Stacy Horn

Dan Aykroyd’s father Peter Aykroyd has written a book called The History of Ghosts, for which Dan provided the introduction. They’re both giving a presentation at the 92nd Street Y next Sunday and I’m going to introduce them! Then after their presentation I’m going to ask them some questions and then moderate an audience Q&A after that.

Today is dedicated to getting ready. I’ll be finishing up my introduction and then I’ll come up with questions. That part should be pretty easy. I’ve been answering and asking questions about this subject since March.

Here’s a picture of a house one block over on Perry. I’m positive I photographed this same house last year at Halloween. They do a good job of dressing up their place for the holiday. I mean, look at this!

The picture was taken by Marianne Petit, and that’s Kate Swann, Red Burns, me and Sharleen Smith.

We are so PRETTY! Now I have to feed the cats and run off to Long Island for a dinner with friends from my high school days!!

I love going to the movies during the day. It really is one of my favorite things. It’s that playing-hooky feeling, which I’m sure I’ve mentioned before.

Yesterday I saw Zombieland with my friend Jonathan. The place was empty when I first got there so I took some pictures. The theatre had a little bit of a Cinema Paradiso feel to it which made me even happier to be there. A small handful of people showed up in addition to Jonathan, and we all had a great time. I highly, highly, highly, recommend this movie. It is so much fun.

Man, I love how this picture came out. The chairs almost look like ghost chairs.

Oh. The heat is coming on. I love when the heat first comes on every year. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s a nostalgia rush, to simpler times I guess. Maybe with a little bit of back to school, holidays are on the horizon feelings in there somewhere?

But right now my radiators are hiss, hiss, hissing away.

First. I’ve written many times about the Loser’s Lounge, I even did an NPR piece about the Loser’s Lounge way back, so it goes without saying that you should never miss a Loser’s Lounge. Period.

But the Loser’s Lounge always introduces me to great singers around the city, and at the last Loser’s Lounge, the tribute to David Bowie, I heard a singer called Paul Stovall, who is going to be at Joe’s Pub on November 30th. From the show description:

“CLEAR, a new musical experience by Paul Oakley Stovall. Chosen as resident artist at Eugene O’Neill National Music Theatre Conference, Stovall presents a sneak preview of this opera poem … Come on this journey with Stovall and his band of five (feat. Ryan Link, Yassmin Alers and Brad Simmons), as they lead you from the South Side of Chicago to the rooftops of Stockholm, from an ER in Minneapolis to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.”

Info and tickets here.

That reminds me, I’m posting too late about a Manhattan Valley Ramblers gig that was yesterday, alas, but half of the band, John Saroyan, will be performing in New Orleans on Hazel the Delta Rambler’s old time country and bluegrass show on Sunday October 18. I’m listening to this station now and it’s GREAT. But to hear John, tune in to www.wwoz.org between 11 am and 1 pm on October 18. Just click that “Listen online” button.

UPDATE: The Manhattan Valley Ramblers will be playing on October 30 at the Good Coffeehouse (53 Prospect Park West at 2nd Street in Park Slope). John is putting more songs up on their web page.

The never ending to-do list. And yet I feel like I’m not doing much these days. I’m in a “wait” state which feels purposeful, and yet I don’t know what I’m waiting for. I hope this is genuine intuition and not avoidance.

Anyway. Here’s another example of the picture that was a mistake is better than the picture I had intended. I was taking a picture of these signs, printing, stationary, it’s largely a bygone era which I remember fondly. I remember my first stationary, with my name on it, in script, writing letters, sealing them with wax.

But because the lens on my camera is wide I also got the scene below, which is really more interesting, and more full of life. I should have zeroed in on the hot dog man.