Burgers, fries and a shake

Magnet #829 - Hamburger

To all those who have served, are serving, or will serve in our armed forces around the world, thank you. Right now, I'm kinda wishing I were home to find that magnet with field of poppies on it to celebrate this Memorial Day.

But, I guess I'll have to make do with this old-fashioned hamburger.

Now all's we need are the fries and shake!

Salisbury city limits

Magnet #828 - Salisbury, NC

Home, sweet, home. Even if I never actually made it to the square, and only to all points east of town - home. Best friend's house. The gas station up by Dunn's Mountain Church Road. Annnnnnd that's pretty much the extent of the less than 24 hours spent here.

But, you know what? Family, friends and good food? Yep, that's pretty much all you need.

Though, I realized why I moved away. Or, rather one of the reasons.

Dang, it's hot as hades up in this town!

Situation well in hand

Magnet #827 - Marines have landed*

Got up this morning at 4, to drive down to North Carolina for a quick visit this Memorial Day Weekend.

We stopped at the National Museum of the Marine Corps along the way, one of my favorite museums. Though I've been there before, I really do want to be able to spend more than a few hours at a time there. Those Marines have a long and storied, and storied, and storied, history.

The great thing about today was that half the crowd at the museum were the Ride to the Wall bikers. Awesome - I not only created my own Fleet Week, but totally found myself in an episode of Sons of Anarchy. It did leave me kinda wondering though, what the ratio is between military service and being in an MC, cuz I'll tell ya'll, there were a ton of boys in various cuts walking through the museum and in the parking lot.

I picked this magnet for today because it's one of my favorite quotes that lines the atrium wall of the museum - plus, it's fitting, since I'm pretty much waiting on my own set of marines to land and get my situation in hand.

*Richard Harding Davis quote

Hollywood and Joy

Magnet #826 - Hollywood Joy

Dudes. I have a whole half of a board devoted to these silly personalized magnets. I mean, discounting the fact that I love magnets with my name on them, I just want to keep collecting these for the cheesiness of it all. I never pass up a chance to pick one up.

So, yeah. A whole half of a board. And I'm thinking shoot, by now, I must have magnetblogged all of them before. Nu-uh. Dudes! I have like a dozen I haven't used! Whoa.

Also? Yay!

Anyway, I wanted to use this for today because tonight, I'm hoping to see Top Gun. I know! I love it, too! But more awesome than just rewatching the movie for the zillionth time?

Watching it on board the Flight Deck of the Intrepid! The Flight Deck! Of the Intrepid! I mean, I shoved off a whole road trip to NC to early morning Saturday, so that I could see Maverick and Goose take to the skies with "Danger Zone" underscoring the ride.

Top Gun was part of my group project for the lone film class I took at Carolina. Basically, we took pivotal scenes from various movies and re-scored them with different tracks. For Top Gun, we took out "Take my Breath Away," and inserted Jimmy Buffett's "Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw." So funny how the scene takes on a whole different tone based on the score.

Hello. A+!

eta:
Mind you, when the (PG) movie first came out? I was just into my teens, and my parents refused to let me go see it in the theatres. They heard about the French kissing scene.

Uh. Yeah. I was like French what? Heh.

eta2:
Sigh. Looks like work just doesn't seem to want to agree with anyone. Guess I'll be packing (which I need to do anyway) with Maverick and Goose at my place, rather than the Intrepid. And, that's the way the cookie crumbles.

Reading IS cool!

Magnet #824 - Make Reading Cool

Woot! I'm off work today, so I can go to BEA (BookExpo America), and perhaps work on my back-up plan.

What's that plan you ask? I dunno, it depends on how much you like this blog. Heh.

Even though we all know I'm gonna end up on my blackberry on the exhibit floor (if I actually get off this sofa and stop answering emails, because apparently I enjoy playing the martyr), I'm totally gonna roam the BEA booths and see what they have to offer.

And? I'm gonna just wander the floor, rather than plan a course of action to see everything. Gasp! I know! I'm a rebel!

Seriously, I'm like a kid in a candy store at BEA, for a couple of reasons:

• First, because any trade show, is a good trade show.
• Second, fun swag.
• Third, free books. Though, this shouldn't count, since more often than not, I never end up reading them, I pass them along.
• Fourth, it's fun to see the Pomegranate stuff. Yes. You know I love them. One whole booth of well-designed heaven.
  
• Fifth, it's nice to visit the publishing world, and wonder if I should go back, and then determine that I'm too fulfilled by my marketing/advertising life to ever think seriously about going back. Insert sarcasm here, though, remember we learned last year that publishing and marketing/advertising are basically the same thing!
  

Anyway, I picked up this pin/magnet at last year's BEA - Ripple Reader is a kids eBook/eReader resource. Aside from the pretty colors and fun characters, I just love the simplicity of their mission statement.

Reading is cool!

S*#lmates, not so much

Magnet #824 - Dawson Leery

Would you believe that it was either this magnet, or using my last SoapNet swag magnet with the word HUNK on it?

Hunk. Just the very word makes me think Hunk Golden, or Sixteen Candles bohunk, or even that Preppy guidebook they pubbed in the 80s. Does anyone remember that pink plaid book?

Anyway, I know I'm being silly. But I needed something to giggle myself out of my moody broodiness and woefulness.

