tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-321552492024-03-07T14:01:56.272-05:00Oh Yeah? Sez who?My little slice of heaven right here on EarthUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-38628540193656995122011-12-31T21:57:00.002-05:002011-12-31T22:22:06.767-05:00It's been a whileTwo years and some, I think. During which time a lot has happened (like everyone else). Some things are different, some are the same. My memory is a little hazy but I think I stopped posting because I figure, why bother. It kind of felt like shouting into the wind. But things change. I don't care any more. Instead of hoping for an audience, I'm looking at this as a diary. If nobody but me sees it, then okay. I love you guys who did check in here regularly. And at least one of you I see on Facebook often enough to know that I still exist. I'd love it if the rest of you (all 2 or 3 of you) managed to find me again. But if not, I know you're out there somewhere.<br /><br />10:01 on New Year's Eve. I figured I'd get a jump on the whole ball-drop thing. Anyway, I have friends for whom it's been 2012 for many hours already. We're no big deal here in Eastern Standard Time. So what is my theme for my re-launch? I think it's that everything I thought was So Important really isn't. What I'm finding is that, the older I get, the more I realize I don't matter. But I mean that in the best way possible. <br /><br />Last time I posted, I'm not sure Twitter even existed. Please don't let me become a Twitter feed. If I start complaining about traffic or the guy in front of me at Starbucks, or what a buffoon Michelle Bachmann is, please tell me to shut up. I'd like to think I'm older and wiser. Hah. But anyway, I'll be throwing things up here from time to time. If anyone sees them and wants to comment, cool. If not...once more, it will be a valuable reminder to me that I matter not at all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-2181059208653628192009-04-02T20:41:00.003-04:002009-04-02T21:03:03.208-04:00Two blogs for the non-price of oneYes, it's true. I have been spending more time on Facebook. Not huge amounts, but I do stop by my page on a daily basis, just to see what's happening. And I started a group. A silly group, just for fun. I call it the Fans of Chef Pierre. That's my son, who loves to cook. And I started making little entries on the group page, describing the various things he cooks. The strange this is, what has happened is that my entries on that page are starting to look more and more blog-like. So what I thought I would do is share them here. Think of it as cross-pollenization. Or, if I could come up with a culinary-related metaphor, I would use that. Anyway, here's a tasty taste of what's up at Fans of Chef Pierre. (Anybody wants to join, let me know and I'll give you the link. But as of now anyway , there's no free samples.)<br /><br />9:42am on February 19th, 2009<br />Who says you can't mix your culinary metaphors? Chef P put that argument to rest last evening with an intriguing pairing of a delightful French onion/potato soup and some crispy Chinese chicken bits. The chicken got a little added kick with a sweet-hot dipping sauce. And I'm happy to say that Chef P's Cookietorium has expanded its offerings with a lovely new cranberry orange oatmeal cookies. Delightfully crunchy and not too sweet.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-80007595462762838702009-03-27T17:55:00.002-04:002009-03-27T18:07:27.505-04:00No, but in the best possible wayI got two rejections on my play this week. One, from a theater in Baltimore, was just a flat-out "thanks but no thanks." The other one was from a well-respected theater here and it was much more encouraging. They said they "found it thoughtful and warmhearted, with intriguing and well-observed characters." The reason they passed on it was that it was "a bit talky" for their tastes. But that's fine! What it means is, they thought it was good, just not what they were looking for. But it may very well be what another theater is looking for. I just have to find them. So I will keep on sending the play out to other places. Eventually it will find the right home.<br /><br />This is the last day of my vacation. I ended up doing very little all week. I went to the movies and saw Duplicity. I really liked it. Way better than I had expected. I went running a few times. I got my taxes done. That was about it. But I slept late every day and by today the bags under my eyes were finally gone. It will probably take about a day or two back at work for them to reappear.