Friday, April 30, 2004
Happy Birthday, Queen Beatrix. And thanks for the ice cream cake (ah, the fringe benefits of working in a Dutch bank...). In Holland, April 30 is one big outdoor party, especially dear to my Dutch gay broeren en zussen (brothers & sisters). Peace. this entry's permalink
Ali Baba's Jaipur Address...
Happy Friday! I slept 11 hours last night, to ward off a looming flu/bug - it seems to have helped a great deal. Sunday I leave for Venezuela/Colombia and I have to be in tip-top shape. This weekend I will lay low and read all about the petroleum and beer industries. Here are some pictures of the Palace of the Winds in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, which I visited in August 2001. There are many palaces in Rajasthan, it's a patchwork of fairy-tale Ali Baba sultanates and shiekdoms along the eastern border of Pakistan. (Bin Laden is supposedly hiding on Pakistan's western border with Afghanistan). My friend Biz from Vassar married a Pakistan and lives in Karachi by the sea, Pakistan's southern border, if you will. It's a far cry from the Rye, New York of her childhood. Biz is short for Elizabeth. Later, dawgs. 
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Thursday, April 29, 2004
All Aaron's Acres...
Ever wonder how big an acre really is? I don't think you get a good sense just by saying that 1 acre is 43,560 square feet. You get a better sense by saying it's 58 times as big as my apartment, which is 750 square feet. That's right, 58 of Aaron's apartment. Next, there are 640 acres to 1 square mile. Manhattan's area is 23 square miles, or 14,720 acres. So next time some mentions 1,000 acres, just think "A slice of Manhattan from 30th street to 50th street" to give yourself an idea. I hope y'all found this interesting. Can you calculate how many copies of your home would fit into an acre? Send this to me, showing the calculation, and I will send you a present whose dollar value is at least the same number as 2% the area of my apartment in square feet. This is awfully creative of me, as I face down 12 hours of work with a congested throat... Later, y'all... this entry's permalink
Wednesday, April 28, 2004
Do The Two-Country Two-Day Hop
You read correctly. It's confirmed. To Venezuela Sunday. To Colombia Monday. To New York Tuesday all-night flight. Too Tired Wednesday Pictured above: a shantytown. also known as favelas, villas miseria, and pueblos jovenes, the latter two translating as "povertytown" and "young town (because squatters spring up so quickly)."
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Tiny Places, Big Emotions
Sounds like an exhibit at the Museum Of Bad Art... If only it were.... Just for perspective: Israel is the size of Massachusetts, about 8,000 sq. miles. The West Bank is 1/4 as big, about 2,000 sq. miles or the size of Delaware. The Gaza Strip? This tiny hellhole is all of 138 sq. miles, slightly larger than Queens... No wonder they all feel cramped... this entry's permalink
Playing Ripley's Game... Here's a picture of Reykjavik, Iceland, where I plan to spend Memorial Day Weekend. So... I was very enthralled last night by the first half-hour of the seldom-seen 2002 gem "Ripley's Game" with John Malkovich as our the brilliant, clever, and somewhat psychotic title character. Bedtime, not boredom, made me stop at 10pm, but I hope to finish tonight. Malkovich is probably far closer to Patricia Highsmith's original book version of Ripley than Matt Damon, colder and meaner. So far, oddly, he seems both more effeminate and less gay than Damon's version - there's the odd presence of a pretty young wife. More to follow. this entry's permalink
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
To The Shores Of Tripoli...
Silly Me. I must have dictator-ruled wastelands on the brain...Or not. Libya reportedly does its charms. Since you might not get there in the near future, I thought I'd offer you a picture of its capital, the Tripoli whose shores our US Marines always sing about... Tripoli is an ancient city. It was the Carthage of antiquity, beaten by the Romans in the 2nd century BC punic wars. Some 2100 years later they were invaded and brutally occupied by the armies of another famous Italian, Benito Mussolini. But with independence, they found happiness and... Muammar Qaddafi! Some countries have all the luck! More pictures below:
I worked a long 13 hour day today. I am preparing to publish my first articles. But I am feeling engaged in the new job, which is a good thing. Moving from an office to a cubicle turns out to be a good thing, as being less isolated seems to help my concentration. This is the best I've felt about work since the 2001 Chase-JPM merger that ended my long good luck streak there. Happily, half a million frequent flyer miles and twenty fewer pounds later, I feel kind of re-invented. Many budding interests poked their heads through in the wake of the wreckage, including photography, hiking, kayaking, art galleries, and stick-shift driving... ... and, of course, blogging.... Like the fabled Phoenix of Arizona, I rise from the ashes... I may be going to Dangerous Venezuela and Dangerous Colombia on Sunday. I should know tomorrow. Details to follow.
