SNOW

Oh My! I looked outside my window at 7:00 this morning and this is what I saw. Being from California, this is a new experience for me! Also, I have never been skiing! How many exclamation marks can I use in a short paragraph!?!?



NYC is an amazing place-where else can you see white stuff falling from the sky and hear Tama Janowitz, author of "Slaves of New York", speak all within a 24-hour period. I'm trying to sound like I'm really hip on 80s pop culture. To be honest, I didn't know who this woman was before I heard her speak but evidently "Slaves" is one of the 10 most important fiction books of the 80s along with something like "Bonfire of the Vanities". Anyways, she was either drunk or stoned when she spoke or maybe she wasn't on anything which in that case made for a very interesting reading.

All They Want is A Sliver!

I went to a rally in Washington Square Park yesterday in support of the Writers' strike. Currently, writers only get 4 to 6 cents per DVD sale. They are asking for up to 8 cents per DVD and 2.5% of the profit studios make off the writers' work on the Internet or digitally (like when a video is streamed or downloaded).

There were about 300 people at the rally (they were hoping for 1,000), many of whom were media hungry reporters and lookie loos. I went because I support the writers' strike and believe in what they are fighting for. Because of my weak bladder, I snuck into one of the NYU buildings to use the facilities so unfortunately I missed John Edwards 3 minute speech (I didn't know he was going to be there and actually I don't think anyone knew he was going to be there). Aasif Mandvi of the Daily Show was the MC and he was quite funny. The Executive Director of the Writers Guild of America East, Mona Mangan (!!) spoke as well as representatives from PSC/CUNY (Professional Staff Congress City University of New York) and UFT (United Federation of Teachers). SAG was present as well.

Gilbert Gottfried, who, in my opinion, is like nails on the chalkboard, observed the audience and said, "I haven't seen this many Jews since Schindler's List". Danny Glover and Tim Robbins spoke and several celebrities were present: Joe Pantoliano from the Sopranos (Tony whacked him but he really deserved it!), Richard Belzer (Law and Order and Homicide) Julianna Margolis, Anthony Edwards, Tina Fey and Kristin Davis.

I hope the strike ends soon and the writers get what they are asking for-they deserve it. Good tv and movie writing is hard to come by and as Tim Robbins pointed out-these are not millionaire writers that are striking-they're middle class just like the majority of us! For more information please go to: http://www.wgaeast.org/ or http://www.wga.org/.

Snow Flakes at Time Warner

These images are from inside the Time Warner building at Columbus Circle (59th Street and Broadway).

Through the Looking Glass-Bergdorf Goodman

The holiday season has arrived in New York City. In the next couple of weeks, I will share with you my favorite holiday experiences throughout the city. The first experience on the list are the window displays. Very beautiful, very contemporary, very over-the-top! More to come. Enjoy!





Note: In the second image, the woman (mannequin) is dancing with an alligator.

Who is This Man? Update

So much for the guessing game. The man in the photo is Yusef Salaam. He was wrongly accused of the Central Park jogger case in NYC in 1989. He spent seven years in prison. After he was released, he was exonerated of his crimes when they found the real suspect. I saw him speak last weekend and he seemed to be such a sweet, gentle man which is amazing when you think that he spent many years behind bars for a crime he didn't commit.

Who is This Man?

One hint: This man is known for an event that took place in 1989 in NYC that drew national attention. Please put guesses in the Comment section.

Happy Halloween-10 Scary Movies

Halloween is just around the corner so I thought I would share some of my favorite scary movies (in no particular order). I added a warning for most of them in case some of you are squeamish.


1. Seven-Oh Gwyneth Paltrow...you will never be the same! Seven is the story of a NYPD detective (Morgan Freeman) who is retiring in a week. He is partnered up with Brad Pitt and they are searching for a serial killer who is committing murders based on the seven deadly sins. I remember seeing this movie with a friend when it first came out. I considered walking out after the first murder, Gluttony, but my curiosity got the better of me and I stayed for the whole film. The relationship between Morgan Freeman and Brad Pitt is interesting to watch. Warning: The movie does not show the actual killings only the aftermath which is quite gruesome.