So I settle for Dawson Leery, because first, NCISGretchen has a new job on Rizzoli & Isles, and because Mercy was canceled, and because, well, just because.

It's here where I'll confess something surprising.

I totally rooted for Dawson and Joey.

No. I did. I can admit it.

I was Dawson/Joey all the way. All the way, up until Dawson read her journal. When he did that, I knew they'd never, ever be happy. No matter how cute they were.

After that? Hellooooo, Team Pacey.

eta:
And now I'm sad, because I just found out that Anne Sweeney's shutting down SoapNet. But after that HUNK magnet, I'll have no more SoapNet swag magnets!

Won't someone please think of the magnets!!!!

World of women

Magnet #823 - New York City Skyline

I heart NY. I've said it before. I'm saying it again. I just do. I wouldn't trade it for any other city in the world. Well, maybe London, but really, if I lived there, I'd just be visiting here.

So tonight, some friends and I went to an advance screening of Sex and the City 2, with a Q&A session with Michael Patrick King, the writer/director/producer of the movie, hosted by the American Museum of the Moving Image. (If you haven't been out to Astoria to visit, it's definitely a worthwhile trip to the outerboroughs.)

I've never been like a huge fan of the show, I mean, I liked it, saw every episode, and did the NYC tour, and I even wept at the movie (in the theatre, no less)...but I've never been one of the true-fans. Still, watching this movie was like hanging out with old friends - a fun two and half hours. The storylines were pretty good - I got teary when I was supposed to (and even when I wasn't), and I laughed when I was supposed to (and even when I wasn't).

But production-wise? In a word: lush. The movie, the locations, the costumes, the sets - all gorgeous and beautifully shot. It went big, and it was unapologetic about it. And that's what we love about this show, and our four friends.

The session with King was fantastic. I've never seen any interviews with him before, but he was the most charming, personable guy ever. He made a good movie and wrote a good script, and he knew it. In some odd way, he gets women, and he clearly understands this SATC phenomena that he's been a part of. During the last movie, he'd discovered a world of women, he said, after getting lost in his sea of nouns, trying to explain what made him expand the story beyond New York to Abu Dhabi.

Speaking of, the movie wasn't perfect - I totally had my issues with the Americans being typical Americans in foreign countries. There was a part of me that cringed when I saw the fearsome foursome running around in Abu Dhabi. I also don't buy into King's argument that because Samantha would be outrageous in Bergdorf's, it's ok that she was totally outrageous in Abu Dhabi - the implication being that we all just have to forgive her because...she's Samantha.

But, given that she is just being Samantha, I can pretty much dismiss it, and move on. Plus, I was provided enough distraction with the cool architecture/set design and the hot boys (in the form of Aidan, Smith, rugby boys, but also Max Ryan, my new old guy crush). So thanks for that!

Will everyone like it? Eh, who cares, it's still going to make a ton of glitter at the box office.

It's true - if you aren't on board by the time Manhattan turns into diamonds, leave the theatre. It's not for everyone, and as Michael Patrick King says, it doesn't have to be.

Cannonball run

Magnet #822 - Charleston, SC

I'm trying to convince my best friend to do a babymoon with me - our last trip together before she settles down for the count.

I had all these grand delusions of London (nope, she won't fly overseas, understandably). Then NY (nope, I have no AC). Then Chicago (nope, it's too far). Then DC (nope, it's a walking city). Then Tennessee (nope, for sad and obvious reasons).

But, honestly, I'll be damned if I end up doing another North Carolina roadtrip. Or worse, yet, end up at the beach.

So, I've started to think of compromises. South Carolina's started to rise to the top, just for proximity's sake. There's nothing wrong with the state, I promise. But, given my hopes were initially set on London, it'll be hard to settle for the state next door.

Which is why I've been looking at my magnets for ideas of babymoon places and saw this cute one that I can't believe I haven't used before.

I've lost count of the number of times I've been to Charleston, SC. It was only four or five hours away from where I grew up, so it was pretty much a day trip for buying squid and shrimp there.

That, and Charleston was just one of those places my parents liked to bring people when they visited us in NC. We'd drive there early in the morning, do the horse-drawn wagon tour, visit their waterfront park, look across the way at Fort Sumter, visit that historic marketplace, see the houses on Rainbow Row (pictured here on this magnet), and then drive home.

To this day, I don't think I've ever spent the night in Charleston. Which of course, is a shame.

At the risk of sounding like I'm trying to convince myself, there's so much to see and do in Charleston. Like, I can't believe I still haven't done Fort Sumter. Though, I have a vague memory of a ferry boat, so maybe I have done the fort? Oh, my! Then why wouldn't it have looked familiar when Billy was walking along the ramparts, wondering if he should be trying to get back to Brett in North and South?

But, I digress. The one thing I absolutely remember most about Charleston is their battery park, otherwise known as White Point Gardens (who knew?). It's a promenade that basically lines their waterfront, and is lined with Civil War canons and stacked cannonballs.

Very cool. For some reason, when you're a kid that stuff's the funnest thing to play on. Or, it must have been anyway, because our family albums document us three girls growing up, each one of us posed on top of a cannon, or standing alongside the stack of them.

