November 2003

November 30, 2003

It's Sunday and It's Cold Outside
But hey, I'm inside and warm and Fatal Attraction is on! Pure trash and cheap thrills, its the standard Hollywood formula with the gorgeous wife, 1 child (have you ever noticed that ALA Faithful, etc.), older, but handsome, well to do husband. Glenn Close is downright, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Pay close attention men. hehe
Posted by Liz at 03:10 PM Feedback (2)
November 29, 2003

A Gorey Saturday
My Mom had her Edward Gorey address book out this morning. I bought her that book for some occasion, cause her and I love Edward Gorey. Later I found this silly quiz about how you are going to die Edward Gorey style. hehe It's pretty cute. I just love his art work. When I was a kid, my Mom took me to NYC to see Frank Langella as Dracula. Edward Gorey did the set and costumes, it was fantastic! I believe he won a Tony award? I'm sure I've mentioned Gorey on this blog before, and I'll no doubt mention him again. Maybe I'll go see that new movie Gothika, tonight.You will be sucked dry by a leech. I'd stay awayfrom swimming holes, and stick to good oldcement. Even if it does hurt like hell whenyour toe scrapes the bottom.What horrible Edward Gorey Death will you die?brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by Liz at 04:05 PM Feedback (9)
November 28, 2003

Light At The End Of A Tunnel

Joao sent me this picture of himself. When it opened I saw a metaphor for my life as it is today. A short tunnel and Joao standing at the end, hands lifted over his head, serenely, as if he were guiding me and saying,
"The light is here, keep walking, everything is fine. You’re on the right path, Liz”.
Now I can't put the sole responsibility of guidance, on my friend, of course, however, his picture represents a message that seems tailor made for me. I have a lot to think about and more importantly, much action to be taken. I have to speak with some professionals and nonprofessionals about my options. I’m considering going to school full time and finishing now that I’m unemployed. I have to study, read and investigate. I have to stay open and hopeful. It's the only way to keep my eye on that light, and in the light is where I want to be.
Posted by Liz at 06:51 PM Feedback (7)
November 27, 2003

Gratitude List
A long time ago, I was taught to make a daily gratitude list, and not just mentally, but in writing. Keep focusing on what I have and not what I don't have makes all the difference when it comes to my attitude. I think of all the people I admired online and how generous they were to include me. How that made me see myself in a new light. My family and friends, who love me unconditionally, as I love them. I could never put a price tag on that. I have so many hopes and dreams for the future, I need all of you to help me make them happen. I can't do it alone, therefore, today, I put my hand in yours and together, we can do what we could never do alone. Here is my gratitude list for today, Thanksgiving 2003...
Sunrise at Swarthmore College on a Crisp Autumn Morning.
* I'm thankful for my health and the health of my family, friends, and extended family.
* I'm grateful for the love in my life and my ability to give love back.
* For being let out of a work situation I hated. God thankyou. You did for me what I couldn't do for myself.
* For the food and shelter that I enjoy.
* For my sheer love of learning, it sustains me and comforts me.
* For the rooms and the people in them.
* For: Anne, Jeanna, Nicole, Sharon, Christina, Marianne, Gail, Linda, Emily, Sue, Tony, Paul, Len , Rob, Joao, Dimi, Ian, David, James, David S.,Camilo, Justin, Aaron, Joi, Tess, Jane, Lea, Jessica, Steve, Leo, Mom, Dad, Mary & the strangers who posted on my blog.
You all shared a bit of yourself with me this past year and helped me get a little bit closer to the person I was always meant to be. Health and happiness to you all.
Posted by Liz at 12:50 PM Feedback (8)
November 26, 2003

Card Trick
So it's turkey day, right? In case the family is getting on your nerves and the turkey is dry as a stick or your Uncle is drunk as a skunk and annoying, play this card trick. It amused me for a while.
Holiday Bonus
If the card trick doesn't do it for ya, then read the funniest damned article I've seen yet on Michael Jackson. Awww come on, pipe down, you know there is nothing more funny on turkey day then some good ole Neverland humor!
Posted by Liz at 09:22 PM Feedback (1)

The Man Who Planted Trees or I Had a Hero
Once upon a time, I spent a summer working on a farm in Brazil planting trees. I did not know it at the time, but it was that moment that changed my life. When I realized something very important about what a hard day's work means and how everything else is just plain nonsense.
Read on and please give me your critique...
To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically but practically. – “Economy”, Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1847
The Man who Planted Trees
To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity, and trust. It is to solve some of the problems of life, not only theoretically but practically. – “Economy”, Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1847
I never knew an honest day’s living. Born with a silver spoon in hand, I never experienced the hardships my father faced as a child.
Every summer I returned to Brazil and spent idyllic times with friends and family. My father always drew attention to the importance of the land, nature, and family. He felt a strong connection with this and wanted to pass it on to his son. That’s why he would rather send me to Brazil for the summer, then tennis camp like I wished.
Most of the time, I felt like a tourist in my own country. I spoke Portuguese with an accent. My cousins constantly wanted me to speak English to them.They saw me as a curiosity and as an outsider. My family saw me as a second version of my father.
I never saw myself as anything. I just wanted to be me. And I still do.Finally, it occurred to me that something was wrong with the land. Sure, it was beautiful but abused. Pastures were green and never-ending but valleys were being eroded.
Soil was washed out to the sea. The vivid red earth was exposed like a scar in certain places, like a mass of muscles exposed to the sun.
The red dirt always intrigued me. It seemed like a palette to play with, like paint for a canvas. The previous summer I took up oil painting but found I had no patience to mix colours. Somehow using soil to paint a picture made more sense to me.
One day, I discovered my passion for digging holes.
Shoveling soil from one place to another, displacing the tired earth, and rejuvenating it. That seemed like something, which would be fun! Those carefree summers left me restless. Everyone seemed to care about the same thing. And that same thing was the only thing any one in a small rural town in Brazil cared for.
Coincidentally, at that time, my father had asked my oldest Uncle Tico to reforest part of the hillside.
Tico, along with my cousins and younger uncle, thought it was immensely stupid.
Why plant trees when you can plant maize? Why waste money on planting trees?
But he could not complain. He always received money for his ventures, most of them unprofitable and had to do my father’s bidding, no matter how absurd.
I was enthralled by this new venture and wanted to participate in it. I felt extremely proud of my father and saw the importance of reforestation. Not because I knew what significance it had, but because it just looked cool. I loved the expansive green pastures of my childhood, many summers running in fields, racing to the waterfall, and tripping in holes. But I also enjoyed the forest my grandfather had created at our ranch, at a place, which was once the town dump 40 years before.
So, I began digging holes and displacing earth. Almost like it a new exciting hobby or toy.
I dug with fury and malice. My energy was endless and my resolve was strong.For the first time calluses appeared on my hands. I felt muscles in my back, which I never knew I had.
Then I gave up.
Next summer, my uncle decided to hire a man. His name was Senhor Arnaldo and he was 72 years old. I couldn’t understand! Why hire an old geezer to reforest the land? We need a team of strong men, not a retired farm worker who could barely lift a shovel.
One day, during the town festivities, I felt an urging to walk from the village, to downhill to where Senhor Arnaldo was alone and digging holes in the hot sun I saw him from a distance, slowing shoveling, surely, slowly, yet he never stopped. Inside, I felt cynical about it. Who does this old man think he is? It will take him a decade to plant over 50,000 trees, which we need!
“Bom Dia, Senhor Arnaldo!” I told him. He immediately cackled like he always did, like the poor usually do, when a boss’s son arrives. “Heh heh, Tudo bem Joao Paulo?” He smiled sweetly with no bitter resentment for his life’s hard labour. He had one gold tooth and it shone in the sun.I only noticed a few holes dug and the tall grass cleared.“Senhor Arnaldo, eu vim te ajudar!” I told him that I came to help. “Oh, God bless you son, but you don’t need to.” “But, no. I want to!” He smiled again and there was his gold tooth.Excitedly, I ran back uphill to my grandfather’s ranch. My family was gathered in the kitchen and immediately I drew their attention. I was definitely the spaz of the family and I entered the scene like a young Kramer.
“Joao Paulo!” they all exclaimed in chorus. “Hey, I am going to go dig holes for Senhor Arnaldo!” Laughter. “What’s so funny, do you think I can’t cut it?” Laughter again.“Joao Paulo!!” my younger uncle exclaimed “It’s your vacation, why are you going to bother to dig holes when you could be chasing the ladies??”
My younger Uncle Co was the town player. He never understood why at times I’d rather have the company of books and trees, then babes and barbeques—the way he was brought up.
“Fine, kid.” he said. “Come with me and I will show you were the shovels are”.He took me to the wooden tool shed my grandfather had built 40 years ago. Surprisingly, it was still standing. And full of BB pellets which my cousins and I had shot into it, while breaking bottles out by the kitchen coop.He opened the shed and I felt like I smelt history. It was a penetrating smell of iron, rust, and earth. The wood no longer had any smell and had faded with time. I felt a shiver come up my spine and sensed something I didn’t understand at the time.My grandfather first built the “shed” when he was able to afford a lot near the city. HisWhole life he was poor and had lived on coffee plantations with his father when he came from Italy. Slowly and surely, he saved up his money and could afford to buy some “decency” for his family.Yet the only lot available in town was the town’s junkyard. So he bought it, because it was larger than the rest and could not only fit a house for his family but could provide him with sustainable sustenance.His brother Mauro and he spent about 2 years to fully clean out the lot. There were all sorts of junk in there. When they finally cleared it out, they began to build a temporary home for the 7 kids he brought into the world. His goal was to build a “real home” out of bricks and mortar, but that would only pass several years later.“Which shovel does you want, this one or that one?”“I’ll take the older looking one, it looks cooler”My uncle shook his head. “Ok, little boss,” he bitterly said, “You are the MAN”I looked at the shovel, befriended it, and immediately began to run down the red dirt road that leads to the farm. It was over a mile but it seemed like a block. When I arrived, there was Senhor Arnaldo, bent over like a sickle and digging slowly but surely.
He heard me and stopped. And that’s when his image stuck in my head to haunt me. He smiledAs he always did when I approached and his single gold tooth shone. His back was completelyHunched over, his hands like leather gloves, leaning on his shovel.“Oh, you done got yourself a shovel!” he exclaimed.
“OH BOY, I DID! ‘am gonna spend the rest of my summer with you, Sir, and we will reforest this whole hillside”“Heh” he cackled.“Pois é, Pois é” Something he constantly repeated to me in Portuguese, which I didn’t understand. I guess it meant, “Such is life, such is life”The next hour, I furiously dug holes of irregular shapes and sizes, dotting the landscape. Meanwhile, Senhor Arnaldo dug 4 symmetrical holes and cleared away the grass in a perfect circle. I found myself digging holes from one place to the next with no nexus. I was so caught up in the excitement, with red soil flying and sweat pouring down my brow, That I suddenly noticed my hands were bleeding.“Agh!” I stopped“What’s the matter, boy?” He said“My hand is bleeding”“Pois eh, Pois eh”He continued working.I walked over to the shade and wiped my bloody hand on my shirt. I felt defeated and stupid. I felt like a stranger on my own property. I felt as if he were to fire me, like he was really the boss and knew what to do properly. He really was the boss and he knew what he was doing.So I left.I went home without saying anything and my aunt bandaged my hand.The next day, I showed up.And there was the same smile, same lone gold tooth, and the same holes being dug.Eventually, I found my rhythm. I discovered a pattern to repetitious labor. I found it to be the noblest act I ever did. I felt ennobled and pure. At the time, I knew not what meditation meant. Now I know those were my first Zen moments. Far away from industrialized civilization and SAT scores, I felt like a man for the first time working the soil.I managed to dig the properly sized holes. Somehow, Senhor Arnaldo taught me how to work slowly but surely, and not to use more energy than necessary. I learned to eat supper at 10 o clock in the morning. We began our mornings at 6am and by 10am, 4 hours of digging dries up your belly.We never really spoke much. OR rather, I did at times but he just listened and laughed.“Pois é, Pois é”I always wondered what he thought of me? A rich man’s boy who came to work with him while his cousins were swimming at the municipal pool. I felt that he treated me as an equal and harboured no resentment. After all, why should he bite the hand that feeds him?At times, I would talk more and ask him about his life. He always responded with kindness but didn’t have much to say.Later my younger cousin Marcelo would teach me about his ways. “He is just a simple man with a simple life, he doesn’t have much to talk about.”I couldn’t understand!
There was always so much to talk about, so much to learn, explore, and think.But maybe it was different. Maybe life was always not so much about talking but about work. Simple redundant menial work.There is no confusion in repetition.Finally after 1 month of digging, I gave up. I felt my apprenticeship was over with him. My hands were completely blistered and leathered. New muscles had grown, along with bragging rights. I thought I learned my lesson, but had only started a few exercises.Most of my family thought I was mad, as they continue to do so, but my father supported me. I excitedly asked him, “How long do you think before we can plant trees all over the hillside?”“Oh I don’t know, ask Senhor Arnaldo, as long as it takes him”
I still couldn’t understand Brazilian Mentality. Why hire an old geezer, who retired, yet continued to work as he did when he was 8 years old.One day, my younger uncle explained it to me.“Joao, you have to realized that Senhor Arnaldo is a poor man with a poor family. We pay him twice what Social Security gives him. With that money, he can help his children and their children”My respect and reverence doubled for him.And then, like all youth, I forgot about him.We are so distracted in our lives and our attention spans are so short. Suddenly, other things seemed important again. Like entering high school, getting good grades, playing in a punk band, and buying used Hesse books at the local library.I went back to my suburbia lifestyle in the US.Brazil was once again forgotten, tattered photographs hidden in my drawer. Every summer, I continued to return but Senhor Arnaldo had gone further down the hillside. My vision of him was obscured. I never felt it was necessary to go down and see him, because I did not want to bother his work. He was hidden from everyone’s view. We continued to pay him but he was almost like a ghost.Working quietly, always present, but invisible.Many years passed and after I returned from Germany, I discovered he had passed away.I recalled all those intimate moments spent together, digging in the hot dry winter sun, the month of August, the first time I ever did manual labour.
I didn’t cry nor bat an eye. I felt a sense of wonderment.What a way to die—doing what you love, or perhaps doing what you only knew.
He never had any other opportunities. And he was always thankful for his job digging holes.The rest of the villages and friends ridiculed him. They imagined a decent day’s living to be in the coffee plantations, producing our National Product. He ignored it all with his cackle. “Heh, heh” His tooth would appear and shine with godliness.“Pois é, Pois é”
He just went about his business.Shovel in hand, God above him, and the earth below.One day, when I was 19 years old and walked down the same red dirt road, which always seemed a path back to my childhood, I stopped at the top of the valley. I noticed something. Excitedly, I ran down the hillside and stopped at a vista point.The entire hillside was covered with tree saplings. They were only as high as my waist, but they were there. They were to become a forest! They were Senhor Arnaldo’s last gift to the Earth!They grew in places where no one imagined them to grow. They were beginning to blanket the red soil again with leaves and to bring back the skin to the red muscles of the earth.
I looked up at the sky and closed my eyes.
I had a hero.
First Draft VersionWritten by Joao Paulo Freire Paglione6am Wednesday, November 26th, 2003
The rocks we had to breakThe dry red earth, exposed like fleshThe road that leads everywhere and yet nowhere
Posted by at 06:38 AM Feedback (2)
November 25, 2003

