August 1, 2009
Summer Travel and a New Blog
I'm not posting much these days but I would like to take a moment to plug my brother John's new blog, Margin of Victory. In it, he and his friend Russ write about boardgames. Now is an especially good time to start reading because the two of them are heading to the World Boardgaming Championships in Lancaster, PA this week.
John and Russ leave tomorrow morning and I will be joining them for the drive. Once we get to Lancaster on Monday, they start boardgaming and I'll be hopping a train to New York City, where I'll staying with my good friends Matt and Kabrina until Saturday.
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June 26, 2008
"New York City Waterfalls" Now Flowing
I'm excited to be heading to New York next week, not just because it's been six months since I've seen all of my friends there, but because the city is hosting their biggest public art installation since Christo and Jean Claude's "The Gates" which were documented on this site's photoblog (here, here, here, here and here).
The latest art project does not involve bright orange fabric of any kind, but is far simpler. Four large scaffolds were erected in the East River and water began flowing over them this morning. Olafur Eliasson is the man behind "New York City Waterfalls" and he intends to make people aware of the water that surrounds them. After all, four of the city's five boroughs exist on islands - a fact that many New Yorkers are oblivious to, or at least don't regularly consider. I think the project is an interesting concept and I look forward to seeing if the waterfalls live up to the hype. From what I've read so far, people seem unimpressed.
As a side note, I narrowly missed being able to see a neat art project called the Telectroscope (a "tunnel" which linked London and New York) which was just recently taken down. I won't complain too much however, because I expect the waterfalls will make for more impressive photos.
UPDATE: I almost forgot to mention another unusual art project I saw in New York back in 2005: Robert Smithson's "Floating Island".
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June 24, 2008
Year of the Rat
Yesterday was "Year of the Rat" night at the St. Paul Saints game. Thus, in true Saints fashion, there were a ton of gags involving rats and not just the animal. As we walked into the stadium the sides of the concourse were plastered with photocopies of famous rats. The Rat Pack got several mentions, there was a guy dressed as Benedict Arnold and the entertainers at the game frequently mentioned the type of rat that snitches and goes into the Witness Protection Program. Their favorite target however, was Norm Green. Perhaps the most hated man in Minnesota's entire 150 year history, Green was the guy that moved the North Stars hockey team to Dallas in 1993.
The most amusing moment came during the "Is it a Fish?" game, in which a fan is given a bunch of names and he has to decide if it's the name of a type of fish or not. The final name the fan had to decide on was Bonpensiero. This name sounded vaguely familiar to me, but I couldn't quite place it. Then they showed a picture of the actor Vincent Pastore and I realized that they were referring to the character Salvatore "Big Pussy" Bonpensiero from the Sopranos, who betrayed the family by becoming a rat and wearing a wire. Of course he was then murdered and tossed off Tony Soprano's boat. So, although Bonpensiero is not a type of fish, he certainly does sleep with the fishes. Ha!
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June 10, 2008
Summer Plans
As usual, my plans for this summer include a lot of travel. Here's a rundown of what I'll be up to over the next few months...
On Friday I'm heading to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota for a week of canoeing. This is a remote region of Minnesota up near the Canadian border which has many of Minnesota's ten thousand lakes. It will be the first time I've ever done something like this and, frankly, I'm a bit nervous. My fellow travelers have been making this trip for the past several years but I was never able to make it because I've always had other plans. Since I'm the least experienced canoeist and camper, they've done most of the planning and I simply have to follow directions which is nice. Fortunately, they've planned a route that will give me a true taste of the wilderness but also includes stops at some historic places that have Native American pictographs. They're counting on me to document the trip in photographs and there will be no shortage of photo opportunities.
In early July I'll be flying to New York then taking a road trip up to Montreal with my friends Matt, Kabrina and Kristin. We'll be spending America's Independence Day in Canada which is a bit ironic. We traveled to Montreal during the winter of 2007 but our trip was cut short by a blizzard and I was sick one of the days we were there. I'm excited to see the city in the summer this time around.
