A couple of weeks back, I was having a discussion with the Big S about a situation at her job. Her company had been approached by another company wanted to cross promote a project between the two (how hard is this to talk about without going into details).
Unfortunately, the property they wanted to cross promote wasn’t something under the direct control of Big S’ people. The Big S came away feeling as if she was being viewed as a bit of a Negative Joe but, her concerns actually were right on spot and some people weren’t really thinking things through.
We talked about it and during the conversation I came up with a decent solution which would probably wind up satisfying all parties without stepping on anyone’s toes - long story short it wound up being one of those ideas everyone loved, her company is going ahead with it and they anticipate making 100k from it.
So, I did wind up getting credit for my idea and now the publisher who’ll realize the benefits of the revenue derived from the idea has offered to treat me to a lunch - which actually makes me pretty happy.
It’s not the first time I’ve come up with a really good idea but, it could be one of the few times I’ve gotten credit for the idea without someone else trying to grab the spotlight. I’m pretty satisfied to get the recognition and if I’m disturbed it’s only by the fact that for all the good ideas I’ve had, I have yet to be able to find a way to make them pay off so I don’t have to worry all the time about finding work and making money.
Oct 7, 2003
Oct 4, 2003
You look up and a bunch of days go by without you even realizing it.
I had started writing an entry last night only to crash in the midst of it.
Yesterday was my day for computer problems though. The drive on my beloved laptop is starting to go. I could hear the heads clicking yesterday - an experience similar to watching dark storm clouds move in on the horizon.
I tried rebuilding the desktops on the various drives hooked up to the machine. It was a process that took quite a bit of time. I’m a real big one for leaving folders out on the desktop (which can’t be good) until I can organize things (which never happens often enough). Also, I just don’t do disk maintenance as religiously as I used to and add to it the fact I do have retrospect but, haven’t found the time to set up a cohesive backup schedule.
So, my catalogs are starting up so of course this would be the time for things to go awry. I’ve already lost one drive in the laptop and gone through the horror of losing what was on it so, you’d think I would know better.
I pulled the keyboard off of it and let it cool down. Last time this had happened (when the previous drive went blooey) was right after I discovered the cat decided the closed, sleeping laptop was the ideal warm, heat radiating kitty bed. The combination of kitty getting to the laptop (walking over the keyboard and moving it out of sleep mode), her lying on top of it for long periods of time, combined to make things very, very hot in the case. It couldn’t have helped the drive.
Well the recent cold snap around here has found kitty discovering the oh-so-comfortable spot once again. I found her a few days back sitting sweet as you please upon the closed laptop, catching some zzz’s. I thought it was a chance event but, it turned out I wasn’t the only person who had chased her from atop her favorite perch. Then the drive started making those noises again yesterday.
It’s probably the wear and tear on the drive really, things happen for reasons we can’t fathom but, don’t we all need to assess blame on someone during these moments.
Time to pull back, and deal.
Later that evening as I was searching the web trying to figure out if I was going to just order a replacement internal drive or if I was going to take the plunge and order a close out laptop, the little creature came down to secure a stop on another favorite perch of hers... my lap when I’m sitting at the station downstairs I use for web surfing.
She just looked up at me and made this weak meow as if to say “Don’t hate me because I get cold!” I hate to say how big a part of my heart the cat has staked out for herself and this is an animal who introduced herself to me by biting me in the back of my foot shortly after meeting me.
“Oh, how cute! Kitty’s playing!”
Yeah, at that moment I was thinking about playing using kitty as the ball but, those things never go over well (kitty football anyone?).
Anyway, over time we have come to a mutual understanding the cat and I. I pretty much make sure she gets fed and her litter is cleaned when the Big S is away but, she doesn’t run my life quite the same way she does other people’s. I mean to say the cat doesn’t jump up on the bed at an ungodly hour of the morning and start hitting me to wake me up to feed her the way she does to the Big S.
There are other things she does do though. I’ll talk to the cat during the day and lots of times she talks back (to the amazement of the other people in the house). If she’s up to something, I don’t have to track her down I just use “the voice” on her which more often than not works. We spend a lot of time sleeping together as I don’t toss much when I sleep and I run pretty hot for the most part so, I’m an ideal place for her to nap (plus over the last few years I’ve developed lots of extra padding that kitties just love). She’ll lick my arm when she’s particularly happy (which she doesn’t do with anyone else).
It’s not quite what Richard used to be able to do with his cat (he would get down on the floor and the cat would roll over on its back in front of him) but, it’s quite nice.
Which brings me to another subject. The cat does really have a way of expressing herself that works with all of us here. There’s something the varying timbre and pitch of her cries convey to us which seems to quite clearly convey what she’s feeling at a given moment.
If a cat is alone, away from other cats for most of its life, does it know how to communicate with other cats? Is there a cat language? Is the language instinctual - hardwired into the cats’ brain? Would the cries the cat uses with us work when communicating with other cats? I was just thinking if someone were brought up without any other human contact would they develop a language and if so what would it be?
As far as the laptop goes, I would probably get a new one if they looked as cool as my G3 did - I don’t like the titanium ones as much.
I had started writing an entry last night only to crash in the midst of it.
Yesterday was my day for computer problems though. The drive on my beloved laptop is starting to go. I could hear the heads clicking yesterday - an experience similar to watching dark storm clouds move in on the horizon.
I tried rebuilding the desktops on the various drives hooked up to the machine. It was a process that took quite a bit of time. I’m a real big one for leaving folders out on the desktop (which can’t be good) until I can organize things (which never happens often enough). Also, I just don’t do disk maintenance as religiously as I used to and add to it the fact I do have retrospect but, haven’t found the time to set up a cohesive backup schedule.
So, my catalogs are starting up so of course this would be the time for things to go awry. I’ve already lost one drive in the laptop and gone through the horror of losing what was on it so, you’d think I would know better.
I pulled the keyboard off of it and let it cool down. Last time this had happened (when the previous drive went blooey) was right after I discovered the cat decided the closed, sleeping laptop was the ideal warm, heat radiating kitty bed. The combination of kitty getting to the laptop (walking over the keyboard and moving it out of sleep mode), her lying on top of it for long periods of time, combined to make things very, very hot in the case. It couldn’t have helped the drive.
Well the recent cold snap around here has found kitty discovering the oh-so-comfortable spot once again. I found her a few days back sitting sweet as you please upon the closed laptop, catching some zzz’s. I thought it was a chance event but, it turned out I wasn’t the only person who had chased her from atop her favorite perch. Then the drive started making those noises again yesterday.
It’s probably the wear and tear on the drive really, things happen for reasons we can’t fathom but, don’t we all need to assess blame on someone during these moments.
Time to pull back, and deal.
Later that evening as I was searching the web trying to figure out if I was going to just order a replacement internal drive or if I was going to take the plunge and order a close out laptop, the little creature came down to secure a stop on another favorite perch of hers... my lap when I’m sitting at the station downstairs I use for web surfing.
She just looked up at me and made this weak meow as if to say “Don’t hate me because I get cold!” I hate to say how big a part of my heart the cat has staked out for herself and this is an animal who introduced herself to me by biting me in the back of my foot shortly after meeting me.
“Oh, how cute! Kitty’s playing!”
Yeah, at that moment I was thinking about playing using kitty as the ball but, those things never go over well (kitty football anyone?).
Anyway, over time we have come to a mutual understanding the cat and I. I pretty much make sure she gets fed and her litter is cleaned when the Big S is away but, she doesn’t run my life quite the same way she does other people’s. I mean to say the cat doesn’t jump up on the bed at an ungodly hour of the morning and start hitting me to wake me up to feed her the way she does to the Big S.
There are other things she does do though. I’ll talk to the cat during the day and lots of times she talks back (to the amazement of the other people in the house). If she’s up to something, I don’t have to track her down I just use “the voice” on her which more often than not works. We spend a lot of time sleeping together as I don’t toss much when I sleep and I run pretty hot for the most part so, I’m an ideal place for her to nap (plus over the last few years I’ve developed lots of extra padding that kitties just love). She’ll lick my arm when she’s particularly happy (which she doesn’t do with anyone else).
It’s not quite what Richard used to be able to do with his cat (he would get down on the floor and the cat would roll over on its back in front of him) but, it’s quite nice.
Which brings me to another subject. The cat does really have a way of expressing herself that works with all of us here. There’s something the varying timbre and pitch of her cries convey to us which seems to quite clearly convey what she’s feeling at a given moment.
If a cat is alone, away from other cats for most of its life, does it know how to communicate with other cats? Is there a cat language? Is the language instinctual - hardwired into the cats’ brain? Would the cries the cat uses with us work when communicating with other cats? I was just thinking if someone were brought up without any other human contact would they develop a language and if so what would it be?
As far as the laptop goes, I would probably get a new one if they looked as cool as my G3 did - I don’t like the titanium ones as much.
Sep 30, 2003
Ah, the playoffs! Every year my birthday comes right on the precipice of the baseball post-season. I was going to write my playoff predictions yesterday but, I had wanted to reference something and was unable to find it.
Twins - Yankees: toss up, on the one hand could be the Twins in 4 or the Yankees in 5.
The Yankees just aren’t invincible anymore.
As a matter of fact, this Yankee team reminds me very much of the ’95 Yankees who were knocked out by the Mariners (last year for Mattingly, Showalter and a bunch of other guys).
’95 was the last year I was a Yankee fan. After that season, I decided to become a Mets fan (which should make Yankee fans all over happy since they went on to win a bunch of World Series after I switched allegiances) as a consequence of Buck being fired and Dandy Don unceremoniously shown the door.
Anyway, the first game should tell who will win. Why you would ask? Maybe the Twins don’t have the starting pitching the Yankees have but, nobody has talked about the MetroDome factor. This was what I was trying to find reference yesterday.
I can’t think of a team that’s gone into the MetroDome in the post-season and done well. It’s one thing to play there when there are only 14,000 or so but, when the place is packed and the noise is deafening the Twins have a decided advantage over visiting teams. If the Twins can take one of the two games at Yankee stadium (and as I write this they are up 3 to 0 in the eighth), they very well could take both games at the MetroDome.
Oh, and Yankee fans, think Jason Giambi is going to lay claim to Dave Winfield’s title as Mr. May?
Anyway, if the Twins do manage to hold out and win today - it’s probably Twins in 4. Also note, if the Twins win, figure Joe Torre won’t be back next year (you think George made his life hell after last season? If they get knocked out by the Twins, Torre is smart enough to know what George will have waiting).
Watching the game now - where’s Jeffrey Maider when you need him.
Giants - Marlins: This one is easy, Giants in 3.
As much as I think it would be a great story if the Marlins made it out of the first round and also a tribute to Jack McKeon’s managerial genius, the Marlins are just in way over their head. I don’t think they have the horses to go deep into the playoffs. The Mets played them last weekend and scored 6 runs off the bullpen in a game the Marlins still wanted to win - not a good sign.
The Giants have an older team and some of them were there last year. That experience is going to help them at least make it out of the first round.
Braves - Cubs: I’m picking the Cubs in five.
I’m biased, I hate the Braves since they’re in the Mets division and the Cubs are a sentimental favorite of true baseball fans. I haven’t seen enough of the Cubs to really figure out what kind of team they are. I know they have decent pitching (and young pitching at that). Meanwhile, the Braves just club the ball. There’s no denying what an offensive force the Braves have been all season long. Good pitching is supposed to beat good hitting every time. I also figure Mike Hampton can easily have a meltdown in the post season and Greg Maddux while a terrific pitcher is just another year older. Smoltz is still coming back from his injury and Russ Ortiz can only pitch so many games.
Red Sox - A’s Another easy one, Sox in 4.
The A’s lost a key component in their rotation with the absence of Mark Mulder. Seattle actually came to town the last week of the season and gave the A’s a tough time. In the meantime, Boston has just been incredible. As tough as the Braves have been at the plate, the Red Sox make them look like little leaguers. The Sox have enough pitching to take them to the next round and their bats will do the job of carrying them there.
If I’m right, it means we’ll have Cubs-Giants/Red Sox-Twins. By next week we’ll know how good I am at this.
Twins - Yankees: toss up, on the one hand could be the Twins in 4 or the Yankees in 5.
The Yankees just aren’t invincible anymore.
As a matter of fact, this Yankee team reminds me very much of the ’95 Yankees who were knocked out by the Mariners (last year for Mattingly, Showalter and a bunch of other guys).
’95 was the last year I was a Yankee fan. After that season, I decided to become a Mets fan (which should make Yankee fans all over happy since they went on to win a bunch of World Series after I switched allegiances) as a consequence of Buck being fired and Dandy Don unceremoniously shown the door.
Anyway, the first game should tell who will win. Why you would ask? Maybe the Twins don’t have the starting pitching the Yankees have but, nobody has talked about the MetroDome factor. This was what I was trying to find reference yesterday.
I can’t think of a team that’s gone into the MetroDome in the post-season and done well. It’s one thing to play there when there are only 14,000 or so but, when the place is packed and the noise is deafening the Twins have a decided advantage over visiting teams. If the Twins can take one of the two games at Yankee stadium (and as I write this they are up 3 to 0 in the eighth), they very well could take both games at the MetroDome.
