Seriously, what is up with the big-ass sunglasses? Yesterday in New York, I think I saw two good-looking women wearing good-looking shades. The rest reminded me of Jackie Onassis with big, '70s-era sunglasses, or fat Elvis with aviators. I just don't understand wearing shades that cover half your face; maybe the point is to avoid having to put on sunscreen.

As the weather was so gorgeous, at least for the first half of the day, I went into the City early yesterday and wended my way to Astor Place for my traditional short 'n spiky haircut. Satisfied with the Cuban's job, I then shuffled around the Village a bit, eventually making my way eastward down St. Mark's Place, leaving a few stickers around to show I'd been there.

Banjo Jim's was pretty deserted when I arrived, even though the open mic was scheduled to begin in twenty minutes. There were a lot of names on the list already, however, and so I added Margarita's. The bar had been restocked with my Original Sin cider, so I ordered one and chatted with Wayne, the bartender and official host of the open mic. Soon thereafter, Rick, the unofficial host, showed up, and enough people came in for the whole shebang to start.

Had a nice time there again, and Susan Hwang, another piano-playing singer/songwriter who'd played last week, returned and performed two different songs. I liked her quirky sense of humor and so I'd added her as a friend on MySpace. And of course I enjoyed Margarita's performance very much, too. I took a few pictures of the both of them before leaving early (though not as early as I'd planned) to have some appetizers with Yesika at Baumgart's Cafe and then catch "Prom Night" with some discount coupons she'd scored. The movie wasn't bad at all, though the idiot teenagers in the theater were. Ah, well...

I'm planning on seeing elizabeth! late Saturday night at Dizzy's in Columbus Circle. Haven't seen the lovely jazz singer in a while... anyone want to join me? I think I'm finally going to unwind at a Sunday night campfire with Martin Rivas and his compatriot Craig Meyer on Sunday evening at the Red Lion in the Village. Man, I sure have been seeing a lot of live music. Now, as far as making live music...

Margarita chided me again on Saturday for not bringing my own guitar and taking a turn at the open mic. Well, I think I've found a way to force myself to do it at least once or twice between now and Saturday, June 21st. That's the date of Make Music New York, a city-wide event during which New York's sidewalks and park spaces are going to be opened up for musicians to perform for the public, free to both. I heard about it this weekend, and checked out the Web site, and before I could dither too much about whether or not I really wanted to play for New York City on the first day of summer, I signed myself up for a fifteen-minute slot, from 3:30 to 3:45 PM, at Wollman Rink in Central Park. Yes, seriously. So obviously I'm going to need to start practicing again, and hard, but I'd also really like to play at Banjo Jim's once or twice before then, because playing in the safety and solitude of my 'studio' is rather different from playing in front of live people. Fifteen minutes is long enough for me to say that I've played Central Park and mean it, but short enough that I can't make a complete fool of myself. I think.

Another fun day is coming up, too: Shutdown Day, which is on Saturday, May 3. Last year, I managed to keep all my computers off for the whole 24 hours (as did my friend awakenewsleep), and while I did carry my Treo on my journey to New York, I used it only in its telephony capacity. It'll be harder to avoid using the iPhone's computing power, but I am determined to partake in Shutdown Day again, and I urge everyone who can to join as well. I haven't decided what I'm going to do with the day yet, but I won't be indoors (unless the weather's that bad) and I won't be touching any keyboards!

I think perhaps I'm being stalked by the Black Squirrel again... Yes, he made two appearances (visitations?) last week, the second time seeming to taunt me, as if he knew I couldn't stop to take a picture because I was rushing to make a bus.

I took three trips to New York on three consecutive days, which I'm pretty sure is a first for me. I've been needing a live music fix, and getting it from three pretty young women (all MySpace friends of mine) definitely hit the spot.

I saw Ashley Mounts at the 169 Bar Thursday night, despite being drained and exhausted from some crazy days at work. I think the Yuengling helped my mood a bit. Recognizing me from the icon, Ashley came over to where I was standing after her wonderful set to shake hands and say hello, and we chatted for a bit before she started mingling. I'd have liked to have stayed longer, but I don't think I would've stayed awake for more than another hour or two, so I split.

