Friday, June 11, 2004

Don't Go In The Bushes


"Fire Island....It's a funky weekend, a funky funky weekend
This is the place where you'll find me
The summer sea, the place where love is free, yeah" - The Village People, 1977

So I'm off for a weekend at the beach. Forecast is 70F, Sunny. Forecast in my head is cloudier but hoping for scattered sunshine and light breeze. Probably will have internet access to post tomorrow, if I know my hosts... Happy Friday, everyone...

# posted by Aaron @ 4:33 PM
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Not Just A Pack Of Trojans... : - )


Now, That's Entertainment : - ) Facetious? Not entirely. "Troy," besides displaying generous portions of Brad Pitt, reminds us that "engaging Hollywood historical epic" doesn't have to be a contradiction in terms... While dialogue and direction were certainly not Oscar-calibre, I give them points for respecting their source material (minus interaction with Greek gods, as Brian points out), faithfully rendering the character development and emotional center of Homer's original. Acting ranged from good to excellent, with Peter O'Toole shining particularly bright as King Priam; the man's talent has aged like good wine. And, yes, that's a map of Troy, Michigan, just for the sake of completeness.
# posted by Aaron @ 9:15 AM
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Thursday, June 10, 2004

Breathing Air


"England and America are two countries divided by a common language." - George Bernard Shaw

Before the breathing air is gone... Before the sun, is just a bright spot in the nightime... So sang Three Dog Night in 1970 as I clung to my transistor radio on a noisy, sweat-drenched summer camp bus. Iceland has some of the world's cleanest air and water, since there is basically no heavy industry. They live mostly from tourism and fishing, and their electric power is hydro, from the melting glaciers that are 25% of its surface area. Here I am in the brisk 50F air stretching my limbs after a long jeep ride over volcanic gravel roads. Wearing my burgundy shirt, a current fave. Have I babbled enough? I should go do some research : - ) This weekend I'm off to funky Fire Island, invited by my former competitor and former host Chris. Tonight, a rare Hollywood movie outing, I'm seeing Troy with Christi, front row so as best to appreciate the parade of Greek and Trojan flesh...

"The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place" - George Bernard Shaw
Here's some unauthorized humor : - )


# posted by Aaron @ 10:35 AM
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Wednesday, June 09, 2004

"Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh." -George Bernard Shaw

# posted by Aaron @ 11:00 AM
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Through Sangria-Colored Glasses..


Sangria flowed liberally through my veins and arteries last night, during dinner with Pat Stumpp at the colorful El Quijote restaurant, niched in the landmark Chelsea Hotel (picture left) on 23rd St. I gave my digital camera a nice workout, snapping away at colors, angles, and drunk smiles (see me, below.) Blowing off steam on a summer night? Releasing the stress I've felt since returning from Iceland? Post-sickness-revelry? Existential trauma? : - ) Solo Dios sabe... As my sangria level rose, I began snapping wallpaper (see below), waiters, other guests, and, while walking home, an argument between two motorists at a red light. Pat heard one passerby surmise that I was "gathering evidence" for something. : - ) Thomas' friend has this great page with dialogue by random New Yorkers overhead in the streets (much the same as Stan Mack's Real Life Funnies in the Village Voice circa 1985....)

I have Friday off in honor of Reagan! This means I can go to Fire Island early, where I've been invited by my ex-competitor and 2002 beach house host Chris Taylor. I'm sure Reagan will be happy somewhere up there to know that I'm enjoying an extra sunny day at Fire Island Pines because of him. : - )




# posted by Aaron @ 9:36 AM
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Tuesday, June 08, 2004

Sex, sangria, rock n' roll, and memories. Sigh.
# posted by Aaron @ 10:54 PM
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Natural hot springs dot Iceland's interior, offering 80F water even as an icy wind chills the air to 20F. Our excursion advertised this as a 'open-door bathing opportunity.' And we did see some brave bikini-clad souls attempt it! The program also called for lunch at 1pm, without explaining that one had to bring the lunch along. There are no stores, no restaurants, and no signs of edible life here at Lannmannalaugar. Since we were half-way there when we learned of our food predicament, I wound up lunching on cookies and chips purchased at a gas station, while my mother picked at a very questionable pre-packaged sandwich!
# posted by Aaron @ 4:04 PM
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Meet Dr. Alzheimer


"When a thing is funny, search it for a hidden truth" - George Bernard Shaw

Like Frankenstein, Alzheimer is the doctor, not the monster. This week's media attention to Alzheimer's disease got me wondering just who this Alzheimer cat is, so I looked him up. Alois Alzheimer (1864-1915) was the German neurpathologist and psychiatrist that discovered the nature of, and gave his name to, senility. Many fun Alzeimher facts include: 1) His doctoral thesis was on the wax-producing glands of the ear; 2) He seldom lectured without his trademark cigar, and liked to pace the room and stare over students' shoulders. One student noted: "It is said that at the end of the day there would always be a cigar stump at every student's bench by the microscope, marking his tour in the laboratory;" and finally 3) While not Jewish, he is buried in a Jewish cemetery next to his beloved wife, who was the widow of a wealthy banker when she married him.


# posted by Aaron @ 10:24 AM
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Monday, June 07, 2004

Here's a much better picture of Kelly, whose play I hope to see on Thursday (see last night's post). Also, Rekjavik's green church, taken from across a charming man-made lake in back of their postmodern City Hall building. Icelanders like to paint their homes and buildings in bright, pretty colors, probably to mitigate the grey weather and sunlight-free winter..
"A drama critic is a man who leaves no turn unstoned" - George Bernard Shaw

"Democracy is a device that ensures that we will be governed no better than we deserve" - George Bernard Shaw

# posted by Aaron @ 12:50 PM
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Sunday, June 06, 2004

Oh Boy!


Kelly's play is getting good reviews, I'm happy to report! He's currently appearing in "Boy," the new Off-Broadway play by Julia Jordan of "Recent Tragic Events" fame. I might go with my friend Christi Aguiar to see it on Thursday. Kelly AuCoin, of course, was my brother-in-law for three years (through Brian) and I suppose still is, sort of. I've seen him act in half a dozen plays and have each time immensely enjoyed both Kelly and the play.
# posted by Aaron @ 8:57 PM
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The Iceland Photos Cometh...


This is a volcanic explosion crater at Lannmannalaugar (pronounced 'land man a lawyer'). Iceland is a highly volcanic island, perched between the European and American tectonic plates. The interior a is largely uninhabitable but eerily beautiful mountainous wateland, with the population spread around a ring of coastline, served by a "Ring Road" that takes 12 hours to circumnavigate in good weather.





Here's another shot of the volcanic explosion crater:


"The sex relation is not a personal relation. It can be irresistably desired and rapturously consummated between persons who could not endure one another for a day in any other relation." - George Bernard Shaw
"I went into a McDonald's yesterday and said 'I'd like some fries.' The girl at the counter responded: Would you like some fries with that?'" - Jay Leno
# posted by Aaron @ 11:03 AM
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