the village voice has posted a blog from a waitress at a strip club near the republican national convention in nyc...hilarious.
good read...
http://www.villagevoice.com/blogs/stripclub/
Tuesday, August 31, 2004
Monday, August 30, 2004
day at walden pond
what better place to contemplate contempation than walden pond in concord ma...so, with much contemplating needing to be accomplished i dished out the five dollars to ride the commuter rail up to sweet serenity...or, at least, a good swim.
i realized when i got off the train i would have to walk two miles to the pond. it was hot...and by the time i got there, it was hard to start my contemplating with my bathing suit/tank top covered in sweat. the water was clean, and lovely are warm. and the children were loud, and crazy.
there was a group of girls beside me from cambridge reading some sort of magazine trying to figure out (by quiz with calculations) if they were, in fact, "hipsters", or "cambridge intellectuals"...i think they were actually "harvard grad students"...and i'm sure their little discussion was on the joking side, even though they did seem very concerned that they didn't fit into a category, although pleased with themselves at having come to this conclusion on their own, without help of quiz. i had to swim to almost the middle of the lake to cleanse myself of their chatter...then, being very out of shape, i had to float back...for fear of drowning. it might be easier to contemplate while drowning...but i didn't feel like drowing today.
i tried to think...i packed my things and moved to the other side of the beach..still could not think...i also couldn't get that shins song out of my head...all of them...they're all so catchy...ridiculous.
most of the day was spent sleeping on my towel, or watching babies...or staring directly into the sun (with sunglasses of course)...no contemplating. i'm jobless...i'm 29...i'm spending the day at the beach...i have the love of a good man...things could be much...much...worse.
i realized when i got off the train i would have to walk two miles to the pond. it was hot...and by the time i got there, it was hard to start my contemplating with my bathing suit/tank top covered in sweat. the water was clean, and lovely are warm. and the children were loud, and crazy.
there was a group of girls beside me from cambridge reading some sort of magazine trying to figure out (by quiz with calculations) if they were, in fact, "hipsters", or "cambridge intellectuals"...i think they were actually "harvard grad students"...and i'm sure their little discussion was on the joking side, even though they did seem very concerned that they didn't fit into a category, although pleased with themselves at having come to this conclusion on their own, without help of quiz. i had to swim to almost the middle of the lake to cleanse myself of their chatter...then, being very out of shape, i had to float back...for fear of drowning. it might be easier to contemplate while drowning...but i didn't feel like drowing today.
i tried to think...i packed my things and moved to the other side of the beach..still could not think...i also couldn't get that shins song out of my head...all of them...they're all so catchy...ridiculous.
most of the day was spent sleeping on my towel, or watching babies...or staring directly into the sun (with sunglasses of course)...no contemplating. i'm jobless...i'm 29...i'm spending the day at the beach...i have the love of a good man...things could be much...much...worse.
Monday, August 16, 2004
orwell
delving deeper into non fiction, i'm now reading "the girl from the fiction department: a portrait of sonia orwell". sonia orwell was George orwell's second wife, she co-edited his four volume collection of non fiction writings, and was friends with w.h. auden, lucian freud, vivien leah and frances bacon. she was also the model for julia from orwell's 1984. apparently, orwell biographers in the past have painted a very negative portrait of her.
i'm not often a fan of biographies, but this one caught my eye...and i think it's going to, at least, be worth the time it takes to read the 178 pages.
i'm not often a fan of biographies, but this one caught my eye...and i think it's going to, at least, be worth the time it takes to read the 178 pages.
Thursday, August 12, 2004
Wednesday, August 11, 2004
bebe wise
on a lighter note than my last post, i would like to thank the one year old child on the train this morning for making my beginning a little more pleasant. although we were all equally packed like sardines onto the red line, this little innocent decided that it was his duty, even with his busy day ahead of him, to put his tiny hand on our legs and tell each and every one of us 'hi'.
thank you little man, you kept my head from exploding.
thank you little man, you kept my head from exploding.
