Unbalanced Scales

Shame on Wiki...>>

And shame on Texas too...>>

Monday Morning Mantra

"But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips." Collosians 3:8

"Refrain from anger and turn from wrath; do not fret—it leads only to evil." Psalm 37:8

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." John 14:27

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Repeat 3X...And remain calm.

Cooked Goose

"And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it." Ecclesiastes 12:7

"I know how much your loss must grieve you, "but here's a thought i'd like to leave you: Although you're sad remember that... now god is petting your pussycat. " Steve Martin from The Lonely Guy

There is an overwhelming amount of blessings in my life to be thankful for.

And this holiday gave me one more reason to relay...

A day full of Bailey's coffee, bloated cartoon balloons, a showering of the last golden Ginkgo leaves in Central Park, handmade Polish pierogies and bourbon spiked Egg Nog, made the meeting of my highly medicated neighbor, distraught in the stairwell a sobering halt to the indulgent festivities.

Mascara stained she screamed out, echoing off the marble steps, "Is he breathing?"

Whereas a thundering voice came from above, "I'm not an expert."

I was caught in the crossfire.

In my attempted escape to get out the door to breathe in Empire State's seasonal colors, she raised her blood stained eyes to mine and whispered my name, "...will you check?"

Feeling no pain myself, I make the ascent into a smoke filled room to rub my hand over the stiff, glazed eyed, nineteen year old Siamese and confirm that her pussy had indeed passed.

Does seeing another day make your grateful list?

Every Promise in the Book is Mine

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.” -Colossians 3:16

Do I believe him when he says, Religion Destroys? Sadly, I do.

Never before in my 27 years of self professing faith have I experienced such hatred rejection than I do in this city.

I am not what anyone would claim to call a mainstream Christian but I don't compromise the word of God.

If you thought otherwise, you've been listening to the self elevated man and his self serving interpretation for way too long.

I'm going to see him on Sunday and yes, I have my own opinions...

Jay Bakker>>

Have you thought about finding your own?

Because its just that good...



The Judd Girls from Kentucky put it best...

WHY NOT ME?

In Preparation

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.” - Psalm 100:4-5

Or do you have other plans?

Does That Make Me Crazy?

"And as he was saying these things in his defense, Festus said with a loud voice, “Paul, you are out of your mind; your great learning is driving you out of your mind.” Acts 26:24

I blatantly walked out of the comedy sketch show I paid $5 for tonight. For one, the olives I bought at the bodega were threatening to leak into my bag and draw too much attention to the contraband they were and two, it absolutely had zero humor worth lending even a nervous laugh towards, let alone the Lincoln bill I had to pay Chase Manhattan Bank two dollars to attain.

No, I will not be introspective and blame it on my age and not understanding kids these days...

I just don't see the punch line in a boyfriend and girlfriend drinking Four Loko, screaming obscenities at one another, and throwing their newborn baby headfirst onto the floor.

Call me uptight.

So I walked by the Chelsea Hotel cursing Upright Citizens Brigade and their no refund policy, where I ran into a transvestite in five inch heels smoking a Virginia Slim. She? obviously needing company was quick to meet my acquaintance.

I simply told her, I was rushing to buy wine, go home, drink a healthy amount and write my blog.

And then the loaded question...

"What's your blog about honey?"

My head spun around once and I told her it was about my saved by grace salvation that keeps me out of foam rooms and loose in the confines of the crazy streets of New York to soak up the ill and experienced.

Is that about right?

EV Grieves Namesake

New York Times Feature today has me second guessing the all too late arrival to

My Neighborhood...>>

Sometimes Salvation?

"Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else." Galatians 6:4

I'm ready to run.

I'm used to it. I normally have a threshold of approximately three years in a place. But ever since the sun started its descent at 4PM and the radiant heating clinks and tinks its late night lullaby, I'm ready to pack it in and say mission accomplished.

Mission being, New York... Success accomplished in New York, well that's relative.

Six weeks of bible study with (gasp) Rick Warren has done very little to fuel me forward in my contentment. In fact, his paraphrasing the bible and littering the book with personal inflections has done more to infuriate my already stress filled heart.

Disclaimer: For any one who is searching for the Truth, Reading Purpose Driven Life may point you in the right direction, but it is NOT The Bible.

But finally Hallelujah, chapter 32 got my attention. "Using what God gave you", wasn't news to me but a hard punch of a notion, I had forgotten.

Of course, I had let the latest fashion trip me on my scuffed heels and toss me towards the ring of fire in this dark city. I had done what Satan wanted me to do.

I've compared and conformed to those around me, forgetting my unique gifts, my personal testimony, my particular strengths.

I am an Evangeliser. I have been my entire life. I've built relationships based on His shining light inside me. I've navigated journey's with His enduring strength. I've experienced gain through His Glory. I've reaped all rewards by His hand.

And I've continuously shared this recipe with others.

Lately, I've ceased being a workman of God who is not ashamed of the truth and in that misstep, I've drastically missed the mark.

The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose. --C. S. Lewis

What would happen if all your ways, became His?

Show Must Go On

"The human spirit can endure in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?" Proverbs 18:14

Pickled Vegetables from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant had me bowed over in the hair and makeup line in preparation for three overnight shoots with Jim Carey. Stricken with a severe bout of food poisoning, watery eyed, I request to be dismissed from set with breath so toxic, even the most stoic of production assistants would crumble. They oblige.

In bed today, on my second dose of charcoal, I call casting to whimper my ill-fated explanation.

They hang up on me.

I run to hit the toilet just in the nick of time.

This should explain my lack of writing in the past and my lack of working in the future.

Screw Show Business.

Could this be my last curtain call?

“Not until we are lost do we begin to understand ourselves.” Henry David Thoreau

Banging my sweaty head against my Yoga Mat, I search for meaning to my madness and find it in the little things.

Feeling sheer joy at my Boardwalk Empire Debut.

Damn Straight Namaste

"Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil.
This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones." Proverbs 3:7-8

When asked what to do when one comes to a difficult fork in the road, Hall of Famer Yogi Berra responded...Take it!

Through much prayer and Chinese massage, I've decided on my path to a pain free life, I'm going to have to commit myself to a devout practice of Vinyasa yoga and a considerable amount of the medicinal marijuana.

So in the words of a favored Yankee....

Texas, I'll take it...>>

Or is the magic potion in a synthetic capsule full of man-made chemicals, with severe side effects a better option?

Content. No Couldn't Be

"If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you." Matthew 10:13

Here's one thing about East Village that gives it a small town feel...I can put a pair of gently loved shoes on my stoop or a bag of clothes by the corner garbage and in a New York minute, the shoes have walked proudly past me and the clothes are marked high at the local sidewalk sale.

This makes me smile fondly towards my city.

So does this...

Snapshots of the neighborhood amidst this glorious extended Fall.

Courtesy of EV Grieve...

Don't the all knowing say, home is where the heart is?

V is for Valor

"This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God." 2 Corinthians 9:12

“I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man.” ~Thomas Jefferson

Navigating the New York City morning commute is not a peaceful process.

It is one thing to endure the cat calls from the Super next door, dodge the Guatemalan scrubbing down the sidewalk with bleach, get called a Bitch in Polish for not taking her "We Buy Gold" flyer, walk against uptown traffic amid the horns, sirens, and exhaust, curse the clickety clack of the heels gaining on your own, negotiate the dolly's full of delivered cans of Alpo and packaged Halvah, to ultimately get blocked out when the F train finally arrives and the doors open.

But to crawl through these hoops and jump these angry obstacles to go to a mediocre job, with a thankless boss, for a measly hourly rate, to compete against the equally as hungry, hustling in a city whose standard of living is absurd at best is well, a painful process.

Except this morning.

Just when I tucked my chin into my tightly wrapped scarf, the thunderous roar of a Harley Davidson raised my eyes to the horizon of East Houston and a smile spread through them.

A noise what normally would make me cringe sounded like the songs of angels as hundreds upon hundreds of motorcycles rumbled up 1st Avenue flying the most beautiful colors of Old Glory and stark POW MIA flags off the back of their leather seats with a sense of pride you could touch and feel.

We live in the greatest country in the world and our freedom is bought time and time again with shed blood and immeasurable bravery. The men and woman who put themselves on the line to defend our honor, our constitution, and our waving flag are protectors, warriors, and heroes. Their unwavering commitment to their duty to maintain our safety should be revered and remembered. And we owe them not just gratitude.. but our lives.

