Slug Sex

The fascinating mating ritual of the slug.

Postsecret

I saw this postcard on Postsecret some time back.  I thought it was pretty funny.

AMC's MadMen promo design

First night out

Headed down the block yesterday evening for a friend's birthday party and to watch the NCAA basketball games.  Davidson advanced!  Who would have thought?  I had been looking forward all week to last night, mostly because I would get to leave my apartment and walk a whole 4 blocks over to the bar where the party was.  No longer do I have to drive the hour into the city or take the LIRR and then the subway.  Super fantastic.

Blog Experiment

I thought to add a little variety and try something new on my blog I'd do this:

Here's the link to post to my blog:  tsunami40.gangsta@blogger.com . 

You can send an email to this address and the post will appear here on my blog.  (I won't be able to see what email address you are sending the post from.)

My hope is that I'll get to see an interesting new perspective or see a new idea, that I myself would not have come up with.  

Maybe I'll get spammed, or maybe we'll see something unique, or maybe I won't see anything at all.

Regardless...

Post!

Morning in the West Village

I woke up this morning after a long night of moving the last of my things into my new apartment here in the West Village.  That inlcuded the arduous but rewarding task of transporting my fish and their fish tank. 

A quick walk down the block this morning resulted in a trip to get milk, OJ, and a cup of coffee as I haven't yet bought a coffee maker.  I prefer to brew my own coffee because fresh coffee made by me tastes better than any coffee shop coffee.  But I digress.  I still can't believe what a wonderful neighborhood I have here.  After I picked up my groceries I walked past a bread shop, fresh fish store, and a cheese store.  Oh, the possibilities.  I have the means to create some great meals, I can't wait. 

 

Real Estate - The New York Times

Next Stop, the West Village

By GERRY SHANAHAN

Published: September 23, 2007

Living here isn't all Magnolia cupcakes. It's hard work. After all, there are tourists to instruct and lots of lore to pass along.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/23/realestate/23cov.html?ex=1348459200&en=1d4f8ae93906f247&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

Earth Hour

http://www.earthhour.org/

 

"Created to take a stand against the greatest threat our planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off the lights for one hour to deliver a powerful message about the need for action on global warming.

About Earth Hour

On March 31 2007, for one hour, Sydney made a powerful statement about the greatest contributor to global warming – coal-fired electricity – by turning off its lights. Over 2.2 million Sydney residents and over 2,100 businesses switched off, leading to a 10.2% energy reduction across the city. What began as one city taking a stand against global warming caught the attention of the world.

In 2008, 24 global cities will participate in Earth Hour at 8pm on March 29. Earth Hour is the highlight of a major campaign to encourage businesses, communities and individuals to take the simple steps needed to cut their emissions on an ongoing basis. It is about simple changes that will collectively make a difference – from businesses turning off their lights when their offices are empty, to households turning off appliances rather than leaving them on standby."

Image from http://www.davidhorvitz.com/

Bullies

Why do people pick on other people?

There was a story that ran in the the New York Times the other day about a boy from Arkansas who is in High School and who is constantly being beat up by bullies.  I mean this kid is being physically beat down on a semi-regular basis. 

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/24land.html?ex=1364270400&en=69cc22e578768846&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

His parents have complained and are now in the process of a lawsuit they filed against some of the bullies.  This is what they have had to resort to, suing teenagers.  The school district has not been proactive in disciplining the bullies and the family is considering suing them as well.

No one has any right to touch another human being, ever.  I think it is one of the worst violations, to lay your hands on someone else without their consent.  This child is going to grow up with all sorts of issues.  Hopefully he is resilient and will be able to overcome what he has endured but I would think the average person would be affected in one way or another. 

It's such a shame that this child's teenage years, some of the most precious and memorable we have, are filled with so much hate towards him for no apparent reason. 

I can remember in elementary school, there was a time that there were certain kids that gave me a hard time, but they were just words, and there was never a hand laid upon me, ever.  Looking back I've always felt that the teasing I endured made me a stronger person, and better able to face adversity.  The world is harsh and unkind at times and we have to prove ourselves time and time again.  We gain strength from all we have to overcome but when what we have to overcome is physical abuse, then there is something deeper that is changed in us.  I can only hope that this child grows up without continuing the cycle of violence that was inflicted upon him. 

