Nothing, really
I hate these moments, when I sit down to type or write something, and thoughts continually run across my mind, but none seem of enough consequence to record. So I sit here and stare at the page, or in this case the computer screen. I might start to put down words, just to have something there; then I'll decide they're rather pointless, erase, and be left staring at blank space again.
I
hate that. I really do.
On another matter entirely, I find myself mesmerized lately by Vincent D'Onofrio. His character on
Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Detective Bobby Goren, is absolutely fascinating. He's the only reason I watch that show. And where did this guy come from? Most pop culture victims (and I mean that in the nicest way possible) may have an "aha" moment when I say that in the movie
Men In Black he played the creepy bug guy -- the human form of the giant cockroach assassin who ate Tommy Lee Jones. (That sounded really weird.) Talk about versatile. D'Onofrio is well on his way to the top of my "favorite actors" list.
Wow, I talked about something. As opposed to nothing. Go me!
--
Labels: everyday, ponderings
Snowflakes
I was driving home yesterday evening. The outside temperature was well below freezing; I could see my breath as a frosty plume in the air inside the car, and it kept fogging up my glasses. Stopped at a red light, I was examining my road-scummed windshield when I noticed a snowflake sitting against the glass. It was about a quarter-inch across, perfectly symmetrical, etched in finely feathered frost. I can't remember the last time I saw such a perfect snowflake.
This was the second time this week that I really noticed the snow for its unusualness. Just a few days ago, when I went out in the morning to clear the snow off my car, it looked cottony, like the kind of fake snow you'd expect to see drifting across a stage - light and fine, like loosely spun cotton candy.
--
Labels: everyday, imagine yourself here
Freedom
I walked out of my biology final this morning at about 9 o'clock with a strange sense of liberation. Another semester bites the dust.
I think I'm going to do not much of anything for the rest of today. Maybe some laundry.
--
Labels: everyday
DFMA
Design for Manufacture & Assembly. It's a huge concept in engineering. I've been working through the principles a lot this semester in various classes and projects. Basically, the idea is that when you're designing something, you optimize the design to make it as cheap, easy, and fast as possible to produce. Some ways in which you can do this are eliminating unneccessary parts (for example, using snap-fits instead of screws), combining parts, and using standard components instead of custom ones.
I've spent a lot of time this weekend examining a Kodak FunSaver (with flash) disposable camera. My team's goal for this case study was to determine how Kodak manufactures and assembles this camera. Most of what I did involved taking apart the camera and figuring out the order and manner of assembly for all the little internal gears and springs and things. I have to admire the DFMA that went into the camera body; there are so many little protrusions and slots and things built into the solid base itself that, if produced as separate pieces that needed to be assembled on a less complicated body, would have been an absolute logistical nightmare. And most of the camera is also recyclable; the majority of the parts are made out of polystyrene or other recyclable plastic. It's an amazing little package. Ah, the marvels of modern engineering...
Yeah, DFMA makes the world go 'round.
--
Labels: engineering
Men in uniform
I love Thursdays. Thursday is ROTC dress day on campus, when all the future officers come to school in their dress uniforms.
I'm partial to Air Force blues, personally, though there
is a lot to be said for Navy whites. Be military or law enforcement, there's just something very appealing about a man dressed to the nines in formal uniform: the clean-cut hair, the sharp lines of the jacket, the little pins and bars on the collar and shoulders, the shiny black shoes.
It makes me proud to share my crossword puzzle with these fine-looking young men. Gets me every time.
--
Labels: everyday
Life by the Window
I'm a Watcher. I like to observe the world; I love listening to stories and reading what other people have had to say; I am an indiscriminate gatherer of information. I gravitate toward windows, both physical and metaphorical: doorways, books, photographs, artwork. When you're at a "window," it's not out of place to just hang around and observe or listen without participating in what's going on. People at windows are naturally seen as observers. Sitting by a window you can watch the snow falling outside; you can listen to an old man share stories from "back in the day"; you can read about the finer points of life as a Japanese geisha; you can see the night sky as a collection of swirling fiery streaks through the eyes of Vincent van Gogh.
Just observing. Granted, life is by nature a participatory endeavor, but sometimes it's a great luxury to sit by a window and soak in an experience not your own. Often we can learn the most, after all, by seeking outside your own limited point of view.
--
Labels: ponderings
Comfort food
I'm not sure if this is an American thing or what. And what defines "comfort food" anyway? Is it creaminess? Fond associative recollections? Proteins? Fat?
I don't know. My list of comfort foods is too eclectic to be satisfactorily defined by any of the above.
