Main | December 2003 »

November 23, 2003

Life of Pi

Elaine assigned me to read Life of Pi. She usually does not make assignments, but we had both been turned away from this book--partly because of all that God talk on the back. Despite the potential for New Age or some other wackness, we were curious. We had a similar aversion to J.La's novel (that's Jhumpa Lahiri to the Pulitzer folk.) Elaine suffered through "Namesake." Ergo, I was assigned Life of Pi. And, I WIN! I am a Booker Prize s-n-o-b. "Touch a tiger" features prominently on the List of Things to Do in This Lifetime. So, a Booker prize winning book starring a royal Bengal tiger is like a dream come true. The book has that nice balance of funnies and darkness--good twist at the end. Yann Martel has that compassionate funnies thing that I'm into these days. He's also an incredible story teller. But literary mastery aside, he also has the most awe inspiring passage describing Richard Parker--that's the tiger. I'm no
Michiko Kakutani, but I highly recommend it! I'll be reading short stories
next, but I'm looking for book recommendations...

November 20, 2003

Back in cyberspace

Ahhh...i am once again a citizen of cyberspace. I love DSL. Living in an urban apartment complex--one of the many things to adjust to. I moved from the cozy basement of a Brooklyn brownstone to a walk up in South of Market. The BK basement was definitely a nice set up, great landlords :) and a beautiful yard. BUT, the neighbors were oh...ICKETTY POO! Bert and Ernie once paraded their white niece through their backyard so prospective buyers would know this was a "nice family neighborhood. " Amongst my floor mates in my new digs are--two gay men, a golf club swinging alcoholic and a mystery couple I have yet to see. Chris and Laurent are mad funny and great neighbors. Laurent has been living here for 18 yrs. As a result, he probably pays $2 in rent. But this building
also has it's share of *strange* people. For example the folks on the first floor have posted this sign on their door.
It's rather bizarre. And speaking of bizarre, what's up w/Michael Jackson?
I can't bring myself to read any of the articles. Can someone email me the
cliff notes version? And he was going for a fast cash comeback w/his Ones
compilation. Oh so sad. O.K. now that I have DSL, i'll be better about posting pictures.

November 18, 2003

Backlog

Hmmm...i can't wait till i have broadband and can blog more frequently. The backlog is not conducive to short entries. It's another high 60's and low 70's day here in the Bay Area. The weather is keeping my spirits up. This is feeling like the first real week of unemployment over in Lunamania. Everything has been so hectic w/this bicoastal move and things are finally settling down. I'm a bit distressed at the lack of job openings and staving off an existential crisis about what to do w/my life--more precisely what to do w/my law degree. But as Vin and Joannie say--the whining department is permanently closed. Therefore, I will maintain a Polyanna-esque demeanor and appreciate my time off. Actually, I am enjoying life. In addition to the food--which there will be more
blogging on below--I'm still in tourist mode about how picturesque this city is. (For those who care, I should have DSL in 3 days so pictures will be coming soon.) Joannie and i went running along the marina this weekend. If you ignore all the people, it's an amazing path. You see the GG bridge, Alcatraz and the entire city. It almost made me want to run some more. Almost. I'd much rather whack a ball around. And I did last night! I "played" tennis for the first time since leaving San Francisco last night. The city has great public courts that don't require a license, are lit till 10PM and near lots of cheap eats. I hear they also have free lessons, so this may be my unemployment workout! Last Friday, I went to see "Hot Rods and Hot Pants" a cabaret show for Tranny Fest. There were about 10 performers and despite my jaded--keep that mic closed--self, I really enjoyed it. I think it helps when there's a mix of artists who take their work quite seriously and folks who are clearly just looking for an audience for their personal creative fixations--like this one femme dance troupe that goes around performing Bob Fosse numbers. They were pretty hilarious. I was surprised at the number of white tranny Emcees. Their style was a bit Eminem meets the Beasties. A tad questionable to say the least. I much preferred the drag queen rock band who crooned..."I am a tranny dominatrix. I do it for the power, the leather and the pleasure of 150 and hour." The Cutie Patootie award goes to Jen Ro She being like 16 or something made me feel old. But all in all I was happy to spend the evening in such a queer space. Now for the food update. Last weekend was the rehearsal desserts--tres leches cake was attempted. So this weekend was the real deal. We amended the recipe and used the Magnolia cupcake recipe--i mean why mess around? And took Al-b's recommendation of poking even more holes in the cake--increases absorption. My arteries are now permanently clogged w/condensed and evaporated milk. We also baked a flan. mmm...flan. We actually baked 2 flans. The first one failed because we didn't have the right kitchen gear for the water bath. Yes, flan must be baked in a bath of water. Otherwise you get a "soufflan" or a very puffy custard like cake thing. It's tasty, but unsightly. Hopefully, the folks at Joannie's office will enjoy it. The second one came out very nicely tho! O.K. i'm off to enjoy my day and will be back--hopefully w/a broadband connection soon!