And... Go.

This year, the annual celebration of Penultimate NIght (December 30th) was held at Otto's Shrunken Head, the Tiki dive bar on 14th Street. Jacket and tie were required (though one guy wore a tie and lab coat, and we decided that was okay). We all had fun. We all drank fruity tropical beverages with festive garnishes out of sculpted mugs. We all got quite cheerfully looped. Nice way to see '04 out the door. -PAR

Two days ago, it was in the low teens, and we had the first snowfall of the season here in NY. (And today, it's in the low fifties, and raining. What gives?) -PAR

A beautiful autummn day in the District Of Columbia: And a cold night back in New York: -PAR

Yes indeed. Nothing brings home the holiday spirit like GIANT GLOWING INFLATABLE ELF RUMP. -PAR

Tomorrow I open the record store, then catch a bus down to D.C., where I see The Pixies two nights in a row. I'll be back in time to be at work by 11AM on Thursday. I'm pretty damn excited. -PAR

Not much time to write lately. And not much inspiration. Just working all the time, selling some records, trying to make ends meet, doing my damndest to get thru to Christmas... Still tho, managing to have some fun on the way. Despite myself. Had a late-night field trip to Times Square last night to meet Mattie and Jo at an irish music session. Then walked about in the rain and got drenched while they got food. Spent Thanksgiving in self-imposed solitude. Walked all over the city. Had a nice quiet dinner at an indian restaurant. Was actually pretty great for a holiday. Now I'm working straight thru for a while. Finishing off a few more pieces for musicwrite . Get a couple days off in a row next week, and run down to D.C. to see The Pixies . Which will be awesome. And will make the next couple weeks bearable. Mostly tho, it's keep my head down and sprint to make it to the 24th and the bus out of NYC. Then, it's christmas, family, friends, Charlottesv...

Traveling. DJing. Rock Music. Friends. Excitement. Been real busy lately. Traveling. Crazy. Last week I went to D.C. for an evening, then returned to NYC. Then a few days later, went to Charlottesville for a couple days. Ran thru in my normal fashion, hitting up all my favorite places... Bodo's, Christian's, Monsoon Cafe, and of course the C&O. Seeing friends. Hanging out. Making people dance. Playing the Live Arts gala was an absolute blast, and it looks like we're collaborating on a big all-out dance party down there at the end of December. (There's more Ch'ville pics up on Mallfellows , Should you care to see.) I went to see my fave new band, The Futureheads. And I was amazed by what a great live act they are. I had a birthday, and saw a lot of people. Spent the evening at Jigsaw , enjoying the joint celebration with my friend Jennifer (as it was her birthday too). Had a little bit of fun, drank well too much (and I'd ba...

Vote. That's all I'm saying today. -PAR

Somehow in all this madness, I've forgotten too devote a space to the best new inexpensive food establishment in the East Village . Namely, Dumpling Man. This is where I've eaten nearly half my meals since August. The owner is a fantastic fellow, it's a great space, the graphic design is top-notch, and (most importantly) they make incredible food. So, I ask, how could it get better? Well... I don't know. Oh wait! They could DECORATE FOR HALLOWEEN! WITH SPOOKY DUMPLINGS! Now, I ask you... How cool is that? -PAR

The past couple weeks update: Working all the time at Etherea . And in my little spare time I'm hanging out with the peeps, bartending Jigsaw parties and hanging out after hours, seeing people who're visiting NYC and giving them items to return to friends, going out drinking in my favorite dive bars, walking around late at night taking pictures, remembering why I'm here, working to set up more DJ gigs, plotting world domination, planning my holidays, following politics and the end of the baseball season, and just enjoying the beuatiful autumn weather. Also, got to spend some time with Tristan , who was here visiting for a week. Greatly enjoyed that; And now I've got one more reason to visit California again soon, and one more person to hang out with there. I'll be DJing my buddy Graham's birthday tomorrow in Brooklyn. I'll be in Charlottesville next Friday and Saturday to play Live Arts ' fundraiser gala and see some friends. I'm throwi...

Some shots of Public Enemy performing at BB King's in Times Square on Monday Night. A spirited, politically charged evening (Living Colour was the co-headliner). P.E. had a live band and DJ backing 'em up, and were typically awesome... Urging people to get out and vote, rocking the hits, and jumping around like anything. They closed with a medley of "Fight The Power" ("TWO THOUSAND FOUR THE NUMBER! ANOTHER SUMMER!"), and a funky-as-hell cover of The Isley Brothers' "Fight The Power". Not for the first time, I say it: I love living in this city. -PAR

As benjones , Max , and I wandered back home this evening, we found a little plastic pedal tricycle on the street. Max rode it all the way back. Pedestrians had to scatter to avoid being run over. It was AWESOME. -PAR

This is the official invite / flyer (click to view full-size) for the CMJ Schematic gig. I start spinning at 10. It's $3 to get in. If you're in New York, be there. If you're not, tell your friends who are. -PAR

From the last few weeks... It was benjones ' birthday. Weather has been getting chilly, and a bit damp. We've had parties at Jigsaw , and there was dancing. (There's plenty more JIgsaw parties coming up in the next few weeks, too.) And now (drumroll, please)... I'll be DJing at the Schematic Records party for the CMJ festival on October 13th. It's at Happy Ending here in NYC, and looks like I'll be spinning from 11-12:30. This is way-the-hell awesome. There's also plans afoot for a BIG gig in Charlottesville in December... But that's a ways away yet. More news as it happens... -PAR