Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Goodbye Tony, Hello Gordon
The decade of Tony Blair is over and another Scot is now taking the role of Prime Minister of the U.K. Gordon Brown was Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) from 1997-2007 and an MP for Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath since 2005. But Gordon Brown's career in politics and civil service stretches far back to the early days in Edinburgh University. There is a quick bio available on BBC News here. He is often criticized for a lack of charisma but he must have had some magnetism for the "Brown Sugars" who accompanied Brown on photo opportunities during his campaign for university Rector, according to the report. I still need to see some evidence of these girls in miniskirts.
Monday, June 25, 2007
A Good Joke
(Courtesy of Nick Fox-Gieg http://www.fox-gieg.com)
It's been a while since I've heard a good joke. How about you? When you start a joke with this line, "One gray rainy day, the Pope wakes up in a bad mood," it could go either way. But I actually laughed out loud at this one.Living on location
It is a rare moment when you can refuse a business opportunity, when the money just isn't worth it even if it seems to land on your doorstep. This happened to me just last week.
I was at my computer wearing only the grungiest of clothes when someone buzzed my apartment from the street. I was slightly unkempt since I was working from my home office and hadn't any social engagements planned that day. So I tried to ignore the call just in case I would have to show my face and very frizzy hair to a stranger. But after few minutes, every single apartment in the building was buzzing because of this individual who just wouldn't quit. I had to give in, and being one of the three or so people working from home, it was probably my turn to let the UPS/Meter reader/lost soul into the building.
Once I got to the video monitor, I saw that it was a slightly frazzled looking woman standing at the door outside. Another neighbor who forgot her keys? Not this time. She was a scouting agent looking to film a commercial in one of our apartments. They were offering a fee for the use of our rental and promised only one or two days of inconvenience. Would I be interested? Now, someone might find this to be an exciting opportunity, a chance to get into the world of television, and basically, money for nothing.
But I didn't bite. Much like the time that I ducked from my windows when the cult of Korean yoga instructors called me (long story), my first instinct was to run away. My anxiety levels shot up as I imagined a crew of burly television people invading my space while several diva-ish actors stomp all over the place or make unreasonable demands on my bathroom. While I am locked out of my own apartment, I would drink a gallon of water to compensate for my nervous sweating from worry over property damage, the rearrangement of my furniture, or a horrible accident with one of our favorite plants. I declined as politely as possible and turned off the intercom before she had a chance to sell me this opportunity.
New York is constantly renting itself out to film crews. Just a month ago the streets of Cobble Hill were full of huge trucks and equipment for the film "Baby Mama." When I lived on the campus at New York University, my roommates and I often had problems navigating the streets and sidewalks on our way to class. One early morning I just couldn't take it anymore. They had closed off every known route to my first class of the day. So, I cursed about the whole situation and blamed Hugh Grant in particular for filming "Mickey Blue Eyes" in my extended personal space. Hugh Grant happened to hear me and affected the "Please don't blame me, I don't even want to be here" look--which was a bit endearing.
After a while the sight of a film crew just loses its glamor and becomes just another group of people making a living in the city. So I would prefer to let them get on with their work somewhere else.
I was at my computer wearing only the grungiest of clothes when someone buzzed my apartment from the street. I was slightly unkempt since I was working from my home office and hadn't any social engagements planned that day. So I tried to ignore the call just in case I would have to show my face and very frizzy hair to a stranger. But after few minutes, every single apartment in the building was buzzing because of this individual who just wouldn't quit. I had to give in, and being one of the three or so people working from home, it was probably my turn to let the UPS/Meter reader/lost soul into the building.
Once I got to the video monitor, I saw that it was a slightly frazzled looking woman standing at the door outside. Another neighbor who forgot her keys? Not this time. She was a scouting agent looking to film a commercial in one of our apartments. They were offering a fee for the use of our rental and promised only one or two days of inconvenience. Would I be interested? Now, someone might find this to be an exciting opportunity, a chance to get into the world of television, and basically, money for nothing.
But I didn't bite. Much like the time that I ducked from my windows when the cult of Korean yoga instructors called me (long story), my first instinct was to run away. My anxiety levels shot up as I imagined a crew of burly television people invading my space while several diva-ish actors stomp all over the place or make unreasonable demands on my bathroom. While I am locked out of my own apartment, I would drink a gallon of water to compensate for my nervous sweating from worry over property damage, the rearrangement of my furniture, or a horrible accident with one of our favorite plants. I declined as politely as possible and turned off the intercom before she had a chance to sell me this opportunity.
New York is constantly renting itself out to film crews. Just a month ago the streets of Cobble Hill were full of huge trucks and equipment for the film "Baby Mama." When I lived on the campus at New York University, my roommates and I often had problems navigating the streets and sidewalks on our way to class. One early morning I just couldn't take it anymore. They had closed off every known route to my first class of the day. So, I cursed about the whole situation and blamed Hugh Grant in particular for filming "Mickey Blue Eyes" in my extended personal space. Hugh Grant happened to hear me and affected the "Please don't blame me, I don't even want to be here" look--which was a bit endearing.
After a while the sight of a film crew just loses its glamor and becomes just another group of people making a living in the city. So I would prefer to let them get on with their work somewhere else.
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