The Sixth Borough

Captivating

2008-08-29T09:37:00.001-04:00

Augustus? August-you!

2008-08-26T12:35:00.009-04:00

I know it’s been a while since I wrapped at ya, but August, despite what Eliot says, is the cruelest month of them all.

And by cruel I mean chock-full of events…

Over Saturday the 2nd, heather had her big Frisbee tourney, which tragically ended with a lightning storm, quite ironically the big bangs of electricity ending her Frisbee season with not a bang but a whimper. The games had to be called off, and we drove home in the rain…

That night heather had a bachelorette party to go to in the city, which I drove her to happily, as I love driving in the city and took that opportunity to give a call to Yovvy to see what he was up to. ‘well,’ he said, ‘my girlfriend is also at a bachelorette party.’ So we decided to hang out, drank a few beers and went to a UCB show after which we used his iPhone as a homing beacon to drive around Manhattan in search of late night Indian food.

We had no such luck and settled upon an all-night diner, and discussed how small the world is, how no matter how large it may seem, sometimes you run into people who you have a connection to, and it freaked us both out. After eating we walked back to my parked car where we found that a limousine had parked in front of us, and who’s limousine was it? The bachelorette party that Yovvy’s girlfriend, liz, was attending. Not 5 minutes earlier they had parked in front of my car on 2nd avenue in search for late night fries. Small world.

The weekend after that heather and I road-tripped it up to Lake George, where we spent the weekend betting on the ponies in Saratoga, relaxing, and meeting my friend Ken’s girlfriend. Ken seems really happy, which is good, though I am sure he would have been happier if he had won any money at all at the track. I had no luck, either, and as we drove back home Sunday afternoon, I vowed to change my betting strategy for next year.

The following week Radiohead played in Boston on a fucking Wednesday, which meant that I couldn’t go. Thanks, tards. I spent that weekend playing house and getting ready for yet another roadtrip, this time to cape cod.

Yes, I just got back from cape cod yesterday, having driven there to perform the wedding of Louis & Terri. Cape cod was a wonderful place to visit, though a bit of a drive, I am not sure how Liz and Seamus do it all the time. The wedding itself was beautiful and I got a lot of kudos for the ceremony I wrote. Not a dry eye in the house! I was a tad stressed out because of the friction between their families’ seeming need for the ceremony to be religious and my obvious paganism, but it was all smoothed out after I offered to only sacrifice one goat, not a blasphemous two.

And that’s August. Here and there I filled time with ill-advisedly reformatting my laptop, UCB improv, Olympic fever, harvesting my tomatoes and cucumbers, getting a raise and enjoying my first month as the newest copywriter for GHG.

Fall is quickly approaching, as evidenced by the cool mornings we’ve been having. I love autumn, and look forward to it, though i will remember summer 2008 as my first married summer when I was (*cough*) young and new to married life, and heather and I were learning about the world and shining our gold medals. Didn’t I tell you? Our nation of two won gold in Greco-roman kissing.

In a Station of the Metro

2008-08-05T09:20:00.002-04:00

I got on the 6 train this morning, turned to face the platform, and I immediately was treated to the spectacle of a man dropping his large suitcase, spilling his papers, in hot pursuit of a kid who had evidently walked away with his other briefcase. The man calmly reclaimed it, and it seemed like a fight was about to ensue when the train car doors closed and we headed downtown. I looked to the guy next to me who gave me shrug and said, 'Guess he stole his briefcase.'

I like those moments in life when something happens and a complete stranger becomes a fellow audience member and critic. This happens a lot to me in the city, where spectacles happen spontaneously, and just as quickly melt back into the flow of crowd.

Been to paradise, but I've never been to ME

2008-07-30T19:05:00.022-04:00

But I haven't told you yet about our trip to Maine, which was a first for me and Heather, and what is tantamount to our first road trip in our new car together. We took off last Thursday after work and drove to Boston to stay the night with Louis and Terri, who have a brilliant new apartment, sans crazy roomate, which is complete with 2 rooms, office, den, dining room, breakfast nook, backyard, and mahogany paneling. I'm pretty jealous. I am not jealous, however, of the location. Boston is a cesspool of uncoordinated government and terrible infrastructure. Google maps sent us up I-95 with glee and we were driving with no problems whatsoever UNTIL WE HIT BOSTON. It was a miracle of wrong turns that led us to Louis' house, and we cursed the city planners as we fell asleep. The next morning I took us all out to breakfast, which was delicious lox & bagels.

After breakfast Heather and I meandered to Maine, by way of New Hampshire. We took a little walk and had a sandwich in Portsmouth, then finished our road trip to Portland, wherein we had a nice talk and then took a little tour of some lighthouses, went to lobster dinner (Bryan and I split the dinner for two) at which Bryan showed the insides of his lobster, called the tomalley to his wife, Jill. Jill promptly became nauseated and had to get up from our table and take a moment for herself. I found this peculiar but figured maybe she didn't like the fishy, green goo that some people love to suck from the carcass of a freshly cooked lobster.

When she sat down again, Bryan said, 'Me likey bouncy.'
He was so nonchalant about it, such wondrous news, that Heather and I had to do an aural double-take, but realizing that he was being serious, there was much celebration at the table, and if our waitress was worth a damn, we would have ordered some desert. I'm very happy for Jill and Bryan, they'll be the first of my friends to likey bouncy, and I marvel at their adventure.

Later that evening the McDowells, the O'Connors, and the Moynihans played a personal question game, wherein you had to guess who answered what. I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I was the only one to go five or five during my turn...

The next day was filled lighthouse visiting, and also meeting new friends and getting together to play a spirited homerun derby, which sucked for me because when I was up there was nary a dinger to be found.

In the evening we had a BBQ comeplete with burgers, dogs, salads, and even more LOBSTER! I was the one who had to drop them into the pot, and everyone wanted to know if I could hear them screaming as they entered the hot hot heat. No, I said, I couldn't hear them screaming over my own laughter. Muahahah.
We ended the night playing more games, this one called celebrity. It was quite awesome and I hope to add it to my repertoire... Maine was just a really, really laidback place, and I enjoyed the memories of this road trip, including tidepooling, guitar sing-alongs, breakfast sandwiches, baseball games, stats, and taking in the Shipyard Brewery.

We left on Sunday night and arrived in Boston after driving down the freeway at 20mph because of the wall of water falling from the sky. Stephanie came over to Louis' for dinner and we supped on the choicest meats and potatoes. I love roadtrips, I love seeing old friends and partaking in their happiness, but most of all I love the fact that there are more to come!

Thanks, Woolfy

2008-07-23T10:24:00.015-04:00

I know it's been a while since i rapped at ya, and things have been busy, so let's get started:

the best thing that's happened thus far, aside from Heather getting yet a third 'A' in as many grad classes, was the road trip we took to Newport, RI for Heather's 24th birthday. She turns 24 every year, of course, but this year I wanted to do something a little spectacular, and knowing her affinity for lighthouses, I arranged for an overnight stay at the Rose Island Lighthouse . It was an amazing time! The lighthouse has been restored to it's 1800's glory, and it was an eye-opener to stay overnight in a place with so much history. And yes, it's a working lighthouse, and we were treated to many a passing ship. We made pizza on the grill outside, we swam in the water, fished, relaxed in the breeze, and made sure to appreciate the windmill that powers the whole island. The salt air was so moist that some of the food we brought turned soggy, something I had not considered, but other than that (and the fucking seagulls who i hate with more fire than the hoary pits of hell) it was a grand time, and I hope to return.

The Moynihan twins had their birthday celebration on a vintage schooner, which is an awesome time on the East River/New York Bay. The ladies were cold, though, and I think next year we'll all remember to bring windbreakers...

A few weeks ago we had Louis' bachelor party weekend extravaganza, and there was much goings on including, but not limited to, drinking, bars, drinking in bars, drinking at a Mets/Rox game, a viewing of Ricky Gervais Live, which was an excellent show, and no strippers. That's right, no strippers.

My Improv 201 class at the UCB is going pretty well, after a little sickness, I'm back in full effect, improving with the best of them, and really having a blast! If you've ever thought of taking an improv class, it's the most fun you'll ever have with strangers who quickly become friends. I found out that my teacher from my first class, Jeff Hiller, is in a movie with Ricky Gervais (what a coincidence), check out the trailer (Jeff is the shirtless guy who says, 'Is this a bad time?')

and my current teacher, Curtis Gwinn has a show on Adult Swim (Cartoon Network) called Fat Guy Stuck in Internet, it's a pretty funny show, and though he's known to be a tough teacher, I find him to be just really smart and committed to the theory and practice of improv. (he's the guy with the 'stache)

I'm hoping I can parlay all this comedy schooling into a position writing for the Onion, or failing that, TV.

That's all for now, kids, but stay tuned because coming up, I've got a road trip to Maine, a road trip to Saratoga, a road trip to Cape Cod, and various goings on which I will be sure to write about well after the fact.

Malk

2008-06-06T13:42:00.002-04:00

you know what's awesome? the free milk i get at work. you know what's even better? drinking a cup of milk only to find a bunch of clumps at the bottom. good times!

Days of Yore

2008-05-30T16:31:00.007-04:00

i'm sitting at my desk at work, though it is the beginning of summer, which means there is less work to do on my account at the moment. so i'll take some time to explain what i've been doing during these last months of reticence. and as i do this, i am listening to a record from my youth, The Wallflowers 'Bringing Down the Horse' which is a very fine effort, and i am reminded of the time i actually saw said Wallflowers in concert at SPAC in 1996. i went with the boychuks and olivia porter, who i was in love with, and so at times when i hear Bob Dylan's son sing about headlights and treehouses, i am reminded of innocent crushes and devastating heartbreaks. i am like that a lot with a lot of songs. i have certain Jeff Buckley songs reserved for certain girls, Death Cab for Cutie and Radiohead songs reserved for others. A particular Sarah McLachlan song always takes me back to a time when i was loving a girl from the North County, and here we are again thinking about Bob Dylan, and now his son, and now Olivia. It's not that i'm hung up about all these girls from my past, it's just that music has a way of making you remember the times in your life when songs were the post-its marking the pages in the book of your life that were your favorite parts.

in april my wife and i ventured out to Hollywood, Caliornia to see my brother. he just graduated from his tech school, where he learned sound engineering after a long and storied trek through higher education. i'm proud of him, because he's already got a job, working as a sound engineer, just as he had always wanted, for a company that installs commercial sound systems for public entertainment venues. we had a lot of fun, just spending quality time yucking it up...we also met some chickens!

it made me really proud to visit my brother at his place of business. he brought us to his studio, wherein there was a wall with speakers encircling us, and he proceeded to show us his chops. and it was good.

after LA, we came back and i had my Upright Citizens Brigade graduation show. i finished my Improv 101 class (am now registered for 201, which starts in July), and it was a sight to see! I have video of it, thanks to heather, and i was happy that my friend Jason came. i hadn't really invited anyone, mostly because i was sure it would suck, as we were all just learning, and it did kinda, but it was something scary that we did, and after it was over, i was glad to have the support! You can see my teacher's closing remarks below

heather and i have only this week returned from a 10 day trip to colorado in which i was living the mountain man lifestyle: wearing fishing lures on my hat, spotting wildlife, shooting targets, smoking cigars, drinking scotch, eating steaks, and fishing. it was such a relaxing time, i wonder why i don't just buy a horse, move to the mountains, don't bother nobody.

The tragedy beneath the surface of all this merriment is that i lost the promotion i was about to get. my agency lost a client, the client i was going to write for, and so poor nick is still editing pharma copy...but for how long?

but i take it in stride, because i'm looking around the annals of my life, and i'm the happiest i've ever been. i've noticed that i've changed. whereas i used to be an immature blob of depression who lived in his parents' basement, lazy and jobless, i am now a hardworking, married, mature man, gainfully employed and in love. and it makes me marvel at the length of a lifetime, and the things we can become. i'm going after my goals (writing, improv, career) and have the girl of my dreams on my arm the whole way. I'm now learning that even after only 8 months of marriage, all the songs i had earmarked for the other girls in my past are slowly becoming songs about my wife. Death Cab, Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, and Sarah McLachlan -- they're all about her now. Their past, dead significances replaced by the harder, enduring sediment called true love. i will keep those fossils near to my heart, a museum of all the things i used to be.