Friday, August 06, 2004
casualties
Main Entry: ca·su·al·ty
Pronunciation: 'ka-zh&l-tE, 'kazh-w&l-, 'ka-zh&-w&l-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 archaic : CHANCE, FORTUNE
2 : serious or fatal accident : DISASTER
3 a : a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action b : a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : VICTIM the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election.
...yesterday i phoned my mom. my little brother daniel, who is in the marines, now stationed in okinawa, was supposed to find out when his unit would be sent to iraq. i was worried, because there has been quite a bit going on over there the past few days, and it seems like we lose soldiers by the hour at some points. my mother told me that daniel had called her on sunday and said that they still didn't know when they were going to iraq, a marine in his unit had died there recently of heat stroke, and things were a little crazy at the base. the military were investigating of course, but he was only 19, and the opinion is that he just wasn't aware that his body was failing, and didn't take enough time to rest in the heat. i felt guilty for being relieved that because of this, daniel was staying in japan...a much safer place to be right now...at least for a few more weeks. i feel for his family...to them, he was still their child (i'm sure his mom still saw his baby face when she looked at him)..and it was an unfortunate accident, he didn't die a heroic death...but still, a casualty, just the same.
Pronunciation: 'ka-zh&l-tE, 'kazh-w&l-, 'ka-zh&-w&l-
Function: noun
Inflected Form(s): plural -ties
1 archaic : CHANCE, FORTUNE
2 : serious or fatal accident : DISASTER
3 a : a military person lost through death, wounds, injury, sickness, internment, or capture or through being missing in action b : a person or thing injured, lost, or destroyed : VICTIM the ex-senator was a casualty of the last election.
...yesterday i phoned my mom. my little brother daniel, who is in the marines, now stationed in okinawa, was supposed to find out when his unit would be sent to iraq. i was worried, because there has been quite a bit going on over there the past few days, and it seems like we lose soldiers by the hour at some points. my mother told me that daniel had called her on sunday and said that they still didn't know when they were going to iraq, a marine in his unit had died there recently of heat stroke, and things were a little crazy at the base. the military were investigating of course, but he was only 19, and the opinion is that he just wasn't aware that his body was failing, and didn't take enough time to rest in the heat. i felt guilty for being relieved that because of this, daniel was staying in japan...a much safer place to be right now...at least for a few more weeks. i feel for his family...to them, he was still their child (i'm sure his mom still saw his baby face when she looked at him)..and it was an unfortunate accident, he didn't die a heroic death...but still, a casualty, just the same.
Thursday, August 05, 2004
baby face and falafel
in a hastily planned "date" my darling and i went to see 'baby face' for free at the boston public library. a pre code movie from 1933 starring barbara stanwyck, baby face is a very racy film about a 'lady of the night' who moves to nyc and sleeps her way to the top. even being pre code, it was unfortunately subject to the hayes code, and some severe editing that make the movie absolutely hilarious in spots and causes the tacked on 'morally approved' ending to be just completely absurd. all in all a fun movie, and the library added on a betty boop cartoon at the beginning that blatantly showcased sexual harassment between betty and the 'big boss'.
after the movie, sweetie and i went to CAFE JAFFA just off boylston street in the back bay...a great little middle eastern restaurant that serves mango sangria for two in a large shallow bowl with straws, and has the best baba ghanouj and falafel i've ever tasted. and in boston, great, inexpensive middle eastern food is a rare find.
after the movie, sweetie and i went to CAFE JAFFA just off boylston street in the back bay...a great little middle eastern restaurant that serves mango sangria for two in a large shallow bowl with straws, and has the best baba ghanouj and falafel i've ever tasted. and in boston, great, inexpensive middle eastern food is a rare find.
