I tried uploading a picture taken on the Trump Pier on The Hudson that shows my building among other ones, and was going to write something clever like “Happy New Years from my house to yours.” Couldn’t find the exact picture that I wanted. That was probably fortunate for you.
If I began thanking everybody who has taken part in this amazing journey with me, I would be writing until New Years Day. Anyway I’m saving that for my AcademyAward speech, duh BOB speech
Have been reciting variations of the speech since I was two. It’s for best actress, and my dress for the last several years has diamonds in the straps, and diamonds in the sole of the shoes. Read my Gotti post below Continue Reading »
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From the Courting Archives. One of my faves. Also have a post at Bring it on!
Thanks to everybody who nominated me for a BOB award. Nominations end on January 3rd which happens to be Lucia’s birthday. This has been edited twice.
Sometime in the late 1980’s Lucia, Noel (a male friend who no longer lives in New York, and yes he’s gay) and I were walking up Lafayette Street, in Nolita, a section of Manhattan that was called Noho then. Nolita stands for north of Little Italy, and Noho for north of Houston. We were walking on the east side of the street where there’s a fire station.
It was a hot June night. Not hot as in oppressive, I want to die weather, but hot enough. In New York, the hottest part of the day is always dusk when the heat’s had time to settle on the cement, and the buildings seem to ooze both heat and drops of hot water from the air conditioners. The steam rises both from the street, and subway gratings, and it can feel as if you’re trapped in a manhole cover or a pot of not quite boiling water. One thing you learn in New York early and never forget: heat rises.
I was wearing a blue with little pink and yellow flowers bustier dress; the skirt flowed like a Marilyn dress. Here comes the big confession: sometimes when I would a dress like that I wouldn’t wear underwear. But, and this is a big but, I had a two piece bathing suit that almost exactly matched the dress; only the flowers were a bit larger. That morning in a burst of clothing creativity, I decided to wear the bottom as underwear.
Noel was walking to my right, and Lucia to my right. The subway grating was right underneath me. The fire station bells began ringing as it did whenever notable people passed it. I couldn’t understand why suddenly Lucia and Noel were trying to tame my dress that was whirling with the blast of hot air from the subway. Their faces had turned bright red, and not from the heat.
Something made me turn around, and face three very well dressed men who were trying not to smile. Two of the men were young, very good looking; “bodyguards,” I thought before my brain had time to register exactly who they were guarding. Or maybe I really didn’t want to realize this. I thought of something clever to say, but before I could say it I began laughing. Real laughter; not girly giggles or shameful bursts of restrained laughter that turns into coughing fits. I knew that as long as I lived I would never forget this meeting. But I just couldn’t stop laughing; the six of us were standing on Lafayette Street, laughing until tears came.
And that’s how I met the man for whom the bells were tolling; the boss of bosses himself, John Gotti, shortly before he went to prison.
If Lucia comments, and she will, do not believe her version. I wasn’t just wearing underpants, I was wearing a shield of armor, a belly covering bathing suit bottom.
No I don’t approve of him or anything he did. Just getting that out of the way. But it’s a hell of a story. And I have a book of them.
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With Cooper on her way to Hawaii, or in it, I just feel so uninspired. Really I feel overwhelmed and amazed. Some of the blogs nominated are wonderful; put one on my blogroll already, and know that I will read more of them. There is much talent in the blogosphere. We all seem to have our little worlds; I thought that they intersected more.
Have humbly found out that they don’t. I’m having a really difficult time writing this post because I have to stifle the urge to be overly clever and make everybody like me. That’s absurd as I have always been liked or disliked; never in the middle. While I usually like that there are times I just want to disappear into the middle of the screen.
Wanted the blog whore nomination. Thought that I went around screaming “link me, link me, or you will suffer.” If I haven’t, I have meant to. That’s a joke; I’m just not the link whore type. Continue Reading »
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After I delete or archive all my GMail, I read No new mail! There’s always Google News if you’re looking for something to read.
So I do; hour after after; day after day. I hadn’t planned to click or read the mail. I have other things to do that are much more pressing. But sometimes I actually read many articles. Sometimes I can stop myself in time. Continue Reading »
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This is very confusing to me. Have been thinking a lot about how many people make money off Bloggers with RSS feeds, and other ancillary services. Many blogs are tech or service oriented blogs designed to sell products if not directly then somehow through them..
Am trying to say that there is an entire industry being built around blogging where everybody profits but the bloggers. And we do the work that keeps them in business. So maybe there is a justification to being recognized by your peers in blog awards.
