The Back!
Are you coming???Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Saturday, July 25, 2009
My Cabaret Postcard!!!
This is the front of the post card!!! Yay! I am getting excited for the show. Please tell your friends and bring them!!
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
My 2nd Cabaret
I know I haven't blogged in forever, but here I am! Just wanted to announce my 2nd cabaret at Don't Tell Mama's in NYC will be at 8pm on Saturday August 22! I have a few treats in store for you! My friends Shoshanna Richman and Charissa Costa will be joining me on 3 Andrew's Sisters songs. I am sure it will be a great night of live entertainment, drinking and general revelry! Just a reminder there is a two drink minimum (doesn't have to be alcohol) and a $10 cover! Can't wait to see you all in August!
Also, look here on my blog for any updates!! My website is up and running but I lost my hard drive and all my files that I made the site with. (You know how people always tell you to back up your hard drive and you don't cause you think I don't have that much stuff and my computer isn't old? Well, listen to them. Once a day I remember something else I don't have because I didn't back up my files.) If anyone knows how to reconstruct a website using the html from the site and plugging it back into Microsoft Publisher I would love the help? Oh, and there's the small problem of my new computer not coming with any valuable Microsoft programs like Publisher or Word. It came with f%$king Microsoft Works. Nobody has used that program for 15 years!! UGH!
Also, look here on my blog for any updates!! My website is up and running but I lost my hard drive and all my files that I made the site with. (You know how people always tell you to back up your hard drive and you don't cause you think I don't have that much stuff and my computer isn't old? Well, listen to them. Once a day I remember something else I don't have because I didn't back up my files.) If anyone knows how to reconstruct a website using the html from the site and plugging it back into Microsoft Publisher I would love the help? Oh, and there's the small problem of my new computer not coming with any valuable Microsoft programs like Publisher or Word. It came with f%$king Microsoft Works. Nobody has used that program for 15 years!! UGH!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
"I love Jesus, but I drink a little"
I know it's kind of lame that this is my first post back, but this made me laugh my ass off!
Thursday, January 15, 2009
New Year's Resolution
Guess it's obvious that I didn't make blogging more regularly my New Year's Resolution. I have two tags I need to take care of (thanks Cassie!) and I have a ton of photos to post. So do not worry my faithful friends I shall be back blogging!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Ten on Tuesday
1. A recession is the perfect time to rediscover the library! I just checked out My Jesus Year, and already one chapter in I'm enjoying myself. And it's free!
2. I need to do laundry- tomorrow morning!
3. I love my iPhone. It is the coolest invention! And the best birthday gift!
4. I looked at the weather in Jamaica on a whim yesterday- It's been sooooo cold lately and it was 77 degrees there at 1230am. I wish I was there.
5. I am starting to have anxiety about coming up with a New Year's Resolution.
6. Uncle Joe and Aunt Sally were in town and we had breakfast together yesterday and lunch today! It is really nice to have family visit.
7. It is two weeks and a two days till Christmas!
8. I think I'm getting a Christmas tree this weekend.
9. I was so busy around my birthday that I never blogged about where OB took me to dinner. It was Ninja and it was the BEST restaurant ever!!! We had such a great time that night! Please check out the website- basically all the food are art pieces!
10. OB is my favorite.
2. I need to do laundry- tomorrow morning!
3. I love my iPhone. It is the coolest invention! And the best birthday gift!
4. I looked at the weather in Jamaica on a whim yesterday- It's been sooooo cold lately and it was 77 degrees there at 1230am. I wish I was there.
5. I am starting to have anxiety about coming up with a New Year's Resolution.
6. Uncle Joe and Aunt Sally were in town and we had breakfast together yesterday and lunch today! It is really nice to have family visit.
7. It is two weeks and a two days till Christmas!
8. I think I'm getting a Christmas tree this weekend.
9. I was so busy around my birthday that I never blogged about where OB took me to dinner. It was Ninja and it was the BEST restaurant ever!!! We had such a great time that night! Please check out the website- basically all the food are art pieces!
