Joan Rivers: A FIERCE Piece of Work

Joan Rivers...

In the interest of full disclosure: I love her. I always have...

I've always admired her work ethic, especially when I was out there working my own freelance show business career back in the day...

I never had that necessary workaholic drive that is so honestly articulated here. I just didn't.

I read all her books over the years, and always kept up with her career... the highs and lows... Went back to meet her backstage when we were both headlining in San Juan, P.R. casinos back in the 1990's. It was when she was building back after Edgar's suicide, and she was still fragile... I remember her grasp...

With my history... it's a natural that I'd completely adore this movie...

She's allows herself to be authentic and vulnerable in this film, and that makes her especially fierce, in my eyes...

Joan Rivers IS a piece of work, to be sure... And the film-makers did a great job of capturing much of the total picture...

First Day Off in Tweets

Edited and annotated Twitter tweets in reverse order with some Flickr pics added... This blog post composed at 2.30pm...

Starbucks for an iced venti half-caff. This location on West 57th 8/9th used to be fave of mine. Now covered in scaffolding & sidewalk sheds. 34 minutes ago

The A/C in the Time Warner Center sure feels nice at the moment... 43 minutes ago

Finished shopping for Netbooks @ Best Buy. Need to do some online followup research at home about these models... Samsung or Toshiba or Asus 44 minutes ago

A nice breeze out here in this little park @ 30 W 63rd. And lots of construction workers eating lunch here... Guess I'll head home to A/C about 1 hour ago

Loved Joan Rivers docu film... Will review it soon. Now sitting in the shade in a public space behind Lincoln Plaza Cinema. Had a smuggled bag lunch w/ Joan. LOL Had some of the cinnamon babka SMyles left with my doorman yesterday. about 2 hours ago

The beign of my existence! @unclutterer Organizing 2 foster creativity http://bit.ly/dbizVH "Success doesn’t happen surrounded by clutter". about 4 hours ago

Can we talk? Off now to a matinee of "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work"... Will blog it eventually, I'm sure. Been anxious to see this docu! about 4 hours ago via web

@soxer99 Thanx Keith. But... Just out of the gate... Enthusiasm and energy reign supreme... Don't worry... Plenty of time to relax during 10 wks... about 4 hours ago

'Rubber Room' Doors Are Closed and Locked http://nyti.ms/9Y4Xvu about 6 hours ago via The New York Times Retweeted by you and 1 other

OMG... the lists of ALL the things I want/need to accomplish over summer vacation seem insurmountable... So much to do, so little time! about 4 hours ago

Stopped in a Times Sq area hotel air conditioned lobby business center 2 do grocery list. I look like a tourist so am COOL (both lit & fig) about 4 hours ago

A jaunt over to Times Sq atm branch of my bank reminds me of some Broadway shows I want to see during summer vacation. La Cage for starters. about 5 hours ago

Did a photo shoot @ the Clinton Community Garden. It's only 9:15am & already the humidity & sunshine show we're headed into hot 90's l8r! about 5 hours ago


In a Starbucks pondering the 1st glorious morning of summer vacation 2010... More like decompressing after 10 mos in morass of a deep sea dive. about 6 hours ago

And We're Off...

Summer vacation 2010 has begun... And not a moment too soon...

Let the summer vacation blog posts begin...

... And we're off...

Set the Tone Monday: Let it Rest

"The most valuable thing we can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of a room, not to try to do or be anything whatsoever".

-- May Sarton

40th Anniversary NYC Gay Pride 2010

Random thoughts on the 40th Anniversary of Gay Pride 2010...

I'm gay!... Yup. Always have been...

Today is Gay Pride Day in NYC. It's the 40th anniversary...

Here's where the Gay Pride events will be held today.

I remember attending Gay Pride Parades back when they were cramped down Christopher Street... Before the scope of the parade completely overwhelmed the historic little side street in Greenwich Village...

