It's been awhile since I've written anything here. I've been taking weekend French lessons which has been a great decision. Even if I never relocate to Canada, it will always be helpful when I visit. J'aime Montreal! Well...it's a start; I have a long way to go. A trip back to Montreal is now scheduled for the week of Labor Day. I'm very excited, needless to say.
My disatisfaction with my job keeps growing. Management changed the way we get paid, effective 2008. I'll have to wait until the end of the year review to see how this will affect me. On top of that, I did not get a raise. My boss' message is perfectly clear: work harder or no raise. Greedy bastard.
Politically, I've taken a step back. The elections last November gave me some hope that things will get better. Finally, it seems America is waking up and discovering that the Republicans in power are incompetent and liars. Now if we can only find some way out of that awful war. It never should've happened and I'm proud to say that I was against it from the very beginning.
Finally, my album of the year for '06 is Mesh "We Collide". No surprise there. I wish they would've released more singles from the CD. "Step by Step" and "Open up the Ground" were great album tracks that deserved a few remixes, and would've stormed the DAC Charts.
Sunday, April 15, 2007
Saturday, August 26, 2006
Post Montreal
It was very difficult transitioning to the normal routine after the vacation in Montreal. Getting back to the job was a nightmare, and after two weeks, I'm still not sure if I am caught up. My partner is still suffering from a case of bronchitis. I've been feeling run-down and slightly depressed. Although we were only there for only four days and nights, I felt like I didn't want to leave Montreal, and I'm trying to allocate some time in the near future to take another trip. Meanwhile, I am making a serious attempt to learn French. There is a possibility that Canada could be our future home. We will be taking many more trips to further evaluate it, of course. It will also depend upon the political climate here in the U.S.
Below is a well-written article I found which exemplifies how I feel:
http://www.lilithgallery.com/articles/2005/canadian_gaymarriages.html
Thursday, August 17, 2006
Montreal
My partner and I returned from a great trip in Montreal. During the four days we spent there, we fell in love with the city. Above is a view from the Parc du Mont-Royal which overlooks the city.
I have to admit that I'm actually depressed to be back in New York. In Montreal (and Canada as a whole) I am no longer regarded as a second-class citizen, and I would have the right to marry my partner. The city itself is more relaxed than NYC, and the restaurants are excellent. The subways and streets are also considerably cleaner. There is also a better coffee chain than Starbucks called "Second Cup". We are definitely returning sometime next year, hopefully with a better understanding of the French language. Until that time I will continue to miss Montreal...
Friday, June 03, 2005
Kylie Minogue
Just a few words to wish Kylie a successful recovery. Last week, the popular Australian pop-star was diagnosed with the early stages of breast cancer. She underwent an operation and is currently resting at her home in Australia.
I became a Kylie fan during her post SAW (Stock Aitken Waterman) era, in the early 90's. She released a single "Confide In Me" featured on an import music program on WDRE. A later single, "Some Kind of Bliss", was a collaboration between her, and Manic Street Preachers (one of my favorite bands). Another huge hit for her was a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow".
Even though she abandoned her "Indie" leanings for straight-on dance with the excellent albums "Light Years" and "Fever", I continued to be a huge fan. Worldwide, she is as popular as Madonna, but in the USA, she was/is mostly overlooked. For anyone uninitiated, be sure to pick up her 2CD compilation "Ultimate Kylie" which features most of her hits, including the great new singles "I Believe in You" and "Giving You Up".
I became a Kylie fan during her post SAW (Stock Aitken Waterman) era, in the early 90's. She released a single "Confide In Me" featured on an import music program on WDRE. A later single, "Some Kind of Bliss", was a collaboration between her, and Manic Street Preachers (one of my favorite bands). Another huge hit for her was a duet with Nick Cave, "Where the Wild Roses Grow".
Even though she abandoned her "Indie" leanings for straight-on dance with the excellent albums "Light Years" and "Fever", I continued to be a huge fan. Worldwide, she is as popular as Madonna, but in the USA, she was/is mostly overlooked. For anyone uninitiated, be sure to pick up her 2CD compilation "Ultimate Kylie" which features most of her hits, including the great new singles "I Believe in You" and "Giving You Up".