McDowell is Going Green

2008-03-21T10:07:00.007-04:00

What with the end of the world coming to fruition, and the end of days upon us, I've taken to doing a little bit here and there for the environment.

1) We now recycle all cardboard, glass, metal, and plastic.

Whereas before we would simply throw away these materials, living in Westchester has afforded us with a unique opportunity to simply place them in a separate trashcan which is picked up once a week. We don't sort them, which makes it very easy to do something right for the world. Yovanoff told me he read that there was a study that said the true barrier to voluntary recycling is the EXTRA step people must take, to go out of their way to recycle. I find that humbling and true, and I am ashamed of the years before when it was such an inconvenience to GO to a recycling station, or separate my materials, etc. Here in New York, they just come and get it, it's that easy and makes one feel a little better about our future.

2) I print out a lot of crap at work, hundreds of pages sometimes, and it all goes to recycling afterwards, too.

It's such a good thing that they have recycling bins for white paper, as we produce a lot of it. Shame, though, about the segregation.

3) I've brought in a coffee mug so I don't waste anymore paper cups.

I drink a lot of coffee or water during the day, and before I would generally use different cups all the time, mostly because I'm a dolt, but mostly because I'm lazy. This way, I reuse the same mug (my awesome black Gotham Comedy Club mug provided to me by Heather) and don't waste all those paper cups.

4) Transportation Choices

We just bought a Prius, which should save us some dough and waste less gas, but also daily I take the Metro-North commuter train into Grand Central. It's an easy 35minute ride, then a 5 minute subway ride to Union Square, and a little walk to my office. I hardy take cabs, so the only car I am every really in is our new Prius. I hate to take credit for something that I am basically forced to do every day (it's the only way into town without driving, which would just be a headache anyway), but it's noteworthy.

5) No more rubber worms when fishing.

Sometimes, not all the time, I lose my rubber/plastic worms/grubs when fishing for bass. Just as often I find discarded lost lures in the sand and mud of lakes and rivers and I'd always wondered what happens when a fish is just too big to land, and he escapes with your fake worm. Field and Stream tells me that what happens to those worms is, they get eaten. A lot. People are starting to find these plastic worms in the guts of dead fish, and the health of entire ecosystems is at risk because of the small lumps of rubber that fall to the bottom of the lake and eventually make their way into the food chain.

6) How about a garden?

With warmer weather on the way, we're planning to get a vegetable garden going. This will provide more opportunity to mulch or compost (I'm always looking for reasons to mulch and compost) but also reduce our vegetable bills, but ALSO limit the carbon footprint from the farming and transportation that go into our groceries. I'm afraid of rabbits and raccoons eating my garden veggies, and look forward to seeing them on the field of battle.

So I'm no hero, I just like hitting people on the head. I figure it's all worth doing, because up until now, I feel like all I've ever done is take and take from this world, so maybe it's time to do a little something to make the world better. At least until rapture, which is hopefully soon, because I look forward to taking out some zombies.

There Will Be (No More) Blood

2008-03-13T10:11:00.006-04:00

This is what I know: our truck was busted, we were talking about getting new car anyway, and it's ok to buy something new in one day if you really need it. So we did. We bought a new 2008 Toyota Prius, and it's only been 12 hours, but we're already very happy with it. The truck is on hiatus, and most likely will be put on moth balls until we can earn another 3 grand to get it fixed. And by moth balls I mean parked permanently in our front yard connoting all the class we can muster. I'm very happy about owning a hybrid, I was really sick and tired of buying into the $110/barrel oil barons, which translates into about $50, and an untold number of lives, every week and a half for all our Westchester driving needs. Hopefully this will send a message to those fat cats in Washington. Not to mention the fact that we are looking forward to driving out to see family and friends in the years to come, and possibly even giving a ride or two to friends and strangers. At 50/mpg, we can't afford NOT to! Attention hitch-hikers: we now have room to accommodate you.

And then, when I didn't think life could get any better, I found a trailer for the NEW LOST BOYS SEQUEL!

No Country For Old Men RULES!

2008-02-25T15:08:00.004-05:00

What a great weekend! Heather and I just took it easy and let the snow melt around us. We toyed with the idea of making a snow man after Friday's blizzard, though were seduced by the siren song of a warm couch. Once it warmed up, we walked downtown where we found a nice teahouse, read in the library, viewed ducks scurry on the ocean, finally figured out whatt structure the lighthouse was attached to (water works), and then when Sunday came around we in for a treat!

We had a nice little party last night at home, wherein the neighbors from downstairs, Liz and Seamus, who are also recently married, came up to our apartment and played cards with us, drank some wine and teas, watched the Oscars and shared in some very nicely cooked homemade calamari. Yes, I cook squid.

I'm very happy that No Country For Old Men won in the important categories, because it was just an amazing movie that I hope to see again. Those Cohen brothers are all right.

Best Show Ever

2008-02-08T15:38:00.001-05:00

So Mitt's dropped out leaving McCain as the front runner, a man who by my account should have beat Bush in 2000, but wasn't smart enough to play as dirty as Bush did. So 8 years later, McCain is 72 years old and if he does win 2 terms in office, will be 80 by the time he leaves. Hope he chooses a good VP, but he'll probably choose Huckabee to carry the South, which is evidently full of people who don't believe in evolution, which is evidently the devil.

Of course, I'm sure a democrat will win this November, and I think it will be a tight race still, which worries me because that means that a large chunk of people in this country think we're doing a great job in the world, and that 8 years of Republican "leadership" and Democratic milquetoasts have not made us worse off than we were on January 20, 2000.

Excellent.

Funny Ha Ha

2008-01-16T11:01:00.000-05:00

Well I did it. I signed up for a class at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. The class is Improv 101, and there's no telling what can happen from this. I start in March, thanks in part to a very generous Santa Clause...

I know it's been a while since I rapped at ya, but things have been hectic, and I can't be expected to keep track of all my wheelings and dealings! My parents visited Heather and I for the first time since we moved out east. It was a great, we did a lot of fun things and spent a lot of quality time together. We're braving the cold after a wonderful holiday season, new years in boston, parties galore, my 28th birthday, and much rampant spec script writing. Work is good, marriage is good, and I'm pretty much enjoying life.

End of story.

The First Thanksgiving

2007-11-22T13:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody! Stay tuned for live blogging!

UPDATE: 12:23 - we just woke up and got ready for a great day
UPDATE: 1:03 - i am taking a trip to the store to get some last minute ingredients, my sister-in-law is here and awaiting a tour of our little town, here we go!
UPDATE: 2:20 - after a successful run to Stop&Shop, we now have the rest of the foodstuffs needed for a great Thanksgiving! Our creations await us...
UPDATE: 2:47 - we are toggling between football on TV, and the movies 'Austin Powers' and 'Dances with Wolves.' The turkey is in the oven, and the cheese platter ala Steph has been made!

UPDATE: 3:00 - We are now watching our Shawshank Redemption DVD and have just toasted to our first Thanksgiving!

UPDATE: 4:08 - The Turkey is DONE!

UPDATE: 4:30 - We are now eating, and a happy Thanksgiving to you all!

Lots of Shinanigans

2007-11-21T11:02:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend my friend Louis came to visit. He's a right old gent, straight off the turnip truck from Boulder to Boston, wherein he lives with his girlfriend and her roommate. Jack Tripper he is not. Anyway, we shopped around town and whatnot, then returned home to find two cops cars in our yard. Minutes later a SWAT van arrived, and you can read the rest here...
or perhaps you can watch my News12.com interview here.

And while I missed it on TV, I did see that I was rendered a Simpsons character on Sunday, to wit:

Pharmaid

2007-11-08T16:58:00.000-05:00

I joined a band at work for a benefit amateur concert for the Children's Hospital at Montefiore. They're the ones who operated on the Fillipino Siamese Twins with much aplomb.

Anyway, I dusted off the old guitar, offering to play rhythm, and 5 practice weeks later, we played a 10 minute set. Check it out!

It had been a LONG while since i played in front of a live audience, and it had been a long time since i've even seen live music, and i have to say that i forgot how powerful it be! I could actually feel the air move around me, pushed out like a divine wind from stacks and stacks of speakers...

I am the Best!

2007-11-05T16:24:00.000-05:00

I played best man to my friend Mike over the weekend. I love, LOVE, getting away with the wife and attending weddings. It's even better when I participate, and being best man? Well let's just call it freaking cool. I tended to the groom with gusto and had a very fine time in Rochester. I gave a speech, toasted my friends and danced the night away in style. Mike and Lisa are off to Jamaica on holiday, and I am back at work and happy to have gone for a weekend trip and not come home to my shitty neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Mamaroneck rules!

The Lost Boys

2007-11-01T09:22:00.000-04:00

So last night was a giant clusterfruck, and i absolutely KNEW that netflix would screw me. all i wanted to do was sit and wait for trick-or-treaters in my new suburban enclave, watch the Lost Boys and pass out candy. i woke up Halloween morning and said to myself, 'That's all i want: to watch the Lost Boys, the Lost Boys rules...there's no way I am watching this without a fight today is there.'

and then of course i get home and the Lost Boys arrives, literally split in two. thanks netflix, but then my old friend Blockbuster came through for me and by 9pm i was in keifer Sutherland-land.

Heather was unamused at my fascination with vampires, with Keifer Sutherland at his best, and she had no recollection of 1980's phenomenon 'the Cory's'. Granted, she spent most of her childhood playing in the great outdoors, while i wasted away watching MTV and immersing myself in the pop culture of teen throbs and brat packs (she's also never seen the Breakfast Club).

ultimately, we didn't even get trick-or-treaters because our street has turned into a construction zone. they are installing sidewalks, and there is literally a moat in front of my house...i am sure kids would have fallen in and impaled themselves on rebar and tools and whatnot. damn kids.

Happiness Is...

2007-10-29T16:54:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a while since i rapped at ya, but i've been busy. Since we last spoke: I've been married to the love of my life, i've been to mexico on honeymoon with my wife, i've moved to westchester county, i've had some work trials & tribulations, i've been to PA for Mike's bachelor party, and i've joined a band at work for a battle of the bands for the benefit of a children's hospital.

too much to note here, but i think all my happiness can be summed up in the picture above.

Wuv, Twue Wuv!

2007-08-15T14:06:00.000-04:00

This was the most amazing weekend of weekends! Heather and I stayed up all night on last Wednesday watching tele and packing. Packing for what? For our latest trip to Lake Tahoe where I married two of my friends, Nicci and Jim [see NicciandJim.com]. Married you say? Yes I said married. I performed their ceremony in what was the most romantic, fun, and love-filled festival of reunion I've ever been affiliated with. It was my first performance as a Deputy Commissioner of Civil Marriages for the El Dorado County, State of California.

A whole group of college friends, many of whom I haven't seen in years, were there, and it was so very good to catch up and renew our friendships. It was also pretty cool to meet Nicci's and Jim's other friends from Tahoe and their own pasts. There were a lot of cool people, I took a thousand pictures and if you're a myspace friend you'll be able to see more than here...

Nightscape

2007-08-02T13:50:00.000-04:00

Rocky Mountain High

2007-07-10T16:40:00.000-04:00

I had a wonderful 10 day vacation from work wherein Heather and I ventured off to Colorado once again to see our parents, throw Heather another bridal shower, and cross some T's regarding our wedding at the Boulderado. I must say it was a great way to handle the 4th of July week!!!

The sunsets were wondrous...

I caught about a baker's dozen of fish from Boulder Creek...