10. OB is my favorite.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
The Making of: It's My Party! A Cabaret Debut
****I was asked to write a blog for the Savvy Actor on how I created, produced and starred in my own show!****
The idea of me doing my own show has had many incarnations, but the final version of it that was presented on November 22 and 23, 2008 at Don't Tell Mama in NYC came to be because I finally decided talking about doing a show was not the same as doing one. When I was non-union finding work came very easily to me. After I got my Equity card, reality set in and I realized that finding work was not at all the same as before. I took classes to fill the void of not being onstage, but I knew that there was nothing to replace the feeling of an opening night and all the work, sweat and tears that it entails. I knew if I couldn't get cast in something I would have to create my own opportunity. Easier said than done. It took me a good six months to get out of my own way. The excuses were endless and mostly occurring in my own head. "I don't have the money for a music director. I play characters in theatre, what do I personally have to offer an audience? I'm not from New York, I'll never fill a theatre." And of course, the routine actor's dilemma: "Am I good enough?" This last one is most interesting to me because of how most of us get over that fear to do theatre. At least for me, that fear diminishes with the casting process. Someone believes in you enough to cast you and the fear recedes. You put on a costume and a new persona and the fear recedes further. With your own show, you are saying I trust myself enough to know that I can do this. The success or failure is on you.
My mom taught me that facing your fears and often doing that which you fear is the only way of overcoming it. So, with the help of my friend and music director Doug Silver I began to put together songs for a cabaret. Doug was very pragmatic and told me early on (after probably a year of stops and starts) that I had to set a date for the show. We had to know what we were working toward. I thought about it for what seemed like weeks and finally determined that the show needed to occur around my birthday. This turned out to be the best idea for my own sanity because I love birthdays and no matter how nervous I got for the show, I had a party to plan! So, Doug and I worked all summer coming together with songs we enjoyed and learning them, changing keys, and arranging them. The thing I was most worried about was not the singing, but the talking or patter in between songs. Doug suggested that by the end of August we should have an evening at his apartment for a few of my friends and his friend, Andrew Frank who ended up becoming my director. This evening succeeded in two ways. First, it gave me ideas for how to introduce songs. Second, it made Doug and I realize which songs worked for us and which didn't. With two and a half months until my birthday, the real journey began. The week following the first presentation, we threw out at least a quarter of the songs that we had originally chosen. Those were quickly replaced by songs which worked better in the evening. Andrew had said that the ballads that I had previously chosen were "pity me" type songs and we all realized that a cabaret entitled, It's My Party! really shouldn't take the audience there. (Don't worry, we've saved those songs for a future cabaret: Jaded in New York F*&king City)!
So as Doug and I worked weekly on the material I began the footwork of finding a place to host the show. I began making calls to cabaret venues all over the city. Often, the websites of these venues provide little information for a first timer like me and I had many questions. I figured that if I called, left a delightful message about my show and how excited I was that people would be crawling all over each other to call me back. Not so. I waited a week for one return phone call and none came. What could I be doing wrong? I called back and waited again. Nothing. So, I decided to personally visit each venue to see what really would work for me. I highly recommend doing this. One place that I was absolutely positive I had to have my show ended up having two of the snottiest people at the door. This also gave me a smaller list of places to focus on. At Dillon's I ran into the restaurant manager that took a half hour to explain to me how the business of cabaret works. It was exceptionally nice of him and considering the welcome I got at some other places in the city, this Midwest girl could really appreciate it! I realized then that the booking agents for the venues are busy people, barraged by singers trying to get a space. Just like a casting director takes a risk by calling back an unsigned actor, so too, a booking agent takes a risk by reserving space for an unknown act. So, in either case the only choice for the actor is to "bring it!" Many of the websites ask for a demo and a press packet which you send in and wait for a response. I already knew what I was going to do. Doug and I recorded three songs that we thought showcased the diversity of my show and I made copies and walked those Cd's to the four venues at which I wanted to perform. When I walked into Don't Tell Mama with my Cd (including a self designed Cd jacket with my business card included), Sidney Myer, the booking agent was there. I handed him my Cd, he looked at my business card on the front and said, "Jodi Beck. You're on my list of people to call." He had been so busy and he thanked me for the Cd and promised to call me that evening. And he did! I met with him for an hour meeting the following week where I reserved my dates and times and he and I talked and got to know one another. He is a wealth of information and has been in this business for a long time. He schedules an hour with each act that comes to Don't Tell Mama and it is invaluable for a first timer. Any chance that you have to get to know the space and people you are working with is beneficial. Here we worked out the details of the contract. You have to know the running time of your show at this point because the cost of the room is determined by the show length. Also written into the contract is two hours of rehearsal time in the space. For me, I got four hours because I was scheduled in both rooms. There is also one hour of free tech rehearsal with the technical director. He also went through the ways in which I could market the show. It was all my responsibility. Everyone makes a postca
rd and puts it in the rack, but I knew that to fill the seats I'd have to work harder than that. I used U-Printing. I had ideas for my postcard and I knew I could save money by designing it myself. U-Printing offers an online design tool that you can upload and arrange your own images to create your own postcard. As I had never done any graphic design previously, the staff of U-Printing was extremely helpful. I talked to them both through online chat and over the phone and they were very knowledgeable. 