Pigeons, parrots, and chipmunks

Pigeons, parrots and chipmunks mingle together at the Lodhi Gardens, New Delhi - India.

Photo: Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Amy Walker

Amy Walker does a little tour of 21 accents in 2 1/2 minutes. From the UK and Ireland to Italy, Germany, Czech Republic, Russia, France, Australia, New Zealand, and around North America.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=3UgpfSp2t6k

Petty rant of the day.

While I was working on fixing up my apartment this week, my roommate, whom I went to High School with, showed me his High School yearbook.  He was 2 years ahead of me so in the yearbook, I was a sophomore.  I saw a couple of pictures of girls from that year who were wearing pajama pants.  Do you remember what I can only describe as one of the laziest and most unflattering fashion trends in recent history?  Girls, and sometimes boys(that's a topic for another day), would wear pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt to school.  Now I was no fashionista myself however I thought it was the most vile site ever.  Girls would have their hair done, makeup on, and then would be dressed in pajamas bottoms.  What the hell is that about?  They said it was comfortable.  I'm not asking them to get all dolled up, I don't even care for makeup.  But they took the time to put makeup on and do their hair and then they bring it down several notches with the pajamas.  I'm not asking for much, just a visual representation that you're not wearing the same thing you went to sleep in.  T-shirt and jeans is fine.  But the pajama bottoms just make you look like you are 2 months pregnant.  Funny thing is those same girls are the ones who dress to the hilt when they go out now.  I wonder what their reaction is when they see pictures of themselves from High School wearing pajama bottoms.  Do they vomit inside their mouths a little bit just like I do?

So You Want to Be a Blogging Star?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/technology/personaltech/20basics.html?ex=1363752000&en=37109237135537b3&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

 

"So You Want to Be a Blogging Star?"

The New York Times

By PAUL BOUTIN

Published: March 20, 2008

Successful bloggers with successful nonblogging careers offer ways to think about getting into the business of blogging.

Painting

I spent the afternoon painting the rest of my bedroom in my apartment.  The act of painting a wall is so relaxing and almost zen-like.  The prep work can be tedious, cleaning, taping, spackling and sanding.  But when you actually get to put brush and roller to wall, it feels great.  The smoothness with which the paint goes on transforms a dirty wall into a smooth, serene, palette waiting to be decorated.

Which has gotten me thinking...I would like to put a mural in the living room and one in my room.

The first picture is "Flowers in the attic" by jbyron.  The mural was done by Robin B and posted on Flickr. I think that would go well in the hallway leading to the living room. 

The second picture is by Anthony Hare.  It's classic Jack Nicholson but I want the mural that I put on my bedroom wall to be inspirational.  This mural is badass but it doesn't motivate me to do anything after looking at it. The search will continue for a bedroom mural. I'll post pictures of them after I'm done painting.

"Kristen"

THB - Thanks for the comments!

I really hope that young boys and girls don't view prostitution as glamorous because of the way "Kristen's" role is playing out in the media.  It's one thing for us to joke about it but I feel like the media has really glorified this girl.  It's sort of sick to think that she is making money off this whole debacle, possibly from exposure through her website and the inevitable future book deal and movie rights.  "Kristen's" MySpace page, before it was taken down after getting a million hits in a day, had an account of her childhood.  She said she was abused as a child, never really had a father figure, and had moved to the big apple to pursue her music career.  When interviewed by the New York Times she said her boyfriend whom she was living with was cheating on her and was neglectful.  There's no glamour here, only despair.  The Emperor's VIP club was selling their girls as high class when in reality they were anything but. 

At first I found myself getting caught up in the glitzy side of it, looking at "Kristen's" pictures where she was looking sexy, posing on a yacht, entering a club, and even cute ones where she was sitting in front of a computer.  Who knows what this girl really is but in all probability she was just not lucky enough to have had a loving home. 

