I just found out that I have to get an Upper GI X-ray tomorrow. I’ve been told that I can’t eat or drink anything after midnight. I had a full, exciting weekend and the long nights out will make for a restful Monday. Now, I know that I will most likely be asleep at midnight and not conscious for food and drink, but something about being told I can’t makes me want to do nothing but eat or/and drink all night.
I wonder what will happen…Will my GI tract spawn other GI tract creatures who will transform into small, destructive monsters? I better keep bright light away from my mouth, just in case.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Support the People You Know
This in from Audrey's friend...
Message:
Just wanted to let you all know that "A Powerful Noise", the film I've been editing for the past year, was selected for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival at the end of April! We're very excited and are trying to create some internet buzz around the event. Although most of you aren't in town to see the premiere, you can help us out by checking out the trailer on You Tube. Please take a peek when you get a chance and give it a good rating (regardless what you think ;-) and make it a "favorite." Confrontational/funny/demented/sincere/gratuitous comments RE women's empowerment -- or whatever your cause -- welcome!
In addition to NYC, the film will be playing in other cities later this year including DC, LA and Atlanta, with more cities to be announced. For those of you in the DC area, "A Powerful Noise" will play at the AFI/Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS festival at the end of June. I'll let you know when they announce the screening date.
Select the link below to see the trailer and visit the APN website to read more about the film and the cause.
Thanks!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dv2UIrklRoE
http://apowerfulnoise.org/screenings.html
Message:
Just wanted to let you all know that "A Powerful Noise", the film I've been editing for the past year, was selected for the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival at the end of April! We're very excited and are trying to create some internet buzz around the event. Although most of you aren't in town to see the premiere, you can help us out by checking out the trailer on You Tube. Please take a peek when you get a chance and give it a good rating (regardless what you think ;-) and make it a "favorite." Confrontational/funny/demented/sincere/gratuitous comments RE women's empowerment -- or whatever your cause -- welcome!
In addition to NYC, the film will be playing in other cities later this year including DC, LA and Atlanta, with more cities to be announced. For those of you in the DC area, "A Powerful Noise" will play at the AFI/Discovery Channel SILVERDOCS festival at the end of June. I'll let you know when they announce the screening date.
Select the link below to see the trailer and visit the APN website to read more about the film and the cause.
Thanks!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=dv2UIrklRoE
http://apowerfulnoise.org/screenings.html
Jaime Does Yoga and…
1. falls on the floor
2. will never be the same
3. is crippled by sore muscles.
4. is 2 inches taller
Saturday afternoon I set out to cross something off my ever growing resolution list: start taking Yoga classes. Next on the list is fighting off financial ruin, paying off the credit cards, and disinfecting the litter box at least once a month.
The instructor was everything I wanted in a “spiritual” leader, equal parts hippie, esoteric, nerdy and not in the least intimidating. After a good bit about finding your inner bliss and how not acknowledging the impermanence of things around us leads to disappointment and heart break (too pertinent), we began posing.
I’m not sure if you have ever been in a room filled with people breathing heavily and contorting in tight, organic cotton, but it can be a little distracting. It was very hard to imagine that I was made of clear blue sky and bright, un-blinding light. The poses were another story all together.
I secretly thought I was going to master the art of yoga in one afternoon. Having taking dance for many years (many years ago) I naturally thought that an exercise in flexibility and balance would be simple. I was wrong. On a number of occasions, the instructor had to come over to my mat and manually position me into the proper stance, after a loud warning that I may slip a disc. Oops. I found that when we were called to drop to the floor for “resting poses” I quite literally threw myself to the ground as if bowing awkwardly to the Yoga supreme, most uncomfortably (for both of us.) Other resting poses were publicly awkward, more specifically the happy baby. This pose should not be done in front of anyone, unless they are your gynecologist. Oof.
I had more luck with the standing poses, kind of. The Warrior was my favorite and once I thought I “nailed” it, I beamed with pride, expecting praise from the instructor. What I did receive was only an adjustment: legs into basically a split, and attitude into the unhappy baby.
On a happy note, it was a good feeling being able to even participate in such physical activity. I was forced to retreat from the world for such a long time that it feels amazing to find myself contorting myself back into it, one pose at a time.
I will leave you with my favorite names for poses:
Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose - Ardha Masyendrasana
Child's Pose - Balasana
Corpse Pose - Savasana http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/taking-the-yoga-corpse-pose-literally/
Happy Baby Pose - Ananda Balasana
Cat - Cow Stretch
Cobra Pose - Bhujangasana
2. will never be the same
3. is crippled by sore muscles.
