Fun Flicker Photos

NetDancer has some amazing photos. They are all so beautiful that I had a hard time choosing which one I wanted to post. I have a thing for textures and the dots match my scheme... but you should check out the other photos.

Abajo Originally uploaded by NetDancer.

Scribbled Scrabble

The worst part about board games is that they are ALWAYS missing pieces. Yesterday, my roommate borrowed to Scrabble game form the dorm that she works in and there were NO pieces. With no money and a strong determination to play, Ali cut out cardboard pieces from a twelve pack of beer and made the allotted letters necessary for game play. Her handwork and paper cuts resulted surprisingly well. The fan didn't blow away the pieces and five of us sat around the board for a few hours and played a steady and admirable game. I took a picture at the end of our game play, which I can't post till later because the port for my camera is at my parents house in Jersey. I hope to start posting a lot more pictures once I get that bad boy back!

Peachy Cuisine

Last night I was in the mood to cook, which doesn't happen often. But when it does, my friends thank me. Not only do I have to cook for myself, but when in these moods, I make extravagant meals that must be shared with others. Once I made a turkey stuffed with apple raisins and sausages. Other times I made pie; Sheppard’s pie, pumpkin pie, cheesecake with a walnut crust(not that its a pie but the process is similar). I don't know where these moods come from or what possesses me to cook these particular recipes that I concoct in my head.

Last night it was chicken marinated in fresh peaches honey and walnuts. I started the sauce on the stove with a little flour to thicken it up and then poured it onto the chicken before baking. I had never had fruit with chicken before. I've had fruit with pork, turkey, ham, but never chicken. I think that was part of my rational for peachy chicken. Any way, the chicken was soft and tender, like nothing I have ever tasted. Alone the chicken was boring. You had to eat each piece with some nuts and peaches. As it mixed in my mouth, I dreamed of Thanksgiving or dining in a four star restaurant.

I matched the chicken with fettuccini alfredo, broccoli, and come Yeingling (Mostly, because that’s what we had in the apartment). Everything seemed to harmonize on the white ceramic plates. The creamy alfredo toned down the sweetness of the chicken and complimented the peach flavor. The broccoli added some color and nutrition to the meal. And the beer made everything taste that much better.

Fruit with chicken, not so bad. Since its not commonly done, it takes some adjusting. My roomate's boyfriend said it best when he warned me that "chicken is supposed to be spicy". Buffalo, marinara, breading, marinating in dressing and spices all add spicy to your chickens after life. But, try throwing some fruit one there for a surprising summer treat!

Here's a site with a complete list of ways that fruit enfuse and tenderize your chicken!

Well I'm Certianly Doing My Share of Spending...

.....consumer spending is critical, given that it accounts for two-thirds of total economic activity. Many economists believe the slowdown in consumer demand will be temporary. They point to strong job growth in recent months and rising consumer confidence. They believe that will provide support for a rebound in consumer spending in the months ahead.

The Federal Reserve began raising interest rates on June 30 and Greenspan indicated that further rate hikes will likely come at a gradual pace as long as inflation does not threaten to get out of hand.

(continuation of article in last post)

Maybe This is Why I Can't Finding an Internship....

U.S. Economy Grew More Slowly Than Expected in Spring

The U.S. economy grew at an annual rate of just 3 percent in the spring, a dramatic slowdown from the rapid pace of the past year, as consumer spending fell to the weakest rate since the slowdown of 2001, the government reported Friday.

The Commerce Department said that the gross domestic product, the country's total output of goods and services, slowed sharply in the April-June quarter from a 4.5 percent growth rate in the first three months of the year.

The size of the slowdown caught economists by surprise. Many had been looking for GDP growth to come in around 3.8 percent in the second quarter. Even that would have been a sharp deceleration for an economy that had been growing at a 5.4 percent annual rate through the year ending in March.

Running in the Rain

Yesterday I forgot to tell you about my amazing running experiences. It was 6am and I was just starting the feel my hang over from the night at Sin Sin and I have had three cups of coffee at 2 am so I couldn't sleep. I jolted out of bed and made the decision to run. I haven't really ran since early this year. I use elliptical or ride a bike, but I haven't felt like a run. (Running is really something you have to be in the mood for because the pain afterward makes it a little less rewarding). I've been slacking on the exercise in general lately. Moving into a new apartment (forth floor walk-up) in June left my body aching till mid-July. But, at 6:15 I jogged out of the apartment, disc man playing the Oasis Album "What's the Story Morning Glory", and decided that I was going to find the East River Park.

I tried to find it a few times before but ended up getting lost in some really slummish areas on the east side so I made a uptown loop up second that worked just as well. It was misting, then raining. I ran over to C and there was no way to continue east. The Con Ed plant was blocking off all of the cross streets. So I ran north, which lead me straight on to the East River Park. AT this area of the park, it is just street to run or bike. I used to nanny right off of the West Side highway and that park there has grass lining the running route for part of the way. I ran up to the 34th St. exit of the FDR and then down to the 15th Street exit before running back to where I entered the park.

The thing about running early in the morning in the rain is the people who run by you. They are all in peak condition and are eased by this mornings perseverance. You have to be incredible dedicated or insane to run at 6am. And to run at 6am in the rain brings you to a whole different category. I really admired these people. I wondered why they were doing this and was jealous that never in my life would I be motivated enough to do the same.

