This is the 100th post on HTH... whee! I've been contemplating what kind of thing I should blog about on this momentous occasion. I wanted it to be special and unique.
In lieu of special and unique, I'm opting for shocking. So here goes: I had a colonic. Eww. Yep. I've wanted to have one for years, because all my friends who get them speak of the wonders of the colonic. Well, it wasn't so bad after all. I found a cheap spa with a special discount for newbies and hit it up last week. I really think that's all that needs to be said.
In order to make you forget about what I just told you, I will tell you some new and exciting things:
1. In ten minutes, I will be in a cab on my way to a plane where I will fly to a shuttle that will take me to a hotel where I will catch a bus that takes me to a port where I'll board a ship that takes me to the Bahamas where I will play some songs for some people. (Diagram THAT!)
2. I've recently discovered that I grieve changes in my neighborhood in a way that surprises me. My friend compared it to the way that parents grieve the aging process of their children. I do NOT want Manhattan to "grow up" -- metaphorically OR physically. There are tons of high-rises going up in my short-ish neighborhood and it kills me every time I hear of a new one. There goes the sky.
3. My new addiction. I would call it a time-waster, except it's really a fun way to learn. Kind of like watching Jeopardy. Enjoy!
Gotta go grab that cab! If you want to join me on the next cruise (in February), please do so!
~TLC
*
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Friday, August 17, 2007
Finding He-Man
Not long ago, I was having Saturday brunch with my friend Gretchen at Friend of a Farmer. We were eating at one of the outside tables on the sidewalk of Irving Place, which is situated between Union Square and Gramercy Park, when both of us witnessed a sight that left us dumbstruck: we saw He-Man.
At least, that's what the locals call him. There's actually a website that tracks his whereabouts.
Two days ago, I spotted him again as I was leaving my post office. I snapped this shot as he walked away so I could report the sighting. Typically, he's alone, but this time he had a friend with him. Didn't appear to be Skeletor.
08.13.07
On Tuesday night, my friends and I ventured out to one of the many free events that is part of NYC's River-to-River Festival, a four-month summer celebration. Every week, there are at least six public spaces where you can see a free movie outside... we opted to hit up Elevated Acre for a free viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Elevated Acre is a park on top of a building in the financial district. It's glorious! Also, there was free water and popcorn. Yippee! Here are some pictures.
View:
People I Don't Know:
08.14.07
Movie!:
Sadly, I didn't spot He-Man at the movie. Maybe if they ever show Masters of the Universe, he'll make an appearance. Until then...
At least, that's what the locals call him. There's actually a website that tracks his whereabouts.
Two days ago, I spotted him again as I was leaving my post office. I snapped this shot as he walked away so I could report the sighting. Typically, he's alone, but this time he had a friend with him. Didn't appear to be Skeletor.
08.13.07
On Tuesday night, my friends and I ventured out to one of the many free events that is part of NYC's River-to-River Festival, a four-month summer celebration. Every week, there are at least six public spaces where you can see a free movie outside... we opted to hit up Elevated Acre for a free viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany's. Elevated Acre is a park on top of a building in the financial district. It's glorious! Also, there was free water and popcorn. Yippee! Here are some pictures.
View:
People I Don't Know:
08.14.07
Movie!:
Sadly, I didn't spot He-Man at the movie. Maybe if they ever show Masters of the Universe, he'll make an appearance. Until then...
Monday, August 13, 2007
Welcome to 1985
I learned something new about NYC yesterday: the downtown Q train is a time machine.
No one's sure what's going to happen to Coney Island after this season ends -- there are rumors it will be turned into residential properties or that it has been bought by Disney. I had never been and wanted to check it off my To Do List, so Erica and I headed out for an afternoon of some ol' fashioned fun yesterday.
Here's one of the stretches of sideshows and street games.
The view of the beach from the rickety boardwalk.
Familiar sight: graffiti and busted windows. Meanwhile, two blocks away, someone is about to invent breakdancing.
Now I'm going to share a video with you. It is neither good quality nor entertaining, but suit yourself. I filmed it while riding in the very back seat of the famous Coney Island Cyclone, a roller coaster that will shake your teeth from your gums. While we stood in line, we saw the boards shaking, some of them no longer connected with any kind of hardware--just lying across the tracks. Good times.
To celebrate our survival, we stood in line for nearly 30 minutes to get a $2.75 hot dog from Nathan's. Do not want.
08.12.07
Erica pauses to enjoy the beefity-goodness while, elsewhere in Brooklyn, young Rudy Huxtable takes her first step.