Friday, March 18, 2005
Half-Life 2
I'm in the process of playing (arguably) the best computer game to date. I don't make this claim lightly. After all, I'm Generation X and therefore part of the videogame generation. I've owned and/or played games on the Atari 2600, the first Nintendo, Sega Genesis, SNES, Playstation 2, the Commodore 64, and of course the PC. I've played the original arcade games Pac-Man, Donkey Kong, Zaxxon, and Frogger. Those big consoles were everywhere you looked; drugstores, five and dimes, pizza places, and of course the arcades themselves. I consider myself a connesiuer of sorts for all of these games.
I played the original Half-Life awhile ago which was a great game in itself. Considered an FPS (First Person Shooter) its strength lay in its storyline. Its much anticipated sequel (Half-Life 2) released late last year and taking five years to develop, builds on the story and is worthy of a Hollywood script. In addition, the game has amazing graphics which requires an updated computer. Without giving too much away, the gameplay is loads of fun requiring a certain amount of strategy. A certain positivity runs through Half-Life 2 which seemed to be absent in its predecessor. In fact certain parts of the original were simply frustrating.
Well, I'm hooked. I've abandoned all of my other recent computer games like Doom 3 (which is a horror survival game that can scare the sh*t out of you), Sims 2, and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. I'm about two thirds complete, and if my partner was not already playing his Age of Mythology game on the newer computer, I'd probably be playing Half-Life 2 right now instead of writing about it.
Anyways, highly recommended :-)
I played the original Half-Life awhile ago which was a great game in itself. Considered an FPS (First Person Shooter) its strength lay in its storyline. Its much anticipated sequel (Half-Life 2) released late last year and taking five years to develop, builds on the story and is worthy of a Hollywood script. In addition, the game has amazing graphics which requires an updated computer. Without giving too much away, the gameplay is loads of fun requiring a certain amount of strategy. A certain positivity runs through Half-Life 2 which seemed to be absent in its predecessor. In fact certain parts of the original were simply frustrating.
Well, I'm hooked. I've abandoned all of my other recent computer games like Doom 3 (which is a horror survival game that can scare the sh*t out of you), Sims 2, and Rollercoaster Tycoon 3. I'm about two thirds complete, and if my partner was not already playing his Age of Mythology game on the newer computer, I'd probably be playing Half-Life 2 right now instead of writing about it.
Anyways, highly recommended :-)
Thursday, March 17, 2005
WLIR
Since 92.7 changed its format on February 1, 2004, there hasn't been any station on the radio in the NYC area playing alternative music. WLIR which has moved to 107.1 can only be heard in Suffolk County. The radio dial is now horrible, and I can only take refuge in my own music collection.
This posting though is a tribute to WLIR which I discovered in late 1984. I heard a few songs that I wanted to tape from the radio. Yep... back then we used to buy blank TDK or Maxell tapes and record songs from the radio. We were poor high school students on a budget and couldn't afford to buy every record for every song we liked. This was a decade before the internet and downloadable music files.
By early 1985, I switched allegience from Top 40 radio to the alternative WLIR, latching onto groups like Depeche Mode, New Order, the Cure, Dead or Alive, the Smiths, OMD, Alphaville, and artists like Billy Idol, Howard Jones, and David Bowie. It was WLIR at its peak, with DJ's Doona Donna, Larry the Duck, Denis MacNamara, and Malibu Sue. The station aired weekly live concerts, an import program called "Off the Boat", a Friday night "Party Out of Bounds", and of course the "Screamer of the Week" which was the week's favorite new song voted in by the listeners.
In late 1987, the station changed owners and morphed into WDRE. After what I would consider a shaky beginning, WDRE picked up where WLIR left off, getting in stride by 1988 and almost reaching the WLIR peak. On WDRE, I used to like the Sunday morning "Rock Over London" broadcast which inspired me to track the British music charts instead of the American Top 40. I was a fan of the station as well as the music. When I finally got my first car in 1990, I proudly placed a WDRE bumper sticker on it. I also drove to the station to pick up a WDRE t-shirt. I remember listening to the morning show on my way to college in 1990/1991 when the aired parody sketches of serialized stories (one was called "The Dunwich Horror", another "Come Lover Viking" and if anyone out there can remember the others, let me know).
At this time I also found some interesting college radio stations that played some great shows during the weekend. Among them was WRHU's "Post Punk Progressive Pop Party" with Jeff Foss, and WBAU's "Adventures in Modern Recording" with Randy, Kelly and crew. It was there that I found groups like Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and Yello.
