Listening......

Origins- Kermit

2011-12-07T13:40:00.001-05:00

Origins- Kermit, originally uploaded by Grickle.

A tribute to Kermit by Graham Annable for "A Jim Henson Tribute Exhibition" at Gallery Nucleus; Alhambra, CA.

Ribbit

2011-12-07T12:13:00.001-05:00

I love breakfast!

It is the most important meal of the day for a reason.

This morning I randomly ran across a recipe from Dan Silverman, chef at The Standard Grill, that was a savory french toast take on the 'Toad in a Hole.' Sounded delicious in my book.

I've never been to The Standard Grill but after reading the recipe I don't see how one could go wrong with a cheesy french toast. And I must say, very tasty.

I made a few changes as I was cooking, however for the most part I didn't stray too far from the original recipe. I was having a slight issue with the bread tearing after soaking in the egg bath however I did use a different type of bread than the recipe suggests. But honestly it wasn't too much tearing and when you insert the egg in the center it seals everything up when it starts cooking. This would work with any type of bread you like.

Thanks Chef!

Toad in the Hole
Recipe by Dan Silverman, executive chef of The Standard Grill

4 slices of Pullman loaf bread, sliced about an 1-inch thick
7 eggs
2 cups milk
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp chopped parsley
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Tabasco, to taste

How to make it:
1. Cut a hole, about 2 inches in diameter, in the center of each slice of bread
2. Whisk together the milk, 3 eggs, ¾ cup of Parmesan, 2 Tbsp of parsley, salt, pepper, and Tabasco. Soak the bread slices in the mixture until well absorbed, about 5 to 10 minutes.
3. As the bread soaks, heat the butter and olive oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat When the pan is hot, carefully remove the bread from the mixture, allowing some of the mixture to drain, and then place the bread slices into the pan. Crack an egg into each slice’s hole and fry until the egg whites begin to cook through, about 3 to 5 minutes.
4. Using a spatula, carefully turn each slice and finish cooking the egg to your liking (2 to 3 minutes for over easy; 3 to 5 minutes of over hard) and the bread has crisped.
5. Serve sprinkled with the remaining Parmesan, parsley, a little sea salt, and a lot of freshly ground pepper. Serves 2.

Is there a shark in that water???

2011-12-03T16:47:00.001-05:00

Yep, now want to go to fiji

Fiji Vignette 3/3 from Taj Burrow on Vimeo.

Top Pot

2011-11-20T14:29:00.001-05:00

The best doughnut ever.

Top Pot in Seattle, Wa.

My personal favorite? The raspberry ring of course.

There is no other giant, fluffier fried deliciousness in all the world.

I make a point to visit every time I'm in Seattle. Brings me back to the good ol' days when I worked two blocks away. That is one thing I miss about Seattle, the delicious food! In New York we have some damn good food, don't get me wrong, but Seattle is on another level in my opinion. And the thing about Seattle people is that they like to be perfectionists and be pretentious about everything. I believe this is why they bang out some amazing cuisine.

On my last trip to Seattle I visited Spur Gastropub in Belltown. The reviews this establishment receives on Yelp vary. This has to do mostly with the Seattlite's tendency to pick apart every god damn thing.

Now I will pick it apart: The food was fucking awesome. Enough said. The plating was beautiful and the flavors were out of this world. I was feeling like a fatty so I had three courses. First being the pear salad with a danish blue cheese that was very creamy and subtle. I'm picky when it comes to blue cheese, it isn't my favorite of the cheeses, but this one complemented the pear perfectly and was not a bit overpowering. My entree was the grass fed beef burger which was very uniquely seasoned and is now on my list of favorite burgers. At this point I was very impressed with the food but the desert blew my mind. It was not only beautiful but it was so good I almost cried. I wish I remembered exactly what was in it, but alas I do not, but in a nut shell it was a lavender, chipotle creme brulee. It was so amazing I can not express with words how good it was.

The downfall of Spur was the service, while not horrible, was not the best. The server could have been a bit more attentive. I also wasn't impressed with the cocktail list and the cocktail I did have wasn't anything to write home about. But even those two things don't sway my opinion that Spur isn't a great place because the food overshadowed those slight down falls.

Seattle, I'll see you again soon. And I will eat as much as I possibly can.

The glory that is the oven!

2011-11-19T16:32:00.001-05:00

Ever since my oven was fixed all I've wanted to do is bake. I can't begin to comprehend how someone can live in a home with a perfectly good oven and never turn it on. Blasphemy!

I've heard of people using their oven as storage space for gods sake.

Not me. No sir. I can't get enough!

Seeing as I'm in a bad mood....

2011-10-31T20:28:00.002-04:00

Let me go on a little rant. I'm am sick of our society and the lack of morals that people have. It's sickening! Great example of the day is Kim Kardashian and her husband of, what, a few weeks?, getting a divorce. I mean really? What happened to marriage being sacred? I would have liked to give that personality less bimbo the benefit of the doubt about her self worth however, I just can't with her. And it makes me sick that the young women of today are watching that dumb ass reality show looking up to such a vapid, whore. Honestly I hate to say that about her, I would have liked to think of her as a good person but it just ain't so.

IT'S A FUCKING SHAME AND IT MAKES ME SICK.

FUCK EVERYONE AND THIS DAMN WORLD.

Whew I feel a little better...

Elle Driver

2011-10-31T08:59:00.001-04:00

Elle Driver, originally uploaded by Red Fox..

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Love this song!

2011-10-29T17:45:00.001-04:00

Emo Rihanna in full effect.

I'm not sure why...

2011-10-19T20:22:00.000-04:00

but when I'm angry or irritated the best way for me to relax is a metal song. And let me tell you get I get irritated easily.

Again, I'm not sure why.

Yet listening to a good metal song has the same calming effect that one may feel from a long day at the spa. My theory is that the rhythm of the songs soothes me but honestly I has no idea.

Listen and relax.

2011-10-13T13:18:00.000-04:00

When it comes to cooking I'm not the most imaginative. When I 'whip something up' on my own accord it's usually pretty boring. I'm a recipe lady what can I say.
If I've made something numerous times I usually work in my own preferences and try different variations of the recipes but when I'm trying something new I need a recipe. That's why I'm such a big fan of cookbooks, epicurious.com, foodnetwork.com, and my girl Martha (Martha Stewart for those who don't know).
In the spirit of the fall season I decided it was time for some pumpkin soup. I also wasn't feeling too hot so I figured soup was the way to go. After searching the Internet far and wide I came across a recipe with great reviews that sounded pretty tasty. To my dismay the recipe was one of Rachel Ray's. Now don't get me wrong, she does have some great recipes, I just wish she didn't talk.
When I clicked the link to view the recipe a video of her her popped up and I had a small heart attack trying to get the video to stop playing. Whew, it was a close call.
But as I said before she does have some good ideas and the soup turned out fantastic. Damn her and her annoying voice.....

I did use vegetable stock rather than chicken but other than that I basically followed the recipe to the T. But let me tell you the relish was what made the soup so freaking delicious. See that little glob of yumminess in the center of the soup.....

......the soup was a vehicle for the relish. With out the relish the soup may have failed. I'm just sayin.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/pumpkin-soup-with-chili-cran-apple-relish-recipe/index.html

Feta is betta

2011-10-12T19:28:00.001-04:00

I have been craving feta cheese like a 6 month pregnant Greek woman.

No Joke.

So lately, when I've been wanting something quick to eat, I've been warming up a pita smearing it with Tzatziki and loading it full of of feta, cucumbers, and onion. And if I have some green on hand I'll toss those in for good measure.

Oh my gosh, soooo good. DO IT PEOPLE.

Not only is it cheap and quick but it is damn good. My next feat will be to actually make the Tzatziki rather than using store bought. I've never attempted to make Tzatziki but I don't think it should be to hard. I will keep you posted.

Murals of the Berlin Wall

2011-10-08T09:13:00.000-04:00

my favorites at least....

Street Art of Berlin

2011-10-07T18:02:00.000-04:00

The city of cakes

2011-10-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

What do I like most about Germans?

Well their love of cake of course.

I really think that Germans find any excuse to eat cake. It's everywhere in Germany, the streets are basically lined with it! In every restaurant, cafe, or shop there was the most enticing cakes I have ever seen, displayed in their iceboxes sending telepathic messages. Eat me....Eat me.....

And so I did.

And I enjoyed every minute of it.

Especially that little beauty above. Black forest cake. A traditional German cake that was AMAZING. It was so light and creamy with the perfect amount of cherry and cream.

This cake made me happy. Literally.

