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July 25, 2004
From the "Ouch!" Category
Adam Curry is recovering from a nasty mishap while taking part in a motorcross event. He's got a sore arse and evidently there's video from a local station that includes his crash (unfortunately I couldn't access it for some reason, but maybe that's a good thing.) Adam, I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you have a happy ass real soon.
Houston pal Dwight Silverman of The Houston Chronicle is also recovering (see his web entry titled "Bring Out the Gimp") from an altercation with the stairs at work. He was speaking to his dad via his cell phone when all hell broke loose. Speedy recovery, Dwight!
My own recovery from the altercation with the Soho pothole on the Fourth of July has been set back a bit. I've reinjured the ankle via one of those moments when you're just not thinking about what you're doing, and then your brain registers the SEVERE PAIN! message all over again. I'm not one for lounging around and nursing my injuries -- call that stupid, but I'm way too hyperactive to sit still for hours and hours. However, my running all over the place has resulted not only in a sore ankle but also a sore calf muscle... and contrary to what it sounds like, this isn't a complaint, it's just the way it is. I suspect that a week's worth of lounging poolside at a country club in Austin, Texas will do wonders for me later this week. :-)
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Dads (*sigh*)
My condolences and many hugs to Susan @ Spinning -- her father passed away this past week, and I know how difficult and painful this is for her. No matter how sick a parent is, or how old, it doesn't change how you feel when they die. It is extremely painful; your heart hurts and it feels hollow and empty. As time goes by, it gives you little gifts that will ease the pain -- snippets of conversation, moments of the past, images of family vacations, the laughter, the tears, the smiles -- cherished memories that never fade and will always remain.
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Cheerleaders R Us
Ted @ Rocket Jones managed to get his cheerleading squad together for his virtual fantasy football team christened, unsurprisingly, the Rockets. [Little does he know that my dad gave me the nickname of Rocket many years ago before he died. Each time I see the word "rocket" it makes me smile.]
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For a Good Cause
Daisy @ Chasing Daisy did a superb job with her posts for Project Blog (a post every hour,) in her efforts to help Tom @ HeadCleaner() raise money for MacMillan Cancer Relief. Tom was competing in the Tough Guy Challenge today. I hope he survived the grueling course!
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July 22, 2004
NYC: the First Visit
Pogo (for lack of a real name) @ Dearie Me posts a very witty tale about his first visit to New York City...
" The theme tune to Taxi was doing an endless loop in my head as we coasted over the Williamsburg Bridge onto Manhattan. Heh, is that the bridge from Taxi? Is Taxi even set in New York? I dunno. But that bloody tune was stuck in my head anyway, and I wanted to call Frank "Latka" too. Lack of sleep does funny things to your head. So does the sudden realisation that there are bigger places in the world than Leicester."
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Heh!
I've changed my mind.
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July 21, 2004
Photo Exhibit in San Antonio, Texas
If you happen to live 'round San Antonio you might want to check out the photo exhibit at the downtown campus of The University of Texas at San Antonio. The images were selected from more than 300 photographs featured in the book, A Day in the Life of the United States Armed Forces.
The photographs in the exhibit were captured over a single 24-hour period -- October 22, 2002 -- by 125 leading civilian and military photographers, who fanned out across the globe to capture an ordinary day in the lives of the men and women who protect America's freedom. The result is an extraordinary pictorial documentary that records the daily sacrifices, integrity and commitment of members of the Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
The exhibit also includes images by award-winning photographers from the San Antonio area, including Dirck Halstead of Time magazine, Don Winslow of the National Press Photographers Association, and military photographers Staff Sgt. Jeff Allen, Master Sgt. Lance Cheung and Tech. Sgt. Efrain Gonzales.
Open to the public and free of charge, the exhibit is at the UTSA Downtown Campus Durango Building gallery (10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday - Friday) through August 18. Source: USTA Today
I'm excited and thrilled for my dear friend Donald that his photographs were among those selected from the book for this travelling exhibit. Congrats!!
