The Log

Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Last night at choral rehearsal I was handed a piece of paper with all sorts of dates and times on it.

“What’s this?” I asked one of the directors.

“It’s an itinerary,” Jenny said in her clipped, British accent. “For our performance in New Jersey this weekend. Do you need one?”

“Absolutely,” I said. “And could I have one for my life as well?”

It’s been a little busy over here on Planet Pauline. On top of all the parties and gatherings I normally go to, rehearsals for Melodia, my choral group, have been at an all-time high. All this work seems to be paying off, because honestly, we sound great. I hope everyone can make the concert on Saturday, November 20th. I think it’ll be $20 well spent. I also got into a small production of “Amahl and The Night Visitors” for December. I will forward performance information to all my opera dork friends at a later date. [You know who you are.]

There’s also the issue of my fledgling writing career. There have been freelance assignments to finish, others to pursue and random personal essays to send out and, ultimately, have rejected. Applications for writers’ colonies are due, as is my rent check. Plus, I need to get my Christmas cards together for the holiday rush.

In others news [no pun], next week I start a month-long stint on the overnight at work, which I don’t expect will put a halt to any of my social endeavors. The bad news is that I will be at work, on the news desk, from 10:30 PM to 6:30 AM. The good news is that if anyone is awake during those hours, or in the vicinity of 10th Avenue and 33rd Street, [ again, why?] they should ring me up. I will be in a heightened state of delusion and madness, and will need all the human contact I can get.

And during the witching hours, I can reflect on the wonderful life I led before all this overnight madness.

Thursday, November 11th
“Swedish Tango” Book Party
The Black Table/Waylons Gathering

My limited experience in Gotham has taught me that if there’s going to be an event for something, it most likely will be on a Tuesday or a Thursday. Perhaps organizers don’t want to steal someone’s weekend or they figure that people have nothing else to do after work. After all, how many “Seinfeld” re-runs can a human being watch?

Regardless, my agenda was full on Thursday as I headed down to Tribeca for the book party for Alyson Richman’s new novel, “Swedish Tango.” I hadn’t read the book but I am always interested in meeting new writers. And, okay, I really like red wine. The party was held in an unbelievably gorgeous loft that looked like it was a model for a Pottery Barn catalogue. I was reminded once again that unless I can somehow finagle a six-figure deal with an unsuspecting publisher, I will be doomed to my Gramercy bunker for all of eternity.

Sadly, I couldn’t spend too much time in the home furnishings bliss in Tribeca because I had to get back uptown for the Black Table/Waylons gig at Lit over in the East Village. Seems that this band, The Waylons, are friends with the motley crew that is the Black Table. They married their fortunes together and had a bit of literary/musical event in the dark, opium den that is Lit.

And boy, am I glad I went.

I think that whenever I hear about any sort of party for a book or magazine I am automatically standoffish. As I’ve mentioned in other Logs publishing types have a strange habit of clumping together at parties and leaving party soloists, such as myself, to her own devices. (I’ve also mentioned before how I often go to parties and concerts by myself. It’s because I really have no friends.)

Anyway, Black Table parties are never like this. In fact, it’s all Hello! How are you? Do you need a drink? Which is such a change of pace from the usual, “So where do you work?” Sure, the question comes up, but never in a way where one is trying to one up someone else. It’s as if we’re all in this crazy, New York Media Boat together and the more we get along, the less of a bite in the ass the race for cool jobs and freelance assignments will be.

So I chatted and boozed and meant to leave a lot earlier than I did, but how could I jump ship when every time I turned around it was yet another interesting person I hadn’t seen since the last event? Like any Black Table party, I left actually feeling good about writers and the writing life, as opposed to wondering if anyone was talking mess about me after I left.

Sunday, November 14th
Rachel Kramer Bussel’s Book Party
Suede

I am not usually one for Super Clubs (I’m too cheap to pay the $20 cover), but I’ve been a fan of Rachel’s blog for a while so I made a point of getting on the list for the event. Plus, she edited an amazing book about spanking [the erotic kind] and who am I to miss a party for a book about erotic spankings?

It was an amazing event, for a lot of different reasons. As I mentioned, it was at Suede, which is as slick a club as one can find in Chelsea. Second, the mix of people was amazing. I could see no evidence of even one stodgy publishing type, although there were lots of eclectic writers. Everyone seemed to be fun and colorful and really friendly. The DJ was amazing and he played a happy mix of 90s hip-hop which segued into funk and soul. People were dancing. The vodka was free. Photographers took photos. Someone asked me if I was I a go-go dancer. Viva Sunday Night!

I hated to leave but it was almost midnight and I had to be at work the next day. I bought a book (always support your local indie publishers!] and walked all the way back to Gramercy.