this past sunday night i got into an argument with an off duty manager. long story short we both said things we shouldn't have.
now im suspended for a week and its my final notice at work. any incident from here on out is immediate termination. plus this suspension is going to cost me over 1G, managers are no longer allowed to drink and im sure more is to come. Plus Jessie and I planned on purchasing our season passes for snowboarding this winter next month.
oh, and the cost of what was up until then a good friend.
oh well.
happy two year anniversary of working at theHalf King.
up next:
yet another call from mom.
LiB
24 September 2008
09 September 2008
"but bar keep, he worked for Chanel!!"
fashion week has pretty much come and gone. I didn't walk in any shows but I definitely partied a bit. I'll admit, i'm a little anxious to get my go but I am confident my time will come.
regardless, it foes without fell business's, especially bars, pick up during fashion week. even more so if you are in a hot spot around the city such as meatpacking, les (lower east side), and other go to's.
short side of the story is I was working sunday night behind the bar and as you would guess around 2:30am when I am fixin' to get shutting down for home and chatting up my remaining customer, mostly regulars, here comes a troop of fashion heads.
the group of eight or so consisted of 3 older white haired men, 2/3 women, 3/4 drunk and coked up, and 1/2 questionable in age.
The one older lady comes up to me almost in tears (bad start) begging for a round of shots. Peering over the beer taps i spot two wobbly 14y/oish looking girls looking like they're playing Dance, Dance Nation in slow motion.
I ask for IDs. The crowd goes silent. (another bad sign)
"Listen, we just left the shows and just need some drinks," the mouthpiece of the group says. Keep in mind my bar is off the beaten path let alone 3 avenues west and nineteen blocks south of the fashion week epicenter.
"That's fine m'am, I just need to see everyones ID," I retort. I obviously didn't want to see the older peoples to check their age, just their motor skills.
I get about half their IDs, of course none of the questionable ones, before The Mouthpiece (MP) begins ordering.
"ok, we need shots of tequila (no number, bad sign), chilled, Patron. Stellas, and---", she stumbles out before I cut her off.
"I still haven't seen everyone's ID."
"whose else do you need to see?"
"Her, Her, Her, Him, Her, Him, and Hers," I saw, pointing to the group members who look younger than me.
"this is ridiculous," some douche says as he thrusts his ID at me.
"There's nothing ridiculous about The Law, Sir. You're in a Bar."
The Mouthpiece is tearing up (why so desperate and pleading, I think to myself. Cut off at another bar, and no one else will serve you?), "We just want some drinks, can we just -- I need you to get me drinks, we're tired of walking."
"I need to see ID"
"Their from all over the world, we just left the shows."
"Then passports."
"they don't--- please, why are you being so mean."
"There are plenty of bars in the city, I will not serve anyone without ID."
"well can I just order everyone's drinks? I have ID."
"Yes, you can order your drink. One per person with ID."
"you're being, impossible."
"im doing my job. and you're friend is lighting a cigarette. No Smoking inside in NY."
"ugh, please, I dont want to be embarrassed. I'll pay whatever, please!"
"There's another bar straight down the street, try there. I'm no serving you."
"Do you see that man over there, he's worked for CHANEL! FOR PRADA!!! FO----"
"M'am, I honestly dont care who he's worked for or what you will give me, you all need to leave. It's not worth risking the Liquor License whatever it is."
after I received a few FUCK YOUs there was silence again.
its instances like these that make me ashamed to be associated with such a vapid industry. no one cared about anything but liquor and themselves. Did they forget the laws because there were so drunk? foreign? ignorance is no excuse or exemption.
get over yourselves.
regardless, it foes without fell business's, especially bars, pick up during fashion week. even more so if you are in a hot spot around the city such as meatpacking, les (lower east side), and other go to's.
short side of the story is I was working sunday night behind the bar and as you would guess around 2:30am when I am fixin' to get shutting down for home and chatting up my remaining customer, mostly regulars, here comes a troop of fashion heads.
the group of eight or so consisted of 3 older white haired men, 2/3 women, 3/4 drunk and coked up, and 1/2 questionable in age.
The one older lady comes up to me almost in tears (bad start) begging for a round of shots. Peering over the beer taps i spot two wobbly 14y/oish looking girls looking like they're playing Dance, Dance Nation in slow motion.
I ask for IDs. The crowd goes silent. (another bad sign)
"Listen, we just left the shows and just need some drinks," the mouthpiece of the group says. Keep in mind my bar is off the beaten path let alone 3 avenues west and nineteen blocks south of the fashion week epicenter.
"That's fine m'am, I just need to see everyones ID," I retort. I obviously didn't want to see the older peoples to check their age, just their motor skills.
I get about half their IDs, of course none of the questionable ones, before The Mouthpiece (MP) begins ordering.
"ok, we need shots of tequila (no number, bad sign), chilled, Patron. Stellas, and---", she stumbles out before I cut her off.
"I still haven't seen everyone's ID."
"whose else do you need to see?"
