Focusing in! and Out...

I realize that, for the past 6 months, this blog has been mostly focused on all the changes going on in my personal life. While a useful tool for keeping everyone up to date, that wasn't my original reason for starting BTTLG. Sometimes, one gets so consumed with their current circumstances, one loses track and just goes where the winds of change seem to be blowing them. Now that I have dropped anchor, and while I'm in a sort of getting-things-together limbo, I'd like to refocus my thoughts here and get back to what BTTLG is all about...

And what is that? What are the reasons I started writing in this way? Hmmm...

1 - Because I love discovering new things and sharing those dicoveries with others.
2 - Because there are wonderful people doing things out in the world who should be recognized for their efforts in the smallest of ways we can recognize them.
3 - It will be an account I can keep and pass down through the family.
4 - Because I love making "favorites" lists.
5 - I love having a place for people to find me and participate in a conversation even if they are miles away.

I realize that the content bounds from subject to subject, but so does my life, just as a child bounds from one game to the next. I have never been one to stay in one context for very long, and I tend to, as Henry David Thoreau puts so well, "live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign [myself] to the influences of each." It is those "influences" I like writing about. There are so many seasons, fragrances, drinks, and fruits to experience! This blog, ultimately, is an exercize in "play." I have a feeling, as I settle into my new circumstances, I will be a lot more playful than I have been in years!

So, in the coming days, I am going to reformulate a format that encompasses all of the above, giving myself the liberties of expansiveness and miscellany. I hope I continue to engage those of you who read, knowing that I can't please all of you all the time. If you are bored by knitting, for instance, an abiding hobby of mine, skip that entry and look to others. I'll try to organize by labels so you can find what you want to find. Also, in the next post, I'll give a synopsis of some likely recurring subjects. A "mind-map", if you will. And, if I die having never written well-structured and focused content, having never entertained as I strive to entertain, having no readers but myself and my "captured audience" - (friends and family), at least my decendants will have the babblings of an eccentric ancestor to puzzle over... which makes the whole passtime worth it in the end.

Sluggish seas.

I haven't been able to work on my apartment hardly at all! ARGH!

It seems I am having what one could call "abundance issues". They are really the best issues to have if one must have issues, but they are issues nonetheless. Since I moved in, I have gotten 3 jobs, all with friends of mine and all fairly fun and stress-free.

So, my theme of the year is still alive and kicking! Even when I wish it would take a short break so I can get my apartment painted, my things unpacked, and my housewarming party planned. *sigh* Luckily, all of this work will allow me to get those numerous things I need for civilized living. (Bed, coffee maker, trifle dish... just kidding on the trifle dish, mom... no, I don't need one for Christmas.)

I also haven't had time to take a single picture yet, but that is on my list of things to do soon. I have limited dsl access until I settle into a weekly studio schedule, so keep checking in when you can and I'll pop in more often when I settle into the shallows.

Dropping anchor!

Yippee...

I have finally moved into my new place! Sheesh. I have had a crazy couple of weeks trying to get approved and moved, so I have a lengthy update to cover all that time! (So, this will be a long one!)

My new apartment is in Astoria, 3 blocks down from Leese, and just big enough for me and my two cats. I would show you pictures, but I am going to be painting the whole place and would rather unveil the space when all the work is done.

At the moment, I am living without quite a few important things:

1. A bed. (I'm using Leese's airbed).
2. A coffeemaker. Yes, I heard you gasp in disbelief. How can this be so! Don't worry... it's the first item on my list of things to buy.
3. An iron. I have to steam things out in the bathroom by turning on the hot water and closing the door.
4. A couch. Using fold-up chairs for now.
5. A TV. Thank god for Netflix, the internet, and good friends who let you borrow their DVD players.
   
6. The internet. Sheesh. This one is really hard. I'm going to have to live without it, though, until I get my financial situation solidified.
7. A microwave. Guess I'll just have to wait 45 minutes for my Amy's frozen dinners to heat up in that old-fashioned oven.

Hmmm... those are the big things. There are a million other small things that I'll have to get one day, but can do without for a while.

Once the place is clean and painted, it will be wonderful. I am already loving the solitude! I kept my promise to myself and waited until I moved to read Harry Potter. I started it the first night I slept there by myself. There's nothing like a little brilliant fantasy to take one's mind off the fact that the person they have slept beside for the past 5 years is no longer warming that particular side of the bed.

