The good ol' days

I just met a woman named Flash. You gotta love New York. When asked where she grew up, she said, "Delaware, but I haven't grown up yet." And true that was. She is a comedian, writer, illustrator, designer, among many other things I'm sure. I met her with Nicole at a book signing party in Chelsea. The author whose book was being honored was Laurie Rosenwald, another amazing woman in her 50s. The woman created a font fer gosh sakes. But her book is an utter hoot and a half. I started reading it on my way home and it's like a thought dump that I wish I had written. She is utterly insane and I love her even though I don't know her (yet). This group of friends that she has accumulated over the years were unreal. One of them said that 30 years or so ago, her friend with incredible blonde hair and just that way about her, was pursued by Jimi Hendrix. These folks are the real New York. These are the people who used to hang out with de Kooning, Pollock, Ginsburg. I have to get into this circle. I think Nicole and I found a good way but I can't write about it here because soon you'll read it about it elsewhere (he he). Anyway, the only downer was that someone took my umbrella, the one that I found left at a bar in Flatbush. It was my favorite. Now it's gone. But now that I meditate, it's all okay. I took another black umbrella. Granted, it was broken and not as functional, but I believe I got as wet as I would have with my awesome one that is currently in someone else's hallway. Ommmmmmmmmmmmm.....

Sorry Ms. McIlhon

Ms. McIlhon was my creative writing professor in undergrad and she would be outraged at how lame my posts are here. I'm outraged after all. I am better than this and starting this blog was partially in order to hone my former skills as a writer by practicing as often as possible. I was recollecting what I wrote last night and realizing even away from the computer how much they lacked in any detail or interest.

I wrote that there was "great food" at the consulate? That doesn't even remotely describe the food there. Shame on me. So I plan to rewrite that post (not delete it) and hopefully I can salvage the small amount of dignity I have for my writing prowess with a concentrated edit. But not now. I am currently streaming all of the Gossip Girl episodes I missed while vacationing in Europe. So ta ta for now. More to come...

Slumdog Millionaire

This is a MUST SEE. Granted, I have not been to many films this year but this was the best this year. And why did I stop going to independent films? And boys, it's not a chick flick. There are aspects of chickyness in it but there's also all this gangsta and violence shit that will satisfy you if you're into that sort of thing. It's such a great story and you'll love the way the writer framed the storyline. I did. I heart this film and want everyone to go see it. The actors are AMAZING. And I recently saw them interviewed on some morning show I think. They are so humble. So adorable. You will be laughing, crying, on the edge of your seat. ALL OF THE ABOVE. But you may take my advice (even before I saw this film) and never go to India. It's a tough place with a lot of icky folks unfortunately. And I guess I could be sympathetic and say that poverty can make some people do horrible things but this is just AWFUL. and so much of what I saw there is just heart-wrenching. ENJOY THE FILM.

Oh, what a night!

Little did I know when I woke up yesterday that I would be hanging out with Indonesian pop stars at the Indonesian Consulate of all places. It was so much fun. Great food and I got a photo of me with them so if I ever go to Jakarta and show some teeny-bopper the picture, I'll be so envied. The lead singer (Fadly) was a cutie-patootie. I wanted to squeeze his cheeks. And so nice. The whole band was so nice. I decided that I think I'm going to try and figure out when other consulates have these shin-digs. I could eat and be entertained for free all over the upper Eastside of Manhattan. No one checked a list, I just signed in and smiled a lot. At first I was the only non-Indonesian person but then some middle-aged journalist walked in to cover it and that was that.

http://www.sobatpadi.net/content/view/29/54/lang,en/

My cutie, Fadly, is the one directly in the middle. They played in Brooklyn the other night and are heading to D.C. on their American tour. Check them out if you can. They're great!

Take backs - I hate the MTA

So last night, I'm leaving the Columbus Circle area so I go to 57th and Broadway to catch the R. I just get down to the platform and the R closes its doors on me and I wonder if it's the last of the night because it's nearing midnight. So I see an N next but wait to see if another R will come. Nope. But that damn garbage train comes that creeps by at a snail's pace. So we have to wait for that to pass to get another N train. So angry. (thank goodness I had my Glamour magazine with me). So then another N comes and I get on it but it doesn't go anywhere. It just sits there in the station and finally announces that NO train will be leaving out of this station AT ALL and you have to go downtown in order to go to Queens. So I finally got to Times Square and had to walk to the E train and then wait for that. A typical 20-minute door to door trip took me about 90 minutes and then it was pouring to add insult to injury. I didn't have an umbrella so now today, I'm sneezing a lot. Damn the MTA! (just not that nice conductor dude).

A kinder, gentler MTA

So coming home tonight from Murray Hill (my friend Shira's Swami Celebration; she just received her certification for teaching yoga), I got super lucky with the 6 train uptown to 51st and then lucky AGAIN with the E train to Queens. But when I got out at Queens Plaza to transfer to the R train, I stood on the platform for some time waiting. No biggie though, I had my trusty girlie magazine with me to read (Glamour, not Penthouse). So the R finally comes and we all hurry to get on. So while I'm sitting there after the doors close, this gentle voice gets on the loud speaker announcing the next stop but then he pauses and says, "I just wanted to apologize to all of you that have been waiting for a while. We are about 12 minutes behind schedule due to some congestion on the R line so that is why you were waiting so long. We're sorry for that." I was STUNNED. And for those others around me that didn't have their iPods on, they were all smiling because it was so sincere and heartfelt. MTA should take this guy to the next training and tell everyone to stop saying the standard "thank you for being patient" when they fully know that no one is BEING PATIENT and it's just aggravating to hear someone TELL you what you're feeling. This guy had it right. Just say sorry in a believable way and it makes New Yorkers smile. We all need to relax regardless. It is what it is. The subway system is robust and complicated. We're not always going to get what we want. And in order to relax ... I know this great new yoga instructor you should really check out. :-) Ommmmmmmmmmm......

Who knew a church staple was so naughty?

Around where I grew up, there were often church banquets or dinners that the parishoners would put on to get to know other people in the congregation and often help the elderly be social and such. There might be a pancake breakfast or a turkey dinner but no matter what was on the menu, it was a way to bring the community together.

So you can imagine how shocked I was to learn this tidbit of information. I almost busted a guy last night at this party because the hostess and host had both just gotten back from about a year of campaigning for Obama in Montana and Pennsylvania and told me this story about how someone invited this Asian woman to a spaghetti breakfast and she almost passed out at the suggestion. Why, you ask? Because "spaghetti breakfast" is a euphemism for "tentacle rape" (see below illustration). So here they were having a friendly, get-to-know you Obama event serving a cheap-to-make food item on their budget and this poor woman thought she was being introduced to some twisted porn ring in Billings, Montana. Sheesh. Shows you how we should all be more up on our slang intake.

P.S. There's even a Spaghetti Breakfast Club (get it). Their Google description lists, "A group for people who like ravaging with, or being ravaged by, non-human entities, like tentacles, demons, aliens, et cetera." I love the etc. bit. Like you can use your imagination for all of the other types of serpents that have tentacles and could possibly defile you. Wacky stuff, eh? Apparently, there's a whole genre of porn about this stuff too! Where have I been?

http://www.geocities.com/nconner23/spagh.jpg

There's a first time for everything...