"Her, Her, Her, Him, Her, Him, and Hers," I saw, pointing to the group members who look younger than me.
"this is ridiculous," some douche says as he thrusts his ID at me.
"There's nothing ridiculous about The Law, Sir. You're in a Bar."
The Mouthpiece is tearing up (why so desperate and pleading, I think to myself. Cut off at another bar, and no one else will serve you?), "We just want some drinks, can we just -- I need you to get me drinks, we're tired of walking."
"I need to see ID"
"Their from all over the world, we just left the shows."
"Then passports."
"they don't--- please, why are you being so mean."
"There are plenty of bars in the city, I will not serve anyone without ID."
"well can I just order everyone's drinks? I have ID."
"Yes, you can order your drink. One per person with ID."
"you're being, impossible."
"im doing my job. and you're friend is lighting a cigarette. No Smoking inside in NY."
"ugh, please, I dont want to be embarrassed. I'll pay whatever, please!"
"There's another bar straight down the street, try there. I'm no serving you."
"Do you see that man over there, he's worked for CHANEL! FOR PRADA!!! FO----"
"M'am, I honestly dont care who he's worked for or what you will give me, you all need to leave. It's not worth risking the Liquor License whatever it is."
after I received a few FUCK YOUs there was silence again.
its instances like these that make me ashamed to be associated with such a vapid industry. no one cared about anything but liquor and themselves. Did they forget the laws because there were so drunk? foreign? ignorance is no excuse or exemption.
get over yourselves.
05 February 2008
SELF-DESTRUCT:¿Deactivated?
I can't remember if I blogged about it or not and I don't feel like searching.
The least 3 half years have been rough. I moved several times, lost and gained friends, and lost some more. I've spent ungodly amounts on food and shelter. The list goes on...
Overall, I have been victorious in my crusade of independence and self-awareness but it has not come without battle scars.
I was smoking and drinking heavily for a great portion of time. I was reaching 2 packs of nat sherman's a day up until a few months ago when I noticed my teeth looked a little tented and stopped buying smokes. This only resulted in me upping the alcohol consumption to compensate.
I thought, instead of joining my compatriots for a drag on those nights out on the town, i would just order another round and sip by my lonesome. Bad Idea.
You see, college and even high school were not the best breading grounds for building a healthy relationship with drugs. Go ahead and say it: what the hell was I doing partying hard in high school? Well, I did - let's move on.
I spent the better part of 2007 drinking everyday. I'm not talking a shot of whiskey in my coffee to jump start my day - I don't drink coffee - i'm talking pints of vodka---multiple pints of vodka. There were spurts when I was polishing off fifths in a night. Or hundred+ dollar tabs at bars that I barely remember - and believe me, it wasnt because i was buying the bar rounds!
Speaking of nights i can't remember, it was mostly because I was black out. There have been more than one occasion when I have awoken in my bed fully dressed, dry-mouthed, and missing credit cards, cell phones, and recollection of how I got home - If i even woke up at home. It was getting out of hand. I finally hit my low point in November.
I took two weeks off of drinking completely and reassessed my priorities. After a few days i was thinking clearer and feeling better. I thought: problem solved.
Then came the staff parties, and holiday parties, and new year parties. Same dance, different song.
Pretty much, there isn't a "one drink and that's it" clause with me. I don't know what that makes me. What I do know....today, Sinead, my general manager and Greg, the half king chief, sat me down and told me how concerned they were. Especially when it comes to how I interact with my fellow employees. It wasn't about my performance as a Bartender, besides the occasion snappiness with a customer, my performance was "stellar" they said. It was the drinking, and coming to work hung over, and conflicts with fellow staffers. It was the fact that I didn't remember what I did the night prior and that I was blacking out a couple times a week. They were coming to me as concerned people, not as my Boss and Boss. They said take a couple weeks to figure things out and they would help me in any way they could. All I had to do was tell them how. I believe them. I've said it before, The Half King is more than just any job, it really is a family there. I've worked places where they would have just fired me, but they didn't. I mean a two week suspension sucks, but at least I got a weeks pay, and they are willing to help anyway that they can as long as I am addressing the issue.
AA? possibly. Therapy? Possibly. Do I think I'm an alcoholic? no, but borderline. Or even functional. Why am I writing this? Because I hope to look back on this in a couple weeks and see that I saw I needed to make a change in my life in a constructive way and I did.
Love in Brooklyn
The least 3 half years have been rough. I moved several times, lost and gained friends, and lost some more. I've spent ungodly amounts on food and shelter. The list goes on...
Overall, I have been victorious in my crusade of independence and self-awareness but it has not come without battle scars.
I was smoking and drinking heavily for a great portion of time. I was reaching 2 packs of nat sherman's a day up until a few months ago when I noticed my teeth looked a little tented and stopped buying smokes. This only resulted in me upping the alcohol consumption to compensate.
I thought, instead of joining my compatriots for a drag on those nights out on the town, i would just order another round and sip by my lonesome. Bad Idea.
