Atlantic City - the final day in NJ

Oh Atlantic City. Your wonders are many and extremely entertaining.
We went to a psychic and for a half tarot reading, she was VERY thorough. Here's the breakdown:

• I don't like taking orders from others too well and I should think of my own business...
• A change of address is coming soon
• When asked if I thought about having children, my reaction was a hearty laugh followed by "No no no no nooooo". She laughed and said to expect children very soon. How soon? I'll find out I'm preggers in NOVEMBER. Lolwut?? Aaaaaaaand I'm supposed to have 3 kids - 2 boys and 1 girl. Ummmmmm NO
• Marriage is on the horizon around the time I'm 33/34 (not too far away) even though I was *supposed* to get married when I was 28. Again, lolwut?? She asked me what happened and why I didn't get married then and I didn't have an answer.

• She said someone around me is very very jealous of me right now so be aware of that. I kinda sense what she's talking about, actually...
• And I smile with my face but my heart is sad. Hmmmm...
• She also said that I'm feeling particularly lucky today and I should expect a lot of money coming to me today. Yeah, so what do me and Cassie do? Gamble. Do I win? Not really. I evened out quite a lot so it wasn't a total loss...

Fun fun fun. Actually, I wouldn't mind going back to that same gal and having her do a full card reading - just to see what else she can find out about me...
Good times! I was impressed with the "Las Vegas of the North East"! I'd love to come back and spend a full day and night gambling some allowance money (away from my savings account - far far away) and partying it up, seeing some lights, checking out a show and all that good stuff. Hopefully that will definitely be on my horizon very very soon!

Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.

As with all good things, my trip to Jersey has come to an end

And what a trip it was! I got fireworks on the very first night at Seaside Heights. Got something airbrushed. Went to the Secret Stash AND the Clerks Quick Stop (yep, you're never going to hear the end of that). Liberty Science Center. Experienced a Drag Show at Asbury Park. Rock and Roll Karaoke. Bro Central. Good ole family fun. Work-related things (obvs). Participated in 2 classes back to back (apropos). Watered down Seaside Heights club scene. Beach, beach and more beach. And the most important thing of all: quality time with Cassie. Although the kitchen karaoke might've been a little too much but I think overall, I was a pretty good house guest. I hope she's not totally sick of me already! Especially because I think I talked her face off about the View Askewniverse and all the nerdy things in my life. I guess all the office dish I gave her was fair.

This trip was non-stop and I loved it! I'm almost sad that it's over but I am kinda missing my old man back home and I'm pretty sure he's kinda missing me too. And I can't wait for all the goodies that are awaiting me at work. Can you just feel the love? Me too.

Tonight, we celebrated the 4th by watching 10, yes 10 fireworks shows from Union Beach. I was so amazed that if you're on any shoreline here during a holiday like 4th of July, you can see fireworks shows happening at the same time at multiple beaches in New York AND New Jersey. It was amazing! We were able to catch 5 simultaneous fireworks shows the other night from the Clam Hut - which was crazy - so having 10 shows tonight at the shore was beautiful! There's NOTHING like that in Atlanta...

I also learned what a zeppole was tonight. And a zeppole is freaking delicious. I wish we had those readily available in Atlanta...*le sigh*

I also learned that I suck at carnival games. I tried but I guess I'm not competitive enough. I think Cassie is competitive enough for the both of us. That's why she won us two cheetah/leopard stuffed animals.
Meet Sebastian.

So this is it. My last full night in Jersey.

Since I'm flying out of Atlantic City tomorrow, we're going to *try* and get up early to get to AC early enough to have a little of the AC experience - which I'm really excited about. That way, I can get my Mom her mandatory magnet and maybe get a little something for a co-worker who was supposed to join me but couldn't. Let's hope I don't get caught up in Eli Roth's Tumblr. That kept me up for a good few hours last night (and so did the Red Bull vodkas)...

Happy Fourth everyone!
Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.

Jersey, Jersey I am disappoint

Jersey?! What's going on? Last night was fun. I got the watered down version of Jersey Shore-style partying at Windansea with DJ Encore - who gave me a sort of shout out with "ATL in the building" and a CD (which I can't wait to load up on my phone when I get home for some in-office listening)...but tonight...Jersey, I am very disappoint.

