Heart of Man - A Blog From The Heart of Manhattan, New York

Strand Fan

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 23:44:00 +0000

AS Spiros & I headed home we wended our way through the EV enroute to the Union Square subway when I spied the book-laden tables outside Strand. Immediately I was drawn to one of my top favorite places in the city but S. bawked til I pointed out the "$1" sign stuck above some of the tables. Then he, too, wanted to investigate but was adamantly against actually entering--since he knows well that, once inside a bookstore, it can be hours before I emerge.

Of course, once close enough to get a peek inside at some of the 18 miles of books within, a new Strand fan was born! An opportunity for me to remind him that the Strand is the place I went to research & prepare for my first trip to Greece--where I met him 12 1/2 years ago! My used copy of "The Rough Guide to Greek Islands (1995)," was what I read to acquaint myself with Hellas in general and Hydra in particular. In the back was my first language lesson with a list of phrases for the traveler.

After a mere hour or so my haul included a hand-sized edition of "Socrates," for a fresh reading of the Symposium and all its talk of love--my book's central theme & a topic of endless discussion/speculation; a new edition of "The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali" to aid me so I can continue to deepen my physical practice; and a pretty little edition of "Edna St. Vincent Millay: Selected Poems," with its blue-and-white cover & satin ribbon marker. Meanwhile, S. was deeply immersed in the Music section scoping out a trove of tomes stuffed into packed shelves & piled high on carts blocking the narrow aisles.

He was looking for a copy of "Bob Dylan: Lyrics 1962 - 2001" that was not, alas, in stock so he walked out empty handed. He'll eventually get a hold of a copy &, in the meantime, we're looking forward to BD's "Christmas in the Heart" LP!

Anne Waldman: Collaborative Works

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 22:33:00 +0000

Went down to the EV last night to witness Anne Waldman at the Poetry Project at St. Mark's. Wow--what a night! Waldman & her posse of collaborators presented a full evening of words, music, images & dance. In The "Manatee/Humanity" Project, dancer Douglas Dunn, in grey jumpsuit & cap, slithered his way up the center aisle in kinetic accompaniment to Waldman's incantatory 7-part meditation/manifesto on the plight of our world as seen from the perspective of these gentle mammalian water creatures. Providing the mesmerizing sonics was Ambrose Bye, sporting a lovely purple Naropa t-shirt, who spun musical webs around his mom's monoliths of words. Musician, poet & ethnomusicologist Steven Taylor, currently with the Fugs, formerly with the False Prophets, did the music & vocals for The "Usura" Project: "Cyborg on the Zattere" a work-in-progress. Julie Patton, rocking a great head wrap, was substituting for Akilah Oliver & lent her ethereal voice to an improvisation of "G Spot." The short DVD "Colors in the Mechanism of Concealment," was a visual/aural exploration of Guantanamo's legacy on us all & included pictures by Waldmans' husband, Ed Bowes & paintings by the late poet-artist, George Schneeman. Waldman wrapped up the evening with "Show My Face," accompanied by Bye on the baby grand. On the way back to the N/R I stopped in at the St. Mark's Bookshop to browse some books and magazines & scope out the bulletin board.

Tanya & Andre Have a Soiree!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:55:00 +0000

Rain started coming down lightly as I walked the few blocks to P.A.B.T. to catch a bus over to the Garden State for a backyard BBQ. Carried the couscous I'd made for the occasion, along with Elizabeth Kostovo's brilliant--& big!--"The Historian," to read on the ride & hurried through the throngs of tourists--only knocking down a couple!--to get under cover before the skies really opened.

By the time the BBQ got underway the rain had stopped & the sun made a showing & it turned out to be perfect weather for the al fresco affair. Our host Andre who hails from Rio (congrats to the Cidade Maravilhosa [Marvelous City] on snagging the 2016 Olympics!) was expertly concocting caipirinhas in the kitchen. This sweet drink made w/fresh lime juice was def. putting people in a party mood! (after awhile A. was getting caipirinha elbow from smooshing millions of limes). We ate all the great food our lovely hostess Tanya had prepared & that people had brought--man, what a menu! Everything was scrumptious like the spanakopita T.'s mom made; beet salad, potato salad, green salad and rice & beans. Plus, they'd fired up the Jenn-Air & grilled Italian sausages, lamb kebobs & salmon--served w/T.'s delicious tropical salsa. For dessert: the wonderful spice cookies & lemon-creme cookies Lora made & the eye-popping, rich red cake Dorhyne, Christoph & Christian contributed. A wonderful day in Wayne thanks to Tanya & Andre!