You see, college and even high school were not the best breading grounds for building a healthy relationship with drugs. Go ahead and say it: what the hell was I doing partying hard in high school? Well, I did - let's move on.
I spent the better part of 2007 drinking everyday. I'm not talking a shot of whiskey in my coffee to jump start my day - I don't drink coffee - i'm talking pints of vodka---multiple pints of vodka. There were spurts when I was polishing off fifths in a night. Or hundred+ dollar tabs at bars that I barely remember - and believe me, it wasnt because i was buying the bar rounds!
Speaking of nights i can't remember, it was mostly because I was black out. There have been more than one occasion when I have awoken in my bed fully dressed, dry-mouthed, and missing credit cards, cell phones, and recollection of how I got home - If i even woke up at home. It was getting out of hand. I finally hit my low point in November.
I took two weeks off of drinking completely and reassessed my priorities. After a few days i was thinking clearer and feeling better. I thought: problem solved.
Then came the staff parties, and holiday parties, and new year parties. Same dance, different song.
Pretty much, there isn't a "one drink and that's it" clause with me. I don't know what that makes me. What I do know....today, Sinead, my general manager and Greg, the half king chief, sat me down and told me how concerned they were. Especially when it comes to how I interact with my fellow employees. It wasn't about my performance as a Bartender, besides the occasion snappiness with a customer, my performance was "stellar" they said. It was the drinking, and coming to work hung over, and conflicts with fellow staffers. It was the fact that I didn't remember what I did the night prior and that I was blacking out a couple times a week. They were coming to me as concerned people, not as my Boss and Boss. They said take a couple weeks to figure things out and they would help me in any way they could. All I had to do was tell them how. I believe them. I've said it before, The Half King is more than just any job, it really is a family there. I've worked places where they would have just fired me, but they didn't. I mean a two week suspension sucks, but at least I got a weeks pay, and they are willing to help anyway that they can as long as I am addressing the issue.
AA? possibly. Therapy? Possibly. Do I think I'm an alcoholic? no, but borderline. Or even functional. Why am I writing this? Because I hope to look back on this in a couple weeks and see that I saw I needed to make a change in my life in a constructive way and I did.
Love in Brooklyn
01 February 2008
mountain tops take iv
I worked wednesday night until 4am yesterday (thursday) i cabbed Jaime-Lynn home before heading back to brooklyn. I hadn't packed my 'board equipment so i knew i was in for a rough morning. I finished and took a 40 minute nap before getting the call from Jessie around 6:40a. We were supposed to be meeting at my place at 6:30a. Jessie's call was then proceeded by Du saying he was already downstairs waiting.
we're such slackers.
I crawled out of bed and got dressed and started to make my way downstairs. I got a call from Edwin saying he hadto drop his son off at school and then we had to make a quick pit stop before we headed off.
7:15a: we leave my place and head to williamsburg to meet up with Jesse and Morten.
Jessie, Edwin, and I pretty much stuck to the Vernon portion of Mountain Creek the last time we visited. Edwin wanted to introduce us to South this time.
Jessie has been skiing since she was ~3 years old, but this is her 4th or 5th time snowboarding. I had never been on a mountain, let alone a snowboard or any other kind of board before 4 trips ago (one day trip a week).
Edwin is very pleased with our education and advaning skill level, so he said he was sure we could handle it.
we chilled on our usual slope on Vernon until South opened and then headed over. There's a on-mountain trail that links Vernon to Granite and then to South but it was closed, forcing us to drive.
I was a little to confident on my first run and the mountain quickly reminded me to respect it when i toed out and "supermaned" and bruised my left hip pretty nicely.
I will be purchasing a helmet very soon.
The day was a blast forgiving when Edwin talked me into going down a more advanced terrain park with the caveat: "just stay on the left or right of the jumps and you will be fine." What he neglected to tell me, he himself nicknaming me "speed demon," was that the entire path at times were jumps, regards of hitting the kickers or not. So imagine my surprise when i'm flying down the mountain at what i am guessing is the next door neighbor to 20 mph, carving and shredding and hit my first hill.....i look down a good ~50˚ drop of i'm sure no less than 30 ft.
I went airborne for a good 3 secs, almost nailed the landing but panicked a bit while trying to carve it out and when down on my ass, sliding down the mountain for a good 15-20ft. Discombobulated and hearing other boarders flying over me screaming bloody murder, i was ready to strangle Edwin. I thought "hopefully that's the only one" and continued. I really had no other option since was just inside the run. Another jump, almost identical conditions, i just heeled down that one and found the next merge off the terrain park. A little shell shocked a sat down and calmed myself for a few minutes, talking to Du who had saved me with the merge point.
I refused to end on that note and went down the other side twice more before calling it a day. Jessie had left hours prior because she had to get Morten to the airport for his international flight.
all in all, i had a blast.
LiB
28 January 2008
this guy
i may not know who i am voting for in november, but i for damn sure know for whom i wont.
don't associate yourself with me digitally or otherwise if you support Mitt Romney.
chuuuuuuump!!!*
*post inspired by Caitlin and Maggie.
