Best Housing Opportunity

EDITED: Natalie made me realize something was seriously missing.

An Bushwick apartment posting discovered on craigslist (we all regret that Collin already decided on a place to live):


Part vandalism, part fantasy, part recklessness, and part wild abandon- 'The Lair' was birthed from the idea, nay, the necessity to seclude ourselves from all the hackneyed, media satutured bull, to reside within a den of requited passion for art, life, and the pursuit of all things organicly marvelous.

In other words.. The Lair is a sublevel apartment. In plain words.. The Lair is a basement apartment. All those incapable of living in a place with few windows where most of the sitimulation comes from within, please stop reading now because this ad is not for you. I know the coming pictures might razzle and dazzle you, but I repeat if you are not ok with fairly low ceilings and limited natural light, this ad is not for you. However, if you are still intrigued, please read on...

We are 2, somewhat insane, artists and tattoo aficionados with 2 open rooms to rent. Our two friends and fellow artists are moving because one found love, while another is going to look for it. One room, which is the larger of the two is available immediately for November 1st, while the other will be available for November 16th or December 1st.

The lair is a three bedroom apt, that perhaps on any other day, would be a traditional railroad apartment. Except today is not like all other days, and as such neither is our apartment anywhere near the norm. Instead of your usual railroad, it's more like a maze that an architect drew while sniffing crack. Still.. we love it. All 3 rooms are parallel to each other making each entrance ostensibly private in some way.

Continue reading and see more pictures.

Best Stake Halloween Party

Saturday night was the Stake Halloween Party and it was the biggest and wildest Manhattan Stake Halloween Party I've been to yet. I don't know why, but lots of people showed up and the cultural hall was absolutely packed. But why bother you with words when what you want are pictures? You do want pictures, right?

Michelle and I were Tinkerbell and the Crocodile (not a dragonfly and a dragon, as others had wondered, or, for that matter, a cavewoman with wings and a dinosaur, either).


There were these Barbie girls at the dance. Their posse was a big deal.


Collin showed up in Jeff's bunny accessories.


Come here, little bunny, you need a nose.


There! Perfect! Now hop along and have your fun!


Randy and Mike, Hansel and Derek.


Ryan freaked everyone out with his intricate Demon Goblin costume.


Jeff as Officer.


After not too much dancing my clock fell off its chain and shattered all over the floor. Oh well. The good news: (insert "off the chain" joke here) After this incident it became a lot harder for people to realize I was a crocodile.


Becky is back from wherever she had been for so long, and now she's a jellyfish. And Suvi is Asian!


Croc attack, oh no! A bit of nature's drama right out of Planet Earth. (And if you were wondering, yes, that happens to be a Paul Smith crocodile head that I'm wearing)


Dave on Mariners' pants: Pros: surprisingly comfortable, surprisingly cool (or was it warm?). Cons: one pocket.


Katie: A very authentic Coco Chanel.


Rich's Ghostbuster group (featuring Steve and Mystery Girl, among others) later won the evening's costume contest.


Megan (I'm 90% sure that's her name): a very convincing Cruella DeVille.


Ashley the Knight and Kimmy the Little Bo Peep (I know! It's so hard to recognize Kim with the wig and makeup!)


Ace. Present and Accounted for.


Patricia and Friend as a portion of the Fruit of the Loom. Gabby as Ugly Betty. Ugh. I can't even watch that show. That Betty is so gross I barf even if I just flip past the show while changing channels. When it comes to repulsion, watching Ugly Betty is probably worse than watching all the Saw movies in slow motion. Why couldn't they have made a Pretty Betty show instead? Think of how much more people would like that instead.


Emily: Guilty of Costume Repetition!! (see Halloween Party: 2005 post below) Lisa, Guilty of Accompanying a Costume Repeater!!


Britney, Sara, Courtnie, Heidi.


Errr...


...and speaking of dance floor indecency


Brooke as Jem.


Jeff as Snake Charmer. Very good.


Jeff's Swedish friends Mattias and Peter.


There's that darn bunny again! With Ashley as Red Riding Hood.


Hillary and Jordan, the Two Things.