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Michael Jackson's new disguise? No, it's Muammar Qaddafi, back in Europe, closing the door on 20 years as an international pariah. Hopefully, he'll take the opportunity to get a well-needed hairstyle update... : - ) Good morning, everyone. I'm not going to a show tonight after all.. My friend had to cancel : - (
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Monday, April 26, 2004
I'll Take Nunavut
I ain't seen None of It yet... About five years ago Canada gave a new name to a very very large piece of ice with intermittent natives and tundra. This used to belong to the "Northwest Territories" which stretched from the Yukon to Hudson Bay, but now Canada has broken off the eastern part of this huge space. They named it, Nunavut. No, they named all of it, but named it Nunavut. You know... Nunavut is due north of Manitoba and Western Ontario, which in turn is due north of Minnesota and Wisconson. Nunavut reaches to the North Pole. Well, some of it does.. : - ) You can vacation in Nunavut, usually in the summer. here are pictures:
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It's raining. My alarm clock failed to ring. I wish I were wandering through the bizarre and beautiful spires of Bryce Canyon in Utah....
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Sunday, April 25, 2004
Mom pointed out that the 1990 picture of her and Dad posted Saturday wasn't my Dad's last Father's Day, which was spent on a day trip from New York to relatives near Boston. Still, it was a nice family day, in Chinatown and I think South Street Seaport, at the time still a novelty here. My dear friend Bart invited me tonight on the spur of the moment to see two new plays by Terrence McNally. More on that tomorrow. Last week Bart and I saw "Between Us" (pictured above), a searing and riveting look at the marriages of two art school friends and how they change. I was spellbound, but the Times critic thought it was a pale Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolff knock-off. To each their own. While walking along the Central Park edge to the subway, near the many horses and buggies, we could smell the Republican platform : - ) Have a good night. I sure wish this weekend were just starting....
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House Of _____ And _____
It's been a Netflix sort of weekend...
Roles that Ben Kingsley was born to play aren't easy to come by. Colonel Moussad Behrani is such a role.
"House Of ___ And ____" is a masterwork, a tragedy in which two wrongs fail to make a right, a work of unflinching honesty but also of great subtlety and dignity. Best of all, it serves generous helpings of 2003's best acting. Highly recommended
I'm happy to report I've resumed stick-shift driving lessons, and that I felt the right reflexes kick in immediately the second my foot touched the clutch! See, knowledge and skill sometimes 'incubate' and 'marinate' in your brain. I know it's that way with languages... Great, sounds like my Iceland gamble is going to pay off!
Another great movie I rented was 1978's "Soldier Of Orange," a gripping epic of six young Dutch college students whose guts, wits, and loyalties are tested by the 1940-45 Nazi occupation and the Dutch resistance. Five stars all around for edge-of-your-seat pacing, revelatory acting, precise period recreation, and a European honesty about human character, behavior, and sexuality. Another "must see rental...." Its director, Paul Verhoeven, made one more great Dutch film, "The Fourth Man", before selling out his substantial talent to Hollywood and producing "Robocop," "Basic Instinct," and the infamous "Showgirls." this entry's permalink
Saturday, April 24, 2004
And Heeeerrrrreeee's...... Dad!
I finally managed to upload a picture of my Dad, whose birthday was yesterday, and who would have been very happy to see my sister Deena graduate Lamson College with honors on his birthday! I could write a book about Dad, who was a teacher, social worker, activist, ane free spirit in a category all by himself. This picture is with my Mom and my first boyfriend, Andres Paredes, in 1990, at a family gathering in Chinatown. Sadly, that would be my Dad's last summer, as he passed on early the next year, on February 25, 1991, just two months shy of his 55th birthday... My family, btw, have been wonderful with my boyfriends, always treating them like family, which meant a lot to Andres, whose family was 5,500 miles away and not very accepting or supportive.