I went shooting trap at Colorado Clays with Heather....

and we had a lot of meetings and dinners with family and vendors. Sadly, I didn't have time to do everything I had wanted to do, like my old Walrus Crew or go swimming with the kids I used to babysit , but I'll see them in September at my Labor Day Weekend BBBQ. That extra B is for BYOBB....that last extra B is a typo.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

2007-06-12T11:41:00.001-04:00

Heather had a very important test for her professional teaching license on Saturday, a long 5-hour endeavor that she is glad to be done with. After dropping her off at the 6th Avenue Hilton, I drove up to Central Park (unwittingly getting stuck in Hare-Krishna parade traffic) and set out to fish for bass at Harlem Meer. Here's a plug for my new fishing blog, www.ifishny.blogspot.com, wherein you can read about my fishing triumphs (and failures).

On Sunday Heather and I drove up to Westchester County to check out villages and towns for a new place to live. Heather has applied to several schools in the area, and after seeing Sleepy Hollow I have to say I am quite taken with the whole palce and look forward to a life of peace, quiet, and running for my life from a satanic Christopher Walken.

Let Me Catch You Up

2007-06-06T12:38:00.001-04:00

So aside from my losing/buying a new phone and camera, and a trip to Lake Tahoe (wherein i became deputized to perform the wedding ceremony of my two friends in California in August), i ALSO attended a wedding in Saratoga Springs, which i was remiss in reporting...

Saratoga is beautiful, i love going up there and seeing old friends, especially for a wedding ceremony where i get to wear a tux. if i could wear a tux to work, i would, though the rental fees would kill me. the wedding was beautiful, and the weekend was magical.

over memorial day, heather and i went BACK upstate to see my old highschool pal, ken. he lives near albany, and so we spent the weekend just enjoying upstate (quiet, relaxing upstate) by playing some par three golf, fishing in lake george, bbbqing, and movie-going.

This past weekend, Heather's cousin came down from Boston with Louis and his girlfriend (soon-to-be-live-in-girlfriend) and threw heather a little Bridal Shower Brunch. it was a pleasant weekend, the weather cooperated, we saw some awesome comedy, had some drinks, some good mexican food, and just an all around great time. happiness is all around me.

This is a picture of heather at a bar in saratoga springs, quite possibly the most beautiful woman in the world. (be still my heart!) and it is with this beauty that my life is changing again. pretty soon, i won't be a new yorker anymore, as some teaching opportunities in Westchester County are calling us to move up there. so after the wedding in September, we'll come back and start a new life in an area north of the city where it's quieter, nicer, and where we can someday (maybe) buy a house. it's a transition that i'm looking forward to, as after my recent jaunts upstate, i get a little agitated coming home to Bushwick (ie, filth, crime and noise).

i'd become a commuter, like so many other people, and it's a role i think i could get into: a cleaner train with a seat, time to read, with coffee in my hand, time to listen to my news podcasts, time to sleep an extra half-hour and less time thinking about all the hipsters and why they wear neck-ties as belts.

In Tahoe, we party

2007-05-21T15:21:00.001-04:00

I took a four day weekend and visited one Ms. Nicci in Lake Tahoe for business purposes: i am going to officiate her wedding in August, and i had to venture out there to get deputized in the State of California, where the wedding is to be held. Tahoe is an incredible place, as you can see, and I had the time of my life.

As you can probably also tell, i have replaced my camera, and if you've called or texted me since April, you also know that i have replaced my phone. Enjoy the pics, it'll be another month probably (if history is any guide) before i blog you again.

Missing: One Camera, phone

2007-04-25T11:39:00.001-04:00

i have a tremendous amount of news and things to share, but most paramount among them now is that yesterday morning i lost a bag containing my cell phone, iPod charger cord, and digital camera. i feel terrible because they were expensive and dear to my heart, but i also feel terrible because i actually called my phone from work and a lady answered.

ME - oh, hello? you have my phone?
LADY - yes, i found your phone. my daughter and i were on the train platform in brooklyn, and she said, 'look mommy, a bag.'
ME - well i'd like to meet up...

and this is where it took a weird turn. from what i could gather from her rambling, we were either to meet up at 11am, she worked just six blocks from me, we could meet easiy, she wanted to know what i looked like so i she could spot me on the corner.

but to no avail. she never showed up to rendezvous, and i am left here phoneless and cameraless. but at least i can listen to my iPod. oh wait.

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

2007-04-12T23:59:00.000-04:00

when i was 16, i was allowed to borrow a first edition of Breakfast of Champions by my friend mark. i was going on a trip to colorado from new york and he chucked it at me saying, 'read it. it's great. just bring it back.' and i did, and it was, and i did.

that was my first glimpse of the author who would become my literary hero, and i wanted more. so i read more, and i have to say it changed the way i thought about literature, which changed the way i thought about life, which changed the way i thought about love and loss and god and government and robots and time and war and all the things Kurt Vonnegut wrote about, even shetland ponies.

i remember a remarkable feeling, a thought really, that occurred to me when reading Breakfast of Champions, and later Slaughterhouse Five: this guy knows all the answers. and i still believe that.

when you're 16, you have questions. you have questions you don't even know you have and if you could stop being a spaz for more than ten minutes you'd have a clear enough mind to ask them. but you never do, you're too busy worrying about girls and zits and school and masturbating too much and listening to dead men on the radio. but then you read a book that changes your life and you say to yourself, i want to change lives, too.

when i was in college, in boulder, i wrote a gushing letter to Kurt Vonnegut. i tried to be civil, but couldn't help offering to buy him dinner if he was in town, or if i was in town [new york] and a few months later i received the last page of my letter with a hand-written note on it from his agent, DC Farber, that read: 'If Mr. Vonnegut had dinner with all his fans, he wouldn't have time to write!'

attached was an index card with Kurt Vonnegut's signature.

years later i sent him a birthday card with another letter. i doubt he read them.

my fanaticism is well-known to my friends, as i speak and probably write about him often, as i am doing now. i had seen all the film adaptations of his work, even watched the Rodney Dangerfield movie, 'Back to School' because of his cameo appearance. and a bit of trivia: the guy who plays the son in that movie, went on to direct a very fine film adaptation of Mother Night, another of my favorite Vonnegut books. (possibly the best love story ever told). and Kurt Vonnegut has a cameo in that as well.

i got a bit teary this morning reading his obituary in the Times, because, i guess, i knew him, Horatio. i think a lot of us did, in our own way, and i was even lucky enough, this time last year, to have met him and shaken his hand at an interview he gave for the BBC at the WNYC studios on centre street.

i held his hand. i looked in his eyes and said, 'thank you.'
'ok' he said. and he left.
i was so happy.

i paraphrased Kurt Vonnegut to a friend in a condolence letter once. her father had died and i tried to tell her that Vonnegut says that every moment in our lives is always happening, there was no beginning and there is no end. we are like bugs trapped in amber, living only the moment. and if that IS true, he said, be glad that so many of our moments were good.

this means that i will always be a 16-year-old spaz wondering if masturbation is a sin, and if so, if i'm going straight to hell. it means i will always be a depressed college kid, so bent on being alone despite my friends. it means, too, i will always be in love with heather, and that she will always be my home.

it also means that Kurt Vonnegut is still alive somewhere in amber: in a slaughterhouse in Dresden, in Cape Cod writing books that make us happy, in New York City shaking my hand.

So it goes.

Best. Risotto. Ever.

2007-04-02T10:00:00.000-04:00

It was a tragically fun weekend, replete with visiting friends from across the nation, BBBQing (the extra B is for BYOBB [that extra B is a typo]) and Frisbee in Prospect park

and a fantastic dinner at an underground supperclub run by the Low in Williamsburg. The food was exquisite and abundant, the hosts were resplendent, and it was the perfect exclamation point to an already fun day. i love receiving visitors, i love it when a weekend works out so well, and, as it turns out, i really love risotto.

Lousy Smarch Weather

2007-03-26T14:19:00.001-04:00

It's been a long March, and while it's not yet over with, i feel it meet to regale you with tales from New York. I started this month off on the right foot: by getting violently ill after eating (devouring really) pork chops which i had thought i had cooked thoroughly. somehow heather escaped my fate despite eating the same, and thank god, as i used TWO of my alotted 6 sick days this year. you won this round, white meat.

i was lucky that my illness was localized entirely in my duodenum, and that it was relatively short-lived, beacause Jay came to visit with his sister from colorado! we did many a fun thing, none more fun than another brilliant brunch at Libation.

March also visited me with the ghost of work-place promotions, as starting in April, i will be a regular Editor for GHG Advertising. this was a welcome turn of events, if not unscripted, as i had been hearing rumors around the office for months now about my being bumped up. and now it's here, replete with raise and bonus to boot. i feel great. here are some of the shots they took of me for the company facebook:

I was so enamoured with March thus far, that on the day i was told of my new station in life, i took a walk over to the Union Square green market wherein i took the following pics with my phone:

It was a peculiar situation. i had just purchased a single apple for immediate consumption, and seconds later a mother/daughter team was standing there topless, and their personal professional photographer was snapping photos for what i could only assume was a mother/daughter portrait. that's not a family i would want to be a part of, though i do wonder about the conversation in which that photogrpaher was hired...

We have some visitors coming in the next few weekends, which i look forward to as i love holding court. i just hope my forehead heals by then. i might have mentioned earlier, or in passing conversation, that i am attempting to play rugby these days. i had answered a craigslist ad to play rugby in prospect park a few months ago, and while i had just wanted to learn the game, get some excercise and play grabass with some dudes, i was suddenly conscripted into a team called the New York Americans. Conscription is quite the right diction here, as we had a tournament on Saturday that i was certain was merely a gathering of a few clubs, maybe other guys who were playing in other parks. but no. this was armageddon with cleats.

have you ever seen a Civil War battle scene?
it felt a lot like this. mostly because there was a lot of yelling and screaming 'hold the line!' and a lot of me getting my ass kicked. i haven't competed legitamately in anything in a long time, and after making the mistake of the tardy (not eating breakfast) i found myself on randal's island at 930am, adrenaline surging whilst in the midst of battle with large angry men. my team did win our first game, but not our second, and we were lost to the auspices of the bracket system of USA Rugby. i saw a lot of crazed things that day, wrestling with the berzerkers who were too wild to stay in the official rugby leagues in europe. while battling head to head in many a scrum i recalled the view of a D-Day veteran who walked upon the beach, into a wall of bullets, never more desperate to believe in heaven, never more sure it didn't exist.

Oh What a World

2007-02-23T12:32:00.001-05:00

Nick&HeatheratHarvard
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

Lots been going on since I rapped at ya. Heather and I took the Delta shuttle to Boston for Presidents Weekend. And if you're ever taking said shuttle from LaGuardia, go to the Marine Terminal A, because baby, it don't fly out from Terminal D!

Boston was great, the weather was cooperative to the point where we weren't stuck anywhere, and Loui's apartment (right next to Harvad [see picture]) was unique and profound.

On the wedding front, we're looking over invitations, and I've scheduled a trip to Lake Tahoe to see my friend Nicci, who is having me deputized in California as an officiant so I can play a major role in her own marriage in August.

My friend Jason in Arizona also got engaged, his wedding spills over into 2008, extending my year of magical drinking.

Forever 27

2007-02-08T13:02:00.001-05:00

Heather got a strike!
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

But I haven't told you about my birthday (of Jan.26) in which i turned 27 years old with a smile on my face (see myspace) and a sigh in my heart.

Heather took me to a rather wonderful restuarant in Manhattan in which AFTER their buffet of appetizers, salads and antepasto, waiters came by with skewers of meats and sliced them directly onto your plate. i heart meat.

after dinner it was back to home to find quite a surprise: heather had my sacred radiohead poster framed in a quality frame, and it's hanging now in our living room with all the authority of a a Renoir.

The next day we went bowling with some friends at the Port Authority, and Heather kicked my ass. not the first time.

Champagne for my real friends, Real Pain for my sham friends...

2007-01-26T15:44:00.001-05:00

Drunk Train
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

But i forgot to tell you about the party last night at work, they were introducing a new something or other, and lo and behold at the end of the affair there were 5 full, opened bottle of champagne left over which me and two other guys finished off while talking about Indian cuisine.

Evidently, I had IM'd some people (which i don't remember) and headed off to the L train, Jay says we talked on the phone (in which i referenced Simpsons yet again) and the next thing I know I am sitting on the L train, which was spinning.

