Water, Water Everywhere

It has been an interesting time. What started out as something kinda funny, turned into something completely not funny.

I made a lovely steak dinner and literally just sat down to eat when the power went out at 6:45. It had been raining all day, so it wasn't too much of a surprise that it went out. It'll come back in a few minutes. Eileen and Suzanne come downstairs, we eat and light a few candles. The power will be back soon. Around 7:15 I get up and my sock is wet. I look down and the kitchen floor has begun to flood. We take the chairs and put them in the living room. I run upstairs and put on boots. It wasn't more than 2 minutes before I got back down. By now a layer of water is on the floor. We move more stuff into the safety of the living room.

We go outside to see if the power is out elsewhere. Our block is dark. A lake of water formed at the nearby intersection and the rain is still coming down. We are outside for about 10 minutes. We get back in and the floor of the living room is now wet. Trying to remain calm, we think about what to do.

Roommate Liz has all of her stuff in the basement. We grab her shoes and bring them upstairs to dry ground. We then try and get anything of Liz's that might get wet and bring that upstairs. The water is increasing exponentially. The water is as high as my boots and we are literally wading through the kitchen to save stuff. Liz comes home. The landlord also comes by to survey the situation. We even have the fire department check things out.

At 10pm the electricity returns. With the electricity back, the pumps begin working again. Over the next hour the water recedes. At 11 we go down again. Everything in the kitchen and living room is ruined. Couches, bookshelves, tables are unsalvagable. We begin sweeping and using what we have and make little progress. The fridge filled with freshly bought food is now spoiled. The smell of mildew and bacteria is overwhelming.

It's been a long 18 hours. Much credit goes to Eileen for keeping everyone calm and organized. There's a lot of work to be done. Gar!!!






Quote of the Day:
"Don't be reckless with other people's hearts, And don't put up with people that are reckless with yours." -Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

The King Turns 60

A very special Genius Switch wish to the King of Late Night, the patron saint of the Genius Switch, Mr. David Letterman himself, on his 60th birthday. In honor of Dave's birthday, I have donned my Late Show hat. It also helps that it is super yucky out and it was probably going to be a hat day anyways.

And not to be outdone, Happy Birthday to my Mom as well. Like me, Mom is celebrating her 29th birthday too.

Quote of the Day:
"I am the host of the Late Show, the most powerful man in American broadcasting." -David Letterman

30 Minus 1

Happy Birthday to Me,
Happy Birthday to Me,
Happy Birthday Meeeeeeeeee,
Happy Birthday to Me.

YAY!!!

The big 2-9 is not that scary yet. With that said, the day is young and I have 365 more days to accept that the 20s are behind me.

Thanks to everyone for the birthday wishes, cards, Shirley Temples and cupcakes. You all are the best!

Quote of the Day:
"You are a person who thrives on challenge, and you often feel that you must battle your way through life, depending upon no one and nothing but your own strength, intelligence, and courage. You believe in being totally honest, true to oneself and one's own vision and convictions, even if that means standing alone. Honesty, integrity, personal honor, and authenticity are your gods, and you have no sympathy for weakness of character in others." -My Horoscope from Astrology.com

Gen. Grant, Bagpipes and Scones

It's been some time in the making, but Cheryl and I had another installment of the Day of Fun yesterday: the Day of Fun - The Wrath of the Day of Fun.

The first stop in the Day of Fun was the New York Historical Society. After climbing many stairs to the 4th floor Henry Luce III Cultural Center, we looked at many items of not just New York, but Americana. My favorite piece was the to-size model bust of Abraham Lincoln for the Lincoln Memorial. The Luce center also had many items from colonial times and the Civil War. I particularly enjoyed the various presidential campaign buttons over the years. We then looked at original drawings of birds from the Audobon Society, before heading to the main floor. There was a special exhibit on Tiffany Lamps, especially those designed by Clara Driscoll in the early 1900s. They were all nothing less than truly spectacular. The sheer beauty and craftsmanship was overwhelming. After a short rest in the cafe, we went to the gift shop, which is honestly the best gift shop ever. Cheryl finally got her plush Gen. Grant she has been craving. In return, I bought a plush Lincoln magnet. I had to hold myself back from buying the temporary tattoos for librarians, including such messages as "I Heart the Dewey Decimal System".

After waiting what seemed like forever for the bus, we made it to Grand Central Station for the yearly Scottish festival. We weren't sure where to go, but then the lovely drones of the bagpipes guided us in the right direction. Sadly, the bagpipes were finishing up when we got there, but did get to see a demonstration of making barrels to hold whisky. I did get to see some men in kilts, but was overall disappointed in the selection. What can I say, Roddy keeps the bar high.

We were getting a little tired by this point, so we headed to the Village and to Tea and Sympathy. I guided us in the wrong direction, and we got to see a drug arrest going on. We also stopped by this awesome vintage dress shop. Tea and Sympathy was very snug. I had some scones, while Cheryl had her tea. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to the 'Boken.

All in all, the Day of Fun lived up to its name. Can't wait to do it again.

Quote of the Day:
"I am always prepared for lack of intellectual discourse. I cover television." -Lisa deMoraes, television reporter for the Washington Post

Heeeeeeeeere's Conan!

Last night I went to the Museum of TV & Radio, one of my most favorite places in New York. The reason: a seminar with Late Night host Conan O'Brien and four of his writers. Rather, a seminar with Conan O'Brien and four writers who say one sentence apiece in the two hour session. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

I went to these seminars all the time when I was at BU. MTR is great with their satillite series and for TV geeks like me, it's a great opportunity to see the best minds in television let their guard down and really talk about their craft and the industry.

Conan was no exception. He is extremely knowledgeable and entertaining and one of the quickest wits around. It's been quite some time since I've laughed as hard as I did last night. He spoke of the writing process and his influences in television, praising the greats like Johnny Carson and David Letterman. The best part were hearing about some of the show's happy accidents, including the Finland show.

The funniest unintentional moments came from watching the face of the moderator. For the most part, he didn't know how to react. He would have that plastic smile face and morph into seriousness the next moment. Ahhh, comedy.

All in all a great time. The MTR really is an awesome place and for doing events like this. You should check it out if you have the chance.

Quote of the Day:
"What if this weren't a hypothetical question?" -Unknown

I Am Smarter Than A Fifth Grader

It brings me great joy in announcing that I am back among the employed with an uber-awesome new job. Starting Monday, I am a Researcher for a new game show called "Grand Slam". It's a tournament style show pitting all the top contestants of game show history (Jeopardy, Millionaire, Tic Tac Dough, etc...) against one another.

I've always loved game shows and one of my greatest dreams is to be on one. But because I am in the TV industry, it's hard to get on as a contestant because you wind up knowing someone and being ineligable. So this is the next best thing. Either way I'm getting paid to know trivia.

YAY!!!!

Quote of the Day:
"Look for the ridiculous in everything and you will find it." -Jules Renard