NEW MUSIC: SANTOGOLD

Santogold a/k/a Santi White has been getting lots of acclaim along with many comparisons to the British artist M.I.A. Santogold does not possess the rhythmic agility of an M.I.A. when she raps, but she makes up for that however, when she sings. Her musical style may conceal the soul and range of her vocals, but on "I'm a Lady”, she flies. A solid debut...not just because she's my philly homegirl!

Twilite Sundays- starting this Sunday

My Buddy Todd (La Linea) is starting his own brand of Sunday Night lounge. He aims to return to the hey days of "hangin' out" in the Lower East Side. From '94 till about 2001, the L.E.S. had some of the best music NYC had to offer.

So, if you're ever in the area and feel like just kicking back with a $3 PBR and absorbing some classic NYC joints, swing by and say what up to Todd.

Charity

by Vikas Menon


A chorus of cries
greeted me, so I began my pilgrimage

in front of the temple, dropping a coin
into each palm awaiting

the welcome weight of coin. A tremor
of childish joy passed through me:

I would give to each.

The coins dwindled,
but my hope held until I arrived at the last man:

splayed out on a cart, a hovel of wind and wood
he had watched me give to each

of his fellows, but now stared
at my empty hand.

His mouth twitched—
mushrooms sprung from a rotting log—

and he laughed, his echo falling away
into the chasm beneath us.

That day, all day,
milk soured to curd in my mouth.

Quick Note...

Why are Hillary supporters so angry?

A lady I work with, who happens to be an older woman, asked me the other day who I would vote for. And without thinking, I answered her. I did not say Hillary Clinton and at that moment the discourse escalated. She angrily went on to start listing Sen. Clinton's accomplishments in a very vague manner while calling my choice unqualified. Maybe not as "experienced" as her choice, but unqualified was a bit of a stretch. I could tell she wasn't well informed in politics but had become enthralled in this campaign year because of the extraordinary circumstances. After realizing this discussion was not going in a fruitful direction and there was no way I could come out unscathed I became very diplomatic. I stated that I really don't discuss politics at work or with my "close" friends. Including "close friends" in my declaration was purely strategic to soften her and hopefully diffuse the situation. It worked! We then agreed that if we disagreed on candidates it was fine.

Fashion: Summer 2008 shopping in Miami

No matter what the season, it seems that South Florida will always be on their own citrus inspired agenda. Shopping Miami this past weekend, i found that this is still the case. I found lots of orange and pink. For summer, there is a heavy infusion of pink in menswear, in polos and in linen tops. Pink isn't really my thing but I saw some really cool stripes in Ralph Lauren and Brooks Brothers. So maybe I'll be rockin' some pink around the LES (lower east side; for you non-new yorkers) this summer.

As Craig, Max and myself wandered through the medieval alleys of Barcelona's El Born section, we stumbled into a very creepy and deserted square. Placa De Sant Felip Neri is the name of this small square where the walls are littered with bullet holes and the fountain is filled with dirty stagnant water and pigeon feathers. I would later find out that in 1713 during the fall of Barcelona to Phillip V, many Catalan men were executed in this square. You can still feel the repercussions of violence like the echoes of thousands of gunshots from almost 300 years ago...

A Blur...

Along with a few co-workers, I had a brief 2 day marathon in Amsterdam. We were on our way to Barcelona via Prague.

I was totally unprepared for the attack on the senses that awaited me in Amsterdam's red light district.

An April Fool

at 1:10pm today I sent out the following email to a few of my co-workers:


"I would like to say my time here at Sears has been one of the best times of my life. I’ve gained valuable experience while making many new life-long friends.
That is why this moment is so hard for me. Today is my last day. It has been a pleasure working with all of you and I hope we all cross paths again. Please keep in touch.

lovetthines@gmail.com

Regards,

Lovett Hines
Sears Holdings Corp
Mens Knits Designer
Covington




April fools…"

After sending this, I then went to lunch unawares of the firestorm I had just ignited. Upon my return from lunch, My inbox was filled to capacity. Apparently, a lot of my friends and co-workers did not bother scrolling down and reading my entire message. A directors meeting was called and at 4:15pm I was called into my Divisional VP's office. I'll keep that conversation between us. But lets just say, not everybody thinks I'm that funny...