Monday, December 18, 2006 Not Safe For Work - But worth the wait until you get home
Jackie and I saw this live on SNL this weekend, and we were on the floor laughing. There were beeps over the D word, so Jackie thought it was the C word - which would actually make it much funnier (if that's possible). The mouth of a sailor, that girl.
Monday, December 11, 2006 How did Brass Monkey end up on the menu?
Matt D. came over to watch Monday Night Football tonight, and we decided to make it a Brass Monkey night. For those who don't know, a brass monkey is when you drink a 40 of malt liquor down to the label and then fill it back up with orange juice. Sounds disgusting, right? OE and OJ? Well, contrary to my initial gag reflex when I first heard about a brass monkey, it's actually quite tolerable. No really, it tastes pretty good.
This is what it looks like when white people drink brass monkey.
Matt bought everything necessary on his walk over before the game. He bought two 40s of Olde English 800 and 3 small containers of Tangerine-Orange juice. So this is where it becomes obvious that we are three white honkeys drinking brass monkeys. Matt bought 3 small containers of tangerine-orange. TANGERINE!
Of course, when we pour the whitey juice into our malt liquor bottles - sipped precisely to the label - the concoction looks more like Ass Monkey. (It was brown, like cider.) Matt looks at the container, and the expiration date of the tangerine-orange is October 30. Today is December 11. I guess you can say they don't pay much attention to the expiration dates of the tangerine-orange juice on Myrtle Ave.
Thus begins my journey to buy more malt liquor, since our previous batch was tainted by the rotten exotic brand. I went to a bodega at the end of the next block, because there is a higher likelihood that this bodega also has Haagendaaz for Jackie. (The bodega on our corner once sold us fake Tide, so I didn't even bother.)
I picked out a 40 of OE and a pint of Chocolate Chocolate Chip. When I approached the counter, the clerk was keeping tabs on some guy trying to buy snacks with food stamps. The other guy at the counter thinks my 40 is his, but apparently the clerk had already hidden this guy's 40s behind the counter. I tell them both, "This is my beer. The beer and the ice cream are mine."
The guy responds, "Hey, where's my beer?" Clerk: "Behind the counter." Guy: "Give me my beer back." Clerk: "You already have two in your pocket." Guy: looks totally busted
The clerk made it clear that the guy could only pay for the food with foodstamps - he would need cash for the beer. I paid for my goods and left the store. When I got home I realized that I only bought one 40, but we needed two since Matt actually poured a small amount of tainted juice into his 40 as well. So back to the bodega I went for another 40.
Thsi time I just went to the fake Tide bodega because it's closest. I went into the store, slid open the packing-tape-over-shattered-glass refrigerator door, and picked out a 40 and a deuce (22oz) for Jackie, because after all this she was going to have to join us.
When I approached the counter, there he was - the SAME GUY. He was pulling the same scheme with a counter full of snacks and pockets full of 40. I put my beer on the counter, and I tried to figure out whether or not I should bring up the coincidence that we saw each other at two bodegas on the same block with basically the same purchase.
"Hey man, looks like you and I have the same plans tonight. I went home and my friends wanted more beer, so I'm back again."
The guy turned to me, not exactly realizing that I was talking to him. He looked up, and with an honest face as if we once knew each other he asked,
"Hey, do I know you?"
"Yeah man, two stores down about 5 minutes ago."
***********************
I went home and we made brass monkey. But we still used white-people orange juice in the end.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006 Busy Weekend, Worrisome Election
Last weekend was absolutely insane. Hello Nurse had three shows, all of which were great. On Friday we played a CMJ show at 205 Bar on Chrystie Street. Mike's friends came out in full force. On Saturday night we played another CMJ show at our favorite venue, The Tank, with good friends The Rinse and new friends The States. The States actually have a practice room in the same building where we practice, so I'm sure there will be some smack talk via post-it note happening soon. Jackie and I saw Borat on Saturday night and then woke up early to cheer on the marathoners on Sunday. Sunday evening Hello Nurse drove down to Arcadia University outside of Philly for a show. The mic broke during the first song, and then the fire alarm went off during the second song. About 15 people stuck around for our set, which was nice, but I didn't get home until 3am. Yikes!
Today, Jackie and I got up early to head to the polls before work. I voted WFP straight down the board. I was ambivalent about Hevesi, given the resent scandal, which is a shame because I used to like him a lot. Typically, I would forgive someone who spent car service money on his ailing wife. But, when you're running for the state watchdog office, you can't be screwing up like that. Fortunately for Hevesi, his opponent Callaghan is a total joke.
The one thing I'm excited about in this election is Elliot Spitzer running for governor. He is one of the few politicians I've been excited about recently, if only because he actually accomplished some positive results during his time in office as the Secretary General. I'm happy to see Pataki get the hell out. With Spitzer at the helm, we might actually see more progress: a big chunk of change a long time coming for NYC schools, possible legislation introduced in support of gay marriage, and maybe even some reform to three-men-in-a-room politics in Albany. Maybe.