The wacky and weird of Berlin

2011-10-01T17:10:00.001-04:00

Plain and simple. I heard speak of Berlin being a crazy city but unfortunately I did not bear witness to the seedy, hyper-sexual side of the capitol. To my dismay. Well, other than the young, attractive prostitutes, but other than that I honestly think you really need to know where to go in terms of night life in Berlin. Or maybe it's just me? But I saw no sex clubs, transexuals, or even that many gays for that matter. Again to my dismay.
But I did see some inklings of this underground (or maybe not so underground??) culture.

I mean Europeans love to drink and smoke. This was clear by the drinking on the streets and the cool old school cigarette machines all over the place. And those who drink and smoke tend to like to go to weird sex clubs right!?

Maybe.....

I did come across a bar that advertised a speed dating event that offered you free shots of schnapps if you wore spandex to said function. This peculiar establishment also housed this:

The Cadillac of toilet seats.

I wonder if they meant spandex shorts/pants or a spandex shirt???

So all in all I don't know where the heck these sex/fetish clubs where. Let alone any cool techno clubs. Did I just use the words cool and techno in the same sentence?

Cough.

But maybe, just maybe, I'll find them one day......

Uhhh maybe?

Oh good, let me do it again >:)

Germany Vacation!

2011-09-30T21:25:00.000-04:00

Is over :(

But on the plus side I did get to do this: ~~Go to Berlin,~~ on my "List of things to do before I die"

Crossing stuff off is fun, weeeeeeeeeee! But this trip description is going to have to take place in segments. So to start this segment off I must say that Berlin has fantastic food, I don't think I ate one thing didn't like. And those European folks are doing some things right. For instance, bottled water served at restaurants, specifically sparkling water.

Clearly bottled water is for purchase at restaurants in the states BUT sparkling water in the US is.....gross. But in Europe it is quite tasty and refreshing. Yet since sparkling water here is not to my satisfaction I'll just stick to tap.

I heard rumors that Germany was a cheap place to eat and drink prior to my trip and that is no lie. Especially when you can have delicious street food for 3 Euro as seen below.

Mmmmmmm tasty Döner Kebab.

Döner is Turkish and traditionally made with lamb with various toppings. However in Germany, and I believe in many other European countries, it's mainly made with Chicken, as was the above Döner. It's very similar to shawarma or a gyro but I would have to say much tastier. I can't only imagine how good this would have been with lamb. Holy moly.

But none the less it hit the spot, especially with a tasty German beer. I mean what else would you drink with it in Germany. (P.S. The Heineken in the background was not mine...)

Yoga. Or as I like to call it Yo-gurt.

2011-09-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

I cannot express how hard it is for me to find the motivation to go to my Bikram Yoga class. While I'm there I stick it out, find it challenging, and afterwards I feel great. The benefits, physical and mental, are fantastic. But I have the MOST DIFFICULT time getting myself there. Like right now for instance. I'm going to go but I am dreading it.
When you think about it what am I doing in a yoga class? I'm not flexible. I have no balance what so ever. And I'm making myself sit in a hot ass room where sweat is streaming from my pores like a river.
Alright. I'm going, I'm going. Just imagine me doing this:

2011-09-21T20:55:00.000-04:00

Why do I feel like I'm always cleaning? I swear every time I'm at home I either cleaning out the litter box, vacuuming, dusting, or mopping. It's a never ending cycle. I swear there was once a time when I didn't have this responsibility.... but when was it??
I think that lack of responsibility came to an abrupt end when I moved in with my first live in boyfriend. He owned a house that was entirely too big for him to take care of. I'm not actually sure if he could keep a single room clean for that matter. He had this thing where he would spontaneously shed clothing and I would find trails of underwear, socks, and t-shirts littering the house. When I would find him at the end of the trail I would just shake my head while he giggled. Literally, giggled. Now, I have no problem cooking and cleaning for my man but there are little things that can be avoided, like leaving clothing trails, that make a difference. Take note fellas.
While that relationship ended my relationship with another helpless being began. My cats. Now in reality cats are certainly not helpless, they are quite capable of taking care of themselves. That is, until I take them captive and hole them up in my apartment in New York City. Then they have nothing to hunt and no place to bury their poo. Thus these independent creatures turn into babies that can be left alone for much longer periods of time than actual human babies can. I am the one who has to hunt down their grain free, low carb food. I am the one who unburies their poo out of the littler box and throws it out, sometimes twice a day. And the fur! Jesus, the fur! I wonder what it would be like to live all alone. All I would have to do was dishes I bet. Maybe mop once in a blue moon.
Well until my cats die in about 20 or so years I guess I'll have to keep up this cleaning process. But I'm still going to bitch about it.

List of things to do before I die.

2011-09-19T14:42:00.000-04:00

So I've begun a list of things I would like to do before I die. Some call it a 'Bucket List' however I like to call it a list of things to do before I die. I may or may not have added something so I can already cross it off but what can ya do :).

So far this is what I have:

Climb Mt Kilimanjaro
Island of San Blas
Sky Diving
Take Burlesque Class
Rock climbing
Visit Ireland
Visit Iceland & go hiking
Fly in a hot air balloon
See Northern Lights
Go in shark cage
Surf
See active volcano
See the pyramids
Learn Spanish
Visit New Zealand
Visit Easter Island
Visit New Guinea
Learn Trapese
Have a piece of writing published.
Have a baby
See niagra falls
Go to Yankee Stadium
Go to Jets Game
Go in the freedom tunnel
Go on a scavenger hunt
Live in New Orleans
~~Live In New York~~
Go on an Alaskan Cruise
Go to Berlin
Go to Carnival
See the great wall of China
Shoot a pistol
Yi Peng Festival, Thailand
Eat lobster in Maine
Camp in death valley
Camp in Yellowstone
Go to Burning Man
Be in the Mermaid Parade
Dance in France with Jeff Bance
Eat a Philly Cheese Steak in Philly
Go to the New York City Ballet
Paddle Board
Go to Graceland
Go to Muir Woods

See how fun it looks when something is crossed off?!

Follies

2011-09-02T00:39:00.000-04:00

This evening I ventured to the Marquis Theatre to view Follies, which originally debuted on Broadway in 1971. The stage is set as an old dilapidated Broadway theatre that is soon to be demolished to make way for a parking lot where the cast is meeting in a reunion, consisting of past chorus girls and their significant others. It was a star studded cast including Bernadette Peters playing Sally, who the audience was thrilled to see preforming.
The fist act was average in my opinion. And honestly I wasn't too impressed with Bernadette Peters. I would have to say my favorites from the show were Sally's husband Buddy played by Danny Burstein and Phyllis played by Jan Maxwell. The first act delves into the unhappiness of the characters and their draw to the past and what they wish to have changed, as well as describes the characters negative characteristics and how they affect their personal relationships. While the first act does have some well preformed musical numbers and dancing I felt that it lulled at times.
The second act the stage is transformed into "Loveland" which is over the top in terms of scenery which I found fantastic. In my opinion "Loveland" is the characters realization of what is wrong in their lives/relationships preformed in the most showy, bright, songs with outstanding costumes and choreography. I loved the second act. It was beautiful and the stage was basically exploding with talent. The second act basically saved the show for me.

Red Rooster

2011-08-28T14:14:00.002-04:00

Red Rooster, originally uploaded by Red Fox..

Prior to this hurricane business I had a pre-hurricane dinner at Red Rooster in Harlem. Mmmmmmmmm that corn bread is tasty.
Before summer began they added outside seating to their establishment at Red Rooster which they really had to do, with Sylvia's right next door and all (and Sylvia's has outdoor seating). As a new restaurant Red Rooster is doing exceptionally well. The food is good, the ambiance pleasant, and a very eclectic crowd. Now when I say the food is good let me elaborate. Lets first say Marcus Samuelsson, the celebrity chef behind Red Rooster, clearly has quite the resume. I mean he has had the training, has been a guest chef at the White House, and has judged various cooking shows such as Top Chef and Iron Chef. I have no doubts or arguments with his vision of Red Rooster, I actually think he has a great vision for his restaurant and the convergence of food and community. I just think that at times the dishes at Red Rooster are over seasoned. For example I had a gazpacho a few months back that was very tasty but the dish was too large and half way through I was overwhelmed by the flavor. It would have best been served in a smaller portion. I also had the Red Caesar salad with a smoked vinaigrette, but the vinaigrette had far too much smoke. Not to mention to much dressing overall. But the corn bread is spot on. It's amazing. And the Red Rooster is worth a visit. I think there is just some fine tuning to the recipes that needs to be done and the problem will be solved.

In the bunker

2011-08-27T11:27:00.000-04:00

I was called into work for the weekend. Specifically because there is a hurricane out there folks, it just started raining about 10 minutes ago.

So it begins....

