Interaction #1:
young latina woman: can you tell me where to find the books on STDs?
me: sexually transmitted diseases?
young latina woman: what?? NO!
me: SATs?
young latina woman: huh? yeah.
Interaction #2: [she has a school reading list in hand]
young latina woman (different from #1): yeah, just gimme 2 books off the list.
me: which two?
young latina woman: i don't care. just make em inneresting.
me: i can't make a book interesting.
me: {handing her richard wright's Native Son}
young latina woman: Yo! this book is mad fat! gimme a skinny book!
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Saturday, August 11, 2007
squealing on the inside
The celebrity sightings at my job are pretty much daily. At least once a week I learn firsthand which celebrity is an adult child of an alcoholic or only reads self-help books or loves books on cd for her many road trips, etc. Other than noting who is exceedingly nice, normal, weird, old looking or pretty, I don't really feel phased by seeing any particular celebrity. Until now.
Yesterday I made disturbingly intense eye contact with a very tall curly haired guy. It was for a moment as if all time stopped and all sense of politeness disappeared because I didn't even try to stop staring. I was mostly staring because I knew that I knew and loved this guy, but couldn't immediately place him. But then, I got it!
It was Wayne Wilcox aka Marty from Gilmore Girls!!!! Holy crap! Marty, you were robbed. I mean, Lucy was nice and all, but she was no Rory. Nice guys finish last indeed.
Yesterday I made disturbingly intense eye contact with a very tall curly haired guy. It was for a moment as if all time stopped and all sense of politeness disappeared because I didn't even try to stop staring. I was mostly staring because I knew that I knew and loved this guy, but couldn't immediately place him. But then, I got it!
It was Wayne Wilcox aka Marty from Gilmore Girls!!!! Holy crap! Marty, you were robbed. I mean, Lucy was nice and all, but she was no Rory. Nice guys finish last indeed.
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Brooklyn Cobblers
Not too long ago I took 2 pairs of shoes (same shoes, one black leather, one brown) to my local shoe repair store; Alexi's on 4th Avenue. I've never been to a cobbler before so I didn't know what to expect. Turns out, it's very reasonable to repair a much loved pair of shoes. He is replacing the sole on the right shoes and the sole and midsole on the left shoes (apparently my gait has me walking like Igor in Young Frankenstein). For all of this, he is only charging me $28/pair. Has anyone else ever used a cobbler. What was your experience like?
Oh, and speaking of Young Frankenstein (it's Fronkensteen!), Jamie's work is going to be screening it for one of their solar powered films this summer! Check out the upcoming Solar 1 film schedule.
Oh, and speaking of Young Frankenstein (it's Fronkensteen!), Jamie's work is going to be screening it for one of their solar powered films this summer! Check out the upcoming Solar 1 film schedule.
Tuesday, June 05, 2007
i am not a crazy cat lady. yet.
she's a land shark.
she dominates the turntable.
she's a computer lounger.
an on top of the fridge lurker.
a backpack snuggler.
a friend to arlo.
but can she ever be as cute as he is?
Thursday, May 17, 2007
makes my jaw clench
Today I had a disproportionate cringe-type response when I heard a customer say the following to her friend, "I'm gonna go cop a squat and check out these books." I've heard the phrase 'cop a squat' before, but I had no idea how much I hated it until today. Perhaps it has something to do with the word squat, which has that unpleasant, Carlin-esque awht sound to it. ick.
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
salty caramel, you rock my world
i've been in ohio the past few days and while there, i discovered that jeni's ice cream has a location in grandview that I happened upon on saturday afternoon. oh jeni's. so delicious, so unique. some of you may recall that planbreaker has a thing for jeni's also. she usually stops there on her way back and forth between illinois and nyc. so salty caramel with toasted almonds, butterscotch with cocoa nibs and queen city cayenne were my flavors of choice. i couldn't eat them slowly enough though and too quickly they were only a delicious memory in my mouth. *sigh*
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
melty, sweet vanilla bean-y goodness
Just had my tastebuds blown by the vanilla bean dome cookies at City Bakery. I work in the neighborhood and have staved off my desire to go there multiple times a week. But today I gave in and at 3 for a dollar, they are by far the cheapest, most delicious way to satisfy a sweet tooth. With a super short dough, they practically dissolved in my mouth. Does anyone have the recipe? Also, what else comes highly recommended there? I've had the vegan cookies they make over at Build a Green Bakery on the east side and they are surprising delicious.
What about the full fat, full butter bovine-y goods?
What about the full fat, full butter bovine-y goods?
Thursday, April 19, 2007
what's for dessert?
