Columbus, OH: Landed!

Greetings from Columbus, Ohio! I have finally landed and gotten settled after an epic schlep across the country this morning. So far, all I can tell about this place is that is it cold and that the uniform of choice for young professional women is khakis with a colorful collared shirt topped with a cable knit sweater. Charming!

I am getting in the spirit with my sign below, kindly generated for me at the McCain-Palin website. I tried to make some for my friends but I think they caught on with "I'm Dine THE ACORN Organizer." The wouldn't even make "I'm Katie THE Dirty Hippy" or Mr. Linhardt's "I'm Alex THE Beneficiary of Federal Tax Revenues." No fun.

Fruit Hat and Rigamorticians

October season presents a challenge: I love dress-up and costumery but sometimes it is hard to whip up a proper outfit for a Halloween party when every day dress so frequently blurs the line between holiday and the pret-a-porter. However, since I will likely be shotgunning cans of Hamm's with a stiff bunch of Democrats in a suburban Columbus bowling alley on ZEE Halloween, I had to squeeze in as much disfrazing as possible this weekend.

Friday night: Gaby's birthday party. The task: dress as your alter ego. Easy: I in a Carmen Miranda-esque get-up and Roomie as a Ren Faire maiden.

Saturday night: Much more in line with historical preferences: Zombie Pin-up Calendar launch party. Too bad I lost my purse (I found it today!) and made us miss the party. But then Laura, Daniela, Roomie and I stayed decked out as retro zombie babes and went to a gallery space masquerade party where we converted a legion of unassuming humanz into brain-guzzling rigamorticians on the dance floor. We didn't have a camera to take pictures of the gore but hopefully Kasia's shots will materialize. On a cute note, we told everyone we mistook masquerade on the invite for MASS GRAVE! Mwhahaha!


Haggard Ruby and Rengirl; Ruby+Daniela+Laura+Roomie want your GUTZZZ


Zombie school drop outs


It's hard to be a limp-wristed zombie whilst holding a booze cup - photo credit Kasia C-MvB

Half Moon Bay, CA: Balmy Calabaza

I went with Balmy Casa on Saturday to Half Moon Bay on Saturday to share autumn rituals, which surprisingly exist outside of the Northeast: pumpkin picking, haunted house, hay labyrinth, pumpkin pie and beer!

Planet Earth

Last night I went with Jenn to the monthly screening of Planet Earth, projected wide-screen on the neighbor's house in the backyard. Sarah, the kind editor of Dwell Magazine and Slow Food Nation, was the charming hostess of the event, which attracted a few dozen SFers from the green, design, start-up, and Mission crowds. The special theme of the night was Obama/GOTV. I started getting a little excited to start the Swing State Hussle on Tuesday - now in Ohio and not NM afterall.


One taste good. One tastes stale!


Sealife; yack yack yack + Ruby + Sarah

Scattered Notes from the International Avant Garde

Whilst swiffering Phillip's apartment after afternoon in preparation for the birthday party last Saturday, I received a phone call from Rene Yanez, the curator of the Pasion Por Frida show at the SFMOMA. Total beshert!: He invited me to pose with him and his two other favorite Fridas at Guillermo Gomez Pena+ La Pocha Nostra's Performance Karaoke at SF Camerawork. For this project, Guillemero and crew hosted a series photo shoots where they invited important cultural figures (that would be Rene, not me - wah!) to take pictures that will be a part of a traveling photography exhibit as well as a published book. I was uncontrollably excited as, you will recall from previous posts, GGP has been on my mind quite a bit lately and now I was to participate in one of his projects!

I biked down to the studio space in SOMA on Tuesday and arrived a little late (the birds to my Frida costume kept spilling out of my bike basket - oy!). When I got to the stage/shoot area, there were already people wildly changing in and out of outrageous costumes and posing for photographer RJ Muna. Guillermo greeted me when I put down my bags. He is incredibly magnetic, which explains why there were twenty-odd people there drooling over his every move - and I too was smitten. I quickly changed into costume and did a series of portraits with Rene and the Fridas, then some of Violeta and me, and them some of just me with Guillermo (!).

I ended up sticking around to have a few drinks with the other participants. Eventually I got into a few more costume changes and posed for more portraits. I met some really kind, funny, wonderful people who are doing exactly what I am interested in doing: fun/silly/sexy performance art centered on radical political ideas. Drool. I will DEFINITELY be following up on those contacts.

After about four hours into the performances (!) Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens came by with their dog Bob for the last feature shoot of the night. The energy was really something (albeit a bit frisky for my Catholic sensibilities!) - and I feel lucky to have seen such a collaboration between GGP and AS.

I was reeling with wonderful emotions all the way to meet Ben and Roomie at Zeitgeist after the shoot. The weather was perfect and so was my experience. I am so happy thinking about it! I can't wait to see (and post) the pictures. TRIPLE DROOL.



Southern Belle in a gas mask; Violeta Luna with real pigs' feet


This woman is a performance artist and her real name is Lula


GGP with Annie Sprinkle

Colors Were Alive

Up the hill to Noe for Andy/Kevin/Caroline/Steve/Shern's colorful housewarming party on a beautiful fall Sunday: pumpkins! piñatas! gourmet meats! pumpkin beer! a human skull! Sarah Palin as a pumpkin!


Erin, Dave+Happy Birthday child Pete (hey Joseph! get your meat out of my picture!); Steve carves Sarah


menagerie


two piñatas for the price of one: Phillip takes a swing; Ruby next


Carving; Ben swings


The making of the bulldog; piñata sweater


artsy/fartsy


All Star Carving Team - real mature! (this was weeks in the making, too!)


Sarah Palin is a pumpkin

Everyday the 14th

Agreed. I hate birthdays. But here I make a distinction: I love birthday parties! ¿Por qué? Porque throwing a party in the face of age says, "Ha! Time! I beat you to it - and I'm celebrating!" It's proactive. It is also fun.

Phillip hosted the bash at his new digs. We served cheap champagne punch in fancy champagne glasses with cocktail weenies (pigs in a blanket) and whole grain mustard. The weenies were pretty much the impetus for this party - I have been drooling over them every since Darby served them at her cruelly titled Trailer Park Christmas party in 2005. They were a hit! We devoured 160 of those piglets plus an entire vanilla sheet cake and and dozen and a half bottles of "sparkling wine," chilled on ice in the claw-foot bathtub. I wore a couture dress - a sartoral must for any serious fete - designed and crafted by Brooklyn designer and friend of friend, Desira Pesta.

A big THANK YOU to the guests brought special treasures. The most curious item came from Ben, Alex, and Pete: it is a mystery bone presented on a bed of black fabric with a dried red rose. They found it hiking in Bolinas but we have no idea what it is (mamalian? avian? reptialian?) - any guesses?

It was a joy to see everyone! I am lucky to have such lovely friends!


Ruby+Nicole; Krista, Alex, Jessica, Laura


Kevin, Andy, Jessica; Kevin, Pete, Ruby, Rumi


Sweet Nelson; Cake+Mathew


Ashish!; Burlesque! - Tiffany, Max, Siah


Sarah+Raf; Milkshake


ASG/BFs; Erin and Simon


Oh look! Hipsters came to my birthday!; Ron




Mystery bone (?)!

PS - Can you believe NOT ONE chapagne flute was mozeltov'ed??