Yet Another Year
By the time you read this, the holidays will be OVER! Every single one of them! You can actually spend time reading this because all your shopping is done, dinners are cooked and eaten, and your relatives finally left you alone. I also went to my high school reunion, (I’m not telling which one! Too scary!) and while everyone else had 2.5 kids, lovely homes and reliable cars, I felt I was living large!
YEP, this is an ALL NEW new year. I feel like everything has changed. And if it didn’t change for me, I went and changed it. Lots of things were broke, some needed refining, but in the advent of 2004, when I will have known my shrink for almost a decade, I figured I had better make her kids’ college education money pay off and ACT. The renovation going on in my kitchen is just a metaphor. I’m took a sledgehammer to my entire life!
Kitty, the globe-trotting office temp
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What I lacked in permanent employment for the good part of 2003, I made up for with jet-setting style. I finally had a paycheck coming from a place where no one cared if I called in sick, took an extra day for the weekend or left at 4 to get my hair cut, as long as my work was done. In my early days, I worked like a busy little beaver, and saved up a list of questions to ask the project manager all at once so I would not be a pain. I called her to diligently follow up on these pressing issues, and she said, “Oh, I forgot about you!” Silly me! I was taking a temp job seriously! Well, no more! I took advantage of the fire sale on terror-threatened travel and ran around as much as possible. Las Vegas for $200 round trip? I went there twice – once with friends for a girls’ weekend, and a month later for a big rock and roll show. I went to Los Angeles for the Black Flag reunion in September, and to Coachella Festival in April. In fact, I went to three out of the four Stooges reunion shows (Iggy Pop, not Moe, Larry and Curley). I had tickets for the Detroit show, but A. lost my tickets, B. Went to Stockholm instead and C. The show was rescheduled due to the blackout. I wasn’t even in NYC for that! I somehow knew a real job would be a ball and chain, so I was going to have fun while being semi-employed.
Kitty, the rock and roll photojournalist or www.fotolog.net/kittykowalski
I bring my camera wherever I go. I’ve also been writing this column for about four years now. I do this for fun. I still can’t do this for profit, BUT I can do it for FREE or for photo privileges. Which was the best show? I can’t even decide. Some were famous – The Stooges reunion after some 30 years – and some were infamous – Hank of Turbonegro catching a beer bottle in the head. But I published photos for both. So, if you want photos of The Adicts, Agnostic Front, ALL, Bad Wizard, Beastie Boys, The BellRays, Black Flag, Buzzcocks, The Damned, The Datsuns, Detroit Cobras, The Dickies, The Dictators, The Dirtbombs, The Donnas, Drag the River, The Dragons, The Epoxies, Flaming Sideburns, The Fleshtones, The Flipsides, Gore Gore Girls, Hot Hot Heat, The Hunns, Iggy Pop, James Chance, The Kills, The Libertines, Jesse Malin, Mars Volta, The Misfits, Mooney Suzuki, NY Rel-X, The Pattern, The Paybacks, The Polecats, Queens of the Stone Age, Raveonettes, The Real Kids, Riverboat Gamblers, Rocket from the Crypt, Rocket from the Tombs, Sahara Hotnights, The Spits, Tommy Stinson, The Stooges, Supersuckers, Turbonegro, Untamed Youth, Sonny Vincent, White Stripes, Andre Williams, Wretch Like Me, or !!! (I have no idea what to call this band, but I thought they were great), let me know. I did not take any photos this year of bands beginning with O, Y or Z – but ALL were just for 2003. No cameras were allowed at Billy Idol, The Cramps (probably because the members are in their mid 50s, but they look great), Rene Risque, Sex Pistols or The Von Bondies. I forgot my camera for The Electric Six. DUH. My photos of Cheap Trick and Poison did not come out, so the only thing I can say is “I was there.” When these bands are all famous, broken up, or have been on Court TV, I will do one of those rock and roll coffee table books twenty years from now with all my photos when some of those shows have reached Woodstock-like historical status.
