Possibility of Creativity

This past sunday night, I went with a friend to listen to Justin Bond singing neo-pagan songs with Our Lady J accompanying. It was at Joe’s Pub which has good acoustics; perfect.

Before the show, we had a few drinks and looked for open tables. All the tables had been reserved by the time I tried. No luck. The lights went down and the show started.

Justin and Lady J are wonderful together. Justin is a long time bicoastal performer, Tony nominee, and has performed at Carnegie Hall. Lady J has performed also at Carnegie, CBGB’s, Radio City Music Hall, and more. Together they are a dynamo!

Justin is now writing his own songs and has been working on this collection since Beltane. Lady J developed the supporting musical parts for piano, cello, and flute. My favorite of the night was “Michael in Blue” which Justin wrote. I had heard a few of the others before in earlier performances this year. This was a wonderful collection to hear together.

Backstage after the performance, I ran into Glenn Marla and her bee-u-tif-ful girlfriend, Machine Dazzle, and several of the Pixie Harlots. We decided to go to Nowhere bar for drinks.

At Nowhere, we were surprised to discover it was Amber Martin’s Queer Fetish performance night. I met Amber through the Mattachine parties. She’s a performance artist from Portland and while on the west coast developed a huge collection of work there and has brought it to us in New York City. Rock on! During the night she sang full out while later a guy did a performance piece with chocolate…lots of chocolate with whipped creme and sprinkles.

After making out with my friend, I chatted with DJ Chauncey D. While we were talking about this and that, my friend Gary’s head popped up at the end of the bar. He had been focused on some other things for months and was now glad to be out on the town. I was glad to catch up with him and make plans for cheap Indian dinner together. Justin Bond showed up for a drink soon after which made the collection of souls there complete.

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For about ten years, I’ve wanted to attend a Click + Drag in New York City. The nightlife event evolved from the Jackie 60 crowd at Mother and grew into its own in early 2000. Unfortunately, I lived in Seattle and the event halted after the 9/11 conspiracy.

That changed this past weekend.

For the event, I put together a look that was a fetish geisha rubber dominatrix. I wore black leather boots what went almost to my knee, had 1.5″ platform and 6″ heels. A rubber corset with Japanese style flowers and bamboo on it. Fishnet hose. A rubber miniskirt. Makeup. And a geisha style wig.

Clck + Drag was wonderful; filled with engaging, fun, creative freaks in all their glory. I arrived abot 1am. Jessica Rabbit Domination and Hattie were working the door. I lost my ticket somewhere so coughed up some more dough; they were nice to give me a door discount. I handed off my coat and entered the main space. Immediately, I was pummeled with Sammy Jo’s music; who by the way was wearing a rubber tuxedo. It was techy-deep-funked out bliss. People everywhere.

I was immediately approached by a woman. She said her name was Lucille and that she was waiting for me all night. I had never met her before but immediately I liked her. She was in proper high-end mature goth garments and beautiful. I invited her to have a drink with me; she wanted white wine. We went over to the bar hand in hand. Shortly after I ordered, an older gentleman came over and said he had to leave. I said to him, “So soon?” He said yes and left. I didn’t know him. And then Lucille said she had to go with him. I said goodnight and told the bartender she didn’t need that wine anymore.

I met my friends Julio, Ryan, and Blue on the dance floor. By then, both of them had stripped off some clothing. Julio to pants. Ryan to a jock strap. There was a faint smell of poppers and then suddenly I found them at my face. I ducked to avoid; I personally don’t like them. We were talking of outfits, or lack thereof, when Abby Ehmann appeared.

I love Abby. I’m slowly getting to know her and its a delight. She was one of the originators of the original Click + Drag years ago. She was also a Burning Man regional for the New York City area recently. She’s got a good soul, creative spirit, and a megawatt smile. She’s also a master of smut. We gabbed on about the night, the nightlife scene in New York, and how she thinks I’m the perfect mix of west coast, gay, Burning Man, and New York. I like to think so, even if it makes me quadpolar.

