Work has been going well. The age of my patrons ranges from 20yo up to 70yo, with the vast majority being in their 50’s and 60’s. As the week progressed I’ve garnered quite a few regulars who have made the job a lot of fun. They aren’t shy about requesting songs, and by now know what I can and cannot do. I find myself doing things like Blue Suede Shoes, Great Balls, Mustang Sally, Buttercup, Daydream Believer, Croc Rock, Killing Me Softly, Mama Don’t Dance, You Lost That Lovin Feeling and NY State of Mind. My two biggest requests here are Sweet Caroline and Piano Man. I’ve been trying to keep it upbeat, but many times they want to hear some mellow tunes like James Taylor or Eric Clapton’s “Wonderful Tonight.” So far I haven’t made very much on tips, which is not really essential since I am getting paid a decent wage. We are not allowed to have a tip jar out on the piano, but when someone does hand me a tip, I make a fuss over it on the mic and leave it sitting as conspicuously as possible on top of the piano. Last night I had already goine 30 min past the time I am allowed to stop and yet they wanted me to continue. Hoping to keep me playing, one of my regulars asked me what I was drinking. I told him I was drinking twenty dollar bills. Within moments there was a Dos Equis beer and $40 on the piano. That was worth another 20 minutes. But it’s tricky with the bar staff. I was told by my boss, who is the Cruise Director, that I should continue to play after midnight if I have a crowd. This is fair, as I am only scheduled for 3 hours. So even going into overtime doesn’t really strain me. But the bar staff would prefer I finish at exactly midnight, because they have been working all day and all night. Because of the red alert with the Noro virus, the staff hasn’t had a day off as they have been conscripted into disinfecting the ship when not working their normal stations. So I definitely feel for them and respect all the hard work they do. But it’s a delicate dance because they want me to stop, and yet I’ve been told to keep my show going if there’s a crowd and booze is being sold. And they will never actually tell me to stop because they don’t want to take responsibility for that; they want me to stop of my own accord so that if there is a question about who closed down the bar, they can say that it was the piano player that stopped.
The red alert for the Noro virus has been lifted so the crew bar is open again. During red alert, they had actually suspended handing out the bi-weekly cash wage (paid to non-American crew members) to the crew for fear of the virus being spread through the money. That made people pretty unhappy because most of the crew was expecting to send their pay home in St. Kitts and weren’t able to do it. The other thing that they did during red alert was not allow the crew to serve themselves (buffet style) in the crew mess, but rather be served by the stewards (think cafeteria lunch lady). As a result there was an unreasonably long line to get served. Because the crew has been kept so busy with cleaning tasks in addition to their normal duties, some of them were going hungry because they just didn’t have the time to wait in line.
I have heard that people are still getting sick, but I guess the Captain realized he might have a mutiny on his hands if he wasn’t able to pay or feed the crew properly. And really, I don’t know how effective closing the crew rec area was during the red alert, as the crew just had impromptu parties inside their rooms that spilled out into the hallways. One of these parties was going on two nights ago outside my door with the music staff. Life back in the crew area reminds me of my freshman dorm in college. It’s really not much different.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Cruise, day 2
Yesterday the Capt made a very sobering announcement over the crew-area intercom. Apparently there are crew members that are still getting sick from this “Norovirus” and so more extreme measures will be taken, namely the closing down of the crew bar, crew gym and crew internet. Additionally crew members are not to go into passenger areas unless they are carrying out of their duties. These rules don’t really affect me directly as I am technically a guest and am permitted to use the passenger gym, restaurants and bars. But it is a bit scary, and I’ve taken to disinfecting my hands quite often.
Here are the facts about the Norovirus: It is an extremely common virus, which causes gastroenteritis causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms usually last between 1 and 3 days and generally resolve without treatment or long-term consequences. It is also highly contagious, which is the main issue on board a ship where everyone, especially the crew and staff are living in close quarters.
Because they have closed the crew bar the beverage quartermaster is selling bottles of alcohol directly to the crew members at cost in a sale called “cambooza.” I haven’t figured out the etymology of this word yet, but will report back to you if I do. I’m also going to see if I am allowed to participate in this. I think I am.
On a similar note, I haven’t quite figured out how to get bottled water in my cabin, other than to buy it at passenger prices at the bar. So this morning I woke up at 5:30am extremely thirsty. In my fridge are two Bud Light bottles left for me by my predecessor. Of course they were not twist offs, so I spent the better part of 5 minutes trying to use my apartment key to pry off the top whilst not injuring my hands. Finally after spending way too much time trying to quench my thirst, I fell back asleep. I must say I am really enjoying falling asleep on the boat. The sea has been rather choppy and the back and forth motion of the boat just rocks me to sleep. I am on Deck 7 which is about 3 decks above the surface of the water so the movement is rather gentle. The higher in the ship you are, the more exaggerated the movement is. I found myself not wanting to wake up this morning, mostly due to the hypnotic rocking motion. But when I did, I used the rest of the Bud Light to take my morning vitamins.
I worked the piano lounge for the first time last night. Upon arriving, I couldn’t get the sound to work, so the bartender tracked down one of the sound techs who explained to me how to switch over from the canned music to my system—something he should have explained when we did the sound check on Sunday. As people began to fill up the lounge, I used a lot of the skills I’ve learned with dueling pianos to get them to participate, but it was a struggle. They seemed to want to listen more than anything, but I did manage to get them singing. The cruise director was pleased with my performance which is important. I found it exhausting, and to top it off, I realized I had left my room key in my room. So the night crew supervisor was tracked down for me at 1 am so I could get back home.
Here are the facts about the Norovirus: It is an extremely common virus, which causes gastroenteritis causing nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Symptoms usually last between 1 and 3 days and generally resolve without treatment or long-term consequences. It is also highly contagious, which is the main issue on board a ship where everyone, especially the crew and staff are living in close quarters.