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-58345952386286773732009-03-23T00:03:00.002-04:002009-03-23T00:17:42.972-04:00A blissful week of no workAbout a month ago, a co-worker mentioned that I hadn't taken any vacation for a long time. I get three weeks a year and I only used one week of it around Christmas -- and not even all at once. And I realized, what am I saving it for? I have two weeks to use before the end of June. So even though I can't afford to go anywhere, I decided to take this coming week off. March is always extremely stressful because a lot of the federal funding agencies all decide to have their deadlines at the same time. I guess it has something to do with their budgets and calendars but it's hell for those of us who are submitting multiple proposals. And as usual at my dysfunctional workplace, I never get enough advance notice and I'm always going crazy waiting for necessary information from other people.<br /><br />Anyway...I got all my proposals in on time and I now have a whole beautiful week of Doing Nothing to look forward to. Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend and we're having lunch and going to the movies. On Tuesday I'm going to get a massage. That's my big treat to myself. Wednesday I'm going to have drinks with another friend -- an amazing artist whose work I love. Every day I'm going to sleep late and have my coffee and read the paper in the morning. And I'm going to try and go running every day. I'm going to go to the library and get a new book to read. I'm going to try a couple of new recipes. And I'm not going to think about work.<br /><br />Oh, except I have to. I went to get my taxes done yesterday and found out that the moron guy who does payroll totally screwed up my W2. So I have to call him and yell at him and tell him to fix it. But after that, I'm definitely not going to think about work any more. I already feel more relaxed.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-19358240908094879072009-03-15T22:21:00.003-04:002009-03-15T22:44:59.170-04:00Empty nest? I wish!,Back in December, my firstborn (who had been living in China for the past few years) returned. The economic mess over here was affecting things over there and had put all of his business endeavors (such as they were) on indefinite hold. So back he came with no money and no job. Being unemployed doesn't make him different from a whole lot of other people these days, but I wasn't counting on having to support him at this point. I have been having a tough enough time supporting myself of late.<br /><br />I can't say he hasn't been looking for work, but as an entrepreneurial kind of guy, he has more experience inventing his own jobs than asking other people to give him one. His job search skills are somewhat spotty. I had to explain to him that on a job application, putting down that he had been "general manager for Asia" of some company he and a partner started wouldn't help a lot if he was trying to get a cashier's job at Borders. In his favor, maybe, he speaks fluent Mandarin. Against him, he never graduated from college. This was a guy who found college not challenging enough...who reads the history of the Peloponnesian wars for fun. But he doesn't have a degree. So right off the bat he's handicapped. And three months later he still has no job.<br /><br />The one outstanding benefit of having him around (other than entertainment value) is that he is a fantastic cook. I have been eating wonderful meals that I didn't have to cook. I enjoy cooking too, but after a stressful day at work, it's so wonderful to come home and not have to worry about making dinner. I don't mind cleaning up afterwards.<br /><br />One the downside, his idea of acceptable housekeeping and mine are not exactly in synch. It's a constant struggle to keep his crap out of the living room. And then there's the bathroom. After he shaves, there's water everywhere. The towels are always in disarray. And then there's the annoying little matter of the floor in front of the toilet. Not every guy is guilty of this; his dad was fairly tidy and so is his brother. But this guy...it's like he's a dog and he has to mark his territory. This would be okay if he would just clean it up. But this is one of the areas where his notion of acceptably clean and mine just don't match. It's really a good thing he cooks so well and makes me laugh a lot. Otherwise he'd be looking for a new place to live. <br /><br />When he was in China, I wished he would move back here. I think this is one of those cases of be careful what you wish for.