I've Lost that Fluish Feeling

Well. I am still sore about the neck and shoulders but I have pretty much lost that whoozy feeling that I described last night. I think I have escaped what the news has been reporting as the most deadly flu ever, (aren't all flus the most deadly ever) yet again.

What I don't understand is this. If you have had the flu before, wouldn't your body have natural antibodies against the flu? I think that is the idea behind the flu vaccine. They collect different flu germs, mix them together into a vaccine and inject it into your body to help you develop antibodies against whatever new flu virus is out there. That is why I won't get the flu vaccine. I had it once as a kid and once as an adult.

Will I get the flu again? Is it possible? Wouldn't having had it before put the same antibodies in my system as the vaccine that is currently running out?

While we're on the subject of the vaccine, I heard this morning that the government supply of flu vaccine is running out. People are clammoring to their doctors' offices to get what remains. If this flu can kill people and the government and scientist know it, wouldn't it behoove them and everyone else to make enough for the entire population? So with this said why is BUSH even wasting his time on the SPAM bill? He is most likely going to sign it in in January this in if I heard my radio correctly this morning.

I know SPAM is annoying but it's not a deadly virus with the potential to wipe out large parts of the elderly population.

flu

flu. i think i have the flu. i've been fighting it for the last week or so but it's a losing battle. the achiness is spreading from the top of my head to the middle of my back. my head feels woozy and my eyes are starting to burn. boy am i glad i was able to get my groceries and clean my house before this thing hit. it sucks to be sick in a dirty house with no groceries.

if anybody is interested here is what i did tonight after i work. i went right to the grocery store (yes, the one where i used to work), picked out my favorites and arranged delivery. then I came home and wrote my rueful email.

and then for no particular reason (other than being angry at the world) i started cleaning my house like a lunatic. i stopped when the groceries were delivered. i cleaned three heads of lettuce and socked them away. i ate a little sandwich and then continued cleaning my house.

then i cleaned my face and now i'm doing another facial. this weather is brutal on my skin. pretty soon it will be time to peel off my mask and moisturize 'til all the dry is gone.

oh.....here is the best part. i smoked. after not smoking all day...it felt great!!!!

hey, maybe someone will surprise me and retore my faith in humanity but until then i remain misanthropically yours.

Central Park

Last night I went to see the movie Master and Commander which I recommend strongly. I don't care who you are or what your taste is in movies. You will enjoy this flick.

On other weekend activities, I'm sorry to report that Jon and I did not get to go ice skating today at Wolman Rink. In spite of my previously written about reservations, I was actually looking forward to it. But the cold weather was just too daunting, encouraging us to stay inside and do crossword puzzles.

But don't despair.
We did get out and enjoy the crisp air.

Jon and I went to a great restaurant on the UPPER WEST SIDE of Manhattan called Cafe Con Leche. The brunch was delicioso. I had the Mexican Omelet which came with salsa and guacamole. It was an omelet wrapped around tomatoes and peppers. I also two of the best cups of coffee I've had in weeks. Jon had the Try Our Eggs in a Hole. I'm sure you've made this yourselves. It's bread with a hole ripped in which you cook an egg. His was really good as it was served over the most delicious corned beef hash ever made. (i'm not exaggerating)

After that, since we were already out and about, we decided to go to Central Park and see it's wintery beauty. And it was worth the cold toes and the red ears. The park was really beautiful. The fresh air was the fresh cold kind that makes your cheeks pink and makes your lungs feel clean and the people that were there were having a great time. Children sledding, people skiing, owners playing fetch with their happy dogs (using snowballs I think in some instances) and the reservoir was breathtaking.

That is the first time I've been to snow covered Central Park and I wish I'd had my camera.

I'm home now, eating lemon chicken soup from Pinnochio's in Astoria and trying to warm up my toes.

I'm looking forward to watching ANGELS IN AMERICA tonight. After I get off line (it's 7 pm here), I'm going to plan my week ahead. My very good friend Lilo is coming into town this week and I want to get my house ready for her stay. I haven't seen her much since she moved to the west coast five years ago and I can't wait to see her this weekend.

Stay warm and toasty. It's going to be a cold one tonight.

Anonymous Blogger talks about dating

My blog friend, Anonymous Blogger has recently been writing about dating. His most recent entry is about the excuses women give when they don't want to see him anymore.

