I missed church today

Spent all day in the Animal Emergency Clinic because my dog Tank got hit by an SUV in front of our house. He was in bad shape when we brought him in and we were in the waitingroom for hours until they told us anything. We thought his back legs were broken, his pelvis and maybe even spine. He's huge so it took them a while to get him sedated enough to x-ray him. They finally brought us, my sister Barb and I, into a tiny room and showed us x-rays and told us that he couldn't stand or walk. But the good news is the x-ray didn't show any broken bones or spinal damage. They told us they would keep him on lots of drugs and do some more tests and call us in the morning. They finally brought us back to see him, he was in a room of kennels with crying howling dogs and as we approached his cage he looked up and started crying and whimpering so much. He kept trying to stand up as we opened the door and kneeled down to him but he couldn't get up. I lost it. Up to that point I had kept my composure and had remained calm and collected, as I always do under traumatic stress or crisis. Not this time. His leg was shaved with an i.v. in it and he had one of those big plastic collars around his head to keep him from biting it. I've never seen him so unbearably desperate, it broke my heart.
As are faces were still wet they showed us the bill. Needless to say it was massive. We're sacrificing Christmas and neglecting a few bills but we'd much rather have him home and well. Man I knew I liked Tank before, but I had no idea how much I loved him until I saw him in so much pain today.

We got a call around 6pm tonight telling us he started to walk and that we could pick him up tomorrow! It's been a long day and I have a headache, I'm glad today is over.

Me and Tank, heading to the mountains this past summer.

In his winter sweater I made for him.

Monday update: We picked him up from the hospital today and he's doing very well. Still hobbling a bit and keeps groaning because he hates the thing around his head. Here he is, totally drugged out.

In my pants

Andy, Jorma, Akiva, and Justin, my hats off to you as always. And I can't wait for their album release.

I started horseback riding lessons today. 20 years late. I've seriously wanted to be the Man From Snowy River since I was about 5 years old. It just makes sense. I have no idea how it's taken me this long to start riding. In about 3 months I'll look something like this.

Man trampled to death by holiday shoppers

Disgusting.



Doesn't it make you proud to be an American?


Continued..

Two men shot and KILLED in Toy's R' Us, Southern California.
Here's the story ABC News

I also found this. Wal-Mart shoppers fight over XBox 360.



God bless American consumerism. All of this makes me so sick.

Russell Brand

Brilliant.

Transcendental

In the past week I've been in Asheville NC, Greenville SC, Atlanta GA, Philadelphia PA, New York City NY, and Brooklyn NY.


Starting with Asheville, I saw the Squirrel Nut Zippers play for the first time ever. I've been mildly obsessed with them since I was about 12 and was expecting a pretty damn good time. My expectations were enormously surpassed. My droogs and I were dressed to the nines and burning the floor all night. My friend Abbey and I were swinging hard and dripping with sweat. At the end of the show the band came down off the side of the stage, through the crowd and to the back of the audience all the while singing and playing their instruments ragtime marching band style. They open up a circle in the crowd and pull Abbey and I in. We did the best Lindy circle we could as they played and danced with us. After the show the lead man Jimbo Mathus tells me we looked great and asks if we'd like to perform on stage with them? Needless to say we generously accepted and met them two days later in Atlanta. My partner Abbey is actually a contra dancer and NOT a swinger but a great follow. So we were a bit nervous, but hey we were obviously good enough if they asked us to come dance on stage with them. So we get to the Variety Playhouse in Little Five Points and hang out backstage with thim for about an hour before they go on. We danced onstage three songs, the first two being fun flashy songs and finished with a slow sexy tango number Blue Angel. After the show we went down into the audience dancing, playin and havin a good ol' time, then out to the lobby and then into the street. It was a hell of a show and from what they said it was one of their best! There was a swing bar under their hotel so needless to say we had a late night. We crashed with them in their hotel room and I spooned with the tubist. Officially logged as one of my favorite memories.
Here's a video that I found of us dancing onstage Put A Lid On It
Not my finest hour of dancing, but fun nonetheless.

Catherine Whalen of Squirrel Nut Zippers, pretending she's not a foot taller than me.

As soon as I got back to Greenville I had to pack and get in the car to drive to Philadelphia with Barb and Adam. Adam and I drove through the middle of the night and arrived in Philly in the morning, just in time for the Phillies Parade, and it was obvious they had just won the World Series. I took the Chinatown bus to NYC and had a damn good Halloween that night!