First we partied it up at the UB house with the family for a soggy pre-4th of July bar-b-que (which was a little overwhelming) but it was still fun. Then, we did a little karaoke in the kitchen after everyone left. Well, me and Cassie's old man did some karaoke and probably irritated Cassie a l'il bit...then we decided to go out with Cassie's friend who was partying in Red Bank. Good old Red Bank. Home of the Secret Stash, of course. But what awaited us was something I would never flock to back in the A: bros. Lots and LOTS of bros. It's Jersey, so that's to be expected but...not like this.
We met up with Cassie's friend at The Downtown, a place whose upstairs area (where we were) reminded me a little of the layout of 529. But what was going on upstairs was truly a sight to behold: Rock and Roll Karaoke with a live band. Yes, a live band. Sounds awesome, right? It kinda was. The guitarist reminded me a little of Doc Hammer but he looked like he was totally hating life all night. Like, "Okay, that guy decided to be a smart ass and request Sweet Child O' Mine so I have to play that fucking guitar riff..." Poor guy. And the crowd - not the type of crowd I would party with back in Atlanta that's for DAMN sure.
Anyways, people were enjoying themselves while I watched the guitarist expressing a little of how I was feeling at that point but I was still having a good time since I was doing something I wouldn't normally do. Expanding my horizons - always a good thing. But then these bitches started talking shit to Cassie for some reason - even though they were the ones who couldn't stop bumping into people as they danced around like drunken fools (to be totally expected). Now, I know Cassie can take care of herself, absolutely, and I was too busy working off my all day buzz by focusing all my concentration on the situation that was slowly unfolding in front of me - hoping that there wouldn't be a fight. While all of that was going on, I didn't realize that I did my old high school fight move of moving my high profile ring from my ring finger to my middle finger (for maximum face damage to the unsuspecting victim). Luckily there was no fight, even though the girls kept point at Cassie and flipping her off. Cassie handled it like a true lady and for that, I salute her. But I told her that it's kids like that that make me not go to places like that and that's probably why Doc Hammer's dopplegänger was hating life too. I hope he got paid some good money for that gig...

But the whole time I've been here, Cassie has been having me compare the places we've been going to here to places in Atlanta and I have to say that I couldn't find an equivalent to The Downtown because that's not my scene. At least with Paradise I could say it's like Jungle, Funk and Standard is like Junkman's Daughter-ish but the way it used to be before it was in the building it is now, Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash is my new mecca BTW, Windansea is like a mashup of MJQ and dress code clubs (like Opera or Cosmo/Lava-which I don't go to) and then there's The Downtown. It was like Athens threw up in there. I was kinda wishing we were back at Windansea for some party rock shuffling.

But I guess there's always "those girls" everywhere - which is what I told Cassie. There can't always be winners. Like I said, at least I did something I would never do at home unless it was somewhere I would normally go. I don't know though. I bet there's a place like that somewhere in Atlanta - live rock band karaoke - I just have to find it and check it out for myself...

Tomorrow is my last full day in Jersey so let's see what the mood will bring. Hopefully I'll get more love because I'm still reeling over the negativity from Paradise and tonight. Yikes! Maybe I didn't get enough sun so some beach time is definitely in order...

Happy Fourth everyone! Stay safe and spread the love! <3 <3 Katzi S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.

Here's some rock and roll karaoke antics for your viewing pleasure:

Paradise Lost

New Jersey. WTF happened?! You were winning me over with your insane charm but today...WHAT THE FUCK?!

Here's the deal - I researched the "hottest drag show" in all of New Jersey and came up with a place in Asbury Park called Paradise. I mean, if Raja (from RuPaul's Drag Race) is performing there, it HAS to be good, right?
Ummmm...define your definition of "good", New Jersey, please, because I don't think I understand.

