ARCHIVED BLOG: APRIL 2004

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04/29/04...11:18 pm

Final few hours in NYC. It's beautiful here. Spent the evening in the Newsweek offices, in my last class at NYU. I think there's something wrong with me. Or maybe it is just because I know I still have a project left to do, but I don't feel elated.

Should I feel elated?

I don't know. I don't feel any smarter than when I came into this program. I guess I know more about publishing. But smarter? Nah. Dan & I were talking about how I am the first family member with a graduate degree. I feel like I should feel elation. But. Nope. I don't feel anything.

Maybe it needs to sink in.

Damn Habs. Out in 4. What were they thinking? Slight redemption will only be felt if TB wins the cup.

Home, home, here I come.

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04/28/04...10:57 pm

Whew. Only one more presentation to do (and it is a group one) tomorrow and then I am practically done with my master's degree. I will still have to write my internship paper, but that's it. I am almost finit-o. I can't believe it has been 2 years. It seems like very little time has gone by.

The New Yorker online has posted its review of Jumpers. Too bad the photo of Tom Stoppard is not up there (he looks nothing like I thought he would). But, each of you can now get a sense of the play.

I have so many things to do tomorrow and so many places I want to shop before I leave NY. Luckily, mom was in town recently and we stocked up at Fresh.

And Seth called. He is in town. I should really try to see him before I go home. I haven't seen him in months. And at Get Ho, no one ever really has a chance to chat.

Getting nervous about tryouts. I have no idea what we are going to do if more than 50 girls show up.

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04/27/04...9:28 pm

Sometimes I think that being back in school has done nothing else but allow me to hone my procrastination techniques. I have an 8 page paper due tomorrow. So far I have done the skeleton of the website design for the site and thought about some ideas. No writing has taken place yet. Man-o-man.

Work was great today. The "boss" bought us a sushi lunch and we watched a DVD of an interview with 3 of Eudora Welty's closest friends. Apparently, she was a remarkable woman. My favorite story about her involved a discussion about adjectives used to describe assemblies of things, like a coven of witches or a murder of crows. Apparently Ms. Welty like to play a game with these types of adjectives and no one could come close to competing with her.

A stack of librarians.

Priceless.

Bang on review of Jumpers in the New Yorker this week. I will quote from it later, when I can justify taking the time to do it.

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04/26/04...11:52 pm

So, seeing Jumpers on Sunday was my first experience with Opening Night. There were plenty of cameras outside the theatre, waiting to capture famous people on film, I guess. Most people were dressed up, some were even wearing black tie. One can only presume they were off to fancy parties afterwards. The play was exactly what one would expect from Tom Stoppard. It definitely was thought-provoking, and eerily relevant to questions we should be asking ourselves about the state of moral philosophy today. The humour was very high brow: witty word play and the like. I don't believe this play will last very long on Broadway. It's not really filled with the glitz and glamour that the average theatre-goer is attracted to these days. But, I would love to see it again. I would also love to read the play. I have got to track down the New York Times review.

Ian found this really neat website that displays news in a unique manner.

And in other news, The New Yorker came today!

I haven't had a chance to watch Alias yet. Trudi thoughtfully taped it for me because she knew I was going to be out at the theatre and would miss it. Ian claims it was great, so I can't wait to watch it. I can't remember following a show more religiously since 90210. Every Thursday night in high school I'd head over to Michele's house and we'd watch 90210 and eat popcorn. Oh, how long ago that was. But, good times.

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04/25/04...4:18 pm

Finished a few other of the articles in Vanity Fair. The one about Jackie Kennedy is good, although I always wonder how authors can speak with such authority a subject. In books, there are usually references you can check, but many of these articles may quote someone personally, but never provide a list of references or source materials. You have to just choose to believe or not believe everything you read.

In any event, while I have done a lot of reading on JFK, I have done substantially less reading about his wife and practically nothing from her perspective, so the article was illuminating particularly because it offered a different viewpoint of life at the White House. Plus, I feel drawn to Mrs. Kennedy, as she began a career as a editor in NYC after JFK died.

