Archive for the 'People I Know and Love' Category
What’s up with you.
My friend Ariella made me a little video saying “hey Caila, What’s Up!?”
I made this in response:
Pretty profound, I know it!
Twinkle Twinkle!
Sometimes, you know a rough and tumble sort of man who doesn’t look like the man in the picture, only resembles him vaguely, and you feel compelled to draw this picture of him alongside a teddy bear, singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”
You don’t know why you did this, and you feel like a bit of an asshole, but you’re nonetheless compelled to show him the picture, as you find it amusing.
The man agrees, laughs, and appreciates that you took the time drawing him. You don’t feel like a mean person anymore!
I don’t know why I just wrote that in the second person, but I like it better that way.
Perhaps I’m correct, anyhow.
Maybe you do do that.
I’ve just been hit with a flood of ideas for the Friday the 13th piece, and I have the feeling I’m gonna be compelled to do them.
1. My friend Jenny, a brilliantly talented artist, has been designing hearts for this. Here’s a picture of one that she sent me:
One heart will be large enough for 3 people to perform on top of. Right now, I am thinking Dolores Park may be the ideal place.
2. The performance should start around sunrise and last until an hour after sundown. I won’t step off the heart except to go to the bathroom.
3. I will be joined at some point during the day by Gina Gold and Hector Zavala, two fantasticly gifted performers.
4. Spray Tan. Blonde Wig. Red Dress.
5. Ceremonial Purging of your Love Stories From Hell. Keep sending them my way please!!! Send email to: caila@att.net
6. Radio interview via telephone.
7. Easy Listening.
8. Balloon Hearts. Valentines for Strangers.
9. Dance Routine.
10. My diet for the day will consist only of Holy Water. Communion esque Wafers. Cake. Chocolate and a multi-vitamin. Or perhaps only chocolates and pink, red, and white things so I don’t have to make myself sick.
11. Heart opening yoga.
12. Crying for 30 Minute intervals.
13. Bloody Cake Fight.
Now, I am off to the East Bay! Have a lovely day, folks!
About the Macy’s Bathrooms.
I met my friend Madelena when I worked at this hat store in New York. She popped in one day and it was a brief island in the miasmic sea of retail ennui. The shop is lovely and fine, mind you, but I am not cut out for long stretches of that brand of customer service. There are only so many times I can hear the word “cute” in a day.
I don’t remember what we talked about specifically, but I was so floored by Madelena’s brilliant sense of humor I later contacted her and asked if she’d help me direct my 2nd solo show. She was a bit of a life saver. Perhaps I’ll post footage from it one of these days.
She sent me an email regarding the Macy’s performance, and it was too interesting not to post.
I love your Singing in the Bathroom bit. It actually brought back many memories. I too, worked at Macy’s for a Christmas season once. It was totally mad.
One note on the location – those are actually I. Magnin bathrooms. The store was there until about… 1997, I think. Then, it went out of business and Macy’s bought the building. I’m glad to know those bathrooms weren’t destroyed. I. Magnin was a beautiful store – very elegant and a lot like Bergdoff’s. Macy’s was totally crass in comparison. (At I. Magnin, all the workers referred to each other as Miss, Ms, or Mrs.: ”Miss Tammy, you have a client…” )
I actually worked as a “fragrance and accessories model” for Chanel in the I. Magnin building. It was during the week and a totally boring assignment – I would walk around the store for hours and approach women who were shopping. This was during the early – mid -80’s when no one had any money – except for a few socialites. It was horrible. So, I kept a paperback hidden under the sink in the women’s bathroom and I’d go in there, hide in a stall for 20 minutes at a time and just read. The floor to ceiling doors assured I would not be caught.
Anyway, that’s my bit on I. Magnin – I thought you might enjoy that bit of history. I feel like Sally Stanford…”Back when I was lass…..”
I hope this email finds you well. Thank you so much for sharing your blog. You do well to share your work – keep it up.
Love,
M
I stole this picture.
This is my friend Tom.
I like this photo, so I’m stealing it. I took it from my friend Nicole’s facebook. and I will keep it up unless someone asks me to take it down.
I’d asked Tom to be my Jesus for this project.
Tom replied that while he loved the concept, he was with his bible belt family in Colorado and didn’t think they or his 5 year old nephew would understand/appreciate the sentiment. Very well.
When I made this video, some girls laughed at me. I bought a sandwich and the hipster at the register about threw it at me. I lost the punk girl’s email address. I was excited to sent her this clip.
New Years’ Nasties.
If you haven’t gathered, I’m not much of a Happy Holidays type.
My favorite bad New Year’s story, 2004:
I’d just moved to New York. I was invited to a party after performing at an open mike.
I had one friend there to hang out with, Fred, a 47 year old gay man.
He’s dead now.
Anyhow, somebody at an open mike invited me to a party after I performed. He said it was a costume party and to dress as my alter ego.
My alter ego on that New Years’ Eve was a decrepit old lady dominatrix…
Like so, but with hooker boots and minus the babushka.
Turns out to be a Huge party in which I am one of the only people in costume. I proceeded to get drunk as quickly as possible. I lost Fred in the crowd and got a call on my cell phone a half hour later.
He was in a cab, horribly sick.
It’s hard to tell a story about New Years Eve when it involves somebody I care about that’s dead now without entirely swerving off the path.
Anyhow, Fred called: “Caila, I am sick. I am so so sorry. I got really sick. I threw up. I looked for you and couldn’t find you. I had to leave, I’m in a cab. I’m sorry, Good night.”
I spent a bit more time meandering at the party, I joined in on a few conversations, but the alcohol wasn’t quelling my lonliness enough and I left.
I wound up drunkenly staggering home, getting lost in Bed Stuy, eating a falafel alone at 2am after inviting a stranger I met on the subway to go with me (he said sorry, he was on his way to meet someone) and waiting in a line for a taxicab for about an hour in the cold.
I think that’s the last time I really attempted to Do Something on a New Years’ Eve.
My Life Matters, Too!!
This is the project I’ve probably been most excited about in the past few weeks, and I finally finished editing the intro. Here’s a still:
And here it is! I went through hell and highwater uploading a watchable version of this. The one I put on youtube got blurry and bastardized.
This is Margerie. She sprung up in my brain when I was living in NYC. She’s become a lot sweeter as I’ve gotten more mentally stable.
(just in case, I’m keeping the blurry ass Youtube vid up)
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