2. Blair Witch Project-This movie scared the crap out of me!! It is true that what you don't see will scare you the most. Three film students go to the woods in Burkittsville, Maryland to document the legend of the Blair Witch. They disappear (of course) but their film footage is found. I remember when I first saw the poster for this film a month before it came out-very clever advertising campaign because the poster made you think that this was a true story and when I finally saw the movie, it played out like a real documentary. The three students are chased by something but you never know by who or what exactly...is it a crazy person? the blair witch? Ted Kosinski? Warning: If you don't like jerky camera movement, especially if it makes you nauseous, please don't see this movie. Also, you probably will never camp in the woods again after seeing this film.


3. The Exorcist-This list wouldn't be complete without this classic. You either love it or hate or you laugh all the way through it (as my brother did when it first came out). Everyone knows the story of poor 13-year old Regan who gets possessed by the the big, bad, awful devil. My favorite scene is when Father Merrin (Max Von Sydow) arrives at Regan's house in Washington DC (see image)-this is a great movie moment. The last time I was in DC I actually went to the famous stairs where Father Karras falls down after the exorcism. I fist saw this movie on television many years after it first came out. I watch it every once in awhile and it still disturbs me 30+ years after it was made. Check out the special DVD edition and see Regan do the spider walk-extremely creepy! Warning: Gross pea soup scene and inappropriate usage of religious objects-need i say more?


4. Alien-I remember when I was very young and having to stay home while my brothers and sisters went to see Alien. I remember how excited they all were to be seeing this movie and how pissed I was that I was too young to go see it too! The idea that no one can hear you scream in space and the fact that you never really see the Alien until the last scene keeps you on the edge of your seat. Again, what you don't see will scare you the most (see Blair Witch Project above). Yaphet Kotto is in this movie! Warning: Alien comes out of of John Hurt's stomach.


5. The Ring-This movie makes no sense-creepy little girls coming out of television sets and videos that when watched causes people to die but still loads of fun. Warning: Creepy little girl.


6. The Shining-Jack Nicholson makes this movie horrific-actually I take that back. I think Shelley Duvall is the scariest thing in this movie. Redrum redrum redrum REdrUM. Warning: Shelley Duvall.


7. Identity: A new twist on a classic, 10 Little Indians. Great twists and turns. I was going to give a warning but I'm afraid that would spoil the ending so rent this movie for John Cusack who is very cute!


8. Picnic at Hanging Rock-This one seems out of left field, I know, however, it's definitely unsettling and raises more questions than answers when it's over. I saw this in a film class and when it ended I was like "whaaat?" Warning: No answer, conclusion to the plot line is given. So if you don't like movies where you don't find out who did it than you won't want to see this.


9. Wait Until Dark-One of the great thrillers. Audrey Hepburn plays Suzy Hendrix, a blind woman who is terrorized by Alan Arkin. Warning: To this day, the ending still pisses me off. I don't want to spoil it for those who haven't seen it but it has to do with Suzy's husband and what he makes her do. Warning: Creepy teenage girl wearing go-go boots.


10. Vertigo-I had to include a film from the master of suspense. I could have gone with Psycho but Vertigo is my favorite Hitchcock movie. I saw the restored version in the late 1990s in San Francisco and it was gorgeous. James Stewart following Kim Novak around San Francisco and the Bay Area-the imagery is just fantastic. Of all the films on this list-this is the one to see. I'm not going to say anything about the film because the less you know the better experience you will have.

Hope you had as much fun reading my list as I had writing it. Please tell me your favorite movies in the comment section (and you thought this was going to be a list of slasher movies!).

Art for the Animal Rights Activist

I visited el Museo del Barrio last Saturday. The above image is what I chose to write about for my museum class. Here is a little blurb from my response paper:

I am an animal advocate so there were several pieces in the El Museo’s Bienal: The (S) Files 007 exhibit at el Museo del Barrio that I connected with. If I see something in the art world that depicts animals in distress I usually stay far away from them but Andrés García-Peña and Oscar Oiwa were two artists I enjoyed studying.

