I helped.
Helping feels good; you should try it. I'm not trying to be preachy, I'm just saying.
First snow
It's Christmastime in the city...
and damp in the deli.
I like cold (or hot - it doesn't matter) beverages
Under the table at the 10th Avenue Diner
Hungover from the Gotham Holiday Party, I went to the diner around the corner for breakfast (at 1:30 pm) and caffeine. The busser brought me water immediately. My omlette came with tea (or coffee, if you swing that way) and oj. I also ordered a diet coke.
And when I finished those (with 3 tea refills and 2 glasses of water)
I ordered another diet Coke.
The happy accident
Washington, D.C., October, 2003. Say No to War rally at the Washington Monument.
Levitate me, y'all
Waiting in the hall for Jen to drop off
the golden ticket.
Last night, I saw the Pixies at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. It was rocktastic. I'm almost the luckiest girl in the world. They played nearly all of
Surfer Rosa and
Come On Pilgrim - except for
Levitate Me, which is my favorite. It was that close to perfect. No banter, basic lights and set, and 90 minutes of head-slammin' joy (my neck is a little sore).
Kim was so cute when they left before the encore - she slowly walked sideways across from stage left to stage right waving as if she was saying goodnight to each audience member individually. I pretended that she saw me in the back of the mezzanine and will tell everyone that she did. I love her. Joey looked hot and played hot; David blew my mind - he and Kim kept it all together (David, one-handed for a time) when Joey had a nearly five minute solo; and, of course, BF/FB wailed, and alternately fired me up and broke my heart all night. I want to hug him so hard he pops.
I could go on, but I'm spiraling into hyperbole.
(I'm wearing my tshirt from the show.)
Deastasovich Christmas weekend
Three parties; one pair of shoes
Saturday
NJ transit train to Trenton - l to r: me, Jen
Andrea's apartment in Philly
Philadelphia Cathedral after Andrea's choral concert - clockwise from 12: Jen, Kyle, Chris, me, Kevin
Andrea's deck during annual holiday party (aka the lonely smoker)
Sunday
Still a little drunk in Chris' car heading to 33rd St. Station
Xmas brunch at Kevin and Rob's in Jersey City
Back in the city - Cafe Reggio on MacDougal Street
Dinner with (clockwise from 12) Jon and Nadette
New toy
Christmas came early. Thanks for the bonus, Karl; my new digital camera and I will be very happy together.
Almost in the gutter
On the platform of the E train
On the edge of the platform of the E train (where I dropped my cell phone in September)
In the lobby of my office
Walking into the Chinese restaurant on my lunch break
Taking my time walking back to the office
Drinking in the rain
Huddled in a 9th Ave. doorway
Outside Vintage on 9th Ave. with Michele
It's no problem
Padding around the pad
With the impending holiday crush, I find myself experiencing periods of extreme creative immobilization followed by unfettered productivity. While an even flow would be nice, fits and starts are better than nothing. So many projects need my attention - mainly the book - but the anarchic state of my dwelling is moving rapidly to the top of the list. Sweaters, books, shoes, scraps of paper, yarn, piles of notes, incense droppings, backpack contents and empty glasses clutter my futon, floor, coffee table and desk. Dishes collect in the sink; my bedroom is a dumping ground for the useless. And what do I do about it on this committment-free Saturday? I volunteer to help a friend, thus putting off necessary tasks yet another day.
Concept-to-address-with-my-therapist of the day: why I put others' needs ahead of my own.
Soundtrack of the day: obscure and random Christmas music as I compile the Jews and Orphans Xmas Mix
