| Your Life Path Number is 8 |
 Your purpose in life is to help others succeed You are both a natural leader and a natural success. You are also a great judge of character. You have a head for business and finance. You know how to make money. A great visionary, you can see gold where other people see nothing. In love, you are very generous - with gifts, time, and guidance. You love to inspire people, but it can be frustrating when they don't understand your vision. Great success comes easily for you. But so does great failure, as you are very reckless. You are confident, and sometimes this confidence borders on arrogance. |
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Life Path
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Guys, Personas, Yeladim...
So I'm reading this book of feminist essays, appropriately titled 'Bitchfest,' and the last essay I read was about the phrase 'you guys.' Now, I understand her point of view, that she doesn't like to use the phrase and doesn't like it to be used in reference to a group of women...but then she started talking about how English was patriarchial and how English needed a gender-neutral word to discuss a group of people...this is where she lost me.
She lost me mostly because in other languages, such as Spanish and Hebrew (really, the only teo others that I have any experience with), a group always takes on a masculine identity, even if there is only one man. In Spanish, muchachos y muchachas becomes 'muchachos' which can be translated to mean just 'boys' or 'kids.' In Hebrew (please bear with my Hebr-ish here)the word for boy is 'yeled' and the word for girl is 'yeldah' and the suffix 'im' is masculine and the suffix 'ot' is feminine. Children then become 'yeladim.'
Point being, it's not only English that refers to a group of people with a word that has masculine connotation. For myself, when I address a group of women (be it my book club, or friend) I usually say 'Ladies' (some say 'girls' but that annoys me more than 'you guys,' but I think that's a whole other megilah)...I also use 'everyone.'
I understand why these words irritate feminists...and although it's a concern, we might, at this point, have bigger fish to fry...
She lost me mostly because in other languages, such as Spanish and Hebrew (really, the only teo others that I have any experience with), a group always takes on a masculine identity, even if there is only one man. In Spanish, muchachos y muchachas becomes 'muchachos' which can be translated to mean just 'boys' or 'kids.' In Hebrew (please bear with my Hebr-ish here)the word for boy is 'yeled' and the word for girl is 'yeldah' and the suffix 'im' is masculine and the suffix 'ot' is feminine. Children then become 'yeladim.'
Point being, it's not only English that refers to a group of people with a word that has masculine connotation. For myself, when I address a group of women (be it my book club, or friend) I usually say 'Ladies' (some say 'girls' but that annoys me more than 'you guys,' but I think that's a whole other megilah)...I also use 'everyone.'
I understand why these words irritate feminists...and although it's a concern, we might, at this point, have bigger fish to fry...
Friday, December 01, 2006
I'll Keep Him Company...
I've been somewhat remiss in posting lately, but I haven't quite had the right inspiration...
However. Tonight I went to see the first Broadway show I'd seen since the beginning of the year (my third time attending Rent may or may not count)...and I saw Company, which actuall yopened earlier this week. All I really knew about this show beforehand was that Sonheim wrote it and it starred Raul Esparaza, he of the beautiful, emotional voice I've come to love through my tick,tick...BOOM cd. I also knew Being Alive was a song from the show because I had sung it in voice lessons back in the day.
So anyway, I bought a ticket yesterday and my seat was in the very last row in the theatre, but that shouldn't matter- if the show is good, it will reach you. And reach me it did. In the opening scenes, where the cast, which doubles as the band dances with their instruments around a seemingly inert Bobby (Raul). It isn't until we get into the meat of his story (are they flashbacks as he heads to his birthday party which bookends the show?) that we realize the show is not really about Bobby turning 35 and the expectation of marriage...I mean, it is about that but there's more going on.
The title. Company. To Bobby it means a couple things: it means his usual role in his friends lives, ie 'We have company coming over,' as dinner guest and it means something he wants, 'I'd really like some company,' but doesn't have. Wanting something you don't have is also a major theme of the show as observed by his male friends attempts to set them up with women and the light sexual tension that runs through Boby's interaction with the married women.
The role of Boby actually reminds me of tick, tick...BOOM but not only because Jonathan Larson's idol was Stephen Sondheim, but because in that show Jonathan also longs for something he doesn't have. And in this longing, both men have fixated on their coming birthdays as symbols of their failure. Now, Bobby doesn't seem to have fixated anything, other than not having what he thinks he wants, but the milestone is there and punctuated by his friends telling him to make a birthday wish. The role of Jonathan was outwardly a neurotic mess, whereas Bobby does sometimes come off as inert, but also as a man who is so used to the way he lives and wanting to be different that he literally doesn't know how to change things for himself. Jonathan and Bobby have also taken things they don't have, a theatre career and a marriage respectively and glorified them to the extent that they think if they have these things, then their lives will be perfect. Who's to say if they were right or if they were disappointed.
Everyone should get to hear Raul Esparza sing...when the cast stops singing at him and he gets his first sing in the first act to himself, I sat up and took notice...he sat down for most of the piece (staging I didn't quite understand, seeing as he wasn't playing an instrument...though it became clear later on that he had to sit still in his pretty suit only to give way to his later rumpled appearance, declaring that he wanted to Be Alive downstage center) but his voice vibrated with emotions teeming close to the surface which didn't overflow until his last song, where he played the piano and sang as though his life depended on it. We gave Raul a standing ovation at the end and as deserved as it was, he seemed in awe of it...taking a moment to survey the audience before inviting the rest of the cast to join him for another bow.
However. Tonight I went to see the first Broadway show I'd seen since the beginning of the year (my third time attending Rent may or may not count)...and I saw Company, which actuall yopened earlier this week. All I really knew about this show beforehand was that Sonheim wrote it and it starred Raul Esparaza, he of the beautiful, emotional voice I've come to love through my tick,tick...BOOM cd. I also knew Being Alive was a song from the show because I had sung it in voice lessons back in the day.
So anyway, I bought a ticket yesterday and my seat was in the very last row in the theatre, but that shouldn't matter- if the show is good, it will reach you. And reach me it did. In the opening scenes, where the cast, which doubles as the band dances with their instruments around a seemingly inert Bobby (Raul). It isn't until we get into the meat of his story (are they flashbacks as he heads to his birthday party which bookends the show?) that we realize the show is not really about Bobby turning 35 and the expectation of marriage...I mean, it is about that but there's more going on.
The title. Company. To Bobby it means a couple things: it means his usual role in his friends lives, ie 'We have company coming over,' as dinner guest and it means something he wants, 'I'd really like some company,' but doesn't have. Wanting something you don't have is also a major theme of the show as observed by his male friends attempts to set them up with women and the light sexual tension that runs through Boby's interaction with the married women.
The role of Boby actually reminds me of tick, tick...BOOM but not only because Jonathan Larson's idol was Stephen Sondheim, but because in that show Jonathan also longs for something he doesn't have. And in this longing, both men have fixated on their coming birthdays as symbols of their failure. Now, Bobby doesn't seem to have fixated anything, other than not having what he thinks he wants, but the milestone is there and punctuated by his friends telling him to make a birthday wish. The role of Jonathan was outwardly a neurotic mess, whereas Bobby does sometimes come off as inert, but also as a man who is so used to the way he lives and wanting to be different that he literally doesn't know how to change things for himself. Jonathan and Bobby have also taken things they don't have, a theatre career and a marriage respectively and glorified them to the extent that they think if they have these things, then their lives will be perfect. Who's to say if they were right or if they were disappointed.
Everyone should get to hear Raul Esparza sing...when the cast stops singing at him and he gets his first sing in the first act to himself, I sat up and took notice...he sat down for most of the piece (staging I didn't quite understand, seeing as he wasn't playing an instrument...though it became clear later on that he had to sit still in his pretty suit only to give way to his later rumpled appearance, declaring that he wanted to Be Alive downstage center) but his voice vibrated with emotions teeming close to the surface which didn't overflow until his last song, where he played the piano and sang as though his life depended on it. We gave Raul a standing ovation at the end and as deserved as it was, he seemed in awe of it...taking a moment to survey the audience before inviting the rest of the cast to join him for another bow.