2 beautiful things happened today at work. First, a small group of mentally disabled people came in. One of the men was really into the cookbooks and wandered over to where I have a display of (the most hateful woman on tv next to Oprah) Rachael Ray. As soon as he saw her cookbooks, he gasped, picked up one with a particularly toothy, joker-like smile on it and stuck his face about 3 inches from the cover. He then cooed, the way a beastly mother would to a child, "You're my favorite girl. Yes you are. Yes you are!". I had to walk away because I was laughing so hard. Finally, some insight into the Rachael Ray demographic.
About an hour later, a mid-30's-ish woman who I can only assume was homeless went into the women's room with her grandma cart. A minute later one of my co-workers came out of there and told me I had to go check out the scene in the bathroom. On the sink counter she had assembled a blender, a hot plate, a dutch oven and about a pound of raw sausage. She was making herself some lunch. In the BATHROOM.
I swear, some days I love that place so much.
About an hour later, a mid-30's-ish woman who I can only assume was homeless went into the women's room with her grandma cart. A minute later one of my co-workers came out of there and told me I had to go check out the scene in the bathroom. On the sink counter she had assembled a blender, a hot plate, a dutch oven and about a pound of raw sausage. She was making herself some lunch. In the BATHROOM.
I swear, some days I love that place so much.
Thursday, April 05, 2007
my day just got a little better
There's this guy at work who is mentally disabled, but no one quite knows the details. He's very high functioning, for certain. He comes to work most days, does some work here and there. He loves to read and is more schooled on current events and politics than most Americans. He often says things to me like, "George Bush is craaaaazzzy. He can't send more troops over; they're gonna die." Lately, he seems a little stressed over Iran. He told me today that we might need to start a war with Iran to kill their president. I mentioned that they could also send in the CIA to kill him. He was intrigued, to say the least. So I brought him a book about the CIA, which he read off and on for the rest of the day.
But usually I find him in the humor section reading comics. His absolute favorite is For Better or Worse, although he also likes Hagar the Horrible, Shoe, Beetle Bailey and any other classic 80's comic. (except Cathy; he doesn't really like her. Not that anyone does). But today he started the most awesome conversation with me.
Him: You know, if it wasn't for September 11th, I'd have my vicky robot vest by now.
Me: What's a vicky robot vest?
Him: It's red and white and plastic. It's the control panel.
Me: Yeah, but who's Vicky?
Him: She's a small wonder.
Me: Are you talking about the old tv show, Small Wonder?
Him: Yeah!
Me: Wow, Joe. That's a pretty old show. She wore a red dress, right?
Him: No, it was a pinafore.
This conversation went on for about 5 minutes, with him grilling me for everything I could remember about the show, which unfortunately is summed up in the above lines. And that even at the age of 13, which according to IMDB is how old I was when it hit the airwaves, I thought it was stupid. But I love how excited he gets about things like that. I wonder if he ever watched Out of This World?
But usually I find him in the humor section reading comics. His absolute favorite is For Better or Worse, although he also likes Hagar the Horrible, Shoe, Beetle Bailey and any other classic 80's comic. (except Cathy; he doesn't really like her. Not that anyone does). But today he started the most awesome conversation with me.
Him: You know, if it wasn't for September 11th, I'd have my vicky robot vest by now.
Me: What's a vicky robot vest?
Him: It's red and white and plastic. It's the control panel.
Me: Yeah, but who's Vicky?
Him: She's a small wonder.
Me: Are you talking about the old tv show, Small Wonder?
Him: Yeah!
Me: Wow, Joe. That's a pretty old show. She wore a red dress, right?
Him: No, it was a pinafore.
This conversation went on for about 5 minutes, with him grilling me for everything I could remember about the show, which unfortunately is summed up in the above lines. And that even at the age of 13, which according to IMDB is how old I was when it hit the airwaves, I thought it was stupid. But I love how excited he gets about things like that. I wonder if he ever watched Out of This World?
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
Mary Weiss. Dangerous Game. Buy it now.
This album rocks! Mary Weiss was the singer of the Shangri Las and this is a solo record, 40 years in the making. She's backed by the Reigning Sound and most of the songs are written by them. So good. So good. Buy it now!
Monday, April 02, 2007
Not too cool then, not too cool now
I actually started this entry a year ago, after reading DF's entry about great concerts he's attended. I started compiling my own mental list. Taking stock of the shows, good and bad, has been entertaining on its own.