After Montreal I'll be hanging out in New York City for a week, then taking a train 100 miles north up the Hudson River to Poughkeepsie to spend a week learning about Franklin Roosevelt at his home in Hyde Park, NY. That will be followed by a second week-long history seminar in Lower Manhattan where I'll be learning about Ellis Island. The Ellis Island workshop should be particularly good because our group will be given a tour of the unseen portion of the island - the part that has all of the abandoned buildings and is completely off-limits to the public. Unfortunately, I've already been forced to sign a waiver/agreement which limits photography at these sites. This means that any photos I do take cannot be exhibited, sold or even viewed by anyone other than myself. There is nothing that bugs me more than stupid photography rules and this is definitely one of them but I'll take what little I can get in this case.
August is still up in the air right now but might include the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago. I'd also like to visit my godmother Sherri and her husband Bruce who are in the process of moving to from Oxnard, CA to Omaha, NE as I type. There may also be some more extensive travels in Iowa if I haven't used up my travel budget by then.
Keep an eye on this space for more posts and photos throughout the summer.
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January 2, 2008
Happy New Year!
I'm in New York this week enjoying the lack of snow and reasonable temperatures (relatively speaking - it's in the 20's here and seven degrees back home). It's great to be back and in many ways it feels like I never left. All my friends are still here and we've been having as much fun as we always did. It's reassuring to know that I can come back at any time and that friendships withstand distance.
One of the things my friends Matt and Kabrina have enlightened me with is this awesome commercial, currently airing on television here in the area:
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December 29, 2007
New Years in New York
Tomorrow, I leave for New York for a week, a vacation which I have been looking forward to almost since the moment I left the city this past summer to move back to Minnesota. For the past four years I lived in New York and spent Christmas and New Years in Minnesota. Now, I'm doing the opposite.
It's going to be a little weird to be be back in New York, especially since I'll be staying with friends in Astoria instead of in my old apartment in Spanish Harlem. But I'm hoping to see all of the old friends that I left behind and that's what I'm looking forward to the most. Of course I'll also be taking pictures with my new camera on the side and that is a nice bonus. Hopefully I'll get some decent shots to post when I get back next Saturday.
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November 18, 2007
Catching Up
A few people have started to comment that my blog has been neglected for nearly three months now so I'm going to cave and write a little update on what's been going on.
Basically, my new job is keeping me very, very busy. This, however, is good because the old job in New York City was quickly draining my energy and enthusiasm. Now, I'm experiencing the opposite effect. I'm more motivated and excited now than I have been for years and the new job makes me feel like I just got out of college again and am bursting with enthusiasm and ideas. It's awesome.
At the same time, I'm looking forward to this week's Thanksgiving break and am excited for the holidays. Earlier this week I made plans to go back to New York for a visit the week after Christmas. During the four years I lived in New York I would spent New Year's here in Minnesota so I figure it's time to reverse that trend and spend it in New York. As great as things have been going here, I really miss the bustle of New York, its subways and bridges and, of course, all the friends I made there.
Other developments include my purchase of a slick alumninum and glass 24" iMac which I am throroughly enjoying with the latest iteration of Apple's Mac OS X: Leopard. I've been nothing but happy with it so far and am beginning to learn Aperture, Apple's photo management and editing application. This has had the effect of making me want to buy a true SLR camera so I will hopefully be purchasing one of those before Christmas.
My reading list has been dominated by non-fiction lately, especially of the Civil War variety. Recent reads (along with my review - lifted from my Facebook profile - of each) include:
Grant & Twain by Mark Perry: This is the first time I've read a detailed account of Grant's last days and it's only made me respect the guy even more. Perry writes simply but knows how to tell the story without getting too academic.
Cry Havoc! The Crooked Road to Civil War by Nelson Lankford: This book is unlike any other Civil War history that I've ever read as it deals not with battles, but with the politics of secession and the often-overlooked events that led the North and South to full fledged civil war. With this micro-history approach, Lankford has composed an intricate, wonderfully written, day-by-day and sometimes hour-by-hour account of the crooked road to Civil War.
