barkis

Last night I had another amazing visit to 4 Course Vegan with my friend Barbara from Gone Pie Vegan Bakery. Here's the menu:

Celery Root Soup with
Dried Cherry Relish and Fennel Seed Oil

Pickled Beet Salad with
Wild Arugula and Pine Nut Butter

Leek Manicotti with Roasted Pumpkin,
Wild Mushrooms and Toasted Hazelnuts

Ginger Pear Turnover with
Meyer Lemon and Candied Ginger

This was my first time to go with just one other person, and the nature of the seating is that there are 4 large tables so you wind up just sitting with a bunch of people, and chatting it up. People bring their own wine and it is really a fun sort of community feeling experience.

Barbara and I had a bunch of gossip to catch up on, but after some time realized we were not participating in the conversation at the table, so we both directed our attention outward, only to realize that our table mates were discussing how to brine a turkey! I had not mentioned to Barbara that I had a similar experience when I was there last week, so I waited to see how she responded before I said anything to her. Maybe I am just too sensitive, or one of *those* vegans!

Sure enough she looked at me with a perfect "what the fuck" type of face, so i knew I was not alone in being a little put off by this.

Believe me, I know that most people think it is perfectly okay to kill and eat animals, and that's not what is throwing me off here. What gets me is that even a a totally vegan event, there is no way to avoid these conversations that I find terribly uncomfortable. The only thing I have to add to that conversation is my opinion about the whole thing which would be considered rude or confrontational, so instead, Barbara and I sat there looking uncomfortable and not sure how to sneak back into our own conversation.

...or maybe thats what I should do? What better place to share my views with people. In some ways I feel like they are on my turf, even though they were in the majority.

This doesn't really upset me greatly, and last night we were laughing about it, but having gotten to level of awareness I have about hat happens to animals, it think the feeling I have hearing people talking about how they prepare animal bodies to be eating is the same as how most people would feel hearing about a dog or cat being eaten. Is it that ridiculous to expect people to be sensitive to this at a Vegan place of business?

I had two really difficult piano students who both had great lessons this week. Not sure how much credit I get for the change in attitudes with these kids, but I am so thankful.

Showing up at a open house at work that I wasn't required to attend. The head teacher (who NEVER shows affection) was so happy I was there that she gave me a big hug and led me by the hand into the meeting and the school director (who rarely expresses gratitude) thanked me repeatedly for being there. Sometimes I forget how how much people appreciate having support, and such an easy way to show it.

The new food shop in my neighborhood, Brancaccio's. As much as I love my neighborhood, it really is short on food choices. This place is two doors down from where I work, and two blocks from my apartment. Prepared foods (a few of them vegan) and some staples like pasta, some beans in bulk and coffee. I talked to the owner for a while and he is super friendly and even knew to steer me away from items that contained honey! I left with some roasted tomatoes and broccoli rabe which I took home and tossed with some pasta and vegan sausage for dinner. YAY!

There is a child at one of the schools where I teach who loves "Percy," a character from Thomas The Tank Engine. Only, in his little kid voice when he says "Percy" it sounds more like the slang term for a certain part of the female anatomy. Yesterday when I saw him, he was jumping up and down shouting "Want see Percy! Want see Percy!" How wrong is it that I find this hilarious?

I was too tired to bake last night, but I am up early enough to have a cookie jamboree this morning. I'm looking forward to contributing treats to the Living in Gratitude anniversary party tonight.

I wound up working more this week at the preschool than usual. Frustrating on one level, but it's nice to be able to show up for my co-workers and boss and pays up a little "insurance" for when I may need time off in the future.

I still haven't had any kidney stones. It's been close to a year since I had my surgery and no stones. You guys who didn't know me before won't know what a big deal this is.... I used to be hospitalized at least twice a year to have stones blasted. It was horrendously painful and inconvenient. I had a simple surgery a while ago that seems to have taken care of the cause of the stones. Thanks for doctors who treat problems instead of just symptoms and for health insurance.

had a good solid 2.6 mile run this morning with NO WALKING! It went a little something like this:



I was watching Bobby Flay's Throwdown last night and became inspired to make some waffles, so I did. They were delicious, vegan, pumpkin and there were so many, I dropped some off for Dan and Catherine this morning.

Making myself available to cover for a co-worker who has a very sick family member.

Planning some baking for a party tomorrow night.