Soon after, the Pixie Harlots performed. I have two friends (and others I’m getting to know) in the troupe. Darrell Thorne was front and center holding fire and slowly gyrating while wearing a horned headdress. Machine Dazzle appeared later in a skirt made of football shoulder guards and a welders helmet; all of it sequined and mirrored. All of it. The Harlots’ performance was perfection. The Village Voice captured many pictures from the night. I’m in picture 34 with my friends Ryan and Blue.

And then (hang with me), Sammy Jo segued off the turntables and Xris Smack took over. Xris played a darker more industrial sound. I hadn’t heard that sound since my twenties in Atlanta dancing at the Millhouse with Angela. It consumed me and I was in dark dancing heaven.

And then (so much more to come), a tall woman named Jennifer appeared. She asked me if I thought I was the tallest person in the room; taller than she. We checked and I was maybe an inch or two taller. We were both wearing high heels. (Side note: my feet were killing me. It was my first time in heels.) She and I clucked on about everything from other outfits to the Harlots to laser hair removal.

Somewhere along the way, more glasses of Maker’s were consumed. I danced with a guy dressed head to toe in rubber with only a zipper open for his mouth, three small holes for his eyes and nose, and rubber port to piss. I caught up Machine. Complimented Rob Roth on his projection visuals. Exchanged compliments with another woman in Asian garb. Teased and was teased by Leo because his boyfriend/my friend, Blue, and I are his wet dream. Ran into

Slowly, we moved downstairs where Sammy Jo had started playing music again. This time in pansexual dance classics like West End Girls, Rio, and others that all of us just smiled and smiled. I felt as if the music warmly embraced our pansexual (in my case, gay) dance asses.

Sometime around 5 am, I and my feet were done. I gave kisses to all, hugs to some, and a grope or two. It was a fantastic night. It would have been great to experience the actual event back in the late 90s, but time has passed along with nightlife culture. New York is not the same as it was back then. Its a little sad. But we do have some groups, like the friends and family of Mother NYC and the Jackie Factory that march forward creative rich nightlife. I bow to them and give my greatest thanks! I also thank New York City for which there is no other place that Click + Drag could occur.

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Tonight, I hooked up buttons, a twist knob, and a flexible sensor to the Boarduino so I could twist, push, or bend them and a range of values (that made sense) were sent to my laptop computer.

This is my first project where I connected physical objects that people use (buttons, knobs, bendy things) with computer hardware and electronics. Another step towards a working prototype of my art installation.

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I spend all day today soldering and finished everything needing it. All three Boarduinos (an Arduino clone made for breadboards) are done as well as several breakout boards for other components.

I’m running test programs on them tonight to see if any problems show up. Tomorrow night, I’ll start on some simple programs to familiar myself with the Arduino development environment and platform.

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Today, I soldered for several hours and made my first working computer prototyping board. Its called a Boarduino and is a clone of the popular Arduino. I’m going to use the Arduino platform to prototype an art installation I’m doing for Burning Man 2009.

I’m a geek and an artist. I went to Georgia Tech and almost got a bachelors in electrical engineering but towards the end switched to computer science. So now, I get to build on all that knowledge and my work experience to make art.

Soldering isn’t easy for me. I tend to burn or overheat the components. They’ve got a few burn marks on them. I bought extras just…in…case. I tested the board half way through and it seemed to be working. Then at the end, I wrote and run the equivalent of “Hello World” on the board. Hello World is usually the first program taught to students and run on new computers. I had to do it. And on this computer, it makes a red LED flash.

So I’m off and running on the prototype and look forward to sharing my progress after I file my provisional patent on the art installation. I believe it is great!

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Yesterday, I looked at several apartments in Manhattan. These two stood above the rest.

