FASHION WEEK - DAY 3: go towards the bright lights

Today was nice. I didn't go to Gotham Hall until 11am, so I ended up with a good night of sleep. The set and risers are mostly finished. I think they were about to test the lights and sound when I left at 6pm to go to the airport to pick up the models - which is probably all that I'll write about in this post because I need to keep it short.

A private car picked me up at Gotham and took me to JFK airport to pick up the models, their choreographer and model matron. Because the superbowl was starting traffic was moving pretty well. I got to the terminal and had to make change to finish stuffing envelopes with per diem money for each model so they can buy meals for the times they're not at Gotham to have the catered food. Stuffing 34 envelopes and sealing them (BTW, I didn't lick them, I used gaffers tape) takes a while, but it was just enough time for them to get through customs. I know I'm doing a lousy job telling this so I'm just going to cut it shorter.

Rounded up models in terminal. They all wanted to go outside and smoke. We got on the bus, they got their envelopes and we went to the Dylan Hotel in Manhattan where they checked in - only had one check-in issue which was quickly resolved. Blah blah.

The models are nice. They're pretty and young. They've got a lot of energy and behave just like young 20 year olds excited to be in New York City. It'll be interesting to see their professional side at work in Gotham Hall because tonight they just seemed like good looking young people.

As I left the hotel to walk to the subway station at Bryant Park, a group of the male models were on the corner and asked me where they could find a place to eat because, as they noticed, everything east of Bryant Park around their hotel was closed. I told them to go to Times Square but they didn't know which way it was so I told them to follow me because I was going in that direction. One model struck up a conversation with me about how he wanted to move to New York to pursue modeling and how he really liked it here. When I got to the park I told them, "from here you just need to go towards the bright lights" and pointed down 42nd street to the beacon of electric luster emanating from the hollow heart of the city, caged in by towering walls of concrete and steel. Walking down the stairs into the subway station I thought about how poignant it was to say that to models - go towards the bright lights - because they do: flashes and spotlights and set lights, key lights and fill lights. And they're going towards Times Square, the corporate media spotlight/tourist trap of the city. I could picture their bigs eyes and wild smiles as they trotted off in excitement and in a way I pitied them for their innocence while at the same time knowing that Times Square is exactly what they're looking for and that to direct them anywhere else would only lead to dissatisfaction, disappointment, and disarray.

When I got off the train in Brooklyn I was surprised to see more people out and about than I had seen in Manhattan. At 10pm on a Sunday men walking dogs, friends chatting on stoops, couples crossing the street, groups of young people laughing as they strolled jocosely under the bare canopy of the sidewalk. It was the superbowl that I had missed, New York had won the game. I smiled and was happy to be amongst Brooklyn, to see a different kind of light burning brightly on a cold and dark winter night, one that carried on beyond the screen and filled the dim-lit streets with a radiant energy.

FASHION WEEK - DAY 2: Steppin' up

Yesterday's blog entry was a little whiny - mostly motivated by that nasty little cold, which is on it's way out, or so it felt like it today. I'm actually pretty happy to working after a month of being unemployed and going to job interviews, etc. And even if I am working long hours, it's not the most strenuous or difficult work and the time somehow goes by pretty quickly.

Today my colleague (the guy who got me the job) asked me if I had experience in the food and hospitality industry because I really seemed to know how to work with the caterers and manage the dining area in Gotham Hall where all the crew and staff eat various meals throughout the day (which is one of my main duties). I didn't even make the connection until he said that, but I suppose all that time working at Marc's European Grill is lending itself to micro-management elsewhere, whether I'm conscious of it or not. After admitting my repertoire I was like, okay, I have done something like this before - and I whipped that little production dining room into shape. People took notice. Things went smoother after that.

Photos of the day:

This is the production office room / dressing room / sewing room / fittings, etc.
You can see the G-Star line on all the racks (each model has a rack). There's a security guard stationed in this room just to protect the garments.