In about 45 minutes the MTA is suspending all services. No subway, no bus, nothin. So I'm staying at work all weekend. "Zone A" of the hurricane zones was giving orders of a mandatory evacuation. The boundry of Zone A is a block away from my work I might add....hmmmm.......

Honesty I think all will be well. But I did have to leave the Kitties alone. Luckly they have plenty of food and water.

Charlie is probably going to OD on the food by the end of the night and go into a food coma for the rest of the time I'm gone.

I can see it now.....

Silly Charlie.

So I'm pretty much all settled in here. I don't have to work for three hours so I think I'll go out and get some rations. I brought bored games to play after work and I even got some fresh flowers for my room. All is well so far people.

Irene

2011-08-26T13:39:00.000-04:00

Apparently there is a hurricane a blowin' in to New York City. Now at first I was like meh, not gonna happen, Irene will lose her intensity by the time she gets so far north. But everyone is really freaking out. They're talking about suspending all public transportation starting tomorrow. This means I might have to go to work and stay over for the night just in case people can't come in. Grrrrr.

But in the mean time I need to get some rations for me and the kitties!

Peaches HotHouse

2011-08-24T21:49:00.000-04:00

This past weekend on a blustery, rainy evening I ventured to BedStuy to visit Peaches HotHouse. Actually blustery is an understatement. It was a torrential downpour.

Upon arriving I was drenched and initially had to use to ladies room to wring out my sopping wet clothing. But once I got settled in I was much happier. Especially after I got appitizer which was the watermelon salad, with arugula, farmers cheese, lime & ginger. Mmmmm mmmm and my hot date had the fried green tomato's with bacon and barbecue aioli. Also Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmm.

Then along came my drink that was served in a mason jar. You really can't go wrong with a beverage served in a mason jar. But what was inside the mason jar was even better! First.....Bulleit Bourbon. My favorite bourbon of all bourbons.

Second....peach schnapps

Third.....Sweet tea.

Sooooooooooooo delicious. I love Bulleit Bourbon. It is amazing. And this beverage ladies and gentleman was so refreshing I wanted to be on a porch swinging or something. Alas I was in the hood on a rainy night. But it was a good thing I had this drink to wash down the fried chicken I ordered. Because it was hot. And I mean HOT.

Under most circumstances I love hot food. I always drench my food in hot sauce so while I'm browsing the menu my fried chicken options are regular, hot, or extra hot. I choose extra hot without even thinking twice. When the waitress asked me if I was sure, I got a little hesitant but I went for it anyways. I should have taken this warning to heart because my mouth was on fire! I had to remove the skin it was so hot. But inside the flesh was warm, juicy, and tasty.

So the rainy night turned out to be warm and filling. And there more than just Chinese restaurants in BedStuy now. Who knew.

2011-08-23T10:56:00.000-04:00

I have recently been reading up on exercise, trends, and diet to better my heath as I'm clearly getting old. What I've noticed in my research is that many health enthusiasts these days are frowning upon excessive, long intervals of aerobic activity. Specifically long distance running. Now I do enjoy aerobic activity so I'm not going to knock it, I think its important to have that increased heart rate and get all sweaty however I also think that it is hard on your body so I'm not the biggest supporter of long distance running. So quite a few fitness articles I've been reading have highly suggest just plain ol' walking to get your heart rate up. Now I'm in no way a nutritionist or doctor but I like the idea of this, I like to walk.
Yesterday, after 40 minutes of cardio at the gym, I was dying of boredom but was still wanting a little more exercise. So I decided I would walk home. From the Financial District of Manhattan, to SoHo, across Canal to the Westside Highway, up the Hudson (a brief stop at Magnolia Bakery in the West Village to get some, oh so delicious, banana pudding), through Riverside Park, across a bridge that rose over the wafting aroma of Dinosaur BBQ, right on 135th st, through St. Nicholas Park, and 11 miles later I was at my door.

It took awhile I'm not gonna lie (about 4 hours with my break), but it was a fantastic day yesterday so it was worth the time AND I made some new discoveries along the way. Namely the south end of Riverside Park is amazing. I had never ventured so far south in this particular park that begins at 58th st. and goes all the way to 156th st. But at the beginning it's really quite beautiful; sculptures are placed through out the greenery and a boardwalk right along the rivers edge. I'm glad I made the trek otherwise I would have never gone there in a million years.
I don't know if the pizza I ate in my bed when I got home canceled out my walking extravaganza but oh well. If my stomach says pizza, pizza it is.

I really love Maru.

2011-08-22T07:38:00.000-04:00

I mean he is wearing a freaking raincoat here people!!!!!!!!!!!

This REALLY made my day.

This is just.....

2011-08-20T22:53:00.002-04:00

This is just hilarious.....oooh my gosh how it brings me so much joy.....

Sister Act

2011-08-20T08:05:00.000-04:00

I saw Sister Act the musical brought to you by Ms. Whoopi Goldberg herself and it did not disappoint. Although, on a side note, I must add that it was freaking freezing in that theatre. I realize it's Summer and all but I felt as if I should have brought my Winter coat along with me. But I digress. When I was little I loved the movie Sister Act I would walk around singing those songs like I was just at Sunday school...even though I don't think I've been to Sunday school a day in my life.

Nothing you could do 'cause I'm stuck like glue to my god

Patina Miller was perfectly cast as the lead, Deloris Van Cartier. The humor of the script and Ms. Miller seemed to agree. She embodied the character and was quite hilarious with her over exaggerated movements. But don't get me wrong, she certainly wasn't over the top. And let me say in the last number I have never seen such a sparkling set in my life. I won't give anything away but just imagine a giant disco ball-esque Mary Magdalene.
On my way home I was singing the songs just like I did when I was little. All in all a great performance.

Just sayin

2011-08-19T13:03:00.000-04:00

I was just reading one of my favorite blogs and I came across a post of a "peel-able banana paper craft" and it made me realized just how phallic bananas are. As I look at this picture all I could think about was a penis.

Maybe it's just this image itself......but the resemblance to a white man's penis is uncanny. I mean sure a very pale white man, maybe even an albino but still...uncanny.

Makes me look at banana's differently.

Sister Sister

2011-08-17T09:06:00.001-04:00

Apparently Tia and Tamara Mowry have a new reality series that premiered last week on the Style Network. How did I not about about this?? I loved Sister Sister! I also loved Roger from Sister Sister. Which I realize is slightly humorous, but I had the biggest crush on him. Especially after he joined the R&B group Immature.

I had dreams of him singing that song outside my window in those overly baggy clothes.....awww *sigh*

But honestly what was up with his hair?

I mean his character, Roger, on Sister Sister was simply annoying but in reality Marques Houston has grown up to be quite the looker.

I MEAN REALLY! Too bad he's short.....I think.....

Oh well. I'm gonna have to DVR this new show the ladies have. Maybe Marques will make an appearance ;)

MOMA PS1

2011-08-16T16:46:00.001-04:00

MOMA PS1, originally uploaded by Red Fox..

Summer has literally flown by! I can't believe it's already August and unfortunately I don't feel that I've done much notable this summer....

I mean sure I've been outside absorbing the rays, but I feel that I've been missing out on some summer activities. Simply put I feel sad about it.

But lets not dwell on my pointless sorrow. I mean I did get outside. I also ventured out to Long Island City to PS1, the extension of MOMA that has fun parties all summer on Saturday afternoons. So until September 3rd you can visit PS1 any saturday and enjoy the 'Wram Up." Pay the cover and enjoy some tunes as you wander the halls of the former public school that has extracted the children and replaced them with various exhibits and mediums. Plus they spruce up their front lawn by changing the various installations each year. The only downfall is that you will be surrounded by hipsters. So don't say I didn't warn you.

On my way out I also took a gander at 5 Pointz, as it's pretty much across the street, an old factory covered that is basically an outdoor gallery covered in legal graffiti. Ever changing, as the less popular pieces are painted over by new. It's worth a walk around the building at the very least. Where you'll see some amazing art and people at work, in the midst of creation.

So summer isn't all bad I guess.... I still have half the month left, I need to get outside!

Congrats Maru!

2011-08-16T05:15:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite internet sensations has a book!

Maru!

The adorable cat that likes to squeeze himself into whatever little space he possibly can.

Actually now that I think about it I'm not sure if Maru is a boy or girl....oh well congrats Maru!

And you if you would like to get to know Maru a little better check out his blog and prepare to have your heart warmed:

http://sisinmaru.blog17.fc2.com/

Or if you need a good book.....

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062088416/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=mitogo05-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=0062088416

Or if you just need a little taste of cuteness:

2011-08-15T15:06:00.000-04:00

I like a good cocktail. I'm not going to lie.

