This And That

Posted November 1st, 2011 by maya Category: News

I know I haven’t written for a long time…when Thomas reminded me to do any entry, I was like, “But no one reads this except my mom!”  Maybe that’s not true, and even if it is…I still love having this blog.  Things have just been really busy.  Hot Danish Artist Thomas Warming and I are working on a huge project…probably one of the most intense things I’ve ever worked on, and one of the biggest opportunities…vague, I know.  I can’t say more, though, except this…no matter what happens, I’m thrilled to have had this chance to challenge myself as an artist and person.  And having the support of my family and friends during this undertaking means more than anything…

So, at least for a while, I won’t have time to do written blogs.  But we haven’t stopped taking pictures and having crazy experiences (of course!)  So here is a photo-blog of the past few months!

 MAYA’S BIRTHDAY!:

my birthday!

 

The most amazing boyfriend in the world...somehow finds and gets me a collection of autographed burlesque photos...he found them online in a tiny shop in Massachusetts.

Thomas hangs them up

without a doubt, the best birthday gift I've ever been given...and THE BEST kæreste in the universe! I love you, Thomas! (and I love "my girls")

and what is a birthday without taking out old high school notes Emo and I wrote in Chem Com?! "Oh my god, did you see My So Called Life last night? Jared Leto is HOT."

 

THOMAS’S DREAM COME TRUE:

we go to the geekiest screening of all time

 

sneak into the VIP meet and greet on the dock...free wine and a gorgeous view and the "geek elite"

meet lots of uber-fans

And Thomas sees his hero! And no kidding, Thomas's face looked like a six year-old on Christmas morning. And Shatner made the best speech ever, about how we should pretend we were aboard the enterprise and the film was entertainment provided by the Klingons or something totally nerdlicious like that, I didn't quite get it but everyone else seemed to understand and went crazy!

the documentary was pretty hilarious

 MY MOM’S SHOW IN PHILADELPHIA:

My mom on a poster with a gun for her one-woman show at UPenn...how freaking cool is that?

MY PARENT’S NEW NEIGHBORHOOD IN TEXAS:

is on a nature preserve

the deer are everwhere

 

...just posing for people

 

THOMAS’S GORGEOUS AND BRILLIANT MUTT VISITS FROM DENMARK:

 

AND WE GO TO NAWLINS’:

making friends

French Quarter action

AND MEMPHIS:

 

making even MORE friends

 

Stax museum

 

Thomas at the Soul Train exhibit

 

Drama Queen

AND BACK IN NYC:

Ina fits in perfectly in NYC! Just another New York evening :)

We had a blast with Ina, and we miss Danish Mom!

OF COURSE, HALLOWEEN:

Danish Elvis/Okie Bettie Page

 

More later…for now, I’m kinda tired:

Favorite Danish Artist Pastime: taking pictures of sleeping girlfriend

 

 

Thomas’s Dejlige Grandmother

Posted August 15th, 2011 by maya Category: Danmark!, Hot Danish artist, News

I have a very close family.  Unfortunately,  both my grandfather’s died before I was born…and both my grandmothers passed years ago.  So meeting Thomas’s grandmother Helga was extra important to me.

Thomas adored his grandparents, and the minute I met his grandmother it was obvious why…and it was obvious she adored him too.  The moment she saw him it was like she’d been lit from within.

Unfortunately, she passed away last week at the age of 97.  She’d gotten sick very quickly.  But when I met her last summer, I was immediately struck by her warmth, energy, kindness.   She was incredibly close to her daughter (Thomas’s mom) Ina.  She had a joyful, loving spirit about her.  She was a ball of energy…she still got up at five every morning.  She was very independent and, even though I can’t speak Danish, I could just tell she was as hilarious as the rest of her family.

Helga showed us her town and fed us massive amounts of deserts and gazed lovingly at her grandson…and made fun of Thomas and I when we went to sleep on her floor (she totally called us out…I mean, she was 97 and didn’t need a nap, but we did!).

She visited the grave of her husband every single day.  He was buried in this gorgeous church overlooking the sea. There is something comforting about knowing that now she’ll be near him.

She was charming and vivacious…and it was such a gift for me to meet her.  And I’ll always feel lucky to have had a wonderful day with her.

I wrote about her here.

R.I.P.

Portraits Thomas painted of his grandparents:

White Vinyl and Pink Flamingos

Posted August 2nd, 2011 by maya Category: News

Well, I haven’t gone this long without a post for a while…and I miss it!  Crazy how this blog turned into a kinda journal/scrapbook for me.  Albeit a public one (and therefore a pretty damn narcissistic endeavour)…but still.  I’m not sure if anyone even reads it (besides my mom…love you mom!) but having a place to reflect on everything going on kinda rocks.

