First Snow? No.

New York City has officially had it's first flurries over the past couple days. I saw a few on Tuesday and a couple today. But, I am not counting it as the official "First Snow" I have developed a personal definition of that. I was thinking what it should be. Is it when it sticks to the ground? No, that's too difficult. Is it when it is first sighted? Not to me, that could be dust or anything flying around. So my own personal definition is "snow that falls, hits me and I see or feel it melt". So far that hasn't happened but believe me, I will keep you posted.

October 2

Today is my Mom's Birthday. I will be flying down to Miami today to wish her a Happy Birthday in person.

Today is the 30th anniversary of the Bucky Dent Home Run in Boston. Things sure have changed in the baseball world.

With the Yankees out of the playoffs this year my sentimental favorites for this post season are 1. Chicago Cubs, 2. Tampa Bay Rays and 3. Chicago White Sox. Hope that doesn't jinx them.

The big VP debate tonight. I expect Sarah Palin to do better than expected. I just hope people don't mistake someone having 90 good minutes for someone being qualified for the office of Vice President. If the American people were charmed into loving her once, they might be fooled again. (It's not just Americans who fall into the trap either) If she doesn't win the debate tonight, the GOP's ticket chances are over. It's a crucial night tonight and I hope that the truth shines through and superficiality takes a back seat.

Michael Bloomberg is set to announce that he will seek a third term. As I have already mentioned, I support this and still believe that term limits are a bad idea. We'll see what the voters of NYC have to say.

Well I'm off to the airport. Time to take off my shoes for no good reason and now the newest ritual - sitting on the tarmac prior to take off for an hour or more. Still, it is more relaxing than most of my days at work and I get to read and listen to my iPod all day. Yayy! Best of all, I get to go home for a couple days. I'm off.....

Late Thursday

I was in lower Manhattan all day. It hailed, briefly snowed, hailed some more and then rained until about 8. Not very nice. I got uptown about an hour ago and everything has almost an inch of snow. Much better.

I'm going to try to read the Mitchell Report on steroids over the weekend. I'll probably have more to say about it. I haven't seen today's Democratic debate yet, maybe more on that later too.

First Snow

Just woke up and there is snow on the ground and snow falling! Looks just beautiful. Now to schlep my way to work.

Monday Mix

Woke up this morning to a wintery mix falling. It's not as nice as snow - but a lot better than rain.

Moving in the right direction

Years ago in Tallahassee, I lived in an apartment located at a dangerous intersection. Every week - sometimes many times a week - there would be a collision on my corner. The problem seemed to be that people would not see the stop sign until it was too late and find themselves driving into a 3 lane - one way road.

Fortunately most of the accidents were not serious and I became used to the routine of going downstairs with my wireless phone (not to be confused with a cell phone which was not around at the time) to let the victim call the police and loved ones. It was a regular gathering for people in the neighborhood to stand around the wreck, console the participant and talk about how this happens all the time. The accidents were so frequent in fact that I met old friends who had crashed, made new friends and even got a couple dates (I can play the hero with the phone pretty well). Week after week, year after year the car crashes continued.

One afternoon it happened again. I was at work but there were plenty of people from my little apartment building around to view the wreckage. For some reason the local newspaper came by to cover the story. In the story one of my newer neighbors told them just how often there were wrecks at this intersection. Within a couple weeks they had painted, in huge lettering, "STOP" on the road leading up to the hard to see stop sign. The wrecks stopped instantly! All those years, all those wrecks, all those injuries (and all those phone numbers) could have been avoided if someone had done that earlier.

Ever since then I have took an interest in traffic design. When I lived in Las Vegas I told the mayor (Oscar Goodman - a great guy who I got to meet with frequently) about what happened back in Tallahassee and he had many of the streets there safety painted. During my brief move back to Tallahassee in 2004, my new apartment also had many accidents. One phone call was all it took to get that street painted and have the wrecks stopped. It still amazes me how such a simple idea can help so many people.

The reason all this comes to mind this early morning is a story in the New York Times that addresses an issue I was going to bring to city leaders here. That is - trying to find a way to determine what direction you are heading inside the city. Walking in New York City is a must and even when you know your way around it is almost impossible in some places to actually determine what direction you are heading. Many times I have done what all New Yorkers have done - walk in the direction you think you have to go only to determine, once you can finally read the next block's street sign, that you have been going the wrong way. While I certainly understood the problem, I could not come up with a solution. The best I could come up with is attaching some sort of compass symbols on street signs so people would not have to walk a block to see which way is up.