Andrés García-Peña Cojida en el Cielo de los Toros depicts a bullfight but from the bull’s perspective. The bull is finally getting his revenge on the matador while his fellow spirit or angel bulls cheer him on from the stands. The spirits are drinking, smoking, laughing and celebrating, enjoying every minute of the matador’s demise. It’s a different take on the hero myth with the bull as the hero and the human as the beast. I also liked the style that García-Peña used in his paintings. The matador and bull are painted realistically while the spirits take an almost cartoon look, yet another example of humans anthropomorphizing animals. It is interesting to look at García-Peña’s entire bull collection at http://andresgarciapena.com/bulls.html. When the bull finally kills the matador dead he stands on his hind legs and lifts his front legs up similar to what a fighter in boxing match would do when he achieved victory. I find bull fighting horrific so this piece put me in such a good mood!

Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire!

From a Santa Clarita, California neighborhood where my famous sister lives!

Beyond the Green Zone

Tonight I heard Dahr Jamail talk about his new book, Beyond the Green Zone. Jamail spent time in Iraq as an unembedded reporter in 2003 meaning he didn't travel with the troups and therefore was putting his life in great danger. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a more truthful account of what is going on in Iraq.

Update on "Will someone shut that couple up!"

I've figured out who the mysterious, extremely loud screwing couple is...unfortunately it's my neighbors above me. My landlord came over yesterday to cover my air conditioner (this is what they do in NYC when the cold weather comes-the air conditioner is to big to be taken out so they cover it with a sort of plastic film to keep the draft out). Anyways, he mentioned to me that my windows in my bedroom were open on the top (I thought they only opened at the bottom but evidently they open at the top as well). This is one of the reasons I thought the couple were across from me in the opposite building. So now that my windows are all shut tightly I now know that the sound is coming directly above me. Last night at 1am for about 45 minutes and this morning around 7:30...-I never knew Asians could be this loud (I can make fun of Asians because I am one-well, actually I'm not technically Asian anymore. I'm now a Pacific Islander but you know, we all look alike!).

Subway Stories #1

This is the first installment of subway stories. One of my favorite things about living in NYC are the subways even though I curse the system on a daily basis. It's still the best public transportation I've ever experienced.

The image above is the 1 line on 168th street and Broadway about 1.5 blocks from my apartment. I take this everyday. I can also take the A or C lines which also stop at this station but I prefer the 1 line because it goes right to FIT (27th @ 7th Avenue) whereas the A or C lines stop at 34th Street and I have to walk about 7 blocks which isn't bad but when you have a lot to carry it can be a bit of a pain.

When I first visited NYC I used to find it amusing when I saw people fall asleep on the trains. I often wondered how they immediately woke themselves up when it was their stop-the train operator usually announces the stops but when you're dozing you can sometimes miss those announcements. I am now one of those people who fall asleep on the subway!! My commute time is 30-40 minutes and I always start dozing whenever I leave whether it be 8:15 or 10:30 in the morning and I always doze off when I come home in the evening.

My first week living here in mid-August, a local firefighter died on the job. I remember seeing many firefighters the day of the funeral at the Grand Central Station at 42nd street. There were several on one of the trains with me and then a Mexican Mariachi band boarded and started playing. There is at least one person(s) on every train trip you take that either 1) asks for money (sometimes they go into great detail of their woes-homeless, Vietnam vet, cancer etc) or 2)performers who then ask for money. I've seen brake dancers several times who use the pole and handles in the train that commuters hold on to during the train rides. I often think that one of these kids is going to fall and break their neck during one of their acts. They usually make maybe up to $50.00 each performance on the subway. And they know the trains well because they can only perform on the express trains because that allows them the time to perform.

I usually leave school around 5:00 or 6:00pm. 5:00pm isn't bad at 28th street station-you can usually get a seat or a comfortable place to stand but at 6:00 you are packed in the trains like sardines. Sometimes you have to wait for another train because there is no room to get on. Also, you have to be careful because if the train is heavily packed then sometimes you can't get off at your stop. Tonight I was on the Q line from 59th street and Lexington and I arrived at Times Square station to take the 1 uptown. I went down the stairs and the platform was literally packed with people-from one end to the other lengthwise and from side to side and a train was just leaving fully packed. It was about 6:30. When this happens (like tonight) I hike from within the Times Square station to Port Authority and I take the A express to Washington Heights. Less crowded.

About a month ago I was getting off at Lincoln Square at 66th street. It was about 3:00. I was just about to exit the train when a group of loud, tall, and big African American teenage boys literally shoved me back on the train (and shoving everyone else around me). I did get off thankfully but was pissed off...yeah-real funny guys.

