"I Like People"

I was telling Danny how insane my friend Meters Whitewell is.  

 "Danny, I cannot blieve I became friends with this guy. And you, you're smart -- you don't have those kinda friends."

"Yes. I do have. I have many like that. And they're not like that -- they're WORSE. Way worse."

"Seriously?? But then, what do you do?"

"I shut them out when they go too far. And some of them really try. I let them know they can't pull that shit on me, and try to manipulate or take advantage."

"why then, WHY are you friends with them, Danny? Why!!"

Long Beat. Shrugs.

"...I like people."

The girls of the show GIRLS

I just blew through all the eps of GIRLS for this season so far.

Man its addictive! AND man they are ANNOYING.

jesus.

I just found out last week from monica that every one of them is the offspring of famous people.

Brian williams daughter, David Mamets, Lena has artist mom, the british chick is daughter of Bad Company drummer... so yeah.

That alison williams has an unbearable story arc right now.  Just really super nauseating.  I assume she knows that her character is annoying. 

And also, the fact that she in real life wants to be a singer... blahh!   

Its interesting that singers can become actors pretty easily - because they are naturally performing all the time.

But when an actor becomes a singer, its harder for me to really get into.

I guess because they haven't toiled their whole lives to become that.  SO it seems twee, and self indulgent.

Even if they really can sing. 

A Day with Isaac

THE DAY WITH ISAAC.

Isaac has had a lot of trouble in his life, and as mom used to say, "Its amazing you turned out sane, Isaac.  Its a miracle."

Not a very nice way to put it, but honest.

He was banged back and forth between crazy mom and demented dad.. both of whom are good people... and Isaac ended up falling in with various bad crowds that played on his insecurities.

At his core he's a soft and vulnerable jewish kid from Brooklyn.  

But he continually tries to project this weird, no-one-messes-with-me persona, that doesn't really work.

Somehow, tho, he continues to keep his mom maintained, pay the mortgage, and have some decent relationships.

I used to wonder, "why is he trying to boast at me, or impress me," and at this point I just don't care at all to be impressed or even that he might be trying.

Go ahead, try.  

(Mostly I'm impressed by something ridiculous and rare: humility.  I love to see humble people. In a world full of egos and braggarts.)

Spent the day at Beacon New York today, with my friend Amy.  We took the train early in the morning, and walked around, ate some food, looked at various streets and waterfront areas.

No visit to Dia Arts Center; another time for that.  

But lovely weather, and away from NYC. 

More Lenny Diner

This thing with Danny is so incredible, 

coming on the tail end of my dad scenario.  I'm still dealing with loose ends from dads original will being missing, with closing down his rental apartment, taking boxes of his possesions into my small apartment... bla bla bla.

And then?? -- the danny thing happens.

I feel really bad that we say, "well maybe some day..."  And really we don't know that the happy assumption is going to play out. 

Danny had invited me to LA several times, and every time I said, 'Yeah I wanna'. Now look.

When my dad died I really realized that every time we say, "well maybe another time"?  we do leave ourselves open to MAYBE NEVER.  And we have to be ok with that. 

Its hard to know precisely whats going on with danny, because margaret is keeping a bit of a seal on things, information-wise. 

I understand how every family and situation deals differently, but it is hard to not know exactly. 

Estelle, Dad's Neighbor. She's like 900 years old

I had a long conversation with dad's elder neighbor Estelle. 

I was on the phone with her for TWO HOURS!!! 

She's actually quite sharp, funny, interesting.  Had her own share of tribulations, and is going in for a pacemaker on Wednesday.

She didn't know dad was gone, and was calling to check in.  (We exchanged numbers when I gave her dad's stereo a year ago.)

We shared tears.

Alll is Lost - the movie

by the way

I meant to see this robert redford movie, 

ALL IS LOST

I jokingly called it Robert Redford Drowns on a Boat

without having seen it.

Finally seen it.

Its really really good, and super gripping throughout.

Possibly also because I have a fear of the deep deep ocean.

Watch This Funny Video

Seriously wacky shit but quite funny.

chelsea peretti, and andrea rosen of Episodes fame as well... and two others. 

they used to have a weekly show at Galapagos in wburg. 

Now two of them guest start on regular tv shows. So their shit paid off I guess.

this one is five minutes but its hammy and clever.

http://www.varietyshac.com/videos/3414.html

Obvious Child - the movie

I did see OBVIOUS CHILD.

I liked it a lot.

it was cute and charming, and she is quite funny and confessional in her comedy.

It was not a hilarious comedy, it was a sweet movie.

It had good themes about commitment and being satisfied or not with the self, and perseverence.... etc.

I can see why Jenny slate is a comedic force as a kinda snarky self-flaggelating but honest person.

She's of that wburg ilk, from the days of Chelsea Peretti (brooklyn 99) as well.  They were all here on the scene doing standup for years, prior to becoming the shiznit.