Interesting conversations ensued including some political talk & the sorry state of health care in this country (see my 9/22 post re the 'Big Insurance: Sick of It' rally I attended) & how organizations like MoveOn.org are helping to mobilize the millions of Americans who need a public option--NOW.

Thank you to Joris & Jessica for the lift back to the city-- including a fuel stop somewhere in the wilds of NJ where flag-wavin' grizzlies roam....

9-Year Wedding Anniversary!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Sat, 03 Oct 2009 05:20:00 +0000

October 1, 2000 is the day we got married on Hydra & now, nine years later, we celebrated on the island of Manhattan! Spent the night in Chelsea where we stayed at the GEM Hotel for our complementary night after Spiros won their 'Rooms for Tunes' contest last May. We loved our penthouse room with its lovely view from our private terrace of St. Paul's Church.

Before sunset we met our friend Maggie, a writer who wrote the wonderful "The Book of the Penis," with its fab fig-leaf cover, to stroll the divine High Line once again (can't get enough of the Hi Li!)

Later, we cruised through the Chelsea Market--another fave place--& scoped out all the good things to eat including some amazing cupcakes! We parted ways with M. heading downtown & S. & I getting ready for a romantic little dinner at La Luncheonette followed by an outstanding dessert.....

SOUKIS @ B.B.'s

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 23:02:00 +0000

Last night my most favorite guitarist played at B.B. King's club in the Lucilles room--a venue w/fabulous vibes. The band was smokin' & got folks on their feet. Alex was laying down some great grooves while newcomer--& fellow Greek!--John kept a rockin' beat. They played lots of tunes from the amazing TRANSBLUES--many copies of which got sold last night!--including a rousing rendition of 'Suspicions.'

Meanwhile, in the audience was our dear friend CT & our pals from Titan--where we head to when we get hankerings for the tastes of Hellas. And a lady from MI--my mitten-shaped, great-lakes, native state! A fun night talking w/friends, sipping my Campari & dancing now & then!

TED: Tried & True

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:33:00 +0000

After climbing up to & then cruising the High Line from one end to the other & being battened by some high winds off the Hudson River, Spiros & I had worked up an appetite. It was already dark when we descended the Hi Li & we wandered up 10th Ave. in search of some eats.

We found a tiny Japanese place at 22nd St. that had a great menu in a cozy room but deemed the 20-min. wait for a table not an option. Coming back outside I glanced over at The Empire Diner --an eatery I usually never consider eating at myself tho' I do steer tourists there for its kitschy appeal, plus it's conveniently open at all hours for those coming in on the red-eye. TED's been there forever & honestly, I mostly associate it with my clubbing days when my patronization of the place was predicated on being in fairly wasted states in the wee hours of the morning when nothing else was open.

I hadn't stepped a foot in there in a loooooong time.

Deciding that S. needed to learn about a cherished place of my past, we crossed 10th Ave. & got a table near the piano that has, unfortunately, been silenced after the establishment got rid of the piano dude in favor of tunes from the wait staff's iPods. Enjoyable for the most part (exception: the Lenny Kravitz "American Woman" cover), I have to say that mix tapes just can't top a pianist tinkling on the keys LIVE!

B/c it was Burger Week @ TED, S. ordered a Hawaiian burger & I got the salmon burger. We both liked the food--he had sweet potato fries that rocked; they wouldn't let me substitute my chelsea fries which were O.K.

I regaled S. w/some highlights of my times at TED. Then we talked about the diner culture in America & how I feel the railroad-car configuration definitely contributes to the friendly nature of the diner experience, especially sitting at the counter where encounters & conversations abound.

TED has undergone some major changes--like the now-silent piano--in hopes that the Deco beauty's chrome fabulousness will continue to lure 'em in, in the increasingly trendoid 'hood that's developed around the Chelsea icon. To commemorate the rich history of the dining stalwart that has--for now--not succumbed to the same fate as the dearly departed Florent, a book, "101 Stories About a New York Icon," is being compiled. There's a call for entries to Write Your Own Story so now's the chance to share your TED tales.

Thanks to Justin Campbell for his TED photo!