The hard part about today's election is the high-hopes I've been carrying about the possibility of a Democrat-controlled congress. The polls suggest it's a possibility, and I'm all giddy just thinking about it. But I seriously dread the sinking pit in my stomach I might feel tomorrow if it doesn't happen. The same sinking pit, although possibly not quite as bad, as the past two presidential elections. It would be great, for once, to have something to cheer about the day after the election. You know, hope - which is not something I can say I've felt toward politics in this country for many years.
Wednesday, November 01, 2006 Thriller Zombies - Mentioned in AP article about NYC Halloween Parade
Last night I dressed up like a zombie (for the 4th time in a week) and joined a group of the undead to dance the choreography to Michael Jackson's Thriller in the Halloween Parade. It was great fun, and the crowd went nuts whenever we started up the dance.
Here is a video from YouTube. You can see me stumbling by at 00:57.
Here is a video from ABC News. If you pause the video at 1:27 you will see me in a grey suit with a yellow shirt jumping in the air.
You can see us briefly on this NY1 video clip. (Real Media)
We were even mentioned in the Associated Press article this morning!
'Freaky' folk out for NYC's Halloween parade By DEEPTI HAJELA Associated Press Writer
November 1, 2006, 12:58 AM EST
NEW YORK -- Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons of KISS considered dressing up for Halloween.
"We were going to come down in suits and ties," Stanley said as the pair presided over the annual Greenwich Village parade in their full black-and-white performance regalia. "But we decided to wear our street gear, and we're happy to see a whole city of people who look as freaky as we do."
The rock stars, who marched up Sixth Avenue as the parade's grand marshals Tuesday, wore high-heeled boots, makeup and leather. It might have been one of the few times they have faced any costume competition.
Joining them in the 33rd annual parade were marchers dressed as everything from Halloween standards like devils, witches and pirates to a man wearing an outfit covered with plastic spoons.
"It's fun. Be a wacko in the parade," said Mike Sullivan, who called himself Spoon Man and who has marched in the parade before. "Next year will be something else."
The parade, started in 1973 as a neighborhood event for children, has grown to encompass thousands of marchers, floats and giant puppets, with huge crowds of onlookers and television coverage. An unusual admission policy allows anyone wearing a costume to march. All participants have to do is show up at the start line.
This year the parade theme was "The Village Hearth," said Jeanne Fleming, the artistic director. It's a reference to ancient times, when communities in places like Ireland would gather for giant bonfires on a special night to mark the end of one season and the beginning of another.
The parade, as an event that brings the community together, is a version of that, Fleming said.
"We're re-enacting a ritual that's gone on for a long time," she said.
Marchers were met by an appreciative audience lining the police barricades set up along Sixth Avenue. Some traveled from Pennsylvania and New Jersey to watch the spectacle.
Kristin Jones, a visual artist who lives in the downtown Manhattan neighborhood, brought a small step ladder so she could see over the thick crowd of onlookers. She said she likes the eclectic parade because it is representative of New York.
"I love the variety of the city," she said.
The Princeton University Band played as the parade moved up the avenue. A pack of zombies performed the routine to Michael Jackson's "Thriller." Revelers with ramshackle signs and flimsy floats dedicated to dogs rolled along as other float-riders threw confetti.
Rory Sortino, a real estate agent from Jersey City, N.J., came with his wife. He stood on a milk crate, dressed in a pinstripe outfit with leather bracelets, calling himself Super Convict.
"To me, this is New York's version of Mardi Gras," he said. "It's a very good, positive way for people to express themselves." 6:47 AM
Monday, October 30, 2006 Thriller!
If anyone is going to the Halloween parade along 6th avenue on Tuesday, keep an eye out for a group of zombies dancing the choreography from Michael Jackson's Thriller video. After dressing up as a zombie 3 times in the past week, I joined the group who have done this performance in the past 2 parades. I spent Sunday afternoon at the YMCA on Bowery learning the dance, and about 20-30 of us will be repeating the dance down 6th avenue near the front of the parade. We will be after-partying at Dusk Lounge if you want to stop by.
In other Thriller news, Hello Nurse covered Thriller at our Halloween show at The Tank on Saturday. We all dressed like zombies, and Joe and I even tried our best to perform the set in character. I will upload pictures soon.
7:12 AM
Sunday, October 22, 2006 ZOMBIECON 2006
On Saturday Jackie, Mike Bruso, and I participated in ZOMBIECON 2006, which was basically a flash mob of people dressed like zombies roaming around New York City.
We spent the morning destroying some clothes we purchased at the Salvation Army the weekend before. The we bought some white makeup, black makeup, and of course - FAKE BLOOD.
The best part of the day was going through Bloomingdales. Almost 100 people turned out for the event, including a zombie Steve Irwin, a zombie bride, and a mother & child zombie combo.
Jackie and I are going to work on our zombie costumes and perfect the makeup for Halloween this year. Anyone in NYC who doesn't have a costume idea, please join our zombie army. Hello Nurse is playing a Halloween costume show at The Tank on Saturday, October 28, and we will all be zombified. Shred some clothese, get some makeup, and come get UNDEAD.
