I used to what? what's "writing"? I'm not following you.

Some might say that I used to write a lot. Some might not call it writing but something else wherein I typed stuff and you read it. Some (not you) forgot I existed and only now can name that empty, shallow absence in your life that has surely dogged your every waking moment.

It's ok. I'm here. Put your little iHead on my E-shoulder and I will virtually warble the dulcet toned tales of ribaldry that is my life. Our life. Dayani-East, Version 2.5

Why no writing in so long? Oh sure, we have an infant in the house. That's the obvious culprit. Or how about the fact that Facebook is the new black of emails-to-friends-or-family? Or, there's just not enough time in the day with job hunting and taking care of Nadia. Or, writer's block. Or, and this is my personal favorite, the closer I got to committing to being a writer, the less I wanted to do it as that would mean I might succeed in something. The most likely reason, as usual is, I let too many things that I want to write about build up and I then procrastinate writing at all, until it's months and months later. I liken it to, instead of letting an ice breaker clear a sea passage, just waiting for summer to realize your route is passable again and that you haven't seen your friends across the waters in oh such a long time.

Well what's new, then? Let's get that out of the way:

**Esra and I celebrated our two year anniversary. Kudos to Esra for tolerating my palpable awesomeness (also 'pulpable' awesomeness). I am the overwhelming electrical storm that tickles your brain and I humbly apologize for how difficult it must be to endure such joy.

**Nadia celebrated 9 months in / 9 months out. She is beyond incredible.. more on her later.

**I went from having no job interviews in 3 months to having 3 in consecutive days. Sadly, none have worked out unless they are in ridiculously long interview processes and I will hear from them sometime in the next 24 months.

**This last Friday I was offered a temp job with a salary that wouldn't even pay our rent (I'm negotiating with them but since this is an employers market, chances are they'll find someone with a Masters degree to do the job for half our rent). Remember when you had faith in the world to right itself? Sigh. Hey, nihilism ain't just a river in Egypt! (thank you, thank you.. I'll be performing at Caroline's all week).

**Esra rehearsed for a month (while I watched Nadia) for an amazing play she just was in this last Friday. Oh my lord, it was soooo damn good! The biggest gig she's been in & I'll go out on unsupported limbs to say it was probably the funniest and sexiest (OOooooEEEeeeeOOoh!)

**The stupid NY summer with it's stupid heat has gone the-stupid-F away. I am pretty sure I was not the only person on the internet to comment on the stupidity of our stupid weather.

**I made shredded cuban pork and a pot roast and chinese boneless spare ribs. Hey, big cuts of meat? You hearin' me?? I AM NOT SCARED OF MAKING YOU anymore. Cakes? You're next.

**Football season has started.

**Repeat: Football season has started. Aside from yesterday's depressing Raider loss, I have an unquenchable optimism that I will slowly and completely drive myself insane this season using only the soul crushing power of anxiety and self-loathing.

**Esra has been keeping up a blog on Nadia .. it can be found at: http://notesonnadia.blogspot.com/

**As always, pictures of Nadia can be found at: http://Nadia.Dayani.com

**And all the latest videos can be found at: http://www.youtube.com/esrajudith

Ok, that's all for now or I'll never actually hit "Publish" on this ...

testing out some web things ...

like .. google docs for my resume.

if you're looking for pics or videos of Nadia, Esra or me... everything important in the world can be found at:

pictures - http://Nadia.Dayani.com
videos - http://www.youtube.com/EsraJudith

Kory John Dayani - resume

KORY DAYANI

397 Douglass St # 2
Brooklyn NY 11217

212 . 842 . 9100

KoryDayani@gmail.com

 

 

ART / MEDIA ARCHIVES / OFFICE EXPERIENCE:

       

Phillips De Pury & Co., Gallery and Auction House – New York, NY

[current]  Art Handler

·     Active in all phases of new exhibit unpacking, installation, strike, repacking and mailing exhibit materials.

·     Hang paintings and photographic works, handle and set sculptures and design works, assist with design layout.

