I live in 1984

Last night I was lugging my laundry across the street to the laundromat when I heard music. I looked to my right, and there he was... a guy holding a boom box. I almost tripped when I saw him. I couldn't believe it. When the "ghetto blaster" craze was at it's height I still wasn't allowed to leave the neighborhood alone. And here was a guy, 20 years later, walking down my street, carrying a rather large all-black boom box.

Perhaps he's a throwback to a simpler time, rebelling against iPods and, hell, even portable CD players. But maybe the boom box never faded away. The craze may have passed but the boom box held tight and persevered these many years. Maybe we haven't seen the last of the boom box...

Apple could be working on something right now.

Do you have what it takes to be a Squash Steward?

This is hilarious not only because it's amazing that people take squash (the fruit) this seriously, but also because using the word "squash" so often is just funny.

Who knew?

Apparently the subway is by far the safest way to travel in New York...

There's a reason the Mayor takes the subway.
Commuter railroads may seem nicer, but make sure to look down.
The cops on New Jersey roads aren't making me feel better about the state, or travelling on the highways.

Left my cobra on the N train

During my morning commute I generally read for the duration of the subway ride, fitting right in with the rest of New Yorkers who are forced to be together in order to get where they are going, but fervently taking measures to interact as little as possible. The only time I do look up is to check the weather and the view as the train passes over the Manhattan bridge. Today, however, the train was exceptionally crowded, making it hard to read. So I looked around. Right above me was an ad for the MTA Lost Property Unit. I had seen the sign before but only at a glance and never really looked at it. Today I did. I was amazed at the things people seem to lose on the subway.


I realize it can be difficult to keep track of your cobra, but how do you leave behind a prosthetic limb? Don't you need that? Along the same lines, how do you get on the subway with a crutch and exit without it? Are people miraculously healed while riding on certain lines? Does Jesus live on the subway? Because if this is the case I've still got a sprained ankle that could use a miracle, and I'd like to know which line he rolls on.

Clearly this sign begs more questions than it answers. But it is nice to know that if I'm old and still living in New York I will be able to get my dentures back when they fall out of my mouth on the bus to the bingo hall.

Even elevators need a holiday

This was posted in my building today...

That elevator better be well rested and ready to work when it's back in on Tuesday!

Sign me up

I never understood the need for Tivo. I have always considered it one of those technologies that would be nice to have if you just had money lying around. Like CD players when they first came out, or cell phones before they detached from the bag in the car. I mean, really people, if you are going to be out during the occasional episode, it's okay, you can use your $25 VCR to record that hour you just can't miss. And this system has worked just fine for me for a very long time.

Until now.

Now I have a real job. A job where I'm the last person to touch the output of a project before sending it on to the client. A job where most of the work comes in sometime after noon, and continues from there. A job where I tend to be the last to leave on my project team.

Don't misunderstand, I really love my job. The work is fun and the people are amusing. And they really start getting silly once its past dinner time. Tonight my boss, the VP of Production (who shaves his head), comes walking back to his desk when a young woman on my Rockwell team just blurts out, "Eugene, your head looks really shiny today." It was maybe the funniest random bizarre comment pulled out of thin air that I've heard in ages. Luckily for her, Eugene is kinda awesome, took it as the strangest compliment ever and laughed.

But back on track... I like TV. I know, it's bad. It's rotting my brain. I shouldn't watch TV-- I should read, or cook, or walk through the park avoiding unsavory characters. I do like to read, but I read on the subway. I don't mind cooking, but only do it out of necessity to eat. And I do really like to walk through the park, but just not at night. So, yeah, when I get home from thinking all day, I like to unwind by escaping my reality and watching fake peoples' lives, followed by the fake news compliments of Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

I'll generally be working late, sometimes quite late, and mostly I can't plan ahead for when that will be. Sure, I could set up my VCR every morning to tape the shows I like that night just in case I won't be home... but lets be real here. Even if I didn't cut it within an inch of being right-on-time every day and actually had the time to set it, most of the time I would forget anyway. So I admit to all of you, my dear readers, in front of the gods of the internet and whoever might be reading over your shoulder that...

I need Tivo.

Hey, put away the violins! This isn't only about me. I just learned tonight that the show my TV Boyfriend is on has moved to a half an hour earlier on Monday. What kind of TV-stalker Girlfriend would I be if I didn't watch him every single week? A bad one, that's what.

So this weekend I will call Time Warner to settle an incorrect billing issue that has been festering for too long, and reward them for their incopetence by giving them more money for their DVR service. It's the price I'll have to pay... can't risk missing my boy on Monday night.

Sweet Home Chicago

This weekend I was back in Chicago for my sister's 26th birthday. That's the two of us... looking nothing alike, but we love each other anyway.

It was a great weekend. Leah, Mom and I had dinner together Friday night at a very yummy restaurant, Hot Chocolate, where we ate way too much but it's hard not to at that place. Saturday we shopped together during the day, and many pairs of shoes were purchased. After shopping Mom's boyfriend, Homer, joined us for sushi dinner at Coast. Mmmmm.

Afterwards Mom, Homer and I dropped Leah off and went to the Shakespeare Rep Theater for a performance of Hamlet (We didn't ditch her, she had no interest in seeing it.) The performance was a little disappointing. Mom and I have a subscription to this theater where we see three plays a year. Usually we love them, and I was really looking forward to this because I like Hamlet a lot. But the performance was just okay this time. Bummer.

Sunday I had brunch with Rob and Nicole and hung out with Mom in Millennium Park. Seeing one of my best friends and walking around the park on such a beautiful day, soaking up the architecture and the feeling of the city really made me miss Chicago. It was quite hard getting on the plane to come back to New York (and not just because I wasn't looking forward to hanging out on the jetway for an hour before taking off). Even though I love my job and think New York is an amazing place, I miss Chicago a ton. I assume these feelings will fade over time... I've only been here for two months, my job is brand new and I have just a few friends here right now. In time I'll settle in, meet more pople and dig in to the job. But Chicago will always be the city I call home, for a million reasons.

So in this post I give a big shout out to Chicago... and shall return to the strangeness of New York soon. Perhaps this week I'll be able to snap a picture of the crazy guy kicking a filthy amoeba shaped pillow around Union Square.