Today was certainly an emotional day. I said good-bye to Dr. P as she returned to Florida, and the Mets said good-bye to their fans by losing to Florida in a manner consistent with their track record over the past few weeks. Although I will cheer on my original home team, the Chicago Cubs, as they seek their first World Series victory in 99 years, my heart's not really in it. After they blew the 2004 season in the exact same manner as the Mets just threw this season into the crapper, I decided that 20 years of having my heart crushed was enough, and I stopped following them regularly. Plus, a Cubs championship is definitely a sign of the apocalypse, and despite my intense loathing of the human race, I'm not sure that I am ready for the world to end.
Regardless, I guarantee that the departure of Dr. P and the Mets season shall free up more of my time. I hope to get caught up on reading blogs and on Heroes and CSI. Since baseball is no longer a distraction/obsession, CUSS will return to a normal stories involving personal follies and rants. My whole family will be in town in October for Brother-in-Law's wedding, so expect excellent fodder in late October. Much better than the World Series, indeed.
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
The Weekend Outlook
The good news: Dr. P is in town and staying with me. This makes me happy and we are living it up, if you consider eating out with other pals every night, running in various parks, shopping at Old Navy and Chelsea Market, and visiting a museum and touring a brewery to be the high life, which I do.
The bad news: Dr. P is not a baseball person, and everyone else we are hanging out with (thus far) is a rabid Mets fan like I am. The poor woman is therefore stuck listening to the rest of us moan and groan about the pathetic situation that we now face for the (lack of) post-season.
I'm going to miss her like a mad motherfucker when she returns to Florida on Sunday.
The bad news: Dr. P is not a baseball person, and everyone else we are hanging out with (thus far) is a rabid Mets fan like I am. The poor woman is therefore stuck listening to the rest of us moan and groan about the pathetic situation that we now face for the (lack of) post-season.
I'm going to miss her like a mad motherfucker when she returns to Florida on Sunday.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Third Base and the Return of "Beaver Suckling" Man
Back in August, my friend Alex appeared on The Mike and Juliet Show to talk about why some women don't breastfeed. I accompanied her to the show for moral support, and while waiting in the back room, was witness to an inane (insane?) analogy made by Mike about "beavers suckling beavers," which of course made me snicker and smirk. Alex kicked ass on the show, I got a new running joke about beaver suckling, and I thought that would be the end of it with Mike.
Oh contraire! This morning, my friend Logan Levkoff, author of the awesome book (I'm reading a review copy), Third Base Ain't What it Used to Be, a guide to help parents talk to their kids about sex, was on The Mike and Juliet Show. Juliet, as usual, was a moron. However, Mike really surprised me in how open he was to talking about sex and in supporting the idea that parents should talk to their kids early in life about the topic. No beaver suckling incidents today! Logan, of course, was awesome.
Speaking of third base, why oh why can the Mets not advance beyond that place on the field and score some literal runs? We know it is just a game, but Husband and I are seriously vexed by the likelihood that the Mets are not going to make it into the postseason. I guess that'll just leave me more time to watch other shit on TV. Sigh.
Oh contraire! This morning, my friend Logan Levkoff, author of the awesome book (I'm reading a review copy), Third Base Ain't What it Used to Be, a guide to help parents talk to their kids about sex, was on The Mike and Juliet Show. Juliet, as usual, was a moron. However, Mike really surprised me in how open he was to talking about sex and in supporting the idea that parents should talk to their kids early in life about the topic. No beaver suckling incidents today! Logan, of course, was awesome.
Speaking of third base, why oh why can the Mets not advance beyond that place on the field and score some literal runs? We know it is just a game, but Husband and I are seriously vexed by the likelihood that the Mets are not going to make it into the postseason. I guess that'll just leave me more time to watch other shit on TV. Sigh.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
The Dangerous Post for Gender Stereotyped Kids' Products
I was thinking about reading The Dangerous Book for Boys because it looked interesting. What kind of activities did the British authors recommend? Fox hunting? Poking bunnies in the face with sticks? Actually, I guess rabbit-poking is not terribly dangerous, as the little beasts tend to run away rather than fight back, but it seems like something that a manual written to get boys back in touch with their masculine side might suggest. After all, petting cute furry animals gently is for sissies and girls.
