Blog: A Brooklyn Life: Podcast

Often ABL commenter and artist Lois Ruben Aronow is debuting her new studio space with an open invite and a sale. Check out her colorful, functional porcelain dinnerware on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The new space is in the Old American Can Factory at 232 3rd Street between 3rd and 4th avenues; it's in building B, suite 202A. Support Brooklyn art!

It's another quiet weekend event-wise, not sure why. Maybe bookers think everyone will be lining up to see the Da Vinci Code (currently at 11% squished tomato). But rather than paying your hard-earned cash to watch Gump and Opie get all Sister Wendy on the bible, it might be more fun to unravel the mystery of the picture on the left. It's from Galapagos ' Friday night show Interactive Cabaret: I Want to Live. Here's the description: "Two lovely professors, one panda and a live audience of the hopeful and depressed explore the Lifeforce [...]

As mentioned, from time to time I'll be posting some especially nice sightings culled from my inbox. This week's nod goes to ABL herself who, prior to jetting off down South, happened upon a serendipitous grouping: "An animal-themed trilogy on the F this morning--" Continue reading "Subway Reads: On Your Lap"

So, I'm in Atlanta listening to the radio (something I never do in New York) and I hear this song playing on the radio: "I'ma get, get, get, get you drunk/ get you love drunk off my hump/ My hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my hump, my lovely little lumps." Which of course, makes me laugh out loud. Who the HELL would listen to this song? I mean it's funny, it makes me giggle, but puleeez. And then I discover it's by the Black Eyed Peas and everybody and their mother knows [...]

The people at the rental car office are friendly The only real transportation option is the rental car When you turn the rental car on, it's hooptie shakin' music all the way You immediately run into traffic You pass a strip club and/or sign for a strip club The glare from the next car's LED rims is brutal There's no one on the streets at 11:30pm on a Monday The kitchenette in your hotel room is bigger than your NYC apartment kitchen [...]

Bibliohistorians place the death of the blow-out book party sometime before I was old enough to get invited to one. Since coming of age, I have had the fortune to attend a few truly great book parties; however, their numbers have been much diminished by budget poaching and freeloaders. Long gone are the days when liquor flowed like water and books were wantonly distributed at the door. Now, unloved and unnurtured, most book parties limp along with a poster or two, some promotional postcards, and the author's monetary investment. (There is nothing worse than being faced by an "open [...]

Put on those platforms you've been saving for a special occasion and reapply your glitter lip gloss. DJ Bethany Benzur , who also runs ATLectro , has unearthed some disco and italo goodies that'll help you dance your way to a fabulous Friday even if the gloomy weather says otherwise. If you're a fan of Bethany's mixes, you'll enjoy what I'd like to call that "classic Bethany sound." A horoscope for all those Taurus birthdays: Change is on the horizon. After a week of your lover's passive-aggressive moaning, you're starting to see things in [...]

I went to Sundance once, and it was a pretty surreal experience. Just months after 9/11, it felt very strange to be sitting in heated tent trying to concentrate on a movie about the Hollywood-fairytale life of Robert Evans (actually a pretty good flick, worth Netflixing). And the parties, forget it. After a few laughable attempts at talking my way into Christina Ricci-attended shindigs, I decided just to hunker down in my nondescript hotel room and focus on getting my assignments done. Starting today, in what hopefully will become an annual event, New Yorkers can get a taste [...]

I just got my last subscription issue of Dwell in the mail (yes, I'm renewing), and it reminded me that there's a fun activity for Brooklynites this weekend: BKLYN Designs 2006 , May 12-14. It's free for registered members of the trade and $12 for us regular folk who just like the pleasing shape of well-designed things. Tickets are available at all of the city's Brooklyn Industries (but wouldn't it be wrong to buy one at a Manhattan location?) and most of the show happens in DUMBO. There's more than 50 firms participating, with everything [...]

Some of you may know that I used to write obituaries. I don't think about it too much anymore, but every once and a while, I'll read an obit and think about how much I would like to have written that obituary. People assume that obituary writing is sad and depressing, and sometimes it is. But more often, it's uplifting. People will die whether you write an obit or not, but to be able to use words to memorialize their life is something special. If you're looking for one such life-affirming obituary, you might check out Sunday's New York [...]

The Dagons play a show at Magnetic Field Tuesday night at 8pm, and even if they weren't buddies of mine, I'd have no problem plugging them. Mixing Velvety drone, stick-in-your-craw melodies, and razor-sharp lyrics ("You're the drugs your parent used to take"), Karie Jacobson and Drew Kowalski make a pretty mighty racket with just drums and guitar. Tickets are six bucks, and also on the bill are the spooky-sounding Von Ghouls. (Wonder if they're fans of my favorite BCAT show ?) Updated: Nice review from Time Out here.

I've been to many an open bar in New York City, but for whatever reason these are usually held on a weekday, and so the drinking is kept in check for the early-morning rise the next day. Brooklyn Collective 's Saturday night party , however, had no such check. It was free beer from 7pm to 8pm; we got there at 7:30. By 7:59, I was holding my third full beer in hand. (For the record, three beers in half an hour is about two too many.) In the course of being drunk, I had three thoughts, "Wow [...]

Spurred by Stockholm's creativity and a reader who asked me if Brooklyn can do better than BoCoCa, I thought I'd put the question to the readers. Is there anyway to combine Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens for a pleasing acronymn? What if we throw Gowanus into the mix? Be creative and may the best word win! If we get enough submissions (use the lovely comment button), perhaps we'll put it to a vote.