Sunday, October 31, 2004

Squid Pro Quo

So lazy this weekend. It's sunny out, 71F and feels like summer. short-sleeve weather. thursday night at work cleaning crew almost incinerated my light jacket - mistook it for trash. mounted a full search, in spanish, with a crew of 4 hapless night cleaners, and found it just in time. brushed it off, and wore it home. another close one. More later, including my encounter with 2,000 would-be corrections officers on the streets of Chelsea...



more later I promise - must go learn FrontPage software as the webmaster-to-be of my gay outdoors group. later dudes


An unusual sight as I sipped latte in the grey Chelsea dawn yesterday: hundreds of burly, tough men and women of color standing on line, stone-faced. Halloween party? Rumble? Tryouts for a XX video? Not at all! It was the annual Corrections Officer placement exam, administered at our local high school on 18th street.. Go figure.

Weekend Halloween is Maximum Halloween. This gives everyone plenty of time for costumes and trick-or-treating. Days like these you realize just how many families with young children Manhattan does have...




French Post-Fridays /
Surlendemains-de-Vendredi Français

Enfin, la fin des elections, on saura d'ici peu. La marge ne pourrait pas être plus etroite - c'est presque empaté - Bush a une toute petite avantage pour le vote populaire, tandis que Kerry pourrait bien s'emporter le vote electoral, et donc la presidence. Mais ce que les sondages ne peut pas prevoir, c'est le niveau de participation pour chaque parti et pour chaque état. On dit que ça va battre tous les records - deux armées de volontaires se déploient un peu partout dans le Midwest et en Floride. Y compris Erik a Missouri, Kelly et Carolyn en Pennsylvanie, et peut-etre Robert dans l'Ohio. Croisons les doigts, les orteils, et tout ce qu'on peut croiser, et touchons du bois.

Les elections m'ont inspire a préparer un mix-cd tres spéciale - mon idée originelle c'etait un cd pour 'fêter' ou pour 'consoler' selon le resultat. Mais je me suis rendu compte que, dans les deux cas, on aura egalment besoin de quelquechose pour détendre et soulager. Donc, la musique melodique, un peu moins rock que d'habitude, enregistré et envoyé avant mardi.

Spanish Sunday / Domingo en Castellano


¡Qué semana tan intensa! Muchísimo trabajo, es cuando las empresas anuncian sus resultados trimestrales y tengo que preparar numeros e informes. Y el ruido al fondo es el de la campaña electoral, la lucha por la presidencia norteamericano y para nuestro futuro inmediato como país. Es un país muy, muy dividido, casi 50/50, una brecha cultural enorme entre el oscurantismo religioso, la histeria, y el aislamiento por un lado y el progreso, la secularizacion, y el internacionalismo por el otro. Martes vamos a saber lo que pasa, si damos un paso para adelante con Kerry, o si seguimos en los mismos errores con Bush, quien es incapaz de reconocer sus errores y aprender de ellos.

Hoy fue Halloween en Chelsea. Es muy lindo cuando cae en un fin de semana, mucho más tiempo para fiestas, y para que los niños vayan en busca de caramelos, galletas, y otros manjares. Todo el mundo en disfraz, salvo yo, sin fiesta y, este año, sin mucha inspiración. No puedo creer que la última vez que estuve de disfraz fue hace 16 años, en vísperas de mi primer viaje a la Argentina, el que me iba a transformar la vida....


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Saturday, October 30, 2004

Aaron contributes to "Overheard In New York"


click here to see my brilliant contribution of humorous overheard dialogue!

Aaron Gets Web-Published!


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Friday, October 29, 2004

My Dad and A Frog


1968 was a nail-biter. My folks of course were rabidly anti-Nixon. His win would be disastrous. 8-year-old Aaron's joke, told that anyone would be better, was to invent examples like, "even a frog would be better." Then Nixon won, and it was scary. But my Dad wisely said to me, "The world isn't going to end, this just means that the country isn't going to be governed the way we'd like it to be." That stuck with me.


French Fri Day later / Vendredi Français d'ici peu.


