bluestockings: the bookstore

The room is hot. And crowded. And very full of masculine women.

Rows of chairs have been neatly set up, most of which are already full. Only a few empty seats remain. Thanks to the small dimensions of the room, the audience looks much larger than it actually is. Bodies are packed in neat rows, draped in all kinds of interesting clothing. Many of the people sport interesting style combinations, such as sun dresses that reveal tattooed backs, lumberjack flannel mixed with short haircuts and floaty skirts with combat boots. Several members of the audience have a grungy, crunchy look to them, a sort of revival of the unwashed hippie era.

Only a handful of men are in the room. They sit quietly, probably afraid to open their mouths. The scattering of males have all come with female companions, and most have the artful look of someone who is gay. I'm pretty sure that the only straight men in the room are the two who are with my group of friends. Everyone else is positively gay, gay, gay. Not surprising, then, that one of the men present turned out to be transgendered "since 1989", a woman in a previous incarnation.

I've come to the famous Bluestockings Bookstore to hear a friend read her poetry and prose at an open mic night. She is the featured reader, following a slew of semi-awful to dreadful poetry. Women with names like 'Gala' and 'Sophia' take control of the microphone for eight minutes at a time, sharing their voices with the world -- or, at the very least, with those present.

A girl from Montreal recites her original piece while singing. Another speaks so quietly in her British accent that I can barely understand what she's saying. One young woman insists on using the 'f word' every other line. Jokes are exchanged about 'butches' and 'fems' and I find myself not laughing at all. I don't get it. This is so not my world.

But I'm here anyway, being a good person and supporting a nice friend. She reads well, her prose and poetry well written and interesting to hear. The pieces are nicely chosen and the audience listens closely. I'm happy for her, and applaud loudly when she's finished. "Superstar!" I tell her, patting her on the back. I feel like a mother hen.

The other featured writer is a professor from Smith College. She reads a short story entitled 'The Knife Lady.' It seems a normal enough tale, until about half way through when I realize the story is about discovering one's true sexuality. I listen with interest as the storyline progresses. I'm not entirely comfortable sitting here and listening to it, but it's certainly a new experience.

After the reading is over, my companions and I quickly leave. We share jokes over dessert at the vegan cafe next door about manly women and feminine men. It's not that we have a problem with living alternative lifestyles -- it's just that it isn't for us.

After clearing the air with a few laughs, we discuss the contents of the bookstore. All sorts of fascinating titles on political theory, feminism, alternative history and gay and lesbian lifestyles fill the place. I'm sure it's the type of business that carries Noam Chomsky and the like. My interest is sparked. I have to go back to this bookstore at some point and browse around. Who knows what I could find?

Bluestockings is, after all, one of the more famous bookstores in Manhattan. It has a legendary underground status. Entering it is a little like approaching a cult like mecca for radical liberals. Everyone is so far left they're practically apolitical.

More information about the bookstore can be had by visiting their website at http://www.bluestockings.com. Going on an open mic night can be quite an experience, especially if there is a good featured author.

miss universe 2007

So, who watched the Miss Universe pageant last night? Japan won. (Rightfully so, in my opinion ... she was the spunkiest, had the best evening gown and was pretty darn attractive.) The competition was in Mexico City. I'm sure the place is great and all, but geez. What a rowdy audience. Everyone booed Miss USA, especially after she fell on her rear end and got chosen for the top five anyway. I wasn't sure if the audience's bad behavior was a reflection of USA getting chosen over Miss Mexico, or if it had more to do with American immigration policies toward Mexicans. Perhaps it was a combiniation of both. At any rate, the audience behaved in a really tasteless manner. I felt so bad for Miss USA. She looked so stunned after she fell. Poor girl. She placed fifth.

Miss Korea, who placed in the top five, was another interesting contender. Rumor has it that she's had tons of plastic surgery, including work on her eyes and cheeks. I have a feeling all the women involved have had at least some work done. They all look the same, which is interesting considering Koreans and Brazilians don't normally look alike.

