Snow pictures and pictures and... pictures

BLOG / JOURNAL ENTRY
BLOG / JOURNAL ENTRY














Can I start off a picture set without pics of kitties? Nope. Look at Hambone peeking.

















"The Many Faces of Flapjack" or
"The Ghosts of Flapjack" or
"I Really Need To Practice Taking Pictures With A Steady Hand"

















my volleyball team at Jillian's b-day drinky thing, minus Meredith and Ash (Steve, Mike, Jillian, me)

There's Meredith.... and Esra. both blurry. ok, blurry shots are kinda cool.

















the official drink of team Kwyjbo (Jager) - trust me, it was not my choice.

















Jillian blatantly gropes Steve. Steve smiles.

















form your own caption. a lot filled with rubble is a remarkably common sight in NYC.



















playing with the new camera phone at battery park. Statue of Liberty / Ellis Island visible. sorta.

















same sort of shot, no effects used.
















a bit of an in-between'er. 4pm in Battery Park is a magical time.

















One of the turkeys that lives in Battery Park. yep. he lives there. no word on what he does when in snows or when the wind blows 60+ mph like it's doing today.


















my first view of the blizzard from Esra's living room window. bottom left is a picnic table.

















and then from her kitchen window.






















and bedroom window. there were a dozen or so pictures I took that morning from her windows. I'll spare you what amount to basically the same shot over & over.

















plotting all of the fun I will have. insert diabolical laugh here.


















Esra contemplates digging someone's van out of the snow. just for fun.


















camera happy on my favorite weather day of the year.






















One of the East Village's bazillion community parks.

















the view down Houston. east.

















Called into action to battle the snow, I hop into the nearest vehicle.

















I like to do what I can.

















Heee Heeeeeeeeee!

















I think there's a snowball in the air somewhere just out of frame.























the view from my office window of battery park and subway construction. unfortunately, not visible is a 17th century fort wall recently discovered.






















And the Statue of Liberty of course.























One of the statues in front of the American Indian Museum across from Bowling Green.






















Another of the statues.

















parents and kids play in the Washington Square Park circle.























snow melt cascades off of a building across from Liberty Plaza, near WTC.























another view. sadly the snow melt isn't showing up so well in the photo.

watch a film Esra was in but.......

BLOG / JOURNAL ENTRY
.....Last month, I finally got a chance to see a film Esra was in. I'd heard about the film but sadly, I assumed I probably wouldn't get a chance to see it since Esra didn't have a copy and her friend Daniela, who directed the film, was in Germany at the time doing some additional work on the sound for the film. Months passed and I'd almost forgotten about it when lo and behold, Daniela was back and having a screening party for the film. Most Excellent, I thought - my actress girlfriend on the big screen doing her actressy thing for all (more importantly, me) to see. (yes, sometimes I think parenthetically)
.....The night of the screening party came - not without a bit of self-conscious nervousness on Esra's part for the fact that I was going to see her on screen. We arrived, wine in hand, then wine and hors d'oeuvres in bellies, we socialized a bit and then... before I knew it, it was movie time.
.....I say, before I knew it but it wasn't really before -I- knew it, it was before my bladder knew it because not ten minutes into the film, I realized I had to go to the bathroom. Damn wine. Ok, there's 30 people in the apartment and I have a choice viewing spot - IF I dont move. The bathroom was at the other end of the apartment so my chances of going to the bathroom from where I was were pretty slim. Hmm. Ok. determine a safe point, plot wise to go, then go fast and hurry back. Ready.... go. I dont really need to explain what ended up happening, do I? Yep. I went to the bathroom.... for the full scene that Esra was in. Did Esra notice this fact? C'mon, of course she did. Was I her favorite person in the world after the film? UMmmmmNo. No, I wasn't. Not even a little bit. Not even a little little bit.
.....She forgave me of course and was empathetic to the plight of the small-bladder-affected but was still, understandably, a little hurt and embarassed ("did your boyfriend really leave for just the scene you were in??"). Scrambling to make things better, I swore that hell or high water, I Would See This Film. And now, a month later, I finally have my chance. And so do you! Details below even. It really is a great film... I enjoyed it muchly, as will you - give it a view and Do vote, please. Daniela & Co. put a lot of time, work and money into this great project and... and... a historical note for you NY-locale-buffs: it's the last film to contain any sort of footage shot at the Fulton Fish Market. exciting, huh? Ok, maybe that part's just sentimentally exciting for the mobsters that ran the market. and fish.

help "Captivated" get into a top-ten festival....