Mind you, there's something pretty funny about a BabyBumpBFF, trying to pose next to the stack of cannonballs. Hmmm...

LOST in Hawaii

Magnet #821 - Hawaii dolphins

A friend of mine bought this magnet for me, probably knowing that I'll likely never visit our 50th state if I can help it.

On the flip side, LOST has managed utilize Hawaii's natural beauty, and it's the one reason I would actually consider visiting Hawaii. To see the majestic views...and pretty much take every official and unofficial LOST tour available.

Oh, I know I sound nuts to never want to visit paradise.

But, even if my people come from islands, I have big issues with them. They scare me. They're surrounded by water. They're too far away from help. And like, what if something happens, how will you get away?

Come on, haven't the last six years of LOST taught you nothing?

At the corner of coincidence and fate

Magnet #820 - Inset of Hopper's At Two Lights

This inset of Edward Hopper's Lighthouse at Two Lights that I magnetblogged about before, is supercool. If you go back to the original magnet, and compare it with this, and the Met link above, it's amazing how these art magnets change colors depending on the production process and the image resolution they're reproduced at.

Technically, I suppose the colors also depend on how you look at the image, and ultimately even the person who is looking at it.

It's much like watching LOST. The show means so many different things to different people - everyone has their own set of theories about it.

I said last year that I was just going to enjoy the show for what it was. That I wasn't going to make my head crazy by trying to figure out the ins and of the plot, the story, the characters, the time frames, the whatevers.

For me, there was just no sense in becoming obsessed with the details. I kinda realized that I was out of control the day that I stayed on hold for like half an hour having called in to that one marketing number, freaking myself out, wondering what secrets would unfold on the phone.

Of course, I'm using this magnet for today, because I'm still trying to figure out how they built that lighthouse that Jack destroyed - how'd they build it to reflect the lives of the candidates on LOST? Did they answer that question? Probably, and I just had to move on.

I've had to put LOST on self-imposed hiatus since the beginning of March - and now that I finally watched 11 episodes back to back yesterday and today, I cannot believe how much I managed to stay unspoiled for! Like, boom, went the sub!

Today's backend of the marathon included a 3-hour break for the Last LOST Weekend at the Paley Center. It was a screening of the pop-up pilot, and then a panel with a couple of my favorite crix, @Sepinwall and @poniewozik. So fun.

But, now that I'm totally caught up before the show's finale, I find myself wondering what people will be feeling tomorrow night at this time. Of course, everyone better than to think that tomorrow, when the LOST end credits roll, that half the questions we've asked over the last several years will be answered, or even addressed. I just hope that when the box set comes out, that they'll put in the writers room storyboard and timeline tracker. That, I would pay big money for.

In the meantime, I'm loving this @DamonLindelof tweet:

Folks. Things are going to start leaking. Resist. It's Christmas Eve. You've made it this far. Don't read it. EXPERIENCE IT. Please.

Of course, I dunno how to take that...I open my Christmas presents on Christmas Eve!

Beaches

Magnet #819 - At the seaside

Something I don't know a lot about - American Impressionism. I just never thought about how the movement in Europe would have of course, been carried out over here, too.

American artist William Merritt Chase painted this seaside scene, very much an Impressionist piece if ever I've seen one. He was also an art teacher at a beach resort - I love that he apparently taught open air classes to like a hundred students at a time. That must have been cool to see on the beach.

Mind you, I saw this image, and immediately assumed Normandy, or somewhere else in France. As it turns out, it's Long Island. Heh.

Picked this for today, because everyone seems to rally at the beach on LOST. Everyone. Makes sense - as Linus said, the water at our backs...well, except for that part where there are subs watching people on the beach.

I'm going on Hour 4 of my Great LOST marathon. I had to put the show on hiatus before I left for Tampa, so I'm about 11 episodes behind. Well, 8 now.

And I have to hurry! There's a Paley Center LOST party this weekend that I was hoping to go to, but if I can't get sufficiently caught up, I don't really want to go. What if I get spoiled?

Belated birthday

Magnet #818 - Larkspur, peonies and Canterbury bells

Happy birthday, Mommy!

You always say don't give you anything, because you can't take it with you.

And don't send you boxed flowers.

Soooo, this painting by Laura Coombs Hills will have to do.

The wheels on the bus

Magnet #817 - MTA Bus

I picked this up at the Transit Museum in Grand Central. I've yet to head out to Brooklyn to the real Transit Museum (I promise, this summer!), but I do like visiting the annex in GCT. It's fun, and they have really in-depth exhibits, plus a great Christmas train set, and a great store! A store that takes up like half the exhibit space, which is probably why I love it so much.

Anyway, when I saw this magnet I had to get it, because I love riding the bus. Love it. People always mock me because I'm like the little blue-haired ladies who ride the bus, rather than take the subway.

It's true - if given the choice between taking the bus and taking the subway, I'd rather take the bus. Even if the bus takes forever and a day, if I have that time to lose, I'll take it.

First, I love that the buses provide the best way to connect me to places that the subways can't easily do - that's uptown trying to cross through the parks. Plus, transferring bus to train and vice versa is way better than forking out another $2.25 to get the rest of the way somewhere - or worse, having to walk the long avenue blocks.

