I always thought I was smart. I always scored in the 99th percentile on all the standardized tests and such. (Although the SATs were a bit more challenging, but I still scored up there.) But the other day there was a short lifestyle segment on the local news about Mensa, the International High IQ Society. To join Mensa, you must have attained a score within … Continue reading Are You Mensa Smart?
Maybe it’s being 39 weeks pregnant, but I don’t think so … this is human nature at its very core. So amazing. This is a wonderful documentary; highly recommend it – for those expecting – and for those that aren’t. It’s also fantastic to see how the core of what all babies need is food and LOVE. Kudos to mothers around the world for being … Continue reading ‘Babies’ Trailer
Twitter started as a place to connect. “Real-time information network powered by people that lets you share and discovering WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW?” (And as the seconds go by … now … no, now …) Originally piggybacking on Facebook’s explosively successful Status Updates, Twitter has become entangled into our cultural and pop lexicon. Characters on TV shows are tweeting; talk-show hosts are tweeting; music stars are … Continue reading Twitter: From There to Here
The Internet allows us to find people we would never otherwise would have met. After I blogged about the heart potato lady (Mary Apple) from Letterman, her daughter, Claire emailed me to share her love of hearts with me. I found someone whose love of hearts may trump mine. She was lovely enough to share personal photos of her home with me. Claire is an … Continue reading Hearts Beyond the Potato
For those that didn’t catch our President on the David Letterman show last night, I was pleased to see that the 44th President of the United States appreciates the value of a heart. Mary Apple was the woman (who will find my Website one day) who found the heart spud. She had apparently visited the Letterman show two years ago and brought her prize possession. … Continue reading Obama Hearts a Heart Potato
August birthdays are complicated. In fact, to date I’ve had no more than 3 birthday parties (mostly because no one was ever around). When I was a kid – like many of my 80s-raised cronies – there was none of the crazy birthday parties New York City parents are famous for throwing. Ironically, I was OK with it (yes I still very much a Leo). … Continue reading Birthday Wishes Welcome – But Save the Whistle
In light of today’s horrific shooting at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, I am re-posting this — originally posted 6 weeks ago — originally written in 1995. I wrote Three Years Later: Survivors Reflect on the [US Holocaust Memorial] Museum when I was a senior at NYU. It is magazine feature length so these are just some clips. Read the full article here. ———- Three … Continue reading US Holocaust Memorial Museum
My boyfriend got me (and my sister) into face painting. Previously we did them with stamp templates, but we’re branching out … big time. On a recent afternoon, we shopped for Snazaroo paints and brushes and even got crazy containers to store it all at the Container Store. Then we came home to practice by copying a book … but instead I used acrylic paints … Continue reading Face Painting … on My Leg
Advertising on pizza boxes is not very new … but this one made me smile. Pizza = Happy. It’s that easy…(unless you’re lactose intolerant). Continue reading Happiness in a Pizza Box
I didn’t get hooked on the Sopranos until Season 3; same with Sex and the City. I didn’t catch onto Arrested Development until after all 3 seasons were old on DVD. But … for Susan Boyle, I am just under a month late. Susan Boyle is not driven by money or fame. She is driven by the bubbling cauldron of passion inside her gut. She … Continue reading Talent Fuels Dreams
I have more excitement than words. Watch the adult-rated preview here. Of course, you can see more hilarity at: http://www.meinspace.com/bruno, become his Facebook friend … and of course follow his Tweets! Continue reading I Heart Brüno
Meeting Poetry originated in the havens of New York City’s court system as I was sitting in Jury Duty two years ago. Human entertainment and bureaucracy was amusing me and words started pouring out for no rhyme or reason. I dubbed these words strung together: Jury Duty Poetry. Since it would be years before I was dazzled by the likes of our judicial system again, … Continue reading Jury Duty Poetry
