Today is my little brother's birthday.
Join me in wishing him a beautiful day and a beautiful year to come, especially since he is going to become a daddy very shortly.
I'm very proud of him and love him a whole a bunch. (sniff)
November 19, 2003
Note this!
Today is Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday.
It will be a fun day, fun day.........
Awww heck!! Who am I kidding? It's Wednesday. It's the middle of the work week and I'm tired.
If you have been following my blog you know that I hosted trivia last night at the Baggott Inn. This was enjoyable.
I was in charge of three categories; general knowledge, top ten list, and the audio round. I guess I can post the questions. That would be the best way for the reader to get a feel for what happened. So here it is. My general knowledge round......
1. In what city is the Taj Majal located?
Agra, India
2. In filmdom, there is a legendary couple named Nick and Nora Charles. They were the title characters of the Thin Manmovies. What was the name of their dog?
Asta
3. What is the 5th letter of the Greek alphabet?
Epsilon
4. What is the French word for born often used to indicate a woman's maiden name?
Nee
5. In what popular tourist wine growing region will you find the towns of Calistoga, St.Helena, Oakville, Rutherford and Yountville?
Napa Valley
6. Volcanologists study, monitor and write about this volcano more than any other in the world. Name it.
Mt. Etna
7. She's been acting on Broadway and in movies since 1938. She won two Tonys, one of them for the role of Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", and has most been recently been seen guest-starring in "Oz." But she's best known as the co-founder, along with her husband Herbert Bergdorf, of HB Studios, an acting school in the West Village. Who is she?
Uta Hagen
8. They are the only brothers to play three at a time in the same team's outfield -- the San Francisco Giants in the 1960s. Who are they?
Alou (Felipe, Jesus and Matty. Felipe manages the Giants now)
9. 362 billion of them have been sold since 1912 making them the best selling cookies of all time. What cookie am I talking about?
OREOs
10. What abbreviation is given to faster-than-sound passenger aircraft such as the late, not-so-lamented Concorde?
SST
I fashioned the questions around answers you often find in crossword puzzles.
My top ten list was to name the 10 first ladies after Eleanor Roosevelt.
My audio round - well, here are the answers to that......
1. The Blue Danube - Strauss
2. The Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus - Handel
3. The Moonlight Sonata - Beethovan
4. The Valkyrie - Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner
5. Romeo and Juliet - Capulets and Montegues - Prokofiev
6. The 1812 Overture - Conclusion - Tchaikovsky
7. William Tell Overture - Rossini
8. The Flight of the Bumblebee - Rimsky Korsakov
9. Requiem - Mozart
10. The Four Seasons - Vivaldi
Caren, the master of ceremonies, took on the current events and Visual rounds. Her visual round consisted of 10 city maps, which the players had to identify.
A few people came up to me afterwards to compliment me on the classical music round. Usually the music is more contemporary (70's and 80's) so I thought it would be interesting to shake things up a bit and it worked out well. A couple of people tried to argue that Ride of the Valkyries was indeed "Flight", but I double and triple checked and I was indeed right. Indeed, the title of this movement from Wagner's Valkyrie is Ride of the Valkyries. So, if you were thinking about complaining, feel free, but you would be wrong.
All in all, this was a highscoring game, which didn't surprise me. Last night's group was very bright.
Next week's co-host is excellent. I don't know if he wants me to mention his name on line so for now I'll keep him listed as "next week's co-host". But I can guarantee you that you will feel challenged, smart and popular by the end of the evening. What more could one ask for in an evening's entertainment?
It will be a fun day, fun day.........
Awww heck!! Who am I kidding? It's Wednesday. It's the middle of the work week and I'm tired.
If you have been following my blog you know that I hosted trivia last night at the Baggott Inn. This was enjoyable.
I was in charge of three categories; general knowledge, top ten list, and the audio round. I guess I can post the questions. That would be the best way for the reader to get a feel for what happened. So here it is. My general knowledge round......
1. In what city is the Taj Majal located?
Agra, India
2. In filmdom, there is a legendary couple named Nick and Nora Charles. They were the title characters of the Thin Manmovies. What was the name of their dog?
Asta
3. What is the 5th letter of the Greek alphabet?
Epsilon
4. What is the French word for born often used to indicate a woman's maiden name?
Nee
5. In what popular tourist wine growing region will you find the towns of Calistoga, St.Helena, Oakville, Rutherford and Yountville?
Napa Valley
6. Volcanologists study, monitor and write about this volcano more than any other in the world. Name it.
Mt. Etna
7. She's been acting on Broadway and in movies since 1938. She won two Tonys, one of them for the role of Martha in "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", and has most been recently been seen guest-starring in "Oz." But she's best known as the co-founder, along with her husband Herbert Bergdorf, of HB Studios, an acting school in the West Village. Who is she?
Uta Hagen
8. They are the only brothers to play three at a time in the same team's outfield -- the San Francisco Giants in the 1960s. Who are they?
Alou (Felipe, Jesus and Matty. Felipe manages the Giants now)
9. 362 billion of them have been sold since 1912 making them the best selling cookies of all time. What cookie am I talking about?
OREOs
10. What abbreviation is given to faster-than-sound passenger aircraft such as the late, not-so-lamented Concorde?
SST
I fashioned the questions around answers you often find in crossword puzzles.
My top ten list was to name the 10 first ladies after Eleanor Roosevelt.
My audio round - well, here are the answers to that......
1. The Blue Danube - Strauss
2. The Messiah - Hallelujah Chorus - Handel
3. The Moonlight Sonata - Beethovan
4. The Valkyrie - Ride of the Valkyries - Wagner
5. Romeo and Juliet - Capulets and Montegues - Prokofiev
6. The 1812 Overture - Conclusion - Tchaikovsky
7. William Tell Overture - Rossini
8. The Flight of the Bumblebee - Rimsky Korsakov
9. Requiem - Mozart
10. The Four Seasons - Vivaldi
Caren, the master of ceremonies, took on the current events and Visual rounds. Her visual round consisted of 10 city maps, which the players had to identify.
A few people came up to me afterwards to compliment me on the classical music round. Usually the music is more contemporary (70's and 80's) so I thought it would be interesting to shake things up a bit and it worked out well. A couple of people tried to argue that Ride of the Valkyries was indeed "Flight", but I double and triple checked and I was indeed right. Indeed, the title of this movement from Wagner's Valkyrie is Ride of the Valkyries. So, if you were thinking about complaining, feel free, but you would be wrong.
All in all, this was a highscoring game, which didn't surprise me. Last night's group was very bright.
Next week's co-host is excellent. I don't know if he wants me to mention his name on line so for now I'll keep him listed as "next week's co-host". But I can guarantee you that you will feel challenged, smart and popular by the end of the evening. What more could one ask for in an evening's entertainment?
November 18, 2003
A Crisis of Trivia
I had a near trivia crisis when I discovered this morning that I hadn't forwarded the answers to my audio round to my email at work.
But disaster was averted when I borrowed a cassette player from one of my coworkers and I was able to reconstruct the list.
But disaster was averted when I borrowed a cassette player from one of my coworkers and I was able to reconstruct the list.
Guest Writer
Here is another contribution to my web log from writer Jon Blackwell.
========================================
My long-ago colleague Carl Strock, a columnist for the Schenectady Gazette, used to write a column that would occasionally list people with Dickensian just-perfect names. Sadly I cannot remember any of them ... but in the last week I ran across two amazing and perfect specimens from history.
Brief pause while I wow you with them...
The architect of the present-day Catalan Parliament building in Spain was a Dutch engineer who orginally built it as an arsenal. His name was Prosper Verboom.
A leading merchant of 19th century New York rose to great wealth from a humble career as a whaling captain. His name was Preserved Fish.
I'm not making that one up. Incidentally, he is buried at Marble Hill Cemetery on East 2nd Street, around the corner from my former venue as a bar trivia host at Dempsey's Pub on 2nd Avenue. Former President James Monroe was also once buried there, but sadly was disinterred and his earthly remains moved to his home state of Virginia, and the reason I know this is because I was a bar trivia host.
Sadly, I used to keep a mental record of people I'd met with bizarrely appropriate names, but can only remember one of them right now. He too was someone I talked to in my days as a reporter for the Schenectady Gazette. He was the chief lobbyist for the New York State Beverage Association, and his name was Jim Popp.
========================================
My long-ago colleague Carl Strock, a columnist for the Schenectady Gazette, used to write a column that would occasionally list people with Dickensian just-perfect names. Sadly I cannot remember any of them ... but in the last week I ran across two amazing and perfect specimens from history.
Brief pause while I wow you with them...
The architect of the present-day Catalan Parliament building in Spain was a Dutch engineer who orginally built it as an arsenal. His name was Prosper Verboom.
A leading merchant of 19th century New York rose to great wealth from a humble career as a whaling captain. His name was Preserved Fish.
I'm not making that one up. Incidentally, he is buried at Marble Hill Cemetery on East 2nd Street, around the corner from my former venue as a bar trivia host at Dempsey's Pub on 2nd Avenue. Former President James Monroe was also once buried there, but sadly was disinterred and his earthly remains moved to his home state of Virginia, and the reason I know this is because I was a bar trivia host.
Sadly, I used to keep a mental record of people I'd met with bizarrely appropriate names, but can only remember one of them right now. He too was someone I talked to in my days as a reporter for the Schenectady Gazette. He was the chief lobbyist for the New York State Beverage Association, and his name was Jim Popp.
November 17, 2003
A Heaping Pile of Love
Saturday night, Jon and I saw the movie Love Actually which I have retitled Love Actually Stinks. (ha)
The movie disappointed me on so many levels. For weeks, I have been looking forward to seeing the romantic comedy which stars Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Liam Neesan and other English actors I'm not that familiar with.
The movie was a series of vignettes about love. These vignettes were glimpses into the lives of several couples which all seemed to be linked by the Arrivals gate at Heathrow. There was so little character development I didn't really care what happened to anybody and there were so many stories I didn't really have time to care.
What a collasal waste of talent. Can you imagine? You are directing a film and two of your stars are Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. Wouldn't that be good enough for you? The two of them alone could have carried the whole movie...but noooooooooo. The greedy director had to show off all of the talent that was willing to work with him, cramming them all into this painfully slow wannabe romantic comedy,so much so, that nothing about the movie worked and nobody's talents came through. There were no discoveries of new talent because showcasing talent didn't even seem be to an issue for this director. (talent, talent, TALENT) The NY Times printed a review which perfectly captured the badness of this film however I can't link to it because my log-in perpetually has problems and I can't log into that page.
I'll conclude by saying these three things. I'm angry at the director of this film for wasting my time with this heaping pile of monkey love; I was so bored I didn't even want to stay for the credits because I couldn't wait to get out of the theater; and finally, do not pay 10 dollars to see this movie.
The movie disappointed me on so many levels. For weeks, I have been looking forward to seeing the romantic comedy which stars Alan Rickman, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney, Colin Firth, Hugh Grant, Liam Neesan and other English actors I'm not that familiar with.
The movie was a series of vignettes about love. These vignettes were glimpses into the lives of several couples which all seemed to be linked by the Arrivals gate at Heathrow. There was so little character development I didn't really care what happened to anybody and there were so many stories I didn't really have time to care.
What a collasal waste of talent. Can you imagine? You are directing a film and two of your stars are Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson. Wouldn't that be good enough for you? The two of them alone could have carried the whole movie...but noooooooooo. The greedy director had to show off all of the talent that was willing to work with him, cramming them all into this painfully slow wannabe romantic comedy,so much so, that nothing about the movie worked and nobody's talents came through. There were no discoveries of new talent because showcasing talent didn't even seem be to an issue for this director. (talent, talent, TALENT) The NY Times printed a review which perfectly captured the badness of this film however I can't link to it because my log-in perpetually has problems and I can't log into that page.
I'll conclude by saying these three things. I'm angry at the director of this film for wasting my time with this heaping pile of monkey love; I was so bored I didn't even want to stay for the credits because I couldn't wait to get out of the theater; and finally, do not pay 10 dollars to see this movie.
November 15, 2003
Tuesday Night Trivia
Clear your calendars for Tuesday, November 18th because on that evening at approximately 7:30 pm I will be co-hosting Tuesday Night Trivia with the fabulous Caren Lissner.
This event is becoming the thing to do on Tuesday nights. The crowds have been great. There were so many people there this past Tuesday that guests of the event were sitting on the stage.
You might meet your future life partner or you might just make lots of new friends. You might win prizes and you'll definitely be able to drink lots of Heineken for a special rate given especially to those who participate. Getting back to the prizes, the giveaways are great. T-shirts, hats, keychains and most importantly the teams that come in first, second and third win $25, $15 and $10 off of their bar tabs respectively.
So come to the Baggott Inn on Tuesday Night and get in touch with your inner geek. The Baggott Inn is located at West 3rd Street in New York City between Thompson and Sullivan.
I'll be waiting for you and I don't like to wait.
This event is becoming the thing to do on Tuesday nights. The crowds have been great. There were so many people there this past Tuesday that guests of the event were sitting on the stage.
You might meet your future life partner or you might just make lots of new friends. You might win prizes and you'll definitely be able to drink lots of Heineken for a special rate given especially to those who participate. Getting back to the prizes, the giveaways are great. T-shirts, hats, keychains and most importantly the teams that come in first, second and third win $25, $15 and $10 off of their bar tabs respectively.
So come to the Baggott Inn on Tuesday Night and get in touch with your inner geek. The Baggott Inn is located at West 3rd Street in New York City between Thompson and Sullivan.
I'll be waiting for you and I don't like to wait.
November 13, 2003
Tuesday Night Trivia
Amazingly enough, I was able to attend Tuesday Night Trivia. Why is this amazing? Because on Tuesday night at 10:30 I ran sound and stage managed The Last Cigarette for my friend Irene. It is amazing because my boss and friend, M, drove into the city and was able to drive us down there and drive me to St. Marks for my 10 pm call time. It was amazing because after doing the show at 10:30 the night before and after working the equivalent of three days in one day at work I still had the energy (barely) to be social for 2 hours or so.
With all that said, here is the wrap up.
I don't really know what any of the rounds were because I was so tired I didn't participate. Yes. I was writing down the answers as they were being whispered to me but that was basically my contribution.
That and correctly identifying the album covers for Animals and Spinal Tap during the visual round.
I also remember that my team, The Olsen Twins, came in second place. Playing on my team were Tony, Nick, Chris, M, Erik and myself. We were in first place after round 1 but slid to second because the identify the album covers visual round was thoroughly challenging.
I also remember that the top 10 list were first 10 elements on the Periodic Table. Tony was able to identify most of them my remembering a song parody from a Gilbert and Sullivan thing by I think Tom Lehrer? I could be wrong about the song writer but I definitely remember Tony singing the song. That was fun.
I had to run out of there so fast afterwards I think I left leaves spinning in my wind trail.
We played the show to about 6 people. Most people came the two previous nights. The author was in the audience Sunday and Monday night. He lives 5 minutes away from St. Marks theater and was notified when the director paid for the rights to use his play. He seemed to enjoy it very much.
It was definitely a worthwhile experience but I'm zonked. I don't have that fun 2o something energy i used to physically or mentally.
But if you haven't operated a sound board for a show yet I definitely recommend it. Great fun.
Signing out now.
With all that said, here is the wrap up.
I don't really know what any of the rounds were because I was so tired I didn't participate. Yes. I was writing down the answers as they were being whispered to me but that was basically my contribution.
That and correctly identifying the album covers for Animals and Spinal Tap during the visual round.
I also remember that my team, The Olsen Twins, came in second place. Playing on my team were Tony, Nick, Chris, M, Erik and myself. We were in first place after round 1 but slid to second because the identify the album covers visual round was thoroughly challenging.
