You Are A Twin

Darshan with Amma

2011-07-03T12:11:00.003-04:00

Gay Marriage Legal in New York!

2011-06-25T01:15:00.003-04:00

Bravo, New York Senate and gay right activists and supporters around the city and across the state!!! New York becomes the 6th and largest state to legalize same sex marriage. In my lifetime, I hope we will see the legalization of same sex marriage on a federal level.

To celebrate: Lady Gaga's The Edge of Glory. It's the perfect celebration: gay-loving Gaga, awesome dance anthem, dancing on a steamy city street, and sax solo from the late, great Clarence "The Big Man" Clemons!

2011 TONY Highlight(s)

2011-06-15T08:57:00.006-04:00

Watching my friends Arian, and his beautiful partner Krissy, look so at ease in the spotlight was marvelous. Arian's gracious applaud of John Benjamin Hickey's win made him look even more like a pro. Brava!

However, I did have another highlight: Francis McDormand's jean jacket. When I got home from the TONY party we were attending on the West Side, I joined it's Twitter feed. According to that evening's Tweets, it was mostly intoxicated during the show. Makes sense. Regarding Francis, I was struck by her vulnerability to stop in between errands to pick up her award. Shockingly, others took Francis' side in making a "statement". Here's another take from the Daily Beast.

67th Annual Theatre World Awards

2011-06-08T07:43:00.003-04:00

The quote of the night was from Chris Rock (who spoke on behalf of the cast of Motherf**er with the Hat, winners of the Lunt-Fontanne Award for Ensemble Excellence), who accepted the award from presenter, and Broadway legend, Zoe Caldwell:

"[To Zoe] I loved you in Maude...[To Audience] Thank you...Now stay off the pipe and don't send anyone pictures of your dick."

Also, look closely and you will see caricatures of this year's recipients on the cover of the Program, including the wonderful Arian Moayed, from Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo and my lovely friend Halley Feiffer as the nun in The House of Blue Leaves! Great job, guys!

MJ vs LeBron

2011-06-04T23:49:00.000-04:00

Best Dancers on the Internet

2011-06-04T00:06:00.004-04:00

Tie:

FIRST VIDEO

SECOND VIDEO

John Lithgow's Continued Dominance of All Things

2011-06-02T11:12:00.001-04:00

The Colbert Report
Tags: Colbert Report Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,Video Archive

Choices

2011-05-24T10:25:00.005-04:00

This is a great pictoral metaphor for New York: with enough love, tolerance, and cocaine, you can handle anything.

Fat Guy with a Little Dog

2011-05-22T14:38:00.006-04:00

When I saw them on the subway, I couldn't stop singing this:

Fat Guy in a Little Coat
Tommy Boy at MOVIECLIPS.com

Mumbai Called, They Want Their Electrical Engineers Back

2011-05-20T09:50:00.005-04:00

9 hours without power yesterday and this jerry-rigged wiring situation over the top of the street light is the best ConEd could do.

When I think about it, they're right: this street has been too safe for way too long.

Thumbs up, fellas!

From Tonight's Level 101 Class Show

2011-05-18T00:37:00.004-04:00

"Her generosity manifests itself into aggression."
-Quote from a monologue about a student's Hungarian grandmother

Hi-larious.

They Grow Up So Quickly

2011-05-17T15:51:00.001-04:00

Queens Fruit

2011-05-15T19:00:00.003-04:00

Oh, That's UPS Trucks Make Babies

2011-03-15T18:21:00.003-04:00

2010 Year In Review

2010-12-31T10:55:00.012-05:00

We moved into an awesome new apartment (and got awesomely weird neighbors).

I said good-bye to my 2nd Dad growing up, Bob Long.

I became co-owner and Cat Mommy to the two greatest cat best friends ever, Willie & Waylon.

I joined the faculty of the Peoples Improv Theater (see: top row).

I lost my last living grandparent, Grandma Sargent.

I became an Aunt (see: baby in arms, not puppets).

I got engaged to my best friend.

Such An Amazingly Funny Video

2010-08-12T13:43:00.004-04:00

Harvard Sailing Team at it again.

Autumn in Summer

2010-08-03T00:02:00.005-04:00

Heading home to meet my new neice, Autumn, who is 10 days old. Can't wait to meet her, but she's in no rush. She be chillin'.

