I’m waiting here at LaGuardia Airport at 5 in the morning, waiting for my flight to Las Vegas. P- just touched down about an hour ago in Los Angeles with a crucial transplant shipment, and then is going to make the 4 hour drive to be reunited with me sometime tonight. I’m here for a conference and just for some down time.
Month: November 2007
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Veterans’ Day Observed
Take a moment to think about the veterans (hoped you did it yesterday, on actual Veterans’ Day, too).
This week: Downtown for Dinner 2007 – $25 to $35 prixe fixe at participating downtown restaurants.
Reading: Time Magazine, with an interesting article on green roofs. I had read about it in an ABA publication too – this sounds like a great trend – environmental and it sure could make some cities look nice.
Recently read a book of selected Emily Dickinson poems, with an intro from former US Poet Laureate Billy Collins whose own poetry, from what I can tell, is sort of reminiscent of Dickinson’s).
On TV tonight: “How I Met Your Mother” and what may be a key “Heroes” episode. Got to enjoy before we run out of new episodes due to the writers’ strike (and it is November sweeps anyway).
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Novembery November
It’s starting to feel a lot like November…
Mark “The Minimalist” Bittman of the NY Times demonstrates the making of a pan-fried pizza. Pan-fried pizza! It looks sooo good…
Seems quite interesting that the New York City Bar is putting out its statement in support of the Pakistani bar. Plus a rally to support the legal system. Rule of law, not rule of man indeed; something the world is going to have to learn and adapt.
The tv writers’ strike continues. I’m trying to keep up with the coverage. I’m hoping for a not long strike, but things aren’t exactly looking optimistic. Then again, my tv viewing has been pretty limited since I found myself increasingly uninterested in stuff. “House” is actually more interesting once Dr. Foreman has been back; Drs. Chase and Cameron have this weird vibe with each other, since in real life, they broke up (or at least ended their engagement). Still waiting for actor Kal Penn to do something on the show other than act silly. I mean, come on – actor John Cho got to do some grizzly stuff when he did his episode of “House” (admittedly, that was Season 1, and if I recall at all, he was a patient and patients don’t do much more than get really sick).
I really do like the show “Life” on NBC. Yeah, actor Damian Lewis is acting all weird; but he’s quite watchable. I don’t care for this seemingly unsolveable conspiracy that his character’s trying to unravel. Otherwise, it’d be nice if more viewers can give it a chance. The writers’ strike might make things a little difficult though.
“Heroes” finally got really interesting – the characters are joining forces, which is way more exciting. And, of course, actor David Anders – once they brought him on “Heroes,” I’m all “hmm; this guy was Sark on ‘Alias’ – amoral and irritating in his charisma. Is he really going to be a good guy on ‘Heroes’?” Plus, for a guy who’s really American, the tv people like having him play British, which means he can’t quite be a good guy, huh? (well, we’ll see, in the middle of this possible strike-shortened tv season).
And, what’s with McDonalds? I thought the Angus burger ad was a little funny – chubby Asian guy debating on whether to get two ketchup packs; resisting because well, you just can’t go there; don’t go wild and crazy, as the narrator said. Seemed funny enough – and chalk it up to having an Asian on tv. Then, Thursday night, on Channel 11, before the sports on the news, there’s a McDonalds ad for breakfast food – and I swear it’s James Kyson Lee (“Ando” of “Heroes”)! He played this office worker who is suckered to do favors for another co-worker because she bribes people with McD’s food. Playing an apparent APA (not just an Asian)!
(although, do you really want to encourage more Asians to eat at McDonalds, when there’s enough incidence of diabetes and heart disease? Oh well; take your pros and cons; and I’m a bit of a hypocrite, since it’s not like I’ve quit eating McD’s – just trying to lay off on the fatty stuff).
And, last but not least, these Christmas ads on tv are already irritating me, and we’ve still more than 10 days before… Thanksgiving. It’s going to be a long Christmas ad season.