I always thought I was a verbal mind. But the SATs proved me wrong 20 years ago; I scored 100 points higher in math. WHAT? HOW? I had stopped math after the required geometry. Nonetheless – I have always enjoyed number-related puzzles rather than verbal ones like crossword puzzles. With numbers I always thought I had the power to figure it out eventually; a proven … Continue reading Addicted to KenKen
Ten years ago Americans sat in disbelief, outrage and disgust around their TV sets as a high school in a town called Columbine was massacred – by two of their own. Dead were 12 students and a teacher; physically wounded were 23. The nation witnessed the massive murder suicide, the fourth-deadliest in our country’s history (it was the third then, but since then we’ve had … Continue reading A Decade After Columbine
Last night was awesome – I celebrated my first night of unemployment. (Again.) The bf and I went to this awesome art opening of Michael Albert at the Gershwin Hotel. His art is like pop music – engaging, fun and approachable. It’s colorful and clever and he just published his first book. He’s also been doing a tremendous amount of education outreach, inspiring and teaching … Continue reading Unemployment: Day One
Standing out in the online community is like walking into a room filled with total darkness. Being pretty is no longer an advantage. You need to think about ways to stand out from the crowd. How can I be remembered? How can I leave a mark? Marketing yourself online is just like any marketing. While it is not an exact science, I do think it’s … Continue reading Standing Out in Hyper Cyber
I subscribe to Real Simple in part because I think it’s a good bathroom read, but mostly because I adore the paper art genius of Matthew Sporzynski. (I’d link to his page but this Go-to-Google-Gal could not find one devoted specifically to his brilliant creations. Matthew – if you read this, please create a Gallery!) Incidentally I think Real Simple should have a gallery on … Continue reading Paper Art Genius
I feel like I’m regressing. This past weekend I spent playing Dance Dance Revolution for Wii. Last year’s kick was Guitar Hero. I spend unforgivable hours on social networking sites fake interacting, creating a micro-spec on a microcosm that is something much bigger than I will probably ever understand. But I’m there. Playing with the others. Sometimes I think I’d list the same hobbies du … Continue reading Game On!
Mad World by Gary Jules came on my iPod shuffle and I was reminded of how much I love it. Like most songs, this song brings me back to a very specific part in my life and I reflect often upon it. This song tugs me back into introspection every time I hear it … Continue reading Mad World
A friend of mine tagged me in a note on Facebook. She conducted an interview with her 7-year-old son and suggested I do the same. I did – but my experiment evolved… My sister was hanging out with us when I was conducting the interview with my son — and she wanted to give her answers. So I documented those. Then I thought it would … Continue reading Who’s Mommy? By: Son, Sister Boyfriend
Tonight we went to see John Leguizamo’s Work in Progress at the Barrow Street Theatre. I love John Leguizamo — particularly thought he was brilliant in his two autobiographical Broadway stints, Freak and Sexaholix. Tonight I saw him testing out his new work in a tiny all black theatre filled with 80 die-hard fans. He wore sweat pants and he was perfect. He entered in … Continue reading I Heart John Leguizamo
Here were my original predictions. I want to thank the Academy … Best Actress, Supporting RolePENELOPE CRUZ Best Original ScreenplayMILK Best Adapted Original ScreenplaySLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (1) Best Animated FeatureWALL-E Short Film, AnimatedLA MAISON EN PETITS CUBES Art DirectionCURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (1) Costume DesignTHE DUCHESS Make UpCURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON (2) CinematographySLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2) Best Live Action Short FilmSPIELZEUGLAND (TOYLAND) Best Supporting ActorHEATH … Continue reading And the Winners Are…
Every year around Oscar time I make a rally to see the Oscar nods. Partly it’s my way of feeling involved on Oscar night until I get my invitation to go to the live event. Partly it’s because I want to see the “best” movies. Of the nominated bests, so far I’ve managed to see – in this order: Wall-EDark Knight Tropic ThunderRachel Getting MarriedSlumdog … Continue reading My Oscar Picks