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-87750988951069400752009-02-21T20:33:00.005-05:002009-02-21T20:41:52.723-05:00Don't you just hate people that are way too happy?A former co-worker of mine has been leaving the most nauseating updates on his facebook page. I'm assuming he has a new girlfriend, because it seems like every day is just "the best day ever!" or "the most awesome day!" or "a spectacular evening!" It also seems like he's been "missing lots of sleep" and so forth. I finally told him to can it. I'm glad he's happy but there's a limit to how much other people <span style="font-style:italic;">really</span> want to hear about it. Especially me in my present not-so-great state of mind. I hope he doesn't take it the wrong way, but actually I don't really care. I never see him since he doesn't work at the museum any more and frankly, even when I am in a good mood, I get annoyed when people try and flaunt their extreme happiness. It feels like bad manners.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-28029294682299711632009-02-13T22:49:00.000-05:002009-02-13T22:50:34.708-05:00Not an auspicious start to the yearIt took me years of writing...not writing...agonizing because I couldn't write...struggling to write before I finally understood my process. It came in stages. First, I had no idea there was a process. Then, after a while, I came to see that it worked but I had no idea how. Then finally, I realized how my process worked. Imagine how relieved I was. This was not some mercurial "something" that came and went without reason. Now I could identify the steps and stages. Now I could feel as if I had some control over my creative energy. I could work the process. I could jump start it if it stalled out.<br /><br />And then the last few months came.<br /><br />It's not just that I can't write. It's that I don't care. No, that's not right either. It's more like my brain has slipped into some kind of weird torpor and I can't wake it up. I could run the same start-up routine if my brain would respond. But it doesn't. It's like it's been sedated but without the sense of well-being. In fact, it feels bad. There's some strange new dynamic in my consciousness that's affecting my ability to create.<br /><br />I'm not going to panic yet. I've been through dry patches before and every time I've come out of them. But I don't like this one. I think there's some depression in here somewhere. This is new for me and I don't like it. I could list a dozen causes for it but that doesn't help restart the engine. I guess I'm just going to have to hunker down and wait it out.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-57898930626608623092009-02-08T22:32:00.002-05:002009-02-08T23:10:22.048-05:00No, not disappeared...just waylaidI warned myself that this would happen. The more dimensions to my cyber-life, the more time and effort it takes to manage them all. This whole Facebook thing -- I'm still sussing it out. On the one hand it's fun and entertaining on a purely social level, but on the other, it lacks depth and thoughtfulness. No matter how many clever little "presents" you give to people, or they give to you, or how many groups you're invited to join, or any of that, it's all very superficial. Nevertheless, it still ends up being a huge sinkhole of time and attention. Between that and the various forums, and (which I've been neglecting) it's starting to encroach on my so-called real life. Managing all those cyber identities gets to be like a job. <br /><br />So I've completed my first car-less month. I miss it emotionally more than on a daily basis. However, grocery shopping is a very different thing now. I miss the big supermarkets with wide aisles. I miss lower prices. I miss being able to get lots of stuff and throw it all in the back of the car. Now I deal with little stores with narrow aisles. I put my few bags in my wheelie cart and push it home. I still have the feeling of being stranded on an island (which I am). I rented a car last weekend to drive to a family party. It was fine but it was a boring Chevrolet with an automatic transmission. I miss my 5-speed stick shift. <br /><br />Well anyway...life goes on. This is a strange year so far. Work is the same and yet different. More stressful. I got a 5% cost of living raise but it doesn't even cover my rent increase from last year. I'm trying to negotiate with my landlord for no rent increase this year. I don't have much hope of succeeding but it's a strange year for everybody. He might be willing to take less money in exchange for keeping the apartment rented to a tenant who pays the rent on time. That's worth something these days.