no time for a post today... which breaks my rule about living a more balanced life and taking time out for me, but hey when they pay you the medium bucks!
Friday, September 28, 2007
Thursday, September 27, 2007
too much stuff?
just had the first of the movers in to estimate a price on getting stuff from New York to Michigan and they came in at $4200. Which is more than it cost us to move from Australia to the US but roughly what I was expecting. Time to breathe long, deep and repetitively, suck it up, swallow hard and do whatever else it is that people are supposed to do in these situations. Another quote due this afternoon, we'll see.
At least Velcro liked both guys - last time she really barked at a guy who subsequently (maybe consequently) tried to rip us off with a quote more inflated than his gut.
Did I mention that while at the airport last week I was suddenly distracted by a dwarf in colored leggings, a women with an enormous ass in a bold print dress and a bunch of queens so mincing they'd have been bitch slapped by The Scissor Sisters. Turns out that they're with Margaret Cho - I have tickets for her this weekend. Looks like being a good show... I love a bit of sauce (said he coming over all Barbara Windsor)
Anyway with the clouds coming in, the storm gathering and me running behind on two final projects I guess it's time to take the dog down, run back up and get back to the grind on this one.
Take care all
At least Velcro liked both guys - last time she really barked at a guy who subsequently (maybe consequently) tried to rip us off with a quote more inflated than his gut.
Did I mention that while at the airport last week I was suddenly distracted by a dwarf in colored leggings, a women with an enormous ass in a bold print dress and a bunch of queens so mincing they'd have been bitch slapped by The Scissor Sisters. Turns out that they're with Margaret Cho - I have tickets for her this weekend. Looks like being a good show... I love a bit of sauce (said he coming over all Barbara Windsor)
Anyway with the clouds coming in, the storm gathering and me running behind on two final projects I guess it's time to take the dog down, run back up and get back to the grind on this one.
Take care all
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Wish I'd been there...
It seems that while I was away the office was gripped by mad panic.
Actually a couple of people were seized by panic and the rest of the office merely shrugged as they were called in for panicked pep talks and a round of 'go us' cheering.
This is the downside of working for a cult. I've done it before and what's most interesting about these places is that they really give evidence of just how fragile absolute conviction can be.
Both of the cults that I've worked for have operated under the belief that they're the ultimate place for people in their industry to work. The people under the roof are the chosen ones, saved from a world outside that's less competent, less creative, less respected and (in one case) less nice.
They don't ever consider the fact that people may leave of their own volition (why would they - there's nowhere better?) and this blinds them to a few facts about the workplace. Sure they draw great people, but they then let that talent pool get stagnant. If nobody is leaving there's no room to move up - and career paths are more important to some people than money; especially at a certain level.
They also become quite insular. They start to systemize, to try to protect the systems or the culture. They start writing things on walls. Then etching them on walls. They start to get stuck in a time - while new rivals are still at the bendy boned 'go ahead and drop me' baby stage these great companies, these cults are so caught up in being right that they stop being interesting.
And then people start to leave.
Beliefs are shaken to the core.
People are gathered into rooms.
Navels are inspected.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the cult leader sets out in a new direction.
More often however new people are brought in, indoctrinated, strip mined and allowed to flow out of the other side - better for the experience but keen on having a job that demands less commitment to the cause and more to the clients.
If I had a company (and I will) it would have no culture. Shallow. How's that for a name? Shallow. I like. Anyone wanna join me?
Actually a couple of people were seized by panic and the rest of the office merely shrugged as they were called in for panicked pep talks and a round of 'go us' cheering.
This is the downside of working for a cult. I've done it before and what's most interesting about these places is that they really give evidence of just how fragile absolute conviction can be.
Both of the cults that I've worked for have operated under the belief that they're the ultimate place for people in their industry to work. The people under the roof are the chosen ones, saved from a world outside that's less competent, less creative, less respected and (in one case) less nice.
They don't ever consider the fact that people may leave of their own volition (why would they - there's nowhere better?) and this blinds them to a few facts about the workplace. Sure they draw great people, but they then let that talent pool get stagnant. If nobody is leaving there's no room to move up - and career paths are more important to some people than money; especially at a certain level.
They also become quite insular. They start to systemize, to try to protect the systems or the culture. They start writing things on walls. Then etching them on walls. They start to get stuck in a time - while new rivals are still at the bendy boned 'go ahead and drop me' baby stage these great companies, these cults are so caught up in being right that they stop being interesting.
And then people start to leave.
Beliefs are shaken to the core.
People are gathered into rooms.
Navels are inspected.
And sometimes, just sometimes, the cult leader sets out in a new direction.
More often however new people are brought in, indoctrinated, strip mined and allowed to flow out of the other side - better for the experience but keen on having a job that demands less commitment to the cause and more to the clients.
If I had a company (and I will) it would have no culture. Shallow. How's that for a name? Shallow. I like. Anyone wanna join me?
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Long time no post
It's been a couple of dayts since I've last posted - which will no doubt reek havoc with my traffic (which has been building for a while)
The reason for the delay was a trip to Chicago to do some customer interviews and a blackberry that is resolutely crap. Anyway the hotel was brown and expensive - the conference room an absolute bloody rip off and the entertainment limited to the view through the near opaque net curtains of the serial masturbators on the ground floor.
A delay on the way back meant that I couldn't pick up my scan results and now have to wait for Oct 4th for a follow up. Not overtly worried (with oncology I've learned the phone not ringing is a very good thing indeed)
Anyway I'm finally back and about to throw myself into two final presentations that I really want to be proud of. Not much time for either but I think that they could actually cement the ideas that we had within their respective organizations - and I want the people responsible for these ideas to wear them like lead shoes (or something that was a terrible metaphor)
Anyway onwards, upwards and towards the TiVo
Proper stuff later in the day
The reason for the delay was a trip to Chicago to do some customer interviews and a blackberry that is resolutely crap. Anyway the hotel was brown and expensive - the conference room an absolute bloody rip off and the entertainment limited to the view through the near opaque net curtains of the serial masturbators on the ground floor.
A delay on the way back meant that I couldn't pick up my scan results and now have to wait for Oct 4th for a follow up. Not overtly worried (with oncology I've learned the phone not ringing is a very good thing indeed)
Anyway I'm finally back and about to throw myself into two final presentations that I really want to be proud of. Not much time for either but I think that they could actually cement the ideas that we had within their respective organizations - and I want the people responsible for these ideas to wear them like lead shoes (or something that was a terrible metaphor)
Anyway onwards, upwards and towards the TiVo
Proper stuff later in the day
Sunday, September 23, 2007
nothing but blue skies
man sunbathing in the park, with makeshift speedos and a cross country ski pole
Originally uploaded by revertebrate
We'd have loved to have bought an apartment on the park - but it wasn't to be. Cancer makes a mockery of mortgage applications. Builders work slowly and New York seems to be unable to finish a building at any point (or start one in the case of the world trade center site)
Mind if we had bought in the park I'd probably have been arrested. The combination of people making micro-fashion fauz pas beneath my window and a really good zoom on my camera could well have turned me from casual observer of 'she went out in that?' to documenter of 'floozy-wear' in weeks. And without express permission that might be dangerous.
On that note I shall head back to bed (the cats got me up stupidly early this morning - do they not understand the needs of a man who was drinking Shiso Mojitos the night before?
Friday, September 21, 2007
Miserable?
Roscoe the Pug With Ice Bag On His Head- Miserable in the Seattle Heat
Originally uploaded by zoomar
Jude is in Ann Arbor.
I'm flying to chicago on Sunday - where I'll spend two days in an airport hotel talking to people who really don't want to be there about something that they know almost nothing about.
And payday is a week away.
Yup - this weekend should suck harder than a crack whore with rent due (to paraphrase myself)
Instead I shall impose myself on friends. eat, drink and take up some of the many marvels that the city has to offer.
I'll go and pick up my free tickets to Words and Music over at BAM (think the kind of theatre / cinema where earnest older ladies with short hair scoff brownies and at the Bush administration)
Then I'm gonna go and check out the new sandwich place down in what used to be the heavily hispanic Southside of Williamsburg. This one is called Papa Lima Sandwich and is actually modeled on Zingerman's (the owner studied at UM and is a cue card man on Saturday night live as well as a sports bar owner!)
From there it's me - the dog - the park - the greenmarket and a bit of a run before hitting Pilates for the first time in a week (that's gonna hurt)
After that it's the guilty pleasure of a movie alone (I'm thinking The Brave One in which Jodie Foster gets all Charles Bronson on our asses) before heading off for drinks with Jono at Sweet Ups (described by Time Out NY as making you feel "as though you've walked into a detective novel") and dinner at Fanny (I know)
Finish it off with wild salsa a Bembe - a hot, sticky, rum fuelled latin dance spot and I've managed to fill Saturday and have a recipe for a Sunday lie in.
Miserable not. There are advantages to the city - especially in September weather of brilliant sunshine and 29c.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Your Room Awaits
A few things that you should know about Ann Arbor before you come and visit....
Ann Arbor ain't that big - there are about 115,000 people; a populatin that falls to 78,000 when the students go home.
It's one of the few left wing bastions in Michigan - famous as the place thta Kennedy announced The Peace Corps, Johnson asked or a 'great society' and anti-Vietnam demonstrations first blew up.
It's not always cold - though around 130 days a year sees tempertaures below freezing
It's home to Zingermann's - a rather good deli that feels more Californian than anything.
It's twinned with Tubingen, Belize City, Hikone, Peterborough (Canada), Juigalpa, Dakar and Remedios
The words "Go Blues" go a long, long way
Locals call it The People's Republic of Ann Arbor or 25 square miles surrounded by reality
We have space for you. You'll get a bedroom, a rooftop terrace, a skylight and a train that comes through twice a night making more noise than you thought legal or even possible
See you there
Ann Arbor ain't that big - there are about 115,000 people; a populatin that falls to 78,000 when the students go home.