Speaking of American politics, here are some interesting links for those who might be out of the loop on the American political campaign strategies: moveon.org and designsonthewhitehouse.org.

Yesterday, Frida and I picked Lars up from his half-marathon before heading to Ultimate. I couldn't believe that 11,000 people showed up to run from Coney Island to Prospect Park. It definitely was inspiring to see tons of people who do not look like runners (lithe, muscular, small) pounding away to the finish line. It gives me courage that one day, I too can complete a half or full marathon.

Willis gave me this great book for my birthday last year, The Superior Person's Second Book of Weird & Wonderous Words, by Peter Bowler. The words themselves are fun, but it's the "using the word in a sentence" part that makes this book extra-special.

FUSTIGATE

To cudgel, i.e., to beat with a stick.

"Don't worry, lady-you can safely leave little Fido in our kennels for the holidays.
We feed them, exercise them, we brush their coats, and we fustigate them daily."

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04/24/04...7:14 pm

Ian found this site called dogster.com. Ha! It's like Friendster, but for dogs. So, we posted our dog up there. Geeky, I know. Our dog has her own webpage.

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04/24/04...9:01 am

The Onion has some hilarious articles up this week, including the first item in "In The News."

04/23/04...9:41 pm

Spent over 9 hours in the company of small publishers at NYU's Management Forum for Independent Publishers today. Some great speakers, especially the keynote speaker. He said many interesting things. Two that I remember offhand are:

1: "Books are your footprints in the sand. They endure long after we die, so you should put all of your effort into making them the best they can be. Forget this marketing and sales nonesense."

2: Litera Scripta Manet. Translation? The written word endures.

Crammed in 45 mins of cardio & some abs in between the forum and dinner. Tomorrow we have 3 league games, so I should be just tired enough not to be able to do any homework when I get back tomorrow night. Excellent.

I have saved the best news for last. I am going to see the opening night of Jumpers on Sunday!

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04/22/04...11:06 pm

Michael J. Fox as Alex P. Keaton is currently appearing in reruns on TVLAND. Flipping channels, I had to stop and watch him chat up some woman with crimped hair. Oh, how I loved my pink crimper in grade 5 & 6. It was the bomb. I wonder what ever happened to that thing?

45 minutes on the elliptical trainer flew by today, as I pounded it out to Tom Petty, some Punk Covers (Will Lavery style) and Jackson 5. Eclectic, I know. Also did abs, leg press, hamstring curls, quad extensions, adductors and abductors, and lats (for good measure).

The other day, Ian asked me what album I would take with me to a desert island, if I could only choose one. His choice was Hysteria. Apt, in terms of his slightly-on-the-scary-side love of bad 80s rock. Not a bad selection. Can't deny I love that album too. But. If you know me well, you probably already know what I chose.

The best album of all time, bar none, and one that I have been listening to since I was a kid...

Graceland. Paul Simon. If you don't own it already, you should.

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04/22/04...2:49 pm

It boggles my mind how people can like shopping enough to want to spend a weekend doing it, or even more than an hour. The only kind of shopping I actually like doing is going to the market and seeing all the fresh produce. Then again, Ian can attest to how often I volunteer to go to the grocery store (*ahem*). So maybe shopping is just not for me.

Ice cream, however, is definitely for me. My favourite (or favorite, depending on which country I'm in) day of the year is coming up next Tuesday. Free Cone Day, of course.

mmm.

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04/22/04...9:13 am

Cool site. Fray.com

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04/21/04...11:40 pm

Want to become a member of the International High IQ society? I can't really figure out if this is for real. But, I did the verbal test just now for kicks. It said I can sign up to be a member, since I scored 134. As far as genius' go, though, apparently this score only means I am "gifted."

Hmm. Maybe I'll try it again when I have had some sleep.

In any event, a definite source of amusement for a while.

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04/21/04...10:19 pm

Read an article in Vanity Fair (which I admit I bought in a moment of weakness, having nothing to read on the subway because there was no New Yorker this week) about this guy who lived in the wilderness of Alaska with grizzly bears. This guy had an unorthodox approach to living with the bears, almost a symbiotic relationship with the beautiful, deadly animals. Anyway, he and his girlfriend ended up being mauled by just about the only bear he feared. Amazing how these stories can be headline news and you don't hear or read about them. Too much information out there, maybe?

