Saturday, November 29, 2003
Screening Room Closed
"All farewells should be sudden." - the sign on the marquee at The Screening Room at Varick.
I have no idea when this happened, but we only saw the sign tonight. My first real date with my husband was here four years ago.
Mary Poppins Now
Today's New York Times has a story about Disney launching a new assault on Broadway with "Mary Poppins" as their main weapon. Expectations are that the show could do as well as "The Lion King," - which has taken in $300 million since it opened in 1997.
We saw "Mary Poppins" on video a couple weeks ago and I was surprised I remembered so little about the movie other than a couple songs. Then I realized one of the moral lessons it was teaching was that women should stay in the home and take care of the kids. The scatter-brained mother in "Mary Poppins" is gone all the time because she's a suffragette. The not-so-subtle message is that she's out wasting her time trying to get women the right to vote when she should instead be taking care of her unruly children. Can't imagine that will fly on Broadway, where middle-age women do most of the ticket buying.
Prospect Park Question
This is for my Brooklyn readers: So what goes on in the woodsy area on the hill above the Long Meadow? Several times when I've been through, there seem to be a lot of nervous men and teen boys walking around solo. Sex? Drugs? Coincidence? We walked through yesterday -- it's on the way to the zoo -- and I was surprised how many guys were up there considering the park was nearly empty because of the super foggy weather.
Turkey Notes
Had a great Thanksgiving the other night, conveniently close in Park Slope. Outstanding food and a very fun mix of exes and steps in my happy extended family. (For those who don't know, we have a great relationship with my husband's ex-wife and her husband and their son, who is the half-brother to my stepson. Most holidays and birthdays find us in a weird mish-mash of relations.) Thursday's bash was hosted by a former co-worker of ours and his neighbor across the hallway -- so the party covered both apartments and a balcony.
I've got two food tips to remember for next year. I loaded up a big bowl with fresh fruit - really for the kids to snack on before the meal. But as it turned out, it was the adults who ate most of it. It was a nice alternative to all the heavy stuff you normally gorge on at Thanksgiving. Fresh pineapple, honeydew, cantaloupe, grapes and a mango. I cut them in big chunks, so everyone just ate with their hands.
One of the hostesses was trying a new recipe from the New York Times, which turned out to be great (sauteed squash, rosemary and pomegranate seeds) but the awesome element was that she first slowly sauteed the rosemary in butter, giving the party the most wonderful smell that lingered for a long time.
Thursday, November 27, 2003
Fly, Turkey, Fly
Manhattan User's Guide has a brief history of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It started in 1924 with some animals from the Central Park Zoo that "weren't as kid-friendly as Macy's might have liked."
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Subway All Clear
Apparently nothing terror-related in the subway this morning, other than the usual rats. Feel free to commence with jokes about subway odors, Chelsea, Chinatown and "unknown substances" in the tunnels.
'Unknown Substance' Sickens Subway Workers
Hopefully this is something we can joke about later today:
At least five subway workers were being treated for exposure to an "unknown substance" in the New York subway system on Wednesday, the day before the U.S. Thanksgiving Holiday, a fire department spokesman said.
Firefighters and other emergency services personnel were checking the southbound "F" line from the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan to Chinatown for the cause of an odor in a tunnel, spokesman Paul Iannizzotto said. - Reuters
Tuesday, November 25, 2003
Amy's Holiday Shopping Advice
After a couple years of getting screwed by paying more for shipping than on the actual holiday gifts I have to send to California and England, I finally got a system figured out last year. The trick is starting early and using free-shipping options at places such as Amazon.com. So that means now, folks. Get on it.
During a brain zone-out period over the weekend, I compiled a list of a few gift ideas and shopping tips for you all. Happy holidays.
The Cruelest Miles -- Heroic dogs, an epic blizzard and children dying during a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska in 1925 after the last ship has just left for the winter. True story and a good read co-written by my friend Laney Salisbury.
Live from New York, an Uncensored History of Saturday Night Live -- One of my favorite Christmas gifts from last year.
Smart Mobs -- My favorite geek book of the year is now in paperback.
Vindigo -- As far as I'm concerned, having Vindigo on your phone or Palm is like the microwave, answering machine, ATM and Internet. I have no idea how I managed without it. $25/year.
Pacifica Candles -- Better than your average candle.
Mr. Bear Squash-You-All-Flat -- For the kids. It was out of print for decades, so most of the little ones - and their parents - have never heard of it.
