Forty-first posting - error

First, let me clear something up. MY FAVORITE MOVIE is Romancing The Stone. I neglected to include this on my Top 10 list of movies because of its unique status and because I'd rhetorically asked myself: "Isn't it everyone's favorite movie?" Evidently not.

Second, today I'm leaving for a weekend with my parents. I made the reservation early in the summer and hadn't looked at it since then. Yesterday I started looking at prices for a cab from the office to the Westchester airport, and then home from the airport. Costs were higher than parking, but it's always nice to have someone else drive. By the end of the day, I'd printed out my boarding passes, and concluded that I would drive.

Last night, Dad called and asked when I was arriving. I told him I didn't remember exactly, but it was the afternoon flight from Chicago. Maybe 5:30? He asked about traffic to La Guardia on Fridays, and I said it was Westchester. Then I checked my calendar...

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the Mercedes TV ad in the NY/NJ/CT area, in which a woman and man are speeding in a car from Manhattan to JFK airport because the man is late for a flight. They whip into the airport, he jumps out of the car and looks at his ticket. He stops abruptly, turns around and runs back to the car -- yelling at the woman, "La Guardia...LA GUARDIA!"

Every once in a while it's a good idea to think about what you're doing....

Have a good weekend. Go Sooners! NATHAN

Fortieth posting - ten

Hi there.

So I thought I'd share with you a couple of my Top 10 lists. You'll find that sometimes more and sometimes fewer than 10 entries inhabit my Top 10 lists, but that's just how it is. Also, some entries may come and go at whim (my whim), so the Top 10 lists could be entirely different a year from now. Here goes.

Top 10 Movies

12 Angry Men (1957)
Best in Show
Blazing Saddles
Caddyshack
James Bond (all)
Lord of the Rings (all)
Monty Python's Meaning of Life
Moulin Rouge
Ocean's Eleven
Office Space
Princess Bride
Pulp Fiction
Rear Window
Reservoir Dogs

Top 10 Cuisines

Tex-Mex
Mexican (there is a difference)
Indian
Italian (Mom's lasagna, in particular)
Ethiopian
Greek
Lebanese (there really isn't a difference)

Top 10 names people should start considering for their children

Newton
Franz
Fritz
Oscar

Top 10 tasks I would give my Life Intern right now if I had a Life Intern

Pick up and install my blinds
Squeeze fresh lime into beer right as I'm walking in the door
Figure out 5, 7 and 10 mile running routes that leave from my building
Do my laundry and figure out how to add fabric softener at exactly the right time (how old am I, and I still can't do this?)
Wash and wax my car
Figure out how I can hang paintings in my place on a wall that seems to be rock solid cement
Reinstall the vent above the stove so the food being prepared by the family that lives below me doesn't waft into my condo and make me gag (
Who knew that this would be the easiest list of the 4 to write...)

That's it for now. May add more later. NATHAN

Thirty-ninth posting - tooth

A quick word to the wise: next time you go to the dentist to get your teeth cleaned and checked, watch out for Olga The Ukrainian Devil-Hygenist. She does exist, and she works for my dentist. I'd never seen her in the 5 yrs I been to this dentist, and at first, she was friendly enough. We chit-chatted about Eastern Europe...I pretended to know more about Dostoyevsky and Bulgakov than I do...I shared a (false) appreciation for the good old Communist days when life was easy and organized...we talked about good beet salad and strong vodka.

THEN Olga turned mean. She took out a wee drill and proceded to scrape both my teeth and the inside of ever single one of my gums (or is there just one gum?). This did not feel good.

Then she shifted the water/suction tool so it kept sucking my tongue. Under some circumstances, perhaps that would be ok, but not in a dentist chair with a sharp sharp tool poised to impale me.

Next, Olga The Ukrainian Devil-Hygenist shoved a cup in my hand and barked, "Now rinse!" although what was implied was "...you dirty American who never flosses bastard!" I rinsed, and she ripped a few feet of floss out of her (weapons) drawer.

Floss in hand, Olga yanked what felt like thick rope between my teeth. If they could talk, my teeth and gums would have said "Stop, you crazy woman!" They didn't and neither could I.

After it was all over, I stumbled out of the dentist's office - only to find a nice 8 1/2 x 11 flourescent orange sticker on my window that said "PARKING VIOLATION: A TOWING COMPANY HAS BEEN CALLED". I slowly pulled off the sticker and high-tailed it out of there.

Bad start to day - but going to restaurant tonight in NYC with great repution (Public) so hopefully will end well.

