Friday, October 24, 2008

Isn't this your year?


Let's try this again.

My mother, who has a lovely speaking voice, had a fairly successful voiceover career in the 70s. This is one of the commercials I remember best and, thanks to the magic of YouTube, I can now enjoy it some three decades later. It's a commercial for Cougar cars; the voice at the end is hers!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Arc-en-ciel

I saw a rainbow yesterday, down 24th Street. Not the one pictured above; that was from a few years ago and was further uptown, if memory serves. Yesterday's was the first one I'd seen in a while.

When we were in Ireland last year, I kept expecting to see one -- the weather was conducive. So I guess this was my consolation prize for not being on tour with Neil this time around.

Say what you will, I LIKE rainbows, puppies, and long walks on the beach.

But I DON'T like that cloying "Pina Colada" song.

When I was in fifth grade, all the gals had those metallic puffy clouds and things of that nature hanging from the ceilings of their bedrooms. There were a couple of places in White Plains that sold these items -- "It's New" and "What's What" -- on Mamaroneck Avenue, I think. They sold all those mid-80s novelty gifts, like upside-down soda-can sculptures and enormous pairs of dice. Useful things. Learning toys. My sister had the coveted beanbag chair in her bedroom. Though life has taken many important twists and turns since and those were not the best years of our lives, I have some very warm memories from that house.

Whenever Jules wasn't feeling well, I'd "entertain" her by acting out "Gilligan's Island" -- a spastic, one-kid show in which I played all the parts:

Maryann: "More coconut-papaya pie, professor?"
Thurston: "Lovey, darling!"
Mrs. Howell: "Oh Thurrrrston...."

and so on.

Jules returned the favor by teaching me how to dance which, at the time, involved a lot of finger-snapping. My bedroom had the best mirror in the house, one that took up the entire wall behind my bed (get your minds out of the gutter -- we were children). This meant that many a night, I'd be lying in bed when the door would fly open, the overhead light would go on, and there she'd be, assessing her going-out outfit.

I learned a lot from my sis -- besides how to dance-and-snap. I still learn a lot from her. And she's still a much better dancer.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Erin go bragh


Neil is off to Ireland for the week, to play the Guinness Jazz Festival. Actually, at the moment he's en route to JFK from which he will fly to Boston and then, after a three hour layover, he heads to Shannon. Anything to save a buck, according to the person-who-plans-his-travel.

The festival takes place in County Cork, which is actually Murphy's Stout territory. Apparently the rivalry between Guinness and Murphy's is akin to Yankees/Red Sox -- to the degree that people (mostly older gentlemen who spend a lot of time in pubs wearing caps) actually leave the county during this festival.

I had my very first pint of Guinness a little over a year ago, moments after we arrived in Dublin. And I grew accustomed to the perfect pours and the blackness of the Guinness in Ireland; have yet to find a pub in NY that elevates it to the art form that the Irish do. I'm sure it's out there, but Irish pubs in this city are a far, far cry (charm- and clientele-wise) from the ones there.

The day we arrived in Dublin was another fine example of saving a buck on travel. We had breakfast in Norway, lunch in England, and dinner in Ireland ... 'twas an adventure.

More soon.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Punch and Judy


The puppeteer who operates Cindy McCain really isn't very good.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Ugh...

Send some good health karma our way ... there seems to be a bug in the Buchwald/Thomas household, and not the adorable six-legged variety that skitters away when you turn on the lights.

When Neil was a little boy, according to his mother, he would occasionally announce that he couldn't go to school because he had a case of "the blahs". Unfortunately this is more a case of "the blechs". At least Louie seems to have been spared, but we have extra seltzer water and bitters should he prove otherwise. It seems to be Neil's turn to sleep, poor guy, and mine to sit on the couch feeling sorry for myself.

Happy Monday!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

L-O-L-A

The aptly named, gender-confused Lola makes her/his singing debut.

Lola would be the bird, by the way. Erika is playing the role of the perch. I'm the one filming with the laugh of a heavyset man:


"Why I love my dog reason #4,629"

He makes an excellent pillow:


(not to mention his French toast ...)

... or highwater


First to id this locale gets a copy of my book ... which is to say, the book that I edited. 'Twas a labor of love.

I hope you'll love it too.

emailez-moi.

Nevermore





Semantics

Maybe I told you this already. One day while we were in Utah in June, we were hanging out in the hotel pool. We met a couple from (I think) southern California, who were very friendly. We told them it was one of our birthdays, and what our plans were for the evening. Invited them to come by the suite. They asked:

"Do you party?"

Um ... how do you answer that? "Party" means different things to different people. Do we drink? Do drugs? Swing? Enjoy a good laugh?

They stopped by after birthday dinner. As it turns out, "party" means "drink Grand Marnier".

And there you have it. After one month, this is what I have to offer.

I'm back. Won't leave you hanging like this again.

Happy autumn.