Wellness formula. I felt like I might be getting sick, but if I remember to take that stuff, it knocks it out every time.

"A man of peace is not a pacifist; A man of peace is simply a pool of silence. Whomever he touches, he creates more love-energy. The man of peace is creative. He is not against war, because to be against anything is to be at war. He simply understands why war exists. Out of that understanding, he becomes peaceful. Only when there are many people who are pools of peace, silence, and understanding, will war disappear."

My friend Mark had the above statement as his facebook status yesterday. It helped me to realize that I have been at war with many ideas lately, while struggling with how best to interact in a culture that I don't always agree with. Ghandi's "be the change you want to see in the world." Comes to mind as well. I really don't always have to say anything, do I?

Yoga this morning was challenging, but there were also moments where I surprised myself with what I was able to do.

The opportunity to be nurturing and compassionate to a very sick little girl at school yesterday. It reminded me, in the sweetest of ways, of being taken care of by my mother when I was sick as a child. I was happy to extend the favor to another person.

My Tuesday piano kids, every one of them really seems to enjoy their lessons.

Yesterday I picked up three pieces of trash. Ben told me that he does this every day, and I finally gave it a shot myself. It's an interesting way for me to shift the energy of judgement toward people who litter into something more productive.

I made a smart playlist on iTunes of songs that have never been played on my computer. There is so much that I have forgotten about, and it's really cool when something comes up that I forgot how much I loved! (It contains 22,537 items which will talk me only 82.7 days to listen to.)

Going to the corner store this morning to get soymilk and bananas. It's such an interesting snapshot of what life is like in my little neighborhood. The conversations reminded me how lucky I am not to have to ride the subway into the city every morning. The farthest I have to ever go for work is about 5 stops, and most days i can walk or ride my bike to work.

Last night I went to 4 Course Vegan here in NYC with my omnivorous brother-in-law and vegetarian sister and a large group of each of their friends. I was the only vegan in the bunch, but I had turned my sister on to the place, and then my brother-in-law (who is NOT a big fan of vegan food, for whatever ridic reason) also fell in like with the place, so they would up getting a bunch of each of their friends to come as well. So there was a huge table of ten of us.

So that's the good news: all of these omni people freaking out about this amazing vegan food. Of course, there were the usual ridiculous comments "oh, I could totally be vegan if I could come here every day!" "I would literally DIE if I couldn't eat cheese!" "Are these crunchy bits bacon? LOL!!!" etc. But the thing that got me was that most of night they were all talking about dead animal food. They talked about where to get great burgers in the city, who made the best mac and cheese...all of this AT LENGTH. All the while I was thinking, "can you people ever STOP talking about how much you love torturing animals?" It was really disappointing in that way. Is it that crazy to think that it's in sort of bad taste to talk loudly about how much you love eating meat and animal excretions while you are at a vegan restaurant?

I guess I should be happy that everyone had a great vegan dining experience, I mean, really, everyone was enthusiastically raving about the food in a way that I know they will be telling their friends. But, then, it was so awkward to sit and listen to them going on about exploiting animals.

Just for grins, here's the menu from last night:

Watermelon Radish Ravioli with
Cashew Cheese and Basil Cream
~~
Pea Shoot Dumpling Soup with
Steamed Red Lentils and Pickled Chilies
~~
Burdock Kinpira Salad with
Micro Watercress and Ginger Tamari Dressing
~~
Pan-Roasted King Oyster Mushrooms with
Buckwheat Crepe and Kaffir Lime Gochujang Sauce
~~
Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownie with
Coconut Cream and Raspberry Purée

I love this joke so much, but be careful cus it has a bad word. (sorry about the ads in the beginning)

for a great trip to Houston with apologies to everyone I didn't get to see this time around. Again, what I great problem to love and be loved by so many.

for the disoriented feeling I had when I got to baggage claim at LaGuardia. I thought to myself "ahhhh....home" which is exactly what i thought when I got to baggage claim at Intercontinental in Houston.

for feeling okay with not going out amongst the revelers last night.

for 2009. All in all, it was a great year.

for this, the first day of my fourth year in NYC.

for the other side of my problem with AT&T.

for planning a second date.

for looking forward to playing with Steven tomorrow night at Don't Tell Mama!

for 2010 which promises to be a year of creation, prosperity, health and love.

for hitting the ground running this morning.

