Saturday, June 18, 2005
Rebound
I just spent over an hour typing out everything that happened today and FUCKING BLOGGER erased it all. I hate hate HATE this interface!!
Today was a really great day (well, up until I wasted an hour of my life typing) and I needed a boost after yesterday's news. My Uncle Randy (Dad's younger brother) showed up with his friend Terry from Boston to surprise us. Normally Uncle Randy lives out in Wisconsin so we don't see him very often. We had lunch over at the Stage Deli because the Carnegie was way too crowded. I've never eaten at the Stage Deli before but it was pretty good. Same format: high prices, giant sandwiches (some named for celebrities), and good cheesecake (although I still prefer the Carnegie's version). I had a Rudy Giuliani "hero" sandwich (get it?) featuring pastrami, corned beef, swiss cheese and muenster with cole slaw and Russian dressing. Instead of eating the whole thing as I would normally do I saved half for another day. Let's hope I can keep up this trend of eating a little less and then maybe eat even less in the future.
The weather was lovely as we walked back across town, stopping briefly at St. Bart's where some happy young folks were getting married. We made it back home in time for the Yankees/Cubs game which the Yanks won handily thanks to another strong performance by rookie pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. More important than the win was the fun I had watching the game with Dad and Randy. Normally Dad and I don't watch the games together but the three of us made for a great time.
After a little stroll around the neighborhood I left to meet Mikhail and Belinda (remember them?) to see the latest Hayao Miyazaki film, Howl's Moving Castle. We all enjoyed the film but we all found ourselves confused by some of the later plot developments. It's certainly a very beautiful film (like all of Miyazaki's work) and I recommend it even though I didn't really understand it. Hopefully you can catch the subtitled version (most theaters in NYC have both, just call and ask).
After the movie their friend Yvonne (sp?) met us and I eagerly took everyone to my favorite spot, Otafuku. Everyone enjoyed the food but something must have disagreed with Yvonne because she felt sick for a while afterwards. We all parted ways shortly afterwards and I came back. I considered hitting a local bar or two but frankly, drinking alone isn't worth it. Besides, tomorrow is Father's Day so it should be another busy day. And so long as I keep busy I have no time to feel down, right?
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Today was a really great day (well, up until I wasted an hour of my life typing) and I needed a boost after yesterday's news. My Uncle Randy (Dad's younger brother) showed up with his friend Terry from Boston to surprise us. Normally Uncle Randy lives out in Wisconsin so we don't see him very often. We had lunch over at the Stage Deli because the Carnegie was way too crowded. I've never eaten at the Stage Deli before but it was pretty good. Same format: high prices, giant sandwiches (some named for celebrities), and good cheesecake (although I still prefer the Carnegie's version). I had a Rudy Giuliani "hero" sandwich (get it?) featuring pastrami, corned beef, swiss cheese and muenster with cole slaw and Russian dressing. Instead of eating the whole thing as I would normally do I saved half for another day. Let's hope I can keep up this trend of eating a little less and then maybe eat even less in the future.
The weather was lovely as we walked back across town, stopping briefly at St. Bart's where some happy young folks were getting married. We made it back home in time for the Yankees/Cubs game which the Yanks won handily thanks to another strong performance by rookie pitcher Chien-Ming Wang. More important than the win was the fun I had watching the game with Dad and Randy. Normally Dad and I don't watch the games together but the three of us made for a great time.
After a little stroll around the neighborhood I left to meet Mikhail and Belinda (remember them?) to see the latest Hayao Miyazaki film, Howl's Moving Castle. We all enjoyed the film but we all found ourselves confused by some of the later plot developments. It's certainly a very beautiful film (like all of Miyazaki's work) and I recommend it even though I didn't really understand it. Hopefully you can catch the subtitled version (most theaters in NYC have both, just call and ask).
After the movie their friend Yvonne (sp?) met us and I eagerly took everyone to my favorite spot, Otafuku. Everyone enjoyed the food but something must have disagreed with Yvonne because she felt sick for a while afterwards. We all parted ways shortly afterwards and I came back. I considered hitting a local bar or two but frankly, drinking alone isn't worth it. Besides, tomorrow is Father's Day so it should be another busy day. And so long as I keep busy I have no time to feel down, right?
