Hodgepodge

So I missed a few days. Not because I was too busy or because I had nothing to write about. I couldn't decide what's most important to put out there. So you get highlights instead:

Into The Wild
Jon Krakauer's book was adapted by Sean Penn into a film that, while sorrowful, will show you glimpses of such beauty that you won't know why exactly why the tears are rolling down your cheeks. And while the NY Times said that Eddie Vedder overdid the melodramatic music, I felt transported by his voice and harmonies. Yes, I cried. I'm such a sap.

If Not Indian Summer...
I'm assuming it's un-PC to call this bizarre weather "Indian summer". What exactly, then, can we call it? "Global Warming In Progress" summer? The "Ex-VeeP Who Cried Wolf Was Right" summer? "Seasonal Patterns Are Permanently Shifting" summer? I'm stumped. Suggestions?

Is Iran Next?
Getting nervous that the ubiquity of Ahmadinejad and his bizarre campaign to poke at the Bush White House, and that that same ubiquity might lead to a gigantic mistep into yet another unjustified war. At the same time, I wonder if it's a gimmick to steer the media and the public away from the continuing call to decrease troops in Iraq. Misdirection has worked before. Various journalists have analyzed whether the possibilty truly exists. All I have to say is, "OH NO, NOT AGAIN!"

Homelessness Rates Go Up In New York?
Is it just me, or are there more people living in the streets recently compared to, say, 5 years ago? According to the homeless advocacy group Robin Hood (www.robinhood.org), homelessness is at its highest in recent years. Is this a fallout of the slowing economy? Or is it just simply the city administration not making the right decisions? And what is truly the best way to help?

Cleanse and Purge

Folks, get your mind out of tabloid world. No, this is not a report on the latest celeb rumored to be having eating disorder issues.

As unglamorous as this may sound, I've been enjoying a thorough purging of my closet over the past few weeks. Piece by piece, outfit by outfit, I've already thrown out two large Hefty bags filled with clothes I haven't worn since...ahem...college. Sigh. Isn't it strange that some of us women can become emotionally attached to a random dress or outfit that holds memories? So I find myself filling a separate bag with pieces I just can't seem to toss out altogether.

My mission is simple -- Keep classic pieces, toss out anything that's too fad-y. And yet this has been one of the most challenging endeavors I've taken on lately. Did I mention unhealthy attachment to clothes?

I never considered myself to be tethered to material things. They're just objects, I keep telling myself. Is it possible that somehow clothes are different since they function much like an everyday creative outlet for people like me? Since I don't draw or paint much anymore, I consider my morning ritual of getting dressed to be my attempt to create something pleasing to my eyes. Grant it, I don't always succeed, but most days, I do dress to reflect some aspect of myself.

But alas, for the sake of my sanity (as well as the groaning rack in my closet), I must see this agonizing yet strangely enjoyable ritual of closet purging to the end. Again, sigh.

Pet Peeve of the Month

Okay, this is a pure, unfettered rant. One of my biggest pet peeves hit me again today.

So I'm walking up the exit stairs of the West 4th Street stop, walking behind this guy who's walking a bit slow for my taste. But that's not my pet peeve. It is annoying when people slow down just as they reach the stairway, but it's not the end of the world.

What does get my goat is that he slowed to a complete stop by the second step, then lit up a cigarette. He took a deep drag, and blew it out with the world's biggest exhale, as if he wanted me to get the full lungful of second hand smoke.

What the f**k is that??? I have friends who are smokers, and I never mind if they light up in my company because they make a conscious effot to not let the smoke blow my way. But the "Subway Step Smokers" are the worst offenders of the city ordinance against smoking in public places, not just because they light up in the most public of city space -- the little bit of transitional space between the subway and the sidewalk -- but mostly because their actions speak volumes about total their lack of respect for other human beings. Their act is almost defiant, as if to say "I know you can't stand this smoke blowing in your face, and that's exactly why I do it."