Oh, and Yankee fans, think Jason Giambi is going to lay claim to Dave Winfield’s title as Mr. May?
Anyway, if the Twins do manage to hold out and win today - it’s probably Twins in 4. Also note, if the Twins win, figure Joe Torre won’t be back next year (you think George made his life hell after last season? If they get knocked out by the Twins, Torre is smart enough to know what George will have waiting).
Watching the game now - where’s Jeffrey Maider when you need him.
Giants - Marlins: This one is easy, Giants in 3.
As much as I think it would be a great story if the Marlins made it out of the first round and also a tribute to Jack McKeon’s managerial genius, the Marlins are just in way over their head. I don’t think they have the horses to go deep into the playoffs. The Mets played them last weekend and scored 6 runs off the bullpen in a game the Marlins still wanted to win - not a good sign.
The Giants have an older team and some of them were there last year. That experience is going to help them at least make it out of the first round.
Braves - Cubs: I’m picking the Cubs in five.
I’m biased, I hate the Braves since they’re in the Mets division and the Cubs are a sentimental favorite of true baseball fans. I haven’t seen enough of the Cubs to really figure out what kind of team they are. I know they have decent pitching (and young pitching at that). Meanwhile, the Braves just club the ball. There’s no denying what an offensive force the Braves have been all season long. Good pitching is supposed to beat good hitting every time. I also figure Mike Hampton can easily have a meltdown in the post season and Greg Maddux while a terrific pitcher is just another year older. Smoltz is still coming back from his injury and Russ Ortiz can only pitch so many games.
Red Sox - A’s Another easy one, Sox in 4.
The A’s lost a key component in their rotation with the absence of Mark Mulder. Seattle actually came to town the last week of the season and gave the A’s a tough time. In the meantime, Boston has just been incredible. As tough as the Braves have been at the plate, the Red Sox make them look like little leaguers. The Sox have enough pitching to take them to the next round and their bats will do the job of carrying them there.
If I’m right, it means we’ll have Cubs-Giants/Red Sox-Twins. By next week we’ll know how good I am at this.
Sep 29, 2003
Last week was my birthday (Thursday to be exact). It turned out to be a nice, quiet day. As birthday’s go, that was fine and as days go it was really good.
It was a nice day, I had lunch Al Fresco with Mike (congrats on the raise buddy!), coffee with Brian and Ed and then got a wonderful massage (no, I hadn’t realized all the tension I was carrying around in my neck and shoulders).
The mark of a really good massage is practically falling asleep on the table (which is what happened). We could’ve gone out that evening (for dinner) but, in truth that was a pretty full day and I slept very soundly for the first time in a long time that night.
Last week I got the news of someone else’s birthday: Congrats to SLC and Elan:
Elsie Bel Cole
September 14, 9:34 a.m.
7 Lbs, 3.5 oz., 21 inches
2 hands, 2 feet, 1 belly button
approx. 27 gajillion poops
infinite heaps of charm
We had a flood here over the weekend. It happened over night and looked pretty bad on Sunday morning. At first I thought it was the roof but, it turned out the water came in by way of the back stairs (leading to the basement). Funny thing is a few weeks back we actually managed to get all the leaves cleaned up from the concrete in the back and the stairs themselves. In all that time the basement never flooded even though there were a ton of leaves over the drain. Then everything gets cleaned up and a few leaves (really only a couple) block the drain during a deluge and the next thing you know there’s water all over the floor.
It’s not as bad as it could’ve been and anything that got damaged was destined for charity, ebay or the trash. Most of the stuff is now “up” so, the water didn’t really get to it. It’s more like when a sink or washing machine overflows - just a big pain in the ass.
Last week was a good week as weeks go.
I got a little bummed out on Monday (which I started to write about and will finish the entry eventually). Tuesday a lot got accomplished, Wednesday I finished some of the catalog work and Thursday was bday. I was even very flattered when Jill (my erudite literary cousin) sent me an article from her newspaper column she wanted me to look over.
There’s always a bunch of stuff to do - I just have to get into “discipline” mode which means not watching as much TV and exercising a bit more.
The baseball season ended this weekend. As a Met fan it was akin to shooting a lame horse (please put us out of our misery). There’s a lot to look forward to next season: Jason Phillips, Jose Reyes and Jae Seo.
I was trying to find info on who will be in the free agent class in the coming off-season and I ran across this baseball blog. It’s actually worth checking out for any baseball fan. I had wanted to compose my “things the Mets should do in the off-season” entry along with my predictions for the playoffs.
I have a bunch of entries I’m working on including:
• The musical chairs of work.
• Trying to write about racism (without sounding like an absolute moron).
• Super powers (although this may actually become an article for submission for publication).
and of course, baseball.
It was a nice day, I had lunch Al Fresco with Mike (congrats on the raise buddy!), coffee with Brian and Ed and then got a wonderful massage (no, I hadn’t realized all the tension I was carrying around in my neck and shoulders).
The mark of a really good massage is practically falling asleep on the table (which is what happened). We could’ve gone out that evening (for dinner) but, in truth that was a pretty full day and I slept very soundly for the first time in a long time that night.
Last week I got the news of someone else’s birthday: Congrats to SLC and Elan:
September 14, 9:34 a.m.
7 Lbs, 3.5 oz., 21 inches
2 hands, 2 feet, 1 belly button
approx. 27 gajillion poops
infinite heaps of charm
We had a flood here over the weekend. It happened over night and looked pretty bad on Sunday morning. At first I thought it was the roof but, it turned out the water came in by way of the back stairs (leading to the basement). Funny thing is a few weeks back we actually managed to get all the leaves cleaned up from the concrete in the back and the stairs themselves. In all that time the basement never flooded even though there were a ton of leaves over the drain. Then everything gets cleaned up and a few leaves (really only a couple) block the drain during a deluge and the next thing you know there’s water all over the floor.
It’s not as bad as it could’ve been and anything that got damaged was destined for charity, ebay or the trash. Most of the stuff is now “up” so, the water didn’t really get to it. It’s more like when a sink or washing machine overflows - just a big pain in the ass.
Last week was a good week as weeks go.
I got a little bummed out on Monday (which I started to write about and will finish the entry eventually). Tuesday a lot got accomplished, Wednesday I finished some of the catalog work and Thursday was bday. I was even very flattered when Jill (my erudite literary cousin) sent me an article from her newspaper column she wanted me to look over.
There’s always a bunch of stuff to do - I just have to get into “discipline” mode which means not watching as much TV and exercising a bit more.
The baseball season ended this weekend. As a Met fan it was akin to shooting a lame horse (please put us out of our misery). There’s a lot to look forward to next season: Jason Phillips, Jose Reyes and Jae Seo.
I was trying to find info on who will be in the free agent class in the coming off-season and I ran across this baseball blog. It’s actually worth checking out for any baseball fan. I had wanted to compose my “things the Mets should do in the off-season” entry along with my predictions for the playoffs.
I have a bunch of entries I’m working on including:
• The musical chairs of work.
• Trying to write about racism (without sounding like an absolute moron).
• Super powers (although this may actually become an article for submission for publication).
and of course, baseball.
Sep 27, 2003
Odor judges are common in the research labs of mouthwash companies, where the halitosis-inflicted blow great gusts of breath in their faces to test product efficacy. But Minneapolis gastroenterologist Michael Levitt recently took the job to another level—or, rather, to the other end. Levitt paid two brave souls to indulge repeatedly in the odors of other people's farts.
Man, to think, all these years I’ve been having to do it for free just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
So, I was talking to Brian. . . This came up, which if I hadn’t found the story and read it for myself, I would have thought he was making this s**t up, read it for yourself:
A spokesman for the committee, which is an arm of the Saudi government, said the campaign against Barbie — banned for more than 10 years — coincides with the start of the school year to remind children and their parents of the doll's negative qualities.
Speaking to The Associated Press by telephone from the holy city of Medina, he claimed that Barbie was modeled after a real-life Jewish woman.
Funny, I always thought Barbie was the epitome of the Shiksa Goddess.
Barbie’s body type, “which translates into real life measurements 5'9", 36-18-33." I can understand Barbie has made women crazy for years as an example of the unattainable nadir of feminine perfection.Barbie’s been with us for almost 50 years though now.
Lately, she’s just been getting into trouble all over though. Not only is she banned in Saudi Arabia but, she’s been pushing the envelope of good taste, I could understand the Saudi’s banning these dolls:
Ms. Pitt has been locked in a legal battle with Mattel Inc., makers of the real Barbie, over a line of Barbie Dungeon Dolls she sells from her home in Gateshead, England.
Ms. Pitt uses the heads of SuperStar Barbies to create dolls that depict activities Mattel's Barbie would never dream of. One of Ms. Pitt's Barbies features "lederhosen-style Bavarian-bondage dress and helmet in rubber with a PVC mask and waspie." It sells for $186 (U.S.).
Mattel sued in a New York court and argued that Dungeon Barbies violate the company's trademark. It demanded damages and an immediate halt to Ms. Pitt's creations.
She claimed her Dungeon Barbies, which were sold for about £120 on the Internet, were a form of artistic expression and a comment on the sexual overtones of the children's toy.
'I am simply revealing this sexual nature by placing Barbie in a modern erotic context,' she told the court.
I never cease to be amazed!
Sep 26, 2003
Years back, I hung around with this woman. She had long, black curly hair, a compelling smile and a twinkle in her eye. She was the kind of person that could walk into a place (bar, party, restaurant what have you) a stranger and leave with everyone thinking she was their best friend.
Never had anything romantic going on with her, just a fellow traveler on the journey through life. There was this brief three or four month period where I spent a lot of late nights, out and about in the city - I even used to carry a change of clothes in the trunk of my car so I wouldn’t look sloppy on those days after those long nights – she was my partner in crime.
I can’t do that forever, certainly not these days. It was fun though, while it lasted.
I’m sure they’ll be another period of something like that in my life - I don’t know why but I got to thinking of this force of nature the other day. The problem was she could be as equally a destructive force as she could a good force. It was how she lived her life, bouncing from one situation to the next, never staying long in one spot and generally moving on after overstaying her welcome.
One day not too long ago (although now that I think of it, it has to be about two years now), I was walking with Sung on lunch around Union Square when I heard my name called. It was my tornado, still as glorious as ever. Sad thing is, nothing had really changed – she was still jumping from disaster to disaster.
A mutual friend always asks after her, we’re both curious and worried at the same time but, being around her can be like flying to close to the sun.
Sep 25, 2003
Today, I am 43. (When I make that statement, it feels as if my voice should take on serious, somber, psuedo-religous tones: Today... [dramatic pause for effect] you are a man!)
Bleech.
I have lunch with a friend, coffee with some other friends and then a massage.
As I pointed out earlier, these things have become less of an “event” and more of an attempt to have a nice, relaxing, fun day.
I heard something the other day when I was watching Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Let me see if I can remember this correctly. Chuck Barris was talking about his life and he said there came a point in one’s life where instead thinking about what he could be, he started to look at what he might have been. That’s an ouch moment.
I haven’t reached that point yet but, each birthday makes me think how much more I need to get done.
Bleech.
I have lunch with a friend, coffee with some other friends and then a massage.
As I pointed out earlier, these things have become less of an “event” and more of an attempt to have a nice, relaxing, fun day.
I heard something the other day when I was watching Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Let me see if I can remember this correctly. Chuck Barris was talking about his life and he said there came a point in one’s life where instead thinking about what he could be, he started to look at what he might have been. That’s an ouch moment.
I haven’t reached that point yet but, each birthday makes me think how much more I need to get done.
Sep 22, 2003
Mundanacity, ah, I long for your secure embrace.
Many times I’ve heard people bemoan a lack of excitement in their lives, or that they’re bored.
I can honestly say as the days have passed, I find myself longing for the embrace of such boredom - excitement has proven to rarely be a good thing to have in life, generally implying a certain amount of upheaval.
I am quite happy to toil away, without much excitment but taking great pleasure in the little glorious moments of the day, they’re there - it’s often people don’t have the capacity to take notice of them.
Many times I’ve heard people bemoan a lack of excitement in their lives, or that they’re bored.
I can honestly say as the days have passed, I find myself longing for the embrace of such boredom - excitement has proven to rarely be a good thing to have in life, generally implying a certain amount of upheaval.
I am quite happy to toil away, without much excitment but taking great pleasure in the little glorious moments of the day, they’re there - it’s often people don’t have the capacity to take notice of them.
Sep 21, 2003
I saw somebody I hadn’t seen in a long time the other day. During the course of talking to them, the person in question commented on how overwhelmingly busy they were, even though they hated what they were doing and felt very constrained by their abilities. It seemed as if the person felt that since they did one job, in many cases they weren’t considered seriously for other kinds of work because of people’s perceptions of them.
I know what that’s like.
The thing that struck me funny though was that although the person was supposed to be so very flush, they wanted me to pay for their entertainment. It led me to believe maybe the picture wasn’t as rosy as they portrayed (which wouldn’t surprise me).
I know what that’s like.
The thing that struck me funny though was that although the person was supposed to be so very flush, they wanted me to pay for their entertainment. It led me to believe maybe the picture wasn’t as rosy as they portrayed (which wouldn’t surprise me).