Thoe Most Wonderful Time of the Year...

...is when all of the left-overs from last years designers go on sale!! I walked around the East Village today going in and out of shops and every one was having %50 sales. I went to Meg on 9th street between 1st and 2nd. I had read about the store in a magazine, one of the main stream ones like Cosmo. I went a few weeks ago but didn't get anything because I wasn't in the buying mood. It is a really cute shop. The clothes are on the dressy side. I bought black dress pants($80) with brown sailor-like buttons that come up diagonally off of each hip. I also bought a baby blue, knee length, strapless dress ($20) that was made of the most interesting material, a fitted black long sleeve top ($20), and a multi-season sports coat($50). Great finds and the sale prices made the store easy to swallow. The customer service was great too. Meg wasn't there. A friend of hers was watching the store for a week, but last time I had some guy and he was just as fabulous. I rummaged through a bin or two, tried on over a dozen items, and chatted with the sales woman. I was there for over an hour and it was very relaxing and valued experience.

I also went to another store on the same block as Meg (i don't remember the name)but the clothes were not my taste. They seemed old fashion funky, but nothing was in my size and it was way over priced (even on sale). My next stop was min-k on 11th (between 1st and 2nd) I loved most of their clothes but they are tailored for people with Asian frames. I am an American size 6, 29 waist, and I could not fit into their size Mediums. I mean I couldn't get them over my thighs in order to attempt buttoning. It was such a sad venture. But, the sale prices weren't that bad. Between $40 and $100 for almost everything in the store.

My last and final stop was by far my favorite. I'm sure I will be a frequent visitor from now on. Tokeo Joe is a vintage and consignment store on 11th a few store east of Min-k. Nothing was "on sale" but the price were beyond reasonable. They had really variety of clothes. No two items were the same. I loved the selection of pants that they had. I ended up buying three pairs; Marc Jacobs navy blue pin strip dress pants ($60), a pair of miss sixty jeans($14), and DKNY green urban army-style pants(under $20). I also found this amazing coat($21). It was bright red and fitting... it looked like something out of a fashion magazine. I didn't recognize the designer though. It had big red buttons off to the left side. and one of those belt that goes around the waist to show off the physique. I LOVE it... no word can explain. I got a few shirts two. They are really different.

It was exciting to find clothes that aren't vintage but that seem original. I like getting stuff that isn't this season but still cool. Or wearing something from 5 years ago and being showered with compliments. That’s what my "style" is all about. I have decided that it is "cool" to be trendy and timeless at the same time.

Random note about UPenn boy

Oh yeah, one more random note about UPenn boy... We some how started talking about Kerouac and I said I was reading On the Road. It turns out that he was too. He's lying you might say... but then he added that he was at the part in LA just after the hotel with the Mexican girl that he had met on the bus. Which, coincidently was the same part that I am reading. How weird is it for two people to be reading the same book, meet and talk about the book at a bar, and just happen to be on the same part. Not that I think that this is any sign or message from the heavens. It's just New York.

Some times you bump in to old friends but more often, you meet strangely connected people. They know a friends of your through camp or they went to the same concert as you three years ago. It scary to think how small New York makes the world seem. It's a big world. And when you are tangle up in city life, New York seems to be the core. Then you'll meet some one and are challenged to connect with little bits of memory; a bar in your hometown, the smell of the coast in the summer, or any other place and time that is so far removed from New York that you are forced to step out for a second and get a breath of the city air.

25 Hot Buzzwords

Wow... Stocks and buying and selling is confusing enough. I think if any one was to throw these words at me unprepared... I would take them a little to literally. I hope that magazine editors don't use words like "repurposing" or "Tszuj". But in case they do, I am prepared for the worst. I found this list on MSN. Take a look:

Corporate jargon and clichés are so pervasive that their use - or abuse - has yielded a buzzword of its own: "Deja Moo" (the feeling you've heard this bull before). Here are 25 of today's most popular buzzwords and euphemisms making the rounds in boardrooms and cubicles everywhere.

Air Cover
When a senior manager agrees to take the flak for an unpopular decision, while someone lower in the chain of command does the dirty work. As in: "The CFO will provide air cover, while you reduce staff by half." (A term borrowed from the military.)

Alpha Pup
A market research term referring to the "coolest kid in the neighborhood." As in: "If the alpha pups go for it, we'll sell millions of them."

Bleeding Edge
Beyond cutting edge. So new, its creators aren't entirely sure where it's headed.

Business Ecosystems
When companies in the same markets work cooperatively and competitively to introduce innovations, support new products and serve customers.

Chips and Salsa
Refers to computers. Chips = hardware; Salsa= software.


Co-Evolution
A theory that a company can create new business, markets and industries by working with direct competitors, customers and suppliers.

Cookie Jar Accounting
An accounting practice where a company uses reserves from good years against losses that might be incurred in bad years.

Defenestrate
A 17th century word, now back in fashion, that means to throw someone or something out the window. As in: "Let's defenestrate this marketing strategy."

Dial It Back
To tone down. As in: "Your sales pitch is too aggressive. Dial it back."

800-Pound Gorilla
A company that dominates an industry short of having a complete monopoly.

