Moblogged.jpg
« November 2004 | Main | January 2005 »
December 31, 2004
December 30, 2004
Red Bamboo and 'Snice
Red Bamboo was my first taste of vegan Fish Sticks. I don't generally like fish, to eat, or to look at. I was stung by jellyfish twice when I studied abroad in Costa Rica, and when I was in kindergarten I woke up one morning to see that one of my fish half ate another of my fish that shared its tank. And my first step to vegetarianism happened when I was four or five years old and got my first fish, and realized it was the same thing as what we eat, and stopped eating fish. I didn't extend the same logic to other animals, at that point. Also, when I was in kindergarten we had a fish tank in the classroom that wasn't properly covered and the fish would regularly jump out of the tank to their deaths, and someone told me then about suicide, and that was a really difficult concept for me, as a kindergartener. Why would people take their lives, and was that really the intention of fish? Also, my first job out of college we had no heat or health insurance but we did have this giant fishtank with fierce saltwater fish that had to be fed other fish every morning.
Clearly, I have a strong reaction to fish, and had to put that all aside and remind myself that the ones at Red Bamboo were indeed made of soy, but they tasted great! I highly recommend this place. The tartar sauce was exemplary and the cakes were some of the best ever, rivaled only by Teany, which I suspect may get their cakes from the same place (wherever this magical cake place may be!).
For great vegan lunches, I suggest 'Snice, at west 4th street (45 8th avenue)-- it's close to the A train 14th street stop. They have soy hot chocolate with vegan marshmallows (made with refined sugar, though) that you can get in coffee or cinnamon flavor. The sandwiches are amazing, and the baked goods are second to none. They also offer free wireless Internet, and the sandwiches are all about $7, each. The small soy hot chocolate with two marshmallows is $2 and the large is $3. Red Bamboo is a little more expensive, but also has great lunch deals, with sandwiches in the $7 and $8 range.
December 29, 2004
More bad service
A few days ago we got a hot Cosi beverage to share in Jenny's large mug-- we often just carry around our own mugs to save paper cups. So, we're sitting in Cosi close to dinner time drinking from our own travel mug. There are other people sitting there just drinking beverages, not ordering anything-- lots of other people just drinking beverages. The first Cosi worker comes up to us and explains that they're getting busy and only Cosi customers can sit there. We explain that we used our own cup to help out the environment but the beverage inside is Cosi. She leaves. A second Cosi worker comes up a few seconds later and says the manager spoke to us, and she's explaining again that we need to order something. We explain again that although the cups is ours, the beverage is theirs. She leaves and they give us a few more suspicious looks and we leave.
So, either don't go to Cosi, or save your receipt.
Customer Service
Working in public service, I'm very aware that bad service is often the result of bad policies that a customer service representative has to enforce, rather than just plain bad service. Usually the poor person is trying so hard to enforce a bad policy, and has put up with so much crap about the policies, that by the end of their shift, they're just plain mad about everything. Also, some people are just really mean, and it's very difficult to absorb the bad karma from one really nasty person and turn around and just be nice to the next person. It's actually near impossible. You have to be a yoga-master to emanate enough inner-peace to calm someone who happens to be angry already, and then not let their anger upset you enough to be angry at the next person. Anger is much more catching than inner-peace.
So, having said that....
A few mornings ago I got a slip in the mail that the carrier tried to deliver a package and failed. Usually they leave the package with the super, but this slip didn't say anything, so I headed over to the post office the next morning, as soon as they opened (before work). I arrived at 8:05, and there was a line of people. There were two windows-- one for sending mail and the other for picking up mail. There was someone at the sending mail window, but nobody at the picking up mail window. So, I waited. A few people muttered about how this always happens and left the line. At 8:10 we asked the guy at the other window where the person was for our window. He said the person was here but couldn't leave his window to do anything about it. So, at 8:15 I called the 1800-post office number on the slip and asked them to call the post office and ask the post office workers to come to the window and help us out. They couldn't dial out, so instead I just registered a complaint. At 8:20, I'm about to give up when a person finally shows up at the window. She wordlessly takes my slip and walks away. At 8:30 I'm wondering where she is, and this other guy comes out. I ask him what happened and he explains that it takes a while to find the packages. At 8:35 I ask him for help and he says, "what do you want me to do about it?" so I ask him to help her find my package. He shrugs, but otherwise ignores me. At 8:40 she finally comes out and says she has no idea where my package is. I have to go to work, and there's a long angry line behind me. So, I just leave. On my way back into the building, the super's wife lets me know there's a package for me!
