Darling Nicky

Read the rest of this entry »

Nice Car

East Village blog EV Grieve has been on the beat of who has been making hand drawings of penii on cars covered in snow, and now TMZ has helped them crack the case! It seems that a TMZ pap photographed Osment, who attends NYU, with a snow covered finger over the victimized vehicle.

This is just insane. I literally laughed out loud when I saw this. Get to your studies, Osment!

On Tuesday, I went to a job fair held sponsored by the New York Daily News at the New Yorker Hotel. Cut straight to the chase: it was a wash! I, along with about 300 other people, waited in the freezing cold and wind from 9am to 10am to get into the auditorium where only 15 companies were there to seek prospective employees. At least three companies were there to actually make a buck: a college, a bartending school, and a company who teaches people how to make online profiles (aka scam).

The real kicker for me was waiting on a line to speak with one of the representatives from Time Warner Cable for 45 minutes only to be told “I can’t do anything for you.” The wait was long because the woman was talking for at least 10 minutes to each person that talked to her. The other respresentative was much quicker and the line for his side was faster. I should’ve gotten on that line, but I was told that his line was for Metro Health Plus. I didn’t know that he was also there for Time Warner until I got closer to the front, and saw the sign for the table.

I made some friends on the line though. We shared in each others’ frustration on the line. There was a woman one person behind me who talking about job fairs in the ’90s, a woman in front played eagle eye to what was going on in the front of the line (line skippers), and the woman right behind me whose cousin was on the faster line; they both gave me some good advice on where I might be find work for what I got my degree in.

So, here’s how it went when I got up to the woman representative:

Me: I’m recent graduate and I’d like to work for Time Warner.

Rep: Where did you graduate from? With what degree?

Me: I graduated from Pace University with a bachelors in Communications Studies. Would you like to see my resume?

Rep: (annoyed) Yeah, sure.

::Hand my resume to the rep. She glosses over it, and sees my magazine internships, wrote for the school paper, etc.::  

Rep: I don’t see anything… What do you want to do?

Me: I want to be a journalist, but the industry is not good right now. I’m thnking I could be a clerk or sales rep…

Rep: I really don’t have anything for you based on your resume. You go online to the Time Warner website, see what is there, and upload your resume.

Me: Thank you.

:: Dismayed. I walk away. ::

After I talked to that rep, I thought about going to more tables, but I figured I’d be hearing what Time warner told me. So, I decided to get the hell out of the hotel, and go on with the rest of my day. I was glad to get out of there, but I wanted to cry so bad. I just walked around for the rest of the day. Walking off the adrenaline of having to prove to hiring managers that I’m worthy of their employ is my usual after a job interview. I walked from 34th street and 8th avenue to 9th street and 4th avenue. From there I went home, where I finally cried.

Last Tuesday night, I went to see a couple of my friends play their sets at Lit Lounge in the East Village. Lee Transue and Lisa Jaeggi are both great singers and guitar players, and very nice people. Another friend of mine, Tyler, sang background and bass guitar during Lee’s set. They both have MySpaces where you can hear their music: www.myspace.com/leetransue and www.myspace.com/lisajaeggi. Here are some photos of the night:

This was backstage while we were all sitting around waiting for nine o’clock to arrive. We were just goofing and catching up.

My friend Emma.

Cool Mr. T Mural!

Lee getting ready to play.

Tyler suited up to play along with Lee, though he had issues with the microphone throughout the set.

Friends from school came out to show support.

Here’s Lisa beginning her set. She had some very funny banter between her songs, especially when she talked about one of her songs being about being in a shitty bar like the one she played in that night and then joke more about how the owner worked hard for the bar the to look shitty. Nice.

Lee singing background on one of Lisa’s songs. I think it’s called “Waiting”.

Highlights of the night each set for me were “Talisman” by Lee and Tyler and “Can’t Spell Believe” by Lisa. I’m glad to know people who I truly believe have great talent and deserve to have a following. I thought I’d share my night good music made by friends. Please check out their websites, and listen to their music!