It's one of the few left wing bastions in Michigan - famous as the place thta Kennedy announced The Peace Corps, Johnson asked or a 'great society' and anti-Vietnam demonstrations first blew up.
It's not always cold - though around 130 days a year sees tempertaures below freezing
It's home to Zingermann's - a rather good deli that feels more Californian than anything.
It's twinned with Tubingen, Belize City, Hikone, Peterborough (Canada), Juigalpa, Dakar and Remedios
The words "Go Blues" go a long, long way
Locals call it The People's Republic of Ann Arbor or 25 square miles surrounded by reality
We have space for you. You'll get a bedroom, a rooftop terrace, a skylight and a train that comes through twice a night making more noise than you thought legal or even possible
See you there
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Waiting
It's 7pm on Monday and I'm in an office sparsely populated. Third eye blind are playing on the company i-pod. A co-worker is typing with more speed and precision than me (no swearing, no tongue poking out, no pecking at the keyboard) and there's a guy pacing and talking on a landline in a closed room that's not as soundproofed as I think he believes it to be.
I've just eaten the most awful veggie burger and am now trying to slosh it down with the remnants of a filthy Albanian white - the kind of wine that hopes a vaguely risque name might erase the bitterness and bite below its screw top. Not that I'm a screw top snob. Some of my best friends have screw tops.
Oh and if you're reading this, you're on facebook and you haven't added me shame on you. I need to get through three figures on friends and you could be the person that tips the balance.
Similarily if you're from Farnborough (or surrounds) and you've been reading this please let me know who you are... I lived there as a kid and the name on my sitemeter thing is arousing my inner cat killer.
Again a post about nothing. Had to postpone scan results as it clashed with me being in Chicago.... but no news is generally good news
I've just eaten the most awful veggie burger and am now trying to slosh it down with the remnants of a filthy Albanian white - the kind of wine that hopes a vaguely risque name might erase the bitterness and bite below its screw top. Not that I'm a screw top snob. Some of my best friends have screw tops.
Oh and if you're reading this, you're on facebook and you haven't added me shame on you. I need to get through three figures on friends and you could be the person that tips the balance.
Similarily if you're from Farnborough (or surrounds) and you've been reading this please let me know who you are... I lived there as a kid and the name on my sitemeter thing is arousing my inner cat killer.
Again a post about nothing. Had to postpone scan results as it clashed with me being in Chicago.... but no news is generally good news
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Been quiet recently
Sorry that the blog has been duller than an airline steak knife of late. Just that I'm drowning in a sea of stress created by other people solely it seems to see whether I can survive a cortisol tsunami.
There's work with its immovable deadlines and multi headed opinion beasts. It's like trying to tame Medusa's mane at times. Then there's Jude's move and wee things going wrong there from time to time (no sound on the cable box - so no TV... not a major issue but a niggle and an example)
There's me trying to stay social and not become a (slightly) thinner Aretha - tied to the house by some strange force over which I've no control.
There are minor house screw ups in London. Insurances, gardens, painting to be done... all of that stuff. All hard from a distance.
There's a credit card that cancels itself upon use and allows you access to re-activate only via a UK freefone number that doesn't work outside of the US.
And then there's being alone. Missing your wife. Wanting a new life. And generally feeling sorrier for yourself than you should.
None of which excuse the inactivity - all of which contribute to it.
There's work with its immovable deadlines and multi headed opinion beasts. It's like trying to tame Medusa's mane at times. Then there's Jude's move and wee things going wrong there from time to time (no sound on the cable box - so no TV... not a major issue but a niggle and an example)
There's me trying to stay social and not become a (slightly) thinner Aretha - tied to the house by some strange force over which I've no control.
There are minor house screw ups in London. Insurances, gardens, painting to be done... all of that stuff. All hard from a distance.
There's a credit card that cancels itself upon use and allows you access to re-activate only via a UK freefone number that doesn't work outside of the US.
And then there's being alone. Missing your wife. Wanting a new life. And generally feeling sorrier for yourself than you should.
None of which excuse the inactivity - all of which contribute to it.
Monday, September 17, 2007
Jude has an apartment
So Jude signed on the apartment today, moved in her stuff and is currently in glorious repose on a blow up mattress.
20ft windows, no blinds and top floor make this a risky pose... but she's all guts and glam.
Move went well - the power is on, the place is clean, the furniture is in place and to date a dodgy plug (in the bathroom sink), a row of dead sockets (there will be an on switch somewhere) and a fire that will smoke the place out the first time that it's allowed to burn are the only things that we've founf wrong.
Every car in the car park is German (Audi, BMW, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes) in a state where the vast majority of cars seem to be Fords with the phrase "I work at Ford. I drive a Ford." placed on the license plate.
Anyway enough third party information. More soon. Sorry for the quick entry... having all kinds of connection issues here
20ft windows, no blinds and top floor make this a risky pose... but she's all guts and glam.
Move went well - the power is on, the place is clean, the furniture is in place and to date a dodgy plug (in the bathroom sink), a row of dead sockets (there will be an on switch somewhere) and a fire that will smoke the place out the first time that it's allowed to burn are the only things that we've founf wrong.
Every car in the car park is German (Audi, BMW, BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes) in a state where the vast majority of cars seem to be Fords with the phrase "I work at Ford. I drive a Ford." placed on the license plate.
Anyway enough third party information. More soon. Sorry for the quick entry... having all kinds of connection issues here
Sunday, September 16, 2007
If I was Bart Simpson
Then I'd probably look like this.
As would most ad planner.
Which is kinda scary.
When you think about it.
Which I do.
Which is also scary.
Man I need to be busier.
As would most ad planner.
Which is kinda scary.
When you think about it.
Which I do.
Which is also scary.
Man I need to be busier.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Somewhere to live
We finally have somewhere to live in Ann Arbor. I say finally. We only looked at two buildings - saw the place iwithinn the first hour and will be moving in a shade over two weeks later. But the road feels longer and more arduous, with more twists and turns, in my head.
Cable, Internet and Phone installed on Tuesday, Jude installed on Monday. Should be great. I hope. Anyway short post as I'm running hellish late and don't want to risk not getting a chair at work (such is "hot desking")
Cable, Internet and Phone installed on Tuesday, Jude installed on Monday. Should be great. I hope. Anyway short post as I'm running hellish late and don't want to risk not getting a chair at work (such is "hot desking")
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Stop viewing,,, start doing
So here I am in one of the coolest enclaves of one of the most exciting cities in the world and quite frankly I’m bored. Sure Williamsburg has moved from arty loft squat heaven through post college idyll to condo strewn East Village rip off but there’s still more going on within five blocks of my house tonight than there will be over the next five years in my home town.I could go to an ironic quiz – all pop culture questions and geeky cool hyper appreciation. This is the basic tenant of hipster-ism. You have to be bored by current culture but bizarrely fascinated by the pop culture of previous generations. You have to tweak and adjust and reclaim as icons soda streams and chopper bikes and old institutions like burlesque. A hipster appreciation for a time gone by is both a diss to current popular culture and an opportunity to be both involved and detached. How meta is that? Pete’s Candy Store (it looks really old, has an adult spelling bee, bingo for beer, scrabble nights, hot live bands and toasties) is pretty much the centre for this vibe and its here that I can find the quiz. The thing is there also seems to be 120lb weight limit (for guys, girls you have to be under 90lbs) and a 50% skin surface covered in tattoos rule in place, So that’s not one for me.
Galapagos – an art space that I really like is running a dance party tonight. It’s been years since I danced. The last time I think was at Culture Club – a 70s and 80s club on Varick street that caters to hen parties, office parties and the middle aged. Either there or Polyester, which is much the same but with pretension of tongue in cheek. That night I was hammered, the music was loud and the friends Danish and beautiful. But anyway dance parties are for people who have indulged in more drugs than Clarissa Dickson Wright has hot dinners and so it’s not for me either.
Rose – a new place with a Hispanic feel is running Amayo’s Fu-Quintet-Fa – a mad concption of Kung Fu, Cuban, African and traditional Chinese Rhythms and the kind of jazz that makes most people get a bit jumpy but makes jazz fanatics swell to zip endangering in their Farrahs and zoot suits.
Also at Rose tonight – Argentinian folk. Alas the patrons of Rose tend to be 70, arthritic of fingers but lithe of hip. It’s full of old codgers who look toothless and harmless but who will spin your woman away from you, whisk her into a frenzy of neatly executed spins and bathe in the puddle of ecstasy that she leaves behind on the dancefloor. They’ve got game – I don’t.
And so on. All over this wee part of Brooklyn (first stop as realtors are trying to rename the area, how long before it’s known as “OneSto”) there is life and vibrancy, entertainment and experimentation. But I’m pretty much tired of being a spectator at someone else’s party. I wanna play some. And that means diving in and getting involved. Maybe a smaller pond will be needed but it’s time to stop viewing and start doing.
And on thath note I’m off to watch Mystery, G-Dog and Matador trying to teach geeks how to get into a woman’s pants… okay so maybe the doing starts Monday.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Out of sorts
If I've learned anything over the past few years it's that you don't have to fight every battle, let alone win it. The trick is to let some stuff wash over you but not so often that it forms a groove where your backbone used to be.
So instead of turning into a weedy hulk at the first minor niggles today I went for lunch, with the smartest, snarkiest people I could find and enjoyed a couple of hours of creative destruction... unpicking everything from the hiring policies of major corporations to the mania of self proclaimed experts. A fine old time indeed.
Tomorrow I have more on than I think is really neccessary but that's good. Three final presentations have the advantage of finality. And closure, as I'm learning, is cathartic.
No news from the doc' today which is either good news or a sign that he doesn't read patient charts. Let's go for the first one.
So instead of turning into a weedy hulk at the first minor niggles today I went for lunch, with the smartest, snarkiest people I could find and enjoyed a couple of hours of creative destruction... unpicking everything from the hiring policies of major corporations to the mania of self proclaimed experts. A fine old time indeed.