Second, I love that it stays aboveground, and I can see the world driving by. It's the same reason that I love the train. I'm travelling, comfortably, lost in my own thoughts, and not having to pay attention how I'm getting somewhere.

Third, people are so interesting on the bus. Random conversations, random fights, random people. Mind you, I once saw a guy board with a foil-wrapped cardboard box backpack, complete with a foil-wrapped cardboard satellite dish and video camera. Still to this day, the oddest person I've ever seen on a bus.

Fourth, way more disabled-friendly than the subways could ever be. I love when the bus dips for the senior passengers, and I don't mind waiting while the lifts unfold for the wheelchair passengers, and I don't mind getting up for them when they lift up the seats. Yes, it sounds crazy, but it makes me feel better when I see it. (Even though I get so angry when the drivers clearly resent getting out of their seats!)

Anyway, I owe a lot to the bus system of this town. It sustained me for over a year while I refused to go down into the subway after falling into the subway tracks at Times Square. So, yay, buses!

A Smurfy New York

Magnet #816 - Smurfs

For the last few weeks, folks at work and I have been running into The Smurfs movie shoot around town. Seriously.

What's funny is how big this cast list is. Neil Patrick Harris, Anton Yelchin, Katy Perry as Smurfette, Paul Rubens, Alan Cumming (playing Gutsy Smurf? Huh?) and even Jeff Foxworthy. And Tim Gunn. And Wolfgang Puck.

Uhhh, huh?

Ya'll, I don't care. I watched both Alvin and the Squeakquel. I enjoyed them both. Shut it. I won't even lie and say I watched them for Jason Lee and Zachary Levi. I watched them because I loved watching Alvin and the Chipmunks (with my sisters, of course).

So, if they're doing the same think to the Smurfs, yeah, I'll watch it. It might be on DVD, but yeah, I'll watch it.

Although, really, how much live action can there possibly be in this movie? The Chipmunks made sense, because hi, they lived with Dave. In a house.

But the Smurfs lived in the woods. In mushrooms. What the heck are they doing in New York? Are those woods really in Central Park? Is Gargamel's Castle really Belvedere Castle?

Yep. Color me blue with curiosity.

Trip the signs fantastic

Magnet #814 - Hong Kong

Now I can't remember if I picked this magnet up, or if someone brought it home for me. Hmmm.

Either way, I totally dig it, because it reminds me of the beginning of Doctor Who's Turn Left episode, where the DoctorDonna are wandering through an Asian market, trying out the local wares, including a tall cup of foamy drink...that of course got cut out in the US/BBC-A version.

Oddly, now that I've gone back to look at that episode, it looks like even that first minute isn't really all that much like this magnet, it's more like it reminds me of the last spine-chilling minute of that episode, instead.

Still, this feels like a pretty accurate picture of Hong Kong - a thousand neon lights, amidst a thousand tall buildings, and a trillion people. It's quite the place to visit, even if only for 15 hours.

I can't even think about it must be to like know what all those signs say - like "Joe's Pub"? "Manicures here" *blink* blink* blink* "Buy one, get one free? BOGO?" "Chinese laundry"? But what's that LA BAMBA over there mean? Hahahaah.

I suppose it's probably akin to seeing all the signs in Times Square. TSQ really has nothing on the lights and signs of Hong Kong, and ours are only concentrated within that 20 block radius, from 41st Street all the way up to about 53th Street. And it's mostly corporate logos, rather than individual stores and establishments in HK. Honestly, it seemed like every street corner we turned down, there were streets and alleys that were lit up - I'd bet you can see it from space!

Very cool magnet, for a very cool town.

A walk on the West Side

Magnet #814 - Gourmet New York

There are all sorts of reasons why I love living in this town. Sure, it can suck the life out of you in an instant, but you know what? It can give back, just as easily. And more.

Today was one of those days. Usually, I'm pretty content to stay abed on a Sunday, watching a million hours of television. But I was hungry.

I knew the Ninth Avenue International Food Festival was happening today, plus, I had heard that the poor Empire Diner was having its last 24 hours party, and I so was craving a strawberry milkshake. So I got my lazy bum up, and left the apartment, and trucked down to 57th street.

During the summer, New York City has at least one street fair on Saturday and one on Sunday. Different neighborhoods, different nationalities, different occasions. But always on a weekend. It's one of those things where you know you can find cheap whatevers there, and you know you can find the finest street food to gorge yourself on. I mean, really, who doesn't want a funnel cake/zeppole/sausage/mozzareppa/cheesesteak/roastedcornonthecob/lemonade/smoothie/watermeloncup? And that's just the stuff you can walk around with, never mind all the Styrofoam-plated meals you can take home with you. That's every summer weekend in New York.

The Ninth Ave festival's just a little different - it's where every gourmand of every nationality comes out to play. You seriously can't stop eating at this thing. Whether it's Polish pierogies with kielbasa, potato and cheese. Or, Brazilian empanadas. Or desserts from the Greek bakery. So. Good.

So, after I walked down the length of the food festival - from 57th down to 42nd, I then headed down Tenth Ave to get to Empire Diner for my strawberry shake. Only to find out, their last 24-hours party was a private affair! Zoinks! That's how I ended up walking the rest of the way down the West Side of town, in search for my perfect strawberry shake.

