Felix Baumgartner

October 22, 2012
When I stumbled onto a live feed of a man in a spacesuit ascending into the stratosphere with a helium balloon, preparing to JUMP OUT, I was terrified. Felix Baumgartner's plan was to break the sound barrier in the thin air 23 miles above the earth and freefall for over four minutes. I felt like I was watching Faces of Death: Live. As he opened the capsule door at 120,000 feet and stood on the edge, I knew this was the most extreme event I had ever witnessed; Mach 1 and spinning wildly it appeared to be the disaster I…

Reality: 14th Street

October 19, 2012
I made my meander on 14th St. from Avenue C to the Hudson, then got back to Union Square before the battery drained completely. Rolling the audiovisual party cart across town while projecting videos of 14th Street onto the sidewalk, buildings and people, it felt good to share my music with the surprised public, who were appreciative of the brief encounter. I'm not quite sure why I felt compelled to join the Art in Odd Places Festival or manifest the project in this way, but I dreamed it up and made it happen. For both artist and audience, it is…

Supergood Reality: 14th Street @AiOP 2012

October 9, 2012
Raquel de Anda makes art happen! When Alaina's college roomie moved to Brooklyn a few months ago, she was immediately integrated in numerous projects and coordinating art of all varieties. One of these is Art in Odd Places, an annual community art festival taking place all along 14th Street in Manhattan for 10 days, so I decided I would perform a sidewalk version of Supergood Reality. Since then, I have been visualizing what it would look like and considering infinite possibilities. Last night, it came alive! My Studio has been untethered! Into a "granny-cart" frame, I loaded a 12V battery,…

Long Trail

September 5, 2012
The Long Trail was the first long-distance hiking trail in the US, running 280 miles through Vermont along the spine of the Green Mountains from Massachusetts to Canada. I have spent time on the trail before doing day hikes, but have always wanted to make an extended adventure of it. So last Thursday, Alaina and I packed our bags and drove up to our established start point near Killington and set out on a five day journey. We have done lots of camping in our day, but most of it has been out of a car without the need to…

Mars!

August 16, 2012
Humans built a machine and sent it to Mars. I am impressed by relatively simple technologies like cars, phones, cameras and computers, all of which have embedded themselves in our lives over the past century. The "Curiosity" rover takes all of these amazing inventions from our planet and brings them to another. The effort and cost is astronomical, but exploring our universe is priceless. We may not discover life on Mars, but we have reached beyond our own mortal, earth-bound lives to expand our celestial consciousness and seek understanding of our greater place in the eternal mystery of our existence.…

Good Times

July 31, 2012
I love leisure! I think that I am pretty good at enjoying myself but this past month has tested me and pushed my fun limits. We spent some time with Taylor family on the beach and golf course in Cape Cod, spent a weekend in New Hope, Pennsylvania for a tubing adventure, hosted one of the smoothest Land Parties ever, enjoyed Coney Island for a ballgame and rollercoasters, spent a week with 10 friends at a villa in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico and attended a beautiful wedding in West Glacier, Montana! I feel incredibly fortunate to maintain a lifestyle conducive…

Summmmmer

June 27, 2012
Summer always arrives hot and heavy. My work schedule declines (to 3 1/2 days a week) but my social schedule explodes to the point where I have even less free time! This summer's weekends are booked solid with great adventures and the next two months are bursting with potential goodness... June 11 brought a great start to Summer '12 with the arrival of my nephew, Lincoln Eustace Taylor! Andrew and Rachel instantly became amazing parents dedicated to offering their child the best life he could dream of... Lincoln was born into battle; within 24 hours was having an MRI and…

World Music NYC

June 6, 2012
I love to travel around the world, but sometimes I don't even need to leave New York City to get my fill of exotic culture. In the past two days, I have seen three amazing bands hailing from three distinctly different pockets of our planet. Dengue Fever is based in L.A. but features a Cambodian singer and rocks a sonic tribute to the Cambodian pop sound of the 1960's. It is deliciously funky and her voice is transcendent; the Cambodian lyrics are indecipherable but her ethereal voice adds a perfect alien element to the grooves. Sharing the same bill at…

The Great Googa Mooga

May 22, 2012
The Nethermead in Prospect Park is one of the most beautiful and amazing areas of this city and a perfect spot for a music festival. The 9th St. Bandshell is a wonderful music venue, of course, but The Nethermead is completely natural and out of sight to cars or buildings.  I had seen a Carribean festival there about 10 years ago, but nothing since, so when The Great Googa Mooga, a craft food, beer and wine music festival, was announced there, I was amped! I dutifully claimed my free tickets the moment they went on sale (80,000 sold out in…

THANK YOU!

May 10, 2012
It's hard to applaud anyone for saying something so obviously right but some people's voices just matter more, so when I read that Barack Obama came out supporting gay marriage, I smiled and felt a certain peace knowing that what I have always known was now confirmed by the most powerful human in the universe. This is a victory for Love, Freedom, and Justice. That is Truth, and progressively, Hate, Bigotry and Intolerance fade as people realize that Beauty, Fulfillment and Joy are infinitely better choices. Long Live Love!