A few weeks ago some I met up with some guys for the 2006 running of the Tour De Slice. It was basically a bike ride around New York City to famous pizzerias. The conditions for the ride were perfect: beautiful weather and starving stomachs.
1. DiFara The first stop on the ride was DiFara in Midwood. Mike and Brian were the only two riders to check out this place, and Max and I joined them in Fort Greene afterwards. Mike and Brian proclaimed DiFara to be one of the better pies they had all day.
2. Fornino The second stop of the ride was Fornino in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. We ordered one pie with different toppings on each half. I forget one half, but the better half was the Asparagi E Prosciutto, which featured asparagus, prosciutto, fontina, mozzarella, carmelized onions, and cherry tomatoes. I'm usually not a fan of asparagus, but this slice was my favorite of the day.
L to R: Christian, Mike, Brian, Max at Fornino
3. Two Boots From Fornino we rode across the Williamsburg Bridge to Una Pizza Napoletana. we arrived at 4:30, but the place didn't open until 5 - so we took an unplanned detour to Two Boots pizza on Avenue A. After all those pesky vegatables on the previous pie, we decided for a meatza: pepperoni, sausage, and riccotta cheese. I wouldn't put Two Boots on the same tier as some of the other places we visited, but it sure was damn good.
Tour De Slice still life
4. Una Pizza Napoletana We rode back to Una Pizza Napoletana after our Two Boots excursion. We got there at 5:20pm, just 20 minutes after it opened, and the entire place was full. We walked in to leave our name for the next table, and the surly waiter wagged his finger and me and told me to leave the dining area. The door was open when I came in, so I missed this sign.
Pizza Nazi Directions
After waiting for 20 minutes we finally got a table, and we couldn't wait to try the Margherita (San Marzano tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, sea salt), one of four pies on the entire menu. Una Pizza Napoletana claims that there is no more purer pizze on the planet, and they may be right. We divided the small pie into fourths, and my slice tasted like very good bread - there was hardly any sauce or cheese, so I was somewhat disappointed.
This place is a great to take a guest in from out of town, but not a place to satisfy serious pizza cravings. Be careful with the hours: Una Pizza Napoletana is open Wednesday-Sunday, from 5:00pm until the fresh dough is sold out.
When we left, there was a long line of folks waiting their turn.
Long line = worth the wait
We were now about half done with our ride, and the sun was setting. I kept the bike ride fun by blasting tunes on my boombox. I hooked up my iPod to the tape adapter, and the Tour De Slice playlist features such classics as Bicycle Race by Queen, Boombox Generation by Motion City Soundtrack, and No Sleep 'Til Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys.
Thanks to Drew for this $4 boombox from Thriftland in the Bronx
At each stop we had to go through a ritual of chaining all our bikes together, and of course, wrapping a U-lock around the boombox.
You can never have enough locks. People will steal anything.
4. Lombardi's The home stretch featured two pizzeria's the battle for "Best Pizza in the Universe" each year. First, we stopped at Lombardi's. We waited at the bar for a while before sitting down and ordering the clam pie. We were thinking that we should try the specialty pies that are unique at each place, but the clam pie wasn't the best idea. I've had it before and it is interesting. But in hindsight we should have ordered something more standard. The clam pie certainly was distinct, to say the least.
A New York Classic
After waiting for so long at each of the previous restaurants, I had a fantastic idea: phone in our order at Grimaldi's so it will be ready when we get there. BRILLIANT.
Back on our bikes we go over the Manhattan Bridge.
5. Grimaldi's We ordered a pepperoni and onion pie, and it was ready just minutes after we arrived. Thank goodness, because the line extended down the block.
We took the pie down to the waterfront and gobbled it down. Even with several pizzas already in our stomachs, we had no problem polishing this one off. It was delicious.
You can barely make out the Brooklyn Bridge in the background
Final pie of the night - STILL HUNGRY!
All in all it was a great night, and I would like to give a huge thanks to Mike, Brian, and Max for making the ride such a fun, positive experience. Thanks also to Jacob Press who thought of this idea a few years back and gave us pizzeria recommendations. There are so many pizzerias out there that I'm sure we can come up with several more tours. Let me know if you want to join the next one we do.
Thursday, October 19, 2006 Best Interactive Subway Map
There are some great map sites out there, and this one is my new favorite. onNYTurf uses a google map base and includes subway routes. For some major stations that serve several subway lines, the map even shows where the station entrances/exits match up with the train platforms. There's nothing worse then going into a subway station and then having to weave around a labyrinth to get to the correct platform.
HopStop: Point-to-point directions via public transit. Available for NY, Boston, Chicago, SF, and DC.
WalkJogRun.net: Use this site to find out how far you walked, ran, jogged, or pogo-balled on your last route. You can save and share routes and view routes of other walkers, runners, joggers, and pogo-ballers in your neighborhood.
Gothamist Maps: Shows all up-to-the-minute happenings in New York City, such as robberies, fires, car accidents, building collapses, partial amputations, struck pedestrians, perps on the loose - you name it!
Taxi Fare Finder: Get an approximation of a yellow cab taxi cab fare by plugging in origin and destination locations.
