Modern Art

Olafur Eliasson, with the Public Art Fund, has created four man-made 'waterfalls' located across the Manhattan shoreline. The 'art' installment will be on view until October 13th and is called "The New York City Waterfalls." Original, huh? The falls are on every day, from morning until 10 PM, but will automatically shut off if there's really strong wind. They measure from 90 to 120 feet long and are supposed to incorporate building elements that are unique to New York (scaffolding is the backbone of each structure). You can find them at the following locations:

-Under the Brooklyn Bridge (on the Brooklyn side)
-Between Piers 4 and 5 in Brooklyn (west of the Brooklyn Heights Promenade)
-Pier 35 in Manhattan (adjacent to South Street at Rutgers Street)
-The north shore of Governor's Island



Says the Times of the exhibit, "they could almost fool King Kong into thinking he is back home. They are the remnants of a primordial Eden, beautiful, uncanny signs of a natural nonurban past that the city never had." They also try to make some vague Walt Whitman connection that doesn't really work.

I feel like this is more architecture than art, but I guess some could argue that those two things are inevitably connected. What do you think?

Shake Shack

I had this past Friday off and decided to do something epic with it. Since it was really nice out and I'd been craving a burger for weeks, I went to Shake Shack. I didn't get a portobello burger (deep-fried and stuffed with cheese) or anything like that, either. I broke my no-beef rule and ordered me up a cheeseburger. Two of them. And fries. And a frozen custard. And an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea, half lemonade). Because if you're gonna do it, you have to do it right.

I'd heard about the legendary lines, and when I got there it was snaking through the park. It moved along pretty quickly, though, considering that they make the burgers right when you order them. They also have a bee-line, which is wayyy shorter, but you can only get on it if you're ordering a concrete, drinks or frozen custard. I had some decent entertainment, though. There was some kid, whose parents were in front of us in line, who was just going nuts the whole time. He threw himself in the dirt and then started screaming. He kicked his little brother's stroller and then started bawling. He heard his Mom ordering burgers and howled "mayonaise and ketchup!!!!" until he was red in the face and crying hysterically. When I was standing towards the end of line, some guy walked past yelling, "trust me, it's not worth it!" But fuck that guy because yes, it was.


The burger was cooked to juicy perfection. I've never had anything that was less than well done, but this was medium-well leaning towards medium. The fries were good--evenly cooked and crispy. I had a chocolate custard which was yum (the flavor of the day was blackberry which I wasn't that into). Very nice texture, like nothing I've had before. The Arnold Palmer was good but I think a burger like that needed a Coke with a lot of ice. I'll try that next time, and maybe a concrete, too. But I'm definitely sticking with the single cheeseburger -- no doubles, mushroom burgs, or hot dogs. I'll also eat much slower next time (I was starving by the time I finally got down to Chelsea and conquered the line).

I guess I don't have much to compare it to since this was my first real beef burger, but I went with my boyfriend who says it's the best burger he's ever had, so I feel validated. Oh, and the freakin' buns are amazing. I'm not sure what they do to them. It's owned by Danny Meyer, who also owns Tabla (across the street on the corner of Madison and 23rd), The Modern, Blue Smoke, and Union Square Café among others. So I guess Shake Shack is the fine dining version of fast food, but just as deliciously greasy as the real deal.

Have you ever been to Shake Shack? If so, tell me what they do to the buns. If not, I hope this review makes you want to go because it's all that and a bag of chips.

Liars and Thieves

Something TERRIBLE has happened to me.

This past weekend, I bought a box of Honey Nut Cheerios so that I could bring it to work, leave it on my desk and have some for breakfast every morning. I chose this cereal for two very important reasons.

1. I haven't had it in a while and whenever I buy two of the same cereals in a row, no matter how good it is, I get tired of it and end up throwing away that second box and buying something different. (A case of hurtin' for some strange?)

2. It may be childish, but I've never grown tired of or disenchanted with the wonderful surprise that is the cereal box toy. You buy some cereal for the deliciousness inside, but then one day, you're pouring a bowl (it could be any day because you don't know where in the box the toy actually is) and BOOM! Out comes a fun surprise. In this particular case, it was a BATMAN toy. And umm, I love Batman.


So, I'm just getting into work, settling in, checking my email, etc. I grab my box of Cheerios and head to the kitchen to pour myself a bowl (plastic cup) and come back to my desk to enjoy the Honey Nut goodness. Everything's great.

Towards the end of the day, I go back into the kitchen for a bottle of water and see my box of Cheerios sitting on the counter. No big deal--I'd just forgotten it from earlier that morning. I pick it up to take it back to my desk...and it feels significantly lighter. Notably. Uncharacteristically. Fine, I thought. Someone took some Cheerios, whatever.

I get back to my desk and something occurs to me. I stop in my tracks. I open the box. I shake it up and peer inside...and yes. Just what I suspected. The toy is GONE. I have nothing else to say about this, except that I feel like the Hulk up in this bitch.

