shallow thoughts by csolly: June 2002

Thursday, June 27, 2002

I have so much stuff I want to blog about, but I'm on vacation and don't want to spend a lot of time online. So, here's the quick run-down. (I do wish I could elaborate on each of these things, I'm on vacation, so you get the short version.) * Tuesday night my dad and I went to see The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?, 2002 Tony Winner for Best Play. So good. I highly recommend it. Bill Pullman and Mercedes Ruehl were great. A very shocking play, but I like shocking. And the ending is even more shocking. Check it out. (I even got tix half-price at TKTS for it.) * Yesterday morning, I attended a graduation ceremony for K-3 students of one of the schools my company runs. It was so amazing, and I wish those stupid protesters could have been there to see that not a person in that room cared about a bottom-line; everyone was there for the kids. And what amazing kids. (If you don't know who I work for, and are interested, email me and I will tell you. I'm just a bit skittish about putting too many links on my blog to it.) * Last night, I ran in the Corproate Challenge. But Caryn, you fast-food-eatin' cigarette-smokin' lazy-ass, you don't run. I know, but I did. I estimate that I ran 3 of the 3.5 miles. I can't believe I did it. (Dad ran with me, so I have a witness! I'm not lying!) And I thought today I wouldn't be able to move, but I was fine. Am fine. Go me. * Today, my dad, who was in NYC visitng me, and I flew to ... dumdumdum ... the Midwest. My mom didn't know I was coming, and I've come to surprise her as a birthday present. She was very surprised, and I am so glad to be on vacation for a few days. * I've now decided -- after years and years of protest -- that I like golf. Not watching golf on TV, which I stilll very much detest, but actually playing a game. It's actually pretty fun, and I have my moments of glory. (My long game definitely needs work, but my short game is pretty good.) I went out with Mom and Dad this afternoon and had a really good time. Outside, fresh air, sunshine, playing a game. (As mom and I pulled up to the 9th hole, we saw my dad in the other cart just cruise by the hole -- guess he hadn't realized there was one more hole to play. Mom and I had a good laugh over it as we played the 9th by ourselves. Silly Dad.) So, I'm on vacation. How nice. :)

Wednesday, June 26, 2002

I love surprises. My friend Mike, who lives in Boston, was driving down from Mass today and wated to stop by my office to say hello, just for a second because we're both in a rush and don't have to time to hang out like we wish. He called when he was a block away and asked me to come out. As quickly as I could, I headed out and was greeted not just by Mike but another good friend from Boston, Angela, who had hopped a ride with him. Made me wish even more that I didn't have a million and one things to do at work.

Tuesday, June 25, 2002

paranoid friend: btw. . . paranoid friend: you're not allowed to spend the fourth in the city See Solly: why not? paranoid friend: i no longer think it safe See Solly: why? paranoid friend: terrorists See Solly: i'm staying here. i'm not going to leave. paranoid friend: stubborn! See Solly: no no, it's called not living afraid

Things My Girlfriend and I Have Argued About I've yet to read why these two people can even stand one another, however, it makes for some very amusing web reading. It's a really long list, and I've yet to make barely a dent in it, but here are a few samples that will fit on this page and make you laugh: * "Wherever I'm standing is where Margret needs to be standing, and vice versa. Doesn't matter where we are - the kitchen, the bathroom, Scotland - we each infuriatingly occupy the space where the other one wants to be, urgently. Over the years we've developed signals for this situation. Mine is to stand behind her and mutter under my breath. Margret's is to shoulder-charge me out of the way." * "I came home from work on Friday and, as I wearily opened the door into the house, Peter heard me entering and poked his head out of the living room. 'Hello, Papa - I've missed you.' he shouts. From within the living room Margret's voice calls out to him 'No you haven't, Peter.'" * "Margret is sitting at this computer (which is in the attic room, incidentally) typing something. I'm flopped in a chair close by with a paper and pad, scribbling away at a bit of work. I pause and say to her 'Tortoise and turtle is the same word in German, isn't it?' She stops typing, reaches over, pulls off one of my Birkenstock shoes, throws it down through trapdoor (I hear it thud below, then flip-flop down the stairs) and returns to her typing. All in a single, silent movement. Your guess is as good as mine, frankly." I think it's funny. Read it. (And thanks Paul for the link.)

