Semi-random thoughts

● I unfollowed someone on Twitter for promoting PETA. As far as I'm concerned, PETA is a bunch of one-issue extremists whose tactics have ranged from the offensive to outright terrorism.

● Yesterday morning I got a call from the mail order pharmacy my health insurer uses. They said that my doctor had submitted a renewal of a prescription of mine, and it would be shipped shortly. Yesterday evening I got an e-mail from the pharmacy saying the doctor had not responded to the request for a renewal. Their website seems to indicate the call, not the e-mail, was correct.

● Why have we been getting so many wrong number calls lately?

● You know a play was bombed by the critics when the first two reviews they feature in an ad are by gossip columnists Liz Smith and Cindy Adams.

● Lots of places give discounts for seniors. But classical music venues are trying to get more young people to attend concerts. So the 92nd Street Y offers cheap tickets to anyone under 35 for some of its events.

Plat du jour

Fortune Exchange? It's a chain of currency change stores in the UK. Other than that, I dunno.

Headline of the day

16 arrested in fight at nonviolence concert

A small step for Clayelle

Back in 2005 I blogged about being surprised that Clayelle Dalferes, the sultry-voiced WQXR weekend announcer, said over the air that she couldn't pronounce the names of religious holidays for which the NYC alternate-side parking regulations would be suspended. She replied in an e-mail (which I added as a comment to my post) that she was routinely criticized for her pronunciation of the Jewish holidays, so she just refrained.

But yesterday I heard her announce that the parking regulations would be suspended for Purim on Tuesday. She pronounced "Purim" just fine. So I sent off a little e-mail to congratulate her for her progress in holiday pronunciation.

Clayelle replied,

Hi -- thanks for the note and congratulations. "Purim" is about as easy to pronounce as religious holidays can get -- even so, I checked with Bill Jerome this morning! You've no idea how offended people can get -- my bad Hebrew has led to charges of anti-Semitism, or of poking fun at Religion in general. Since I can't be Kosher or Halel with pronunciation, I think I'd best stick to "religious holidays" for anything not translatable, don't you?

Thanks again for the note -- all the best for "Printemps qui commence" , and none too soon.

Clayelle

So I guess we can't look forward to hearing "Idul-Fitr" from her any time soon.

Plat du jour

My avenue is Madison.

Health insurance: Give people a choice

It's no surprise that conservatives are opposed to a government-run health insurance program that would compete against today's private ones. Yet these are the same people who are in favor of school vouchers and charter schools, which give parents an alternative to the public education systems. Since the current health insurance system is at least as dysfunctional as the public schools, I think it could use a good dose of competition. Give people a choice.

I think he actually learned something

From xkcd

Plat du jour

A female jalopy? Jill's jalopy?

What are your chances of getting a tapeworm?

HT to Sandy Shoes

Weekly free associations

1. Pain :: Reliever


2. Lego :: Toy


3. Trooper :: State


4. Flicker :: Film


5. Character :: Study


6. Determined :: Strong-willed


7. Wing :: Prayer


8. Control :: Freak


9. Automatic :: Pilot


10. Yeah :: Man

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Plat du jour

Thanks Mom and/or Dad.

Weekly free associations

1. Carpet :: bagger


2. William :: Tell


3. Oh! :: Boy!


4. Board game :: Monopoly


5. Sunlight :: Moonlight


6. Delay :: Impede


7. Winner :: Loser


8. Concubine :: Wife


9. Comatose :: ??


10. Satisfy :: Curiosity

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Now that's a bra

For those who want a little math exercise

Semi-random thoughts

● It's always weird when the one of my Facebook friends pops up among the random six that appear on my profile. She died last year.

● Lately I've usually been wearing cleavage-revealing tops. If you've got it, flaunt it is my motto, I guess. It's fun. And last week I thought it would be thoroughly appropriate attire for attending a show called "Skits and Tits!"--but I had my LGBT bar association board meeting to go to first that evening. I was going to cover up with a cardigan, but I forgot to put it on in my rush. No one at the meeting seemed to notice--not that I really expected a bunch of gay men to be boob-fixated. The lesbians didn't seem to care, either.

● The Wisconsin men's basketball team is having a really weird season. After a couple of their best players graduated last year, it wasn't surprising that they weren't able to beat any of the ranked teams they played before the Big Ten games started--though they were competitive most of the time. Then after the conference season arrived, they lost 6 in a row at one point--the most since the 90's. But they have since turned things completely around again, winning their last 5 contests. Tomorrow's game against league-leading (and highly ranked) Michigan State should show how competitive they really are. Go Badgers!