We were only there for about two hours, but I feel like I stumbled upon the true essence of Coney Island. I took a picture of it so you can enjoy it, too.
In case you can't tell what that is behind the chain-link fence on the main drag, I'll fill you in: it's a bear wearing a sombrero, facedown on asphalt, with a beer car and a dirty water bottle at his feet.
The End.
No one's sure what's going to happen to Coney Island after this season ends -- there are rumors it will be turned into residential properties or that it has been bought by Disney. I had never been and wanted to check it off my To Do List, so Erica and I headed out for an afternoon of some ol' fashioned fun yesterday.
Here's one of the stretches of sideshows and street games.
The view of the beach from the rickety boardwalk.
Familiar sight: graffiti and busted windows. Meanwhile, two blocks away, someone is about to invent breakdancing.
Now I'm going to share a video with you. It is neither good quality nor entertaining, but suit yourself. I filmed it while riding in the very back seat of the famous Coney Island Cyclone, a roller coaster that will shake your teeth from your gums. While we stood in line, we saw the boards shaking, some of them no longer connected with any kind of hardware--just lying across the tracks. Good times.
To celebrate our survival, we stood in line for nearly 30 minutes to get a $2.75 hot dog from Nathan's. Do not want.
08.12.07
Erica pauses to enjoy the beefity-goodness while, elsewhere in Brooklyn, young Rudy Huxtable takes her first step.
We were only there for about two hours, but I feel like I stumbled upon the true essence of Coney Island. I took a picture of it so you can enjoy it, too.
In case you can't tell what that is behind the chain-link fence on the main drag, I'll fill you in: it's a bear wearing a sombrero, facedown on asphalt, with a beer car and a dirty water bottle at his feet.
The End.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Quirky Me...
Stine tagged me, so I am going to do the "8 Weird Facts/Habits" meme, but I tagged all my friends on this recently, so I'm going to avoid that. Sorry for breaking the chain... I'm sure that means something horrible will happen to me or perhaps just that I am a party pooper.
A preface: My goal was to exercise my writing skills by connecting all of my weirdness. Each weird thing should have some form of continuity with the thing before and after it. I’m a veritable Rube Goldberg machine of weirdness.
1. I’m a musician by trade and my roommate works for a record label, yet I spend hardly any time or money pursuing music in my spare time. I rarely go to concerts—even free ones. I purchase 4-5 CDs per year. My iPod sees little action. Primarily, I listen to audio books or talk radio when I’m in the car.
2. I love books, music, film, and dance… but I’ve recently determined my medium of choice: comedy. Music aficionados go to festivals, film buffs travel to Cannes and Sundance, Harry Potter fans wait in line all week to buy the latest book. Me? I grab my friends, a case of SugarFree Red Bull, and hole up in a rank-smelling underground theater for a 52-hour comedy marathon (which is what I did last weekend).
3. True story: Last week, I was shopping at Target with my friend thelongbrake. I loaded up my shopping cart with two cases of SugarFree Red Bull.
“Does that stuff taste good?” thelongbrake asked.
“No. It’s horrible. It tastes like lighter fluid,” I said. “I honestly can’t explain why I drink it.”
4. Typically I drink about 5 glasses of water at each meal, and I tip based on how many times the waiter lets my glass go empty. I knock off 5% for every time I’m left without something to drink.
5. Speaking of things I consume… I was once a vegan for a year. Exhibiting a complete 180-degree turn, I took up hunting the day I left my vegan lifestyle behind (for the full story on this transition, you will have to read my book. A right-wing newspaper once excerpted the story.
6. I read most of my news online, and if I don’t keep myself in check, I can easily spend three hours flipping through news sites. This trickles down to the fake news. Even though I’m usually near a TV when “The Daily Show” airs, I watch the clips online. They are choppy and frustrating and they skip some of the best comedic moments. I must enjoy making life unnecessarily difficult.
7. As a five-year old, I desperately wanted to be an actress. I taped my favorite shows and spent hours pausing the video while transcribing the entire show onto legal pads, so that my friend Sara and I could split the characters and act out the shows. I wrote a play (albeit a bad one) when I was six years old. Somehow, though, acting never became my thing.
8. If there is a tune running through my head, it is likely either the theme song from “Sanford & Son” or from "Smurfs" (neither of which have lyrics, by the way). This has been true for almost ten years.
Tag yourself if you want, then leave a link in the comments. I'm waiting patiently to find out that I'm not the only weird one. You can find me in the Red Bull aisle, humming theme songs and quoting TV shows.