My curiosity about the book never got me to the point of reading it, though. I am just too peeved at the notion that these activities (like tying knots) are "for boys." If this was not a clever publicity ploy, I don't know what is. Title a book that has basic fun kid activities as "for boys" instead of "for children," sit back, and watch the ensuing furor. Conservative pundits can talk about how we are finally recognizing that "boys will be boys" (maybe date rape is an activity?) and feminists like me can moan and groan about how much we hate assholes. It's a win-win-win situation!
I blathered more about the book and Tonka trucks (their new slogan: "Built for Boyhood") over at BlogHer.
My curiosity about the book never got me to the point of reading it, though. I am just too peeved at the notion that these activities (like tying knots) are "for boys." If this was not a clever publicity ploy, I don't know what is. Title a book that has basic fun kid activities as "for boys" instead of "for children," sit back, and watch the ensuing furor. Conservative pundits can talk about how we are finally recognizing that "boys will be boys" (maybe date rape is an activity?) and feminists like me can moan and groan about how much we hate assholes. It's a win-win-win situation!
I blathered more about the book and Tonka trucks (their new slogan: "Built for Boyhood") over at BlogHer.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
The Competition
This evening, I took another step toward hopefully entering an MFA program for creative nonfiction writing next fall, and attended an open house at The New School with two women from my writing group. Generally, we agreed that the program sounded interesting and exciting (although I was slightly concerned at how inarticulate two out of the three student panelists were), and I am definitely applying there. The highlight of the evening came during the question and answer session:
Audience Member 1: How important is the writing sample when applying?
Program Director: The writing portfolio is the most important part of the application, followed by the statement of purpose, followed by the letters of recommendation.
Audience Member 2: So do we need a writing profile to apply?
After a few more exchanges along these lines, the event ended. I called Husband to tell him I was on my way home to watch the Mets lose yet again. (Seriously, this is killing me.)
"Oh, well, they are up 3 to nothing," he reported, albeit guardedly.
When I walked into my apartment 20 minutes later, Carlos Delgado hit a home run and the Mets were up 6 to nothing. Hurray! About an hour or so after that, we lost 9 to 6. I really need to stop watching for the rest of the season.
Audience Member 1: How important is the writing sample when applying?
Program Director: The writing portfolio is the most important part of the application, followed by the statement of purpose, followed by the letters of recommendation.
Audience Member 2: So do we need a writing profile to apply?
After a few more exchanges along these lines, the event ended. I called Husband to tell him I was on my way home to watch the Mets lose yet again. (Seriously, this is killing me.)
"Oh, well, they are up 3 to nothing," he reported, albeit guardedly.
When I walked into my apartment 20 minutes later, Carlos Delgado hit a home run and the Mets were up 6 to nothing. Hurray! About an hour or so after that, we lost 9 to 6. I really need to stop watching for the rest of the season.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Kiss and Make-Up
Suebob wrote a very insightful essay about forgiveness, which ends with in a typically Suebobian perfect fashion that left me chuckling and nodding in recognition. Forgiveness is not one of my strong suits. A long time ago, people told me that I should find out what I am good at and focus on those things. Turns out that I am excellent at holding grudges. Not long after I read Suebob's post about forgiveness, Steph called.
"You know what's crazy?" she asked me, and then not waiting for an answer, she went on. "MySpace had a survey and one question it asked was about how many people you hate. Lots of people answered that they don't hate anyone because it's too much effort."
"Yeah? Well, they are lying," I replied.
"Seriously," Steph said, "It takes much more effort to try and not hate people."
"Amen to that," I laughed.
I thought about this all as I was trying to sleep earlier this evening, and failing miserably. I have a gig tomorrow to do a workshop, and for no reason at all, I kept fixating on how much more respectable I'd look if I wore a little make-up so that I didn't appear to be the living dead. On the other hand, I'm no better at doing my face than I am at the live-and-let-live philosophy of life, so I suppose I fail on both ends of the kiss and make up spectrum. So it goes.
