September 26, 2005

Atlantic Antics

It's over. Last Sunday I ate a lot of grilled food and hobbled up and down Atlantic Avenue. Another year until we see:

Caribbean food vendors battling it out with local churches for your snack money. (And yes, that syrupy waffle, which exploded all over my shirt, was blessedly delicious.)


Hand-shaking, baby-kissing candidates with their placard-wielding entourages.


Local do-gooders raising awareness of the poor, downtrodden and abused.


Folks wearing wacky street-fair attire (NKOTB Tee qualifies as wacky. Guess she is trying to hang tough. OK, that was pretty bad.).

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September 22, 2005

4 Miles

Ran 4 miles yesterday with my running club. And I ran at the head of my pace group. I'll be ready for the marathon in no time.

Just hope that my fear of the Central Park boogie man will not force me to abandon my night runs. Heard that he lurks behind trees waiting to prey on sweaty runners. Wore my ninja running outfit last night to confuse him.

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September 21, 2005

You Know, That Dude From American Idol

I live in a city where a lot of celebrites call home. Don't usually notice them until after they walk by and I hear the whispers surrounding me, "Omigod, that's insert famous person's name! Daaaamn, they look so much thinner on tv/film."

So today I had my first reality star sighting ever while walking back from lunch in the park. Mike and I were waiting to cross Park Avenue when he whispers, "That's Constantine." Me: "Who?" Mike: "You know, that dude from American Idol." Me: "What? You know I don't watch that crap."

I snuck a look at the Johnny Damon look-alike standing 6 inches away from me. He had 2 luggage cases bearing tags labeled 19 Entertainment and was buying some street meat from a vendor. No towncar waiting to whisk him away.

I was underwhelmed.

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September 20, 2005

Culinary Confession

While I was in Boston, I ate at McDonalds. My first meal there since my 2002 ban of all McDonalds edibles. I hadn't eaten anything in 9 hours, it was late, nothing else was open at South Station around 11:30pm, so I ate there.

I am so weak.

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September 19, 2005

Boston Wrap-Up

Visiting friends in Boston is always a pleasure. On this trip I reunited with an old friend (Alex!), drank many mimosas and bellinis (my friends being classy and all), ate many puff pastries from Costco, and trampled many feet during our foray to Avalon.

Satan's Back-up Dancers, Possessed by the Spirit of DJ Adilson

I usually can't stand clubs where:
  1. I have to dress like a permatanned 'ho to get in
  2. The ratio of men:women is 234:1 -- usually a good thing for us ladies, but not if most of the men only come up to my armpit
  3. Hours of relentless house/jungle/drum & bass makes me want to rip my ears off
But made an exception for Anne's birthday, so off my 'ho-ified self went to Avalon.

I've avoided Lansdowne Street's cheezy club scene for the past 6 years. Last Saturday's return trip wasn't as bad as I expected, especially since I spent part of the night watching men leer at Anne's huge assets (A., I know you're reading this. They were!). Always amusing!

Fun night, but must spend this weekend purging Avalon from my system. A., let's hit this when you visit me in a few weeks, hmm?

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Seeking: Rocket Lionman

Faster than a speeding rickshaw / More powerful than the local villains / Able to leap tall mountains in a single bound

I'm on a mission -- does anyone have a screener of this cinematic gem with the intriguing tagline?

An ex-colleague found this tattered sell sheet mixed with some junk in our office. The slick key art has provided the staff with many hours of snickering and giggling.

But the mystery remains -- where did it come from? Just who is Rocket Lionman? Seriously, please forward any leads to me. I think a screening is in order...

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September 16, 2005

Boston Bound

I'm heading north this weekend for a friend's birthday. My little Anne is growing up!

We 3, full of glee, a month before birthday festivities.

Brace yourself, Anne. I will be bringing a slightly scandalous birthday gift.

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September 14, 2005

Words You Never Want to Read About Your Travel Provider

The confused passengers fled the bus just before flames shot 50 feet in the air and engulfed it.

