An Industrial Engagement Shoot

Today marks eleven months since Paul and I got married. I cannot believe it’s almost been a full year! So I figured I would do a wedding-related post today. My super talented photographer friend Candace Camuglia offered to do an engagement shoot for us. Not only is it way more fun to do a photo shoot when your friend is the photographer, but Candace has a special knack for making the whole experience not awkward. Because engagement shoots have a tendency to be seriously awkward.

We went to Bushwick specifically for this giant boombox graffiti art that we wanted to use as a backdrop. Candace and I had seen it when we were out there for Bushwick Open Studios earlier in the year. I’ve always liked graffiti art, but we also figured it would be perfect for an engaged rap producer. Unfortunately, when we got there, it had been painted over. Super lame. But, we found some other walls with cool graffiti and a lot of industrial spots that looked pretty awesome. Here are my favorites...

You can find more of her photography, including her editorial work, here. Don’t be surprised to find more than a few pictures of yours truly. Getting to be a muse for Candace is always fun, cause it usually involves putting on some of my favorite vintage clothing.

Goûter On The Lawn

Yesterday, I got an invitation from my high school “to celebrate Sister Caire’s 90th Birthday at a special ice cream goûter on the White House Lawn.” I left it on the table and later Paul picked it up. Paul’s reactions to my Duchesne stories always remind me of how insane my high school experience was.

I went to an all girls Catholic school from middle to high school. You could start there in pre-k, and those girls were known as the lifers. My mother first tried to get me in for kindergarten, but I must not have been good with the scissors or something, because I apparently needed to repeat pre-k. She declared that I was too tall to be held back and sent me to the local public elementary school instead.

As quirky as it was, I can honestly say I have some of the best memories from that place. I definitely feel more of a loyalty to Duchesne than my college. (They sort of brainwash you...) But I really do love that my experience was unique. When Paul read the invite, he was dumbfounded. There were so many questions that needed explanations. And my answers sounded more ridiculous than his questions.

The White House

Well, Paul, goûter translates “to taste” in French, but it means “snack time” in Franglish. Duchesne was founded by French nuns, so sometimes school activities were nicknamed after French words (but pronounced with Texas accents). I just discovered that there is actually a glossary of terms & traditions on the school’s website. Reading it made me giggle with nostalgia. Since it was a school of only girls that was run by mostly women, we found reasons to celebrate snack time a lot. Pretty much every Saint’s feast day was a reason for goûter.

Check out the form on that curtsy. Skills.

And yes, we still have nuns that run the school. And the nuns all live in a house (that’s painted white) in the center of campus, and the lawn in front is where many of the school functions are hosted. Including graduation, where we wear white gowns and little doily crowns on our heads. We practiced curtsying for weeks in our heels on that lawn in preparation for graduation, so that we could curtsy to the head nun as we received our diploma. So yes, Paul, we do celebrate our nun’s 90th birthday parties with a special ice cream goûter on the white house lawn.

That Time I Accidentally Befriended Some Gang Members

My place in Bushwick

My neighborhood, Prospect Heights, has started to gentrify like crazy. Since we moved in four years ago, so many cafes, restaurants and bars have opened it’s hard to keep up. There was an explosion of new businesses this past winter, and now that the weather’s nicer and everyone’s out, the difference has become very apparent. It’s weird to suddenly live in a desirable neighborhood. I haven’t always lived in the safest parts of Brooklyn. Working in the NYC art world is unfortunately not the path to riches. But it’s a good thing we live in a nice area now, cause Paul would probably have a way smaller client base if his home studio was in our last neighborhood.

I lived in Bushwick (before it was 'East Williamsburg') when I first moved to the city and Crown Heights afterwards. My place in Bushwick looked so sketch at night that once when my dad’s friend gave me a ride home, he refused to drop me off in front of my loft. I had to explain that I actually lived there before he let me out. He gave me a stern look and told me he “wouldn't tell my parents".

The sole bar in my hood in
Crown Heights

Crown Heights looks nicer since it isn't industrial, but there’s still a fair amount of crime. There were these guys dressed all in red that hung out by the subway. One was in a wheelchair and always said hello, so I would wave and greet him as I passed by. When Paul moved into the neighborhood a year later and we started dating, he noticed me saying hello to these guys. This girl got an education that day. Apparently, in the hood, guys dressed all in blue or all in red are gang members. Oops. Obviously, I had heard of the Crips and Bloods before, I just didn't expect them to be so friendly.