I also remember that the top 10 list were first 10 elements on the Periodic Table. Tony was able to identify most of them my remembering a song parody from a Gilbert and Sullivan thing by I think Tom Lehrer? I could be wrong about the song writer but I definitely remember Tony singing the song. That was fun.
I had to run out of there so fast afterwards I think I left leaves spinning in my wind trail.
We played the show to about 6 people. Most people came the two previous nights. The author was in the audience Sunday and Monday night. He lives 5 minutes away from St. Marks theater and was notified when the director paid for the rights to use his play. He seemed to enjoy it very much.
It was definitely a worthwhile experience but I'm zonked. I don't have that fun 2o something energy i used to physically or mentally.
But if you haven't operated a sound board for a show yet I definitely recommend it. Great fun.
Signing out now.
Alright. I'm home now and analyzing my web log. (like I don't have anything better to do, like clean my house, take out my trash, sort my laundry for drop off, etc.) It is my computer at work that is giving me a hard time. If you are indeed having trouble seeing the links on my site let me know and I'll write blogger and see how they can best advise me.
Mind you, I have done nothing to change the format of my website, yet somehow it has magically been transformed into something that looks awful. I don't understand why my links aren't showing up, or is that just me.
To those of you to whose pages I'm linked, I apologize for something I didn't do.
Hopefully, your sites will reappear soon. Of course, it could just be this computer that I'm looking at right now...........
To those of you to whose pages I'm linked, I apologize for something I didn't do.
Hopefully, your sites will reappear soon. Of course, it could just be this computer that I'm looking at right now...........
November 11, 2003
Jessica Lynch
Because today is Veteran's Day, I thought it would be fitting to talk about a veteran. Jessica Lynch is a young woman who joined the armed forces to serve her country and earn some money for college. I think her aim is to become a teacher. Like many young soldiers with a similar intention she found herself stationed overseas, deep in the heart of another one of America's not so clear battles.
A series of events led to her capture and she was later rescued from a hospital.
On her return to the United States she found herself being celebrated as a hero and now she has become a representative for the young people of her generation serving our country.
There is a big controversy of course that is growing up around her image. Not so coincidentally the controversy has arisen during televisions big autumn sweeps month. There was a recently a television drama based on her exciting story which Jessica Lynch has herself said is full of inaccuracies and tonight Diane Sawyer will be interviewing her for 90 minutes during prime time. I don't begrudge Jessica Lynch any of this attention. I think it is well deserved.
The controversy has to do with pictures Hustler has decided NOT to run in their magazine. These are "alleged" pictures of her "cavorting" topless with two young men. Honestly, people.....do you care?
My point of view of this. If Pamela Anderson Lee decided to lay down her life for our country and survived a POW situation I would be just as grateful. So, let's let this controversy die down and not pay it any mind.
Thank you Jessica Lynch and Happy Veteran's Day.
I hope you are able to handle the American Celebrity system as gracefully as you handled serving your country.
A series of events led to her capture and she was later rescued from a hospital.
On her return to the United States she found herself being celebrated as a hero and now she has become a representative for the young people of her generation serving our country.
There is a big controversy of course that is growing up around her image. Not so coincidentally the controversy has arisen during televisions big autumn sweeps month. There was a recently a television drama based on her exciting story which Jessica Lynch has herself said is full of inaccuracies and tonight Diane Sawyer will be interviewing her for 90 minutes during prime time. I don't begrudge Jessica Lynch any of this attention. I think it is well deserved.
The controversy has to do with pictures Hustler has decided NOT to run in their magazine. These are "alleged" pictures of her "cavorting" topless with two young men. Honestly, people.....do you care?
My point of view of this. If Pamela Anderson Lee decided to lay down her life for our country and survived a POW situation I would be just as grateful. So, let's let this controversy die down and not pay it any mind.
Thank you Jessica Lynch and Happy Veteran's Day.