This concludes Subway Stories 1. More to come!

Sex as background noise or "Will someone please shut that couple up!"

My first couple nights in my new apartment I heard this extremely loud, amorous couple having sex (or maybe I should be more specific-I really only heard her). I thought it was the neighbors upstairs (still haven't met them) but then I thought it was the people downstairs from me (still haven't met them either but I know they were away for awhile so it couldn't have been them. I also think they're smoking-it's a non-smoking building). But I'm now pretty sure it's coming from the building across the way. My bedroom is in the back of my apartment, away from the 24-hour party that is 168th street @ Amsterdam. My bedroom window faces out to, probably, the bedrooms of the building across the way. Sound travels. Sometimes I think this couple is right above me, sometimes to the left, to the right, underneath, sideways-you get the picture.

I've decided it's not the couple above me because they're Asian and you know Asians are so quiet in everything they do-it can't be them. This woman (the one having sex) is loud-screaming loud-literally! So I've decided that the couple is African American or at least she is! And I don't think they're Dominican because she speaks English (or should I say, screams English). Have I made enough racial generalizations for one posting? I can't help but think of the Rolling Stones' song "Some Girls" and if you know the song you know what I'm talking about.

The first time I heard her I thought, "Wow, she's lucky!". The next night (because it's every night between 9:30pm-12:30am (not for that long-just between those times) and on Saturday mornings around 9am. The next few times were just kind of amusing, annoying. If I'm lucky I usually get home after they're done. Now five weeks later it's all part of the background noise, along with the music, the preacher, the basketball players, the sirens, the domino players, etc.

**I could have been much more graphic for this post but I chose not to (probably to the relief of most of you-well,all 2 or 3 of you that read my blog).

From LATT to FIT....

I moved to Los Angeles at the ripe age of 19 to attend Los Angeles Trade Tech as a fashion design major. I moved to an area of Los Angeles called Atwater. I had no car. For those of you who are unfamiliar with LA public transportation...not so good. And not so safe. I got a job at the Broadway in downtown Los Angeles-don't remember the exact location but it was within walking distance to the Bonaventure Hotel (where I spent a small portion of my adolescence attending Beatle conventions). I was in the fashion accessories department where I sold fake jewelry to women who would buy the stuff for a party and return it the next day. So I worked at the Broadway (don’t know if they exist anymore but it was a big department store like Macys) and I was attending LATT. I was a big Madonna fan at the time and I had fantasies of designing her clothes (if you're going to dream..why not dream big?).

The fashion program was not easy at LATT. The director of the program was Sharon Tate (yes, that was her name!) who I remember as being very stylish-one time she walked into my sewing class dressed in a long leather black skirt, red shirt and black leather jacket. My schedule was pretty intense: I had sewing from 7am-11am M-Thursday and a history of costume twice a week. Imagine getting up at 5:30am every morning and walking in the dark to the bus stop. Not so fun and once again not so safe. I remember walking home from the bus stop at night after work and cars stopping, yelling and making obscene gestures to me and also stopping to see if I wanted a ride. It wasn't the greatest experience for me. I was sick to my stomach all the time-nausea and heartburn (I'm convinced now I had some type of ulcer). I hated my job at the Broadway where I think I ruined my feet from standing all day.

However, I remember the good times (I don't like to remember the bad times). I particularly remember going to Venice Beach, walking in the stores, being with all the crazy people. I also remember meeting a woman at the Broadway who was selling perfume and pursuing a career as an actress. Her name was Teresa. She was 26 and beautiful. Being 19, I was so in awe of her. I remember going to see her at the Broadway on my days off (!) and eating cookies with her on her lunch break. I was so flattered that she wanted to be my friend (of course, once she found out I didn’t have a car I think she lost interest). I wonder if she ever made it as an actress…

Here is the irony...When I was at LA trade Tech all of us young aspiring fashion designers talked about going to the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York City for our BA. It seemed like such a magical place-New York City; and Calvin Klein went to FIT. I eventually dropped out of LATT. For many years after that I couldn't look at a fashion magazine or even consider using my sewing machine.