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Thursday, October 28, 2004

Likely Voters and Lena's


This is my Aunt Lena, a great aunt in both senses of the word, at a ripe young 23 on her 1918 wedding day in Lowell, Mass. This, of course, was the year the Boston Red Sox last won the world series (Go Sox!, Go Kerry!), just weeks before the end of "The War To End All Wars." How time files when you're having fun...

Anyway, I'm very happy indeed for my hometown, its population, its team, and its candidate. What a wonderful year for Massachusettes! Free to get married, have my team win the world series, and hopefully, watch my brother Bostonian take the oath on January 20. Cross your fingers! Cross your toes! Cross any other digits that you can make cross!




Peace, Aaron



Cartoons:



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Wednesday, October 27, 2004

303962702 28th 75th


My voter serial #, election district, and assembly district, in case any of you want to 'challenge' me at the polls next Tuesday. I'm prepared.

Right On, Maude! Few TV shows (pictured left) call to mind better the liberal milieu in which I grew up. Secular humanists rock!

Don't have much to say today, or time to say it. My eye aches from reading earnings releases. I'm good at shoveling the tide with a pitchfork. : - )

Cartoons follow. French and Spanish summaries return Friday & Sunday, promise... Peace - Aaron




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Tuesday, October 26, 2004

The Slings And Arrows
Of Earnings Season


Blurry here.. It's raining earnings releases, which must be studied and judged, and i'm spending long days juggling and multi-tasking. That explains my spotty blog postings. Well, at least I have cartoons... : - ) I also have this lovely photo of Hanoi's Vietcombank, in case you missed it on your last Vietnam trip.








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Monday, October 25, 2004

Florida Is The New Florida


The cliché of the decade so far is to say 'X is the new Y,' with X and Y being, if not opposites, than contrasts. Examples: 40 is the new 30, about age. Quiet is the new Loud, Steak is the new Pasta, etc. It's kind of a reflection of how dramatically the canvas of our life changed, mostly for the better, through advances ranging from smart cell phones to anti-depressants... Anyway, these are my deep thoughts for the morning.

At left is a manatee, a lovely water mammal that inhabits Florida's fresh waters, or what's left of them. Manatees have a rough time these days, and are constantly being hit by speedboats. However, they remain majestic and noble. They are also reputed to have ghastly breath.



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Sunday, October 24, 2004

Hey there. Still kind of sick, and laying low. I turned to Netflix for distraction, and watched the 1949 classic All The King's Men, the Oscar- and Pulitzer-winning tale loosely based on the life of Louisiana's populist/demagogue Governor Huey Long. He may be the closest thing the US ever had to Perón : - ) Great performances all around - very different, much better than I expected.

Not much else to report. I gave Thomas my ticket's to last night's triple-bill electronica concert of Mouse On Mars, Ratatat, and Junior Boys. Can't wait to hear what a laptronica band actually does up there, since the music's entirely programmed... : - ) Enjoy the rest of your weekends. Go Sox. Go Kerry!





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Saturday, October 23, 2004

Well, my overtaxed body, led by my throat, went on strike yesterday, after an intense week of work and play. So this weekend I'm laying low, resting, and tending to my sore and congested head... : - ) Saw a great play, Greenwillows, with Pat Stumpp and her friend Nancy last night, as part of a series of staged readings of forgotten musicals called "Musicals in Mufti" - a rural theme with lots of wry humor and character turns. Well, here are some cartoons. Later.





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Friday, October 22, 2004

Burning The Candle


At both ends, and in the middle... : - ) Wow, I've gone out every night this week, and spent every day on the phone 9 hours with investors, hitting a home run on our "maiden voyage" deal. So I'm the hero of the day, with a slight sore throat.. : - ) Last night, Bart invited me take in some jazz at the legendary Hotel Algonquin's equally legendary Oak Room. This elegant venue seats about 75 in a rectangular room of dark oak tones and white tablecloths. Normal price: $50 entry plus $20 minimum consumption. Bart somehow got tickets for $3... How coule we resist? Tonight, a play (no idea which) with Pat Stumpp. Tomorrow, laptop electronica (laptronica!) at midnight with Thomas at the Bowery Ballroom, headlined by Mouse On Mars...
Full report later

Cartoons follow...
Vendredi Français / French Fri Day coming late afternoon...
(francophiles: check out a week's worth of Thomas' Paris pictures
...)
Domingos en Castellano / Spanish Sunday will resurface, indeed, on Sunday




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Thursday, October 21, 2004

Gloat Gloat But Remember To Vote


From yesterday’s Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?....This is the 'couldn't happen to a nicer guy than Bill O'Reilly' edition... : - )
Question: “Last week, a Fox News Channel producer sued Bill O'Reilly for sexual harassment, alleging that the cable host pressured her into phone sex. What do you think?”

