Bravo Jane and Anna. Bravo. Timeless, stunning touches of detail, and superb craftsmanship is what Janeration’s Ready-To-Wear hand knitted collection is bringing to the table for 2013. The Cashmere Touch collection is about color, embellishments, leather, textures, crocheting, and above all beautifully executed pieces. [Read more…] about Janeration’s Fashion Show: Knits, Colors, and The Cashmere Touch Collection
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Queen Coco, One-Hit-Wonder, & Warped Tour ’04: Inspirations & Secrets of HFC Style for Repeat Outfit Annonymous
Nothing is more unhealthy and so last season than being a Repeat Outfit Addict. HFC’s Repeat Outfit Addict is a babe who goes through the motions of wearing the same outfits with the only creativity of figuring out when she wore it last. FASHION TRAGEDY! [Read more…] about Queen Coco, One-Hit-Wonder, & Warped Tour ’04: Inspirations & Secrets of HFC Style for Repeat Outfit Annonymous
Even if it’s Frank Ocean’s fault, why we will never side with Breezy.
A recent story in the media that has been huge is of course the fight between Chris Brown and Frank Ocean that happened the night of January 27th outside of a recording studio parking lot. This fight was over a parking space. Yes, a parking space. Today, The Boombox has stated that Ocean will not press charges over the alleged incident in where Brown punched him and got jumped, stating-
“As a child I thought if someone jumped me it would result in me murdering or mutilating a man,” the R&B star wrote on his Tumblr page Saturday. “But as a man I am not a killer. I’m an artist and a modern person. I’ll choose sanity. No criminal charges. No civil lawsuit.”
If you have been living under a rock or in a country where music doesn’t exist, Chris Brown has had quite a few altercations over the past couple of years with several different people. The most noted one is four years back where he beat the living hell out of Rihanna the night before the ’09 Grammys. Now, they are allegedly back together and doing music as well (“Nobody’s Business”, “Birthday Cake Remix)”. That is a story I could write about forever, but as I’ve stated in the past, it’s her choice. She wants to go back to that, and not listen to the millions of people who think she’s a fool to go back to the modern day Ike Turner, then go for it. Be an idiot.
He has also gone after a slew of other people from Jenny Johnson, Raz-B from B2K, Miranda Lambert and so many more. I find it interesting when this cat came into the game about eight years ago. He screamed rising star, and was the nicest guy in all of his interviews and I generally loved his persona and music. I don’t get why he went from that to now looking like a Dennis Rodman lookalike who has to be so freaking gangster in everything he does. It’s baffling to me that he wants this image, but then again he still has ten million fans on Twitter, so he must be sadly doing something right. Sadly.
All the reports online don’t really favor Chris in this because of said history with other artists and of course Rihanna. He was seen with a cast on his arm recently, which should garner some sympathy, but for the masses of people who believe he shouldn’t be a celebrity anymore with his abuse against women, it falls on deaf ears. Plus Frank Ocean really isn’t know for being controversial in that kind of arena. He is just a talented dude. This fight better not have been over homophobia either, because that would just further Chris Brown on his tour of ultimate douchebaginess. Both of them are up for the same Grammy Sunday- Best R&B Album. Go Frank.
Are you M4M? Adonis is the place to be.
If you are gay and either live in New York City or have traveled here, chances are you went to a gay bar and saw your run of the mill go-go boy dance on a tabletop collecting ones. Yeah, it’s fun, but it doesn’t go beyond the simple wink and the five dollar bill being shoved somewhere inappropriate. It never goes beyond those lines of a personal interaction or getting to know the actual guy that is really your customer. This is where Adonis comes in. The actual venue of this place hosts some of the hottest men in the world in a very relaxed and chill environment. They do this twice a week on Wednesday and Saturday’s, and once a month, they host a private party that elevates what happens at the bar on an even larger basis. Just take a look at some of the pics in this article for example.
There are major differences between Adonis Lounge and a strip club that can be for men and women. One, it is not seedy whatsoever. It actually is a very inviting atmosphere. The men there are always having a nice conversation with all of the customers or patrons, and make them feel at ease with their personality and fantastic looks. They have even hosted some of the biggest gay porn stars in the world right now from Samuel Colt to Zeb Atlas to name a few, and they always bring their A game to the event. I have gone in recent months, and have had that exact experience, even making friends with some of them outside of the place. I am a sales and advertising person in the first place, and know how to get my point across without overdoing it. These guys do exactly the same. Chances are you are going to leave feeling pretty good and happy you decided to go.
This week, I sat down with the man behind all of this, Timothy De Iturriaga. Usually men in this position tend to be power hungry and a bit of a dick, but Tim was the exact opposite. He is one of the friendliest men I have ever met, and his attitude reflects the success of the events that he throws. Here is my interview with him.
So tell me just a little bit on how you started this concept?
I started dancing about nine years ago, for females. My older brother was working on Wall Street and needed extra money. He sent some photos out to agencies that turned out to be a stripping company. They asked him if he wanted to start dancing and he obliged. He started dancing at an event called “Hunkamania” and after three or four months I wanted to do the same.
I got hired at this hush hush place that was a gay strip club by me as a massage boy. I did really well, worked there for about five years. After that time, a light went off in my head where I realized this was the only place in New York City that was actually doing this type of venue. I thought I could do it better. I saw there were a lot of problems at the one I was working at. I was fortunate enough to get a spot in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and started my own show there. It started small, and then started to grow.
What was the original reception when you went out on your own?
The reception wasn’t good. The only customers I was getting were my customers who I built a repoire with. Without those dozen or so people who showed up every Thursday, I wouldn’t have made it. After a while word of mouth spread, and little by little more people started to show.