I went to the Miss Universe webpage (http://www.missuniverse.com) and looked at some of the contestants. Angola, India, and Japan rocked the house. All three were top finalists as well. Angola and India should have been in the top 5, but these things are so fake anyway, it's probably all decided in advance and fixed.

Here's the clip of Miss USA falling on her butt:

That's got to be so mortifying.

What's worse, here's Miss USA getting booed by the Mexican audience:

Brutal!! I think the Miss Universe audience owes Miss USA an apology. It isn't her fault America is unpopular or that the competition is clearly fixed in favor of North American nations.

I realize this is a pretty shallow post, but I am a female, and I dig stuff like this, soooo ... put up with it this one time. (insert smiley face here.) It also has nothing to do with New York, buuuuut ... well, who cares? It's entertaining!

roasting

It is hot.

Very hot.

Melt your face off hot.

I will update this blog when I am not busy roasting to death.

Life without air conditioning = crappy.

I have a cute photo to post and a story to share. Hopefully soon I will get them up online for your reading pleasure.

Until then ... please send New York City cooling vibes.

kids gone wild

A swarm of children has taken over the empty back lot of the apartment building next door. They live on the second floor and have figured out how climb down the fire escape to the grubby parcel of land below. No one is meant to go there. The landlord has it locked off, and high fences surround it. It had a neglected and lonely feeling all year, at least until the kids figured out to play in no man's land.

It's amazing how one can always count on children to act their age. This is by no means a criticism. In fact, it's a beautiful thing. Even in the middle of America's largest city, urban youth have a need to roll around and play in some dirt. Dirt is an essential part of childhood. Digging for earthworms, building mud pies, constructing mini forts from wet soil and having soft ground to somersault on are all integral parts of being a kid. All of these things rely on an empty patch of land that can take some abuse.

The neighbor's kids seem to love it down there. They scream, laugh, yell and joke around in that small dusty space. Dirt clods are flung about, boys terrorize girls with bugs, and wads of grass get dug up and tossed aside for no apparent reason. The scene reminds me of a bunch of puppies let loose to root around and get muddy paws.

Too bad my own back'yard' is home to the Nazi Troll down below. I wish I had a dog so I could let him run around there and poop his way into canine delight. Maybe I should tell the kids next door that the grass is greener on the other side ... i.e., come down and visit my neck of the woods -- and pay mister troll a visit as well!

the guggenheim & my sister's visit

As noted in my last blog entry, my sister was in town for a visit. It was her first time in the city since high school, a good 16 years or so. Needless to say, things have changed a LOT since then.

She was here mostly to relax. This translated into spending copious amounts of time at my apartment vegging out and chatting on the sofa. We did venture out to scope out my neighborhood, the local park and to grab some yummy food. The pair of us became especially enamored with the local Moroccan restaurant and the diner down the street. We also spent several hours at the Guggenheim, checking out the Picassos and Van Goghs. My beloved Gauguin was on display as well.

We also spent some time strolling around a posh neighborhood of Manhattan, marveling at the old ladies and their $500 handbags and pedigreed poodles. We bumped elbows with European tourists, looked at the wares being sold by street vendors, and sipped coffee at Starbucks. All in all, not a bad trip.

I should linger a little longer on the phenomenon that is the Guggenheim. It is a marvelous building built in the shape of a spiral. You wind your way through the museum by walking up ramps that coil in a circle around the inside perimeter of the building. Upon reaching the top most tier, you have a dizzying sensation that you could easily fall off and onto the ground floor far below. This is unlikely, of course, but it's a feeling that is hard to shake, especially if you're afraid of heights like I am.

I wasn't crazy about the special exhibits on display during this past visit. I'd been to the Russia! show that was on about a year ago and had loved it. This time the Guggenheim was hosting very modern artwork with all sorts of concepts that I didn't get. I stopped trying after about the fourth or fifth piece that made zero sense to me.

The coolest installation was a room that had a flashing disco floor that was lit up with what looked to be LED lights. Hip hop blared from two speakers located at opposite ends of the space. People were dancing, posing for photos and staring in awe at the sight. Naturally my sister and I snapped some photos of it. We posed like maniacs in all of the photos. Good times.