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Election Day
Celebrate the idea of representative democracy; go vote.
The situation in Pakistan hasn’t been too great. Mainstream people aren’t doing so hot; the lawyers are protesting and getting punished for it. There’s something to be said about seeing people in suits trying to get about doing the business of making law happen – making the business of government keep running. Lawyer Power is important stuff – at the least, rule of law is something worth fighting for. Slate’s Explainer explains why Pakistan’s lawyers are trying to make things move forward.
Slate has a fascinating slide show essay on Georges Seurat’s drawings.
The spy world opens up – kind of: the head of Britain’s MI-5 makes a speech, Time Magazine reports.
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A November in NY Weekend
NYC Marathon is just something that makes people happy, I think.
NBC’s Brian Williams on Saturday Night Life. I watched the opening skit – Hilary Clinton’s Halloween – funny stuff; plus a real Barack Obama!!! Oh, yeah, and Brian Williams. I watched the opening monologue – funny; part of the skit where he’s a firefighter (funny fake New Yawk accent in play; funnier, since Williams was once a firefighter before he became a news guy). The skit where Alternate Universe Brian Williams (a self-important anchorman, whose favorite person is himself, and who makes fun of the Today show’s Al Roker and Matt Lauer by throwing coins at them from upstairs) – funny scary. I didn’t think Real Brian Williams lost his credibility, but the idea remains: yeah, you have a sense of humor, but what were you thinking, Brian (as he said it himself in the opening monologue).
Fred Thompson, aka Arthur Branch, the ex-DA of NYC… umm, on tv, people. ON TV! NY Times’ Jodi Kantor profiles Thompson’s acting career.
And, speaking of tv, the whole tv writers’ strike thing kind of makes me nervous. We’ll at least have episodes of stuff until January. I’d likely end up watching my many tapes rather than watch crappy reality tv, so at least that’s okay. I do see the tv writers’ point – how can the networks/production companies leave out the writers in residuals on dvd’s or other multimedia? And, there are apparently a multitude of issues that go over my head. Labor strikes don’t make things easy.
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Precious time — sleeping
Tired last night…. came back from the IPMF2007 workshop in Taipei and crashed in bed. Didn’t even bother to eat dinner. Woke up briefly to say hi to B- and take a bio break but that’s it. Now back to the IPMF Conference for some more project management learning and PDU capturing.
Was a rough week of travel that did me in…. Seoul Korea on Tuesday, then Malaysia on Thursday. To make it happen, Wednesday was all fly-day, then Thursday meeting then fly back and arrive Taipei at 1am Friday morning.
I’m getting old….
And winter is upon is. I had to break out my leather jacket for Taipei as it’s 20 degrees Celsius and slightly wet.
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November Begins!
It is November, and I have now entered National Novel Writing Month, where the goal is to write the first draft of a 50000 word novel by the end of the month. Man, is that nuts – in a month where I supposedly have other things to do. But, it’s a challenge, and I think this is something to get me out of my creative rut, if nothing else. The past couple of days were interesting in how I was – gasp – outlining and doing character sketches. Let’s see what in the world will I be producing. As of 11/1/07, I’ve some 6000 words done (15pps) of I’m not sure what.
Must catch up on “Heroes.” – random thoughts (or not too random) – I’m not one of those people who’s going to start hating on Heroes already. There are storylines which are irritating, yes, but I cherish what’s good. For instance – Mr. Bennet is a scary ass man, because he can and will kill you; Hiro is seriously messing with the space-time continuum (does he always have to fall in love in a messy way?); poor Ando is the sidekick without the hero to be sidekick to; Peter in Montreal – until he – again – may be causing NYC to be in danger. Man, that sucks (again).
Missed Monday’s “How I Met Your Mother,” where actor John Cho guest-starred as a lawyer from Evil Big Firm trying to recruit Marshall, foolish Columbia Law student who wants to be in environmental law on the side of good. I’m going to have to watch this episode on-line.