● Tonight we're going to see "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button." This will make four of the five films nominated for the best picture Oscar that we've seen. The only one missing is "Frost/Nixon"--though we did see the play on Broadway with the same main actors. I don't think I've ever seen all five of the best picture nominees before the ceremony.

What to do with your obsolete VCR

Plat du jour--guest submission

Another one from Joanne. This one is a bit puzzling. Is this just an approximation of Caesar's last words, "Et tu, Brute?" (at least according to Shakespeare)? Or is this some sort of bilingual pun? If so, two what? Or did this guy eat two of something?

Weekly free associations

1. Be mine :: Valentine


2. Ecstatic :: Happy


3. Orderly :: Disorderly


4. Sebastian :: Coe


5. Sore :: Thumb


6. Don’t need :: It


7. Rockstar :: Diana+Drums


8. Tinfoil :: Aluminum


9. Addiction :: Recovery


10. Where? :: To?

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Plat du jour--guest submission

Another find of Joanne from the myHusbandBetty boards.

Louis plays a round with himself

Louis is one of the Maestrosities--I've seen several of their shows, and I love them. I hope they start performing again soon.

50,000 visitors!

Sometime yesterday this blog received its 50,000th visitor! The last couple days have seen a bit of a spike in readership, due to Mary Carillo, as usual. I wonder what she did that made so many people question whether she's transgender. (She's not. Absolutely. Positively. Definitely.)

Anyhow, thanks to all of you. Come back soon.

Plat du jour

What did they win?

Weekly free associations

1. Cups :: Saucers


2. Brilliant :: Light


3. Disobey :: Obey


4. Abstain :: Present


5. Daily :: News


6. You make me :: want to shout!


7. Hurl :: Throw up


8. Intensify :: Strengthen


9. Fuck! :: You!


10. Race :: Walk

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Anne-Sophie Mutter at the NY Philharmonic

I haven't been posting reviews lately, but this time I have to make an exception. Last night we went to the NY Philharmonic, where Anne-Sophie Mutter was the main soloist. She wore the most fantastic dress I have ever seen on a classical concert stage. These photos I found on the internet do not do it justice.
To get the full effect of the dress you have to see it directly from the front. Mutter always performs in a strapless gown, but this one is just magnificent. She was, as the hackneyed expression goes, poured into the dress. It showed every curve of her perfectly proportioned body (She's a 45-year old mother of two!). I have to wonder if she can sit down in it. It is beauty like this that keeps me returning to the NY Philharmonic year after year.

Oops, I almost forgot: This was a concert, not a fashion show. It's the beauty of the music that keeps me returning. Mutter played Mendelsohn's Violin Concerto superbly. I could not believe how fast she went, and sometimes I was amazed the orchestra could keep up with her. The rest of the program, two other Mendelsohn pieces, were almost superfluous, though conductor Kurt Mazur did his best. The former music director of the Philharmonic received ovation after ovation, for what might be his final time conducting his former orchestra.

Dinner with Sullenberger (sort of)

This evening we had dinner at the same restaurant as Capt. Chesley Sullenberger, the hero pilot of the US Airways plane that landed in the Hudson River (is it really a landing if you come down in water?). We left at the same time, and I was about 4 feet from him as he posed for a picture with the restaurant staff. He looks much older than 58.

EDIT: I see he went to see South Pacific. We were next door at the New York Philharmonic. We see South Pacific next Saturday--Valentine's Day.

More on Shepard Fairey--it gets worse

Artist of famed Obama poster arrested in Boston

After this, it seems he's wanted in Los Angeles for graffiti tagging.

Plat du jour

I don't think this is the way it's spelled in Florida.

This doesn't surprise me at all

AP alleges copyright infringement of Obama image

















It's amazing how frequently artists seem to feel free to use other people's work. But when their work is appropriated by others they suddenly remember there's a copyright law. (Shepard Fairey hasn't done the latter, as far as I know, but plenty of other artists have.)

Plat du jour

I played with Tonka Trucks when I was little. This was not on a Tonka Truck.

The sad thing is, she's probably right

From Overheard in the Office:

Girl: My dad said I can't get a boob job because of the economy. I told him if I got a boob job, I'd have a better chance of getting hired and making money.

Weekly free associations

1. Take :: One


2. 350 :: Degrees


3. Stand :: Up


4. Raspberry :: Black


5. Turnstile :: Subway


6. Infomercial :: Never


7. Dejected :: Rejected


8. What’s the word? :: Hummingbird


9. Awestruck :: ??


10. Smashed :: Potatoes

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Plat du jour

And what kind of serial killer would you be?

What Kind of Serial Killer Would You Be? Your Result: Organized and Goal-Oriented   You're a planner. You'd carefully plot each murder, and carry it out methodically. You'll kill them in one location and move them to another later, and you'll study up your forensic science. The good news is, you're much harder to catch. You won't kill for the person, you'll kill for material gain. Your goal is finance, not a psychopathic compulsion- but you have absolutely no problem killing as many people as necessary to get what you want.
Disorganized and Gain-Oriented
Organized and Mission-Oriented
Disorganized and Mission-Oriented
Organized and Hedonistic
Organized Visionary
Disorganized and Hedonistic
Disorganized Visionary
What Kind of Serial Killer Would You Be? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

HT to Veronica

Not you, too, Harvey!

Just stop it now--All of you

Either Facebook has a bug, or

I want to know what it knows about the stock market:

Yetta G. Kurland wrote
at 1:17am tomorrow...

Weekly free associations

1. Unwanted :: Hair


2. You’d better :: be good


3. Woman :: Man


4. Weighed :: too much


5. Upright :: piano


6. I feel :: good


7. Ill :: Ind


8. It’s like :: this, man


9. Poor man :: Rich Man


10. Great :: Scott

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

This is getting old real fast

I didn't think too much of the Barack Obama posters by Shepard Fairey when the campaign started using them. Even worse, more and more politicians, at least the liberal ones, are now copying this style. Enough already.

At long last!

Former NY Senate leader Joseph Bruno indicted

It's too bad this had to wait until after he quit the NYS Senate. But I'm not the least bit surprised that this came when the Repugnants are no longer in control of the Department of Justice.

Plat du jour--guest submission

When I first saw this I read it as "ME ON LYME."

HT to Jean from the MHB boards.

Headline of the day

(assuming the day was January 15)

Fish poop helps balance ocean's acid levels

Semi-random thoughts

● This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. There's a whole generation who never experienced Berlin, and Germany, being divided.

● The people proposing a cabinet-level secretary of LGBT affairs are crazy, for a good number of reasons. Equating LGBT people with veterans is wrong (for one thing, the government creates veterans). But a secretary of the arts is not a bad idea.

● I'm glad they figured out a way President Obama can keep using his Blackberry. I think one of the biggest problems of our presidency is how isolated they become.

● The Wisconsin Badgers men's basketball team just doesn't have the talent it did the past two years. It is doubtful they will repeat as regular season or Big Ten tournament champions. I think there's a good chance they can get into the NCAA tournament, but I'd be quite surprised if they win more than one game there.

Blog For Choice Day

It's the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.

This is a blog for choice. Basically, I believe people should have the right to control their bodies. My friend Helen Boyd, who can write rings around me when she's half asleep, explained it much better:

I’m pro-choice because

● because this planet is too crowded
● because abortion will always be available, but it will only be available to wealthier women if it’s illegal, which is class discrimination
● because women deserve to decide their own lives & when & how they want to have children
● because they never, ever report on where the father is when a teenaged girl leaves her baby on someone’s doorstep (or in a local dumpster, etc).
● because women don’t always choose when they’re having sex, even if they’re not raped
● because younger women, especially, may not have the self-confidence to insist on safe sex

Plat de l'année

Well, last year.
From the NY Times: Story.

HT to @Sarahgoat

My thoughts on the inauguration

Today is a historical day. This we all know. I am a bit amazed at the millions of people who traveled to Washington and braved sub-freezing weather to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama. I can understand how African-Americans would want to be a part of such a big step toward racial equality. But there are so many others there also. There are also so many more who did not go, but were too excited even to sleep last night.

I understand their excitement, but I don't share it. There will be big changes, for the good, some immediate. But there will also be disappointments, especially for those anticipating huge, quick changes on everything that President Obama campaigned on. The economy is a mess, and I think it will be the focus of his first weeks. Other areas will be touched, especially ones that can easily be handled by executive order, but some will be put on the back burner. Guantanamo (the prison, not the whole base) can be closed. The process of getting out of Iraq can be started. But the repeals of Don't Ask Don't Tell and DOMA will wait. Health care will wait. A little can be done about global warming right now, but mostly it will wait.

Again, there will be disappointments. No president ever gets everything he wants. The Republicans in the Senate still have enormous power to throw up roadblocks, and I doubt they will refrain from using it, despite the enormity of the economic disaster the country is facing. They don't understand what got us into this mess, or how to get us out of it. Some of them may look at the polls that are so supportive of the president and temper their opposition, but plenty will just ignore them.

