Saturday, January 31, 2004
Garden State Birthday Party
In the wilds of New Jersey, my good friend Christi Aguiar and her daughter Nicole invited me to Birthday Dinner at Charlie Brown's steakhouse in Tenafly. I threw my calorie book to the wind, enjoying Prime Rib with Horseradish Crust and an Apple Sundae for desert!
My very cool presents included a Dilbert book! and a guide to 1,000 places to see before you die!
Nicole recently acquired two large rabbits that are adorable but poop a lot. They have their own room! Animals now outnumber humans more than 2:1 at 67 Gordon Avenue....
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Friday, January 30, 2004
Happy Birthday To Aaron...
Wow, I actually forgot to post last night! hehe! Worry not - you can count on daily posts going forward, at least when I'm in NYC!
It's my birthday. The celebration begins in pictures - above pls find me with my Mom and her friend Marit, the holy waters of the Ganges, the cathedral of sun-baked Salta in Argentina, and a sign on a hindu temple near the Taj Mahal..
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Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Aunt Dan, Lemon, and Two Girl Drinks
The birthday festivities begin! My dear friend Bart took me to see "Aunt Dan and Lemon", a revival of Wallace Shawn's (picture at right) thought-provoking OBIE-winning 1985 play. Very difficult to synopsize, themes include violence by nations and individuals, use and misuse of sex, hypocrisy among liberals and academics, Henry Kissinger, and cockroaches.
The action is seen through the hazy childhood memories of a stunted young recluse, played by Lili Taylor (also at right), who starred in "I Shot Andy Warhol" and was memorable on "Six Feet Under" as Nate's neurotic wife Lisa. Not everybody's cup of tea, but well done, and you won't be bored...
We ended up at the Marriott Atrium Lounge with its panoramic 8th floor view, where I downed two colorful and exotic "girl drinks" and ate a bowl of salty, spicy, and crunchy "party mix" that made you thirsty.
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Tuesday, January 27, 2004
24 Eventful Hours
Mostly good things happened today.
1) I am increasingly psyched about my pending employment.
2) I had an interesting date last night.
3) I'm happy Kerry won N.H.
4) The Oscar nominations, however imperfect, managed to recognize some brave and insightful work in the acting and screenplay categories.
I'm very partial to 21 Grams, Lost In Translation, Pieces of April, City of God (from Brazil) and Barbarian Invasions (from Quebec, and which I saw Friday, see Jan 23 entry below).
It's nice to see foreigners compete in the main categories, and not just 'best foreign film'
Thanks for stopping by. More humor tomorrow I promise. Just two shopping days til my birthday : -
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Monday, January 26, 2004
Message From My Daughter.....
From Marlina with her love! Postmarked in Indonesia's hot and humid boondocks, a letter arrives now and then from Marlina, my 13-year-old daughter...
I mean of course the child I sponsor through CCF, a save-the-children type charity that helps both third world children and their villages.
Each month I send a $21 check; in return, I get a feeling of great well-being plus an occasional bonus of the translator's wonderfully mangled English...
Here are some excerpts to brighten your day:
Dear Aaron Holsberg
We and family are fine. I have was now in the first grade of school. I do always good grade on an average marks 9. These all due to parents supports.
I just celebrated my special holiday Idul Fitri with simply only but solemn. It was time for us to wish joyous Idul Fitri and apologize for our mistakes. It is rainy season the roads are muddy so bad, but I am still continue diligent in going school.
Closing with my favorite sentence, which says the exact opposite of what she means:
It will soon I face mid semester test, so I have to learn hardly!
I ask your prayers for my successful. Well, time is it for me to close for now.
With my love, Marlina
Delightful! She's so sweet. CCF not only provide schoolbooks, clothes, and food for her family but also foster economic development of the village so it can stand on its own feet, and CCF can move on to the next village. In this way, I have had 6 "children" since 1989, when I made a solemn vow to sponsor a child forever if my first boyfriend, from Argentina, could get a US visa, which he did!
That's all for today. Happy Tuesday!!!
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Sunday, January 25, 2004
My good friend Erik's birthday is today, so here's my photographic salute....
Erik lives in Boston, home of the Museum of Bad Art!. He a proud Danish-Irish-American and runs the city's Dept of Elderly budget office, and is involved in local lefty politics. I have known him nearly 20 years, and we travelled the world together in the months after I left JPM.
send birthday wishes to Erik at Erik4799@aol.com
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