Kitchenbeard gets a job.

First Canada, now Spain.

Quelle surprise: Tom Cruise says he believes in aliens!

Houston & Broadway, Soho.

Just Be.

We see so much in the world of fashion that appears aggressive, pointless and dark, and we wanted to tip the scales in the other direction, through something as everyday and ubiquitous as a T-shirt.

Marcio, a friend of mine (Brazilian, imagine that!), has been designing the coolest t-shirts that you can get at his web site [justbenyc.com] or at The Starting Line in Chelsea (NYC).

It happened last week in New York.

A Week of Meltdown and Disasters in New York City

"The day after the summer solstice, there was a full moon over New York. Not since 1987 had the lunar presence loomed so large in the nighttime sky. Yet this seemingly auspicious sign was preceded by a series of small disasters across the city. At 56th Street and Fifth Avenue, a massive pavement collapse created "the mother of all potholes." At least one onlooker thought that a meteor had hit, and the Times calculated that the gaping orifice could accommodate no fewer than 86 average-size people, or 102,900 bagels. In Union Square, an attempt to erect a 25-foot, 17.5-ton ice pop went terribly awry as the noontime sun reduced the kiwi-strawberry obelisk to a river of pink goo, which upended several passing cyclists and sent one woman to the hospital with a badly sprained ankle. The failed erection dashed New York's hopes of snatching the giant-Popsicle record from the Dutch village of Katwijk aan den Rijn, but it was not expected to hurt the city's Olympic chances. For the second time in a week, a helicopter went down in the waters around Manhattan. The passengers, corporate executives from Delaware, were pulled from the treacherous East River currents by NYPD and civilian rescuers, and showed their gratitude by taking out full-page notices in the city's papers proclaiming WE LOVE NEW YORK. Less fortunate was a 14-year-old boy who fell off a homemade raft and disappeared into the murky depths of the Bronx River. (What do the city's waterways look like under the surface? To get an idea, one scuba trainer said, "Go into a closet, turn out the lights, and put your hands over your eyes.") The public furor over the fate of ground zero went on unabated, gay-bashing incidents were reported to be sharply up, and as many as one in four subway MetroCard swipes continued to prove mysteriously ineffective. On a blither note--and since no hebdomadal wrap-up would be complete without a boldface name--Uma Thurman was observed knitting a sweater during her son Levon's first visit to the barber. Happy Fourth!"

Pride 2005

It felt great dancing at the pier. I was not sure if I would last long but last I did. With the support of my friends. The pier dance is one of my favorite parties - it's such a happy atmosphere, it's outside and it starts/ends early. I have been doing it for 18 years and every year I have a blast.

This year it was more meaningful, it had the taste of a personal victory.

Priceless moment: this guy comes up to me and says "oh my god, I heard what happened to you!" and without missing a beat, he added: "do you know anyone who has crystal?"

Priceless moment #2: meeting Terrence.

As Joe said, worlds SHOULD collide.

Houston & Broadway.

Happy Gay Pride!

Gay Haiku
by Joel Derfner
(forwarded by Mr. RA)

Art, music, theater,
Apricot-mango face scrub--
What haven't gays done?

***
Mother's dilemma:
Her son is gay, but dating
A Jewish doctor.

***
See the eight-year-old
Knitting mittens on the bus.
Does his mother know?

***
Yes, this feels quite good.
Still, could you pick up the pace?
Golden Girls is on.

***
Group sex would be great
If it weren't for this sad truth,
People have elbows.

***
How is it you knew
I wasn't faithful? Oh, yeah:
Bite marks on my ass.

Haiku is one of the most important forms of traditional Japanese poetry. Haiku is a very short poetic form: Traditional Japanese haiku consisted of three lines of 5, 7, and 5 units (morae) which generally corresponded to syllables.

Big Cup, Pride 2004.

Not going anywhere:

Really good friends and Manhattan.

Cannonball.

Damien Rice says:

"Stones taught me to fly
Love, taught me to lie
Life taught me to die
So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball
(...)
It's not hard to grow
When you know that you just don't know"

Bad Behavior: "Tom Cruise has gone from top gun to major asshole while we weren't looking."