Today's weather is predicted to climb high to the 90° mark and beyond... Ugh! If all of this were held in February, It would be FAR more likely that I'd proudly march down Fifth Avenue in the sunshine. I belong to many of the gay groups marching today... But, I'm not a summer person... I'd last 15 minutes, which isn't enough time to round the first side-street corner onto Fifth Avenue...

Never really liked the word "gay" to identify myself... There's gotta be a better word...? Is labeling important, anyway??

I like lesbians fine... But I don't know why everything has to be "LGBT" these days. Aren't Lesbians gay?? And many "trans" aren't even gay, they say... And the jury is still out on the word "bi"... I just don't know any real "bi's"... At least not males...

I always cry when they halt the parade for the moment of silence for all of those who died of AIDS... I knew more than forty...

Had a grim morning walk with all the party boys strolling (or swerving) out of Roseland Ballroom for a circuit par-tee called Menhattan... One passed out on the sidewalk with a thoughtful friend looking over him... Another shirtless young man being loaded out the back door into an ambulance with an oxygen mask... Said a prayer... Doesn't sound much like a party to me.

Dunno what, if anything, I'll do today... We'll see... Will let the day unfold... And will try to remember to take my camera...

But Happy Pride to all those of you who celebrate...

My own personal gay pride philosophy: Just be authentic and live your life with integrity...

Oh, and... Please read The Velvet Rage by Alan Downs. I found it eye-opening, cathartic, and enlightening... I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book to all my gay male counterparts, especially those of us, who are of the approximate age (or older) of this year's 40th Annual NYC Gay Pride parade...

Linc Link

Nicomar sent me this article about the newest hot neighborhood in waiting, just south of Hell's Kitchen...

Just west of the Lincoln Tunnel... nicknamed the Linc.

Actually Donner has been touting this area for years and hopes to land there somehow...

Personally, I really think they need to find a new name for this 'hood...

It bears no resemblance to the character played on the Mod Squad by Clarence Williams III

They can have the name Clinton if they want, as nobody here in Hell's Kitchen ever liked that stupid nickname anyway!! LOL (Though HK roundly adores Bill, Hil and Chelsea)

Thanks to Nicomar for this Linc... er I mean... Link.

What-evah!

TGIF: The Last One of the Year!

Today is the last Friday of the school year...

We still need to work Monday though...

But, I'll take it!!!

Wednesday's Word: Splash-Caff

Splash-Caff

def: Just a splash of caffeinated coffee in a largely de-caffeinated coffee... served iced or hot... Less caffeine than a half-caff.

Source: Me.

CTFD: Calm the Frak Down!

"CTFD" or "Calm the F&%$ Down!" That's what one of my former favorite bartenders used to bellow, regularly, at happy hour customers who were impatient for their next drink!!

Barflies chipped in and bought him a baseball cap with CTFD emblazoned across it, as his personal trademark...

Ah, such, misty tequila-colored memories of the way we were...

Meanwhile, another hectic day at the office... Whole schedule thrown in a tailspin to accommodate a big wig who apparently could care less about the denizens of our scatter-shot operation...

So, for me, instead of a cocktail and a bellowing bartender... I've opted for a long cool quiet bath... Which I highly recommend to all... (Sorry, but, my tub isn't big enough for everyone)...

And/or feel free to stare at the illustration to zone out those harried nerves...

In Tribute to the Summer Solstice

In tribute to the summer solstice, I redecorated here in Postcards from Hell's Kitchen...

Yellow background and touches to match the summery sun...

This first afternoon of official summer was a scorcher...

And I have little doubt the next few moons will see many more of the same...

Happy summer to those of you who like this season which is clearly my least favorite...

Hazy, hot and humid have never been my best suit...

Set the Tone Monday: Impossible Things

"I try to believe as many as six impossible things before breakfast".
-- Alice Kingsley, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

More Will Be Revealed

Happy 57th Wedding Anniversary to both my parents today and Happy 51st Father's Day to my Dad. I thank God daily for their ongoing good health and independence... God bless em both!!!