The adorable Sunshine Co.
in Prospect Heights

We finally moved after Paul’s roommate's friend was shot on New Years Eve in our neighborhood. Yes, shot. With a gun. In the ass. We can joke about it now. At the time, it was terrifying. They were coming back from the subway when they heard gunshots and started running. Chuck ran for a few blocks before realizing he’d been shot. Adrenaline is an amazing thing. They couldn't remove the bullet either, so poor guy will probably set off metal detectors for the rest of his life. This story has a happy ending though. He married the girl that was in town visiting with him that weekend. Maybe that night they realized how important they were to each other?

Not that Prospect Heights is free of crime. Nowhere in NYC is. And I’m sure we’ll see a backlash to the gentrification. But it’s a big change for us to live where cab drivers drop people off on Saturday evenings, instead of where cab drivers park at the end of the night.

Kitchen Review - Diane Meyer's Embroidered Photographs

I recently discovered these embroidered photographs by Diane Meyer, a San Diego based artist. She embroiders pixels onto photographs to obscure parts of the image. Her intent is to highlight “the failures of photography in preserving experience and personal history as well as the means by which photographs become nostalgic objects that obscure objective understandings of the past.”

I was instantly attracted to them. I love older photographs and the nostalgia they evoke. There is also a sentimental quality to embroidery, with its association to the past and the home. By bringing together two mediums for nostalgia- one modern, one ancient- she really amplifies the concept of the photograph as a nostalgic object. The technique of embroidering on the photograph also plays with the idea of the pixel, the building block of photography. I like this notion that if we look at anything too closely, it can be obscured.

The relationship between photography and memory also fascinates me. Photography is used as a way to preserve memories, but so often it can alter our perception of the past or become substitutes for our memories. I thought of my college thesis, where I analyzed Kodak advertisements in the post WWII period and how they fostered the creation of a homogeneous, shared American-family memory. Since it was a new household technology, Kodak used advertisements to instruct buyers on what types of photographs to take to “remember all of life’s important moments” and even issued pamphlets on how to stage them. These preserved moments- the birth of a child, a wedding, family trips, birthdays, etc.- are part of most family’s photo albums. Through the insistence of advertisers, documenting our personal history has become normal human experience.

Since I find nostalgia so intriguing, I really enjoy art that brings these questions to light. I look at her works and I relate to them, because I have photographs that look just like them. I can replace the obscured faces from her photographs with my own family’s faces. I feel nostalgic for a time I don’t even remember.

The Rap Wives Club

I was at a rap show with Paul last week and I didn't see too many of the usuals. I've gotten to the point where I can walk in and recognize quite a number of people, so it was weird to see such a different crowd. This made me realize how far along I've come in Paul’s world. I used to feel totally out of place. It was a community where I had nothing to contribute. For the most part, I only attended shows when Paul performed. But now I actually look forward to shows like Yule Prog- a large, well-attended, annual holiday rap show hosted by Nasa- because I know I’ll see a ton of familiar faces.

A rare 2010 appearance at a rap show. Can you find me in
the crowd? I look less enthusiastic than Paul...
Photography: Victoria Holt

It's helped that so many people from the scene are also Paul's clients. So I often run into them in my kitchen. And since Paul mixes and masters their albums in the other room (and that involves listening to songs over and over again), I become reaalllly familiar with their music. So when I go to a show now, I can almost always sing along to the rapper's hook or chorus.

I've also made it a point to get to know rapper’s wives and girlfriends. The rap world is a bit of a boy’s club. Big surprise. And they pretty much only talk about rap. So I source out the other ladies to chat about non-music things. We do rap double dates too, because then we can all chat about general life stuff. I like the behind-the-scenes look into rap lives, especially when they're married. It's nice to be able to relate, ya know?

It may have taken six years and I might not look like I belong, but I’m beginning to feel part of the rap community. Especially since I've started this blog, I'm not just Willie's wife, I'm also known for Rappers In My Kitchen. Paul slipped so easily into my world, but it takes a little longer for a girly-girl to find her place in a rap world.