I am hesitant to write "best of" lists. I mean, really, who the hell am I to start talking about which album is better than another? Well, I am a music snob, that's who. You should be listening to me, and if you aren't then you are stupid and I'm, like, way cooler than you.

I'm glad that's settled. Here's the list:


1. *Gavin Castleton - Home (Five One)
This one won't come as a surprise to those of you who listen to the podcast or follow me on twitter. This is my favorite album of 2009, hands down. Castleton placed the story of a six year relationship and subsequent break up in the context of a zombie film and did so with great effectiveness. He wrote every note of these luscious arrangements, giving nods to numerous genres while maintaining his own sense of identity. No other album gave me as much pleasure this year and I remember distinctly how it felt to listen to "Coffeelocks," the first track I heard from the album.

In the liner notes, Gavin says, "This album is designed to be a sonic hug to those of you who are dealing with heartbreak." To Gavin, I say, "It worked. Thanks."

standout tracks: Coffeelocks, The Human Torch, and Oregon.


2. Sweet Billy Pilgrim - Twice Born Men (Samadhi Sound)
I can't remember how I first discovered Sweet Billy Pilgrim, but I am so happy I did. I sort of lost track of them and then the next thing I know they are releasing an album on David Sylvian's label, Samadhi Sound. I have been a shameless worshiper of Sylvian's work for a good twenty years now, so lets just say I was a little more than elated at this discovery.

heart-hugging melodies + painstakingly precise arrangements + plucky banjo + laptop tweaking = folky mountain music for the 2000's. Don't miss this album.

Standout tracks: Bloodless Coup, Kalypso, and Joy Maker Machinery



3. *Jane Siberry - With What Shall I Keep Warm (Sheeba)
After a few years of being known as "Issa," Jane Siberry returns with this magnificent album. It has been a delight to follow Jane/Issa in her travels since she left Warner Brothers and started her own label in 1995. Though I have not been in love with every release since then, her approach to releasing music and connecting with fans has further deepened my appreciation for her music. Looking back at the journey toward With What Shall I Keep Warm (which included letting go of many of her belongings and changing her name), I feel many of the questions I had about what the hell she was up to have been answered. Much like her individual songs, the body of Siberry's work makes much more sense when I look at it as a whole rather than individual releases.

standout tracks: Then We Heard a Shout, In My Dreams, and Phoenix (for teenagers).


4. Yoko Ono & Plastic Ono Band - Between My Head And The Sky (Chimera Music)
I don't think I will ever stop being impressed with Yoko Ono. The album starts with classic rocking and screaming Yoko, progresses through some dancy electronics (thanks to members of Cornelius whose distinct influence is felt on "The Sun Is Out") and winds down with a trio of strikingly sparse songs that feature Yoko's reedy voice accompanied by a piano-centered chamber ensemble. The album's close is perfect and a fine example of Ono's philosophy and artistry.

standout tracks: The Sun Is Down, I'm Going Away Smiling, and Waiting For The D Train.


5. David Sylvian - Manafon (Samadhi Sound)
David Sylvian continues to reinvent himself with each new release, pretty impressive considering the fact that he has been recording for thirty-some-odd years. More impressive, though, is his ability to maintain the vitality and originality of his work. For Manafon, Sylvian assembled a crew of free-jazz musicians (piano, sax, double bass and turntables, among others) to color his bare vocal tracks. The result is a brilliantly intimate album that requires a good bit of attention and patience to fully appreciate. I am still falling in love with new layers of goodness in these pieces.

standout tracks: Small Metal Gods, Emily DIckinson and The Greatest Living Englishman.


6. *Division Day - Visitation (Dangerbird Records)
Not just a great band, but fucking nice guys as well. I'll admit that at first listen, Visitation didn't grab me like I hoped it would, but while giving the album a second listen on the subway the dissonance in the beginning of Malachite had me squirming in my seat for nearly forty seconds before allowing me to take a breath. I love music that causes a physical reaction in me. Stravinsky's Rite of Spring does it, and now so does Division Day. That experience gave me a new point of reference for how to listen to the album and what this album does - expertly bring together the band's seemingly irreconcilable influences (black metal + David Sylvian = what??) in a coherent and glorious way.

standout tracks: Malachite, Azalean, and Black Crow.