ListPic: This isn't a map, but it still rocks. Tired of combing through hundreds of Craigslist posts every day? Now you can browse a thumbnail page of everything for sale in each section. For example, now I can look at bike porn simply by going to the bikes section of ListPic instead of clicking on every single stupid link. This site is essential for Craigslist addicts (like Jackie and I).
1:56 PM
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Brownie the Cow
Mmmmmm, brownies... Oh wait, this is actually serious.
Check out the Brownie the Cow website about a standardized test question for 4th graders in New York State. It's a listening comprehension question, so go ahead and listen to the clip and check out the writing prompt question here.
Companies are paid a lot of money to come up with standardized tests, and it looks like this question was just thrown together at the last minute.
Personally, I believe there is a place for standardized tests because our education systems needs to hold students and teachers accountable to specific, measurable goals in order to both measure and improve student achievement. But in order for standardized testing to help lead toward these goals, the questions need to be aligned with state standards and, Helllllooooooo?!?!?!?!, WELL WRITTEN.
This block is right across the park from where Jackie and I live, and we walk down that block quite frequently on the way to the C or G train stops and to some of our favorite restaurants: Pequena, Cafe Lafayette, Stonehome Wine Bar, and Habana Outpost.
Everytime we walk down the block we peek in the window and admire the homes. One window has an African Grey parrot on a bird perch. One house has an ornately painted ceiling with magnificent molding work. One has a spiral staircase to die for. Once I found a cell phone on DeKalb, and I called numbers in the phone until I found the owner - a nice family on South Portland. (I blogged about it last summer.) This summer there were several houses on the block undergoing exterior renovations, so that block is only getting nicer.
Of course, living next to such prime real estate does have drawbacks. We got a letter from our landlord the other day saying that our rent will increase by $100/month starting in January, and then increase almost another $100/month in January of 2007. Our landlord specifically noted that his policy is not to raise rent, but that insurance and tax increases have forced him to raise rents for all apartments.
So, as much as we LOVE our current apartment, it's not a sustainable place for us to live long-term. This sucks, because we can't say enough about our apartment, our neighbors, our block, our hood - it's just a great place to live.
7:21 AM
Tuesday, October 10, 2006 This Smug Smile Ain't Going Away Soon
Watching the Detroit Tigers' pitchers wipe their nasty butts with Yankee pinstripes was the most satisfying television I've seen in a long time. Hating the Yankees is a pasttime I've grown to love, and rooting for the Red Sox during their 0-3 comeback a few years ago was great fun. But nothing, NOTHING, beats the feeling of watching your own hometown team, a total underdog, embarrass the Yankee faithful and piss out the fire on Steinbrenner's 200 million dollar dream.
Even now that the series has been over for a few days, I still take great joy in reading any article, watching any sport-break, and evesdropping any elevator conversation on the topic. I will never get sick of hearing about this series.
Now I just hope that both the Tigers and the Mets make it to the world series so I can spend the entirety of my next paycheck on a single bleacher ticket.
6:55 AM
Tuesday, October 03, 2006 Another Reason to Despise Texas
FRISCO, Tex., Sept. 28 — “Keep the ‘Art’ in ‘Smart’ and ‘Heart,’ ” Sydney McGee had posted on her Web site at Wilma Fisher Elementary School in this moneyed boomtown that is gobbling up the farm fields north of Dallas.
But Ms. McGee, 51, a popular art teacher with 28 years in the classroom, is out of a job after leading her fifth-grade classes last April through the Dallas Museum of Art. One of her students saw nude art in the museum, and after the child’s parent complained, the teacher was suspended.
Although the tour had been approved by the principal, and the 89 students were accompanied by 4 other teachers, at least 12 parents and a museum docent, Ms. McGee said, she was called to the principal the next day and “bashed.”
She later received a memorandum in which the principal, Nancy Lawson, wrote: “During a study trip that you planned for fifth graders, students were exposed to nude statues and other nude art representations.” It cited additional complaints, which Ms. McGee has challenged.
The school board suspended her with pay on Sept. 22.
In a newsletter e-mailed to parents this week, the principal and Rick Reedy, superintendent of the Frisco Independent School District, said that Ms. McGee had been denied transfer to another school in the district, that her annual contract would not be renewed and that a replacement had been interviewed.
The episode has dumbfounded and exasperated many in and out of this mushrooming exurb, where nearly two dozen new schools have been built in the last decade and computers outnumber students three to one.
A representative of the Texas State Teachers Association, which has sprung to Ms. McGee’s defense, calls it “the first ‘nudity-in-a-museum case’ we have seen.”
“Teachers get in trouble for a variety of reasons,” said the association’s general counsel, Kevin Lungwitz, “but I’ve never heard of a teacher getting in trouble for taking her kiddoes on an approved trip to an art museum.”
John R. Lane, director of the museum, said he had no information on why Ms. McGee had been disciplined.
“I think you can walk into the Dallas Museum of Art and see nothing that would cause concern,” Mr. Lane said.
