Confessions of a Contemplative New Yorker

OSPOP

2009-11-23T16:59:00.002-05:00

I am completely blown away by OSPOP. What is OSPOP you ask? Well, it is a fantastic company based in Hong Kong which was started by a friend of a friend. With funky shoe designs and recently added messenger bags OSPOP is creating quite a bit of buzz on the fashion scene. What sets this small company apart and truly gives it my kiss ass stamp of approval is how charitable it is. You will never see OSPOP sucking communities dry (hello Wal-Mart), but instead OSPOP focuses on supporting education within locations it operates in. With every bag and pair of shoes sold OSPOP makes a donation to students who otherwise would be unable to pay for their studies. If OSPOP’s founder Ben Walters had not yet earned his angels wings, he definitely does by participating in Goodsforgood. Very cool.

Check out the documentary section on their website to see how they make their shoes along with other cool videos. If you’re interested in purchasing anything let me know as I would be more than happy to share my coupon.

Reasons Behind My Silence

2009-11-18T11:48:00.003-05:00

Ahh my friends, it has been way too long since I’ve blogged. I have missed you and hope you have missed my ramblings. Lately life has taken some surprising twists and turns, but mostly all for the best. I finally (and officially) launched Jessica Leigh Photography as I figured it was about time I turned my passion into a career. I could not be happier with the demand especially in this terrible economy and I am so honored to have worked with such incredible clients thus far. These last few months have been a blast. I cannot sit still – I am so excited – to see what 2010 brings! If you are interested in my work or just bored and surfing the web head over to http://www.jessicaleighphotos.com/ or blog.jessicaleighphotos.com and check out what I have been a busy bee on.

Along with the photography I have become increasingly involved with animal charities and rescues; from donating photography packages for events to photographing dogs in hopes that a professional picture will increase their chances for adoption. I strive to be the voice for those whom cannot speak. I have especially focused on pit bull rescues. Pit bulls are such a misunderstood and mislabeled breed. Society tends to forget there are no bad dogs, but people that make bad dogs. It is time we begin seeing this precious breed once again as Petey from the Little Rascals and not as a killer. My heart breaks to see the suffering animals have to endure and I am going to make sure I do my part to stop this.

This past year was also filled with travels, hardships, new friends, and much laughter. All I plan to share with you very soon, but for now back to work.

What Are Horses Doing In Central Park?

2009-07-10T14:59:00.006-04:00

As many of you remember from past blogs I am an advocate for the ban on horse drawn carriages in Manhattan and throughout other cities worldwide. My beliefs are not based on animals not working – as I do believe in work animals – but in the inhumane treatment of such animals. Horses need to graze and run and not end a day of work locked in small stalls in some decrepit industrial building. The conditions of these equine warehouses are deplorable. Try to imagine pastures and barns in Central Park designated for grazing and replenishment. Come on, think about! If they were built on the upper end of Central Park what a tourist attraction that would be! It’s not for the lack of space this idea is not entertained as, at the very least, there are 20-30 acres available for such buildings.

Another issue raised within the carriage industry is livestock should not work along side the garbage spewed from the tailpipes of the countless vehicles on our tiny island. When a horse is at rest its nose is literally at the same height of tailpipes.

Sadly there is more. Most horse drawn carriage drivers are not educated in equine maintenance or anatomy. And although I’m sure there are drivers' who feel compassionately towards their animal many are completely unaware of their mistreatment. Just the other day I saw only one driver (out of a line of around 25 horses) fill up a water bucket for their horse – which I commend him for doing in this weather – but he forgot to unhook the martingale. The poor animal couldn’t put his head down low enough to get the water. In my eyes this is the equivalent of torture. I've spent my whole life around horses and I’m constantly learning new care practices, so I think it’s safe to say education and instruction is a must for the drivers!

As this issue is now gaining more and more momentum it is as important as ever to speak up! We need a ban or at the very least major reforms.

I am extremely picky with what animal and environmental advocate groups I associate myself with as there are so many run by idiotic lunatics that give us vegetarians/vegans/animal rights advocates a bad rep (if you browse through many of my previous blogs you’ll definitely stumble across a few of my rants on these nuts), but I am 100% behind New Yorkers for Clean Liveable & Safe Streets. They propose some incredible alternatives to carriages instead of just channeling pent up angry into a ban.

Check it out and make sure to sign the petition. The few moments it takes could just be the tipping point in the right direction for these amazing creatures!

*Imaged borrowed from www.funnyanimalsite.com

Joe DiMaggio - We're Talking About Photography Not Baseball

2009-06-30T11:19:00.009-04:00

Although I normally can’t find a minute to breathe during the week I somehow was able to fit in a Lower Manhattan photography tour offered through Adorama last Sunday. Our fearless leader into these tourist traps was the great and accomplished photographer Joe DiMaggio. Not only is he extremely informative, but the man is funny as hell! Photography and comedy – honestly what is better?! In all seriousness though I was thrilled to work along side of such a seasoned pro.

The group varied from amateurs to up and coming professionals, yet Joe structured the workshop so no one was bored to tears or out of their league. He demonstrated how to make pictures of things already shoot millions of times look unique and unusual. I had an absolute ball with Joe and the ten hour workshop flew by even though I was carrying 20 lbs of equipment on my back. It’s now two days later and I still feel like the Hunchback of Notre Dame. This is why, when our schedules coincide, I drag the husband along to shoot and as the day progress my load gets lighter and his becomes heavier. Husband = photography assistant = happy photographer!

Here’s a brief bio on Joe pulled from takegreatpictures.com. I’m crossing my fingers I have the opportunity to school with him again.

Where it all started.

DiMaggio’s long-standing affair with photography began the day, at age nine, when he picked up his grandfather’s Kodak folding bellows camera. Later, his aunt bought him his own Kodak Brownie box camera, not suspecting that she was helping to launch a career of notable achievement.”

Joe DiMaggio considers himself a photographic “generalist,” so it’s quite likely that you have encountered his photographs along the way. They have graced magazine covers, advertising campaigns, corporate communications, books and newspapers. But despite a lifetime of photography as work, DiMaggio can’t disguise that he is having more fun than a kid with a new toy. His love of photography shines through his conversation, his teaching and, most of all, through his photographs.

Who Can Resist A Kitten?

2009-06-12T10:05:00.004-04:00

To all my animal lovers out there – listen up! It’s that time of the year again, where countless kitten are dropped off at shelters all over the country due to the mother’s death, breeding within stray colonies, or even irresponsible people. If you can find it in your heart to help you truly will be saving a lil’ life; as every day many of these innocent babies are euthanized. I want to share with you all an email I received from The Feral Cat Initiative here in NYC. I’ve already been able to find one person willing to help in the bottle feeding/foster. Anyone else out there?!

Subject: Emergency Request - Kitten Bottle-feeder needed ASAP

Dear Volunteers,

The Feral Cat Initiative, a program of The Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, is being inundated with requests for assistance with still-nursing, orphaned kittens.

There is an immediate need for an experienced bottle-feeder for three 3-week old kittens and for foster homes for very young kittens who are eating on their own.

If you can assist, please contact Valerie at valerie@nycferalcat.org or 212-330-0033 ext. 5

Thank you!

Evon Handras

If you're not in a position to foster or adopt you can do your part by making sure your animals are neutered and spayed!

And through the rain clouds the sun peaked through waving goodbye to the week and hello to the weekend. Enjoy.

Who Sounds Better? The Husky Or Stefani?

2009-06-05T18:50:00.004-04:00

This post is for all your animal lovers out there! I found this on Youtube today and literally fell of my chair laughing. The look of embarrassment on the other dogs face is priceless. Happy Friday!

Food For Thought

2009-06-01T16:37:00.001-04:00

Sometimes solutions are right in front of us, right? Check this out:

From AlterNet's latest research:
If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would save:
● 100 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the homes in New England for almost 4 months;
● 1.5 billion pounds of crops otherwise fed to livestock, enough to feed the state of New Mexico for more than a year;
● 70 million gallons of gas -- enough to fuel all the cars of Canada and Mexico combined with plenty to spare;
● 3 million acres of land, an area more than twice the size of Delaware;
● 33 tons of antibiotics.
If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would prevent:
● Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as produced by all of France;
● 3 million tons of soil erosion and $70 million in resulting economic damages;
● 4.5 million tons of animal excrement;
● Almost 7 tons of ammonia emissions, a major air pollutant.

My favorite statistic is this: According to Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, the carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off of U.S. roads. See how easy it is to make an impact?

Other points:
Globally, we feed 756 million tons of grain to farmed animals. As Princeton bioethicist Peter Singer notes in his new book, if we fed that grain to the 1.4 billion people who are living in abject poverty, each of them would be provided more than half a ton of grain, or about 3 pounds of grain/day -- that's twice the grain they would need to survive. And that doesn't even include the 225 million tons of soy that are produced every year, almost all of which is fed to farmed animals. He writes, "The world is not running out of food. The problem is that we -- the relatively affluent -- have found a way to consume four or five times as much food as would be possible, if we were to eat the crops we grow directly."

A recent United Nations report titled Livestock's Long Shadow concluded that the meat industry causes almost 40% more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world's transportation systems -- that's all the cars, trucks, SUVs, planes and ships in the world combined. The report also concluded that factory farming is one of the biggest contributors to the most serious environmental problems at every level -- local and global.

Researchers at the University of Chicago concluded that switching from standard American diet to a vegan diet is more effective in the fight against global warming than switching from a standard American car to a hybrid.

In its report, the U.N. found that the meat industry causes local and global environmental problems even beyond global warming. It said that the meat industry should be a main focus in every discussion of land degradation, climate change and air pollution, water shortages and pollution, and loss of biodiversity.

Unattributed statistics were calculated from scientific reports by Noam Mohr, a physicist with the New York University Polytechnic Institute.

The Kentuck Derby

2009-05-14T10:30:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago, my family gathered amongst extravagant hats, southern accents, and mint juleps. We made three trips to the paddock and three long walks to the track while the horn blazed a proverbial tune and the crowd bet their hard earned monies on their favorites. My Uncle Larry and Aunt Cindy have been very fortunate these last few years to have good enough horses to race in the Kentucky Derby. First there was Hard Spun, then the beautiful filly Eight Belles, and now Friesan Fire. On one end the Derby is a pretentious crowd of money, booze, and inflated egos. Yet, on Derby Day I see hopes, dreams, and a deep passion for horses. There is something else though, something so addicting yet so fleeting. For less than two minutes - only two minutes – the energy radiates, glowing with passion and anticipation. You feel it in your toes as you prance in place (pardon the pun). This energy travels up knotting your stomach, and spreading to your fingers as you hastily trace the sign of the cross and say a quick prayer in hopes for a favorable and safe outcome.

If you know thoroughbreds, you know they feel it too. As dawn breaks on Derby Day and the fog begins to lift the barns are already in full swing. Tack is meticulously scrubbed and cleaned. Horses are bathed, hoofs are picked. All horses with better hygiene than their grooms. Then, as my Aunt Cindy puts it, the “race face” goes on. The gentlest horse turns – anticipating the challenge; as a football player would syke himself up in the locker room before the playoffs. That energy, that innate drive to run, shinning through their eyes. Horses, especially thoroughbreds live to run. If you’ve lived with horses, or worked with horses on a daily basis, you would know this.

Still there is something else for me, something deeper, than the Derby. The chance to reconnect with my southern roots is priceless. Although city girl now (and forever considered by my southern counterparts as the “Yankee”) there is something I crave, something I connect with in Kentucky. Maybe it’s the slower mentality, the consideration for your neighbor the North has not quite mastered yet, or how real a farm and a southern home cooked meal are. Truthfully, I would trade the big hats and beautiful dresses for a pair of boots and a cowboy hat any day.

Charity Event: Earth Angels

2009-04-09T10:00:00.003-04:00

My fellow New Yorkers (and those surrounding suburbanites), you presence is requested on Friday, April 24th at the Vicars and Tarts party to benefit Earth Angels. Jessica Leigh Photography is a sponsor for the event, and if you’re lucky enough you could win a FREE shoot with yours truly. There is absolutely no reason why everyone - including their mothers - shouldn’t be able to make it, of course, there are plenty of reasons why you should go! 1. It’s a Friday night 2. There will be massive amounts of alcohol. 3. Alcohol and priest costumes make for one hell of an evening (pardon the pun) and 4. An amazing organization benefits from you participation. So be there or be square.

Gabrielle Wortman

2009-04-03T09:33:00.003-04:00

So there is this artist that I know. Stunningly beautiful with fierce intelligence. She’s unwilling to conform or be bought by the Britney Spears creators and the plastics that are pop music. She knows what she wants, and by all means possible, she will achieve it. This woman happens to be Gabrielle Wortman. Gabrielle is my sister.

I’ve witnessed the progression of her talent. I recall the sing and dance offs in my bedroom, stereo blaring with songs from the forgettable 90’s, as we forced our parents to watch and praise us. I remember her uncomfortable energy when she wasn’t creating, whether it be through her painting or through music. I also remember the fights. Ohh the fights! You’d never believed how we fought. Two little proper girls turned wild animals. God bless our parents.

And now here she is. Grown up and on the tipping point of her career. A shinning light through the Los Angeles smog. Sisters aside, I can’t believe the talent she’s got. And I can’t wait to see how her journey in the music industry plays out. Come and join me as I watch her take off. I’m so proud of you baby sis.

Tammy Bruce and the Gag Reflex

2009-03-26T10:00:00.007-04:00

You know that feeling when your stomach starts to turn and (either out of anger or disgust) you feel like you’re going to be sick? Well that upchuck feeling is exactly how I felt this morning when over my coffee and morning news I read what the “party-confused” Tammy Bruce has to say about Michelle Obama.

Now folks, this is not a political post or a speech about what is good or bad with the President’s policies or direction he’s taking with the country. This is about decency and respect. As Tammy usually swims against the conservative party with her gay/lesbian and pro-choice views I was shock to hear her stoop to the disgustingly low level of calling the Obamas “trash in the White House.” When I read this Ann Coulter and gal pal Sarah Palin hunting libels with shotguns while reciting the Hail Mary flashed into my head. Holy Jesus, please don’t tell me we have another one of those crazies prancing around the media?!

I’m not sure if this was a sad attempt to gain more attention or a slip of the tongue, but the basic fact is derogative language like that is the complete reverse of what it means to be an American. We may not agree with each other, yet in no way does that mean we should throw insults or treat one another with such brazenness. There is such a fine line between politics and common decency and as a country we need to work harder to separate the two. If anything, Ms. Bruce out of respect for Sasha and Malia should have held her tongue. The 2009 election is over. Instead of bucking for the 2012 election already, maybe conservatives and liberals should be working together to save this deteriorating country. Just a thought….

I Vote Will Ferrell For President

2009-03-11T12:27:00.008-04:00

What comes to mind when you think of Broadway? Wicked? Rent? Maybe even… oh lord dare I say it… Cats? I am quite certain that Broadway has never before been associated with a past President’s penis. Yes, that’s right, a President’s penis. Last night Eddie and I attended Will Ferrell: You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush at the Cort Theatre on Broadway.

Who better to portray the force behind the lunacy and “accomplishments” of the last four years than Will Ferrell? The sets were minimal and the show was short (90 minutes and no intermission) for the price of the ticket, yet Mr. Ferrell did what he does best and relied on the art of stupidity, crudeness and comedy for profit. And quite a hefty profit I might add. The show has raked in over $5 million in its sold out three week stilt.

