It started out as what seemed like just another day. We were sitting on a public bench in downtown Astoria, Queens with several other people watching the locals make their way to the E train at Ditmars Boulevard on their commute to work. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary -- folks were streaming in and out of Starbuck's with their morning purchases, stopping in CVS for a needed item, stopping and chatting briefly with neighbors or friends, using the ATM at Green Point Bank, and rushing off to get the next train.
Across the street on the corner was a pizza parlor we had frequented and it had a loud speaker outside for anyone who had the inclination to listen to the news before heading to work. If I didn't have a newspaper, I'd often walk over and listen to it myself just to keep abreast of what was going on in the world.
I had a newspaper that morning and was reading it when I heard people suddenly screaming outside the pizza parlor. When I looked over at them I could see people appearing to be in shock and either crying, yelling, appearing to be praying, or just saying "No, no, no."
I walked across the street to see what was happening and a young woman with tears streaming down her face told me that one of the World Trade Center buildings had been hit by a plane! At that moment everyone thought it was an accident. The young woman in tears said her mother worked in the other World Trade Center and she didn't know if her mother was safe.
There was smoke on the horizon coming from Manhattan and then came a second announcement on the speakers that a second plane had flown into the other WTC! It was totally surreal and now it became obvious that this was an act of terrorism. There was no making sense of anything that was happening and the feeling of vulnerability was overwhelming for everyone. Now the young woman was totally hysterical and several people including myself were trying to find some way to comfort her through our own shock. It was like being in a Fellini movie that just couldn't be real.
The reality set in when we saw several totally black fighter planes fly over Queens towards Manhattan and we questioned whether there would be more disaster to come. It seemed like everything stopped cold for awhile -- the word spread like wildfire and everyone looked stunned. People on their way to the train stopped upon hearing the news and there was screaming, crying and hysteria everywhere. The crowd outside the pizza joint quadrupled while everyone struggled to hear the radio. Traffic even stopped and drivers got out of their cabs to just stand in the street motionless in grief.
The experience totally changed my perception of New York City -- it became a place I could only see as a target after that, a place for terrorists to make their mark on the world.
After that day, all I wanted to do was leave New York. My almost 20 years of living there in relative peace held no prospect of ever being the same. It was September 11, 2001 and we left the city permanently on April 20, 2002. I've never looked back.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Doin' the Beach
Last week we managed to get in two trips to Green Key Beach. It's only about five minutes from our apartment and is a small and non-crowded area that even has an ice cream and hot dog vendor!
On our way to the beach we pass a few mansions that are for sale, so just for fun I called the realtor to inquire about the price. Steve guessed two million, I guessed three million -- it was 3.5 million! It's been for sale for two years now so let me know if you're interested.
On our first trip last week the tide was so low that you practically had to lie on the ocean floor to get wet! On the second trip the tide was high and it was great! Nothing like salt water to clean out the sweaty pores!
Naturally we had to take a break to play in the childrens' section.
Later I caught a baby horseshoe crab!
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Before and After
It's so hot and humid here that it's impossible to do anything outside without bitching! We don't have a garage so our car is outside all the time and it's like getting into a sauna. If you need to run an errand you bring a tissue to wipe the flood of sweat from your brow, but the tissue is destroyed by your own moisture in minutes! There's no point in wearing even a little makeup 'cause you end up looking like a demented raccoon. There isn't even an industrial-strength deodorant that would help.
Yesterday I had to run to CVS for milk and here's my "Before" photo and how I looked "After" I got home.
All you can think about when you get home is getting into the shower and cleaning the sweat out of your pores! Steve even said his "privates" stick to his legs!
Anyone want to visit right now?
Yesterday I had to run to CVS for milk and here's my "Before" photo and how I looked "After" I got home.
All you can think about when you get home is getting into the shower and cleaning the sweat out of your pores! Steve even said his "privates" stick to his legs!
Anyone want to visit right now?
Monday, June 22, 2009
Digital TV Conversion
From McSweeney's:
- - - -
EASY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CONVERSION TO DIGITAL TV.
BY TEDDY WAYNE
- - - -
First, if you already have cable, you don't have to do anything − just keep paying your monthly subscription-fee plus premium-channel packages, surcharges for additional converter boxes and remote controls, FCC and OVS fees, OMG and LOL charges, the Stamp Act, parental-control monitoring, additional cost to meta-monitor the parental-control monitors, and the thirty-seven other expenses listed conveniently in the fine print of your bill in Section 46.2, Schedule C, reverse side.
Otherwise, visit your local chain electronics store and buy a converter, along with a new cell phone plan and eight packs of AA batteries the employee pushes on you to meet his quotas, and silently curse yourself for being so weak-willed in the face of aggressive salesmanship.
Go back home. Your spouse and children will be there, complaining about how you've deprived them of a few delicious hours of digital TV and that you're never there for them and just because you're a big network exec doesn't mean there's still something vaguely feminine about your body language for which you're obviously overcompensating.