Monday, September 25, 2006
There's a Girl I Know...
I got this purple book for my Bat Mitzvah and I used it as a journal until I graduated from college...that's a lot of life to recount. Of course, it's only select snippets, but interesting nevertheless. I have several things paper-clipped to the pages in the book including the junior prom ticket, valentines, poems, cards...The thing that a lot of these things have in common, at least during my high school period, was that these were mostly from the same person...my first boyfriend, Dave. That book chronicles my entire love life...all four boyfriends; the last relationship ending five years ago.
What's interesting is that my handwriting hasn't changed but my writing style has grown up with me (as one would expect). I go back and marvel how idealistically I loved the boys that I loved...without worry about the future; it was enough to love them right then. There is no way that I would date Dave or Sean today...we have nothing in common that I would seek in a partner, yet then it made all the sense in the world. Who knew that when Dave and I grew up we would still be tentative friends but fundamentally disagree on a lot of things.
I always found it hard to write my fiction when I had a boyfriend and maybe that was because I was busy writing sappy love scenes about myself than sappy love scenes about people I made up. A part of me wishes I could return to the time when a kiss goodnight (on the cheek, no less) was what I hoped for and it was as uncomplicated as that. No JDate, no compatibility tests...just two teenagers trying to make their way through high school together.
What's interesting is that my handwriting hasn't changed but my writing style has grown up with me (as one would expect). I go back and marvel how idealistically I loved the boys that I loved...without worry about the future; it was enough to love them right then. There is no way that I would date Dave or Sean today...we have nothing in common that I would seek in a partner, yet then it made all the sense in the world. Who knew that when Dave and I grew up we would still be tentative friends but fundamentally disagree on a lot of things.
I always found it hard to write my fiction when I had a boyfriend and maybe that was because I was busy writing sappy love scenes about myself than sappy love scenes about people I made up. A part of me wishes I could return to the time when a kiss goodnight (on the cheek, no less) was what I hoped for and it was as uncomplicated as that. No JDate, no compatibility tests...just two teenagers trying to make their way through high school together.
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Five Years...
Five years is a long time. It's been five years since I was a junior at Syracuse, living in my single in Shaw. It's been five years since I broke up with my then-boyfriend. It's been five years since I took my first class with Prof. Dubin. It's been five years since I sat in Dubin's class and watched in horror as buildings collapsed in New York City on a big screen like some grotesque imitation of an action movie where nameless extras died but it would all be ok if Tom Cruise or Harrison Ford saved the day.
It didn't work out that way. What I was watching was real. And I did not lose anyone close to me, directly. I did lose something that day, though and I think a lot of Americans did. We lost our security and complacency. We were no longer invincible...and are no longer invincible as we deal with the daily rigors of supposed new terror threats.
An eerie silence envleoped our campus that day and for a couple days after that. No one was walking around or playing frisbee on the quad. I sat in my room for two hours to wait for my dad to call me to make sure he got home from his Philadelphia office safely. My cell phone didn't work. I woke up the next morning to the endless news coverage that I had to switch to I Love lucy re-runs because I couldn't see them anymore. Not because I was unsympathetic, but because the images were already burned into my consciousness and I didn't need to see them anymore.
My boyfriend and I split the day after and I didn't even care; it seemed so unimportant at the time...I was spent of energy and had no more to devote to whether our fading, dysfunctional relationship survived. Instead, i took solcae in my friends and how we gathered at the chapel for Hillel the following Friday evening. I sat next to Dan like I always did and I prayed quietly, mostly to myself. I question, almost dailly, the wisdom of prayer as an act but in the end, if it makes you feel better, then why not?
The football game for that Saturday was cancelled; rescheduled and I sat in my room on Saturday, bored with nothing to do since I didn't have band to fill my time that day. I contacted old friends that I knew to be in the city area and everyone responded, which doesn't usually happen. They were more or less all right and I heard that a high school friend's father, who worked in the towers didn't go in that day. Usually, that would be a mundane detail. But today it was remarkable because he was still alive.
And nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and we shall not know war anymore.
It didn't work out that way. What I was watching was real. And I did not lose anyone close to me, directly. I did lose something that day, though and I think a lot of Americans did. We lost our security and complacency. We were no longer invincible...and are no longer invincible as we deal with the daily rigors of supposed new terror threats.
An eerie silence envleoped our campus that day and for a couple days after that. No one was walking around or playing frisbee on the quad. I sat in my room for two hours to wait for my dad to call me to make sure he got home from his Philadelphia office safely. My cell phone didn't work. I woke up the next morning to the endless news coverage that I had to switch to I Love lucy re-runs because I couldn't see them anymore. Not because I was unsympathetic, but because the images were already burned into my consciousness and I didn't need to see them anymore.
My boyfriend and I split the day after and I didn't even care; it seemed so unimportant at the time...I was spent of energy and had no more to devote to whether our fading, dysfunctional relationship survived. Instead, i took solcae in my friends and how we gathered at the chapel for Hillel the following Friday evening. I sat next to Dan like I always did and I prayed quietly, mostly to myself. I question, almost dailly, the wisdom of prayer as an act but in the end, if it makes you feel better, then why not?
The football game for that Saturday was cancelled; rescheduled and I sat in my room on Saturday, bored with nothing to do since I didn't have band to fill my time that day. I contacted old friends that I knew to be in the city area and everyone responded, which doesn't usually happen. They were more or less all right and I heard that a high school friend's father, who worked in the towers didn't go in that day. Usually, that would be a mundane detail. But today it was remarkable because he was still alive.
And nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and we shall not know war anymore.
Monday, August 28, 2006
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Out Tonight?
So you'll love my story from this evening: I got an Evite from my friend that I worked on Full Monty with like, last year and haven't seen in a really long time. The bar she was celebrating at is in Park Slope, it's really close. So I get dressed and go, only to find no one was at this bar that was even remotely around my age. Ok, so fine. So I think, well, maybe I'm too early. So I move on to another bar I've been to before and sit down at the bar and order. The bartender asks me for me ID, which I give him. He looks at it for a really long time, longer than I think any other bartender in NYC has looked at anyone's ID. Then he says he's not accepting it. I look at him and am like, "Sorry?" He says, "I'm not accepting your ID. It doesn't look real to me." So I get up and leave. Of course, a whole host of witty retorts fill my head upon leaving.
Response #1: Well dude, I can see how a few less pounds and longer hair makes it long like a different person. But relaly, that is me.
Response #2: I hope you do your job this well when an 18 year old comes in and wants to buy a drink. And how old am I? 25.
Response #3: Maybe you should have your eyes checked seeing as you wouldn't know a real ID from a fake one. I didn't have this one until I was 22.
Honestly. No one has ever rejected my ID before...how ridiculous. And sometimes they'll ask for a second ID or something. Not this guy. What a tool.
Response #1: Well dude, I can see how a few less pounds and longer hair makes it long like a different person. But relaly, that is me.
Response #2: I hope you do your job this well when an 18 year old comes in and wants to buy a drink. And how old am I? 25.
Response #3: Maybe you should have your eyes checked seeing as you wouldn't know a real ID from a fake one. I didn't have this one until I was 22.
Honestly. No one has ever rejected my ID before...how ridiculous. And sometimes they'll ask for a second ID or something. Not this guy. What a tool.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Leaving Israel
First, I will give you this disclaimer: I have read and seen the facts about the current issues in Israel. Everything else is opinion.
So I came back last Thursday from our tour of Israel. We hit the ground...and then heard that rockets were being launched at places we'd been the week before. That is a disconserting feeling. We also knew for a fact that a family from our tour stayed on and was now in a place that was being rocketed. They sunsequently arrived home safely (thank Gd).
When I went back to work, everyone was "we were concerned about you, we're glad you're backsafely," which I appreciated. It was nice of them to say things like that. The things that stuck under my skin were a couple emails I got that were to the effect of "You were in Israel? Are you NUTS?" or "You must be really glad to be home." The answers to both, of course, were "No." What people don't get are a) things were relatively peaceful a couple weeks ago and b)why would you be glad to leave a long anticipated vacation?
