So, I'm very happy to report that Niko's Mo fund continues to roll along. I've received another donation, which brings my fund-raising total to $225.00! I can't believe I've raised this much money. Thank you all for your support.
And, as always, with a donation comes a Mo update. Here's the mustache's current state:
I'm also excited to report that the big Mo Gala is this Tuesday evening in Manhattan. Jill's go some health issues in her family at the moment, so she won't be able to come along -- but our great friend Jackie has kindly offered to be my date. I'll be sure to post here about the evening, along with pictures -- I'm sure there will be some interesting and bizarre mustaches to be seen!
Last, but certainly not least, we're back in New York! Honestly, we've been so busy that we haven't even had time to process the fact that we're back: there's been preparing for traveling, traveling, Thanksgiving, catching up with family members, finding a place to stay (our Brooklyn apartment will be occupied until December 22 by our subletters) -- it's been a whirlwind few days. I think once all this craziness dies down and we're back in Brooklyn, in our apartment, with all our stuff, maybe having just seen our friends in our dear city -- maybe then we can sit back and say, Wow, we were in California! And now we're back! Wasn't that awesome?!? Until then, however, we're just getting by.
I'm going to keep posting here with the final Movember updates (and maybe one last round of San Francisco pictures), but after that, I'll be switching gears, focusing on my newly revamped blog (and music site), http://nikotaylor.vox.com/. If you're interested in following my musings, follow me over there!
I cannot believe the generosity of all the wonderful people in my life. With the latest donation, we are now up to $220! I know it's not a huge amount of money, but come on: it's $220 going toward efforts to promote men's health issues that wasn't there before. And that's all because of YOU! Way to go!
So here goes the Mo. By the way, also check my swanky Bumble & Bumble haircut. This is by far the nicest haircut I've ever gotten -- they even used a razor to eat into the daunting thickness of my inky mane!
My dear Jillian was kind enough to give me my Christmas gift early: the totally rockin' Canon EOS Digital Rebel XTI. Yes, that's right, no more point and shoot for Niko: this is a man's camera, baby!
I've still got a ton to learn, but here were some of the shots I was happy with on my first day of playing around with it. Enjoy!
The other weekend, Jill and I had the pleasure of visiting this very interesting art installation. It's located in such a beautiful spot: on the northern edge of the city, you're standing right on the water with EVERYTHING in front of you -- the Golden Gate, the bay, Alcatraz, everything! So, of course, we had to take a picture:
And, of course, Niko had to take a dip in the water:
One thing I can tell you about the San Francisco Bay in November is that it is damn cold.
But anyway, I digress. The Wave Organ. So it's this weird stone structure at the end of this long strip of land jutting into the bay. It's so jagged and rocky that it almost looks ancient. So, of course, Niko had to take a picture (do you a theme developing here?):
There's all there are all these strange-looking tubes poking out from the ground, and when you stick your ear up close to one of them, you can can hear the sound of the water sloshing around below your feet. Very cool. So, of course, Niko had to take some video to capture the experience. Enjoy!
Golden Gate Bridge? Nah. Presidio? Please. Embarcadero? Eh, maybe. Really, there's only one choice: Amoeba Music, the world's best record store. Located in the Haight, Amoeba is the music store to end all music store. Their selection is HUGE, especially in terms of used stuff. And the store is enormous, well organized, and just, in every possible way, a music aficionado's dream come true.
I mean, they've got listening stations where you can scan in any title and listen to the whole album right there. And did I mention the prices? How about almost any used CD from the Elvis Costello back catalog for $4.99? Or a whole other cornucopia of great stuff for not much more?
About a week ago, I had the great pleasure of spending about three hours wandering around this enormous musical treasure trove. I picked up a grocery-store-style basket and filled it up with stuff, listened to samples, rethought my choices, put stuff back, grabbed more stuff, discovered things I didn't know wanted, remembered things I forgot I wanted -- oh my goodness, I was in heaven. The most I paid? $9.99 for a brand-new copy of Tom Waits's excellent Frank's Wild Years. Not too bad at all!
Seriously, this will be the thing I miss most about SF. Well, this and burritos!
Anyway, check out my haul from my last visit to Amoeba is quite some time. :-(
Thanks so much -- we've reached our goal of $200! Our friend Marissa's kind donation put us over the top, and now Jill gets to go to the swanky Mo gala party with me for free. Woo hoo! It's being held at the end of the month at the Capitale. Apparently this is some very fancy place: their tag line is "Elegance Redefined." Well, wait to we get through those doors -- they won't know what to do with our un-refined asses! But, really, thank you all for your contributions. It is really gratifying to raise all this money for a good cause.
And, just so you know that I'm keeping up my end of the bargain, here's the latest mustache shot:
I am so happy to report that my Mo fund is up to $175! So many friends and family have come up with very generous donations. It's been amazing. Really, to all of you, thank you so much. Now that we've passed the $100 mark, I am officially going to the fancy NY Movember gala event. If we can raise just $25 more, than I can also bring a guest. Since you all know that Jill loves a good party, let's get that last $25 so Jill can dance her butt off (for charity, of course)!
And, just so you know that I'm holding up my end of the bargain, here's the latest Mo update:
So the "Mo" movement is in full swing. Two SUPER generous friends have already donated, and the "Mo" fund is up to $75 -- way to go! We're only $25 away from the $100 target, which will get me a free pass to this fancy benefit gala thing at the end of the month. I am so touched by the kindness and warmth of the first two contributors -- really, thanks so much.
