January 31, 2004

Tonight, tonight

While simultaneously blogging and folding laundry, I am also getting ready to go out tonight.

Tonight, Jon and I are going to see the movie Big Fish. I'm looking forward to this. We are going with a couple of friends. After my self imposed imprisonment this week due to the cold weather, it's going to be nice to hang out with some new people.

Tomorrow, there will be more of that as I am going to a party.

Go SOCIAL LIFE!!!!!

The Laundromat

Yes. I did my incredibly large load of laundry today. As I suspected the laundromat was full of people hogging up the driers. As a matter of fact, there were four women there doing their family's laundry together. When I put laundry in the incredibly large $5 machine, almost all of the driers were full. By the time my laundry was almost dry, they had emptied almost all of the driers and walked out with 8 full sacks of laundry. That was probably the worst and most selfish drier usage I've seen yet, in my days of doing laundry.

I learned today that washing all your clothes in one machine is just as effective as washing it in many different machines. My laundry was sorted by whites, blacks, greens and blues, browns, oranges, purples and red which is usually how I do it. Today, I wasn't in the mood to fight for a small machine so that's why I chose the SUPERLOADER. It paid off. I saved at least $10 and it took less time. I saved more time by not folding my laundry there. Granted I had to spend the time folding at my house, but getting out of that zoo was a priority.

Also, I ran into my lovely neighbor from next door which made the time go by even faster.

The best part is that all of clothes are clean and April fresh.

Presidential Match

Are you having trouble deciding which candidate supports your own political stance? There's no need to worry any longer.

With the help of PresidentialMatch.com, suggested by Jon, you can answer a questionaire which will direct you to the candidate best suited to your own political needs.

I was surprised to learn that Kerry matched my requirements 100 per cent.

Snow Claims Another Victim

What's the least practical object you can think of using to get your car out of a honking pile of snow?

Champagne glass?
Swing set?
The Sunday Times?
An empty can of Coke?
An inflatable doll?
An ironing board?

Well, if you guessed ironing board you would have not been alone.

This morning when I took out the trash, and smoked my first cigarette of the morning outside to keep my house spring time fresh, a man was shoveling his car out from under a huge a pile of snow with an ironing board he found leaning against the tree in front of my building. I watched him as he tirelessly removed about 5% of the snow barricading his car into the drift. I was amused when he got back in the car and tried to get out by shifting ever so slightly back and forth trying to get over the two foot high snowy lump blocking his tire. I was even more amused when he got back out of the car and walked back over to the ironing board and attempted to clear away another 5% of the offending pile.

When I got back in the house I could hear his car revving madly against the forces of nature as he started the cycle of futility all over again.

Honestly, whatever happened to kids shoveling snow for extra money? Oh yes, that's right, they have become the latest target of muggers that find earnest hard working preteens easy victims of their malicious crimes. In the latest story out of Long Island, I heard these monstrous bullies/criminals walked away with a huge booty of $28.00. If only those kids could have been here this morning to help that guy out. But then I wouldn't have had this amusing story.

January 30, 2004

Chocolate Protest



From French News.com

Bastard Chocolates from Brussels
A well-known chocolatier from the Tarn has created a 40kg bust of Nicolas Sarkozy in protest against the European commission directive permitting the sale of chocolate containing vegetable oil, as chocolate. Why Nicolas Sarkozy? Because the chef d’œuvre was supposed to be delivered on Saint-Nicolas’ day. Unfortunately, although the chocolatier Yves Thuriès convoyed his statue to Paris in person, it only reached the deputy prime minister in the New Year as he has been rushing about all over the place
as usual.

The big beef is that, since August 2003, 5% vegetable oil may be added to chocolate without being mentioned in the ingredients. “This is imitation chocolate, a fish finger of a chocolate,” thundered Monsieur Thuriès. “There should be an indication on the packet. It is the beginning of all sorts of bastardisations. It is as if beetroot juice could be secretly added to wine or margarine to butter.”

Before there is too much muttering about bloody Brussels, it should be recalled that the ungastronomic nature of the chocolate directive has to be laid at the door of the British government who, some ten years ago or more, successfully fought for the right to preserve intact their own hallowed gourmet names in milk chocolate, complete with secret soap ingredient.

My Brother and Me

I wasn't entirely happy with the photo I posted last time of my brother and me so I took it down to rework it. I did the best I could. I cropped out the white space leaving only the roller streaked image that I originally scanned.

Here we are. My brother (the new dad) and me, nearly four years ago on the day of his wedding.


Self Promotion

My readership is up.

According to Extreme Tracking, this January I've had over 1600 visits, up from 800 in August. It goes up every month.

I wonder if when I finally do write my book, I can use these figures as part of my pitch.

Friday, finally

Friday night is finally here and I can finally breath a sigh of relief. For two days, my time is my own. Friday night is the night I clean, but cleaning is so boring. I wish there were some way I could blog and clean at the same time. I guess I'll just have to resort to catching up with someone on the phone while I clean. I want to clean tonight so I don't have to worry about it this weekend.

Do you remember last week I said I was going to sort and do my laundry? Well, I never did it. So now, I am out of socks, practically out of underwear and the last thing I want to do tonight is go to the Laundromat. So, I will do what I did last week. I will clean the house tonight and get the laundry ready to do in the wee hours of the morning. At my 24 hour Laundromat I'll be able to get a really early start, before the women with big families come and hog up all the driers and large load machines. My Laundromat is cool in that if you do your wash in entirely cold water, you save 25 cents.

Unfortunately, I can't afford to drop it off this week. Somehow, I'm always out of money by the end of the month. I'm going to have find another way to supplement my income. Does anyone have any ideas that don't require me to work hard, leave my house or turn off my television or computer? Yeah, I didn't think so.

My how I'm rambling. I must feel really comfortable with you all. You bring it out of me.

I feel so much better now. Thanks for listening. You're the best.

You always make me feel like I'm the only person in the room.

The Friday Five

Here is this week's Friday Five.
You have just won one million dollars:

1. Who do you call first?
My mother.

2. What is the first thing you buy for yourself?
New shoes.

3. What is the first thing you buy for someone else?
A house for my friend Maria and her family.

4.Do you give any away? If yes, to whom?
Yes. My parents.

5. Do you invest any? If so, how?
Yes. Real Estate and art.

January 29, 2004

Hatchling

I've been listed on Hatch's list of Slice of Life Blogs.


Extra Extra



According to Extra in a story about The Apprentice, Donald Trump's executive search/reality show, Donald Trump says that sex does sell.

Meanwhile, knowing that sex sells, the women turn to the oldest trick in the book. But will it backfire? Of course, the woman-worshipping Trump says, "Since when don't women use their sexual appeal?"

But in the real business world, do women try to woo Trump, and does it work? Trump says, "Absolutely and absolutely, they have used it and it works."


Thanks for the reality check, Mr. Trump.

The Apprentice airs tonight on NBC, 9 pm EST.

Horoscope Update

None of the great things that were supposed to happen today according to my horoscope happened today.

Bummer

Drinuses

My sinuses are so dry
They are hurting my eyes
which are burning
from the pressure
of my shrinking sinuses.

Self indulgent, yes
But an update, none the less.