Tomorrow I have more on than I think is really neccessary but that's good. Three final presentations have the advantage of finality. And closure, as I'm learning, is cathartic.
No news from the doc' today which is either good news or a sign that he doesn't read patient charts. Let's go for the first one.
Monday, September 10, 2007
How much?
So Weill Cornell Presbyterian Hospital have a shiny new building that cost them $300m and looks - to my eyes at least - like a very nice Scandinavian airlines lounge (think SAS in Stockholm)...
You walk in to bleached floors, original art, tasteful furniture and a curvy desk that's home to no less than 5 equally curvy young receptionishs.
You fill out the insurance forms - everyone struggles with this. When did I last have a scan? When did I have a treatment? What are all my drugs? Is there an acceoptable "don't remember" response? I wonder why when they have my records they always hand me a blank form and ask me for my best guess at what those records say. A test for alzheimers perhaps?
Then you wait. And wait. My appointment is at 12.00. I arrive at 11.50. One of those terribly enthusiastic women bounds out - energy of a labrador, hair of a spaniel. You just know that in her spare time she volunteers, wears bright pants and believes in the healing power of a smile.
She gives me contrast solution. It has a flavor. Orange. This is new. I'm to have one glass a half hour for the next 2 hrs. 2 hrs? I've only brought a magazine. I comply. 3 hours go by... it's now 3pm so I approach the desk of the curvy young receptionists and ask 'how long?'.. one who looks Polish but has a softer more romantic accent places a call and 5 minutes later I'm in a back room, changing into a gown that barely covers the scars from the cat let alone my 'modesty'
Into a new room with a new MRI machine. It's warmer than usual. A man with a southern accent richer than Helmsley's dog talks me through everything and then leaves the room. Remotely they inject the dye into my system (I'll spend the next 12 hours trying to flush it) and I feel the familiar tingle... though this time it centres on my ass in not at all unpleasant fashion. The machine whirs and buzzes. I move in and out holding breath and urge to swallow as instructed. And then it's over.
I head for 'check out' and see that I have no co-pay then head into the street where I try to find food - it's 4am and I've not eaten yet.
A train to Lorimer puts me close enough to a post office to see me sending off the banker's check that will act as security deposit on Jude's place in Ann Arbor then it's a 2 mile walk to get the dog. The way back takes us past the newly expanded UVA Wines and so we pop in and grab a decent bottle of an unusual white before heading home.
I'm knackered now and kinda swaying (in the street someone screams at me "Do you want the whole sidewalk")... but I sit down to write a proposal for a job. It's good in that it's different rather than good in that it's good. But it takes a half hour and that's enough time spent thinking about the subject at hand.
Down to the neighbor's on 3. Their son is adorable... as is the next child to arrive - the people from 3a. Everyone has kids. Someone is pregnant again and I feel a rush of sadness at not having the time (or ability) to have kids. The argument stays the same. I don't want to have kids during a period where my chances of surving 5 years are less than 50%. 5 years from now we'll be too old to have kids. catch 22. Throw in chemo and you have a recipe for barren.
Dinner downstairs is great. The table is set. The take out is Thai and the people are bright, interesting and generous enough to indulge me in stories that aren't quite yet annecdotes. But they are getting closer.
It's 11.45 now. I have a cat on the desk and a dog at my feet. Jude is 'home' on Friday and so much more engaged in life since she moved to MI that it makes me smile just to think of her. Life is good. Let's just hope that the phone stays silent until the 25th when I head in to see the doctor. Bad news travels fast in oncology - so no news would be the best news of all,
You walk in to bleached floors, original art, tasteful furniture and a curvy desk that's home to no less than 5 equally curvy young receptionishs.
You fill out the insurance forms - everyone struggles with this. When did I last have a scan? When did I have a treatment? What are all my drugs? Is there an acceoptable "don't remember" response? I wonder why when they have my records they always hand me a blank form and ask me for my best guess at what those records say. A test for alzheimers perhaps?
Then you wait. And wait. My appointment is at 12.00. I arrive at 11.50. One of those terribly enthusiastic women bounds out - energy of a labrador, hair of a spaniel. You just know that in her spare time she volunteers, wears bright pants and believes in the healing power of a smile.
She gives me contrast solution. It has a flavor. Orange. This is new. I'm to have one glass a half hour for the next 2 hrs. 2 hrs? I've only brought a magazine. I comply. 3 hours go by... it's now 3pm so I approach the desk of the curvy young receptionists and ask 'how long?'.. one who looks Polish but has a softer more romantic accent places a call and 5 minutes later I'm in a back room, changing into a gown that barely covers the scars from the cat let alone my 'modesty'
Into a new room with a new MRI machine. It's warmer than usual. A man with a southern accent richer than Helmsley's dog talks me through everything and then leaves the room. Remotely they inject the dye into my system (I'll spend the next 12 hours trying to flush it) and I feel the familiar tingle... though this time it centres on my ass in not at all unpleasant fashion. The machine whirs and buzzes. I move in and out holding breath and urge to swallow as instructed. And then it's over.
I head for 'check out' and see that I have no co-pay then head into the street where I try to find food - it's 4am and I've not eaten yet.
A train to Lorimer puts me close enough to a post office to see me sending off the banker's check that will act as security deposit on Jude's place in Ann Arbor then it's a 2 mile walk to get the dog. The way back takes us past the newly expanded UVA Wines and so we pop in and grab a decent bottle of an unusual white before heading home.
I'm knackered now and kinda swaying (in the street someone screams at me "Do you want the whole sidewalk")... but I sit down to write a proposal for a job. It's good in that it's different rather than good in that it's good. But it takes a half hour and that's enough time spent thinking about the subject at hand.
Down to the neighbor's on 3. Their son is adorable... as is the next child to arrive - the people from 3a. Everyone has kids. Someone is pregnant again and I feel a rush of sadness at not having the time (or ability) to have kids. The argument stays the same. I don't want to have kids during a period where my chances of surving 5 years are less than 50%. 5 years from now we'll be too old to have kids. catch 22. Throw in chemo and you have a recipe for barren.
Dinner downstairs is great. The table is set. The take out is Thai and the people are bright, interesting and generous enough to indulge me in stories that aren't quite yet annecdotes. But they are getting closer.
It's 11.45 now. I have a cat on the desk and a dog at my feet. Jude is 'home' on Friday and so much more engaged in life since she moved to MI that it makes me smile just to think of her. Life is good. Let's just hope that the phone stays silent until the 25th when I head in to see the doctor. Bad news travels fast in oncology - so no news would be the best news of all,
Sunday, September 09, 2007
It's scan time again
Yup today is the day that I get scanned for the re-emergence of cancer. Results aren't until the 25th - unless of course things are very bad in which case you get the 'could you come in?' call.
This time I feel as though I have more invested in the results. A return of disease would be a major inconvenience. For the first time since I was sick I have life plans. Things I want to do. Places I want to be. Tasks I want to take on. And all dependent on having an 'all clear'
Of course the pessimist in me says that this will be the time that they see something on the scans. Once you get invested in a positive result the universe delivers the kick to the gut that it thinks that you need.
Follow that line of argument however and you live life purely in the moment - which may be bliss but is also a recipe for coasting. John Lennon was right when he said "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" (and look what happened to him) but without time out to make those plans we're really not living.
So it's fingers crossed tighter than usual for this one.
Pppppfffffffffff
This time I feel as though I have more invested in the results. A return of disease would be a major inconvenience. For the first time since I was sick I have life plans. Things I want to do. Places I want to be. Tasks I want to take on. And all dependent on having an 'all clear'
Of course the pessimist in me says that this will be the time that they see something on the scans. Once you get invested in a positive result the universe delivers the kick to the gut that it thinks that you need.
Follow that line of argument however and you live life purely in the moment - which may be bliss but is also a recipe for coasting. John Lennon was right when he said "Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" (and look what happened to him) but without time out to make those plans we're really not living.
So it's fingers crossed tighter than usual for this one.
Pppppfffffffffff
Saturday, September 08, 2007
weird one
so the birthday yesterdy was a weird one. I spent the morning working in excel and the afternoon working in a conference room so soul sapping that a visit to Starbucks actually provided some light relief.
New York Starbucks aren't the same as Starbucks in other places. They're smaller, theere are very few places to sit and the places that are there are in the major walkways guaranteeing that you'll be nudged and that your table will be sticky.
There's an air of disappointment about them too. Of staff worried about making the rent rather than happy to have found a good and decent employer. This disappointment is usually masked by a attitude of disinterest with a coating of surlyness (weirdly this doesn't apply to the Grand Central Starrbucks - the one right by the Poughkeepsie platform - open to the world with no doors and always with a smile on its face)
Anyway finished the soul destroying afternoon and came back to over-eat, overindulge in wine and generally attempt to inhale my age in crap. Which I managed.
Today is gonna be more social. I have the gym (gotta keep working at my age), I have a friend for qa bikeride across the bridge and into town, I have a movie lined up and we have plans for The Slipper Room and a little raunchy show to keep our fancies squirmy.
We'll see how it all goes....
New York Starbucks aren't the same as Starbucks in other places. They're smaller, theere are very few places to sit and the places that are there are in the major walkways guaranteeing that you'll be nudged and that your table will be sticky.
There's an air of disappointment about them too. Of staff worried about making the rent rather than happy to have found a good and decent employer. This disappointment is usually masked by a attitude of disinterest with a coating of surlyness (weirdly this doesn't apply to the Grand Central Starrbucks - the one right by the Poughkeepsie platform - open to the world with no doors and always with a smile on its face)
Anyway finished the soul destroying afternoon and came back to over-eat, overindulge in wine and generally attempt to inhale my age in crap. Which I managed.
Today is gonna be more social. I have the gym (gotta keep working at my age), I have a friend for qa bikeride across the bridge and into town, I have a movie lined up and we have plans for The Slipper Room and a little raunchy show to keep our fancies squirmy.
