Good Morning New York

Frozen in Motion

Despite my Wisconsin upbringing, I've never been much of a skater. Maybe it was because we lived in the country and the nearest water was the Wisconsin River (which froze in some places) and there was, I think I remember, a rink in town, but it wasn't an Altenburg Thing to Do I suppose. I never felt it was anything out of the ordinary until my city-bred friends were astounded that I had gotten to my fourth decade and didn't really know how to skate. Being a child of the 70s I do (well, did) know how to roller skate but it's not quite the same thing, is it?

I went out out to Wollman Rink in Central Park a few winters ago with friends from the Gay Men's Chorus - it was an afternoon where men skated arm in arm and one of the Chorus' drag queens gave a good show to all the families unsure of what to do with this sudden turn of events. I was pretty happy with my progress but I didn't follow it up.

These days every morning I go to work I pass by the 30 Rock ice rink. The other morning I watched with great interest the Zamboni machine work it's magic and another morning, I saw this, a crowd already gathered at a time when humans should barely be awake much less out and skating (and I'm just talking 9am).

It occurs to me that one can go through life and merely watch it happen or one can step into one's own life and participate. I think I'm pretty good at participating but I've still not gone skating more than that one time at Wollman Rink and while 30 Rock may be a little too touristy for me to actually skate at (sometimes the line is worse than a ride at the Disney parks), the opportunity sits and stares at me every day and says 'if not now, when?"

So I challenge you to this - in the next week identify that thing that you've been putting off doing. It doesn't have to be anything as dramatic as skydiving or getting a tattoo, but if you've always wanted to skate, get outu and skate even if it's just to fall on your ass but know that you tried. Try a new dish at your favorite restaurant or submit a story to the New Yorker (these are things I'm telling myself to do btw) .. but don't wait to long.. because eventually, the ice will .. well, it'll melt and then you've missed the opportunity.

And of course, if you do that thing that you've always wanted to do, write to me and tell me what it is, because I'd love to hear your skating stories..

That Must Have Been Some Good Party

New Year's Day 2011 and I'm out walking with Ro - a very civilized way to start a new year, by the way - and I noticed a hat perched on the antenna of a parked car.

My imagination goes wild thinking of all the options how the hat ended up there - twentysomethings partying up a storm, leaving the hat behind after one in their group throws up; someone thinking putting a hat on some car would be funny; maybe a lonely partygoer walking home alone after giving someone they liked a new years kiss, leaving the hat behind as a reminder to them when they walk by of the night before's lingering feeling upon their lips.... maybe any, maybe none.

And what of the owner of the car, wonder what they thought when they came to the car and found it? Amused? Annoyed? Inspired? Nonchalant?

And it occurred to me that perhaps this imaginative curious exploration would be the theme of 2011. There are worse ways to spend a year!

Christmas on the Empire State Building

Leaning Tower of Xmas

Yes, this was our Xmas tree this year. I felt that everyone posts pics of their trees at Christmastime but how many people post pics in February?  Enjoy.. it was our first and yes it listed a bit. The first night we had it, it crashed to the ground breaking a few ornmaments (although thankfully not my nicest ones) and scaring the beejezus out of us. Although I loved having a tree, I spent the rest of the holiday season sleeping with one eye open in anticipation that it would happen again.

Bad Party, Good Pictures

A couple weeks ago in the midst of one of the big snowstorms, I was urged by my promoter-self to attend a book signing party by an Olympic figure skater who had just come out (no names please!).

I'd been to the venue before, a year ago, at a big birthday bash for Village Voice columnist Michael Musto -which was a fabulous soiree where I had the best time.

Unfortunately this particular party blew and I couldn't wait to leave. Filled with 20somethings who think a hairdo will take the place of a personality (don't they always? no matter what generation of 20somethings you're talking about?) vapidly gossiping, trying to get closer to the star at large.

I was merely trying to get a drink when I got knocked in the ribs by rather rotund queen who was simultaneously trying to nudge his way into the inner circle and push me out - I had inadvertantly walked into the middle of the honorees' vortex - and frankly I was happy to get away. Feh.

This was the kind of party where people walked around in a daze trying to look important - oh pretty boy, don't you realize that the more important you actually are, the less you have to try to look as though you are? And oh Miss Drag Queen who got kicked off a show on a runty gay cable show, honey, you are not 'it' despite the lackey's surrounding you - don't they know that you cannot help them because you've burned your bridges all over town and said gay cable station won't be around much longer to make you a star? Sigh.

I was in such a foul mood that I decided to get some air before leaving and I'm glad I did. The venue had an open roofdeck and provides scarlet bathrobes so that one can go outside and smoke, talk, drink or, like I did, merely go out and enjoy the view.

And what a view!

The skyline of New York sprinkled with diamonds falling from the sky, so full, flaky and fast that it created a hypnotic affect. It was refreshing to see a few others out there too in groups posing for pics or getting their own keepsakes, as I did, of the Empire State Building.

It seems no matter what happens, a dreamy gaze into the eyes of my beloved ESB makes everything all right with the world.

New York State of Mind

To date I've worked at the following New York landmarks: Trinity Church, Rockefeller Center, Tiffany, Thirteen/PBS, Waldorf=Astoria and have sung with the Chorus at Carnegie Hall and did voice over for a Chorus concert when they sang in Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall a few years ago. I've also worked at the Dramatists Guild located in Times Square, cater-waitered at the New York Public Library, took tickets at a premiere party for a Broadway show held at the Empire State Building and an improv group I was in years ago performed at a small club on Broadway. OK so it was at 114th and Broadway but it was on Broadway nonetheless. :) I also was interviewed for a New York Times article that came out four years ago about a weekly fundraising event that I run at a club in the West Village (then in mid-town - the article was about the changing face of mid-town businesses).

Now all I have to do is get an article published in the New Yorker (!) and find some way to be connected to the Statue of Liberty and I think I'll have pretty much covered the city in one way or anther.

Nothing more really to write, just wanted to state that this morning. BTW not a record by a long shot but it's 11:14 and I'm still in my PJs. Just sayin. :)