'Last stop, get up nigga,' said a homeboy at the last stop, and i got up in a stupor. Realizing my faux pas, i quickly got on the same train back to my own stop and got home safely, finding Heather cooking dinner, which was good and plenty.

Age and Empire

2007-01-26T12:15:00.001-05:00

Empire State
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

I turn 27 today. I don't think I've ever had a real birthday while I had a real job, so i chose to go the subdued route, i only told a couple people who i would consider friends, and the other people here (casual acquaintences) i hadn't told, and maybe even went out of my way to not tell. But I arrived here today dressed to the nines as per Heather's command because she has a surprise for me later on today...and the minute i sit down i get phone call from my friend Hart in AZ, to which i would have been overheard to exclaim, 'thank you, yes thank you, no i'm 27, thank you.' So had anyone i had NOT told overheard me, they might surmise that something was up.

Then Blair called me, and as i clumsily fumbled with my phone, i accidentally hit the speaker phone button, a button i didnt know the location of to turn off, and so her booming voice came through the speaker...

BLAIR
'hi happy birthday!'

NICK
'wait, i cant, i hit the speaker phone'

BLAIR
'get me off speaker phone!'

NICK
'i can't, i am trying!'

BLAIR
'happy birthday!'

NICK
'shut up!!!'

JASON, in cubicle next to me
'BUSTED! happy birthday to you!'

NICK
'blair, i'll call you back.'

Wish it were a Sunday, That's my fun day

2007-01-22T12:38:00.001-05:00

I had a wondrous Saturday! Heather and I met Pat for a brunch in DUMBO and I had the best steak and eggs at a place calld Bubby's. The neighborhood is quite charming, and can only imagine that its charm will increase once it's warmer.

On Sunday I played rugby for the frist time ever in Prospect Park, and as I am new to the game (and excruciating physical activity) i have to say that i was quite impressed with myself and my latent athleticism. It was amazingly fun and amazingly tiring, and i can't wait to play next sunday too.

Salads w/Jason

2007-01-16T14:04:00.001-05:00

Salads
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

A chilly Tuesday here in the city, and Jason and I decided to get some gay salads, talk about the year ahead of us and decided that we will all die in the years to come because of global warming. It was 36 degrees.

Listening to Loveline and working in the warmth of cold, office life.

We Are for Naught

2007-01-08T01:46:00.001-05:00

It's a terrifying thing to have a 73 degree day in January on the east coast, and even more terrifying that it's probably not the last.

The terror of the weekend was assuaged by the good times of the weekend, as they included scrabble at a bar with dana, a [73 degree] saturday of negotiating SoHo, and a sunday of having friends over for breakfast before Heather took Pat&Liz to IKEA LongIsland. i stayed home (no room in the truck) and cleaned house and secured 1943 Europe for the Allies via Xbox.

Cherub Rock

2007-01-04T16:49:00.001-05:00

I am back in New York now after doing battle with the blizzards and altitudes of Colorado. it was a great trip, despite it being cut short by mother nature, as we visited both Hayden and Erie and visited all matter of relatives. Our Christmases were wonderful and the New Year's party was especially fun, what with the food and drink and company.

2007 is looking like an event to remember. We have visitors and weddings and vacations and trips and games to schedule, my birfday comes at the end of this month and my resolutions are legion.

Happy New Year

2006-12-20T16:59:00.000-05:00

As my work day, and week, winds down here on 5th Ave, I'm rumenating on the things I have to do not just now (like clean my desk, cubicle, etc. for the holiday cleaning) but tonight (like clean the apartment, pack , check the weather and flight status) and in 2007 (take classes at the UCB Theatre, take the GREs, get married, attend many a friend's wedding [and officiate one!]).

I got a lot on my plate!

UPDATE 12/21 3:15

We didn't get to go to Colorado yet, as there is a massive blizzard there and all flights were cancelled. SO, we'll go to my company's holiday party and maybe drive upstate for a night to see a pal. Christmas vacation on the fly, nothing like it!

UPDATE 12/25 11 11:33

We arrived into Hayden directly (bypassing Denver) and are enjoying the holidays. I am sure to have pics up soon and whatnot. Merry Christmas to you all!

A Movie That Defined a Generation

2006-12-08T10:41:00.000-05:00

Last night we watched the Never Ending Story, mostly because Heather had never seen it before (i mourn for her childhood), but also because i was curious to see this movie again that i had spent my whole youth watching. It's a morose film, and i think i can pinpoint scenes in the movie that directly led to my decade of depression. It's also very enchanting, philosophical and redeeming in the end. With it's top-shelf production value, set design, and fantastical plot, it's no wonder it's a movie that permeated the lives of anyone born circa 1980.

The riddle that has plagued me since i first viewed the film continues to plaugue me today, as in the end, when Bastian has to name the Empress of Fantasia, he yells the name but the sound is muddled by a thunderstorm. so i've never known the name he gave her, the name of his dead mother. So, being the genius that i am, i turned on the subtitles during that scene and THEY OMIT THAT LINE IN THE SUBTITLES! there's just no subtitle when he screams the name, and this may throw me into another decade of depression, indeed.

On the L train

2006-12-04T23:19:00.000-05:00

On the L train
Originally uploaded by dimshine.

In case you didn't see it, and just to be sure, this is the pic i took the other week on my way to work!

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

2006-12-04T23:09:00.000-05:00

I had an unhealthy obsession with downloading music during (and shortly after) college, and prompted by a CD case I saw in this girl's room once, I looked up and downloaded some songs by the Moldy Peaches. This led me to read Kimya Dawson's blog and have an email exchange with her briefly regarding a Bon Jovi concert she couldn't get into. Anyway, I've just checked her blog again and, she's got quite the funny serial of photos, laugh away. (note the artwork on the wall, too)

Cheers.

Thanksgiving was Turkeyiffic

2006-12-01T15:14:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving weekend was really grand. Heather and I trucked up to Boston by way of the Long Island Sound Ferry, a very fun trip which I highly recommend. Boston is a curious town, seemingly clean and more quaint than Brooklyn, and the public transportation system was mystically confusing (who pays and when were the subjects of much debate). It was wonderful to spend time with my soon-to-be in-laws, Stephanie (cousin) and Joel (brother), the food was great, the Scrabble plentiful and I felt lucky to have family close during the holidays.

As it happens now, I have a bit of a cold, but am at work waiting for the end of the day when I can go home and eat matzo ball soup and watch Sopranos DVDs from Netflix with my betrothed. Until then, I'm cruising youtube, enjoy this: one of my favorite Tim Long-written Simpsons.

If Flickr Ever Worked Correctly

2006-11-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

I had taken a picture of something rather odd on the subway, and Gothamist.com put it up, what do you think?

Great Weekend

2006-11-20T13:49:00.000-05:00

Saturday was fun, Heather had a brunch/wedding gown try-outs all day, and I did apt maintenence stuff (read: played Xbox) all day.

Sunday was also great, we went to a park wherein I found a lamp that had fallen off its post, much like the one pictured here, and I decided to take it back home to a) make a chandelier b) pot a plant inside it or c) sell it on eBay. it' pretty big, weighs like 45 pounds and looks cool, but i better figure out what to do with it, pronto.

the weekend was also peppered with games of Scrabble (thanks Nicci!) and warm coffee house hanging-out, and shrimp fetuccini. the freaking Broncos lost to the Chargers, which means the Chargers are probably contenders for the Superbowl (damn them), and the poker club i play with on Wall Street was interviewed for the local news.

Very Niiiice

2006-11-15T11:47:00.000-05:00

Heather and I saw Borat last night, and we have never laughed so hard in a theatre in my life. if you have the means, i highly recommend it, it is so choice.

in other news, plans are moving forward with invitations and save-the-dates. we are getting the proofs in directly. work is great too, the city is bustling and i've recently made a couple of rough YouTube commercials in my spare time, and uploaded my brother-in-law's run-in with a snake in Vegas. what do you think?

36 Hours in Luray, Virginia, OR I'm a Dumb Motherfucker, and I Vote!

2006-11-07T11:19:00.000-05:00

The past weekend will prove to be one of the most wondrous of dinger-fest-bachelor parties in the annals of Queensbury bachelors: playing hooky from work, meeting in Jason's Park Slope apartment, getting picked up by Bryan and his rented minivan with Jaron in-tow and driving a good 7 hours to a cabin in Luray, Virginia for 36 hours of beer-drinking, meat-cooking, baseball-hitting action.

It was my first trip to the South and among the more interesting things (besides the gorgeous pastures and mountains) were the "One Man, One Woman" voting initiative sign, the "On marriage and homosexuality" marquee of the local church, gasoline was $1.99, and camoflauge was this year's juicy couture. Also, the locals were probably the ugliest race of people I've ever seen, a discovery that made us thank our lucky stars we decided agin' a stripper for the party.

I voted early this morning in Bushwick; an almost deserted senior center served as my polling place, which was thankfully just behind my building. I came face to face with an ancient voting machine comprised of a series of levers and switches, that probably was used during the Roosevelt adminstrations.

We'll see how the mid-terms shape up the future of this country, if they haven't lost my vote by then. And I wonder if that sign in Luray, or the church marquee will work its magic and drive the voters of Virginia to keep oppression legal.

Halloween: the Halloweening

2006-10-30T11:46:00.000-05:00

despite St. Louis winning the world series, the weekend was still pretty good.

friday night we checked out Pat's new place and dined on sushi in Brooklyn Heights.

saturday heather and i went to the Fairway grocers in Redhook, which is a wonderful day trip from Bushwick. we also watched Shaun of the Dead to kick off the Halloween season. (note: earlier in the week we watched Silence of the Lambs, which was the unofficial start of our Halloween moviefest).

and then yesterday, after watching The Departed (the Scorsese flick, which is really, really good and bloody) we watched Dawn of the Dead while eating Indian food.

this Halloween season is all about Zombies in apartment 8, though we are scheduled to watch a ghost movie on Halloween proper. Next season i think we'll go with the vampire/werefolf motif, with some fava beans and a nice chianti.

Jessica Simpson, Resident Lizard

2006-10-25T10:30:00.000-04:00

during my daily you-tubing i came upon the latest jessica simpson music video, during which she sings with such passion that her face became so contorted, i nearly jumped on the Lachey bandwagon. between the lack of talent and the feaux passion in her lip syncing, it makes for a very poor video, you see?

Homeward Bound

2006-10-18T17:14:00.000-04:00

We spent last weekend in Boulder, a whirlwind visit to see our wedding venue, taste the menu and meet the staff who will make the big day function (see pic)

It was so, so nice to go back to Colorado, it made me want to stay.

Things that also happend recently:

I found $20 on 15th Street
I lost my new Razr phone in a cab (they of course 'haven't found it')
I attended a taping of Jeopardy at Radio City Music Hall (and much to Jason's chagrin, Alex Trebek was NOT an asshole)
I ate Korean BBQ eel
I enjoyed a visit from a soon-to-be cousin-in-law
I rued the rain
We celebrated Dana's quarter-century mark with Cuban food
I had a cold
The Broncos have been kicking ass

oh and the President completely wiped his ass with 8 centuries of habeus corpus

I'm Very Baffling to my Friends

2006-10-10T11:03:00.000-04:00

Picture 2
Originally uploaded by dimshine.

36 Hours in Queensbury, New York, Redux

2006-10-04T17:54:00.000-04:00

I spent another weekend in the place i call hometown, to go to my old high school's homecoming game with a buddy of mine, Ken Liberty. By some fluke of poor planning the Queensbury Spartans were playing the Burnt Hills Spartans, to whom they lost 42-20.

I ran into many old teachers and coaches and was beguiled by their memory of a football season in 1997 that sent we Spartans to the "Dome to Bring the Title Home."*

While much of the high school remains as I had left it, there are new editions and wings and even display cases which showcase the stars from yesteryear who have gone on to some notoriety...

The weekend was just resplendent with fond memories and laughs, updates and train travel along the Hudson River, which is beguiling in and of itself.

*no title was ever brought home.