I understand that now, things are bad. But one of the things I got the feel for on this trip was the fact that Israel is a real place with real people and they think of everyone as family. It's not New York, where you look out for yourself and that's it. Israelis look out for each other because there are so few of them and they fight so hard everyday to exist.
So no, I'm not glad to be home...or I wasn't when I stepped off the plane. I felt sad when I left the airport like I lost something. And as far as being nuts to visit Israel, people could make the same case for visiting New York, since the day the world changed.
So I came back last Thursday from our tour of Israel. We hit the ground...and then heard that rockets were being launched at places we'd been the week before. That is a disconserting feeling. We also knew for a fact that a family from our tour stayed on and was now in a place that was being rocketed. They sunsequently arrived home safely (thank Gd).
When I went back to work, everyone was "we were concerned about you, we're glad you're backsafely," which I appreciated. It was nice of them to say things like that. The things that stuck under my skin were a couple emails I got that were to the effect of "You were in Israel? Are you NUTS?" or "You must be really glad to be home." The answers to both, of course, were "No." What people don't get are a) things were relatively peaceful a couple weeks ago and b)why would you be glad to leave a long anticipated vacation?
I understand that now, things are bad. But one of the things I got the feel for on this trip was the fact that Israel is a real place with real people and they think of everyone as family. It's not New York, where you look out for yourself and that's it. Israelis look out for each other because there are so few of them and they fight so hard everyday to exist.
So no, I'm not glad to be home...or I wasn't when I stepped off the plane. I felt sad when I left the airport like I lost something. And as far as being nuts to visit Israel, people could make the same case for visiting New York, since the day the world changed.
Wednesday, June 28, 2006
Going Away
I've never taken a long vacation from work and now my family and I are jetting off to Israel in a couple days and for some reason, it makes me nervous. Not flying or travelling, but maybe it's being away from my life for 2 weeks. Don't get me wrong, I am looking forward to the vacation and have been for several months. I just worry...not that they won't be able to get along without me at work. That's just it...I'm in the throes of a long and arduous job hunt and soul search and what if I come back...and they decide they don't need me anymore? I know this is just me being silly, but seriously...my boss hasn't given me the time of day all week except tp point out 2 potential mistakes (one I made, and one I proved myself right thankyouverymuch) and that's it. I don't feel taken for granted, not really, but I see my co-worker getting projects and such and I've been there longer and none are being thrown my way.
If someone asked me openly and honestly why I want to change jobs, I would have to say "Because I'm not growing in this environment." And it's the truth because I can't move up, my co-worker would get promoted before I do anyway and I just don't want to do this anymore.
If someone asked me openly and honestly why I want to change jobs, I would have to say "Because I'm not growing in this environment." And it's the truth because I can't move up, my co-worker would get promoted before I do anyway and I just don't want to do this anymore.
Thursday, June 15, 2006
Welcom to F*ckin Deadwood
So it's back. And it's the last fulls eason which sucks, but at least it's back now. I missed Deadwood. The Sopranos was disappointing...after opening the season with a bang (literally)...nothing really happened. You can always count on Deadwood for a number of intricate, eventful days.
As the characters we know and love were re-introduced, I tried to remember them all so I'll list them to see if there are any I forgot:
Al Swearengen
Dan Dority
Johnny Burns
Silas Adams
Doc Cochran
Trixie
Dolly
Seth Bullock
Martha Bullock
Charlie Utter
Sol Star
Jane
Joanie
Cy Tolliver
Leon
Con Stapleton
Tom Nuttall
Steve the hooplehead
Alma Garrett Ellsworth
Ellsworth
Sophia
EB Farnum
Richardson
AW Merrick
George Hearst
That's a lot. I'm sure there's more. I know Mr. Wu wasn't in this episode, either was Andy Cramed...but I'm sure they'll turn up. A hearty welcome back to the best (and dirtiest ;o) cast on TV.
As the characters we know and love were re-introduced, I tried to remember them all so I'll list them to see if there are any I forgot:
Al Swearengen
Dan Dority
Johnny Burns
Silas Adams
Doc Cochran
Trixie
Dolly
Seth Bullock
Martha Bullock
Charlie Utter
Sol Star
Jane
Joanie
Cy Tolliver
Leon
Con Stapleton
Tom Nuttall
Steve the hooplehead
Alma Garrett Ellsworth
Ellsworth
Sophia
EB Farnum
Richardson
AW Merrick
George Hearst
That's a lot. I'm sure there's more. I know Mr. Wu wasn't in this episode, either was Andy Cramed...but I'm sure they'll turn up. A hearty welcome back to the best (and dirtiest ;o) cast on TV.
Friday, June 09, 2006
Catching Up
So I've been somewhat remiss in posting recently...it hasn't been for a lack of noteworthy subject to pontificate about, more a lack of free time. I've always been one who liked having a lot of activity in my life and since I joined the working world, I felt that if I didn't have other things in my life beside work, then my brain would go soft. So I joined the book club, a knitting circle and work at the theatre. I recently began guitar lessons. Most people are like 'wow, you do so much, you're so busy.' But I feel like if I didn't have these other things going on, I'd be bored out of my mind!
A fews weeks ago, the theatre class that I interned for put on their show and it was a success. I really enjoyed being backstage with the kids- feeling their energy and excitement, helping them troubleshoot their costumes and being in a new space and going over their lines with them. That was the first time I felt a sense of fulfillment since I graduated from college.
So what does this mean for me? Well, I am entertaining the idea of going back to school...or droping out of tv all together and applying for a teaching fellowship in NYC. I guess we'll see what happens. However, at least I know that I can get fulfillment from somewhere after feeling empty for so long.
A fews weeks ago, the theatre class that I interned for put on their show and it was a success. I really enjoyed being backstage with the kids- feeling their energy and excitement, helping them troubleshoot their costumes and being in a new space and going over their lines with them. That was the first time I felt a sense of fulfillment since I graduated from college.
So what does this mean for me? Well, I am entertaining the idea of going back to school...or droping out of tv all together and applying for a teaching fellowship in NYC. I guess we'll see what happens. However, at least I know that I can get fulfillment from somewhere after feeling empty for so long.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
What's Next?
So The West Wing aired it's final episode on Sunday evening. It was a fitting ending, though it is beyond me that Will and Grace, a gratingly annoying sitcom warrant an epsidoe four times it's normal length (2 hours to its regular 1/2 hour)and the Wing gets an hour episode like it'll be on again next week. Wtf?
Anyway, I wanted to just remember a bit about my favorite Wing episodes since NBC couldn't even be bothered with a retrospective before the finale.
So, in no particular order...
In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Parts 1&2: In the aftermath of the shooting of President Bartlet and his posse, the staff ponders the way it came together in such a seamless set of flashbacks that other series should take their cues from this. Though at times difficult to watch for it's high emotions, these were the epsides that said, "This is the best show on tv at this time."
In Excelsis Deo: Toby arranges a miliatry funeral for a homeless man who froze to death while wearing his coat. Mrs. Landingham accompanies Toby to the funeral and the final scene is played over a boy's choir singing Little Drummer Boy. I tear up every time.
Shibboleth: Thianks giving brings all sorts of happenings to the White House as "Thanksgiving Cruise Director" CJ finds out. Jed pardons a turkey and drives Charlie nuts until he presents Charlie with a precious family heirloom. Sam and Josh sort out a situation with Chinese Christians claiming assylum in the US.
These Crackpots and These Women/Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail: Both episodes take place on Big Block of Cheese Day, a day Leo designates to throw open the doors of the White House to the likes of Cartographers for Social Equality, a man who tracks UFOs and a group bent on setting up a highway sytem for wolves. The staff comes out of each meeting a little bit less cynical than before. Oh, and in These Crackpots... Charlie and Zoey meet for the first time.