One other exhibit that caught our attention was that of the Italian divisionist artists. The paintings were beautiful and often had a social message about poverty and the working conditions of the poor. As a social science major, I appreciated that, and my sister, who also majored in a social science in grad school, liked that aspect of the art as well.

The best thing about the Guggenheim are the permanent galleries. They are filled with all kinds of invaluable artwork, including Kandinskys and Seurats. There is something amazing about going up to a famous piece of art and staring at the original brush strokes of a master painter. Bronze sculptures by Degas (and his little ballerinas) are especially amazing to look at up close. Every artists has a different brush stroke, and it was interesting to compare Van Gogh's with a lesser known artist.

I feel sorry for the security guards posted all around the building. Actually, I'm not even sure they're security. They might be poor souls stationed around to prevent people from touching the art work. Whatever purpose they serve, it isn't a fun one. They all have a similar expression on their face -- one of glazed indifference and sheer boredom. One woman's face reminded me of a martyred saint's. She looked so miserable and tortured that I wanted to go up to her and tell her, "At least you're getting paid to stand around on your feet all day. I paid to do this to myself!"

The museum store is worth a visit. Everything is overpriced in there, but they have a great selection of posters and postcards. I scooped up a handful of cards to add to my ever growing collection.

At any rate, my sister had a lovely time there. She bought a poster and enjoyed seeing all the different artists. We were very ready to leave once we had finished our tour of the building, however. It is implausibly exhausting to walk around and stare at art.

Some links to the museum's web page and a few of the artists on display at the Guggenheim:

The Guggenheim's Official Website

Franz Marc (one of my favorites)

Pablo Picasso

Georges Seurat

Wassily Kandinsky

Paul Gauguin
Edward Degas

in bloom

I live above a Nazi. Not literally, but more in a figurative sense. The man in question is a middle aged, grouchy old fellow with a German accent and bad attitude. I was watering my plants yesterday when he started yelling at me about dripping water onto his front steps. The amount of water in question was small, yet the man acted like I'd just released a biblical flood onto his yard. (I'd like to point out it was the first time I'd ever seen anyone at that location, and nothing at ALL has been done to the "garden" in the "yard" that the man was so protective about.) Mind you, I live four stories above the ground, so it wasn't like my water was close enough to even impact him. Still, he fussed and waggled his head furiously at me.

It's okay though. I saw him leaving the building today with a bag of marijuana stashed in his back pocket. Mister Saintly isn't all that perfect, now is he? I have my eye on you, mister Nazi!!

The dripping garden in question:

Not very evil looking, right? In fact, quite nice on the eyes ...

I've added some more plants. My sister came into town to visit (which will be the subject of another post), and having a similar love of plants, got me some more lovelies for my garden. I have four geraniums now, phlox, ivy, an unidentified plant that used to live in my window, two oregano plants, peppermint, cilantro, lavender and rosemary. I'm thinking of adding some parsley and regular mint to the mix as well. Other flowers would be nice to add some color and kick on the aesthetic spectrum. I just love looking out and seeing green that isn't treetops or backyards. (Don't get me wrong, I love treetops ...)

My sister also bought me a lovely indoor peace lilly and an ivy plant that now lives in the bathroom. Thanks, sis!

yes

It's Monday ...

(oops about posting late).

The test went well.

The pain killers before and after were very helpful.

I'm glad it's over.

yuck

Well.

How things change.

That previously mentioned illness of mine has improved somewhat, but not enough to prevent doctors from prescribing me a medication for my stomach and ordering a scope Thursday morning.

Needless to say, I am not thrilled.

I have to go into the hospital, get an iv drip and sedatives and then get a tube and camera stuck down my throat and into my gut. Sounds yummy, right?

If anyone reads this before 10:45am eastern time on Thursday, send me some good vibes. I need 'em! I will probably not be posting a blog entry tomorrow, but I will be sure to let everyone know how it goes by Friday or Saturday.