I was, to be honest, a bit disappointed in the inaugural address. It was good, but not great. There were no great lines, there was no "Ask not," maybe nothing that will make the quote books. There were certainly no surprises. Obama effectively made his points, basically repeating his campaign positions, but without any rhetoric that will make the speech memorable. I'm sure former-president Bush (smile, smile) was quite uncomfortable at parts of it (assuming he was even listening). I think even former-president Clinton may even have heard a veiled criticism or two.

History has been made. The celebrations continue. But I can only be hopeful that President Obama is successful in acheiving his program.

Weekly free associations

1. Arrival :: Departure


2. Vomit :: Puke


3. Fit :: Fiddle


4. Stutter :: Speech impediment


5. Lifestream :: huh?


6. Tread :: Tire


7. Desire :: Want


8. Freezing :: Cold


9. Permit :: Allow


10. Crinkle :: Cut

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

A sign you're getting old

Nothing fazes real New Yorkers

I just saw a woman walking down the street eating an ice cream cone.

It's 14°F in New York right now.

A great toy for kids--NOT

Playmobil Security Check Point









Click on the image and read the reviews. They are hilarious. My favorite:

This is just a sop to the authoritarians among us. I am holding out for the release of the Guantanemo Playset. Hopefully this will come with an extrordinary rendition option.

HT to Betty Crow

Star Wars: Retold (by someone who hasn't seen it)

Click here.

Han and Luke kiss? That must be the version they show at the Chelsea Cinema.

HT to Allyson Robinson.

The Zipper Factory Theater closes

Playbill article

This is awful. It was a great place. It was just three blocks from CDI, where I change clothes to present as Caprice. It had some wonderful shows (even a few on weeknights when I could go). And they even knew me there a little.

Public Service Announcement

Estimated Taxes are due today.

Headline of the day

Flying car leaves London for Timbuktu

You can't make up stuff like this.

Weekly free associations

1. Resolution :: High


2. Break :: fast


3. Tied :: Up


4. Suffering :: Headache


5. Instead :: Of


6. Slash :: Budget


7. Divorce :: Court


8. Cough :: Drop


9. Happy :: Days


10. Sniffle :: Tissue

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Exercise log

An hour today. Maybe tomorrow I can get in a full 90 minutes--if my wife decides we're not going to MoMA.

Exercise log

I'm not exactly sure how long I exercised today, because I was interrupted in the middle (which is redundant, come to think of it). It had to be somewhere between 75 and 80 minutes--all at the higher leg effort. (Nothing yesterday.)

Weekly free associations

1. Confirmation :: Day


2. Verse :: Chorus


3. Authorize :: OK


4. Blog :: Glob


5. Thirty :: I wish


6. Heir :: Apparent


7. What are you doing? :: Twitter


8. Complaint :: Department


9. Leave :: It To Beaver


10. Tune :: Out

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Exercise log

Another after-dinner session: I squeezed in 37 minutes. I really wanted to do something because I doubt I'm going to have time tomorrow. (Nothing yesterday.)

The top lie of 2008

According to the Burlington Liars Club:

"My grandson is the most persuasive liar I have ever met. By the time he was 2 years old he could dirty his diaper and make his mother believe someone else had done it."

George W. Bush was ruled ineligble because he's a professional. (That's my entry for 2009.)

Exercise log

I did it after dinner, but I only had time for 47 minutes. I don't like to do it past 9:00 because it might disturb the neighbors. Again, I raised the leg effort setting.

Guide to converting to metric from xkcd

Click on the image to see the whole thing.










I think the use of penises and cars as examples of length are quite problematic. Both vary a great deal--and the former does not even have a fixed length. Ditto for moms as an example of mass.
HT to Victoria Marinelli

Exercise log

I left it too late, and I only had 48 minutes before I had to take a shower before dinner. I had the leg effort on the higher setting the whole time, and I really felt it going over the highest "peaks."

Sad news

Richardson withdraws bid to be commerce secretary

Bill Richardson was my first choice for president at the start of the campaign. After he withdrew, and my second choice was elected, I was hoping Obama would choose him for secretary of state. I'm sure he would have done well as Commerce secretary.

I have no idea whether there is any truth to the allegations. I'm hoping that there is none, and that Richardson is just taking advantage of a face-saving way out of the Commerce post--which I suspect he realized too late was in no way a career advancement for him. (He has already had a cabinet post.)

Places I slept in 2008

New York, NY
Albany, NY
Lee, MA
Boston, MA
Lowell, MA
Las Vegas, NV

A rather short list for last year.