Take the Sabbath Day: The staff, at work on Saturday, ponders the meaning of capital punishment from the Jewish, Christian and Quaker point of veiw on the eve of the exicution of a high ranking drug lord. And Josh meets Joey Lucas.
Two Catherdrals: The second season comes to a head when Mrs. Landingham dies and Jed flashes back to their meeting. He then goes on to denounce GD in an incredibly powerful monologue, done mostly in Latin before holding a press conference regading his coverup of him MS and the furture of his presidency.
There are so many great moments from this wonderful show that I can remember as well as the excellent dialogue. The West Wing, though a shell of it's former self by the end was always great tv and I will miss it.
Anyway, I wanted to just remember a bit about my favorite Wing episodes since NBC couldn't even be bothered with a retrospective before the finale.
So, in no particular order...
In the Shadow of Two Gunmen, Parts 1&2: In the aftermath of the shooting of President Bartlet and his posse, the staff ponders the way it came together in such a seamless set of flashbacks that other series should take their cues from this. Though at times difficult to watch for it's high emotions, these were the epsides that said, "This is the best show on tv at this time."
In Excelsis Deo: Toby arranges a miliatry funeral for a homeless man who froze to death while wearing his coat. Mrs. Landingham accompanies Toby to the funeral and the final scene is played over a boy's choir singing Little Drummer Boy. I tear up every time.
Shibboleth: Thianks giving brings all sorts of happenings to the White House as "Thanksgiving Cruise Director" CJ finds out. Jed pardons a turkey and drives Charlie nuts until he presents Charlie with a precious family heirloom. Sam and Josh sort out a situation with Chinese Christians claiming assylum in the US.
These Crackpots and These Women/Somebody's Going to Emergency, Somebody's Going to Jail: Both episodes take place on Big Block of Cheese Day, a day Leo designates to throw open the doors of the White House to the likes of Cartographers for Social Equality, a man who tracks UFOs and a group bent on setting up a highway sytem for wolves. The staff comes out of each meeting a little bit less cynical than before. Oh, and in These Crackpots... Charlie and Zoey meet for the first time.
Take the Sabbath Day: The staff, at work on Saturday, ponders the meaning of capital punishment from the Jewish, Christian and Quaker point of veiw on the eve of the exicution of a high ranking drug lord. And Josh meets Joey Lucas.
Two Catherdrals: The second season comes to a head when Mrs. Landingham dies and Jed flashes back to their meeting. He then goes on to denounce GD in an incredibly powerful monologue, done mostly in Latin before holding a press conference regading his coverup of him MS and the furture of his presidency.
There are so many great moments from this wonderful show that I can remember as well as the excellent dialogue. The West Wing, though a shell of it's former self by the end was always great tv and I will miss it.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
525,600 Minutes...Times 10
This Saturday marks the 10th Anniversary of RENT's move to Broadway. Yesterday, what they did was make all the tickets to the show $20. Guess who got to go :o).
I generally don't go see Broadway shows more than once because they cost so much money and I certainly don't stand for the whole thing. However, this was a different circumstance. I got an SRO ticket and I stood at the back of the orchestra, peering through a window-like opening. It was actually pretty cool. I could see the whole stage. I didn't have anyone tall sitting in front of me. But I think to stand for a whole show, you have to be riveted. Which I was.
The actor that played Mark, Matt Caplan, was incredible. He played up Mark's innate dorkiness, while still making him empathic. He and Roger's best friendship and later disappointment in each other was palpable. I wondered if the happy-go-lucky Mark from the 1st act could become the sad Mark in the 2nd when things unravel. And he did. He did it by changing his physicality from standing up straight to being sort of slumped over while he watches his friends fight at Angel's funeral. He did an over the top announcer voice to exagerate how ridiculous he thought working for Alexi Darling was.
My only complaint was there were a couple transition moments that the cast didn't milk enough. The moment after "One Song Glory," they launched right into "Light My Candle" without taking so much as a beat to let the power of the song sink in. And I liked the guy who played Collins, but I think his biggest problem was that he was not Jesse L. Martin...he didn't quite have the voice for Santa Fe since he was more tenor than bass...however, he sold me during "Without You" when he was nursing Angel. He wasn't even singing but if you were watching him, you could see that he had a moment of realization that Angel was not going to get better.
I had been wanting to see RENT again since I saw the movie and now I remember why the show was so much better than the movie...I did enjoy the movie. But. The show had something the movie did not: it felt spontaneous and exuberant. The movie was just too polished. Watching the show, you get a feel for Roger's pent up passion for his music and his frustration with his failure. His voice was raw and more of a growl than Adam Pascal's ever was, but when he sang "One Song Glory," he sold it with his voice and his body. In the movie, the actors sounded and looked good but since they were on the screen, their performances were much more muted. They didn't use thier bodies hardly at all while singing, except when there was actual choreography.
The crowd last night was a great crowd and even drew the cast out for a second bow. I feel like they had a talk beforehand and said, "Not much money will be made from tonight's performance, but it's the most important one. Most of these people have seen this show before. Make this time the most memorable."
I generally don't go see Broadway shows more than once because they cost so much money and I certainly don't stand for the whole thing. However, this was a different circumstance. I got an SRO ticket and I stood at the back of the orchestra, peering through a window-like opening. It was actually pretty cool. I could see the whole stage. I didn't have anyone tall sitting in front of me. But I think to stand for a whole show, you have to be riveted. Which I was.
The actor that played Mark, Matt Caplan, was incredible. He played up Mark's innate dorkiness, while still making him empathic. He and Roger's best friendship and later disappointment in each other was palpable. I wondered if the happy-go-lucky Mark from the 1st act could become the sad Mark in the 2nd when things unravel. And he did. He did it by changing his physicality from standing up straight to being sort of slumped over while he watches his friends fight at Angel's funeral. He did an over the top announcer voice to exagerate how ridiculous he thought working for Alexi Darling was.
My only complaint was there were a couple transition moments that the cast didn't milk enough. The moment after "One Song Glory," they launched right into "Light My Candle" without taking so much as a beat to let the power of the song sink in. And I liked the guy who played Collins, but I think his biggest problem was that he was not Jesse L. Martin...he didn't quite have the voice for Santa Fe since he was more tenor than bass...however, he sold me during "Without You" when he was nursing Angel. He wasn't even singing but if you were watching him, you could see that he had a moment of realization that Angel was not going to get better.
I had been wanting to see RENT again since I saw the movie and now I remember why the show was so much better than the movie...I did enjoy the movie. But. The show had something the movie did not: it felt spontaneous and exuberant. The movie was just too polished. Watching the show, you get a feel for Roger's pent up passion for his music and his frustration with his failure. His voice was raw and more of a growl than Adam Pascal's ever was, but when he sang "One Song Glory," he sold it with his voice and his body. In the movie, the actors sounded and looked good but since they were on the screen, their performances were much more muted. They didn't use thier bodies hardly at all while singing, except when there was actual choreography.
The crowd last night was a great crowd and even drew the cast out for a second bow. I feel like they had a talk beforehand and said, "Not much money will be made from tonight's performance, but it's the most important one. Most of these people have seen this show before. Make this time the most memorable."
Monday, April 24, 2006
Some Thoughts
So I've been inconsistent with posts, but things have been busy. Now there's a lull and maybe I can collect a couple thoughts:
I was feeling a bit crappy about my situation earlier until I got a call asking if I'd be interested in coming in for an interview...and that I came highly recommended. Let me tell you, there's nothing better for a boost than having someone call you about a job. I haven't heard about a previous opportunity and was beginning to lose hope and I got this call.
*
I went to my friend's party on Saturday night, and I have to say it was really cool to get together with a group of different people. As much as I love my friends from SU, I have this sort of latent fear that they will up and leave NY and then I will have no friends. But I feel better about it after having been to the party and realizing I do have other friends.
*
Another thing I was feeling crappy about was this guy I saw a couple times seemed to really like me, but I saw him like a couple weeks ago and he hasn't asked to see me since. We've spoken since, but nothing else has happened. I made the last 2 calls. If he wants to see me, he knows my number.