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Photoblog Update
Be sure to stop by my photoblog and check out the latest images. Critique and suggestions for image improvements are always welcome!
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Help Tom Reach 500!
Tom, aka Dragon @ Head Cleaner() competes this Sunday, July 25 in the Tough Guy Challenge in an effort to raise money for the charity of his choice, Macmillan Cancer Relief, which provides expert care, practical and emotional support for people living with cancer. His goal is to raise £500 (500 British Pounds) and he's not far off from reaching his goal. It's easy to make a contribution... dig into your pockets and drop your spare change on Tom's charity page. You can donate via Visa, Mastercard and a few others.
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July 16, 2004
Martha Stewart Sentencing: 5 Months/Prison
Poor Martha. Five months of prison time, 2 years' probation, $30,000 fine.
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You Know You're a New Yorker When...
I came across a newspaper clipping I saved from a past edition of the New York Times. Readers responded to an invitation to complete the statement, "You know you're a New Yorker when..." Here are some of them:
You see a car accident and you keep walking because you think an episode of "Law and Order" is being filmed.
You decide on a purchase not based on price but on the volume it will take up in your apartment.
Your kitchen contains more takeout restaurant menus than cookbooks.
"Don't Walk" means run.
You go on vacation and it is too quiet to sleep.
You are highly embarrassed when your out-of-town guest cheerily greets other residents in your apartment building's elevator.
You speak to people from your hometown and wonder why they speak so slowly.
You consider using the empty closet in the office hallway to store your off-season clothes.
You routinely ignore four signs: No exit, no entry, off duty, sold out.
Your boyfriend has broken up with you, you're on the subway during rush hour crying your eyes out, the car is packed and you are comforted that New Yorkers realize that your problems are none of their business.
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Another Quote
Bad spellers of the world, untie!
-Graffito
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Quote
Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there.
- Will Rogers
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Today's Second Thought
If you look like your passport picture, you probably need the trip.
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Thought for Today
My idea of housework is to sweep the room with a glance.
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This Land is Your Land
George Bush and John Kerry star in this amusing animated parody set to the tune of Woodie Guthrie's "This Land" [via New Yorkish, via WOW]
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July 13, 2004
iPod Security Risk?
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Music fans, beware: Britain's Ministry of Defence has become the latest organization to add the iPod to its list of high-tech security risks. The pocket-sized digital music player, which can store thousands of songs, is one of a series of banned gadgets that the military will no longer allow into most sections of its headquarters in the UK and abroad.
- Reuters story @ CNN
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Wieners, Hot Dogs, Etc.
July is National Hot Dog month. I prefer mine grilled, with sauerkraut and mustard on a toasted bun. Here's a list of the top ten hotdog eating American cities (2003) and a recipe for baked beans to accompany your dogs.
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On Politicians
"...politicians in power are like babies nappies. The longer you leave them, the more full of sh*t they become. So change them regularly."
- Oz @ G'Day Mate on visiting the U.S. from Australia and his American Observations.
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July 9, 2004
Writing Voice Laryngectomy
Update: fixed broken link.
You know when you read a great story and you know when a writer's work isn't quite up to snuff. You've read this writer many times before or you've had a conversation with them. You're familiar with their unique voice, but suddenly those words that used to hit you in the face drift past you unnoticed and unregistered. You wonder to yourself where their voice is and if it's ever coming back.
I've struggled with my writing voice for the last year or so. No matter what I attempted, the words wouldn't come out, refusing to rise to the surface. Sure, I slapped posts up here, topics covering Apple products, the day's news or pointing and linking to others' blogs. Though there's nothing wrong with writing about technology and other items that interest me, something was amiss. I couldn't put my finger on it. I mistakenly thought the problem evolved from learning how to use my content management system. After conquering the trial and error of using the CMS and realizing that wasn't the problem, I wrote that I was troubled by my inability to write:
Why Am I Doing This?