·     Warehouse storage maintenance using Voxme software resource and catalogue photography assistance.

·     As needed: light carpentry, electrical, lighting, wall and floor layout, painting, mounting.

 

Handmade Frames, Inc – Brooklyn, NY

[current]  Art Transporter / Art Handler

·     Art transport driving of 14’ and 20’ cube trucks in the Tri-State area and beyond.

·     Active in all phases of artwork unpacking, framing work, repacking and mailing.

·     Matte, mount, frame and hang paintings and photographic works in client homes, galleries and museums.

 

Rubin Museum of Art – New York, NY

[current]  Art Handler / contractor

·     Active in all phases of new exhibit installation and de-installation, using the ArtBase software resource.

·     Hang paintings and artworks, handled and set sculptures and design works, assisted with design layout.

·     As needed: light carpentry, electrical, lighting, wall and floor layout, painting, mounting.

·     Personally reupholstered and reinforced 140 theater chairs used for all theater events, talks, performances.

 

San Diego Balboa Park Museum of Photographic Art - San Diego, CA

Exhibit Installation Technician

·     Assisted with all phases of new exhibit unpacking, installation, strike, repacking and mailing exhibit materials.

·     Studied artist profiles and answered visitor questions regarding the works on hand.

·     Assisted with front desk duties, answering phones and questions from public, mailing list maintenance.

     

San Francisco State University Library, Archives / Special Collections - San Francisco, CA

Television News, Film and Video Archivist / Librarian

·       Mentored under head archivist in maintenance and cataloguing of SFSU's extensive archival media library.

·       Transcribed their donated PBS and CBS news footage for the period of 1968-80.

·       Wrote abstracts of news footage to be used in a national database, searchable via the Library of Congress.

·       Created an on-file resource guide of all middle-East related topics in the collection for students and researchers.

       

Video Monitoring Services - San Francisco, CA

Television News Researcher / Transcriber

·     Researched and transcribed and/or wrote abstracts for news stories of interest to Fortune 500 clients.

·     Assisted in library archiving, video dubbing and closed captioning.

       

Fast Forward - San Francisco, CA

Tape Handler / Quality Control Specialist

·     Ensured commercial video post-production work orders were processed accurately and quickly.

·     Acted as liaison with sales, control room, archive library, and shipping departments.

·     Assisted with labeling, library archiving, video dubbing and closed captioning.

       

Mediatel / Capataris - San Francisco, CA

Network Service Consultant

·     Processed, logged and archived incoming work orders for later retrieval.

·     Developed and maintained archival databases via MS Access and Excel.

·       Designed and distributed graphics oriented flyers for Countrywide Home Loans.

KORY DAYANI

397 Douglass St # 2
Brooklyn NY 11217

212 . 842 . 9100

KoryDayani@Gmail.com

 

 

MEDIA PRODUCTION EXPERIENCE:    ART DEPARTMENT - June 2006 – Present

VARIOUS CONTRACTOR:  Rubin Museum of Art: chair reupholstery: reupholstered all chairs used by Rubin Museum for theater events, talks, performances

       

SET DRESSER:  Interesting Monster promotional event: H&M clothing line launch party / Grace Jones concert :: Transistor Films commercials: Giant Eagle Supermarkets :: Sonora Films TV pilot: 'Men-U' :: Interesting Monster promotional event: Michael Jordan clothing line season launch :: Interesting Monster photo shoot: Harper Collins, book cover :: Humble TV commercials: Honey Bunches of Oats

       