Bamboo Poetry
The common became precious, said grandfather remembering the last time the forest bloomed. Today that old man woke up, beat his chest, and cried.
Lovers make a bed of the blossoms. minuscule petals collect in their hair. The carpenter lays down his saw. The mayor calls a meeting and holds his head.
Everyone I know is milling along the street by the river. Some move into their grandmother's house; others sleep in the open. It is the rainy season, the temple is crowded.
Now a man raises his fist to his wife for the first time. Now the boatman leaves home before dawn; children tuck away their laughter. Though fish leaping in the harbor seem larger, they are more distant. Each fire is built more sparingly than the last.
I have one dream for several nights but can only recall the tart incense of bamboo flowers closing on my chest as merciless as the river the day it closed on my brother, his hand tangled in his sturdy net.
Bamboo, a tall grass, flowers only at long intervals--30, 60, or even 120 years apart. At about the same time, all plants of the same species--wherever they are in the world--will burst into bloom. When this happens, whole forests die and must be replanted.
Posted by at 05:40 AM Feedback (2)

Arts & Crafts
This young woman does some pretty cool cards as an art form. I think some of the people she makes them for are drag queens. Interesting stuff. I wish she would send me one for my b-day, (DECEMBER 9th for interested parties). Thanks for the link FLEISHMAN dear.
Posted by Liz at 01:29 AM Feedback (1)
November 24, 2003

Bar Room Brawl
I haven't seen a good brawl in years! Hell, I can't even remember the last time! Oh wait, yes I can, it was Saturday night. Jeanna invites us out, for what turned out to be a blast on so many levels. First off, everyone had way too much too drink. All night, we bought one another rounds and toasted to me being fired the day before (Any excuse for a toast). Nicole was scanning the place for, Mr. Right of course and making us laugh as usual. The band played 80's songs and did an awesome job of it. Drunk and swaying, we knew all the words, sang along and danced. Anyway, back to the brawl.
I brought along Anne's British boyfriend, Len, who was in need of some partying, American style. I was told to keep an eye on him. While I'm not that authoritative, I was aware that trouble, hence deportation, would be an unwanted turn of events, so I took my charge seriously. After endless hours of partying Len hits the men's room (It was no easy task dragging him out of the bar at closing, trust me hehe). I waited outside the restrooms, when suddenly, one of the girls in our group is being dragged by the hair past me! Stunned, I sat there in fear and security ran to break it up. The next thing I see, is her lover, swigging and being held back by security. What a mess. After the standard calming of all flustered parties, and the tears were wiped, the final version of the brawl seems to be a case of lesbian jealousy sparked by too many test tube shots, a young lady who was bumped into, and me rushing my foreign friend out of the place. Jeez, I haven't had that much fun in a while.
Posted by Liz at 11:47 PM Feedback (12)

Apple Martini
My new fav is the apple martini, the stronger the better. Today my Mom and I (now the proud owners of two new martini glasses) will buy the needed libations and treat ourselves to a cocktail this evening. Anyone care to join us?
Ingredients:1 part Vodka (Absolut) 1 part Sour Apple schnapps (Pucker) 1 part Apple juiceMixing instructions:Poor all ingredients into a shaker. Shake well and strain into a Martini glass.
If you want to make it look really nice, you can garnish it with a thin slice of green apple. Enjoy!!!
Posted by Liz at 11:11 PM Feedback (0)

Today Was The First Day Of The Rest of My Life
Today was the first day of never having to return to what I had not so fondly called my job, the hell hole.
"Call me tomorrow, I'll be at the hell hole," was the message often left for Anne, or Jeanna, or Mary. I knew it was no way too live.
They knew what I meant, my job. So what did I do today, well I took my cutie pie niece to her dance class. Those little girls were precious as you can imagine. I text messaged a few pals just to let them know, "I love being fired." Then my Mom and I went shopping, had lunch and laughed our butts off about various things.
I'm no longer stuck in a place, counting the hours, wishing, wondering and feeling like I'm one of the few sane people there. What a gift I was given. After complacency (searching out another gig) managed to kick my ass for the past four years, something stepped in and did for me what I couldn't do for myself. (I kept going to school and upgrading my skills all along.) I want a full time gig that I can respect myself for in the morning. I want to use my skills (computer networking) and talents (humor, charm & brains, leadership ability). I want to be a colleague and not just a worker bee.
Jesus Christ, I'm so damned glad that I had this j*o*b in perspective all along. I used all my sick days and vacation days. I went to the beach with my nieces (see Footprints in the Sand), I stayed longer than expected in London and Miami and didn't punish myself for it, (thanks Anne). I stayed creative and worked on projects away from my employer. Man, I have really want to live and work each day, to it's fullest. I'm so grateful, for the wisdom to know that the real gift is today.
Posted by Liz at 07:06 PM Feedback (0)

Bamboo for Breakfast
Good Morning!Don't forget to eat bamboo shoots for Breakfast. They are crunchy, tasty, and not to be confused with water chestnuts. They grow a meter a day, have all those cool flavanoids and B2D2 vitamins, fortified with fiber naturally, and taste Grrrrrrrrrrreeeeat!
BAMBOO BREAKFAST TRAY
Posted by at 06:24 AM Feedback (3)
November 23, 2003