Ferrell embodies the Bush that 75% of Americans saw and disliked; lacking knowledge, utterly oblivious and trapped in childhood. Regrettably, Ferrell didn’t nail the southern draw Bush oddly has. Considering W was brought up and educated in New England – I’m assuming the twang was a way to buddy up to his Texas constituents. The show which mainly gained light laughter from the audience was laced with a few skits that were wild and outlandishly amusing. These ingenious riffs placed Jr., Bush Sr., and let’s not forget Jeb in an abandoned mine shaft where they are rescued by a masculine, steroid shooting Barbara Bush. Then to a military base in North Carolina, where W supervises the training of untamed monkeys with spear guns with the dual purpose of destroying Iraqis insurgent and, let’s not forget the most important reason, to entertain children (beware wild, spear gun yielding monkeys on the I-95 corridor). The seamless weaving together of actual events with outlandish, and at times frightening, fictional anecdotes bring us back to the glory days of SNL and Ferrell’s original impersonations of Bush Jr.

Overall, Ferrell’s idea of out with the old and in with the new “Tiger Woods guys” as he so eloquently puts it was hilarious and entertaining. This was a performance both Bush lovers and haters would enjoy, especially if you appreciate slapstick comedy. Just please, no children. The look of horror on the face of the mother that sat beside us with her young teenage boy was priceless. The wheels in her head were turning at full speed during the last hour of the show figuring out how she was going to explain what a Western hand job was to her son on the cab ride home.

Dreams Tell A Lot About A Person... Or Dog

2009-03-04T09:46:00.008-05:00

I was awakened from a bizarre and twisted dream last night of my husband turned polygamist marrying my best friend (apparently we've been watching too much of HBO's Big Love) to the sounds of our pup crying in her sleep. In a stupor I some how made it to Winnie’s bed to wake her. Poor thing didn’t see me coming and literally jumped out of her skin. I felt so bad I sat with her a few minutes before I headed back to bed and to the snoring man I live with.

This morning I saw this video on Dooce. I laughed so hard I almost choked on my vanilla chi. All of a sudden I didn’t feel so bad for Winnie. At least she doesn’t have to worry about us putting videos of her on Youtube for the world to laugh at. Oh the horror! Enjoy!

A Photo Shoot With The Beautiful People

2009-03-02T16:29:00.013-05:00

I have gorgeous friends.

Killington: Gone to the dogs

2009-03-02T15:54:00.007-05:00

We spent last weekend relaxing and skiing up at Killington. There was no ice to be found and the powder was ankle deep! Colorado I’d like to introduce you to Vermont; Vermont meet Colorado. Next time you’re up that way make sure to spend a few nights at The Summit Lodge. The rooms are nothing special, but the people are amazing and are always a fun time. The resort’s mascots, two beautiful St. Bernard’s, add to the charm and ambiance of the place. I’m going to try and get a few more ski trips in before the end of the season.

If only I could find the time to ski every weekend like I did in college. God, I miss those weekends. Being an adult sucks.

Book Review: Outliers

2009-02-03T11:56:00.009-05:00

When you mix a plethora of wine with a group of highly opinionated New Yorkers who share a love of reading you come up with the group Reading Under The Influence. Every month we put down our blackberries and for an hour attempt to stop multitasking and engage in a thoroughly critical discussion of a selected work. Malcolm Gladwell’s newest work “Outliers” was chosen for January’s meeting of RUI.

Personally, I adore Gladwell’s writing style. It’s unusually clean yet drenched in details and facts. It’s thought provoking yet very comprehensive. I was surprised with the direction Gladwell took with "Outliers". A manifesto of sorts, “Outliers” is a sharp contrast to “The Tipping Point” and “Blink” which focus more on marketing, media, and the social psychology of our population. We also (for the first time) get a glimpse into the life and upbringing of Gladwell. Yet, “Outliers” left me wanting more and quite frankly a bit discourage. Gladwell concludes that without Vegas style chance or schmoozing up to that friend or family member that happens to have all the right connections, us normal people are basically shit out of luck. We’ll never see the success those fortunate Outliers have. The most we can do is work hard and hope for a little piece of the big pie one day.

“Outlier” is most adequately described as a funnel; with an overwhelming amount of usable content that is funneled down through to only the most relevant facts and people make the cut. Unfortunately, for that reason Gladwell avoids discussing counter research and a broader range of individuals which ultimately casts a shadow of doubt upon his theories.

For the purpose of RUI, Outliers could not have been a better fit. Our group consists of professors, artists, psychologists, finance and real estate gurus, as well as many more brilliant minds that all approached Malcolm’s theories differently. Quite quickly a one hour discussion and two bottles of wine turned into three hours and 8 bottles of wine. A discussion so rich in concepts and questioning, I believe we all left feeling refreshed and exhilarated. That is until we all awoke with the infamous red wine headache the following morning.

Below is an interesting Anderson Cooper interview with Malcolm Gladwell. Check it out.

New York City

2009-01-27T16:50:00.002-05:00

This is my city in all its glory.

New York 2008 from Vicente Sahuc on Vimeo.

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

2009-01-27T09:41:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow. Tomorrow’s the day I begin taking baby steps in pursuing the career I desire. Tomorrow I begin classes at SVA for photography. I’m over the moon and absolutely thrilled to add some creativity to my life. Although finance pays the bills for now, this industry lacks color, imagination, and above all artistic depth. I pay the invoices. I smooth talk investors with hopes they forget how much money they’ve lost. I reconcile our portfolio and manage earnings calendars. Yet, at the end of the day there is no sense of accomplishment. No really meaning to my work. I’m just another 8:30-5:00 commuter and I look just as tired as the other corporate drones on the uptown 6 line. But in the meantime… it pays the bills.

2009 is the year. The year for change. I block out news of a recession, a country in turmoil. I put my head down and move against the storm. Change of career. Change of home. Change of state of mind. Time to revolutionize my thinking. No more negativity saturated and heavy with pessimism. 2009 is the year I refocus and re-reach for my goals. Tomorrow I begin following my path.

50's Housewife Meets A Modern Day New Yorker

2009-01-20T16:29:00.008-05:00

So a colleague of mine found this article on AOL the other day pertaining to ways a woman can keep her man happy. We laughed our asses off which was abruptly followed by confusion and utter disbelief. Here is the article – what is your opinion?

13 Ways to Keep Your Husband Happy
by Diane Gottsman

Okay ladies, we have already talked about what men can do to keep you happy (14 Ways To Keep Your Wife Happy); now let's take a look a few things you can do to show respect to your hubby and keep him smiling.

1. After washing your beautiful locks, don't forget to pick up your hair from the shower drain. It may not bother you but he doesn't like untangling your hair from his big toe.

2. Be understanding of his work schedule. An occasional afternoon call to see when he will be home is fine but when you begin to stalk him daily at 5:01, his boss starts waiting for your call.

3. Let him play with his friends. As long as they are not 5'9, single, intelligent, beautiful and looking for a husband. Seriously, guys need guy friends to hang out with and do boy stuff. Your husband will be happier and won't be so impatient when your girlfriends call you during dinner, breakfast, lunch and sex.

4. Speaking of..., don't let yourself go. That doesn't mean you must maintain a certain weight or length of hair for the sake of your marriage, but it is a gesture of love to take pride in your appearance. You may expect the same from him and you both deserve a mate that is clean, showered, shaved and cares about their health.

5. Buy your own razor. Quit sneaking his razor out of his bathroom to shave your legs and underarms then attempt to conceal the offense by drying it off with his face towel so it doesn't get yours dirty and put it back as if you never used it. (Yes, I have personal experience and he always knows!!!)

6. Compliment him, genuinely and often. Let him know how much you appreciate the little and the big things he does for you and the family. Taking out the trash may be part of his "routine," but acknowledging his efforts will keep him motivated to continue.

7. Don't hide the credit card bills. Be honest with him, even if it hurts. It's better to hear the truth from you than your creditors.

8. Take the initiative to practice random acts of kindness. Don't wait for Valentine's Day or his birthday to buy him a little "love gift" or write him a love letter. Hug him going out the door in the morning and coming back in the door at night. He's going to wonder what you are up to!

9. Don't talk bad about his parents or his siblings. It's difficult to kiss someone that just called his mother a tarantula and his father an orangutan. Remember that he is an offspring of that union, which would make him a tarangutan and you the tarangutans bride.

10. Treat him like you did when you first started dating. Don't forget simple words such as "please," "thank you" and "excuse me."

11. Remember all those bodily functions you tried to keep discreet while you were in the throes of wooing him? Just because you have been married several years and are very comfortable around your beloved doesn't mean you can now blow, snort and pick to your heart's content.

12. Plan a date night to do something he loves, even if you don't. Instead of seeing the latest chick flick, compromise and see an action movie and go to dinner at a place you mutually enjoy. Have a couple of glasses of wine so you can sleep through the car chases.

13. Never go to bed angry. Cliché, yes, but true. A well-rested husband is a happy husband-it's much better to go to bed next to someone that you can curl up next to, rather than someone you must put pillows in between.

Now, I am far from being one of those feminists from my women’s rights class at UCONN that felt it necessary to throw slanderous comments my way as I was 21 years old and engaged, however, I am definitely not the 50’s housewife in her apron who’s lacking a career and a working brain. My husband would be the first to tell you I am opinionated, rarely thinks before speaking, and sure as hell independent. Yet, this article really caught me off guard! Especially the reader comments at the bottm. Since when did AOL decide there were “rules” that needed to be put in place to please your man? Shouldn’t marrying your best friend, sharing goals, or enjoying time together be enough? Out of these “13 commandments” I’ve broken every f’ing one! And my husband still loves me – or at least he says he still does.

I think author Diane Gottsman and I need to have a sit down.

Can We Chalk 2008 Up to Error?

2009-01-02T16:40:00.007-05:00

Happy New Year and good riddance to 2008. It felt as though karma finally came back around this past year and kick this world’s ass. Let’s hope as a global community we can look back on our mistakes and learn from them. It frightens me to think of what might be if we don’t.

Instead of ringing in '09 with a celebration, I quietly and contently relaxed with a glass of wine in my flannel pajamas snuggled on the couch between my husband and animals. The highlight of the evening being when Kathy Griffith yelled obscenities about penises at a Times Square drunk. Truly hilarious!

A fellow blogger over at http://divulgencesny.wordpress.com/ published this great new year’s quiz. I thought this would be a great way of sharing my reflections of this past year instead of recapping the highs and lows of '08 in long drawn out paragraphs (which no one would want to read).

1. What did you do in 2008 that you’d never done before? My husband and I adopted our first puppy from Stray from the Heart. It has turned into one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year? Actually yes - from starting a book club to curbing my sweet tooth to working out more. Unfortunately perfecting my Spanish fell to the waste side, which I’ve added to my '09 resolutions.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? This was the year of babies! So many of my friends and acquaintances had little ones this year. Maybe next year we’ll join the list, who knows!

4. Did anyone close to you die? No, and I thank whoever above for that gift.

5. What places did you vacation? Europe and explored our homeland some more too.

6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? More space. As are most New Yorkers, we are on the search for the perfect apartment.

7. What was your biggest achievement(s) of the year? Finding my professional calling and making it to my 1 year anniversary (they say the first year is the toughest right?)

8. What was your biggest failure? Not giving more to charity.

9. Did you suffer illness or injury? Nope! And I’m keeping my fingers crossed for '09 too.

10. What was the best thing you bought? Our pitbull Winnie. We didn’t buy her from Stray from the Heart (we did donate to this incredible organization though). Haven’t we all learned that living extravagantly put the US in this position anyways?

11. Whose behavior merited celebration? My brother’s willingness to donate to charity instead of receiving gifts on his 18th birthday. This was extremely commendable. He is far beyond his years, as I was drunk and insane on my 18th birthday.

12. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Bush and his friends on Wall Street. So f’ing disgusting. How many pardons do you think he'll hand out?

13. Where did most of your money go? Bills and my inflated Manhattan rent.

14. How did you spend Christmas last year? Running between my family and the in-laws.

15. Did you fall in love in 2008? I fall in love over and over again every time I see the man I married.

16. What was your favorite TV program? Swingtown. Oh how I miss thee.

17. What did you do for your birthday in 2008? Takeout, video games, and movies.

18. What was the best book you read? Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen

19. What did you want and get? A dog and a new job. I got both.

20. What did you want and not get? A bigger apartment.

21. What was your favorite film of this year? Wall-E. This movie just makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

22. Did you make some new friends this year? Absolutely.

23. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? A bigger apartment. Have I mentioned this already?

24. What kept you sane? Photography.

25. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? Living: Anderson Cooper. Dead: Eddie Adams.

26. What political issue stirred you the most? The election. Check out some of my previous blogs and you’ll see just how much I was wrapped up in this.

27. Who did you miss? My grandparents.

28. What is a valuable life lesson you learned in 2008? You can’t rush life. There will always be things you want and need, but if you only focus on these you might not see those tiny beautiful moments that happen everyday.

Book Review: The Red Leather Diary

2008-12-15T16:02:00.008-05:00

Last Thursday night Reading Under the Influence was held at Lily's Restaurant in Midtown in the swanky Roger Smith Hotel. Amidst the starring eyes of the hotel's personalities painted upon the walls, the dim candlelight room welcomed us and author Lily Koppel to travel back to New York glamour, during the peak of its roaring glory to the depths of the Great Depression.

Articulate and bursting at the seams with details of the fascinating life of Florence Wolfson, Koppel took us on a journey from a Riverside Drive dumpster back in time to Florence's 14th birthday, to questions about her sexuality, to her travels alone through Europe. Florence's independence and strength resounded through Koppel's words as though it were her own story.

The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life through the Pages of a Lost Journal is the serendipitous story of a young author who happens across a diary buried in a trunk along with flapper dresses, to do lists of women from the early 20th century, and beaded purses and coats from around the Prohibition. To some these artifacts are old news, buried under generations of technological advancements and cultural revolutions. To other's these trunks embody a forgotten history complete with a fascinating and nostalgic story. A story they've been looking for to release themselves from the fast paced routines of everyday life. Thankfully, this is how Koppel saw this discovery and how she used this opportunity to change her and Florence's lives forever.

There is much to take away from this superbly written book, yet there is one major theme that is most important. Everyone has a story. Everyone's story is a beautiful journey through life. No one leads an ordinary life, as life in its self is far from ordinary.

Silence, Dummies and Books

2008-12-09T12:19:00.004-05:00

Well, hello loves! I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season (minus the economy doom and gloom). I’ve received a few emails from readers asking why I’ve stopped writing my “semi-daily” blogs. Well I apologize for my silence, but life caught up with me very quickly and a few days turned into a few weeks. I feel as though I’m being pushed forward at a rapid speed and I haven’t had a chance to slow down at all. Much like those crash test dummies that test the safety of cars in accidents.

This upcoming Thursday is the next meeting for Reading Under the Influence - very exciting for all you book nerds out there! The selected book is The Red Leather Diary: Reclaiming a Life Through the Pages of a Lost Journal by Lily Koppel. If you want to relive the glamour and art of Manhattan in the early 30’s this is just the read you’re looking for. Ms. Koppel will be joining us on Thursday and I’m ecstatic to hear more about the protagonist Florence Wolfson from her.

Book review coming soon!

TrueBlood

2008-11-17T16:31:00.002-05:00

There are only a few shows on TV I watch religiously. HBO’s Trueblood is one you can really sink your teeth into (Ok – enough vampire jokes. I know I’m completely lame). It’s deliciously racy, dark, and disturbingly fun! This show makes Anne Rice look like she writes children’s books.

A few of the characters need some work. I’m sure in the next season we will see a vast improvement in Anna Paquin and Ryan Kwanten’s characters as both seem a little awkward. My hat goes off to Nelsan Ellis whose character Lafayette Reynolds is by far the best on the show. What a fantastic personality! The humorous dynamic he creates of the gay man in the backwoods of Louisiana is truly memorable. He’s a cocktail of masculinity stirred with early 90’s thug mixed with a makeup-wearing RuPaul. Oh so fab!

Allow yourself to become immersed in Bon Temps, LA and enjoy this “interview with Mr. Lafayette.