Also, 200 postcards including the design and shipping cost only $99.98. It was also around this time that I was career coaching with Jodie Bentley at the Savvy Actor. She suggested that I add an event to both Myspace and Facebook to get the word out. I also added a the postcard and link to Don't Tell Mama on my website. And as I am trying to get an agent we decided that week three of my mailing schedule would include my postcard and an invitation to the show. I also set an email to everyone in my address book and invited them all with an evite. Friends and family were the bulk of the audience, but to make sure they take the show seriously and actually show up, they need to be marketed to as well. I also made sure I carried my postcards with me everywhere I went including my day job! Three couples who are regulars at my bar came to the show! I gave postcards to my boyfriend and to my best friend (both not in the business) for them to hand out at their jobs. I also emailed Time Out New York at cabaret@timeoutny.com (contact: Adam Feldman) to be included in their listings both online and in print. I also left my postcards at the counter of my favorite coffee shop in my neighborhood!
As the show neared Doug and I met twice a week with Andrew popping in to offer advice and to direct some of the character numbers. It was essential for me to surround myself with professionals who approached my show as an artistic creation. As my name was announced and I walked to the stage, my fears left my mind. I had a job to do. I had gotten over 65 people into the seats over two days and all I had left to do was the one thing I enjoy more than anything else- entertain them. Knowing all the work that went into it as I stepped in front of that mic was icing on the cake! And it was the best birthday present I've ever gotten!
Helpful Links:
The Savvy Actor
Time Out New York
U-Printing
Don't Tell Mama
Cabaret Scenes
Cabaret Hotline Online (click the Tips and FAQ's link)
My Website- Jodi Beck
Creators on Creating
Performing Arts Library
Evite
The idea of me doing my own show has had many incarnations, but the final version of it that was presented on November 22 and 23, 2008 at Don't Tell Mama in NYC came to be because I finally decided talking about doing a show was not the same as doing one. When I was non-union finding work came very easily to me. After I got my Equity card, reality set in and I realized that finding work was not at all the same as before. I took classes to fill the void of not being onstage, but I knew that there was nothing to replace the feeling of an opening night and all the work, sweat and tears that it entails. I knew if I couldn't get cast in something I would have to create my own opportunity. Easier said than done. It took me a good six months to get out of my own way. The excuses were endless and mostly occurring in my own head. "I don't have the money for a music director. I play characters in theatre, what do I personally have to offer an audience? I'm not from New York, I'll never fill a theatre." And of course, the routine actor's dilemma: "Am I good enough?" This last one is most interesting to me because of how most of us get over that fear to do theatre. At least for me, that fear diminishes with the casting process. Someone believes in you enough to cast you and the fear recedes. You put on a costume and a new persona and the fear recedes further. With your own show, you are saying I trust myself enough to know that I can do this. The success or failure is on you.
My mom taught me that facing your fears and often doing that which you fear is the only way of overcoming it. So, with the help of my friend and music director Doug Silver I began to put together songs for a cabaret. Doug was very pragmatic and told me early on (after probably a year of stops and starts) that I had to set a date for the show. We had to know what we were working toward. I thought about it for what seemed like weeks and finally determined that the show needed to occur around my birthday. This turned out to be the best idea for my own sanity because I love birthdays and no matter how nervous I got for the show, I had a party to plan! So, Doug and I worked all summer coming together with songs we enjoyed and learning them, changing keys, and arranging them. The thing I was most worried about was not the singing, but the talking or patter in between songs. Doug suggested that by the end of August we should have an evening at his apartment for a few of my friends and his friend, Andrew Frank who ended up becoming my director. This evening succeeded in two ways. First, it gave me ideas for how to introduce songs. Second, it made Doug and I realize which songs worked for us and which didn't. With two and a half months until my birthday, the real journey began. The week following the first presentation, we threw out at least a quarter of the songs that we had originally chosen. Those were quickly replaced by songs which worked better in the evening. Andrew had said that the ballads that I had previously chosen were "pity me" type songs and we all realized that a cabaret entitled, It's My Party! really shouldn't take the audience there. (Don't worry, we've saved those songs for a future cabaret: Jaded in New York F*&king City)!
