Breaking Greenwood Heights news

Someone call CNN. This is a momentous occasion.

The grocery store at 25th St. and 4th Ave., two blocks from my house, has at long last reopened!

My friends might remember this store, only slightly larger than a normal bodega and affectionately called "The National." It smelled funny and had rotting produce, but it was a place where I could purchase frozen pizza and yogurt and bread. It closed down for renovation eons ago, leaving me with no option but to survive on gathered dandelions growing in the sidewalk.

Or, okay, more realistically, I've been subsisting on cans of refried beans from the corner store. Mmm....

But now it's magically transformed into a sparkling new (if still tiny) C-Town (town town)! I went there last night and honestly could not stop smiling. Oh, what a few months of deprivation in Brooklyn will do to you. Perhaps best of all, the management has retained most of the workers from The National. I have never been so pleased to see anyone in my life! I look forward to more transactions where I feel like a moron because I do not speak Spanish and you smile at me indulgently yet impatiently.

Hooray!

(Pulitzer Prize–winning photos of The National then and C-Town now taken by me.)
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E.W. Scripps, you are breaking my heart!

Rocky Mountain News is Shutting Down

The parent company is also considering closing The Chron and the Seattle P-I!

I {heart} print newspapers, and though I know these are tough economic times, I blame greedy publishing conglomerates like Scripps for snapping up newspapers in better days, then not running them efficiently, and abandoning them at the first sign of trouble. I believe every major market should have two viable, competing newspapers. It's a huge blow to democracy when there's only one journalistic voice to be heard.

Very sad.
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The moment

There is a moment in my mornings when the train emerges from the tunnel in Brooklyn onto the Manhattan Bridge. Creamy pale sunshine bursts through the windows, lighting the dingy subway interior and sleepy people. I raise my eyes from my book where they’ve been focused, or the floor where they’ve been unfocused, and gaze out at the city.

I see cars creeping and barges tugging and realize there’s a world going on out there. The internal shifts to the external. Smoke plumes from Staten Island factories behind Lady Liberty and then the sightline fills with vivid graffiti on Chinatown rooftops.

But it’s that first moment of luminescence and expansion that I adore. I wish I could capture that little burst of gladness and carry it with me the rest of the day.

Photo by Chris van Diemen on Flickr.

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To Tweet or not To Tweet

I'm going to assume each of my blog readers falls very strongly into one of the following categories in regard to Twitter:

- Hate it
- Intrigued by it
- Never heard of it

No matter which group you identify with, it's irrelevant because I'm starting to Twitter. Not in an obnoxious, "I just had grapes for lunch and they were yummy" kind of way, but in a ... well ... I haven't decided what way yet. Let's just try it out and see.

On the blog, you'll see that in the sidebar I've added a Twitter widget. (Neato!)

On Twitter, you can follow me at http://twitter.com/carriem213.

Why am I doing this? So I can be cool like Michael Ian Black, who's just started a Twitter war with LeVar Burton. I adore MIB and he might be only person on Earth who I will actually enjoy following on Twitter. Don't expect me to be as witty as him. My job is analysis and hope-sharing, not comedy. (Which is not to say I won't try to be funny.) Also, I hope to one day be as totally awesome as Wil Wheaton on Twitter.

Please let me know what you think. And if anyone knows if the correct verb for posting updates to Twitter is "to tweet," "to twitter," or perhaps even "to twit," let me know. I’m a moron.

Yours,

The Management.

Along the Western Rails

I find these large-format photos of old rail lines in the West to be thrilling—so evocative and haunting. (See more here.) I want to be standing in each place the photographer is. Let's all run out to the gallery and experience this exhibition!

Ash Wednesday for the rest of us

I’ve never really thought much about Lent. I found it odd as a kid that some people would give up Hershey bars or Mountain Dew for forty days. Suddenly though, I find myself intrigued by the ideas of concentrated abstinence from a vice, and purification of the body and soul through fasting. I like these terms: “It is known in Eastern Orthodox circles as the season of ‘Bright Sadness.’ It is a season of sorrowful reflection…” I think we all, even those traditionally secular of us, could benefit from a period of cleansing and reflection.

… A period of cleansing and reflection culminating in a feast of Cadbury Crème Eggs! Yay!

Photo of lotus blossom by *Toshio* on Flickr.

This NY Times story makes me sad and angry

Many Plans to Curtail Use of Plastic Bags, but Not Much Action

Why is the environment the first thing to go when money gets tight?

Humans are so short-sighted! Sure, it’s an inconvenience to people on a budget to have to pay a smidge more for using plastic bags at the grocery store. But that’s the whole point! If you don’t want to be charged, then bring a frickin’ tote bag! Maybe now is the perfect time to begin charging people who request plastic bags. If they really don’t want to pay extra, they will learn to bring their own bags.

And then they’ll see the immediate greatness of shopping in this manner: no more collection of plastic bags exploding from underneath your sink; the ease of slinging a tote bag over your shoulder instead of gathering heavy plastic bags around your wrist; the joy of knowing the next plastic bag you see decorating a tree branch is not your fault. I went to tote bags over a year ago, and I love love love the freedom from guilt. Sure, as an American consumer my actions are harming the environment in other ways, but at least I’m making changes where I can.

I know how hard it is to be on a budget, and I know that sometimes living in a socially and environmentally conscious way is more expensive. (I would love to be more of a locavore and decrease my carbon footprint, but for now, I just can’t afford to shop at farmers markets instead of at the discount produce stand.) But as I see it, even one person eschewing plastic bags in favor of something reusable can make an amazing difference, and all it has to cost is a one-time purchase of a bag, which you can get for $1 or less at most supermarkets these days.

For more info, please check out this extensive site: Reusable Bags.com.
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I always get homesick in February

Hey, kids, I just stumbled upon some wonderful photos online of a recent snowstorm back in my hometown in California. We live in the foothills at about 2,000 feet, and it’s rare for this much snow to fall so low in the mountains. I have plucked some of the best photos and am sharing them here. (Yes, Steven, I realize these aren’t the greatest photos artistically, but I think the content great.)

Main Street in my hometown, Murphys. You can basically see all of ‘downtown’ in this photo.

Main Street in the town where I went to high school, Angels Camp, down the hill.



The gazebo in Murphys Park. I have spent much, much time in this park during my lifetime.

Cow.

Chickens.

Barn.

Hills near Mountain Ranch.

White Pines Lake, up the hill.

(Notice habitual usage of 'up the hill' and 'down the hill' as directions. Back home most of the highways go up into the Sierra Nevada mountains, so it makes more sense to use these terms rather than 'east' or 'west.' Of course, this meant I confused 'up' with 'north' for most of my life, but that's okay, because everyone does. Right?)

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Happy, happy birthday to my mom!


I hope you have a wonderful day and don't think at all about tomorrow! :)
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I can't stop thinking about "Lost"

I love that winters on the East Coast are so terrible that I don't feel guilty about watching innumerable episodes of TV shows on DVD. This year, it's catching up on 4-plus seasons of "Lost." And I just now discovered that the nagging familiarity of two of the characters stems from their stellar roles in two 1996 movies, "The English Patient" and "Romeo + Juliet." Awe. Some.





BTW, I am nursing the hugest crush on Naveen Andrews. Holy lord, that man is hot.
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Photos from a Saturday

Yesterday was a wonderful day in many ways. Here are a few tiny snapshots.

Walking from Soho to the East Village I saw this interesting building on Bond Street.




In Union Square, I found this tree more interesting than the craziness going on around me.






I is blurry, but ready to go out.

The lovely

Tuesday evening after work I walked downtown and spotted a rosy sunset glow reflecting on the Flatiron and the Met Life Tower over Madison Square Park. Here are some images I captured for you.

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And in more bigotry ...

This time with an admirable backlash from Margaret Atwood, who is pulling out of a book festival in Dubai that cancelled the launch of a book because it had a gay character in it.

Do we see a trend here, people? While many of us are fighting for LGBT couples to get the marriage rights they deserve, others in the world cannot even bear the thought of acknowledging that homosexuality exists!

I am not amused.

Today in bigotry news

High school play canceled over possible objections to gay content

God forbid impressionable high-school kids learn about openness and the truth of a crushing epidemic. They might get some gay on them!

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We are living the dream!

From a David Brooks column in the Times today:

"Forty-five percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 would like to live in New York City. "

Youth is wasted on the young who don't live in New York City, I say.

Photo by Pinhole (mark) on Flickr.

Things I Learned this (3-Day) Weekend:

- Nicolas Cage was already making terrible movies as far back as the early 1990s. See (or actually don’t see) “Red Rock West,” from 1992, also starring a ridiculously garbed Dennis Hopper and pouty Lara Flynn Boyle. Perhaps the most predictable movie ever.

- Scratch-n-sniff stickers aren’t what they used to be.

- It’s possible to never, ever clean your closet.

- It’s also possible to have John Legend’s “Where Did My Baby Go?” stuck in your head on continuous loop for two days.

- “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” is the best $5 I’ve ever spent on a DVD. Crazy 1980s dancing! Outrageously cool neon-colored outfits! Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker as moony Catholic school girls! Grasshopper hat! Jonathan Silverman channeling an old Jewish man! Pre-attitude Shannon Doherty! This is certainly the zenith of cinema.

(Don’t believe me? See trailer here.)

- When Amy Van V. asks if you want a shot of Patron, run.

- “Lost” is the greatest TV show ever. (Okay, after “The Wire.”) Who knew Matthew Fox could top his performance in “Party of Five”?

- Necco Conversation Hearts are tasty at any time of the day or night.

- I am the last person in the world still listening to CDs instead of downloading music onto an iPod.

- Even vegans can make “cream” of broccoli soup.