"Captivated" has been accepted into this year's Cinequest Viewer's Voice Competition. Viewers download the film, watch it, and vote. One winner with the highest voting score will then be showcased at this year's Cinequest Film Festival in San Jose, CA.

YOU as an audience get to decide if "Captivated" goes to Cinequest! So, I'm counting on your vote!! You have to register in order for the vote to count. There are a few steps involved, but I've laid them out below to make it easy:

---1. On your Windows PC, go to: http://cinequestonline.org/2006/registration/index.php and register.
---2. Go to "Captivated" entry page: http://www.cinequestonline.org/2006/theater/detail_view.php?m=681 and click "Watch the Film"
---3. Click "Yes" to the Open Media Network (OMN Browser) download. This will install OMN and download the film!
---4. When the OMN browser (big blue window) pops up, you will see the film download in progress. Downloading will take a few minutes, so while you wait...
---5. Click on "HOME" -" Sign in" (at the very bottom right) and "Sign Up" to use the OMN browser (this is a second, separate registration process). Now you're ready to vote.* (in case, "movie" won't show up on its own - Click on: GUIDE (upper bar) and write in SEARCH (lower left): Captivated. (tap below: ALL FIELDS). Then, "Captivated" will show up and you can download it.
---6. When the download is complete, go to "MY DOWNLOADS" - "DOWNLOADED" in the OMN browser and double-click on "Captivated." The film will begin.
---7. While you watch the film, you can vote 5 stars at the bottom and leave comments. *More information on how to download and vote is available at: http://cinequestonline.org/2006/support/OMN_HowToReg.php

--The film should be up for the next two weeks before the voting period is over, so please vote as soon as you can.

Beer Pong was invented by the Devil

JOURNAL ENTRY
Beer Pong was invented by the Devil

-----I played beer pong for the first time last night and I am now unquestioningly convinced that beer pong was, in fact, invented by the devil. I'd seen the game played in various bars around the city but never wanted to be that guy who suggested to friends "hey! let's play that game. Yeah, the one with the beer and the cups and ... Oh yeah, balls!! c'mon! who doesn't love a good game played with balls??!". Last night, after my team's volleyball match, I was that guy - minus all the enthusiastic emphasis on "balls" of course. We had somehow found ourselves at what should probably only be described as a "beer pong bar". As my team is fond of doing and as wisely directed by medical professionals everywhere, we drinks many inhebriating beverages after our volleyball matches. Beer after sports? Strange, I know - that's just how we roll - dont question it. But beer with sports?? Interesting. (sidenote: I kicked so much volleyball ass last night, everyone walked out in diapers)

-----As we began to play this mythical beer pong game, something quickly dawned on me - beer pong is highly dangerous and should be outlawed in most US States and territories. (definitely the territories) It is an abomination to any semblance of common sense you may have thought you had. A game designed by a cruel and spiteful evil entity with the sole purpose of making people drink FAST ...and making sure each player drinks at least a pitcher of beer in a very short time.

-----For those who haven't played, the quick rules of the game are this: Your team and your opponents' have ten cups half filled with beer. You try to throw a ball into their cups to make them drink the now ping-pong-ball-dirtied-beer, they try the same at your cups. the last team with cups standing drinks all the remaining beer. There are other rules but you will quickly find yourself too drunk to remember them.

-----It is a game that blends the mind-blowingly intense excitement of throwing crumpled up paper into a trashcan with the pathological compulsion to drink for more than just "drinking's sake". Why? Because "it's fun!!" Yes, fun like russian roulette is fun. Fun like pounding shots so you can see a stack of little empty glasses is fun. It's remarkably similiar to a game I just invented called: "you drink!" "ok, now YOU drink!" "ok ok... now YOU drink!! hee hee" "OK, done..! now you drink!". Sadly, my game is woefully devoid of balls.

-----If you've ever suffered at the hands of this game, this picture of a 100 cup variation of the game will make your stomach grumble and shake it's stomachy fists at you for ever playing. (yes, your stomach has angry fists). My favorite parts from the wikipedia Beer Pong entry: having a remarkably simple premise, the game has a great depth of skill and strategy with different kinds of shots, cooperative planning, and a large element of confrontational psychology. These elements combined with the debilitating effects of alcohol creates a complex alluring game, or as some say, a sport. ........... There may be up to two officials observing one game [who] should be unbiased individuals competent in the rules of the game (just like Russian roulette should have unbiased officials) ............ [empty cups] should never be stacked upon each other, as dirt and dust from the bottom of the cups can contaminate the cups for the next game. Newbies to beer pong are notorious for committing this act. (Oops, it seems we were newbies all night) ........... Mesquite, Nevada held the World Series of Beer Pong from January 2 - 6, 2006. (Ergo, Mesquite, Nevada had absolutely nothing better to do from Jan. 2-6, 2006)
....see also: Beer distribution and formations
....see also: Blowing/fingering
....see also: this picture of a beer pong referee
...and of course, the online video game, beer pong so you can practice at work.

