cityblog

I love this!

Filed at 4:06 pm under Geekitude, Funnies
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Gmail decided that this was appropriate to show me in the little RSS bar today.

Filed at 10:28 am under Facepalm
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It’s a lovely warm sunny day out, and I’m in this little cubicle with flourescent lights. Oh well. :)

Tomorrow we are planning an excursion to Park Slope (a neighborhood in Brooklyn, for the uninitiated). I’ve only been there once - for a poetry reading at Perch - and so have no real idea what it’s like.

It’s the last day of the month, so here’s my books-I-read-this-month list:

The Nanny Diaries - Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Krauss
I’d actually read this before, but I listened to it on my iPod at work so I figured it counted. It’s better and smarter than your average chick-lit, and it’s a great slightly exaggerated peek into the lives of the uber-rich Manhattanites and the people they pay to take care of their children and other such menial tasks. The writing style is a bit better than your average chick lit, too. [7/10]

The Illustrated Elements of Style - William Strunk and E.B.White
Can you believe I’d never read this before? I plugged through the newest edition, which has terribly whimsical illustrations. This book should be required reading for every person who ever writes English. [10/10]

Can You Keep a Secret? - Sophie Kinsella
I listened to this at work, and thoroughly enjoyed it. She has a very distinctive style and it’s entertaining - not as entertaining as the Bridget Jones books, IMHO, but still quite good. Very funny. [7/10]

Wolves in Chic Clothing - Carrie Karasyov and Jill Kargman
I bought this to listen to at work. I kept listening, hoping it would get better. It’s lousy. The writing is bad and repeats itself, nothing really happens, and you hate all the characters. Don’t waste your time. [1/10]

Shopaholic and Sister - Sophie Kinsella
Listened to it at work. Thoroughly enjoyable. Becky Brandon is good fun. [7/10]

The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis
Somehow I had neglected to ever read this little book. Please, read it. It is insightful, witty, incisive, and pricks you like a pin when you can see yourself in the characters. Lewis always has an uncanny way of pointing out human ridiculousness in the light of eternity. Highly recommended. [10/10]

Next month: I plan to finish The Fortune Tellers by Howard Kurtz, which is a great look into financial journalism but has been interrupted by other books, and What is Reformed Theology? by R.C. Sproul. And then I’m going to read V for Vendetta, my very first graphic novel, The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery, and hopefully some of the short stories of Andre Dubus.

Filed at 10:02 am under New York City, Daily Goings-On, Books
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Tom and I saw Eisley last night at the Bowery Ballroom. I think I’m still a little deaf, but they were thoroughly enjoyable and thus I thoroughly enjoyed myself.

I’d write more but I am swamped.

Filed at 2:30 pm under Music
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So I went to the Radiant release party on Monday night in Orlando. Leigh Nash was great (pictures) and I plan to get her album when it comes out.

But the funniest part of the night: I walked up to Cameron (Strang, the Head Dude at Relevant) and asked him if he was Tyler (Clark, the managing editor). Whoops. They got a kick out of it.

Filed at 1:38 pm under Funnies, Facepalm
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Observation: the workday goes much faster when it is busy and stressful.

Remind me why I’m not a journalist?

Filed at 1:05 pm under Work
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Pictures from Orlando this weekend and Leigh Nash at the Radiant party.

Filed at 10:11 pm under Daily Goings-On
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I haven’t been to TVC in three weeks . . . and I really miss it.

Filed at 10:50 am under Church
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I write fluffy articles occasionally.

It’s not too warm here in Orlando, but it’s certainly not cold. We went outlet shopping yesterday, oh yes. I own Seven jeans now, oh yes (thank God for discounted outlets!). And other things I needed - flat black shoes, a steal at Nine West, and a wallet that actually holds all my cards and change, and other Useful Things.

Tonight is the Radiant party - I’ll be there!

And the greatest news of the day so far: I was all disappointed because Rosie Thomas wasn’t playing NYC, but it turns out that she is playing Hoboken, NJ - which is pretty much accessible by train to me. So April 12!

