Happy Halloween

Oh yeah. Today is Halloween.

For an interesting take on this blessed holiday please read the Addled Thoughts of writer Caren Lissner.

Trivial facts

If you've come here looking for details from Tuesday Night's game at the Baggott Inn, I recommend that you visit The Evil Twin Theory, link to your left, to read about the big night from one of the people that hosted.

If you've come here looking for details about Wednesday Night's game at Dempsey's Pub, I recommend that you visit The Dawn Patrol, link to your left, to read about the big night from one of the people that hosted.

Morning Routine - Currently

In the subway:
"Good morning."
Good morning.

In the lobby:
"Good morning."
Good morning.

In the elevator:
"Good morning. Hey, it's Friday!!"
Yeah. All day long.

(together)
Laugh. Laugh. Laugh.

Exiting the elevator:
"Have a good one."
You too.

Morning Routine - Previously

Good morning, boys and girls.
"Good morning. Ms. Goodman"

(singing with students)
Today is Friday, Friday, Friday.
It will be fun day, fun day
All day long.

How are you today, boys and girls?
"Fine thank you. How are you?"

(singing with students)
Hello.
Hello.
Hello and how are you?

I'm fine.
I'm fine.
I hope that you are too.

Ola.
Ola.
Ola y como esta.

Jo bien.
Jo bien.
Espero tout am bien.

7:45 am. Astoria

It's 7:45 am and it's pouring outside. Normally, this would make me happy but for some reason today, I'm dreading going out into the wet world to get to work.

I love my job so it's not because of that. I am going to Wednesday night's trivia mosh, Thinking and Drinking, 7:30pm at Dempsey's pub, featuring Janet Rosen and Dawn Eden as cohosts, so it's not that. I have date with my new my beau scheduled for after that. It's certainly not that (emphasis on the words certainly and not).

So.....it must be the rain.

Go figure.

Baseball continued

I don't have any feelings of remorse with regard to the Yankee's loss to Marlins this weekends. Actually, I'm happy another team was able to shine for a change.

I'm happy that there will be no more hooplah about baseball for a while.

I'm unhappy that I have to overhear conversations about what George Steinbrenner is going to do now that the season is over. Apparently people are speculating as to who Steinbrenner is going to fire now that his illustrious Yankees have lost.

I'm looking foward to the day (coming soon) when basketball will the main topic of discussion. And you thought the baseball season was long. Just wait....

The Fantasy

It's not a roaring fire; it's not chilled champaign; it's not a romantic restaurant or a four string quartet

It's not physical contact or the physical manifestation of attraction; it's the moments that lead up to it.

It's the fantasy of the image of his face 2 inches from mine; it's that pool of feeling found in the back of deeply reflective eyes; it's that 1/2 inch of energy between us just before our bodies touch; it's the anticipation moments before either of us makes a move.

It's the initial meeting; it's the burn of attraction from a distance; it's getting drunk that first time and saying the wrong things; it's the process.

A Familiar Familial Obligation

Saturday.

What can I say? I've joined the ranks of people who can call themselves aunt or uncle.

My sister-in-law is pregnant with my nephew and he will be born in January. What was once a foreign experience I've heard others enjoy is now going to be part of my daily life.

Saturday.

I went with my mother, my brother and his wife to register for baby gifts. First we went to BuyBuy Baby in Westbury, I think. It's near the Levitts, that' near Nassau Colliseum. We registered for everything from diaper pails to onesies. Then we all took a break for lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in the Fortunoff's relatively new shopping mall. After we went to Babies 'R' Us.

I have to say that in spite of the work like hours (10 - 5) we all invested in this effort, it was time well spent. There were babies all over the place which I always find enjoyable and the experience was both fun and educational.

It was the most fun day. But I earned my sleep last night. I was pretty exhausted by the time I got home. So much so, I stayed in last night (yes on Saturday night) and went to bed at 10 pm. I have a vague recollection of someone calling me after I fell out and telling me turn back my clock which I must have done because my clock is properly set to reflect my favorite time of year. That would be the day that we get an extra hour of life.

Anyway, today I'm going to play the tourist which is a good game to play when one lives in New York City. Central Park, Metropolitan Museum of Art and who knows what else the day will bring.

I've been looking forward to this weekend all week. Half of it turned out fantastic and I anticpate the other half will be just as great.

Isn't it great to be alive?

DOG RUN DOG

Every morning I walk by a dog run in Madison Square Park. Every morning I pass it between 8:30 and 8:45 am. Every morning there is a nasty dog barking at all the other dogs upsetting every dog owner in the run. Every morning the nasty dog's owner is sitting there as if she doesn't know her dog has an enormous problem.

At other times when I pass, the dogs are enjoying the usual ass sniffing and establishing of dominance. I'm always upset by this woman's lack of consideration for the other dogs and dog owners. Her dog has some serious issues.