Mr. and Mrs. Sheen

Voicemail messages from Charlie Sheen to Denise Richards have recently been leaked onto the internet, and they're REALLY something. Here's an example:

Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Message Received at 1:00pm

Yea, I just got your other email and I am a little confused because you told me that was something you only told a couple of people, and this and that, and I just, again you continue to be deceitful and mischievous and sneaky, and you're a fucking liar. Okay. You're a fucking liar. So, you know what it's like, fuck you. Okay, I hope you rot in fucking hell. You're a piece of shit fucking liar and I hope you fucking rot in hell. So fuck you. I hope I never fucking talk to you again you fucking cunt. Fuck you. You're a coward and a liar and a fucking nigger alright, so fuck you.

Whoa. What?! What a RANDOM thing to call her! In what capacity could he possibly have meant that? Any why am I laughing HYSTERICALLY every time I read it? It makes no sense. Unless he was making a vague reference to her role in Undercover Brother. Any thoughts?


(transcription courtesy of Perez Hilton)

A Matter of Etiquette

Question.

If you gave someone a gift, and you're with them when they get complimented on it, and the person doesn't say anything about having gotten it as a gift from you, is that rude?

For example, you gave me a pair of earrings. We're out one evening and someone we knows says, 'oh, nice earrings.' I say, 'thanks,' and although you're standing right there, I don't mention that it was a gift from you. Would you feel snubbed?

Hulk, Take Two

I went to a screening of The Incredible Hulk last night. As some of you may remember, Ang Lee's version in 2003 was maybe the worst movie to ever come out. It was slow-moving, unexciting, and the attempt to make it a piece of art totally overshadowed what a comic book movie it supposed to be all about. People were actually walking out of the theater when I went to see it. When Lee heard that a second "Hulk" was being made, without a number two in the title, he was "bewildered." He said, "I was very proud of the movie I made. It seemed strange that it was being treated as if it didn't exist." That's because it was a piece of shit, Ang. Just get what you can out of Brokeback.

The first and most important thing that I can say about this one is that whoever's mind it was in which it first occurred the thought hmm, maybe we should use Ed Norton, is a damn genius. I think he does for the Hulk, on a much larger and more significant scale, what Christian Bale did for Batman -- provided him with a new depth and context that really enhanced both the movie and the viewer's connection to it. Norton also had an unconventional amount of creative input into the making of the film. Zak Penn wrote the original draft of the script, and then Norton took it and basically rewrote it (but he's not getting any writing credit). I think he also made it clear that he wouldn't do the movie if it didn't turn out to be done in a way that he liked, which is less of a dick move and more of an actor (and a fan of the Hulk) wanting to make sure that he didn't get involved with a flop. Considering the first Hulk, I would say it was even necessary.


Anyway, it's a great summer movie; I definitely recommend that you go see it. There are a few surprise appearances and Tim Roth plays Abomination, which makes for an interesting fight towards the end. I heard some grumblings about Liv Tyler, but I thought she made an excellent Betty Ross. Her naturally calm demeanor does exactly what it's supposed to do for her character and for the Hulk. And let me just say again that Ed Norton is the freakin' man. Go see it and tell me what you think - about the movie in general and about the ending ;)

The View From My Floor

This was taken the other day, after it rained. Kinda cool. That's the edge of Central Park and the river in the background. One nice thing about work, I guess. (Click on it to get the full effect.)

Breaking through the BLOCK

Okay, yes, I'm going through my first blog slump. I'm ashamed, but you know what, it happens. Right? I've just been feeling a little uninspired. I don't wanna write about something that happened or occurred to me that you don't really give a damn about. But it's a strange science. Sometimes I blog about some random thing and get an uproar of response, and sometimes I spend a lot of time on a post and don't really get much of anything. Then I feel super lazy for posting a quotation or a video, but sometimes I wanna share those things, too. Such is the dilemma of a blogger, I suppose.

Anyway, here's a list of quirky things about me. Maybe you'll be interested. Maybe you won't.

*I always sleep with one leg sticking out of my blanket. No matter how cold it is, I have to have that one leg airing out. And no matter how hot it is, I have to sleep with a full down comforter.

*I'm very impatient when I order things. I'll track the package about a minimum of five times a day, and then once or twice after I get home from work. If I don't get a tracking number emailed to me, I'll call to ask for one.

*My top lip all but disappears when I smile really hard. It's okay though, I'm not weird about it.

*I curse people out in my head A LOT. Random people on the street who are walking too slow in front of me, people who don't get their wallets or Metrocards out until ALL their shit is rung up or they're standing right at the turnstile, old people, etc.

*I have the weirdest, most random, craziest dreams you could ever imagine. Did you ever watch "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters" on Nickelodeon? They had a machine that you could connect to your brain, kinda like a projector, and it would replay all the scares they did throughout the day so all the other monsters could discuss. I'm gonna work on developing one of those so that I can show people my dreams, because until you see them for yourselves, you'll never understand.


*I love carrot juice. Ever tried it? Delish.

*I sometimes speak in plurals. If you don't know what I mean, you may not spend enough time with me.

*I wish I knew more Guyanese and Indian people that are like me. (Not FOBS.)

Tell me some cool stuff about you that I probably don't know.