Motown In The Kitchen

This past weekend, my girlfriends and I rented a cozy 1850’s farmhouse in the Catskills in upstate NY. When you live in NYC, sometimes you have to escape. Especially after a long winter. There’s also nothing better than a road trip. The subways are great for getting some reading in or being able to go out, drink, and have a ride home at the end of the night, but there is something so freeing about being in a car. So we were pretty obsessed with our minivan.

It was a recharge weekend, so we spent some quality time in the kitchen. We made amazing brunches of eggs, toast, bacon, pancakes, etc. every morning, but it was our Saturday night dinner that I think defined the weekend. We all had something to contribute, and we drank wine and danced to Motown in the kitchen as we prepared dinner. Which naturally led to a screening of the “Evolution of Mom Dancing” with Michelle Obama and Jimmy Fallon and then the “History of Rap” with Justin Timberlake and Fallon. You’d be impressed with how many rap songs a group of dec art & design grads can identify. Rappers in my kitchen: the white girl edition? We sat down to pumpkin-goat cheese pasta, fresh salad, and an apple crumble for dessert in a dining room that can only be described as farmhouse chic. I would say it was a perfect evening.

The highlight of the trip was our hike up Overlook Mountain. About halfway up, we discovered the snow hadn't fully melted. Considering our aversion to winter at this point, we almost turned around. But luckily we followed through. When NYC has beaten us down all winter, why wouldn't we choose to climb a mountain covered in snow and ice? It was the best decision we could have made though. At the top were ruins from a 19th Century hotel that had burned down. It was beautiful and eerie and amazing to explore. There was also a fire tower that we climbed for stunning views of the surrounding Catskills and Hudson River. The only thing that trumps the beauty of art is the beauty of nature.

It was hard to leave our farmhouse on Sunday. Back to a small Brooklyn apartment and far fewer stars, but with plans for many more weekend excursions. There’s a reason my girlfriends had High Voltage off of Paul’s new album stuck in their head this weekend. Illustrate knows what’s up. We’re all craving summertime.

From Christy's Kitchen To Mine

My friend Christy started making custom cookies and baked goods for friends and family out of her kitchen, and it has turned into a full fledged business. So many great things happen in kitchens! Her day job is teaching, but at this point it seems like all her spare time is spent baking. I almost asked her to make our wedding cake, but she lives in Houston and we got married in Brooklyn, so that would have been nuts.

Luckily, she can mail smaller goodies! I had her ship up a king cake for my sisters surprise birthday party this past January. For those of you not from the South, king cakes are made during Mardi Gras season and have a hidden plastic baby inside. If you get the baby, you’re supposed to supply next years king cake. Since we are an interracial household, Christy sent us a black baby and a white baby to choose from. We went with black.

Paul had a listening party for his album before he went on tour for press contacts and colleagues in the music industry. So naturally he wanted some custom made cookies to include with his press kits. He sent her the album art, and she replicated the futuristic building and typography from the cover. With frosting. That's impressive.

If you ever have any cookie needs, reach out to Baked by Drake. She's my go-to girl. I already picked out the cookies I want for my future baby shower. (Mom, if you're reading. Don't get excited. I am NOT pregnant. I just like to plan ahead.) Seriously though, how freakin' adorbs are they?

I Blog About Rappers And Rappers Blog About My Mom

The rents

As tour season wraps up, I’ve noticed that a few rappers have blogged about their time in Houston at my parents house. It’s sweet that they were so appreciative of my parent’s hospitality, but it’s also really funny that rappers are blogging about my parents.

Toussaint Morrison spent some one-on-one time with my mom a few mornings when she dropped him off at a local coffee shop on her way to work. I enjoyed his description of my mother in his blog. He noted that since she is a lawyer, “there is no lack of confidence or contrition behind her voice.” I never considered that her matter-of-fact tone might be due to her practicing law for 20+ years. I’ve always known her to be that way and thought of it as a personality trait, rather than a learned behavior. Or maybe it is her personality, and that’s what makes her such a good lawyer?

The rappers were also quite entertained by my dads hunting accomplishments. The elk feast he served for dinner was definitely mentioned in Corina Corina's blog. And I noticed several rappers posing for pictures with the taxidermy throughout the house. Yes, taxidermy. My dad is as Texan as it gets. His pride and joy is the gemsbok antelope in the living room. Its horns are so tall that it couldn’t be mounted on the wall and instead requires a pedestal. It’s set in a little natural habitat of grass and cactus. I completely understand why the rappers were compelled to photograph it. There are also deer, a ram, an alligator, birds, and fish. At Christmas, my dad puts Santa hats on all of them. It's kinda amazing. My mom has put her foot down and said no more dead animals in the house, so now he hangs them in his office...