First, I had an endless series of shows when I lived in San Francisco. My roommate worked for the Warfield Theatre and got me a permanent position as an usher. After about a month and a half of ushering random shows not of my choosing, I was able to sign myself up for whatever show I wanted. It was pretty great because I would usher for the opening act and then during the first song of the headliner someone would come around and cut you for the night, give you 2 free drink tickets and you were able to go wherever you wanted to watch/enjoy the show. One interesting twist was the bonus you got for ushering either heavy crowd control shows (any heavy metal or rap) or a majority of the multiple night shows- mainly Jerry Garcia/David Grisman, who would play 7-9 shows in a row. No matter how big a fan you may be, any band for nine nights straight is too much. The reward for doing these shows was free tickets to the show of your choice at other SF venues. So for example, anything at the Cow Palace or Slim's, etc. With the heavy crowd control shows, I would always try to do them if there were other shows coming up that I wanted to see. This is what led me to usher one of the first shows on my list.
Gwar at the Warfield Theatre, SF 1992: Among close friends, I am known to have virtual heart palpitations when around too many costumed things. Kiss gave me terrible nightmares as a child and I nearly cried when my dad took me to Universal Studios when I was 16. So as a 19-20 year old Midwestern girl, I spent the evening nearly shitting myself in fear, nothing but a Mini MagLite coming between me and certain destruction. "Clear the aisles please."
Haunting Souls at Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH 1995: I scarcely recall a single song, but it was the experience that mattered. Jamy Holiday was the ideal rock and roll front man, their shows overflowed with energy. Plus, I 'll always love Jamy for starting a fight with some stupid U Dayton frat guys when they called me a dyke, temporarily getting all of us banned from the Walnut Hills.
Brainiac at any number of venues in Ohio 1994-1996: Some of the best live shows I'll ever see. Bonsai Superstar is still one of my favorite records of all time.
The Sugarcubes & The Primitives at Bogart's in Cincinnati 1990:
I was a senior in high school and I loved the Sugarcubes with a huge passion. When I read about Bjork going on Icelandic TV "obscenely" dressed and obscenely pregnant, I was sold.
The Sundays at The Warfield 1993: I loved the album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, but was truly surprised to discover that their sound translated very well live. Rollicking and almost disco-y at times, but in a good way. At one point, the theatre was just silent, when Harriet was singing with only guitar accompanying her. It was pretty surprising.
Pearl Jam/Nirvana/Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Cow Palace in SF December 31, 1991:
This ended up being probably the best overall show I ever saw. First, I was 19 years old, obsessed with Nirvana's Bleach and completely in awe at my luck getting free tickets to this show. Pearl Jam was popular, but still new-ish. RHCP were hugely popular; the era of Flea being suspended upside down as a show opener. But Nirvana had just hit #1 with Smells Like Teen Spirit and were on fire. I went with one of my roommates and we lost each other almost immediately. I was too young to drink, but not too young to do anything else. I remember the crowd was like a wave; I just got sucked in and pushed further in and forward until I was eventually on the edge of a testosterone fueled mosh pit. It was filled with shirtless, sweaty young guys marching in circles and jumping around. At the end of the set when they went into Territorial Pissings it became so frenzied that I was pushed and knocked over and I went down fast. I was totally freaked out when suddenly a hand just reached down and literally plucked me up from the floor. After the show I never did find my roommate. I ended up hitching a ride back to Oakland with some random weirdos I met in the parking lot. So worth it.
Guided By Voices at the Dayton Voice Music Awards 1994:
This was held at a little supper club on the north side of town. My old band, Walaroo, was playing, along with Cage, Oxymorons, Pastures Green and GBV. I'd seen GBV many times, in really small settings around town and they usually ended in a drunken puddle on the stage. This night was no different. The stage was only about 12 inches off the floor, but that didn't stop Bob from falling off. The best part was the actual awards show after the music. I don't think GBV was actually getting an award (from the "prestigious" Dayton Voice free weekly, which was a very new paper). However, The Ohio Players and Zapp and Roger were getting awards and the guy accepting the award for the Ohio Players did not fail to impress. I have no idea which band member he was, but I'm pretty sure he was the only one who showed up. He was wearing a floor length fur coat and a fedora, full on Huggy Bear style. It was one of those moments when you completely know that you are seeing something that needs to be seen by everyone.
The Knitter's at Slim's in SF 1992: The picture is actually X, not the Knitters. When I saw them I had been mourning their break up for a few years and I was convinced that I would never, ever see them play them live. I was into them in high school, in central Ohio; not exactly full of opportunities to see X play live. So when I found out they were playing at Slim's with Tony Gilykson replacing Billy Zoom, I was excited, albeit a little disappointed about Mr. Zoom's absence. My disappointment didn't last long though. They were everything I hoped for and more. The big fat negative memory of the evening was the horrible food poisoning I got from the diner food I ate that night.
