Rappers At My Wedding

One of my favorite things about the wedding photos was seeing our worlds come together and how perfectly everyone got along. Captured in the pictures was so much joy and legitimate happiness for us. While this makes sense for a wedding, you have to keep in mind that I have a conservative, Italian family who is not always so open minded. Paul and I were more than a little nervous about our families colliding catastrophically at the wedding. But instead, everyone got along seamlessly. Even racist grandma was caught beaming while holding onto the arm of Paul's cousin as she watched us cut our wedding cake. Paul and I joke that our love helped the world get a little less racist that day.

Obviously, with Paul's line of work, many of his closest friends are rappers. Considering that the older generations are not always a fan of 'that rap music', I also loved seeing pictures and hearing the stories of rappers interacting with our families. Apparently, PremRock dubbed himself "the Merrill whisperer" that night after dancing with both my mom AND my grandma. 

Going through the wedding photos, I found some of those captured moments, as well as a few other gems:

Rappers That Break It Down With Your Mom (rap name: S.Breeze)

Rappers That Wanna Know If They Can Cut In (dj name: Mo Niklz)

Rappers That Are The Merrill Whisperer (rap name: PremRock)

Rappers That Take Their Beers Seriously (rap name: Uncommon Nasa)

Rappers That Are Also Your Wedding DJ (rap name: Tah Phrum Duh Bush)

Rappers That Are Also Vikings (rap name: Pastense)

Rappers That Keep Their Identity Hidden Even In Wedding Pictures (rap name: Billy Woods)

Rappers That Schmooze With The Rents (rap name: PremRock)

Rappers That Your Mama Is Gonna Love (rap name: Pastense)

The Fanny Pack Guy At Our Wedding

Since it’s been a year, Paul and I figured we should finally choose pictures for our wedding photo album. I've put this off for so long now. This should be a fun task, but when you plan a wedding for so long and so obsessively, once it’s over, you kind of don’t want to do any more work on it.

But it’s been nice to go through the pictures again and reminisce. While doing that, we kept laughing at how many pictures we found where ‘fanny pack guy’, as we have taken to calling him, is lurking in the background. FPG was the groundskeeper for the church. He was supposed to open it up and make sure everything was set up properly, but somehow he managed to become a notorious character at our wedding.

We had a series of mishaps that led to FPG’s infamy. Everyone tells you that no matter how much you plan, there will always be things that go wrong. This is truth. The zipper on my sisters dress busted literally right before the bridesmaids were supposed to walk down the aisle. My amazing bridesmaids managed to sew her back in, but, of course, this delayed the wedding. And this is where FPG enters...

Our parents had already been escorted to their seats and the runner had just been laid down, but FPG decides to stop the organist and walk down the aisle to inform the priest of the situation. In his khaki shorts, half-tucked shirt, and fanny pack. Oh, yes. Poor Paul had that split second of wondering if he was getting stood up at the alter.

Then FPG tried to rush the ceremony. It was like a tug of war between my coordinator and FPG. He was yelling at the bridesmaids to “go” before their cues, and she was telling them “no”. In his effort to pick up the pace, he signaled the organist to start the wedding march early. So everyone in the church stands up expecting me to walk out, but it’s my sister instead.

FPG was a real jerk. He apparently made jokes to Paul and the groomsmen before the ceremony about how most marriages end in divorce. And he started to turn off the lights in the church as our guests were still leaving. Apparently FPG had places to go, and we were slowing him down.

Lessons learned: Always read product reviews. I later found numerous complaints about the bridesmaid dresses having faulty zippers. Always carry a spare needle and thread in case of emergency. And lastly, if a guy wearing a fanny pack shows up, well, you just have to roll with the punches. There’s nothing you can do when someone thinks it’s OK to wear a fanny pack at your wedding.

A Wedding Anniversary Staycation

This weekend Paul and I celebrated our first year wedding anniversary! When we chose to get married Memorial Day weekend, we didn't really consider the fact that our anniversary would forever be such an expensive weekend to travel. Oops. So we ended up doing a staycation.

In the end, we were both happy with our decision to stay here. We did touristy things in our own city. But with the perk of not actually being tourists. We went to museums and ate at restaurants we had been wanting to try.