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My Sister, The Graduate!
Congrats, Deena! 2,500 miles away, in a graduation ceremony in the Phoenix Area, a diploma with honors was bestowed last night upon my sister Deena! The program trained her as a medical billing specialist, and now, diploma in hand, I'm sure she will rise through the ranks to her level of natural Holsberg brilliance. Too bad my Dad couldn't be here to see this. Also, too bad that Geocities is mal-functioning today, because I wanted to post some great pictures of Deena, but no picture will load, so I'm stuck with this old stand-by from 1969:
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Friday, April 23, 2004
Aaron's office, April 5, 2004 - April 23, 2004, R.I.P. (return to cubicle life - sigh)
My Dad would have been 68 today.. I'll dig up and scan a picture this weekend, for the moment, my 'stand-in' is that great socialist and humanitarian, President Inacio Luis Santos da Silva (aka Lula) of Brazil, who always reminds me of Dad for some reason...
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Happy Birthday, Dad...
My Dad would have been 68 today.. I'll dig up and scan a picture this weekend, for the moment, my 'stand-in' is that great socialist and humanitarian, President Inacio Luis Santos da Silva (aka Lula) of Brazil, who always reminds me of Dad for some reason...this entry's permalink
Where The Sun Don't Shine...
... And Where It Do.... I've wasted more time than you want to know trying to install as my PC wallpaper and screensaver this "world clock" that shows where night and day are falling on the globe, in real time... I sort of fell in love with the concept on my long, long, long (long) international flights.... I think it's pretty. You can see this phenomenon for free, to your own specifications, on several sites, which I will post later. My frugality will force me to pass on the $1,500 high-tech home real time clock you hang on the wall (a main cabin in your own home?). And now, I've gotta shake my tail feather (i.e., get moving). Happy Friday. Galería can't be too far away... : - )this entry's permalink
Thursday, April 22, 2004
Oops... Which Way Is China? : - )
Good thing I talked to Christi...I mentioned Tuesday that my 7900-mile cross-country trip was longer than driving through a hole dug to China. Talking to Christi about diameters and such, it became apparent that my tunnel would end on the Indian Ocean floor, drowning me and floating my clueless cadaver right back to New York....
So how far can you get away from New York? About 12,400 miles, that's how far. This is roughly half the earth's circumference, and travelling to this point should land you in the Indian Ocean, 800 miles Southwest of Perth, a city on Australia's west coast. Perth (see picture) is as far as you can fly from New York without leaving the planet, and on Quantas it takes 22-23 hours, via Sydney, not including the layover. The Perth area is known as Australia's "Sunset Coast," click here for pictures.this entry's permalink
Wednesday, April 21, 2004
Mid-week Frolic with Modern Millie
Dust off a forgotten and poorly-timed movie and you can have rousing good time on stage....
Last night I saw "Thoroughly Modern Millie" with my pal Christi, who's a free woman (relieved of parental duties) in New York (at her parents townhouse) for two weeks, and we were both thoroughly entertained by this wry but warm-hearted art-deco blue and purple roaring 20s love story. The public and critics love theater "Millie" much more than its source, the 1967 film comedy, which felt dated and out of place in the Summer Of Love.
That film starred Julie Andrews as the Kansas girl trying to make good in NY, Mary Tyler Moore as a poor orphan, Carol Channing as a singer/socialite/millionairess, and Beatrice Lillie running a white slavery ring disguised as a kindly hotelkeeper. On stage Dixie Carter of "Designing Woman" is venomously hilarious as the slavery entrepreneuse, a faux-dragon lady alternately faking a sweet ridiculous pre-P.C. accent and reverting to the nasty failed American chorus girl-cum-criminal she is. This "Millie" replaces the film's offensive Chinese stereotype henchmen brilliantly with three-dimensional immigrants from Hong Kong whose witty dialogue and musical numbers are presented in Chinese and translated via electronic supra-titles (subtitles above the action). But this is only 1/4 of the plot, which captures the charm and excitement of the 1920s, when, like today, people felt technology racing forward every day, transforming every aspect of their lives. All in all, well worth sleeping only 6 1/2 hours last night. Hope you get to see it sometime. Enjoy these pictures: 
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Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Just realized that when I drove 7,900 miles last summer, winding a path through America, that drive was longer than the diameter of the Earth, which is a mere 7, 814 miles! This means that if I could dig a hole to China, pave it, and drive to other end, that would be 86 miles less distance than I drove last August! this entry's permalink
My Next Stop…
Black and White Memories… As one of the first TV shows to ever make me think, “The Twilight Zone” made a huge impression on my growing young brain. It’s aged well, too, due to its brilliant writing, acting, and direction. I am really enjoying the 8-DVD set of restored “Twilight Zone” episodes that I bought myself on a whim and received yesterday. The first one I watched, about an old lady hiding from death, features an extremely young (and hot) Robert Redford before he was famous. You may also like to know that the episodes are 25 minutes long without commercials, and that the series was known in Latin America as “The Unknown Zone” or “La Zona Desconocida"….. p.s. On Sunday my blog passed the three-month mark! Later, I'll tell you about the other blogging Holsberg...