Life has been crazy lately…lots of writing projects in process and nearing completion. And some just beginning (crossing fingers!)

And some big opportunity that I can’t talk about here yet…but, if your out there, think good thoughts for me!!!!

More later…for now…VEGAS!

 

Went with the Dane for Gemma’s wedding (one of my oldest and closest friends) …she and her family came from England.  And I haven’t seen her in SO LONG.  So of course as soon as I saw her I started bawling and used a line she says she’s been hearing FOREVER from me:  “I can’t help it.  I’m an emotional American, okay?”  But she looked gorgeous and I felt like no time had passed and the wedding was really, really lovely.
LOVE YOU GEMMA!

 

Seeing Vegas with Hot Danish Artist Thomas Warming was a TRIP.  Seeing Vegas with a European is a TRIP.  Seeing Vegas with a guy who already sees spaceships in his head on a regular basis…well, that was perfect!

Of course I wanted to stay in a fancy-ass hotel (i.e. Bellagio)…but Thomas was pretty intense we stay in somewhere historic…hence, the one of the first real Vegas hotels, The Flamingo.  Built to be a desert oasis by Bugsy Malone, he’s still buried on the property…and this place is still rat-pack-tastic!  Totally over the top.  I mean, kinda trashy…but that’s the best part. And what really sold us on the place?  THE GO ROOM, complete with pink neon lights:

Hallway to Heavan...

 

White Vinyl Headboard = CLASS

Another perk…the live flamingos:

 

 

And how can you not love a place where they are having a “booty-shaking contest” at 11 am by the pool?  I mean, you wake up all hungover, haven’t even had your coffee…and there are Ohio housewives (nothing against Ohio housewives…these were the Jerry Springer kind) in string bikinis drinking margaritas and shaking their ass…freaking awesome)  You know that shit don’t go down at the Bellagio!

The Flamingo is all about subtlty:

This Elevator Was Pepto-Heaven

The Marie Osmond Showgirl Doll (the creepiest collector's item in existance)

Flamingo Gift Shop

Downtown Vegas is still the best:

the hardworkin' cops of Old Vegas

The oldest casino in Vegas, the Golden Gate:

this was hidden in the back, right by the cafeteria

This dude worked at the Golden Gate for 37 years

Other favorite moments:

this stingray fell IN LOVE with Thomas and stared at him with his freaky fish face for a full two minutes

The Brooklyn Bridge (at NY, NY Casino)

The Stratosphere...Gemma's wedding dinner was on the top

Found this amazing club at the Luxor called “The Cathouse”…it was meant to look like an old-school brothel.  Of course we took advantage of the awesome decorations:

 

 

At the top of the Stratosphere

We went to LA… only for one day for a meeting (i.e. secret good wishes)…but we did get to stay in my favorite hotel, where celebrities go when they don’t want anyone to find them, The Biltmore.  I once saw a super-trashed Dennis Rodman hanging out there…he was hiding out while being sued for punching a paparazzi.

The place is OLD SCHOOL.  It was “the hotel”…in the 40′s, at least.

this is where they filmed that part of Pretty in Pink at the prom...y'know the one. Ducky shows up and saves the day.

 

 

They have the best pool:

And, of course, we went to my favorite Denny’s ever on Sunset in East Hollywood.  The one frequented by drug dealers and prostitutes (and the people who truly appreciate them…us!)

Q: How to turn your sophisticated European boyfriend into a true American?

A:  Denny’s Sizzlin’ Breakfast Skillet at 4 am

 

Hence, the greatest picture EVER:

 

 

NOTE:  As always, 95.9 % of the pics in this blog were taken by Hot Danish Artist Thomas Warming.

 

 

 

 

 

Maya Sloan Writing Consultation

Posted May 10th, 2011 by maya Category: Writing Consultation

To all my loved ones:

I’ve been doing quite a bit of freelance writing work…so I set up a website!  I actually love doing this.  Teaching and consulting keep my own work fresh.

Please spread the word to anyone you know who might need these services and I will give you a finders fee (and by finders fee I mean a coffee at Starbucks…maybe even the new 32 oz “Trenta”!)

But seriously, I do appreciate it!

Love,
Maya

click below:

 

 

I Slept With All Of Them

Posted May 4th, 2011 by maya Category: Gettin' Outta Willyburg, Hot Danish artist, I Wrote Somethin', My gifted family, News, Surreal
PS All photographs for this and pretty much every other blog are taken by Hot Dane Thomas Warming www.thomaswarming.com

So, I finally did the BU reading. I was pretty f–king nervous.

