Happy Halloween!

Thanks for all the political discourse. Now check out pets in costumes! Adorable or just wrong? You decide. (Stolen from Cute Overload and The Morning News.)

Mistaken Identity = Pub Invitation

Totally without Brian’s permission, I’m posting this because I think it’s awesome. He has many name twins around the world, and apparently someone sent this e-mail invitation to him instead of some more Irish Brian Hurley.

From: Aine Hurley
Sent: 31 October 2008 13:12
To: ‘Pat Hurley;’ ‘Brian
Hurley;’ 'Bernadette Hurley'; 'Michelle Hurley'; 'Kyran Hurley'; 'Callery, Nuala'; 'Patrick Hurley;’ 'Catherine Hurley'; 'Edel Hurley'
Subject: final details

Hi Guys,

Finally, we have got nearly definite numbers for our "do".

We are meeting at the Foggy Dew pub at the side of the Central Bank in Dame Street at 7pm on Sat 15th November and then moving to Fitzers in Templebar for our 8.15 booking.

Please advise is soon if you need to opt out. We have at the moment approx 40 people going and Its a sit down meal.

Patrick – Can you give these details to Kevin

Catherine and Ber – please advise Ger

Also I am making out a FAMILY TREE thingy….. and leaving spaces which I'd like everyone to fill in so Mary Higgins can update our tree.

Aine.

Some great things about this. One, I have always loved the name Aine, and used it as a pen name once upon a time. Two, I really want to go to a “do” at the “Foggy Dew” pub! Three, I enjoy that “Ber” and “Ger” can be people’s nicknames. Three, see, even Irish people in Ireland are researching their family trees, not just us rootless Irish-Americans!

Let’s all crash this party. See you in Dublin.

I love this holiday, and all its history

Before you all take the kids out in their Iron Man costumes, or don your Sarah Palin-in-drag attire, or gorge on marked-down Halloween candy, let’s take a moment to pay homage to our ancestors by reflecting on the Celtic origins of this now thoroughly commercialized holiday.

Halloween derives most of its customs and timing from the holiday of Samhain (pronounced sow-en), which is in Irish Oíche Shamhna (pronounced ee-heh how-nah). In Gaelic cultures the festival took place around October 31, in our calendar, and was dedicated to the end of the harvest and to the dead. Traditions differed slightly throughout the region, but I focus here on Irish customs, because those are my people. (I like to think.)

In medieval times, a great gathering took place at the hill of Tara, ancient seat of the kings. Villages held huge feasts that brought people together in merriment, but it was also the time to begin storing food for the winter and slaughtering livestock. Many tales in Irish folklore begin at the Samhain feast, the hero starting out on his quest right after. Great bonfires were lit to mark the beginning of the dark half of the year. Villagers would take torches from the town bonfire to light their home hearths and bond the community together.

Like in other cultures around the world, Samhain was thought to be a time when the veil between the worlds of the living and dead lifted, allowing socializing between the two. Offerings of food and drink were left on tables, and songs and dances were performed to entertain the spirits.

Early writings show that Samhain likely has roots in indigenous traditions that the Romans encountered, and that survived the attempt to Catholicicize it into a saint’s day.

These days, neopagans in the British Isles wear velvet cloaks and light fires in an attempt to honor the past. While I applaud their intent, they mostly just look silly.

Instead, think of how lucky you are that you don’t have to hoard supplies for the winter, lament the loss of the cheerful hearth fire in our homes, then put on a crazy wig and go get drunk.

Slainte!

Marketing Watch

Does anyone else think the new Pepsi logo looks a bit like the Obama logo?











Or maybe Barack has all along been channeling his inner love for Coke’s competitor. There’s something funny going on here. Pepsi for President?

Also, why does Pepsi feel the need to change their look every few years? It’s still the same old brown bubbly goodness. I apologize to my mother for taking up space in my bureau at home with special-edition holiday Pepsi cans ca. 1989. Anybody else remember those?