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Monday, April 19, 2004
There's a lot to see in upstate New York! Yesterday we saw Sunnyside, Washington Irving's early 19th century home/farm, and also Lyndhurst, the bottom two attractions on this map: There are dozens of mansions and historic homes all along the Hudson Valley, as you can see:
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From real-life resumés:
"The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers."
"Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting."
"Reason for leaving last job: Maturity leave."
"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store."
Palestine: the Quiz Show! I'm not kidding! Who said militant Palestinians had no sense of humor?
What a great weekend! New York was like early summer for two days, as temperatures rose to 80-85F (26-28C), sleeves got shorter and souls, lighter. Flowering trees were everywhere, especially the odd fruitless Callery pear trees that line many Manhattan streets.
It was a full weekend, with theater on Friday, a day in the country Sunday, and the momentous switchover to a much faster computer. Details to follow...
I rented the 1991 movie "Tito and Me" through Netflix, and was very entertained. Set in 1950s Yugloslavia, it's about a chubby little boy who lives with a bickering, dysfunctional extended family in a cramped apartment, and who idolizes Tito. By writing a prize-winning poem, he gets to join a group of youngsters on a hike to Tito's homeland in Croatia, and has a lot of difficulties. With a playful and brassy jazz soundtrack, "Tito" nonetheless captures the period beautifully, interspersing real footage, with much humorous effect. Note that this was the last movie made in Yugoslavia before that country crumbled and its citizens became warring factions. Especially ironic is the Belgrade kids singing a hymn to their 'brother city' Zagreb, now capital of Croatia. For Tito, the master of Serb-led Yugoslavia, was a Croat, and tolerated no tribalism - 'we are all communists and Yugoslavs, etc....' Tito ruled with the same 'cult of personality' as his Stalinist peers. You could even call his reign "Stalin lite" : - )
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"The company made me a scapegoat, just like my three previous employers."
"Education: Curses in liberal arts, curses in computer science, curses in accounting."
"Reason for leaving last job: Maturity leave."
"Instrumental in ruining entire operation for a Midwest chain store."
Palestine: the Quiz Show! I'm not kidding! Who said militant Palestinians had no sense of humor?
A Taste Of Summer...
What a great weekend! New York was like early summer for two days, as temperatures rose to 80-85F (26-28C), sleeves got shorter and souls, lighter. Flowering trees were everywhere, especially the odd fruitless Callery pear trees that line many Manhattan streets.It was a full weekend, with theater on Friday, a day in the country Sunday, and the momentous switchover to a much faster computer. Details to follow...
I rented the 1991 movie "Tito and Me" through Netflix, and was very entertained. Set in 1950s Yugloslavia, it's about a chubby little boy who lives with a bickering, dysfunctional extended family in a cramped apartment, and who idolizes Tito. By writing a prize-winning poem, he gets to join a group of youngsters on a hike to Tito's homeland in Croatia, and has a lot of difficulties. With a playful and brassy jazz soundtrack, "Tito" nonetheless captures the period beautifully, interspersing real footage, with much humorous effect. Note that this was the last movie made in Yugoslavia before that country crumbled and its citizens became warring factions. Especially ironic is the Belgrade kids singing a hymn to their 'brother city' Zagreb, now capital of Croatia. For Tito, the master of Serb-led Yugoslavia, was a Croat, and tolerated no tribalism - 'we are all communists and Yugoslavs, etc....' Tito ruled with the same 'cult of personality' as his Stalinist peers. You could even call his reign "Stalin lite" : - )
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Sunday, April 18, 2004
Rocketing Into The Future!
