This is friggin' hilarious!
Friday, February 01, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sad News
I was really shocked and saddened to hear about Heath Ledger's death. Amanda heard word from a friend yesterday afternoon, I was sure she misheard something along the way. For years, Amanda has loved the film "10 Things I Hate About You" and now is of the age to call him "gorgeous" (I wholeheartedly agree.) Aside from his handsome looks though, he is a fine actor, loved him in "Brokeback Mountain," and now I imagine "Batman: Dark Knight" will have the same dark shadow cast over it that "The Crow" did when Brandon Lee died. He also seemed like a truly doting dad and a down to Earth person, a rarity in the Holllywood scene these days.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Looks Like St. Francis Prep is It
Up til today, we were all fine. Come noon time, all of our brains were blotto, with the realization that today was the day we'd get notification on the Catholic High Schools. That damned postman was ever so slow! I was pacing my block furiously, practically stalking the guy. I couldn't think straight or do any work. In a rarity, my daughter bolted home from school, but her teacher had already tipped her off that things were looking good.
After loving it, loving another and then loving it madly all over again, Amanda has made St. Francis Prep. She made the others, too, one was with honors and an incentive to take senior classes at St. John's University. But it's St. Francis Prep all the way, she says. Gulp. Where do I get my shovel?
Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled for her and loved watching her do her happy dance...we did apply for the specialized high schools too (earlier this year it was looking like more of a necessity than a choice...) but we won't hear word on that til March or so. But, going to Prep is going to be a commitment of paying $28,000 for the next four years!!!
The other day, there was a small news item about how Yale is offering a 50% reduced tuition rate for students whose families make less than $120,000. You think at first hearing this wow, that's great! That's still $120,000 or so for school, before all other expenses. And Amanda isn't going to college for another four years. So now we'd have to take a vow of poverty to accept...going into poverty...it is a vicious cycle.
After loving it, loving another and then loving it madly all over again, Amanda has made St. Francis Prep. She made the others, too, one was with honors and an incentive to take senior classes at St. John's University. But it's St. Francis Prep all the way, she says. Gulp. Where do I get my shovel?
Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled for her and loved watching her do her happy dance...we did apply for the specialized high schools too (earlier this year it was looking like more of a necessity than a choice...) but we won't hear word on that til March or so. But, going to Prep is going to be a commitment of paying $28,000 for the next four years!!!
The other day, there was a small news item about how Yale is offering a 50% reduced tuition rate for students whose families make less than $120,000. You think at first hearing this wow, that's great! That's still $120,000 or so for school, before all other expenses. And Amanda isn't going to college for another four years. So now we'd have to take a vow of poverty to accept...going into poverty...it is a vicious cycle.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Twice is Nice
Hey folks, I'm up for two PPA Awards (Parenting Publishers of America) for a news feature and a general feature I did in Big Apple Parent last year, I'll find out March 2. Even getting nominated is nice, of course, but it would be cool to win one (or two.) Now I'm working with the Labor Research Association.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Uggh!
Out of curiosity, I went to iTunes to listen to tracks from the newly released Broadway production of Xanadu, one of my fave movies as a child, especially because of the fantastic music by Olivia Newton John and Electric Light Orchestra. When I listen to ELO sing "All Over The World" I am a kid again on roller skates. That song always puts me in the best mood.
This new production is pitiful! Painful! I did see a performance once on The View that looked and sounded horrible too, but I thought I should give it another chance.
This new production is pitiful! Painful! I did see a performance once on The View that looked and sounded horrible too, but I thought I should give it another chance.
Saturday, January 12, 2008
Humming Underwater
I hum tunes from the new Radiohead release "In Rainbows," which is just haunting and brilliant. There's this beautiful fusion of orchestral compositions with fuzzy guitars and sometimes trance-like beats...and Thom's voice is an amazing instrument unto itself. I'm no music critic, but it's just beautiful. I got those Bose earphones at Christmas, and listening to it is like a religious experience.
I think it's a true gift that someone can come up with tunes that seem like they've been around forever, and I'm jealous of them at the same time. How do they do it? They put it all together and the final product is timeless. And easy to remember.
Did you ever try to hum in the bathtub? Submerged under the water, I mean, not above it. If you try, you will find that your humming is SO loud! There's no way to 'hum softly'. I don't know what kind of strange phenomenon it is, but it's weird.