LiB
26 January 2008
NEW Artist Alert
my buddy Maggie just turned me on to LA ArtistBrandon Bird
love the style, attitude, and subject matter. he's random as hell and i dig it. Plus.....HE FUCKIN MET STAN LEE!!
Thanks Mags!!!
LiB
24 January 2008
mountain tops
packing up the gear cuz i'm hitting up windham in a few hours with Patrick and his buddy from work.
tomorrows the first day of sunshine after a few days of snowing.
enjoy your friday
LiB
¿dood, where's my car-d?
while closing out my till yesterday i noticed my debit card was not in it's usual place. now i have to back track two nights ago when Joanna and I hung out and went to momofuku for dinner before heading to UCB theatre for an improv show.
the annoying part is i memorized my number so i would hate to have to do it again with another card.
i plan to finish my commission today then snowboarding tomorrow with Edwin and Du!!!
LiB
update:
apparently i ventured off to another bar after leaving UCB with Joanna. I'm being told I ran into one of Tony's friends - He was out on a date with his asian girlfriend who is puerto rican and lives in brooklyn...
I don't remember this at all nor do i remember opening a tab at the bar nor the thirty minute diatribe about why the paparazzi should leave britney spears alone. these $200 blackout nights have got to stop.
....on my way to the lower east side (LES) to reclaim my card, and close the tab.
the annoying part is i memorized my number so i would hate to have to do it again with another card.
i plan to finish my commission today then snowboarding tomorrow with Edwin and Du!!!
LiB
update:
apparently i ventured off to another bar after leaving UCB with Joanna. I'm being told I ran into one of Tony's friends - He was out on a date with his asian girlfriend who is puerto rican and lives in brooklyn...
I don't remember this at all nor do i remember opening a tab at the bar nor the thirty minute diatribe about why the paparazzi should leave britney spears alone. these $200 blackout nights have got to stop.
....on my way to the lower east side (LES) to reclaim my card, and close the tab.
next in line, please....
it's been awhile, peeps. too much to try and recap in this post. so be on the look out for posts more frequently feeling in what i have been doing since august.
highlights:
i have fallen in love....with snowboarding.
tony has introduced Fjodor to our lives. he's our pet kitte - a russian blue.
tony is almost done with the partition he is building on our main floor.
i've been drawing more than ever - more on that later.
and finally,
i have representation here in new york for modeling. the agency is Bella and they focus on commercial print.
i can't explain how much i have been waiting for this opportunity. i was jaded by the industry and took a break to get my head together; now, however, i'm ready to give it another go.
i want to thank all the people who have helped me get to this step: including those who didnt believe in me when i believed in myself and most importantly those who believed in me when i didn't believe in myself.
Love in Brooklyn.
highlights:
i have fallen in love....with snowboarding.
tony has introduced Fjodor to our lives. he's our pet kitte - a russian blue.
tony is almost done with the partition he is building on our main floor.
i've been drawing more than ever - more on that later.
and finally,
i have representation here in new york for modeling. the agency is Bella and they focus on commercial print.
i can't explain how much i have been waiting for this opportunity. i was jaded by the industry and took a break to get my head together; now, however, i'm ready to give it another go.
i want to thank all the people who have helped me get to this step: including those who didnt believe in me when i believed in myself and most importantly those who believed in me when i didn't believe in myself.
Love in Brooklyn.
08 August 2007
move-in day
here i am entering my third month here at my apartment. things are going well (things could always be worse). since i last posted I have pretty much recovered from my financial hole i jumped into by dropping everything in michgan and moving here. i paid off my credit card which i maxed on plane tickets and initial costs (and have not used it since); i'm roughly one payment away from reimbursing my mom for her assistance when i thought i was going to move back to michigan. i was coasting with a nice nest egg in the bank - then JUNE hit. I had to cough up over 5K to move into my new place, rent a truck+gas, and taking a day off work.
Tony and I moved in over the course of 22 hours: that only includes literally grabbing everything from our old place and throwing it into the current apartment. move-in day was a day of hell.
we started off getting to truck rental around 9:30a when our reservation was for an hour prior. After waiting in line for 45 minutes we finally make it to the counter and go through the registration process. Tony did most of the talking since i was severely hung over from the night before. SO hung over i didn't remember not opting for insurance since everything was placed on my card. with a headache pounding like a linebacker the night after winning the state champs, i decided to let Tony do the driving. i wasn't worried about insurance since i had driven rental trucks and 8 wheelers in michigan many times without incident.
i was awakened from my coma by what sounded like grinding metal.
YES, Tony side swiped a utility truck in williamsburg.
"I think it was a stop sign," he says sheepishly as i glared at him like he slapped me with his dirty laundry, responding only "in the middle of the fucking street?"
we were approached by a burly carpenter exclaiming "YOU JUST TOOK OUT THE SIDE OF OUR TRUCK."