So, to sum up:
1. "No chemistry" - a lame "excuse"
2. "Let's be friends" - a lie (unless actually followed up with communication)

I feel bad for the Anonymous Blogger because these are actually lies that people tell when they don't want to see someone again. But hopefully the following explanation will help to relieve some of his angst.

The above terms are part of this society's unwritten social code. This is language that everyone understands. I think people say these things because they just don't have the heart to say to someone, "THE TRUTH IS I JUST DON'T LIKE YOU." or "YOU'RE NOT GOOD LOOKING ENOUGH FOR ME." or "I JUST FIND YOU BORING AND I DON'T SEE THIS GOING ANYWHERE." in the case of "No Chemistry".

"Let's be friends" is the nice way to say, "You'll never hear from me again."

Having to reject someone, if you are a nice person, is just an absolutely aweful thing to do.

I would guess that if ANONYMOUS has been hearing "Let's be friends", he's probably been picking nice people to go out with.

I want to tell him that he should keep trying. Eventually, he'll hit it off with someone. Finding someone to be with romantically is just more challenging for some people, myself included. Some people have it easy and G-d bless them but others just seem to have a harder time.

Have faith. If there was someone out there for me, there definitely is someone out there for you.

I won't give you that lame advice like "JOIN AN ACTIVITY YOU ENJOY DOING SO YOU'LL MEET LIKE MINDED PEOPLE" which of course will eventually lead to romance according to the sages who espouse this wisdom. Actually, in my case it was true, but it took years of joining different activities before I actually found like minded people and was able to reap the social benefits.

I can only say, have patience. Everything works out in the end and that the FATES (those impetuous bitches) work in mysterious ways.

Wit

I woke up early this morning, some residual insomnia from my insomnia days, when I used to wake up at 5 am (4 am daylight savings time) for absolutely no reason. So I blogged and then I watched WIT.

In 2001 Emma Thompson, Mike Nichols and HBO made a movie out of the play WIT by Margaret Edson. The story is about a English Professor who is dying of Stage 4 ovarian cancer.

It's a wonderful play, as wonderful as a play about death can be and the movie is my favorite produced by HBO. Watching it, I was reminded how upset I was at the Emmys for that year that Emma Thompson wasn't even nominated for her performance in the movie.

I'm moved to tears everytime I watch the movie and the performance. Between the writing and acting, that movie should have won every available award. The play was given a lot of recognition and deservedly so. but why overlook the movie?

Antebellem Island

Have you ever wondered what would have happened if the South won the Civil War? Well, on December 3, THE ONION posted an article about Antebellum Island where producers created a SURVIVOR type show that explores this idea.

On finding a local the author of the article writes:
Scouts chose a tropical location after they failed to find an island in the Mississippi River with enough land mass to sustain the manufacturing-based economy of a country that did not begin its transition from an agricultural society to a modern industrial society until the early 1900s.

And on casting the show the writer says the producers said the following:
"In casting the show, we looked for people who displayed adaptability, good judgment, and impeccable hospitality," Davies said. "But we wanted to let the contestants' personalities shape the show. We didn't just look to fill the typical slots: plantation owner, houseboy, carpetbagger, and Uncle Tom."

Celery

Well dear fans, I just spent some time looking at another brilliant essay on the Lileks page. This one is a study of celery and it's effects on women's panties. In other words, for his fan base Mr. Lileks deconstructs the art work of Art Frahm.

All I have to say is funny, funny, funny.

Enjoy!!

First Snow in NEW YORK CITY

Happy First Snow!

So, I guess the weathermen weren't full of shit for a change

We have actually good snowman making snow. However, I'm sure many of you are thinking about how good this snow actually is for skiing as opposed to building snowmen.

Maybe, tomorrow, I'll go head over to BOHEMIAN HALL, one of the country's few remaining beer gardens and build a snowman while drinking BEER.

Happy Birthday, Margaret

Happy Birthday and welcome to the mid-thirties.

It's actually a pretty comfortable place to be and I wish you good health and much further success.

Members Only

from Jon:
===================================================
Just to show you how juvenile a workplace I'm in, today a story came over the wire, about the 425 million-year-old penis.

An editor called out, "That's some missing link!" Simultaneously, and I do mean in perfect unison, a co-worker and I shouted "Missing dink!"

The Best

I find the best shizzle* on Vidiot's shizzle*. This is a link for the Bush Background Generator.

If you are wondering what it does, here is a sample generated for and by me.

