New Yorkers Held Hostage

Day 1 of the transit strike, and so far it's been both annoying and adventurous as have all of the other NYC events like the Blackout, etc. I stupidly saved all my Christmas shopping for the last second, so I decided to do my shopping in Brooklyn instead of going into the city. I trekked from Brooklyn Heights to Downtown Brooklyn's Atlantic Center with bags in tow over my shoulder just like a brown Ms. Santa. I'm mostly done except for the few things I must get in the city.

I've neglected to post again for several days not due to boredom, but actually quite the opposite - a flurry of activity. I finished finals last week, and thankfully did pretty well. To celebrate, I went to a couple parties including our Fordham MBA Holiday Party, at which I picked up a 23 yr old boy at Bourbon Street (I'm 30 as most of you know). Oddly enough, we've been inseperable since. That is until the strike. Alas, we are now separated due to the Upper West side - Brooklyn no way to get there dilemna.

Checked out the Unsilent Night Boom Box Christmas Parade, and it was some really gorgeous ambient music. I think I might do it next year if I can find a boombox to borrow from someone.

Trent from MySpace aka Slave Boy

Dear Sara,

I would like to apologize for clogging your inbox with this message, but I found your ad so irresistible that I had no choice but to write to you.

My name is Trent and I recently moved to New York City. I have only known one true happiness in the world, and that is the unmitigated joy of a woman. My life's passion is to give everything of myself to a woman--to devote my every waking thought to her happiness and to endeavor to play a part in the fulfillment of her life.

I began my journey in high school as I approached women as a submissive maid and errand boy. What began as a simply rendezvous to clean their house would almost inevitably find it's way into transcendent conversation. To this day I still speak to several of the women that I served in my formative years.

I followed this path through college. My personal life would vacillate from dating a sorority girl for six months, to becoming deeply involved as a woman's servant for the next six. There wasn't much rhyme or reason to my movements--I simply followed what felt natural at the moment, but I began to find that the relationships where I acted as a woman's slave were remarkable. No two encounters were ever the same (whereas I could often mark the geography of a traditional relationship with a map--understanding where I would find myself after the third date or second month). What initially began as a simple arrangement of my doing a woman's errands and chores would inevitably lead somewhere else. I might find myself hiking to the top of a mountain at dawn for yoga poses, training a woman for a marathon or hosting a dinner party for her friends.

It took a while to place my finger on the pulse of the situation, but, when I finally found it, the truth was simple: By building a relationship of unmitigated honesty, devoted to the sole purpose of finding a way to be a part of a woman's happiness, we both found a place devoid of the usual constraints of inhibition. By freeing myself of any desire beyond contributing to the woman's life, by making myself her slave, she began to grow in a completely unbounded way.

Throughout college I worked as an assistant to a lawyer, but one day we stumbled upon the topic of submission and the relationship morphed into slavery. I acted as assistant, sissy maid, errand boy, cook, chauffeur and personal trainer to her and her daughter. It was perhaps the most fulfilling 18 moths of my life, and what drove me forward in the world.

I found myself living with two dominant women this year--as their roommate to the world, but slave in actuality. I truly enjoyed my time with them, but one of the women recently became engaged and asked that I simply be her flatmate. I find such transitions too painful, and so I came to New York to write and find a new owner in this magical city.

I am seeking a woman to take me as her property. I am eager to be your maid, assistant, errand boy, chauffeur, masseur, personal trainer--literally ANYTHING you ask of me, will be done. To the world I will simply be your employee and friend, but you will know the joys of having a handsome man cleaning your house in the outfit of your choosing. The ability to wake me from a deep slumber at 3 am to fetch a favorite snack; an attractive man to work like a dog for you and your friends' amusement, and a true and constant confidant. Through this time I will be completely devoted to you, but you will be free of any restraints to pursue your romantic desires.

I suppose a little more about me would be helpful. I am a 25 year-old Jewish man. I love music, theatre, movies, sports and literature. I am clean-cut and well spoken. I have a great relationship with my parents and have worked as a personal trainer and personal assistant at the highest levels.

Would you have any interest in allowing me to be your slave?

The Chicken Pox

At age 26, my sister in LA has come down with the Chicken Pox. No one in my family has ever come down with them, as my mom informed me we have some special platelets that are immune to them. Apparently not, so I'm thinking of getting the vaccine just in case. When my sister called me with her symptoms, I ran through all the possible paranoid scenarios like rubella, scarlet fever, and figured out in the end it was probably the Pox :). I'm usually the one friends call for a diagnosis before actually asking a doctor. So far, I've been pretty right with all my diagnoses.

I had my dreaded group presentation tonight for my Management Communication class, and I'm still tense with shoulder pain from it. It's one of the most challenging classes I've ever had, and I've learned a lot, but damn is it stressful! I guess I should have expected this coming from a Harvard professor/lawyer teaching the class.

Trapeze Swinger

I am currently now obsessed with the Iron & Wine song "Trapeze Swinger". I love the melodic cacophany and it's bittersweet sadness...I know, yet another sappy song. I don't know what's gotten into me lately!

I caught the tailend of the Billboard Music Awards tonight. I think Mariah, god bless her heart, was possibly the first winner ever in any awards show to thanks her peeps via her Blackberry notes. Did she really have to bring out her other award that she won on stage with her as well? She really had no other place to put the other award, except to stick it between her two very gigantic breasts. AND, who died and made R Kelly the King of Morality? He should have been sent to prison for real for that freaky love triangle hipopera he debuted on the MTV Awards.

More on James Blunt. He played both "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover" last night on the show. I'm on iTuines right now, and I just noticed both songs are Explicit. Hmmm, I didn't know sappy could get explicit. I'm intrigued now...

Cordalene @ Sin-e 12.2

Photo of Joe from the Cordalene show on Friday night courtesy of my buddy Tom Weis. He's an excellent photographer, and you can check out his photography at www.tomweisphoto.com.

I saw Saturday Night Live last night, and James Blunt was the musical guest. I didn't really like his music the first time I heard him, but I swear his songs brought a couple tears to my eyes last night. What can I say - I'm a sucker for sappy lyrics.

Shakira!

As much as I try to hate her, my hate can continue no longer. That video that's out right now "Don't Bother" is phenomenal. I think every girl can relate to that car crushing/voodoo doll scene. I especially like the lyrics:

She's almost six feet tall
She must think I'm a flea
I'm really a cat you see
And it's not my last life at all

So, I'll forget the fact that the girl I can't stand the most at school looks like an uglier version of Shakira. I'll forget the fact that I can see Shakira's heinie in the video beneath her see through nighty. And I'll put up with the Shakira booty dances, just so I can secretly like her music from afar.