Circle Mirror Transformation

And you thought that last hiatus was long. Well, I'm back and I want you to go see this amazing new play by Annie Baker at Playwrights Horizons. It is running until Nov. 15th and I think it is the best thing I have seen this year. Also, I have access to $20 tickets. To take advantage of them you should e-mail (Caroline) at caquino@playwrightshorizons.org with the following info:

--Full name

--Mention the offer came from Celia Keenan-Bolger
--Date and time of the show they'd like to see

--2nd choice date and time
--# of tix
--credit card #
--expiration date

--security code on card (4 digits on front of Amex/3 digits on back of Visa/MC)

--billing zip code
--phone # to call if there is a problem

Brooklyn Bowl

I mean what is this place? Brooklyn Bowl looks amazing! It's a bowling alley/performance venue/loungy lounge/good-food spot/green-inspired business. What sounds better than that? I am a terrible bowler but as it starts getting cooler, I am heading to Williamsburg to check this place out. The food is by Blue Ribbon (one of my favorite restaurants in the city). The green aspects of the place include: wind-powered electricity, no bottles or cans from the bar, reclaimed cork floors in the lounge, and a stage floor of recycled tires...just to name a few. Also, they have happy hour prices. I think this would be a great place to get a lot of people together. I'm headed to LA tomorrow so I'll try to to keep the blog going from there. We'll see how that goes. Enjoy this amazing weather.

Clever and Informative!

Ken Elpus shared this with me on facebook. There's a website

called Young Invincibles that accompanies the video. Check it out.

Food Inc.

I will make this quick: go see the movie Food Inc. It's playing at the Quad Cinemas in NYC. I can't begin to explain all of the facets of the food industry the movie covers in one blog post. But it features one of my favorite authors/smart people Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser who wrote Fast Food Nation. I highly recommend it. You'll learn a lot and it's not boring, which is really all I ask of a documentary.

No More Plastic Bags

If you are anything like me you go through a lot of plastic bags. I try to save all of mine and recycle them but then you have a drawer or cupboard full of plastic bags which is kind of a pain.. I found these enVbags that I just love and now I rarely have to use plastic. They were at a little store called Domus on 44th street between 9th and 10th ave. This store is amazing. The owners travel to different countries every year and buy the local goods and bring them back to NYC. Part of their mission as a store is to improve the living conditions of depressed populations around the world by selling the commercially viable items they produce. If you are ever in midtown it's a great place to spend some time.

The thing I like most about these bags is that I can roll them up into a little pouch and carry them in my purse. I have all of these bags from Trader Joe's (yeah!) and Whole Foods (boo!) but they are big and I never remember to bring them with me. So check them out, or go to Domus where you're sure to find other great items that are good for the planet.

Oh Health Care

Well, in keeping with my "things I like" theme, universal health care is something I like. I am an American with health insurance and I am SO GRATEFUL. However, a number of my smart, employed, talented, friends (along with 46.2 million Americans) are not insured. This is not ok. What's also not ok are the same old scare tactics being perpetuated by the right. We need health care reform and we need it now. I just signed this petition to tell my senators they can't back down on the public option.

I think Jon Stewart is funny and smart. I think this interview is really really great. I think this woman is a bad listener who just repeats her talking points over and over again. Enjoy and try to do something today to help ensure health care rights for ALL Americans.

The Gay-Marriage Debate (debate!? really?)

So below I posted a song that Maddy Wyatt wrote for a benefit we did in July called Broadway Stands Up For Freedom for the NYCLU. Two years ago Maddy wrote a song about Barack Obama and we sang it at the NYCLU benefit and then he got elected. So I asked her to write a song about gay marriage hoping to achieve the same result. The song was a big hit, and you must check Maddy out because not only was she my college roommate for two years but she is a really wonderful songwriter and human being. I've done a lot of thinking about gay marriage and I'm a little conflicted. There is a big part of me that knows it is inevitable. Gay marriage will happen, it's just a matter of time. I get frustrated when I hear people say they are mad at Obama for not doing more on the issue. But my friend Joe sent me this article and it makes a good argument for why we need to make the push now. I don't agree with everything he says, but I love Dan Savage and I think it's good to expose yourself to other perspectives, especially from people who you respect.

A-Duh.

A Big Hiatus

So, it's summer and I have been out of town a lot. A little work and a little pleasure. I thought I would take a bunch of pictures and blog about the different places I've gotten to visit in the past few months. But it turns out, I am terrible at taking pictures. And when I'm busy, I'm less motivated to blog. I don't love this about myself, but I do think it's true. I do encourage any of you who have thought, "I should go to the Highline" to DO IT. I went and thought it was really wonderful: relaxing, beautiful, peaceful, well designed. It's a new spot to enjoy the outdoors in NYC. Enjoy this summer and I'll try not to take so long with the next post.

