Ginger's follies, foibles and fixations.
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| You Listen to Me, Mr. Kick-Ass Ginger's follies, foibles and fixations. |
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Saturday, July 05, 2003 This Blog is Nothing if not a Clearinghouse for a Broad Spectrum of Ideas and Opinions: ...but who may, on occasion, pet kitties and chuckle jovially at the antics of neighborhood schoolchildren. posted by Ginger | 4:46 AM Now, This is The Matrix Hilarious. posted by Ginger | 3:06 AM Clarification RE: my post of Thursday in which I spun off into a tangent about cops and safety and such things... 1. I didn't mean to imply that cops are totally useless. Indeed, a police force does benefit a society that is not quite civilized enough to police itself. And I'm sure most of them are fine people who love their families and are happy to give directions to the Brooklyn Promenade when asked politely. I meant that it was useless for cops to be sent to places like MOB #3 (and MOB #1), given that there is no reason to believe that lawlessness, or even disruptiveness, will occur. It's just a waste of scant resources, and if in the off chance some wacko wanted to blow him/herself up in the middle of a MOB, the presence of the cops probably wouldn't prevent that. 2. As Sean from cheesebikini? delicately pointed out, it is quite likely--indeed almost certain--that the cops are already on the e-mail list which announces these Mobs, and thus posting the info online does no more harm than spread the word to other interested potential MOBsters. Good point. I had read somewhere that there WAS no centralized MOB list, and that there was no way to voluntarily sign up - you had to know someone who knew someone who would forward you the emails. I didn't spend any more time thinking about it, but of course it makes sense that if anyone has figured out how to get on the mailing list, I'm sure the cops have. So, my bad in implying that bloggers are unwitting squealers. On the other hand, I do like the idea of keeping it as quiet as possible until the event actually happens. I mean, do the folks in California and the Netherlands really need to know about New York MOBs before they happen? It seems to me that the bigger the noise about the MOB ahead of time, the more it will seem like an 'event,' and the more it will attract not only cops but disagreeable types who want to turn MOB into a venue for their own personal agendas. But I dunno, maybe that's part of the anarchic fun of it all, or maybe it's inevitable anyway. Overall, I think that the benefits of sharing information online or otherwise outweighs the potential consequences. Maybe I want to feel part of something secret and special, and that's just MY disagreeable personal agenda. ****** In other news, I was so put off by my appearance in those MOB photos that I walked to work this morning (no, not to midtown; it was my monthly co-op stint here in Bklyn - perhaps I'll work up to the interborough pedestrian commute). I don't know what my body turned into while I wasn't paying attention, but damn I have got to get more exercise... posted by Ginger | 1:23 AM Friday, July 04, 2003 A Reading RainbowTM Friday Five! 1. What were your favorite childhood stories? One of my favorites was this beautifully-illustrated hardcover book which was painted in an East Indian sort of style. The story had something to do with a lion-king that was starving, and a giraffe or gazelle or something who was so loyal to the king that s/he offered him/her self as food. I might be getting the plot wrong, and I don't remember the title, but it was a gorgeous book. [Update: This might be it, though the plot is slightly different from what I remember, and the illustrations are totally different...] 2. What books from your childhood would you like to share with [your] children? The classics are essential, of course -- Winnie the Pooh, Frog and Toad are Friends, Where the Wild Things Are, the A Wrinkle In Time books. I had books of Grimm's Fairy Tales and a bunch of Greek Myths which I think were important in my development, and I particularly loved factual books, like "how it works" sort of stuff. Mainly I'd just try to give my kid a lot of variety. 3. Have you re-read any of those childhood stories and been surprised by anything? I did manage to track down a copy of the now out-of-print Little Witch - which I read hundreds of times when I was a kid. I did read it again when I bought it, but I don't think it surprised me. I had the thing practically memorized. I'm going back to my folks' in about a week and I'll spend much of time going through my old things, so who knows what I'll find. 4. How old were you when you first learned to read? About two. 5. Do you remember the first 'grown-up' book you read? How old were you? I read Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. in fourth grade, so I was about ten. I read that one and Slapstick a bunch of times during grade school and Jr. High. I also started reading some Shakespeare around fifth or sixth grade. I tried to read the Foundation trilogy around sixth grade, but I didn't get far past the first book. posted by Ginger | 11:35 PM Thursday, July 03, 2003 MOB Rulz! (revised) Through luck, serendipity, and very a cool friend, I ended up participating in MOB #3 yesterday. For some background, here's a good Wired article on MOB #2. When I got to Grand Central at the appointed time, I went to the food court, and the first thing I noticed were the alarming number of cops standing around in groups. I don't know if this is normal procedure at Grand Central in these "Orange Alert" times, or if somebody squealed about the MOB again, but it did seem to me that there were more cops patrolling the food court than there should be. I got really angry - since when is FUN considered a threat to national security? Blah. Just in case, I had my back story all figured out. I was going to White Plains to visit my aunt. I was hungry but indecisive. I was walking around because I had been sitting all day at work and wanted to get my legs moving and check out all the dinner options. When I got to the food court I saw from the schedule that a train to White Plains just happened to be leaving from near there at 7:22. Baby, that is AIR-TIGHT! But as it happened, nobody questioned me or even looked twice. I suppose I looked sufficiently bored and commuter-like, and my middle-aged doughy person was far less suspicious than the hordes of black-spectacled, luggageless hipster youth rapidly filling the food court. After walking through the whole area three times, I started panicking that the police presence had sucessfully intimidated the organizers into scrapping the whole plan. But you see, I got The New York Review of Books mixed up with The New York Times Book Review and it took me a while to realize I should be looking for a magazine and not a newsprint publication (Hey c'mon, I read Entertainment Weekly). D'oh! Fortunately I realized my error in time and I collected my instructions from the "message-bearer." After reading the slip of paper surreptitiously, I considered eating it, but figured that was probably unnecessary. Since I was under the impression there would be three different MOB groups based on the original e-mail, I thought perhaps there would be more than one MOB happening, but it turns out that we all went to the same place -- the Grand Hyatt hotel next to Grand Central. For what happened there, the blogiverse is a wealth of stories and photos: cheesebikini? has good ongoing coverage. Mob Seen. [God, whose big ass is that on the right? Oh wait, it's mine. Goddamn it.] Great step-by-step photos at Moist and Tasty. [None of me, thankfully] More photos at Satan's Laundromat. [Sixth photo from the top ("Mob participants on the way out"), almost dead center of photo, white shirt, dark hair, gazing off into space -- that's me.] Fred has a nice action shot of MOBsters applauding. Notice the smiles. You couldn't help smiling; it was gorgeous. Yet more at Creamy.com. [I'll let you find me this time.] This got me thinking.... Internet--and particularly Blog--coverage of this sort of thing is inevitable, but I highly suspect that the sharing of the plans in advance (i.e. posting the original e-mail) is what is causing the coppers to show up. Sure, the city has slashed their funding and cut the force, but I'm pretty sure they still have computers, and I wouldn't be surprised if, after all the press coverage the last two MOBs got, they've got an intern trolling the web for MOB info now. I'm sure it's way more fun than looking for those slippery terrorists, and they can always pull out the excuse that any inexplicable gathering must be a NATIONAL SECURITY ISSUE. Or at least an excuse to write some tickets. The organizing-by-email approach is great because it has to pass from friend-to-friend (or at least mailing-list to maililng-list). But once you post it online for the world to see, you might as well have run an ad in the 'Voice.' I deliberately didn't post any mention of MOB #3 until after the fact just for that reason -- I didn't want the no-fun patrol (and that includes not only cops but anyone who might be tempted to manipulate the MOB activity for political or other dastardly means) to catch wind from MY site. The presence of police has so far not prevented a MOB event from happening, but to me it keeps the MOB from seeing its full potential. The whole fun of the MOB, as I see it anyway, is that it's a total surprise for the people around the MOB event. It makes people go "wait...what was that?" and add a little safe dissonance to their day. It's nice to be surprised without being scared or threatened. Maybe it is subtle enough that you don't even realize that it has been organized--it's just something odd, something to tell their friends or sig-others, "the weirdest thing happened on my way home from work today..." The appearance of the cops, on the other hand, says two things: "Something is going to happen here," and "YOUR CITY IS A KNOWN TERRORIST TARGET; YOU ARE CONSTANTLY IN IMMINENT DANGER." The appearance of the cops removes the possibility for baffled, gleeful surprise, and instead causes worry and grief. Instead of "why are all these hipsters here?" the unsuspecting public thinks "Oh God, why are the COPS here? What do they know that I don't? Should I duck? Should I hide? Should I call my family?" We all want to think that cops are Heroes, and that they mean well (I'm sure many of them do), but in truth their presence does absolutely no good at all. Sure, maybe that guy won't beat you up on the subway platform while the cop (or, if you're at West 4th Street, the squad of National Guard armed with M-16s) is standing right there, but there can never, ever be enough cops or soliders or guns to secure our health and happiness. Life is inherently uncertain and, to some extent, dangerous. We are going to have to learn how to live with that. Cops cannot make us safe, they can only make us nervous. Anyone who enjoys the idea of the inexplicable MOB and wants to see it continue, I encourage you to distribute MOB #4 notices among your e-mail friends-and-relations, but keep the stuff off your public sites until the fun has passed. Then we can all enjoy the event and share in the aftermath. posted by Ginger | 7:15 PM Monday, June 30, 2003 Tiki A-Go-Go All you in-the-knows out there who are down with what is hep and with-it these days (which probably means you're not reading this blog...) might be in on the rum-soaked secret life of the Tiki Enthusiast. Well, I'm not one of those people. I have nothing against Tiki, not at all. There are many aspects of Tiki that I do enjoy; I like the colorful fashions, drinks with umbrellas, Hawaii, and especially Tiki statues themselves. But I never caught on to the obsession of it. I don't particularly favor rum over other alcohols, I don't listen to Martin Denny, or even be bothered to notice if a bar or restaurant has a Tiki theme. And yet none of this vast ignorance kept me from being acknowledged as an "urban archeologist" in a fabulous new travelogue and bible of all things Tiki - Tiki Road Trip: A Guide to Tiki Culture in North America! Though I'm not directly quoted in the text, a significant chunk of the 'Hawaii' section is inspired by my letters to the book's author, a good friend who introduced me to the whole concept of 'Tiki.' I knew James was writing the book, but I had no idea I'd be mentioned in it, so it was a great surprise when I finally got my copy and rifled through it. [Now that I've achieved my dreams of being thanked in a CD's liner notes, the Acknowlegements of a book, and the credits of a movie (even better, appearing in the movie proper), I have to think of something else to strive for...] Despite being Tiki-challenged, I found Tiki Road Trip to be a fascinating travel guide and an authoritative, educational chronicle of an American subculture. Chock full of excellent B&W photos of Tiki establishments and memorabilia worldwide, it got me wishing there were a Trader Vic's in town. So, if you or someone you know are even the least bit interested in Tiki culture (or travel, or kitsch, or fine dining, or sweet drinks), I highly recommend that you pick this up. Check out the author's website for book-signings near you, or click the links above (or on his site) to order through Amazon. If you want to order a signed copy, contact James directly via his site. Still, as much as I enjoyed the book, I still wouldn't say that I'm "into" Tiki. I haven't yet run out to sample New York City's collection of Tiki lounges, and I haven't worn my authentic Hawaiian muu muu since going to Vegas three years ago. So I'm not sure why I'm convinced I need to go to EXOTICA 2003 in Chicago this August. It sounds like a huge amount of decadent fun, and James is one of the guides, so I'm sure to be in good hands. It will mean taking a total of three vacations in the next two months, but -- well, it just seems so... happy. Even if I don't understand most of what's going on around me, or I realize after the first night that I'm not cut out for 'round-the-clock cocktails (I've become pretty much a lightweight since the weekly binges of my Amazon night-crew days), I feel it will be worth the trip anyway, just to experience this proud and relentlessly upbeat subculture. Plus I have other friends in Chicago that it would be fun to see if there's time. So, come on out to Chicago! I'll buy you a Mai Tai. posted by Ginger | 12:45 AM |
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