Panic sets in. I'm flooded with bank account numbers, phone calls, reversal of financial stability and I start thinking faster!
we parked the car and walked back a block to the car we clipped. I saw no broken glass, no indentations, and besides the cracked passenger rearview on OUR truck, we had no damage either. Turns out we only knocked their side mirror off its base and it cracked when it hit the ground no less. My heart rate returned to normal and my anxiety was replaced with irritation. It was noon and our sublet was driving in from DC, as we spoke.
Long story short the quasi-english speaking polish guy who apparently was responsible for the truck was sue Tony and I were planning to sue him.
FROM IRRITATION TO ANNOYED AD NAUSEUM.
I had to stop talking and let Tony handle it because i was hung over, sleepy, and hungry and in no mood to waste time. after the police came we filed a report and went on our way.
no we had to replace the cracked mirror somehow - we devised a plan. Earlier that morning, back at the rental place we had to switch trucks three times ultimately returning to the initial truck because the first had no sideview, the second was fully loaded, and the third had no a/c and not enough gas. so we decided to have them pop a sideview on the first so we didnt have to have the paper changed again. the trick was they replaced the driver's side. so we had to get the tools we needed, switch the mirrors and then drive back "because the mirror fell off while we were driving." the maintainance guy was not pleased. but we had it fixed, i grabbed some food and smartwater and we were on our way to start moving. the time was then 4:45p.
the following day, after relentlessly teasing Tony for his "mishap," i managed to clip the tail end of a car inappropriately parked too close to the corner as i was already making a wide turn into oncoming traffic in a busy two way avenue while rushing the truck back to the rental place after receiving harassing calls and getting into a swearing match with the bitch receptionist who threatened me because i was 30 mins late returning the truck when it took them an hour and 45 mins to get the truck to us after we signed for it (technically, should still have had an hour and 15 mins to return the truck). The owner of the car was much more aggreable then the williamsburg schmuck and i paid him $300 in damages and went on my way. I still frequent his diner and make sure i tip min. %40 out of guilt.
lesson to be learned: get insurance, because driving in ny is not like driving in michigan.
i capped off the move-in stint with 16hrs behind the bar, followed by another 12 hour stint the day after that, then a normal 8 hr shift the third day after. on tuesday, i slept.
Tony and I moved in over the course of 22 hours: that only includes literally grabbing everything from our old place and throwing it into the current apartment. move-in day was a day of hell.
we started off getting to truck rental around 9:30a when our reservation was for an hour prior. After waiting in line for 45 minutes we finally make it to the counter and go through the registration process. Tony did most of the talking since i was severely hung over from the night before. SO hung over i didn't remember not opting for insurance since everything was placed on my card. with a headache pounding like a linebacker the night after winning the state champs, i decided to let Tony do the driving. i wasn't worried about insurance since i had driven rental trucks and 8 wheelers in michigan many times without incident.
i was awakened from my coma by what sounded like grinding metal.
YES, Tony side swiped a utility truck in williamsburg.
"I think it was a stop sign," he says sheepishly as i glared at him like he slapped me with his dirty laundry, responding only "in the middle of the fucking street?"
we were approached by a burly carpenter exclaiming "YOU JUST TOOK OUT THE SIDE OF OUR TRUCK."
Panic sets in. I'm flooded with bank account numbers, phone calls, reversal of financial stability and I start thinking faster!
we parked the car and walked back a block to the car we clipped. I saw no broken glass, no indentations, and besides the cracked passenger rearview on OUR truck, we had no damage either. Turns out we only knocked their side mirror off its base and it cracked when it hit the ground no less. My heart rate returned to normal and my anxiety was replaced with irritation. It was noon and our sublet was driving in from DC, as we spoke.
Long story short the quasi-english speaking polish guy who apparently was responsible for the truck was sue Tony and I were planning to sue him.
FROM IRRITATION TO ANNOYED AD NAUSEUM.
I had to stop talking and let Tony handle it because i was hung over, sleepy, and hungry and in no mood to waste time. after the police came we filed a report and went on our way.
no we had to replace the cracked mirror somehow - we devised a plan. Earlier that morning, back at the rental place we had to switch trucks three times ultimately returning to the initial truck because the first had no sideview, the second was fully loaded, and the third had no a/c and not enough gas. so we decided to have them pop a sideview on the first so we didnt have to have the paper changed again. the trick was they replaced the driver's side. so we had to get the tools we needed, switch the mirrors and then drive back "because the mirror fell off while we were driving." the maintainance guy was not pleased. but we had it fixed, i grabbed some food and smartwater and we were on our way to start moving. the time was then 4:45p.
the following day, after relentlessly teasing Tony for his "mishap," i managed to clip the tail end of a car inappropriately parked too close to the corner as i was already making a wide turn into oncoming traffic in a busy two way avenue while rushing the truck back to the rental place after receiving harassing calls and getting into a swearing match with the bitch receptionist who threatened me because i was 30 mins late returning the truck when it took them an hour and 45 mins to get the truck to us after we signed for it (technically, should still have had an hour and 15 mins to return the truck). The owner of the car was much more aggreable then the williamsburg schmuck and i paid him $300 in damages and went on my way. I still frequent his diner and make sure i tip min. %40 out of guilt.
lesson to be learned: get insurance, because driving in ny is not like driving in michigan.
i capped off the move-in stint with 16hrs behind the bar, followed by another 12 hour stint the day after that, then a normal 8 hr shift the third day after. on tuesday, i slept.