4. is 2 inches taller
Saturday afternoon I set out to cross something off my ever growing resolution list: start taking Yoga classes. Next on the list is fighting off financial ruin, paying off the credit cards, and disinfecting the litter box at least once a month.
The instructor was everything I wanted in a “spiritual” leader, equal parts hippie, esoteric, nerdy and not in the least intimidating. After a good bit about finding your inner bliss and how not acknowledging the impermanence of things around us leads to disappointment and heart break (too pertinent), we began posing.
I’m not sure if you have ever been in a room filled with people breathing heavily and contorting in tight, organic cotton, but it can be a little distracting. It was very hard to imagine that I was made of clear blue sky and bright, un-blinding light. The poses were another story all together.
I secretly thought I was going to master the art of yoga in one afternoon. Having taking dance for many years (many years ago) I naturally thought that an exercise in flexibility and balance would be simple. I was wrong. On a number of occasions, the instructor had to come over to my mat and manually position me into the proper stance, after a loud warning that I may slip a disc. Oops. I found that when we were called to drop to the floor for “resting poses” I quite literally threw myself to the ground as if bowing awkwardly to the Yoga supreme, most uncomfortably (for both of us.) Other resting poses were publicly awkward, more specifically the happy baby. This pose should not be done in front of anyone, unless they are your gynecologist. Oof.
I had more luck with the standing poses, kind of. The Warrior was my favorite and once I thought I “nailed” it, I beamed with pride, expecting praise from the instructor. What I did receive was only an adjustment: legs into basically a split, and attitude into the unhappy baby.
On a happy note, it was a good feeling being able to even participate in such physical activity. I was forced to retreat from the world for such a long time that it feels amazing to find myself contorting myself back into it, one pose at a time.
I will leave you with my favorite names for poses:
Downward Facing Dog - Adho Mukha Svanasana
Half Lord of the Fishes Pose - Ardha Masyendrasana
Child's Pose - Balasana
Corpse Pose - Savasana http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/10/15/taking-the-yoga-corpse-pose-literally/
Happy Baby Pose - Ananda Balasana
Cat - Cow Stretch
Cobra Pose - Bhujangasana
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Friday, March 28, 2008
Spring Fever
It’s another cold and dreary day here in NYC. The morning birds sing promises of spring, but the sun will not cooperate. I have a sinking suspicion the sun is depressed and can not roll out from a fluffy, white bed to face the day bold and proud.
Transition abound, all this recent change has giving many people a touch of “the depression”, just a touch. If I were the sun, I wouldn’t want to look down on all the frowns, drowning in salt water. Maybe if we all join hands and sing a chorus with the birds, we can convince the sun to come out and dry up all the rain.
Transition abound, all this recent change has giving many people a touch of “the depression”, just a touch. If I were the sun, I wouldn’t want to look down on all the frowns, drowning in salt water. Maybe if we all join hands and sing a chorus with the birds, we can convince the sun to come out and dry up all the rain.
A Portrait of an Obsessive Friend
Friend: "Would you mind putting on these Reeboks?"
"I hope you're Thirsty!? I made Kool-Aid."
"I hope you're Thirsty!? I made Kool-Aid."
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Humans Take Note
This just in from Audrey...
"Apparently these are real, and the polar bear came back every day that week to play with the dogs."
If you don't already think animals are far more advanced than we humans, think again. Stuart Brown describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada 's Hudson Bay
The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in, but
"Apparently these are real, and the polar bear came back every day that week to play with the dogs."
If you don't already think animals are far more advanced than we humans, think again. Stuart Brown describes Norbert Rosing's striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada 's Hudson Bay
The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in, but
The Mean Fort Greene Machine
Watch as I explode with excitement.
“Brooklyn Flea will take place every Sunday—rain or shine—starting April 6, 2008, at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave. The Flea will feature 200 vendors of vintage furniture, clothing and antiques alongside new designs by local makers of everything from jewelry to textiles. More information about the Flea can be found through the "About" link (on http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/ with a list of vendors [so far].)”
“Brooklyn Flea will take place every Sunday—rain or shine—starting April 6, 2008, at Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, on Lafayette Ave. between Clermont and Vanderbilt Ave. The Flea will feature 200 vendors of vintage furniture, clothing and antiques alongside new designs by local makers of everything from jewelry to textiles. More information about the Flea can be found through the "About" link (on http://www.brownstoner.com/brooklynflea/ with a list of vendors [so far].)”
