Cheap Lunch Eats in the City (& Steve Kimock Band)

Manhattan is home to some of the most exquisite food in the nation. Being a city worker, my co-workers and I do not make the hundreds of thousands of dollars it takes to be able to eat out at magnificent restaurants every day for lunch. However, we do have enough to go out to the more reasonably priced lunching establishments. For those of you in the city who need a great place to eat, at a low low price with large servings, please read below!!!!

One Fish, Two Fish Resturant Bar and Grill

On the corner of 97th Street & Madison Avenue

http://www.onefishtwofish.com/

This restaurant is GREAT. Their lunch special is pricier then some of the restaurants you will read about below but worth every penny. For $9.99 you receive:

House salad: Garden or Cesar with oil/vinegar, Ranch, and Creamy French or Creamy Italian

1 Entrée: Salmon fillet, Seafood Alfredo, Shrimp & Crabmeat Omelet, ½ Garlic Chicken, Popcorn Shrimp, 8 oz. Burger, 8 oz. Cheese burger, Pasta Primavera, Chicken of the day, and Pasta of the Day.

1 Side: Coleslaw, Baked potato, French Fires, and Fresh Vegetables

One Drink: Half Carafe of Wine, Bloody Mary, Screwdrivers, Orange Juice, Soda, Iced Tea, lemonade, 2 Mugs of Beer, or 2 glasses of champagne, or 2 Mimosas.

I always use the house French dressing on the salad. Normally I do not like French but this dressing is very very good. As well, I almost always order the salmon fillet option, which is very large and I sometimes can not finish the entire thing. I change my sides up but since I am not big into hot vegetables, I tend to just get their French fries, which are thin and not greasy – I love that!

Bhawani has ordered the seafood omelet option, which was very VERY good. I thought it would be scrambled eggs with some imitation crap meat mixed in and other bits of seafood. However, it was an omelet with seafood bits folded over crabmeat stuffing. The flavor was exceptional and it was very filling, even for a guy haha.

Lesley has ordered the Seafood Alfred option numerous times. I have to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE the sauce on this dish. Normally, restaurant attempt to make their own Alfredo sauce that consists of eggs, oil, cream, and whatever else. Its great when you are eating it in the moment but when you have a take home baggie and attempt to heat it up its just an oily mess. Do not get me wrong, I completely appreciate the fact that it’s "homemade" but it is absolutely not good to re-heat. The creamy Alfredo of this restaurant is just so nice to heat up the next day or beyond. It stays creamy, its not oily and its not homemade. I can dig a nice homemade Alfredo when I have a huge appetite but I would prefer an Alfredo such as this when I know I will have a doggie bag.

A little personal touch must always come into play because I have a ton of stories haha. My boss hardly ever eats. She picks at her food and moves it around the plate but never finishes her first serving. The circumstances contributing to her non-existent appetite are things that I will never "BLOG." Nevertheless, there is a waitress that almost always serves us. She calls us by our first name, she knows what we drink and she always jokes on Lesley about her eating habits, which Lesley of course take as a joke and giggles. She is a greathearted woman. Anyway, this might not mean anything to you all but it reminds me of a nice little hometown idea that people know your name and it’s a tight community. It throws me back into my thoughts of Virginia, where you can, or at least I can, walk around all over Williamsburg or Harrisonburg and see someone you know just out and about. I have yet to and most likely never will experience that here in NYC. Only because I was not raised her and my idea of a neighborhood is dramatically different in reality but not in theory. So, I appreciate how it is up here and I find little touches of daily life that is exactly like Virginia. And why shouldn’t it be! Yeah, so, that was my little personal touch to that restaurant hahaha.

Agra’s Indian Restaurant

807 Lexington Avenue Btwn 62nd & 63rd St

Talk about GOOD EFFING FOOD!!!! Pardon my language, but this place is one of my favorites for its food, atmosphere and great business lunch special. Plus, Indian food just has SO MUCH FLAVOR!!!

