a sharp decline

There are many different kinds of days; good days, bad days, lazy days, hectic days, sad days... the list goes on. Sometimes you wake up late, stub your toe, slip in the shower and the rest of the day goes like that- you expect it and you thrive on each misfortune as it comes your way. It fuels your hatred for mankind and almost makes you high with misanthropy. Then there's the sneaky day.. the one that starts off pretty good, a hot cup of coffee in your jammies, freshly shaven legs, blue skies, no work... and then ONE seemingly insignificant thing happens that catches you off guard and everything goes to shit in a series of events leading to a downward spiral of frustrating misery and self pity. Since the beginning of the day was so great, you're in a state of disbelief as one wrong train (that sets you back 40 minutes) is followed by a missed train, that you watch pull away knowing that you'll be waiting for 20 minutes, outside at night, while you're eaten alive by blood sucking insects. Then when you get home (an hour and a half later than you would have if the day hadn't turned on you) you're starving, so you make dinner, and pour some stress relieving wine for yourself and then just when you think you're ready to settle down for the night, you take your dinner out of the oven and sprinkle it with Pecorino Romano, and then realize that it's spoiled and has now melted it's foulness into your dinner, rendering it inedible.

Such is my life.

my way

Here's me and my wanna be techie blog post.

Firefox 3.0.1 has been released, and the folks over at Mozilla have been really pushing the idea of add-ons to customize one's personal web preferences. I've participated whole heartedly in this add on phenomena - which leaves me in a constant state of Internet browsing bliss while I'm sat at my own computer... however, when I'm using another computer, I'm at a total loss! Gone are the days of logging on the good ol' Internet Explorer to find all the same search bar options and familiarities, no matter where you are.

After spending 2 days at a friend's house recently, I found myself updating his Firefox and trying desperately to customize his add-ons to re-create my beloved interface. I'm left wondering if this add on idea couldn't be taken a step further: As with Google products, one can log on to Google at any computer and see their customized web page... why not offer that for Firefox? If I could sit at a computer and open the browser, then log into it, my preferences could load, my bookmarks could load, etc... that would make more sense to me.

In any event. Firefox 3.0.1 - get it. Some terrific add-ons- Surf canyon - wow - do you ever browse craigslist ? This app will insert the photos from each posting into the main search page, therefore, eliminating all the time it takes you to open and close each posting (as one would do when searching for an apartment, or used furniture, etc)

Take it a step further, and add Cooliris Previews which allows you to open a preview window where any link is provided, again, eliminating the time it takes to open and load a new window.

I also happen to love Stylish - which allows you to change the look and performance of many frequented pages, such as Google, Facebook, Myspace, Gmail, etc... just by adding on styles, which can be removed with the click of a button.

One last application that I've found to be extremely useful is StumbleUpon. You fill out some basic interests when you set the account up,and whenever you feel like it, you click the Stumble! icon, and random (but relevant to your interests) windows will open up.. this has been such a terrific resource for me since I'm hugely interested in industrial design innovations and architecture. I've discovered so many amazing sites this way. Even cooler is the option to add friends to your account so you can pass sites along to them.

Maybe all these add-ons will be a positive change in your Internet viewing life, maybe they'll end up crippling you when you leave the safety and comfort of your customized universe. Let me know what you think!

obligatory blog post

It's been awhile. I often think.. I should blog about this or that, but I never get around to it. Anyway, I've recently been playing around with my page, and I'm quite happy with the layout, although I'll be doing some more tweaking eventually.

So- it's 2:30 am. I work at 9:30 am. I need to go to sleep.

x

thanks for reading

Well, I wanted to thank everyone for offering their own feedback into the idea of forbidden words. Apparently we all have our own list, and oddly enough, MOIST seems to be on the top of most. Coincidence or some strange truth to the idea that this word is horrid, rather than a good choice to describe a piece of cake!

So, here's my updated list, and I've taken the liberty of adding all of the contributions to it.

