Origami, Gama & LES

Another morning of teaching origami to the children at the American Museum of Natural History. This time the teaching table was in the Grand Gallery (77th Street entrance), containing the newly restored Haida Canoe (minus its former occupants). Before and after pictures of the Haida Canoe.

Back home where I debated the merits of venturing out again. The subway was still a mess and I had some unfinished business, so I begged out of the Bed-Stuy BBQ and went in to Gama for JY's birthday bash. I made an appearance, but my foul mood wasn't lifting, so I decided to leave before I said or did something I'd regret later. JY looked so happy to be surrounded by her friends.

After a call from W, I stopped by for a chat and some hot chocolate. I was gonna call it a night, but not before I picked up a hot pastrami on rye at Katz's for my bro.

Eastern Noodle

Please pull my noodles.

Slightly earlier in the day, hmm where was I going? Thought I was lost, but then realized I was on the right side of the Manhattan Bridge. I'm still afraid of those buses down there, that everyone seems to love.

Sunnyside CSA

Lunch at Wild Ginger, this time with SR. The waiter recognized me and asked if I wanted the "Ginger Ale" along with my lunch special. He was kind of smiling at me when he said it, which I thought was weird. It might be because I'd been to the restaurant pretty often in the last few weeks and each time I went it was with different women. Maybe he thinks I'm some kind of vegan playboy?

The newly forming Sunnyside CSA was meeting that night at the Grind, a local coffee shop. I'm already a member at the West Village CSA, but I wanted to see what I could do to get this local CSA up and running. Met all the core members and told them I'd be back to help out during the season. People there were excited about all the good local press for the CSAs in NY. Can't wait to get my fresh veggies.

Tribeca Arts Center

My second visit to the Tribeca Arts Center in as many weeks. More plays and speechifying. No Erica with a C this time around. No post-event plans tonight, so I walked up through the desolate streets to New Wonton Garden and had some noodle soup. Something seemed different about the place.

Momofuku & Sullivan Diner

Dinner with JT, another old work buddy from back in the day. It had been a long time. Today it was time for another visit to Momofuku Noodle Bar. I seem to be straying from vegan-ness more and more - so much tasty pork all around me. Anyway it was way too much food. Are we stuck, I feel like sometimes I get stuck. We ordered too much food. Back to JT's for some backgammon; she kicked my ass. I forgot the lilt in her voice, but that was a long time ago.

Ended up at Sullivan Diner after that to meet MC's French posse. It all made me want to visit Montreal again.

Flags of our Fathers

Since there was no more basketball (at least for me), I finally got to see Flags of our Fathers. Actually bought the book when it came out, but gave it away as a gift before I had a chance to read it. Had also just missed a chance to see both of Clint Eastwood's Iwo Jima films at MMI, so I was excited about the movie. Doesn't everyone know about the flag-raising on Mount Suribachi? My brother had commented about the lack of battle scenes for a war movie, but how faithful was that to the book. I know that the Thin Red Line movie had fairly large departures from the events and narrative in the book. Anyway, I'll need to see Letters from Iwo Jima before I render judgment on Clint's films.

Another Saturday Night

I hate going out on Saturday nights. It's amateur night. All the insufferable "work hard, play hard" folks are out on this night. But I wish I wasn't at home. Not tonight after my recent string of failures. It would be nice to get a phone call from someone that actually wants to see me, an email from someone who misses me, to be invited out, even on a Saturday. But that didn't happen, not today, not tonight. I'm still stinging from that Kansas loss last night.

Jayhawks Suck

Kansas looked terrible tonight. The teams made a combined 45 turnovers. Ugh. Of course there's no way I can win my pool(s) now.

Damn Yankees at the Brick Prison

AH met me after work, so we could grab a bite before we went uptown to see Damn Yankees at the old high school.

Another visit to Wild Ginger. Do I eat there everyday? We finished dinner early and had enough time to go across the street to Caffe Roma (really some of the best pastries in nyc) for some coffee and newfangled puzzles.

Finally made our way up to HCHS, but was saddened to see the courtyard fenced and locked shut. It was the first time A had been to the school, the source of so many of her (flat) friends. The kids looked so small, I guess we were all that size back then. Anyway the performance was fun and full of the energy typical of a high school production, but Birdy, the girl playing the Devil in disguise, was fantastic. And who doesn't love Heart, A Little Brains; a Little Brains, or Whatever Lola Wants. All the Aces in the right places, yeah!

Photos from that night.

Big Wong & Basketball

My fun for the day started with some more tasty goodness at Big Wong down in Chinatown.

It was the first time I'd ever had beef with peas.

Then it was home to catch some March Madness. I had the Kansas Jayhawks winning it all in my bracket and they were slated to play the Salukis of Southern Illinois. The Jayhawks (barely) prevailed and I was looking good since the my other three teams that night also secured victories to advance to their respective Regional Finals. Could this be the year?

Did You Say Pirates vs Ninjas?

Why yes, yes I did.

