Author: F C

Fall’s officially on, and it’s in the air already. The inperceptible coolness is catching up to us. Rosh Hashana made this week a particually quiet one.

Test results came in – yes it’s official – I really had the E. coli; will have to get more tests this week to make sure the E. coli has been totally nuked.

Today P and I are having lunch with YC’s wife B before she heads back to Taiwan. We’re going to check out the crop of new Malaysian restaurants on East Broadway.

In the bizarre New York police blotter, a 3 month old child drowns in a bucket of vomit after her mother goes on a drinking binge. That has to be the most ignoble demise that one could think of.

Tonight we’re going to try recording our first Triscribe podcast over Skype. That’s at 12 midnight tonight EDT (9 PM PDT, 12 noon Taiwan time Sunday). I’ve gone through a lot of previous entries in the blog – would you believe it’s over 500 pages in Times 10 point? This is going to be fun.

Went to the 34th annual Atlantic Antic, Brooklyn’s largest street festival, Sunday with P-. This was interspersed with laundry, which happened to be directly in front of the laundremat. The place was mobbed. Won $2 at the NY Lottery stand, which I then proceeded to lose on the next ticket. But I got a MegaMillions fanny pack. Ratner pro and against groups were out in full force; it appeared the Ratner group had the better of it. Food included: Jamaican beef patty, red velvet cupcake next door to the Downtown Atlantic bar, sorrel, ox tail stew and jerk chicken from “The original jerk chicken” stand. All good stuff, and I guess I’m getting back into form after last week’s episode. Being after the primary, the only politicians that were actively working the crowd was the Green Party.Plenty of musical entertainment on 6 bandstages and the NY Transit museum smarted up and had their annual bus show coincide with the fair. Definately out did itself this year.

I’m on day 3 of Cipro, which is not a real fun thing. Right now the cure is worst than the diseas that it killed off 2 days ago, E. coli., similar to the other 100 episodes and 1 death so far in the U.S. The antibiotic supresses the appertite — it’s really wierd when you’re tasting food going through your mouth, but you have no idea about how hungry you are or if you are full or not.

P’s B’day was yesterday – couldn’t go out with her dinner party yesterday, or a similar buffet at Todai on Saturday, but will go out tonight.

They weren’t kidding about the Dog year not being too good for me. I picked up a really strange stomach bug Sunday night – severe chills, fever, running to the bathroom continuously. However, no sore throat or throwing up. Waiting for the doctor’s appointment at 3 today to figure out what it is.

The late Jerry Orbach originated the character that sings the song “Try to Remember” from the musical The Fantasticks, now being revived on Broadway. Try to remember that time before September.

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow….

Try to remember when life was so tender
That no one wept except the willow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
That dreams were kept beside your pillow.
Try to remember when life was so tender
That love was an ember about to billow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow….

A picture I took at the Brooklyn Promenade in 2004.

Australia’s Steve Irwin laid to rest today in private. What will the institutions that he has built remain? What will Animal Planet do to replace the person who served in the role that Emeril Lagasse performs as the anchor for the Food Network? Ok, he was a little cocky and full of Australian character, but he also was a serious conservationist and ran Australia’s largest zoo. Hopefully his family will be able to carry on the franchise to the third generation. Let’s remember this spirited man.

No, I never met the man and I don’t really watch tennis. I think that the things that we have in common are that we are the same age, and right now we both have backaches (his while being propped up with cortisone shots to the back during his marathon run with Becker on Saturday, mine just from being a slug this weekend sleeping the wrong way on the sofa while the missus was away with her girlfriends in Philadelphia). I do admire him for his evolution from a rebel into a sports great. Sunday was his last game.

I was in the same park at the same time as the final match, but as I did not have a ticket to the U.S. Open (you can see the jumbotron from outside the stadium), I had to avail myself of the other things available at Flushing Meadow Park. Most of my time was spent at the Queens Museum of Art (if you’re fascinated with New York, the Panorama of the City is an incredible feat of architectural modeling – think Google Earth for the 20th Century). Also there is a nice exhibit of the World Fair Expos that were held at that location, as well as serving as the first headquarters of the United Nations.

I did have an Amex card, and apparently there were a number of giveaways they were sponsoring that you could get if you had one. I did snag the Metrocard giveaway; I do want to get the free CBS radio. The free pedicab ride was neat also.

Afterwards, I went to Flushing to do some grocery shopping and check out some stores. Flushing Mall has a number of wedding studio photographers; instead I went to the 99 cent Japanese store. Afterwards, I was starving, so I went to Sentosa, a transplanted Malay/Singaporian restaurant. I had the Roti Canai and Asam Laska; both wonderful and flavorful. Definately worth another visit.

Sundance Channel ran Mardi Gras Made in China as a counterpoint to our Katrina rememberances. The documentary maker interviews Mardi Gras partiers and the Chinese people who make their beads – both being completely ignorant of each other. The beads might as well have been dropped from Mars; when the workers were shown what was done with the beads, they thought they came from Mars. Who is being indicted here?