It’s September and along with the advent of fall, there’s a bunch of people’s birthdays this months. So, happy birthday to Dean (belated), Neil (belated), Paul, Bruce, Pillet and Heidi. My own is coming up and I find as each year passes I try not so much to make it a big event as much as have a nice day.
Sep 20, 2003
Disclaimer - if you are a female reader of my blog, the following passage deals with the admission of behavior by men that women generally hate, if boorish male behavior offends you, don’t read it! Skip to the next entry or come back in a week or two when the thing has been bounced to the archives.
Note to self: You are over 40, your body will no longer tolerate the punishment you heaped upon it in earlier years.
So, this week was interesting in that the hurricane that had been disrupting things for the better part of the last few weeks finally abated to a certain extent. After a day of recovery, I managed to get quite a bit done on Wednesday. Thursday was a whirlwind of activity in the city. Friday is where the reminder comes in.
On Wednesday during a trip over to Port Chester I managed to drop in to Pat’s Hubba Hubba which I have mentioned previously. Pat’s is one of those places you go to at about two in the morning when your looking for something particularly foul and greasy to take your mind off the fact you’ve indulged in far more alcohol than you really should. Rather than take that trip over to Pat’s, I actually managed to get their signature chili for takeout.
Pat’s chili is something unique. It has the mark of all good tasting food that’s incredibly bad for you - the rich orange oil that oozes around it. It’s hot and somewhat greasy but, it makes a good condiment for hot dogs and fries (two other power foods in the PJ diet).
Anyway, in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, I managed to sit down and have lunch (which was the aforementioned chili dogs and fries), I don’t do it often but, I did it Friday afternoon.
Friday night it was into the city for Jack’s bachelor party. I tried to help Jack organize something - I’m not the best man or anything (his father is) but, I like Jack and I knew he wanted to do something before he got married. Here’s the rub though, over the last few years I’ve become much more of a homebody. I don’t really go out in the city anymore (not like I used to anyway) so, my memory of places to go is somewhat dated.
We started out at the Jade Lounge (which used to be the East Side Ale House). Now, the Jade Lounge is nice (actually, quite nice) but, it wasn’t what the East Side Ale House was. Anyway, during our sojourn at the East Side Ale House, it became apparent that our next stop for the evening (a topless joint) had closed at some point. It was a place Jack and I were both familiar with from our days at Grey but, I guess that’s a lot longer time ago than I realized.
In any event, maybe it’s a good sign I don’t know where there are topless bars anymore. My favorite place - Billy’s is now a bagel store - as much as I liked Rudy that’s just a crime. Well, one of the guys suggested Hooters and off we went.
Hooters was actually quite the disappointment. Contrary to what I had imagined, it was actually quite (for lack of a better word) stale. Hooters actually made me pine for the days when there was a Playboy Club up on 60th Street. Hooters is famous (among other things) for it’s wings and of course, we ordered a big plate...
...and that’s where the problem came in. I’m just not a kid anymore and I don’t have an iron gut. I didn’t chow down or anything, I had maybe four or five wings (a mixture of the hot and the medium) but, coming on top of the chili I had had earlier in the afternoon, the combination was akin to setting off an atomic bomb in my stomach which remained with me for the rest of the evening.
Combine this with what seemed to be an incredibly hot and sticky night for New York in September and I can honestly say I wasn’t a happy camper walking around the streets of New York looking for a bar to get Jack a lap dance in.
We wound up checking out three places. Put off by the cover charge of the first two, we wound up in the bar which for months I would look down on from my window at my old job. We went in and all the women were beautiful, all nude and looking to separate a fool from his money.
No alcohol though and nowhere near the ambiance of Billy’s.
Everyone bought Jack a lap dance (in some cases more than one) and by the end of the evening he had been satiated in a way only men can understand. He had the stupid, mindless grin of a man who has succumbed to his libido.
It was a good thing we wound up at the place as I think it salvaged the evening in a big way.
Me, I like looking at naked women - there I said it. I’ve liked it ever since art school (and before that I’m sure), women are just a lot of fun to watch (although, it does seem that many more women have breast jobs now than I could ever remember - it makes the ladies without the work stand out all the more).
At the end of the evening, Jack seemed pretty happy so, in that I guess it was a big success.
Note to self: You are over 40, your body will no longer tolerate the punishment you heaped upon it in earlier years.
So, this week was interesting in that the hurricane that had been disrupting things for the better part of the last few weeks finally abated to a certain extent. After a day of recovery, I managed to get quite a bit done on Wednesday. Thursday was a whirlwind of activity in the city. Friday is where the reminder comes in.
On Wednesday during a trip over to Port Chester I managed to drop in to Pat’s Hubba Hubba which I have mentioned previously. Pat’s is one of those places you go to at about two in the morning when your looking for something particularly foul and greasy to take your mind off the fact you’ve indulged in far more alcohol than you really should. Rather than take that trip over to Pat’s, I actually managed to get their signature chili for takeout.
Pat’s chili is something unique. It has the mark of all good tasting food that’s incredibly bad for you - the rich orange oil that oozes around it. It’s hot and somewhat greasy but, it makes a good condiment for hot dogs and fries (two other power foods in the PJ diet).
Anyway, in the middle of the afternoon on Friday, I managed to sit down and have lunch (which was the aforementioned chili dogs and fries), I don’t do it often but, I did it Friday afternoon.
Friday night it was into the city for Jack’s bachelor party. I tried to help Jack organize something - I’m not the best man or anything (his father is) but, I like Jack and I knew he wanted to do something before he got married. Here’s the rub though, over the last few years I’ve become much more of a homebody. I don’t really go out in the city anymore (not like I used to anyway) so, my memory of places to go is somewhat dated.
We started out at the Jade Lounge (which used to be the East Side Ale House). Now, the Jade Lounge is nice (actually, quite nice) but, it wasn’t what the East Side Ale House was. Anyway, during our sojourn at the East Side Ale House, it became apparent that our next stop for the evening (a topless joint) had closed at some point. It was a place Jack and I were both familiar with from our days at Grey but, I guess that’s a lot longer time ago than I realized.
In any event, maybe it’s a good sign I don’t know where there are topless bars anymore. My favorite place - Billy’s is now a bagel store - as much as I liked Rudy that’s just a crime. Well, one of the guys suggested Hooters and off we went.
Hooters was actually quite the disappointment. Contrary to what I had imagined, it was actually quite (for lack of a better word) stale. Hooters actually made me pine for the days when there was a Playboy Club up on 60th Street. Hooters is famous (among other things) for it’s wings and of course, we ordered a big plate...
...and that’s where the problem came in. I’m just not a kid anymore and I don’t have an iron gut. I didn’t chow down or anything, I had maybe four or five wings (a mixture of the hot and the medium) but, coming on top of the chili I had had earlier in the afternoon, the combination was akin to setting off an atomic bomb in my stomach which remained with me for the rest of the evening.
Combine this with what seemed to be an incredibly hot and sticky night for New York in September and I can honestly say I wasn’t a happy camper walking around the streets of New York looking for a bar to get Jack a lap dance in.
We wound up checking out three places. Put off by the cover charge of the first two, we wound up in the bar which for months I would look down on from my window at my old job. We went in and all the women were beautiful, all nude and looking to separate a fool from his money.
No alcohol though and nowhere near the ambiance of Billy’s.
Everyone bought Jack a lap dance (in some cases more than one) and by the end of the evening he had been satiated in a way only men can understand. He had the stupid, mindless grin of a man who has succumbed to his libido.
It was a good thing we wound up at the place as I think it salvaged the evening in a big way.
Me, I like looking at naked women - there I said it. I’ve liked it ever since art school (and before that I’m sure), women are just a lot of fun to watch (although, it does seem that many more women have breast jobs now than I could ever remember - it makes the ladies without the work stand out all the more).
At the end of the evening, Jack seemed pretty happy so, in that I guess it was a big success.
An illustration of how stupid fans of any sport can be: Los Angeles Dodgers fan fatally shot after game.
In other baseball news, after my last post about the cursed Yankees, Jeter stepped up and the team went on a roll (curses!). Though there never seemed to be a doubt about the Yankees making it into the post season this year, the thought they might not take the division was enough to send shivers down the spine of Yankee’s fans everywhere.
In the AL it’s looking like some combination of The Yankees, Minnesota, Seattle, Oakland and Boston. Every Yankee fan I’ve spoken to says the same thing: they could go all the way and they could just as easily get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round - neither would surprise them.
Me either.
Over the last two weeks, the Post has been doing these inserts about the Yankees celebrating their 100th anniversary. Fortunately, my own personal favorite, Don Mattingly was mentioned (second among first baseman) in a poll conducted of local sports reporters.
I was surprised Paul O’Neil didn’t make it. If you ask me, no one was more responsible for the success of the Yankees through their run than O’Neil. He was one guy who hated to lose! Not only that, he was downright scary when he got angry!
On the plus side, he played right field effortlessly. If you watched him play, he played with such a nonchalance, you rarely realized how good he was at tracking down balls, positioning himself in the outfield and getting a throw in quickly because he made it look so very easy. Bernie Williams was a better center fielder because O’Neil was his teammate.
It was also interesting Roy White is all but forgotten by Yankee’s fans. He was a mainstay of the team through the seventies and it’s like he never existed.
And, I still think Jeter is overrated.
As far as the Mets go, who’d thunk it?!?!?
The kid went down (Jose Reyes) and the next thing you know the whole complexion of the team changed as well. While they’ve been getting good pitching for the most part, just not having Reyes bat and defense (along with losing Cliff Floyd) has just taking anything that was left out of the team.
Oh, to be forced to use the Dodger fan’s lament: Wait ’til next year!
In other baseball news, after my last post about the cursed Yankees, Jeter stepped up and the team went on a roll (curses!). Though there never seemed to be a doubt about the Yankees making it into the post season this year, the thought they might not take the division was enough to send shivers down the spine of Yankee’s fans everywhere.
In the AL it’s looking like some combination of The Yankees, Minnesota, Seattle, Oakland and Boston. Every Yankee fan I’ve spoken to says the same thing: they could go all the way and they could just as easily get knocked out of the playoffs in the first round - neither would surprise them.
Me either.
Over the last two weeks, the Post has been doing these inserts about the Yankees celebrating their 100th anniversary. Fortunately, my own personal favorite, Don Mattingly was mentioned (second among first baseman) in a poll conducted of local sports reporters.
I was surprised Paul O’Neil didn’t make it. If you ask me, no one was more responsible for the success of the Yankees through their run than O’Neil. He was one guy who hated to lose! Not only that, he was downright scary when he got angry!
On the plus side, he played right field effortlessly. If you watched him play, he played with such a nonchalance, you rarely realized how good he was at tracking down balls, positioning himself in the outfield and getting a throw in quickly because he made it look so very easy. Bernie Williams was a better center fielder because O’Neil was his teammate.
It was also interesting Roy White is all but forgotten by Yankee’s fans. He was a mainstay of the team through the seventies and it’s like he never existed.
And, I still think Jeter is overrated.
As far as the Mets go, who’d thunk it?!?!?
The kid went down (Jose Reyes) and the next thing you know the whole complexion of the team changed as well. While they’ve been getting good pitching for the most part, just not having Reyes bat and defense (along with losing Cliff Floyd) has just taking anything that was left out of the team.
Oh, to be forced to use the Dodger fan’s lament: Wait ’til next year!
Goodbye old friend.
NASA's fingers crossed with Galileo on crash course for Jupiter, we should focus on the great successes we have had as well as dwell on our failures. Hard to believe when I was a kid this was science fiction. Check out this nice overview of the mission with Real Player. Also, take a look at the Jet Propulsion Lab’s site.
Durwood Pickle is a 71-year-old grandfather who claims he's "not a computer-type person."
The article also goes further to state: The industry clearly has a problem. Just four years ago, it was a $14.6 billion business growing more than 6% a year. By last year, music shipments fell to $12.6 billion. Volume is down another 10% so far this year, according to industry estimates. While a weak economy and high CD prices may have contributed to the business' malaise, the industry sees file sharing as the major cause.
Hmmm... you wouldn’t think the weakness in sales has to do with what seems to be a lack of interesting stuff happening in music these days?
Sep 17, 2003
The other day, someone asked me how many people read the blog. I had to confess to him I honestly didn’t know. I had asked Margaret if there was a JavaScript or something I could put on the page to monitor hits but it all seemed confusing (and I don’t think it’s possible with the blog plan I use). I thought about upgrading the plan (so I could get traffic stats) but, I’ve got a lot else on my plate right now. I need to learn how to do that stuff anyway so, it’s just another reason to do just that. Besides, the main reason I’ve been doing the blog thing is just to get into the habit of writing regularly.
The hurricane is coming! The hurricane is coming!
We live inland so, when a hurricane arrives, I don’t really think too much of it other than that we’re in for a couple of rainy, crappy days.
Back in the eighties, Hurricane Gloria was supposed to hit Manhattan head on. It was one of those much ado about nothing days. I was driving a cab back then and it turned out to be a wet Friday where Manhattan was deserted because everyone was afraid of the storm. The most notable thing that happened was Howard Stern got fired from WNBC radio that day.
