One Piece

At the end of 2012, I was having dinner with a few friends, one of whom happened to be a numerologist. Oh, do Aurin! Do Aurin! She did me. The numerologist asked for my birthdate and a few other statistics. She did the 'math' in her head and foretold that 2013 was going to be a busy year. The word was going to be work.  But I had also been 'done' a month prior to this chance encounter. In November 2012 I met up with a group of friends; one of them was into tarot card readings. Oh, do Aurin! Do Aurin! So she did me too. She forecasted an up-and-down 2013, with a slow and financially arduous first few months followed by a boom around May and continuing throughout the rest of the year. The results of both forecasts were pretty accurate. 2013 was filled with work, but the financial stuff kicked in over the last 6 months. JANUARY: STARTING 1. BEACH!!! Enjoying the last week of beach time in Miami before heading back to NYC. 2. "Holocaust Remembrance Project" My fir...

In infancy and when we are grown be it angelic or curmudgeon-ed tone in millions murmured morning hums let gifts, presents, and holy wishes come. From the North, South, East, West overtime workers and those in holiday rest best of friends and enemies grievously wrong'ed shine a beacon of warm light and a simple song. Let our music inside arise and play issuing a dance the body must obey as joyous words circle and sail like gentle doves and hearts precipitate passionate love. Children look into cotton clouds overhead for flying reindeer and men in Arctic red. 'Round knight tables and bachelors breakfast'ing alone, make this "Merry Christmas" your very own. - Aurin Squire

I had not heard or seen Steve Nicholas in years. After graduation it seemed like he disappeared from my life. I could not get his phone number, my emails went unanswered. I wanted to hear about the musical he was writing, his new projects, his upstate New York jokes. The word it felt like was 'subtraction.' Like many others before him, I somberly accepted it as the city-way. You get to know people and then one day, the connections snaps. No arguments, no overt reason, no airing of grievances. Just a sudden subtraction. My Sunday was blocked out for a video shoot. A comedic web series. We were in the middle of filming an over-the-top death bed scene. The relatives of the lead character were carrying on, wailing, improvising lines that had the crew bursting with laughter. Many of the people in the room had experience death recently. The laughter and clowning was like a much needed gasp of oxygen. A few minutes into the mourning, I got the news about Steve Nicholas on my phone. No...