Hope everyone else is doing a lil' bit better than me!!

sick

Okay, I'm not going to lie. Today sucked. Royally. Things have been not so great since 10pm last night. That's when my stomach started giving me excruciating pain. Around 1am I started vomiting non-stop, and after about six hours of doing so, decided I'd had enough of clutching my sides and sweating from throwing up so much. Sexy, right? I tried keeping down water, to no luck. Ice cubes wouldn't stay down, either. I was dizzy and sweating from being so sick, and I could hardly move from off the bathroom floor where I'd been planted for the past several hours.

After a 6am phone call to a family member that was along the lines of "what should I do?", I called myself a cab and hauled myself into the nearest emergency room. I sat there for a painfully long while until I was finally admitted into a bed and given a skimpy hospital gown which left me freezing and over exposed. Then I had the joy of being stuck with needles by a rabid and PMSing nurse. I think she was part vampire. The woman took enough blood from my right arm to nourish Dracula. The samples were for blood tests, which didn't turn up normal and therefore added to the Shit Factor of being in the hospital.

I was in the E.R. for around seven hours. After being cleared to leave, I decided to save money and walk home instead of taking a cab. (Why? I don't know. Because I'm cheap. Because I'm dumb. Because I am secretly into causing myself grief.) Anyway, I got so many weird looks from people on my trip back. I can imagine why, too. My hair hadn't been brushed all night and probably had strands of dried vomit in it, my clothes had the worn-in look of a homeless woman, and I had a hospital bracelet and gauze bandage wrapped around my arm. I scowled the whole way home. I figured an evil facial expression would complete my homeless bandit woman look.

I was fine for most of this past evening until I attempted to have a bowl of chicken noodle soup. My stomach suddenly started flaring up again, and I ended up getting a little panicky as a result. I had a tearful conversation with a friend who called, and ended up feeling like an idiot for blubbering over not being able to eat.

At any rate, here I am with my stomach feeling like a load of embers is resting in it. It isn't quite at the burning fire stage. More the 'smoldering charcoal' sensation. I suspect it's related to a previous health problem, which actually is fairly serious if left untreated. I was ordered to go in for tests with a GI specialist as soon as possible by the ER doctor. My attending nurse was concerned about my blood test results as well, and urged me to see her own stomach doctor.

Anyway, to keep my mind off this whole tummy thing, I've been searching around youtube like a mad woman. A link I like:

One Big Flipbook -- cute and creative.

Youtube is a healing past time. Seriously.

parker

parker, the cat next door

greenwood cemetery

I spent a lovely afternoon at Greenwood Cemetery yesterday. It might sound a bit odd that I enjoyed a sunshine filled day at a place full of dead people, but it really was relaxing and very nice.

I went with my next door neighbor. The funny thing about her is that we met in a very random way. Both of us had gone up to the roof of our apartment building at the same time, and bumped into one another up there. We started talking and found we had a lot in common, including having similar interests and being close in age. After a lengthy discussion, the two of us decided it would be fun to scope out one of America's biggest cemeteries, and yesterday was the time to go.

Hence the trip to Greenwood.

It was supposed to thunderstorm, but luckily it didn't. By the time we walked over to the cemetery the sky was clear blue and the sun was shining. Puffy white clouds were skipping across the sky. It was like something out of a romanticist's poem from the nineteenth century. I expected little fleecy lambs to be poking about the grassy slopes where all the coffins are buried.

The two of us discovered a marvelous old cherry tree that was covered in pink froth. The ground around the tree's trunk was littered with a carpeting of pastel colored snow. It was certainly a very noble tree. Since it happened to be located on a lovely patch of grass, the two of started rolling around in the cherry blossoms and throwing it up in the air like confetti. The petals were getting in our hair and all over our clothes, and everything smelled so sweet and fresh. It was a pink paradise, literally.

We then headed over to the little pond, where only two ducks were present but plenty of geese and their babies were waddling about. A mother goose hissed at us as we walked by, and we both recounted stories of being chased by angry geese. (Who knew birds could be so scary?) Along the rim of the pond there were handfuls of snail shells leaking out baby snails in a milky white paste. It was frankly a bit gross looking. However, the little snail infants were smaller than the size of my pinky nail, which is pretty darn tiny, and therefore very cute. Some of the empty shells were quite beautiful -- I'm thinking about going back and scooping up some to place in my planters on the fire escape.