Folks -- please, I beg of you -- there are those of us who absolutely cannot breathe if you leave a trail of smoke behind you as you exit the subway. A bit of consideration shown to your fellow subway riders by waiting the ten steps it takes you to walk out to the sidewalk to light up would be graciously appreciated. In fact, the next time a smoker waits to light up, I WILL go up to him/her and thank him/her profusely for their magnanimous generosity shown to other human beings. No, really. I totally would.

"Just a Humble Bounty Hunter, Ma'am."

Holy asteroids! I can't believe Cowboy Bebop is back on Adult Swim. Spike and his gang are at it again!

Just in time, too. I was just thinking the other day, while listening to the soundtracks (composed by the prolific Yoko Kanno), about the episodes I had missed when Adult Swim aired it last. And then, voila! Perfect timing, no?

For the uninitiated -- Cowboy Bebop is perhaps the perfect anime series ever created.

In 2071, a rag tag team of bounty hunters roam the solar system in search of their next big bounty hit. Each member of this crew of four, plus one genius dog, has a unique story. Each bounty hunt gets them closer to answers from their past. And each adventure brings them closer to each other.

Who knew anime characters could have such chemistry. Each episode, called "Session", falls in place like a jazz piece, which is as it should be, since jazz is a primary influences on every aspect of Cowboy Bebop. No synopsis I give here could possibly convey the appeal of Cowboy Bebop.

The series of 26 episodes was aired in parts by 3 various broadcasters in Japan between 1998 and 1999. The series found an audience in the US on Adult Swim, and has always done well on any of their repeat rotations. In 2001, Sony Pictures relased an animated feature "Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door," which was a critical hit in the United States.

In recent years, there have been rumors of a live action feature based on the series. But I fear that the magic cannot be replicated: Can't think of a single actor who can embody the main character Spike's unique balance of dry wit, disdain, laisse-faire air, and wounded heart. Or the enigmatic adorableness of Ed.

What is it about L & O Anyway?

No matter what day of the week, or what time of day, there seems to be a Law & Order on TV. Besides the new season currently on NBC of the original and SVU, reruns of the original run on TNT, SVU and Criminal Intent on USA. And now, My9's been airing Criminal Intent. So is this why I find myself addicted to all 3 series? Or is it on all the time because people are addicted to these shows?

All I have to say is that I'm so relieved that the other offshoot, Conviction, never stuck. Even that's on reruns now, but thankfully, it's on HD. Whew. Don't get HD.

But why are these shows so addictive? Is it the self-contained nature of each hour? Is it the completely unrealistic concept of tying up everything into a nice, neatly packaged box in one episode? Or is it the way in which these shows unfold -- you know, you can pretty much guess what the big "surprise" twist is, and yet when you see it, you still feel impressed with your ability to figure it out early on?

Another interesting thing about all 3 series - there's a handful off actors that are repeat customers in various parts. Some even return as a villain after having played the "good guy" on previous episodes. This can become a game, as in "which season did I see that actor in before?"

Last but not least, the mere sliver of personal lives they flash of the main characters keeps you watching as well. For example, will Olivia and Elliott ever resolve their push-pull love-anger codepency? Even the allusions to former lead characters is magnetic - I await any mention of Lenny Brisco in any episode.

Is this an insidious strategy of the producers of the 3 series to keep viewers hooked, or my own pathological need to have a quick fix of easy answers in a life filled with unanswerable questions?

A New Yorker's Been Remiss

Last week, I realized that it's been exactly 17 years since my move to New York City. How is it possible that I have been a New Yorker for that long? It's certainly flown by in a blur of life-changing experiences. And yet each year, I find myself saying "Gotta get to those things that ya gotta try at least once."

Don't get me wrong -- I think I've managed to squeeze in quite a lot, and I've enjoyed every single minute of exploration between the career-hopping, the relationships, and the buzz of every day life.

But somehow, I have managed to accumulate a mile-long list of things I have not been able to get to do or see. I don't mean tourist destinations like Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building (been there, done that, when I WAS a tourist back in the day). Nope. In fact, I'm talking about the types of things that only true New Yorkers can appreciate.

