Familiar Faces in Little Italy

San Gennaro is by far my favorite street fair in NYC. Best moments this year (in no particular order):

- Shaking hands with Mayor Bloomberg while at dinner with MR, JR, LS, JL and MR
- Spotting one of the girls from the Apprentice (I never see people!)
- Running into a guy from the old math days at NYU, coincidentally the same day I "ran into" another math buddy on myspace
- The traditional binge-fest with DT - Still stuffed!
- Watching the clown get dunked with TR, JL, and AC
- Cannolis, Zeppoles, Fried Oreos, and Gelato!

What does NY subway smell like?

Something smells like 6 train!

Pet Peeves, Part 2

2. When the culture of the town you live in condones people standing arbitrarily in the middle of the sidewalk such that you can't pass on either side without jumping in the road. Despite the relative emptiness of the sidewalk in question, said persons do not move over to let you pass, but stare lazily in your direction as you attempt to run around them without getting run over.

Pet Peeves, Part 1

1. When someone asks you a question, and you tell them you need to look up the answer, and (a) they continue to badger you as if you'd already given an answer and they disagree or (b) proceed to make up an answer and continue without you.

The Trouble With Jersey Drivers...

You'd think mom would give gas and brake 101 before standing in front of the moving vehicle...

Girl Kills Mom During Driving Lesson

No More Ranting

Caught Light Rail 7:59 am at Bergenline. Stalled train at 2nd street. Wait time: 10 minutes.

My New Favorite Book

Human beings are remarkable -- at what we can learn to live with. If we couldn't get strong from what we lose, and what we miss, and what we want and can't have, then we couldn't ever get strong enough, could we? What else makes us strong?

So we dream on. Thus we invent our lives. We give ourselves a sainted mother, we make our father a hero; and someone's older brother, and someone's older sister -- they become our heroes, too. We invent what we love, and what we fear. There is always a brave, lost brother -- and a little lost sister, too. We dream on and on: the best hotel, the perfect family, the resort life. And our dreams escape us almost as vividly as we can imagine them.

--The Hotel New Hampshire, John Irving