Macaroni & cheese
New England-style clam chowder
Homemade chicken soup
Chili
Hot chocolate
Cookies (sugar, butter, chocolate chip, peanut butter, pecan, Oreo, you name it) dunked in milk
Pie
Pudding
Chocolate chip cookie dough
Good farmer's homestyle scrambled eggs
Lasagna
Eggplant parmesean
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Biscuits and scones
Strawberry shortcake
Tuna salad sandwich
Pancakes with syrup or cinnamon & sugar
Mmm... Now I'm hungry. Lunchtime. Chili mac & cheese!
--
Labels: everyday, food, ponderings
Flying
I think everyone has had a flying dream at some point. I've always heard from other people that in their dreams, flying takes real effort; they have to "swim" or flap their arms or something similar. It takes hard work.
When I was a kid I had flying dreams fairly often. It was almost effortless; all it took was some momentum, like jumping off of something or running fast, and then I'd just take off and soar like Peter Pan. If I started slowing down, all I had to do was swoop up a little higher, like a kite catching the wind, and then dive to get my momentum going again. It was wonderful.
One morning when I was little, I woke up from a dream so realistic that I wasn't sure I couldn't really fly. So, being possessed of a scientifically curious mind, I went outside my family's apartment building for a test flight. I climbed up on a landscaped terrace about three or four feet high, stood at the edge, and leapt.
I didn't fly. This was a minor disappointment. But my experiment was completed; my results were conclusive. I went back inside.
I haven't had one of these flying dreams in many long years. I miss them. Last week I had a dream that I can't really remember; all it left me with was a deep-rooted sense of uneasiness that stuck with me the entire day.
--
Labels: ponderings
Little blue box
I have been daydreaming all week about this little box in Tiffany Blue. What makes it so special? Why do Tiffany stores enforce the rule that no box bearing the name can leave the building unless it's carrying a bought item? It is the trademark of Tiffany & Co., symbolizing classic big city elegance.
It's also expensive. Tiffany jewelry is overpriced; granted, it's high-quality jewelry, but a necklace is not worth as much as they charge. Everybody knows this; they pay for it regardless. Why? When you buy Tiffany, you're buying the box, the name, the style, the aura, the very mystique that epitomizes a Tiffany purchase.
And if you can afford it, it's totally worth it. I like to imagine the shock and sheer giddy happiness I would feel if my significant other ever gave me one of those little blue boxes.
He went to Tiffany.--
Labels: ponderings
The "I like you" game
I was reading my friend Mike's blog. He wrote a few weeks ago:
"You know what sucks? Trying to establish a relationship with someone you see about once every two or three weeks... and sometimes even longer. It's like, you can't just say "Hey, I like you," because that might freak them out, and then there's always the threat of them never talking to you again... another friend lost to awkwardness. I suck at the whole 'unsubtly hinting at my feelings for someone' thing. And I'm a bumbling idiot when I get the courage to fess up. I guess I have a fear of rejection."
Poor Mike. And I totally feel your pain! I think everybody runs into this exact problem at some point in life. I
keep running into it! Trying to start a non-platonic relationship is freaking tricky. I hope I'll figure it out some day before I get old. Or that somebody will step up and start something so I don't have to.
You know, a few months ago I would have said that romance is overrated. Now I'm not so sure.
--
Labels: my future, ponderings
the City
New York, of course: Empire City, the Big Apple, the City That Never Sleeps. You love it or you hate it, or you're like me: caught in the middle. I'm not a fan of the pollution and the perpetual rat race, but there's Fifth Avenue, Grand Central Station, the Met, Central Park. The Empire State building. Rockefeller Center. The
Rockettes. Broadway. The Macy's parade. The
Copacabana.
There's something about New York.
My family is from the east coast. One of my cousins was planning a road trip to New York over spring break last year, so we all e-mailed him some travel advice.
So for whoever wants to know, here's
What To Do In NYC.
Me:
I've heard the Metropolitan Museum of Art is pretty darn cool. You could try to get into a taping of Conan O'Brien or Dave Letterman. That would be nifty. But do what sounds like fun to you.
Grandpa:
First go to Little Italy to Ferrara's for Italian pastry, and a cup of coffee. Then take a slow walk to Chinatown, which is very close. Experience Chinese food, which should be very resonable. Take a walk to Wall Street, take a picture with the big bull.
Then take a subway ride to Times Square, see the show district, etc. See Rockeffeler Center, they should be ice skating there, it's just down the street from the Radio City theater. Take a walk on Fifth Avenue towards Central Park, experience the park. Don't be afraid to buy food from the vendors, it's a good experience. Notice I use that word a lot...
That will keep you busy for at least two days.
Grandma:
Yeah! Avoid roaming the streets alone, Washington Square (unless you need some drugs), and Central Park at night. The biggest thing to avoid is running out of money. Make sure you take A LOT with you. And keep some in your wallet and some in other places, like pockets, etc. That way if you get mugged you won't lose it all at one time.