I came to New York for two things. Halloween and to Vote! And with both I am well pleased. I voted in a gorgeous cathedral in my neighborhood in Brooklyn. It was great, granted it was filled with hipsters. I'm not judging, just saying that the overall juxtaposition of the setting was amusing.
Election night in New York was intense. Every bar, restaurant and club with a television was spilling with people. When it was finally announce the city erupted and OBAMA was shouted from the streets and rooftops. Seriously.

Row boating in Central Park was delightful.

I was so happy to see my gypsy lady Nino.
Election day was my last day there but I skipped Philly. Saturday I went to Philly to join Barb Adam and Liz to eat the best damn meal ever at Marrakesh! To find it you have to walk down this alleyway off South St. and knock on this huge wooden door and wait. They bring you in and you're lead from room to room and several floors of an old, dark and oddly proportioned rowhouse thats since been turned into a labyrinth of elaborate rugs, beads and tapestries. We lie in the pillows as Aladdin comes to wash our hands with rose water. We then enjoy the next 3 HOURS devouring our 7 COURSES which are all served on large brass platters and are eaten only with pita bread and your hands. All the while being mesmerized by an incredible bellydancer. This was my second and definitely not my last time to Marrakesh.
Many more things of the past week I could talk about but I think I'll sum it up there.
Although I will mention that I saw the Swedish child-romance/horror film Let the Right One In and absolutely loved it. It's playing at Angelika Theater in Soho and I highly suggest it.

Polaroid

I found a Polaroid camera on eBay for $3 bucks. It's my new favorite possession.


Many more to come on Facebook.

Adbuster knows best

Hipster: The Dead End of Western Civilization

What else can I say.

VOTE!

Everyone is voting right? It's kind of a big deal. But thats only if you care about your life in this country, the economy, high taxes, the middle class, gas prices, the war, the environment, education, your children? It's our responsibility. This country desperately needs change to make up for the past 8 years. VOTE!

I'm not going to get into all the reasons why you should NOT vote for McCain. I don't care if you don't like Obama either. But if you've paid any attention at all to this election its obvious OBAMA is the better man for this country and the change we need. For the most part I agree with the general statement that "politics are bullshit". But America has digressed tremendously and we have the opportunity right now to do something about it.
VOTE BARACK OBAMA!

I just shook hands with Barack Obama

I had the wonderful opportunity to see Barack Obama speak in Asheville NC today. He was nothing less than powerful, elegant, confident and collected. With only 30 days left, he's anxious to do what he has promised America.

You can never go home

. . but you can take photos on the lawn. This is the house I grew up in. Greenville, South Carolina. Haven't set foot here in 9 years. The railing on the front steps is still bent from when I backed up the car into the house when I was 13. The tree in the front yard has scars on the branch that my tire-swing hung from. Memories of mowing the lawn for $10 and spending it on a new skateboard. Sharing 1 bathroom between 6 family members. It was a small, but charming home.

The most glorious store-bought meal ever

I have proudly spent A LOT of money on SABRA Hummus in the past few years. It's probably one of the best things ever created. I highly suggest that you go to your closest bodega or health food store and purchase some immediately. I recommend the Classic, Roasted Pine Nut, and Hummus and Tahini. Be sure to break the pita in four and toast them first before devouring.
It'll be one of the best choices you ever made.

STOP Russia!

HELP Georgia!



The Georgian - Russian Conflict -New York Times

To the Motherland

Moving forward, I'm well overdue for my next adventure.
London to Berlin via Eastern Europe

I'm leaving from NYC to London, from there I'll backpack across Central and Eastern Europe for several months until my final destination BERLIN. And then from there, who knows how long? A year? We'll see.
This is what I've estimated:
Flight, Euro Rail Pass and Ferry $1,600
Food, hostels, etc $1600
20 Euros/$32 a day

19 Cities
14 Countries
4,700 miles

1. London, UK
2. Paris, France
3. Brussels, Belgium
4. Utrecht, Netherlands
5. Amsterdam, Netherlands
6. Berlin, Germany
7. Prague, Czech Rep.
8. Vienna, Austria
   
9. Bratislava, Slovakia
10. Budapest, Hungary
11. Bucuresti, Romania
12. Sofia, Bulgaria
    
13. Athens, Greece (ferry to..)
    
14. Napoli, Italy
15. Rome, Italy
16. Florence, Italy
17. Venice, Italy
18. Munich, Germany
19. Berlin, Germany

Who's with me?

I'm expecting it to be a bit like this


p.s. I'm behind on my savings. If you'd like to help me out check out the column at top right. Many thanks

Apocalyse Wow

Post-Apocalyptic parties should be thrown more often. I'd go to everyone of them. I threw this together in a day.

Who doesn't love Mad Max?