MOIST
KIOSK
JOSTLED
CAHOOTS
SHAMMY
FLAP
DRESSING GOWN - New addition with dedication to D.B.
- Apparently my list has inspired Anthony to start a band called "Shammy Flap".. sweet :)

Meghann's "historically dislikes" words ending in Y
SCABBY
SMELLY
CRUSTY
FANNY - this word's a toughie. For Americans it means your rear end, butt, ass, whatever, in the UK, if I'm not mistaken, a "fanny" is a woman's vagina. So don't say that you want to pat or grab someone's fanny to a person from the UK.
BELLY - I actually like belly
SAGGY

Colleen's word to avoid
PACKETT

Jon's list of words that he "absolutely hates"
APRICOT
TASSEL
SPACKLE
GLIB - this one makes me twitch
PRUDENT

holy crap scary!

Wow... Di posted this video over on her blog, and I'm glad to share it here... could you imagine!!?

I'm not running for President, but...

I have struggled with the current political debates and people asking one another, "Who are you voting for?" Mainly, my discomfort is due to the fact that I don't want to vote for Mc Cain, Obama, or Clinton. I would have a difficult time choosing any of them. That answer is a difficult for some in a city that's teeming with die hard Obama fans, and I am left feeling out of the loop, and quite lonely.

I've poked my nose into an article here and there to see what's going on, but I just can't bring myself to watch the debates and the news with all of these "projected" wins, and political analysts bickering back and forth on a split screen.

It's been years since I've really embraced anyone in politics and if anything, I completely reject our political and social system as I think it's faulty and I can't see how anything is going to improve without major changes.

Last night I read an article in the NY Times written by Mayor Bloomberg. I can't believe how refreshing it was to read his words and think to myself, wow, for the first time, here's a man who's saying things that I've been saying for a long time.

He writes, " The changes needed in this country are straightforward enough, but there are always partisan reasons to take an easy way out. There are always special interests that will fight against any challenge to the status quo. And there are always those who will worry more about their next election than the health of our country. These forces that prevent meaningful progress are powerful, and they exist in both parties."

This article also made me so depressed, because Michael Bloomberg is not going to run in this election... and it's such a shame, because we really need something or someone to stop the giant machine that we have holding us back while other global economies thrive and move towards more progressive environmental standards. This country is a mess.

In other words, mayor Bloomberg's words have filled me with hope and despair all at once.

I like this =)

Thanks Di!

confused

So, I always hear about these expensive training courses that people take in order to become a licensed real estate broker. I don't know if that requirement is based on selling properties or what, but these are a few of the photos that I've seen while looking for an apartment for rent, and I can't believe that anyone with training could take these and post them. The first thing that I have to ask myself is, don't these people actually want to rent the property out? Isn't that how they make their money? How do these photos entice those in search of new digs to hop on the subway and race to be the first to "snatch up" this deal that "won't last" because it's a "one of a kind" and "below market value".... scratches head*

Is that wallpaper?!

........?

Dungeon for rent?
By the way, the heading on this one was "upscale".

Wow, can't you see yourself having a BBQ off to the left,

and maybe a patio table somewhere in the over growth?

I don't even have to think of something to say about this.

dump

Have you ever looked for an apartment on craigslist? Realtor lingo always carries this exciting tone, "Extravagant 300 sq. ft. studio in Canarsie", "Fabulous Gem!", "Will not last!!", "Deal of a lifetime!", Sun-drenched"....

By now I know that cozy refers to a small room with an efficiency kitchen and shared bathroom, and charming describes that the apartment is totally in need of renovations.. oh, and it's small too.

So, I went to see a place tonight. Here's the ad along with some of my own words:

MAGNIFICENT 1 BEDROOM APT (2 BDRM RAILROAD STYLE) (Meaning if you sleep on a futon in the living room area, you now have a 2 bedroom?) LOCATED IN A 6 FAMILY HOUSE ON THE THIRD FLOOR.

"A SMILE IS CONTAGIOUS"

ok.. wtf is this and why is it here?