Everyday

2006-09-27T13:11:00.000-04:00

Everyday i take the L train to work. my stop is Union Square. i board the train at the DeKalb station in Brooklyn, and while this might not mean a lot to the average reader, it means i am about 10 stops away from my destination. this is about the maximum number of stops one wants between one's self and work. had it been eleven stops, my life would be vastly different.

on the L train, there is a 50/50 chance of me finding a seat. the train either arrives full or empty, and it's nearly impossible to predict its capacity upon arrival.

when i sit, i am able to close my eyes and sleep for 15 to 20 minutes, or failing that i watch the people enter the board the train. the closer and closer we get to Williamsburg, the more fashionably eccentric the people become and i realize that yes that girl IS wearing a green necktie as a bandana, yes that guy IS 6 foot 1 and skinnier than the pole he's holding, yes that girl IS wearing fishnet stalkings to work as a barista, and yes that guy spent 45 minutes to get his hair to look like he just rolled out of bed.

upon arrival at Union Square about 80% of the train's riders disembark and make their way up the stairs en masse. i try to usurp the crowds and head to the unpopular stairs which would normally transfer me to the NRQ trains, but bypass the trains and pop up the relatively deserted stairs and find myself in the midst of union square proper.

i pass by a dog park that reeks and begs to be cleaned with rain, local artists setting up their works for sale (most of which are really quite shitty [i'm talking portraits of J-Lo and Fergie]), and three days a week a farmer's market. sometimes i buy apples and peruse the bonzai trees for 5 bucks and think always of the Karate Kid movies (2 and 3).

I usually pass the same homeless man sleeping in a doorway, always wearing a blue plaid flannel shirt, unbuttoned, bald, bearded. occasionally i fall into Au Bon Pain to get a bagel or a yogurt. there is always the same couple sitting by the big front window, an older white man and a younger asian woman. they are always reviewing documents on the table and i wonder what it is they are discussing: a thesis? real estate? a divorce?

i pass a deli that sells flowers outside, always a rainbow in white buckets.

the empire state building, which i can see from the DeKalb station all the way in Brooklyn, is stoic and silent every morning. i watch it as i walk north on 5th avenue to my building thinking this is my life, and it is wonderful

On an Island in the Sun...

2006-09-18T12:30:00.000-04:00

i know it's been a while since i rapped at ya, but life has been just too good to blog about:

at work: i've moved to the 10th floor in celebration of my awsome proofreading skillls, to a rather large office (a rectangular cubicle normally meant for 2 people) and am now being paid a salary to drink coffee, write fiction and listen to amazing music.

at home: Heather's truck from colorado was delivered to us by my brother who drove it cross-country with his girlfriend. it will be nice to NOT have to rent a car from now on, and it wil be nice to NOT have to shlep stuff from the Home Depot via gypsy cab.

on the wedding front: after much wrangling, we've finally picked a date and venue. (September 2, 2007 at the Boulderado Hotel, in Boulder, CO). our collective sigh of relief could be heard across Brooklyn.

heather and i also attended a wedding on Long Island for former Sphere guitarist Sean Senical. it was a classy affair at the Thatched Cottage in Centerport, and just a wonder to see my friend get married, this man who i used to know as a 15-year-old goofball.

on the meat front: heather's parents sent us a case of frozen steaks and other meats from local ranches in Colorado, which we were able to grill on the new grill heather gave to me for an engagement present. it works wonderfully, the meat was flawless, and i plan to grill anything i can from now on, including eggs.

on the facial hair front: in preparation for winter and spousal sexiness, i have taken to growing a beard. after 4 weeks it's coming in pretty well, though the jury is out when it comes to my friends and family. heather, however, likes it, and i'm a sucker for her opinion.

Bon Voyage, or, The Children's Crusade...

2006-08-27T19:02:00.000-04:00

This weekend I said goodbye to my 'freelance' (read: Temp) status at work and was hired on, outright. Goodbye timecards, hello benefits. Also, Rob had his going-away party replete with girly drinks and manly men. He's going to Ireland to live and work for 18 months, and he will be sorely missed.

The weekend was wonderful, depsite (or because of) the cooling weather and the rainy-day ambience of a subdued Bushwick. Also, do you remember that radio program I attended at which I met Kurt Vonnegut? Here it is, I asked the first studio question at about minute 9:43....

Swingline

2006-08-24T10:24:00.000-04:00

I'm not even kidding, someone at work took my stapler!

36 Hours in Queensbury, New York

2006-08-21T13:09:00.000-04:00

After work on Friday, Heather and I and Pat and Mark jumped in a rented car and high-tailed it for the place of our auspicious high school years, Queensbury. In what is turning out to be an annual stay at Camp Moynihan on Glen Lake in tandem with a late summer Saratoga Race Track excursion/gamble-fest, we again had a wonderful time in all aspects of the mini-getaway. The lake was warm and inviting for swimming and though the weather was mostly rainy, that didn't stop me from turning a $2 bet on a 44-1 longshot into a 91 dollar payday! Nor did it stop us menfolk from another dinger-fest/homerun tournament in which I hit a grand total of 0 dingers and earned a gross (literally 144) amount of mosquito bites. I am like sugar to them! The rain didn't stop our imbibing of many a beer and consumption of pork in various forms, it didn't stop us from laughing all night or my chastising Mike and Pat for not knowing who Jimmy Carter's brother is.

It was nice to hear crickets again, it was nice to swim in a natural body of water that didn't smell funny, it was nice to get away, but it was also nice to come back.

Begin Year 2

2006-08-11T15:22:00.000-04:00

But I forgot to tell you that we've been here over a year now, and yes we have decided to stay put, renewing our lease, appreciateing our new jobs and situations and letting our sentences run on and on and on.

The neighborhood (Bushwick) has really changed since we've moved in. It's like every able-bodied hipster who doesn't want to pay Williamsburg (aka Manhattan, Jr.) rent is moving down the L train. I originally liked my barrio for its gritty nature, ethnic monolithism (hispanic) and sense of distance. But the recent newcomers provide an interesting influx of character.

This past week my friend Hart has come to visit. I met him in 6th grade in Iowa City; we used to sneak out in the middle of night and try to meet girls. He was the first of my crew to touch a boob. He's awesome.

The Lost Month

2006-07-31T17:58:00.000-04:00

I've not blogged in a month, and what has transpired? I've been fishing off of Sheepshead Bay in South Brooklyn, which is a wonderful time that enables me to fulfill my dream of kicking back with a beer on a boat while being shat upon by gulls; I've attended a 4th of July Party on a Williamsburg rooftop (courtesy of Mark) overlooking the East River fireworks (courtesy of Macy's); a friend from high school, Ken, visited (and we went fishing); I've been trained at work on Acrobat, and self-trained myself in preliminary skills of Photoshop, iMovie, and Garageband (ps, i love Macs now); my friend from college, Louis, visited me, which entailed much Indian food and basketball letdowns; Heather interviewed twice and was hired as project manager at Kaplan in a matter of 7 days; and I joined a poker league on Wall Street with other people who just want to play nice and get better. I have a feeling much of the rest of this blog will be poker-related. Beware.

For instance, everyone has a poker nickname, what's mine?

Last Day, Birthday, Independece Day Extravaganza!

2006-07-05T11:32:00.000-04:00

Last Friday was Heather’s birthday, and the gifts I gave her over the course of our mini vacation will remain a private affair between we two. But suffice it to say that I had wanted to make this weekend our best in a long time. Because of the peculiar way in which the Fourth played with the calendar, we had a 4.5-DAY weekend, and so were able to celebrate Heather’s last day of teaching, her birthday, my impending full-time status at work, Independence Day, and most of all, our engagement, all in one big extravaganza.

I had many ideas as to how to propose; one involved a suite at the Plaza, one involved a picnic and a kite, but really I knew that she would just like a simple, private, organic experience and so after work on Friday (it was a half day) we got some sandwiches and took a cab to the boat house in Central Park.

We rented a little row boat for two, and I rowed us here and there until I found the perfect spot. We finished our lunch and I read to her a letter I had written for her birthday. The letter purported to be a salute to the idiosyncrasies I adore in her, though in reality it was a preamble to a question I have wanted to ask her for some time.

You can see the red dot on the picture here which marks the secluded alcove wherein I surprised her with the ring my father gave to my mother 30 years ago asking the same question, “Will you marry me?’

And so we are engaged, and life is just beginning!

2006-06-30T10:55:00.000-04:00

I'm Rather Taken with this Song

Cusp

2006-06-28T16:56:00.000-04:00

Main Entry: turning point
Part of Speech: noun 2
Definition: critical juncture
Synonyms: climax, crisis, critical mass, critical point, crossroads, crucial moment, crucial period, crunch, cusp, decisive moment, defining moment, emergency, high noon, hinge, kairotic moment, moment of truth*, nexus, peripeteia, pivotal moment, point of no return, race against time, rising action, turn of the tide, when push comes to shove, zero hour*
Source: Roget's New Millennium™ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.2.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang

Last Goodbye

2006-06-21T16:39:00.000-04:00

Douglas Harry McDowell with great-grandson

My grandpa passed away on the morning of the 11th. It was a Sunday; he was born on a Sunday too. So it goes.

His name was Douglas Harry McDowell. Harry was his middle name because his mother’s maiden name was Harry. He’s from that generation. He was born in Chicago in 1926. There were many pictures of him as a child, and while I was gathered with my family for his wake last weekend, we noted how the photos abruptly stopped after his childhood. “Well the Depression came,” was an answer muttered and we all understood: there was no money for frivolity, photographs being the most frivolous things at the time. There was a picture of the house they had lost in Illinois, on the back there’s a note reading, ‘we paid $400 down.” He’s from that generation.

The photos picked up again in the 1940’s, after the war. He was in the army air corps in the occupying force in France; he fixed the ball turrets in B29 bombers. In his black and white photos he looked very handsome in his uniform, all of 20 years old. He stands in front of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triumph, stands in front of his bombers, he stands with friends in front of a base, his uniform pristine: tie tucked into shirt, a short smirk on his face, just a bit confident that his country had done the right thing. He’s from that generation.

He told me a story once about his airfield in France. He was walking the perimeter fence one day with an orange in his hand, and a girl stood on the other side of the fence looking at him. He gave her his orange, and having not seen proper fruit in 4 years of Nazi occupation, she cried.

He was good with his hands, and after he left the service he worked repairing cash registers and typewriters in Iowa. He had twin sons who grew and had children of their own, who also had children of their own. After his retirement he made a hobby of refurbishing ancient radios and woodwork.

He loved garage sales and would bring things home, sneak them past my grandmother and keep them in the basement. But she knew.

My grandpa was simply quite wonderful. I had only known him to be kind and generous, and I knew that I would miss him when he passed. Four years ago he was diagnosed with liver cancer, and we all knew it was just a matter of time for a man his age. He gave me a check for $50 the year of his diagnosis, for helping move his radios from the garage to the basement. I never cashed it, and today it is the only thing I have of his bearing his signature. I kept it because his name was worth more.

I cried the night he checked into the hospice and I was too drained to cry the next morning when he died. It happened quickly, as he slept, which is a wonderful way to die. I knew the funeral was going to be sad, not tragic, but I wasn’t prepared for this enormous grief. And as my father eulogized his own, I cried when he said, “The last thing he said to me was ‘I want to take a nap.’”

A few years ago I helped my friend Jay and his family move from a town north of Denver to a town south of Denver. His little girl, Brittany, had to say goodbye to a friend she had seen every day of her young life. As her friend walked away, Brittany started crying with her own sorrow of a friendship ended by the circumstance of geography. “It’s a new feeling for her, eh?” I asked her mother. “It is,” she said.

When you’re 6 years old you have a lot of emotions to yet experience. At 26 I had naively thought I was finished learning how to feel, but my grandpa’s death has proven to me otherwise. I’ve been heart broken and depressed, sad and pitiful, but I have never known this feeling: so absolute and pure, genuine and grave. I’m learning now what real grief is, I am learning how to mourn someone I loved, and even after his funeral I am not done crying over his loss.