An Intimate Look Into The Obama Family

2008-11-17T09:40:00.003-05:00

I wanted share this Flickr photostream with you. A member of Reading Under the Influence who's friends with a friend of one of Obama's personal photographer sent me these amazing glimpses from behind the scenes of election night. Notice the relationship and good standing the Binden's have with the Obama's. I absolutely adore the picture of Joe with Malia Ann and Sasha!

http://flickr.com/photos/barackobamadotcom/sets/72157608716313371/show/

More posts to come later. Enjoy!

AIG Executives and a Firing Squad

2008-11-12T09:12:00.005-05:00

I'm disgusted and absolutely appalled. Who the hell do these executives at AIG think they are? As I struggle to pay my bills and save whatever scanty amount I can these men are gallivanting around enjoy "conferences" on our dollar. Larry Roth and Art Tambaro need a reality check. While everyone at my financial firm are wading through the muck – trying just make it through this mess of an industry somehow these people are being paid to sit poolside while sipping on cocktails and working on their tan. Insanity!

Have you ever been on a company paid partridge hunt? I certainly have not! I can understand a company dinner but an f’ing partridge hunt? That’s completely egotistical and utterly outrageous. Where’s PETA when you need them?

Forget laying them off - a firing squad is needed.

Acupuncture

2008-11-10T09:49:00.004-05:00

For years now after a severe horseback riding accident I’ve been living in constant back pain. You know that dull, aching pain that makes you feel lethargic and as though you're giving a piggyback ride to a 600 lbs. man? No matter how many times a week I worked out or pleaded for back massages both were only temporary fixes. I awoke constantly in the middle of the night to shift positions because of the pain (I’m really not sure what the overpriced tempurpedic bed my doctor recommended did other than blow a hole through my wallet).

Again, upon recommendation I went to a chiropractor. What an f’ing joke. I must tell you – I walked away in more pain than when I started. Instead of waterboarding the government should use a chiropractor. It's legal and probably just as affective. I would confessed all of my deepest, darkest secrets just to prevent enduring that “neck manipulation” movement once again.

Instead of living off pills I decided to try something different. Acupuncture. I visited Cornerstone Healing in Brooklyn this Saturday. Although skeptical I was open to anything at this point. The Zen like atmosphere of the office is fab, but I guess it’s got to be when you plan to puncture your body full of needles. Overall, I found the procedure “uncomfortable” and slightly painful at times, however Saturday night was the first night I slept the full night. My pain has shifted too – it’s not as deep and aching as it’s always been. From what Dr. Mok said once a week for a month should correct my Qi and get the blood back to and flowing correctly through my damaged muscles. From then on it’s once a month maintenance work. No matter how far out or crazy it may seem – if my pain is diminishing then I’m a happy camper. And apparently the more I go the less painful it becomes which would be a huge plus.

Lesson learned from this weekend – don’t rule out alternative medicines. Next up cupping - or not.

Migraines

2008-11-06T11:23:00.004-05:00

I’m a migraine sufferer. Unless you’ve experienced a migraine there is no way of relating. The pain, light sensitivity and utter misery associated with migraines are almost indescribable. It’s as if China pinpointed my head and launched a nuclear bomb. Although severe I can deal with the pain, yet with most “category 10” migraines I lose vision. The auras are so intense within minutes the spots turn to black.

A few migraines ago I was on the subway in the trenches of Manhattan when I felt one come on. By the time I made it to the 86th Street stop I was in agony. I ended up walking across the street into Barnes and Nobles and hiding out in between the stacks hopeless and suffering waiting for my vision to come back so I could make it the few blocks home.

This was before my doctor subscribed me Imitrex. Oh how I love thee you lil’ pink pill you.

As someone with a history of migraines I guess I couldn’t have picked a better city to live in. 1. I don’t have to drive anywhere. 2. When I sit rocking back and forth in pain momentarily blinded in a Barnes and Nobles no one thinks twice about it considering the amount of crazies we see on a day to day basis here and 3. I can get home within 15 minutes from anywhere on this island (thank God for cabs).

To hopes of discovering my triggers I tried keeping a food journal. After the third piece of chocolate I secretly shoved into my mouth before 10 AM it was too depressing to write down my eating habits and I quickly nixed that idea. I tried alleviating stress through exercising more and meditation. And again I failed considering I work like a manic and unless I move to a farm in rural Kentucky I will never ease the stresses brought on by this wonderful city and the incredible excess of daily stimulus. Basically, I’ve chalked up my migraines as God punishing me for something I must have done in a past life (as of course I’ve been a perfect saint in this one). So in the end my only hope is that lil’ pill - the joys of the pharmaceutical industry.

Do any of you suffer from migraines? Any other treatments/mediations/exorcisms I’ve overlooked?

Is Halloween The New Christmas - Without Presents?

2008-11-03T10:17:00.007-05:00

The only thing comparable to the Village Halloween Parade would be Mardi Gras. For those few hours I stepped into another world. The colors, costumes, and the vibrancy of the crowd were all consuming. People forgot about their jobs, forgot about their anxieties, their errands and bills and for those few hours took on a fantasy roll whether it be the zombies from Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Beetle juice. I was in awe and completely appreciative I got to experience this event up close and personal and not from the sidelines.

The first time I visited Disney World with my family, my sibilings were around eight and ten years old. I was at the peak of my completely self consumed teenage years and believed taking a family vacation to the most magical place in the world was totally lame. As we entered the park and my sister first laid eyes on Cinderella’s castle she started crying out of pure happiness. She kept saying, “Can’t you feel the magic?” It wasn’t until many years later that I grew to appreciate this. I can’t remember the last time I let my imagination run wild or truly felt that magic of make believe. For the first time since my sister’s face to face meeting with Mickey Mouse I saw that magic again in the eyes of the kids at the Parade. To them Halloween isn’t about dressing up in skanky outfits or using a mask to cover up public intoxication – it’s about that magic in playing pretend. It’s a blending of worlds most adults can’t enjoy or understand. What I wouldn’t give to see the world again through the eyes of a child.

I honestly don’t believe my photos captured that enchantment in their eyes. Yet here are a few of my favorites mixed in with those adults that embodied what Halloween should be about. Eiting is a tedious and long process and as I finish off more I’ll be sure to add them to the collection.

Enjoy.

How NYC Does Halloween

2008-10-30T15:11:00.005-04:00

Quite possibly tomorrow is the first Halloween I will actually be participating in since I was a child. In high school instead of mischief nights or pretending to trick or treat I opted for scary movies, my couch, and buying my own candy. Tracking up and down streets in the freezing cold for candy just didn’t seem worth it. In college Halloween morphed into slutty costumes and drunkenness.

Since then unfortunately the spookish night has taken place during the work week. My adulthood responsibilities and the 40 degree east coast weather took priority over my desires to dress up and run around the city into the late morning hours. Tomorrow though I plan on taking full advantage of what this city has to offer. I was able to get my hands on a press pass for the Village Parade. As a photographer my creative energies are flowing! As embarrassing as this may be as a New Yorker I have yet to experience the Parade (I’ve also never been to the Statue of Liberty or to the top of the Empire State building). To my fellow New Yorkers – can I even consider myself one of you? So tomorrow night I will lose my virgin status and as a press photographer I will experience what The New York Times has called “the best entertainment the people of this City ever give the people of this City.”

After the parade and about 123,908,208,038,098,230,850 pictures later we are planning on going to Blood Manor. In the battle for top NYC Haunted House, Blood Manor got better reviews than Nightmare: Ghost Stories. Any thumbs up or thumbs down from the audience? Let me know!

How about you all? Any plans for All Hallows Eve? Any fabulous costume ideas? If you’d like, send me pictures of you/or a friend/or a pet in a Halloween costume and we can vote on who has the most creative and original one.

Dog Verses Cat Diaries

2008-10-21T19:52:00.018-04:00

I thought this was just too cute and completely true! I've added pictures of our pets just to prove my point. Enjoy!

Dog Verses Cat Diaries

EXCERPTS FROM A DOG'S DAILY DIARY: 

(Winnie)

8:00 a.m. Oh, boy! Dog food! My favorite!  
9:30 a.m. Oh, boy! A car ride! My favorite!  

9:40 a.m. Oh, boy! A walk! My favorite!  
10:30 a.m. Oh, boy! Getting rubbed and petted! My favorite!  
11:30 a.m. Oh, boy! Dog food! My favorite!  
Noon- Oh, boy! The kids! My favorite!  
1:00 p.m. Oh, boy! The yard! My favorite!  
4:00 p.m. Oh, boy! To the park! My favorite!  
5:00 p.m. Oh, boy! Dog food! My favorite!  
5:30 p.m. Oh, boy! Pretty Mums! My favorite!  
6:00 p.m. Oh, boy! Playing ball! My favorite!  
6:30 a.m. Oh, boy! Watching TV with my master! My favorite!  
8:30 p.m Oh, boy! Sleeping in master's bed! My favorite!   

EXCERPTS FROM A CAT'S DAILY DIARY: 

(Zazu)

(Nala)

Day 183 of My Captivity: My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while I am forced to eat dry cereal. The only thing that keeps me going is the hope of escape, and the mild satisfaction I get from ruining the occasional piece of furniture. Tomorrow I may eat another houseplant.  
Today my attempt to kill my captors by weaving around their feet while they were walking almost succeeded; must try this at the top of the stairs.  

In an attempt to disgust and repulse these vile oppressors, I once again induced myself to vomit on their favorite chair, must try this on their bed.  

Decapitated a mouse and brought them the headless body, in an attempt to make them aware of what I am capable of, and to try to strike fear into their hearts. They only cooed and condescended about what a good little cat I was. Hmmm, not working according to plan.  

There was some sort of gathering of their accomplices. I was placed in solitary confinement throughout the event. However, I could hear the noise and smell the food. More importantly, I overheard that my confinement was due to my power of "allergies". Must learn what this is and how to use it to my advantage.  

I am convinced the other captives are flunkies and maybe snitches. The dog is routinely released and seems more than happy to return. He is obviously a half-wit. The bird, on the other hand, has got to be an informant, and speaks with them regularly. I am certain he reports my every move. Due to his current placement in the metal room, his safety is assured.  

But I can wait, it is only a matter of time...

Old New York Meets Trendy New York At The Waverly Inn

2008-10-21T12:24:00.006-04:00

Last night my husband and I dined at The Waverly Inn for my husband’s birthday. Although NYC is the epitome of trendy – I tend to avoid these hot spots. I much rather meander the streets and find a cozy café or an Italian trattoria reminiscent of Italy. Yet, a colleague of mine suggested The Waverly Inn and provided me with the “secret” reservation email (apparently you need to know somebody before you are granted your reservation).

Located on the beautiful street Waverly Place, The Inn is unpretentious and inconspicuous. The door is hidden and upon entrance to the 1844 brownstone you are thrown back to a forgotten time. The low ceilings and fireplace provide an intimate and romantic dining experience. We were seated by Mario Batali who was dining with his family. I guess for the food critics out there that would be an immediate stamp of approval. I then excused myself to the bathroom only to be face to face with Jeremy Piven. All before my water was pored and my wine order taken.

The food? Only three words are needed – macaroni and cheese. Quite possibly the most mouth watering, indulgent plate that has ever touched my palate. With truffles imported from Italy and cheese made from a man secluded somewhere in the Alps with his goats it’s utterly sinful. And with the first bite – I forgot how much I paid for it.

For those who want to dine with celebrities – I highly recommend The Waverly Inn. For those more interested in spoiling your mouth and stomach – I highly recommend it. And for those looking to get lucky at the end of the night – I highly recommend trying to bring your date here.

(Feel free to provide me with brides and monetary compensation and I just might consider providing you with the email... or not.)

When Is Enough Enough?

2008-10-20T13:11:00.006-04:00

Check out the below video. This is goes much deeper than the election. It's past the point of who is more qualified to be President. It terrifies me that there are people in this country that still speak this way and hold beliefs like this. Not only are many of the statements ignorant and incorrect, but what bothers me the most is how much anger and detest this segment is filled with.

Many of us poke fun at the candidate we do not endorse. We have debates on topics we are passionate and knowledgeable about, but when is that line crossed? Do we as one country - one body of people - allow such hatred to exist within our own borders? Should the candidates step in and scorn such behavior?

Beliefs aside I feel we owe it to ourselves and our country to educated people and make it known such behavior will not be tolerated whether from a Democrat or Republican, Liberal or Conversation. This is just not acceptable.

What are your thoughts on this?

McCain Responds To Racial Comments About Obama

2008-10-16T14:29:00.004-04:00

I know with the election only days away the below link is already old news but - Wow, this scares me to death. This woman is a total controdiction to what the USA stands for. I am actually embarressed for McCain here.

McCain Reponds to "Arab" Epithet at Rally: Obama a Decent Family Man

Time To Analyze Me

2008-10-09T20:07:00.006-04:00

The Proust Questionnaire

Since July 1993, the back page of Vanity Fair has been devoted to the Proust Questionnaire, in which a noteworthy person answers a series of personal questions. The questionnaire has its origins in a parlor game popularized (though not devised) by Marcel Proust (1871–1922), the French essayist and novelist, who believed that, in answering these questions, an individual reveals his or her true nature. - Vanity Fair

1. What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Life without heartache and suffering. Waking up each morning and seeing the world through new eyes. Yet not just for me, but for everyone. I don’t think perfect happiness can exist on a sole basis. That’s just narrow minded and selfish.

2. What is your greatest fear?
To watch my children suffer or lose their lives before my death.

3. What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Stubbornness. I find it easier to cut others off rather than work though problems. I believe this is because I care too much. In the wake of an argument I am completely consumed in it, unable to think of anything else.

4. What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Naiveness. When people create strong opinions or beliefs without thorough knowledge of a topic.

5. Which living person do you most admire?
Dalai Lama. Throughout his struggles with oppression and exile he still remain optimistic and enlightened about the human race.

6. What is your greatest extravagance?
Camera equipment. I’ve seen the world through new eyes since picking up my first SLR. I find beauty in the dirty streets of New York and a simple shot can speak a 1,000 words. I’ve learned patience through photography.

7. What is your current state of mind?
Scared. Will I have a job next week? How will I support my family while my husband finishes up law school? How did our country let our financial markets get into such turmoil? Why?

8. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Demureness. People should have the right to express themselves however they want. The body is beautiful and should be cherished and admired – not hidden based on society’s ever changing standards.

9. On what occasion do you lie?
Out of laziness or selfishness when I wish to avoid anger over breaking off plans or avoiding a prior commitment.

10. What do you most dislike about your appearance?
My stature. I feel l lack presence and grace. I am constantly reminding myself to sit up straight and to be poised.

11. Which living person do you most despise?
I don’t despise anyone. I try to center my life on the positive. Though the one person I completely disagree with in every regard (beliefs, morals, and life choices) would be Sarah Palin. No one should ever be in a position of power who cares so little for the environment or living things other than humans.

12. What is the quality you most like in a man?
Security. Not all men possess this though. I’ve definitely had a few losers in my life. No matter how crazed or unbalanced the world is around me, my husband always provides me with a sense of security and faith.

13. What is the quality you most like in a woman?
The ability to express emotions. A woman will always let you know exactly how they feel. Whether you truly accept that is another issue.

14. Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Right. Right is the perfect filler.

15. What or who is the greatest love of your life?
Edward. He showed me the difference between love and lust. Provided me with a sense of security and trust I’ve never known.

16. When and where were you happiest?
In my tiny apartment during play time with my animals. I truly believe one can learn so much from animals.

17. Which talent would you most like to have?
To be comfortable with public speaking. If I could speak like some of the greats - with such hope and inspiration - I feel like I could rule the world.

18. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
To be more spiritual. I do not believe in organized religion but I do believe in faith. I wish I had more time to devote to finding my spiritual side.

19. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Becoming a vegetarian/quasi-vegan. I’ve finally found a balance between my beliefs and eating habits.

20. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
A horse. Crazy I know, but I’ve been obsessed with these magnificent creatures my whole life.

21. Where would you most like to live?
Venice, Italy. Visiting there is just not enough.

22. What is your most treasured possession?
Nothing materialistic. My animals would have to be my most treasured possessions.

23. What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?
Being self absorb.

24. What is your favorite occupation?
Photographer.

25. What is your most marked characteristic?
I am very open minded. I believe in trying everything once and complete self expression.

26. What do you most value in your friends?
Honesty and dependability. I absolutely have the most wonderful, fantastic, amazing friends. I know they love me as much as I love them. I’ve weeded out all the superficial ones.

27. Who are your favorite writers?
David Sedaris. Chuck Palahniuk. Hunter S. Thompson. Joe Hill.

28. Who is your hero of fiction?
Ruby Thewes.

29. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Sammuramat.

30. Who are your heroes in real life?
Humanitarians.

31. What are your favorite names?
Landon. Tristan. Isabella. Danika. Prudence. Ophelia.

32. What is it that you most dislike?
Ignorance and hatred.

33. What is your greatest regret?
Making the same mistake twice…. more than twice actually….

34. How would you like to die?
Quick and painlessly.

35. What is your motto?
It is what it is.

New York State Of Mind

2008-10-06T11:03:00.006-04:00

Sometimes when life and work become completely overwhelming I wonder why this 24/7 workaholic city is just so damn special.

Last Friday after being herded like cattle into the overcrowded subway at 7:30 AM, I was able to squeeze into a 2” by 2” space in the middle of the train. Truly I was physically closer to the people around me then than I have ever been with 99% my friends and family. From behind me a man starting screaming and hollering for us to move as apparently he thought there was room for him inside. This verbal abuse ensued for three minutes as the doors attempted close on his oversized backpack. His screaming resulted in pushing which led to this asshole getting his way. By the time I walked into my office I was irritated and reminiscent of driving to work.

I fed my nine hour work day with Redbull and coffee and realized that stepping out for lunch was just not in the cards. By the end of the day I was nearly brain dead and exhausted. I walked out of our building only to be immediately greeted by a crazy woman screaming, “Excuse me!” as she plowed through the crowd knocking an elderly woman to the ground. Of course this irritated the bitch as she screamed, “I told you to get the f**k out of my way!”

This just can’t be the NYC I love and work so hard to survive in? What makes these awful people so wonderful? And within an instant I had my answer as three or four people (including me) rushed to assist the fallen woman. A gentleman even hailed a cab for her and gave the driver some money for her fare.

After, as I proceeded the two blocked to the subway, I saw a young man stop to ask a blind man if he can be of any assistance in navigating the rush hour traffic into the subway. As corny as it may sound these actions put a smile on my face. It reminded me of the Liberty Mutual Insurance commercials.

Even though the work weeks are brutal, the streets are dirty, and many believe the New York mentality is brash and offensive – most New Yorkers make this city unique and unlike any other city in the world. Our energy, determination and kindness stand out above the rest. These are the New Yorkers I love. These are the people that make this city what it is.

Rodents and Finance

2008-09-30T11:12:00.006-04:00

I apologize for my silence lately as the last few weeks have been a total blur for me. My firm moved last Friday and I quickly learned that my title as Office Manager equated to mover/packer/cleaner/do everything myself. I understand in this market we’ve got to be cost conscientious, but talk about being used and abused! I feel much like Skeletor in the photo. I’m not complaining though, it could always be worse. For example, I could be Britney Spears facing the impending release of a sex tape with the nasty Adnan Ghalib.

More to come... but for now take a moment to check out this hilarious and absolutely incredible photoscream by “Powerpig” I discovered flicker. It reminds me of the chipmunks and other rodent wildlife at my mother’s home in Connecticut. Considering the lack of chipmunks in Manhattan I’m wondering if I could create a similar spread with rats? Just a thought…

End of Summer

2008-09-21T20:11:00.011-04:00

End of Summer
by James Richardson

Just an uncommon lull in the traffic; Brusque Sweep; Sweeping; Autumn; Seasons; Summer; Birds Just an uncommon lull in the traffic
so you hear some guy in an apron, sleeves rolled up,
with his brusque sweep brusque sweep of the sidewalk,
and the slap shut of a too thin rental van,
and I told him no a gust has snatched from a conversation
and brought to you, loud.

It would be so different
if any of these were missing is the feeling
you always have on the first day of autumn,
no, the first day you think of autumn, when somehow

the sun singling out high windows,
a waiter settling a billow of white cloth
with glasses and silver, and the sparrows
shattering to nowhere are the Summer
waving that here is where it turns
and will no longer be walking with you,

traveller, who now leave all of this behind,
carrying only what it has made of you.
Already the crowds seem darker and more hurried
and the slang grows stranger and stranger,
and you do not understand what you love,
yet here, rounding a corner in mild sunset,
is the world again, wide-eyed as a child
holding up a toy even you can fix.

How light your step
down the narrowing avenue to the cross streets,
October, small November, barely legible December.

September 11th

2008-09-11T15:24:00.002-04:00

Today we put aside the presidential campaign. Today we stand united as a country. We remember the shock and devastation of this day seven years ago. It will never fade. No matter what your faith is, we all say a prayer for the nearly 3,000 people that lost their lives. Never forget, always remember, we are one.

Religion Overload?

2008-09-10T11:42:00.008-04:00

I believe one of the major flaws of this upcoming election is the focus on religion. I understand that millions of people shape their beliefs around faith, however, with less than sixty days to the election we need to shift focus onto what can be done for our country to get us out of this economic and foreign policy crisis. Yet, I feel everything I have read or seen lately distributed by the republican party is either slander or religious propaganda. The focus shouldn’t be on Palin, but on McCain and Obama. Who has the better healthcare policy? Who’s going to improve the economy? How about Iraq?

Yet how can that happen when the other three individuals in this race have been in the spotlight since day one, and unfortunately we have yet to see any interviews with the republican VP nominee? It’s as though every word out of Palin’s mouth (which appears to be completely scripted) is on how she’s a hockey mom who likes guns, who believe the government should control women’s bodies, and oh ya God gives her political advice. Didn’t you see Him? Front row and center in the American flag sequence hat and shirt at the RNC? All humor aside, as a country we need to know her standpoint on these issues considering there is a strong possibility she could end up President. Maybe once I hear more from her I’ll like her.

Even though McCain’s numbers have sky rocketed in the last few weeks, I find it hard to believe that McCain would have chosen Palin if Obama had selected Clinton as his running mate. Once the buzz subsides, will Palin still be considered a “pit bull in lipstick?”

The liberal site The Huffington Post published an interesting article on Palin’s religious background. Check it out here!

I’m very interested in the opinions of others - so you tell me! Are we on religion overload? Once the republican party let’s Palin speak do you believe you’ll still be impressed by her?

Steinem vs. Palin

2008-09-08T12:02:00.009-04:00

I’m not going to lie – in the last election I voted republican. What a mistake that was! I came across this article on the Political Machine on Aol.com, and even though it doesn’t dig into the details it provides a general overview on why Sarah Palin was a poor VP choice. Check it out: Woman Against Palin

By the way, was it just me or did the Republican National Convention remind you of a southern religious gathering of pro-gun hicks? So strange.

Oh and if Sarah Palin really believes that her political agenda is the "will of God," a mental institution should be her next residence, not Washington D.C. As she seems quite confident the creator of the whole universe is a supporter of her plan for the war in Iraq and for a fossil fuel pipeline in Alaska. Yikes!

Who are you voting for in November?

A New Look

2008-09-05T14:52:00.002-04:00

Just like many of the Park Avenue women that grace the Upper Eastside, Confessions of a Contemplative New Yorker was in much need of a facelift. So here we are. A new look, a new feel, and new inspiration!

Much thanks to Shawn of Eclectic Whimsy Designs for her wonderful creative energies.

Enjoy.

Progress - Barack Obama

2008-08-25T12:56:00.004-04:00

Completely engulfed in politics this week. Mainly because my husband (who is a political junkie) is monopolizing the computer and TV. Yet, I am 100% behind Obama now.

When you can't remember how many homes you own - how are you going to relate to the majority population of the country you want to lead?

Book Review: I Was Told There'd Be Cake

2008-08-20T11:32:00.006-04:00

I recently finished Sloane Crosley’s book of essays entitled, “I Was Told There’d Be Cake.” I too am a twenty-something year old self-absorbed, middle-class woman who can relate to quite a few of Sloane’s shenanigans. Oh you know, the standard girl fare - first job with psycho, past her prime boss in much need of meds or retirement and let’s not forget the superficial, greedy, needy friends that come and go. I guarantee if you’ve spent any of your post-collegiate years in a major city (especially the Big Apple) you’ll catch yourself saying, “Chris I remember when I did that!” Yet, there were a few essays that upon finishing I asked myself what the hell was she getting at?

Crosley’s is an up and coming writer dripping in sarcasm and pessimism (totally my kind of gal), but a few of her analogies and unexpected adjectives lasted for two or three paragraphs completely losing sight of the humor it began with. Take for example the title. I have pondered back and forth as to what the analogy is. Maybe she’s the Queen of Westchester, sodden in self-entitlement comparing herself to Marie Antoinette. Or maybe to this suburbanite Manhattan isn’t all it is cracked up to be. Or quite possibly to deal with her neuroticism she relies on food.

Overall, Sloane Crosley's tone and style are quite similar to iconic writer David Sedaris. She's sarcastic, humorous and self-pillorying and, like Sedaris, she manages to balance essays that are laugh-out-loud page turners with others that are both poignant and resounding. Above all Crosley manages to take the minutiae of her life (something we can all relate to) and turn it into something worth reading. As HBO seems to think, Crosley could quite possibly be the next Carrier Bradshaw.

Are You A Gossiping Hypochondriac?

2008-08-18T19:30:00.006-04:00

Do you ever wonder what traits and habits you’ve inherited from family members? Maybe Uncle Albert, who is the black sheep of the family due to his hypochondriac tendencies, is convinced he’s suffering from the most disturbing diseases ever to plague mankind. Where unbeknownst to everyone you visit a doctor once a month. Or maybe there is a gossip queen in your family – possibly your cousin? She knows everything about everyone and of course she doesn’t hold back her opinions. Yet, if we're being honest here - you like a little trash talk too. But before the word vomit hits you make it a point to say, “I don’t like to talk about anyone but….”

My mother picks her cuticles. I was a notorious nail biter until college, but never a picker. Unfortunately, once I kicked that habit I unconsciously progressed to cuticle picking. Sadly band-aids are needed much too often now. How about my OCD cleaning habits? Was this a hand me down from my grandmother who could possible have the cleanest house on the planet?

Last weekend during a visit with my aunt and uncle another piece to my personality puzzle fell into place. I am a work-a-holic. If I sleep past 8 AM I’ve wasted the morning. I can’t just sit and watch TV unless I’m “medicated” or pain stricken. God forbid I took a day off of work and just relaxed. I can’t even comprehend that. It just wouldn’t happen. After all I am a New Yorker. But I must thank my Aunt Cindy for this trait.

Upon our arrival in Delaware we were greeted by my aunt who resembles Glenn Close on speed. It was a pleasant surprise to find out that Cindy had “taken the day off” to enjoy our visit. In Cindy’s mind working 5 hours in the afternoon WAS taking the day off. In a nutshell this is what our lil' trip consisted of: arrival, then immediate departure to race track, race prep, race, winner’s circle, lunch, back to the track, race prep, race, walking back to the barn with our tails between our legged from out last place finish, mane pulling, feeding, home again, barn again, home again, drive back to Manhattan, and bed at 3 AM.

What a relaxing Saturday.

Tim McLean - Just Another Chicken For PETA

2008-08-14T14:43:00.011-04:00

After countless rants on the unhinged organization PETA you all are clearly aware of my loathment of them. That animosity has become sadness. Sadness that a group can be so cruel to people.

A few weeks ago a terrible tragedy occured in Canada. Aboard a Greyhound bus a young man was brutally slain by the hands of a mad man. When I originally heard this story and the details of the murder I was physically and mentally sick. I began my college education pursuing a degree in forensics. Yes, I’ve seen dead bodies. Yes, I’ve studied murders. Yes, I’ve observed autopsies. Yet, for the first time I was completely blown away by an act of violence due to the lack of explanation around the crime. There was no connection between the victim and the criminal. There was no reason, no revenge, and still no answers. This was a random act so awful the Devil might have turn away in disgust.

At a time when a grieving family seeks answers; when the passengers on that bus are dealing with the loss of their innocence; and support and kind worlds pour out of every nook and cranny of the world – PETA sees an opportunity to make headlines…. again. In a display of absolute callousness PETA has published an ad eliciting sympathy for the slaughter of animals comparing that to the slaughter and beheading of Tim McLean (the funny thing is that the announcement is the only page on their blog when readers can't post comments - is your conscious getting to you PETA?) And to make this f’ing situation even MORE f’ing insane they hope to gain a few dollars through fundraising for the ethical treatment of animals and not the victim of this vicious crime. It’s disgusting (like the religious zealots of the ACLU - who will be protesting Canada at the McLean funeral) they see an opportunity to capitalize on death.

PETA is in much need of a business 101 class as I’m quite sure such marketing is counterproductive to their cause. I believe like Ingrid (who had her tubes tied as she doesn’t believe in human reproduction) all PETA members should follow her lead. Eventually all will be gone and the world will be a better place. That would be the one instance I would donate to this disgusting organization.

To the McLean family – our deepest sympathies go out to your family. You are in our prayers. Readers - if you can please stop by a TD Canada Trust Bank and made a donation to the "Tim McLean Trust." An account has been set up in memory of Tim so anyone who wishes to help this grieving family can make a donation to help pay for his final expenses. All excess funds will be donated to a cause that meant something to Tim, or set up as a trust. RIP Tim McLean.

Construction Site Hazard

2008-08-13T10:54:00.004-04:00

For the past few days I’ve felt as though little men were working on my brain. Banging and probing in the dark corners where my secrets are kept. Building and constructing new ideas only half formed and lacking inspiration. Around noon they go on lunch and I get a second wind. They hoot and holler when beautiful women walk by. Advil is a savior. I wish I could fire them, but they are unionized.

Detached. Discombobulated. Drained. Friday could not come soon enough.

Petcentric.com

2008-08-10T19:49:00.006-04:00

If you’re an animal lover then I'm about to make your day. I might even be your new best friend. Keith Jacob, a friend of mine, sent me a Facebook note saying I should check out Petcentric.com. Already on a few social networks myself; I figured I would probe around for a few minutes and that would be it. I am notorious for creating accounts on networks like bebo, friendster, etc – having last logged in for 5 minutes years ago. Well after three hours of creating pet profiles, networking, uploading pictures, and sharing stories with other pet enthusiasts I’m completely hooked. Even if you don’t own a pet you can create a profile for yourself and live vicariously through those you meet. So go check it out, you’ll love it!

Pack Rat

2008-08-07T11:57:00.005-04:00

I admit, I am a rehabilitated pack rat. I liked to horde all sorts of things. I despised throwing anything away. I convinced myself those holiday card from 1992 or the stack of 3.5 floppy disks sitting in my desk drawer would be of use sometime in the near future. Unfortunately for us, my husband was the same way. We were destined for rehab or anonymous support groups for chronic pack rats. That was until we moved into our tiny apartment on the UES. It was utter f’ing chaos and I knew I had to reform my ways. Knickknacks – gone. Clothes from high school – gone. VHS and tapes – gone. Graded pop quizzes from the 5th grade – gone. Pictures and memorabilia of exes – way way gone.