Fung Wah Flambé

Aiyah! This may explain why Fung Wah's site is down. I'll put up with a lot for cheap transportation, but a flaming bus? No. Guess I'm back to Peter Pan and Greyhound for transport to Boston this weekend.

Edit: Site's back up. No mention of the fire, investigations on it.

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September 13, 2005

New and Improved IndieWIRE

I blink again and a re-vamped indieWire launches. Did I miss the memo about September being website re-design month?


Not sure if I dig the color combination of blue and salmon for a film news site.

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Bogota Bistro Eats

Dined at the Bogota Latin Bistro last night with the usual suspects. Bogota is a new addition to the many fine eateries on 5th Ave, Park Slope. I've walked past this joint many times when it was under construction, but never guessed that behind the newspaper-covered windows there would eventually be this wild explosion of color.

Staff was friendly, service was pretty good. Since everything else about the restaurant was en pointe, I really wanted to love the food. But honestly I wasn't blown away. Our fried calamari appetizer was yummy, but my main course was just ok. Perhaps I should have been more adventurous about ordering -- plaintain crusted chicken is a little tame. The portion sizes were generous and the chicken wasn't over (or under) cooked, but it just didn't wow me.

Maybe I'm expecting too much, especially after dining here last week (thanks for picking up the check, dad!). Need to visit a few more times and try some other dishes before making a final judgment. Bogota, I will be back. In the meantime, I'll follow its culinary adventures from afar.

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Venice Film Festival: Where The Love For Gay Cowboy Films Flows

I told ya!

Focus Features is handling the domestic release. They're pretty savvy about the awards campaign process, so I have no doubt Brokeback Mountain will be nominated for an Oscar or two.

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Gawking at Fashionistas

Last Saturday I attended Miguel Peña's Spring 2006 show at Hiro. My first official Fashion Week event ever! And my first brush with fashion hierarchy!

View from my seat waaay in the back.

My name was somehow left off the priority seating list, and I had to wait 20 min. in Hiro's entrance hall for my seat in the nosebleed section. Far enough that I couldn't pick out any details on the clothes, but close enough to see that the models were not naked.

Not naked. Not a ghost.

The show was delayed so the beautiful people can saunter in late to their front row seat. While waiting, my powerful fashionista-recognizing skills picked out Paper Magazine's Mickey Boardman just from a glance at the back of his head.

How were the clothes? A bit too sweet and uptown for my taste, but it was obvious that they were beautifully made and thoughtfully designed. Definitely see them on the racks of Bloomingdales or Henri Bendels being purchased by socialiates.

A photo from someone with a better seat.

Overall, the whole experience was a bit odd. I waited a total of 40 minutes for a 10 minute parade of exquisitely made clothes, the entire collection of which costs more money than I make in a year. All the preening. All the jockeying for front row seats.

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September 12, 2005

New New Musical Express

When did this happen? I blink and Nme.com launches a re-design.



Since we're on the subject...according to this, I'm really Conor McNichols.

Hmm...I do like indie scandal and power, but I think that it would be more fun to be him.

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I Need Another Weekend...

...To Recover From the Past One. There was jogging, drinking, gawking at fashionistas, dancing to Swedish indie rock, and buying of a birthday gift involved. Will post photos later (hopefully).

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September 08, 2005

Overcaffeinated

This morning I drank 3 large cups of coffee to counteract my extreme drowsiness (I didn't sleep until 2am). Left me feeling rather odd. My mind is zooming, but my body wants to wind down and curl up under my desk for a nap.

Reminds me of a college incident when I swallowed a few No Doz for an all-nighter. Back then I felt a similar sensation except 10 times more intense. Was miserable the entire night. Couldn't focus. Tired, but couldn't fall asleep. Don't think they illustrated this during Saved by the Bell's Jessie-Spano-is-addicted-to-caffeine-pills episode.

Getting her fix in the halls of Bayside.