I love my new computer! This should save me 1/2 hour a day (which is a lot on a work day) by not crashing, freezing, etc. It's so much faster, I'm still in shock and awe.. : - )this entry's permalink
Saturday, April 17, 2004
A Long Time Ago, In A Galería
Far, Far Away....
What a beautiful spring day! I'm outside most of today, and tomorrow - a date with a rental car.... Here's my weekly ‘roundup’ of wonderful photos taken from some of my favorite photoblogs. I've added a new feature to Galería this week: Click on any of these photos to see a larger version, then click the back button to return to the page
The artists are: Pixpopuli, Mused Pixelflake, TopLeftPixel, Myopic, ExitWound, InConduit, and Chromogenic. All of these are consistently great.
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Friday, April 16, 2004
The Virgin Mary's Retirement Home
Far From Florida...... on Turkey's Western Coast, facing Greece, Jesus's Mom lived out her final days in a little stone house. After Jesus was crucified, John the Apostle quickly got Mary out of Palestine for her own safety, settling her in a quiet little spot about 80 miles from Ephesus, which was the largest Roman city in the Eastern Mediterrean (and the best preserved). Erik and I visited Ephesus, and Mary's cottage, during our April 2002 Turkey vacation.
Silly Aaron...... tried to imitate the pilgrims that tear their clothing and tie it to the Virgin Mary's fence. Unwiling to tear my clothes, I removed my left sock and tied that instead. The result was both a smelly fence and a very very cold left foot marching around Turkey's 40F April. Happy Friday, everyone!this entry's permalink
Thursday, April 15, 2004
Ten Little What?
Yikes! The original title of Agatha Christie’s classic “And Then They Were None” is, unfortunately, “Ten Little Niggers”…. Thank God that our culture has changed quite a bit since its 1939 debut! I just heard this book on tape in Norwegian as “Ten Small Negro Children” – Ugh. “Niggers,” by the way is actually a 1920s British dance hall song based on the US’s own mid-1800s song “Ten Little Indians,” which is also not very P.C.. It's a children’s song where each Little Indian dies a different way until they’re all gone. The Christie novel (later made into a play and several movie versions) summoned ten strangers to a remote island so that they could be stalked, one by one, and punished for earlier ‘crimes,’ while they try to figure out which one of them is the killer; the murders are executed according to the lyrics of the song. When Hollywood bought the script they were, thankfully, horrified at the title and changed it to the more eerie and poetic “And Then They Were None.” 
In other news, I’m refinancing my mortgage on Friday! I locked in a great rate the week I got my job!I recently saw two movies through Netflix. One is “Bottle Rocket,” the debut film by Wes Anderson of “Royal Tennebaums” fame, which introduces the brilliant Wilson Brothers in a quirky little story about bickering, bungling bandits. The other is the lightweight and forgettable “Sliding Doors,” in which Gwyneth Paltrow fakes a British accent and leads two parallel and very different lives based on whether she missed her subway train or just made it… Not quite as good as a Twilight Zone rerun. I hope you enjoyed this post! Peace and Love - Aaron
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Wednesday, April 14, 2004
From real history exams: : - )
"Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper."
"Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years."
"Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony."
"I asked the barmaid for a quickie. The man next to me said, 'It's pronounced quiche' " - - Luigi Amaduzzi (on occassional perils of speaking a foreign language)
For $404 I can go to Iceland for an extended Memorial Day weekend, round trip... Why would I want to do this, you ask? : - ) For starters, I need practice driving a stick shift, and Iceland is relatively unpopulated, and hence, easier safer. It's Europe's equivalent of driving in North Dakota. My goal is to be able to explore Europe and South America by car, and stick-shifting is a necessary skill. I can take lessons here on a stick shift, but it's impossible to rent one and practice. Anyway, Iceland also offers spectacular scenery and has strange geothermal features (geysers, hot springs, mudpots), similar to our Yellowstone. I'll have to mull this one over.
Is anybody out there? If you are reading this, let me know: Email me by clicking here. Thanks - Aaron
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"Sir Francis Drake circumcised the world with a 100-foot clipper."
"Queen Victoria was the longest queen. She sat on a thorn for 63 years."
"Christians have only one spouse. This is called monotony."
"I asked the barmaid for a quickie. The man next to me said, 'It's pronounced quiche' " - - Luigi Amaduzzi (on occassional perils of speaking a foreign language)
The World Is My Practice Area
For $404 I can go to Iceland for an extended Memorial Day weekend, round trip... Why would I want to do this, you ask? : - ) For starters, I need practice driving a stick shift, and Iceland is relatively unpopulated, and hence, easier safer. It's Europe's equivalent of driving in North Dakota. My goal is to be able to explore Europe and South America by car, and stick-shifting is a necessary skill. I can take lessons here on a stick shift, but it's impossible to rent one and practice. Anyway, Iceland also offers spectacular scenery and has strange geothermal features (geysers, hot springs, mudpots), similar to our Yellowstone. I'll have to mull this one over. Is anybody out there? If you are reading this, let me know: Email me by clicking here. Thanks - Aaron
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Tuesday, April 13, 2004
The Smartest Monkey...
That's a song title, referring to the human race, by the typically witty British art-rock band XTC. While watching a documentary about apes and chimps (Life of Mammals again), I was taken aback by their complex hierarchy and repressive social structure. And the extremes of behavior: grooming each other to gain favor, 'protection' arrangements, and a savage beating administered to 'teach a lesson' and 'set an example.' How could anyone doubt that these are our relatives? : - ) Being unusually hairy, I feel especially close to the apes. : - ) Here I am in Morocco, 16 months and 20 pounds ago, on market day 100 miles south of Marrakech. I went there in December 2002 with the French Institute, and got a surprisingly warm reception considering the post-9-11/intifada/George W times we're living in. "What luck for rulers that men do not think...." - Adolf Hitler
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Monday, April 12, 2004
Easy Come, Easy Go..
Well, my office days (see April 5 post) will be short-lived. I get bumped back to a cubicle in two weeks, April 26, as part of a group move. "Enjoy" it while it lasts, I guess... this entry's permalink
"T'was a woman that drove me to drink, and I never had the courtesy to thank her..." - W.C. Fields
"When choosing between two evils I always like to take the one I've never tried before." - Mae West
The Ripley You Didn’t See..
I always thought only bad movies went ‘straight-to-video/DVD.’ Not so. Patricia Highsmith’s "Ripley’s Game," made into a film starring John Maklovich, is reportedly excellent, complex, and chilling. However, the studio shelved it as ‘hard to market,’ as opposed to, say, Scooby Doo 2. : - ) Anyway, Netflix has it, and I hope to see it within a week or two. I’ll give you a full report. For your pleasure, here are some pictures of the author...
Also newly rentable, and near the top of my Netflix queue, is the critically acclaimed “House of Sand and Fog,” which Brian saw last week and was blown away by.
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"When choosing between two evils I always like to take the one I've never tried before." - Mae West
The Ripley You Didn’t See..
…But Still Can
I always thought only bad movies went ‘straight-to-video/DVD.’ Not so. Patricia Highsmith’s "Ripley’s Game," made into a film starring John Maklovich, is reportedly excellent, complex, and chilling. However, the studio shelved it as ‘hard to market,’ as opposed to, say, Scooby Doo 2. : - ) Anyway, Netflix has it, and I hope to see it within a week or two. I’ll give you a full report. For your pleasure, here are some pictures of the author...Also newly rentable, and near the top of my Netflix queue, is the critically acclaimed “House of Sand and Fog,” which Brian saw last week and was blown away by.
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Sunday, April 11, 2004
Up The Digital Learning Curve...
Had a great day at the Bronx Zoo with Christi and Nikki... ... and got some major use out of my digital camera, armed with sufficient memory and battery power. Best of all, I posted the best 12 pics (out of 130!) to my budding 'regular' web site so that I can share them with you here. These are polar bears on the left, which struck curious and entertaining poses as they frolicked in the spring air.
What barnyard animal is this? I have no idea, I'm sure it can't be a llama, and it seems to tall and white and grey to be a donkey... I'm such a city slicker... Help me out here!Here's a great shot of Nikki:
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Saturday, April 10, 2004
Today's The Day!
