Sometimes I love this town...

I was walking today in the West Village around Christopher Street. I had just left the Christopher Street Piers where I had a lunch on the water, so pretty and peaceful. You can even get a view of the Statue of Liberty from there. It is too bad I could never afford to live in that neighborhood... I was strolling back to the subway when I saw them most magnificent and fierce person I have ever seen. There was a deep red straight long wig, perfect makeup, big sunglasses, fingernails, tight jeans and a bad ass long coat involved. The over the top and f a b u l o u s part was that not that (s)he was dressed up in great girl clothes, it was the fact that those close were worn by someone sporting a full beard. So badass. I love when someone plays with gender. I happened to be perusing the blogs that I visit and found a picture of someone that seemed very similar. You know you have been in NYC too long when you ask yourself the question, "I wonder if (s)he is the same girl with a beard?" "That's hot..." Vapid stare... Check out Andre J.'s MySpace ...tell him how fucking awesome he is too...


(photo from Andre J's MySpace)

Chuck Close

Here is my cool New York City moment of the week. I went down to Chinatown with my man to meet up with a friend of ours for dim sum. It doesn't get more gay in the city than dim sum for brunch on a Sunday afternoon. We had all filled our bellies with yummy morsels and were standing outside saying our good-byes when one of our company looked past my shoulder and said "Is that Chuck Close?" I had seen him speak at the Metropolitan Museum of Art a couple of years ago, watched every documentary of him, and flipped through or own every book on him. "Yes it is..." I replied. It took all of my will to not go over and bother the guy and tell him how awesome I think he is and that his work has inspired me more than most artist. I am by no means a name dropping a-hole, I swear, flip back in this blog if you don't believe me. Seeing Chuck Close in Chinatown is definitely up there in NYC highlights for me...I love the degeruetype process he has been using lately...I am facinated by some of the first photographic processes.

Feeling Introspective Today...

It may be the day. I just got back to my apartment from a nice long walk along the Brooklyn waterfront here in Williamsburg. The September 11th light show is up and the sky was finally not spitting rain. School is cramping my style. How is a guy supposed to be a creative queer activist with all this work to do? I never thought I would look forward to having a nine to five job...

...I'm Thinkin' About It...

I started school again two weeks ago and I am gearing up to pour in some learnin'. I recently began to consider some options for how I want to see my life turn out. On one hand, I have aspirations of becoming the kind of queer activist/artist/social worker that makes people nervous at parties. Another part of me wants to say "screw it" and take my happy ass along with my partner, time, tax dollars, education, and pets to Canada and get married and generally be respected and supported by my government. I partly feel like this may be taking the easy road. Staying and fighting for rights for myself and all LGBT people in the US is a worthwhile life, a "good" life. It is hugely tempting though. Time will tell. I love those Canadians with their flapping heads and beedy eyes...

Walking In My Hood...or Somebody's Watching Me...

There are a whole shit load of Catholic images in my part of Brooklyn. It has a large Italian, and Polish community as well as recent arrivals from Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean. I walk around quite a bit and see a lot of these things daily. I was an altar-boy and went to Catholic grade school and high school. I love these kinds of images. The sense that people feel devoted and inspired by them is to the point that you can almost feel it when you see these statues or paintings. I wish that, in my mind, these types of images were not tied to a religion that persecutes and excludes people because of who they love. While I find them beautiful, they are a bit horrible in a sense because of they are also are linked to history of bigotry, persecution, violence, and dogmatic laws.

New York City Parks System's Sense of Humor

A park in my area of Brooklyn has a familiar sounding name...