Saturday, May 22, 2004
"Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana." - Grouch Marx
"My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is." - Ellen DeGeneris
"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner. " - Tallulah Bankhread
"A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Nietzche
" Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk? " - Steven Wright
The Sublime... And The Ridiculous
this entry's permalink
"My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She's ninety-seven now, and we don't know where the hell she is." - Ellen DeGeneris
"If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner. " - Tallulah Bankhread
"A casual stroll through a lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything." - Nietzche
" Who is General Failure, and why is he reading my hard disk? " - Steven Wright
The Sublime... And The Ridiculous
this entry's permalink
Friday, May 21, 2004
Stuck In The Mezzo With You
Chelsea's Intermezzo was the setting for a lovely Italian dinner with friends last night. Once my quiet hideaway, Intermezzo has been remodeled into a chic hotspot and a favorite of "Queer Eye" star Carson. 
At least they've dimmed the lighting again to an intimate soft red. Their food is still delicious. Bart and I both had Chicken stuffed with shrimp and asparagus in wine sauce over pesto mashed potatoes. Bart's beau AJ and our friend Will stuck to the exquisite house pasta. this entry's permalink
Thursday, May 20, 2004
Paella Party
Last night I (over)dined at El Quijote, the 75-year-old Spanish restaurant nestled in the equally historic Hotel Chelsea half a block east of my apartment. Joining me were my friend Pat Stumpp and her charming guest, Mariana, who hails from Arequipa, Peru, and happens to work (indirectly) for Bavaria, the beer company I am currently analyzing. Oversized portions are the rule at Quijote, and in an hour I consumed a 3-day caloric allowance, mostly via multiple helpings of Paella Valenciana. And I only ate about 1/3 of what I was served, too. If I had taken home the remains (which Quijote encourages), I would have been eating Paella for days, not a good strategy as bathing suit weather approaches... : - ) Sangria further animated our already lively evening. More about the Venezuelan luncheon later, plenty worth commenting there...
this entry's permalink
Wednesday, May 19, 2004
Oil Slick
It's Suit and Tie time... Formal function on today's calendar from 12-2.. I get to hear the spellbinding CEO of Venezuela's state oil company address the scintillating topic: "Venezuelan Energy Sector: Past and Future Of the Venezuelan Oil Industry." This opus will be served with lunch at the Cambridge Room of the Harvard Club. Now, I wonder what the Trachtenberg Family Players could do with these slides... : - ) 
Last weekend I watched "Umberto D," the 1952 Italian classic about an impoverished old man's fight to hold on to dignity in a society that no longer has any use for him. Marvelous movie, centered by a gifted non-actor and stark black and white visuals of a crumbling, war-torn, poverty-stricken Italy during the post-war years.Director De Sica really got the emotions right. You can see the pained and akward looks on the faces of Umberto's friends when he mentions his money woes. The scene at the dog pound is also devastating. Next on my Netflix list is "Close Encounters," which I'm 1/2 hour into and still not very engaged... More to come... Here's the Harvard Club Building, in case you were wondering.
this entry's permalink
Tuesday, May 18, 2004
Will I Be Next?
That Special Man, Round Three? With thousands of my gay brothers and sisters tying the knot, I'm realizing how much I miss the companionship and affection of having a boyfriend. Maybe it's time to be a little more pro-active in this department... This is an exciting time. The contrast is amazing when I flash back to the fear and isolation I felt in my teen years, when society was mostly silent or disapproving of homosexuality, and I felt I would always be an outsider and never belong. There were no role models, just contempt and silence. With gay marriage legal, hopefully nobody will have to feel this way again... 
this entry's permalink
Monday, May 17, 2004
And It All Came Together...
When Dad Sang Along
The Trachtenberg Family Players are an unusual act, to say the least! Their 'concept' is writing rock songs, even 'operas', based on slide shows rescued from garage sales and the garbage."OPNAD," for example, celebrates a 1978 McDonald's management conference in song! Daddy Jason Trachtenberg is the lyricist, keyboardist, guitarist, lead singer, and MC. His wife Tina mans the slide projector. Their spunky 10-year old daughter Rachel is a very convincing drummer and sings, too.
Friday my friend Thomas and I caught their act at Northsix in Williamsburgh. That journey in itself merits a posting. We saw their excellent "revue" in which they stood on stage and cooked tortillas for the audience (from Maseca Corn Meal) and introduced their five quirky and clever musical warm-up acts, mostly very good. About 70-80 people attended, seated in varying degrees of comfort on bleachers and the floor. 
this entry's permalink
Sunday, May 16, 2004
Happy Birthday, Christi!
Christi and I went to see Cirque du Soleil's Allegria show on Randall's Island. It was really amazing, colorful, a total delight. We literally darted to her car afterwards to avoid getting soaked. This whole weekend was just beautiful weather in New York - summery, sunny, 80F with a breeze. just lovely.... soon I'll be in Iceland : - ) 
this entry's permalink