Little Italy is OK, but you will have to pay about $6 for that pastry at Ferrara's. I don't know if prune danish is worth that much to you. Chinatown is really cool too.
All that Grandpa suggested sounds good to me. Also, NY is really expensive. You might find yourself paying $8 for a hamburger, though it will be really good and pretty large. Actually, the hot dog guys and other street vendors are a good source for food. Despite how disreputable they all look, the food is good.
I don't know how much money you guys will have, but there is a place called TKTS to get last minute tickets to Broadway shows.
Have a good time -- just walking around the city always fascinated me.
P.S. If you need the hookers, they've moved them from 42nd Street but just ask anyone in NY and they will either BE a hooker or be able to point you in the right direction. I also don't know how much they cost.
Aunt K.:
If you're looking for a good burger -- go to Jackson Hole. TKTS is in Times Square -- there's a website that's got all the information. Aida is great, so are Wicked and Hairspray.
You can get a hooker at any price point, but you'll get all the extras that go along with it -- eeeeeuwwwwwwww!
As far as getting mugged, don't look like a tourist and you should be fine. Know where you are going before you leave, don't use a map, walk with determination with fixed eyes ahead and (as horrible as this seems) ignore anyone who approaches you.
Good luck.
Aunt A.:
I advise you to wear sunglasses so that when people approach you and you need to ignore them, they can't see where you are looking, and also don't walk with your hands in your pockets, it makes you a prime target to be grabbed or pushed. I don't remember enough about NY to be able to recommend anything (except where to get good fabric, 39th & 40th Street), but everyone else's ideas sound good! It sounds like you will have a really fun time.
P.S. I'm not sure if I made this up or actually saw him do it, but I have a vague recollection of your uncle W. making subway or bus rides fun when he couldn't get a seat by not holding onto anything, but rather standing in a wide stance kung fu like crouch with arms up to balance himself. (Especially difficult around curves.) I didn't make that up, did I?
Uncle W. (my dad):
Nope, you didn't make it up. But the point is to NOT have your hands up for balance, but rather to keep a subtle athletic stance, hands down, and to shift your weight around the 360-degree circle to counterbalance external forces. If you get it wrong, you'll smash your face or lurch into someone. The odds of that happening are pretty good.
Having been a 20-something young male in NYC, let me say this: You are probably NOT anyone's main target of opportunity, unless you look unaware and do stupid things with your money/wallet. Especially if you're dressed down and with your buddies. My sisters, on the other hand, had a different problem.
Washington Square Park is a GREAT place during the day. Check out the characters in the public chess games in the SW(?) corner. Central Park is a busy city park at lunchtime, the south end.
If you go in during the morning from NJ, feel confident you can get a cheap breakfast in the city. Bagel vendors are everywhere during "go to work" time, and a bunch of restaurants will sell you "egg and cheese on a roll and a coffee" for cheap. You buy it, walk out, and eat.
NYC is one of those places that you won't have enough time to see everything. So I'd recommend those things unique to the city. Chinatown; I liked the David Letterman suggestion, if you watch him; Times Square; ABSOLUTELY the subway; bookfolk like the Strand; the cultured like Lincoln Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art; patriot/immigrants like the Statue of Liberty; King Kong fans like the Empire State Building; shoppers like Fifth Avenue south of Central Park; young bankers like Wall Street and the NYSE; etc. etc. etc. I used to like walking through the flower district on Sixth(?) Avenue in the early morning. At rush hour, see how fast you can walk through the dense pedestrian traffic. It helps to imagine yourself a running back seeing a hole in the line opening up, and all you have to do is make the cut and go. Hey, it's all good.
Don't give money to bums; don't take photos of streetpeople peeing behind cars; things can get weird at night in just a block or two. Have a blast.
Aunt A. (a different one; my mom):
Everyone had good suggestions for NYC: Rockefeller Center is really cool any time of year, but the ice skating makes it even more fun, whether you skate or not. When I was working in Manhattan, they rented skates there pretty cheap. Chinatown, Wall Street, Empire State building, Washington Square with the chess games -- all great spots to visit in NY. K.'s suggestion about looking into street fairs is also really good. If you can find one, they are great to visit.
And if you want to talk about food... The grab-and-go breakfasts are great and cheap. I liked scrambled eggs on a hardroll -- you get the best hard rolls in NY. And the hot dogs and souvlaki and hot pretzels from vendors are all great. And how about trying a REAL bagel for a change -- NY is the place to get them.