Still working hard til Monday June 28th. A Monday?!! Yes, a Monday! (Don't even get me started...)

Lots of articles of interest in the NYTimes recently... For Keith, Gareth and Dave: Affordable boutique hotels in New York.

For Donner: Co-op Boards are spying on prospective buyers on FaceBook: Caught in the web.

If you ever wondered what kind of work I've been doing these last few years... (I deliberately keep it all vague here on the blog, and will continue to do so) Here's a pretty good example: See this article.

There is a huge re-organization of my particular workplace, and it was a perfect opportunity for me to make a change myself, so I am transferring out to work under a different license area... So, there will certainly be *a lot* of changes in September...

But right now I'm focused on "today"... Which is a great catch up day... And I need to make some short online travel reservations for rental cars and such for the 9.5 week summer vacation which is finally clearly visible on the horizon... (Thanks God!!)

More will be revealed...

Hero Desperately Needed for the Gulf

Where's Astro Boy when we need him??

Nadine Charlsen Paints

Met local artist Nadine Charlsen a couple weeks ago when she was in the Renaissance Diner (776 Ninth Ave, Btwn 51st & 52nd St) to check up on her fine paintings in ongoing exhibition there...

She works in watercolors and does truly amazing work, capturing a unique mood with each of her picture perfect depictions...

One of my favorites is her magical take of the local Amish Market pictured here...

To see many of her works, including other Hell's Kitchen area landmarks, swing by the Renaissance...

To buy her works or to reach her, check out her website NadinePaints.com.

Crazy Times

Things are nuts at work lately... Completely nuts...

I'll spare you the details but it's all about re-organization on one hand and anarchy and chaos on the other...

Today was really supposed to be an easy day... But it turned out to be completely physically exhausting as I unloaded crates of stuff that were in storage... I gleaned, I gave a lot away... And still there was stuff I had to re-crate and need to move and store again... I already took the ibuprofen...

The final chapter of this re-organization nightmare is not yet written...

And grown adults are breaking down and crying, and raging, and withdrawing, and seething, and getting depressed... Sort of a full range of emotions... Except glee... No one is joyful about any of this... At least none of my friends... Though I imagine some folks well above our pay grade are taking great delight...

Day at a time...

Wednesday's Word: Ferklempt

ferklempt

def: All worked up, on the verge of a breakdown. In a "state".

origins: Yiddish slang(?)

"Oy Gevalt, I was completely ferklempt trying to come up with a Wednesday's Word for this week."

Adapted from Urban Dictionary

One, Two, Three: The Advice of Stephen Hawking

Diane Sawyer did a recent interview with Stephen Hawking and collected this advice from him for his children... (And for all the rest of us!)

1. "Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet".

2. "Never give up work. Work gives you meaning and purpose and life is empty without it".

3. "If you are lucky enough to find love, remember it is rare and don't throw it away".

Set the Tone Monday: Live Your Life

"You cannot live your life for others".
– The White Queen, Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

As We See It 2010

I attended the opening of this fine photography exhibit last week...

Perhaps the most poignant work at As We See It 2010, the annual gallery showing of the NYC Photo Club is the work of Daniel Yoffee...

Danny lost his identical twin, Alan R. Yoffee, to the AIDS crisis of the early 1990's and has set about making a collection of photographs of empty benches as a tribute to his brother...

Here is his Artist's Statement:

I lost my identical twin brother Alan to AIDS in June of 1992. We had been very close. I was only out to him and two others. After his death my interest in taking pictures of empty chairs and park benches developed. I wrote a short story that I called An Empty Chair (below) for a bereavement newsletter. As the years continue to pass and I see a new bench to photograph I think of all that my brother has missed and all of the changes that have since occurred. AN EMPTY CHAIR The first wedding was two years after Alan, my twin- brother, passed away. My second oldest brother was getting married. I was waiting for the question, "When was I going to get married?" I was never asked so I couldn’t use my prepared response, "When Alan could be my best man." I thought if I did get married I would have an empty chair next to me. If Alan couldn’t be my best man, I didn’t want anyone. My brother’s name would appear in the program (that he would have designed) as honorary best man. This year I turned thirty-six, it was my sixth birthday without Alan. At the restaurant we had made a mistake, the reservation had been made for one too many. I had ended up sitting next to an empty chair. Although I thought, I was doing better, no longer crying at family events. I now realize that I will not have an empty chair at my wedding, if I can ever bring myself to get married without Alan being there. The loss I feel will always be there but its much worse seeing an empty chair.

