No, You Just Have to Wait!

Heard this while leaving Starbucks this morning...

Sometimes HP's voice sounds remarkably like Diana Ross...

LOL

Set the Tone: Know What You Want

"If you don’t know what you want, don’t say you never had a chance" 

— Napoleon Hill

Muppets 2011

Well, it's not bad...

The Muppets

But you don't want to go in with high expectations...

Think Nostalgia... And goofy, silly, hokey fun... You know: Muppet-ish.

Kermit the Frog goes through his Rolodex (!) and calls the White House looking for President Carter, for example...

The typical fun cameos... Wish they'd done more with Mickey Rooney (!) when they were setting up the "Let's all get together and put on a show" theme...

Unfortunately, not even the Muppets can't make Whoopi Goldberg look less smarmy.

And some folk in the know will definitely be aware of the voice differences from the new performers behind the classic characters...  

Steve Whitmire has made Kermit his own...

But Miss Piggy misses the mark, and the shots of her full bodied are grotesque and jarring...

Appreciation for Dave Goelz back as the original Gonzo and Waldorf.

Here's that Thanksgiving Sunset View

Here's that twilight view from last night's party. Just realized I could post it to Blogger from my Smartphone... The post about the dinner appears below this one...

Thanksgiving Friday

Had a great T-giving Dinner with close friends in midtown Manhattan. A spectacular twilight view of the sunset over the Hudson River...

I stuck to the vegetarian side dishes...

Shredded beets and carrots in a ginger sauce were terrific. And some kind of a whole grain provided nutty protein. Mashed potatoes. A couple bits of yam. Wonderful fresh string beans with almonds. And home made applesauce made with three kinds of local apples.

Dessert? Hell, yeah... It was a holiday...

Some kind of dark chocolate peanut butter fudge... Fresh peach pie. Not too sweet pumpkin pie was perfect. Cake too. And oatmeal cookies.

Let's call it cheat day!

OK...

Meanwhile, the bracelet is from createjobsforUSA.org project affiliated with Starbucks...

Like it?

Happy Macy Thanksgiving Parade Day!

Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving...

Or a happy "National Attitude to Gratitude Day".

Don't eat too much!

Peace to All!!

The Annual Macy's Balloon Inflation

One of New York City's special Thanksgiving events is the Annual Macy Balloon Inflation that takes place on Thanksgiving-eve...

The action takes place on the Upper West Side in the side streets surrounding the American Museum of Natural History... And is usually heavily crowded by families and young kids...

They'll inflate these big guys all night long prior to launching on Thanksgiving morning for the famous parade... A tradition dating back to 1927...

Here are some shots from this year's festivities...

Happy 'Worst Travel Day of The Year' 2011

AAA tells us that 42.5 Million people will be driving, flying or taking a train or bus to their their Thanksgiving destinations this year...

I'm thankful that I'll be walking around the corner for my Thanksgiving Dinner with friends!

Retailers are worried that Holiday sales will be in the dumper due to Congressional inability to come to terms on the budget. I'm grateful I'm not a retailer. I'm also grateful that I'm not in Congress.

Today is a Gridlock Alert Day in New York City... Actually the "Worst Traffic Day of the Year"

I'm grateful that I do not own a car...

Waaaay too many people are unemployed this Thanksgiving weekend... I'm grateful to have a job...

Some retailers are planning to open on Thanksgiving Night... Some workers aren't happy about this.

I'm also grateful to have the next couple of days off...

Add to that gratitude list the continuing good health of loved ones (and myself) and I'm one big grateful turkey today...

Hope you have a healthy dose of gratitude this holiday weekend in your life too!...

Set the Tone: Right Place, Right Time

"If you're in the present moment with an open heart, then by definition you're 'at the right place at the right time.'"
- Marianne Williamson

When You're On the Net, On the Net You Will Stay

Web Site Story

This won a Webby Award for Best Writing and Comedy: Individual Short or Episode

Swami: How I Love ya

"The most auspicious moment of your life is when you make the commitment to know the truth, a commitment so firm there is no turning back".
~ Swami Chidvilasananda

Dawn of a New Friday

Sunrise in Hell's Kitchen...

TGIF, Peeps...

Have a great day...

Mayor Bloomberg Earns Olbermann's Special Comment

See Brett Whitmoyer's wonderful pictures of Occupy Wall Street and here are some more.

Wednesday's Word: Glitterbomb

Glitterbomb: an emerging act of civil disobedience in the United States in which activists throw glitter on people at public events.[1]

Glitter bombers have frequently been motivated by their target's anti-gay beliefs.