Floyd too was one of those storms that everyone got warnings about.
I know I was working in the city that day and like a lot of New Yorkers, left work early to get home before the storm hit. After a train ride where people were crammed standing the length of the car, we wound up taking a cab home from the train station in the rain (taking the grand tour of Ossining). I know we drove down to White Plains (so I could get my comics jones taken care of) and even had time for a hot dog over at the Little Spot in North White Plains. The rain would come in waves, there would be a heavy, heavy wave and then it would seem to let up.
I was worried during the drive back to the house, and when we got off the parkway in Millwood there was quite a bit of flooding (and the prerequisite dumbass driving). We made it home though and I alternately fought to keep our basement from flooding and watched an increasing number of cars get stuck in the small lake that was forming in front of the neighbors house which is downgrade from us and sits in a low point in the neighborhood.
Turned out there was about 14" of rain in just a few hours. During the battle with the torrent, I had an ongoing fight with my father (76 at the time), who insisted on going out to meet his often dinner companion for a meal even though the weather was really, really bad and getting worse.
He managed to slip away while I was busy fighting to keep our basement from flooding in the back. He returned an hour later after finding the shopping center he had been on his way to was submerged (lord only knows what the drive had been like). His dinner companion was stranded and wound up back at our house as well.
Here is where the problem came in, my father in his infinite wisdom (you cannot hear my voice laden with sarcasm), who had decided both he and his friend should go out and meet in this mess against all better judgment, now didn’t want his friend to spend the night in the house lest she get the wrong idea.
Not sleep in the same bed or anything like that, just get a foothold into the house where she might think he wanted to invite her in somehow. I wound up driving her home from our house to hers which under normal circumstances would take under 5 minutes.
It took over 45 minutes.
In that time I went around the neighborhood and saw quite a few of the neighbors houses under water. I don’t want you to get the impression people’s basements were flooded (they were), we’re talking about having problems if there wasn’t a second floor on your house. Streets were lakes (or rivers). I had never seen anything like it and around here they called it something like a 100 year event (the flood).
Down by the train station I heard a story later of someone who was driving up the hill in a minivan when there was just a wave of muddy water that descended down the street washing the person’s van along in the flow (I can’t begin to imagine how horrifying that must have been).
All I know is after weaving my way through a very circuitous route (which included going the wrong way down a major highway at one point), avoiding downed power lines and trees, I found myself in one spot driving on a road where the water was over the hood of the car. I’m still not sure how I managed to get through it all. I had to go through the water and then back as there was one point in the road where the road dipped as a bridge crossed over what in normal times would be a small brook.
I was very happy when I got home. The train was out for several days as the tracks got washed out. The thing that’s always amazing is how the people in Manhattan are so insulated from anything remotely weather related, they can’t understand when there are snowstorms or floods and how, yes, very near to the city, peoples lives are in fact affected by the weather.
Anyway, even after all that, I still take the hurricane stuff with a grain of salt. Two towns up and two towns down they didn’t have anywhere near the rain we got during Floyd so, go figure.
Sep 16, 2003
This guy’s appearance is an invitation to go channel surfing. Ooooohhhh! Ladies, look at those six pack abs! I’ve known two guys my entire life that have managed the “six pack” - Paul and Jeremy (congrats boys), both basically have the same body type which lends itself to the body fat level that makes this possible for mortals. The rest of us out there come closest to the six pack if it’s made by a brewer. Even when I was working with a trainer, working out two plus hours a day, seven days a week, with a radically different diet, there was no six pack in sight. Needless to say, I despise these commercials (it’s akin to the sickening feeling most women get watching fifteen year olds shuffle down the runways of fashion week holding out their coltish bodies as the penultimate in the feminine form) - I’m anxiously awaiting the “Six-Pack” or “Physical Fitness for Dummies” book which is sure to make an appearance shortly.
I got this as a gift the other day, The Man Who Walked Between Two Towers by Mordicai Gerstein. It’s a children’s book but, it’s beautifully illustrated. It is about Philippe Petit’s tightrope walk between the then unfinished World Trade Center Towers. At the time, it was one of those events that captured the imagination and hearts of the city. While bittersweet in light of the events to come later, it’s still a wonderful tribute to Petit’s daring and at the same time a good way to remember the buildings and their place in New York City’s history.
Put me on record as to the following:
I don’t think JLo is pretty:
1.Monster-in-Law (2005)
2.Tick-Tock (2004)
3.Shall We Dance? (2004)
4.Unfinished Life, An (2004)
5.Jersey Girl (2004) (completed)
6.Gigli (2003)
7.Maid in Manhattan (2002)
8.Enough (2002)
9.Angel Eyes (2001)
10.Wedding Planner, The (2001)
11.Cell, The (2000)
12.Antz (1998) (voice)
13.Out of Sight (1998)
14.U Turn (1997)
15.Anaconda (1997)
16.Selena (1997)
17.Blood and Wine (1996)
18.Jack (1996)
19.Money Train (1995)
20.My Family (1995) (uncredited)
21."Hotel Malibu" (1994) TV Series
22."South Central" (1994) TV Series
23."Second Chances" (1993) TV Series
24.Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993) (TV)
25.My Little Girl (1986)
I think Ben Affleck is as wooden as an actor can get:
1.Surviving Christmas (2004)
2.Paycheck (2003)
3.Jersey Girl (2004)
4.Gigli (2003)
5.Daredevil (2003)
6.Third Wheel, The (2002)
7.Sum of All Fears, The (2002)
8.Changing Lanes (2002)
9.Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
10.Daddy and Them (2001)
11.Pearl Harbor (2001)
12.Bounce (2000)
13.Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
14.Reindeer Games (2000)
15.SNL Fanatic (2000) (TV)
16.Boiler Room (2000)
17.Dogma (1999)
18.Forces of Nature (1999)
19.200 Cigarettes (1999)
20.Shakespeare in Love (1998)
21.Armageddon (1998)
22.Phantoms (1998)
23.Good Will Hunting (1997)
24.Office Killer (1997)
25.Chasing Amy (1997)
26.Going All the Way (1997)
27.Glory Daze (1996)
28."Lifestories: Families In Crisis" (1995) TV Series
29.Mallrats (1995)
30.Body to Die for: The Aaron Henry Story, A (1994) (TV)
31."Against the Grain" (1993) TV Series
32.Dazed and Confused (1993)
33.School Ties (1992)
34.Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
35.Daddy (1991) (TV)
36."Second Voyage of the Mimi, The" (1988) TV Series
37.Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV)
38.Wanted: The Perfect Guy (1986) (TV)
39."Voyage of the Mimi, The" (1984) TV Series
40.Dark End of the Street, The (1981)
I don’t care if they marry each other or not and looking over the list above, they are sure not to be remembered as the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton combo of this generation (and if they are, what does that say about the state of movies today).
I don’t think JLo is pretty:
1.Monster-in-Law (2005)
2.Tick-Tock (2004)
3.Shall We Dance? (2004)
4.Unfinished Life, An (2004)
5.Jersey Girl (2004) (completed)
6.Gigli (2003)
7.Maid in Manhattan (2002)
8.Enough (2002)
9.Angel Eyes (2001)
10.Wedding Planner, The (2001)
11.Cell, The (2000)
12.Antz (1998) (voice)
13.Out of Sight (1998)
14.U Turn (1997)
15.Anaconda (1997)
16.Selena (1997)
17.Blood and Wine (1996)
18.Jack (1996)
19.Money Train (1995)
20.My Family (1995) (uncredited)
21."Hotel Malibu" (1994) TV Series
22."South Central" (1994) TV Series
23."Second Chances" (1993) TV Series
24.Nurses on the Line: The Crash of Flight 7 (1993) (TV)
25.My Little Girl (1986)
I think Ben Affleck is as wooden as an actor can get:
1.Surviving Christmas (2004)
2.Paycheck (2003)
3.Jersey Girl (2004)
4.Gigli (2003)
5.Daredevil (2003)
6.Third Wheel, The (2002)
7.Sum of All Fears, The (2002)
8.Changing Lanes (2002)
9.Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
10.Daddy and Them (2001)
11.Pearl Harbor (2001)
12.Bounce (2000)
13.Joseph: King of Dreams (2000)
14.Reindeer Games (2000)
15.SNL Fanatic (2000) (TV)
16.Boiler Room (2000)
17.Dogma (1999)
18.Forces of Nature (1999)
19.200 Cigarettes (1999)
20.Shakespeare in Love (1998)
21.Armageddon (1998)
22.Phantoms (1998)
23.Good Will Hunting (1997)
24.Office Killer (1997)
25.Chasing Amy (1997)
26.Going All the Way (1997)
27.Glory Daze (1996)
28."Lifestories: Families In Crisis" (1995) TV Series
29.Mallrats (1995)
30.Body to Die for: The Aaron Henry Story, A (1994) (TV)
31."Against the Grain" (1993) TV Series
32.Dazed and Confused (1993)
33.School Ties (1992)
34.Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1992)
35.Daddy (1991) (TV)
36."Second Voyage of the Mimi, The" (1988) TV Series
37.Hands of a Stranger (1987) (TV)
38.Wanted: The Perfect Guy (1986) (TV)
39."Voyage of the Mimi, The" (1984) TV Series
40.Dark End of the Street, The (1981)
I don’t care if they marry each other or not and looking over the list above, they are sure not to be remembered as the Elizabeth Taylor/Richard Burton combo of this generation (and if they are, what does that say about the state of movies today).
Well, it’s officially catalog time again.
Today is the first day I received material for the fall edition of the catalogs I did back in June/July. There’s always something about the start of a project, the newness of it that’s always refreshing and exciting in its way.
Fat Man is doubling in size almost.
The goal for this go round is to do it faster, better and easier than what it took to get the last ones done (sounds like the opening for the six million dollar man). Now that the templates are built, this is actually doable.
Talk to me in four weeks and see if that’s what happened and if I achieved my goals.
Today is the first day I received material for the fall edition of the catalogs I did back in June/July. There’s always something about the start of a project, the newness of it that’s always refreshing and exciting in its way.
Fat Man is doubling in size almost.
The goal for this go round is to do it faster, better and easier than what it took to get the last ones done (sounds like the opening for the six million dollar man). Now that the templates are built, this is actually doable.
Talk to me in four weeks and see if that’s what happened and if I achieved my goals.
Sep 15, 2003
The week of September 11th passed. So, it will recede in memory until the next anniversary. I did want to reference the Unanswered Questions website.
It an interesting site if only because of the snippets of information it pulls in from so many disparate sources, like:
(6:00 a.m.) President Bush has just spent the night at Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Longboat Key, Florida. Surface-to-air missiles have been placed on the roof of the resort. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/02] Bush wakes up around 6:00 a.m. and is preparing for his morning jog. [MSNBC, 10/27/02, New York Times, 9/16/01 (B), Telegraph, 12/16/01] A van occupied by men of Middle Eastern descent pull up to the Colony stating they have a “poolside” interview with the president. They are turned away for not having an appointment. [Longboat Observer, 9/26/01] Was this an assassination attempt modeled on the one used on Afghani leader Ahmed Massoud two days earlier? [Time, 8/4/02]
or:
(6:45 a.m.) "Approximately two hours prior to the first attack", at least two workers at the instant messaging company Odigo receive messages warning of the WTC attack. This Israeli owned company has its headquarters two blocks from the WTC. [Washington Post, 9/28/01, Ha'aretz, 9/26/01]
There’s always a lot of speculation and unsubstantiated rumors surrounding events like these and the timeline on unanswered questions is an interesting read if only for the scope of the information posted there.
It an interesting site if only because of the snippets of information it pulls in from so many disparate sources, like:
(6:00 a.m.) President Bush has just spent the night at Colony Beach and Tennis Resort on Longboat Key, Florida. Surface-to-air missiles have been placed on the roof of the resort. [Sarasota Herald-Tribune, 9/10/02] Bush wakes up around 6:00 a.m. and is preparing for his morning jog. [MSNBC, 10/27/02, New York Times, 9/16/01 (B), Telegraph, 12/16/01] A van occupied by men of Middle Eastern descent pull up to the Colony stating they have a “poolside” interview with the president. They are turned away for not having an appointment. [Longboat Observer, 9/26/01] Was this an assassination attempt modeled on the one used on Afghani leader Ahmed Massoud two days earlier? [Time, 8/4/02]
or:
(6:45 a.m.) "Approximately two hours prior to the first attack", at least two workers at the instant messaging company Odigo receive messages warning of the WTC attack. This Israeli owned company has its headquarters two blocks from the WTC. [Washington Post, 9/28/01, Ha'aretz, 9/26/01]
There’s always a lot of speculation and unsubstantiated rumors surrounding events like these and the timeline on unanswered questions is an interesting read if only for the scope of the information posted there.
Maybe it’s just my malicious nature. I came across this site and all I could think of was the fun you could have calling payphones around the city and seeing who stopped to answer them.
Sep 13, 2003
Just when I think the Yankees are rolling over they put a little distance between them and the competition. Of course, I wound up reading in the papers the same things I was saying about Derek Jeter, Joe Torre and Brian Cashman.
