A Date at Barcade

More cell phone camera masterpieces!
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Saturday is my Friday, which means I've finished work and internship and am usually pooped. Mrs. Nator and I sometimes talk about going out when I'm done work, but it rarely happens because if we don't have a plan I don't have the energy to schlep home, discuss, shower, and go out again.

This past Saturday, however, Mrs. Nator fulfilled one of my wishes by calling me at work to say she was picking me up to take me out, and had the date all planned. It was a good night to do it, as we were celebrating both the illustrious birth of the Trucker (yay, oneofhismoms!) and my finally standing up to an aggravating co-worker. All I had to do was hop in the office shower and toss my scrubs in my bag.

Normally we avoid Williamsburg, Brooklyn, because we are not hipsters. However, there was a restaurant Mrs. N. wanted to try (Fiore, which was a bit disappointing to me, food-wise, but had great atmosphere and service,) and then there was Barcade.

Barcade is a large bar that specializes in two things: microbrewery beers and classic cabinet video games. Again, not being hipsters, we didn't hear about this place until four years after it opened. Once we did, however, we had to go.

It was the perfect date for us. Two drinks apiece and about ten bucks in quarters, and we whiled away several hours in an increasingly drunken festival of giggles and Game Overs. Many of the classic games we remembered were there, from Asteroids to Zaxxon. They had Ms. Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Centipede, and Tetris – hell yeah! Most of our time was spent playing Frogger, Moon Patrol, Q*Bert and Punch Out (Super Mario Bros. was sadly broken, and no-one seemed to be up to taking on Donkey Kong, possibly fearing the wrath of Billy Mitchell).

Of course, everyone's got their childhood favourites, so some might wonder why Berzerker but not Battlezone, Galaxian but not Space Invaders, Out Run but not Pole Position, Gauntlet but not Joust? Personally I'd also like to have tried early classics like Sea Wolf and Stunt Cycle, again, as well as the first laser disc game, Dragon's Lair. But in their place were games no doubt some people were glad to see that I'd never hear of before (Sinistar? Crystal Castles?).

There were no pinball games, alas, but there were pool and a varied jukebox. Being the old hags we are, when someone took it over with metalcore and the place got crowded, we headed out.

All in all, it was more fun than I've had in a while. Often after a couple drinks following a long day, I become paranoid and melancholy. Somehow, however, being around games I had played as a kid circumvented that by bringing back the excitement I felt then - and this time with no spending limits or heshers waiting outside to jump me! The combination was... oddly romantic.

Gooooo, Team! Or Not.

Having finally made it into the 2000nds, I now have a camera in my cell phone. Which makes it possible to share exciting moments like this with you.

On the way to the dentist, I stumbled upon a typical summer brouhaha at Rockefeller Center. I paused to see what was going on, and it turned out they were announcing the United States Olympic men’s basketball team. I came in just at the end of the introduction of the members, and the announcer was trying to get the crowd fired up.

Announcer: "Now let me hear you chant for them: U.S.A! U.S.A.!"

Crowd: "Meh."

I just love it when dunderheaded nationalism fizzles.

A Snowy Day In Brooklyn Town

Had me low, had me down...

But I'm not really low so much as tired, and the weather is a good excuse to hole in for a couple hours and contemplate my first day at the new job.

I was lucky that my first day turned out to be oddly quiet, as there was a lot to take in. The vet assistant I was shadowing was a big ol' dyke, also entering the vet tech program at LaGuardia. She showed me everything from where the cleaning supplies were located to how to read charts, from how to prepare ER stations to how to handle bodies. When I took a recently deceased cat in my arms, stiff with rigor mortis and looking disturbingly like my beloved Maya, to make a final pawprint in Sculpey as a keepsake for her person, we got misty together. When a small dog suddenly crashed and had to be given CPR, foaming blood pouring out of her mouth onto the floor, she suggested I watch to see what the ER team did. When one of the tiny puppies mistook my nose for a nipple (happens all the time) and tried to suckle, we laughed.

