10.31.07
Posted in Books at 21:39 pm by Josh
Happy Halloween (again). Nothing special this month, though I did get a little festive at the end with a couple of classic re-reads. (Money for new books doesn’t grow on trees, you know.)
Among Other Things, I’ve Taken Up Smoking by Aoibheann Sweeney - Yeah, smoking crack. This book was my first and last attempt at supporting self-published authors. The story centers around Miranda who grows up with an alcoholic father in Maine. She doesn’t seem to care, but she really does. Then she moves to New York, sleeps with a guy, sleeps with a girl, can’t decide who she likes better, and eventually moves back to Maine. That’s all you really need to know. That, and this book is not worth reading, let alone buying. 1/5
The Godfather by Mario Puzo - You all know how much I love The Godfather on screen. I decided it was time to read the inspiration. Of course, the story is still great, though slightly different from the movie. Still, it flowed fairly well. The problem, sadly, was the writing. All telling, no showing. With little dialogue and not much left to the imagination, the writing came across as dry and laborious. Honestly, I’m not sure I’d have finished it if I wasn’t so darn hell-bent on finishing every book I start, no matter how painful. So, yay to the story, nay to the writing. Sorry, Mario. It’s just business. 2.5/5
A Field of Darkness by Cornelia Read - A bit more action than earlier in the month, which is exactly what I needed. Madeline is the rejected daughter of a modern aristocratic New England family. She discovers that a close family member might be involved in a twenty-year-old double homicide in her hometown. So, obviously, she investigates. (What else do small-town newspaper reporters do?) The story wasn’t particularly original, but the writing was rich and the characters were delicious, especially Madeline and her mother. A refreshing change from early October. 4/5
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux - My favorite love story ( 
), I’ll never tire of the telling of the Opera Ghost story. Miserable as he was, you can’t help but pity Erik. You also can’t help but want to slap Raoul with a wet towel. 5/5
Dracula by Bram Stoker - Oh, come on! It’s Halloween! Yes, this is my fourth time through, but it was nonetheless pleasurable. Indeed, I think I’ll probably read it again sooner than I ought to. 5/5
Onward to NaNoWriMo. Expect fewer books in November. Way fewer.
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Posted in Today, Life at 19:39 pm by Josh
Another Halloween. I used to love Halloween. I suppose I still do. But, for the second year in a row, I find myself not doing much. I’ve been sick recently, and with the move on the way and the new job keeping me on my toes, I haven’t been feeling very festive. I didn’t even wear orange today like I’d planned. I suppose there’s always next year.
That’s all. I’ll post October books later, if I have time.
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10.25.07
Posted in Gadgets N Things at 08:54 am by Josh
Okay, it’s been five months: What do people think about the iPhone? In due time, my new job is going to require a more efficient form of communication, and since I’m already an AT&T customer (stop laughing), I’m beginning to consider my options. Give me opinions, one and all.
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10.24.07
Posted in Today at 08:51 am by Josh
I am so sad this morning to watch California continue to burn. According to CNN, Northern San Diego County, between Ramona and Santa Ysabel, the same place I did disaster relief three years ago for wildfires, is burning at 0% containment. The fire started three days ago and has destroyed over 500 homes, damaged 250 more, and threatens over 2,000. The county consists of over 165,000 acres, many of which will be nothing more than ash by the time this is done.
This area is a simple part of the world. Many people do not have insurance. Many people have nowhere else to go and they will return to nothing when they return to the places they once called home. Many of these residents have just finished — and a few, just started — rebuilding from the fires of 2003.
This absolutely breaks my heart just thinking about it. Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers. They need it so very badly right now.
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10.23.07
Posted in Funnies, Work, Life at 22:11 pm by Josh
I’m not sure if I’ll be able to pull this off very effectively in writing, but here goes:
I was called in to a meeting with my bosses, two identical letters folded and tucked neatly in my interior blazer pocket. I found it ironic that they wanted to talk to me because I certainly wanted to talk to them. I let them go first. I sat down and the assistant manager started talking, the manager just sitting and nodding the whole time. The assistant manager said they’d just received another complaint about me from another participant. Apparently, someone felt as though I’d spoken to her disrespectfully. This is nothing new, and every few months, management decides to take one of these complaints seriously. I think they just like to reprimand me.
“Josh, you know that we value you as a case manager and the complaints have definitely been less, which we’re very happy about. But you have to remember, it’s like we keep saying: It’s not what you say, but it’s how you say it. Now, what did you want to talk about?”
I took a deep breath, considering whether it was worth it to defend myself. I realized it wasn’t. Instead, I reached into my pocket, handed the two letters to the two managers, and said, “I just wanted to inform you both of my resignation, effective this Friday at five o’clock.”
I wonder if I said that right…
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Posted in Announcements, Work at 12:01 pm by Josh
Now that it’s official, I can share it with the world.
This Friday will be my last day at the job I currently occupy. I’ll be starting a new job as an HR Administrator on Monday morning. The position is with a creative/digital marketing firm and I think it will suit me much better than the field I’ve been in for a couple of years. I’ll be keeping you updated on my progress, and I thank all of those who have kept this in their prayers, as it has been a stressful process. I’m thankful it’s over and with my desired result. Onward, we go!
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10.22.07
Posted in Movies, Music, Church, Writing, Food, New York City, Life at 10:57 am by Josh
Happy Monday. Let’s run over the weekend, shall we?