I don't spend a lot of time reading other people's blogs, but there are a few I enjoy. Isn't it frustrating when bloggers fail to post anything for a few days? You know they are doing things of note, at least something more exciting than sitting in front of the computer, but they aren't sharing. Why-o-why? You are forced to check more frequently, hoping against hope that in the last three minutes since you last checked, they have typed a few lines ... something ... anything .... Hmm. Ok, maybe it's just me.

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04/21/04...1:50 am

Incessant drilling on our street is keeping me awake. Truthfully, I played pickup tonight at ERP and it was beautiful and fun and I clearly should not exercise so late because I am not feeling sleepy yet. Good group of players come out to play 6 on 6 on a pretty small field, with less than adequate lighting. Nice to get a feel for the pickup vs. competitive scene. Some good competitive players still come out to play, but most are second-tier players looking to make a splash.

Went out for a beer afterwards with a few of the boys. The one thing I have noticed in New York is that you are hard-pressed to find someone of average intelligence. Maybe it's the ultimate crowd, but I think it is really more about New York and the best and brightest who are attracted to it. Everyone has a really cool job. This one kid who I met tonight works for a small company that goes around starting schools. Basically, they bring the resources together and just make it happen for kids who have no other alternatives. And he works, 80 hour weeks. Insane. But in a cool way, definitely.

The drilling is killing me.....I can't believe they let this go on at 2 am.

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04/19/04 ...11:36 pm

Tampa Bay, watch out. Franchises have nothing on the original 6.

GO HABS GO.

I finished Eats, Shoots and Leaves. It is more amusing than informative, actually, but it does lay out the basics of punctuation. I give it a thumbs up. There is a very funny bit about emoticons. Want to brush up on your emoticons?

Ran the Brooklyn Bridge on Sunday. Then I headed up to Central Park and hung out w/ Frida. We got several compliments on our throwing ability. Too bad the Great Lawn was so packed we couldn't get off anything more impressive than 10 foot forehands and backhands.

Going to pickup tomorrow night at ERP. Can't wait! There's something special about pickup under the lights in a park in NYC. Although I have to admit that it'd be better if the lights actually lit up the field.

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04/19/04

O Joy! It is supposed to reach 30 degrees today (86 if you are American). Tremendous.

04/17/04

Habs won! Woohoo. It looks like Boston is crumbling. Here's hoping for an exciting game 7. Of course, I will be in class. Ian will have to SMS me the scores.

Too many people are getting married. In the past two years, Ian and I have been invited to 10 weddings, of which we have attended 9. This summer, we have 2 scheduled, and 2 as-of-yet unscheduled. Bloody expensive, if you ask me. We've so far flown to Stockholm, Sweden; Oxford, England (don't forget the surprise batchelor party in Amsterdam); and we've driven just about everywhere else. No one seems to want to get married anywhere near Montreal or New York City. Blast.

Rooting through pics of last summer's wedding of my very old friend Tom, I found this picture of our punting excursion on the Thames.

Lovely day. Delicious picnic. Ravenous swans.

04/16/04

There is a pink panther website! Peter Sellers is pure genius. Dan got us the complete DVD set for Christmas. I don't think I've gotten a better present in a long time.

I broke down and bought Eats, Shoots and Leaves. So far, it is very amusing. I was slightly worried the Americans would bastardize the book by changing the English to "American" English. But luckily those Penguin people were smart and did not. The humour within its pages would just not work without the uppity British language.

Found a new coffee place today, Klatch. Mmm. Despite not really drinking much coffee, it is nice to have local shops to frequent when the need arises. It can be trying to find a good place to hang out on Sat or Sun in the Financial District. A blessing and a curse.

Got a call from an old friend today. It's funny how relationships, all relationships, go in cycles. We haven't spent a lot of time talking in the past few years, but yet our conversation wasn't filled with the superficial "life update" conversation. Despite life's complications, good friendships are almost worth a little time and energy.