My Wonderful Horoscope for Today

Virgo Horoscope
Thu Jan. 29, 2004 by Astrocenter.com

Whatever projects you've been working on, dear Virgo, perhaps job-related, perhaps personal enterprises, are apt to finally come to a head at this time. Success is definitely in the wind, along with a marked increase in income and acknowledgment from those who matter. This of course is going to boost your confidence, not to mention your mood. You might already be fired with plans for new trails to blaze. Try to stay down to earth. You won't want to miss anything!

January 28, 2004

Sidewalk warmers

I was just thinking this morning, as I trudged over the snow covered ice ridden sidewalks of Astoria, how cool it would be if civil engineers could design a city where the sidewalks were heated from underneath, preventing ice and snow from sticking to the sidewalks.

Not Feeling So Good



Singer James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul," has been arrested on domestic assault charges at his home in South Carolina in the United States, police said. Brown, 70, was taken into custody in the morning by officers called to his residence in Beech Island, Aiken County.

Snow way

I thought it was cold here, going down to single digits with the wind chill factor.

Reading Human Mishaps and Oddities, a blog out of Minnesota, I realize now that we have it good here. During the day today, A experienced temperatures of -11 degrees. We haven't had temperatures like that except for in the evenings when I'm inside snug as a bug in a rug.

Today actually wasn't as cold as it's been. My bank run wasn't as cruel and unusual as it has been due to the biting weather. There were no celebrity spottings today, which now I'm looking for. I didn't tell you, but the other day, last week before my Alex Baldwin sighting, cutting across 32nd street I saw Brad Pitt bundled up standing in front of a little hotel. I couldn't see his full face but I could tell by the eyes. The eyes gave him away.

The daily walk has been good for me. It's forcing me to get in that exercise you're supposed to get every day. Maybe something good will come out of it, like my getting into shape or dare I say, losing weight.

Say it isn't Snow

Walked out onto a winter landscape. Nearly a foot of snow.
It's hard to believe that those gentle little flakes could wreak such havic.

January 27, 2004

The Nominees Are . . . .

The Academy announced it's contendors for Oscars. While I'm writing this, I have Entertainment Tonight blaring on the TV. ET seems surprised that Nicole Kidman was snubbed for her performance in Cold Mountain. I have to say, having seen the movie, I'm not surprised. As much as I like her, it wasn't her best performance and she and Jude Law didn't have much on screen chemistry. Renee Z. should win for her performance because she went beyond the range we've seen from her to now. Although I've heard wonderful things about the performance by Shohreh Aghdashloo in House of Sand and Fog.

I'm hoping that Sofia Coppola wins for directing Lost in Translation but it's naive to believe she'll win over Peter Jackson for Lord of the Rings. I hope Lord of the Rings wins for best picture. I believe it was the best picture. Below are the nominees.

Best Actor
Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
Ben Kingsley House of Sand and Fog
Jude Law Cold Mountain
Bill Murray Lost in Translation
Sean Penn Mystic River

Best Actress
Keisha Castle-Hughes Whale Rider
Diane Keaton Something's Gotta Give
Samantha Morton In America
Charlize Theron Monster
Naomi Watts 21 Grams

Best Supporting Actor
Alec Baldwin The Cooler
Benicio Del Toro 21 Grams
Djimon Hounsou In America
Tim Robbins Mystic River
Ken Watanabe The Last Samurai

Best Supporting Actress
Shohreh Aghdashloo House of Sand and Fog
Patricia Clarkson Pieces of April
Marcia Gay Harden Mystic River
Holly Hunter Thirteen
Renée Zellweger Cold Mountain

Best Director
Sofia Coppola Lost in Translation
Clint Eastwood Mystic River
Peter Jackson The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Fernando Meirelles City of God
Peter Weir Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Best Picture
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Lost in Translation
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Mystic River
Seabiscuit



The Subways . . . .Again

Just so you know, I had to wait 15 minutes at 28th street for an N train while Q, W and R trains came and went.

It makes me want to fall down on my knees and scream up towards the rainy heavens while a cameraman on a cherry picker truck zooms out and yell,
"WHYYYYYY?"

(that above image is supposed to make you think of William Defoe on his knees in Platoon)

. . .as big as Silver Dollars.

When I left the office at 6:15 small pellets of hail were falling from the sky. When I left the subway at 6:45 snow flakes the size of silver dollars were falling from the sky and at least 1/2 inch had already accumulated.

I guess the weathermen weren't full of shit afterall.

The Passion Party

Dean's passion seems to inspire passion.

Reading A Violently Executed Blog I learned that Al Franken knocked down someone heckling Howard Dean at a rally yesterday. He did it more to support Howard Dean's right to free speech than as a show of support for Howard Dean himself.

Franken said he's not backing Dean but merely wanted to protect the right of people to speak freely. "I would have done it if he was a Dean supporter at a Kerry rally," he said.

If I had known politics was this exciting, I still would not have chosen to go into it.

Still Tuesday

Is it still Tuesday? Am I still sitting at this desk? Are there really three full days left in this work week? Is it really NOT snowing yet? Are those weathermen full of s*#%? Is that bottle of Corvoisier still sealed?

Auspicious Celebrity Sighting

I just went on another bank run. Not the usual leisurely stroll. This check came in at 2:30 so I had to rush on over to the bank before 3pm closing. I decided to cut over to Park on 30th Street this time.

Do you know who I saw, pacing up and down the sidewalk talking on his cell phone?

Alec Baldwin. Completely random sighting. I've seen him before, when I was handing out headsets for the hearing impaired at Annie Get Your Gun when it was playing at the Marriot Marquis on Broadway. He walked into the lobby, natural as anything, with a big smile on his face and nobody went up to him, except for these two young girls. He very nicely put his arms around their shoulders and posed with them for their photo albums. An usher took their pictures for them.

Now, I just saw him, wearing an illfitting overcoat, looking like the most regular guy you would want to see. And he is as tall as he looks on screen and he's much better looking in person.

I like Alec Baldwin. He's a real down to earth kind of guy.

People in my Neighborhood

A vendor comes by our office once a week with goodies trying to get our business. Today he brought us a box of Godiva Chocolatier Biscuits which are chocolate dipped pirouettes, a high end version of Pocky. Every week, this nice man brings us something delicious and every week we do not give him business and we probably never will. His prices always come in higher than everyone else when presenting estimates. But even though we never give him any business he still comes every week with some box of goodies.

I guess working in production has it's perks.

Also, our designer gave me a nice bottle of cognac someone had given him.

I'll have to remember to take that home tonight.

An Untitled Entry

no title today. Still no title.
i just woke up. woke up a little more in the subway.
i don't know what to wear i'm wearing my snow flake sweater in honor of the upcoming storm.
i have to leave in five minutes. bathed last night, so stop freakin', made it out of the house by 5 after 8.
this weather sucks. this weather sucks.

January 26, 2004

Funday

Did you see the Golden Globes last night? Les testicles d'or? (that's not really the french translation so calm down)

The show was good, straightforward, awards for performing, composing and writing.

I was disappointed that they parodied that OUTKAST song that is so cool and fun to listen to. That will be the new movie trailer song. That will be the new soundtrack to everything that is supposed to fun and lightheared. That will be the new background music to commercials for Chevy pickup trucks and Babies' pullup potty training diapers.

I was glad to see that Renee Zelwegger's performance in Cold Mountain was duely recognized. I was very happy for Bill Murray who not only deserved the Golden Globe but also deserves an Oscar for his performance in Lost in Translation. Sofia Coppola earned her award as well. At least, I think she won. I was out cold some time after Bill Murray's funny speech.