Was there a lot of competition for you at that point?
At that point, the competition was Club 20 and they were huge. I never thought I could compete against them. They started this whole format, and nothing else like this in New York City. There wasn’t an alternative. I still thought I could do it better than what they were doing though.
At what point did you start to see success?
I started it as a monthly party, getting a little bit of a positive outcome. Then I did it twice a week, and stayed there for six months. Got by, still there were some nights where there was only 8 or 10 customers and had the same amount of dancers. Those dancers stuck by me until now, and still have the opportunity to come back whenever. Even though people didn’t want to make the trip from Manhattan to Greenpoint, the event itself was gaining a lot of steam on the message boards and through word of mouth, so people were knowing about it more and more as time went on.
You talked briefly about this, but you seem to have loyalty to the guys that helped you start this, the dancers I mean. How important is it to keep that loyalty?
There is such a high turnover rate in this business in general. Week to week, month to month you see a bunch of new faces. There are a handful of guys that to this day are still with me, and they have been there from day one. We are talking years they have been there, so it’s good to see that they have stuck by me and have managed to stay really relevent in an arena that is tough to do so.
What can a new customer expect when they go to your venue?
To start, at Adonis it is Male for Male. People don’t think they actually exist, they only think ones that exist are the go-go boys dancing on top of the boxes. This is a much more intimate experience. You are going to see thirty, if not more, beautiful men of all ethnicities and backgrounds, mingling on the floor. Even if you can’t afford to come there and spend a decent amount of money, you can come and have a drink and enjoy a conversation with a bunch of different guys. It really is a great time.
What is your ultimate goal for all of this?
It’s become that and more. Everyone always ask if I want to get my own club, I don’t. Don’t want to do it six or seven days a week. The one thing that differentiates me from the other ones in the country is that it gives me the liberty to bring in a ton of different gay porn stars. Many of these venues can bring in two or three a year, I can probably bring in that amount a month. In any given year I can bring in forty of fifty guys with names. I can make it really interesting and different each time and making it a unique experience for the customer.
So as stated before, if you are a man into men, and are looking for a nice and relaxing evening surrounded by some really awesome guys both inside and out, Adonis is the place for you. Check it out every Wednesday and Saturday night and be on the lookout here for more updates as the weeks go on!
Adonis Lounge
221 East 58th Street
Take the E, F or M trains for best ways to get there.
Filler is a Killer: Do Not Let Cover Letters Own You.
When it comes to applying for a job, you have your resume all set, ready to go but as with most jobs you need that added boost: a cover letter.
For you Mario Fans out there, it is almost like you are about to fight Bowser & you need the Fire Power or Invincibility star to pop up so that you have an advantage.
Cover letters provide that boost and act as a resume translator for hiring managers. Yes, I realize that cover letters are not easy. They are not meant to be but they are there to help you with attaining your next position and not hurt your chances.
A wise colleague of mine once told me that, ‘cover letters show off the personality that does not exude itself from a resume’.
1. Be Concise. Filler is a killer. Case and point, do not write the romantic schpeal such as, ‘I like long walks on the beach, flying kites into the sunset’. However, DO reflect upon your achievements thus far and make the connection as to why you can go above and beyond any other candidate being considered for this position
Filler is a killer.
These words speak volumes to me as a recruiter and a person who plays a hand in the hiring process. If you cannot concisely describe why you are a great fit and what you can provide for the company that no one else can, you are not the best fit for the job. You did not prepare yourself for the cover letter. FAIL.
2. Show your personality. This does not mean you should lose your business sense and write unprofessionally, but your resume will reflect your experience but your cover letter reflects the examples and personality that is not represented on a resume. Bring that out in an appropriate manner.
3. Make the connection. Sometimes in life we have to reach out and take what we want or at least reach out and ASK for what we want. While it tough to do this make an attempt to explain why and how you can make a difference in this position for the company.
Do you know a person within the organization? Mention to that person you will be applying to the position and be sure to include this connection in your cover letter.
No, we do not need the entire length of history here, just a brief statement explaining the connection and importance 🙂
4. Research and review. Do some background research on the company and positions for which you are applying. If you do not know a single detail about the company, it makes it a lot harder to make the connection to the companies specific wants and needs for a position. Without knowing information about the company and their current events or recent news, it also makes you looks like a disinterested candidate during the job interview.
Utilize Google and also websites called GlassDoor and Linkedin to assist with your research and even locate the potential hiring managers or colleagues within the company.
4. Adjust accordingly and honestly. Your resume AND your cover letter should be altered to reflect the position you are applying for regardless of who you know and how well you think you may know the position.
In terms of the changes, do not change/lie/or misrepresent information on your resume but DO alter your resume to reflect how your experience matches the specific information listed or required for the position. Sell yourself but in an honest manner 🙂
Each cover letter should be different and adjusted according to the jobs and companies for which you will be applying. While most of the time the jobs remain the same, there will be different reasons for why you apply each time and how you can help that company.
5. Avoid General Salutations. The days of ‘Dear Human Resources Manager’ and ‘Dear Staffing team’ are gone. Most jobs these days do not provide direct contact with hiring managers because most managers work with staffing agencies like (Adecco, Randstad and Manpower). BUT a large chunk of managers and human resources managers do have profiles on Linkedin and that could be a great resource for reaching out to them regarding a position.
If all else fails, you can call the company directly and ask who is hiring for the opportunity. While that is bold, it is a solid approach in sales and has worked since the dawn of time.
Go the extra step and find out that information. Go the distance, Hercules, go the distance.
Please, please let’s hear some stories about your favorite type of cover letter, or even better…what are your thoughts on VIDEO cover letters? They seem to be taking off quite a bit.