As it turns out, I overslept on Friday morning anyway.  :-O  I was still pretty tired that night (Friday proved to be another hellacious day at work), but I hopped on the train and headed back into Manhattan and saw Laura Cheadle at the Baggot Inn Friday night, and got a chance to say hi before her set, and had her shimmy against me briefly. Hey, it was packed tight in there! This time, I had a Magners, and contemplated a second one, but once again I couldn't stay too late, as I was taking the train to New Brunswick to catsit for the weekend for my friend Barbara. Dozed off on the train a few times, but I didn't miss my stop...

The fact that I was in New Brunswick and not Lyndhurst didn't stop me from heading back to the City on Saturday afternoon to catch the open mic at Banjo Jim's again and see the lovely and talented Margarita Shamrakov again. She had another friend, Debbie, there with her this time, and the three of us sat together checking out musicians until Margarita's turn came 'round. There were more pianists this time around than usual, which made it interesting; Margarita insists she wasn't jealous...   ;)  The three of us (and some of the other musicians) were drawn by Isaac Paris, who performed two songs himself; I'll have to scan mine and put it up when I get home. I'd wanted an Original Sin, the cider I usually get at Jim's, but they were out (I'm probably the only person who drinks 'em anyway), so I downed a Guinness instead. Margarita and I split before the open mic was over, though Debbie opted to stay; we walked to Sixth, chatting the whole time, before parting company with a hug. As lovely as the weather was (I'd opted to leave my jacket at Barbara's, which was a good decision), I figured I should head back, and it turns out that I had some work to tend to once I got back to New Brunswick, so it was well that I did. Nothin' like phone calls from the boss on Saturday night...

And that's my last three nights. More work to take care of tonight, once I get back home; probably going to leave here in an hour or so. Yes, the cats did get fed, and they did get some attention, so my work here is done. Heh... I have new pics of Ashley, Laura, and Margarita, and the Black Squirrel, up in the good ol' Gallery... of Death!

It's been a long weekend. Friday night, I got picked up by Sally (no, not like that) and we headed down to the Jersey shore. Paige and I watched a bit of the original "Amityville Horror" (and chuckled over how cheesy some of it was now, while reminiscing about how frightening it was when we first saw it as children) while waiting for Sally and Matt to get ready, then the four of us saw Brian Kirk and the Jerks play some fun covers at the Mad Hatter in Sea Bright. We had a great time, but I probably had a few more Boston Lagers than I should have, and after crashing on Sally's couch sometime after 1 AM, I awoke on Saturday morning with a slight hangover.

Sally and Matt got me to the Long Branch station in time to make the 10:09 AM train northward, and by the time I got home, I was feeling a bit better. I had enough time to grab a coffee and a muffin at Dunkin' Donuts and hit the shower, then I headed to New York to see Margarita play at Banjo Jim's again. And that's when it happened.

My twenty-two hours or so without an iPhone began when I was sprinting down to the platform to catch an L to First Avenue, since I was cutting the time closer than I'd wanted. As I approached the bottom of the stairs, I realized that the train was sitting there, doors open, and I heard the announcement that meant it was getting ready to depart. So, naturally, I jumped the last four stairs and bolted for the doors. The problem is, the shock from hitting the platform knocked the iPhone from its holster on my belt (much like the shock of smacking my head against concrete had done less than two weeks ago). The other problem is, it didn't hit me until I was on the train, and the doors were closing, that the device had ripped away from the earbuds (I'd been listening to Nitzer Ebb at the time) and skittered across the platform, and under the train. By the time the realization had set in, the train was moving, and all I could do was get off at the first stop and head back. When I arrived back at the Sixth Avenue station, all I could see down by the tracks was half of the protective case; the iPhone had either slipped under the tracks or into the murky water or else been snagged by someone who saw what had happened.