*
A preface: My goal was to exercise my writing skills by connecting all of my weirdness. Each weird thing should have some form of continuity with the thing before and after it. I’m a veritable Rube Goldberg machine of weirdness.
1. I’m a musician by trade and my roommate works for a record label, yet I spend hardly any time or money pursuing music in my spare time. I rarely go to concerts—even free ones. I purchase 4-5 CDs per year. My iPod sees little action. Primarily, I listen to audio books or talk radio when I’m in the car.
2. I love books, music, film, and dance… but I’ve recently determined my medium of choice: comedy. Music aficionados go to festivals, film buffs travel to Cannes and Sundance, Harry Potter fans wait in line all week to buy the latest book. Me? I grab my friends, a case of SugarFree Red Bull, and hole up in a rank-smelling underground theater for a 52-hour comedy marathon (which is what I did last weekend).
3. True story: Last week, I was shopping at Target with my friend thelongbrake. I loaded up my shopping cart with two cases of SugarFree Red Bull.
“Does that stuff taste good?” thelongbrake asked.
“No. It’s horrible. It tastes like lighter fluid,” I said. “I honestly can’t explain why I drink it.”
4. Typically I drink about 5 glasses of water at each meal, and I tip based on how many times the waiter lets my glass go empty. I knock off 5% for every time I’m left without something to drink.
5. Speaking of things I consume… I was once a vegan for a year. Exhibiting a complete 180-degree turn, I took up hunting the day I left my vegan lifestyle behind (for the full story on this transition, you will have to read my book. A right-wing newspaper once excerpted the story.
6. I read most of my news online, and if I don’t keep myself in check, I can easily spend three hours flipping through news sites. This trickles down to the fake news. Even though I’m usually near a TV when “The Daily Show” airs, I watch the clips online. They are choppy and frustrating and they skip some of the best comedic moments. I must enjoy making life unnecessarily difficult.
7. As a five-year old, I desperately wanted to be an actress. I taped my favorite shows and spent hours pausing the video while transcribing the entire show onto legal pads, so that my friend Sara and I could split the characters and act out the shows. I wrote a play (albeit a bad one) when I was six years old. Somehow, though, acting never became my thing.
8. If there is a tune running through my head, it is likely either the theme song from “Sanford & Son” or from "Smurfs" (neither of which have lyrics, by the way). This has been true for almost ten years.
Tag yourself if you want, then leave a link in the comments. I'm waiting patiently to find out that I'm not the only weird one. You can find me in the Red Bull aisle, humming theme songs and quoting TV shows.
*
Friday, August 10, 2007
So Much To Say...
Yeesh! I've had no less than ten people tell me it's time to get crackin' on the HTH again. It's been too long since I've posted, but I blame life and its insistence that I live it (but I happily submit). So here's what's new around the ol' TLC/HTH homefront.
1. La Familia
- Mom: she insisted on taking herself off the strongest of her meds cold turkey and bodies just aren't meant for that. She passed out and ended up in the hospital for about a week. Hear that, reader? Doctors have to study for so long to learn important things we don't know. At long last, she is home, mingling good days and bad days, but hopefully getting better all the time.
- Dad: he fell a few months back and broke his shoulder but didn't see a doctor about it for too long. It's growing back weird and he's going to see a surgical specialist on Monday to set a date for surgery.
- Nephew: Oh yes! This is a new one! My nephew rides a motorcycle and was driving along quite safely at a low speed when, lo and behold! a cow ran into him. I'm not making this up. It had somehow escaped its fencing (not the kind with salles and sabres), ran into the road, and broadsided him. So now my nephew has a shattered shoulder and several torn ligaments in his knee. He's alive though, which is more than I can say for the cow. Although other cows have known stranger fates.
2. Moi
(Yes, I just switched languages. I'm cultured like that.)
- Still editing the new book. It's far more challenging than actually writing the book, or maybe that's just what I tell myself.
- I finally sent out my support letters, after three solid years of Pride and Procrastination (the original title of the Jane Austen classic). If you missed the boat on that one, it's never too late. Just send me an email: tlc at taraleighcobble dot com.
- I cleaned out my closet! It wasn't super cluttered, but it's always good to find things I can get rid of or sell on Ebay. People ask me all the time if it's hard to not have as much space in NYC, but I really like the way it forces me to only keep the things I love. I've spent far too much money on things I forget that I own.
- Sadly, I'm really slacking on the Photo-A-Day. I'm going to post some pictures here and we'll all find out exactly how many days I missed. Let's go!
07.08.07
This guy has an awesome apartment.
