Yesterday I finally got around to two things I've been meaning to do for a while. First I unpacked some boxes of things from my office at my last job. I left that job almost 2 years ago! Clearly I didn't really need anything that was in there, but I was tired of these boxes taking up so much space in my home office. I was amused when I unpacked them and discovered that there was very little that had to do with work - mostly it was comics, toys, and games that had been sent to me because I used to occasionally write about that kind of stuff. I gave a lot of them away at the time, but kept some of my favorites.
The other thing I did was rearrange the furniture in my living room. I had this trunk/coffee table in the middle of the room, but I never used it as a table, it's pretty much just a place for me to pile books on. As a result, it just sat in the middle of the room, taking up a lot of space and making the various seating options seem distant and uninviting. I finally owned up to the reality of the situation and moved the trunk off to the corner of the room (where it can continue to serve it's function as a place to put books). I also moved the chair and loveseat to new locations. The room is much more open now, and I think I'm much more likely to sit in the chairs.
I'll post a photo soon. Still have to sort through some of the clutter that resulted from all the rearranging.
Showing posts with label nyc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nyc. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
America's Next Top Drunken Ho
This evening I went out with some friends from work. Someone mentioned that we were seeing a lot of really weird people out, doing weird things. What I saw when I was on my way home topped all the others.
On my block, there was a group of about 6 drunk chicks, standing around what looked like a discarded bar stool. Two of them had taken off their jackets and shirts and were posing together, in their bras, on the stool. A third chick was taking their picture. I had to step over the pile of clothes on the ground and walk through this group in order to get to my apartment. They seemed about to wrap up, but as I walked through the chick with the camera says, "Oh, Karen's here! You ready Karen?"
I looked at her and said, "uh, no" and kept going. Honestly, they kinda freaked me out a little.
On my block, there was a group of about 6 drunk chicks, standing around what looked like a discarded bar stool. Two of them had taken off their jackets and shirts and were posing together, in their bras, on the stool. A third chick was taking their picture. I had to step over the pile of clothes on the ground and walk through this group in order to get to my apartment. They seemed about to wrap up, but as I walked through the chick with the camera says, "Oh, Karen's here! You ready Karen?"
I looked at her and said, "uh, no" and kept going. Honestly, they kinda freaked me out a little.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Halo 3 Launch Event
My friend Aaron Lemay is an art director for Bungie, the game development company responsible for Halo 3. He's in NYC for a big launch event here in town, and I figured the best way to get to see him was to head over there and check it out.
People were lined up outside the Best Buy on 45th & 5th, waiting for the game to go on sale at midnight. Several different TV channels and shows were doing ongoing coverage of the event, including G4.
When Aaron wasn't being interviewed, I helped him hand out t-shirts to the voracious fans waiting on line. Before I knew it, I had been there for three hours!
People were lined up outside the Best Buy on 45th & 5th, waiting for the game to go on sale at midnight. Several different TV channels and shows were doing ongoing coverage of the event, including G4.
When Aaron wasn't being interviewed, I helped him hand out t-shirts to the voracious fans waiting on line. Before I knew it, I had been there for three hours!
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Pretty Golfing Skater Boi
Walking around Greenwich Village I saw a preppy guy riding a skateboard, with a bag of golf clubs in one hand, and in the other hand he had a Sephora bag and was talking on a cell phone.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
William Gibson Book Signing
This afternoon I went to a book reading/signing by William Gibson, for his new book Spook Country. Very cool - I didn't even know he did such things! It's hard to imagine the "grandfather of cuberpunk" appearing in public.
He read a chapter from the new book, and then took some questions. The questions seemed kind of uninspired, but it was still pretty fun. William Gibson wasn't really like I expected.
Also, I used a facebook event to invite/remind a few of my pals. By total coincidence, we found ourselves at the reading sitting right behind the guy who had put the event into facebook. We recognized him and said hi. He was kind of surprised that anyone else had actually used it!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
The Police
A couple weeks ago I went to see the Police. Twice. The first show was at Madison Square Garden - relatively intimate, I suppose. I wasn't sure what to expect, because there's been so much hype and everything. But they were actually quite fabulous.
From my perspective, it took a little while for the show to get warmed up. There were some good songs at the beginning, but the show really hit a good stride when they started playing "Wrapped around my finger" about half way in, and then it was really amazing for pretty much the rest of the time.
Some of the updates they've made to the songs were a little disconcerting, I have to admit. "Don't stand so close to me" (traditionally one of my favorites) was a little too... upbeat and poppy. It should be a more angsty and tormented song, I think.
The second show I saw was at Giants Stadium. This was the last show in the first U.S. leg of the world tour. I went a second time so that I could see the show with some friends who weren't able to get tickets to the MSG show, but I'm glad I did. I think the setlist was the same, but the stage was bigger, with more lights and screens and everything. They filled the stadium just as well as they filled the Garden, I think.
From my perspective, it took a little while for the show to get warmed up. There were some good songs at the beginning, but the show really hit a good stride when they started playing "Wrapped around my finger" about half way in, and then it was really amazing for pretty much the rest of the time.