End-to-End
Used largely by technology vendors to imply that whatever they build for one part of your organization will work with whatever they build for another.

Future-Proof
To create a product that won't be made obsolete by the next wave of technological advancements.

Ideation
Brainstorm session.

Living Document
A document intended to be continually revised and updated.

Market Cannibalization
When a company's new product negatively affects sales of its existing, related products, i.e., it eats its own market.

Optics
How things appear.

Pain Points
A favorite of consultants used to describe places where an organization is hurting due to poor operating structure, technology or inefficiencies.

Pockets of Resistance
Another borrowed military term that describes a person or group that attempts to stall, block or kill a project.

Reaching Critical Mass
Having enough customers or market share to become profitable.

Repurposing
Taking content from one medium (books, magazine, etc.) and repackaging it to be used in another medium.

Reverbiagize
To reword a proposal with the hope of getting it accepted by people who didn't like it the first time around. As in: "It's the same concept, we've just reverbiagized it."

Tszuj
(Pronounced "zhoozh") To tweak, finesse or improve.

Value Stream
Six Sigma term that encompasses every step in the process of producing and delivering a product or service (whether it adds value or not).

Value Migration
Used in industries where there is little market growth, the term refers to the movement of growth and profit opportunities from one company to another.

White Space Opportunity
New high-potential growth possibilities that are related to but don't quite match the capabilities and skills of the organization.

Sighting: MTV Celeb from five years ago

Last night I was out celebrating the 21st birthday on one of my oldest and dearest friends (since sophmore year of college). At Sin Sin we had all we needed; $4 well drinks, $3 beer, and 80's music to ring in his 21st year. We reserved a section in the back and I mingled, beer in hand, with a lot of people who I didn't know. Most of them weren't from the city which is a change for me. Im used to New Yorkers. The longer you here, the more you and all of your friends turn into New Yorkers. A crowd, mostly in their mid-thirties, was clogging up the dance floor. For some reason, drunk people in their mid-30's really let lose to George Micheals.

I met a guy from U Penn, who of course lied about his age, and talked for a bit because dancing was out of the question. Or at least I thought it was for fear of becoming one of THEM. I bought another beer, actually pushed my way onto the dance floor and made a drunken fool of myself, before I decided to leave. U Penn guy came with me. He wanted to "walked in the rain" and I wanted to go to the diner. I won. Any way, on the way back to the party, Mark Magraff walked by. He was walked with a half a dozen freinds, arms hanging over their shoulders out of pure enjoyment of their company. The tattoo on his right bisep is exposed, which makes his identity undeniable. U Penn boy realizes that its him, as do I. I keep walking and he falls behind. Oh no. He's not going to. Oh, he is. Damn it! I hate it when people do this. "Hey are you Mark Magrath?" I hear from about 15 paces behind me.

The moral of this story is that it's awkward and embarassing to be stopped becasue you are or at one time were "famous". As a New Yorker, it is also uncomfortable to be with the person who is doing the stopping. My personal philosophy has always been to leave the celebs. be. Thats why they live here. They just want to be one of the guys... but in nicer cloths, with bathrooms tha size of my apartment, and with more exciting lives.

Benny's Burrito

I went to Benny's Burritos (A and 5thish) today for lunch. I walked by there yesterday on my way to Two Boots Pizza(I was in the mood for a Mr. Pink) and saw that they have a seven dollar lunch special with soup and a soda. I knew that the place had "the best" burritos because the guy that lives next door to my grandparents (in no-wheres-ville NH) has a son who raves about them every time I see him. I chose not to go the burrito route. Chicken enchilladas with green sauce, black beans, and a whole wheat pita was my choice and a tasty one at that. I never understood how to order Mexican. I tend not to stray far from the soft shell taco or a plain burrito. Therefore, I have no authority in the subject. But, I can tell you it was really good and for seven dollars, I had a full meal and it took me all day to walk it off. Benny's even let you upgrade the soda to a Margarita for an additional 2.50. Lunch and booze for under 10 bucks. WAHOO!

Im having trouble finding my Own Style

The problem is I don't know what my style is... I grew up in the grunge age wearing baggy jean 10 sizes to big and extra large t-shirts to match. Then I went to high school and turned to American Eagle and Abercromie (when i could afford it) to show me style, otherwise Old Navy or Mandy's would have to do. Now at 21, I am a New Yorker, I buy New Yorker things and shop at Urban Outfitters, H &M, and Warehouse of London. But, I really have no clue what I am doing. I think every thing is me, then I buy it, find it unpractical and wear it some of the time (thus, acquiring more clothes than god). I want to show how wild and passionate I am through my clothes and then I end up wearing jeans and a t-shirt. But, today, I felt fashionable. I was browsing through Urban for practicle and wearable items that may match things that I already own (another common problem, they look good on the rack and then you have nothing to wear with it) and the sales guy came up to me and ask me if those "were one of ours". Those meaning the beaded leather shoes I write about last week. And no they were not there's. He told me that they are gonig to start selling them and wanted to know how I got an advanced pair. Good news.. I felt fashionable. Bad news... in three months every one is going to have over priced versions of my greatest find.

Today I read this article in the Fashion and Style section of the Times:It's My Style and I'm Sticking to It!