07.09.07
Ashley and I had lunch at Morandi. You get one guess what she does for a living.
07.10.07
I don't remember his name, but you might.
07.11.07
What a delightful surprise! I bought these mints because they have the Chrysler Building on the tin, and when I opened it up, the mints were in the shape of NY!
07.12.07
Drove to TN for a show. Nearly ran out of gas on the mountain. Thank God my friends own this.
To the rescue!
07.13.07
My family's land that is being taken over by the TVA. They started erecting these gaint power lines and cutting down all our trees. All we can do is stand by and watch. Eminent domain is a destable procedure.
07.14.07
I attended the Dangie Wedding (Danny + Angie = Dangie). Lovely!
Jane was there!
07.15.07
Mom and I went to visit our friend Mrs. King at the nursing home where she lives. This sign was on the door. At a nursing home. Priceless.
07.16.07
Now there's someone around to hear. Oh wait... no ears! Dangit.
07.18.07
Ester let me go with her to pick up her wedding ring! Beautiful! She had it sized down quite a bit and it fit perfectly. As she admired the handiwork of the jeweler, I wondered what they did with all the extra gold.
07.19.07
Bradford and August have some habits.
07.20.07
I drove to WV to be in the wedding of my good friends Kristen & Seth. A little background: he is a model and she is a photographer. I met them at Models for Christ. There were 11 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen, most of whom were also models. You are about to embark on pictures of lovely people. Exhibit A: Josh, my duet partner and escort.
The wedding was filmed for the Style Network's show "Married Away." I'll let you know when that is supposed to air, because the wedding was beautiful and the people from Style seemed baffled to encounter two virgins.
Josh snuck some icing.
Brown had the pleasure of stabilizing the cake during the 45-minute drive to the site. Through the mountains.
Table for the Mr.& Mrs.
Cake! (Way to not smash it, Brown!)
Jono, Josh, and Shawn are professionally attractive.
07.21.07
Congrats Seth & Kristen!
07.22.07
I visited NYC's Kwik-E Mart. Apu greeted me!
Marge, those two sacks will run you $150 bucks here.
Signage.
07.23.07
Here we have a rare sighting of the dragonfly in the City. Also, it's dead.
Four blocks away, I spotted this. Coincidence... or Suspect #1?
07.24.07
Pretty evening. ESB. American flag.
07.25.07
Protests? In Union Square? No, really?
07.27.07
Horatio Sans as Robo-Beard.
A bunch of people all pretending to be Bill Cosby. So much funnier than I imagined.
07.28.07
The most upright of all citizens.
She rebuked me for taking pictures (even though it was totally legal), so I had to post it... otherwise my rebel-photography was in vain!
Ed Helms and friends at the Daily Show / Colbert Report Faceoff.
07.29.07
No one knows for sure what this is or why Ed Helms has his shirt off, but this was billed as the highlight of the weekend comedy marathon that my friends and I attended (which is what all these photos are from).
07.30.07
This is where my dad would make the following joke: "That's a place where people are dying to get in." And my friend Brad would say, "Right now we're passing the dead center of town." Every time I pass a cemetery, those two jokes run through my head. Never fails.
07.31.07
My friend Scott swears that 4-leaf clovers are a myth. I pointed him to Wikipedia, but he discredited it as a reliable source of information. So here you go, Scott... actual proof!
08.01.07
Those park rangers have to take the fun out of everything!
08.04.07
Hello, the South.
08.05.07
This was the view from the Thompson's cabin, where I spoke and sang at a women's retreat. It's in the middle of 52,000 acres of state-protected forest. Spectacular!
That is all for now, my friends. But I'm already writing a new blog for tomorrow. Now put your comment hats on and get to work!
1. La Familia
- Mom: she insisted on taking herself off the strongest of her meds cold turkey and bodies just aren't meant for that. She passed out and ended up in the hospital for about a week. Hear that, reader? Doctors have to study for so long to learn important things we don't know. At long last, she is home, mingling good days and bad days, but hopefully getting better all the time.
- Dad: he fell a few months back and broke his shoulder but didn't see a doctor about it for too long. It's growing back weird and he's going to see a surgical specialist on Monday to set a date for surgery.
- Nephew: Oh yes! This is a new one! My nephew rides a motorcycle and was driving along quite safely at a low speed when, lo and behold! a cow ran into him. I'm not making this up. It had somehow escaped its fencing (not the kind with salles and sabres), ran into the road, and broadsided him. So now my nephew has a shattered shoulder and several torn ligaments in his knee. He's alive though, which is more than I can say for the cow. Although other cows have known stranger fates.