WE HAVE FRIENDLY PROFESSIONAL TENANTS ONLY!!! (riiiight, like the guy I saw walking around the halls without his shirt on who went into the apt that had piles of beer bottles stacked outside the door? Or are they referring to the downstairs neighbor who has a giant skull hanging on his front door?)

OK, in my defense, I looked at this picture and I thought, so what if there's some crap around, these people are moving out.... and besides, other than the clothes and boxes, it looks relatively clean.... Well YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I SAW. The place stank like old, stale cigarettes. There were plates all over the "kitchen" full of rotten food with flies on it. Some sort of "hamburger" looking thing was hanging off the side of the stove... the bathtub.. omg... I would rather shower with a garden hose. Not to mention the gaping hole in the ceiling in the lobby area, the poorly plastered sections of the apartment where there had been water damage, and to finish the experience off, on my way out I noticed a sticker on the door that said, "HEY CHEESE DICK"

THIS AMAZING APARTMENT INCLUDES:

• Shiny polished floors. lie
• Freshly painted. lie
• Apartment recently renovated. big fat lie
• Wood kitchen. what?
• Close to lots of great stores. I don't care if it was in the west village, I wouldn't live there.
• Close to laundromat.

COUPLE OF BLOCKS FROM THE L TRAIN @ MONTROSE (lie... 5 is not a couple) & G TRAIN BY UNION

WHICH IS 10 MINUTES FROM THE CITY!!
Lie- the G train doesn't go to the city

CALL JOE "IMMEDIATELY" BEFORE THIS IS GONE
I have no idea what kind of person would pay to live in that place. I needed a shower after I left.

The following items are required in order to get an appointment for viewing the apartment:

Good credit score & Proof of income

Sorry no programs accepted.

LOCATED BY MONTROSE &LORIMER.

31 Montrose is a filthy, stinking, heap of shit.

word association

I like to title my blog posts with as little words as possible. Often, when I write something, there's a key word that comes to mind that sums it all up.
Here's an example of how I use word association.
today= lazy
dinner= full
apartment I went to see=dump
my cat= smelly

....et voila.

today

me

* I never get tired of the view of the city from the Manhattan bridge

* I love marzipan

* TV is trash

* Having windows in one's bedroom is under-rated

* Always carry a pen and paper with you

* Why is it so hard to find a good pastry in the city?

* I hate the C train

* Sleeping is SO great

* I don't like to be touched by most people

* The following words should be removed from the dictionary and banned forever:
MOIST
KIOSK
JOSTLED
CAHOOTS
SHAMMY

a test

My bachelorette lifestyle has begun to take a toll on me. I sustain myself on a steady diet of Wasa, PB & J, and cereal or on dining out. My trips to the supermarket are far and few between, which on the flip side forces me to be resourceful and make something out of nothing sometimes.

The holidays were a bum rush of fat laden gravy, potatoes, pies, and booze, and now it's January and I think I need a break.

For the next 30 days, I'm going to impose a strict regimen on myself.. I haven't worked out the details, since I just decided this moments ago in the shower, but it will be something like this:

For 30 days:
no meat products
no alcohol
no processed foods/drinks

I will eat only raw fruits and veggies, Greek yogurt, water, tea, fresh squeezed juice, and the one guilty pleasure I won't deny myself will be my daily cappuccino at work. Do you think oatmeal is acceptable? hrmm.. will decide on that one.

Can I do it? Will I go crazy? Will I kill someone, or myself? Will I fall off the wagon and eat a burger while drinking a bottle of bourbon? Time will tell.

Tomorrow I shop... Wednesday I detox

:D

Ik hou van muziek

I've been trying to keep up on the music scene a bit more lately.. I got an external hard drive for Christmas and I was finally able to upload all of the music I've been storing away on DVDs since I traded my desktop for a laptop. I borrowed some CDs from my friend the other night.. had the chance to check out some new bands and some new albums... oh, and a huge bit of excitement for me was updating my ipod, which has had the same songs on it for over a year now. What a relief! I've been rocking out to old Sonic Youth tunes all week...

