11 posts tagged “take action”

i fell in love with Steveo in the rain at Merriweather Post
and i asked him to marry me at Prospect Park's Steady show.
i think together we have seen hundreds
when we drink, we all fall in love....

Summer 2008 (to be continuously updated, revised, and revisited):
June
2 & 3 - Rilo Kiley; Terminal 5, NY
14 - Vampire Weekend; Central Park Summer Stage, NY
16 - Jose Gonzalez; The Stone Pony, Asbury Park, NJ
16 - Modest Mouse; Main Street Armory, Rochester, NY
18 - R.E.M. with Modest Mouse & The National; The Mann Center, Philadelphia, PA
19 - Medeski, Martin, & Wood; Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY free show
20 - My Morning Jacket; Radio City Music Hall, NY
25 - Citizen Cope; Surf Club, Ortley Beach, NJ
27 - Benevento Russo Duo; The Stone Pony, Asbury Park
29 - The Hold Steady; McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn, NY free show

July
1 - Alabama 3; The Fillmore, NY
4 - Sonic Youth; River to River Festival, Manhattan, NY
7 - Black 47; Jenkinson's Pavilion, Point Pleasant Beach
18 - Mike Doughty; The Stone Pony, Asbury Park
23 - Dr. Dog; Bowery Ballroom, NY
27 - Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band; Giants Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ

August
4 - The National; Central Park Summer Stage, NY
7 - The Black Keys; McCarren Park Pool, Brooklyn, NY
8 - All Points West - Radiohead, The New Pornographers, Girl Talk, etc; Liberty State Park
8 - American Babies; Riverside Gardens Park, Red Bank, NJ
9 - The New Pornographers; Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA
12 - Radiohead; Susquehanna Center, Camden, NJ
12 - Bob Dylan; Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY
13 - Bob Dylan; Convention Hall, Asbury Park, NJ
13 - Wilco; McCarren Park Pool
13 - Dr. Dog; Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia, PA
14 - The Hold Steady; 9:30 Club, DC
15 - Dirty Projectors; South Street Seaport, NY
26 - Dr. Dog; Music Hall, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY
27 - Billy Idol; The Stone Pony, Asbury Park
29 - Sonic Youth w/ The Hold Steady; TLA, Philadelphia, PA

Shows I wish would come around or ones I could run off to...
Austin City Limits, Rothbury Music Festival, Iron & Wine, Catfish Haven, Birdmonster, The Alligators, Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks,The Octopus Project, The Knife, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah....

stepped into a little bit of luck last week.
found some good goodies on the bar room floor.
won free tickets off the radio.
thought about driving to atlantic city, but questioned whether i was pushing it. (and once you start to question it, you lose it)
ANYWAY
tonight is the Jose Gonzalez show and given the weekend i just had, it couldn't have come at a better time. Steveo and i are going (plus some newbies and siblings and the usual crew). the show is at the pony, which is legendary, and drinks and dinner will be scattered throughout asbury park.
so thanks brookdale public radio for the free show

went exploring last weekend. found myself in an old city new, in a foreign state, in the company of good friends. the night was massive and we were having too much fun to turn to bed when the taps were closed and the music stopped. hell, we had one night in a different town - no salty air, no pimple faced bike cops, no high school reunions, no curfews, no guilt. we had a night of exploration.
abandoned the hotel room at 2am. made a left, looking for the water. searching out the neon lights of some far off casino. we were giddy. barefoot and blistered - my steps were more hops; walking was more like dancing - sometimes i bounced forward, sometimes i fell into the man next to me. we kept each other steady.
it was suddenly sad however.
i'm young, but not naive - at least not in matters like these. i have seen the weak scale the great wall trying to sell tourists postcards and water, trying to make some money. i've seen their wide eyes pleading from behind ply wood down a beijing alley. i've fed the starving babies, in a vomit scented orphanage in africa.  rubbed the bellies of the hungry. stood in soup kitchens. volunteered in hospitals. brought christmas presents to motel rooms....
suddenly we were walking down homeless alley. in a state capital. SO MANY PEOPLE sleeping on the sidewalk, on the cold metal of a bus stop bench. sitting on cement, blankets wrapped around them. stooping in doorways.
where were all these people in the daytime? was i ignorant? was i so occupied with having a good time that i didn't see them walking the sunlit streets? did they ask me for food or money or time? do they ask anybody? is anybody listening? we turned the block - we had to - i was in no mental state for it. the side street was worse. i think there was a church on the corner - where was jesus?
we eventually made it to the river. to the neon lights of some casino. and we sat underneath a great stone bridge, amazed at the stillness of the water and the 4am silence. i had this song stuck in my head. i had this feeling  in the back of my throat.  these words kept repeating:

