Panera in Hoboken, NJ

Ok - I would like to continue on this theme of writing in cafes, coffee shops and/or diners. First of all, I HAVE to write in one of these places - there  is NO WAY I could ever even attempt to write in my place of residence - or any place of residence, that is. Even the attempt would drive me madly insane! So, as you can see, I have no choice. But the thing is, you have to find the right KIND of public place to write. Forget about Starbucks - too many white fatsos and Yuppies. No, the place MUST have the right ambience - just enough lunatics to make it interesting, a friendly, compliant staff, who will get me free food (as I would never actually buy anything) relative peace, and a tolerant management. THAT place is Panera in Hoboken. Besides actually never having bought anything in 10 years there - in fact, I bring my own food - Siggi's Icelandic vanilla yogurt,  a handful of organic almonds, a 1.9 oz. bar of Green&Black Dark Organic Chocolate (it MUST be 70% cacao - any less is unacceptable!), from Basic Foods down the block - and finally, all the acouttrements for my Yerba Mate tea ritual - of which I carry in my backpack! I also write in a notebook longhand...more on all these startling developments in my next blog!

DELILAH

This is mainly for people who live in the Tri-State area, and listen to the radio maybe in their car on the way back from work, or are maybe forced to listen by a loved one, I don't know. All I know is this horrible woman host on Lite FM, Delilah - I think it's 106.5 - just COMPLETELY sickens me!!! I don't even want to listen to Lite FM - I'm forced to, because it plays in this diner I go to to write, or at least attempt to write, but can't whenever I hear her! I live in Jersey City, and there are really only basically two places I write - Panera in Hoboken (which I will expound on in my next blog!) and this diner called the VIP - in Jersey City. I do and always have done all my writing in these kinds of diners and coffee shops; it used to be in New York before everything became gentrified and yuppified and the awful Starbucks chain replaced all the great Greek diners. Anyway, this Delilah is the worst kind of pseudo cheerful, faux Christian adviser of pop psychology! I swear, she must have killed more people than Jeffrey Dahmer with her terrible canned advice by now! In fact, I cringe when these pathetic sorry asses come on the show and give her their incredulously narcissistic stories. I can't even be angry at them, it's so absurdly sad! Go to a real therapist people! What is wrong with you all?!  Somebody please stop her before she kills again! This woman is a menace to society! Oh, the humanity!

Lovely Chaos is finally available!

Hey Y'all - my 2nd book - LOVELY CHAOS - is FINALLY available in paperback and for Kindle and other platforms! Check it out at Amazon and get yourself a copy today!

The Rush! Turmoil. Chaos. The Rush!

Hey Ya'll - check out the synopsis for my new memoir, Lovely Chaos, the sequel to my first one, The Edge of Whiteness.

The Rush! Turmoil. Chaos.  The Rush!

When young Joe Montaperto, desperately seeking to rise above the dreary negativity of his downtrodden New Jersey town, journeys to the gritty, but vibrant New York City of the early 1980’s – the chaos - and opportunity begin. Enrolling in a prestigious Russian drama school, he is determined to become the next great Stanislavski-trained stage actor – but when it doesn’t pan out, he is crushed.

Hitting the streets dazed and groping for answers, he scores a gig as a nut vendor at a grimy Hell’s Kitchen location. He strikes up a friendship with Vassant, an elderly, brilliant, but drunken Indian scholar, who introduces him to The Upanishads, the ancient texts of Eastern spirituality. Joe soon becomes completely obsessed. When Vassant dies unexpectedly, Joe vows to continue his search for a ‘Master’, finding work at a city ashram, where he commits himself to rigorous spiritual practices. While deep in meditation one day, he is rocked by an epiphany – he may never attain enlightenment in this lifetime – no matter what he does! Shaken by this realization, he dives headlong into what he considers his true calling – stand-up comedy.

Rising up the comedy ranks, he parties and performs with the likes of Jon Stewart, Dave Attell, and John Leguizammo, quickly embracing the debaucherous nightlife scene. A regular at Rudy’s, a seedy Hell’s Kitchen bar, he gets caught up in the rush that ensues, needing evermore to maintain it. He begins reveling in the violent confrontations of the late night crack-infested streets. Still not enough. Hooking up with the sultry Vanessa, a Puerto Rican transgender ex-streetwalker, Joe’s life is thrown into turmoil and conflict, until a chance viewing of the movie, My Dinner With Andre, blows him away. Fascinated by the philosophy and ideas, he decides he must flee the city, abandon everything he knows, and pursue a life of travel and spiritual adventure.