Fixing up the Times Square subway station.
11/06/2004
11/05/2004
11/04/2004
Now I Know Why!
Yeah, it's all clear to me now. I talked to my friend Bill, another one of my phenomenally talented friends, last night. He told me I could move in next door to their house in Athens, GA and rent a nice 3-bedroom for about, well, for about the price of my one, noisy room. Maybe that's why I'm not feeling so good today. R.E.M. would be my neighbors, too. I'm really only a big fan of the Monster album, but still, it's the principle of the thing, isn't it? And that really adorable Chris from Atlanta isn't married yet either. Always the wrong place at the wrong time, aren't we now?
Even Toffifay Doesn't Make It Better.
My stomach is upset today.
Could be food from the street vendor. Could be the coffee. Could be that I found a beige & chocolate brown cat hair on my sweater. (I miss you, Calder, schmoupy, my kitty-cat!)
Some things I've noticed about New York:
Could be food from the street vendor. Could be the coffee. Could be that I found a beige & chocolate brown cat hair on my sweater. (I miss you, Calder, schmoupy, my kitty-cat!)
Some things I've noticed about New York:
- There is no "ladies first" in New York.
- That pretty Vitamin Water always tastes like watered down Kool-Aid.
- Restaurants always try to frou-frou things up. (Green Beans Almondine really shouldn't taste like garlic. And why can't I get a plain old sandwich of something? Anything? No crusty, chewy fancy bread or thick, gooey fancy cheese.)
- Produce is really bad here. REEAALLLLY bad.
- People think New Yorker's are always at a high-pace, but they don't get on & off trains efficiently, and I've yet to meet a grocery/convenience store/drug store cashier who doesn't move slower than a snail.
- Almost everything is really inconvenient.
- Every cappuccino I've purchased has actually been a latte. And don't get me started on the mocha that started out with powdered hot chocolate mix.
- Places you see on TV that looked really cool before you got here, are actually pretty dumpy and disorganized in person.
- Macy's Herald Square is poorly merchandised, messy and difficult to maneuver through. (But the windows DO look nice!)
- Come to think of it, every store is poorly merchandised, messy and difficult to maneuver through, except on the Upper East Side.
- Central heating and air conditioning is unheard of in New York.
I'm sure I'll think of more. Perhaps it's all just bothering me extra today, since everyone's telling me the terrorists are going to bring bombs into the subway system. Would I die for this?
New Yorker's React to Bush's Election.
From the Metro, Thursday, November 4, 2004:
MANHATTAN The re-election of President Bush has saddened some New Yorkers and worried others about new terrorist attacks.
"By us voting Bush back in, it says to the rest of the world that we’re okay with the U.S. killing more than 100,000 Iraqis," said Ed Hale, 31, who spent part of the afternoon sulking with two friends in Madison Square Park. "By all accounts, I’m in complete shock. I haven’t been able to answer the phone and have cancelled all meetings and appointments. I’m sitting in the park instead of working."
Hale, who recently moved from Florida and now lives in Midtown, said he now expects the worst. "There will be retribution," referring to the potential of new terrorist attacks. "I’m freaked out."
Joanna Velez said she fears another attack is already in the works. "I bet you [al Qaida] is setting something up right now to attack us," said Velez. "I’m really worried." The 25-year-old Lower East Side resident said she is also concerned with job creation, or lack thereof. "I just wish I had the ability to adjust the outcome of the election," she said. "It’s bad news for our economy."
"I’m very bitter about it," said John Jiler, a writer from Lower Manhattan. "From now on when people notice that their rivers are foul, the economy is in the toilet and young men are dying, they have no one to blame but themselves. I’ve never been more depressed about the state of this country," he said.
Meanwhile, a Democrat who voted for Bush because he was the "best man for the job," said an offensive stance on terrorism remains the best way to thwart another attack on American soil. "The terrorists will try again, so we have to get going after them," said Kevin Glennon, of Staten Island. "It’s obvious Bush does a better job on terrorism than Kerry would have."
JOSHUA RHETT MILLER josh.miller@metro.us
11/03/2004
All's Quiet In The East.
The Tavern woke me up with loud music at 1:30, 2:30 and 3:20 this morning. But the last time I checked my cell phone for election results was 2:30. So I didn't know what the outcome was still this morning. But unlike the polls last evening, which were bubbling with laughter, the trains this morning were silent.
New Yorkers are afraid. I mean truly afraid of what the next four years could bring to them, still a major target for terrorism. Unless you come here, and live everyday, you don't really realize how much New Yorkers have moved on with their lives since 9/11, and how much it is still part of daily life. There are advertisements and announcements on the trains: "If you see something, say something... Be suspicious of anything unattended... tell a police officer, an MTA employee, or call the anti-terrorism hotline."