What I got was a great adventure of fun, modern architectural gems along the way. There are so many cool buildings popping up here in town, so far, my favorites are two residential ones - one beside Gehry's IAC building, built by Pritzker Prize-winner Jean Nouvel, and this one, by I have no idea. I just love how it hugs and accentuates the Lukoil gas station. I love it. It makes me think of that famous pop art painting, that I'm blanking on, and am going to drive myself crazy looking for, for the rest of night now The Standard, by Ed Ruscha.

I'm always torn between steel and glass versus the bricks and mortar of classic NY, but so far, I'm loving this insurgence of new builds along the west side. It's hip, it's cool, it's almost undiscovered (until I walked into Chelsea Market, ugh). Still. It's New York, and I love her so.

And, I managed to find my strawberry shake over at POP Burger. So. Darn. Good.

I can't remember anymore where I got this now-defunct but sorely missed Gourmet magazine magnet. But I couldn't think of a better magazine for such a great day in New York. Even if this shot's taken from Brooklyn. And it's of the East Side downtown. And it's night.

C'mon. Work with me. Heh.

Thhhhe YANKees WIN!

Magnet #813 - New York Yankees

Ya'll know I loves me some cute boys. Ya'll know I loves me some navy and white. So, put the two together, plus free tickets, and yeah, I'm there.

I'm not affiliated with any pro team. I mean, I grew up in North Carolina, so the only team we had remotely near us were the Braves, and even then, I didn't pay attention to them until college. And even then, only because the boycrowd I hung around liked 'em.

But that doesn't stop me from appreciating an MLB game, especially in one of the new stadiums in town. I mean, really, who doesn't love a gorgeous day in a ballpark. And I had so wanted to visit the park that's caused such a stir over the last few years.

Despite their still not being able to fill the seats, particularly in the lower levels, Yankee Stadium is fabulous. Even if you miss the old school feel of the old house, this one makes Baseball feel more like an Event. The concourse is wide and long, and every turn yields a new corporate sponsor or restaurant, or both. The grandstand seats were pristine and comfy. The views were spectacular. And, in its second year, it still has that new [insert cracked joke here] cement feel.

My only complaints were the extremely slow cashiers waiting for French fries to cook (really? bottom of the 2nd to the top of the 5th? really?), and the fact that if you're building facilities in the year 2010 for the self-professed best team in the history of baseball, the restrooms should be 100% sensored and with like a field of stalls. I mean, really.

But, all in all, it was a great day with good company, and even better, the Bronx Bombers kicked the snot out the Minnesota Twins - 7-1. Yay!

Next stop: CitiField.

What?

eta:
In a totally shallow note, how pretty is this bottle-opener magnet, particularly on this green background?

Would you like to ride?

Magnet #812 - Hot Air Balloon

What a crazy week it's been! So glad it's Friday.

Oh, I know I should be grateful I'm working, but there's a part of me that's glad I don't have to do a weekly timesheet anymore to see exactly how many hours we're logging in. Scary.

I once had a CEO who told me don't count on this job to make you happy. So I don't.

Rick Castle on Castle just told his daughter, the trick is to find a job you love, so it doesn't feel like work. I've had that, though, and guess what, it was still work.

In the past year, I've found myself struggling with figuring out what it's all for...besides a paycheck.

And, it looks like I'll need to ride a hot air balloon to get a big enough view to figure that out.

Did you practice?

Magnet #811 - Renoir's Two Girls at the Piano

I love this magnet. Shamefully, as many times as I've been to the Met, I can't remember if I've actually seen this painting in real life.

Oh, don't worry, I plan on rectifying that at some point. What I need to do is just go for the day, rather than just popping in and out for a couple of hours here and there, looking for Michelangelos, special exhibitions, and their clearance shop for their magnets.

Or...other things. Heh.

But this particular Renoir, speaks to me, because as my friend says, it really does remind me of my sisters and our collective almost 40 years of piano lessons. That's including:

• running for quick dinners before lessons.
• sitting through each other's lessons while doing homework.
• playing outside during each other's lessons.
• sitting at home, listening to the interminable practicing of the same three, then six, then nine piano pieces, getting ready for Competition.
• hearing the oft-asked question, Did you practice? Often.
• hearing the greeting, "Joyful, how you doin' today? Did you practice?" (Or "Hey, Tiger! Did you practice?" Because she couldn't tell my younger two sisters apart, I think.)
• that's combing the music stores in hopes of finding the right (and more fun) piano books with the right Richard Marx ballad, or the tv show theme or 70s easy listening piece for my parents to hum off-key to.
• finding the right dresses for recital.
• going to recital rehearsals.
• recitaling.

And on and on and on...a lot can happen in 40 years.

Little did my five-year-old self know that when I said, "Can I take piano, too?" after seeing my friends practice, that I would change the course of our family's history.

Rather, little did I know how much I would curse my five-year-old self every time I was asked the question, "Did you practice?" Argh.

Thou crusty batch of nature

Magnet #810 - Shakespeare's Troilus & Cressida

I haven't read Shakespeare's Troilus & Cressida, but I am really, really enjoying this Shakespearean insult. I like the idea of yelling it out loud, while like shaking my fist in the air.

I know, I know, you think I'm angry at something again.

