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personal

Easter 2011

Brooklyn view of Verrazano Bridge


Me
: Do you have a charger? I need to charge my phone.
Her: Just turn it off.
Me: What if someone needs to calls me?
Her: Who’s going to call you?
Me: (turning off phone, muttering) Someone might call me…

Work’s slowed down a bit so been busy writing, taking classes, and wrestling. Regarding the writing, got a short story idea in my head. Regarding the classes, it’s just a lotta online classes they make you take to maintain your licenses. It’s a lotta classes. Regarding the wrestling, am still terrible, but just slightly less so. A buddy I’ve not seen in a while came up to roll on Easter Sunday; just found out he split with his girl. Sucks; it’s always the disappointment that gets you.

I try to take advantage of these lulls when they come but it’s a weird aspect of eating what you kill: when you’re busy, y’wish y’had downtime to do something besides work; when y’have downtime, y’worry about the lack of work.

Went out to see HG’s rents for Easter Dinner where I stuffed myself silly. Stopped by to see her grandparents. Realized that her grandma’s the only grandma I got now.

Took twice as long to get back as usual because of the rain and holiday traffic. There never are enough sunny days, yeah?

Location: taking more CLE on the computer
Mood: okay
Music: I live on the corner of Grey Street and the end of the world
YASYCTAI: Fire up those classes. (8 hours/1.0 pt)
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personal

My old crockpot

Old Rival Crock Pot

Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Decided to make some braised brisket in red wine the other night so I whipped out my old crock-pot. It’s been in my family since I can remember – maybe 25-30 years? My mom used to make this killer spaghetti sauce she learned from my Italian neighbor Dot. It’s also where she made chili from a Mexican neighbor and how I made a lotta my chili too.

When I moved outta my family home, my mom asked me what I wanted and I asked for that.

Her: This old thing? Why don’t you buy a new one?
Me: Cause I want that one.

Anywho, put it on the counter top and noticed the back had cracked and a leg had fallen off. Managed to prop it up on a stacka bank checks to make the brisket but it was clear it was it’s last dish.

They’re cheap. Like $40 for a good one. And this one’s got flowers and lotsa stains on it; doesn’t match my clean white kitchen. But it was my bita home in my apartment and I’m sad to see it gone.

You don’t love a picture causesa the paper it’s printed on, y’love a picture because of what it represents.

Man, I loved that broken old thing.

Ha – suppose someone’ll say that about me some day. One would hope, anywho…

Braised beef with herbed carrots and coconus

Location: taking CLE on the computer
Mood: nostalgic
Music: The only way to really know is to really let it go
YASYCTAI: Buy a new slow cooker. (10 mins/0.5 pt)
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Logan’s 38 / What you pay for being alright

Logan LoJust check’n if all my hair’s still there.

Joe: Did they hurt you in there, Mitchel?
Mitchel: Not so you’d notice.
Joe: They hurt me in there, Mitchel.
Mitchel: I know they did, Joe. It’s all right now. Here. (gives him money)
Joe: You don’t have to do that.
Mitchel: Yes, I do. It’s a tax you pay for being alright.

London Boulevard (film)

You know you’re old when you fondly remeber being 30.

Started this blog five years ago because of my breakup. Then it somehow morphed into my admittedly peculiar dating life punctuated with some really cool highs and some awful, awful lows. Now I’m just a boring married guy.

But at some point in the future, there’ll be more really cool highs and some more awful lows. It’s all about waiting for the next high, I suppose.

I’ll take the awful lows, though – as best one can. And I’ll try to do my own little bit to contribute something to world. It’s all parta the same thing anyway.

Think the above quote’s spot on, paying back to the aether’s the tax you pay for being alright. Isn’t that what a tax is? It’s what you pay to be alright.

I’m alright right now, and feel the need to pay a little more this year. Duuno what that is but I’m looking.

Having said that, you know the drill. Wish me a happy birthday and say something, all of you bastards that read me but never say anything.

Location: home, listening to the rain outside
Mood: hopeful
Music: One girl, one boy, Some grief, some joy
YASYCTAI: Oh, you know… (60 mins/1 pt)
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business

Getting rid of clear stars in iTunes

How to remove hollow / transparent stars in iTunes

Actually have a slight bit of downtime this week so I’m spending it doing a buncha tasks I’ve been putting off, like clean up my amazingly chaotic music library.

