Year: 2010

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Dead Comics Society

My one and only visit to the Friars Club was in 1998, for a cosmetic packaging company’s press event. I think they were receiving an award or presenting one or something. Anyway, I was with our ad rep, who was around my age. He ooh-ed and aah-ed over the portraits of the old comedians who comprised the club’s members.

Then, shortly before the event began, he looked in the doorway of another room at the club, and exclaimed, “Oh, my God! That’s Alan King!”

I believe this was the only time in history that those words were ever spoken.

So that’s why I’m glad that the Friars Club has made an effort to get younger, according to this awesome NYTimes article. Because, as Jeffrey Ross put it, “Look at this place. I’ve seen younger faces on cash.”

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What It Is: 11/29/10

What I’m reading: The Odyssey, some goofy Johnny Ryan comics, and a ton of magazines I needed to catch up on, like Monocle, New York, Fantastic Man, GQ, Esquire, and Interview.

What I’m listening to: Barking, The Lady Killer, High Violet, This is Happening, and Ain’t Nobody Worryin’.

What I’m watching: The Promise, Alice in Wonderland, Moon, About a Boy, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, and some more of season 1 of In Treatment.

What I’m drinking: G&T with Ethereal gin, from a little distillery up in the Berkshires.

What Rufus & Otis are up to: Being cute for our Thanksgiving guests, going on a colder hike at Wawayanda. I’d share the specs with you, but I updated the GPS app on my iPhone and now it doesn’t work correctly. Yay. Thanks, Motion-X!

Where I’m going: I’ll be in Puerto Rico next Sunday-Tuesday for a mini-biz trip. It’ll be my first JetBlue trip, and my first flight from Newburgh Airport, up near Herriman. Continental’s rates were absolutely exorbitant, esp. since I was booking late, so I’m going to break with my rule of not flying direct on this trip. I have a 6 a.m. flight back home on Tuesday (via Orlando), but I don’t think I’m capable of staying up all night and rolling straight into the airport, as I once did.

What I’m happy about: Getting some errands done during my week off, managing to get $500 in trade-in value for my 1st-generation MacBook Air from Tekserve in NYC, and spending a little while comic-shopping with my pal Mark. Also, I was happy to have a long conversation about men’s fashion with a clerk at the Club Monaco store in SoHo. It sounds superficial, I know, but it was nice to chat with someone who took one look at me and recognized that I didn’t dress by accident.

What I’m sad about: Some punk-ass kids smashed my mailbox over the weekend, prompting me to buy and install a new “vandal-proof” one.

What I’m worried about: That my inability to get into LCD Soundsystem is a sign that I’m an old fart.

What I’m pondering: A good quote about my heart for the website of my wife’s pal Nicole’s blog. I’m thinking of coming up with something from here.

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Thanksgiving

I’m thankful for the love I share with my wonderful wife.

I’m thankful that we have a pair of endlessly entertaining dogs.

I’m thankful that my friends and family put up with my long absences from their lives.

I’m thankful for Homer and Sam Cooke and all the books and all the music.

I’m thankful for water, black coffee and gin.

I’m thankful that I have libraries, real and virtual.

I’m thankful that I still have a job and that it affords me some opportunities for travel.

I’m thankful for Louie and Louis.

I’m thankful that I have eyes that can’t help but see.

I’m thankful that we’re in a golden age of comics, both new and archival.

I’m thankful that I’ve discovered the joys of dressing well.

I’m thankful that we live in the future, even though I feel like I’m falling further and further behind.

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What It Is: 11/22/10

What I’m reading: The Odyssey, but I’ve let that slide this past week. Also, I realized on Sunday that I hadn’t read my copy of Jason’s new comic, Werewolves of Montpellier, so that was like discovering an anthropomorphized, ligne claire jewel in the cushion of my sofa.

What I’m listening to: Stankonia, The Point of It All and not a lot else.

What I’m watching: Another week of season 1 of In Treatment, the finale of Bored to Death, and the first stage in our annual LotR marathon (we usually save it for December, but Amy was feeling the urge for some Fellowship on Saturday; yes, my wife & I are a match made in geek heaven)

What I’m drinking: At various times during the week, G&Ts made with Right, Citadelle, Death’s Door and Beefeater gins.

What Rufus & Otis are up to: Celebrating Otis’ one-year anniversary with a 5-mile hike through some swamp-like trails at Wawayanda. Also, celebrating my return from a five-day trip to New Orleans by wagging their tails something fierce.

Where I’m going: Nowhere! I’m taking the week off from work, cleaning house, taking care of some errands — okay, maybe going into NYC at some point — and otherwise taking it easy.

What I’m happy about: Finding a well-fitting navy suit at Rubenstein’s in New Orleans (they did their alterations same day so I could wear the suit at the conference). And getting to see my pal Paul Longstreth play his solo gig at Bistreaux on Toulouse for a little while the night before I returned home.

What I’m sad about: The conference itself was pretty disastrous. The exhibit hall was woefully undervisited by attendees, and that’s a bad sign for a show that has struggled in the past few years. This event usually provides me with at least 4 or 5 serendipitous conversations that lead to articles or interview subjects, and I had absolutely zero this time around. I had good meetings and talks with our advertisers and other exhibitors, but I rely on those non-client conversations. Grr.

What I’m worried about: Not getting done all the things I want to get done on this week off.

What I’m pondering: Adding “What I’m wearing” to this post, if only to show off some of the new clothes I’ve picked up this past year.