I've also been looking around to see who's playing in the city. Since I got back to the states, I've only been to two shows.. Feist and Elysian Fields. That seems kinda lame, since I'm here and bands are playing somewhere every day. So I bought tickets to see Cat Power next Month, which I'm excited about. I saw her twice in Belgium, and I really enjoyed the shows, so this should be a lot of fun. The Rosebuds are playing next week in Hoboken. It's been cool checking out venues that I've never been to, like McCarren Pool and Joe's Pub, yet another plus to getting out and doing things.

Music is a huge part of my life and it feels good to be getting back into it. I'm always put off by people who aren't into music.. people who don't listen to music seem creepy, don't they?

oh lazy Sunday

Well my three part cultural weekend extravaganza was derailed. On Saturday, I managed to see Persepolis, which was just as lovely as the first time I saw it, although having English subtitles this time was a treat because my brain didn't hurt afterwards...

Today I was woken up by a series of sms messages.. confirming plans, messages of encouragement for me to get out of bed from hungry friends in Harlem. So, I hopped the metro and met up with them at Toast. It's a very cute little place just off the 125th st. stop with tasty food and drinkies (although I can't say much for their web designer)...

What began as a plan to meet up with friends, eat, chat, and drink A (indicating the idea of a single drink) bloody mary ended up being a 2 hour free for all. A plate of pain perdue with a side of bacon, a bottomless mug of coffee, a bit of cheesecake, 2 bloody marys, and a manhattan later... I ended up blowing off my plans for cultural adventure and headed back to my friend's apartment for couch loafing, Sierra Nevadas, Amy's pizza, and 2 episodes of the L Word. I would like to think that my experience was still very cultural after all... I'll call it, "urban, 30 something American culture".

Sundays are sweet :)

multimedia weekend adventures

This weekend I'm set to spend some QT with friends and loved ones, which is something I really look forward to. I'm taking a friend to see one of my favorite movies, Persepolis I can't wait. I'm hitting up the Guggenheim to see Richard Prince: Spiritual America Something I've really been looking forward to... And maybe in there somewhere will be a trip to the theatre to see Sweeney Todd, because I am a huge Tim Burton fan. Triple bonus, not only do I enjoy his films, but Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter are two of my favorite actors.

I'll be squeezing in a Sunday brunch, some nap time, and a cocktail or three... :P Stay tuned for a review of my weekend extravaganza of multimedia cultural explorations!

music makes life ok

I hate to say something like that, because I know it isn't always the case, but when I walk out my door with my ipod on, my walk to the subway is pretty good... and at the end of a long night, when I'm exhausted and I just want to get home.. I find myself waiting on the platform for 20 minutes watching people, listening to a favorite song.. and I get lost in that. Experiencing moments in life to a "soundtrack" can make the most arbitrary things seem a little more meaningful :)

p.s. Be warned, listening to depressing music may have the opposite effect

TV: post holiday revelations

Over the holidays I watched SO much television! My parents and I watched A Christmas Carol with George C. Scott, I watched a couple of cartoons like Rudolf and Frosty the Snowman... and the rest was just a blur... my parents rented some bad movie called, "Deck the Halls" with Matthew Broderick and Danny Devito (huh?) Sooo... after that, I came home to Brooklyn last night, exhausted.. to a house with an empty fridge and a stinky litter box. So, after cleaning I grabbed a bottle of wine, I laid on the couch in my bathrobe with a blanket to watch Law & Order reruns... it suddenly occurred to me.. wow what was supposed to be a night of total relaxation has actually ended up making me feel depressed! All this TV is depressing.. I mean, when the TV is on, your REAL life is put on hold... books are put aside (ok, books can be an escape, but at least you're using your imagination), conversations shushed, tasks aren't completed.. isn't it counter productive? Yuck! I've lived successfully without television for years, and all of a sudden I find that I'm watching at least 5 hours of TV per week... (most of it is Law & Order) I wonder if TV is a contributing factor to so many Americans being on anti-depressants? All of the escapism obviously makes reality harder to digest when it all piles up.