Pepsi’s new bottles: photos here

Pepsi's New Logo A Bargain At Several Hundred Million Dollars

What Went Into the Updated Pepsi Logo

On Obama’s Half Hour Last Night

If you are one of this site’s treasured Republican or Libertarian voters, please forgive the next sentiment.

I just wanted to say that never before has an infomercial brought tears to my eyes. Twice! Miraculously, Obama inspires me to believe in America again. Holy god, let’s elect this man.

Secondly, who picks out these families to profile? Whose job is it to sift through millions of Americans to select the ones raised to national prominence for dramatic effect? I find it very strange.

To non-Obama supporters, I’m sorry you were inundated with his image on all the networks last night. I’m sure that was very annoying. To others of us, let’s all keep doing what we can to make sure our candidate wins next week.

And either way, soon this will all be over and we can start focusing on issues instead of politics. Yay!

Your favorite costume?

Holy crap, people used to look really scary on Halloween!

Check this out: "Halloween in the Time of Cholera" - Vintage costume photos on Flickr

Now let's take a break from political bickering and indulge ourselves in some good ol' fashioned reminiscin'.

I would love to hear in the comments what some of your favorite Halloween costumes were from when you were a kid (or an adult, whatevs). Mine were all homemade. I mean, mom-made. And often hand-me-down. Which was fine.

Being the last sibling, I often ended up with a recycled clown costume that was my brother’s four years before. But hey, if I actually sewed something I’d want all my kids to wear it, too! I still treasure an outfit that was made just for me—I was a gypsy at age 4, with long skirt, matching bandanna, and jingly bracelets. Freaking adorable, I tell you.

I wish you all could share incriminatingly cute photos of Halloweens past! Kids today are so spoiled that all bajillion photos of them are digital and easily uploaded. You’ll just have to take my word for it that when I went as a fisherman in third grade it was hilarious. Because I had a mustache. Attached with masking tape. That kept falling off. Hilarious, I say!

Now you go.

W.

I know this film has gotten lukewarm reviews, but I recommend it to anyone who wants to be reminded of how important this election is. (As if you all needed that prompting.)

The acting for the most part walks the line between naturalistic performance and impersonation. Josh Brolin brilliantly plays Bush as a real person, not the caricature we’ve all seen. This movie would have been quite different if they’d brought Dana Carvey out of retirement. Thandie Newton’s Condoleezza is slightly bizarre, but then so is Condi herself, with the pursed lips and nasally voice. (Don’t ask me how they let a Brit into this film, though.) Really fantastic is James Cromwell as an intimidating elder Bush—the father figure always disappointed, now in his son, now in himself.

I don’t think I’ll ruin it if I tell you the film stops in 2004. The frontstory focuses on the lead-up to the Iraq war, and the personality clashes and misinformation that brought us to this quagmire. It rather lovingly ends with Bush faltering over his determination that what he did was right. This is a Bush for whom you indeed do feel sympathy.

I left thinking, “Wow, I wonder if history really will only remember the first term of the Bush presidency.” What has he done, for good or ill, in the last four years that stands out? That old war cabinet has largely disappeared, and strides he tried to make, like on Social Security, fell short.

This is a fascinating, and painful, film that Americans on both sides of the red-blue divide will gain insight from, if only because it forces you to remember how we got where we are. And then think about where we go from here.

Link, link, link. Linking is fun.

Let it be known that for the first time in a loong time (that’s pronounced just how it looks) I have revamped my links section, below right.

I added a bunch of sites belonging to friends of mine (listed by most recently updated!), as well as some of my absolute favorite websites for laughs or insight or both. Read: these are all sites I check approximately 94.35 times per day. Because I’m incredibly, desperately bored or I’m avoiding actual work.

Check them out! And let me know if there are any friends sites’ I’ve missed.

And now for some real photography.

The Boston Globe started a new blog over the summer, The Big Picture, and it is amazing! Some of the best photography I’ve seen outside of National Geographic. Plus, they run the photos huge and all on one screen gathered by theme, so you don’t have to click though a slideshow.

A couple of my favorite galleries:

Lighting up the Night

Days of Autumn

Not just the world’s best photography, but fascinating visual commentary on culture, astronomy, zoology, and war. (Click on any of these photos to go to their galleries, also.)