Hey Ranger! True Tales of Humor and Misadventure from America's National Parks by Jim Burnett: Although I once worked with Jim, the ranger who wrote this book, his writing style is a bit too conversational for my tastes. It feels like every sentence is being delivered with a chuckle and it gets annoying after a while.
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey: This book really sucked. It was written by a park ranger who kills a rabbit within the boundary of a national park for no apparent reason. That would be a federal crime by the way. The incident basically confirmed my opinion of the author as a complete moron and total asshole.
For music, I've seen three great shows since my last entry: Arcade Fire, Smashing Pumpkins and New Pornographers. At home and work I've been digging the latest albums from Band of Horses, Pinback, Radiohead, Palomar, The Ponys, Voxtrot, Rilo Kiley and The New Pornographers.
Well, that pretty much covers what I've been up to. I really ought to write more often, shouldn't I?
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March 20, 2007
The Stills Were in Spanish Harlem
This is too weird to not write about...
One of my favorite bands since last summer's Siren Festival at Coney Island has been The Stills. In fact, I just saw them a few months ago at Bowery Ballroom. I was poking around YouTube tonight looking for a good music video and came across The Stills' video for "Lola Stars and Stripe" which happens to be one of my favorite songs. Lo and behold, I'm watching the video and I realize that they shot it in my neighborhood, right near the 103rd Street subway station. What's even more strange is that I was there when they filmed it! I specifically remember walking out of the station and seeing a bunch of white people run right past me down the big hill on 103rd and Lexington - and that's the opening scene of the video. Check it out:
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January 7, 2007
Weird Winter Weather
I'm confused. I was in Minnesota just last week and drove through several inches of snow on New Year's Eve and then shivered my way around downtown Minneapolis shortly after the arrival of 2007. I bought a new winter coat a few days later. Then, yesterday, I was walking around in Central Park wishing that I had worn shorts because it was 70 degrees in New York City.
And I'm not the only one who's confused. The grass in the park is green and some trees are blooming. The birds are chirping as if it's springtime. The baseball fields in the North Meadow look pristine but are fenced off because they're usually covered with snow at this point in the winter.
Then there are the people. Some out of touch New Yorkers are wearing their winter coats complete with scarves and boots - apparently they didn't check the weather report before going outside, or maybe they can't believe that Christmas was just a few weeks ago yet it feels like April.
I hope it snows soon.
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July 19, 2006
2006 Siren Music Festival
Click here to view the photo gallery.
Bands pictured in the gallery are (in order): Deadboy and the Elephantmen, The Rogers Sisters, The Stills, She Wants Revenge and Scissor Sisters.
[UPDATE] I had promised a more comprehensive view but I don't feel like writing one. I did post some videos on YouTube at my friend Matt's insistence. Check them out: Rogers Sisters, The Stills, Scissor Sisters.
permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 2:36 PM
July 18, 2006
Steps Taken This Afternoon to Alleviate Sweltering Heat
1. Shut all windows and placed ice packs on top of fan. Result: Ice packs melted in minutes and had a slight cooling effect only when standing directly in front of fan.
2. Rode subway downtown. Result: Periods of extreme cool punctuated by rush of hot air when doors were opened.
3. Went to Virgin Records (Union Square) to look at CDs. Result: Very relieving cool air but most CDs were overpriced.
4. Walked across Union Square. Result: Heat made more bearable by pleasant scenery.
5. Went to Barnes and Noble (Union Square) and looked at books for two hours. Result: Excellent cooling effect and purchased "Baseball Hacks" with gift certificate from brother.
6. Rode subway uptown. Result: see #2 above.
7. Went to Best Buy to look at CDs. Result: Excellent cooling effect and purchased "Grand Prix" after hearing rave reviews of the newly released DVD edition from my dad.
8. Rode subway uptown. Result: see #3 above.
9. Removed two of the three light bulbs from my bathroom. Result: Slight heat reduction makes reading in the bathroom more pleasant but a bit dim.
10. Performed ceremonial rain dance in apartment. Result: Thunderstorm strikes, lowering temperature a full twenty degrees in two hours!
Conclusion: Long term heat stress can only be alleviated by Mother Nature.
permalink | comments (0) | TrackBack | posted at 11:25 PM
June 10, 2006
On the Set of Spiderman 3
I happened to stumble across the set of Spiderman 3 today while I was out taking photos. They had Foley Square, near the courthouses at Centre St. (a few blocks from City Hall), blocked off but I was able to get some decent shots thanks to the powerful zoom on my camera.
The scene looks like a celebration in honor of Spiderman. There is a pavilion set up with a podium and lots of important looking people. The stage has a background that says, "Thank You Spiderman". As I was watching, they did a couple takes which involved Spiderman swinging down over the crowd as they cheered. I managed to get a pretty decent video:
They had a camera high above the scene which was sliding along a cable. The way the cable was strung, it provided a cool shot of the American flag flying from the courthouse roof. I'm guessing the scene involves Spiderman swinging up past the flag like he did several times in the other two movies.
Any thoughts on where this scene belongs in the movie? Could it be one of the final scenes?
Don't forget to check out the photos I took.
permalink | comments (61) | TrackBack | posted at 8:41 PM
June 3, 2006
Fleet Week '06
I've taken a lot of photos of ships and planes in the past few days, all of which are part of New York City's annual Fleet Week. Despite living here for three years I've never gone down to see the ships or festivities until now.
Photos will be added to the photoblog at a rate of roughly one entry per day. Click on the small photos at right or the links below:
5/25 Warplanes Over Manhattan
5/26 USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) amphibious assault ship
5/27 USS Anzio (CG-68) guided missile cruiser
6/3 USS Mason (DDG-87) destroyer
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December 21, 2005
Transit Strike Front Pages
The front pages of the newspapers for the second day of the transit strike are pretty good. The Post wins the award for best headline but the photo that the Times is running beats the tabloids, hands down.
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December 20, 2005
Transit Strike: Day One
I went out briefly this afternoon to do some errands and check out what was going on in my neighborhood. I walked over to Madison Ave below 96th St which is one of the roads that has been closed to all but emergency vehicles. It was, of course, deserted except for those little NYPD traffic carts, the occasional ambulance and a police bus. It was so quiet that I could hear the radios of the police officers from nearly a block away. See the photoblog for a few pictures.
Next I walked to the 100th Street Bus Depot which had about 30-40 transit workers carrying signs in front of it. They did not seem to be concerned at all and were laughing and joking while they marched around in circles. The pedestrians walking past largely ignored them but a few cars honked as they drove past. I had my digital camera so I recorded a short (12 second) video of the strikers.
Tomorrow, I'll be going to JFK to catch an evening flight to Minneapolis and I figure I'll either walk/cab/hitch down to Grand Central and take an airport shuttle bus or go to Penn Station and take the LIRR to Jamaica and get on the AirTrain. It might take a while but I'm leaving about five hours early to make sure I get to the airport with plenty of time to spare.
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Strike Announcement
I'll be staying home today since I have absolutely no way to get to work. Amy's Robot recorded the announcement in a variety of formats and I've mirrored them here:
- Excerpt: The money shot. (Quicktime video)
- The entire speech (mpeg4 video, PSP compatible)
- The entire speech (mpeg4 video, iPod compatible)
- The entire speech (mp3 audio)
I guess I'm going back to bed now.
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December 12, 2005
J. Lo on My Block (Well, Pretty Close Anyway)
I'm not a big fan of celebrity gossip but when you run into a movie set in your own neighborhood it sometimes bears mentioning. I was on my way home from work today when I saw a big crowd of people gathering on E 104th St, which I usually walk down because it's a really nice block. Pink "no parking" NYPD flyers were plastered on every available tree and a slew of trailers lined the street between Lexington and Third Ave.
