Seriously, how the hell is it October? How did this year go by so fast? How are we so close to this dreadful anniversary? (My dad, Dec 9.)

I keep finding myself trying to remember exactly what was happening at this time last year. Just read through my LJ. Everything since July 2009 fits on one page. I've been pretty quiet. Even during that time, my writing was sparse. Nothing at all in October. Gotta turn to my paper journal. I was/am a bit less quiet there.

Bone Marrow Drive TOMORROW (Friday) in Washington Heights: Margarita's friend and coworker Yajaira Mercedes, a young mother of 3, has been battling leukemia for years. She's a strong candidate for a bone marrow transplant which could be lif...esaving, but she needs as many people as possible to be tested for a match as possible donors. PLEASE read the pamphlet (PDF) linked to below to learn more about Yaji, the surprisingly non-invasive donor procedure, and how you can QUITE POSSIBLY HELP SAVE HER LIFE by heading up to the Heights tomorrow.

Two notes: many of the same fucked-up and not-so-fucked-up restrictions on donating blood (e.g. men who sleep with men, having had a seizure within the last 2 years) apply here, so call or read up before going to the Heights tomorrow. Also, Dominican@s and other Latin@s are most likely to be a match for Yajaira so if you're Latin@ please try to make it out!

http://surblimity.net/yaji_marrow_drive.pdf

nez put it in my head, it just had to be played.

I would've scored higher on tech had they asked about some more relevant programming languages. I mean, come on, BASIC and FORTRAN? How about JavaScript and PHP, huh?

What is the biggest fashion crime you can think of?
The only one that I really feel strongly about is culturally appropriative fashion, including hairstyles of course. I suppose that looking like the only place you could possibly live in this world is a loft on the L somewhere is also criminal.

What do you think is the difference between fashion and style?
Fashion is what's on the runway; style is what's on you.

Which is the hottest: a crisp white shirt, an unique accessory, or great shoes?
Oh, it really depends on the situation. Most likely to be hot? Great shoes, I'd say.

What one item encapsulates your vision for your personal style?
The cap that I'm wearing in this picture:



I acquired the cap in 2005 in Dublin, though it was made in Donegal, Ireland. It's a wonderful shade of blue, it's wool, it's soft, it's comfy, and it's ridiculously well worn. It's jaunty, classic, and perfect. I'll be heartbroken when it gets lost or just falls apart. I'm frightened of getting it cleaned but will probably need to bite the bullet one day.

Who is your favorite designer?
I used to be really into Ben Sherman, more because I was an Anglophile and really want a Vespa than for any other reason. Nowadays, not so much since it tends to be too expensive and I am less of an Anglophile. Otherwise, I don't really pay attention or care.

If money were no object, describe what kinds of clothes you would wear. Be specific: designers, cuts, fabrics, etc.

I would own bespoke suits, in a variety of fabrics, colors, and styles, that would perfectly fit my short butch body. At least one would come from Savile Row, just because. I'd also have more "grown-up" casual clothes - more blazers, jackets, button down shirts, non-sneaker shoes. Of course, I'd also have more & better jeans, more & better sneakers. I'd have a lot more hats, a few really nice watches, and a pair of ridiculously expensive sunglasses (for me, that means over $50). And finally, I'd go to Donegal, track down the maker of my hat, and get like 30 more of the same exact style, so I no longer have to live in fear.

Do you coordinate your hair style with your outfits?
No. My hair cut is my hair style.

What do you think about hats?
Hats rock, but they are tricky. You gotta know which ones look good on you.

What is the most outlandish outfit you own?
My black velvet blazer is probably the most outlandish piece of clothing that I own. I'm pretty mellow.

What is your favorite fabric?
Er... cotton? Heh. Maybe wool? I dunno.

What is your favorite pattern?
Thin vertical stripes, usually in subdued, subtle colors.

