The Oscars, Vacation and Feast on Scraps - Chorus

It's almost 1am...

I started my vacation this week...I kicked it off last night with my 7th Annual Oscar Party, this year hosted at my friend Joshua's amazing apartment overlooking Central Park. Lots of great food and fun as we sat around his living room, tossing in $5 for the Oscar Pool, and waiting for the show to start.

The Award Show itself was quiet remarkable...just the energy and vibe of the evening felt unifying. I was thrilled with the speeches for equality that surrounded the wins for the biopic film, Milk and I loved that Slumdog Millionaire walked away with 8 of the night's awards. I just saw Slumdog Millionaire the other day and I absolutely loved it. I found myself completely enthralled and moved by the story. At the end of it I was crying tears of joy and gratitude for the way the film captures the human spirit. The movie just seemed to ignite a sense of Belief in me.

For my vacation...I'm spending a couple days close to home and then I'm heading to Richmond, VA to spend four days with my brother and his family. I'm really excited about this getaway from NYC and looking forward to seeing my nephew Isaac and my new niece, Lealla. I was in Virginia for the birth of my nephew but I wasn't there to meet my niece on Day 1, so I'm really looking forward to finally seeing her face to face.

As part of my STAY-cation here at home this week, I've turned some attention back to my writing. I seem to have a plethora of songs queued up inside me and I'd like to knock out finishing a couple.

That's almost always easier said than done.

A few posts back I mentioned a new song I was working on called Feast on Scraps. It is a song I keep coming back to...I think because it speaks so clearly to where I am in some of the relationships in my life but also, as I've talked to friends lately, it seems the concept/idea of feasting on scraps is pretty universal. A lot of us seem to be going through the same thing.

This evening I finished the chorus for Feast on Scraps...so I thought I would share it here. It's just a snipit, I'll post the completed thing when it's finished but the chorus, at least in my mind, capture the rhythm of how I hear it.
Enjoy.

Feast on Scraps
2/8/09, 2/11/09, 2/14/09, 2/23/09

Chorus
So we
Set the table
Feast on scraps
Then we
Do what we’re able
Feast on scraps
Make do
Get by
Fill in the blanks
Or at least try
Wink here, then a kiss
Drive by love
That’s hit or miss
We tell ourselves
This is just where we’re at
So we set the table
Feast on scraps

Words...Words...Words... -Shakespear

I'm on my way out the door to work, but I had to BLOG for a second about some of the new tunes I'm writing! I'm very excited with the new songs...especially Feast on Scraps.

Feast on Scraps is about making due with the little you have to work with. There are a lot of things that can get in the way of a relationship: friends, work, distance...and, well, life. You have to carve out your emotional space at times.

This new song is about trying to make a banquet out of scraps when you never get full. How long can you Feast on Scraps? There's the flip side to it as well...when you're left with scraps you enjoy every morsel.

There's the dichotomy.

For the first time in my BLOG-life, feel free to post a comment on this entry. What experience(s) do you have feasting on scraps?


(The title Feast on Scraps is taken from a line in the song Bent for You by Alanis Morisette)

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

After working all day...nothing makes a day just a little longer than trying to do a load of jeans at the Laundry only to find out that you picked the one busted machine.

After waiting for a cycle to run (40 minutes) I realized that the load wasn't finishing...so the lady at the desk restarted the machine.

So we're going again.

As a bonus...I can see my jeans jostling in soapy water with my brand tube of chapstick. Damn.

Liza Minnelli Tonight...Myron Uhlberg last Saturday...and a story to tell

I'm off to bed...but couldn't not (double negative) post that I had a quick brush by with the divine Liza Minnelli outside the famous resident hotel the Carlyle. I was on the Upper East Side this evening and as I was walking down 76th...there she was.

I'm trying to stay with the writing in my journal...this online journal. So, though be it brief, I'm keeping it fresh.

I am doing alot of writing lately...I have my "real" journal (the private one that I carry on my person and will be published to much acclaim after my passing), I have my Facebook notes and statuses, I have this online journal and I'm back to work on some new songs.

As it relates to writing...I had a wonderful dinner with my friend Myron Uhlberg last Saturday night. He was in NYC celebrating the release of his highly praised memoir Hands of My Father (which was released Tuesday 2/3). Over dinner with Myron and his beautiful wife Karen, our conversation turned to books - as it usually does. He was encouraging me to explore my own story and wanted me to know how much he felt it should be told.

I've had several people (Cassandra Andrews, Jas Sustritch, and others come to mind) over the years listen to bits and pieces of my life story and say that I should get it down on paper. I've toyed with the idea from time to time but as I lay in bed that night after dinner, more and more vinettes from my past started playing in my mind. I just may have some ghosts to revist, pay my respect and put to sleep.

We'll see...

In the meantime, I was able to satiate Myron by telling him that I would consider a memoir of my own but I really wanted him to know that I was kicking around the idea for several children's books.