Sometime during my mid-20s, I started regretting dropping out of fashion school (I also dropped out of UC Berkeley too but that I don't regret so much-well, maybe a little). In 2004, I was at a conference for my job (I was working for a local nonprofit). Sitting at our table at dinner was a woman whose daughter was attending Parsons in NYC as a fashion design major. I felt myself getting so jealous and wanted so very much for that to be me. But I never ever considered going back to the whole fashion design thing. I thought my time had passed for that.

My first trip to NYC in 2001 started changing my thinking. I fell in love with the place from the minute I looked out the window of the plane and saw this beautiful, magical island of lights. This was in November of 2001 so NYC was still very raw by 9/11. I loved every minute of it-the millions of people on the street, the noise, the cabs, Broadway, street vendors, subways...The second time I visiting NYC in 2004, I started to really see all the struggling artists, young and old, trying to make it-pursuing their dream. Some of them might never reach that goal but they will die trying.

I was at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum one day and our tour guide had us in front of one of the buildings giving us the history of the tenement housing when a woman walked by and the following conversation took place:

Woman: Hey, (addressing tour/docent) didn’t you audition for me?
Docent: Yes, I did...
Woman: Well, keep trying...

For some reason this short conversation had a profound effect on me. This docent guy looked like he was barely getting by and he looked kind of sad about not getting the part of whatever he was auditioning for. But I knew he was going to keep trying no matter how many times they rejected him at auditions. This was his passion.

I decided to rethink the whole fashion thing in 2004 and now three years later...I am attending FIT-the school I once imagined myself going to many years ago. I'm in classes with 18-year-olds (all of them thought I was 20-which is very flattering. What can I say...I look very young!). It's hard and in some ways, more challenging than it was in Los Angeles. I take things more seriously now-if I screw up now I honestly feel that this will be my last chance to screw up. And then it’s back to the nonprofit world for me…

New York City probably has the best public transportation in the country. But it's a tough city and not very forgiving. I've heard one person say that NYC being tough-that is part of its charm. I've also heard that the idea of living in NYC is a lot better than the actual living in NYC!

I learned a lot about myself in Los Angeles..One negative trait I might have developed during that time is keeping things to myself and not opening up to the bad or good things that are personally effecting me everyday. I will learn more about myself during this time in NYC as well. I just wish all these lessons were a little less painful to endure.

People are afraid to pursue what they really want out of life and I know I have to give myself credit for doing what I'm doing. I'm afraid everyday. The only way to get over that fear is to face it.

Contemporary Art-Entering the Unknown...

I'm taking a class on Saturday afternoons called "Art in New York". We will be going to a different museum every week. Our professor's specialty is contemporary art. My specialty is to stay as far away from that crap as I can. However, I will be open to it even though after this first outing, I wanted to run screaming from the modern art section of the met to my safe place-the French Impressionists and lay in a fetal position! Here is some images and the response I wrote to them. Who knows-you might learn something too.

**To view complete collection go to:
http://www.metmuseum.org/home.asp
Click on Neo Rauch

Contemporary art is definitely not one of my favorite areas, however, I’m open to learning about it which will hopefully lead to an appreciation of this current period of art. With that said, I found myself surprisingly drawn to Neo Rauch’s Para exhibit.

Color is very important to me and I found that yellow seemed to have a reoccurring role in all of the paintings. Sometimes it is in the form of a candle or fire or simply an article of clothing. Yellow can mean different things to people but for me words like creativity, curiosity, wisdom, communication and optimism come to mind but many of the paintings depict some danger or sadness in them. For instance, Paranoia, which is my favorite of this collection, depicts three people seemingly having a secret meeting but being interrupted by some unforeseen person or thing. They seem very nervous, as if, “caught in the act”. And off in the corner a small curtain glows yellow. Also, the ceiling seems to be illuminated by yellow and there is a canvas of yellow on the back wall. The shadows and glows of yellow almost make the room seem haunting yet I don’t get the impression that this trio is frightened. It’s almost humorous to me because I want them to get caught-whatever they were discussing or planning could not have been good! The yellow, to me, may represent some intellectual pursuit on the part of the participants in the paintings or it could mean the lack of communication to whoever is about to arrive.

In addition to the Paranoia work, I found Vater (Father) interesting especially considering Rauch’s family background. I thought the combination of his obvious inspiration of classical cartoon animation and the self-reflection of his personal history quite touching. It shows the young person in Rauch wanting to be comforted by large but friendly hands but you also get the impression that he was smiling during the painting of this work.