Because they have closed the crew bar the beverage quartermaster is selling bottles of alcohol directly to the crew members at cost in a sale called “cambooza.” I haven’t figured out the etymology of this word yet, but will report back to you if I do. I’m also going to see if I am allowed to participate in this. I think I am.
On a similar note, I haven’t quite figured out how to get bottled water in my cabin, other than to buy it at passenger prices at the bar. So this morning I woke up at 5:30am extremely thirsty. In my fridge are two Bud Light bottles left for me by my predecessor. Of course they were not twist offs, so I spent the better part of 5 minutes trying to use my apartment key to pry off the top whilst not injuring my hands. Finally after spending way too much time trying to quench my thirst, I fell back asleep. I must say I am really enjoying falling asleep on the boat. The sea has been rather choppy and the back and forth motion of the boat just rocks me to sleep. I am on Deck 7 which is about 3 decks above the surface of the water so the movement is rather gentle. The higher in the ship you are, the more exaggerated the movement is. I found myself not wanting to wake up this morning, mostly due to the hypnotic rocking motion. But when I did, I used the rest of the Bud Light to take my morning vitamins.
I worked the piano lounge for the first time last night. Upon arriving, I couldn’t get the sound to work, so the bartender tracked down one of the sound techs who explained to me how to switch over from the canned music to my system—something he should have explained when we did the sound check on Sunday. As people began to fill up the lounge, I used a lot of the skills I’ve learned with dueling pianos to get them to participate, but it was a struggle. They seemed to want to listen more than anything, but I did manage to get them singing. The cruise director was pleased with my performance which is important. I found it exhausting, and to top it off, I realized I had left my room key in my room. So the night crew supervisor was tracked down for me at 1 am so I could get back home.
Monday, October 27, 2008
All aboard!
Sunday morning made it to Brooklyn where my cruise ship was parked. I will be working the piano lounge for the next 14 days. My arrival at the port and then again on the ship was full of confusion because my travel documents and contract were written out in my legal name, and the ship’s crew supervisor had processed my arrival with my professional name. Once the cruise staff in the port had found my welcome envelope with my room key/charge card, I was instructed to wait in a holding area with a couple thousand other guests while the ship was being disinfected due to an onboard stomach virus the last cruise. (The West Norton Virus, or some shit like that). Nice. After being permitted to board and after even more confusion I was shown to my cabin, whose door had been left open. So it was only after unpacking and then leaving my cabin that I realized my key did not work in the door. More drama.
I have status as a “Guest Entertainer” which means that I am treated as a guest and I have no actual crew or staff duties except to show up at the piano and do my show every night. I am, I’m told, the only member of the entire crew that is permitted room service. As a guest I am encouraged to use all guest facilities and I get a staff discount on all the bars, shops and spa on the ship, and yet I am also permitted to utilize the crew recreation area where I can get drinks for about $1.50, and internet for a quarter of the price charged to regular guests. My cabin is for all intents and purposes a passenger cabin with a large window and a bathroom, but it is located in the crew area. There is a steward assigned to the cabin that cleans it every day, changes the lines and takes care of my dry cleaning and laundry. I also just discovered that I am permitted to bring a guest with me to travel during the length of my contract. My predecessor, who is also a friend of mine, is convinced that the Guest Entertainer’s job is the number one job on the ship, even better than that of the captain or the cruise director. When I arrived in my cabin, he had just vacated it from the last cruise and had left me a couple beers in the fridge along with the vocal mic and the key to the piano in the drawer. It took a few hours for me to connect with the Cruise Director (my boss), so I had to figure out most things on my own. It was confusing, but after asking around, I was able to get my documents all sorted out, my room key corrected, my sound check done, the laundry situation figured out and finally track down the Cruise Director, who by this time had tried calling me several times in my cabin. He and his deputy both seemed very professional and easy-going. They were very clear about what they expected from me, which is something I always appreciate. I was told, sadly, that the ship is still on Red Alert, due to this gastro-intestinal virus and that due to cross contamination concerns I had to choose whether to eat and drink in the crew area or the guest area. As I had already had dinner with the guests, the decision was made for me. I’m disappointed because I was really looking forward to drinking with the crew. But now I must wait for the Red Alert to pass.
My predecessor and friend had negotiated Sunday nights off for me, so I was lucky to have my first night off, which is good, as I had been working the 4 nights prior to Sunday in New York. I spent the first night scouting out the ship, and the bars. It was extremely quiet after 11pm. I hope that was just because everyone was tired from traveling. I’m very excited to do my show tonight. The lounge is actually within a very central and open space, so everyone walking by (which should be most of the ship's passengers) will be able to hear me and have the option of sticking around. I did a sound check and the sound guy preprogrammed a memorized setting for me on the board. The piano is a Yamaha baby grand, and it is voiced very bright but I was able to soften it in the mix. I like the PA system. It works well with my voice.
I have status as a “Guest Entertainer” which means that I am treated as a guest and I have no actual crew or staff duties except to show up at the piano and do my show every night. I am, I’m told, the only member of the entire crew that is permitted room service. As a guest I am encouraged to use all guest facilities and I get a staff discount on all the bars, shops and spa on the ship, and yet I am also permitted to utilize the crew recreation area where I can get drinks for about $1.50, and internet for a quarter of the price charged to regular guests. My cabin is for all intents and purposes a passenger cabin with a large window and a bathroom, but it is located in the crew area. There is a steward assigned to the cabin that cleans it every day, changes the lines and takes care of my dry cleaning and laundry. I also just discovered that I am permitted to bring a guest with me to travel during the length of my contract. My predecessor, who is also a friend of mine, is convinced that the Guest Entertainer’s job is the number one job on the ship, even better than that of the captain or the cruise director. When I arrived in my cabin, he had just vacated it from the last cruise and had left me a couple beers in the fridge along with the vocal mic and the key to the piano in the drawer. It took a few hours for me to connect with the Cruise Director (my boss), so I had to figure out most things on my own. It was confusing, but after asking around, I was able to get my documents all sorted out, my room key corrected, my sound check done, the laundry situation figured out and finally track down the Cruise Director, who by this time had tried calling me several times in my cabin. He and his deputy both seemed very professional and easy-going. They were very clear about what they expected from me, which is something I always appreciate. I was told, sadly, that the ship is still on Red Alert, due to this gastro-intestinal virus and that due to cross contamination concerns I had to choose whether to eat and drink in the crew area or the guest area. As I had already had dinner with the guests, the decision was made for me. I’m disappointed because I was really looking forward to drinking with the crew. But now I must wait for the Red Alert to pass.
My predecessor and friend had negotiated Sunday nights off for me, so I was lucky to have my first night off, which is good, as I had been working the 4 nights prior to Sunday in New York. I spent the first night scouting out the ship, and the bars. It was extremely quiet after 11pm. I hope that was just because everyone was tired from traveling. I’m very excited to do my show tonight. The lounge is actually within a very central and open space, so everyone walking by (which should be most of the ship's passengers) will be able to hear me and have the option of sticking around. I did a sound check and the sound guy preprogrammed a memorized setting for me on the board. The piano is a Yamaha baby grand, and it is voiced very bright but I was able to soften it in the mix. I like the PA system. It works well with my voice.
a Zen sunday
I really love my new neighborhood, and on a normal day the A train takes me express to 42nd street in about 22 minutes. This weekend there was a lot of construction and rerouting in the D, A and F lines that caused my ride from Washington Heights to Soho to be 1 hour 25 minutes, where I was, incidently, going to a Zen meditation. But trying to get back uptown from SoHo to get my music for a rehearsal back in west midtown, and to change my clothes for a nice bar gig in east midtown proved impossible due to the trains. The C wasn’t running at all. The A was running on the local track and only at 20 min intervals. The D was only running up above 34th, and even there although it was supposedly an express train, it was moving maddeningly slowly. The F was skipping stops randomly…different stops depending on whether you were going uptown or downtown, and the rerouting instructions coming from the speakers in the subway cars were indecipherable. Needless to say, my Zen turned to desperation as I realized I would not have time to get home for my music and clothes for a rehearsal and then later a performance. After arriving to the rehearsal 7 minutes late and without my music, I called and asked a friend to come meet me at the rehearsal studio, get my apartment keys, go all the way up to Wash Heights, pick out an outfit for me, grab my microphone and meet me at the bar gig in 90 minutes. I muddle my way through my rehearsal, and travel, in my Zen rags (jeans, ragged t-shirt and open toed sandals), to the fancy French restaurant with the fancy east-side clientele. Within 15 minutes my friend arrives with my outfit, and within moments I change into SUPERpianoMAN, paste on a happy grin and begin my first set with the Charlie Chaplin song, “Smile.”
Thursday, October 23, 2008
The Hood
I am now moved into my new apartment in Washington Heights, which is a Latin section of Manhattan, way uptown. Most of the people in my building and in the neighborhood are real families, mostly from Dominican background. (In midtown and in my last neighborhood in Queens there are almost no children.) It's a very colorful neighborhood with lots of small interesting businesses that cater to the hardworking Latin men, women and the children that live in the many 6 and 7 story residential apartment buildings in the area. The rear of all these buildings face towards each other and so you can hear everyone living their lives through their kitchen and bedroom windows, listening to their music, talking to each other, shouting, laughing, singing. It's not so noisy to be intrusive, but the evenings are energetic to be sure. One of the residents of the block is a very accomplished opera singer. She practices in the evenings and is better than most of the singers I've heard at the City Opera in Lincoln Center. I hope I get to meet her one day. When I practice my own music I am well aware that many people on the block can hear me if I have the windows open. Living around monied white people, I was always self-conscious of leaving the windows open while practicing. But in this neighborhood, somehow it seems natural and right. It's just one more contribution to the vibrant symphony of life that is played out every night here.
Many of the store owners and employees here don't speak English. Now it's been 4 years since I last took Spanish lessons, so I'm pretty rusty, and thus seem to provide a continual source of amusement for the natives here as I stumble through my botched Spanish to ask for a laundry pickup or pizza delivery. But it's nice to be able to buy a laundry bag that would cost $7 in Bed Bath and Beyond in midtown, for $1 in my neighborhood dollar store. One of the most interesting sights in this store was an impossibly large pile of pregnancy testing kits behind the register. That, coupled with the fact I've seen many young nubile latin girls, and almost none of them visibly pregnant invites some interesting speculation. I've been trying out a gym nearby and unlike the gyms in midtown, most of the men are busy building muscle mass with the free weights and couldn't give a damn about cardio exercise or body fat. There's loud salsa music everywhere, and huge avocados and mangoes are for sale on the sidewalks next to taco carts and knock-off DVD's. Outside the clothing stores live plastic mannequins with ghetto butts that generously fill out $7 pairs of women's jeans. Amid all this activity I found a very peaceful, quiet Japanese restaurant that I've already visited twice.
It's now 5:20am. Time for this musician to go to bed. After all I have to be in work at 9:30. (ummm...at night).