Friday started as something of a nightmare as I tried to make it to Astoria in time to put the final monies down on the apartment. A manager at my job managed to royally f- something up and then pinned it on me to fix, even though he knew I had to get to my mailbox in Harlem and then the bank before it closed at six. So I did a hasty, rather careless job of fixing his mistake and then took off on a very slow 3 train for my uptown digs. I made it with fifteen minutes to spare, snatched the envelope and tore it open as I hauled @$$ to the bank across the street. Ten minutes to go. That’s when the teller told me she couldn’t release five-hundred of the dollars I needed. I protested. She repeated herself with that pristine, passive aggressive customer service apathy. I argued. She remained calm. That made me angry. I spoke to a manager, then a regional manager (who happened to be in the wrong bank on the wrong day). All to no avail. I was $500 short.
Outside, waiting for the M60 bus, I realized I was going to be late because no buses were coming. I had to call the broker and tell him that I would be late for our meeting with the landlord and I’d be short a chunk of money. Thank You, God, he was very accommodating. When the M60 finally showed up I had the most awesomest driver ever, steadfastly decreeing that, no matter the traffic (or the eventual accident on the Triboro Bridge), “Tonight, everyone gets to Queens”. I told him he was my favorite bus driver ever.
So I signed the lease and then went to Luke’s to unwind with a little Octoberfest and discussion about — you guessed it — God. (Does anyone ever talk to Luke about anything else?) His wife gave me half of her microwave pizza for dinner, which was very welcome after schlepping about in the rain and heat and all of that jive.
I got home at twelve-thirty or so and thought that I would go to bed because I was beat tired. That’s when my door burst open (I’m going to have to start locking that thing) and Ally came storming in, perky as always, wanting to watch a movie. Being weak, I acquiesced. I also fell asleep. So did she. We were awakened at three in the morning by another neighbor, Nick, who had apparently joined us at some point. I realize now what I missed in college.
Saturday I fought writer’s block all day and lost. Miserably. So I turned to music and proceeded to play guitar and sing for five straight hours. Matt joined for the last two hours. It’s a wonder I can talk even now.
Yesterday was church with a “baptism lab” (listen to the mp3; Sam should hit Christian stand-up or something), followed by brunch at a lousy pub across the street from what used to be the Hudson Corner Cafe (the original brunch destination). Such amazing conversation and good company called for an extended day, so we went to Rice to Riches for rice pudding. I had the french toast flavor which was delicious and my friend had chocolate chip which was equally enticing. We sat in Washington Square with our bowls, waiting for our movie to begin. At quarter-to-five, we went to the Angelica to watch Feast of Love which turned out to be an absolutely brilliant movie with Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear. (Note: I want Morgan Freeman to be my best friend and next-door neighbor.) Then, alas, the day had to end, and I went home to critique manuscripts and ended up answering some questions for a neighbor about God and Christianity.
This morning I went to Astoria again to pay the balance that the bank wouldn’t release on Friday, and now I’m at work. It feels like a blissful, surreal whirlwind recently swept me off my feet and is only now gently planting them not so firmly on the ground again. Oh, sweet rapture. Don’t wake me up just yet.
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10.20.07
Posted in Announcements, New York City, Life at 12:04 pm by Josh
Despite many obstacles along the way, I signed a lease on an apartment in Astoria, Queens. I’ve been looking for a new apartment for the past month or so since my Harlem digs are a little over-priced and under-maintained, and I’d spent a good deal of time looking in Brooklyn where I have some friends and where it’s just generally considered to be more convenient. But, as some of you know, Astoria has always appealed to me and as my search in Brooklyn kept coming up short, I thought I’d at least entertain the idea of living in Queens. Soon after looking at a couple of places, I knew there was really no way I’d move to Brooklyn. I’m a Queens guy. And soon I’ll live closer to the Beer Garden than I’d ever dreamed…
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10.18.07
Posted in Restaurants & Bars, Food, Wine at 09:03 am by Josh
I’ve been getting home quite late recently, which isn’t the worst thing in the world, though I’m starting to miss the quiet home time where I can write and drink wine for less than $8 a glass. On the contrary, though, I have enjoyed the company. Last night I had the privilege of sampling two new places and I will review them here now.
We started at Vol de Nuit, a Belgian beer bar on W4 just before Sixth Avenue. The beer selection was excellent, which was no surprise, and the fries were tasty as well. But I’m going to have to speak against the general atmosphere of the place. The lighting was too dim — even for a bar. The front courtyard looked like a red-light district and by the time I got inside, I actually found it difficult to focus my vision and walk around. (Note: I had not had a single alcoholic beverage at that point.) Most of all, the waitstaff, particularly behind the bar, was a little on the rude side. Brandon wanted to pay a $12 tab with a credit card but was very haughtily told that he could do no such thing as the minimum was $20. Who the hell ever heard of a $20 card minimum at a bar? $10, okay. $15, maybe if it’s high class and pricey. But $6 beers and fries? Come on. Bottom line: There are better places in the city to enjoy a plentiful beer selection.
Next was Volare, an Italian restaurant directly across the street. This was a real treat. The decor is entirely old school, New York Italian restaurant with wines stacked all aroudn the place, cheap white tableclothes, olive oil in a decanter on the table and authentic Italian waitstaff! (Note: Order your food with an accent. It totally helps the service 
.) I had the fusilli alla vodka and I must say, it is the best vodka sauce I’ve ever had in a restaurant. The Chianti was strong and full-bodied with that thick Italian aroma spilling over the large, bulbous glass and I have tremendous respect for a glass of wine which contains a third of a bottle. Makes paying eight bucks hurt a little less. Bottom line: Go. And call me so I can go with you.
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10.17.07
Posted in Announcements at 09:01 am by Josh
I’m still alive and I still have nothing to say. Sorry.
Hope you are well.
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