I think it's a true gift that someone can come up with tunes that seem like they've been around forever, and I'm jealous of them at the same time. How do they do it? They put it all together and the final product is timeless. And easy to remember.
Did you ever try to hum in the bathtub? Submerged under the water, I mean, not above it. If you try, you will find that your humming is SO loud! There's no way to 'hum softly'. I don't know what kind of strange phenomenon it is, but it's weird.
Friday, January 04, 2008
First Love, Testing Friendships, A Whole New World
As of December 15, Amanda has embarked on her first relationship with a boy named Chris. He attends another Catholic grammar school nearby, and has known Amanda for several years, first meeting her at (seriously), summer choir camp. He is completely in love with her and, all things considered, Ian and I have been very happy and supportive for Amanda in her first experience in romance. You go in preparing for the worst and when we met this sweet boy instead, we were disarmed.
He is an avid hockey player on a team his father coaches, and had been asking Amanda to attend one of his games for some time. We were finally able to work out her going one (on the 15th) after agreeing to meet him privately the night before, and he seemed very nice and sincere. His dad has been bringing her and one of her friends to the games. We met the father too, and that day was sort of an official blessing on both sides for the relationship to go ahead. He has a very solid family life which also makes us feel good about things, plus good taste in music, a personal plus for Ian and I.
While in the throes of it all, Amanda seems very happy and slightly skeptical about the future of the relationship all at once. Her feelings on love (for the moment) are that a person can love several people in the course of their life, but that they will only "fall" in love once. She has tried to seek out my feelings and says, "I see that look of reminiscing on your face, what do you think?"
I'm stumped. What do I say? I would have thought to say that some people may fall in love several times, but will only find true love-or their soul mate-once. But is that the only time you 'fall'?
This has also been a slightly trying time on one of her friendships, a girl who has brought Amanda to tears on several occasions because she feels Amanda is too wrapped up in her relationship. Tears, forgiveness, joy, the cycle has played over several times now. I really don't like how this chick is constantly testing my daughter's feelings, I didn't like the mind games when I was a teenager, or even as a young adult. Her other best friend has been very sweet and supportive, (my personal fave of the two, she towers at 6'2" and is just a very smart, goofy, sweet-hearted person.) Oh God, and this is just the beginning of the perilous mine fields of the teenage years!
All I know is, we're just trying to keep an eye on things, keep a running dialogue with Amanda, just taking things one day at a time.
He is an avid hockey player on a team his father coaches, and had been asking Amanda to attend one of his games for some time. We were finally able to work out her going one (on the 15th) after agreeing to meet him privately the night before, and he seemed very nice and sincere. His dad has been bringing her and one of her friends to the games. We met the father too, and that day was sort of an official blessing on both sides for the relationship to go ahead. He has a very solid family life which also makes us feel good about things, plus good taste in music, a personal plus for Ian and I.
While in the throes of it all, Amanda seems very happy and slightly skeptical about the future of the relationship all at once. Her feelings on love (for the moment) are that a person can love several people in the course of their life, but that they will only "fall" in love once. She has tried to seek out my feelings and says, "I see that look of reminiscing on your face, what do you think?"
I'm stumped. What do I say? I would have thought to say that some people may fall in love several times, but will only find true love-or their soul mate-once. But is that the only time you 'fall'?
This has also been a slightly trying time on one of her friendships, a girl who has brought Amanda to tears on several occasions because she feels Amanda is too wrapped up in her relationship. Tears, forgiveness, joy, the cycle has played over several times now. I really don't like how this chick is constantly testing my daughter's feelings, I didn't like the mind games when I was a teenager, or even as a young adult. Her other best friend has been very sweet and supportive, (my personal fave of the two, she towers at 6'2" and is just a very smart, goofy, sweet-hearted person.) Oh God, and this is just the beginning of the perilous mine fields of the teenage years!
All I know is, we're just trying to keep an eye on things, keep a running dialogue with Amanda, just taking things one day at a time.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Nip/Tuck-Another Guilty Pleasure
Does anyone watch Nip/Tuck? This is my second year really getting into the show, and it's alot of good dirty fun. Dark to be sure, but fun.I love Julian McMahon.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Post Show Blahs
Ok, I'm happy that Lauren gets to go to Paris (natch) but enduring that post show, especially with Ian teasing me the entire half hour, was like getting a tooth pulled, I thought we were going to find out something salacious, all Lauren's 'big' announcment is that there's more of The Hills in Paris...oy.