I had to walk to the Dylan Hotel (E 41st between Madison and Park) to confirm the check-in process for the models, who I'll be transporting from the airport to the hotel tomorrow night. On my way I passed by Bryant Park, where the official fashion shows are held in the notorious white tents. Here's of shot of the tents with crazy skyscrapers in the background.


Finally, to promote biking as an alternative form of transportation, Donna Karan/ DKNY partnered with the New York City Dept. of Transportation to place bright neon orange bicycles throughout the city. This one was along 42nd Street near Bryant Park. They're chained down, but they're bright as hell. I wouldn't be surprised if they literally glow in the dark. But why does Donna Karan care about alternative forms of transportation? especially biking, which is so not fashionable.
High fashion carbon credits? Green washing? non-fashion transportation statement?
BTW, I love that there's a hummer, an SUV, and a pick-up on the street behind the bike!

FASHION WEEK - DAY 1: Rain all over my parade

I worked a twelve hour day today. It rained for 10 of those 12 hours and for some of that time I was out in the rain, dropping off nextel phones, picking up packages, and unloading G-Star clothes and furniture (yes, they shipped their own furniture to furnish the VIP rooms because they didn't like what was in there). I'm striving to get over a nasty cold that declared war on my body at the worst possible time. Basically, today was my intro day and it would have been fine if I'd felt fine, but it was miserable. Okay. That might be an exaggeration. I drank a lot of hot tea, and ate three catered meals that were decent. The work I'm doing is a step up from what a PA (production assistant) would do on a movie set - yeah, they're pretty much the gophers (is that the right term?), running around doing all the little tasks that pop up unexpectedly. My duties are a little more set and they'll become more so as the week goes on. So, again, I guess I'm exaggerating. There are 3 PAs on site and I'm not one of them. But I lend a hand where I can because at certain points in the day there's some down time. Anyways, I need to sleep so I can do the whole 12 hour day again tomorrow. Below are some photos of setting up in Gotham Hall - where the show will take place, and one photo of what I saw when I looked up upon exiting the building tonight.

LIVE TO BLEED

THIS HEART BLEEDS AT 7000 kilobits per second
THROUGH DEEP BLUE EYES AND HIGH SPEED LINES
AND MILES AND MILES OF MAKE-BELIEVE LIES
IN PICTURES OF MEN AND IN HEADLINE NEWS
I'M STARTING FIRES THAT BURN PAPERTHIN TRUTHS
WHILE THIS Papier-mâché MACHINE
PUMPS CORONARY DREAMS THAT BLAZE
AS THE LUNGS OF DOVES WHEN THEY SING
here is deciet
i made it in you
run away with my love
and make it untrue
ONLY ALL IS ON SCREEN THAT WILL EVER BEEN SEEN
AND BEYOND THIS REPLICATE LIGHT
AND MOONLESS COLD NIGHTS
AND WORDS THAT CRY OUT TO EYES UNABLE TO BEHOLD
ANYTHING OTHER THAN PAPER FOOLS GOLD

shut this lid and quit this lie
the world is on fire and it's all in your mind
but don't think it's not real
because this blood you can feel
fermenting red and blue
inside a corporal contract
to suffer happenstance
that to fight or deny
would make one feel as though they would die

BETWEEN THE BRANCHES OF THE WORLD THE SKY STILL SPINS
FALSE DREAMS OF GOLD WINGS THAT WERE NEVER BORN TO FLY
AND THE BIRDS STILL SING FROM FROZEN BOUGHS BROKEN
AS BONES ON UNFORGIVING GROUND

live to learn to let bleed the wounds that set free
our hearts from our minds and our eyes from the screen
there's a fire inside and it's out of control
let burn
let be
and live to bleed

Strategic Covert Human Operations

For the past few days my stomach hasn't been too happy. The possible suspects: bad lox, rancid seasoning, a gastronomical disagreement, or stress. Narrowing it down is futile. As an unfortunate result though, and because there are always so many people around in public, I've had to devise strategic methods to relieve/release the fermented gasiness in stealth. I will share this valuable knowledge I have gathered from, well, personal experience.