This ain’t living

Yesterday was Earth Day (not April 21st....) and here is my crunchy, granola eating, Earth Day resolution:

Adventures in Composting

Seriously, the majority of my diet can fit into a compost pile (coffee, fruit, vegetables, beans....) plus, I can use it instead of commercial fertilizers which not only saves money, but also (ta- daa!) helps the environment. Furthermore, I love disgusting, moldy, rotting, worms and bugs and microorganisms, change of life stuff - watching matter decompose (death) and then using it to help something grow (life).... circles, circles, walk around in circles 

I will provide some updates on this new adventure and maybe even throw a few pics of moldy banana peels and rotten apple cores as soon as the stuff starts getting good.

So this video is that heartfelt, forwarded message, god loves you, and these fat, little cherub babies are so cute crap, but i like the song (takes me back to mid 90's when GRock used to be FM 106.3 and different radio stations actually played different songs)....

from a Dan Jones email:

Anyone seen the line up for this effer?

Radiohead, Underworld, The Go Team, Girl Talk, Michael Franti, Nicole Atkins (Jersey's Own - In fact - Monmouth County's Own - A Glorified St. Rose High School Production), Grace Potter and the Nocturnals .......

Now only if they could throw The National and Hot Chip in....

August 8th and 9th - Liberty State Park 

Tickets are 90 BIG ones - ouch - (but when you break it down, that is less then $6 a week from now till then - could break a cancer butt habit and afford some damn good tix)

Patiently Waiting For Saturday.....

(music only, no video)

Bored?
Need something to do?
Live in the Tri State (minus Connecticut, plus Philly)?
Check out some events occurring this month....

George Carlin - 4/4 & 4/5
How can you not love a man who curses worse then a Jersey native, yet shined as Mr. Conductor in Shining Time Station?
April 4th - Patriots Theater at the War Memorial, Trenton
April 5th - Borgata Music Box, Atlantic City

Mike Doughty - 4/4 - Highline
Short and simple, with plenty sounds of Soul Coughing, Golden Delicious gets better with each listen. Beat, Bop, Beat, Ta Da - you are singing some word like Japanesey.  It doesn't take long to establish album favorites and realize that Doughty is less pop and more poetic then you originally thought.
Wanna read a decent review?
Wanna see a sickee show?

6th Annual Garden State Film Festival - 4/3 - 4/6
Films. Benefits. The Legendary Asbury Park.

Phillies v Mets @ Shea - 4/8 - 4/10
How could you not be excited for the 2008 season (especially after the Phils stole it last September)?!?!
On Tuesday, Mets home opener, the promotion people are giving away magnetic schedules (yeah!) and on Thursday you get rally towels (does this get any better?). So you Mets fans got Santana, I still smell a Philly sweep coming.
Mets Schedule
Phillies Road to Victory

Spoon - 4/9 - Terminal 5

Tristan Prettyman - 4/10 & 4/11
I am a complete sucker for her soft spoken sweetness. Sexy with GLove, almost cheesy with  The Story. It doesn't really matter much to me, because a girl's gotta have some female vocalists in her musical repertoire.
4/10 - Blender Theater
4/11 - World Cafe Live, Philly

Mike Doughty - 4/11
The Fillmore at the TLA, South Street, Philly

State Radio - 4/12 - The Stone Pony
The quiet words of Keepsake have accompanied me on many late drives home from work.  It took some time to decipher (or make up my own) lyrics, but I'm gonna hold a pen, while you drag my arm across the page ranks high in my personal favorites.  Plus, seeing a show at The Stone Pony is like seeing a show in your best friends dimly lit garage (if your friend's garage happens to have four full bars and be across the street from the beach).
I would definitely check them out.

Hot Chip - 4/12 - Terminal 5
Everybody's whistling the Hot Chip sound
People hear the beat and then their bodies move around
When the ground's shaking then you know you've felt the bass
Then the singing starts and they proceed to wreck the place

Probably the most anticipated show of the year. Brooklyn Vegan provides some useful information, as usual, along with some interesting comments (complaints? - f-ing whiners). The Terminal 5 show is sold out, but as BV notes, there were some added dates in Williamsburg, Philly, DC and NYC. (plus I may have an extra T5 ticket that is not going for the ridiculous price of $350)

Umphrey's McGee - 4/17 - Starland Ballroom
This is what they do not tell you on the Starland site: driving to this venue requires a trip back in time. You are bound to get lost and if/when you do find the place it will be 1987; however an all-ages, $20 event may be well worth your troubles. Interested?