But this idea, which they have just started, is much better I think. The city is trying out sidewalk compass signs to help pedestrians find their way. If you have even walked the wrong way in New York City (or wish you had) read this story. I think it is a brilliant idea! Hey - if you have an idea yourself feel free to let me know in the comment section. But for this directionally challenged walker, these sidewalk signs are definantly a step in the right direct.

Hi Bob, Oh Mary, Bye Joe

Well, the Yankees are really in a hole now after losing last night. I was in the theater watching "Mary Poppins" during our meltdown and learned with everyone else during intermission that we had lost. (It was funny - as soon as the light came up, everyone turned on their PDA or called friends to get game updates) The Yanks have to win 3 in a row or it's another quick exit from the post season. I haven't looked at the highlights yet (don't watch them too much after a loss) so can't comment on the specifics of the game - but it was 1-0 Yanks when I left for Broadway and 2-1 Indians when the play hit intermission. For now I'll just blame Joe Torre and say it's time for Joe to Go.

The play was really great. "Mary Poppins" on stage is much better than the movie. The sets were amazing and the music spectacular. It was a full house and everyone - young and old - really loved it. If you ever come to NYC and want to see a play I recommend it - especially if you have kids.

The Bob Newhart event was the best of all. He is really a naturally funny guy and had the 75 people in the audience cracking up during the whole interview. When the Q&A session started I found myself at the mike again. Just as happened during past events I had the whole crowd cracking up when I walked up to the microphone.(God I love that!) I stepped up, and with the best comedic timing I could muster said "HI BOB". Bob, Ron and the audience all drank on cue and laughed hysterically, setting up my question about the"Hi Bob"drinking game. Newhart said he had heard about it some twenty years ago, thought it started at Southern Methodist University and no, had never played himself. I was going yell "a round of tequila for Bob" but figured it's always better quit while I am ahead in the comedy department and gave way to the next (yawn, boring) questioner. Another notable fact was that we sat next to Opie from Opie and Anthony Show. He's a nice guy who despite being a God in radioland, refused all the pandering to him before the show. The organizers wanted to move some people out of the front row for Opie and his (extremely attractive) companion to sit but he had no problem squeezing into the regular seats with us members of the unwashed masses. It was a fun afternoon and I gained a lot more appreciation for Bob Newhart. In fact I want to get his 1963 albums - which I learned were #1 and 2 on the chart simultaneously. Apparently, he was a rebel comic back in the day and I am eager to see what was cutting age around the year of my birth.

Better to go topless?

Living in New York is a constant educational experience. One of the many things I have found out is that people take their baseball caps very seriously. For example, no honest New Yorker would be caught with a hat that has an adjustable band. Why? Well they are for kids - who's heads are still growing. Adults (adult males specifically) buy fitted caps (to be called "fitteds" never hats or caps). I got myself a fitted a few weeks ago at the stadium and people really notice the difference. Hard to believe but true - people on the street uptown who I see from time to time called out praise for my fitted with no encouragement on my part the very first time I wore it. It's a big deal. Also, up here one doesn't curve the bill like we did in Florida. Back there, it was the first thing you did to a hat - curved the bill so that it blocked the sun from all angles. Up here the bill is kept absolutely straight and the hat is pulled all the way down. At first I thought it looked ridiculous - now I do it that way too to avoid being the ridiculous one. Anyway here is a story about some people who took their fitted's a little too seriously. (If I get the chance, I'll post before/after pic of me in headware ... )

Somebody get the cheese..

.. because I'm bringing the whine. OK, so you all have heard me bellyache about the hot, hot weather. Well, right now it is 55 degrees and, for those of us dressed for summer, it's freaking freezing! So I guess I should carry shorts, rain gear and winter clothes with me wherever I go - because clearly you never know what the city is going to throw at you.

