94 -Jeff Koons

Jeff Koons Exhibit
Metropolitan Museum of Art - roof deck

If you remember the giant, flowered Puppy exhibit at Rockefeller Center (now permanently displayed at the Guggenheim Bilbao) or the big Red Balloon Flower at 7 World Trade Center, then you have already admired some of Jeff Koons's sculptures. Jeff Koons was born in York, Pennsylvania in 1955. He studied at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Koons is a versatile artist who works with many different media. His works have been displayed throughout the world, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently showing three on the roof deck until October 26th. The critics are in complete disagreement of Koons's talent or lack thereof, especially after his series titled Made In Heaven, which featured him and his porn star wife Cicciolina in various explicit sexual positions. I am very much not an art critic. As I stood on the roof deck of the Met staring at the giant balloon dog, I didn't wonder what inspired him to create it or how he chose that particular color. The only thought that crossed my mind was of how much I would like to shoot a dart at it to see if I could pop it.

93 - NYU Lecture

NYU Lecture - Cross Examination and Re-Direct Techniques
08 October 2008

As a teaching hospital, NYU Medical Center hosts different lecture series and constantly has continuing education classes open to various groups. Today, I attended a lecture about giving expert testimony and being able to defend the science and your work in court. The two women giving the lecture work for the Manhattan District Attorney's Office and have prosecuted hundreds of cases between them. They actually turned the lecture into an interactive workshop by cross-examining someone in front of the group of attendees. They had some very good pointers for holding your own on the stand and tricks that defense attorneys can use to shake you. Overall, a very informative lecture. Apparently, "You can't handle the truth!" is not the best way to answer either.

92 -Bear Mountain

Bear Mountain - hiking and Oktoberfest day trip
Bear Mountain
05 October 2008

Sharon and I made a trek up to Bear Mountain this morning for what we thought would be a simple day of hiking and breathing fresh air. When we arrived at the mountain though, we were pleasantly surprised to see that Bear Mountain's Oktoberfest was happening that afternoon! Hooray! We set off on our hike up a lovely, albeit steep, trail with visions of frothy brews dancing in our heads. Two hours later we marched triumphantly from the woods and straight to the official Oktoberfest bar and snack tent. After a couple beers and some pierogies we ventured into the Bear Mountain zoo for a tour of the local wildlife (check out the picture of the awesome human exhibit!). A fantastic day only made better by a good nap, a nice dinner, and a hot shower. I love Oktoberfest.

100 in 6 budget: $1246

91 - the subdudes

the subdudes
Highline Ballroom
04 October 2008, 2000

Wow! I love the subdudes! Today, the subdudes are Tommy Malone (who in my opinion looks hauntingly similar to Dave Grohl), John Magnie, Steve Amedee, Tim Cook and Jimmy Messa. They started out back in 1987 with Malone, Magnie, Amedee and Johnny Ray Allen playing what they thought would be a one time gig at Tipitina's in New Orleans. At that point, most of the band had already played together as The Percolators and The Continental Drifters, so they knew that they had a significant amount of musical chemistry. After the overwhelmingly positive response they got at Tipitina's, the subdudes were born. In 1997 they decided to call it quits to explore solo careers and other opportunities much to the dismay of their dedicated fans. There was a brief time when three of the original members plus Tim Cook, Jimmy Messa and Sammy Neal, got back together as a band called the Dudes (hmmm...), but the music still sounded wonderfully like the subdudes. In 2003, the Dudes re-added the 'sub' and once again started touring and recording as the subdudes.

The subdudes' music is a mix of rock, southern rock and a twangy New Orleans blues sound. Their most notable feature, aside from their fantastic harmonizing vocals featuring Malone on lead, is their use of a tambourine player instead of a drummer. Amedee actually played the tambourine with an old wooden spoon at their first gig in New Orleans. One of the other features that gives them their signature sound is the fabulous Magnie on accordion.

