Missing: One Camera, phone

i have a tremendous amount of news and things to share, but most paramount among them now is that yesterday morning i lost a bag containing my cell phone, iPod charger cord, and digital camera. i feel terrible because they were expensive and dear to my heart, but i also feel terrible because i actually called my phone from work and a lady answered.

ME - oh, hello? you have my phone?
LADY - yes, i found your phone. my daughter and i were on the train platform in brooklyn, and she said, 'look mommy, a bag.'
ME - well i'd like to meet up...

and this is where it took a weird turn. from what i could gather from her rambling, we were either to meet up at 11am, she worked just six blocks from me, we could meet easiy, she wanted to know what i looked like so i she could spot me on the corner.

but to no avail. she never showed up to rendezvous, and i am left here phoneless and cameraless. but at least i can listen to my iPod. oh wait.

Everything Was Beautiful and Nothing Hurt

when i was 16, i was allowed to borrow a first edition of Breakfast of Champions by my friend mark. i was going on a trip to colorado from new york and he chucked it at me saying, 'read it. it's great. just bring it back.' and i did, and it was, and i did.

that was my first glimpse of the author who would become my literary hero, and i wanted more. so i read more, and i have to say it changed the way i thought about literature, which changed the way i thought about life, which changed the way i thought about love and loss and god and government and robots and time and war and all the things Kurt Vonnegut wrote about, even shetland ponies.

i remember a remarkable feeling, a thought really, that occurred to me when reading Breakfast of Champions, and later Slaughterhouse Five: this guy knows all the answers. and i still believe that.

when you're 16, you have questions. you have questions you don't even know you have and if you could stop being a spaz for more than ten minutes you'd have a clear enough mind to ask them. but you never do, you're too busy worrying about girls and zits and school and masturbating too much and listening to dead men on the radio. but then you read a book that changes your life and you say to yourself, i want to change lives, too.

when i was in college, in boulder, i wrote a gushing letter to Kurt Vonnegut. i tried to be civil, but couldn't help offering to buy him dinner if he was in town, or if i was in town [new york] and a few months later i received the last page of my letter with a hand-written note on it from his agent, DC Farber, that read: 'If Mr. Vonnegut had dinner with all his fans, he wouldn't have time to write!'

attached was an index card with Kurt Vonnegut's signature.

years later i sent him a birthday card with another letter. i doubt he read them.

my fanaticism is well-known to my friends, as i speak and probably write about him often, as i am doing now. i had seen all the film adaptations of his work, even watched the Rodney Dangerfield movie, 'Back to School' because of his cameo appearance. and a bit of trivia: the guy who plays the son in that movie, went on to direct a very fine film adaptation of Mother Night, another of my favorite Vonnegut books. (possibly the best love story ever told). and Kurt Vonnegut has a cameo in that as well.

i got a bit teary this morning reading his obituary in the Times, because, i guess, i knew him, Horatio. i think a lot of us did, in our own way, and i was even lucky enough, this time last year, to have met him and shaken his hand at an interview he gave for the BBC at the WNYC studios on centre street.

i held his hand. i looked in his eyes and said, 'thank you.'
'ok' he said. and he left.
i was so happy.

i paraphrased Kurt Vonnegut to a friend in a condolence letter once. her father had died and i tried to tell her that Vonnegut says that every moment in our lives is always happening, there was no beginning and there is no end. we are like bugs trapped in amber, living only the moment. and if that IS true, he said, be glad that so many of our moments were good.

this means that i will always be a 16-year-old spaz wondering if masturbation is a sin, and if so, if i'm going straight to hell. it means i will always be a depressed college kid, so bent on being alone despite my friends. it means, too, i will always be in love with heather, and that she will always be my home.

it also means that Kurt Vonnegut is still alive somewhere in amber: in a slaughterhouse in Dresden, in Cape Cod writing books that make us happy, in New York City shaking my hand.

So it goes.

Best. Risotto. Ever.

