Best TV commercial I've seen in awhile

Advertising a home pregnancy test:

"This is, without a doubt, the most advanced technology you'll ever pee on."

Enough said.

Hooray for other Ayn Rand fans

One of the most heartening things I've seen in awhile was a man on the subway concentrating intensely on a dog-eared copy of "Atlas Shrugged," one of my favorite, and certainly my least-appreciated favorite, books of all time.

Whoever he was, he made my day.

When you truly can't decide which pair of shoes you want to wear...

On the subway today I observed the man in the middle who is wearing one sneaker and one flip flop with socks. I won't even get into my feelings on people who wear socks with their sandals.

I'm still earnestly trying to figure out why one seemingly normal man would do this. 

No wonder casting directors expect us all to weigh 75 pounds...

I think the most noteworthy thing I ran into today was while I was waiting to audition for a political promo.

This girl was sitting across from me - my height, pretty attractive, probably a dress size 8 or so - complaining that she never gets cast because she's not skinny enough. I think, "yeah, that does suck. I hate how weightist this industry can be."

Then later, as she's getting up to go in, I notice that her resume claims that she's 5'4" (so far I'm with her) and that she weighs 110 pounds. Wait. Hold up. I don't even weigh 110 pounds and I'm a dress size 0/2 these days. The reason you're not getting cast is not that you're too heavy, it's that you're misrepresenting yourself! If you don't like how much you weigh, change it. Or at least don't put a ridiculously fake weight on the top of your resume!

I think she was beautiful the way she was, don't get me wrong. But 110? Come on.

War and Peace in Midtown

Today, during my many adventures, I was part of two very contrasting events. In one, we took the time to find inner and outer peace. In the other, factions at war were at the forefront.

The first was free yoga in Bryant Park. If you have never experienced it, you should. The setting is breathtakingly perfect for yoga practice...right in the middle of Midtown's peaceful oasis. And the price can't be beat. Seriously, guys. Tuesdays at 10 AM and Thursdays at 6 PM all summer long. I highly recommend it.

The second was a study in contrast. Apparently, the Dalai Lama was engaged to speak at Radio City Music Hall this afternoon and some members of a Buddhist sect took issue with that. There were a couple of hundred people chanting "Dalai Lama. Hypocrite!" and waving big signs claiming that the Dalai Lama discriminated against them. Now whether or not that's true is really more than I can judge, given the information I have. My guess is that the Dalai Lama is a pretty decent guy, though I could definitely be wrong. And I have been before.

So today you get two pictures because for them to both happen to me in one day was just too priceless to pass up.

The Green Army in Bryant Park

I sat in Bryant Park for about two hours today and saw very little of interest, although I was approached by a Hare Krishna. Hooray.

According to the Bryant Park website, there are over 2,000 of these functional, if lacking in inspiration, green chairs scattered throughout the park. That's a shitload of chairs. Just imagine what they could do if they could organize. I mean, what couldn't a labor union comprised of over 2,000 green lawn chairs do, really? I just was amazed at that number. Alright, I'm done with the chairs now.

I also thought it was amusing the the lawn had to "rest" after having a big event take place there. What a peculiar wording on the sign that references why I couldn't sunbathe on the grass today.

Day One

I'm new to the world of blogging, so go easy on me. My experience thus far has been restricted to "oh my god, my life is so busy and hard" -esque livejournal entries, but I want this to be something that's much more.

I need an outlet for the crazy things I see and hear throughout my day. As they say, "only in New York.

Where else could I write about the outrage I felt at hearing a 16-year-old boy wolf whistle at me? Or the giggle I suppressed when a herd of cops with automatic weapons stepped aside to let me pass on the subway station steps and reassured me that "these are the safest stairs in the city, ma'am"?

Hopefully, I'll be able to capture some priceless moments on camera, as well. For now, I'll leave you with this gem that I mined riding the W downtown to 8th street the other day. I know it's dark and fuzzy, but it's hard to take a picture of someone without them noticing, okay?

That girl on the left has got some serious hair going on.