I'm always a sucker for mug shots.

Thanks to The Bosh for the link

The Tutor. Go See It.

Although my Broadway geek status has dwindled since highschool, I still love a good show. J. and I went up to see an early production of my childhood friend Andrew Gerle's musical The Tutor staring Anthony Rapp of Rent fame and Daphne of Daphne and Celeste fame (or maybe it was Celeste). If I remember correctly, these parts were recast for the full production. Anyway, the show is quite excellent and if you're in NYC, check it out.

The Tutor only plays through October 2nd at 59E59 B stage. You can find some mp3s and sheetmusic here.

Also, keep your eye on Meet John Doe another of Andrew's shows as it is also making some waves.

NBC's Monkey's Paw

Amy Grant has returned from o'er the river Styx to lure helpless Americans into her prickly grasps. Her new NBC show entitled 3 Wishes focuses on giving 3 people in an American community a chance to make their lives better whether it be by building a handicapped girl a private gym or giving a guy a truck. These innocent townfolk don't know what's coming, though - because these wishes come at a price - one so horrific and putrid that their town may never be the same again.

Are you familiar with the tale of The Monkey's Paw? If not, it is an old short story by W.W. Jacobs. In the tale, each person who receives the mummified paw is granted 3 wishes at the expense of somebody else's misery...and such is the mystery of 3 Wishes the show.

As the show progresses, each person is granted their wish, resulting in tears and applause. But then, night falls and Amy Grant beckons her new followers to her temple (a rickety stage on the back drop of some Scooby Doo State Fair). Like zombies the freshly satisfied townfolk approach her alter wanting more...more guidance...more Amy granted wishes...more...more...more...and then as the farris wheel creaks to a halt, loud shrieks and guitar plucks resonate from the stage...and the carnage that is Amy Grant's singing begins.

Yes people, you can have your 3 wishes, but just like everything in life...there is a price.

Playlist Updated

Well, I've been delinquent in updating my playlist, so here's some breadcrumbs I picked up while wandering recently. Enjoy!

Diet Right

So I recently finished day 1 of Diet-to-Go. Me so hungy and I'm getting ready to attend a work party where there will be cake and fried appetizers...but I will be strong.



The way this thing works is twice a week I go and pick up a big bag of food for the next 3.5 days. Everything is measured out so you only consume a certain number of calories per day. J. and I are attempting the 1200 calories a day diet which is 800 calories below the average dietary intake. Each meal is packaged nicely, so there's no cooking, and no shopping, andno thinking (which for me is awesome). but me so hungy....

I have devloped a strategy. I will drink lots of water and I will stretch my meals out over a period of a couple hours by eating my meals in phases.

The food ranges from delicious (mountainberry muffin with cream cheese) to nasty (lentil salad). My orange was moldy today (only on the outside) and they messed up our first delivery (which hopefully was a one-time only thing). I think overall it's a great program and I think by mid-next week my stomach will adjust...but right now...I'm just so hungy...

Sample and Cherish

Sadly enough over lunch today I read that HBO is not going to renew my favorite show of the summer: The Comeback.

Sample Madonna's new single "Hung Up" through VH1.com

Day-meres

I am an incredibly grim person with a negative attitude and I view my life in black and white sketches like an Edward Gorey cartoon. I'm not sure if this is outwardly evident because I'm constantly trying to censor myself to the general public, although much less so (maybe a negligible amount) with friends of mine. I am reminded quite often of a situation early on in my relationship with J.

Picture it: President's weekend 2003, Washington, D.C.

A winter storm had blown through the district the previous evening closing many roads and grounding planes all along the east coast. J. worked for the Kennedy Center at the time (although now he's moved on to eating babies) and American Ballet Theater's performance of Romeo and Juliet began that week. The storm made road travel difficult and closed several businesses including the K.C. (which never closes)...but the dancers were on their way to D.C. by train and needed to get to the K.C. Jason needed to help the dancers to their hotels and I came along for the ride. Prior to this I had never attended a ballet and knew nothing about the art form; however, J. informed me that I would be meeting some of the most famous dancers in the world including Marcelo Gomez and Paloma Herrera.

