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QUOI? (An explanation.)
I come from this era of kids who have the need to compulsively document & share everything. The old lolz catch-cry of “pics or it didn’t happen” has almost become a mantra. The more my life changes & the more exciting it gets, the more intense my urge to put it all on display becomes. This is exhibitionism taken to a whole new level.
xo GLD.
Dear two-thousand-&-amen…
Hello. We are so glad to see you!
I want to go to Coachella so much! Jay-Z, Vampire Weekend, Deadmau5, Passion Pit, Echo & the Bunnymen, Fever Ray, the Avett Brothers, La Roux, P.O.S., Wale, Kate Miller-Heidke, As Tall As Lions, Hot Chip, Major Lazer, Dirty Projectors, Z-Trip, the xx, the Raveonettes, Flying Lotus, Pretty Lights, Edward Sharp & the Magnetic Zeros, Phoenix, Orbital, De La Soul, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Yo La Tengo, Florence & the Machine, Yann Tiersen, Little Boots, the Glitch Mob & Mayer Hawthorne?! I just found out that Jazzi is going, OH MY GOD, okay, I am pretty much there.
Which means my prospective, tentative, who-the-hell-knows-really travel schedule for 2010 looks like this:
March: Austin TX (SXSW), back to NYC (The Dish’s birthday), LA (wedding!).
April: Indio, CA (Coachella).
May: Minneapolis (Soundset). Maybe. There is less Minneapolis drama this year & a lot of my friends will be there. I have been meaning to go forever, surely it is time?
June: Las Vegas (with Jess).
September/October(ish): India.
Nowhere near as frantic as last year but still pretty ridiculous.
Yesterday I went to Chanel & Louis Vuitton to see their SS collections — that’s Spring/Summer, not Schutzstaffel — & it was pretty great. I really love Louis Vuitton, they use colour so well & I adore the mix of classic design with fun, modern elements. They have these excellent dyed fox tails which you attach to your bag, in cotton candy pink & pistachio green etc. I really wish they weren’t real though, that makes me feel sad. Then after that I went to L’Institut Sothys for an oxygenating facial which was A to the MAZING. Word.
Today I’m going to Molly’s apartment to film some stuff (TOP SEKRET!) which should be fun/ridiculous. I have some ideas for a new blog I’m going to start which I am SO excited about. Last night The Dish & I went to Mercadito Cantina for dinner & I told him about it. He was like, “DO IT!”. So there you go. I do love a new project. I think that is part of being an ENFP, we lovelovelove to start things, but not finish them so much. I am getting better at being able to keep at things, though, maybe it is a benefit of getting old. (”Old”.)
“Shut up fuzzy, learn to shave.”
“Oh jesus! What did YOU look like at 15? I bet you were a hideous little freak like everyone else.”
“No way! Girls were droppin’ eggs around me! I couldn’t get any sleep for girls banging on my window.”
“Hahahah your autobiography should be called, ‘I Was A 15 Year Old Manwhore’. Or ‘Teenage Gigolo’!”
Fashion week is coming up. Helloooooo. The invitations have started rolling in, which is nice, hopefully there will be no sneaking into shows necessary, even though that can be fun! I was going to say “last year” but omg it wasn’t last year, it was TWO YEARS AGO, Yuli & I had such a great time, especially at Betsey Johnson! Her show is always the best one if you ask me. There is so much energy & flair, everyone enjoys themselves & they really do it up. I even know what I’ll wear. Haha, YAY.
Boring organisation update: I have started dividing my week up & it’s working really well. On Monday I answer emails & plan my week (articles, etc.). On Tuesday I write for iCiNG. On Wednesday I write for ChinaShop. On Thursday I do other writing, so extra articles, work on podcast, anything else I’m meant to be working on. & on Friday I do random stuff, whatever else needs doing. It’s good to be on a schedule, because otherwise I am directionless & go around in circles. If you’re similarly self-employed, try setting your week out like this, it really works.