On the PS of Valentine’s Day, read about 5 Geeky Marriage Proposals That Worked from Wired. Love geeks. Love love. Love creative proposals. Here’s an ode to Geek Love. You must read this brilliant article from last March – a eulogy of sorts to Gary Gygax, co-creator of the game Dungeons & Dragons. The article speaks how Gygax, on the foundation of role-playing and polyhedral … Continue reading Ode to Geek Love
Last night I saw Revolutionary Road. It has been almost 24 hours and I can’t shake the movie from my system. Sam Mendes was brilliant. Kate Winslet was phenomenal. Even Leo was amazing. The poingnancy of the film, the rawness, the honesty. The realistic portrayal that played into so many fears. I’m still formulating my thoughts – but it has buried itself into an abyss … Continue reading Revolutionary Road and Love
Wordle is a cool new toy for generating “word clouds” from your blog (or text that you provide). The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. What does this say about me, besides DONUTS? But more interesting, on my 6-year-old son’s blog, these are the words … Continue reading Pictured Words Define My Blog
I love a good story and I love a good character. This man delivered all that. He was unforgettable – a businessman, a charmer, an enigma yet an urban legend. His life told a fairytale and at its core was a potato peeler. “Never underestimate a small amount of money gathered by hand for 60 years,” Potato Peeler Salesman Joe Ades used to say. Mr. … Continue reading The Potato Peeler from Union Square: A True Salesman
I love New York. My son loves Legos. This totally rocks! Full article from New York Times is here. About the ArtistChristoph Niemann’s illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration. His Web … Continue reading I Heart Lego (&) NYC
Warning: This may be rated PG-13. I’m not a big football fan – or sports fan for that matter, but yesterday was my favorite Superbowl ever. Here are the highlights: I DVR-ed the game in hopes of fast-forwarding through the football and instead watching the commercials (hey – I’m in advertising). Here is my favorite commercial from the night: Somewhere between the coin toss and … Continue reading Super Bowl Photo shoot
Dear HeartsEverywhere Blog Readers, So I am attempting to post every day for a month as part of my participation in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month … which actually happens every month). What this means is that there may be posts this month that sound a bit different from my ordinary posts. Perhaps less thought out, less thought-inspiring, and overall maybe a little bit more … Continue reading I Heart Radio City Music Hall
Human Resources is a lovely discipline occupied by thousands of wonderfully insightful intelligent people. Formally, the field is referred to as Industrial/Organizational Psychology (or the name on your degree). The science behind Human Resources aims to make organizations more productive while ensuring productive and healthy lives for its workers. Translation: workers happy, company thrives. They even used to call it PERSONnel! But then the HR … Continue reading Techy Took the Human out of Human Resources
Go here and make your own “Obamicon” — your image in a style inspired by Shepard Fairey’s iconic poster. Take your picture with a webcam or upload a photo, choose your own message, and submit to the gallery. Continue reading HeartsEverywhere: Obama-ized
The 81st Academy Awards nominations were announced today at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theatre, and boy is this year going to be exciting! Hugh Jackman will be hosting the show, which will honor outstanding film achievements from 2008. The Academy is keeping its presenters a secret until the day of the show, which will take place on Sunday, February 22 on ABC. But in the … Continue reading Oscar Nominations 2009
What a day to start my Photojournalistic Lunchtime Sprawls! Here are some images from history in the making – once again – in New York’s Times Square. A flag, the world, Taxis, OBAMA. YES WE CAN! Heading Downtown. We have a new President! Signs of the Times Square. ABC News and Obama. A Cardboard Obama on Broadway. Obama Inspires Love. Obama and Sirens. Pride in … Continue reading Inauguration from Times Square
I use my headphones every day. Walking around the city, on the subway, and now that I’m back to cubicle living – I use them during work. Given their omnipresent role in my life – I decided that the white default ear plugs that never really fit inside my ears needed to go. My only research was trying them once before … and I loved … Continue reading A Gift From Me to My Ears