The drag show at Paradise was good BUT the hostess, Juliza Alezae, said it was going to be a "long show with a bunch of performers". Now, in Atlanta, "a bunch of performers" is the amazing lineup at Tijuana Garage or those badass ladies at Blake's but in New Jersey, "a bunch of performers" means 4. Yep, only 4.

Oh, and don't let me forget the HATERS. Holy shit, I've NEVER seen so many haters in my life! But apparently, Jersey is full of haters. People here don't like to mingle, from what I've seen and been told. People show up in cliques and stay there. There's no interaction whatsoever and people just do NOT talk to others outside their groups and that really pisses me off. I had totally hyped up this drag show to Cassie - based on my experiences in Atlanta - and it was totally NOT the same. We sat next to these guys that were talking shit about me because I was *gasp* actually interacting with the show! What?! Who the fuck am I??? Yes, I was yelling and encouraging the hostess (Juliza Alezae) with her jokes and banter and the guys next to me were NOT having it at all. Boo on them (and I was so happy when they finally left). And people were just not into it like I was. I was yelling my support for ALL the performers (although there was one performer, Octavia, that should TOTALLY perform in Atlanta). But it felt like people were just really cliquey and not having it at all. For once on this trip, I felt like the tourist for having a good time and engaging with the show.
Wow. Seriously. I feel like I have been taking my experiences in Atlanta for granted now. Shit, even my awesome gay bar/club experiences in New York - all those have been taken for granted because here in Jersey, it's so not even like that at all and that hurts my heart.
It could be because I'm still a little tipsy right now but I don't know. I felt like the performers needed more audience participation but the audience was too cool or too snobby to give it to them.
Shit, even on the fucking dance floor I felt the cold shoulder.
What's up with that, Jersey?! I've been loving you so hard so far and the gay scene is, like, not even what I expected at all. I was hoping for more love but I guess everyone was too busy eye-fucking themselves in any reflective surface, too busy hating on the performers to spread the love and too busy hating in general to spread the love on the dance floor. That makes me sad.
We'll see what other treats I have to look forward to...and let's hope they're filled with more love and less hating...

Katzi
S.L.Y.A.D.S.I.

PS - if ANY of those performers from the drag show tonight performed in Atlanta, I bet you they would get all the love and recognition they totally deserve because all those ladies were AMAZING tonight and I'm just really sad and upset that the show wasn't longer

Jersey - Day 2: The View Askewniverse

My second day in Jersey was AMAZING. First, we started where everyone should start: the beach. We went to Sea Bright and got some sun on the beach. We even braved the chilly waters of the North Atlantic and waded around until the water was somewhat bearable. Me personally, I'm used to the warmer beaches of the South Atlantic. Think Jacksonville, FL...
After that, we headed to Cassie's favorite store Funk and Standard. If you're from Atlanta, think of it as like, the Junkman's Daughter of this particular neighborhood. After that, we headed over to a thrift store across the street. While I was looking for Foursquare check-ins for that particular thrift store (which I couldn't find, hence I can't remember the name of it), I saw Jay and Silent Bob's Secret Stash on the list of check-ins where I was and it was 35 feet away. I started to freak out.
Of course I knew Kevin Smith and View Askew crew (nice) were from Jersey but I never think about things like that! What kind of fangirl am I? Of course we had to go check it out!!

So here we were, outside the Secret Stash. Holy shit. All my high school memories of Clerks and Mallrats came flooding back. This was it. This was the place I had seen in many an interview about the whole Jay and Silent Bob phenomena - AFTER it had been actualized. I was there. I was totally there!!
Once we were actually inside, I was in complete awe. It was full of comics, memorabilia and more. I recognized Brodie's corner instantly and remembered that scene in Chasing Amy about "tracers".

Then, we were lucky enough to have some quality time with Mooby AND Buddy Christ - which was AMAZING.

Aaaanyways. After I was done nerding out and giving Cassie a little too much of my (limited) knowledge of Kevin Smith and how Clerks was made and my experience with Mallrats and how Kevin Smith kind of helped me hone in on my dream of being a filmmaker (it's still alive - most days) in the 90's, she told me she could take me to THE Quick Stop where they filmed Clerks. WHAAAAAT?!?!?!?!! It was a real place? Yes. (Of course it was) It was actually called "Quick Stop"? Yes. Was it open? Yes. Holy shit. We were going. We were going to THE Quick Stop.