All respectible New Yorkers carry such a list: Restaurants they dream of celebrating life's milestones at (who doesn't want to have a birthday dinner at Union Square Cafe or Gotham Bar & Grill?), grabbing a drink in little hide aways that only true New Yorkers know about, strolling through neighborhoods they've always wanted to explore, and get aways unique to NY and its environs. There are oh-so-many items, but for now, I'll just list the top 5 I hope to accomplish by this time next year, in no particular order:

1. Hop on the Metro North for a day trip to the Cloisters.
2. Drinking champagne on the roof garden of the Met.
3. Stroll through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
4. Go to a taping of SNL (I know, the good ol' days are gone, but still).
5. Attend screenings at the New York Film Festival.

And one for good measure that's not technically in NYC but many New Yorkers do: Go rafting on the Adirondack Rivers.

Return To Second Class

Could we be sliding back to the pre-suffragist days? As absurd as that may sound, I can't believe that in this day and age, there are major corporations that actually try to treat women like 2nd class citizens. Apparently, Southwest Airlines has been "enforcing" a dress code just for women.

23-year-old Kayla Ebbert told The Today Show last week that she was stopped by a Southwest employee when boarding a flight from San Diego to Tucson back in July. Only after she adjusted her sweater and mini skirt was she allowed to board. How humiliating and demeaning is that? She had to do a "walk of shame" just to board a flight that she paid for.

Wait, as if that weren't bad enough, a second woman has come forward to report that she, too, was asked to cover up by a Southwest flight attendant when she attempted to board a flight to Burbank from Tucson. Setara Qassim told KNBC-TV in LA that a flight attendant forced her to use a blanket to hide from the other passengers because she was wearing a halter dress.

Have we reverted to a paternalistic, fascist state overnight? What right does any airline have to impose a dress code exclusively on women when the passengers are already paying more than they should be for cramped, uncomfortable flights with recyled air in a tin can with wings that barely passes for an airplane? Who are they protecting anyway? And if women have to cover up their shoulders or their legs, will they require that hairy necked men wear a turtleneck? How about those men who refuse to believe that they've put on an extra 10 or 50 pounds so they wear Dockers that end up giving that oh-so-lovely camel toe look? How about that flabby guy who's a few years past wearing wife beaters? Would they make him cover up with a blanket from his neck to waist?

In a year when the airlines have already failed on so many levels (remember all the delays during any inclement weather or technical glitch at all the major airports?), what gall to insist that a young woman who is dressed in attire that I could wear to my work on any hot, summer day hide her figure? Is Southwest afraid that if a heterosexual male pilot happens to see the woman sitting in the cabin on his way back from the loo, that he would be so distracted that he can't fly the plane?

IMHO, airlines have a long way to go to rectify all the wrongs in an industry that is essentially one of service, not unlike a restaurant or hotel. They can barely guarantee safety, what with pilots who fly drunk. Their baggage handlers have turned out to be thieves. And don't even mention comfort -- how many seats can they squeeze into a row before we're sitting on top of each other anyway?

There is absolutely no language on their website about the existence of any dress codes. I suspect Southwest could not possibly put such a policy as this in writing for fear that it would expose them to a whole heap of legal trouble. And who made the decision to put such a policy in place? How high up does this go?

This is beyond sexism. It is an outright violation of the civil rights of all women travelers. It may just be a halter here and a mini skirt there...for now. But how do we know that soon, this will not lead to "all women must cover all skin other than their faces." Are we becoming exactly the kind of society that our President has vowed to "liberate" and "democratize" where women do not share the same and equal rights as men?

A frightening development indeed. Truly.

Story at http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/09/13/airline.dress.ap/index.html?iref=newssearch

Why now?

Ok, ok, ok. I've been hearing "Blogs are the new journals" and "Everyone's got one now" and "It's easier than sending group emails [which no one reads anyway]."

So here I am. Starting my own.

"Why now?" you ask. Well, because everyone I know is experiencing major shifts. Whether it be the randomness of personal life, the joyous milestones for my family and friends, or my need to vent when things in the universe go askew, I dearly hope I don't experience what I do now whenever I read old journal entries from high school or college: "I can't believe I felt the same things back then."

At least, you'll find a chuckle or two here, or a smile. And at best, maybe we share our stories and find some common ground, learn a thing or two, and voila! Our lives will be that much fuller.