Agra’s business lunch special runs from 12 to3pm Monday through Saturday except holidays. This is what we always order and I couldn’t be happier because my boss normally always pays:

Special Business Lunch:
Choice of beef, chicken, lamb, keema, or vegetable curry. ($6.50)
Or
Shrimp/Fish Curry ($7.50)

Served with onion relish, Basamati rice, Dhal and Cabbage. Choice of Tea or Coffee.

I have to say that I freaking LOVE LOVE LOVE Indian food. It is not always the most pleasant experience AFTER you eat the food but during the nosh, it is DIVINE.

Before I talk about our main course, I have to tell you about their free starter. It is this crisp thin wafer (or waffle as they say) made with lentil and cumin. It is called Papadum. With this wafer, which is served on a simple white plate, they serve two toping. The first topping being this extremely HOT, or spicy rather, onion mixture that is a bright bright orange color. (OH YEAH - this restaurant is GORGEOUS in its colors. Not necessarily presentation, but the colors of the Indian cuisine are spectacular. ) The second side is this minty sweet puree. They are both complementary flavors: savory vs. sweet. And piled on top of that wafer, it’s just the best. I could eat it all day.

I have had have had everything from the above except the vegetable curry. I LOVE MEAT! The way it works is you pick the meat you want or vegetable curry if you prefer. Then you are brought that choice doused in this amazing Curry/marinara sauce. I am still confused as to want curry really is. IS it the paste sauce itself or just an ingredients, or spice, that makes the flavor? I have been looking for a good Indian Cookbook so I will know here soon!!

I tend to get the chicken because it comes right off the bone and I feel that I am trying at least to be healthy – haha yeah right. My boss normally always gets the seafood or fish. The seafood curry sauce is actually more of a seafood flavor based sauce. They are distinctly different. Bhawani normally gets the keema, which is nothing more then ground beef in the sauce. I do not know if we have had the lamb yet. I want to say yes because Lesley is always changing it up but I can’t remember. (There goes another example of why I write this blog to remind myself in the future of my experiences in the past, many of which I have already forgotten haha - so sad :( )

I feel as though I get much more food with the serving of chicken. You get a dark meat thigh and white leg (or visa versa). The dish the meat is served in are individual little silver long bowls. They are no larger then my hand so don’t go thinking it is this big huge portion. It is just enough. Especially once the "extras" come out.

The onion relish his what I am assuming is the same thing that is presented with the Papadom at the start of the meal. I never noticed that on the menu and I know what they normally serve with the meat choices so, hmmmmm. The Basamati Rice is just this fluffy, non sticky rice that you serve all this other yummy food over. The Dhal is just a bean mixture, maybe just pureed bean with a little bit of bean chunks and spices. Yummy no matter what. It almost has a really thick chunky bean soup texture. Finally, that Cabbage. Can I just say I HATE CABBAGE. However, I will eat this bowl of food up in seconds! I have NO idea how they make it or where it gets its flavor but it comes out in a small bowl in the liquid that it must have been cooked in. It is scrumptious piled right on top of all these other ingredients.

Seriously, I get my food and dump it alllll on the plate and mix that shit up and dig in. All the flavors and colors are overwhelming and for lunch…it feel very exotic. At least for me.

On a more critical note:

They are willing to cook your food as mild as you need or as spicy, Chris would like this haha. The food is always fresh and tasty.

Another cool thing about the restaurant, at least to me, is that is on the first floor of a walk-up building. You have to ring a button on the street for them to let you in. They you walk up these very steep steep steps, which would prove to be VERY challenging if you were drunk coming down, even tipsy. They are steep, but that adds to the adventure of the place, in my eyes. Once you are inside you can sit at a window seat and watch street's activities and all the adventurous people below.

The atmosphere is very inviting and relaxing. They actually just renovated since I have been going there. I can’t even remember what it used to look like previously. Currently, the walls are a bright but warm pink color. On the walls they have new little lamps and tapestries framed on a few choice walls. I do remember that their ceiling had been covered with draped Indian fabrics. Now it is just painted. Actually brightness the room and makes it appear larger since the drapes hung low and they were dark. The change is welcome and positive.

