Ok.. first of all.... I can't believe how fast the time flies. Well, I guess you know what they say about having fun and time. Another week has gone by and I haven't even caught you up from the previous week. I have lots of little video clips to share of the amazing times.
How has everything been in your slice of the universe?
Me? Life is good. I've actually moved into a place. Can you believe it? I don't live in my truck. I live in a toy factory now. How cool is that? Stuffed toys on the 3rd floor, and a dozen of us on the other two floors of this HUGE factory bldg in Brooklyn. It's called Grand Space and is a collective or artists, DJs, designers, healers, massage therapists, performers, composers and other creative types. I haven't met everyone yet, but those I have are wonderful souls.
The vibe in this place is amazing. It was said that there is some sort of energy vortex underneath this block. I don't know what it is, but yesterday I was dancing around on the huge sprung dance floor, chasing and being chased by Tranny the cat, hiding around the pillars and behind the plants, having a grand old time.
There is an amazing rooftop with a view of the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty. We have a sound system, video projector and space to have hundreds of people over for gatherings and events. I'm sure I'll be throwing a shindig or two myself. Today there's a wedding being held here.
It's a bright sunny day, so I think I'll go meet up with one of my girl friends and her dog to drive upstate to find a lake to swim in...then back down to catch some barbecue action in Astoria, Queens... more good friends, food and fun. There will probably be some great fire spinning too.
I hope wherever you are and whatever you are doing, that you have a glorious day filled with Light and Love!
I think it's time to make a video blog entry with a few highlights from the weeks events. I've been having so much fun I haven't even had time to cut any film or share any stories.
It's been more of the same goodness with great gatherings including the Dance Parade. A week of forming fast friendships, expanded living opportunities, magical meetings and collaborative connections.
I am looking at some new, low cost space to live and work. I've also been meeting more people who click with me and also need some extra help/camera talent. That'll include some field work for live event video streaming, which may lead into more of the same and larger production roles. I'll share more later. I have my first shoot this Sunday at the opening at a new MGM Grand Hotel.
I also learned how to stilt walk yesterday...I gained balance and was walking like a champ until I tried to dance too hard and snapped the heel plate (!). Oops. I'll fix it.
Learning to walk with 3 foot extensions strapped to your feet and calf is challenging and fun. Hopefully, I'll get back up soon and continue to get used to walking and dancing in stilts.
I'll catch you up more later. Thanks so much for stopping by to read the latest. I hope you have a great day. Take care and let's get together somewhere down the road soon! It's gonna be an exciting summer, so stay tuned. Please do drop a line and o tell me what you're up to as well? I'd love to hear about it.
A slow cool misty rain coats Vinegar Hill on this late Monday morning in Brooklyn. My nose awakens to the pungent wafts of coffee rising to the lofted guest bed on which I rest. Sweet voices break the silence as c & c, two endearing souls who've opened their spacious art studio and living quarters to me, exchange pleasantries.
It's the end of of another long weekend of music, dance, art, food, drink and wanderlust. Miss c2 and I joined sugarbeet on a road trip to partake in the vaunted Philadephia Experiment (PEX). Let's just say it was a resounding success! All participants were fully experimentalized, philly style.
Leaving Brooklyn Saturday at nine in the evening for a hundred mile trek to the dungeoness multileveled central philly night club proved to be great timing. We arrived a around Midnight and joined the throngs to dance, rock, shake, grind, beat, bang, hoop, spin, mingle and be merry until the sun greeted us ....all along, the booty busting bass rocked the parking lot on 5th and Brown.
The after party was a little more laid back, but still had some killer beats in the basement, fresh bagels from the hostess with the mostess and lovely long couches to get a couple winks before driving back to the city for a late afternoon dinner party.
Friday was more of the same, but of a different flavor. We were invited to Troma Entertainment's midnight after party for the New York premiere of their latest film Poultrygeist: Night of the Living Chicken. The mayhem masters have been rocking the house of horror and shocking shlock for 30 years and are best known for their for cult classic, The Toxic Avenger.
One of my moving friends who helps me out with NY Pickup plays guitar. I'd never heard him, but finally got the chance to check them out as one of three bands featured at the party at Fontana's on Manhattan's lower east side.. Just he and Tom, as USAisaMonster cranking out their experimental progressive compositions.
From their myspace page: "hello. we wanna play in every town! please get in touch and we'll come to your town! thats why we got on this website, to possibly meet new people in new towns. thanks."
The other act I was lucky to witness was Kocho-bi-sexual. Melodic trans pop boogie-ness emoted from their Hammond organ, Roland space echo and haunting voices. Dance, dream and delight the night away swimming in the most wondrous sounds around. You must find time to enjoy some soon! [video coming...]
Finally, after the long Saturday-into-Sunday... our friend J cajoles c2 and I to a cozy brooklyn studio apt for their weekly Sunday evening live jazz series. It is a very cozy arrangement in the second floor room. A dozen or so people sit along the wall on pillows, enjoying wine and popcorn. Although exhausted from the weekend, we caught part of the first set before heading back to get some rest. It was a most fitting end to previous 72 hours of life living and music loving. I still need to get the names of the players, but I'll get a a little clip of video up soon for you to enjoy.
