my dad

My Dad came over for dins last night. He doesn't live nearby, but sometimes he has to be in town and he always stops by for a visit. It makes me glad that he saves this time for me. My Dad and I haven't always had the greatest of relationships, but I when he comes for a visit I feel like all that difficultness, harsh words and actions, are behind us and he can go back to being my hero, albeit on a much more human scale. (Turns out it's easier to forgive humans than heroes.)

He asked me what I'd been up to so I showed him this clip of Stephanie Dodd performing my monologue Dancer #3 last year. I wrote it specifically for Stephanie, for Jody Christopherson's Eschaton Cabaret (Bowery Poetry Club and Dixon Place, 2011-12), but here Stephanie performed it all by its lonesome at Sky Box.

I figured since I shared it with my Dad I'd go ahead and share it with you too. Some things to note: it was directed by Deborah Wolfson, original music from Anna Marquardt.

My favorite part is at the end when the audience seems really to take what she's saying to heart. I won't be a spoiler and tell you what it is, you'll just have to watch the whole 5 minutes and find out for yourself.

Things that bring me joy

1. Downloading a record onto my iPhone on the way to the subway stop so I have something new to listen to on the train. Today's lucky record is the new Ultraista. It came out in October last, so maybe I'm a touch behind, but it was either that or the playlist featuring Mala Rodriguez, Roots Manuva and Mary J that's been on eternal repeat for weeks. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.)

2. The reactions to my brand spankin new short play Puff Puff, which I performed with friend and long-time collaborator Ali Ayala at Sticky on Saturday night. We rocked it. The play was, well, people were offended. Actually deeply offended. But we kept them laughing the whole time, so they forgave me. The play was definitely in keeping with our theater project's mission statement: art for non fascist living, meaning that we seek at every turn to explore the foundations of our most fundamental beliefs in order that we may rule our ideas and not be ruled by them. The play was about rape, and let's just say I was not preaching to the choir. Jacquetta Szathmari said it was "ballsy," which, if you know Jacquetta... She also said "it was like you just rolled a big ol' scrotum right in here." So I feel badass, and I love that.

3. Still my coat. It's snowing, and I'm like toast. I mean I'm toasty.

4. That I still have two more projects happening in February: my monologue Karen, the result of a collaboration blind date between me and Homa Hynes by Mariah McCarthy, can be seen at Mariah's PussyFest at Joria Studios on 02/10, buy tickets; and Radio Mara Mara, starting its 3-show run on 02/18.

5. The express train arriving across the platform.

hey that's me!

This is more on the panel I mentioned for Fire This Time. I wasn't the only one who was moved to write about it, so I totes dig that.