The staff is very attentive and just great in my eyes. They, of course, know us because we go there at least once a week. They bring us our drinks without asking and they always know that we will be ordering the lunch special haha. They are just nice guys who allow us to be loud and noisy in their small space. The waiters have also been there for a long time and are part of the same family except for a few. Granted, every time we are there its lunchtime but it’s the same guys. They are invested and that provides a bit more personal quality to the place.

A cute personal memory: Let’s just say that I have eaten there so much that when they changed their rice I called them on it and they were like DAMN how could you tell haha. They went from Basamati to Tiger rice. I am telling you, I know my food, I love my food and I ENJOY my food, so when something changes I notice. I love it, but I notice. I really should capitalize on this love. I would DIE to be a food taster. I would take all that fat that would come along with it also hahaha.

Saigon Grill

620 Amsterdam Ave. (Corner of 90th St)
http://www.saigongrill.com/

Now, if you like Vietnamese Food then this is the place for you. I freaking love love love it. Great food, fast service and cheap prices for lunch.

Their lunch special is under $8.00 and you get so much food, unless you’re a growing boy, you can never finish it all. I always always have lunch for the next day or dinner that night – and we all know how much I eat!!!

I was actually invited to a birthday party the other day and I was not sure were I was going. Thinking it was a bar, I arrived at another Sigaon grill downtown between 11th and 12th street at 91 University Place. Talk about upscale. Compared to the one we eat at for lunch, this branch of the store was elegant and expansive. It looked like a grand space. It was just so different and I can’t explain the difference, you will have to do it yourself.

When I was there I didn’t have to look on the lunch special menu, well, because it was dinner. I ended up ordering this appetizer that was so full of flavor, light and colorful at the same time!:

Goi Du Du, which is shredded green papaya salad, grilled beef, basil, and slightly spicy dressing with crushed peanuts.

When I am at the lunch location I tend to order the same few dishes, however I have tried just about everything on their 25 piece lunch menu. There is a wide variety of choices and served in large portions. This is my main fav dish:

Bun Xao, which is Stir-fried soft rice noodles with shredded vegetables, egg and crushed peanut, served with nuoc cham sauce on the side with your choice of Shrimp, Chicken, Beef or Vegetable.

Bhawani ordered this the other day and it was really good too but you have to really like basil :

Basil Beef: Sautéed beef with tomato, snow peas, lotus root, mushroom, squash, napa, bean curd and basil in our Chef's spicy sauce.

I would recommend this place to anyone all day long. I, however, and getting sick of it because I do not like vegetables when they are heated up and a majority of the meals are stirred in with green beans or broccoli or some kind of veggie.

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Steve Kimock Band
http://www.kimock.com/frames/index_home.html

Aside from GOOD food, GOOD music is what makes the world go round, at least in my life.

There is one guy who I have been trying to open the world's eyes up to. He has been around for years, in and out of numerous bands until finally creating his own. He is like Jerry Garcia, in the sense that he is part of many projects and plays many instruments. But it is his passion and insanely wonderful guitar playing that drew me in a few years ago.

Steve Kimock is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. He takes music and his notes crate a story, a novel of a song. You can hear the story in your head and feel the passion of the person playing. With Steve, it is always a good time. I would suggest seeing him at an of his Halloween shows. It is so worth it! I have inserted a picture of Steve at last years’ Halloween when Kelli, my friend Josh and I went to Mexicali Blues in Teaneck, NJ to see Steve.

Another great thing about him is that he is completely amazing, and I put my full endorsement behind him, but he is not as large as Dave Matthews so he can play at small venues which allows you to experience his music on a more personal close level. I have been able to download every show of his I have experienced since moving to NJ. I brought my sister, who hates hippie jam bands and she freaking CRIED during one of his songs. I am telling you – see him, love him, and listen to him. He will open your spirit to good things!!!

My DMV Experience: Entitled "The Eye Opener" (& Tori Amos)

So, this morning (October 25, 2006) was my first experience with a NYC Department of Motor Vehicles.

This may not seem monumental to you all but I have to say I found it very interesting and somewhat odd. It was odd in the sense that I was in the middle of Harlem doing something that people do on a daily basis. It was one of those everyday normal things. I was pulled out of the NYC idea of shows, yummy experimental restaurants, art shows and awesome stores and put back into the real world mind of having to get your shit done haha.

