Oh SNAP!

The (sweaty) Jewish Robot, Berger Boy, and Circus at Central Park
This Memorial Day weekend couldn't have been more perfect ... except for the part where I broke my right arm. And, yes, that's my cartooning arm!

It all started with an afternoon excursion to Central Park West, where my buddy Paul Berger treated me to a surprise schooling with a new friend, Gerry "Circus" Lynas, world renowned sand sculptor and freestyle Frisbee pro. Berger and I discovered freestyle Frisbee two years ago and have since made it our main summer pastime in Prospect Park. Getting a freestyle flying disc lesson from Circus, the fellow who practically invented the sport, was the treat of a lifetime!

In addition to freestyle, Circus also taught us some flying disc games, including my new favorite, Splitzo, in which two Frisbees of different diameters are layered one inside the other and tossed together. At the last second of flight, the discs split and fly in different directions, and the receiver must catch them both.

I love Splitzo! When it's the Frisbees splitting, not my bones.
And it was during a game of Splitzo in Prospect Park the next day that I split my radius bone while taking a hard dive for the catch. Upon witnessing my "proper" injury, as he called it, Berger--who was all too familiar with broken limbs from his youth--promptly instructed me to remove my shirt, before the swelling and pain set in which would make it difficult to disrobe for the doctor, (well, that's the excuse he used, anyway). It's a good thing he told me to do that, because a few minutes later I couldn't maneuver that forearm.

Me, Sofie, and Berger at New York Methodist Hospital ER triage. The wrist holding my new Freelancers Union HIP card is broken.
Paul and Sofie waited with me for more than an hour of registration, and then Paul stayed with me all the way to the end, allowing his inner photojournalist to get the best of him. The following photos were taken over a four hour period of mostly waiting in ER.

Robed and waiting
... and waiting
Ben Baruch Broke
The photo on the right shows the break through my radius bone in the forearm, near my right wrist. This makes it nearly impossible to use my Wacom stylus and digital tablet for cartooning. It also makes it impossible to type. This blog entry is entirely a left-handed job!

So, I am sorry to announce, new cartoons will be delayed for about two months.

Wrapping things up
Trying to sign an autograph for the doctor who happened to be a Shabot 6000 fan. Not really, it was just a release form.
I would like to thank the entire cast for making this blog entry difficult.

Jewish Princess

She may be just 12 weeks old, but from that quirky look on her face I can already tell my niece Lola's got my (and my sister's) funked up sense of humor.

Jewschool Crew

A dozen Jewschool contributors gathered at the Bronfman Center for Jewish Life in Manhattan this evening. Jewschool founder and natural-born leader, Mobius, laid out a roadmap for the future of the blog, and let us in on his secret plan to [5/26/06 content deleted, removed reference to Mobius's plan to take over the world]. Some of the information and ideas shared in the meeting are classified, so I cannot go into much detail, as it may tip off the competition. But I can say that Mobius has amassed an impressive crew of dedicated contributors, passionate and bright, and I sense the best of Jewschool is yet to come.

Ruby K, EV, Mobius, Sarah
Lilit, David Kelsey, the Jewish Robot
Guest appearance by Y-Love
Cole, Balaam's Donkey, Lilit, Mobius, EV at Bar 119 on 15th @ Irving
More on Jewschool and Flickr

Carnies at the Carnival

"C'mon, give us a smile!" I said that a lot last night as I fulfilled my role as paparazzi in the Carnival of Style, presented by the 14th Street Y's Jewish Artists Workshop. This was probably the most unique and bizarre Jewish themed event I've been to so far, thanks to producer and Director of Arts, Alyssa Abrahamson. As hired paparazzi it was my duty to keep the camera flashing, and this resulted in my camera's battery dying before we even got to act two, which featured the most eclectic gathering of Jewish entertainers and fashion artists. One of the highlights of the evening was a live onstage piercing of a Kinky Jews dude's chest, into which long pins were jabbed and arranged so that a piece of blue yarn wrapped around them formed a star of David. More below.

Producer Alyssa Abrahamson in a quiet moment before the show
Carnies backstage preparing for the event
More carnies backstage
The Davenatrix and some hot carnie chick
I'm not sure who this carnie was, but he was walking around like a clown or a puppet or something. At least I hope he was a carnie and not some regular guy with unusual mannerisms who is going to have his feelings hurt when he reads this. Anyway, I dig his jacket.
Me and Shana from Punk Rope in our paparazzi debut. The look on her face is that of shock and disbelief when I told her I could jump rope ... without a rope.
Cardone the Magician and his dummy. From the looks on their faces, I'm not sure whose arm is up whose arse.
Random hot blonde I mistook for a carnie celeb. (I kid, Clara was actually my lovely date.)
Host and undisputed star of the show, Scotty the Blue Bunny
Baby as Accessory model family takes the stage. I thought the baby was actually going to be slung to the side like a handbag, but this was cute enough.
Bertha Markowicz's Size Queen is all about fat, fabulous, sexy clothes that show off all the curves. I believe the name comes from the fact that all the garments are fashioned from queen size bed sheets.
I don't know who this fit bird was, but she was called up on stage to stall for time during a technical glitch, and she rocked the house with her 3-minute rendition of Gone with the Wind. I also dig her CUNT ROCK REVOLUTION shirt.