Many of the store owners and employees here don't speak English. Now it's been 4 years since I last took Spanish lessons, so I'm pretty rusty, and thus seem to provide a continual source of amusement for the natives here as I stumble through my botched Spanish to ask for a laundry pickup or pizza delivery. But it's nice to be able to buy a laundry bag that would cost $7 in Bed Bath and Beyond in midtown, for $1 in my neighborhood dollar store. One of the most interesting sights in this store was an impossibly large pile of pregnancy testing kits behind the register. That, coupled with the fact I've seen many young nubile latin girls, and almost none of them visibly pregnant invites some interesting speculation. I've been trying out a gym nearby and unlike the gyms in midtown, most of the men are busy building muscle mass with the free weights and couldn't give a damn about cardio exercise or body fat. There's loud salsa music everywhere, and huge avocados and mangoes are for sale on the sidewalks next to taco carts and knock-off DVD's. Outside the clothing stores live plastic mannequins with ghetto butts that generously fill out $7 pairs of women's jeans. Amid all this activity I found a very peaceful, quiet Japanese restaurant that I've already visited twice.
It's now 5:20am. Time for this musician to go to bed. After all I have to be in work at 9:30. (ummm...at night).
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Tipping the Piano Player
These last two weeks I have been working a piano bar gig in Midtown for a friend of mine. Now in the beginning of the night, I'm playing dinner music for the dining crowd, but after 10 or so, I kick it up a notch and begin a more interactive show. Last night I was reminded of how different people tip or don't tip the piano player.
First there are the people who leave the dining room and walk right past the piano without so much as a glance. The same piano which they have been listening to (and dare I presume to say, enjoying) throughout out their entire dinner . To these people, as they go by I make it a point to personally address them, smile widely and say "Thank you!" I don't specify what I'm thanking them for, of course. (Thanks for dining with us; thanks for the tip you are about to give me; or, thanks for nothing you cheap bastards.) Of this first group, about 25% of them will realize that they have forgotten to tip me (because my tip jar is right there as they turn around to respond to me) and they may continue walking out but come right back with a tip and a smile. Another 50% will turn to me and give me some version of a tight lipped smile and maybe say thank you back, but continue out the door, their precious purse change in tact, and then of course there are the 25% who don't even acknowledge that I have addressed them at all.
Then there is the second group: the ostentatious tippers. They are divided into two categories. The ostentatious BIG tippers (think bond traders out with their girl du jour) and the ostentatious CHEAP tippers (many times drunk middle-aged women). Now the first category has paid a large part of my rent for the past 12 years. They are the ones who will make damn sure you know that they have tipped, and exactly the amount of their tip. Sometimes they will bypass the tip jar entirely and put their $20 or $100 bills in your hand, and give you knowing look that says, Look at me, I want you to know that I am tipping you and it's not insignificant. These are not the people that are giving anonymous donations to the red cross after a major hurricane, but I still appreciate them nonetheless even though they sometimes make me feel like a well paid whore. Italian wannabe mobsters that want to sing My Way, or New York, NY for the entire bar fall squarely into this category. Then there is the second category. The woman who will do a little rain dance in front of the tip jar with their $1 bill in hand, waving it around as a banner of their graciousness so that not only do i know they are tippers, but the world knows. They think if they bring attention to the fact that they tipped, the actual penurious amount will be overlooked in a fit of gratitude on my part. Wrong! I hope there is a special section of Hell where these people end up waiting tables at a greasy spoon for all eternity and getting under tipped in such a spectacular fashion.
Then there are the ones who will tip $10 or $20 with no fanfare at all. These people are saying yes I appreciate what you are doing here, and we don't need to remind each other that you are dependant on my generosity to make your living. These people allow us pianists to retain our dignity and still pay the rent. The archangels of this group, which is the rarest of rare, are the $50 and $100 tippers who actually try to hide the amount of their tip so as not to bring attention to themselves or their tip. There is nothing as sweet as counting your tips at the end of a long night of New York, NY and Piano Man, and finding an unexpected $100 bill folded in four among all the other bills.
Finally and most humorously are the cheap tippers that try to hide their cheapness. These are the ones that tip a single dollar but will push it deep in the (clear glass) tip jar so that they think it's impossible for me to discern the tip amount. What they don't realize is that I've been doing this for too long am too dependant on the amount of their tips to be fooled by such an amateur move. The biggest clue is when they hide the bill in their palm and reach their hand down into the jar, past the lip of the (clear glass) jar as though they were about to draw out the winning number for a reverse raffle. And no matter how much they attempt to hide their faux pas, I can usually tell when they remove their hand, which bill has been added to the (did i say it was clear glass?) jar. It's almost always a single dollar bill, but sometimes, it's actually coins and they are hoping that the coins will be soundless as they fall to the bottom of the glass jar, which is why their hand goes so far down into the jar. If I catch people putting coins in, I will first determine if its a dollar coin. If it is I will begrudgingly leave them alone. But God and the host of Angels help them if it is not. I will shamelessly draw attention to the fact that this gentleman just tipped me 55 cents, and sir, no I'm not the crosstown bus, thank you very much! Now there is a special subsection of these discrete cheap tippers. These are the ones that later in the evening try to tell me that they have tipped me $10 or $15 or $20 throughout the course of the night, and for that reason I should play New York, NY for their overly mascaraed girlfriend. It is rare, but it happens. Invariably they are the most demanding patrons.
I send them publicly to hell.
I explain over the microphone that no, they have not tipped me $20. They in fact only tipped me $1, and I specifically remember. It was 25 minutes ago, they came over on their way to the bathroom, reached deep into my tip jar just like this (I demonstrate), and placed a folded $1 bill on the left side of the jar where they thought I wouldn't be able to see it, and this is their tip (I withdrawal their bill with a David Copperfield-like flourish). Sometimes they will fold immediately and reach into their tight wallet and quickly try to remedy the situation with a belated cash penance,...and then sometimes they will try to argue with me. If they do this, I ask them exactly what denomination they tipped in, and then proceed to explain to them how that is impossible because the only $20 bills in the tip jar came from John standing over there and Felicia sitting right there (I point) and I saw them being put in. (Thanks, by the way, Felicia and John.) It's quite a show I put on!