With few rules left to govern it, and self-discipline an old-hat concept, fashion now encourages people to assume an identity without actually having one of their own. Young women seem most susceptible to this form of identity theft, to judge by the number who participate in reality shows that involve a scalpel and the promise of Britney Spears's chin. But the reluctance to create an original and distinctive look, one that gives a face to personality, isn't limited to young women. Fashion designers are also losing their identities, that thread of continuity that runs through their collections. To ask who Marc Jacobs is this season is to ask which famous designer or artist recently captured his attention...

Ms. Collins suggests that the test of an identifiable look — one that is, in effect, a stamp — is whether it can be easily drawn, even as a caricature. "These girls today — imagine an artist having to draw them," she said, drawing a circle in the air with her finger, presumably the head of a stick figure.

Yet many young women are realizing, on their own, that style equals identity. "I'm a black woman who is a size 10 in a business where everyone is white and a size 4, at the biggest," said Beverly Smith, 37, the director of fashion advertising for Rolling Stone, who describes her style as "uptown glamorous" — Harlem by way of Pucci and Dolce & Gabbana. "I get really noticed."

Rita Konig, a London-based writer, observed, "If you're not naturally beautiful, then you have to be more clever." For Ms. Konig, 30, that means waisted dresses and the tweedy styles, especially from Prada and Miu Miu, that remind her of her grandmother's wardrobe. Indeed, she is so drawn to the elegance of the 1950's that she would "literally wear a hat and gloves if it didn't make me look like a twit."

It's not that I need to get noticed... but it's hard not to look plain. Every one and everything in New York is so over the top. Even when you try not to be plain.. you still are. I think I'm going to stop trying. I think that's that point to fashion and style. To look like yourself with some help from local stores and culture. Maybe some day I'll get this whole style thing. And i'm sure it will be two days before I have to switch to wearing suits.

Fez

DSC00232 Originally uploaded by feliciawill.

Flickr

So the bad new is... I really like this Flickr site.... but it only lets you upload to 10 MB a month. So I uploaded some pictures, realized that they were the wrong ones, and now I can't upload any more. Time for a new plan...

Leaping Lizards

salon Originally uploaded by feliciawill.

So This is Why I Couldn't Google Yesterday

July 27, 2004 | NEW YORK (AP)

A new computer virus disrupted Google, Yahoo and other leading search engines Monday as it tried to spread itself by repeatedly performing automated queries for additional e-mail addresses.

Those simultaneous searches from thousands of infected computers worldwide taxed the search engines and slowed service for many legitimate Internet users.

The latest virus is a variant of MyDoom, which first appeared in January. The new incarnation came on the same day Google Inc. filed papers detailing its highly anticipated stock offering, estimating its market value to be as high as $36 billion.

Google spokesman Steve Langdon acknowledged that while the site was never crippled, performance was slow for a brief period, longer for "a small percentage of our users and networks."

Yesterday, for the three hours I sat in front of the computer working on my blog and trying to find an internship, Google was out of commission. I never experienced any problems with Google before. It has been my browser of choice as of yet and I use it ALOT. But while Google was down, I was using Yahoo, which was apparently also hit by this virus (I didn't notice any delays). It make me wonder how safe these search engines are. If viruses are now attacking search engines, I feel like Google will be the first to fall victim. Maybe I should try to find an obsqure engine to use. I have enough threat to viruses and parasites slowing down my computer. And now they take my search engines!

This is what the virus does:

Like most other viruses, it activates when a user clicks on e-mail attachment containing the malicious code. The virus searches the user's computer for e-mail addresses to which to send itself.

But in addition, it runs through the search engines any domain names that it finds, and it checks the Web pages returned for additional e-mail addresses.

I don't understand why some one sat around contriving this virus. I am thoughly pissed off.

Looks like a journalist, smells like a journalist...

Today from Buzzmachine

Tom Rosenstiel in today's Boston Globe asks and answers the question, what is a journalist?

A journalist tries to tell the literal truth and get the facts right, does not pass along rumors, engages in verifying, and makes that verification process as transparent as possible.
A journalist's goal is to inspire public discussion, not to help one side win or lose. One who tries to do the latter is an activist.
Neutrality is not a core principle of journalism. But the commitment to facts, to public consideration, and to independence from faction, is.
A journalist's loyalty to his or her audience, even above employer, is paramount.

Pass along this definition. I think that at the heart of journalistic principle, we need to remember to define the medium itself. As a journalist, it is easy to look at what is gonig on around you. Tell the story of what other people are doing and ignore your own intentions. In my six semesters at NYU, I have never seen a definition of purpose so clear.

Summer Reads

This summer I have read The Mole People (about the homeless in NYC subway tunnels), Nickeled and Dimed (one brave journalist gave it all up to work min. wage jobs and failed to support herself), Disgrace ( a fiction that won the Nobel in Lit. it was an unfortunate story... very well written) I also read the Nanny Diaries for fun... which it was, though stressful to read as a former NYC nanny.