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
A Eulogy to the Man I Loved
The man I loved was kind, giving, forgiving, generous, loyal, honest, loving and trustworthy. He was my best friend; he was my lover. He was killed by a shallow man; an unkind man who is untrustworthy; a selfish man who will kick a person while they are down, just as they are about to stand back up. He is a man who does not know what it means to love. Or it may just be that the man I loved never existed in the first place.
UPDATE Re: Log Cabin in Brooklyn
"Real Estate Mysteries: Bigger than a shoebox, but not much
Nestled between multi-story homes in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace, surprise: a wooden cabin"
Looks like someone beat me to my slice of rural living in a big city. I'm so jealous.
Nestled between multi-story homes in Brooklyn’s Windsor Terrace, surprise: a wooden cabin"
Looks like someone beat me to my slice of rural living in a big city. I'm so jealous.
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Whine with my Wine
Another Brooklyn Ladies Association Happy Hour (BLAHH) was called to order last night at 7pm. Four ladies were present at commencement and were able to orient themselves to the daunting menu at the Jake Walk before the other members arrived. In the end, we tried many different types of wines on their vast list, sampled the country pate, olives, 3 different kinds of cheeses. All were delicious and our waitress was adorably helpful.
It was a wonderful way to spend the delicate part of the evening, transitioning from work into leisure. And now that is spring, we were able to sip down the sun. As night rolled over us, and taking a good look in our wallets, we opted for move on to cheaper food and beverage. Some got Cuban sandwiches others falafel, but all met up at the Zombie Hut for 5 dollar “dessert” drinks or 3 dollar beers.
The Zombie Hut was the scene of a rather ugly birthday, where I consumed an entire scorpion bowl (a 151 rum drink) and had to be removed from my own party. At home, somehow I cracked my head on the radiator next to my bed, succeeding in giving myself a concussion. I am now very cautious at the Zombie Hut. I would like to report a stellar performance this visit, but alas I am not meant to be pretty at this bar. Sadly, the 2 glasses of wine loosened my disposition, constitution and my lips. I unloaded my current, past, and future hardships onto a wonderful friend who took all of it with grace and sympathy. Alcohol and grief are not friendly bed fellows and when forced to mix the resulting crash spills on to the people in the hit zone. The amount of alcohol consumed determines the diameter of the “hit zone” and the resulting carnage. There were not many stray bullets this time…
After the “unburdening,” things improved immensely, as we proceeded to a birthday celebration down the block.
I am happy to report that the BLAHH is about to start a BLAHHG: A blog to document and review all the places we try. Also, I have found a partner to help me return to the world of comedy. Our plan is to write and perform a brilliantly funny piece. For now, my plan is to enjoy the sunshine and approaching warm weather and try to figure out each day as they come.
It was a wonderful way to spend the delicate part of the evening, transitioning from work into leisure. And now that is spring, we were able to sip down the sun. As night rolled over us, and taking a good look in our wallets, we opted for move on to cheaper food and beverage. Some got Cuban sandwiches others falafel, but all met up at the Zombie Hut for 5 dollar “dessert” drinks or 3 dollar beers.
The Zombie Hut was the scene of a rather ugly birthday, where I consumed an entire scorpion bowl (a 151 rum drink) and had to be removed from my own party. At home, somehow I cracked my head on the radiator next to my bed, succeeding in giving myself a concussion. I am now very cautious at the Zombie Hut. I would like to report a stellar performance this visit, but alas I am not meant to be pretty at this bar. Sadly, the 2 glasses of wine loosened my disposition, constitution and my lips. I unloaded my current, past, and future hardships onto a wonderful friend who took all of it with grace and sympathy. Alcohol and grief are not friendly bed fellows and when forced to mix the resulting crash spills on to the people in the hit zone. The amount of alcohol consumed determines the diameter of the “hit zone” and the resulting carnage. There were not many stray bullets this time…
After the “unburdening,” things improved immensely, as we proceeded to a birthday celebration down the block.
I am happy to report that the BLAHH is about to start a BLAHHG: A blog to document and review all the places we try. Also, I have found a partner to help me return to the world of comedy. Our plan is to write and perform a brilliantly funny piece. For now, my plan is to enjoy the sunshine and approaching warm weather and try to figure out each day as they come.
Monday, March 24, 2008
Frowny Faced Economy
Recently, I’ve heard half scared/half defeated voices spout “economic collapse, eventual depression, credit crisis, and American dream turned nightmare.” This time they are not coming from my head; (I often try to harshly self-reference myself straight into a more frugal lifestyle.) This down turn is sadly universal and causing a scare in the financial world, especially with the recent Bear Stearns situation. According to the NY Times “the cash squeeze that brought Bear Stearns to its knees is fanning fears that other investment banks might be vulnerable to the crisis of confidence gripping Wall Street.”