By 1994/1995 the format of WDRE began to change to a commercialized grunge rock. The station even stopped playing some of the new material of groups that were considered staples years ago. During this time I was listening to my own growing CD collection, following groups like Inspiral Carpets, Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Curve, Slowdive, and more. Eventually I lost interest in WDRE altogether, until one day WLIR returned.
Although never achieving its mid 80's peak, it wss good to have WLIR back again. Although the station was blatantly guilty of "missing the boat" on a lot of talent, like the aforementioned Manic Street Preachers, as well as VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, De/Vision, Mesh, and even A-ha's latest hits (the good music is usually on the other side of the Atlantic guys!), it was still upsetting when they disappeared from the 92.7 frequency.
Anyway, this is my tribute to the history of the great WLIR.
WWW.WLIR.COM
This posting though is a tribute to WLIR which I discovered in late 1984. I heard a few songs that I wanted to tape from the radio. Yep... back then we used to buy blank TDK or Maxell tapes and record songs from the radio. We were poor high school students on a budget and couldn't afford to buy every record for every song we liked. This was a decade before the internet and downloadable music files.
By early 1985, I switched allegience from Top 40 radio to the alternative WLIR, latching onto groups like Depeche Mode, New Order, the Cure, Dead or Alive, the Smiths, OMD, Alphaville, and artists like Billy Idol, Howard Jones, and David Bowie. It was WLIR at its peak, with DJ's Doona Donna, Larry the Duck, Denis MacNamara, and Malibu Sue. The station aired weekly live concerts, an import program called "Off the Boat", a Friday night "Party Out of Bounds", and of course the "Screamer of the Week" which was the week's favorite new song voted in by the listeners.
In late 1987, the station changed owners and morphed into WDRE. After what I would consider a shaky beginning, WDRE picked up where WLIR left off, getting in stride by 1988 and almost reaching the WLIR peak. On WDRE, I used to like the Sunday morning "Rock Over London" broadcast which inspired me to track the British music charts instead of the American Top 40. I was a fan of the station as well as the music. When I finally got my first car in 1990, I proudly placed a WDRE bumper sticker on it. I also drove to the station to pick up a WDRE t-shirt. I remember listening to the morning show on my way to college in 1990/1991 when the aired parody sketches of serialized stories (one was called "The Dunwich Horror", another "Come Lover Viking" and if anyone out there can remember the others, let me know).
At this time I also found some interesting college radio stations that played some great shows during the weekend. Among them was WRHU's "Post Punk Progressive Pop Party" with Jeff Foss, and WBAU's "Adventures in Modern Recording" with Randy, Kelly and crew. It was there that I found groups like Front 242, Nitzer Ebb, and Yello.
By 1994/1995 the format of WDRE began to change to a commercialized grunge rock. The station even stopped playing some of the new material of groups that were considered staples years ago. During this time I was listening to my own growing CD collection, following groups like Inspiral Carpets, Blur, Manic Street Preachers, Curve, Slowdive, and more. Eventually I lost interest in WDRE altogether, until one day WLIR returned.
Although never achieving its mid 80's peak, it wss good to have WLIR back again. Although the station was blatantly guilty of "missing the boat" on a lot of talent, like the aforementioned Manic Street Preachers, as well as VNV Nation, Apoptygma Berzerk, De/Vision, Mesh, and even A-ha's latest hits (the good music is usually on the other side of the Atlantic guys!), it was still upsetting when they disappeared from the 92.7 frequency.
Anyway, this is my tribute to the history of the great WLIR.
WWW.WLIR.COM
Monday, March 14, 2005
Legion
When I was in elementary school i was an avid comic book reader. When I first started buying them they were only 25 cents each. Eventually my favorite became the Legion of Super Heroes.
The variety of heroes, the futuristic setting, and the great stories were all underlying reasons why they became the comic of choice.
When I reached Junior High School (as it was called back then), I slowly gave up on comic books. I considered them a throwback to childhood, and would feel silly being caught buying or reading one.
Years later, while shopping at the late great Busy-Bee flea market with my sister (Indiyon- http://indiyon.blogspot.com), I picked up an issue out of curiousity. To my surprise, the teen heroes of my youth had grown up and were now adults. In addition, the writing had also matured and targetted to my age bracket. The new writers of Tom and Mary Bierbaum, and Keith Giffen took on some surprisingly adult-themed topics. Two of the Legion members were Lesbian, and one (Element Lad) was gay. In general, the characters were much more well-rounded with personality flaws.