Enjoy your weekends! NATHAN

Thirty-eighth posting - school

This is a photo of Antsla Secondary School, in Antsla, Estonia, where I taught English from 1993-95. I was feeling nostalgic, so I thought I'd share... Birches lined the school's perimeter, and the ground was covered in snow from November to May. NATHAN

Thirty-seventh posting - Central Park

Another biathlon in Central Park this weekend, and I did better than I had hoped. My time for the race (2 mi run + 12 mi bike + 2 mi run) was 1:09:34 (45th, top 16%) -- a decent improvement over my prior times of 1:15:54 (81st, top 24%) and 1:14:28 (127th, top 36%). I also bettered my placement among men (top 23%, from 44% and 32%) and my suprisingly more competitive age bracket (top 30%, vs 44% and 46%). There were still 2 women who finished ahead of me - both of whom looked pretty darn fit and had tri bars on their bikes. No big lessons learned from this, although I still have plenty of room to improve on my second run (I had the 39th best 1st run time, and the 65th best 2nd run!). I like the post-game analysis part of this -- makes me feel like I know more than I do...! I could do another in 3 weeks, but I don't really have time to train, so I don't know...

The night before the race I went to a very cool formal dinner/dance on Ellis Island. Felt like a beautiful wedding (at which I knew 1 person) although the wandering costumed "immigrants" chatting amongst themselves was somewhat creepy. I wasn't drinking, but I found myself thinking: "Oh, there's an immigrant looking for his country on the 3D map of the world." and "Look, the immigrants are searching for their relatives on the computer database." and "Huh, I wonder if that immigrant is supposed to be shoving a bottle of champagne in her basket, or is that part of the act?" Lots of lawyers around but fewer social skills than I would have expected. Some nice people, though.

Have a great week, and keep an eye out for booze-nabbing immigrant-actors ... NATHAN

Thirty-sixth posting - smell

A couple of thoughts for you, kids. As I drove home from the office yesterday, windows open, I noticed a smell that was vaguely familiar. I couldn’t place it immediately but then the smell conjured up a nice memory of being at my neighborhood pool when I was 7 or 8, and waiting in line for a snow-cone or candy bar or soda… It was a sicky-sweet smell but not nauseating. I have no idea what on Interstate 287 could have been the source, but I certainly wasn’t interested enough to stop and investigate.

This morning the “smell” theme continued when the lovely folks who live on the floor below decided to awaken me with the delicious aroma of burning what seemed like an entire loaf of bread. One slice after another. Char one side and then the other. And make sure to waft that malodorous breeze up to my place, please…

And then on the drive in just now, another smell. This time it was the same one that I remember somewhere in Indiana or Missouri from when my family moved from Ohio to Oklahoma (yes, people do move TO Oklahoma…). Dad was up ahead in one car, and I was with my sister, Mom and dog, Abbott, in another. I was sure the smell was Abbott (of course). No one else noticed anything, and I have since smelled the same smell and now think it’s from a sycamore tree. Perhaps that’s my superpower – I can smell sycamores. Great. That’s like winning $40 in a $40,000,000 lottery. The smell of money, on the other hand…

Oh, one more thing. If you ever think that once you measure and re-measure the space where you want your new wood blinds to go, you’re done … you’re not. The blinds will be carefully ordered, picked up, and unpacked. Then you’ll wait a couple of days because you’re lazy, and then you’ll realize the blinds are 1 inch too wide and you’ll stomp on the floor in a rage. And then your neighbors will burn a loaf of bread the next morning in appreciation….

Happy smelling - NATHAN

Thirty-fifth and a half posting - more crap

Friends, the Bush spin machine is in full swing. Here is a link to a timeline of the events, which at least will give you a sense of what probably happened when -- and how easily interpretation (and misinterpretation) have become valuable tools in W's arsenal.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/katrina-timeline.php

NATHAN

Thirty-fifth posting - spin

Welcome back from your vacations, friends. My four days off were wonderful, but they ended with a bittersweet reminder of both the fragility and tenuousness of life for so many Americans.

News reports usually don’t make me cry, as I am generally a fairly put-together person and not emotionally demonstrative. Last night, however, reading the extensive coverage in the New York Times of the tragedy in New Orleans, changed that.

Before I moved into my condo, the mortgage company required proof of flood insurance for my building, which sits about 200 feet from a small river. Then I thought it was silly. Now the notion of a flood takes on a whole new meaning.