Monday, June 24, 2002

I have a refrigerator in my living room. Not a mini-fridge, a microfridge, or a cooler. A real full-sized fridgidaire. My fridge has been broken for an obscenely long time. (Longer that you probably think, and I'm not going to tell you how long because you'll yell at me.) Now I'm finally getting my act together to get it fixed. I talked to the Super and he said he'd just give me a brand new unit since mine is so old. Fabulous. Yesterday, he carted out the old one and moved in the new one. And as he wiggled it into the space between the wall and counter, he realized that it is too big to fit. Wonderful planning. Rather than leave me fridge-less, he's plugged it into an outlet in my living room and left it there until he can order a new one and bring it up. So, I have a regrigerator in my living room. Makes getting a drink while watching TV a whole lot easier though. :)

Sunday, June 23, 2002

Score! I think I've finally found plans for the 4th of July! For weeks now I've been asking friends what they're doing, and yesterday, a friend said the magic words I've been waiting to hear: "Oh, Alex is having a party on her roofdeck." Roof party! That is what I really want to do. A roof party here in New York. I thought about going out of town because I have the 4th and 5th off from work, but I wasn't coming up with anything good. There is one catch though. My friend -- the connection to Alex -- may not be back in town on the 4th to go to the party. So, I'm going to do my best to peer pressure her into being in the city for the 4th so we can go to that party. ;)

Too funny! Heather and I took the Sex & the City tour yesterday, and, I don't know about her, but I could barely hold my laughter in.

First of all, the tour began at 5th Avenue across from the Plaza Hotel (where Carrie said goodbye to Big), and as Heather and I sat on a step, we realized that we were completely outnumbered: Everyone walking around was a tourist. (Makes sense with the Plaza, FAO, Tiffany's, Bergdorfs and an entrance to the park right there.) We chuckled a little at their expense and then wondered if, on this tour, we were going to be the outsiders. I tried not to laugh at the tourists anymore after that. (I don’t hate New York tourists. They love our city and leave a lot of money here. That’s not so bad.) The 55 women and 4 men on the tour piled toward the curb to board the bus. (I leaned toward Heather and said, “Any woman who would make a man come on this tour is just plain mean.”) We headed toward our first stop, and, along the way, our tour guide made a few off-color remarks about the Gay Pride parade, which we were missing by a day, according to her. I lost respect for her right there and any seriousness I might have had about the tour went right out the window.

As we got closer to Jimmy Choo (one of Carrie’s favorite shoe stores), Bigot mentioned that So-and-So from the Sopranos cast was going to be at our next stop. We weren’t expecting it, and we missed the name. “We’ll know who it is when we see him,” I told Heather who was taking fabulous notes for her article for her site. Bigot also pointed out that he’d be selling T-shirts out of the trunk of his black Cadillac, and he’d be happy to take a picture or sign an autograph if you buy something first. … Oooo-kay. We shuffled off the bus and guffawed at the shoppers in Jimmy Choo, paying hundreds of dollars for very good-looking shoes (I must say). Heather and I turned to take a look at look at the character selling T-shirts, and barely recognize him. If this guy had a part on the Sopranos, I barely remember. And I’ve spent half an hour on IMDb this morning trying to figure out who it was. I have no idea. But he was very big and the potential to be very bad. As Heather and I headed back to the bus, Bigot whispered to us, “He scares the bejesus out of me, I swear to God.” The rest of the tour was OK. About halfway through, Heather said, “I’m embracing my status as a tourist and I’m starting to enjoy it.” We passed by a lot of bars and shops. I felt kinda bad whenever we got off the bus to go into a store or an art gallery because these places would be flooded with people who didn’t buy anything.

But through the bad stand-up routine from our guide and the middle-aged couple who preferred to stay on the bus and make out while we toured, I did come out of the tour with something fabulous: Patricia Field. The costume designer of Sex & the City has a boutique, which I could have figured out on my own, I suppose, but I always figured the prices would be astronomical and entering the store would just be a giant tease to me. Not so. Cute tank tops for $8, awesome shirts for $25. (I'm sure some of it was much more expensive, but I was suprised to see anything reasonably priced.) The store was crowded with a bunch of Midwestern girls already giving SATC chic their best shot, so it was a little hard to move around and see all that was in there. But I think I really would go back there and buy some clothes. Such cute stuff, as you can imagine, if you haven’t been there. So, thanks again Heather. I had a very entertaining afternoon. And, please, visit her site, click on some ads, make her some money.

