Downtime.

It's been quite a while since I've posted. My life has been totally flipped around for the past 10 days or so since they've begun doing renovations in my apartment while I've been living there.

Basically they are tearing the walls open, ripping out all the old electrical wires and replacing them with new ones. Then the walls need to be patched and painted. It's quite a huge and intrusive job. My landlord originally told me 2 days. Lies!

Now I'm the type of guy who likes living in a clean house. I'm not a neat freak by any means, but when shit is messy in my pad, it drives me a little nuts until I clean it. For the past 10 days I've been living in filth, dust and dirt. I've been sleeping on my couch, creatively combining 3 outfits into new outfits every day, and generally being mopey and bitter.

My landlords are being f'n a-holes about the whole thing and are refusing to give me $ towards my rent. This will now escalate into official registered mail letters (ooooooooooh) and more general fighting. Booshalay Jackson if you ask me.

This process has also meant that my usual "routines" that have been keeping me sane have gone out the window. I haven't excercised in 2 weeks, I've been eating out all my meals, and I have not done anything creative. Dating is also challenging due to frame of mind and availablity.

Thankfully I'm at the end of this process. I spent 5 hours last night putting my apt. back togther, and will have to do the same tonight.

Damn... As I said before: booshalay jackson.

Crazy latenight picture at the Gateway Arch in St. Louis.  

Just got back from a great batch of days.

Started all the way back on Thursday, celebrating the ol' Rosh Hosh. Went to morning services at this reconstructionist temple in the Slope (so many jewy foxes there!). Those guys are great - it's a warm & welcoming congregation with a diverse population. Bottom line though is that it's all music the whole time. Sing-alongs abound.

Then booked it to the Jerz for dinner with the family which was good, although we had brisket which is a bit like eating warm shoe leather doused in oily sauce. Mmmmmm.

Then BAM! Back to brooklyn for a night then off to St. Louis for a wedding! It was an action packed weekend that included 2 of the groom's old bands, white castle hamburgers, riverboat gambling, a late night hit of the Gateway Arch, taking the drunk bus, going on the Anheuser Busch factory tour (which was awesome, but why do they need all those Clydesdale horses?), the wedding itself at the beautiful Missouri Botanical Gardens and a quick inning over at a Cardinals game,. DAMN!


I'm a little tired now - have to go back to work tomorrow, and they'll be ripping up my apartment for renovations this week which I'm sure will freak me out by about Thursday. Maybe you should try to avoid me on thursday.

...matt

Photoshop test 2 

Photoshop test 1 

Creative night is biting me in the ass... After a few failed attempts in different musical directions I decided to play around with Photoshop shiz on some recent photos. I feel good about the way they look, but it feels like cheating (for photo nerds - I'm just applying and tweaking different filters - nothing fancy.)

Anywho - I'll post them above in a second.

lip

Arty shots and otherwise on the photoblog page. 

Had a hectic weekend - all sorts of running around. Some highlights include a hungover afternoon at the Brooklyn Botanical gardens, parties at Pressure and Yabby's on saturday night, a trip to the jerz for an engagement party, mad picture taking in red hook, and a whole lot of jack & gingers.

See the photoblog page for various pics from this weekend.

Much love to you and yours. High five.

Second attempt for wallpaper contest. Let's get lucky.  

Now for something no one was expecting. I was on this music site called Giant Step and saw they were having a contest for a Giant Step based wallpaper. I decided to dust off the ol' Photoshop and give it a whirl. Here is the first attempt. Second one will be posted above. Weird.  

Sure - it's labor day. That doesn't mean I can take a night off from creative time mondays.

This weekend I played my song Holler (which was a product of my Song-a-Day Project) for a friend. He gave me some inspiration to revisit it, add a bridge and lengthen the ending. Done & done.

It's now called Make Me Wanna Holler and is posted on the music page.

Good luck heading back to work this week.

Double Dutch represent. A new batch of Brooklyn pics on the photoblog page. 

All work and no play means lippy don't blog.

This last week at work has been Ca-Razeee at work. Nonstop booshalay. Enough about that.

Been having a great weekend. Went to the Bronx Zoo yesterday with my bro, his fiance and my nice. There's nothing like seeing your loved ones ride around on camels. I supressed every camel-toe joke coursing through my veins.

Today walked around the hood with my folks. My friend Michelle who used to work at my video store was back in to work a shift. It's always good to see old friends. Had some dinner and now off to a pajama party - HOT!

Gonna post some random shots from the last few days on the photoblog page for kicks. Much love to all - please, no one work tomorrow.