Nothing makes you recover from a hangover more quickly and suddenly than watching several hundred dollars' worth of technology disappear. I was angry with myself. I was concerned about possibly losing data (though the more I thought about that, the less likely it seemed I would), and about being incommunicado for at least the rest of the day. I was devastated, because while I occasionally suffer head wounds and psycho ex-girlfriends and buses that just don't show up, this kind of thing never happens to me. But then I guess almost everyone it happens to says that. I made my way to Alphabet City and saw Margarita when I walked into Banjo Jim's, so I headed over and sat down with her. The open mic had already started, so we tried to keep our conversation to the interims between musicians so as not to be rude. I explained what had happened, and she was sympathetic; telling me that she would make me feel better, she scribbled a note to tell me that one of her friends lost a thousand dollars last week. Ouch. That is worse...

Margarita bought me a drink this time, and I told her about how I'd injured my head at the train station. Good times... She went on kinda late again, not having been signed in early, but I stuck around and heard her play "Kill Yourself," and then "Tragedy," which she dedicated to me. I'd never had a live performance dedicated to me before; it was very sweet.

We both had to split after the show, so we headed back to the L together, hugging before she got off at Sixth. I was meeting Barbara for dinner on the Upper West Side at 6 PM, and I would've gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for the meddling MTA. I didn't realize the C wasn't running until after two As had gone by, and then the next train was an E, so I took that to Seventh Avenue, where the B would supposedly take me to W. 72nd. Only it never showed up, after 40 minutes or so, and I suspect that perhaps that line doesn't run on the weekends. I knew I was late at this point, but unfortunately I couldn't call Barbara to let her know what was going on; I didn't even know her cel number to call from a payphone. I decided to just walk the 20+ blocks instead, so I did, and I found Barbara at a pizzeria a block from where we'd planned to meet.

All in all, I got to tell the iPhone story several times on Saturday. Heh... Barbara and I saw her friend Stephanie perform with the Dessoff Choirs, and enjoyed it thoroughly, but I decided against joining Barbara and Stephanie and her family for coffee and dessert afterwards, opting instead to go to the Apple Store for a replacement phone. A few minutes with the crowds there, though, and I figured I could wait. It'd been an exhausting day already, good friends and music notwithstanding, and I didn't feel like taking an extra-late train home, so I left it for today.

While waiting at Penn Station for the train, I decided to get something to read. I hadn't brought a book or anything along, because I'd figured on listening to music on the iPh... anyway, I was looking around, trying to find an interesting book, when I was inspired by a discussion Margarita and I had had two weeks earlier while walking to the subway. So I picked up "The Alchemist" by Brazilian Paulo Coelho, and got hooked on it. It's quite a book...

So that's how I ended up iPhone-less for almost a full day. I did head to the Apple Store late this morning, picked up a new phone and headed back home to activate it and restore it. That went very smoothly, at least. I wanted to make sure I had a phone for today, because I had to pick up Linda, our new Arizona employee, at the airport this afternoon; she's going to be here in New Jersey for the week to meet us and get some training. Things went smoothly at the airport, too, fortunately, and after we grabbed some dinner, I got her back to her hotel.

I saw Margarita performing live via Webcast tonight, which was cool. She did "Mama," my favorite of her songs, and dedicated that performance to me, too.  :-D  I'm about ready for bed now, though. Let's hope this week isn't too bad...

I went back to Banjo Jim's on Saturday, and got to see Margarita perform again. She and I sat near the corner checking out some of the other singer/songwriters before and after her turn, and heard some good stuff. She had a dinner date and had to leave early, and since I didn't want to get home too late myself (especially as it was cooling off rapidly), I departed with her, and we headed to the subway station together. We decided to just walk crosstown instead, though, and chatted about this and that before I went down to the PATH at Sixth. Margarita's very talented, and very interesting and fun; it's been nice spending time with her, and getting to mingle a little bit with other musicians as a result.

As to the 'ow...' I'd forgotten this morning that it was a holiday (to some people, anyway), and headed for the train at my regular time. When it became clear that the train wasn't coming, I checked the schedule and realized that I had more than half an hour to wait; as it was warm and the rain had seemingly stopped, I didn't mind too much, and began pacing leisurely alongside the tracks. As I was reaching the furthest point from shelter (a space beneath the stairs leading to street level), it began to drizzle, and then to sprinkle, and then to rain. D'oh! I sprinted for the dry space, and made a last leap for shelter... and promptly smacked the top of my skull into some ill-placed concrete.