I tried to remember what the DMV was like back in Virginia and how much remained the same even in such a different atmosphere. I have to say that I can’t tell if it was a SIMILAR experience compared to Virginia or not.



I took the Green Line’s 5 Train which I found out was the "Lexington Line." (Good to know for the future.) I caught the train at 86th street and Lexington, a block from my building. What was awesome was that the train left 86th street and went directly to the 125th street stop. There was nothing in between. I arrived at 125th street to the Harlem at 9:40 am.

Manhattan NorthTraffic

Violations Bureau

159 East 125 Street, 3rd Floor

New York, NY 10035

I began wondering why the stops were so far and few in between after 86th street. However, on the way back it went right from 86th street to 59th street, which is the stop for my work. Well, it connects to the N,R,W line underground from there. I guess because the train is Express, it just really skips over alit of stops. I have a feeling, however, that once you start reaching the Harlem area, the train stops start becoming less frequent anyway. I haven’t figured that out yet.

I have to admit also that the atmosphere and just general ambiance of that area vs. my own was drastically different. At 86th street, you have Alliances and Conservancy groups and just many non-profit agencies that are there to clean, plant trees, and keep things just looking great around the community. One of another cool things that I want to remind myself about is that I actually had a case where a car ran into the "mall" at 85th street and Lexington, one block away from my apartment building. I sued the insurance company of the driver for the funds to have that site restored. I thought that was really awesome. Now when I walk by that block, I can look at those flowers and the repaired wooden beams and know that I helped fix that site and beautify a neighborhood that eventually became my own!! It is a small but great feeling to have actually contributed to something like that.

One of the funny things I want to remind myself was that while I was at the final counter paying for my ID card, was that they girl behind the counter to my left was talking about how she wanted to go down South to get a bike at Walmart. She spoke of how cheap everything is in the south and how bike at Walmart are so cheap. I just giggled because I think that shit EVERYDAY. She summed it up by stating that everything here is two times as much as everything in the south. WALMART RULES! I have to admit I really hated Walmart because I found it cheap. Don’t get me wrong, I did my fair share of CD, food and even the occasional crazy shoe shopping but I still yearned for the big city shops. Now I miss Walmart to DEATH hahaha.I can afford the thing sin the pretty shops but I can’t bring myself to spend even HALF of what they ask. I think its actually a great thing that I was raised having things withheld from me because now its proving to curb my enthusiasm to blow my cash on really expensive pretty clothes and purses and jewelry. I did just buy myself a beautiful suit and Kenneth Cole jacket for court. And I can justify that because its not some stupid purse but something I needed haha. Considering all my jackets came from WALMART as a little girl hahahahahaha. Fucking Walmart.

Ok back to DMV remembrance! Maybe it was because there were a lot of windows but all in all it only took me about an hour to finally complete the entire process in and out the door. I walked in, was directed to the main window where you tell them what you want to do, they give you the corresponding form and point you to the next window/line you will need to wait for/in. Then I sat on their uncomfortable wooden benches, filled out my paperwork and went to the camera line. Waited in line to give my 6 points of ID and get my picture taken. Then was given a number and told to wait for them to call my number. You would think the end was near…you would be mistaken.

Ok, this is where I get annoyed with the freaking government. I waited in all those lines to finally wait for what I thought would be my card. NO!!! Instead, they called my number, my 6 points of identification was reviewed again and I believe this women entered in my address and everything into the system. Why the first lady shouldn’t do that was beyond me. But, after that, I paid my $9.50 and was handed a PAPER ID and receipt. Mother f’ers apparently will be SENDING ME my ID in the mail? Who ever heard of something like that? Since when did they start doing that? Do they do that for NY Driver’s licenses as well? Or for regular ID cards in other states for that matter? I just got so annoyed like WHAT?