I hear people often questioning if it's appropriate to drink in the early afternoon or what is the proper wine to drink with a certain meal. These are defiantly valid questions and inquiries. Personally I find that Bourbon to be more of a fall/winter drink myself. Rose to be consumed on warm evenings after a sunny day.
But there is one drink that is so universal it can be consumed at any time, any season, and location. Although it is associated with a very specific circumstance. And this is exactly why I love it so much.

The Pina Colada.

So tasty. So refreshing. So makes you feel like your on a beach vacation in the tropics no matter if it's the dead of winter and you're wearing a parka! There is nothing to make a summer day feel that much more summery or take you away in the middle of the winter than such a creamy concoction.

But where to find such deliciousness in NYC?? Pain Killer, that's where! Of course you can also get a variety of other tasty cocktails at this Tiki bar tucked away inconspicuously on Essex St. But how can you resist a beverage served out of pineapple with a umbrella and pipe cleaner flamingo??!!

I may or may not have walked by the door a couple times before joking with the door guys that no one knows where the place is and are afraid to ask the two black guys outside for directions. She's not the most obvious of establishments. But the drinks are tasty and really who can resist a Tiki bar?

ONCE AGAIN.....

2011-08-14T20:51:00.000-04:00

I'm bringing back the blog! I know, I know. It has been over a year since I've made a single post. I've said like twice before that I'm bringing back the blog after long stints of silence and then been a total loser and not posted. BUT I'M SERIOUS THIS TIME PEOPLE.

In the past year a lot has happened! Kitty and I moved to a new, bigger apartment and we also had a new addition to the family.....baby Charlie Sheen!

Not only is he cute as pie he is excellent at catching flies and a bit crazy, hence the handle. So Kitty now has a buddy to party with and, to be honest, Kitty is a quit the mentor. But its obvious he would be.

hmmmmmm

2010-04-27T20:48:00.001-04:00

hmmmmm, originally uploaded by Red Fox..

After being at Coachella and surviving the sunshine with SPF 85 I've realized that for a person as pale as myself the secret of youth is just that very thing: Protection for the sun! I will not succumb to wrinkles!

Flickr

2010-04-27T20:42:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Coachella 2010

2010-04-20T22:47:00.001-04:00

Went to California over the weekend to visit one of my very best friends and went to Coachella! Woo-hoo! She was a blast, we saw (as far as I can remember):
LCD Soundsystem
She & Him
Street Sweeper Socail Club
Jay-Z
The Specials
Devo
Faith No More
Hot Chip
Les Claypool
MGMT
The Raveonettes
The xx
De Le Soul
Gorillaz
Jonsi
Pavement
Spoon
Yo La Tengo

It was a great time and the weather was amazing, I didn't even get a sunburn with the help of my SPF 85. Can't wait for next year! I am there fo-sho!

2010-03-29T18:04:00.000-04:00

Last week was Helen's birthday and per the birthday girl's request we went to Babbo, Mario Batali's restaurant by Washington Square Park. I heard it was over rated but I must say the food was quite good and they offered a good Prosecco at an even better price. Sure the antipasto and primi course were small but the secondi course was more than generous. I would have to say it was quite delicious.

Happy St Patrick's Day!

2010-03-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

Kitty is ready for some green beer with his green scarf (please hold crazy cat lady comments)

Vodka Sauce

2010-03-16T18:07:00.000-04:00

I was talking with a friend earlier, well we were actually g-chatting since I can't talk, and the topic of vodka sauce was brought up. The thing about vodka sauce is it can either be delicious or disgusting. Being on of my favorite sauces I know this and I am very particular about the sauce I use. A heavenly pasta dinner can go very wrong if you have the wrong sauce because, honestly, bad vodka sauce literally tastes like vomit and is inedible. So if you're going to purchase a jar of vodka sauce from the store I advise you use Scarpetta Fresh Pasta Sauce, available at Whole Foods. Now it is a little pricier than your average jar of sauce but in terms of a good vodka sauce it really is worth it. And if your a single person, eating alone, a jar can spread over three meals. Honestly, I am no Italian chef, so I'm not sure what exactly makes or breaks a sauce but there is something about this sauce that is oh so good.

Spring!!!!!!

2010-03-16T17:21:00.000-04:00

Just went for a walk to get out of the house and I must say it's a beautiful day in NYC!

Disco Stick

2010-03-16T11:57:00.000-04:00

With all the hype over Lady Gaga's new video for Telephone I feel that I need to add my two cents. While I think the video is entertaining I agree with most review who note that it has nothing to do with the song, but I don't think it necessarily needs too, because as a whole the video doesn't make sense. The costumes and makeup are amazing. I think Beyonce looks fantastic in the diner with the yellow dress on, her makeup is amazing, I mean who can pull off yellow eyeshadow? She can.
I did dislike the Virgin Mobile plugs, but what can you do, make that money girl. All in all I would have to say the video was good but I think her other videos are better. For instance the LoveGame video. Good song, good costumes (love the Chanel shoes close up when she's standing on the hood of the car), hot guys, and a hot video. And I like my Gaga with bangs.

On the Bright Side....

2010-03-15T19:45:00.000-04:00

To make the most out of being sick and not being able to talk I would like to highlight the things I'm enjoying

1- Laying in bed an watching 90210 and old movies, such as Meet Me In St Louis and Gentlemen Prefer Blonde's

2- Spending time with Kitty who I'm sure gets lonely when I'm away from the apartment.

3-Drinking this yummy chamomile citrus tea I just bought

4- Drinking said tea with Wildflower honey, which smells just as good as it tastes

5- Eating soup, one of my favorite foods, especially this mushroom barely soup from Whole Foods

6- Not wearing makeup.

So as long as I'm getting better I may as well as enjoy what I can.

2010-03-15T16:25:00.000-04:00

Season 3 of Mad Men is being released on DVD next week and I can't wait, as I don't watch the series when it regularly airs on AMC and the finale of season 2 was quite the cliff hanger, so I have been waiting patiently for season 3 to come out on DVD. And it looks like our old pal Barbie has come out for the occasion donned in 60's garb....

Now for some reason there is something about Barbies that intrigue me. It's the girl in me I guess, but it's like taking someone (for instance the cast of Mad Men) and giving them another reality. It makes them more tangible and admirable. Now maybe what I'm saying sounds completely psychotic but I feel that the avid Barbie collectors have to agree with me. Right?
Anyways can't wait to kick back with a glass of gin and cigarettes and watch season 3.

Bringing Back the Blog

2010-03-15T12:31:00.000-04:00

Today is my second day sick with laryngitis. I must say I prefer to call in sick to work when I'm faking because actually being sick is for the birds. Not to mention, its boring. This morning I've gone back and fourth over my usual Internet sites and decided to check this blog for the first time in ages and I realized it had been a year since I made a post, so I figure it's about time I make one. It's hard to sum up all that has happened in the past year; 2010 has arrived (which I feel great about by the way), New York is great, Kitty has gained some weight but I love him just the same, and I'm working on starting my own business. I'm sick of working for the man. But in the mean time before my great rise to success I'll have to call in sick to the man when I have no voice. And apparently it's harder on your vocal folds to whisper, which is the only way I can talk, so I'm basically left a mute. All I really want right now is to take a trip down to the East Village and have some yummy noodles from Momofuku Noodle Bar and enjoy my time off of work. Not going to happen I guess....

Pack Rat

2009-03-21T18:12:00.000-04:00

I've spent most of today sorting my belongings that I have stored in boxes into four categories:
Category 1. Donate to Goodwill
Category 2. Throw Away
Category 3. Ship to New York
Category 4. Storage at Dad's House.

I feel today's work has been successful. My category 1 is much larger than I expected, my category 4 is just the right size, and my category 3 is not nearly as large as I had originally thought. So far so good. I made a few interesting finds today as well, its funny how you forget about some belongings that you don't display in your daily life. These are a few of my personal favorites:

I've probably had this Ginger Spice Doll since I was in eight grade. Yes I know, I was far too old to be playing with dolls but in my defense this box was never opened. It was strictly part of my Geri Halliwell display. And my boyfriend at the time bought it for me. Please note the K-Mart price tag in the upper right hand corner that reads $12.99, this item is priceless now.
I found this sign about four years ago when I lived with this very sweet, ultra religious girl named Jenn. I didn't know Jenn when we moved in together and after a year of living with her I must say that I didn't get to know her very well either. When she moved out she left some stuff in the closet which she told me I could have if I wanted, so one day I went through her old belongings and I found this street sign. So much for being paranoid about smoking weed in my room.

This is a favorite of mine. I actually acquired this from a bum on First Ave outside the Contour about five years ago. My sister and I went to happy hour where we got super wasted, when we stumbled out onto the streets after we decided it was finally time to go home I saw the bum holding this charming Looney Tunes character and asking for change. I told him I would trade him the shot of tequila, which I was holding on the street for some reason, for the figurine and he was more than happy to do. This is in Category 3 for sure.

Four rooms.

2009-03-19T15:30:00.001-04:00

As I stand here at work checking someone in to the hotel they ask me, "You look really familiar, have you worked here for about 3 years or so?"
This is one of those times where I grit my teeth trying to suppress the anger and disappointment in myself and respond, "Actually yes, I've worked here for almost four years."
Even though this brief interaction does make me feel pitiful there is a light at the end of the tunnel folks. As of yesterday March 18th I will only be working at the Hotel for two and a half more weeks! My official notice has been filed and soon enough I will be free! Free and unemployed! Like so many other Americans!
I know this may not sound like any great feat but its easy to fall into a daily routine. And sometimes that's okay, but other times its defeating. I've grown up believing that personal happiness is one of the most important things in life for some reason, I'm not sure if I've just been telling myself this or if I actually learned it somewhere, but I cannot deter myself away from this path. This is why I've ended relationships with people for no apparent reason, why I've run away from so many challenging issues that I've faced in my life, and why I currently may not be making the most economically wise decision.
I've always had this fantasy to live in the deep south (a place I've never been, by the way) along a bayou in Louisiana and own an alligator farm. I would frolick about the marshes in cut off jean shorts, hair in braids, with a stick of grass hanging from my mouth. And when I would go to town I would drive there in an old beat up Ford truck with gator skin interior. I would be the Pippi Longstocking of the Southern United States. The strongest women in the world with a pirate Daddy who is off hunting for treasure in the South Seas.

So maybe I don't make the best life decisions but then again maybe I do. I'm pretty sure there is no such thing as a simple life for a simple person.

Update

2009-03-18T13:34:00.000-04:00

Kitty is, in fact, feeling much better. He is almost through with his medicine and hasn't coughed at all the past few days. I must say that I'm a little concerned that he may become sick again before (or during) our move, however it seems that he has been sleeping enough to keep any illness at bay. Awww the life of a cat.

Cat Scratch Fever

2009-03-13T10:41:00.000-04:00

Kitty is, in fact, sick. He had a fever yesterday when I took him to the vet so she put him on two types of oral antibiotics. One in pill form, the other a liquid. It just so happens that I have never given a cat any type of medicine before in my life and it was definitely not as easy as it looks when the vet does it. It wasn't easy at all. In fact, it involved multiple scratches, biting, and having pink medicine spit all over me. This is probably the most frustrating thing I have ever done at 5 AM. It took 20 minutes of me cursing and trying not to punch a freaking wall. And then I felt bad for Kitty so I had to spend like 20 more minutes consoling him. I didn't want him to be mad at me for gods sake! There must be an easier way of doing this.......

2009-03-12T13:27:00.001-04:00

For the past three days Kitty has been waking up in the middle of the night with coughing fits. Most of the time when cats are sick they show no or very subtle symptoms of their illness. So considering that the fits have worsened over the past few days its is safe to say that I am very concerned for my little guy, so today we will be making a visit to the vet. The last time Kitty and I visited the vet he was just a month or so old, and he hated it. In his youth it was much easier to control him considering he only weighed two and a half pounds, where as now I'm pretty sure he weighs over twenty and can easily protest any treatment he likes, or doesn't like for that matter. Which for a cat is pretty much everything that they don't choose to do themselves. The last time we went to the vet was when he was getting fixed, when we arrived at the vets office we were a little early so I took him from the crate, as he meowed incessantly, and sat him on my lap where he immediately curled up like a croissant and started purring. It was heartbreaking to know that I was taking such an adorable creature to be castrated. And now here we are again going to the vets when he is sick and I know he is going to be upset by the whole circumstance. I've been reading up on what conditions are associated with cat coughing and it seems that heart disease is the most common. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is not the case, hopefully he just has an infection or something. Get well soon Kitty!

2009-02-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

I'm don't normally purchase MAC products but I do find their advertising quite interesting and visually stimulating. I mean, they used Dita Von Teese for god sake in their AIDS fund campaign, how could I not love what they do?! But when I heard MAC was doing a Hello Kitty product line I knew that millions of Asian girls were squealing with glee. I however wasn't all that into the idea. Hello Kitty is cute and all, but its just not my thing. Then I saw this video:

Viewing this ad did not make me want to purchase this line by any means, however I can't help but love a brightly colored video that happens to feature a cat that just so happens to bear a striking resemblance to my little man, Kitty! Seriously, that cat is his twin! Or he has been moonlighting as a cat model and I didn't know about it. Which is highly feasible, I have no idea what hes up to when I'm sleeping. Unfortunately the second half of the video got boring. After the girl travels through some fluffy, vaginal portal Kitty's twin turns into a dominatrix and starts dancing around a gang of S&M Hello Kitty men. But Kitty's debut was amazing none the less.

2009-02-21T16:09:00.000-05:00

I had the pleasure of seeing the movie Coraline the other day and I must say that it was a wonderful experience. I mean how can you go wrong with a 3D, stop-motion animation, full length film? It was absolutely beautifully done and I would even have to say that I would love to see it once more before it is no longer in the theaters. Not only was it visually amazing, but the story was entertaining and the film was able to convey a moral for the children in the audience. One aspect of the film I found interesting was that the ghost children called the other mother 'The Beldam;' I had never heard this term before and according to IMDB the name came from a John Keats poem entitled "La Belle Dame sans Merci." This poem describes the enchantment of the Belle Dame which I found interesting in parallel with the movie. I wouldn't say this is one of Keats best works however it does provide an appropriate mystic, eerie characteristic.

La Belle Dame sans Merci

I.

O WHAT can ail thee, knight-at-arms,
Alone and palely loitering?
The sedge has wither’d from the lake,
And no birds sing.

II.

O what can ail thee, knight-at-arms!
So haggard and so woe-begone?
The squirrel’s granary is full,
And the harvest’s done.

III.

I see a lily on thy brow
With anguish moist and fever dew,
And on thy cheeks a fading rose
Fast withereth too.

IV.

I met a lady in the meads,
Full beautiful—a faery’s child,
Her hair was long, her foot was light,
And her eyes were wild.

V.

I made a garland for her head,
And bracelets too, and fragrant zone;
She look’d at me as she did love,
And made sweet moan.

VI.

I set her on my pacing steed,
And nothing else saw all day long,
For sidelong would she bend, and sing
A faery’s song.

VII.

She found me roots of relish sweet,
And honey wild, and manna dew,
And sure in language strange she said—
“I love thee true.”

VIII.

She took me to her elfin grot,
And there she wept, and sigh’d fill sore,
And there I shut her wild wild eyes
With kisses four.

IX.

And there she lulled me asleep,
And there I dream’d—Ah! woe betide!
The latest dream I ever dream’d
On the cold hill’s side.

X.

I saw pale kings and princes too,
Pale warriors, death-pale were they all;
They cried—“La Belle Dame sans Merci
Hath thee in thrall!”

XI.

I saw their starved lips in the gloam,
With horrid warning gaped wide,
And I awoke and found me here,
On the cold hill’s side.

XII.

And this is why I sojourn here,
Alone and palely loitering,
Though the sedge is wither’d from the lake,
And no birds sing.

The strike of delicious poultry

2009-02-20T12:27:00.000-05:00

When I was nine years old I was riding my bike around my neighborhood with my friend Cherisse. We were just taking a leisurely ride so when we heard a strange honking noise we decided to investigate. Following the sound we came to a dead end where a Canadian Goose stood, honking away. We stopped, wondering what was wrong with this guy, and he just stood there staring at us. After awhile we lost interest in the fella and headed home on our bikes. Little did we know, we were being followed.
Just so happens that sneaky devil thought that it would be fun to see what we were up to. When we noticed our stalker we started to ride faster but he was persistent and took flight however he could only get about five feet off the ground, still he was on our tail. When we reached my house and my mother saw the goose she demanded that we run it off the property, even though we insisted that it would be impossible since he pretty much corralled us in the first place. Considering this we decided that having him chase us would pretty much be the best way to get him out of the yard.
So we ran. We ran and he followed hovering just above our heads, when it happened. He bit me. I didn't even know that geese bit. And I didn't even know it would hurt so bad.
Turns out it does. And, turns out Canadian geese are actually totally freaking nuts. The video below shows a sweet doggy on a boat getting attacked just like I did. When I watched it I found myself breaking into a cold sweat and having flash backs to my own encounter with the possessed, Christmas dinner on legs.

So watch out and don't trust any goose as far as you could throw him.

I couldn't even get away with this.....

