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Tue, November 9

Inner Monologues: The Lowdown

Wow. What a blast!

I was so friggin nervous the night before THE BIG SHOW--Hardly anyone had turned in a single final draft by then or the personal bios I requested each person write, and I had just come back from spending the day mourning my grandmother's passing (a year ago) with my family. As soon as I walked into my apartmnet, I managed to hit my head on the bottom corner of my glass medicine cabinet (I can show you the scar!) I guess nervous wasn't the right word, but more, frustrated and anxious. Oh, I don't know. Let's just settle on the idea that I had little faith in how this was going to pan out...But it did, quite brilliantly.

I got to Apocalypse Lounge early, and chatted with Buttercup and Michelle S. (two of my readers) about laser hair removal and spending too much money on clothing/accessories (oddly enough, my story and Buttercup's were very similar, in that they talked about how important buying clothes are!). After a glass of wine, I was like, "What will be will be" and decided there was going to be no practicing before the show.

(I wrote to everyone who participated today, to toell them that I just had a permanent smile on my face the whole time, as I sat next to the stage during the readings. Everyone was entertaining, and had their own personal flair.)

We filled the whole house, and I later realized that the bartender hadn't expected this kind of turnout for a Monday, and thus did not bring on a barback to help people order drinks (since they couldn't really get up during the readings). The full house was testament to the fact that I have a wonderful group of friends and people that support me.

I have appointed Lindsay as my Publicity Agent. She collects all the memorobilia that I've generated this year (newspaper article, magazine clip, the Stand UP NY thing, now this--unfortunately, all of which are related to my being either an expert dater or a woman obsessed with her looks). And by the way, it was her birthday recently, so since she is a frequent lexblog reader, this is her little happy birthday shout-out. Shout out!

Never knew how much I would enjoy hosting an event...No, OF COURSE I knew. It just felt so good. I wasn't nervous after my first time sitting up on the stage, and eventually I wasn't bothered at all that there was an audience out there, each time I went up to introduce the next speaker.

I also loved the whole process of putting the pieces together: The workshop, where we went over all the problems with our pieces and made suggestions to one another, and then seeing how each person addressed those problems in their final drafts; deciding what order would best round out the theme of the night, and make it flow...And this I didn't finish deliberating over until the last minute (unusual for me)...But the sequence of which speaker went after which ending up being perfect.

J took pictures of the whole thing, but kind of stayed behind the scenes after it was over, while everyone was chatting. I guess he wanted it to be "my show", literally. But it is so odd to see a man who is so outgoing and can command a room when he walks in, take a step back when it comes to MY friends. But maybe it is because we are similar in that way, and only one person can occupy that role at a time?

So there will be another show, on DECEMBER 6TH. Also at Apocalypse. I have a lot of people who have expressed interest in doing it, but I have to see who REALLY thinks they can get their act together by then....

Here is the piece I read:

Download file

And now for the update on LIFE since we haven't gotten to that yet:

My dad provided some entertaning stories this past week: On Friday morning, as he was getting dressed for work, he noticed a tie in his closet that he hadn't seen before. He was quite happy about it, it was like finding a present he had forgotten to open...So he put it on, and went about his morning routine. Then, just as he was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and noticed something funny about his tie: On the back of it, was what looked like a picture of a leg. Upon closer inpection, the leg revealed itself to be attached to a body, which revealed itself to be a woman's naked body, getting it on with another woman's naked body! It was a PORNOGRAPHIC TIE! Horror of horrors--he could only imagine what it would have been like if he had worn that to work (as a gynecologist/fertility and hormone specialist) and sat across from a patient or a couple! Here is my dad, the serious doctor, dealing with touchy health issues (inability to get pregnant, menopause, etc.) and there on the back of his tie, peeking out like the face of irony--Girl on Girl Action...My mother called my brother later that day to as, "Hi Hon. Did you lose a tie by any chance?" He mumbled something quickly about getting it as a gag gift for his Bar-Mitzvah...One may never know. One may not WANT to know.