While I am proud of the thousands of workers and volunteers who are just starting to rebuild lives of the victims and who are hosting and caring for America’s own refugees, I am embarrassed by the Bush administration response to Hurricane Katrina. Bush’s “spin” machine is incapable of solving this mess – I just hope the good sense of most Americans makes up for his incompetence.

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Following is a letter published by The Times-Picayune of New Orleans http://www.nola.com/t-p/ . Powerful.

OUR OPINIONS: An open letter to the President

Dear Mr. President:

We heard you loud and clear Friday when you visited our devastated city and the Gulf Coast and said, "What is not working, we’re going to make it right."

Please forgive us if we wait to see proof of your promise before believing you. But we have good reason for our skepticism.

Bienville built New Orleans where he built it for one main reason: It’s accessible. The city between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain was easy to reach in 1718.

How much easier it is to access in 2005 now that there are interstates and bridges, airports and helipads, cruise ships, barges, buses and diesel-powered trucks.

Despite the city’s multiple points of entry, our nation’s bureaucrats spent days after last week’s hurricane wringing their hands, lamenting the fact that they could neither rescue the city’s stranded victims nor bring them food, water and medical supplies.

Meanwhile there were journalists, including some who work for The Times-Picayune, going in and out of the city via the Crescent City Connection. On Thursday morning, that crew saw a caravan of 13 Wal-Mart tractor-trailers headed into town to bring food, water and supplies to a dying city.

Television reporters were doing live reports from downtown New Orleans streets. Harry Connick Jr. brought in some aid Thursday, and his efforts were the focus of a "Today" show story Friday morning.

Yet, the people trained to protect our nation, the people whose job it is to quickly bring in aid were absent. Those who should have been deploying troops were singing a sad song about how our city was impossible to reach.

We’re angry, Mr. President, and we’ll be angry long after our beloved city and surrounding parishes have been pumped dry. Our people deserved rescuing. Many who could have been were not. That’s to the government’s shame.

Mayor Ray Nagin did the right thing Sunday when he allowed those with no other alternative to seek shelter from the storm inside the Louisiana Superdome. We still don’t know what the death toll is, but one thing is certain: Had the Superdome not been opened, the city’s death toll would have been higher. The toll may even have been exponentially higher.

It was clear to us by late morning Monday that many people inside the Superdome would not be returning home. It should have been clear to our government, Mr. President. So why weren’t they evacuated out of the city immediately? We learned seven years ago, when Hurricane Georges threatened, that the Dome isn’t suitable as a long-term shelter. So what did state and national officials think would happen to tens of thousands of people trapped inside with no air conditioning, overflowing toilets and dwindling amounts of food, water and other essentials?

State Rep. Karen Carter was right Friday when she said the city didn’t have but two urgent needs: "Buses! And gas!" Every official at the Federal Emergency Management Agency should be fired, Director Michael Brown especially.

In a nationally televised interview Thursday night, he said his agency hadn’t known until that day that thousands of storm victims were stranded at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. He gave another nationally televised interview the next morning and said, "We’ve provided food to the people at the Convention Center so that they’ve gotten at least one, if not two meals, every single day."

Lies don’t get more bald-faced than that, Mr. President.

Yet, when you met with Mr. Brown Friday morning, you told him, "You’re doing a heck of a job."

That’s unbelievable.

There were thousands of people at the Convention Center because the riverfront is high ground. The fact that so many people had reached there on foot is proof that rescue vehicles could have gotten there, too.

We, who are from New Orleans, are no less American than those who live on the Great Plains or along the Atlantic Seaboard. We’re no less important than those from the Pacific Northwest or Appalachia. Our people deserved to be rescued.

No expense should have been spared. No excuses should have been voiced. Especially not one as preposterous as the claim that New Orleans couldn’t be reached.

Mr. President, we sincerely hope you fulfill your promise to make our beloved communities work right once again.

When you do, we will be the first to applaud.

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I know this isn’t the all-smiles and opens arms Welcome Back you expected to read from me, but today that didn’t seem as important. Have a great week, though … autumn (for those who like it) is on its way. NATHAN

Thirty-fourth posting - Lots

I know, I know. It’s been forever since I have last posted, and you’ve missed me tremendously. What have I been doing? What are the latest rants? Raves? Here goes…

Upstate New York. Last weekend I was in Upstate New York. For those of you unfamiliar with the area, it is 95% of the state of New York outside of, New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. It is also a weekend playground for city dwellers looking for “the country.” Directions are easy – go North. The area we went to was the beautiful Hudson River valley, with wineries, cute towns and villages, rolling green hills with cool hikes, and one of the state’s crunchiest towns – New Paltz. If you’re in the area, a wonderful place for dinner is in Stone Ridge at The French Corner http://cityguide.pojonews.com/fe/Dining/stories/dn_french_corner.asp I had cold local sweet corn soup with duck prosciutto, then salmon "mignon" over purple cabbage. My friend had cold sausage with coco beans, then pork with Swiss chard and mashed potatoes with broccoli and something like an avocado. One dessert was mocha tart, the other was stewed figs. The whole experience was fantastic -- plus the fact that it was $25 prix fixe was even better. And we got to meet the chef (Jacques). My mouth is watering just writing about it.