2009-02-19T12:39:00.000-05:00

There is something about Pamela Anderson that, well, frightens me. If I saw her on the street I'm pretty sure I would chase her down, tackle her, and dress her in age appropriate clothing. She should no longer be parading around in minuscule clothing with pounds of make up on her face.

There was a time in her life where she was defiantly a prominent sex symbol in our society however age has taken its toll on poor Pammy and I think we would all like to see her with a lot more clothing on. She is defiantly in great shape for her age but shes exudes trailer park, white trash rather than mid twenties bunny sex appeal. Which is what she is going for.....I think?

Yum, Yum

2009-02-18T16:32:00.001-05:00

Oopse-a-daisy

2009-02-18T10:29:00.000-05:00

I have always found it highly amusing when people injure themselves. I admit it, I'm a jerk. But seriously its funny, and I don't want anyone to get badly hurt by any means, but a good old fashion trip always gives me a good laugh. I think I inherited this bad sense of humor gene from my mother, I remember falling off my bike into a pile of skinned knees and tears and she laughed. And I should note that laughed was an understatement. So now I find myself suppressing giggles when I see someone trip on sidewalks or slide down stairs. My personal favorite humorous accidents however happen to take place under the lights and scrutiny of the catwalk. Seeing emaciated, gangley models teter and topple on stilettos that cause them to tower as high as trees just warms my heart.

Don't get me wrong, I give these ladies credit. Not only do their falls look painful but they also look absolutely mortifying! Heres a picture of Monika Jagaciak's fall this year at the Herve Leger show:

Let me tell you, that girl ate shit and she did it gracefully. Her ankles folded and she went down with out even flashing her panties, only to get up with a stunning smile on her face. Talk about professionalism. Poor girl probably had every curse word in the dictionary running through her head. The Polish dictionary and the American Standard.

Hey, beautiful people fall too. And they prove that it really is impossible to walk in those goddamn shoes.

Belated Valentines!

2009-02-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

With the passing of the weekend so went Valentines Day 2009. I admit, with me not being much of a fan of 2009 I wasn't really looking forward to Valentines Day. Mainly because I'm employed at a hotel, and a hotel stay is just as generic as dinner at a fancy resturant and roses on Valentines Day. I mean those things are all fine and romantic however, they lose their appeal to me when every, single other couple is doing them at the exact same time. On top of all that I believe that my knight in shining armor will do such romantic, lovey dovey things all year round. And I expect him to do so. With that said, I find it rather grotesque to see unimaginative couples scrambeling to express their procrastinating ass love, all while burdening me. And to top it off I meet these couples when they arrive for their hotel stay and, try as I might not to, I imagine what is going to go on up in room 805. And let me tell you, its not always pretty. Especially when they think its cute to begin their mating ritual in front of me with some PDA, which I do not, I repeat, do not want to see. Thus I decided that I would treat this Valentines Day as more of a Thanksgiving, gorging myself with delicious, satisfying, fatty foods all the while watching movies and telling myself that I'll go to the gym later. IT WAS AMAZING. And in the end I got into a bed of freshly washed sheets and, let me tell ya, I found love. Right there in my bed, the last place I expected to find it. Or the first, depending on how you look at it. But there is nothing close to the joy I feel when Im stuffed with food, drifting off to sleep on clean sheets. Its good to know that I am able to bring my self to that level of euphoria, I bet those jokers in 805 didn't even come close.

Life Is Grand

2009-02-12T10:50:00.000-05:00

My friend introduced me to this web site today that is basically a forum that people use to post blurbs about random crappy aspects of their life. I, personally, think my life sucks a lot of the time so its nice to read shitty things that happen to other people. And it turns out its pretty hilarious! Here are a few of my favorite posts:

"Today, I found out that when I masturbate at night while watching internet porn I cast a huge shadow on the curtain and the entire street is able to see it."

"Today, I went to a movie with my boyfriend. In the lobby, I asked why the glasses were not working. I said, "Do they only work inside the theater?" My boyfriend replied, "3-D glasses just work inside the movie, everything else in the World is pretty much 3-D.""

"Today, when I tried on a pair of pants at the mall, I asked the salesperson if I could have the next size up. She informed me that there wasn't a next size up. I have to LOSE weight to fit into the biggest pair of pants the store makes."

"Today, I got a text message. It said, "I'm so drunk. What you up to, girl?" It was my dad"

"Today, I told the guy I have feelings for that I'm interested in, and asked him how he feels about it. He responded via text, saying, "I feel fairly neutral about that.""

"Today, my mom and I were looking at pictures from the beach. She goes, "That is a REALLY ugly picture of Michelle" (my cousin). The picture was of me."

"Today, having just told me what a great job I've been doing and how he'd really like to start giving me some more responsibility, my boss asked me if I'd sharpen a couple of pencils for him."

"Today, my boyfriend started affectionately calling me "Burt Reynolds" because I wax my upper lip."

"Today, my mother and I got into a huge fight about me being a lesbian. It ended with me saying "Fuck you!" to which she responded: "I bet you'd probably like to.""

"Today, I heard my sister masturbating in her room. I took the dog around the block to get out of the house, and I came back to see her exiting her room....my electric toothbrush in her hand."

"Today, I was tutoring kids at an elementary school. One kid messed up my hair. I said, "Why'd you do that??" He said, "I have lice, now you have lice too!""

"Today, I decided to come out to a co-worker. She looked at me, then laughed, and said, "You can't be gay, you're fat!""

So maybe its not the nicest thing to laugh at other people misfortune, but its making me much happier so I'm sure they wouldn't mind.

Home sweet home.

2009-02-11T21:37:00.001-05:00

2009-02-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

On Monday and Tuesday of this week the Westminster Dog Show took place at Madison Square Garden where the best of the breeds competed for best in show, and members of PETA protested outside dressed in KKK attire. What will those marketing geniuses at PETA think of next? PETA claims that their protest was to illustrate that "AKC's attempt to create a master race" was the commonality between the dog show circuit and the Ku Klux Klan. I don't really understand why PETA has such a problem with selective breeding, people do it all the time, specifically at sperm banks, and I'm not going to breed with any Joe Schmoe, I'll tell you that much. My baby will be beautiful on top of being the smartest baby ever born, just saying.
So really I see nothing wrong with the AKC other than the fact that dog show people are fucking weird. No joke. My mother showed and bred dogs my entire childhood, I spent quite a bit of time at dog shows, I know. Those dog show folk treat their animals like gods. I remember actually screaming at my mother once, telling her that she didn't love me as much as her dogs. And maybe she didn't, but I sure feel bad that I didn't apologize for that one.
Anyways, dog show people are nuts. I feel that the movie Best In Show was an excellent depiction of how crazy these people are. And I will even go as far to say that, in reality, dog show people are crazier. But not so crazy as to try and create some sort of superior, robot dog. Just crazy from the love that they have for their animals. And even though people who have an extreme love for their dogs make me cringe, I do really like dogs and I have a psychotic amount of love for my cat, so I can respect that. Especially since Kitty likes dogs too. All hail Kitty!

2009-02-07T10:37:00.000-05:00

I was reading the New Yorker the other day and I came across an article written by a man who suffered from a condition that caused a constant ringing in his left ear. I was intrigued by this article because I once had also suffered from such a symptom, however it had been in both my ears and drove me crazy! Seriously, it was annoying and I was convinced I was dieing because of this ailment. So it turns out this condition is called Tinnitus and is caused by noise trauma (the more obvious of the factors), foreign objects in the ear canal, and abnormally low levels of serotonin activity. I found the last cause particularly interesting because I assocated my particular condition to the electrical substation that was behind the house I lived in. My idea was that the substation produced some type of low frequency sound that caused the ringing in my ears. Upon further investigation I learned that the magnetic field produced by the substation had been known to cause paranoia in people who resided in close proximity to the substation. This made me wonder if paranoia decreased the amount of serotonin in the brain thus causing the ringing in my ear........though I never felt particularly paranoid. Luckily the ringing stopped after I moved away from that house, vowing to never live by an electrical substation ever again. Still, I always wonder if I had really suffered from a bout of Tinnitus or was simply just paranoid.

THE BEACH.

2008-09-26T16:58:00.000-04:00

My favorite that is.....

Jeff Koons

2008-09-26T10:55:00.000-04:00

Last week I had the pleasure of viewing the Jeff Koons exhibit on the roof at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. With my rising interest in sculpture and installation art I have become very intrigued with the work of Mr Koons. This being the first exhibit of his that I have seen I was quite impressed. His designs were immaculate, vibrant, surreal and up-lifting. Below are a few shots I took of the exhibit that was on the roof of the museum, the weather was lovely and made for some great reflections off the pieces.

