Utrecht

Off to the Netherlands to reconnect with Chrissta and Bas! I havent seen them since their spectacular, week-long, Caribbean wedding last April and Im pumped to finally see their home in Utrecht.  Bas took us to this beautiful restaurant called De Zakken Drager. Soft light from various chandeliers and candles twinkled off cast iron details and ornate mirrors. The back of the restaurant looks almost like a greenhouse with slanted glass windows and lush, hanging plants. Id love to come back in the summer and sit outside. 

Next we headed over to Bas and Chrissta's favorite watering hole, Oliver's to sip on some Le Chouffe. Its an old building that used to be a church and looks almost like an old apothecary store too. I loved the high ceilings and old organ on the second floor. On game days, there is a big screen projected onto the wall so all can enjoy the action. 

 Bas said good night after a beer (hes a working man!) and his cousin Theirry came to join Chrissta and I at her favorite jazz bar. There was a jam session that night and a SUPER BABE of a saxophone player was belting out a funky version of a Bob Marley song when we entered. Sweet.

We ate, drank and were merry. So good to be reunited :)

Helmut Newton and the BaseMent

Last thursday I caught up with my new, bucket-list-blasting babe of a friend, Sunita, to check out the latest Helmut Newton exhibition at the Museum für Fotografie called "World Without Men/Archives de Nuit François-Marie Banier: Portraits".  Newton gained notoriety shooting editorials for major fashion houses and magazines beginning in the 1960's. His images are lavish, seductive and beautifully composed inviting the viewer into a world where women are powerful, rich, lean and aggressive with lots of bare breasts, pouty lips and pubic hair.

Helmut in action.

This makes me want to paint a life-sized, nude self-portrait with big hair and heels. Ill call it "After Helmut." I think Ill wait til the end of summer when I have some nice tan-lines ;)

This one if Twiggy is my fave. Look at that flying cat!

YSL

After the exhibit Sunita and I parted ways for the afternoon, planning to meet up later to find some trouble, so I headed over to Kreuzberg and sat down to do some writing and sip on a Kindl in my fav coffee shop. I was soon chatted up by a some dude who told me of a black and white photo exhibition opening down the street at a hair salon/bar called the BaseMent. Perfect.  Sunita and I rolled up later that night to a small, smoky venue with what looked to be gay, necrophilic porn plastered up all over the walls. Very "Marilyn Manson meets Diane Arbus" (and not really in a good way), but the music was good, the DJ was hott and the drinks were cheap. 

 I found that "Pornceptual" is the work of Brazilian artist Chris Philips after I introduced myself to him. It felt good to speak portuguese again.

LOVE the Givenchy piercing!!

Sweet Sunita

I was most happy to meet Valentino, an adorable Italian, who like most of us artists, is a photographer that has a day job as a hair dresser at the salon in BaseMent. 

After the show we hopped along down the road to a club and danced the night away. Just a lovely little thursday :) 

Paul

My roommate (or flatmate, as Paul says. "We dont share a room, right?") is awesome and totally hilarious. The first night we went out he took me to his favorite indie rock club, Rosi's in Friedrichshain. Before we left, we sat at the table in the kitchen talking story and getting to know one another. Paul drank about 9 Schwipp-Schwapp martini's and like most cool people, got increasingly louder and more funny as each slurped down.

 

 

The trem ride to Rosi's was equally as entertaining with Paul whispering his rambling commentary on all the passengers who appeared to be as messed up as he was. I was laughing so hard I think I peed my pants. Twice.

Before we entered the club, Paul pulled two flask-sized bottles of vodka out of his bag, handed one to me and stuffed the other down his pants. "Hide this! We will buy cokes and add this to them! Here we are!", he said, slapping the bottle into my hand. I smiled and did as I was told. We got inside and I surveyed the place: dirty and poorly lit with cheap drinks, a young crowd, and system pumping out my favorite Strokes song, it was exactly where I wanted to be. Paul headed to the front and dropped his bag on the floor. I heard a dull CRACK and laughed when I realized he shattered his glass flask, mere seconds after we got inside. Unaware, he started stuffing his sweater and jacket into his back and hoisted it up over his shoulder, smiling, with vodka seeping out of the bag, wetting his pants. Awesome. I headed to the back to find the toilet, grab a coke and let Paul dance it out for a couple minutes before I took him outside. When I got back, Paul had created a little space all to him self and proudly waved me over. Then I noticed he had blood all over his hands and the left side of his body from the glass shards in his bag slicing him with every Michael Jackson hip shake, as cute as it was. Needless to say, I grabbed him and took him outside to clean him up. "NO, my mobile phone!" he shrieked when his 2003 model dinosaur Nokia landed in the leaves. When I explained what had happened, he looked at himself, smiled, held up his bloody hands said, "Oh hey, HIV FOR FREE!!" HAHHAa. 

Golden Afternoon

A friend of mine has the good fortune of being a sailor on the Woodwind II, a catamaran that sails out of Zephyr Cove, Nevada. I have the good fortune of being invited for a sunset cruise on a lovely Thursday afternoon. 

The man with the plan. 

I loved feeling the wind in my hair and the waves underfoot. Truly an inspiring and rejuvenating experience. 

Berlin: Touristas

My dear friends and I started our day in Friedrichshain, an artsy, student-populated neighborhood with fantastic cafes, galleries and bars, located in eastern Berlin. 

The next day, we walked though Tiergarten, hot coffees and warm pastries in our hands.

I was in high spirits in my new silk dress on the first warm, sunny day since arriving in Berlin. My only regret was not having a bike to cruise around on like the other happy Berliners.

We walked thorough Tiergarten and down to the Siegessäule.

Next, Brandenburger Tor.

After a marvelous day, we went home, took off our walking boots, had a large bier and watched the sun go down. Perfect.