Off to the Bronx Zoo w Christi and Nicole. Full report later!
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Friday, April 09, 2004
His Galería Friday!
Aaron’s weekly love letter to weblog photography is back! I’ve finished work and am ready to kick up my heels! Can you dig it? This week’s focus is on just three photoblogers with three photos each. They are, in order of appearance: Myopic, TopLeftPixel, and Germany’s Copypaste. All of these are, like, totally where it’s at, dude...
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Mommy? Why does everybody have a bomb?
I’m happy to report that Prince (The Artist Once Again Known As Prince) is back, with a great CD, an exciting concert tour, and a new statue in the Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. “Cinnamon Girl,” the first single, manages to be a sweet, even ebullient anti-war take on life after 9/11. There’s a very cool Newsweek article entitled, yes, “Party Like It’s 2004.” If he’s Jehovah’s witness, at least he’s one with a wicked sense of humor, and frankly even on ‘Purple Rain’ and ‘1999,’ the Almighty has always been a favorite Prince theme and concern. Anyway, word is that most concert-goers are enjoying the party and letting any references to the Big Guy roll off their backs….I need to work today, despite having Good Friday off... I must catch up! But, a small price to pay for a week in Brazil grilling local companies in Portuguese and eated grilled meat : - ) I have more personal news to tell you, which I'll post later today. Enjoy!
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Thursday, April 08, 2004
"The difference between 'involvement' and 'commitment' is like an eggs-and-ham breakfast: the chicken was 'involved' - the pig was 'committed'." - Unknown
"When ideas fail, words come in very handy." - Goethe
"Setting a good example for your children takes all the fun out of middle age." - William Feather
"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
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"When ideas fail, words come in very handy." - Goethe
"Setting a good example for your children takes all the fun out of middle age." - William Feather
"If you're going through hell, keep going." - Winston Churchill
""Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former." - Albert Einstein
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Wednesday, April 07, 2004
Mark My WordSpy...
I hate people who come to work sick....mucus trooper - (MYOO.kus troo.pur) n. An employee with a cold or the flu who insists on showing up for work. see also—mucus troop v.
Mucus troopers and trooping are a sign of a national problem, presentee-ism:
presenteeism (prez.un.TEE.iz.um) n. The feeling that one must show up for work even if one is too sick, stressed, or distracted to be productive; the feeling that one needs to work extra hours even if one has no extra work to do. see also —presentee n.
Presenteeism is the exact opposite of absenteeism but is just as bad for morale and productivity: being at work when you should be at home, either because you are ill or because you are working such long hours that you are no longer effective.
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Star Guitar
When Johnny Comes Skipping Home… Skip the $120 show and rent the movie for $3. I am refering to the subversive 1954 camp classic known as "Johnny Guitar," which has been somehow made into a 'family entertainment' musical for Broadway. The film’s fantastic - it’s a very stylized, Freudian Western with a gay sensibility, i.e. the women are gunslingers and the men are the sex objects!. Nicholas Ray directs and Joan Crawford and Mercedes McCambridge sling the guns…. "A word to the wise is infuriating..." - Hunter Thompson
Recommendations, Please? This is for everyone: Have you seen any films, plays, or TV that I should check out? Heard any interesting music? Books or articles I should read? Art I should see? Tell me about it, E-mail me by clicking here! Thanks!
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Tuesday, April 06, 2004
The Gods Must Be Crazy...
For the next few weeks, I have an office! Returning from Brazil, I noticed they'd 'rearranged the deck chairs,' surrounding me with a sea of non-public information. Now, I was already scheduled to move in May together with US research, but Compliance said I had to move to an interim place, and pronto!. Well, happy to report the interim place is a lovely, spacious, and quiet office, with wood and translucent panels reminiscent of a Japanese Garden! Its previous owner, who is on vacation, is going to return Monday and find all her belongings dumped into my pitiful old cubicle... Tsk Tsk... well, enjoy it while it lasts, baby... : - ) Random song lyrics:
"The two sides of my brain need to have a meeting" - White Stripes, 2001
"slow, slow, slow, slow, slow...." (the brilliant) My Bloody Valentine, 1990
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Monkey See…
Monkeys Use Insecticide! They really are almost as smart as us (maybe smarter, if you consider who’s running the country). Learned Sunday, while watching the “Life Of Mammals” series on DVD, that Capuchin monkeys in South America rub themselves with pipa leaves, which act as both insecticide and medicine for skin infections. It’s a big social occasion for them, too, as they gather for group ‘rub-downs.’ Monkeys are smart enough to ‘think out of the box’ and find food where other animals see either obstacles or nothing at all. Interestingly, just read in NYT that there’s a huge shortage of monkeys for scientific research.this entry's permalink
Monday, April 05, 2004
"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll be glad to make an exception. " - Groucho Marx
spinach cinema (SPIN.ich sin.uh.muh) n. Movies that are not very exciting or interesting, but that one feels one must see because they are educational or otherwise uplifting.