About the fashion. I didn't really see any dress that I didn't like with the exception of Nicole Kidman's. That dress was odd. I thought Diane Keaton looked the best in her white tuxedo dress accessorized with pearls and white satin gloves. I'm glad she won as well. She's always funny and never disappoints.

Outside

Construction workers are erecting scaffolding in front of my work building. They just took down the wall they had built to keep us from falling into the giant hole in the sidewalk that was there for 2 months. For two months, we have been forced to walk on that narrow strip of sidewalk in all kinds of weather. When the sidewalk was icy, I clung on to that wall for dear life while trying not to fall down and get in the way of the other people walking single file behind me.

The presence of scaffolding means that the sidewalk will be open and protected from the onslaught of future bad weather. I will be able to walk on to the right and not worry about people walking into me from the other direction again.

It also means that my building continues to be renovated and that more noise will no doubt be added to my daily, aural landscape.

Monday

Today is Monday, Monday, Monday
It will be a fun day, fun day
All day long.

I just got back from my daily bank run and baby, it's cold out there. It's wet and cold. My eyes are still recovering. I think my sinuses froze a little.

January 24, 2004

A Good Thing

Are you tired of reading about my Saturday yet?

I hope not because here comes more.

After setting up the pot roast, I decided to catch up on some pampering. I did the facial thing. Then I did the bath thing. Today's bath was a little bit complicated. First the hair. Fine. Done. Then the washing. Fine. Done. Then there was the scrubbing with the sea salt scrub. Harsh but done. The sea salt scrub also has oils in it so moisturizing was done at the same time.

Bathing done, I lathered on more moisturizer and then applied the smallest drop of lavendar oil.

Yes. I am clean, relaxed and soft.

It's a good thing.

Saturday in the Apartment

Saturday. I spent the morning renovating my blog. And then I took a most wonderful and plentiful deep, deep nap. I love napping. What could be better than a nap on an icy cold Saturday afternoon? Nothing.

Now, it's 6:15pm, January 24th, 2004. I cleaned my house as promised and sorted my laundry.

Now, I'm doing my favorite weekend activity. Cooking.

All day I have been defrosting a roast. I rubbed yummy spices into it and then seared it for 10 minutes in the broiler. After which I put it in the pot with onions, peppers, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. It's cooking right now. What spices did I use? Cumin, black pepper, white pepper and salt.

It smells great and promises to be delicious or so I hope. Pot roast. Yum.

What's next for my Saturday off? I still have to put away some paperwork and pamper self as I was too tired to do it last night.



Long Winter

It's quite early Saturday morning. The television is playing the news. The weather man just announced "Just when you thought January was putting on a good show for winter, it's going to kick it up a notch." or something like that. More cold weather this weekend. More snow. I miss the mild winters we've been having.

Yesterday, for work, I did some errands that required me to walk, a lot. I was told to take a taxi but there were no taxis to be had. I didn't mind running the errands because they were quite necessary. One of our clients needed something and the best solution was a personal delivery. I walked from 26th and Madison, across town to 27th Street and 7th Avenue. The printer/mailhouse was incredible. Boxes and boxes and boxes of mailings to be mailed were everywhere. The smell of ink dominated. I packed up the envelopes and inserts our client needed. Then I headed back out. This time up to 38th between Broadway and Fifth. Normally, not a bad walk but the cold made it unbearable.

I walked up sixth avenue or Avenue of the Americas with an eye out for a taxi. There are two things you should know about New York. Most cabs choose to go up town on sixth and you can never get a cab on sixth avenue. So, I ended up walking the half mile or so to my next destination. When I got there, I was more than happy to wait inside to deliver my package. But then it was time to go out again. This time to 32nd and Park Avenue. I thought walking down 36th would present an opportunity to catch a cab but there were none available. By the time I got to 36th and Fifth I resolved that I would just walk the rest of the way and I'm glad I did.

Between Madison and Park on 36th Street, there is a beautiful building that looks like a miniature version of the New York Public Library. It looked closed, unused and in front were two lionesses, on either side of the main stairs enclosed in glass. If it were warmer I would have gone over and investigate because I'm not familiar with the building. It is most likely part of the building complex for the Morgan Pierpont Library, most likely the original building, because the address matches the website I found in my internet search.

Once I hit Park Avenue I knew I was home free, I walked to my next destination, the bank and made the deposit. When I was finished, I called my boss who told me that pizza had been ordered for lunch and can I pick it up. So, it was one more trip in the cold. I headed over to 31st and Madison and waited in the very nice smelling and warm restaurant for our pizza. Walking it back to the office was tricky but it didn't slide and the pizza was perfect.

Finanlly back at the office, we all ate the pizza at our meeting.

It was all worth it. The client was happy and I slept really well last night.

January 23, 2004

Images of the 28th Street Mosaics

Amanda wrote that she would like to see pictures of the mosaics at 28th Street on the Broadway line. So, I googled "28th Street Mosaics New York City" and sure enough I found a site with pictures of all of those odd images I wrote about in a post earlier this week.

Link here and see if you can figure out what the images are supposed to be. The site offers no explanation.

My Very Own Spam Scam Email

I recently received my own SPAM SCAM email and I would like to share it with you. I notice that Barrister John David is often mentioned in these letters.


Do not be surprised to receive this email.

I am Engineer Bosco Jacobs, presently suffering from acute cancer of the ear and only have access to the Internet. I was formerly married to a lovely wife who died without children and in order to immortalize my name I seek your assistance.

I was a business tycoon involved in illicit trade and became very successful in all areas of my life. Based on the success of my business, I was able to acquire wealth amounting to millions of US Dollars, and due to the nature of my business I can't declare my wealth to the government to avoid persecution and have decided to give to charitable organizations and reliable individuals to help the needy.

I had in the past donated substantial amount of dollars to individuals, groups and governments for similar purposes especially in poor countries of Africa and other continents.

I equally deposited the sum of $37.5M (thirty-seven million five hundred thousand US dollars) with a security company in HOLLAND . This security company, is a world wide finance and security company in collaboration with ''Diplomatic Express Courier Services'' that helps in the shipment of valuable goods out of the country through a Diplomatic means, hereby delivering funds packaged in Consignment and delivered to the recipient.

Please, we need to move these funds out of this country within a short period
of time from now, I will need you to immediately send my lawyer your full names, name of organization, full address, telephone number as well fax number. The funds are already packaged in consignments and ready for shipment and it can also be transfered to you. These information are required by the security company so that they will start up all the necessary process on how the funds will get to you.

Be informed that as soon as this funds are in your possession, You'll hear
from me soon.

Please endeavor to reply me, to meet you in Holland and please put
me in prayers, so we can discuss more and know ourselves better. I will await to hear from you. I have discussed with my lawyer on what to do with the funds. Kindly discuss further with him.

This is the contact of the lawyer email address xxxxx@xxxxx.xxx He lives in Holland his name is BARRISTER JOHN DAVID. You have to act fast so that u can get these documents from him on time.

Thanks in anticipation for your co-operation and understanding.


ENGINEER BOSCO JACOBS

The fun never ends . . . .

My Phase is Ate



Which Phase of the Greek Tragic Cycle Are You?


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In case you were wondering. . .

Hecate
Hecate


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
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Did you hear the sad news?

Captain Kangaroo passed away today in Vermont.

Friday five

Here is this week's Friday Five. Be sure to visit there and join the fun.