Actually, I just now remembered how I as was walking to the Switchfoot concert on Friday, just from the train station a few blocks down from the Manhattan Center, there was a barrage of emergency vehicles going downtown from every direction. And helicopters sorting above. Everyone was curiously looking up, some were stopping in their tracks. I almost called my roommate to see if there was anything on the TV that I should know about. But, I figured if I needed to know anything, I would know very shortly and I continued on. It was creepy.
New Yorkers are afraid. I mean truly afraid of what the next four years could bring to them, still a major target for terrorism. Unless you come here, and live everyday, you don't really realize how much New Yorkers have moved on with their lives since 9/11, and how much it is still part of daily life. There are advertisements and announcements on the trains: "If you see something, say something... Be suspicious of anything unattended... tell a police officer, an MTA employee, or call the anti-terrorism hotline."
Actually, I just now remembered how I as was walking to the Switchfoot concert on Friday, just from the train station a few blocks down from the Manhattan Center, there was a barrage of emergency vehicles going downtown from every direction. And helicopters sorting above. Everyone was curiously looking up, some were stopping in their tracks. I almost called my roommate to see if there was anything on the TV that I should know about. But, I figured if I needed to know anything, I would know very shortly and I continued on. It was creepy.
11/02/2004
Oh, For Pete's Sake.
Of goblins and gospels
Evangelical Christians have decided that instead of boycotting Halloween, they're going to take advantage it -- by slipping Bible verses into kids' candy bags.
This is the sort of thing that makes me really embarrassed to say I'm a Christian. And I hate how often I feel compelled to say I'm embarrassed. It's not the Christianity that embarrasses me, it's the modern day Christians.
This article from Salon.com this weekend is a prime example of why so often I feel this way. If you have to proselytize by dropping cartoon booklets into trick-or-treaters' candy bags, then maybe you're not whole heartedly sold on what you say you believe. And maybe you don't even understand why you believe it. Handing out tracks is quite possibly the most passive way of introducing another human being to anything. Why don't you just talk about it? Why don't you just live it? Let your everyday life be your introduction to Christ-centered living.
Men and women spend so much time trying to master the art of attraction. The consensus has generally been, that mystery is what draws one sex to the other. It's that je ne sais quoi, that spark, that unknown whatever that makes a person come over to talk to you to learn more. And yet, to draw people to Christianity, the soul-saving, life-changing whole reason for being, we just throw it all out there. The stupid jargon. The morality tale-telling computer-generated vegetables. Christians even steal intellectual property in the name of "winning one over for Christ." (i.e., a wavy red and white Coca-Cola logo that actually says "Jesus Christ.") But I digress.
I phoned my big brother to check in on Sunday night. Your little sis is still alive and well in New York! And I was so excited to tell him about the mob of costumed children running the main thoroughfare in Queens. From early afternoon until about dinner time, the storefronts and restaurants were just bombarded by trick-or-treating princesses, monsters, and all of pop culture's favorite cartoon characters. He was tickled to hear I had fearless climbed aboard the "N" train with an adorable little 2 & 1/2 year-old devil earlier in the day. "New York kids take their Halloween seriously," he enthused. "That's good to hear. Middle America is so damn scared of it, they wanna take all the fun out of it and have Fall Festivals and crap."
By the time I was in high school, the "Fall Festival" was a full on, mass market trend. I can't say I ever encouraged the belief in all things scary and devilish. I'm close to 30 and I still hate to watch scary movies. Maybe I just feel that it's ironic, because the church youth group leader who's espousing the evils of Halloween has oft been proven to be the same guy who's cheating on his wife. Really, all I want are more free Slow Pokes and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and fewer Smarties and Jaw Breakers. The more houses I trick-or-treat, the higher the percentage of good stuff I'm likely to get.
There are few goody two shoes who are goody-goodier than I have been all my life. I've just always been that way. And so I find it odd within myself that I don't identify at all with fundamentalist Christianity. Maybe I fear God. Maybe I'm a big chicken. Maybe I try and employ Christ's directives within myself before I go telling anyone else he's going to hell. It's that beautiful struggle that hopefully entices someone out of their dark, miserable struggle to recognize that of God within himself. And when you realize that God is within, and without, and a safety, and a light, Halloween doesn't really seem all that threatening.
Evangelical Christians have decided that instead of boycotting Halloween, they're going to take advantage it -- by slipping Bible verses into kids' candy bags.
This is the sort of thing that makes me really embarrassed to say I'm a Christian. And I hate how often I feel compelled to say I'm embarrassed. It's not the Christianity that embarrasses me, it's the modern day Christians.
This article from Salon.com this weekend is a prime example of why so often I feel this way. If you have to proselytize by dropping cartoon booklets into trick-or-treaters' candy bags, then maybe you're not whole heartedly sold on what you say you believe. And maybe you don't even understand why you believe it. Handing out tracks is quite possibly the most passive way of introducing another human being to anything. Why don't you just talk about it? Why don't you just live it? Let your everyday life be your introduction to Christ-centered living.
