I need to be more proactive about pursuing my art. I've always had a certain aversion toward trying to make money from my writing and my art, believing that to do so would somehow degrade and pollute my work and make it more "business-like." After all, to sell, my work has to not only be palatable but somehow appealing... I have to produce something that someone actually wants to consume. Being marketable has never been my priority.
And yet, obviously writing and art are passions of mine... so I've lately been writing more, trying to get published, and I am hoping that the rejection letters and e-mails piling in are only a sign that I've (almost) paid my dues and something is bound to get published soon! And, I am still trying to get my act together with my art... It's not doing much good just lying in books under my bed, after all.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Traif: Non-Kosher, but Suitable Even if You Don't Eat Pork!
So I checked out Traif this last week, a restaurant in South Williamsburg just a hop, skip and a jump away from me. Traif's mission statement is that it celebrates "pork, shellfish, and globally-inspired soul food." Non-kosher indeed.
Upon sitting down, we were greeted with steaming pork broth to warm us up. A quick glance at the drink and food menus very quickly revealed that we could imbibe bacon-encrusted drinks and indulge in bacon-specked donuts, in addition to enjoying such tapas as bacon-wrapped dates and bacon-topped salad. I indulged in the shellfish options myself, which were utterly delectable. But if you like bacon, you need to check out this place.
Oh, and it was co-founded by a Jew. For the full story, you can visit the Traif blog, where chef and co-founder Jason Marcus wrote, "So, Traif is a restaurant that celebrates the foods that I love most, which just so happens to be the foods that I am not supposed to eat." Touche. Eating forbidden foods can be especially delectable.
Upon sitting down, we were greeted with steaming pork broth to warm us up. A quick glance at the drink and food menus very quickly revealed that we could imbibe bacon-encrusted drinks and indulge in bacon-specked donuts, in addition to enjoying such tapas as bacon-wrapped dates and bacon-topped salad. I indulged in the shellfish options myself, which were utterly delectable. But if you like bacon, you need to check out this place.
Oh, and it was co-founded by a Jew. For the full story, you can visit the Traif blog, where chef and co-founder Jason Marcus wrote, "So, Traif is a restaurant that celebrates the foods that I love most, which just so happens to be the foods that I am not supposed to eat." Touche. Eating forbidden foods can be especially delectable.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Signal to Noise Review
The party and the museum were simply exquisite. The Museum of the Moving Image, which re-opened on Saturday night, is delightfully sprawling and awe-inspiring. With a stark contemporary interior and numerous areas designated for live performances and happenings, the venue was a delightful place to spend my Saturday evening. With multiple live performances and DJs throughout the night, the Signal to Noise party also opened its exhibits for party-goers.
So, all in one evening, I was able to soak in the history of the moving image and party with my friends. I learned factoids such as that Robert DeNiro's immortalized "You talkin' to me?" line in Taxi Driver was made up by the actor during filming. The prosthetic mangled legs of the character Beth in Black Swan were on display, as were numerous other prosthetic busts of actors. Old-school TV's and video cameras were displayed nostalgically, and as a reminder that technology continues to develop at increasingly lightning speeds.
After wandering around the museum, I sipped Heineken in the downstairs lounge areas while dancing with my friends under the bright lighting, along with the rest of the very attractive and intelligent-looking crowd.
And the train ride to and from Williamsburg was surprisingly painless. I will have to check out more events at this museum in the near future!
So, all in one evening, I was able to soak in the history of the moving image and party with my friends. I learned factoids such as that Robert DeNiro's immortalized "You talkin' to me?" line in Taxi Driver was made up by the actor during filming. The prosthetic mangled legs of the character Beth in Black Swan were on display, as were numerous other prosthetic busts of actors. Old-school TV's and video cameras were displayed nostalgically, and as a reminder that technology continues to develop at increasingly lightning speeds.
(above, old school Star Wars tape dispenser.. !)
And the train ride to and from Williamsburg was surprisingly painless. I will have to check out more events at this museum in the near future!
Friday, January 14, 2011
Bubbles, Dancing, NYC Oh My!