Begin with your Conclusion
They were given the choice: king or messenger?Everyone chose to be the messenger, running about withmessages becoming meaningless, because there were noKINGS - Franz Kafa
Dear Liz,
Thank you for the opportunity for me to finally publish myself and convey to the online community my passion for BAMBOOm the world's most comprehensive and fascinating plant!
Online since 1995, I also followed Justin Hall from links.net and found myself inspired by like-minded people wandering online.
Somehow, many years later, all my wandering has brought me to a brook. I kneel down to drink from the water, which came from the same spring, that feed the river, where I came from. I find it refreshing.
- João
www.bambubrasil.org
WHY BAMBOO? ... HERE'S WHY ...
DEFORESTATION and increased CO2 emissions threaten the earth's biodiversity and the very air we breathe...
Perhaps the environmental crisis' at hand have not yet touched your life, but the time is shortly to come. Recent NASA reports of a 60% loss of ozone over the arctic provide an explanation for increased severity in the worlds weather patterns which has only begun to affect us whether directly or indirectly. The social, political and economic implications are difficult to imagine as our ozone layer continues to thin, forests disappear and desertization is occurring at an alarming rate. BAMBOO HAS AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO PLAY...The earth desperately needs the attention and action of us all or our children's children will surely not have a world fit to live in. There is no one solution but amazingly, the simple bamboo plant can make a dramatic positive impact in many areas. It is our goal to inform and raise awareness about "Bamboo, People and the Environment" and provide the tools and information to then respond in one's own way in their own world. Every action counts, every person counts...
ENDURING THROUGH TIME...Thomas Edison successfully used a carbonized bamboo filament in his experiment with the first light bulb. This light bulb still burns today in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC. He also used a bamboo as rebar for the reinforcement of his swimming pool. To this day, the pool has never leaked. An unrivaled utility, (One resource book lists over 5,000 uses including paper, scaffolding, diesel fuel, airplane "skins", desalination filters, aphrodisiacs, musical instruments, medicine, food and was Alexander Graham Bell's first phonograph needle
SURVIVING THROUGH HARDSHIP...Amidst death and destruction, bamboo survived the Hiroshima atomic blast closer to ground zero than any other living thing and provided the first re-greening in Hiroshima after the blast in 1945.
GROWING WITH STRENGTH AND SPEED...With a tensile strength superior to mild steel (withstands up to 52,000 Pounds of pressure psi) and a weight-to-strength ratio surpassing that of graphite, bamboo is the strongest growing woody plant on earth with one of the widest ranging habitats of more than 1500 species thriving in diverse terrain from sea level to 12,000 feet on every continent but the poles. It also grows the fastest: clocked shooting skyward at 2 inches an hour. Some species grow one and a half meters a day.
BAMBOO PROTECTS THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE AIR WE BREATHE...Bamboo is the fastest growing canopy for the regreening of degraded lands, and its stands release 35% more oxygen than equivalent stands of trees. Some bamboo even sequester up to 12 tons of carbon dioxide from the air per hectare. Bamboo can also lower light intensity and protects against ultraviolet rays. Traditional belief holds that being in a bamboo grove - the favorite dwelling place of Buddha - restores calmness to emotions and stimulates creativity.
Carbon Sequestration Information Net production and carbon cycling in a bamboo Phyllostachys pubescens stand. AU: Isagi-Y; Kawahara-T; Kamo-K; Ito-H AD: Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Momoyama, Fushimi, Kyoto 612, Japan. SO: Plant-Ecology. 1997, 130: 1, 41-52; 48 ref. PY: 1997 LA: English AB: Phyllostachys pubescens is one of the largest bamboo species with a leptomorphic (a type of rhizomatous system with solitary culms scattered rather evenly) root system in the world. The species originates in China and has been naturalized in neighbouring countries. It was introduced in 1746 into Japan because of the economic value of the young sprouts and culm woods. It escaped from the planted areas and expanded by invading the native vegetation. In order to clarify the basic ecological characteristics of the species, carbon fixation and cycling were determined in a stand of Phyllostachys pubescens in Kyoto Prefecture. The standing culm density and average DBH (diameter at breast height) in 1991 were 7100 ha-1 and 11.3 cm, respectively. The above-ground biomass was 116.5 t ha-1 for culms, 15.5 t ha-1 for branches, 5.9 t ha-1 for leaves and 137.9 t ha-1 in total. The total above-ground biomass is one of the largest among the world's bamboo communities. The biomass of rhizomes and fine roots was 16.7 t ha-1 and 27.9 t ha-1, respectively. Annual soil respiration was 52.3 t CO2 ha-1, the highest among those determined in Japan. The gross annual production was high, at 32.8 t C ha-1, and allocation of annual gross production to the root system was also high at 11 t C ha-1 - 34% of gross production, and 46% of the fluxes out of the leaves. This pattern of allocation results in a net annual above-ground production of 18.1 t ha-1, which is within the average range of productivity of forests under similar climatic conditions. The correspondence of the allocation pattern of the species with its successful range expansion is discussed. DE: asexual-reproduction; biological-production; biomass-production; carbon-cycle; bamboos-; nutrients-; distribution-; carbon-; photosynthesis-; stand-characteristics; biomass-; cycling-
AN: 950608033 TI: Carbon stock and cycling in a bamboo Phyllostachys bambusoides stand. AU: Isagi-Y AD: Laboratory of Silviculture, Kansai Research Center, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kyoto 612, Japan. SO: Ecological-Research. 1994, 9: 1, 47-55; 42 ref. PY: 1994 LA: English AB: Gross production and carbon cycling in a Phyllostachys bambusoides stand in Kyoto Prefecture, central Japan, were determined, and then a compartment model showing the carbon stock and cycling within the ecosystem was developed. Aboveground carbon stock was 52.3 t/ha, increasing at an annual rate of 3.6 t/ha. Belowground carbon stock was 20.8 t/ha in the root system and 92.0 t/ha in the soil. Aboveground annual net C production was 11.2 t/ha. Belowground annual net C production was crudely estimated at 4.5 t/ha. Gross annual production was estimated at 41.8 t/ha by summing the amount of outflow to the environment and the increment in biomass. Leaves consumed 13.7 t C/ha per year by respiration; the rest (41.8 - 13.7 = 28.1 t C/ha per year) was surplus production of leaves and flowed into the other compartments. Annual amounts of construction and maintenance respiration of aboveground compartments were 3.4 and 18.5 t/ha, respectively. The annual amount of soil respiration was 11.2 t/ha. Soil respiration levels of 4.3 and 3.1 t C/ha per year were estimated for the flow of root respiration and root detritus. The proportion of net to gross production was 37%, which fell within the range of young and mature forests. A shorter life span of culms, compared to tree trunks, resulted in smaller biomass accumulation ratio (biomass/net production) in the ecosystem, of 4.66. DE: bamboos-; respiration-; biomass-; carbon-; models-; carbon- cycle; biomass-production; simulation-; cycling- To find out the latest information on global warming, click here
EROSION CONTROL ...A peerless erosion control agent,. it's net like root system create an effective mechanism for watershed protection, stitching the soil together along fragile riverbanks, deforested areas, and in places prone to earthquakes and mud slides. Because of their wide-spreading root system, uniquely shaped leaves, and dense litter on the forest floor, the sum of stem flow rate and canopy intercept of bamboo is 25% which means that bamboo greatly reduces rain run off, preventing massive soil erosion and keeping up to twice as much water in the watershed. Bamboo is a pioneering plant and can be grown in soil damaged by overgrazing and poor agricultural techniques. Unlike with most trees proper harvesting does not kill the bamboo plant so topsoil is held in place.
SAVING RAINFORESTS ...Bamboo is one of the strongest building materials. Bamboo's tensile strength is 28,000 pounds per square inch versus 23,000 pounds per square inch for steel. In the tropics it is possible to plant and 'grow your own home;. in Costa Rica, 1000 houses of bamboo are built annually with material coming only from a 60 hectare bamboo plantation. If an equivalent project used timber, it would require 500 hectares of our diminishing tropical rainforests. Using bamboo to replace timber saves the rainforests. With a 10-30% annual increase in biomass versus 2 to 5% for trees, bamboo creates greater yields of raw material for use. One clump can produce 200 poles in the three to five years. Bamboo generates a crop every year.
A RENEWABLE RESOURCE ...Bamboo is a high-yield renewable resource: "Ply boo" is now being used for wall paneling and floor tiles; bamboo pulp for paper-making; briquettes for fuel, raw material for housing construction; and rebar for reinforced concrete beams. There are 1500 species of bamboo on the earth. This diversity makes bamboo adaptable to many environments. It can be harvested in 3-5 years versus 10-20 years for most softwoods. Bamboo tolerates extremes of precipitation, from 30-250 inches of annual rainfall.
HOUSING ... Bamboo related industries already provide income, food, and housing to over 2.2 billion people worldwide. There is a 3-5 year return on investment for a new bamboo plantation versus 8-10 years for rattan. The governments of India and China, with 15 million hectares of bamboo reserves collectively, are poised to focus attention on the economic factors of bamboo and its protection. In Limon, Costa Rica, only bamboo houses from the national Bamboo Project stood after their violent earthquake in 1992. Flexible and lightweight, bamboo enables structures to "dance" in earthquakes. Go to the "Comparative Strength of Bamboo or Grow Your Own House page. Just Available ! Simon Velez's new book "Grow Your Own House" Click HERE to order.
FOOD ...Bamboo shoots provide nutrition for millions of people worldwide. In Japan, the antioxidant properties of pulverized bamboo skin can prevent bacterial growth, and it is used as a natural food preservative. Bamboo :litter: make fodder for animas and food for fish. Taiwan alone consumes 80,000 tons of bamboo shoots annually, constituting a $50 million industry. `Bamboo leaves are normally utilized as fodder during scarcity. Young bamboo leaves and twigs are a favorite meal for elephants and the Panda. D. strictus leaves have (on dry matter basis) crude protein,15.09; crude fiber,23.15; ether extract 1.43; ash 18.03; phosphorus-170 and calcium -1550 mg/100g respectively. Their digestible crude protein and total digestible nutrient contents are 93.34 and 48.9% respectively. The leaves of B.arundinacea have crude protein 18.64;crude fiber, 24.1; ether extract 4.1; N- free extract 41.4; ash-11.75%; phosphorus-170 mg and calcium 56mg/100g respectively. The digestible crude protein and total digestible nutrient contents are 13.5 and 46.5% respectively. The protein contained methionine and lysine. Copper and zinc are also found. The nutrient contents differed significantly in samples collected from high altitudes. For B.vulgaris the figures are crude protein,10.1;crude fiber 21.7; ether extract, 2.5 and ash, 21.3%; phosphorus-86,iron-13.4,vitamin B1, 0.1;vitamin B2- 2.54, and carotene 12.3 mg/100g respectively. The meal is used as a supplement to vitamin A deficient diets for chicks ' For further details contact either the Bamboo Information Center in India -at KFRI -Tropical species, or The Bamboo Information Center in China-at CAF,Beijing - Temperate species.
AN ANCIENT MEDICINE ... Bamboo has for centuries been used in Ayurvedic medicine and Chinese herbal medicine . Tabasheer, the powdered, hardened secretion from bamboo is used internally to treat asthma, coughs and can be used as an aphrodisiac. In China, ingredients from the root of the black bamboo help treat kidney disease. Roots and leaves have also been used to treat venereal disease and cancer. Sap is said to reduce fever, and ash will cure prickly heat. A village in Indonesia reports that the water form within the culm is used to treat broken bones effectively and that the tabasheer is used to promote fertility in their cows. Current research points to bamboo's potential in a number of medicinal uses.
A LANDSCAPE DESIGN ELEMENT & WASTE WATER SYSTEM ...Bamboo is an exquisite component of landscape design. For the human environment bamboo provides shade, wind break, acoustical barriers, and aesthetic beauty. "The Bamboo Forest is an ecological wastewater utilization system that essentially grows away, waste, producing a marketable crop in the process. Comprised of a subsurface evaporation-transpiration bed planted with bamboo and other rapid-growing, non-invasive plants, the system is engineered to provide an aerobic rhizosphere (the home of living organisms in the root system), in which damaging polluting components are transformed into plant nutrients" Go to the Discover magazine article on Bamboo used to treat waste water!
INTEGRALLY INVOLVED IN CULTURE AND THE ARTS ... Bamboo is a mystical plant: a symbol of strength, flexibility, tenacity, and endurance. Throughout Asia, bamboo has for centuries been integral to religious ceremonies, art, music, and daily life. It can be found in the paper, the brush, and the inspiration for poems and paintings. Some of the earliest historical records form the 2nd century B.C. were written on green bamboo strips. As evidenced by all of the above qualities, bamboo rightfully deserves its nickname, "the miracle plant."
Posted by at 10:37 PM Feedback (1)

Join the Bamboo Crusade
Recently, I've come across a fascinating person named,João Paulo Freire Paglione, as it turns out, he as been blogging right along side me for some time. With the limitless talent of Dimi, my friend and webmaster, he has taken his cause to the net for expanded awareness and I think it's really incredible. I'm talking about the benefits of bamboo, both economically and environmentally."Well, not just nature, sustainable alternative renewable non-wood tropical resource, " is the way that João described it too me. What a wonderful peace loving way for a country to grow and prosper. João even promised to send me a cool bamboo lamp, so that Philly can have a taste of this beautiful natural resource.
Posted by Liz at 04:04 PM Feedback (5)
November 22, 2003

New Beginnings
"Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore."—Andre Gide
I love that quote. Today was the first day of the rest of my life. I really got a sense of that. Sometimes, a love one dies, or gets seriously injured, maybe a partner leaves us unexpectedly, or an illness is brought to light. In my case, today was a change in my employment status. Sometimes, we can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we just have faith that it will appear. I'm grateful that it is something so easy too take and not painful. I'm grateful for this gentle push to move forward and be the person that I'm meant to be.
Posted by Liz at 08:55 PM Feedback (3)
November 21, 2003

The First Thing I Thought Of.....
But that doesn't mean anything. I associate everything in life with "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane."
Michael Musto kicks ass! He is so funny.
Posted by Liz at 09:32 PM Feedback (3)
November 20, 2003

The Ultimate Wishlist
As my birthday approaches (Dec.9th in case you forgot) I think about what I would like and I make a mental list. I'm thinking fantasy here, the skies' the limit, money is no object, ok, I'm thinking a new laptop and digital camera. A new VW Beetle, in lets say… silver! How about the entire Elsa Peretti collection from Tiffany’s? An unlimited shopping spree at one of my favorite havens, Sephora's. Mmmmm, new makeup, perfume, powders, brushes, all those lip-smacking delights.
I looked at the first page of my Amazon wishlist and it's still my favorite. I deleted a bunch of stuff, that chances are I wont get around to reading or listening too. Really, it's the simple pleasures that bring me the most happiness. Sure, I would love a camara, but what good is it if I dont have friends to take photos of.
Posted by Liz at 08:41 PM Feedback (6)
November 19, 2003

Skinning Stuff
Todays fun activity was inspired by something the blogfather did, and did it quite well. My little brainstorm was a bit less techie and more off the cuff. Last weekend I went to the Sanrio/Hello Kitty store, with my nieces and I purchased (ok, it's confession time) a Hello Kitty charm for my mobile phone. While busy at work today, *cough,cough* I found a little pic of Hello Kitty, cut her out and laminated her onto my phone! Skin something, it's a hoot.
Posted by Liz at 10:13 PM Feedback (3)

A Hollywood Moment
When a celeb crashes and burns there are two sites that will be there for you as you revel in the sheer ecstasy of seeing someone, who thinks they are untouchable, squirm. Am I the only one who enjoys it with perverse delight?
This man is the sexist man alive according to the bible of all that is famous, People magazine. I concur, who wouldn't? Depp is hot and talented and he scoffs at the celeb bullshit. Ya gotta love that. Some of my other choices include, Leo, Ashton, Keanu, and Dimi of course......
Posted by Liz at 07:21 PM Feedback (3)
November 17, 2003

Hair Ball 7
The seventh year of the hair design competition, which benefits City of Hope cancer and disease research, had a "Viva Las Vegas" theme. The benefit included Q102's DJs and more than 100 salons snip, slick, poof and blow for charity. My stylist/pal Jeanna, let me tag along two weeks ago, and we had a blast for a good cause. Of course I was snapping pics as I marveled at the sights.
The Girl We Entered in the ContestView image
Circle DooView image
Elvis & Priscilla MC the ShowView image
Flower PowerView image
Deviant DorothyView image
Our Girl Is On FireView image
I Love NewYorkView image
Liz Adjusts Her ModelView image
Getting LuckyView image
ShowGirlsView image
My VIP PassView image
Posted by Liz at 10:49 PM Feedback (4)
November 14, 2003

Draw Jam!
Ian Christy (Scene & Heard) does this really cool thing called Draw Jam every Saturday at a restaurant. Not only does he invite awesome artists to get their draw on, but he has a really innovative art site, where he and his lady, Yujin, post the creations.
"For the ones already hep to the jam methodology, well you already know thedrill, lots of paper, pens and ideas and hopefully we'll be seein' youtomorrow." ~ Ian Christy's emailed invitations
Posted by Liz at 12:39 PM Feedback (5)
November 13, 2003