New York Times Almanac 2004 -- Never fails.
For the cook -- Great kitchen gadgets: Zyliss comfort food chopper, Good Grips OXO long tongs and the Microplane grater/zester. Really fun cookbooks: Biscotti; the Garlic Lovers Cookbook; subscription to Bon Appetit - or as my husband calls it based on my reaction reading it: "food porn."
Old movies now on DVD -- Consider Chinatown, Manchurian Candidate, Network, Willy Wonka.
More stumping for my friends' stuff -- Not necessarily guaranteed in time for Christmas, but they're worth a try: New Corvids CD "Fought Down," which Tony Pierce calls "the best record of the year;" Tsar has pressed an actual 45 of "Straight" for only $5; Hugh McLeod sells framed prints of his edgy and clever works.
Gift certificate to a great local bookstore -- My faves here are Partners & Crime, Three Lives and Shakespeare & Co.
Museum-type shopping online -- MoMa, NY Transit Museum, NYC.gov CityStore, Met Museum, NY Public Library, Natural History Museum and coming soon, the Central Park Conservancy online store. Also check out framed New Yorker cartoon prints.
Tiffany & Co. -- Oh c'mon, who doesn't want to get something in that blue box? They're online and have plenty of things under $100.
Pier 1 -- They sell interesting little ornaments from around the world for a buck or two and they're great to tie onto packages instead of/in addition to the usual ribbons and bows. Last year they also had very cool boxes covered with satiny material so they looked like presents but you could just pop a gift inside and not have to worry about wrapping paper. Looked very expensive (but they weren't.)
Just for the New Yorkers:
Gift Certificate to the Institute of Culinary Education - most one-day classes are in the $65- $100 range and usually include a full meal with wine. I highly recommend Richard Ruben's Greenmarket class (listed under walking tours/market classes.)
Li-Lac Chocolates on Christopher Street -- They ship.
Pearl River Mart -- Just above Canal on Broadway. Great little do-dads for stocking stuffers and things to tie on presents.
Enchanted Forest -- On Mercer in SoHo for great stuffed animals without the FAO Schwartz and Toys R Us crowds.
Kate' Paperie -- Go here to get some fancy ribbon to jazz up your packages. Uptown has a better selection. They're expensive, so use it on small packages for big impact.
Just a few other things:
A little something-something for yourself: Kiehl's on 3rd Ave. -- go there pretending to get some great bath-soaky stuff or scented lotion for one of your gal-pals but really you're only buying it so you can load up on the free samples for yourself.
Perfect airplane reading to make you feel your family is no more screwed up than everyone else's: David Sedaris' "Holidays on Ice."
And since this has no chance at being concise anymore, here are my two favorite cheeky card shops: Nancy Nancy on 5th Ave in Brooklyn and that one on the north side of Christopher Street east of Bleecker. It's the one closest to the church. You have to go to the back unless you want cards bearing large penises. And if you do want those, too, well - you're already there.
In case you're my mom and you read this list and start thinking you're going to buy me stuff listed above - stop now. It's listed because I own it and think it's great. I have my own fancy Amazon wishlist right here. (Though gifts in little blue boxes or certificates from my favorite bookstores are never bad thoughts, either.) And since I'm stumping, let me put one last thought in your head about Amazon. If you do decide to shop there, please enter their site through my Amazon ad strip over in the right column of this site. If you end up buying something, I get a little kickback for sending you over. Any revenue then goes to help offset my costs of running this site. Happy shopping folks. Have fun.
Liars Get Rich
In the New York Times today, Clyde Haberman takes on a topic I ranted about last week - the glamorization of people who have done bad things. His column, "In Journalism, Only the Good Die Poor," examines how Jayson Blair and Stephen Glass are getting rich for being frauds, yet heroic journalists in other parts of the world get squat. He highlights some of the under-apprecaited journalists who will be honored tonight at the Waldorf by the Committee to Protect Journalists (which my husband will be attending.)
Another Museum to Visit
These are really nice: The Museum of Anti-Alcohol Posters. In Russian, but you'll get the idea.
A Question on Iraq
Can someone explain the logic behind the "bring our troops home now" movement? I was very much against the United States going into Iraq the way we did, but I can't imagine how we could just leave now. The Iraqis helping the U.S. forces now are already being assassinated with us still there. If we left, wouldn't it just lead to giant massacres in the same way it did when the U.N. abandoned Srebrenica or when the U.S. left Iraq after Desert Storm? If we leave, everyone we intended to help would be slaughtered at a faster rate than is already taking place, no?