Pedestrian Walkways

I have heard a lot of opinions about the new Broadway pedestrian walkway in Times Square. I have to say, I love it. It's a little thrown together right now with the big orange cones and lawn chairs, but I think it could become something really wonderful. I just read this great article in New York magazine about Department of Transportation Commissioner, Janette Sadik-Khan, whose idea it was in the first place. Her position is that New Yorkers are desperate for space and these public gathering spots will create a greater sense of community while allowing people to get out of their apartments and breathe. One of my favorite spots in NYC is Madison Square Park and right in front of it on 5th avenue is a pedestrian walkway. There are always people sitting at the tables or chatting with friends and I think if there was more of that in the city we'd all be better off. 

(Madison Square Pedestrian Walkway)

The Department of Transportation website also has a lot of details about creating more bike lanes, improving traffic flow in midtown, and the greening of NYC.  

Sweet Trucks

I love dessert. More than anything. On my way home from yoga last week I walked past the Treats Truck on 5th avenue and 22nd. I'd read about these mobile sweet suppliers that choose different spots in the city to park and feed whoever walks by. I decided I need to see what it was all about. This truck had fresh baked cookies and brownies with some milk/coffee beverage options. I decided on a caramel creme sandwich (two brown sugar cookies with vanilla cream frosting). It was delicious. Also, this truck runs on Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) which is very environmentally responsible. This led me to do some more research and I found another option called the Dessert Truck. This one sounds a little fancier with menu items like creme brulee and warm chocolate bread pudding. You can find out both truck's schedules on their websites. If you're not so into the sweets, there are a bunch of these trucks all over the city preparing everything from korean bbq to waffles to tacos. I plan to find out where all of these trucks are parked and eat my way up and down the streets this summer.

Mike Birbiglia

John and I just got home from Mike Birbiglia's one-man show Sleepwalk With Me. This is the last weekend he's performing so if you have a chance, you really should check it out. He is a stand-up comedian, storyteller, monologuist extraordinaire. He is hilarious and heartbreaking. He has this amazing ability to stay consistently funny and still hold the audience's attention for an hour and a half. I first heard about him on This American Life and he just did their live show which you can listen to here. He is also going out on tour so if he's coming to your city you should see what he's all about. I love a good story and he's got some great ones.

Laughing Lotus Yoga

"If we practice the science of yoga, which is useful to the entire human community and which yields happiness both here and hereafter - if we practice it without fail, we will then attain physical, mental, and spiritual happiness, and our minds will flood towards the Self." -Sri K.Pattabhi Jois

I am on something of a yoga kick right now. In the past, I've found it really easy to practice outside of NYC and then as soon as I get back, I can't get into it in the city. I don't know if it's the timing or the place but I am loving my monthly unlimited-membership to Laughing Lotus Yoga. It's on 19th street between 5th and 6th and it's a really spirited, loving place.  So far, my favorite classes are taught by Bryn, Stacey, and Mara Dana (who just left but also teaches at Sankalpah). I've been considering doing a teacher training in the fall mostly because I've felt so good since I've been doing yoga in NYC.  I highly recommend checking this, or any yoga class, out.  

Mint.Com

So my friend Jill Apple introduced me to this website called mint.com. It's a personal finance website. Why am I interested in it? It takes all of your accounts, bank and credit, and looks at how you spend money. How much you spend on food, or shopping, or rent, or coffee. It can tell you how much you spend a week on coffee. Depressing. And you can compare yourself with other people in your region and see how you measure up.  I'm hooked.  It also lays out budgets, saving options, plans to pay off debt, and recommended credit cards. It's good for these times we're living in. Check it out. www.mint.com

The Wire

Ok, so I know I'm late getting on this train, but JEC and I just finished watching season 4 of The Wire and I think it may be the best television series ever. Or at least in my top three (up there with The West Wing and Six Feet Under). It is not a fun, easy series to get into. I could barely understand what was going on in the first three episodes. But I stuck it out and the rewards are enormous. This last season we finished, #4, deals with the Baltimore Public School system.  Growing up in Detroit and going through the public schools, this season hit so close to home. My experience was nothing like what the kids depicted on that tv show go through, but my mom taught a lot of kids who came from similar backgrounds. Our public school systems are broken and no one seems to know what to do about it. I think a place to start is with Geoffrey Canada and his concept of education reform that begins with Baby College. Listen to this feature, it's really great: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=81. Oh, and watch The Wire.

Starting Out In Spring

Well, I can't really believe I'm doing this, but I love having sites to go to while I am procrastinating, searching, or enjoying some computer time. So let's see how this goes.   I don't really have a theme yet but maybe I'll come up with something as we go.