Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Yeah, I'd Recruit Him

In fact, he would be at the top of my recruiting list!

Monday, July 27, 2009

Professor Gates

After all the hoopla over Professor Gates being arrested in Cambridge a few days back, I was reminded of a story that Ron White, a famous Texas comedian, has told.

Seems that Mr. White was stopped by the police on suspicion of drunk driving. He accused them of profiling. Turns out he was right: they were stopping everyone that night who was driving on the sidewalk.

Maybe it's the same with that cop up in Cambridge. Perhaps he had made up his mind to stop everyone who he believed was breaking into a house.

As for me, if I am breaking into my own house, I would be damn pleased for a peace officer to stop me and question me and ask me for my identification. Just as the other night, I attempted to use my ATM card and it wouldn't work. I called the bank, they asked me to verify a few things, and all was well. It seemed that I had a pattern the past few days that suggested possible fraud. Sure, it was an annoyance--but much LESS of an annoyance than finding out some thief absconded with the last few dollars I have to my name. Perspectives do change, folks. They surely do.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Visit From a Feathered Friend

Who knew I would become such a fan of Gabby (short for Gabriel), who was rescued from some fate unknown to me and nursed back to the healthy owl he is today? And who knew an owl would have so much personality? Gabby is a ham and loves attention. Like me, he is nocturnal by nature yet still appears by day as required for work. For more on rescuing animals, visit the website of Red Creek Wildlife Center.







Saturday, July 18, 2009

Day 8 Now Complete

I have now finished over 1.5 weeks with my new employer. The Good Nurse did not believe that my office is bigger than the bedroom in East Harlem. It's not because I'm anything special. I suspect it's because the price of real estate in suburban PA is such that extra space is not anything special. As well, I found a neat book cover I thought that The Good Nurse would find especially funny, which is below. Here are some pics because I am too pooped to type much more.

The world as I see it from the desk where I sit.

The world as people see it who enter the office.

Among book publishers, it is common to sell licenses (call "rights") to publish books to publishers in other countries. I found this one on display in the office. Honest to goodness, I still have no earthly idea what appeal a book about the Amish in a town in Pennsylvania has to people in any Asian-language-speaking country. Yet, a publisher in Asia bought the rights and published the book! I don't know what language it is, but I thought The Good Nurse would find it entertaining.

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Paying Income Taxes Once Again

Last Wednesday, I began a new job. The headquarters for my new company is near Harrisburg, PA. So every Monday morning, I get up at 4am in order to hit the road by 5am to arrive at the office before 8am. As long as the weather is beautiful, it is a joyful drive that gives me time for reflection and observation and solitude that rejuvenates me. For now, I am renting a room just a couple of miles from the office. By Friday afternoon, I try to be out of the office by 4pm and head back to NYC. That seems to be a pretty good time to avoid the biggest traffic headaches and can put me in East Harlem by 7ish. My new employer is a privately-owned publishing company which publishes some wonderful books I am proud to sell. The scary part? My office at the company's headquarters is larger than my bedroom in NYC. Seriously. The company has a NYC-based editor with whom I spoke on Friday afternoon. We both laughed about that, and how the people in central PA can't comprehend the concept.

I don't expect to be multi-state-resident forever. But this company is one where the people are both nice and professional and highly-skilled. This is a tough situation, but these are tough times. The Good Nurse and I are willing to make this sacrifice for near-term. The next chore for me is to buy a vehicle. Something cheap and reliable. Just enough to make the 200-mile journey twice weekly. Of course, some weeks will find me home-based in NYC as I see my clients in this area and to travel to see clients across the USA. Because, let's face it, LGA and JFK have far better flight options than the Harrisburg, PA, airport.

If you ever find yourself in the greater-Harrisburg area, and want to buy me a meal, holla!

Friday, July 03, 2009

Reviews and Such

Well, I promised a review of the new Sonic Drive In near Teterboro airport. Note that when the Good Nurse and I ate there, it was day 6 of operation. In spite of being open less than a week, it earned a grade of A-minus. Impressive! I had a bacon-cheeseburger, onion rings and sweet tea. The Good Nurse had chili-cheese tater tots, a hamburger and diet-Coke. It tasted as good as I remember having back in Scottsville, Kentucky, as a child. The only reason that they earned the "minus" in their grade was because the beef in my burger was only luke-warm. A hot burger is important! The Good Nurse allowed that his burger was hot and as delicious as he was expecting.

The good:
-sweet tea was perfect. Just like Mom's!
-chili-cheese tater tots are addictive and served perfectly.
-service was friendly and they even sent around a person to check on every car to make sure everything was good. He carried around a condiments tray, too! Very thoughtful.

I believe the luke-warm burger was due to the sheer volume they were hosting that day. It was truly a busy place. But we will be back. I had to address the hesitations of Marc and Jess, two of my favorite people and also Sonic veterans. You fellas should give this Sonic a shot! As promised, below are some pictures of the adventure.


Me. The afterglow.



The Good Nurse in eager anticipation.

I think I was the only anglo visitor on this day.

A business just before the Sonic entrance. A sign they have been busy!

Finally, two other quick reviews--or consider them warnings.

LAND OF THE LOST: without a doubt, the worst movie I can ever remember seeing. The acting wasn't bad. In fact, some of it was pretty damn good. But whatever committee wrote this film dropped the ball and never found it. It ruined the film. I will never get back that 97 minutes.

HAWTHORNE: again, I can't fault the acting, for the most part. But for a drama, this is about as believable as George W. Bush becoming a Rhodes Scholar. I speculate that Will Smith must have told TNT to give his wife (Jada Pinckett-Smith) a series or they could never show his movies again. How else would this waste of celluloid wind up on television? When I say that I couldn't fault the acting, for the most part, Pinckett-Smith is the weak link. She may not be a bad actor, but this is not the right vehicle for her. Believable? Imagine a nurse (even a head nurse) telling off the Chief of Surgery at a major hospital. Her job would last no longer than I expect this series to last.

I hate to end two with two reviews that are so very negative. So I will add a positive. "The Closer" is one of the finest series ever and I am delighted and excited to watch it every chance I get. You should watch it, too! The writing, the acting, the cinematography...THIS is what good television drama is all about.

Happy Independence Day!