Monthly Archives: September 2011

September 28, 2011 · 12:34 am

Soul Hamsters

In the parking lot of a musical event I came across this decal on the back of a car. Yes, that is me in the window. I like to think of this as my Soul Hamster Self Portrait.

Of course being around music fans I immediately thought this was the name of a band. Honest mistake, right? Yeh, sure if you are in a media blackout TV deprived coma, maybe. Kia? Hamster commercials? Ring a bell?

I have to say I absolutely love these commercials. The new one is amazing from a production standpoint, but personally I think the original is real advertising genius (forgive me for using those 2 words next to each other).

In case you have missed these commercials I am embedding a couple below, because, well because I want to test out Kia’s social media monitoring and see if anyone comments here. Or better yet, offers me a car to test drive.

(BTW, don’t you think I look really good in this shot?)

Here is the original commercial:

Here is the new one:

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September 27, 2011 · 3:00 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – T-shirt Wisdom

This past weekend we went to a gathering that I would best describe as The Field of Aging Hippies. Some were authentic hangers-on of a nostalgic era, others just dusted off their tie-dye for the occasion, still others were young enough to be second (and third) generations lovers of the culture and the freedom it represented. But mostly it was a group of people brought together with the common bond of loving a genre of music.

This was Jerryfest, Long Island style. In celebration of Jerry Garcia‘s birthday (which is oddly almost 2 months ago) a group of local bands were assembled to play the sound that simply made all that were there feel good. We thought it would be a fun way to spend an indian summer Sunday with some friends and the musicians were surprisingly amazing.

One look at the crowd and you could see that life had not been so good to some of them, while others were doing just fine but still had that soft spot in their hearts for their coming of age sound. All ages, all shapes and sizes and some of the best T-shirts I have seen in a long time.

My favorite is the one above. Gotta love a kid with the First Amendment on his back. This guy looked to have been in diapers or not even born when Jerry died, but he surely embodied the spirit of the band’s culture.

This next guy wore a perfect blend of 2 passions – you have to love the Grateful Jets shirt he was wearing. Deadheads and football, how much more All American can you get?

Now this guy I like to call the Bourgeois Deadhead. The ‘I loved The Dead in College and now I summer in my beach house and listen to the Grateful Dead on Sirius/XM’ sort of guy.

And when all else fails, you can always let your freak flag fly like this guy. No matter the outfit, or the walk of life, the beauty of a day like this was a crowd of seemingly unrelated souls coming together to share a little joy.

What could be bad about that?

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September 25, 2011 · 9:07 pm

Dog’s Eye View

This is the Port Washington Animal Hospital…

from my dog’s point of view.

We have spent a lot of time here over the past 9 months. Sweet Mel was very ill with Diabetes and dear sweet ‘Dr. Ann’ pretty much saved her life. That, of course comes at a price. Not only the dollars to keep her in insulin, but also the many visits to monitor her glucose and yadayadayada for canine health issues with an old dog.

The other day I was stopping by to pick up a bag of food and I dropped my keys. When I went to pick them up, this is what I saw. Pretty much Mel’s line of vision as we walk into the place. I had to laugh. And of course I had to grab my camera.

Do you think that the fire department purposely put the hydrant in front of a vet’s office for the laugh?

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September 22, 2011 · 5:18 pm

The Trash Stops Here

Well, folks, I have some sad news. My favorite garbage neighbors are moving! I rounded the corner towards their house this morning only to find this moving truck parked at the curb. This could explain why they had such intriguing trash… they were purging.

Which leaves me to wonder about all the stuff I have been throwing out since the storm (12 lawn and garbage bags and counting… just from my office – no lie). I don’t believe I have anything all that interesting coming out of here. This leads me to believe that I may not be as interesting as I think I am.

In respect for this solemn occasion I am posting links to the posts about this wonderful family’s garbage. These guys will surely be a tough act to follow. Since we haven’t had a poll here in a while, below these links you can vote for your favorite.

More Great Garbage

My Artsy Neighbors

The Dog and Kandinsky

Headless Garbage

Do you think I should go meet them before they go? What if it’s too late?

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September 22, 2011 · 12:27 am

Our Lady of Problems

A big thank you to Lon for this picture, and the post title. The best part about this sign is the Sunday sermon… America’s Joyous Future. Anyone who can give a sermon like that after a week of problems like those deserves a packed house.

Hmmm… I forgot to ask him if this was real or something he made on one of those custom sign generator sites.

 

 

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September 19, 2011 · 10:56 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – Same As It Ever Was

This past weekend we went to the Dave Matthews Caravan at Randall’s Island. This was the show that was supposed to be on Governor’s Island the weekend that Irene hit.

There was a sense of gratitude amongst the crowd for the rescheduled show. DMB fans are a mellow lot. Walking the grounds, taking in the essence of the place, both Gary and I felt the exact same way. This vibe was – to quote David Byrne – same as it ever was.

The vendors sold the same beads, crystals, t-shirts and leather crafts that they did 30+ years ago. People were dressed pretty much the way they were when we were younger. The crowd still came to hear the music, hang with friends and be outside to soak in what makes them feel alive. Sure we were the people that a young couple came up to inquiring where the medical tent was; hell, we were the parents for g-d sake! But for the most part if I closed my eyes I could have been my daughter’s age.

And with her standing next to me, sharing the music, I was content as I could be. In these times when things move so fast and nothing ever seems to ever stay… the same, it was damn nice to feel like things were…

Same As It Ever Was.

 

 

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September 16, 2011 · 11:50 am

Nineteen

Today marks the beginning of the last year I will have a teenager! That’s right, my boy is 19 today. I labored with this boy through my entire birthday and he was born at 1AM, leaving him to not have to share his  special day. It is hard to believe that we have reached this stage already. I have always said that the first 5 years of their lives lasts an eternity and after that it flies by in the blink of an eye.

The picture above is from his 10th birthday. This photo is the essence of Danny. Even though he looks more like the photo below these days, his core being is captured in the little carefree face on this cake.

Here’s to you, my boy. You are patient, kind, analytical, funny, thoughtful, responsible, silly at times (ok and maybe a bit of an idiot at others, but aren’t we all) and oh such a joy to raise. Sometimes I wonder who is raising who. As you’re 4th grade teacher once said, “Danny is a happy go lucky deep thinker.”

I could not ask for a better son. I love you more than life itself. Have a blast for your birthday and for goodness sake, BE CAREFUL.

(Hey, I am still a mom)

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September 14, 2011 · 6:45 pm

Facebook Ad of the Week

After a rather trying day of work this ad popped up on my wall. The title made me laugh but when I looked closer at the photo I started cracking up. It appears that this a line of people sniffing other people’s underarms. I wish it was not such a lo res shot because I would love to get a closer look at this one.

My big question is what the hell was this photo originally taken for? Underarm deodorant ad? It actually looks like a scene from Woody Allen‘s Sleeper.

So, kiddies, does your career stink? Maybe you need to find this ad on facebook and click it.

Hmmm, now I am wondering what the heck I said about not liking my job that led the ominous facebook algorithm to place this ad on my wall. Creepy, indeed.

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September 12, 2011 · 11:01 pm

Time to Cry Tuesday – The Purging Hoarder

Ok, I admit it, I am pretty sure I am a hoarder. My friend Karen tells me admitting it is half the battle.

So here is the thing; I am not the type of hoarder that has 50 cats or collects scraps of string till you can’t open a closet without being tied up in a web. I surely do not have dressers full of restaurant napkins or every pair of shoes since 1979. But I do tend to ‘keep stuff’. You know, because you never know when you will need it.

So, in blows hurricane Irene, and with it she takes away our power and decides to dump a nice helping of water in our sump pump that has no power to get rid of it. And there sits my office on the other side of that mess. Long story short, it became time to purge the contents of my office, take apart the oversized furniture and rip up the rug.

Although daunting at first, this has become not only cathartic, but almost enjoyable. Closing in on my birthday (yes,I am finally turning 40 : ) I have had the joy of finding long lost items and sentimentalities that have taken me on a journey back to long forgotten places. Here are the top five highlights, in no particular order.

1. A Diane Arbus book with an inscription from my best friend from camp on my 16th birthday! We have lost touch and it prompted me to find her. We have been writing and catching up on each other’s lives. As she quoted, ” Geography is the enemy of friendship.” I am trying to fix that.

2. Countless pieces of artwork and writing from my kids. Jana always says she wishes she and Danny could hang out with little Danny and little Jana.

This week we did. With a ‘You are the Best Mom in the Universe’ card, diaries, handmade books, photos and the ever famous Venus Williams report with the picture above. (note the A… great content and priceless drawing).

3. My childhood stuffed animal. (yes there are days I am tempted to hug it and rock back and forth in the corner.)

4. A book of drawings and poetry that I wrote in 1971… yeh, it was pretty groovy.

5. A missing case of my favorite CDs that I thought I left in a rental car in Wisconsin 2 years ago.

I still have a lot of stuff, and a lot more to go through. But I am starting to realize that even if I am giving away 10 boxes of books, the ones that stayed behind on the shelves are more important to me than ever; especially the children’s books.

I will never be a minimalist. I keep things that remind me of people, easier times, places, experiences. But I am trying my best to pair them down.

Hey does anybody need a pair of purple fuzzy dice?

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September 12, 2011 · 12:29 am

That must have been SOME slice!

Dr. Jimmy definitely wins the crazy link of the week award! Today we have another ridiculous news story from my fave midwestern town, Madison, WI.

A woman and her son went out for pizza, leaving their 70-year-old relative on the floor after a bad fall. The woman died two days later. Hey, who could blame them, the cheese in Wisconsin is to die for. (sorry, that was low, even for me).

And these two crazy nuts decided to stash her body in the garage. Yikes. The son told investigators that when his aunt was talking he ‘told her quite frankly to shut up.’ Charming guy.

The son’s name was… get this one… Steven King. (different spelling but nonetheless sort of ironic)

Horror story indeed!

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