And they're all sorta mildly hostile, quirky, funny.

Sold Dad's Books For a Song - someone ELSES song

Finally sold off dads 1700 books - did i mention this?

I cannot even remember who i told.

Found a book estate buyer. He paid shit but he took everything.

on the spot.

nice kid - about my age, german, lives in LIC with wife and kids... has this business of reselling books and donating books, etc.

Basically he gives a shit price, sells what he can, donates the rest and gives the donation slips to the seller (me)... 

 and I will be able to claim 3 bux per book, for 1000 books. On my taxes. 

so thats a 3000 donation, which is ok.

also other book buyers had picked over them previously, so together we pulled in 700 bux for all of it. 

for 1700 books, not incredible.  But it was really about finding a home for them, more than anything.

He had a lifetime to sell, and he didn't do so.

So, this is the result.

"Papa Died, Ma Survived... Telling me About Her Ordeal"—Aerosmith

  Not sure there's any wisdom on my part about death of a parent. We all know it's gonna happen and we all accept that -- as a vague idea from a distance. 

The last thing we want to actually accept is that we might have that loss. 

 Your mom is continually a force in your life, so there won't be an easy way in any direction, however it all goes down. 

Appreciate each other now, don't feel guilty about fights or being peevish or snappy at each other.  We're all humans, and we are especially cruel to the ones we love.  Who can be patient all the time?! 

I Like Good Music

Watch the first 20 seconds of this video - I'm wondering how they did this.  Two women, cuban-french singers, submerged holding their breath under water.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHRAPIwsS5I

3 Days, 2 nights? The movie

I just watched 3 days 2 nights - in french -without any subtitles.

have no idea what happened except that she ran around,a nd in the end it seemed like she left the job.

Apartment I Live In

I always said I'd think my apt wornderful now - IF - i lived around the corner on a side street.. 

 Something about the hoopla and silliness of bedford always slightly depressed me. Its a little too high key right on the avenue.

I loved cheever place, and the feeling of serenity and sanctuary.

Here I always feel a little bit invaded; I'm a much more private person than an "on the avenue" guy.  If that makes sense.  

But I have the golden handcuffs of a good rent deal, so thats fortunate.  Or maybe UNfortunate dunno.

The apt i saw on Sunday with my friend James Behr is smaller --  a room in the front, a ktichen, then a little foyer.   and a bedroom in back.

If you looked from above, imagine a tree diagram: 

You walk in up the trunk, the foyer. to your left one branch is a room. To your right small branch is the bathroom.  Further up a higher right branch is the kitche, which branches more to the right to the small front room.

Lenny Diner

the danny thing - I keep thinkng of weird things he said and did over time. And now large his sarcastic, thorny persona has been.

Even back at purchase, his presence created legendary ripples that people like Chris N could only hope to co-opt and take on as his own.

His ballsy, funny, brashness.  And another side, very mellow and kept very close to the vest. 

Its really true that each person becomes a part of you. Its weird like that. 

Every encounter you have, its folded into you!! 

Very cool, on the positive side.

Unfortunately "traumas" also become part of a person.  Physical/menta abuse, drug users, bad dentists, frightening teachers and authority figures, on and on.

So? There's good in it, and bad in it.

But lets remember already, the good funny stinging Danny-things.   Its good. 

(I was shaving and remembered a shaving race I had with Danny at purchase. 

And how he stopped along side me, watched me and made a grimace and eye-roll at how I was raking the razor down my face iwth lightning speed.  

Definitely aghast at my "speed method")

The movie BIG EYES from 2014

Big Eyes.

It was long and sluggish, with an almost dreamy soft quality to the tone.

They never really impressed how magnetic or domineering Christopher Walz Stalz was as a husbnad- he coerced her into painting under HIS name for ten years!

It was very queer.

And he was SO miscast - his accent was all over the place, and it was hard to "go into" the characters for that reason.

Adams was good as the wife but, had that kinda soft quality that she takes in many roles.

The art direction / production design was FANTASTIC.  I mean seriously, every frame had an orange lampshade with an aqua tabletop, overly perfect props and period detials and color... framed terrifically at times... 

But its NOT ENOUGH.

Tim Burton, after seeing that Sleepy Hollow movie, I was like yeah I'm done.

He did good with Scissorhands Batman and Beetlejuice.

But even if you go back, Beetlejuice is just weird and has its issues. 

Same with Scissor.

Ed Wood was pretty fun tho.

Hated Chocolate Factory remake!!! 

hated it! 

(wish I could draw musical notes by that)

Lewisburg PA

I got to see my sister's little town, where Bucknell College is. Lewisburg PA. 

And they had the annual Ice Fest. My sis says its really to bring commerce there, which it definitely did.

They had a chocolate tour, of the local candy businesess; a chili cookoff; raffles; free movies including that one with Olaf, the cartoon I cant remember the name; and a Polar Dip - where they cut away ice from the river and people jump in like in coney island.