Full Disclosure Part 1

Originally, my plan was to update this weekly. That was before life got busy, and definitely before New York’s Summer Social Season.

It doesn’t matter whether you have money in your pocket, or A list friends, there’s just too damned much stuff to do in this city from now until late September. I’ll give you an example of this weekend’s options:

Weekend with sister and her husband at their Upstate McMansion. Okay, not really a mansion, but 4 bedrooms, 3 baths, family, formal dining, living, eat-in kitchen and a hilltop deck with a view to Connecticut. Considering that the average NYC apartment is less than 500 square feet, what would YOU call it?
Did I mention the Jacuzzi?

Montauk with Roberto. Same deal as Upstate, but add beachfront property and lap pool to the list.

South Beach. Some call it a part of Miami, Florida. We New Yorkers call it just another suburb. Sort of like Bensonhurst in the summertime. Actually, my Miami-based friends and I see each other more often than many of my Manhattan-based friends.

Puerto Rico, Santo Domingo, Rio. Same as Miami, except that the flight is a little longer. Here’s an oddity… it takes about the same amount of time to get to these locations as it does to Montauk!

Local cookouts are in abundance as well. I was invited to no less than 9 over the weekend. It’s absolutely ingenious the way city folk use backyards, frontyards, terraces, rooftops, public parks, and even the sidewalk to create outdoor kitchens
fragrant with the aroma of searing flesh. Poor lil’ piggies!

With so many options, I do what any true social maven would. I stay in bed.
Thursday evening, the person I live with announced with a smirk that he was spending the weekend in Philadelphia. Funny, that didn’t make MY list. I wished him well on the outside – and of course secretly sent condolences. Don’t get me wrong – he’s a nice guy and all. The truth is that the fact he was spending three days in the Land of Cream Cheese sent me into ecstasy. THREE DAYS without forced conversation, compromise, and 1300 square feet of prime Brooklyn real estate to frolic through au natural made me feel like the star of a popular kitty litter commercial. YAY! Our owner/captors are gone! Let the games begin!

I was hoping to be the star of my own pornography video as well, but those plans fell apart Friday night. Oh, well – tears in a bucket…

As it turned out, the universe once again knew what was best. What I really needed was sleep. Working on three shows with a schedule all over the clock is no easy task. On Saturday morning I got a call to do swing shift for yet another Broadway play. I gratefully accepted the work, thanked the person who referred me, and climbed back under the covers. Then Marcos called.

Marcos wears many hats: Actor, Producer, Model, Bartender – and Bed Buddy. No – not that way – let me explain.
Our ritual goes like this. I’m in bed. The phone rings. It’s Marcos. “What are you doing?”
“I’m in bed”
“Of course you are – so am I. Let’s (go to a movie, have lunch, rollerblade, have a drink… fill in the blank)”
“Sure – what time?”
We usually give ourselves two hours, since we live within 15 minutes of each other.
An hour and a half passes.
“Hello”
“You’re still in bed?”
“Of course I am – and so are you!”
“(Laughter) we know each other too well”
“Okay, I’ll call you in a couple of hours”
So far, our record for this discourse is 2 days. We have a great time when we do go out together - but its these non-conversations that define our friendship.

I finally did go out Saturday – after dark – to my usual restaurant in my old East Village neighborhood. I was expecting the city to be empty, but that was not the case. After walking north, then west, and running into no less than 6 people I had had carnal knowledge of between 1974 and 1998, it was time to go home. It was good to see old lovers still alive, but I’m not so sure it was a great thing to see a couple of them old. “The years have been kind to you” one of them said to me. Unfortunately, I felt returning the compliment would be neither appropriate nor true.

My college ex and I did make plans for Sunday. He IS well-preserved. We found a great Peruvian place on Smith Street. He’s also well invested, and surprised me by picking up the tab. We walked for a while after dinner, with the usual “do you still see?” and “whatever happened to?” conversation. The streets were empty in Brooklyn, a welcome change from the Manhattan hubbub. We got to his place, said our good-nights, and I continued home.

And now it’s Monday. Just checked my email - already have two invites for Museum Mile cocktail parties during the week and an evening of dancing next Sunday. All this on top of work, and my siter's $40,000.00 40th birthday bash (SHE married well...). Geez, aren't you people still in HOLIDAY mode?

Sunny, humid, and 88 degrees outside. Its a great time for a nap. Let me see what Marcos is doing…

Name Dropping

Name Dropping

More than one of you has asked for a more detailed account of my professional and personal relations.

I will say this once, and only once. I’m not in the habit of name-dropping. Nor am I accustomed to spreading vicious gossip. It’s not a good way to keep clients or relationships, and having been the blunt of a few nasty truths and untruths myself, I certainly wouldn’t want to put another person through that.

Having said that, here’s what I’ve been up to:

Fashion Week was pretty busy for me, even though nothing that I was involved with was part of 7th on 6th. I was key hair and makeup for the TV Land 10th anniversary promo, as well as TV Land Rocks!, Here’s The Story, Nick@Nite’s Road Crew, Backdrop NYC, The Gotham Awards, and several other private clients – both celebrity and socialite.

Here’s where I have to send special hugs to Mally Roncal (cute as a button - hope your line does well in Bendel's) S. Epatha Markeson (we'll be trading renovation horror stories when you get back), Sweet Honey in the Rock (thank you so much for your love - and for understanding that I only have two hands and that you are seven ladies), Kim Fields (I’ll be ready for that “special” coffee in about a week), Cat Greenleaf (when’s the next Sabbath?), Mike and Victoria Rispoli ( nice to see a celebrity couple REALLY in love), Brooke Shields ( I KNOW – I owe you a call!) Rosie O'Donnell (good luck on your new gig - I don't get it - but I don't have to) Anderson Cooper (you’re never HOME anymore) Jon Bon Jovi ( I had to find out from your accountant that your dad was a hair stylist. Why didn't you just SAY so?), Annie Quick (Kudos for going for it!), and Gavin DeGraw (You're a nice kid. I know - but you're still a kid as far as I'm concerned)

My personal life has certainly kept up with my public as of late. Of course, there are the backstage, promotional, and wrap parties.

I’ve met a number of dynamic, like-minded individuals as of late - just when I thought I was going to become an Upstate hermit. My guess is that there’s going to be a parlor along the Hudson brimming to the threshold with interesting houseguests from all walks of life.

This brings me to one person in particular. You know who you are. Like I said earlier – I don’t name-drop. Let’s just say that I’m looking forward to many more long walks, laughs, plays, and nights watching each other sleep. Oh, yeah – and I’ll make sure to keep the candy dish full ;)