My paranoia plans to pool what ever cash I have, go to home depot, buy out their lumber and garden department, build my own version of a log cabin* directly under the BQE, plant a garden, and live directly off the land, no matter how dirty and urine stained it may be. Whatever money I have left, I will carefully line my mattresses and pillows, batten down the hatches and wait it out in sweet subsistence living bliss. Fortunately, my paranoia is a push over and often loses in a fight with my sanity. I will remain in my apartment (directly under the BQE,) for now.
But, I am not here to deliver more bad news, turn your blues violet. I have heard the first positive news to come out of this whole thing, again from the NY Times. “The slowing economy, weighed down by a widening credit crisis, is likely to delay the signature office tower and three residential buildings at the heart of the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, the developer said.” Ratner was not specific, but the delay could be a matter of years. This is good news for Brooklyn residents that have been fighting the good fight for sometime now. This is also good news for my little cabin under the BQE. Honestly, I am surprised that my harshly worded letter did not have the same results.
Well, if the whole thing (the economy) does go down, I promise I will share my coffee rations with you as we count cars from the front porch, which will look remarkably like a raft.
*I do have construction experience. One summer I partnered in the creation of an ill fated table that more closely resembled a raft. It ironically was taken down by strong rains and hurricane type winds. I take comfort in knowing that it may have saved a small animal float to safety during the great roof flood of 2005.
My paranoia plans to pool what ever cash I have, go to home depot, buy out their lumber and garden department, build my own version of a log cabin* directly under the BQE, plant a garden, and live directly off the land, no matter how dirty and urine stained it may be. Whatever money I have left, I will carefully line my mattresses and pillows, batten down the hatches and wait it out in sweet subsistence living bliss. Fortunately, my paranoia is a push over and often loses in a fight with my sanity. I will remain in my apartment (directly under the BQE,) for now.
But, I am not here to deliver more bad news, turn your blues violet. I have heard the first positive news to come out of this whole thing, again from the NY Times. “The slowing economy, weighed down by a widening credit crisis, is likely to delay the signature office tower and three residential buildings at the heart of the $4 billion Atlantic Yards project in Brooklyn, the developer said.” Ratner was not specific, but the delay could be a matter of years. This is good news for Brooklyn residents that have been fighting the good fight for sometime now. This is also good news for my little cabin under the BQE. Honestly, I am surprised that my harshly worded letter did not have the same results.
Well, if the whole thing (the economy) does go down, I promise I will share my coffee rations with you as we count cars from the front porch, which will look remarkably like a raft.
*I do have construction experience. One summer I partnered in the creation of an ill fated table that more closely resembled a raft. It ironically was taken down by strong rains and hurricane type winds. I take comfort in knowing that it may have saved a small animal float to safety during the great roof flood of 2005.
Dark Chocolate Bunny
And so another Monday arrives just as many before and many to follow. I begin my day navigating through the undulating waves of strangers fighting to cut you at the quick. My heart is no longer in the game and I let one selfish neck tie after the next overtake me at each stair, around each corner. I have no fight this morning and fall back into a leisurely pace, knowing it will not help with my tardy attendance record. Coffee in hand, dark glasses at the ready I emerge from the dank depths into sunlight that stings rather than warms this morning. I’ve chosen a path not unlike any other work day, it serves me fine, yet I resent it and am no longer speaking to my commute. I had an escape plan, a solution, a covert operation that would free me from commuter bondage and delivery me into a future where the sun does not sting the skin and faces smile at every turn. A future changed, this day goes down reluctantly, bad tasting medicine fighting its way back up.
Tuesday, March 18, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Fingerless
Well it’s St. Patrick’s Day again. As I will continue to affirm, it is a grueling, traumatic holiday for red heads. We are at the mercy of drunken heckles from all kinds. I choose not to wade through chummed waters this year. In fact, I can’t recall what I did last year. To be fair, last year was not my best, sick from the start to the finished, often crippled by pain and fatigue. And now, as the pain lifts and the fatigue seeks camp in lazier pastures, I still have a fog nipping at my heels and trying (and succeeding) to pull me under once again.
What is that saying? When one door closes, a window opens? I never realized that it was entirely possible to get your fingers caught in the door making it impossible to go through the window. So here I am caught painfully by the past and unable to escape to a new future (at least not one without fingers.)
What is that saying? When one door closes, a window opens? I never realized that it was entirely possible to get your fingers caught in the door making it impossible to go through the window. So here I am caught painfully by the past and unable to escape to a new future (at least not one without fingers.)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
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