Self Portrait with Caryn

I must be getting better at these arm's-length self-portraits. I have about a thousand of Caryn and me doing this, but most of them are pretty awful (I have a double chin in at least three-quarters of them). This one, though, is not half bad.

Park(ing) in New York

I just heard about this interesting thing happening in New York in September. Select parking spots all over the city will be handed over to people for one day only to be turned into something more fabulous than a place to stick your car. Park(ing) Day is a chance to “get everyone thinking about our scarce public space and how we use it.” Most folks seem to go for a park effect, rolling out sod, bringing in benches, shrubs, and umbrellas, and setting up camp.

What would you do?

Little Italy of the Bronx

With a bit of prompting (and driving) from Rena, I found myself on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx this weekend for the first time in my entire life. I loved it! Of course I did: it was a trip all about eating. And not only was it all about eating; it was all about eating Italian food and Italian pastries. Anyone who knows me could have predicted that this trip would have been a success.

I liked it much better than Little Italy, which is a complete tourist destination now. Though Arthur Ave definitely had its share of tourists, it also felt more authentically like a neighborhood. And the food was great and a bargain, too! The eggplant parmigiana we had from Mike’s Deli was worth the trip alone. There were so many things that I didn’t get a chance to try (despite eating enough for a week) that a second trip would not be out of order.

Tell No One

Saturday night, Todd and I tried to see The Dark Knight. We were disappointed but not completely surprised when we arrived at the theater in the early evening only to learn that every show until the 4:20 a.m. was sold out (side note: are people really going to the movies at 4:20 in the morning?!).

None of the available movies were really speaking to us, so we ditched the blockbuster theater and headed a few blocks south to a smaller and more indy- and art house-friendly cinema where we saw Tell No One. This French thriller is definitely worth watching: it has enough twists and turns to keep you guessing throughout, while never veering into the land of the absurd. And I appreciated the European sensibilities present, where not every loose end is tied up with a neat and happy bow.

I still want to see The Dark Knight, but this was a very satisfying alternative.

It's contagious

Idiots

Health in the USA

The other morning on our way to the train, Todd was saying that he wanted to lose some weight. The conversation went a little something like this:

Todd: “I bet I could lose 20 pounds in two weeks if I took a bunch of laxatives.”
Tori: “Sure. You could also just stop eating chocolate every day.”
Todd: “No. The laxatives are chocolate-flavored!”
Tori: “You know, there’s no secret trick. All you have to do is eat more vegetables and exercise a little.”
Todd: “But I’m an American!”

Hilarious.