Summer Treat

2010-08-02T23:57:00.005-04:00

PS. SpongeBob's last request was to wish you a very Happy Birthday, Jess!

Friends Who S*** Together, Stick Together

2010-08-01T09:38:00.003-04:00

The Call

2010-07-11T14:54:00.001-04:00

Heaven's Kitchen

2010-07-10T19:51:00.003-04:00

We will miss you, Bobby.

I Would Do The Same

2010-07-08T22:42:00.002-04:00

This video is terrible and doesn't allow embedding, but it's the last remaining footage of this, my favorite acceptance speech. Viacom pulled all the others for copyright infringement. I threatened Happy last night that I'm going to write him a similar speech...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHho5WBK1vo

Can Anyone Answer the 25 Year Old Question: Why is Dan Aykroyd In This?

2010-07-07T01:15:00.004-04:00

The Digital Mercury

2010-07-06T16:31:00.002-04:00

You're Really Harshing on My Mellow, Times Square

2010-07-05T23:21:00.006-04:00

Summer Patio

2010-07-04T15:45:00.003-04:00

Summer Afternoons

2010-07-03T23:51:00.001-04:00

Summer Picnic

2010-07-02T23:04:00.002-04:00

Kitchen View

2010-07-02T14:45:00.001-04:00

Opening Night

2010-07-01T11:08:00.005-04:00

Last night, I attended Shakespeare in the Park's opening night performance of "Winter's Tale," to see my wonderful boyfriend, Happy, as the Mariner. The show is truly magical, and I was moved to tears by the sheer beauty and power of the ending.

Everything was incredible; from the staging to the music to the astonishing performances from the likes of Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Linda Emond, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Jesse L. Martin, and the brilliant comedic timing of Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Max Wright (the Dad from Alf!).

The company is doing rep and their other show is "Merchant of Venice" with Al Pacino. OMG.

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/06/29/arts/1247468150463/the-merchant-of-venice.html

"Jamaica Bay is one of the most important urban wildlife refuges in the United States"

2010-07-01T11:01:00.010-04:00

Around Town

2010-06-28T16:04:00.003-04:00

Where the...?

2010-06-28T15:54:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the long absence. It's summer now. Thank God, we made it.

I made myself so busy and got through the darkest, rainiest months of Spring: We moved into an awesome new apartment; I helped organize the white-tie Spring Waltz for City Opera; We adopted the most beautiful and hilarious Russian Blue kitty and named him after country music legend Waylon Jennings; I met Al Pacino; I started teaching improv classes at The PIT; I "won" a trip to Cancun.

The summer just officially began and already it's packed to the brim with classes, shows, showcases, rehearsals, working part-time for Jewish Partisans, anniversaries, a temporary gym membership, more Al Pacino, wonderful visits from Happy's family, making videos, working in the Hamptons again, and the eager anticipation of the newest member of the Griffiths-DeChant clan. When will He/She arrive? And, how quickly will Boy/Girl think I am my twin sister, Her/Him's mommy?

So many questions to be answered...and so many cat videos to be posted...

Upside of Moving #33: Happy Finds His Collection of Single Socks

2010-02-27T23:58:00.005-05:00

New York Does Winter

2010-02-26T10:32:00.013-05:00

Lincoln Center Trash

2010-02-23T11:51:00.001-05:00

And He Was

2010-02-18T10:55:00.008-05:00

Last night, some Baldwins and I were sitting around trading New York celebrity run-in stories when Griggs www.chrisgriggscomedy.com suggested that I share my story with the interwebs. So, here goes...

The summer I moved to New York, I scored a part-time job working at the box office at Joe's Pub, one of the city's best music venues (see blog post July 2007). The Pub got a lot of famous people coming to see shows, but one run-in is particularly memorable to me.

One night, the wonderful Brazilian musician Bebel Gilberto was performing. And who should walk into the box office in hopes of catching the show, but champion and lover of Brazilian music, David Byrne!

Now, I love the Talking Heads, so this was very exciting for me. But, David Bryne is a liiiiittle jarring to meet in person. His is already very tall frame was accentuated by his spiky, bright white hair (that he freed once he removed his 80s bike helmet), an all-white shirt, all-white shorts, all-white socks pulled up to his calves, and all-white sneakers.

