Fantasies. 50 Guys in 50 States. Naked Happy Hours.

Fantasies. I have lots and lots of them; I hope you do too. Most of mine has to do with time, space and impossibly cute animals.

I’ve been thinking a lot about time, commitment, how to make it all (an encompassing A L L) happen in the days we have, what could wait and what needs ME. NOW.

I wrote a book. Two actually, almost. Which is part of the reason for the long absence and intermittent posts. I finished the first draft of on one of them on New Years Day. 90,000 words. Incredulous was my first reaction, not relief nor pride. What is the book about? It’s about travel which is just another way to talk about life and living; this ongoing joke about being a spy which is really about who I was and who I’ve become. Lust and love and naked happy hours.

Marketing pitches are always referential, a convention I’m befuddled by despite of years in advertising. Why would you want something that is kinda like that but…? I guess everyone needs reference points. I’m not delusion enough to think that I wrote a memoir that is so original it turns the genre on its head and redefine the English language as James Joyce or David Foster Wallace had. So in marketing speak, the book (currently untitled) is Eat, Pray, Love from the perspective of a Chinese American woman, struggling through the dissonance of multiple identities, conflicting selves, as she wanderlusts her way across the globe. Humorous in parts a la Steven Almond and J. Maarten Troost while pondering big philosophical questions as Pico Iyer would. Straightforward and unapologetic in her lust, ambition, and adventures, she set a tone that is reminiscent of Patti Smith.

Is that enough reference points? Is that really the book I wrote? Well…that is the book I hope I wrote. We will see. I’m waiting on the first round of notes.

I’m writing a lot more these days. For Yahoo Travel, Adventure.com and The Exploratrice. I just pitched my best Pakistan story to The New York Times Magazine. It would be a really fit for them. I’m a bit nervous. This is my first pitch to NYT Mag.

Can I confess something? For the last couple of years, I didn’t have much enthusiasm for the gallery, Baang + Burne. It felt like work and drudgery. I thought about quitting multiple times. Call the artists up and say, hey, its been great, I adore you and your work….but…somehow new enthusiasm found me or I found it. Either way, I’m really excited about Baang + Burne and what is possible. It’s like Christmas morning all over again.

First up, a special screening of Maria the Korean Bride. Maria Yoon, a first generation Korean American, felt the pressure to wed, so she took marriage to the next level. She married 50 guys in 50 states and made a pretty awesome documentary about it (click here for trailer). We are having a special Valentines Day screening on 2/13 in NYC. Will you be my Valentine? Come see the film and debate the merits of marriage with us, pro / con, the mehs and the argument you keep on having with the voice inside of your head.

About that renewed excitement for the gallery…where did it come from? A lot of it has to do with the current roster of artists I’m working with. They are fun! Smart, intelligent, thoughtful and excellent in so many ways. We are definitely riding the same wavelength and that is really cool. Working with great people is not just corporate adage. It counts. A lot.

I’ve got Jesse Marchant and his raspy mumble on repeat. I want to crawl into a bed made out of deep baritones and the feelings it makes you feel. I’ve been dreaming crazy dreams at night, mostly because of this tea I’ve been drinking. It’s crazy. It’s good.

See you on Valentines Day!