And while I am, I'm conceding that there are bigger problems in this world right now. Like for example, Tar Balls on Louisiana's coastline. As each day goes by, and the more pictures I see online, I find myself conflicted about the oil spill and how we've offended Mother Nature with our need for black gold.

On the one hand, we need the oil. The human race has no choice but to mine what we can from the only Earth we have - because clearly (unless they're really building ships in the mountains of China or some such thing), we're not going anywhere. We have to do it.

Other energy alternatives are great, too, but I'm totally fine with drilling. It's not fair to rely on other regions to supply the oil, and then not allow it off our own shores. Mind you, don't get confused, I'm not joining the Drill, Baby, Drill coalition. Politics aside, that's just how I feel.

On the other hand, this oil spill is clearly a wake-up call to regulate and monitor our offshore drilling better. We shouldn't have needed 5,000 barrels a day pouring into the Gulf of Mexico to push folks into thinking about that.

And still on the other hand, if you've ever seen a map of just how much offshore drilling is taking place just in the GOM (never mind the North Sea, Africa, etc.), you'd understand that it's a miracle that this kind of disaster doesn't happen more often. As it is, it's been 40 years since this kind of drilling incident has occurred in the U.S.

On the other, other hand, there's sad little wildlife involved, and I find myself wondering if I've bought enough Dawn dishwashing detergent to help them out any. There's whole families and businesses and industries that will suffer tremendously in the aftermath of this catastrophe, and I find myself wondering if all of that drilling is worth the such a high cost.

I don't know. This is a magnetblog, not HuffPo. Clearly, I've run out of hands to solve this riddle.

And, of course, we don't yet know half the lessons we'll learn from this last month.

In the meantime, I'm just anxiously following all the industry Twitterfeeds for the latest news, while steadfastly eschewing Sunday morning television, where I've learned that all they do is talk, talk, talk and place blame...but never really solve anything.

And perhaps from time to time, I'll quietly...

*shakes fists* Thou crusty batch of nature!!!


eta:
Interesting. So I found this Foreign Policy article on the five biggest oil spills worldwide. When all is said and done, Deepwater Horizon's spill might be only in the top 15 in the world. Whoa.

empsfm and Gehry, too

Magnet #809 - Gehry's empsfm

Right? Who knows that that stands for? Like at all. Yep, would have reco'd a combined name for them right off the bat.

But, it looks like they make it work - at least on their site, and in this really good line of webcopy:

EMP|SFM is the place where music meets science fiction. Learn about two popular passions through state-of-the-art exhibitions and hands-on interactives—all under one architecturally amazing roof!

I suppose then, that the building itself is a metastatement (metamash-up?) for the Experimental Music Project Science Fiction Museum.

I visited Seattle a few months before the building was built, and then last December, got to visit...the building. Time didn't permit actually going into either the music or sci-fi exhibit space, though funnily enough, there was enough time for me to mill around the gift shock...and to run around the building itself, taking some of the pics in this album.

Huh.

I tend to like Frank Gehry's work. But this one, I think was just too far out there for me. I loved certain parts of it - all the shiny undulating curves of it - the stuff reminiscent of Bilbao Guggenheim and the Disney complex in LA. It's all that shiny stainless steel and painted aluminum that I love. But, I can't stand the mirrory purple part of the buildings and the red and blue sections, too.

Gehry supposedly meant the different materials to symbolize the fluidity and different kinds of music...so in the end, I guess it's no surprise I didn't dig it, given my own vanilla tastes in Duran Duran music.

F*@k!

Magnet #808 - Profanity provides relief

Another one of my homemade Angry Little Girls magnets - quite possibly my absolute favorite of the bunch.

I had to make this cartoon into a magnet, especially because we all know I curse like a sailor.

And, I had to use this one for today, because I'm forecasting some rough waters ahead these next couple of weeks.

So, I'm taking this opportunity to use this Angry Little Asian Girl now, because at some point, my go-to, self-soothing phrase of "It'll be fine, it'll be fine, it'll be fine." (which is actually code for every profane word I can't utter in somewhat polite company), will stop working.

And when that happens - this little angry girl above? Is exactly what I'll look like.

But you know what?

It'll be fine.

It'll be fine.

It'll be fine.

Until it's not.

Texbook narcissim, indeed

Magnet #807 - Iron Man

This is one of my Union Square magnet guy magnets - I've now had it for a while, just waiting for Iron Man 2 to come out.

It's funny, because I think the last IMAX movie I went to see was actually Spiderman 2 years ago, but yesterday, I went to the 10am showing of Iron Man 2. (Note - at the real IMAX at Lincoln Square on the Upper West Side, not the AMC FauxMaxes down on 42nd Street or Kips Bay.)

Awesome. Seriously. Am thinking that when the movie's produced in IMAX, that one should see that version. I did have a couple of issues with focus, because it was so big and in my face. Sometimes it was hard to pay attention to who was who and where people and drones were at any given time.

But overall, IMAX was great. I say it like it's this new experience, but it's not. I just tend not to go to them, simply because of the crowds and the lines. I mean, I got to the 10am showing at 8:45.

Ya'll, I don't even get to work at that time. And I was a good 25-50 people back in line. Nuts. And then the running? Really? Running? Up three flights? And you had to go with the flow, otherwise, with the trampling!

Anyway, still fun to watch the fanboys.

