metal tigers

this is how we do

pick me up

"life is a dream we keep replaying when we wake up"
- keely 'walden lee' barr for me

3rd annual craig murphey memorial

looking forward to tomorrow and taking loads of pics with my new new yashica t4 super. loaded it with b/w film. should be fun.

On October 17, 2009 Craig's friends and family will gather at Hope Lounge (10 Hope Street between Roebling and Havemeyer) for a fundraising party commemorating Craig's life, and to celebrate the joy he brought to everyone who knew him. Craig was known by most for his roaring laugh, contagious smile and outrageous dancing that kept us all entertained.

To kick off the night, a fundraising raffle will take place. Tickets will be available for purchase both at the venue and in advance at craigmurphey.com/raffle for $5 or $20 for 5. Local boutiques, bars, restaurants, artists and musicians have donated prizes ranging in value from $20 to $300 to the raffle. A percentage of the bar's earnings for the night and the entire profit from the raffle tickets will be donated to NYCCAH’s Craig Murphey Fellowship Fund. Our goal is to raise as much as we can to contribute to the funding of next years Craig Murphey Fellow who will be working directly on anti-hunger efforts with the NYC Coalition Against Hunger (www.nyccah.org). The more we raise, the more good work can be done.

see more...

school's out (sorta) and life is grand

i finished the semester with a 3.892. not too shabby i guess. the best part was winning the cotton inc. marketing research contest.

not too much to know there without me coming off too querulous. but i will say that i am still waiting for my check...

summer school is now...ending june 29th. i'm looking forward to having some actual time off. two classes don't sound like much, but the other nite as i was lying in bed all i could think of was present value and future value formulas and calculating sinking fund interest...

i AM looking forward to my best friend liz coming back to ny this august. we plan on spending a week in my old college town columbia, mo as well as the stl. this year couldn't get any better for me i don't think...

film

also, i have taken an avid interest in film photography. due to the current economic crises that we are in, many people have lost interest in film because of high photo processing fees. i have decided to join the unconventional and un-economically savvy and thus bid on a yashica t4 super. after much extensive research, i have decided to go with this camera, and possibly a contax t3.

my other options were the leica minilux or the contax t2. but after a most informative conversation with craig at kurland photo, i have chosen the yashica and contax t3.

thanks craig!

i primarily got these two cameras for my trip to paris and ireland in april. surf, the champs elysees, eiffel tour, and liz will all be happily documented on film for the rest of my life.

once processed, i shall scan them in for the rest of the world to enjoy.

whoa

so it's been two months since i've last updated. granted i have been busy, but that's probably no excuse. so here's a brief synopsis with photos to follow later...

- since then halloween has came and gone. it's truly one of my favorite holidays. bikini editorial had a goth party and i was hired to be a dominatrix. you meet a lot of lovely people when dressed in a lace corset, pvc mini skirt, and five inch heels. especially when attacking them with a riding crop.

- september came and went quickly. my friend bettina had come back from barcelona with the startling and fulfilling news that she had become engaged while working for the university of dreams. she has since then returned to barcelona to stay with her fiancee and should be back in march. i've known this girl for years, and she truly deserves the happiness that she has found. the university of dreams is an amazing program, one that has been extremely gratifying for her.

- have discovered that i am probably be an early candidate for alzheimer's disease. my memory has been somewhat shot to shit (even as i type these updates, i've been referring to my chronologically ordered picture files to remind me of what i have done...eeks i know). yet somehow am able to remember the must mundane and irrelevant shit. that's me for you.

- end of september brought me a vacation i most certainly needed. i booked a ticket months ago to visit a dear friend of mine in la for two weeks. most friends of mine in nyc have indeed hated on la, but i had a most enjoyable time over there. was able to see some old college friends whom i haven't seen in years. also able to reconnect with some old nyc friends who have since moved out there to pursue careers in acting, be with family, etc. it was a really good trip and i have been so lucky to have been able to take all these trips this year and fufill my new year's resolution of traveling more. next year, i plan on going to missouri for old friends, hawaii for surfing, and japan to see my little sister.