Lastly, it is very strange to realize when you are the minority. It is not something I am normally aware of even though I’m a small little white girl in a large diverse city. However, being in the middle of Harlem for the first time, I was very aware of the fact that I was, I think, one of the only Caucasian people in the waiting area. And, I was being stared down for whatever reason. It probably was the fact that I was wearing a suit and a nice black coat vs. the fact that everyone else there was wearing just about the exact opposite – whatever that might be haha. I never like to think that I am getting glared at or started at with confusion over the color of my skin. I have never had fear of any race but coming from a predominately white upbringing to include an high school where there were only two African Americans at any given time out of a couple hundred and then college where people gravitated toward the groups that shared the same color of skin (I hated this and totally noticed this at JMU) and just my hometown in general was the well-off town of Williamsburg, VA, it proved to make me take a step back and look around at how things are so different here. I am a minority in this city and I never thought of myself as one.

All in all – good morning, got me some McD’s breakfast since I never do that and will wait until I get my damn ID card in the mail. Who ever heard of that – just print the damn thing right then and there hahaha.

For this Blog I want to say – Go listen to your OLD Tori Amos cds and purchase ALLLLL of her new ones. I can not reiterate enough that her unique sound is intoxicating and meditative at times. Her beats, her style, her interpretation of other songs and genre’s of music – they are all wonderful works of art. And even those of you who are on the "I Cant Stand Tori Amos" train, you should give her a chance just as you would want us to give your favorite band or musician a chance. I argue that all music hits the senses once you give it an honest chance and listen to it enough.

“Rare Specimen” At The Arsenal Gallery (& Cat Stevens)

The above is Wes Lang'S "The only shit that's left behind" a 2005 9acrylic on canvas

On March 9, 2006, the Rare Specimen: The Natural History Museum Show opened in the Arsenal Gallery. This is the building where I work so it was available to all the workers as well as those specially invited through whatever channels of importance and relevance. I was todl a few days ago that there were pictures of me at this event and I had completely fogotten about attending, thus the reason I have this damn blog thing in the fisrt place haha. So, below is the Press Release explaining the Show and below are the pictures of the event itself and some of the artwork.

The Press Release:

On view March 9 – April 12, 2006 at the Arsenal Gallery in Central Park, Rare Specimen: The Natural History Museum Show features works by nine world-renowned and emerging contemporary artists: Mark Dion, Walton Ford, Alexis Rockman, Steve Mumford, Karin Weiner, Wes Lang, Jeff Hoppa, Emilie Clark and Nicole Tschampel. Exploring natural history themes, the artists’ subjects include dinosaurs, prehistoric mammals, gems and geology, birds, carnivorous plants, taxidermy, anthropology, fossils and skeletons, taxonomy and collecting, and man’s relationship to the natural world. Often using scientific information as the basis for their art, these artists offer a highly personal interpretation and often playfully subversive view of natural history. (Below you can see the painting that Josh and I actually really really liked. I just stared at that yellow light in the middle for a while. HAHA.)

The exhibition is staged in the historic Arsenal building, which was the first home of the American Museum of Natural History from 1869 to 1877 before it moved to its current home on Manhattan’s West Side. Rare Specimen, curated by Clare Weiss, is on view in the same gallery that once housed the museum’s displays.

The above is Wes Lang'a "High Times". A 2005 graphite on paper.

Can you see me in the picture below? Where's Waldo is now Where's Karean haha. Anyway, below you are seeing my introduction to the artist that I wrote about in a previous blog. Her name is Katerina Lanfranco. She was the artist who created the "Ursus Horribilis" show. You can read about her and her vision in my ""Ursus Horribilis" by Katerina Lanfranco (& Holly Brook)" Entry!

Funding for Rare Specimen was provided by WABC-TV and The Explorers Club.

The above is Karin Weiner's "Big Rock Candy Moountain", a 2006 collage

The above peice a work by Karen Weiner called Butterfly Box

The Arsenal Gallery is dedicated to examining themes of nature, urban space, wildlife, New York City parks, and park history. It is located on the third floor of the NYC Parks & Recreation headquarters, in Central Park, on Fifth Avenue at 64th Street. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday evenings until 8:00 p.m. Admission is free.