One of the highlights was finally eating at Buttermilk Channel in Carroll Gardens, where I had lobster over squid ink pasta and Paul had duck meatloaf. They’re known for their fried chicken and cheddar waffles. And if lobster hadn't been the special for the night (I just love it so damn much), that’s what I had my heart set on ordering. Looks like we just have to go back.

For our actual anniversary, we went to Tom Colicchio’s restaurant, Riverpark, in the city. It overlooks the East River (and by default the FDR), so it has beautiful views of the river and Long Island City. Octopus for the appetizer, bacon wrapped prawns for me, and rabbit for Paul. His dish was basically the whole rabbit- including the kidney and tiny, tiny little rabbit ribs. They were so cute. And delicious. Since it was our anniversary, the waitress surprised us with chocolate mousse with a liquid chocolate center for dessert. It doesn't get much better.

Although we stayed here, we made it feel like a real vacation. We ordered the fancy $12 cocktails when we went out and even took cabs a few times. What luxury! Paul even managed to not be a workaholic and stayed out of the studio the whole weekend. When you live in NYC, sometimes you forget that this city is a destination for other people. Every now and then, we really do need to take a weekend to enjoy what we have right here.

Fasho Fasho! Get Your Pick-Up Lines Here!

Today, Paul put out a remix of “Fasho Fasho!” from his album We Live In The Future. For those who haven’t heard the original version yet, you can get a taste of Paul’s knack for grimy pick-up lines here. As the ladies in the song, I think you’ll find that Keisha and I didn’t have to act too hard.

If I’m out and Paul is meeting up with me later, he frequently will slide up unexpectedly and jokingly hit on me. One night, Paul came out to meet me and started laying it on thick. Someone who hadn't met Paul yet was just about to intervene until he saw me burst out laughing. When you have to explain that your husband isn’t actually skeevy, he might be a little too good at it.

For the remix, Paul got raps from PremRock, Zilla Rocca, and Mad Dukez. Some gems were turned out, and it’s definitely as funny and catchy as the original. I laugh every time I hear Prem’s verse “I got dvd’s on my homeboy’s netflix, check it”. Of course, this also means Paul has an arsenal of new pick-up lines to use on me. Paul’s chorus of “I respect your tan lines” and “girl, I love you from the waist down, but the top look good too” have been getting plenty of use lately.

Suz made a little trailer for the remix, and I find this so convenient. I like that it fits in with the comic book theme from the original album artwork. Paul works with rappers from all over, so I also like being able to put faces with names. Take a look, get to know your rapper. And his pick-up lines.

Oh It's Happening: A Rappers In My Kitchen EP

So Paul is totally indulging me, and he’s helping me executive produce my very own “Rappers In My Kitchen” EP! He jokingly suggested that we make one, and I jumped on it. I’m pretty excited to work on something creative together. We bounce ideas off each other all the time, but this will be the first time we actually collaborate on a project. And I can already tell it’s going to be really fun.

The plan is to make a four song EP, featuring four different rappers over Willie Green beats. I'm asking rappers that have already recorded in my kitchen. So when they also record the songs for this EP there, it will be the ultimate rappers in my kitchen moment. Kitchens will implode. The only directive is that they have to include food or kitchens somewhere in their lyrics. Literally or metaphorically, I don’t care. But they will be kitchen raps!

Woods was over last night to pick up a mix that Paul did for the upcoming Billy Woods - Blockhead album. And he stuck around to eat dinner with us and watch the basketball game. Not gonna lie, I was more than delighted when he told me he was into the food/kitchen theme for my EP. Woods is a foodie and goes all out when he cooks. After Paul first met him five years ago, Woods came to my birthday bbq with curry cornish hens to grill. Amazing. I think we knew then that he would be a lifelong friend. Needless to say, I’m looking forward to hearing what he comes up with.

Living with Paul and listening to him work on songs for the past six years has finally started to make me pay attention to music more. I’ve never really been musically inclined. I enjoy music, but mainly in the capacity that it makes me want to dance. But lately we’ve been listening to albums together and discussing them, and it’s making me really appreciate music on a new level. I always try and introduce him to visual artists I think he will like, and he’s been doing a great job of selecting musicians I will enjoy. It’s way more fun when we can share our passions with each other, which is why I am super excited about this EP. More details to follow, but expect a late summer release!

A Picnic With A View

This past Saturday, my girlfriends and I took the train upstate to visit Storm King Art Center. (Yes, I consider everything north of NYC to be upstate.) We threw a picnic there for my friend Ansley’s birthday, and it couldn’t have been a more picturesque setting. Storm King is an outdoor sculpture park with over 100 sculptures by acclaimed artists like Andy Goldsworthy, Richard Serra, Alexander Calder, Mark di Suvero, Roy Lichtenstein, Sol Lewitt, the list goes on...

We brought blankets and spread out on the grass with views of impressive sculptures against a backdrop of the Catskill Mountains. My friends are pretty savvy in the kitchen, so we feasted on a delicious spread of turkey, brie, and fig jam sandwiches, guacamole, mango salsa, steamed pork buns, artichoke pasta salad, chocolate chip banana bread, and cherry almond hand pies.

Hand pies are my new favorite thing. In case you don’t know, get familiar. Hand pies are portable mini pies shaped like an empanada meant to be eaten with your hands. My friend Deb can do no wrong in the kitchen, and she’s so modest about it too. Every time she bakes something, she issues a disclaimer that she “didn’t sample it yet” or “it’s a new recipe”, so she’s not sure if it will be good. At this point, we all roll our eyes, because we know if Deb made it, it’s going to be amazing. And of course, her hand pies were as delicious as they were adorable.

Paul and I actually visited Storm King five years ago when we did a weekend upstate for our one year anniversary of dating. I take him to a lot of art-related places when we travel, but Storm King was a particularly fun trip. It’s one of those places that everyone can appreciate. You don’t have to be an art buff to enjoy a day outdoors in a gorgeous landscape scattered with works of art.

Me & Paul (with dreads!) on our 2008 trip to Storm King

Kitchen Evacuation - Exploring Brooklyn By Bike

Now that it’s finally warm, I’ve been riding my bike to work. My ride is almost entirely through Prospect Park. I live just north of the park, and my job is just south of it. My commute to work used to be the worst part of my day, and now it’s the best. I work in Ditmas Park, an area in Brooklyn with beautiful Victorian houses, and in the Spring when everything’s in bloom, I’m convinced it's the most beautiful neighborhood in all of NYC.

I have a rusty pink bike with a basket. And I love it. Riding the subway everywhere can be disorienting, and I lose spatial understanding of how the city is laid out. I try to take buses when possible for that reason, so I can see where I’m going. The other perk to knowing how to navigate the streets is being able to direct cabbies. For the most part, cab drivers hate taking people to Brooklyn and always claim not to know how to get there. I always love being able to tell them that, yes, I do know how to get home. I’ve come to relish seeing that flash of annoyance on their face when they realize they can’t bullshit me and tell me to find another cab.

Paul had a rapper in the kitchen this Sunday, so I cleared out for the day. I biked to Brooklyn Heights to meet my friend Natalie at Colonie for brunch. It’s one of those cute farm-to-table restaurants. They have an open kitchen, so we sat at the counter to watch them cook. When we asked what the ramps were on the menu, the chef came over and explained that they are a type of wild leek with mild garlic and onion flavors. They apparently forage for them upstate. I love this current restaurant fad of foraging for ingredients. He even gave us some sprigs of ramp to take home and use in our own cooking.

After brunch, I biked to my friend Michelle’s place nearby and from there we went to Long Island City for her friends Cinco de Mayo party. I convinced myself that since I was biking home, it was okay to gorge myself on tacos, sopapillas, tres leches cake, etc. In general, I have this rule that calories don’t count at parties.

As I biked home full and happy at the end of the day, I wondered how I didn’t get a bike sooner. I love not having to pay the MTA for a monthly subway pass. I love how much faster it takes to get places than with the subway. I love that I can explore areas of Brooklyn that used to be hard to get to because of limited subway access. I love the freedom. For me, having a bike in Brooklyn really does improve quality of life.