11 May 2007
one year later
yesterday was the one year aniversary of me arriving in new york. today marks my first day in new york.
looking back i have had one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. i made a decision and with it i stuck.
the transition hasn't been easy but it has at least made me a much stronger individual. when i first got here i felt so lost and didn't know what to do. now things are coming second nature. i've had my bumps, lost a friend here and there, my social security and visa card are misplaced but i am sure they will come up.
it was a milestone to be signing the lease of my next place on the year mark. in a couple weeks Tony and I will be moving into the Opera House Lofts which is located in buschwick - now being marketed as "east williamsburg" to encourage gentrification.
This was the same loft space i wanted to move into last year but my roommate at the time was not interested - so we passed. Tony and I jumped at this opportunity.
atop the adding room and 25ft ceilings we will have free internet, controlled gas bills, a gym, yoga room, game room, laundry, party space, roof deck, back deck, gated entry courtyard, nightly doorman, and music practice rooms to name a few.
our loft has a mezzanine which i will occupy and ample room for additions and furniture. it's a huge step up from sharing the 14x16 studio we have now.
i'll post pictures later.
looking back i have had one of the most challenging and rewarding years of my life. i made a decision and with it i stuck.
the transition hasn't been easy but it has at least made me a much stronger individual. when i first got here i felt so lost and didn't know what to do. now things are coming second nature. i've had my bumps, lost a friend here and there, my social security and visa card are misplaced but i am sure they will come up.
it was a milestone to be signing the lease of my next place on the year mark. in a couple weeks Tony and I will be moving into the Opera House Lofts which is located in buschwick - now being marketed as "east williamsburg" to encourage gentrification.
This was the same loft space i wanted to move into last year but my roommate at the time was not interested - so we passed. Tony and I jumped at this opportunity.
atop the adding room and 25ft ceilings we will have free internet, controlled gas bills, a gym, yoga room, game room, laundry, party space, roof deck, back deck, gated entry courtyard, nightly doorman, and music practice rooms to name a few.
our loft has a mezzanine which i will occupy and ample room for additions and furniture. it's a huge step up from sharing the 14x16 studio we have now.
i'll post pictures later.
11 March 2007
nothing to write home about
"i was having a slow night until one of my tables decided to tip me $500....on top of gratuity"
-Lauren, coctail waitress at work.
"You're one beautiful man...You're the Lenny Kravitz of this bar...I'm not gay but I would fuck you"
-unnamed hotel guest, as he closed his tab at my bar.
"We're kinda spoiled here. I mean, I get pissed when I only make $500 on a weeknight."
-Adrian, bartender
-Lauren, coctail waitress at work.
"You're one beautiful man...You're the Lenny Kravitz of this bar...I'm not gay but I would fuck you"
-unnamed hotel guest, as he closed his tab at my bar.
"We're kinda spoiled here. I mean, I get pissed when I only make $500 on a weeknight."
-Adrian, bartender
03 March 2007
off traque, on track
the other day i sent mary and lynn - bookers at Traque, a brief email explaining i was no longer interested in their representation while i remained outside the michigan market.
i had a rough shift at Gramercy Park Hotel since i had my firat "morning barback shift" a week ago. The morning barback is responsible for setting up both the Rose and Jade bar. Dave P., the morning barback during the week, helped me a bunch by emailing me an extensive breakdown of his routine. It turns out I was very lucky in some respect becuase Dave started roughly a week after I did. Meaning I got in just in time to not be the morning barback during the week and only had morning shifts until just recently. GpH is hardcore corporate in contrast to The Half King. I don't foresee a promotion to bartender at GpH the way I accomplished it at THK. I'm still making great money either way and with the cafe opening soon at THK I will have more shifts there.
I don't know if my lack of interest in partying has anything to do with how hard I socialized back at UofM, but I just don't have the drive. I have never been one to pounce on the opportunity to spend money at drinks at the bar - even in Ann Arbor when you could have at least 3 drinks with a $20 bill. I'm bored typing this - moving on.
I have been drawing alot lately and revisiting reference books that have been collecting dust. My art is no doubt rusty but like riding a bike and working out you never forget and it takes no time to return to your previous peak. Yesterday, I was informed I got my first paid commercial commission. I will doing an illustration for a nationally distributed magazine via B. Dalton, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. Plus, I just have a few more hours of inking to do on Rork. Some titles have been popping in and out of my head but I still haven't made a decision yet. I'm posting more and more to my deviart page.
Some great news is that Blake called to say he's considering moving out to NY with his girlfriend come the end of summer. This excites me becuase just not to long ago I was thinking how productive we would be if he lived here and we could collaborate face to face.