It’s odd to know I won’t be able to see him again, hug him and say ‘I love you’ first because otherwise it’d only be silently understood. It’s odd to wonder what his death was like for him, and what he could have been feeling himself as he passed. It seems we’re never fully learned when it comes to emotion, and that is a discomforting thought.

But I smile now as I recall my memories of him:

He’d let me watch him brush his teeth when I visited him in the summers of my childhood. He always made me laugh because he’d have to take out his top dentures and set them on the sink and I thought he was like George Washington.

He used a magnifying glass to read the paper sometimes, and I’d use to it to burn ants in his backyard.

I’d play with his old radios in the basement, pretending to be in a submarine, and he’d come down and show us how they worked.

He’d get cut off mid sentence by my grandmother sometimes, and he’d just swallow his sentence and tilt his head with a little nod, and while everyone’s attention was now drawn to my grandma, I’d keep focused on him and note the look on his face as if he was saying, “Well you go ahead, honey, you tell it, it’s not like it was my story or anything.”

He drove with both feet.

He had a dent in his head from when they had to remove a small growth decades ago.

He was hard of hearing, but wouldn’t get a hearing aid.

He said “warsh” instead of “wash.”

He always carried a small pocketknife and used it to cut an apple at lunch or tighten a screw. My grandma gave it to me before I came back to New York, knowing he would have wanted me to have it.

He loved us all, without ever having to say it. He was from that generation.

Picture Blog

2006-06-15T10:50:00.000-04:00

Brooklyn Bridge, as seen from a boat in the East River, note the Manhattan Bridge in background

Fighter Jet

2006-06-15T10:49:00.000-04:00

On the deck of the USS Intrepid, the aircraft carrier turned museum on the Hudson river, near 42nd Street.

Photo Booth

2006-06-15T10:44:00.000-04:00

This is one of those photo booths you would find at a mall, which takes your picture and places it in a goofy frame. Inexplicably, this was left on the sidewalk outside my building, note the gutted insides.

Protest, ground level

2006-06-15T10:42:00.001-04:00

Note the TV reporter trying to file his story.

Protestors, high view

2006-06-15T10:42:00.000-04:00

Massive Protest in Union Square, RE: Immigration

Cops

2006-06-15T10:41:00.000-04:00

Police cruisers performing excercises in Union Square.

Carla, we hardly knew ye...

2006-05-31T12:28:00.000-04:00

memorial day weekend was a great time for my brother doug to come visit. he arrived Friday afternoon, and after having gotten off of work early (they actually closed at 3!) we met up in midtown to rendezvous with his old high school friend, neil, and eat cheap chinese. no kidding, i got half a duck in a bowl the size of a toilet full of noodles and dim sum for $4. then we met neil's brother at grand central, and headed up to the bronx on the 4 train to watch the Yankees lose to the lesser-talented but morally superior Royals. the game was rained out in the bottom of the ninth, and the four of us were drenched beyond repair. i am still soaked.

saturday heather, doug and i woke up early and headed down to Coney Island. our original intent was to make the morning boat out to the atlantic ocean for sea fishing, but as it became painfully clear that a holiday weekend MTA schedule would preclude us from making it to sheepshead bay by 7am, we opted to slow it down a bit and get a nosh at mcdonalds (the only place open) and meander our way to Coney Island. we were to walk the boardwalk, partake in the roller coaster and shoot the freak. of course, arriving at Coney before 11am is not advisable as literally only ONE place is open, and so we found ourselves on the solitary pier, watching the russian gangsters consort with fishermen who owed them money. many a crab was crushed.

after beers at the ONE place that was open (now 9am) we walked to Brighton Beach and hopped the Q train once more to find ourselves at sheepshead bay. this is a place i've been wanting to visit since we've arrived, mostly because of the fresh fish market (literally just family owned boats, the patriarchs of which yell out in their peculiar accents, "FRESSSHH FISSHHH!"). the morning boat (the Dorothy B IVV) excursion was still at sea, and so at 11am, we were the first customers of a newly opened Applebee's, partaking of hard liquors and mixers.

finally, at 12, we were on a boat, feeding bait to seagulls and about to shove off for the best fluke fishing available. and by best i mean mediocre. i would surmise only about 12 fish were caught during the whole four-hour trip, heather and i having caught two of those. unfortunately doug didn't catch any, but we all did have a fun time anyway as fishing has always been a great means of bonding. heather was introduced to the fluke (think of a flounder, only smaller) and doug and i hit the ocean for the first time in ten years.

that evening we hung out watching tv and eating Indian food, of which doug was not a fan.

sunday was another maritime adventure, the NYHRC yacht held a brunch, launching from Pier 6 (East 23rd St. and, um...the East River). many fine honies available for doug's flirtation exploration (after seeing the women in the city he did proclaim many times,'That's it, I'm moving to New York!") though he was satisfied to simply watch the passing skyline of New York.

incidentally it was Fleet Week in New York. that is, Navy ships come into port and the city is rife with servicemen. they also perfom demonstrations and the Coast Guard was out in full force, guarding the docked ships and aircraft carriers while helicopters flew overhead performing maneuvers and practicing a rescue excercise.

we went to ground zero, st. paul's chapel and the movie, Thankyou for Smoking. sunday night we walked around time square where we were pleasantly surprised to find a Dave&Busters. i won a stuffed dog for heather, but doug and i failed to save our hostage on a shootemup game.

On monday we went to Central Park and the Seinfeld diner (aka Tom's Restaurant at 112th and Broadway) but not before seeing Rhea Perlman (of Cheers fame) on 18th Street near 6th Ave. i hadn't been paying attention, just walking along, but doug asked, "is that Danny DeVito's wife?" and we watched her: looking quite confused, with a paper in her hand, like she was following directions to nowhere.

after lunch we took doug to LaGuardia via the M60 bus through Harlem and he left around 4pm. it was such a great weekend, and it was awesome seeing him again. i hope we'll be able to hang out again sooner rather than later, but with the new job and other forseeable responsibilities, i don't think i'll be able to get out to colorado this summer. but i have a suspicion i am in for a windfall of visitors.

I'm Published!

2006-05-22T10:29:00.000-04:00

Overheard in New York put up something I heard! Oh glory be unto me!

The Saddest Face in the World

2006-05-21T22:00:00.000-04:00

New York has afforded me some celebrity sightings. not that i get very star-struck. so far i've seen Jean Reno (aka The Professional) at the Union Square Circuit City, Famke Janssen walking her dogs on 13th Street, Kurt Vonnegut at a WNYU radio interview, and then on Saturday i was walking on Ludlow Street after a trip to Katz's Deli and was star struck indeed.

out of the corner of my eye i noticed a hockey stick resting against a wall and thought, 'wow, free hockey stick!'

in the next step i noticed a guy sitting on a step in his hoodie and shorts, in the next step i noticed it was a face i recognized, in the next step i realized that face belonged to Mike Myers. it was somber and down-trodden, he was on his phone, he looked right at me as he just listened to whomever was speaking on the other end.

and i kept walking, and asked Heather, 'do you know who that was?'

i suspect he looked so sad because of bad news, perhaps about his divorce. it didn't seem the right time to stop and chat about fat bastard or how that movie sucked.

i would have rather talked about So I Married an Axe Murderer, but didn't want to be rude.

I can't wait to get off work and see my baby...

2006-05-09T23:52:00.000-04:00

Work is a nice little enterprise. All I do all day is proofread, drink coffee, take in lunches with friends in/near Union Square, cruise the internet (i can't be expected to keep track of all my wheelings and dealings) and feel confident in the fact that things are falling into place.

And So On

2006-04-30T16:48:00.000-04:00

Listen:

I met Kurt Vonnegut yesterday. I high-tailed it from Gloucester, MA to Stamford, CT in about 4 hours to catch a train back to NYC, and went straight to the studios of WNYC by City Hall.

It was a BBC World BookClub interview, specifically about Slaughterhouse Five, and I was among 20 people who got to be part of the audience and ask questions. Not everyone asked a question, but I was the first, and once they post the show on the internet, I'll be sure to link it. It was amazingly fun and enlightening, and while I didn't get my book signed, as he left I shook his hand, looked right into his eyes and simply said, 'Thank you.'

And he answered, 'Ok.'

I have to say this is by the best experience that New York has afforded me, and pretty much I should probably just move away right now, as it can't get much better. But then again, I start my new job tomorrow.

When it Rains, It Pours

2006-04-26T12:41:00.000-04:00

On Monday, i had two interviews in a row. they were entry-level assistant positions at Court TV, which would do well for my future as a litigator/pundit/talking head cum Simpsons writer. a friend got me in the door, and i couldn't be more grateful, because i am at that point now where if i don't land something in my field of interest, i'll take anything and the last time i took anything, i was a bouncer for 18 months.

my 3 o'clock was peculiar and i can only relate it to you in the following scenario.

INTERVIEWER
(Shaking hands rather limply)
Have a seat.

NICK
It's a pleasure to meet you, thanks for taking the time.

INTERVIEWER
(Turns to his computer, works on the design of his business card)
What the hell is going on with this font?

Interviewer proceeds to damn his computer and Mircrosoft Word as he can't find the right design template or get his spacing just right on the outlay. He then proceeds to email said design to several coworkers, in silence.

During this time I tried to help, making little suggestions here and there. I basically spoke up only after several moments of wondering if this complete dismissal of my presence in his quite small office was hostile or nonchalant. Was this a test? Is his assistant suppossed to take the initiative and offer computer advice or am I to sit there quietly and test my patience and endurance for awkward social situations? If there's one thing I know it's awkward social graces, so I stayed quiet with only intermittent offerings of color and border advice. It was a good 20 minutes of this before he turned to me and the interview began in earnest. We spoke of the evolving job description, and it would basically be a liason position among the different departments at the company. Nothing glamorous nor bold, but then i've never been either of those. He was constantly distracted by incoming emails and employees asking for his signature. A small gnat had found its way into the office and chose to spend 30 minutes of it's short lifetime buzzing in my face, which made me all the more attractive with my constant light blowing of air and subtely waving my hand in front of my head.

The subject of news viability on television and media in general was broached, and the interviewer proceeded to lambast the very industry in which he has worked for 20 years; he denounced journalism in general; noted I have no experience in news or media per se; called NPR a "bunch of communists;" and took the last ten minutes of our time to show me what he'd been working on for the online promotion of his network, which for technical and karmic reasons beyond my comprehension took forever to upload and display; and we seemed to have come full circle with our awkwardness, just waiting there in silence. his legs and left hand shook the entire time, leading me to ponder about his medical condition, and if i should ask him about his obvious palsey. i stood up and offered and thank-you, he showed me to the stairs and thanked me for time as well. i left him and wondered if he could recall my name if i asked him, or if he even remembered what position i was interviewing for in the first place.

my 4 o'clock was by all measures a better interview, on both parts. the interviewer looked to be a Kennedy descendant, with admirable hair and skin tone. it was obvious to me that i was out of my league when, having been seated on one of his leather couches, my mouth went dry and fumbled for proper diction and clarity of voice. he was ever so polite and made me feel better about the interview process as a whole and i left wondering what life could be like at Court TV.

Tuesday I had yet another interview at an advertising firm. they are looking for proofreaders for all the copy they handle, and this was the mother of all interviews. the interviewer made me feel at ease, we talked earnestly and thoroughly about writing and work, the city and the industry. i took a proofing test and she was impressed, and since there is plenty of room for growth there, this is the job i am hoping will come through.

i am also waiting to hear from a major cell phone company about a newly created position in their newly created editorial department. i also have an interview on monday with Kaplan Test Prep and Admissions, as a student advisor. this job would entail lots of fun things, none of them in the scope of my career as space cowboy. so with all these things on my plate and really great feelings about the aforementioned interviews/jobs, it behooved me to actually TURN DOWN a job offer as a proofreader for WebMD. the pay was livable, but not as much as these other jobs, and i would have had to start Wednesday...which for a myriad of reasons didn't work. one reason: i didn't want to start a job only to have to quit it after a week, should i get accepted as a proofer elsewhere. another reason: i am attending the wedding of one Bryan O'Connor this Friday, and leaving Thursday for it, in Massachusettes.