This first one was beautiful exposed brick, slanted ceiling with skylight, top floor, wood floors, older charm, dishwasher, and a small walk in closet. All is good except the living room would be really crushed for my furniture and there isn’t a lot of wall space for art.

This next one was middle floor, wood floors, older charm, large living room, average bedroom, typical tiny New York City closet, a storage cubby above the kitchen, lots of wall for art, and what looks to be a working fireplace. All is good except the bedroom floor is slightly slanted.

I put a hold on the 2nd apartment.

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Last night, I ordered a soft taco from Castro’s. I normally get a burrito; they’re amazing. It came in a foil wrapper with a warm taco inside. The corn or flour wrap around it was very thin and multiple layers; like phyllo dough.

It smelled delicious, so I chomped down eating it. Yummy. As I was chewing, I noticed a few hard spots in the wrap. So I pulled them out thinking that maybe they were overcooked. I ate another bite, then another, then another; still finding the occasional hard spot.

Then it hit me. I was eating a translucent paper wrapper around the flour wrap.

It was just as tasty without the paper wrap.

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I’m moving! Looking for Found another home that meets my desires. Well, at least my needs and hopefully my desires. So what are they?

• Location
  1. Manhattan: below 34th St
  2. Brooklyn: no more than 2 stops from Manhattan on any subway line A, C, L, etc.
  3. No more than 10 min walk from a subway station
  4. A 24 hour bodega within 2 blocks
  5. The location can be sketchy; I’m tough and unafraid.
• Size if just for me
  1. ~600 sq ft
  2. 1 bedroom at least 15×10 plus a closet
  3. Kitchen(ette), bathroom
  4. Few windows, more wall space; I’m ok with the dark
• Size if I”m master lease holder and will sublet to others
  1. 2500-5000 sq ft
  2. 3-5 bedrooms
  3. Kitchen, 1-2 bathrooms
  4. Still want lots of wall space
• Style? I prefer rawish spaces; e.g. I don’t want to build out a bathroom or kitchen
• Yearly lease

Leads on empty places, partial spaces, roommates, shared living, etc. are appreciated and can be sent to .

Also, read in the New York Post today to Brrace Yourself for Fuel $pike. The good part of the article says the Eastern US could be on the verge of its coldest, snowiest winter since at least 2003-4; that winter will start early this year with December bringing perhaps the most severe weather of the season.

YAHOO!!!! Blizzards! Snow! Brown slush! I wananananana want it!

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Thriller is a remake of Michael Jackson’s original “Thriller” music video by prison inmates from the Philippines.

I know, its an oldie from waaaay back in 2007. I just watched it again and its stellar. They work it OUT!

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When I first moved to New York City in 2007, I was possessed by the subways; those mysterious tunnels that transported me from one neighborhood to another and sometimes under water. Now that I’ve been here over a year, I better understand where the neighborhoods are and the lines run. The mystery fading away.

Until tonight.

You see, I’m starting to look for vast dark spaces in New York City to preview an installation I’m building for Burning Man 2009. I heard of the Brooklyn Bridge Anchorage and that it closed permanently in 2001 due to security paranoia. An anchorage is a large, very stable stone structure on either side of a bridge. Creative Time used it for eighteen years as a forum for the exploration of artists working in many disciplines including new media, music, fashion, film, design and video. Visitors compared the cathedral-like vaults (nearly 50 feet high) to Piranesi’s “Carceri”, to ancient catacombs and to the austere intimacy of a monastery.

I’ll likely never be able to see them; doubtful put a public installation in them.

While I was reading about the Anchorage, I found the book New York Underground: The Anatomy of a City by Julia Solis. Its a collection of images with history, legends, and facts of the places we don’t see underneath New York City; its abandoned train stations, cathedral crypts, and subterranean hospital passageways, and other delectable places.

Now, my mystery and wonder of the subway is back. And, I am still looking for that amazing vast dark space for the preview. Anyone know of?

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