-----For as much as I just talked a lotta shite about beer pong, we actually had a great night (imagine that: drinking + a lot of = great night) Still... next time, I think I'll opt for an officiating role.

Listicle 7.L

BLOG ENTRY
#=---The Superbowl halftime show you should have watched. And still should. really. unless they took the link down. (featured video, top right. not the dogs)

#=---The first rule of Death Cheese Club is .... never join anything called the Death Cheese Club. and definitely NO Indian dancing! (trailer # 2 and music video # 1 are priceless).

#=---Things I Learn From My Patients, from the Student Doctor Network Forums.

#=---if only all poetry could involve flying saucers and zombies. really though, great stuff.

#=---just 'cause you probably need to see this again. or for the first time, ...you slacker.

Coincidentally Yours,

BLOG / JOURNAL ENTRY
- - - Late Saturday night, I got a Woody Guthrie song poem stuck in my head... or.. I tried to get it stuck, I should say. It had been a favorite song of mine about five years ago but I hadn't heard it in forever so Saturday night I struggled hard to recall the name and tune. Frustratingly, It felt all too much like fighting to remember a great dream in the morning while fending off the neighbor's radio blaring David Lee Roth's new talk show. (note to DLR: you are not Howard Stern. Not even a tamer, less pervy one)
....I remembered the premise of the song and I could almost grasp at a few snippets of lyrics but everything kept getting drowned out in my head by the melody and rhythm of Marty Robbins' song "El Paso" - also a favorite of mine from around the same period. Adding to my confusion was the fact that Woody Guthrie's name has always lived in that cookie-monster-like part of my brain that gobbles up names and things I should remember. When asked for whatever I'm trying to remember, it just screams for more cookies.
....So on Sunday January 29th, having given up on breaking through the brain lock, I googled the few words from the song that I was remembering... and... voila, there it was: 'Deportees' -But not just the lyrics... or the name of the song... but background too. Cool. And a summary of the event on which Woody Guthrie's poem, later turned into the song, was based:

The New York Times of January 29, 1948 reported the wreck of a "charter plane carrying 28 Mexican farm workers from Oakland to the El Centro, CA, Deportation Center.... "

....Coincidence? Unless you believe in fate or ghosts, of course it was. A one in 365 chance is still bound to happen a certain amount of time (let's say... around once every 365 times). And yet, there's something about my having had to struggle to dredge up the memory of this song and the sort of creepy fact that it was about people dying and the fact that the song, almost ironically, is about how they'd "be known by no name except deportee" that tries really hard to take me to that place where coincidence transcends statistical probability and seems to imply... well.. some other-worldly significance. If I didn't believe it crazy things like science and happenstance, I'd almost believe it happened for a reason.

update: Once you've listened to studied all the different versions of the song, I think you'll agree with me that the Bob Dylan / Joan Baez version is the best.

The Office Crazy Speaketh

JOURNAL ENTRY
OC: one of the reasons I didn't used to make coffee with this thing is that I thought the cups went into the coffee that was being made!
me: [already walking away] ohw, now.. that wouldn't be good.

[at this point, I cant decide whether to use the hand not carrying my coffee to a) rip my ears off b) gouge my eyes out c) knock at my head repeatedly because surely I could Not have correctly heard what she just said d) all of the above at the same time]

---------------------------------------

OC: y'know what I have at home that I bought last week? Triscuits!! I haven't had them in so long.

[approx time since she last mentioned Triscuits in the office: 2 weeks]

----------------------------------------

OC: Oh, I cant handle this, it's too much work!
office-lady-#1: what's wrong?
OC: I dont know why all these T1 orders are assigned to me.
office-lady-#2: well.. you were hired when DM left and she handled all the T1 orders.
OC: really? I think there's probably more work now.
office-lady-#1: no, there's the same. well, actually, there's less, for you, since we (the other office ladies) now do some of your... some of the T1 orders also.
office-lady-#3: It's true.
OC: I dont know how it's all supposed to get done.
[pause]
OC: wanna switch workloads?
office-lady-#2: Yes! please! you can do my DS0 orders AND the T1's I do for you.
office-lady-#1: Yeah! me too... Lord knows I had enough to do befo [bites her tongue before she can say: before I had to do some of your work too]
OC: really?
office-lady-#4: it's true, look at the [work]load balancing reports... your section is tiny.
OC: wow, well it doesn't feel like it.
office-lady-#2: yeah well
[they all walk away before strangling her. I try not to giggle with delight. this is the closest anyone has come to confronting the validity of her complaints. sadly, she Still does not accept that she's doing the least work here and crying the most about it]

----------------------------------------

OC: My favorite Warren Zevon song! Lawyers, Guns and Money!