Air Guitar Nation & Minca

Another night of music, laughter and noodles.

America-in-Play

Stopped off for drinks at L'Orange Bleue and veggie dumplings at Dumpling House on Eldridge before I rushed down to the Tribeca Performing Arts Center to catch America in Play. I was to provide moral support for EB, one of the playwrights featured at tonight's reading (one of three).

Afterwards we (EB, AG, & KC) went out into the night in search of eats. (I'm always out looking for food.) We ended up at Yaffa's Tea Room for a late bite. Are they affliated with the Yaffa Cafe? Though I didn't see too many goth kids at the Tea Room unlike the hordes that apparently lurk in the shadows on St. Marks.

An early Rite of Spring

No green drinks for me this weekend. Instead I was looking forward to a concert at Carnegie Hall, thanks to my cousin. The Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France was scheduled to play some Ravel and Stravinsky this afternoon. I remember hearing the Rite of Spring for the first time in 7th grade music (led by Sousaphone playing Mr. Johns) and was a bit freaked out by the seemingly random downbeats of the strings. Turns out I wasn't the first to have an emotional reaction at their first experience of the work.

On to Kefi for a post concert meal. I'd been wanting to go there for a while, and another success! It was all very tasty and I managed to (mostly) stay vegan for another day. Some wonderful pics and other enjoyable tidbits of the day.

Cantoon Garden

Yes, I still love noodles. Maybe now I'll live forever.

Tea Time in the UWS

Another visit to Alice's Tea Cup, this time with erstwhile neighbor (of ATC) and jewelry designer CS. I always order the Mad Hatter at ATC, but can never finish it: two sandwiches, three scones, & two pots of tea. We'd actually walked up from Times Square, because walking is fun and healthful. CS and I had both been under a lot of stress and having a pot of tea seemed a good way to unwind.

I feel like I keep hearing the Cure wherever I go.

RUB it one more time

This vegan diet is killing me. I need some meat.

RUB (and Kingsford) to the rescue!

The best part was the 2 dozen garbage bags I took home that day. It might have been more, 2 score?

Builders, Slashers, & Bashers

I was pretty excited about today. It was going to be my first Meetup event and my 2nd visit to the Museum of the City of New York. (Bonus: reunion with MC.) Got up to the MCNY a little early and chatted with the organizer of the group, a librarian! Is it weird to be attracted to librarians? Anyway, I was eager to take to a look at Timescapes: A Multimedia Portrait of New York. It's a fantastic 25-minute history of New York. I mean what kind of nut wants to sit through a 14.5 hour documentary? :)

Of course there was also the main draw for the museum, Robert Moses and the Modern City: Remaking the Metropolis. I still need to check out the other two Robert Moses exhibits in the city right now.

Realizing that MC and I were both hungry we walked down Fifth Avenue and stopped for a bite and the old high school spot 3 Guys. Full bellies led to a desire to see 300. I remember how excited I was when I first saw the teaser trailer over a year ago. The use of NIN's Just Like You Imagined in the teaser was so freaking brilliant. I was actually hoping for an all NIN soundtrack, but was disappointed just like when I saw Se7en.

Oh yeah, also did my first of many fantasy baseball drafts of the year. Play ball!

Dancing By Himself (or Without Clothes)

KM and I had to scoot up to Chelsea in time for our evening plans. I was completely exhausted by then and wasn't sure if I could actually make it through the 4+ hours of dancing ahead of me. I probably just needed something tasty.

Read about my night with Philippe Decouflé at the Joyce and Miss Harvest Moon at Joe's Pub.

A Nine Hour Tour

Was supposed to play in KR's charity tournament for the MS Walk today, but it didn't end up happening.

My dad's sister's granddaughter, KM (2nd cousin? cousin once-removed?) was in NYC for the week and Saturday was going to be her last day here. I'm not sure how much fun she'd have driving around with the folks, so I volunteered to show her around town in my parents' stead.

We started off in front of her youth hostel near Times Square and walked up to Eatery to get some breakfast and figure out the plan for the day. KM noted all the "pretty women with small faces" inside the restaurant and in New York in general. I was a bit confused since I took a look around and saw only one woman I would describe as attractive. Everyone inside Eatery was well-dressed and well put together, but that's just money and vanity. KM didn't have a good idea what she wanted to do. She suggested we go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, then proclaimed she didn't really like art. This was going to be a long day. Over the next nine hours I tried to give KM a New York City history lesson as we managed photo ops at Carnegie Hall, Columbus Circle, Strawberry Fields, Murray's Cheese, Porto Rico, Lombardi's, and Parisi Bakery. We took a break from the tourist-y areas and headed over for an afternoon drink atop W's roof in the LES. On our way there KM commented that the LES seemed the least "New York" of all the places we'd seen that day - I wasn't getting through to her at all. I gave up on the commentary and decided to let her just take the city in on her own. W had 8 others on the roof with her and we all enjoyed the views until it became too cold. I wish I could dance some more.