My iPhone fell from its holster on my belt, and of course picking it up was my first priority.  lol  Once it was safely off the ground and in my hand, though, I checked my head, and found it bloodied. "Dammit..." While I didn't feel dazed or dizzy or terribly concussed, I realized that getting on the train with blood dripping down from my forehead would probably not be a great idea, so I pulled the umbrella from my backpack (yes, I had one with me, I just hadn't wanted to get it out to use it for thirty seconds) and walked back home, grateful that it was still dark enough out that no one driving or walking by seemed to notice.

Back at home, I washed my hair again and called Jenn, one of my colleagues, and asked her for a ride. She agreed to pick me up and didn't ask why I needed one, and I was in her car for a few seconds before she noticed the bleeding (which had started up again). Heh... I made it through the rest of the day without any additional mishaps. It hurts, but not terribly much, unless I touch it, of course. I'm ready for bed, though, and I'm not looking forward to washing my hair tomorrow...

This evening, somehow, I ended up sitting at the bar with the prettiest girl there.

Granted, there weren't very many women in the bar by that point... Heh-heh. The statement stands, though, and even when there had been more women earlier in the afternoon, she still stood out. After making myself a huge bacon, hash browns, and egg breakfast, I'd gone back to Banjo Jim's this afternoon (twice in one week!), specifically to see Margarita perform. What I hadn't realized was that it was an open-mic session and there were many singer/songwriter types there, each with the opportunity to perform two songs, and since Margarita didn't get there in time for her 3:00 slot, she wasn't able to go on 'til three hours later. Luckily, I decided to stick around.

I thought I recognized her when she walked in, but I wasn't sure, and having only seen an animated rendition of me, she didn't recognize me, either. She actually stood beside me at the bar while the guy before her was on, and I was tempted to say hi but would've felt dumb if it hadn't been Margarita. Then she went on and introduced herself before playing "Magic City" and "Higher Ground."

After her set was done and Margarita left the... well, it's not really a stage- left the performing area, I guess, I caught her attention and introduced myself, and she was happy to see me. She wanted to know why my icon's hair looks brown, when my real hair was obviously blond.  lol  She took issue with the icon's depiction of me. She sat down on the barstool next to mine and we caught the rest of the acts before open-mic was over, including a "singalong" version of the Band's "The Weight," which she'd never heard.

Funnily enough, I'd watched "Stargate Atlantis" last night, and as it ended with Dr. Rodney McKay, the pessimistic geek, struggling to comprehend Dr. Jennifer Keller trying to get him to go to the bar with her and buy her a drink, I thought to myself that she wouldn't have to ask me twice.  ;)  And tonight, I got the chance to buy Margarita one. We chatted, and exchanged gifts (she gave me a second copy of her CD, to give to a friend, and I gave her one of my buttons, which she promptly put on her jacket), and then she asked if we could have someone take our picture with my iPhone. Since I had my digital camera with me, too, I handed that over to one of the afternoon's other performers instead, and he gladly snapped two shots of us.

Margarita offered to show me the studio where she'd recorded her album, "Tragedy," and I gamely took her up on it, so we left Banjo Jim's and walked a few blocks. A few blocks more than we needed to, actually, since we were talking about our jobs and our music and the music industry in general, and not paying so much attention to where we were. We made it there eventually, and I met her producer, Mike, and stepped into the vocal booth and saw the Macs and recording gear there. Very cool... The three of us hopped on a crosstown bus and did some more talking about music recording and promoting before I hopped off to head for the PATH train to Hoboken. (I realize that the reason there's no 8:33 PM westbound train is probably because few people are riding during the dinner hour, but I always seem to need a train at that time...) I had a very nice time checking out all the music at Banjo Jim's, especially Margarita's, and it was great to meet her and enjoy her company for a while.  :-D