So I'm at this party last night in Brooklyn and my stupid friend is in this conversation with this guy who's driving her crazy so what does she do? She sends him my way. In her defense, she must have thought we'd have more to talk about since he lived in Thailand currently and I was thinking about going there for a few months soon. So he instantly weirded me out, maybe because he was way drunk but moreso because he was THAT guy, the one who has traveled the world and wants you to be AS impressed by it as he is. So he said one thing that was worth all the minutes I spent talking to him. At one point, I thought asking for his work URL because he worked for a language teacher organization in Thailand would get him to go away, he said, "Let me go get my trifold." Now there's a new one. Never had a guy go to get one of those before. So he comes back with just that. A glossy trifold which he made a point to add that all of the photos on the cover were shot by him. He also proceeded to tell me that the area I was planning on going to was overrun with American tourists who say things like "I really want to go hang out with The Hills people," which I'm assuming are indigenous people in the mountainous areas? But in his next breadth, he said that he lives in an area just like that. So wasn't he one of those stupid trust fund kids that wanted to really "experience life?" Whatever. My outlook is: don't hand out pamphlets while you're at a party. It's cult-ish. And while you're pointing out the photos that you took on the cover, don't fall over drunk onto the boob of the girl you're trying to impress. What was the BEST was that after I finally got him to go away by concentrating on someone else's conversation, this other girl from the party came over to us and said that she totally offended this dude from Tibet (Thailand but she was drunk too) when she said "Fuck Tibet. Put 'em all in prison." She was just being funny but he didn't think so. I guess those NGO folks are way serious about their saving the world shit that they can't even laugh at a good joke.

I figured out what I want to do in my next job

I think I will be an investigator with the New York City Public Administrator's Office. The job is such that when someone passes away that lived alone and doesn't seem to have anyone to take care of the arrangements, the investigator might go to the home of the deceased and look around to find any possible connection to family or friends that might want to know that he/she passed or find someone who might be able to arrange a funeral or take some of the belongings. I heard about it on NPR's This American Life ("Home Alone") and I think it's such a special job. The investigator they followed for the story went into this woman's home who had just died in the hospital with no visitors and she read old letters from her husband who was in the service. She discovered when he died and how long it had been. So she was able to follow somewhat of a timeline of a woman she doesn't know but is now assigned to. Very sad but bittersweet as well. Has anyone ever known someone who does this for a living because I'd love to talk to them.

http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=346

Grumpy Old Chap

I uploaded a bunch of my photos from London, but just 2 days worth. I think I have over 900 left to caption and crop and color correct. UGH! Luckily, going upstate this weekend. Between raking leaves and replacing light bulbs, I will post more. And write more here.

This guy was my favorite subject. Okay, I guess you can't call him a subject since he looks like he's about to grab my camera like I'm some kind of paparazzi but his face and expression is priceless. Oxford Street was insane this day. It was Monday, Sarah's last day in London before we headed to Geneva. And we had to shop fer gosh sakes before she left. So she was in the store getting this kick ass boots and I was hanging out outside snapping shots of walkers-by. It was fun. Only a few saw me do it. You can probably tell who. Oxford Street, as Sarah said, is the equivalent of the Macy's area. Large department stores and little shops in between. This was the day I discovered Primark and I will never be the same. It's the English version of Target. But dare I say, better?

Words Cannot Express The Relief...

So instead, here is a photo showing the sheer excitement and joy felt last night in my apartment when we learned that Barack Hussein Obama was our new President. It may not come tomorrow or next year, but change is surely in reach.

Telefon Douche

I think I grew up with one of these when I was a kid but they are so much better as an adult. they are everywhere in europe now. ooh-la-la.

Bloody Hell

London is loving me right now because I brought super warm weather. It's Indian Summer here now. Sooooo nice to be wandering around. I really stepped in it. I'm living in the celebrity neighborhood. The equivalent of the West Village I think from what I can gather. It's so stinkin' cute and lovely to walk around at night and see the insides of the houses, the artwork, the design, etc. I had great Lebanese food Thursday night and today we went to see Westminster Abbey and Big Ben and walk around Green Park. It was quite a bit of exploring (total new thing).

Tonight we are heading to Notting Hill to meet my Hugh Grant. Hope the bookshoppe is open. Darting off to Geneva on Monday and will be going to a hockey game Friday thanks to Fred. can't wait. I'm gonna be loud fer sure.

Photos to come!

A Quickie

So it's been some time since I blogged and I still don't have a ton to say (or moreso the time to say it) but I wanted to share some quick thoughts (or photos) before I head to London and Geneva tomorrow night for three weeks.

For those that know me, I have been extremely lucky finding gems in the discarded items we toss to the curb each week on "big pickup day." This past week was one of those lucky streaks and I found the below piece of wood furniture only a half block from my apartment. I love that something like this is hundreds of dollars in a Crate & Barrel catalog or Pottery Barn but I get to tell people, "Oh, that old thing. Found it in the garbage. Isn't it great?" And funny enough, it fit perfectly at the end of my new roomie's bed so now she has a place to display her things in a fun way. My home decor is based on the old phrase, "One man's trash is another man's treasure."



My new thing recently was taking a photo of my family home, the home I lived in since birth. For some reason, I had never done that and it gave me a totally different perspective on the place. Number one, it's so quaint and cute. But Dad, if you're reading this, it looks like someone dropped a bowl of blueberries on the roof and I think there's a lot of dirt on the siding near the garden. Otherwise, the gardens up front are gorgeous. Well done Mom! Beautiful choices in greenery.



This one is simply to continue my series of sleeping persons on the NYC subway. She was my latest victim. On the F train coming home from work.



The below photo is from a dinner I had recently at Brick Cafe in Astoria with Serge, the gentleman that went to Thailand to volunteer for MaryKnoll and never came back. He graciously gave me all the info I wanted on what it will be like there when I teach English for 3 months in Chang Mai (sp?) Can't wait. Thanks Serge for a lovely evening. Can't wait to have some Thai food with you in Bangkok. Oh wait, it would just be called "food" there, right?



On Mondays and Tuesdays, I get to look out on this view from my Design Department desk. It's awesome. This day in particular it looked like Armageddon but the photo itself almost looks fake because of the way the light was hitting the steel on the Manhattan Bridge.

Macy's Round Two

Strangely enough, I've lived in NYC for 13 years now and grew up only in Westchester fer gosh sakes, yet I never went to Macy's until recently to find a gift for a friend that I saw in InStyle magazine. But tonight I went again, and this time, not to shop, but to learn how to cook Asian cuisine, or at least to eat some. Akhtar Nawab, chef and owner of Elettaria, was the guest chef this evening at the De Gustibus Cooking School located on the 8th Floor at Macy's, right between coats and bathing suits.



I've never taken a class like this before. It was a new thing for me. It was enjoyable and I met a bunch of nice people who also took the class. If you are able to attend such a thing, it's a unique experience because you get to ask the chef how to prepare things, those steps that everyone watching cooking shows never gets to ask the person doing it with such ease. For them, it's such routine but for us laypeople, it's totally foreign at times. I got to ask the very complicated question of what the difference between a pressure cooker and a slow cooker was. I know, I know. You already know the answer. But I didn't know, really! Since you're judging me, Google it yourself suckas!