(If you're a frequent reader (or watcher, rather) of my photoblog you may have seen some blurry photos I took of the same block when it was being used as a set for Law & Order almost exactly two years ago. A small scene for the Olsen twins' "New York Minute" was also shot close by.)
I took a quick look at one of the flyers and it turns out that the movie is an independent film called "El Cantante" which stars Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony. That would explain the small crowd of spectators and photographers gathered around one of the trailers as I walked past this afternoon. I'm not sure how long they'll be in my 'hood but fans might want to stop by and try to catch a glimpse.
After a fire started under her trailer last week when they were filming elsewhere in the city she might be interested to know that there were some big explosions that happened two blocks north of the set early Saturday morning.
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November 9, 2005
NY Times Gets it Wrong in Randall's Island Article [UPDATE]
I have a Google News alert set up to notify me whenever there's an article about my neighborhood, Spanish Harlem, and today I was alerted to an article in the New York Times that looked interesting. "When a Bridge Divides" tells of the growing gap between the residents of East Harlem and the users of Randall's Island which sits at the confluence of the Harlem and East rivers, otherwise known as Hell's Gate.
I glanced over the article but then took a closer look. The first thing that attracted my attention was the black and white aerial photograph that accompanies the article. I clicked on it to take a closer look and realized that the photo shows two islands. The caption identifies the top one, correctly, as Randall's Island (actually, the article leaves out the apostrophe in the name - another error). The island to the south is Ward's Island.
The problem is that this image is at least 70 years old. Any New Yorker who drives over the bridge knows that the islands are just a single landmass and have been since the they were joined together by landfill in the 1930s. With the availability of resources such as Google Maps, why is the New York Times using a 70 year-old image to accompany this article?
Even if we forgive the Times of this error, there is another major problem with the article. The southern part of this landmass is still officially known as Ward's Island. In fact, the pedestrian bridge which is the subject of the article does not go to Randall's Island at all - it goes to Ward's Island. Not only that but the bridge itself is clearly labelled the Ward's Island Footbridge.
What I want to know is this: did the author of this article, Richard Morgan, actually go to the island to write this article?
UPDATE - The section staff editor responded with the following:
Thanks for your comments on the Nov. 6 City section article on Randalls Island. You are correct that the photograph was outdated; in fact it was taken in 1948. The choice of photograph was unfortunate and I discussed this with our photo editor.On the apostrophes, New York Times style has long been to omit them with Randalls Island and Wards Island. We base that style on official maps from the Department of City Planning.
And on the question of the footbridge, it may indeed be called the Ward’s Island Footbridge. But our article mentioned “a pedestrian bridge at 103rd Street the primary access point to the island for local residents who don’t own cars.’’ So if you want to walk to Randalls Island, that is the bridge you take.
permalink | comments (2) | TrackBack | posted at 9:18 AM
January 25, 2005
Retail Densities in NYC
I don't make enough money to frequent Starbucks which means that I don't even know where the nearest location is. Some guy was alarmed to find that there are 43 within five miles of his home (see other people's results here). I checked to see if I could beat that, and was alarmed to see my result: 139!
Because I have no money, I prefer the cheaper alternative: Dunkin' Donuts. Unfortunately they have a lot of catching up to do because there are only 40 of them within five miles of my apartment (which is on the East side of Manhattan by the way).
Here are the totals for the big chains that I could think of, which have store locators on their websites:
Starbucks: 139
McDonald's: 117
Dunkin Donuts: 40
Kentucky Fried Chicken: 31
Barnes & Noble: 12
Any others that I should look for? Is anyone even still reading this? If you are, see if you can answer this question that I've been pondering since I moved to New York:
Which are there more of in NYC - chinese restaurants, barber shops, laundromats or dry cleaners?