I am currently reading On the Road by Jack Kerouac. I have always wanted to read this book. It's like the Catcher in the Rye or Of Mice in Men. It frequently comes up in conversation and is a very "American" book. As far as history is concerned, it gives the a glimpse into the mindset of a generation of drugs, jobs, and travel. So why haven't I read this book already? Either school never assigned it or they did in my teenage rebelion and I chose not to read it. Much like my dear friend Jack, I grew up in Lowell, went to college in NYC, my family is now in Jersey, and I want to be a write. For those reasons alone, I thought it was worth a read.

Some of my college buddies tell me that I might be the next big thing, if I can prompt myself to take a drug-induced hike across the nation. For now, I want to keep trucking through the gospel of the beatnik generation, though working has left me to tired to finish it. Sometimes I wonder if my life really could be this exciting? Is it the drugs or his willingness to put himself into any situation that comes forth.

I have a little black rain cloud that hovers over me at times and helps me find truely akward and literary situations. Could I possibly do the trip with out the drugs? Based on experience alone? Don't get me wrong, I don't think I could every measure up to the Great American Classic. But reading the bio. and the first half of the book has really inspired me to do something great. Maybe not right now, but some day.

I thought only movie stars divorced their parents

July 26, 2004 | CANTON, Mass. (AP)
A Massachusetts man who murdered his wife six years ago and left their 8-year-old son to find her body has agreed to give up his parental rights, the boy's guardian said Monday.

Daniel Holland had been scheduled to face a closed-door trial Monday in Norfolk County Probate and Family Court on whether his parental rights should be terminated.

Instead, he agreed to a settlement waiving any right to be part of Patrick Holland's life, said Ron Lazisky, of Sandown, N.H., Patrick's permanent legal guardian.

Patrick, 14, has publicized his determination to terminate his father's parental rights, saying Holland forfeited the role of a parent the night he shot Liz Holland eight times in their Quincy, Mass., home. Patrick was sleeping in the next room.

I remember when this happened. I had just moved to New Jersey from MA and was spending many of my weekends in my hometown of Lowell. I would read the Lowell Sun while I was up on the weekends. The family that I visited delivered the paper (I did too before I moved) and their father worked in one of their offices.

I read the story on the front page and all of the parents were talking about it. Now six years older and callously layered by the violence in the news, it was interesting for me to remember this story. Part of me is happy to see that the son is able to take personal action against his father. Such a horrific crimes has horrific consiquences. But the other part of me can't help but remember the Macaulay Culkin divorce of his parents for money. I guess that his story made me believe that divorcing one's parents was only something that movie stars did for money.

But, this boy divorcing his father because of the trama involved from being present at the murder of your mother (by his own father, none the less) is a far more serious matter. To ask the courts to take one's right to a parent is a pain staking action. It is forcing the child to let go of his beginnings. It is also a punishment to those who raised and bared such children. It is a violent end to one of the few things that a felon has left; a family.

I don't really know what my opinion is on children divorcing their parents any more. As a kid, it seemed ideal to not have parents to listen to. In many ways, divorcing one's perents seemed like the movie Home Alone. When the relationship amoung family is strained, it seems like it would be a lot easier to continue your life without the burdon of your family. But in the end of the movie, he needed his family. Even though he was capable of taking care of himself, he needed them for the history and comfort of family.

Blogging the Convention

There are three types of Blogs: personal, informational, and a combination of the two. Each type is important.

Informational, for the obvious reason, that it gives information. Often times, political, social, or technological information isn't mainstream. In a capitalist America, information spreads on a need-to-know basis. The mainstream press can be tainted by the limitations of press, objectivity, or business or political confidentiality. The web, especially blogs, has the power to make information that isn't being broadcasted over the tv or radio waves availible to the public. On the web, information travels fast and the voices are strong.

Though personal blogs don't seem as pressing as say a political blog, it still gives you a look into some one's life. If the blogger just had a baby, quit smoking , living in a library , going to war , or through any other tramatic or common experience, the site has a worthy benifit. It tells a story that no one else has. It is availible to a public who might be in a similiar situation or who may be ignorant to when or how these events occur.

A perfect example of when personal meet informational blogs can be found in the
blogging of the the National Democratic Convention.

Dozens of delegates are writing for Web logs, or "blogs," promising the folks back home their take -- up close and personal -- on the pomp and politics of the Democratic National Convention.

"That's really the goal, to provide some little tidbits of what the after-hour delegate parties or caucus meetings are like, stuff you wouldn't see on TV," said delegate Greg Rodriguez, 38, of Seattle, who is blogging for the King County Democratic Party. "People are really starving for that, especially this year."

Delegate bloggers play a different role than traditional media or even other bloggers, said New York University journalism professor Jay Rosen, who is covering the convention for his blog.

"You can't apply to it the criteria of news or even punditry," Rosen said. "One shouldn't expect startling new information because that's not the point. The point is to share the experience."

Such a use of blogging combines experience with knowledge. The behind the scenes picture are a newsworthy event shows the public more that a thirty second clip of men in suits. It tells the story of the people and the place. There was a feeling behind the convention. Was it elaborate and manufactored? Under attended? What kind of people attend such a convention. To me , these are the interesting questions. The real story lies in the people and the atmosphere.

Bush and Kerry Distant Cousins

http://msn.ancestry.com/landing/strange/bush4/tree.htm. Does it count as relation if the connection dates back to the 1600's? In a country this young with constant immigration, I think being seperated by nine generations to your presidential adversary is quite the unfortunate coincidence.  