Answer 1: "Someone's coming at Bill O'Reilly with lurid public accusations of a heinous personal nature? Wow. Sometimes life can be so... fair."
Answer 2: "He wasn't sexually harassing her. He was just looking out for her, like he's doing for all of us, all the time."
Answer 3: “This is just another example of the liberal media's bias against self-destructive, narcissistic, screaming sexist assholes."
Answer 4: "Whether Andrea Mackris' claims are true or false, one thing is certain—that woman is never working for the vast right-wing conspiracy again."
Answer 5: “Just once, I'd like to hear about a sex scandal with honest-to-God penetration."
Answer 6: "No wonder it costs $3.99 a minute to call in to 'The Factor.'"

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yyyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Go Sox!!! Go Kerry!!!!

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Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Let No Man Put A-Sondre... : - )









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Wow, I forgot to post and missed a day! First time in many moons! Ultra busy workday, followed by evening in Park Slope where I dined w Bart & Ashley at Surreal Cafe. Afterwards, we met Kelly and Carolyn (Bri's sister) and together we all saw Norwegian singer-songwriter Sondre Lerche (left) at Southpaw.


How wonderful to go out and hang with friends during the week... There once was a time when my weeknight activities were frequent. Time to break the rut. I ain't no ruttle. : - )


Here's my sister Deena before her recent accident:



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Monday, October 18, 2004

Hotel Hotel, Lounge Lounge


In a midtown hotel room (Omni at 52nd & 5th), I spent Saturday morning and afternoon making Venezuelan executives rehearse for a marathon of 24/7 presentations next week. I also improvised question and answer sessions to give them practice at that. I was reduced to lunching on cashews from the room's 'frigobar'...

Worked until 11pm Friday night doing the same...


But this is clearly the most important project of the year. We need a hit to really lauch our business... Cross your fingers, my friends...


Late afternoon Saturday I joined Bart and Ashley for a delightful high British tea at the St Regis. They both looked lovely in formal wear - Ashley was off to a gala museum function afterwards. As you can see in the picture, luxury teas are served with scones, jams, miniature sandwiches, and gourmet miniature cakes, cookies, and other scrumptious confections, arranged on three levels of a shiny silver plate-holder..


Check your diet at the door.... : - )




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Sunday, October 17, 2004

Jump Shout -- Knock Yourself Out


Just an hour after high tea, I joined my pal Christi for another meal, before going to a concert.. I wisely chose Regional Thai Taste, so that I could drink my dinner, getting loaded instead of stuffed. I did have a papaya salad...









Shortly after 8 we arrived at Irving Plaza for an envigorating one-two punch of a melodious, musically adventurous and particpatory evening. Main attraction, of course, was the amazing, adorable, and multi-talented jazz-cum-indie prodigy that is Jamie Cullum (pictured left). Jamie bounced, leaped, and somersaulted back and forth between the piano and center stage with boundless energy. as he riffed and spun unpredictable and exciting extended versions of his wonderful songs. If anyone hasn't heard Jamie, I'd be happy to pour some sugar in your bowl - just let me know. His stage presence is all enthusiasm, humor, and the giddy pleasure of being a 'twentysomething' pleasing the world by following his muse. At one point, a concertgoer fainted (not because of Jamie) and had to be carried out. I was relieved she was OK, and happy she hadn't thrown up. Warming up was David Ryan Harris, an African-American indie veteran that struck chords with his songs of relationships, happy and failed, past and present.

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Saturday, October 16, 2004

Where have you been all my life, Jamie Cullum? : - )


Hyperkinetic, musically brilliant, endlessly inventive, bursting with cathartic joy... The best of the 20-odd (20-something?) concerts I've seen so far this year.... More tomorrow on the odyssey of contrasts and sensations that was today.... Go, Jamie, Go....

