Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Tunnel Vision

The number one thing I am SO grateful for after having moved to NYC is how much I enjoy meeting new people and learning more about them. I am endlessly fascinated and proud of the human race as a whole, with each and every one of their background stories, what they do for a living and what they still aspire to accomplish. I've always liked people but I'm really starting to LOVE and appreciate them more and more!

I knew in becoming a burlesque performer I would face some adversity. It's inevitable and I've accepted it. What I am totally over though, are people using a mere percentage of info about me to make quick assumptions.  I felt like discussing the issue after a comment left under my BexLife Interview/Chat Session. She didn't quite understand why a woman who takes off her clothing is apt to give young girls advice.  What I don't quite understand is how people (in this case women) are still, in 2012, so judgmental and close minded when it comes to someone from a different walk of life.  This woman doesn't know anything more about me and didn't seem curious either. Perhaps she would have considered that I'm an educated, former teacher and cheerleading coach, therefore having lots of experience working with young, impressionable girls.  I bit my tongue and replied in a very cheeky manner. No one deserves to get me on edge!  My point being is that part of our evolving as confident, independent women (or men) should include freeing ourselves from judgement. In this case particularly, I think a little self-reflection could have gone a long way.

That said, I had a really fun week!!! Last Tuesday with Tassels, I mentioned I was going on the radio show Jackie's Joke Hunt with Jackie "The Jokeman" Martling.  I ended up having a blast and am looking forward to getting back there because Jackie said I will be. Woot!! I feel like I could learn tons from him. I'm not much of a joke writer, in fact I'm really bad it but getting to chat freely and feel so uncensored is incomparable!
Saturday night, I treated myself to Swing 46 for Eddie Clendening's birthday celebration. Got to watch bands straight off Broadway from Buddy-The Buddy Holly Story & The Million Dollar Quartet. Couldn't have skipped watching the Oscars (DVRed em though!) for anything better. Made some new friends, new business is churning up, and enjoyed a glass of red.  Hangin with this same crew next Saturday at The Grand Victory in Williamsburg. Come!! I also hope to run into a guy I met on Sunday. If not, I plan on reaching out to him. Uh oh. Ha!

Have a great week, the weather has been pretty fantastic with a few shitty days in between, but overall it's been a stellar "winter". Just the way I like it! Thanks for stopping by...

Ciao for now,

TT

Monday, February 20, 2012

THIS WEEK RULES!

On Saturday, I did a quick on camera interview with my old friend Bex Life! I am scared of camera stuff hence my avoidance of vlogging! Mainly concerned about my voice and obviously how I look, but it was quick and fun and will be posted on Friday, I believe as the intro to her new self-esteem series. Find her on Facebook, Twitter and her website to see when she decides to share it. I can't wait! Oh yeah, and subscribe to her ultra awesome YouTube page. It's where the magic happens.

Then on Tuesday (TODAY) I will be joining Jackie "The Joke Man" Martling on his radio show Jackie's Joke Hunt! Tune in at 7pm: Howard 101 on Sirius/XM radio...HOLY SHIT!! I am so amped. God only knows what we'll be chatting about but it's gonna be a blast. The other guest is a comedian/ventriloquist. When Jackie asked if I was available this day, I said I couldn't pass up meeting him and my first ventriloquist on the same day. Score!! I already warned my mom saying I'm probably gonna curse just be prepared. She went on to educate me on how the F-word doesn't belong anywhere near a woman's mouth. I told her she should probably avoid coming to a show at all costs then. Oopsies, your daughter's mouth is that of a whore!

Had a nice quick visit to NJ this past weekend. Visited with some old friends, made some bad decisions, and also did the cinnamon challenge. It was awful but I was laughing SO hard. My friends rule and sorta snapped me out of my funk. I wrote a post earlier in the week intended for today but it can be saved for a rainy Tues. My PMS was out of control for a couple of days and I could not stop being sad and crying over him. Whatevs. Today was much better and I don't feel the need to share. Writing it out, at least helped me get it off my chest! Phew.

TONIGHT/TUESDAY: THE PINK ROOM
Come visit me at the door for Francine's one year anniversary show!