He awkwardly floated towards the counter and in his soft rhythmic way, asked for a ticket. I happily told him that he could go right in, compliments of the house. He expressed his gratitude, but insisted on paying for his ticket. After a little back and forth, I told him of course I would sell him a ticket.

But, as reached his hand into the pocket of his bike shorts to retrieve his money, his hand got stuck. So, he tugged harder to release his trapped appendag and suddenly, the pocket loosened its grip, his hand gave way, and hundred dollar bills and pennies came flying across the counter at me. Embarrassed, David Byrne leaped to the floor to begin picking up the scattered cash. I joined him on the ground, but he immediately handed me a crumpled hundred, so I made change and handed him his ticket.

Then, he stole into the show.

The End

Today's Blizzard

2010-02-10T17:45:00.004-05:00

Pre-Super Bowl Wii Boxing: An Amazing Match-Up

2010-02-08T00:10:00.005-05:00

Happy (33 years old) vs. Thomas (7 years old).

A room full of people are laughing hysterically, while James (off-screen) warns, "Watch the mantle, watch the mantle!"

Kippa Digging

2010-02-06T08:45:00.002-05:00

Help! There's a Jew buried at 60th/Columbus!

Zip It Up and Zip It Out

2009-11-11T23:47:00.005-05:00

Actor Columbus Short, star of the new Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels' rip-off flick, Armored, was on Wendy "How You Doin'?" Williams tonight and quoted one of my favorite Dave Chappelle lines of all time. IN FACT, just two days ago, I said the exact same line to my Wonderful Boyfriend.

And now, I am going to go Stomp The Yards.

Here is the incredible Dave Chappelle in the classic Killing Them Softly, describing how his racists lawyers have no idea what the hell Dave Chappelle or any non-white person is talking about.

Autumn in New York

2009-11-10T11:26:00.004-05:00

Get It Together

2009-11-09T00:35:00.003-05:00

I love this man.

Ask and You Shall Receive

2009-11-09T00:22:00.004-05:00

Dear Readers,

As the two of you might remember, on July 21st, I posted about my family's infamous BETA "Kid's Tape" favorite, Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters" video and my magnificant inability to name any of the 80s celebs who appeared there-in. Lucky for us, Mom is one of the other readers! Here's her massively informative email (thanks, Mom):

From: Mom
Date: Sun, Oct 18, 2009 at 9:35 AM
Subject: ghostbusters

The "mysterious" celebrities are:
Chevy Chase
Irene Cara, starred in original "Fame" and had a hot career at the time
John Candy
Melissa Gilbert, from "Little House on the Prairie"
Rick James, a funk rock star
Jeffrey Tambor, Al Franken
Danny DeVito
Carly Simon
Peter Falk
Terri Garr

Talk to you later, love, Mom

New York City Opera and Me: Battle Tested

2009-11-08T23:17:00.017-05:00

3 weeks ago I started a job at the New York City Opera.

I was hired to help them execute last Thursday's Theater Debut Celebration, a black-tie Gala event that raised $2.5 million dollars to celebrate the re-opening of its theater and re-starting of its season for the first time in 18 months.

1) Listen to NPR's report about the much-anticipated Opening Night.

2) View a video from NY1's society reporter, George Whipple.

3) Read the New York Times' review of the show and check out picture slideshow.

One of the many things I've learned in my 6 years as a professional Event Planner (including: don't panic, carry a pen, and eat something...anything, really) is that I have Situational Awareness. Which makes sense since heading into an event feels on par to heading into battle.

Wikipedia describes Situational Awareness as:
"the perception of environmental elements within a volume of time and space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their status in the near future. It is also a field of study concerned with perception of the environment critical to decision-makers in complex, dynamic areas from aviation, air traffic control, power plant operations, military command and control — to more ordinary but nevertheless complex tasks such as driving an automobile or motorcycle."

aka "the ace factor"

aka "the 'You can be my wingman anytime,' factor"

Someone even dorkier than me made a chart which describes, quite accurately I suppose, the SA process. I love charts!

Situational Awareness allows one to see their environment in its entirety and understand exactly how their actions will affect it. Although, this aspect of one's personality can only be accessed while they are immersed in a deeply stressful environment.

Like when I shoot bad guys in war or operate the air traffic control tower...or hold a guest list.

Oh Yeah, Election Day. Whoopsie!