Recent targets have included Newt Gingrich, Tim Pawlenty, Dan Savage, and Michele Bachmann.

Source: Wikipedia Glitter Bombing

Diego Rivera at MoMA

I went to a Member Preview this long weekend to see Diego Rivera: Murals for the Museum of Modern Art at MoMA.

Very interesting show. On the second floor of the museum...

For me, Indian Warrior is a showstopper... (At left)

Although, the most interesting mural panel is Frozen Assets...

... Be sure to check out the key that identifies the buildings along the 1930's NYC skyline... This panel was quite controversial in it's day as Rivera made a strong statement against Capitalism...

No doubt he would have completed a helluva mural around the banking industry debacles of recent years...

Here's their press release on this exhibition:

Diego Rivera was the subject of MoMA’s second monographic exhibition (the first was Henri Matisse), which set new attendance records in its five-week run from December 22, 1931, to January 27, 1932. MoMA brought Rivera to New York six weeks before the exhibition’s opening and gave him studio space within the Museum, a strategy intended to solve the problem of how to present the work of this famous muralist when murals were by definition made and fixed on site. Working around the clock with two assistants, Rivera produced five “portable murals”—large blocks of frescoed plaster, slaked lime, and wood that feature bold images drawn from Mexican subject matter and address themes of revolution and class inequity. After the opening, to great publicity, Rivera added three more murals, now taking on New York subjects through monumental images of the urban working class and the social stratification of the city during the Great Depression. All eight were on display for the rest of the show’s run. The first of these panels, Agrarian Leader Zapata, is an icon in the Museum’s collection.
This exhibition will bring together key works made for Rivera’s 1931 exhibition, presenting them at MoMA for the first time in nearly 80 years. Along with mural panels, the show will include full-scale drawings, smaller working drawings, archival materials related to the commission and production of these works, and designs for Rivera’s famous Rockefeller Center mural, which he also produced while he was working at the Museum. Focused specifically on works created during the artist’s stay in New York, this exhibition will draw a succinct portrait of Rivera as a highly cosmopolitan figure who moved between Russia, Mexico, and the United States, and will offer a fresh look at the intersection of art making and radical politics in the 1930s. MoMA will be the exhibition’s sole venue.

Set the Tone: Keep Cool

"Keep cool and you command everybody."
- Louis de Saint-Just

A Three Day Weekend in November

Here it is Sunday, of a Three Day weekend, and I have a long list of weekend stuff that still needs to be accomplished...

Where were you at 11:11 on 11/11/11? I was in a downtown #1 train somewhere under the Upper West Side...

Peace to all the Veterans!

Rest in Peace Lou Maletta (1936-2011)... I made personal appearances in his television studios and/or on his broadcasts many times in the 1980's and 1990's... I had even developed quite a following at one time. Lou was a character. Here is the Gay City News obit for Lou Maletta.

Took these few days off to catch up on some health maintenance stuff including some routine fasting blood work, and a trip to the health food store... Where they magically once again had my favorite Flora brand of an occasionally needed herbal remedy... The actual plant is pictured at left. Can you tell what it is?

Went to a Member Preview of the soon-to-open Diego Rivera show at MoMA... My review will be forthcoming... I'm sure that the entire art world is well braced while awaiting my two cents on that!... Ha!


Work pressures have been extraordinary lately... I'll just leave that at that... I don't want to spoil the remainder of  the weekend "paying that no mind"...

11-11-11

Swung by my alma-mater on the way to an Upper West Side appointment...
Dang, I'm hungry! Fasting cholesterol tests are a drag...
Beautiful day, though. Crisp. Like. I like it...
Remember the vets today. Give em a salute!

Doctor Day

Took a day of medical leave today for a procedure (Not to worry)...

The very pregnant attending doctor told me that her contractions had started and she expects to have the baby at some point today...

She kept right on working...

And how was your day?

Punchy Player's: Judy's Groceries

Thanks to Nicomar for sending this one!

Set the Tone: Keep it Simple

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

- Leonardo da Vinci

Treasures at the Met

I'd never heard about these two artists at the Metropolitan Museum of Art until recently. Well, I had heard of them, of course... But I didn't know much about them...

Goya (1784-1792) and Jacques Louis David (1748-1825).

You really need many hours to explore the Met...

One of New York's great landmarks and treasure troves...

Open late on Saturday Nights... Who knew...?

Clocks Go Back Tonight

Don't forget!!

Thursday Reflection

Is it Saturday yet??? (Because Friday isn't even good enough this week!)

Hump Day Sing-A-Long: Patty Duke Show Theme

Back when TV theme songs were great...