Remember the Chelsea Crystal Ring bust a couple of years ago?

Martha! The Musical.

Secret of the week.

"It seems that Snapple wanted to break some Guinness Book of World Records record by having the largest popsicle EVER and decided that Union Square would be the place to do it. Except the popsicle melted..." [Gothamist]

Radio City.

Patterns.

What amazes me most about crystal stories is that they all follow the same pattern. Your hear about someone's changed behavior and you know how that story will evolve and end.

I sold crystal so that I could have as much as I wanted for myself to shoot up and not have to pay for it. I didn't even really consider myself a drug dealer, rather, I was simply providing a service for my friends. Isn't it amazing how we try to tart up even the most low-down and tawdry behavior so that we don't feel as shitty about ourselves as we really should?"
[Bill in Exile]

Tina Tuna Walk.

Folsom 2005.

Glad to report that I survived Folsom yesterday.

I saw a lot of people and among them a lot of blogger-friends and friend-bloggers: Boozhy, Joe. My. God., Robocub, We, Like Sheep and the latest addition to my blogroll, Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte.

I know everybody was concerned - and I appreciate it - but there are some people I just do not want to discuss my story with. Like V, that asshole, who came up to me and asked "Is it true?..." and proceeded to dispense advice.

Mr. JB, who, similarly but for different causes, was away from the social scene for the last year taught me this weekend to answer those people with: "I really do not feel like talking about it, ESPECIALLY with you."

I mean, I mean

"I mean, I mean and that is not what I mean, I mean that not any one is saying what they are meaning, I mean that I am feeling something, I mean that I mean something and I mean that not any one is thinking, is feeling, is saying, is certain of that thing, I mean that not any one can be saying, thinking, feeling, not any one can be certain of that thing, I mean I am not certain of that thing, I am not ever saying, thinking, feeling, being certain of this thing, I mean, I mean, I know what I mean." Gertrude Stein, The Making of Americans.

Fingerspitzengefuhl

"Fingerspitzengefühl is that great mouthful of a German word that describes having a sure instinct about something, an intuitive understanding."

It's really, really nice.

I arrived in NYC Friday morning and after a quick stop at Murray's on 8th for a bagel (oh, I missed bagels...), Mr. DF & I took the train to Fire Island. I guess you can call it the Jet Set life.

It was perfect: the weather, the house, the people.

It was the first time I was doing something social in NY (albeit FI) since I had gone into the hospital almost 1 year ago. It was also the first time I was seeing again a lot of people I know and being where we were took all the pressure off (I was anxious). Say what you will about The Pines - it can be an amazing place. I will quote my friend Eric, who writes We, Like Sheep, and was one of the people I re-connected with this weekend:

At first glance, Fire Island (and I specifically mean the hamlet known as the Pines), is a profoundly stupid place. All of the pathologies of gay life in New York are simply exported to a slightly remote barrier island: bitchy attitude, body fascism, classism, dance music, alcoholism, drug-fueled sex marathons, and flag dancing. Add Lyme disease, premature aging of the skin from sun exposure, monopolistic pricing, and an incorrect understanding of appropriate beach attire for persons over 18, and you have to wonder why anyone would bother to go out there.

The answer: it's really, really nice.

After a long week spent in a huge city where you can never escape the sound of a car horn or a police siren, it's so unbelievably refreshing to be in a place with no cars where the sounds of the waves and the birds drown out pretty much anything that humans can come up with (ok, you still hear the occasional thump of dance music or moan of a group orgasm, but the sounds of nature generally win out).

Hello NY!

I'm leaving Belo Horizonte in a couple of hours, going to New York. And I have butterflies...

Mr. DF has been my biggest motivator. Tomorrow I will pretty much arrive on a train to The Pines where we will have the weekend to catch up. Looking forward to that. But Sunday...

"Friends, not family, are the key to a longer life, a new study suggests." [New Scientist]

Jon Stewart, hilarious, on the last minutes of the MJ trial.

Have I mentioned I heart David Sedaris?

"I've become weirdly obsessed with this photo (NSFW) of Playboy Cyber Girl Jessica Kramer." [MemeFirst]

A gallery of casino carpeting photos: "Many of the carpets use flowers and wheels, both suggestive of a cyclical life: flowers bud, bloom, and then die, and their beauty is only ephemeral." Via kottke.

Things get worse.

Brazil's Governing Party Knew of Vote Payoffs, Legislator Says. [NYTimes]

Via Kibe Loco!

'Cause I've seen blue skies.

Dr. Frank-N-Furter is going home:

On the day I went away
Goodbye
Was all I had to say
Now I
I want to come again and stay
Oh my
Smile, and that will mean I may
'Cause I've seen blue skies
Through the tears in my eyes
And I realize I'm going home
I'm going home
Everywhere, it's been the same
Feeling
Like I'm outside in the rain
Wheeling
Free to try and find a game
Dealing
Cards for sorrow
Cards for pain
'Cause I've seen blue skies
Through the tears in my eyes
And I realize I'm going home

I'm going home
I'm going home
I'm going home

[Thanks Mr. DS]

AND JACKSON GETS OFF — AGAIN!

UnThriller. Jacko: American Nightmare. [Andrew Sullivan]

Paris takes L.A.: "So she's a celebrity famous for doing nothing. Seems like this year's choice fits the city's image to a T." [towleroad]

Labyrinth.

I am in a labyrinth. Any direction I take doesn't seem to be the good one. Anyway, where am I trying to escape from? Who said Open, Sesame! I want to leave? I want to get in, like Ali Baba.

***
Thanks to Mr. DF, who gave me an airline ticket for my birthday (one-way only, I wonder why...), I'm coming to New York this week. And I have mixed feelings.

I miss New York terribly but not as a tourist, which is how I feel I'm traveling this time.

I am in a labyrinth.

What can I get for "10 Dollar"?

M.I.A. will tell you here.

"i've met so many incredible people this week in the streets of THE VILLAGE, on the subway, in restaurants and cd stores. i'm starting to feel like i made the right decision in moving back to NEW YORK CITY." [rupaul weblog] (it makes me feel better about MY decision - more on it soon)

The Horrors of 'Meth Mouth': Methamphetamine is taking a unique and grisly toll inside its users' mouths.

Mass Niche Nation.

"We used to be one nation, undivided, under three networks, three car companies and two brands of toothpaste for all. Today we are the mass niche nation." [NYTimes Op-Ed]

Via PostSecret.

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand Six Hundred Minutes.

Measure Your Life In Love.

Great 'Rent' trailer!

Corrupção.

This week, a study published in Veja Magazine shows that CORRUPTION is the number one reason why Brazilians are not proud of their country.

Etymologically the word 'corruption' comes from the Latin verb 'corruptus' (to break); it literally means broken object. Conceptually, corruption is a form of behavior, which departs from ethics, morality, tradition, law and civic virtue. The United Nation's Global Programme Against Corruption defines corruption as the 'abuse of power for private gain' and includes thereby both the public and private sector. Although perceived differently from country to country, corruption tends to include the following behaviors: conflict of interest, embezzlement, fraud, bribery, political corruption, nepotism, sectarianism and extortion. [Political Corruption in Brazil]

This week, "experts, parliamentarians and representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations from some 100 countries are taking part in the fourth global forum on fighting corruption, which opened in Brazil on Tuesday." The forum was opened by Brazilian President Lula who "says Brazil is serious about fighting corruption".

This week, in a huge disappointment for the majority of Brazilians who elected him as the president who would make a difference (ideological forgery?), the 'dream come true' worker who ascended to power (does the power always corrupt?), Lula battles corruption charges.

It's a very sad time in Brazil.

1 year ago at FOLSOM EAST forwarded by Kitchenbeard.

New Sedaris.