The movie itself was pretty good. Nothing will top the first, obviously. And this one charmed me with its use of the World's Fair fairgrounds in Flushing, Queens - a site that I love and hold dear. Seeing the big Philip Johnson NYState pavilion (where they placed the Stark Expo show) with all the great details - right down to the glass on top - that was fantastic.

Just about as fantastic as Robert Downey Jr. looked in this movie. Jeepers, what a comeback.

Got my chocolate, got my brownies! My work here is done!

Magnet #806 - L'Eglise San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice

We passed the San Giorgio Maggiore, designed by Palladio, a few times during our half-evening trip to Venice late last year.

I picked this Monet painting of a church, because I wanted to share my sidetrip to the Limelight Marketplace, which just opened up this weekend here in town.

When I was little, my sisters and I used to play "Nightclub" in our living room - and we always used to name our club, the Limelight. Who knows how three little girls ever knew what the Limelight actually was, but it was still a good pretend nightclub name.

So, one of my first nightclub visits here in town, was to the Limelight. I remember a couple of things about that night - first, that they had a bubble pool. Second, that my friend saw John Norris of MTV fame there. And third, that in the darkened hallways there was open drug use. Hahaha. Scandalized was I!

It was hard to believe that such a den of iniquity was actually a former Episcopalian church that could count John Jacob Astor and Cornelius Vanderbilt among its parishioners. But then the nightclub was finally shut down, and for years, it sat quietly in the heart of Chelsea.

Until they decided to throw $15 million at it to renovate the church-cum-nightclub into a 35-space marketplace - the Limelight Marketplace. I went yesterday, and of course bought way too much by way of MarieBelle chocolate and Mari's brownies. But, it seems fitting that the building went from one sort of sinning to another.

Of course, when I got home, I realized that the latest UK Doctor Who episode was set in Venice, so this was the perfect magnet for today after all, especially given that the very first scene of the Doctor and Amy and Rory in Venice is actually this church across the canal. Oh, that Monet, who knew he could be so useful.

And, yes, I totally just stole Amy Pond's best line from tonight's episode and made it my blogpost title.

eta:
Oh! And the fun part about New York? I'm assuming because it was opening weekend, Maribel from MarieBelle was in her own boutique. And Mari from Mari's brownies was in hers! In fact, Mari taught me how to tie a bow, like the Bergdorf's and Tiffany's folks do it. I've been practicing and I'm almost, almost there.

But come on. You can't get more New York than that!

The rain in Bali

Magnet #805a & 805b - Balinese Couple

Love these! My friend just got back from an Asia tour of Singapore, Bali and Cambodia and brought these back for me. Very cool.

It reminds me of my former chairman - the one who took his wife on an around-the-world honeymoon, getting married in almost every port of call. They started with a ceremony on a beach in Malibu, then did something in Rome at the Vatican, and then in Bali.

So Bali hadn't had rain in something like 3 months, and they were just desperate for it. So, for the Balinese wedding ceremony, the natives did some sort of rain ceremony as well - and the next day - it rained! After like 3 months! So apparently, they were the local heroes...I prefer to think that it was a total marriage blessing from on high. Awesome.

Of course, then he came back, and had his wedding pictures as his screensaver in the office...which would be ok normally, but really, have ya'll ever had to see your own boss in a sari and a crown of leaves and assorted foliage?

Yeah. That's what I'm sayin'.

Age of Aquariwhat?

Magnet #804 - HAIR

Of course, I had to buy this magnet - I'm glad the Broadway shows are starting to see the importance of good merchandise. Heh.

A friend of mine was kind enough to comp me tickets to see HAIR (thank you, thank you!), so another friend and I went to go see it. Which is why I feel a little tempered in my not-really-a review magnetpost.

Here's the thing. As a production? Freakin' awesome. The stage direction and the art direction and the costumes were amazing. The performances were superb. And the running out in the crowds (which lost some of its magic, the more times they did it) was so much fun - though I'm glad I was in a middle seat, so no flower child got into my hair - literally. The finale was superb, with the crowds being invited on stage. Freakin' amazing.

The show itself, however - soooo not my cuppa. I think my problem is that actual story itself - or, lack thereof. It just took too long to actually gel into a real storyline. And then, I didn't really give a hoot about the characters. I didn't even cry when one of the major characters bit it.

My story problems were probably exacerbated by the fact that I didn't agree with any of the politics of the show. I full on admit it, if I lived back in the 60s and 70s (or, ok, been of high school and young adult age), I totally have been a square. I'm totally a square now, and it's 2010 - so it's no wonder why this show pulled on every one of my conservative heartstrings and pet peeves.

Yet again, I'm on the fence for some of it - because I didn't give a hoot about the crazy flower child songs, or the pseudo-copulation, or the full frontal nudity. That part was actually kinda fun. But, when it started in with its political statements on war and drugs and protesting, I just couldn't hang.

Seriously, I wanted to grab every American flag they were prancing around with, and fold it properly. I wanted to grab every draft card they were burning, and send them off to war. Or sure, Canada, as long as they were out of my sight. I wanted to grab every joint in their hands, and give them to Nancy Reagan.

I know it's cool to be anti-war and anti-American and pro-drugs and free love, but c'mon, enough's enough already.