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Cat Stevens…Now, this is one colorful character. The singer was born Steven Demetre Georgiou to a Swedish mother and a Greek Cypriot father in London. In the 1970s he recorded a succession of popular albums, including Tea for the Tillerman, Catch Bull at Four and Teaser and the Firecat. There is something about Cat Stevens that has always made me think of the peace movement in the 60s/70s. Something about his voice and soft-spoken nature that always calms me when I hear him. His lyrics are deeply rooted in peace and yet there is simplicity about his music.

In 1977, he converted to Islam, changing his name to Yusuf Islam, after a near-death experience where he almost drowned in Malibu. After this conversion, he gave up recording and performing for 17 years, but issued an Islamic album in 1995 and appeared in concert in Sarajevo in 1997. He has since been denied access to the US "on national security grounds".

He became a teacher and an advocate for his religion, founding a Muslim school in London in 1983. In July 2000, he was denied entry to Israel amid reports that he had donated tens of thousands of dollars to militant Palestinian group Hamas. It is because of this rumor that he was placed on a “Watch List.”

In a statement released by his record label Universal Music at the time, he said: "I want to make sure that people are aware that I've never ever knowingly supported any terrorist groups past, present or future." Unfortunately, he is still not permitted to enter the United States and actually caused a stir in the news in 2005 when attempted to do so.

One of the things that truly upsets me about this whole thing is that Yusuf Islam is most certainly a fundamentalist Muslim, whose views are radical enough to set him at odds with the great majority of the world's Islamic adherents, and they are no better expressed than in his comments on his own field of expression: music. How do you go from being a huge musician to accepting a religion where that is all but forbidden.

Wahhabism, the state religion in Saudi Arabia, and the inspirer of al Qaeda, is especially known for its hatred of music. In Wahhabi theology, all music except for drum accompaniment to religious chanting is haram, or forbidden. For anybody who has had contact with Muslim civilization, this is a fairly shocking bit of information, since music is one of the great glories of Islamic culture.

Yusuf Islam has demonstrated his sympathy for this posture on several occasions. Above all, he is careful to point out his caution about bucking the Wahhabis in this realm. In 1997, he released an album titled I Have No Cannons That Roar, dedicated, he said, to the cause of the Bosnian Muslims. The CD is a very conservative approach. You only hear Steven’s voice, a slight choral accompaniment and drums. He has made a very minimalist use of instruments and even those are unheard of in some Islamic religions. It’s really just a shame.

I do not know what to tell you about him now, but the man he used to be back in the 70’s was special. In the early years, he began to perform his songs in coffee houses and pubs. He was “found” in 1966 at age 18 by manager/producer Mike Hurst. In the first two years he was basically what we would now consider a pop star. He then caught tuberculosis and this is where he began meditating and writing about different religions.

A songs you might be surprised to know he wrote and sang first is “The First Cut Is the Deepest, sung most recently by Sheryl “I kinda suck” Crow and Rod Stewart. Tea for the Tillerman, cover seen to the left, was in Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 listing of the ""500 Greatest Albums of All Time". His signature voice sung of peace, love and happiness, and opposition to war. I am sad to think that he might never sing to us again.

Annual Czech Independence Day Festival (& Tom Verlaine)

On October 7, 2006, Manhattan held its Annual Czech Independence Day Festival from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. The festival was located at 83rd Street between Madison and Park.

I spent the day walking from my place at 86th street to 59th street where the Crate and Barrel had a 12" Analon cooking pan I wanted for half off! On the way to the C&B, I came upon the festival being set up. I proceeded on to my destination, got my wonderful cooking pan and proceeded to walk back to my home.



I stopped at the festival, which by that time had been completely set up and was just about to get the stage events started. There was Czech music, food, books, programs for children, souvenirs, free raffles and more. The annual Czech Independence Day festivities commemorate the foundation of Czechoslovakia on 28 October 1918. Performances by Cechomor, Limbora Slovak Folk Ensemble, local Sokol groups, Teatr Novogo Fronta, Laco Deczi & Celula New York, Czech School, and Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre, etc. all for free.