Filed at 9:18 am under Writing, Music, Travel
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I’m chugging out the door in a couple of minutes . . . off to sunny (or at least warm) Orlando. I had the worst time getting dressed this morning. I REALLY didn’t want my winter coat, but I kind of needed it. I’m trying to figure out if I can leave it in my office and pick it back up when I come back Tuesday. I’m coming straight here. It’s supposed to be in the 50s right now, and it’s supposed to be 50s when I get back, so I’ll just leave the coat here and wear a sweater and a scarf out now. :)

See ya on the flipside . . . with pictures!

Filed at 1:37 pm under Travel
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Lots of pictures up at Flickr.

Filed at 9:55 am under Photos
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Been adding to this entry all day.

Those of you who read Relevant and found me that way will probably be amused to know that I had lunch with Tara Leigh Cobble (singer/songwriter, best known in Relevant circles as the author of How to Dismantle an Idolized Bono). We know each other - connected through Tom - and she moved to New York in January and goes to my church when she’s in town. We had a good chuckle over the whole thing.

I, for my part, am leavin’ tomorrow on a jet plane to visit my dear friend Sarah, with whom I quite literally grew up. I was paging through old photo albums to show Tom what a dork I was in junior high and had to chuckle that fully half the pictures have “me and Sarah” in them - playing flute or piano or singing or goofing off.

We’re all grown up now, and so she lives in Orlando and works for Pioneers as an Edge coordinator. So we’re going to hang out there, go to Universal Studios, and I’m going to work from Orlando on Monday so as to go to the Radiant release party that night.

Other exciting happenings this week: I bought tickets to see Josh Ritter at Bowery Ballroom in May. I’m only marginally familiar with his music, but Paste raves and Tom raves and those two recommendations are among the best in the business. Plus, I have time to get familiar.

I’m moving out. Planning on June 1. I need to pay less for rent - at least a couple hundred dollars - so I’m going to find a studio or one-bedroom and live on my own. If you’re looking for an apartment in the West Village with a quiet, friendly, clean roommate, I can recommend a good apartment available June 1. :) Katie is a great roommate, but living in the West Village and chucking huge sums of money down black holes every month is making me nervous. And our apartment is actually pretty reasonably priced for this neighborhood (arguably the best in the city).

So that means I have to do another round of apartment hunting, which is exciting and painful at the same time. It’s a lot of work - apartment hunting in New York is No Joke At All. I can’t start until the end of April, anyhow, so I’ve just been poking and narrowing to neighborhoods. I’ve got a bunch of neighborhoods (West Village, East Village, Chelsea, Soho, Upper West Side from 70s-110s, LIC/Astoria, Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, Carroll Gardens, Dumbo, and others yet to be discovered) to consider, all with plusses and minuses. My rent requirements are a little prohibitive, but if I find something amazing that has rent control, I’ll flex a little. So - if you know of anything - let me know!

That also means I get to buy kitchen appliances and fun stuff like that! Which means I have a Froogle wishlist. And I really want a landlord that will let me paint, if I re-paint upon move-out. White walls are starting to drive me bonkers.

But I smell another IKEA trip in my future, and that makes me happy.

Filed at 4:53 pm under New York City, Daily Goings-On, Travel
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So technically, I didn’t write this article that just went up at Relevant, but I couldn’t figure out how else to credit it. But if you read my “Seeing God’s Hand” article a few months ago . . . this is a follow-up. (And if you read my blog, you may have contributed to it!)

Filed at 9:12 pm under Writing
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Whoa, deja vu.

Filed at 9:07 pm under Daily Goings-On
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I’m back, after a great weekend. Tom wants to edit the photos from the weekend, but I couldn’t resist just posting a couple since I know everyone loves pictures. More coming.

Click on the link!

(more…)

Filed at 10:10 am under Life, Photos
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I saw Sophie Scholl: The Final Days last night at Film Forum. Wow . . . just wow. Go see it. You should.

I’m going home this weekend. Tonight, in fact. My dear Dad’s birthday is tomorrow, and since there was a period of time when that was not as certain, it’s a cause for celebration beyond the usual this year. And I’m bringing Tom with me. :)

Filed at 1:53 pm under Daily Goings-On, Film
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Woohoo! I was able to extend my visit with my dear friend Sarah in Orlando next weekend to last one more day. Now I can make it to the Radiant release party! And Leigh Nash, of Sixpence None the Richer, will be there. It will be good to meet the Relevant folks. My visit with Sarah was well-timed. :)

Filed at 2:22 pm under Travel
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This arrived at the office today. (I ordered it yesterday, so I wasn’t exactly surprised.) Ain’t it pretty?