----------------------------------------

OC has, for the past few months, been doing so nails-on-a-chalkboard-ing-ly annoying, I haven't been able to describe it for fear that it may be used later as evidence for my justifiably murdering her: Baby-talking. No, not baby-talking to a baby over the phone or in some sorta kinky talk with a boyfriend and as far as I can tell, there are never any babies in the office when she does it. What does she say? Well, picture a 50something lady baby-talking nonsense words. It's really that simple. Eyw Goo Gaaa. Mya Mew Nya Neya. Nyey Nyaa Neyyy. Sigh... I'm not doing the annoying-level justice.

----------------------------------------

OC: If I have to deal with SBC again, I am going to jump out that window. if you think I'm kidding, I'm not.
[at this point, I consider calling her, pretending to be an SBC representative]
and then comes... the pinnacle of inappropriateness that DM never Ever had.
OC: I'd rather have full blown AIDS than deal with SBC.
me: [gasp] OC?!?? Seriously! can you watch what you say in the office???? Not Cool. c'mon.
[I'm still reeling. I can not believe she said that. One more OC, please keep saying stuff like that out loud and get yourself fired.]
[and I just received this CYA (cover-your-arse instant message from her]

OC [9:49 AM]: sorry didn't mean to offend you
Me [9:50 AM]: it's just one of those lines that shouldn't be crossed.
me [9:50 AM]: you didn't offend me, it was just, well... offensive
OC [9:51 AM]: you are very right and pretty twisted if you think about it

[wait. am I pretty twisted? or what she said is twisted? lord, help me]

Things I Like Muchly and Things I Dont

JOURNAL / BLOG ENTRY
-==---Things I Like Muchly and Things I Dont (a new segment)

Things I Like Muchly
---snow
---cilantro
---perfect timing
---the word "machinate"
---clothing in any shade of green
---sketchers grand prix shoes, circa 1995
---Manhattan
---Manhattanites
---red flame Le Creuset
---Will Ferrell
---Strega
---zombies
---microsuede down comforters
---Nutella
---almond flavor
---the Oakland Raiders
---high definition television
---astronomy (pictures)

Things I Dont
---freezing rain
---fat, gelatenous oysters
---delays, waiting
---people with obvious social intelligence deficits
---Campers, Ugh boots, duck billed shoes
---the word "masticate"
---large shopping malls / chain stores
---cell phones with cb-radio functions (beedle-beep!! "yo, where you at?")
---wild boars
---televised baseball, basketball, rugby, dramas, reality shows, religion
---astrology

a dedication to writing / reasons I love Bob Newhart

BLOG / JOURNAL ENTRY
Owwwwkaaaaay....
...now that I'm all rededicated to writing
Heeeere Goes!
..... wait.
wait.
ok. now
I'm psyched!!!
drumroll pleeease!
aaaaand Go!
.... readyyyyyyy...
... Go!
GO!
ready
aaaand....
....go?

hmmm.

let's see...
coffee? check.
keyboard? check.
fingers? ... 8, 9.... ok,
left hemisphere and temporal lobes?
eh,
...good enough.
hmmm....
what... could I .... be missing?
what... could I.. be... missing?
.....
what?
top? hick?
.............
what the hell is a ....?
OHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh!
Top Hick!!
sorry... wait
that still makes no sense.
Top ....Ick? seriously?
that's what I should write about?
Top.... Ic? .... "t-o-p-i-c"?
OHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhhh!
......
no.
I still dont get it. sorry.
what?? AAAH! stop yelling at me!!
ok, ok, I get it!
you're right... I should probably write about the greatest hick characters appearing in movies or.. something called... an Ick by which I'm guessing, you mean something gross that
NO!! AAAAH!!! Jeeeesus, why do you keep yelling at me??!?!?!
Ok. Ok already.. I get it... a topic. I need a topic.
what's a topic?
kidding! kidding!! I'm kidding...
put the hammer down.
put it down.
Ok... let's see.... I could

Hey, look! something distracting!!
OWWW!
Damn it! that hurt.
ok, OK! sorry...
yes... a topic... ok.
Ummm....
howwww
abouuuut.....
AH! I've got it!!!
writing!!!
........
...what?
......
I already.....???
you're sure?
when?
'cause I dont remember...
OK, ok.....
jeeesus. you're so particular.
how about monster trucks?
.....yeah, so?
you think I'd need to know about monster trucks to write about 'em?
pssh. have you ever read AM New York?
ok, I'll pick something else.
.... jeez, this is hard.
I mean, it's not like I could just write about anyth...
I... I can?
wow. anything?
Ah. anything interesting. or funny.
hmmm....
ok.

does this count?
wait! where are you going??!?!