It's beyond nice to be able to take days off. I am forcing myself to type without looking at the keyboard. I am becoming more proficient but adjusting to my hands being stationary is taking time. Comperatively, my typing isn't as fast and I make a ton more errors but it's a usefull skill.
I'm rambling because I am sleepy. I need to type more because there is a ton more I wanted to say, but with the combonation of my exhaustion from work, my frustration from mistakenly selecting and typing in random locations throughout the paragraph due to my trackpad being touch sensitive, and the stiffness of my drafting chair is forcing me to retire early.
i had a rough shift at Gramercy Park Hotel since i had my firat "morning barback shift" a week ago. The morning barback is responsible for setting up both the Rose and Jade bar. Dave P., the morning barback during the week, helped me a bunch by emailing me an extensive breakdown of his routine. It turns out I was very lucky in some respect becuase Dave started roughly a week after I did. Meaning I got in just in time to not be the morning barback during the week and only had morning shifts until just recently. GpH is hardcore corporate in contrast to The Half King. I don't foresee a promotion to bartender at GpH the way I accomplished it at THK. I'm still making great money either way and with the cafe opening soon at THK I will have more shifts there.
I don't know if my lack of interest in partying has anything to do with how hard I socialized back at UofM, but I just don't have the drive. I have never been one to pounce on the opportunity to spend money at drinks at the bar - even in Ann Arbor when you could have at least 3 drinks with a $20 bill. I'm bored typing this - moving on.
I have been drawing alot lately and revisiting reference books that have been collecting dust. My art is no doubt rusty but like riding a bike and working out you never forget and it takes no time to return to your previous peak. Yesterday, I was informed I got my first paid commercial commission. I will doing an illustration for a nationally distributed magazine via B. Dalton, Barnes & Noble, and Borders. Plus, I just have a few more hours of inking to do on Rork. Some titles have been popping in and out of my head but I still haven't made a decision yet. I'm posting more and more to my deviart page.
Some great news is that Blake called to say he's considering moving out to NY with his girlfriend come the end of summer. This excites me becuase just not to long ago I was thinking how productive we would be if he lived here and we could collaborate face to face.
It's beyond nice to be able to take days off. I am forcing myself to type without looking at the keyboard. I am becoming more proficient but adjusting to my hands being stationary is taking time. Comperatively, my typing isn't as fast and I make a ton more errors but it's a usefull skill.
I'm rambling because I am sleepy. I need to type more because there is a ton more I wanted to say, but with the combonation of my exhaustion from work, my frustration from mistakenly selecting and typing in random locations throughout the paragraph due to my trackpad being touch sensitive, and the stiffness of my drafting chair is forcing me to retire early.
01 March 2007
13 February 2007
alone with my thoughts
i had a conversation with a former model yesterday at work.
he confirmed many of my reservations about modeling (the drugs, the sex, the roles, the opportunities and what people do to make it) and particularly the place of black models within the industry.
basically, there is no place for blacks in the industry.
look at the ads you see in magazines? pick one arbitrarily and count the black models.
better yet, go to models.com and count the number of black (male or female) models in the top 50.
models.com isn't the definitive pulse of the modeling industry - but it's interesting to note that it is reportedly owned by two black men and a black women.
i lost 5 pounds in 6 days to get in shape for fashion week - the agent i spoke with told me to call afterwards.
i'm tired of warping my life to fit others needs: just being around the industry and fashion week after parties and seeing what people do behind the scenes was enough.
i'm not placing blame: i chose to play the game. I am happy to be back in good shape because i wasn't happen with how i was looking - but i would have never worked out that much in my life to tone up that quickly in any other condition. which brought me to the realization that i was loosing myself again. i left michigan to find myself and to find out what i was really capable of on my own. Now that i see how i was flirting with the same oppression that drove me away: i am saying "enough."
i am not saying i hate the industry or that i don't ever want to model again - but i am saying i am playing by my own rules from here on out. if an agent or client were to request anything i am even partially hesitant to accomodate - then that is a deal breaker.
i am no where near where i want to be as an artist and it's time i stop dreaming and talking about changing that and DOING IT.
Priorities: my life, my art, my family and friends, and whatever comes of modeling.
it may seem a little drastic since this is coming from one person's opinion and lack of witnessing his experiences - but i will not ignore how they make sense and agree with my experiences so far.
he confirmed many of my reservations about modeling (the drugs, the sex, the roles, the opportunities and what people do to make it) and particularly the place of black models within the industry.
basically, there is no place for blacks in the industry.
look at the ads you see in magazines? pick one arbitrarily and count the black models.
better yet, go to models.com and count the number of black (male or female) models in the top 50.
models.com isn't the definitive pulse of the modeling industry - but it's interesting to note that it is reportedly owned by two black men and a black women.
i lost 5 pounds in 6 days to get in shape for fashion week - the agent i spoke with told me to call afterwards.
i'm tired of warping my life to fit others needs: just being around the industry and fashion week after parties and seeing what people do behind the scenes was enough.
i'm not placing blame: i chose to play the game. I am happy to be back in good shape because i wasn't happen with how i was looking - but i would have never worked out that much in my life to tone up that quickly in any other condition. which brought me to the realization that i was loosing myself again. i left michigan to find myself and to find out what i was really capable of on my own. Now that i see how i was flirting with the same oppression that drove me away: i am saying "enough."
i am not saying i hate the industry or that i don't ever want to model again - but i am saying i am playing by my own rules from here on out. if an agent or client were to request anything i am even partially hesitant to accomodate - then that is a deal breaker.
i am no where near where i want to be as an artist and it's time i stop dreaming and talking about changing that and DOING IT.