With a certificate I had purchased from LivingSocial, I organized a girls night yesterday at Bubble Lounge, a swanky champagne and cocktail bar in Tribeca. With drinks like the baby pear martini and kit kat martini, the place was delectable. And we were even surprised with free mini-cupcakes and a burlesque show at 11! There's something to be said about feeling all Sex and the City sometimes...
And tomorrow I will add a little culture to my swanky fun, with a dance party at the Museum of the Moving Image: the Signal to Noise event with dancing, interactive art, electronic music and so much more. Unless of course I decide on going to the No Man's Land Gypsy dance party extraordinaire. Then again, I might just go to Mehanata, the Bulgarian Bar, tonight... So much dancing, so little time.
And tomorrow I will add a little culture to my swanky fun, with a dance party at the Museum of the Moving Image: the Signal to Noise event with dancing, interactive art, electronic music and so much more. Unless of course I decide on going to the No Man's Land Gypsy dance party extraordinaire. Then again, I might just go to Mehanata, the Bulgarian Bar, tonight... So much dancing, so little time.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Welcoming 2011... with No Pants?!
I am admittedly intrigued by this. In my 7+ years in NYC, I have yet to witness - or partake in - a spectacle quite like this: the No Pants Subway Ride. Perhaps this year. Stay tuned, it happens this Sunday!
Organized by Improv Everywhere, which "causes scenes of chaos and joy in public spaces," the event began years ago in NYC and is now a global happening: it is to take place in 47 cities, in 22 countries this year!!
Organized by Improv Everywhere, which "causes scenes of chaos and joy in public spaces," the event began years ago in NYC and is now a global happening: it is to take place in 47 cities, in 22 countries this year!!
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Reggie Watts!!! Magnificence at Highline Ballroom
I saw Reggie Watts on Friday, who was an absolutely incredible performer. Both a comedian and a musician, Watts's performaces are improvised acts that blend stream-of-conscious storytelling with incredible beats and comedy. He used a looping machine and a piano, very quickly veering from a musical performance to comedic storytelling to everything in between.
As reviewed by Brian Eno: ""Reggie Watts is a most unusual talent: a huge vocal range, a natural musicality, and a sidesplitting wit. Is he a comedian? A singer? A performance artist? I've seen him a few times since then and I still can't decide. Whatever, he ain't like nobody else."
And that is how Reggie Watts is. See him if you ever can.
As reviewed by Brian Eno: ""Reggie Watts is a most unusual talent: a huge vocal range, a natural musicality, and a sidesplitting wit. Is he a comedian? A singer? A performance artist? I've seen him a few times since then and I still can't decide. Whatever, he ain't like nobody else."
And that is how Reggie Watts is. See him if you ever can.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Fun New York Christmas-Related Events
I want to go to both of these!!!! Who's in?
The House of Yes Christmas Spectacular in Williamsburg and The Hard Nut at BAM in Brooklyn!
December 16th, 17th and 18th
THE HOUSE OF YES CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: Xmas Around the World
House of Yes is at it again, with the second annual House of Yes
Christmas Spectacular! This year, producer duo Anya Sapozhnikova and
Kae Burke are bringing audiences “Xmas Around the World”, a
delightfully offensive celebration showcasing different cultures and
their customs of Christmas joy.
Featuring more talent than that other “Christmas Spectacular”,
this show will be overflowing with festive theatrics including racist
reindeer, Chinese elves, holiday aerialists, and international Santas!
Performers from the Lady Circus, Dead Bunny Burlesque, Spazz Hands,
Desert Sin, extra special guest Miss Rosewood and many more will be
bringing Christmas cheer to the stage this year guaranteeing that this
will really be the Most Wonderful Show of the Year.
Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
$20-$40 sliding scale. Limited number of $15 tickets will be available
for the Thursday show, first come first served basis.
Tickets will only be available at the door, cash only please.
(PG13: strong language, drug references, nudity(full frontal, male and
female), sex, racial profiling, strobes.)