Citizens of Seattle. We like em' crazy in these parts

2008-09-10T13:07:00.000-04:00

I always run into crazy people late at night or early in the morning. This seems standard. The early morning crowd seems to be the craziest. They've been awake all night thus allowing them to get into all sorts of nutty antics. This past Monday morning, for example, I was at work around 7AM, this woman in her late 30's early 40's approaches my co-worker to inquire if we have a room. My co-worker informs her that we do and that it would be roughly $300 a night. She states that she would like the room however she needed to contact her mother who would be paying for the room. Twenty minutes go by, all the while dealing with this woman's mother and the details of using her credit card with out her present. Blah, blah, blah. During this time period it becomes apparent that this woman is not totally there and it is also clear that her mother is not going to pay $300 for her mentally ill daughter to stay in a hotel. The woman realizes she needs to find an alternated plan due to the fact that she was "very tired and had been be beaten up very badly," and her mother wasn't going to be much help. So she makes a call to a friend. The one side of the conversation that I heard went as follows:

"Hey I'm downtown Seattle, can you come pick me up........I just got out of jail, I was there for three months.........I was at a bookstore and they said I tried to steal a hat..isn't that crazy, you know I don't steal..........and I dropped a book and they said I tried to harass a customer.........I know it was ridiculous, they had me arrested and my car was parked out of Safco Field and it got impounded.............that's why I need you to come get me, I got beat up really bad.........Mark beat me up..........that's why I had to leave and I haven't' slept............well what do you consider sex to be..........well I had to do something he was letting me stay at his house.............no Larry, we didn't have sex..................I needed a place to stay.............please come get me..........you were in jail too?"

The conversation went on like this for some time, so long in fact that this woman's mother called back to ask if she was still at the hotel. When I told her she was her mother told me to call the cops and have her arrested and taken to Harborview or the West Seattle Mental Health Center. I'm not one to call the cops but I did want this nutcase to kick rocks. I had been tried to get her attention multiple times and she was ignoring me. So after her mother called enough was enough, and her language had become much more vulgar so I stood directly in front of her, the desk between us, and slammed on hand down on the desk as hard as I could and in a very stern tone told her to leave. And she listened.....she didn't look at me or acknowledge my existence, but she listened. One can only hear so much blow job talk at 7AM.

Photo-Graph.

2008-09-05T11:15:00.000-04:00

I've always wished to be a talented photographer. However I was not blessed with an artistic eye. I spent many enjoyable hours in the darkroom, however I never produced anything notable. Last night I went to a gallery reception that featured Hugo Ludeña, a beautiful photographer. This exhibit primarily featured photos from Hispanic wedding ceremonies, and they are amazing. I think the most difficult aspect of photography is capturing emotion and these pictures do more than that.

Summer

2008-09-04T16:20:00.001-04:00

Summer 2008 hasn't been anything to write home about. The weather has sucked, I only went swimming twice, and I didn't drink nearly as much alcohol as I should have. Crying shame. And I probably did cry a few times. However I know that there will be greater summers to come and the summers of the past make up for any lost time or lost swimming excursions. So here's to memories and here's to fall! Cuz summers almost gone baby.

Attack from Outer Space

2008-09-03T11:33:00.001-04:00

I've been analyzing Cindy McCain today and I've come to the conclusion that she is a terrifying person. She reminds me of the alien from Mars Attacks who dresses as a woman to penetrate the tough security of the White House. Tough indeed. Coincidence? I think not. Philanthropy is a great occupation for someone who is covering something up.

90210

2008-09-03T11:33:00.000-04:00

I am a huge fan of the original 90210. I love it. Love, love, love it. It is maybe the funniest show ever made. They were the teenagers that the youth of the early 90s wanted to be and they were the fashion icons of our time. Now as I religiously watch the back episode DVDs I laugh at the hilariousness of the characters, the bad clothes, tacky decorating of Kelly's home, and obscene plot scenarios. But I love it. Its heartwarming and fun. Completely harmless and documentation of lives that we left behind a decade ago. I, obviously, am not the only lover of the show considering the series long run time. Whenever I put a season of Beverly Hills 90210 into the DVD player all of my friends are equally intrigued as myself. It is a time for the children of the 90s to come together and rejoice, for our molding is still a beautiful work of art. As of yesterday, 9/02..../08 our television sets, ie our flat screen plasmas, were graced with the likes of the new generation. The generation of i-pod listeners, test messagers, and bloggers. (Blog is a gross word by the way) I watched the two hour season premiere of the 2008 Beverly Hills 90210 last night on the edge of my seat. The cars are shiny, the stars are slutty, the houses bigger, and the clothes more expensive. I missed the first ten minutes of the show and came home to a living room full of avid viewers to fill me in on the blow job, David Silvers sister, Kelly's appearance, and the new state of the Peach Pit. Or The Pit as it is now called. The bitchy Brenda and laid back Brandon Walsh of today have been replaced by a sweet, spunky dishwater blond and a black kid. So....where exactly did this black kid come from? Do the viewers get no explanation as to how this black guy is born into a completely white family? Of course he is obviously adopted, however we, the viewers, need to know the background of our main characters.
I mean, the writers can put a blow job in the first scene for Christ sake, yet we won't be told the history of our new beloved family? But I'm interested to see where this thing goes. It either going to be very bad or comparable to the OC. Its great to see the old characters; Brenda, Kelly, Nat. But its sad to see the Peach Pit change to the Pit as I said before. Im defiantly interested in the older characters more than the new. For instance, who is the father of Kelly's son? And is the actress who played Kelly's mother really going to be in the show!? How funny is that??? She really has to be considering 'Silver', Kelly and Davids little sister, is a star of the show. And when is Donna going to make her appearance? There are so many aspects of the previous show blended into the new version that I am excited about. What a great way to get viewers, just hook the old ones. I mean, come on, you'll know where to find me on Tuesdays 8/7C.

NYT.

2008-08-24T16:28:00.001-04:00

Has every one seen the cover of the New York times today????
Normally the cover of the NYT is kind of depressing.....but today....try hilarious!! The picture details Barack Obama and Joseph Biden in what appears to be a 'chest bump'. Its also appears that Biden is in the act of giving 'snaps.' Best cover I've ever seen. Hands down.

Mans best friend.

2008-08-24T11:51:00.000-04:00

I am a cat person. I love my cat. He is handsome, charming, soft, and sweet. This categorizes me as a crazy cat lady, but I'm okay with that. However, even though I love my little man this does not make my love secular. I love all animals. And even though I love cats I do like dogs as well. Cats just so happen to have more redeeming qualities, ie. they clean themselves, they are independent, and they defecate in a box (and even bury it). Dogs just happen to be too high maintenance for me. This does not mean that I don't respect the joy that dogs bring to peoples lives. The gentlemen pictured above are volunteers for an animal rescue project out of NY. And if that isn't the cutest little puppy I've ever seen I don't know what it. This picture is absolutly adorable. I want to find that puppy and make him my own. I just wanted to share this heartwarming image in hope to brighten everyones day as much as it brightened mine.

2008-08-23T13:44:00.000-04:00

There are two sides to any perspective just as there are two sides to any argument. Sandra Cisnero once said that she wrote for other writers. Whereas Annie Dillard said to always write for readers. It seems obvious to write for the reader and writing for other writers seems borderline conceited. Don't get me wrong, I love Sandra Cisnero, she is one of my favorites, and I don't think her statement was made with conceited intentions. This being because most readers read filth like The Da Vinci Code. Half of the population doesn't read and then poor literature is produced to satisfy their mush brains when they actually feel like picking up a book once in a blue moon. Its sad really. It makes me wonder if the trend of simplistic sentences that I've been noticing in younger writers is related to this dumbing down.
I like the short, clear sentences, I've just been noticing that style in fiction that has been published in the past two years so much that it has stood out to me immensely. Maybe its not our stupid society.....maybe its the change in fashion. Much has happened since the descriptive sentences of Charles Dickens and even more recent, Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Is it more difficult to offer someone a single word rather than a bouquet of them? Does their mind focus on absence rather than what is present? I suppose that writing for anyone is sufficient. We do not write for ourselves, we write for whoever will take the time to read it. All a piece of writing needs is an audience.

2008-08-07T15:31:00.000-04:00

I am not one to attack the media as the sole instigator for our societies negative body images, however I do find it exhausting to see the emaciated models day after day. I recognize a designers need to have a model that will complement their line as much as possible; to act as a hanger for their goods thus presenting their art in the most complementary way possible. However.....I am sick of my healthy friends complaining about being fat. I am sickened that I, myself, complain about being fat. I am repulsed when I am working out at the gym and I think to myself of how great it would be to be as skinny as the girl in front of me and on closer inspection I realize that she is extremely anorexic. For I have no desire to be anorexic. And in reality I always find a thicker woman more pleasant on the eyes, however for a fleeting moment I was sucked into the illusion of how I feel I should look. How atrocious is that? A person who is relatively happy with themselves suddenly becomes doubtful for no apparent reason? It is sick and wrong.

