Journal Entries
Industrial Music
Posted Dec 19, 2000
Today, there was an entry on Gothic music profiled in the Guide. It's all fine and dandy, but it underscores the need for a good entry on industrial music in the Guide (they can be linked together). If nobody else has done it, I think I will jump into the fray and write one...
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Latest reply: Dec 19, 2000
Haujobb concert
Posted Dec 6, 2000
I stayed up way too late last night watching Haujobb in concert. It was rather invigorating. I did a few searches on industrial music in the guide and was rather disappointed in the results. I think I will do an "Industrial Music" entry that should hopefully be informative and interesting.
I also have an urge to do some literary entries. An entry on Robert Musil might be nice. Anything relating to Postmodern theory might also be interesting (I think I'll try something on Baudrillard's Simulations perhaps).
Otherwise, it is getting obscenely cold outside. Winter has descended upon the isle of Manhattan and it will be a few bleak months before it's Spring. Luckily, many of life's conveniences are in convenient walking distance (In a way, Manhattan is one of the best places for lazy people to live), so I won't have to brave the elements for too long when it gets really cold. And it's not exactly Chicago or Buffalo (thank Goodness).
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Latest reply: Dec 6, 2000
Jury Duty
Posted Dec 2, 2000
I had to spend the last few days fulfilling my civic duty and reporting for jury duty. I did not get called for a case, but I did have to spend a fair amount of time waiting in case I would get called. Fortunately, it presented me with an opportunity to eat plenty of Vietnamese food, and I made a few friends. Still, I'm grateful that it's over and I don't have to do it for another few years.
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Latest reply: Dec 2, 2000
Penn Station
Posted Nov 22, 2000
I'm going home for a few days for Thanksgiving, the annual American holiday of eating and pretending we all get along. Much as I joke about it, it is not bad as far as holidays go. Although it's become a bit like Valentine's Day for many people; it really sucks if you're alone. Thankfully, I'm not alone for either holiday.
New York's Pennsylvania Station (named confusingly after the old Pennsylvania Railroad) is always a nightmare, and I am not looking forward to it this time. Even worse, Amtrak still doesn't have the Acela service running, so that our trains can approach something like what they've had for the last 30 years in Europe (ah, European train service. Maybe a good article there). Of course, it's still loads more convenient to take Amtrak for short distances than flying (an article about Amtrak might work as well).
The station itself has all the charms of a bus terminal. New York used to have a beautiful Penn Station, but that was demolished to erect Madison Square Garden. Maybe with all the acclaim for the renovated Grand Central Station (it is nice) and DC's Union Station, there will be an effort to make a better station, but I don't think we'll see something like the Temple of Travel that the old station was. An entry about "Forgotten New York" might make for some interesting reading.
As Eddie Izzard says, we Americans demolish our past, and think that something 50 years old is ancient history (his delivery is much funnier). Too true, especially here in New York. Of course, it's more interesting how we attempt to retrofit the past. For instance, my apartment building used to be a tenement with no internal bathrooms. Now it has electricity and bathrooms, but the old quirks remain. The odd dimensions, the dearth of electrical outlets, the 50 year old phone switch, and the fact that there seem to no right angles in the entire place. It can be somewhat frustrating and time, and sometimes you feel like "character" is just real estate slang for "grime", but that's one of the sacrifices of living in this city.
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Latest reply: Nov 22, 2000
Mr. Cogito
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