Natural selection in Norfolk

To all commuters arriving at the Norfolk Station on Rte. 115 after dark, and those of you wearing black please pay special attention- LOOK BOTH WAYS before crossing the street.
Those glowing orbs you see coming towards you are attached to large metal objects on 4 wheels. Their pilots just may not be able to see you too well when you dart out in front with no warning.

(Note to the town of Norfolk- a traffic light would be annoying in that particular spot, but might just save some of your citizens from being eligible for a Darwin Award.)

Tags: car, commute, commuter, station, train, annoying, suburban idiocy, walking, Norfolk, crossing, Commuter Rail, MBTA

Asian drink experiment

Roommate went on a shopping spree at the Asian grocery store on Xmas Eve (nothing else was open). One of the treasures he returned with was something called White-Gourd Juice. We both tried it and it's not terrible (meaning it didn't make me dry heave), it's just pretty obvious that it's not a fruit.

(In your Asian drink experiments, please remember to stay away from durian- a dining companion practically cleared the table one night at a Brookline restaurant. His durian smoothie smelled like someone mixed onions and dog poo in the blender before plunking it down on our table. How appetizing.)

Tags: Asia, drink, juice, gourd, weird, experiment, Christmas Eve, holiday

Florida, in Photos

Don't you just love the famous 100 Foot Christmas Tree in Delray Beach?

Tags: Florida, picture, photo, trip, travel, beach, library, tree, holiday, decorations

The angry skies

Flew Jet Blue down to Florida. I'd totally fly with them again. It's not the airline's fault that the bad weather on Friday caused the passengers to feel like we were on riding a log flume at 40,000 feet, complete with periodic drops and dips and gasps of terror.

it was a bit odd when the pilot did a commercial for the Jet Blue AmEx card before taxiing down the runway at Logan. For the most part, Jet Blue is kind of like Target- they use design to hide the discount feel. They know that the small touches are what count. There was no in-flight magazine, but there were individual TV screens with 36 channels, plus 3 movie options. The flight attendants did not make you feel bad if you asked for another bag of chips. And I've never had so much leg room!

Tags: plane, airline, flight, Florida, trip, travel

Bad moods abound in the Sunshine State

I spent the long weekend visiting family in Florida. I expected the heat, humidity, and rain. I did not expect the nasty attitudes. I'm not saying that all residents of the Sunshine State lack a sunny disposition. Just a large amount of the population of Palm Beach County.

• A young woman that I spoke with while waiting on line told me that someone keyed her car the day before. The reason- she got a parking spot at the mall that the keyer had no chance of getting.
• People, especially older people, who would rather ram their shopping cart into someone than say "excuse me"
• A woman looked at me like I had 3 heads when I said "pardon me" as I scooted by her at the grocery store

Tags: Florida, travel, trip, rude, attitude, heat, holiday

Mall RugRats

I got yelled at by some snotty mom in the Chestnut Hill Mall today as I tried not to run over her wandering toddler.

It all began when I almost ran smack into a wandering little boy. He was right in the middle of the walkway, and I couldn't really tell who he belonged to (I almost asked him if he was looking for his mommy or daddy.)

I stopped. He stopped. I hovered, not sure which way the kid was going to move next. Right? Left? I feared that if I tried to twirl around him, I might wind up knocking right into the little boy. I may not love kids, but I have no desire to knee one in teh face. After an awkward little dance, he seemed stuck int hat one spot, and so I moved on. I was like halfway down the hall when a voice yells after me "nice face there miss!" I turned around. It was the mommy. (Had I been making a face? I don't know, I was too busy concentrating on not steamrolling a toddler). "I was trying not to run over your son!," I shot back. This did not seem to matter to the pit bull of a mom. She yelled some more. I don't remember what, because I didn't seem it important enough to bother paying attention to.

Let's recap:
Instead of appreciating my attempt not to hurt her little kid, who should not have been straying so into the middle of a crowd of holiday shoppers, some bitch yelled at me because I apparently made a face while doing so.

Some people have such strange priorities.

Tags: parents, family, kids, toddlers, mall, stupid, Boston, shopping

Hanukkah Ornaments

I'm the only Jew at work. To make me feel less left out by all the Christmas decor, my employer sent me off to shop for some Hanukkah stuff. In addition to the usual dreidels and wall decor, I thought that a Hanukkah ornament of some sort would lend a somewhat ironic and funny touch to the office tree (which is like 7 feet high and covered in trimming).
I went to the Hallmark store in the suburb where I work. I inquired about Hanukkah wall decor as well as a possible Hanukkah ornament.

Me: "Do you guys have any Hanukkah ornaments? Like to hang on a tree."

A long silence followed. The store's employees looked at me like I'd just uttered a racial slur.

Still Stunned Employee: "No, Hallmark doesn't make one of those. Why would you think they do?"

Me: "It's kind of funny, right? Ironic."

Still Stunned Employee: "No."

Me: "I'm Jewish and I think it's funny."

(More silence)

Me: "People I work with, who aren't Jewish, thought it was a funny."

Moral of the story- Hallmark takes their holiday ornaments VERY seriously and has no sense of humor about them.

Tags: Hanukkah, holiday, religion, Judaism, Christmas, ornament, Hallmark

Boston's ICA gets new home

The new ICA

hospitality tent

living art

is it destruction or is it art?

Headed out to the seaport to check out the new home of Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro. It was a lot smaller than I imagined, and looked, from the back, like an air conditioning unit. The front and sides were much more impressive, allowing for multiple views of the harbor and city. There was also an outdoor area best described as a large patio.

I decided not to wait on line forever and opted to hang out on the patio. There was also a hospitality tent, sponsored by Target, a smart move, since the ICA people probably expected it to be freezing (which it wasn't).

Tags: architecture, art, Boston, design, ICA, Institute of Contemporary Art, museum, celebration