First things first – I of course had to try the cuisine. There is a bar called The Bohemian Beer Garden (http://www.bohemianhall.com/) It is the only Beer Garden left in NYC. Without knowing it, I ordered all my food from there. Chris, my coworkers, friends and I have been to this bar numerous times because there is a lot of room and tons of different types of beers, and I never had their food until this festival. I totally will be ordering food there from now on!!!
The below picture is of the Beef Stew and some Czech open-faced potato salad sandwich. The name however, I will have to get back to you all on – it is on a piece of paper at home but I forgot it!!

Anyway, the first band on the stage was Celula New York (http://www.lofish.com/laco/). They rocked and they had a new bass player that just blew me away. I of course went right by the stage and bought the last CD they had. I was so desperate that the CD I bought was already opened haha. I just wanted to get my hands on whatever they played so I could take it home with me hat night. Here are some pictures!

Second, during the day, the Beer Garden is a Czech School that teaches Czech children how to read, write and know Czech "grammar not only out of text books, but also during painting, singing, dancing, social games and education in drama. During this interesting program the children are getting an education in Bohemian history, geography and ethnic life style." It is pretty cool. So, the little lovelies got up and did a little singing for us.

Followed by the older children who did the dancing! So Cute!:

Then we get this very scary rendition of physical theater. (http://www.tnf.cz/wwwroot/?lang=enlang=en). This one guy comes out and we all think he might turn out to start acting like a clown. No – we were dead wrong! This loud revolutionary music comes on and you hear bombs and shooting and he acts this rendition of him getting killed, killing other and the children all start crying – I mean who planned that crap? It was great but just not for the audience who was watching I suppose hahaha. Here he is:

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I was introduced to Tom Verlaine through the www.Radio.com website. You enter in the band you like and after playing a few choice songs by the artist you choose, the site will start playing songs by artists that have a similar sound to the artist you initially picked.

So, I had created a Steve Kimock radio Station through this site and after a while, I ended up hearing numerous song from Tom Verlaine. Check him out because I can't explain the awesomeness!!!

I can't find a specific site about Tom Verlain but here are some related to him in one way or another:

http://www.marquee.demon.co.uk/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Verlaine

The New York City Bar Association Building (& Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra)

So, last night (October 3, 2006) I attending the Mediation Kickoff because I have decided that I want to pursue Mediation and Dispute Resolution as my long-term career path. I attended the Kick-off with the Equal Employment General Counsel for the Parks Department. He is my second boss, as I am an Equal Employment Opportunity Counselor on top of working in the Special Counsel’s office handling affirmative claims.

(This is the entrance to the building - after Ifiguredd out the night setting)

The Kickoff was held at one of the most beautiful buildings in midtown: The New York City Bar Association Building. Located in the heart of Manhattan on West 44th Street, just off of Fifth Avenue on "Clubhouse Row", The Association of the Bar of the City of New York offers a dignified and elegant atmosphere.

(This is the Seymour Room. )

(They had it right open. Icouldn'tt take a picture but it was just beautiful and impressive.)

Built in 1896, the House of the Association, which is listed in the National Register of Historical Sites, recalls the grandeur of an earlier era and is an important New York City Landmark. Within this traditional setting, modern services make it possible to accommodate groups of five to 450 in our conference rooms, reception area and stately meeting hall.

(This was the "Reception Hall," the room in the building that held the Kick-Off)

During this event, I was introduced to the General Counsel for AAA (Triple-A) and many other top lawyers for nationwide companies. Ricardo Granderson, the EEO Counselor for Parks, took me under his wing and introduced me to many of his colleagues that he works with outside of Parks. (This is a shot of the Meeting hall to the left)

I believe mediation is the path that has been intended for me and I plan on attacking it full force. You will hear more about this as I intended on making it a huge part of my life. In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful pictures of the intimidating rooms, the elegant architecture and the lavish interior design. (This is the Davis Room to the right)



I did not take the picture of the inside as I was not allowed, but I did attempt to take pictures of the outside and after figuring out the setting on my camera got a few pictures of the outside showing the entrance of the building haha. I hope one day to make this building something of a home.

(Crappy night setting pictures.)