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-71221740634574701082009-01-04T21:46:00.003-05:002009-01-04T22:08:00.907-05:00My resolutionsThis year I wasn't able to indulge in my usual New Year's Day ritual -- drink mimosas all day and clean my house. My kids (one home from college for the break and one returned from China for god knows how long) were both here, making it look more like a dorm room than a regular apartment. Attempting to clean would have been both fruitless and a dopey idea. So I have not been able to get the new year off to a fresh start. Instead, I have decided to make a few resolutions, which I haven't done for quite some time. Here they are, in no particular order:<br /><br />* Get the hell out of the job I hate so much. (A bad job makes everything worse.)<br />* Save more money. (This will be possible when #1 son finds gainful employment and starts contributing to the household expenses. This will also be possible when I find a job that pays a market-rate wage, instead of the non-profit joke of a salary I make now.)<br />* Get my home office area set up so I finally have a good place to write. (I can't work well when my desk is facing a wall. Weird but true.)<br />* Continue my current trend of eating more real, unprocessed food. (This requires more cooking, but that's okay because I like to cook and so does #1 son. And he's good.)<br />* Try and drink a little less. (I don't drink a lot but I definitely drink more than I did before I started working at the museum.)<br /><br />There. I think that looks like a good list. Now I'm feeling better. It doesn't have quite the same effect as cleaning but it will do. And I still have a bottle of champagne in my fridge.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-82904700185829060632008-12-27T21:52:00.002-05:002008-12-27T22:00:47.999-05:002009 - International Year of Astronomy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFqENxCoYU0H46GBkXOZc4i2bkny7KykD-0FNF9vcXPVXrphCccbQKKGzg0-jNYHrNI5iiBr1gqOaQ_lV8QJP4NcKg-o9z1YtuPFTxtR0lItYPHENYgkHInCKwdPlRrZ2YiB-/s1600-h/Gorgeous+sky.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFqENxCoYU0H46GBkXOZc4i2bkny7KykD-0FNF9vcXPVXrphCccbQKKGzg0-jNYHrNI5iiBr1gqOaQ_lV8QJP4NcKg-o9z1YtuPFTxtR0lItYPHENYgkHInCKwdPlRrZ2YiB-/s320/Gorgeous+sky.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284668550123212178" /></a><br />For the 400th anniversary of Galileo's most important discoveries (stuff like the phases of Venus and the moons of Jupiter), 2009 has been named the International Year of Astronomy. I'm sure all sorts of great scholarly events will be happening and scientist guys will be meeting and discussing issues of great import. For me, it means lots of breathtaking and amazing new images all over the place. I can't wait!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-18627106741297517742008-12-24T13:48:00.002-05:002008-12-24T13:58:21.415-05:00Wow, I've been gone a long timeI think that's mostly because I haven't had anything to say. What little I thought was worth sharing has ended up (as I predicted) on my facebook page. Boy, managing one's online life is taking more and more time. I'm a little worried that taking care of those social obligations is making me stupid. When I can poke someone or leave a one-line comment or give them a goofy little cypber-"gift" why should I take the time or make the effort to think in longer sentences? I hope it's just an end-of-year thing that will pass once all the holiday festivity overabundance of chocolate and alcohol is done with. <br /><br />I found out that I was not accepted into the prestigious writers' group I had applied to. Of course I'm disappointed but I always thought it was a long shot. I'm pretty sure my work isn't edgy enough for them. It's much better thinking that than that my work isn't good enough. I wish they had included a critique. That would have been very helpful. But my ego is not dashed to bits. I have received enough positive feedback to know that my work isn't shit. I know it could be better. It can always be better. It's all about the process, baby. So, the process goes on. I will keep flogging my little play (which happens to be SO timely and relevant it's ridiculous!) to theaters around the country. And I will keep trying to come up with a way (that is to say, money) to produce it myself. And I will keep working on my next project. And all that other stuff that we indomitable artists do in the face of insurmountable odds.<br /><br />And by the way, Merry Christmas to all.