At this moment, what is your favorite...
1. ...song?
You Light Up My Life

2. ...food?
Pickles

3. ...tv show?
The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

4. ...scent?
My boyfriend's aftershave

5. ...quote?
Today I very much like the Serenity Prayer.
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.



J LO

Listening to news this morning I heard J Lo's name several times with regard to her break up with Ben Affleck. I thought I was dreaming last night when they announced this news on Access Hollywood. Actually, I thought that they were replaying the news story about the cancellation of their wedding. I was under the impression that the end of the wedding is the end of the relationship. So now I find it amusing that it's news they broke up.

Also, are we really, as a society in such a rush that we can no longer call her Jennifer Lopez. Is it really so hard to say her full name? I have not heard her referred to as Jennifer Lopez in one single news story. Honestly, it takes 1 full second longer.

January 22, 2004

28th Street and Broadway

Has anyone seen the bizarre mosaics in the 28th St. station at Broadway?
If anyone knows what they are supposed to represent, please let me know.

I understand the hats at 23rd Street, the performers at the Lincoln Center stop, the penguins at the Central Park stop.

But I can't even identify the pictures at the 28th Street stop.

Just Another Manic Thursday

Thursday never felt more like Friday than it did today. The cold weather just makes everything more tiring, more stressful, more challenging, more obstacle ridden. Putting on a happy face in the face of bad weather conditions is tiring. I just don't like this weather. I can't get into it.

Tomorrow is Friday. And I'm looking forward to the weekend. My house is overdue for a good cleaning. My laundry is piling up. My paperwork is reproducing faster than a couple of horny bunnies. My face is overdue for a facial. My hair is overdue for a deep conditioning.

So that is what I will do starting tomorrow night. Friday night I will clean,sort my laundry, give myself a facial and deep conditioning.

This is not the post I wanted to post right now. I had some time to think about a good entry on the subway as it was crawling towards Astoria. I'm writing this just to write, to stay in the habit, to practice making interesting what is not interesting.

Now, I remember, what I was going to post.

In the subway, while I was daydreaming, the lyrics to this song came into my head. Can you name that tune?

Here I stand the goddess of desire
Set men on fire
I have this power

Morning, noon and night it's drink and dancing
Some quick womancing
and den a shower

Stage door Johnnies constantly sawound me
They always hound me
with one wequest

Who can satisfy their wustful habit
I'm not a wabbit
I need some weeeeeeeeeee (breath) eeeest.

Noticed Today

The dog run at Madison Square Park is a solid sheet
of ice but the dogs don't seem to mind.


Other things noticed:

A bull dog wearing a black sweater vest.

A black knit hat with a pocket in the front.

The colder the weather gets, the slower the subways run.

People don't like to be stared at, spoken to or rubbed up
against in the subway.


The cold weather gives people something to talk about other than sports or politics.

I'm looking forward to watching The Apprentice tonight.

Thursday

There was a great turnout last night for Drinking and Thinking.

The best round was definitely Janet's last on espionage with questions ranging from difficulty from who played Harriet the Spy's nanny in the movie version of the beloved book to the actualy birthplace of Mata Hari. Janet opened with a round of questions based on John Waters. That round was a lot of fun and educational. I learned two new words: frottage and copraphogia.

My music round featured diverse musicians from the most diverse of New York City's five boroughs, Queens. In my visual round, teams had to identify the Harrison Ford movie from the movie poster from which I removed all traces of the names of the movies (of course).

I also had a literature round where I named 3 or 4 characters from a book and teams had to name the book and the author. That turned out to be more difficult than I thought. Some people told me they didn't like the round because it was too hard and others really liked it. I'd say then that the round was a great success.

Thanks to all who turned out and be sure to come again next week. The Dawn Patrol's Dawn Eden will be co-hosting with Janet.

January 21, 2004

Humpty Dumpty

It's the middle of the middle day.

I am sitting at the front desk.

There is a meeting going on in the conference room behind me.

I am reconstructing an important file that somehow became corrupted yesterday and it's taking quite a while. I needed to take a mental stroll, to get away from it for a minute and found myself walking here.

Imagine that.

I am pretty psyched about tonight. This will be my first time co-hosting at Dempsey's and I hope I follow Jon well. He co-hosted last week and he did a great job.

Howard Plows Forward

I'm not really good at talking about politics. I really try to listen when people explain different things to me; when a news story comes on the radio; even during the joke news on the Daily Show.

I don't really understand what the Iowa caucus is or was or how it works. I don't understand why it's such a big deal; why it gets so much coverage; if it is fair predictor of what is going to happen during the election year.

But I do know this.

Howard Dean is losing it.

I hope he has PR people or spin doctors or whatever we are calling image consultants these days. And I hope they are telling him to lay low for a while. That ARRRRGGGGHHHHH heard around the word is going to hurt him. With that said, you really do have to appreciate his enthusiasm and his state naming ability.

He is good to his supporters. Showing enthusiasm in the face of defeat, rallying his troops to follow him to the states he mentioned, I guess.

January 20, 2004

I feel a quiz coming on . . . .

I am an Intellectual



Which America Hating Minority Are You?


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Tuesday

It's Tuesday.
It's 5:45 pm.
It's New York City.
It's cold outside.
It's time for Tuesday Night Trivia.
It's unlikely that I'll be going to the bar tonight.

Tomorrow is Wednesday.
Tomorrow will be warmer.
Tomorrow night is Drinking and Thinking
Tomorrow night I'm co-hosting at Dempsey's Pub.

Yesterday was Monday.
Yesterday was very, very cold.
Yesterday, afterwork, I went out with Jon.
Yesterday, we saw Bad Santa, the funniest movie ever made.

Okay, enough with that format. Jon and I saw Bad Santa last night and laughed until we ached. We then walked down the street a little bit and had a wonderful dinner at Rectangles in the East Village. We braved the cold a little bit more by walking over to the Virgin Record Store at Union Square. I was pretty wiped out by that time and had to leave Jon there. Though going into the store did provide a nice respit from the agonizing cold.

Why was I wiped out? Because I was walking very carefully to avoid slipping again which required a lot of concentration because I was also trying to walk fast because it was very cold. The combination was just tiring.

Feminist of the Day

I'm leaving this as a marker for previous feminist of the day comments.
This way you can leave fresh comments for the new feminist of the day.

January 19, 2004

Happy Monday!!!

Today is Monday, Monday, Monday.
It will be a fun day, fun day.
All day long.
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It has already been a fun day. What could be more fun than falling on your ass in public? I slipped on the ice while crossing Broadway at 23rd St.. While getting off the street and climbing on to the curb, I lost my footing and went down. Ice is everywhere. It's pretty bad. We could use a good thaw.
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I already told you what I did on Saturday.
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SUNDAY
I had a wonderful brunch at Josephina, near Lincoln Center with Jon and Sandy. Really, really nice place to go, even on a bad weather day. My goat cheese omelet was really, really, good.
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After brunch we saw Cold Mountain at the Lowes at Lincoln Center. Not bad. Not great but not bad. The theater was packed and people were applauding as the credits started to role. I heard people sniffling because of how moved they were by the story. I was not so moved. And that's all I have to say about that.

January 17, 2004

My Little Brother

My little brother is a father.

It is both weird and wonderful.