Just when I’m feeling good about the Mets they run off 8 losses in a row and counting.
Just when I’m feeling good about the Mets they run off 8 losses in a row and counting.
Wow, going through this week was like going through a hurricane!
I’m glad this week is over.
For as much bad stuff that went on this week there was a whole lot of good stuff that happened to for which I was very grateful...
Tanya called out of the blue and it was very nice to hear from her. I got a bunch more yardwork done. The weather was really beautiful throughout the week. I got to see Mike, Bruce, Guy and Brian all in rapid succession and got a chance to catch up with each of them. Out of the blue I got a call for a smidgen of work (thank you Lorenz) and as a result got a chance to see Dean.
So, overall even though the week was really, really hard, I made it through and looking back I was glad with the way I dealt with things.
On Friday, the day I worked, I found myself downtown again for the first time in a long time. The client I worked for is located off of Wall Street. I’d been downtown maybe twice since September 11th, 2001 - one time to pick up something at J and R and another to drop off Christmas presents to the same client. Neither time did I wind up walking along Broadway above Trinity Church.
After being a “warm body” for a dog and pony show for the aforementioned client (probably some of the easiest money I’ve made outside of focus group stuff I’ve snagged through the years), I found myself walking with Dean in the warm Friday afternoon air up along Broadway having an animated political conversation as Dean got in his afternoon dosage of nicotine in the brief stroll.
Just past Trinity Church is some building or other with a plaza situated to the south of it. The plaza has probably been there for years, I never took notice of it. It has to even date back to the days when I drove a cab.
In the clear afternoon sun you could see all the way over to the Winter Garden on West Street. I’m not the morbid sort and I’ve gone out of my way to avoid going around “Ground Zero.” I have very clear memories of what was there and when I was a much younger man I worked for a time, at night, directly across the street from the WTC complex on Church Street in the large Post Office which services the financial district.
I worked a midnight to eight shift and was living in Hoboken at the time. Many the night, I would go to work in the very crisp winter air marveling at the quiet beauty of the neighborhood.
There was an interesting dichotomy to the neighborhood. The modern imposing complex which centered around the twin towers contrasted less than a block away with the much, much smaller buildings who were the original inhabitants of the area. Somehow, even though the buildings of the Trade Center dwarfed their neighbors, they all seemed to manage to go together, the small open lot of Trinity Church with it’s very old cemetery (one of very few in Manhattan), the buildings with delis and the like across from it and the very modern complex to the south and west.
At night it would be a very deserted and peaceful area to walk around but, the lights and the breeze coming in off of the bay combined to make it such a beautiful part of the city (this of course predates Battery Park City and the World Financial Center which came much later).
Anyway, the point is I never really had that image of the area with the Battery Park City complex fixed in my mind but looking west from Broadway, I could see the new buildings (Battery Park City) but there was this large, open, empty space where I remembered the Towers being. Church Street widened out in front of the Towers if I remember correctly and there was a drive in front of the Towers as well.
Over the last week, there’s been so much coverage of the event. Plus, all the opinions about the site, about how to remember the day, even whether or not people liked what was done in observance of the date.
Walking past that large open space I returned once again to something which had resonated within me throughout the previous week - you can’t please everyone.
Close the wound, build something! Let’s get moving!
I’m glad this week is over.
For as much bad stuff that went on this week there was a whole lot of good stuff that happened to for which I was very grateful...
Tanya called out of the blue and it was very nice to hear from her. I got a bunch more yardwork done. The weather was really beautiful throughout the week. I got to see Mike, Bruce, Guy and Brian all in rapid succession and got a chance to catch up with each of them. Out of the blue I got a call for a smidgen of work (thank you Lorenz) and as a result got a chance to see Dean.
So, overall even though the week was really, really hard, I made it through and looking back I was glad with the way I dealt with things.
On Friday, the day I worked, I found myself downtown again for the first time in a long time. The client I worked for is located off of Wall Street. I’d been downtown maybe twice since September 11th, 2001 - one time to pick up something at J and R and another to drop off Christmas presents to the same client. Neither time did I wind up walking along Broadway above Trinity Church.
After being a “warm body” for a dog and pony show for the aforementioned client (probably some of the easiest money I’ve made outside of focus group stuff I’ve snagged through the years), I found myself walking with Dean in the warm Friday afternoon air up along Broadway having an animated political conversation as Dean got in his afternoon dosage of nicotine in the brief stroll.
Just past Trinity Church is some building or other with a plaza situated to the south of it. The plaza has probably been there for years, I never took notice of it. It has to even date back to the days when I drove a cab.
In the clear afternoon sun you could see all the way over to the Winter Garden on West Street. I’m not the morbid sort and I’ve gone out of my way to avoid going around “Ground Zero.” I have very clear memories of what was there and when I was a much younger man I worked for a time, at night, directly across the street from the WTC complex on Church Street in the large Post Office which services the financial district.
I worked a midnight to eight shift and was living in Hoboken at the time. Many the night, I would go to work in the very crisp winter air marveling at the quiet beauty of the neighborhood.
There was an interesting dichotomy to the neighborhood. The modern imposing complex which centered around the twin towers contrasted less than a block away with the much, much smaller buildings who were the original inhabitants of the area. Somehow, even though the buildings of the Trade Center dwarfed their neighbors, they all seemed to manage to go together, the small open lot of Trinity Church with it’s very old cemetery (one of very few in Manhattan), the buildings with delis and the like across from it and the very modern complex to the south and west.
At night it would be a very deserted and peaceful area to walk around but, the lights and the breeze coming in off of the bay combined to make it such a beautiful part of the city (this of course predates Battery Park City and the World Financial Center which came much later).
Anyway, the point is I never really had that image of the area with the Battery Park City complex fixed in my mind but looking west from Broadway, I could see the new buildings (Battery Park City) but there was this large, open, empty space where I remembered the Towers being. Church Street widened out in front of the Towers if I remember correctly and there was a drive in front of the Towers as well.
Over the last week, there’s been so much coverage of the event. Plus, all the opinions about the site, about how to remember the day, even whether or not people liked what was done in observance of the date.
Walking past that large open space I returned once again to something which had resonated within me throughout the previous week - you can’t please everyone.
Close the wound, build something! Let’s get moving!
Sep 12, 2003
THE ASSASSINS
This was an offshoot of the Ismaili sect (led by the Aga Khan today) founded c. 1090, by Hasan ibn al-Sabah when he captured the mountain fortress of Alamut (south of the Caspian Sea). Some have compared them to Al-Quaeda, but they were more Murder Incorporated than Al-Quaeda, since they would only target individual enemies who they considered dangerous, mostly their fellow Moslems, & not innocent bystanders.
There is a belief that they would drug naïve young Moslems, who would wake in the garden of the Assassins’ Persian mountain stronghold, believing that they were in Paradise. This would be theirs if they carried out an assassination as ordered by someone that they believed to be the Prophet himself. This may have been a story put about by their enemies. The word assassin itself is Arabic for hashish takers.
Alamut was destroyed by the Mongols on the way to Baghad (by a trick) & the Syrian branch of the sect was destroyed by Sultan Baybars I.
This was an offshoot of the Ismaili sect (led by the Aga Khan today) founded c. 1090, by Hasan ibn al-Sabah when he captured the mountain fortress of Alamut (south of the Caspian Sea). Some have compared them to Al-Quaeda, but they were more Murder Incorporated than Al-Quaeda, since they would only target individual enemies who they considered dangerous, mostly their fellow Moslems, & not innocent bystanders.
There is a belief that they would drug naïve young Moslems, who would wake in the garden of the Assassins’ Persian mountain stronghold, believing that they were in Paradise. This would be theirs if they carried out an assassination as ordered by someone that they believed to be the Prophet himself. This may have been a story put about by their enemies. The word assassin itself is Arabic for hashish takers.
Alamut was destroyed by the Mongols on the way to Baghad (by a trick) & the Syrian branch of the sect was destroyed by Sultan Baybars I.
Sep 11, 2003
So, I had my really, really bad day.
Next day... sun comes up, I go outside, the weather is nice, I do yardwork most of the day. I’m still feeling the crappy effects of the really bad day before - it’s hard to shake.
Sun is shining, there’s a nice breeze...
Someone calls out of the blue (always nice to hear Tanya’s voice). I call a couple of friends to commiserate. Brutal thing to discuss the previous day’s events but, fortunately I have people in my life who’ll listen.
The day goes by and the evening is better than the day before.
Today, I pop into the city and make the rounds - lunch, coffee, a drop in and more coffee. I distribute some of the hidden treasures uncovered during the “big dig.” And again, the weather is beautiful. The city has a wonderful vibe and you can see people are enjoying the day after all the rainy weather over the last few months.
I look back on the last few days and size up how I acted under the stress and I come away feeling good about things. During the day I find myself laughing a bit and later as I walk up to Grand Central along Park Avenue there’s just that nice feeling you can get on a good day in the early evening in Manhattan when the weather is just right and all the lights are on and everything looks like some movie from the 50’s.
So, even on one of those really bad days, you can come back and if you hold out.
Next day... sun comes up, I go outside, the weather is nice, I do yardwork most of the day. I’m still feeling the crappy effects of the really bad day before - it’s hard to shake.
Sun is shining, there’s a nice breeze...
Someone calls out of the blue (always nice to hear Tanya’s voice). I call a couple of friends to commiserate. Brutal thing to discuss the previous day’s events but, fortunately I have people in my life who’ll listen.
The day goes by and the evening is better than the day before.
Today, I pop into the city and make the rounds - lunch, coffee, a drop in and more coffee. I distribute some of the hidden treasures uncovered during the “big dig.” And again, the weather is beautiful. The city has a wonderful vibe and you can see people are enjoying the day after all the rainy weather over the last few months.
I look back on the last few days and size up how I acted under the stress and I come away feeling good about things. During the day I find myself laughing a bit and later as I walk up to Grand Central along Park Avenue there’s just that nice feeling you can get on a good day in the early evening in Manhattan when the weather is just right and all the lights are on and everything looks like some movie from the 50’s.
So, even on one of those really bad days, you can come back and if you hold out.
Sep 9, 2003
Sep 8, 2003
I was flipping channels today and I saw this on one of those VH-1 I love the 70’s shows. I vaguely remember having one of these as a kid and thinking how great it was to have a radio that resembled a dynamite plunger box. Nevermind I came across some old 8-tracks in the big ongoing clean thing, I haven’t listened to them but I was thinking I shouldn’t just throw them out (although they’re pretty close to that right now).
Thought for the day:
Anyone care to speculate how many years it will take before we have sale days on September 11th? Is there any holiday or day of observance in our society that’s safe from that kind of stuff?
I was going to take a shot at writing some headlines for ads but it was just too crass so I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Anyone care to speculate how many years it will take before we have sale days on September 11th? Is there any holiday or day of observance in our society that’s safe from that kind of stuff?
I was going to take a shot at writing some headlines for ads but it was just too crass so I’ll leave it to your imagination.
Sep 7, 2003
I had seen part of Georgie Jrs. speech and I couldn’t resist, insufferable me.
Hey, since all this 9-11 stuff is going to inundate us over the next few days, I have one question to ask that’s never really been answered to my satisfaction:
Does anybody really believe these guys could go four for four?
I mean, is it even possible that Al Queda could manage to be 100% successful in the attacks that day? Isn’t it much more realistic to think they were something like 30% successful.
If that’s the case, what happened to all the other guys (teams) that were out there? I don’t recall hearing anything about guys that they stopped that day (outside of the one guy up in Minnesota who only wanted to learn how to make the plane take off and not how to land the damn thing).
It means if we have 19 hijackers on 4 planes (Zacarias Moussaoui makes an even 20) and the hijackers were only 30% successful then they had targeted about 13 or 14 flight with 65 to 70 men.
What happened to the other hijackers?
Hey, since all this 9-11 stuff is going to inundate us over the next few days, I have one question to ask that’s never really been answered to my satisfaction:
Does anybody really believe these guys could go four for four?
I mean, is it even possible that Al Queda could manage to be 100% successful in the attacks that day? Isn’t it much more realistic to think they were something like 30% successful.
If that’s the case, what happened to all the other guys (teams) that were out there? I don’t recall hearing anything about guys that they stopped that day (outside of the one guy up in Minnesota who only wanted to learn how to make the plane take off and not how to land the damn thing).
It means if we have 19 hijackers on 4 planes (Zacarias Moussaoui makes an even 20) and the hijackers were only 30% successful then they had targeted about 13 or 14 flight with 65 to 70 men.
What happened to the other hijackers?
I don’t know where he is.
I don’t know how big his numbers are.
He’s everywhere. He’s nowhere.
But, he’s out there.
Give me the money to find him.
There’s a war...
I don’t know how long it will last.
I don’t know where it will take us.
I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to win it.
I don’t know how many of our own will die fighting it.
But, you’ll never be safe, unless you give me money to fight it.
You’ll have to make sacrifices if you want to be safe...
You’ll go into debt.
I won’t be able to pay for schools... or roads... or other things you might need.
But, you’ll be safe... maybe.
Just give me the money...
Don’t ask me how much...
Don’t ask me for how long...
