ASK Musings

No matter where you go, there you are.

Yearly Archive: 2008

Thursday

10

July 2008

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COMMENTS

Pop Up

Written by , Posted in Adventures

The humidity has left the City (for awhile, at least). After work, a couple of friends and I ventured over to the new pop-up park at Pier 1 in Brooklyn. It’s great – they took a pier and paved it, added hills with grass, a big sandbox for the kiddies, threw up probably a dozen tables and added a little bar with some beer, wine and food. From there you can see three of the four waterfalls (allegedly you can see the fourth, but a big chunk of plywood was in the way tonight). There was a nice breeze, bright sun and good friends. If you are in the City, I really suggest you try to visit. 

Tuesday

8

July 2008

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Wait, that’s a bar chord? Aw crap. No, I’ll try it.

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I’m trying to take advantage of opportunities that come my way to do something different. Today, after work, I stumbled upon such an opportunity.


As I was leaving work and heading to the train (I chose the A instead of the F because it is 900 degrees out) I ran into four people from the office. One had a guitar, one had a suitcase, and one had a folder full of papers. They claimed they were starting a band, and told me to come along. I kind of – no, really, actually – didn’t believe them. I mean, clearly Chris, with the guitar, was going to play somewhere. But Dave had a suitcase with him, and Nate just generally doesn’t strike me as one to hang out with Chris, Lisa and Dave. Then I looked at the papers and saw they were five packets of a bunch of songs with chords. I figured that if this was some joke they were all simultaneously in on, well, good on them. So I got on the A train going the opposite direction of home.


They reserved a space at a practice / recording studio near Midtown on the west side. This place is great – each room has loads of equipment, including full drum sets and keyboard, mics and amps. I was even able to rent a guitar to play for the session. Of course, I had no clue how to tune it using the tuner they had, so both Chris and Dave had to step in.


At first I was a little apprehensive. I’ve *just* started playing guitar again after about 10 years, and I’ve struggled in the past with picking up on songs quickly. But they were so patient with me. Most of the songs we tried had pretty easy chords, and after Chris correctly called me out on being too worried about looking stupid, I relaxed and just went with it. And it was so worth it. I certainly am nowhere near as good and Chris and Dave – they really know their stuff, and can play complicated melodies and solos – but I kept up for the most part, and had an absolute BLAST the entire time. And Nate was amazing on the keyboard. Seriously, it was this silly two-hour jam session that reminded me of how much fun I have when music is involved.


Hopefully we’ll do it again in a month or so. In the meantime, I can’t wait to get started with my guitar lessons.

Sunday

6

July 2008

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National Lampoon’ Tahoe Vacation

Written by , Posted in Adventures

A whirlwind week of fun with the family.


My trip had a bit of an inauspicious start. I got to the airport on time (after getting up at 4:30 AM), and the plane pushed back early. But we sat. And sat. And sat some more. After about 30 minutes, the captain came on to say that we couldn’t take off because our flight plan wasn’t cleared. He even shut down the engines, which is never a good sign. Then he came back on, sounding really frustrated, and said that the tower couldn’t access flight plans for anyone heading to the Bay Area. Whoops. 


It was eventually corrected, and I landed in Oakland about 90 minutes late. We headed to Tahoe, with a couple of quick stops – one at the Jelly Belly Factory (yum!) and one at In-and-Out (yum!).


It was so great to get up to the Lake. I’ve not been there in the summer since before I started my current job, and the four of us haven’t been there in the summer in a decade.


Sunday was a full day of walking around and eating. Seriously. We walked down to the Lake, then went over to Kings Beach for some miniature gold – a family tradition. After checking out the art fair, we played (or, in my case, lost) some money at the slot machines. Then we had a super yummy dinner at The Soule Domain. They even had vegan offerings.


Monday was pool day, followed by dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant with the godparents.


Tuesday was a crazy day. We were supposed to go out on a boat, but it was cancelled. We went down to south shore instead, and took the Heavenly gondolas up about 2,000 feet. Seriously, freaky. It was fine hanging over a nearly vertical mountain face when the gondola was moving, but when we just stopped and hung there? Oh HELL NO. I was not amused. But once we got to the top, it was all worth it. The view was breathtaking.


After traveling up a little further, we came across the zip line – the longest in North America. After sister and I took another ski lift to the very top of the mountain (9,500 feet above sea level, about 3,000 feet above the lake), we were each strapped into a harness dangling from a cable. Then the let us go, and we flew 540 feet over tree tops. It was a once-in-a-lifetime feeling of flying, and it was amazing.


