ah, city living

it appears that my neighbor has returned from the thanksgiving holiday with his clarinet, given the sounds emanating from next door. 

having played the clarinet myself for two weeks in the fourth grade, i can appreciate this delightful instrument. 

that said, i might just want danger zone back. 

christmas, christmas time is here

when on shuffle, my iPod loves to queue up the charlie brown christmas song (christmas time is here by vince guaraldi). this is regardless of the time of year. 

but i decided to play it for myself when i came across this little guy in urban outfitters - your very own "charlie brown chistmas tree" and below, a "linus blanket" accessory. 

i'm not sure i believe this headline

but if it's true, i've got enough grunge & hair band cassettes from my formative years to make me very popular with music aficionados worldwide. time to dig out a few soundgarden and motley crue gems. 

admirable, but coco loco (medical edition)

here's a contribution from TFAAF reader murphdawg20, who recently hit the work vending machine for some advil to cure a headache. tucked inside, claimed the corner of the package, a drinking cup included: 

which, as you can see, turned out to be a envelope that may or may not be capable of holding liquids. convenient, but likely disastrous. net, admirable but coco loco:

 

they're baaack...

just when i thought facebook was being nice to me again, here comes a new trio strip of diet ads. 

hey fb, thanks. 

table topic #22

in honor of turkey day, here is a festive table topic:

22. What is your favorite part of the Thanksgiving holiday? 

well, thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday. that said, i don't mind having a nice 4 day weekend. 

as far as the meal goes, i do love me some cranberry sauce. not the homemade variety - the more canned, the better. ring imprints and all. yum. 

happy birthday, m'lady!

happy b'day to loyal TFAAF reader, whatevs of sweet pleats fame. 

hope you have a phantastic day! 

it's a little chilly

OK, who turned on the fountain when it was 29 degrees outside? oops. 

hey donkey...say hi to your mother for me

another bizarro lobby swap. this time a fine copy of Straight from the Horse's Mouth: How to Talk to Animals and Get Answers. 

um, ew

who approved a fetus cookie cutter?? 

all kinds of wrong. 

um, ew (part deux)

i will never be thirsty again. 

goodbye, nashville

had a lovely trip to nashville this week. really like that town, i have to say. 

stayed at the loews for work. i like that the loews embraces nashville's songwriter heritage and has relevant lyrics posted all over the joint. i particularly like this one as you pull in:

thought i would make the rest of today's posts nashville-inspired. enjoy!

i love a little gift shop wisdom

subway is just jealous

and  yes, i did violate the subway decree. i'm sorry, but i needed a latte, not a $5 footlong at 9am. 

song of the trip

obviously, a lot of country music stations in nashville. the best song, by far, that i came across was called "cheater, cheater" by joey+rory. 

the title gives away the topic. but the lyrics are the kicker. here's a sampling: 

Now I'm not one to judge someone that I ain't never met
But to lay your hands on a married man is bout as low as a gal can get
Hey I wish her well as she rots in hell and you can tell her I said so
Cheater, cheater where'd you meet that no good, white trash ho?

words of wisdom - from dolly

this was outside the country music hall of fame, which was pretty interesting. it's similar to the rock & roll hall of fame exhibit-wise. i just wish i was more into country music to appreciate it a bit more. 

who knew?

that after hunting you could make art? here is a snap of hank williams's "squirrel sculpture" highlighting a mini-stuffed squirrel band. i think the leopard curtain around the stage was a nice touch. 

this little gnome...

is off to nashville for a few days. here's hoping for some cheese grits. ciao for now!

table topic #21

a multiple choice this week...

21. Would you rather be too hot or too cold?

hmmm....this is a tough one. but quite apropos this time of year when the office thermostat swings like a pendulum. 

i think i'll have to go too hot on this one. 

who approved this?

just in time for christmas, it's the gwen stefani doll. hollaback! 

is it just me...?

or, is it a bit bizarro that one of my neighbors seems to have been playing "danger zone" at the top of every hour yesterday? 

unlikely inspiration

came across another "become your dream" tonight. later occurred to me that it was from new york street artist and "sidewalk philosopher," de la vega. used to see his stuff on my way to the subway all the time. not quite a banksy, but i like it nonetheless. 

bizarro animal #1

a fine stuffed, caged buffalo. 

bizarro animal #2

who wouldn't love a 5 foot bronze saxophonist frog? 

good news, bad news

the good news is...the red cups are here!!!

the bad news is that the beloved gingerbread latte has been replaced by the gingersnap latte. it's just not the same. sigh. 

my new obsession

is the very cute iCamp, trailer camper. 

unfortch, it turns out they go for about $15,000-$20,000 so not quite in the cards. 

then again, it's about half my rent - think i can get away with this on the streets of new york? 

that must be nice

but, i wonder how this store front is doing these days...drumming up much biz? 

another one?

one thing i like about new york city is that it changes constantly. things that have been there for years are suddenly gone. and new things reappear constantly. that said, i think duane reade is the exception to enjoying the change. another one coming soon in my 'hood - and as you can see from the reflection, it's across the street from another duane reade. just as bad as starbucks...

this little gnome...

is taking a little break for a few days for a nap in the sun. 

have a good week!

happy election day!

don't forget to vote!

happy marathon day!

the quiet of 1st ave @ mile 17

cheering peeps on and looking for a needle in a haystack. (is it kate? katie? i keep seeing  a lot of katies.)

and the clean-up. 

warm vending

well, this is a new one. hot meals from a vending machine. it's the kosher cafe's hot nosh. pizza? fries? onion rings? they're all available just as it says - 24/6. 

agreed