Pavement and Guided by Voices at Southgate House, Kentucky 1994:
It was like Mecca for indie kids in 1994. Fantastic show. My whole band went down in our van and we brought a couple of friends with us. One of our friends discovered the hard way when he takes a bunch of mushrooms, he just may end up on the side of the freeway on his hands and knees, throwing up with his pants around his ankles. Our sympathy was expressed through hysterical laughter.
First, I had an endless series of shows when I lived in San Francisco. My roommate worked for the Warfield Theatre and got me a permanent position as an usher. After about a month and a half of ushering random shows not of my choosing, I was able to sign myself up for whatever show I wanted. It was pretty great because I would usher for the opening act and then during the first song of the headliner someone would come around and cut you for the night, give you 2 free drink tickets and you were able to go wherever you wanted to watch/enjoy the show. One interesting twist was the bonus you got for ushering either heavy crowd control shows (any heavy metal or rap) or a majority of the multiple night shows- mainly Jerry Garcia/David Grisman, who would play 7-9 shows in a row. No matter how big a fan you may be, any band for nine nights straight is too much. The reward for doing these shows was free tickets to the show of your choice at other SF venues. So for example, anything at the Cow Palace or Slim's, etc. With the heavy crowd control shows, I would always try to do them if there were other shows coming up that I wanted to see. This is what led me to usher one of the first shows on my list.
Gwar at the Warfield Theatre, SF 1992: Among close friends, I am known to have virtual heart palpitations when around too many costumed things. Kiss gave me terrible nightmares as a child and I nearly cried when my dad took me to Universal Studios when I was 16. So as a 19-20 year old Midwestern girl, I spent the evening nearly shitting myself in fear, nothing but a Mini MagLite coming between me and certain destruction. "Clear the aisles please."
Haunting Souls at Canal Street Tavern, Dayton, OH 1995: I scarcely recall a single song, but it was the experience that mattered. Jamy Holiday was the ideal rock and roll front man, their shows overflowed with energy. Plus, I 'll always love Jamy for starting a fight with some stupid U Dayton frat guys when they called me a dyke, temporarily getting all of us banned from the Walnut Hills.
Brainiac at any number of venues in Ohio 1994-1996: Some of the best live shows I'll ever see. Bonsai Superstar is still one of my favorite records of all time.
The Sugarcubes & The Primitives at Bogart's in Cincinnati 1990:
I was a senior in high school and I loved the Sugarcubes with a huge passion. When I read about Bjork going on Icelandic TV "obscenely" dressed and obscenely pregnant, I was sold.
The Sundays at The Warfield 1993: I loved the album Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, but was truly surprised to discover that their sound translated very well live. Rollicking and almost disco-y at times, but in a good way. At one point, the theatre was just silent, when Harriet was singing with only guitar accompanying her. It was pretty surprising.
Pearl Jam/Nirvana/Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Cow Palace in SF December 31, 1991:
This ended up being probably the best overall show I ever saw. First, I was 19 years old, obsessed with Nirvana's Bleach and completely in awe at my luck getting free tickets to this show. Pearl Jam was popular, but still new-ish. RHCP were hugely popular; the era of Flea being suspended upside down as a show opener. But Nirvana had just hit #1 with Smells Like Teen Spirit and were on fire. I went with one of my roommates and we lost each other almost immediately. I was too young to drink, but not too young to do anything else. I remember the crowd was like a wave; I just got sucked in and pushed further in and forward until I was eventually on the edge of a testosterone fueled mosh pit. It was filled with shirtless, sweaty young guys marching in circles and jumping around. At the end of the set when they went into Territorial Pissings it became so frenzied that I was pushed and knocked over and I went down fast. I was totally freaked out when suddenly a hand just reached down and literally plucked me up from the floor. After the show I never did find my roommate. I ended up hitching a ride back to Oakland with some random weirdos I met in the parking lot. So worth it.
Guided By Voices at the Dayton Voice Music Awards 1994:
This was held at a little supper club on the north side of town. My old band, Walaroo, was playing, along with Cage, Oxymorons, Pastures Green and GBV. I'd seen GBV many times, in really small settings around town and they usually ended in a drunken puddle on the stage. This night was no different. The stage was only about 12 inches off the floor, but that didn't stop Bob from falling off. The best part was the actual awards show after the music. I don't think GBV was actually getting an award (from the "prestigious" Dayton Voice free weekly, which was a very new paper). However, The Ohio Players and Zapp and Roger were getting awards and the guy accepting the award for the Ohio Players did not fail to impress. I have no idea which band member he was, but I'm pretty sure he was the only one who showed up. He was wearing a floor length fur coat and a fedora, full on Huggy Bear style. It was one of those moments when you completely know that you are seeing something that needs to be seen by everyone.