If on the sidewalk, walk closer to the street and wait for large trucks/cars to pass, then you pass.

In subway station: release as a train (that is not yours) passes - or, this is tricky, if it is your train, release as it is pulling into the station (to mask sound) then quickly walk away from area towards the doors of a car further down the station and board as though nothing is unusual - because if something appears unusual, someone might see something and then say something. Do it right and no one will ever know.

I suspect you could also find alleys, alcoves, open space if you're lucky to be near a park. There's room for creativity, which is a good thing. Perhaps I'll update with more strategies, though I really hope this gastro-disaster passes before I have the opportunity to do that.

Hello, you're laughing a little but also a little grossed out. It's okay. It'll pass.

One Storm

On April 19, 2003 I wrote the following in my journal:

"A revolution is taking place in the hearts and minds of Americans. I'm not certain how long it has been brewing but I think for the most part it is fairly recent. It's like a rumbling in the distance as a violent storm approaches. People from all walks of life are waking up and sharing their experiences with others...Our freedom is being stripped right in front of our faces and people are starting to see the truth. Each side is building their army, preparing for the inevitable. Our history has been defined by a series of revolts of the oppressed against the oppressors...and will cyclically continue until there is no people ruling over other people...Many will die, man may even destroy himself in the process, but one thing is sure, as storm is approaching."

Today when I meditate most deeply on the present moment I feel that same violent storm only now it is not so distant. Now I can see it on the horizon. I feel it's momentous electricity everywhere about me, rousing every atom in my being. And everything I read and see and sense only confirms this vision.

We are on the verge of massive change. Revolution is not only evident but desperately necessary. To say otherwise is to suspend reason in the face of a surplus of evidence. What is happening is beyond our reign of control. This is nature. And if you allow yourself to be aligned with nature you will become this revolution to rid the world of the oppressive agents that have subjugated life on this planet for far too long. We are one life on this planet and you are either for it or against it.

We are One. We are not seperate from nature, we are nature and the same forces governing the weather are woven through every man, woman, and child, through the grass and trees, the food that we eat, the water we drink.

This makes sense in connection with the devastating and dramatic events we are attributing to "climate change". The planet is getting hotter because the planet is angry (sounds like something you'd hear a shaman of native american tribe say to explain global warming). But it is true. Nature is very upset and is preparing to fight back. If life doesn't fight back it will cease to exist with the way things are going.

This electricity, this anger, all this pandemonium that we can see and feel in the world today - is the storm. It should not be feared no more than a summer thunderstorm. It is a force of nature. It is necessary for the renewal of life on this planet just as a rainstorm is necessary for renewal of vegetation after a drought.

Listen. Open your heart and mind to nature and join the revolution for Life. What each of us must do will become clear once we have made our allegiance and renounced our greed.

The Music that Colors my Life

I've added a sidebar with links to the right side of my blog (under Hillary). The links lead to the Myspace pages of artists that I've discovered recently and would like to share. I'll add more as I find them/they find me. Hope you enjoy. If you like them look them up on the HypeMachine to find more songs and MP3s for your continued listening pleasure.

mucho love,

joe

Empire State Building between Brooklyn smoke stacks

Taken with phone camera so terrible quality... but this is the view from Fort Greene park looking towards Manhattan. I like to walk to this one spot where when I look at the ESB it is between the smoke stacks. I don't know why I like to see it framed like that. It's almost as if the ESB represents a certain achievement in architecture and economic class... and then there's the smoke stacks which, to me at least, are working class, ugly architecture (though I can appreciate their presence), polluting, etc. I like seeing these two world come together and to see the smoke stacks eclipse the ESB in perceived hight and also on either side of it.

Maybe I can get a better photo when I have a job and money to buy a nice camera. Until then, this is what I'm sharing. I took this today in 20 degree weather. My face went numb. But I love going to the park. It's the best thing within a 5 minute walk - even on a frigid winter day. To see that and be amongst old and tall trees in an austere stillness is worth a numb face, fingers and toes.