The rest of the week was all about the small town USA fourth of July celebrations. There was a pancake breakfast thrown by the local fire house, a parade (featuring square dancers and boats), a tribute to veterans, and a 1940s USO show. It was so fun, with everyone so into the activities. On the actual 4th of July we walked to the Lake and had dinner at the local hotel, where they were setting aside space on the beach for us to sit. The fireworks were spectacular – and a bit scary when a few went off directly on the barge, lighting it on fire. Whoops.


There were some low points – mostly when we would slip into family bickering mode – but overall it was a really relaxing, wonderful time with the family.

Tuesday

24

June 2008

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I’m in!

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It’s been a long week, but I made it. I’m in my new digs in the Slope. I love my neighborhood, my street, my building, and my apartment.

 

The movers arrived right on time, and took about an hour to load everything up. My (now former) roommate was kind and offered to come out to the place with me to help unpack! We got to the apartment a bit before the movers, but then they came and unloaded everything really quickly. Then Michelle and I got to work – she is a master at unpacking. We were done unloading all of the boxes and putting all non-clothing items away in less than an hour. 

 

We got brunch, then she came back and took away the boxes to use for her own move. I continued unpacking, and was soon joined by Jon Mark, and later John and Allegra. Now I’m seriously completely unpacked. Everything is put away, and all I’m missing is the couch, which should be delivered between 8AM and 1PM tomorrow. I still need to hit Target at some point to get those kitchen things like a pasta strainer and a dish dryer, but otherwise I’m all set!

 

This neighborhood is great. There’s so much to explore – I can’t wait to spend an evening wandering. I would have tonight, but there have been crazy thunderstorms on and off since 4 PM.

Monday

23

June 2008

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Brain Droppings

Written by , Posted in Reviews

My alarm went off this morning to NPR, as it usually does. The first sentence that greeted me? “George Carlin, legendary comedian, has died at the age of 71.”


His book, “Brain Droppings,” is one of my favorites. It is the kind of book that I’ll pick up, open to any page, and laugh out loud. Or nod in agreement. He was great at pointing out common errors in grammar, or stupid turns of phrase. And so, in honor of him, here are a few choice sections.


“If something in the future is canceled, what is canceled? What has really happened? Something that didn’t occur yet is now never going to occur at all. Does that qualify as an event?”


“I know I’m fighting a losing battle with this one, but I refuse to surrender: Collapsing a building with explosives is not an implosion. An implosion is a very specific scientific phenomenon. The collapsing of a building with explosives is the collapsing of a building with explosives. The explosives explode, and the building collapses inwardly. That is not an implosion. It is an inward collapsing of a building, following a series of smaller explosions designed to make it collapse inwardly. Period.”


“A scary dream makes your heart beat faster. Why doesn’t the part of your brain that controls your heartbeat realize that another part of your brain is making the whole thing up? Don’t these people communicate?”


“You know what you never see? A really interesting set of twins.”


“Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that.”

Sunday

22

June 2008

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Should I Stay or Should I Go (Home)?

Written by , Posted in Feminism

Last week I came across this interesting article from The Women’s International Perspective.


Why U.S. Women Earn So Little Money: The Wage Gap Isn’t Getting Any Better


I’ve been sitting on this topic for a couple of days because it’s really complicated, and yet shouldn’t be. 


Since I work in government, I know (or should I say, can know) the salary for every single person in my office. I can see if I’m making more than people performing similar work with similar experience, or if I’m making less. I haven’t compared because I’m content, for the most part, with my salary.


When I was in the private sector, however, we weren’t allowed to know what other people made. Yet I wasn’t too concerned then, either. I’ve never been good at negotiating salaries, or even determining what a fair salary would be for me. I have always just accepted what I’ve been offered. Some have argued that this is part of the reason why women make less than men: we don’t negotiate. Funny story, though – according to studies referenced in the above article, women face repercussions when we try to negotiate. Good times.


Money is a huge issue, and equality is a tricky thing, especially when some men might think that by bringing women up to their level in pay that means they might lose something. I have my own savings, my own money, and a job that allows me to live sans roommates for the first time since college. If I were to get married, though, what would happen? Assuming I have kids – and that’s a topic for another day – what would happen? Would I be expected to stay home? Would my imaginary husband be in a field with higher earning potential, thus making moot whether either of us wants to stay home? And if things didn’t work out and we got divorced and I had to go back to work – what would my earning potential and experience be then?


Women choose to have children, so are women at fault for needing more flexibility (and thus often less responsibility and less money) than men? It’s a choice, and isn’t choice what women have been begging to have for generations? Here’s the problem – it’s still not much of a choice to care for children. It’s still not as socially acceptable for men to stay home with the kids while the women work. There was an article in the New York Times Magazine this week – When Mom and Dad Share It All. It’s an interesting look at attempts to share the load as equally as possible. The fact that this even merits attention in a national Sunday magazine shows it’s obviously not the norm.