So, we hop on this Kennedy Center Shuttle bus that was the only vehicle on the roads besides the snow plows (which by the way were stuck in snow drifts) and we start driving over to The Watergate with me standing in the aisle, holding onto a pole. As the bus started jostling and throwing me about, I looked down to see Paloma Herrera sitting with her feet on the floor right next to mine. The bus jostled and bumped about and I had a hard time keeping my footing. Although we arrived at the hotel without incident, in my twisted head, the bus knocked me off my feet and I landed on Paloma's feet, breaking her tibia and tearing all of the tendons in her ankles.

I bring this up mainly because I recently returned from a trip to Boulder, CO where I visited my only sibling, my brother-in-law, and my one month old niece. Although my niece isn't the first baby I've had access to, it is my first brand new relative with whom I've formed a connection. And she's so fragile. So, over the week, I imagined the following scenarios:

1) COFFEE NEAR BABIES MAKES ME NERVOUS. Waking from a good night's rest, I make my way downstairs to brew a pot of coffee. The blinding sunlight enters the kitchen through the sliding glass door. I pour myself a hot cup of coffee and add the appropriate amounts of creme and sugar (I like my coffee like I like my circle of friends - a couple drips and a lump (just kidding)). As I make my way towards the sofa to be reminded that Elizabeth from Survivor Australia IS in fact a host on The View, sunlight reflected from a collander temporarily blinds me, I trip, and boiling hot coffee splashes all over the baby's face and scalp (who was harmelessly lying in her "Soothing Vibrations" chair).

2) HOLDING A BABY IS A BIG RESPONSIBILITY. My sister hands me Emma for the first time and I take her uncertainly and hold her head firmly in one hand and her little bottom in the other. My sister plays a joke and asks me what time it is. I don't realize that this is a joke and I check the time on my hand that is holding the baby's head. The baby's neck muscles are insufficient to support the weight of her skull and her neck flops back causing irreversible damage.

3) PLAYGROUNDS, CLUMSY ADOLESCENTS, AND BABIES ARE AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN. Sis and I take Emma into the neighborhood park in her stroller. The sun sets beautifully over the Rocky Mountains to the west, and all of the 10-12 year olds are running around playing TV tag where you can unfreeze somebody by crawling through their legs and shouting out the name of a favorite TV show. As we push the stoller down the walkway, a clumsy teenager tries to free a friend from being frozen and as he shouts out "Gilmore Girls" his head rams into the carriage, knocking poor baby to the ground. The newly thawed friend trips over the clumsy teenager and lands on top of poor baby.

Well, anyway, except for projectile poop, I made it through the week without any major mishaps...and by Wednesday I was able to stop playing these scenarios out in my head. Emma is incredibly beautiful and I can't wait until I get to see her again.

Kanye, Kanye, Kanye

As a good friend recently told me...
It isn't that George W. Bush doesn't care about black people, it's that he doesn't care about poor people.

Mad craps to J. for cracking me up with this statement.

Well, it seems that First Lady Laura is feeling something other than the pleasurable sensation of cigarette smoke flowing in and out of her lungs: DISGUST.

"I think all of [Kanye West's] remarks were disgusting, to be perfectly
frank because, of course, President Bush cares about everyone in our country,
and I know that," Laura Bush told a journalist with American Urban Radio
Networks on one of her flights to survey damage in Mississippi.

That's not disgust, Lady Laura. It's menthol.

And me, I'm feeling regret for my little feud with Arianna. Let's kiss and make up, baby. I was wrong and you were right. Let's put the past behind us and look forward towards a Bush-free America.

Sweet (16x2)+2 Playlist

Music from and inspired by my friend Jerome's birthday celebration.
Playlist updated.

Note to Arianna Huffington: Our Honeymoon is Over

When I started reading The Huffington Post, the articles condemning the Bush administration and the war in Iraq captured my heart by spoon feeding me what I wanted to hear. Now, with the decimation of New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina taking the front pages, Arianna has sunk to a new level that I previously reserved for airheads such as Rush Limbaugh and Sarah Kauffman by asking the question: "Are people dying over here because we're fighting over there?". The situation is horrific and devastating and for Arianna to be using this disaster to promote her agenda (which generally I support) equates her to nothing more than a Tacky Tabitha.

With even Bush giving himself his lowest self-evaluation ever: "UNACCEPTABLE", I don't think that we the people are stupid enough to not make the connection. I say give people time to mourn and start rebuilding before pointing fingers...

...after that, let the carnage begin.

I will forgive you in time; however for now I am moving your link from "news" to "propaganda" in my favorites toolbar.