Last night, on one of my roaming adventures in Manhattan, I got on the M7 bus to get to the Village. I walk from 9th street (the bus driver recognized me and asked me where I was going to and took me as far he could take me on the route) down 8th then Waverly Pl when I passed two people, one butch lesbian and one I’m guessing is a gay man. The woma, who sees me coming from a mile away, says how pretty I am and wishes me a “Happy Thanksgiving”. I smile and say, “Thank you! You, too!” but kept it moving. The woman did not want to stop there. She chased me down the block and wanted to keep talking to me. She asks me how old I am. I tell her I’m in my 20s. She then says, “If you’re 20 you’re okay, but if you’re 18, listen to your parents!” and laughed. I still don’t get the punchline…

She asked me where I was going, and told her I was looking for a store to play the lotto in. One thing about the Village, there are plenty of stores but not all of them are corner stores. It’s in this order: Starbucks, cafes, LGBT hangouts, sex shops, and then delis/corner stores with lotto. On the way to the store, she bumps into a transvestite friend of hers and they chat a bit. Then she stops and talks to a cop who gave her a ticket for having open liquor (she was drinking when I ran into her). So, while she was talking to the officer in his cruiser, I took the opportunity to escape but when I walked down the block her man friend who was standing with her from before was at the corner and asked me what she was doing. I said she talking the officer. He walks back to get her. I cross the street and she’s hollering after me.

I stop and she catches up to me. We stand at the corner waiting for the light when she takes off her skull cap to reveal a faid with salt and pepper hair and says, “I like a straight up dude, right?!” I smile politely and say nothing while thinking, “No. You like a butch lesbian.” To continues to yammer on loudly, much of which I’ve tuned out so I don’t remember what she said. We get to a tobacco store with lotto just off Christopher street. I get a game and we head out. On our way out, she bumps into a couple of older men (gay, of course) and starts chatting with them. One of them men says to me in a very saucy voice, “You know, one day, she asked me ‘What’s your swag like?’ I said ‘You know nothin’ about my swag!’ and then I dust that bitch off!” brushing off his right shoulder with his left hand while his rigt holds a bottle in a brown paper bag. I laughed becaused I never would’ve imagined the way that man talked to come from him. He didn’t look like your average older gay gentleman, whatever that is.

She walks off to the corner with the men, and take this second opportunity to make a get away. I take turn around and there’s her man friend from before again. He asks me what she’s doing and I say she’s talking to some friends. And walks off to get her, and I make off quickly into the mixed crowd of NYU students and neighborhood locals never to see them again, or at least that night, but in a perfect world I will never see them again. I don’t know what their motive was for wanting to keep me around. Money? Drugs? Booze? Sex? All of the above? What was the relationship between the man and the lesbian? Was he her pimp, or just her friend? I know she was drunk but was she also high? They were certainly weird and I definitely wouldn’t have gone anywhere with them that wasn’t safe.

::Crosses fingers for a perfect world::

At least 30 states have allowed voters to cast their ballots early, and lines to vote before election day have people waiting up to two hours. With voter registration having more than doubled, what has the rest of the 50 states not allowing their citizens to vote early? I live in New York City, and I can’t imagine what the lines are going to be like on Novemeber 4th. I got up early four years ago to vote thinking I might have to wait, and while there were people ahead of me, there was no line. This year will definitely be different, especially because NYC is one of those states that does not allow early voting. I certainly hope that every vote will count on Election Day ‘08. I plan to get up early again this year, and I defintiely expect to see a line. I think I might just cover all the long lines around the city, and ask people how they feel the city could’ve handled the expected surge in voter turn out, and you know in this town everyone’s a critic so someone will defintiely have a gripe.

Last night, I dragged my friend with me to a party at the Hiro Ballroom called Malibu Noche Blanca sponsored by Malibu Rum and hosted by Jaslene from America’s Next Top Model. First, I’ll explain that I don’t usually go to a lot of parties nor am I a photographer. I just felt inspried by the atmosphere to take photos and I always take my camera with me, just in case. Second, Jaslene makes a lame hostess. Third, The party was great. Everyone seemed to be having a great time. Although that might’ve been from the Malibu waitresses handing out free mixed drinks with, of course, Malibu Rum. The DJs played raggae, raggaeton, and raggaeton mixes that got everyone dancing, even thugs in the place. I ran into a dude I that works Vibe magazine. I was glad he recognized seeing as I was just a lowly intern when I worked their. We met some skater guys who were really gorgeous. On our way home we walked slow from our heels hurting our feet, and we took our shoes off while standing at a busstop (sans lollipop) to relieve our feet. Well, the bus came as we were both barefoot, and we ran for it on the cool, wet street. Oh yeah, it drizzled last night, too. Back to the party. Here are some photos that I took of last night:

Forgotten drinks left in the seating area.

