Stacy Horn

While I was swimming, One World Trade Center became the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. I just took a picture and compared it to the one I took yesterday. Yes, one piece of spire has been added to what was there yesterday.

American Idol: I’ve been fast forwarding through Mariah Carey for weeks now. I’m sure she’s a perfectly nice person, but JFC she goes on and on and on and on without saying a meaningful thing. Make Harry Connick, Jr a judge (“She’s mean she’s a thief.” God, I love him.)

Bones: I don’t watch tv to feel unhappy. I know you want to explore story lines with depth and emotion, but frankly, I can’t take it. I accept that this is my problem though. What isn’t my problem is my rejection of the character Pelant. I’ve said this so many times, but evil genius murderers are so rare as to be borderline non-existent. I accept that some people think they make great tv, but Pelant is beyond the pale. You’ve given him super powers to the point of utter ridiculousness, AND you’re repeating yourselves: Gormogon and the Gravedigger (I found those two less egregious however, and the Gormogon thread was mostly fun until it cost us Zack). I still love Bones. Must be said. And more realistic murderers would not fit this show, they’d be actually even more depressing in their way. I wonder if you’d be willing to address domestic terrorism perhaps? Criminal enterprise murders (but not mob murders, enough already there), family and mental illness, serial killers who join the military?

Project Runaway: Can’t wait for the fireworks tonight! I hope those teasers weren’t fake-outs.

Apparently I never tire of taking pictures of shoes.

Every day I look at One World Trade and think, ‘Damnit. They are not making any progress!’ Here is what it looked like from my window five months ago in December.

Here is how it looked just minutes ago. So okay, making progress. But I’m confused. I’m posting an update because I’d read the other day that it’s now the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere (not that I care about that aspect of it).

Except today I read that due to the weather they had to postpone adding the spire which would make it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The reason I’m confused is if you scroll down again and look closer, there already is a spire on top.

See it? Is that just a placeholder spire? Maybe they’re going to put a spire on top of the spire?

I was sixteen years old and so excited to see The Exorcist I took a train from Long Island into the city, where the movie had opened first. I went alone because I couldn’t find anyone to go with me and I couldn’t wait. Big mistake. The movie so completely terrified me I didn’t think I would ever go to a horror movie again. I’ll never forget riding back to Penn Station on the subway and looking into the faces of the people around me. ‘Anyone on this train might be possessed,’ I thought. Seriously. The movie freaked me out that much. Fear drove me temporarily insane.

Which made what happened next all the more unforgettable. Not long after I was cutting through the parking lot of a drive-in movie theatre to visit a friend. Up on that huge screen was The Exorcist. I froze. I practically had a panic attack right there on the spot. ‘Just don’t look up,” I told myself and walked on. ‘Don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up.’

Of course I looked up. I couldn’t resist. I watched one of the scariest scenes from the movie, the one where the little girl’s head turns completely around while things are flying through the air all around her. I watched that and I laughed.

It was a drive-in and I was seeing this without sound, and without sound the exact same scene was no longer frightening, but so over-the-top visually it was funny. It was the sounds that had scared me. It was an incredible revelation to me. The exact same scene! That is how powerfully sound effects you, I realized. It can take something that on the face of it is laughable and drive you out of your mind with terror.

I took these on the way to the Brill Building event at the Performing Arts branch of the New York Public Library. The Loser’s Lounge singers and musicians performed the songs division chief George Boziwick talked about and they were magnificent as always. This is the fountain at Lincoln Center.

This was a wedding party passing through Times Square.

I hit “publish” before writing anything! This is Finney sleeping on my lap with his paw raised up in the air for no discernible reason. He just slept that way. Pretty cute, right? Or, evil even in his sleep? He is ready to attack even while napping.