Much exploring of gravestones and monuments was carried out. We poked around trying to read the writing on old slabs of marble and not always being very successful at it. It was fun inventing faces and stories behind all those names we came across in the cemetery -- who were they, and what did they all do?

We made a pit stop at the Greenwood Church, which is a lovely old building with beautiful stained glass windows. It is left open to the public on a daily basis, and is a lovely place to sit and reflect. It's also very cool, which makes it ideal for taking a break from the sunshine. The church also happens to have very nice (and floral scented) restrooms. (I checked, naturally.)

We ended up spending several hours at the cemetery. By the time we left the sky had begun clouding over again, which made us feel rather special. The storm gods had held off any rain for us until we'd left! How accommodating.

Today hasn't been too impressive thus far. I'm still on break from school. It's going to thunder storm later this afternoon, so I'm planning avoiding the outdoors. I am going to head back to the cemetery soon, though. I want to get my hands in my cherry blossom petals and throw myself a parade complete with pink confetti.

Celebrate spring!

garden update

I added to my fire escape garden! Two geraniums (one is salmon and one is hot pink) have found a new home with me. A lone bee has started hovering around my plants, which makes me happy.

I also re-potted my other herbs. My aloe vera plant has to be placed in a bigger pot, but it will be fine for a few days in the current one. My ivy got placed in a shiny brass planter I had sitting around. It housed my old ivy plant for over three years, so it seems like a good place to put it.

The boys (and by boys I mean the two kids ... and by the kids, I mean kitties) have taken up permanent residence on my windowsill. I have a screen over my window so that I can leave it open for fresh air and breezes. Ringo and Waldo love it. They especially like watching our new Bee Friend who has started hanging around the geraniums. Pigeons come sit on my fire escape sometimes, but have been smart enough to stop hanging around since the arrival of the felines. I keep hoping a bird will be dumb enough to perch there anyway, so that the kitties can go ballistic trying to get at it.

I had a random but entertaining conversation with some middle aged Italian American at the local nursery. I was asking him for advice about plants, and he had plenty of stories to tell. He was quite gay (I have the best gaydar of anyone I know) and spent a lot of time talking about his mother and his bad knees. I also found out his name was Anthony. He was a local from the neighborhood and apparently is quite an avid gardener. I love meeting characters like him. It makes the day so much more cheerful and social.

Back to the topic of gardening ... the only bummer is that my fire escape only gets late afternoon sun, from about 1:30pm until nightfall. That's still over 6 hours of sunlight a day, but morning light is better than afternoon's glow. Beggars can't be choosers, though. (I hate that phrase!) My cilantro is looking a little peaked, but it wasn't the healthiest when I bought it. My other herbs are looking wonderful, though. I sampled some of my peppermint the other night -- yummy. I am looking forward to making some tea with it.

I'm making gazpacho soup for lunch, and I am going to sprinkle some of my cilantro in it. My own herbs in my own cooking! How nice.

[edit: As of June 1, 2008, I still have some of my original plants from this garden, including the aloe vera and the geraniums! I also have 1 other plant from this same garden. Pretty cool, if ya ask me.]

links: outerspace edition

Interesting odds and ends from the online world ...

NASA Photos -- photos of Jupiter and the planet's many moons from May 1, 2007

Black Holes Encyclopedia -- perhaps dorky, but very cool -- and has pictures, too!

Your Name Into Space -- is this real?!

Shuttle Launch Listing -- schedule of all shuttles to be launched into space.

fire escape garden

Phase One of my fire escape garden has begun!

I discovered my passion for gardening a few summers ago. I was spending time at my mom and dad's house in the countryside, and had a lot of leisure time on my hands. My mom encouraged me to start helping out in her large garden. She had flower beds, herbs and a lovely organic veggie garden. Since I didn't know anyone in the neighborhood and had too much free time, I took up my mom's offer -- and found out how much I loved being around plants. It was incredibly zen to pull up weeds, water seedlings and harvest fresh peppers and tomatoes. I quickly realized that I had a proverbial green thumb. Almost everything I took care of grew into hardy, healthy plants.

