Slagle Town, U.S.A

Snow day!!!

I'm not at work! And this is why:

Snow, in the daytime.

Actually, that's kind of a bad photo. The truth is, the schools are closed, and since my office is one of those offices, we closed too. It's really nice, but I had already lugged on my mukluks and was halfway across the Williamsburg bridge before I got the email. But now I'm home, and I'm ready to blog.

Well, not blog-write, so much, but blog-upload-photos. I had some buddies in town last weekend, and I took many stills to document the event.

Tamales!

Friday, I ended up taking the day off to clean the house (yes, I have officially turned into my mother) and make a potful of tamales to feed everyone (yes, I am my grandmother now as well). I always forget how long it takes to make them until I embark on the endeavor once again, but in the end the results are always worth it.

Meeker and I, and this was early!

After din-din we headed over to Maracuja for some refreshing beverages. It was surprisingly crowded, as it has been of late. Kind of worries me, since that was the beginning of the end for my old neighborhood on the LES, but with this recession business, I'm optimistic.

Hammy, Jordan, and Shi-shi - hydrated!

Tiffa and Ginny, in motion.

Hammy, helping me keep my sweet Quasi-modo tatt properly moisturized.

As usual, we all ended up in bed together.

The next morning we trudged down to Chinatown for some dim sum. I haven't had dim sum in over two years! Basically since I developed acid reflux disease. Before that, Tiff and I used to frequent the Nice Restaurant for dim sum pretty regularly. But then I had a bad experience brought on by many fried taro treasure boxes and bacon-wrapped shrimps...sigh. And the rest is history.

Needless to say, I was not enthusiastic about dim sum. But I had never been to this place and I vowed to only eat steamed things and avoid all fried. I have to say, I was pleasantly delighted! The veggie dumplings and sticky rice were the best I've had, and even the pork dumplings were amazing. And no acid reflux! I even forgot to take a pepcid ac!!!

Yen and AM, dim summing.

Takako and Ken, with the spareribs I avoided in the foreground.

We spent the rest of the day meandering around Soho and Nolita, hit the Barney's Warehouse Sale (be still my heart!) and then it was off to a quick dinner at Fiore. Anne-Marie decided to treat us all to the most AMAZING dinner. It really was epic.

Happily digesting our fettucine with meat ragout

Then it was off to Nubb's and Denise's for Nubbs' 46th birthday party on the UES. And, you know, I don't really drink in excess for the most part. But the last few times I have gotten sick a result of alcohol consumption, have been because I have been out with Nubbs and Denise. And in that respect, Saturday night did not disappoint!

The obligatory candle-blowing-out photo.

And...this is where things start to get hazy...

Yup. The look on my face pretty much says it all.

So, in the end it was a rough night. However, after emptying the contents of my stomach (SEVERAL times) I proceeded to sleep like a baby. In the morning, when brunch time rolled around, I was still a little iffy - but I'm happy to report that I ate my cheesy eggs and grits like a champ!

Taki and AM, brunching.

Me, being still a little iffy.

Mayor Meeks, receiving important news from the front.

Takako likes her coffee like she likes her men - strong and black!

So that pretty much wraps up the weekend. Later on in the week I went meandering around Chelsea with Mike and ended up at Joe, where he happens to have several paintings hanging. Personally, if I as Joe I would totally buy them ALL, because they happen to look FABULOUS hanging there. But then, who am I to tell Joe what to do. You can be the judge.

The funny thing is that Mike has already had several friends contact him and tell him they saw his paintings there, which is really neat. I almost feel like he's getting more exposure there than he would at a gallery, since the art market has been hit pretty hard with the economic downturn, but lattes still seem to be going strong. Plus, Joe is notorious for having exceptional coffee and tends to have a celebrity following.

So, that's the news for now!

The Good Minus

That's Opposite-speak for "The Bad Plus." Meeker and I went and saw them play at the Bowery Ballroom last night. We got there kind of early because Mike didn't read the ticket right, but that was okay because the $8 plastic cups of Jack & Coke were quite tasty.

Meeker County, holding back the Superfans

The show itself was pretty wild. Mike had told me that the drummer was nuts, but I didn't really know what he meant until I saw him. I mean, he didn't look nutty, but when he played the drums he was like an animal. Like, Animal from Dr. Teeth. You remember Animal? Yah. That's what I'm talking about.

Comfortably Numb

They did some really sweet covers of Barracuda, Heart of Gold, Comfortably Numb, and New Year's Day. Couple of other's whose names I can't remember at the moment. The drummer also liked to use, um, toys on the drums....like, a little plastic drum that he set on a real drum and then banged on, and then this little plastic egg-shaped peep that jingled when he shook it. It reminded me of this christmas mouse thing I used to have that had little bells embedded in his butt somehow. He made a little jingling sound when you shook him too.