*I'm not really sure what shizzle is but it seemed like the right word to use.

Another Gem

Here is another gem from my friend, the VIDIOT.

Try the Church Sign Generator and create your own church sign!

Happy Birthday Richard Pryor!!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Pryor. I wish you physical comfort and happiness. Thank you for your honesty and gift of comedy.

I learned from reading Margaret Cho's (one of my favourite comedienne) web log that today is Richard Prior's birthday. On her blog, she writes an open letter wishing him a happy b-day and celebrating the positive influence he's had on her life.

I learned from reading telescreen.org the other day that Ms. Cho keeps a blog. I was so excited to learn this, I visited, wrote her (or her manager rather) for permission to link to her site, which I was granted.

It's a pretty good site (not that she needs my help to promote her). You should check it out if you haven't already. On it, she lists press she's received, her upcoming schedule, interesting publicity photos and most interestingly her daily thoughts. Thanks for sharing, Margaret Cho. I'm glad to include you in my daily blogscape.

Just another Day

Just another day in New York City.

It was a little bit warmer today which can only mean one thing; a change in the weather is comin'.

Yes. Warmer weather usually means precipitation of some sort or another. Wouldn't you know it? There is snow in our forecast. Just in time for the weekend.

Jon and I are planning on going ice skating on Sunday so snow would make that just a little bit more fun.

Of course, I can't ice skate. In spite of years of trying at the Long Beach ice skating rink, I still haven't mastered the art of gliding on two thin blades.

Maybe that one rollerblading lesson I took two summers ago will kick in and keep from falling on my already tender ass.

I'll let you know.

Christmas Tree Lighting - Rockefeller Centre

The weather outside is frightful. Inside too, since my heat isn't working.

I am always amazed at the number of people who turn out for the ceremonial Christmas Tree Lighting every year at Rockefeller Centre. I used to have a job in the International Building (the one with statue of ATLAS in front). At that job, our Holiday parties were scheduled around the tree lighting so we could all watch it from the comfort of our office. You would think that it would be exciting except all that's really happening is someone is turning on a switch that engages the lights and the tree lights up. Oh yeah and people sing and ice skate as well.

There's no special arrangement of the lights as they seem to be strewn in a haphazard fasion. It's pretty much the same every year. Now I know this entry isn't doing much to promote NYC tourism. Please, if you like tree lightings this is the ultimate event. But I wonder how much fun it is for the 99,000 other people that gather that aren't standing right at the edge overlooking the ice skating rink. The crowds extend all the way to Radio City Music Hall and beyond. And people gather and wait for hours on end. On a day like today, that's dedication.

The Christmas Tree lighting I'm looking forward to this year is the one in Madison Square Park. The tree is standing there already, undressed and waiting, in the middle of the drained fountain. Around the tree, someone arranged 6 smaller trees which I imagine are going to be decorated as well.

I guess I feel less bad that a tree was ripped out the ground when it has smaller trees to keep it company. I never understood the impulse to rip a tree out of it's natural environment to transport it indoors or in the middle of Park from where it doesn't come. Don't feel bad for me if it seems like I'm not in the Christmas spirit. It's not really my holiday and doesn't mean much more to me than some days off and more crowds in the street.

With that said, there really isn't anything prettier than Christmas in New York City. Just when I think I've been here too long and I can't take another Yuletide season, I see some new pretty decoration in some beautiful lobby and I'm reminded that artists are generous and kind.

And people do seem a little nicer.

When genxmisanthrope.blogspot.com met...

Thanks to the VIDIOT, I learned of a fun website called Astonishing tales where I was able to generate a screenplay based on my website. You should definitely give it a try.

If you would like to see how my website's screen play turned out, click here.

Tuesday Night Trivia - Update

Wow. Last night was bitterly, bitterly cold but that did not effect the warmth and affection of the crowd last night at the Baggott Inn. (Actually, last night's crowd was a little warmer than usual and by warmer, I mean rowdier.)

10 teams carved out of about 50 people drank and ate pizza as the evening's festivities were lead by Caren Lissner. With her usual aplomb Ms. Lissner welcomed the crowd and explained the rules before introducing her co-host, Rich Appel.

If you don't already know, the game is divided into five categories; General Knowledge, Current Events, Top Ten, Audio and Visual. During each round the hosts offer 10 questions which have to be answered on answer sheets. Being a team effort whispering is encouraged when discussing answers. After the first three rounds, the papers are traded, the hosts announce the answers and the papers are graded. The hosts do a tally at the end of all of this and announce the standings. Then the last two rounds are presented.