I bid ye all goode night...






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Friday, October 15, 2004

Where The Streets Have No Name


I was here, in the belt of shantytowns that are 80% of Asuncion, Paraguay, in 1989. Here, the homes have no floors (or electricity or water), and an umbrella is a luxury item. When it rains, you take cover, or get wet... I was visiting with my then-boyfriend Andres, with whom I'm still very close. He was born about 300 miles southeast, in sleepy Encarnación, on the border of Argentina (the Paraguay river), and at age 10 moved to Buenos Aires, where he lives now. He returned to Paraguay Columbus Day weekend for a wedding, and will be sending some words or pictures to post here.

after today's cartoon: French Fri Days / Vendredi Français

Bonjour mes amis. Quelle semaine! On a enfin annoncé notre affaire de l'année ici au boulot, c'est mon grand moment pour éblouir mon public investisseur par moyen d'attention et d'explications très animées. Demain soir Christi et moi, on va au concert du tres beau Jamie Cullum, un chanteur anglais de jazz. Avant ça, du thé a l'anglaise avec Bart... Ce soir, j'aimerais me faire un petit cinoche, ça fait trois jours que j'essaye de voir "I Heart Huckabees" avec Lily Tomlin et Dustin Hoffman - mercredi, trop crevé, jeudi, il m'a fallu travailler le soir... Quoi encore? Se ronger les ongles en attendant les elections presidentielles... Le marge est assez etroite... Il y a aussi la possibilité que Kerry gagne la vote electorale (et devienne president) et perde la vote populaire. Ce serait beaucoup mieux qu'il gagne toutes les deux, pour pas accentuer la rancune politique qui divise déjá ce pays comme jamais dans ma vie.... Ecris-moi, je tiens a avoir de tes nouvelles... grosses bises - Aaron

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Thursday, October 14, 2004

Ice Ice Baby


So I skipped the debate, another Kerry win. I bought a ticket to "I Heart Huckabees," which I really want to see, but was too drowsy to go. Instead, I listened to "Life of Pi," a lovely book on tape about a zookeeper's son lost at sea with zoo animals, while silent movie footage cavorted across my DVD-fueled TV screen.

Hidden Cameras, Toronto's wall of pretty sound and homoeroticism, was of course sold out last night, but they're I got tickets to their Oct 31 gig at Maxwell's, which should be well worth the Sunday evening pilgrimmage to Hoboken. These queer performance artists share the bill with the equally avant-garde Fiery Furnaces. Pictured are polar bears and Glacier Bay in Alaska, which I hope to see someday. I have visited every state except Alaska and Hawaii, usually 'scenting my trail' with a meal or a snack.

Cartoon follows my weekly Spanish summary....
En Castellano: Fin de semana muy lindo en NY, muy otoñal. Tuvimos el festival "Open Door" - Puertas Abiertas - en el que muchos lugares normalmente cerrados abren sus puertas al público. Los destaques fueron: el enorme centro masónico - un palacio de 11 pisos menos de 3 cuadras de mi apartamento, el cementerio de marmol con tumbas subterraneas bajo un césped lindo y detras de muros de piedras blancas, una iglesia gótica muy insólita, diagonal y con mucho vidrio tinto, que más - evité el 'High Line,' ese tren elevado que se transformará en parque, para evitar la cola larguísima que el proyecto popular atraía. Saqué muchas fotos de todo que prometo mostrar en este espacio dentro de muy poco. Ayer decidí de evitar los debates presidenciales e ir al cine, pero me dormí y perdí mi entrada - al final me quedé en cama y escuché un poco mi libro en cassette, el excelente 'La Vida de Pi'," sobre un chico de India perdido en alta mar con los animales del zoologico de su padre. Abrazos - Aaron

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Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Smells Like Happiness


My deal is on! Announced to the world yesterday, I'm the analyst supporting the first international bond by Venezuela's largest private electric company, EDC - Electricidad de Caracas. While I'm singing the strenghts, risks, virtues, and quirks of this Venezuelan island of efficiency, over 1,000 new & indie music groups have descended on NYC for the annual four-day CMJ New Music Marathon Festival, running now through Saturday. At left, Hidden Cameras, totally sold-out for tonight, the band I most would love to see (instead of debates) - beautiful melodies, a wall of sound, homo imagery, and performance art. Toronto's gift to new music, post-modernity, and blue-state cool. More on that later...