Carnival of Style

Part fashion show...part burlesque...part vaudeville ... part celebration!
Carnival of Style showcases artists and performers who will explore Jewish and universal themes of the body, guf (in Hebrew), on the runway and beyond. From "Runway Do's & Don'ts" to the "Fashion Prophet" who will predict upcoming style trends, this high profile style show spectacle is not to be missed. Watch out for the paparazzi!

Featuring styles by Aydasara Ortega, Baby as Accessory, Body to the Bone, Cardone, Darlinda Just Darlinda, Doron Braunshtein, Douglas Boatwright, Ellen Levitt, Esperanza, Fashion Prophet, Goddess Perlman, Jennifer Peaches, Julie Blankstein, Kinky Jews, Maya Barkai, Old Ma Femme, Punk Ropers, Size Queen, Spike Vain, Tziporah Solomon, Yolanda Shoshana, and more.

Hosted by Scotty the Blue Bunny with hot tracks by Discotizer.

Tuesday, May 23
14th Street Y in Manhattan
344 E 14th St btw 1st and 2nd Aves
7 PM Gallery Reception
8 PM Show, $8
RSVP: Alyssa_Abrahamson@14StreetY.org

The 14th Street Y’s Jewish Artists Workshop was launched in 2005 for the purpose of providing opportunities for Jewish performing and visual artists to develop and present biannual group performances and exhibits based on a variety of themes, provide a forum for topical discussion and build community.

Lager Ba'Omer

The Jewish Robot, Mobius, and Sarah Chandler at the BangItOut.com Lager Ba'Omer party
Tuesday night I met up in midtwon with a few of the NYC folks who will be attending the ROI120 conference in Jerusalem this summer. Mutually unsure of how a downtown crowd ended up in midtown, together we all headed down to the BangItOut.com Lager Ba'Omer party at The Park, where hundreds of Jewy Jews Jewed it up in celebration of Lag Ba'Omer.

The theme for the evening was Finding Your Bashert. Everyone received an "adjective sticker", and our goal was to find the only person of the opposite sex wearing a matching sticker, and share a drink together. My adjective, some would say appropriately, was IDEALISTIC. While I did manage to chat up a few gals, I never did find my Match. But I did help the two young adults who were wearing the CHASSIDIC stickers meet up, so I did feel like I accomplished something. I hope they will name their first child (a masculine child) after me.



Has Aryeh Goldsmith met his Lager Ba'Omer match?

Mobius dreams of finding his Lager Ba'Omer Bashert


Moree Doree

Jewschool Impromptu

Ariel Beery, ev, Mobius, and David Kelsey
I had resigned to staying in tonight to work on my third Elijah cartoon for Taglit-birthright israel. Fortunately, my man Mobius, back from Israel for the month, caught me on AIM just before 11pm and invited me to an impromptu gathering of Jewschool contributors for a party in the East Village. Within an hour I was hanging out with the gang, and what was almost another evening spent alone turned into a most excellent start of a new week.

Among us were the usual suspects, including Ariel Beery of Presentense Magazine, Jewschool contributor ev, the Kvetcher David Kelsey, and Urban Kvetch Esther K. After the party we ducked out to a hummus and hooka joint for sweet tea and light political discussion ... well, as light as politics could get with Mobius and Kelsey on the scene.

Mobius, Esther K, and David Kelsey swear it was cherry tobacco
The Jewish Robot, Mobius, Esther K, David Kelsey, and Ariel Beery

Oolar!

Last night I took a huge risk: I invited a classy JDate gal to Williamsburg to come see the offbeat, off-off-off-Broadway show, "Adventures of Caveman Robot: The Musical", having been invited by Caveman Robot creator and star of the show and fellow robot cartoonist, Jason Robert Bell. While I may not have fully grasped the deeper psychological subtext of the play, I must say I found myself thoroughly amused with what could possibly be the strangest performance I have ever witnessed live on a stage! As described by Village Voice contributor Adam McGovern:

“Adventures of Caveman Robot: The Musical” is the multimedia catharsis based on Jason Bell and Shoshanna Weinberger’s indie comic about the Jungian warrior-teddybear who embodies our primal insecurities and utopian promise. If the corporate floorshows of Manhattan make you despair for the future of emotional excess and people busting out in song for no reason, you’ll prefer this close reading of pop archetype, transcendental lore, ethnographic ritual and live cartoon-character mall appearances. It’s a Wagnerian movie-serial symposium on ice.

That should pretty much clear up any questions you may have about the plot.

I like robots, and my JDate must like robots, too, if she's hanging out with me. So coming from a couple of robophilic fans, I recommend catching Caveman Robot in Williamsburg, Brooklyn before the show goes the way of Cats. You have until May 13, 2006, so order tix now!

Professor Tuttlwell (Devon Hawkes Ludlow) and his niece Megan (Hope Cartelli) hooking up the dodecahedron heart to Cavey
Colonel Threeheadedspacepony, a Nazi SS officer whose brain has been transferred to the body of a penguin, (Robin Reed, puppeteer)