We'll see how it all goes....
Friday, September 07, 2007
It;s my birthday today
and I'm celebrating by writing cost agreements, visiting a financial institution to talk with some MBA grads and walking my dog through the filthy streets of "Second Stop" Brooklyn. Rather splendid actually.
Also sitting by the phone waiting to hear on the MI apartment. Today should do it - after which my visits to Jude will see me sleeping in the bed above (or to the side or wherever)
Lots of great movies opening this weekend - so lining up friends of different filmatic persuasion to maximized the post film discussion / fist pumping / beard stroking.
That said it's time for coffee, the bread I made the other night and a wee peak at the morning news.
Have fun y'all
Also sitting by the phone waiting to hear on the MI apartment. Today should do it - after which my visits to Jude will see me sleeping in the bed above (or to the side or wherever)
Lots of great movies opening this weekend - so lining up friends of different filmatic persuasion to maximized the post film discussion / fist pumping / beard stroking.
That said it's time for coffee, the bread I made the other night and a wee peak at the morning news.
Have fun y'all
Thursday, September 06, 2007
Another early morning here
and still no real word on the apartment. We gave references yesterday - they're being checked today. We're hoping for a contract tomorrow. Haven't managed to catch up with out current landlord yet... which is a worry as he could 'say anything.' We're hoping that 3 years in the building, no damage done and every payment on time will stand us in good enough stead with him to make his recommendation good.
News here talking about "Popcorn Lung"... there's a chemical in microwave popcorn that gives it a buttery flavor.. and gives people in the factory lung disease. Now it seems that lardy microwave popcorn users have the same condition. Who'd have thought? Two bags of popcorn a day, from a microwave oven, with a chemical topping tyhat tastes 'buttery' could be bad for you.
Oh and Pavavorotti is dead. How's that for an obit?
News here talking about "Popcorn Lung"... there's a chemical in microwave popcorn that gives it a buttery flavor.. and gives people in the factory lung disease. Now it seems that lardy microwave popcorn users have the same condition. Who'd have thought? Two bags of popcorn a day, from a microwave oven, with a chemical topping tyhat tastes 'buttery' could be bad for you.
Oh and Pavavorotti is dead. How's that for an obit?
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
unbelievable summer
the weather here continues to make all of the cionstruction, dirt and noise bearable. My friend Gareth claims that there's a secret 'minimum noise level' in New York and that when the city gets too quiet the mayor sends out men with jackhammers and vehicles with sirens. He may well be right. It's a city that prodes itself on excitement (and the fact that New Yorkers now live longer - that's what a falling murder rate and city set up like an obstacle course that has to be walked quickly will do for you) and the energy levels are usually Red Bull high.
It's not a jahhed, coked up London energy either/ No aggressive delusions of grandeur here - just an awareness that we're a small island off teh coast of America that votes, eats, drinks and worships differently to the union to whom we're tied. Yup this morning I'm glad to be a New Yorker.
It's not a jahhed, coked up London energy either/ No aggressive delusions of grandeur here - just an awareness that we're a small island off teh coast of America that votes, eats, drinks and worships differently to the union to whom we're tied. Yup this morning I'm glad to be a New Yorker.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
News today
we should get news on Judith's swanky pad today. From what we heard over the holiday weekend the news ought to be good - with only the fine details of contracts holding us up. We shall see, we shall see. Busy week for me this week - lost a day to the holiday (though I actually did a lot yesterday in terms of concept re-writes, client calls and revised research plans) and have two days of training to attend (we're giving it, I'm a viewer and able pair of hands) as well as a day of follow-up to that training. Have to watch the weight during all of that too - as there's food always at hand and candy prizes aplenty to be had. One dense paragraph this, I'm sorry.
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Weekend in Ann Arbor
I am an idiot. This I have known and confessed at regular intervals for some time. But this weekend proved it. Jude was down in Ann Arbor - getting ready to start school and staying in an Extended stay Hotel 'Efficiency'... I was doing nothing here so I threw caution and checkbook to the wind and jumped on the first flight I could find to be with her over a 'long weekend'. Of course it could have been a longer weekend as tomorrow is a public holiday here. A fact that I forgot. So as I landed in a deserted NYC (the route from airport home was eerily quiet) Jude was sitting in her hotel room miles from anything but the mall.
The weekend was good though. Hertz provided transportation in the form of a new but oddly creaking Economy Vehicle that cost a mere $30 (that's 15 quid) a day. Said vehicle took us to a monsterous WholeFoods (Jude had been living on mall food), to all of the spots we needed to be on campus, to a gay bar that served brunch to very un-gay couples on a Sunday as well as to a park, a lake and a couple of hours of canoeing.
It also ferried us to look at a few houses. There were scant few that matched the 'close enough to walk to school; bright enough to need no lights, cool enough to compensate for not being NYC ' brief but the one pictured did and we put in an offer to take it. Now it's wait and see time as the owners contemplate the offer, the chance that we might one day want to move pets there and the idea of having Jude move in almost immediately. We're hoping that they say 'yes' whilst trying to stay relaxed about the possibility of an 'no'. It would be perfect for Jude - one Bedroom, an upstairs study, a rooftop balcony and almost immediate occupancy. And of course not being New York adds the considerable advantage of it also being affordable. Let's hope it goes our way.
Now that I am back I'm not entorely sure what to do with myself. Ordered food and beer to be delivered (I figured that 2 hrs on the water had earned me a Wombat dinner) - checked e-mails, stroked the very excited (and newly groomed) dog and texted Jude to the point of distraction. I guess all that's left is to try and catch up with the TiVo (easy this week as fall season is still 7 days away) and to see who's looking good in the tennis.
The weekend was good though. Hertz provided transportation in the form of a new but oddly creaking Economy Vehicle that cost a mere $30 (that's 15 quid) a day. Said vehicle took us to a monsterous WholeFoods (Jude had been living on mall food), to all of the spots we needed to be on campus, to a gay bar that served brunch to very un-gay couples on a Sunday as well as to a park, a lake and a couple of hours of canoeing.
It also ferried us to look at a few houses. There were scant few that matched the 'close enough to walk to school; bright enough to need no lights, cool enough to compensate for not being NYC ' brief but the one pictured did and we put in an offer to take it. Now it's wait and see time as the owners contemplate the offer, the chance that we might one day want to move pets there and the idea of having Jude move in almost immediately. We're hoping that they say 'yes' whilst trying to stay relaxed about the possibility of an 'no'. It would be perfect for Jude - one Bedroom, an upstairs study, a rooftop balcony and almost immediate occupancy. And of course not being New York adds the considerable advantage of it also being affordable. Let's hope it goes our way.
Now that I am back I'm not entorely sure what to do with myself. Ordered food and beer to be delivered (I figured that 2 hrs on the water had earned me a Wombat dinner) - checked e-mails, stroked the very excited (and newly groomed) dog and texted Jude to the point of distraction. I guess all that's left is to try and catch up with the TiVo (easy this week as fall season is still 7 days away) and to see who's looking good in the tennis.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
A miserable drunk?
Since Jude left I've been wondering why it is that the wine is disappearing at a rate of knots. Then I realized that I've been downing it "like fizzy pop" here on my own. Determined not to buy any more - but still have a bottle to do before I run 'dry'. Shame as I find myself quite amusing when spewing cider fuelled bile.
Anyway my flight down to see Jude leaves at 6am this morning - that means a 4.30 departure. Time for bed.
Anyway my flight down to see Jude leaves at 6am this morning - that means a 4.30 departure. Time for bed.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
It;s scan time again
Realized last night that my last scan was on May 7th... making me 3 weeks overdue for a new one. Originally the plan had been to have scans every 3 months for the first year and every 6 months after that 'danger period'
Actually the danger period is usually two years and that might well be why the doctor said last time - "All clear. No problems. But let's stick to a 3 month schedule."
Of course that was three and a half months ago and it's amazing how the time flies when you're tumor free (it flies in a different way when you're tumor filled, less purposeful march, more flitting swallow)
So today it's back into the hands of Adela who needs to negotiate with insurance companies, MRI providers and her own doctor to get me in in a timely fashion. I'm always amazed that she manages it and always equally amazed that there's no 'reminder service' telling me, her and all concerned parties that a scan is due.
Will let you know when I have a date with the magnetic donut confirmed
Actually the danger period is usually two years and that might well be why the doctor said last time - "All clear. No problems. But let's stick to a 3 month schedule."
Of course that was three and a half months ago and it's amazing how the time flies when you're tumor free (it flies in a different way when you're tumor filled, less purposeful march, more flitting swallow)
So today it's back into the hands of Adela who needs to negotiate with insurance companies, MRI providers and her own doctor to get me in in a timely fashion. I'm always amazed that she manages it and always equally amazed that there's no 'reminder service' telling me, her and all concerned parties that a scan is due.
Will let you know when I have a date with the magnetic donut confirmed
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Not tempting fate I hope
The title of this picture was "One too many irons in the fire" and as I only have one iron in any fire at the moment (so to speak) I'm hoping that it's not prophetic. Can't be any less cryptic than that but those of you who have fingers, toes or any other body parts that can be crossed for me please do it this week.
Wondering where 'fingers crossed' came from as a superstition... well there are theories here
www.seiyaku.com/customs/fingers-crossed.html
Last day with Jude as New York residents today. I have to work, she has to pack, that sucks. I'll be home early I think just to get some more time in. And more time means less time here ---> that's me back to bed
Wondering where 'fingers crossed' came from as a superstition... well there are theories here
www.seiyaku.com/customs/fingers-crossed.html
Last day with Jude as New York residents today. I have to work, she has to pack, that sucks. I'll be home early I think just to get some more time in. And more time means less time here ---> that's me back to bed
Monday, August 27, 2007
The sun is a shining
so today the sun is shining and having started work at 6am I feel fully justified in having knocked off at 3.30 in search of something more interesting. Have my Pilates session at 5pm and then Ali comes over and helps undo all of that ab tightening with an invitation to drinks and dinner somewhere closeby.