2. Moi
(Yes, I just switched languages. I'm cultured like that.)
- Still editing the new book. It's far more challenging than actually writing the book, or maybe that's just what I tell myself.
- I finally sent out my support letters, after three solid years of Pride and Procrastination (the original title of the Jane Austen classic). If you missed the boat on that one, it's never too late. Just send me an email: tlc at taraleighcobble dot com.
- I cleaned out my closet! It wasn't super cluttered, but it's always good to find things I can get rid of or sell on Ebay. People ask me all the time if it's hard to not have as much space in NYC, but I really like the way it forces me to only keep the things I love. I've spent far too much money on things I forget that I own.
- Sadly, I'm really slacking on the Photo-A-Day. I'm going to post some pictures here and we'll all find out exactly how many days I missed. Let's go!
07.08.07
This guy has an awesome apartment.
07.09.07
Ashley and I had lunch at Morandi. You get one guess what she does for a living.
07.10.07
I don't remember his name, but you might.
07.11.07
What a delightful surprise! I bought these mints because they have the Chrysler Building on the tin, and when I opened it up, the mints were in the shape of NY!
07.12.07
Drove to TN for a show. Nearly ran out of gas on the mountain. Thank God my friends own this.
To the rescue!
07.13.07
My family's land that is being taken over by the TVA. They started erecting these gaint power lines and cutting down all our trees. All we can do is stand by and watch. Eminent domain is a destable procedure.
07.14.07
I attended the Dangie Wedding (Danny + Angie = Dangie). Lovely!
Jane was there!
07.15.07
Mom and I went to visit our friend Mrs. King at the nursing home where she lives. This sign was on the door. At a nursing home. Priceless.
07.16.07
Now there's someone around to hear. Oh wait... no ears! Dangit.
07.18.07
Ester let me go with her to pick up her wedding ring! Beautiful! She had it sized down quite a bit and it fit perfectly. As she admired the handiwork of the jeweler, I wondered what they did with all the extra gold.
07.19.07
Bradford and August have some habits.
07.20.07
I drove to WV to be in the wedding of my good friends Kristen & Seth. A little background: he is a model and she is a photographer. I met them at Models for Christ. There were 11 bridesmaids and 12 groomsmen, most of whom were also models. You are about to embark on pictures of lovely people. Exhibit A: Josh, my duet partner and escort.
The wedding was filmed for the Style Network's show "Married Away." I'll let you know when that is supposed to air, because the wedding was beautiful and the people from Style seemed baffled to encounter two virgins.
Josh snuck some icing.
Brown had the pleasure of stabilizing the cake during the 45-minute drive to the site. Through the mountains.
Table for the Mr.& Mrs.
Cake! (Way to not smash it, Brown!)
Jono, Josh, and Shawn are professionally attractive.
07.21.07
Congrats Seth & Kristen!
07.22.07
I visited NYC's Kwik-E Mart. Apu greeted me!
Marge, those two sacks will run you $150 bucks here.
Signage.
07.23.07
Here we have a rare sighting of the dragonfly in the City. Also, it's dead.
Four blocks away, I spotted this. Coincidence... or Suspect #1?
07.24.07
Pretty evening. ESB. American flag.
07.25.07
Protests? In Union Square? No, really?
07.27.07
Horatio Sans as Robo-Beard.
A bunch of people all pretending to be Bill Cosby. So much funnier than I imagined.
07.28.07
The most upright of all citizens.
She rebuked me for taking pictures (even though it was totally legal), so I had to post it... otherwise my rebel-photography was in vain!
Ed Helms and friends at the Daily Show / Colbert Report Faceoff.
07.29.07
No one knows for sure what this is or why Ed Helms has his shirt off, but this was billed as the highlight of the weekend comedy marathon that my friends and I attended (which is what all these photos are from).
07.30.07
This is where my dad would make the following joke: "That's a place where people are dying to get in." And my friend Brad would say, "Right now we're passing the dead center of town." Every time I pass a cemetery, those two jokes run through my head. Never fails.
07.31.07
My friend Scott swears that 4-leaf clovers are a myth. I pointed him to Wikipedia, but he discredited it as a reliable source of information. So here you go, Scott... actual proof!
08.01.07
Those park rangers have to take the fun out of everything!
08.04.07
Hello, the South.
08.05.07
This was the view from the Thompson's cabin, where I spoke and sang at a women's retreat. It's in the middle of 52,000 acres of state-protected forest. Spectacular!
That is all for now, my friends. But I'm already writing a new blog for tomorrow. Now put your comment hats on and get to work!
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