Keepin' Crisco in Business

Several, several months back my friend, Phil, stopped in town and we had a couple hours to drive around. Literally, that's all we did. I'm a terrible hostess. Anyway, he noticed right away one of the oddities of New York living that I had begun to take for granted. . . the omnipresence of Dunkin' Donuts. At the time, I just confirmed that "Yup, there's a LOT of them around". Since then I've checked out the company's website to discover that within a 10 mile radius of my zip code, there are 49 Dunkin' Donuts. FORTY NINE.

This all seems doubly amusing to me because the last place I lived had ONE. I'd drive by it about once a year (it was in an odd spot) and every time I'd remark, "Hey look it still exists!" Personally, I'd thought they had all gone the way of TG&Y! (Does anyone out there remember TG&Y?)

FYI: If there are any Krispy Kreme fans out there. . . the month I moved here the one and only Krispy Kreme in the area went out of business. I think I heard that it had been open just shy of a year. So now the closest one is 110 miles away in Connecticut!

Did I ever tell you. . .

. . . that Adirondack furniture is big here?

My Cheatin' Hea-uh. . . Brain

Alright, so anyone who knows me will know that I'm cheating a little on my Year of Firsts list. But only a little.

For example, I listed a costume party. Certainly I've been to costume parties before, however I can't remember being at a costume party during my adult life that wasn't thrown by me! I love theme parties. This was a Superheros and Villains party. I was Cruella deVil from the top of my head to the tip of my cigarette.

I also listed the Iron Pour at SAW and, again, I've seen 3 and been involved in 2 before. But my friend Sierra and I worked charging the furnace for most of the pour. I've never done that job before (and it is constant), so I felt I could list it just this once.

Later I hope to add a video from a pour in NC last month - it's a different pour, but iron nonetheless.

You Are What You Buy

A little honesty never hurt anyone.

Ausable is AWE-some

I took a "mental health day" with a friend of mine and we stumbled onto something cool - Ausable Chasm. Our original plan was simply to point the car north, look at the changing foliage and just wing it from there.

While exiting the interstate for a smaller highway, we spied a sign claiming that there was a chasm about a mile away. I exclaimed, "A chasm? Let's check that out! It might be cool" and then proceeded to make a right hand turn from the left lane. (No worries. . . no traffic).

Let's hear it for spontaneity, because it was a good day! You trek about a mile through the woods around the chasm and eventually along the sides of the walls. In places steps have been added for your convenience, but it is most certainly NOT for acrophobics. If you pay an additional fee, you can raft with a guide down part of the river. The bottom two pictures were taken from the raft. I'd recommend the trip to all my friends!

When Good Molds Go Bad

WOW!

I've heard about the possibility of this happening, but never seen it with my own eyes.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is what happens to a resin-bonded sand mold when burned out at too high of a temperature. (The resin burns up and your mold is reduced back to sand). One poke at these and more sand just cascaded onto the floor. It was almost awesome in its total devastation. I mean, if you are going to screw up, do it big!

Actually, in this case no one screwed up, the kiln temp just isn't uniform throughout. We thought it could work for burn out molds, but it can't.

Oh, well. Live and learn.

"I go to airport."

I am happy to report that my Italian instructor is actually Italian. This may seem obvious, but I remember my high school Spanish teacher being French! English was his fourth language and it was sometimes difficult to understand him. I used to wonder if we'd all wind up in Mexico on spring break sounding like a bunch of French tourists.

So the good news is that my instruction this time around is coming from a woman who moved here from Italy 5 years ago. The bad thing is that since it only meets a few times, she isn't dwelling on "the little things". . . like articles. So if Rome is inundated with tourists this summer asking, "Where is bathroom?" and "Train leaves 4PM" you'll know why.

365 Divided by 52 = Fun!

So here's the question: Is it possible to have a unique experience every week for a year?

Now to be practical I'm cutting myself some slack with these parameters. I may not engage in a new activity every single week, but if I average one thing a week, it'll total up to 52 things I've never done by the end of the year. I'm also balancing mundane activities with those which are less so. Let's face it, I'm no Richard Branson, so I've got to find experiences which can coexist with the pace of my life and the size of my wallet.

If anyone out there has any suggestions, let me know.

Next week I have my first lesson (of a 6-session crash course) in Italian. Che buon'idea!

Say It Anyway You Like

Sienna Saints Slaughtered by UA Great Danes.
Danes Devour Saints.
Saints Mauled by Danes.
Albany Shuts Out Sienna, 7-0
Say it anyway you like, Sienna College was soundly trounced by the University at Albany in last Friday night's field hockey game. For those of you slightly in the know thinking, "Isn't 7 goals a lot for a game?", yes, it is. Field hockey, like ice hockey or baseball, is typically a low scoring game. . .generally 0-3 goals per team.