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-7169179004609582212008-11-29T21:57:00.002-05:002008-11-29T22:06:08.550-05:00Yet another thing to waste time onAfter being harangued and bugged and pushed and prodded (okay, that might be a little excessive), I have finally gone and stuck myself on facebook. One reason I resisted for so long is that, knowing how easily distracted I am, I will end up spending yet more of my already endangered free time goofing around there and not doing what I should be doing, which is writing. <br /><br />Okay, it is fun. Kind of. At least I was able to find one decent picture of myself to stick up there. Now I officially exist. Seriously, it's getting to be like that, isn't it? If you don't have a page on facebook and a blog and a site for your photos, people might think you aren't real. And then I think, what if my online self is way more interesting than my real one? Now I have something new to worry about, too.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-34052371497425608292008-11-21T00:00:00.003-05:002008-11-21T00:08:07.957-05:00Quantum of SadnessMy camera broke! My cute little Canon companion! I turned it on the other day to catch some pics of the wonderful November sky and the screen flickered and broke up into lines and then went black. (Sigh...remember the days when cameras didn't need to be turned on? They just worked.) Anyway, I changed the batteries, even though I was fairly sure this wasn't the problem. And I was right. The only thing I can think of was that it fell from the table to the floor. But it was ensconced in its nice cushiony case and it fell onto a soft rug. It was not a big clunk but more of a little plop. And I'm not sure but I think I may have used it after that. Well, whatever the cause, it's non-functional. I don't know if they bother to fix these guys or will just tell me to get a new one. Well guess what, I don't have a spare $200 to replace it now. Not fair.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-56266059999749936222008-11-14T23:01:00.001-05:002008-11-14T23:03:31.469-05:00Death Star Canteen<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sv5iEK-IEzw"><span style="font-weight:bold;">I'll have the penne alla arrabiata, please.<span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-18811774431557911092008-11-07T22:05:00.003-05:002008-11-07T22:17:19.628-05:00It Was A Glorious NightIt's taken me a couple of days to reflect on Tuesday before being able to put it in perspective. No, I'm not a ga-ga zealot, but having been through a good few presidential elections, I can say that this one really felt different. I don't remember ever misting up and shedding a few tears at the outcome before. I don't remember being among crowds of strangers who were all so universally transported with jubilation. Okay, so I live in the bluest part of a traditionally blue state but this was different. It wasn't just the satisfaction of "our guy" winning. It was the shedding of a great weight. It was the definitive marking of a change in thinking. Suddenly I felt safer, personally and as part of a nation. <br /><br />I spent Tuesday evening in a bar of random choice with a friend who only moved to this country about 6 years ago. I'm pretty jaded a lot of the time but I was really proud to be with him to see America at its best. By the time we left the bar at 12:15 or so, we were best friends with everyone in there. It was better than watching the 7th game of the World Series in there. Even though things pretty much suck in so many ways right now, at that moment life was as good as it gets.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-332128800565708772008-11-02T22:08:00.002-05:002008-11-02T22:15:38.590-05:00Yummy Halloween<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVg3DsM_6WHxy0hxwszMWhHO36aWxPRU5weveGywp5j2AlHyABhiqB6OJuqzrX1wxj-ed7qBuONIjH6fjl36e2I2qBMRZPXH6v2-Pv5UiZfCqrObu5r3HeVR2cSev5k5pJ9X7/s1600-h/IMG_0728.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLVg3DsM_6WHxy0hxwszMWhHO36aWxPRU5weveGywp5j2AlHyABhiqB6OJuqzrX1wxj-ed7qBuONIjH6fjl36e2I2qBMRZPXH6v2-Pv5UiZfCqrObu5r3HeVR2cSev5k5pJ9X7/s320/IMG_0728.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5264263310888246466" /></a><br />I seem to be on a cupcake binge lately. But what the hell. These little guys were my Halloween creations. Reviews indicate they were a big hit. What's next? Maybe turkey cupcakes. I mean cupcakes with little turkeys on them, not turkey-flavored. <br /><br />And yes, my iPhoto is working again. And it didn't cost me anything! My friend's husband offered to see what he could do. As it turned out, he could do everything that needed to be done. All apps are back up and running. What can I say, I'm thrilled. Especially about the free part. I promised him (them) brunch in payment, which was happily accepted. Some days, not everything is crap. Some days things work out okay.