Over the past decade, more than half a million students, including about a thousand from other Frisco schools, have toured the museum’s collection of 26,000 works spanning 5,000 years, he said, “without a single complaint.” One school recently did cancel a scheduled visit, he said. He did not have its name.
The uproar has swamped Frisco school switchboards and prompted some Dallas-area television stations to broadcast images of statues from the museum with areas of the anatomy blacked out.
Ms. Lawson and Mr. Reedy did not return calls. A spokeswoman for the school district referred questions to the school board’s lawyer, Randy Gibbs. Mr. Gibbs said, “there was a parent who complained, relating the complaint of a child,” but he said he did not know details.
In the May 18 memorandum to Ms. McGee, Ms. Lawson faulted her for not displaying enough student art and for “wearing flip-flops” to work; Ms. McGee said she was wearing Via Spiga brand sandals. In citing the students’ exposure to nude art, Ms. Lawson also said “time was not used wisely for learning during the trip,” adding that parents and teachers had complained and that Ms. McGee should have toured the route by herself first. But Ms. McGee said she did exactly that.
In the latest of several statements, the district contended that the trip had been poorly planned. But Mr. Gibbs, the district’s lawyer, acknowledged that Ms. Lawson had approved it.
“This is not about a field trip to a museum,” the principal and superintendent told parents in their e-mail message Wednesday, citing “performance concerns” and other criticisms of Ms. McGee’s work, which she disputes. “The timing of circumstances has allowed the teacher to wave that banner and it has played well in the media,” they wrote.
They took issue with Ms. McGee’s planning of the outing. “No teacher’s job status, however, would be jeopardized based on students’ incidental viewing of nude art,” they wrote.
Ms. McGee and her lawyer, Rogge Dunn, who are exploring legal action, say that her past job evaluations had been consistently superior until the museum trip and only turned negative afterward. They have copies of evaluations that bear out the assertion.
Retracing her route this week through the museum’s European and contemporary galleries, Ms. McGee passed the marble torso of a Greek youth from a funerary relief, circa 330 B.C.; its label reads, “his nude body has the radiant purity of an athlete in his prime.” She passed sculptor Auguste Rodin’s tormented “Shade;” Aristide Maillol’s “Flora,” with her clingy sheer garment; and Jean Arp’s “Star in a Dream.”
None, Ms. McGee said, seemed offensive.
“This is very painful and getting more so,” she said, her eyes moistening. “I’m so into art. I look at it for its value, what each civilization has left behind.”
School officials have not named the child who complained or any particular artwork at issue, although Ms. McGee said her puzzlement was compounded when Ms. Lawson referred at times to “an abstract nude sculpture.”
Ms. McGee, a fifth-generation Texan who has a grown daughter, won a monthly teacher award in 2004 from a local newspaper. She said the loss of her $57,600-a-year job could jeopardize her mortgage and compound her health problems, including a heart ailment.
Some parents have come to Ms. McGee’s defense. Joan Grande said her 11-year-old daughter, Olivia, attended the museum tour.
“She enjoyed the day very much,” Ms. Grande said. “She did mention some nude art but she didn’t make a big deal of it and neither did I.” She said that if Ms. McGee’s job ratings were high before the incident, “something isn’t right” about the suspension.
Another parent, Maijken Kozcara, said Ms. McGee had taught her children effectively.
“I thought she was the greatest,” Ms. Kozcara said. But “knowing Texas, the way things work here” she said of the teacher’s suspension, “I wasn’t really amazed. I was like, ‘Yeah, right.’ ” 6:44 AM
Thursday, September 28, 2006 Participation in a Riot
The words "Participation" and "Riot" in this phrase mean:
Participation - includes promoting, inciting, conspiring to promote or incite, aiding, abetting, and all forms of taking part in, but will not include actions taken in defense of public or private property, or actions taken in defense of the person of the insured, if such actions of defense are not taken against persons seeking to maintain or restore law and order including but not limited to police officers and firefighters.
Riot - includes all forms of public violence, disorder, or disturbance of the public peace, by three or more persons assembled together, whether or not acting with a common intent and whether or not damage to person or property or unlawful act or acts is the intent or the consequence of such disorder.
Thursday, September 14, 2006 You'll feel like you were there
Wow, our wedding photographer really came through with somem great shots. Here is the link to view them all, if you wish. You will need to register at the site to view the photos, and I recommend selecting the highlights from the category drop-down if you don't want to look through 700+ images.
Unfortunately, the images are locked so that I cannot copy them here. But, I highly recommend checking them out if you have a few free moments.
I'll try to post them as soon as we order the images.
7:51 PM
Tuesday, September 12, 2006 Photos From My Roof
Last night I grilled burgers on my roof while listening to Ima Robot. Here are some pics I took of the 9/11 light memorial. The sky varied from partly cloudy to crystal clear throughout the evening, so I'm sure that many spectacular photographs were taken throughout the city.
These pictures don't give the light beams justice. When the sky was clear, it seems as though the light continued forever into space - so beautiful. While this light sculpture is certainly spectacular, it's a shame that five years later there still are no signs of a memorial or new buildings being built. Red tape and political gridlock are no excuse for the giant gaping hole at ground zero.
