I’m now at the opposite end of the earth — SW Florida — but I couldn’t publish my Alaska blog entry on the cruise ship because for unknown reasons it didn’t let me connect into WordPress.  So a post-LA Florida update is coming soon but for now, here’s a flash of Alaskan memories.

First of all, Alaska is insanely beautiful.

For example, here’s a typical view (Sitka, I believe)  from my balcony:

Yesterday Susan (aka SARK) and I sought out a restaurant she remembered from a previous trip and succeeded in finding TWO CHICKS IN THE WINDOW which offered awesome fish and chips and salmon chowder.

Afterwards, via much texting, I met up with Dan and four ladies, all of whom were adorable and astonishingly ill-garbed for a rainy Alaska day.

Although they’d purchased plastic rain ponchos that made them look like cheerful homeless people, two of the lovely ladies were wearing fancy, bejeweled sandals (and one had a trés chic Vouiton purse) –– ie, not nature hike attire.  The foursome headed straight back to the ship.

So just Dan and I walked to Totem Park and reveled in the misty greenery.  (For those who are not following my ongoing adventures, Dan and I met in January in New Zealand where we discovered over dinner that we both attended the same small Catholic high school in Connecticut.)

Here are some pictures of outrageous Alaskan beauty as explored by two brave East Catholic Youth.

Back from an amazing and intense weekend in Vegas.  Shot a music video starring Leslie Lewis Sword (as a stripper/single mom) and Ricardo Vargas.  Although several people texted me about not staying up too late before the shoot date, little did they know I was in bed by 10:15 on Saturday.  [I knew the day would be very intense and it was a full 16 hours of filming.]  We started at 8 am on a Sunday in a strip club (when we couldn’t find it we were told, “it’s right behind the Popeye’s”) and ended in a gated community.   Truly an amazing day!

I think the video is going to be great and I cannot wait to see the first cut next week.  Leslie and Ric really delivered terrific performances and that’s going to elevate the entire project to a new level.

In other news….Still looking at galleys of the book and making some changes, mostly a picture here and there, except for the major change of the title:  UPWARD DOG.  It parallels the novel and I think will expand our readership.  I’m still getting used to it, but it just feels right (Leslie’s idea).

Here’s a photo of my muse as stripper …

I am determined to be a better blogger.   What I think this means is sharing less but more frequently.

Right now, I am taking a break from directing/producing the music video we’re shooting this weekend in Vegas (which includes nailing down the right strip club location, of course).  I am waiting on confirmation for the ideal young girl to play the daughter for Leslie — hard-working single mom/stripper — in the video.  My Vegas connection has found the PERFECT kid and my fingers are crossed about scheduling!

The galleys for THE YOGA OF BELLE might just arrive today — although they are promised for tomorrow by the United States Postal Service.

Revising the novel and really loving the immersive process of editing it in large section.  I am OBSESSED with the READ OUT LOUD function for Adobe Reader for PDFs.  It is amazing and incredibly helpful to listen to the Stephen Hawking voice read my work aloud.

Charming dinner with Larry last night about the treatment I’m writing for him and with him — very excited about that project although I can reveal little of it here just yet.

And now figuring out my next NYC trip as I may be in a film — more about that later — and perhaps a workshop when on the East Coast.

Oh, and have I mentioned I’m going to Australia and New Zealand in January — oh the Life!

Here’s one of the graphics from the novel….Laura Grey is my design angel!

Laura Grey has done an amazing job on the design for THE YOGA OF BELLE.

Oddly, I have also discovered that PDFs can be read aloud by my computer in a Stephen Hawking style.  It’s actually extraordinarily helpful for the process of proofreading, given that it becomes increasingly impossible to proofread each ever-improving draft of a manuscript.  It’s the over-familiarity I suppose, and there is something sweet about how one self-corrects all sorts of mistakes while reading.  Even when deliberating trying to spot errors, one’s brain just “makes it all make sense” as much as possible.

It’s interesting to see how the book has changed so much in its incarnations.  Initially, it was this close to being a pseudo parody for me [The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Dogs].  That lasted for about a second.  Then it became all about longer, almost academic essays.  Now it’s finally found its completely proper voice:  just the sort of smart yet heartfelt short essay you wouldn’t mind hearing before a yoga class.  A fresh enough perspective for wisdom that — like all true wisdom — feels like something you’ve always known deep down.

In any case, eager for my agent’s strategy ideas but I have never felt more confident about a manuscript.

And now — despite the massive noises of the dryers and vacuums roaring in the back room of my Pacific Design Center office, trying to fix the damage by a Titanic-sized leak — I turn back to final polish of the novel.

This may be another epic month where I sell two books (which happened once before!)

Loved the art opening on Friday at Antebellum Gallery and thrilled the show is up now through 10/12 .

The space really was PERFECT for the work, not even just in terms of the gallery’s focus but also the entire look of the space.  If I had spent weeks set-designing the installation, it could not have been better suited to the walls, floor, and geography.  And I got what I wanted in terms of layering:  one had to watch my short film about voyeurism in the front-space of the gallery in front of the window so that passersby could watch you watching the movie about watching….

I also created these great “peepboxes” — you can see my friend Zummy looking through one them.  They are lit from inside and there’s an individual print of a photograph of a nude I took.  I made four of them and I love them — they are extremely interactive and amplify the voyeuristic theme of Symmetry further.

