Monday, January 16, 2006

Waiting is over. over.

They finally posted the Echoing Green semi-finalists. I did not make the cut to even submit a full proposal this time.

But in a great way to create some some suspense for knuckleheads like me they also posted on their website:

Due to the Martin Luther King Holiday, we were not able to get in touch with our subject matter experts to review a few last minute questions on a handful of applications. Therefore, we are publishing the initial list of Phase 2 applicants today and based on our reader input on our outstanding questions, we may invite a few more projects to submit Phase 2 applications no later than Tuesday, January 17th.

I'm not going to kid myself and try and pretend that my 7ARTS is so out there and abstract that they're just waiting to hear from some last-minute experts to decide if I'm going to be invited to the second round or not. My shit is not rocket science. I'm not in.

I knew getting the fellowship was a stretch but damn, I thought I'd at least get invited to the second round like I did two years ago pre-wagner, pre-almost two years of development experience, pre-edna mcconnell clark foundation. I actually thought the application I submitted was a lot better than the touchy-feely gobbledy-gook one I wrote two years ago.

I feel like I trained for a marathon like a maniac for a year and a half only to run a slower time than when I had as a fat out-of-shape fuck.










Sunday, January 08, 2006

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Hugo Chavez is offering low cost oil to Native American tribes in Maine for heating use. The Bush Administration called Chavez’s deal an attempt to “embarrass” America. What’s embarrassing is the world’s richest nation not being able or rather willing to feed/clothe/heat/educate its population properly.

A weird analogy but it kind of reminds of this club/lounge I was at a few years ago. There was this chick who was hammered, completely toast. She was trying to dance and at one point fell down, straight pratfall. Her homegirls helped her up but then for whatever reason left her on her own. So she kept dancing (really sloppily) and this big, kind of oily looking dude, crept up on her seeing an opportunity to get his freak on with a pretty wasted and compliant (if not really capable of standing on her own) chick. So her gets up behind her and is “dancing” with her and putting his hands all kinds of places that this chick is really to drunk to care to protest. It was fucking gross. It was probably the only action that dude was going to get that night or had gotten in a minute. One of the bouncers was looking at him really disdainfully shaking his head. The dude, feeling the bouncer's disapproving stare looked back at him, upset because he was messing up his game, ”Yo, why are you looking at me like that? You’re making me look bad.”

The bouncer shoots right back completely deadpan:

“That’s because you DO look bad.”

Saturday, January 07, 2006

Today's wow can you believe this?

Just got my new video ipod and I love though I haven’t downloaded any video yet. I didn’t think I would but having a big phat gorgeous color screen is really tempting. Damn those marketing geniuses at Apple.

One thing I’m getting into is podcasting which is great because I never listen to the radio but would like to keep up with some shows and stations that I haven’t listened to since I had hours in a studio to kill. I found the Democracy Now! Podcast on itunes which is awesome, I haven’t listend to the show in years maybe 4-5 so its great to have it on my commute. Friday’s Democracy Now opened with coverage of Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke and some commentary from Pat Robertson:

Ariel Sharon, who is again a very likeable person, a delightful person to be with, I’ve prayed with him personally. But here he’s at the point of death. He was dividing God’s Land. I would say woe unto any Prime Minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations, or the United States of America. God says, “this land belongs to me, you better leave it alone.”


-Pat Robertson

Right after that Amy Goodman (with a straight face I presume, God bless her) then says:

The Guardian of London reported Wednesday that Robertson is heading a consortium in talks with the Israeli government over building a sprawling a biblical theme park by the Sea of Galilee.


On the real, you CANNOT make this shit up. Don’t mess with God’s land. Unless its a Christ-centered theme park.

Tuesday, January 03, 2006

Main Street-Bound 7 Train, 12:30pm January 2nd 2006

More random shit

Looking for a job sucks.

I'm really bad at proof reading my own shit. But pretty good at bullshitting about myself. So hopefully I will be employed and Thomas won't have to kill me for rent money.

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

The Knicks one a HUUUUUGE game. It was great, I have some hope for this team. Nate Robinson threw some nice passes driving to the basket, David Lee is a rebound machine, Eddy Curry pulled some nice offensive rebounds (but had some trouble finishing once he had them) and Starbury hit some big shots in the last overtime period. Jamal Crawford seems to get flustered if he has to take the last shot, but he looked good too. I just watched the overtimes but closing out a game like this and not blowing it was huge, a great learning experience, especially for the rookies. Might the Knicks actually have a future? Until we trade them all for Ron Artest or Ricky Davis and/or a bag of magic beans and/or Scott Layden.

I was watching classic ESPN and a Knicks/Magic game from Shaq's rookie year and it made me so sad watching the mid 90s Knicks. I know everyone outside NY hated them but we loved them. It was a great era.




Sunday, January 01, 2006

Happy New Year

For those of you into Salsa music I have been listening to Eddie Palmieri's Ajiaco Caliente OBSESSIVELY over an over. The song is beautiful, the interplay of the horns and the piano. When I listen to the piano I can imagine his virtuosity, the push and pull, its like he plays with my emotions...then the horns and the vocals come back in for a glorious finish. Get this song and listen to it and just close your eyes. Its got kind of slow start but if you listen closely and carefully its incredible, I can imagine him manipulating the keys on the piano so skilfully. Kind of makes me think of what it must have been like to watch Thelonius Monk on the piano.

I played "truth" with Rosalie yesterday and it was the first time I think I'd played since 8th grade and the first time playing sans the "Dare" component. One of her questions (she asked good ones, I asked adolescent stupid ones like "duh where's the wildest place you've ever hooked up?")

Anyway she asked me my best and worst of 05 of an arbitrary time frame especially because my years tend to fall along the academic one having been in school or working at a school or both for the last four years (five counting Brooklyn Museum education) but January to January Best and Worst of 05.

Best (no order)
Good times with good friends in a manner that is only going to decline as people grow up settle down (though I will be the last I guarantee it). I have always been blessed with good friends but the strength and support of my closeset friends this last year has been a treasure. I never fail to stop and pinch myself and ask myself why good people care/believe in/support me.

Growing phenomenally at Wagner and learning and networking in ways I never thought I'd be able to. Its what Im payin those fuckers for.

Making a serious leap as a dancer (especially last summer-I feel like I am taking the next step into really getting it as expression and not just doing steps and moves, I feel like I own my dancing more than ever before)

A birthday party that provided at least year's worth of comedy and I'm still learning shit about.

One completely responsibility-free, chill-ass,
summer an absurdly high-paying internship without the pressures of a real job.

West Coast and NY Salsa Congresses...blaze....

Fuck that, I was on TV hahaha.

Worst
Mad self doubt, too much knowledge, too much learning. I reminisce about the bull-headed ignorance and passion I had when Kwah and I sat down and started 7ARTS because we wanted to some art with teens because it had helped us so much and that was it. Now I'm immersed in all this management, program evaluation strategic theory and I'm trying not to let it paralyze me but help me. But definitely very worst in 05 was learning too much and how scary it can be.

Wondering what the hell I was doing with mysef and whether my whole premise for attending Wagner was just stupid and I should have gone and got my Art Education degree and that my whole think big shit was just stupidity. Typical self-doubt graduation's approaching shit.

Sleeping on a bed of knives, hiding liquor and sending cryptic text messages to Thomas in one of the most bizzare and fucked up nights of my life. (Manu I love you man).

Nearly hitting Acadmic Probation at Wagner. (Which I'm not in the clear yet).


Happy New Year y'all