Religous or Suspicious??

NYT- Religious Message Halts Train

NEWARK, July 22 - For 90 minutes on Thursday morning, passengers aboard an Amtrak train headed to New York and Boston were questioned and videotaped as the seven cars were searched after a note containing Muslim and anti-Semitic phrases was found in a bathroom.
No arrests were made at Pennsylvania Station in Newark, where the train was stopped just before 8 a.m., but all 450 passengers were asked to give their names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other information. They were videotaped before being allowed to continue.

This article disturbed me. First of all, I go through Newark Penn Station a few times a month to go home (I'll actually be going there today). The trip (Path Train platforms and the NJ Transit station) is dampered by postings about suspicous activity and how it is my duty to report it. Usually, I do my best to ignore it. I have seen this same sign dozens of times. But some times, I just want to scream 'leave me alone'. I get the point. If I see anything I'll let you know. Just let me space off and relax on my trip home because I've had a long day, week, month, and this is my vacation. You pay plenty of policemen and train officials to keep an eye out so let me have this hour to myself.

Besides the fact that society is trying to make me scared, to make me feel like I should always be alert and attentive, I am really upset that these passengers were videotaped and barraded for information by police. I feel like I am tracked and recorded every where I go. My image isn't my own any more and security cameras tape my every move. Amtrack should have had a record of who was on that train. But, instead the police and FBI bardged in and delayed every passanger because they found a angry note in a "terrorist" language. I think that this is absurd! But, due to my current cynical mood, I am going to refrain from further discussion on the topic. Just think about though. Imagine being on that train. Do you think that it would make you feel safe that the police where investigating this note or do you think it will make you uneasy to travel and scared into submission.

Bush Appeal Since Fahrenheit

  'Fahrenheit 9 / 11' MakingGOP Nervous'  I read this article from the AP and it confirmed what I have been thinking about the film.
  I saw the new Micheal Moore film a month ago and thought it was very informative. Although I knew a few of the connections that Moore made in the film, the pictures really cleared the information up in my head. There is something about the visual art of film that makes information seem more real. If it was caught on camera, the actions were live. When you watch the actions of live human beings, the news or moral ceases to be words on a page. That's why film recreations of books are so common (Lord of the Rings;Harry Potter) these days. People love to watch, not read. And if they have read, they love to watch the differences and complain about how much was cut out and why the book is better.
  This film, maybe twenty minutes to long, does make the president out to be a baffoon. He was on vacation for how long? Why did he just sit there in a class room in Florida when the towers where burning here in New York? I never have been a "fan" of Bush. With the economy going the shit, I was planning on voting for Kerry regardless of who he picked to be his Vice President (John Edwards, John and John in office, how American), what he says about the "War on Terror".  The question is... why did we elect Bush in th first place... Oh yeah, he was the better choice of two lame candidates. I hope that the outcome of this next election isn't as heartwrenching as the last.       

javaholic

You know your a coffee addict if...http://www.coolfunnyjokes.com/Funny-Jokes/Misc-Jokes/Coffee-Addiction.html. I don't think I actually grind coffee beans in my mouth or sleep with my eyes open... but I do think I am addicted.

The first sip happens when you battling stress and depression. If you're caffeine dependent answer the following questions and  evaluate the addiction status:

Do you consume more than two cups of coffee, tea or cola or chocolate in a day?
Do you feel fatigued on and off during the day?
Do you go through massive  emotional mood swings during the day?
Do you suffer from frequent headaches?
Do you suffer from constipation or are you dependent on tea or coffee in the morning for clearing your bowels?
Do you suffer from acidity or heartburn?
Do you feel a generalized pain in the neck, shoulders and back region and a sensation of discomfort in the legs, hands and stomach?
Do you suffer from a burning sensation, fatigue and heaviness in the eyes?
If you are a woman do you suffer from premenstrual syndromes?
Do you have difficulty in going to sleep?
Do you wake up in the morning feeling dead tired?
Are you easily irritable?
Do you suffer from irregular or rapid heartbeats?
Do you often feel dizzy?
Do you have high blood pressure problems apart from anxiety problems?
Do you have ulcers?
Do you have problems concentrating without your regular cup of coffee?
Do your hands tremor?
Do you feel dehydrated?
               
  If you have answered  five to six of the questions with an 'yes' caffeine is part of your daily system, reduction or removal of products laced with caffeine from your diet will improve your health considerably.  If you have answered seven to eight  of the questions in the affirmative, you are a caffeine addict, and need to reduce or eliminate caffeine from your diet. Before caffeine causes any nutritional imbalance or disorder try and be conscious about  what you eat and drink. If 10 to 12 of the questions have a positive answer, its time to sit up and listen to your body signals. Caffeine can cause serious damage to your health. Wean yourself of the habit slowly and steadily, preferably with the help o fhe dietician. Remember this is just a self help questionnaire and not a professional diagnosis sheet. Incase of alarming results it is advisable to contact the  family doctor.