Cartoons!:




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Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Blowkay By Me


Cheer Youself Up and Help the Democrats & Forces Of Good: Buy It, Buy It.... I've been giggling all weekend reading "Future Dictionary Of America," in which 200 great writers, artists, and musicians fight the power via the funny bone, "imagining America's language sometime in the future when all or most of the country's problems are solved and the present government is a distant memory."

example:
blowkay [bloh'-kay] adj. of an attitude that elected officials who have sexual relations outside of marriage while in office are less deserving of impeachment that officials whose lame decisions lead to the loss of human life. ex: "Folks say the new senator is a skirt chaser, but as long as he doesn't send thousands of Americans off to die in a war on false pretenses, he's blowkay by me."


Your $28 contribution also gets you the Future Soundtrack Of America, with great music by 20 artists as diverse as REM, Fountains Of Wayne, Long Winters, and my namesake, OK Go!.


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Monday, October 11, 2004

Under the stars, under the light....


I'm too lazy for my hat, too lazy for my hat, how about that? : - )

Another sunny day, work to do, but bop bop diddley opp, off into the sun with a smile on my face and a latte in my hand...




Le Cartoon:


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Sunday, October 10, 2004

What a great day! Out the door at 10am, hours of exploring downtown's hidden corners, revealed under the spotlight of Open House NY. Today I saw Union Square Ballroom, Ernest Flagg Rectory, Marble Cemetery, and other urban wonders. Each has an unusual story, and I will dribble and drabble my many photos over the coming week. Below: detail at Grand Lodge of Masons, the century-old HQ of the world's oldest brotherhood. This was like discovering an 11-story Versailles a mere two blocks from my home...


Cartoons du Jour



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Saturday, October 09, 2004

Today's The Day!! (Thanks, Dad....) Open House beckons... full report later...





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Friday, October 08, 2004

Master Of The Web


Quelle honeur! I've been invited to be the Web Master for Sundance, my gay outdoors club! There's a learning curve to climb, but I'm totally fascinated. Looking at a perfect Columbus Day weekend - three crisp, sunny, autumnal days in the 60-70F range. On the agenda: exploring NY's many normally-off-limits treasures as part of the Open House New York festival, seeing Bart & Ashley this evening at the Beer Garden of Brooklyn Historical Society in Brooklyn Heights, where Ashley works, a movie or two (Huckabees? Dig?), tons of music (maybe a surprise concert), visiting out-of-town friend, sunshine, happiness...


French Fri Days follows Cartoons / Apres les desseins, Vendredi Français


Salut mes amis! Quel beau weekend nous attend ici a NY - c'est l'autonne du nord-est americain, les feuilles colorées, l'air frais et doux, le soleil resplendissant. Trois jours de loisirs, grace a Christophe Colomb!
Ce qui est mieux encore - Ce weekend on fête
'Open House NY' - beaucoup d'endroits d'acces strictement controlé ouvrent leurs portes au public, y compris le fameux chemin de fer elevé ou j'ai failli être arrêté en juillet. Ce soir j'vais voir Bart et Ashley a Brooklyn Heights, au museé ou il travaille, il y a un truc 'jardin de biere'... Andres part pour le Paraguay, voir les noces de sa demi-soeur, Thomas arrive a Paris demain matin. J'vais voir aussi un ami de Miami qui sera ici pour le weekend. Quoi encore? Me faire un petit cinoche? Peut-etre "J'aime Huckabees" (avec Lily Tomlin et Dustin Hoffman) our le documentaire "Dig"... On verra. Grosses bises - Aaron

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Thursday, October 07, 2004

The Road To Astana (From Doug In Kazakhstan)

My friend Doug works in London doing research on Russian and Central/Eastern European corporations that issue bonds. These are his notes and pictures from a recent trip to Kazakhstan, which is the size of Argentina or India with the population of Texas.

