Missed the Saturday BBQ. Husband's silly car overheated in a traffic jam approaching the Triborough. Three hours and a series of comic misadventures later, the car was on its way to the dealer for service and we slogged back to the city on the subway. The closest I came to BBQ this weekend was a rare burger at the Redeye Grill - pretty good, actually.

The car is fine, except for a bad relay. Turns out that once the engine cooled down, we could have driven on without incident, but who knew? We did enjoy the company of Officers Blue and Crespo, the nice Bridge Authority cops who bailed us out, and I'm sure we provided much schadenfreude for passing motorists in humdrum but functioning cars.

Moral: Always check traffic conditions before starting out. We weren't aware that a section of overpass had collapsed, closing the Grand Central Parkway and gridlocking the Triborough.

Your absence was noted. What bad luck.

In that case, how silly is a Dodge Viper?

Thunk, trust me. The car is electric blue with white racing stripes, and more overtly phallic than Joe Camel. Silly!

I don't do vindows.

As an alternative, a car with feelings. http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/26/technolo...tner=ALTAVISTA1

Slowly awakened at six on Sunday morning by the sound of a lot of people moving heavy furniture upstairs. Couches, pianos maybe. On and on it went. Eventually, as I returned to consciousness, it occurred to me that there is no "upstairs". We're on the top floor. So - attention-seeking burglars? SWAT team?

Staggered up the stairs and out onto the roof. About twenty or thirty burly guys. They looked at me, and I looked at them. Pause.

Eventually, the "leader" came over and explained that they were moving, or trying to move, the huge air-con unit on the roof, which belongs to the supermarket on the ground floor, and has long been in violation of city reg.s.

At six o'clock on a Sunday morning?

"Very sorry. The Attorney General is pounding on us."

You're pounding on the roof.

"Sorry. We could not bring a crane here."

Six o'clock on a Sunday morning?

"Sorry, sorry. The rain has not been our friend."

Whatever. Back to bed. I can sleep through anything once I know what it is - although the why seems destined to remain a mystery.

Poison Ivy.
'nuff said.

Grrrrrrr. I wish you woulda taken the subway with us...

I assume it's someone down the food chain from Spitzer. It's remarkable that a supermarket can randomly install its air-con on top of a residential building with absolutely no planning permission, and defy authority for two years. I'm glad they got pounded.

But why six o'clock on a Sunday morning?

(This is not a political point, it's a media point) Networks cover the convention by telling you that someone or other made a good or interesting speech, then show footage of the speech with the network commentators speaking over it, so that you can't hear a word. I have seen most of the leading Democratic speakers mouthing silently over the last twenty four hours. Perhaps they could set it up so that they have secondary commentators to tell us what the commentators are saying about the speakers?

C-Span offers gavel-to-gavel coverage, without any commentary.

Thanks. I'd forgotten about C-SPAN. Obvious choice. Although, of course, Katie Couric's angle on just about anything is indispensible.*


*Irony.

Have a table that seats ten, have managed to invite 16 people for dinner. Fuck it all.

The magic word is....

Buffet!

The amount of people isn't an issue, I hve catered/cooked for 40+ before. The issue is that I have just been mentally geared to cook some specific dishes for the last two weeks, now I have 3-4 days to plan another menu etc. I'm pretty un-organised in general, but with cooking I tend to like a definate plan. The plan involved sweetbreads and duck legs, now it will be chicken in pandanus and scallop pizza etc. Ah well.

I have to shlep from York & 90th to Lex & 86th to get on the subway every day.

In the bad weather, I take the crosstown bus which stops at 90th & York - very convenient, right?

The bus takes longer than it takes to walk.

I walk about fourteen blocks to the subway and back most days. I admit I enjoy it, if the weather's okay.

I don't mind the walk when I'm not pressed for time. It's just this damn rain.

Oh sure, and more in keeping with the thread, I had to make my way to work today in the rain and with a blister. Lovely.

Just called a client, hoping they paid in 30 days...which would have meant I should have had my check 4 days ago...Which they do, except THE ART DIRECTOR HASN'T TURNED IT IN YET!!!!!!!!!!!!
How pissed am I...

Oh lots:

• I no longer tolerate heat since last year
• the non-availability of corn tortillas in London apart from on Saturdays, when a few years ago I could buy good quality ones in my local supermarket
• people in shorts with varicose veins

that's enough for now

v

Another: first (and final) sampling of Krispy Kreme doughnuts - the most evil food I've ever come across. Make McDonalds look like a model of balanced nutrition And the horrible sales shtick....

v

I really dislike Krispy Kremes. Way too sweet. Blech.

The cable guy was here for three hours and the roadrunner set-up is not quite right. Plus, I still have to disconnect all the Verizon stuff. He says the Norton firewall is causing crashes on one of the computers and he had to disable it. No matter who I bring in to monkey with the computer, there's always something or someone else they blame. Aren't there any computer guys who know more than one program or issue? I don't have anything exotic, yet somethin' or other always stymies them.

I have to remove a wall I erected in my apartment. All down to the pathetic, technical point that it's in violation of the law. Petty officialdom. Of course, I can put up any kind of screen or whatever, so the whole exercise is a bit of a waste of everyone's energy.

Another from yesterday: I put on a relatively low, wide-necked top so the little cat decides to use my chest as a launch pad. Am now sporting 2 splendidly prominent red scratches

v

Life

I hear little good about death either.

Yes, word is it's even worse. I might as well stick around here for a bit, then.

Here's an annoyance. http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=...est_1&printer=1
Proves once again that
Candy is dandy,
But liquor is quicker.

When a book that used to be on my shelves no longer is. Now where the hell did it go, I wonder

v

Memo to self: ix-nay on the Dome Grill. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/flo...la-news-florida

To Ipswich for lunch today - involving an expensive train service where you have to take a replacement bus for half the journey, a ghastly destination city, and a less than mediocre lunch in a swimming pool annex to a country house hotel that looks OK, but bears far too much relation to my workplace for enjoyment.

And back to work tomorrow.

Gah!

v

People who stop at the bottom of an escalator to look around and get their bearings.

Seckford Hall. (think that's right) Probably unfortunately familiar to Pim as well as a certain telecoms place is just down the road.

The only decent thing about Ipswich seemed to be the waterfront, which they are converting into something potentially civilised.

v