Saturday, June 22, 2002

Is a weblog a little too flat for ya? How 'bout a qlog? As the site so eloquently states, "you log stuff. it shows you cool charts and graphs." "Uh, like what?" you ask. Golf for Mom, running for Dad, clothes for Heather. Sex , drugs and skydiving. If anyone ever actually uses one of these stupid things, let me know.

Friday, June 21, 2002

Since I'm at a loss for inspiration, I will answer the Friday Five: 1. Do you live in a house, an apartment or a condo? I live in an apartment. 2. Do you rent or own? I toss my money in the trash by renting. 3. Does anyone else live with you? No one but the cat. And he certainly counts. He makes more of a mess than I do. 4. How many times have you moved in your life? I could answer that a few different ways. Easiest way to answer is to say I've lived in 5 different cities. But if you add on summer and dorm/apartment moves, it's more. 5. What are your plans for this weekend? Fun stuff! Going for drinks tonight. Tomorrow, Heather and I are taking a Sex and the City tour (free - yeay press!). And Sunday Dad is coming to visit. :) And thank you Ravenwolf for reminding me of the Friday Five; I haven't answered these in a while.

Wednesday, June 19, 2002

I actually predicted that this is what I would be to Orchid (that cheeky girl, proud of her Pride). [sigh] 'Tis definitely my worst quality. Luckily, though, it usually only comes out in full force a few times a year. The rest of the time, it just motivates me to do things I want to do (that other people are doing first - haha). Well, there you go. Now you know the worst thing about me. Tread lightly; I'm feeling vulnerable.

Hooray for comments! Thank you Orchid for finding a provider.

Tuesday, June 18, 2002

So, I'm not the only one who thought that Starbucks "Collapse into Cool" ad might be a hoax. But, according to good ol' Snopes, it is true.

I went to the Opera in the Park again last night, and this week they performed the Barber of Seville. I was suprised to recognize a good bit of it. ("Fiiiiiiii-garo, Fiiii-garo, FigaroFigaroFigaro, Fiiiiigaro!") I went with one of my favorite coworkers Maryann and her friend Guy. We got rained out about half-way through and, while everyone scattered out of the Great Lawn, I called up Paul, who was also in the park and was nice enough to walk me to the subway. Despite the rain, a nice evening. :)

How many people must have thought this ad was good idea for it to get all the way to a window in a Starbucks in the Wall Street area? (If you can't see it well, it's two cups amid squared blades of grass with a dragonfly headed right for one of them. Ad reads: "Collapse into Cool.") What is wrong with people? Collapse into cool? Are people in other areas of the country that insensitive that they don't realize that New Yorkers might be a bit put off by this ad? I don't think in general they are, but I can't believe that the dozens of people involved in making this ad happen didn't think again before shipping it to NYC.

Today, there is going to be a protest against my company, here at our New York headquarters. Supposedly, a few hundred people are expected. Crazy stuff going on. We've been advised to consider entering the office through a different entrance and not carry any company logos to avoid unnecessary confrontations. They're also offering a free pizza lunch to anyone who doesn't want to leave the building. Security's also been beefed up. CEO says, "We respect the right of this group to express their views in a public forum." Sould be an interesting day.

Ooh! Thank you everybody! I had over 100 visitors yesterday, and over 160 pageviews. I think that's a new record for this small outfit.

Monday, June 17, 2002

Caryn Kinda Brushes With the Famous * Today, at the Blood Center, I served juice and cookies to Dan Futterman (who I recognized as Robin Williams' son in The Birdcage). * John Gotti was recently buried in the very same Queens cemetary where my grandfather rests (as well as many other members of my family). * And Matthew McConaughey is filming a new movie here in NYC, and he's a dish I would love to catch up-close and personal.