Never tried No Doz again. And never touched any of those newfangled energy drinks with names like Pimp Juice. Sticking to overpriced coffee. Though I do occasionally crave old school Jolt Cola.

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September 07, 2005

Run Run Run to Fashion Week

Ran 3.5 miles today in Central Park with my running club. Woot! Well, with is a bit of an exaggeration. As one of the members with the slowest pace, its more like I ran after the club. This is pretty much the the only exercise I get, outside of silly dancing at overcrowded clubs and dragging grocery-laden plastic bags home over 10 blocks. Yes, I am lazy and determined not to fork over $70 per month to a gym.

Anywho, the run was uneventful. No heckling from the homeless lady about my "thunder thighs" as I jogged by her bench today. Didn't encounter any "I'm trying to stay anonymous, so I'm avoiding eye contact" celebrity joggers. But I did notice that the Time Warner Center, which is located on the SW corner of the park, was closed tonight. In Style magazine booked the space for some sort of fashion to-do, which means one thing -- Olympus Fashion Week is almost here!

I've lived in NY for years, my mom and most of her friends work in the industry but I have yet to set foot in the big tents of Bryant Park. So this year I'm working it to get a ticket for one of the runway shows. Will see if my strategy to see underfed models wearing amazing clothes upclose through my mom's best friend's client is successful.

Edit: Woah, this was a rather random post -- from jogging to fashion. My mind is all over the place!

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Hollywood and More for Katrina Relief

I keep getting sucked in by all the news coverage of the Katrina hurricane every time I turn on the tv, which makes me upset, freaked out, angry (thanks to Coreen for calming me down some earlier tonight).

Anywho, here are more interesting ways different industries are raising some cash for hurricane relief:

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September 06, 2005

Venice Film Festival: I'm Not There

It's September, and you know what that means -- the film festival season has begun!

The Venice Film Festival, the first of the major fests, kicked off last week. I've never been, so must live vicariously through the hordes of film nerds and press covering the event.

Which film has the most buzz? I'm betting on Brokeback Mountain (otherwise known as "the gay cowboy film").


I'm sure the arthouse crowd will go bananas for it based on its pedigree alone (E. Annie Proulx, Ang Lee, Jake Gyllenhaal). Not sure how well it will be received beyond that audience in red-state America (hello, subversion of the most macho of film genres!). Must wait until December 2005 to see it on our side of the Atlantic.

View trailer.

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September 05, 2005

Music for Katrina Relief

I missed the star-packed "A Concert for Hurricane Relief," which was broadcast on NBC last Friday night. Check out their less famous indie counterparts, who are helping out by donating proceeds from their online album sales.

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September 02, 2005

I Say Mangina, You Say... Part II

Mystery solved! The correct term is genis.

Thanks to Marisa for her deep knowledge of genital parts!

But mangina sounds funnier.

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I Say Mangina, You Say...

I tried on a skirt at Woodbury Commons last Sunday that bunched up oddly in the front. It made me look like I had a, uh, package. Not a good look for me, so I didn't buy the skirt.

But this led to a discussion about what to call this -- women who look like they have a little extra something in the crotch area, but don't. Mangina, right? Others disagree. Are there other terms for this?

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September 01, 2005

The Answer Lies on the Side of a Coffee Cup

I'm crossing Park Avenue with my morning cup of Starbucks coffee, feeling my usual mixture of annoyance (yet again I succumbed to convenience and forked over my hard-earned $ for expensive coffee) and happiness (their coffee is strong, and tastes sodamngood), when I noticed this printed on the cup's side:

Chances are you are scared of fictions. Chances are you are only fleetingly happy. Chances are you know much less than you think you do. Chances are you feel a little guilty. Chances are you want people to lie to you. Perhaps the answer lies on the side of a coffee cup. You are lost.

True and sadly humorous. Who wrote these sage words? Sliding off the insulating sleeve revealed David Cross.

Side Note: The Way I See It is a brilliant marketing tactic. Starbucks, I love you and hate you, but today I love you a bit more.

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