His advice: kick one around and finish it.

Myron and Karen Uhlberg and me just after an amazing dinner on the Upper West Side. Karen asked a young, well-dressed woman standing a the corner of 78th and Amsterdam if she'd mind taking a quick picture for us. Her reply was a half-hearted, "Ok, but if a cab comes...I'm hailing it." That's the kind of self-absorbed New Yorker that gives all a bad image. It took all of 30 seconds to snap a photo and there were all of 20 plus Yellow Cabs speeding up Amsterdam. Classic.

Also pictured here is Myron's new memoir, Hands of My Father. It is stellar!! As the hearing child of two deaf parents, he has a wonderful story to share...pick it up!

I'm Baaaaack

It's been a while...as I'm constantly reminded...

Thank you for all the emails asking about where my BLOG is. My day-to-day has mostly been chronicled on Facebook the last months. It has been a quick way to document unexpected discoveries in ordinary days and also reconnect with friends and family all over the world.

But...this BLOG is where I started and I feel like an electronic-blogging prodigal...but I'm returning.

We shall now resume...

Birds Eye View and Beach Side View of Vacation

These photos were all taken from the plane as I flew from NYC to Orlando. It was a perfectly clear day and as I looked out the window after takeoff, things started looking very familiar.
The top photo is the Cloister from the sky (I've written about it many times - again yesterday as a matter-of-fact and I've shared many photos, but none like that one.), The old Shea Stadium and its replacement (this is the last season for the Mets to play there), The George Washington Bridge (connecting Manhattan to New Jersey) and the Upper West Side.

The view from our balcony and this morning's sunrise (before the sun rose behind the clouds).

April...The Cloister...St. John's...Breaking Dawn...Beachside.

Well...I've escaped Manhattan for a week and I'm back at Cocoa Beach, Florida. It's been so wonderful to be out of the city and be soaking up the sun beachside.

So...I'm spending the days laying by either the beach or the pool...the afternoon napping...the evenings watching the Olympics. That's the perfect schedule for a vacation.

Before flying down to Florida...my good gal pal, April visited for a few days. We hung out and got up. I was able to show her what I call "My New York." She's been to the city several times and I wanted her to see things outside of Times Square.

Her first day in the city I took her north to The Cloister - one of my favorite escapes. The trees, flowers, grassy fields make it seem like you left Manhattan. We ate lunch and walked around the grounds before walking up to the Cloister.

The Cloister is owned and operated by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It is home to some of the most amazing art from the 1400's including the famous tapestry of The Unicorn in Captivity. I've been up to the Cloister many times but I had never been inside. We went in to use the restroom and were told we could make a donation of any amount and walk the museum.

So we did.

It was beautiful. The grounds and architecture were gorgeous. It was great getting to see all the ancient tapestries including The Unicorn in Captivity. I didn't know that it would be so huge. It covered a huge wall and the detail in the needlework was fascinating. We spent a good deal of time walking the halls.

From the Cloister we went all the way downtown to Chelsea and then over to Union Square where we got to meet up with April's sister Beth and her family who were also vacationing in New York. We ate ice cream in Union Square and I got to answer a lot of fun questions about living in New York...where did I get groceries? How big was my apartment in relation to a Starbucks?

From the square we went up to the theater district off Times Square and met up with Antuan. We had several friends meet us there and throw their names in the hat for the In the Heights ticket lottery. Even with a bunch of friends trying to throw things in our favor we didn't score tickets. So we settled for a quick dinner with Antuan before he got ready for the show.

It was a full day - but April isn't one for resting when she's in NYC. We went back to my apartment (where I rested for about 45 minutes) and then we went out on the town. We danced the night away before coming home and crashing.

The next day I worked and April hung out with her family and then the last day of her visit, Sunday, we had brunch at diner of the Upper East Side called Big Daddy's Diner. Having a casual brunch gave us more time to talk about life, relationships and everything else.

Afterwards we went across down and the up to 110th to the cathedral of St. John the Divine. A lot of the interior that's been refurbished over the last year or so is done. Having the make shift walls down opened up most of the space. It looked more like it did the first time I went after first moving to NYC.

About 2 weeks ago Stephenie Meyers' book Breaking Dawn was released. I've read all of her books and was very excited about the release of her latest. I've gotten my old roommate and dear friend Elizabeth hooked on them as well. I called her Friday evening to let her know that the book, Breaking Dawn, was going on sale at midnight.

I asked her if she wanted to go with me. She said, "You're crazy. Yes, let's go."

And we did.

At midnight I was #640 in line and didn't care...I got a copy and started reading it on the flight down to Florida.

I'm a geek.

This is a print of The Unicorn in Captivity as well as other Unicorn tapestries.

Elizabeth and me at the midnight release of Stephenie Meyers' book Breaking Dawn.