I used to love writing in this space. I used to have my own unique voice. I used to have my own way of saying things, doing things. I used to be funny.
I used enjoy looking back and reading what I'd written long ago. I used to ...
In re-reading some of my earliest postings, it got me wondering what happened to that voice, the one that was funny, the one that didn't give a damn who
was reading, the one that was me. I've not been able to pinpoint exactly when my writing voice changed, but I'm painfully aware of it. Maybe it's just life
getting in the way, maybe it's my imagination working overtime, maybe it's just a lack of enthusiasm.
Dale Keiger @ Scribble, Scribble, Scribble responded to that post and encouraged me to just keep writing. He wrote: "Write what's true and your voice will return. And keep writing because writing what's true is as good a thing as a person can do." Though I appreciated his suggestion, I just couldn't find my voice. I was convinced that a laryngectomy had been performed while I slept, waking to the realization that my writing vocal chords had been surgically removed. As the struggle progressed and the search for words became a futile exercise, I'd post a photograph. I wanted something up here, and photos took the place of words and filled the day's post box.
A friend told me that he visited my blog numerous times but he was bored to tears with what he read. He noticed that my unique voice wasn't present and that it was glaringly obvious in whatever I had chosen to write about. I write from my heart and soul and he knew that about me, my writing style and voice. I hated hearing this reinforcement of what I already knew. Yes, it's not been riveting content.
The realization that my words might be gone forever struck a highly depressing note. Why? I kept asking myself. Why did the one thing I enjoyed doing suddenly disappear? Even though I never stopped writing, the words were imposters; someone else was present -- empty, hollow, lacking fire, passion, enthusiasm, replaced with robotic content so boring it was the equivalent of watching grass grow. One day a friend and I were talking about an event in my life that had sent me into the depths of depression. During that discussion, I mentioned the fact that I'd lost my writing voice and haven't been able to find it since. He replied, "Of course you couldn't write. You simply shut down."
Eureka!
I was so busy being depressed it never occurred to me that that in itself was the reason I couldn't write. Circumstances being what they were, it would be way too easy to place the blame in that arena. No, I am responsible for this, I allowed it to happen. And once I became aware of it, I set out to change it. I've cajoled and seduced the fire-breathing writer's voice block on a daily basis. Constant come hither glances are given in an attempt to make this dragon surrender to my advances. Day by day I pick up the chisel and chip away at the wall I unconsciously put up. I've set up the pulley to drag my voice up and out of the black hole it's been in. Little by little my voice, the part of me that I myself surgically removed, is now undergoing a long-delayed recovery. I suspect that it will return in full force, once again singing out, back to its former self.
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July 4, 2004
And Then I Fell into a Pothole...
My Fourth of July was moving along splendidly. The express train zipped me downtown and I had a lovely lunch with my Australian friend who was visiting NYC for the first time (gee, can you guess who it is?) After lunch at the South Street Seaport, we ventured uptown via subway (after the absentminded one figured out which direction to head) to the Apple Store, a must-visit for my fellow Apple fanatic. A trip to Soho would not be complete without an iced mochachino @ Space Untitled on Greene Street, along with a look at the developer release of Tiger, Apple's newest operating system.
Afterwards as we walked up Greene Street, I made sure I lived up to my reputation for being clumsy by falling into a pothole in the street, leaving my visitor temporarily stunned since I fell into him. I pulled myself up and limped away, embarrassed by my own display of acrobatics. Now that I'm home and the ankle is swollen, I'm no longer finely tuned for prime-time city speed walking. I think this means my plan for viewing the fireworks show up close and personal will now be limited to television. #@$%&!!!!
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God Bless America
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a land that's free,
Let us all be grateful for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer."
God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
God Bless America
Words and music by Irving Berlin
Copyright 1938, 1939 by Irving Berlin
Copyright Renewed 1965, 1966 by Irving Berlin
Copyright Assigned to the Trustees of the God Bless America Fund
International Copyright Secured. All Rights Reserved.
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