Don’t make me accountable in any way...
Pay me and I’ll make it all go away... maybe.
Welcome to the new millenium,
welcome to the war against terrorism.
Logic need not apply.
Ouch! That’s gotta hurt! (pardon me while I surpress a grin)
So, every time I run into a Yankee fan, they comment on how none of this matters because, “We all know where Boston is going to wind up at the end of the season.” Hmmmm... first place, maybe?
We got up to Boston earlier in the year and took in a game at Fenway.
One thing that struck me watching the Red Sox was that they had a tough lineup. It just seemed as if the guys in the Boston lineup were tough outs all the way up and down the order.
The thing I couldn’t understand is that none of the guys in the lineup were guys who were “superstars.” Maybe good players - Todd Walker, David Ortiz, Kevin Millar, Lou Merloni, Gabe Kapler, Bill Mueller, Doug Mirabelli, Darren Jackson and Trot Nixon but that was about all. The feeling was once you got past Johnny Damon, Nomar Garciaparra and Manny Ramirez there wasn’t anything that would instill fear in another team.
Then again, baseball being the team sport that it is, sometimes the sum of all the parts is of greater value than the individual pieces and that’s the way it’s looking with the Red Sox this year. The big knock on the Sox when we saw them was that their pitching was thin. Not weak, just not studly, particularly in the bullpen.
Then again over the last two games this is the Yankee pitching line:
| NY Yankees | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR | Season ERA | A. Pettitte | 2.1 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 4.35 | J. Weaver | 4.2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5.93 | J. De Paula | 2.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | R. Clemens | 3.1 | 7 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4.18 | C. Hammond | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3.00 | F. Heredia | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.97 | A. Osuna | 1.2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3.89 | G. White | 1.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4.29 |
Looking at that line, it doesn’t seem like Boston is the only team with a thin pitching staff.
Yankee fans gloated during the teams’ incredible run for four years. There’s no denying how dominant the Yankees were. The heart of that team is gone now (O’Neil, Brosius and Martinez). Mind you, Bernie Williams, Jorge Posada, Andy Petite, Mariano Rivera and the Yankees very own matinee idol Derek Jeter still remain but, pitchers aren’t known for carrying teams (in the case of Petite and Rivera) and the position players in question aren’t the kind of guys to carry a team.
“Team Captain” Derek Jeter is particularly called into question now, it’s time for a gut-check. If the Yankees are going to go all the way this year, Jeter as team captain is going to have to put the team on his back and carry them there - not Soriano, not Giambi, not Williams, it all comes down to Jeter.
What I can’t understand is why Sterling Hitchcock got traded and wasn’t given an opportunity to pitch every fifth day - too many high priced pitchers forced Hitchcock to a long man’s role which he was ill suited for. Being saddled with the Weaver/Contreras conundrum has confused the situation even further. Now, if Wells manages to lose tomorrow, figure on seeing George in the paper on Monday calling him a fat, pussy toad.
With a $180 million payroll and a possibility that the Yankees will miss the playoffs could they take the title of “The Worst Team Money Could Buy” from the 1992 Mets? Nevermind that this could be Joe Torre and Brian Cashman’s swan song.
Stay tuned sports fans.
Sep 4, 2003
"The only thing worse than a Mets game, is a Mets doubleheader." — Casey Stengel (the old perfesser), Mets manager in 1962.
The Detroit Tigers are on their way to breaking a Mets record. Thank you Detroit - one more thing to bring happiness in the 2003 baseball season.
The Detroit Tigers are on their way to breaking a Mets record. Thank you Detroit - one more thing to bring happiness in the 2003 baseball season.
More baseball stuff: I had to laugh yesterday reading about Joe Torre bemoaning his lot managing the Yankees this season. Torre, the beneficiary of a lot of Buck Showalter and Gene Michael‘s hard work is now faced with the task of proving just how good a manager he is this season.
The Yankees with baseball’s biggest payroll are finding out they can’t buy championships like they thought they could.
Poor Yankees… poor, poor Yankees.
Maybe the Yankees will go all the way but, they’re looking awfully beatable now. Sure they have the American League’s best record (not by much though) but, look at their record versus Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Oakland and Kansas City this year.
More on WTC…
I was one of those who thought we should build something even bigger to replace what was there and I still feel that way. If we did, “Wouldn’t it be a target?” some people would ask. The only thing I can think to say in reply is, we can’t live in fear.
There will always be people that don’t like us as a nation, hell there are times I don’t like us as a nation and I live here! Still, we can’t live our lives in fear. We have to move forward, to learn from our past and to make things better in the future, if there’s one thing we can take away from the whole thing, let that be it, to do better.
If I had my way, I’d build something that was a cousin to the Empire State Building, or even a big brother so the Empire State Building didn’t look so alone in the skyline. Something that would balance out the skyline. I didn’t think much of the World Trade Center when it was there and I’ve lived in and around New York all my life but, I sure miss those building now that they’re gone.
It just doesn’t look right (the skyline that is). I spent several years driving in and around the city and I can remember how the city looked from all the different ways you approach it - whether over the BQE, out along the turnpike in Jersey, cresting the bridge over the train yards in the Bronx, on trains or on planes we’re missing something and it won’t be right until something is there in its place.
I also don’t mean to do a disservice to anyone who died there. I’d make the bottom 20 or 30 stories of the building a huge open space with a statue (really, really large one) depicting the firefighters and policeman who gave their lives helping people. The perimeter of where the buildings stood would be marked with a waist high rail. Along the top of the rail would be an angled surface with the pictures, names, biographical data and country of origin of the people lost in the event.
All four sides of this open space would have huge glass surfaces allowing light into the area and letting the memorial be visible from outside the structure. Somewhere around the fortieth floor would be a publicly accessible roof park/garden. Basically the lower portion of the building would be a base for a more slender spire rising up out of that base.
Anyway, I procrastinate on these things but, that’s what I’d do.
One other thing I’ll be sure to do though… I won’t forget that day (I don’t think any of us will).
I was one of those who thought we should build something even bigger to replace what was there and I still feel that way. If we did, “Wouldn’t it be a target?” some people would ask. The only thing I can think to say in reply is, we can’t live in fear.
There will always be people that don’t like us as a nation, hell there are times I don’t like us as a nation and I live here! Still, we can’t live our lives in fear. We have to move forward, to learn from our past and to make things better in the future, if there’s one thing we can take away from the whole thing, let that be it, to do better.
If I had my way, I’d build something that was a cousin to the Empire State Building, or even a big brother so the Empire State Building didn’t look so alone in the skyline. Something that would balance out the skyline. I didn’t think much of the World Trade Center when it was there and I’ve lived in and around New York all my life but, I sure miss those building now that they’re gone.
It just doesn’t look right (the skyline that is). I spent several years driving in and around the city and I can remember how the city looked from all the different ways you approach it - whether over the BQE, out along the turnpike in Jersey, cresting the bridge over the train yards in the Bronx, on trains or on planes we’re missing something and it won’t be right until something is there in its place.
I also don’t mean to do a disservice to anyone who died there. I’d make the bottom 20 or 30 stories of the building a huge open space with a statue (really, really large one) depicting the firefighters and policeman who gave their lives helping people. The perimeter of where the buildings stood would be marked with a waist high rail. Along the top of the rail would be an angled surface with the pictures, names, biographical data and country of origin of the people lost in the event.
All four sides of this open space would have huge glass surfaces allowing light into the area and letting the memorial be visible from outside the structure. Somewhere around the fortieth floor would be a publicly accessible roof park/garden. Basically the lower portion of the building would be a base for a more slender spire rising up out of that base.
Anyway, I procrastinate on these things but, that’s what I’d do.
One other thing I’ll be sure to do though… I won’t forget that day (I don’t think any of us will).
Shhhh…
I haven't talked about them lately but, the Mets swept the Braves for the first time since 1995.
Yeah, I know they’re way, way out of it but, they’ve been a lot more fun to watch these last few weeks since they bought the kids up. Actually, the worst part of watching the Mets the last few weeks was seeing Jose Reyes come up after getting his spike caught sliding into second the other day. He’s really been a joy to watch this season, a real bright spot (him and Jason Phillips).
Anyway, I have to admit, I’m liking the team and I’m liking their chances for next year. Now, if only they can sign Andy Petite and Gary Sheffield in the off-season.
I haven't talked about them lately but, the Mets swept the Braves for the first time since 1995.
Yeah, I know they’re way, way out of it but, they’ve been a lot more fun to watch these last few weeks since they bought the kids up. Actually, the worst part of watching the Mets the last few weeks was seeing Jose Reyes come up after getting his spike caught sliding into second the other day. He’s really been a joy to watch this season, a real bright spot (him and Jason Phillips).
Anyway, I have to admit, I’m liking the team and I’m liking their chances for next year. Now, if only they can sign Andy Petite and Gary Sheffield in the off-season.
Everybody has their story:
I was working over at Landor when the attack happened.
Anyone who was in New York that day will tell you it was one of the most perfect days weather-wise imaginable. It was a beautifully sunny, mild day, the air was fresh and had a tiny breath of cool in it hinting of the approach of autumn.
As is normally the case, I was frantically trying to make it to Tarrytown to catch a train, running oh-so-close to missing it. As circumstance would have it, the radio was on WCBS so I could keep track of the time. Just as I passed the hospital on the north side of Sleepy Hollow they broadcasted a plane had hit one of the WTC towers.
At first, it occurred to me (as would be the case with many New Yorkers) some idiot in a small plane on a sightseeing expedition had engaged in “distracted flying” (much like distracted driving), strayed to close to the building and made a name for him or herself with their stupidity.
My speculation was interrupted by a roadblock the local police had set up. Moaning over the inconvenience (and slightly nervous by the prospect of getting some undeserved ticket), I hastily strapped myself in while making my way as the police checked for lapsed registration and unbelted drivers.
Getting through the roadblock, the radio announcer noted in a bewildered tone, the station was “getting reports a second plane had hit the towers.” The words removed any sense of an accident from my thoughts, something very bad was happening. Of course, not being around a TV, I thought two small planes hit the buildings, in my most wild imaginings I couldn’t think passenger jets would be used as weapons.
Finding a parking space, I hurriedly gathered myself and ran the block or so to the station platform. The nagging feeling it might be a good day just to skip going in, whatever was going on started to creep up on me. It could be a rough day to get in and out of the city. Besides, I had already been through my share of snowstorms, hurricanes, floods, decapitations and multi-car accidents. Something goes on in those situations, I can’t really explain it, except to say there’s an analysis going on, a taking stock of what’s happening and figuring out the worst case scenario.
I put my walkman on and listened intently while the news reports just kept coming and getting worse and worse. The surreal part was standing on a train platform in the suburbs as people walked around unaware that anything was even wrong. It was just a really beautiful morning and people were waiting for their train on they’re way to work, simple as you please. Crowded as any other day, most people just had a sip of their coffee or buried themselves in the paper passing the last few moments of ignorance as the train slowly pulled in.
The train I was catching goes express after Tarrytown and boarding, people on the train were just unaware of what awaited them in Manhattan that day. Could you imagine watching what happened on TV and then getting on a train to take you into Manhattan?
I sat in the back of a the first car as the train pulled out. Shortly, a passenger came through, having had an animated conversation with the motorman. When he came closer I asked him if the motorman said whether or not we’d be going in to Grand Central and he replied we’d probably be the last train in.
Several of the passengers around me looked up, getting concerned and asked why we’d be the last train into Grand Central. The man and I replied because we were under attack.
Before the train pulled into Yonkers (the next station), they reported a plane had flown into the Pentagon. I figured whatever was going on, I wasn’t going into the city. As the people around me pressed for more information, I made it plainly clear to them the wisest course of action would be to get off at the next station and to catch the next train going north which is what I (and as it turned out a lot of other people) did.
The platform at the Yonkers station on the Hudson line is right on the river. It’s at a point in the river where if you go further south the river curves in eastward to the northern tip of Manhattan and then the coast of Manhattan juts back out west. It gives you a really beautiful view of the skyline of the city as you look south.
Looking down the river from the southbound platform, instead of the familiar skyline I was used to, I saw what appeared to be two enormous chimney stacks belching smoke as if from some monstrous factory, plumes reaching impossible heights. Everyone on the platform just looked at the sight of the two buildings aflame in disbelief.
I tried to find a phone - of course none was working. I went back to the northbound platform and caught (what would turn out to be) the last train out of the city for several hours, back to where I had parked.
Ultimately, I found a working pay phone next to a phone switching building (which is something to keep in mind the next time you’re in a situation where the phones aren’t working the way they’re supposed to). I made phone calls to people I needed to and made my way home to watch those tapes replayed over and over as the day unfolded.
Things I remember from the days that followed:
- • People were really, really nice to each other.
• Worrying whether someone I knew had been in the building.
• Walking around the city and seeing all those handbills put up by people trying to find other people.
• The nasty smell which reminded me of burning plastic that you would catch on a breeze when the wind shifted sometimes.
• The constant sound of sirens racing up and down the streets of Manhattan for weeks afterward.
• The empty, numbing feeling that persisted days after the attack.
• Everything south of 14th street being closed (the forbidden zone).
