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
Monday, August 27, 2007
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.
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