Priorities: my life, my art, my family and friends, and whatever comes of modeling.
it may seem a little drastic since this is coming from one person's opinion and lack of witnessing his experiences - but i will not ignore how they make sense and agree with my experiences so far.
30 January 2007
training day (under development)
dreams.fleetwood_mac.rumours
i'll fill this out later.
last night was my 'training" night at my new job The Gramercy Park Hotel.
i am barbacking on track to me a bartender. pay? 4.30 an hour. the thing is, with bottle service and $500 shots of Louis XIII and regulars like Diddy, Russel Simmons, Damon Dash, Sienna Miller, Jimmy Fallon, Guy Pierce and the ilk, I can make more in tips outs in one night than an entire week at the half king.
i'm not leaving the half king, i love it there, but as Eddie (the head of security said when i told him my earnings at the half king and how i started as a busser making sometimes $70 on a good 12hr shift (bussers at GPH aver $300-$400 a night), "do what's best for you!"
"DO what's best for you"
if i only had time to make a list of all the people who have said that EXACT statement to me in the last 12 months.
Jimmy Fallon personally pulled me aside when i left from behind the bar and shuck my hand so say i was working my ass off - i had just scrambled him chilled soco shots because we ran out of jager in betweenn sprints to the dishwasher in the kitchen through the crowd since the washer behind the bar is on the fritz.
how did i get the gig? the modeling agent who has made me her "pet project" (the same agency that got me a free gym membership because i had no money) asked me how my money situation is and i told her i was barely making ends meet - we'll see what comes of this.
i'll fill this out later.
last night was my 'training" night at my new job The Gramercy Park Hotel.
i am barbacking on track to me a bartender. pay? 4.30 an hour. the thing is, with bottle service and $500 shots of Louis XIII and regulars like Diddy, Russel Simmons, Damon Dash, Sienna Miller, Jimmy Fallon, Guy Pierce and the ilk, I can make more in tips outs in one night than an entire week at the half king.
i'm not leaving the half king, i love it there, but as Eddie (the head of security said when i told him my earnings at the half king and how i started as a busser making sometimes $70 on a good 12hr shift (bussers at GPH aver $300-$400 a night), "do what's best for you!"
"DO what's best for you"
if i only had time to make a list of all the people who have said that EXACT statement to me in the last 12 months.
Jimmy Fallon personally pulled me aside when i left from behind the bar and shuck my hand so say i was working my ass off - i had just scrambled him chilled soco shots because we ran out of jager in betweenn sprints to the dishwasher in the kitchen through the crowd since the washer behind the bar is on the fritz.
how did i get the gig? the modeling agent who has made me her "pet project" (the same agency that got me a free gym membership because i had no money) asked me how my money situation is and i told her i was barely making ends meet - we'll see what comes of this.
24 January 2007
nothing to do but work on my art
those are the deals i remember
those are the days i live for.
sometimes i just want to sit and doodle and sketch and color and read and write and nothing else.
i got the final piece needed for the construction of my drafting table today. man it has been so involved building this loft. i still need to order the leds which will set me back a good buck-thirty (=$130 mom) and then the plexiglass and mylar to complete that phase of the light box. i also need a drafting chair, the cheapest i have found was on DickBlick.com which would suit my needs.
i'm taking donations, comment and i'll get in touch with you.
fer serius!
those are the days i live for.
sometimes i just want to sit and doodle and sketch and color and read and write and nothing else.
i got the final piece needed for the construction of my drafting table today. man it has been so involved building this loft. i still need to order the leds which will set me back a good buck-thirty (=$130 mom) and then the plexiglass and mylar to complete that phase of the light box. i also need a drafting chair, the cheapest i have found was on DickBlick.com which would suit my needs.
i'm taking donations, comment and i'll get in touch with you.
fer serius!
21 January 2007
18 January 2007
keep the light on for me.
one helluva week.
tony's loft is finished, mine almost.
i posted new drawings with more to come.
i had good news ontop of good news in the last couple days and crossing an old bridge has taken me to a level i have been striving for. more on that in about a week.
i'll be spending much of the time til then in the gym - where i haven't been in 7 months.
tony's loft is finished, mine almost.
i posted new drawings with more to come.
i had good news ontop of good news in the last couple days and crossing an old bridge has taken me to a level i have been striving for. more on that in about a week.
i'll be spending much of the time til then in the gym - where i haven't been in 7 months.
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