December 9th Approaches
Yea, its my birthday and I have to decide what I want to do the weekend before the 9th. Mostly, I want to do what I always do, chill out with friends that I love. I also want to sift through tons of presents and cards. :D
Posted by Liz at 12:40 PM Feedback (10)
November 09, 2003

Revelations
I never wore ripped jeans. Never saw the point in it.
I was addicted to the rubiks cube.
I dated men who wore DrakkarNoir cologne.
Posted by Liz at 01:43 PM Feedback (7)
November 07, 2003

A Night & Day In NYC
I left the hell hole (AKA my job) and decided to hop a train to the big apple for halloween. I carry my bags up Anne's death trap stair case and enter her tiny apartment, finally I've arrived. It had been a long ride this night.
First off we head to heaven on earth, for a massage.
Here, Anne assends the staircase, like a drunk from the bar after a late night. Later, we were at a coffee shop and Anne was fading fast from a recent illness. It's Sunday, Anne and I have decided I'm having a bad hair day.... Off to Hayato we go and Yuichi goes to work straighten the frizz and poof. After six hours of straightening and me helping Yuichi with his English, we were both happy with the results. I adore Yuichi. He is the sweetest most talented hair straightener, and he gives one hell of a back, and neck massage!
Posted by Liz at 11:42 PM Feedback (11)
November 04, 2003

Working Hard
School has been pretty much a bust this semester, it remains a dark cloud looming over my head. The silver lining, however, has been that I am included in Justin Hall's new internship program. That's right, I get to do behind the scenes stuff, for the blogfather himself! I'm super excited and ready to go. :)
Halloween was great in NYC, I will be posting pics soon! Stay tuned.
Posted by Liz at 12:41 PM Feedback (3)

October 2003

October 31, 2003

Halloween, NYC Style
The best Halloween I ever had was in NYC. Tonight, I'm jumping on Amtrak to go meet up with Anne and the trick or treaters. We might hand out candy to kids *cough-cute guys-cough* or something. I told her, I didn't care what drugs she had to cop, the rule for tonight was, you aren't allowed to get tired!! I'll run home after work and pack a bag and I'm off! I can't wait to be in the big apple tonight of all nights. I'll take pics and keep ya posted, and by the way, I'm won't be in costume. I'm just going as a woman who doesn't want to watch a lot of DVD's this weekend.
Posted by Liz at 12:13 PM Feedback (3)
October 28, 2003

Rich Girls
I just watched this new show on MTV, Rich Girls, and I want to throw up. A half hour of total self indulgence in the lives of these two disgustingly wealthy and tacky NYC girls. Then it hit me, oh my God, these two do* remind me of myself and Anne when were hanging, NYC style. The hair, the pedicures, the shopping , the massages; riding in the back of cabs while on cell phones! The only difference is we don't have buck teeth, and our father's aren't fashion designers......do I seem bitter?
Posted by Liz at 11:11 PM Feedback (55)
October 27, 2003

Going For It!
UA's new ad
I never thought of myself as a particularly competitive person. Now I think maybe it was just a way for me to not get myself into the game. If I don't try, then I can't fail, was the thinking behind the, "I'm not a competitor" routine. However, this past weekend an opportunity came up that I jumped on. I jumped and started writing so fast, my head spun. I saw something I have been wanting for a long time, and when the opportunity presented itself, I got into the game. Win, lose or draw, I'm proud that I took a chance and put my best foot forward. That's what's important to me, not so much the outcome, but the fact that I showed up, raised my hand, and felt qualified to get into the game. I'm taking a risk and it feels good. Even if this doesn't work out, I've worked those muscles for the next opportunity that arises.
Posted by Liz at 09:51 PM Feedback (7)
October 25, 2003

Tiffany & Co.
Yes, I'm referring too the one and only, as in Breakfast At Tiffany's. I wandered in there today and knew I wasn't leaving without a little bauble. Sure enough, it wasn't long before a special little something caught my eye. On Friday at work, I began doodling a kidney bean. Don't ask me why, but it was a pleasant shape and I thought of the kidney shaped pool we use to have. So when I saw Elsa Peretti's bean jewelry, a delightfully fluid little ring caught my eye. Right away I envisioned it on my pinky. As I type these words, it dazzles in the corner of my eye.
Bean cuff links
Posted by Liz at 11:38 PM Feedback (2)
October 24, 2003

I Want My MTV!
Well not really, god I am such an 80’s dweeb aren’t I? Anyway, this isn't a post about MTV. Admittedly, people have walked in on me and caught me watching the music video channel, especially on lazy, mindless Sundays. This is a post about a new project that is right up my alley. Three of my favorite video directors are featured on DVD's from Palm Pictures. Mark Romanek sadly, is a great one they missed; maybe next time, she said with fingers crossed. Sometimes I can catch these innovators on the music channel, and it totally gives my day inspiration. Ironically, all three of the featured artists/directors have worked with, the goddess of all that is sight and sound, one of my all time favorites, Björk.
Posted by Liz at 09:00 PM Feedback (4)
October 23, 2003

Happy Halloween!
Sorry people, I couldn't resist! hehe
Posted by Liz at 10:58 PM Feedback (9)

The Biological Clock Ticks ticks ticks...
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I'm 40 and really only recently considered the benefits of marriage and children. I guess my love for my nieces opened me up to the idea as I play the cool, funloving Aunt Liz, then send them home to my brother. So now considering a family? Does one work to make it happen? I can't imagine where I would begin although some friends have made suggestions. People say that over 35 years of age, is high risk for pregnancy, yet I hear of people over 40 having children all the time. I think it all hinges on one thing, finding a man whom I would want to father said babies and that means finding a committed relationship that doesn't make me want to BE committed (as in mental institution)! A guy who is smart and kind and has the same values I have for raising children and being a family.
Now since I have never actually raised kids, all I have to go on is gut instincts and a clear sense of right and wrong. Could I find a man that I could trust enough to support us and let me be free enough to raise our children as we think they should be raised? I see younger couples buying homes and most I know, have help from families either financially or with baby sitting. The thoughts whirl around in my head. People tell me I am “smart” or “lucky” to have maintained my single status. I look at it as playing the cards I was dealt, but yes, I definitely have a great life, free of many of the everyday stresses parents take on. I’m free, and living a simple life filled with study and travel and new people, waiting just around the corner. Just for today, I don't have those marriage and children decisions to make. Maybe someday, maybe someday.
Posted by Liz at 07:34 PM Feedback (7)

Tiny Footprints In The Sand
Check out the pictures from the day. See why I love them so much?
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Being at the beach with my nieces is the best! They're so adorable and receptive to exploration. All is new to them. Seeing it for the first time, with Aunt Lizzy to guide them, I too, am able to see the ocean for the first time, through their eyes.
"Don't step on the broken shells,” I caution, their little hands in mine.
They leap and skip and splash at the ocean’s shore, and I think to myself, it doesn't get any better than this. They're so endearing and I'm filled with gratitude, they are content and healthy. I'm so thankful that they have terrific parents and grandparents.
I really can't comprehend how some parents are perfectly willing to miss such cherished moments with their children. Couples break up, and that’s it, the children's time is cut way back if not out all together. Parents start new relationships and move on. They pack up everything except the kids. maybe they call or send presents, and that’s enough for them. I'm just the Aunt, and I can’t imagine missing these exquisite moments with my precious little gems. I'm a part of their lives and they love me. It's like whatever could go amiss in my life, loosing a job, struggling with a course, being with the girls makes none of it relevant. As long as I have times like this to look forward too, I have a joyfulness in my life that nothing can replace.
Posted by Liz at 05:26 PM Feedback (3)
October 22, 2003

White Dopes On Punk
I couldn't be more delighted. Punk fashion is making a return. I laugh quietly when I see the traces of my hey day turning up on girls in their 20’s. The rubber, the lace, the leather. The bad ass attitude isn't as present; it doesn’t seem to be as necessary these days. After all, punks originally came from London and NYC. It's much more white washed these days, but cool none the less. It’s like bumping into an old boyfriend, and realizing, you could have him again, if you wanted him. I recall being in the trendy Miss Sixty shops this past summer and seeing the cut up printed tee shirts, the straps criss crossing, all ripped, and sexy. Crucifixes, skulls, and the color black, are always focal points of the punk chic vibe of yester year. Isn’t all so exciting? Just the way I remember it.
Posted by Liz at 10:12 PM Feedback (2)
October 21, 2003

Zodiac Advice Makes No Sense
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Fate is conspiring to suck you into an intensive behavioral modification program, to weed out wishy-washy wishes and leach out lukewarm longings that are distracting you from your burning desires. Here's the paradoxical formula at the heart of this process: If you try to maintain the illusion that you're not losing yourself, you will in fact lose yourself. But if you surrender and agree to lose yourself, you'll break through to a new level of communion with the deepest, most eternal part of yourself.
Does this mean I have to hang over the Thames river in a clear plastic box and starve?
Posted by Liz at 06:25 PM Feedback (0)
October 20, 2003

Snipers Need Love Too
Today was another Monday filled with 8 hours, I needed to have over with, as quickly as possible. I decided to elapse time with some light reading. I checked out all the BBC news regarding the DC snipers, John Allen Muhammad, and Lee Malvo. Yes, that is my idea of light reading! Of course, the thing I am most interested in is the profiles of the alleged murders. The backgrounds are interesting. Both men extremely needy. Searching. Naturally clicking like a dead bolt, once they met. Malvo's mother, hands her son over to Muhammad, and their journey of waste begins. Did she know her son was sleeping in a homeless shelter with a male old enough to be his father? Apparently she did. It reminded me of how there are no coincidents. We meet the people we are supposed to meet. I thought about all the woman that will contact these nice-looking, clever ...killers. I bet they're getting stacks of mail already from admiring females, who are certain they have the inside track on understanding these men. Muhammad's ex-wives were surely just bitches, right? Malvo grew up poor, what chance did he have? I'm reminded of Eric & Lyle Menendez, who married inside the prison walls, devoted women, who saw the trial on television, and felt an exquisite connection through the television screen. Why don't we ever hear about men writing a female killer in an effort to "understand" her and enter into a tender relationship from behind bars? Might it be the lack of conjugal visits? Hmmm
Posted by Liz at 07:01 PM Feedback (4)
October 15, 2003

On The Horizon
Just a few things going on with me. I’m contemplating a few decisions to be made. Looking at things realistically isn't unproblematic. There are so many things that can be used as a distraction for the real work that needs to be done. Thankfully today, I balk at accumulating diversions. I know what I want, and what I don't want. I have to have patience, and that’s easier said than done. I'll deal with the setbacks as opportunities and like a willow; I'll learn how to bend.
This weekend, it’s the beach with my nieces. My Aunt owns a condo and were going for fun and R & R. The next weekend I was considering a conference in NYC, but several issues are going into that decision. I'm apprehensive about my overnight arrangements etc. I'm waiting for a vision, burning bush, or bolt of lightening on that final episode. The following weekend is Halloween, and I have to see the kids fully clad in their costumes. I love October, the weather is so crisp and revitalizing! It’s all about experiencing the season.
I think I need brakes on my car. Indecisiveness on that one could lead to the brakes just giving out and bigger problems. Not a good thing to procrastinate on.
Uncertainty about what direction to take this blog flashes in and out of my thoughts daily. It feels all over the place but I have so much subject matter I want to explore. Sometimes, I picture myself as an old researching exocentric, who rents an apartment that’s filled with books, brilliant friends and tea cups. One can not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, as the saying goes. I've tried and it doesn't work. Now it seems I will have to do things the time-consuming, solid, proper way.
Posted by Liz at 10:58 PM Feedback (1)
October 13, 2003

Lavender
When I was in London I saw beautiful, fragrant lavender fields. Everywhere we went, the smell and color were wonderful. Since then, I have purchased as many lavender products (bath) as I could find. Now I find that pictures of lavender fields take me back to london in my minds eye, and I relax.
This is a bedroom in Provence (France) from a house, one could rent. Nearby would be lavender fields. There is something cozy and romantic about this basic bedroom.
Posted by Liz at 11:10 PM Feedback (2)
October 12, 2003

Interview for October, Comment Here
I plan on interviewing a new and fascinating person, each month as some of you may remember. Octobers interview is already late (thanks finite math), but last night I spoke with Nicole and that interview is now posted (thankyou Dimi). Check it out inInterviews and post here, and yes she is still available. Again, use this space to comment, if you feel the need. I loved talking to her, she is a sweetheart! Thanks Nicole!
Posted by Liz at 08:12 PM Feedback (6)