Now... it's already near sunset. I started this blog entry six hours ago. In between creating the title and finally publishing it, I've managed to relax just perfectly, pickup some bagels, read, edit some video and help miss c spot move some furniture around the studio.
It's almost time to get some dinner, then perhaps go out to find another adventure tonight. Enjoy yours and relish every moment of it!
I joined activists We Are Change to film and document the civil disobedience action that was held at NYPD headquarters in New York City to voice the massive public outcry against the acquittal of the officers accused of Sean's death. Reverend Al Sharpton led hundreds into the streets to call attention to this unjust verdict.
The story is worth researching, if only as an exemplification of the level of violence and brutality known to be be standard operating procedure for the NYPD.
The sun is shining in Brooklyn as I type this. In fact, that reminds me of the song I heard performed last night at the House of Yes Benefit. There was a chorus that went something like:
It's snowing in Queens, foggy in Manhattan, there's rain up in the Bronx and it's always shitty in Staten, but the sun it shines in Brooklyn.
The last two nights have been full of revelry, Light and charity. Friday night was the 3rd annual Black and Light Ball. Hundreds upon hundreds of us descended upon the meat packing district to dance, drink and dance some more. Mostly dance.
The theme focused around black lit fashion and style. There was a show by Wheylan that was off the hook. That boy can whip a pile of fabric into the hottest thing around. He might make me an outfit in exchange for a video shoot. I would be so honored to get a pair of hot pants made by his hand.
Needless to say it was a late night. The party went until 6am. Many of us left early and drove to the Wonderland house for an after party. But it was a quiet one. Just a small gathering which eventually led to a short stint on the couch to catch a few winks.
Saturday was the benefit event for the House of Yes fire. We all flocked downtown to the Pussycat Lounge as it was stripped of it's usual scores of naked women and filled with generous souls willing to donate to the Yes recovery.
There was a silent auction in which yours truly won a bid on a couple gallons of gin that survived the fire. Stay tuned for the gin and juice house of yes mini happy hour party, coming soon to a mouth near you.
Carl Saytor snapped many a fine photo. They can all be seen on his Flicker page.
DJs, bands and performing artists donated their time and put on a hell of a show. Around 4am, the crowd rolled outside into the misty morning. Aerial artists rigged up a silk to the scaffolding outside the club and began to perform while a marching band filled the night air with sounds of celebration.
Taxi's rolling around the corner, shining their lights through the street steam cast an electric glow across the throng. It was a perfect scene. A few of us were sitting in the back of my covered pickup truck, lounging and relaxing as we gazed down towards the corner of Greenwich and Rector to watch and listen.
Saturday ended at Sunday sunrise as I settled in to sleep. Now, I sit at a friends in Dumbo, dawdling the day away. Maybe a meal is in the making. We'll see.
Until next time, have a wonderful weekend I hope to see you sometime soon, somewhere down the road.
I really wanted to check out a play called Fire Island that was performed at the 3-Legged Dog Art and Technology center. 3LD has been a customer of mine for a couple year. Ever since I saw their space down on Greenwich St I have been wanting to attend a performance there. 3LD is a non-profit theater group that focus on experimental and large scale installations and performance, often utilizing video and other multimedia technology. Last year I was out of the city. So, when this season rolled around I was intrigued to see what they had to offer.
Fire Island is a play by Charles Mee. I won't go into detail as I haven't even seen it, but according to what I read in Playbill news it was an extravagant production that brought the beach to Manhattan, with the venue being transformed by sand, beach chairs, blended drinks, a live band and large format video projections combined with live action.
The play was about relationships at their various stages of development or dissolution. Who among us can't relate in some way to all the painful pleasures of passionate pursuits. I emailed my contact there and he said they'd be happy to trade me some tickets in exchange for my pickup and delivery work. But I never actually made it to a single performance!
However, last night, when I was at an event a block away I ventured down to 80 Greenwich to see if there was still anything happening. The show was over, but there were people hanging around visiting while video images displayed. The wide format screens displayed a sunny day of lounging around a poolside.
There were more than a few types of beautiful people gracing the screen. There were drag queens, beach bums and delicious dames at seaside. One of them, a tan and spicy Latina really caught my eye. The darked haired vixen with the fine figure and striking beauty had me wishing I could leap through the screen to join her in the water.
Springtime and into summer is my favorite time of year. New birth, new life, new adventure. Even the old and familiar can feel new and alive. It's all in how you look at it.
“There is something liberating about just having what you need, on your bike. A tent, a roll mat, a little bit of food, a bit of petrol in your tank and a vague idea of where you’re going and that’s all you need. There is something beautiful about that.” - Ewen McGregor "Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." - Gandhi
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.” -Abraham Lincoln
“The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.” - Albert Einstein
This blog was born after my traveling spirit had me leap out of my New York City loft into my pickup truck to wander the continent.
I seek Truth while celebrating our lives, liberties and pursuits of happiness! - Dallas J.