A funny thing about this wedding weekend extravaganza, i had planned to stay away from New York for an obviously extended weekend cavorting with various friends. but then i got the following email...

From: listenerservices

To: Nickmcdowell@gmail.com

Date: Apr 25, 2006 2:57 PM

Subject: WNYC-BBC Book Club with Kurt Vonnegut

Dear Mr. McDowell:

We attempted to contact you by phone, but the number we have listed for you is incorrect (917.583.2680). We have you listed as our first alternate for the April 29 taping of the BBC Book Club with Kurt Vonnegut. One of our confirmed participants has canceled and we would like to offer you the chance to attend the taping, details are below:

BBC’s World Book Club with Kurt Vonnegut on Saturday, April 29, 2006.

World Book Club Taping with Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse 5

Your hosts: Leonard Lopate and the BBC’s Harriet Gilbert

Location: WNYC New York Public Radio

1 Centre Street, 25^th Fl. (directions and building security information are below)

You should arrive at: 4:00 p.m.

Taping begins: approximately 4:30 p.m.

You must arrive with a question in mind about Slaughterhouse 5 for author Kurt Vonnegut

If you can attend this taping, please reply to this email no later than 4pm on Wednesday, April 26. If we do not hear from you by then, we will have to offer the reservation to another listener.

Thanks for listening to WNYC Radio.

Kind Regards,

Lorraine Mattox

WNYC Listener Services

Needless to say, as Vonnegut has been my hero for sometime now, i immediately answered in the affirmative. this means, though, that saturday morning i'll have to high-tail it back to New York instead of hanging with friends. but it's more or less a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and if i didn't go, i'd just die.

so it goes.

Oops, I Crapped My Pants

2006-04-12T12:37:00.000-04:00

This is embarassing to admit, but I was just watching that Maury Pauvich show. You know: that man whose soul purpose is to perform DNA tests to determine who is your baby daddy? I swear to god, the copy during the teaser read as follows, "If He's Cheating, Their Getting a Divorce."

I just about shat my pants.

I'm losing it!

Long Long Long

2006-04-07T00:41:00.000-04:00

it's late now, but not as late as i was once used to, not as late as i wish it was, not as late as it could be, not as late as it needs to be, but just as late as it can be.

a lot of people have implored/inquired/demanded inquiry as to why i haven't kept up on this blog, despite numerous promises i've made to keep this alive like johnny five. the thing is: i wanted to blog about my triumphs and curious goings on in this new city and life, but all i have at the moment is failures. still unemployed and dangerously close to bankrupt as a result of recent tax filings. i've been interviewing at many a company and every time i seem to get my hopes up only to have them dashed by the thinly veiled message (veiled, that is, in the technical jargon of human resources professionals like, 'why do you even bother,' or 'everything you say is wrong,' or, 'you, sir, are worse than hitler!') that every choice i've made in my life regarding my employability has been wrong.

there's a very small roach that lives in our parlour (ie, tv room/office) which i've only seen once (and to which i am the lone witness) and which i've just now pounced upon with a wadded ball of tissue, only to retrieve a mere twitching leg, and now i am sure it is recouperating, very pissed off and what's more, knows whom to blame for it's new gimp.

i'm watching conan obrien reruns, in the state of new york at 1am, which seems to imply very little has changed for me since high school. this is an intriguing hypothesis, and brings to mind such evidence as my current list of friends which includes people with whom i went to high school, i am unemployed, i am up late and wondering about this life and what i've done to impede it.

i am so stunted by my own lack of talent, it's staggering. i used to write. i used to write well. i used to have ideas, and what's more, i used to have the balls to write when i didn't have ideas. but that's probably not even true either. i don't think anything i've ever done has been worthwhile and that's stopping me from doing anything else. this is the most depressing feeling in the world.

i'm amazed at anything written down on a page. that is: anything printed, which took countless people countless man-hours to print and set and edit and proof and receive in the mail and write at all. that people have ideas which other people will find intriguing and worth their time is a stupefying situation. i am amazed, in particular, with jonathan safran foer. his career and celebrity seem to be this exalted example of what i aspired to in my former days as a would-be fiction writer, and now i am just a fan in awe of someone very near to my age who has made it and is set for life. his first novel, Everything is Illuminated, was and is amazing, and what's more, was an amazing best seller. in this sense, he never has to go to another interview in which a man with a job asks him, 'if you were alone in a commerical airliner, and you had one ping pong ball in your hand, how would you go about estimating the number of ping pong balls needed to fill the volume of the aircraft?' he wouldn't have to stammer for an answer aloud and in his mind wonder what the hell is the point, and what's the real answer? he'll never have to wait for days to hear the bad news that he'd been passed over, yet again, and that he'll have to start all over again by rewriting his cover letter.

and now that i am older, a very homely 26, all i want to do is be able to sit and write something worthwhile about life which someone somewhere will ponder someday. a majority of writers are older, did you know that? a majority of them have daytime jobs. what makes you any different? probably sloth. sloth and envy.

i have ideas for plays, and this is a good city to have such ideas. but the correct response is this is a good city to write such ideas. plots have very little to do in literature, as you may know, the real story is what lies underneath the words: the message, the meaning, the revolutionary thing that evolves into philosophy and questions. the thing that will justify celebrity and best sellers.

plus i've been sick, which feels and looks awful. we have received a new couch, though, so that's cool. the cats outside are making love and sound worse than my parents did in their heyday, but not as passionate. the sirens outside my window are all unmistakable signs that someone somewhere is suffering, possibly because they can't write, and when they do, they might as well be failing another one of life's job interviews. but i'm not sad, just pensive and hungry for rice krispies.

Damn this Smarch Weather

2006-03-06T16:13:00.000-05:00

did i tell you i went to a taping of Late Night with Conan OBrien? did i tell you i went to an awesome party and drank so much that i was drunk and hungover well into the next day? did i tell you that i didn't get that job i wanted, interviewd twice for, and didn't even rate a phone call for the letdown news? and so i am still subbing here in Bushwick, to wit:

Mr. Nick
Ok, settle down, we're going to watch this A&E Biography video

7th Grader
It better not be about Hitler, yo!

Mr. Nick
What's wrong with Hitler?

Nor'easter!

2006-02-11T22:49:00.000-05:00

they say a foot of snow will fall by tomorrow afternoon. this will allow for a much needed sequester at home with movies and whatnot. heather will be grading papers, i will be getting ready for my second interview with an internet company, and in between long glances and veiled smiles, we'll kiss as we put on the kettle and change from a Coldplay CD to an Elliot Smith CD.

Life is good.

It Bodes Well for me that Speed Impresses You

2006-02-10T13:44:00.000-05:00

The oddest exchange with a student involved someone in the detention i was monitoring...

Edward: Hey Mister, you watch porno?

Nick: I'm not answering that question, either!

Edward: I do!

Nick: You do?

Edward: Of course I do, obviously!

Nick: Where do you get it?

E: My dad gives it to me, we watch it together!

N: ...

E: We jerk it at the same time to see who busta nut first!

N: ...

E: I'm fast, yo. I do that shit first, son!

N: That will not help you later in life.

Month the First

2006-02-04T21:36:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report
Originally uploaded by pakidude.

Loads of stuff happened and didn't happen for me in January. I subbed at private schools (good!) and public schools (bad!); took on a new tutoring student; spent many days off because the universe is against me; attended, and participated in, a taping of the Colbert Report; celebrated my 26th birthday (thanks, ladies!); established a series of Sunday brunches; convinced the universe to go in my favor with two very promising job leads; ordered and had delivered a futon for the apartment, along with rugs and the last of my boxes from Colorado, which leads me to believe that the moving in portion of my New York life is over! When February pans out, maybe I'll blog then, too.

Day One

2006-01-01T13:55:00.000-05:00

but i haven't told you yet about our new year's eve. i might take you back to a couple nights ago when my cell phone fell out of my pocket into a cab and i went crazy without it. the last thing i needed was to shell out another 200 for a phone, or to lose everyone's number or have no way for potential employers to reach me...but thankfully after calling it for 12 hours someone picks up, it was the cabbie, and we arranged to meet at a well known corner in the lower east side. i offered him a twenty, for a thank-you tip, but he refused it five times and i got the new year's eve miracle i was hoping for...so with my phone in hand, and heather on my arm, i went to dana's place for a few pre-party drinks and we all took a cab to 55th and 3rd avenue, where a party was underway. after the drinking and eating and the dancing and the talking, we cabbed it down to 3rd street and avenue B to go to the twins' place where there was more drinking and dancing (dirty or otherwise) and then we all made it up tot he rooftop for the midnight hour and celebrations were wonderful.

today, heather and i will venture to the upper west side for brunch with friends, and a walk in the park, we'll talk about the things we can't remember and things we won't forget, we'll kiss under oak trees and hold hands by the river, she will shiver with a breeze and i'll hold her close. welcome to 2006: it is overcast, 41 degrees, the world abounds with war and love and forgiveness and sorrow and promise and ambition.

i am alive.

Merry Christmas

2005-12-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

but i forgot to tell you of the time Heather and i went out to Rockefeller Center to see the famous Christmas tree. just last week, after work (and before the strike), we braved the wind-chilled Manhattan air to find ourselves in midtown, surrounded by tourists, to bask in the glory of the prettiest tree i've ever seen. after our gawking, we turned a corner and happened upon St. Patrick's Cathedral, wherein we listened to the choir practicing their carols, and it was good. next, we ducked into a Dean and Deluca for some hot cider and mosied our way to the NBC store to find they still sell Friends and Frasier paraphenalia. With our curiosity satisfied, we took the train home for what turned out to be (i can only assume due to the strike) our last mutual trip to New York City-proper of 2005. We leave for Colorado on Saturday morning, and come back in time for New Year's Eve, but will we be stranded in Brooklyn? Is this the untimely end of Milhouse?

Strike!

2005-12-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

the transit system is on strike, merry fucking christmas, New York. of course, i could sympathize with the transit workers, had i been briefed on the nuances of their expired contracts and failed collective bargaining, but really all i know is that there is no bus to take me to work, and so everyone i know will be getting a big fat lump of coal that i had to make myself from burnt cork and rat droppings. oh, and the mayor's brilliant contingency plan of "get a ride" or "stay on someone's couch" is fucking brilliant. his plan might as well be, "get into a stranger's car and hope you arent' raped by lunchtime." the city is slower than that corky kid from life goes on, and there's no hope in sight.

Vodkas Tonic

2005-12-12T01:36:00.000-05:00

Saturday evening was quite fun. We made it to a going-away party for a City friend which included, but was not limited to:

1) cupcakes
2) many vodkas tonic
3) an unfortunate playlist of Britney and Mariah
4) drinking a bottle of tequila in a circle of friends in the middle of Tompkins Square Park
5) amazing pepperoni pizza on the subway home

and the fact that, while in line for a dive bar on First Avenue, we were inundated with pleas from three very homely homeless men who were carrying and offering, quite inexplicably, trays of appetizers. they offered us freshly cut vegetables and dip, cheese and fruits, crackers and spreads. it amazed me they were carrying such obvious payloads of food, but what got me more was that they were offering the snacks for a donation of $1. were i a lesser man i might have been obliged, but as i have a rule against eating food offered by hobos, i thanked them but declined, and they eventually moved on.

the next morning we met Pat (not hungover) and Jay (newly arrived from Pittsburgh) at a place called Libation in the Lower East Side, which, while a pretty trendy and hard to-get-into-joint by night was a relaxing and quiet place to find an extremely affordable (i'm talking 3 mamosas and eggs florentine for $15) brunch. we stayed and talked for what seemed like hours, after which i accompanied Jay back to LaGuardia Airport and saw him off. I caught the M-60 back into Manhattan and eased my way back to the East Village to meet Heather and Dana at Winebar for an evening drink and conversation. The evening was serene until, inexplicably, another patron's hair caught fire from the candles on the bar. we took this as our cue to leave and Heather and I returned home for Chinese food and Futurama DVDs, Jay's gift to us (and by us i mean me).

as you can see, i didn't paint my face...