Dave the drummer

Animal

On a much sadder note - and forgive me because this is totally off the topic of the Bad Plus - but this morning I found out that a colleague of mine was on the plane that crashed in Buffalo last Thursday night. Ron was a delightful fellow, kind and caring. He ran a youth program for at-risk kids and teens in New Jersey. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and co-workers. He will be missed.

My days are numbered!

And today is day number 10,949.

Yesterday, day 10,948, fell on a Saturday and given its proximity to day 10,950 - we decided to have a party. And not just any party. A fried chicken and 40's party.

That's a load of fried chicken.

It was a ton of fun. We made a mix tape of hip-hop and rap from the late 80's through the early turn of the century (think Tribe, Biggie, Tupac and Wu-tang) and filled a trash can with ice and 40's, made a pitcher of gin and juice, and bought out the local Popeye's. That, my friends, is how you make a PARTY.

Fran, playing with fire.

And, there was cake too. Tiff made a delish lemon cake with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. I still have some in the fridge. Gonna eat some after dinner.

Me, blinded by the fire. (And rage).

Yay party!

Fran and Stephen, looking oddly evil.

So, before the guests arrived Mike and I decided to indulge in a game of Wii golf. When people started arriving, I tried to turn off the telly (since everybody knows that a turned on tv can easily spoil a party). Well, so much protesting ensued that we ended up keeping the tv on and the subsequent Wii flowed all night long.

Stephen and his pearly whites.

Me, Wii-ing.

Meeks, overcome by the Wii spirit.

Meeks coaching Tiff on the Art of Wii.

Bowling!

Needless to say, it was a jolly good time. AND at the end of the night there was only 3 pieces of chicken left (which made for a fine breakfast) and one unfortunate half-eaten piece found resting on the back of the toilet. Actually, there was a surprising amount of half-eaten food found in the bathroom. Cupcakes and such. Very curious....

In like a lamb, out like a minotaur

At least, that's what I'm expecting, given the meteorological fluctuations we have experienced as of late. A little preliminary, perhaps, given Punxatawney Phil's latest vision of the future (6 more weeks of winter). Then again, Staten Island Chuck, Phil's little known counterpart from the suburbs, foresaw an early Spring.

A tasty, plump little lamb

A life-like rendering of a modern-day minotaur

Honestly, with so many woodland creatures working vehemently against each other to give me wardrobe advice, I no longer know who I can trust.

A corpulent American groundhog

That being said, let's talk pictures, shall we?

Moving pictures, that is. My February pick for flicks comes from - everybody's favorite - the Sci Fi channel. Meeks and I had the pleasure of viewing the Sci Fi original film "Yeti" this weekend (not to be confused with "Yentl"). I tell ya, it was something else!

A Yeti of said picture

Starring an older, slightly weathered yet not entirely un-handsome Peter DeLuise (you may or may not remember him from his 21 Jump Street days....remember, he was the troll that always lurked just under Johnny Depp's glorious shadow) it follows the harrowing story of an unlikely, yet probably true, aviation disaster.

Brief Plot Synopsis

Sooo...basically its your run of the mill plane crash. A DC-10, flying over the Himalayas in the dead of winter runs into an electrical storm and crashes into a snowy peak. You know the story. The survivers, which all happen to be students from the generic "State College" are left with a pile of dead bodies, a nicely intact and oddly homey severed fusilage, and that age-old dillema: Should we let those human-shaped tasty morsels we've got lying around just go to waste?

Of course, nobody wants to be the first to take a spork to the ol' math team so the teens take to hunting fat grey rabbits with spears and practicing lame state college-type sexual innuendos.

The real trouble begins, when the bodies start disappearing! Suddenly the teens find they have to compete for their dinners with a huge, Middle Earth-esque orc-like Yeti capable of slow trudging steps and computer-generated kangaroo leaps through the snow. Terror!

Enter the mountain rescue team of Peter DeLuise and some spent Croatian eye-candy. On foot, of course, because the altitude is too high for helicopters to fly (but oddly low enough for fluffy pines and rabbits in their summer coat). The rescuers find the plane and its survivors, but decide to watch for a while through binnoculars before attempting the 10 yard ascent to recue them.

Long story short - the token Asian burns the bodies to keep them from being desecrated, the Yeti comes back and finding no frozen meat, opts for the fresh meat instead and attacks the teens. Mountain rescue intervenes, and fells the Yetis (there's two by this time) with a single bullet through the chest, a series of wooden stakes through the back, and an avalanche of snow to cover them.

Of course, the original Yeti miraculously survives to chomp off DeLuise's leg and beat him over the head with it, only to be lost forever down the side of a cliff.

Its cinematic genius, really. I have to say, the best part of the film was not from the main crew, but rather a minor character who was expelled from the plane crash early on and suffered a severed arm and two broken legs. This fellow was resourceful enough to use his severed arm as a splint for his broken legs, thus enabling him to climb down the Himalayan peaks to rejoin his group, only to be mistaken for a Yeti and shot in the face with a flare gun. I tell ya, when it rains, it pours.