And, just so you don't think I'm not holding up my end of the bargain, here's a progress report on my Mo:
In other news, Jillian and I can't wait to get New York. In all honesty, we're getting kind of depressed that we're not back already. We're going out, we're making the most of our time here, but we're a bit like castaways, nomads, just roaming around San Francisco, biding our time until we can return to our homeland.
For me, the ultimate sign that we were depressed and ready to come home was when we went to the movies this past weekend. When I was in Paris doing a study abroad program during college, I was lonely, bored out of my mind, depressed, and terribly homesick. I didn't even make it two weeks before ditching the program and coming back to the states. And while I was there, I went to the movies, by myself, almost every day. I mainly watched American movies; I just wanted to feel connected to the country and culture I was missing, and to just get away for a while, to not think about how lonely I was.
Well, that's what Jill and I did this weekend. We saw the Darjeeling Limited, the new Wes Anderson movie. While we came in depressed, we left uplifted. This is a special, special movie. Jillian and I have been on a Wes Anderson kick lately, getting reacquainted with (and really loving) Rushmore and the Royal Tenenbaums, so we were really excited to see this. This story of three American brothers on a somewhat-foolhardy spiritual quest across India moved me in a way that I haven't felt in a long time. Jillian and I walked out of the theater in a daze, still in the grip of this tender, beautiful, sad, and funny film. In a way, I don't think we wanted to leave the world of the movie. For myself, I can say that I walked out feeling very contemplative, subdued, appreciative of the blessings in my life, and open to experiences as they came my way (in much the way that Owen Wilson's character wants him and brothers to feel as a result of their trip).
And though we may be late to this party, how amazing is Adrian Brody? While everyone in this film gives very strong performances, Brody is in a class by himself. Our friend Brad told us that Brody's face was mesmerizing in this film, and he was right. In fact, Brody's entire body is mesmerizing. He doesn't just act with his words -- everything about him screams his character, from his facial expressions to the way he carries his body to the way he flails his limbs. We've now put every Adrian Brody film we can find on our Netflix queue because we just have to see everything this amazing actor has done. Because of Brody's incredible performance, I have a feeling that this is one of those movies that I'll be able to watch over and over and over again over the course of my life. He was that good.
Also, like any Wes Anderson movie, this movie has a killer soundtrack. Three of the pop songs prominently featured in the film are from the Kinks, all taken from their 1970 album Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. I'm a huge Kinks fan, but I've never heard this album, which, now, hearing this songs, I can't believe -- these are incredible, some of the best Kinks there is. So, not only am I grateful for this movie for introducing me to Mr. Brody, but I'm also grateful for being introduced to this wonderful group of the songs from one of my favorite groups, especially the song "Strangers." This song, to me, is spirituality captured in song, the actual sound of the human spirit longing toward something better, something bigger, something that makes the grime and grit worth it. And when the swell of voices intone in the chorus, "Strangers on this road we are on, we are not two, we are one," well, stick a fork in me, I'm done -- one of those perfect musical moments that makes it all worth it.
So even though we went to the movies somewhat out of a sense of depression, we were the better for it -- I know this movie is going to stick with me for a long, long time.
To catch a quick glimpse of what I'm talking about, check out the film's trailer, below. You'll see some of Brody's magnetism and hear a bit of each of the three amazing Kinks songs featured in the movie:
So Jillian can't be the only one to make drastic changes in San Francisco. She's cut off her hair, so I'm going one step further and chopping of most of my beard. Inspired by a blog post from our friend Brianna, I've decided to take part in the Movember movement to help raise money for men's health awareness.
During Movember (the month formerly known as November) I'll be growing a Mo (slang for moustache). That's right - I'm bringing the Mo back because I'm passionate about men's health and the fight against prostate cancer. Why?
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in America. In 2007, more than 218,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,000 American men will die from the disease. To sponsor my Mo (moustache) and fight against prostate cancer please go to http://www.movember.com/us/donate, enter my registration number, which is 145168, and your credit card details. (You can also just click on the handy link on the top of the right-hand column of this very blog!) Or you can sponsor me by check made payable to the "Prostate Cancer Foundation" clearly marking the donation as being for my registration number: 145168. Please mail checks to: Prostate Cancer Foundation, Attn: Movember, 1250 Fourth St, Santa Monica, CA 90401.
All donations are made directly to the Prostate Cancer Foundation which will use the funds for high-impact research to find better treatments and a cure for prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. All donations are tax-deductible to the full extent permitted by law.
Movember culminates at the end of the month at the Gala Partés. These glamorous and groomed events will see Tom Selleck and Borat look-a-likes battle it out for their chance to take home the prestigious Man of Movember title. If you would like to be part of this great night you'll need to purchase a Gala Parté ticket. If I raise $100, I get to go to this event for free. If I raise $200, I get to bring someone along with me!
Follow this blog for updates on my fund-raising progress and for pictures of my developing Mo. To get the ball rolling on that, here's a picture of me taken last night, waiting for the bus after an excellent sushi dinner in Noe Valley:
And here's me, this morning, with a freshly shaven mug:
Here we go! By the way, since we're coming back to New York early, those on the east coast will get to see this Mo in action in less than three weeks!
