Monday, September 29, 2008

"Young at Heart"

I've been wanting to watch this documentary for some time now, and finally got the chance to this weekend. It is an amazingly inspirational movie. It tells the story of a chorus made up of senior citizens; however, don't expect to hear standards and show tunes, these ageless chanteurs and chanteuses belt out R&B, hip-hop, pop and rock tunes. There are moments when you'll laugh and moments when you'll cry. There is a great scene in the documentary where the chorus director plays Sonic Youth's "Schizophrenia," and there's a montage of cutaways showing the reactions of the seniors. Perhaps one of the most touching scenes in the film for me, is when two ailing veterans of the group practice Coldplay's "Fix You." Beautiful. Please watch "Young at Heart" if you get a chance.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Ground Control to Major Zhai

China's young space program has reached a milestone...on Saturday morning, Chinese astronaut took the firs-ever spacewalk for the nation.

Mission commander Zhai Zhigang floated out of the orbiter module's hatch in the spacewalk, shown live on state broadcaster CCTV. Tethered to handles attached to the Shenzhou 7 ship's orbital module's exterior, Zhai remained outside for about 13 minutes before climbing back inside and closing the hatch behind him.

Fellow astronaut Liu Boming also emerged briefly from the capsule to hand Zhai a Chinese flag that he waved for an exterior camera filming the event.

China's next goal: to put a man on the moon in the next decade.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The New Yorker: Shouts & Murmurs

It's a great one this week. With the Feds promising a $700 billion bailout to rescue the nation's failing financial instituions, writer Andy Borowitz pleas his case for a personal government bailout in The New Yorker. If you're having a bad day, I promise this will put a big smile on your face and you'll laugh out loud.

(On a side: Caught the Emmys on Sunday, not overly impressed by the hosts or the show. But was glad several of the winners took time to push the election issue. And kudos to Laura Linney -- one of my favorites -- who gave a nod to "community organizers" who help run and shape our country. Take that Sarah Palin.)

Sunday, September 21, 2008

The End.

I took this photo last month at my last game at Yankee Stadium. Tonight the Bronx Bombers played their last game, and I'm sure fans will walk away with more than just a baseball game tonight.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Final Weekend

Photo: Ozier Muhammad/The New York Times

The final series at historic Yankee Stadium gets underway tonight, when the Bronx Bombers hold the first of three consecutive games against the Orioles. After 85 years, New York City's Yankee Stadium will host its last game Sunday. Wish I were there...

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

S.O.S.

I feel like I'm in college again. Sleepless nights for the past month -- not good. My body is in desperate need of a good night's (heck, even day's) sleep. I feel like I need to completely shut down my body, let it rest and reboot and turn it back on. Work has been busy, personal life has been busy...or perhaps stressful? Good news is, I'm beginning to run a lot better lately. My time and pace seem to be improving every week. Now if I can only work on sleeping better every week. I feel like I should be sleeping now, but I look at the clock at it's nearing 1a.m. and I can't fall asleep. What is holding me back? Oh right, the millions of neurons that are shooting off inside my head. I have too many thoughts circulating in my head.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Are You Ready for the Large Hadron Collider?


Could this spell doomsday? Don't know if you folks have been reading about the Large Hadron Collider, or LHC, for short. Apparently this is all going down on Wednesday.

Monday, September 8, 2008

One Year

(Hell's Half Acre in Wyoming)

It's been a year since I left Wyoming after working/living there for 2-plus years. I remember driving back to California with my brother. The drive was long and, at times, stressful. (I was afraid my Honda was going to die on me along a barren stretch of I-80...but Honda's are trustworthy.)

I can't believe how fast this year has gone. Wow. It really does seem like it was just yesterday that I headed west and said good-bye to Wyoming. It was time I left and, though, I bid farewell to many friends and memories, I still hold Wyoming in a special place in my heart. Who would have thought that a big-city girl could acclimate into a beef-cooking, Chinese Cowgirl.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Hello Again

Hi, hi...apologies for dilatory post. The conventions and hurricanes have kept me on a short leash. I have much to write about. In the meantime, recently saw two movies that I hope you'll find time to see. "Waitress" and "The Counterfeiter." Both are fantastic movies with amazing writing and acting. "Waitress" is a quirky look at how one small-town diner waitress escapes reality through pie baking; "The Counterfeiters" is based on the true story of the largest counterfeiting operation in history, set up by the Nazis in 1936. The counterfeiting takes place in a concentration camp and made of Jewish men. It won this year's Oscar for best foreign film. An amazingly poignant movie. Please watch.