Then there was the well-heeled gentleman who tipped me with a Metrocard that he swore had an $18 credit on it. I reluctantly gave him the benefit of the doubt as there was no way of verifying it at the time, of course, but when I got in the subway I found out, not suprisingly that the prick had given me an expired unlimited card. He then came back the following week and tried to tip me again with another Metrocard then pretended to forget that he had done it the week before! Big Mistake. By the time I was done with him, he had paid me off $50 in shush money. It's ugly work, this piano playing stuff!
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Update
Finally, I am moved into my new place in Manhattan and yesterday the internet arrived. I can finally log into my bank accounts and all that stuff with a secure connection, instead of leaching off someone elses wifi. Does anyone know what the "fi" stands for? I don't. This week I got back to my meditation on Monday night. I have not seen the inside of a gym in over 3 weeks due to my cold which is now finally 95% out of my system. Today I got the "joining letter" for my cruise gig in 1.5 weeks. Last week I ran into my favorite NYC realtor, Dennis, on 5th ave and he told me that his (very sucessful) business has dropped to nothing in the past month. Oy! The stock market, which I follow daily has been taking me (and everyone else) for quite a ride. I very timidly bought a teeny tiny position today in an oil services ETF which is at a third of what it was three months ago. I'm trying to look at this crash as a buying opportunity, although I wish I had more cash to buy these "bargains". I'm eyeing Apple stock. It's been beaten down over 50% in the past 4 months. Don't know if my tennant will renew in January, but I'm committed to continuing to rent out my apartment for the forseeable future. I was offered a job back in MO, at the same place I was let go of, due to my "inexperience" 3 months ago. I turned them down.
Monday, October 6, 2008
Friday, October 3, 2008
Holding on
I finished my month long NC trip and now I'm back in New York. The last week I was in NC I was fighting off a cold throughout my work weekend. The night that I returned home it finally got me. For the past 5 days I've been down with a stuffy head, a low-grade fever and a sore throat, but I am finally feeling a bit better now. In addition to being ill, I am moving my apartment next week so I have been dealing with piano movers and utility companies, landlords and leases. On top of that I finally submitted my taxes while simultaneously watching the stock market spasm into worthlessness as it took congress too damn long to finally get their act together with this rescue plan. Now it may be a little too late, I'm afraid. I am worried that the next 5 years may be really difficult economically. I think I'll be ok, because in times of economic strife, the bars always seem to do better than most other businesses.
I watched the VP debate last night along with 70 Million others, hoping for a gaffe-filled circus show. What I got instead was two great performances from each of the two candidates. I was impressed with Joe Biden and there were moments in the debate that he showed real strength and charisma. Sarah Palin, who I have come to believe is smart, sharp and also highly ignorant about things she will need to know as a VP, put on a masterful performance last night considering the limited time she has had to prepare for this candidacy. It wasn't nearly enough to actually help the floundering Republicans, but I doubt anyone could have hoped for any better.
I move on Wednesday into my new digs in Manhattan and begin a 3 weekend pianobar gig in the city.
I watched the VP debate last night along with 70 Million others, hoping for a gaffe-filled circus show. What I got instead was two great performances from each of the two candidates. I was impressed with Joe Biden and there were moments in the debate that he showed real strength and charisma. Sarah Palin, who I have come to believe is smart, sharp and also highly ignorant about things she will need to know as a VP, put on a masterful performance last night considering the limited time she has had to prepare for this candidacy. It wasn't nearly enough to actually help the floundering Republicans, but I doubt anyone could have hoped for any better.
I move on Wednesday into my new digs in Manhattan and begin a 3 weekend pianobar gig in the city.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Will the lights be on tomorrow night?
The lights are still on this evening. Everyone must be working furiously to get their resumes updated and posted on Monster.com. I took this picture tonight in Times Square. Look closely.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Playing blindfolded
So I finally did the blindfolded performance. It was a benefit for the blind administered by the local Lion's Club. My dueling partner dreamed this up. He would play onstage for 24 hours with a blindfold on. There were 3 other pianists that rotated through the opposite piano for the entire 24 hours, also with blindfolds so that my partner was never up there alone. It was quite an experience to do a dueling show blindfolded. You can't see the audience, and therefore the interaction with them is difficult. We had spotters behind us that would read us the requests and tell us when someone tipped or when someone donated to the Lion's fund. In general, once I had my finger positioning I was fine as long as i didn't try to jump more than one octave. Sometimes I would loose your spot on the keyboard, thinking I was playing a G chord when I was actually playing a C chord. The few times that this happened I was able to stop playing completely and luckily my partner was playing correctly, and I'd continue singing while trying to locate my correct finger positioning. It was also tricky when my partner began a song in a key I didn't know. I would first have to locate the key by finding the root note on my keyboard by sound, and then using my fingers to discern which note/key I was playing. All in all it was a challenging task but the crowd gave us such love and all 4 pianists (and one drummer) had such a great attitude that it was great fun. All in all we raised over $5,000. And now I know i can do this shit blindfolded. I'm back in NYC for 3 days before headed back south for another 2 weeks.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Reciprocity
I worked a dueling job recently and was not invited back after my initial contract expired. I was told by the entertainment director that although he, himself liked my skills, a couple of the other house pianists didn't want to work onstage with me because I was too green and my music skills weren't sufficient. The E.D. is himself a weak player and generally defers to the opinions of the more experienced players. This upset me for many reasons. First, I my music skills are better than most that begin in this gig, secondly, I knew I just needed stage time and I would improve quickly. My music skills aren't really the issue. It's learning the syntax of this format. Thirdly, before he ever called me he was told that I was very new to this format and was looking for a working/training situation to improve my skills and get stage time. Finally, I know that my two detractors had once been green in this gig and mostly likely had to acquire skills after making many of the same mistakes that they were complaining about from me.
