A DAY IN "THE LIFE OF RILEY"

I lost my camera Sunday while having drinks at G (www.glounge.com). Ant and I met up with friends Chris and Ken Roberson (http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/5/20/a-reversal-of-mendacity.html) and were really enjoying ourselves. We even took pictures. Not these pix though. THESE ARE FROM ANOTHER TIME BECAUSE...as we were ready to leave, I managed to get up without grabbing my blackberry nor my camera. I realized as soon as we got out to the sidewalk on 19^th Street. So, Ant and I quickly returned to where we were and they were gone. It turns out the blackberry was turned in. The camera was not. Nothing could console me. I was very upset (though Ant says he’s going to replace it as he wanted to anyway, but there’s no replacing the many images that were on this camera):

It was chockfull of joyful images that I’ve been chronicling since Ern and I went to see Miss Vanessa Williams at “The Wendy Williams Show” (http://yosayword.wordpress.com/2008/08/21/vanessa-williams-on-the-wendy-williams-show/), which – by the way – has been picked up ( www.wendywilliamstvshow.com/ ). Ant produced all of the opening announcers for the show (among many things) – so it was so great to see him coaching Vanessa’s mother Helen, known lovingly as “Gaga”. Afterwards, we didn’t get private time with Vanessa (she had left), but her glam squad includes a friend Sam Fine ( www.samfine.com/ ) and the very kind Oscar James (who too works on Tyra’s tresses – www. oscarjames .com ) with whom I’ve photo op’d before (but our picture from that morning of the ‘Wendy’ show was stellar. Not sure who that is in the middle of this file photo. :(). I'M GLAD ERN TOOK THE PIC WITH VANESSA'S MOM ON HIS CAMERA AS WELL.

From there, Ant left for Denver where he’s partaking of related DNC fare and benefiting from being home as he’s worked hard over this last six weeks. My former fellow NABJ Board member Tamara Banks is producing documentaries and hosting her own show on PBS in addition to media consulting. I hooked Ant up with her (though they have their own history as she gave Ant a NABJ scholarship by way of the Colorado Association of Black Journalists some years ago). One of the groups she is working with is organizing the After Five Jazz & Blues Festival 2008 (www.denverjazzfestval2008.com), a series of jazz & blues concerts to be held in the Black neighborhood, Five Points, this week. Ant too may be helping her out during the festivities.

Before he left and between my return from Atlanta, Ant and I got lots of social time and karaoke in:

• One night, we hung out with Ant's best friend Manivone and her girls on the lower east side. The Sutra Lounge ( www.sutranyc.com/ ) was our night (and oh, the pix were so great! <I’M SAD!> But here's a pic of Manivone from our past).
• Friday, we went to Central Park (by way of the Diana Ross Playground) to join one of Ant’s co-workers and her friend at HAIR, the musical that was running in the park. But it was sold out. So, we met them at One 17 – our karaoke spot ( www.karaoke17.com/ ). (Also, GREAT PICTURES! EH!!!!!)
• Then, my best friend from Morehouse Eddie was in town from Chicago for a wedding. He, a friend Tereska (former Chicago resident now in NYC), Ern, Ant, and I did more karaoke at Players II. Eddie provided this pictures from when they joined a couple of friends of Tereska for drinks at The Bryant Park Grill ( www.bryantpark.org/ ) after she and Eddie went to see “Boeing Boeing” ( www.boeingonbroadway.com ). (BUT OUR KARAOKE PICTURES WERE GREAT! WE HAD SO MUCH FUN AND IT WAS CAPTURED!!!)
• On Sunday, Ant and I joined my ‘Amazing Grace’ Nichole and a group of our friends (from Dawn to Cynthia to her cousin Jeffrey to some other friends of theirs). Too, my friend Vince (from Chicago was in town visiting his beau Earl who is on Tyra’s glam squad) - http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/2/12/tasty-freeze-of-chicago.html . My friend Mitchell’s restaurant Maroon’s was our locale ( www.maroonsnyc.com/ ). <THESE PIX WERE GREAT TOO BUT SEE VINCE FROM MY TIME IN CHICAGO… AND SEE NICHOLE AND SOME OF OUR FOLKS IN THE MIX!>After we partook of great food and mimosas (and a Savion Glover sighting), Ant and I did a little shopping and then did a pitstop at the karaoke bar – so we could rest before we were to meet our friends at G Lounge. Imagine our excitement when my Savannah homeboy Maurice Marable and his friend Karen popped in and ‘sang with us’. Our impromptu double date made the night (http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2008/7/22/in-a-world-of-fading-treasures-love-is-the-greatest-pleasure.html). (ANOTHER ROUND OF GREAT PIX MISSING, BUT YOU RECALL MAURICE AND KAREN FROM OUR RECENT “PASSING STRANGE” EVENING OUT… ...AND ANOTHER RUN-IN IN THE CITY).

While on our way to G, Ant noticed our good friend Henry Krieger on the street (composer of all songs "Dreamgirls" - Broadway musical and the movie). You'll recall, Ant interviewed him for STARZ! here in New York City when the film was set to come out. And I - the "Dreamgirls" CRAZY MAN - about lost my mind as Ant invited me to watch in the wings as he interviewed one of my hero architects of song  (http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2006/12/17/dreams-see-us-through-to-forever-part-two.html). Well, the other day (on the street), I was lots more composed and WE TOOK SOME GREAT PICTURES AS WELL after which we chatted him up about his projects and our projects, etc. AND NOW THOSE PIX ARE GONE TOO. But at least, we have our pix from December 2006, including this cute one (these 2006 pix were with a disposable camera, by the way):

By the way, CONGRATULATIONS to two pairs of friends:

• My fellow Pentavaurate member Stephanie Elam whose boyfriend Jeffrrey Rush we met the week Ant came to town last February (http://thelifeofriley.squarespace.com/rilys-blog/2007/3/11/success-is-nothing-without-someone-you-love-to-share-it-with.html) is now Mrs. Stephanie Elam. I wish I could have been there to bear witness to the union. But it speaks volumes everytime I see you two. CONGRATULATIONS! Now we are a quorom of spoken-for PENTAVS. When our dinner group formed, we were all single (though not exactly footloose and fancy free). One step at a time, each of us has gotten 'married' (though my attachment falls under the category of 'committed' as the legislation around gay marriage requires some tweaks for Ant's and my taste. Regardless, we're all spoken for... SMILE!).
• And on the same day this month, two other friends Galen Gordon and Adrienne Stewart became ‘flesh of flesh and bone of bone’. Too, we wish we could have covered them (in the Caribbean no doubt), but from afar, we were right there with them. HERE’S TO LOVE… and HERE’S TO LIFE! (I WASN’T EITHER PLACE TO TAKE THESE PIX BUT THEIR RESPECTIVE LOVE HAS BEEN CAPTURED HERE IN THE BLOG BEFORE!)

Like I said, “…“ONE [LOST CAMERA] DON’T STOP NO [BLOG ENTRY]”…“