Seriously? Am I doing something wrong? I wish I knew. I try really hard not to seem needy or whatever, but would it kill people to follow through. I lay my cards on the table. No bullshit. Why can't people at least do the same? I don't get it.
*
I was in on auditions for my show last week and as I watched these actors give their all to the audition, I couldn't help thinking how hard this must be. To wait for hours then get called back and wait againg, when there are maybe 20 parts to give away in the shows. Man. Performing is a tough life, though I still think there is some glamor in it and wonder what it would be like.
*
I finished knitting the pieces of my poncho, my 1st big knitting project. We'll see how it comes out when I put it together with the girl who taught me how to knit.
*
This is from a book that I'm reading, Loving Women by Pete Hamill: "If I can remember that time without the gauzy editing of memory, maybe I can make sense of all the years that followed, the stupid deaths I later saw and recorded, the friends I lost, the women I loved too carelessly or too well. But memory does not exist in any orderly progression, following the clean planes of logic."
I was feeling a bit crappy about my situation earlier until I got a call asking if I'd be interested in coming in for an interview...and that I came highly recommended. Let me tell you, there's nothing better for a boost than having someone call you about a job. I haven't heard about a previous opportunity and was beginning to lose hope and I got this call.
*
I went to my friend's party on Saturday night, and I have to say it was really cool to get together with a group of different people. As much as I love my friends from SU, I have this sort of latent fear that they will up and leave NY and then I will have no friends. But I feel better about it after having been to the party and realizing I do have other friends.
*
Another thing I was feeling crappy about was this guy I saw a couple times seemed to really like me, but I saw him like a couple weeks ago and he hasn't asked to see me since. We've spoken since, but nothing else has happened. I made the last 2 calls. If he wants to see me, he knows my number.
Seriously? Am I doing something wrong? I wish I knew. I try really hard not to seem needy or whatever, but would it kill people to follow through. I lay my cards on the table. No bullshit. Why can't people at least do the same? I don't get it.
*
I was in on auditions for my show last week and as I watched these actors give their all to the audition, I couldn't help thinking how hard this must be. To wait for hours then get called back and wait againg, when there are maybe 20 parts to give away in the shows. Man. Performing is a tough life, though I still think there is some glamor in it and wonder what it would be like.
*
I finished knitting the pieces of my poncho, my 1st big knitting project. We'll see how it comes out when I put it together with the girl who taught me how to knit.
*
This is from a book that I'm reading, Loving Women by Pete Hamill: "If I can remember that time without the gauzy editing of memory, maybe I can make sense of all the years that followed, the stupid deaths I later saw and recorded, the friends I lost, the women I loved too carelessly or too well. But memory does not exist in any orderly progression, following the clean planes of logic."
Monday, April 03, 2006
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For
This title is brought to you by the One campaign...Thanks, Bono ;o)
So I've been having these dreams lately and I've never had a recurring dream before...And it's not even like it's the same dream, but the same theme: Once I was on the subway and I was looking for my lost wallet. I was leaving for a trip and I hadn't packed. I was in a hotel and couldn't find my room.
I tried to Google dream symbols, but none of the lists were comprehensive enough to include what I was interested in...But I think what is basically boils down to is that in my life, I'm searching for something I haven't found yet.I know you're like, "Well thank you, Captain Obvious."
"As you were, Lt. Pain in the Ass."
Anyway.
I have a distinct feeling that this is job-related...especially in light of our newest team member...an avid micro-manager on a good day and an obsequious coporate lackey on a bad (you think I'm kidding? I'm so not). He and I had a confrontation last week and it was my 'I have to quit NOW' moment if there ever was one. The dreams had started before then, but they're coming closer together now than before. That then leads to the question of whether or not I want to continue doing what I'm doing, go back to school, learn something new...The possibilities seem endless, but I feel stuck. I shouldn't but I do.
So I've been having these dreams lately and I've never had a recurring dream before...And it's not even like it's the same dream, but the same theme: Once I was on the subway and I was looking for my lost wallet. I was leaving for a trip and I hadn't packed. I was in a hotel and couldn't find my room.
I tried to Google dream symbols, but none of the lists were comprehensive enough to include what I was interested in...But I think what is basically boils down to is that in my life, I'm searching for something I haven't found yet.I know you're like, "Well thank you, Captain Obvious."
"As you were, Lt. Pain in the Ass."
Anyway.
I have a distinct feeling that this is job-related...especially in light of our newest team member...an avid micro-manager on a good day and an obsequious coporate lackey on a bad (you think I'm kidding? I'm so not). He and I had a confrontation last week and it was my 'I have to quit NOW' moment if there ever was one. The dreams had started before then, but they're coming closer together now than before. That then leads to the question of whether or not I want to continue doing what I'm doing, go back to school, learn something new...The possibilities seem endless, but I feel stuck. I shouldn't but I do.
Monday, March 27, 2006
Sports Night
So I've long held the belief that My So-Called Life got the all time "Dead Before It's Time" Award when it came to tv shows. I have recently been watching a show that would give MSCL a run for it's money. Sports Night also aired on ABC though in 1998, four years after MSCL. It's fast dialogue as written by Aaron Sorkin could be difficult to follow if you didn't listen hard enough...and it really wasn't about sports. That might have thrown people off. However, the family of characters is great and they're all so distinct after a few epsidoes that it's hard not to love them.
Also, as a fan of the West Wing, it's interesting to watch Aaron Sorkin's tv work prior to it, because there are some echos. Felicity Huffman's character Dana seems to be pre-CJ, a smart sassy woman with a high powered job...Natalie is pre-Donna, though she actually successfully gets with the guy she likes at work...and Isaac is pre-Jed, the person the action happens around and occasionally to.
Aaron Sorkin was quoted as saying he wanted to focus more on the West Wing when ABC didn't pick up Sports Night...but it was also known that the network didn't quite get what he was trying to do. If they had watched the show, maybe they would have.
Also, as a fan of the West Wing, it's interesting to watch Aaron Sorkin's tv work prior to it, because there are some echos. Felicity Huffman's character Dana seems to be pre-CJ, a smart sassy woman with a high powered job...Natalie is pre-Donna, though she actually successfully gets with the guy she likes at work...and Isaac is pre-Jed, the person the action happens around and occasionally to.
Aaron Sorkin was quoted as saying he wanted to focus more on the West Wing when ABC didn't pick up Sports Night...but it was also known that the network didn't quite get what he was trying to do. If they had watched the show, maybe they would have.
Sunday, March 12, 2006
Me
I am someone who delights in the theatre. I am patently unable to stroll anywhere. I don't own an iPod because I'd rather write in my head. I love Broadway and a capella music and classic rock, but can't stand most top 40 music. I have a story to tell, but haven't quite figured out the best way to tell it yet. I like cherry flavored things. Loyalty is an important quality in a friend. Lying to protect someone is soemtimes necessary, but lying for lying's sake is an unforgivable offense. I am one of few Jews who operate on regular time, not Jewish standard time. I have recently lost 17 pounds. I don't believe in regret. I would do anything for my family and some of my friends because they would do anything for me. I believe people deserve second chances. I hate sitting in front of a computer all day but I do it so I can pay my rent and college loans and hope for something better. Global warming is a terrible condition, but I revel in 60 degree days in March. I think Jonathan Larson, JK Rowling, Pete Hamill and Aaron Sorkin are all brilliant writers in completely different ways. I love my HBO and Netflix. I sometimes can't contain the stories in my head and reach for the closest paper, be it a napkin or a notepad to write them down so they don't disappear. I miss my Aunt who died six years ago. I wouldn't trade my time at Syracuse University for anything in the world though it has left me in considerable debt and an uncertain future. Money is an ends to a means, but not all important to my happiness; I would rather be happy than rich and unhappy. I believe everyone should have a fair shake at their dreams, whatever those dreams might be. I would rather eat Japanese or Thai food than Italian food. Chicken soup really is a cure for every ill. I am one of few who does not think 'Family Guy' and the 'Simpsons' are hopt dates with the tv. I wish producers would stop making broadway shows out of bad movies. I work for free at the theatre because I want to. I still tend to think of myself in terms of being a girl, instead of woman. Love should be a partnership; no more, no less. People should know what is happening in the world so if they don't like it, they can do something to change it. I hate it when crumbs get left on the table. I get enomotional watching movies that I have seen before. My collections of books and movies are important to me. Work shouldn't be the only thing in life. Women everywhere should have control over their destinies.