I spend my life writing. This was the first weekend in a long long time I did something every night except Friday because of the snot in the soup problem. When I’m not writing for my blog(s); I’m writing my book which is way different in style and content. I write content for websites, not mine, and do some freelance PR writing because it brings in some money and I enjoy selling things that aren’t me.
Have a problem selling me. I might come off like a lion, but I’m basically quiet, except when I’m not. Used to be the one with the glitter hot sox emergencies, now I buy Hot Sox for my eleven year old niece who secretly loves the wild shag carpet purple ones, but wears the preppy, striped one in public. Continue Reading »
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I will post the five weird or embarrassing things about me on Wednesday. First a note from our sponsor: The blogging world is amazing.
People who don’t blog, virtually everyone that I know, believed it to be some sinister cabal designed to keep me from the real world, and in a cult where I corresponded with non-functional people. How wrong they were, and most of them are beginning to learn that.
I’m constantly humbled by the talent in the blogging world: literary, politics, multi-media. It amazes me that I’m part of a revolution in communication. Once I thought that Walkman’s and PC’s were a big thing. Now I have a phone that can do almost anything, an IpodNano, a digital camera that makes me look like I can actually take pictures, and a blog named Courting. Continue Reading »
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Just took down a post that I loved but was so not in the spirit of the season.
Blogging, and meeting so many wonderful people has been an incredible gift. But I still want diamonds.
Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kawanza
and keep the Festivus pole going.
There is so much more to be said but I shall save it for five embarrassing things about me.
Oh you thought that was going to be my gift to you?
During the week; Hanukkah last eight nights; and if I keep this up I might even learn to spell it. And my best friends exchange gifts on January 6, Three Kings Day.
The season is just beginning; and I like exchanging New Years greetings; if we can all agree on the same day and same holiday. Otherwise, wake me up in 2006
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Most people who read Courting know Doug.
I have known him since early this past year. A long time in the blogosphere world; and never knew this story.
His more popular blog is Waking Ambrose; it is a re-telling of Ambrose Bierce’s Devil’s Dictionary for our times.
Doug Drones On is his weekend blog. You can either listen to or read Doug’s own stories about his life. Unlike me he neither whines or talks about his great qualities.
Doug inspires great loyalty from the growing number of people who read his blogs. He claims that I have mentored him, yet he has taught me how blogging can truly become a community of people with disparate interests, but all love words.
Do admit to a slight jealousy over how well he moderates his comments. I don’t moderate mine because I fear if I do nobody would ever read Courting again.
Actually I fear that all the time. I love blogging and meeting people like Doug is a big part of the reason why. Doug truly is very modest and he will probably hate me for doing this. But, uh, the devil made me do this?
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Next week I’m doing a five embarrassing things about me. I will give two previews since I could probably fill a hundred pages with things not already in Courting.
Had to call my company, all three people, and tell them not to come over tonight as my right nostril will only stop running when I’m sneezing. Very hospitable. Have a little, lot, snot in your soup.
Second embarrassing thing: I love gift bags; I think that they are a gift from a higher power for people like me who can’t cut a piece of paper straight, tie a ribbon let alone make a fancy design. Continue Reading »
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Since the post below is rather different than how I usually blog I will give you a choice. Or you can read both. Personally I prefer that you do. While I’m not going to be blogging for the next few days I will be adding to the story below it.
For a minute I lost the technorati, and my Google page rank. This, of course, totally stunned and freaked me, until I realized that I had been kicked off the Internet.
Repaired and changed the connection, to a neighbors. No, actually I have never had the nerve to do it, but would love to. I know the computer name for every network in my building. Figured out about six so far. Hint: Don’t use your last name or apartment number
After I repaired my connection I received this message:
“if the problem persists speak to your system manager.”
“Hello system manager, it is I, Pia, the owner, sole user and technician on Savannah Falls Too.”
“Yes Pia. This is Pia. What is the problem?”
” How do I fix this problem permanently?”
“You’re asking me? That’s like asking you. That is asking you.”
“Yeah but you’re the system side of me.”
“System side of you? You must be crazy. You have no system side.”
“Everybody has a system side.”
“No, I’m telling you; we don’t.”
“We know how to keyword for Google.”
“Lost art of keywording.”
“So we must know some sort of system.”
“Well, actually I think it’s a cable problem.”
“Usually is.”
“You want to call them?”
“You crazy? During a transit strike.”
All sides of me gasp
“Our cable TV is out. How are we supposed to take a blogging break?”
“All the books we haven’ t read. Think it’s time to start.”
“What a brilliant idea.”
Once again I found peace with myself.
Stumble it!