I worked on Park Avenue right across the street from Grand Central station. Grand Central is a really neat building to walk through, and a major hub for several subway lines. They've got lots of food in there -- kind of like a food court in a mall -- and public restrooms. You may find that public restrooms can be hard to find, so it's good to have an idea where to go... like Grand Central, Penn Station, Port Authority, the Public Library. (I think that's the building with the cool lion statues out front. A scene from Ghost Busters was set there.) I used to walk on different routes to work from Port Authority (where the NJ buses come into) to Grand Central because each street has it's own character, interesting buildings, just a fun place to explore. I think Times Square and the Public Library were both along my route. And what W. says about trying to dodge your way through the rush hour pedestrian traffic -- all too true, and very entertaining in its own way.
I also liked walking through Greenwich Village.
And finally, my cousin's trip report:
New York was fun. We spent a couple days there. Also apparently I was the only one in the group who had been farther east than Ohio, so that was interesting. We stayed in North Bergen, NJ, and rode a shuttle bus from the hotel into the city every morning, and then back in the evening -- $5/person, not that bad a deal.
Time Square was interesting, but everything there was expensive... really expensive compared to 2-3 blocks away from Time Square. Grand Central station was interesting, we only spent a few minutes there. Our first day in the city, we just headed south from Times Square on foot and made it to Chinatown before we headed back up. One of the guys with us stopped in a record store in the Village, and found a couple records.
The next day we just did a lot of wandering around the city randomly. We saw a bunch of cool things though. We even rode the subway from Wall Street to the Bronx. (Freaked out the two guys I was with, but it was just a subway station, a little dirtier than Grand Central.)
Oh, I got yelled at on Wall Street for taking pictures. Apparently, a group of college age geeks taking pictures of buildings and street signs look like a bunch of terrorists (I did get a couple pictures before the police officer stopped me). You were allowed to take pictures of the NY Stock Exchange, but the guards armed with machine guns wearing riot gear kinda threw me off a little.
It was interesting, up near Times Square the street vendors were selling t-shirts and other souvenir stuff, but down in the financial district, they were selling silk ties, dress pants, dress shirts, shoes and other various professional things. I am actually kicking myself right now, because I should have purchased a $10 silk tie on Wall Street because they were actually quite nice looking.
We saw the World Trade Center. I got a couple pictures, but it really doesn't look like anything special now (ignoring the signs saying what it is). It just looked like a construction site; I would not have given it a second glance had it not been the World Trade Center.
We then rode the subway to right around Chinatown and Little Italy, and had dinner at a small restaurant in Little Italy. My tortellini alfredo was wonderful. It was a fun restraurant; there was a guy who played a keyboard and sang and everyone sang along. I forget the name of the place but it would probably be pretty easy to find again.
We then wandered in and out of import shops in Chinatown. And wandered through an open air fish market as the sun was setting. We then attempted to go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but by the time we got there, it was closed (who would have figured it would close in the evening!?). We then went to a wonderful Jewish deli/bakery on 83rd and I had a warm fresh bagel. We then rode a cab back to Times Square and just barely caught our shuttle back to the hotel.
The next day we tried to go up into the Empire State building, but there was a 3 hour wait that we did not want to deal with, so we went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and spent several hours there. The Egyptian exhibit and the 19th century paintings were my favorites there. The modern art exhibit did not do too much for me, but there were one or two interesting things there. Some of the calligraphy from China and Japan was also quite cool.
When we left the museum, it was snowing. We popped through one of the edges of Central Park and then hit a coffee shop. The other two guys got some sort of weird sweet flavored coffee, and I got something normal. After this, I believe we headed back to Chinatown (one of the guys wanted a sword), and wandered in and out of more small shops. My friend never did get his sword (in retrospect it may have been a bad thing to wander around the city with a huge sword, but who knows.) Anyway, we were freezing (note the cold wet snow) and took a cab back to near Times Square and camped out in McDonald's for an hour or so, until we were close to the time when the shuttle would pick us up.
--
So there you have it -- what to do in New York City, on good authority. You heard it here.
--
Labels: travel
The most wonderful time of the year
I think the Christmas holidays are my favorite time of year. I always take great pleasure in "getting into the Christmas spirit." This December, however, I find myself turning into a hopeless romantic.
Now and then I catch my thoughts in fanciful wandering: a proposal under the Christmas tree in NYC's Rockefeller Center; a little blue box from
Tiffany's; a carriage ride through the city streets aglow with holiday lights. I feel the urge at least once a week to go wandering the Pearl Street Mall downtown in the evenings, when the holiday lights are sparkling and the Christmas shoppers are out in droves. When I'm in town, I stop constantly in stores to look at Christmas ornaments -- crystal snowflakes, glittering globes, and tiny phone booths stuffed with Santa and all nine reindeer.
What can I say? Love is in the air at Christmastime.
--
Labels: ponderings