This is me. Who are you?
This is me. Who are you?
Friday, March 03, 2006
How do you measure the life of a woman or a man?
I know it's been a while. And now that is is officailly been my twenty-fifth birthday for six minutes, I thought I'd take some time for some existential musings...
So here it is: I'm not one who really believes in the whole "quarter life crisis" thing, since I've been "oh, what am I doing with my life?" since I graduated from college anyway. But the question that I ask now is this: How is my life different now than it was a year ago.
And the answer is...I don't think it is. I'm in the same apt, same job, still no man. What gives? I mean, granted, i chose to stay in the same apt. That's not the issue here. The issue is the other two. I've been on more interviews than I can remember in this past year and I'm still at the same job that I tolerate but don't love. I've been on a couple dates here and there but largely, they have been disappointing. It's weird...people always expect a new age to feel different, but it never does.
Is it something I'm doing wrong? D I think that if I had a different job it would solve everything? Do I have impossible expectations when it comes to looking for a guy to date? I don't know. I really don't. There's only so much one can analyze herself before she loses it.
What I hope to be in my 25th year is this: a good person, a good writer, a good friend. To find a new job. To continue my search for love. That is really all one can ask for out of a new start whether it be New Years', Rosh Hashanah, a birthday...or just a new day.
So here it is: I'm not one who really believes in the whole "quarter life crisis" thing, since I've been "oh, what am I doing with my life?" since I graduated from college anyway. But the question that I ask now is this: How is my life different now than it was a year ago.
And the answer is...I don't think it is. I'm in the same apt, same job, still no man. What gives? I mean, granted, i chose to stay in the same apt. That's not the issue here. The issue is the other two. I've been on more interviews than I can remember in this past year and I'm still at the same job that I tolerate but don't love. I've been on a couple dates here and there but largely, they have been disappointing. It's weird...people always expect a new age to feel different, but it never does.
Is it something I'm doing wrong? D I think that if I had a different job it would solve everything? Do I have impossible expectations when it comes to looking for a guy to date? I don't know. I really don't. There's only so much one can analyze herself before she loses it.
What I hope to be in my 25th year is this: a good person, a good writer, a good friend. To find a new job. To continue my search for love. That is really all one can ask for out of a new start whether it be New Years', Rosh Hashanah, a birthday...or just a new day.
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Nanny
So over the long weekend, I read 'The Nanny Diaries' by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Most of the reviews I read (yes, I'm one of those people who reads something them goes back and reads everything I can find on it to see what other people think) say the book is 'funny.' My friend at work who lent me the book said it was 'cute.'
Don't get me wrong, there were funny parts of the book but overall, there was nothing cute or funny about the situation Nanny, the main character, ended up in. She meets the X family while job-searching for the new school year so she can put herself through her senior year at NYU. The book chronicles the year that she works for the Xes and the genuine love and regard she has for her charge, Grayer, a precocious 4 year-old who has everything but what he wants: his parents attention.
Some ascpects of the book are cliches: Mr. X is cheating on Mrs. X. Nanny's parents are the polar opposites of people like the Xes. She meets a boy that lives in the same building as the Xes.
What really struck me and left me feeling sad and angry when I was finished with the book is how little the Xes seemed to care for Grayer. They give no thought as to what would happen to him when the unceremoniously fire Nanny and she leaves thinking "I can still hear him screaming for me." Nanny and Grayer became a team and the parents only cared about themselves. Grayer didn't get accepted to a private school for which he already owned a sweatshirt, so Mrs. X focused on him not wearing the sweatshirt...not his father's tie that he took to wearing when the father sort of moved out of their place.
The book ended sort of abruptly, leaving me wondering what would happen to a kid like Grayer without someone to love him like Nanny. There would be other Nannies, of course, but she had a hard time convincing him that she wouldn't leave him like the others...only to be cast out. Would Grayer renounce his parents's world and grow up to be the opposite of the horrible people they became? Or would he embrace the life, emotionally cutting himself off from others for his entire life?
I was sort of hoping for an epilogue to tie things up but I suppose that once a nanny and child are no longer together, it's best to keep it that way. It was hard enough for me to give up my sporadic baby-sitting assignments; let alone have full-time charge of a child, then abruptly have to let them go.
One of the first thoughts I had when reading this book was to compare it to "Bonfire of the Vanities," by Tom Wolfe, especially when Nanny described the mothers of the children she'd taken care of. The term "social x-ray" came to mind; as that was the term Tom Wolfe employed when discussing the emaciated, impeccibly dressed, superficila women in his book. I was also reminded of the character of Carol played by Catherine O'Hara on 'Six Feet Under' because both Mrs. X and Carol (she of the west coast film elite, not the upper east side elite) both played "how much can I abuse my workers before they snap." And snap they did.
My favorite parts of the book were when Nanny interacted with other nannies. These women were all from very different backgrounds, but they had one thing in common...they all worked for people who had more money than they knew what to do with...and more time.
Don't get me wrong, there were funny parts of the book but overall, there was nothing cute or funny about the situation Nanny, the main character, ended up in. She meets the X family while job-searching for the new school year so she can put herself through her senior year at NYU. The book chronicles the year that she works for the Xes and the genuine love and regard she has for her charge, Grayer, a precocious 4 year-old who has everything but what he wants: his parents attention.
Some ascpects of the book are cliches: Mr. X is cheating on Mrs. X. Nanny's parents are the polar opposites of people like the Xes. She meets a boy that lives in the same building as the Xes.
What really struck me and left me feeling sad and angry when I was finished with the book is how little the Xes seemed to care for Grayer. They give no thought as to what would happen to him when the unceremoniously fire Nanny and she leaves thinking "I can still hear him screaming for me." Nanny and Grayer became a team and the parents only cared about themselves. Grayer didn't get accepted to a private school for which he already owned a sweatshirt, so Mrs. X focused on him not wearing the sweatshirt...not his father's tie that he took to wearing when the father sort of moved out of their place.
The book ended sort of abruptly, leaving me wondering what would happen to a kid like Grayer without someone to love him like Nanny. There would be other Nannies, of course, but she had a hard time convincing him that she wouldn't leave him like the others...only to be cast out. Would Grayer renounce his parents's world and grow up to be the opposite of the horrible people they became? Or would he embrace the life, emotionally cutting himself off from others for his entire life?
I was sort of hoping for an epilogue to tie things up but I suppose that once a nanny and child are no longer together, it's best to keep it that way. It was hard enough for me to give up my sporadic baby-sitting assignments; let alone have full-time charge of a child, then abruptly have to let them go.
One of the first thoughts I had when reading this book was to compare it to "Bonfire of the Vanities," by Tom Wolfe, especially when Nanny described the mothers of the children she'd taken care of. The term "social x-ray" came to mind; as that was the term Tom Wolfe employed when discussing the emaciated, impeccibly dressed, superficila women in his book. I was also reminded of the character of Carol played by Catherine O'Hara on 'Six Feet Under' because both Mrs. X and Carol (she of the west coast film elite, not the upper east side elite) both played "how much can I abuse my workers before they snap." And snap they did.
My favorite parts of the book were when Nanny interacted with other nannies. These women were all from very different backgrounds, but they had one thing in common...they all worked for people who had more money than they knew what to do with...and more time.
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
V-Day
So Valentine's Day is the day that brings out the cheeseball in all of us. Little stuffed animals, chocolate, pink cards...yeah, you know the drill.
Don't get me wrong; I don't hate Valentine's Day. I like the idea that there is a day supposedly dedicated to love. What I do hate is how this idea has become sort of a forced version of itself. By the middle of January even Duane Reid had a V-Day display in the window. It's like stores didn't know what to do with themselves when Christmas was over, so they had to leap right into Valentine's Day.
