Month: May 2011

I felt some compassion for George Bush when I heard he declined Obama’s invitation to join him at the WTC tomorrow. The man is a little bitter and has had enough. And maybe that’s the price you pay for the economy and getting us into Iraq, (and eroding our freedom and privacy and really, I could go on) but still. To go from standing in the rubble with a bullhorn vowing revenge, to where he is today, not even being able to show up. Oh how the mighty have fallen, as they say.

I am not one to revel in anyone’s downfall, however. Maybe someday he will manage a dignified return. Nixon did.

When I sent my camera to be fixed I asked them to check the focus, because for a long time I had trouble getting the pictures to be sharp. Well, they found something and fixed it and man what a difference. Look how sharp the Statue of Liberty is! And that’s I don’t know how far away, but it’s far!

He talked about energy, energy innovations, alternatives, energy in the future. He was just so seriously informed. Do I know as much about the things I research as he does about the things he investigates? (No, I don’t think so, I must admit.)

Yikes. I’m going to this all day conference downtown and I wanted to walk there and I just realized that to do that I have to jump into the shower and leave NOW. Bill Gates is the keynote speaker and he is going on at 9am.

Here’s a photograph from this weekend. This is actually from a discrete angle, because her dress was cut so you could see EVERYTHING. I thought I must be on Candid Camera or something. What was she thinking?? She knew because occasionally people would call out to her.

I have so many mixed feelings and I hesitate to post them because I’m sure each one of them will upset some group, but here is what I’m feeling. First, I wish he could have been taken alive. Not a criticism of the Navy Seals involved in the mission, it probably wasn’t possible, but I wanted him to stand trial. I understand there would have been about a half a million downsides to this, but I believe a life in prison would have been a worse punishment than death. I’m actually crueler than people who wanted him torn limb from limb. When I used to imagine his capture all the soldiers were female, because I knew for him that would be the most humiliating. But keeping him in prison would probably have been too inflammatory, and very expensive.

Second, this was likely a necessary death, but that fact that a human being was so damaged and destructive we had to destroy him is a terrible thing.

Third, I was thinking of going down to ground zero but I don’t want to hear chants of USA, USA. I would prefer to promote appreciation and respect for all countries and not the idea that America is the best. I would prefer to chant the names of all countries.

This picture was from a protest yesterday. There were lots of signs but most were against deportation. My absolute favorite thing about New York City is the diversity. When I run out to get milk for my coffee (Half and Half actually!) between my apartment and the grocery store I’ll hear a dozen different accents and languages. So I don’t want my neighbors deported either.

I always thought I was the kind of person that when the time came and my looks started to go, I’d do something about it. I’d consider “procedures.” Well, the time is here and I don’t want to do anything. Well, except for something called thermage, because it’s non-invasive and I’ve heard nothing but good things about it. I can’t afford it though so that’s that and it’s not important anyway.

Now that I’ve made this decision I love whenever I read something that confirms that I’ve made the right decision. I was thrilled to read in the Times today that the fat removed when you have liposuction comes back, but in different places! Ew. Article here.

Here’s the thing. The women in the control group, who had to agree not to get liposuction during the research period, were told that they could get liposuction when it was over if they still wanted it, after learning the results. Well, in spite of the results, “the women in the study who had liposuction were happy, Dr. Eckel said. They had hated their hips and thighs and just wanted that fat gone. As for the women in the control group, when the study ended and they knew the results, more than half still chose to have liposuction.”

I took this yesterday in front of St. Vincents where they were getting ready for a protest. Backstory: St. Vincents, the only hospital in the area closed. They’re going to put some sort of emergency care facility there in its place, but it won’t be complete. I agree with the protesters. What if you’re taken there but it turns out they don’t have the kind of doctor or equipment you need? We need a real hospital.