It is another example of a situation where I want to walk up to someone I feel is behaving badly and tell them all about it. It is another example of a situation where if I actually did that I'd probaby get beat up and have to involve the police.

Minutes from Tuesday Night Trivia

Caren Lissner welcomed all to Tuesday Night Trivia and introduced herself to the crowd, introduced me as co-host, allowed me to plug an upcoming project and then explained the rules of play.

I read the general knowledge questions which were television based. Heckling ensued.

Caren read the current events questions which were current events based.

Caren presented the top ten list which was to provide the top 10 countries from where tourists came to visit the United States in the year 2000. People were shocked to learn that Canada and Mexico were the top 2.

Papers were traded and graded during which time Caren and I presented the correct answers. More heckling ensued.

Caren then read the funniest answers after which I read the standings as of the end of Round 1. More heckling ensued which caused me to laugh so hard I had to walk away from the microphone.

Sexxxy, sexxxy, sexxxy chicken led after round 1.

I then presented the audio and visual rounds.

There was more trading and grading and then Caren announced the winners.

I'm ashamed to admit I can't remember the name of the winning team.

I do remember the name of the team that won for funniest team name. "IRAQ" Up The Points took the prize for aforementioned category. There was some disagreement about this in the studio audience but Caren and I felt it was the punniest name and caused the greatest reaction.

Please be sure to come to Trivia next week.
Tony Hightower will be co-hosting.

Random

I'd like to be a professional driver on a closed course.
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Left on his own, the doorknob decided his best of course of action was to sit and wait for the others to return.
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I sat in the chair and stared at the corner but I was a child so it was an adventure.
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Snobs are to fonies as air is to breathing.
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Staring at a computer screen is a proven contributing factor to chronic depression and stupidity.
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I am often offended by other people's bad body odor and I wonder if I'm inventing the smells to keep people away or if they really do stink because other people don't seem to notice it. Maybe they are just nicer.
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If nobody else understands you but you know you make sense, then who is wrong? You or everybody else. What do you do about it? Do you have to twist your mind to fit the mold or do you educate people about your unique point of view?

Expressionism

I hate the person who said that
absence makes the heart grow fonder
because that person was right.

Idiomatic blindness

No news is good news.

What does that mean?
One is taught the expression means
that if one does not receive any news
one is being spared from bad news.

But I don't hear it that way.
I hear it as
there isn't any news
that is good news.

Talk amongst yourselves.

Lunch break

Beef w/broccolli.
Brown rice.
Wonton soup (with MSG, headache oncoming)

Fortune cookie with great fortune:
"Your dearest wish will come true."

I'm ready for my closeup.....

I am posting this for two reasons:

1) I am supporting my friends Dave and Joanne and would like it if you could all come to their show.

2) I am appearing in the video portion of the piece.

Mosaic Minds: The Score in 5 movements with Finale: a postcript to AIDS.
Written and composed by JoAnne Maffia
Directed by JoAnne Maffia and Dave Bower
At the Flux Factory
Thursday October 16 thru Sunday October 20.
Performances at 8pm every night except on Sunday when the show is at 3pm.38-38 43rd Street at Northern Blvd, Long Island City.
For directions go to www.fluxfactory.org
All Tickets: $10 General Admission.

For Info/Reservations call: 917-647-6563

Tuesday Night Trivia - update

Last night at Tuesday Night Trivia, my team, Siamese Kittens (named for the twins who were successfully separated this week) came in last.

The evening was expertly hosted by Caren and Rich Appel.

Here are the categories my team had trouble with. All of them, basically...

Rich led the first round with general knowledge questions with answers that varied from the Powerpuff Girls to Ross Perot. Our team tanked on that round.

Caren then led the second round with current events questions. We did alright on that.

Then Caren gave us the assignment of listing the 2nd to 11th presidents of the United States in ascending order for the top 10 list. We did alright but not great. I could have sworn Benjamin Franklin was a President.

Rich then took over for the audio and visual rounds. The audio round were the top Z-100 hits, this week in 1988. We did so/so on that. Then he provided us pictures of really bad cars from the '70's and the '80's. I think it was in that round that we were able to achieve the honor of winning last place.

We did win some great prizes. Sandy took home a great Bass Ale T-shirt, I took home the Heineken fishing hat and the Heineken key chain is going to our other two team mates that I'm not sure want to be listed publicly.

As discouraging as it is to lose, I still had such a good time that I'm going to try again tonight at Dempsey's pub on 2nd Avenue and 4th Street. Hopefully, you'll come down for that. It's hosted by my friend Janet and "THINKING AND DRINKING" is just as much fun as Tuesday Night Trivia. It starts at 7:30 so hopefully I'll see you there.

Update on the Year of Yes

Sometimes I feel like the my new attitute is turning me into Marcia Brady in that episode where she joins every activity in her new high school in order to fit in, in that I might be wearing myself too thin.