Blogging is a funny thing. Anyone can post their thoughts and stories on the internet (myself included). But I think it's pretty hilarious that my lawyer parents are being discussed through the lens of rap blogs.

Green's Delicacies

Now that Paul’s home, he’s back in the kitchen. Not recording. He’s taking a little break from work after being on the road for so long. He’s cooking again! And I couldn’t be happier. No more frozen meals for this girl.

One of the first things he did this weekend was prepare a batch of his flavored butters. He's not churning the butter or anything- he buys regular salted butter at the store and then mixes in fresh herbs. It's delicious. And so easy even I could do it.

You can put in whatever you want really, but for this batch, Paul used sage, thyme, lemon zest, garlic, and, of course, rosemary. Paul loves rosemary and uses it as often as possible when cooking. He keeps a bunch of sprigs in a mason jar on the counter top for easy access. 

He lets the butter soften, puts it in the food processor, and blends in all the chopped ingredients. After it’s finished, he stores the herb butter in tupperware and puts it back in the fridge. We use the butter for just about everything. It’s delicious on toast or sandwiches, but it’s great to cook with too. I really recommend using it with eggs. Herb butter in some scrambled eggs or an omelette? Yum!

I was telling Paul that we should start jarring his butters and giving them as gifts. Maybe make some labels too. He calls his home studio the Greenhouse, so perhaps Green’s Delicacies? I don’t care what he calls it, as long as he keeps making it.

Zombie Easter

Zombie Easter

Yesterday was Easter, but it was also the season finale of The Walking Dead. So we decided to combine the two. After all, Jesus did rise from the dead, so he was technically a zombie, right? My friend Jenny said it best: “Nothing celebrates the Resurrection like a zombie-themed Easter.”

We had some friends over to watch the show and eat an Easter dinner, with an emphasis on zombie inspired foods (bloody marys, beets, etc). Mark/PremRock also came over. He and Paul just got back from tour, and Prem started watching the show on the road since all the other guys were into it. When the rappers stayed at my parents house after SXSW, it was a Sunday night and we all sat down to watch the show together. There’s a reason they call themselves a rap family.

I wasn’t always so into zombies. I enjoyed Dawn of The Dead and 28 Days Later as much as anybody, but after watching Walking Dead, I became obsessed. I now have a zombie apocalypse escape route planned, and I assess people on whether I think they could survive the apocalypse or not.

Growing up in Texas, I was taken to the shooting range my whole life and given a rifle for my thirteenth birthday, so I’m a pretty decent shot. My dad is trying to get Paul involved with hunting too. While we were in Texas for this past Christmas, he signed Paul up for a hunter safety course. The class was outside of Houston and attended mostly by rednecks. Paul was the only black person, and we were a little nervous to leave him. He aced the exam though, and my dad has started to try and find times for the two of them to go on hunting trips. I’m just glad my dad now has a “son” he can drag on these trips instead of me. But if Paul can also get pretty good with a rifle, I think we may stand a chance when the zombie apocalypse hits.

Recovering From The Future

Last night was pretty epic. Paul’s release party couldn’t have been more perfect. It was a packed house and there was so much dancing, so much cheering, so much love. Paul had his guest artists come on stage and perform live with him. The energy coming from ANGI3, BS, Illustrate, and Michael Ross made the night even more amazing.

A big thank you to all the rappers (including some I had never met before) who came up and told me they've been a rapper in my kitchen and have read my blog. Here's to many more rappers in the kitchen!

The Future was pretty crazy. I was out late and I’m a little hungover, so today’s post is just going to be pictures from last night. Paul looks pretty good in his future hat, right?

If you missed the show, don’t beat yourself up too bad. Just get the album on either iTunes or Amazon!

Willie Green

Illustrate

ANGI3 & BS

Willie Green

Willie Green & ANGI3

Michael Ross

Accessorizing For The Future

United Nude, aka shoe heaven

A few summers ago, Paul and I travelled to London and Paris. In London, we stayed with his friend, Paddy Corrigan, a British rapper who goes by ID. He was an amazing host and cooked us a British feast. Pork cracklings? Delicious.

