PX Me. (How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire)
When Abbe Diaz published her journal, PX This – Diary of the "Maître d’ to the Stars" [née Diary of the Potted Plant] in 2004, she’d had no idea Read more…
PX Me. (How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous, and Married a Millionaire)
When Abbe Diaz published her journal, PX This – Diary of the "Maître d’ to the Stars" [née Diary of the Potted Plant] in 2004, she’d had no idea what she was in for. Sure, she expected the process would be difficult and she might never work in the fine dining restaurant industry ever again, but she never imagined the truth could be so controversial— in a book that’s essentially about HAVING DINNER.
Despite PX This being lauded by most of her colleagues (and some of the most illustrious names in the business) as "the bible of the [NYC] industry," Diaz soon learned the politics of Food and/or "Culture" Media & PR is a game that’s dirtier than last night’s dishes. Finding herself under unjustified fire from various vastly popular and influential periodicals, news blogs, food press, online foodie communities, and other professional and aspiring writers, Diaz (a textbook Scorpio/Monkey) quickly realized [again] there were two things in her life she would never be willing to do: 1) Take unmerited bullshit, and 2) Kiss spiteful pretentious ass.
As you can probably imagine, that went over reeeally well. Mistruths, mudslinging, manipulation, misappropriation, corruption, censorship, and the tarnishing of her character— as well as the livelihoods of her friends and loved ones— are just some of the things she subsequently endured.
This is that story.
"This writing stuff is HARD." – Salman Rushdie (to friends on Facebook®)
"If you think the writing is hard, wait ’til you try the selling part. Oh, wait…" – Abbe Diaz (in response to friend, Salman Rushdie, on Facebook®)
PX Me – The Sequel to PX This
(How I Became a Published Author, Got Micro-Famous,
and Married a Millionaire)
- COMING SOON IN THE SPRING OF 2012 -
DP/Videographer: Jim Turner
Composer: Amir Salem aka Azeem
Production Assistant: Eric S. Smith
Voiceover: Brad Aldous
New Blogger: Kevin Coyle
Friend: Katina Carrao
Head Honcho: Brady Bryson
Co-Worker: Amir Salem
With cameos: Gabriel Snyder, Emily Gould, Josh Ozersky, Choire Sicha, Joshua David Stein, Ben Leventhal
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Abbe Diaz is a freelance commercial-artist, designer/dressmaker, and restaurant consultant. She has worked in the restaurant/bar industry for nearly 25 years, with numerous stints throughout the New York dining/party scene that include: Limelight, Palladium, Tunnel, Club USA, Coffee Shop, Spy, Cafe Tabac, The Strand (Miami Beach), Mercer Kitchen, Ilo, Lotus, and Theo. She served as the opening maître d’ for The Park, Smith, and 66.
She is proud to have had the opportunity to work under such nightlife arbiters as: Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Brian McNally, Jonathan Morr, Peter Gatien, Eric Goode, and Sean Macpherson.
Diaz gained a B.A. in Economics from Rutgers College, Rutgers University – New Brunswick. She was further educated as a non-matriculate Design student at the Fashion Institute of Technology, in NYC, where she currently resides.
• “The New York service industry’s Norma Rae, Abbe Diaz… the Service Industry’s Nikke Finke…” – BlackBook
• “…pure unbridled crazy batshitness…” – gawker.com
• “That is genius.” – Joel Stein, Time
For more information about PX This – Diary of the "Maître d’ to the Stars" visit http://pxthis.com/thebook
* * * * *
Have you heard?
Until the release of PX Me – The Sequel to PX This (Spring 2012), this website will henceforth be updated only intermittently (approximately once or twice a week).
Abbe Diaz’s new (daily) blog is now at: abbediaz.com
GREATEST HITS: theForum@px.this
PX This hereby presents The Forum’s Greatest Hits, a thread-by-thread archive of the most fascinating discussions from "theForum@px.this" — our online F&B oriented community IP.Board (founded in 2007) made virtually obsolete by the re-launch of theBlahg, pxthis.com, on August 31, 2009.
[theForum@px.this will be fully and permanently dismantled upon the definitive completion of its archive.]