I hope you are able to handle the American Celebrity system as gracefully as you handled serving your country.
Saturday Night
Saturday Night I attended the monthly event called POP GEAR hosted by Dawn Eden, Kitty Beat and Michael Lynch.
Good times. Good times.
I just found out that the Anonymous Blogger was there. I've been following him through Caren Lissner's page and I'm fascinated that he was at Rififis for the 60's pop music event and that I had no idea at all who he is.
Anonymous Blogger. I salute you. Thank you for adding some mystery to our lives.
Good times. Good times.
I just found out that the Anonymous Blogger was there. I've been following him through Caren Lissner's page and I'm fascinated that he was at Rififis for the 60's pop music event and that I had no idea at all who he is.
Anonymous Blogger. I salute you. Thank you for adding some mystery to our lives.
November 08, 2003
Early
It's early Saturday morning. Well, not that early by farmer standards but early for a New Yorker.
I took the day off yesterday because I had to go to a tech rehearsal for a play I'm working on. I'm the sound board operator. It's exciting because I've always wanted to do this and now I am.
Granted, I'm not operating the kind of sound board one might see at a Broadway show. It's a relatively simple and straight forward setup but I'm doing it and that's the point.
The show I'm working on is being directed by a young woman, 23 to be exact. I do feel like the crone on the set. The actors are under 25 but the lighting designer is a little older. It's strange to be oldest person in the room because it seems like only yesterday, that I was the youngest trying to establish credibility with the older people around me.
You probably want to know about the play. It's a one act that takes place in a bar between two people fighting loneliness.
If you would like to come see it here are the details.
THE LAST CIGARETTE
by Steven Fletcher
Featuring Mary McHale, Andrew Katz and directed by Irene Carroll
It will be shown at the theater under St. Marks Theater at 94 St. Marks Place between 1st and Avenue A. Tickets are 7$ at the door.
Showtimes are:
November 9th - 8 pm
November 10th - 10:30 pm
November 11th - 10:30 pm
Please come support the young art scene. The young men and women I've been working with this year are the future of American theater and it's important that they pay their dues in front of live audiences otherwise the experience won't have as much meaning.
So, I implore you to come out and see this impressive effort.
I took the day off yesterday because I had to go to a tech rehearsal for a play I'm working on. I'm the sound board operator. It's exciting because I've always wanted to do this and now I am.
Granted, I'm not operating the kind of sound board one might see at a Broadway show. It's a relatively simple and straight forward setup but I'm doing it and that's the point.
The show I'm working on is being directed by a young woman, 23 to be exact. I do feel like the crone on the set. The actors are under 25 but the lighting designer is a little older. It's strange to be oldest person in the room because it seems like only yesterday, that I was the youngest trying to establish credibility with the older people around me.
You probably want to know about the play. It's a one act that takes place in a bar between two people fighting loneliness.
If you would like to come see it here are the details.
THE LAST CIGARETTE
by Steven Fletcher
Featuring Mary McHale, Andrew Katz and directed by Irene Carroll
It will be shown at the theater under St. Marks Theater at 94 St. Marks Place between 1st and Avenue A. Tickets are 7$ at the door.
Showtimes are:
November 9th - 8 pm
November 10th - 10:30 pm
November 11th - 10:30 pm
Please come support the young art scene. The young men and women I've been working with this year are the future of American theater and it's important that they pay their dues in front of live audiences otherwise the experience won't have as much meaning.
So, I implore you to come out and see this impressive effort.
November 06, 2003
Like Thursday for Friday
Today is Thursday. But, it's like Friday for me because I have the day off tomorrow.
It's my first day off since I started my new job.
Isn't that wonderful?
Happy Thursday.
It's my first day off since I started my new job.
Isn't that wonderful?
Happy Thursday.
November 05, 2003
Day 3
Today is the third day of my personal no smoking ban which isn't going as well as non-smokers would like but pretty well for the rationa"lie"zing smoker that I am.
My friend Dawn has been pretty supportive in posting my plight on her web log (which of course I encourage you to visit) and from a posting where she quotes a friend of hers with regard to quitting smoking, I've learned a new word. That word is "SMOBER".