As all Americans likely do, I remember 9/11/01 very vividly. It was my first week of teaching, and I was working my butt off trying to set the tone in my classroom and get all the classroom systems and procedures up and running. It was a crazy time in my life in general.
In the teachers' lounge on September 10 some teachers were talking about how Whitney Houston died due to an overdose. Most people in the room didn't believe it, because no one saw anything on the news. But one teacher in particular was adamant that Whitney Houston had indeed died. When I got home that night, I searched around online and found no evidence of Whitney Houston's death. This was my first experience with the teachers' lounge rumor mill.
On September 11 the news didn't reach my classroom until mid-morning. A paraprofessional knocked on my door and told me the news: planes crashed into the World Trade Center and the buildings were collapsing. My immediate reaction was to dismiss what she said.
The twin towers collapsing? Yeah right - and Whitney Houston is dead.
It wasn't long before my classroom phone started ringing. Every five minutes or so I would get a call from the office to send down a student whose parents had come to pick them up from school. By the end of the day there were only 2 students left in my classroom, and I was just trying to keep them busy.
It wasn't until 3pm that afternoon that I had a chance to talk with other teachers and figure out what was going on. I wasn't able to see a TV or listen to the radio, so I was clueless at a time when most folks had been glued to the TV all day long. I tried to drive home from the Bronx, but all the bridges were closed. I parked my car and just started walking home. The walk took about an hour, and I actually bumped into some other teachers I knew during the walk across 145th street in Manhattan. I got home, changed, and then went to my friend Drew's apartment nearby since I didn't have a TV yet.
It wasn't until maybe 5pm that I saw the images of the planes crashing into the towers for the first time. It blew my mind. I was glued to Drew's TV for the rest of the evening.
When I got home I ran up to the roof of my building, which at 10 stories is the tallest in the neighborhood. I could see all the way downtown, and I remember so clearly the huge dust and smoke cloud taking up the whole skyline. I am fortunate that I did not lose any close friends or relatives in the attacks.
(I was thinking of reintroducing the whole Whitney Houston bit again with an Osama bin Laden joke, but I just don't feel like wisecracking today.) 6:54 AM
Monday, August 21, 2006 Just Married
Jackie and I tied the knot on August 19 in Kennebunk, Maine. It was the best day of my life, and I can't wait for the pictures to roll in to relive the memories.
Thanks to everyone who came, and I'm sorry to anyone I couldn't invite due to the limited capacity.
I will post all the picture links I get here to share.
Artists and writers Anthony LaSala and Seth Kushner are creating a photography/essay project about people from Brooklyn. I hope to one day own this coffee table book once it's published. In the meantime, the website is a lot of fun.
Friday, June 30, 2006 My Two Cents about New York Bike Safety Improvements
Several cyclists have died on New York City streets in the past few weeks. To contribute positively to the public debate about bike safey and infrastructure in New York, here are some ideas. I commute to work on my bike from Fort Greene, Brooklyn to Penn Station most days, and there are a few things I've noticed.
1. Signs that say "Share The Road" would increase drivers' awareness of bicycles. Cars always honk when I'm in a lane because they don't know the law. If the road is unsafe, I can take up a lane. This happens all the time when navigating around double parked cars. Simple signs posted around the city might remind drivers that bicycles have a right to be on the road.
2. "Watch For Bicycles" signs at heavy bicycle crossings. At the exit of the Manhattan bridge bike path on the Manhattan side, the bike path leads to a pedestrian-heavy intersection at the end of the greenmarket throroughfare. Cyclists are flying downhill, and peds can't see around the wall. While I haven't seen it happen, I would imagine that there are collisions and near-misses here all the time. A simple sign that says "Watch for Bicycles" on the Greenmarket side and a sign that says, "Slow Down: Pedestrian Crossing" on the bike side would help. This is an easy solution for many dangerous intersections throughout the city.
3. Bike lane buffer. I would just like to say that I LOVE the 8th avenue bike lane. Until this was painted, I was taking 6th avenue and hating life. Now I ride up Hudson to 8th avenue and enjoy my cruise to work. The best part about the lane is the buffer zone of about 8 feet between the bike lane and the far left lane of traffic. No matter how much we bitch, cars will double park. Parking is so limited that it's inevitable. The buffer zone gives cyclists some room to maneuver around double parked cars. This isn't feasible on narrow streets, but on big avenues it makes a big difference. I think there is something similar on 2nd avenue, and I definitely feel much safer biking on these streets.
4. Any cyclist who rides at night without lights is a moron. Buy some blinky lights you fools! They are not just for ravers anymore.
5. Any cyclist who complains about pedestrian traffic on the Brooklyn Bridge is a first-rate dickwad. TAKE THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE YOU JACKASS. The Brooklyn Bridge is one of the biggest tourist attractions around, and tourists by definition are blind and unaware. The Manhattan bridge bike path is empty at all hours - much safer, much easier.
My condolences to the families of the cyclists who have died recently.