Speaking of that whole development, I promised to post pictures of the Image Campaign I did for First Wives World. Joe and his crew have done a magnificent job editing the footage and I can't wait until they launch with the new FWW website! These photos just don't do the campaign justice, but here they are anyway.
...
Me looking not-so-bad against an orange background.
...
On set . Since I am friends with some of the crew, they decided to use me as the guinea pig to get the ball rolling. I don't mind being a guinea pig, really, as long as it's not for the trial run of a new amusement park roller-coaster or an (ahem) reformulated feminine product.
... Joe and Julie make a great team. I can't wait to see them in action on a feature.
...
This a me with some of the other major FWW players: (from left to right) Joe, the image campaign Director; Jonas, an invaluable producer; Akillah, another "First Wife"; and Danielle, producer/art department head.

Like I said, I can't wait for you to see the actual image campaign spots. They really give you a sense of the amazing women who are out there and their wildly different experiences with divorce. I'll post the links as soon as they are available.

I am also doing a "vlog" or video-blog that will document all the highs and lows of the process. That will be coming out with the new-site launch as well. More on that later...

*** *** *** ***

In other exciting news, another wonderful site has launched and I am very proud to have been a small part of the production team for the video element.

It is called Panwapa.

It is a website that was constructed to help kids gain awareness of the wider world and all of the worlds rich cultures. The website is set up like a social network. Kids can join, design an online "avatar", build their own Panwapa house, and contact kids from other countries. Panwapa, itself, is a floating island with it's own inhabitants who navigate all the issues of cross-cultural relationships. If you clink on the TV on the home page, you will see segments of a muppet-styled show much like Sesame Street with different characters. As a matter of fact, Sesame Workshop created the site as part of their award-winning outreach effort to educate all the world's children.

I have already created my own avatar! If you visit the site look for USA1058. That's me!

Thanks to C. Boyd for bringing me on as the Art Director. She is the one behind the lovely production design of the island world in the videos and she also designed most of the icons you'll see in the "flags" section.

Let me know what you think of the site if you happen to visit.

OK - that's all for now. I'll try to track down another internet connection for another post soon. I have a feeling you'll be seeing much more of me now that I'm settled!

In limbo

I had great intentions of posting a segment about my latest shoot for the First Wives World image campaign, but I am in a state of mild agitation this week as I wait to see if I've been approved for the only apartment I've liked enough for which to submit a deposit.

*sigh*

I hate waiting!

In the meantime, here's a picture of 2 little mischief makers who have made the apartment hunt a hell of a lot harder:
They are lucky they are cute. Realtors keep asking me if I can leave them behind, but who could abandon such great cats? I've had them for 11 years now. They are like family to me. And Gizmo is a fierce watch-cat who I'll definitely need if I'm going to be living alone!

*sigh*

OK - I'm off to pack up the china. (Yes, can you believe it? I own china. Thanks to my mom and her quirky southern traditions. I've had it for 4 years now and never used it once! Hmmm... maybe getting this apartment will be a nice reason to have a fancy dinner on my Jewel Sapphire Lenox collection. Of course, I only have 3 sets, so I guess it will have to be for me and 2 other lucky people! All the rest of you will have to use the fiesta ware. Sorry!)

Trapeze!

Guess what? I finally got away from the city for a weekend! I haven't had an official vacation in ages, what with all the saving for a new apartment and work and such... so I decided to do something dramatic. Can someone please tell me what's more dramatic than aerial acrobatics? OK - there are tons of things I can think of, but none of them are less than 2 hours away, fairly affordable, and can be experienced in a weekend.

It was Julie's idea. We both took a beginner's class in June at TSNY. Julie liked it so much that she and her husband signed up for an Intensive Flying Workshop. (You may remember the pics I posted not too long ago.) I was working all summer, so I wasn't available for the IFW... sad! But then Julie found out about the Trapeze rig at Club Getaway and signed us up for 8 hours of weekend air time. Yikes! 8 hours! Sheesh...

I discovered quickly that Julie is an excellent travel partner. She brought everything we may need for any kind of mishap that could occur:
...And when we got there, we barely had time to get settled into our cabin before we were swept up onto the rig! Here's my attempt at catching the "Set Whip", my first trick.
...

...
We met lots of dedicated and entertaining people. The instructor team was headed by Jeff, Dino, and Bobby from the Espana Streb Trapeze Academy. I think I might take a class or two there this fall. Here's Fran, a seasoned aerialist, doing some impressive maneuvers on silks.
... Trapeze isn't the only recreational activity at Club Getaway. There is also a lake for water-skiing, kayaking, or swimming; a climbing wall and zip-line; archery, dancing, and hiking, and even a bizarre drinking game called Flip Cup which turned out to be a very popular activity!
...
But, we weren't there for Flip Cup or those other, ahem, humdrum pastimes. Here's Julie working hard on obtaining a professional flyer swing! Notice her unassisted, one-handed take-off...
...