I'm knackered (it's the getting up to work) but figure that the gym will help and that there's no substitute for food, friends and booze. Well no legal substitute anyway
I'm knackered (it's the getting up to work) but figure that the gym will help and that there's no substitute for food, friends and booze. Well no legal substitute anyway
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Letting the belt out
Been a big weekend - especially where food is concerned. Dressler was good but cost a fortune. Bembe was hot and sweaty, latin and sexy and last night D.O.C gave us a 'farewell' bottle of wine to enjoy in Michigan - they're such sweet people and it has to be our favorite spot in the world to eat.
Jude leaves on Wednesday for her 2 year stint in Michigan. I'm going down Friday to keep her company until work starts (Sept 1st) and to help out with finding the stores, the gyms, a house and the like. Then on the 13th she's back in NYC and we have half a plan to be in Europe for a day or two end of Sept. / beginning of October.
Tonight we cooked (bland fish), tested our traveller IQs (mine is poor) and generally tried not to feel as though this was out last weekend as New York residents. There's a sadness that's masking the excitement at something new at the moment and an underlying anxiety at arranging a move, distribution of furniture and all of the transport anxieties that come with another stint as along distance relationship.
I have more to say but eloquence deserts me and the screen blurs as the eyes mist. So I'll stop for now and spend time with my wife rather than with this blog.
Jude leaves on Wednesday for her 2 year stint in Michigan. I'm going down Friday to keep her company until work starts (Sept 1st) and to help out with finding the stores, the gyms, a house and the like. Then on the 13th she's back in NYC and we have half a plan to be in Europe for a day or two end of Sept. / beginning of October.
Tonight we cooked (bland fish), tested our traveller IQs (mine is poor) and generally tried not to feel as though this was out last weekend as New York residents. There's a sadness that's masking the excitement at something new at the moment and an underlying anxiety at arranging a move, distribution of furniture and all of the transport anxieties that come with another stint as along distance relationship.
I have more to say but eloquence deserts me and the screen blurs as the eyes mist. So I'll stop for now and spend time with my wife rather than with this blog.
Friday, August 24, 2007
nita nita
So last night ended with drinks and small plates at Nita Nita - a local bar with a friendly vibe, a good kitchen, a way with sweet potatoes and a really inventive bar menu. All very cool and the conversation was as good as the Jukebox (when I hear "This is a man's world" I know it's gonna be an okay crowd)
Today has been a mix of work (proposals, billing, a presentation) and exercise. Took time out from the scheedule to go to the gym, to have a massage and to take the bike out and across the Williamsburg bridge into the lower east side where I exchanged lighthly used but very much broekn sex toys for new, shiny toys on behalf of a friend not too embarrassed to buy but too embarrassed to return 'used'
Tonight Dressler is Kajsa and Nick and then on into the night for drinks on the LES.
Today has been a mix of work (proposals, billing, a presentation) and exercise. Took time out from the scheedule to go to the gym, to have a massage and to take the bike out and across the Williamsburg bridge into the lower east side where I exchanged lighthly used but very much broekn sex toys for new, shiny toys on behalf of a friend not too embarrassed to buy but too embarrassed to return 'used'
Tonight Dressler is Kajsa and Nick and then on into the night for drinks on the LES.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
A quiet night out
As Jude prepares herself for departure from the B'Burg scene we're doing more than our fair share of eating out. Last night was Bozu (pictured) a small Japanese that does the best Tuna Tatake and can be hit and miss at other times. Last night they were a huge hit. This might have something to do with the fact that we bought caraffes of Sake (numbing even the pain of the 'we need Ikea shelves' / no we need West Elm shelves' conversation happening to our left and the old twat in mad specs (I know, dangerously pot like) behind us). The fatty Tuna was great, the smell of the place amazing (I love the smell of fruit being smashed for mojitos) and the lighting just dark enough.
Coming up we have broadway (as I said to my friend Baxter 'even my hands are jazzed'), a trip to Dressler (one of the new hot but expensive B'Burg spots) and a ciao for now to D.O.C our favorite winebar and scene of some of our most drunken moments (I blame the owner and his lethal post drink shorts - liquid death as Jax calls them)
Things shaping up in other areas. Housing to rent in MI still loooking tight but saw some places. Looking to help a friend plot a kid's animation series *think Bob the Builder with more of an educational subplot. A film producer (and yes he's real not just trying to see my tits a la Fames CoCo) wants me to have a go as a script doctor (we met at a Svedka party he may well remember me through very hazy lenses) and I'm back in touch with some people who have a track record of taking things off of my computer and actually taking them out into the real world. It's a strange and somewhat magical time. Wappingers Falls was all about hibernation and weight gain. Williamsburg has been about discovery and inspiration. Suddenly I feel the need to DO things again (rather than watch things from the good seats) and all seems to be falling into place.
Anyway enough premature crowing... it's time to do the daily. Dog out, me to work blah, blah, blah
Coming up we have broadway (as I said to my friend Baxter 'even my hands are jazzed'), a trip to Dressler (one of the new hot but expensive B'Burg spots) and a ciao for now to D.O.C our favorite winebar and scene of some of our most drunken moments (I blame the owner and his lethal post drink shorts - liquid death as Jax calls them)
Things shaping up in other areas. Housing to rent in MI still loooking tight but saw some places. Looking to help a friend plot a kid's animation series *think Bob the Builder with more of an educational subplot. A film producer (and yes he's real not just trying to see my tits a la Fames CoCo) wants me to have a go as a script doctor (we met at a Svedka party he may well remember me through very hazy lenses) and I'm back in touch with some people who have a track record of taking things off of my computer and actually taking them out into the real world. It's a strange and somewhat magical time. Wappingers Falls was all about hibernation and weight gain. Williamsburg has been about discovery and inspiration. Suddenly I feel the need to DO things again (rather than watch things from the good seats) and all seems to be falling into place.
Anyway enough premature crowing... it's time to do the daily. Dog out, me to work blah, blah, blah
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Man it's been cold
We've had two cold wet days in a row here and the temperature inside the apartment has dropped from an aircon assisted 24c to a rather chilly this morning 20c. Thank god it's going to be back into the 30s this weekend as the though of turning on the heating is something that's just TOO wintery to contemplate.
The house in the picture is one that's in Ann Arbor and (I think) would be lovely for Judith. According to the information I have here it was built in 1919, is 1248 sq feet and has a taxable value of $133,200 (about 65,000 of your UK pounds or 98.750 Euros)... why I have this information I'm not at all sure but I thought that as I seem to have turned into statto this morning I may as well go the whole hog.
Judith moves to Michigan in less than a week. Actually she moves in 5 days which is a scary thought as the days between now and then are packed and she's not. I have no doubt that we'll be packing and shipping books as we move forward and that she'll be looking to me to fill a suitcase full of 'home' with every visit. That will get easier once we find a house down there.
Ann Arbor is a buyers market at the moment. With major industry (think auto and pharma) pulling out of the area there are too many houses for sale and too few people moving toward the area. Of course the town is immune to the local economy to a degree as 1 in 2 people there are linked to the University (and therefore to out of state taxes) but what this means is that the rental market is extremely healthy (35,000 students all looking for a place to live for a year) whilst the buying market is weaker than a flu ridden Mr Bean.
So do we buy? Well no. Prices are falling. Houses aren't selling. And we don't want to be locked in to a place that we end up having to rent out just to cover the bills. So we join the rental charge and pay too much (by MI standards, not by NY standards) for somewhere like the above.
Ain't life complicated?
The house in the picture is one that's in Ann Arbor and (I think) would be lovely for Judith. According to the information I have here it was built in 1919, is 1248 sq feet and has a taxable value of $133,200 (about 65,000 of your UK pounds or 98.750 Euros)... why I have this information I'm not at all sure but I thought that as I seem to have turned into statto this morning I may as well go the whole hog.
Judith moves to Michigan in less than a week. Actually she moves in 5 days which is a scary thought as the days between now and then are packed and she's not. I have no doubt that we'll be packing and shipping books as we move forward and that she'll be looking to me to fill a suitcase full of 'home' with every visit. That will get easier once we find a house down there.
Ann Arbor is a buyers market at the moment. With major industry (think auto and pharma) pulling out of the area there are too many houses for sale and too few people moving toward the area. Of course the town is immune to the local economy to a degree as 1 in 2 people there are linked to the University (and therefore to out of state taxes) but what this means is that the rental market is extremely healthy (35,000 students all looking for a place to live for a year) whilst the buying market is weaker than a flu ridden Mr Bean.
So do we buy? Well no. Prices are falling. Houses aren't selling. And we don't want to be locked in to a place that we end up having to rent out just to cover the bills. So we join the rental charge and pay too much (by MI standards, not by NY standards) for somewhere like the above.
Ain't life complicated?
Monday, August 20, 2007
Slutz
In recent times Barbie - herself no stranger to sleaze - has found herself under attack from The Bratz. The Bratz are a bunch of obnoxious 'tween' dolls with a taste for the mall and a penchant for sluttery. This has prompted Barbie to ditch Ken (too boring) and move into the odd world of 'dating.'
Meanwhile The Bratz have gone from doll to animated series (basically how to be a highschool teen bitch / slut n 26 easy episodes) to real action live movie that has flopped harder than Naomi Campbell's literary pretensions.
Not sure what all of this means for America but when we're told that teen girls are hooking in the mall for the money to charge their phones and put gas in the VW daddy bought them as a sweet 16 then there's either smoething very wrong - or we're really seeing a generation that understands the protestant work ethic.
This should go somewhere but it won't. It's late, I'm tired. People have defaced the posters. The movie sucked - mainly because the gir;'s kinda promised that they would and then didn't really put out. Too real for Tween girls, too lame for teen boys - rock meet hard place.