Key Words: Donna Goodson, Dr. Carl Nacht, Derek Lake, New York City bicycling, Transportation Alternatives, Transalt.org, Critical Mass, bike lanes, helmet, Houston, Bloomberg, take control of streets, cycling, bicycling, biking 9:14 AM
Wednesday, June 28, 2006 Evolution of Dance
This video had me rollin'!
FYI: Since I've discovered StumbleUpon, an extension for Firefox, I can't help but blog about stupid crap. StumbleUpon has reinvigorated my interest in blogging, but this blog will likely resemble stupid e-mail forwards for the next several weeks. Hey, I gotta keep myself entertained in between wedding chores! 6:51 PM
Tuesday, June 27, 2006 My new favorite website: Pandora.com
In the myth of Pandora's box, Pandora falls victim to her curiosity and opens her box, a gift from Zeus, which unleashes plague, sorrow, poverty, crime, despair, and greed upon mankind. Thankfully, after another visit the box she releases hope - hope for mankind to cling to in times of evil.
Pandora.com has restored my hope in the internet. This is one of those websites you stumble across once a month and proclaim: This is so much better than Rants and Raves!
Pandora Internet Radio is powered by the Music Genome Project. It is simple to use. You just enter the name of an artist or song, and the Pandora player creates a radio station of songs and artists that are similar. You can learn about the new artists on the playlist, you can rate songs with a thumbs up or down to modify future selections, and you can skip up to five songs in an hour. It's free, and you can create up to 100 playlists.
Just try it and bring a little hope into your life.
Monday, May 22, 2006 20 Amazing Facts About Voting In The United States By Bob Rowe LINK
1. 80% of all votes in America are counted by only two companies: Diebold and ES&S.
2. There is no federal agency with regulatory authority or oversight of the US voting machine industry.
3. The vice-president of Diebold and the president of ES&S are brothers.
4. The chairman and CEO of Diebold is a major Bush campaign organizer and donor who wrote in 2003 that he was "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."
5. 35% of ES&S is owned by Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, who became Senator based on votes counted by ES&S machines.
6. Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, a long-time friend of the Bush family, was caught lying about his ownership of ES&S by the Senate Ethics Committee.
7. Senator Chuck Hagel was on a short list of George W. Bush's vice- presidential candidates.
8. ES&S is the largest voting machine manufacturer in the US and counts almost 60% of all US votes.
9. Diebold's new touch screen voting machines have no paper trail of any votes. In other words, there is no way to verify that the data coming out of the machine is the same as what was legitimately put in by voters.
10. Diebold also makes ATMs, checkout scanners, and ticket machines, all of which log each transaction and can generate a paper trail.
11. Diebold is based in Ohio.
12. Diebold employs 5 convicted felons as developers. These are the people who write the voting machine computer code.
13. Diebold's Senior Vice-President, Jeff Dean, was convicted of 23 counts of felony theft in the first degree.
14. Diebold Senior Vice-President Jeff Dean was convicted of planting back doors in his software and using a "high degree of sophistication" to evade detection over a period of 2 years.
15. None of the international election observers were allowed in the polls in Ohio.
16. California banned the use of Diebold machines because the security was so bad. Despite Diebold's claims that the audit logs could not be hacked, a chimpanzee was able to do it! (See the movie at http://blackboxvoting.org/baxter/baxterVPR.mov.)
17. 30% of all US votes are carried out on unverifiable touch screen voting machines with no paper trail.
18. Bush's Help America Vote Act of 2002 has as its goal to replace all machines with the new electronic touch screen systems with no paper trail.
19. All -- not some -- but all the voting machine errors detected and reported went in favor of Bush or Republican candidates.
20. Major statistical voting oddities (odds on the order of 250 million to 1!) -- again always favoring Bush -- have been mathematically demonstrated by experts.
10:24 AM
Wednesday, April 12, 2006 First Chorusaurus Review!
After releasing Chorusaurus last week, we finally have our first online review. Check out the review, where we receive 5 out of 5 stars.
How many times have you bought a CD only to find that the single track that lured you to buy it in the first place was the only song on the album worth listening to? It’s happened to me more than once, but after Chorusaurus I’m convinced it’ll never happen with Hello Nurse. Their brand new EP is full of catchy tunes that’ll pop into your head all day, albeit at a few of the oddest times you’d never expect them to. A refreshing change from the emo-infested scene, Hello Nurse never stops cranking out the good stuff. Emphasis on true music over corporate, over produced tunes is just one of the many reasons that Hello Nurse is quickly becoming my favorite band. Their unique blend of indie rock, pop, and alternative relieves the dreary thought of anything winey and provides for a truly incredible take on music that will leave anyone smiling.
If only every review were so gushing with positive feedback. Thanks Patrick!
Thursday, April 06, 2006 Out of Hibernation with some BIG NEWS
Ok, so I realize I've been on hiatus for a while. No one probably reads this thing anymore. I've been working too many 60 hour weeks and I apologize for being incommunicado. So here is some news....
All my life I've known that something is different about me. I've just felt like something's not right. I've decided I can't hide it anymore, I'm just going to have to let everyone know. I told Jackie today that I was going to the post office to get a new passport. Instead, I went to the department of records to get an official name change.