Goatload's Fantabulous Forum of Poo ... what a name. A name only Biren could come up with. But, take note: he's set up forums on his site for us all to stroll around like a new millenium salon. Take a look, leave a note, flame an idiot, tell Biren how cute he is. Have a ball!

What a day today is going to be! * It's Rob's birthday! (Have a happy one, old man!) * I'm supposed to have a long-awaited lunch with my boss, which he's cancelled on me 3 times now and I have a feeling he will again. * Going to volunteer after work until 8. * Then heading to a free concert in Central Park (Barber of Seville, this week). (And might be catching up with some new Blogger friends there.) * AND Mike L is supposed to be coming over today at some point because he's moving here and needs somewhere to stay while he looks for an apartment. Gotta make sure I eat well today - it's gonna be a busy day!

Thank you so much to Suzanne and Eleanor for coming to visit this weekend. We had a wonderful time: went to the Strand Annex, got tickets to Ground Zero (since Suzanne insisted that she couldn't leave NYC without seeing it), took the Staten Island Ferry, pushed our way through Times Square, rested in Rockefeller Center and then headed to Panna II for Indian food for dinner. After all that walking, we decided to stay in for the remainder of the evening. Sunday morning, Suzanne and I trekked to Ground Zero and came back home where Eleanor was still cuddled on the couch. We whiled away the afternoon with card games as we waited for John to arrive from Philadelphia to pick the girls up and shuttle them back to Boston. I had a really nice time, guys - thanks for coming. :)

If I spend more than 5 minutes on this post, I will surely be late for work, so I'll make it short and snappy. I could only stay at Blogapalooza for an hour on Friday, which was a shame, but I had to get back to Queens to meet friends who were coming in from out of town. I really wish I could have stayed longer, but I had a great time talking to Jim, Max, Paul, Jane, (646) Guy and Matt of the NYC Bloggers Map. Sorry I missed you Nick, and nice to see you again Ken. Looks like you all had a great time, and I'll do my best to stay for the whole party next time. (I left early for something else last time too, as I recall.) Hope to hear from you all. And a special note to female bloggers: If anyone ever hosts a blog party in your area, go go go. The ratio of men to women in attendence will be strongly in your favor, plus they're gonna have at least half a brain. (I cannot guarantee two halves.) I'll recap the adventures of Suzanne, Eleanor and myself once I get to work and have a soda in my system.

Thursday, June 13, 2002

When I am with a person who likes to drop hints to something instead of coming right out and telling you something, lately, I refuse to pick up on it and give them what they want. If someone wants to tell me something, he or she should say it, not hint around so I'll say "What? What are you talking about? Is something bothering you?" or whatever. If he wants to tell me, he should say it. I don't know if that's right or not, but I'm having shorter and shorter patience for bullsh*t. Which I think is good for me. I think I put up with too much and don't stand up for myself enough, stand up for what *I* want. And I'm not going to give in to other people as easily as I used to. I'm trying, anyway.

Caryn Solly Goes High Society Well, who would have thunk it. Before I begin telling you about my fabulous luncheon at the Waldorf Astoria, thank you to Heather for inviting me to go. Visit her site, make money for her.

I just got back from a press lunch promoting a new grade of beef, Angus Prime, at the Bull and Bear restaurant in the Waldorf Astoria hotel. My cigarette was lit for me, and we started off with champagne and shrimp cocktails. We met the general manager of the restaurant (hot!) and the executive chef. I sat with well-known critic Sheldon Landwehr, Arthur Silverman, Jay Walman (a syndicated critic) and Shelley Clark of Lou Hammond as we enjoyed softshell crab and amazing steak. Look at me - one afternoon on the town and I'm already dropping names! The room was beautiful, the people classy and interesting. I used all of my best manners and listened. 'Twas a lovely event, and I even got a set of steak knives as I left. Being press is so fun. You get invited to the coolest stuff. :)

Wednesday, June 12, 2002

Another NYC Blog Party! How delightful!

Can't wait to see you all again!