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spinach cinema (SPIN.ich sin.uh.muh) n. Movies that are not very exciting or interesting, but that one feels one must see because they are educational or otherwise uplifting.
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Just Kelly and 12 Million Viewers…
I forgot to say I’m two degrees of separation from the Sopranos and three degrees from this show’s 12 million loyal viewers! Featured on the Soprano’s second episode this season is none other than Kelly AuCoin (picture left), the brother-in-law of my ex, Brian (and hence, my ex-brother-in-law). Kelly has a small part as a federal investigator interviewing Chris’ informer girlfriend in a car on a rainy night. Kelly is frequently seen on stage here in New York, I’ll keep you all posted…this entry's permalink
Sunday, April 04, 2004
7:24pm!
Celebrating Spring and Daylight Savings Time... And 7:24pm is just New York sunset, we also have civil twilight until 7:52pm, nautical twilight until 8:25pm, and astronomical twilight until 8:59pm! It's just going to get better and better until June 21st...So I made a Spring Compilation CD for friends and family... Coming soon to a mailbox near you, baby...
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Saturday, April 03, 2004
Oh Galería….
Aaron’s back from Brazil, and the photoblog gallery is open!. I’m relaxing and catching up on music and photography. It’s easier to post the latter : - ) Enjoy Enjoy…. The photography is by the following artists, in order: Beat Experience (2 photos), TopLeftPixel, Jinky Art, Chromogenic, Damon Brinson , San Francisco’s Epehemera, Sweden’s 40-H , and Pixpopuli (2 photos). All of these are usually groovy.
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Send It
My friend Celia from Buenos Aires had a great idea. I would like it if you could all send me a childhood picture, which I will scan for a special presentation and return... It couldn't look goofier than this picture of me and my sister Deena. : - ) Trip to Belo Horizonte yesteday was brief but we knocked them dead! : - ) See pictures of Belo below. A good week all in all, it's certainly whet my appetite for further travel, business and pleasure, near and far. Hope you've enjoyed our Brazil trip, it's nice to be home!this entry's permalink
Friday, April 02, 2004
No Nutrition In The AAdmirals Club...
Just booze, junk, olives, and evil cheese....
Chilling sound in Mexico... ..the sucking sound of manufacturing jobs leaving for China, and service jobs lost to India. Thomas Friedman, who I often disagree with, wrote a compelling piece about Mexico's dilemma this week that's right on the mark...
Here are some photos of Belo Horizonte, Brazil's third largest city and the gateway to several perfectly preserved colonial towns like Ouro Preto that are real jewels. That's where I was this morning:
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Thursday, April 01, 2004
Meat Brazil
Down in Porto Alegre, yet another lavish meat luncheon, with the 'gauchos' (pronounced ga-ooh-shoes), who are mostly of German descent, with a peppering of Italian genes. The 'churrasco,' or mixed grill, was served in rotating style, as in Rio, with the waiters incessantly coming by offering different kinds of meat, until you switch your green signal to red. Afterwards, we met my old pals at Gerdau, which makes long steel (beams, poles, fences) and began with a small nail factory in 1901, growing into a $4 billion empire with 10 mills in the Eastern US. Tomorow I must rise at 5am, fly to Belo Horizonte, fly back for a meeting, get to the international airport by 6pm for my 10:30pm flight. Chances are I will not post (boo hoo), but this weekend will be interesting too.
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Happy Birthday, Mom!
Work, Sleep, Look At Scenery. Work, Sleep, Look At Scenery...
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