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.

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.

Pinkies Up! The Year We Belonged To A Social Club

Paul and I had our wedding reception at the Montauk Club in Brooklyn, which meant we had to join and become members of a social club. We didn't really know what we were getting into. Although the club has a distinguished history and has hosted U.S. presidents, senators, etc., it’s located in Park Slope and is a bit of a fixer upper, so we thought there would be some sense of irony or self awareness. Not too much.

I still “like” the Montauk Club on Facebook, so I see their posts and they just put out a reminder for their upcoming new members dinner. After we joined, attending the new members dinner was when we realized it was a legit social club. Paul and I showed up and immediately noticed that most of the people there were old and white. For real, Paul was the only black person there who wasn't a server. But the best part was the entertainment for the night. They brought in the Princeton Tigertones, an A Capella group, to sing us jaunty showtunes all night long! And when they did the Princeton fight song, several of the old men stood up at their tables and chanted along. 

The Tigertones in all their glory.

Shortly after becoming a member, I accidentally joined the entertainment committee. I attended one meeting to suggest some improvements I thought would make the club function better as a wedding venue. That didn't go so well. They don’t do food tastings and they don’t have a full set of matching chairs. I mean, come on, if you’re a wedding venue, you sort of have to offer those things, right?

Because of that one meeting, I was forever on the email list. Luckily, they were often amusing. My favorite email was regarding the planning of the Super Bowl party. Seeing as it is a social club, there is a dress code. But one of the members asked if the dress code could be ignored for the Super Bowl. The response from the head of the committee was: “This is the Montauk Club. If you want to wear a jersey and drink Budweiser's, I recommend going to one of the many bars on Flatbush.” Pssh, what a pleb! He should know better than trying to wear some sweats and drink a Bud at the Montauk!

Needless to say, after our wedding, we did not renew our membership. It is a beautiful space and I loved the atmosphere of the building, but we just might not be the social club types.

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.