Fast forward to life in the city. I kept a few plants around in my room, but was sad that I couldn't have an outdoor garden. I began to miss sticking my hands in some dirt and dribbling water down my sleeves as I tended to my plants. When I moved into my new apartment I was thrilled to have a room with an easily accessible fire escape. (Mom was not so happy, however, but that's another story.) My new room was small and badly painted, but hey! It had outdoor access, more or less.

In the rush and hassle of moving last summer, I never got around to starting a garden. Now that I've been settled in at my current digs for roughly a year, I have more time to begin my summer gardening project.

I invested in some plants today, and am rather thrilled to begin a new chapter in my life: Urban Gardener! My fire escape planting has, among other things, aloe, basil, cilantro, ivy, lavender, peppermint, rosemary and three other plants I had previously. (I have no idea what they are, but they have survived hell and back and have perked up considerably since being outside.)

Here are some photos of my new garden and the view from my window:

The actual garden -- still under construction.

The boys enjoying some fresh air and sunshine.

The boys, part 2.

I still need to put my new plants in better pots. I'll do that in the next few days or so. At some point I may have to move my little babies to the roof, which would kind of suck but ensure that I can install an air conditioner in my window.

Pictorial updates of my gardening ventures will be posted here. Hopefully the green kiddies won't die. Urban gardening is more difficult than rural or suburban gardening, at least in my experience. You have less room, more pollution and a smaller range of plant types to work with. There's also the wind factor to think about, since it's blustery four stories above the ground and pots tend to get knocked over.

Keep your fingers crossed for my garden. However, I'm pretty sure that it will turn out very nice -- and my friends will benefit from having some fresh herbs to add to their cooking.

stoop sale mania

stoop2 /stup/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[stoop] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation,
–noun
a small raised platform, approached by steps and sometimes having a roof and seats, at the entrance of a house; a small porch.
[Origin: 1670–80, Americanism; <>step]

It seems that everyone has collectively decided to hold a stoop sale in my neighborhood today. The basic concept behind a stoop sale is that of a yard sale ... only, because this is a city, there aren't many yards -- but there are plenty of stoops.

Usually these urbanized version of yard sales happen on sidewalks. (I have no idea why they aren't called sidewalk sales instead of stoop sales.) Clothes are hung up on fence posts, tables are stacked with cooking supplies, and cardboard boxes are stuffed full of CDs and old VHS cassette tapes. It's quite fun to be walking along and suddenly have your eye be caught by a scratched up wooden gnome ornament or a table full of glass vases.

I walked past four such stoop sales this afternoon. Most were being held by people who were moving and wanted to get rid of their accumulated stuff over the years. One of the sales was a family looking to unload their kid's outgrown "junk" and yet another was being held by a group of roommates who wanted to earn some quick cash.

All were festive affairs. Yuppie mothers clad in khaki shorts and old, tired day laborers mingled together in picking over the discarded but well loved items of other people. Hands were brushing over everything, from record sleeves to knick knacks only a grandmother could love.

I was very tempted to purchase a large piece of pottery that would look very nice in my kitchen. It was a lovely piece, cast in browns and blues. There were a few cracks on the bottom and a chip on one of the sides was a bit obvious, but over all it was a lovely piece. Selling price? $2. I opted not to get it by rationalizing that I probably had no place for it. Someone will enjoy owning it, though.

I did end up one CD and one book richer (and $2 poorer). My old copy of Nine Inch Nails's Pretty Hate Machine had vanished from my CD collection sometime during my sophomore year of college. I got a $1 replacement of it today. I also picked up a copy of 'The Island' by Huxley. I read the first two chapters under a canopy of sunshine at the park, and thus far my $1 literary investment seems like a pretty good deal.