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Friday, June 17, 2005
Good News?
Before I get to the serious news of the day, I just had to comment on this morning's odd "interview" I attended. I had responded to this cryptic listing and set up an interview this morning. I showed up and was surprised to discover the address is a beauty salon. Huh? I went inside where I saw plenty of chairs and mirrors but no work being done. I handed my resume to the man at the desk who advised me to "sit by the window." I noticed some beautiful people sitting on a sofa nowhere near the window but I complied. A minute or two later a woman came over who told me they would review my resume and call me back for "training." She made it clear that she had not read my resume. And that was it. I'd say "Fastest. Interview. Ever." but I have a nagging suspicion that I was getting the big brush-off. I'm not an ugly man but I'm not beautiful. Not in a million years.
The big news (see? titles can be relevant!) of the day came at the doctor's office. I was eager to hear the results from my various tests which cost me a lot of bodily fluids (and god knows how much money). It turns out I don't have Cushing's at all, I'm just overweight. In fact, the only truly unusual internal condition was my low testosterone level. So to sum up:
The doctor was quite clear in telling me that I should be "happy" I don't have Cushing's, so I guess this is good news. But Cushing's would help account for my steady weight gain over time. Now it's apparently just my own doing. That makes me feel worse than ever about my physical appearance. I was hoping for some alternate explanation, some other source I point a finger at and say, "Ah HA! That's why I couldn't get in shape!" Nope, I'm just another fatso. Oh yeah, the doctor is confident that my skin inflammations are not related to any endocrine levels. So that mystery is still on the table as my symptoms continue to reappear each day.
Normally I would eat a pizza to feel better here, but that's obviously out of the question. Dammit, I need a vice that sheds pounds! I hate needles so Vitamin H is out, and I need my teeth so no rocks either. Vomiting makes the blood vessels in my huge face burst so bulimia won't work either. Suggestions are welcome.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
The big news (see? titles can be relevant!) of the day came at the doctor's office. I was eager to hear the results from my various tests which cost me a lot of bodily fluids (and god knows how much money). It turns out I don't have Cushing's at all, I'm just overweight. In fact, the only truly unusual internal condition was my low testosterone level. So to sum up:
- I'm fat.
- I'm not very masculine, either.
The doctor was quite clear in telling me that I should be "happy" I don't have Cushing's, so I guess this is good news. But Cushing's would help account for my steady weight gain over time. Now it's apparently just my own doing. That makes me feel worse than ever about my physical appearance. I was hoping for some alternate explanation, some other source I point a finger at and say, "Ah HA! That's why I couldn't get in shape!" Nope, I'm just another fatso. Oh yeah, the doctor is confident that my skin inflammations are not related to any endocrine levels. So that mystery is still on the table as my symptoms continue to reappear each day.
Normally I would eat a pizza to feel better here, but that's obviously out of the question. Dammit, I need a vice that sheds pounds! I hate needles so Vitamin H is out, and I need my teeth so no rocks either. Vomiting makes the blood vessels in my huge face burst so bulimia won't work either. Suggestions are welcome.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, June 16, 2005
Overheard Again
Once again, a submission I made to OverheardInNewYork.com has been accepted. You can read it here. It's grouped with other "one-liners" overheard in Union Square. This one isn't super funny but I thought it was a strange question to ask.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Wednesday, June 15, 2005
Comeback?
Well, well, well, after a Tuesday so dull I didn't bother to post I had quite the Wednesday. And the weather was wonderful! It was at least fifteen degrees cooler outside today with very little humidity and cool cool breezes.
Firstly, I used my free ticket to see Batman Begins. The good news: it doesn't suck. Actually, it's pretty damn good. The cast was great and I found it kind of funny that nearly the everyone is from the UK just like the director, Christopher Nolan. No coincidence, I'm sure. Some critics assert that it is the best Batman movie ever made, but I have very fond memories attached to the campy 1966 version and the really cool 1989 film. Indeed, the 1989 film had a superb score by Danny Elfman. The music in this new film is, frankly, forgettable.
