A couple of years ago I went through this phase where all I listened to was moody, atmospheric electronica, like M83, Sigur Ros, Ulrich Schnauss and Royksopp. Last night I had the chance to see M83 perform live in support of 2008’s “Saturday=Youth” album, which was an interesting experience.
I’ve found that, like last night, when I see concerts recently it’s like I’m meditating or something. I was totally zoned out thinking of a time years ago when I walked home in the snow listening to “Run Into Flowers” and another time I went running with the Superpitcher remix of “Don’t Save Us From the Flames” blasting from my headphones on repeat. “Kim & Jessie,” video below, pulled me out of my reverie for a couple of minutes, as did the intense encore track, which had just about everyone dancing.
Overall a great show, although the staff at The Fillmore left something to be desired. Is there any good reason they forced everyone outside in the freezing cold to wait on jackets at coat check? I think not.
Without any exaggeration, one of the best things I got out of my expensive Columbia education, was my writing group, five ladies (including me) who meet once a month to drink wine and discuss what we’re working on, occasionally in the other order. More than a year in, I still find it helpful to know that no matter what’s going on in my life, once a month I have to come up with a story idea or career quandary to discuss. I always leave the meetings with both a good buzz and a renewed sense of purpose.
So when a few Long Island women wrote in that their New Year’s Resolution was to finish their first novels, I thought, a local writers group might be just the thing to help them get it done. Luckily I was able to find a varied list of writing groups in the area.
It’s common knowledge that our new president, Barack Obama, had been living on Chicago’s South Side for some time when he was elected. It’s also common knowledge that he, like most Chicagoans, likes to eat — he’s recently dined at hometown spots Topolobampo, Spiaggia and MacArthur’s.
But Chicagoans like to do more than just eat. They like to discuss their favorite restaurants — and watch others discuss their favorites — on local channel WTTW’s “Check, Please!,” a weekly show that the Web site states is the “most popular restaurant review show in America.”
I believe that claim. From my younger siblings to my friends to my parents to my grandma, everyone, and I do mean everyone, who lives in Chicago watches this show.
So far my work life has been rather eventful in 2009.
On Jan. 5 I published an article on solutions for New Year’s resolutions. For a couple of weeks reader submitted their goals and then I went out and found some local classes, clinics and programs to help them achieve success. Not suprisingly, weight loss, healthy eating, financial freedom and new careers came out on top. I think I was able to find some interesting options.
In the process I did my own reflection on the past year. Lots of positive changes, lots to look forward to in the coming months (teaching at Stony Brook, Argentina trip), but also a few things I want to change about myself. Last week I started a workout plan in earnest — Bikram yoga at least twice a week plus some time at the gym — and I’m actually enjoying it. I’m more calm and rested and feel like I look better, too. Must be the profuse sweating and stretching in the heated room (see yoga video below). Now I just need to keep it up.
Before the resolution to get healthy kicked in, I had one last chance to scarf down ridiculous amounts of hot wings and Indian food for a video on hot & spicy restaurants on Long Island. Sometimes the great thing about my job is just getting out of the office and acting silly with my colleagues. Sure, everyone does it. My days like this just happen to be caught on camera and posted for the world to see.
Enjoy my tasteful use of “This is Why I’m Hot” and “Hot in Herre” in the soundtrack.
I’ve been wanting to try Bikram yoga for a long time. I’ve actually been talking about going since I lived in Chicago, which was about five years ago. I finally got my opportunity and wasn’t disappointed.
I got asked to write an article for Newsday on “Cool ways to stay warm” (cheesy headline, I know), the premise being that I’d find ways outside of staying in bed and warm baths for people to battle the winter chill. The first thing that came to mind? Bikram. They heat the room to about 100 degrees and you’re stuck in there for 90 minutes. ‘Nuff said.
I documented my yoga adventures, video above, for my latest episode of ExploreTV, and while the yoga basics class was a good primer and the Vinyasa class was a tough workout, I think I enjoyed Bikram the most. While I haven’t had the chance to go back, I’m planning on checking out the Williamsburg and Rego Park studios in the new year.
Over the past month I’ve spent two very enjoyable evenings (and had two very delicious meals) at Walter Foods, a newcomer to the over-crowded Grand Street strip in Williamsburg.