Some of Rauch’s inspiration comes from his dreams and I think that’s one reason I like his work. I like surrealistic forms of art when there is a lot going on beneath the surface of what you are actually seeing in the painting.
Metmuseum.org states:

"The artist is inspired by misplaced memories
and momentary perceptions that are
lost before they can be named."

This is very similar to what we experience in a dream state or even a daydreaming mediation. There have been many times where I meet someone or experience a situation that reminds me of some memory I can’t recall-an experience that Rauch is trying to depict in a very strange way.

When I went through Rauch’s exhibit I kept thinking to myself that his work reminded me of something…The style of these paintings remind me of illustrations from my childhood: one memory is of a children’s’ bible I owned when I was about eight. Strange but true!

Ode to New York City

The idea that being away from something makes the heart grow fonder, I think, is true. I just returned from an apartment hunting trip in NYC-a city that I've been away from for about 2 1/2 years. I admit, I was afraid it wouldn't have the same magic it did when I first took the plunge and lived there for six months in 2004. But I'm happy to report that, YOU Manhattan, have still got it!

Many people are surprised when they find out that I once lived in NYC and are even more stunned that I'm going back for more. (But those are the people who enjoy small town living and have never ventured out of California-more power to them). I feel extremely privileged to have lived in Manhattan and am thrilled (though slightly nervous) about going back. It is truly an amazing place-Disneyland for adults so to speak. But it's not the easiest city to live in-I'll make a bet that there are more tears shed in Manhattan than any other place in the country. If you piss someone off or they don't like you for some reason, they will express it to you-loudly and with emotion!

Many people ask me why I'm going back to NYC. The main reason is I'm pursuing a second career (well, actually my dream career) but here are 10 things that I love about NYC (in no particular order) and that keep me coming back...

1. Fabric Stores-If I had all the money in the world it still wouldn't be enough for all the amazing, funky, beautiful fabric in the garment district!

2. Metropolitan Museum-What can I say about this place? If you're having a bad day-go to the MET. So many beautiful pieces of art, history, costumes,-so many things to be happy about. And admission price is a donation of your choosing! I usually pay $2.00.

3. The artists (musicians, designers, actors, dancers, painters, writers etc.) living in NYC, struggling, just trying to get through each day.

4. Fire engines, ambulances, and police sirens throughout the night-I know this means that someone is very sick or is in danger but those sounds just make me feel safer. It also helps me sleep.

5. Looking out your window at 3am and seeing people taking a leisurely stroll (many of them aren't even drunk!).

6. The plethora of vegetarian restaurants (even though I won't be able to afford eating out) in every neighborhood in Manhattan.

7. Times Square-I frigging love Times Square. I love the lights, the Las Vegasness charm of it. Many New Yorkers (the real ones, who were born here, not the ones that live here a year and call themselves New Yorkers-much like what I will do in July 2008!) hate the way it's been glammed up, much preferring the hooker, drug induced zombies and sex shops that littered the area pre-Giuliani. I understand how they feel but I still love the place. I like going there early evening on a Saturday and walking amongst the thousands of people. I love the lights, the smell, the energy. There's not a lot to do there-not a lot of shopping but if you want Broadway-it's the place to be. Also, two huge movie complexes are there so if your feet are tired you can always rest them for a couple of hours while catching a flick.

8. Lower East Side-I think about the immigrants coming to New York City in 1815-1914 or so and living in those tenement buildings. The tenement housing had a strong effect on me when I first visited NYC. So much history. Also, on my first visit to the Lower East Side Tenement Museum (I highly recommend any first time visitor to put this on their to-do list), our guide was a struggling actor. I don't remember his name but he was one of the reasons I decided to pursue this second career because he was struggling (believe me, he was struggling, you could tell!) so hard to be an actor. I really respect people like that-it takes so much courage to pursue a dream. I often think that I should write a story about a seamstress living in a tenement housing project in the 19th century. Well, maybe someday...

9. Times Square Subway station-I love this place. I love the entertainers in the subway. I love that it's a main transfer point. I love seeing all the people having someplace to go-having a purpose if only for a little while.

10. I love the fact that my feet are my transportation..