2009-11-03T23:38:00.004-05:00

Election results from just over 1.03 million New Yorkers (that's only 1/8th of the 8.3 million New Yorkers!):

WASHINGTON (CNN) - CNN projects Independent candidate Michael Bloomberg will be elected to a third term as New York City mayor.

This humble blogger is embarrassed to admit that I was one of the 6.07 million who didn't vote. I overslept and had to run to work. I swear!

Sigh.

I know, I know. That's pathetic. Especially knowing that citizens of other countries put their life in danger just to have the right. Well. Here's to another term, Bloomy!

My Tribute to the NYC Marathon

2009-11-01T09:34:00.006-05:00

I am one of 330 million people watching from the comfort of my living room the 2 million New Yorkers lining the streets and cheering the over 42,000 racers in the 40th annual New York City Marathon. In honor of this exciting day, I did as many push-ups as I could (1) and am going to the gym today. Sure, maybe one day I'll be out there myself, cheering on those runners.

In light of today's fesitivies, I can't help but reflect on where I was exactly a year ago and how far I've come (one push-up ain't lookin' so bad right now): I had just spent 5 hours in NYU Medical Center's ER having been treated for an unexpected asthma attack on Halloween. So, in the last year, I have worked hard to make sure I never return to that ER: I joined the gym, I actually go, I finally listened to my primary care doctor and switched inhalers (from my beloved MaxAir to the reliable Advair).

Big strides, one baby step at a time.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-31T12:56:00.006-04:00

World's Largest Feral Hog: Shot

2009-10-29T09:39:00.007-04:00

At work today, I was been asked to cold call some of New York's big game hunters (I ain't talkin' about the ones who try to bag a wealthy Upper East Side widow) in order to garner interest in a lot in our Fall Gala Live Auction, Boar Hunting in Friedrichsruh, Germany. Part of my research included the perusing of Boar Hunting Magazine for possible rich hunters. It was in this fine, fine online publication where I stumbled upon this equally horrifying and fascinating article.

WORLD'S LARGEST FERAL HOG TAKEN

Tea Bag Me, Please!

2009-10-28T10:25:00.004-04:00

The guy ahead of me at Starbuck's this morning ordered a "2 bag Awake." I wonder when he realized 1 bag just wouldn't do anymore. Maybe it was the same day irony died.

Kamelya & Co.

2009-10-27T23:31:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I visited one of my best friends, Aylin, and her amazingbeautifulsmarthilarioustalented baby, Kamelya.

http://kamelya-ellen.blogspot.com/

Heroine's Journey, Our Jouney, Nana's Journey

2009-10-26T23:59:00.002-04:00

A document from my boyfriend's Nana that we found while unpacking his boxes.

Sis Con '09

2009-10-21T08:24:00.012-04:00

In July, my sisters and I conveened in Washington State for a week to camp and roadtrip: from Seattle to Spokane to Glacier National Park to Billings, MT.

In 2 days, we hoofed from Seattle to Glacier, picking up sisters, nibbling on cherries, sipping on Buffalo coffee, and reveling in the beautiful mountainscape along the way. After a weekend in Glacier hiking, breathing in the crisp clean (windy) mountain air, smelling the Painted Ladies and Arctic Lillies, playing shadows on million-year-old glacier rocks, and counting shooting stars at night, we headed East out of the Park through the Crow Reservation into the mid-July heat of the flats of Central Montana. By days' end, we arrived in Billings, took in the culture (coughcoughHarryPotter) and laid our heads with fellow travelers at the Louis & Clark Motel. The next morning we said good-bye to one another and the mountains as we hopped flights back to Chicago and New York.

My Hero, Now A Fashion Hero

2009-10-20T12:08:00.003-04:00

Ubiquitous Football Season Post About The Bears of Yesteryear

2009-10-19T11:14:00.006-04:00

25 years ago, I had just celebrated my 4th birthday when Walter "Sweetness" Payton flew over the Saints defense to make his 126th straight start and break Jim Brown's record for career rushing yards with 12,400 yards. From last week's Sports Illustrated.

Today's List (for real)

2009-10-11T10:06:00.002-04:00

"Comedy Night" THANK YOU

2009-10-11T10:01:00.004-04:00

Last night's Comedy Night at BAMcafe was a rousing success!

We had 346 people in attendance, 5 totally hilarious comics, and hundreds and hundreds of laughs.

