Growing up in the South, I lived for PBS as my major source of “culture.” It was how I was introduced to the brilliant work of composer Stephen Sondheim, the god of teenaged-homosexuals the world over (well, maybe just me). And what was more thrilling than watching Live From Lincoln Center, with the introductory footage that panned over the lit buildings and fountain on the Lincoln Center grounds?

Tonight, I will be in the audience as Sondheim’s Passion, in a concert production with Patti Lupone and Audra McDonald, is broadcast “Live from Lincoln Center” across the country on PBS. I may not be walking past that fountain (because tonight’s performance is at “Jazz at Lincoln Center” in the new Time Warner Center), but I couldn’t imagine being more excited. As Jeff will attest, I’ve been anticipating this for months.

Update:

Well that was a big, fat waste of time. Although I doubt anything could have live up to the hype. I’m a huge fan of the score, but this production bored me to tears. Gemignani conducted like he was trying to catch a fire truck. While Donna Murphy’s (the original Fosca) “rich, lustrous voice was the sound of a beautiful soul trapped in an ugly body,” Patti Lupone’s delivery was as wretched as her appearance.

There were a number of miking problems and curiously restrained performances that led me to believe it was being directed towards the cameras rather than the live (paying) audience. Zipping through the show afterward on the TiVo confirmed it. I’m dubbing it myself from the TiVo to DVD because (as a LFLC broadcast) it won’t be commercially released. So I won’t even be able to score points someday by noticing it on someone’s shelf and casually mentioning I was there for the taping.

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One of the reasons why I know I’m in love with Jeff is that I can catch his scent on a pillow or piece of clothing and be reminded of him. One time when he was gone for a few days, I wore a shirt he left at my apartment so I wouldn’t be lonely. I’ve figured out that the scent is his Old Spice High Endurance (Fresh) deodorant.

Growing up in the hot, humid South, I never considered simple deodorant to be an option. I don’t “glow” — I sweat like a pig. But around the time that I noticed most anti-perspirants switching to Aluminum Zirconium Tricholorohydrex GLY as an active ingredient, I started developing rashes under my arms. I keep switching brands to try and find one with fragrances or coloring I didn’t react to, but they all had the same effect.

One day when I ran out of anti-perspirant, I borrowed Jeff’s deodorant. Surprisingly, I found that I didn’t sweat too much. My underarms didn’t sting from chemical interactions. And the deodorant did a much better job of covering the sweat smell than anti-perspirants.

I’ve used a couple different brands of deodorants now over the past few months, but I also kept sneaking swipes of Jeff’s deodorant now and then. So, today I finally broken down and bought my own stick of Old Spice High Endurance (Fresh) deodorant.

My experiment commences. Will wearing Jeff’s scent every day make me fall even more deeply in love with him? Or will the sensory memory connected with it wane from overexposure?

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0 comments | color, Design, quicklink, reference, web |

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1 comment | color, Design, photo, quicklink, reference |

Aren’t those T-Mobile ads with Catherine Zeta Jones spooky? You can totally tell she’s just blue-screened in with footage of other people. I almost spit out my drink last night when a new T-Mobile ad played during the West Wing last night and ended with Zeta Jones actually reaching out and touching the people in the same frame as her. They’ve either improved the technology of pasting her into the commercial or they realized we’ve gotten hip to their cost-cutting maneuvers.

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Back when everyone was linking to the Amazon Yellow Pages’ new “block view” photo feature and Mikel Maron’s Run up and down the street page, I sat on the links because I wanted to blog something specific which wasn’t official yet.

I’m happy to finally announce that I’ll be moving this summer from the Financial District to West 8th Street to manage another New School residence hall, Marlton House (a famous former flop-house where Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce, Lillian Gish, and Ecuadoran President Galo Plaza all lived). I’m giving up a larger apartment and an in-house laundry room, but I’ll be in the heart of Greenwich Village and around the corner from both the Arch in Washington Square Park and the Duplex.

So, here’s what my new street looks like.

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0 comments | howto, legal, livingwill, quicklink |

I stopped by the recently-opened Jamba Juice at Union Square today and picked up a “Cranberry Craze.” It was so sugary I thought I was going to have a diabetic reaction.

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1 comment | maps, NYC, subway |