Why am I not writing? jobs and my life examined

JOURNAL ENTRY
KORY GOES INTROSPECTIVE ... again - part 36

Why am I not writing lately?Why am I not writing lately?Why am I not writing lately?
--------could it be because I just wrote for an hour and single-key-edly DELETED ALL OF IT??? I would really like to punch someone or something in the throat. sigh. If only computers came with throats. (the above repeated "Why am I not writing lately?" is all that was left of my copy/paste attempt). So... grrr.... let's try this again. If there's anything to put you in the mood to write, it's writing about not writing and then having all of your writing un-written for you by your own mis-writing.

[deep breath]
[pause]
[deep breath]

-=-=-=-Why am I not writing lately?
-=-=-=-is it because of my sheer awesomeness? probably. Is it because I'm too busy? HA! please get whoever said that a hefty dose of knowing-what-Kory-does-all-day. Is it because I dont want to write? Nope. Ok, is it because... writing consistently would force me to confront the fact that I am one of a million billion thousand zillion people who consider themselves, if not a writer then one of those people-who-like-to-write. Yeah. that right there is the first ugly branch of the reality tree I strike on my way back to Earth. So if I'm not trying to write professionally, why am I writing? (ouch, the next branch) for fun? for you? for me? sure, there is that, I suppose. but that doesn't pay the bills (unless you're offering), but ok.. I'll run with that premise for now. 'I write for fun' buuuut.... I "hope to start writing professionally" I like to say. Ohhh, you mean like any number of those aforementioned million billion thousand ... yes, zillion people? (another branch, ouch) Ohhh the odds of "making it" - well.. odds or... the friends in connected-places or .. Fate.. or, if you swing such ways "Gods plan". I've been told that these things are what make it. Currently, I'm not sure of how much of any of them I have. Am I ready to gamble against those odds? What's that? "talent" you say? "you just need talent to make it"??? Oh, you're funny.
-=-=-=-And so I keep waking up at the base of this career tree - bruised, bloody, confused... a little gassy. And I ask myself (again) so what do I want to be doing in life? I've already turned down many a profession - astronaut flight commander, Honorary Mayor of Awesometown, Captain of the Chairman of the Admiral of Police and Fire Safety (I'll admit, I was also suspicious of that job title, but it checked out) and of course, the one I came closest to accepting... Oakland Raiders head coach. So ... then it was back to choosing from one of my seven careers. Writing seems to be the one I enjoy the most, maybe only because I am actually exposed to it on any given day (how often do I get to practice documentary filmmaking or bar owning or volleyball coaching these days? Not much, I'll tell you)
-=-=-=-So ok... "writing" then. If you gave me a topic to write about, could I? sure.. Like an ever shrinking majority of Americans, I can put a word in front of another word in front of another word without a reader saying "sorry, what language is that?" Would I want to write about your topic though? [silence] [looks around room pensively] [changes subject instead of answering] Yeah, that'd be the next major branch I smack my face full force into. "But you cant even write a sentence without ending it in a preposition!!" you say. "To Hell, .. go .. you" I answer awkwardly - there are times for the grammatical rules of writing and me writing about my writing is not one of them.
-=-=-=-Really though, I'm no Hemmingway, Sedaris or Frey (2006-news-timeliness-alert!) and I can be a bit ADD ... and OCD... and.. what was I.. talking abou... oh yeah... my awesomeness. As in... it's.. semi-objectively speaking.. passably great. I think and I've been told that I might have something worthwhile to offer in terms of a book or journalisto-type newspaper or magazine articles but Is This What I Want To Be Doing In Life??? And yet, as obvious as it might be that the question itself may just be an avoidance technique for committing to something... anything... it's still a valid question, even if it treads heavily on the avoidance centers of my brain. Aren't people still changing careers every 10 years? How do I know I'll like or wont like writing unless I try? Why dont I just give it a shot? What could it hurt? Where are the batteries for the VCR remote? Who let the dogs out? these are the ultimate questions in life.
-=-=-=-I now hear myself calling... (myself) to answer these questions... finally. I say "finally" because I distinctly remember a summer between 2nd and 3rd grade when a neighborhood parent asked my friend and I 'what we wanted to be when we grew up' - my friend quickly answered fireman (I've heard through the grapevine that he is now a successful San Diego business jerk). I think my answer was 'goalie for the San Diego Sockers' for lack of anything better to say. Since then, I've never really had a clear vision of what I wanted to do for a profession. Through high school, I started to get minor inklings into possible futures that could unfold for me... actor, psychologist, professor, captain of the men's Olympic volleyball team, model, hand model, foot model, hand and foot model, and of course, gaucho. In college, most dreams of these fell by the wayside and only 'psychologist' seemed to remain. Two and a half years into my psychology major, I realized I didn't want to follow any of the branches of psychology. Awesome. What to do now? Then came my moment of meta-awareness of that moment being thee moment where I would pick the path my life would definitively follow. And so I chose American Studies with a documentary film emphasis. Which is, of course, why I am making documentaries about America-related subjects, right? - ahem. right. It's a long story and I've already digressed far enough away from the original subject of writing but I do promise that I will return you safely to your original upright and locked positions momentarily - the long-story-short of it is that once I was out of college, I got a series of jobs that paid actual money instead of following after non-existent (in SF at least) documentary positions that paid only in experience and humility and sooo, ... eleven years later... here I am: eleven years removed from the documentary film world, wondering if I should be that 36 year old guy who takes production assistant jobs to get arsehole directors coffee just so that I could make some use of my college major continually hoping to climb the ladder of film production success... instead of continuing this oh-so-lucrative resume-factoid-building career in telecom or (coming full circle.. see? i told you I would) now considering.... a career jump to writing.
[deep breath]
-=-=-=-And so.... here I am - contemplating, not a jump from / to writing... but just a jump to writing - as in, in addition to anything I might be doing for gainful employment now. Later, once I am a highly successful writer and part time astronaut, I can leave telecom behind and laugh heartily at the time I spent whiling away 7+ years of my life in an industry that bores me so far beyond 'silly', it should be criminal. Writing, acting, business owning, real estate, coaching volleyball - whatever it is, these things would not bore me. Not in the slightest. Why have I waited until now to pursue such... well.. pursuits? Couldn't I have jumped on the right path right out of college? I dont have an answer for any of that. I do know though that I am finally more concerned with the 'what I'll do' than being caught up in the 'why I haven't done it yet'. And so far, that feels like a good thing.