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-90962633452233563222008-10-27T11:27:00.002-04:002008-10-27T11:34:13.807-04:00Happy Shiny Clean Birthday to me!It's my birthday today and I am celebrating by taking today (and tomorrow) off from work. My agenda for today is very full:<br /><br />1) make french toast for breakfast (done)<br /><br />2) clean the bathroom and scrub the soap scum off the tub walls (done)<br /><br />3) spend some time ambling aimlessly around the internet (in the process)<br /><br />4) take my laptop in to get the damn iPhoto fixed<br /><br />5) go to the dermatologist and see what this strange irritation on my lip is all about<br /><br />6) go running<br /><br />7) make cupcakes<br /><br />8) enjoy said cupcakes along with some champagne and a few of my best buds<br /><br />Like I said, this is a very ambitious agenda but the reward at the end should provide enough incentive.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-4090571724278507862008-10-24T19:40:00.003-04:002008-10-24T19:50:10.372-04:00I love my Mac, but...Every time I open my Powerbook G4 and turn it on, I think, "this is the sexiest computer anywhere." You can't dispute that. I had PC's for years and never did I ever think, "wow, I love my computer." There are so many things I absolutely adore about my Mac. One of the most important for me (because I write so much) is the touch of the keyboard. I tried for years to find a PC that had the same touch but was never able to. And then there's all the other neat, intuitive stuff it does. HOWEVER...of late my dear little Powerbook has developed a few quirks and glitches that are really starting to piss me off. For instance, my iPhoto won't open any more. The consensus is, there's a corrupt file in there, but I can't get to it to remove it. Then there's the whole browser issue. For some weird reason, my Firefox disappeared and refuses to launch any more. And Safari has a whole buttload of issues. One big one is that a lot of the functions on Blogger aren't functional through Safari. So I can't embed video clips and stuff in here. I'm thinking it's time for a brainwashing. Time to take this puppy in for servicing. I'm wincing in advance, though, because my extended warranty ran out over a year ago. So I'm probably looking at $150 or $200 to get it back into shape. Of course that's a whole lot less than a new computer, isn't it? Sigh. I wish this techno revolution would be over already and they started building these things to last for 10 years. Or at least offer longer warranties.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-32247463352259809912008-10-20T21:06:00.002-04:002008-10-20T21:18:59.669-04:00My Good Deed of the WeekYesterday I participated in an activity that pretty much everyone would say was a commendable thing to do. I was in the annual walk against breast cancer that takes place in the city. There were probably about 50,000 other people who did it too so that in itself was not so unusual. A co-worker whose aunt and grandma had breast cancer organized the team. It's a very personal cause for her. I love to walk and I figured I could help raise a few bucks so I signed on. I did in fact raise $100, not much but still worthwhile. But here's where I get to the part that confuses me. The way the event was set up, it wasn't a "thon" type of thing where people pledge so much per mile, or whatever. We were just soliciting donations and then we were walking in this non-competitive event. It really was just a walk in the park. In fact, it really wouldn't have mattered whether I walked or not. I can understand cancer survivors and their families walking - there's a whole emotional and spiritual component to it for them. But for the rest of us, the walk was really beside the point. Okay, it was a nice communal event, but I didn't speak to anyone other than the folks on my team. And I hate team spirit, so the cheerleaders along the side of the road jumping up and down and waving their pompoms didn't do anything for me. And I especially hated all the over-caffeinated volunteers who would scream encouragement in my ear as I walked by. Seriously, I thought I was going to bust an eardrum. I'm not really a scrooge, truly I'm not. And I was very happy to be able to raise a little money to help find a cure for breast cancer. But I still don't understand the walk thing. However, directly after it was finished, I met a friend for brunch and downed a few mimosas without feeling the least bit guilty.