Yankee Game. Went with a few buddies to the Yankees – Blue Jays game last Monday. The Yankees won the series 2-1, and we saw the first game, a shutout with pitcher Jaret Wright, who was just off the DL to throw 60 of 99 pitches for strikes. Perfect night for baseball – 70s and dry.

Park. Mayor Bloomberg (or his company, at least) sponsors an annual film series in Central Park, and this year’s flicks included those with New York scenes. I went last week for a delicious picnic under the stars and a surprisingly ok musical called The Bandwagon, Fred Astair’s last movie (and also starring a sexy Cyd Charisse, who evidently changed her name to that from Tula Ellice Finklea). Several catchy tunes, including That’s Entertainment (well, perhaps just one catchy tune, if you can call it catchy). For future reference, though, don’t think that you’ll be actually allowed to bring picnic items (including wine, glasses, knives, picnic baskets into the park) for a picnic which was encouraged, because people may trip over them – as New Yorkers are prone to tripping over such items…

Melting Pot. There is a chain of restaurants around the US called The Melting Pot, based on – take a guess – fondue. Interesting place, particularly the one in Darien, CT (where the word W.A.S.P. was invented). Our dinner was fine (fortunately, I am a big cheese fan), although the most memorable part was the service. It was generally bad, but the waitress was a character. She was clearly a decades-long smoker, and I have a feeling we got her on a bad day – unless giving the impression that she’s been dragged around the block more than once is a “good” day for her. We were never quite sure whether she was actually angry that we were touching the fondue pot she told us not to touch…. This sort of manic behavior (and my confidence that she was sporting a few questionable tattoos under her cheese-, chocolate- and oil-stained apron) suggested a better environment for her would have been a biker bar. Of course, there isn’t a biker bar anywhere near Darien, Connecticut….

Yesterday I rode the Tour de Putnam (also in Upstate New York). My team had signed up for the full century, but with pouring rain and less-than-warm temps, we took in 50 mi and called it a wet wet day. The route did seem quite pretty through my foggy, smeared lenses, but hopefully we can find another 100 mi route before the season ends. Next up, though, are my fall biathlons (Sep 18 and Oct 9) in Central Park. Hoping to improve on personal record of 1:14:28…

American Graffiti. Some of you may know that most of my Top 5 lists include many more than five. In terms of movies, however, American Graffiti has now made it into my Really Top 5 Movies list. Released in 1973, American Graffiti includes early performances by Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Cindy Williams, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford. Essentially it is a one night snapshot in the early 60s of the misadventures of four California teenagers before two are supposed to head off to college. I found myself smiling throughout the movie (I’m a dork, yes), but the casting was superb – I read that you can’t imagine anyone else playing those parts, and I agree. It was a sweet nostalgic look at real life from a director who went on to movies that explored lives far from it (Star Wars, Indiana Jones)…

Bye for now, NATHAN

Thirty-third posting - 4

I am tired of waking up in the morning and hearing the radio from my alarm clock announce: "...four more US military deaths in Iraq..." It seems like every day there are four more, and these fours have already totalled more than 1860 (which is 1860 too many). Although I couldn't join them, there were about 100 people in downtown Stamford last night for a candlelight vigil, 85 in Norwalk, and almost 200 in Westport. Stamford's mayor Dan Malloy attended and voiced his support: "I think the president is making an unbelievably personal and political mistake in not meeting with the mother of a soldier who died," Malloy said. "I'm just amazed at how callous his behavior he's engaged in (is), and I just think it's a huge mistake."

Following is an article from the Detroit Free Press, that captures some of what happened last night (and ----).

From Michigan to Texas, war foes join Texas-based protest
August 18, 2005, 4:14 AM
CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- As the sun dipped behind pastures around a makeshift campsite of anti-war demonstrators near President Bush's ranch, more than 200 people silently clutched candles and gathered around a flag-draped coffin.