I remember when my mother was pregnant with him. I remember helping her tie her shoes or at least trying to because I was too little to actually do it, because her big pregant tummy prevented her from bending. I remember staying with the babysitter the night he was born. I remember waking up before my parents in the mornings and watching him sleep and wanting to touch him.

He was my friend at first. Then, for years, he was my pesky little brother. Then at some point, over the years, he became a source of never ending support and tireless inspiration, sometimes behaving like an older brother and I love him for it.

My mother always used to say,"Treat your brother nicely. One day he'll be bigger than you." The other thing she used to say is "Treat your brother nicely. One day he'll be your best friend." And you know what, she was right.

Now he has a baby of his own and I know he is going to be a great dad.

Saturday

I met my nephew today. He is fascinating, even though he doesn't do much. We are all fascinated by his smallness and the miracle that created him. Now that I know he's real, I don't plan to see him again until his bris next Sunday.

But it's really official now. I am an aunt. I bought my first gift for him. A little outfit from the Baby Gap. It was really cute.

If I had to base his personality on what I observed today, I predict that he's going to be a quiet and pensive person. Thoughtful, smart and curious about the world around him. Either that or he's going to sleep a lot.

January 16, 2004

Friday Five

Here is this week's Friday Five.

1. What does it say in the signature line of your emails?
Nothing

2. Did you have a senior quote in your high school yearbook? What was it? If you haven't graduated yet, what would you like your quote to be?
Too embarassing to mention

3. If you had vanity plates on your car, what would they read? If you already have them, what do they say?
I wouldn't have vanity plates.

4. Have you received any gifts with messages engraved upon them? What did the inscription say?
No.

5. What would you like your epitaph to be?
Loving wife and mother, survived by . . . . . .

Nostalgic

This very cold weather reminds of how winters were when I was a kid. It didn't matter how cold it was because my brother, my friends and I would play outside until my mother saw our lips turning blue.

Before going out my mother would slather vaseline on our cheeks to make sure we wouldn't get chapped. She would always make sure we weren't freezing to death by sticking her hand down are backs to see if we were warm enough. After a day of playing in the snow and cold, we would return to a hot basin for our feet to soak in to make sure we didn't get frost bite.

Sometimes, I miss being a kid.

January 15, 2004

This is my web log in French.

Link here if you are my cousin and would like to read this website in French.

Ethan Harris

His name is Ethan Harris. He is my nephew and I will meet him on Saturday. I am proud of my brother and his wife and I know they will be good parents. But will I be a good aunt? This is new territory for me.

What will be expected of me as an aunt? Does anyone know? I am looking forward to the time I get to spend with him. I look forward to trying to figure out his personality in these first few days of his life and then watching it develop. Ethan is amazing in ways we don't know yet. Because he is the child of my brother and his wife he will certainly have a good heart. He will be compassionate and sensible. He will be creative and responsible. He will be all the good things we expect of him and then exceed our expectations.

I love him already and I don't even know him.

Cold

8 degrees outside.
snow on the ground.

Last night I went to Drinking and Thinking at Dempsey's Pub which had a very good turnout in spite of the wintery weather. After, I walked to the subway. I thought taking a cab home from the East Village to Astoria would take too long and be too scarey during a snow storm.

The walk didn't take that long and the snow looked very pretty. It was sparkly.

I just pulled on some long johns and I'm going out there again. I will not let a little snow, ice and wind chill factors of below zero keep me from my appointed rounds.

January 13, 2004

What a Day . . .

. . . and now it's over. I've just spent the last half hour editing this web log, taking out those old quiz images links so as not to strain the servers of those hosts kind enough to do all that work.

After a relatively balmy day in the Big Apple, the temperatures are dropping rapidly. Between the time I walked out of my office and to my front door, the wind really started to kick up and the temperature must have dropped at least 10 degrees.

Usually I would be at trivia on a Tuesday night, but between the cold and still feeling the littlest bit queazy I decided to skip it and save my energy for Wednesday's big trivia match at Dempsey's. Drinking and Thinking, will be co-hosted by the charming and adorable Jon Blackwell. He will be working with his good friend Janet Rosen. With those two hosting, it promises to be an exciting evening.

January 12, 2004

A Romantic Story

This morning riding in on the subway, I finished reading a very romantic book called The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks. I found myself weeping as I finished the last page. It is one of the more romantic books I've read. It's a simple story (but not really) beautifully told. It's about finding true love and holding on to it until the very end and it's written by a man, from a man's point of view, making the romance just a little bit more special. According to the notes, the author based the story on the romance of his wife's parents.

A little while ago, my sister-in-law gave me a pile of books that my brother and she were trying find new homes for. My brother and his wife share a love of books and in this case they shared that love with me. So far, from that pile, I've read House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III and Mr. Maybe by Jane Green.

Both were good reads, but The Notebook was just perfect.

Other good books I've read within the last year that I would recommend are Carrie Pilby by Caren Lissner (an actual book purchase), the classic 1984 by George Orwell, Flashman by George MacDonald Fraser, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho, The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold and my favorite from last year's read The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. I did of course read the newest Harry Potter which I bought because of my love for Harry Potter books, but I mostly read books recommended or given to me by other people.

Le Weekend.

Friday night. Stayed in. Too tired.

Saturday day, went food shopping, cleaned up, got ready.

Saturday night. Before Rififi had delicious Japanese food at Tokyo Lamen. Really delicious. Was joined by Jon and Dawn. Walked from restaurant to bar. Breathing was difficult due to cold. Stayed out late, even danced. Weather was cold.

Sunday. Cooked. Went for incredibly long walk with Jon. Ate. Played Scrabble. Shot pool. Weather was warmer but still cold. Weekend well spent.

Started Monday off great. Weather warmer still. Work going well. Ate lunch. Work going well. Walked to bank for boss. Somehow became ill on walk. Stomach bug? Hopefully, just passing through. Went home early. Sick. Rode subway home. Got home just in nick of time. Rested for several hours. Just getting up. Still feeling queazy. Will feel better tomorrow.

January 11, 2004

Chicken Roast

I am roasting my chicken. It smells great. It marinated in my lemon juice/garlic recipe for 15 hours. I made stuffing with bread,onions and mushrooms. I would have added celery but I forgot to buy some yesterday when doing my big shopping.

Roasting chicken makes me very happy. Eating roasted chicken makes me even happier. To go with the chicken, I am going to make potato leek soup and a vegetable side dish.

Why am I doing this? So, when my honey and I come back from our walk later we will have something warm to eat.

I like doing this because it reminds me of what it might be like to be away for a romantic weekend in Vermont. In my fantasy of the Vermont getaway, my boyfriend and I go skiing or hiking in the brisk cold. Outside, the birch trees are bare and the smell of pine trees fills our noses. The sky is overcast and a snow storm is on its way. Upon coming back to our little house, we light a fire and heat up a nice soup in the cauldron hanging in the fireplace. He pours wine, while I ladle the soup into heavy ceramic bowls. Then we dip freshly baked bread into the soup and discuss observations we made during our time out.

Hmmmmm?

What are Texas Sassy Foods? I was just asking myself that question this morning. There's a good chance that if you look at the banner ad right above you'll see a link that answers that question.

Let's find out together, shall we?

In my head

If you look inside my head right now, you'll see Doris Day and Rock Hudson singing Rollie Pollie at the piano bar in the movie Pillow Talk.

To see a movie trailer that features a short clip of the two of them singing it click to this link.