Men and women spend so much time trying to master the art of attraction. The consensus has generally been, that mystery is what draws one sex to the other. It's that je ne sais quoi, that spark, that unknown whatever that makes a person come over to talk to you to learn more. And yet, to draw people to Christianity, the soul-saving, life-changing whole reason for being, we just throw it all out there. The stupid jargon. The morality tale-telling computer-generated vegetables. Christians even steal intellectual property in the name of "winning one over for Christ." (i.e., a wavy red and white Coca-Cola logo that actually says "Jesus Christ.") But I digress.
I phoned my big brother to check in on Sunday night. Your little sis is still alive and well in New York! And I was so excited to tell him about the mob of costumed children running the main thoroughfare in Queens. From early afternoon until about dinner time, the storefronts and restaurants were just bombarded by trick-or-treating princesses, monsters, and all of pop culture's favorite cartoon characters. He was tickled to hear I had fearless climbed aboard the "N" train with an adorable little 2 & 1/2 year-old devil earlier in the day. "New York kids take their Halloween seriously," he enthused. "That's good to hear. Middle America is so damn scared of it, they wanna take all the fun out of it and have Fall Festivals and crap."
By the time I was in high school, the "Fall Festival" was a full on, mass market trend. I can't say I ever encouraged the belief in all things scary and devilish. I'm close to 30 and I still hate to watch scary movies. Maybe I just feel that it's ironic, because the church youth group leader who's espousing the evils of Halloween has oft been proven to be the same guy who's cheating on his wife. Really, all I want are more free Slow Pokes and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and fewer Smarties and Jaw Breakers. The more houses I trick-or-treat, the higher the percentage of good stuff I'm likely to get.
There are few goody two shoes who are goody-goodier than I have been all my life. I've just always been that way. And so I find it odd within myself that I don't identify at all with fundamentalist Christianity. Maybe I fear God. Maybe I'm a big chicken. Maybe I try and employ Christ's directives within myself before I go telling anyone else he's going to hell. It's that beautiful struggle that hopefully entices someone out of their dark, miserable struggle to recognize that of God within himself. And when you realize that God is within, and without, and a safety, and a light, Halloween doesn't really seem all that threatening.
34th & Park Ave.
Lunch hour.
I don't find the city to be quite so frantic people think it is. This photo is from about 12:30 p.m. today. Maybe I'm just lucky to be in this part of town. (Which is Murray Hill... I think.)
11/01/2004
What Happens When People You Know Become Celebrities.
Well, I trucked over to the Manhattan Center about 8 o'clock on Friday night. I was quite hungry by the time I arrived, so I bought a pretzel from a street vendor. It was HUGE. Quite a large pretzel. So I walked up the entry line and the security peeps halted me in my tracks.
"Gonna have to finish that before you come in."
"Ohf...mvf...kay," I choked out. "When...doefs...Sfwich...foot...goef...on?"
"Nine-thirty. You can wash that down by then," he smirked back at me.
"Are you Ron?" I asked.
"How do you know him?" he asked.
"I don't. Talked to him on the phone today briefly. I used to work for the band's label in Nashville."
"Do you need some water to go with that pretzel?"
And so then and there, I met Zeus, the band's bus driver.
The bus drivers are, by far, some of the most interesting roadies you can meet. And I'd like to befriend anyone with the name Zeus. I don't know, it just sounds like the phrase, "Let me call my friend Zeus," might be handy one day.
He ended up walking me backstage. (Thanks anyway, $22 ticket.) And then it got weird.
He walked me onto one bus, where drummer Chad Butler was hanging out. Chad never remembers. And that's okay. I didn't really need to go say "Hi." I was just stuck with Zeus, who felt the need to tour me around. I must have been believable as a friend/former co-worker of the band. (Bands, be glad I use my powers for good and not evil.) Anyway, it was completely awkward, "Hi, Chad, you probably don't remember me..."
Yeah, he didn't and he awkwardly brushed me off the bus.
So we went to the next bus and I met Ron, the road manager. He seemed a bit high strung for a road manager, but nice enough. And Jerome was there. Yes, Jerome who I met the first time probably when I was about 19 and a writer for Syndicate magazine. He and a guy named Jyro fronted the bands Mortal and Fold Zandura in the '90's. So we chit-chatted and watched a bit of a Chevy Chase movie. Then Zeus and I took our leave.
Once the show began, we stood stage right and watched. Hence these "behind-the-scenes" photos below.
Just Jonathan.
Jerome, Jon, Tim.
