aLOUD

Shopping in Toronto ("Black Friday")

I stayed to the large, and close-by, Eaton Shopping Centre. Curious mix of classes, some ethnicities and definitely visitors rom afar.

MEXX: Found men's selection sharper, if no more compelling. Shirts = Lots of lavender, purple and some cranberry.

FC(UK): Liked the selection way more than London (off Oxford Circus), more energy and hipness here ; nothing I needed though

H&M: Women's stuff quite hip (whether its their Trends or not); men's included more 'street' looks (downtown NYC if you will). Liked the fitted coat in men's; was not a need, and felt a tad stiffer than I'd prefer.

GAP: the messy floor signage layout issue Pam and I tripped upon in NYC Herald Square Gap is definitely from Stores, as same thing occured for me, and several other guests. Liked some of the khakis, though price was nothing to jump up and down about.

SEARS: um, how come Kenneth Cole's Reaction line is in here?! And it's not looking out of place or style-wise, perhaps pricewise though. Sears = hip (in Canada)? Noted Mexx label (part of Liz Clairborne) has items in here too - different than the store.

BANANA REPUBLIC: Bored me overall, low energy. I noted 2,3 pullovers in great colors (including, my language here, tangerine sorbet) that USA won't likely ever see.

india and its newspaper boom

india's definitely got the newspaper thing going. was happy to see this good, brief article verify that: http://www.guardian.co.uk/india/story/0,,1874610,00.html

Toronto & CDs!

Been thinking for a few days (seems like this comes up in autumn over the years) about buy $100 or 10 (new) CDs a month to support folks with their independent releases + the Soundscan scores. This brings me current, and I could pre-order from Amazon, or wherever. This would come from daygig money, whereas collexion building is really from the Re$ells/initial collection :-)
Some of these CDs I would simply load and resell immediately to recoup AND keep my media close to the same. * I like this - need to sit with it a bit more, because I would prefer to hear the previews on iTunes/web beforehand - at least, sometimes.

I'm feeling good about subscribing to Billboard & EW end of November - hoping i would begin receiving issues with end of year biggies. plus, i feel good in being on rhythm with periodicals reading by/before that. :-)

I like the idea of Toronto for Thanksgiving, yet this isn't clicking as best. I feel like I may go on a daytrip overnight Friday, whereas I want to be here & out that Sat evening/night. I can fathom doing some theater, project(s), or such that weekend. * Who knows I may even participate in some cooking + group eating... Thinking it would be a place by car or bus... or yes even train. Asbury popped into view (again) before work this morning... we shall see. (I'm guessing the Newlyweds will go somewhere. ) Oooh, now i have pump'in pie on my mind LOL

Miss match

i realized yesterday that i organize the world's largest vegan meetup, or one of, if numbers changed significantly. some questions came to mind:

• how can i grow the membership to dwarf chicago's - which was barely a dozen or two away
• how can i grow the attendance at our events? do i want to limit it to make sure we fit at particular places vs. NYC vegetarian meetup's 24+ people per event?
• how do i best leverage this for myself, my aims?
• how might i work with this to do food demos for our meetup? other large meetups, groups?
• how does this link to the poster boy, advocate role i'm building into, assuming I am?

my volunteering

• following decade: around MIND - education effectiveness, EQ & IQ
• decade thereafter: around SOUL

for denver, i need a good book to read. the jul+aug magazine pile is more tame than i expected. really makes more sense to buy a book in denver OR take a more modest weighted one from here. * can use the time to write, read emails backlog - can borrow, even rent, a station * want to cafe, be out & about more this time

next decade: around BODY - world hunger (diet) esp. plus movement arts (e.g. yoga, tai chi,) [exercise]

Catchup Blog 2

Letter from the Edtior, Out July '05
"I was struck by the fact that almost all the male Hollywood A-listers who are not American have played gay or bisexual characters on-screen, while virtually none of the American have. Russell Crowe played queer in The Sum of Us;Antonio Banderas got gay for Perdo Almodovar and opposite TOm Hanks; and last year alone Colin Farrell connected with men in two movies. Look at their American heartthrob counterparts: Neither Tom Cruise nor Brad Pitt has ever played overtly gay in a movie."

I'm guessing this has to do with different cultural perspectives of gayness & masculinity, eh?

HX 27 May 2005 p. 32
HX: How did you respond to the criticism that the show wasn't an accurate depiction of gay life?
Hal Sparks: If we had five gay guys in an office and the show was about how normal they are, it wouldn't last a season - and it wouldn't create any change. We showed gay people who drank and did drugs and fucked everybody - and you still had to love them.

1) we didn't have to love them, or even like them, though I hear him in saying the story structuring / making a character sympathetic
2) I think this everyday gay thing is the way to go, maybe that's just (for) me though...? Or perhaps I'm carrying this over from pre-SoulFood (tv show) when some argued that seeing black folks in more everyday (dramatic) situations can further the bridges, close the divides between seeing blacks as other types, aliens, etc. * Perhaps this is my writing/visioning challenge? The seed was planted awhile ago, no?

I love this zero-energy homes idea. Can pursue as we get into this property purchasing outlook ;-) * How come this isn't poppin' as much on the Eastern coast/side of the States?

I laughed out loud, and cringed a bit, at this replicating NYC's East Village in Vegas. (Also, Avenue Q has a show up in Vegas as of 27 August - that was a fast year!)

IFP MARKET - a few notes
Was very very cool to hear Norman Jewison speak at the IFP Market's closing. The icing on that cake was Warrington Hudlin being the moderator/interviewer. Reminded me - as many other things have lately - that I am well connected when I want to be and/or get on the vibe. What is the combination like now that my intuition is strong as I clarify and loft my life (energy) with renewed purpose and positioning?? :-)
The panel with Rosie Perez, Mary Kay Place & Yolonda Ross really added to my thoughts o' late around directing, producing (what type of production am I best with), and how a story is still the thing with(out) that attracts and brings them to a project - money or not!

Catchup Blog 1

T-shirt line from Chad Allen (not sure if i'd wear or print this considering where i feel things are going soon(er))... Theater is life. Film is art. TV is furniture.

Out May '05 (yes, i'm not on my 60 day cycle for processing periodicals...) mentions X/O Chicago on Halsted (3411 N). I wondered what was there previously... looks like a cabaret/bar named Voltaire - which rings a bell - since 2000.

I guess Delta's JFK to Berlin non-stop dealio became a casualty of the bankruptcy - wait, no, i found one.
depart 5:55 pm/arrive 8:10 am (very cool, hehehe); leave berlin 12:10 pm/land JFK 2:50 pm
ok, so if leave thu pm, and return monday - would get a 3+ day weekend. for say $486

I'd wanted to google John Scognamiglio, and did... he's editorial director at kensington books.

I love this (quite astute) line from Moby:
"I say that I don't live in America, that I live in the Island State of Manhattan. [Laughs] Manhattan is to the United States as Hong Kong is to China."

Approx. 84% of USA's gays and lesbians have valid passports vs. 29% of the general (USA) population
-from Out Traveler
That's almost triple the percentage!!?!! Is that because of parenting, or a sense of not questing beyond the easily known?

Story idea/sci fi: gay marriage is allowed, yet each/all marriages must procreate at least once... population explosion*
*inspired by this bit from Scene Aug '05's from the publisher note: "...I think this [gay folkd] is God's way of birth control"

Oh how fun - Ex-'Idol' Constantine signs ABC sitcom deal with Kelsey Grammer