I didn't know Thomas took this pic...me eating a hot dog and trying to figure out what to read TEN minutes before we were supposed to be there

Yeah, it was surreal.  Remember that Sesame Street song “One of these things is not like the other one?”  Well, that’s how I felt when I found out the people I’d be reading with:

Boston University to Host Annual Creative Writing Faculty Reading

Boston University to Host Annual Creative Writing Faculty Reading

Boston University’s Creative Writing Program, one of the oldest writing programs in the country, presents a reading featuring their most distinguished faculty members including two United States Poets Laureates, a National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize winner. The event will include readings by:

Leslie Epstein (Program Director)
David Ferry
Louise Glück (United States Poet Laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner)
Allegra Goodman (National Book Award finalist)
Ha Jin (Awardee of National Book Award, PEN/Hemingway, twice PEN/Faulkner)
Ronan Noone
Sigrid Nunez
Robert Pinsky (United States Poet Laureate)
Maya Sloan

The place was packed, and I was reading with some of the most respected writers in the world.  Yeah, I was honored.  And yeah, I felt outta place and scared out of my mind.  Leslie Epstein, the head of the program, went first. He was great.  The master of shaking things up, he had a famous Opera star from the Met read with him…she was a sight to behold in a purple dress/red boa ensemble…total divaliciousness from the moment she stepped in the room.

Leslie is hilarious.  He’s got a pretty amazing family, talent runs in the blood…his son Theo is the General Manager of the Red Sox and his Uncle and Father wrote Casablanca.  He’s also a great writer.  He’s  also totally un-PC and the master of surprise – moments before the event he informed me that I’d be the last to go (“alphabetical order”)  following Robert Pinsky.  Yeah, Poet Laureate of the US Robert Pinsky.

Besides being a brilliant poet and a cool guy, this dude is such a celebrity that he’s been animated on The Simpsons (in his episode, Lisa goes to his reading…my favorite line is when, having gotten the audience in the palm of his hand, he mutters to himself, “You’ve got them right where you want them, Pinsky!”)

Robert Pinsky on "The Simpsons"

I’m sure most people meet Pinsky and go on and on about his poetry, which is brilliant…but the first time I met him I blurted out “I loved you on “The Simpsons!”   he just smiled and laughed and told me he still gets residuals after all these years ( checks for 25 cents!)  I also taught in a program he created for inner-city high school arts students…one of the best experiences ever.  He is truly an amazing man…gifted, doesn’t take himself too seriously, and uses his influence to make the world better.

So following him…well, I just about puked.

Leslie did an intro for me that I only kinda remember…Thomas told me about it later.  The highlight was  Leslie telling he’d had me in class as an undergrad (over a decade ago) but I hadn’t been any trouble then  because “I wasn’t as hot as I am now.”  Okay, other chicks might get offended by this, or feel demeaned…but I just think it is hilarious.  I also know that if Leslie thinks I’m “hot” he needs to get outta the house more…but  I’m still kinda flattered!

Then he called my name, and right before I went up I turned to Thomas and said, “I gotta remember this moment.”

I got up there and looked at that packed auditorium and said something about how surreal this whole thing felt, reading with these writers I admire. Then I said, “You all are probably wondering who I slept with to be up here, and I want to address that.  I slept with all of them.”

That got a laugh (thank god), and then I read, and there were lots of laughs and I think people were into it, but honestly, I don’t really remember anythin . I was shaking a bit, but no one saw (thank god for that awesome School of Management gargantuan podium).

Leslie had a bike accident the day before and wore sunglasses to cover his black eyes. Kinda rockstar of him.

The whole thing is a blur.  I just that I felt completely lucky and honored to be up there with these freaking brilliant writers.  It was exhilarating and scary as hell.

Ha Jin reading

Ronan Noone is a brilliant playwright...seeing his new show Off-Broadway this week, "Little Black Dress"...will write all about it. He's one of those guys you immediately like...totally down-to-earth and an kickass writer

Famous writer chillin'

Afterwards I got to hang out, and Robert Pinsky came up and actually bowed to me.  I’m not kidding.  It was one of those pinch-yourself moments.  And this is why I love hot Danish Artist Thomas Warming (amongst the many other reasons)…he’s more into artists than writers and never really gets starstruck, and he turns to Pinsky and says “You look nothing like your character on the Simpsons” which cracked Pinsky up.

“I know,” Pinsky said, “I’m not orange.”

I also went up to tell Sigrid Nunez how much I loved her (she read from her new biography on Susan Sontag which was totally enthralling – Nunez was her assistant for many years) and she stopped my babbling to tell me how much she loved my writing.  And whether she meant it or not, I was completely awestruck.

Ha Jin and Robert Pinsky shooting the shit

Honestly, I was awestruck by the whole situation.  I was up there reading my weird ass novel…and everyone, including these great writers, were listening.  And that was a truly surreal and extraordinary thing.  A very cool experience.

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