How many guys around my age think they’ll end up working part time or quitting when they have kids? I do wonder what it’s like to have that pressure of being expected (by society, if not by your wife) to support a few people. At times I do think it might be nice some day to have kids and get to hang out with them. My mother worked really hard at home to make sure my sister and I turned out normal. She didn’t go back to work until I was in high school, and while I don’t think she resents us for that, I know I appreciate her for it.

Sunday

22

June 2008

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Chicago. Harlem. Barbes

Written by , Posted in Adventures, Reviews

There’s a bar in my new neighborhood called Barbes. There’s an accent over the ‘e’, but I don’t know how to make that show up on a Mac. Anyway, they have live music there basically every night, and it’s interesting music. Behind the bar is the performance space, and it’s in a tiny room, probably about the size of my old apartment. 20 people can sit, plus maybe a dozen can stand in the back.  What I’m saying is, it’s small.


Last night Herman and I went to see Brian Carpenter’s Ghost Train Orchestra. It’s a TEN PIECE BAND (remember the description of the space above?) featuring a tuba, trumpet, trombone, violin, viola, saw, banjo, clarinet, sax and percussion. They played music from the 1920s band era, mostly written by band leaders from Chicago and Harlem. To me, the songs all had a sound that made me feel like I was in New Orleans. It was loud and wonderful, and so not the kind of music that one expects to hear in a bar in most places.


If this sounds good to you, they’re playing at MOMA at 5:30 and 7:30 on Thursday July 24. I know I’ll be there.

Saturday

21

June 2008

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One Week In

Written by , Posted in Adventures

I’ve been in the Slope for a week, and it has been a full one. Monday night we were ‘activated’ for storms that didn’t really materialize. Tuesday I met up with a coworker who lives in the neighborhood, and a couple of her friends, for some great Mexican food just down the street. JB helped me move my old AC (and some pie plates I’d left behind – thanks Michelle) from my UES place to my new digs, as the AC that I inherited in the new place just wasn’t cutting it. It didn’t quite fit, so we went to Loews and bought some wood to get it to sit in there properly. I also got a toaster – yay, cheap breakfast at home.  


Anyway, while I like to think I am quite capable of doing many household things on my own (hanging pictures as long as I don’t have to find a ‘stud’ in the wall, painting my apartment), some things I just don’t get. I’ve installed an AC before, but this seemed a bit complicated. Regardless, it’s in, and in just in time, as it is in the mid-80s today. Justin is now helping me to complete the stereotypically male tasks I need done, a duty that Michelle fulfilled herself quite nobly these past couple years. 


That’s not really that adventurous, however. But the past 24 hours have been better, in terms of exploring. Last night I went to Prospect Park and caught the first half of the Met Opera in the park. It was a perfect evening – coolish, clear, no bugs – and the set-up was great. I just plopped down and enjoyed the singing and the music. And afterwards – just a five minute walk to get home! I was pretty exhausted from a long week of work, getting settled, ‘leadership’ training (I liked it, whatever) and learning my new way around.


This morning I was up very early – 7:30! – and so cleaned the apartment, then went up to the Grand Army Plaza farmers market. They had some great strawberries that remind me of the tiny ones that grow in the backyard of the home where I grew up, so I bought a quart and have just been enjoying them all afternoon. I finally picked up some of those things one needs but doesn’t realize (for example, salt), and even exchanged an extension cord. 


Side note – I only have functioning three-pronged outlets on the far side of my apartment, away from the kitchen, so I had to buy an extension cord so that I could use the microwave or toaster. It looks pretty funny when in use, but who cares. 


I also did my own laundry for the first time in maybe three years. When I left the UES the first time I moved into two successive buildings with no laundry facilities. I loathe laundromats, so I got in the habit of taking it to the cleaner to be laundered. It’s expensive, but was worth it. Well, now, sweet lord, there are washers and dryers a mere 20 second elevator ride away. It’s so convenient. And a good way to meet the people in the building.


Today I found an independent guitar store – owned by women to boot – about a 20 minute walk from my place. Allegra gave me her old guitar two years ago. I keep ‘meaning’ to learn (I know the very basics thanks to about six months of lessons in high school), and this week I finally sat down with it . . . and promptly broke a string. So I found a little music store and bought new strings, then promptly realized I had not a clue how to re-string the guitar. And then I broke the nut. So yeah, it had to be fixed. The place I found – Mazzotti Music on 3rd at Carroll – was great. Low-key, and cheaper than the other places. So now I have my guitar and have been fiddling around with it all afternoon.