As we pulled up, I nerded out some more and took photos (of course) and noticed there were some kids hanging around at this abandoned place across the street with their skateboards. As we went inside, I looked around in total awe...of a freaking convenience store. I mean, who the fuck gets all giddy from being at a freaking convenience store? This chick does. Because I will say that Clerks, in all its vulgarity and silliness and relatable-ness, was one of my favorite movies as a teenager. I mean, who hasn't felt like Dante every once in a while? I had to resist the urge to say "I'm not even supposed to be here today!" while at the register AND as we exited, out of all the lines from Clerks to utter, "Hey-try not to suck any dick on the way through the parking lot!" was the only line I could think of at that particular moment. That and "She sucked 37 dicks." "In a row?". WHY? Why oh why were the only lines the fucking dick ones? Oh well. At least I got out one "I'm not even supposed to be here today" in the parking lot before we left.

So - to recap: beach, Jay and Silent Bob, dick jokes. Holy shit. 17 year old me is really impressed with that. So is current me. It was really fucking amazing! I even bought some Monroeville Zombies t-shirts at Jay and Silent Bob's - which was awesome because now I have a gift to bring back my old man. Everybody wins!

Oh sweet, sweet New Jersey...you're really shaping up to be quite the vacation for a nerd like me. And to think, the Jersey Shore was all I could think of as being quintessential Jersey. NO! The View Askewniverse is HERE! Why on earth could I not remember that??? Oh well. It was definitely a wonderful surprise. Hopefully, there will be more to come!!

Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.
"I'm not even supposed to be here today!"

Seaside Heights - My experience at the Jersey Shore

When you think of the Jersey Shore, I'm sure you automatically think of the MTV crew: Snooki, JWOWW, etc...Well, I was there, at Seaside Heights yesterday and let me tell you the Jersey Shore is actually quite pleasant! For people like me that live in a land-locked city like Atlanta, the Jersey Shore is unlike anything I've ever seen before! I kept thinking how it would be in ATL if we had a boardwalk with boardwalk food and games all within our reach. Would ATLiens be too cool for that?
I've been to a few boardwalks but this one is something else. I mean, I did see the quintessential Jersey pouf on one or two young ladies but everyone was quite...normal. I'm not trying to say that I was expecting clones of the Jersey Shore cast but a tiny piece of me was hoping to see a few - which I did but they didn't really stick out like the people on the show - which could be a good thing. The store where I got my hoodie (the epic sparkling unicorn) was filled with nice people working there. The lady at the register and the airbrush artist actually engaged with us and made jokes and were really sweet. I don't know if I'd find the same kind of attitude at Coney Island. BUT Coney Island is considerably smaller than Seaside Heights, so I would imagine people wouldn't really hang around for too long since you can pretty much do everything within a few hours.


Seaside Heights is sort of the same, though. The boardwalk is like an endless loop of games, food, rides, bars and shops. You really don't have to go too far on the boardwalk to do everything but the people watching is insane! There were so many different kinds of people just walking around and enjoying the shore that it was actually pretty great. But that still got me thinking: what if Atlanta had a shoreline with a boardwalk? What would it be like? I'm sure there would be a Karma-type club (which was packed on a Wednesday night!), there would probably be a Bamboo-type club but would there be an MJQ-type place just off the boardwalk? Would it be like East Atlanta by the shore? Would it be like Buckhead reborn? Who knows! The possibilities are endless. I guess you could say that maybe Underground was kind of supposed to be something like that but that just makes me think that a Boardwalk situation wouldn't really do well in Atlanta - unless maybe the Real housewives did stuff there? Maybe?? Something tells me that wouldn't really make a difference. But I'm sure that if I lived by a boardwalk, the novelty would wear off pretty quickly. Unless, maybe, a hit TV show made it popular...
They LOVE the Jersey Shore cast and what the show has done for Seaside Heights. I'm sure tourism has really gone up since the show started and you know what? I'm happy to contribute.
Viva la Jersey Shore!
Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.