FRIDAY: IT REALLY TIED THE ROOM TOGETHER
Kittening for my fave girls The Sticky Situation at their Big Lebowski Tribute show. So excited to work with them again. They are great company and put on hilarious shows!

I have a super busy 7 days straight of work, all 3 jobs! I really need to do laundry. I need to buy some red fringe to compliment the ultra amazing shimmy belt I got on super sale from Pat Field's. I need to clean my apt. And I need to chill the fuck out and get organized. I'm already tired but SO excited for the days to come.

OH! By the way, Meat My Friends will be back March 24th at Angels & Kings. Pumped. New cast, New time, New adventures!

Ok, go have yourself a great week - sending you positive vibes!

Ciao for now,

TT

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

TwT > Vday

Well, well, well...looky here. Tuesday with Tassels has been overshadowed by Valentine's Day. Psshh, yeah right!

I haven't had a Valentine that wasn't my mother since 6th grade. No lie. Aside from dating a very small handful of guys throughout the years, I've been boyfriend free since then. RED FLAG!? I know, right. I'm not sure if I should admit this or not.  Maybe if and when I have a boyfriend I'll care more about Valentine's day but for now I appreciate the family & friends that give me love on the daily! I usually send V-day cards to my people but didn't get around to it this year. Boooo to me!!

So I wrapped up the first Manhattan showing of Meat My Friends. I feel confident that performers, audience members, and the venue were all happy with the night's results!  I had a blast and couldn't be happier. We had burlesque - 4 very different performers & acts, some shtick by Todd & Sarah Palin, a musician sang one of my fave songs ever "You Send Me" and a magician that made audience members dry heave. Um, yeah, you missed WAY out! Cannot wait to see pictures & video via Marisol!  Although I'm relishing in the fact that I've produced a show in NYC,  I'm already trying to figure out how to get the next one going!

Sunday night I watched the Grammys and was absolutely in love with all the young talent being honored - whether they won or not.  What I got over real quickly is everyone's posts about how the Grammys suck and that it doesn't showcase real music, pop music is garbage etc..etc...if you know anything about the music industry, or entertainment at all then you would appreciate the talent showcased and why certain albums/artists were nominated.  If you're in your 30s and hate Katy Perry, good, because she's not here for you. She's here for a young audience who happens to adore her. Think Nicki Minaj is crazy? She is, but she sold a hell of a lot of albums because there are millions of people that beg to differ and love to press play and enjoy her album (I am one of those millions. Huge fan of Pink Friday and a friend of mine was even on the album! Biggups to DJ JohnB! werk.).  Plain and simple: if you didn't like the show, why did you watch it just to share how miserable you felt about it? Corny. Get a life and perhaps a new remote so you can figure out how to change the channel next year. Thanks byeee!

Last night I took myself on a date to this month's The Pussy Scratching Fox Show. I love Stanqui and the crew he manages to round up. The set list was off the chain! The pole dancer probably stole the show. She moved to a gorgeous, Billie Holiday (I believe) song. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her. So gorgeous, not sleazy. Swooooon!

Today, I am working at Sephora all day. I hope you get to have a lovely Valentine's Day whether single, married, dating, poly, a loner, or anything in between. Everyday should be a good day, but every now and then an extra special one doesn't hurt!

Thank you SO much to everyone who made it out to Meat My Friends, those interested in upcoming shows, and those of you far away that can only read about it here.  I'm gonna keep rowing my boat so keep reading to find out where I go!!

Ciao for now,
TT

PS: I'm gonna be on the radio next week. Check out my Facebook to find out with who!!

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Bubbling Over...

WITH EXCITEMENT!

Until Friday, I was making myself sick (and break out) because I was so nervous going over and over in my head how the night of Meat My Friends will pan out. Well ya know what? After a SUPER fun time at Rodeo Bar on Friday night for Rock and Roll Roadshow, that has all gone out the window. There is so much goodness in and around me that I am being confident and ready to go full steam ahead. For the next week anyway HA!
Note: When I said goodness IN me, I wasn't being dirty. That's still missing but let's see what happens Saturday night *wink

On Sunday I started reading Goldie Hawn's autobiography: A Lotus Grows in the Mud. I am a huge fan of autobiographies. I unintentionally draw inspiration from people more than anything or any place in the world.  I love hearing their stories even of the simplest of moments.  I bought this years ago on super discount and never got around to it. I'm forcing myself now.  In the past few months I've really been studying up on variety shows of the past with strong lead women. Carol Burnett, Cher, & Goldie seem to be occupying my thoughts more than most things right now.  I'm feeling empowered.