“She was born with a silver spork in her mouth.”
Oh, & yes! I turned off comments here. Because… this is my life, & having comments enabled seems even more self-indulgent than having a personal blog in the first place ;D You can always email me if you need me!
P.S. Photos of me in the purple dress by Oh Chloe!
Right now… Honeysuckle & Bulgarian rose perfume, pink sequinned Betsey Johnson dresses, dreams & hopes for the new year, the bright colours of India, black ink pens & small Moleskine notebooks, French classes & writing groups, chocolate iced coffee, black wrapping paper & silver stick-on letters, stringing clear fairy lights all over the house, peppermint striped phalaenopsis orchids, writing love letters to my friends, Godiva chocolates in the pocket of my faux fur coat, post office boxes & oversized cups of coffee.
Christmas was wonderful; thank you for asking. I hope yours was too. The Dish bought me dresses & a watch, all from Betsey Johnson. I bought him motorcycle parts & some Pendleton shirts. We ate turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, string bean casserole, cranberry sauce & amazing gravy — pretty much identical to our Thanksgiving feast. Delish. Today I helped a friend go shopping at Alexander McQueen; afterwards we sat in a diner, sipping milkshakes & discussing our plans for world domination in 2010.
2009: the year that was.
Walking around Hollywood; Jazzi, Nubby & I with James St. James; Jake in Austin; technicolour swimming pools with Chloe; fabulous apartments; Christopher & Adam in Los Angeles; sunset rooftops with Nubby; Las Vegas with Barbie; après-runway weirdness; Hank Williams; Tompkins Square Park with Lydia; laughing with Chloe; The Dish & Tim Burton & Johnny Depp moments; fashion darling; with Rachel & Molly; Christmas dolly.
Compulsory review:
1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Gained the right to live in America. !!!!!!!!!! So good.
2. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My resolutions were more like mottos. They were:
more magic all the time
dream big
live the fairytale
take action
light the way
be a visionary
raw power
stay gold
& I think I did pretty much all of them other than the raw power bit. Which I am coming back to, again. When I am distracted or busy with other things, usually my positive eating & exercise habits are the first things to go. Now that I am more settled, it’s all coming back.
3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Nooooooope.
4. Did anyone close to you die?
Noooooooooooope. But I will say that I feel like the world lost some real, true magic when Michael Jackson died.
5. What countries did you visit?
Just New Zealand, the United States & Canada. But I went to a few places. Los Angeles (multiple times), San Francisco, Austin, New York (multiple times), Toronto, Auckland (multiple times), Wellington (multiple times), Las Vegas, New Jersey & Connecticut.
6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
A tropical vacation. PLEASE. Bring it on. I’m all over it.
7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
My brain doesn’t really work like that. I remember my first date with The Dish very vividly: he showed up at midnight on his motorcycle & we stayed up talking until sunrise. I remember running around Los Angeles with Jazzi & getting into trouble in Austin with Molly & Jake. It was a good year, ladies & gentlemen.
8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
I’m happy with my professional progress. & I’m really blissed out about meeting a man who makes me so happy. Especially because I wasn’t looking for it, which makes it even more wonderful.
9. What was your biggest failure?
Not so much failure, but the start of the year had its share of dumb boy drama.
10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I got a cold while I was in New Zealand. A few days on the magical potion & I was 100% again!
11. What was the best thing someone bought you?
I bought myself a MacBook Pro for Christmas :D
12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
Lots of people. The Dish. Jess. Helen. Jennie. Chloe. Jazzi. Molly. Etc.!
13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
No one really.
14. Where did most of your money go?
Plane tickets, as always!
15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Um, everything! I am always excited about SOMETHING!
16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
Last.fm says my top songs of the year were:
1 Atmosphere – Hockey Hair
2 Drake – Sooner Than Later
3 The Hold Steady – First Night
4 Atmosphere – Party For the Fight to Write
5 Soul Position – Keep It Hot For Daddy
6 Brother Ali – Pedigree
7 David Dallas – Indulge Me
8 Atmosphere – C’mon
9 Rob Roy – Rollercoaster baby
9 Atmosphere – Feel Good Hit of the Summer 2
9 P.O.S. – Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)
12 The Hold Steady – Magazines
12 Drake – Bria’s Interlude (f/Omarion)
12 Atmosphere – They Always Know
12 Living Legends – Watch Out!
17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
a) happier or sadder? The former.
b) fatter or skinner? The latter.
c) richer or poorer? The former. Word.
18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
Making out!
19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Procrastinating…
20. How do you plan to spend Christmas?
I spent it with my little family in New York. Me, The Dish & Hank Williams in the East Village. Wouldn’t have had it any other way.
21. Did you fall in love in 2009?
Yes. Very much so. It was less a fall than a wonderful, ongoing, swirling, twirling, stumbling tumble.
22. How many one night stands?
None! :D
23. What was your favorite TV program?
Flight of the Conchords. Entourage. Greek. Ugh & I just started watching Say Yes To The Dress which I am kind of obsessed with, gross!
24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
No. I actually have less “hate” than this time last year. Bonus! I would like to think that the older I get, the more loving I become.
25. What was the best book you read?
God, I don’t remember. Maybe Women by Buk.?
26. What was your greatest musical discovery?
When P.O.S. put out Never Better my brain pretty much exploded. Best album of the YEAR mos’ def’.
27. What did you want and get?
About 98% of what I wanted.
28. What did you want and not get?
About 2% of what I wanted… But it wouldn’t have been good for me to get it anyway. Thanks universe!
29. What was your favorite film of this year?
I don’t remember, I don’t watch a lot of movies.
30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I was 26 (OLD) & I spent it with my family in New Zealand.
31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Better time management.
32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Ladies who lunch on LSD.
33. What kept you sane?
Personal tenacity & belief in magic.
34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Oh get out.
35. What political issue stirred you the most?
Prop 8. So many of the videos made me cry.
36. Who do you miss?
All my friends in different cities, WHYYYYY do we have to be scattered across the earth like this?! (Answer: great travelling opportunities & so that we really appreciate the time we have together. Okay good, glad we solved that.)
37. Who was the best new person you met?
I met a lot of great people. I can’t even get into it. But it was a great year.
38. What was the best thing you ate?
I ate some really good nosh in Austin, & The Dish introduced me to a lot of amazing restaurants in NYC. His Thanksgiving turkey was pretty goddamn good, though.
39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009?
Life is really beautiful & wonderful. (Not so much a lesson as a summary.)
40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
I don’t need other people’s words!
Hello. Bonjour. Etc.!
I have been going nuts fitting out my office but still I want more. You have to understand I have not been able to buy anything domestic for almost two years & it has always been one of my vices. I need a little armchair for sitting in & thinking. Also at some point I will surely go crazy buying christmas lights & vases & pots for plants & candles, because I always do & I cannot help myself. Order MacBook Pro (debating 13″ vs 15″ & think I will go with 15). Order 1oz Ormus Gold & 1oz marine phytoplankton because I am crazy & I like to fill myself up with magical fluids. Glug glug. I want an orchid & over-the-knee boots (leather, not synthetic, I tried some synthetic ones on at Aldo on Tuesday & don’t sit right) & Post-It notes & new towels & new bedding & a Polaroid camera & a disco ball & some aqua aura quartz. A lot of these things are things I have owned several times before but didn’t bring with me. Let this be a lesson to you, NEVER THROW ANYTHING YOU LOVE AWAY OR YOU ARE DOOMED TO RE-BUY IT OVER & OVER & OVER AGAIN.
Oh, also I want to cure world hunger… ?!
I am making Christmas present plans & yesterday was Thanksgiving, wow. My first one. The Dish was obsessed with making it perfect (which of course I appreciated) & so over two days he prepared us a feast. Turkey, string bean casserole, roast vegetables, cornbread stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, red wine, pumpkin pie & whipped cream. Darling, you have no idea. It was obscenely good. It was his first time making a turkey & I think it was the best either of us had ever had. The boy can cook. Tick tick tick. Have I mentioned recently that he rocks my world?
I went shopping a week ago & this woman on the street stopped me because she was casting for a NARS beauty book. She took photos of me & gave me her card & it is legit but the whole thing made me feel really uncomfortable & she was weird. I called the agency because they left me voicemail & apparently they sent my pictures off to NARS, ha! I imagine some people would be over the moon if something like that happened to them but I just felt like I was in the middle of a practical joke.
This probably says more about me than I care to dwell upon.
I got an email from the ex-boyfriend of one of my best friends in high school the other day. It is full of questions.
Is there a reason or story behind the choice of “Gala Darling”, or is there little meaning and more of a ‘feel’? Is this your name legally? What do your parents call you? Do you know of anyone else that refers to you as “Flamin’ Gallah”, like Alf from Home and Away? When you do a Google Image search for gallah it comes back with pictures of birds that have a lot of pink, a spooky similarity to your old hair… is there something going on there, or just a remarkable coincidence? Do you want to have babies? If so, would they have experimental names, or would they start off being Michaels, Johns, Sarahs, or Emmas?
Here are some of the answers I sent back to him.
It is really mostly about the feel, there isn’t a story except for the fact that I decided I wanted a new name & so I put it out to the universe & then it came to me in a dream. I don’t remember much about the dream except that my name appeared written in the clouds, I woke up & wrote it down, & instantly knew that I had to adopt it as my moniker. Yes, it is my name legally. I filled in some forms & wrote a cheque & it was a done deed. I then had to get new documents (credit cards, IRD numbers, whatever) which is a bit of a pisser but not too bad. My parents call me Gala. My uncle does not & when he calls me by my old name I just give him a Look & ask, “Who?”. I think my friend Helen sometimes refers to me as a flamin’ gallah, & I think you two know each other actually. Sacarna? #route666? Yeah. Gallahs being pink & my hair colour of choice is, in fact, a total coincidence. I do not know if I want to have babies. I used to be very anti but now I am living with this boy I really really like & if he knocked me up I would actually be pretty okay with it… Except it is too early for that sort of talk, IF I was going to have children I would not want them until I was, say, 35. & they would have rad names. A pox on normal names. But if they wanted to change it later on down the road I would be as accepting as my parents were (exceptionally).
The other night I had an hour & a half call with my astrologer (Christopher from SoulGarden) & it was incredible. He told me so many things that were really helpful & allowed me to understand which direction to go in next.
Tomorrow night I am having drinks with Molly Crabapple, Star St Germain & Lola Dam Sorrow. Yes, all my friends have rad names. Coming up: multiple meetings with big companies who want me bad, CunninLynguists show, iCiNG’s third birthday (WHAT WHAT), etc.
How good does this sound?
“We have a shared workspace available for $263 in our 1200 foot work studio in Williamsburg near South 11th and Bedford. The bit that’s opening up is 160 square feet with three work walls, two large windows, 16 foot ceilings, wood floors. The other occupants are two other painters who are very, very rarely there –you’d usually have it to yourself and if you were inclined you could turn this bit completely private. There’s also a jeweler and a writer. It’s on the top floor of the building occupied by artists and such with communal slop sinks, two elevators, gorgeous views from space and rooftop. This space has very good light and a storage ledge in the back. The building is a huge old toy factory from the 1800s on the river (used to publish the old Wizard of Oz books here), quite eccentric. Basquiat worked here, there’s circuses and such, as well as a few floors of mixed Hasidic and hipstersque residents (the first floors are residential).”
Holy shit you have no idea how much I love GANGSTA LUV by Snoop Dogg.
Love & fairy vomit,
It is super dark moon time & everyone is sleepy. Quiet houses. Listening to music that is more crackles than melodies. Black fingerless gloves & cherry red fingernails. Heavy eyelids. Next week will be like a firecracker but until then things are grey, slow, shhhhh.
Since we last spoke…
I went to look at this apartment yesterday. The real estate agent knew who I was & we talked about Grace Coddington & BryanBoy. The place is great but weird. That space behind the bookshelf is too low to stand up in. So it would be good for slumber parties or worms but that is probably about it. It’s a big room, maybe it could just be a cave for after-parties &/or midgets. (Though I would probably change it into an enormous closet.)
I want this in purple & silver & black. Angora cardigans & high-waisted skirts. Dream journals & jambalaya! I keep making lists of things to change or do better. Drink more water, read more books, eat less meat, only make promises I can keep, be on time, schedule my day properly. Et cetera. I just got my Gold badge for SXSW. I love Austin & can’t wait to go back. Coming up: visit from Neil (Toronto). Party for Tim Burton. (HA!) Visit from Sam (London). RedBull B-Boy championships. See Stef (P.O.S.) play. & then it’s Thanksgiving?! I have never had Thanksgiving & we are planning a cutefest.
Picture time.
Those photos were by Lydia Hudgens.
Rooftop baby.
Chloe took those.
From: Sarah
To: GalaWas wondering if you’d be able to share some thoughts for my Sunday Life column. I’m writing it this week on being whimsical, and how to do whimsy. You’ve made a life of it. Maybe you could just let me know why you do whimsy. How the moment grabs you to do it. Is it a plunge? A curiosity? Does it make you happy? Creative? A precursor to creativity? Who do you regard as whimsical?
From: Gala
To: SarahI think whimsy is the only sane response to a world obsessed with mundane things. Celebrities, gas prices, “the recession”… Thinking about any of these things makes me feel like a dried-up husk. My motto for 2009 has been “more magic all the time” & I have let it take me wherever it wanted. It has led me from New Zealand to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Austin, New York, Toronto & Las Vegas, it threw me into a truly wonderful relationship & brought me a lot of happiness.
Whimsy to me is about spontaneity. If it’s premeditated, it doesn’t really count. Whimsy could be making up a song about your boyfriend, throwing a dance party at a moment’s notice, or just wearing two contrasting things. It’s about surprise & delight. Some people think whimsy is about being docile & delicate & a little dim, but I like my whimsy with a bit of bite.
Who do I think is whimsical? Two women that come to mind are Erin Fetherston, legendary fashion designer, & Leith Clark, editrix of Lula magazine. Girls with their own point of view & individuality, but who also work hard & make beautiful, tangible things. People who improve the world just by being in it.
That’s all for now. It’s half-past three on a Friday & I haven’t even scratched the surface of the work that needs to be done this week.
xo,
The Dish: can I put “inventor of the vampire emoticon” under your name on your biz card?
Hello!
What’s new? Here is what’s new with me. I joined the haunted mansion. I also filled in some tax forms, paid my lawyer, bought a pack of coloured monthly Moleskines for 2010, two bulletin boards, four coats & four bottles of vitamins.
Last week I had photobooth adventures with Loulou (visiting from London) & Molly (so good to see her!), a photoshoot in Soho with Lydia, fashion show & ridiculousness with Chloe (see below), another photoshoot in the East Village with Lydia, & also The Dish came back from Las Vegas! We got to spend the whole weekend together & it was the best.
So… I took Chloe to a fashion show. We traded hair in the last couple of weeks, her hair is now red/pink & mine is white. I was feeling really sleepy & unexcited & was going to stay home, but then Chloe texted me saying she was wearing false eyelashes & to get excited! So I got dressed up, jumped in a cab & went to the show.
She & I have both been sick & not-drinking for ages, so after two drinks we were completely useless, which means my memory of the night is not so great. But it looked like this…
So The Dish was in Las Vegas on business, boooooo, & as part of the conference he attended, he went to an 80’s themed party where Huey Lewis & The News were playing!!!
I sent him a text just before I went to sleep.
From: Gala
To: The DishSo envious of your Huey Lewis experience. If they play The Power Of Love, think of me :D
From: The Dish
To: GalaThey just did. I recorded it for you. Xoxo
Gosh, how cute. Have I mentioned recently that I love him very much?
Last night I went out for dinner with Mike Dooley, who is awesome. Did you know he is the person who gave me the idea to start the Love & Sequins podcast? Yes. It all happened during a phonecall I made from Austin, TX in March. Good times! Anyway, it was fun. This morning I wrote half of Love & Sequins #6, I would like to release it tomorrow. Also this morning I received a dog handbag (!!!) that was designed in homage to me, it has pink hair & is pretty rad. My vitamins arrived, THANK GOD, I have been whinging about not having them every day, & hopefullyyyyy tomorrowwwwwww I get my sparkly pink Fulmer helmet, YAY.
I have all these projects that I really want to get into but I am so buried under all the writing I have to do :<
I still do not know what I am going to be for Halloween! I think The Dish & I should be The Nanny & Mr Sheffield, hahahahah.
OHHHH MISTAH SHEFFIELD!
Okay that is all for now.
Love ever,
P.S. Hank makes the best Pocahontas.
“There’s nothing to mourn about death any more than there is to mourn about the growing of a flower. What is terrible is not death but the lives people live or don’t live up until their death. They don’t honor their own lives, they piss on their lives. They shit them away. Dumb fuckers. They concentrate too much on fucking, movies, money, family, fucking. Their minds are full of cotton. They swallow God without thinking, they swallow country without thinking. Soon they forget how to think, they let others think for them. Their brains are stuffed with cotton. They look ugly, they talk ugly, they walk ugly. Play them the great music of the centuries & they can’t hear it. Most people’s deaths are a sham. There’s nothing left to die.” — Buk.
…I heard people die while they’re trying to find them.
Hello! I have not written for a long, long time.
I am blonde now.
I am drinking a magical potion I made (one whole lemon, two tablespoons of manuka honey, a massive quantity of grated ginger, a generous pour of brandy, & some boiling water) while surveying the bedroom & thinking about packing the rest of my stuff. I have done most of it. It’s always the last part of a task that I drag my heels on — even though I love love love ticking things off my list. This is just how I am.
Tomorrow I fly back to America. I leave New Zealand at 7pm Sunday, & arrive in New York at 10pm on the same day. (I love that.) It is one hour to Auckland, a two hour wait, twelve hours to L.A., a two hour wait, & then six hours to NY. Let’s not think about that too hard. My plan is to sleep all the way to L.A. (my flight goes through the evening so this always works quite well) & then I will work on the plane until I get home. I have lots of email to get through & a bunch of writing to do, of course, as always, you know how it goes. I am synchronising my Google docs so I can be uber-productive on the plane. Quelle geek.
I am so excited & pleased I can hardly even express myself. Since May 2008, I’ve been bouncing around — America to Australia to New Zealand to America to France to New Zealand to America to Canada to America to New Zealand. I haven’t really had any sense of “home”, I haven’t lived anywhere longer than 90 days, & I’ve been rotating my wardrobe like mad purely out of necessity (right now it is split between three international locations).
Basically ever since I got back to New Zealand, I have been making lists of things to do when I got home again. It includes things like “Buy an American flag bikini & wear it shamelessly & relentlessly”, “Sign up for the haunted mansion” & “See Loulou for B&W photobooth pictures & silliness”. I am so excited, you have no idea. Ah. Ah. AHHHH.
THE BEST BIT is that I get to see The Dish & Hank Williams. I have missed them both so much. :D ! Being away from your favourite person for a month+ is hard work. & I really do love him. I just want to lie down on him for weeks on end. Actually I want to whisk him away to the Bahamas.
I am planning the raddest things, you have NO IDEA. In other news, isn’t it “thanksgiving” soon-ish? It will be my first one! & this will be my first American winter, too! (Brrrr, it’s cold in here, there must be some Toros in the atmosphere?)
If You Were Born Today, September 13: Extremely creative, you are also able to turn your creations into something practical. A born entrepreneur, you seem to have endless new ideas. A tendency to over-analyze your relationships should be watched. While you are fully capable of taking the lead, nevertheless you enjoy serving in some manner, whether it’s through teaching or simply finding joy in tending to others’ needs. Famous people born today: Ben Savage, Jean Smart, Mel Torme, Roald Dahl, Jacqueline Bissett, Nell Carter, Fiona Apple.
Your Forecast: The Sun in harmonious aspect to the Moon in your Solar Return chart is a pleasant aspect, suggesting that your domestic and career needs are not in competition with one another this year. Your inner needs tend to be mirrored by external events, and vice versa. You are likely to be on top of your game this year for the most part, and positive connections with others can be made fairly easily. A comfortable level of personal popularity helps keep conflict to a minimum. With the ability to handle your emotions successfully, there will be less stress on both your mind and body. Your self-confidence and positive attitude will reward you!
Saturn has passed its transiting conjunction to your Sun, and you are likely to feel a lighter load in terms of responsibilities and obligations this year.
Mercury is square Pluto in your Solar Return chart, which introduces some intensity in your thought patterns and interactions with others. Try to avoid coming on too strong with your opinions. You are hungry for deeper meaning, but a suspicious attitude, or making mountains out of molehills, won‘t serve you well. Some secretiveness is possible. At times, you may have a troubled mind and some mental anxiety. On the other hand, it can suggest the ability to engage in deep, penetrating communication this year. Mercury governs speech, and you will need to watch what and how you communicate. Something you write or say could lead to opposition from others. Your need to investigate and read between the lines is strong this year. It’s best used for research and increased awareness of psychological motivations, both of others and yourself.
Venus opposite Jupiter, Chiron, and Neptune around the time of your birthday this year puts the focus on love and romance in your life, but you could encounter problems due to overblown expectations or excessive behavior. You may overindulge your various appetites whether for social intercourse, food, sex, candy, alcohol, or whatever tickles your fancy. You might also fall for fantasies of people rather than for who they really are. Find a way to strike a balance between self-gratification and the obligations of daily life. Try to avoid taking risks with love and finances that stem from restlessness or unrealistic expectations. There’s no reason not to have some fun with this sociable energy, but you would be wise to keep things in moderation.
Mars is in creative aspect to both Jupiter and Saturn, which gives a very nice feeling of purposefulness and conviction. You are able to hold yourself together well, and deal with others both straightforwardly and responsibly.
Jupiter conjunct Chiron and Neptune in your Solar Return chart suggests that idealistic and humanitarian goals or impulses have more significance in your life this year. You may experience an increased need for greater understanding, wisdom, and awareness, as well as increased interest in the healing arts and holistic health this year. It may be a time during which you reconsider or revamp your personal belief system. Everyday, ordinary life may not always satisfy, as you hunger for a more idealistic life.
Saturn in opposition to Uranus around the time of your birthday suggests some restlessness. Attempts to assert your individuality, freedom, and originality undermine your feelings of groundedness and security. Yet, you are not satisfied when you conform. There may be sudden and unexpected twists that force you to do something different or that help free yourself from old habits. Adjusting your plans is in order, and striking a balance between convention and innovation is the challenge. Setbacks tend to be temporary and often lead to new, more creative paths or solutions. Ambivalence is likely and could color many of your interactions.
You’re likely to make new friendships and enjoy good times with an especially cooperative and accepting disposition this year. However, a tendency to put your faith in the wrong people or projects is quite strong, and to overdo indulgences in pleasures. Overall emotional balance benefits you in all life departments.
2009 is a Number Six year for you. Ruled by Venus. This is a year of relative contentment. It is a time when love is the easiest to attract, and partnerships formed under this vibration have a better chance for longevity. You are able to attract others, and material things as well, this year. This is a good year for establishing harmony in the family and in the home. Advice - develop existing relationships, be positive and receptive because these kinds of energies help you to attract what you desire.
2010 will be a Number Seven year for you. Ruled by Neptune. This is a year of preparation, chance, and refinement. It is not a time of dramatic changes. Instead, it’s a year when reflection on the past is helpful, and when refinements to your life path should be made. It’s a good year to study and analyze. Unexpected twists to your life story and “chance” meetings are probable. Advice - take stock of your life in order to prepare for more exciting years to come, examine the past and plan for the future, get in touch with your deepest needs and uncover your personal power, don’t strain yourself or actively try to expand.
Dinner.
& again.
Schedule:
Las Vegas.
New York.
Auckland.
New York.
London.
New York.
& all before the 23rd of September. HI-LAR-IOUS. Hilarious!!!!!!!!
Anyway, I think all of the events will be fun. I am staying in rad hotels & seeing good people. What’s a few hours in an airplane really? I ask you! I arks you! Ha! I can’t wait to see my momma & poppa.
YAY I just found out I am going to get drinks with David Dallas & the beautiful Leilani when I am in Auckland, good times. I am actually really looking forward to Auckland, hopefully I will get to see Timmy Crunk & Erin & Ana & Adam & Alex, & go to my favourite shops (World, Ricochet, et al), walk around Little High Street, spend exorbitant amounts of money at Unity Books (besssssst bookstore everrrrrrr), etc. & go to Rakinos! My old favourite! Yes’m!
With Nadia <3
I am Nubby’s life coach. I made her join a gym (ahem, haunted mansion), I’m trying to get her a job (I will be successful) & I’ve been force-feeding her vitamins every morning. Whipping her into shape!!!
So I just found out Kerin Rose goes to the haunted mansion too. We are going to sweat it up together… Sexy.
Yesterday I went & had lunch with my editors from ChinaShop at a fancy Thai restaurant full of blossoms in jars. I hadn’t met them before so it was rad to see that they were just as excellent as I thought they would be. We drank ginger beer with flowers in it & talked about fun new assignments & creative challenges. I’m all over it. They sent me packing with an assortment of RedBull drinks & when I got home, I saw this. Sheesh.
I got a bunch of really slutty underwear in the mail yesterday. It was so exciting. No really, you think I’m exaggerating but I am not. I am talking one-pieces with lots of straps & o-rings & pink leopard-print mesh covered in sequins (NOT EXAGGERATING THAT IS THE EXACT DESCRIPTION OF ONE OF THE THINGS I GOT), & “wicked fairy” costumes (I am going to wear it today I think even though it is a bit ~*~goth~*~ but whatever, whatever, I love it, it is cute), & fishnets & sequinned suspender belts (FOR REAL) & other silly things. I also got a package from Charlotte Russe full of cute things, like two-tone over-the-knee socks, underwear, a t-shirt with a motorcycle on it (HA!), a dress, a cute zippered sweatshirt, etc. Yay. Yay. Yay. Consumerism is fantastic. So there.
Every few months I go through an obsessive phase with Ginuwine’s Pony. I also love to listen to old P.Diddy tracks sometimes. & on Monday I made a playlist in iTunes called shitty rnb full of old favourites like Ginuwine, Ne-Yo, LL Cool J, Omarion, Bone Thugs et al.
On Monday I read half of Murakami’s What I Talk About When I Talk About Running while I was getting a pedicure. It is so great. I have missed his writing, I haven’t read any of his stuff in a very long time. Anyway, if you are looking for a nice easy read, you should pick it up.
On Broadway, Soho, photo by Nubs.
But as it stands, I stay content, trying to be the magic man, trying to pay my rent…