1/30/06 update - I decided I dont want to be a writer.
2/1/06 update - I joined a writers group that'll be putting together writing pieces to be read aloud by writers or actors.
2/2/06 update - A friend of Esra's writes for an online magazine (that I will not mention lest I jinx everything) and offered to propose to his editor some story ideas that I might write.

Listicle 6.g

BLOG ENTRY
-==---A good inside-Iran view of what the country is people are really like, despite the clerical theocracy's ever-failing attempts at strangling their freedom.

-==---the new best site in the universe and beyond the universe and beyond THAT, even.

-==---yes, Overheard In NY, I still love you.

-==---pardon the product endorsement but my new cameraphone is the coolest. well... coolest that the American market will allow. 2.0 megapixel camera with a lot of SLR camera functionality, interchangable disk storage for 100+ songs, speach-to-text input for voice memos, a business card scanner that I will never ever EVER use and streaming tv channels if I were so dorky as to want to watch tv on a cell phone which I am thankfully... Not. I mention this because my last cameraphone had a 0.3 megapixel camera. as in yes... zero point three. so ... yes, I'm quite excited to take real pictures.

-==---the double retractable headphones with microphone that I bought for said cameraphone are also, in case you were wondering, look like they would be the coolest. but aren't. bad sound, bad phone jack. bad retractable functionality. p-tew, i spit on you, bad headphones!

-==---Esra and I finally went to Katz's Deli (opened in 1888) it doesn't get much more New Yorky than Katz's. MmmMMmm.... Reuuuuuben saaaaandwiches.

-==---Oh my lord. this is the funniest ...anything I've read in ... any amount of time you could think of.

-==---If you've ever eaten on NY's "Indian Row", these guys have almost surely fought over you to enjoy their chili-pepper-xmas-lighty goodness. who doesn't love being fought over?

-==---I cant get this song out of my head. sorry, now it's your turn.

-==---this gmap of where and how much I walked on Monday makes it seem kinda trivial. who else walked 5+ miles in 25 degree weather? there, now I feel better.

-==---it's hard to believe these are real photographs.