<< S T R E T C H ! ! >> yAWWWn ... Good morning. So, last night I went to the opera in Central Park. I did not plan ahead enough to invite others, so I ended up going alone, but I still had a wonderful time. The opera was La Boheme, and I had printed out a summary of it so I had an idea of what was going on. (I actually did follow along pretty well.) And it was such a nice night. Rain threatened but never came, not a drop. And the temperature was lovely, with a fairly constant breeze. It was so nice. It made me want to get a group together for a dinner picnic in the park sometime: bring some wine, food, and just hang out. Sounds good to me ... let me pick a date and I'll make it happen. (And I'll give you more than 12-hours' notice this time. Promise.) It was one of those really nice New York moments ... peacefully surrounded by thousands of people, beautiful music, big sky, lit skyscrapers in the distance. Central Park is one of my favorite places in all of New York. And oh-so interesting are the results of everyone's compatibility tests ... oh yes, I get emailed all the results. Betcha didn't know that, didja? :P

Tuesday, June 11, 2002

Friend: i think you need to stop commenting back to will Friend: this topic is now making me want to kill people Friend: because it has gotten soooooooooooooo insanely drawn out Friend: :-) Friend: make it go away!!!!!!!!! See Solly: oh fine See Solly: heather said it's like a train wreck See Solly: you can't not look See Solly: and that's how i feel See Solly: i can't let him just say those things and not say anything back See Solly: if he stops, i'll stop See Solly: but i can't keep letting him say that junk See Solly: :-) See Solly: i've been fighting with him all morning See Solly: that boy is like a brick wall Friend: oh man...i looked around for some interesting stuff to read on people's blogs...and it's all about THIS crap! See Solly: and, might i note, that it did stop, and when he came back from vacation, he stirred it all up again. See Solly: i have other stuff on mine Friend: fine...true... Friend: but if you stop...he'll stop! Friend: it's will! See Solly: i know Friend: if you keep throwing in the last word, he'll keep going too! Friend: you can't win! See Solly: i won't blog about it anymore Friend: I ask as a friend :-) Friend: hahaha See Solly: ok ok - i will stop

To Will, again ... It’s easier to destroy then to build. It’s easier to sit rather then run… It always has been. Then how has any progress ever been made at all, do you say? If we're so weak at our human core, how do you explain that many of us have learned to read, build skyscrapers, operate governments and corporations, learn about art and history? If we can get so easily swept up in "mob mentality," why aren't we all Nazis? I don't think you're giving enough credit to the human race, at all. I mean, you said yourself that these things "don't apply to us." There are a lot of people exempt from your comments, not just "us." How do tens of thousands of people sit and enjoy a sporting event without breaking into a riot every time the other team scores? We're not a population of savages. A lot of people in their 80’s smoke every day, and packs a day. It's an addiction, duh. If those people have been smoking for 60 years, can you imagine breaking the habit? Maybe you can't. You are right that vices are not a young thing, and I don't think that's what Eleanor and I were trying to say. We were just speaking about what we know - as young people - instead of making sweeping generalities about parts of the population that we do not know. I think it also has to do with humans simply not wanting to do the right thing. First, it’s too hard. Again, I ask you, if this is true, how has anything been accomplished in human history, in your opinion? What about the decrease in donations (like blood), the increase in suicide rates I sited. As to the blood, are you sure it's a decrease in donations and not an increase in need? That sounds the more likely story to me (more surgeries being performed, more people entering cancer treatment, etc.). I don't disagree with you that an increase in suicide rates would be a symptom of something wrong, but I would hesitate to pin it on "human weakness" as opposed to increased pressure and stress on young people (as the source you Cited was about teen suicide) or increased numbers of broken homes, for example.

How compatible are you with me?

Some thoughts from others on truth:

It has been written, "The truth shall set you free." But free from what? Sometimes, I think that spilling the beans only sets us free from our own feelings of guilt. And at a price. Some truths don't enlighten or improve anything, instead only cause harm or injury to others. We've all been guilty of, "I'm telling you this for your own good," when in reality, the other person's well being is the last thing on our minds. I wish we all had the noblest of intentions all the time... I even wish we all could see what the "right thing" is (cause face it, it's not always that clear). Very interesting question, Solly. I guess it really all depends on what the "truth" is. [...] would telling her the truth make things any better? In the end, it did not. Or it didn't seem so, at least. It was painful for her to hear and painful to say, and I cannot see how it did her or me any bit of good. But-- who was I to make that decision? Who am I to say that withholding the truth is better because it spares me, or someone else, pain?? I don't willingly give other people that power over me. I say, tell me the truth and let me deal with it how I will. But at the same time, I'm not quite as willing to do the same... to relinquish that power to control information. Another question: Do we often confuse our own personal observations and opinions with "The Truth"? Just because we think something is one way, does that make it true?? Maybe that's too philosophical for this question. Maybe it's right inline with what you're asking. I don't know. I think that will form my opinion more clearly. Are we talking fact, or opinion?