One of the most enjoyable parts was the host. She was a spitfire and delightful to listen to as she shooshed folks that were chatting and asked great questions at the perfect times. In defense of the chatty cats, there was quite a bit of alcohol served, so I can understand. But she was a hoot and a half. I liked the vibe in the room.



My favorite part was dessert, as always. The pineapple upside down cake, created by Elizabeth (what a lovely name), was delish. I ate it in about 2 seconds I think. So good. It was perfect. The dishes prior to dessert were extraordinary. I am always hesitant with tartar ever since Larry Santiago took me to Café Un Deux Trois before we went to see the Buddy Holly Story on Broadway in high school. I ordered the Steak Tartare because the word "steak" was the only thing I could understand on the menu. Little did I know that they'd bring me raw meat in a lump on my plate. I pretended it was what I wanted but really, I wanted to ask the waiter to take it back, slap it on the grill and get me a nice juicy burger. But Akhtar's tartare was SUPERB! I loved each bite. And then the scallops were perfect as usual and the pork was so crispy and full of yummy fat. I heart fat. Patrick was all cute being all stealth walking in here and there. Well done to the entire team. It made me want to go out and get some spices of my own. Oh wait, I have some and never use them. That must be why I just go to Elettaria instead of trying to do it myself. Much better...

There's Only One Way to Say It?

Okay, I'm just warning you but this post may come across a little "Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey"-esque. So what's the deal with the strict way we refer to couples once they have coupled? In other words, I have these friends who are couples and whenever I refer to them as a couple, like "I'm going over to Heidi & Akhtar's," I never say it the other way around, "Akhtar and Heidi's." Why is that? It's Steve & Phuong, Row & Suger, Denise & Jeff, Mike & Agnes, Tom & Ag, Sunil & Steffi, the list goes on. I would never say Phuong and Steve's house. That just doesn't make sense. Do you think it has to do with who we think is the "heavy" in the relationship or is it simply whatever flows better? Because I know that many people use my combinations. I mean, who ever says, "Judith & Tommy's"? It's always Tommy & Judith's. Sit on that for a second or two and you'll see what I mean. Groundbreaking, right?

Belly Laughs

I had to share this but you've all probably seen it already. This Stride Gum commercial made me belly laugh (ya know, one of those hard belly-workout laughs). It's so unexpected. Oh gosh. Now I've ruined it. Now you're going to be waiting for the unexpected bit. Sorry. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojgi16des-U

By the way, the reason I find belly laughs so significant is that there have been few in my life. I know my most recent one with with Amy at some Indian restaurant on 6th Street and another was at Newsweek in our closet-for-an-office when I told Jennifer about Paddy, my parakeet that died in the winter and because I wanted to bury him in the yard, he just stayed in the garage until it was warm enough. So he literally was just there, for a very long viewing. RIP Paddy.

Lost in the Bronx

Considering my parents are both born and raised in the Bronx, I'm embarrassed to say after 35 years of traveling there from Westchester, and the city, I still get lost on a regular basis. This morning was more embarrassing because I had my British friends with me because Charlie, my former intern, wanted to see one of my kids that I was giving driving lessons to and so her and her beau came along for the ride and then were going to hop on the subway into Manhattan. But sure enough, it was just like Bonfire of the Vanities and we were turned around and even went down this strange narrow wooded street where I know her boyfriend was questioning why in god's name he agreed to take this detour before brunch. So when I didn't want to keep trying to find Crotona Parkway (which btw if you're ever looking for it, it's right parallel to Southern Blvd and very close to the Bronx Zoo), I stopped by a tire/body shop to ask for directions. Sure enough, the only guy working there spoke Spanish so with my knowledge of izquierda and derecho, I comprehendo'd. he he. So sure enough, I was very close and found the place and played my Driver's Ed instructor role for the day. And the Brits quickly got onto the 2 train and got the hell out of Da Bronx.

As for the driving school, we went over to City Island because I felt that might be a slow-moving community to learn in. But little did I remember from my only trip there for seafood, that each and every street is a dead end. It makes for a whole lot of 3-point turns when your pupil doesn't want to cross Main Street yet. I think it's interesting to remember what it feels like to not know how to drive. I quickly remembered when just the simple step of STEPPING on the gas is something you don't feel comfortable doing. Or remembering that you are in DRIVE and not REVERSE (sorry to the owner of that hedge in front of the last house on that street that we were up and down all day long. I'm sure it will grow back).

Cops or EMS?

So I was walking home from Sri Pra Phai, my favorite Thai restaurant in Woodside, Queens and I saw this man dressed in white lying on the sidewalk, not moving at all. He was just lying there and no one was around. It was very dark, after 9 p.m. and that area is not too happening. So I reached for my pocket and realized I didn't bring my cellphone with me. Duh! The one emergency I've had since getting a damn cellphone and I leave it at home. So I ran to Northern Blvd to a pay phone. He wasn't moving at all. I even looked at his chest and there was no motion. So I call 911 and the operator starts asking me some questions after I gave my name and said that there was a man, possibly dead, on the sidewalk between 61st and 62nd Streets on Broadway. She asked if he was drunk and I asked her how I was supposed to know that? She asked if he looked homeless. Again, how was I supposed to know that. But I actually answered her by saying, "He's wearing ALL WHITE, so I doubt it." (As if homeless people don't wear white?). So then to top it all off, she asked me if I wanted her to call the cops or EMS? My response: "Isn't that your job to assess the situation that I just detailed to you?" Unreal. So she then CONNECTED ME with EMS as if she couldn't just give him the address and the situation on her own. But actually, I'm glad she did because then, I realized that this EMS guy on the phone was just as apprehensive about answering the call. He asked the same homeless, drunk and "is he breathing" questions and I got so frustrated and simply asked if they would please hurry up and come. So then he told me to go home, that I did what I could and not to wait. So of course, I waited because I was fearful that they weren't going to come at all. I waited 20 minutes far enough away from the man lying there and when EMS showed up, they kicked him foot a little to see if that would jar him but it didn't! They reached for his wrist to see if he had a pulse and thank goodness he did. They put him on a stretcher and into the ambulance and took him to Elmhurst and I walked home. He was in his mid- to late-50s. It could have been a stroke or something. He wasn't resting against a fence taking a break from a bender. He literally looked like he fell as he was walking past this house on a quiet, residental block. I wondered how many people may have walked past him and thought the same that these operators assumed. As citizens, I think we truly need to protect ourselves first in situations like this but picking up a phone and calling for help when you're not sure WHAT is going on doesn't hurt anyone, right?

Bock Bock...

So this is an e-mail string that my sister is going to kill me for blogging about but hopefully she'll see this photo I made and just laugh and laugh and laugh and forget that she was going to kill me.



Let me set the scene. Sunday morning, I called Michelle to see if she'd like to sky dive with me before our nephew's birthday party at the end of September. We'd be heading up that way anyway and why not jump out of a plane on the way upstate to kill some time, right? So I called to make the reservation and they told me to go on their website and download the forms to save time filling them out when we get there. And that there are also videos to watch before making the jump and if we watch them online and sign the waiver that we actually watched them and absorbed the knowledge, we'd once again save time on the actual day. We are on the wait list actually but the woman said that folks always cancel closer to the date because they chicken out. So she practically guaranteed that we'd get a slot. So Michelle got my e-mail where I forwarded the link and this was our exchange...