-==---I'm going to be looking for a new apartment in May in this area. not that I'm particular or anything. If anyone knows of a 1BR or huge studio in that zone, post a comment, please! I will give you my first born with options on the second if it's a really really nice place.

-==---speakin' of Iran, come to the Persian (new years) Parade! it's March 20th!

-==---an Onion interview with my current favorite funny man, Steven Colbert.

some more pictures and tidbitds

BLOG ENTRY







a panorama shot from my dad's back porch in Rancho Sante Fe. almost visible down to the left of the water (a protected bird sanctuary) is a huge field for horses with a palm tree grove visible to the left of that. to the right of the water is a private racetrack owned by Jenny Craig. Hot air balloons flock to this valley anually for it's natural wind currents. Needless to say, it's probably one of the best views I've ever woken up to.















Happy New Year! I look retarded! YEAYYY!!!

















Esra doesn't look retarded, just cute. damn her!
















the first snow of winter! as defined by my sh!t eating grin.


















Do you nee to see the other way down my street? I thought so.

















Ash and I watch the Raiders get their arses kicked by the Jets at the Meadowlands. I look in pain. because I am. because the Raiders are losing to an even suckier (this year only) team than themselves.
















I look happy.... ...... but I'm not. but I sorta am, 'cause it snowed for about 15 seconds.


some pictures from our volleyball semi-finals of last year where we won the plaques. woohoo.














me hitting. notice my amazing 6" vertical jump. (ahem, let's assume I was still going up)
















boom! i think.
















Ohhhhw. yes. I blocketh your feeble attempt at a hit. and look hot doing it.

NY Transit Strike Day 3

BLOG ENTRY
New York Transit Strike... as it affected me, which is of course, all you should really concern yourself with:
(pictures below)

DAY 1: my path from home to work via mostly-6th-Ave:
http://tinyurl.com/apr6p
one-way distance: 2.3872508082240515 miles
temperature: 22 degrees
DAY 2: my path from home to work via mostly-Broadway:
http://tinyurl.com/bdq92
one-way distance: 2.573912064115381 miles
temperature: 32 degrees
DAY 3: my path from Esra's to work:
http://tinyurl.com/a784x
one-way distance: 2.893320380814573 miles
temperature: 32 degrees
~~~~~OK - it's a little sad that it took a transit strike to get me to walk to work but... damn it, the walk is not that bad.. in fact, I'd have to say it's really nice... or would be nice, were it not in the 20's and 30's weather-wise. When your eyes tear up uncontrollably because it's so cold and your nose threatens to secede from your face, it's probably too cold to be voluntarily walking to work. Still, the fact that you can walk for 35 minutes at a very fast pace and NOT sweat... is so awesome I dont even have words. Also awesome are books on tape, namely (from the David Sedaris box sets) Me Talk Pretty One Day that I listened to today on the way to work and of course Raider shouldering the self-absorbed and inconsiderate out of your fast-paced way.
~~~~I'll have a few pictures up shortly below, but well worthy of note were the rest stations that the Red Cross and MTA transit workers manned with coffee, smiles and encouraging words to the steady stream of Manhattan bound folk treking over the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges (and I'm sure the other bridges as well). What could have come off as a 'empty token gesture' instead felt like a genuine show of solidarity and empathy by the MTA workers braving the cold to show support for those of us forced to walk miles and miles to work. Sure, I think we were all a little high from that sense of 'city crisis' the transit strike brought, but like the blackout of '03 and like what I saw after the SF earthquake, that peculiar and almost sickeningly sweet function of human nature starts showing it's face everywhere you turn: Niceness. It almost gets to the point where you want to yell out "what the f#$@?? this is New York! why is everyone being so god damned helpful and nice?!?!? stop it, already. please. someone be rude to me. just for a second?"





















people stream over the Manhattan Bridge
























Another shot of the Manhattan Bridge with Red Cross and MTA workers handing out warm drinks and snacks.





















The Brooklyn Bridge crowd. not shown in the photo are more Red Cross and MTA workers handing out more hot drinks and snacks. I should have had some snacks. Everybody likes a good snack.






















Walking home, up Broadway.















if you look really hard, you can see the Bowling Green christmas tree. yes, right behind the Bull's balls photo posing spot.

a very perfect birthday

BLOG / JOURNAL ENTRY
How to have a perfect birthday:
--- let awesome girlfriend plan as many suprises as she sees fit, which is many.
--- hold girlfriend to her "whatever you want to do, today is your day" statement.

the above two items may sound like they'd have conflicted but they didn't. She planned the big events, I interspersed some Kory-favorites in between.

