There’s good news and bad news. Oh, I won’t even begin to discuss the state of the BP oil spill, our lagging economy, not to mention my pitiful personal life. But there’s still a cornucopia of good news – offset of course, by weird news (at the very least), and yes, bad news. But may […]
Winning (when it counts)
Winners and losers. Isn’t that how most people view the world? And usually, the “win” involves money, a title, and stuff. Along with the spoils of winning come reassurances that the basics in life will be taken care of, and a great deal more: satisfaction in your accomplishments, the realization of a dream, and maybe […]
Standing Room Only (Low Fare, No Care?)
I couldn’t resist this tidbit – Ryanair finally goes for its Standing Room Only air travel, according to The Telegraph (UK). Seats back in the upright position? Try “backs upright in the standing position!” This decision has been bandied about for awhile; I caught wind of it last year (and was amused), thinking it was […]
Work of Art: When Shock Meets Schlock
Guest judge and controversial photographer Andres Serrano said it: “It isn’t easy to shock on demand.” So how did the participants fare in last evening’s Work of Art, given the challenge of creating a piece intended to shock? With few exceptions, they did about what I would expect, resorting to childish interpretations of adult world […]
Shower Shockers, Water Worries
Shower shockers Who doesn’t do some of their best thinking in the shower? And who doesn’t recall the terrifying shower scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 thriller, Psycho? Janet Leigh is unwinding after a harried day of larceny, an eerie encounter with a creepy character, and is lulled as she finally cleans up, letting her guard […]
Moaning and Groaning. COOL Complaint Zoning?
The Complaint Department is Open! But today, I’m also in search of silver linings, if you happen to have any in sight. Mine? Wimbledon Week 2 is here! And that helps everything, even though I missed last week’s incredible 11-hour match with its extraordinary 70-68 fifth set! So here is my contribution to Monday morning […]
Flashbacks, futures
The hotel room The popcorn ceiling, valance curtains, brightly colored abstract images in gilt frames hanging over each double bed. Six hangers on a pole by the door, with its emergency exit and checkout instructions posted beneath a tiny keyhole. There is olive carpeting with a small pattern, striped wallpaper in the beige bathroom with […]
The Travel Twin
I really don’t have an evil twin. It just feels like it some days. And then there’s this: I think an evil twin would come in handy. Of course, I would endow her with a complex persona, not just character flaws and secret longings. She’d be my polished pinch-hitter (for whatever I dislike), my cocky […]
Where everyone knows your name
Cheers Bar It was afternoon. Late. I had to get out of the house. See people. Something different. Anything. And it was Friday. I had been chicken a week earlier. Unable to talk myself into an elegant bar just 20 yards in front of me. I wasn’t going to be chicken again, but I needed […]
Miles to go before you sleep? (Wunderkind on “Work of Art”)
You snooze, you lose? When artist Miles Mendenhall is sleep-deprived, apparently he has a tough time of it. In this week’s episode of Bravo TV’s Work of Art, he sleeps through a critical part of the challenge – time during which the contestants are to salvage material from an appliance graveyard, with which to make […]