And of course there’s a photo of wonderful people at the party in the back garden to celebrate and an obligatory image of Belle.   [I must find and add a photo of my friend Matt Michaelsen who was the god of constructing not only these boxes but also of making sure the other pieces were reinforced and didn't collapse -- but a shout out to him from me and Belle.]

If you’re in LA, please swing by the gallery and check it out!

[Click on these to enlarge].

The erratic blogger has returned.  I do have my excuses.

First,  I have written a bunch of columns lately which should count for something.

And secondly, I did actually finish the new book.  That’s right … a BOOK.

And thirdly, I have an art opening this Friday in LA.

And fourthly, I’m teaching 3 new workshops in NYC next week.

And fifthly…I could go on and on but who cares. Yes, I can justify how I’ve been spending my artistic energy but still…somehow August & September have flitted by me….

In any case, I’m extremely happy with the new book.  I’ve handed it into the graphic designer, Laura Grey who is fantastic in every way.  Now I just have to schedule a few more photo shoots with Belle for shots we’re missing.

And I’m also really excited about showing the Symmetry pieces this Friday at the Antebellum Gallery, billed as “the only fetish gallery in America, perhaps the world.”  I love teaching yoga there a lot and have even written one of my columns about it.

The Symmetry Installation has always been a favorite of mine, and I finally get to explore having it the way I envisioned it:  all the pieces with the short film set up for private, voyeuristic viewing audiences.

I could just rest on my laurels but instead I’m going to try to scrambled and get a small set of new pieces done for the show as well.  They are, more or less, “porn boxes” I’m constructing using nudes I’ve photographed over the years and displaying them through peepholes.  Just have to figure out how to rig the lighting and hand them, but I am thankful I have my friend Matt Michaelson (the carpenter who rigged all the windows and door frames for Symmetry so they don’t collapse) in my corner.

There’s so much more to write about but for now I’m happy to post this little update and go back to making my fetish gallery debut.

I really must commit to blogging more frequently!  It’s an unfortunate irony that during the most interesting times one is too busy to blog (or at least it feels that way). Now, I feel I can only hint at some of the adventures of the last two weeks.

The Dropback Workshop at Sankalpah was FANTASTIC.  Everyone was so willing and I felt truly inspired to be teaching again.  Going to Leslie’s party in the Hamptons with Adrian was extraordinary as was staying with my friend Katherine and my new friend, her son Jake.  Loved my art opening at Sankalpah and crashing at Amy’s in Chelsea.  So many fantastic drinks with friends, I’m still basking in the afterglow!

Then back to LA  and getting off the plane and heading right to  Belle’s first audition (fingers crossed, although we are apparently finalists!) and then two days later, my birthday dropbacks.

This year, Colin assisted me on the beach in Santa Monica.  I decided I wanted more than just another pretty and/or neutral backdrop.  I wanted some sense of scope/scale with the environment so we went for sunset with the pier in the background.

I really love the photos.  Here are a few samples…

OK, I’m back….Quite Literally:

Back to blogging.
Back on the East Coast.
Back in my parent’s house in Connecticut.
Back and ready to teach my first class/workshop in six months this Friday (and raring to start teaching again, period.)

Today’s agenda:  create the workshop for dropping back.  I’ve been thinking about it a lot, ranging from imaging how fun it will be, mostly how great to connect with old students, to having very specific ideas while I’m practicing over the past month and making mental notes to incorporate them on the evening’s dance-card.

But today I have to shape things more specifically, narrow down the playlist from infinite to 2 hours, and decide which of my wackier brainstorms will actually translate for students.  [I am reminded of how Diana Vreeland confesses to wandering through the Vogue offices shouting “Remember Velasquez!” and admitting something close to (I’m paraphrasing) “that was one of my ideas that never quite caught on with the general public.”]

My goal in the workshop is to not only create a fabulously fun time (lots of sweaty, euphoric movement) and of course to also impart some information, but also (and more importantly) to create a metaphor of the dropback experience where each person gets to move beyond some fear or into the unknown (in a supported way.)   IE, breakthrough time!

I have been neglectful of this blog, even though there have been several wonderful, easy-going moments in the evening when I’d find myself unwinding by playing through a few sonata movements.

The reason is that I’ve been prepping for my Kipton Art Event from last Thursday.

Honestly, it was a FANTASTIC night.  Here’s the video of my artist’s tour that showcases the work:

Kipton Los Angeles April 2010 Event

And here’s one of the Grange Hall images, a series that continues to be quite popular:

The Kipton event is moved until April 29th and I feel that I am actually for once truly ahead of the game.

Although I am astonishingly punctual, perhaps it’s because I always have the feeling that I might be terribly behind.  All of this may come from the fact that I was a very overdue first baby and was ultimately induced on July 2nd so that my mother’s obstetrician could have his scheduled 4th of July weekend as planned.

All of the pieces are 95% ready and I’m hoping to have time to do a few more live drawings (while listening to the sonatas of course.)

Somehow the Keith Jarrett recording of the Goldberg Variations — which I realized I’ve owned for over a year — has suddenly now become my latest obsession.   Having grown up with them via Gould and my more recent passion for Simone Dinnerstein, it’s so intriguing to hear them on the harpsichord.  I began looking at buying one on ebay today and I am only a canvas or two away from owning one, it seems.

Here’s one more from Symmetry, and one of the newly painted dropbacks and a drawing for good measure (It makes me happy that the drawings are in the affordable price range for almost everyone.  Perhaps I should market them — versus couture — as my “ready-to-hang” line….)

Oh, and you have to click on the dropback to enlarge it and see the full-image….