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04/15/04...4:25 pm

Falling into the "I can't believe this actually exists" category, how about NakedNews. Think the Queer Eye's answer to broadcast news. Note, you don't have to pay to watch the preview, but don't be shocked. They live up to their newsworthy name.

04/15/04...10:27 am

Brilliant. Just read a New York Times article* about a guy who has created a new way to write/read novels. It is absolutely brilliant. There is no other word for it. Then again, you'd have to be a fan/avid user of e-mail and MSN/IM to really appreciate it. Anyway, it's basically an entire story that transpires through e-mail and IMs. You are an "active" participant, so you click on each e-mail to read it, and scroll through the IM messages. Anyway, the plot is nothing fantastic, but it does give you this voyeuristic-type high. Check it out at www.greatamericannovel.com. You can download it for free.

*Usually you can't view New York Times articles unless you have signed up with them (free).

04/15/04...8 am

The New Yorker publishes quality fiction so consistently that I like to reward myself for slogging through all the news articles and profiles and reviews and newsworthy reports by saving the best for last. Unfortunately, this week's fiction just didn't seem up to par. It definitely was different. But I couldn't get into it. See for yourself. It's posted online. It's effective, in its way, but, I am not sure I would describe it as "engaging."

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04/14/04...12:30 pm

1.5 hrs at gym.

1 hr. elliptical trainer and .5 hrs abs & stretching. It is amazing how abs never get boring, just more painful. Music on tap included "Pump Up The Jam," "Blame It On The Rain," and "Thriller." Nothing like a trashy old-school beat to get you moving. Bring on Gender Blender. I can't wait for 80s music all weekend long.

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04/14/04...8 am

Jim Parinella has written a book about Ultimate. I don't even have to read it to recommend it. It's going to be an excellent read.

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04/13/04

1.5 hours of lifting today. Bench Press/Leg Press/Squats/Adductors/Abductors/Lunges/Back/Abs.

Whew. It was good, but my quads are already hurting. Perhaps we overdid it a bit.

Dumb Habs. How can they blow a lead and fail to score on a 2-man advantage? They have got to be able to close it out in the 3rd. Here's hoping they fix things in OT. Sudden death makes me nervous. It's not about who is better, it's about who can manage to hold off on screwing up the longest.

American news is so sensational. One of the stations here led off with a story about a guy who had set his puppies on fire. Sick.

Got the New Yorker yesterday. It is a double issue. A blessing and a curse. So many more articles, but not enough to last two weeks.

Last night in my copyediting & proofreading class, our teacher handed out the University of Chicago Press proofreading test. It is absolutely hilarious, and impossible. It is designed to make you feel like a failure. I should scan it in and post it.

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04/11/04

how grammatically sound are you?

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04/10/04

Good day. Yoga w/ Christie, one of my favorite Om teachers. Gym w/ Georgia. 30 minutes elliptical. 4X30 second sprints and 1X45 second sprint up hill. Biceps/triceps/abs. Then, off to dinner & a show with Goldy.

We saw de la guarda. It was nothing I expected. We got wet. We popped ballons. We stood in the dark with hundreds of other people. We watched a guy swing from the rafters naked. We definitely heard barbaric yawping, a la Walt Whitman. It really was an unforgettable experience. Check out the website. You can get a vague sense by watching their flash video. Click on "el show."

Spring league is cancelled tomorrow. What am I going to do with myself?

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04/09/04

Read a great article/excerpt from a book about punctuation, called Eats, Shoots and Leaves, by Lynne Truss. Ha ha ha. So funny. Anyway, the excerpt is hilarious. Ok, maybe I am the only one who finds this stuff funny, but I do. I will admit, geeky as it is, that I am a stickler for punctuation. It drives me nuts when people use the wrong type of punctuation. I can't stand when I read signs that say CD's. CD's? Come on.

So, Lynne Truss is reading at the bookstore directly next to NYU's midtown building next Monday night. And what class do I have there Monday night? Copyediting and Proofreading. It's perfect! I hope I'll have time to hear her read before I head up to class. One of the great things about NYC is that some famous author is always reading somewhere around town.