Letters from Iraq

Jeremy Botter is back
with Letters from Iraq!!

January 10, 2004

The Food What I Bought

While my face mask is drying I thought I would make you a list of what I bought at the supermarket. Keep in mind that I have not been food shopping in about a month so I didn't have anything in my refrigerator.

Lysol Wet cloths (for my swiffer)
Good Sense garbage bags
2 bottles of raspberry seltzer
1 bottle of diet vanilla coke
3 boxes of storebrand oatmeal variety packs (on sale 3 for $5)
4 cans white meat tuna (.89 a can)
1 5 lb. bag of sugar
1 bottle of lemon juice
2 boxes of baking soda (one for the fridge)
1 can of Folger's
6 Colombo blueberry yogurts (on sale 6 for $3)
2 enormous white onions
6 lemons
1 5lb. bag of potatoes
2 leeks (for potato/leek soup)
tomatoes
red delicious apples
3 bags of baby carrots
bananas
3 heads of red leaf lettuce
2 green peppers
1 bag of regular ole onions
kumquats (never had them before, thought I would try them)
B&G Kosher dill gherkins
1/2 gallon of low acid orange juice
1/2 gallon of milk
loaf of bread
eggs
clementines
mushrooms
beef brisket
beef butt
a whole chicken
(which is currently marinating in lemon juice and garlic for lunch tomorrow)

Face mask is dry now. I'm off to the bath for my evening out. Actually, any excuse will do for me to take a bath, but I really am going out this evening.

Pro"quiz"tination

I should be at the supermarket filling up my fridge for the first time in a month, so naturally I am at home, taking on line quizzes. Rum and Monkey, a satirical website, has some weird and useless quizzes that I just love taking. Here is one that will help me find out how compatable I am with others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My results:
I'm an irredeemably eejitous, liberal, not-too-generous, not-too-selfish, pathetically simple-minded, dribbling child!
See how compatible you are with me!
Brought to you by Rum and Monkey

Who is Mitch Hedgeberg?

My friend Human Oddities has been having a problem with her page's ad banner displaying ads for cat urine products; most likely because of some posts about her cats.

My ad banner has been displaying ads for pickle products and pickle soap; today, briefly, a comedian who is somehow linked to pickles.

But then when I posted a blank post. . . .it broke the cycle of pickle linking.

I want to update so I don't have ads showing in the ad banner but that function is down at blogspot.

Someday.....someday......maybe I'll even start an actual website.

January 09, 2004

Did I Mention It Was Cold?

It is 9 degrees in Astoria. 9. And I don't believe it's warming up anytime soon, which is unfortunate.

Tomorrow night, I will be attending a monthly event known as PoP GeAr. It's hosted by my friend Dawn of the Dawn Patrol and it's taking place at Rififi, which a very cool bar down in the East Village. . .332 East 11th St. between 1st and 2nd Avenues, to be exact. Pop Gear is an evening of POP 60's music usually compiled by Dawn and two of her friends, Kittybeat and Michael Lynch. Part of the event is watching the great video footage of old pop acts from the 60's, shown on the back wall of the bar, over a little stage. If you can make it, you should. I've only met and spoken with nice people the other times I've gone. And then, of course, there is the dancing, the free cover and the moderately priced drinks.

How does this tie in with the cold weather, you might be wondering? Well. . .I'd like to dress cutely but it's hard to do that when you have to wear layers. But the important thing is that I go...so hopefully, no one will mind the necessary but lumpy clothing.

The pickle shop was closed.

January 08, 2004

Shon Gables

Shortly after I started this web log, the Great Blackout of 2003 occurred. When the power came back on I wrote several posts about the blackout. One of those involved commenting on how fresh Shon Gables of CBS Morning News looked the morning after.

Why am I telling you this? Because most of the searches that bring people to my site are about Shon Gables. If you are looking for any photographs or biographical information on Ms. Gables, it is only fair that I tell you to go to one or your other search results because outside of a few lines about my admiring her, you won't find anything else about her here.

If you are interested in reading what I wrote about her, click here.

January 07, 2004

Brutally Cold

It is brutally cold today.

During rush hour, I had to wait for 15 minutes before an "N" train pulled into my station. While I was waiting 3 "Q" trains and 2 "W" trains went by on the express track and two "R" trains stopped on the local track. By the time my "N" train came, my feet were frozen.

Why are there so many "Q" trains? When they pass, I notice they are hardly ever crowded. And I am not exaggerating when I tell you that I've counted 5 "Q" trains pass on average for every one "N" train that I take. I think that there are less "N" trains because the tracks are congested with an overabundance of "Q" trains.

Did I mention I love New YorK?

Radio

I just heard on the radio, 710 am/WOR to be exact, that Senator Hillary Clinton made a somewhat bad joke about Ghandi, saying that he owns a gas station and then she quoted him. Does anybody remember a time when she was likeable? I remember liking her at some point, but since the time of her bid for senator, I just don't like her as much. Something happened to her.

I haven't yet found a link to a news story to back this up yet but it is coming as soon as I can find one.

January 06, 2004

HASH(0x873b6ac)
Rain: You are the sound of rain. You have two
important sides. There is your strong, powerful
side and your calm, gentle side. Both are very
important. Rain also reflects a bit of darkness
in your personality. It isn't bad, just shows
that along with the good, you also can see bad,
which can come in handy. (please rate my quiz)


What Sound Are You?(now w/ pics)
brought to you by Quizilla

Trivia Miss

Because of my work schedule, I missed my favorite Tuesday night activity, Tuesday Night Trivia at the Baggott Inn.

But you can be sure that I will try to make tomorrow night's bar room trivia contest Drinking and Thinking at Dempsey's pub.

Hopefully, I'll see you there.

Area 52

For a change of pace, I recommend you visit Area 52.

This is where the very talented Tony Hightower is endeavoring to write one song for every week of 2004.

On a personal note, good luck, Tony. You are off to a great start.
I look forward to listening to a year of good music and then listening to the compilation in 2005.

To the Guy Playing Garbage

Dear guy playing garbage with drumsticks on the 7 platform at Grand Central Station:

After a hard day at work, the last thing I want to hear is your impersonation of Buddy Rich on random pieces of loud garbage you so thoughtfully collected for tonight's performance. When my head is full of a day of work and not smoking, the sound of you trying to make art is the last thing I want to hear. Do what every other performer who doesn't play in the streets does? Find a cheap performance space in New York and invite your closest friends to come see you play. There are plenty of cheap performance spaces in New York. Surely, there is one that fits your budget and gets you out of any subway station where I happen to be waiting impatiently for a train.

Quite Wicked? Quite Fun.

Quite Wicked found an awesome website through CalorieKing.com that helps you figure out, in the most fun way possible, how to count calories at various fast food restaurants.

Most notable are McDonalds, Subway, Pizza Hut, and random Barbeque foods.

Most excellent find, oh Wicked one.

Tuesday

Today is Tuesday, Tuesday, Tuesday.
It will be a fun day, fun day.
All day long.

Bizarre Weather

The weather is returning to weather more normal for New York. It's bizarre weather, we've been having. Some days the weather is unseasonably mild, while on others it is seasonably cold.

Bundle up New York.

Joan of Arc was here.

This note bookmarks where Joan of Arc was Feminist of the Day.

January 05, 2004

Pickles

Walking down 28th Street, to the N train after work,
I walked by a store that sells pickles the old fashioned way,
in barrells. Now, all I can think about is pickles.