"A typical example of Kazakh restraint, here reflected in the architecture of a restaurant in Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan that they are building in the desert. "

"Horse milk on the left, camel's milk on the right. No, it does not taste like cow's milk. Blaring music, lasers, and an elaborate Las Vegas-style show at this restaurant helped prepare us for the evening's adventures in Almaty (biggest city and former capital of Kazakhstan) "


"This is warmed horse fat. Thankfully, the flavor is not intense as that of horse stomach (consumed but not photographed). The texture was neither better nor worse than you might expect."

"Stories of high vodka consumption in Kazakhstan are apparently overblown. : - )"
"Later, at a karaoke joint, a spirited local girl challenged every man in the group to an arm-wrestling match. In our sample study, the formerly nomadic race prevails over the Poles and Germans regardless of gender. As the sole representative of the sole super power, I was relieved to fare somewhat better than my colleagues. We would have gotten married but there was a 4:20am plane to catch."



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Wednesday, October 06, 2004

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes


Turned off the VP debate after 20 minutes, was getting too worked up, needed rest. But... woke up at 4am and had to log in and check the spin.. Oh, well. As ABC sang in 1985, 'If the blast don't get you / then the fallout will'... At left, Mount St Helens in 1980, erupting for the first time in several centuries. I'd wanted to visit St Helens last year toward the end of my cross-country odyssey, but then I had the car crash and the Indian attack, and the rest is history... Here's a good St Helens page with photos.






From this morning’s Onion, my favorite feature, “What Do YOU Think?
Question: “Last week, a federal judge deemed a Patriot Act provision that allowed the FBI to secretly obtain Internet and telephone records unconstitutional. What do you think?”

Answer 1: ""Wait a second. The rest of the Patriot Act is still okay?""
Answer 2: "The Patriot Act never made sense to me. Aren't the Republicans proponents of small government? Hey! Where are you taking me?"
Answer 3: "I'm glad the provision was deemed illegal, because it would've forced my phone provider to lie to me. I just couldn't handle knowing that Verizon had lied to me."
Answer 4: "That's the way these things happen. First, they overturn one little clause, then they whittle away at the rest. Before you know it, our civil liberties will be totally restored."

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Tuesday, October 05, 2004

Open Up, Open Up, New York


Mark Your Calendars. This weekend is "Open House New York," when many places normally off-limits to visitors open their doors; others merely drop their fees. Attractions include seeing the edge of the High Line, that defunct elevated rail and park-in-waiting, as well as Chelsea lofts, design institutes (near left)Loisaida's Eldridge St Synagogue, tour of St John the Divine, Lux Studios, Fireboat, High Bridge Watertower (middle), and that Library Tower in the Village you've always wanted to see (far left).

Busy week. Asked what's new, only work comes to mind.. Must change that... Might see a movie tonight as a Deba-ternative. Andres, my ex, who lives in Argentina, is headed for Paraguay this weekend - his half-sister's getting married. Andres' life would make a good Dickens novel. Check out picture of moi on Thomas' blog - from Saturday's gallery hop.

Cartoon:




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Monday, October 04, 2004

Coming Soon?


I'm so stoked by Kerry's debate triumph! The polls are even again, and the momentum is with the forces of good... : - )

Nice Sunday. Out on Hudson River Park piers with Christi, soaking in the overwhelming sunlight, light so intense and refined that every little detail shimmered.

And now, facing a mountain of work like a hiker faces Storm King Mountain - upwards, ho!

Here are some cartoons:




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Sunday, October 03, 2004

Where The Sun Hits The Sky...


Another crisp, cloudless, autumn day in NY... My weekend, delightful and interesting so far. Last night, I had the thrill of watching Supergrass perform 20 feet in front of me at Webster Hall, with my pal Thomas, to an enthusiastic crowd of 300.(meaning Thomas watched it with me, not that he performed with the band... :-). These precocious lads, who fill stadiums in their native UK, are celebrating 10 years and four solid albums of clever, melodic rock that combines influences as diverse as Buzzcocks, Stones, Jam, John Lennon, and Madness, creating something uniquely they're own. If anyone wants to hear a sampling, let me know, and I'll gladly pour some sugar in your bowl... : - ).


