Posted: August 31, 2006 | Author: mll | Filed under: Consumer, Culture, Entertainment, Happenings, Science | Tags: newyorkcity, race/ethnicity, theater, travel, tv, videogames, websites | 1 comment »
“Real Life” by
GameSpot–Just in case you need to get an idea of what real life is like before you participate.
“What’s Lost Is Found, Very Cheaply”–If you’re ever in Scottsboro, Alabama, be sure to stop by the Unclaimed Baggage Center. I’m not sure how people lose some of the stuff that ends up in the store. One shopper, called Allan, is quoted as saying, “When Jesse Jackson was running for president his suits came in here. And one year when M.C. Hammer was touring, his backdrop came in here from his concert stage.” Jewelry, skis, works of art. Nothing’s too priceless to lose. (Check out the interesting stuff section of the store’s Web site for more gems. I won’t spoil it for you.)
Driving Under the Influence–I’ve only ever seen a few minutes of Reno 911! And I will look back on those minutes fondly.
Ask MetaFilter–Have I ever mentioned that I love this site? All the discussions I’ve ever read on there have been surprisingly good (and spam- and flame-free). Get or share your answers to such timeless questions as “What exactly do people, especially young people (18-22) DO at the lake or beach all day?” I’m still trying to decide whether or not I want to pay the $5 one-time registration fee to be able to post comments.
Metropolitan Opera–This New York institution (see Moonstruck) is having its first-ever open house Sept. 22. For those with no obligations that Friday, you can attend the final dress rehearsal for Madama Butterfly, which will kick off the Met’s 2006-07 season. Tickets to the rehearsal are free and will be distributed Wednesday, Sept. 20 on a first-come, first-served basis.
Survivor–The next season of this reality adventure show will premiere Sept. 14, with four teams of five members each based on race. Which means that the show will boost the total number of Asians on TV to 5. (OK, that might be a little harsh. More like, 6.)
Pluto’s demotion–Did anyone stop to think about the astrologers??
Posted: August 9, 2006 | Author: mll | Filed under: Culture | Tags: humor, race/ethnicity, videogames | 2 comments »
As it seems to happen to most people sooner or later, I’ve become slightly addicted to
YouTube. Two recent favorites: MADtv’s
Gangsta Shop Quartet, which is exactly what it sounds like, and
Dave Chappelle in Grand Theft Auto. I haven’t seen much of Grand Theft Auto, but the clip is surreal, and hilarious.
Also, crazy story from my friend’s blog about her boyfriend, who was sent to a convention last weekend. When he checked into his hotel, they gave him the key to a room that was already occupied. He saw a sleeping figure, panicked, and didn’t even close the door all the way in his rush to get back to the elevators.
He told my friend, “How are they gonna send me, a black man, into someone else’s room? I could’ve gotten killed!” Which, as my friend observed, is sad but true.
Posted: July 7, 2006 | Author: mll | Filed under: Culture | Tags: books, music | 2 comments »
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).
Posted: July 6, 2006 | Author: mll | Filed under: Culture, Design, Miscellaneous | Tags: boston, consumerism, oddities, transportation, travel | 3 comments »
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.)