Kitty, the Yogini
I toyed with the idea of becoming a yoga teacher. It would afford me a flexible lifestyle – with the rock and roll and my body. The problem is, I’m as flexible as a plank. As Yoda says, “Do or do not – there is no try”, so I’m doing it. Now, I can touch my toes. I still don’t sit at a 90-degree angle, but I won’t say “can’t”. I’m reprogramming myself to not to say “hard” or “difficult”. I say, “It’s a challenge”. I was diligent, going three times a week until about May when all the rock concerts got in the way. I would even go on a Sunday morning, completely hung-over with only three hours sleep. When doing headstands, I seriously wished I was in another life instead of this one. This year, I will maintain my practice, not be a teacher, and go at least once a week. I’m also cutting down on my meat consumption. Jivamutki says “A vegetarian diet is the most important part of your practice”. Yogis believe in reincarnation, so eating meat is tantamount to cannibalism. Once this concept sinks in, I’ll give it up. Not eating chicken is easy because it’s the most disgusting meat on the planet.
Kitty, the Single Gal
I got the notion that I should be by myself and sort out my relationship issues with family, friends and lovers. Put any nagging notions to bed once and for all. I have been a serial dater since I grew out of my training bra, so I figured I had better give the boys a rest. I’d like to be closer to my family, enjoy the company of my friends (whom are so stellar, I could call them from jail and they would bail me out), and finally have some peace in my life in my own space. Also, I have to ask myself what do I want from these relationships? I saw myself as having this Elizabeth Taylor-like trail of ex-husbands behind me, without having the money to conveniently get rid of them all. I have this XY retardation syndrome, so I have to make a shopping list of desirable features and physically check them off. Even better, as independent as I am, I’m all for arranged marriage. I worked with a guy who was returning to India to get married. We asked him, “Are you excited? What is your wife like?” and he replied that he had never me her and his family arranged it. We were completely horrified with our American values and romantic notion of marriage, but he said something that makes complete sense to me now, “Who better to choose someone for me than the people who love me and have known me all my life?’ Who better, indeed. When I’m good and ready and find the person of my dreams, he will have to meet with my best friends, my family, my shrink and my cats. Poor bastard.
Kitty, the rock and roll band songwriter lady
In all of this, I have not forgotten to rock. I won a songwriting contest sponsored by Shure microphones, and got an expensive studio mic as a prize. I also had three of my songs come in as runner up in the Billboard Magazine songwriting contest. I had one performer do a bluegrass version of one of my songs. I have a Japanese fan who send me Hello Kitty stuff and wants my song lyrics so he can sing them at Karaoke. I have enough songs to make a new record, and have already made some preliminary recordings. By the time this CD is out, it will be five years since the last one. Hell, John Lennon took that much time off. So can I, but I was never a Beatle. I’m going to give this one my all, and if I come up short, I’ll just have to accept the fact that I’m a hobbyist. I’ll never stop. Like sharks have to swim to breathe, I have to do this. I just won’t put so much time, effort and money into it. I’m no teeny bopper.
Kitty, the gainfully employed professional
Shortly before my temp job was to expire, my project manager asked me, “So, do you have anything lined up?”. I sure didn’t. Three days later, I get a call from my old job that this man I interviewed with about six months earlier is calling me back. We talked on the phone, I saw him the next day, they called my references and made me an offer. I was out of work for 18 hours. I got my hair cut, a manicure and pedicure, had a body wax, went to the dermatologist and went to work. I am finally getting a decent wage, the position I deserve, with people I like, and a place I feel comfortable. I blew off the mega-concert on The Queen Mary without looking back.
Kitty, the marathoner
I decided to run the NYC Marathon. I hate running. I might run if you were chasing me with a knife. This is another personal challenge. I joined the NY Road Runners Club. I ran in Central Park. I signed up for running classes (don’t laugh) and never went because of the aforementioned job (I signed up for it when I had the silly temp job). Spring 2004 will be my training time. They say you only really need 6 months. I don’t want to kill myself or make some great time, I just want to do it and finish. If I come in somewhere around four hours and change, I’ll be fine. I just can’t leave planet earth without testing myself and doing something great. What are we here for anyway? I feel sometimes that my whole life has been a marathon – a test – and I’m finally getting into the home stretch and reaching my stride. Physical activity can help you work out the mental and emotional challenges you face. I learned that from my yoga practice, too. So while I have this body on loan here on Earth, I can achieve with it what I can’t in the spirit world. I might as well give it a workout in 2004.
I’m feeling lucky this year, and maybe this time, I’ll win.
I love you and have a wonderful, happy, healthy 2004 full of everyday victories and moments of greatness.
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