Zeus left me. Then Ron kicked me out and told me to go get my passes. I rathered watching from the audience-view anyway. I was impressed. The band was good. I've probably seem them tank more shows than actually nail them, so I was relieved and excited to see their progress as performers. It took a lot of work on the behalf of my former label boss to get this band is good shape. Talent is important, but working hard is more so. The hall was nearly sold out. I thought that was excellent for New York City on a Friday night.
Afterward, I had to wait around with the other Aftershow Pass holders. Finally, when Switchfoot came out, everyone passed me by, but Jon, who smiled and said, "Hey, how ya' doin'?" and shook my hand. I said, "Good! Go talk to everyone and we'll catch up at the end."
Jerome and I chatted. He pained my heart by talking about his residence in Southern California with a view of the ocean. I miss California a lot. I still think I'd like to end up there again, eventually.
When Jon came back around, I asked about his new nephew Peter, who was born shortly after I moved from Nashville. We had an entire conversation, then he said, "Oh my gosh, I totally didn't even realize who you were." Some thoughts should remain inside of your head, I thought. But I suppose I was relieved that his countenance changed to a more familiar one as we finished our chat. There's a Switchfoot endorsed web 'zine in the works, and it looks like I'll be involved in that. (Stay tuned!)
I was quite depressed as I meandered back to the train station and on home. But I realized, as of late, I see them on TV regularly, and listen to their records all the time. I, on the other hand, make an appearance in their lives only occasionally now. It still hurt. And I'll kick their arses if it happens again.
As for Zeus, maybe he'll call when he's back in New York driving Snoop Dogg around.
"Gonna have to finish that before you come in."
"Ohf...mvf...kay," I choked out. "When...doefs...Sfwich...foot...goef...on?"
"Nine-thirty. You can wash that down by then," he smirked back at me.
"Are you Ron?" I asked.
"How do you know him?" he asked.
"I don't. Talked to him on the phone today briefly. I used to work for the band's label in Nashville."
"Do you need some water to go with that pretzel?"
And so then and there, I met Zeus, the band's bus driver.
The bus drivers are, by far, some of the most interesting roadies you can meet. And I'd like to befriend anyone with the name Zeus. I don't know, it just sounds like the phrase, "Let me call my friend Zeus," might be handy one day.
He ended up walking me backstage. (Thanks anyway, $22 ticket.) And then it got weird.
He walked me onto one bus, where drummer Chad Butler was hanging out. Chad never remembers. And that's okay. I didn't really need to go say "Hi." I was just stuck with Zeus, who felt the need to tour me around. I must have been believable as a friend/former co-worker of the band. (Bands, be glad I use my powers for good and not evil.) Anyway, it was completely awkward, "Hi, Chad, you probably don't remember me..."
Yeah, he didn't and he awkwardly brushed me off the bus.
So we went to the next bus and I met Ron, the road manager. He seemed a bit high strung for a road manager, but nice enough. And Jerome was there. Yes, Jerome who I met the first time probably when I was about 19 and a writer for Syndicate magazine. He and a guy named Jyro fronted the bands Mortal and Fold Zandura in the '90's. So we chit-chatted and watched a bit of a Chevy Chase movie. Then Zeus and I took our leave.
Once the show began, we stood stage right and watched. Hence these "behind-the-scenes" photos below.
Just Jonathan.
Jerome, Jon, Tim.
Zeus left me. Then Ron kicked me out and told me to go get my passes. I rathered watching from the audience-view anyway. I was impressed. The band was good. I've probably seem them tank more shows than actually nail them, so I was relieved and excited to see their progress as performers. It took a lot of work on the behalf of my former label boss to get this band is good shape. Talent is important, but working hard is more so. The hall was nearly sold out. I thought that was excellent for New York City on a Friday night.
Afterward, I had to wait around with the other Aftershow Pass holders. Finally, when Switchfoot came out, everyone passed me by, but Jon, who smiled and said, "Hey, how ya' doin'?" and shook my hand. I said, "Good! Go talk to everyone and we'll catch up at the end."
Jerome and I chatted. He pained my heart by talking about his residence in Southern California with a view of the ocean. I miss California a lot. I still think I'd like to end up there again, eventually.
When Jon came back around, I asked about his new nephew Peter, who was born shortly after I moved from Nashville. We had an entire conversation, then he said, "Oh my gosh, I totally didn't even realize who you were." Some thoughts should remain inside of your head, I thought. But I suppose I was relieved that his countenance changed to a more familiar one as we finished our chat. There's a Switchfoot endorsed web 'zine in the works, and it looks like I'll be involved in that. (Stay tuned!)
I was quite depressed as I meandered back to the train station and on home. But I realized, as of late, I see them on TV regularly, and listen to their records all the time. I, on the other hand, make an appearance in their lives only occasionally now. It still hurt. And I'll kick their arses if it happens again.
As for Zeus, maybe he'll call when he's back in New York driving Snoop Dogg around.
10/31/2004
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