Thursday Roundup

It's a new day and everything seems to be returning to normal in New York City. Yesterday turned out to be a pretty good day for me. By 2 I knew I wouldn't be making it to work so I decided to just enjoy the day off. Since I couldn't really go anywhere, I put myself under house arrest. I watched TV in the air conditioning, did some reading, took a nap but did not make a pot roast as I had planned (did not want to go to the store or stand over a hot stove for hours). Instead I made some pasta and a salad. I got plenty of rest and feel just great this morning. Everything turned out for the best. The New York Times has some great photos and stories from the meltdown yesterday - you can read and hear more here.

Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run on Tuesday night. I figured that since I was a kid and saw Hank Aaron hit 715 on television, I would try to catch the Bonds' home run live. I did. It was somewhat exciting and less disappointing than I thought. Yes, he used steroids and is a nasty sort of guy, but I'll give him his due today and then let it fade from memory. Alex Rodriguez seems next to challenge the record in 5 -10 years. I hope he does it in a Yankee uniform.

The Yankees got killed last night but overall they are making great progress in the race to the playoffs. They are only 1/2 game behind Detroit in the wild card race. The Tigers come to town next week and I eagerly await seeing some of that series.

The Miami Dolphins, like all other NFL teams, have opened their training camp. I know I'll be alone here rooting for the Dolphins but once again I am hoping for a return to greatness that we haven't seen in quite some time.

With the day off yesterday I got to see some of the trapped miners story. The spokesman for the company seems like a real oddball. At this point he seems to just be spinning the story to make him look good. If things turn out badly he's going to be the subject of some great ridicule and justified anger.

The Democratic debate at Solider Field in Chicago was interesting the other night. Barack looked good but Hillary seemed to strengthen her position as the most prepared. Overall, I'm not sure having debates outdoors at a football stadium is such a good idea. There was too much background noise like whistling and jeering. Very annoying. Don't look for the faint hearted Republican to try anything that unscripted.

Have a great day!!!!

Hot and Bothered

I’m sitting at home hot as Hell. Yes, hot because of the weather and yes, hot because of my looks ;) but also hot as in angry. I took a class yesterday for work and had another scheduled today way down on 23rd Street. It is an easy ride on the subway. I could take the closest train, the 2 or 3 line to Times Square , switch to another train for 2 stops or so and walk a bit to get to the class. Always one to be over prepared I arrived there 45 minutes early yesterday because I wasn’t sure how long it would take. Not long.

Today is another story altogether. Now knowing it is a quick commute, I set the alarm a little later to enjoy a rare morning of sleeping in until 8:30. I woke up around 6 to hear a nice thunderstorm going on. “Ahhhh” I thought, perfect to have this on a day I can sleep in. I rolled over to enjoy a couple bonus hours of zzzz’s When I got up at 8:30 the radio was announcing that the subways were in big trouble because of the storm. I went to their web site and of course, when people really need it, it crashed. Finally, I learned that the 2, 3 lines were completely down, so I walked over to another avenue to catch a B, D, F or C train. It would take more time, require more walking but if I hurried I should make it.

I hurried - quickly coated in the sweat that pumps out of me like a fountain. I got to the station and there was a wild mob scene. It took me at least ten minutes just to get to the platform, pushing through all the hot, angry people mulling around. When I got there they announced that ALL downtown train were stopped. Arrggggg!!!!! The bus stops resembled mosh pits and it would take forever to travel 120 blocks by bus anyway. There were thousand of people were standing in the streets trying to flag down anyone to drive them downtown. It was a mess.

I decided to go back to my apartment to see what I could find out. Seems that virtually the entire subway system is currently shut down because of the rain. RAIN! As I sit here I am witnessing today devolving into my one day off. Crap! Sure, it would be nice to have a day off but I have never, ever known what to do with a day off. The whole reason for a day off has been to go out the night before! Like a good student I spent last night studying for class when I could have been tossing back a few cold ones with my pals over at Jimmy’s. (Been about a month since I was there - it’s really overdue!)

After a night at Jimmy’s I usually like to spend the next day keeping the apartment cool and dark, cooking up a great meal, watching movies and tending to any head or stomach ailments that might have resulted from any accidental overindulgence. But here I am, with tons of energy and possibly the whole day to kill. (For me -it’s too hot to go out just for fun and to have a drink or two today would only make tomorrows work day a miserable event).

So I’m going to go back to the subway station at about 1or 2 to see if I can get to work by then and avoid totally losing this day. But if it is still a mess - which at this point seems will be the case - I’ll probably get a nice pot roast and cook it up - taking my anger and frustration out later this evening on the dead cow.