You know what is a hard name for me to spell sometimes? Jaime. Jaimie. Jamie. Jaymee. You know? They all seem legitimate. Well, maybe not "Jaymee." But I'm sure someone out there spells their name that way.


Ok, honestly. Why am I posting this at 3:08 AM? I'm having a weird week, ok?

Garrett promoting hireasaint.org. Go to hireasaint and offer your services! Come on!


This is what the party looked like from the stage during the costume contest.


Some Newsies.


Sarah as Mrs. Mia Wallace.


And here's Reghan as young James Taylor, perhaps the best costume of the night?


I never knew she resembled him so much. It's really quite eerie, don't you think?


And that was Saturday night.

FURTHER READING:

Halloween Party, 2004: Lots of faces you don't see around here as much any more
Halloween Party, 2005: Buster Bluth + Image Shack problems.
Halloween Party, 2006: My addiction to zip-up animal suits begins.

Best Busy Workshops

A long night of planning, fabric shopping, and sewing with Jeff...


...lead to this:


And in the spirit of paying it forward (and incredible collaborative brainstorms) a long afternoon of collecting, measuring, cutting, and wrapping at Andy's...




...lead to this:


Both projects filled me with an immeasurable sense of accomplishment and joy. Let's hear it for arts and crafts!

(Complete Stake Halloween Party coverage coming soon!)

Best Excuse

Sorry for not posting. I've been too busy watching babies and working on Halloween costumes. What better excuse is there than that? By Monday or Sunday (whenever I post Halloween party pictures) what you see will make you glad I wasn't posting Guitar Hero Youtubes or writing about books all week.

Best Cousin's Movie

My cousin Dan made this little movie called "Till Death Do Us Part" for an Apple movie-making contest.


It's a pretty likable piece of work and I recommend watching it. Let me tell you now that it's not like one of those movies where everyone thinks they're funny and just wears a silly costume and the sound is bad. This movie has acting and cinematography and you can understand what the people are saying. After watching it, I recommend voting for it. Because that's the point of contests, to get votes.

I AM THE LINK TO "TILL DEATH DO US PART"

PS Do not confuse this movie with the Mulcock production of a similar movie. This is not a horror movie.

Best Needing of Someone on My Side

Hey. I've got one more ticket to Morrissey tomorrow night. Anyone interested? I got it for cheap, it's yours for like $30 or so. (Tickets were originally $65+fees)

Best What Should We Make of This?

Spy photo from Harlem, Saturday night.

Best Bed and Breakfast

Last night's Office was a marvel.

Behold, this essential Trip Advisor posting.

Best Unexpectedness.

There's going to be a Street Fighter 4. This is the gameplay-less teaser:



I must admit I was beginning to think (not that I think about Capcom fighting games as much as I used to) that this day would never come...meaning the day when it is known that there will be another real Street Fighter game. Now I look forward to when that new Street Fighter game comes out. Considering the advances in graphics and processor power and whatnot since the release of Street Fighter III (back in '97. 1997!!--and it still looks pretty amazing) this game could be really gorgeous and really awesome. PLEASE no 3D. Please please please please please. Not even 3D modeled characters. Maybe 3D backgrounds like in the Marvel vs. Capcom games, maybe.

There's supposed to be a "Capcom Event" on Friday, I assume it must be the announcement of something official regarding this game.

Best Night on the Town

Monday it was Collin's birthday...


...and to celebrate we all headed up to East Harlem to pay a visit to La Casa de Los tacos. We were quite the crowd and, as Collin is well-loved by the friendly people of la Casa, he was served a special birthday burrito before anyone even ordered (or go their water, which was sort of a problem the whole night)


Look at this big turn out! We overran that poor place! They were so busy forgetting what food we ordered that they completely forgot to bring us water! Or glasses! For the most part! Not that I mean to complain, because it was a great time up there.


Remember how I said Collin was well-loved by the friendly people of la Casa? It wasn't a lie. Here he is with his cuñado...


And here he is with Patty, la Casa's security guard.


After dinner we took the M15 (local. ugh.) down to Emily's house for cake and ice cream and whatnot. Look at all the well-wishers wishing him well...(except for Lisa who, apparently, was furious with him)


The poor fellow was getting all bashful.


But could still show those candle whatfor.


And that was Collin's birthday. Too bad you missed it!