But then I realize that that was just a TV show and that my committment to improving my daily landscape is being done for the right reasons.

My grandfather, Ed Goodman, may he rest in peace, would have been proud of me and excited to see what I do next.

Other people's blogs

Please take some time and read some of the links listed here, to the left. Now, I know that as faithful and somewhat obsessive readers of mine, you have been dutifully visiting the web logs of my friends everyday.

With that said, there are four new entries today that struck me as particularly interesting:

1) The first one is located on the web log of two brothers, Eric and Mark Baard, who have an avid interest in science and reporting on significant scientific developments.

There's new hope for short-order cooks lacking short-term memory. The "Cook's Collage" from Georgia Tech's Everyday Computing Lab will help people with impaired memory make their way through the complex task of cooking. The system takes snapshots during meal preparation and displays the six most recent actions on a flat-panel display mounted above the countertop.

2) The second web log is a daily look into the life a fifteen year old. He's so sweet, you won't believe it. Today's entry is about his new watch. If you look to the left, you can find his link easily enough. I just love this kid.

3) The third entry of note was posted by my new internet friend Santosh. He is a 21 year old college student living either in or near Michigan. His website is gorgeous and his observations insightful. His website is called XXXXXXXXX and every other day or so or when he has a chance he writes about movies and music. He is an excellent critic and his opinion is worth the read. Today's entry has a good review of the latest film escapades of Eddie Murphy.

4) Last but not least, I have recently added a link to The Dawn Patrol. Dawn is a writer and links are available to the site where she writes music reviews. I like her site because I like her. I think she's a good writer and I'm happy to have her as a new friend. Her website can also be found to the left.

Another perfect weekend from my so-called life.

Friday night was spent alone, catching up on some well earned sleep.

Saturday day was spent puttering around the house, running errands and getting ready for Saturday night.

Saturday night was spent at Rafifi's on East 11th off of First Avenue, where I attended a rocking party, hosted by the great Dawn Eden. Joining her were Kittybeat and Michael Lynch. The theme of the evening was 60's rock and the name of the event was POP GEAR. I was thrilled to learn from Dawn that this is now going to be a regular monthly event at Rafifi's, the next one scheduled for Saturday, November 8th, in the year of our lord, 2003. Not only was there great music, but the corresponding visuals were incredible..........the three dee-jays put together an endless film loop of 60's bands in all of their 60's gear, which they projected against the wall behind the dance floor. For a full description of the festivities go to the DAWN PATROL by clicking on DAWN PATROL.

Sunday?..well Sunday I lazed around as usual. I love lazy Sundays. I believe that everybody should have one day of every week where they do absolutely nothing of any importance. It's good for the mind, body, and soul. The best part about my Sunday lazying was that I was able to corrupt a close friend of mine into joining me in the day's non-activities. Part of doing nothing involved watching the last five innings of the Cubs/Marlins game. I wasn't very interested at first, but then something happened. I learned the phrase "SHUTOUT" and then I learned that the Marlins' pitcher, Beckett, was throwing a no score game. (These words do not come trippingly out of my mouth, so for my readers who are baseball fans, I know these words sound odd coming from me, and I don't need to hear about it later.) Then something else happened. It was in the fifth inning and someone hit a ball and it went into the air and then someone caught it and then someone ran around the bases and then it happened again a little bit later in the game.

Uhhhh, yeah.......I never really know what all the excitement is about when it comes to baseball but I felt happy for that pitcher when he struck out Sammy Sosa. I don't know about baseball but I know about Sosa and know it must have felt great for the young Beckett to strike out that old record breaker or was he an almost record breaker? Someone will have to explain that one to me too, I guess.

Wha Wha Whaaat!

Below is an article for an e-newsletter I receive almost daily in spite of my requests to be taken off of their list.

Half of my family is French, meaning I've spent significant time there, and I can safely say that this article is pure, 100% unadulterated bullshit because there are the same number of skinny French women as there are skinny American women. It was also my observation that thinner French women don't indulge in creamy sauces and desserts.

Everyone knows the secret to being thin is youth and/or working out like a banshee or crystal meth!!!

==========================================
Breakthrough News About Weight Loss:
New Study Says Portion Size Is Key

A new study in Psychological Science recently revealed the key to why the French population stays so slim, despite all those rich cream sauces and buttery croissants.

Their secret. Smaller portions.

People tend to consume what is put in front of them and generally consume more when offered more food. Prof. Paul Rozin, University of Pennsylvania, Co-author of, The ecology of eating: Smaller portion sizes in France than in the United States help explain the French paradox.

While the French may eat more fat than Americans, they consume fewer calories " because they eat smaller portions " so they stay slimmer (see side bar for study results).

At N***********, we know how important portion size is. In fact, we built our entire program around it.

With N**********, there's no guesswork - just perfect portions every time.