House of Yes Theatre
342 Maujer Street (near Morgan Ave)
Grand St. L train
All proceeds go to benefit House of Yes theatre improvements for 2011!
www.houseofyes.org/events
Part of the 2010 Next Wave Festival
Dec 10, 11 & 15—18, 2010, 7:30pm
Dec 12 & 19, 2010, 3pm
The Hard Nut is the annual Richard B. Fisher Next Wave Presentation, which receives special support from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
Presented by BAM and Mark Morris Dance Group
Featuring the MMDG Music Ensemble with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Conducted by Robert Cole
Choreography by Mark Morris
"Morris' choreography is formally dazzling, uproariously funny." —San Francisco Chronicle
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Mark Morris Dance Group reprises its irreverent and much loved The Hard Nut, a retro-modern take on the holiday favorite The Nutcracker. Morris’ rendition—which has won Ovation TV’s Battle of the Nutcrackers contest for three years running—transplants the story from the decorous 1890s to the swinging 1970s, a freewheeling era realized with panache and wit. Inspired by the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous score, and the comic book art of Charles Burns, Morris captures the beauty and tenderness of this classic while infusing it with supreme musicality and raucous humor.
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
120min with intermission
Tickets: $25, 45, 60, 70
Appropriate for ages 4 & up
Set design by Adrianne Lobel
Costume design by Martin Pakledinaz
Lighting design by James F. Ingalls
Based on the novel by ETA Hoffman, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
The House of Yes Christmas Spectacular in Williamsburg and The Hard Nut at BAM in Brooklyn!
December 16th, 17th and 18th
THE HOUSE OF YES CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR: Xmas Around the World
House of Yes is at it again, with the second annual House of Yes
Christmas Spectacular! This year, producer duo Anya Sapozhnikova and
Kae Burke are bringing audiences “Xmas Around the World”, a
delightfully offensive celebration showcasing different cultures and
their customs of Christmas joy.
Featuring more talent than that other “Christmas Spectacular”,
this show will be overflowing with festive theatrics including racist
reindeer, Chinese elves, holiday aerialists, and international Santas!
Performers from the Lady Circus, Dead Bunny Burlesque, Spazz Hands,
Desert Sin, extra special guest Miss Rosewood and many more will be
bringing Christmas cheer to the stage this year guaranteeing that this
will really be the Most Wonderful Show of the Year.
Doors at 8pm, show at 9pm
$20-$40 sliding scale. Limited number of $15 tickets will be available
for the Thursday show, first come first served basis.
Tickets will only be available at the door, cash only please.
(PG13: strong language, drug references, nudity(full frontal, male and
female), sex, racial profiling, strobes.)
House of Yes Theatre
342 Maujer Street (near Morgan Ave)
Grand St. L train
All proceeds go to benefit House of Yes theatre improvements for 2011!
www.houseofyes.org/events
and ...
The Hard Nut
Part of the 2010 Next Wave Festival
Dec 10, 11 & 15—18, 2010, 7:30pm
Dec 12 & 19, 2010, 3pm
The Hard Nut is the annual Richard B. Fisher Next Wave Presentation, which receives special support from the Peter Jay Sharp Foundation.
Presented by BAM and Mark Morris Dance Group
Featuring the MMDG Music Ensemble with the Brooklyn Youth Chorus
Conducted by Robert Cole
Choreography by Mark Morris
"Morris' choreography is formally dazzling, uproariously funny." —San Francisco Chronicle
To celebrate its 30th anniversary, Mark Morris Dance Group reprises its irreverent and much loved The Hard Nut, a retro-modern take on the holiday favorite The Nutcracker. Morris’ rendition—which has won Ovation TV’s Battle of the Nutcrackers contest for three years running—transplants the story from the decorous 1890s to the swinging 1970s, a freewheeling era realized with panache and wit. Inspired by the E.T.A. Hoffmann story, Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous score, and the comic book art of Charles Burns, Morris captures the beauty and tenderness of this classic while infusing it with supreme musicality and raucous humor.
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House
120min with intermission
Tickets: $25, 45, 60, 70
Appropriate for ages 4 & up
Set design by Adrianne Lobel
Costume design by Martin Pakledinaz
Lighting design by James F. Ingalls
Based on the novel by ETA Hoffman, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King
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