a nice long weekend in ithaca comes to a crashing end this morning as i jostle with the unwashed masses on the L train; each of us furiously trying to get to our meaningless jobs.
this lyric from dylan's "mighty quinn" stuck with me as i smushed against my fellow hoi polloi...
I like my sugar sweet,
But guarding fumes and making haste,
It ain't my cup of meat.
Ev'rybody's 'neath the trees,
Feeding pigeons on a limb
But when Quinn the Eskimo gets here,
All the pigeons gonna run to him.
a great song, but i'm not really sure who the mighty quinn is - neither is dylan, apparently. i'm sure he penned it during a drug-fueled writing session so i'll give him a pass. in any event, it'd be interesting (uh, and hilarious) if an eskimo showed up on the streets of nyc and solved all of our problems.
i can't find dylan's version on youtube so i'll post manfred mann's version instead (with slightly modified lyrics):
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
back from the jungle...
lots of adventures in honduras this past week. a mix of ruins, rain forest hikes, ultra-cheap baleadas, fishing, snorkeling and... un raton muerte en la piscina de pico bonito lodge.
however, the only thing that is sticking in my mind right now is the theme song from the soap opera, tu y yo. unfortunately i can't find the song on youtube.
however, the only thing that is sticking in my mind right now is the theme song from the soap opera, tu y yo. unfortunately i can't find the song on youtube.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
mission accomplished...
after a three-month struggle to add clothes-washing capabilities to my tiny apartment, i can finally stop sending my dirty clothes to j. rafa cleaners, who have managed to lose a multitude of socks, shirts, and, somehow, even my laundry bags over the last two years! i never did figure out how they could have lost the bags.
come to think of it, i'm not even sure where j. rafa cleaners is. I've been leaving my laundry bags with the doorman the entire time i've lived in this 'hood, and have never bothered to find out where they're located. doesn't matter anymore.
p.s. sears sucks.
Monday, May 9, 2011
the dryer saga...
my attempt at getting a washer and dryer for the apartment hit another road block. this time, an incorrect plug on the dryer that was delivered. this is after i described over the phone, in detail, the kind of socket i have. the good news is that the washer seems to have been hooked up properly. although i haven't done a load of wash in it yet.
apparently the guys are coming back tomorrow to switch out the plug with one that fits into the wall socket.
Saturday, May 7, 2011
adios seve...
i remember the 1995 ryder cup for a few reasons.
reason #1: it's the first golf tournament i have ever seen live. at the time i had just started getting interested in golf. i would watch tournaments every weekend on tv. i would play golf on sega genesis, constantly. and i would play a round of golf pretty much every weekend with literally anyone who wanted to go (various names come to mind like craig lamb, randy mcfarland, dan broderick, chris bowen, etc.). i was terrible at golf, but i loved it. i even started dressing like a golfer.
my friend joe piendel came across a couple ryder cup tickets for the final round at oak hill country club in nearby pittsford, and he asked me if i wanted to go. i jumped at the chance.
reason #2: on the way to the tournament, i got my first and only speeding ticket. joe and i wanted to get there early and see everything. we hit a bit of traffic on the way, and once it cleared i apparently slammed on the pedal and was going 90. A few minutes later i got pulled over in my bright red 1993 honda civic.
reason #3: that tournament is, to this day, the most exciting live sporting event i've ever witnessed. joe and i saw all the big names up close like faldo, couples, love III, and ballesteros. we even watched one guy get a hole-in-one. at one point, joe said he wanted a memento from the tournament, so we got up close to a par 3 tee box on the front nine. after one of the players teed off and the crowd moved on, joe snuck under the rope and picked up the guys tee and small divot. he put the tee and the dirt in his pocket!
through three rounds, the americans had taken the lead, and everyone assumed it would be yet another victory for the americans (they used to always win the cup).
