the coolest outfit of the day

i was facing the opening doors of the brooklyn bound 'L' train and in he walked, a 50-something, trim, bald-headed black man, wearing the best outfit of the day, or of recent times, as far as anything particularly intriguing or noteworthy goes.

it was the red satin kerchief tucked into the open space of his white polo shirt that caught my eye first. and then i continued to gaze...a matching red handkerchief tucked into the left breast pocket of his seersucker-esque (the pattern, not the texture) blazer. the deftly popped collar of the polo shirt. the spotless bright white, lightly creased jeans. and navy blue suede loafers.

he was impeccable. everything was neat, crisp, and i have to say...classy and cool. kind of like shaft, on his night off to go see his lady. he didn't miss a beat. he even wears his sunglasses at night. if he were in his late-20s, i'd picture him on a photoshoot as the gay hairstylist, but this guy in front of me, no. he was a lady's man, all the way.

we both got off at the graham stop and i assumed the intrigue would end there. but no, turns out, we were walking the same direction. so, a dozen steps behind him, i tried to see what more i could learn about him by his gait. he certaintly didn't have the relaxed pace of someone heading home, and while he was walking briskly, he was steady and casual, like he was excited, but it's not a new game. he knew exactly where he was going. he had a confident, but not arrogant stride, and walked with purpose. even though i'd done this walk hundreds of times before, from the subway to my front door, this time it felt like i was going a different way, because my task in this moment was now 'follow this man', not 'walk to my house.'

so where was he going? i don't know. to see his lady? off to a party? maybe he's a singer for some floosy jazz band. i'd like to say all that was missing was a bouqet of roses for his lady, but while that seems like something he might do, i also feel that maybe he has some other way of getting her attention.


oh and coolest outfit of yesterday?
a very bright, synthetic fabric orange women's business suit (shoulder-padded blazer, knee-length skirt). in snake-skin pattern. i didn't know the store rave also carried career clothing. the woman was also wearing sheer black pantyhose and black sneakers.

h. piddy in da hizzy!

'holy shit', is right.


look, i realize it's cheating to post videos that i didn't make as a blog entry, but DEAL WITH IT.
plus i'm too tired to come up with anything more interesting.

hipster olympics

i'm sure everyone's seen this already because i'm uncool and behind the times like that. (or shall we say 'unhip'? i'm okay with that). but, this is funny, and humorously emphasizes why, in some ways, i am happy to be leaving this neighborhood. salud!

what did you do last night?

i was at a billionaire's house.
okay fine, i was working, but how often do most people get to be in the home of a private billionaire?
not every day.

he has an ice rink somewhere (i didn't see it, but the generator and the zamboni were spotted).

but this jeff koons was in his front drive. (well, not this one. his was yellow).

it's all fun and games until they go 'outbreak' on your ass

or, my big day trip to the bronx zoo...

i've been wanting to hit up the bronx zoo for a long while now. i think my whole 'i'm moving soon' mentality is getting me off my ass and making me wake up early every day to go do things. so after packing my lunch, heading to times square, and buying a student rush ticket for 'spring awakening' when the box office opened at 10am (it was very good, by the by), off i was to the borough to the north. (it's actually not that long of a train ride, thanks to the express! about 45 minutes from union square. maybe less, i kind of dozed off.) anyway, i've always had the game plan in my head: hit up the zoo on a wednesday, when it's free ('pay-what-you-wish'), on a nice weather day when the kids are at school. get there when it opens. ...so let it be said that this perfect, sunny 75º day early in the school year was a perfect choice. i got there about an hour after opening and it was great, hardly anyone around, and even by the time i left, it was still very quiet. i had a very fun time. here are some of the things i found interesting during my tour of this large zoo.

i'm not the only one who thinks this is funny am i?

we all know how much grizzlies love a good picnic.

i think the real question is, what can't you do with it?

oh, snap!

they didn't have any other ethnicities that you could paint and play with. unfortunately.

i think this was a goodbye air kiss. better this than spit.

me and my ever changing mind

or maybe it's not so much that i change my mind often-- which has a sort of negative connotation that makes me think of 'fickle,' 'flighty,' and 'flaky', things i mostly feel do not apply to me. i think it's more that i keep my mind open to new ideas. maybe that's the 'bright side' way of looking at it, but so be it. i love the bright side.

but yes, my mind hasn't exactly changed, so much as better defined the month or two ahead.
i have been invited to stay the month of october with my friends shannon and steve at their wellness retreat center in stafford, connecticut. while i'm there i'll help around the place, assist with the cooking during retreats, and just enjoy and relax in the small, pretty town. i might even get to milk a goat, make some cheese, learn to farm, teach some cooking classes, and spin some yarn. it's like being amish! only, without all the silly bonnets and with a lot more trampoline and/or dance parties. and a hot tub.

so what this means is that this month, september, is my last month in new york city until further notice (likely sometime in early 2008 will mark a return). i may make it back for a couple of days during october if need be, but i'm not specifically making that plan. this also means that i am in a bit more of a rush to pack, get rid of stuff (let me know if you're in need of anything like fans, lamps, a bed, desk, etc.), ship stuff to texas, and eat all the food in my cupboard. not to mention spending some time with the friends who are still around! all of this will only be made more interesting by my relatively heavy workload the last two weeks of this month. and i have to try to help my roommate find someone to take my room.

i'm excited about the days ahead and about changing things up a bit. it's time.