The Knitter's at Slim's in SF 1992: The picture is actually X, not the Knitters. When I saw them I had been mourning their break up for a few years and I was convinced that I would never, ever see them play them live. I was into them in high school, in central Ohio; not exactly full of opportunities to see X play live. So when I found out they were playing at Slim's with Tony Gilykson replacing Billy Zoom, I was excited, albeit a little disappointed about Mr. Zoom's absence. My disappointment didn't last long though. They were everything I hoped for and more. The big fat negative memory of the evening was the horrible food poisoning I got from the diner food I ate that night.
Pavement and Guided by Voices at Southgate House, Kentucky 1994:
It was like Mecca for indie kids in 1994. Fantastic show. My whole band went down in our van and we brought a couple of friends with us. One of our friends discovered the hard way when he takes a bunch of mushrooms, he just may end up on the side of the freeway on his hands and knees, throwing up with his pants around his ankles. Our sympathy was expressed through hysterical laughter.
Sunday, April 01, 2007
good, bad and pretty ugly
For some reason I started thinking about all of the jobs I've held in my life, and there have been a few. It's probably on my mind because I'm being underutilized in a giant bookstore, but I'm not currently willing to commit myself to other, more challenging endeavors. I decided to make an actual list of every job I can remember. It's something that I'd recommend you all do. It's kind of depressing, but in a funny way. There are always worse jobs that we could have had and I'm sure some of you had much worse ones than I did.
Obsoive:
High School
Nantucket
Florida
California
Dayton
Columbus
New York
Obsoive:
High School
Babysitter
Judy’s Ice Cream
TCBY
Photographer’s model
Calligrapher
Nantucket
Baker
Chambermaid
Chocolate shop counter person
House cleaner
Florida
Cashier at Cracker Barrel
California
Political canvasser
Day care center worker
Theatre usher
USDA guinea pig*
Retail at a clothing boutique
Private cook
Bricklayer
Dayton
Cook
Record store clerk
Baker
Music magazine contributor
Country club garde manger
Home baker
Cook
Kitchen manager
Bank teller
Columbus
Bookseller
Book buyer
Worker’s comp data entry
Worker’s comp intake manager
Worker’s comp claims specialist
New York
Chocolate maker
Pastry cook
Ice cream maker
Catering company pastry cook
Home baker
Kitchen manager
Assistant office manager
Event planner
Event company sales rep**
Catering chef
Non-profit radio documentary company intern
Bookseller
Baker
*on paper, the worst gig
** in reality, absolute rock bottom
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
and I, am Tumble Bumble
Today at work, I got a quiet and polite "excuse me" and when I looked up, there was none other than Dan Zanes! I was a fan of the Del Fuegos back in the 80's and I really like the family albums he's put out in recent years, but any joy I may take in him or his music pales beside that of our nephew.
When he was around 2 years old he went through a series of names, meaning, he had decided that he was to be addressed by a new name. I seem to recall French Tape and Tumble Bumble being a couple of favorites for a while. A little after the Tumble Bumble era, the Dan Zanes era was ushered in. It was never that the kid didn't care for his own name, it seemed like it was more a matter of creativity and I guess, giving props to his favorite guy. For that matter, he has a framed photo of Jonathon Richmond in his bedroom.
So I mentioned to Mr. Zanes that he was quite a celebrity in our family and to my nephew in particular. And to my surprise, he pulled out a small piece of paper, wrote "Hello Rockin My Nephew's Name" and drew a little doodley picture of himself on it. Awesome. Considering that I've been casually stalking Dan Zanes around Brooklyn for the past 2 years after seeing him in passing multiple times, I am incredibly excited to finally meet him and get something cool for the little nephew.
When he was around 2 years old he went through a series of names, meaning, he had decided that he was to be addressed by a new name. I seem to recall French Tape and Tumble Bumble being a couple of favorites for a while. A little after the Tumble Bumble era, the Dan Zanes era was ushered in. It was never that the kid didn't care for his own name, it seemed like it was more a matter of creativity and I guess, giving props to his favorite guy. For that matter, he has a framed photo of Jonathon Richmond in his bedroom.