My Guilty Pleasure of the last two days...The Hills
I sort of watched absentmindedly this year's season, but then the other night I watched Lauren's recap from her perspective from the past three years, and I kind of liked it; she definitely made some bad choices, and that's part of the (guilty) appeal, I guess. So tonight I'm watching the season finale. And I don't know if anyone caught a spoof of that dumb-as-a-brick post Audrina and her bf of one second, Justin, done by James Franco and the girl from That 70s show, that was funny!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Holiday Meme
A Holiday Meme
Scary, Roe, many of my answers are exactly the same, so those I left as is!
1.) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate... no question.
2.) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps them very nicely at first, and then it becomes a mission to just get the damned things covered in paper of some sort.
3.) Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored!
4.) Do you hang mistletoe? No, but then again, I don't need mistletoe as motivation to smooch loved ones!
5.) When do you put your decorations up? About a week or so before Christmas, we go with Ian's parents to buy our trees! Nothing beats the smell of a fresh tree in the home.
6.) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I'm a traditionalist; turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing... it's Thanksgiving part deux.
7.) Favorite Christmas memory as a child? Getting a hand-held Casio synthesizer from my grandad that I'd wanted.
8.) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I still believe!
9.) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Usually we do a gift swap Christmas Eve with my mother in law's side of the family, so a little bit.
10.) How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My favorite ones are these pewter ornaments we received from Ian's Uncle Peter & Aunt Patti years ago, with the story of "T'was the Night Before Christmas,"on them, along with any ornaments Amanda made.
11.) Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love snow, dread the slush that follows shortly thereafter.
12.) Can you ice skate? I haven't since high school. I still love roller-skating, though!
13.) Do you remember your favorite gift? I'd have to say the keyboard was great, along with 2XL! (Now I'm really dating myself, a la 8 track tapes!) And Atari, of course! I spent many blizzard days playing Berzerk!
14.) What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being surrounded by family and friends. It's like the one time a year you can tell your friends how much you love them without sounding sappy.
15.) What is your favorite holiday desert? All desserts are fair game here, pumpkin, apple pie, cheese cake, pecan pie, pudding pie, anything with a buttery crust!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating our tree and drinking hot chocolate with tunes on; going to the holiday shows at school; our Pizza w/Santa event at school, where Ian and his brother have helped Santa over the years. This gets me every time.
17.) What tops your tree? Actually on a mission this year to get something new in the star family. I think.
18.) Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving!
19.) What is your favorite Christmas Song? Everytime I hear the Peanuts' gang sing "Christmas Time Is Here" I get weepy.
21.) Favorite Christmas Movie? "A Christmas Carol," probably with Albert Finney best, with Patrick Stewart is good also. I've also seen live w/Frank Langella and others, love to read it, pretty much any version.
22.) What do you leave for Santa? Cookies & milk.
Scary, Roe, many of my answers are exactly the same, so those I left as is!
1.) Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate... no question.
2.) Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps them very nicely at first, and then it becomes a mission to just get the damned things covered in paper of some sort.
3.) Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored!
4.) Do you hang mistletoe? No, but then again, I don't need mistletoe as motivation to smooch loved ones!
5.) When do you put your decorations up? About a week or so before Christmas, we go with Ian's parents to buy our trees! Nothing beats the smell of a fresh tree in the home.
6.) What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? I'm a traditionalist; turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing... it's Thanksgiving part deux.
7.) Favorite Christmas memory as a child? Getting a hand-held Casio synthesizer from my grandad that I'd wanted.
8.) When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I still believe!
9.) Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Usually we do a gift swap Christmas Eve with my mother in law's side of the family, so a little bit.
10.) How do you decorate your Christmas tree? My favorite ones are these pewter ornaments we received from Ian's Uncle Peter & Aunt Patti years ago, with the story of "T'was the Night Before Christmas,"on them, along with any ornaments Amanda made.
11.) Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love snow, dread the slush that follows shortly thereafter.
12.) Can you ice skate? I haven't since high school. I still love roller-skating, though!
13.) Do you remember your favorite gift? I'd have to say the keyboard was great, along with 2XL! (Now I'm really dating myself, a la 8 track tapes!) And Atari, of course! I spent many blizzard days playing Berzerk!