MICHELLE: Do you know that most of the stuff on these forms are about injury and death. What the hell is wrong with us??????

EO: i don't know about me? but what the hell is wrong with you that you DON'T want to just jump out of a plane and not worry about the consequences. see, this is why there are open spots closer to the date. because of CHICKENS - bock bock....

MICHELLE: Whatever

EO: think about it. it's TANDEM. do you really think those guys would go to work every day knowing that TODAY might be their last day on God's green earth? I don't think so. I'm sure they are quite adept at keeping themselves and US alive. But after we jump AND survive, we can tell the story of how the ripcord was jammed and we got down to like 2000 feet before it worked and it was literally LIFE or DEATH. and aren't the people listening to this story soooooo glad that we made it?! ahhhhh....

MICHELLE: So you are saying that mom didn't really land in a tree. She just added that to the story to make it sound cooler :-)

EO: that was 1969 fer gosh sakes. I do hope things have changed in free-fall technology since then. and i'm not sure she was tandem to be honest. i think she was solo. and listen, we're talking about mom here. she isn't exactly the most coordinated person. have you seen her on Wii yet? Ask her real quick to point NORTH or EAST or LEFT or RIGHT. You'll see what I mean....

Editor's Note: (1) My parents skydived before they were married and my mother apparently landed in a tree but was unscathed. (2) My mother is totally "with it," I'm just bustin' on her.

Who needs a dressing room

So sure enough, I've once again done something new even though I said I would stop that nonsense. This evening after my volleyball playoff game, I decided not to change out of my game clothes because I wanted to walk out with my teammates since this was it and I won't be playing next season but as they all know, I always change out of my clothes because I have icky, unflattering workout clothing in my wardrobe and that's not gonna get me anywhere in case I run into Prince Charming on the R train home. So once I got to the R train platform, I went all the way to the very end where no one was and changed out of my volleyball clothes into my sleek black pencil skirt and blouse. It took seconds, but the guys who saw me pass by originally looking like that girl you weren't sure about on the field hockey team, saw a hair-down, fancy-schmancy girlie girl out for a night on the town. I have to admit, I sort of felt like Wonder Woman, minus the twirling around a bunch of times (by the way, i used to do this constantly thinking that it would actually work at least ONCE; had the UnderRoos and everything! FYI, it never did work). But tonight, no twirling. That would have made me dizzy and I could've possibly fallen onto the tracks and then I would just be a very FLAT girlie girl in a cute black outfit. And Mike, there were no photos of this new thing (dirty dawg).

In memoriam

This was a memorial in Battery Park that I happened upon as I was picking something up in that neighborhood. I must admit, I happened to stay away from anything "9/11" that day, but I was glad to run into this so that for a moment, I could remember. NPR had done their regular moments of silence at the times that the planes hit and the buildings fell but that usually gets me too teary-eyed for the first thing in the morning so I turned it off. As strange as it may sound, I'll never forget obviously but I like to forget each year during this time...

Big Meat and Fab Shoes

So I pick up my car this morning to find that the work I had done was much less money than I thought it would be (AWESOME). I decided to take advantage of being up early on a Saturday morning and go to Salvation Army to shop for deals. I parked at a meter spot and right as I was getting my stuff together to leave the car, the woman in front of me backed up right into me and shocked the hell out of me. She got out of her car to apologize saying she didn't even see me there (mind you, she got into her car after I had already pulled up there). So I just made sure there was no damage and said it was fine. But then she had to add that my car is so low that she can't even see a low car like mine from her big SUV. In my head, I was like, "that's not my fault lady." But I had to let it slide because recently, I hit a cabbie in the rear and he let me go. Good karma.

So I wanted some pencil skirts and thin sweaters for the new school year. Yea, I know. I don't go to school but it's a nice excuse to buy new stuff for yourself in September. Got those things (2 pants, 3 pencil skirts, 2 thin sweaters, 2 crop jackets, and 3 dress shirts) for killer prices (everything was under $100 because I had a bunch of pink tags and those were 50% off) but the icing on the cake is that I also found these HOT Bebe boots for $6.99 - Cha-Ching!


They are exactly my size and so comfy. Well, I didn't walk around the store in them for hours but they seemed comfy. As I checked out, I walked across the street to put it all in my car and there was a meterman giving me a ticket. I was bummed but when I got to him to say that it must have JUST expired because I was taking notice of the time, he said he already printed it and then he added, "Sorry." So I said, "No worries. It's my fault and it's your job. Have a nice day." It was a $35 ticket and since I got such a great deal on all the fly clothes, I truly didn't care. My new lease on life. I'm too happy with everything else to care about a ticket.

So I get home and go to the market to get some granola and yogurt and as I'm leaving to cross 31st Avenue, a man in a car stopped at the light says to me, "Yo. You ever had some big meat?" Now, first of all, my name isn't 'Yo." Secondly, even if I had had some big meat, I highly doubt I would converse with him about it being that I don't know him and that's sort of a personal thing.

Screw the new thing concept

Listen, we all do SOMETHING new each day. But I think I'm tired of thinking of what that new thing was. I think the first week I was unemployed, it was easy to do something significantly new because I didn't have anything else to do but now I'm sort of working again but nothing with high commitment. So I'm safe. So NO MAS (no more for my Spanish-deficient readers). This blog has a new purpose now, no longer a NEW THING digest, now it's just a place for me to rant about the bizarro things that come to mind. Like CLEAN HOUSE on-the-road (but that's for a different post).

Instead, today I did a bunch of things that were so similar to what I did yesterday. I had coffee in the morning with a buttered roll, I rode the subway, had ice tea for my free drinks at work, read my book on the subway (re-reading Staggering Mind Genius book, can't recall the real title but you know what I'm talking about). It's nutty and I like it. As I read it, it reminded me that I have to get off my tochus and write my father's eulogy. I promised it to him for last Christmas and still haven't delivered. I always thought it would be cool for him to be able to read it BEFORE he kicks the bucket so he'll do the whole PHEW, she isn't going to roast me at my own funeral. That sort of thing. It's a really funny piece (in my mind) but I truly have to get it down on paper (or whatever the computer equivalent of paper is, what do we say, "get it down on document?" - whatever.

I did actually have a NEW THING today (of course now that I've abolished it, I'm gonna easily come up with them each day - whatever!). The new thing was that I did Car Talk-like audio descriptions of what is going wrong with my car to the nice gentleman at A&A Radial Auto Service station on 58th Street and Northern Blvd. If you ever need an honest car repairman, this dude is IT! I have been going there for almost 10 years since I got my little Lezbaru (thanks James) and they are so kind and don't charge an arm and a leg and explain things in a very layperson kind of way. Go them! So I got to explain how this thingy on the bottom of my car or maybe under the hood is making this rattling noise like the way a fan would sound if it was slighty, oh so gently, hitting something metal as it was spinning around cooling you off. And it had kind of an angry growl accompanying the beforementioned sound. It was all too complicated to SAY with words. I had to act it out. I think the guy appreciated it because he knew right away what I was talking about and said that my so-an-so's needed tightening and I replied, "they sure do."

Hotel Bars, Hot Spot - Fact or Fiction?

