Touch me in the morning, and last thing at night

One of my favorite dance tracks has to be Rui Da Silva - Touch me. Originally released back in 2001, it has been featured on numerous mix compilations and has been regarded as one of the best dance songs in history, a classic. I mean it sold over 300,000 copies. Even Danny Tenaglia incorporates this song in almost every one of his sets. I can remember the first time I heard this track, the haunting vocals courtesy of Cass Fox. It gave me chills and almost brought me to tears.

There have been a few people to take a stab at remixing such a perfect track. And none have come close. Well, yesterday, the woman known as Cass Fox , who originally wrote and recorded the track with Rui Da Silva released new remixes to an already perfect song. This time the remixes come from X-press 2, Tom Neville and Spencer and Hill. And little did I know what kind of response I would receive after posting on VIP Guest List, a message board I frequent. The point I was trying to make is that even a track that one would consider flawless in its original form will eventually be remixed. and nothing may ever come close to the original, but I tell you, the spencer and hill remix would sound pretty damn good in a big room.

you touch my mind in special places

i hate to say it buy i am really glad that halloween is almost over. something about the pressure of finding the right costume that is innovative and creative and funny just makes me dread it. that and the fact that i am a procrastinator and usually score a back up costume the very day of the party. but not this year. my costume was Napoleon Dynamite, which i guess is sort of funny and practical for someone who is busy DJing a party. I didn't need to be foolin' with a mask or makeup.

friday night I intended to stay in and organize my music, but a call from 5th street summoned me out of the house, and soon i was drinking wine over at johnbrown's house. we later took a trip over to Amsterdam. We bypassed the dancefloor (which was completely empty, and made me wonder where people go to dance on a friday? heretic?) and congregated at the bar. I just don't love that place.

so i fixed breakfast for diane on saturday morning and then ran a few errands. the mayor stopped by for a quick visit and to borrow Davita's wig. He makes a beautiful Uma Thurman.

Now I thought the Halloween party on Saturday night was fun. and as expected, no one really showed up until 10pm, but they were there to have a good time. i looked up at one point and spotted a few guys dancing with their shirts off. (remember I was spinning outside under a tent in the 40 degree weather). one handsome gent named Gunther came up and entertained me with his knowledge of UK house music, only to find that i did in fact have the obscure request for Leg Soup - Wonderland. I apparently gave him and several others my phone number, but I am convinced he only wants me for my mind (or is it music) and not my body. I have, however, had calls for future gigs; a commitment ceremony (seems i am second choice next to Kimberly S) and two bat mitzvahs. nice.

the party ended rather quickly, as everyone was in a hurry to get the The Jungle. and i went too, as much as i don't love that place. it was crazy packed, and I tried to find my groove in three separate places on the dancefloor but just couldn't. plus the music started to turn into sounds not songs so i exited without giving notice. guess i am getting old.

canned heat

is it friday yet? damn this week is creeping by. i awoke this morning with some serious back pain. i quickly remembered my near fatal fall in the shower last night. it leaves me wondering if i need to install emergency pull cords and safety bars in the bathroom? at this rate, next month i will be scooting around the hospital with a walker complete with cutoff tennis balls. you might as well ship me off to the Big Gay Retirement Home. where I suppose i could spin the Sunday T-Dances, with a slip-proof dance floor and oxygen stations for those suffering from emphysema. i guess this is part of getting old, but damn i am only 30.

i'm getting a little stressed as my halloween costume is not coming together, and i spent the last couple of hours in buckhead traffic without luck. i really do like halloween, but i'm not very creative and i always seem to wait to the last minute. and the last thing i want to do is find myself standing in a long line at Costumes, etc. on saturday afternoon only hours before i have to be at a party. been there, done that, and took a xanax for it.

at night, I lock the door where no one else can see

last night i spent the better part of the evening on the innerweb. no, i wasn't cruising online, just doing a litle preparatory work for the halloween party i am spinning on saturday night. and it still amazes me what you can find out there in terms of music, new and old. it just takes patience and a little inside knowledge.

and after a couple of hours and nearly an entire bottle of cabernet, i found the little gem i was looking for. (hey red wine on a monday is heart healthy and i felt much better when johnbrown texted me shortly after 9pm to proclaim that he too was enjoying a bottle or two..) anyway, without giving too much away, it's a track that David LaSalle always plays at one of his weekly sunday night "Plastic Disco" parties at the A-House. It turns out to be the original 12" mix and I can't wait to play it on Saturday.

work was unusually slow today, so after lunch, i stopped by the CVS to purchase some Claritin-D. little did i know that now all products that contain even the smallest amount of sudafed are kept behind the counter. but it doesn't stop there. not only do they have to check you ID, but you now have to fill out forms in a notebook with your name, address, and the item you are purchasing (even going so far as putting down how many grams of sudafed are contained in the 10 tablets). geez. I felt like I was doing something illegal, as the line behind began to back up. It was more embarrassing than purchasing a twin pack of Fleet's at the local Walgreens and seeing one of your friends in line behind you. thank god my condo board banned meth labs on our balconies or i would be in trouble.

nobody needs another stalker in your life

I suppose that I may be the only one that wasn't totally impressed by the Pet Shop Boys on Thursday night. and i will admit that I am not a huge PSB fan, but i do enjoy their music. that's not to say that i didn't have a good time though. our seats were in the reserved section in the balcony, and after 14 flights of stairs, i was ready for a drink. and drink we did. and the $14 double vodka-diet cokes did the trick.

they came out shortly after 8:15, and frankly, I thought the music was a bit too loud and overpowering the vocals. the first several songs were straight from their new album (which i do not own), but the crowd was fun and gay and everyone seemed to be having a good time. i guess in retrospect i would have felt more connected to the show had I been down on the floor.

i was really surprised to hear them call for a 30 minute intermission half way through the show. What? I have never heard of that at a concert. I mean even Aretha would have stayed on stage and threw herself up on a stool.

after the show, we (8 of us total) all decided to hit Wetbar for a drink. this is where things get fuzzy. i remember seeing a mayor look-alike who was very cute and word on the street is he knows how to use those pillow lips. somehow, i talked my way into the VIP area called "Fountain", which really isn't all that. just a lot of lights on the floor and a very nice lavatory.

but it all worked out in the end, cause I didn't wake up alone. in fact, there were three of us there. diane just loves to spoon.

friday started off rocky, but i made it through the day and the call gods were good to me on that night. which is great because i was exhausted and needed some rest.

saturday brought a great visit with the parental units, a trip to my sister's house to visit with my new nephew, a mediocre lunch at a mexican strip mall, and an unpleasant tour of atlanta's first Trader Joe's. the place was crazy packed, and every N. fulton FUPA in alpharetta came to see what all the fuss was about. my dad and i were nearly run over by carts of suburbanites eager to load up on jumbo tubs of hummus and bags of frozen potstickers. perfect for throwing in your fry daddy and whipping up a perfect asian-inspired meal at the weekly neighborhood "Bunco" night. how fancy....

I resisted the temptation to go to the Eagle on saturday night and stayed in once again. nothing wrong with that right? which left me feeling a bit stir crazy by sunday afternoon, so i joined my friends for some quality beer drinking and porch time on 5th street. and what a beautiful day it was. the smell of autumn, the changing of the leaves, the crisp blue sky, the way the temperature can drop by 30 degrees with the passing of the sun. it all reminds me of why i love atlanta so much. and no sunday would be complete without a stroll through the local watering hole, blake's. and fun was had by all. sweet jeff joined us and let me tell ya, that boy has gone from sweet to sexy in a matter of months. it's funny what going through a divorce can do for you.

I think i got the most pleasure out of seeing johnbrown "flip" his own switch and chat up the cutest guy in the bar. and i hear the feeling is mutual so i do hope something comes of it, as I cannot think of anyone more deserving.....

this week i must put together a functional halloween costume, prepare for my gig on saturday night, and follow up on a potential new career opportunity.

cheers.

i'm stuck inside a hurricane

here are a few random things on my mind today:

the new employee at work is super hot and guess who was asked to train him? turns out he is straight, married, loves bluegrass music, and met his wife at a "revival" in middle tennessee. i haven't had the heart to tell him that i am gay, and i find it funny when he picks out girls at work and in hospital that I should "ask out". he is very funny, and for that he gets big points. today i told him i was a dj, and he replied, "before i really got into bluegrass music (which i equate with findin' Jesus), I was into techno music and raves. "oh really, i replied? what was your favorite song?". He comes back with, "ever heard of the funk phenomenon?" WHAT? WHAT?

the weather in atlanta is hot and cold, then rainy, hot again. everyone at work is coughing and eating up the mucinex like pez candy. thank god i TOOK a flu shot at employee health today. thankyouverymuchbetty.

maybe the old lady next door didn't die. but i was surprised to see her navy blue dodge spirit to go missing over the weekend. maybe she was getting a tune up? not so lucky. a shiny Audi A4 showed up yesterday...... along with cute little couple in their early 30s. looks i will have to turn the music down...

i finally see things coming back to life at the space across from my condo where the restaurant named the Waterhouse was set to open almost 2 years ago. i heard that one of the owners ran off with all the money, so the place has been vacant and lifeless. but i'm not one to gossip, so you didn't hear the from me.....

Pet Shop Boys.......tomorrow night. 'nuff said.

Tune of the Day: Jamiroquai - runaway. Really into Grant Nelson's remix here. it's housey, it's groovy. check it out.

come catch a fire, don't let me fade away

Me and my new nephew, Carter Douglas Dunn 

it's amazing how quickly your life can change. take my sister for example. it seems like only yesterday that she told me she was pregnant again. and here it is nine months later. that's right, yesterday morning, we welcomed my new nephew to this world. Carter Douglas Dunn. and he really is beautiful. with a head full of fine blonde hair and blue eyes. i cannot fathom how different their life will be, just as i cannot fathom the idea of ever having my own child one day.

on my drive out to kennestone hospital this evening, i was heavy in thought about this very subject. and it was with mixed emotions. part of me is filled with happiness for my family; yet part of me wonders how my life would be if i ever had a child. i have sort of come to accept that it would never happen (hell, i can't even get a boyfriend....small steps, small steps). but it also saddens me to know that I won't ever have a child of my own, to rejoice in the milestones in his/her life, to love them, know them, to see them grow up......

i'll let you whip me if i misbehave...

and i really did behave this weekend. here is what happened...

friday night, johnbrown and i attended a cocktail party over at the plaza midtown. i tell ya, just when you think you know everyone in this town, twenty more handsome men pop up. and they did. terry's condo is really beautiful. and the party was real real nice, and johnbrown was fixin my drinks real real strong. and soon i found myself talking to a handsome boy fresh out of the army. i was flattered when he told me he thought i was 21 years old, What? but soon a chicken hawk swooped in and i just wasn't up for that battle. plus, i knew i had to be up early in the am. so the voice of reason told me to leave, and we stumbled home to our respective midtown abodes in preparation for a morning cuddle with diane.

diane sure did make the drive to chattanooga unpleasant on saturday morning. but thanks to a cup of coffee and an western egg press panini compliments of the wild bean cafe on wade green road, she finally quieted down and went to sleep. we met up with todd and brad at the puzzle queens's house, then departed for a nice hike in the mountains. after a late lunch, and a stroll through "culture fest" in the park, we made our way to the entrance of the walnut street bridge. you see, we were here for Wine Over Water, an annual wine festival benefiting historic preservation in Chattanooga. 48 tents of wine and food from local restaurants, all along one of the longest pedestrian bridges in the world, that goes over the tennessee river. it was a lof of fun, drinking, socializing with random people, and an excellent place to people watch. as the sun began to set, the festival came to an end, and we realized how tipsy we were. dinner at Hennen's was good, it think. the bar was cool i remember. hmm..

sunday's drive back to atlanta was fun as johnbrown and i listened to the entire Grease soundtrack. even going so far as to change the lyrics to summer lovin' to a cheeky little number about our FUN in ptown.....what?

and what a beautiful day it was in atlanta. after a 15 mile bike ride to emory and back, we had a late lunch at Moes & joes and then a little porch time at johnbrowns. bret and i might have ridden our bikes to blake's for a drink or four but i was home by 8pm. now, that sounds respectable, don't it? thanks betty.

sunset on the tennessee river 

drink much?

as the sun began to set, and the festival came to an end, the one ounce pours became eight... 

 

 

The new addition to the Hunter Museum of Modern Art