13..... I answered yes to 13. I blame my addiction on living in Manhattan. Starbuck is not just a coffee shop, its a food store. With the calories I get in a frappachino, I might as well be eating a meal. But there is something about coffee that i just can't kick. It's my gateway drug. First coffee then cigerettes and alchohol.  I have quit smoking and cut back on the booze, which I think has made me lean heavier toward the coffee persuasion. Yesterday, I woke up hungover after drinking three cups of coffee before bed.
  Like many other drugs, first you don't like the taste, then you grow to savor it, even become a snot about the quality. You are willing to pay more for batter quality and a bigger buzz. But the truth is... you will never get the first buzz back, the one that made you realize how amazing coffee can be (especially on those 25 page term paper due the next day all-nighters). Regardless, I'm thirsty and I have to be alert and attentive for work in about forty minutes. So it looks like it will be another ice coffee skim milk no sugar morning for me.  

Beaded Leather Shoes

Along with me mom and pop shop pact.... I made a pact to myself to not where flip flops in the city. This has been quite a difficult effort to maintain considering I used to walk around barefoot all day as a kid. When I did finally adapt to shoes, I never wore sneakers (except for a pair of purple Vans I had in 7th to eighth grade that I ran into the ground) and would frequently be caught in flip flops when there was snow on the ground. So what made me change? I came home one day and sat on my bed, flicked off my flops, and my white sheets grayed instantly from the city soot that was caking my feet. GROSS! So in May I bought pair of mesh-converse like slip ons and a dull pink pair of slip on shoes at Urban. I did well... I must say for a while I wore nothing but those shoes and the occasional sneaker but, lately I have been slipping. It's so hot and I am to lazy to wear anything but the flips... Last week I was walking home from the Vet. on 9th street (between 1st and second ave) and I saw those pretty Indian shoes with the colors and the beads. I'm not talking the mesh one's that you can buy on the corner for five-dolla' (which actually have the same dirty effect as flip-flops) but the real deal. Handmade leather. I bought a pair and I'm in love. I'm going to wear this bad mamma-jammas into the ground I can feel it.  The ground under my feet pulsates as I walk... I feel almost bare foot but without the contamination. Plus, I get lots of compliments. The green and gold shiny shoes are beautiful. Bliss for 30 dollars!     

Film-Napolean Dynomite

Hilarious. I must say. For a movie about nothing, It really made me laugh. Actually, the movie is about living and going to school in the Idaho. Napolean, who dominates the other characters with his bland personality and relative height, lives with his grandmother and his brother kip. They have a llama as a pet. Kip still lives at home at the age of 3o something and spends all day online talking to his on-line girlfriend. I don't want to give to much away but the whole conflict of the movie starts when their grandmother has a bit of an accident. It is brillant. I think what I liked most about the film is that all of the actions were so idle or exagherated. One minute you were watching a close up of Napolean breathing in-and-out in his own akward way and the next he was dancing in his bedroom to a VCR tape. The actions totally make up for the lack of action. The movie is filmed in a way that conveys what I would imagine it to be like living in Idaho. Usually there is nothing to see, but when there is.... you can't help but hold on to that moment until the next interesting thing comes by.  So you will either love the movie or hate it. I know many a people who walked out. But on my list, the movie scores major points.  Here's what some other people have to say:
http://sundance.weblogsinc.com/entry/3463694269313459/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0374900/usercomments

NYC Bloggers

I learned about the site in my Digital Journalism class. For the reason that I would like my commentary to be heard, rather than me babbling on to myself on a daily basis, I think I'm going to try to get on "the map". Which, is actually a New York City subway map. The site is actually really cool. You can look up people in your area and read their blogs. My project of the day, is to read through a few of them and get a feel of what people in the area are talking about. It's kind of strange that I need to navigate my neighborhood via a subway map. But, in antisocial days such as these, there is no other way. 

graffiti exhibit

  So after reading the mole people, I became interested in subway and public graffiti art. I have always seen tags in ally ways and thought that it seemed a little silly to sign your name all over the city. What does that accomplish? If you want to make a name for yourself do something worth public recognition. But on the other hand, I think that the danger of being caught and the time constraint create a pure form of emotion. I looked deeper into the philosophy behind tagging and saw that while most people use only names, some create art. They paint the town to beautify it, to imperfect it, to show that color is art. 
  Although I still don't agree with tagging for the sake of self recognition, I think graffiti is an amazing art form. I heard about an exhibit going up so I decided to support the surpressed art. There where two that I had heard of; one uptown some where and another on essex. My friend found the flyer for the essex one so we decided to go. NOT an exhibit at all. Despite the flyer found at Spring St. art studio, which you would think top be a legitimate source for art information, it turns out the place was just a cafe with some art work on the wall. It wasn't graffiti, it wasn't even pictures of grafitti. It was paintings and drawing of what graffiti usually looks like on a subway wall. Ummm.... not to mention you couldn't really even look at it because the small cafe, that advertises itself to be a gallery also, was no bigger than 300 square feet. So I had to stretch my neck over tables where people were eating to look at the art renditions that where "on display". Sunshine Factory Cafe and Gallery I give you a thumbs down for your deciet. But on a happy note, I saw these guys eatting what looked to be a very satisfying tuna sandwich. To bad, I had just ate lunch.    

