And... Go.

Things have been kinda crazy since I got back from California, but I guess I just haven't felt much like talking. At least, not in this forum. More when I begin feeling a little more conversational again. -PAR

And with that, I run off to California. Back soon, getting settled, housewarming, and all that other stuff commences. But 'til then... Ten days of beach and lovely weather and family and recreation. Awesome. More soon (when I return if not before). -PAR

Five days 'til flying to California. Five days of organizing and getting things squared and not having time to spend with wonderful girl and working and shuffling things around from bag to bag so I have proper articles of clothing and other things needed for ten days of goofing off by the ocean. Started making lists of things as I think of them in order to forget as little as possible. Dealing with details of new apartment that will be sitting ready when I return, making sure things like electricity and some manner of sleeping arrangement are in place. It's a stretch of inertia and powerlessness and desperation and heatwave and just-put-my-head-down-and-power-through-it-dammit that I know leads somewhere better, but is really frustrating in the meantime. Having just enough time to worry and overthink while not being able to set everything straight or participate in all the awesome things that're happening all around. But it's only a few days. I keep reminding myse...

Exhausted. Run a bit ragged. Wistful for the ocean. Waiting for a moment to pause and think. In the final stretch to get finances and housing squared. Planning trip west. Up far too late. Trying to turn down the sound and images spinning in my brain. Wondering at the incredible city I live in. Wishing I had more time to devote to family. Imagining how music can fit together, and wondering if I have the means to execute it. Stressed. Stupidly busy. Somehow still moving forward. Excited. Determined. Hopeful. Totally smitten. More soon. -PAR

It's been a while since I wrote anything here. The last few weeks have seen my life turned upside-down in fairly comprehensive fashion, and I expect the next few will continue the trend. The cafe has re-opened, and I'm back making coffee and working seven days / week (between two jobs). I've moved out of the apartment I was in for the past 4 years, put nearly everything I own into a Manhattan Mini-Storage space on the Westside Highway, and am staying on couches and floors of friends for the next few weeks. If all goes well, will have a new (bigger and better) place come August, living with my old pal Will in the Lower East Side. Gonna be DJing at NuBlu on the 20th of this month with a couple friends (which should be AWESOME). Have set August 3rd-13th as the dates for my next swing through California, staying in Santa Cruz with family, catching up with friends, and doing lots of wandering around. And in the midst of all this, I somehow end up dating an amazing girl. D...

The song of the summer will be Kanye West and Daft Punk's "Stronger". In-f***ing-credible. I've so far only heard it as a minute-long clip on a mixtape and as an mp3 taken from a radio broadcast in the UK (which has the DJ talking over large portions of it). It's not officially released for a little while. And it's already my new favorite thing. It tears Daft Punk's classic "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" apart, and then rebuilds it as an unstoppable juggernaut of synth-fueled hip-hop grandeur. A beat to slay the mightiest dancefloor, and the best lyrics of anything Kanye's done by far. "Let's get lost tonight. You could be my black Kate Moss tonight. Play secretary on the boss tonight..." This is the jam. This will be the tune to drop at every party. This will create sex on the dancefloor in a way nothing has in a few years. That is all. You heard it here first. -PAR

It's funny, I've worn through probably four or five pairs of batts since moving to New York. And every time, I've just had to throw the old ones out and buy new ones. If only I'd known that there's a place on the Westside Highway that specializes in re-facking them... -PAR