Category Archives: Interesting Things as of Late

isn’t it all?

Dear Prudence

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The day after St. Patrick’s day. No hangover here. All is calm, all is bright. Another beautiful day today, enough so that I headed into the city and looked into getting some new eyeglasses.

Not that my eyes are getting bad, it’s just that the lenses have some light scratches in the which can be annoying. I’m on Bill’s insurance and it has an eye plan so I thought I would check it out. I did stop by at the end of January and they gave me a coupon for 50.00 off frames.

I walk in and look over the 99.00 frames. That is when they expertly direct me to the more costly frames. I have a problem with the price of frames. I just don’t believe that an average plastic frame does not cost 250.00 to make. It was their hard sell that ultimately got me out of there.

It must be the main method of the store. But I’ve been lightly browbeaten by them in the past and wasn’t going to go for it again. And they weren’t in Bill’s insurance network anyhow. I made an excuse that I wanted my partner’s input on the decision so the girl suggested that I take a cellphone pic and send it to him that way.

Not the frames I had in mind

Not the frames I had in mind

Gigi was her name and she took the photo for me. Then I said I was going to call Bill and get back to her. I walked outside and did leave a message, then went back inside and told Gigi that I was going to talk to him and take a walk while I waited.

She told me I had better come back.

I walked over to Lens Crafters and had an exam there. They were in Bill’s network. It turns out my vision hadn’t really changed since my last exam 2 years ago. And my left eyelid was a little droopy which was the first I ever heard of that. I think if it is, it was always that way.

I took over 300 pictures when I was in Manhattan. I went crazy. A lot of people out and about. I think they came out good. Not much different than photo I’ve posted in the past from Manhattan, just about 280 more than usual.

Currently trying to upload them in Facebook. But that’s not working out as well as I hoped. Maybe it’s the amount of pic that causing the trouble, but I continue to try.

From my notes the past week: I’ve decided to write about the blogs I read every day. They’re all in the blogroll to the right. I usually read at night, hours after most of the entries have posted. Most f the blogs report news of some sort whereas mine is mainly news about me.

I usually open tabs for Rod2.0. Jockohomo, JoeMyGod and Towleroad as well as Blabbeando. Rod 2.0 is news from an African American and gay slant. Lot’s of news for everyone as well as the occasional side of beefcake. Rod was the first blogger to ever comment on this blog, almost 5 years ago.

Then there’s Jockohomo who has turned m onto a lot of great music. I credit him turning m onto Girl Talk.. Lot’s of fun Pop Culture stuff as well as beefcake and great links. Joe.My.God is great, a lot of fun, and mainly political info but lot’s of fun stuff too.

Bill and I have met Joe a few times at various demonstrations and I remember seeing him outside the Highline Ballroom having a cigarette during my ill fated ecstatic trip to Blow Off last June. I don’t know if he recognized me and I’m not really sure if I recognized him, being an an altered state of mind at the time.

Towleroad is the most newsy of the the first for, and least daily newsy. A many layered cake of information, videos and pictures. It takes a while to get thorough it all so out of the first four it’s the last one I read.

Blabbeando is a personal favorite of mine. Written by a really nice guy, Andres who I’ve also met at demonstrations around Manhattan. A political and cultural blog which offers a Latin view point. He’s also very supportive, we collaborated on a blog that’s also in the blogroll. Won’t say which one, I’ll let you guess.

I use Google Analytics every now and then to see where my blog is being read and since the beginning of March I’ve had 658 visits, the most visits being from New York. The surprising thing is no one in Hoboken reads it. I found that out yesterday. Since I’m been analyzing the stats, it was quite a surprise.

Still having so Facebook problems uploading pics. In the meantime here are but a few.

3.18.10 NYC ETC 003
3.18.10 NYC ETC 006
3.18.10 NYC ETC 010
3.18.10 NYC ETC 015
3.18.10 NYC ETC 018
3.18.10 NYC ETC 031

Twist and Shout

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So nice to sit down in a comfortable chair, he wrote after coming back from spending a good part of the day with his sister in law and his niece. The three of them had gotten together after a plan was hatched a couple of weeks ago.

The niece had texted him about meeting up on February 21, which is today, to visit the exhibition of Titanic artifacts. His niece loved the movie Titanic and wanted to see the exhibition before it closed.

So today was the day and it was a lot of fun, if looking at the effects of a disaster could be called fun. Actually the fun was in spending the time together. It was crowded a bit. Who knew so many people would still be interested in such a thing almost 100 years later?

We had all met up in Hoboken at a Dunkin Donuts by the Path train. We sat and drank coffee and chatted for about an hour. Some catching up had to be done. Soon enough though, we were on the Path train headed to 33rd Street, where we then walked up to 44th Street, in the old New York Times building.

When I was first asked about going I explained that it might have been too pricey, but the niece insisted on paying and that she wanted to see me so she made it so. As we entered we were given cards with various passengers and crew and instructed to check at the end to see who survived and who didn’t.

I was a third class passenger from Ireland traveling with the missus. I had a pretty good idea how it was going to turn out. My sister in law and my niece were first class passengers, boarding in Southampton, England.

A few tools, and mechanical things from the ill fated ship were on display. As we continued on through the exhibition the items got more personal, clothes, hats, and personal effects were on display as were coins, change purses, personal correspondence. As was a piece of an iceberg that we were encouraged to touch.

It could have been macabre but it really wasn’t, it was quite tasteful. We were also encouraged to touch some brace that was used to hold the ship together. Everything was arranged in air tight, climate controlled boxes except for the iceberg and brace.

There was even a replica of the staircase which features prominently in the movie. My niece and I were photographed on it We got to the end of the exhibition, and my outcome was assured.

White Star Line passenger Mr. John Bourke, accompanied by his wife Catherine, his sister Mary and a group of passengers from County Mayo boarded the Titanic in Queenstown, Ireland, perished at sea when the ship sank.

Dishes and cutlery recovered from the ocean floor were displayed relatively intact in sand. The crate carrying them disintegrated from the pressure of being 2 miles down as well as worn away by salt and the currents.

After that we opted to leave, rather than pay for green screen photos, or shots of my niece and I on the fabled stairway. We were trying to do things on the cheap you see.

Then the three of us were hungry and we walked over to the midtown branch of John’s Pizza. I’ve eaten there a few times with Bill and I pointed out to my sister in law and niece that the restaurant used to be a church. Stained glass ceiling and windows still intact.

We left sated and I reassured them that whatever we ate, we would walk off, as we headed back to the Path train.

It was all well and good and I had a most excellent time, spending the day with Elaine and Corinne.

Corinne

Corinne

Elaine & Corinne

Elaine & Corinne

The meeting of the sunglasses

The meeting of the sunglasses

Corinne & me

Corinne & me

Me & Elaine

Me & Elaine