And laughter goes on a lot, there. Most of the team communicates with the easy, mildy insulting humour that people who like each other and have gone through important work do. Several times during the day, while I was learning how to run bloods, put together surgical packs, or just discussing the finer points of reptiles with the classmate who recommended me to the job and is now my co-worker, people told me unbidden that they love the place and stay there because it feels like a family. "You can always ask questions, and people are happy to teach you," I was told. And it was true. Several times, I didn't even have to ask. Someone who had noticed me watching or answered a few questions earlier would fill me in further. My head was swimming with new information, but it felt good.

Tomorrow is my second day. I bought some new scrubs, and I'm nervous and excited. I'll be working with a different team, and have new things to learn, accomplish, or maybe mess up. I'm hoping I do a good job. I've discovered that I like doing this kind of work, so far, and I want to do it well.

Hot Hot Hot!

What's so hot around here? Is it the fact that I just found out that I got all A grades in my courses this semester, despite the hospitalization?

Is it these views of the Pu'u O'o vent and flowing lava as taken by me from a helicopter over Kilauea volcano in Hawai'i?

(clicky makey biggy)

(clicky makey biggy)

No! It is my stepsister and old friend Liimu and the rest of Patti LaBelle's choir on Clash of the Choirs, 8:00 PM on NBC, tonight and tomorrow! I mean, sure, the show's a little cheesy, but watch them tear it up in this video. Be sure to watch and vote, Vote, VOTE as Liimu is supposed to have a solo on one of the last two nights. Note: she's the one in the front left, light skinned with a black skirt and sparkly top, dancin' like a natural-born foo'.

W00000T!!!

Photo-a-Go-Go

Two more of my photos got randomly picked up for schmap.com, a travel guide site. No money in it, but it was another nice surprise. The odd thing is, I think the pictures they chose (this and this) are some of the crappiest ones I have up on Flickr. No accounting for taste, I guess.

Anyway, this may just have motivated me to finally process the photos of Hawaii and NYC I've had on my computer for ages, and get them up. I may have a bit of free time, now that I'm on winter break.

Also, maybe I'll take some photos of the Messiah concert we're going to at Trinity Church tomorrow. Unless I fall over and injure myself on the ice and snow we're supposed to get overnight. Hey, this is me we're talking about.

Brooklyn's Got Talent

Lots of talent. And I've got... a little tiny piece of it.

Which means, aside from working feverishly to catch up in school and get my grades up (which is going... well, it's going), plus beginning to kick the search for any kind of semi-decent paying job into high gear (two interviews with temp agencies coming up, and pouring over listings on the student employment site and various others), I've had a little bit something good going on. I got some unexpected recognition for some of my photos.

Yep, when I recently checked my Flickr account for the first time in weeks, I had two requests to use some of my photos. One of them was a request to us this photo as a slide for a Remembrance Day musical performance in Vancouver. It's a local theatre project and pays nothing, but I was surprised and tickled to have someone just randomly discover one of my photos and ask to use it. I will get some sort of credit in the program, I'm told.

The second request came from a representative at priceless.com, a MasterCard promotion site that posts people's stories and photos of "priceless" experiences they've had. I guess she was searching Flickr, trying to drum up interest in their site, and she liked this set of my photos, because she asked me to submit a brief description of them and let them post them there. This one actually pays something, too. A nominal amount, really, but it's the first time anyone's paid me anything for my photos, so... neat, eh?

Anyway, it's nice to get a little encouragement and recognition while I'm so stressed out about other things. Now if only I could start making more money off my photography, maybe I wouldn't have to resort to temporary admin assistant work to get by for a while... sigh.

Art for Art's Sake

I've finally got some more photos of my mom's paintings up at her art blog site. Some of the ones that weren't yet up were older paintings, so I put them towards the bottom.

If you know anyone in the Mercer County, NJ area, tell them to go by and take a look at her exhibition at Orpha's coffee shop in Stillwell... maybe even buy, if they're that type.

But don't order the Toffee Frappeccino. It sucks.

P.S.: Next stop: MoMA! Chaaarge!

Ruh-Roh

I'm back from the wilds of New Jersey, and I thought I might get a chance to relax for a while today. Unfortunately, I feel like crap and we think my leg might be infected.