FICTION. So I thought that hotel bars were a good place to meet boys (men) that wanted to actually meet someone who was serious about meeting someone. Boys (men) who would actually go up to you and say "HELLO, what's your name?" But I was wrong. Dead wrong. Went to the W tonight with my other serious friend Maura and nada. So it's still NYC and still lame. Boston, here SHE comes and who knows where I'll end up. Do send me suggestions that claim otherwise successful because I'll check them out for pure validity reasons of course. I feel like an episode of SATC.

Pea Size Dollop - I think not

What's the deal with all those pricey product people telling us that all we need to use is a pea size amount to make it work. Yea right! How can a dollop the size of a pea do anything on your entire face and neck? C'mon man. That's ridiculous, right? I have this night cream that says this and I don't know about your face and neck but mine does not get covered with that much. It needs at least two caterpillars length.

Anita, my new elevator buddy

So if anyone knows me, they know I take a compliment well, but if it's about my outfit, I typically follow up "THANK YOU" with "It was only $10 at Marshall's." A nice woman named Anita at my freelance job saw my outfit yesterday and immediately complimented me on it. I had been waiting for it all day because I absolutely LOVE my new outfit. I sound like the character in that new Devil Wears Prada-esque film. So I said thanks and told her how inexpensive (not cheap) it was and where I got it. Heidi hates this and I understand why but I can't seem to kick the habit. I love my thriftyness. I used to call myself "cheap" but Agnes alerted me that this word made me SOUND cheap so I have modified my language a bit. Mo even said yesterday when he complimented my new Kenar dress ($10), Nine West crop jacket ($15) and Nine West peep-toe pumps ($25) that I should say it was wildly expensive instead, but for some unknown reason, I get more satisfaction and thrill from telling people what a DEAL I got rather than seeming like I spend my entire salary (even if I don't currently have one of those) on fashion! It's almost more fun to see folks be jealous. they, too, could have great outfits if they only had the skills I had. he he. There goes my snobbery again. Gosh, I'm full of myself. I think this whole blog thing is bringing out the worst in me. Nah. Coverage on the Emmys, Oscars and Golden Globes do that. I'm savage during those red carpet shows.

So, just to rub it in, I also got this new BCBG dress ($15), Etienne Aigner gray patent leather slingbacks with a bow that matches the dress believe it or not ($7, that's right, I didn't miss a zero), and a vintage brown velvet clutch from Salvation Army for $3.50. See accompanying photo that Mo graciously took of me at work when it first debuted. Some of you may be asking yourself, "isn't she out of a job?" but as Kathy said when I told her the deal I got, "It would have been a CRIME to not buy those things." And I agree with Kathy (miss you honey bunches of oats)....

Eat, Pray, Yawn

I know the following is going to sound like I'm a total travel snob or adventure snob but I am, so there. But this book, Eat, Pray, Love was so annoying to read. And I actually made it through the entire thing. My colleague Kathy is the one that told me I "HAD TO READ IT" because she felt it reminded her of me. ME?! This woman was so nauseating about this or that in Italy, in India, in Indonesia. I wanted to barf. I'm not saying there wasn't anything redeeming about the book but I constantly kept feeling like WHY DOES ANYONE WANT TO READ THIS? Then again, why are you reading THIS? He he. I'm the first to admit that I can talk talk talk about myself but I'm not sure I would have written a book in THIS way. I can't put my finger on what made it dull and annoying to me, but suffice it to say, it made me laugh when I saw this GUY reading it on the platform on his way home this evening.


Without stereotyping it as a chick book, I immediately assumed his girl made him read it to UNDERSTAND her more and possibly nudge him into shaping up or shipping out, considering the character, Liz, leaves her boyfriend for the unknown that she painstakingly describes in 3 "chapters". Save your $16.95 and wait for the movie. Julia Roberts is playing her and I'm sure she'll be better as Elizabeth then Elizabeth is. Gosh I'm mean. But Oprah isn't always right people.

Union! Union! Union!

So if the really cute guy on the subway is reading this, the one with the four tiny hoops in his left ear, all dirty from a hard day's work, with the paper thin, worn-in Local 123 T-shirt on, I'm so sorry I waited until AFTER you got off the train to smile at you. Thanks for looking back. So if you want to email me, just put the subject line: "You're an idiot" and I'll know it's you. Okay, so I didn't pay attention to the union number but you know who you are....

Girls and guys of NYC, why do we do this to ourselves? Have these missed opportunities? We were looking at each other from East Broadway to 14th Street. It was sooooo obvious but noooooo, no one in NYC would dare actually go up to someone and start talking to them. That would be crazzzzyyyyy. UGH. I'm gonna move, I tell ya. This is getting ridiculous.

Free Fragrance Foibles

In an effort to save money, as if I'm not always cheap (I know Agnes, thrifty), I have been using free magazine perfume samples. The only snag is that if I'm in a hurry in the morning and reach for one from my pile, I have been incoherent enough to give myself a paper cut and that does not look good on the ol' wrists if you know what I mean. I literally went to work last week with a slice right across that very important vein on your wrist. No one noticed of course because I work in the most antisocial office EVER! (gee, i hope no one from my office ever finds this blog, then they may not offer the free leftover conference room lunches that are sometimes offered to lowly temps like me when they're all done with it). that chocolate mousse was delish! keep it comin' and i'll keep smelling nice (gratis).

1st Day Organizing (Personal not Community)

So today was my first full on personal organizing day. It was tiring. But very results-oriented which i love. We got a lot done (see before and after of my client's dresser of clothing.



Mind you, I didn't take before photos of each drawer and I should have because they were messy but now they are all lined up and organized by type of clothing. It took a while but it was well worth it. Now she can see all of her clothes rather than having them on top of one another. We also got a ton of paperwork shredded and bags paired down. DONATE, TRASH or KEEP. That's it. And then I got this lovely Thai dinner afterwards for my hard work. YUM-e. The papaya salad was a bit spicy but I better get used to it if I think I'm going to Bangkok for 3 months in January. My tolerance needs to get amped up.



Organizing and seeing your client be amazed at how much they purged in such a short amount of time is so satisfying. It's something everyone CAN do but who actually sets aside time to have someone push them to do it? Hopefully some do or else I won't have many clients. He he. Having a well-organized space and no or little clutter is an amazing feeling that can seriously change the way you feel when you wake up or go to bed. Everyone should do it. (peer pressure). he he.

Another funny thing that happened was when I arrived across the street from the former Andrew Hamilton house location, there were tons of European tourists outside getting a tour of Harlem so when my client came downstairs to open the door for me, I looked back at the huge crowd of people right in front of her building and said, "I brought my network." I'm funny, right?

And then when we were heading to the Thai restaurant, suri, on 101st and Bwy, very good, great design (even the bathroom), my client saw an ad for Manhattan Storage and it said, "You can't save the world if you can't find your socks" and it was this superhero without a sock on one foot. She thinks that would be a good advertisement for eodesignnyc. I agree. She can now find all of her work and casual socks.