Also, I don't dislike V-Day because I'm single. I found it pressure-filled when I actually did have a guy. But now I think it makes especially single women feel bad about themselves. Cuz when did V-Day stop being about love and start being about making the girl half of a couple happy. Oy.
But have a happy v-day anyway. Give someone you love a hug :o)
Don't get me wrong; I don't hate Valentine's Day. I like the idea that there is a day supposedly dedicated to love. What I do hate is how this idea has become sort of a forced version of itself. By the middle of January even Duane Reid had a V-Day display in the window. It's like stores didn't know what to do with themselves when Christmas was over, so they had to leap right into Valentine's Day.
Also, I don't dislike V-Day because I'm single. I found it pressure-filled when I actually did have a guy. But now I think it makes especially single women feel bad about themselves. Cuz when did V-Day stop being about love and start being about making the girl half of a couple happy. Oy.
But have a happy v-day anyway. Give someone you love a hug :o)
Monday, February 06, 2006
Top Five...
So I saw 'High Fidelity' with John Cusack this weekend (among other things, like the Super Bowl, which I only care about as a social thing)...
The movie was hilarious, and Jack Black and Joan Cusack were vying to see who could steal more scenes (that is until in 2003 they got their own movie, School of Rock.) But anyway. John Cusack's character was obsessed with, among other things, making 'top five' lists of...well, everything. A major part of the narrative was set around him recapping his top five worst breakups.
Another thing he said was that music and movies and television shows that people like say a lot about them. And he's right. I know that when I go over peoples' places, I always look at their movies...and I know I have friends who look at mine.
So, in no particular order...top five movies:
1. Back to the Future
2. A League of Their Own
3. Good Will Hunting
4. Moonstruck
5. Shakespeare in Love
And top five CDs that I own:
1. Rent (counts once, though it's 2 CDs)
2. tick, tick...BOOM
3. Rockapella in Concert
4. Songs in the Attic, Billy Joel
5. Joshua Tree, U2
Top five tv shows (on right now)
1. Deadwood
2. 24
3. Scrubs
4. Rescue Me
5. The Wire
Top five tv shows...ever.
1. My So-Called Life
2. Deadwood
3. Six Feet Under
4. The West Wing
5. Sex and the City
The movie was hilarious, and Jack Black and Joan Cusack were vying to see who could steal more scenes (that is until in 2003 they got their own movie, School of Rock.) But anyway. John Cusack's character was obsessed with, among other things, making 'top five' lists of...well, everything. A major part of the narrative was set around him recapping his top five worst breakups.
Another thing he said was that music and movies and television shows that people like say a lot about them. And he's right. I know that when I go over peoples' places, I always look at their movies...and I know I have friends who look at mine.
So, in no particular order...top five movies:
1. Back to the Future
2. A League of Their Own
3. Good Will Hunting
4. Moonstruck
5. Shakespeare in Love
And top five CDs that I own:
1. Rent (counts once, though it's 2 CDs)
2. tick, tick...BOOM
3. Rockapella in Concert
4. Songs in the Attic, Billy Joel
5. Joshua Tree, U2
Top five tv shows (on right now)
1. Deadwood
2. 24
3. Scrubs
4. Rescue Me
5. The Wire
Top five tv shows...ever.
1. My So-Called Life
2. Deadwood
3. Six Feet Under
4. The West Wing
5. Sex and the City
Friday, January 27, 2006
$10 a Day
Ok, so I started getting New York Magazine when Variety offered me such a good deal that I didn't want to turn it down...and I love to read about New York since I live there, so I got it. In general, I liked it...but this weeks' theme of "bargain shopping/saving money" really irritated me. This woman (see link) decided to live on $10 a day. Ok. Fine. But the things she did with those $10 were ridiculous. The ideas of where to get good, cheap food were interesting but why couldn't she cook her own food? Why did she absolutely have to take cabs? It doesn't make any sense? And doesn't she have a job? What was she doing all day? It made no sense to me.
Then it seemed like she was being noble because she spent $10 day and no more. That's not noble and it's not special. It's life. I know a lot of people in NYC who watch their money and they don't do such idiotic things with it. Why doesn't that warrant an article? I know I keep my student ID in my wallet that expired 3 years ago because I still look the same and I can get into museums for student rates. My friends send out emails with links to discounted movie tickets. We avoid places with $10 mixed drinks like the plague...unless there's a Happy Hour special. We buy clothes on sale or off-season when they're cheaper. We cook our own food. We share when we go out. This isn't hard, people. Seriously.
Other things you can do to save money: seek out free events, sign up for email lists and pick out the free/cheap things to do. Get a monthly Metrocard; it averages out to be less than $4 a round trip that way. Plan things out. If you have $10 to spend on food, get a salad at Hale and Hearty and don't add anything extra to it. Drink the coffee at the office instead of spending $3 on it at Starbucks. Comparison shop. If there's a DVD that you want, check out how much it is at Best Buy, FYE, Amazon and Target before buying it. Work the system. If you have something to return, return it so you can save money on your next purchase at the store. Bring your lunch to work with you. This saves and unbelievable amount of money...the cost of a loaf of bread and fixin's is much preferable.
I don't know why that story in New York Magazine came across as so patronizing to me. Maybe they think only rich people read it and are trying to expand their horizons. I don't know. But I do know that in order to have enough money to cover my rent, I can't really spend any cash in the next two weeks. Sometimes, even $10 a day is too much.
Then it seemed like she was being noble because she spent $10 day and no more. That's not noble and it's not special. It's life. I know a lot of people in NYC who watch their money and they don't do such idiotic things with it. Why doesn't that warrant an article? I know I keep my student ID in my wallet that expired 3 years ago because I still look the same and I can get into museums for student rates. My friends send out emails with links to discounted movie tickets. We avoid places with $10 mixed drinks like the plague...unless there's a Happy Hour special. We buy clothes on sale or off-season when they're cheaper. We cook our own food. We share when we go out. This isn't hard, people. Seriously.
Other things you can do to save money: seek out free events, sign up for email lists and pick out the free/cheap things to do. Get a monthly Metrocard; it averages out to be less than $4 a round trip that way. Plan things out. If you have $10 to spend on food, get a salad at Hale and Hearty and don't add anything extra to it. Drink the coffee at the office instead of spending $3 on it at Starbucks. Comparison shop. If there's a DVD that you want, check out how much it is at Best Buy, FYE, Amazon and Target before buying it. Work the system. If you have something to return, return it so you can save money on your next purchase at the store. Bring your lunch to work with you. This saves and unbelievable amount of money...the cost of a loaf of bread and fixin's is much preferable.
I don't know why that story in New York Magazine came across as so patronizing to me. Maybe they think only rich people read it and are trying to expand their horizons. I don't know. But I do know that in order to have enough money to cover my rent, I can't really spend any cash in the next two weeks. Sometimes, even $10 a day is too much.
Monday, January 23, 2006
A Week In The Life...
I've been wanting to write this week...however, I found that I haven't had much time to devote to what I wanted to write...and then when I did, I was at a loss of what to write about. Go figure.
This has been an eventful week: Jack Bauer made his return, I have taken up knitting, I saw one of my favorite music groups, went to a museum and my boss met me dad. Where to begin.
So last Monday we had a day off as it was MLK day which was cool; it's always nice to have a little extra time to myself. I spent most of the weekend on my own as my roommate went home. I enjoyed the time I spent on my own but was thoroughly frustrated with getting together with other people...well, one person in particular to be specific. I know that friendships start and stop, and run in cycles but this is not the first time she has done what she did this weekend. She turned up in the city to hang out with her other friends then basically squeezed me in before she left. I was not happy. I feel like there are defining moment in friendships when you know that somehow, things are now different. This was how I felt last weekend.
*
Birthright Israel Alumni has all sorts of events and one thing they sponsored was a knitting class which I attended and am now in the process of making a purple wool scarf. I've never made things like that before...so I'm psyched :o).