This is an excellent expression because quitting smoking is like quitting drinking. You just can't smoke. You always want a cigarette but you have to consciously decide not to smoke every time you want one. You can never have another cigarette as an alcoholic can never have another drink. I've quit before. I'd quit once for over a year. All that crap that people tell you about the craving going away, or you get over the need after the first three days is just that. Crap. In my experience, you always want one. That first cigarette I smoked after having stopped for so long was greedily welcomed by every pore of my body; my body drank the nicotine like a thirsty man drinks water.
It's a lot of work but I guess that's what it means to "work on oneself".
So, thank you Dawn for your public show of support and thank you friend of Dawn for your encouraging words.
My friend Dawn has been pretty supportive in posting my plight on her web log (which of course I encourage you to visit) and from a posting where she quotes a friend of hers with regard to quitting smoking, I've learned a new word. That word is "SMOBER".
This is an excellent expression because quitting smoking is like quitting drinking. You just can't smoke. You always want a cigarette but you have to consciously decide not to smoke every time you want one. You can never have another cigarette as an alcoholic can never have another drink. I've quit before. I'd quit once for over a year. All that crap that people tell you about the craving going away, or you get over the need after the first three days is just that. Crap. In my experience, you always want one. That first cigarette I smoked after having stopped for so long was greedily welcomed by every pore of my body; my body drank the nicotine like a thirsty man drinks water.
It's a lot of work but I guess that's what it means to "work on oneself".
So, thank you Dawn for your public show of support and thank you friend of Dawn for your encouraging words.
Cameo
Writer Jon Blackwell makes his first special appearance on my weblog.
Please join me in welcoming him.
=======================================
Valerie likes to hear my stories of writing headlines for The Post, a job that could be likened to limerick-composer or bathroom graffiti artist -- a lot of fun with creative writing, but hard to take seriously. Her chuckles at a good headline ("That's so droll" is a favorite) is one of the delights of the job.
Today I told her of a headline I wrote for a story about the unveiling of a design for Robert De Niro's new hotel. (In case you hadn't heard about it before, De Niro is the principal partner in a $43 million project to build the luxe development in TriBeCa.) It was pretty routine stuff, but easy to remember at the end of a busy day: "ANALYZE THIS HOTEL." Then I told her about my frustrations that one story I wrote a headline for never made it into the Post. This was about a team of experts who are digging up the body of Petrarch (13th century Italian literary great, namesake of the Petrarchan sonnet) for archaeological study. This one was PROFS TO PARSE PETRARCH'S BONES.
But when I segued from one headline to another, I apparently didn't make it clear I was talking about two different stories. So Valerie's reaction was: Why are they putting Petrarch's body in De Niro's hotel?
Please join me in welcoming him.
=======================================
Valerie likes to hear my stories of writing headlines for The Post, a job that could be likened to limerick-composer or bathroom graffiti artist -- a lot of fun with creative writing, but hard to take seriously. Her chuckles at a good headline ("That's so droll" is a favorite) is one of the delights of the job.
Today I told her of a headline I wrote for a story about the unveiling of a design for Robert De Niro's new hotel. (In case you hadn't heard about it before, De Niro is the principal partner in a $43 million project to build the luxe development in TriBeCa.) It was pretty routine stuff, but easy to remember at the end of a busy day: "ANALYZE THIS HOTEL." Then I told her about my frustrations that one story I wrote a headline for never made it into the Post. This was about a team of experts who are digging up the body of Petrarch (13th century Italian literary great, namesake of the Petrarchan sonnet) for archaeological study. This one was PROFS TO PARSE PETRARCH'S BONES.
But when I segued from one headline to another, I apparently didn't make it clear I was talking about two different stories. So Valerie's reaction was: Why are they putting Petrarch's body in De Niro's hotel?
November 04, 2003
Day 2
Day 1 was a tough day being Monday and all. Not smoking proved extremely challenging and when I walked out of the building at the end of the day, I went to the drug store and bought a pack. I smoked 3 cigarettes last night.