Sick of It--Rally Against Greedy For-Profit Health Industry

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 10:31:00 +0000

A loud, lively & highly visible health-care reform rally, sponsored by MoveOn.org, Health Care for America Now and labor unions, took place on Tues. outside of UnitedHealth Group, across from Penn Station.
'Big Insurance: Sick of It' was the theme & many people got up to speak including those who've suffered health-insurance abuses that continue to this day. The astounding percentage of denied claims is something that can no longer be ignored.

Makes you wonder: What is the ratio between denial of coverage & health insurance co.'s profits? It's obvious why those numbers are so hard to get hold of!

Heartening to see all the peeps w/their array of signs who joined in & used their lunch hour to show up & speak out against how the current health-care
industry puts profits before people. This need-for-greed system is directly responsible every year for literally killing Americans.

No surprise: WSJ lowballs number of rally goers--in fact, the crowd easily topped the 750 max. NYC had allotted. The put-upon insurance execs who had to endure the 'inconvenience' we caused, didn't seem especially moved by the grim scenarios being shared by folks--including those with coverage who learned the hard way exactly what those premiums were worth: not much!

Of course we have to consider the opposing POV and try to put ourselves in the others' shoes--yes, even avaricious insurance CEOs!

Thank you to Jim Gibson for letting us borrow his great 'Greedy' sign--which really says it all.

Happy International Peace Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 01:33:00 +0000

NYC

WE have one whole day, September 21st—a full 24 hours!—that the UN has officially declared be devoted to promoting peace UN Peace Day. During these war-obsessed times with the US's occupation of Iraq, it’s important to keep in mind how imperative the issue of peace is.

To encourage people to think along those lines Ploughshares is sponsoring the Peace Primary to determine which of the 12 organizations nominated will ultimately win a $100,000 grant for furthering the peace movement.

The idea of attaining world peace is NOT a hopeless cause. Virtually anything you can do will make a difference—like eating a bowl of cereal! That’s right. Peace Cereals donates 10% of their profits to peace building organizations. Bonus: They're delicious!

Technology allows us to more easily connect and weave our webs of solidarity. An initiative like Peace X Peace is a shining example of a small group of women who created an international coalition.

People of the peace persuasion are often accused of being unrealistic, eccentric dreamers like Dennis Kucinich. But as the Iraq war claims more and more lives and maims more and more others the 'Strength for Peace' presidential candidate's idea about appointing a Secretary of Peace doesn’t seem all that farfetched.

Another worthy goal: To have a day when everyone in the whole world stops fighting. Jeremy Gille’s dream is to have Peace One Day. His POD documentary shows how he’s going about his peace mission.

For those with more of a theatrical bent there is Code Pink the group of unruly activists who engage in street theater, civil disobedience and a feet-to-the-fire style of protest that gives one hope for a war-free future.

There is of course always the power of prayer and with that in mind the Prayer Wheels Project is dedicated to harnessing that power on a global scale with the never-ending determination to bring peace on earth for all beings.

Last, but certainly not least: Never underestimate pussy power! As the eponymous heroine of Aristophanes's classical Greek play, Lysistrata, goes to show: when it comes down to a hard choice wise men will always choose to make love not war.

You CAN make a difference and it’s vital that we all take an active role in creating a peaceful world in which we can all live together in harmony. Please make peace a part of your life so that every day is a Peace Day. It’s up to all of us.

Love & Peace

Hey, it's valentines day

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Tue, 14 Feb 2006 11:03:00 +0000

let's spread some love!
extract the iPod, turn
off the Nokia & put that
Tiger to sleep.
just for today: try to
make eye contact &
actively engage w/as many
people you meet.
here in the heart of manhattan where
this holiday of love is relentlessly
over hyped & there's a consumer buying frenzy
of Hallmark, Godiva, Cartier and Veuve Clicquot.
it's easy to forget what it IS all about so
even before midnight let it all hang out and see if you don't feel the love....

Greetings from the heart of Manhattan!!

noreply@blogger.com (Kathleen) — Sat, 11 Feb 2006 02:54:00 +0000

It's Friday night in Times Square and the office workers/wage slaves have finally vacated.
The Cubans in the club across the street are banging on their drums, the hustlers are working the tourists are clogging the streets.

We're eating rum cakes we brought back from The Bahamas--where it was a balmy, sunny 73 degrees. And looking forward to a snowy Saturday in February that's coming soooooooooon.

Cheers,

the nyc scribe