What a shit job (literally)

So I've decided to do some WWoofing when i go to Switzerland next month. World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF). As I did a little research on the Web, I found this hilarious video and it was only DAY Three of this guy's WWoofing adventure. It's so funny how "down and out" he seems after three days. But who knows? Maybe I'll be shoveling shit too. I do know how to breath through my mouth though. I learned that on the subways of NYC.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvjaa02oz-k&feature=related

First things first, Air India canceled my 2 flights to and from Europe so I have to get my refund and then rebook for October. Still haven't notified a family but I'm on it. Can't wait to go and see Sarah and Claudia. Hope to keep it cheap with the dollar the way it is. So I'm anticipating a lot of market jaunts and then the farm is free room and board. Yippee! I hope it's not a mushroom farm. That is my least favorite veggie. That would just suck. Then I'll have a YouTube clip showing mushrooms growing out of my pores. ick.

Does Showing up Count?

Now what kind of country do we live in that you can't buy a Hummer at 8:15 on a Thursday night. Sheesh. I went to the Northern Boulevard HUMMER dealership to do my test drive. I had my whole story worked out about my boyfriend wanting to buy one but I had to feel comfortable driving it because it would be at our country home and his friend who's a partner at "the firm" recommended "you guys" because he liked dealing with "you guys" when he bought HIS Hummer. And how he was supposed to meet me there but had to stay late at the office, BIG DEADLINE. I was even ready with flip flops in case heels wouldn't work. But noooooooo, they weren't even open. Whatever! Every other freakin' dealership on that road was open. I was tempted to test drive a Lincoln Navigator on my walk home but didn't think that would quite equal the HUMMER. My friend Maura is outraged that I would even test drive the Hummer due to our environmental status in the world. She suggested a Prius instead. Now, does anyone else see the BLAH factor in that alternative? I'll try again but maybe on the weekend when it's light out. I can totally see myself taking out a few car mirrors on these slender streets of ours. I did that in Dublin when I had to learn how to drive on the other side of the street. My cousin just told me to keep going. So I did. I'm very influential that way.

Harlem Heights and SoHa

Had my first personal organizing/interior design consult this morning in Harlem Heights, right across the street from the former location of Alexander Hamilton's house on Convent Avenue. They recently (in June) rolled the house one block west on Convent Avenue and then one block south on 141st Street to the new St. Nicholas Park location. The six-hour event was a popular neighborhood attraction. It's a great street, really nice neighborhood.

The consult went well and I'm super excited. I know this is going to be a great move for me. When I have "after" shots, I will surely be posting them on my new website (that is yet to be launched - eodesignnyc.com). So check it out there. But again, excited, elated, encouraged, exuberant (can't think of any other "e" words to describe it.



As for SoHa (South Harlem - gotta love New York City realtors that MUST come up with an acronym for neighborhoods to make them gentrified-sounding). My new client took me to brunch at Kitchenette, this fabulous little joint on 123rd and Amsterdam just east of Broadway. It's adorable. Like walking into an old-fashioned diner but with a cute, pink and polka-dot flair. Great food too. French Culinary chefs. Amazing omelettes and mouth-watering cheese grits. Grits always remind me of My Cousin Vinny by the way. So I highly recommend this cute brunch/lunch place. And they have other locations downtown. One on Chambers and one on Amsterdam and 79th. They bake cakes and cupcakes and cookies that are works of art. Really cute stuff and edible.

A Hard Day's Night

Apparently, my new thing is taking photos of people sleeping on the subway. Because I have not graduated to the degree of taking candids of coherent individuals, this is my outlet currently. It's fun. Sometimes I just do it and look like I'm adjusting my camera or looking at my day's shots but other times if I have a book or my HUGE September issue of InStyle magazine with me, I use that to shield the fact that I'm capturing their soul in digital format. This time, the Uma Thurman-adorned pages assisted me in my quest.



I love this shot because at first, I took it horizontally and didn't get his backpack and kicks and it was okay but not good enough. The poor guy ... it looks like he had a really hard day. He hardly woke up when we entered each station to see where we were. I kind of figured he was going to Queens with me even though he was already on the train when I got on at York Street. And of course THIS reminded me of my ex-boyfriend's mother. It's a funny story actually and she'd die if she ever knew I was writing it down here. But whatever, she wasn't all too nice to me when I broke things off with her precious son -- so there.

For a worldly individual who has been to many corners of the world and spent decades living in one of the most culturally diverse cities on the planet, I cannot put her down for what she did, I can only laugh (which is what many of her family members do when this story is told). One day she was on the R train heading downtown when she saw an Asian family trying to decide where they were getting off. They were looking out the window to see where they were now and trying to locate the subway map. My ex-mother-in-law (practically speaking), got up and rushed over, taking it upon herself to let them know that THIS was indeed their stop, Canal Street/Chinatown.

My ex always rolled his eyes in disbelief that she actually said this to them and made that assumption that all Asians must be heading there because that's where they belong. It was an honest assumption, I must admit, considering when I saw that this guy was not getting up when I was getting off in Jackson Heights, I had that same feeling. (We all do, we all just don't admit it or get caught TELLING people to get off here because it's your part of town). I thought, 'he must be getting off here, he's just a SLEEPY Muslim Indian. I don't want him to wake up in Forest Hills.' This must happen all the time in New York since we're all so helpful and love giving directions. I imagine that many a New Yorker on the J/M/Z line has offered assistance to a Hasidic family fumbling for their map as they approach Hewes Street. Everyone knows all the Hasids live in South Williamsburg :-)

And since I'm on the stereotype/generalization kick, I went to Yonkers last night to celebrate the knocked-up-ness of a good friend of mine and cannot get over the influx of Irish there. I know that's not new news but I think I'm gonna round up some single girlfriends and take a gander at some of the pubs there. We may find some good craic there (pronounced CRACK, translation=FUN).

Yes we can! / Si se puede

I've really gotta get better about taking photos on my adventures. Tonight I purposely wore my new pink dress (the one I got in Marblehead for nothing) and I was going to take a photo of me, matthea and cara at our Obama event (new thing, never went to a convention speech watching event at a bar) and then i plum forgot. so instead because I couldn't pass up shooting me in this dress, I held the camera and got a shot of my chest because that's all everyone wants to see anyway, right? but the sticker slipped inside (i left it cause i thought that was cute). The event was sort of lame except for the exceptionally cute boy sitting in the next booth with his stupid girlfriend (boy, if you are reading this (doubt it), please realize that i am the one you want to be with, not her). The older Asian woman who was like the whole room's mother (cleaning up after spills and handing food around) was adorable in addition to Pam from N.C. who spoke in Denver. Well done Pam. You ROCK! And I loved Barney Smith. I guess with Google nowadays, any campaign's speech writer can find the man they need to really get to the issues at hand. Hilarious!



now back to me. mo is my inspiration when it comes to street photography and not being afraid to shoot people no matter where you are. today, when i showed him this photo that I took on the F train on my way to work alongside him, he said, "it's a free world, right?" RIGHT INDEEDy. "So there" to that guy sitting next to me that was scowling as I shot this sleeping dude next to the 99cent stickers stuck to the homeless woman on the ad in a smiley face pattern. Ya can't pass this shit up.



And then on my walk home tonight after taking out Steve and Phuong's garbage, I saw how they make those white lines on the road for pedestrians (new thing). I was gonna whip out the ol' camera but I figured you could all imagine it without visuals. I thought they painted it with a big brush but they don't. They have this machine that looks like the one they bring out on the baseball fields and it's like powder and then they seal it with something so that we can't just blow away the powder the first time we walk on it after they've done all that hard work at midnight all over the city. well, obviously it's not done AT midnight ALL over the city. That would be difficult to achieve. Well, unless there were tons of those workers synchronizing their watches. Okay, goodnight folks. That's enough new things for this evening. Oh wait, it's morning.