The Big Lebowski - 4/19 - Count Basie Theater
Yes, you read that right.  Red Bank's historic Count Basie Theater is showing The Big Lebowski with special guest Jeff "The Dude" Dowd.  Thought you loved TBL on your 19", try it on the BIG screen. Tickets are $20 - not too costly for a Saturday night.

The Onion presents "Our Dumb World" - 4/20 - Highline Ballroom
The Onion may be some of the best journalism(?) ever printed.  Therefore, can you afford to miss a discussion of their latest book, "Our Dumb World"? For $5, I think not.

They Might Be Giants (a family show) - 4/20 - Town Hall, NY
Who didn't love the Malcolm in the Middle theme song? (C'mon - you're not the boss of me now and you're not so big - genius) So maybe its not the show you saw 10 years ago, but are you the same person anyway? Maybe you have some of those little miniature yous running around your suburban dwelling place. If so, take the family to Town Hall.

She & Him - 4/21 & 4/22 - Hiro Ballroom, NY
Confession: I wasn't enamored the first time through. A little too soft, a little too Carly Simon; however, I am an a**hole, because the sweet sounding harmony of Zooey Deschanel guided by M. Ward's guitar grazings is enough to make the most cynical blush.  Sure it is being hyped as butterfly love music, but that is because it is.  Feeling like you have a crush?  Think you know love? Think you should check them out? (the 21st is sold out, so I would jump on the 22 asap)

Lou Reed - 4/24 - Paramount Theater, Asbury Park
Tickets are VERY pricey, but I had to mention Lou Reed coming to Asbury Park (The Velvet Underground and The Talking Heads introduced me to rock and were my favorites at the wee age of 5 - thanks Dad).

Chris Rock - 4/30 - WAMU Theater @ MSG
Open the month with comedy, close the month with comedy. I think that I have seen Never Scared one thousand times and it never gets old. Sure, the cheap tickets are 50 bucks and you gotta travel to The Garden, but you can't tell me that you haven't spent more money on worse things.

All Month Long

Frida Kahlo - 2/20 - 5/18 - Philadelphia Museum of Art
This is the best thing I have done so far this year.  Symbolic, honest, revealing, revolutionary, and inspiring, the personal portraits of Frida Kahlo are beyond moving.  Take some time to appreciate a renowned artist and you may discover a deeper understanding of the suffering of humanity. Beautiful and Brilliant - everyone needs to see this.

Yesterday night proved to be another massive evening - the second stellar Tuesday in a row, which is making me think that Tuesdays are quickly becoming my favorite day of the week.

Last night Caity and I went to the Count Basie Theater in Red Bank for some fabulous wine, martinis and a night of Lewis Black.  She is definitely the BEST person to go see such an event with because her laugh is beyond contagious (so much in fact that between the opening act and Mr. Black the lady sitting to Cait's right went into a dissertation on how she can't stop laughing because her neighbor's open hearted, belly shaking, wide smiled exclamations).  It goes without saying that Lewis' tirade on the state of our nation and the upcoming elections was both painfully funny and exceptionally poignant (but I won't go into all that here).

What I wanted to highlight was Cait's sincere concern over attending such events.  We both agreed that the night was fantastic because we were actually doing something.  Not another night spent in a bar or around a smoky coffee table. Cultural exchanges in a cultural setting (I know - maybe some of you don't consider Lewis Black the mecca of culture and arts, but it is on a Tuesday night in March, and it beats watching the Red Sox open the season in Japan).  More people should be able to do this.  More events should be occuring that stimulate provocative thought - whether you agree or disagree with the commentators tirades.  I feel privileged to live only an hour from New York. I can get on a train or bus or drive to the city on any random evening and find an underground comedy club, exclusive free show, listen to an author read from his most recent work, or stroll through the grandiose MOMA halls, but most people can't and many local programs are being canceled.  Maybe not enough people are attending such events? Maybe no one is making the almighty dollar? Maybe we don't care enough.

When I was younger my father used to freelance for the local paper.  My mother worked nights, weekends, and holidays, so most vacations and summers were spent with Dad while he discovered local "hot spots".  We saw a rodeo in Monmouth County, a barber who had been cutting hair in the same spot for over 60 years, sunflower fields that dwarfed my 9 year old body, and went prowling through a boarded up, victorian house that stood watch over a dead end street (it definately was haunted).  We weren't allowed to watch t.v so we got in the car and did things.  We drove around till we discovered new adventures and we lived our lives - not that is was always rosy and sunny, but it was at least something. 