The vigil calling for an end to the war in Iraq was among hundreds nationwide as protesters from Grand Rapids, Mich., to Concord, N.H., joined the national effort spurred by one mother's anti-war demonstration. Cindy Sheehan has become an icon of the anti-war movement since she started the protest Aug. 6.

"For the more than 1,800 who have come home this way in flag-draped coffins, each one ... was a son or a daughter, not cannon fodder to be used so recklessly," said Sheehan, whose 24-year-old son Casey died in Iraq last year. "Each one is a valuable human life that is missed so desperately."

More than 1,600 vigils were held from coast to coast Wednesday, according to the organizers, liberal advocacy groups MoveOn.org Political Action, TrueMajority and Democracy for America. A vigil was also held at Paris' Peace Wall, a glass monument near the Eiffel Tower that says "peace" in 32 languages.

In West Michigan, hundreds of people, some the parents of soldiers on duty in Iraq, participated in a vigil in Grand Rapids. Another group of about 100 people marched outside the federal courthouse in Detroit. The vigils were among dozens planned across the state.

Along with candles and flags, some of the 300 people who gathered at a park in Nashville, Tenn., brought signs and banners of protest. One banner read, "Thank you for your courage Cindy."

"This is a good example of how one person can make a difference," said Gigi Gaskins, 44, of Nashville.

Sheehan, of Vacaville, Calif., has said she won't leave Texas until Bush's monthlong vacation ends or he meets with her and other grieving families. Bush has said he sympathizes with Sheehan but has made no indication he will meet with her. Two top Bush administration officials talked to Sheehan the day she started her camp, and she and other families met with Bush shortly after her son's death and before she became a vocal opponent of the war.

Some critics say Sheehan is exploiting her son's death to promote a left-wing agenda supported by her and groups with which she associates.

Before the Crawford vigil began, Gary Qualls, of Temple, walked to the protesters' memorial to fallen U.S. soldiers and removed a wooden cross bearing his son's name. Qualls said he supports the war effort even though his 20-year-old son Louis was killed in Fallujah last fall serving with the Marine Reserves. "I don't believe in some of the things happening here," he said. "I find it disrespectful."

Those backing Sheehan, though, voiced their support across the country. In Minnesota, more than 1,000 war protesters stood on a bridge linking Minneapolis and St. Paul. "This war has been disgraceful, with trumped-up reasons," Sue Ann Martinson said. "There were no weapons of mass destruction and the Iraqis didn't have anything to do with 9-11."

Near Philadelphia's Independence Hall, a few hundred people strained to hear the parent of a soldier killed in Iraq. "This war must stop," said Al Zappala, 65, whose 30-year-old son, Sgt. Sherwood Baker, died in an explosion in Baghdad in April 2004.

In Charleston, W.Va., a banner bearing the name, age, rank, hometown and date of death of all Americans killed in Iraq and Afghanistan was unrolled -- stretching the length of a city block.

About 170 people gathered on the courthouse steps in Hackensack, N.J., with many saying they were angry about the war but were supporting U.S. troops. "I'm a 46-year-old woman who, in my lifetime, has never seen the country so split," said Lil Corcoran. "My heart is broken."

Kenny Jones brought his 6-year-old daughter, Scouten, to a vigil in Portland, Ore. "I was raised to believe that war is no solution," Jones said. "Her mother and I are raising her that way, too. This war is illogical."

Actor Richard Dreyfuss attended a vigil in Los Angeles with his son and about 500 others. "When I was a kid in the Vietnam era, the war began to really go away when the mothers came into the streets," Dreyfuss said.

Meanwhile, a group called FreeRepublic.com held a pro-Bush rally that drew about 20 people to the same Washington, D.C., park where 300 people had gathered for a candlelight vigil. At one point, members of the two sides had a heated exchange over who was more patriotic.

"If they don't want to support it, they don't have to support it," said Iraq war veteran Kevin Pannell, who had both legs amputated after a grenade attack last year in Baghdad. "That's the reason I lost my legs."

I encourage you to take a few moments today to think about what's happening in Iraq and consider sharing those thought with your Senator or member of Congress. NATHAN

Thirty-second posting - BI

On Saturday I went to Block Island (Rhode Island) with my bike club (http://www.soundcyclists.com). It’s a great club, among the largest in the Northeast, with dozens of weekend rides, standing rides during the week, and a traditional Friday-night “un-winder” that lets people get rid of all of the week’s pent up frustration, energy, angst, etc. For the most part, club membership seems to be skewed more toward 30-40+ than younger and normally there is a good mix of folks on the rides, which are organized by speed (A ride to D ride). On Fridays, upwards of 70 people naturally divide into faster and slower groups.