Such important questions that humankind may never know the answer to!
permalink | comments (6) | TrackBack | posted at 1:19 AM
December 20, 2004
New York City Holiday Zen*
This morning at 6:30 I walked outside my apartment into bitter cold. There was a dusting of snow on the ground and I froze my rear end off waiting for the train in the subway station (trains cause a rush of wind when they pass which means windchill). After getting off the train at my destination I popped into Dunkin' Donuts and picked up a coffee (black, no sugar) and then went to work.
After work I rode down to Herald Square to pick up a few last minute Christmas gifts. I went to Macy's and got something for my grandma and then to Starbucks to get a gift for a coffee drinking co-worker and a gingerbread latte for myself.
The moment that I had my moment of New York City Holiday Zen? Walking to the Times Square subway station, still in my shirt and tie from work, carrying my work bag over a shoulder, Starbucks latte in one hand, Metropolitan Museum of Art bag carrying my grandma's Christmas gift and Starbucks bag in the other, all while listening to some tunes on my iPod.
If that's not New York City at Christmastime then I don't know what is. It nearly made me wish I were actually going to be in the City for Christmas instead of in Minnesota... but not quite. I leave tomorrow night for Minneapolis.
*ZEN - the word that I've seen on every blog in the entire universe this year (especially this one) and have purposely avoided using... until now.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 11:58 PM
November 16, 2004
New York Changes Name to New Vork
When I pulled the new issue of New York magazine out of my mailbox yesterday, as I do every Monday afternoon, I did a double take. It looked a bit strange but I couldn't figure out why. It wasn't the naked guy sitting in the bathtub of money or the glaring white background which the magazine seems to be using more and more. I looked at it in the elevator and then tossed it on a chair when I got up to my apartment.
I forgot about it until I opened up today and read the editor's note which explained that the magazine has completed the final phase of their redesign which included a new logo, unveiled for the first time in this week's issue. Well, not new really, but certainly updated and enlarged. As you can see from the photo above, the logo has been expanded to fill the width of the cover and now takes up more than 1/5 of its height.
The letters themselves have also changed. The N and Y have nearly straight legs and the curly bits on the end of the lines are now more pointed. The change is welcome because the name of the magazine is once again larger than the headline (the reverse had been true for some time) as it should be. The more modern look of the logo also made me realize that someone changed the name of this city without telling me. Apparently, I now live in NEW VORK. Ughhh.
permalink | comments (3) | posted at 6:41 PM
October 11, 2004
OHNY: High Bridge Water Tower
Click here to view the photo gallery (16 images).
The highlight of today's OHNY events was the climb up the High Bridge Water Tower. Built in 1872, the tower is approximately 200' tall and was an important part of the city's water system. Today it is no longer used and the 47,000 gallon water tank has been removed. This means that there is a large space at the top with windows facing all directions which provide fantastic views of the George Washington Bridge and the Manhattan skyline.
There are two spiral staircases inside the octagonal tower. The first spiral goes up to the tank room. Then, in the center of the room is a very narrow spiral staircase which goes up to the highest, windowless level of the tower. This smaller staircase seems suspended in the middle of the room because it is not attached to the wall. I'm not a huge fan of heights and the first part of the climb was no problem for me but the second flight looked pretty scary. Finally, after some encouragement from the friend who accompanied me, I started up the second staircase. After what seemed like an eternity we reached the top. This is when I realized that the climb down was going to be ten times worse. I caught my breath and took a few photos which came out blurry because my hands were literally shaking and my knees were wobbly. On the way down I stepped very slowly, concentrated very hard, tried to ignore the 15-20 feet of open air between the stairwell and the wall, and didn't think about the 200 foot drop just underneath the thin metal stair treads. I was breathing heavily and had the cold sweats, but I made it.
I don't think any spiral staircase has ever scared me as much as this one did... but it was worth it. Check out the gallery of photos.
Other photos from the weekend are over on my photoblog.
permalink | comments (4) | posted at 11:09 AM
OHNY: Pratt Institute Power Plant
Click here to view the photo gallery (22 images).