• Everything south of Houston being closed when they opened up the village, and seeing all the heavy equipment parked along Houston.
• Feeling very bad for the Pakistani taxi driver in the cab I took going out on night in the village.
• Walking up to meet a friend for lunch and forgetting the armory on 26th St. was the relief center for families, walking through a crowd of scared, grieving people with missing handbills and newsmen everywhere.
I feel pretty fortunate:
- • I wasn’t in the city.
• A friend who worked in the building had taken that week off for vacation.
• A relative of a relative had a meeting canceled which would have put him right there when it happened.
Still, another friend lost her father.
My sister had three neighbors die (firefighters) leaving behind three families.
Everyone else I know or love was intact afterward…
This was originally one long entry but makes more sense as three separate ones:
Well, we’re a week away from the anniversary…
Just like the blackout we had last month is an event we mark time by, so too is the attack on the World Trade Center. The only reason I bring the subject up is I know between now and next Wednesday, we’ll find ourselves confronting the event once again as we mark two years since the attack.
There’s been a bunch of stories relating to the event lately. One article talks about how low the number of families has been to file claims with the Federal government for compensation over loss of their loved ones in the attack. Another noted the burial of a firefighter, his being the final one of a firefighter lost in WTC. Still another, was the dismissal of Duetsche Bank’s suit against the city for property damage due to the attack. Then, there was the article noting how much the site has changed in the ensuing two years.
A week or so ago, the Port Authority released transcripts made from the buildings by people seeking help. In some circles it was viewed as morbid and unnecessary (and I can understand where someone who grieved would not want to be reminded or hear the last minutes of their loved ones) but, there are some incredible tales of courage. While I understood the reasons against making the transcripts public, it occurred to me how important it is for us to remember what happened (not to walk away or hide from 09/11/01).
Well, we’re a week away from the anniversary…
Just like the blackout we had last month is an event we mark time by, so too is the attack on the World Trade Center. The only reason I bring the subject up is I know between now and next Wednesday, we’ll find ourselves confronting the event once again as we mark two years since the attack.
There’s been a bunch of stories relating to the event lately. One article talks about how low the number of families has been to file claims with the Federal government for compensation over loss of their loved ones in the attack. Another noted the burial of a firefighter, his being the final one of a firefighter lost in WTC. Still another, was the dismissal of Duetsche Bank’s suit against the city for property damage due to the attack. Then, there was the article noting how much the site has changed in the ensuing two years.
A week or so ago, the Port Authority released transcripts made from the buildings by people seeking help. In some circles it was viewed as morbid and unnecessary (and I can understand where someone who grieved would not want to be reminded or hear the last minutes of their loved ones) but, there are some incredible tales of courage. While I understood the reasons against making the transcripts public, it occurred to me how important it is for us to remember what happened (not to walk away or hide from 09/11/01).
Sep 2, 2003
I took a few days off, right when I got some very nice positive feedback on the blog too (domo arigato sensei).
Truth is I’m still feeling crappy from whatever I caught and as a result I’ve been having intermittent bouts of energy interspersed with feeling very fatigued. I’ve also been keeping weird hours again (much to someone’s chagrin). I’ll be up late at night and then during the day I’ll feel tired and wind up falling asleep for a few hours.
In those moments when I’ve been subject to great energy, I’ve been continuing the work of getting things in order. It shouldn’t be this messy, but it is (I could probably give Roberta a run for her money in terms of clutter - which is probably why we’re good friends). Putting shelves together, moving something, moving something else into the space just cleared. It’s like playing dominos with your life possessions.
Also, I’ve just come to the realization there’s just a bunch of stuff I want to throw out, give to good will, sell, whatever. Just clear things out. Even I’ve gotten sick of it.
The garage is almost to the point where I can walk through it. This is a big thing in my life. Also, the way I have things set up now, I’ll be able to get at stuff without having to move a ton of other things. One wall is entirely those industrial steel shelf jobbies. The ones that aren’t along the walls have wheels on them so I can move them around. Most of these things have wheels on them now so my life is mobile (it brings to mind this image of Michael Richards as Kramer explaining to Jerry how he’s going to make his whole apartment into levels).
I might even be able to get the lawn mower out soon, just in time for the leaves to start falling!
I had looked at the blog and was sickened by the big political focus, gripe, gripe, gripe, gripe. There was one bit of political news last week that turned my stomach though. There is one thing and one thing only which would make me vote for George Bush in the next election:
1960S - After becoming involved in politics, Wellesley graduate Hillary Rodham orders her senior thesis sealed from public view
1974 - Impeachment was evolved… to cope with both the inadequacy of the criminal standards and the impotence of the courts to deal with the conduct of great public figures. It would be anomalous if the framers, having barred criminal sanctions from the impeachment remedy… intended to restrict the grounds for impeachment to conduct that was criminal" - Hillary Rodham, Staff Attorney, House Judiciary Committee
1978 - Two months after commencing the Whitewater scam, Hillary Clinton invests $1,000 in cattle futures. Within a few days she has a $5,000 profit. Before bailing out she earns nearly $100,000 on her investment. Many years later, several economists will calculate that the chances of earning such returns legally were one in 250 million.
1980s - Hillary Clinton makes a $44,000 profit on a $2,000 investment in a cellular phone franchise deal that involves taking advantage of the FCC's preference for locals, minorities and women. The franchise is almost immediately flipped to the cellular giant, McCaw… Hillary Clinton quietly lobbies on behalf of the Contras and against groups and individuals opposing them.
1981 - Hillary Clinton writes Jim McDougal: "If Reagonomics works at all, Whitewater could become the Western Hemisphere's Mecca."
1985 - Mrs. Clinton is put on a $2,000 a month retainer by Madison Guaranty… McDougal will later write in his book that the payments were in lieu of his earlier system of passing money to Bill Clinton. Ms. Clinton will later claim not to have received any retainer nor to have been deeply involved with Madison. Subsequent records show, however, that she represented Madison before the state securities department. After the revelation, she says, "For goodness sakes, you can't be a lawyer if you don't represent banks."
1993 - Hillary Clinton and David Watkins move to oust the White House travel office in favor of World Wide Travel, Clinton's source of $1 million in fly-now-pay-later campaign trips. The White House fires seven long-term employees for alleged mismanagement and kickbacks. The director, Billy Dale, charged with embezzlement, will be acquitted in less than two hours by the jury.
1993 - Less than three hours after Foster's body is found, his office is secretly searched by Clinton operatives, including Mrs. Clinton's chief of staff. Another search occurs two days later. Meanwhile, US Park Police and FBI agents are not allowed to search the office on grounds of "executive privilege." Foster's suicide note is withheld from investigators for some 30 hours. The note is in 27 pieces with one other piece missing.
1994 - John Huang quits the Lippo Group — with a golden parachute of around $800,000 — and goes to work for the Commerce Department. Some believe the move is instigated by Hillary Clinton. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown orders a top secret clearance for Huang. While at Commerce, Huang visits the White House about 70 times, is briefed 37 times by the CIA, views about 500 intelligence reports, and makes 281 calls to Lippo banks.
1996 - Hillary Clinton's attempts to conceal the fact that she had $120,000 of editorial help in preparing her book-like substance…
Hillary Clinton tells New Zealand television that she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary. At the time of Mrs. Clinton's birth, Hillary was an unknown beekeeper.
1997 - Hillary Clinton goes for her daily dose of photographic self-aggrandizement at the pediatrics ward of the Georgetown University Medical Center. She is to be pictured reading to the kids. The problem: sick children don't look that cute, especially those who are bald from cancer treatments or fitted out with tubes and such. The solution: replace the sick children with well versions belonging to the hospital staff. It works beautifully.
2002 - CARL LIMBACHER, NEWSMAX - In a surprise revelation during a Memorial Day campaign swing through upstate New York, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that she used to be a duck hunter… The New York senator's long-secret hunting days conjured up memories of other unlikely assertions she's offered over the years, such as:
- The claim that she once tried to enlist in the Army but was turned down because she was too old.
- Her 2000 senatorial campaign metamorphosis into a New York Yankees fan.
- Her 1996 announcement that at age 49, she and President Clinton were thinking of adopting another child
2000 - THE RAY REPORT - It is, in the independent counsel's judgment beyond peradventure, that as a matter of historical fact, Mrs. Clinton's input into the process was a significant - if not the significant - factor influencing the pace of events in the travel office firings and the ultimate decision to fire the employees. Accordingly, the independent counsel concludes that Mr. Clinton's sworn testimony that she had no input into Watkins's decision or role in the travel office firings is factually inaccurate.
All courtesy of Sam Smith’s Progressive Review.
Oh, and I’m sure all those people who were glad I bashed Bush will now get to feel tremendous moral indignation now that I have casted aspersions on HRC. The door swings both ways folks.
Truth is I’m still feeling crappy from whatever I caught and as a result I’ve been having intermittent bouts of energy interspersed with feeling very fatigued. I’ve also been keeping weird hours again (much to someone’s chagrin). I’ll be up late at night and then during the day I’ll feel tired and wind up falling asleep for a few hours.
In those moments when I’ve been subject to great energy, I’ve been continuing the work of getting things in order. It shouldn’t be this messy, but it is (I could probably give Roberta a run for her money in terms of clutter - which is probably why we’re good friends). Putting shelves together, moving something, moving something else into the space just cleared. It’s like playing dominos with your life possessions.
Also, I’ve just come to the realization there’s just a bunch of stuff I want to throw out, give to good will, sell, whatever. Just clear things out. Even I’ve gotten sick of it.
The garage is almost to the point where I can walk through it. This is a big thing in my life. Also, the way I have things set up now, I’ll be able to get at stuff without having to move a ton of other things. One wall is entirely those industrial steel shelf jobbies. The ones that aren’t along the walls have wheels on them so I can move them around. Most of these things have wheels on them now so my life is mobile (it brings to mind this image of Michael Richards as Kramer explaining to Jerry how he’s going to make his whole apartment into levels).
I might even be able to get the lawn mower out soon, just in time for the leaves to start falling!
I had looked at the blog and was sickened by the big political focus, gripe, gripe, gripe, gripe. There was one bit of political news last week that turned my stomach though. There is one thing and one thing only which would make me vote for George Bush in the next election:
1960S - After becoming involved in politics, Wellesley graduate Hillary Rodham orders her senior thesis sealed from public view
1974 - Impeachment was evolved… to cope with both the inadequacy of the criminal standards and the impotence of the courts to deal with the conduct of great public figures. It would be anomalous if the framers, having barred criminal sanctions from the impeachment remedy… intended to restrict the grounds for impeachment to conduct that was criminal" - Hillary Rodham, Staff Attorney, House Judiciary Committee
1978 - Two months after commencing the Whitewater scam, Hillary Clinton invests $1,000 in cattle futures. Within a few days she has a $5,000 profit. Before bailing out she earns nearly $100,000 on her investment. Many years later, several economists will calculate that the chances of earning such returns legally were one in 250 million.
1980s - Hillary Clinton makes a $44,000 profit on a $2,000 investment in a cellular phone franchise deal that involves taking advantage of the FCC's preference for locals, minorities and women. The franchise is almost immediately flipped to the cellular giant, McCaw… Hillary Clinton quietly lobbies on behalf of the Contras and against groups and individuals opposing them.
1981 - Hillary Clinton writes Jim McDougal: "If Reagonomics works at all, Whitewater could become the Western Hemisphere's Mecca."
1985 - Mrs. Clinton is put on a $2,000 a month retainer by Madison Guaranty… McDougal will later write in his book that the payments were in lieu of his earlier system of passing money to Bill Clinton. Ms. Clinton will later claim not to have received any retainer nor to have been deeply involved with Madison. Subsequent records show, however, that she represented Madison before the state securities department. After the revelation, she says, "For goodness sakes, you can't be a lawyer if you don't represent banks."
1993 - Hillary Clinton and David Watkins move to oust the White House travel office in favor of World Wide Travel, Clinton's source of $1 million in fly-now-pay-later campaign trips. The White House fires seven long-term employees for alleged mismanagement and kickbacks. The director, Billy Dale, charged with embezzlement, will be acquitted in less than two hours by the jury.
1993 - Less than three hours after Foster's body is found, his office is secretly searched by Clinton operatives, including Mrs. Clinton's chief of staff. Another search occurs two days later. Meanwhile, US Park Police and FBI agents are not allowed to search the office on grounds of "executive privilege." Foster's suicide note is withheld from investigators for some 30 hours. The note is in 27 pieces with one other piece missing.
1994 - John Huang quits the Lippo Group — with a golden parachute of around $800,000 — and goes to work for the Commerce Department. Some believe the move is instigated by Hillary Clinton. Commerce Secretary Ron Brown orders a top secret clearance for Huang. While at Commerce, Huang visits the White House about 70 times, is briefed 37 times by the CIA, views about 500 intelligence reports, and makes 281 calls to Lippo banks.
1996 - Hillary Clinton's attempts to conceal the fact that she had $120,000 of editorial help in preparing her book-like substance…
Hillary Clinton tells New Zealand television that she was named after Sir Edmund Hillary. At the time of Mrs. Clinton's birth, Hillary was an unknown beekeeper.