The women of Sienna had spirit, but Albany, as a result of superior stick work, repeatedly took control of the ball. The first two goals were hard fought, but after that the remaining 5 came so fast and frequent that I actually missed two of them! I glanced at the scoreboard. . . Holy crap! Another one? Um. . . go team!

The rest of the pics were mere blurs, so this all I have to show. Although I played field hockey for a season in high school, I've never been to a game as a spectator. So this was part of my 52 New Experiences in One Year plan (see future post for explanation).

Rock Me Gently. . .Not

This rather nifty venue is Empire Plaza. It is surrounded by offices, government buildings, and The Egg (that's the bowl shaped structure on the right). Empire Plaza plays host to loads of free concerts though the summer months and I had the good fortune to see The Cliks during their trip to town.

Now I could go on and on about why they are so great, but I'll just leave it at this. They rocked. It was awesome. They were nice to the fans after their set and seemed genuine (that goes a long way in my book). Buy their stuff, see their shows, die happy.

You Want Me to Climb Where?!

So take a good look at this photo. Take note of the top right corner and you'll notice the people. Climbing through a steel grid tunnel. Way. Up. There.

WOO, HOO! It was a blast!!

These are pictures from the outside portion of The City Museum in St. Louis. And, yes, that is a real plane on the left. If you ever find yourself in STL, you MUST go!

Remember that day as an older kid when you realized that the monkey bars were pointless, because your feet now touched the ground? Problem solved! This is a playground for adults (and supervised kids) - look, they use bouncy balls to create an adult sized ball pit. Fun, fun! The inside has various odd sights, contraptions, overpriced snacks, and a store selling weird items you'll never need. Like shoe soles - not the whole shoe, just a sole - and you find yourself wanting to buy something for the sheer novelty of it all.

All cameos by my friends pictured in this blog (in this case Nick and Jen) are entirely without their consent. I love you guys, too!

Curb Your Elephant, Please

I'll spare you the off-key rendition of "Georgia on My Mind" (substituting St. Louis, naturally), but I will share a few snapshots.

I spent some time in St. Louis this summer and it was unlike any vacation I've ever taken.
It was slow and leisurely.
I didn't rent a car, telling myself it was the environmentally friendly (and cheaper) thing to do. Waiting for a bus on a streetcorner in the blazing midwestern sun and oppressive humidity, you find yourself mumbling, "A lesser person would say this sucks". As the sweat trickles down the valley of your back to absorb into the waist of your jeans, you find yourself chanting mentally, "I refuse to be a lesser person!"

Actually, it wasn't that bad (except the time I got off a city bus at what appeared to be the other end of John's street only to discover the street cleaved in two by a flood resevoir/ditch and had to walk a couple miles out of my way). During a few particularly downtrodden and/or unusual moments, I did have flashbacks to Kerouac's "On the Road", but I consider the whole experience a lesson in perspective. In a car, I would've spoken to fewer people. In a car, I wouldn't have gone through the same neighborhoods. Or corn fields for that matter.

Now on to the good stuff. . . I could tell you about all the sights St. Louis has to offer like The Jefferson Expansion Memorial (AKA: The Arch), The Fox Theater, Blueberry Hill, The St. Louis Symphony, Busch Stadium, etc. But if you really want to hear about all that BUY A TRAVEL GUIDE! I'm here to tell you about the small pleasures.

Vermont may be famous for pimping itself out for its maple syrup and crafts, but they've got nothing on STL when it comes to fudge! You can simply fork over a twenty in VT or you can watch the folks at The Fudgery in Union Station sing and entertain while they make yo' fudge. Audience participation is required to get a free taste at the demo's end.

"Say 'Oh, yeah!'"

And speaking of Union Station (doesn't every major city have one?). . . the one in STL combines a mall and a hotel. Outside there sits a coy pond with paddle boats and a couple more restaurants, including a Hard Rock Cafe (remember when you thought the Hard Rock was so cool as a kid?). Anyway, the building is old and looks quite grand in some places. Case in point, here is a photo of one of the stairwells complete with marble walls, brass railings, wood doors, and stained glass.

Ah, the glories of a bygone era. (Sigh.)


Another randomly cool building in St. Louis.

This is actually the City Hall Building. I bet the black coating/growth on the stone is probably rot or mold of some sort, but the splotchy dark tint makes me like the structure even more.

I went to the Zoo early on a weekday morning and it was heaven! The crowds were virtually nonexistant and there was a cool haze still lingering in the air from the previous night. Passing through a portion known as "The Rivers Edge", I was engulfed in a false, but blissfully idyllic environment. Without the addition of chatty crowds, whiny children, and the like, I could hear everything - the birds darting amongst the trees, the insects swooping past my ear, the soft scuffle of the animals' movements.

Awwww. . . the Ring-tailed Lemur is one of my favorite creatures in the Primate House. Those little black hands and feet are just so cute!

What do you get when you cross a duck with a canine? Why you get a bush dog, of course. Specifically, Speothos venaticus. They live in packs, have webbed feet, love the water, and are as hyperactive as chihuahuas on cocaine.