--- Sleep in. lounge. relax. fall back asleep. wake up. get out of bed only for hunger.
--- having B-day veto'd the girlfriend-suggested Cool, New Neighborhood Cafe in favor of Bagels Made By Rude People, we ate bagels in front of Father Demo Square, which is a triangle and not a square and yes "in front of" and not "in" because the city-renovation fairy set up chain link fences a few weeks ago but did not inform the city-works fairy that work could begin, leaving the square (that is a triangle, not a square) a fenced-in, empty, taunt to all who'd dare to dream of benches and bagels comingling in perfect morning-meal harmony.
--- take your girlfriend to the post office. 'Cause she really wants hanukkah stamps. like.. a lot, she wants them. like so much, she's been talking about them all weekend. take her to the post office. it'll make her happy and she'll even show you her exciting new hanukkah stamps. you will enjoy the smile on her face more than you conversely hated waiting for her.
--- having already put in an exhausting day of effort, start thinking about taking a nap.
--- go home, fiddle with computer trying to get laptop and cable modem to play nice.
--- subconsciously realize but block from forethought the fact that you DO realize your girlfriend is doing 2 days worth your dishes to be sweet and because she thinks your kitchen is a mess and smelly because of a minor build up of cat litter. help put away clean dishes in effort to justify your upcoming nap.
--- take nap. enjoy nap immensely.
--- let girlfriend lead you to suprise # 2 (suprise # 1 was a b-day card left on pillow before nap) which your roommate sorta kinda blew for you having called you to ask if we were still at suprise # 2 location.
--- tell girlfriend it's sweet that she really wants to salvage the suprise by getting off at 28th St and getting in a cab so we can look around for the 'mystery' restaraunt when i know we're probably going to 42nd St, but really, it's not necessary because it's 23 degrees out.
--- Overact your mock suprise when you arrive at Red Lobster for the equivalent of all you can eat shrimp (scampi only, thank you) that you had mentioned wanting to have some months back.
--- call upon Birthday-priveledge to sit facing the glass waterfall because despite their obvious cheesy-ness, you love them dearly.
--- let girlfriend lead you to suprise # 3 via the subway and use crafty misdirection to make you think you are going bowling when really you are going to Barcade.
--- arrive at Barcade.... marvel with mouth, literally ajar.
--- contain enthusiasm. refrain from forgetting all about your girlfriend and the rest of existence. make half hearted attempt to be interested in anything anyone says. pretend to be cool and get a beer. do not stare at the video games you are now dying to play.
--- saunter. do not run. make your way calmly towards the change machine.
--- get $200 in quarters from change machine. wake up from ideal fantasy. get $2 in quarters.
--- first stop, Punch Out. make Glass Joe your b!#ch. lose to Bald Bull. hang head in shame.
--- say Hi to friends who've shown up, accept gifts, make small talk. you may now forget about friends.
--- next stop, Tempest. and Asteroids and Track and Field and on and on and on... and on.
--- stop playing, stop drinking... just for a moment. ok, there. back to work.
--- remember you have people there for your birthday. talk to them a little more. ok, talking done... back to games.
--- Enjoy games AND friends AND brooklyn AND the even cold - IMMENSELY.
--- stop. marvel at the perfect birthday you are having.
--- gather belongings to go. watch girlfriend panic when the disposable camera cant be found.
--- search and search and ... and oh god, we're still searching.... for the camera.
--- console girlfriend over it's loss.
--- get home, find camera in sweatshirt pocket. oops.
--- call girlfriend, delight in her relief over it not being lost, say goodnight and share your enormous and sincere thanks for the most perfect birthday .... ever ?
















MmMmm... shrimps. best eaten while being photographed.






















make a goofy face by accident? sure, why not. see the pretty glass waterfall? Ooooh.















I think I had food coma from too many shrimp but forced myself to 'work it' for the camera one more time, like the sexy bitch I am.
















Did you need proof that I was really at Red Lobster? fine.
















may the force be with me. And it was.
















Donkey Kong's opening screen says "How high can you get?" what a nice message to children.
















Marisa, Chris & Matt treating Barcade like.... like it's a bar or something.

















While I was only slightly buzzed for this photo, I dont think it's possible for me to have looked more F'd up. I mean, seriously.
















Chris pretends to enjoy Dig Dug. is it possible to genuinely enjoy Dig Dug if it's not 1984?

Karen finally gets time at Ms Pac-Man after telling the gay straight boys who'd been hogging it the following: "you're stupid" - maybe you had to be there... it was truly the best comeback ever.

Zaxxon is still damn hard.

The boys. Just because. Flapjack and Hambone seem to make their way into every roll of film I shoot.