Although the Block Island (http://www.blockislandinfo.com/) ride was published as leisurely paced, I expected a similar range of people (ages and abilities). Of the 25 people, however, there was a healthy dose of the oh-my-god-I-can’t-breathe-because-this-hill-is-so-steep riders as well as the good-for-you-for-still-riding-at-70-years-old-but-no-one-told-me-we’d-be-waiting-for-every-single-person-at-every-lighthouse, not to mention the poor woman who fell on the ferry sailing to Block Island, and then got a nasty gash on her arm, and then was cut off on her bike by a kid running across the road, and then I think she may actually have gotten lost… And finally there was a middle-aged woman with the longest, blackest hair I’d ever seen. Mind you, I was jealous of the quantity of hair, but as it was a windy day, her mop was blowing all over the place – across the picnic table, into other people’s faces, into her lobster roll… (If someone pumped her stomach, I bet they’d find a ball of her own hair in there.)

Overall, though, it was a fun trip – and the beautiful and low-key Block Island is definitely a place worth visiting again. The question now is: Where’s my next trip? NATHAN

Thirty-first posting - dream

It's ok to dream, right? I dream -- a lot -- that someday, I will walk home from work through the woods, put on my sneakers and go for a run. When I return, I will grab a muffin from the muffin shop, say hello to Gerta/Annie/Sue the muffin lady, and then walk back home. Another day I will walk home through the woods, get on my bike and ride for a couple of hours with folks who live nearby and want to be competitive sometimes and relaxed other times. Is that too much to ask?

Today my company's electronic systems seem to be on the fritz, including the phones, and my dependence on all things electronic became strikingly apparent. I don't like that. I also don't like knowing that I'll feel better with the air conditioning on in my condo because it's humid as all get-out. And I don't like knowing that so much of the crap I buy comes in plastic that I try my best to recycle but didn't need to be packaged in plastic in the first place. And finally, I don't like the fact that my company's cafeteria uses styrofoam at lunch and in the coffee rooms. Come to think of it, maybe I should start bringing my lunch and buying only what doesn't need packaging....

Is it guilt for not making this a better world? Maybe. Is it just a random Friday afternoon thought before I head to Block Island with my bike club tomorrow? Yes. Enjoy your weekends, NATHAN

Thirtieth posting - UN

Now that Bill Clinton’s been out of office for a few years, what’s he doing? We have seen him traipsing around Harlem, stumping for one cause or another. We’ve seen him paired with Bush 41, making nice with the political Center and raising money and resources for tsunami relief. Now he wants his William J. Clinton Foundation to partner with the American Heart Association "stop the increasing prevalence of childhood obesity" in the United States by 2010. I guess that means no more trips to McDonald’s…

He certainly wants to stay in the public eye and in the headlines … but for what? Several sources, including (most exhaustively, the Washington Post) have reported that his dream job is Secretary-General of the United Nations. From Leader of the Free World to Leader of the Whole World, why not? Under his assignment of coordinator for tsunami relief, he has already been given a United Nations office, a UN identity card and diplomatic passport. Kofi Annan’s second five-year term officially ends Jan 1 2007, but with the oil-for-food issue that still doesn’t seem completely resolved, his tenure may be over sooner than that.

To be honest, I hadn’t thought about Bill Clinton as UN Secretary-General until a friend mentioned it this weekend, and compared to the blistering personalities of Annan, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and Javier de Perez de Cuellar, Bill would be a breath of fresh air, don’t you think?

(And yes, there are internships available at the UN. I looked it up http://www.un.org ) Only half-kidding, NATHAN

Twenty-ninth posting - dirt

All – the adjustment to my new place has gone swimmingly lately. The crap I have had to put up with seems to have abated, for now, and my lists of What I Like and What I Don’t Like about the condo are tilting a little more toward What I Like. I won’t bore you with the details (yet), but I did meet a couple on my floor who seemed younger than 70. This is good.

This weekend I went to a fantastic restaurant in midtown called Mix, one of Alain Ducasse’s creations. I read the reviews beforehand, and they were so-so (although all written prior to a recent change in chef). Based on my experience, the reviewers should try again. We had the prix fixe tasting menu, and each dish seemed to get better and better over the course of evening. A highlight was asparagus spears with a scoop of Parmesan “ice cream.” The service was outstanding, and the atmosphere felt like a tripped out Scandinavian airport lounge … with better music.