I like the Hippos, too, because they manage to look graceful while swimming. Does that somehow explain the prevalence of hippo cartoon characters clad in tutus? You know, put them in the right situation and even they can be elegant. Should I be gleaning some sort of "ugly duckling" lesson from this?

And now for the stars of tonight's show, the unsung heroes of zoos the world over. . .

Drumroll, please.

I give you THE MAINTENANCE CREW! (AKA "The Shit Slingers")

As I watched them tackle their duties in the elephant area, I had the overwhelming urge to ask them, "Exactly how much feces does an elephant generate each day?"

Yeah, I know. . . completely dumb of me.

I shall leave you with that little thought. The next post will tackle The City Museum. Don't worry, its not what you are probably thinking.

Toodles!

"I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!"

Well, folks, it is official. As of 6:46AM this morning, I just "fell off the calendar".

I've Seen the Light!

Okay, so I've finally converted.

I held out for the longest time, but have finally given in and even embraced my new found love of. . . DVD extras. I used to rail against the commentaries, the deleted scenes, and especially the alternate endings. I wasn't interested in any information that wasn't included in the final theatrical release. I figured that if it was so important that I be given the information, then it should've been worked into the film.

Finally, I have relinquished this long held theory and it really shouldn't be surprising. I love to read memoirs, I pour over the liner notes on an album; logically DVD extras are the film equivalent. Right? So now I engage in the exact opposite behavior. I won't buy a DVD unless it is the Widescreen Deluxe/Collector's/Super Duper (or whatever) Edition and I won't return a rental or borrowed copy until I've watched everything. Sometimes I watch the movie, then immediately rewatch it with the commentary playing. It has almost become a sickness!

50 Cents Worth of Decomposition

Pictured above are the pieces to a puzzle ball purchased from a 'gumball' machine. The poorly translated Chinese-to-English instructions are below. Read them carefully, it's a good laugh. At this point I have no hope of ever figuring the thing out.

HOW TO DECOMPOSE - Easily though it into the floor have fun.

PUZZLE BALL - Lets decompose & enjoy assembling.

HOW TO ASSEMBLE

2. Hold at hand. Put A2 and A3 on both side of A1.

2. Slide B1 and B2 on both side of A2 & A3.

3. Slide C1 for the side of B1 though the side of B2.

Um. . . what?

Superlaphonic Hi-Fi

This is a recent piece of mine and as you can see it is a collection of blank record sleeves. Now I haven't owned a record player in a long time, but now (thanks to this project) I own a bunch of records!

Having purchased them all at Goodwill and Salvation Army, I have come to the conclusion that old people must have enormous collections of Christmas music. I have managed to secure a few interesting records, though. . . like "Fife and Drum Music of the Revolutionary Period". Really?! They made an album of this? There was also a recording of some French crooner from the 1960's. I was incredibly excited to find "Music of my People" (the 'people' being those of the Jewish faith) but after purchasing it, I discovered that some scoundrel had swapped the actual record for Dvorak. Crap. I didn't need any more Dvorak.

For the Birds

For whatever reason, there is this one parking lot in town that seems to attract more fine feathered friends than any other. It must have the best garbage or some such attraction, for you can barrel towards them and they do their darndest to stand their ground. At the last possible second they will relinquish their territory only to reclaim it seconds later. . . even if that territory is now located beneath your freshly parked car.

I think this calls for a great big helping of "Whatever"!

"Show me them knees, laddie!"

Due to the previously mentioned snowstorm, the local St. Patrick's Day parade was postponed for a week. Not really any floats to speak of, but ahhhh. . . the bagpipers.

I just love me some bagpipes!




The firefighters all got a nice round of applause. (Well hey, this IS New York, after all.)

But could they be anymore out of step?!?

I played chicken with Mother Nature. . .

... and won.

This morning I was supposed to be on a bus to Boston to engage in St. Patrick's Day revelry and all that that entails. But then yesterday at noon it began to snow and didn't stop for the next 14 hours or so.

I called Greyhound about the ticket and it boiled down to this: The return bus from Boston was not currently running, but the departing bus to Boston had yet to be cancelled. I didn't have the time to deal with getting stuck there, so I called and cancelled my hostel reservations. (Thankfully, no fee and they were even cheerful). As far as the bus was concerned, I had two options. Cancel the ticket and pay the service charge and 20% of the ticket price or wait and see if the bus departed as scheduled. If it didn't get cancelled I'd be out the entire amount of the ticket. If it did get cancelled, I'd be given a replacement ticket to use anytime in the next year.

So I waited and hoped and won the face off. Woo-hoo! So it looks like I'll be headed to Boston another time. This time I'll make sure the weather won't be an issue.

**These pictures were taken while I was driving (I use the term loosely) home yesterday. It took 1 hour to travel less than 5 miles.**

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

From the "Only in NYC" Files. . .