Day 2 was not such a tough day but my body started aching for the goddess nicotine and I smoked 2 cigarettes when I walked out of the building, walking toward the West Village, walking to meet my cousin for sushi, and then walking to Tuesday Night trivia.
So, it's not the cigarette with coffee that I miss, nor the one most people enjoy after a meal. The cigarette I miss and will miss the most is the one you smoke after completing a satisfying day of work. The one you smoke when you walk out the door at the end of the day and feel that blast of fresh air that tells you you made it through another day of work.
I call it the accomplishment cigarette;the one you smoke after cleaning your house, after baking a cake, after drawing a picture or writing a thing. This probably sounds like a ritual to you and if it does you're right. It is my ritual to celebrate the end of a project in a small way and that small way has become smoking a cigarette.
Maybe, I'll replace smoking with situps. That wouldn't work either though really because then I would want a cigarette after doing situps.
Well......that was day 2, for what it's worth.
Day 2 was not such a tough day but my body started aching for the goddess nicotine and I smoked 2 cigarettes when I walked out of the building, walking toward the West Village, walking to meet my cousin for sushi, and then walking to Tuesday Night trivia.
So, it's not the cigarette with coffee that I miss, nor the one most people enjoy after a meal. The cigarette I miss and will miss the most is the one you smoke after completing a satisfying day of work. The one you smoke when you walk out the door at the end of the day and feel that blast of fresh air that tells you you made it through another day of work.
I call it the accomplishment cigarette;the one you smoke after cleaning your house, after baking a cake, after drawing a picture or writing a thing. This probably sounds like a ritual to you and if it does you're right. It is my ritual to celebrate the end of a project in a small way and that small way has become smoking a cigarette.
Maybe, I'll replace smoking with situps. That wouldn't work either though really because then I would want a cigarette after doing situps.
Well......that was day 2, for what it's worth.
November 03, 2003
day 1
I want to get rid of the dark circles under my eyes. I want to get rid of my constant sinus irritation and my post nasal drip. I want my complexion to return to peaches and cream from the current sallowness it's acquired over the last few months. I want get rid of my painful reflux disorder. I want more energy. I want my red blood cells to carry oxygen freely without a wall of tar preventing it's free flow in my avioli.
Believe it or not, this can all be accomplished by quttting smoking.
So, I quit smoking.
Today is day 1.
Wish me luck.
Believe it or not, this can all be accomplished by quttting smoking.
So, I quit smoking.
Today is day 1.
Wish me luck.
November 01, 2003
A Letter
Dear readers,
Hello. How are you? How are your families? Are you enjoying the nice weather?
Here in Astoria we are having unseasonably warm weather. It's 9 am on Saturday morning and my windows are up because the air is fresh and lovely.
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know you might not be hearing from me for a while. I've decided that the energy I spend writing here is going to be spent working on one of the 20 or 30 projects I've been preternaturally blocked from writing for the last 10 years or so.
But don't worry. I've invited a couple of friends to be guest writers for this site. If they take me up on my offer, there will still be entries to satisfy your collective internet wanderlust.
If they don't take me up on this offer well then you are all S.O.L.
Either way, you'll hear from me soon, probably sooner than later.
Sincerely yours,
Valerie
Hello. How are you? How are your families? Are you enjoying the nice weather?
Here in Astoria we are having unseasonably warm weather. It's 9 am on Saturday morning and my windows are up because the air is fresh and lovely.
I just wanted to drop you a line to let you know you might not be hearing from me for a while. I've decided that the energy I spend writing here is going to be spent working on one of the 20 or 30 projects I've been preternaturally blocked from writing for the last 10 years or so.
But don't worry. I've invited a couple of friends to be guest writers for this site. If they take me up on my offer, there will still be entries to satisfy your collective internet wanderlust.
If they don't take me up on this offer well then you are all S.O.L.
Either way, you'll hear from me soon, probably sooner than later.
Sincerely yours,
Valerie
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