So I mentioned to Mr. Zanes that he was quite a celebrity in our family and to my nephew in particular. And to my surprise, he pulled out a small piece of paper, wrote "Hello Rockin My Nephew's Name" and drew a little doodley picture of himself on it. Awesome. Considering that I've been casually stalking Dan Zanes around Brooklyn for the past 2 years after seeing him in passing multiple times, I am incredibly excited to finally meet him and get something cool for the little nephew.
Monday, March 26, 2007
got to git......eventually
Like many New Yorkers, I occasionally feel claustrophobic and in need of clean, green space. For a couple of years now, Jamie and I have discussed where our next home could be. Last year we took a trip to the west coast and discovered that while we liked Portland, it didn't have enough to get us west of the Mississippi.
Recently the conversation came up between Marc, Jim, Jamie and I about moving and where to go. I'm beginning to hear some rumblings among more and more of our peers about the subject. But it seems like so many of the places have issues: either too hot (Memphis) or too cold (Minneapolis), too far (Portland) or not far enough (Jersey City). I like checking out the statistics of a town on Sperling's Best Places , but it seems like the comment posters are either bitter and ready to bolt from their town, or quite possibly shilling for the local Chamber of Commerce. Our priorities are still the same: the ability to be a one car family, low cost of living, available and appropriate jobs and that we be close enough to regularly visit our families, but not so close that anyone can drop in unannounced. This last one was made a little bit difficult with the move by Jamie's family back up to New Hampshire. Unless we were to live w-a-y north, there's no such thing as "easy" access to folks in New Hampshire. We're probably living as close as we will ever be to them at this point, and unfortunately, it's not too convenient to visit them without a car.
Currently, the list of towns is not very long, but not too shabby. Pennsylvania is turning out to be a strong contender based on location and cost of living. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are both front runners in my imagination. Pittsburgh is quite close to my family and very affordable. It has a fairly strong non-profit sector thanks to all of the old philanthropic families and the weather is no different from what we basically grew up with. Philly is not quite as close to my family, but it's the most affordable big city around, while still being on the East coast. The cost of living and job market would both fall into our thumbs up column.
Lastly, there's always the weird little town of Asheville, NC. The job market there would probably keep it from being a real possibility, but it certainly seems like a lovely place.
Any other cities and towns you can suggest?
Recently the conversation came up between Marc, Jim, Jamie and I about moving and where to go. I'm beginning to hear some rumblings among more and more of our peers about the subject. But it seems like so many of the places have issues: either too hot (Memphis) or too cold (Minneapolis), too far (Portland) or not far enough (Jersey City). I like checking out the statistics of a town on Sperling's Best Places , but it seems like the comment posters are either bitter and ready to bolt from their town, or quite possibly shilling for the local Chamber of Commerce. Our priorities are still the same: the ability to be a one car family, low cost of living, available and appropriate jobs and that we be close enough to regularly visit our families, but not so close that anyone can drop in unannounced. This last one was made a little bit difficult with the move by Jamie's family back up to New Hampshire. Unless we were to live w-a-y north, there's no such thing as "easy" access to folks in New Hampshire. We're probably living as close as we will ever be to them at this point, and unfortunately, it's not too convenient to visit them without a car.
Currently, the list of towns is not very long, but not too shabby. Pennsylvania is turning out to be a strong contender based on location and cost of living. Pittsburgh and Philadelphia are both front runners in my imagination. Pittsburgh is quite close to my family and very affordable. It has a fairly strong non-profit sector thanks to all of the old philanthropic families and the weather is no different from what we basically grew up with. Philly is not quite as close to my family, but it's the most affordable big city around, while still being on the East coast. The cost of living and job market would both fall into our thumbs up column.
Lastly, there's always the weird little town of Asheville, NC. The job market there would probably keep it from being a real possibility, but it certainly seems like a lovely place.
Any other cities and towns you can suggest?
Saturday, March 24, 2007
either the smartest dumb thing or the dumbest smart thing
I'm a fan of Lost. I'm also a fan of trashy celebrity gossip. A month or so ago I told a coworker that Suri Cruise is the spitting image of Ethan Rom, the now dead Other from Lost (he kidnapped Claire, tried to kill Charlie and was ultimately killed by Charlie). So imagine my surprise when I recently saw a picture of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes with little baby Suri at what appears to be a basketball game. What I immediately noticed was the gentleman sitting in front of them. It was Ethan aka William Mapother aka Tom's first cousin!
When Tom and Nicole Kidman adopted their kids, no real mention was made about if the adoptions were for the sake of adopting or if they were unable to have children of their own. But with the recent speculation that Nicole is pregnant, I've decided that I have my own theory. They adopted because Tom couldn't have kids. When he and Katie got together, he convinced her to have "his" kid and Suri Cruise is actually the child of Katie and Ethan Rom from Lost! For that matter, maybe Juliet impregnated Katie Holmes!