Monday, November 24, 2003
PATH Station
Two quick thoughts on the new PATH station, which I visited this afternoon. It is a huge space underground. Far, far bigger than I thought they'd need for the train station. Also, I was extremely surprised to see a Hudson News newsstand open - selling papers, film, candy and all the usual stuff just next to the ticket kiosks down in the PATH station in Ground Zero.
Media Relationships
Interesting thoughts from Jeff Jarvis and Hugh MacLeod posted on Jeff's BuzzMachine. I suppose they're hitting on an obvious strength of blogs -- people want to be heard and blogs give not just the writer, but also the reader, a simple and quick platform. Excerpts - condensed and out of context:
Hugh: "Media is not 'entertainment' or 'information.' Media is an interface. Interface implies action."
Jeff: "This medium is about relationships and the audience wants (desperately) to relate to media (or at least news media) as more than just an audience. They want a conversation. They want influence. They want power. No, we want all those things. That is the real guiding principle for the future of media: relationships."
Non-profit Spam
I thought it was kind of weird when I got spam last week from Habitat for Humanity, so I e-mailed them directly. I let them know I got spam from a company claiming I signed up for their list - like they all do - though clearly I hadn't. I thought maybe Habitat was unaware they were doing business with spammers, though judging by the e-mail I got today, they probably do understand.
Hi,
Not sure if you are aware of this, but a company is sending out spam on behalf of Habitat for Humanity. I got the same e-mail twice yesterday - with the claim that I had signed up to receive offers from "The Platinum List."
I can forward the e-mail if you like. I'm assuming you're not the type of organization that would condone spam.
Cheers,
Amy
Dear Amy:
Thank you for inquiring about the e-mail that you received from Habitat for Humanity International. We are deeply committed to our relationships with supporters, homeowners, volunteers and potential supporters, so your concerns matter to us.
In an effort to expand our list of active supporters, we are looking for efficient and cost-effective ways of reaching people who want to help us build houses with families in need. E-mail is one of the most efficient distribution methods, and it allows us to put more resources toward building houses and improving lives.
To reach people in this economical way, we occasionally use the services of list providers to deliver e-mail on our behalf. Because we strongly oppose unsolicited e-mail, we work exclusively with firms that assure us they will send messages only to people who have agreed to receive this type of e-mail from them. The mailing that was sent to you came from one of these providers. While we are concerned that our message apparently was unwelcome, it did not result from a list we maintain and, for quickest results, we urge you to contact the sender of the e-mail directly.
We also will communicate your desire not to receive such e-mails to this vendor and to any others we may use in the future.
We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to communicate with us.
Sincerely,
Saranne Peacock
Partner Service Center
Habitat for Humanity International
121 Habitat Street
Americus, GA 31709
1-800-422-4828, Ext. 2939
publicinfo@hfhi.org
PATH Train
Our big New York news this morning is that the PATH train station to New Jersey has re-opened at Ground Zero. It's actually in the pit. The radio report this morning said it's packed with commuters already - loaded with a range of emotions. Overall, it's upbeat (the renewal theme) but some people stood in stunned silence and others cried - not prepared for the exposed areas of the pit.
The closure of that station actually had a big impact on my old neighborhood in the West Village. We lived about a block away from the PATH station on Christopher, so ever since 9/11, all the Wall Street crowd has had to take buses or the 1/9 subway up to Christopher after work everyday. Soon after the market closed each weekday, a line of people snaked out of the Christopher station and down the block to Hudson Street. This lasted for a couple hours and overlapped slightly with the young tranny kids coming in from Jersey who intended to hang out on Christopher and on the piers overnight. And some drug dealers also worked that corner of Christopher/Hudson. To make the whole situation slightly less comfortable, the station itself is pretty skanky and only has one entrance/exit. The city launched a big plan to build another entrance on Christopher across Hudson but the neighbors all protested and put signs in the windows - complaining that another entrance would only bring more of the transvestite boys and their crime to the neighborhood.
So now all those commuters can go back to their routine downtown, and one 9/11 ripple in the Village recedes.
Sunday, November 23, 2003
Donkey-powered Rocket Launcher
In case you missed it, here's the caption to the New York Times' lead art on Saturday:
American soldiers examined a rocket launcher on a donkey cart near Italy's embassy in Baghdad yesterday. It was discovered and disarmed, but similar attacks damaged the Oil Ministry and two hotels.
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