Some of the updates they've made to the songs were a little disconcerting, I have to admit. "Don't stand so close to me" (traditionally one of my favorites) was a little too... upbeat and poppy. It should be a more angsty and tormented song, I think.
The second show I saw was at Giants Stadium. This was the last show in the first U.S. leg of the world tour. I went a second time so that I could see the show with some friends who weren't able to get tickets to the MSG show, but I'm glad I did. I think the setlist was the same, but the stage was bigger, with more lights and screens and everything. They filled the stadium just as well as they filled the Garden, I think.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
An epic day
What a strange day. It was bound to be a little unusual, if only because I am heading off on vacation tomorrow, and that always means there's a lot to do to get ready.
But this morning started out extra weird when I was woken up by incredibly loud thunder, really close to the apartment. It was one of those feelings where you wake up and you don't really know what just happened. Was it a dream? Did something explode? Oh, there's a rain storm. It was so dramatic that when I left for work, other people from the building were spontaneously talking to each other about it.
The rest of the day went pretty much as expected. I wrapped things up at work, and then met up with my mom who happened to be just finishing up work herself. We wandered around a little and then headed towards Bryant Park. We soon noticed that there was a suspiciously large number of people just kind of hanging around the park, and many of them were on their phones. Clearly we had wandered into something, but I couldn't tell what.
Turned out something had exploded, which immediately put me in mind of the storm this morning. But it was actually caused by an electrical problem under a building at 41st and Lex. Very weird.
So, my mom and I headed downtown, away from the madness. We kept our eye on the news and checked online, and even though every report said "explosion near Grand Central," no one was saying anything about whether or not trains were running. Finally I called 311 and the guy read me the same press release I had been hearing on the news and reading on the web. But then he connected me to Metro North, where a message informed me that trains were running on schedule, but people could only enter on the Northwest side of the terminal.
I walked my mom to the subway so she could go catch a train home, and then stopped at Whole Foods. On my way home, a guy at the corner of the Anthology Film Archives told me that they were showing a free preview screening of Charlie Bartlett. Totally random! I knew I shouldn't go because I still hadn't packed for my trip. But I had been wanting to see it, and it was free, so I went!
It was strange, there were not many people there, and the organizers videotaped us commenting about the movie as we left. I thought it was a pretty decent film, though it seemed to be trying a little too hard at times. I was already thinking that it was definitely going for a sort of Harold & Maude vibe (without the May-December romance) and then they started singing "If you want to sing out, sing out." I'm choosing to view it as an homage.
Several of the actors from Degrassi: Next Generation were playing minor characters. I thought that was pretty cool.
But this morning started out extra weird when I was woken up by incredibly loud thunder, really close to the apartment. It was one of those feelings where you wake up and you don't really know what just happened. Was it a dream? Did something explode? Oh, there's a rain storm. It was so dramatic that when I left for work, other people from the building were spontaneously talking to each other about it.
The rest of the day went pretty much as expected. I wrapped things up at work, and then met up with my mom who happened to be just finishing up work herself. We wandered around a little and then headed towards Bryant Park. We soon noticed that there was a suspiciously large number of people just kind of hanging around the park, and many of them were on their phones. Clearly we had wandered into something, but I couldn't tell what.
Turned out something had exploded, which immediately put me in mind of the storm this morning. But it was actually caused by an electrical problem under a building at 41st and Lex. Very weird.So, my mom and I headed downtown, away from the madness. We kept our eye on the news and checked online, and even though every report said "explosion near Grand Central," no one was saying anything about whether or not trains were running. Finally I called 311 and the guy read me the same press release I had been hearing on the news and reading on the web. But then he connected me to Metro North, where a message informed me that trains were running on schedule, but people could only enter on the Northwest side of the terminal.
I walked my mom to the subway so she could go catch a train home, and then stopped at Whole Foods. On my way home, a guy at the corner of the Anthology Film Archives told me that they were showing a free preview screening of Charlie Bartlett. Totally random! I knew I shouldn't go because I still hadn't packed for my trip. But I had been wanting to see it, and it was free, so I went!It was strange, there were not many people there, and the organizers videotaped us commenting about the movie as we left. I thought it was a pretty decent film, though it seemed to be trying a little too hard at times. I was already thinking that it was definitely going for a sort of Harold & Maude vibe (without the May-December romance) and then they started singing "If you want to sing out, sing out." I'm choosing to view it as an homage.
Several of the actors from Degrassi: Next Generation were playing minor characters. I thought that was pretty cool.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Bzzzzzzz... Stamps
I had to buy some 41 cent stamps today. The coolest looking ones at the USPS truck near my office where these stamps called "Pollination." But I asked the guy for "the stamps with the... birds and the bees" and midway through asking for them I decided this was really funny and weird. The guy in the truck didn't seem all that amused. Maybe he had heard that one too many times already.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Kwik-E-Mart in Times Square
The other night some friends and I went by the 7-Eleven on 42nd Street. It's been converted into a Kwik-E-Mart to promote the upcoming release of The Simpsons movie.
