It's Guinness Time, Cried the Oysters

 It most certainly is. At the Ugly Oyster.  

  In Reading, PA. Curious oysters....

Intergalactic Plantetary Intergalactic

 Intergalactic, planetary planetary, intergalactic,  Well now you don't tell me to STOP, you stick around i;ll make it worth your while....intergalactic planetary, intergalactic, planetary, intergalactic, planetary, planetary intergalactic...

I'm Still Alive. So We Got That Going for Us. Which is Nice.

  Whelp, Berry(Berke) it's day 3 of dealing with

 your new status of deceased, and I gotta tell ya, it's not getting any easier. It sucks, man. It really does.  But I'm still alive...I mean, ONE of us has to be. 

  You're not missing much, though. You know how dead (no pun intended) Manhattan is in August...  Plenty 'o people missing you, though....just saying. 

Come In, She Said I'll Give Ya...Shelter From the Storm

I was in another lifetime one of toil and blood
When blackness was a virtue and the road was full of mud
I came in from the wilderness a creature void of form
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

And if I pass this way again you can rest assured
I'll always do my best for her on that I give my word
In a world of steel-eyed death and men who are fighting to be warm
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Not a word was spoke between us there was little risk involved
Everything up to that point had been left unresolved
Try imagining a place where it's always safe and warm
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

I was burned out from exhaustion buried in the hail
Poisoned in the bushes and blown out on the trail
Hunted like a crocodile ravaged in the corn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Suddenly I turned around and she was standing there
With silver bracelets on her wrists and flowers in her hair
She walked up to me so gracefully and took my crown of thorns
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Now there's a wall between us something there's been lost
I took too much for granted got my signals crossed
Just to think that it all began on a long-forgotten morn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Well the deputy walks on hard nails and the preacher rides a mount
But nothing really matters much it's doom alone that counts
And the one-eyed undertaker he blows a futile horn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".
I've heard newborn babies wailing like a mourning dove
And old men with broken teeth stranded without love
Do I understand your question man is it hopeless and forlorn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

In a little hilltop village they gambled for my clothes
I bargained for salvation and they gave me a lethal dose
I offered up my innocence and got repaid with scorn
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

Well I'm living in a foreign country but I'm bound to cross the line
Beauty walks a razor's edge someday I'll make it mine
If I could only turn back the clock to when God and her were born
"Come in" she said
"I'll give you shelter from the storm".

-Bob Dylan

May You Rest in Peace, Berke. You Were the Best Neighbor, and Friend, Anyone Could Ask For. You Will Be Sorely Missed.

In loving memory of Berke Erku.  We sure miss you...now, and forever.  Wish you were here.

 

Dear Berke,

It's raining today in New York City.  Tears of sadness and grief for your passing so soon.  Though I didn't know you for very long, from the day you moved in, we quickly became close friends.  Two peas in an East Village pod.  Remember I used to joke that we were like the neighbors from that Tim Allen show, Home Improvement, where we spoke to each other through the fence but never actually saw each other?  But that was not entirely true.  We spent more time together over the past 7 months than I can count.  Enough time to consider you a close and dear friend.  Which is why I, along with your friends and family, are overcome with grief to learn of your tragic death in Amsterdam.

Berke, you were the best neighbor, and friend, a girl could ask for.  The nicest person around, always willing to help someone out.  You were a shoulder to cry on, to laugh with and just an all around fantastic person.  And will be sorely missed.

Although I'm sure you're somewhere up there, partying with Steve Jobs and God on their iClouds,in the sky don't forget our roof, OK?  And visit us once in a while up there, if you're still hanging around.  You're always welcome, which I'm sure you already know.  In the meantime, don't forget the church across the street that used to wake us up every Sunday morning with church bells loud enough to raise the dead.  Don't forget the boys and girls club next to your apartment that you could ridiculously hear basketball games through your wall.  Don't forget my blog party, and the fact that your favorite part of the whole night was my Trader Joe's tomatoes.  Don't forget that joke you played on me afterwards by calling pretending to be the police, demanding $2,000 for a noise violation citation in that horrible Boston accent.  Remember, how I fell for it hook, line and sinker?  Almost gave me a heart attack, but hilarious, nonetheless.  And last but not least, don't forget me.  Cause I sure won't forget you.

Berke, do you remember one of the last conversations we had (via text)? It went something like this: I wrote: "how are you?" And you said: "god" (typo for good).  Then I wrote: "what a coincidence, I'm god too." And you said: "Good.  I only speak to the divine."  Well, Berke, now you do.  I hope you're networking it up with all those Gods and Goddesses up there, chatting it up with the divine.  And we hope you're having a fantastic time, just like you always did here on earth.  Doesn't make missing you any easier, though.  Sucks. It really does.  More than words can describe, actually...But we will try to carry on in your place.  Wipe those tears away and eat Icee Pops in your honor.  I might even get them delivered, just like you...

We wish you were still here with us, Berke.  We really do.  Until we meet again, my dear friend...May the good lord, shine a light on you...warm, like the evening sun.




PS. I have your plant. Matt gave it to me, so please haunt him if you have any issues with me taking over it's care :)  I will keep it alive in your honor, my friend.  It's on my balcony now...same spot you had it.  Should feel right at home...

Silver Linings

  Every silver lining has a touch of grey....