Mermaid Parade - the videos!

As promised, here are the videos of the Mermaid Parade!

Part 1:


Part 2:


Here's an interesting ragtime (?) band we encountered on the boardwalk:


And here's the dance off! Sorry for the "Cloverfield"-type camera action. I had some pretty tall people to maneuver around...


I know I have some on my Canon PowerShot - I just have to look through my haul. Keep a look out for more!

Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.

2011 Mermaid Parade

I try to go to New York at least once a year to see my nieces and this year, I was able to work in the Mermaid Parade.  Aaaactually, I kinda scheduled this trip around the Mermaid Parade since I have never been before and I will say - it's the BEST thing ever, besides NYC for Halloween (which I HIGHLY recommend).  But this trip was very special for another reason: I have done the most things I've ever done in NYC in the shortest amount of time.  Like, as soon as I got off the plane, we were off and running!  And it included my first ever karaoke experience (as a singer and not just a spectator).

First things first - let's talk about the Mermaid Parade. New Yorkers are so creative.  I mean, who thinks of a freaking Mermaid Parade?!  Brilliant!  It's quite the sight to see.  The costumes are original, people get all kinds of creative (including us!) and you never know who you might run into...

But because it's the Mermaid Parade, you have to watch out for the pervs taking advantage of photographing scantily clad women.  I get it - it's summer and hot and Mermaid-y but be aware of the pervs!  Okay - PSA over.

Speaking of photos, the parade is a great opportunity to capture a lot of creative New Yorkers.  Check out the Flickr Pool my step-sister started.  LOTS of great images and energy.  The people around us were giving us our own commentary - which was hilarious - and I feel like our spot on the fence we ended up getting was pretty good considering we left the house a little late.

After the parade, we made our way to the boardwalk.  I will admit, the first time I had ever been to Coney Island was about 4 years ago in August and it was the most depressing train ride and depressing time ever (for me, anyway) but I did get a hot dog from Nathan's (which I've been wanting to do) but still - it was kind of a sad trip, so I was kind of meh about the whole boardwalk experience...until we were up there, walking around the mermaids, pirates and costumed parade goers.  It was great!  We were running around taking photos of people we missed or didn't get a clear shot of, we ran into Sheryl Yvette (Bitch Cakes blog)

And dodged breaking glass.   Yes, New Yorkers are still feisty at the Mermaid Parade...

Aaaaaaanyways, the REAL party wasn't on the boarwalk though. Oh no. It was tucked away on a patch of asphalt where they usually have flea markets set up (apparently). The real party was the always entertaining dance circle that seems to happen in clubs (thought not so much anymore because people are too cool to dance). Yes, the dance circle. Most of the dancers within the circle were AMAZING. People were throwing it down and doing it hard - which made us think they were a bunch of kids going to school for dance.  Not surprising.  But it was inspiring.  As I recorded footage with my trusty Flip Cam (which really belongs to my Dad but I've held onto it the entire time), I spotted him.  He was like a shining light on the other side of the dance circle.  It was the one and only Benny Ninja.  You might know him from a little show called America's Next Top Model and you might know him as THE Vogue Master. I couldn't resist. We had to talk to him! Normally, I'm extremely star struck (as I was with Sheryl Yvette a few hours earlier) and I was afraid I was going to do / say something totally stupid but I didn't!  I actually didn't!  AND I have the photo to prove that I met Benny Ninja in all his fabulous glory!


I must say that both Sheryl Yvette and Benny Ninja were totally awesome about letting us take their photos. Actually, everyone was great about letting us take their photos! And I'm so glad we got amazing feedback for our own mermaid costumes! We were a little worried about leaving the house in such a small amount of clothing but it was totally worth it because we looked freaking amazing!

I hope to be able to experience the Mermaid Parade again soon. It was a really great time. If you all get a chance to go, DO IT!! It's awesome! If you can't make the parade, there's always Halloween!

Check out the Flickr Pool (and add stuff if you were there!) and I hope to have videos up very soon!

Love and kisses,
Katzi
S.L.Y.A.S.D.I.