Do you like pictures of trees?

I like pictures of trees.

Yesterday was gorgeous—one of those warm autumn afternoons that remind you why you moved to New York. I spent a good portion of the day in Central Park, wandering down from the top to the bottom. I find it interesting to walk from north to south because the lower you go the more crowded the park becomes with tourists and shenanigans.

As long as you’ll excuse my obsession with the architecture of trees, please see some photos, here: Sunday in the Park (with camera)

I really enjoy taking photos and am trying to get better, particularly compensating for lighting conditions and taking close-ups. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn.

Cheers!

Time flies

It’s a rare Saturday post to celebrate the following momentous occasion:



Yes, it was one year ago today that this blog began, with the post:

“I can never read all the books I want; I can never be all the people I want and live all the lives I want.”—Sylvia Plath

I like this quote because it reflects an anxiety I think we all feel—that there’s so much out there to do, be, see, and experience that we could never possibly achieve it all. But I take it as a challenge to try, and to along the way find peace with the life I choose.

I started this site with two intentions: 1) to force myself to write, and 2) to let people back home know a little about what’s going on over here. I’m not doing so great on the first goal, as the blog has evolved more into a place for me to pass along strange, funny, or infuriating media pieces. I will keep doing that, but will endeavor to also create more thoughtful and in-depth writing.

Thanks for reading FPC and sharing your comments! I hope you keep coming back.

Incidentally, this is also the birthday of frequent commenter Eric, who is slightly older than this blog. :) So cheers to you, too!

The capital of fake America

I think John McCain should tell the 21.2% of New Yorkers living below the poverty level (compared 12.7% nationwide) that they are elitists. Oh wait, he just did. Watch these horrifying comments here, about 4 minutes in.

I am so incredibly tired of this divisive rhetoric. I spent my lunch hour listening to Sarah Palin go on about “real Americans” and how only people who work in factories in small towns are “pro-America,” and I am simply fuming. This whole idea of not qualifying as an American unless you agree with these candidates and exist in a particular socio-geographic slice makes me absolutely sick.

Even Jon Stewart seems to be speechless. But at least watching this made me feel better.





Update: Michael Ian Black is also not a real American. (Read this, it's funny.)

My heart bleeds

Aw, life's so hard without a $65,000-a-year job at age 22.

Harsh Math for Wall Street’s Young: Stay or Go?

Precious.

I am still busy at work—what are they, paying me to edit or something?—so meantime check this out.

Yes We Can (hold babies)

If you're not already an Obama supporter, maybe don't check it out. The cuteness may nauseate you.

By the way, this is one of those crazy instances where a couple people (Emerson students, woot!) create a website that strikes just the right chord. Within two weeks of its existence, it has been linked everywhere!

Including here, now. What? I'm a follower. Deal.

Discuss amongst yourselves

I’m editing, editing, editing today, so I can’t throw out a well-reasoned argument for why “The Magnificent Seven,” which I watched last night, is a time-warp of disturbing racial portrayal. (Think, Mexican villagers as noble savages.)

Instead, I’d like to know if anyone else is haunted by Yul Brynner’s performance as an animatronic-gunslinger-turned-psycho-killer in “Westworld.” I couldn’t stop being freaked out by him as I watched the movie last night. You know why? It’s because he’s wearing the exact same outfit in the two films, 13 years apart!

"The Magnificent Seven" (1960)


"Westworld" (1973)

Creepy, right?

Also, audiences agree that Steve McQueen, known for his awesome stunts and overall manliness, would have been at home in Greenwich Village in this get-up.

As the movie goes on, his baby-pink shirt becomes slowly more unbuttoned, showing more tanned chest and cute little blue scarf and eventually a medallion. Hott.

I am a bad photojournalist.

I was wandering downtown yesterday evening and saw some firetrucks go past, then spotted what looked like a cloud of smoke over the buildings nearby. I thought, “Huh, that looks like smoke. Naw, I think it’s just clouds. Ah well, la di da…” and continued on my way.