Wednesday, August 04, 2004
go
in hopes that we will better ourselves and have something other than debt to possibly pass on to our children, my esteemed significant other and i visited the massachusetts go association in somerville, ma for beginners night last night to learn to play this ancient game.
at the end of the night, my brain, like most in the room who were learning, was a little numb. like learning chess, you learn the basics, get the hang of it, and then realize you don't know anything about the game at all. the subtleties and intricacies of the game are boundless. the joke (or proverb...at times, one in the same) last night was that it was best 'to lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible.' oh, and did i mention you get to play with little black and white stones? i'm sure that pelting stones at your opponent to intimidate them is not permitted in tournament play, but i'm sure it would make the game a bit more appealing to the masses.
at the end of the night, my brain, like most in the room who were learning, was a little numb. like learning chess, you learn the basics, get the hang of it, and then realize you don't know anything about the game at all. the subtleties and intricacies of the game are boundless. the joke (or proverb...at times, one in the same) last night was that it was best 'to lose your first 50 games as quickly as possible.' oh, and did i mention you get to play with little black and white stones? i'm sure that pelting stones at your opponent to intimidate them is not permitted in tournament play, but i'm sure it would make the game a bit more appealing to the masses.
Tuesday, August 03, 2004
continuous reading...
in an attempt to quench, at least for twenty minutes, my increasing boredom with this day (slower than usual)...i walked down to the boston public library (i.e. one of the most beautiful places in boston) and borrowed two books:
"the murder of dr.chapman: the legendary trials of lucretia chapman and her lover" by linda wolfe -and-
"ghost ship: the mysterious true story of the mary celeste and her missing crew" by brian hicks
...needless to say i'm addicted to non fiction...although i did finish 'pnin' by nabokov and was, as per usual, astonished still at how much i love nabokov and everything he does. highly recommended, quick (190 pgs), entertaining (laugh out loud funny in spots), and beautiful read.
"the murder of dr.chapman: the legendary trials of lucretia chapman and her lover" by linda wolfe -and-
"ghost ship: the mysterious true story of the mary celeste and her missing crew" by brian hicks
...needless to say i'm addicted to non fiction...although i did finish 'pnin' by nabokov and was, as per usual, astonished still at how much i love nabokov and everything he does. highly recommended, quick (190 pgs), entertaining (laugh out loud funny in spots), and beautiful read.
testament to boredom
it seems that each time that i tell someone all i do at work is answer the phone, they always have suggestions as to what i can do with my spare time. so, i've come up with a few things of my own.
things i can do at work with my spare time:
*knit large sweaters and afghans for everyone i know
*read the entire bibliographies of tolstoy, dostoevski, turgenev, nabokov, gogol, chekhov, pushkin, bulgakov, and lemony snicket.
*write a novel wherein the first letter of each word of each sentence corresponds with ascending letters of the alphabet: for example- a buxom curlyhaired dingbat enters five grown...etc.etc.
*neatly fold ten thousand tiny origami stars
*memorize the origins of every word in the oxford english dictionary
*handmake one thousand pink pasties for my, soon to be highly acclaimed,"five hundred girl burlesque revue"
*tone my upper and lower arms to the point where i can bend steel
*learn to say "wow, those are huge bananas!" in forty different languages
*dig a hole through my cubicle with a spoon, and bust outta this joint!
*ponder ways in which elmer fudd could actually succeed at 'killing the wabbit'
...any and all further suggestions for things i can do at work in my spare time will be taken under careful consideration.
things i can do at work with my spare time:
*knit large sweaters and afghans for everyone i know
*read the entire bibliographies of tolstoy, dostoevski, turgenev, nabokov, gogol, chekhov, pushkin, bulgakov, and lemony snicket.
*write a novel wherein the first letter of each word of each sentence corresponds with ascending letters of the alphabet: for example- a buxom curlyhaired dingbat enters five grown...etc.etc.
*neatly fold ten thousand tiny origami stars
*memorize the origins of every word in the oxford english dictionary
*handmake one thousand pink pasties for my, soon to be highly acclaimed,"five hundred girl burlesque revue"
*tone my upper and lower arms to the point where i can bend steel
*learn to say "wow, those are huge bananas!" in forty different languages
*dig a hole through my cubicle with a spoon, and bust outta this joint!
*ponder ways in which elmer fudd could actually succeed at 'killing the wabbit'
...any and all further suggestions for things i can do at work in my spare time will be taken under careful consideration.
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