I come to find out that one of these pianists (let's call him "WhiskeyVoice") that didn't want me back ended up getting fired from the very same gig and came crawling to my current entertainment director and dueling partner, "Guinness" looking for work. So when I arrived to work last week, I found myself playing opposite WhiskeyVoice. After the gig was over he let me know how impressed he was with how far I had come in such a short time. I told him thanks, but no thanks to him. He stumbled over himself trying to explain his actions but I didn't really want to hear it. A few days later WhiskeyVoice called my current dueling partner (Guinness) and asked him again for work. Guinness, a very experienced dueler and no fool, responded by saying, "Oh I hear that you worked with Eddie before." WhiskeyVoice again stumbled over himself trying to explain why he blocked me from getting rebooked. Guinness suggested that perhaps it might be more helpful in the future to nurture and help the new talent rather than impede their progress, and no, he was not able to offer WhiskeyVoice any work at this time.
I come to find out that one of these pianists (let's call him "WhiskeyVoice") that didn't want me back ended up getting fired from the very same gig and came crawling to my current entertainment director and dueling partner, "Guinness" looking for work. So when I arrived to work last week, I found myself playing opposite WhiskeyVoice. After the gig was over he let me know how impressed he was with how far I had come in such a short time. I told him thanks, but no thanks to him. He stumbled over himself trying to explain his actions but I didn't really want to hear it. A few days later WhiskeyVoice called my current dueling partner (Guinness) and asked him again for work. Guinness, a very experienced dueler and no fool, responded by saying, "Oh I hear that you worked with Eddie before." WhiskeyVoice again stumbled over himself trying to explain why he blocked me from getting rebooked. Guinness suggested that perhaps it might be more helpful in the future to nurture and help the new talent rather than impede their progress, and no, he was not able to offer WhiskeyVoice any work at this time.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Sixteen dollar a pound chicken breast
A market opened up across the street from my apartment building. It's one of those real fancy ones that try and be like Whole Foods, with the organic foods and all that. So I was all excited as I entered the first time...that was until I saw the Chicken Breast. It was $16 per pound. I'm not exaggerating. Now, grant it, it was boneless, dye free, antibiotic, organic and grass feed, raised in a farm yard, not a cage, probably went to chicken dances on fri nights and had a feather bed to plop down in her hutch with a view after a long day of lounging around the barn yard and and all that. But really...SIXTEEN DOLLARS?? Who can afford this? And, even if you could, why would you pay $16 to give a chicken the good life before you killed it, threw it in the stew and masticated its tender blue-blood flesh? I mean for that money, I expect soooo very much more. I want to know what the chicken's name was. I want to know it's chick-hood nickname that only her mommie used? I want photos and hand-written letters from the chicken as it grew up, thanking me for sponsoring it's life of leisure. I want periodic video messages showing the chicken having fun at the thursday night mixers and the sunday morning brunches I paid for. I want a fucking ashtray made by the chicken, personalized to me. I want to know what the chicken's hobbies were, it's fears, it's hopes, how it spent its time in the barn yard. I want a letter from the grieving organic, grass-fed, gluten-free goose who was the chicken's lover and long-time companion detailing the chicken's final days and last words. THAT'S WHAT I WANT FOR MY SIXTEEN FUCKING DOLLARS!!!!!
Friday, August 22, 2008
blindfolded
In June I booked a dueling piano gig down south for the month of September. My entertainment director just called me 3 days ago and asked me if I was able to do the show blindfolded. Apparently he is doing some benefit for some blind kids and is playing 24 hours with a blindfold. Since I am scheduled to be up on stage with him for 5 of those hours, he wants me blindfolded also. Like this gig isn't difficult enough with my eye's open!! He told me that we would have someone standing behind us to tell us what was going on with the audience and the written requests. Now, I want to be a good sport so I began practicing today with a blindfold (my favorite college shirt from a gizzillion years ago rolled up and tied around my head), and at first it was really hard. I actually felt myself wanting to hyperventilate. But what I found after a while was that it limited my distractions and I was able to practice for a full 60 minutes without getting up and checking my email or my chat programs or the NY Times, etc. etc. And, although some of my left hand notes were inaccurate, it actually put me into a higher state of concentration and I was more involved with the musiic. When I was finished I didn't even want to remove the blindfold. I'll let you know how it goes in performance.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Overheard
Overheard in a conversation between a couple walking in the opposite direction that I was walking: "...Kids aren't stupid; they're smarter than most adults...."
I immediately thought, if that's true, which I think it is, maybe it's because kids don't "know" as much as adults, and are thus more likely to experience things deviod of judgement and preconception.
I immediately thought, if that's true, which I think it is, maybe it's because kids don't "know" as much as adults, and are thus more likely to experience things deviod of judgement and preconception.
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Mia Dona revisited 5 months later
In my blog entry for March 3, I spoke of my experience with the then new restaurant, Mia Dona on E 58th St in Manhattan. I noted that it was a great study in how to do a restaurant right but that I also had some very specific issues with some of the dishes. Well, last night I went out for a birthday diner with two dear friends at Mia Dona. My one friend was in the process of ordering the octopus appetizer and I warned her off saying I remember it being too salty. The server turned to me and suggested that I must have had it when the restaurant first opened and they have since "fixed" it. Apparently there had been a lot of feedback that the dishes were too salty. He also told me that the fries are no longer pickled in vinegar before being fried. You may recall that I had said in my blog entry that the fries were very good, but so bold that they overpowered everything else. Apparently that was the general consensus.
