Really, Really Free Market (Really!)

Got the word from Treehugger that there will be a Really, Really Free Market this weekend in New York City. I didn’t make it to the Free Meet that I blogged about earlier, but I might just drop by this one with some stuff I’d like to get rid off, like my ax collection, which I’ve been warned is not good feng shui for the bedroom.

Wizard Rock

While in Boston, I was introduced to the music genre Wizard Rock, which according to Wikipedia dates from 2002 with Harry and the Potters being the first such band. My friend Alice had seen Harry and the Potters and dragged me to see The Remus Lupins at T.T. the Bear’s.

The show was actually quite fun. Despite the plural in the band’s name, Alex Carpenter is the sole member, though he was accompanied on one song by friends on other instruments. I bought a copy of his CD–you can hear some of his music on his Web site and myspace page–though it lacks the energy of his live playing. (He also played the show in a Hogwarts uniform, sweater and all; I don’t know how he withstood the heat.)

Still, he’s a talented musician, and it was interesting to learn about another facet of fandom. (See Wikipedia articles on cosplay and slash fiction).

Tents and the T

Tents and sleeping bags

More tents and sleeping bags

Took these photos awhile ago. I’ve only ever seen these miniature displays in Target stores. I got such a kick out of them the first time I saw them. I like to think of them as matching tents and sleeping bags for your ferret should you go camping with your ferret. You could have the miniatures inside of the human-sized counterparts. Very postmodern.

I spent the July 4th weekend in Boston. I’ve been to Boston a few times now, but I still learned new things about the place, the characteristics that make each city unique. For example, sometimes two people will go through a rotating turnstile together on one subway token. I’d never seen that done anywhere else, but apparently it’s common in Boston, at least in places where security cameras have yet to be installed. I’m not even sure two people can fit into the turnstiles here in the New York City subway.

The T is phasing out its token fare system. One night, I had to buy a token from the attendant. I could see through the glass that he had lined up all the tokens on the counter to his left. On his right he’d lined up different coins so he could quickly give out change.

The T passes are known as CharlieTickets and CharlieCards, named after the Charles River. That’d be like New York City’s MTA naming its passes the Hudson or, as a friend pointed out, the East.

The announcements on the T sound a little mournful, not at all jaunty like the announcements on the Chicago El. No one can hear anything on the MTA, at least not on the older trains. (Saturday Night Live got it right with its sketch about why subway announcements are impossible to understand.)

Hulk! Smash!!

You are Hulk.

You are a wanderer with amazing strength.

Which superhero are you?