On the way back from the guitar store, I stopped for lunch on 5th and was reading this book “Equator” about a man’s travels around the north pole. Kidding, it’s about traveling the equator. I am on a section about Africa, and the busser – Frank – asked if I was reading about Africa. I told him about the book, and it turns out he is from Gabon, one of the countries I had *just* read about. He’s been here a year and is getting used to how quickly things move. Such a nice guy. I asked him if the President (Bongo – he’s hilarious) is still in power, and he is indeed. We had a nice little unexpected chat.


And, as I made my way up I made a purchase from a bake sale supporting Barack Obama. I guess this weekend is the nationwide bake sale, so if you like Obama, I’m sure you can find a way in your neighborhood to support him while getting a sweet treat.


Tonight more exploring with Herman, so hopefully I’ll have some more to share.


ENJOY THE FIRST FULL DAY OF SUMMER!

Sunday

15

June 2008

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Fishnet knickers? Yeah, I don’t get it.

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Last night I was tired from all the moving in and such and figured I’d stay in for the evening. But then Justin called with an event too intriguing to miss. His guitar teacher was going to be playing in the LES. But not just in a typical band – in an eastern European band. Um, awesome.


The band was playing in a basement restaurant. When we first entered, it seemed a bit empty. Except for the . . . interestingly dressed women near a small bar. Picture in your mind a stereotype of an eastern European idea of classy, and you’ll understand what we saw. We moved into the main restaurant area, where the band was playing, and secured a space at the bar. The room was filled with mostly older folks, likely ethnically Russian, although there was an entire party of people there around my age who were definitely not ethnically Russian. Everyone seemed to be having fun and enjoying the music. The bad consisted of members playing the tuba, clarinet, horn, saxophone, guitar, fiddle, drums and accordion, plus a singer. The fiddle player especially was amazing.


I really enjoyed the music – I even signed up for their email list. It was fun and unexpected. But what occurred during one of the band’s breaks was REALLY unexpected.  


So when we first got there, as I mentioned, the women hovering near the smaller bar were dressed in an interesting manner. I missed one woman, but Justin noticed her (of course). She was wearing a sparkly silver thong and a satin jacket. And that was it.


During the break, someone starts telling us we should step away from the bar, and take our drinks with it, because someone was going to dance on it. Um, what? Had we found the Ukrainian Coyote Ugly? No – it was better than that. So, Sparkly Thong woman gets up on the bar (barefoot), and some generic “sexy” music starts playing. And she’s holding a bottle of vodka. I could tell you the brand, but I’d rather not promote it. Anyway, her dance was part of a promotion for the vodka.


She clearly has dance training (and had a killer body). I also notice she’s wearing fishnet knickers. With a run that had been sewn up. I’m not clear as to what possible purpose fishnet knickers might serve – why wear ‘nylons’ that end just below the knee?  


She’s dancing, and then she removes her shiny jacket to reveal a sparkly red bra. And she continues moving provocatively. I was trying so hard to not lose it. But it was close to impossible, ESPECIALLY when she TOOK OFF HER BRA. No wonder they were checking IDs at the door. She had some very sparkly red pasties on, and she did some more shimmying before ending with a full split on the bar. Frankly, that was just unsanitary.


To recap, the evening of my first night in my new place involved a few drinks, some great Russian music, and a striptease.  I love New York!

Thursday

12

June 2008

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Good-bye Manhattan, hello Brooklyn!

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My walls are bare. All of my clothing is in garbage bags and suitcases. My files weigh a lot more than I thought. And I’m feeling all sentimental . . . which is nothing new. So, as I get a little sad about leaving, I thought I’d remind myself of what I’m getting in return.


Losing: 400+ square feet that I have to hike five flights to access.

Gaining: A huge closet.


Losing: A 10-minute walk to Central Park.

Gaining: A two-minute walk to Prospect Park.


Losing: An amazing roommate.

Gaining: A former roommate in North Carolina who I can go visit.


Losing: 15 minutes of reading time each way on three trains.

Gaining: An extra 15 minutes in bed in the morning and 15 minutes in the park at night.


Losing: A real refrigerator

Gaining: Access to a great food co-op.


Losing: The ability to ask my roommate a question late at night . . . through the wall separating our rooms.

Gaining: The ability to sing along (loudly) to my favorite songs without bugging anyone.


Losing: a half-dozen movie theaters within walking distance.

Gaining: a half-dozen friends within walking distance.


That last one sums it up – I’m so excited. This is very, very good.