For full details, wrap-up, video, and pics please head to:

www.comedynightatbamcafe.tumblr.com

I can't wait to start working on our NEXT show...!

"Comedy Night" website

2009-09-03T09:03:00.002-04:00

Check out the website for the comedy show I'm co-producing at BAM, Saturday, October 10th: www.comedynightatbamcafe.tumblr.com

It's free, it's fun and it's time to laugh!

Welcome to Ferret Town

2009-07-22T00:31:00.007-04:00

This was shot on Saturday in Glacier National Park, Montana, on the Hidden Lake hiking trail (which runs along the eastern edge of the Continental Divide). As my sisters and I were scouting a place to stop for lunch, I noticed a flurry of activity just off the path. Closer examination was fruitful and I captured what my extremely-reliable-and-brainy-biologist-older-sister said was a rare moment: a flurry of gutsy juvenile arctic ferrets darting about their burrow system, excitedly waiting for their mom to come home and feed them a vole.

No editing done on video, just a little Beethoven "Symphony No. 3 in E-flat major, Opus 55" remix.

Bustin' Makes Me Feel Good

2009-07-21T21:11:00.007-04:00

I was raised in a household that was very technologically advanced for the 80s: we had a BETA machine and an Atari (cable wouldn't show up until 1993). My two sisters and I were not allowed to touch either high-tech device without the immediate physical presence of my dad, and even then, it was always a smarter move to steer clear of poking tiny fingers and pressing buttons in/on said devices, unless we wanted a stern talking to. And by talking to, I mean yelling at.

Mom and Dad neatly filled the bottom drawer of the TV stand with the BETA's smallish tapes which were filled with episodes of Dr. Who, Inspector Clueso, Twilight Zone, and Dad's military shows. There was one tape, however, that didn't contain boring/adultish/stupefying shows and was set aside as the "Kid's Tape." We were allowed to watch it as much as we liked. And we did. Constantly. Thanks to its precious cargo: the network airings of 3 popular music videos.

24 years in the making, here is a countdown of my favorite videos on the "Kid's Tape":

3. Van Halen's "Jump"

For whatever reason, this video didn't make me want to listen to more hair bands, instead it launched my love of spandex and desire to wear zebra jackets. Go fig.

2. Ray Parker, Jr.'s "Ghostbusters"

Neon furniture + Ray Parker, Jr. apparating inappropriately + a hot blonde with teased hair + celebrity lip-syncing. Pretty sure that's the Dogma 95 of 80s music videos. Confession: even tonight as I watch this video I am stumped as to who some of the celebs are and why they were chosen to appear in the video. Where they Second City alums? Former co-stars of Bill Murray? Stars of then-popular TV shows that appeared on the network that aired the video? The answer might as hard to answer as that grey jumpsuit was to put on.

1. Huey Lewis & The News' "I Want A New Drug"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3thtzaEyZg

This song was suck in my head all day long today, but for whatever reason EMI has requested that YouTube disable the embedding device. Yeah, I can see that. Huey Lewis is suffering from way too much over exposure these days...achem.

http://www.deadoraliveinfo.com/dead.Nsf/lnames-nf/Lewis+Huey

A Dollar Goes Far

2009-07-14T13:27:00.002-04:00

On an early morning stroll along the eastern beaches of Jekyll Island, Georgia, this past April, I found a very alive Sand Dollar. Here is his triumphant return to the sea.

Junior: Cat of Wonders

2009-07-14T13:22:00.003-04:00

The Anderson family cat, under the good care of sister Trina, recently moved from Miami to Manhattan. In my first "hello, how do you do" with Junior, he showed me one his favorite past times: brushing his face. I think Junior and I will get along very nicely.

A Redwood Grows on 16th Street. Seriously.

2009-07-14T13:21:00.000-04:00

C'Mere. Get Lost.

2009-07-09T15:50:00.001-04:00

Let smoking Mafiosos be.

This video is dedicated to my 7 year-old nephew, Joe, founder of the hilarious game, "C'Mere, Get Lost," which is based on this story. Go ahead, ask him how to play.

Christianity in the City

2009-06-30T10:55:00.008-04:00

Whoopi & Me

2009-06-29T23:22:00.002-04:00

The time Whoopi Goldberg asked for my business card.