- while in la, i received the wonderful news that i had been accepted to FIT and was going to be given $1500 in financial aid.

- when i returned from my trip in la, it was close to two weeks into december. the bikini edit holiday prom party was in a week and it was ridiculous. i had the most glorious time with old and and new friends a like. those pics i need to post soon too, because the amazing-ness of my "five dollar off the streets in la" evening dress is just too good to miss.

- and now that brings us to the holidays. don't have any major plans as usual. sticking around nyc for x mas and also prob new years. originally i was going to fly with one of my best friends to her grandparent's house in FL, but at the last minute her flight schedule came out and sadly she only has the day after x mas off. i'm truly thankful for all my good friends this year. words cannot express how grateful i am for supporting me and enduring whatever kind of crazy i put on them.

last nights fucking party.

after banging out an assignment due, i headed to love to meet up with erock for roctakon's birthday party. stepping outside, some guy was leaving the bodega and offered to share his cab. it was raining so what the hell. the minute i got in i regretted it. it smelled like ass so bad that the dude started berating the cab driver with some "my man you can't be dropping gas when you got clients in your car" shit. i personally think it was his cousin who was squished between us. made some idle conversation in the cab and when it was his time to go, things got awkward and i ended up with an imaginary boyfriend waiting for me at love. never been there before, and it was all i had expected and then some. mike kinda freaked me out when he smiled at me from under the black light lit entrance. ran into nick hook, lloyd, oj, lorraine, fancy, and frog. didn't so much run into frog as get dance raped by him. it was an unpleasant sight for all those in attendance i'm sure. sadly my paper ran way late, so i didn't get out of the house until 2 and at that point, all the old dudes had dipped out from love and i was left with the strainer.

apparently frog wiled out and beat it back to philly. i was left to my own devices of watching douchebag kids probably from the hollerboard steal some chick biker's 90 dollar krypto lock. then when another biker came in, one kid in flannel starting shit with the "old hippie who should go home and smoke his pot". if you can't even come up with anything insulting, go home and get something.

finally a little after four, we broke out and headed back to mine/erock's neighborhood. i took advantage of erock walking me home and stopped by the local chinese hispanic grocery. that's what it's call for real. some dude was getting into some shit with another dude and the old lady who runs the joint was apparently one of those dudes' moms. they spent a good 10 minutes arguing and finally stepping outside with the mother yapping her mouth off in fast spanish. erock wouldn't translate for me, so sadly i can't tell you what they said.

shit was bananas last nite. i need to start walking around with a videotape. and a spanish translator.

moose menagerie

this past monday marked the 2 year anniversary since home sweet home's inception. after some trouble at the door (thomas onorato of esteemed misshapes door guy fame) and alicia having to retrieve me from outside, i was welcomed with a requisite shot of patron. i haven't drank in over a year, save for the three sips of champagne i had on new years, the couple glasses of bubbly i knocked back at nikki sneaker's birthday dinner, or the thimble sized glass of sake nick hook poured me at satsko. but you get the point. asides from these lilliputian servings of booze, i rarely imbibe. it's more of a life decision i made as opposed to one that was forced upon me.

thus began what will most memorably be referred to as the last nite i drank tequila. i don't know what it was, perhaps the four foot moose shaped ice luge tucked in the corner, the fact that two of my favorite persons, nikki sneakers and chris sparks, were doling out the drinks, or that all my favorite people were all in high spirits. lauren flax, j.d. samson, ian from the hunt, sweatshop labor, as well as countless others were djing whatever their hearts' desired. even the security guy downstairs got into it when the foundations' build me up buttercup exploded on the stereos.

thankfully this tequila experience was nothing compared to past ones (think lots of hair holding and possibly nudity). i remember vividly stuffing ten bucks betwixt nikki sneaker's boobs. i'm sorry to report that that was as crazy as i got. except for some love shouting between me and her over the bar.

niko and i did manage to sneak away for a quick stop at the 1992 party at happy endings. thanks to a friend, we got in as "maya" and "jay status" on dj jaclyn's list. sprite and sibby were there, as was dave and laura from shq. after a guy from my past ordered me a double shot of tequila, niko and i quickly left before the second shot was forced upon me. i think this is where i kinda lost any claim i had to being sober.

upon retreating back to home sweet home, lucas orderd a round of shots, max ordered a round of shots, and i have a feeling someone else did too. here's where it gets a tad fuzzy and me not recalling jumping into a cab to darkroom to solicit ray ray. it was a totally nutso night, but one i'm glad i partook in. and if you're wondering, i didn't have any drugs. alcohol is about the extent of my crazy vice binge.

pics to come.

it's been a long year

Friends,

We will be gathering Friday,October 17 to celebrate Craig's life and raise money for the fellowship that was set up in his name by the New York City Coalition Against Hunger.

To achieve our goal of $26,000, we will be raffling off several prizes from local artists and businesses. Raffle tickets will be available for purchase online this week for a price of $5-$10 or in person with me at any time leading up to the event.

We do however need more prize donors and will greatly appreciate anything you guys are willing and able to contribute, may it be gift certificates for restaurants, bars or boutiques where you work or art work and services you'd like to personally donate.

Hit me up via email at alix@crushmm.com if you have any questions and feel free to repost and pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in helping.

The press release and flyer for the fundraiser can be found at Craigmurphey. com

*you can contact me as well if you'd like to donate something*

pals and prosthetics

this e-mail was forwarded to me by a dear friend of mine, mike brickey. this was an email sent to him by his sister a couple days ago. missy had her leg amputated over ten years ago and has been using a prosthesis since. please take a moment to click on the below link and add your name to the petition. thanks!


"Hello Friends,

I am in the midst of trying to get a new prosthesis, and have felt the frustration of inadequate insurance once again (a feeling I have every time I need to get a new leg - every 5 years or so). A very average prosthesis costs around $10,000. A more useful prosthesis (that might allow me to easily navigate different terrains, hills, maybe even run), costs over $30,000. My insurance company, like most insurance companies, covers only $2,500 - not even enough to get a very average, mildly functional, prosthesis. Although many haven't heard of this political "movement", there is a large push from the small minority of amputees in our country to make insurance companies fully cover - or at least cover better - prosthetic devices. Obviously this issue directly impacts me and my ability to navigate the world.

If you have a minute, and feel like this might be an issue you could put your name to, the link below is a petition supporting better insurance coverage for prosthetic devices.

Thanks for thinking about it. And feel free to pass this on to anyone else that you think might consider signing."

amputee coalition prosthetic insurance petition

Melissa Brickey
Graduate Support Director

De La Salle Middle School
4145 Kennerly Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63113
314-531-9820
314-531-4820 (fax)
314-985-9936 (cell)

blue owl birthday party and rainy day guitar hero

it was chippy's birthday party at the blue owl a couple weeks ago. here is the photographic evidence that fun was had.

my friend april has a photo problem. she can't stand still and unconsciously tries to be "shortest person in the room" this is a short photo documentary chronicling geo's attempts at making her "not shortest person in the room", which ended up in him forcibly holding her in place. april was not harmed in the shooting of this.





homies.


bike gang leaving blue owl to happy endings to see...


jah jah djing.


creepy dude who doesn't have any original shit of his own. there's youtube proof.


miss chang


suzette was having a grand old time.


fuck em.


geo gets around.


liz and jah jah.


the back of hanna's head and suzette.


this girl is 150% fun.


a week later my gf grace flew in from la. we met up with mike and drew at pianos and it was raining so we decided to go back to mike's new place for some guitar hero. side bar: if you are not friends with mike and you met him through me, stop saying hi to him you freak.

grace, mike, drew, and i brave the rain back to mike's.


drew playing guitar hero in mike's shorts. which were obviously too small for him.


practice makes perfect.


self portrait by drew.