The show was absolutely fantastic and the rest of the audience seemed to be in complete agreement as they fled their tables and stormed the aisles to dance towards the end. The highlight of the evening was definitely when the band decided to unplug completely and meander into the audience to play the acoustic treat Rain. I have been listening to the subdudes casually for years, but I had never been to a show before last night. It was wonderful to hear them live and I hope that they continue to tour so that I can catch them again soon!

90 - Hip Hop Honors

Hip Hop Honors screening and after-party
Opera
02 October 2008

Lucky for me, I have fantastic, interesting, exciting friends. On Thursday evening, thanks to the well-connected M.Douglas, we visited Opera (formerly the China Club) for a live screening of the Hip Hop Honors, which airs on VH1 on October 6 at 10pm. VH1 hosted the event, so all of the nibbles and drinks were on them. We grabbed some treats, perused the crowd, and settled into a booth to watch the show. As the show was being taped at the Hammerstein ballroom, we were watching a live telecast at Opera. The footage from the show is probably on the cutting room floor right now being edited and laden with commercials to make it ready for airing next week. A couple hours and a few drinks later, the after-party was ready to begin. We left our cozy little booth and walked upstairs to the VIP area and roof deck. The next couple hours were spent socializing, schmoozing, bumping into Mike Rappaport who was filming a De La Soul documentary, and seeing Kid Rock surrounded by beefy security guards and adoring fans. I am quite certain that there were more artists there, but since I don't know much about the big names of the Hip Hop scene, I wasn't able to recognize anyone else. The evening was lovely and certainly the type of event that I don't get to go to often if at all.

89 - Pinchbottom - Devilish

Pinchbottom - Devilish
Corio
01 October 2008

What a fantastic way to begin my favorite month and time of year! Pinchbottom was as sinful, seductive and salacious as ever with their new endeavor, Devilish. Devilish casts Mayor of Burlesque, Jonny Porkpie (who, term limits be damned, should definitely run for a third), as a somewhat innocent mortal who signs a deal with the foxiest devil I have ever seen, Nasty Canasta. If Devilish is any reflection of what the proper Hell is like, then save me a seat and declare me a sinner! The show took us through the nuances of entering into a contractual agreement with an evil deity through performances by Gal Friday, Ms Tickle, Precious Little, and Albert Cadabra. The highlight of the evening in my opinion was a new, delightfully sultry number by Miss Precious Little. In fact, the new number was so delightfully sultry that I think I blushed a bit.

Corio is a beautiful venue filled with green velvety couches, low set black and chrome tables, black and white kitschy wallpaper, exposed brick, and heavy velvet curtains. Although not a great venue if you are going to have the place packed wall to wall with standing room only, but certainly aces for an intimate crowd of revelers.

Don't miss Pinchbottom at Spiegelworld on October 18th presenting Pretencion!

88 - 3rd Avenue Street Festival

3rd Avenue Street Festival
Bay Ridge
28 September 2008

I have been to a handful of street fairs this summer and I know what you are thinking... It is New York in the summer, everyone has been to a handful of street fairs and festivals. Bay Ridge's 3rd Ave Street Festival wasn't any ordinary street fair though. Between 69th street and 94th street, the streets were taken over by shops, bars, restaurants, dance troupes, street vendors, tarot readers, cocktail-mixing zodiac specialists, massage tables, at least six bands, a raw bar, an FDNY roving training center, every politician in the neighborhood, the New York Blood Center's mobile collection truck, rides and ponies for the kiddies, clowns, a semi-pro wrestling demonstration, prayer stations and everyone's favorite borough President, Marty Markowitz. So, while I was strolling the 25 blocks of street festival bliss I watched at least four bands, ate fried zucchini flowers, donated a pint of blood, bought an ugly necklace, toured a gallery, got a little too close to the wrestling demonstration, observed a cocktail-mixing zodiac specialist give someone a reading, salivated at the FDNY, discovered a new gourmet market, almost stepped in pony poop, learned about the potential development of the Bay Ridge food co-op, joined a prayer circle, and found out about the Bay Ridge Historical Society and the Narrows Botanical Garden.

100 in 6 incidentals budget: $553 + one pint of blood