Web site: http://www.danielyoffee.com

A life long New Yorker Daniel Yoffee’s interest in photography began as a young teenager capturing Kodak moments with family, friends and pets. He has studied photography at the esteemed International Center for Photography. He has previously participated in group exhibits throughout the metro area.

Click here to see Daniel Yoffee's work from As We See It 2010. Even better, go by and see the works on display til August 15th on the Ground Floor of the:

The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual &
Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th Street, NY, NY 10011
212.620.7310 | gaycenter.org
Free admission

If you're out of town, here's the complete catalog of As We See It 2010...

Image by Steven Rosen, Shane,
12 by 18 inches
© Steven Rosen, all rights reserved

Saturday in NYC

Am in my favorite local afternoon coffeeshop near Times Square. It's off the lobby of a famous boutique hotel... Usually, it's super empty and quiet in here at this time. Not so, today....

Was just thinking... I wonder if there is a Blogger app for Android? I'll go off into the market app shortly and search... the browser isn't a good fit for the Blogger dashboard...

I'm definitely through with these two young people talking religion within arm's reach... (I could slap em, they are so close)... Might be Scientologists as their Times Square Center is right nearby...

Getting warmer and more humid by the second... Still not too bad... But the next two days are expected to be scorchers...

I may have identified the culprit that is destabilizing my home computer... It's the Microsoft One Care program... Microsoft abandoned it, and I really should uninstall it and get the new free version thingamabob that they offer now...

Finally got an invite to Google Voice... and will sit and tackle that when I get the chance to absorb the whole set up and registration process...

OK.... Now these two are talking about "the chosen people"... I gotta go...

Friday

Hard to believe there are still two more Friday's before end of term... We go all the way til June 28th this year... And that's a Monday... Can you imagine ending a year on a Monday... ?

It's the time of year for retirement parties... I have two more to attend in the next week.

One is tonight and that's fine as it's pretty conveniently close...

Since I don't drink anymore, I don't really hang out til people get blitzed... And I like leaving these things early...

Waiting for a bus now as I blog from the Motorola Cliq... 5he desktop was freezing up and acting all unstable again... so if I don't blog for a while, you'll know why...

Have a great weekend...!

Wednesday's Word: Lede

Main Entry: lede
Pronunciation: \ˈlēd\
Function: noun
Etymology: alteration of lead

Definition: the introductory section of a news story that is intended to entice the reader to read the full story

Usage: Sometime a newspaper buries the lede... I always thought they buried the lead...(not lede)... Just shows to go ya...

More T-Shirts Spotted

Here are some of the latest t-shirts spotted during the past week in Hell's Kitchen and vicinity...

Come to the Dark Side, We Have Cookies, on a thirty-something white guy.

Irish at its Best on a fifty-something obviously intoxicated black man

If You Talk to God, You're Religious. If God Talks to You, You're Psychotic, on a twenty-something white guy.

Don't Rush Me, I Get Paid By the Hour, on a twenty-something construction worker on a cigarette break.

Snog, on a trim, likely Gay, twenty-something Latino

Set the Tone Monday: Do What You Do And Do It Well

"There is no need to play games with them. If you just do what you do and do it well, they will be the best audience in the world."

-- Todd Robbins

The Law of Threes and Other Quickies

Miserable humid and hot in Hell's Kitchen already... And it's not even noon yet... Gonna be a scorcher of a Sunday. Thunderboomers due later!

Have two art exhibits yet to blog about... Prolly will publish this week...