Meanwhile The Bratz have gone from doll to animated series (basically how to be a highschool teen bitch / slut n 26 easy episodes) to real action live movie that has flopped harder than Naomi Campbell's literary pretensions.
Not sure what all of this means for America but when we're told that teen girls are hooking in the mall for the money to charge their phones and put gas in the VW daddy bought them as a sweet 16 then there's either smoething very wrong - or we're really seeing a generation that understands the protestant work ethic.
This should go somewhere but it won't. It's late, I'm tired. People have defaced the posters. The movie sucked - mainly because the gir;'s kinda promised that they would and then didn't really put out. Too real for Tween girls, too lame for teen boys - rock meet hard place.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
All a bit grim
Today the clouds came, the sun vanished and the temps plummeted. It's still mid 20s here but you can feel winter edging in. The stores are selling off flip-flops, new products are at least 75% lambswool and all over the city people are stripping down whenever they see a human being sized pool of light.
Meanwhile the 'gentrification' of Williamsburg continues unhindered. The new condos cast a literal and figurative shadow over the community and we're all left looking at the biggest building boom in 45 years and wondering "where are the neighborhoods going to go?"
It seems that people are attrected to the grit of the Bowery, the flighty here today gone tomorrow squalor of the lower east side and the skinny jeaned hipsterism of Williamsburg and will pay top dollar for ivory towers that afford them the best views of these places - yet fail to see taht the very act of moving in changes the neighborhood beyond recognition. That's not always a bad thing but it's not what anyone signed up for either.
My solution? Well I don't have one. I say build massive homeless shelters. Have free needle exchanges in very public places. And encourage more 'affordable housing' not near but IN the new towers of glass and bamboo flooring. Maybe that will attract the right kind of money and scare off the tourists. Said he from his too expensive, security camera'd loft
Meanwhile the 'gentrification' of Williamsburg continues unhindered. The new condos cast a literal and figurative shadow over the community and we're all left looking at the biggest building boom in 45 years and wondering "where are the neighborhoods going to go?"
It seems that people are attrected to the grit of the Bowery, the flighty here today gone tomorrow squalor of the lower east side and the skinny jeaned hipsterism of Williamsburg and will pay top dollar for ivory towers that afford them the best views of these places - yet fail to see taht the very act of moving in changes the neighborhood beyond recognition. That's not always a bad thing but it's not what anyone signed up for either.
My solution? Well I don't have one. I say build massive homeless shelters. Have free needle exchanges in very public places. And encourage more 'affordable housing' not near but IN the new towers of glass and bamboo flooring. Maybe that will attract the right kind of money and scare off the tourists. Said he from his too expensive, security camera'd loft
Friday, August 17, 2007
A hybrid, a hybrid - my kingdom for a hybrid
Jude is about to start work in Michigan. That means that she's going to need a car. But not just any car. It needs enough room for visitors and their suitcases. Enough space for the dog (lest she head there for the odd weekend). It needs to be low emission as Jude works in Sustainability. And it needs to be American as she's going to be less than 40 miles from Detroit.
Which doesn't leave much. What it does leave is the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The seats are recycled. The caqr does 34mpg to the US gallon (that's 40 mpg to a UK gallon) around town and it won't get trashed by disgruntled Ford workers when she's in the city.
Plus as a Hybrid it has the advantage of a $3000 tax break from the government - as well as a generous $2000 off from Ford. That brings it down to around $21000 (10k GBP) making it a real bargain.
The problem is - you can't get one. The 2007 Hybrid was a sluggish seller - but the 2008 (available since Jan 2007 - I know!) has been sold out almost since day one. Getting one is going to take about 8 weeks, minimum. Weird I know. A Ford with a wait list.
Which just goes to show - get it right and Ford could be okay. It's not about badge it's about the right product, sold in the right way to the right people.
The temptation is to give in and get a Honda Fit (Jazz) but that feels wrong in Michigan. So onto the waitlist we go. Insane.
Which doesn't leave much. What it does leave is the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid. The seats are recycled. The caqr does 34mpg to the US gallon (that's 40 mpg to a UK gallon) around town and it won't get trashed by disgruntled Ford workers when she's in the city.
Plus as a Hybrid it has the advantage of a $3000 tax break from the government - as well as a generous $2000 off from Ford. That brings it down to around $21000 (10k GBP) making it a real bargain.
The problem is - you can't get one. The 2007 Hybrid was a sluggish seller - but the 2008 (available since Jan 2007 - I know!) has been sold out almost since day one. Getting one is going to take about 8 weeks, minimum. Weird I know. A Ford with a wait list.
Which just goes to show - get it right and Ford could be okay. It's not about badge it's about the right product, sold in the right way to the right people.
The temptation is to give in and get a Honda Fit (Jazz) but that feels wrong in Michigan. So onto the waitlist we go. Insane.
A watched phone never boils
I've spent much of this week waiting for the phone to ring. Of course this has driven me to the outer reaches of my patience and driven everyone else to distraction. Even as I wrote that sentence my phone buzzed and my heart leapt. Alas it was a friend wanting lunch rather than the person I wanted to talk to offering balm for my itching flesh. I do hate waiting for any kind of news.... I blame the internet
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Word gets out
I got bored the othe day and had a quick but happy muse on the future of the web. A half hour thing. I e-mailed it to the guy sitting next to me. This morning I woke up to an e-mail asking for permission to pubish it elsewhere. Within an hour it wa everywhere. Weird. It's not even that good. Still here's a link
www.bigshinything.com
www.bigshinything.com
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
The summer continues to sizzle
So as the summer continues to sizzle and the blue of the sky deepens the stores turn their attention to the upcoming fall. Colors become more autumnal (read lesbian), fabrics thicker (lesbian) and everything takes on a waxy, waterproof sheen (yup, you guessed it)
Of course the fall here passes in the blink of an eye and we'll soon be plunged into a terrifying winter. Meanwhile there are freak tornados, storms, droughts and forest fires to deal with.
Ideas of the day
A bar with a wall of screens showing images of all of the people in the world engaging in on-cam cyber sex. (we wouldn't tell them that they were being broadcast of course - more exhibistionist / voyeuristic thrills to be had that way)
Social Network loans - what's the point of having cyber friends if you can't borrow money from them right? It's micro-financing for the daddy funded. And it could work.
An all gay big brother - called The Big Gay House. Reality TV usually neuters its gay 'characters' by making them 'the only gay in the house' - this of course reduces the chance of them having sex to almost zero and takes away the 'threat' of them. Instead they become sexless 'best friends' that we can feel good about voting for (how tolerant we are)... this version - everyone is gay ---- viewers get to see something very new and the Daily Mail gets to froth at the mouth.
Enough from me though
Of course the fall here passes in the blink of an eye and we'll soon be plunged into a terrifying winter. Meanwhile there are freak tornados, storms, droughts and forest fires to deal with.
Ideas of the day
A bar with a wall of screens showing images of all of the people in the world engaging in on-cam cyber sex. (we wouldn't tell them that they were being broadcast of course - more exhibistionist / voyeuristic thrills to be had that way)
Social Network loans - what's the point of having cyber friends if you can't borrow money from them right? It's micro-financing for the daddy funded. And it could work.
An all gay big brother - called The Big Gay House. Reality TV usually neuters its gay 'characters' by making them 'the only gay in the house' - this of course reduces the chance of them having sex to almost zero and takes away the 'threat' of them. Instead they become sexless 'best friends' that we can feel good about voting for (how tolerant we are)... this version - everyone is gay ---- viewers get to see something very new and the Daily Mail gets to froth at the mouth.
Enough from me though
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Last day of belt tightening
Due to all manner of mix ups my (five figure sum) expenses for this month won't come in until tomorrow (two weeks late)- which also just happens to be pay day as well. This sudden flood of money means an end to the belt tightening exercises of the last week and will no doubt signal the flood of none essential spending that has been so effectively dam'd up all week.
It was odd having no spare cash around. Thinking twice before buying something isn't an exercise I've engaged in in quite a while. And it's good for the sole. Eating at home. Walking past the massage 'parlour', avoiding $9 sandwiches - generally being aware of the price of things has certainly done me good.
That said I'll be glad when the cheques (checks) clear and I can dive into decent sushi again.
It was odd having no spare cash around. Thinking twice before buying something isn't an exercise I've engaged in in quite a while. And it's good for the sole. Eating at home. Walking past the massage 'parlour', avoiding $9 sandwiches - generally being aware of the price of things has certainly done me good.
That said I'll be glad when the cheques (checks) clear and I can dive into decent sushi again.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Dream hotel - okay weekend
So yesterday felt like a real New York weekend. First to the greenmarket for fish, bread and vegetables and the chance to walk the dog around the park.
Then a walk over the Williamsburg bridge under blue skies and in beautiful conditions to the lower east side where we ate crepes in a tint restaurant, shopped for birthday gifts in a packed 'sex shop' and squeezed our way through tiny boutiques that have no hope of ever making their owners money.
The sex shop was one of the new - out and proud, female owned jobbies where everyone speaks just a little too loudly to show that they're not ashamed to be there and the assistants speak louder and slower still as they issue instructions such as "Now before you use this boil it like spaghetti, if it's for group use use a condom for each person and remember even though it comes with 29 strokes lube don't get it on your vulva." All done so earnestly and with such post-mistressly authority that you see people frozen to the spot.
Anyway we managed to get an "Oral Sex in Literature" book for my friend Mok (dirty ditties frm Osacr Wilde, GB Shaw etc.) and then we headed across to the rooftop of the Dream Hotel where the models, the guests, the gays and the 'celebratin a birthday's managed if not to mix then to skillfully occupy different time-slots and areas of the roof.
With a midnight temp a much cooler than of late 23c, a view of Time Square (strangely silent) below us and $15 cocktails flowing it all seemed like fun. And it was. Mok told some self depreciating stories, people from work turned up looking like people (all glam and shiny) and Jude got to see that despite the office's penchant for dares (Saltine eating c ompetitions, drinking piss for money) there are real adults there too.