Tom Stoppard's play, Jumpers, is reviewed in the Times today. Definitely want to catch a show before I head back to Montreal.

Dad has gone to Hungary for the first time since he escaped in 1956. He went with his brother and my two cousins. I can't imagine how amazing and wonderful and sad and filled with nostalgia that trip is going to be. I wish Dan & I could have gone with him. But he's only going for 4 days. 4 days! He is going to try to see his hometown of Kisvárda. I am sure it will be very different. Dad remembers there being a dirt road as its main street. Somehow I can't imagine it has any dirt roads anymore. I think it is a common tourist destination. I can't wait to see the pictures.

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04/07/04

I have 1375 e-mails in my inbox. Out of control.

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04/05/04

Great weekend. Reminds me why women's ultimate is so much fun. We really were able to come together and function as a team on Sat. It helped that Anouk & Nurit joined us. Never too shabby when two of the best players in the game step on the field. Forgot how exhausting it is to call lines, think about strategy, keep up the postive vibe/energy & try to play well too. Whew. Captaining again is going to take some getting used to.

Friend from NYC joined us on the field & crashed w/ us at the hotel. She remarked several times that the Mtl players (boys & girls) were so friendly & fun to hang out with. We are fun & cool to be around. And the boys aren't chumpy "too cool for school" types. They actually all swung by the fields to watch us play. A+.

No horrendous drive home from D.C. to NYC this time around. The traffic was negligible. Must of had something to do with the lack of tourists checking out the cherry blossoms in Washington because it was so friggin' cold on Sunday. Blasts of arctic air were gusting across the fields Sunday aft. Watching the boys win the chump (but not chumpiest) pool was freezing, made bearable only by the mass amounts of heckling going on. Ad Ketcheson definitely has a leg up on the competition in terms of heckling ability. Hilarious.

Saw the podiatrist today. If you have insurance, American healthcare is streamlined & efficient. Arrived at 12:10 for my 12:15 appointment. Signed a form & was immediately taken into an examination room by a nurse for vitals. Pulse: 73. Temperature: 98.7. Blood Pressure: 116/66. Then we went into the podiatrist's office. She asked me a few questions about the pain in my right foot. She wanted to know about Ultimate. I rolled up my pants and stood up so she could see my foot pattern. She examined my foot. She said my left actually felt tighter than my right. She does not think I have plantar fasciitis, but only a strain. She recommended some treatment and also suggested she fit me for orthotics. She wants to make them from leather so they are pliable and will fit in my cleats.

Total doctor visit time from arrival to scheduling a follow up appointment: 22 minutes.

It is just silly how cold it is here today. April 5th, -1 celcius. Unpleasant and unnecessary. Doesn't Spring know that April Fools only lasts half a day?

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04/01/04

First tournament of the year, and the forecast for the weekend is nothing but rain. Ugh. Up at 5:45 am to get to the gym w/ dad. He has to head into work at 7 am or earlier, so to make him go to the gym, I have to get up early. Hard to have a satisfying workout at 6 am. But, it's nice to get cardio in when you are going to sit in the car for 5 hrs.

Did 1 hr of elliptical yesterday. Great MP3 mixes really makes it much easier not to get bored. Abs are definitely sore from workout on Tues w/ Georgia.

Several interesting articles in the New Yorker this week. One discusses how Ecuador is trying to synchronize their watches to bring themselves in line with the more economically successful countries of the world. Seriously. They want to make it state policy that you have to be on time.

The second article of note was about height and how western Europeans are still growing as a nation, but the US hasn't increased its average height in 50 years. Much was made of all the crap that Americans eat and how even those who can afford fresh fruits and veggies often opt for the less healthy choices and this is affecting overall lack of growth. I am not sure I buy the argument, but gives you something to think about, anyway.

Tom Stoppard has a new play on Broadway. It's called Jumpers & I believe it's a murder-mystery-comedy. Can't wait to see it. Tom Stoppard writes brilliantly, both plays and screenplay adaptations (Shakespeare in Love, Rosencrantz & Guildenstern are Dead).