I always like to play the “If you opened a restaurant, what would it be like” game, and upon entering this restaurant I thought, hmmm, my imaginary spot might look kind of like this, nondescript but cozy at the same time, with a nice sized bar, booths that fit groups of six comfortably, chalkboard menus with specials on the wall… you get the idea.
Then after having cocktails and appetizers, including pigs in a blanket, lollipop chicken wings and blackened shrimp, I thought again, yep, this is about right. I’d serve this kind of food. Then I had the grilled pork chop served with brussel sprouts and some sort of tasty apple relish (and sampled friends’ french dip sandwiches) and the love affair was solidified. Good stuff.
On my second visit I had many of the same apps and the same glass of wine but swapped in a roasted half chicken for my entree (they were out of the pork chop). I’m normally a pretty adventurous eater, so it says a lot that I attempted to order the exact same meal. Others at my table ordered the lobster club, which was also quite tasty.
They have a good thing going here and in a time when restaurants are battling the economy to stay open, I hope this one succeeds. Along with favorite Marlow & Sons, this will now serve as one of my dining staples. Props to friend Christie for introducing me to another winner. Read an interview with the owners here.
Atlas Sports Genetics in Boulder claims that by testing the ACTN3 gene they can determine whether a child, or anyone, is best suited for speed and and power sports or endurance sports. “Finding any great Olympic champion normally takes years to determine. What if we knew a part of the answer when we were born?” their site reads. All this for just $149.
Through my experience with distance running, I believe that there is some genetic predisposition involved when it comes to athletic ability or endurance. When I was in grade school and able to beat the other kids in the mile without any advanced training or enhanced mental prowess there was something going on. Maybe it was that I’d gone through a growth spurt earlier and was just taller and skinnier, thus better suited to run long distance, or maybe it was that I’ve always been extremely competitive. Either way, once I got to an elite level of training and competition as a Division 1 college athlete, I think those people that trained harder and were fully committed to their sport were able to pass up those of us, myself included, who were more interested in having fun, genetic predisposition or not.
I guess my point is, running long distance competitively until the age of 22 defined a lot of my life, including where I went to school, the friends I made, etc., and I would have hated to have had my parents give me a genetic test at 2 years old that may have determined that I’d be better off as a soccer player. And while I understand a parent’s desire to get their kids in a sport that they have a chance at becoming a scholarship athlete, or better yet, a professional player at down the road, wouldn’t the burden of knowing you’re supposed to be great at something when you’re not or supposed to be terrible at something you love be too much for any kid to handle?
I imagine as time continues to pass and genetic tests continue to become more advanced, these type of questions will continue to arise. And before we all jump on the bandwagon and start testing ourselves and our children for everything available, maybe it’s better to take a step back and ask ourselves not only what will be gained, but also what might be lost.
This weekend the New York Times Magazine, “The Screens Issue,” included a feature called “My Game Face,” a photo essay showing young video gamers as they play. The images were created by Robbie Cooper, who writes on his blog and Web site that he’s long been a fan of Errol Morris, and thus set up a high-resolution video camera behind the reflection of the kids’ game of choice to capture them looking at the screen.
I love the look of concentration on Alexander Kinch of Grimsby, England, above, playing “Call of Duty 4.”
Video posted below as well.
What I also found in researching Cooper is that he and I share a similar set of interests. He recently wrote about new video game “Mirror’s Edge,” which I tried this weekend and plan on writing about shortly, posted The Onion video on the fake YouTube contest, which I also posted and linked to the recent Atlantic article on transgender children, which was one of the best magazine stories I’ve read in a while. All very interesting stuff.
The movie starts with a young contestant in the hot seat on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” a show I had my own experience with less than a month ago. After answering a number of questions correctly, he is brutally beaten and interrogated — how could he, a lower-class man from the slums, know the answers? The game show is a device that allows Boyle to take us through key scenes in the main character’s life, from his boyhood to the present day.
I won’t give away the plot or any of the particulars, but I will say that this was my favorite film this year. It was a complete movie experience — dramatic and uplifting, an emotional journey with plenty of character development and all those other cinematic devices. As the credits starting rolling, the audience starting clapping.
Run, don’t walk, to the closest theater to see it. Truly amazing.
I'm a professional journalist working
at Newsday in New York. You can
call my specialty multimedia or new
media or digital or interactive.
Generally speaking, I do Web stuff.
This blog is an active resume of sorts.
I write about the events I attend, the
places I explore, the concerts I see,
the work I produce...