I babysit these two children that I have known their entire lives. They are somewhat a cross between my own children and my younger siblings. They are fantastic and fun and have saved me on many emotional breakdowns, but sometimes I feel like it is pulling teeth to get them away from the t.v and video games.  Just going on a bike ride requires bargaining and pleading. It makes me very sad to see such intelligence and excitement and critical periods of one's life being wasted in front of the glowing nanny. 

The awesome thing about attending events, like I did last night, is that it propels you to attend more events.  A domino effect. You see one great concert, you go to another. You spend hours in the MOMA and the next weekend you line up at MET. You just need to get off the couch and do something, anything. Go for a walk, a hike, a bike ride.  Trust me, it is worth the effort.

(and a little tribute to the man himself:)

There has been a food fight recently between health and industry over New York City's proposal requiring fast food restaurants to post the caloric content alongside an item's price.  While most nutrition experts would agree that displaying the calories of these notoriously unhealthy foods would be beneficial to the health conscious consumer, the National Restaurant Association went into a tizzy stating that such menus would appear "cluttered".  Thankfully, industry lost and the New York City Board of Health voted unanimously to require all city chain restaurants to post calorie data on their menus.

So, will this end the issue of obesity in America? I'm afraid not.  Displaying the calorie content of energy dense foods such as the 550 calorie Big Mac may be useful to the nutrition savvy, but to the rest of America what does this mean?  I just had to ask some friends what they knew of calories.

I have been living with my boyfriend for three years now.  He has listened to all the tirades on trans fats, irradiated foods, the USDA's biased food guide pyramid, orlistat, xenical, ephedrine, green tea, and alli.  He has quizzed me through biochemistry, molecular biology, the citric acid cycle, glycolysis, lipolysis, and the metabolism of all macro and micronutrients.  He has perfected a vegetarian chili recipe and has even switched from whole milk to 1% (my biggest accomplishment maybe of this relationship).  He has watched me create diet after diet for friend and family desperate to lose weight, and yet, when I asked him how many calories he should be eating in a day his response astonished me.

8,000.

8,000!

(In case you are wondering, this is what 8,000 calories would look like in one day:

Breakfast:  16 oz Orange Juice, IHOP's Omelet Feast: a Colorado Omelet with 3 Buttermilk Pancakes 

Lunch: McDonald's -  16 oz Chocolate Triple Thick Shake, Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Large French Fries

Dinner: 40 oz of Coke, an entire 16" Domino's Brooklyn Style Pepperoni Pizza

Dessert: 3 cups Regular Ice Cream

plus 200 more calories)

So I asked again. My friend M is studying to be a nurse and has an obvious interest in health, and hopefully nutrition.  "M, how many calories should you consume in a day?"

1,200.

This figure is definately closer to the correct answer, but not close enough. A 1,200 calorie diet would be an excellant amount of energy if you were trying to maintain a 90 lb body weight. I do not know very many people trying to MAINTAIN 90 pounds.  There are many popular weight reduction diets that reccommend 1,200 calories and you will lose weight on them; however, you will also lose muscle mass, which in turn slows your metabolism and causes you to continuously eat less in order to keep losing weight.  If on this low calorie diet for prolonged periods, your bones will begin to restructure, releasing minerals such as calcium and phosphorous, in order to maintain nutrient levels within the body. This leads to a slew of medical conditions later on in life (most notably osteoporosis).  The real issue with 1,200 calories is that you would have to eat perfectly in order to obtain the appropriate nutrients necessary for life. No one eats perfectly.

So, my point is not that my friends are ignorant, because they probably know as much or more then the "average" American when it comes to health and nutrition.  My argument is that stating the caloric content of foods without the proper education on what that means is, well, meaningless.  Most people know what they should be eating and of those who do, they probably know McDonald's is not the healthiest option.  Is it the root of America's obesity epidemic? Maybe, but maybe not. Would you be obese if you mostly ate a sensible diet (fish, lean meats, whole grains, fruits and vegetables - yup, that is it - the magic pill), exercised, and occasionaly indulged in a Chocolate Triple Thick Milkshake? No, you would be normal. Healthy. Human.

The restaraunt industry should hold some responsibility in helping its consumers make healthy choices. The food service industry is second, only to government, in being the largest industry in the nation, and as such, it has a social responsibility to both its consumers and employees.  But let's focus on whole foods and not pick apart science to only further confuse the consumer.  Let's slow down, prepare meals, experiment with flavor profiles, and eat together over wine and conversation.  Let's be conscious of what we eat, how we eat, and what we are fueling our bodies with.  It may make all the difference in our health and well being.  