That's one of the wonderful things about this city ... you can always find something worthwhile to take home. Worthwhile and cheap, and maybe even free. The local bookstore has a bin they leave outside everyday full of books they are simply giving away. Most are novels that never quite made it, or not so memorable items such as the '1963 World Almanac', but it's fun to rummage around and sometimes find a treasure in the midst of junk.

Which reminds me of my single most favorite purchase ever in New York City. It was at the Stand Bookstore, that infamous mecca of literature. They had racks upon racks of $1 books outside of their store, and I found a copy of a 1963 book for children on the Soviet Union. It is a complete gem. Communism is presented in all her glory, black and white photographs dot the pages, and life in the various parts of the old S.U. are written about. Buying that book was the best way I have ever spent $1.

At any rate, happy Cinco de Mayo ... I have no idea what the holiday is about, but I do know that it involves Mexican food and beer. I am going to go take a nap (it's hot out!), eat, and then go out with a friend to some of the finer establishments in my neighborhood to celebrate this beautiful weather and the holiday I know nothing about.

update.

I've been giving my blog a facelift. It's a process that is still very much U.C. (under construction), but it should be finished pretty soon. All the various fonts and font sizes in previous entries are being changed to match a standard format, a few lay out issues are being fixed to make entries easier on the eye, and labels are being added to almost every post. These labels can be found at the bottom of each entry. They are by topic. Clicking on a label name will reveal a list of other entries about the same topic. So, for example, if you want to see all the posts on subways, click on the 'subway' label and, like magic, a list of postings about subways will pop up. Same for any other label, including photo, links and parks. Roughly 40% of previous posts have been labeled, and the remaining 60% will be done so shortly. (Can you tell I have lots of free time on my hands right now?!)

Just a note: I will not be changing the content of any previous entries. I'm probably going to leave most spelling errors in and the like. (It's me, so whatever!) I'm not editing myself for content or anything else. This is my blog and not a school essay. Thank God!

I'm still looking for suggestions on New Yorky things to write about. I might start getting into reviewing various places to eat and visit, but we'll see. At any rate, I'm trying to get back on track on keeping this a mostly city oriented blog. There are always personal elements in my entries, but I would hate for this blog to turn into a highly 'me centric' spot on the internet. The vast majority of blogs are so terribly boring because they deal with subjects no one cares about, such as Suzie's pet dog or Timmy's boyfriend problems. Ugh!

Check back soon. I'm in posting MANIA right now.

skywriting photo

Here's a photo of the skywriting as promised:

(note: I actually have a few more shots of this that I may post up soon.)

flying humanoid post #2

(ok crap, i meant to post this video instead of the one i did in the previous post:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_hwus_nQm54&mode=related&search=

and some more video footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_z0HBp66uJ4&mode=related&search=
(this is a very short video for anyone with ADD like me.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNbe0YWXUuc&mode=related&search=
(en espanol)

this stuff is like candy! addictive! i LOVE the internet.

flying humanoids?

So, normally I am not one to fall for internet hoaxes or doctored 'photographs' of UFOs. However, a recent flurry of 'flying humanoid' sightings over Mexico City has caught my interest.

First of all, check out the video of one of the sightings on youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCULiv2A9dg
(Nice Phil Glass soundtrack, by the way ..)
Other videos are online. Do a search on youtube for 'flying humanoid.'

Now, I did a quick scan of articles on the topic I found on google.com. None of them come from scientific websites, and a lot of conspiracy theories abound about these "flying people."

Some quotes from various online sources:

In October 1, 2000, La Prensa newspaper from Mexico City published a report from a commercial airline pilot telling of sighting of a "little flying man" witnessed by him and the copilot during their
descent to Mexico City's airport.

According to the article: "A comercial airline pilot from AeroCalifornia who wanted to omit his name to avoid problems in his work reported the sighting of a "little flying man" who was flying at the same altitude of the plane before landing. According to the pilot this "flying man" had a kind of backpack in his back and was flying freely. The pilot added he saw perfectly well arms and legs.

-- found at http://www.rense.com/general66/humsan.htm which has photos.