14.) What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Being surrounded by family and friends. It's like the one time a year you can tell your friends how much you love them without sounding sappy.
15.) What is your favorite holiday desert? All desserts are fair game here, pumpkin, apple pie, cheese cake, pecan pie, pudding pie, anything with a buttery crust!
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Decorating our tree and drinking hot chocolate with tunes on; going to the holiday shows at school; our Pizza w/Santa event at school, where Ian and his brother have helped Santa over the years. This gets me every time.
17.) What tops your tree? Actually on a mission this year to get something new in the star family. I think.
18.) Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving!
19.) What is your favorite Christmas Song? Everytime I hear the Peanuts' gang sing "Christmas Time Is Here" I get weepy.
21.) Favorite Christmas Movie? "A Christmas Carol," probably with Albert Finney best, with Patrick Stewart is good also. I've also seen live w/Frank Langella and others, love to read it, pretty much any version.
22.) What do you leave for Santa? Cookies & milk.
Friday, November 02, 2007
D2 Spotting in NYC
Oh Roe, where were you when I needed you today? I was way over on the West Side for an interview, slowly walking back crosstown and who do I see walking along Seventh and 58th but Simon Le Bon! He was very slim, wearing bright green pants, a dark jacket, with a shorter, modest looking woman (some assistant, I guess), looking a little confused. He was carrying a Build A Bear Bag with a smaller Henri Bendel bag inside. I wrestled with my inner 12 year old and decided I couldn't let the opportunity pass with out saying something. I watched him go into a camera store, briefly looked around and when he came out I went "Hi Simon!" and he turned around without missing a beat to say 'allo!" I went on to say I've been a longtime fan, how it's good to see them back in New York and that I'm looking forward to the new album (guess I'm dating myself with THAT comment). He was smiling and said "Oh that's very kind of you," and patted me on my arm, because I was too stupefied to offer a handshake. Then we nodded and went about our ways. Then I walked a few blocks giggling like an idiot. It was a good day. Now if only I could bump into John...
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Saturday Afternoon
Ian and I went to see Dan in Real Life on Saturday, and it was such a hilarious pleasure, at the same time sad. I love Steve Carell and the career he has carved for himself. Some critics had issues with the 'perfectness' of the family-Ian and I were grateful that (for once) the family portrayed was-functional! The cast is excellent-my lovely dream alter ego, Juliette Binoche,whom I have admired for years, as his love interest; Emily Blunt in a small but sexy, hilarious cameo; Dane Cook, as Dan's younger brother; and Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney as Dan's parents.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Crunch Time
Tonight Amanda, her bffl Nora, her mom and I went to an Open House at Brooklyn Tech (this year will mark my 20th anniversary) and didn't get back until after 1030pm or so. It was as great as I'd remembered, except that many of the old teachers were retired now, but the spirit was still apparent in all the students. The school now offers some new majors, too, like law and medicine. We've also been to Molloy and St. Francis Prep. She has the specialized hs exam this Saturday and her TACHS exam Nov. 10. Basketball practice tomorrow and a game on Sunday. I'm wiped!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Empty Spaces
So, Monday I decided to take a day to clear my head, walking for hours from the 20s down to SoHo, and back up again, it was a sunny day and I felt like walking. In my travels I noted that not 1 but three of my haunts are now gone, no mas:
Tower Records (this may have disappeared earlier, but I'd forgotten)
Dallas Texas BBQon 8th Street and Fifth Avenue-this wrecked me the most-i know it's silly-it's a bbq joint-but I have SO many memories in that place-ate there my first day at my first job at Postermat when I was 16 (well actually I took it to go and ate it in Washington Square Park); clung to the toilet once after too many champagne glasses at a nearby art show during my early college days; Ian suffering from an attack of sun poisoning in the basement, slapping cream on his itching back, as Marc and I then rushed him over to St. Vincent's Hospital...countless meals there with my mom, sometimes also with my grandmother...dinner with Ian's cousin after catching her in a show at the Papp Theatre, to a recent dinner with Chris and Lauren on their first meeting with Dan and Marty from WOW...
and Tennessee Mountain-the least important on the list, used to frequent there during my Union days...once had lunch alongside David Krumholtz (Numbers).