Thinking cold leftover chicken pad for lunch. Thinking of it like a cold pasta salad... Maybe add some fresh veggies or something for crunch? Hmmmm.

I oft forget how tall I really am til I have to reset all the gym equipment to fit. Either that, or Oz munchkins just finished working out here.

New sun deck @ gym is a nice quiet place to catch up on Cliq mobile... Especially now when it's still in full shade. A lot of roaring rooftop A/C noise surrounds though!

"Once you know what's causing the result you don't want, you'll have a strategy for creating what you do want". - Ralph Marston

Had a gr8 sweaty workout @ the gym 2day... 30 min vigorous ellipsis on setting 12; Core; abs; bi's & lats... & am down to a nifty 184 lbs!

Bought a new Swatch yesterday. Similar to old one except black face, not blue face... This crystal is not (yet?) cracked & the battery's (hopefully?) fresh!

I see new FaceBook Privacy settings are awaiting me to take the time to click through and adjust... Later, maybe... When I have some time to fidget with them...

Shocking how many of my high school classmates have Libertarian or Conservative as their political views on FaceBook. Quite horrifying, actually! HORRIFYING!

I need another magazine subscription like a hole in the head... But OUT magazine did look tempting in the doctor's waiting room yesterday! (All's good, those nasty bronchial and sinus infections are successfully abated!

One pair of New Balance sneakers takes about 21 minutes to make... Much of it is handcrafted. Very cool. "How It's Made" on Science Channel truly rocks! That's the only brand I ever buy. They have EEE widths and are high quality!

Law of Three's: Art Linkletter, Gary Coleman, and Dennis Hopper made 3 last week. Now Rue, so we need 2 more to complete the next set... Hopefully NO volunteers, please...!

Weekend Music Moment

TGIF

TGIF. That's all for today.

Site of the Week: Gotham Schools

If you are at all interested in the fast breaking news as it pertains to the NYC school system, you must check GothamSchools.org...

Check it in the morning...

Check it in the afternoon...

Check it in the evening...

It's always on the cutting edge...

Wednesday's Word: Meiosis

meiosis

PRONUNCIATION:
(my-O-sis)

MEANING:
noun:
1. Understatement for rhetorical effect.
2. The process of cell division in which the number of chromosomes per cell is reduced to one half.

ETYMOLOGY:
From Greek meiosis (lessening), from meioun (to lessen), from meion (less).

NOTES:
Meiosis is a figure of speech in which underemphasis is used to achieve a greater effect, for example,

Usage "BP seems to have caused a problem in the Gulf of Mexico".

Adapted from WordSmith.org

All I Know, I Learned From GI Joe

It's warm weather and I've once again begun spotting notable t-shirts...

I used to tweet these and you can always search Todd HellsKitch Twitter profile page for the words "t-shirt spotted" and get the whole back log...

But the new Cliq mobile, that I'm still adjusting to, has only three rows of keys, and I am still quite lame at texting or tweeting quickly on it... (Those damned caps and alt keys get me every time!)

Here are a few T-shirts Spotted in recent few warm weather weeks...

Wanna Play? On a 60-something overweight black man.

I'm God's Favorite, on a pre-teen caucasian tourist kid.

It's Only Funny Til Someone Gets Hurt, And Then It's Freakin Hilarious, on a 20 something Latino restaurant worker.

Let's Get Lit, on a thirty-something white dude with multiple tattoos and neck chains, and a chick on his arm...

Slackers Unite Tomorrow, on a 70-ish white guy.

Death of a Disco Dancer, on a thirty-something Asian dude.

F*ck You, I Have Enough Friends, on a forty-something white woman.

All I Know, I Learned From GI Joe, twenty-something white guy

Go Away, Get Off My Planet!, thirty something white guy.

I Am Your Girlfriend's Pimp, on a twenty-something black guy with shiny chrome sunglasses, and multiple beads and chains, at Eighth Avenue and 43rd Street at 7:30am today.