Oh god, I need help.
When Tom and Nicole Kidman adopted their kids, no real mention was made about if the adoptions were for the sake of adopting or if they were unable to have children of their own. But with the recent speculation that Nicole is pregnant, I've decided that I have my own theory. They adopted because Tom couldn't have kids. When he and Katie got together, he convinced her to have "his" kid and Suri Cruise is actually the child of Katie and Ethan Rom from Lost! For that matter, maybe Juliet impregnated Katie Holmes!
Oh god, I need help.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
these are a few of my favorite things
Every day I get such a wide range of funny, inspired, occasionally ignorant questions from funny, inspired and occasionally ignorant customers. I try to make a mental note to tell Apes about it when I come home, but I often forget. I'm going to try to remember, if only to mention it here.
So far this week:
"Do you have a book on cabanas? Just pictures of people's cabanas?"
"I need a book on how to build a bomb shelter. You know, in case of a war."
"I'm looking for a book. I don't know the title or author, but I think it has the word {happiness, forget, love, the something and the something} in it."
"Where's the non-fiction?" This question is inevitably asked in an annoyed voice. The tone doesn't get any better when I have to explain to them that most of the store is non-fiction and I need more information, to which they usually reply, "No, the NON-fiction." Thankfully, this doesn't happen too frequently.
"Where is a book to help someone learn to read? No, not with words, just pictures. I told you, she can't read!"
So far this week:
"Do you have a book on cabanas? Just pictures of people's cabanas?"
"I need a book on how to build a bomb shelter. You know, in case of a war."
"I'm looking for a book. I don't know the title or author, but I think it has the word {happiness, forget, love, the something and the something} in it."
"Where's the non-fiction?" This question is inevitably asked in an annoyed voice. The tone doesn't get any better when I have to explain to them that most of the store is non-fiction and I need more information, to which they usually reply, "No, the NON-fiction." Thankfully, this doesn't happen too frequently.
"Where is a book to help someone learn to read? No, not with words, just pictures. I told you, she can't read!"
Friday, March 02, 2007
March has become my Big Ben, Parliament
This time last year I was getting ready to have surgery (in April) to find out why I was having such a hard time getting pregnant. Sometime in early March someone said to me "hey, if you got pregnant now, you'd have a Christmas baby!" And I realized at that moment, that it was the second year in a row that I had heard or thought that. Well, obviously the third time has rolled around and let me tell you, it's just as magical as the first 2 times.
So, as much as a Christmas baby sounds sweet and all that, here are some other potential holidays/birthdays that I can now look towards.
December 7th: National Cotton Candy Day
March 14th (3/14): Pi Day
First Friday in May: No Pants Day
June 23rd: National Hug a Cop Day
August 30th: National Toasted Marshmallow Day
September 19th: International Talk Like a Pirate Day
November 15th: America Recycles Day
November 5th: Guy Fawkes Day (vive la Weasel)
Come on, first Friday in May.
So, as much as a Christmas baby sounds sweet and all that, here are some other potential holidays/birthdays that I can now look towards.
December 7th: National Cotton Candy Day
March 14th (3/14): Pi Day
First Friday in May: No Pants Day
June 23rd: National Hug a Cop Day
August 30th: National Toasted Marshmallow Day
September 19th: International Talk Like a Pirate Day
November 15th: America Recycles Day
November 5th: Guy Fawkes Day (vive la Weasel)
Come on, first Friday in May.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
the roach coach is smoking
This morning on the R train everyone cleared off at City Hall, as usual. There were only about 10-12 of us left, including a homeless guy sitting across from me. As soon as the train pulls out of the station I smell fire. I look up and the guy is sitting there lighting roach after roach after roach. Then he pulls out a whole joint and starts smoking that too! Within 2 stops the entire car smells like weed and when the train pulls into Canal Street and the doors open, smokes literally tumbles out the door. Wake and bake, indeed.
a series of weird and/or annoying events
On Saturday night we collectively celebrated Jamie's birthday at Buffalo Wild Wings. After the glutton-fest was through a group of folks headed to O'Connor's. I had to work in the morning though, so Sweet Touch gave me a ride home, the sooner to put on my jammies and park it on the couch.