Bumped into an old friend turned 'tits out headhunter' - glam' is the new 'black book' by all accounts. She looked great, sounded energized and gave me her new (fold out, 4 sided) card.
Tomorrow is back to interviewing people about the future; planning for it; how to avoid making it too awful to contemplate etc. So today is going to be very chilled, very relaxed and may even involve brunch with the neighbors (if we can catch them)... excellent
Then a walk over the Williamsburg bridge under blue skies and in beautiful conditions to the lower east side where we ate crepes in a tint restaurant, shopped for birthday gifts in a packed 'sex shop' and squeezed our way through tiny boutiques that have no hope of ever making their owners money.
The sex shop was one of the new - out and proud, female owned jobbies where everyone speaks just a little too loudly to show that they're not ashamed to be there and the assistants speak louder and slower still as they issue instructions such as "Now before you use this boil it like spaghetti, if it's for group use use a condom for each person and remember even though it comes with 29 strokes lube don't get it on your vulva." All done so earnestly and with such post-mistressly authority that you see people frozen to the spot.
Anyway we managed to get an "Oral Sex in Literature" book for my friend Mok (dirty ditties frm Osacr Wilde, GB Shaw etc.) and then we headed across to the rooftop of the Dream Hotel where the models, the guests, the gays and the 'celebratin a birthday's managed if not to mix then to skillfully occupy different time-slots and areas of the roof.
With a midnight temp a much cooler than of late 23c, a view of Time Square (strangely silent) below us and $15 cocktails flowing it all seemed like fun. And it was. Mok told some self depreciating stories, people from work turned up looking like people (all glam and shiny) and Jude got to see that despite the office's penchant for dares (Saltine eating c ompetitions, drinking piss for money) there are real adults there too.
Bumped into an old friend turned 'tits out headhunter' - glam' is the new 'black book' by all accounts. She looked great, sounded energized and gave me her new (fold out, 4 sided) card.
Tomorrow is back to interviewing people about the future; planning for it; how to avoid making it too awful to contemplate etc. So today is going to be very chilled, very relaxed and may even involve brunch with the neighbors (if we can catch them)... excellent
Friday, August 10, 2007
Wet
Today I'm wetter than a nun at a stripping Pope look-a-like convention. It's pouring with rain and my summer shoes have been no match for the streaming torrents and car created curbside tsunamis. My feet are literally steaming and I see no end to the dampness in the near future.
Locked in a room talking with people about the future, how they see it and how they'll pay for it. Some people get animated, some get teary and some suddenly realize that unless they develop a taste for Kitty Chow early they're going to be in big trouble come retirement.
They can't afford health insurance post retirement, can't afford long term care and a lot have said that they'd pay a premium just to know that when they needed it they'd have some kind of visitor to the hospital. We may be young and single and partial to a martini now but the spectre of a lonely death that proves no more than an inconvience to the person that needs to change the sheets on your deathbed is something that we really fight against (when we can bring ourselves to contemplate it)
Have another 7 hours of these interviews to go. To date it's been fun. We'll see what happens next. Mind if these wet feet turn to pneumonia I may not make the end of the day.
Stay dry all
Locked in a room talking with people about the future, how they see it and how they'll pay for it. Some people get animated, some get teary and some suddenly realize that unless they develop a taste for Kitty Chow early they're going to be in big trouble come retirement.
They can't afford health insurance post retirement, can't afford long term care and a lot have said that they'd pay a premium just to know that when they needed it they'd have some kind of visitor to the hospital. We may be young and single and partial to a martini now but the spectre of a lonely death that proves no more than an inconvience to the person that needs to change the sheets on your deathbed is something that we really fight against (when we can bring ourselves to contemplate it)
Have another 7 hours of these interviews to go. To date it's been fun. We'll see what happens next. Mind if these wet feet turn to pneumonia I may not make the end of the day.
Stay dry all
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
After the storm
Jude and I were both out of town for the 'big storm' last night and returned today to a city hotter, more humid and with less public transportation than the one we left. Not that we were travelling together - but we did both return today.
Apparently there were tornados with wind speeds up to 120mph, howling winds, lashing rain - everything but plagues of frogs and yet today the world looks undamaged is a little soggy.
And the humidity is sapping. 95F (35c) isn't THAT hot but when the air is drenched to the point of visible (I swear you could wring it out) it all becomes just a little much.
Still must drag myself in tomorrow as I start three days of interviews in which we ask various people about the future - what they plan for, what they avoid, goals they set, fears they have and how they'll fund the future that they want. The theory is that we spend most of our time and energy investing in a future self that we hope will be happier and more successful. We study, we go to college, we save, we avoid the 'wrong' crowd, read self improvement books, marry the 'good' girl and buy our houses in 'up and coming areas' as an investment in the person we see ourselves becoming. It's why we diet. It's what gives us hope. It's optimistic. It's ridiculous. It explains the protestant work ethic (though that's often an investment in a future generation's happiness)
So I have investors, clairvoyants, doctors, control freaks, OnStar operators and a whole bunch of other people coming in to tell me what their experience of people planning for the future has been. It ought to be interesting. It WILL keep me late.
Now to turn the aircon to max (the storm knocked it out yesterday, the house is still hot - it's 10pm and still 32c outside), catch up on Top Chef and think about heading for bed.
Soon y'all
Apparently there were tornados with wind speeds up to 120mph, howling winds, lashing rain - everything but plagues of frogs and yet today the world looks undamaged is a little soggy.
And the humidity is sapping. 95F (35c) isn't THAT hot but when the air is drenched to the point of visible (I swear you could wring it out) it all becomes just a little much.
Still must drag myself in tomorrow as I start three days of interviews in which we ask various people about the future - what they plan for, what they avoid, goals they set, fears they have and how they'll fund the future that they want. The theory is that we spend most of our time and energy investing in a future self that we hope will be happier and more successful. We study, we go to college, we save, we avoid the 'wrong' crowd, read self improvement books, marry the 'good' girl and buy our houses in 'up and coming areas' as an investment in the person we see ourselves becoming. It's why we diet. It's what gives us hope. It's optimistic. It's ridiculous. It explains the protestant work ethic (though that's often an investment in a future generation's happiness)
So I have investors, clairvoyants, doctors, control freaks, OnStar operators and a whole bunch of other people coming in to tell me what their experience of people planning for the future has been. It ought to be interesting. It WILL keep me late.
Now to turn the aircon to max (the storm knocked it out yesterday, the house is still hot - it's 10pm and still 32c outside), catch up on Top Chef and think about heading for bed.
Soon y'all
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
A cloud
At last the clear blue skies, rampant humidity and ridiculous temperatures broke a little and yesterday saw the occasional cloud in the sky, a chance of rain (rather than late and violent thinderstorms) and and cooler temps (30c)
Of course the city still humms with the sickly sweet scent of rotting garbage... walking the streets is like being stuck behind the bin men as they throw their stuff into the back ofthe truck. I've no idea why there isn't a plague of flies in the city... it would make sense and give the South more proof that this is a Godless island off the coast of America that needs to suffer some wrath.
Off to the airport in a couple of hours and a client call at 8am... before which Velcro needs out (bless her) so this is short and as sweet as the pungent air we choose to share with 8m other Manhattanites.
Of course the city still humms with the sickly sweet scent of rotting garbage... walking the streets is like being stuck behind the bin men as they throw their stuff into the back ofthe truck. I've no idea why there isn't a plague of flies in the city... it would make sense and give the South more proof that this is a Godless island off the coast of America that needs to suffer some wrath.
Off to the airport in a couple of hours and a client call at 8am... before which Velcro needs out (bless her) so this is short and as sweet as the pungent air we choose to share with 8m other Manhattanites.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Ah --- brooklyn
you do see some strange people walking the streets of Brooklyn. I think it's the parasol that really seals the deal on this one. Today I got close to finishing a presentation (hurrah!), talked to some people, drank 2 beers I didn't want and ordered in fish n chips from the local Australian place, Oh and I had to cancel the gym because I was stuck drinking beer at work. Thank god I have 2 days off... can get svelte again.
Sunday, August 05, 2007
Hazy Weekend
So the weekend passed n a constant drip-feed of alcohol. Reminded me of the line from Old Red Eyes Is back “He was just a social drinker but social every night; he was very rarely drunk but very rarely sober.”
It hasn’t been excessive drinking. A glass of wine here, a glass of champagne there, a bloody Mary, a beer, a Guinness (hey it’s good for you) and suddenly you realize that one weekend has taken up your month’s allowance of alcohol.
Perhaps in light of this the weekend kind of slid by. Lawrence and his lovely family visited; they saw very little of Williamsburg but it was good to catch up. Then a little work, a movie here, an art class there, a dog walking session, a long brunch and suddenly the weekend has gone and you’re staring down a week from hell without the buffer of having done something worth talking about.
Want to do a Bloody Mary sans alcohol but with whey powder – call it a Muscle Mary and watch the Pink Pounds flood my way. It’s a vague and vain hope but ‘vague’ and ‘vain’ pretty much describe me these days.
Friday, August 03, 2007
All roads lead to breakfast
It's weird that everything I'm working on at the moment seems to lead toward a breakfast. It seems that we all acknowledge the most important meal of the day then feel bad as it whizzes past us... wish I could talk about some of the products that we're working on, but of course we can't. Still they'll be on a shelf near you soon.
The other big 'opportunity area' in the US at the moment seems to be the gouging of the sick for profit. It seems that the fact that health care here is unaffordable is huge opportunity for loan sharks, payment spreaders, preventative healers and anyone with a can of snake oil. The real opportunity of course is to solve the cost of healthcare -- or at least take the sting out of the bills. That's a pet (private) thing at the moment... maybe well get that kind of project.