Sigh.

Back to the emergency room...

 

P.S.: No funnel cake, but I lots of photos and a pumpkin donut. I'll have more photos of my mom's art up on her blog soon, too.

Red Surprise

I found this photo in early 2005 on the downtown platform of the 66th street 1 station. I've meant to turn it in to Found magazine for some time, but I've never been able to do it. I think I like having it in my possession and just sharing it here and there.

I love the lurid quality of the overabundance of saturated red, the metal elevator doors juxtaposed with the gritty cinderblock, the glare of the flash. The girl in the picture is completely anonymous, so I can make up any story I want about where she is, why her picture is being taken, and why she is hiding her face. It's probably a simple reason, like a friend or family member was fooling around with her and snapped a picture when she didn't feel pretty. There are two high schools and a low income project nearby, so that wouldn't be surprising. But there's still that element of mystery: what if there's something more interesting or nefarious going on here? She's a victim of a killer who takes snapshots of his prey; she's a celebrity; she has an over-sensitivity to light; she was caught exiting a crime scene; she saw something she shouldn't have; she's had a surprise; her rival caught her wearing the jacket of the man she's having an affair with; she doesn't want you to see her tears; she was supposed to take the stairs; she's a stranger, and someone snapped her just because...

Make up a story. Go ahead. I'll listen.

Mother-in-Law on Board

Mother-in-law visit: so far, so good.

July 4th will herald not just our first trip to Roosevelt Island to watch the fireworks, but the first Meeting of The Moms.

More later...

Sundry

Giant-Ass Bed

Well, we done dood it. We finally got a new bed. King size, in fact. Simmons firm plush top, so it's steady with all those little coils, but the top gives.

It is HYOOOOGE. Like, I have to hop up to get my butt on it, and my legs dangle way off the ground. It's not a California King, because apparently 1-800-MATTRES leaves those on the West Coast, along with leaving off the last S for Savings. I think it will accommodate Mrs. Nator in all her lengthy glory, however. She can make up the couple inches of length by lying more diagonally.

Spending the money was scary, but with both of our backs giving out at times, it had to be done. Now we just have to try to keep the cats away from it, other than when we're in it. They're traumatized enough already by the movers schlepping it in. Anyone know how to rig up a boat horn to a pressure-sensitive mattres(s) pad?

Happy Pride

I guess. I dunno. I am so old and nest-y, I can't be bothered. Do I really want to sweat for hours watching a parade and then wander around trying to find a place to get a drink? No.

Wish Me Luck

on two things coming up. The first is today, when I have my exam to see if it's okay for me to take a beginning SCUBA class. I really want to take one in Hawaii. However, since I fat, lazy, on prescription drugs and have had spinal surgery, I have to get the okay from my doctor. I'll also be getting a blood test to make sure I got my measles-mumps-rubella vaccinations, because I have to verify that before I register for classes. I'm not worried about that, though. I just want my doctor to look at the SCUBA form while I'm there and tell me I'm healthy enough to do it. WoooOOOOnnns, please!

The second is cleaning for my mother-in-law's visit. She's coming on Wednesday, and thus far, I have been having a hard time getting my ass in gear. It's just pure procrastination stemming from feeling overwhelmed at how grubby this place is. There's no cure for my laziness long-term, I suspect, but a little boost of WoooOOOnns for one task couldn't hurt.

And that's it for now. I feel as though I've become rather boring, lately. Sorry if I have - there's just been a lot to do in preparation for school, mom-in-law's visit and Hawaii. My brain is rarely in the now, because I'm so excited about the close future. I guess if you're really bored, 1. fuck you, schmendrick & 2. you can go look at slideshows of my trip to the NY Botanical Garden or my visit with my sister, bro-in-law and the niece and nephew. I'm out!

Chompin' at the Bit

The hotel on the right is where will be staying in less than a month, my friends. See all that beautiful bright blue water with brownish bits in it all around? That's prime snorkeling reef, with gorgeous fish, coral of several kinds and a family of placid green turtles.