Hell's Kitchen is Right

The kitchen part, that is. Before my volleyball game Tuesday night, I took the long way and walked around Hell's Kitchen taking in all the new cuisine this neighborhood has to offer (new thing). I used to frequent this part of town in my Newsweek days since there wasn't much going on at the intersection of Broadway and 57th Street restaurant-wise. We'd go to Uncle Vanya's, Puttanesca, Patsy's and Matt's Grill a lot, Mangia y Bevi on 9th Ave. and sometimes Kennedy's. The crew also went to East but back in those days, I didn't do it raw so there was no sushi for me. But now, there are a ton of places there that I'd like to check out. One in particular is on 50th between 8th and 9th and the chef is in her 80s or maybe even 90. She's adorable and although I only had time to peek inside, it's cute too. Very intimate but says on the window that it has authentic french cuisine so I'll have to check it out. Of course I've forgotten the name but I know precisely where it is, on the north side of 50th closer to 9th.



Another thing I finally captured (new thing) was a photo of this unbelievable sidewalk garden that I've passed for years on my way to the High School for Environmental Studies where Big City Volleyball has many of its games. Whomever tends to this concrete garden has done quite a lot with little space and no earth to speak of, except in the pots of course. A nice man came outside while I was taking a picture and offered to take a photo of me in front of the garden (like it's on the Time Out New York walking tour or something. It's nice, but c'mon sir (sorry, that was mean. I'm in a weird mood tonight).



The other thing I get a kick out of in New York City is the mix of architecture which brought on this next photo. Sometimes I like it, sometimes I don't. For instance, this shot is something that I like because it reminds me of that movie in the 80s where that big developer wanted to build somewhere and there was one holdout - this building with a little robot or do-dad that helped put the little white tiles back together in the entrance foyer (can't recall the name) but it often looks like that when you look up on a city block in these neighborhoods. There's old school charm and then high-rise luxury within spitting distance of each other. This is why I love New York. But one thing I don't like so much (and I was recently discussing this with Mo as we waited for a table at this great noodle joint), I'm not fond of mixing architecture in ONE building like the Louvre or the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Or the Hearst Building on 57th and 8th Ave. Why? I don't get it.

Crotchless Undies

Did you know that there are Tupperware-like parties where you can buy crotchless panties AND undies for him that hold his piece but look like Groucho Marx? Yup, you can. E-mail me for details.



So Maura and I went to Marblehead from Boston on Sunday and met up with Mary Elizabeth and Marwan to see the town. It was lots of laughter and lots of shopping. This town is the most adorable place to walk around. So much history and the homes are to die for. We luckily happened up on this little consignment shop called Madam Had'em on Washington Street I think. It had cute stuff and I found this Tara Jarmon dress for $23 but it was 50% off so of course I had to get it. After we got back, we googled Tara Jarmon since Maura knew it was a high-end designer, and her dresses sometimes retail for $500. Cha-ching. I love a bargain. That was a steal! We got to see Mary's cupala (sp?) and convinced her, as her hubby has been doing, to join Facebook. So there. Job well done. Oh and my new thing is that I drove Maura's Prius home. And am the proud owner of a French-made Tara Jarmon floral dress (new thing).

Hay, FREE food

My lovely friend Maura invited me up to Boston because she was staying there for the summer and her most recent flat was on Newbury Street, as she put it, "the Madison Avenue of Boston." So when she heard I left my job, she said, "You'd be an idiot not to take me up on this." So I'm not idiot. I bought my $15 Fung Wah Bus ticket and was on my way. It was a beautiful location and I was just happy to be away. We did a lot of sightseeing and it was great because although I have been to Boston a few times before, I hadn't been to the Haymarket before or Little Italy for that matter (new thing).



Granted, we got there at the end of the day, when many are taking veggies and fruit for FREE, that's right, gratis. So it was an even more interesting site to see. People with their carts, taking whatever was left. On their heads, on their hips, with their kids, etc.



I love shooting these types of things but this one woman at the end, the small Asian woman, was not all that happy that I shot her. Oh well. I love the shot of the woman with the cart AND the crate on her head. It was like we were in Africa or something. Cool beans.



And then this one kid was just getting a kick out of rolling the Sarah Wrap down the road. Wasteful but cute.



In general, I'm not too keen on Boston as a place to live, but it's nice to visit. First of all, the Red Sox fans have got to calm themselves. This rivalry with the Yankees is taken to the extreme there and I know this is not new news but it's so silly. There were guys with "Yankees SUCK" T-shirts and then I will never forget when I went to visit Wayne at MIT, a guy at a club came up to me and said, "Why the long face" as I was waiting for Wayne to come back with drinks and I simply joked and said, "Oh, well, the Yankees lost." He literally turned around and told his friends and I seriously thought they were gonna punch me. WHATEVER. Get over yourselves and get a life! And these same guys need to get a clue when it comes to their wardrobes, and I'm not referring to the stupid T-shirts. They all dress alike. It's like Stepford. Get rid of the Dockers and step away from the weave belts. Ick.

Jaws 3 and Red Snapper

Do you ever take time to actually notice things that you do every day but don't bother to analyze. I did that today on my commute home from DUMBO. In all the four years I worked on the upper Westside on Amsterdam and 84th, I never felt that I was on a daily grind, or "commuting to work." There was enough variety each day in the people but also the way I got there (streets I took, train combinations I took, etc.) that it didn't seem like a static, routine task. But today, as I was leaving Washington Street, I realized how much it does feel that way in just four DAYS. It's not a neighborhood. It's somewhere people go to each day to work in the larger buildings and then all line up on the same street to walk toward the ONE subway train, the F at York. And then you enter this Blade Runner-like hallway to finally get to the stairs that take you to the platform. The only highlight today was that this girl slipped a little on her way up the stairs and her skirt went up and I saw her day-of-the-week panties. That made me giggle. And even though one might think that all these uber-hip trendsetters are so unique that there is VARIETY, I think NOT. They're trying too hard in my estimation.

Well, enough about that. On the train, I realized that I hadn't really done anything new today so I decided to cook something new. I went to the Asian fish market across from my apartment and got some red snapper (new thing). Granted, I've cooked some fish before, but never red snapper. Here's a pic of it. FRESH FISH!



I bought one filet ($1.06) and the guy behind the counter just looked so sad as he tried to fish the largest piece out of his selection. Then he bagged it up and gave me that look where he knows I'm alone. Wah-wah. So I cooked it, just some salt & pepper and viola. It was good. I turned on the boob tube and one of my favorite fish movies was on: Jaws.But Jaws 3, the one that came out in 3-D (this is what the poster looked like in German). The one with Dennis Quaid and Lea Thompson. I had the biggest crush on her when I was a kid. I think I still do. I loved her in Space Camp. That was the bestest movie ever! I was either going to work at Sea World or take off into the cosmos.