[W]e make our choices, and we learn to live with them. We know our friends, and we know what we think they can handle... so we try to do our best by them by telling them the truth. Self preservation plays a role in hiding the truth... for example at work. A lot of times we can save ourselves trouble by keeping the truth inside (so long as it never comes out). Sometimes it's the same with our parents. And of course, sometimes its not our business to tell people... so we move on. Just do what you think is right given the situation, hope it doesn't make things WORSE, and move on. As one who often tells people his version of the truth bluntly... it's not always for the best. When looking back, we have to examine ourselves as a whole, and look at what weighs out in the end, the good or the bad? Is hiding the truth bad? usually. But can it have favorable outcomes? Yes. What can you do? Simply what you think is right.

I'm going to try to get comments today, so you all can share you thoughts more easily. This is all interesting to me.

Monday, June 10, 2002

When should you tell the truth ... and when should you keep it to yourself? I used to think that you should always tell the truth, no exceptions. And I'm not talking about lying; just keeping the truth to yourself. I'm finding myself faced with this dilemma more and more often. Please email me your thoughts, and I will post them (anonymously, if you'd like). I'd love it if you could just post your own comments, but you can't, so deal.

Thursday, June 06, 2002

On my subway ride home tonight, my train was held up for about 15 minutes a few stops before I got off (it could have been 20, I don't know, I was having a ball with my crossword puzzle in the newspaper). There was a man, standing, in an almost empty train, who was really pissed off about the delay. He was sighing loudly, occassionally banging on the door in front of him and saying things like "This is ridiculous" and "I can't believe this!" I couldn't help but think how stupid that was. All that hemming and hawing, for what? It wasn't going to get the train going any faster. It wasn't complaining to the engineer or MTA to improve their service. He was only making himself more and more upset as the minutes ticked by. So, the lesson today was in the futility of getting upset over little things. We all do it, but we should lighten up. Because, especially in cases like this, you're only stressing yourself out, and it's completely avoidable. I'm going to try to lighten up about those little things. And, every day when I get home, my kitty is right there at the door, saying hello, as I step in. Today, he wasn't there. I wandered around the apartment for 10 minutes, looking in all his hiding places, calling his name. I couldn't find him and started to get worried that he might be holed up somewhere, sick. Or worse. But as soon as I brought out the yummy food, he popped out from nowhere and scared me half to death. That's probably a pretty boring story, but I thought I'd share anyway.

I'm probably going to be very productive or bored today and tomorrow as two of my chatting buddies have flown off to Florida for the weekend (with two other good friends of ours). Lucky kids! I hope they're having a good time. Supposedly it's rainy there too, but I'm sure it will still be fun to be away. (Though I suppose the point of going to Florida is to be in the sun, no?) They'll have fun though. Also, with some help, I've recently gotten motivated to clean up all the loose ends in my life. The broken freezer, the leak stain on my ceiling and broken eyeglasses are just a few things on a list of 15 items I have been tolerating/procratinating for far too long. As my friend said, completing them will free up a lot of "mental space" for me -- I like that term. Can you imagine? All those things you have nagging at the back of your mind every day - GONE! (Or am I the only one who has these kinds of things?) I've actually gotten excited about doing these things that I've been dreading doing (some for as long as a year). Wish me luck! My parents are great about passing along gossip about old classmates from elementary school, junior high and high school. It usually happens at the grocery store: bumping into so-and-so's parents -- or so-and-so himself! I've actually reconnected with about a half-dozen old classmates this way. Most recently, Mom and Dad ran into the parents of Tom, a boy I had classes with for probably 6 years. We've emailed back and forth now, and it definitely puts a smile on my face to hear what old friends are up to now. Tom is now a graduate student at Mizzou, has a band called Cheating Kay and has been married for over a year! Check them out. (You can also listen to their music at MP3.com.)