Earlier, I visited galleries with Thomas and met Morgan Friedman, the ingenious sui generis behind Overheard In New York and many other clever web ideas. Checkout his main page as well, a treasure trove of delightful miscellany, including etymologies, Simpsons quotes, Borges poetry, and his new Cyranet, greeting cards for every situation that "say what you think, with the wit that you don't have" : - ) At left, Pheobe Washburn's shantytown-like wood-block collage-sculptures, inspired by Rio de Janeiro's favelas. It closed yesterday. But check out her site.

Even earlier, had breakfast with Jon, just back from China and Vietnam, and basking in the pleasures of grad school and an increasingly likely Kerry victory (yes!). Jon is both a passionate Democrat and an independent mind that thinks out of the box, something sorely lacking in both parties. He is wisely pursuing a masters in international relations and public policy at NYU.

Spanish Sunday / Domingo en Castellano


Un fin de semana muy divertido hasta ahora. Anoche fuimos a ver a Supergrass, un cuarteto ingles de rock melódico, conocidísimo en tierra suya, pero casi desconocido acá. Asi que estuvimos (con Thomas) a 6 metros de músico que llenan estadios en Europa. Y qué buenos.. Con menos de 28 años, ya van 4 CD excelentes y una década en gira. Combinan influencias diversas, desde John Lennon y los Stones hasta los años 80s. Por la tarde, dimos una vuelta por las galerías de Chelsea, donde vimos la escultura-collage de Pheobe Washburn, con bloques de madera, que interepreta las favelas de Rio (la foto está arriba, con las de Supergrass). Y conocí por fin a Morgan, el amigo de Thomas que redacta un site de diálogo sorprendente escuchado por las calles, tiendas, y subtes de NY. Morgan, tal como Thomas y yo, pasó una temporada en Argentina y su site es bilingüe y hasta tiene una poema de Borges. Con cariño - Aaron


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Saturday, October 02, 2004

Party Like It's 1988!

Happy Anniversary, Deena and Dave! (actually, it was yesterday.. oops...) Here's a family shot at my sister's wedding, October 1, 1988. From left, Jennifer Thrasher (bridesmaid and Dee's best friend), Mom, Dad, Deena, Dave, our wonderful Aunt Lena (at 93!) and yours truly, a glowing and youthful 28.


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Friday, October 01, 2004

Nearer Than Heaven...


Stake your claim on the morning sun... And New York has plenty of it this morning, shimmering in the crisp autumn air. Starbucks surprised me yesterday at 6am when, while buying my morning latte, they gave me a free gift box with a book of "Poetry from the Coffee Lands" and a mini-pouch of coffee beans. At first glance, the book's actually pretty good - Octavio Paz represents Mexico - I'll have to share some examples with you later. Also just in: got an interestng letter from Marlina in Indonesia - I support her and her village, Warga Bahagia. More on that later. Up this weekend: galleries, Supergrass concert, Sunday afternoon in the village near Hudson River Park, probably a movie tonight... Happy Friday, all...

French Friday follows the cartoons / Aprés les desseins suivra 'vendredi français





Bonjour les garçons! J'suis vraiment en forme ce matin. Comme il fait beau a NY en octobre, avec un soleil resplendissant, de l'air frais, une temperature plus baisse mais fort agréable. Ma soeur Deena va mieux, elle attend toujours sa chirurgie, mais du moins elle l'attend chez soi. Regarde dimanche, j'ai commencé un petit paragraphe hebdo en espagnol, pour Andres et mes amis hispanophones. Cette semaine sur mon blog, j'ai mis des photos de Mali (pas les miennes), un homage d'anniversaire pour mon ex Brian, un déjeuner dégeulasse mais obligatoire au boulot, des desseins, de l'humour. J'ai vu les debats presidentiels hier soir (ça m'a couté 90 minutes de sommeil), je crois que Kerry a réussi, et qu'il va monter dans les sondages - ce sera trés etroit, je crois, mais a la fin, j'éspere que mon pays a le courage de changer de cheval en pleine guerre... Sur l'itineraire de ce weekend: des galleries, un concert de Supergrass a Webster Hall avec Thomas (qui part le 6 octobre pour la France), dimanche au village et sur les quais avec Christi, un film, de la musique... ah, vendredi...

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