It was a tragically fun weekend, replete with visiting friends from across the nation, BBBQing (the extra B is for BYOBB [that extra B is a typo]) and Frisbee in Prospect park







and a fantastic dinner at an underground supperclub run by the Low in Williamsburg. The food was exquisite and abundant, the hosts were resplendent, and it was the perfect exclamation point to an already fun day. i love receiving visitors, i love it when a weekend works out so well, and, as it turns out, i really love risotto.

Lousy Smarch Weather

It's been a long March, and while it's not yet over with, i feel it meet to regale you with tales from New York. I started this month off on the right foot: by getting violently ill after eating (devouring really) pork chops which i had thought i had cooked thoroughly. somehow heather escaped my fate despite eating the same, and thank god, as i used TWO of my alotted 6 sick days this year. you won this round, white meat.

i was lucky that my illness was localized entirely in my duodenum, and that it was relatively short-lived, beacause Jay came to visit with his sister from colorado! we did many a fun thing, none more fun than another brilliant brunch at Libation.

March also visited me with the ghost of work-place promotions, as starting in April, i will be a regular Editor for GHG Advertising. this was a welcome turn of events, if not unscripted, as i had been hearing rumors around the office for months now about my being bumped up. and now it's here, replete with raise and bonus to boot. i feel great. here are some of the shots they took of me for the company facebook:




I was so enamoured with March thus far, that on the day i was told of my new station in life, i took a walk over to the Union Square green market wherein i took the following pics with my phone:



It was a peculiar situation. i had just purchased a single apple for immediate consumption, and seconds later a mother/daughter team was standing there topless, and their personal professional photographer was snapping photos for what i could only assume was a mother/daughter portrait. that's not a family i would want to be a part of, though i do wonder about the conversation in which that photogrpaher was hired...

We have some visitors coming in the next few weekends, which i look forward to as i love holding court. i just hope my forehead heals by then. i might have mentioned earlier, or in passing conversation, that i am attempting to play rugby these days. i had answered a craigslist ad to play rugby in prospect park a few months ago, and while i had just wanted to learn the game, get some excercise and play grabass with some dudes, i was suddenly conscripted into a team called the New York Americans. Conscription is quite the right diction here, as we had a tournament on Saturday that i was certain was merely a gathering of a few clubs, maybe other guys who were playing in other parks. but no. this was armageddon with cleats.

have you ever seen a Civil War battle scene?
it felt a lot like this. mostly because there was a lot of yelling and screaming 'hold the line!' and a lot of me getting my ass kicked. i haven't competed legitamately in anything in a long time, and after making the mistake of the tardy (not eating breakfast) i found myself on randal's island at 930am, adrenaline surging whilst in the midst of battle with large angry men. my team did win our first game, but not our second, and we were lost to the auspices of the bracket system of USA Rugby. i saw a lot of crazed things that day, wrestling with the berzerkers who were too wild to stay in the official rugby leagues in europe. while battling head to head in many a scrum i recalled the view of a D-Day veteran who walked upon the beach, into a wall of bullets, never more desperate to believe in heaven, never more sure it didn't exist.

Oh What a World

Nick&HeatheratHarvard
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

Lots been going on since I rapped at ya. Heather and I took the Delta shuttle to Boston for Presidents Weekend. And if you're ever taking said shuttle from LaGuardia, go to the Marine Terminal A, because baby, it don't fly out from Terminal D!

Boston was great, the weather was cooperative to the point where we weren't stuck anywhere, and Loui's apartment (right next to Harvad [see picture]) was unique and profound.

On the wedding front, we're looking over invitations, and I've scheduled a trip to Lake Tahoe to see my friend Nicci, who is having me deputized in California as an officiant so I can play a major role in her own marriage in August.

My friend Jason in Arizona also got engaged, his wedding spills over into 2008, extending my year of magical drinking.

Forever 27

Heather got a strike!
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

But I haven't told you about my birthday (of Jan.26) in which i turned 27 years old with a smile on my face (see myspace) and a sigh in my heart.

Heather took me to a rather wonderful restuarant in Manhattan in which AFTER their buffet of appetizers, salads and antepasto, waiters came by with skewers of meats and sliced them directly onto your plate. i heart meat.

after dinner it was back to home to find quite a surprise: heather had my sacred radiohead poster framed in a quality frame, and it's hanging now in our living room with all the authority of a a Renoir.