We went on to have a superb meal with great food and service. I have not one negative thing to say about this experience with Mia Dona. When I had first eaten there in March I had filled out a comment card saying I really enjoyed the experience but that the fries were too bold and the octopus and the pork chops were too salty. I'm guessing that I was not the only person to say so. How gratifying to see a management that is responsive to their customers. Now it is the perfect restaurant! A great vision, and superbly executed.
We went on to have a superb meal with great food and service. I have not one negative thing to say about this experience with Mia Dona. When I had first eaten there in March I had filled out a comment card saying I really enjoyed the experience but that the fries were too bold and the octopus and the pork chops were too salty. I'm guessing that I was not the only person to say so. How gratifying to see a management that is responsive to their customers. Now it is the perfect restaurant! A great vision, and superbly executed.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Random wierd guy
Tuesday night at 1:00am a couple my friends and I were walking from the Apple store on 5th Ave, over to this bar where we are friends with the bartender. As we crossed over Park Ave on 58th, there was a man standing on the corner, carrying nothing but a flat 9 x 11 manila envelope. As he saw us he made an initial advance towards us, presumably to engage us in conversation. My first thought was he was a wierdo and all three of us continued past him in our typical New Yorker fashion. On second thought, maybe he was lost and needed to be pointed back to Times Square. I turned back around and asked him if he was ok. He said very agressively and drunkenly, "Yes, I'm ok! Are you ok?" Alright, wierdo status confirmed. I didn't respond and we continued walking away from him. He then shouted at us that we were big dickheads. We quickened our pace, while he began walking/staggering in the same direction as we were headed, occasionally yelling . And don't you know, he ends up at the very same bar that our friend is working at. He actually got there first as we had made a small detour before arriving. As we came in, he moved his body to block our path, and we physically had to shove our way past him to escape from him once again. He had already found the only male hustler in the club and is groping his, um...merchandise and kissing him in a sloppy drunken way. The mysterious manila envelope is on the bar top. Once the hustler realizes that this guy is not going to "buy", he disengages and the man asks the bartender (our friend) to hold the envelope behind the bar for safe-keeping while he trolls the outside patio. The envelope has never been folded, and looks like it contains no more than 10 sheets of paper. It's rather unwieldy to carry around on a night out on the town, which leads me to believe the contents are important to him, otherwise, he'd have folded it up and shoved it in his pocket. We immediately egg our bartender friend on to show us the contents of the envelope, which he does. It was......a handout from his Anger Management class.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Stocks I like for a 5 year horizon
I was asked for some stock advice by a friend today and I figure I would post my response on my blog so I can go "on the record" with my opinions:
Everyone hates stocks now, which is the correct time to get in. All the economic downturn fears are priced in to the stocks! So you don't have to worry about an economic downturn. You're already receiving that discount! If you are looking for a long time horizon I'd park a couple thousand in the following:
Devon Energy (DVN): This is a longterm play on Oil and on Natural Gas. They derive half their income on each. The share price just took a major hit in the past 2 weeks since the price of oil and nat gas tanked. It's a great company and a good stock. It has been volitile as of late, but if you believe as I do that the price of energy will continue to march up in the next 5 and 10 years, don't worry if it looses value. It will come back. I originally bought it at $55 around 2 years ago and sold it at $111 a few months ago. I just bought back in last week at $91. That's about where it is today. I don't expect this stock to go below $75, but even if it does I will pick up more, for sure.
Goldman Sachs (GS): This company boasts the best minds on Wall Street and the most repected investment bank in the world. They were one of the few financials that were smart enough to get out of the mortgage investments before that hit the fan. They just got downgraded today because they are highly exposed to stocks and the analists feel that their profit is limited with the current bear market. This drove the stock price down. If you believe as I do that the stock market is a good investment on the whole, and for the long term, this company is a must have. The closing price today is a perfect entry point. Remember, you buy low, when everyone else is selling. The price has been driven down by people with a short time horizon.
PXJ - This is an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that tracks the oil services industry as a whole. It is a bet on the sector that provides the drill bits and oil platforms, etc, etc to the oil exploration and the drilling companies. This sector was run up along with oil this year and when oil busted 2 weeks ago, this sector took a correction along with it. In my opinion it was not warrented, because most of the oil explorations and drillings are profitable with a price of oil over $60/barrel. Today after the current rundown from $140, oil is still at $112/barrel. Another note: During the 70's oil crisis, the oil services sector was run up over 1000%.
General Electric (GE) - This stock price has been run down recently. It's got a good dividend and is one of the best managed companies in the world. They recently entered an agreement with the Saudis, I think, where they agreed to buy a good chunk of the company over the next few years. What this does is put a continued upward pressure on the price of the stock, or conversely, it puts a floor on the price. It's got great international exposure and thus is not dependant on a strong dollar to make money.
Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) - One of the best managed oil producers and refiners in the world. It's stocks been run down alot. The reasons for this price action are complex and I can't really explain it here. But it is a great company and a good long term bet.
Simon Property Group (SPG) - this is a Real Estate Investment Trust (a.k.a. a REIT). that owns, manages and developes retail real estate properties consisting primarily of regional malls, Premium Outlet centers, The Mills, and community/lifestyle centers. David Simon is the CEO and is one of the smartest names in the business. This may be a risky short term play, but luckily you aren't going to play for the short term. Real estate has been beaten down as you know, and may continue to be for some time but it will inevitably come back. Also, it's a bet on retail which is very much out of favor right now. My suggestion with this stock is to put a buy order in around $85 (It's at $97 today) and if it continues to decrease in price then BUY MORE! This is definately a long term play, but a good one. About 6 months BEFORE the economy turns around whether in 1 year or in 3 years, this stock will quickly rise and be a superstar.