I like dill pickles, sour, half-sour, gherkins.
Not too fond of the sweet though.

Vlassics are good.
B&G are better.

Boy, do I want a pickle.

First Day Back

First day back was. . . .tiring. Point of wearing makeup. . . not readily apparent. Nobody said anything about it. No one noticed. Tomorrow, I will return to my routine of not making up before work. I will, however, spend too much time on my hair. I will comfortable shoes. I wore shoe boots with a slight heel and my feet are sore. They aren't as bad pumps but flats are better. I will wear comfortable clothes.
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Our server went down today, after our computer guy tried to fix something. While, I wasn't planning on surfing the net or checking my tracking, it did affect my ability to send internal communication, which meant more walking around the office in uncomfortable shoes.
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Do you ever wish that you had a similar living situation to Holly Golightly's character in Breakfast at Tiffany's? How cool would it be to receive $50 for going tothe powderroom. I assume in the book, Holly received varying amounts for different tricks, but I prefer the innocence of the movie.
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I'm tired. I was upset to find out that if I were an affliction I would be gonnorhea. On the upside, at least there's a cure.
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I'm tired. I was happy to find out that I really am pants identified. I took a quiz (see below)at Spacefem.com to see which invisible thing I am and I am invisible pants. How perfect is that?
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As you can see, I've reached a creative lull for the day. These point by point posts help me work through that. Thank you for indulging me and come back soon.



I Am Pants


January 04, 2004

The Weather

It's a little after 7pm on Sunday evening.

The movie Spellbound; seen. It was alright.
I'm not as excited about it as other people I've spoken too.
I thought it dragged and some of the kids freaked
me out a little bit.

Cafe con Leche was replaced by pizza (my idea).
Sal and Carmine's, best I've had in New York City.

The weather; while the weather was warmer than usual
this morning, the temperature sank closer to normal for
our climate. It's now raining and about 40 degrees.

I'm home, now.

I'm watching My Big Fat Greek Wedding for the umpteenth time and
awaiting the beginning of the end for "Sex and the City".

I am feeling a little bit anxious about
returning to work tomorrow.
I hope I'll be able to sleep tonight.

I guess if I can't, I always have you.

Pineapple and Macadamia Breeze

Today, the host of Pineapple and Macadamia Breeze, posted a little description of the weather today in Hawaii. The host writes that the temperature is in the low 70's and that thunderstorms have been predicted.

Today, in New York City, the forecast predicts temperatures reaching to the high 50's and low 60's and thunderstorms.

So, there you have it. Today, if you are in a bucolic Hawaiian paradise, or the never resting, filthy but fantastic New York City, you're getting practically the same weather.

My NYC Plans

*I don't have a list of resolutions for 2004. With that said, one of my resolutions for
2004 is to make this blog more NYCentric for people looking to read about life in the "Big Apple".

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Today is Sunday, January 4th 2004. Today is my last day off after a nice string of days off. I'm partially glad and partially sad about this. I miss the daily structure of my job and feel a lot more organized when I'm working within the structure of a larger organization. I'm sad because as much as I miss that structure, who wants to go back to work?

I plan on being on the Upper West Side of Manhattan today to spend my last day off with my nice boyfriend.

Being that I wake up with a voracious appetite for food and for life every morning, first item on the list of things to do will be to get breakfast. There are several places I'd like to go: Gabriellas, Cafe con Leche, or Metro Diner. I'm going to lobby hard for Cafe con Leche. That place is awesome!!!!

There is actually a plan in place. The plan is to see the movie "Spellbound" at Symphony Space on the Upper West Side. I'm not sure when we're going to see that because someone (who shall remain nameless) is still sleeping, but that is the plan.

I was hoping to throw in a big, sloppy and tiring walk around Central Park. J lives so close and it would be such a shame not to go. That would also fulfill one of the obligations from the Resolutions List I didn't make. That resolution would not be to exercise more and lose weight.
(okay, yes - it would be from my list)
(no - not really, there isn't a list)
(okay, you got me-yes)
(no - i was just kidding, there is no list of resolutions for 2004.)
(Yes - THERE IS!!!).

January 03, 2004

Testy Personality

My Bloginality is ISFJ!!!

As an ISFJ, you are Introverted, Sensing, Feeling, and Judging.
This makes your primary focus on Introverted Sensing with Extraverted Feeling. This is defined as a SJ personality, which is part of Carl Jung's Guardian (Security Seeking) type, and more specifically the Protectors or Nurturer. In blogging, your journal will always be immaculate and have a touch of style. You may also feel overwhelmed because you want to be a part of everything going on. Because of your wonderful memory, other bloggers may come to you to ask about things you posted months

New York

I live in New York City. Well, in Astoria across the river to be exact. But it still is considered New York City. I *am* in one of the five boroughs. I have to remind myself of that sometimes because when I read back over what I've written here, except for very specific posts about NYC, I could be anyone living anywhere.

This is one of those posts.

Last night, I hung out with my friend Dave. I took the subway two stops to get closer to his house because although he lives in walking distance and I didn't feel like walking such a distance. Part of the reason for this is his living on the top floor of a six story walk up. (which equals five flights).

I haven't seen him in ages. When I got to Dave's he poured me a glass of wine, then another, then another. Good times. We played Trivial Pursuit®, both the Genus®, and the trademark Silver Screen additions together. I lost badly but it was great fun. After the not literal beating I received at Trivial Pursuit®, we decided to watch a movie.

The choice was up to me. It was between "Reign of Fire" and "Zardoz". Well, I've seen "Reign of Fire" (fabulous if you haven't) but I haven't seen "Zardoz". Dave has talked up "Zardoz" quite a bit so I was intrigued.

I have one word to sum up the movie. CHEESE. Produced, written and directed by John Boorman after the successful yet disturbing "Deliverance", the movie features a giant floating head, a dystopic yet utopian future, and a frightening image of Sean Connery in a red diaper and thigh high boots. I don't like Sean Connery. I think he's a bit of crap actor actually (with the exception of "Finding Forrester") and I don't find him in the least bit attractive. I actually never understood why anyone found him so sexy or debonaire. Not even the cache of his James Bond movies could sell me on his appeal. "Zardoz" did absolutely nothing to convince me that he's hot. He spends most of appearance half naked, with his hairy, doughy body bouncing freely in every scene. (insert Sideshow Bob sound of disgust here).

With that said, I recommend this movie highly. It perhaps the best bad movie I have ever seen.

I'll have to see it again to write a full deconstructive analysis but it's worth it just to see to see Friend denounced as a renegage, or the cheesy special effects of Zed (Connery) sliding into a glass pyramid. Never mind his time spent inside a multi-faceted diamond known as the tabernacle, which holds all knowledge and affords the members of Vortex 4 immortality.

Then there is the scene where all members in the Vortex 4 society beg for death because they are so bored with their idyllic lives.

Yeah. You need to see this movie and soon.

Friday Five

Friday Five

What one thing are you most looking forward to . . .

1. ...today? my first cup of coffee

2. ...over the next week? a discussion with my boss concerning a raise

3. ...this year? writing my book

4. ...over the next five years? enjoying the proceeds from my first, second and third best-selling novels

5. ...for the rest of your life? making a family

January 02, 2004

Recently Added

Recently I've added some links that I want to bring to your attention.