Her portrayal in the media and subsequent public response has shown that we have put this girl on a pedestal. 

Locale - West Village

I started prepping the bedroom in my new apartment today.  I cleaned the walls, tore out the old carpeting, vacuumed, taped, spackled, and started painting the walls.  I also brought the parts for my loft bed up to the room.  I bought this bed from a graphics design student who was selling it on Craigslist last week.  It is an IKEA bed (Tromso) with a full size loft bed, ladder, desk and shelf underneath.  With the limited space I have this is the ideal piece of furniture for me. 

I took a walk down to the Ace Hardware store which is about a block and half from my apartment.  My roommate came along and as we walked down our block I could not believe what I was seeing.  There were so many stores right on my small block that were useful to me.  There was a copy store, record store, book store, photo shop, sushi restaurant, Thai restaurant, many other restaurants, a deli, and a furniture store.  If I wanted to go get something printed, go to the book store, grab some lunch, and get something for my place, while living in Long Island I would have to drive around for at least an hour.  And I live in a great shopping location on Long Island.  It just amazed me how close everything was.  Oh, there's also a basketball court just 2 blocks away.  Ballin'. 

 

Hulu

New website with great quality TV shows and movies.

Created by a partnership of NBC and News Corp.  100% free and legal!

http://www.hulu.com/

Hooker with a voice like an angel

http://amiestreet.com/ashleyalexandradupre

Ashley Dupre, Mr. Spitzer's lady in waiting, just released a new single a couple of hours ago.  It said on her MySpace page that she was a singer and she did have one song.  What an enterprising young woman to take advantage of the spotlight and introduce another one! 

Ridiculous.

Mr. Spitzer's woman

The New York Times published an article today about 'Kristen', Mr. Spitzer's high priced prostitute.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/13/nyregion/12cnd-kristen.html

"Born Ashley Youmans but now known as Ashley Alexandra Dupre, she spoke softly and with good humor as she added with significant understatement: 'This has been a very difficult time. It is complicated.' "

 

Above is a picture of her from her MySpace page.  Quite attractive, no?  Worth $5,000 an hour? 

 

Spitzer

We are currently in the midst of another sex scandal here in New York, and this time it is our crime-fighting governor (as of 12pm today, ex-governor) who is at the center of it all. 

"Over the previous eight years as attorney general, Mr. Spitzer, a Democrat, gained national recognition as the 'Sheriff of Wall Street' for his pursuit of corporate corruption and his self-styled role as the defender of the American investor. During his campaign, his signature promise was to change state politics 'on Day One' of his new administration, with ethics reform high in his sights." - The New York Times

According to federal affidavits Mr. Spitzer spent more than $80,000 on call girls over the last couple of years.  This dates back to when he was still state attorney general. 

I was shocked to here the news as was everyone else.  His political career is over now.   You know how they caught on to this whole prostitution ring and linked Mr. Spitzer?  The I.R.S. was alerted by some suspicious transactions by Mr. Spitzer involving money transfers to shell companies which appeared to be a front for some other organization.  They then brought in federal authorities and wiretaps were put in place. 

I can't help but think, hey at least he wasn't soliciting sex from another man in a bathroom, or admitting to having a gay lover, or caught in the act with a transsexual. 

What he did was illegal and he should be punished for it. 

Why couldn't he just go out and have an affair like a normal person should.  Mr. Spitzer, I wish you had just had an affair, thus only disappointing your family, and not the good people of New York whom you have served so well. 

Welcome back...2006

Written in January of '06:

 

Welcome 2006.

"When I close my eyes I see paradise. A sun drenched vista, a warmed sea breeze ushering me along a sandy shore. I choose to feel the sand beneath my feet. To watch the sunset and know when it rises I have a plan. I want 2006 to be the year I look at life as an opportunity, not an obstacle. This year I'm going to start my journey toward a career. And when I get there I will see paradise with my eyes open." - As read on the N train from Queens to Manhattan in an ad about a 4 year university.

One of the best ways to find out if the world is made for you is to go out there and see if you are made for the world.