So as Doug and I worked weekly on the material I began the footwork of finding a place to host the show. I began making calls to cabaret venues all over the city. Often, the websites of these venues provide little information for a first timer like me and I had many questions. I figured that if I called, left a delightful message about my show and how excited I was that people would be crawling all over each other to call me back. Not so. I waited a week for one return phone call and none came. What could I be doing wrong? I called back and waited again. Nothing. So, I decided to personally visit each venue to see what really would work for me. I highly recommend doing this. One place that I was absolutely positive I had to have my show ended up having two of the snottiest people at the door. This also gave me a smaller list of places to focus on. At Dillon's I ran into the restaurant manager that took a half hour to explain to me how the business of cabaret works. It was exceptionally nice of him and considering the welcome I got at some other places in the city, this Midwest girl could really appreciate it! I realized then that the booking agents for the venues are busy people, barraged by singers trying to get a space. Just like a casting director takes a risk by calling back an unsigned actor, so too, a booking agent takes a risk by reserving space for an unknown act. So, in either case the only choice for the actor is to "bring it!" Many of the websites ask for a demo and a press packet which you send in and wait for a response. I already knew what I was going to do. Doug and I recorded three songs that we thought showcased the diversity of my show and I made copies and walked those Cd's to the four venues at which I wanted to perform. When I walked into Don't Tell Mama with my Cd (including a self designed Cd jacket with my business card included), Sidney Myer, the booking agent was there. I handed him my Cd, he looked at my business card on the front and said, "Jodi Beck. You're on my list of people to call." He had been so busy and he thanked me for the Cd and promised to call me that evening. And he did! I met with him for an hour meeting the following week where I reserved my dates and times and he and I talked and got to know one another. He is a wealth of information and has been in this business for a long time. He schedules an hour with each act that comes to Don't Tell Mama and it is invaluable for a first timer. Any chance that you have to get to know the space and people you are working with is beneficial. Here we worked out the details of the contract. You have to know the running time of your show at this point because the cost of the room is determined by the show length. Also written into the contract is two hours of rehearsal time in the space. For me, I got four hours because I was scheduled in both rooms. There is also one hour of free tech rehearsal with the technical director. He also went through the ways in which I could market the show. It was all my responsibility. Everyone makes a postca
rd and puts it in the rack, but I knew that to fill the seats I'd have to work harder than that. I used U-Printing. I had ideas for my postcard and I knew I could save money by designing it myself. U-Printing offers an online design tool that you can upload and arrange your own images to create your own postcard. As I had never done any graphic design previously, the staff of U-Printing was extremely helpful. I talked to them both through online chat and over the phone and they were very knowledgeable. 
Also, 200 postcards including the design and shipping cost only $99.98. It was also around this time that I was career coaching with Jodie Bentley at the Savvy Actor. She suggested that I add an event to both Myspace and Facebook to get the word out. I also added a the postcard and link to Don't Tell Mama on my website. And as I am trying to get an agent we decided that week three of my mailing schedule would include my postcard and an invitation to the show. I also set an email to everyone in my address book and invited them all with an evite. Friends and family were the bulk of the audience, but to make sure they take the show seriously and actually show up, they need to be marketed to as well. I also made sure I carried my postcards with me everywhere I went including my day job! Three couples who are regulars at my bar came to the show! I gave postcards to my boyfriend and to my best friend (both not in the business) for them to hand out at their jobs. I also emailed Time Out New York at cabaret@timeoutny.com (contact: Adam Feldman) to be included in their listings both online and in print. I also left my postcards at the counter of my favorite coffee shop in my neighborhood!As the show neared Doug and I met twice a week with Andrew popping in to offer advice and to direct some of the character numbers. It was essential for me to surround myself with professionals who approached my show as an artistic creation. As my name was announced and I walked to the stage, my fears left my mind. I had a job to do. I had gotten over 65 people into the seats over two days and all I had left to do was the one thing I enjoy more than anything else- entertain them. Knowing all the work that went into it as I stepped in front of that mic was icing on the cake! And it was the best birthday present I've ever gotten!