It’s a Canon Powershot A620, 7.1 MP and 4x optical/4x digital zoom. Fits nicely in the hand, too. My last digital camera, also a Powershot, is still chugging away with nary a hitch four years later, but the specs are a bit low for my taste and needs. This was cheap and beautiful. Love my geektoys.

Filed at 12:47 pm under Geekitude, Photos
3 Comments

If you were a Sixpence None the Richer fan, you should check out Eisley and their debut album (that came out a while ago) Room Noises. The band is made up of four homeschooled siblings from Texas and a cousin. Lyrical, and the lead singer sounds startlingly like a young Leigh Nash. They’ve done well so far - opened for Coldplay and Switchfoot and have headlined as well. If you’re going to just check out a single or two, try Telescope Eyes or Golly Sandra.

Here’s their MySpace page.

Edit: Just checked, and they’re playing Bowery Ballroom in two weeks. For $13 a ticket. SCORE.

Filed at 3:23 pm under Music
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On Friday night, Tom and I went to see Sweeney Todd at the Eugene O’Neill theater. My first Sondheim, and a complete delight. The story is that of a barber (slightly mad, I think) seeking to have his revenge on those who drove his wife to insanity, and the rest of the world, too.

One of the most unique things about the 2005 revival of the musical is that all the music is played by the cast, onstage. All of the cast members sing, act, dance, and play at least one instrument (listing here, so you can see the variety) - the piano alone is played by four different actors. The space is very constricted - about half the stage is used - and the characters generally speak into the audience, even when they’re having a conversation. So the staging was great.

Sondheim, of course, has that dissonant thing going, and loves to have characters singing their conversations on top of each other, so it can be tough to pick up what is going on. It’s really an opera, without recitatives, and with a minimum of spoken dialogue. The libretto is witty.

Of course, Tom and I leave and start hashing out whether or not the story presents a naturalistic view of the value of human life. Cause we’re dorks like that.

Go see it!

Filed at 2:49 pm under New York City, Music
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It’s almost 70 degrees outside, and I can feel my wilting soul coming to life again.

Glorious.

Filed at 12:27 pm under Life
3 Comments

More on pay-per-channel cable pricing that’s looming in our futures (hurrah!). Apparently the “inspirational” and “religious” channels are afraid that it will cut into their viewership. But isn’t that the point of free-market-type economies? If nobody watches your channel, they shouldn’t have to pay for it. This seems a tad hypocritical coming from ultra-fundamentalist types.

Best quote from the article:

Robertson in particular uses “The 700 Club” as a venue for commentaries that keep him in the public spotlight. While his pronouncements are often criticized, Robertson maintains a certain amount of credibility because of the show’s perceived popularity.

“Audience size is a measure of influence that a lot of people use,” said Green, the political scientist at the University of Akron. If per-channel pricing cuts viewership for Robertson and CBN, “it would affect their credibility,” Green said.

::cough:: Is that a bad thing?

Filed at 9:23 am under Art, Faith
5 Comments

I write to you from the windy city, somewhere down on South LaSalle and not the Sears Tower (where the rest of the Chi-town BofA operations are). It’s supremely laid-back here, and people are even wearing jeans. I’m dressed-down for New York and dressed-up for Chicago. Go figure.

Hopping in a cab in an hour or so to get back to O’Hare and on a plane to New York. I seem to have pulled a muscle in my back. It hurts to sit, it hurts to stand, it hurts to walk. C’est la vie.

Filed at 3:33 pm under Travel, Work
2 Comments

Discussed this very thing a couple of months ago with Tom. Pretty soon, I think cable TV packages will be out the window, and I’ll finally have my long-awaited option of paying per channel.

Filed at 3:32 pm under Links, Geekitude
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Someone I had just met asked me out of the blue this morning if I was a writer.

Is it my aura? Do I exude writer-ness? Is it what I wear?

At any rate, I chuckled.

Filed at 10:26 am under Daily Goings-On, Writing
1 Comment