Swinging out of June on some spaghetti at Sambucco's on June 30th, I dined on massive family-style dishes with Tery Spartaro (MindArrays.com), Brad Paley (http://didi.com/) Renee Edeleman (Edelman PR) and Mike Meyers (NowPublic.com). Not only were the conversations swirling around enlightening topics and the mundane, but the food was delicious! Check out the food write-ups and pics on DailyEats.com too!
Musings and snapshots of my personal life; it's everything after that happens between the Cocktails.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Stop the Smoke!
Living in cities challenges anyone to learn how to deal with difficult people and situations. I have been dealing with a cigarette and pot smoke situation that hasn't been resolved for over four years. I am learning how ineffective our city's 311 system for Citizen Complaints has been dealing with this addictive and rageaholic superintendent and an ineffective landlord. Smoke filtering from the basement of my building into my apartment forces me to run an industrial air filter continuously. It's proven that second-hand smoke can cause lung cancer in non-smokers and as an asthma sufferer it's doubly dangerous. Not only do I live with the constant annoyance of cigarette smoke from my super, his teenage son and their cronies also smoke pot at least twice daily. Incidentally, they also think they're in a band and practice their instruments, which is an entirely other annoyance. So, it was a great coincidence to get this link -- http://www.banish.com/ -- from my Austin, TX connection Michael Foster as I was also investigating Ash.org. While my goal is to get the smoking to stop in the basement (which is another building code violation), this product might help him smell better when I have to pass him in the hallway! If anyone else has any other suggestions, please let me know! Thanks!
Friday, December 08, 2006
rudeness in shapes and forms
This week I seem to have been super aware of rudeness in many shapes and forms.
Is it just New York? Or am I just becoming increasingly aware of how dysfunctional our world is becoming? Are we so entrapped in our technical devices and communicating through a keyboard and monitor (whether at a desk or personal communicator/phone/etc.) that we've forgotten how to look someone in the eye? What ever happened to calling up someone just to say "hi!" or writing a letter just to let someone know you've been thinking of them? Perhaps I'm just hanging out in the wrong places? Or office?
It seems, especially at this time of the year, when the messages around us are about "gifts and celebrating," our emphasis is more skewed toward material objects or other types of consumables. To me, the real meaning of the holidays, whatever strain of religion you care to spend your money in, is about spending TIME with those we care about. It's not about the gift. It's about the effort we put into seeing the people in our lives.
My next gripe is this silly insistence that all the gifts must be given at the end of the year (and on birthdays). I'm a firm believer in gifts being given throughout the year. Expressing your love and appreciation for the people in your world shouldn't just be how many (and how big) are your gifts on one day (or eight) at the end of the Julian calendar.
Maybe I'm being a bit Scroogish, or maybe I'm just feeling poor this year, or perhaps it's a bit of weltschmerz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weltschmerz).
So, yes, I'm saying: "please look me in the eye when you're speaking to me," "please call rather than email," "please give me cards and gifts all year round." To no one in particular, but since I have this platform I figured I'd (selfishly?) pronounce it.
Is it just New York? Or am I just becoming increasingly aware of how dysfunctional our world is becoming? Are we so entrapped in our technical devices and communicating through a keyboard and monitor (whether at a desk or personal communicator/phone/etc.) that we've forgotten how to look someone in the eye? What ever happened to calling up someone just to say "hi!" or writing a letter just to let someone know you've been thinking of them? Perhaps I'm just hanging out in the wrong places? Or office?
It seems, especially at this time of the year, when the messages around us are about "gifts and celebrating," our emphasis is more skewed toward material objects or other types of consumables. To me, the real meaning of the holidays, whatever strain of religion you care to spend your money in, is about spending TIME with those we care about. It's not about the gift. It's about the effort we put into seeing the people in our lives.
My next gripe is this silly insistence that all the gifts must be given at the end of the year (and on birthdays). I'm a firm believer in gifts being given throughout the year. Expressing your love and appreciation for the people in your world shouldn't just be how many (and how big) are your gifts on one day (or eight) at the end of the Julian calendar.
Maybe I'm being a bit Scroogish, or maybe I'm just feeling poor this year, or perhaps it's a bit of weltschmerz (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weltschmerz).
So, yes, I'm saying: "please look me in the eye when you're speaking to me," "please call rather than email," "please give me cards and gifts all year round." To no one in particular, but since I have this platform I figured I'd (selfishly?) pronounce it.
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