Sunday I went to see Dave Matthews (and the Black Eyed Peas, among others) play at Randall’s Island, in NY. It should have been billed as Dust Fest 2005. The location was interesting and would have been great, had the ground not been dry as a bone, with 4 and a half blades of grass on an area the size of 2 football fields. We didn’t show up until 5, so the air was saturated with dust – and even today, I still feel a little like Pigpen. My advice: if you’re going to get dirty, roll in it. NATHAN

(P.S. I miss Lance. Next up is La Vuelta Espana - Tour of Spain, or as the official website calls it -- Breathless spectacle, terrible passion, thousands of people, what a discovery.... " He's not riding in it, but it's road biking, so it's good.)

Twenty-eighth posting - ha ha

Short posting with two things that I thought were particularly funny. The first, from a friend describing Fire Island -- "There really is nothing to do but sit in the sun, and everyone was as brown as a nut." The second, a name I swear I heard on NPR -- Rabbit-hat Potpie (for the best linguistic effect, say it out loud). For those of you out there with children's book author aspirations, I hereby grant you permission to use it. NATHAN

Twenty-seventh posting - floor

It's been too long since I last posted, but I will share a few thoughts before I give blood (which you should do, if you can...).

Expect everything wrong to happen when you move. The tub is going to get clogged, the tile guy will do a shitty job, the spanking new stove will sit in your living rooom for a week until the floor guys move it back, and every worker who steps into your apartment will contribute to a thick layer of dust that is beginning to coat everything. But you will have new neighbors...

I am the youngest person on the 4th floor by at least 40 years. Anne, who lives across from me, doesn't like to wear shoes (she told me) and keeps her toenails at least an inch long. She reminds me of shapeless troll, although she does rearrange my New York Times so it's nice and neat because the delivery guy is so careless... And then there's Carmine, who lives next door. He's 60 or so and is fond of wearing a speedo and gold chains to show off his over-tanned, leather-like skin. After introducing myself, Carmine asked me if I was Jewish. I replied that I wasn't and asked why. He said: "I would have asked you what a nice Jewish boy like you was doing with a tattoo...." It was time for me to go.

Where's the magic wand that makes everything better when you need it? NATHAN

Twenty-sixth posting - Murphy

Unfortunately, the magic from Millie’s fingers didn’t last long. Although Saturday was a great dinner group and a terrific night of schnitzel and fun, I feel like I’ve spent my days since then packing, painting, and growing more and more stressed about the Big Move.

Yesterday was particularly fun – late afternoon, my plumber was supposed to come by and install my recently purchased shower and bath fixtures. Because nothing is supposed to go right with my move, he told me (a) that I’d bought shower fixtures without the bath parts, and (b) he couldn’t do the job for me because he didn’t have time. Nice. I made some calls, left some messages, but went to sleep hoping that overnight, this would resolve itself. As I dropped off my car at the shop this morning (why wouldn’t my air conditioner have broken now??), I got a call back from a new plumber – so this may actually have been solved.

But wait, kids, there’s more! This afternoon, my floor guy called and told me that 7 of the 55 tiles he needed for the kitchen floor were broken, so tomorrow he won’t be able to grout everything. He assures me that the tiles under the appliances will be done before my new appliances arrive. I’m sure they won’t be, so my dream kitchen will have to wait.

And, five minutes later the car people called to tell me the parts I need won’t be in until tomorrow. Of course. Fortunately, I get a free rental (with kick-ass cold A/C), so it doesn’t matter that much.

Tomorrow the bathroom guy is supposed to get most of the way done with the shower tiles, so perhaps by Friday he’ll be done, and I Saturday I can use it. Or perhaps I will be showering in the parking lot... NATHAN

Twenty-fifth posting - Millie

For those of you who haven't heard, I got my first full body massage this week. My sister had given me a gift certificate months ago at a fancy local spa, and knowing it was hard to get an after-work appointment, I booked right away. With my pending move, the appointment snuck up on me, but in the midst of the stresses of moving, the timing was perfect.

Because my only experience was with a trainer's sport massage at the company gym, I didn't really know what to expect. I won't go into all the details, but I have a couple of overall thoughts. (I can hear the "Of course you do, Nathan," from everyone...) The music set a pleasant mood, although I was conscious when the theme changed from vaguely Asian waterfalls, to vaguely classical, to vaguely Indian trance... I was never really sure when it was appropriate to talk or comment on what Millie, my masseuse, was doing. At one point, I mentioned I had a bony shoulder from a bike accident (although because I was buck naked, she obviously had seen it). Then Millie said she once had foot trouble walking on the Coney Island boardwalk -- and at the same time she lifted the towel/blanket completely off of my legs, and a suddenly cool breeze where I didn't think there would be breeze that session. Not that I expected her to work under the blanket, but there was a lot more shifting of covers and exposing more body than I thought.