A Hypocrite is Exposed
"That Rush would likely never understand this is not surprising. Indeed, his understanding of racism, like that of most white Americans it seems, is so limited that it only allows the label to be used to describe the most vicious and deliberately bigoted of statements or actions. In other words, Rush, like most whites, views racism as requiring the evil intent of an individual racist, and thereby considers the event through the eyes of the perpetrator rather than the victim. If he didn't mean any harm, then there was no foul."
This is one of the best articles I have read on the Rush Limbaugh (and others like him) problem that plagues this country. Click here to read the entire article.
Posted by Liz at 05:02 PM Feedback (3)

Ask Anne
Anne has taken, what we hope will be, a temporary leave of absence from the blog due to her work schedule and the horrific commute she endures everyday (sometimes 2 hours in NYC traffic). Also, she is busy with a new love. Sorry to disappoint some drama queens, but that's the plain and simple explanation of it. She continues to influence my work, and is one of my closest friends.
Posted by Liz at 03:01 PM

Its The Souuuul Train
I was flipping channels tonight and came across Soul Train. This lady, Jacki-O was on there doing a Vanity 6 type thing, with two backup singers, and slow melodic sexual lyrics (juicey, juicey or something to that effect.) Remember Prince's group,Vanity 6, they sang Sex Shooter, Nasty Girl and all that jazz? It was funny to see a female act reminiscent of those 80's days gone by. When my brothers and I were kids, we loved to watch Soul Train, cause the commercials were different then the commercials that were usually on. They were all Afro-American hair care commercials and we liked them! Funny huh. I had to chuckle to myself when I found myself watching Soul Train again.
Jacki-O As She Appeared on Soul Train
Posted by Liz at 12:46 AM Feedback (2)
October 11, 2003

The Interesting Life of A Bohemian
"Don't make me seem too picturesque," Samuel Menashe urged, making a difficult request.
It is tempting to regard Mr. Menashe as an heirloom from a more colorful era. He is a poet, both lauded and obscure, who has lived in the same Greenwich Village tenement apartment on lower Thompson Street since 1956. His rent was $29 a month when he moved in. It has been raised since then, but is still a small fraction of what his newer neighbors pay.
Mr. Menashe remains a striking figure at 78, speaking with a resonant voice, his leonine silver hair swept back from his forehead. He frequently illustrates a conversational point by reciting, with elegant diction, one of his own short poems — which Stephen Spender once described, in The New York Review of Books, as "intense and clear as diamonds." There is neither computer nor typewriter in his apartment on the fifth floor of a walk-up building; Mr. Menashe composes his poetry with a pen, often in Central Park, to which he travels several times a week by subway.
"I suppose I am a classic bohemian," he admitted, sitting on a sagging couch in one of his three tiny rooms.
The ancient bathtub, perched on legs, stands in the kitchen, near a large refrigerator that Mr. Menashe has unplugged and uses as a storage closet. (He has a small refrigerator, containing food, in the living room.)
It's a light, airy space packed with phenomenal clutter, mainly books and papers. The walls, which haven't been painted in 25 years, are decorated with lively paintings, works of friends. Near the center of the room is a large, unlikely burst of greenery, a tree produced from seeds that Mr. Menashe saved from a grapefruit he had eaten." ~~ NY Times
Doesn't it just seem so cool, to be this age and live in NYC in a place you have called home for years and years. Its like if you don't require much, you can't be screwed over. The simple pleasures let you work and eat and live. I'm becoming more productive as I get older, requiring less materialism, but more intellectual stimulation. Who knows where I'll end up. Doesn't seem as though it will be the conventional for me.
Posted by Liz at 10:16 PM Feedback (0)
October 10, 2003

My Email From MichaelMoore.Com
"October 9, 2003....
By now, most of you have probably seen the "Dude, Where's My Country?" cover of the Bush statue being toppled. Today is the 6-month anniversary of the Baghdad photo-op where the Saddam statue came a tumblin' down ("We won! We won! We...um...what did we do? Right! WE WON!"). We thought we'd celebrate by taking out a full page ad in today's New York Times -- of us toppling Bush! It doubles as a great poster that you can just rip out of the paper and hang on your wall. If you live anywhere near a New York Times box, pick up a copy today (Oct. 9 -- it's on the back page of the Arts section).
Well, I'm off to Boston on the first leg of a 35-city tour. Hope you can come see me if you have the time (click here to see the tour schedule). I'll be keeping a tour diary on my web site, and I'll be adding new stuff to the site every couple days.
In the meantime, don't be depressed about Arnold. The people are pissed off and they have every right to be. They are in a "removal" mood. That is a good thing. As soon as we do our work to inform our friends and neighbors how Bush has wrecked the country, the economy and our standing in the world, they will be more than ready for "Terminator IV: Hasta La Vista Bush." And, please, let this be the end of wimpy, wishy-washy Democrats like Gray Davis who are really Republicans. The American public hates b.s. and hates fakes. We -- you -- need to think about getting people to run for office who STAND for something. Time is running out.
See you on the road!
Michael Moore"
Excellent, well done Michael!
Posted by Liz at 09:00 PM Feedback (1)

Breast Cancer Drug
"A new drug regimen can markedly reduce the chance that breast cancer will recur in postmenopausal women, a large international study has found. The results were so strongly, and surprisingly, positive that the investigators ended the study early and offered the drug to women taking a placebo.
The study involved 5,187 women at hundreds of medical centers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It asked what to do after they finish the recommended five-year course of tamoxifen, the standard treatment to prevent breast cancer recurrences.
Tamoxifen, which blocks the hormone estrogen, is remarkably effective in postmenopausal women whose cancers are fueled by the hormone, about 100,000 women each year." ~~ NY Times
When I was a little girl and my mother was only 40years old, she had a double mastectomy. Thats what they did with breast cancer back then. She had implants that broke and became deformed, but it saved her life and she was around to raise her three small children. My grandmother (Father's mother) had one breast removed back then and she is 88 years old now. My Aunt (mother's sister) just finished with chemo and radiation for her breast cancer. Thank God they got it all and she is doing well today, with freshly grown curly hair. This new drug is very good news for myself and many other woman.
Posted by Liz at 08:32 PM Feedback (0)
October 09, 2003

Reality Can Bite At Any Minute
That’s today’s headline regarding Roy being mauled by a tiger. I thought how appropriate for life. Reality can bite at any minute. An irritating nibble can turn into a deadly chomp, and with it comes the pain. Bring on the pain, I’m strong.
So many things have been whirling around in my head. I’m questioning, should I go to NYC in two weeks or not bother? Will I feel guilty as sin when I call out sick to head to the shore with my nieces for a weekend, also will I pass this finite math test? Reading about other people’s lives by way of a blog, makes me speculate. Have I been surmising accurately, are my perceptions of a picture couple on the money? I feel bad that they are no longer, and I’m sad that another blogger is depressed. That pair sure looked good on paper. Then of course I remind myself that my perceptions are just that, mine, and feelings aren’t facts. I guess bloggers are a sub culture of sorts. We know each other, we know a lot about each other because of reading, but do we really know one another? We link to our favorites, and some of us have made time and effort to meet in person. Many of us speak via the phone, and post to one another daily.
"The growth of the 'Blogosphere' and blogging (the act of keeping an online Web log or journal) has been meteoric," MrFadedGlory writes. "From the year 2000 the estimated number of 135,000 blogs is expected to increase in size to 10.3 million by 2004. Blogging has attracted the attention of major media players such as Conde Nast and Google, and has been the source of considerable discussion here at Plastic and elsewhere on the value of individual blogs as news sources. Are blogs just the latest self-indulgent web wank, or is this just version 0.1 of the brave new media future? " ~ Plastic
Just like life, plans& relationships can look good in theory. I’ve had scores of those theories in my life. Relationships that I felt were going “somewhere”, job opportunities, classes I wanted to take, but, when it came to the thriving daily feats the inadequacies of my plans shown through and in many cases I aborted my mission.
I feel that most woman want one thing, generally speaking, from a man, and that’s security. Momentous is the knowledge that he has your best welfare at heart. Expressing himself emotionally, and being a safe haven for your feelings. That’s not so simple too find, but I won’t settle for less. In the meantime, I blog, I live and I am happy.
Posted by Liz at 11:54 PM Feedback (6)
October 08, 2003

Politics As Usual
Politicans, Let This Be A Lesson To You!
I think Ah-Nuld won because people are sick of the politicians. Who can blame them. I myself, have looked into alternative leadership (See Anarchy post). I am as sick of the Democrats as I am the Republicians. Either way, we the people are screwed. Am I angry that Ah-Nuld is govenor? No, I cant say that I blame people for desperately grabbing at a chance for change. If he can overturn the damage done, then hooray for the people of California.
Posted by Liz at 07:30 AM Feedback (2)
October 05, 2003

The Poncho, Winter's Blanket
When I was a little girl in the 70's I had one, yesterday, I became the owner of my first poncho in more than 20 years. Yummy, it feels so good! I dont have this poncho (shown), I have a solid black one. If you bump into me this Winter, you may catch me wearing it.
I bought my poncho at Ann Taylor**
Posted by Liz at 05:46 PM Feedback (5)
October 01, 2003

Finite Math and Me
Gauss-Jordan Method
As some of you know I bombed the first test, bad! (Please don't ask me to say the test score) I jammed with my tutor and made some head way. I let the Prof know that I wasn't ready to give up just yet. Tonight after class, I had to stick around for some clarification on a particular method. Once Mr. H explained it, it clicked. He asked me how long it had been since I had the basics and I told him the truth, 20 yrs. (do the math). He asked if I felt overwhelmed and I told him as long as I see the tutor I'm OK. He told me point blank, that he didn't care who I was, if I failed the tests, I would fail the class. I said fair enough, I understand that, I actually like this class and I want to hang in and fight the good fight. I told Mr. H that this was my only class this semester and I was able to devote time to it. I have no idea why I'm relaxed about this situation. I recall a time, when a Prof was able to intimidate me out of Spanish class. I was always convinced math was beyond me and it was my boyfriends duty to tutor me (which he faithfully did). Today, I'm different person. I'll decide when I'm done with finite math, and for now I'm digging it, so I'm not done. I really want to kick ass in this class. I have to pass every test from here on out, that's OK, I'm in it to win it.
By the by, any words of encouragement will be greatly appreciated. :D
Posted by Liz at 09:43 PM Feedback (10)

October 2003

October 31, 2003

Halloween, NYC Style
The best Halloween I ever had was in NYC. Tonight, I'm jumping on Amtrak to go meet up with Anne and the trick or treaters. We might hand out candy to kids *cough-cute guys-cough* or something. I told her, I didn't care what drugs she had to cop, the rule for tonight was, you aren't allowed to get tired!! I'll run home after work and pack a bag and I'm off! I can't wait to be in the big apple tonight of all nights. I'll take pics and keep ya posted, and by the way, I'm won't be in costume. I'm just going as a woman who doesn't want to watch a lot of DVD's this weekend.
Posted by Liz at 12:13 PM Feedback (3)
October 28, 2003

Rich Girls
I just watched this new show on MTV, Rich Girls, and I want to throw up. A half hour of total self indulgence in the lives of these two disgustingly wealthy and tacky NYC girls. Then it hit me, oh my God, these two do* remind me of myself and Anne when were hanging, NYC style. The hair, the pedicures, the shopping , the massages; riding in the back of cabs while on cell phones! The only difference is we don't have buck teeth, and our father's aren't fashion designers......do I seem bitter?
Posted by Liz at 11:11 PM Feedback (55)
October 27, 2003

Going For It!
UA's new ad
I never thought of myself as a particularly competitive person. Now I think maybe it was just a way for me to not get myself into the game. If I don't try, then I can't fail, was the thinking behind the, "I'm not a competitor" routine. However, this past weekend an opportunity came up that I jumped on. I jumped and started writing so fast, my head spun. I saw something I have been wanting for a long time, and when the opportunity presented itself, I got into the game. Win, lose or draw, I'm proud that I took a chance and put my best foot forward. That's what's important to me, not so much the outcome, but the fact that I showed up, raised my hand, and felt qualified to get into the game. I'm taking a risk and it feels good. Even if this doesn't work out, I've worked those muscles for the next opportunity that arises.
Posted by Liz at 09:51 PM Feedback (7)
October 25, 2003

Tiffany & Co.
Yes, I'm referring too the one and only, as in Breakfast At Tiffany's. I wandered in there today and knew I wasn't leaving without a little bauble. Sure enough, it wasn't long before a special little something caught my eye. On Friday at work, I began doodling a kidney bean. Don't ask me why, but it was a pleasant shape and I thought of the kidney shaped pool we use to have. So when I saw Elsa Peretti's bean jewelry, a delightfully fluid little ring caught my eye. Right away I envisioned it on my pinky. As I type these words, it dazzles in the corner of my eye.
Bean cuff links
Posted by Liz at 11:38 PM Feedback (2)
October 24, 2003