Tuesday’s “House” was quite good – appearances by House’s former team – Chase and Cameron (with Cameron being sanctimonious as ever) and Foreman returning. Foreman returns! Yay! Now if only the rest of the new team would get their act together. Kal Penn (John Cho’s co-star in “Harold and Kumar”) as one of the House’s wanna-be team applicant got to reveal more of the character than just a funny weirdo. Well, actually, he’s still a funny weirdo; there’s the feeling that Kal Penn or the writers of “House” are making Kal Penn’s character what his Kumar would have been if he stopped his smoking pot and gone to med school already. I’m just thrilled to see an Asian American doctor on fictional tv.
Halloween? — well, I at least managed to watch some of Charlie Brown’s Halloween. Forgot about how crazed Linus was about the Great Pumpkin – the sincerest pumpkin patch? Honestly, Linus, sincerity ain’t worth all that much!
Behind on watching “Life” and “Ugly Betty.” Oh well. I’m just happy to be away from the office!
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Seattle recap
This is a food recap for my trip last week to Seattle for a tech conference. Many of the sessions were very long-term career oriented, reflecting upon the fact that many that started in the 70’s PC era are now on their way to retirement. Food for thought.
Elephant & Castle: Originally an English pub chain now spreading in the US, this was the local bar in my hotel that was the default hangout when things didn’t exactly work out. Food was pretty authentic, and many beers on tap. They also have 2 happy hours daily!Pike Place Market: Lowell’s – excellent views of the waterfront, and an excellent Dungeness crab cocktail at a good price. Recommended. Original Starbucks: must visit for the Pike Place Blend (apparently now available by mail order). Pike Place Fish Market – King Strips (salmon belly jerky) is my favorite, but their traditional cuts of smoked salmon are of course fantastic. Recommended
Costco: this warehouse store has become a destination on all of my domestic trips. I had previously mentioned my experiences on my Hawaii, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas excursions. First, they have the cheapest gas ($2.75 vs the regional average of $3.08 per gallon). Second, it is always an economical place to purchase regional souvenirs. Third, they always have suitable clothing for the environment (it dropped down to 30 degrees, and I picked up some high-tech thermal underwear). Fourth, the vast majority of the people shopping at Costco are locals, so you get to see what they are like. The thing that made this special was that Seattle is home to Costco’s original warehouse #1. They have a small historical timeline against a portion of the original wall (they had expanded their building) When I leave home, I bring my Costco card with me.
Marrakesh Morrocan restaurant: great food for groups. Decor makes you believe that you are in a bedouin tent. The 5 course set menu is the best value. Recommended.
Convention special event was at the Boeing Museum of Flight, where we got to check out the original hangar, and see a wide array of air and space craft. Can’t wait to fly a 787 Dreamliner. The catering was excellent – must have had a dozen mini crab cakes!
Crab Pot: Last time we feasted here on seafood. This time I came alone for my classic Dungeness crab after driving to and from Hood River in the Columbia River Valley (beautiful scenery) and Portland, which was 4 hours each way. The server was a former mortgage broker and night club owner. He had mentioned how Seattle has grown and become even more congested in the last few years. While people in the northwest are far more ecologically conscious than most, the traffic jams and suburban sprawl are becoming a serious problem for future growth and sustainability.
Before the drive down to Portland, I made a stop at Rick Steves’ headquarters north of Seattle. It is literally a one-stop shop if you are considering a Europe trip. Every known guide book is available for free reading in their library, as well as a complete set of Steeves’ videos in a separate room. If you know your itinerary, you can purchase Europasses there, as well as a complete line of travel gear. Good to check out if you are in the area.
Three big races this weekend: NYC Marathon (Sunday), US Olympic Marathon Trials (the day before on the original NYC Marathon course, 5+ laps around Central Park). Amazing Race 12 begins this Sunday at 8 PM EST (remember to fall back 1 hour Sunday morning). Look out for Ronald and Christine, a Chinese-American father and daughter team.