8 am

i awoke at 8 am for some god forsaken reason, and this is what i have done so far.



pete sends me this gem.



joined twitter. and hoping that it doesn't fall under the category of "weird online sites i join but never check".

www.twitter.com/pastywhitegirl

(sorry sun - my name was too long)

which in turn outed me on the hollerboard.

oh and so that i wasn't a total bum, i finished my essay for admissiong to fit for INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND MARKETING, SON.

also, still burning bridges but not making paper. have not successfully convinced erick to let me be his dj booth ho for a small fee, but still workingon it. i have a long way to go to achieve frog-dom.

girl crush: kesh

meet kesh, dj/nightlife queen/fashion designer extraordinaire! girl is amazing, looks amazing, and sounds amazing (i'm a sucker for brit accents).



you can read her blog here.

this friday, she's having a fashion show on friday, after party with your favorite sweatshop djs, lucas and johnsville.


rsvp at rsvp@lolagrand.com

diy art show

bikers beware

my friend mike was hit by a crazy man in a van today, in bk (on kent). he was riding to work and the driver pulled a u turn and knocked him off the bike. mike hurtled over his handlebars and was in shock as the van driver freaked and started yelling at him. he then got out of the van, got on his cell phone, and walked away.

mike has a broken wrist. my roommate shirley and i went to go cheer him up with budweiser tall boys and one eyed susans. i may have made that name up, but i think i'm right. the yellow flower with the brown insides. no, not sunflowers, asshole.

anyways, after kicking guitar hero III medium's ass a couple of times, and it kicking mine, we got a little bored. mike had passed out from the beer.

the fruits of our labor:


mind you we were fully aware that he had to go to the police precinct tomorrow morning.

mermaid parade 2008

the dirty jerz and friday the 13th

i took a couple days off and went to jersey wednesday nite. i get a little crazy there.


only in new jersey can you get your pants hemmed AND purchase all the elvis paraphernalia your heart desires.


my mom has somehow managed to figure out how to send e-mails via her blackberry for work. i don't know how, since i showed her just last nite how to view all the channels on her digital cable (you press the large IO button in the middle of the remote which prompts you to a menu screen). if you squint, you can see it says, "it is very impotent to send tommorrow". when i informed her that the word impotent means "your dick doesn't work", she replied, "oh it's a good thing i was going to send that to china. chinese people don't understand what that word means".


meet my new dr, dr panah (on the right, perturbed mother on the left)! she speaks with a real heavy accent and wears tinted glasses. i fucking love her.


and i fucking loved her gold shoes. i tried as surreptitiously as possible to take shots of her. i haven't figured out how to shut off the stupid camera noise my phone makes, so i had to conceal it with a hacking cough.


i returned from my jersey exploits today in time for friday the 13th tattoos at daredevil. monika and sam have been getting them for years. this marks my second. basically, on all friday the 13ths of the year, daredevil has a special where you pay $20 ($13 for the tattoo lucky $7 for the tip) and can pick a tattoo off a flash board. last year sneakers and i just waltzed right in. this year, people were waiting for six hours. suckers.


monika had had some drinks already.


they all biked here from bk. here's our family of bikes. my pink guy's all the way in the back.


it's willis and he has a raised fist.


me being artsy with my bb camera phone.


friday the 13th flash 2008. i got the peacock feather big steve style. which means that it's totally different from anyone else's. i win.


oh so since monika was drunk, they decided to bike to popeye's. sam requested a mardi gras cheesecake. apparently, everyone (meaning monika, cj, noah, sam, and some other biker dudes) all eat at popeye's and know that the mardi gras cheesecake only costs 1.19 and is in the bottom right hand corner of the menu. i was amazed that it comes in a sealed paper box and really has sprinkles on top just like the picture.


best tattoo ever. totally trumps 2 girls 1 cup. sam paul's back totally fucking rules.


made it in time to see clean teeth at fontana's. i really liked them.


best pick up line tonite: "do you have a kleenex?" which turned into him saying i was a huge cokehead and me yelling fuck you and flipping him off.