2005-12-12T01:29:00.000-05:00

My friend from Colorado, Jay, made his way out to the east coast in order to see his (and my) favorite team, the Avalanche, handily trounce the New Jersey Devils. Upon arrival we drove (in his rental) directly to the Seinfeld Diner (aka Tom's Restaurant on 112th and Broadway) for a quick lunch and then, after a coffee at my apartment, it was off to Port Authority Bus Terminal to catch the 15 minute bus to the Meadowlands for the game. It was, hands down, the best game I've ever witnessed in person (with three unanswered Colorado goals after the first period, a tie at the end of the game decided by a shootout in the Avalanche's favor). The next morning I went to work and Jay drove to Pittsburgh for the Colorado game against the Penguins at which he ran into the Great One, Wayne Gretzky.

Well I just had to laugh, I saw the photograph...

2005-12-08T15:09:00.000-05:00

it's the 25th year anniversary of John Lennon's death. in Strawberry Fields, in Central Park, there will be a barrage of fans and ex-hippies, all crowding around the small tile mosaic that reads, "IMAGINE." would-be artists will adorn the memorial with flowers and flags and albums and candles. many people will bring their stereos and guitars. the youngest of attendees will mistakenly play Hey Jude, at which point they will be beaten with War is Over protest signs. at 10:50pm (the time Lennon was shot) they will have a moment of silence and once more at 11:15 (the time he died). at 1am the Park closes and people will have go home or look for other gay men for anonymous sex.

Funny HaHa?

2005-12-02T15:25:00.000-05:00

The Importance of Being Bushwick

2005-12-01T00:55:00.000-05:00

the major line that takes me into New York City proper (Manhattan, that is) is the L train. it's not a bad commute, the 15 minutes to Union Square go by quickly when reading or listening to the iPod. these two passtimes, by the way, seem to be requisite duties of any New Yorker using public transportation.

i asked someone, once, at what point did she feel like a true New Yorker [as you may know this city is made of natives and transplants, this person being a transplant] and she noted that when one can sleep on the train and wake up at their desired stop unprompted, this is the moment of achieving New Yorkdom.

i believe i am only weeks away from this. i take the L train many, many times a week, usually to explore the lower east side and the east village, union square and so on. what i have learned about the subway system is which stops or transfers i prefer compared to others, which platforms contain which performers and food vendors, which stations smell like feet and which stations smell like urine.

i won't lie, there are many gross things about this city, but many great things too. the thirft stores, for instance, are great (though evidently thrift in New York means the exact opposite of what it means in the dictionary) and the flea markets, i am just discovering, are prime venues in which to anger grizzled old men by offering obviously naive and offensive pittances for otherwise expensive, if used, camera lenses.

but i love this life i lead with Heather and find a certain solace in living here in Bushwick. it's a nice little place, even if it is disengaged from what people normally think of when they think of New York. i am among puerto ricans and ecuadoreans, families and singles, and an obvious influx of young, white, would-be artists and poseurs. we leave the windows open so the sounds of our neighborhood (and flies) can compete with NPR when we make dinner. those sounds frequently include:

the rumbling of the elevated M train up the block
children playing in the street
honking horns from cars and busses
squealing police cars and ambulances, either going to an emergency or trying to mimic a hiphop track on their siren
construction crews here and there
the wind, the wind, the wind

walking down the street, everyday, we watch as a funnel cloud of pigeons circulates above one house, prodded by a man waving a large pole to command them. they are multicolored and when the sun hits them just right, they look like falling ticker tape, and heather and i are the only ones in our own parade.

Give Thanks

2005-11-25T01:02:00.000-05:00

last night heather and i went to see the inflating of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloons, which takes place near 77th street and Central Park West. it was a wonderful time: once we got there we noted the huge crowds and both decided to simply view from afar and go home. but we got in the wrong lane for the subway during our walk and inadvertantly wandered smack-dab in the viewing area, bypassing a line of thousands. and so we took it all in.

today's Thanksgiving was the best one i've ever had, simply because it was my first time ever away from family but solely with my love and we made it work. we cooked our turkey and baked our pies and had a quality feast. later we watched The Godfather and a Marx Brothers movie (does it matter which one) and just basked in each other's glow.

I'm thankful for Heather, I'm thankful to be happy again. I'm thankful to be in New Yok City and living a life I thought would never be, and thankful to be able to share it with someone who has taught me that love is the best thing to give (and receive).

In a station of the Metro

2005-11-12T21:15:00.000-05:00

three homeless people were sitting in the subway station, one of them had a large laundry tub on wheels (like you'd see in a hotel) filled with empty soda cans...

MAN:
yeah you know, so i gotta fill up this cart and then take it on down to the center and they pay big money for this.

WOMAN:
yeah, a lot?

MAN:
oh you know, i got to go to different centers to drop off, otherwise if i be taking in too much they start to ask questions and make receipts for the money. and next thing you know, they take out taxes on that shit.

WOMAN:
oh yeah, you gotta watch out for taxes. that's what did me in.

Daily blog

2005-10-26T01:30:00.000-04:00

many interesting things and goings on afoot, the most recent of which was my trip to the Daily Show today. it was a simple enough task to get in: simply call them on Friday between 11 and 11:30, leave a message and expect a call back later on that day. it was a really great time, fun to see how they make that show. the comic who warmed up the audience was funny enough, jon stewart was hilarious (as was the day's material) and the guest was Al Franken. the only con was the studio is way the hell over on 11th avenue in Hell's Kitchen, not a great trek in 40 degree weather. we were explicitly told not to ask for autographs or take pictures, so you'll have to make do with my camera's little snapshot of the set.

i would have rather gone when Kurt Vonnegut was a guest, though i found solace in the fact that i was going to see him last friday during a reading at the Union Square Barnes&Noble...to no avail. he cancelled, though i don't blame him, he is like 83 years old, after all.

the one author i have seen, though, was one whom i admire greatly: Jonathan Safran Foer. heather and i saw him a couple of weeks ago at the Brooklyn Public Library during their "Brooklyn Writers for Brooklyn Readers" series. he was great, he was young, he was my would-be doppleganger, and i have to say i was just a little bit turned on...

there have been parties (kudos to Mark in greenpoint) and comedy clubs (kudos to the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre and Gotham Comedy) and amateur sketches, dinners, drinks, just a little bit of dancing, and many many hours lounging on the weekends writing letters and reading the paper. heather and i have been growing fonder of each other over the weeks, carefully making our apartment the way we want it. we've got internet in our place finally, cable...we finally got a TV, and so i've started my netflix account again. surprisingly, heather has not seen a huge catalog of movies anyone from our generation would deem necessary and definitive.

heather and i have been crafting our own language, our own culture here in our apartment. this is something couples do, i suppose, and after awhile we may get to a point where we won't understand anyone who isn't us, who doesn't live in (what Kurt Vonnegut would call) our nation of two. but that's ok with me, because i'm willing to be a citizen here. i'm in love.

Framingham, MA

2005-09-21T00:18:00.000-04:00

went to a bachelor party for an old high school friend. and from what i remember (and i think it's a lot!) i'm pretty sure i'll never look at bottled water the same way again.

time out of mind

2005-09-17T00:16:00.000-04:00

currently, as i am ttyping, drunk in framingham, massachusettes, at a bachelor party. we're drinking beers and of course i'm out of my gourd on onlyl 4 beers.

tap the rockies my ass

the details of My life are quite inconsequential

2005-09-08T00:14:00.000-04:00

i know it's been a while since i rapped at ya, but things have been pretty busy in my world. so many things to share, not the least of which was that i made a trip to my old hometown of queesbury for labor day weekend. a lot of my old friends were there, sort of a homecoming for me in the sense that i hadn't been there for like six years. and to tell you the truth i don't think i ever would have returned had it not been for the promise of seeing people with whom i still love to laugh.

in other news, i've taken a part time job at the local barnes and nobles during the down time of my tutoring escapades, but as September is upon us now, i assume that i'll have to quit in order to make even bigger bucks as a tutor.

aside from that, new york is full of charm (if not grace) and the importance, history, emotion and ethos of this town are not lost on me, just, seemingly, on the locals.

She's a MAN, BABY!

2005-08-30T02:22:00.000-04:00

INT. OFFICE - DAY
NICK is at a table with three other girls, all of whom are casually checking the Village Voice.

GIRL 1
Man, there are A LOT of ads for porno!

GIRL 2
Tell me about it, the prostitution ads are right next to the horoscopes, so everyday when I check my horoscope it looks like I am looking up call-girls.

NICK
Yeah, I just moved here and I've noticed that New York has an inordinate amount of she-males.

GIRL 3
(SILENCE)

the times, they are...

2005-08-25T16:40:00.000-04:00

one of my favorite things to do now is poke myself out my 4th (and top) floor window and take a gander at the neighborhood. up the street there are kids playing baseball amidst regular traffic and ambulences, behind them the high-risen M train pounds the night's shinanigans flat like a penny. down the street many busses flash by, the same bus, tailgating its doppleganger for the sake of making their rounds on time. many puerto rican families just inhabit the sidewalks, showing off their babies and smoking. their music can be heard for blocks, sometimes, and it's all very authentic. the neighborhood is also inhabited by the likes of me and heather, young couples hoping to take the city by storm. our music only fills our apartment, but is authentic all its own.

we've painted one room red, one room green, and the other have been left white. it's not as christmasy as you may guess, and once we're all moved in i trust our authenticity as new yorkers will be as heart felt as the couple in Edward Hopper's "Room in New York," which i've mentioned before.

i'm rambling, but that's how i know i'm home.

Splinter

2005-08-22T10:38:00.000-04:00

We're slowly but surely getting things in order: we've recently acquired a bed, painted a room and are in the process of settling some hash down at the NYC Board of Education.

there are so many things to blog about, but all i want to say is this: if someone ever tells you a sewer rat won't bite your pinky finger, they's lyin'.

Ringo No More

2005-08-15T03:23:00.000-04:00

i'm not sure if you are aware of this, but we initially flew out here July 18th, on the premise that our apartment would have been ready by then. upon arrival we were assured by our agent that the unit would be ready no later than august 1. that date got pushed back to august 15, which then in turn got pushed back to september 1. at this rate, we would be in our place by september 15, meaning we would have squatted at my cousin's place for 2 months inconveniencing everyone we know in the process.

so last week we walked around Bushwick all day and found another place: a little better, a little cheaper and A LOT newer. so here it is, in all its glory. we move in today, you may ship your well wishes and care packages accordingly.

by edward hopper...

2005-08-10T02:41:00.000-04:00

there's a painting, if you can find it, by Edward Hopper. it's called, "Room in New York." it shows a couple: the man reading his newspaper intently, the woman casually tapping keys on her piano. and all i want is to capture this moment (forgoing any insight one might cull from a deep reading of the blocking of the characters, and the way light plays not with them but on them) in my own apartment with my own girlfriend, piano or not.

it's been almost four weeks since we've arrived in new york, and we have not one word on the move-in date of our coveted apartment, except that it theoretically should be happening soon. i'm starting to wonder if we'll ever get in there, as it's the only one we've deemed perfect for our purposes.

minus the apartment thing, everything else in this city is grand.

the Ocean State

2005-08-08T21:25:00.000-04:00

we've been in Providence, RI since Saturday visiting my parents and other family. the Atlantic is a wide dream.

2005-08-02T17:31:00.000-04:00

one night we went to staten island (the ferry is free and takes us right under the statue of liberty) at sundown, became so disenchanted with this forgotten borough that we ate chinese food and fled soon thereafter. heather does look wonderful with the sea wind blowing in her hair, though.

one night we went to chinatown and had, hands down, the best chinese food we've each ever had. after our meal we walked down canal street where an ornery old coot insisted i buy his strange fruit. "i give you two pounds, one dollar!" he said, obviously doing me a favor. but i wasn't in the market for street fruit, let alone fruit i had never seen before. he gave me a sample, and i sucked its juice. it was slightly sweet, mundane if not tart. i didn't like it that much, and the man shook his fists at me as heather and i walked off.

we turned north on mulberry street, into little italy. and looked at shoes and the wannabe Sopranos. if the mafia is dead, tourism killed it.