Happy Veterans Day.

"I'm proud to be an American
where at least I know I'm free,
And I won't forget the men who died
who gave that right to me,
And I gladly stand up next to you
and defend her still today,
'Cause there ain't no doubt I love this land
God Bless the U.S.A." LG

Did you say thank you?

Hot For Clever

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you."Psalm 32:8

A wine before improv class proved to be the creative impetus I needed, maybe that or just good scene partners.
Here's the thing about Improv; there are no certainties. Except, you gotta draw on life.

It was an absolute given that I would date my writing professor in college. I was in uncomfortable love with my Renaissance Literature teacher, but he was married , Midwestern, and Catholic so the pining lust was safely transferred to the more available rule breaker.

Yes, I found it incredibly inspiring to watch him divert his eyes during the lesson on how to build concrete characters knowing I had shared copious pints of frothy Bass with him and laid on his kitchen counter listening to YES albums the night before.

In fact, it reignited the coals I let grow cold in my meandering away from writing, awakening some talent I had not tapped. And after my final fiction short story, the one he told me I didn’t have to write, sat on the edge of his desk, I walked out of class knowing I wouldn’t see him again but would have the fodder to last.

I could use some of that inspiration about now.

"Take a straight and stronger course to the corner of your life.
Make the white queen run so fast
She hasn’t got time to make you a wife.
’cause it’s time, it’s time in time
With your time and it’s news is captured
For the queen to use.
Move me on to any black square,
Use me any time you want,
Just remember that the gold
is for us to capture all we want, anywhere."Yes


Can you ever have TOO much experience?

They Call It Progress

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus." 1 Timothy 2:3-5

East Village Soul churning out the Book of Truth...>>

Ah, but we digress.

Not An Easy Road

" Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.

Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need.

Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil.

Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. On the contrary: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Romans 12:9-21

Five months ago, sitting at a crowded table in the middle of Katz's Delicatessen, my baby brother asked me for a Sharpie so he could tag his life verse on the subway walls, and show New Yorkers just what a Christian walk should look like.

I didn't. So he had it permanently written on his arm. And then joined the US Army.

Tonight I read it scribbled on the wall of his empty bedroom.

Hootenanny Y'all

"Sing the glory of his name; make his praise glorious." Psalm 66:2

And that's just what my Robinson Boys from Atlanta did...sang about the glory of the Lord in almost every one of their songs.

Poor Elijah

Garden Gate

Wiser Time

Thorn in my Pride

She Gave Good Sunflower

How Much for Your Wings?

She's Talks to Angels

Remedy

Halfway to Everywhere

Can I get an AMEN for two sets of worship and the soul of the mouth harp?

You Dopes

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE...>>

180 Degrees=A Better View

“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘If you will walk in obedience to me and keep my requirements, then you will govern my house and have charge of my courts, and I will give you a place among these standing here." Zechariah 3:7

Restoring Sanity and Control.

Thank goodness.

What do I love about America? The fact that its people want to stay America.

And we have a say.

Here's to honoring freedom and God blessing our country.

Let's celebrate.

Anyone for tea?

Checks and Balances

The plans of the diligent lead to profit as surely as haste leads to poverty. Proverbs 21:5

Sure signs 20th Century Fox is not feeling the effects of the recession...

1. Obtained movie rights for the 1938 children's book, Mr Popper Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater.

2. Casted Jim Carey as the lead.

3 Built huge winter scene with arctic temperatures at Steiner Studios in Brooklyn.

4. Imported surly penguins and their trainers.

5. Brought in Visual Effects to computer generate additional dancing penguins.

6. Employed Teamsters to drive luxury 15 passenger vans to and fro from subway station on the hour.

7. Fitted one of many actresses (me) in floor length designer gowns, furs, and diamonds before deciding on the royal purple Ralph Lauren silk number with 4 inch Christian Louboutin heels.

8. Rented the Guggenheim for three consecutive days for one Gala scene in the middle of holiday season.

9. Hired Non Union and paid Union Wages.

10. Served full size candy bars and Gruyere grilled cheese at Craft Services.

Now, who needs tax credits??