Good gravy, I'm a 90-year-old biddy, in a mid-30s body. Oiy.

eta:
Oh! The other thing that's a little sad - I don't watch American Idol, so I haven't a clue who that lead guy is on the magnet. But, from what I understand, I should have been OMG, OMG, OMG, over this guy in front of us?

Slippery when wet

Magnet #803 - Stone Mountain, GA

So, nestled off to the east of Atlanta, is Stone Mountain Park, where nestled in the heart of its 3,200 acres, is Stone Mountain, where nestled in the center of its 825 feet tall x 1,683 feet high x 583 acres, is this giant stone relief of about 90 feet by 190 feet - three acres big.

WHOA.

It's a Civil War monument with Confederate President Jefferson Davis, General Robert E. Lee, and Lt. General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.

Very cool park - you can stand at the base of the mountain, with a terrific look up at the carving, situated about 400 feet up and then you can take a tram up to the top - or you can climb the 1.3 miles to get up there.

Uh, yeah, just guess which one we did. Heh.

And then there was barbeque

Magnet #802 - Cowboy on Ice

Ya'll, I want to see Cowboys on Ice. No, there's not a production going on anywhere, I just think it'd be awesome to see cowboys on ice.

Yesterday, to escape the crowds at Reliant Center, we went with a media rep and our clients out to the Reliant Arena for lunch.

First, let's talk about how OTC is *so* big that they're basically in two giant buildings, and an outside display area, and there's still a waiting list of tons of exhibitors out there who want to.

Second, let's talk about how it was literally a 15-minute ride to circle the lots to actually get to the giant Reliant Arena.

Third, let's talk about how, OMG, for whatever reason? They had the best beef BBQ known. to. man. Like, OMG, I think I might be going back today, just to have it one last time. I mean, I come from the land of pork BBQ. And let's face it, NY may think it knows it's brisket, but geewillikers that was seriously the best meal ever.

Or, I was just hungry.

But, I'll go with the former.

Ride 'em, cowboy

Magnet #801 - Texas

Whoa. Offshore Technology Conference at the Reliant Center in Houston. That sucker's huge!

In the end, it's much like any other trade show, except you know, this one's a little overshadowed by the catastrophic events in the Gulf of Mexico - which I would totally blog on, if I actually had an oil magnet, and oh, if this were something like HuffPost or Daily Beast. But, I don't, and it's not, so I won't.

Anyway, we spent much of the day wandering the supercool booths and equipment around the floor, taking a look at what the industry as a whole was spotlighting, grabbing their collateral materials and scarfing their cute pens. They say the show's the largest in the entire US - doubtful, given that there's CES and shoot, even Comic-Con SD. But, still, it's a lot of walking over at the Reliant Center. So much.

But ya'll know how I travel and somehow miss the biggest things around? Here's one Yesterday, I realized that the last time I was here, I totally missed the sad, big old decrepit building right beside the shiny other ones at the Reliant. The last time I was there was with a client - for the hot boys at the Houston Rodeo, and an Enrique Iglesias concert. Fun stuff.

Yet, somehow I missed seeing the Eighth Wonder of the World, the Astrodome. I mean, sure, there was a whole carnival in front of the building and it was nighttime, and well, there were cute boys in chaps.

Hmmm. On second thought...I guess I could see that.

Electric blue

Magnet #800 - Little blue car

Ok, ok, it's a white car here. But, honestly, you think I'd have learned from previous experience...

Every time I rent a car, I like to see if I can smile real pretty and charm the rental agent into giving me a pretty, pretty blue rental car. What? I love blue!

Sometimes it works, and you get a gorgeous navy blue Blazer (I think), whom you name Bertha.

Sometimes it doesn't, and you get a big ole honkin' electric blue car, whom you name Debbie, because of the song Out of the Blue.

And sometimes you don't know what you get, except the same electric blue colored car (yet another Corolla - I swear, Hertz is out to get me) that you can see from space. Oddly I haven't named her...though, ironically, I am traveling with a chick named Debbie.

Hahaah.

Me against the world

Magnet #799 - Me at Cliff Walk

So many years ago, my friend Lynn and I did a weekend girls trip to Rhode Island. I don't even remember why, and I feel like it wasn't gonna be a weekend trip, just a day trip, and we ended up having to call her fiance to let him know we were spending the night. (Odd what you remember...like the J'ai Alai neon-lighted signs. Really? J'ai Alai? Who were we? I wasn't even a Mad Man at the time!)

We ended up doing a couple of mansion tours - if you haven't gone, you should totally go. Everyone should see the Breakers...and yes, I have a separate magnet for that.

But, along the water, they have this Cliff Walk, a 3.5 mile recreational trail. Now, ya'll know I hate nature. Ya'll know I hate hiking. Shoot, ya'll even know how much I hate the beach.

But, this trail? This hike? LOVE. Seriously the coolest thing ever. No particular reason, except that it's just you and the waves crashing against the rocks.

Lynn just happened to take this photo of me, right at this moment, and quite simply I love it. It's why I had a magnet made of it. It's a metastatement that just speaks volumes to me.

It's me against the world. Depending on how I feel, sometimes the world's winning. And every so often, I am.

So today, just for my birthday, let's all pretend that the tide's turned my way, and I'm winning.

Wu-hooooo!