(Hopefully you can see the Associationn of The New York Bar" Title somewhere in there)

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Antibalas Afrobeat Orchestra is an excellentindependentt group that is based in the heart of Brooklyn, NY. I have known of them for years but never knewtheirr background until I was able to indulge myself more intheirr music after moving here. There are over 14 members in the group -- including Latinos, whites, African-Americans, Africans, and Asian-Americans.

There are horns and bass, polyrhythmic beats and funky breaks, and furious lyrics in English, Yoruba and Spanish. The live show is equal parts sweat-drenched bacchanalia and political rally. "Their frequent Afrobeat parties get off on the good foot and stay there for hours," exclaims the Village Voice. Antibalas has opened for James Brown, No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Trey Anastasio and more. CHECK THEM OUT!!!!

The Resevior & (MUSE)

Chris and I decided to walk around the closest part of Central Park on Saturday October 1, 2006. This ended up being ..............

The Reservoir, which covers a large area of Central Park from east to west and from 86th Street to 96th Street, was constructed between 1858 and 1862. It is probably best known for the 1.58 mile track surrounding it, where thousands of runners tone up every day. The Reservoir itself (officially named the Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir in 1994) contributes significantly to the environmental pleasure of the exercise, particularly in the summer when water evaporation from its surface cools the air.

(Ok! I didnt write this but I did take the pictures - All that you see here!)

The unsightly seven-foot chain-link fence surrounding the Reservoir, which was erected in 1926, obscured joggers' and pedestrians' views of the magnificent Manhattan skyline. In 2003, the Conservancy completed the installation of a new Reservoir fence, made of steel with cast-iron ornamentation, closely resembling the original historic fence that was in place from 1864 to 1926. The new four-foot-high fence, installed on the existing eight-inch granite coping stone, has opened up breathtaking views of Central Park and the Manhattan skyline.

The 106-acre water body is 40 feet deep and holds over a billion gallons of water. It is still under the jurisdiction of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection. Although it no longer distributes fresh water to Manhattan residents, its overflow is critical for providing fresh water to the Pool, Loch, and Harlem Meer — the series of connecting water bodies in the northern part of the Park.

On your walk or run around the Reservoir, take a moment to admire the three pedestrian cast-iron bridges that span the bridle path, identified by numbers 24, 27, and 28. The best loved and most elegant is Bridge No. 28, known as the Gothic Bridge, just south of the Tennis Courts. The beautiful curved ironwork and graceful curves suggesting Gothic church architecture make this one of Central Park's most distinctive bridges.
Bridge #28 (Gothic Bridge)

Note also the three ornamental stone gatehouses designed by Calvert Vaux — two on the north and one on the southeast shore of the Reservoir — that house the equipment necessary to control water flow and treat the water. At the Reservoir's major entry at East 90th Street is the John Purroy Mitchel Monument, a curious terrace commemorating one of New York's youngest mayors, who served one term from 1914 to 1917. The gilded bust of Mitchel was created by Adolf Alexander Weinman and dedicated in 1926. Mitchel died in a plane crash while training as a WWI pilot.

Engineers' Gate at 90th Street and Fifth Avenue, more commonly known as Runners' Gate, is the major entrance for the start and finish of the weekly races sponsored by the New York Road Runners Club. The NYRRC, founded in 1958 by the late Fred Lebow, organizes all running events in Central Park, including the New York City Marathon every November. Each year, over 30,000 runners participate, representing more than 110 countries from around the world.
Bird-watchers also value the running track as a superb vantage point from which to spot birds in every season. They have sighted five different species of gulls and over 20 species of waterfowl, grebes, cormorants, and loons. Sightings are particularly rewarding during the winter, when many other birding spots are relatively inactive.

The Reservoir track is particularly delightful in the spring, when the ornamental cherry trees are in bloom on the slopes below the track. The trees to the north and south of Purroy Mitchel Monument are some of the oldest ornamental cherry trees in the Park, some dating back to a gift from Japan in 1912 to commemorate the Hudson-Fulton Centennial.

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There are not many bands that I can approach my boyfriend with and actually know he will enojy listening to them. A co-worker gave me a MUSE cd during my internship and I have been hooked ever since. I immdiately knew Chris would embrace them and I was right. Check out any cd and I think you will enjoy them as well.