I worked throughout the weekend then Sunday night - sans interest in the Superbowl - took myself to see Fooling Around with Casey Jost at The People's Improv Theater. Casey and I have lots of mutual friends but we've never met so I was looking forward to it. A musician/actor/comedian friend of mine, the talented Brian Bonz, was also part of the show! I love seeing sketch comedy because it's something I have so much interest in but a huge fear of actually pursuing.  The show is part sketches, part audio visual, part talk show/interview - SO much fun. Am definitely gonna be in touch with these guys. Would love to have them in a Meat My Friends show! Also Jackie Hoffman was there watching and I love her. Bonus!

Monday was amazing. My mom and & grandma came to visit me from NJ - mainly because I had forgotten my iPod there on my last visit and needed it stat.  We had a great lunch here at my place, chatted and that was it! Earlier in the morning, my first guest blogger post for Pinup Girl Clothing went up!  You can read it here on their Tumblr blog. There will be more down the road too!


On Thursday, there was one of those "sorry we missed you" notices in my mailbox.  I wasn't sure what package and from who it would be but it turned out to be so much more than I imagined!  My dear friends at Orchard Corset have out done themselves again. Long ago they offered me some coupon code stubs to share with friends and show goers...hearing about my new productions coming up they wanted to make new ones.  Little did I know they would be surprising me with sexy goodies too!! Thanks to their generosity I feel the need to add another Fun Bag raffle to the mix for Meat My Friends! I wonder what piece(s) to include?!



Well, next week's post will be after the Manhattan debut of Meat My Friends. Fingers crossed all goes well, the audience, performers, and venue is happy. My stomach is turning, for good reason, it will truly be a dream come true night. I think I'll be crying tears of gratitude even if I have to duck into a bathroom for a minute to collect myself. I hope some of you can make it out and if not this time, I hope there is a regular show on the way!!

Thank you so much for stopping by and new readers welcome to my blog!! See you next week...

Ciao for now,
TT

PS: Here's all the info for Saturday night - hope to see some of your fugly faces <3


MEAT MY FRIENDS: A PRE-VALENTINE'S DAY SHOW

Tina Tassels presents:
MEAT MY FRIENDS – A PRE-VALENTINE’S DAY SHOW
“Break my heart, I’ll break your face” –The Sirs
https://www.facebook.com/TheSirs
Sadly they won't be able to play but we'll be spinnin their tunes!

Making its Manhattan debut, Meat My Friends is a variety show aimed to satiate your live entertainment appetite with burlesque, music, comedy and everything in between. Showcasing some of NY’s finest, come celebrate love or a lack thereof with us!

Evelyn Vinyl
http://evelynvinyl.com/

Calamity Chang
http://www.calamitychang.com/

Kiki Valentine
http://www.sundayshownyc.com/

Dottie Dynamo
https://www.facebook.com/dottiedynamo

Matthew Holtzclaw
http://www.matthewholtzclaw.com/

Paul Schalda of Paul & the Tall Trees
https://www.facebook.com/PaulSchaldaAndTheTallTrees

Foul Language, Performances, & Hosting: Tina Tassels
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tina-Tassels-Page/158207487545461

Stage Kitten & GoGo Girl: Charlie Gunn
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002002213596

AND Moz Foto is gonna be in the house snappin pictures of you and your sweetheart(s)! We don't discriminate as to how many you have!
https://www.facebook.com/mozfotostudios

DJ Mr. Nice Guy will be workin the decks for us! Join the post-show dance party!

Enter to win Tina's Fun Bags - raffles jerk! – with some goods to help your Valentine’s Day get a little hotter!

$10 to our Door Girl: Coco Masala
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002520990225

Door opens at 7:30pm, Show starts at 8:30
21+ so don't bring your kids!

*Don't be shy, dress to impress - even if only for yourself!*

DRINK SPECIALS JUST FOR THE SHOW!