Which is hotter: impeccable style or impeccable grammar?
Oh, impeccable style, no doubt. The former is highly subjective, of course, but the latter is highly fraught with racism and classism. This is not to say that I'm not prone to being a bit of a grammar snob at times; I just know that it's wrong and try not to overly indulge!

Last night I attended my first queer wedding ever, that of ninabeans and snarkophone. The ceremony was beautiful; between that and the toasts later on I probably cried on 10 or so different occasions throughout the night. It was pretty amazing to be at a wedding surrounded by friends. It was definitely one of those events that drove home the feeling of community I have here in NYC. It's quite something to be at a celebration like a wedding and see so many of the same faces that you see at rallies, at meetings, at work, and at parties. Maybe that sounds insular but to me it feels like home. I count myself lucky.

The reception was a blast. I was the DJ! I'd never DJ'd a wedding before. Though it still consisted of me plugging in my laptop and playing playlists, it was much more involved than anything I'd ever done. I spent a lot longer crafting the list, the play order (usually I just throw stuff on random), the transitions from song to song. The actual event was also more involved than usual, with starting and stopping and cueing special songs up for the toasts, the dances, and the cake cutting. I ran around a whole lot and was so caught up in it all that I somehow managed to miss the amazing-sounding cakes - not only did they look incredible but I hear they were also RED VELVET and CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER cakes. Those are pretty much my favorite kinds of cakes ever. Alas, I couldn't have it all! But the joy and pride and sense of accomplishment in being the DJ and seeing so many people, especially Mickey and Nina, have so much fun made it all very well worth it. My favorite moment of the night: when Mickey's wise suggestion of playing Michael Jackson ("Don't Stop Til You Get Enough") directly after we were all gathered on the dance floor for the group picture paid off big time. EVERYONE was dancing. It was awesome. I also got plenty of time to tear myself away from the DJ booth to dance with my gorgeous girlfriend and with many friends and fellow revelers.

I got home drunk and exhausted and thoroughly happy. Today the happiness and joy - from the party, from the people I got to spend last night with, and most of all from seeing two wonderful friends celebrate their love and commitment to one another - hasn't worn off. Plus my thighs ache from dancing. Definitely all signs of an awesome night.

We're thinking about joining a CSA. Anyone have any recommendations on a) how to generally pick a good one and b) any specific CSAs that you like that deliver to the Flatbush/Kensington/Prospect Park South area?

I always think that I'm going to write about trips I take after I get back home, but there's always so much to write and I never really get it done. So this time around, I'm going to try to write on an (almost) daily basis.

( day 1, with pictures )

Tonight's the opening dinner of the training session, here at the hotel (boring). Tomorrow's all day trainings, but we're let loose in the evening for dinner. I hope to head someplace excellent with my dinner allowance; any suggestions?

(from shomithemess

Instructions: Open up your iTunes and fill out this survey, no matter how embarrassing the responses might be.



How many songs total: 5196
How many hours or days of music: 15.1 days
Most recently played: Juicy, Notorious B.I.G.
Most played: Cienfuegos Tiene Su Guaguancó, Ibrahim Ferrer & Buena Vista Social Club, 53 times
Most recently added: Across the Universe, The Beatles (from Let It Be ... Naked

Sort by song title:
First Song: A.D. 2000, Erykah Badu
Last Song: !, Ghostface Killah

Sort by time:
Shortest Song: "I'll call the coachman, sir" from The Rake's Progress, Igor Stravinsky (00:11)
Longest Song: Chapter One: Destiny, Jean Grae (45:09)

Sort by album:
First album: Abbey Road, The Beatles
Last album: 2400 Fulton Street, Jefferson Airplane

First song that comes up on Shuffle: La Bamba, Lila Downs

Search the following and state how many songs come up:

Death - 19
Life - 57
Love - 233
Hate – 8
You - 352
Sex – 55

If last week's numerical entity of the week was 18-1, tonight's is most definitely

4 for 4!

As in Louisiana, Washington, Nebraska and the barely mentioned Virgin Islands. As in, Obama won them all! Hells yeah!