Shortly after getting home I hear a crash/thud in the kitchen, knowing it's the cat, but unsure what kind of trouble she's caused this time. Ah, the salt. She's recently become fascinated with my open salt cellar, so I've been keeping it hidden from sight. I apparently forgot to hide it though, because she has dumped about an entire cup of kosher salt all over the stove. gggrrrr. This is going to need the hose attachment on the vacuum, as it's far too much to sop up. But wait, a couple of weekends ago Jamie was looking for duct tape because he said the hose attachment had a leak and lost suction. Great, so now I have to fix the vacuum first.
The floor lamp next to the closet where we store the vacuum has a foot pedal on/off switch. I see kitty's favorite mousy toy on the floor in the near dark, next to the switch. I hit the on/off with my foot, hear a tremendous POP sound, see a ton of sparks and, shit!, what's that smell? SHIT! My pant leg is smoldering! Stupid cat chewed through the cord. Fuses have gone out in the whole house. Awesome. I put out my pants, flip the fuses, pull out the vacuum, and start to look into fixing it.
Turns out it isn't a leaking hose at all, it's the world's largest wad of kleenex in the hose. I get a very long, very sharp knife and start shredding it, eventually getting all of it out and successfully cleaning up the salt. stupid cat.
Shortly after getting home I hear a crash/thud in the kitchen, knowing it's the cat, but unsure what kind of trouble she's caused this time. Ah, the salt. She's recently become fascinated with my open salt cellar, so I've been keeping it hidden from sight. I apparently forgot to hide it though, because she has dumped about an entire cup of kosher salt all over the stove. gggrrrr. This is going to need the hose attachment on the vacuum, as it's far too much to sop up. But wait, a couple of weekends ago Jamie was looking for duct tape because he said the hose attachment had a leak and lost suction. Great, so now I have to fix the vacuum first.
The floor lamp next to the closet where we store the vacuum has a foot pedal on/off switch. I see kitty's favorite mousy toy on the floor in the near dark, next to the switch. I hit the on/off with my foot, hear a tremendous POP sound, see a ton of sparks and, shit!, what's that smell? SHIT! My pant leg is smoldering! Stupid cat chewed through the cord. Fuses have gone out in the whole house. Awesome. I put out my pants, flip the fuses, pull out the vacuum, and start to look into fixing it.
Turns out it isn't a leaking hose at all, it's the world's largest wad of kleenex in the hose. I get a very long, very sharp knife and start shredding it, eventually getting all of it out and successfully cleaning up the salt. stupid cat.
Monday, February 26, 2007
fuck guitar hero
That's right. You heard me. The past 2 times it's shown up at parties (the Superbowl and more recently at Listmaker's birthday party-which was still an awesome party and happy birthday Listmaker!), I have been transported back to an era of teenagers sitting around staring at the tv screen while playing whatever video games were popular in the 80's. An experience I never actually had because I didn't hang out with kids who played video games, nor did I myself play them.
The thing is, it's a pretty entertaining game to watch others play, but only for about 15-20 minutes. Then it's just a sea of faces gazing at the television, not interacting with each other except to occasionally comment on the players' performances. I mean, the collective cheers, etc, are fun, but are no substitute for conversation. And it wouldn't be so bad for more than 15 minutes except that someone inevitably starts harassing me to get up and play. It's just about all the commitment I can muster to even watch my friends play! With the exception of playing Pong when I was 13 (about 10 years after it came out), I didn't play a video game until I was in my 20's. And by then I didn't really get it. Not to be a total dork, but I prefer pinball. And anyone who plays bocce with me can tell you how nervous I get under the pressure of that simple bar game! The last thing I'm going to do is get up in front 5-15 friends and play not just this video game for the first time, but any video game.
I don't care if anyone thinks I'm a total pussy. Even if they come up with a video game that simulates baking a beautiful, fluffy angel food cake, I won't want to play it. I don't like video games.
The thing is, it's a pretty entertaining game to watch others play, but only for about 15-20 minutes. Then it's just a sea of faces gazing at the television, not interacting with each other except to occasionally comment on the players' performances. I mean, the collective cheers, etc, are fun, but are no substitute for conversation. And it wouldn't be so bad for more than 15 minutes except that someone inevitably starts harassing me to get up and play. It's just about all the commitment I can muster to even watch my friends play! With the exception of playing Pong when I was 13 (about 10 years after it came out), I didn't play a video game until I was in my 20's. And by then I didn't really get it. Not to be a total dork, but I prefer pinball. And anyone who plays bocce with me can tell you how nervous I get under the pressure of that simple bar game! The last thing I'm going to do is get up in front 5-15 friends and play not just this video game for the first time, but any video game.
I don't care if anyone thinks I'm a total pussy. Even if they come up with a video game that simulates baking a beautiful, fluffy angel food cake, I won't want to play it. I don't like video games.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
