The weather in New York is really cruel. There was one summer where every weekday was sunny, warm and gorgeous, but every weekend was rainy and grey. And then there was last winter where we had grey skies for six months straight. That really made me insane. Now we just have cold, cold, cold, cold and more relentless cold. I guess I should be glad it isn't grey. But seriously, New Yorkers are known for their un-subtleties and now the weather reflects our je ne sais quoi too. Sigh. But I can't leave NY. Where else can you get Korean food 24 hours a day. I mean, besides Korea. Ok, LA, but come on! People are too tan there. And great bagels. Ok, I heard Montreal has good bagels, but come on, that's Canada!Speaking of crazy weather, the freak snow storm we had last night was also cruel. My office has this emergency phone number where you can call to check in and see if the office will be closed for the bad weather. Well, last night the snow was pretty fierce. And when I woke up this morning, I checked the tv news and a lot of schools were closed. My heart began to beat faster. I called the emergency line and NO! We are not closed. I called five more times. Each time, not closed. Why couldn't the storm hit this morning so that I can get a snow day? I am from FL - we NEVER had snow days. Sigh.On another note, while waiting at the bus stop, this woman was holding one kid in her arms and the other one, who was maybe 3 or 4 years old, was playing in the dirty snow that was recently plowed from the street to the sidewalk. And the woman just let her child dig her hands in the grey snow, when there was perfectly good white snow a foot next to it. I think children should only play with white snow. Snow with color just isn't right. Despite what you are thinking, I didn't say anything to her. She has two kids to wrangle. That's tougher than herding cats.
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My Canadian friend, Frobi, decided to critique my horoscope newsletters. I think she is trying to vent her Canadian inferiority complex. You know, Canada, despite being such a large country, is just considered an outcrop of the US. And those from Toronto all talk funny. You know, soorry aboot yoor prooojects. Case in point: From Frobi: Boooring. I like the trivia better. And the world heritage organization sites url was nice too. What about Chinese New Year? Why not something on that instead? The state of Michelle's psyche? The view from your office window? You yankees. All you ever think about are politics...So, to address this obviously frustrated Canadian:
1. I like trivia too. And the World Heritage site roocks. http://whc.unesco.org/nwhc/pages/doc/mainf3.htm
2. Yes, I forgot to mention Chinese New Year last week, but I did mention it the week before last. It's actually LUNAR New Year, as a lot of Asian cultures celebrate the hooliday. In Korea, to celebrate the New Year, we eat rice cakes (flat disks of rice pasta) in soup with mandoo (also known as wontons). Gives you good luck. The sooup is called Duk Mandoo Guk (phonetically pronounced "duck mahn doo gook"). Go out and try it today. Quite tasty and not spicy at all.
3. I have no window at woork. Thanks for reminding me, Goobi.
4. Well, that's why those Bostonians dumped the tea in the harbor (short info aboot the tea party http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle/bostonteaparty-edenton.html; and where exactly was the tea party? http://jrshelby.com/btp/) -- some fat, racist, white Americans fought for the right to be heard. Now, everyone is heard and some more than others, which is unfortunately always the way. But you know what? Who is Gobi to criticize? It's not as if SHE is writing anything to me on a weekly basis. Come on, Gobi! Step up to the plate!
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Speaking of trivia, thanks to Frija, I found out about this web site, A.Word.A.Day (http://wordsmith.org/awad/index.html <http://www.Wordsmith.org> ). Every day a new word. Today's word isn't that obscure but I like the examples the site uses to show the word in context:
allocution (al-uh-KYOO-shuhn) nounA formal speech or address, especially one that exhorts.[From Latin allocution- (stem of allocutio), past participle of alloqui (to speak to), from ad- + loqui (to speak). Some other words derived from the same root are colloquium, elocution, soliloquy, and ventriloquism.]"And then he (the judge) invited us to say what we would--to 'make our allocutions'--before he rendered a sentence." Bill McKibben; Patriotic Acts; Mother Jones (San Francisco); Nov 1, 2000."(Noel) Gallagher gets started on this soapbox allocution because of Wal-Mart. He just recently found out the retail goliath balked at selling 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants,' the 2000 album by Gallagher's Britpop band, Oasis." Doug Elfman; Oasis' Noel Gallagher Always Ready to Vent; Las Vegas Review-Journal; Apr 26, 2002.
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Speaking of Frija, I am going to Minnesota this weekend in the middle of this deep freeze to attend their annual Robert Burns party. See the invitation below:A'right! Howzitgaun?Ye's are no gonnie believe it, but wur haein' anither o' oor wee shindigs. Aye, wur back tae the verbal debauchery in celebration o' the baird's burthday. Aye, it's the Chapman Van Der Wege Burns Supper 2004.
Ye's may be wonderin' whit on earth a' the fuss is aboot. Weel, every year on or aboot the baird's burthday, Scots a' oe'r the world gather tae celebrate. Burns Suppers huv poetry readins, bletherin', speeches an' singin' (if fowks are blootered enough). There's dinner, an' drinks an' a', wi' plenty' or usquabae - the watter o' life - tae go aroon'. If fowks get really steamin' there could be jiggin' and reelin', but ah'll no be joinin' in.
We'll be ha'en a proper Burns supper, wi a' the trimmin's an' haiverin that goes wi' it. And aye, there will be Haggis! Ither options will be there fur those o ye's no' up tae the haggis, but all o' ye's wull be encouraged tae at least gie it a try.
Noo, the important bit. Ye's are a' expected tae join in! Bring ane o' yer Burns favourites, or if ye's are feelin' right brave, jist turn up an' we'll gie ye ane tae read. Noo, e'en this humble Scot expects tae muck it up right good and proper - readin' Burns isnae easy. So dinna fash yersels aboot it o'er much, we dinna want ye's tae get yersels in a fankle. We dinna want fowks a' scunnered and crabbit aboot it either. An' anyone kickin' up a fuss will be told to haud their wheest. Just gie it laldie an we'll a' hae a braw time.
The nicht will keep goin' until we're a' wabbit. We huv beds fur plenty o' fowks if ye's need them. Oh, and this is a nicht fur auld yins only - leave the weans at hame.So there ye's go. If ye's want tae come, just send us a wee note so we can keep track o' how many we need tae feed. Aw ra best fae noo!
Kevin & Mija
Oh, by ra way, if ye's are needin' a wee bit o' help thinkin' aboot whit tae do fur yer turns, these links might be o' some help.
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