GAWKER.COM (Addressing its Deep-Seated, Misguided, Sad, Twisted Jellussy)
Started: March 29, 2007. 5:33 PM by *Bartender* • Closed: October 27, 2010 4:37PM • Archived at 21,018 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : gawker.com
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Former Managing Editor Gabriel Snyder, Former Gawker blogger Joshua David Stein, Former Gawker blogger Emily Gould, Gawker blogger Hamilton Nolan, Former Gawker blogger Sheila McClear, Top Chef contestant Leah Cohen
GIST OF TOPIC : How most of the former Gawker bloggers (as well as its former Managing Editor) were sooo intimidated by Abbe Diaz, they disparaged her, engaged in blatant breaches of journalistic integrity, and then effectively censored her by banning her from commenting (twice!) without just cause or provocation, in a manner completely contradictory to the rules they themselves set forth for all "future" commentators.
(Not to mention their prior treatment of her under the previous Managing Editor, Choire Sicha— wherein it basically looks like they tried to misappropriate the subject matter in Diaz’s book, PX This, for their own glorification and/or personal gain.)
Yeah! We got some reeeal winners here.
SIGNIFICANCE: Oh, where do we even begin? Seriously, it’s a lot to absorb. So much so as a matter of fact, that Diaz’s second book, PX Me – The Sequel to PX This, is comprised largely of Diaz’s delineation of Gawker’s mind-boggling sordidness.
This long and fascinating discussion, as it unfolded, is (to some extent) its "real-time" counterpart.
Its overall sentiment can perhaps be best summarized thusly, in a comment made on Gawker’s website by PX This contributing-writer/editor *VanillaIce* aka *TrollaiLlama* aka *clue4sale* right before his (and Diaz’s) commenting privileges at Gawker were revoked :
"I suppose this is the part where we’re supposed to smile, and pat you on the head and say, ‘Good little troll. Now, be on your way.’
Was there some part of ‘I’m tired of seeing her being called crazy’ that you didn’t understand?
From what I can tell, Abbe has never directly addressed you (or any other troll here) at all, except to respond to one of your unfoundedly rude, obnoxious comments toward her. And yet you continue to follow her around, in some kind of desperate attempt to gain whatever attention you feel you’re lacking.
You call her batshit, you’ve called her a drunk, you’ve implied she’s of the mental state to commit sucide, you’ve accused her of wanting to ‘fellate’ a man she’s never met, without a single fact to back up your disgusting libelous statements.
Your half-hearted backpedaling doesn’t impress me. It’s as pathetic as Josh Stein’s cowardice, a so-called journalist who persistently wrote pejorative things about Abbe, but interestingly, has never had the balls to face her as she taunts him comment after comment. In contrast, Abbe lives, works and socializes in NY, amongst the veritable titans of their field that she has boldly exposed as the conniving, thieving, manipulative, backstabbing, spoiled cretins they are.
I dare you to back up your claims about Abbe’s craziness. I dare you and Josh Stein both.
I double dog dare you."
To this day, neither Gawker nor Joshua David Stein have ever retracted/updated their erroneous assertions. Former Managing Editor Choire Sicha has failed to explain his iniquitous actions. Former Managing Editor Gabriel Snyder has never justified his injudicious behavior in censoring Abbe Diaz.
RATING: ★★★★★
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the discussion’s entertainment value, from amusing to hilarious, with edification taken into consideration. Hyperlinks contained within are subject to change.
The archives of theForum@px.this have been edited for the sake of clarity, brevity, and squeakiness. [If you require an original unedited copy of the discussion, please e-mail px.this@gmail.com]
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**pictured: Official Gawker Mascot, Julia Allison – gawker.com
** See also:
• The Hostess Diaries Conspiracy
For more on this subject, read PX Me – The Sequel to PX This – Coming Soon in the Spring of 2012
GREATEST HITS: theForum@px.this
PX This hereby presents The Forum’s Greatest Hits, a thread-by-thread archive of the most fascinating discussions from "theForum@px.this" — our online F&B oriented community IP.Board (founded in 2007) made virtually obsolete by the re-launch of theBlahg, pxthis.com, on August 31, 2009.
[theForum@px.this will be fully and permanently dismantled upon the definitive completion of its archive.]