Can you believe we actually woke up at 6:00 am every morning? (My mom will be so proud!) There was absolutely no way I was going up on that board without downing at least 2 cups of coffee! But, it pays off in the end as you can see below...



Yay for me!

An akika, Hannah, and a sunset.

So, it's Sept. 3rd and guess what?

I didn't find an apartment! Sad!!! I was the one left standing when the music stopped. Needless to say, I do have a rather high bar set in terms of what I need. Wood floors. Sunlight. My cats. Easy N/W train access. A stove for cryin' out loud. Can you believe that people these days can live in an apartment without a stove? I may not cook that often, but I'd like the option to break out the Dutch Oven once in a while. (At least until NASA invents some version of the replicator.)

I took Labor Day weekend off to lackadaisically lament my circumstances, escaping into several movies and a Sci-Fi miniseries called The Lost Room. I loved the first 4 episodes of this bizarre little piece of television. The bus-ticket segment made every molecule in my body happy. I think I would have been happier with the rest of it if, rather than a miniseries, they had completed an entire season. The writers certainly left enough of an open ending to suggest they may turn it into one. If so, I may have to break down and get cable. (At the moment I make do with basic television and Netflix for the must-sees.)

Fortunately, all I need is a little mind-expanding sci-fi to help get my bark-chewing perspective zoomed out to standard cosmic focus. With that one vision-blocking Redwood back to normal toothpick height, I released all the expectations I had around moving and decided to have a labor-free Labor Day.

Lucky for me, Ahmed's friend Hani invited us to an akika for his newborn son, Adam, in Astoria Park. An akika is a celebratory gathering of friends and family of a newborn. I have been to several and they are truly festive occasions: tables laden with Egyptian cuisine, mounds of presents and cards packed with money, scores of beaming adults and five times as many kids barreling around the park. Here is Hani, his wife, and their son:
And here's a better view of Adam.

He's only 9 days old! Oh, I could hardly stand the cuteness. I cooched and cooed and took scads of pictures, packing in the cute fix, and then, just as I was coming off the high, look who popped up!
That's Jen and her daughter Hannah, who, coincidentally, were also attending a little gathering in the park less than 2 yards away! Weirdly enough, I had run into her husband, Hiro, on the train a few days before and had been meaning to call and touch base. How do you like that for universal synchronicity?

I ended up having a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon and took this picture of Ahmed as we were leaving the park:
and found this quote to accompany it, being so fitting for who he works to be:

"We must get back into relation, vivid and nourishing relation to the cosmos and the universe. The way is through daily ritual, and is an affair of the individual and the household, a ritual of dawn and noon and sunset, the ritual of the kindling fire and pouring water, the ritual of the first breath, and the last." -D.H. Lawrence

Packing, La Vie, and Joe Cool & the Cat

Yikes!

The end of the month is looming and I still don't have an apartment! *sigh* Such is the nature of NYC. Every time I move it feels like I'm playing a game called "Musical Apartments" where the music of life stops, a bunch of people stand up and run around like crazy trying to get their butts in another spot before the music starts up again. Lets hope that I'm not the one left standing this month!

I am packing nonetheless... a little bit every day. Ahmed and I seem to be separating things out well. He keeps the microwave. I keep the steamer. He keeps the couch, (thank God). I keep the kitchen table. We have a few pieces that we both don't want, so I'll have to find out a way to dispose of those things.

I'm also having to create 2 piles: one pile for my new apartment and one for the office. I'll be moving office stuff in on Thursday, yay! We still have to buy a few things and decorate, but phone and DSL will be up soon and I'm making do with an interim table until I find a desk I like. (Office desk design is like sneaker design: most of it is awful!)

Even though I'm swamped with work, my friends are making sure I have some fun! Julie and Joe took Leese and I out to La Vie for my birthday. It was just my kind of night. A seedy tent at a shadowy pier on a misty night. Mad contortionists, precarious balancing maneuvers, and a flyer in chains. Even a bit of full frontal nudity! I felt like John Constantine might show up at any minute. (The authentic blond British JC - not the insipid Hollywood version.) Check out Joe's blog for a picture or two. I was off camera duty that night!

Friday, I joined the usual suspects to go see Julie and Joe's Trapeze School student showcase. They have gotten so good! The general theme was circus and most people thought that Joe just may cop out on a costume for the event, but he came through with flying colors! Literally. Here they are in full regalia:

They both made their catches and managed to look pretty graceful in the process. (As opposed to moi... the official flying ragdoll.) Unfortunately, it was too dark to get any good pics of them in the air, but Joe got it all on HD, so when he gets it up on his blog, I'll direct you there.

Sheesh - lots of other stuff going on at the moment. I guess I have to save a few tidbits for later, though. Keep your fingers crossed about my own place! It has to pop up sooner or later.

S