Helpful Links:
The Savvy Actor
Time Out New York
U-Printing
Don't Tell Mama
Cabaret Scenes
Cabaret Hotline Online (click the Tips and FAQ's link)
My Website- Jodi Beck
Creators on Creating
Performing Arts Library
Evite
Friday, November 28, 2008
The New Christmas Tradition
Today was the official start of the American Christmas shopping season. I am assuming that other countries follow suit, but as Black Friday comes after Thanksgiving, a fully American holiday, I can only guess that Black Friday only exists here too. As our economy falters and more and more Americans stand in line for soup kitchens, an employee of WalMart in Long Island, NY was trampled to death as a mob broke down the door to the store and pushed and clawed its way to a sale on cheap plastic junk that has somehow come to define us and a holiday. It has come to define us because we have somehow lost ourselves in all that we consume and have made this holiday all about what we get rather than what we give. And you didn't have to be in this WalMart and part of this crowd to be part of the problem. Hopefully over the coming years as we realign our pocketbooks and our priorities, we will again be able to see the difference between need and want. People stand in soup kitchen lines because of need. People wait in lines outside of stores on the morning of Black Friday for nothing but desire and greed. That is disgusting and that is what our celebration of Christmas looks like.
So, in remembrance of Jdimytai Damour, I propose a New American Christmas Tradition. Christmas is about giving not receiving, but because we buy gifts for each other we always end up receiving. It's hard to not get excited about that gift you get to open on Christmas morning. But, this Christmas, instead of asking for material things or sending out a child's Christmas wishlist, why not send a list of charities that you want the money that would have been spent on you to go to. It can be donated in your name. And maybe someone who finds himself in line at the soup kitchen will get a blanket or clothing that he needs this Christmas. That someone who has less than I receives something I take for granted, would be gift enough for me.
So, in remembrance of Jdimytai Damour, I propose a New American Christmas Tradition. Christmas is about giving not receiving, but because we buy gifts for each other we always end up receiving. It's hard to not get excited about that gift you get to open on Christmas morning. But, this Christmas, instead of asking for material things or sending out a child's Christmas wishlist, why not send a list of charities that you want the money that would have been spent on you to go to. It can be donated in your name. And maybe someone who finds himself in line at the soup kitchen will get a blanket or clothing that he needs this Christmas. That someone who has less than I receives something I take for granted, would be gift enough for me.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
My Very Own Show!!!
I will post more as I get them, but I was soooooo excited that my dear, dear friend Charissa posted these to Youtube!! Rissa, you are the absolute best and I thank you from the bottom of heart for coming to see me in my New York City Cabaret Debut! (Wow! that feels really cool to say!) The following songs were performed at Don't Tell Mama on November 22 by yours truly and my fabulous music director and friend, Doug Silver! Enjoy!
Three Little Birds by Bob Marley
NYU from Greenwich Village Follies by Doug Silver and Andrew Frank
14G by Jeanine Tesori and Dick Scanlan
Simple Wish by David Friedman
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ten on Tuesday!- Birthday Edition
1. It was my birthday today! Thank you to everyone who called, emailed, Facebooked and generally made me feel special today!
2. I wanted to get a massage today, but alas they didn't have time to fit me in- that was a first! I shall try again tomorrow.
3. Joanne took me to an impromptu lunch at Republic because my previous lunch date cancelled because of the flu. (I hope you feel better, Jaz!!!!) It was great of Joanne to come to the city just so I wouldn't have to have lunch alone!
4. As my family is SUPER competitive, the first person to call me today to wish me Happy Birthday was......
DRUMROLL...
....
O'Delle! He called just after 7am and sang to me!
5. Jenny was the first sibling, followed by Jimmy and then John.
6. Dad called last night a little confused about the date!
7. I am so excited about my show this weekend!
8. Two married couples that are regulars at my bar have already made reservations and are coming- I think that's super cool!
9. Rissa's coming from Baltimore, Jim is coming from DC and John and Steve are coming from Chicago.
10. My mom isn't gonna be able to make it. She fell at work two weeks ago and broke her right shoulder and chipped her kneecap. So, it just means that I'll have to do this again soon so she can come! (BTW- does anyone who is coming have a video camera? I would love to record it for mom and it would be cool to add clips to my website!)