Hear Say

2009-06-24T01:40:00.001-04:00

What happens in the Bronx, stays in the Bronx.

The Time That Girl Feel Asleep On Me On The Bolt Bus To D.C.

2009-06-23T10:18:00.002-04:00

Does the first layer of coating dry up like a raisin in the sun?

2009-06-22T16:00:00.005-04:00

Proof of Langston Hughes' lesser known side-career as a plastic coating maker...

He's Here. He's Gay. Get Used To It!

2009-06-17T10:39:00.005-04:00

Here's an early homage to NYC's Pride Week: the brilliant John Roberts.

No They Didn't

2009-06-16T13:33:00.001-04:00

Reflections

2009-06-13T01:37:00.001-04:00

New & Cold

2009-06-13T01:06:00.013-04:00

Tuesday, February 3, 2009.
I walked home from work in a terrible snowstorm.
The heavy snowfall outlined old sights in new ways.
Here are some images I captured, between the train and my house.

Clogged Drain

2009-06-13T00:37:00.007-04:00

This stupid joke based on a true story*.

A plummer arrived at the apartment of a beautiful young woman.

"Oh thank goodness you're here!" the woman said to the plummer. "The drain has a terrible clog."

After unpacking his gear and assessing the situation, the plummer declared, "You have the cleanest under-the-bathroom-sink I've ever seen."

The woman exclaimed, "I'll thank you to stop looking under my skirt and kindly return to the bathroom!"

*The plummer really did tell me that today. That's where the truth ends. And the terrible joke-telling begins!

Moon Garden, Moon Garden

2009-04-28T12:14:00.026-04:00

I never would've thought that my strong urge to replant my pot of herbs yesterday was in perfect synch with ancient tradition of planting during a specific moon phase. However, upon further research (which started as the simple internet search "how to replant parsley without killing it"), I realized that my intuition to re-pot must've been motivated by gardeners of long-ago!

From MoonGrow.Com:
Gardening by using the signs in the heavens is an ancient tradition passed down the dim corridors of time from one generation of gardeners to another. It is not a mystical process but a means of timing the planting, growing, maintenance and harvesting of growing things to produce superior harvests. I and many other home gardeners have found moon phase and zodiac sign growing to be an effective means of increasing crop yields as well as a way to join with nature in a cooperative effort to grow plants in a more natural way.

LAST NIGHT'S CONDITIONS:
1) Waxing Moon
2) Zodiac Sign: Taurus
3) Taurus: Earth sign
4) Earth Signs: Sign of Fertility!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Tapping in my nocturnal green thumb made me wonder if planting-by-moon-cycle is covered in my favorite gardening book, 10,000 Garden Questions Answered by 15 Experts. While I fear this practice is too new-agey for this 1944 publication, I did find some handy illustrations for the at-home gardener (like don't forget your pipe when planting strawberries and learning the TRUTH about herb gardens.

Root Root Root

2009-04-27T12:46:00.010-04:00

Mets lost 8-1 in a stinker against the Nationals, but the new stadium (built in the likeness of Ebbetts Field) is gorgeous and the weather held! Oddly, we couldn't find a single pennant, jersey, or plaque commemorating the Mets of yesteryear. It's like they've built this stadium (which a tiny portion of my tax dollars fueled, so I feel justified having an opinion on this) to make new memories, not celebrate the old ones. More like Debits Field*. Zing!

*I stole that from someone. I'm not sure it was worth it.

Thursday

2009-03-12T11:27:00.001-04:00

Instant Cheer-Me-Up on a Rainy March Day (aka I Wish I Was Dancing On Top of an Indian Freight Train Right Now)

2009-03-11T16:02:00.004-04:00

Now Is Not The Time For Vagaries, Tacoman.

2009-03-09T15:01:00.005-04:00

Wednesday: Gut Bomb

2009-03-04T16:01:00.003-05:00

"You paid a lot of money to watch an old fart blow his nose." -Kris, 3/1

2009-03-04T15:57:00.003-05:00

I Can't Wait For the Event in Which These Outfits Are Viable Options

2009-02-26T13:56:00.004-05:00

Who Said The Recession Can't Be Delicious?

2009-02-25T14:14:00.005-05:00

Sunday: Brown Baggin' It At O'Hare

2009-02-23T15:02:00.000-05:00

New Rule

2009-02-19T10:33:00.004-05:00

Don't make a single phone call or send a single email for work before I get my caffine in the morning.