I Want My MTV!
Well not really, god I am such an 80’s dweeb aren’t I? Anyway, this isn't a post about MTV. Admittedly, people have walked in on me and caught me watching the music video channel, especially on lazy, mindless Sundays. This is a post about a new project that is right up my alley. Three of my favorite video directors are featured on DVD's from Palm Pictures. Mark Romanek sadly, is a great one they missed; maybe next time, she said with fingers crossed. Sometimes I can catch these innovators on the music channel, and it totally gives my day inspiration. Ironically, all three of the featured artists/directors have worked with, the goddess of all that is sight and sound, one of my all time favorites, Björk.
Posted by Liz at 09:00 PM Feedback (4)
October 23, 2003

Happy Halloween!
Sorry people, I couldn't resist! hehe
Posted by Liz at 10:58 PM Feedback (9)

The Biological Clock Ticks ticks ticks...
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I'm 40 and really only recently considered the benefits of marriage and children. I guess my love for my nieces opened me up to the idea as I play the cool, funloving Aunt Liz, then send them home to my brother. So now considering a family? Does one work to make it happen? I can't imagine where I would begin although some friends have made suggestions. People say that over 35 years of age, is high risk for pregnancy, yet I hear of people over 40 having children all the time. I think it all hinges on one thing, finding a man whom I would want to father said babies and that means finding a committed relationship that doesn't make me want to BE committed (as in mental institution)! A guy who is smart and kind and has the same values I have for raising children and being a family.
Now since I have never actually raised kids, all I have to go on is gut instincts and a clear sense of right and wrong. Could I find a man that I could trust enough to support us and let me be free enough to raise our children as we think they should be raised? I see younger couples buying homes and most I know, have help from families either financially or with baby sitting. The thoughts whirl around in my head. People tell me I am “smart” or “lucky” to have maintained my single status. I look at it as playing the cards I was dealt, but yes, I definitely have a great life, free of many of the everyday stresses parents take on. I’m free, and living a simple life filled with study and travel and new people, waiting just around the corner. Just for today, I don't have those marriage and children decisions to make. Maybe someday, maybe someday.
Posted by Liz at 07:34 PM Feedback (7)

Tiny Footprints In The Sand
Check out the pictures from the day. See why I love them so much?
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Being at the beach with my nieces is the best! They're so adorable and receptive to exploration. All is new to them. Seeing it for the first time, with Aunt Lizzy to guide them, I too, am able to see the ocean for the first time, through their eyes.
"Don't step on the broken shells,” I caution, their little hands in mine.
They leap and skip and splash at the ocean’s shore, and I think to myself, it doesn't get any better than this. They're so endearing and I'm filled with gratitude, they are content and healthy. I'm so thankful that they have terrific parents and grandparents.
I really can't comprehend how some parents are perfectly willing to miss such cherished moments with their children. Couples break up, and that’s it, the children's time is cut way back if not out all together. Parents start new relationships and move on. They pack up everything except the kids. maybe they call or send presents, and that’s enough for them. I'm just the Aunt, and I can’t imagine missing these exquisite moments with my precious little gems. I'm a part of their lives and they love me. It's like whatever could go amiss in my life, loosing a job, struggling with a course, being with the girls makes none of it relevant. As long as I have times like this to look forward too, I have a joyfulness in my life that nothing can replace.
Posted by Liz at 05:26 PM Feedback (3)
October 22, 2003

White Dopes On Punk
I couldn't be more delighted. Punk fashion is making a return. I laugh quietly when I see the traces of my hey day turning up on girls in their 20’s. The rubber, the lace, the leather. The bad ass attitude isn't as present; it doesn’t seem to be as necessary these days. After all, punks originally came from London and NYC. It's much more white washed these days, but cool none the less. It’s like bumping into an old boyfriend, and realizing, you could have him again, if you wanted him. I recall being in the trendy Miss Sixty shops this past summer and seeing the cut up printed tee shirts, the straps criss crossing, all ripped, and sexy. Crucifixes, skulls, and the color black, are always focal points of the punk chic vibe of yester year. Isn’t all so exciting? Just the way I remember it.
Posted by Liz at 10:12 PM Feedback (2)
October 21, 2003

Zodiac Advice Makes No Sense
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Fate is conspiring to suck you into an intensive behavioral modification program, to weed out wishy-washy wishes and leach out lukewarm longings that are distracting you from your burning desires. Here's the paradoxical formula at the heart of this process: If you try to maintain the illusion that you're not losing yourself, you will in fact lose yourself. But if you surrender and agree to lose yourself, you'll break through to a new level of communion with the deepest, most eternal part of yourself.
Does this mean I have to hang over the Thames river in a clear plastic box and starve?
Posted by Liz at 06:25 PM Feedback (0)
October 20, 2003

Snipers Need Love Too
Today was another Monday filled with 8 hours, I needed to have over with, as quickly as possible. I decided to elapse time with some light reading. I checked out all the BBC news regarding the DC snipers, John Allen Muhammad, and Lee Malvo. Yes, that is my idea of light reading! Of course, the thing I am most interested in is the profiles of the alleged murders. The backgrounds are interesting. Both men extremely needy. Searching. Naturally clicking like a dead bolt, once they met. Malvo's mother, hands her son over to Muhammad, and their journey of waste begins. Did she know her son was sleeping in a homeless shelter with a male old enough to be his father? Apparently she did. It reminded me of how there are no coincidents. We meet the people we are supposed to meet. I thought about all the woman that will contact these nice-looking, clever ...killers. I bet they're getting stacks of mail already from admiring females, who are certain they have the inside track on understanding these men. Muhammad's ex-wives were surely just bitches, right? Malvo grew up poor, what chance did he have? I'm reminded of Eric & Lyle Menendez, who married inside the prison walls, devoted women, who saw the trial on television, and felt an exquisite connection through the television screen. Why don't we ever hear about men writing a female killer in an effort to "understand" her and enter into a tender relationship from behind bars? Might it be the lack of conjugal visits? Hmmm
Posted by Liz at 07:01 PM Feedback (4)
October 15, 2003

On The Horizon
Just a few things going on with me. I’m contemplating a few decisions to be made. Looking at things realistically isn't unproblematic. There are so many things that can be used as a distraction for the real work that needs to be done. Thankfully today, I balk at accumulating diversions. I know what I want, and what I don't want. I have to have patience, and that’s easier said than done. I'll deal with the setbacks as opportunities and like a willow; I'll learn how to bend.
This weekend, it’s the beach with my nieces. My Aunt owns a condo and were going for fun and R & R. The next weekend I was considering a conference in NYC, but several issues are going into that decision. I'm apprehensive about my overnight arrangements etc. I'm waiting for a vision, burning bush, or bolt of lightening on that final episode. The following weekend is Halloween, and I have to see the kids fully clad in their costumes. I love October, the weather is so crisp and revitalizing! It’s all about experiencing the season.
I think I need brakes on my car. Indecisiveness on that one could lead to the brakes just giving out and bigger problems. Not a good thing to procrastinate on.
Uncertainty about what direction to take this blog flashes in and out of my thoughts daily. It feels all over the place but I have so much subject matter I want to explore. Sometimes, I picture myself as an old researching exocentric, who rents an apartment that’s filled with books, brilliant friends and tea cups. One can not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, as the saying goes. I've tried and it doesn't work. Now it seems I will have to do things the time-consuming, solid, proper way.
Posted by Liz at 10:58 PM Feedback (1)
October 13, 2003

Lavender
When I was in London I saw beautiful, fragrant lavender fields. Everywhere we went, the smell and color were wonderful. Since then, I have purchased as many lavender products (bath) as I could find. Now I find that pictures of lavender fields take me back to london in my minds eye, and I relax.
This is a bedroom in Provence (France) from a house, one could rent. Nearby would be lavender fields. There is something cozy and romantic about this basic bedroom.
Posted by Liz at 11:10 PM Feedback (2)
October 12, 2003

Interview for October, Comment Here
I plan on interviewing a new and fascinating person, each month as some of you may remember. Octobers interview is already late (thanks finite math), but last night I spoke with Nicole and that interview is now posted (thankyou Dimi). Check it out inInterviews and post here, and yes she is still available. Again, use this space to comment, if you feel the need. I loved talking to her, she is a sweetheart! Thanks Nicole!
Posted by Liz at 08:12 PM Feedback (6)

A Hypocrite is Exposed
"That Rush would likely never understand this is not surprising. Indeed, his understanding of racism, like that of most white Americans it seems, is so limited that it only allows the label to be used to describe the most vicious and deliberately bigoted of statements or actions. In other words, Rush, like most whites, views racism as requiring the evil intent of an individual racist, and thereby considers the event through the eyes of the perpetrator rather than the victim. If he didn't mean any harm, then there was no foul."
This is one of the best articles I have read on the Rush Limbaugh (and others like him) problem that plagues this country. Click here to read the entire article.
Posted by Liz at 05:02 PM Feedback (3)

Ask Anne
Anne has taken, what we hope will be, a temporary leave of absence from the blog due to her work schedule and the horrific commute she endures everyday (sometimes 2 hours in NYC traffic). Also, she is busy with a new love. Sorry to disappoint some drama queens, but that's the plain and simple explanation of it. She continues to influence my work, and is one of my closest friends.
Posted by Liz at 03:01 PM

Its The Souuuul Train
I was flipping channels tonight and came across Soul Train. This lady, Jacki-O was on there doing a Vanity 6 type thing, with two backup singers, and slow melodic sexual lyrics (juicey, juicey or something to that effect.) Remember Prince's group,Vanity 6, they sang Sex Shooter, Nasty Girl and all that jazz? It was funny to see a female act reminiscent of those 80's days gone by. When my brothers and I were kids, we loved to watch Soul Train, cause the commercials were different then the commercials that were usually on. They were all Afro-American hair care commercials and we liked them! Funny huh. I had to chuckle to myself when I found myself watching Soul Train again.
Jacki-O As She Appeared on Soul Train
Posted by Liz at 12:46 AM Feedback (2)
October 11, 2003

The Interesting Life of A Bohemian
"Don't make me seem too picturesque," Samuel Menashe urged, making a difficult request.
It is tempting to regard Mr. Menashe as an heirloom from a more colorful era. He is a poet, both lauded and obscure, who has lived in the same Greenwich Village tenement apartment on lower Thompson Street since 1956. His rent was $29 a month when he moved in. It has been raised since then, but is still a small fraction of what his newer neighbors pay.
Mr. Menashe remains a striking figure at 78, speaking with a resonant voice, his leonine silver hair swept back from his forehead. He frequently illustrates a conversational point by reciting, with elegant diction, one of his own short poems — which Stephen Spender once described, in The New York Review of Books, as "intense and clear as diamonds." There is neither computer nor typewriter in his apartment on the fifth floor of a walk-up building; Mr. Menashe composes his poetry with a pen, often in Central Park, to which he travels several times a week by subway.
"I suppose I am a classic bohemian," he admitted, sitting on a sagging couch in one of his three tiny rooms.
The ancient bathtub, perched on legs, stands in the kitchen, near a large refrigerator that Mr. Menashe has unplugged and uses as a storage closet. (He has a small refrigerator, containing food, in the living room.)
It's a light, airy space packed with phenomenal clutter, mainly books and papers. The walls, which haven't been painted in 25 years, are decorated with lively paintings, works of friends. Near the center of the room is a large, unlikely burst of greenery, a tree produced from seeds that Mr. Menashe saved from a grapefruit he had eaten." ~~ NY Times
Doesn't it just seem so cool, to be this age and live in NYC in a place you have called home for years and years. Its like if you don't require much, you can't be screwed over. The simple pleasures let you work and eat and live. I'm becoming more productive as I get older, requiring less materialism, but more intellectual stimulation. Who knows where I'll end up. Doesn't seem as though it will be the conventional for me.
Posted by Liz at 10:16 PM Feedback (0)
October 10, 2003

My Email From MichaelMoore.Com
"October 9, 2003....
By now, most of you have probably seen the "Dude, Where's My Country?" cover of the Bush statue being toppled. Today is the 6-month anniversary of the Baghdad photo-op where the Saddam statue came a tumblin' down ("We won! We won! We...um...what did we do? Right! WE WON!"). We thought we'd celebrate by taking out a full page ad in today's New York Times -- of us toppling Bush! It doubles as a great poster that you can just rip out of the paper and hang on your wall. If you live anywhere near a New York Times box, pick up a copy today (Oct. 9 -- it's on the back page of the Arts section).
Well, I'm off to Boston on the first leg of a 35-city tour. Hope you can come see me if you have the time (click here to see the tour schedule). I'll be keeping a tour diary on my web site, and I'll be adding new stuff to the site every couple days.
In the meantime, don't be depressed about Arnold. The people are pissed off and they have every right to be. They are in a "removal" mood. That is a good thing. As soon as we do our work to inform our friends and neighbors how Bush has wrecked the country, the economy and our standing in the world, they will be more than ready for "Terminator IV: Hasta La Vista Bush." And, please, let this be the end of wimpy, wishy-washy Democrats like Gray Davis who are really Republicans. The American public hates b.s. and hates fakes. We -- you -- need to think about getting people to run for office who STAND for something. Time is running out.
See you on the road!
Michael Moore"
Excellent, well done Michael!
Posted by Liz at 09:00 PM Feedback (1)