I began a resurgence in my comic book collecting of the Legion during my college years. I shopped at the (late great) Bonmark Books in Plainview as well as smaller comic stores in Nassau County.
Tragically the writing team left, and the new authors really messed things up. In addition, DC Comics decided to revamp all of their comics, effectively wiping out the Legion's rich and intricate history, and calling the event "Zero Hour". It was an obvious attempt to attract a newer, younger generation of readers, but it effectively alienated the older audience. Very quickly, I lost interest in the new and (not at all) improved Legion, and discontinued collecting them permanently in 1994.
However, I still kept my collection, including the entire Tom & Mary Bierbaum (4th series) packed safely away. A heartfelt thanks to the Bierbaums for the great stories & characters and allowing me to revisit the Legion during some difficult college years.
The variety of heroes, the futuristic setting, and the great stories were all underlying reasons why they became the comic of choice.
When I reached Junior High School (as it was called back then), I slowly gave up on comic books. I considered them a throwback to childhood, and would feel silly being caught buying or reading one.
Years later, while shopping at the late great Busy-Bee flea market with my sister (Indiyon- http://indiyon.blogspot.com), I picked up an issue out of curiousity. To my surprise, the teen heroes of my youth had grown up and were now adults. In addition, the writing had also matured and targetted to my age bracket. The new writers of Tom and Mary Bierbaum, and Keith Giffen took on some surprisingly adult-themed topics. Two of the Legion members were Lesbian, and one (Element Lad) was gay. In general, the characters were much more well-rounded with personality flaws.
I began a resurgence in my comic book collecting of the Legion during my college years. I shopped at the (late great) Bonmark Books in Plainview as well as smaller comic stores in Nassau County.
Tragically the writing team left, and the new authors really messed things up. In addition, DC Comics decided to revamp all of their comics, effectively wiping out the Legion's rich and intricate history, and calling the event "Zero Hour". It was an obvious attempt to attract a newer, younger generation of readers, but it effectively alienated the older audience. Very quickly, I lost interest in the new and (not at all) improved Legion, and discontinued collecting them permanently in 1994.
However, I still kept my collection, including the entire Tom & Mary Bierbaum (4th series) packed safely away. A heartfelt thanks to the Bierbaums for the great stories & characters and allowing me to revisit the Legion during some difficult college years.
Monday, February 21, 2005
An Exciting Transition
Winter in Forest Hills
This spring/early summer my partner and I are moving to another building. We are especially excited because we are buying this time. It's going to be an extremely time-consuming and stressful few months for us, but it will be well worth it. The picture above was taken from our current apartment a few weeks ago. It snowed here last night, and the scenery is similiar today. In our future apartment, we will be two floors higher, and will have a panoramic view.
Thursday, December 23, 2004
The Great Wrong of the Right
Yesterday morning I found that Newfoundland is now allowing gay marriages. In fact, most of the Canadian provinces now allow such unions. Yet here in the United States it became a wedge issue that distracted voters into re-electing GWB. Now, as a result of the elections, in most states marriage must clearly be defined as a union between a man and a woman. All the while, GWB is still attempting to push this legislation on a national level. The religious right is so threatened by gay marriage, it has become their central fixation. Ignoring other obstacles that could undermine marriage, such as divorce, child abuse, and infidelity, their only battle-cry is not to allow two men or two women at the altar, and receiving the same rights as a heterosexual couple.
When one distances himself from the influence of religion, you can clearly see the hypocrisy of this issue. In this country, there is supposed to be a definitive seperation of church and state. Yet the influence of the Religious Right is so powerful that it has reached the presidential level. There is nothing wrong in believing in God. I'm not anti-religious. But keep your beliefs where they belong...in your own church or home. If two people love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together, then let them. Why shouldn't they be afforded the same rights as anyone else? If you consider the union a sin, then that is your BELIEF. And your belief should have no place in the laws that are decided in America.
So far, there has not been a complete breakdown of the social fabric in Canada as a result of allowing gay marriages. Of course, there were people that opposed it there also, but logic and reasoning won out. It annoys me that gay marriage is acceptable in the Yukon Territory but not in New York City.
The religious right really needs to find a new hobby. A good suggestion would be to stop being such hypocrites, practice what you preach, and learn to love your neighbors again. There's a good chance that one of them is gay.