11. (I know Ten on Tuesday, but it's my birthday, so I'm adding a bonus round!) I'm listed in Time Out New York this week!!!
2. I wanted to get a massage today, but alas they didn't have time to fit me in- that was a first! I shall try again tomorrow.
3. Joanne took me to an impromptu lunch at Republic because my previous lunch date cancelled because of the flu. (I hope you feel better, Jaz!!!!) It was great of Joanne to come to the city just so I wouldn't have to have lunch alone!
4. As my family is SUPER competitive, the first person to call me today to wish me Happy Birthday was......
DRUMROLL...
....
O'Delle! He called just after 7am and sang to me!
5. Jenny was the first sibling, followed by Jimmy and then John.
6. Dad called last night a little confused about the date!
7. I am so excited about my show this weekend!
8. Two married couples that are regulars at my bar have already made reservations and are coming- I think that's super cool!
9. Rissa's coming from Baltimore, Jim is coming from DC and John and Steve are coming from Chicago.
10. My mom isn't gonna be able to make it. She fell at work two weeks ago and broke her right shoulder and chipped her kneecap. So, it just means that I'll have to do this again soon so she can come! (BTW- does anyone who is coming have a video camera? I would love to record it for mom and it would be cool to add clips to my website!)
11. (I know Ten on Tuesday, but it's my birthday, so I'm adding a bonus round!) I'm listed in Time Out New York this week!!!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Friday, October 31, 2008
Love This!
I wish my family debated politics with a song and a dance! But, regardless of how we debate it, "You can vote however you like!"
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
How I Spent My Weekend
I, an "Eastern elitist" from the "fake America (thank you Jon Stewart)" part of America, traveled back to my place of birth, Ohio, to do a little campaigning for Barack Obama. Now, I have lived in NYC for over seven years and I am struck by how much I have changed when I go home. I don't fit there anymore. Yes, my family welcomes me "home" with open arms and I love the autumn in Ohio, but I really am a city girl fake American through and through. Lucky for me I may have a driver's license from my fake state but I have a passport issued by the real America so traveling to this other country was a snap! Now, I'm not sure how it happened, but while I knocked on doors with my sister and two nephews (fake Americans misplaced in real America), the majority of people we canvassed from small town Brimfield/Suffield said they were leaning Obama or voting for him. There were a few still undecided voters whose reasons ranged from "voting for the lessor of two evils" (which I can completely understand considering politicians' pandering and then not doing anything they say when they get into office) to "personal reasons." We had a few polite "we're voting for McCain" people and then we had the door slams and my personal favorite "We're voting for the other, I mean the good guy!" promptly followed by a door closing in our faces. I wasn't aware until then that we were playing cops and robbers!
Sorry to my friends- I didn't get my flight until Wednesday and I was campaigning all day Saturday and Sunday so I didn't have any time for visits.
Sorry to my friends- I didn't get my flight until Wednesday and I was campaigning all day Saturday and Sunday so I didn't have any time for visits.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Nice! If I do say so myself!
Well, here's my postcard! I designed it myself- even down to the stick figures which I drew! I realize that I'm patting myself on the back, but I didn't know how to use Photoshop at all before I started this. I will be getting these in the mail next week to agents and casting directors and to all the fabulous people I hope will be able to come and celebrate my birthday with me!
This is the front:
This is the front:
This is the back:
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Rednecks for Obama!!!!
I started to read about the "Bradley effect," my mom told me about some people that she had spoken to in Ohio who she thought were probably prejudiced, and all the racist and xenophobic stuff coming from the other side and I was getting scared. This video clip featuring Rednecks for Obama made me happy and feel positive about the campaign and about the rural areas of America. Yes, we know there are racist people out there, but there are also people who are trying to make a difference! When you think you have encountered someone who might not vote for Obama because he's not like them, direct them to these guys!
