4/14/08
Broken Gaydar in The Borough
Well, the glow of my 15 minutes of fame in and about The Borough have passed, and its back to the drudgery of the work week. I have no rant this week, which is especially good, since I keep saying I’m not going to turn this into a forum for my own negative feelings. Yeah me!
I have noticed something quite unusual. You may know I often title myself as a visionary of outsider art and the biggest fag-hag on the planet. I go to art events, group dinners and somehow I always end up picking up the gay guys. It is a strange phenomenon - always being the one who connects with the fabulous boys in swanky clothes, and as soon as I think I’ve figured it all out - my gaydar is on the fritz. 3 out of the 4 in the last month or two - I was totally wrong. Normally something like this would not really irk me, I mean so what, it’s not like they’re handing out awards for identifying sexual preference. However, all of my recent work on diversity - diversity best practices and being more tolerant and aware of the research and data on the subject - you would think I would be more finely tuned to these things.
In The Borough, for the most part it has always been easy to tell the hetero from homo crowd - though some of the younger guys most definitely have thrown a monkey wrench into that, being fashionistas and metro sexual. Your average metro sexual is causing havoc and throwing off the gaydar signals. The lines have blurred. And it not just cause they’re filled with smoke.
Aside from that - I’m hoping for a quiet week in The Borough, and a fast work week.
I have noticed something quite unusual. You may know I often title myself as a visionary of outsider art and the biggest fag-hag on the planet. I go to art events, group dinners and somehow I always end up picking up the gay guys. It is a strange phenomenon - always being the one who connects with the fabulous boys in swanky clothes, and as soon as I think I’ve figured it all out - my gaydar is on the fritz. 3 out of the 4 in the last month or two - I was totally wrong. Normally something like this would not really irk me, I mean so what, it’s not like they’re handing out awards for identifying sexual preference. However, all of my recent work on diversity - diversity best practices and being more tolerant and aware of the research and data on the subject - you would think I would be more finely tuned to these things.
In The Borough, for the most part it has always been easy to tell the hetero from homo crowd - though some of the younger guys most definitely have thrown a monkey wrench into that, being fashionistas and metro sexual. Your average metro sexual is causing havoc and throwing off the gaydar signals. The lines have blurred. And it not just cause they’re filled with smoke.
Aside from that - I’m hoping for a quiet week in The Borough, and a fast work week.
4/10/08
Native in The Borough
http://www.nypost.com/seven/04102008/entertainment/how_to_pass_for_a_native_new_yorker_105910.htm
I'm famous, for today. Just hoping this isn't my 15 minutes....
I'm famous, for today. Just hoping this isn't my 15 minutes....
4/9/08
More Ranting from The Borough
Another week, another set of topics floats around in my head. I am having one of those weeks where I wish someone would follow me around tape recording all the good ideas I have and all the incredibly clever remarks I make– since by the time I sit down at the machine (or la machina), they have all dispersed to the fours winds. Al I’m left with is a rant or five, and maybe some info on something in The Borough.
I guess my rant last week was a bit harsh, considering that I have been known to watch 12-hour Stargate marathons (just a step above American Dimwit, I mean Idol) – and even though I spend endless hours reading, and doing other things – I still like my cartoons, preferably with an adult twist on them. Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama (Bender is still my hero!), Aqua Teens (Shake rules!), Harvey Birdman, and Drawn Together – probably the sickest of the bunch. So I can’t fault you for watching the same thing as a 12-year old girl, when I watch the same thing as a 19-year old boy.
A rant? A rant you say? Plenty to rant about in The Borough these days aside from TV, mostly having to do with the fact that now that spring is in the air, the yuppies are on the streets. I call them yuppie scum, but you can call them buppies (baby-infested urban professionals) Yup they have emerged from their breeding cocoons to fill up a sidewalk near you (or rather me in this case). How to identify the buppies – they undoubtedly are pushing a stroller larger than a small car, and talking on a cell phone at the same time, carrying numerous bags and they think they are on a private street and have no regard for other people.(hey lady you just wheeled your kid into oncoming traffic, mind getting off the phone?). They are almost as bad as tourists, at least the tourists don’t give you attitude.
Speaking of tourists, the tourist situation here is a bit out of control, low US dollar and insanely cheap airfare for Europeans is literally driving them to the streets of NYC. Now everyday I battle the regular crowds at GCT, and it’s a draining experience – add in a few hundred tourists LOOKING UP at the Chrysler building while they walk and you have enough rant material to last a lifetime. At least they’re not pushing strollers…
Now for things in The Borough, there has been a lot going on with Develop Don’t Destroy - the 5 year battle to stop the mega stadium development may actually work, if only because of other financial issues that Forest City Ratner has been going through, and the supposed recession. Still the legal battles rage on, mostly to do with eminent domain abuse – which is something that every American should be aware of, since by this precedent – any real estate developer can come and take your home saying that it’s for the public good – not public use – give you $$ and you have to leave. If you fight them, you could end up with nothing and they still take your house. Since I don’t own anything, I get more caught up in the battles that have to do with urban poor, and the rich people taking advantage of people who cannot afford to go anywhere. Gotta stick up for the little people, fuck the rich.
