Favorite conversation of the day:
Robin: Can I rollerblade up and down the hall while practicing recorder and screaming??
Anise: Sure, but when your dad comes home; ACT NORMAL.
Robin: okaaaaaaaaaay.


Today after work I was pleasantly surprised. I went to the cute little school to pick up cute little robin, in the cute little west village.
I sat down, and made a couple phone calls. Robin walked up, and said "Anise! Can I go to my friends piano recital right now after school?!"
"Of course! Save me a seat!"
So there I was, not one hour after dreary work, sitting in an old school house recital-room listening to 10 year olds play yankee doodle dandy and mary's lamb.
I looked around the room at all of the gloating parents, and did a little gloating myself. I mean, afterall, I was attending a FREE piano recital with the ever-so-urban Robin on my right, and 9 year old daughter-of-fashion-designer Rachel on my left. While trying to keep robin from climbing the walls, Rachel would whisper into my ear which outfits she thought looked cool, and which girls were pretty. We both agreed that Sarah Wang's hot fuscia sweater/orange skirt/with pants ensemble was the best yet, and that Micah McInerney was a little obnoxios.
After the show we all mingled and drank apple juice, ate rice krispie treats and talked about how amazing shaniqua's performance was - it being her first time, and her playing bach and all...

If you work in an office, and have not watched BBC's "The Office", might I suggest doing so - A.S.A.P.

o.k.

A.K.A.

I thought the second season ended on a bit of a dark note? or was that just me because I feel Tim's pain?

Maybe it was just me.

If possible, watch Seasons 1 & 2.

Here are the lyrics to the theme song -

And what becomes of you my love,
When they have finally stripped you of,
The handbags and the gladrags,
That your Grandad had to sweat so you could buy.

lets be honest ladies - (paul g. take no offense please) the guy is a little goofy looking.

compare:


but you still kind of have a crush on him, right? right. So can't we all just agree that paul giamatti looks his best when in a full beard and longish hair & glasses? I mean, I am a fan of the dirty hippie look - but I find myself oddly attracted to this fella too. so combine the two and its total crush-mode-fantastic.

book title: Is Vodka the Root of all Evil?

robin asked me "what is the difference between a slut and a virgin?".

She asked me this on the subway. So I had an audience. I took a deep breath.
"a slut sleeps around, a virgin has never had sex."
"a slut is a bad person tho, right?"
"a slut is not a bad person. who told you that?"
"my dad."
"oh - well then I guess some people think a slut can be a bad person -but not all sluts are bad people. Onto virgin. You know the Virgin Mary, right? Jesus's mom?"
"oh yeah"
"well people call her the Virgin Mary because she got pregnant by never having sex. it was called the immaculate conception."
"do you actually believe that stuff? or is that a fairy tale, or a myth?"
"it’s a story for some people to believe and find comfort in. as for myself personally, I don't really feel right believing that."
"okay."

and that wraps up another vigorating subway ride with the 9 year-old.

I was sitting on the subway of course, wishing I could forget a number. like erase it from my memory. erase the whole situation and honestly be able to play dumb. and then I thought, "gosh, that would be a great idea for a movie".

And then I looked up and saw the Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind DVD-now-on-sale poster.

Later that evening I was chugging away at the boring-but-getting-interesting Bresson movie titled Diary of a Priest, I thought about the cute check-me-out boy at the Video Room who suggested the movie, and how our friendship so far is a good idea for a movie. Aside from the time my flirty mom invited him over to watch Saved with us... our weekly movie suggestions and discussions seems to be budding into a nice little script. so the movie would be both people suggesting movies that in one way or another let the other person know how they feel about the other person. Along with celebrating love for cinema, the movie would be a movie with little movies inside a budding friendship.
the movie would end with the boy suggesting another movie and when the girl says she would like to rent - he says something like: "oh, actually I have that movie checked out right now. Do you want to watch it with me?"
fade to black.

The title would be Movie, and star Bruce Jackman and Phyllis Moorehead.

Where do taxi cab drivers use the bathroom?

Do they drive around with catheders?

And why did 34 whales beach themselves last night in North Carolina?

Was it an after aftermath of the sue-nami?


This photo was taken from our goverment's website. Read about Muslims in the American workplace here.

about the newly installed door.

so there's a double door, and now another double door.

really. there is your apartment door, a front door, and then a subway door, and then a locked door, or the rotating door.

another propped-open door, and then THE double door,

and now we have just added another door.

security. this is a 24 hour company.

we need 2 doors. one within 10 feet of the other.

if you get in one door, can you get in another?

if you get in another door, can you get in one door?

This is my favorite painting in New York. It lives at the Met. I wish you could see her eyes. The first time I saw this work, I think I stood there for about 15 minutes. The painting is huge. Its in the hall with the rodin sculpture in the European Painting section. Check it.

Joan of Arc, 1879
Jules Bastien-Lepage (French, 1848–1884)
Gift of Erwin Davis, 1889 (89.21.1)

Fairest's Bukowski poem from yesterday reminded me of my favorite poem. I recite the parts I remember whenever I can. Typically its only fitting while riding a city bus. Its a little down, but I mean, its a song. Yah know? Read it again. Break a vase.

One of my tasks in my after-work job is to have Robin memorize a poem. It would be comical (to doug, myself & Robin - but not the boss) if I had her memorize the Buke, instead of "Peaches Peaches Everywhere". Know what I mean? If you have any good poem suggestions for a 9 year old - please send.

Yesterday I watched Robert Altman's 'Three Women'. It was quite the trip, man. Totally. It was like whoa - this crazy witch, and then murder, and then nothing, and then yellow. Check it out if you like, want to watch something TRIPPY.

The other day I watched Million Dollar Baby. Whoa. Totally. Check that out if you want something GRIPPING. Its a cross (a good cross) between Shawshank Redemption & Raging Bull. Check it. Pay ten. Its worth the smackers.

Tonight I have been assigned to take the little miss to a movie screening of Racing Stripes. 1. sounds like a good nap for me 2. it will be just like when robin plays video games and when asked the question "robin, what are you doing right now" she replies "mindless entertainment". Good times.

I was about to say "hey you. hey reader. why don't you click on the side google bar for me, so I can buy myself another camera because some punk-camera-less-bum stole mine."
but then i was reading blogs today, and it seems as tho all my fave blogs are donating january's google revenue to the sick & tired in asia.
so i felt like some punk-camera-less-bum, and deleted my post.
I am not donating money to asia. i gave about twenty cents to this man that looked like he needed a cup of coffee today. i like to see where my money goes first hand. i like to see the joy that money can bring to someones face. first hand.
money makes the world go round. it really does.
or at least its been set up to work that way.
and then it doesnt.
i mean, i could stay in new york two months longer than i already planned and make more money for my trip.
but i just don't feel like doing that.
i am a child of my generation.
generation lazy.
i am a child of lazy parents that like bowling and cake-decorating.
no offense. I liked the cakes, and the bowling matches on friday were entertaining as long as you gave us quarters for the games.
but anyway i am totally off charts here.
I am going to stick to my original plan. So send hate mail if you think its as sick as that time i suggested taking christ out of christmas (boy do i have the village praying for me!)
if you liked my pictures and would like to see more - please click on google. i mean, it would do the world wonders of good if i had my camera back. i found my exact camera on ebay today for 120. thats not much. but when you are saving for a thule rack for your car - it IS much. so click away.
what are you still doing here? you should be clicking on google ads right now.

haha. did you like that little trick?

how about this one? take a quarter and put it in your hand without your friend knowing. then all of a sudden act like your friend has something coming out of his head. say "oh my gosh, would you lookie here!" and then show him the quarter in your hand and pretend like it came out of his head.

see. wouldn't have this post been more entertaining with a picture?

Waste bothers me. On a surface level, I feel like we are wasting a lot of food as a country. I have an idea that goes like this. Restaurants should cut their portions in half. If, after finishing the full meal - or full side dish - or whatever - the customer feels as though they weren't served enough - they can ask for seconds.
In the begining maybe there should be a minimal charge - 1 or 2 dollars. However my original idea has no charging involved. Based on the principle that people will be full on the 1st course, and have no need for seconds.

My other idea is to start either charging 25 cents for bags - or demanding people start asking for bags. If they don't ask - they don't get.

For some absurd reason, little things like this will gradually make things all-around more efficient.

The smoking ban worked. right?

I probably saved 400+ bags in 2004 alone by refusing bags.