On August 17th Santiago gave a stunning video presentation to LA MUFON (which Kris and I attended), when he showed different pieces of daytime footage, recorded by multiple individuals, of unidentified flying humanoids filmed in Mexico in 2004, including the entity observed above Colonia Valles de la Silla

-- found at http://www.cropcircleanswers.com/FlyingHumanoid.htm which has photos and 'eye witness accounts.' (this website is a bit nutty, though.)

Apparently a television crew from the Discovery Channel tried to debunk the flying humanoid myth by saying it was probably a bunch of balloons. However, it appears that these 'flying objects' are not balloons and look nothing like what balloons should should technically look like.

In a creepy and chilling news account, a police office in Mexico was apparently attacked at night by one of these flying creatures. The man described a female witch-like creature that tried to get at him through the windshield of a car.

There have been other sightings in France, England and California. The vast majority have been over Mexico City, however, and I'm not sure of the validity of the European or American claims.

UFO fanatics have been going nuts over this topic. While I don't believe aliens or witches have come down to earth to haunt us, it certainly is a riveting case. Some people have stated that it could be a secret government test for jet packs, or that someone has gotten a hold of one somehow and is using it to fly around. It's kind of neat to think that there is the slimmest of chances that something not quite human is lurking about the mountains of Mexico ... although I 99% doubt it. That 1% of me would like to believe otherwise though. If witches exist, that means unicorns and faeries might too. How cool would that be?! (Actually, I know that unicorns must exist somewhere. Love them!)

I want to look into this whole flying humanoid thing a bit further. I think I'm going to haul my butt down to the local library and see if I can dig up any news reports or footage that wasn't taken by conspiracy theory hounds.

If anyone knows anything about this, leave a comment and let me know what's up. It'd be something interesting to research on a rainy day ...

sky writing part II

Hello, duckies!

I'm writing you on this beautiful spring day. The sun is shining, the sky is blue, and the flowers are in full bloom. Even the trees are filling out with green leaves. This weather has brought out the best in everyone. Grouchy senior citizens are nicer than usual, Catholic school kids aren't as snotty as usual, and the fat hipped Latina mother next door has stopped arguing with her husband so much. Ah, peace and quiet!

Sitting on my roof this afternoon I noticed that three airplanes were working in tandem to spell out letters in the sky. It was my second dose of sky writing! I couldn't make out exactly what the words they spelled out said. However, I did manage to pick out 'London' 'Eos Airline' and something about New York. I took a photo with my cell phone, although it didn't turn out too well.

I'm in a good mood today, which should be evident from my brightly colored blog post. It isn't just the weather (which helps!) or the sky writing (which was neat). I think the biggest reason of all for my good mood is that FINALS ARE OVER. I've done enough final projects, exams and ethnographies to last a lifetime. I have one more class tonight and then I'm done for the semester. Even though I'll be taking summer courses, it's good to know I can put the past 15 weeks behind me and start something fresh and new.

Okay, moving on to a different topic: Sushi in New York City. I don't really eat the stuff as raw fish grosses me out, but I bravely went out for some this past Monday with a friend of mine. Actually, okay, I said I would order sushi, but I ended up sticking to something cooked and not half alive. At any rate, my friend ordered sushi ... and we both came to the same conclusion: DON'T order sushi on a Monday! The fish will have been sitting around all weekend unless the fish is bought fresh everyday. Icky icky.

Also ... why is grocery shopping so expensive in this city? It's absurd. I saw a box of cereal selling for over $5 the other day. Cat food is close to $6. The only things not outlandishly overpriced are foods in the international section of grocery stores! I can buy kimchi cheaper than I can a can of corn. That is sheer idiocy.

I recently got addicted to Freshdirect.com. Just browsing the website is one of the best ways to waste time online ever. They have a wide variety of brands and hard to get produce, plus a neat organic section. It is also, at times, cheaper than regular grocery stores. The prepared meals are expensive, but I never go those so it's not an issue. Anyway, I recommend checking out the website if you like food and shopping.

As an ending to this post, I'd like to say that this color scheme is in honor of my friend 'dissent.' He'll know what I'm talking about!

Photo of the sky writing to (maybe) be posted shortly, plus another entry about something very New Yorky.