When one distances himself from the influence of religion, you can clearly see the hypocrisy of this issue. In this country, there is supposed to be a definitive seperation of church and state. Yet the influence of the Religious Right is so powerful that it has reached the presidential level. There is nothing wrong in believing in God. I'm not anti-religious. But keep your beliefs where they belong...in your own church or home. If two people love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together, then let them. Why shouldn't they be afforded the same rights as anyone else? If you consider the union a sin, then that is your BELIEF. And your belief should have no place in the laws that are decided in America.
So far, there has not been a complete breakdown of the social fabric in Canada as a result of allowing gay marriages. Of course, there were people that opposed it there also, but logic and reasoning won out. It annoys me that gay marriage is acceptable in the Yukon Territory but not in New York City.
The religious right really needs to find a new hobby. A good suggestion would be to stop being such hypocrites, practice what you preach, and learn to love your neighbors again. There's a good chance that one of them is gay.
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Florida
I left the freezing weather of New York and travelled to Florida to spend Christmas with my family. I flew into Orlando, then rented a beige Ford Taurus at Dollar Rent-a-Car. I brought with my my worst and only cold of the year (just in time for the holidays).
On my drive north along I-95 I came across a homemade sign that stated "Thank the Lord for George & Jeb Bush". I felt like pulling over and puking. It's amazing how a president that caters so much to the wealthy could appeal to most rednecks. I'm not going to bash Florida, but the state has its share of uneducated rednecks, and the sign (judging by its appearance and penmanship) was definitely constructed by one.
This brings to mind a certain realization. Are the red states (southern, mid-west) just less-educated than the northern blue states? Are there more intellectuals living in New York, California, and New England, than Alabama, Missouri, and South Carolina? Or as written in a British Newspaper can 59 million people be so stupid? As a democrat, left-leaning New Yorker, my answer to that rather blunt question is "unfortunately yes." I'm sure there are many intelligent people living in the red states. There are also many people in those red states that voted for John Kerry, just as voters in blue states cast their vote for GWB.
I guess a southern redneck driving a pickup with gun rack watching Fox News on his DirecTV satellite enhanced tellivision believes everything the president tells him.
On my drive north along I-95 I came across a homemade sign that stated "Thank the Lord for George & Jeb Bush". I felt like pulling over and puking. It's amazing how a president that caters so much to the wealthy could appeal to most rednecks. I'm not going to bash Florida, but the state has its share of uneducated rednecks, and the sign (judging by its appearance and penmanship) was definitely constructed by one.
This brings to mind a certain realization. Are the red states (southern, mid-west) just less-educated than the northern blue states? Are there more intellectuals living in New York, California, and New England, than Alabama, Missouri, and South Carolina? Or as written in a British Newspaper can 59 million people be so stupid? As a democrat, left-leaning New Yorker, my answer to that rather blunt question is "unfortunately yes." I'm sure there are many intelligent people living in the red states. There are also many people in those red states that voted for John Kerry, just as voters in blue states cast their vote for GWB.
I guess a southern redneck driving a pickup with gun rack watching Fox News on his DirecTV satellite enhanced tellivision believes everything the president tells him.
Monday, October 04, 2004
The Great Disillusionment
It took me many years to discover that I am not living in the best country in the world. Putting aside any issues I may have with the currect presidency (of which I have many), the standard of living in America is slipping away from us. I watch Lou Dobbs often, and he mentions a "middle class squeeze" occurring in our economy. Costs are rising, but not the salaries and wages of the American worker. It is also a fact that Americans have the least amount of holidays off than most European countries, Japan, and even China. We Americans are literally working ourselves to death, while Europeans have at least a month off a year.
In addition, many high-tech and manufacturing jobs are being outsourced, replaced with lower income (and sometimes part-time) jobs.
If there was such a thing as an "index of happiness" to measure the quality of life and happiness, I was surprised to learn that the country Sweden would be far ahead of America.
America may still be the richest country in the world (and the lone Superpower) but this does not make it the best. Should the definition of "best" mean wealth, military might, or value of life? I guess this depends on who you ask. For me it would mean "my quality of life".
In addition, many high-tech and manufacturing jobs are being outsourced, replaced with lower income (and sometimes part-time) jobs.
If there was such a thing as an "index of happiness" to measure the quality of life and happiness, I was surprised to learn that the country Sweden would be far ahead of America.
America may still be the richest country in the world (and the lone Superpower) but this does not make it the best. Should the definition of "best" mean wealth, military might, or value of life? I guess this depends on who you ask. For me it would mean "my quality of life".
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