Usually the guest host, takes three categories. Last night was no exception. Rich started the game by reading 10 general knowledge questions which Caren followed with current events and the top ten list.

Questions I remember are . . . I don't remember any specific questions but the top ten list was . . . uh . . . oh shoot! Oh yes. The top ten list was from the year 2000 what cities' airports led the nation in arrivals and departures. I'm sure you will be surprised to learn that NEW YORK was not in the top 10.

My team. Well, I wasn't my usual diligent self this week and I did not send out my usual invititations to the usual suspects so I was at the mercy of the Trivia gods with regards to my team. This worked out well. Playing on my team were popular co-host Mike, Sarah, Graham, Corey, Sandy, Elliot and me. We did well. By the end of Round 1 we were in the lead with 20 points. This might not seem like a lot but considering the most you can get are 30 by the end of round 1 and considering we were leading by 5 points, I think that was pretty good.

It all changed in round 2. And this I remember well. The audio round were 10 very quick sound bytes. The part of each song that Rich chose for us was the 1-2-3 count down of 10 random songs. I think our team only got 3 out 10. The visual round were still shots from 10 old game shows. We didn't too badly on that round but still, we felt our lead was in danger.

We came in second place when all was said and done, edged out by one point by a married couple that played splendidly.

All in all, it was a good evening. The walk to the subway afterwards was bitterly cold and I fear that my achiness today results from that; flu achiness I'm afraid.

Keep your fingers crossed that it's just nervous tension making me sore and not that flu that I imagine is starting to get around.

Tuesday Weather Wrapup - New York City

sunny
partly cloudy
cloudy
hail
snow
partly cloudy
sunny
clear and dark

Tuesday

Perhaps by now you've all figured out which flower you are most like (see below).

Perhaps by now, you are just waking up.

Perhaps by now, you have worked at least 6. 5 hours of your 8 hour workday and you are ready to go home, get out of your clothes and get into bed.

Perhaps by now, you remember without my having to tell you that Tuesday Night Trivia is happening again at the Baggott Inn.

Hope to see you there.

American Museum of the Moving Image

To finish off the four day weekend, Jon and I went to the American Museum of the Moving Image (AMMI) in Astoria.

I wanted to show him the screen test for Linda Blair's makeup from the Exorcist (very scary). You've all seen that, right? Excellent, excellent footage, but alas, it was gone.

I wanted to show him the SEINFELD diner set. Gone. That was the museum's main draw for quite a while. But it was gone, gone, gone.

In it's place, was displayed, on loan from Robert DeNiro's personal collection, wardrobe he has saved from various movies he's worked on. That sounds cool, right? But wait. Think about it. Not only has this man saved outfits he will never wear again but he loaned them to a museum for display. What exciting outfits were there you might be asking yourself? How about Mr Deniro's bathrobe from Awakenings or his pants from Godfather II. Even more exciting, one of his suits from Analyze That. But most exciting of all for me was a before and after version of a peach silk jacket from the movie CASINO. The before jacket was in pristine condition, the after version was "distressed", ripped and torn at the sleeve and a little bit dirty. Why save this? I don't know.

Before we went, I checked the AMMI site to see what special exhibits there might be. I was excited to learn that TIM BURTON's drawings were being shown. And they were exciting to see....all 12 of them. I'm sure he's drawn more, but the museum was only able to secure 12. They were able to get practically DeNiro's entire film wardrobe collection but only 12 Burton drawings.

The most ridiculous display had to be the STAR TREK figurines behind glass. It looked like someone ran down to KAYBEE toy store on Steinway, bought some figurines and shoved them under the glass as a last minute solution to the curator's problems.

There were some fun, interactive exhibits on the third floor which teach about the history and technique of film making and animation. For example. You can animate a 10 second cartoon...dub a movie...lay down a soundtrack...animate a face...pose in front of a blue screen...

That's worth the whole trip.They also have a real nice collection of old film cameras and sound equipment and televisions and some real neat old footage of different films and tv shows on display throughout the museum. and some of the permanent collection, is alright.

It's also worth a visit if you're interested in seeing some old films on the big screen and speaking with the directors of those films. I do believe Mr. Scorcese has been partipating in some PINEWOOD Dialogues. Check out their website for more information.