I had been looking forward to the annual Open House New York for weeks and it did not disappoint. This year the organization opened over 100 sites of architectural significance for the weekend, free of charge. I saw several sites on Saturday but the highlight was the Pratt Institute Power Plant in Brooklyn. The plant has been producing electricity for the Institute continuously since 1887 and is a National Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark.
The chief engineer himself, Conrad Milster, showed visitors around. Most impressive is the main floor where the generators sit. Amazingly, there were no restrictions during the tour and we were able to get very close to all of the equipment including the spinning generators. Milster next led us downstairs into the boiler room, a large space with oil stains on the floor and water condensing on the ceiling and dripping onto our heads. The boilers provide heat to the entire five block campus and hot water to the cafeteria.
After the official tour was over, we were allowed to walk around on our own. Workmen in grubby overalls answered some of the visitors' questions and even posed for photos; one guy held up a huge wrench and stood next to a generator while a photographer snapped pictures. My photos of the power plant are in the gallery.
Other photos from the weekend are over on my photoblog.
permalink | comments (2) | posted at 10:35 AM
September 28, 2004
Possible Playoff Preview Postponed
I never thought I'd end up writing about the weather but here I am writing about the deluge of rain that has prompted flood warnings and forced me to walk through several inches of water pooled on the landing of my subway station during the afternoon commute. Normally, I wouldn't comment on some rain but tonight was the scheduled opener of the Twins-Yankees series which will undoubtedly be postponed.
I had planned to go to a few of the games but held off buying tickets because I'm saving for an iPod and because going to Yankee Stadium in a Twins hat is only worth the trouble in a playoff situation (like last year). Now, I'm glad I didn't buy tickets because the rainout will likely mean a doubleheader during the day which I wouldn't be able to attend.
Typical New York bluster has radio stations and one particular co-worker of mine yelling and screaming about how the Yankees are going to wipe the floor with the Twins. I however, predict the Twins will take two out of the three games, just like they did when they faced the Yankees in August at the Metrodome.
There will be a lot of strategizing in this series and it will likely determine who will face who in the playoffs. Right now the Yankees will either face the Twins or the winner of the West which would be either the Angels or the Athletics.
Regardless of who the Twins face, this week will bring three exciting regular season games followed by the first round of playoffs next week. I hesitate to even speculate, much less predict, what might come after that for fear of jinxing the whole thing.
For more detailed analysis of the postseason (which I'm not knowledgeable enough to provide), I highly recommend the best Twins blog on the 'net: aarongleeman.com.
permalink | comments (2) | posted at 5:46 PM
September 9, 2004
Green Eyed Balcony Cat
I've enjoyed watching the exploits of Green Eyed Balcony Cat since returning to New York. It started last week when I saw the cat out of the corner of my eye and nearly peed my pants because it startled me so much. Recently, it has walked in front of the doors, and even took a step up onto the doorframe a few days ago. Balcony Cat is obviously becoming more courageous because today it stepped further, all the way into my apartment and over to the stools in front of the counter, where it sniffed the shirt which is hanging (temporarily) on the back of the chair. It still isn't brave enough to come closer to me however, and ran away when I reached for my camera. Will Green Eyed Balcony Cat make another appearance or will it cower in fear on the other end of the balcony? Will it return or will it stay on the other side of the not-quite-adequate trestle separating my section of the balcony from the neighbor's? Time will tell.
If this were Friends or Seinfeld something hilarious would happen involving George or Phoebe and Green Eyed Balcony Cat. I am not sufficiently creative to imagine what that would be, however.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 6:40 PM
September 2, 2004
Protesting the Republican National Convention
I'm back from my summer vacation (it was excellent, read the whole story here), so the NYC.photo.BLOG is back in action. I'm starting things off lively with over 40 photos from two protests I attended tonight. Click on each photo above for the galleries. For commentary on the protest near Madison Square Garden I suggest the always informative ScaryNY.
permalink | comments (0) | posted at 11:51 PM