Before I move on from the subject can I just say that I am very disappointed at the complete lack of matinee prices in New York City? At first I just thought I was picking the wrong theaters but after seeing enough movies here I've noticed that matinee discounts are nowhere to be seen! I wasn't planning on using my free ticket today because Yahoo! Movies indicated that the theater I went to (the Chelsea West Cinemas) offered discount prices before 6PM. They don't. Nobody does around here, and it's pissing me off.
After the movie I returned to midtown because I had an interview at...you guessed it, another movie theater! In fact, it was the same theater where I had complained and received my free ticket (see post linked above if you've forgotten this story already). Of course the same manager who took my complaint was the one interviewing me. He recognized me but couldn't remember how he knew my face, so I told him the story. The interview didn't go so well. He offered softball questions and I swung very weakly. I just don't handle myself very well during job interviews. I get very nervous, my answers are neither fast nor to the point, and I generally show little confidence in myself. All this sweating over an hourly job that hovers perilously near minimum wage! How I'm ever going to get a real job after school I don't know.
All is not lost. I got some great news this evening: my Medicaid application was approved. It should only take me 48 hours to understand all the paperwork they sent me so I can start submitting claims. At last I've got some help paying these bills! If only I could just stop having health problems...
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Firstly, I used my free ticket to see Batman Begins. The good news: it doesn't suck. Actually, it's pretty damn good. The cast was great and I found it kind of funny that nearly the everyone is from the UK just like the director, Christopher Nolan. No coincidence, I'm sure. Some critics assert that it is the best Batman movie ever made, but I have very fond memories attached to the campy 1966 version and the really cool 1989 film. Indeed, the 1989 film had a superb score by Danny Elfman. The music in this new film is, frankly, forgettable.
Before I move on from the subject can I just say that I am very disappointed at the complete lack of matinee prices in New York City? At first I just thought I was picking the wrong theaters but after seeing enough movies here I've noticed that matinee discounts are nowhere to be seen! I wasn't planning on using my free ticket today because Yahoo! Movies indicated that the theater I went to (the Chelsea West Cinemas) offered discount prices before 6PM. They don't. Nobody does around here, and it's pissing me off.
After the movie I returned to midtown because I had an interview at...you guessed it, another movie theater! In fact, it was the same theater where I had complained and received my free ticket (see post linked above if you've forgotten this story already). Of course the same manager who took my complaint was the one interviewing me. He recognized me but couldn't remember how he knew my face, so I told him the story. The interview didn't go so well. He offered softball questions and I swung very weakly. I just don't handle myself very well during job interviews. I get very nervous, my answers are neither fast nor to the point, and I generally show little confidence in myself. All this sweating over an hourly job that hovers perilously near minimum wage! How I'm ever going to get a real job after school I don't know.
All is not lost. I got some great news this evening: my Medicaid application was approved. It should only take me 48 hours to understand all the paperwork they sent me so I can start submitting claims. At last I've got some help paying these bills! If only I could just stop having health problems...
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday, June 13, 2005
[Insert Michael Jackson Pun Here]
Since nothing of importance happened to me today, let's talk about what everyone is talking about: the acquittal of Michael Jackson.
Like everyone else on the planet over 20 years old, I was a huge fan of Michael back in the day and I had a copy of Thriller which I played so often I damn near memorized the whole thing (even that dopey duet with Paul McCartney). I was also among the many people who decided (circa 1991) that he was crazy rather than merely eccentric. The first allegations of child molestation didn't raise my eye as much as the huge out-of-court settlement he paid to silence them.
As the 90's marched on and Jackson faded into (relative) obscurity, I failed to keep track of his odd behavior and surgical habits. He got married and divorced, had kids with near-strangers, and released an uninteresting album or two. I admit to becoming totally fascinated by Martin Bashir's documentary/interview, Living with Michael Jackson but I did not pay much attention during Jackson's most recent trial which ended this afternoon around 5PM EST. I did watch the verdict coverage live on TV out of curiosity (there wasn't much else on anyway) and I was neither surprised nor outraged by the outcome. Another non-surprise: the only channel that offered a hostile reaction to the acquittal was Fox News.