Breast Cancer Drug
"A new drug regimen can markedly reduce the chance that breast cancer will recur in postmenopausal women, a large international study has found. The results were so strongly, and surprisingly, positive that the investigators ended the study early and offered the drug to women taking a placebo.
The study involved 5,187 women at hundreds of medical centers in the United States, Canada and Europe. It asked what to do after they finish the recommended five-year course of tamoxifen, the standard treatment to prevent breast cancer recurrences.
Tamoxifen, which blocks the hormone estrogen, is remarkably effective in postmenopausal women whose cancers are fueled by the hormone, about 100,000 women each year." ~~ NY Times
When I was a little girl and my mother was only 40years old, she had a double mastectomy. Thats what they did with breast cancer back then. She had implants that broke and became deformed, but it saved her life and she was around to raise her three small children. My grandmother (Father's mother) had one breast removed back then and she is 88 years old now. My Aunt (mother's sister) just finished with chemo and radiation for her breast cancer. Thank God they got it all and she is doing well today, with freshly grown curly hair. This new drug is very good news for myself and many other woman.
Posted by Liz at 08:32 PM Feedback (0)
October 09, 2003

Reality Can Bite At Any Minute
That’s today’s headline regarding Roy being mauled by a tiger. I thought how appropriate for life. Reality can bite at any minute. An irritating nibble can turn into a deadly chomp, and with it comes the pain. Bring on the pain, I’m strong.
So many things have been whirling around in my head. I’m questioning, should I go to NYC in two weeks or not bother? Will I feel guilty as sin when I call out sick to head to the shore with my nieces for a weekend, also will I pass this finite math test? Reading about other people’s lives by way of a blog, makes me speculate. Have I been surmising accurately, are my perceptions of a picture couple on the money? I feel bad that they are no longer, and I’m sad that another blogger is depressed. That pair sure looked good on paper. Then of course I remind myself that my perceptions are just that, mine, and feelings aren’t facts. I guess bloggers are a sub culture of sorts. We know each other, we know a lot about each other because of reading, but do we really know one another? We link to our favorites, and some of us have made time and effort to meet in person. Many of us speak via the phone, and post to one another daily.
"The growth of the 'Blogosphere' and blogging (the act of keeping an online Web log or journal) has been meteoric," MrFadedGlory writes. "From the year 2000 the estimated number of 135,000 blogs is expected to increase in size to 10.3 million by 2004. Blogging has attracted the attention of major media players such as Conde Nast and Google, and has been the source of considerable discussion here at Plastic and elsewhere on the value of individual blogs as news sources. Are blogs just the latest self-indulgent web wank, or is this just version 0.1 of the brave new media future? " ~ Plastic
Just like life, plans& relationships can look good in theory. I’ve had scores of those theories in my life. Relationships that I felt were going “somewhere”, job opportunities, classes I wanted to take, but, when it came to the thriving daily feats the inadequacies of my plans shown through and in many cases I aborted my mission.
I feel that most woman want one thing, generally speaking, from a man, and that’s security. Momentous is the knowledge that he has your best welfare at heart. Expressing himself emotionally, and being a safe haven for your feelings. That’s not so simple too find, but I won’t settle for less. In the meantime, I blog, I live and I am happy.
Posted by Liz at 11:54 PM Feedback (6)
October 08, 2003

Politics As Usual
Politicans, Let This Be A Lesson To You!
I think Ah-Nuld won because people are sick of the politicians. Who can blame them. I myself, have looked into alternative leadership (See Anarchy post). I am as sick of the Democrats as I am the Republicians. Either way, we the people are screwed. Am I angry that Ah-Nuld is govenor? No, I cant say that I blame people for desperately grabbing at a chance for change. If he can overturn the damage done, then hooray for the people of California.
Posted by Liz at 07:30 AM Feedback (2)
October 05, 2003

The Poncho, Winter's Blanket
When I was a little girl in the 70's I had one, yesterday, I became the owner of my first poncho in more than 20 years. Yummy, it feels so good! I dont have this poncho (shown), I have a solid black one. If you bump into me this Winter, you may catch me wearing it.
I bought my poncho at Ann Taylor**
Posted by Liz at 05:46 PM Feedback (5)
October 01, 2003

Finite Math and Me
Gauss-Jordan Method
As some of you know I bombed the first test, bad! (Please don't ask me to say the test score) I jammed with my tutor and made some head way. I let the Prof know that I wasn't ready to give up just yet. Tonight after class, I had to stick around for some clarification on a particular method. Once Mr. H explained it, it clicked. He asked me how long it had been since I had the basics and I told him the truth, 20 yrs. (do the math). He asked if I felt overwhelmed and I told him as long as I see the tutor I'm OK. He told me point blank, that he didn't care who I was, if I failed the tests, I would fail the class. I said fair enough, I understand that, I actually like this class and I want to hang in and fight the good fight. I told Mr. H that this was my only class this semester and I was able to devote time to it. I have no idea why I'm relaxed about this situation. I recall a time, when a Prof was able to intimidate me out of Spanish class. I was always convinced math was beyond me and it was my boyfriends duty to tutor me (which he faithfully did). Today, I'm different person. I'll decide when I'm done with finite math, and for now I'm digging it, so I'm not done. I really want to kick ass in this class. I have to pass every test from here on out, that's OK, I'm in it to win it.
By the by, any words of encouragement will be greatly appreciated. :D
Posted by Liz at 09:43 PM Feedback (10)

September 2003

September 29, 2003

The Anarchist, Activism & Alternative News
(RLichtenstein)
I'm so disgusted with whats going on in this country and the middle east. I can't bear one more minute of George W. and his corporate co-horts; 2004 Bush has to go! This war is completely unfounded Saddam at large, Bin Laden.... who knows. As the race for oil rages on, our health care and education system is collapsing, and the Democratic party is a joke! I have begun a journey of looking for other like-minded people regarding the politics of my country.
I have been checking out anarchists websites and reading college newspapers and viewing films,reading books that address what I feel are the real issues. I went to London to hear Marianne Williamson speak about peace and question myself about the larger consequences of what I do, where I work and how I don't participate. I want to use what few resources I have, namely this blog and my big mouth, to bring up the real issues. I want to live my life according to a belief system that comes from my basic roots. One of the working class in America, who just wants fair wages and a decent life. I don't want to slap an American flag on my car and feel I've done my part. Clearly as I look around and talk to people, there is much more that needs to be done.
Posted by Liz at 10:19 PM Feedback (11)
September 27, 2003

Trendy Is As Trendy Does
I was reading GameGirlAdvance this morning and Jane is talking about fashion in video games. She happened to mention the LV* Murakami bag, that everyone and their brother is carrying these days (Just click the link, you'll recognize it). It reminded me of being in London where I purchased my Longchamp bag. Anne, already a convert from her Paris days, talked me into it, stating her case rather well. She emplored,
"Get something different. Don't get what everyone else has, this is elegant."
Sure enough, the brand has an ad in VOGUE in this month! I guess the next step will be knockoffs turning up on Canal Street in NYC. A fate worse than death, I could end carrying a trendy, over done item? Ahh, I doubt it.
Longchamp was founded in 1948 by a French family, as a company that made leather covers for pipes. The bags they make today have that certain "savoir faire" and class. It wouldn't appeal to teens the way the LV* Murakami bag does. My bag is cranberry colored and weather proof, as well as sophisticated. People compliment me on it all the time. *sighs* I think I'm safe for now.
Posted by Liz at 01:04 PM Feedback (4)
September 26, 2003

George Plimpton Dies at Age 76
When I heard about Mr. Plimpton's passing I immediately thought of one of my all times favorite books. It was a book I patterend my life after in the 80's (minus the drugs.) Edie: An American Biography, was a book I read at least ten times.
This was a book that opened up a new world of fashion and music and what it meant to inspire others, for me. The back drop is the factory in New York City in the 60’s. A place that was a dream land filled with artists and drug addicts and Andy's camera. I felt I understood these people and they held a glittery attraction for me. I wore a tee shirt back then with Edie face. I read all that I could lay my hands on about her and the factory and Andy Warhol’s work. I purchased her underground star vehicle film, Ciao Manhattan, in Philadelphia at an artsy video store for $80. I both admired and aspired to be Edie.Originally I had seen George Plimpton on Johnny Carson talking about this book. He explained that Edith Sedgwick was a Warhol muse in the 60’s that had come from a wealthy New England, old money, family. Her clan was large and they lived on a sprawling ranch, where drugs and incest dominated. Two for her brothers eventually committed suicide and Edie herself finally died at the age of 28 of a drug overdose; I was intrigued as you can well imagine. The next day I went to the school library and found, to my dismay, the book had already been checked out for a week.
I was sitting in a college English class and spotted the book on another student’s desk. I knew the guy and asked when he would be done reading it. I made an attempt to pressure him into handing it over but he didn’t cave in. When I finally got my hands on it, I checked it out a few times; I couldn’t put it down. Anyone that knew me was made aware of the “fabulous” (an adjective Edie often used) book I was reading.
What attracted me to this sad, troubled woman? Well, let’s start with the fact that she was from a wealthy, Harvard educated, blue blood family. If that wasn’t enticing enough, she was beautiful; every man that saw her fell in love with her. For me, a young woman of 19, that was compelling. She was named “Girl of The Year” in New York City. I was never one for titles, but that seemed like a damn hip title to have. She was a fashion model and actress, a muse to Andy Warhol. Being the muse of an artist seemed so dreamy to me.
Sure there were countless tragedies in Edie’s life from conception. Family secrets, abuse, addiction, eating disorders, and mental illness, to a 19 year old girl, all I saw was everything I aspired too be, the desirable leading lady to cool artists and musicians. A poor little rich girl, who would inspire generations to come.
I took what I could from this book and applied it to my life, mostly physical aspects of this character, Edie Sedgwick. I wore my hair short; I don skirts, black tights and black pumps. I put on the biggest earrings I could find and I danced in clubs as often as possible.
As time went on, I would hang around people who lived on the edge, I watched from the fringe, always playing it safe. I would soon realize that was an illusion and a life lesson I carry with me to this day. I did manage to turn my friends on to all kinds of installation art and musicians like Lou Reed and Patty Smith. I swirled around in the middle of 80’s pop culture, captivating people with my avant-garde outlook. If you knew me back then, chances are I gave you a copy of my favorite book for some occasion.
Rest in peace Mr. Plimpton, your work certainly did impact my life.
Posted by Liz at 07:19 PM Feedback (2)
September 23, 2003

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
I haven't posted in a while and I really miss it. I've been totally overwhelmed with dogging my math test and have become new best friend to Bill, the math tutor. Thank goodness he knows what he is doing!
I have been getting some great feedback on my interview with Ian Christy (see Scene & Heard page). Thankyou to everyone for your comments.
On a whim, and in between studying (why did I bother again)? I emailed none other than Michael Musto himself! Who is Michael Musto you ask? Well, obviously you weren't a club kid from the 80's (not that I was either, but it was one of the many delusions I was operating under back then). I emailed Mr. Musto at the Village Voice just to let him know that I was a card carrying subscriber to the one and only, Details magazine. Not the Details men's magazine of today (gag, barf) with its I'm too sexy for my shirt articles, but the Details it once was before it was sold. A chronicle of a glittery day gone by, before we knew there was any such thing as AIDS; before Boy George was a drugged out has been (he is back and better than ever, thankyou!), and Andy Warhol and Keith Haring (I met him back then and he was a doll) were alive and well and making the scene. *Sigh* I just had to tell Michael how much I missed him and how I, for one, have not forgotten! The following is our much treasured (by me, of course) exchange, via email..........
A Fan From The Old Details Days..."Gosh Michael I loved that magazine back then! Every issue was a way for me to keep track of Andy and all the DJ's and James St. James. I miss that damned magazine. I still have a few old issues and I treasure them. What happened to some of the old gang? What a great book that would make. Remember the cool pics in every issue where the person hid their face? I seem to recall a Santa pic that was Keith Haring ahhhh the good ole days, huh?Take good careWarmly, Liz FinePhiladelphia, Pa."
Michael's Reply....
"Yeah, it was great. I'm still around and James did the movie Party Monster,and Saban moved to LA. Patrick McMullan's coming out with a book about the '80s that should includethe whole gang. Take care!"
Posted by Liz at 11:24 PM Feedback (10)
September 15, 2003