I've got a whole lot on my plate lately.  Which leads me to ask the question; Why are there so many blog posts out there about being swamped with stuff to do for work or for one's personal life?  If we really have so much to do why are we sitting on our computers typing away semi-meaningless posts about all the stuff we have to do, instead of actually going out there and doing it?  Imagine all that I could have done in the past 3 minutes instead of yapping on here.  I say this:  I am never going to be able to finish all the things that I want to do so what is the point in getting stressed out about it.  Even on those rare occasions that I get a whole lot done in a day, there is always that 1 thing that gets left out and I don't have time for.  I never really get that feeling of completion.  When I'm working on deadline I work till the last minute and I always feel as though if I had a little more time or if I started working earlier I could have done a better job.  Is it the case that I (or we) are just doomed to repeat the cycle throughout our lives?  I envy those people who plan (and scheme) and get their work done on time.  Even though they stress to get their job done, once they are done, they are done, and are left to enjoy the rest of their time in peace.  The weekend is that much more fun for them.  They had the sense to plan ahead for things to do, friends to meet, and places to go.  I can't remember the last time I planned a trip all by myself.  I usually travel a lot, with friends.  I'm usually not the one who takes the initiative though, and says lets go here, or lets do this.  So far this year, my trips have all been snowboarding trips, the one trip to Colorado was planned by my friends, the rest of the snowboarding trips were day trips which I usually put together myself, but in typical fashion they were planned the day before.

So, what I'm saying is that there is a whole world out there needing to be explored but if I don't make plans, I'll never get to do any precious exploration.

Is this my curse?  To procrastinate till my very last days?  To leave this planet with the feeling of having done some great things, but mostly with the overwhelming feeling of not having done nearly all the things which I would have liked to. 

The picture above is one of my favorites...and so indicative of how I feel right now.

Gossip blogs and Tumblr

I've been on a rampage everyday, checking fervently all the celebrity gossip sites and "booby" blogs.  Not really sure why exactly but I think it has a little to do with the level of boredom and the level of horniness I'm experiencing.  They are utterly trash; the equivalent of standing in the checkout line at the grocery store and perusing the National Enquirer.  In all honesty though, looking at a nice pair of tanned celebrity boobies on the screen makes my day a little warmer and the summer seem a little less far away.

I check these sites on a daily basis:

http://www.hollywoodtuna.com/

http://www.bastardly.com/

http://www.thesuperficial.com/

http://www.bricksandstonesgossip.com/

I found the photo below on another blogging site called Tumblr.  Most of the blogs I've seen there are comprised of a collection of photos, or short clips.  The blogs themselves have a nice clean look to them.  Here's one I was looking at:  http://hrrrthrrr.tumblr.com/

 

 

Streaming movies

This site has streaming movies (new releases and movies that are still in the theater):

http://www.watch-movies.net/release_date/

I watched the abomination that is "Jumper" on this site.

The cool thing is that below all the links there is a rating (%) of whether or not the links to the movie work. 

 

 

Early to Rise...

Set the alarm last night with the glorious intention of waking up this Monday morning for a little 6:30am yoga.  Little did I realize that because we jumped an hour ahead due to daylight savings time yesterday, that in actuality I was planning to wake up at the ungodly hour of 5:30am.  Needless to say, 2 snooze button hits into my morning aspirations I turned off the alarm altogether and overslept well into the morning.  I've yet to have my morning coffee.  Tomorrow I'll try again but at a time much more suitable to my sleep habits.  I'll go for 7:30am tomorrow, and no snooze bar.  The snooze bar is the bane of my existence. 

Ahhhhh...there it is...some apple cinnamon cereal and a cup of freshly brewed coffee (half&half, no sugar).  Is there anything better in the morning? 

Now a little update on all that is the Magibon:

Jesskah reports from http://www.alivenotdead.com/jesskah/The+Magibon+Phenomenon-profile-101264.html that "Magibon has become so popular in Japan that Gyao (a Japanese internet/TV broadcasting company) invited her to come to Tokyo to work with them. Their YouTube message says something along the lines of 'We saw your comment on YouTube about wanting to visit Japan. If you are interested in appearing on Gyao, we would like to make a Magibon show. We'll await your reply on YouTube.' "

 

 

Lazy Saturday afternoon, parking, breasts, and of course Magibon.

It's raining outside and it hasn't stopped since yesterday afternoon.  Sometimes it's a little bit of drizzle and sometimes it downpours.  Traffic going into the city yesterday was brutal and real sloppy.  Once I got in I spent no less than 45 minutes trying to find parking on the Lower East side, Alphabet city.  There was not one spot and I finally had to park about 12 blocks uptown.  There's nothing worse than getting to dinner with your pants are soaked all the way up to your calves.  It's one of those feeling that rank up there with forgetting to use a q-tip to dry your ears after showering.  That wet cold feeling just stays with you for hours. 

The parking situation in the city is a direct result of the 142,000 free New York city parking placards that are given to police and auxilliary officers as well as civilian employees.  http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/06/nyregion/06parking.html?scp=2&sq=parking&st=nyt They aren't tracked and there are many counterfeit ones as well.  How do you even remedy something like that?  I'm glad that soon I'll be residing in the city itself and won't have to worry about driving and parking at all.

On a totally different note...what is it about large breasted women that just sends me into a frenzy?  The breasts, in my opinion, are really the essence of all that is good in this world.  A pretty face with a nice large (but not too big) pair of breasts, and a slim waist, is my ideal woman, always.  Think Keeley Hazell. 

Have you ever seen the videos by Magibon on youtube? http://youtube.com/user/MRirian This is a prime example of what a ridiculous waste of time youtube can be and that people will watch almost anything.  The videos are mostly of this young girl staring into the camera and occasionally muttering something in Japanese.  She has huge eyes which make her look like an alien.  She also makes pouty faces.  The comments show that some people share my cynicism while others absolutely love looking at 30 second snippets of this girl staring at a camera and making weird faces.  Just to give you an idea of how many times people have killed brain cells looking at her, her most viewed video has been watched 2.6 million times.  Here's a funny reaction video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IMY05M5fp4Q

You can't always get what you waant...

You can't always get what you waant...You can't always get what you waant...but if you try sometimes...you might get what you need.

Moving into the big apple. Very little effort put in on my part. And this is what I am most fond of in this whole equation. Sometimes good things do happen to people who wait around and do nothing. My buddy's moving out of his rent-controlled, I repeat rent-controlled pad in the west village. Primo location. 2 bedroom, 2 blocks from the heart of the village, and just enough room so I can sleep standing up in my bedroom. I can't believe this shit is going down. The vacancy just came to my attention this past weekend. Within 3 days I had seen the place, and made an offer for rent. No fuckin' broker to deal with, and no lease, just month to month. Easy peasy so far.

I can't emphasize enough how small this place is but I have my own bedroom, closet, and there is a shared semi-living room. I say semi-living room because there is just enough room to walk through which really makes it more of a glorified hallway.

I'm actually going to be using the subway. I wonder how long it will take me till I stop getting on the wrong train and going in the wrong direction, extending my 3 block subway ride into a cross-town, then up-town, and back down-town ill-fated adventure.

I like the fact that there is so little room in this place that I have to really get rid of a lot of my extraneous stuff before I move. I can't take all my junk with me and I refuse to keep my parents' place littered with all my old belongings. Actually, most of my stuff will just be boxed up and put in the attic so it will technically still be at my parents' place, just not littered about. Did I put the apostrophe in the right place in (parents'). I don't know, I need to look that up in the MLA handbook.

Headed into the city tonight for a friend's birthday dinner. We're headed to LeSouk. Normally I'm really not one for birthday dinner extravaganzas but in this case I concede because this restaurant has a belly dancer that comes on at 8:30pm. Also, they have hookahs which is a great digestif, and in all honesty sold me more than the belly dancer. Sure belly dancing is a beautiful skill but honestly who wants to see a woman roll the fat on her belly? I would rather just look at a nice flat stomach, not more toned than mine, just flat.