Walk past your kids, who are watching TV shows on the Internet and paying no attention to the 30-second ads for restless leg syndrome medication that pop up before the online episodes, but instead are Twixting on their FaceSpace windows and doing the breakdance and missing all those important messages about how super-potent acne medications and radical sneakers and the latest popular music single songs will improve their social standing, not to mention the intermittent announcements we make because we care about how you should just say no to school and stay in drugs.
Now, go behind your TV and clear out your stash of banned vintage Austrian pornography. Take the red plug and put it in the green slot. Insert the blue coaxial cable into the cyan opening. Lastly, plug a poisonous rattlesnake into the mauve receptor. Pour BBQ sauce into the A/V jack and tell the From Antenna jack that you've always resented the way it blithely guilts you into doing it favors. Mix them around a few times in a sort of Three-Card Monte fashion. Easy as 1-2-3, then 2-3-1, then 3-1-2, then all other possible permutations. Suck the venom out and remind yourself of that joke about the two guys in the jungle.
Still not working? Try turning to channel three. Get the neighborhood nerd to help out before stealing his sneakers and taunting him. Read the Spanish instructions and lament how academically lazy you were in high school and if you'd committed yourself maybe you could be a sculptor in Madrid right now with an olive-skinned woman named Jacinta. Disconnect any DVD players or VCRs. Think about your grandfather and the way he fucked up your dad and how that's now being passed down to your youngest son and such is the tragedy of male family dynamics. Adjust the rabbit ears.
Congratulations, you have digital TV. Pick up a Rosetta Stone course on Spanish. Mark all the great shows to watch in TV Guide. You must change your life
- - - -
EASY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CONVERSION TO DIGITAL TV.
BY TEDDY WAYNE
- - - -
First, if you already have cable, you don't have to do anything − just keep paying your monthly subscription-fee plus premium-channel packages, surcharges for additional converter boxes and remote controls, FCC and OVS fees, OMG and LOL charges, the Stamp Act, parental-control monitoring, additional cost to meta-monitor the parental-control monitors, and the thirty-seven other expenses listed conveniently in the fine print of your bill in Section 46.2, Schedule C, reverse side.
Otherwise, visit your local chain electronics store and buy a converter, along with a new cell phone plan and eight packs of AA batteries the employee pushes on you to meet his quotas, and silently curse yourself for being so weak-willed in the face of aggressive salesmanship.
Go back home. Your spouse and children will be there, complaining about how you've deprived them of a few delicious hours of digital TV and that you're never there for them and just because you're a big network exec doesn't mean there's still something vaguely feminine about your body language for which you're obviously overcompensating.
Walk past your kids, who are watching TV shows on the Internet and paying no attention to the 30-second ads for restless leg syndrome medication that pop up before the online episodes, but instead are Twixting on their FaceSpace windows and doing the breakdance and missing all those important messages about how super-potent acne medications and radical sneakers and the latest popular music single songs will improve their social standing, not to mention the intermittent announcements we make because we care about how you should just say no to school and stay in drugs.
Now, go behind your TV and clear out your stash of banned vintage Austrian pornography. Take the red plug and put it in the green slot. Insert the blue coaxial cable into the cyan opening. Lastly, plug a poisonous rattlesnake into the mauve receptor. Pour BBQ sauce into the A/V jack and tell the From Antenna jack that you've always resented the way it blithely guilts you into doing it favors. Mix them around a few times in a sort of Three-Card Monte fashion. Easy as 1-2-3, then 2-3-1, then 3-1-2, then all other possible permutations. Suck the venom out and remind yourself of that joke about the two guys in the jungle.
Still not working? Try turning to channel three. Get the neighborhood nerd to help out before stealing his sneakers and taunting him. Read the Spanish instructions and lament how academically lazy you were in high school and if you'd committed yourself maybe you could be a sculptor in Madrid right now with an olive-skinned woman named Jacinta. Disconnect any DVD players or VCRs. Think about your grandfather and the way he fucked up your dad and how that's now being passed down to your youngest son and such is the tragedy of male family dynamics. Adjust the rabbit ears.
Congratulations, you have digital TV. Pick up a Rosetta Stone course on Spanish. Mark all the great shows to watch in TV Guide. You must change your life
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
A Message by George Carlin
The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways , but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin
We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.
We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.
These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...
Remember; spend some time with your loved ones, because they are not going to be around forever.
Remember, say a kind word to someone who looks up to you in awe, because that little person soon will grow up and leave your side.
Remember, to give a warm hug to the one next to you, because that is the only treasure you can give with your heart and it doesn't cost a cent.
Remember, to say, 'I love you' to your partner and your loved ones, but most of all mean it. A kiss and an embrace will mend hurt when it comes from deep inside of you.
Remember to hold hands and cherish the moment for someday that person will not be there again.
Give time to love, give time to speak! And give time to share the precious thoughts in your mind.
AND ALWAYS REMEMBER:
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
George Carlin
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Stolen from a Friend's Email
One day my housework-challenged husband decided to wash his Sweat-shirt Seconds after he stepped into the laundry room, he shouted to me, "What setting do I use on the washing machine?"
"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"
He yelled back, " University of Oklahoma ..."
###################################################
What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?
A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough.
"It depends," I replied. "What does it say on your shirt?"
He yelled back, " University of Oklahoma ..."
