Opera, Thunderstorms, and Mad Cow Disease

There’s an ad on the train platforms at Penn Station that I find amusing and simultaneously, somewhat insulting. It’s for Atlantic City and features a man seated between two women in a theater. One woman has her hand on his arm, but his back is to her as he whispers in the other one’s ear. The tagline reads: Your Life, The Way You Should Be Living It. I can’t help but wonder, who’s life are they referring to exactly? The woman who’s getting blown off by her date/husband? The one who’s getting wooed by a man who’s either married or otherwise spoken for? No, let me venture a guess and say the ad is referring to the man flanked by two beautiful woman, both of whom look very interested. Every time I see this ad, I laugh and cringe at the same time. First of all, it’s so blatantly sexist that I can’t believe it made it out of the design room. Secondly, I imagine this is every man’s dream so it's safe to say the design and marketing team for Atlantic City is made up primarily of men - sometimes it really is so easy to tell. Anyway, if you’re ever at Penn Station, take a look at these ads. If nothing else, they’re amusing.

One thing can be said about working in NYC - with so many people in such a small space, there’s no shortage of material for a blogger, especially when you take the subway. To that point, there is a homeless woman that lives in the subway station near work who petrifies me. I'm pretty sure she yells nonsense all day long because every time I walk past, she’s yelling about something new. None of it makes sense and she directs her tirade at anyone who passes by. She once yelled at my director for wearing a peace sign necklace. I’m always so afraid she’s going to chase after me for some reason or another. I am not proud to admit that I have an irrational fear of homeless people. Maybe it’s because I’m a girl and feel vulnerable or maybe it’s just because it makes me uncomfortable. I don’t know. It’s not something I’m proud of and I try to be aware of it and not let it effect how I act. It’s something I’m working on to be a better person, but one thing's for sure - this woman does not help to ease my fear. On a more positive note, however, in that same subway station, there is a young guy who sings opera. It’s incredible. He’s so good, I can’t help but smile as I walk past him. He’s usually dressed in baggy jeans, a white t-shirt and a do-rag, but the voice that comes out of that guy is incredible, really beautiful. If you’re ever at the 59^th street subway station, listen for him.

While I loathe the suffocating humidity of New Jersey summers, there’s something about August that I absolutely love: thunderstorms. I don’t mean puny little rainstorms. I mean huge, violent, earth-shaking thunderstorms that rain buckets and drench anything and everything in seconds. I especially love the ones that happen while half the sky is still blue and cloudless. The lighting is amazing during those storms, an artist’s dream. Although this “artist” has tried time and again to capture the light these storms create, and failed. On Friday, there was one such storm. The sky was black and purple, but at the end of the street, the buildings were illuminated by the sun over Central Park. It was absolutely beautiful. Trying my hardest not to look like a tourist and failing miserably I’m sure, I took out my camera to take a picture. It came out looking like a dismal city street and nothing more. I feel like I always try to capture beauty on film and it never looks as beautiful as it does in person. Maybe it’s a testament to living and experiencing life. Instead of trying to take a picture to preserve that image forever, I should just enjoy the fleeting moment...or maybe I just need a better camera.

On my nightstand:

I read a book a few months ago by one of our authors, Libba Bray. It's called Going Bovine and is about a teenage boy who contracts Mad Coy Disease. This book is out there. It's incredibly odd and wonderfully absurd, but it also touches upon some deep intellectual points, such as "what is reality?" It's about Mad Cow Disease and how this one kid is handling it as there is no cure, but it's also about string theory and music and so much more. It seems to be a hodge-podge of Libba's interests and general wonderings, but it's done in a way that makes you think. You first have to get past the garden gnome, punk angel, and death obsessed dwarf, but it's worth it.

I had the pleasure of attending a talk given by Libba. She is one of my favorite people. She's hilarious and intelligent and goofy. I'm posting this link to her video promoting Going Bovine. Please watch. It's so funny and strange. If you need a good laugh, watch it. http://shelf-life.ew.com/2009/08/19/libba-bray-going-bovine-trailer/