The next day we went bowling with some friends at the Port Authority, and Heather kicked my ass. not the first time.

Champagne for my real friends, Real Pain for my sham friends...

Drunk Train
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

But i forgot to tell you about the party last night at work, they were introducing a new something or other, and lo and behold at the end of the affair there were 5 full, opened bottle of champagne left over which me and two other guys finished off while talking about Indian cuisine.

Evidently, I had IM'd some people (which i don't remember) and headed off to the L train, Jay says we talked on the phone (in which i referenced Simpsons yet again) and the next thing I know I am sitting on the L train, which was spinning.

'Last stop, get up nigga,' said a homeboy at the last stop, and i got up in a stupor. Realizing my faux pas, i quickly got on the same train back to my own stop and got home safely, finding Heather cooking dinner, which was good and plenty.

Age and Empire

Empire State
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

I turn 27 today. I don't think I've ever had a real birthday while I had a real job, so i chose to go the subdued route, i only told a couple people who i would consider friends, and the other people here (casual acquaintences) i hadn't told, and maybe even went out of my way to not tell. But I arrived here today dressed to the nines as per Heather's command because she has a surprise for me later on today...and the minute i sit down i get phone call from my friend Hart in AZ, to which i would have been overheard to exclaim, 'thank you, yes thank you, no i'm 27, thank you.' So had anyone i had NOT told overheard me, they might surmise that something was up.

Then Blair called me, and as i clumsily fumbled with my phone, i accidentally hit the speaker phone button, a button i didnt know the location of to turn off, and so her booming voice came through the speaker...

BLAIR
'hi happy birthday!'

NICK
'wait, i cant, i hit the speaker phone'

BLAIR
'get me off speaker phone!'

NICK
'i can't, i am trying!'

BLAIR
'happy birthday!'

NICK
'shut up!!!'

JASON, in cubicle next to me
'BUSTED! happy birthday to you!'

NICK
'blair, i'll call you back.'

Wish it were a Sunday, That's my fun day

I had a wondrous Saturday! Heather and I met Pat for a brunch in DUMBO and I had the best steak and eggs at a place calld Bubby's. The neighborhood is quite charming, and can only imagine that its charm will increase once it's warmer.

On Sunday I played rugby for the frist time ever in Prospect Park, and as I am new to the game (and excruciating physical activity) i have to say that i was quite impressed with myself and my latent athleticism. It was amazingly fun and amazingly tiring, and i can't wait to play next sunday too.

Salads w/Jason

Salads
Originally uploaded by boroughsix.

A chilly Tuesday here in the city, and Jason and I decided to get some gay salads, talk about the year ahead of us and decided that we will all die in the years to come because of global warming. It was 36 degrees.

Listening to Loveline and working in the warmth of cold, office life.

We Are for Naught

It's a terrifying thing to have a 73 degree day in January on the east coast, and even more terrifying that it's probably not the last.

The terror of the weekend was assuaged by the good times of the weekend, as they included scrabble at a bar with dana, a [73 degree] saturday of negotiating SoHo, and a sunday of having friends over for breakfast before Heather took Pat&Liz to IKEA LongIsland. i stayed home (no room in the truck) and cleaned house and secured 1943 Europe for the Allies via Xbox.

Cherub Rock

I am back in New York now after doing battle with the blizzards and altitudes of Colorado. it was a great trip, despite it being cut short by mother nature, as we visited both Hayden and Erie and visited all matter of relatives. Our Christmases were wonderful and the New Year's party was especially fun, what with the food and drink and company.

2007 is looking like an event to remember. We have visitors and weddings and vacations and trips and games to schedule, my birfday comes at the end of this month and my resolutions are legion.

Happy New Year

As my work day, and week, winds down here on 5th Ave, I'm rumenating on the things I have to do not just now (like clean my desk, cubicle, etc. for the holiday cleaning) but tonight (like clean the apartment, pack , check the weather and flight status) and in 2007 (take classes at the UCB Theatre, take the GREs, get married, attend many a friend's wedding [and officiate one!]).

