Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! We went to my Dad's girlfriend's son's house and had a turkey-free Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, it was also soy and apple-free. There were also vegan and wheat-free options. So many weird allergies ...

The Inwood Arts stroll attracted people to Two07Art, the new gallery in Inwood, and New Heights Realty and other Inwood stores also had artists' work on display.

It's really cool that this underserved neighborhood is attracting artists and new stores.


Our kitchen-cabinet project almost merits a journal all it's own, just like the marathon journal. Sanding 40 years worth of gunk from cabinets is really hard. Soon we're going to test the stain just to make sure that all the sanding effort is worth it.



posted by Kate Lyons 6:08 PM

Wednesday, November 26, 2003

Friends of Fort Tryon Park website is a great resource for activities in Fort Tryon park.

posted by Kate Lyons 4:08 PM

Saturday, November 22, 2003

We recently learned how to replace an old doorknob with a new one. We're still working on how to refinish kitchen cabinets and regrout bathroom tiles. Today we tried to avoid regrouting with this special cleaner. All we learned was that our old grout wasn't that dirty, it's just naturally a weird color. Who uses sand colored grout with white tiles? Did they use cement? This is a good lesson for us, as we're thinking of putting down new floors. We're stuck deciding between pergo and hardwood. Pergo is easier to maintain and a little cheaper, but hardwood is forever. Note: Jenny is absolutely amazing at convincing me that we're in a whole new apartment. I know it's a great deal, buying the apartment, but still, it feels so much more permanent than renting, and now I'm stuck forever in the apartment I grew up in. Anyway... we haven't closed yet. And really, it means freedom. We can sell it and not feel like we're losing rent stabilization. Of course, that's because we lose rent stabilization the day we close. Our monthly charges alone will be about what our rent was, and on top we'll have to pay mortgage.

posted by Kate Lyons 10:50 PM

Friday, November 21, 2003

We decided to have dinner at Kismet Indian restaurant in Washington Heights (187th street and Ft. Washington avenue). Afterwards we walked around the neighborhood and found Bleu Evolution and the Monkey Bar.We also found this other new restaurant-- all around 187th street.












We were so impressed by our new neighborhood we started exploring. We walked by a weird sign nestled on Pinehurst Avenue and 183rd street.

Past the door was this little table

and a cute cafe!

Of course a changing neighborhood brings corporate giants!

But right next to the Starbucks on 181st street is this Emilou Cafe.

posted by Kate Lyons 10:28 PM

This Sunday is the Uptown Arts Stroll. Especially be sure to check out Two07Art Gallery (634 W 207th St). On Tuesday November 25th is the grand opening of the new Brick Oven Pizza place (4973 Broadway).

posted by Kate Lyons 11:28 AM

Above Harlem, there's Washington Heights. Above that even, pratically in the Bronx, is this little-known neighborhood at the very tip of Manhattan, called Inwood. When Jenny and I tell people where we live, often they say they didn't even realize Manhattan went all the way up to the 200s. They know Harlem is up there somewhere, but above West 116th, well...

well... this is changing.

Little Seed Gardens Community Supported Agriculture Group means we now have the start of our own food co-op! New Heights Realty apartments are sky-rocketing! If you had bought an apartment 2 years ago, the value today would probably have doubled. We're still affordable (you can get a really large 1 bedroom up here, for the price of a tiny studio downtown), but we're not that affordable. They're listing 2-bedrooms for over 300k these days.

With Fort Tryon Park and the Cloisters Museum (looks like a castle), it only makes sense that we have our very own Inwood Shakespeare Festival. If you do visit the cloisters, be sure to have dinner at New Leaf Cafe (at the Cloisters Museum).

You can relax at uptown Yoga (West 204th Street) and then have dinner at Bleu Evolution.

We're also soon to be a mere 10 blocks from the new Target mall-- the only Target store in all of Manhattan, right over the bridge at 225th street.

posted by Kate Lyons 10:55 AM

Wednesday, November 19, 2003

On www.deanforamerica.com Howard Dean sounds very liberal on his view of marriage. I was reading this New York Times article today that says, Most of the Democratic presidential candidates went to great lengths on Tuesday to emphasize that they opposed gay marriage, even as they restated their support for some forms of legal rights for same-sex couples. And I figured that "most of the Democratic presidential candidates" certainly didn't include Dean. Then I reread his position on the issue and realized he doesn't say anywhere that he supports gay marriage.

posted by Kate Lyons 10:36 AM

Wednesday, November 12, 2003

The New York Public Library now offers Wi-Fi access in nearly all of its public spaces!