###################################################
What does it mean when a man is in your bed gasping for breath and calling your name?
A: You did not hold the pillow down long enough.
Everything Happens for a Reason
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there…to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson or help figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be but you lock eyes with them, you know that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.
And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would never realize your potential, strength, will power or heart.
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul.
Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere; safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.
If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things. Make every day count. Appreciate everything that you possibly can, for you may never experience it again.
Talk to people whom you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
Written By: Author Unknown
And sometimes things happen to you at the time that may seem horrible, painful and unfair, but in reflection you realize that without overcoming those obstacles you would never realize your potential, strength, will power or heart.
Everything happens for a reason. Nothing happens by chance or by means of luck. Illness, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test limits of your soul.
Without these small tests, life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere; safe and comfortable but dull and utterly pointless.
The people you meet affect your life. The successes and downfalls that you experience can create whom you are, and the bad experiences can be learned from. In fact they are probably the most poignant and important ones. If someone hurts you, betrays you or breaks your heart, forgive them because they have helped you learn about trust and the importance of being cautious to whom you open your heart.
If someone loves you, love them back unconditionally, not only because they love you, but also because they are teaching you to love and open your heart and eyes to little things. Make every day count. Appreciate everything that you possibly can, for you may never experience it again.
Talk to people whom you have never talked to before, and actually listen. Let yourself fall in love, break free and set your sights high. Hold your head up because you have every right to.
Tell yourself you are a great individual and believe in yourself, for if you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. Create your own life and then go out and live it.
Written By: Author Unknown
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Strange but True
Girl, 13, Has 2-Pound Hair Clump Removed From Stomach
Friday, June 12, 2009
When 13-year-old Chandan Baria first arrived to the emergency room complaining of an upset stomach, doctors didn’t suspect they would find a 2.2-pound clump of hair that was almost 20 inches in length, the Times of India reported.
Chandan, of Limkheda, India, suffers from Rapunzel syndrome, or trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder that is characterized by a repeated urge to pull one’s hair out and then eat it. The condition usually occurs in teenage girls.
Doctors had to surgically remove the clump. Because of her stomach upset, Chandan had not eaten in a while and had become anemic.
“We will be giving some psychiatric treatment to her in order to ensure that she does not start consuming hair again,” pediatrician Dr. Samir Brahmbhatt told the newspaper.
The doctors who worked on Chandan’s case said they are writing a paper about her to be published in medical journals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beanie and Roly Poly Ole are convinced this girl truly wants to be a feline.
Friday, June 12, 2009
When 13-year-old Chandan Baria first arrived to the emergency room complaining of an upset stomach, doctors didn’t suspect they would find a 2.2-pound clump of hair that was almost 20 inches in length, the Times of India reported.
Chandan, of Limkheda, India, suffers from Rapunzel syndrome, or trichotillomania, an impulse control disorder that is characterized by a repeated urge to pull one’s hair out and then eat it. The condition usually occurs in teenage girls.
Doctors had to surgically remove the clump. Because of her stomach upset, Chandan had not eaten in a while and had become anemic.
“We will be giving some psychiatric treatment to her in order to ensure that she does not start consuming hair again,” pediatrician Dr. Samir Brahmbhatt told the newspaper.
The doctors who worked on Chandan’s case said they are writing a paper about her to be published in medical journals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Beanie and Roly Poly Ole are convinced this girl truly wants to be a feline.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Life-Sustaining Seeds
We just got back from Tractor Supply where I loaded up on five pounds of sunflower seeds! By munching on them I stay away from other more fattening snacks. Whatever helps...
As you can see, Beanie and Roly Poly Ole have been really stressed out. I swear they sleep at least 20-22 hours a day! I have a theory that they have tiny watches on their wrists under their cat suits so they always know when it's getting close to 6PM when they get canned food each day. They start acting out around 4:30PM and do all kinds of things to get attention and talk cat-ese endlessly until feeding time.
Slug's husband, Dick, gave us a deal for one month of free Netflix so we decided to take him up on it. We've found Netflix to be very efficient at letting me know when movies are shipped to us and also confirm when they get them back. It's less money than going to the video store which isn't very convenient for us anyway.
Our landlord had a couple of huge trees removed last week so Steve and some of the other tenants have been grabbing some gorgeous hunks of wood. They're outside our front door, in the apartment, and on the terrace and they look really neat.
As you can see, Beanie and Roly Poly Ole have been really stressed out. I swear they sleep at least 20-22 hours a day! I have a theory that they have tiny watches on their wrists under their cat suits so they always know when it's getting close to 6PM when they get canned food each day. They start acting out around 4:30PM and do all kinds of things to get attention and talk cat-ese endlessly until feeding time.
Slug's husband, Dick, gave us a deal for one month of free Netflix so we decided to take him up on it. We've found Netflix to be very efficient at letting me know when movies are shipped to us and also confirm when they get them back. It's less money than going to the video store which isn't very convenient for us anyway.
Our landlord had a couple of huge trees removed last week so Steve and some of the other tenants have been grabbing some gorgeous hunks of wood. They're outside our front door, in the apartment, and on the terrace and they look really neat.
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