Not only do we strive to be trim, we also strive to maintain our health by eating well and by exercising. But what exactly is eating healthy? With a plethora of new health studies, articles are written everyday that make me question the foods I love. Now lets remember that health is not only psychical but also mental. We are told that carbohydrates will make us fat. People who consume soy products are sixty percent more likely to have dementia. Red meat is bad for the heart. The thing is that I love breads. I dislike milk so I use soy milk as an alternative. And as an anemic female, red meat is a great iron rich option for me. At times we are told that it unsafe to consume certain fruits or vegetables however our body needs the vitamins and nutrients from these foods. A quick fix would be to take a daily vitamin, but then aren't we succumbing to the pharmaceutical companies? Replacing our foods with a pill. Taking away one of the pleasures of our lives. We should enjoy eating. We should enjoy our lives to the fullest and we should not be dissuaded by such fear tactics that our media is presenting before us.

Pleasantly morbid.

2008-07-31T14:55:00.000-04:00

I have come to a decision. I am going to quit smoking 100%.

Its true that I really only smoke when I'm drinking, however there is something about smoking in a group environment that I find so cliche. And I don't want to be apart of it any longer. I love the idea of a pencil thin, despondent, woman, smoking in secret. An excellent illustration would be Gwyneth Paltrow's character, Margot, in the Royal Tenenbaums. A solemn blond, unhappy with her life, hiding from her family. A lone smoker expresses romanticism and turmoil, while smoking in public only cries out for a need for acceptance. And i do not need to be accepted by anyone, thank you very much.
Maybe I will take to holing up in a bathroom chain smoking. My feet will soak in a lavender infused, warm bath in the sink while I blow smoke at my own reflection in the mirror. I would eat apple blossoms and marigolds all the while, letting their loose petals fall from my mouth into the lavender waters at my feet. It sounds quiet to be a secret smoker, left alone with your thoughts and the simple sounds of ones environment. Only surrounded by your own intentions.
And when the lung cancer sets in you won't be shamed by others opinions or watch them shake their head in shame as they mutter their 'I told you so.' Rather, for a secret smoker it would be a fluke. A genetic botch job. You could embrace the destiny that you brought upon yourself with open arms. For you knew that time would run thin. Maybe you were even waiting patiently for the day to arrive? Fingers laced together, hands sitting pointedly on your lap. You would go to your doctor appointments and do their suggested treatments, accept condolences with an arms length of gratitude, and maybe even join a cancer fundraiser. And then you would go home, lock the bathroom door, and pull a drag through the hole in your throat.

If this isn't self absorbed I don't know what is.

2008-07-26T10:22:00.000-04:00

What determines a persons success...money? Power? Happiness? Is success something that you have to dig out of the bottom of a designer bag? As a person in their mid-twenties I feel that I have reached what I like to call my mid-twenties crisis. Mid-life crisis is so 1992 driving a red sports car. Come on, its the year 2000 now, the youth of the past thirty years have been overstimulated and hopped up on anti-depressants, we're a bit more anxious to get this life over with than our elders where. See, most people in their mid-twenties are starting careers, getting married and having babies, or both. I am in the middle of my college career, have a shitty ass job, have no love in my life, and there is no way in hell that I'm about to give birth. So where do people like myself fit into this mold? I can honestly say that I have no idea what I want to do or where I'm headed. I did. At one point. But those ideas have been washed away with time and I am left stranded on a rock amid rapids trying not to topple over. I know many people feel this way I am not the only one, I should really just quit whining. But when I try to hype myself up to start a better, more fulfilling, productive life something like this happens:

First let me introduce you to my nemesis Kirk B Bernard

If you are from the West Coast you may recognize Mr Bernard from his daytime television advertisements for his law services between Jerry Springer and The Maury Show. Kirk B Bernard and myself do not like one another, its our mutual understanding. I think hes extremely weird, rude, and cannot interact socially in a respectable manner and....well I'm not sure why he doesn't like me and its irrelevant anyhow. A few days ago he walked up to me while I was working, put a walking stick on the counter between us and asked me, "Do you like my stick."
"That is a vary nice stick," I replied cordially.
"Do you know what its for?"
"Your shoulder," I state, knowing full well that he had been complaining about his shoulder the past few days.
"Yeah, how did you know that?" He asks, shocked that I knew of his ailment.
"I'm a genius."
"Then why are you working behind a desk?"
With this statement I wished I could have come up with a witty retort however I am not that clever in a pinch. All I could come up with was, "Because I'm trying to make myself suicidal."

Now is it so hard to understand why I have lost my lust for life? One can handle being beaten down so many times.

2008-07-24T13:32:00.000-04:00

During my senior year of high school I was your average eighteen year old kid. I drank too much booze and passed out, took all the hallucinogens that I could get my paws on, and smoked the pot like it was going out of style. However while my peers were experimenting with methamphetamines and other narcotics I said, "No thanks guys."

And took another hit from my bong, inevitably taking seven more hits from the bong and spilling bong water all over the place. What can I say, I get excessive with the hand gestures when I'm speaking.

During this time in my life I was In such a rebellious state that I even went so far as to defaced school property and tore out the above picture from one of my textbooks. I was a firm believer that narcotics were wrong, this belief instilled by good parenting and the harsh lessons of life, and as my life lesson ensued I learned time and time again that, in truth, crack is wack. People that I had once called friends turned to lives of theft and attempted suicides. Some clawed their way back to the land of the living and the others fell deeper into zombic states of existence.

In my youth I thought that it would be simple to keep the no good drug addicts out of my life but as I become older, thus wiser, I learn that it is impossible to do so. Im-freaking-possible. Simply, because there are too many of them.

Example: I walk outside on Monday morning to shake out the bathroom rug while doing my day off cleaning. I take two steps onto the deck, the cool wood under my bare feet, give the rug a shake, turn around, and turn the doorknob firmly.....but wait, it doesn't give. It doesn't FREAKING GIVE. I'm locked out! In my pajamas! And no shoes! So I walk around the house surveying my options, all windows seemed to be locked and/or painted shut, so I had nothin'. I came to the conclusion that I had to call a locksmith....but how? My phone was locked inside? I returned to the deck, my feet now covered in dirt, and I wait for about 20 minutes for someone to walk by. Now its just my luck that on Mondays at around 10 am there are very few people walking around my neighborhood, everyone is at work....except for crackheads. I see two gentleman walking down the sidewalk in my direction and I hesitate, for they are too far away for me to determine if, in fact, they are crackheads. I take the risk and call out to catch their attention. That is when I notice their staggering gate, however there was no turning back, so I inquire if they possibly had a cell phone that I could use to call a lock smith. One of the guys pulls his phone from his pocket so I descend from my porch, to the curbside and waited while he tried to get his phone to turn on. After what seemed like five minutes of watching him fiddle with the phone while his friend flipped a crack rock around his mouth with his tongue, I thanked them for their time however I could wait for someone else who had a phone. But they insist they could be of service, for the gentleman with the phone use to break into houses for a living. Oh yea! What luck for me! I have found two heroic crackheads to break into my residence. Sweet! As much as I wanted to take advantage of this great opportunity I was hesitant. But was else was I to do? So I faced them with my arms crossed over my chest, eyes narrowed, biting the inside of my cheek and asked, "All right, how you gonna get in?"

Phone guy smiles, enters my yard, and eyes the windows. He then walks up to one gives the frame a shake and up it goes.

"Wow," I say, gazing up at the window in awe, "Just like that hu? Well thanks a lot."

As I was looking up I realized my head was tilted back pretty far. So far, in fact, that I knew they were going to have to lift me into the window. I shuddered. God, please, don't let this be so. I glanced over at them and their expressions gave away that they knew as well. So I closed my eyes and said, "Alright, lets do this, lift me up."

And they do. They both do. I scrambled in with all my might but there was no avoiding their crack hands on my legs and waist. Finally I got inside, went to my purse, and grabbed twenty bucks. I flung the door that had locked me out open as hard as I possibly could in retaliation. Facing phone guy and crack mouth with one hand on my hip, the other pointing at them with the twenty dollar bill between my fingers I said, "Look you did a nice thing for me so I'm gonna do a nice thing for you. But lets keep this legit and don't fuck with me alright."

They agreed as crack mouth snatched the money from my fingers. I went back inside overcome with half relief, half disgust and took a really, really long shower.