DID YOU SHAVE???? NYC Moments #135

Why is it that every time I go in for a wax, the ‘technician’ demands to know if I’ve shaved?  Mind you, this is alway asked in a demanding as well as accusing tone of voice.  I can never figure it out if they do this to make me feel guilty for not coming to them every four weeks religiously or if they are just trying to feel superior in a demented way.  I did used to stammer a reply that I did shave and left feeling not only bald but 5 inches tall.  Finally I decided to turn the tables and say in just as mean a tone that ‘of course I did and if you are any good, you’ll do a good job despite the fact that I have made my hairs more course by shaving.’  This approach seemed great until two days later when my newly waxed self began growing when it was not supposed to for another three weeks and five days.  Was she incompetent as a waxer or did she purposefully just break the hairs?

So what is a girl (or guy) to do when one finds oneself supine with one’s legs spread in a small little room smelling of baby power and wax?  Solution:  Pay with a credit card and go back and tell them they have two choices:  Redo or have the charges reversed.

Positive Thinking Brings Success – NYC Moments #134

In the course of the last few months as I’ve made additions and subtractions in my life I’ve run across a few different responses to my happenings.  A short recap:  I opened a pop-up card/gift store called ‘JILLANNE’ (named after me and my design company) in the LES and installed my pole dancing pole in it.  The media found out and I somehow became a celebrity of sorts.  To date I’ve been on:  CBS, Fox Business News, The Daily News, The Huffington Post, in The NY Times, New York Magazine, The Daily News, The Drudge Report, AM New York, Metro New York, on 5 different national radio stations and on hundreds of blogs that went viral.  Whew.  Back to the point of this blog:   While it would have been cool to continue with the shop especially with all of the free media advertising, in the big picture of who I am and my life it was better to have it solely as a pop-up.  It’s been the responses have been fascinating:  ”I’m so sorry!”, “I don’t see how it would have worked anyway.”, “What happened?” are some of the common ones.   In the long run the media attention was really not about the shop and a pole.  It was about the fact that I was following my bliss of the moment even if it wasn’t conventional.  My friend Jennie put it best:  ”You got out of it what you needed to.”   This it perfectly true.  I was just interviewed by Telemundo TV for a nationwide broadcast and continue to be hired by other stores to bring my pole and perform in their stores.  A designer of yoga clothing has also asked me to perform for the unveiling of her new yoga line.  For me it’s about moving forward and creating new paths.  I love being a success.

Sex Does Sell – NYC Moments #133

Recently I had a pop-up stationery store in the LES of NYC.  I happen to be a big fan of having fun at work so I installed my pole dance pole.  I knew I would have to spend many hours at the shop so I wanted my toys so to speak.   I also brought my bass guitar and paints.  When the media found out about the pole, they went nuts.  I was interviewed by New York Magazine, CBS, Fox, Inside Edition, an Italian TV station, a Russian TV station, The Daily News, AM New York, Greetings Etc Magazine, 5 Radio stations that aired nationwide and The New York Times, who all thought it was fantastic.  The Drudge Report picked up the story as well as hundreds of bloggers.  It was fascinating to see the public reaction.  Mind you, I was doing pole fitness moves in the store which are family friendly.  Some people who responded to the blogs thought it was great, others not.  It didn’t start as a ploy to get attention but it turned into a great entertainment venture.  I certainly am not the first to use sensuality: Calvin Klein, Zagat’s, Vicotria’s Secret, etc have all used it to sell their products.  Sensuality and sexuality is healthy so why hide from it?  It has nothing to do with being a whore, a stripper or setting woman back.  Owning it is a powerful thing.  I am continuing with my wholesale greeting card business which is 12 years strong but am also adding pole dancing in other stores.    I hit upon a winner so why keep it just to myself?

I’m just here to dance: NYC moments #132

Life can get really busy and sometime you just need a release.  Some people do drugs, some drink, some watch reruns of Sex & The City.  I dance.  I call it ‘getting my ya-ya’s out’.  In short, dancing is my drug of choice.  It’s been a very busy month since this is when I get all of my holiday card orders out to the retail shops.  And to top it all off, I hadn’t gone dancing in over a week.  Now to some that may not be a big deal.  To me it is.  By hell or high water I was going to go get my ya-ya’s out.  So I arrive at Cielo, my favorite club, and am converged upon by two gentlemen.   I introduced myself as ‘Betty’ (JILLANNE is way too Google-able) and we made small talk.  ”I’m going to go dance now”  ”Great, we’ll go with you”  ”I’m really just here to dance” “You don’t want to talk with me” “I’m really just here to dance”  ”We’ll dance with you”  ”OK” (as I dance)  ”What perfume are you wearing” “I’m just here to dance”  ”You have lovely hands.  Want to get a mani/pedi with me sometime…I have a bit of a fetish you know”  ”I’m just here to dance”  ”Can I have your number” “I’m just here to dance”  Now, through all this, I’ve been having a great time getting my ya-ya’s out…the music was good (though Alex Pearce is still my favorite .  I feel much happier,  but I still don’t want a mani/pedi date.    I decide it’s time to excuse myself and make friends with the bouncer…  I understand that clubs are a great place to meet people and sometimes I feel like chatting, but tonight, I was just there to dance.