A random thought, someone balked the other day when I told them that I donate 3-5% of my annual income to charities, that’s gross not net – and If I made more, I would donate more. If you make more than 100k a year – you should be donating up to 8% of your annual salary. Americans are such greedy pigs – instead of investing for yourself – why don’t you invest in society? And yes, it’s a tax write off, if you itemize.
So aside from that there is also news about the IKEA nightmare in Red Hook. I’ve heard (though not confirmed) that due to EPA or environmental impact – that the store is basically being scrapped after they demolished 10 civil war era buildings. This city is going down the crapper faster than you can say “spitzer”. I’m trying to confirm facts, and get the latest – but everything I keep finding is from 2005….I’ll keep y’all in the loop.
Hopefully the next time I have something really witty, I can remember it long enough to relay it to you – until then
I guess my rant last week was a bit harsh, considering that I have been known to watch 12-hour Stargate marathons (just a step above American Dimwit, I mean Idol) – and even though I spend endless hours reading, and doing other things – I still like my cartoons, preferably with an adult twist on them. Simpsons, Family Guy, Futurama (Bender is still my hero!), Aqua Teens (Shake rules!), Harvey Birdman, and Drawn Together – probably the sickest of the bunch. So I can’t fault you for watching the same thing as a 12-year old girl, when I watch the same thing as a 19-year old boy.
A rant? A rant you say? Plenty to rant about in The Borough these days aside from TV, mostly having to do with the fact that now that spring is in the air, the yuppies are on the streets. I call them yuppie scum, but you can call them buppies (baby-infested urban professionals) Yup they have emerged from their breeding cocoons to fill up a sidewalk near you (or rather me in this case). How to identify the buppies – they undoubtedly are pushing a stroller larger than a small car, and talking on a cell phone at the same time, carrying numerous bags and they think they are on a private street and have no regard for other people.(hey lady you just wheeled your kid into oncoming traffic, mind getting off the phone?). They are almost as bad as tourists, at least the tourists don’t give you attitude.
Speaking of tourists, the tourist situation here is a bit out of control, low US dollar and insanely cheap airfare for Europeans is literally driving them to the streets of NYC. Now everyday I battle the regular crowds at GCT, and it’s a draining experience – add in a few hundred tourists LOOKING UP at the Chrysler building while they walk and you have enough rant material to last a lifetime. At least they’re not pushing strollers…
Now for things in The Borough, there has been a lot going on with Develop Don’t Destroy - the 5 year battle to stop the mega stadium development may actually work, if only because of other financial issues that Forest City Ratner has been going through, and the supposed recession. Still the legal battles rage on, mostly to do with eminent domain abuse – which is something that every American should be aware of, since by this precedent – any real estate developer can come and take your home saying that it’s for the public good – not public use – give you $$ and you have to leave. If you fight them, you could end up with nothing and they still take your house. Since I don’t own anything, I get more caught up in the battles that have to do with urban poor, and the rich people taking advantage of people who cannot afford to go anywhere. Gotta stick up for the little people, fuck the rich.
A random thought, someone balked the other day when I told them that I donate 3-5% of my annual income to charities, that’s gross not net – and If I made more, I would donate more. If you make more than 100k a year – you should be donating up to 8% of your annual salary. Americans are such greedy pigs – instead of investing for yourself – why don’t you invest in society? And yes, it’s a tax write off, if you itemize.
So aside from that there is also news about the IKEA nightmare in Red Hook. I’ve heard (though not confirmed) that due to EPA or environmental impact – that the store is basically being scrapped after they demolished 10 civil war era buildings. This city is going down the crapper faster than you can say “spitzer”. I’m trying to confirm facts, and get the latest – but everything I keep finding is from 2005….I’ll keep y’all in the loop.
Hopefully the next time I have something really witty, I can remember it long enough to relay it to you – until then
4/3/08
Ratner is the Scumbag In the Borough
please go and visit this site, read and endorse the letter.
http://www.dddb.net/php/reading/MuseumLetter.php
http://www.dddb.net/php/reading/MuseumLetter.php
4/2/08
Borough Trippin'
I know I keep saying I am not going to rant and I am not going to name names. While I consistently strive to keep both to a minimum, sometimes it just cannot be avoided. My rants are nowhere on the humorous level of some other blogeroni’s out there (or is it bloggarazzi) , such as like Decaf is a Sin, which I religiously read and laugh hysterically. If you have the ability to rant, seriously offend, but leave just 1% of the people out there laughing and hoping for more – you’re OK in my book.
So what has been pissing me off lately? Aside from the neighbors, who I hope are struck down by the wrath of someone’s god, there isn’t much to complain about. I could rant about the media and it’s endless hounding of things to make news about – but really if it bothers me that much I should just turn the page or turn off the TV – getting out of the target range of mainstream media may be hard, but it’s not impossible. I’ve managed to completely divest myself from common pop culture – much to the chagrin of anyone who has ever asked me questions like “Did you see the big give?” Unless someone is giving it to me, I really could give a shit, - go read a book, take a class, make some art, do a good deed for an elderly neighbor, do some volunteering of your own and for heaven’s sake get the fuck off the couch.
Now onto the name-dropping part, I try to keep my entries really just about me, and maintain the anonymity of my fellow conspirators – but also give you, the intrepid reader, some insight into life in The Borough, and in those other borough’s as well.
I’ve mentioned before the monthly gathering of native new Yorkers, where usually a few regulars and I enjoy a Monday evening. I think the last time I wrote about it, it was supposed to be a big turnout, but only a handful of non-regulars showed up and it was good.
This time at a new venue on a new night, at a bar in Chelsea called Dusk (see the picture above) , with cool glass mosaic walls, a pool table and a pretty retro jukebox (or was that the magic garden cd?) . The owners are identical twins, both now bald with goatee’s, that went to Stuy and Science – and they even showed a picture of themselves in high school with pompadours and rockabilly clothes. Ah sweet memories. I really like this place, not just becuase its more convenient than other places and is roomy - but it's got a great vibe, without being pretentious. But that could be the $4 Bud's talkin'.
So what has been pissing me off lately? Aside from the neighbors, who I hope are struck down by the wrath of someone’s god, there isn’t much to complain about. I could rant about the media and it’s endless hounding of things to make news about – but really if it bothers me that much I should just turn the page or turn off the TV – getting out of the target range of mainstream media may be hard, but it’s not impossible. I’ve managed to completely divest myself from common pop culture – much to the chagrin of anyone who has ever asked me questions like “Did you see the big give?” Unless someone is giving it to me, I really could give a shit, - go read a book, take a class, make some art, do a good deed for an elderly neighbor, do some volunteering of your own and for heaven’s sake get the fuck off the couch.
Now onto the name-dropping part, I try to keep my entries really just about me, and maintain the anonymity of my fellow conspirators – but also give you, the intrepid reader, some insight into life in The Borough, and in those other borough’s as well.
I’ve mentioned before the monthly gathering of native new Yorkers, where usually a few regulars and I enjoy a Monday evening. I think the last time I wrote about it, it was supposed to be a big turnout, but only a handful of non-regulars showed up and it was good.
This time at a new venue on a new night, at a bar in Chelsea called Dusk (see the picture above) , with cool glass mosaic walls, a pool table and a pretty retro jukebox (or was that the magic garden cd?) . The owners are identical twins, both now bald with goatee’s, that went to Stuy and Science – and they even showed a picture of themselves in high school with pompadours and rockabilly clothes. Ah sweet memories. I really like this place, not just becuase its more convenient than other places and is roomy - but it's got a great vibe, without being pretentious. But that could be the $4 Bud's talkin'.
I even enjoyed walking across town, something usually I'm not such a big fan of. It was like 70 degrees with 100% humidity, my hair was frizzin' like you would not believe.
I think it was the best turnout in a long time and I had a fab time. This finishes a week or so for me where every night has had some event attached to it – making me so completely exhausted that I was tempted to call in stupid today. The best part of the evening was that I managed to connect with not 1 but 2 people I hadn’t seen in years – and didn’t recognize – one from elementary school, who I had not seen in almost 30 years – whose father still lives around the corner from me – and one from high school – who happens to be staying with his mom, who also lives around the corner from me. (see how anonymous that is!),. There were of course some regulars, and a few of old friends that I am not close to, but no archenemies or anything like that. Certainly no one threw a drink at me or spoke my name in anger. So it was a successful night all around.
I think it was the best turnout in a long time and I had a fab time. This finishes a week or so for me where every night has had some event attached to it – making me so completely exhausted that I was tempted to call in stupid today. The best part of the evening was that I managed to connect with not 1 but 2 people I hadn’t seen in years – and didn’t recognize – one from elementary school, who I had not seen in almost 30 years – whose father still lives around the corner from me – and one from high school – who happens to be staying with his mom, who also lives around the corner from me. (see how anonymous that is!),. There were of course some regulars, and a few of old friends that I am not close to, but no archenemies or anything like that. Certainly no one threw a drink at me or spoke my name in anger. So it was a successful night all around.
On the train ride home I ran onto another neighbor, well son of neighbor - who I used ot babysit for - who is now getting hitched. I was all chatty and when I got off thew train and up the stairs in The Borough, it was pissing down rain so hard that every layer of my clothing was soaked. It was such a relief after all that sticky sweaty nasty air - I actually screamed "fuck yeah"as I strode around the corner home.
I’m done with events for the week, not that bridal showers, art openings, volunteering meetings, dinners out and sitting shiva isn’t a fun way to spend 5 days.….I’ve finished my taxes and all I need to do now is get someone to do my laundry for me and mop the kitchen floor (and while you’re at it will you clean the oven?).
I think I need a people break. I keep getting emails from people saying they are coming down (or up or over) for a visit sometime in the next month or so – and I have to mentally get ready for hostessing duties – it’ll give me a chance to get out and about in The Borough, and then I can start reviewing places and things again in more detail.
There are some big things happening with the nightmare arena project, and I hear now that a future whole foods in gowanus (go anus!) is possibly not happening due to environmental problems - I'll try to find out more about what's goiung on - and let you know.
See you then!
See you then!
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