Made of silver, not of clay...

Its been too long, and yet, what to do when inspiration simply doesnt strike? Where to turn? Ive tried reading fiction, books on writing, considered taking a memoir writing workshop. Nothin. Even Im tired of go, be, do. But you cant write without an idea!! Everything is going well, Park Slope isnt funny or even interesting, Where to turn indeed. AHA! Where else but to those men, specifically that man who has been inspiring me, in hair, love, and the lessons of life since the days when MTV was merely a sparkle in some geeks eye...Journey. Steve Perry was my first "celebrity crush." Since that time hes with me almost everytime I clean my room, whenever there is painting or grouting to be done (dont laugh! Ive laid grout!) and whenever I think to myself "where to go next with my hair?" Steve Perry and I have exactly the same hair type. Ive had almost all his haircuts (thanks Becca) save the severe mullet of later years. Which could be to come. And though Ive never been able to wear pants that high waisted, its not because I didnt want to. Thank god for youtube



Come on, that is pretty incredible. A few minutes of watching those four men, man enough to wear their favorite items at multiple shows, man enough to have bangs and mutton chops simultaneously, man enough to know a leather jacket doesn't need a shirt underneath, and Im back in business. I still dont have much to say, but Im not sure they did either...and theyre inspirational as hell. ever tried to figure out what their songs are about? BTW points for anyone who can tell me where the title for this blog comes from. Point being, if you are saying crazy meaningless shit with tremendous style and talent, people will still love listening. Especially if you have an amazing guitarist....I need to work on that.
So, I went to this NACA homebuyer workshoppe yesterday. They didnt spell it like that but i love exxxtra letterrs. It was great. It was in Bushwick, in an old synagogue turned church, telling of the neighborhood's transition from Jew to Jamaica. The place looked like a needle exchange from the outside. THere are places in the outer boroughs that are so ugly and depressing you just cant believe they still exist. Dont stop believing, they do. So we went through the rusted iron gates, rang the unmarked buzzer on the door with a deflated blue balloon which still exclaimed "Its a boy!" and got no response. Could it be through the iron door with no handle on the right? It looks like a mop closet? Lets try the door. Sure enough, inside was a large room with low ceilings, wood floors and impossibly out of scale crystal ceiling fixtures full of other people wondering how they can imagine their way to home ownership.

I waited in line, Ben went to get a bagel at dunkin' fuckin' donuts. And water for me, thanks Ben:) We took our seats in the front row and waited about 45 mins for them to get started. After a prayer from an elder of the church in a soft and endearing Carribbean accent the NACA employee who looked like an overweight Tracy Morgan took us through the ins and outs, benefits and pitfalls of mortgages both through NACA and "in the outside world." By the outside world he referred to the predatory lending practices that so many banks and mortgage companies use in low income communities.
It was a very good presentation, he was quite knowledgeable. At the end when people started asking all the quesitons he had already answered, we left. It was inspirational. Not so much as Journey, but I did feel like I wont be pay rent to a feudal lord sooner rather than later. Questions?? www.naca.com THey have them in most states, but not WA or OR yet. Its a great program and provides a great service to people like me who not only dont have all the cash for down payments lawyers and closing costs but who are so undereducated about the process that Ill either ignore it and rent for life, or get taken advantage of by predatory lenders. Im in step two now, becoming NACA qualified. Ill let you know how it goes.

Had a great time in Seattle and LA despite absolute CRAP weather. It poured the whole time. Even in LA. But good times with friends and family were had. We went to Portland for a couple days to see what was really going on and if I should keep dreaming about moving there when I decide my parachute is not NY colored. It was alright. Kinda dreary and strip mally. I dont think I saw the right places. We looked at some houses, nothing was too captivating. It did, however, make me stop taking my Brooklyn nest for granted. Even if I do end up on the west coast eventually, Im here now. I just need to be here now. You happy Ram Dass? You were right. You know, just live where I live and invest in it even if it isnt FOREVER. Its got a lot going for it. I can actually live here more cheaply than in Seattle cause I dont need a car. And I have a pretty sweet rental deal. So here I am for the forseeable future. Mom, Dad? wanna move to NY?

p.s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aqyIpwhXXrk&feature=related