At work yesterday, I called home to check messages and heard a message I'd been expecting for some time but was saddened to hear-my childhood best friend's father passed away the day before, after a nasty fight with intestinal cancer. He'd had surgery several years earlier, but it returned with a fatal vengence. I was happy to visit him a few weeks back, made him laugh, as we recalled some silly stories of yore, once he took my friend and I to Atlantic City for her 21st birthday in a stretch limo. I remember him cooking curry in the house as a child. Until the next life, Victor, you are loved and missed...the other odd little detail in this is that his passing is one day after my father's, Oct. 14, making it five years. I love and miss you, daddy.
Tower Records (this may have disappeared earlier, but I'd forgotten)
Dallas Texas BBQon 8th Street and Fifth Avenue-this wrecked me the most-i know it's silly-it's a bbq joint-but I have SO many memories in that place-ate there my first day at my first job at Postermat when I was 16 (well actually I took it to go and ate it in Washington Square Park); clung to the toilet once after too many champagne glasses at a nearby art show during my early college days; Ian suffering from an attack of sun poisoning in the basement, slapping cream on his itching back, as Marc and I then rushed him over to St. Vincent's Hospital...countless meals there with my mom, sometimes also with my grandmother...dinner with Ian's cousin after catching her in a show at the Papp Theatre, to a recent dinner with Chris and Lauren on their first meeting with Dan and Marty from WOW...
and Tennessee Mountain-the least important on the list, used to frequent there during my Union days...once had lunch alongside David Krumholtz (Numbers).
At work yesterday, I called home to check messages and heard a message I'd been expecting for some time but was saddened to hear-my childhood best friend's father passed away the day before, after a nasty fight with intestinal cancer. He'd had surgery several years earlier, but it returned with a fatal vengence. I was happy to visit him a few weeks back, made him laugh, as we recalled some silly stories of yore, once he took my friend and I to Atlantic City for her 21st birthday in a stretch limo. I remember him cooking curry in the house as a child. Until the next life, Victor, you are loved and missed...the other odd little detail in this is that his passing is one day after my father's, Oct. 14, making it five years. I love and miss you, daddy.
Thursday, October 04, 2007
New Radiohead Tracks On Oct. 10
Can't wait! I'm curious to see what this experiment holds, this could revolutionize the whole music industry...I love 'em.
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1666973,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1666973,00.html
My blog look du jour
This is my look of the moment, I have to see how long I'll keep it. I love the colors and the pic...Ian helped me with this. Strangely though, I do not have the guts to write Media Whore on top of a photo of Paris, that I love (even though we had a really cool font chosen). So, I have to see if I'll change the name of the blog to say something else, change the picture, even though I love Paris, or maybe leave as is, with no Media Whore on it.
Did anyone go over to TMZ or on Superficial to see Danny Bonaduce throw Johnny Fairplay (a Survivor runner up) literally over his head...I mean the guy had it coming, don't get me wrong, but it makes for interesting entertainment...I think his front teeth got knocked out.
Did anyone go over to TMZ or on Superficial to see Danny Bonaduce throw Johnny Fairplay (a Survivor runner up) literally over his head...I mean the guy had it coming, don't get me wrong, but it makes for interesting entertainment...I think his front teeth got knocked out.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Pushing Daisies
I was excited to hear that this show is from the same person who did Dead Like Me (Amanda's favorite show) and Heroes, Bryan Fuller (apparently he did stuff back in the day too for Deep Space Nine, probably my favorite of the Star Trek shows.) Stylistically, it takes liberal doses from one of my favorite movies, Amelie, so I sure don't have a problem with that. I loved in the pilot how two of the main characters, who could not touch each other, held their own hands behind their backs, pretending to hold the other's. I thought is was very funny and romantic.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Customizing Templates
Does anyone know how to do this? Ian is offering to cheat and help me out, I've been trying on my own...I've seen a million other blogs on Blogspot with customized fonts, layouts, etc, other than the basic 20 or so layouts they offer. I switched my layout to another, but it's temporary. Lots of other stuff I want to do here, have to figure it out.
Eastern Promises
Talk about edge-of-your-seat flicks. This was an excellent, tense film from beginning to end. Viggo Mortensen completely immerses himself in this character, or as Ian put it, really (literally) throws himself into the role. Not for the faint of heart. Definitely worth seeing if you get a chance. Story resolved bit different than I expected it to, but that's ok, still good ending.
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