I enjoy many movie genres and diverse forms of the written word, but somehow I have a mental block when it comes to science fiction or fantasy. It just does not compute. I’ve got Science Fiction Frigidity. If you can’t prove it to me, I have a hard time believing it. (Science Fiction and Religion sort of sit in similar skeptical segments in my head.) … Continue reading Star Wars – Well, Not Really
This morning this song came on my iPod. Then on my way to work I stopped at the deli to get coffee and heard this song again. Finally, I got to work and started listening to music through Jango and the song came on again. Three times in one day makes it BLOGERIFIC. No One by Alicia Keys: http://media.imeem.com/m/Zr6fctsahp/aus=false/ Continue reading No One
Blogging is like the modern day lemonade stand. Low cost start up, lots of competition, location and marketing is everything. I started my blog because I wanted to write. Correction. I couldn’t not write anymore — and I needed a place to throw it all up. So 12 years after college I started over. But I’ve learned that while I originally wanted my blog to … Continue reading Floating Through the Blogosphere
Truthfully it was Antonio Banderas’ new commercial that got this song stuck in my head. The Pussycat Dolls have a much hipper version. Michael Buble has a more traditional version. Both have parked their way into my ‘I can’t get it out of my head’ slot. “Sway” is the English version of “¿Quién será?“, a 1953 mambo song by Mexican composer and bandleader Pablo Beltrán … Continue reading Sway
9/11 as a number, when spoken out loud, has become redefined. For most Americans, visually 9-1-1 has always symbolized emergency. After September 11th, 2001, 9/11 represented a day that surpassed emergency. It became a day I wouldn’t forget as it happened in real time. Soon it evolved into my generation’s JFK question: “Where were you on 9/11?” I remember the day in bits of pieces, … Continue reading 2,659 Days Ago Our Lives Changed Forever
Dear Galina, Here is your horoscope for Friday, December 12: If you can make it to a party today, you should be in your element. Throw one if you have to, because you need that social stimulation to really feel as if things are on the right track for you. Not that I need justification from the stars – but hey, who doesn’t want to … Continue reading The Stars Point to Party
Kabbalah is a discipline and school of thought discussing the mystical aspect of Judaism. It is a set of esoteric teachings meant to define the inner meaning of both the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) and traditional Rabbinic literature, as well as to explain the significance of Jewish religious observances. While I am not a devoted follower, I do subscribe to certain elements of kabbalism. I also … Continue reading Hold Onto Your Dreams
Remembering John Winston Lennon 9 October 1940 – 8 December 1980 Continue reading In Memoriam: John Lennon
Here’s one of my favorites: http://media.imeem.com/m/OuLdE1BJ2K/aus=false/ Continue reading Happy Birthday Tom Waits
I put off writing the ABOUT ME section of my blog for a long time. Partly because the Me changes so often. Partly because I don’t know how to stop once I start writing (especially about Moi). I tried to write a bio-type blurb and 5 pages of narcissistic crap came out. So I started a memoir. In the meantime I feel like I owe … Continue reading ABOUT ME
Once you embark upon the Blogosphere you make sure you’re findable. And people find you. Somehow the piece I wrote about being a Russian immigrant ended up on a Piercing Blog. The only thing I can think of is that I mention getting my ears pierced 31 years ago. I guess that qualifies. Who doesn’t want extra exposure?! Continue reading How Did I Get There?
“How old are you mommy,” my six-year-old asked me recently. I’ve told him before but it must have been in another context. He’s asking for another reason. I’m not sure why.“34,” I answer.“That’s old,” he says. Later that night on the goodnight phone call to his dad, I overhear him ask the same question. This time he adds a follow up: “How old will you … Continue reading How Old is Old?
If you can’t read the Breaking News above, it says: “The U.S. entered a recession in December 2007, according to the National Bureau of Economic Research.” Seriously? This is such a surprising fact that it came as a CNN Breaking news? PS America you’ve been in a recession for the last year. Thanks for the diagnosis, doctor. I feel much better now. Continue reading Breaking News: We’re in a Recession
Cyber Monday: Don’t get Trampled! http://www.cybermonday.com/http://www.bestcybermondaysales.com/ Continue reading Much Cooler (and Safer) than Black Friday
Flaws and All by Beyonce. Beautiful. Continue reading So much better than Sasha Fierce