While in London, we discovered United Nude. They sell the craziest, most futuristic looking shoes and hats. Paul really loved one of their hats- called the "Stealth" hat, because it's inspired by the lines of stealth fighter planes. It's a geometric, kind of architectural flat cap. But they weren’t cheap and with the exchange rate, there was no way we could justify the purchase at the time.

Last month I was meeting friends for brunch when I walked past the store right here in NYC! I originally thought birthday present, but when I realized he could wear it at his release party, I just went for the impromptu gift. I mean, how perfect is this hat for a guy who just released an album called ‘We Live In The Future’? Naturally, I decided I should get futuristic accessories for myself too... so I bought some shoes.

  Paul and I are both accessories people. Paul has a serious collection of shoes and hats. He hangs his hats and I hang my jewelry on the walls of our bedroom, partly because it’s the most convenient space for them but also cause we like to have them on display. So please be understanding when I dedicate a whole post to a really awesome hat and pair of shoes.

Paul's collage of hats

The release party is TONIGHT and I am ridiculously excited. This will be my first time seeing him perform the songs. It’s going to be fun, and there is going to be so much dancing. Take a sneak listen to my two favorite songs- Tomorrow and Fasho! Fasho!

Show details: Tonight (3/28) at Spike Hill in Williamsburg. 186 Bedford Ave (it is literally across the street from the subway). Cover is $6. Doors are at 7:30pm. It's an early show for us 9-5'ers!

Tour Life - A Perspective From The One Left Behind

Touring isn’t easy. It’s hard to be on the road with seven other dudes in a van eating gas station food and sleeping on strangers couches or in cheap motels. It's not easy to be left behind either though. Paul's back in Brooklyn for his show on Thursday, and I am thrilled to have him home. Well, he’s here until Friday at least, and then he continues on to Canada. It’s always a slight adjustment when he comes home, and it makes me realize how much I have to adapt to new routines when he’s away.

I pretty much eat only frozen meals, pasta, and soup when he’s gone. I’m really bad about cooking on my own. Before I met him, I ate hummus and pita for dinner most nights. I’ve gotten a bit better and have mastered the vegetarian stir fry. But he’s not really joking when he tells me I have to learn to feed myself when he’s away.

My other big problem is sleeping while he’s gone. I hate sleeping when no one is around- I grew up with siblings and I always had roommates before we lived together. I become an insomniac while he’s on tour. This has led to lots of slumber parties!! Some of my grad school friends threw an amazing slumber party a few months ago actually. They pulled all of their mattresses into the living room, served baked goodies, and we did karaoke to our favorite 90’s songs. It was perfection. Slumber parties are definitely a big part of my survival when Paul leaves for a month.

I actually just got called out for another thing I got used to while he was away. I took over his closet. Oops. He just had so much empty space in there, and my closet is at the point where it’s hard to get things in and out. So I slowly started moving over some shirts. I figured he might not notice the shirts. He noticed. And I’m being booted from the closet. (They are totally going back in there when he leaves on Friday...)

A month on the road is long for both of us, but I know he loves when he gets a great response at a show. And I do enjoy having some space to do my own thing. Hey, it’s the reason I took the time to start this blog!

Embracing The Locals

There has been this big boom in supporting local businesses, eating at farm to table restaurants, and the DIY culture in general.. and I think it’s pretty great. Not saying I’ll never buy anything that’s “made in China” again, but Paul and I try our best to support the talented people and local businesses around us.

We’re part of a CSA (Community Sustained Agriculture) organization where we get vegetables from a nearby farm on Long Island. Since I don’t really love cooking, this has been great for getting me in the kitchen and giving Paul a hand. You don’t get to choose, you just receive whatever veggies are in season each week. Sometimes we get pretty crazy things and have to figure out how to prepare them. It’s made dinners more interesting and cooking way more fun.

We also used all local, small businesses for our wedding. Our best experience was working with Bella at Hibiscus Flowershop in our neighborhood. She got to know us, really got inspired by our venue, listened to what we wanted (let’s be real, what I wanted.. Paul didn’t care about the flowers), and worked within our budget. Of all the vendors we used, she was the one we had the best relationship with and were therefore the happiest with her work.

The other decision Paul and I made was to stop buying cheap, low quality furniture. Sorry, Ikea. So when I stumbled on this swoon worthy lamp by kahokia, a Brooklyn based design firm, I instantly coveted it. Their mission is to provide elegant, affordable design by American artists. They make these “manity's” which I think are super clever. Mancessories are a real thing.

Manity by kahokia

Paul likes modern design more than I do. I tend to gravitate towards antiques, but this lamp may have opened me up to a whole new world. The side view is cool, but what struck me about the lamp is the effect it creates on the wall when viewed from the front. The shadow evokes a standard floor lamp with a shade. The dichotomy of such a modern lamp giving off such a traditional shadow seemed to me so sophisticated and playful at the same time. It’s the first thing I turn on when I come in to the apartment now.

My cousins mockingly call me a hippie. While I wouldn’t describe myself that way, I do think there is something rewarding about supporting my local community. Aren’t we all tired of getting automated responses when we call stores? Isn’t it nice when the people you shop from remember your name? I think so.

Greetings From...

I got a vintage postcard in the mail the other day from my friend Candace. It was of a park in Berlin and she had written “wish we were here!” on the back. I love that. Sending a postcard to someone from an awesome place saying “wish you were here” is thoughtful, but you know it leads to some slight envy for the receiver. Candace’s postcard was sort of like getting an invitation for an adventure though.

She knows I love vintage postcards. I have a small collection of them. I got obsessed with these vintage embroidered Spanish costume postcards, and I bought a whole series of them. I think they are beautiful. They have so many things I love all rolled into one.. postcards, embroidery, vintage clothing, costumes, Spain..!


We also have a few that depict places in Brooklyn that we love, like the art museum, the botanic gardens, the bridge, etc. For our wedding save-the-date, Paul and I reproduced our postcard of the Brooklyn Bridge. We got married in a Victorian era social club in Brooklyn with a lot of history, so I liked that a vintage postcard conveyed the location and also the tone of the wedding.

Candace and I were roommates before I lived with Paul. She responded to my Craigslist post for a roommate, and we hit the jackpot. She is by far the best thing I ever found on Craigslist. Not only is she an awesome person, but she’s also an amazing artist. For me, her photography is the stand out, but she dabbles in just about every medium (peruse her portfolio!). She signed and dated the postcard, something you often do when writing letters, but since she is an artist, the line has been blurred for me. I consider her sending the postcard as an act of art. Sort of like a performance piece.

Hi, My Name Is Alessandra. What's Yours?

Paul's first album

I’m often curious about how rappers choose their stage names. Paul got Willie Green from a character in the blaxploitation film, Dolemite. When he first adopted it, he was actually Big Willie Green.. ya know, back when rappers were always Big or Lil’ something. Luckily, that’s since been dropped.

Not being in the rap scene myself, I never know how to address rappers. It’s not weird when they do it, but I'm pretty sure I sound ridiculous when I use rap names. To understand my predicament, here is a sampling of names of the rappers/producers/dj’s I have been introduced to over the years: Pastense, PremRock, Uncommon Nasa, Mo Niklz, Sketch tha Cataclysm, Tah Phrum Duh Bush, Illustrate, Urban Miracle, Varyus Waise...

Of course, the names that are a mouthful get shortened. Tah Phrum Duh Bush is just Tah, Sketch tha Cataclysm is just Sketch, even PremRock is just Prem. That’s easier for me to do, cause it feels more like a nickname.

Made by KC of MakeShopLive!

Since some rappers stage names are their real name (like Warren Britt), people sometimes assume that Paul’s name is Willie. He even had someone put him down as a reference on their job application as Mr. William Green once.

In the beginning, I asked rappers their real names and used those, but some people don’t like to share them. It was pretty funny when we went to address our wedding invitations, and Paul needed to ask a few friends for their real names. We joked that the reception place cards should also include people’s rap names in parentheses. I actually wish we had done that in retrospect. I think it would have been amazing. Especially in juxtaposition to the adorable bow magnets my crafty bridesmaid KC (check her site: MakeShopLive) made to display the cards. Rappers with bows? Yes, please!

Anyway, I'm getting better about using rap names. So when I introduce myself, I'll ask you what your name is and you make the decision what I call you.