Why type all this when I really didn't give a shit about the trial? This is actually a transparent attempt to get noticed on that "Inside the Blogs" segment on CNN. I seek, no, crave more attention than I deserve.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Like everyone else on the planet over 20 years old, I was a huge fan of Michael back in the day and I had a copy of Thriller which I played so often I damn near memorized the whole thing (even that dopey duet with Paul McCartney). I was also among the many people who decided (circa 1991) that he was crazy rather than merely eccentric. The first allegations of child molestation didn't raise my eye as much as the huge out-of-court settlement he paid to silence them.
As the 90's marched on and Jackson faded into (relative) obscurity, I failed to keep track of his odd behavior and surgical habits. He got married and divorced, had kids with near-strangers, and released an uninteresting album or two. I admit to becoming totally fascinated by Martin Bashir's documentary/interview, Living with Michael Jackson but I did not pay much attention during Jackson's most recent trial which ended this afternoon around 5PM EST. I did watch the verdict coverage live on TV out of curiosity (there wasn't much else on anyway) and I was neither surprised nor outraged by the outcome. Another non-surprise: the only channel that offered a hostile reaction to the acquittal was Fox News.
Why type all this when I really didn't give a shit about the trial? This is actually a transparent attempt to get noticed on that "Inside the Blogs" segment on CNN. I seek, no, crave more attention than I deserve.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Sunday, June 12, 2005
あばよ和邦 (Farewell Kazu)
Back in NYC after another night in the 'burbs. As I explained yesterday we went to the movies. After some debate we settled on Crash, a movie getting a lot of positive buzz. Unfortunately I thought the movie was completely ludicrous and I'm not just saying that because someone decided to cast Ludacris in a dramatic role. The movie was chock full of one-dimensional stereotypes, none of whom behaved in any manner resembling a real person. Dylan really liked it though so we had a quasi-debate on the matter driving home.
While I returned via train this afternoon my phone rang much to my surprise. It was Kazu. He's going back to Japan tomorrow which means I'm not going to see him for a long time. Although he is not very familiar with the city I was able to communicate to him how to meet me at Grand Central. We walked around midtown for a while, chatting and such, eventually stopping at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. Even though we were just blocks from the UN Headquarters Kazu was much more interested in the Trump World Tower, especially when I told him that Derek Jeter lives there (I think). We went uptown and I helped him plan his trip to the airport. I offered to take him to dinner tonight as a going-away gesture but he already had plans made. So I bid him (and Jung Eun) farewell.
I hope Kazu and I get together again in Japan. He spent three weeks here in New York since school ended and I hardly saw him at all. He simply never called me, even after I e-mailed him invitations to meet up. Things like that used to send me into a self-loathing tailspin where I might imagine that Kazu was trying to blow me off. Instead, I'm quietly confident that Kazu simply got caught up in the magic of New York (and possibly Jung Eun) and he never got around to calling me. After all, three's a crowd, right?
PS: I just found out that my first submission to OverheardinNewYork.com was posted right here! The "bloody guy" is a friend of mine who really did fall down some stairs a few years ago and that was the real explanation he offered the ER doctor.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
While I returned via train this afternoon my phone rang much to my surprise. It was Kazu. He's going back to Japan tomorrow which means I'm not going to see him for a long time. Although he is not very familiar with the city I was able to communicate to him how to meet me at Grand Central. We walked around midtown for a while, chatting and such, eventually stopping at Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza. Even though we were just blocks from the UN Headquarters Kazu was much more interested in the Trump World Tower, especially when I told him that Derek Jeter lives there (I think). We went uptown and I helped him plan his trip to the airport. I offered to take him to dinner tonight as a going-away gesture but he already had plans made. So I bid him (and Jung Eun) farewell.
I hope Kazu and I get together again in Japan. He spent three weeks here in New York since school ended and I hardly saw him at all. He simply never called me, even after I e-mailed him invitations to meet up. Things like that used to send me into a self-loathing tailspin where I might imagine that Kazu was trying to blow me off. Instead, I'm quietly confident that Kazu simply got caught up in the magic of New York (and possibly Jung Eun) and he never got around to calling me. After all, three's a crowd, right?
PS: I just found out that my first submission to OverheardinNewYork.com was posted right here! The "bloody guy" is a friend of mine who really did fall down some stairs a few years ago and that was the real explanation he offered the ER doctor.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
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