Facebook Explosion

I must say, I am always game for signing onto the next internet fad (Friendster, MySpace, Vimeo, etc.) but this Facebook thing has really exploded recently. I went to dinner tonight with Amy and we were talking about how many people have added us as friends that we knew from back in high school. It's insane. It's like a virtual reunion but of all different grades. I have to admit that I like it. I'm such a voyeur that this is fun to see what folks are up to even if I didn't know them very well back then. It's neat to see who's married, who has kids, who does what in their careers. So Panas folk, keep the friend requests coming... I know I'm not as on point as Row with my ol' memory but I never forget a face (unless you've gotten all bald and tan or toothless and hairy). Row, that was not a dig at you.....



My new thing today was answering my cell phone at my freelance job under my desk so no one else would see me talking. i felt like i was one of those hostages in a bank robbery film where they didn't quite see me yet so I was calling for help. anyway, it's so damn quiet in there and no one else seems to have any conversations with anyone that i just couldn't be like, "Hey Amy, so where are we meeting for supper?" I do wish there was water cooler chatter, but nada. All those cute boys and everyone seems to be actually working. What's up with that? Amy suggested that I just start blasting Howard Stern from my desktop and see what the kids' reactions are. I think I may try that. I'll let you know what transpires...

F to DUMBO

worked for mo today. quiet office. no water cooler chatter. cute boys though. the only thing is - none of them talked to me (and i think most of them were single). sheesh. it's like high school all over again. seriously, cool office. great work they are doing. looking forward to being part of it part-time. great to be watching mo's creative juices flowing again right in front of me. that area has changed so much in just a year. i think i was there only a year ago and there are so many cafes, shops, etc. now. wow. hey, that rhymes. ok, gimme a break, i'm trying to catch up on days here. shot a cool construction wall mural.



I did get to see the last of 4 waterfalls by that olaf dude (new thing). big woop though. what's the big deal. it's water falling from a metal thingy. gosh, that took a lot of thought. sorry artsy folks...

Thank goodness for Lemsip (08-17-08)

Got the flu or something last week, but thankfully, I still had my supply of Lemsip from Ireland here in Queens. This stuff would never be sold over the counter here but it does the trick. It has something called psuedopehredine (sp?) in it. Maybe we can get a petition together to get the U.S. to allow this stuff in. It rocks! Granted, you fall down like a druggie after one glass but it allows you to work the next day. Oh wait, why would you want to do that? also went to a noodle place on 4th avenue and 10th street (new thing) and saw ben stiller's latest movie, Tropic Thunder (new thing) - (eh, can't recommend you spending $11.75 on it but I did laugh a lot).

Oh! the Rambles (08-16-08)

Not sure if every New Yorker knows this yet but tourists don't seem to catch on that quick. The Ramble (that portion of the park behind (pardon the pun) the Boathouse, has been and still is a cruising area for homosexuals. It's fun to watch. I hate to make it sound like a zoo exhibit but it kind of is. Men walk up onto rocks, check out the pickins and then come back down, sometimes with a package, sometimes without. I introduced my friend Matthea to this fact and she can no longer see it in any other light. Although I have been to the Ramble before, we ventured to one area that I had never seen before, the gazebo (new thing). It was quite occupied but that didn't stop me. It seems to be inhabited actually. And that it was. About 8 gentlemen seemed to "hang out" there together on a regular basis because they welcome us to their "home." They were quite friendly and asked us where we were from because they probably figured two New Yorkers would not be strolling past them and venture inside to chat. It was cute. I said something along the lines of "hadn't wandered across this before. there are so many turns and hidden spaces" and they were like "uh, yea," probably knowing EXACTLY what I was talkin' about. Nice guys. Next trip there, we'll be taking a hot air balloon ride over Manhattan. Can't wait. And the gondola. Did you know there's a dude that gives gondola rides on the pond? Ask him to tell you his life story. Apparently Matthea has hired him 30 times and is almost to his childhood.

Friday, I'm in Love (08-15-08)

Today, I discovered Carl Shurz Park (new thing) near Gracie Mansion. Really cool spot.



I highly recommend checking it out. You can bring your large or small dog. They have dog runs for both sizes. No mixing please. After my lovely morning appointment, I donated my $1 to the Met (you do know you don't have to pay the suggested $20, right?) to see the Superheroes exhibit and the Koons sculptures on the roof.



But I found this one special place that I have never been to before in the Met and that is the glass cases of old furniture (new thing). How could EO have missed this area? It's in the American wing on the 2nd floor and it got me thinking that I might up my apartment insurance.



I love going to museums by myself because you never have to pretend that you are looking and thinking in front of some work of art. You can breeze through, run away from the boring bits and bypass the porcelain white naked dudes with missing noses. Whatever. Even though their pieces are in clear view, it just doesn't do it for me. I did however like this young chap. If anyone knows the model for this painting, do tell.

In and Out, Up and Down

So after having a lovely lunch at the Comfort Diner with my hot friend Nicole who works at the Flatiron Building (pronounced fla-tier-on), which I've never been inside of (new thing), I hopped on the M23 to peruse the Chelsea Galleries (is that supposed to be capitalized? I don't think so). Anyways, it was fun as always. This semi-annual outing is not new to me, but of course all the new art is (new things). I fortunately made it around 24th and 25th Streets before the heavens opened up and splashed me silly with rain water. I got to see a photo show on white supremists/KKK members and oddly enough, when I was walking to catch the C train uptown, there was this elderly black man with a cane standing outside of the Elliott Chelsea Housing Projects, trying to hail a cab and no one would stop. I asked him if he'd like me to help and he said yes so one stopped for me (new thing). Sad.

I highly suggest everyone go and stroll around the galleries. It's really fun. It gets your creative juices flowing and you meet neat folks. I met Ari from Israel (new thing) who didn't understand fully (and who would) that you just simply enter random buildings and take the elevators up and down to various open (and sometimes closed) doors that say "gallery" or "studio" on them. It's quite fun to be so B&E about it (well, not the B). Then you go in and out of warehouse-type storefronts. His English was cute and he had to be all of 19 years old. He was staying with his sister who is living here. I'm sure you'd love for me to go on and on about Ari but I'll change the subject.



So then, I'm in this one building that has lots of floors and I get off on the 5th Floor and see this sign outside one door that says "imaginary forces" and I'm alllll, "oh my gosh. that's where steve works. how funny." so i knock. never been there before (new thing). this woman answers and i ask if he works there and she doesn't seem to want to confirm or deny that fact so she calls him and says that i'm here for him. he indeed did work there and showed me around - thanks steve. cool stuff btw. i'm slowly realizing how fortunate i am to know so so many creative (and sometimes mildly famous) people. i rock! (oh wait, they rock). aww snap!

oh, and today i wore a backless shirt. it was fun. you get dirty looks from girls and hootin' and hollerin' from construction workers. i know girls say they hate that when sweaty guys with uniforms and hard hats cat call but i think it's fun. i sit and watch cute boys go by when i'm on benches in public and think naughty things but i just don't say it out loud. maybe that will be my new thing for tomorrow (prospective new thing). that's the ticket. what would that be called? dog calling? or just plain harrassment.

So I took tons of photos of the art, I think my favorite was the scary fairy tale dolls.


Or the dangerous women. So now I'm off to din-din with Heidi at La Rural (new thing), an Argentine restaurant on Amsterdam and 97th Street. Can't wait. I've always wanted to try it and her birthday is as good a reason as any. And there will be lots of MEAT. yum-e!