Dear Dr. Drew,

I really enjoy your show – whether dealing with addiction, sexual issues, or just giving good ‘ol fashioned advice, I find you very smart, straight-to-the-point, and even pleasing to the eye. Tonight, I also thought you were quite insightful on Cooper Anderson’s 360.  I have to inform you, though, that you are probably the only person on the face of this Earth, who referred to our very own trainwreck Brit Brit,  as “Britney Smith”.

Was this some wacky Freudian slip? Please say yes.

food for thought in 2008

I’m not much of a gossiper, as in some thing of a vice or a thing I struggle with on a daily basis. I do, however get sucked into the occasional vain banter between a few hens and then afterwards feel as though I need to take a hearty shower afterwards.

What is really gossip? The dictionary says it’s “casual or unconstrained conversation or reports about other people, typically involving details that are not confirmed as being true”. Technically, when I’m involving myself in gossip, it’s usually about me..so I guess it wouldn’t be “gossip”, really, right? No, I guess wrong.The case is usually what I heard was rumored, mentioned, liked or disliked about me. (who, me?)That’s not to say that I don’t occasionally flitter about the tulips of other subject matter, either. No sir-ee. I’m guilty as charged. But a lesson I learned early on in life, when I was being taught that dirty little habit from the nasty girls/boys in school who had either no self-dignation or true friends, was this one golden rule: what goes around, comes around. This whole concept really started to mentally gel for me when I became an adult and took some moral ethics classes and psychology courses. That, coupled with the fact that NOTHING good ever came about taking part in such behavior, and people only seemed to get hurt in the end. So because of this, I try to keep pretty tight-lipped about flippant issues, and especially those that attack the character or personal limits of others. It’s such a work in progress, too.  And if for one moment I think that saying something shitty about someone else will make me feel better about myself, well then I think it’s time I find a new therapist. Oh, wait. I don’t have a therapist. Strike that. I mean, FIND a therapist. Or at least start reading some Krishnamurti.

I really said all that to preface a few quotes that my friend Autumn sent me a few days ago. It came at such a perfect time because it was when I was really battling with myself at keeping my mouth shut, keeping positive, and realizing that sometimes you have to rise above the din of idle talk in order to hear yourself grow as a person.

That’s not to say I’m going to perfect this. I might turn around after posting this and go start gossiping to someone right away, but at least I am making an effort, no?

And now, these quotes,

(*but first a disclaimer. I realize that the source of the first quote doesn’t happen to be the most reliable or sane one, at that, but even Hannibal Lecter even had a few good morsels of social thought, okay?) 

Q

Great minds discuss ideas. average minds discus events, and small minds discuss people. -Phil Spector

Words don’t tell you what people are thinking. Rarely do we use words to really tell. We use words to sell people, or to convince people, or to make them admire us. It’s all a disguise. It’s all hidden – a secret language. – Robert Altman

The dumber the man, the louder he talks. – David Granger

Silence is golden when you cant think of a good answer. – Muhammad Ali

The best way to make your dreams come true is to WAKE UP. – Muhammad Ali

What you are thinking about, you are becoming. – Muhammad Ali

Sex should be a template for your day. You need to start slow and end completely. -William Shatner

Like the person you love, thats how you have a long marriage. -Buck O’ Neil

If you can’t get out of something, get into it. If you can’t fix it, fuck it. – Kris Kristofferson

A friend is someone that doesn’t want a fucking thing from you, just wants to hang. – Jack Black

Wisdom is knowing when to shut the fuck up. -Adam West

If you don’t have an understanding of your opponent, things aren’t going to work out very well for you. -Donald Trump

If the commitment is not there, its time to walk away. -Larry Flynt

My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them. -Richard Branson

Create the best. The best hotels and clubs and airlines never go bankrupt. The best always succeeds. – Richard Branson

You cant take responsibility for everything. You cant have that kind of control. At some point, its all out of our hands. – Faye Dunaway

Religion has killed millions of people. Something must be wrong. – Kirk Douglas

Most people don’t have much of a clue as to why they act the way they do. Usually when they’re angry, they’re not angry about what they think they are angry about. -Hugh Hefner

Garry Shandling always says to me, “Don’t get mad, get funny.” It changed my life. -Rip Torn

I don’t put something on tape until I’ve played around with it for a couple of weeks. I heard someone else say this – it may have been Quincy Jones. That he gets an idea, but he doesn’t really act on it unless it keeps coming back and starts to annoy him. -Eric Clapton

Cruelty is all out of ignorance. If you knew what was in store for you, you wouldn’t hurt anybody, because whatever you do comes back much more forceful then you send out. -Willie Nelson

I once went to group therapy. Everyone there blamed someone else – their mother, their father, their agent. When it got to me, I said “You’re all full of shit. you’re gonna be here forever. Look in the mirror. you are responsible for every mistake you make.” – Burt Reynolds