This is the America I stand for

Not this one

Our forefathers were men that cared about what we made of ourselves. Not what we bought for ourselves.

You complete me

I need a roommate!

My roommate is moving out and I need someone for JULY 1st! I have a wonderful and charming 2bd apartment in Greenpoint Brooklyn with a backyard and roomy livingroom. I have the best landlord and it's in a quite Polish neighborhood. I need to find someone ASAP! Please be my roommate, or help me find someone that can! THANKS!

What I love

Daria Tessler, Brooklyn

http://www.animalsleepstories.com/


Evan B. Harris, Portland

http://www.myspace.com/evanbharris


Viner, New York City

http://www.vinerstudio.com/


Elizabeth McGrath, Hollywood
http://www.elizabethmcgrath.com/

DEVOTCHKA!

Such a beautiful and amazing show. I'd been dreaming to see them for years, they were more than I could imagine. Nino and I were out of our minds with excitement and on the verge of tears the entire show.. not to sound dramatic or anything. Nick Urata's voice is phantasmagorical.

To finish the night off, on the way home I took the wrong train and fortunately wound up at the W 4th. station. Fortunately because as I'm standing on the platform waiting for the right train I hear this beautiful operatic voice echoing through the station. I walk down and see this old black woman on the other side of the tracks singing and playing single notes on a little keyboard. I stood and listened for a while, it was a music and sound I'd never heard in the subway before. She'd hit a high note as a train came flying through the station, the sounds would blend together into the wave of pressure pulsing across the platform. You couldn't tell between her round seasoned voice or the crying of the wheels as the subway car sways down the tracks 65mph just feet in front of you. While in the midst of all this, New York graces the moment with its everlasting charm. A mexican at the other end of the bench I'm sitting on begins puking, profusely. It was so perfect I start laughing out loud and everyone around scatters. I continue to watch the singing lady for a minute, then I run up the stairs and to the other side so I could pay some gratitude, and film her. She had homemade cds that I glanced at and hoped to remember her name but it's gone from me now. As I ran off to catch my approaching train on the other platform she smiled and waved bye to me. It was a lovely evening in New York tonight.



p.s. CHAUNTÉ GETS TO NY IN THE MORNING! She'll be at my apt in like 6 hours! I'm pretty excited.

Goodnight Morning

The final and ultimate documentation.



My way home to Brooklyn after closing up the bar in the East Village. Saturday night Sunday morning,roughly 6am. Take the L train to Bedford Ave, bicycle through Williamsburg to my home in Greenpoint.
I recorded this on a little digital camera so I apologize for the shakiness.

There and Back Again. A bartenders tale.

I left work this morning at 5am, over the course of the next two hours on my way home to Brooklyn, which should take about 30mins, I took photos of the alternate quiet side of New York. Check em out on my FACEBOOK

Night? Life?

It's 6am and I'm just now going to sleep.
I've been working just about everyday at this bar in the East Village for the past week and I haven't even made it once to Brooklyn before the sun comes up. I'm managing so I've gotta stay till atleast 4:30am usually 5am to count the money and lock up the place. I ride my bicycle home on the deserted empty streets, birds singing, and a cool misty air. It's surreal and lovely. I always wish I was beginning my day with this instead of ending it.
This is about the time lapse I have leaving work to getting home...


I need a real job.

Holi

I LOVE Mangal Pandey! He's such a bad ass, I want to be him. And I love Holi, the festival of colours, this scene in the movie is so great/ridiculous.



Three things to do before I die:
Be in a Bollywood film
Be in a Holi festival
Take on 2,000 british soldiers by myself like Mangal Pandey

Have you ever transcended through space or time?

Time, yes. Space, no. No I have no idea what you're talking about. Tomorrow my sister Liz and I are driving from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. Why? Because we're awesome and know how to have a good time. Utah, grab your dance shoes and contraceptives cause here I come! I'll be there Weds to Sun. There better be like a hundred parties!
See you when I see you

American Wedding. Part II

So I was in Gogol Bordello's music video for American Wedding last month and I finally got around to uploading some of the photos. It was a 2 day, 27+ hour shoot that was filmed in a Ukrainian chapel with a cast of about 30. The film was complete with Eugene Hutz punching a wedding cake and pulling out a megaphone, Pamela and Elizabeth throwing sausages and absinthe, me being a stand-in for Eugene, hanging out with Elijah Wood, carrying Eugene on my shoulders for the finale, and to finish it up we had a hell of an after party at Mehanata being the last night Eugene dj'ed before they left on tour for 2 months. "A peak experience of an emotional kind."

More photos on my Facebook