posted by Jenny Baum 5:09 PM

Friday, November 07, 2003

Uma says that her muscles "entropied" instead of "atrophied" in Kill Bill. QT left it in because it was so Uma. Can she do no wrong in his eyes? Kate picked up on it, but I didn't. I accidentally read a spoiler of the Bride's name in the next film. Supposedly, it has no bearing on the film, but I wish I could take it back.

posted by Jenny Baum 5:48 PM

This site explains the Poe Park stone "Eureka. Hog." (see below) Eureka was Poe's last work about Newtonian physics, and I guess Hog is a reference to Baconian influences ("bacon" get it? a pun worthy of the Muppets)

posted by Jenny Baum 5:44 PM

You are "The Bride", you're the women who
was screwed over by her friends and boss, Bill,
and you know seek revenge without any fear.


Which Kill Bill Character are you: Volume 1
brought to you by Quizilla


posted by Jenny Baum 5:12 PM

You are The Bride. Four and a half years ago, you
tried to leave the Deadly Viper Assassination
Squad and their leader, Bill, wouldn't let you.
The DiVAS stormed your wedding and killed
everyone inside. Bill even shot you in the
head, but you didn't die. Now you live to get
revenge for the deaths of the people at your
wedding and your baby.


Which Kill Bill Volume 1 character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla


posted by Jenny Baum 5:06 PM

You are "The Bride". Congrats to you! You
are the offset one. The one that has anger
issues and tends to display such in public.
But, on the otherhand, you can be very
sentimental, you care for ones you love,
whether it be a lover or a family member, or
even a dear friend, you protect, and that can
be scary.


How Black Mamba are you? (Direct from Kill Bill)
brought to you by Quizilla


posted by Jenny Baum 5:05 PM

I guess Mary Johnson's Quizilla addiction is rubbing off on me...


Hey, you're Bikini Kill Kathleen Hanna

Everyone love you...except Courtney Love. You are
unafraid of attacking stereotypes and as cheesy
as it sounds...you just want to rock. But you
want to tell the world what's wrong with it
too.


Which Kathleen Hanna Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


posted by Jenny Baum 4:56 PM

Tuesday, November 04, 2003

Have you noticed that city park signs have gotten really passive aggressive since we were kids? Instead of "Please clean up after your dog." they now say "If you don't clean up after your dog, you don't deserve to own one." and instead of "Don't litter." they say something like "Want to keep $100? Put your trash in the proper recepticle." It's like they tried to copy the Crunch gym signs and missed the sly wink, choosing instead to go for the jugular.

posted by Jenny Baum 9:50 PM

A Day in the Bronx with your host, Jenny




Kingsbridge graffiti




Note the ode to Charles Bronson. I haven't seen a "Death Wish" movie in years.




Caption reads: "Stop bitchin' What have you done to make this world a better place? ... Well?" An excellent question.




Edgar Allen Poe's cottage in Poe Park. I haven't been in it yet, but it's really quite small. I walk past it every Tuesday when I go to the Farmers' Market.







A strange little dedication in Poe Park. I assume it's a reference to one of his works, but I don't know which. It reads: "Eureka. Hog."



The Raven.

posted by Jenny Baum 9:36 PM

Monday, November 03, 2003

From MTV's Diddy Runs the City:

P Diddy (taking off his Nike's undoing his sock, incredulous): What the f--k is that?

Trainer: A blood blister.

P Diddy: A what?!

Trainer: Your toenail will go black and fall off and then grow back.

P Diddy: Will it grow back regular?

Trainer (taking off shoes): -- Look at this

P Diddy (pause): --Yo, you got some F---ed up feet!

posted by Jenny Baum 5:37 PM

Sunday, November 02, 2003

Happy Halloween everyone!


Vicki from Small Wonder




Buffy Extra

posted by Jenny Baum 6:27 PM

Saturday, November 01, 2003

www.noperiod.com

posted by Kate Lyons 4:26 PM

Our little black cat has a new swollen bit of skin under his chin. It might be related to his previous swollen lip problem. If it isn't better in a few days we'll take him to the vet.

Jenny's parents still haven't seen Gina. Maybe she's lost to the streets of Chicago forever. In Jenny's parent's neighborhood, she's most likely sucking a Starbucks milk drink and watching the old Victorians get rennovations. Weird how neighborhoods change, but then, living in the Inwood section of Northern Manhattan, I know how that goes.

We're getting a new brick oven pizza place, and we got this cute cafe with a flat screen TV! And the Target mall with the multi-plex movie theater.

Anyway, Gina has run off.

posted by Kate Lyons 4:22 PM