I was two blocks from a blaze being fought by 100 firefighters that caused several injuries.

Fire guts Little Italy building

SOHO INFERNO

I think I need to up my curiosity quotient.

Interestingly, depending on which news site you read, this fire was in Little Italy, Nolita, or SoHo. See, no one knows these stupid neighborhood boundaries!

Also, an update on another news story I witnessed: To anyone to whom I told the story of seeing dozens of sick cats that had been discovered in a U-Haul near my house being cared for one recent Sunday afternoon…I am not crazy!

Rounded-Up Stray Cats Need Homes

Anyone want a cat?


Photo from Gawker

New Jersey is surprisingly scenic

Sam and Jane had the best idea ever: to rent a car this past Saturday and drive down to New Jersey’s Pine Barrens region to watch the cranberry harvest. It was a cold, cloudy day into which we packed an insane amount of adventures. I’d be ever so pleased if you’d take a gander at my photos, which I’ve conveniently placed in this Picasa album so as not to clog up my blog.

Down the Shore and Back Again

Thanks!

Sports are only fun when they win

I spent Sunday watching all THREE of the sports teams I was rooting for lose. How 'bout you?

Boo.

Thinking that's beyond backwards

Thanks to Brian for pointing out this completely idiotic and offensive argument from The National Review of why Obama shouldn’t be so quick to be pro-choice. Read it yourself here:

Former Fetus Barack Obama

I looked up the author, Ed Whelan, and he is the president of this frightening organization: The Ethics and Public Policy Center.

Here’s Brian’s response to this information:

“Wow. Basically a group that's trying to destroy the separation of church and state.

How can anyone think that the hypothetical scenario of your mother having aborted you disqualifies you from supporting a woman's right to choose? Aside from being a crass and invasive line of argument, it's just logically empty. People who are alive, are alive. People who were never born ... have nothing to do with this issue. Because they don't exist!

P.S. If you had never existed ... you would have felt differently about this issue.”

You think you're better than me?

Sure, you’ll all see this on Gothamist, but I think it’s interesting, so I’m posting it here, too.

Milk & Honey, Cocktail Mecca, Goes from Secret to Private

This represents the side of New York I hate the most—the exclusivity, pretension, and basically high-falutin’ nonsense. It’s just a bar; get over yourselves. Since the end of Prohibition, bars no longer have to be secret, much less private. The only reason for a bar to act this way is if it wants to discriminate against the rabble, the less stylish, the less moneyed. I hate the idea that being “in the know” makes you better than regular people.

I am not interested in any of the “secret” bars in New York. I will get a delicious dog at Crif Dogs but I will not visit the hidden bar that requires you to enter through a phone booth. We are not living in a spy novel, folks.

And check out these rules at Milk & Honey!

I’m all for gentlemen removing hats indoors (in fact this is a giant pet peeve of mine) but “no talking about fighting”? Can I discuss the consequences of unprovoked warfare? What about the intricacies of fencing?

I once went with some coworkers to Little Branch in the West Village, another of this proprietor’s stupidly secretive lounges, and had the privilege of paying $15 for fruity martinis and being glared out by the server and other patrons when we got a case of the giggles.

Honestly.

Noooooo!!!!

American Girl Says Farewell to Samantha Parkington

That's okay. You can't take my Samantha doll away from me! Plus the shiny Christmas dress and adorable winter coat and muff. Awww.

Maybe I should buy more of her awesome schwag before it's gone...

Candy-stripe ties at last night's debate?

Yes!


I think this is raspberry.



And maybe peppermint?

I think what we seeing here, guys, is that ties with dots, checks, paisley, plaid, or even solid colors are totally unacceptable in the current financial crisis. It's only diagonal stripes that say, "Pick me, Joe! I'll lead you out of this mess!"

Sign of the times?

Since I started working here the very prominent first-floor square footage in my office building has featured signs in the windows advertising “Banking Space Available.” Now they suddenly have been replaced with signs selling “Luxury Retail Space.”