Yet now I still notice me falling back into my old “hordish” ways. My coworker had the most amazing lotion (Yes people – I’m easy to please) by Laura Mercier. The fragrance of crème brulee filled the office every time she moisturized her hands. I had to have it. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a purchase I could run down to CVS a pick up for a few dollars. Oh no! This was a decadent pleasure overpriced at $60 available only at Bloomingdales. I justified this ridiculous purchase by convincing myself I would live like a cheapskate from then on.

Yet now I owe a $60 bottle of lotion that I feel too bad to use. After a few days of silky soft hands and the lingering smell of a French bakery I realized the bottle would not last forever and unfortunately like Serendipity’s $25,000 dessert “Frrozen Haute Chocolate” this wasn’t something I was willing to spend my hard earned money on.

Now Ms. Mercier’s product sits on my bathroom shelf only to be used sporadically. I’m not going to lie – I’ll probably have the same bottle for next ten years. Sad. Very sad.

Fish Pedicures

2008-08-05T12:25:00.005-04:00

Manhattan is a wonderful place for the superficial. I must admit since becoming a full time resident of the city that never sleeps I have become immensely aware of such frivolous behaviors. Such as never wearing sandals without newly lacquered toenails, spas are for “improving” one’s health and no longer a once a year indulgency, and what I would pay for a purse has significantly increased because somewhere in the corner of my mind I’ve convinced myself I must have it. Yet, apparently I’m way behind the times as I have yet to have a fish pedicure. That’s right folks a fish pedicure.

From what I gather before this fishy experience you place your feet in a bowl of water and the toothless carp indulge in a feast of dead skin. This somewhat reminds me of falling in the Amazon River only to be greeted by hungry piranhas – but never fear – these are toothless carp aka doctor fish! Preceding this massacre of toe cheese and flesh is a standard pedicure.

This past week while indulging in a mani-pedi I asked my favorite nail technician with the American name “Jenny” if she had heard of such a pedicure. As she wrinkled her nose and violent shook her head no she kept repeating the words “no offer” and “dirty” and then began speaking in Chinese to the other technicians, presumably making fun of the me, the stupid girl.

I have an inkling PETA will be all over this soon.

Oregon Trail - Let's Go Hunting!

2008-08-03T19:16:00.009-04:00

There are many things I remember about my elementary public school experience. Such as recess, my first time being bullied in school by the most popular girl (whom later turned out to be obese, still living at home and unsuccessful – karma’s a bitch huh?), the first time I cried in the bathroom (thanks to the popular girl again), my first "boyfriend", and Oregon Trail. Oh Oregon Trail, how I loved thee. Oregon Trail was a staple of all computer labs in the late 80’s.

While my classmates ate lunch at exclusive tables (Earth would feel hells fury if one library nerd were to attempt to sit with the popular crowd) and engaged in pre-socialite activities, I found myself sneaking off every once and awhile to travel back to the pioneer days. No, I was not anti-social. I was just plain and simply a dweeb. Just like the Sims (which I love and secretly play now) in Oregon Trail you had control over the characters. On the occasion of a particularly bad day, I would run down to the lab and load up my wagon with people that had pissed me off and purposely lose the game. Oh no! Lil’ Billy has two broken limbs and was carried away by Indians. Oh no! Poor Sarah died of dysentery. But that’s not the end to my devilish ways. It got better. After poor Billy or Sarah bit the dust you are asked to write a dear, sweet epitaph on you fellow wagonmates tombstone. Looking back I’m lucky I wasn’t expelled for slander. Here was where my first rants took place. I wonder if Billy ever came across my writings during his stints to the computer lab. In my defense did the game producers honestly think allowing 13 year olds creative freedom would produce positive, swear free epitaphs? I think not. I am confident I was not the only prepubescent child out there that used Oregon Trail as a form of therapy.

And when the game asked, are you sure you want to go hunting? I always replied Yes, I was. If only I had such a game for high school. But that’s another blog for another time.

You Don't Eat No Meat?!

2008-07-31T16:14:00.008-04:00

If you haven’t guessed already I am a vegetarian. Although I have dabbled in veganism I find it hard to say goodbye to my beloved cheese and milk. I’m also not a fan of the self-entitlement attitude that seems to appear in plenty of vegans I cross paths with. You know, the ones who spend their lives being very angry at anyone who eats, thinks or acts differently than they do. Of course this isn’t every vegan I know – most I love and want to sit down and share a nondairy frozen yogurt with.

Now for the question of the day. I just can’t seem to grasp why whenever my eating habits come up in conversation the reactions I get are so extreme it’s as if I just told them I eat dog shit instead of baby cows? I cannot tell you how many times people ask with such exasperation why – oh why – would I choose not to eat meat? People come on now! 1. It’s rude 2. I don’t criticized what you choose to put in your mouth and 3. I definitely have opinions. Yes, very strong opinions. But I don’t shove them in your face unless provoked.

If I hear one more rant about how fantastic meat is I might have to strap that individual to an eco-friendly chair and force tofu and soy milk down their throat as my bitch of a cat Nala uses them as scratching post.

Now to answer the “why – oh why – would you choose not to eat meat question." Up until a few years ago I was quite a bit more relaxed in my eating habits. That was until I found out about the growth hormones and the treatment of slaughter animals. For me it was like watching a train wreck. I was devastated and outraged by what I saw, but at the same time I needed to find out more. And what I discovered wasn’t pretty. Meat has been linked to cancer, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and kidney stones (just to name a few). So on top of eating those adorable, happy cows from the California cheese commercials, I was also increasing my chances of disease. Obviously that sizzling steak didn’t seem all that appetizing anymore.

But for now, I am going to continue living under the delusion that all dairy cows and goats are free range and live happy lil’ lives. Go ahead PETA and all you vegans out there discredit me and call me a hypocrite, but I believe my heart is in the right place.

I also have the support and encouragement of my husband who is a converted vegetarian. One day I broke down in the shower and started crying. As shampoo and mascara ran down my face I cried about the baby boy chickens that are thrown into grinders as they are sexed because there is no need for them. At first I believe Edward thought I was having a nervous breakdown or maybe on my period and then (because he loves me) he realized how passionate I was about changing our lifestyle and eating habits. Since that day he gave up meat cold turkey (no pun intended).

But you can guarantee, after how many years of being meat free, on holidays my Italian family (who parallels Toula Portokalos’s family from the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding) will try and convince us that the little bit of meat used in the spaghetti sauce is really not breaking from our lifestyle.

(Check our diana debord's photostream on flickr from whom I borrowed the picture from. Very powerful. Very moving.)

Top 20 On Blogged.com

2008-07-30T16:12:00.005-04:00

Again, some very exciting news to share with you! On Blogged.com under the life section CCNewYorker ranked 13 out of 28,914 blogs with an editors ranking 9.0. Very cool. Very rewarding. On a side note the 4 spot went to Taekucing (which I adore!) a blog about cats. Apparently my life is less interesting than a cat’s… sad, very sad. PETA would love this.

Nostalgia Overload

2008-07-30T14:26:00.005-04:00

The stock market is extremely chaotic and people can get crazed during the day so being able to tune everything out and get to work is a necessity. I’m fortunate enough to work at a firm where I am allowed to listen to my iPod during work hours (that is if it’s a slow day or if the calendar is free of meetings). Being the dork I am I opt for podcasts over music. The other night while browsing through the extensive library of podcasts on iTunes I can across one I am completely and utterly in love with - Old time radio’s Mystery Theater. As soon as I began listening I had a vision of me and my siblings sitting crossed legged on the floor in a living room dated back to the 40’s or 50’s as we listen to the giant radio that replaces my current day flat screen TV. Mom is in the kitchen in her apron cooking while Dad is smoking his pipe and reading the paper. Ugg – I know all feminists reading this probably want me to take a pen and pop my sugar coated day dream and drag mom out of the kitchen, dress her in a business suit and make Dad cook the dinner while dressed in some kind of s&m getup. But whatever you’re thinking – these podcasts are fun and bring back a time of entertainment long forgotten.

But I didn’t stop there. Oh no. I began thinking about what I used to watch as a child. Remember Fraggle Rock? Jem and the Holograms? The Ghost of Faffner Hall? My God, it was like Christmas for me! Oh the nostalgia.

What My Life Sounds Like

2008-07-28T21:28:00.005-04:00

If my life had a soundtrack this would be it. Thank you to my fellow blogger Jaclyn Johnson for her note on this fabulous Beta on her blog Some Notes on A Napkin.

What would your life soundtrack be?

Life Lessons Learned From This Past Weekend

2008-07-28T15:20:00.005-04:00

What an insanely hectic weekend! In the last two weeks I feel as though the weekends have been nonexistent. These past 48 hours has provided me with many life lessons I feel are extremely important to share.

1. Dogs and bones truly are not compatible. Yes, dogs love bones, but their stomachs do not. Sad puppy faces will no longer be rewarded with bones.

2. Puppy shit all over your apartment at 6 AM is not pleasant. It is not the puppy’s fault. This can be blamed on the goddamn bone.

3. Carpets and animals can not coexist. Wood floors make me happy.

4. Do not pay to clean your carpets when you have three animals.

5. Husbands are like children. Sometimes a timeout is needed.

6. No matter how intelligent your husband is. Simple words and short sentences equal better comprehension.

7. Invisalign is the devil.

8. Best friends and Xanax could possibly be God’s best creations.

Amen!

Pitbulls And Pink Eye

2008-07-26T10:34:00.002-04:00

My life and schedule tend to focus primarily around our animals. I refer to them as my babies and probably treat them better than I do most people. Some say they are good preparation for motherhood, others roll their eyes and mumble things like “misplaced priorities” and “counseling need.” Up until recently we’ve been very lucky at avoiding the insanely high cost of vet visits. That was until Zazu’s previously blogged about illness. No, I’m wrong. It wasn’t an illness. It was I’m a fat ass that will eat anything including petroleum jelly and dead flies. It took a few thousand dollars and a late night in the animal ER to produce such a diagnosis.

Now our latest addition to our family, Winnie, came down with an eye infection. The infection looks quite similar to pink eye. Now I’ve been told pink eye can come from contact with asses. And sniffing other dog’s asses happens to be Winnie’s favorite pastime activity. So either Winnie picked this up from her raunchy activities or our other cat Nala (who is a raging bitch) decided to teach this newcomer a lesson by rubbing her paws in her litter box and then smacking Winnie across the face. Either way in hopes of avoiding an outrageous vet bill I’m attempting to clear up the infection myself – much to Winnie’s dismay. I’ve dug up a dog cone, which fortunately for me keeps Winnie from rubbing her eyes, but unfortunately for Winnie has had a huge impact on her ego. I sure she’s thinking “F you Mom” as she walks into walls and refuses to go outside in hopes none of her neighborhood pals catch a glimpse of her as a pitiful pitbull. I’ve also been applying terramycin ophthalmic ointment several times a day. The first day Winnie was well behaved when it came to this application, but now she turns into psycho puppy pulling away, running around the apartment and snarling like a rabid beast as Nala sits gleaming vindictively at this mayhem.

I’m hoping our efforts pay off because if the infection doesn’t get better by tomorrow I will be bring Winnie to the vet…. and then being forced to eat a cup of noodles for dinner. When your vet bills are more than your Manhattan rent – maybe it’s time for us to hold off on bring more animals into our life. Just a thought.

New Yorker Mentality

2008-07-24T10:38:00.005-04:00

While surfing the web last night I came across the Urban Dictory. It's hilarous and full of fun, interesting, meaningless facts. Below is their definition of the "New Yorker Mentality."

1. New York Mentality
- The belief that New York is the center of the world and that nothing more than 2 hours outside of New York City is a part of America.

- A misguided perception of non-New Yorkers and the belief that others are provincial because they don't live in NYC.

- The idea that everything you could ever want is in NYC and there is no good reason to ever leave.

Example:
New Yorker: So where are you from?
Maryland-er: I'm from Baltimore.
New Yorker: What do you mean Baltimore? I thought you were going to say Brooklyn. Baltimore? That's so far away, that's like in the middle of nowhere!
Maryland-er: Dude, it's like 3 hours from here.
New Yorker: I know! It's so far!
Maryland-er: Man, you have such a New York Mentality.
new york mentality america baltimore brooklyn nowhere world

2. New York Mentality
- To be anti-gun and or afraid of firearms. gun shy communist yankee liberal anti-gunner

Example:
"why can't she go shooting with us?"
"her mom has a New York Mentality."

This site is almost as bad as those early 90's yo momma jokes. Gotta love it!

Heidi Montag And Spencer Pratt

2008-07-22T11:55:00.005-04:00

I don’t like spending time writing about celebrity gossip as there are enough sites out there that do a hell of a job in that. But today is an exception. As I sit here with my cup of coffee browsing my favorite blogs I came across a post so shocking, so completely ludicrous I feel as though I just can’t keep my mouth shut.

Could someone please explain to me why Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are going to Iraq?! Do these blonde, plastic airheads think Iraq is the “new” vacation spot? I understand celebrities going to Iraq to 1. cheer up troops and 2. bring awareness to the awful situation over there through their media pull, but come the frig on – who the hell gives a crap what Heidi and Spencer are doing. I must admit I indulge in “The Hills” every once and awhile but I loathe the storyline around these two. They 1. have not talent, 2. have the IQ equivalency of 5 year olds, 3. are ugly and 4. Spencer reminds me of this loser I went to high school with and just the sight of him makes me want to deck him one.

So please someone enlighten me as to why they feel the need to go to Iraq? The most productive activity they could do over there is find an IED and sacrifice themselves for our troops.

Reading Under The Influence

2008-07-22T09:49:00.013-04:00

This past Saturday was the first official meeting of Reading Under the Influence: A book gathering for the sophisticated New Yorker. Drinks called X-rated peach martinis plus great conversation definitely equaled a night to remember! This concrete city in 100 degree weather is probably worse than hell so thank you to those who braved the heat and participated in the discussion.

The first required read was the historical novel, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. The protagonist Jacob Janowski embarked on a no direction quest that landed him on the train of the Benzini Brother Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Set in the early part of the Great Depression everyone in the Benzini circus was lucky to be employed. The two villains, Uncle Al and August, withheld wages and abused employees knowing how desperate they were for stable employment and at the very least the promise of food everyday. Throughout the story Jacob falls for two women; Marlena, the star of the equestrian act and Rosie the elephant whose act is supposed to be the salvation of the circus.

I don’t want to give away anymore of the story, because this truly is one novel you must read. So get off your ass, turn off the TV, put down the blackberry and go pick up this heart wrenching book. I promise you Water for Elephants is that rare novel, with a story so enthralling, it’s hard to put it down. The characters are engaging and live long after the last page has been turned. Upon finishing, I truly was ready to quit finance and continue my life as a vagabond with the first circus I came across.

Here is Diana and I - the Founding Members of Reading Under the Influence:

Starbucks

2008-07-20T18:23:00.007-04:00

Within a four block radius of my apartment there are two Starbucks. I live on the Upper Eastside (AKA the country of the city). By my office – I’ve counted four. Every morning between 8-10 AM you can guarantee there will be a line out the door of each and every one of those stores. Talk about market saturation. I guess you could say Manhattan is excluded from the recent news of Starbucks closing 600 US stores.

Up until recently I was a Starbucks junkie. Morning and afternoon I was in line to throw down $5.45 on a venti White Mocha Chocolate. It was my liquid crack. My husband was worse. He averaged 3 to 4 venti coffees per day. Needless to say I don’t catch a buzz off caffeine anymore. While figuring out where we could cut corners and start saving more money we decided to calculate what we were spending on this addiction. Holy mother of god! I nearly fainted when I saw what our monthly Starbucks cost was. But then I started thinking - if I ceased my Starbucks habit I would be able to spend more on my other habit… shopping. My husband did not think that logic would benefit the plan to save more money and very unwilling I agreed.

It’s been months and I’ve only purchased my beloved white mocha twice (a big pat on the back for me!) I have gotten into the routine of making coffee when I get to the office in the morning and in the afternoon substituting coffee for a redbull. Please do not lecture me – I am quite aware of how unhealthy redbulls are, however, I work at a hedge fund and the majority of my coworkers live off of it.

I happen to be wasting time on youtube today and came across a Foamy rant on Starbucks. It’s absolutely hilarious and right in line with today’s post. I love this little squirrel. He says what people only think but would never say in fear of being shot. He’s crude, rude and downright f’ing hilarious (although my father doesn’t think so). Now, here comes the disclaimer – the language is a little harsh so mom and dad send the kiddies away before you click on the below video. Enjoy!

Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog

2008-07-17T15:11:00.003-04:00

You've gotta love this. The eccentric Joss Whedon has done it again. No, not blonde bimbos playing vampire slayers – he’s leaped into the musical genera. A free three part, streamed musical and then within the few days of being live on Sunday, July 20th - "Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog" will be gone forever lost somewhere in the cyber sphere. “Dr. Horrible” was Whedon’s attempt at keeping his brain stimulated during the writer’s strike. So sit back, take a break from your oh so productive day, and enjoy:
Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

iPhone 3G

2008-07-17T10:17:00.009-04:00

When a company can provide a sense of “eliteness” and community for its customers while at the same time offering excellent customer service, well in my opinion, they deserve a gold medal (maybe even a tax break). I ranted and raved in previous posts about how many companies have lost sight of the fact that rude and ignorant behavior does not gain you loyal customers. Yet, once again I must pat Apple and Steve Jobs on the back for a job well done.

A co-worker of my husband approached Edward a few weeks ago about purchasing my iPhone for the same price of the new 3G iPhone. Apparently, the now ancient first addition iPhone is hackable and provides him with an easy way of being part of the "in crowd" without having to change service providers. I was ecstatic to learn of this concocted deal as you all know my ass is incredibly cheap.

Last Saturday morning as I sprolled out on my couch with two cats and a puppy watching Beverly Hills 90201 (yes, I admit I’m obsessed) my husband decided to pick up breakfast and the new phone. Two hours and two episodes of 90201 later I called Edward to make sure he hadn’t ran away with the waitress at the diner. Nope he hadn’t, but he was still in line for the phone. Finally around noon he arrived home with the G3 and our bagels and coffees.

As I am probably the most impatient person on this planet I couldn’t understand why he didn’t turn and walk away from the Apple line when he saw it was wrapped around the corner. Apparently he didn’t mind. In line he got talking with the guys behind him. The excitement of the purchase completely outweighed the wait. These people were part of a community of Apple devotees all willing to wait hours (even overnight) in the middle of summer and drop a few hundred dollars to be one of the first people to own the new G3.

But why? What has Apple done to create such a loyal following? Customer service…. check. Here’s an example – a few months ago I notice broken pixels popping up on my laptop screen. I called Apple support and even though my warranty was up they replaced the screen for free. Great software… check. Incredible synchronization… check. User friendly…. check. Not once since owning a Mac computer have I lost data, been infected by a virus, or had the notorious “fatal error.” Where as with my work PC, every day is a new problem. I honestly want to throw that f’ing Dell out my 38th story window.

Maybe it’s about time for FedEx and Wilddigital.com to study companies such as Apple and discover where they have gone wrong.

Susan Atkins And Charles Manson

2008-07-16T10:39:00.005-04:00

I’ve always been fascinated by the Manson murders. Not because of the brutality of the crimes nor because of the celebritism. My fascination stems from the psychology around the crimes. Maybe this is due in fact that my career and my education originally focused on forensic psychology and crime scene investigation. How the hell did I wind up in finance? How does one man - a mousey, schizophrenic man – possess the power to control a group of people with logic based around racial revolutions and The Beatles? How did the song Helter Skelter spark such grotesque actions? Unfortunately, murders and cult activities are part of our everyday world, but the Manson murders held the American people in its grip for such a long time. Charles Manson even “graced” the cover of Life Magazine during this ordeal. What caused this - outside of the murder of a celebrity? I believe it was the belief system, drugs, and lack of moral boundaries this group of people possessed. Manson’s followers were looking for someone or something to adhere too, to show them a love – any kind of love – that they lacked in childhood. Manson’s family was comprised of rejects and delinquents with deep seeded emotional issues which Manson molded and twisted to his advantage. In Vincent Bugliosi’s book, “Helter Skelter: The Manson Murders” he included many chapters around how he took on this difficult case against Charles Manson. Manson never actually committed the murders; however, Bugliosi knew he had blood on his hands given his manipulation over his followers. Never before had an American trial been held on such grounds.

One of today’s headlines is on Susan Atkins, who is dying of brain cancer (an eye for an eye maybe?) Atkins’ was denied compassionate release on Tuesday. Her family claims she will be dead within a few months and hoped she would be able to spend her last days at home. Atkins’ was responsible for stabbing Sharon Tate and writing “Pig” on Tate’s front door in her blood. She was one of Manson’s most violent followers. I’ll stop with the awful details there. I applaud the board for their decision and was shock at the amount of people that commented that she should be released. Maybe the lapse of 39 years has deluded people of the pain and terror of these crimes, but I strongly believe people capable of such horrendous actions should remain in prison without parole. Originally, Manson and his followers were sentences to death, however, in 1972 California abolished the death penalty and all death row sentences were converted to life in prison.

What are your feelings on the death penalty? Personally, I believe some crimes should be punished by death. The Manson murders fall under that category. Now over three decades after her crimes Atkin’s medical treatment plus the cost of prison guards have cost state taxpayers more than $1.4 million since March. Is that fair to demand of state residents, especially in today’s economy? Take a look at the below video and you tell me if this is the same "born again Christian" Atkin’s claims to be today.

Do you believe she should still be held accountable for her childhood issues and actions?

Elevator Fear

2008-07-15T10:26:00.005-04:00

I don’t have many fears. Sky diving…. check. Scary movies… check. Tattoos and needles… check. Public speaking… check. Small spaces… well that’s another story. I am extremely claustrophobic. To the point that when I’m in an elevator I need to focus on one thing, whether it be a conversation or a spot on the wall; or as Hunter S. Thompson has put so well, the fear sets in. For reasons unbeknownst to me I developed this ridiculous fear later in life. I’m guessing this is God’s way of punishing me for all my sins (too vast to list here).

Yesterday, after a crazed day at work I was ready to get home and relax. I had a few errands to run before home and I left my office around 5:15. As I stepped onto the elevator with the four of five other people that were waiting the lights began to flicker. It was so faintly as I appeared to be the only one that noticed. My heart skipped a beat as the doors closed. We descended about two floors when there was a slight jolt and the elevator came to a standstill. As everyone rolled their eyes out of annoyance I began to sweat and hyperventilate. For someone that suffers from claustrophobia your mind immediately jumps to death. I knew any second the cord was going to snap and we were all going to plummet to our deaths. My chest felt like I was being crushed and I began to see black spot as the small space of the elevator got smaller and smaller. Just as I was apologizing to God for all those sins I mentioned earlier the building’s Fire Marshall came over the loud speaker announcing a generator problem with an estimation of a few more minutes before the elevators would work again. By this point I’m thinking to myself - Oh how f’ing wonderful! Not only have I convinced myself of impending death but I’m also making a fool out of myself in front of these senior executives I’m trapped in the elevator with.

Finally after the longest 20 minutes of my life, the lights flickered again and we arrive safely at the thirtieth floor. That’s right, not the ground floor - but the f’ing thirtieth floor. Just as I’m contemplating base jumping out of the window here comes our good ol’ Fire Marshall over the loud speaker again confirming what I’m dreading. The elevators are out of service for a little while and everyone must use the stairs. So not only have I just had one of the worst panic attacks of my life I’m now being forced to walk down thirty loooooong flights of stairs. Needless to say I ended this adventure with a big glass of wine (if only I had a Quaalude) and some mindless TV.

Broadway Barks

2008-07-13T18:37:00.006-04:00

Every year thousands of animals wind up at New York City's animal control centers. New York law requires that these locations take in every animal brought to their doorsteps. Sadly, the lack of good homes cannot be found quickly enough and up until 2002 the City euthanized 80 or more companion animals daily. But hats off to Mayor Bloomberg who in 2002 signed an historic agreement with the City that prevented adoptable animals from being euthanized. However, with this the problem only got bigger. One can only think holy hell! where do we find homes for all these animals? The answer, celebrity hosted events of course!

In seeking to give back to this wonderful city we love so much, my husband and I volunteered at Broadway Barks yesterday. We discovered the event through The Mayor’s Alliance, which we are members of. Broadway Barks is an outstanding annual event that was developed out of Bernadette Peters’ and Mary Tyler Moore’s love for animals. It is one of the only events I know of where animal groups and organizations come together, put their differences aside, help animals find forever homes and raise money for foster homes. The event took place in Shubert Alley. The intimacy of the location and the celebrities present was the perfect equation to draw in the crowds. We watched as people walking through stopped to photograph Glenn Close (who with her husband created fetchdog.com) and ended up bringing a puppy home with them. The experience made me realize there are plenty of celebs out there that use their popularity for good causes and not just VIP tables at the hottest clubs and weekends in the Hamptons. Last night was extremely rewarding and a lot of fun. Hopefully next year you all will be able to join us!

Invisalign

2008-07-11T12:14:00.006-04:00

I’ve just finished week 1 of Invisalign. Approximately 353 days left to go (not that I’m counting or anything). For anyone thinking of Invisalign - orthodontists lie! No pain, not invasive my ass! The trays hurt and they are uncomfortable. I just keep telling myself pain is beauty (or so I’ve been told).

I used to think it was appalling when I would see someone in public (kids more so than adults) removing from their mouths a retainer or something of the sorts. Now I am that person. Turning my head to face the wall, inconspicuously trying to yank out the trays without pulling a tooth out along with it. Then quietly wrapping my trays in a napkin before I eat. Oh that’s me alright. I’m staying away from the trendy Manhattan hotspot eateries for the next year.

I believe there are two points orthodontists purposely fail to mention when you first start this process. First, there are anchors. This little, awful square pieces of plastic that are glued to selected teeth that need to move the most. They look as though I have last night’s dinner still stuck in my teeth. They tend to fall out a lot, hence more trips to the dreaded orthodontist chair.

Secondly, there is the filing. Oh yes the filing. Due to my overcrowding problem my doc needs to make room between certain teeth for movement. The tool she uses is basically metal sandpaper. It’s the devils tool. Before you go to heaven and you’re paying for your sins in hell, I believe this is what the devil uses. This tool alone would have made me opt out of Invisalign. Damn, I would have lived with crooked teeth for the rest of my life if I had known about this evil tool before I dropped a couple of grand into this process.

In all honestly though, I couldn’t be more excited about this. To be able to smile wide and have confidence in how my teeth look is just so exciting for me. Ask my husband, I’ve cried about this prospect a few times. Yes, I cry a lot. I am emotional. Either way I’ll be living off of aspirin and wine for the next year to deal with the pains of this process.

There's A Wait List For My Couch

2008-07-10T14:51:00.009-04:00

I'm home sick from work today and it's been quite a while since I've been home in the afternoon. I'd like to share with you why I'm unable to sit and relax on my couch. Apparently between the hours of 11 and 4 the couch is claimed by Zazu and Winnie.

FedEx

2008-07-08T16:44:00.008-04:00

In the middle of my wrath last week I wrote a blog about wilddigital.com and their appalling customer service department. I must confess, I was the idiot for ordering through a third party site and just this once I will allow you all to tell me, “I told you so.” But today I have discovered a company far worse, far more confrontational, and far far more f’ing annoying than wilddigital.com. It is in my opinion this good for nothing company should be forced into taking Customer Service 101.

I broke down last week and purchased the iMac. I would have dragged that 25 lbs. box all the way up fifth to my apartment IF Apple had the model I wanted in stock. I, unfortunately, was not so lucky. So I reluctantly ordered this beautiful piece of equipment online. Well to make a long story short, it was sent out FedEx home ground (I.E. FedEx’s way of causing you to want to stick a pencil through your eye) and not the expedited shipping I’d requested. Once the computer left Apple I was now a pawn in the hands of the evil customer service reps of FedEx that seem to enjoy screwing with customers.

In the course of 11 days here is what we’ve endured:

FedEx has yet to update their computers from the ENIAC which was released in 1943 considering it took them 11 f’ing days to change a zip code which they originally messed up on.

Apparently 10128 and 10022 which are 15 blocks apart is the equivalent of rerouting a package from Earth to Pluto for FedEx.

All the customer services reps I have spoken to over the course of this experience seem to be complete idiots. Not one had the correct story and not one gave a damn about helping me. They must receive a bonus for how quick they can “resolve” an issue and move on to the next hopeless soul. (The lesson here, kids stay in school. If you don’t, you might just work for FedEx and hate life as much as the people I have dealt with.) One even spoke to me as though I slept with her husband. So f’ing rude.

And now on day 12 of this horrendous ordeal I was told my only opinions were I could go to the Brooklyn location between the hours of like 1 AM and 4 AM to pick the package up or I can twiddle my thumbs until the delivery guy sees fit to deliver my computer (which was originally supposed to arrive on July 2nd).

Is it just me or have customers lost all their rights? What the hell happened to customer service? Where does FedEx get the right to hold hostage my expense piece of equipment when I paid THEM for delivery? FedEx better deliver my iMac within the next 24 hours or I just might be outraged enough to pull a Milton Waddams from the movie Office Space.

Aloe Vera And Delayed Flights

2008-07-06T19:56:00.004-04:00

Happy belated July 4^th. I spent mine with family in Florida while burning to a crisp on the beach. Unfortunately as I’m writing this I am sitting in the Tampa Airport waiting for my plane to get here. I have been here for hours due to storms and they don’t appear to be letting up. So…. I apologize for the lack of enthusiasm and short post, but I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday!

BTW – I just finished Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and it was amazing. I highly suggest everyone pick it up. I cried, laughed and then cried again. I’m really thinking of leaving this airport and joining a circus… or a freak show… which everyone I come across first.

Book Review: Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk

2008-07-02T21:05:00.004-04:00

Is it possible for horror to get better than Steven King? To be darker and more dramatic than Poe? After reading Haunted I sure as hell would bet that Chuck Palahniuk would give these guys a run for their money. Haunted reflects the massive and underestimated cultural influence of the classic ghost story, those sinister tales told by boy scouts around campfires and over flashlights. Though of course in a Palahniuk version these innocent stories would be dripping with sadistic, physiologically disturbing, cannibalistic aquatic masturbation. Completely f'ed up, but oh so inviting! But like I've said before Palahniuk belongs in a straightjacket high on uppers and tranquilizers. But then again don't most ingenious writers?

Haunted is set around a so called "writer's retreat" (AKA some dark abandoned theater cut off from the world). A group of seventeen delinquents and rejects respond to a random ad posted around Oregon that states, "WRITER'S RETREAT: ABANDON YOUR LIFE FOR THREE MONTHS. Just disappear. Leave behind everything that keeps you from creating your masterpiece. Your job and family and home, all those obligations and distractions -- put them on hold for three months. Live with like-minded people in a setting that supports total immersion in your work. Food and lodging free for those who qualify. . . . Before it's too late, live the life you dream about. Spaces very limited."

In Palahniuk's version of a horror story, there are no monsters, no creepy castles or stormy night but there is absolutely no shortage of blood and carnage. It's Lord of the Flies for adults. The characters (or so called writers) have taken names derived from their narratives: Saint Gut-free, the Earl of Slander and the Baroness Frostbite matching stories with Miss America, the Reverend Godless and Miss Sneezy. All with the ambitions to be famous. For them to be abandoned to Palahniuk's anonymous writer's retreat is quite a paradox. Together in a dark, freezing theater they sabotage their food supply, ensure they are truly trapped (locked away from the outside world) and start spinning their stories of their pain and suffering to further their stardom upon rescue.

The format of the book is unique. Each chapter contains 3 sections: a story chapter, a poem about a particular writer on the retreat and a story written by that writer. Chapter One "Guts." Saint Gut-free. Utterly repulsive. Take your most embarrassing and most horrific moments combine them then multiply them by ten and you still couldn't understand the magnitude of this story. First published in Playboy in 2004, Palahniuk has prided himself on the sixty or so people who have fainted during his public readings. In a September 2004 reading of "Guts" at Cooper Union in New York City, no listener admitted to fainting. When Palahniuk said he was surprised, many members of the audience replied, "This is New York!" in a nod to the alleged inability to shock the city's denizens (Way to represent my fellow New Yorkers!)

By the end of this twisted novel one will need therapy. Its sickness is like a disease, as you never before could have imagined such brutality. Yet overall it paints a sad but realistic picture of humans; we are the victims of ourselves.

What The Hell Happened To Good Customer Service?

2008-07-01T09:30:00.006-04:00

In line with the self reflection theme I’ve had going lately, here is another attribute about myself I would like to share with you. I am cheap. Very cheap. I’m by no means frugal, but I am always looking for a deal. Except with Apple products (Oh how I love thee). I must share with you an experience I had with the online camera store wilddigital.com. I was in the market to purchase a new standard lens for my Nikon and decided on the AF NIKKOR 50 mm f/1.4D. Now me being the cheap idiot I am, I somehow convinced myself that ordering through a third party site was better than purchasing through Nikon. Apparently I was going to save $200! Oh and the free shipping! Talk about cheapskate heaven! So I whip out my beautiful lil’ blue debit card and voila! my new lens is on its way…. Or so I think. This was last Friday. Yesterday at around 2:45 PM I receive an email that WildDigital.com needed to confirm my shipping address. I understand confirming the billing address, but have you ever heard of a company calling to verify a shipping address? Strange. Well I call and I wait and wait until finally a guy gets on the phone and asked me for my shipping address. Quick and simple, right? Wrong! After here is what ensued:

Me: I’m a little confused as to why you’re confirming this after the product should have been shipped two days ago.

Operator: Well we’re both located in New York so you should get it tomorrow or the next day.

Me: Ok…

Operator: Would you like any filters or accessories with that?

Me: No thank you.

Operator: Would you like to upgrade your purchase to the American lens?

Me: Ummm, come again…

Operator: You purchased the foreign lens for $245 but the American lens is $350. I’ll just go ahead and charge the difference and send you out your American lens. That is unless you can read Chinese.

Me: I don’t speak Chinese, why would I purchase that? Please tell me where on the product page it says that? I’m on your site now and nowhere does it says foreign.

Operator: I don’t have access to our website. Lady I have 17 other calls on hold; now just go ahead and confirm the “upgrade” and I’ll ship it out tonight.

Me: Wait a minute, this is not right, please let me speak with your supervisor.

Operator: Lady as far as your concerned I am the supervisor so either buy the lens or not.

Around this time is when I wanted to reach through the phone and beat the shit out of this guy. What a scam. Fellow New Yorker my ass! I was so livid I went ahead and told him to cancel the order. Which I’m not sure if he heard because the asshole had already hung up on me. Needless to say I will be monitoring my check card activity for the next few weeks. Talk about awful customer service!

After work I headed down to B&H and bought my much desired lens. Below are two pictures taken last night with the new equipment. The lighting in my apartment was very poor... Edward knows why.

Mac Addiction

2008-06-27T10:38:00.005-04:00

This is very hard for me to admit…. I have an addiction. It began with my iPod a few years ago and has slowly progressed into a very expensive habit. First the iPod, then the iBook Pro, then the software, then the iPhone, and just today I picked out the iMac I’m getting. I do not take much credit for this, I am the victim. I “blame” the Mac Geniuses that invented these machines, for its ease of use and the ease of becoming addicted to the ease with which one can do more and more on these marvelous contraptions. I swear it’s like crack. Not that I’ve ever smoked crack. But I’ve hear it’s just as addicting.

I realized today as I’m about to purchase this indulgence of a machine that I have arrived at a turning point where I have to “draw the line” as to what I will use my iMac for and how much time I will allocate to the various tasks I want to do. You ask, what the hell is she talking about? Well, I feel like (I know I am) a “Mac addict.” I am tempted to drastically cut back my computer uses so I can devote more time to other priorities, like exercising, reading and spending more time with real people! For example, I have spent countless hours in iPhoto tagging 5,000+ photos. After learning this, my husband gently tried to bring my OCD to my attention.

After some reflection (and considering the small fortune in hardware and software I have accumulated) I returned to my senses and decided there are exceptional and creative uses for Apple products that have enriched my life thus far. As much as I would like to give you facts right now to support my argument I’m too busy editing photos in iPhoto to sync to my mac.com account to upload to my mac website that no one reads.

New York City Subways

2008-06-25T10:31:00.006-04:00

My posts lately seem to be dripping with negativity. Truly, I don’t think of myself as a pessimistic person. The daily meds plus twice a week therapy sessions have really helped (just joking)! However, I once knew someone like that, but let me tell you, she’s a post all to herself! Today I woke up happy and relaxed; showered and enjoyed my animal house for a few moments before I jetted to work. Now, here is where the day took a turn for the worst. The moment I got on the subway I whipped out my book and tuned everything out. It’s the few moments of my day I cherish the most. But today I was surrounded by wackos and weirdos. And on top of their mental illnesses they were f’ing rude. Now I’ve heard the subway in Tokyo is the worst in the world, but New York has got to be a close second. I got pushed and shoved BEFORE the doors even opened and I was thrown inside and rough housed until I settled in a 6 inch by 6 inch space. So again I tune everything out and open up my novel, Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (Check him out. He’s psychotic and should be a straight jacket living in a padded cell, but the man is genius).

As I get to the end of the page I need to pause because the subway is so crowded I can’t move to turn the page, so I am forced to wait until the next stop. I look up and a man dressed in professional attire is across from me staring off into space. He’s learning against the pole preventing everyone around him from holding on. And then it happens. The strangest, most disgusting thing I have ever witnessed. He starts stroking the pole, and then his lips get closer and closer until he’s actually kissing the f’ing pole. Now not just little pecks, I'm talking about full on tongue and lip attaction. At the same moment everyone around the pole tries to back up to give this man some room. This continues until we get to 59th street – his stop, where the suit wearing, pole loving freak then picks up his briefcase and proceeds to work. I’m shocked. Absolutely appalled. The moral of this story. Manhattan is a filthy city. Make sure to wash your hands after your ride the subway.

The New York Times

2008-06-25T09:56:00.001-04:00

If you don’t mind, please let me take a moment for a little shameless self promotion. Under the City Room section of the New York Times website Confessions of a Contemplative New Yorker was sited! How exciting! I honestly thought only my friends and family were enduring my rants. So thank you all for taking a few moments out of your hectic schedules to read what this fellow New Yorker has to say.

Waking Up Tired

2008-06-24T11:38:00.009-04:00

Ask my husband, I’m not much of a morning person. I bitch and moan and require to be waited on hand and foot before 8:15 AM. In fact, I could probably sleep all day. Now this is not because I’m lazy, but just the simple fact that those first 30 minutes or so after waking up as absolutely f’ing horrible. I hate that discombobulated, can’t stop rubbing my eyes, oh shit I’m going to be late for work feeling. And quite honestly it probably doesn’t go away to around noon; even with the several cups of coffee plus two or three red bulls I consume. Apparently I am one of those freaks of nature where caffeine really just doesn’t work on me.

Lately, I’ve been more tired than usual. I’m guessing I can contribute that to one dog, two cats, and a 6’5” man all sleeping with me in my queen size bed. But I’ve also started looking into other factors and according to the research I’ve done, I’m basically living an awful life. Christ, and I thought I was healthy. So here are the changes I’m considering making to ensure I don’t wake up a bitch anymore.

1. I need to learn to chill out and meditate or something like that. I am EXTREMELY stressed all the time. And I find it hard to relax as my mind is always going.

2. I need to feng shui. Some may think this is a load of bull, but apparently there is some “western logic” behind the techniques. My only concern is I do live in Manhattan hence 500 sq. feet = 100,000,000 sq. feet anywhere else in the world.

3. According to New Scientist Magazine the noise of the city is actually killing us. The study says that noise has an effect on your heart and waking up to noise puts your body under a lot of stress. Not sure how I’m going to fix this one…again…I live in Manhattan.

4. In the morning - no alarm clocks! I need to get a Zen alarm. Something soothing and calming.

5. I need to be grateful for not dying. The “Buddha” said that every time you go to bed you should consider that you won’t wake up. I guess I should be grateful, that my bitch of a cat Nala, who has been plotting my death for years did not suffocate me in my sleep.

So what do you think? Is this a load of crap? How do you wake up in the morning? Suggestions are more than welcome! As I’m sure my husband would appreciate a loving wife in the morning and not the wicked witch of the Upper Eastside.

Musical Muses - New York City Ballet

2008-06-23T11:20:00.005-04:00

So after a few months of teenybopper movies and E shows like Living Lohan my husband decided we needed some culture brought back into our lives. This weekend we attended the New York City Ballet to see Musical Muses. The NYC Ballet is known for its casual look intertwined with elegant structure mixed with a hint of playfulness. The performance was just breathtaking! A former dancer (who wishes she could still move like that) I was like a kid in a candy shop. For the first ten minutes I kept whispering to my husband, “Look at that arabesque” or “She nailed that pirouette.” I was promptly hushed. Now after disrupting the 70 and 80 year olds surrounding us I sat politely and took in the art. Musical Muses is a combination of four classic works of ballet; George Balanchine’s Mozartiana, Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin, Igor Stravinsky’s Divertimento from “Le Baiser de la Fée”, and Vincenzo Bellini’s La Sonnambula. Each piece so different from the next, the evening provided the prefect mixture overall of movement and beauty. This was my daily dose of sophistication!

Kelsey Island

2008-06-17T12:22:00.003-04:00

This past Saturday my husband and I brought Winnie to Kelsey Island off of Branford, CT. It was her first outing at the beach. We were so proud of her as she dove right in the water and began swimming around (I know you’re thinking gag me with a stick). My husband’s family has a plot (a 100 year lease) on the island. Needless to say there’s a wonderful sense of community, along with beautiful/private beaches. I spent all afternoon shooting. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!

FreeRice.com

2008-06-16T09:52:00.004-04:00

I discovered the site FreeRice a few months ago. I’m in love and addicted. FreeRice is a website committed to ending hunger around the world. The people that created and run FreeRice are saints. While it is not a registered non-profit organization, it is operated entirely for free and makes no profit. All money raised by the site goes to the UN World Food Program to help feed the hungry.

Sponsors make all payments to the UN World Food Program directly. Here the lowdown. When you play the game, sponsor banners appear on the bottom of your screen. The money generated by these banners is then used to buy rice. So by playing, you generate the money that pays for the rice donated to hungry people all over the world.

FreeRice is a vocabulary game which really slaps you in the face with how uneducated you are. I felt like an idiot my first time playing, now I’m up to level 40 and slowly creeping up on level 60 (the equivalent of Einstein). You all know that first half hour you’re at work is devoted to email, news sites, and tabloids. Come one, admit it! So why not add yet another site to your routine. It is for a good cause after all. I’m quite sure TMZ isn’t donating to a third world country when you click on “Paris Hilton Drunk and Naked in Vegas” or “Jacko’s Wacko Meter Down.”

PETA - Prozac Needed

2008-06-12T10:03:00.004-04:00

Last year my husband and I met with a group called the Coalition to Band Horse Drawn Carriages. Given the state of the horses I saw outside of Central Park and the fact they have no outdoor space to graze, originally I deemed this to be a good cause. The founder of the group and us discussed marketing ideas, plus ways for the group to gain popularity. During the conversation my connection to the racing industry came up and needless to say this egotistical, pompous woman ended the relationship right then. Up until this week I was still receiving mailings from this group until I saw their article supporting PETA.

For some reason people associate all vegans and vegetarians with PETA. Oh so wrong! My husband and I are vegetarians. We support quite a few animal programs through volunteering and donations. Basically we’ve averaged a pet a year for the last four years. What can I say, we’re pet lovers. Honestly, I like my animals more than I do most people. After PETA’s lash out at the racing industry over Eight Belles I truly believe all those self righteous, violent, ignorant people can go to hell. I do not relish publicly criticizing an organization striving to help animals. BUT, when one has engaged in a pattern of conduct so egregious as to threaten the credibility of the entire animal rights community, a strident disapprobation is not only warranted, I believe it is mandated.

PETA does more harm than good. They are an organization fueled by hate that feeds off of emotions.

The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) has a how-to guide for committing arson on their Web site,7 and one of their key members is awaiting trial in the Netherlands for murdering a political candidate who defended pig-farming.8 As for PETA, its spokesman, Bruce Friedrich, recently issued the following statement: “If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from pain and suffering at our hands, then of course we’re going to be blowing things up and smashing windows … . I think it’s a great way to bring animal liberation, considering the level of suffering, the atrocities … .”9

Even if mainstream animal rights groups don’t participate in terrorist acts, they don’t condemn it, either. “We’re very aware of [ALF’s] activities,”10 said Heidi Prescott, national director of the Fund for Animals, an anti-hunting group in Silver Spring, Md. “[We don’t] participate in liberation, but we’re mighty happy when we hear about it.”11

Run by a woman who at one time worked at a high-kill shelter and prided herself on how many animals she put down. An organization that in 2007 only adopted out 13% of the animals they took in and euthanized 87%. PETA’s response to these findings basically stated that their ultimate goal is to abolish all personal pets. They believe that having a pet is like owing a slave and it’s better to put dear Fluffy down rather than keep him as a pet. This logic absolutely blows my mind. It’s scary that such unbalanced, unethical people are allowed to walk the streets, let alone have such a following. I support in 2008 calling for Ingrid Newkirk's resignation. Newkirk is the head of PETA, and it is under her orders and lead which all of this injustices have taken place. I believe that a more thorough investigation is warranted to determine if Newkirk has continued to commit any criminal acts resulting in animal deaths. If she has, she should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, the same as any other animal abuser would be.

Now off of my rant of PETA and on to the Coalition to Ban Horse Drawn carriages. The article posted basically states Eight Belles was run and then whipped to death, thus they were proud of PETA’s protests throughout the Triple Crown. Unfortunately, they do not understand the anatomy of the horse. I know this for a fact for the reason that during our meeting this woman was absolutely oblivious to this. Many times throughout our conversation I would get responses like “I didn’t know that” or “How interesting, I should speak with the vet about that.” Basically this woman knew nothing about the horse but decided she was going to pursue this cause as a way to place her anger. When I requested to be taken off her mailing list because of the mention of horse racing I receive an email in response saying I need to get my priorities in order. It’s heartbreaking that an organization will “fire” supporters because their beliefs do not coincide with their own. This is definitely not the way to gain support, if anything it’s counteractive. These people need some therapy and Prozac!

Wedge Sandals - A Big NO NO

2008-06-11T12:14:00.003-04:00

I apologize for the last few days of silence. This past week was the week of animal hospitals, people hospitals, appendicitis, throw up, fat lips, 102 degrees, sweltering pavement, and dead bodies. All very interesting, all very tiring. It’s only Wednesday and I’m counting the days down until Friday. I plan on spending Saturday at the beach with a bottle of wine and a book. Either I’ll pass out drunk or finishing the monthly read for our group Reading Under the Influence. Both equally as pleasant.

Finally, FINALLY summer is here. But what the hell happened to spring? It went from 65 and sunny to 102 and f’ing unbearable. But what’s even more unbearable are wedge sandals. I loathe wedge sandals. Whoever created these disgusting shoes should be shot. Now don’t get me wrong small wedges are acceptable, but those huge cork wedges with leather straps have got to go! On my way to work today, I must have seen 20 women in business suits/professional attire with wedge sandals on. Dear lord I was appalled. It was as though without the spring to summer transition all fashion sense went out the window. So please ladies get some cute strappy sandals or summer heels but throw away those wedge sandals along with nylon stretchy pants. Amen!

Our Night In The Animal Hospital

2008-06-06T10:13:00.006-04:00

Our spoiled, cuddle bug of a cat Zazu had to be rushed to the animal hospital last night. I was terrified! I came home to find him barely moving on the floor with crap and vomit (yes, very disgusting) all over our apartment. It was horrifying. Turns out after a night in the animal hospital we still don’t know what’s wrong with him. He’s still there and I’m sitting here waiting for the doctor to call me back. This experience has made me realize how I’m sooooo not ready for actual kids. I even can’t imagine how neurotic and over protective I will be. Cross your fingers that it’s nothing too severe and that we can take our little man home tonight. [Update] Zazu is doing wonderfully! Over 1k later he's home and back to his normal self. He's a cutiepie so maybe we should get him into pet modeling or acting to pay his bills. Just a thought.

Daily Addiction Of Dooce

2008-06-06T10:00:00.005-04:00

Along with my morning coffee and checking my email I have become addicted to reading Dooce.com. Heather B. Armstrong is crude, extremely creative, and quite possibly a little insane. She has the persona of a Manhattanite but lives in Salt Late City (hello Mormons!) I can’t quite put my finger on what it is about her, but just reading her blog and looking through her photos gets my mind going and sparks creativity. I think every blogger has a deep seeded desire to become successful enough one day to quit Corporate America and write all day. Only a few, like Armstrong, ever get there. So check her out. Also, feel free to share what your daily blogs are. I would love to add more to my list.

Reading Under The Influence: A Book Gathering For The Sophisticated New Yorker

2008-06-04T12:31:00.005-04:00

One of my favorites ladies, Diana Applebee and I have started a book club! We couldn't be more thrilled with the responses we've gotten so far. I'm really surprised at how many people were interested in participating in a book club. But then again this is not the typical, like your mother's book club, book club. We've combined two passions, reading and drinking... quite possibly heavily. Come on! We New Yorkers always need to be rewarded for our hard work. We're all addicts. Most of us need rehab for our blackberry/technology addictions. Some may laugh, but to us it's worse than crack. This group gives us all some incentive to get off the computer, put down the blackberry, and turn off the TV. But then again... I'm sure many members are multi-taskers.

Imagine If Paris Hilton Went To Medical School

2008-06-03T20:10:00.010-04:00

Yesterday I was scared. Very scared. Today I'm pissed. Really f'ing pissed. I come to find out today that the dentist I went to forever in Connecticut really screwed up. 1. he should have noticed my grinding problem, 2. he should had notice the holes in my moles due to my grinding problem, and 3. he should have noticed the cavity I have had FOREVER in one of those holes. Today was traumatic. There was drilling and lots of filling. Thank God I found a wonderful dentist in Manhattan, Dr. Emanuel Bartolazo. He was gentle and really funny. Instead of going into cardiac arrest, I was pleasantly surprised at how well he handled my "issues." A few more visits to my new dentist might just cure my dental phobias. As for my old dentist in good ol' Connecticut... turns out I'm not the only one that has horror stories from this same dentist. I just can't comprehend how someone could be so neglectful!? It's absolutely mind blogging such an idiot got through dental school. My advice to him - take your head out of your ass and start looking more closer at another hole.

Next step...invisalign!

Dental Fear

2008-06-02T10:55:00.005-04:00

So I’m scared. Very scared. Some people have phobias of spiders, others are afraid of heights or tight space (which I am too), but my main phobia is the dentist. Since I was a child I have been incredibly uptight about keeping my teeth in good shape. I floss and brush multiple times a day and have yet to have a cavity. Well, I am in the process of FINALLY getting invisalign. It took me a long time to get up the courage to do even that. If I needed actual braces, well forget about it. I’d be snaggletooth forever. Anyhow, my orthodontist (whom I love) Dr. Tanya Vaysman, suggested I see my dentist about grinding. Apparently while I sleep I grind my teeth. Sadly, I cannot count on my husband to bring this problem to my attention because he sleeps like a log. I guess I have been grinding for years because now I need to fill the holes/damage caused by this. And there is quite a good chance there are cavities in those holes. I’m really not sure how I’m going to handle this experience. Quite honestly, I think the dentist is going to have to put me under anesthesia if he needs to put needles or drill anywhere near my mouth. I did receive some good advice from Crystal. I need to try to imagine I’m someplace else. So Bora Bora here I come again! Wish me luck!

Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Zaruches!

2008-06-01T19:12:00.004-04:00

Today we attended the most beautiful, intimate wedding we have ever been too. It took place at Trumpets on the Bay in Eastport, NY. Brandon and Victoria make such a wonderful couple. They’re smart, driven and quite possibly the most smitten couple on this planet! The wedding was small and consisted of only a few friends and mostly family. It made me realize how much friendships mean. I haven’t seen Brandon in two and a half years, but time and distance do not stand a chance against solid friendships. Nothing has changed. We both followed different life paths and still remain as close as ever. I had heard a ton about Victoria but had not had the privilege of meeting her until yesterday. I have never felt instantly closer to anyone. She’s warm and inviting and makes you feel immediately like your best friends. Have you ever met someone like that? So hats off to the new married couple! “May the wind always be on your back and the sun upon your face and may the winds of destiny carry you aloft to dance with the stars.”

Have You Ever Watched A Sunset?

2008-05-22T10:43:00.003-04:00

I apologize for my silence the last few weeks. After a much need vacation I came back to the stresses and anxieties of my office. As much as I love getting away I always find it more stressful when I return. Getting out of Manhattan really opened my eyes to reality. How does the rest of the world (especially Europeans) successfully balance work and life? Or so I consider it successful.

In the US, we have this mentality that the more hours you work = accomplishment. I truly do not understand it. Our tour guide and dear friend Marco (whom I’ve known since I was 12 years old) works harder and is more successful than anyone I know within our age group. Yet, he has the time to travel all over the world and be with his family. I look around at the individuals I work with and some have balance in their lives and others (who are considered more successful) have no friends, no family and appear to be so unhappy. Do the long hours and monetary compensation really make up for missing out on life? Upon my return, someone I know asked me how my trip was. As the conversation progressed, I realized then that in his years on this planet he’s barely left the east coast. Now, this man can afford to travel. He makes daily was people make annually. I truly feel sad for him. There is so much more to life than a corner office on Madison Avenue. And then I realized - I go home, turn off the stress of work, and have a wonderful family. I have a husband that puts me and our family at the center of his world even though he works 70 hour weeks. And this guy at work - he doesn’t have that.

With further contemplation it dawned on me this man would never understand where I am coming from. I could sit in wonder and appreciation at a Venice sunset or stand for hours piecing together the history of the Roman Forum in Rome. This man has never watched a sunset. He can’t slow down. He doesn’t have any appreciation for anything other than the success he’s found within Corporate America.

Don’t get me wrong. I am determined and driven to have a successful career. I work hard, I’m never late, and I bend over backwards for my coworkers when I can. I don’t mind working overtime or pushing back my vacation time because of work, but if I don’t have to I certainly will not. There is so much more to life than that daunting corporate latter. And I am determined to life my life to the fullest and hope that in my elder years I will not look back with wishes and regrets.

Eight Belles

2008-05-06T10:37:00.004-04:00

I am the niece of Larry and Cindy Jones. Next to my husband, Cindy is the closest person to me I have in this world. This out lash over what happened to our precious baby is disgusting. Yes, there are corrupt and greedy people in the sport of horseracing, but there are also those that devote their wholes lives to the sport because of their passion for these amazing creatures. I used to exercise for my family, and I can’t explain how much our horses love, love, love to run. The second they see their saddle or get out onto the track, they come alive. This is what they love and live for. My uncle and aunt would never ever race a horse that did not love the sport.

PETA is out of line. First, Gabriel Saez DID NOTHING WRONG. He is a talented and amazing rider. Belles had the tendency to pull towards the rail. When she had over a hundred thousand people to her right, naturally she was going to pull towards the left. Gabriel was avoiding injury. Second, Belle crossed the finish line happy, alert, and no where near exhausted. What happened is a horrible tragedy but NO ONE’S Fault.

I am disgusted with the people coming forward with all these assumptions, yet no facts to support their argument. Sadly, PETA is an agency fueled by emotion. They feed off of what affects people and uses that to further their cause (and "donations"). We have supported such animal organizations for years and have spoken out for their causes. Also, my husband and I are vegetarians. Yet, because this opportunity gets them into national headlines, they turn their backs on their own. If a horse is angry you will know. If a horse is upset you will know. You will be kicked, thrown, stepped on, bitten, etc. If 8 Belles had been upset with Gabriel’s actions you would have seen it; Gabriel would have known that. If she has been distressed or in pain you would have seen that. Her ears were up and her strides long when she crossed the finish line. She was not in pain. This was not caused by a pre-existing injury.

People have also questioned why she was euthanized so quickly. The vet made the decision on the spot to put our baby down. Neither my family nor Mr. Porter (whom we were with right after the race) knew about this decision until we got down to the track. This was not a matter of insurance money, etc. It was the fact our Belles was suffering and we stand 100% behind the vet’s decision. These uneducated questions seem to come from people VERY unfamiliar with the anatomy of the horse. We all hope one day equine sciences will discover a successful way of mending broken legs, yet unfortunately horses’ legs are the Achilles heal of this wonderful animal. We also stand by NBC and their decision to not air our baby’s last moments. Do people really need to see the agony, suffering, convolutions, and bleeding out of 8 Belles to understand this was the correct decision?

Let’s use this tragedy to focus on the ways we can change this sport to make it safer for the animals and riders. Let’s focus on the beautiful, talented 8 Belles and not on her awful end. Let’s not point fingers or try to find fault in an accident that WAS NO ONE’S FAULT, but see this as what it is. A horse tripped. She fell. No one has ever seen anything like this. Let’s not crucify the one’s that devote their lives to this wonderful animal, but question those that drug and use other cruel methods for personal gain. Let’s focus on improving tracks and not over breeding.

Again, thank you to all those that have supported us. I have made sure to send on your kind words and videos to my aunt and uncle. They have asked that I thank you as this really helps in the grieving process.

Technorati

2008-05-02T09:36:00.001-04:00

Spending the time writing a blog is only worth it if you have loyal readers and interesting conversations! I have signed up for Technorati in hopes of driving more traffic to my blog. So please, go ahead, and add me to your RSS feed. Thanks!

A Weekend Of Big Hats And Mint Juleps

2008-05-01T16:58:00.003-04:00

It seems to be the year of women empowerment. Here we have a woman running for President, but more importantly Eight Belles is running in the Kentucky Derby. Now don’t get me wrong. A woman running for President is huge (even though I am voting for Obama), but Eight Belles is my Uncle Larry Jones’s horse. Last year Larry and Hard Spun went head to head with the best horses in the world and now this year he is looking to make history. Eight Belles will attempt to become the fourth filly to win the Kentucky Derby. That’s right; our girl is stepping up to the big boys of racing. She is the daughter of Unbridled’s Song and if she were to win on Saturday this would be the second year in a row a filly has won a Triple Crown event. Remember Rags to Riches last year? Eight Belles will be ridden by the fabulous Gabriel Saez who is a rising star in racing world.

Our other star is Proud Spell who will be racing in the Kentucky Oaks the day before. Proud Spell will be in the 8 spot. She was initial invited to participate in the Derby, however, Larry thought the Oaks to be a better fit.

Needless to say this is going to be a BIG BIG BIG weekend for us. So please say a few prayers and tune into ESPN this weekend to watch the races! Thanks!

Give Us A 10 For Best Couple

2008-04-29T10:47:00.002-04:00

I'm obsessed. Sugarloot has become an addiction. The reason why I can't get any work done during the day. Maybe it's my competitive nature or the great prizes you can win. Either way, I would really appreciate it if you took a moment to vote for my husband and I. Please let me know if you enter any of the contests too! I'd be happy to give you a perfect 10! Thanks.

Give me a 10 for Best Couple

Book Review: Sway by Zachary Lazar

2008-04-28T14:35:00.001-04:00

Sway by Zachary Lazar is the complete opposite of what the 60’s stood for. Lazar shows an extreme view of this era; how there is a darker side to peace, love and drugs. Beneath the rock and roll and psychedelics Sway shows the malevolence and neurosis between 1967 and 1969. Lazar weaves a tale grounded with facts of how the lives of Brian Jones, The Rolling Stones, Charles Manson, and Kenneth Anger intertwined.

Every character is under the “sway” of something. Thrown into fame, the star crossed musicians of the Rolling Stones sway under a balancing act of music and drugs. While Brian Jones is under the sway of anger, abuse and drugs leaving him less focused on his music and detached from the band. Kenneth Anger is under the sway of darkness, the occult, worship of men and creating movies. And then there is Bobby Beausoleil who is under the sway of the ideologies and delusions of Charles Manson. As the paths of the characters cross this sway leads to anarchy within a generation.

The novel doesn’t fully come to life as Lazar cannot fully develop the characters in the hundred or so pages. The depths and layers of each individual which are not touched upon in Sway are truly necessary to show the impact each had on the epoch. Upon reflection, I found it hard to decipher between reality and fiction. I felt like a groupie in the band, privileged to peek into the intimate moments, jam sessions and drug binges, or a hippie living in Haight-Ashbury under the trance of Anger and Manson.

However, Lazar does a wonderful job of intertwining devils with angels. Each character is depicted from a taboo/occult angle. Every character is battling some demon which is reflected in their work and actions. Yet none of the characters are portrayed as demons, not even Mason or Beausoleil. However, in the end it is obvious that they all have sympathy for the devil.

Winnie

2008-04-15T10:21:00.001-04:00

As most of you know, we have crammed yet another animal into our 600 sq. foot apartment. We got so lucky with this one! Winnie is such a joy, well behaved and quite possibly the best dog ever.

Winnie was found in Central Park by the rangers and for the last four months has been staying with a foster waiting for her forever home. (Thank you Antje for all the training and love you’ve given Winnie. You’ve saved us so much time and energy!)

Both Edward and I were against adopting another pet. We have two crazy cats and a turtle. But once we laid eyes upon Winnie it was love at first sight. Within minutes we made the decision to take her home. I cannot even express how great of a decision it was!

Winnie was up for adoption through a fantastic organization called, Stray from the Heart (http://www.strayfromtheheart.org/). If you are interested in adopting please contact them. They are so devoted to rescuing dogs and cats and truly have made it their life’s work to finding forever homes for the animals. Bravo!

Please welcome Winnie “Pooh Bear” Prokop.

Some Thoughts Before Bed

2008-04-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

I think the most difficult thing about blogging is having the ability to sit down, tune everything out and focus on one thing. I live in the city that never sleeps. No matter where you go on this tiny island there are 1000 things all happening simultaneously. I think that's why I've developed such a love for photography. It gives me the ability to focus on something and extract its beauty and its story so that everyone can enjoy it. Everything is beautiful and everything can be view at art. And I hope as I improve my skill that my photos will show how I see the world. As the picture shows, focus and determination will get you that perfect shot.

Aside from my hobby, April has been a crazy month for Edward and I. We're finalizing our Europe trip (May 8th through 17th), enjoying our new puppy, and working insane hours. On top of that there is a possibility we might be moving! Keep your fingers crossed!

I have been also keeping up with my new year's resolutions. My top one was to find the time to read more. I must say, for many years I have been having a love affair with the written word. Stepping in a world outside your own and being engulfed by a story line. I have found so many others that share my love and I have decided, with my good friend Diana, to start a book club. Once details are finalized I will let you all know.

Any suggested readings for our first meeting?