We had Squishees and everything. See some of my other Kwik-E-Mart photos on flickr.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Indie comics!
This past Sunday I went to the MoCCA Arts Festvial in the Puck Building. Such a cool event. I saw some familiar faces - the Dumbrella guys, the good folks at Top Shelf, and the power couple of the NY comix scene - Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer.
There was so much amazing art, comix, stickers, t-shirts - very cool stuff. I got a few books, a print, a t-shirt from Squidfire, some stickers and a bunch of minicomics. I really dig the new trend of micro-mini comics!
Street Theater & Comedy
I left my apartment this evening and saw a crowd of people with umbrellas standing on the corner, watching a perfermonance by two people wrapped in cellophane. Someone actaully told me that this has been a regular occurance on that corner for a while now, but I forget who it is that's behind this street show.
I was actually on my way to the Upright Citizen's Brigade Theater to see a show called Shut Up! I Hate You! It's sort of a pop culture/current events round table hosted by Scott Brown (a hilarious guy that I used to work with) and Anthony King. The two of them also co-wrote Gutenberg! The Musical! which I think is simply brilliant. Hmm, I just noticed that they seem to like show titles with multiple exclamtion points...
Anyway, I had never seen Shut Up! before but it sounded like the kind of thing I would enjoy. It was very, very funny. It's hard to be specific, because it was pretty free-form. They showed video clips and then the panel - consisting of the two hosts plus Jason Mantzoukas, John Mulaney, Rebecca Drysdale and Josh Tyrangiel (Managing Editor of Time.com) - would comment, discuss, make jokes, do impersonations, go on wild tangents, crack up, interrupt each other, etc and it was thoroughly entertaining. The next time they do this will be end of August, I'll have to go check it out again.
After the show I ran into Charlie Todd (his weekly improv smackdown show, Cage Match, was up next). I happened to be wearing my Improv Everywhere shirt, and he seemed to approve of that.
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Mermaid Parade
On Saturday I went to the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island. For nearly 7 years I have been saying that I would go. And finally I did! It was a beautiful day for it, not too hot. I got there two hours late, but the parade was still going on. When I first got to the boardwalk, I ran into two guys who I had played poker with the night before! Pretty weird, considering how crowded it was.
There were some really amazing costumes there, I have to say!
Update: I loaded up a bunch more photos. See my complete Mermaid Parade photoset here.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Shakespeare in the Park: Romeo & Juliet
On Sunday I went to see Romeo & Juliet, at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. This is an annual summer tradition. My friends and I pick a weekend day, go to the park at an absurdly early hour, and wait for free tickets. We bring blankets, food, games and books and the time usually flies by.
This time we got the best seats we've ever had - second row! Lauren Ambrose was Juliet and the role of Romeo was played by Oscar Isaac (who was in Two Gentleman of Verona a couple summers ago). I thought they were both fabulous. In all the times I've seen R&J, in one form or another, I have never been so highly aware of how much Juliet escalated the impetuous romance.
The set was this amazing rotating thing, filled with water in the middle, and a giant configurable arching stairway that I can't adequately describe. It was quite wonderful, but also kind of noisy when it was turning. This was a little distracting when they turned it while someone was speaking, but not too bad if they turned it between scenes.
A note for Brian, one of the few people I know who reads this blog regularly - Go see Lauren Ambrose in this play! Skip work if you have to!! I won't tell anyone :)
This time we got the best seats we've ever had - second row! Lauren Ambrose was Juliet and the role of Romeo was played by Oscar Isaac (who was in Two Gentleman of Verona a couple summers ago). I thought they were both fabulous. In all the times I've seen R&J, in one form or another, I have never been so highly aware of how much Juliet escalated the impetuous romance.
The set was this amazing rotating thing, filled with water in the middle, and a giant configurable arching stairway that I can't adequately describe. It was quite wonderful, but also kind of noisy when it was turning. This was a little distracting when they turned it while someone was speaking, but not too bad if they turned it between scenes.
A note for Brian, one of the few people I know who reads this blog regularly - Go see Lauren Ambrose in this play! Skip work if you have to!! I won't tell anyone :)
Sunday, June 3, 2007
Baby Pigeons
Last weekend I discovered that my air conditioner no longer works. I've had it for 4 years, so it wasn't that big a deal, I suppose. Yesterday I was measuring the window, with a mind to get a new AC, and I realized that the pigeon that likes to hang out on the thing had made a nest. Which was housing two baby pigeons.
Um. Luckily I had already decided to get a bigger AC this time, and it wouldn't fit in the same window. So, I can hold off on getting rid of the old one until the birds vacate. When I was installating the new one, I peeked out the window at my new neighbors, and man are they ugly! I thought baby animals are supposed to be cute! These critters are hideous!
Um. Luckily I had already decided to get a bigger AC this time, and it wouldn't fit in the same window. So, I can hold off on getting rid of the old one until the birds vacate. When I was installating the new one, I peeked out the window at my new neighbors, and man are they ugly! I thought baby animals are supposed to be cute! These critters are hideous!
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