Jude away in Philly this weekend - so it's The Simpsons this afternoon, followed by Erasure in Mccarren pool, art class tomorrow and a Sunday spent working on proposals etc.
Oh the glamor
The other big 'opportunity area' in the US at the moment seems to be the gouging of the sick for profit. It seems that the fact that health care here is unaffordable is huge opportunity for loan sharks, payment spreaders, preventative healers and anyone with a can of snake oil. The real opportunity of course is to solve the cost of healthcare -- or at least take the sting out of the bills. That's a pet (private) thing at the moment... maybe well get that kind of project.
Jude away in Philly this weekend - so it's The Simpsons this afternoon, followed by Erasure in Mccarren pool, art class tomorrow and a Sunday spent working on proposals etc.
Oh the glamor
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
A fine romance
So at about 9pm last night Jude started to run around, bounce, jig, play old swing music and generally show signs of being bored with the walls around her.
Luckily we live 10 mins from Galapagos Art Space and so it came to pass that we ended up watcingd a Korean woman eating Kraft Cheese slices, retching and then stripping down to a GI outfit and beyond to the strains of American Woman; a woman stripping whilst imitating Shirley Temple and all manner of other risque acts.
Oh and we watched a woman being hopelessly out-acted by a French Bulldog (she was playing a barmaid, he a drinker at the bar)...
All in all good bawdy fun, lubricated by too many rum and diet cokes and almost finished off with the "Tator Tot Stagger" ---> luckily our fondness of Svelte and the sight of too many a cellulite dappled thigh stopped us from over indulging in that fried potato snack.
A good evening though - and one that served to remind that while you sit at home in front of some competition reality show or another there are people out there putting it all out there...
Luckily we live 10 mins from Galapagos Art Space and so it came to pass that we ended up watcingd a Korean woman eating Kraft Cheese slices, retching and then stripping down to a GI outfit and beyond to the strains of American Woman; a woman stripping whilst imitating Shirley Temple and all manner of other risque acts.
Oh and we watched a woman being hopelessly out-acted by a French Bulldog (she was playing a barmaid, he a drinker at the bar)...
All in all good bawdy fun, lubricated by too many rum and diet cokes and almost finished off with the "Tator Tot Stagger" ---> luckily our fondness of Svelte and the sight of too many a cellulite dappled thigh stopped us from over indulging in that fried potato snack.
A good evening though - and one that served to remind that while you sit at home in front of some competition reality show or another there are people out there putting it all out there...
Monday, July 30, 2007
ZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzubbbbb
Back in the office today and what a soul destroying experience. The music is bad, the lights too bright and there's nothing for me to do before Thursday (whereupon there will be too much for me to do)
A more motivated person would go in search of opportunity --- I, on the other hand, think "Screw It" and am planning an early exit
A more motivated person would go in search of opportunity --- I, on the other hand, think "Screw It" and am planning an early exit
Friday, July 27, 2007
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Credit Cards
So last night I managed to catch up with my ever more gorgeous friend, Yuko and we headed off for really good food and pretty good drinks in some of Tokyo’s smallest bars and restaurants. All very cool. However come bar two and time to pay my credit card was declined. No biggie, huh?
This morning I get up to find a FRAUD ALERT e-mail in my inbox. MY card has been frozen pending my contacting the company. They give me a web link, I follow it, enter my details and am told that this issue can’t be resolved online and to call the number below. Frustrating but hey, it happens right.
The number below of course is a 1-800 number – which can be dialed only from within the US. Irritating.
Still there’s a number on the back of my card that says “If you’re outside of the US call this number COLLECT and it will cost you nothing”
I dial the operator, she puts me through to AT&T and I’m told “I’m sorry Sir but that number can’t be dialed collect from anywhere in the world” Frustrating again.
So I bite the bullet. My cell doesn’t work in Japan. My Blackberry doesn’t work in Japan. My credit card company is giving out duff numbers like they were ‘home base’ cards at a Prom and I am going to need to pay and get the hell out of here at some point. Hotel phone. $8 a minute but hey I’ll get through.
I do, I’m put on hold. Then drawled at by a woman who doesn’t seem to realize that her every elongated, mangled, tortured vowel is costing me $5. She puts me through to another number with ‘excessively long wait times” – I’m told how valuable my call is, move up through the virtual line and am then dropped. Frustrating, huh.
I call back. This time I’m on hold. I get through. My account, social security number and address no longer exist. Apparently. Frustrating. I bite my lip and try again – oh yes there I am. I’m put through, put on hold and get through to another vowel mangler.
This women then chastises me for traveling overseas without first calling to tell them and rather pointedly asks me why the hell I was trying to spend $18,000 at 2am on a Piano. As though this is the problem. The temptation to scream “Because I can!” is swallowed as I realize that I do need my card working and I point out that I was trying to spend 18,000 YEN (US$150) in a bar CALLED Piano at 2am. She puts my card right – I thank her, dash over to Starbucks to buy a $4 latte just to check that I’m now okay and resolve to find some kind of Japanese bathhouse so that I can let off steam in the steam room.
Gnnnrrrrr.
This morning I get up to find a FRAUD ALERT e-mail in my inbox. MY card has been frozen pending my contacting the company. They give me a web link, I follow it, enter my details and am told that this issue can’t be resolved online and to call the number below. Frustrating but hey, it happens right.
The number below of course is a 1-800 number – which can be dialed only from within the US. Irritating.
Still there’s a number on the back of my card that says “If you’re outside of the US call this number COLLECT and it will cost you nothing”
I dial the operator, she puts me through to AT&T and I’m told “I’m sorry Sir but that number can’t be dialed collect from anywhere in the world” Frustrating again.
So I bite the bullet. My cell doesn’t work in Japan. My Blackberry doesn’t work in Japan. My credit card company is giving out duff numbers like they were ‘home base’ cards at a Prom and I am going to need to pay and get the hell out of here at some point. Hotel phone. $8 a minute but hey I’ll get through.
I do, I’m put on hold. Then drawled at by a woman who doesn’t seem to realize that her every elongated, mangled, tortured vowel is costing me $5. She puts me through to another number with ‘excessively long wait times” – I’m told how valuable my call is, move up through the virtual line and am then dropped. Frustrating, huh.
I call back. This time I’m on hold. I get through. My account, social security number and address no longer exist. Apparently. Frustrating. I bite my lip and try again – oh yes there I am. I’m put through, put on hold and get through to another vowel mangler.
This women then chastises me for traveling overseas without first calling to tell them and rather pointedly asks me why the hell I was trying to spend $18,000 at 2am on a Piano. As though this is the problem. The temptation to scream “Because I can!” is swallowed as I realize that I do need my card working and I point out that I was trying to spend 18,000 YEN (US$150) in a bar CALLED Piano at 2am. She puts my card right – I thank her, dash over to Starbucks to buy a $4 latte just to check that I’m now okay and resolve to find some kind of Japanese bathhouse so that I can let off steam in the steam room.
Gnnnrrrrr.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
I'll have the tuna
the Tokyo fish market at (5.30) this morning was much fun. Think Singapore wet market with lots of people with knives, wayward trucks, killer buggies and lack of concern for life thrown in.
Of course I still smell like I've been to the fish market even two showers later and so it's down to Hiltopia (I kid you not) on the hunt for more shoes - these are ruined.
This afternoon - a search for more angels with dirty faces in young people's hotspots and then a soak in a bath before heading out tonight with my old friend Yuko
Of course I still smell like I've been to the fish market even two showers later and so it's down to Hiltopia (I kid you not) on the hunt for more shoes - these are ruined.
This afternoon - a search for more angels with dirty faces in young people's hotspots and then a soak in a bath before heading out tonight with my old friend Yuko
Harajuku, Tokyo, Japan
Heading here tomorrow... spent all day somewhere really cool and now my brain is fried and the only word I can think of is Suduko. Which makes me a moron. Damnnit.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Still in Tokyo
and still coughing and sniffling up a storm
of course persistent coughs now mean cancer rather than cold to me and so - despite having been reassured by every doctor I know that even I can't grow tumors that fast (it's 2 months since I was last 'all clear') I'm already looking up phrases like "chemo second time around"
Actually I'm not as I know that I was allergy ridden in NYC, fine in Namibia and that I got off the plane with a flu to end all flus (okay that's an exaggeration)... each day I'm getting better. No headaches, legs back to normal, fever gone. But still I sniff, then I cough then I worry. Bonkers.
I'll see someone when I get back and I have more scans coming up in a month but it's terrible being the person who can't have a cough anymore.
Still odds of me being here and worrying were slim, so I'll take that
PS Wasn't the Harry Potter Epilogue just awful? And doesn't it just set the scene for more franchise extending adventures? Shame 'cause it's nae bad otherwise
of course persistent coughs now mean cancer rather than cold to me and so - despite having been reassured by every doctor I know that even I can't grow tumors that fast (it's 2 months since I was last 'all clear') I'm already looking up phrases like "chemo second time around"
Actually I'm not as I know that I was allergy ridden in NYC, fine in Namibia and that I got off the plane with a flu to end all flus (okay that's an exaggeration)... each day I'm getting better. No headaches, legs back to normal, fever gone. But still I sniff, then I cough then I worry. Bonkers.
I'll see someone when I get back and I have more scans coming up in a month but it's terrible being the person who can't have a cough anymore.
Still odds of me being here and worrying were slim, so I'll take that
PS Wasn't the Harry Potter Epilogue just awful? And doesn't it just set the scene for more franchise extending adventures? Shame 'cause it's nae bad otherwise
Monday, July 23, 2007
In Tokyo
Cold finally broke - snotty mess here, coughing, sneezing and generally a mess to look at but feeling much better.
Tokyo fun so far. Flight good. New Harry Potter almost finished.
Trying to stay up late enought to avoid the worst of the jetlag.. we'll see what happens
Tokyo fun so far. Flight good. New Harry Potter almost finished.
Trying to stay up late enought to avoid the worst of the jetlag.. we'll see what happens
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)