7. Wild Beasts - Two Dancers (Domino Records)
I immediately fell in love with the track Hooting and Howling when it was a featured free download from Other Music, and nothing on this album disappoints. Hayden Thorpe's signature falsetto is tempered by bass player Tom Fleming's Bowie-esque crooning. Heavy on the hypnotic percussion and sonic guitars, in all the right ways. Baroque-inspired-percussion-heavy-art-pop... yeah, that's it.

standout tracks: Hooting and Howling, Two Dancers (i), and The Fun Powder Plot.


8. *Uniform Motion - Pictures (self-released)
My first introduction to Uniform Motion was through their cover of Talk Talk's Such A Shame, but my love for their music now runs much deeper than our mutual appreciation for one of the best bands to come out of the 80's. Four-string guitars, chilly harmonies and surreal lyrics give these guys a distinct identity and the accompanying cartoons add a particularly unique layer of understanding to their work. You can download the entire album for free here.

standout tracks: The Pen Fallacy, Rain & Soil, and Cast Iron.


9. *Josh Mease - Wilderness (Frogstand Records)
Josh Mease sent an e-mail to my neighborhood listserv (is that word outdated yet?) this year looking for guitar students. Out of curiosity, I checked out his music, and bought the album at once. Good, solid songwriting, hushed intimate vocals and intelligently whimsical arrangements make for a great listen. All this from a debut album? Hells yes. Can't wait to hear what's next for Mr. Mease.

standout tracks: White Diamonds, I See You, and Eleanor.


10. *Anois - Treehouse Whispers (Aerotone)
There's not much information to be found about this German duo. Their label's website redirects to a page advising that they have gone to sleep in order to regroup, and I can't seem to find a place to tell you to purchase the album. Still, find it you should. Anne and Lars have created a lovely, intimate and often romantic gem out of a handful of instruments and their voices. If you can't track it down, let me know and I'll send it to you. I don't think they would mind.

standout tracks: Sew New World, A Noise, and November.

(the * next to an entry indicates that the music is podsafe. I have played some of the other artists on MikeyPod with special permission, but I only indicated bands here that I am certain are okay for anyone to play.)

i just posted my top ten albums over at mikeypod.com

aww crap I tried to post it here and it didn't work so well....

just check it out here

I really wanna be more consistent about writing here....maybe in the new year?

In the meantime, here is my favorite artist of the year, Gavin Castleton. If you have been listening to the podcast you already know how much I j'adore him. His album Home is breathtaking and he is a genuinely nice and humble guy. You can listen to the entire album for free from his website.

Here is his cover of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer." Please note that he did the entire thing in one take and nothing was prerecorded.



love him.

I am giving some thought to my favorite albums of the year, and Sweet Billy Pilgrim's Twice Born Men is right around number two. This video came out a few weeks ago and I just noticed that it was out.
They are on David Sylvian's label and as brilliant as one might expect.

Any favorte music this year, gentle readers?

It finally registered in my mind that, since I am secretly falling in love with everyone I meet, maybe it is time to really get active about dating.

I'm lonely.

There, I said it.

I haven't had any relationships to speak of in many years. Over ten years since my last long term one and I have been on only a handful of first dates since moving to NYC three years ago, with not so much as a kiss to show for it.

This leads me to the obvious questions of "what am I doing wrong?" "am I un-date-able?" "Am I unattractive or in some other way physically repulsive?"

I get that i have been emotionally unavailable and I don't really frequent "gay" places, so I take a lot of responsibility for the lack of suitors in my world, but then, I am never approached or cruised or told by friends that "so-and-so thinks you're cute" like I used to be. Is this what it's like to be older?

Part of my distance from dating is probably because when I think of going out there and dating, these questions start to rear their heads and rather than deal with how insecure I am, I just revert back to "well, I don't wanna date anyway/I like being single" etc.

I decided to start writing to more people who show up for matches for me on okay cupid. I wrote to this one guy who seemed very nice, though not so attractive and with not the best seeming personality. I felt like maybe I should stop being so fussy and give more people a chance.

He wrote back to tell me he wasn't interested.

I really hate this.

I spent the day with steven yesterday and had a brilliant day. We visited the Walkway Over The Hudson, saw a old man fall down and piss himself, and had some delicious indian food and conversation, of course.

This all makes me miss the glory days of livejournal and makes me wonder if twitter and facebook status updates have only served to exacerbate my ADD, because I am already tired of writing this entry. I often think of spending some more time writing here, but never really seem to have the energy or sticktoitiveness, you know?

I am going to make some vegan almond cookies now.