My suggestion to you is to place some money in each of these stocks and let them ride for at least 5 years. Don't think about it, don't worry about, just do it and then forget about. Some of them may decrease in value from month to month. Some of them will increase. This is ok. That's what stocks do. These are not high risk plays and if this little 6-stock portfolio doesn't make you money in 5 years, then our entire economic model is in trouble, and this little stock bet will be the least of your economic woes. Finally, don't wait for the economy to turn around and the news to be rosy. Stock prices rise 6 months before the economy turns around. The market is a forward looking beast. The downturn has been, for the most part, priced in currently. Perfect investment time.
Everyone hates stocks now, which is the correct time to get in. All the economic downturn fears are priced in to the stocks! So you don't have to worry about an economic downturn. You're already receiving that discount! If you are looking for a long time horizon I'd park a couple thousand in the following:
Devon Energy (DVN): This is a longterm play on Oil and on Natural Gas. They derive half their income on each. The share price just took a major hit in the past 2 weeks since the price of oil and nat gas tanked. It's a great company and a good stock. It has been volitile as of late, but if you believe as I do that the price of energy will continue to march up in the next 5 and 10 years, don't worry if it looses value. It will come back. I originally bought it at $55 around 2 years ago and sold it at $111 a few months ago. I just bought back in last week at $91. That's about where it is today. I don't expect this stock to go below $75, but even if it does I will pick up more, for sure.
Goldman Sachs (GS): This company boasts the best minds on Wall Street and the most repected investment bank in the world. They were one of the few financials that were smart enough to get out of the mortgage investments before that hit the fan. They just got downgraded today because they are highly exposed to stocks and the analists feel that their profit is limited with the current bear market. This drove the stock price down. If you believe as I do that the stock market is a good investment on the whole, and for the long term, this company is a must have. The closing price today is a perfect entry point. Remember, you buy low, when everyone else is selling. The price has been driven down by people with a short time horizon.
PXJ - This is an Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) that tracks the oil services industry as a whole. It is a bet on the sector that provides the drill bits and oil platforms, etc, etc to the oil exploration and the drilling companies. This sector was run up along with oil this year and when oil busted 2 weeks ago, this sector took a correction along with it. In my opinion it was not warrented, because most of the oil explorations and drillings are profitable with a price of oil over $60/barrel. Today after the current rundown from $140, oil is still at $112/barrel. Another note: During the 70's oil crisis, the oil services sector was run up over 1000%.
General Electric (GE) - This stock price has been run down recently. It's got a good dividend and is one of the best managed companies in the world. They recently entered an agreement with the Saudis, I think, where they agreed to buy a good chunk of the company over the next few years. What this does is put a continued upward pressure on the price of the stock, or conversely, it puts a floor on the price. It's got great international exposure and thus is not dependant on a strong dollar to make money.
Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM) - One of the best managed oil producers and refiners in the world. It's stocks been run down alot. The reasons for this price action are complex and I can't really explain it here. But it is a great company and a good long term bet.
Simon Property Group (SPG) - this is a Real Estate Investment Trust (a.k.a. a REIT). that owns, manages and developes retail real estate properties consisting primarily of regional malls, Premium Outlet centers, The Mills, and community/lifestyle centers. David Simon is the CEO and is one of the smartest names in the business. This may be a risky short term play, but luckily you aren't going to play for the short term. Real estate has been beaten down as you know, and may continue to be for some time but it will inevitably come back. Also, it's a bet on retail which is very much out of favor right now. My suggestion with this stock is to put a buy order in around $85 (It's at $97 today) and if it continues to decrease in price then BUY MORE! This is definately a long term play, but a good one. About 6 months BEFORE the economy turns around whether in 1 year or in 3 years, this stock will quickly rise and be a superstar.
My suggestion to you is to place some money in each of these stocks and let them ride for at least 5 years. Don't think about it, don't worry about, just do it and then forget about. Some of them may decrease in value from month to month. Some of them will increase. This is ok. That's what stocks do. These are not high risk plays and if this little 6-stock portfolio doesn't make you money in 5 years, then our entire economic model is in trouble, and this little stock bet will be the least of your economic woes. Finally, don't wait for the economy to turn around and the news to be rosy. Stock prices rise 6 months before the economy turns around. The market is a forward looking beast. The downturn has been, for the most part, priced in currently. Perfect investment time.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Peking Duck on E 53rd St.
I dined at the E 53rd st. location of Peking Duck with 2 friends this past week on a Tues. (8/5/08). Atmosphere was elegant and sparse although the lights were a bit too bright. Our waiter was an older Chinese man who seemed unhappy in his job. He was efficient, but unfriendly, and he scowled when we asked for food with no Garlic. We ordered the sizzling rice soup with shrimp for two ($9.50). The rice was not at all sizzling and the broth was devoid of any taste whatsoever. All three of us sent back the watery mess without eating it and it was taken off the check. For the main course we ordered Gran Marnier Prawns which is described as being "finished in a refreshing sauce w. a hint of citrus." I can't be sure, but the sauce tasted suspiciously like Jello brand lemon custard and had the same consistency as custard. I'm not exaggerating. It was definitely an unnatural taste that smacked of a taste laboratory off the Jersey Tpk. The Sliced Beef w. Scallops were good, but were served with sliced Garlic, after we had specifically asked our server to tell the chef no garlic. We spoke with the manager after we finished (and left about half the food on the plate) and he politely listened to our very specific complaints, but that was it. We weren't asking him for anything but even so, he did nothing. No complimentary dessert or apertif was offered, the check was not discounted, and no real apology. All three of us are New Yorkers to the core, we live locally and are experienced diners. We chose not to tip at all. We will not go back.
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