I’ll take exquisite – NYC Moments #131

NYC is supposed to be the city that never sleeps so I was a bit taken aback when the place I was planing to eat at informed me that the kitchen had closed at 9pm (it was 9:15pm).  Well ok then.  I’ll just go the the Happy Wok on Delancy and get some Hunan Beef to go instead.  It’s one of these NYC Chinese joints that has great prices and decent food.  I’m just about to leave when a young man who is sitting says ‘Have a good night’.  ’Thank you, you too’ I reply with a smile.  Then the best part (somewhat because I was super tired and not my usual peppy looking self, but mostly because of late I have been a weirdo magnet), he says ‘You’re exquisite’.  And he was just giving a genuine compliment without some game attached to it (and yes, I’ve heard it all…or at least a lot).  ’Thank you very much’ I replied with a bit more step to my walk.  It’s so nice to know there are kind, courtious people out there….his Mama raised him right.

Copyright JILLANNE 10/7/09

Moving – NYC Moments #130

You know you need to move when the car alarm outside your apartment is going for 15 min straight.  Regularly.  You know you have made that decision when you have to eat cheap chinese because you plopped down a broker fee because that is the only sane way to find a new pad.  You know you are moving when you make a meal out of leftover rice, a can of tuna, frozen veggies and mayo because that is what’s left in the fridge and damn if you’re going to haul it.  You know you are moving when you spend a great sunny NYC weekend day inside packing.  You know you are going to move when you dust off your driver’s license so that you can (gulp) drive the U-Haul through the streets of NYC.  You know you are moving when you make the frantic calls to friends and acquaintances asking if they would help you schlep your stuff.  Sigh.  You know you made a good decision when you are moving to an apartment that is not facing the street and will be luxuriously quiet.  Sleep  after all is good.  Even for a New Yorker

Exhibitionist Anyone? – NYC Moments #129

There are many ways to express yourself.  The driver who almost ran over my toes as I was crossing Houston was expressing himself.  I expressed myself when I hit his car with my umbrella.  He expressed himself when he got out of his car and moved threatening toward me yelling that he was going to call the cops.   I expressed myself when I commanded him to back off and explained (ok yelled) that I had the light and I was a pedestrian.  Later the guy driving a light blue Rave who motioned me to his car  expressed himself when he told me I was beautiful and that he was a bit of an exhibitionist and would I like to go someplace so we could view each other.  I expressed to him that my evening had already been very exciting so I would pass this time.

Two Drunk Dudes – NYC Moments #128

I am so going to get in trouble.  I was listening to music at Rockwood Music Hall and this drunk dude was yelling into his phone while the music guy was playing.  I asked him to keep it down, but being that he was a drunk dude he just screwed up his eyes and could not comprehend what I was trying to convey and proceeded to keep yelling ‘Allen and Houston.  I’m at Allen and Houston.’  I motioned for him to give me the phone which he did (love obedient drunk dudes).  I took it, hung it up and smiled at him.   The second drunk dude was much more helpful and even more drunk.  I was crossing Allen really wishing that I had a couple of bucks so I could buy some gum or mints or something because I was going to grab a drink with a hot guy friend.  Right on the corner this other drunk dude steps out of a cab with a fistful of bill in his hand.  I smile at him and say, ‘Is that for me?’  and he proceeds to give me a two dollar bill.  Damn!  I knew I  should have wished for more.

JILLANNE – copyright 8/14/09

Dreams coming true – NYC Moments #127

Dreams can come true.  Wish and it will be.  Fake it till you make it.  Go for it.  Believe in yourself.  Etc. Etc.  You get the picture.  At the stroke of midnight my dreams started to become true.  I was at a call back of sorts for an audition when I was invited by Thomas to join him at The Knife, a bar on 30th Street where he was meeting some friends.  Being that my new mode of transportation is a Xootr it would be easy to get to from 8th and 29th even if I was wearing incredibly high heals.  Off I went and of course I got a few comments, one of which was, “That is so cool!  Want to join our band?”  I laugh and xoot on.  Wait a minute.  I actually always wanted to be in a band and felt like too much of a dork to go up to an existing one and say, “Uhmm.  I really don’t know how to play an instrument and I’m not trained as a singer but I really, really love music and uhhmmm, can I be in your band?”  So I  xoot around back to the corner they are standing on.  Turns out they are a new band called the Get It Ons and they don’t have a base player.  ”Uhhm, I used to play the violin when I was a kid.”  ”Perfect one replies, you can borrow my base and we can jam tomorrow at 1pm.”  ”Great!”  So I have my first band practice.  I’m going to be a rock star Ma!!!  I xoot over to the bar and meet up with Thomas.  Turns out he is a base player and is giving me my first base lesson at 11am.  Hey, isn’t willingness 9/10th of accomplishing something?   I may suck at it or I may not, but I figure if I don’t jump off the cliff I’ll never fly.

I don’t do porn – NYC Moment #126

I lied. Number 125 was not my last NYC post. Obviously because here I am again .   Some things are worth standing up for and I am definitely one of them. The story: My CPA has a childhood friend out here in the NY area who is a photographer. I am getting back in the business of acting/modeling so the photographer and I agreed to do a trade. I was happy with a lot of the shots he took until he showed me one where I was sitting on on escalator coming down. Unbeknown to me, my legs were in an unbecoming position which would have been fine since I was wearing hose.  Tthe photographer had for some reason and without my permission, Photoshoped a bush in my vagina area.   I informed him that I don’t do porn and made him dump the images in the trash.   He claims it was not in bad taste.  Dude???  People can be such asses.  I don’t care how you get your jollies in your own time and space just don’t include me in it  if I’m not a willing participant.  I’m all for expression, sensuality and living life fully but not with just anybody.  What was it Julia Robert’s character said in ‘Pretty Woman’?  ”I get to say when and I get to say with who.”  That just about sums it up for me too