Get well Dave

Went to the taping of The Late Show with David Letterman today and it was a lot of fun. We waited in a line for about an hour to get our tickets, had an hour off and then came back to go to the show. Dennis Leary and The Conchords were the guests. It was so cool see this show right in the sixth row and I was not disappointed. Dave was not sounding right and told us that he was playing with his son and was hit in the nose suffering a deviated septum. Today was the only taping of the day because he was having surgery this evening! Get well Dave.

Watch out Dave, Here I come!

We managed to snag some tickets to tonight's Davide Letterman show. I'm thrilled. I've been watching Dave since he had a daytime show in the late 70's. I was an instant fan. This is something I have been trying to do since I moved up here, but last night the studio called and we FINALLY moved from the waiting list to the audience. In the very unlikely event he comes to the audience and the camera swings my way, I will post it here tonight to warn you.

Wow. This is cool

The bike messengers in New York are nuts! They fly by all the time missing you by mere centimeters. After a while you stop noticing them. It's sort of like a dragonfly whizzing by. But check out this video of some NYC bike messengers doing a cross city race.

REVIEW: Fab Faux plays "Last" Beatle album NYC 3.13.07

As you all know I was very excited to see the Beatle cover band the Fab Faux perform on Tuesday night. Overall it was a good show, but I have to tell you it was a little bit of a disappointment. Not terrible or not even bad - just not great. I expected great.

Door time was scheduled at 8:00pm and I arrived at the venue about 8:10. I was a bit late and unsurprisingly the line was so long it stretched all the way around the block. I got in the back of the line and noticed two things. One, the line wasn't moving. Two, the line was right next to an Irish pub. Well, you can guess what followed. I went into the pub to have a couple pints of Harp while keeping an eye on the ever lengthening line. I may be the last one in, I thought, but at least I will have a beer or two in me. Finally the line moved and I got into the place just before 9. The venue, Webster Hall, is absolutely beautiful. There are numerous bars in the five story establishment and while the line seemed infinite, once I got inside there was loads of room to watch the show. The only down side was that the place smelled. It didn't stink of trash or sewage or anything but it had that too familiar New York City scent of undiluted Pine Sol. Let me tell you, they don't use Pine Sol here as an additive to water when they mop.They don't mop the way I was taught: First with soapy water, then a clean mop and finally with another clean mop again. Nope. They use it straight up here to saturate floors in a single coat. When I walked in my eyes were delighted by the amazing club (absolutely beautiful) but the overpowering chemical smell went straight to my (soon to be throbbing) head.

The music sounded fantastic, but the band really seemed somewhat unprepared for the opening night show. Keep in mind, this was the first time they had played this particular show in public. While these musicians are among the most talented in the world, the band as a whole lacked organization and gave the impression of being unrehearsed. (Somewhat understandable since they only get together for these special shows - but I expected more professionalism from the front men). On at least 3 occasions they stopped playing a song after misfiring at the beginning. The musicians - including the singers - almost never let their eyes stray from the sheet music in front of them. And while they are not a "wigs and noses" band it would have been nice if they had coordinated their attire or at least worn something that didn't look like they had just rolled out of bed. Only Erin Hill, who played multiple instruments and sang back up, seem to be feeling the music and provided the only visually appealing sight on stage. Also worth noting was the excellent drumming and (John) vocals by Rich Pagano. The horns section and the back up players also did exceedingly well. Sadly, the main band members looked as if they were goofing around in their garage. I expected a serious tribute performed by serious musicians. After all, they were paying respects to the best band in history (IMO). The Fab Faux has a great concept and a plethora of talent but on this night they did not put it all together in a cohesive way. An edited album of the night's music would make for entertaining listening. But to see the sometimes amateurish mishandling of the set was a surprise to me. I have seen hundreds of concerts but this was my first in New York City. I was surprised at the lack of organization and stage presence.

So if the sound was great and the show was so-so is it possible to determine how that "next" Beatle album would have turned out? I think so. From the opening song "Photograph" by Ringo to the various solo releases by the other members, the 2 hour show recreated and improved all those familiar tracks released in the immediate aftermath of the Beatles' break up. Well, while I enjoyed hearing every song I am surprised to find myself thinking - for the very first time in my life - that the Beatles may have spilt up at the right time. The music was good, but compared to Rubber Soul or Sgt Pepper's or even Let it Be, this "next" album fell far short of that standard. So I will say this only once in my life - Thank you Yoko Ono.