"It’s always so satisfying when you can twist someone’s hatred into guilt—make them realize that they were wrong, too quick to judge, too unwilling to look beyond their own petty concerns. The problem is that it works both ways. I’d taken this woman as the type who arrives late at a movie, then asks me to move behind the tallest person in the theatre so that she and her husband can sit together. Everyone has to suffer just because she’s sleeping with someone. But what if I was wrong? I pictured her in a dimly lit room, trembling before a portfolio of glowing X-rays. “I give you two weeks at the most,” the doctor says. “Why don’t you get your toenails done, buy yourself a nice pair of cutoffs, and spend some quality time with your husband. I hear the beaches of North Carolina are pretty nice this time of year.”

I looked at her then, and thought, No. If she’d had so much as a stomach ache, she would have mentioned it. Or would she? I kept telling myself that I was within my rights, but I knew it wasn’t working when I turned back to my puzzle and started listing the various reasons I was not an asshole

Forty across: “I give money to p—”

Forty-six down: “—ublic radio.”"
The New Yorker

Stained Chain Saw.

Man With Stained Chain Saw Let in to U.S.: "'Being bizarre is not a reason to keep somebody out of this country or lock them up. ... We are governed by laws and regulations, and he did not violate any regulations.'

Anthony conceded it 'sounds stupid' that a man wielding what appeared to be a bloody chain saw could not be detained."
Via The Huffington Post.

Keeping Secrets.

"The bottom line is this: I'm not convinced I know anyone who can keep a secret for 33 years. The very idea seems as quaint as 18 1/2 minutes of silence - on reel-to-reel tape. Perfect acquaintances seem bent on sharing details of their extramarital affairs and colonoscopies. By nature we Americans are a talky people, given to self-expression and self-definition. We put bumper stickers and vanity plates on our cars, decals on our windows. We wear school rings on our fingers. Even when we're not talking, our T-shirts are."
NYTimes Op-Ed: Spilling Each and Every Bean.

Milking Cows.

I just came back from a few days at the farm, where I am always forced to choose between meditation or milking cows. Meditation wins.

It was also my birthday, an occasion naturally propense to questionioning life's direction.

I feel like I am on a hiatus, neither here nor there. I have unfinished business in NY, I hesitate on settling in Belo Horizonte. It's a no win situation. And time keeps running...

I am itching to go back to New York, even if just to visit.

When is Folsom Street East?

'Good' Crooks and 'Bad' Crooks.

Dear Sir,
Confidential Business Proposal

Having consulted with my colleagues and based on the information gathered from the Nigerian Chambers Of Commerce And Industry, I have the privilege to request your assistance to transfer the sum of $47,500,000.00 (forty seven million, five hundred thousand United States dollars) into your accounts. The above sum resulted from an over-invoiced contract, executed, commissioned and paid for about five years (5) ago by a foreign contractor. This action was however intentional and since then the fund has been in a suspense account at The Central Bank Of Nigeria Apex Bank.

I have been receiving this email for years now. If they keep sending it, people must fall for the scam.

And who are these people that fall for it?

Naive? Well, a naive but honest person won't act on the offer to rip off miserable people from a poor (even if corrupt) country. These people are the 'Bad' Crooks - dishonest AND stupid.

They deserve the consequences.

Sunday in the farm with kids.

43 today.

What do I want to do with my life?

Tomorrow.

And I hear you say
As I fade away
We don't have to wait till tomorrow

Listen to Jimmy Hendrix here.

"Brazilian Girls play Irving Plaza Wednesday night. Not Brazilian. Not girls. (well, one girl)" [Gothamist]

"A sexually transmitted disease rarely seen in recent decades in the United States has reemerged in Boston and other American cities in the past six months, fostering fears that it could herald a new wave of infections of an even more dangerous disease, AIDS." Forwarded by kitchenbeard.

'DEEP THROAT' COUGHS IT UP': "Today’s Rejected Post Headline: DEEP THROAT SPITS IT OUT. Today’s Alternate Rejected Post Headline: DEEP THROAT SWALLOWS HIS PRIDE. Is this an example of remarkable restraint on the part of Post editors — or a blown opportunity?" [Gawker]

New Subway House Rules:
- Placing a foot on a seat or platform bench - $50
- Walking between subway cars - $75
[Gothamist]

Public Chair: I heart NY.

You saw it here first: "Bless Me, Blog, for I've Sinned." [NYTimes]