Have I mentioned I am going mad just waiting?

Foto-Fu: BKLYN, DUMBO to Downtown

Well, after five days of diddling, I've finally got my photo set up from my jaunt with Mrs. Nator and the dangerous outlaw, Helen the Felon. We all had brunch together down by Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the then Ms. Damnation and I walked around playing with our cameras and talking about cute animals, trendy transsexuals and poor dental hygiene.

The mysterious and oft-times dangerous Helen. Right after this photo was taken, she whirled and delivered me a devastating series of nerve-disabling blows with her ever-present nunchaku.

I did a lot of heavy processing on this batch of photos, trying out some new techniques. I like some of the effects, like the ghosting and bleeding saturation in the picture below, created by running HDR software on a set of non-aligned photos. This is actually an innocent capture of Ms. Damnation being led to the counter of a local diner... where she proceeded to demonstrate sixty-seven ways to kill a man with a plate of carrot cake and a straw! Anyway, go take a look at the set, if you have time (in slideshow mode if you want to see them in the best format, IMHO). I haven't finished all the tags yet, but I've got to get ready for my trip to corrupt the innocent babbies of Maryland, or at least the ones related to me. I've got a whole set of other photos from my visit to the New York Botanical Gardens to process and put up next week, and no doubt I'll have niece and nephew photos to natter about, too. Aren't you just thrilled? How will you stand the wait? By the way, this new set included a trip to the big dog run, so there are lots of cutesy-oogums photos of puppy-wuppies, for those of you who like that sort of thing. Never say I don't try to entertain the masses!

Blah Blah Moooo de Mumble, Corazoooonnn....

1. Because I am being completely unproductive today (again), here's a quick video of the kind of "music" we are forced to appreciate several times a week, courtesy of the church down the block. Besides proving that I walk like a duck, this video shows just how bad it can get. Actually, I will say that while sometimes the singing is slightly better, it is usually louder. And it gets loudest right about when I'm trying to go to sleep at night.

Please, people - ask God to cure your tone-deafness!

2. Speaking of unproductive, please send me some WOOOooooOOOONNs of good energy this week. For one thing, now that I've actually figured out some local vet offices I'm interested in, I actually have to go there and ask if they'd consider hiring and training me. Yes, I am just jumping at that opportunity for rejection, let me tell you!

3. Randomly, I also need WOOOOoooOOOONNs for finding my second fram damn SD card. I want to go down to Brighton Beach and Coney Island and take some photos before the place is completely destroyed, but I seem to have hidden that memory card someplace "safe"... from myself. I don't have a lot of money to buy a new one, so if y'all could ask the gremlins in my apartment to choke it up, that'd be great.

4. Last but not least, am I the kind of person who takes satisfaction in another person's death? Let's just say my dancing shoes may need more re-soling than they did after Reagan passed.

The Secret Life of Plants?

I took a few photos at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and its surroundings this weekend, where the cherry trees were still blooming, but it was much less crowded than during the Sakura Matsuri. The turtles and koi in the Japanese Tea Garden are especially brazen this time of year.

I was also surprised and thrilled to see that the lilacs were blooming. I get an almost primal thrill whenever I see and smell them. They always make me a bit weepy, too - and not just because they tweak my allergies. Besides being my favourites, they've always been my mother's too, so they remind me of being a small child and gathering them for her. I was a complete mama's girl, and even more so after she moved out when I was five or six. Any little thing we could share was extremely important to me, so along with my delight in the colours and sweet scent of these flowers, there's a bittersweet tang of longing associated with them.

The only other bit of flora guaranteed to make me cry are redwoods and sequoias. Mrs. Nator will tell you that I spent a good portion of our last trip to Muir Woods crying over them, partly because people have killed so many, and partly due to their overwhelming presence. Something about the age and magnificence of them touches me. Like when I am close to elephants, I feel a deep energy of life and wisdom coming thrumming from them. In the case of elephants, it could be that I am feeling the low-frequency and seismic noises they make to communicate. But, if that is so, what am I feeling from the trees?