Started: Nov 21 2007, 01:58 PM by *what’s anorexia?* • Closed: February 17, 2010 12:10PM • Archived at 44,539 Views
PRIMARY SUBJECT : Former gawker.com blogger Joshua David Stein aka "the ignorasshole"
ADJUNCT SUBJECTS : Former gawker.com blogger Emily Gould. Gawker owner/publisher Nick Denton. Former NY Post journalist and gawker.com blogger Ian Spiegelman. Former Gawker managing editor Gabriel Snyder. Former Grubstreet blogger Josh Ozersky. Brian Grazer.
GIST OF TOPIC : Joshua David Stein is an ignorant asshole. Also, a hypocrite. And apparently, a bit of a horntoad who slept with his co-worker. Lots of links and quotes and whatnot provided. Some jabs at gawker.com too, because "they suck" in general.
And then everyone at Gawker who was ever a jerkface suddenly quits or gets fired. Riveting.
SIGNIFICANCE: Abbe Diaz and Joshua David Stein have serious beef from way back (Sept 2007). The guy is a tool; this thread pretty much proves it.
Also, *abbe* randomly drops a comment in a Gawker item, and houses owner Nick Denton’s ass. Fun times.
Gawker bans Abbe Diaz from commenting at Gawker [weak sauce!] because they’re immensely intimidated by her. Twice.
RATING: ★★★★
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: Ratings range from zero to five stars and reflect the discussion’s entertainment value, from amusing to hilarious, with edification taken into consideration. Hyperlinks contained within are subject to change.
The archives of theForum@px.this have been edited for the sake of clarity, brevity, and squeakiness. [If you require an original unedited copy of the discussion, please e-mail px.this@gmail.com]
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For more on this subject, read PX This Too – The Sequel to PX This – Coming Soon in the Autumn of 2010
"eew, that’s gabriel-snyder" [UPDATE]
Right now, most of you are likely asking, "Who the hell is Gabriel Snyder?" Well, let me remind you!
Gabriel Snyder is the former managing editor of a website called Gawker. As you may or may not realize, PX This has a long, long, sordid history with Gawker. Well, to make a lengthy story short: Our founder, Abbe Diaz, was once a fan of Gawker. She was an early advertiser with them, a longtime avid, insightful "commenter" and even the subject of several of Gawker’s blog posts. Then one day, Gabriel Snyder effectively censored Abbe Diaz’s opinion by "banning" her without just cause or valid explanation, in a manner contrary and hypocritical to Gawker’s ostensible comment/discussion system.
This just in: Gabriel Snyder has been replaced as managing editor of Gawker.
I know what you’re thinking – "That’s so amazing, Dick Johnson! You’re so awesome!" [Thank you!]
But, you’re also thinking, "Really, though, who gives a shit about that dweeb? We actually don’t really care."
Yes, I know, I see your point. But, there is another point I wanted to make:
See the "[UPDATE]" in the title of this post up top?
Well, that’s how you do an update, you fucking scumbags.
For more on this story, please read PX Me – Coming soon in the Spring of 2012
OMG the hipsters are taking over. ugh. gagh. blergh. BLECCCH.
last night was dinner at one of my favoritest places. and can you fucking believe it– one of my most UNfavoritest creepfaces on the planet was there. what the fuck. shouldn’t he be on a stoop or a rooftop or in some internet cafe or some shit in brooklyn somewheres? i mean– SURELY the west village is too bourgeois for him, no? GO AWAY JERKHEAD.
yah so
there i am trying to enjoy my dinner at my regular weekly haunt when, lo and behold, who should come and plop his dorky ass at the table right behind me. gabriel "dweebface" snyder. nice sneakers, scrotumhead. whassa matter– Goodwill was out of Hush Puppies?
so right away (after i suppress the bile bubbling forth and ingurgitate my cud and overcome my gag reflex and roll my eyes into my head) i say to my date: "eew. that’s gabriel snyder." and then i explain who gabriel snyder is.
my date responds: "ohhhh… should i say something to him?" and starts to rise out of his seat.
but i stop him.
why?
because (aside from the fundamental axiom he shouldn’t fight my battles for me) gabriel-snyder just happens to be sitting with richard-johnson, paula-froelich, corynne-steindler, chris-wilson, tom-sykes, and a half dozen other gawd only knows who elses. in other words, ya know– i was suddenly overwhelmed by visions of an imperial shihtzu in a pool of piranhas, if you hear what i’m sayin.
some other time, gabriel-snyder.
BITE ME, BITCH.
** See also: The UPDATE on Gabriel Snyder**
= "personne extraordinaire"