Author: Stacy Horn

There was a time when a new dress was one of my favorite things! I sought them out, twirled around in my apartment in them when I found a great one. If selfies were a thing back than I’d have a million shots of me spinning around my apartment, a maniacal fashion pixie. Back then I’d hit the streets in one of my dresses and feel like I could conquer the world. It was my superhero suit.

I still enjoy dressing up from time to time, but it never means putting on a dress. It’s great looking jeans, boots, a cute top and I’m done. It still feels like a superhero suit though. I think it’s the boots.

A quick shot during the intermission at the Loser’s Lounge last night. The woman at the very right, with the short blonde hair and in the gold dress is one of the performers, Cici James. Now that’s a great dress! If I was in my twenties I’d be plotting how to get it myself (then making sure I don’t travel in the same circles as Cici James!) or something else by the same designer.

Tonight I will be listening to the Loser’s Lounge tribute to Blondie and the Pretenders, so today is a good day no matter what. (Famous last words.)

Apparently I’m one of the few who is happy about all this snow. I walk around with a smile on my face. Has anyone ever seen this snow-shoveling sign before? I haven’t.

Riley Brea was one of my top favorites! I can’t believe he wasn’t one of the top 8. He’s only 18 though. Hopefully this will all be a soon-to-be-forgotten blip in his life and career, but I would liked to have seen more of him now. Adam is my other favorite, so I’m glad he made it through, although I really think he needs to drop the wild and crazy class clown persona. I’m not saying this isn’t a genuine side to him, but it’s tiresome when it’s all you see.

I don’t have a favorite girl yet. Actually, my favorite was already eliminated, but I don’t remember her name. I think she was from New Orleans. That reminds me, there was another girl I loved, Harry played the piano while she sang. She wasn’t even sent to Hollywood! I was shocked.

Harry Connick, Jr. is still the best thing about this show. I wish they gave him more time to critique. I really appreciate his precise and informed take. If I was a singer I’d want to hear his suggestions. Overall, I didn’t think the singers did Motown justice, although there was some good moments. Most of it was a mess or a bit of a bore, alas.

Another shot taken the same day as the one I posted yesterday. I’m guessing I’m somewhere in my 30’s when this picture was taken.

Echo is an online service I opened to the public in 1990. It was an early social network except we called them virtual communities at the time (and it’s still around). See the dial up modems? Remember them? I don’t know when this picture was taken but it had to have been in the very early 1990’s. I think there are 2400 baud modems in this shot! The top shelf has what was then the newest, fastest modems. 9600. Haha.

The picture below is of New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton and First Grade Detective Wendell Stradford of the Cold Case Squad (I wrote about Wendell in my book The Restless Sleep). I forget what Wendell told me this picture was for! Probably for a ceremony for the plaque of Jack Maple they are standing in front of. Jack Maple was a Lieutenant with the New York Transit Police when he came up with the system that would later evolve into Compstat. Bratton was then the Chief of the Transit Police. When Giuliani appointed Bratton Police Commissioner in 1994, Bratton brought Maple along as his Deputy Commissioner of Operations.

The early history of Compstat is fascinating and brutal, and not everything that came out of it is a great thing. I remember thinking it was hard to understand why something like Compstat wasn’t in place long before, but it’s not surprising that the murder rate dropped so dramatically once it was (and other crimes too, but when I was researching my book I was only looking at homicides and the history of homicide in New York City).

No one could tell me for sure who first floated the idea of a cold case squad, but everyone was pretty sure it was Jack Maple. Thank you, Jack Maple.