Wednesday, June 05, 2002

Are the Storm Troopers in Episodes IV, V and VI all clones? ...

I don't feel like leaving my apartment today. I don't know why, but I feel tense about it, and wish I could just sit here and let today go by. I have some errands to run, and I'm meeting a friend after work: those aren't things to make me anxious. Work is work, and today shouldn't be any different than any other. I should make myself get dressed and just get out. But I don't wanna. Shut your whining and do it. Fine ...

Tuesday, June 04, 2002

Words for Will "This is advancement?" Yes. I'd rather have my friends who happen to be medicated able to be participating in the world around them, than so upset or feeling bad that they can't do anything at all. If it weren't for the advances in medicine, many of these people would be housebound or in hospitals, instead of carrying on normal lives. I think that's an amazing advancement, and it's really sad that you don't see that. "I propose that past generations had it tougher, so they, in turn, were tougher. This in turn, made them succeed more, hand down more, and ultimately made 'us' more dependent on being handed success." I think that argument is weak. History hasn't always been like that. The people who lived during the Renaissance prospered where previous generations in the Middle Ages hadn't. Our grandparents suffered through the Great Depression while those before them blossomed in the Roaring '20s. Changes in prosperity have only some connection with the activities of those that came before. I think you need to go deeper than that. (And I think you're forgetting what I said about human evolution. If we didn't gain knowledge and tools from our parents and their parents and their parents, we'd still be trying to invent the wheel.) "a complete lack of caring regarding global diseases, famine and housing" That's a bit extreme. I wouldn't say there is a complete lack. I'm sorry that you don't think about these things, but there are many people fighting to do things about it. Ever hear of the Peace Corps? UNICEF? The Catholic charities? And dozens of other non-profit organizations make this their business. I volunteer at the Blood Center, which helps provide people in the New York area with cancer-fighting platelets and life-saving blood. Sorry that you're not doing anything about it. That's no one's fault but your own. "Your dot.com revolution imploded. And what are the dot.com-mers doing? Remember the Grapes Of Wrath?" You are ridiculous. So people didn't make as much cha-ching from the Internet. So what? The Internet is still growing at a rate that can't be measured. Look at you! With your own web site! I'm a former dot-commer, and I'm hardly walking to California to pick grapes. "There is a great deal of need for construction workers and manual laborers today, but no one wants to do that anymore." Says who? You? What do you know about it? I believe a mutual friend of ours spent many months working on a construction site. A blogger friend of mine (whose blog is doing so well he was mentioned in the Washington Post) is a general contractor. [See Ramblings of a Blue-Collar Slob] Several friends' fathers do that kind of work. I think you're projecting again. YOU don't want to do that. Doesn't mean there aren't plenty of people who do. (Besides, how do you think everything's being built? You just don't know those people. Maybe you should.) I think you're asking too many questions at the same time for a productive debate to take place. (I consider a productive debate to be one where ideas are exchanged, thoughts provoked -- which you are NOT doing -- and, possibly, a conclusion is reached.) You're talking about medical advances, obesity, the lack of productivity of our generation, among many other things. I think you need to learn to focus, and think before you write, love. edit: I took out the name-calling. That wasn't very mature of me.

Tra la la ... not much new going on with me. I'm at work early today to send a press release - oodles of fun, let me tell you. I wish I had something interesting to talk about ... umm ... How 'bout that FBI? Doing a bang-up job, doncha think?

Sunday, June 02, 2002

Hoo boy, what a weekend. Big things, my friends, big things going on with me. First, Friday night I bought myself a new TV. No more playing Nintendo on the 13-incher, kids. I got a 25" with big speakers, a built-in VCR and I love it. It's my new baby. Second, I sold the car. 'Twas difficult, but the big fatty check I have in my wallet makes it worth it. :) AND, today, I went sunbathing in Central Park. A fun activity in and of itself, but today it was even more fun because I was bathing not 10 feet away from bikini-clad Meadow Soprano herself, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, for several hours. I got a kick out of that. (Meadow in the Meadow. :P) How was your weekend? Hope it was a good one!

shallow thoughts by csolly