Silent Butterfly: This young 20 something has produced a beautiful website using skills I don't think I'll ever have. Anyway, Silent Butterfly lives in and attends school in Europe. She is bright and sweet and writes about herself and her life in a candid and cheery way.

A Violently Executed Blog: I became aware of this blog through Human Oddities and Mishaps. Daily, readers can read about the trials and tribulations of a married man with an ascerbic view of the world.

George Takei: I discovered Mr. Takei's website, early one Friday morning, during a bout of insomnia. I was looking for celebrity websites which then became a search for web logs produced by the cast members of the original Star Trek series. Mr. Takei was kind enough to respond to a message I sent to his fan site. He seems like a really nice man. His most recent posting about revisiting the internment camp where he was sent as a young boy with his family is quite touching.

Human Oddities and Mishaps: I became aware of this website when the host started posting comments on my page. I liked her instantly and decided that she should be included on my list of links. Creative and funny, down to earth and honest, her website is thoroughly enjoyable.

Margaret Cho: I was first attracted to this site because of a posting of one my friends. I decided to add it because Ms. Cho is surprisingly candid about her life and talks a lot about the creative process and the challenge of being a public figure.

Of Moops and Men: This new arrival to the blogosphere provides us with a look at unusual news stories and points out interesting facts about our daily world.
Most interesting is when the host lists names that are oddly appropriate.

Pineapples and Macadamia Breeze: Writing to us from behind a bar Waikiki, this author writes about life in the Hawaiian Islands. I don't know about you but this strange New York weather has me daydraming about a life in the islands all of the time.

William Shatner: I found Mr. Shatner's site the same night I found Mr. Takei's. It is interesting. The star also talks about celebrity and encourages fans of the site to post messages on his bulletin board. So, I joined the fan site so I could post a message on his bulletin . Mr. Shatner has not yet replied.

Jeremy Botter

As you know, I link to a website called "Letters from Iraq", the daily journal of a soldier named Jeremy Botter.

I am concerned because when I click on the link now, I am brought to a website that asks if I'd like that as my domain name, indicating to me that the Jeremy Botter link no longer exists, at all.

What do you think this means? If you have any ideas at to what may have happened to Jeremy Botter and his web log, please list them below.

Be the Snowglobe

Thanks to the Vidiot, I went to a link that provided a great panaromic view of Times Square at New Year's Eve.

It's like being inside the snow globe.

From the Geek Insomniac

It's 4:30 am and I am up for whatever reason (probably too much sleep) and I was looking for some Celebrity Web Logs to add to my link list, blog roll, what ever.

And I found a treasure. William Shatner keeps a web log/fan site. I took a look at it and it seems like he writes an entry every few weeks or so. So naturally, I joined and posted a reply to his most recent entry about excellence. Anyway, he looks like a pretty decent writer and a pretty down to earth guy.

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a little bit later that morning . . .Okay. It's way too early to be having this much fun.

Not to be outdone by his former Star Trek colleague, George Takei, also keeps a web log. His website is very nice as well. I recommend you link to it, right now, this minute!!!

In his most recent entry, he writes a touching account of visiting Arkansas, where he and his family were interned during WWII.

January 01, 2004

Embrace your Inner Geek!!!

So. As soon as I got home this afternoon and as soon as I finished blogging, I turned on the SCI FI channel for the Twilight Zone Marathon.

Picture me drooling like Homer and making that sound he makes when he's stumbled across some floor pie or he's thinking about a beer.

It's 8pm where I am and they've just announced a special uncut Twilight Zone for primetime. Two words: Instant Smile. This is the episode that takes place in the year 2000, when science has given everybody the ability to choose whichever appearance they like. What teenage girl, given the opportunity wouldn't choose a lovely face over a mediocre one?

Have I ever mentioned in this post what an incredibly large geek I am? This is not asked in a self depracatory way. I ask you with pride. I embrace my inner geek.



Shatner Rocks the New Year

*I'd like to thank Of Moops and Men for pointing out typos in this post and writing about them with such affection in a recent posting. They have since been corrected.*

I just found out that William Shatner is scheduled to release an album.

While some people view this is as a sign of the coming Apocolypse I view it as an opportunity to add to my growing collection of things having to do with the original Star Trek series.

Actually, there are only two things in that collection; To The Stars: The Autobiography of George Takei, Star Trek's Mr. Sulu as read by George Takei on the book on tape version of his autobiography and the classic movie INCUBUS starring a young Wiliam Shatner and filmed in the failed international language Esperanto.

I hope to soon include in my collection, LP's of Shatner original recordings, videos of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (directed by Shatner, the one where they meet "God" and we meet Spock's long lost brother whose life has been dedicated to rebelling against Vulcandome by expressing his emotions) and perhaps some action figurines (original series only).

Remember this. Without Mr. Shatner, there (dramatic pause) would (dramatic pause) be (dramatic pause) no (dramatic pregnant pause) cheese.

2004

This is my first official post of 2004 if you don't count the Feminist of the Day.

Last night's celebration was interesting. Yes. Interesting.

I celebrated with my parents who arranged a small gathering.

I arrived early to help them get ready. There was a lot of getting ready to get done. My mother and I cleaned, which is always fun. About 4 we started cooking the food. My mother roasted a turkey. Yum. We made Swedish meatballs, deviled eggs, crudite, haricots vert sauteed in tomatoes. I made my classic stuffed mushrooms. We also heated up those premade hors'd'oeuvres, including pigs in blankets, mini quiches, knishes, yummers. We put out platters of cheeses, including Camembert - the less fattening cousin of Brie (and yes, just a little bit less delicious but delicious all the same).

The party was supposed to start at 7. People started arriving around 7:45. The first to arrive were Alice and Fred, my parents' first friend and neighbors 36 years ago. Next to arrive were the nice family next door. Lilly and Elliot and there very nice children Brandon and Justin. Justin just turned a year old. So, their arrival was coupled with peals of delight from my mother as she snatched young Justin from his mother and started speaking to the baby in French (don't ask). I was taken aback by this, I turned to Lilly and commented that perhaps I should provide my mother with a sonogram of my ovary because of my mother's having come down with baby fever.

It would be natural for my mother to have baby fever as my brother and his wife are expecting my nephew literally any minute. His sonogram is hanging on the refrigerator as if it were just a regular family photo. Anyway, you get the idea. The pressure to produce progeny is prolific.

That was everybody who was expected except my boyfriend who had to work late. I was so happy when he called to say he was waiting at the train station because by that time we had already been an intimate group for three hours or so.

Anyway, we all visited while Brandon, the five year old, ran himself ragged up and down my parents smooth and shiny hardwood floors. There was sliding on the knees. I played with Brandon for quite some time. He's a fun kid. (Yes. more pressure.)

I was happy to have my boyfriend there to kiss at midnight. After champagne and yummy desserts the party broke up and we cleaned and talked until about 2 in the morning.

It probably seems like I'm rambling at this point because I am probably rambling.

I am pretty tired and I want to go to sleep. However, in keeping with the noisy neighbors on my days off theme, my neighbor is listening to the most god awful music and singing along with it.

Did anyone else spend New Year's Eve with their parents? I was so happy to see my folks, but pretty happy to leave when the time came. I'd be interested to hear how other people are getting along with their folks during the holiday season. More disconnected rambling or is this post as disconnected as I think.

There's a good chance this post won't be here longer if upon reflection later today, I decide it's too personal.

Happy 1st day of the new year.