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-18576126497567122632008-10-13T10:18:00.002-04:002008-10-13T10:26:16.940-04:00Jury Duty, Part IIAfter a sextuple-murder case, pretty much anything else is gonna seem like small potatoes. We all got called in for selection on an assault case which seemed to involve a bunch of drunk guys at 4:30 in the morning. Apparently one guy was being chased or threatened by several other guys and he took a baseball bat to somebody's head, or other body part. It all seemed to boil down to a he-said-he-said. I didn't even get called into the jury box before they picked enough people. At that point it was 5:05 on the Friday before a 3-day weekend and the judge just excused us all. I have now gotten called for jury duty three times and have never been picked to serve on a jury. However, I can hold my head high knowing I fulfilled my civic duty. It's kind of like getting a colonoscopy I guess -- you don't really want to do it but you know you should, and after it's done you're relieved cause you know you don't have to do it again for a long time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-39178007587127953762008-10-09T21:18:00.002-04:002008-10-09T22:16:09.734-04:00Hey, it's just like Law and Order -- only real!The jurors filed slowly into the courtroom, looking around as they moved up the center aisle. Fill this row, then that row, then this one...until they were all seated. The men at the lawyers' tables looked them over, sizing them up, like lions deciding which wildebeests to cut out of the herd. Then the judge addressed the filled courtroom. <br /><br />"The case before us is a murder case. There are actually six separate indictments for six separate murders. The prosecutors will allege that the defendant committed these six murders at six separate times. Five of these were murders for hire; the other murder was committed in the course of a robbery."<br /><br />And I'm thinking "ooh, this is just like Law and Order, only I'm not watching it on TV, I'm sitting in the courtroom! The judge is talking to me (along with about 80 or so other people). But then he got to the part where he said that since it's such a complex case, he expected it to last at least 20 trial days, spread out over the period of about 6 weeks or so. And since it would so long, anyone who would not be able to commit that much time could excuse themselves. Sadly I got up and left the courtroom. So did lots of other people. But a whole bunch stayed. Didn't any of the work, I wondered. But for whatever reasons, they got the chance to be on the jury of that very cool case. The rest of us went back to the jury room. But no more cases were coming down yesterday so we all got excused by noon. <br /><br />Normally it would be three days in a row. But today is the Jewish holiday, so we didn't go in. And then Monday is Columbus Day so there's no court then. So my three days are being spread out over almost a week. Of course if I get picked on a jury, it will be longer. But there's no chance that there will be another case as interesting as yesterday's.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-88235007386970224442008-09-28T23:26:00.004-04:002008-09-29T09:31:00.043-04:00Farewell, my dear ElantraI have come to a very painful decision. I have decided to sell my car. Not because I want to but because I don't drive it enough any more to justify the expense. And frankly I can't afford the expense. Between car payments and garage rent and insurance, it's just too much for me. It's a lovely deep red 2005 Hyundai Elantra hatchback with a 5-speed stick. They call it a 5-door but really it's a hatchback. It looks kind of like the Saab 93. For a modestly priced car it's pretty neat. But like I said, I can't keep it. It was kind of like fate because a friend of my aunt's told me he was interested in buying it before I even seriously considered selling it. So I have a ready buyer.