Saving it until the time is right to tell

As I sat there with my brown ale from Denmark and miscalculated the avenues of Manhattan from a new, nice POV eight stories up, I remembered that the island rises and then comes back down to water's edge on the near-distant other side. What a great, small, perfect little mad island. I recognize that every morning as I cross the bridge by which some are threatened, towards the other side, Brooklyn. I fell in love with Brooklyn the way anyone would, lived there three years and certainly miss important aspects like the park and the trees and the green. It was the oassis of this city, as a unit. Yet, I understand why I needed to come back.

Here on the island on this day, I took some time to catch up: haircut, summer/winter clothes swap from storage, packing for the next travel, and by far the most beautiful day of the year to date. On so many levels, I got a lot done. Never stop... time to keep going towards that Saturday morning flight.

Still, ah, a day to catch up was warranted and I think well spent. I saw my doc today, she of course only had great news and so I press on there too, whole and en route. All's well...

This evening, as I began to mention, a wonderful old friend who had gone towards his own with his ex (whom I also know) to the west coast and finally now for a year has made his way to NYC, reunited with me this evening out in Chelsea under the stars of a beautiful spring afternoon. We started at Google, where he works and where I wish I did too. I ran into him there at a business meeting in another department, looked him up and was escorted to that cute boy I remembered hosting a wonderful New Years Day 1999. Rob and Brad were the couple I knew closely that was lasting the longest. They were (about) my age, certainly in the circles I was with, and glowed in my eyes. Rob was the cynical one, Brad the beautiful one, with those special blue eyes.

Now working out of the NY office, he was here, and with me there I thought why not ask... and there he was on the internal Google chart that maps the place to the nearest cubicle. It's what I do, with plently of cash. My My.. Timing is everything.Shoshi...

A Story Not Yet Told...

One day I'll tell the great but sad story of a woman who came to the United States with her son, failed at her attempts at a life out of Mexico, returned to start a new family (virtually abandoning her first son) and letting him return on his own years later to fend for himself only to watch him also return. Stories like this are told over and over again, but this one has generations of twists and turns. In fact, this story can be rooted from a great-grandmother's point of view. That woman had her own set of problems and rebellious affairs that plotted the course for her own family and, in turn, would push that family towards unparalleled end as it attempted to capture itself before it destroyed itself as a whole. In all, it is a very tight family, but it is is also stained with madness, jealousy and contempt. Mexicans can be a intense bunch. I'm one of them, I know, and I fear that sometimes we take for granted the fact that this family truly does live long lives. Can one really hope that time will heal all wounds? This boy of hers has spent seven long years in Chicago trying to make it without papers or much of a cause. He was always very introverted and told to keep to himself. An only child growing up, he really was left to his own devices. His immediate family cares for him and of course misses him, but there was never any money to send either way and therefore life has just moved on. Now he's left without a job or drive to keep pushing along in a country that has not shown him opportunity. But this is a boy who needs opportunity to fall on his lap.

That is a way that does not compute Seven years ago, I moved to New York City to grow up. It's been a wonderful time and I couldn't take any single day back for the marvel and beauty of every opportunity I have either taken advantage of or let slip by. There's nothing wring with any of the decisions any of us make, but I was left soft-hearted and saddened to learn that this kid was broke this weekend as he spent one more weekend in the States (in New York City, finally, staying with us) before going home. His ambition is non-existent. A person like that just can't make it in this town, or even in this country without papers. But he never learned that, and I can't teach him that in four days.

My life continues at its pace...

I'm at JFK now relaxed, as I've been for the past couple of days due to good planning. Headed to Seattle to hang the the new photography exhibit Hidden Soul of Harmony, part of the kickoff to Allegro@20 for the Mark Morris Dance Group. I'm carrying with me a portion of the goods and therefore also checked my own bag so I'm light on the flight and feeling ready for action. I'm excited to report that a plan is forming for a road towards whatever comes next, and it feels right... Boarding Now... how exciting.


...One day, I'll put to text the story of that mother that came following the dreams of her aunts and uncles before her, one family member at a time trying to make something out of dreams. Some of those extentions of this family are living the American dream, some are finally building a future for their new families, others are still trying to overcome. He's on his way back now at 27, with a full future still ahead of him. If he returns a third time, I'm sure it won't be to stay. But I never thought he would really be happy here. In the end, even for those aunts and uncles with their own set of goals I imagine, It's just not home.

Feel the Rhythm of My Soul

This past weekend's visit by a dear cousin of mine and her girlfriend reinforced the fact that sometimes one has to remember to take life by the cojones, a sort of vulgar peculiarity in itself which is a force of nature that some people just don't have within them. Sunday night was my favorite DJ's annual Spring Equinox reunion event in NYC called Odyssey, this year in its third installation. She describes her music as "Soulful, tribal, disco and progressive house mixed in with some melodic trance and always a classic."
Playing below is a beautiful set of her choosing:

Sunday night, as I was dancing to the magnificent beats of the fabulously fresh DJ Susan Morabito at her Odyssey: Part 3 extravaganza in New York City, I saw this woman who had to have been nearing 70 grooving strong on the dance floor, more like an angel than a fool, surpassing most of the drinkers left to their own devices at the bar. A dance floor comrade of mine signaled her way with the following: That woman over there has been to every Saint party in New York City since the beginning of time... and you see that man over there? (pointing to an Asian gentleman with thick-rimmed glasses quite obviously in his 60s) That's her husband! My immediate reaction (this at 11PM... we got there at 7) was "I hope I have half her energy when I'm her age." My dance floor comrade was eager to take me by the shoulders to explain, But darling, of course you will. That energy never goes away. You're born with it, it thrives in you! With a big sigh of relief, I continued thriving in heaven.

I haven't done that in a very long time. In fact, no one but the fabulous doll Susan could keep me on a dance floor as long as my feet used to naturally keep up in my wayward youth. I first heard her in 1998 and have always found that her admirers, like myself, are in it for the thrill of the music and the nostalgia of a community,a tribe that must keep going for our own better good. I've traveled far to hear her beats. While in Chicago once, we dined before her set and I got a small glimpse of why her close friends (many of whom were on that dance floor with me this weekend) love her so dearly. She touches people with her musical selections and her edits are magical. In the face of change in the nightlife scene, she has held her ground and not conformed to the sounds that have darkened the mood. It's a mad world out there, and her evenings are what keep me going sometimes, inspired and satisfied. My body is wiped out, no doubt, but my mind is fresh and my soul is rejuvenated. There's not much more I need tonight, and that should last me a good while.