Meeker, Meeker, where d'ya get those peepers?

In the year of our lord, 2008, our good friend Michael acquired quite a piece of luck in his career as an artistic genius/ninja. As such, we found ourselves wandering down to Chelsea one Thursday night - not too different from any Thursday night except that this time, this time we were going to see Michael's work at a group show at Allen Gallery.

It was most enjoyable.

Mike hates this photo because his teeth look like little metal robot teeth.

We had a great turnout of many friends and 2 family people. Personally, I think Mike's work was the best. And I'm pretty sure everyone else thought so too. So, in that respect, I felt a little bad for the other artists. But then again, they say the meek shall inherit the Earth, so you know, maybe that's not such a bad deal for them. Or, wait a second...or was it the Meeker shall inherit the Earth?

After the show we had a delicious dinner with Nubbs and Denise where the waitress invited us to a lesbian party. Denise wanted to go, but in then for some reason we went to Rockefeller Center instead to look at the tree. It was quite impressive in its size and girth, but somehow it just made me feel sad. But then, maybe I shouldn't apply Hans Christian Anderson to everything in my life.

That tree behind us was already dead to me.

A Berry Bonobo Birthday

Well kids, in the words of the famous Charles Brown, "Christmastime is here." Actually, I don't know if ol' Charlie himself coined that phrase, but I do know that I associate it with him.

Christmastime is here. And Beverly, our lovely tree.

As many of you know (or likely, none of you do), the approach of Christmas means the approach of Tiffany's birthday. This year we once again celebrated her survival and her ability to thrive into her 28th year. And thrive she has! Tiffany decided to have somewhat of a joint celebration with Baby Jesus, who's birthday is also fast approaching. For those of you who are not in the know, Baby Jesus is no longer thriving, nor living. But we continue to celebrate nonetheless.

But that's not my point. My point is that Tiffany lives, and for her birthday party she decided to have tree-trimming party. This is something that New York hasn't seen much of since the Victorian era, when people still enjoyed a good figgy pudding and yule log (or, as Wikipedia would have it, "Great Ashen Faggot") while small British paupers gaze in longingly from outside of the frosty windows.

Never one to be outdone by her forefathers, Tiffany resurrected this tradition of days gone by which produced a welcoming "pip! pip!" from the party guests.

Where is that dang Ashen Faggot when you need 'em?

It was a gay old time! I was very pleased with the tree trimmings as well as the various cordials and liqueurs that were on hand for consumption. That Tiffany certainly knows how to entertain a crowd!

Tiffany and the crowd, entertained.

Peanut butter jelly time

Its funny how every now and then, you get those days that you welcome with really high expectations, but then just kind of somehow...slip away from you. Black Friday was one of those days. I was kind of thinking Taki would want to, I don't know, go shopping...go...shopping, or maybe even go shopping? But no, she was pretty indifferent to my suggested activities, so of course we ended up at 7B.

It was probably around 3:30 or 4:00 in the PM, which is never really a good time to go out for a drink. It really means you're setting yourself up for disaster. But, then again, it is sometimes fun to ride the wave for a little while.

Amanda and Jelly enjoying his lovely Pucci poncho.

The problem with that particular time is that its too far from lunch, but too early for dinner. So, your belly is just naturally primed for optimal enjoyment of a refreshing beverage. However, after a few hours, those rumblings of hunger in your tummy begin to be silenced by the drink rather than food. This is not as Mother Nature intended.

The Beast, unleashed.

Its funny that the camera took the picture blurry, because I thought it was just my eyes.

That weird milky stuff was unfiltered sake - which tastes just like candy but much easier to ingest and therefor probably better suited for infants or small children.

Being as I am an old grandmotherly type, our little happy hour soon got the best of me and they say that Meeks was gentleman enough to escort me home.

Upon reaching home I quickly drifted off to dreamland...with visions of rice wine dancing in my head.

Giving Thanksgiving Thanks

In the jungles of Kinta, the mind switches gears very quickly. The Thanksgiving holiday was preceded with many nights of cleaning, shopping, and food prep. But on the eve of the big day, we were preoccupied with the most important item on the agenda for the day: Booze.

You see, my buddy Takako was in town from Michigan for the weekend, and she needed some ding-dang entertaining! Of course, Mike and I humbly obliged.

Now, THAT's entertainment!

Now, being as I am lady, I don't dabble in idle gossip. But I will indulge that we did indeed trip the light fantastic 'til the wee hours. Of course, the next morning it was - chop! chop! back to work! The turkey needed basting, the salad needed dressing, the football needed watching! Everything turned out just as dandy as candy, I have to say, and we had a very pleasing time! And for that, I give thanks.

I forgot to take a picture of us at the table before we started, but you can kind of see the bird carcass in the background (with Francesca picking at it). I swear it looked much better before the feeding frenzy!