Friday, October 10, 2008
Ten Days
I haven't posted for ten days. And my, how the world has changed (or maybe it hasn't changed, but a spotlight is shining down on the worst in human nature). I am outraged at the conduct of the McCain- Palin campaign and the ignorance of some of their supporters. So much so that I can barely even talk about it. Blatant racism, xenophobia, guilt by association, and the list continues to grow daily. I decided to write McCain's daughter Meghan. I don't know that she'll actually read it, but I figured if someone could knock some sense into the campaign maybe it would be a former Democrat who changed parties to be able to vote for her dad in the primaries. I have waited on Meghan and John McCain when he would visit her when she was attending Columbia in NYC. They were both always exceptionally nice and good tippers. And as a side note- I thought that John McCain was a pretty cool dude back then and was almost as excited to wait on him as I was Cher! I tried to focus my attention in the letter to the fact that both McCain and Palin have not publicly reproached their attendees when they say unacceptable things. I watched a video where a person called out "Terrorist!" when John McCain asked the loaded question, "Who is the real Barack Obama?" He looks visibly uncomfortable for a moment and then he continues with the baiting which is dishonest and dishonorable. I said to Meghan that regardless of the outcome of this election her father deserves a better legacy than one that includes such low balling in the final days of a campaign. I believe he is an honorable man that has lost his way and she has an opportunity to bring him back. He deserves that legacy. And all Americans, Republican and Democrat, deserve better.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
My Solution
Thank God the bailout failed. Yes, I believe they need to come up with something, but buying all the bad mortgage backed securities from the banks only transfers the problem from one entity- the banks, to another- the government. All the $700 billion would do is guarantee that we have to continue poring money into an inexhaustible situation. The extremely tricky question is, where in this situation is the most help needed? I would love to say that we could help homeowners out, but we can't. The reason that won't work is the crumbling mortgage market is beginning to negatively effect all homeowners. If you decide to bail out individuals who can't pay their mortgages, where do you draw the line? Do you help all homeowners who have lost money on their initial investment? And more importantly, as responsible homeowners see the government help those who defaulted on their loans, what stops them from stopping their own mortgage payments so that they receive government aid too? Anyone with a mortgage has the potential to owe more money than the property is worth. Do we help them too?
So, we come back to Wall Street and our only choice is to let the crap securities stay where they are and open a line of credit to the banks. If it's credit they need to get business done (business which includes lending money to companies so that they can write our payroll checks and conduct their daily business), then We the People can lend. Lending implies a return. It is not a bailout if we make money available to borrow. Consider it a giant student loan. Most of these guys probably didn't have student loans so it would be mandatory for them to attend a class where the gravity of borrowing someone else's money is fully explained to them. Also explained in this class is how important repaying your loan is and that if you fail to pay the government back, your wages can and will be garnished (thank God they all make far more money than your average graduate paying back loans). We get them on a payment plan and we'll have the money returned with interest. We could even throw in some hidden fees, over-limit fees, cash advance fees, late payment fees, and your basic "We Gotcha Cornered- Umbrella Fee" for anything the agreement didn't previously cover, but that we thought up after the fact!
I love Karma!
So, we come back to Wall Street and our only choice is to let the crap securities stay where they are and open a line of credit to the banks. If it's credit they need to get business done (business which includes lending money to companies so that they can write our payroll checks and conduct their daily business), then We the People can lend. Lending implies a return. It is not a bailout if we make money available to borrow. Consider it a giant student loan. Most of these guys probably didn't have student loans so it would be mandatory for them to attend a class where the gravity of borrowing someone else's money is fully explained to them. Also explained in this class is how important repaying your loan is and that if you fail to pay the government back, your wages can and will be garnished (thank God they all make far more money than your average graduate paying back loans). We get them on a payment plan and we'll have the money returned with interest. We could even throw in some hidden fees, over-limit fees, cash advance fees, late payment fees, and your basic "We Gotcha Cornered- Umbrella Fee" for anything the agreement didn't previously cover, but that we thought up after the fact!
I love Karma!
Monday, September 29, 2008
Laugh your a$% off, I did!
Boy, do we need to laugh these days and this one helped! In case you missed Governor Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric, what this instead!!
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Drum Roll Please!!!
Jodi Beck (that's me!)will be appearing at the World Famous Cabaret space Don’t Tell Mama’s in the heart of NYC's theatre district for a limited engagement!!!
Can you tell I'm excited!!!!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Happy Birthday Jenny!!
Don't worry- this won't hurt a bit. You're just a year older!
Yeah, we're weird!
I hope you have a fabulous birthday! I love you! And by the way, I was going to put up other pictures but these were the only ones I found that were already on my computer!
Yeah, we're weird!
I hope you have a fabulous birthday! I love you! And by the way, I was going to put up other pictures but these were the only ones I found that were already on my computer!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)