My friend Parice

Nice, pretty woman. Check the boots!

They came with skateboards. lol

They even skated a bit.

Cutie

Party revelers

I want this for my room. Please, someone steal it for me.

All in all, it was a great night. My friend and I danced with people we’ve never met and probably won’t meet again, drank free drinks, and killed our feet with heels.

September 26, 2008, Paul Newman died at his home surrounded by the comfort of family and close friends. He had completed chemotherapy for lung cancer in August, and finally succumbed to the disease yesterday. Newman has lived a life longed for by most with a successful and lasting career with many friends. He will not only be remembered by his films but also for his philanthropy with his Newman’s Own Charity. He is a legend that will be missed.

Every year this parade comes around in mid- to late September and I get to look at the meager crowd of on-lookers from my apartment window. Every year it’s the same tiredness: floats, marching bands, dancers, protestors. It all pretty much amounts to a lot noise. Black Americans in this Harlem nighborhood always ask why the Carribean and Puerto Rican parades get so much publicity and why so many more people attend those parades. Maybe it’s because they’re not boring. They actually celebrate cultures. Radio station floats and marching bands are not exactly culture. I know that there are groups that march for important issues regarding the black community during the parade, but they of course do not get much play in the media because, in my opinion, they may seem too aggressive to mainstream television. I wish that the parade would focus more on the achievements of those who came before us, those with us in the present, and inspire the current generation to be more than entertainers and athletes. Those are not awful professions but there is more to a group of people than us being rhythmic and good at sports. Some of the greatest and most efficient inventions were made by African-Americans, why aren’t children being encouraged to aspire to create and be entrepreneurs (not talking about ellicit and/or illegal activities; not good, not prudent). I wish the parade would commemorate how much of an influence our culture has had on America rather than make the neighborhood really noisy and slow up traffic going across town. I wish more African-Americans cared more about heavier issues than the latest in fashion and music, and that more people saw that thepolitics practiced on every level always effects the lives of regular people so that they could elect those who they believe have the interests of them and their loved ones in mind when they make policies, bills, and laws.

I’m off my tangent. I just wish the parade were a little better.

Well… I graduated college in May this year, and it seems that it has become very difficult to find work. I’ve sent my resume to I don’t know how many magazines and still haven’t found paying work. Right now I am interning for URB magazine, but it feels weird because I work from home and go out to cover events, and I have yet to meet my employers. Some people might think this is good and that I shouldn’t have anytihng to complain about, but I still can’t help but feel highly unproductive. I still don’t leave my room, let alone the apartment, for most of the day. Don’t get me wrong. I like what I’ve done so far for the magazine, but I was hoping to get out of the house and into an office setting.

Here is a run down of what my days have been like since May:

5:30 AM – go out for a run in Central Park.

7:15 AM – make breakfast before I pass out.

7:50 AM - shower

8:30 AM – read the paper and check emails while switching the radio dial between Ed Lover and Star & Buc Wild.

 10 AM – watch Wendy Williams Show

11 AM – watch The View (Sherrie Shephard is sooooo fired, by the way)

12 PM – watch Eye Witness News

12:30 PM – run errands, go to some event, read a book, watch a movie, etc.

10 PM – Home, and back on the internet checking emails, facebook, myspace, nah right, etc.

12 or 1 AM – Sleep

I’m not a very busy person, and I’m starting to miss the business that school afforded me, although it’s not the franticness of finals that I liked so much. I was a round people whether it was in class, the cafeteria, the school newspaper office, in line at the registrar, etc.I was always surrounded by people and rushed energy, especially since my alma mater is in the Financial District. It always gave me the sense that I’m doing something. Hopefully, this won’t last for more than a few months.