Across the Brooklyn Bridge

The year is half over. I told myself that I would do something big for my 40th birthday which comes at the end of the year. What that big thing was would be a cruise through the Mediterranean. With all my plans tentatively wrapped around the opening up of this restaurant, I don't know if that's going to be possible. I also thought maybe I would celebrate my birthday in the restaurant once it was opened but it doesn't look like that's going to happen in time for that to happen either.

40 is a biggie and I do want to do something to mark it. I just haven't figured out what that will be just yet. In any case, I want it to be memorable whether I celebrate then or now before I have absolutely no time for anything other than Bogota.

Posted by Alif at 12:12 PM | Permalink | Comments   

"HI! HOW ARE YOU!?"
"I'm doing great, thanks. How are you?"
"I'M WONDERFUL! GREAT TO SEE YOU!"
"Thanks. Hey, Carson. I love the show."
"THANK YOU!," opening up the flap to the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy book I just bought for $25.00.
"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SIGN IT?"
"Just write anything you like. A quote or saying is fine."
He signs "Keep smilin' and keep stylin'.



"Carson, you guys gave my friend Winston a makeover and you guys designed his restaurant, too."
"OH! I KNOW WINSTON. SURE."
"I thought it would be cool if you guys would do the same thing for my partner. I think you guys would have fun with us and we'd make a great show. We're opening a restaurant very nearby." I hand him my contact information.
"OKAY. I'LL SEE WHAT WE CAN DO. HERE, LET ME GIVE YOU A PICTURE!"
"Can you sign it 'To Bogota'?"
"IS THAT THE NAME OF YOUR RESTAURANT?"
"Yes, it is."
Carson signs ... 'To Bogota, YUMMSVILLE! Carson Kressley"

Posted by Alif at 4:59 AM | Permalink | Comments   

I totally get the whole Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth thing. Totally. Mine has very much been a hero's journey.

"Come here. Do this. Go there. Ask that person. Be still. Show up. Just go. Say 'Yes to this.' Say 'No to that.' Be open to possibility."

This is what I have done. I have gone through doors that have been presented to me and more have continued to open as a result. I have spoken to people only to be directed to more people who have the information or the missing piece I need for my journey to keep on going.

Everytime I've dared show up for something new or different that I feared, another key is given to me to yet another door that leads further along the path. It's fascinating how this works. This requires a lot of faith, mind you.

Posted by Alif at 12:06 PM | Permalink | Comments   

...puts everything else into perspective.

I had expressed something that had nothing to do with him but I noticed it affected him in a way that seemed completely illogical to me and sent him into this place of being loud, angry, combative and confrontational with me. He also threw in the glaring confrontational eyes. If looks could kill, his would have.

"Is that your mother or your father giving me that look? Or is that you?" I asked him. "Whoever it is, I don't appreciate it."

At that very moment, before me stood every mean, controlling, angry, abusive and out-of-control person I've ever had the displeasure or misfortune of either dating, working for, dealing with, or being the son or brother of. There they all were: rolled up in the form of this person who travels among similar circles I do.

He was a like an out of control train rolling off the rails and despite the seething rage, his rigid facial muscles and clenched teeth that were visible to all there, he denied that his was a menacing and threatening stance. I expressed how I felt about his out of control behavior. I could see the fire coming out of his nostrils with each word out of my mouth.

At no time did I feel threatened by this individual--which is quite amazing. I just watched him the way a person would watch an animal writhing in a cage.

I calmly told him that I expect an apology from him for the way he was acting towards me and that although I am not going to hold my breath waiting for it, at some point it has to be forthcoming because his behavior towards me was completely unacceptable and things will never be put right again until he apologized. Because our paths do cross as a result of traveling in similiar circles, it may prove to be challenging but I'll deal with it.

In that moment, I was able to tell every mean, abusive, angry, vindictive, and controlling person I had ever had the displeasure of coming across in my life, in a calm, sincere and rational manner: "Whatever for you. I'm not buying into your stuff."

And I didn't. It was quite a powerful moment.

Posted by Alif at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments   

I never thought I'd get to see Madonna in concert. I finally did Sunday night. Next on my "MUST SEE IN CONCERT BEFORE THEY OR I DIE" list:

The Rolling Stones
Bruce Springstein

Posted by Alif at 8:55 AM | Permalink | Comments   

My father lives in the West Bank of Israel/Palestine. If I'm not mistaken, he was born on July 4, 1927. I've spoken to him once in the past 7 plus years and it was for Christmas this past year. He sounded old. And nonplussed by my phone call as if all that time apart had evaporated by means of just a phone call. I was okay with that although I wasn't sure if I was expecting him to be elated at hearing from me. If he was, it didn't show.

I wonder if they celebrate Father's Day in the West Bank today also.

Posted by Alif at 8:10 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Bogota Nuevo Americano Bistro in Park Slope Brooklyn, New York

Here is the link to Bogota Bistro. Visit the site and get on our mailing list if you'd like to get news of our opening.

Posted by Alif at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments   

It's 6:28 on a Sunday morning. I'm not quite sure whether it's my body or my brain that is awake but one of them is. I sense I may be physically tired and would love to sleep for a few more hours but the brain is making noise thus I'm wide awake and wondering about the day ahead of me. I have no set plans on how to spend the next 15-18 hours but I'll figure something out. Of course, there's always something to do but it would be nice to put that list aside and do something else.

Posted by Alif at 3:31 AM | Permalink | Comments   

G & I are meeting tonight with the landlord of the commercial space we're looking to rent. We both have some concerns and aren't ready to sign this lease until those concerns are cleared up. We know what we need to say. What we don't know is how he'll respond. We'll see how it goes.

Posted by Alif at 12:22 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I was thinking about going to Allentown, Pennsylvania this Sunday but I forgot that I have tickets to see Madonna that night with George at Madison Square Garden. You'd think I'd remember something like that.

Posted by Alif at 6:09 AM | Permalink | Comments   

It's not officially summer yet but the weather lately sure makes it feel like it's so. For some reason, I have this sense that something is supposed to happen for me to begin enjoying the summer and all fun things that go along with it such as going swimming, biking, playing in the park, tossing a ball around, having a barbeque or picnic, etc. etc. I suppose the time to enjoy summer is now. Today. This evening. Now.

My time these days is completely engulfed in the work involved in opening up our restaurant. We're about to sign a lease for a space that has no Certificate of Occupancy ("C of O") in place yet although the landlord assures us that he's working on getting it. He assured us that it would be in place by September 1 but now he's extended that date to October 15. That's 45 days later and that means 45 days of losing money because we'll be delayed in working on this place. There are no guarantees that he'll even have a Certificate of Occupancy in place by that date. We need to talk to our lawyers about this. I want to be able to walk away from this deal should another place come up that has the C of O in place already. Otherwise we're just wasting time and time is money.

Posted by Alif at 7:02 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Posted by Alif at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I took some time off from blogging to utilize my site for business related purposes but I'm back now. The biggest thing going on my life these days is the business venture I'm starting with my partner. We're opening up a restaruant. I can't even believe it when I say it but it's true. Somehow we've gotten this far although sitting here typing this, I don't know how. If I think it through, it's been through a series of actions, large and small, a day at a time, that's led us to this point.

It's been an aventure that started back in January of 2003 and is culminating this week with the signing of a 10 year lease beginning at $5,000 a month in Park Slope, Brooklyn. It's a lot of money. George assures me that we can make it and that we will. I'm trusting him although I will admit that my feelings are all over the place these days. I just took out a $100,000 loan to invest in this venture. I am also putting in $60,000 of my own money as well. Am I crazy? We shall see. "We shall see" has become my catch phrase these days. I have no idea what tomorrow is going to bring.

Posted by Alif at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Rafah Pundits - A focus on Rafah, located in the Gaza Strip Reporting from the Gaza Strip
An American In GazaObservations from an American in Gaza

Posted by Alif at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments