Happy Halloween

My nephew and niece. Sigh.

Haiku Friday

off to buffalo
for nuptials and niagara
should be a great time!

this week was a scream
maple syrup smell and all
alot of work done

sleep in, wee children
enjoy the blissful fall days
halloween is next!!

OOO-OOO That smell

Can you smell that smell?

Last night me and Babe were sitting on the couch, watching 24 on DVD. Both of us were slightly under the weather. He more than I. So, we're all of a sudden sniffing the air - "Do you smell pancakes?" We decided it smelled like maple syrup and I wondered what our landlord, who lives below us, was smoking.

Then! This morning on NY1, there's Pat Kiernan talking about the "Maple Syrup Smell" that hit all over NYC last night. Go figure. Even MSNBC smelled it.

Haiku to follow.

Not Relaxing

Since this is technically a place to relax on the web, I try to keep it real chill and not really talk about all kinds of political or controversial topics. And one thing that is surely not relaxing is war. But, what can you do when we are a country at war? Yes, I know, I know, the war is over and the mission is accomplished. But if you don't believe that, and I have a sneaking suspicion that you don't, you may want to spend a little time thinking about the kids who lost their lives due to our country's misdirection.

This interactive graphic on the NY Times websites names each of the 2,000 dead and what is more, you can order them by different demographics. So if you want to see only
the 18 year old's who were killed, then that's what you can do.

Not that you WANT to see these things. Who does, right? But when I was 18 I was having a good old time, running around Berkeley and partying down with my pals and with Babe.

Entomology 40

When I was in college (GO BEARS!), I took a class on bugs to help myself get over the fear of them. The class was mostly students filling their general science requirement, but me, I chose this course as an elective. You see, I'm pretty close to phobic when it comes to insects and rodents. It's not that I think they'll HURT me and for the most part, I think yes, it's true, they are more scared of us than we are of them (though if you've ever seen a NY rat I don't know if you can honestly believe that they are scared of anything). But, when I see a bug (except a lady bug, but even that, really) I scream, this little non-elective scream. If I see a mouse (god forbid I see one in my house) a non-elective scream and a shudder.

So, did the class work? No. What it did though is reinforce my disgust, hatred, and all around revulsion for the mascot of New York City - the cockroach.

I distinctly recall three things from the Entomology 40 course. (A course which I wrote a stunning 20 page research paper on the mosquito, by the way.)

a#1 - they showed a movie about roaches and talked about how hardy and resilient they are - splendid creatures, really. In this "movie" they showed a roach walking into a radio, like a schoolie, big, 50s radio, and then the radio blowing up and then the roach walking out of the radio. (Those little black roach traps? Yea, that's going to work.)

b#2 - this bug professor (guest speaker) came in and brought in hissing cockroaches and picked them up and waved them around the classroom - "Do ya hear that? Do ya hear that? Magnificent!" VOM.

c#3 - They had this slide showing a half eaten cheeseburger with 3 huge cockroaches sitting on top of it.

Lesson learned?
I'm still afraid of bugs.
Cockroaches, stay out of my kitchen. Or you will pay mightily.

Weather

(painter - Gustave Caillebotte)
Just so you know, it is the rainiest October ever recorded in New York City history.

Ray Liotta

Yesterday's post about the White Sox got me to thinking about the movie 8 Men Out which I don't think I've seen. The movie is about the baseball scandal, you know. What I have seen, though, is Field of Dreams with the increasingly absent from film Ray Liotta. (IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME!) Mr. Liotta may just be one of the scariest looking actors of all time, from the beads-of-sweat-so-white-he's-almost green coked-up scenes in Goodfellas to this crazy, partner killing cop in some 90s movie....maybe it was copland?

Anyways, that's all. Just thinking about Ray Liotta. Take care, then.

Interviews

I'm interviewing some peeps today for a job here. Yeah, they let me pick em. LOL.

Actually that's not why I'm here. I'm here today to talk with you about baseball. Man oh man do I ever love baseball. Something about it is just so nice. I rarely care too much about who's playing but I do just love to listen to it. I got that from my ma, I think, who got that from her dad.

If you've been watching the series you probably already know this, but its a good story nonetheless and so I thought I'd bring it to you, since I know you turn to me for news & information. VERY important.

the white sox scandal
The 1919 World Series resulted in the most famous scandal in baseball history. Eight players from the Chicago White Sox (later nicknamed the Black Sox) were accused of throwing the series against the Cincinnati Reds. Details of the scandal and the extent to which each man was involved have always been unclear. It was, however, front-page news across the country and, despite being acquitted of criminal charges, the players were banned from professional baseball for life.

For more info, try the baseball almanac.

ikea

Me and Babe needed a tiny kitchen table so we hiked out to IKEA today in Elizabeth NJ. In order for a Manhattanite to get to IKEA without Coche, you have to take the IKEA Bus from the port authority. Thankfully (really?) we live right by the port authority, so we headed out to the bus and it took us right to IKEA. So easy!

We found the tiny table and we found a couple other cute things that I think you'll probably like. Whoever you are.

Lesson learned? If you need to go to IKEA and don't have a car, don't worry about it! The IKEA bus totally works. It's totally fast and easy (insert mom joke here) and they must leave about every 15 minutes from IKEA.

Haiku Friday

damn smoke condition
makes me late to work again
whats that all about?

gorgeous weather done
just in time for the weekend
(i'm not complaining)

stolked on the weekend
new apartment is SO NICE
sleeping late? oh yes.

"smoke condition"

What exactly is a "smoke condition"?

I don't know what it is, but I know what it does. It stops all the trains in Manhattan - standstill - and makes me late to work.

Happy Friday! Haiku to follow.

tupperware party

Here's your funny fifties foto for the day. I'm going to figure out how to make these myself. So we have an unlimited supply of them. Because they are funny.

AND

I'd like to have one (a tupperware party) or go to one. Any ideas?

30 Minute Meals

Highly recommended: Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals. Make em. She's so great. I think she gets on people's nerves cuz she's so perky. Well, it seems to have worked for her. Read this neat NYTimes article about her story. You'll like it and you may like her a little bit more - or at least forgive her her goofy laugh.

Oh Rachel Ray, you use SO MUCH EVOO!!

Salad Dressing and Earthquake relief

Unlike the outpouring of good will and banner ads for the Hurricane victims, there hasn't been that much information on how to give to the victims of the recent earthquake. I know UNICEF is a good place to give, but would take suggestions on any others.

On an entirely unrelated note (in fact I wonder if I should split this up into two posts?) I learned a new recipe for the best salad dressing of all time last night!

1 part taco sauce (like 2 tbspns)
Juice of 2 limes
sour cream (like 2 tbspns)

mix it up! YUM!

Funny fifties foto

to end your day with a smile!

Just do this

That's all.

George Packer's comment in this week's New Yorker lays out (in 1 short page) exactly what Dems have to do to succeed in the 2006 election. So, start taking notes people:

Instead of trying to cobble together a hypothetical majority with a hodgepodge of small-bore policy proposals, the Democrats need to nationalize the elections of 2006 the way the Republicans did in 1994. A Democratic manifesto that unites the PartyÂ’s own diverse factions would begin as a referendum on the ruling party: the White House and Congress have handed government over to corrupt interests, and, in so doing, the Republicans have betrayed basic American principles of honesty, competence, and fairness. There is no reason for Democrats to be on the defensive about moral values. On issue after issue, government by cronyism and corruption has sacrificed the interests of the middle class to those of the Administration'’s wealthy friends. The deepening inequality in American life threatens families and democracy, and it is neither natural nor inevitable.

Got that? So let's get cracking people.
My personal favorite of this piece is this: "government by cronyism and corruption has sacrificed the interests of the middle class to those of the Administration's wealthy friends. "
Because that just about sums it up, doesn't it? Government by cronyism and corruption. That's our president. The whole column is really great, so I recommend it. Though it in general makes it sound REALLY easy to win back the US of A from the hands of "the corrupt" (AS IF DEMS DON'T PARTAKE IN THEIR OWN FAIR SHARE OF CORRUPTION) it does give me hope that one day we won't have to be totally embarrassed by our president.
Go forth now and spread the good word.

For now

This will have to do.

Core Plan & Misc.

How much do you sleep? I usually get about 7 hours of sleep and that includes time spent snoozing. Last night I took a nap from 8 - 10 PM then slept at night. I think I'm going to do that every night. I feel fantastic. I dreamt that I had two children and that I kept forgetting to feed them. What did you dream?

I lost 3 pounds on the core plan this week. Am not looking for them, they are lost for good. I've quit smoking for over 5 months. I'll tell you when I'm happy about it.
I'm going to have a FUBU birthday party for me and Babe in November. As in For us By us. Do you want to come? That's all for now. Just a quick check in because I missed you yesterday. I swear I'll try to think of something interesting and hit you back.

Oh! And thanks to Randi for this:
next time you feel fat, remember that 8% of your weight is blood. Werd.

Easy like Sunday mornin

Friday night was a mess. Not in the disaster sense of the term but in the omg why do you need to get gray's papaya hot dogs at 4:30 in the morning?

Me and Babe had some fun with samuelle and jeff. In case you turn to me instead of sheckys, I will tell you the bars we went to and give you some reaction. K?

Libation: We started at this pretty bar, with pretty people, pointy shoes and velvet ropes. Very cool place and a good ole way to start off the night.

Waikiki Wallys: We went here next, it's a super hokie theme bar with hoogie drinks. "Enormous cocktails" is what we called em.

Casimir: Next was this random, very ethnic looking place, with extremely low tables and 1,000 candles. Being that we were the only people there, it really felt like "they shouldn't have" gone through so much trouble to light the place up. Quickly moved on from there.

Rue B: Classic standby. This bar is always an excellent choice to finish off an evening (I wish it ended here.) Usually they have a cool 3 piece band playing, but not this evening. Could've been that it was just too late. Though all of my friends were hitting on the waitress, she took it all in stride and we had a great time.

You think its done, don't you? I wish it were, people. I wish it were. We took a cab ride home and as we were walking to the pad, someone (SAMOI) called out, maybe one more round! Sure. Why the heck not?

Rudy's: Categorized as sleazy, and it is no wonder why. The huge lifesize pig outside makes you wonder if they are serving ribs inside (they're not) and you never, ever, want to see what you're standing on. Last call for NYC and for the three of us took place in this locale.

thankgoditsfriday

rain won't stop ever
no matter, we'll still go out
finished my paper

guest in town so fun
apartment to show people
pals come on over!

partying tonight
sleeping late til afternoon
my world is peaceful

MWAH!

core plan

My TGIF message will be here soon. I'm still struggling to get this paper done.
Sammuelle is here from the bay area. He's so funny, you guys. If you don't know Samois , I'm sorry. For example, last night he explained to me that Asian men have tight hamstrings.

Oh Sammy Wa.
More in a bit.

OH CORE PLAN - yeah, I'm on a diet. No bread. Low carbs, low fat. I almost ripped a muffin out of a child's hand this morning.

Best-of-Craigslist

Sometimes, just checking out the best of craigslist is a good way to pass the time. I'm not doing that today, because I have work to do and a paper due, but if you do have the time, I say click here:

Go on, Craigslist!

For an excellent tounge-in-cheek account of "10 Reasons Why Gay Marriage is Wrong."

My favorites:

02) Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.
&
05) Straight marriage will be less meaningful if gay marriage were allowed; the sanctity of Britany Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage would be destroyed.
&
08) Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.
&
Well, you get the picture. Click the link for the full 10.

and thanks to Nancoi for always forwarding me things she knows I like

Rainy Day

We've had 8 inches of rain in the past two days. Looks like we'll be having about 8 more today. I walk by a wee private school on my way to the subway and this morning saw the soggy playground and thought about all the screaming hyper children who are stuck inside today.

Brought to mind the old game "Heads Up, Seven Up" that we used to play during recess when it rained. Did ya'all play that one, too? Well this AM I couldn't remember either the point nor the rules of the game. So, as a tribute to a rainy day and all of the screaming children stuck inside:

Head's Up, Seven Up, is a children's game that is played in primary school...The goal is for selected participants to correctly guess the person who pressed their thumb.

To start the game, seven children are selected and come to the front of the room. The team captain says, "Heads down, thumbs up!" The class puts their head down, closes their eyes, and puts one thumb up. The chosen seven circulate through the room, each of the children secretly pressing one thumb down. This takes about one minute. The captain then calls "Heads up, seven up!". All children raise their heads and the lucky seven whose thumbs were pressed stand up. Each in turn names the person they think pressed their thumb. If they are correct, the thumb-presser sits down and the winning child takes their place. The game then starts again.

(Thanks, Wikipedia.)
Anyone care to join me for a round?

I swear it rains harder

in Hell's Kitchen.

Hell's Kitchen, where I reside, is contained (now) in the boundaries of 34th St - 59th St and 8th Avenue West til the Hudson River *because I live by a river.*

Why is it called Hell's Kitchen, you ask? Well, let me (or rather, let someone else) tell you:

Although the name Hell's Kitchen refers to a rough section on the South Side of London, the term in reference to New York first appeared in print on September 22, 1881 when a New York Times reporter went to the West 30s with a police guide to get details of a multiple murder there. He referred to a particularly infamous tenement at 39th Street and 10th Avenue as "Hell's Kitchen," and said that the entire section was "probably the lowest and filthiest in the city." According to this version, 39th Street between 9th and 10th Avenues became known as Hell's Kitchen and the name was later expanded to the surrounding streets. Another version ascribes the name's origins to a German restaurant in the area known as Heil's Kitchen, after its proprietors. But the most common version traces it to the story of Dutch Fred The Cop, a veteran policeman, who with his rookie partner, was watching a small riot on West 39th Street near 10th Avenue. The rookie is supposed to have said, "This place is hell itself," to which Fred replied, "Hell's a mild climate. This is Hell's Kitchen."

So there you have it folks. I took that from here.

Times Square & Me and My Dad

Here's a neat picture of my next door neighbor, the spectacular spectacular Times Square and a picture of me and my Dad. Oh dads.

Whistling Camp

I try not to get too involved in baseball - I only end up getting upset. Man did I ever want the Yankees to win last night. Better luck next year, fellas. I can't wait til the stupid Angels get beat by the White Sox. (I HOPE! SEE? Here I go again.)

Does anyone know of a place that teaches whistling? I find my skills to be lacking and am looking to learn how to whistle in tune. Is it something you can even learn? I've been practicing for years and frankly don't think I'm getting any better.

Well that sucks

Bummer about Friendster, man!

One of the best-things-ever about Friendster was the ability to look up people you don't talk to anymore and click on your pals pictures over and over again even though you've seen them all before. Well, now you can see who's viewed you, and further, they can see you!

If you have an account and haven't logged on in awhile you'll be suprised at the changes that abound. Now I know that some strange guy keeps looking at my page - so weird! And, to all of you who I've lovingly and socially stalked in the past, I'll see you on myspace!!

Hell's Kitchen food review

Tried a few new places this weekend - Tiny Thai on 9th Avenue and 46th or so, very cute and small. Fresh, too, which is really all I ask for. Still, Galanga on 4th street is my favorite and thats because they make their pineapple fried rice without huge crustaceans in it.

Also tried La'Allegria per my neighbor's recommendation. Its on my corner - 44th and 9th. 'sokay. The service was horrendous but the pasta was delicious and could've fed an army.

Watched more sports this weekend than most weekends. Me folks were in town, is prolly part of it. My poor cal bears - they always get so close and then lose. We really invested ALOT of time into this pinchi game, too, what seemed like 5 hours, only to have the STUPID bruins beat them in the end. Babe was MAD.

Watched the Jankees last night. I was glad they beat the Angels. Who cares about the stupid Los Angeles Angels from Anaheim? OH! Sorry, its not that serious. I'm a little tired.

Stream

Watched the flick sin city the other evening. Dug it. I think I would like movies more if, as a rule, the blood portrayed in the violent scenes was white. Frodo was CRAZY in this movie, evil-eyed creepy-crazy. Jessica Alba IS hot and Britney Murphy ain't so bad to look at herself. But say nothing other than BDT for I love BenicioDelToro and think that he might be part super-hero.

There's just something about superheros....

As you may recall, I like to click nextblog on the ole blogger. Bugs me when people "pimp out their webpage" (I borrow a term from myspace) and then it either takes a long time to load and or freezes my mozilla and or they don't include the next blog feature. i aint madatcha, I'm just saying.

Yesterday, I met Mimi the illegal immigrant blogger who is a stripper by day and a journalist by night. google her if you want to read more about her, she's totally excellent. I'm co-teaching this course on illegal immigration in new york city, you know. You'd be surprised how many people are illegal immigrants. Lotsa people falsely assume all illegal immigrants are poor people who came here to escape dreadful conditions. Yeah, not so much. Mimi, for example, went to Cambridge. Other people came here for adventure, for school and overstayed visas, or just because of connections or lovers or fun. It's true.

maybe lotsa people don't think that, but i think i may have.

I'm starting a diet on Monday, which will be exactly 5 months without a fucking cigarette. Monday is also stupid columbus day which i can't believe is an actual holiday in this country. i hope children in school at least learn that columbus wasn't so much a 'discoverer' as a 'conquerer.'

i stole this joke from the "next blog" i clicked:
two antennas met on a roof and got married. the ceremony wasn't much but the reception was excellent.

HA!

Miscellany

Friday - hello! Started the day with a meeting, a good way to dive right into a Friday.

I have a bit of a query - there's this whole heightened state of alert thing happening with the subways, you know, some type of threat. Specifically towards the subway, which I now take to get to work.

Well a grrls gotta work, right? I mean, as I got on this AM I was wondering, am I foolhardy? Am I committing the fallacy of, "this isn't going to happen to me." But, honestly, what are the chances? I really don't know what to do. My mother called me and told me not to take the subway today (but that's how I got here this AM) and I said fine, I won't take it home. But will I? How else am I going to walk home? I mean, I could walk the three miles - but really, what if its raining? Plus, I wore flip flops.

Tonight, we're going to a party WAY uptown. Cab? Sounds expensive! Bus? Yeah, right. Babe doesn't really do buses. So, not so sure what to do.

Any thoughts?

Folkses

My folks are here and they could not be cuter.

I just dropped them off in the vortex that is 40th and 8th avenue to pick up a rental car. My parents, then, are driving out of Manhattan. I gave them both a hug and wished them god speed. **I hope this works.**

Took my folks to a dive bar last night near our pad. I don't know the exact name but the sign touted cold beer and hot women so we couldn't resist. Uber divey, with a pool table and checkered table cloths, I can surely see myself going back there. Something like the Bull Moose Saloon on 44th and 9th Avenue. The pitchers were 10 bucks. You really can't go wrong with that.

And now I'm here at work. Ready set go for an excellent day. Sorry I don't have any too blogworthy to share, but I'll come back to ya if I think of something.

The Daily Show

Just a reminder that if you are not watching the Daily Show you are totally missing out.

I'm getting settled into the new place, though we have limited seating until Saturday. I'm starting to feel like I actually live there. Folks are coming today from San Diego so that will make the whole new apartment thing a little more real.

We've been gavalanting about the Hell's Kitchen hood for restaurants and have tried a number of them. The best so far is Arriba! Arriba! on 51st and 9th Avenue. Really good mexican food with salsa that is actually spicy AND contains cilantro. I know, crazy. I was feeling good about that restaurant, then went to Tucson Arizona to visit sibling and family and had "real" refried beans, where I once again realized what I am missing. Why can't anyone in NYC refry up a damn pinto bean?

Last night we tried Pietrasanta or something like that on 48th and 9th avenue which has a good ole special, pasta, salad and a glass a wine for 13 dollars. Great deal! Because of said deal, though, the place gets jam packed and what should be a quick meal turns out to be a long one. (service stunk.)

Finally, and this is a bit off topic (as if there is ever any topic) I went to my local pizzeria the other day as I'm wont to do before class. Ben's, on the corner of MacDougal and W 3rd is a village mainstay. As I was sitting at the tiny table eating my pizza in broad daylight, a rat went zooming from the kitchen to the pizza counter. Bye bye Ben's. Its not that I didn't know there were rats/mice on this particular corner its just that if the rodent has the audacity to run in the middle of the day through a crowded pizza joint, he's just too comfortable for me.

Now that's blogworthy

So, I'm catching up on my blog reading and I check out Mona's Apple, with her excellent review of Bellavitae. Interestingly enough, my good pal also reviewed Bellavitae. And, when I went there with my sister, the owners were talking about this review they had seen online, which was that very same review. I told them I just so happened to know the guy who wrote the review.

But, Mona's story goes on to include an encounter with a drunken patron at Babbo. Sitting at lunch the other day with my coworkers, one of them told a story about how just the other day they had gone to Babbo for dessert and a cocktail and were surprised to encounter a totally drunk and obnoxious patron, who the bartenders had to escort out of the bar.

El mundo es un panuelo, people. I don't make this shit up.

blogworthy

The "Urban Dictionary" word of the day is blog fodder (when you hear something and the first thing you think of is that you should post it on your blog.)

I call this blogworthy. When I hear a funny story or see a good picture or think of some random topic that you might find interesting.

So many times, though, it's NOT really blogworthy.

For example, I told you previously how much I like typos. One person emailed me regarding my craigslist posting to sell our sofa bed (poor sofa bed, left on the street for dogies to peepee on) and asked me if my "soft bed" was still available. Oh, I laughed and laughed. I said to Babe, "babe, that's blogworthy right there!" Guess what happened when I wrote it into a blog? It just wasn't funny.

The packers losing last night. I thought, I could really write something interesting about how my heart aches and I feel sad when the packers lose. I wrote that out, too, but that's really all I can say about it. It's not REALLY blogworthy because there is just not much there.

So I guess the moral of the story is, though I search for fodder, it's sometimes difficult to find things that are blogworthy.

WAKE UP YOU'RE DROOLING.

Tucson is beautiful this time of year

Flew home last night from AZ. Our pilot's name was J. Diddy. How's that for inspiring faith?

Took American Airlines which took was on time the entire way. Is Jet Blue lame? Is that why I'm usually delayed? Or did we just get lucky this weekend?

Plane conversations - I used to be the queen of them. I loved chatting it up with the person next to me. Now, I'm not so much into talking to people. I spoke a little with the lady on the short flight twixt Dallas and Tucson. Nothing to write home about.

On the other hand, the people sitting behind me yesterday as I was struggling through my reading for class today (Foucault takes all the concentration I can muster) they hit it off like ... insert simile here of two things that hit if off really well. But its not that they were just chatting it up, cuz I can read when people are chatting its that the had the peculiar condition of being unable TO CONTROL THE VOLUME OF THEIR VOICES and that their conversation was SO DUMB people.

Before you get all mad and think I'm making an "arbitrary rule" about conversations (see comment below if you don't get that joke) here are a few examples of what they said:

passenger one: "what's your favorite food, do you like sushi?"
Passenger two: "No, I don't like sushi."

P1: "I think Jessica Alba is hot."
P2: "Who do you think is hotter keira knightley of Jessica Alba?"

P1: "Do you go out in the city at all?"
P2: "We go to Coldstone creamery, Bob's bagels, and out to dinner."

SHOOT ME PLEASE. NEXT TIME I'M BUYING THE HEADSET.

PIVOT!

Well, per usual, something shat on my parade...

Of course it didnt fit