Yuk that didn't feel very good at all.

Rainy Day - Whatever day it is

The wall calendar says Friday. My work calendar says Monday. Whatever it is - it's miserable outside today in New York City.
UPDATE 10:45 AM: What a mess. I walked to the train station - getting completly soaked. When I arrived there were about 1,000 people waiting on the platform, in the station and on the staircases going into the station. I pushed myself over to the platform and waited. And waited. Finally after about an hour there was an announcement that a train would be there in 10 minutes and everyone should get on it because they didn't know if and when the next train would be. When the train arrived, it was already packed to the max!! Of the thousand people at my station maybe 1/3 could squeeze on. Maybe. I thought about shoving myself ahead of the pack - I am surprisingly good at that - but didn't for a number of reasons. 1) It would not make me a popular guy with those who arrived before me 2) I imagine most of the people there at my Harlem station had jobs where they would be fired or docked pay for being late. I saw real panic in people's eyes as they waited on the train. I'm sure most of them need every single dollar they earn. If I shoved my way ahead - I could be taking the space of someone who's very livelihood depends on making it to their job, and 3) I am so very lucky that I can work from home under special circumstances. I have all my work on my laptop so it is easy to be so generous to my fellow travelers when I have the option of going home, getting out of my wet clothes and working out of my apartment. I feel bad for the 2/3 of the folks who didn't get on that train and I hope they eventually get to where they need to be. As for me, I'm sipping tea, trying to dry off and warm up (this New York rain really chills you to the bone!) and getting a lot done in my quiet and dry apartment.

The cold, hard facts

I have learned a important lesson about the cold. Yesterday I had the day off and decided to go on a nice long power walk. It was cold and breezy outside, with the wind chill in the upper teens. I have found that I have a pretty high tolerance for the cold (especially if I am walking – sitting at home not so much). So yesterday I spent almost 4 hours briskly strolling through the city. It felt really good.

Toward the end of my walk I felt an itchy/scratchy feeling on my legs. I wear a Velcro knee brace and figured that it must had come loose and was scratching me. When I got home however I discovered a big rash on my legs. Apparently, no matter how much I can take the cold – my skin act independently. For what ever reason the cold had really chapped my legs, shoulders and back. Ouch.

This morning I was in for even a ruder surprise. My face, out in the elements all day yesterday, also looked much worse for the wear. My face now looks like a cross between suffering a bad sunburn and an allergic reaction to some medication. Not pretty. Also, this morning, my face was swollen almost beyond recognition. When I glanced in the mirror this morning I saw myself 15 years older! No exaggeration – it was bizarre and frightening. I was puffy around the eyes and cheeks. The little wrinkles had become deep canyons and the youthful glow I have managed to keep too long was replaced by a harsh, ruddy complexion. This just 2 days after a birthday no less!

I got to work about 2 hours later and I thought much of the puffiness had gone down. But the comments by my co-workers quickly dissolved that bit of wishful thinking. They asked me “what’s wrong with your face” and told me “Go home you look so sick” and this favorite from another co worker “I cannot look at your face today”.

I do feel a little sick now and may take that one piece of advice to use some sick time, but for the moment here’s a lesson for any newcomers to cold weather: Just because your brain likes it – it doesn’t mean your body will.

Snow: Then and Now

I just woke up to see the first accumulation of snow for the year. It's not much but it's something. The first thing I did was send an e mail to an old friend in Florida who shares the same birthday as me. We used to always wish that it would snow on 1/21 but it never did. New York may not get snow on Sunday, but today is close enough.

Growing up in Miami no one never saw snow... well, that's not quite true. I should say that I never saw snow. Do you remember this exactly 30 years ago, when Miami did get it's 1 and only snowflake? Seems like they are due again, no?

First Snow

Just a few minutes ago the first snowfall of the season started. How exciting! This radar picture doesn't really show it that clearly but take my word for it - it's snowing. UPDATE 10:25am - Well, that was fast. The sun is out, the snow is gone.

Did I do that?

No I didn't.