ART DEPARTMENT PRODUCTION ASSISTANT:  Crooked River commercials: Cablevision  ::  Mechanikal commercials: CNN “Zapp” News Application  :: Karma commercials: Maybelline  :: ABC TV series: Fringe :: MJZ commercials: Dial Soap, cleaning products :: Universal City Studios Feature Film: Untitled Nancy Meyers Project :: Anisa Productions TV series: America's Next Top Model :: Two Cities Productions TV series: Stylista - with Tyra Banks ::  Take It Over  TV series: Legally Blonde :: New York Production Services (NYPS) print ad: Macy's President's Day sale :: N.Y.P.S. commercials: David's Bridal :: N.Y.P.S. commercials: Macy's Christmas :: Interesting Monster: stage reading: Now and Then, Cate Blanchett led staged reading at the Guggenheim Museum :: N.Y.P.S. commercials: Macy's Christmas :: N.Y.P.S. commercials: Macy's thanksgiving :: N.Y.P.S. commercials: Weight Watchers ::  N.Y.P.S. commercials: Macy's One Day Sale :: Smuggler Films - commercials: Verizon broadband :: Left/Right Productions TV pilot: Court TV: Young and Reckless

       

OTHER PRODUCTION POSITIONS: 

Universal City Studios Feature Film: Untitled Nancy Meyers Project (Producer's Assistant) ::  Martha Stewart TV series: Everyday Food: Baking :: (Culinary Production Assistant / Assistant Food Buyer) ::  N.Y.P.S. commercials: Macy's thanksgiving :: (Shopper / Art Dept Production Assistant) :: Day O Productions commercials: Honda :: (Production Assistant) :: N.Y.P.S. commercials: Macy's One Day Sale :: (Shopper / Art Dept Production Assistant) ::  Project East/West A Feature Film: Achchamundu! Achchamundu! :: (On Set Dresser / Buyer)

TELECOM WORK EXPERIENCE:

       
IPC Network Services  - New York, NY  ::  August 2004 - June 2007

Network Operations and Billing Consultant

Managed incoming work flow, quality control and assignment of work orders to appropriate members of technical and provisioning teams. Integrated assistance and reporting for billing team, provisioning, network design and maintenance.

       

MCI-Worldcom  - San Francisco, CA and New York, NY  ::  November 1997 - June 2004
Implementation Consultant / Associate Project Manager

Instrumental member of the MCI account support team for Wells Fargo Bank, MCI's second largest billing client. Created and managed an MS Access database tracking circuit conversion projects and day-to-day circuit order status. Managed and assigned incoming work orders to appropriate members of the tech team. Placed, coordinated, and scheduled the activation of circuit orders for ATMs, banks, data centers, branches, etc.

 

EDUCATION

College: San Francisco State University // American Studies, Documentary Film emphasis

Typing Speed: 85 WPM

Computer Skills: fully versed in Mac and Windows-OS; highly proficient with all Microsoft Office (including MS Access, Excel, Word, Outlook, Acrobat, PowerPoint, etc.), familiarity with Avid Studio Pro, FinalCut Pro, Quicktime Pro, Photoshop, light HTML

damn inventors, always inventing bad things

From the hallway wall of the elementary school where I play Sunday volleyball.. poems for Haiti:

Videos / Songs Of The Month - January'10

Starting a new feature...

open the videos in a new window, watch 'em, or just listen while you lose yourself in the whimsical wonderfulness that is reading my Journal entries.

I'm going to post the video and a link to any interesting info about the song, the band or the video itself. Each of these songs have been stuck in my head for no less than 268 hours each (give or take 260 hours) so ... treat these like I just said "Oh my lorrrrd, check out this song/video, etc":

You will be tested. And punished. (regardless of how you do on the test. I know. it's not fair)

"Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money in My Hand" - Primitive Radio Gods.

MIA - Paper Planes

Tough Alliance - Holiday

Little Miss Princess aka Pretty Chicken aka Nadia Perihan Dayani

Months and months have passed since I last wrote .. (6, for exact exactness)

And me with the most and best writing material there is!

If you've been following this journal, you know that's when I write least. But here I am and here you are and with my fingers now moving and nothing at all to stop us from the pleasure that is my writing.

Nadia. Oh dear, sweet bundle of life-change.

Where to start?

Hmm. Well, where did I end? St Maarten: ay yes.