"You know what's crazy?" she asked me, and then not waiting for an answer, she went on. "MySpace had a survey and one question it asked was about how many people you hate. Lots of people answered that they don't hate anyone because it's too much effort."
"Yeah? Well, they are lying," I replied.
"Seriously," Steph said, "It takes much more effort to try and not hate people."
"Amen to that," I laughed.
I thought about this all as I was trying to sleep earlier this evening, and failing miserably. I have a gig tomorrow to do a workshop, and for no reason at all, I kept fixating on how much more respectable I'd look if I wore a little make-up so that I didn't appear to be the living dead. On the other hand, I'm no better at doing my face than I am at the live-and-let-live philosophy of life, so I suppose I fail on both ends of the kiss and make up spectrum. So it goes.
Riding the Short Bus in Albany
The Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is the state agency that oversees the subways and buses in New York City. Most of them live outside of the City and the surrounding suburbs, and the previous head of the MTA had never taken the subway when our former hack Republican governor (let me be clear - he's still a hack and a Republican, just thankfully not governor) appointed him. Now the geniuses in Albany (our state capital) are considering a fare hike for people who use public transportation during peak hours and a discount for those who don't. I think the conversation went something like this when the idea was proposed:
MTA Employee 1: Too many people use the subway during rush hour.
MTA Employee 2: I know! It's weird that all those people in NYC try to go to work between 9 and 10 am. It's not like most jobs start at those hours or anything.
MTA E1: Seriously! I bet we can get people to use public transit later or earlier if we raise the prices during rush hour. Employers don't really care what time people get to work, so this will definitely be an incentive for people to change their schedules.
MTA E2: Yeah! And even if that works and people do use mass transit during off-peak hours, let's not sell discount monthly passes. If you want a transit pass, it's full price no matter when you travel. That way, New Yorkers can just pay higher prices and tourists and other people who are visiting can get discounts!
MTA E1: Great point. I just don't understand why tourists should have to pay regular fares that help sustain the mass transit system. It's not like they live there or anything, so it's no benefit to us folks in Albany when we randomly visit the city. Oh - did I say us? I meant tourists in general. Remember a few years ago when the MTA had a deficit and we gave discounts during the holiday weekends to anyone without a pass?
MTA E2: Ha ha ha. That was great. My family loves shopping in the City for Christmas gifts, but why should we pay for the subway? Just because New York City is the economic engine that supports this entire state doesn't mean that they shouldn't shoulder the full burden of maintaining mass transit - and our roads upstate so that when we go to work during rush hour, it's a comfortable and cheap commute.
MTA Employee 1: Too many people use the subway during rush hour.
MTA Employee 2: I know! It's weird that all those people in NYC try to go to work between 9 and 10 am. It's not like most jobs start at those hours or anything.
MTA E1: Seriously! I bet we can get people to use public transit later or earlier if we raise the prices during rush hour. Employers don't really care what time people get to work, so this will definitely be an incentive for people to change their schedules.
MTA E2: Yeah! And even if that works and people do use mass transit during off-peak hours, let's not sell discount monthly passes. If you want a transit pass, it's full price no matter when you travel. That way, New Yorkers can just pay higher prices and tourists and other people who are visiting can get discounts!
MTA E1: Great point. I just don't understand why tourists should have to pay regular fares that help sustain the mass transit system. It's not like they live there or anything, so it's no benefit to us folks in Albany when we randomly visit the city. Oh - did I say us? I meant tourists in general. Remember a few years ago when the MTA had a deficit and we gave discounts during the holiday weekends to anyone without a pass?
MTA E2: Ha ha ha. That was great. My family loves shopping in the City for Christmas gifts, but why should we pay for the subway? Just because New York City is the economic engine that supports this entire state doesn't mean that they shouldn't shoulder the full burden of maintaining mass transit - and our roads upstate so that when we go to work during rush hour, it's a comfortable and cheap commute.
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