Market

Trader Joes supermarket. This weekend Trader Joes Supermarket open with great fan fare on 14th street. Me never wanting to miss an opening (what was the quote someone said about Javier and me at the opening of some club a lifetime ago in Chicago, "I knew you two would be here, you guys wouldn't miss the opening of an envelope"). That not withstanding the thought of venturing out of my house, on a Friday evening, on St Patricks Day was way too much so I decided to go with a friend on Saturday afternoon. I head off to meet her, there was a bit of a slip up so I was running late, so instead of meeting out in front she was at a bar and ordered up a drink for me. I walked by the store, on my way to meet her and the place is packed. Now I'm not into cooking, of really eating at home. But I figure I can get some frozen stuff, prepared foods, and of course cheap wine. But alas the wine store was not yet open. Strike one.
The place was jammed packed, people looked so excited, like they were going to see santa, strike two. And I still can't get over the fact that the Palladium is gone. It wasn't my favorite place to go, far from it really, but it was an institution and a sorry replacement after Danceteria closed strike three, but after a drink or two I'd get over myself and shop like the masses.

So I meet Norma and we are sitting in an overdone bar/restaurant, having martinis or something of the like. After about 2 drinks we decide to head over to the supermarket shopping party of the season. As we are walking over there, I think oh how times have changed, what seems like only yesterday, but in reality many years ago on a Saturday night, frozen cheese filled things were the furthest thing from my mind. I was putting the finishing touches on my mix tapes for dance night at O'Hooleys (oddly enough I mixed up a kick ass session on Saturday, maybe things haven't changed that much) and trying to get to the state liquor store before it closed to get a bottle of the USA tequila.
As we approach T-J's there is a line to get in. Literally a line that brought back memories of when that was the Palladium. Norma and I look at each other and head back over to the bar and order up a couple of more drinks. Figuring that its just a fluke and that the line will go away in a few.
No, when we return 4 martinis or whatever later the line has grown, now when that place was the Palladium (I still think it's a crime that they tore that place down for yet another NYU dorm) I never stood in line, and I'm not going to do it for frozen cheese things now.
But it's really a sign of how much New York has changed. Think about 14th street today, and what it was even 10 years ago. There is really nothing that you can get a T-J that you can't get at any other store, but we'll stand in line for it. We believe the hype, and that a little piece of suburbia in NY is the cure for all our ills. How funny that the place that was ground zero, for mid to late 80's partying in now a national chain supermarket that garners a line to get into. When the Palladium opened it had mirror trays for you to do you coke on, the dance floor was so huge that there were wall that came down to make it look like Odyssey 2000 ( The Saturday Night Fever Disco). You could go into the Michael Todd Room, and rub elbows with people that were downtown royalty. By the time I would go there the hype was on its way out, however, I have fond memories of being there and dancing the night away, or trying to get into the V.I.P. room in the basement. I remember being there one night, sitting outside the Michael Todd room, with my first B-friend and waiting to see who was coming and going.
With memories like that there was no way that I would stand in line there now, to shop for groceries, cheap wine maybe, but not for produce.

Mean Mr. Me.

So yesterday, I was teaching class, 6th grade computers, and 3 months until the end of the school year I finally hit a groove. We actually were having a good couple of weeks where the kids were actually producing things. But yesterday the kids were all keyed up, there was a birthday party for a class mate, and we are having the annual book and software sale. They had lots of sugar and games/gadget buying right before my class. So I had so take command, be the adult, MR. TAYLOR damn it. So as the kids entered the class I noticed a pattern, they all had these magnifying glasses from the book fair so one by one I sent them back to their homeroom to put them away.
I notice that three of my little angels did not do as they were told and had their toys at the computer. I told them "fine if you want to play with your Dora the Explorer or whatever log off the computer (we were about to listen to music and work with some music composition software I found here, who knew my sister had all this stuff here) and play with your toys" Now these are 10 and 11 year old girls, and one by one they started to cry, not a little bit of tears but big, loud, coughing, balling. At first it was kind of funny, I said you all are kidding right? But no they were serious, and after I suppressed the need to laugh at them (see I just don't have that teaching gene) I wanted to get to the bottom of why it meant so much that they participate in my class? They could not answer inbetween the tears.

The crying continued after the class, they cried up 2 flights of stairs, they cried during their Spanish class so much that they had to be taken to the principal, they cried like their best friend just died. As I'm getting ready for after school one of them looks at me and starts crying. What the hell am I that good a teacher, or what?