- Tuesday is inevitable.
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The world is your Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

It's a perfect day to express your gratitude to those you care about. On that note, I love all my blog readers! Thanks for looking!
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Happy Birthday to My Dad!

It's nice to have a birthday buddy, and I wish him all the best, even if he won't see this post today.

The photo at left was taken by my brother Steven as my dad and I were waiting to watch my other brother, Dennis, graduate from medical school. That was in June 2007, the most recent time I saw my dad.

Happy Birthday to Ed!
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Still life with skyline on my desk.
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Sorry so few posts this week!

I'm busy with my non-blog life at the moment. Meantime, go check out this site my friend sent me, with a neato mixer of local LES sounds and songs that you can play with.

Additional 'Carrie' Award

After I saw this movie last night, I have no choice but to issue one last award for a film that came out in 2008:

Most Romantic Movie:

Wall-E

Seriously. Those robots are freaking cute. Holy lord.

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And the Carrie goes to ...

The Academy Awards are still 10 days away, but before the media gets consumed by Oscar madness, I’m jumping out in front with the 1st Annual Carrie Awards, honoring the highs and lows of cinema in 2008.

Best Use of an Elliott Smith Song in a Movie
“Angeles” in Paranoid Park

Most Embarrassing Appearance by Formerly Respected Actors in a Broadway Adaptation
Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, and Stellan Skarsgard in Mamma Mia! (Meryl Streep lost it years ago.)

Movie Poster Featuring the Closest Likeness of the Ex-Girlfriend of a Friend of Mine
Mamma Mia!

Most Ridiculous or Awesome Movie Moment (depending on your mood)
The Dark Knight, when the big, scary prisoner takes the detonator and throws it in the water

Movie Death Resulting in the Highest Dry-Cleaning Bill
When Strawberry Fields gets dipped in oil and left on James Bond’s white bedsheets in Quantum of Solace

Best Assemblage of Awesome International Actors in a Kids’ Movie
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
The Telmarine bad guys:
Sergio Castellitto (Italian)
Pierfrancesco Favino (Italian)
Damián Alcázar (Mexican)
Alicia Borrachero (Spanish)

Most Disappointing Movie that Involved Two of My Favorite People
Run Fatboy Run (Simon Pegg, actor, and Michael Ian Black, writer)

Best or Worst Rock Opera (depending on your mood)
Dracula in Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Coolest Thingamajig
Ancient, interlocking temple that collapses to unleash an alien craft in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Most Ridiculous Plot Ever
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Weirdest Rendition of a Scene from “Napoleon Dynamite”
By the kid brother in Paranoid Park

First Movie in Years in Which Gwyneth Paltrow Was Bearable
Iron Man

The “Movies I Meant to See but Didn’t But I’m Sure Are Really Good” Award
Son of Rambow
Lust/Caution
Man on Wire
Miracle at St. Anna
Synecdoche, New York
Wendy and Lucy
Defiance

The “Movies I’m Never Going to See, Ever. You Can’t Make Me.” Award
Sex and the City
Funny Games
27 Dresses
The Other Boleyn Girl
College Road Trip
What Happens in Vegas
The Love Guru
Swing Vote
The Women
My Best Friend’s Girl
Saw V
Marley & Me

Movie I was Strangely Intrigued By, Even Though Everything About it Looked Awful
The Happening (M. Night Shyamalan)

This Year’s Movie to Prove Michael Cera is Stuck in the Role of Sappy, Hapless But Cute Teen
Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist

Most Overrated Woody Allen Film in Recent Memory
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (ONLY redeeming factor = Woody Allen’s NY Times column about it)

The “Are These Two Just Not Capable of Making Good Films Anymore?” Award
Righteous Kill, starting Al Pacino and Robert De Niro
Honorable Mentions: 88 Minutes and What Just Happened

Most Misleading (and Annoying) Trailer
Seven Pounds

Strangest Use of a British Actress in an American Film
Thandie Newton as Condi Rice in W.

Most Guilt-Inducing Film (The “This is So Wrong, Why Am I Laughing at This?” Award)
Tropic Thunder

Most Obnoxious and Sad Cameo
Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder

Worst Date Movie
Revolutionary Road

Best Picture
Milk. Seriously.

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Only here

Reason No. 47 That I Live in N.Y. City:

On a random Monday afternoon, a friend might give you a free ticket to a second-row seat at Carnegie Hall to hear James Levine conduct the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a concert of Mozart and Brahms that night.

Reason No. 59:

For the first time in months I took the D train to work this morning, and was ecstatic to hear the jovial, soothing voice of the conductor I used to listen to every day when I took that train to my old job. “Good morning! West 4th St. Have a pleasant day…”

Reason No. 63:

The AMNY guy who stands at the southwest corner of 34th and Park in the morning. “Read and ride! Ride and read! Have a great day! Have a safe day! … Read and ride!”

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Moonset

This month's full moon set in the southwest early this morning.



Blurry pictures taken from my kitchen window.
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