Are we thinking it’s unlikely that banks are thinking of expanding right now? I believe so. I don’t feel it’s a great time to lease a space for your luxury store, either, but that’s just me.

Stolen from Language Log

Hilarious mixed metaphors!

“My sense of where things are: John McCain beat back what was a political climate that would have snuffed out any other candidate in the Republican Party,” said Nicolle Wallace, a senior adviser. “He’s beat back every hurdle that was ever placed in front of him.”—in the NY Times, 10/11/08

See post here, (but beware all the intentional groaners in the comments section). While you're there, read more Language Log. It's wonderful.

This set design makes me want to vote Green

Hofstra University on Long Island is preparing for the last presidential debate tonight. Blah blah, commentary commentary, punditry punditry … I refuse to read any pre-gaming this time around. McCain and Obama are going to say the same things they’ve been saying, and make more silly mistakes for late-night comedians to skewer.

More importantly, check out the stage! It’s once again the same set, with day-glo red carpet and bright blue walls, just like in the previous debates. My retinas are still recovering! Why can’t we do something classy, like maybe a hardwood floor and some cream molding? Instead, it looks like a romper room on acid. And the same eagle swooping down from above! (Swoop swoop.)

Incidentally, Brian, Sam T., and I discussed during the last debate how the whole red state–blue state thing didn’t really come about until the 2000 election. Seems like so long ago. Seriously, check it out: Red states and blue states.

Lastly, I’m taking bets on if we’ll see more candy-striped ties. Mmm, delicious.

Eeee! My hometown is in the Times today!

The Clampers! Murphys!

Promoting Offbeat History Between the Drinks

Check out the interactive feature for photos of the E. Clampus Vitus wall in my fabulous and minuscule hometown. So famous! (Plus also shots from San Andreas, where I was born, and all the other ridiculously rural towns I traipsed around growing up.)


Look, look, it's Main Street! Holy crap I miss home.

Not at my computer all day!

I have Columbus Day off, so I won't really be posting today. Instead I am sitting home in my pajamas and cleaning up from a super fabulous party we had here last night. Thanks everyone for coming!

P.S. Columbus Day is the silliest holiday, based on a heroic myth, but I'll take whatever days off I can get.

Cheers, everyone!

Afternoon creepiness

Stolen from It's Lovely, I'll Take It! You just have to look through all the pictures on the listing:

Insano House o' Dolls & Bears

How do you even cook in kitchen like that? I am so frightened of whoever lives here.

Woot!

Connecticut Ruling Overturns Ban on Same-Sex Marriage

This means New York LGBT couples won't have to travel as far as Massachusetts to get married. (Since, as of this summer, out-of-state marriages are recognized in New York.) They can go just up the road!

Now, c'mon, California! I know you can do this.


P.S. Here's a picture of a friend of mine from high school officiating at a wedding in California. Aww...

But I forgive you.

Dear Mr. Caribbean Proselytizer on the B Train this Morning:

It’s a glorious Friday morning before a three-day weekend. I neither need nor want at this moment to be told I’m going to hell.

Can’t you see most of the people on this train are trying to read? You, with your raised voice and sharply punched out words of “If you DIE with your SINS, you WILL go to HELL!” are not making that very easy. Just how do you expect me to ever finish War and Peace if you distract me from half an hour’s reading?

Why oh why did you pick our car to preach on during the ride from Dekalb to Grand Street? You knew this would give you a captive audience for a great length of time as we traversed the Manhattan Bridge. I don’t agree with your supposition that this is what Jesus wants you to be doing—disturbing innocent people’s morning ruminations with your hellfire and damnation. You don’t see us heathens coming and wrecking your peace with efforts to convert you to an unbeliever, do you? Hm? You’re lucky I treasure my book so much or you’d have just had 1,465 pages of Tolstoy coming at your head. If I’m going to hell anyway, why should I be nice?

Go with God,

Carrie

Buttons!

Thanks to Brian for pointing me toward a website that takes the ubiquitous "_______s for Obama" to a whole new level.

DemocraticStuff.com

I want all of them! But here are a few that apply to me, or that I just find funny.

Oh, and this is for Steven: