The Long Count at Brooklyn Academy of Music
October 31, 2009
After some wine (good), cheeses (good) and pork belly (meh) last night at Stonehome Wine Bar & Restaurant, Nate treated me to a show at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (aka BAM).
It’s a known fact that I <heart> The National. I have eagerly been waiting and half dreading the release of their next album after the always current, amazing, gut wrenching, get-stuck-in-your-head-for-weeks 2007 album Boxer. My hopes are high and my fingers are crossed that the follow up will be as good if not better. Last night we saw Bryce & Aaron Dressner of The National, coordinate a collaboration of rock & roll, imagery (by Matthew Ritchie) and vocals set to their original collection of compositions titled The Long Count.
After Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) slowly glided onto stage and opened the show between the twins with the voice of an angel, the sound quality crashed and burned on the second piece and sisters Kim and Kelley Deal (The Breeders, The Pixies) somehow made it through. I felt for those girls and their faulty microphones.
I didn’t read the program before seeing this show. On the 2 train heading home afterwards we scratched our heads at the show’s analogy of the world starting in 1976 after the Cincinnati Reds won the World Series, the significance of twins and the Mayan calendar that depicts the end of the world in 2012. I don’t know – I didn’t get all that and I’m sort of glad I didn’t have the background before seeing the show. Frankly, getting to hear Matt Berninger, lead vocalist for The National sing just one song in a relatively intimate venue – well that was delicious.
Back to Work
October 22, 2009
When I was really young I wrote in a blue notebook about wanting to live in New York one day.
Union Square (with farmer’s market three times a week) is at the end of my commute every day as I head to work in the morning.
After a day of getting back into the swing of things (affiliate marketing) and meeting dozens of new co-workers, I headed back up to Harlem last night and opened the door to the smell of a home cooked meal by Nate.
And dessert…
It’s been a good week indeed.
Recent Culinary Exploring
October 15, 2009
From a little kitchen in Harlem I’ve been making something new nearly every day;
Halibut marinated in honey, soy, fresh ginger, white wine with crispy shallots topping and white wine reduction. Asparagus, jasmine rice with roasted pine nuts and golden raisins.
Mustard crusted salmon (thank you Balthazar). Lentils with bacon, roasted carrots and potato.
And I never have to do the dishes. Thanks Nate!
More Owen
October 14, 2009
I’ve had a few requests for more pictures of Owen. You can imagine Adi & Pete have their hands full. Adi uploaded some pics here if you’d like to see more of this little one.
The Loudest Show I’ve Ever Seen
October 10, 2009
Music aficionado Kevin offered Nate and I two tickets to see the Psychedelic Furs last night. Having grown up listening to them, it was a real treat. Our group consisted of Kevin & Leo who live in Brooklyn and Torrey who was visiting from San Francisco. Get this – they all lived in Santa Barbara at one time. I’m starting to think it’s a prerequisite to hanging out with Nate. Anyhoo, we did our best Molly Ringwald dance impersonation throughout the show. It was so much fun. More photos.
Beforehand we met up with Torrey at her swanky hotel Grace near Times Square. From the bar we watched people swimming in the pool that sits in the lobby, which was kind of weird because well we were all wearing clothes and they…were not.
Ended the night with ears ringing atop the hotel Dream at the Ava lounge that looks over Times Square.
And at 1am on the 2 train heading uptown, everyone is sleepy. Everyone.
Budding Soup Artist
October 8, 2009
My L.A. based British friend James has recently started exploring his artistic side. Armed with only a few footballer figurines and every day items (in his first effort – a can of tomato soup) he’s exploring the transition from English refinement to dirty American duldrum. You can have a little piece of his vision for a mere $25 USD. Click here to purchase.
Nicolette In New York
October 5, 2009
My old friend and pen pal Nic who lives in San Francisco popped up in New York last weekend. After not having seen her for over three years, she walked through the door of Duane Park in TriBeCa and it was like I’d just seen her yesterday.
We ate (the best mashed potatoes I’ve ever had), we drank, we listened to Nate’s trio swing through a whole evening of jazz, we caught up. She is living a romantic story between San Francisco and New York with a man she met in 6th grade. Yes, I was hard-selling her on New York where her man lives.
Look at these two – seriously.
Happy Birth Day Owen
October 3, 2009
He took his time but he finally came out. My dearest friend Adi is now a mom. And this is her and Peter’s boy Owen.
Cloisters Are Closed On Mondays
October 2, 2009
Nate has been telling me about The Cloisters for some time now. It’s a museum that is part of the Metropolitan Museum on the northwest side of Manhattan.
You have to take the A train to get there. You know that jazz classic Take the A Train? It’s that A train. I had the song in my head the whole way up there. After a few weeks of charging around Harlem, the Upper West Side, The Village, and Chelsea I was taken aback at the gorgeous green space we arrived at. The Cloisters sit in Fort Tryant Park. It was a beautiful late morning and I’m pretty sure I kept saying “wow”.
Note: The Cloisters are not open on Mondays. Which is when we went up there.
Branding Fail
October 2, 2009
Dear new or existing company,
Remove this image or any likeness of this image from your site immediately. This includes guy on beach with shirt sleeves rolled up hunched over laptop, guy holding chin while looking at laptop while sitting in the rain, guy on park bench with suit, laptop and no shoes on. You are not conveying a message of online savviness for your services. This scares people and makes them think you are a one man show and you don’t know what you are doing.
Thank you.