Breaking Up Is Easy To Do

I made a bad joke the other day.  A friend said "I need to talk to you about something."  I said "you aren't divorcing so and so, are you?  Cause for real, everyone I know is calling it quits."  She actually WAS getting a divorce.  Oopsie daisy...Insert foot in mouth HERE.  Only brought it up cause I'd received maybe 20 notifications of some sort or other that relationships were coming to an end recently.  It seemed simply unfathomable that yet ANOTHER one bites the dust.  How could this happen??

Which brings me to a very important observation about the year 2012.  In a committed relationship?  Forget it.  Engaged?  Know more people calling it off than not.  Married?  Not so fast...Cause you've ALL somehow realized you've been unhappy for YEARS and are pulling the plug at exactly the same time.  Weird coincidence on timing?  Yes.  Surprising?  Not so much...
 
Maybe it's just the age at which we all find ourselves (ripe old age of early to mid 30's) where we're simply having our midlife crises earlier than our predecessors.  Maybe we've SEEN our friends in their 40's and 50's going through hell upon realizing they not only don't love their significant other, they can't actually stand the sight of them.  They simply hate each other with every cell in their being.  And are not willing to pretend otherwise for one more second.  We ALL know the couple where it's ALL too awkwardly apparent that they absolutely despise each other... On the other hand, we ALL know the couples who are pretty much apathetic to one another.  Not even having the passion left to dislike the other person.  So worn out, they are resigned to a life of blocking out whatever their REAL feelings may be, in favor of acceptance of the status quo.

But, at some point, the rubber hits the road.  At some point, we are forced to deal with the reality of our love (or lack thereof) lives.  Maybe we're just speeding up the process here.  Maybe we're just not settling like so many have done before us.  Whatever it is, 2012 is a significant year for breakups (in my highly scientific observational methodologies...including nothing but noting people I know breaking up with reckless abandon).  LONG-term relationships too.  Not inconsequential decisions being made here.
   
Why?  Who knows?  Maybe everyone is simultaneously waking up to the fact that life's too short to be unhappy.  Maybe the fairy godmother of relationships has rained down her wisdom on us all and enlightened us to the fact that we DON'T need to settle.  As a movie I saw recently put it so eloquently, "Some people settle down, some people just settle."  Maybe all those "settlers" woke up to the fact that they're allowed to fall out of love.  They're allowed to be a different person than they were ten years ago.  They're allowed to seek out the love of their life, someone inspiring.  Someone who get's them up in the morning.  Someone they adore, not just in a fleeting way but lastingly, throughout the years.  It's not outside of the realm of possibility, and maybe, we are the generation of people GOING for it.  Regardless of the costs.  The safety net withdrawn, the cold comfort of day to day life no longer even a remote possibility.  Maybe we refuse to succumb to the old adage "the devil you know, versus the devil you don't."

Maybe we are the generation of hope.  Hope for a better relationship, a better future than our predecessors. A love that withstands the tests of time, a love that delights in each others' presence. A love that appreciates and accepts us for who we are (however eccentric we may be) and enjoys the little quirks that make us...well, US.  A marriage of neither convenience or inconvenience, but a marriage of true love.

Are we a generation of dreamers?  Maybe.  But I, for one, don't see anything wrong with that.  The statistics are stacked against us, but really, who gives a shit?  That's what life's all about, isn't it?  Hoping to beat the odds. To persevere, through the jaded culture of relationships we find ourselves in today.  To be swept away...not just for a time, but forever.

One example comes to mind.  My quasi uncle (who passed away WAY too soon) was married to the love of his life (and hers).  At his funeral, it was noted that after 30 years into their marriage, he was STILL trying to court her.  Still trying to woo her affection.  Not because she didn't love him to pieces.  Just because he was somehow STILL in that love-struck mode.   Where you appreciate everything and anything that person is or does.  Which is AMAZING.  And you could SEE it.  In their interactions.  The way they danced together.  The way they looked at each other.  It was real.  It was inspiring.  It still is.  It was the way all true love should be.  It was beautiful.
   
Now, I'm not saying that all relationships are peaches and cream ALL the time, everyone hits bumps in the road, but if we could at least HOPE to find true love at some point in our lives....Princess Bride style, we'd be a better race altogether. (Inconceivable?  We HOPE not.)

   

So cheers to finding it someday!  And if not?  Can't fault us for trying.  Cause THAT'S "As we WISH", in this day and age.  So we may as well relax and have fun storming the castle...cause we think it's all gonna work out.  No miracles necessary in this endeavor.  Time will tell if we are right...

   

In the meantime, there's this: 

Words on the Street. Read 'em and Weep. Or Maybe Just Getting Off of My Cloud Will Do...

Or laugh, or smile.  Or make absolutely no facial expression whatsoever.  It's all the same to me, you fancy animals.  East Village Street art is right here.  That's the "Trouble With Bliss"...

 You don't become a hero by being normal.  (which bodes well for yours truly....yes, very well indeed)

Poetic...

There's even words in the sky around THIS town.  Of course it's XBOX related.  Good thing we noticed the 5 jets pumping out words....cause for a minute there, thought the gods were communicating through the clouds.  And the Lordeth Said: "You will buy an Xbox"....which is really the LAST thing anyone would have expected to be transmitted down from the heavens...LOL

  

Tomorrow May Rain So, I'll Follow the Sun

And clouds.  Will follow them too.

And freedom (towers).  I'll follow them too.

The Beatles agree.

DANGER: Ninjas and Pirates and Lasers and Shit

Lmao!  I NEED THIS SIGN on my door.  Props to Jill for sharing!  Fantastic.  Ninja still for hire.  Launching "Pirate" jewelry line.  Like lasers.  Like times three! (and not just on Facebook...real life too)