but the europeans had other plans. they stormed back on sunday in their singles matches and their legion of fans got louder and louder as they day went on, singing and chanting could be heard throughout oak hill. at the end, joe and i managed to get somewhat close to the 18th hole, somehow squeezing past the masses of fans, although it was a madhouse as the europeans were going to clinch the cup. on the final putt there was a roar from the crowd and the players started jumping around. the european crowd was going crazy, singing so loud it was almost deafening. at the same time, the american players were trying to get off the course as fast as possible, and they all walked right by us led by mickelson and his wife, strange, pavin, lehman, etc.
joe and i stuck around for another twenty minutes and watched all the european fans and players rejoice. just as we started walking away, we heard a massive booming sound up in the sky. we looked up and saw the concord flying very low right above us. i imagine it was flying in to come pick up all the european golfers. it was an amazing sight amidst all the other stuff happening around us.
i've since been to three u.s. open golf tournaments, the u.s. open tennis finals, the final game of the world series, and numerous college football games, but no other sporting event can compare to the energy of that ryder cup, and the excitement i felt watching the europeans rejoice at their victory, led by seve ballesteros, their de facto captain and biggest cheerleader.
reason #1: it's the first golf tournament i have ever seen live. at the time i had just started getting interested in golf. i would watch tournaments every weekend on tv. i would play golf on sega genesis, constantly. and i would play a round of golf pretty much every weekend with literally anyone who wanted to go (various names come to mind like craig lamb, randy mcfarland, dan broderick, chris bowen, etc.). i was terrible at golf, but i loved it. i even started dressing like a golfer.
my friend joe piendel came across a couple ryder cup tickets for the final round at oak hill country club in nearby pittsford, and he asked me if i wanted to go. i jumped at the chance.
reason #2: on the way to the tournament, i got my first and only speeding ticket. joe and i wanted to get there early and see everything. we hit a bit of traffic on the way, and once it cleared i apparently slammed on the pedal and was going 90. A few minutes later i got pulled over in my bright red 1993 honda civic.
reason #3: that tournament is, to this day, the most exciting live sporting event i've ever witnessed. joe and i saw all the big names up close like faldo, couples, love III, and ballesteros. we even watched one guy get a hole-in-one. at one point, joe said he wanted a memento from the tournament, so we got up close to a par 3 tee box on the front nine. after one of the players teed off and the crowd moved on, joe snuck under the rope and picked up the guys tee and small divot. he put the tee and the dirt in his pocket!
through three rounds, the americans had taken the lead, and everyone assumed it would be yet another victory for the americans (they used to always win the cup).
but the europeans had other plans. they stormed back on sunday in their singles matches and their legion of fans got louder and louder as they day went on, singing and chanting could be heard throughout oak hill. at the end, joe and i managed to get somewhat close to the 18th hole, somehow squeezing past the masses of fans, although it was a madhouse as the europeans were going to clinch the cup. on the final putt there was a roar from the crowd and the players started jumping around. the european crowd was going crazy, singing so loud it was almost deafening. at the same time, the american players were trying to get off the course as fast as possible, and they all walked right by us led by mickelson and his wife, strange, pavin, lehman, etc.
joe and i stuck around for another twenty minutes and watched all the european fans and players rejoice. just as we started walking away, we heard a massive booming sound up in the sky. we looked up and saw the concord flying very low right above us. i imagine it was flying in to come pick up all the european golfers. it was an amazing sight amidst all the other stuff happening around us.
i've since been to three u.s. open golf tournaments, the u.s. open tennis finals, the final game of the world series, and numerous college football games, but no other sporting event can compare to the energy of that ryder cup, and the excitement i felt watching the europeans rejoice at their victory, led by seve ballesteros, their de facto captain and biggest cheerleader.
Thursday, May 5, 2011
feliz cinco de mayo
sittin around at the office building scripts in our new scripting platform... kicking back a few coronas with the guys...
blasting this tune at the moment... i imagine this is how everyone celebrates cinco de mayo, right?
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
gray hairs...
just doing an initial review of items needed for next week's trip to the jungles of honduras...
big new back pack... check
travel guide... check
rain jacket... check (rainy season just started)
malaria pills... not yet
book for the flight... check (new one from mother called "the old patagonia express")
very limited and rusty spanish... check (as paul schkrutz would say while trying to order three beers "tres escuebas por favor!" wtf?)
passport... check
looking at my new passport photo vs. my original passport photo from 15 years ago, it's not even the same person. a full head of dark hair on the old one. what happened to that kid?
as the great adam yauch once said...
"I've got more rhymes than I've got gray hairs
And that's a lot because I've got my share"
big new back pack... check
travel guide... check
rain jacket... check (rainy season just started)
malaria pills... not yet
book for the flight... check (new one from mother called "the old patagonia express")
very limited and rusty spanish... check (as paul schkrutz would say while trying to order three beers "tres escuebas por favor!" wtf?)
passport... check
looking at my new passport photo vs. my original passport photo from 15 years ago, it's not even the same person. a full head of dark hair on the old one. what happened to that kid?
as the great adam yauch once said...
"I've got more rhymes than I've got gray hairs
And that's a lot because I've got my share"
Monday, May 2, 2011
ten years on...
bin laden is dead.
a few things come to mind for me from that day ten years ago:
1) walking into my office on the morning of 9/11 to a ringing phone. i dropped my bag, picked up the phone, and it was my friend dan. he asked me "are you watching this?" i had no idea what he was talking about. it was about 9:05am and i had yet to turn on my computer. dan had very little info at the time, but he was watching things unfold from his office window, a big plume of smoke emanating from the first tower. he said "i think a small plane flew into the trade center!" i plugged in, checked out cnn.com and saw an image of the building with smoke pouring out.
2) after about an hour, every conference room at ogilvy was packed... people were glued to the televisions, watching the horror unfold. many were crying. rumors were flying. mass confusion.
3) around 11:30am, our prez, carla h., sent everyone home. but many who lived in brooklyn, queens, new jersey, could not get out of the city as all subways and buses were shut down. at the time i lived in the upper west side of manhattan, so i had a bunch of people over to my place.
4) for the next three or four hours, we watched in shock.
i imagine bin laden's death won't change much, as he had become just a figurehead for a number of different splinter factions of al quaeda, each with their own de facto leader. but let's hope things get a little better.
also, what the fuck is with the pakistani government? a little embarrassing to say the least that he was found deep in the heart of the country, hiding in a mansion. i imagine things will get a bit weird between the US and pakistan now.
a few things come to mind for me from that day ten years ago:
1) walking into my office on the morning of 9/11 to a ringing phone. i dropped my bag, picked up the phone, and it was my friend dan. he asked me "are you watching this?" i had no idea what he was talking about. it was about 9:05am and i had yet to turn on my computer. dan had very little info at the time, but he was watching things unfold from his office window, a big plume of smoke emanating from the first tower. he said "i think a small plane flew into the trade center!" i plugged in, checked out cnn.com and saw an image of the building with smoke pouring out.
2) after about an hour, every conference room at ogilvy was packed... people were glued to the televisions, watching the horror unfold. many were crying. rumors were flying. mass confusion.
3) around 11:30am, our prez, carla h., sent everyone home. but many who lived in brooklyn, queens, new jersey, could not get out of the city as all subways and buses were shut down. at the time i lived in the upper west side of manhattan, so i had a bunch of people over to my place.
4) for the next three or four hours, we watched in shock.
i imagine bin laden's death won't change much, as he had become just a figurehead for a number of different splinter factions of al quaeda, each with their own de facto leader. but let's hope things get a little better.
also, what the fuck is with the pakistani government? a little embarrassing to say the least that he was found deep in the heart of the country, hiding in a mansion. i imagine things will get a bit weird between the US and pakistan now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