My best friend called me this afternoon to discuss her recent move from the franchise sweat box we both visit, to a chic, seaside yoga studio.

"e you have to come with me.  It is definately the challenge you are looking for, plus we both know how stressed you get about ez pass, littering, television, and irradated foods. The amount of toxins released in one session keeps you energized and happy the rest of the day" (i love yoga. it is totally a relaxing, peaceful, meditative, yet still challenging workout. but toxin release!?! c'mon - that is why we have a liver and kidneys - to filter out the "toxins". how does any non-yogi survive all those damn toxins? maybe they are all "flushing their systems" with detox diets....that's another issue altogether and i have digressed as usual)

Anyway, she is right about somethings. I f-ing hate television (and ez pass, littering, irradated foods, and detox diets, but tonight it is television).

Television is an isolating, brain turn mashed potato, negatively influence waste of time.  Flip through....click, click, click...still changing the channel? Why? Because there is almost nothing worth watching.  Almost nothing can hold your attention long enough to stay tuned from beginning to end. No. You watch the first few minutes of Project Runway, then a commercial comes on.  The commercial is selling you that pill. The one that cures everything.  (remember that Chris Rock skit: “You see a lady on a horse or a man in a tub, and they just keep naming symptoms: ‘Are you depressed?’ ‘Are you lonely?’ ‘Do your teeth hurt?’” Even “‘Do you go to bed at night and wake up in the morning?’ They got that one!” he adds. “I got that. I’m sick. I need that pill!”) You watch mindlessly for a few moments. You may not even realize that you are blankly staring at the ridiculous government pill pushers until the next "gotta have" flashes to the screen.  Two commercials in a row - no way. So you switch the channel.

Entertainment Tonight (or lack thereof really) is gossiping about who wore what at last night's had to be there shindig.  The commentators rip apart one outfit after the next till you are left totally confused as to what you should or shouldn't be wearing. Your mind rolls over your own wadrobe and begins to realize that you need to go shopping. You need those shiny, black, pleather leggings and $500 glucci floss bathing suit. In fact, you need to stop eating right now so you can get into that ridiculous skimpy beach "covering". Whew - just in time. Another commercial. This one has a once-fat-now-skinny-in-only-2-days ACTRESS convincing you that the way to obtain perfection is in a bottle of speed.  Don't worry about salads or apples or exercise. Just wash down your McDonald's Big Mac with 9 magic bullets and all that nasty cellulite will disappear.

You flip back to Project Runway only to realize that you have missed it and another commercial is on.  Thinking you have enough of fluff and fashion you turn to Fox News for some mental munching. Special Report with Brit Hume is discussing the upcoming political elections.  Fred Barne is the most outspoken panelist and given that the The Media Guide has given Barnes four stars, its highest rating, and called him "a great political reporter-columnist" whose material is "exquisitely timed", you stay tuned to hear what he has to say.  Its the news right? They are going to give a straight forward report of whats going on. They are going to present all the issues equally and fairly so that the American public has the freedom to make personal choices.  Fox's slogan "We report. You decide." means that they will tell me that Fred Barnes happens to be an evangelical Christian who sits proudly and loudly on the Republican right. 

So your kids come down from their nightly baths and want to watch some television prior to bed.  You can't afford a babysitter and night out so you stick them in front of the glowing nanny.  Hannah Montana takes their attention for the next hour or so and when you put them off to bed you can't begin to fathom why your nine year old has body conscious issues, wants all designer clothes, and has been crying for three weeks over how unfair it is you couldn't get her $150 concert tickets. You must not love her enough.

And I'll stop because I think you get my point.  Its not that I think t.v is responsible for the downfall of our society, but I think that it is a factor.  Look at your waistband.  Look at your kids'.  Remember a time when obesity was not an epidemic? Remember when we rode bikes and read books and listened to music.  When what we ate or drove or wore was determined by our personal decisions made in store?

I must confess. I do watch some television, but I make a conscious effort to limit my exposure.  I love Planet Earth.  I love dreaming about places I can't get to tonight, but I supplement the show with real vacations, books of exploring, and memories of past travels. I watch sports.  Baseball, football, yes even hockey, but nothing beats going to an event.  Nothing is more exciting then watching the Phillies take it from the Mets in the last game of the season.  I also watch Jeopardy.  I think its more to prove to myself  that I can answer more and more questions as I get older.  I will never be a contestant, but at least I beat my boyfriend to the Teen Jeopardy question "This cartoon features a talking meatball, fries, and shake."

What? You don't know the show? Maybe you should watch more tv.