Second dad story: I met him up at Hunter College on Sunday so we could drive back to Jersey together for my grandmother's unveiling (more later). He was parked on 1st avenue but on the East Side. You know, on the other side of the MARATHON, for God's sake. Which was a good thing, because unless your car has wings, if you're west of 1st ave that day I can't imagine many leaving NYC by car. When we got to 70th street, we saw people running in hordes--no, no the runners--but pedestrians trying to cross teh street when there was a break in the crowd of marathoners. Dad and I got there just as the Po-Po started yelling at people. But an aggressive man with a stroller ignored the police and shouted to no one in particular, "Go! Go! Right after the red guy passes us!" so like obedient ducks, we all crossed the street. Of all people (mind you there were many baby carriages, toddlers, old people, all crossing in the same crowd as dad and I) dad was the one to nearly ruin the race for one poor fellow. He missed him by a hair, or maybe it was his BRIEFCASE flying in the air that missed the runner by a hair. It all happened so fast :) The runner dodged my dad, and flew to the right, nearly running into another runner, as people shouted to my dad and I, "You assholes! You idiots!"

I am happy it didn't make the news that night...

As for earlier that weekend...Friday night I met J at The Blue Note to see Bilal play (my first time hearing/seeing him) with Common as a special guest. It was PACKED-about 8 people were squeezed into long tables that could seat only four comfortably (and J was stuck next to a heavy guy eating chicken wings). Bilal's music is described as fusion of hip hop beats with jazz rythms into "his special brand of music." He did an amazing cover of the Radiohead song with the chorus that goes, "Everything in its right place". It was hard for me to not get up and start dancing (not crazily, just the way my body wants to move qwhen I hear a good beat)...I was very impressed with the piano player.

We ate a late late late dinner (1:30am) at Blue Ribbon...Their raw bar is excellent, especially the oysters, but I still think Balthazar has the best crab mayo. That place is hopping until 4 in the morning--and it isn't just chefs eating late. There are still dates going on, and friends meeting up. A very cool vibe.

Unfortunately, J was cranky and it wasn't the most comfortable of dinners...This crankiness lasted through brunch the next day, my waiting in the Virgin Megastore for him to pick out CD's for two hours, and through the early evening. Ever since our "Breakup for a Day", I've been a bit paranod/insecure...I began to worry that I was about to hear something about "how he wasn't comfortable with me right now" again. I sat quietly worrying and fuming on the couch, after he snapped at me because I didn't use a coaster on his table. The worrying slowly turned into getting angry as hell (Someone can do the kind of thing he did to me once, and at the time, you are sad. If he does it again, I would think, or at least hope, that being pissed off overrides the sad/sentimental feelings...) Glad I didn't have to find out because...

After he poutily announced that he "wasn't going to feel like going out that night", a miraculous thing happened that made him become a different person (or, his normal self) three hours later: He fell asleep.

That boy just needed a good nap. When he woke up he was his old party-planning, sweet, energetic self. He made plans for us to go out with his roomate Chien and Chien's "Swiss Friend" Martine (who is just adorable). We got drinks at a place near Sullivan and ate at Lupa. The table we were seated at, ironically, was the same table we sat at months ago, when I was still in my "Hm. J's nice, but...." phase.

On a work note:
I'm going to be writing two more books: Another Princess book and another Pooh book!!! So excited.

On Thursday morning, at 6:45 am, my plane departs for Racine, Wisconson to visit the Golden Books archives.

So I should get some sleep. Oh, this morning I had pre-cancerous tisssue from under my pre-cancerous tiny freckle on my back, removed. I never knew I was so queasy--I practically fainted when he stuck the needle in my back to give me local anesthesia.

My oh my my mind can run away without me...

Posted by lexzog at November 9, 2004 11:33 PM

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