I suppose it's her job, and Millie saw me like a butcher sees a side of beef, or a floor sander sees planks in a newly purchased condo that requires a 25,000 watt generator to be parked behind a building with a four story electrical cord -- so the only intimacy in the room was in my own mind. By the end of the massage, though, I think I overcame the notion that she was being paid to do something illicit, although there's a lingering feeling that she really thought I was special... NATHAN

Twenty-fourth posting - drama

Short post today, friends.

First of all, it's a rest day for the Tour, and I really really really wish I was there to ride in the Alps. Here are a few words from a fellow blogger: "The Alps watch over Grenoble like a brooding, malevolent presence. It is up their narrow roads and over their tree-less summits that the race will now travel. The spectator throngs are already in place. Their campers and pup tents line the roads. The smell of grilling sausage from their portable barbecues rivals the relaxing aroma of wild lavender as the prevalent roadside fragrance. So, yeah, it's a day of rest. But it feels a whole lot more like a prelude to some great drama. The stage is set, now all we need is the actors."

Second, the current drama in my life is my condo. Here's the latest: My floor guys can't find a 220 volt/ 40 amp line that runs into my aparment. For those of you who care, that's 8800 watts (or 8.8 kilowatts). Most of the time, they just tap into the circuit breaker, but for some reason, I have a something-they've-never-seen-in-twelve-years-of-sanding-floors kind of circuit breaker that only has 20 amps. I don't even know what this means, but I'm trying to solve for it. The best solution is to bring in a generator (half the size of a VW beetle), park it beneath my window, and run a 4-story cord up to my place. Who knows what the Association will think...? Who cares...?

Third, I've shifted my moving and furniture delivery dates out one week. Gives the floor guys a little breathing room - and lets me linger next to good neighbor-friends (and a neighborhod I'll miss) for one more week.

And finally, the former tenants in my new place cooked a lot of Indian food and "broom-cleaned" (as required) before they left. Just so you know, "broom-cleaning" does not get rid of 1/4" thick grease off of the cabinets and stovetop vent, and it lingers ever so pleasantly in the air. And upon cursory inspection, the cabinets seems like fine wooden kitchen cabinets. Having scrubbed many of them, however, I now recognize them as cheap-Charlie particle board crap that will be the next big thing to go. Ah, yes, the hidden gems keep popping up.

Without a trace of buyer's remorse, NATHAN

Twenty-third posting - various

I don't know where to begin. Today was a momentous day, last week was a fantastic week, and THE TOUR DE FRANCE IS IN FULL SWING!

1) Today I signed my name a million times, forked over oodles of dough and officially bought a condo. I own a home. I have set down slightly more permanent roots here in CT than I ever thought I would. I already have a few words of advice to those of you out there who are considering buying-- (a) a cheap attorney will get the job done but you'll never really understand what's going on until it's over, (b) when your real estate agent tells you to call the electric company and have the electricity put into your name, listen to her or it will be turned off and you will not be pleased with yourself, and (c) if one of the most important attributes of a place is its wood floor, MAKE ABSOLUTELY SURE that it is allowed. To point (c), I will state that the official condo documents are not completely clear ("Carpets should be maintained at all times ... with the exception of the bathroom and kitchen." To me, this meant that if there was carpet, it should be cared for. I was wrong, but I did convince the condo association to let me have area rugs...but it took all of my negotiating skills to get there.

2) Last week I spent with my family in heavily forested Northwest Wisconsin. Highlights were seeing a mama bear and 3 cubs right next to the cabin, running in the annual Musky Fest 5K and coming in top 15 (21:18), playing baseball on the lawn, fishing with Dad and hooking my brother in law, and for the first time, running 10 miles with my sister on her scheduled training run. For those of you who want to see the famous cabin on a lake, here's a link to the resort -- http://www.garmischresort.com/ .

3) I will end with the TdF, but what a great Team Time Trial! Of course, I don't think anyone thought Discovery would come in anywhere but in first, but it's too bad that the main excitement was for Dave' Zabriskie's bleeding wounds at the finish. Because I don't have OLN until the 15th, I'm forced to live online and watch/read. Blahh. After writing this, I may just see how much it would cost to get back to France for the mountain stages.. The next several stages are really for the sprinters anyway -- I'm just glad to see 3 Americans in the Top 5. Warm up the bus, Jan, it might just be time to go home.

Adieu for nieu, NATHAN