A good friend of mine is producing Punchline Magazine’s star-studded 4th-anniversary show. The entire lineup looks great, but I’m most excited to see Janeane Garafalo. Love. Her.
Like comedy? Live near New York? Come on, then! September 30, 2009
Well looky! Yahoo linked to my essay yesterday! August 21, 2009
Thanks to those of you who gave me a heads-up that Yahoo had included a link to “What the Guys I Date Don’t Know” in a story on Dating Advice. Did I ever think I would have anything to do with dishing out advice about dating? Negatory. Am I thrilled that I am? Yessirree!
xo c.
Hello, new site visitors! August 21, 2009
It’s been a crazy summer since my essay “What the Guys I Date Don’t Know” was published in Marie Claire’s June issue. Even crazier when AOL picked it up and put it on its home page. Now, every once and a while, there’s a spike of interest in the essay and I find out it’s popped up somewhere else new (someone mentioned it showed up in a Yahoo news feed yesterday?). Just wanted to say thanks for the continued support–of my writing and of me. To have so many people find some sort of inspiration or connection in my essay has been really inspiring and mind-blowing. To all of you who have written to say you’ve been able to relate to my story with your own, rock the hell on. We’ve all got our stuff, and we all rule. Write, draw and sing it out (karaoke or otherwise). Create!
Here’s a photo from last weekend at a Brooklyn hipster party. I didn’t really rate on the cool scale there, but it was fun!
c.
Are you guys tweeters? August 12, 2009
I’m slowly getting the hang of this whole Twitter thing, though it often makes me feel stabby. The RTs and #s and @s…all very confusing. But vaguely fun? Anyway, if you’re on there, please come find me! I’m carlasosenko.
I’m terrified of birds, and I think the fact that I’ve willingly invited the word “tweet” into my life for the sole purpose of sharing my INCREDIBLY important random thoughts with the world at 140 characters a clip must be a sign of progress. Yes? I actually keep a running list of things that make me nervous. Besides birds, pistachio green, The Honeymooners and outer space make the list (which is much longer than I’m letting on here).
xo c.
Recession? What recession? August 10, 2009
Hi, everyone! I can’t believe it’s already the middle of August. Been doing lots of writing and playing and fighting off a few days of 104 fever (HOT!) and all in all, it’s been a good summer. I hope yours has been, too.
No other news, really, so here’s a picture of the crowd at a club I went to this weekend. Yes, a club. I don’t think I’ve been to an honest-to-god one of those since I was at Boston University—and boy, was this one different. Girls get mighty dressed up nowadays (this picture doesn’t really do the place justice. These people are fairly, y’know, normal and lovely looking). My biggest concern during my clubbing days (and I use the term loosely) was whether to wear my black pants or my other black pants. I’d never survive now! I’m fashion lover, but whoa, nelly. Girls wear skirts that go up to where the sun don’t shine! And they dance on tables! They LITERALLY dance on tables! (Man, I sound old.) It was quite an experience. There were club girls when I was in school, and they were gorgeous and intimidating, but today’s version is much more…polished. They look practically Lucite.
Thankfully, I was there for a friend’s birthday, so we got ushered to the front of the line by the very nice staff (my 20-year-old self is tres impressed with me right now), and the music was pretty awesome (though they only ever played songs in three-minute snippets. We wondered if this was because the clientele had short attention spans, for, um, unknown reasons). Anyway, it was really something. People were knocking back $18 cocktails and ordering bottle service. Can somebody tell Obama that the recession is over? At least on a small strip of clubland in the west 40s.
The NYT Styles section coincidentally wrote up this place for the Boite item yesterday (synergy!), and it actually sounds quite lovely on a weeknight. Nice roof deck, art, less overly douchey clientele. Actch, I shouldn’t even say that—the people were really fine. There were just a lot of them. On top of one another other. And us. Not terribly pleasant on a humid New York night. I’ll take a divey little bar with good jukebox and a Stella instead any day.
Cheers, y’all.
c.
Pickup addendum June 28, 2009
Here’s a pickup I blogged a while ago, from the Times Union. It’s lovely in the way a lot of the sites that picked up my essay have been, but I’m re-noting it now because it’s gotten some comments. It continues to blow my mind the way certain people view me in light of my essay. Everyone is of course entitled to his or her opinion, it’s just been kind of trippy to read that I am conceited, shallow, hypocritical or that I don’t sound fun to be with. Gah! I object! I am tremendous fun to be with!
Ok, ok, I’m digressing. Anyway, I can see where certain readers are coming from (and it’s important to say these kinds of comments are far fewer than the supportive ones, the readers who say the story resonated with them, which is of course my hope), and I’m glad people are responding regardless of what they have to say. But I thought it was kind of obvious that I am not HAPPY that I have walls up, that this is in fact something I am working on. Writing is a process that can elucidate the process we go through in life. My guardedness does not come from a place of superiority but extreme vulnerability. (Unless the guy’s a jerk, then yes, the other thing.) I find it so baffling to have my insecurity attacked. It’s a defense mechanism, people!
Anyway, this first struck me when AOL picked up the story and more than 500 people commented on it. This Times Union item reminded me of it.
The sun is finally out. Get out there and enjoy it.
xo c.
A Michael-Dylan-Michael sandwich, on wry. June 24, 2009
Hi, all! I’ve been writing and working for a living and trying to enjoy the summer (though there has been precisely NO sun in New York and 100% humidity–my hair is looking AWESOME right now. You can probably see it from wherever you are). What you see here (besides my hair) is my good friend Dylan Peter Gadino, editor in chief of PunchlineMagazine.com, with the hilariously warped Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter. Dylan interviewed them recently (they’ve got a new show, Michael and Michael Have Issues, on Comedy Central). I interviewed MIB less recently and also reviewed Showalter’s comedy CD when it came out–and we were all in a movie with Kevin Bacon!
Anyway, more posts forthcoming. Thanks for your continued support and raditude.
xo c.
Open your eyes. June 9, 2009
Hi there! Sorry for the lack of posts lately. Been writing, working, hanging…. Life is good and crazy. And I’m loving the reaching-out I’m still getting from people who read the essay and were affected by it. Thank you all so much. Check back soon for updates! xoxo carla.
PS–To atone for my silence as of late, I’m attaching a bonkers photo from my friend Todd Shalom’s awesome Soundwalk this weekend. Todd led us (with our eyes closed at times) around Brooklyn as part of Soundwalk-a-thon. The idea was to start using our ears as we use our eyes, paying closer attention to the sounds we often neglect to notice. As we emerged from an outdoor hipster party Todd had slyly led us into, we opened our eyes, looked up and saw this. Synergy! Amazing. (Photo credit: Jen Abramowitz.)
My essay on trying to date while living with the disfiguring congenital disorder Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome. Originally published in Marie Claire.