One thing that was driving me crazy was removing all the transparent / hollow stars from my iTunes library. After some googling and tweaking, finally figured it out:

  • Select “Grid View” by pressing this button.

  • Press “Apple key ⌘ + A” to select all – CTRL+A if you’re using a PC
  • Right click and select “Album Rating > None”

You’re done. 5 seconds.

There’s never a time when you’re just done with stuff – everything is a constant maintenance issue. Just the way it is, I guess. Sometimes, feel like it’s like playing Whack-a-Mole where, once you solve one small issue, a new one pops up.

Off to wrestle…

———-

If this entry helped you at all, leave a comment and take a look at the rest of this blog about life in NYC or consider picking up my eBook thriller about organized crime in NYC, The Men Made of Stone; sold everywhere for just $2.99!

The Men Made of Stone - Logan Lo
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Location: my apartment, putting on kneepads
Mood: relaxed
Music: another chance and a someday soon Shining like the Alabama moon
YASYCTAI: Clean up your music files, they must be a mess. (hours/1 pt)
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personal

A weekend in food

Me: You wanna…?
Her: Sure.
Me: (five minutes later) Actually, I feel like a fatty-fat-fat.
Her: Yeah, I’m beat. (laughing) We are so married.

Friday night, came home to a Spanish Dinner that Heartgirl picked up; it’s good to mix it up some. We were getting a bit tired of the usual Chinese/Italian/American we’ve been eating for a while. Wish I had pix but we were so voraciously hungry that we just tore into it.

Menu: Pan Tomaca, Bravas, Empanadas Argentinas, Brochetas De Pollo, and Chorizo A La Parrilla.

Saturday, went out to Brooklyn for work in the AM. Coincidentally, an employee of the client was in the same train car as me all of way there but we both didn’t really recognize each other. When I walked into the client’s he started shouting and laughing, “Man, I knew I knew you!”

When I got back, HG and I walked over to the Whitney Museum across town to check out the Edward Hopper exhibit. Kinda underwhleming – they didn’t have Nighthawks and wouldn’t lemme take pics but they did have Sunday Morning. Afterward, went out for Japanese at our local sushi joint before staying in and watching The Next Three Days.

Menu: Ramen, Dragon Roll, California Roll, Chicken Teriyaki.

Sunday, was supposed to stay in but a buddy a mine had the building nexta his apartment catch on fire so at 9AM, I’m in a taxi to Times Square to check out the fire damage. It was pretty bad. Walking up 5th Avenue, the guy at the local halal cart recognized me at and asked me if I wanted some. Breakfasta champions.

Went downtown again Sunday to pick up a new camera; more on that some other time. Syd was so long ago.

Menu: Rice, meat, and grease.

Was a lot busier a weekend than I wanted it to be but still good. S’funny how stuffing our faces’s so basic and complex a parta our lives.

So, that was my weekend. Hope yours was good.

Location: staying in today to finish some work
Mood: optimistic
Music: and so it goes, this soldier knows
YASYCTAI: Pick an artist to like. I like Hopper cause he’s NYC. (time/1 pt)
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personal

15 Things Every Man Should Know

Things a guy needs to know to be a man

Me: Do we have any crazy glue?
Her: I think so, why?
Me: Sliced open my finger.
Her: Do you need stitches?!
Me: That’s what the crazy glue’s for.

My boss recently commented that, cause I don’t watch or play any sports, I’m missing something in the manhood realm. Thought that was pretty funny. Cause I got my own lista of what a man should know/be able to do and sports’s nowhere in it. Suppose we all do.

Here’s mine in no particular order – a man has to be able to:

  1. Cook something.
    • At least one thing very well without consulting a recipe. For me it’s chili – it can be any type of food but you gotta know it well.
  2. Tell a story well
    • Can pretty much assure you, it’s the difference between a good night or a great night. Basic rule: if it adds nuthin to the story, leave it out. Eg, if you mention that he’s wearing a white paisley belt, it’d better be crucial to the story. You have to be funny and engaging enough so that a girlie touches you on your shoulder or arm three times in a row. BTW, if that happens, you must kiss her. Unless you’re married or otherwise involved, at which point you smile and politely leave.
  3. Throw a punch and take a punch
    • I like the good old fashioned cross, but that’s just me. You gotta know how to throw it, pull it back, and throw it again. As for taking it, try not to do it often. Ducking’s a good secondary skill to possess. As a corollary, if you’re defending your pride and have a mortgage, a wife, or a kid, walk away. If you’re defending the cause of your mortgage, your wife, or your kid, keep moving forward.
  4. Do 50 push-ups
    • If you can’t, you’re an old man. The thing is, most fellas don’t have to be old men for a while.
  5. Know that what people think of him is none of his business
  6. Be loyal
  7. Know how to keep a secret
    • This is important. If you’re known as a guy that can be discreet, you will make more money and have more respect than the guy that can’t. Plain and simple.
  8. Use the right tools for the job
    • Traditional: Hammer, screwdriver, wrench (monkey, adjustable, and combo), etc.
    • Modern: Google operators, Ping, POP/IMAP, etc.
  9. Quote something that actually means something to him
  10. Have some female friends and not try to bang them.
  11. Know that his parents did they best they could
    • Or didn’t, whatever, you’re a man, let it go. They were probably kids when they had you and had no idea what they were doing.
    • Extra credit if you realize you were no prize either.
  12. Know when to use F__ and when not to use it
    • It’s like salt, a little goes a long way and too mucha it ruins a lotta hard work.
  13. Give and take a compliment
    • For the former: The occasional and honest Nice XXX with a quick nod works wonders.
    • For the latter: Yeah? Thanks, is appropriate for just about everything.
  14. Control the fear
    • It’s always there. If you’re not afraid, you’re nuts, stupid, or grossly underestimating the gravity of a given situation. Unclench your fists, breathe in deeply through your nose, out through the mouth – imagine you’re filling up your lungs from the bottom up, like a glass of water. Then think. Quickly.
  15. Stop bleeding
    • Minor wounds – pressure, hydrogen peroxide, crazy glue or bandages with lotsa changes.
    • Major wounds – pressure, call a professional, more pressure
    • Also, studies have shown, saying positive things to a gravely injured person increases their chance of survival. No, don’t have a quote, wish I did.

There are more things one should know how to do but aren’t specific to men, maybe people in general. That’s for some other time.

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Location: surrounded by papers (they’re going to kill me)
Mood: good, except I need to fix my car, I’m DIY so The Car Starter is for me.
Music: sweet woman and my two grown up sons
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Paying off debts

Someone always has to pay the debt

Her: That is the bomb.
Me: Do people still say that?
Her: No, just me.
Me: I’m totally putting this in the blog.
Her: Don’t you dare. I don’t want anyone to know how dorky I am.
Me: OK.

In unrelated news, gotta leave the country for a while.

Potentially got some work in Europe. Italy’s interesting to me cause I’m such a fan of The Godfather and there’s this whole sequence there.

There’s this scene in The Godfather book that’s not in the film – dunno why the director kept cutting out these important scenes.

Michael kills his brother-in-law, Carlo, and his wife Kay secretly leaves him. Mike’s brother tries to stop her but she says she can’t stay because she can’t be with a man that can’t forgive.

Mike’s brother says something like, even if Michael truly, truly forgave Carlo, Carlo still “had to be killed. Because treachery can’t be forgiven. Michael could have forgiven it, but people never forgive themselves and so they would always be dangerous….[Michael] loves his sister. But he would be shirking his duty to you and his children, to his whole family, to me and my family, if he let…Carlo go free. They would have been a danger to us all, all our lives.”

Said once that that a debt is created every time something shady happens. Always.

As for France, this interesting article came out about them the other day. In it, the writer says that the French are a lot nicer to Americans these days.

The general hypothesis’s that the recession’s making everyone nicer but this writer disagrees. He says it’s because all of the older French’re dying off; the ones that were alive when the Nazis came over. It was the older French that were ashamed of the fact that they (a) collaborated with the Nazis, killing a buncha their own citizens, and (b) needed the Americans to come and rescue them.

There was debt to pay and you can’t pay back a debt like that, not even if you have IVA advice from a debt manager. So came about the dirty American. The younger French feel no such burden and can afford to be kind.

That’s the argument, anyway.

I believe it. Cause it’s the debt and the deuce. Someone’s always gotta pay the debt, man.

So, France or Italy – or maybe England. I kinda speak the language in England.

Location: Crooklyn
Mood: patient
Music: e rido e piango e mi fondo con il cielo e con il fango
YASYCTAI: Find some more cool foreign songs. (60 mins/1 pt)
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