HT to Veronica

Exercise log

I only had time for 65 minutes today, but I pushed up the leg effort a notch during the second half.

Why I don't have kids

Boss: My daughter's turning two tomorrow.
Employee: What can I get her? Anything she doesn't have that she really needs?
Boss: An "off" button.

from Overheard in the Office

Exercise log

Ninety minutes for my first workout of 2009. Yay me! I'm going to try to exercise at least 4 times a week. (I have a combination recumbent stationary bicycle-rowing machine.)

Movie mini-reviews

• Valkyrie: Pretty good, but I wish they had shown how the conspiracy started. Cruise was OK.
• Defiance: I liked it, despite a couple of instances when Daniel Craig's character makes eloquent, articulate speeches totally uncharacteristic of his rough-hewn, poorly educated background. Some of what appear to be movie clichés (e.g. the white horse) were true, according to someone who met one of the brothers. (I have also heard that white horses are quite common in that area.)

Donald E. Westlake died!

My favorite mystery writer died suddenly yesterday. Donald E. Westlake, creator of the humorous crime series featuring the very talented (but equally very unlucky) burglar "Dortmunder," apparently had a heart attack while on vacation in Mexico.

I love his books. I'm reading one of his more recent books now, Put a Lid On It. Though he wrote a lot of comic crime novels, he was just as good at writing serious ones. He wrote another series of books about a totally "hard-boiled" criminal, Parker--though Westlake used the non de plume "Richard Stark" for those. And that wasn't the only pseudonym he used.

I heard him speak a couple of times, and he autographed a few of my books after one talk. I remember him being asked how he felt when a successful book of his was made into a not-so-successful movie. He said he thought of them as he did his children--he raised them as well as he could to adulthood, and then wished them luck and sent them out to succeed or fail on their own.

He wrote more than a hundred books in all (using manual typewriters!), and I'm not sure I've read even half of them--so there will be plenty of Westlake in my future. And there is one more scheduled to be published this year. Still, it's sad he has died. He was only 75.

Happy New Year! (except...)

There are already two unsettling events to start off 2009.

• Petitions were filed to reverse the Kalamazoo, MI ordinance adding gays, lesbians and transgender individuals to their non-discrimination law.
• Helen and Betty have taken down their message board (where I am a semi-retired moderator). Hopefully this is just temporary, while they figure out how to handle the recent trends of "me-ism" and partner-unfriendly posts. (They took the board down once before for a couple of weeks or so, to revamp.) They have just journeyed from Brooklyn to Wisconsin, where Helen will be teaching for the next several months, so they are a bit pre-occupied. When they get things sorted out, I'm hoping they will figure out a way to make the board work again. I miss it already.

Weekly free associations

1. Destined :: to win


2. FAIL :: blog


3. Camping :: yech!


4. Only you :: can prevent forest fires


5. Incessant :: noise


6. Tomorrow :: is another day


7. Impressive :: collection


8. Riches :: wealth


9. Dislike :: like


10. Speaker :: of the House

1. Carpet :: tacks


2. Bottoms :: tops


3. Music :: sound


4. Nails :: acrylics


5. Watch it! :: ??


6. Your life :: is yours


7. Candies :: no-no's


8. Chafing :: dish


9. Svelte :: I wish


10. Ding :: dong

HT to Unconscious Mutterings.

Plat du jour

An orthopedist, I presume.

Happy Chanukah!

Happy Chanukah!

Plat du jour

Actually, the adjective is "euphoric."

Back in New York

I'm back from Las Vegas. It was a quite uneventful journey.

Happy Chanukah!

Happy Chanukah!

Happy Chanukah!

Report from Vegas

We're staying at the Paris Hotel. Here's a view of it, with its silly shrunken Eiffel Tower, taken from the Bellagio across the street. Unfortunately, they don't let you cross the street, which is known as the "Strip." The only way to get across the Strip on foot is via some pedestrian bridges. But there aren't enough of them. After dinner my wife was too tired to walk over to one. So we took a cab--just to cross the street!

The Paris is OK. The room is comfortable, except for there being no heater, only air conditioning. It's not really cold, though, just two or three degrees cooler than we're used to. Housekeeping isn't perfect--I had to call to get more toilet paper. The internet works OK--it's wired. But it costs $14 or $15 a day (I'm not sure--two different things list two different prices.) The rooms are cheap, but they make it up with exorbitant extras like this, and the $25/day they charge to use the fitness center.

So far I'm losing less at the casinos than I anticipated--I view it as a cost of entertainment. So I'm pretty happy.