1997 - Hillary Clinton goes for her daily dose of photographic self-aggrandizement at the pediatrics ward of the Georgetown University Medical Center. She is to be pictured reading to the kids. The problem: sick children don't look that cute, especially those who are bald from cancer treatments or fitted out with tubes and such. The solution: replace the sick children with well versions belonging to the hospital staff. It works beautifully.
2002 - CARL LIMBACHER, NEWSMAX - In a surprise revelation during a Memorial Day campaign swing through upstate New York, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that she used to be a duck hunter… The New York senator's long-secret hunting days conjured up memories of other unlikely assertions she's offered over the years, such as:
- The claim that she once tried to enlist in the Army but was turned down because she was too old.
- Her 2000 senatorial campaign metamorphosis into a New York Yankees fan.
- Her 1996 announcement that at age 49, she and President Clinton were thinking of adopting another child
2000 - THE RAY REPORT - It is, in the independent counsel's judgment beyond peradventure, that as a matter of historical fact, Mrs. Clinton's input into the process was a significant - if not the significant - factor influencing the pace of events in the travel office firings and the ultimate decision to fire the employees. Accordingly, the independent counsel concludes that Mr. Clinton's sworn testimony that she had no input into Watkins's decision or role in the travel office firings is factually inaccurate.
All courtesy of Sam Smith’s Progressive Review.
Oh, and I’m sure all those people who were glad I bashed Bush will now get to feel tremendous moral indignation now that I have casted aspersions on HRC. The door swings both ways folks.
Aug 30, 2003
Politics, politics and more politics...
I was looking over the last week or so and realized I have to take a step back from the political world if only to break the monotony.
Just in the interest of equal time though (and in case anyone thought I was giving the other players in this game a pass). A good article on the “Clinton legacy” by Edward S. Herman professor emeritus at the Wharton School of Business from Z magazine.
Clinton’s inept medical reform plan got nowhere, but did result in the rapid and not very helpful spread of HMOs. Thus, in his eight years in office he did nothing constructive to deal with the underlying medical cost problem, which would involve serious government intervention via a single payer insurance system and price caps. These were ruled out by his ties to the insurance and medical industries and his ideological commitment to Hooverite principle two: government is bad and must be shrunk. So here also his legacy sets the stage for further attacks on the welfare state by Bush II.
I was looking over the last week or so and realized I have to take a step back from the political world if only to break the monotony.
Just in the interest of equal time though (and in case anyone thought I was giving the other players in this game a pass). A good article on the “Clinton legacy” by Edward S. Herman professor emeritus at the Wharton School of Business from Z magazine.
Clinton’s inept medical reform plan got nowhere, but did result in the rapid and not very helpful spread of HMOs. Thus, in his eight years in office he did nothing constructive to deal with the underlying medical cost problem, which would involve serious government intervention via a single payer insurance system and price caps. These were ruled out by his ties to the insurance and medical industries and his ideological commitment to Hooverite principle two: government is bad and must be shrunk. So here also his legacy sets the stage for further attacks on the welfare state by Bush II.
Aug 25, 2003
Asked whether the United States might have to reinstitute the draft to deal with the many and far-flung trouble spots in the world, Myers said, "No, no, I can't say we are anywhere close to that at this point."
Draft, did someone say draft? Is it getting drafty in here?
How you liking me now America?
Draft. Did you say Draft. We don’ need no stinkin’ draft (with apologies to the Banditos in the Treasure of Sierra Madre)
The US is desperately trying to encourage other countries to commit troops to Iraq and this week a resolution is likely to be presented to the United Nations Security Council that would encourage and seek greater international involvement in Iraq.
The stumbling block is likely to be America's flat refusal to cede any authority for an international peace-keeping force to the UN.
Draft, did someone say draft? Is it getting drafty in here?
Draft. Did you say Draft. We don’ need no stinkin’ draft
The US is desperately trying to encourage other countries to commit troops to Iraq and this week a resolution is likely to be presented to the United Nations Security Council that would encourage and seek greater international involvement in Iraq.
The stumbling block is likely to be America's flat refusal to cede any authority for an international peace-keeping force to the UN.
So, today I found myself wandering around the web. I was thinking about posting a historical description of the Boston Tea Party and changing the word Patriot to the word Terrorist just as an exercise in how we use language as a tool (sometimes detrimentally) to justify policies which would not be as agreeable otherwise.
While I was on my journey, I came across those documents which we talk a lot about in this country but, (at least in my case) rarely take the time out to read. I’m talking about the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. None of the documents (for me) are easily digestible without careful reading.
However, I found reading the Declaration of Independence particularly interesting in light of current events. There’s a passage of bulleted points of trespasses made by the King of England on the colonists. Considering our current foreign policy, these were the ones which struck me as truly ironic:
• For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
• For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
• For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
• For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
• For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
• For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
• For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers...
Sound like any nation we know? Just something to bear in mind as we zealously prosecute the War on Terrorism.
While I was on my journey, I came across those documents which we talk a lot about in this country but, (at least in my case) rarely take the time out to read. I’m talking about the Bill of Rights, the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. None of the documents (for me) are easily digestible without careful reading.
However, I found reading the Declaration of Independence particularly interesting in light of current events. There’s a passage of bulleted points of trespasses made by the King of England on the colonists. Considering our current foreign policy, these were the ones which struck me as truly ironic:
• For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
• For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:
• For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:
• For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:
• For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:
• For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:
• For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:
• For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers...
Sound like any nation we know? Just something to bear in mind as we zealously prosecute the War on Terrorism.
It was a moment of unadulterated goofiness, the kind of thing anyone might do with no one watching: A teen from Quebec videotaped himself as he pretended to wield a light saber "Star Wars" style.
From Waxy.org here’s the original movie...
...and the movie with dubbed effects.
Apparently there’s a petition to get the kid into the next Star Wars film. Can’t be any worse than Jar Jar Binks.
From Waxy.org here’s the original movie...
...and the movie with dubbed effects.
Apparently there’s a petition to get the kid into the next Star Wars film. Can’t be any worse than Jar Jar Binks.
U.S. Officials Argue Against More Troops
WASHINGTON - Faced with rising numbers of attacks, sabotage and foreign terrorists, U.S. officials on Sunday rejected sending more American troops to stabilize Iraq but said they would welcome additional help from other countries.
I can see it now:
Sound of phone number being dialed
Colin Powell: Hi, France? Yeah it’s me Colin. How’ve you been?...
Yeah, this summer has sure been hot...
Really? Oh, you took all that stuff seriously? You mean that American Fries business?!
Oh, that was nothing, yeah...
No really, you know how George can be sometimes...
Well... yeah...
No that’s why I’m not sticking around for a second term...
No...
No, I don’t like it either...
Listen, I wanted to ask you. You know he really wasn’t serious. Really. Well, we could really use your help on this, you know?...
Yeah, just a couple thousand.
How long?
Hmmmm... I don’t know he doesn’t really seem to sure.
Clicking noise as phone is hung up
France... France? You there?
Dial tone noise
Mumbling:Now, where did I put Germany and Russia’s numbers?
Always nice to have a foreign policy that doesn’t really think through objectives. Nation building is a tough business and it doesn’t happen in six months, you’re lucky if you can do it in six years and we don’t have that kind of attention span as a nation.
WASHINGTON - Faced with rising numbers of attacks, sabotage and foreign terrorists, U.S. officials on Sunday rejected sending more American troops to stabilize Iraq but said they would welcome additional help from other countries.
I can see it now:
Sound of phone number being dialed
Colin Powell: Hi, France? Yeah it’s me Colin. How’ve you been?...
Yeah, this summer has sure been hot...
Really? Oh, you took all that stuff seriously? You mean that American Fries business?!
Oh, that was nothing, yeah...
No really, you know how George can be sometimes...
Well... yeah...
No that’s why I’m not sticking around for a second term...
No...
No, I don’t like it either...
Listen, I wanted to ask you. You know he really wasn’t serious. Really. Well, we could really use your help on this, you know?...
Yeah, just a couple thousand.
How long?
Hmmmm... I don’t know he doesn’t really seem to sure.
Clicking noise as phone is hung up
France... France? You there?
Dial tone noise
Mumbling:Now, where did I put Germany and Russia’s numbers?
Always nice to have a foreign policy that doesn’t really think through objectives. Nation building is a tough business and it doesn’t happen in six months, you’re lucky if you can do it in six years and we don’t have that kind of attention span as a nation.
Vandals acting in the name of radical environmentalism struck four car dealerships and several individual car owners in the San Gabriel Valley early Friday, setting fire to one Chevrolet dealership and destroying or defacing dozens of Hummers and other SUVs, many painted with the word "polluter."
Through media reports, the ELF Press Office has been made aware of three ELF actions occuring in the early morning hours of August 22, 2003.
These people are f**king serious!
Well, I figure everyone who was going to answer has (and those of you that haven’t - grrrr...).
Anyway I thought it would be cool to gather everyone’s stories of the blackout and to see how the loss of electricity affected peoples’ lives.
Cathy - At work on the phone, got to take the long walk home to Brooklyn with so many other New Yorkers.
Larry - At work, also one of many who made his way across the east river bridges back home to Brooklyn.
Sung - In air conditioned comfort with an ice coffee watching TV the electric flickered out for a few minutes and that was it. His big blackout moment came later that evening when he went to get his brother at the Edgewater ferry terminal in a scene he described as reminiscent of the British retreat at Dunkirk.
Brian - On vacation at the Jersey Shore with his soon to be betrothed Valerie missed all the excitement (although there was some refrigerator clearing to do when he returned from the vay-kay).
Tom - Boarding the bus after a day at the beach (Rock, Rock, Rockaway Beach), the savvy bus driver stuck to the side streets running parallel to Woodhaven Blvd. Tom got home without much delay and soldiered through the lack of power like a trooper.
Mark - In Vermont, where he lives but, not really clear on where he was or whether or not the power was off.
Suzanne - Out on the Island at home on the phone with the cable company. Spent a pleasant evening out on the Long Beach boardwalk where everyone was enjoying the absence of electricity. Everyone booed when the power returned.
Tina - Stuck on the Path for almost an hour until she and the other passengers were walked back to the Jersey side. Then an hour walk to the ferry terminal, two and a half hour wait for the ferry, two hours to get through the crowd at the Manhattan terminal trying to get back to Jersey, a walk over to the east side and a climb up 19 flights of stairs.
Sara - A walk from midtown to 125th St. with a co-worker. A short bus ride over to the Bronx (on a packed express bus). A walk up to Yankee stadium and then a very slow ride up to Ossining.
Roberta - In the car on the west side highway in the 20’s, finally got home to Williamsburg at ten, a nice six hour drive from the west 20’s.
Bill - In a windowless room in downtown Detroit, the four block drive from where the car was parked to the nearest expressway entrance took 90 minutes. Managed to coast into Bowling Green on fumes but ended the evening with a plate of wings.
Howard - On vacation in New Paltz (with the ever-lovely Lisa), sitting over a picnic dinner hearing about the blackout, then watching the valley below darken in the twilight while basking in the light of their vacation hideaway with its own electric generator.
Cara - Escaping work at 4:30, beat the mad rush to the ferry terminal and was lucky enough to get home by 8 that evening.
Roy - Just stuck (although I’m not sure if his lights were out longer than our own three hours) locally and probably frustrated that he couldn’t get his business done.
Marcia - Having the good fortune to have decided to forego Tai Chi (and after one of those frustrating days walking around Manhattan and being stymied in what she wanted to accomplish), just having exited the subway five minutes earlier, having Lemonade on the street in front of her home with her neighbors.
Jill - One of the few days she’s stuck in the office our in Jersey, didn’t notice the power was out (because the building has its own generator) wasn’t inconvenienced by anything more than a more painful commute.
As for myself as I had stated earlier, I was in the middle of Judge Judy and after a phone call realized it wasn’t just our block (as it normally is). Power was back by 7 and I spent the next three hours driving around Westchester and the Bronx looking for the Big S.
Aug 24, 2003
File this one under more labor givebacks by American workers:
Analysts expect supermarkets to focus on costs spawned by such things as health care, pension and overtime pay. But closing the cost gap between themselves and their nonunion rivals "is going to be a long negotiations game and there may be pain along the way," Merrill Lynch's Husson said.
Yeah, stocking shelves is one of those glamor occupations people just find themselves gravitating towards. It’s certainly one of the occupations high school guidance counselors hold out as a brass ring to today’s students. It’s one of the last bastions of cushy unionized jobs with those ridiculous fringe benefits: health care, pension and overtime pay.
What is going on in this country? I ask you.
Analysts expect supermarkets to focus on costs spawned by such things as health care, pension and overtime pay. But closing the cost gap between themselves and their nonunion rivals "is going to be a long negotiations game and there may be pain along the way," Merrill Lynch's Husson said.
Yeah, stocking shelves is one of those glamor occupations people just find themselves gravitating towards. It’s certainly one of the occupations high school guidance counselors hold out as a brass ring to today’s students. It’s one of the last bastions of cushy unionized jobs with those ridiculous fringe benefits: health care, pension and overtime pay.
What is going on in this country? I ask you.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)