December 26, 2004
Moblogged.jpg
Moblogged.jpg
December 23, 2004
YA librarian
I just found out that I'm going to be a YA librarian at the Fort Washington branch of the NYPL. This is quite a departure for me from teaching adults to use computers. I haven't started yet, but yesterday, as part of my training, I spent a day at Teen Central at Donnell. Teen Central is part of a trend towards giving teens a space in the library and a role other than that of "troublemakers". I wish more of the branches could have a similar space set aside for teens, and I'm not not the only one who feels this way. Most every adult that came by said something along the lines of, "I wish they had this when I was a teen." They have music and movies and poetry writing. Contrast this to where Kate works in the Bronx where the kids have to amuse themselves by climbing on cars.
December 19, 2004
Nutritional Yeast.
Why is nutritional yeast so good? It's the most amazing food ever. I love nutritional yeast. It's great on popcorn, and I bet it's fantastic on soy dogs, and I've heard you can even use it as a mac n' cheese substitute. This is one of my favorite foods ever.
Our cat absolutely loves brussels
Our cat absolutely loves brussels sprouts! He jumps on the table and bats them right off our forks. In these pictures, we've decided to willingly share with him.
December 18, 2004
Hip Whip. Expired?
We tried HipWhip for the first time last night and it was terrible. We got it from Fairway's cold room, and wonder if it was expired (the website says it only keeps for 4-5 days in the fridge, not frozen)-- has anyone else tried it? It had this fruit-gone-bad aftertaste.
December 15, 2004
Global Warming
Album covers
I'm not sure why, but the album cover for Lindsay Lohan's debut really reminds me of Culture Club's "Kissing to be Clever" album. Must be the use of purple and the '80s inspiration.
 |  |
December 14, 2004
ANTM 2004 interview
Jettisoned Ann reveals that she's not a lesbian.
December 7, 2004
Not law school.
I'm very glad I'm not in law school right now. Instead Jenny and I are both starting NYU's Wagner School in the spring, part-time.
December 6, 2004
Thanksgiving
Kate and I had a nice Thanksgiving with non-vegetarian members of her family. There was a friend of her family there that was also a vegetarian. As it usually goes when you're the vegetarians in a non-vegetarian setting, the topic often turns to what vegetarians eat. Someone asked the friend of the family why she wasn't vegan. I don't think that everyone needs to be vegan, but her response really shocked me. She said that vegans don't know that a cow that is not milked will die. I didn't say anything at dinner, but remarked later to Kate that it doesn't even make any sense. Even if it were true, it would probably be because of the massive amounts of horomones and milk-producing drugs that cows are pumped up with. Has anyone else heard this before?
December 3, 2004
Burning the gay books
ALA writes about the "bill barring the use of state funds for the purchase of textbooks or library materials that sanction, recognize, foster, or promote homosexuality as an acceptable lifestyle that's been prefiled for Alabama’s 2005 legislative session.
December 2, 2004
PTB
Park Terrace Bistro has a website! If you live in Inwood or Washington Heights, I highly recommend this place. It's even worth travelling uptown for. If you're coming up north, I'd also check out the mojito bar at DR-K.
Elevator Accident
Kate and I helped teach Ed Helig to use a computer. We're sad he's gone.
The Piano Man
We have an upstairs neighbor that plays the piano professionally and I think gives lessons too. The only thing is we can hear every note downstairs. Now, when I'm in a generous mood, I don't mind terribly. Inwood's a little like a musician's colony and sometimes you can even hear opera singers in the buildings next door. However, last night he sang us a song too many. While I was making dinner, he launched into "The Entertainer", which prompted me to exclaim, out loud, to myself, "Oh lord, please help me." But I'm tough, I was in high school band, so I can bounce back from a little John Phillip Sousa. The music continued into the night, until 10pm (he usually stops around 10pm). Then, this morning he started up again, which made me suspect that he's on crystal meth.
Ped mall display on 53rd and Lex
The cat is watching the fish tank.
X-mas animatronics on 53rd and Lexington
The dolls were a little creepy, but I love how the pets are all being naughty. The cat is battling at the doll's untied shoelaces (perhaps this was an ode to Kevin Federline?)
Ped mall display on 53rd and Lex
The dog is pulling the sock off of the puppet's foot.