*
Ah yes, there was an industry party this Thursday and my dad and my boss met for the first time. On the up side, my boss didn't do anything silly which made me less apprehnsive...but he did sort of joke about my dad getting him a job in the future. Oy.
*
Rockapella had a show in NYC on Saturday and I can't say it enough times: those guys are brilliant entertainers and top notch musicans. Go see them (www.rockapella.com) My mom asked me if I thought entertainers deserved what they got paid and I said it depended. As long as they have the tlent and the showmanship to back it up, I say bring it. Thise guys are not young; probably between mid-thirties and forties, yet they put on a show that's more energetic and entertaining than most shows out there.
This has been an eventful week: Jack Bauer made his return, I have taken up knitting, I saw one of my favorite music groups, went to a museum and my boss met me dad. Where to begin.
So last Monday we had a day off as it was MLK day which was cool; it's always nice to have a little extra time to myself. I spent most of the weekend on my own as my roommate went home. I enjoyed the time I spent on my own but was thoroughly frustrated with getting together with other people...well, one person in particular to be specific. I know that friendships start and stop, and run in cycles but this is not the first time she has done what she did this weekend. She turned up in the city to hang out with her other friends then basically squeezed me in before she left. I was not happy. I feel like there are defining moment in friendships when you know that somehow, things are now different. This was how I felt last weekend.
*
Birthright Israel Alumni has all sorts of events and one thing they sponsored was a knitting class which I attended and am now in the process of making a purple wool scarf. I've never made things like that before...so I'm psyched :o).
*
Ah yes, there was an industry party this Thursday and my dad and my boss met for the first time. On the up side, my boss didn't do anything silly which made me less apprehnsive...but he did sort of joke about my dad getting him a job in the future. Oy.
*
Rockapella had a show in NYC on Saturday and I can't say it enough times: those guys are brilliant entertainers and top notch musicans. Go see them (www.rockapella.com) My mom asked me if I thought entertainers deserved what they got paid and I said it depended. As long as they have the tlent and the showmanship to back it up, I say bring it. Thise guys are not young; probably between mid-thirties and forties, yet they put on a show that's more energetic and entertaining than most shows out there.
Monday, January 16, 2006
He's Back
T Minus a little less than 2 hours until the second half of the four hour 24 premiere/marathon. So I was watching last night and it was everything you'd expect: explosions, awkward exposition, guns, a stupid teen...and of course, Kiefer Sutherland. Good times.
I wonder what it is about this show that makes an otherwise peaceful person (ie, I'm not really for war in real life and am saddened when I hear about random acts of violence) yell at the tv "shoot him!" "I hope that person's dead by next episode!" It's like I become a guy or something. I don't even care for action movies, save for very specific ones with actors/ directors that I like! But this show somehow releases the testosterone.
I mean, sure, in Deadwood, there are some people who we all hope will meet their ends at the hands of Al or Dan and there are people on the Sopranos who we just know Tony will dispatch Chris and Paulie to kill (more on both of those when they FINALLY come back). But seriously, they go through so many cast members on 24, that not even the principals from previous seasons are safe (If you haven't watched it yet, it's not my problem). But as soon as Palmer and Michelle went down, I was rooting for Jack to KICK SOME ASS! You know, like he usually does.
Looking forward to 8 PM <> 9-10 AM.
I wonder what it is about this show that makes an otherwise peaceful person (ie, I'm not really for war in real life and am saddened when I hear about random acts of violence) yell at the tv "shoot him!" "I hope that person's dead by next episode!" It's like I become a guy or something. I don't even care for action movies, save for very specific ones with actors/ directors that I like! But this show somehow releases the testosterone.
I mean, sure, in Deadwood, there are some people who we all hope will meet their ends at the hands of Al or Dan and there are people on the Sopranos who we just know Tony will dispatch Chris and Paulie to kill (more on both of those when they FINALLY come back). But seriously, they go through so many cast members on 24, that not even the principals from previous seasons are safe (If you haven't watched it yet, it's not my problem). But as soon as Palmer and Michelle went down, I was rooting for Jack to KICK SOME ASS! You know, like he usually does.
Looking forward to 8 PM <
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Move Over, HBO
So for the past few years, I have had a standing date on Sundays at 9 PM with HBO. Sopranos, Sex and the City, Six Feet Under, The Wire, Rome, Carnivale, Deadwood...all the best shows on tv, all on Sunday night at 9. However, Rome was the most recent show and it ended a while back. The Sopranos doesn't start until March. What does a girl do? Seriously, HBO...I'm out in the cold over here!
Then, I discovered something. I got it for free for two weeks. Netflix. You go to the website and pick out DVDs and they send them to you. When you're done, you send them back and they send you another one. Good deal. For less than $20 a month, I can see as many movies as I want! And with my HBO relationship on hold, Netflix is a great backup. Almost too good! They recomend movies based on what you already watched...Oy. I sound like I'm getting paid to adevertise here...I should call their marketing office and ask if I can get a cut.
But really. When there's nothing on tv, Netflix is a very good companion. 24 starts up next week and the tortured soul competition will be on. Until then, Netflix...send me what's next.
Then, I discovered something. I got it for free for two weeks. Netflix. You go to the website and pick out DVDs and they send them to you. When you're done, you send them back and they send you another one. Good deal. For less than $20 a month, I can see as many movies as I want! And with my HBO relationship on hold, Netflix is a great backup. Almost too good! They recomend movies based on what you already watched...Oy. I sound like I'm getting paid to adevertise here...I should call their marketing office and ask if I can get a cut.
But really. When there's nothing on tv, Netflix is a very good companion. 24 starts up next week and the tortured soul competition will be on. Until then, Netflix...send me what's next.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Baggage
So I spent New Year's in Providence with my friend Nina from SU...It was fun; Providence is a cool place, though it seems really small after NYC.
Of course, there had to be some drama that happened this weekend...it would have been too simple otherwise. When I got off of the bus on Friday evening, I looked for my bag under the bus...and it was gone. Gone. Kaput. Nada.
I had a good time despite this rather substantial obstacle, but I wanted to take a moment and properly mourn the loss of my possessions. Admittedly, most are replaceable, but I am a 'stuff' person and don't like it when my stuff is no longer in my possession.
So:
The bag itself...was old and needed to be replaced, especially if we're off to Israel this summer. The khakis...were too big since I lost weight and had been around a signifcant amount of time. Same goes for a couple of the shirts. My camera wasoutdted, though it worked ok...the lens cover had broken off. The photo album...chronicled the last couple years, but I have negatives and double to replace them with. Underwear and socks...replacable, though I'd rather not have to replace them...The sparkly skirt. I barely knew you. I would have been good to you. You were worht a lot more than the $20 I paid for you. The Clinique makeup....probably cost as much as the clothes did....I spent a while building up my collection.
Ok. So I got that off of my chest. And if anyone is considering Greyhound, make other arrangements.
Of course, there had to be some drama that happened this weekend...it would have been too simple otherwise. When I got off of the bus on Friday evening, I looked for my bag under the bus...and it was gone. Gone. Kaput. Nada.
I had a good time despite this rather substantial obstacle, but I wanted to take a moment and properly mourn the loss of my possessions. Admittedly, most are replaceable, but I am a 'stuff' person and don't like it when my stuff is no longer in my possession.
So:
The bag itself...was old and needed to be replaced, especially if we're off to Israel this summer. The khakis...were too big since I lost weight and had been around a signifcant amount of time. Same goes for a couple of the shirts. My camera wasoutdted, though it worked ok...the lens cover had broken off. The photo album...chronicled the last couple years, but I have negatives and double to replace them with. Underwear and socks...replacable, though I'd rather not have to replace them...The sparkly skirt. I barely knew you. I would have been good to you. You were worht a lot more than the $20 I paid for you. The Clinique makeup....probably cost as much as the clothes did....I spent a while building up my collection.
Ok. So I got that off of my chest. And if anyone is considering Greyhound, make other arrangements.
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