December 2008
9 posts
(Mori)Bus Philosophorum: Would You PLEASE RELAX?!?
After many years using public transportation I’ve gotten it down to a science. Things like never leaving home without a book, always keeping your card in the same place for easy access and planning to be at the bus stop five minutes before you need to be; these are simple ways to ensure a pleasant trip. It’s also important to detach from the whole driving mindset. You aren’t behind the wheel...
We Do Things: Adult Snow Day
“I’m feeling very Norman Rockwell-y right now,” Josh looked past me out the window at the falling snow and the wreaths on the brownstone across the street. I put down the scarf I was working on to light a cigarette. “In what fucked up Norman Rockwell painting are the people watching Justice League and drinking screwdrivers?” He rolled his eyes, “You know what I mean! You’re knitting. The...
We Do Things: Movie Night
Last week Jackers expressed interest in seeing Synecdoche, New York. I enjoy Charlie Kaufman’s work because it’s heartfelt and absurd. Throw in a local reference and I’m sold so last night a bunch of us went to the Spectrum and took advantage of cheap ticket Tuesday. (In the interest of full disclosure I admit that we are not ideal movie-goers: we smuggle booze, prefer to be alone in the ...
We Do Things: Platonic Date Night
PDA and I like to have Platonic date nights since his girlfriend lives in Amsterdam (that’s Holland, not New York) and I am about as attached as a hangnail. We do this because we get a massive kick out of one another and are able to peacefully coexist in many ways (he’s also my quiet-Sunday-brunch-at-Justin’s-with-a-New-York-Times partner. It makes you feel like an old married couple,...
Ho Ho Hooooly CRAP! Is that Green Man?
This afternoon was the 3rd Annual Santa Speedo Sprint, the official best Christmas- and nudity-inspired Albany charity event of the year. There are so many things about this that scream, “SIGN. ME. UP.” It benefits the Damien Center, is organized by ASAP (I’m partial to these guys because a bunch of them are childhood friends but also because of their kinda revolutionary approach to public...
Obsession: Mad Gabs
One day a long while ago I was over at Mark’s and he told me about Mad Gabbing and how it had overtaken his life. He’d started with the board game and then moved on to looking for inspiration everywhere; it was a Price Chopper circular that first blew his mindpiece. He and Meag had Mad Gabbed their way through it from, “spy reel Sly’s dam,” to, “soup or Suave tea dawn huts.” After I stopped...
Marion et Paul spent last weekend holed up in...
What's New with Me.: We Do Things
Okay, so I’ve been struggling with topics lately. It’s not so much the lack of inspiration but more that I’m starting a lot of things and then not finishing them for whatever reason (they’re unwieldy, not going anywhere, need more info, etc.) From time to time I’d like to be able to just report on things we do around Albany without going into too much depth or trying to find the hidden comic...
Odetta Dies →
This summer the legendary Odetta performed as part of the Washington Park Concert Series. She commanded respect during a show that was equal parts music and history lesson. Odetta told funny stories, waxed philosophical on the problems America is facing today, and mined her impressive catalogue. We were all really lucky to be there and definitely felt that at the time. Even more so now that we...