Esra. My dear, sweet bundle of pregnant, waddling uncomfortableness. She glowed. Her growing glowing, portable nursery room for one. Belly and feet growing along with the glow. I learned to walk slow (and then slower, and then slower still) and she learned to be frustrated by my inability to walk slower. We waited and dreamt and imagined first-parent dreams about a boy or girl who'd reveal to us what life would soon be like. A family of three. Wow. So many "wow"'s, actually. Pre and Post pregnancy.

We took a six week birthing class.. and then proceeded to forget all of it, in the moment, in the hospital. We (she) labored near home, not knowing if it was 'soon-to-be-active-labor' or the beginning of a potential two weeks of laborious contractions prior to birth. Esra, with mild contractions, and her parents did laundry and ran errands while I worked the art handler job. When I got home, contractions were intensifying, the timing and strength building, trying to match the textbook count of 5-1-1 (5 minutes apart, 1 minute long for at least 1 hour) At 11, I began to see the "ok, it's time" face. At 11:30 we were in her dad's car, bound for St Luke's Roosevelt in Manhattan. Admission, triage, throwing up.. uncomfortableness, heart monitors, beeping, squeaking, sounds from a floor full of new lives manifesting.

Labor, pushing, grunting, squeaking.. everything you'd expect on that front. Of course, it was all new and hyper real to us, in the moment, but I'll spare you the minute to minute details of the birthing room except to say that Esra was a champion mother living the most maternal event a mother can experience and humbleness aside, I've been told (but still love hearing) how I was the perfect birth partner, always present and reassuring, snapping into my nature mandated role of nurturer to wife and baby alike.

At 5:21am on December 1st, 2009 .. baby Nadia Perihan Dayani was given those few last pushes that brought her head, then seemingly forever later, shoulders out, then zip... all of her, out and whisked away for a tune-up and 3-point inspection (it's possible they don't use automotive terms in the delivery room, I'm not remembering that part too clearly right now). As I stood, hovering over the newest and best living creature in the universe (objectively speaking), I saw myself, Esra and our branching family trees of faces and expressions in our little lady. She held my pinkie finger, I stared wide-eyed at the tiniest toes and fingers and nails, little eyelashes and elbows, nostrils, earlobes.

Then the placenta followed. If you've ever seen a live birth and what follows (not the TV version, even with the gunky goo that they might show covering a newborn) you'll most likely know that the placenta is simultaneously amazingly human and shockingly alien. It's something that cant (or shouldn't) be described so I'll just say that I'm honored to have joined the club of those who've seen it and for you to enjoy it when it's your turn.

Once Esra and Nadia were cleaned up and given some time to meet, formally, we were wheeled into the recovery room wing and from there, we stared more, and marveled more, and possibly because we'd been awake for 20+ hours at that point, we sat there stunned, lucid dreaming the most wonderful awake-dream possible for humans.

Two more nights in the hospital for mom and baby and a host of friends and family that came to visit. We received about a hundred well wishes by email, phone, US mail and in person and the feeling that gave us filled up our "We Our Loved" reserves more than I'd ever experienced. All the gifts and cards and such weren't necessary of course, but please know they were soo very much appreciated.

And here we are, 35 days later. A month+ of life-changing joy and fun and (some) frustration, (some) sleeplessness, (some) worry about any and everything, but mostly ... just pure happiness and delight at having helped bring little miss princess pretty chicken (my name for her right now) nadia perihan dayani into the world. We've gone from absolutely no routine, following the whims and wishes of the newest Dayani to slowly developing some .. patterns, let's say.. for feeding, pooping, sleeping and for her current favorite pastime: staring at dark furniture against white background walls. Her face is filling out and now every day, she looks like a slightly different, beautiful, beautiful person. Despite the East Coast cold, we bundle up and take walks, stroll with strollers, hang out and look very interestedly at stuff. So many things are so very fascinating, it seems. It puts 40+ years of looking-at-stuff in perspective when your daughter can lay and stare at a ceiling fan for 20 minutes. I promise, we wont become those parents that live their lives through their kids but right now, it's the most interesting and worthwhile perspective in the universe.

As always (going forward) .. all new Nadia goodness can be found at http://Nadia.Dayani.com