Tell the truth. Sing with passion. Work with laughter. Love with heart. ‘Cause thats all that matters in the end. -Kris Kristofferson

These are some of my mantras; my prayers for 2008. To hell with resolutions. Ain’t nothing resolved unless you practice what you preach.

visiting the parents

dad: your mother always invites me to sleep while she’s driving in the car…

me: she only does that so you won’t make her nervous while she’s driving. you drive her crazy.

dad: well, i just can’t. i can’t sleep in the car..

pause

dad: ..unless i’m driving.

paris, je t’aime…

last night was e’s birthday, lovely lovely evening…  er, evening/night/morning…

i don’t know how i managed to stay awake throughout my voyage to toronto and the subsequent appoinments throughout the day…  but when i got to my parent’s home, i was sure i would crash and be out for the night…  instead, my sister and i picked up a couple london fogs and made it a blockbuster night…  i’m so glad we did:)

i suddenly have a surge of energy, and i’m sure it’s because i watched several beautiful vignettes that made up the film, “Paris, Je t’aime.” so sweet…  i love paris, it’s probably my favourite city in the world…  and just seeing this film tonight filled me up, i feel inspired so i had to share… 

rent this film, one of the better films i’ve seen this year…  a great way to cap 2007!!! xo

favorite line of all time

my boyfriend tortured me by making me watch Snakes on a Plane last night.
you know, for shits and giggles.

i decided i should get SOMEthing good out of it, so here is my favorite line from the movie.

lud yourself

ala Yoko Ono’s 60’s book “Grapefruit”, my cuz sent this site of an interesting artist with art assignments for those who like to add a little creativity to the daily routine…

hey nsn* what do you say we take on some of these assignments?

and speaking of books, look what book i just bought! SO excited! i bought an older edition so it was a lot, but i love schiele so it’s well worth it…

me wants this

I’m going to check it out on some consumer sites first, but the gadget itself is enticing.

tag, you’re it

Hey! You know, I don’t think enough people know about this site. I love it – it’s been out for years, and a few of my friends use it a lot. It goes like this:

Miye is a member of dogeball

so is nsn*…

so is their bff michel gondry (I’m just using an example her, but that would be kind of cool)..

Miye sends a mssg to dodgeball saying that she’s at Gemma getting some grub.

nsn* is @ Joes Pub checking out the Brazilian Girls and gets a mssg that Miye’s close by…

Michel (who’s at Public Theater) gets the message too, and they both go over and meet Miye at Gemma, then they all grab a drink at Bowery Hotel and all three sending a mssg to dogeball before they head over to 205.. which, of course goes to everyone else they know in the dodgeball network.

Before you know it, it’s a big ol’ social ball o’ fun!

target sponsors public opening of new museum…

beginning at noon on saturday, december 21st, overnight and through the next day, the New Museum on bowery celebrated it’s 30th anniversary and it’s grand re-opening with 30 free hours of admission…

i watched this building develop throughout it’s construction, so i was excited to finally get inside and have a look… given it’s size relative to the other buildings on the bowery, i somehow imagined it would take a while to see each gallery so i got tickets, required for entry, for both saturday night at 10pm and sunday afternoon (after brunch at yummy novecento: best steak salad i’ve had in new york)… the building itself is quite impressive: the aluminum mesh exterior is beautiful and looks different as the light changes throughout the day, the interior is sleek and fresh… the installations are not as interesting as i hoped, though there are always a few things that intrigue me: unfortunately no photos allowed… the descriptions of each piece lack the artist’s origin/place of birth, a detail that i really appreciate and missed…

there is a theatre in the basement where a short film, El Gringo, by Francis Alys is screened: a couple of dogs viscously attack the subject, presumably another dog who we never see as it’s filmed from his point of view… it reminded me of the installation that i saw by controversial canadian artist, Jana Sterback, at the 2003 Venice Biennale… though this film was from the perspective of her jack russell terrier, Stanley, who had a video camera strapped to his back to capture more than 100 hours of his world…

i walked through the whole museum in an hour… i really like the contents of the little boutique… i’m going to wait until the next set of installations before i decide on getting a membership, which is $60 for individual, $100 for dual, $35 for artist/student/senior… oh i wish i were still a student, i totally milked my columbia id:) especially at the moma where i ventured to on countless occassions!!!

i recently heard from a trusted source that the guggenheim membership has the most perks… hmmm… i can’t get all of them, so i’m debating which to invest in???

conversation today…

..via phone, with a receptionist who had to take down my email:

me: It’s m-i-y-e-m-c-c, at gmail dot com

her: huh mail?

me: gmail dot com

her: she mail?

me: haha, uh, no. g as in “good”

her: ohhh, I never heard of that before.

me: it’s google mail. The one you’re talking about is for trannies

her: oh, yeah.

me: nevermind. thank you, just give Nicole the address

her: Okay! I will! Byeee.