America Sold Out

From the article
Foreigners Buy Stakes in the U.S. at a Record Pace

“The forces sucking in this capital are much bigger than the political forces,” said Mr. Garten, the Yale trade expert. “If there is a big controversy, it will be between Washington on the one hand and corporate America on the other. In that contest, the financiers and the businessmen are going to win, as they always do.”

What a statement! The businessmen will win, as they always do! And in contest to government! It's so true but crazy to read it this blatantly and of all places the New York Times. The people with the money are the ones calling the shots - not politicians (who act as the public face that says "I support people" but instead cater to money).

Also worthy of bringing to attention is the fact that the more removed the ownership from the assets (people/property/quality) the less concern there is for what actually happens at the local level. In other words, foreign investors only care about the money coming out of their investment (after all, it was money that brought them here to begin with) because that's all they ever really see from their corporate office abroad. They don't care if the people are healthy and safe, if the environment is preserved, or how their business affects the local economy and livelihood. All that matters is that it keeps making them a profit, and they'll cut corners where they have to so they can increase their profits and attract investors to their stock.

I think this is bad news for Americans. Businesses are selling out to save themselves in a short-sighted attempt at a quick fix for an economy now in recession.

Good Day G-Star

Went to the American corporate HQ for G-Star Raw tonight to pick out a G-Star outfit for the show. The HQ is like a private G-Star store with all the latest items, some of which haven't even made it to stores yet. It was cool to check out rooms and rooms of G-Star clothes, some being sent off to Italy and elsewhere for shoots for catalogs, ads and promotional material. I picked out a cool jacket, a pair of Raw denim, a shirt, and belt. Michelle, the G-Star team member who was assisting us placed my items in a bag and off I went. Oh, the denim is being tailored to fit me exactly and I'll have to pick it up next week. Not a bad perk for a job that lasts only a week. I'll try to get a photo of me in the whole ensemble. They said I looked like one of the G-Star guys... haha... hey G-Star, want to give me a modeling job?

Hands That Bleed

A minor bike accident lead to a bloody palm. I took the subway and met with Jeff, the PM (production manager) for the G-Star fashion show that I'll be working the first week in February, then got back on the subway, re-united with my bike and rode home, one gloved hand on the handlebars and the other at my back, naked, cold and raw. It's healing quickly.
{not the best photoshop skills on this one...}

After falling down the stairs and now the bike accident my body is pretty sore all over - which hasn't kept me in the best mood. I'm irritable and annoyed. But I'll spare you all the rant and just say one (long and drawn out) thing: conscientious living is key to living in harmony with others. I continually re-discover that being aware of other's needs and respecting the communal space we all inhabit isn't something most people can do. This disappoints me. I expect more from people because I give them that respect. This is fundamental to the human condition and our existence on this earth. It's about sharing and respecting what we share (places and things), taking care of these places and things, and making sure they endure for as long as we can sustain them so that we can continue to enjoy them and share them with future generations. This isn't happening with the majority of people and I blame our culture and social institutions for turning people against eachother and teaching them to only look out for their own interest.

If I could slap them all with a bloody hand... ;)

The day I defended my house from squirrels

To the left is a photo of my backyard. Usually I can look out my window and see blue jays, woodpeckers, and an assortment of interesting birds. It's nice to wake up and birdwatch. Then there's the squirrels. cute - at first. They somehow found a way to get in the ceiling above my room. Every now and then I would hear them scrambling around up there - but the past few days they've been bad. Barking, screeching, fighting, biting, scuffles and bangs. I lost sleep over this, partly because I felt guilty that I had trapped squirrels in the ceiling by covering a suspected hole in the roof (defunct chimney) and now I had to listen to their screams of a slow death.