"When deep injury is done to us we never recover until we forgive. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future." -Mary Karen Read, from her final journal entry prior to being killed in the Virginia Tech shooting

"this too shall pass"

day 6 of 90 in 90 (this feels so confusing, today is day seven, but I am giving thanks for yesterday being a success)

finding a new AA clubhouse near me (thanks, Ben!)

all the hand painted wooden whales on the wall representing sobriety of past and present members

Hearing at least three different accents at this meeting.... I'm guessing Irish, German, Southern American and Brooklyn, yo.

fond thoughts of Jim and Carolyn.

The notion of bringing my higher power into my financial life and the hope/belief that this will really change. It's time. I mean, really time.

Sufjan Stevens' orchestral piece and accompanying film about an expressway, The BQE

Creative, inspiring people

looks like another beautiful day today

helping a frustrating piano student to verbally communicate his difficulty with writing letters backwards instead of his usual technique of screaming at me and crying. I am finally learning how and when to be firm and unwavering.

being blessed with a tremendous amount of patience with children

it's really cool to think that all these kids can play the piano and read music thanks to me

payday tomorrow and my bank account never hit zero. Even the smallest amount of progress is still progress....right?

letting go of an ammends I made that was ignored by the recipient.

Colleen Patrick Goudreau and her grace and gentleness around veganism. Holiday meal Survival Tips For Vegans.

this moving (albeit a bit cheesy) video about forgiveness:

Appreciating my two block commute to work on the rare morning that I want to sleep in

day four of 90 in 90 (was yesterday and a success)

talking about willingness and remembering that it was Tiffany who first explained the concept to me :-)

Times Square on a Monday night - calm and sparkly

store clerks who defy the notion that people in NYC are rude. I bought some piano lesson books yesterday that i had to special order and the guy who handled the ordering over the phone and in person was BEYOND accommodating. being in the middle of midtown Manhattan, he probably deals with hundreds of people a day. He took his time and was perfectly polite and thorough with me--all for a twenty dollar sale. YAY SAM ASH MUSIC!

I get so much more sun in my apt when the leaves come off the trees

autumn

the way that making this list makes the good things in my life multiply

Coffee

man.

i really wanna fall in love with someone and stop falling in love with ideas of someone.

whatever the fuck that means.

The families in my Saturday morning class are SO into the class. They are always bringing extended family because they have so much fun.

My dentist is so cool: small office, personal attention, gentle, communicative, friendly....the list goes on. Best dentist ever. My appointment (two fillings) went really well yesterday. Next up: wisdom teeth coming out on wednesday.

Having a plan of attack for getting my smile back. I have been so afraid of this one and avoiding it for years. I am so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so happy to be getting on top of this after feeling shame/fear/etc about it for so long.

Clarity re: how much I dislike musical directing and the opportunity to cultivate compassion and patience with myself and the cast of the round-up show.

Having today off.

Grocery delivery. This one deserves a mention every day!

Grapes.

Trying again to make this vegan coconut lemon cake, I think it's going to be brilliant today.

Happy Sunday!

mystery recipe sent to me in the mail for more hippy vegan food, who sent this?

clarity re: money and holiday travel

arriving to work in a funk and being swarmed with children folk screeching my name

riding my bike to my appointments on a crisp morning yesterday and especially the downhill portion back home through Prospect Park

running this morning in Prospect Park with Karen

Sufjan Stevens show tonight at the Music Hall of Williamsburg! (if you are curious about his music, you can download free songs from his website: http://asthmatickitty.com/sufjan-stevens )

My love affair with Brooklyn

The closeness (in proximity and heart) of my sister and brother (in law)

Finally, if you believe in this sort of thing, please send a prayer or a good thought to my friend David.

Yesterday, I was in a crowded elevator with friends and it made a strange sound. I jokingly said "excuse me" as if I had farted, but everyone thought I really did. They were laughing too hard for me to explain that I didn't really. It was embarrassing but it's funny now.

gratitude:

The ability to laugh at myself

When I was a kid my family called farts "bottom burps." I just learned recently that this isn't a widely used term.

For the opportunity to be of service

Wiped out after the weekend = productive

New music from Gavin Castleton

Catherine's butternut squash soup

My Chimera Music t-shirt

I found my fancy, too expensive to replace headphones that I thought were lost

Listening to music on the subway

When I have iTunes on random and a song comes up that I have never heard before and love. On this occasion, "Love Ridden" by Fiona Apple.