Thursday

I ought to get a life – I’m actually watching “Dancing with the Stars” as we speak. Well, Tia Carrere is on. She ain’t so bad; she pushes herself to do the dancing, when she’s a brand new mom and dealing with (you know) life stuff. (More importantly, Asian-Pacific American representation!). However, be advised – I still don’t know how they call this “with the Stars” when they’re drawing people out of the C or D list of celebrities (no offense meant to the Stars on the show). But, the real weakness of this pretty entertaining show is this: the music they use for the show is NOT ballroom dancing music! Using old pop music isn’t appropriate; it’s even worse when you make the decent pop music sound bland.

Slate’s William Saletan posts a referral and fleshing out on the story of the Arizona judge who held that fetuses don’t count in figuring out whether one’s car is compliant with carpool rules. I especially thought it was amusing how AP article notes:

Municipal Judge Dennis Freeman rejected [Candace] Dickinson’s argument [that her fetus counted, since Arizona law counted a fetus as a victim in violent crimes against pregnant women] Tuesday, applying a “common sense” definition in which an individual is someone who occupies a “separate and distinct” space in a vehicle.

“The law is meant to fill empty space in a vehicle,” the judge said.

Sgt. Dave Norton stopped Dickinson’s car Nov. 8. When asked how many people were in the car, Dickinson said two, pointing to “her obvious pregnancy,” the officer said.

Norton said Dickinson’s theory “would require officers to carry guns, radios and pregnancy testers, and I don’t think we want to go there.”

Well, there are a lot of subjects we don’t want to go to, but some people have no sense about it. Like, do we have to wait until there’s an “obvious” pregnancy? Imagine the fat lady who isn’t pregnant – she’d be mighty pissed at being perceived pregnant (or maybe just relieved at avoiding a ticket?).

Just Around the Corner

Interesting article in the New York Observer, “Office Builders Balking At Downtown Brooklyn”. Apparently, developers are having second thoughts about bulking up on office space, and are instead are going for residential and hotel development.

Mr. Markman is representing another major property developer, Joshua Muss, president of Muss Development, a Queens-based developer who built the Brooklyn Marriott nearby and is adding another 280 rooms to the hotel now. Mr. Muss reportedly has entered into a joint venture with the city’s Economic Development Corporation to construct an 850,000-square-foot building at Red Hook Lane and Boerum Place.

Mr. Markman would not give details of the project, as it has not been announced nor finalized. But real-estate sources said that most of that building would be devoted to apartments, with about 100,000 square feet set aside for an educational institution….

Well, the 850,000 sq. ft. is directly underneath my apartment. In one sense, it is kind of surreal to have an article literally hit home. I can’t beat the rent. On the other hand, the building is old and decrepit, and a deal in the new apartment building would be nice.

In other news, 800,000 pounds of cocoa beans were sunk off of Pier 7 off of Columbia Street, just south of the Promenade. Some confusion when I bought a Wendy’s hamburger combo – tomatoes are by request only because of hurricane damage to the tomato crop, but others claim no problem. And I was good in going for the Chili instead of the fries, and a Diet Coke rather than a regular soda, but my weight is still considerably over the 5′ 9″ expected weight of 154 lbs. for high risk diabetes. For the standard height-weight chart, well, I’m going to need to turn the corner on going to the gym.

Wednesday

“House” last night – whoa. Stuck in snowy Baltimore and no way to get home to Princeton, NJ. Umm, sorry, Dr. House, but couldn’t you just hop in a car and drive up the I-95? Or was there too much snow for that? (only on tv would the Eastern seaboard have so much snow two winters in a row (see, last season, “House” also portrayed a pretty snowy winter)). The junior doctors proved not that able without their crazy leader. Dr. Wilson appears to be really cheating on his wife (geez, do you want a fourth divorce, Wilson?). Oh well. And, it remains to be seen when and how House’s own love life gets resolved (or maybe never resolved; who knows?). At least the ratings look quite good for the first House episode of 2006.

J.K. Rowling explains what made her to write Harry Potter as an orphan.

And, according to the NY Times, the British have only begun to realize that drinking alcohol excessively might not always be a good thing.

And, the NY Times has quite a series on the diabetes epidemic in the city. Here’s the story on Asians and diabetes.

Jan. 23-27, 2006, and Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2006 – NYC’s Restaurant Week. Check out the list of participating restaurants.