The next morning I looked out the window and could see them running along branches in the trees and crawling in and out of a small hole under the gutter above me. I was super sore from falling down the stairs the night before (a whole different story) but decided that I had enough of these squirrels. I climbed onto the roof, scared them out of the ceiling with a rusty rake and devised a plan to stuff the hole so they couldn't get back in. A cambell's soup can fit snugly as I hung half my body off the top of the house to reach the hole. Danger is nothing in the face of desperation. We had called the landlord and she was working on getting a trapper or exterminator but I just couldn't wait any longer. It had to end that morning. For good.

It's been a few days and I haven't heard a thing. There are less squirrels and more birds now. Peace has been restored to the backyard. The exterminators are still coming - just to be on the safe side. It feels so gratifying to solve your own problems, especially when previously perceived to be out of your hands. I figure this story isn't that exciting if you weren't here to witness - but I feel like it's one of my major accomplishments since I've moved here.

Squirrels beware.

The Infinite Distraction

You gotta love New York when it comes to taking your mind off of, well, anything. The bright lights, the buzz, the scene, the look - whatever you want it's here, even if you didn't know you wanted it. And even if you don't want anything, well there's plenty on display to keep you guessing. Work hard, play hard. At the end of the day the working New Yorker doesn't want to deal with anything real - no more stress, no more tackling the deep questions of life - that's what we do during the day. Come night or come time off, we're out and about clouding our vision with anything: entertainment, drinks, sex, amazing food, gossip, bright lights and the buzz of it all.

This lifestyle is such a contrast from life in New Mexico. There the opportunity for distraction is far removed. In some ways you're almost forced to focus on yourself, on the deeper and bigger issues in life and in the world. There isn't much to take your mind off of the more complicated and trying times we experience when we're all alone at the end of a day, left with whatever it is that consumes our thoughts. It's no wonder the land of enchantment is such a draw for the soul seekers - it's like rehab for the culturally saturated. The mind is free. Which is such a virtue for some and for others it's torture. Not everyone wants to face themselves. And who's to say it's a good thing that they do? Even New Mexican's find ways to distract themselves from the self/the world (because they really are one thing). Hello catholicism and the city life (ABQ/SF).

Though I will say that New Mexico offers a viable alternative - the landscape. Where New York.... eh, it's landscape is a collage of anything and everything. There's definitely no solace in its contemplation - just perplexity and complexity, and a distraction from whatever it is you were thinking of in the first place.

As they say in Brooklyn, fuggetaboutit!

New York Cares

New York is... narcissistic. So much so that other people seem to exist solely for the benefit of one's self - as an audience, as consumers, as objects of affection, desire, fame and fortune. In the end, it's all about you, baby - oh wait, I mean me. It's all about me.

"I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps
To find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap"

I've questioned how so many people living so closely with one another can look past the existence of others so easily, sitting on the subway, walking along crowded sidewalks, huddled in small eateries and squeezing through narrow aisles in the grocery store. But I think I'm starting to realize that here it's not about the other, it's about "me". As long as I'm doing fine, that's all that matters.

Because of this extreme individualism and narcissism the potential for human connection and relation is tenuous. I doubt that many people see themselves connected to something larger. It's a compartmentalized world. Objects floating in space with no relationship except that we're all floating here together. Actually, we're not in it together, we're in it for ourselves. Everything outside us is separate. There isn't a sense of holistic community, of all people sharing some common heart - the same struggle, if it is only that we all struggle in some way, suffer in some way. But to New York, these are weaknesses. If you're suffering it's your problem - not mine. I guess I feel like people just don't care as deeply for other people here. Everyone is so detached and into themselves. It makes sense though when you think of the type of people New York produces - cut-throat individuals who made themselves successful by trying to be the best over all the rest.

Burlesque Boob-drop New Years

To end 2007 and begin 2008 I went with Maya and some of her friends to Murray Hill's (a notorious Drag King) burlesque show at the Zipper Factory. It was campy, kitschy, and overall pretty wonderful. Here is a photo of burlesque performer Dirty Martini and another of Bob, doing the Boob-Drop at midnight.



Afterwards we all raided the stage and danced with the performers and made a big mess of the place. New Year's Resolution: keep doing weird shit like this!