How not to love a Hedgehog

  The problem with hedgehogs, like dogs, is that your have to train them to trust you and to love you. I recently bought a hedgehog. He was a big ball of thorns when I first got him (three weeks ago) but now he's such a momma's boy. He climbs up onto my shoulder and plays with my hair. I should post a picture of him. Everyone who has seen him has instantly fallen in love. 
  Which is great, except for the fact that when I bought him he was sick. After two weeks, he started gushing blood out onto my floor. He is a spoiled little bugger and he was playing in his play pen when i found floods of blood puddling onto my hard wood floor. As any pet owner and cute fuzzy animal lover would do, I brought him to the vet. In an hour, he wracked up a three hundred dollar plus vet bill and we still didn't know what was wrong with him. Let it be said that the doctors at St. Marks vet are incredibly sweet and it is conveniently open 7 days a week. After a week of wrestling him down twice a day to give him medicine. He got better then suddenly worse. He is back to his original stat of sickness. 
  Last night, when I took him out of his cage, he had extended out his penis so long that I thought he had elephantitis and the tip of it was blackish purple. Not normal. At first I thought he was in heat, then the bleeding started again. He was panting and convulsing at 2 am and I was helpless. After a second trip to the vet., there's still no evidence to point out a cause. I have to give up my baby. The pet store agreed to take him back and replace him because the vet told me that what ever it is... he has had it more than 3 weeks. But how do I bring him back knowing that they are going to kill him. When hes not panting, bleeding , or scaring me with his blue balls,  he is the sweetest most content little critter and I hate to see him go.
  This brings me to wonder why we grow to love animals that way that we love ourselves. I groom and and make sure I am home to let him exercise. I give up my lack of time out of love for a 2 pound mammal. And I'm not the only one. Cat and bird owners do the same. My roomate has a hamster (who I think is possesed by the devil). Then there are dog owners in manhattan, who win the physcosis award for the amount of time it takes to maintain such a large and needy animal in the city. Pooper scoopers I like to call them. None the less, I am bewildered as to why some of us depend on animal companionship. Are fellow humans really that bad? Or is it just that the relationship between a person and their pet provides a level of dependance and self-worth for each party?         

Cuppa Cuppa

  Strawberry Rhubarb pie. That is all I have to say. As a kid, my greatgrand mother (gran memee) always had it on her kitchen table. My gandmother (memee) and grandfather(peppee) would make it fresh from the garden. I never liked it, but I never hated it. It was something I ate out of love for them. 
  Today I was walking across east fourth street and I found this small coffee shop, Cuppa Cuppa (between 2nd and 3rd Ave) . I was actually on my way to campus and had thought about stopping at Starbucks but a few years ago, I made a pact to support local business as much as possible. I was greeted by a middle aged woman with a browning smile. When I asked her about the pie, she told me that as the owner she thinks all of her food is good. This is pretty much a typical response. I ordered a slice (even though last time I had strawberry rhubab pie in NY .. at Tinie's -Moby's sandwich shop.. I hated it) and my usual chai blended with ice. The shop was friendly. A few people came and went as I sat at one of the table. Each of them appeared to be regulars. She knew their name and where they worked, how they liked thier coffee, and she gossiped about so-and-so finally switching to D-caf. I sat waiting for my pie and I actually talked to the other costumers as they came and went. I find this rare in NYC coffee shops; to sit down and talk about a theather near by that is starting up a new production or where I grew up and the state of economy there. It was lovely. I only stayed a little while. Honestly, if I stayed any longer I think my alter ego as a self-involved New Yorker would have ruined the few moments that I enjoyed there.
  The moral of this story is that the store isn't getting business. It is centered between two theathers, neither of which is in production. I could tell that this woman was worried about her business. She never said it, but i felt it. I want to do her service and thank her for the pie. So to any one who reads this, please remember your local businesses. By the way, the pie was killer.... it reminded me of home.          

Book Review- Disgrace

I just finished reading this book this morning. I usually buy books from the local favorites section at Barnes and Nobels. This one won the nobel prize in literature so I picked it up. Over all, I found the book to be rather intriguing. It was a fast read ( two or three days) but rather draining. The story follows a fifty year old man, a teacher of Romantic liturature in South Africa. He looses his job because he sleeps with one of his students. He is a rather callous and stubburn man when it comes to apology or rational thought (part of the reason why the book bogged me down). I never understood his motivation. Which could have been the point. He had no motivation. He just slept with who ever to fill a craving, an obsession, and eros. He romaticized his knowledge of poetry rather than his woman. Not having any knowledge of Byron ( a writer whose life the main character obsesses), i kind of felt left out. But as a whole, I felt the anger and the loneliness in this story. I am not fifty nor do I know any one who is... but the story worked one of my greatest fears: dying alone, being old and not knowing what to do with myself, not being able to protect my family or my dignity. And for that, I think that the author deserves his nobel prize. The story was different and entertaining. It strummed the strings of my emotions and opened my eyes to a way of life that I have never though about.    

More information

Heathens at NYU

I formally published a blog under the same name for a journalism class with Chris Albritton (blogger who does Back to Iraq) but the bastards at NYU took the site and all my informative information with it. Not that it was always informative. I was attached to a series I did on the rural blue collar of Mass. and why I think that they will vote for Bush. But this is by no means a political blog. Im going to stray from being to touchy feely. But, Im sure I will interject with personal thought and experience from time to time. So thats my premise. Im starting from scratch.