Green-Wood 2: Electric Deadaloo

On Saturday I managed to make the bone-headed move of showing up to Green-Wood Cemetery a day early for the Forgotten NY tour. Once I realized my mistake, however, I decided to hoof it around the place myself. So I wouldn't know where Boss Tweed was buried. I got to discover all five ponds, the local wildlife and meet with some good friends in Kensington on the other side.

Here's the photo tour, which mainly focuses on critters and interesting memorials, and a little video of one of the ponds is below.

A Walk with Da Nator: Green-Wood Cemetery

Not to be out-done by Someone's back yard photos or so-and-so's continually classy Brooklyn pics, I present you with a photo and video tour from my home to Green-Wood Cemetery. The photos are in their own Flickr set, and each one has a caption describing it. The accompanying videos are below.

If you like this, I may do more. Enjoy!

Raining petals

From the Altar of Liberty

Magnolias before the Verrazano-Narrows

For other tours of the area, check out the Forgotten NY 5th Ave and Green-Wood tour pages, the sexy jesus tour of Green-Wood and the Green-Wood official site.

Things To Do When You're Unemployed

The Brooklyn Cherry Project

Done just for a giggle, but there are a few interesting photos among the lot, there.

A Lovely Day

It got up to 77 gorgeous, sunny, dry degrees here today. I slept in late, then traveled with Mrs. Nator to Bubby's Brooklyn, a popular restaurant with great fresh food and a waterfront view of the East River. After a terrific brunch, we noodled along the waterfront parks under the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, and stopped to sit in the sun by the river and watch kids play ball, boats going by, traffic humming over the bridges and ducks, gulls and cormorants diving for fish. The sun brought out the warm red in the brick of the old tobacco warehouse. It was nothing less than stunning.

(These photos are actually from a wedding we went to there in October, but you get the idea. Clickie pickie makey biggie.)

After that, we strolled along the waterfront past the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory housed in a 1920s fireboat house (alas, we were too full of pancakes to indulge further) and the Bargemusic barge. Then we noodled up past the old and current Watchtower buildings (yikes!) and stopped to watch the canines frolic in the Hillside Dog Park. We hadn't been there more than a few minutes before the owner of one cute Boston Terrier walked up to us; it was one of my old college roommates, who I'd emailed with recently but not seen for years!

We ended up having a great conversation with her. A bit over a year ago she, too, was happily laid off from her soul-killing corporate job. She was able to live off a publishing advance for a while (BTW, check our her book - she's funny!), and now is freelancing, as is her boyfriend. Hearing her recent history made me feel a lot better about the emotional ups and downs I've had, understand that it's okay to take advantage of this time and possibly even unemployment for a while to detox from corporate America (she rightly pointed out that I've been paying for the benefits all my working life), and that you can make a living doing things that interest you in a less structured way. I left excited to get together with her again, soon, and feeling like I have a better idea of how I want to utilize my next few weeks of time off. I think I'm going to start a real push to get my freelance businesses working first, and if that works out, I can try doing vet tech training part time or as a volunteer basis, without screwing up my unemployment. That's the plan right now, anyway.

Oh, and I want to go out and take more photos! Now that the weather is nice, it's time to enjoy doing that again. Plus, walking is good exercise.

After that, we wandered along the Brooklyn Heights Promenade enjoying the views, and imagined living in some of the wonderful old homes in the Heights, making our way towards Borough Hall and the Fulton Mall. It was here that perhaps the greatest miracle occurred: I was able to find a pair of jeans that fit me at a reasonable price in under half an hour! Truly the gods smiled on us this day.

After swinging by the drug store for some minor purchases, we hoofed it over to Atlantic Ave to catch the infamous B63 bus, which actually came pretty quickly. The ride over to Flatbush and up Fifth Ave was long, but it was fine for watching the happy, pale people emerged into the sun, lingering at outdoor cafés, window shopping and strolling beneath the pear trees in bloom.

And now it's time to settle down for the evening with a plateful of Mrs. Nator's homemade quesadillas and a smoothie. I actually feel more than human, again - I feel great!

Here's hoping all of you have lovely days coming your way...