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
In my lifetime, I have fixed up two couples that are now married. I do have this weird way of fixing people up. I have done it more than once, but when I say nay (no), I mean no to a pairing up.Here are two that I knew would never make it down the isle!
Posted by Liz at 11:41 PM Feedback (11)

David Blaine
Besides being cute as hell, I wonder how is doing with living in a box for 44 days.
David leaves the box on day 44 as planned.
Update: in case your interested in what the cute guy is up too.
Man Arrested for Harassing David Blaine
The Associated PressTuesday, September 16, 2003; 8:46 AM
LONDON - Police arrested a man Tuesday for allegedly trying to cut the water line sustaining a magician who hopes to dangle 44 days in a box near Tower Bridge without food.
Magician David Blaine reportedly was awakened by the suspect but was not injured. London's Metropolitan Police said they received a report early Tuesday that a man had climbed on to the water tower near Blaine's box.
"The man threw water bottles and other objects from the tower and tried to cut through water and cable lines connected to the tower, but without success," a police statement said.
The man, who is in his 40s, came down of his own accord about a half-hour later, police said. He was arrested for criminal damage, police said.
Posted by Liz at 01:29 AM Feedback (19)
September 14, 2003

I'm Bored, Can You Tell?
Your romance is more of a love that needs to bloomwithin, just like Hedwig of Hedwig and theAngry Inch. The film features an East Germantranssexual who is seeking her "otherhalf" after constant betrayal. You mustlove yourself before you can need another.You're starting to realize this, along with thefact that you don't need a significant other tobe a complete person. Your "otherhalf" has been inside you all along.What Romance Movie Best Represents Your Love Life?brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by Liz at 01:39 PM Feedback (2)

Nice Tee's & Other Stuff
Click here for cool shit. I'm already thinking about my holiday gift giving list. If you want to be on my list, let me know. ;)
My Amazon wishlist, do you have one?
Posted by Liz at 12:12 PM Feedback (4)

Victorian Murderesses
A True History of Thirteen Respectable French and English Woman Accused of Unspeakable Crimes.(photos(c) 2003 Edward Gorey)
A friend lent me this book she picked up at a book sale. She knew I would be interested in the topic. Funny thing about this book, written in 1974 by Mary S. Hartman, is the "unspeakable" crimes are killing off their husbands and various lovers. The book details some famous Victorian murder cases of the "polite" lady of the day. These are stories of woman accused of suffocating, beating, stabbing, shooting and poisoning the troublesome men in their lives. What is interesting is the drinking, pill popping and fainting spells, well-mannered woman used as ways of acting out the unhappiness they felt but were not permitted to express. Now of course we all know murder is wrong, but "unspeakable?" I'm enjoying this light reading at bedtime. ;)
Posted by Liz at 12:20 AM Feedback (0)
September 13, 2003

Fingers Crossed for Björk's Greatest Hits
I just ordered this CD from Amazon and then realized the seller has a horrible rating, per 1 person. I have really wanted this CD for a while, so cross your fingers I recieve it. Next time I will be more careful about picking a seller rather than the least expensive price.
Posted by Liz at 11:06 PM Feedback (1)

When Anne & Liz have PMS
Its not pretty folks. (Do not click these links if you have a fragile constitution or a weak heart.) The following are visual examples of a real medical condition called premenstrual syndrome. Consider yourself warned hehe.....
We feel relaxed and sane!
Posted by Liz at 01:05 AM Feedback (4)
September 12, 2003

Until Then I Study!
"Tokyo I'm excited for especially because of the people we know there. Seoul I'm excited for because it's a place I haven't explored terribly deeply. So those are reasons, above and beyond the discourse around video games, that have me excited to be travelling without assignment. Make your own assignment!
As long as I'm taking notes, writing for some venue, and meeting interesting people, I figure I'm doing good by my career. Though sometimes it does appear to be deferred compensation. I have faith that I will be supremely able to help with something, some day, when I'm called. Until then I study!"~Justin Hall of Links.Net
Yet another inspirational line from Links.Net via the blogfather himself, Justin Hall . People are always questioning J&J about how they finance their lifestyle of freelance writing & travel. I go through a similar dilemma, when people find out where I work, and some of the places I have traveled too. I like Justin's approach, make your own way, study and trust that your career will benefit from your experiences in the long run. I'm in the process of doing that right now. I try not to project on to the future. Limitations, I try never to set them for myself.
Posted by Liz at 10:29 PM Feedback (1)
September 11, 2003

I Love You, New York
The human spirit is not measured by the size of the act, but the size of the heart. ~Mural on the side of building at ground zero
Two years ago, I remember sitting at work, listening to the radio, on a bright sunny day. Suddenly a plane has hit the WTC, then another. My head is spinning with disbelief but I just knew this was no accident. These bastards are tearing up my city. How dare they, I am pissed! I want to be home with my family, I want to know they are safe, I want to hide. My work place didn't dismiss us early that day. Instead, I sat there staring out of the window in a high rise. The following song lyrics describe those feelings on September 11th, 2001. The following links are pictures I took of ground zero this past August.
View images of gound zero
In The Waiting Line (edited for space)Lyrics vocals by sophie barker
Wait in line‘Till your timeTicking clockEveryone stop
Everyone's saying different things to meDifferent things to meEveryone's saying different things to meDifferent things to me
Do you believeIn what you seeThere doesn't seem to be anybody else who agrees with me
Do you believeIn what you seeMotionless wheelNothing is realWasting my timeIn the waiting lineDo you believe inWhat you see
Nine to fiveLiving liesEverydayStealing timeEveryone's taking everything they canEverything they canEveryone's taking everything they canEverything they can
Do you believeIn what you feelIt doesn't seem to be anybody else who agrees with me
Ah and I’ll shout and I’ll screamBut I’d rather not have seenAnd i'll hide away for another day
Do you believeIn what you seeMotionless wheelNothing is realWasting my timeIn the waiting lineDo you believeIn what you see
Everyone's saying different things to meDifferent things to meDifferent things to meEveryone's taking everything they canEverything they can
Posted by Liz at 12:14 PM Feedback (0)
September 10, 2003

Making Life Worthwhile
"i've followed your website many years now, and i still find it amazing that you seems to live, and live well.. you give me inspiration to persue the goal of living an interesting life, not making money. it is clearly possible." ~Erik comments to Justin Hall on Links.net
Thankyou Erik, whoever you are. I really took that comment to heart.
Posted by Liz at 09:11 PM Feedback (1)
September 09, 2003

Unanswered Questions
Posted by Liz at 08:26 PM Feedback (0)

From The NYTimes
- QUOTATION OF THE DAY -"A little of our son lives in each and every one of you."
- DEE RAGUSA, at the last funeral for a firefighter killed at the WorldTrade Center.
Posted by Liz at 07:17 AM Feedback (0)
September 07, 2003

An Exotic Beauty?
Jeanna finally colored my hair a very dark brown. It is actually almost black and she went a shade lighter then what I requested. I really love it for now. Its so different than my natural Auburn. I think I'll keep this new color a while, just for fun. Maybe I dreamt of becoming an Asian beauty HA!
Instead, I think I look like an older, less punky version of......Download file
Posted by Liz at 02:18 PM Feedback (4)

Check Out Interviews
Dimi has posted theInterviews page. Check out my first of many interviews with some intriguing people. Enjoy getting to know more about Ian Christy , a really amazing artist. Other interviews will be on the way...stay tuned.
Posted by Liz at 12:07 PM Feedback (0)

Recent Music Purchases
Last night I bought Dealership and No Doubt (Rock Steady) CD's that I have been eyeing for quite some time. I can't wait to blast them in my car on my way to work.
I'm still waiting for the CD's from Camilo. Some cool Brazilan stuff he is sending.

Posted by Liz at 11:14 AM Feedback (6)
September 03, 2003

Northern Nights
There is nothing more luxurious than a divine night of slumber. Recently, I treated myself to a Northern Nights feather bed. My mom and friend, Sharon, have one and I have always longed for the warm and cozy experience of a night on down feathers.
While watching a home shopping channel, the Northern Nights brand appeared, on sale, in all it deliciousness. A representative from the company was demonstrating how a pattoned machine cleans the feathers so well; they are actually rendered hypoallergenic. I watched in awe as the feathers flew and dirt was collected in a pan at the bottom of this marvelous device. Next they went to the actual bed display and explained how firm these feathers actually were. The demonstrator pushed and sat up and down, as the bed sprang back into shape. She described it as a pillow for your entire body. and I imagining myself laying on a white billowy cloud, deep in restful slumber.One of my favorite pastimes has always been sleeping. Even as a teenager, I would come home from school and grab a power nap. Today, the weekends are an opportunity to seize some extra shut-eye. Sleeping is nature’s prescription for gathering energy and gaining a new perspective for the next day.When I’m under a lot of stress, I find it very difficult to sleep. I remember after the September 11th, World Trade Center attacks, I sat at work, in a high rise, staring out the window, completely devastated and scared to death about what was coming next. The following day, I stayed in bed and didn’t move. I didn’t turn on the TV or radio, I didn’t leave the house, I never left my room. Staying in my bed seemed like the safest place, as if the terrorists wouldn’t be able to find me under the covers. My bed felt like a warm, nurturing cocoon that day.
Another reason to feel good about my feather bed is that no birds are killed for their feathers. The down and feathers are a by product of Asian and European food industries. The bed is biodegradable and environmentally safe. When it becomes time to get a new feather bed, the old one can be returned to the earth as an excellent fertilizer for the garden. The makers of the bed say it is earth friendly and that’s a reason to rest easier.
As I shake out the feathers to refluff the fill, I imagine all the restful nights of sleep, I hope to be blessed with. My nieces running in and snuggling as they besiege my bed. These are the most precious moments that make up my life. The new bed will give me the night’s rest that is required to get through the remainder of my classes. I will be invigorated, and rejuvenated to proceed with all the projects I have taken on. As I travel in the years to come, my feather bed will beckon me home. When I am sad, its softness will console me. In happier times, I will be reminded that it is in nature’s bountiful gifts, and in Northern Nights, that the most splendid of times are found.
Sleep well friends ZZZZZZZZ
Posted by Liz at 10:39 PM Feedback (6)

Do You Like Pop Music?
I love some of the old classic singer/songwritiers and in my opinion, some of the greatest pop artists of all time have been The Mama's and The Papas, The Beach Boys, and my all time favorites, The Carpenters. Now, I don't listen to this stuff often, but when I do, I like to listen to it in my car on my way to work. Its happy music.
Years ago, 1996 to be exact, my friend Jonathan, bought me a CD called, If I Were A Carpenter. This is various alternative artists doing covers of Carpernter classics. I especially love Shonen Knife, a Japanese girl group, doing Top Of The World. Also Dishwalla doing It's Going To Take Some Time. The CD also includes Babes In Toyland's rendiction of Calling All Occupants Of Interplantary Craft and Matthew Sweet doing Let Me Be The One. I can listen to this CD often. Richard Carpenter helped with the arrangements. Check it out if you like classic Pop. Its an amazing tribute to an amazing duo.
Posted by Liz at 09:44 PM Feedback (2)
September 01, 2003

Back In The Saddle Again
The long weekend is over and I start that...that...MATH class tomorrow night. UGH! Anne starts her internship and dreaded commute. She has been going on trial runs and calling me with the bad news. Two hours, hour and a half, when it’s said and done, she will have to end up renting another place. Heaven only knows if I will be suicidal after tomorrow night. I doubt it. He’ll probably go easy on us the first night. Maybe I’m in denial. I printed out my schedule, I’ll grab my supplies and I’ll push forward, come what may.
I rented a Chinese film tonight called Beijing Bicycle. I wanted to see the scenery and it was amazing. I read several blogs from China, and Matt tells me I have the wrong impression of China. I hear they have banned the most recent Tomb Raider movie, due to a bad image of China. It looked like an amazing place in what was an otherwise dragged out film.
I finally have my Ian Christy interview in the bag, and when Dimi is up and running again, he and I will get the “scene & heard” link moving. It was my first attempt at an interview with a professional artist, and Ian made it easy. I’m really hoping everyone checks it out. I’m really excited about that way it turned out. Thanks again Ian!
Good luck to Matt, with his first days back at work. And to the J-team and family, I’m thinking of you, hang in there.
Posted by Liz at 10:40 PM Feedback (9)