Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Answering the Bat Phone


Ephemerist as Great Pumpkin or Living Abstract Painting.....

I was offered Devils tickets for tonight

I passed.

I was offered tickets to see the Police in concert tonight.

Sorry, thanks- got something to do.

It was Halloween night and I had a hot date- showing my favorite 32" high guy the Halloween parade and anticipating the absolute glee of a little fella up way past his bed time. Except..

The little guy had other plans that involved his favorite DVD and a blanky with his mom. I didn't take it personally, after all award winning (1st prize in the school costume contest- way to go kiddo!) pre-k's have every right to choose how they spend their Halloweens. We'd catch up later.

But it left me thinking. There have been a LOT of loooooong days in my life lately. Last night- fab Italian Dinner and a wee bit late out for a "school night" (the conversation more than made up for it- but that's another story) and tomorrow- tickets for August: Osage County. My whole being said- oh for the love of MIKE go HOME.I did Halloween on Sunday. I didn't miss it- just did it a couple of days early.

The city had other plans. I dragged my tired self to the train contemplating a bubble bath and an early night and walked onto the V train. If I wasn't happy, I was at least serene in the notion that this was the sensible thing to do. But sensible and I have never been on easy terms. Then... the bat phone rang and on the train I saw (all in ONE subway car, mind you)


Elvis and Marilyn


A witch took a picture of me- taking a picture of her... how Dali- or How Norman Rockwell- not sure which.


A swarm of Japanese Beetles (and a token Sailor Moon) I wanted to explain to the ladies that Halloween was not sponsored by Victoria's Secret but who am I to spoil EVERYONE'S fun?

It seemed WASTEFUL to take the train directly home so I jumped off at the turning point for the parade- 6th avenue and 14th Street. It was only 6:20 and the parade was at least 40 minutes off. It was a scant 5 block walk to the PATH at 9th Street- how crowded could it be?


QUITE crowded....


Spook Central- 11th Street and the Jefferson Market Library. This building originally housed (in the early part of the 19th century) an indoor market, a police station, a jail AND was the site of a famous trial where Mae West was tried for "public indecency" (Bless her, she was YEARS ahead of the times in Greenwich Village)


A covey of pirates and wenches


Mom answers the call...

This is the very best part of life here. Close your ears to this siren's song and still it rises up to meet you. Tendrils of its energy and excitement twine themselves around you. The ultimate seduction- be a part of all this. Just stand amidst it and even if you do not move a muscle you are in the moment- and it is a part of you. The evening and the sights and the sounds reach for you- drags you by your starched white shirt front into an irresistable embrace, presses its sensual lips- traces of bitter and the ale of the night, to yours. And you are revived. The breath of life.

The scariest moment of all this Halloween?

The freakin' CHRISTMAS trees decorating the counter at a tony department store nearly obscuring the cashier's Halloween costume. It's OCTOBER 31st dang it- is NOTHING sacred??

The Online Birthday Card










"There's only now
There's only here
Give in to love
or live in fear
no other path
no other way
No day but today
"

For this, YOUR day-

With much, K.

B. :P X

Sunday, October 28, 2007

The worst that could happen....



As adults we don't for the most part pay much attention to Halloween. If you have children- there is the racing to the store, for candy- for costumes or if you are my friend Miriam you are sewing until 4 am the night before creating costumes so complex they would make Martha Stewart blanch- or if you are Syd and Henry and family you are doing things to pumpkins that would make the basis for a vegetarian horror movie. But- its a diversion. At this time of life- we see it as a day with maybe a couple of extras in it- egg on your car, toilet paper strewn in the trees, maybe a surreptitious viewing of a hidden "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" DVD when no one else is around (OK, my own personal treat...) But for kids-even beyond Christmas presents and chocolate Easter eggs and only a short second behind birthdays lies the holy grail of childhood. Halloween. Inside every child lurks a true pagan whose greatest desire is to don fantastic attire, cover oneself in paint and glitter and eat candy until swooning is a foregone conclusion.

At 8 years of age I remember planning my Halloween costume. I would be the most gorgeous princess ever. My hair would magically become blonde and fall in long waves to my shoulders. I would be long and lissome in pink satin with a tiara and I would wear glass slippers like Cinderella without a mean stepsister in sight. My dad took me to the local Five and Dime and hanging from the ceiling were the array of Ben Cooper costumes. Superman, Fred Flintstone, Dino... it was 1968. And there it was- pink- silkscreened flounces and had ties that went up the back like a hospital gown. The mask was a painted pink smile and frozen blonde helmet of hair complete with sparkling rhinestone tiara and two holes for eyes to peek out and a little slit at the mouth just narrow enough to slice your tongue on. As I write this- I shudder. How awful! But- the mirror looking back reveals another picture. I remember seeing that costume and believing that in it- I would be the most beautiful princess ever. I remember carrying it home in its day-glo yellow and black box and wearing it over my pajamas to see how it looked. And I loved that costume. Until the day Halloween arrived and it was 35 degrees out. I explained to my dad that princesses did NOT wear their powder blue quilted snow jacket with the fake white fur in the hood over their gown. The effect would be RUINED no one would KNOW I was a princess. And try as I might- I could not imagine my knitted mittens into evening gloves.
Needless to say I, like every kid before me, lost that fight and had to wear the coat (the alternative was not going out at all and letting my sister collect candy FOR me. Wasn't gonna happen I knew my sister always liked chocolate a lot more than she ever liked me- I'd wind up with raisins and Necco wafers.)

So even now- when I talk about Halloween- I mention the coat over the costume scenario to an otherwise mature adult and can see the seven year old in each of them cringe. This morning though- I woke to the unthinkable. My friend Judy called at 7:39 am and said her granddaughter Amani was SICK and could not come out for the Ghouls and Gourds Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens. We go every year. We spend the day. It was.... too sad.

I puttered around the house. Made coffee. Pouted.. Considered going on my own. 11 am rolled around and the phone rang again.

A Halloween miracle. Amani had made a miracle recovery (a 24 hour virus cut down to 6 hours by the promise of pumpkins and trick or treat) And she looked like this:




With her was sidekick Ciara.



A train costume from Starlight Express (this is NY, we don't DO Thomas the Tank Engine)




\



There were many Jack Sparrows




This looked like a header into the koi pond for sure


This little guy kept trying to use his hook as a dental pic





Three years ago was the first time I took Amani and her grandmother to the gardens for this festival. A surgery had left Amani unable to walk for almost 18 months. We walked her in a stroller through that festival, that year she was a princess.
This year I watched her running through the gardens with Ciara, so beautiful and tall and straight. And smiled. It's Halloween.
She could be whatever she wanted. And didn't need her coat.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Lights, Cameras...The Box?

No use permitting
Some prophet of doom
To wipe every smile away.
Come hear the music play.
Life is a Cabaret, old chum,
Come to the Cabaret!


If I need to explain where this lyric came from- you happened onto this blog by mistake... have a nice day, old chum.


So if I had a moment to be concerned that tomorrow is my SECOND road test, the universe said "PSHAW- Life is a Cabaret, old chum... " So I went to see... a Cabaret.

In a private event hosted by one of my new company's premiere brands I was delivered- a 21st century- honest to gosh- is that girl naked- burlesque in the form of The Box NYC (www.theboxnyc.com) hosted by Cirque Du Soleil star MC Raven O. The show featured himself- Mr. O... The Hammerstein Beauties- a slender chanteuse whose slim frame hid a lovely contralto voice much too big for her slender satin-draped frame- several near-naked dancing girls- a tapper and his percussionist and more naked girls (because everyone seems to be ok with naked girls in ANY quantity) and a hip-hop Harlem based dance crew, the fantastic James Gang. Add unlimited yummy sushi and sake/chambord signature cocktails and if I did not forget about the road test- I can say in all honesty I was SERIOUSLY distracted. Now- instead of doing your work- you can be too....


The pre-party gussied up atrium


The Hammerstein Beauties and Raven O


Underground Tap


The singer


The JAMES gang




Naked


More Naked


And Finally-Finale Naked- You will not be surprised they had NO difficulty getting applause at THIS ending...

Put down the knitting, the book and the broom... Heck, I can't knit for beans anyway. :)X

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

So you guys have a baseball team?


The Red Sox guy- EVERYTHING including the socks- were Sox.

So there I was in Boston. A New Yorker in Red Sox Nation is always assumed to be a Yankees sympathizer until proven otherwise and so generally is about as popular as an exfoliant salesman in a leper colony. Fortunately- as I explained to EVERYONE- I like a good game- and in the end, it's all about the game...


And in the offices altars were laid and prayers sent up (I loved the "Please" sticker)


The Red Sox Duck.. part boat, part bus. Red Sox Nathan conducts his tours in a grass skirt...

All you could say was..."Go Sox!" :)X

Sunday, October 21, 2007

La Vie Boheme



To days of inspiration,
Playing hookey, making something
Out of nothing, the need
To express-
To communicate,
To going against the grain,
Going insane,
Going mad

To riding your bike
Midday past the three piece suits-
To fruits- To no absolutes-
To Absolut- To choice-
To the Village Voice-
To any passing fad

To being an us- For once-
Instead of a them-
Jonathan Larson







Man slicing oranges with a samurai sword as they were tossed at him...





Pots and Pans Man





Andy photographs...



...Andy





Grinch PJ's and a t-shirt with the lyrics to John Lennon's "Imagine" printed on ..



Umm...we didn't see this sign 'til we was leaving officer :)X