one year

In the face of the new year, people tend to reflect on their lives and for some reason, perhaps the symbolism of an 'official' new year, they look to make changes or take inventory of their personal affairs. I'm no exception and looking back on the past year leaves me in a whirlwind mess of confusion. I feel that it's been monumental in terms of my own personal self discovery and life experience, and on the other hand I have felt more pain, sadness, and total despair this year than ever in my life. What I'm left with is many good memories, many sad ones, leaps forward, huge set backs, selfless love, and unbearable loss. I'd like to think that it builds character:)

It's Christmas today.. I've spent the past few days here with my parents enjoying their company, and enjoying the solitude of suburban life. It occurred to me that I hadn't spent too much time wondering how this holiday would be for me this year... I'm glad for that because I didn't want to come here feeling apprehensive. But, of course I've been re-living being in my parents house last Christmas... conversations had, words that I regret, and the phone call that ended my relationship and my life as I knew it. This Christmas has been a bittersweet one and I'm feeling a twinge of discomfort and sadness that I haven't felt in awhile. I hope it's healthy to revisit it now and again, and since it will be one year tomorrow that it all ended (or began, depending on how you look at it) it's probably normal.

So it's a year later; What do I want out of this new year? I have absolutely no expectations or preconceived ideas about how this year should go. Aside from some professional development and further personal growth, I'm just going to step into the next year and see where it takes me.

Merry Christmas & Happy New year :)

are we so service oriented?

I used to think so, but maybe customer goods and services have been reduced to just goods, but without the services? Traditionally, the US has been known for their "customer is always right" mind set, and nearly every sector of the job market has strived to accommodate the desires of their customers. Over the past several years I've noticed a sharp decline in the quality of services provided, but right now I'm going bitch about the MTA.

Like thousands of other people, I ride the NYC subway every day. Time and time again, I stand waiting for my train and think, what a dump. There is no excuse for NYC to have such a putrid, stink hole excuse for a subway system when many other prominent American cities have beautiful ones. This city represents America to a lot people who visit here from other countries, and what a message it must send. We live in a city full of artists, and we could easily beautify the stations with volunteer projects or urban design competitions... yet the ceilings are deteriorated and black, rats squeak and nibble on garbage that floats in puddles of rancid water, and filth radiates from all directions.

When I moved to the city only a few months ago, I was faced with familiarizing myself with what lines to take, when I could take them, and which ones would get me there the fastest. I also had to (and still have to) figure out when certain trains stop running (late nights and weekend schedules)... One thing that I regularly feel upset about is the lack of subway directions for the public. I still get angry when I get on a train and it's packed... I want to verify something on the MTA map, and I find that one of the two maps that are typically provided are not there, or the train is so packed that I cannot reach the map. Time and time again, I look up above the doors and think, you know, I pay what, 78 bucks or something every 30 days to ride the subway, and I would really like to look up and see a damn subway map... instead I see poorly designed ads (ad space which I assume takes precedence over rider services) ranging from dental services, to Bud Lite ads, to ESL language schools. What my issue is, is what the hell does the MTA spend their massive budget and revenues on that they can't reserve those spaces above the doors for stop maps, which would serve their customers greatly?! Hell, a huge population of people in this city are tourists, and they have no idea where they're going.. wouldn't it make sense?

For anyone who's ever been to Paris, you would immediately recognize where I'm coming from. Paris's metro system has an easy to read, eye level directory at every junction and turn along the way to the train.. complete with directional arrows. Each train features either a map above the doors or a map not unlike the lit up map you see on the new N and green line trains. To make things even clearer for metro riders, often one will find another directory.. a nice, basic, large one right on the wall ( at every outlet on the platform) listing the train's stops.

It seems so simple, and yet, I feel that the MTA doesn't put the rider's convenience on the top of their list of priorities.. We're given "report cards" to fill out our opinions on train service, but are New Yorkers so accustomed to being inconvenienced and poorly serviced that they just don't expect anything more?

Well it really ticks me off. grrr....