I got a lot on my plate!

UPDATE 12/21 3:15

We didn't get to go to Colorado yet, as there is a massive blizzard there and all flights were cancelled. SO, we'll go to my company's holiday party and maybe drive upstate for a night to see a pal. Christmas vacation on the fly, nothing like it!

UPDATE 12/25 11 11:33

We arrived into Hayden directly (bypassing Denver) and are enjoying the holidays. I am sure to have pics up soon and whatnot. Merry Christmas to you all!

A Movie That Defined a Generation

Last night we watched the Never Ending Story, mostly because Heather had never seen it before (i mourn for her childhood), but also because i was curious to see this movie again that i had spent my whole youth watching. It's a morose film, and i think i can pinpoint scenes in the movie that directly led to my decade of depression. It's also very enchanting, philosophical and redeeming in the end. With it's top-shelf production value, set design, and fantastical plot, it's no wonder it's a movie that permeated the lives of anyone born circa 1980.

The riddle that has plagued me since i first viewed the film continues to plaugue me today, as in the end, when Bastian has to name the Empress of Fantasia, he yells the name but the sound is muddled by a thunderstorm. so i've never known the name he gave her, the name of his dead mother. So, being the genius that i am, i turned on the subtitles during that scene and THEY OMIT THAT LINE IN THE SUBTITLES! there's just no subtitle when he screams the name, and this may throw me into another decade of depression, indeed.

On the L train

On the L train
Originally uploaded by dimshine.

In case you didn't see it, and just to be sure, this is the pic i took the other week on my way to work!

Millions of Peaches, Peaches for Me

I had an unhealthy obsession with downloading music during (and shortly after) college, and prompted by a CD case I saw in this girl's room once, I looked up and downloaded some songs by the Moldy Peaches. This led me to read Kimya Dawson's blog and have an email exchange with her briefly regarding a Bon Jovi concert she couldn't get into. Anyway, I've just checked her blog again and, she's got quite the funny serial of photos, laugh away. (note the artwork on the wall, too)

Cheers.

Thanksgiving was Turkeyiffic

Thanksgiving weekend was really grand. Heather and I trucked up to Boston by way of the Long Island Sound Ferry, a very fun trip which I highly recommend. Boston is a curious town, seemingly clean and more quaint than Brooklyn, and the public transportation system was mystically confusing (who pays and when were the subjects of much debate). It was wonderful to spend time with my soon-to-be in-laws, Stephanie (cousin) and Joel (brother), the food was great, the Scrabble plentiful and I felt lucky to have family close during the holidays.

As it happens now, I have a bit of a cold, but am at work waiting for the end of the day when I can go home and eat matzo ball soup and watch Sopranos DVDs from Netflix with my betrothed. Until then, I'm cruising youtube, enjoy this: one of my favorite Tim Long-written Simpsons.

If Flickr Ever Worked Correctly

I had taken a picture of something rather odd on the subway, and Gothamist.com put it up, what do you think?

Great Weekend

Saturday was fun, Heather had a brunch/wedding gown try-outs all day, and I did apt maintenence stuff (read: played Xbox) all day.

Sunday was also great, we went to a park wherein I found a lamp that had fallen off its post, much like the one pictured here, and I decided to take it back home to a) make a chandelier b) pot a plant inside it or c) sell it on eBay. it' pretty big, weighs like 45 pounds and looks cool, but i better figure out what to do with it, pronto.

the weekend was also peppered with games of Scrabble (thanks Nicci!) and warm coffee house hanging-out, and shrimp fetuccini. the freaking Broncos lost to the Chargers, which means the Chargers are probably contenders for the Superbowl (damn them), and the poker club i play with on Wall Street was interviewed for the local news.

Very Niiiice

Heather and I saw Borat last night, and we have never laughed so hard in a theatre in my life. if you have the means, i highly recommend it, it is so choice.

in other news, plans are moving forward with invitations and save-the-dates. we are getting the proofs in directly. work is great too, the city is bustling and i've recently made a couple of rough YouTube commercials in my spare time, and uploaded my brother-in-law's run-in with a snake in Vegas. what do you think?