Native

Home this morning, greeted by the 'rents fresh from Florida.

Mom (as she's juicing tangerines): Nag-ihaw ko og chicken. [I "barbecued" chicken).

Me: That's nice.

Mom: Yeah. I butchered it. We bought a live one and I butchered it.

She shows me pieces of chicken in a Glad bag, thawing and blood tinged.

Mom: It's native chicken.

Here I was thinking of giving her Michael Pollan's oeuvre as a present, but those are useless to a farm girl. You can take the farm girl out of the farm, but ...

Photo: Calamansi and Calamansi, Jr. - lone survivors of a Florida winter from my Mom's Florida yard.

Snow Day. Again.

I deserve an Olympic medal for trudging all this mess on the way to work and back home. Slip and slide can be an Winter Olympic sport.

Book Envy

In the subway car on the way home,
Envied the commuters reading the books on my Amazon Wishlist:
"The Hunger Games" and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks."
Recreational reading, how I miss thee.

SpaHa

- You moved?
- No, I'm moving.
- To where?
- SpaHa.
- SpaHa? Where's that?
- Spanish Harlem.

Gentrification begins with coining a "hip" name -
In Manhattan, that usually consists of
Plucking and stringing along the first syllables,
e.g. Soho, Nolita, Tribeca, etc.
Then telling your prospective renters / buyers,
"It's up and coming neighborhood."

Ash

Today is when Catholics advertise themselves.
I know them because of the dirt - I mean, ash - on their foreheads.
Some are distinctly crosses, others are just gray smudges.

Let's Vote, NYC!

This is the Gotham Awards in the category of Best Condom Wrapper Design.

Health Department Unveils Five Finalists in NYC Condom Package Design Contest

After assessing hundreds of possible package designs for a special limited-edition NYC Condom, a panel of judges has selected five finalists. The Health Department has received nearly 600 entries since December 15, when it invited New Yorkers to design a wrapper that would “capture the city’s
distinctive culture while promoting safer sex.” Designs have flooded in from all five boroughs, and as far away as Perm, Russia. New Yorkers can vote for their favorites starting Thursday, February 11 through Sunday, February 28.

To vote, click HERE.

VD

VIP

You know there's a VIP in the building when news vans are parked in front ...

Inclement Weather

Many are so sure of tomorrow's blizzard.
The belief must be that we will not be spared this time -
It's payback.

So sure are they that:

-my dentist's office called me three times about my appointment: to confirm it, to say that they might not be open tomorrow, and to reschedule it later in the day.

-the school department canceled its welcome reception for new students tomorrow.

-"A View from the Bridge" tickets popped up on TDF with the disclaimer: "DUE TO the impending inclement weather, THESE SEATS ARE NOW AVAILABLE AT THE LAST MINUTE. As always, THERE WILL BE NO REFUNDS or EXCHANGES. In addition, NO PAST-DATING REQUESTS will be considered by the theatre's management."

-the best selling item at the mom and pop stationary/toy store was a bright orange plastic snow sled. The owner had the hard job of disappointing little children and their parents, telling them to come back tomorrow at 9 a.m. when they will have the remaining items shipped from their warehouse. He stressed that they should come early because he is sure that he will run out of them by 11 a.m.

Scotland (cont'd)

P.S. to yesterday's post.
While they're at it, maybe they could make the bottles less breakable, too.

From: Coatbridge Journal
For Scots, a Scourge Unleashed by a Bottle
By SARAH LYALL
Published: February 4, 2010
Buckfast Tonic Wine is a symbol of Scotland’s drinking problems at a time when it is debating how to address them.

"Glassing"

How's this for Health Promotion?

From The Associated Press:
British Toast New Shatterproof Pint Glass
Half of all violent assaults in Britain are alcohol-related and drinkers are known to smash glasses and use them as weapons. British leaders say the country will save billions in health care costs by coming up with a glass that doesn't double as a lethal weapon.

Reminds me of the "British coal-gas story" in decreasing suicide.
(Although that was accidental).
Will they clink like real glass?

Some choice quotes:
"Glass feels good in the hand, it feels cold. Plastic is warm."
".... plastic glasses are an insult to beer drinkers everywhere ... "

"Someone in a Tree"

AEA would probably revoke my card for embedding this vid.
But this is like unearthing a treasure -
My OBC's liner notes coming to life.

The scene/song is a one-act play.
And that "someone" in a tree is Long Duk Dong in "Sixteen Candles"!

Oscar Noms 2010

Not since the nascent years of the Academy have we seen a list this long.
Only the National Board of Review and AFI concoct this scroll nowadays.
Expanding it to 10 nominees for Best Picture dilutes the brand.
Years from now, when folks mention "The Blind Side" as a Best Picture nominee -
They will dismiss that descriptor because of its batch's larger pool.
It's the populist Oscars.

Further notes on this year's noms:
-The Fanboys are here to stay. "Avatar," "District 9," and "Inglourious Basterds."
-"The Blind Side" and "Precious" cancel each other out. Aren't they the same movie?
-The Best Animated Feature Film Category is no longer pitiful. Perhaps the strongest yet. But where's "Ponyo"?
-True cinephiles know that the "real" Best Pictures are those cited in the Screenplay categories. No "Avatar" and "The Blind Side."

Of those on the list, I think highly of the movies that start with a "U."
But the one that starts with an "A" will win the prize.

Grades

First day of school for this term.
Already 6 chapters behind.
Cue the circus music ... and the juggling begins.

Coincidentally, from The NY Times:

The Choice: A Tougher ‘A’ at Princeton Has Students on Edge
By JACQUES STEINBERG
Published: February 1, 2010
Some 'Type-A' students on an Ivy League campus worry that the job market may punish them for grades lower than at other institutions.

I can vouch for my school (non-Ivy)-
That those who come to expect an easy A
Are sorely mistaken.
A few classmates from another private university, nonmatriculated,
Took Physics during the summer in my school -
Because they thought our Physics would be easier than their school's Physics.
Also it would increase their GPA at the other university - if they earn that A.
An underestimation on their part. (Not to mention that laws in Physics do not differ from school to school.)
And this was a prerequisite class for med school!

I am Type A.
Grades matter to me.
Up to a point.
An easy A is a waste of time if I learned not a whit.