<br /><br />I have lived in the city with and without a car, and there's a whole different relationship to space and mobility. Maybe part of it is that the city is an island. Not having car always made me feel kind of stuck. Getting out was an ordeal - maybe only in my mind, but that's how it felt. The instant we got a car, suddenly I felt free, like I could go anywhere anytime. Not that I did, but that I could. I don't know why but it's always been important to me to feel like I could get out. (Some weird psychological issue perhaps?) But it's totally true that I will lose my ability for spontaneous mobility. Things are different now, though. There are zipcars. So I could use those to do take my weekend shopping jaunts. And when I want to go farther I can always rent a car. But it won't be MINE. Maybe once I do it, I'll feel relieved. I don't know. But right now I am feeling very sad. It's weird, it's like I'm grieving for a car.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-69510614287660863812008-09-21T21:14:00.002-04:002008-09-21T21:18:27.168-04:00I know the feeling<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd-HCQpRAwpBnBOqIcBHonQ6xM2rF59qHKmByFUWbfQJ0a-bo3K6IIxDiWRKFASUEGD5PtfcW6V2bfMdVL-7DQL3SBlxJqvNJPybVFb-guTIQK01ccYDIMHDKE7NJ2UJW-ERa/s1600-h/image-477-small.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbd-HCQpRAwpBnBOqIcBHonQ6xM2rF59qHKmByFUWbfQJ0a-bo3K6IIxDiWRKFASUEGD5PtfcW6V2bfMdVL-7DQL3SBlxJqvNJPybVFb-guTIQK01ccYDIMHDKE7NJ2UJW-ERa/s320/image-477-small.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248648389834742882" /></a><br />But if not, where am I?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-71744728232100472872008-09-18T22:43:00.002-04:002008-09-18T23:04:52.327-04:00It's time to stand up for Big City Values!I don't know about the rest of you, but I have had just about enough of hearing certain candidates heaping condemnation all over big city values. Apparently only Small Town Values are worth anything these days. Well, my first problem is, I haven't heard her, oops, I mean them, explain exactly how these supposed STV's are superior - or for that matter - different from BCV's. Since nobody has answered that to my satisfaction, me and my effete, over-sophisticated, secular urban buddies and I have been trying to figure out what Big City Values are. Here's what we've come up with so far:<br /><br />1) Crossing against the light and jaywalking with impugnity.<br /><br />2) Teaching our children what cheeses go with what fruits.<br /><br />3) Eating bagels and cream cheese on Sunday mornings.<br /><br />4) Overtipping the pizza and Chinese food delivery guys.<br /><br />5) Going to the movies after work on weeknights.<br /><br />This is as far as we've gotten but I'm pretty darn proud of the list so far. This has got legs for sure! I'm getting ready to start the campaign in favor of Big City Values. Look out, small towns everywhere!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32155249.post-76013848089843043132008-08-31T23:45:00.002-04:002008-09-01T00:03:40.960-04:00The French have a word for it<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRooOcK8_PYmEZC6S-O5SOYOYInCpCvwnhP_nEdd6FIyQZXWJrbwgRbQqvuih7yOYtaIcfYxSy0qplwczFF5uo8knlGFvJiPSNyI02La2XDXj-s-lZUssW06I_HCrEAS97upm/s1600-h/images.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicRooOcK8_PYmEZC6S-O5SOYOYInCpCvwnhP_nEdd6FIyQZXWJrbwgRbQqvuih7yOYtaIcfYxSy0qplwczFF5uo8knlGFvJiPSNyI02La2XDXj-s-lZUssW06I_HCrEAS97upm/s320/images.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5240898693418718802" /></a><br />Basically everybody in France goes on vacation for the month of August. We all know this. But what I didn't know until today was that the coming back from vacation and starting school and going back to work is this whole big thing. They even have a word for it: rentree (with an accent over the first e). Like it looks, it means re-entry, as in re-entering the "real world". Everything starts up again. People make resolutions, like we do on New Year. There are all these articles in the magazines about it, like "How to Make Rentree as Smooth as Possible" or "The 10 Must-Haves for Rentree." Weird, huh? Well, it's only weird because we don't have anything remotely like that here in the land of "What Vacation?" How ironic that in the so-called Land of the Free, we have less free time than anybody because we're always working. Imagine a month of doing essentially nothing. So much nothing that experts make money telling people how to get their lives in gear. <br /><br />This summer has been remarkable only in terms of the weather. It's been stellar. It's been one astoundingly gorgeous day after another. Unfortunately I have spent most of them in a windowless office. But I'm not going into that now. As sad as I am to see summer go, I am now counting the days until the Large Hadron Collider goes online at CERN in Geneva on September 20th.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5