I'm a woman living in a man's body. I have officially changed my name to Christina Sparling. I know it's weird, but if you love me it's something you can get used to. I'll probably loose some friends, but I can't live in secrecy any longer.
OK that was probably the WORST attempt at being funny that I've made in a while. Sorry, it's been a while since I've posted.
Here is the REAL news.
Hello Nurse is releasing a new album: Chorusaurus
CD RELEASE PARTY!!! Friday, April 7, 8 PM The Knitting Factory 74 Leonard Street New York, NY 10013 New copies of the EP will be available for $2 at the show
We're excited, and we hope to see some folks at the show! The Spies are on the bill with us, and they are FANTASTIC, so come early to check them out. This is Eytan Oren's new band.
P.S. Jackie, I really did go to the post office to submit my passport application.
10:12 AM
Sunday, January 29, 2006 IDIOTAROD 2006
I participated in the 2006 Idiotarod yesterday, and it was absolutely insane. My team was named the Koopa Troopas, in reference to a character in the videogame Mario Kart. How fitting for a shopping cart race! Here are our costumes.
Donkey Kong (also ran in 2005 Idiotarod)
Mario
Luigi(Real mustache - that's dedication!)
Toad (also ran in 2005 Idiotarod)
Yoshi (also ran in 2005 Idiotarod)
Princess Peach Toadstool (also ran in 2005 Idiotarod)
Princess Peach Toadstool
Bowser
Wario (also ran in 2005 Idiotarod)
Waluigi
The Koopa Troopas!
The Route Since Drew and I registered our teams online on Friday, we were able to receive text-message updates about the race through the morning. The published start of the race was Monster Island on Kent Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn at 2:30PM. Drew and I received texts in the morning letting us know that the start of the race was moved to the top of Fort Greene Park to avoid the police. Fort Greene Park - I live across the street! It was great to be on home turf.
Hundreds and hundreds of races and onlookers met at the park between 1:30PM and 2:30PM. At 2:30 the race started, and it was mayhem.
My knowledge of the streets of DUMBO proved valuable as I led our team on a specific route to avoid cobblestone streets. The published route was all cobblestone - SUCKERS!
Here is our route for leg 1.
Distance = 1.36 miles
The first checkpoint was complete mayhem. Police cars were cruising up and down the streets, and no one knew what to do. Ed and Drew were in charge of getting us checked in and checked out. As they were trying to check out, an undercover police officer (Drew says he noticed the hand radio the person was carrying said NYPD) took all the registration forms. What a poopoo!
After being very near the front of the total race, we were not not-registered whatsoever. Oh well! Might as well run!
I was dressed up like a Gorilla, which really changed my behavior. A group of bananas rushed by - and I totally ran after them and started humping one of them. Oh, did I mention that we were drinking a lot throughout the race?
The second leg of the race was brutal. We ran the carts through Dumbo, over the Manhattan Bridge, and through the Lower East Side. I ran on a cart with Ed during this part of the race, and he is horse of a runner. Most of our team was left behind as Ed powered our car as fast as he could. I could barely keep up, and Ed wasn't stopping for NOBODY. Ed's knowledge of the Lower East Side proved valuable here. We went down streets without police so we could stay in the street, and Ed knew of one block that was all parking lot, so we cruised through diagonally. The rest of the team caught up at Checkpoint 2, a big playground near a school. Here was our route for leg 2.
Distance = 2.59 miles
The last leg of the race was pretty easy. It was just 3/4 of a mile down to the East River Park Amphitheater. Matt and Mike met up with us there, and we continued drinking. After a while we just started tossing what was left of the bananas around.
Here was our route for leg 3.
Distance = .77 miles
All in all it was a great race. According to the Google Map Pedometer I used to trace our route, we ran a total of 4.72 miles. It sure didn't feel like we ran that far, but I guess this must be right. Broken up into 3 legs, I guess under 5 miles is managable.
We took our cart back to Pathmark in Gowanus (yeah right!). The post-race pizza was quite nourishing. The after party at Sub-Tonic was too much - exhausted, smelly, and I had already drank plenty.
I was supposed to go to a work party that night, but I passed out when I got home. I woke up at 5AM and I had no idea if the clock meant AM or PM - truly confused.
*******************
A quick note about the NYPD involvement. For the most part, the NYPD involvement was exactly the way it should have been - a heavy police presence to maintain safety and keep the roads clear. I heard a lot of sirens, but I did not witness any arrests. For the most part, the police seems to just be trying to keep the race on sidewalks and to keep carts from running over pedestrians.
There may be been a bing sting set up at the original start location, and from Drew's account it looks like undercovers were trying to sabotage the race. But, from what I saw, all participants got to have some fun without being arrested.
Given what has been going on with Critical Mass and the No Pants Subway Ride recently, it's nice to know that the cops were somewhat cooperative for the Idiotarod.
My Flickr Photoset: HERE Waluigi's Photoset: HERE Princess' Photoset: HERE 11:00 AM
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