Just don't go it, Marge. You end up saying things to people like, "We'd love to work with you, especially since we were considering Mario Batali and THAT didn't work out." And that simply is not ok.

Sigh.

Ok. Reboot.

Wednesday A Little Later

2009-02-18T17:04:00.001-05:00

Wednesday

2009-02-18T16:39:00.001-05:00

Friday

2009-02-13T16:30:00.001-05:00

Saturday

2009-02-09T12:06:00.003-05:00

Friday

2009-02-06T16:58:00.001-05:00

Immodest H&M Mannequins Await Their Fate at 34th & 7th

2009-02-05T12:52:00.005-05:00

I bet this is about to happen inside...!

The View (from my desk)

2009-02-04T10:28:00.008-05:00

The trains in the foreground make up the West Side Railyards, some of the most hotly contested real estate in Manhattan. Beyond that, the mighty Hudson river. Across the river lies Weehawken, New Jersey. Weehawken is infamous because it is the dumping grounds for the Lincoln Tunnel (it deposits angry drivers into and out of the Garden State) AND it is the location where Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr dueled in 1804...to the death (well, to Hamilton's death)!

This stretch of river is also the exact location in which Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger "masterfully" landed the US Airway jet, but a few chilly weeks ago.

Since this side of the island seems to get most of the action, I have very high expectations. If I don't see a miracle on the Hudson, presidential duel, or shocking display of Jersery road rage a month, I will be so disappointed. Seriously? How else can I be expected to work in this environment?!

Superbowl XVIII Game Highlight (aka Greatest Crotch Slide of All Time)

2009-02-03T10:10:00.002-05:00

Ominous Sign (Literally) Across the Street From Work At PBS/Thirteen, On My First Day

2009-02-03T07:57:00.001-05:00

Perspective

2009-01-31T20:47:00.003-05:00

One Newspaper Stand Owner Get Political

2009-01-30T08:41:00.003-05:00

Porky Piggin' It

2009-01-29T11:10:00.009-05:00

I saw this sticker on a free magazine box at 34th/6th last night and kind of can't believe it's been just over 2 years since the Sean Bell shooting. And, well, better late than never to talk about it.

That cold November night I remember I was leaving a meeting across the street from Mary Immaculate Hospital in Jamaica, when there was all this commotion at the hospital. I think it's a natural reaction for New Yorkers to repel from lots of commotion; at least, that's what this New Yorker does. I chalked up the chaos to just another night in Queens.

I was floored the next morning when I found out what had gone on at Mary Immaculate. Because of that weird coincidence, I have always felt a personal link to the case. Not like, in a creepy I'm-gonna-show-up-at-the-courthouse-and-expect-to-be-an-expert-witness kinda way, but just, I made sure to tune in when the story came on the news or up in conversations.

When a story of race and police brutality comes to light (has it been happening more frequently or am I over analyzing?!), my hackles go up and I immediately assume: the cops were white, the victims were black, and it was the cops' overwhelming racist tendencies that manifested into violence. I'm not gonna get into why I jump to that conclusion...but, obviously, more often than not, it's never that black and white.

I think an NPR report from Lester Spence explains the minuita of this specific case much better than I could. This report and the idea of "thinking without thinking" or making snap judgments based on a lifetime of exposure to a topic, idea, or stereotype, is also the theory of Malcolm Gladwell's Blink.

Does this change how I feel about the case and that I think Sean Bell died tragically and wrongfully? No. Do I have more understanding for why the police took the actions they did? Yes. Do I have faith that the NYPD will analyze this case as deeply as much as scholars and citizens? That remains to be seen.

Prelinger Archives (Attempt 1): Failure

2009-01-28T06:58:00.007-05:00

I was trying to download some great public domain videos from the Prelinger Archives, but I'm not good enough at decoding HTML to see why the embedded code won't publish.

Sigh.

I'm home sick with Bronchitis.

So, I guess I'll just go back to bed.

Eh.

Date Night

2009-01-26T12:24:00.000-05:00

Date Night from Deli Proof on Vimeo.

Last Night I Had A Dream...

2009-01-26T12:12:00.003-05:00

...that I found a black lab puppy on the subway.

He kept pooping on the seats.

It was adorable.