Mercy, Sisters of

Call it a mid life crisis, but I have been a fiend for music of my college years. I have been on an I-tunes mission, snapping up digital versions of my vinyl. Everything from New Order, to the Sisters Of Mercy. I guess I could go out and buy that turntable that allows you to digitize your vinyl, but why, for 99 cents each I can get "Lucretia in My Reflection" and then while waiting for the download get some other tunes by the Sisters that I have forgotten. "More" for instance. I-tunes is great,for Apple anyway because it naturally leads you to buy more. Like after listening to "more" by SOM, I'm thing I really should buy "Beers, Steers, and Queers", cause it naturally follows on that i-mix that I clicked over too... hold on I am going to buy it, never owned the vinyl of it, never really liked the song, but it does remind me of a night at The Smart Bar when Dana, Natalie and I were sitting on this electrical sculpture "thinnie" and we were all getting a little shock from it, but were either too drunk, or too cool to move and I'm pretty sure that the Revolting Cocks were playing at the time(Line from the song "come on boy drop those britches... Squeal like a pig"). And I know that it was at the smart bar one night it was either too "Kooler than Jesus" or "A Girl Doesn't Get Killed by a Make believe Lover...Cause its Hot" both by My Life with a Thrill Kill Cult" that a guy was dancing out of control, and must have hit a slippery spot on the sawdust covered dancefloor and fell so hard you heard his teeth hit that nasty floor.
Now the memory wheel is really turning, "The Walk" by the Cure would get the "whitchy whitchy, all black hoop earring girls" all doing that progessive three step on the dancefloor/dart board area at O'Hooleys, ahh good times.
Look, another song found, its just 99 cents more, I've been in a kind of a Depeche Mode mood lately, and here is "Shake the Disease" which I actually own on CD but this has been remixed by Tiga, I've been digging him lately, (and The Martini Bros) so now the best of both worlds right?
While I'm waiting for DM, looks like folks that bought this also bought Simply Red? That's odd, not a natural pairing... I'll have to check it out. When I do I realize that its a new Simply Red song, never really a fan, but after 30 seconds, I'm digging "Perfect Love" but I can't decide on which mix of it, they are only 99 cent each so I'll get both.
Looking at the listeners that bought section (damn them) I see Gus Gus there, now either Bjork, or Gus Gus was one of the last concerts that I went too, in a small venue, and they were both great. I give the tune a listen, and of course, 99 cent later "Need in Me" is down loading, I'm beginning to think this is a little irresponsible of me, but its only 99 cents right?

Me...After

The ravages of time. At the kingdom we all take "class pictures for the yearbook". My big project for the next month is cutting and pasting pictures and clipart to put together said yearbook. Now featuring my big greasy picture.
It's got me thinking that I would love to see the class pictures of my friends, (and enemies even more) to see how time has affected them (I know its been done many times before but not by me)

Me...Before

kindergarten, originally uploaded by mtaylor718.

Movies

Over a year ago I joined Netflix.Back when I lived in Chicago, and there really wasn't a video store of note by my house, (now there really isn't any by me here) I did have cable but with the exception of the Six Feet Under, (now the reruns) I just have and had cable for the reception. At first I was religious about putting movies on my queue, sending back the movies that I had seen you know the things that make having netflix worth the money. It is a great deal, for under $20.00 a month you can see what 15 movies.
I was even good about it when I moved here. The thing is that I was picking movies that I had seen before or movies that I thought that I should see. I rented " Beautiful Thing" even though I own it, "Sideways" because it was supposed to be a great movie (I couldn't even get 20 minutes into it). Then I started not watching the movies that I got in the mail. I would get the movies, watch one, hate it, and not want to watch the others, for weeks, sometimes months.

I decided to rent what I wanted to see, like I wanted to see "Space 1999" the series. Or "Team America" not because they were good TV shows, and movies, but because I wanted to see them. That only lasts for a while, then I got bored with that, so now I'm back to getting the movies watching one and a half, then they sit. Any suggestions?

Montreal...again

Funny thing happened today. I was sitting here in a funk, nothing unusual, and I got a phone call. I didn't recognize the number on the caller ID so I didn't answer it. I figured it was a call from the DNC or a "fan" (bill collector), but no when I checked the message it was a guy I met in Montreal.
He sounded so sexy! I listened to the message a couple of times. I thought to myself what could he want? I met him in a bar, we hung out, and... You know... Nice man smart sexy, cute, the whole package. We communicated a few times but nothing more than I had fun, etc, It was one of those funky life things where you say "if we lived in the same city this could be something" and God sucks because you meet someone that is living in another country. The reality of the situation is probably if I he was in New York I wouldn't have met him (a little pessimistic?).
Anyway we chatted for a while and just the conversation got me out of my funk, for a minute, Until I spoke with a friend, which I dated for a little while, but we are much better friends, who has been "talking" to another ex of mine who I am not friends with, they might go on a date. I'm back to why does God hate me.

Men it was bound to happen...

While I'm down on men, can someone explain to me why so many gay men can't take an attempt of friendship as just that friendship. I have had a couple of distasteful attempts at being friends with guys, just friends, and you would think that I wanted to marry them. Um no I don't want to marry you, or sleep with you for that matter, it would be kind of nice to have a couple of gay guys to hang out with. Maybe I'm just a freak or just spoiled. I have a few good male friends, we are just that friends, we can hang out, talk, share porn, you know the usual stuff that everyone does right?
I have had now three bad flirtations with trying to meet new people in New York where I just really don't get it? Will someone explain it to me? My only thought is that when I met my friends we were all younger and now, everyone is out to fill an agenda.
It seems crazy to me that fags just can't be friends. OR if your not confused, (maybe my attempts of friendships are confused for more and if so what the hell is wrong with that)be an adult and say so. There I've said it.

Marcia H. Taylor Kowlessar

March 30, 1947 to February 14,2006


She is on the right in both pictures...