Dinner at Ariyoshi

Anniversary dinner got pushed back till tonight. I usually don't eat out in my home turf; it seems a waste of my Mom's cooking skills to venture out into the 'hood when she's so close. But it was a chance to revisit my favorite thread on Chowhound.

Mom and Dad seemed happy, and I get a kick every time I see the "Bon Voyage" ship full of sushi and sashimi. Yay for Sunnyside!

Little Manhattan

I couldn't sleep after The New World, so I went to the next movie in the DVR queue, Little Manhattan. It was a small film that came out in 2005, I normally would never have watched it except I saw a still from the movie at an exhibition last month. Actually that might not be entirely true. Love, a high school alum, & the Upper West Side - okay, I was destined to see this movie.

Sheng Wang & The New World

Another trip to the doctor, another lunch in Chinatown. Sheng Wang on Eldridge was the spot today. Pulled noodles again, I know, but I like how they taste.

I must be really sad, because I find myself becoming nostalgic again.

Finally watched The New World by Terrence Malick. The movie starts with the Prelude to Das Rheingold playing, its single bass note symbolizing the beginning of Creation. I really loved the score, but James Horner's work was apparently butchered by the director. This wouldn't be the first time Malick did something like that. I probably enjoyed the movie much more than most others since I was watching it in the middle of the night. If nothing else it rekindled a desire to see the entire Der Ring des Nibelungen.

ACES and V

Fire/emergency drills are no fun, but necessary. I've already had to walk all the way home two times since I started working in SoHo.

Since I am the fire warden on our floor I had to attend an annual refresher course on our responsibilities as part of the emergency response team.

In the event of a fire emergency always remember ACES.

Alert - Pull the alarm and contact the rest of the emergency team.
Confine - Close the doors and confine the fire
Evacuate - Tell everybody to get out.
Special Assistance - Help those who might need help evacuating.

Had a piece of my foot sliced off that morning. Walking was a bit of a pain. Watched a DVR recording (in HD!) of V for Vendetta that night. Am I the only one that notices the world seems more Orwellian everyday? I still think The Interview was Hugo Weaving's best movie.

Rai Rai Ken & Gama

My parents got married on this date many, many years ago and the family (me, bro and the folks) were supposed to go out to dinner. My mom's such a good cook we would rarely eat out when I was growing up. Of course we were also technically below the poverty line most of that time. I never felt poor as a kid -- actually no, I knew we didn't have any money, but we never went without food or heat or any of the other things that happen to poor families when they get squeezed for money. Anyway, it was supposed to be the anniversary dinner, but the folks were feeling a little tired, a little sick, so they called to postpone the celebration till Friday.

That didn't leave me much of a chance to rearrange my social calendar. Luckily, I soon got an email from JYC informing her friends that a change to her regular bartending schedule would shift her Wednesday gig to Tuesday that week. I wasn't sure what time she'd be starting at Gama, so I headed over to Rai Rai Ken first for a quick bite, and another stamp on my frequent ramen card. I'm always up for noodles!

Gazillion Bubble Show & Pam

No, for reals, that's what she said.

I wasn't so keen on the idea of being surrounded by kids/bubbles, but it wasn't my day and there was no way we'd all get stand-by tickets for 365/365. I got to New World Stages early and the ushers had no idea what to do with us, us being all the persons on line for 20at20 tickets. The rest of the kids filtered in, and we all had to wait outside in the cold until the tickets were finally released. There were lots of bubbles. Everywhere.

Dinner at Pam Real Thai after the show. They might have the most annoying restaurant website I've ever had the displeasure of visiting. Good thing the food doesn't suck as hard as their site. It's actually really good, even though we forgot to ask for "Thai hot".

Went to the Maison Derrière aka SC to catch a screening of Mad Hot Ballroom. Makes me want to go dancing again.

And lastly. Best. Pants. Ever.

Vegan Dinner

That's what she said.

I had fun until the end of the night, when the discussion literally took a nose dive (if you should replace nose with sagging and dive with balls).

My Favorite Aria

I popped into Balthazar to meet my cousin for a quick bite and to thank her for dropping off the concert tickets. I like the atmosphere every time I go into the space. But today was going to be an extraordinary day.

We were seated along the back wall of the restaurant, and I look away from the conversation I'm having with my cousin for a moment and notice a pretty woman walking into the restaurant. It takes me a second (probably less than a second, actually) to realize that this woman is in fact Aria Giovanni. She is without a doubt my favorite and has been since at least September, 2000. There were some who doubted my sighting (since she lives on the West Coast), but I think this bit of evidence proves me right.

I love New York.

Helvetica or Myriad?

We went to Hong Kong Station for our weekly jaunt into Chinatown. That font looks like freaking Helvetica to me. Others say it's Myriad. I wasn't really focused on the food since I was still trying to adjust to my new (somewhat) vegan diet over the past few weeks. I ended up getting the fat rice (chow fun) noodles along with some chinese broccoli to fill my soup bowl. It was tasty, but I felt like I was missing out on all the abundance and variety of ingredients.