Ramblings and Things

Mr Movie News Podcast Special :"Halloween Spook-tacular" (2011)

2011-10-27T18:43:00.000-04:00

Mr Movie News Podcast Special :"Halloween Spook-tacular" (2011)

The latest edition of the Mr. Movie News Podcast has been posted, and this week we take a look at some of the movies that have scared us to death over the years. While compiling my list of the top 5 scariest movies, I realized that the majority of my picks were movies I had seen (or heard of) during my childhood. Their impact was so severe that they scare me to this day!

For example, take "Jaws". Though not thought of as a Horror movie, this film kept me away from the beach for almost a decade. The thought of a carnivorous undersea creature lurking within the murky waters of the Atlantic has kept me from wading in much deeper than my waist for years.

"Rosemary's Baby" was a supernatural thriller that taught me that we should never buy anything from a street peddler! I only ever recall watching this eerie movie once during a late night showing on local (pre-Cable) television, but the memory of the chills it sent through my ten-year-old self is enough to prevent me from ever wanting to watch the whole thing again.

"Friday the 13th" was the first "slasher" movie I recall from the '70's. I used to have a movie magazine that covered special effects in films such as "Star Wars", and it also had a feature on the effects of this movie, featuring a full several-page spread of different people with axes in their heads.

"Carrie", another supernatural based thriller used to scare me to death, even though I sympathized with the title character and secretly wondered what it would be like to have those powers.

"Nightmare on Elm Street" won its place to the top of my list, based upon the fact that I still get nervous at the thought of going down into dark, dingy cellars, despite the fact that the guy playing the monster was really just a sweet little guy who also starred on the original "V" miniseries.

Just writing about these films has given me the heebie-jeebies. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a dark shadow moving that momentarily caused me to panic and my heart to flutter. Fortunately it was just my cat sauntering down the hallway.... Or was it?...

Enjoy our look at the top 5 movies that have creeped us out. And let us know what you think!

Tony G. is the producer and co-host of the Mr. Movie News Podcast (mrmovienews.podbean.com).

Please Don't Spoil The Wizard!

2011-07-12T21:07:00.004-04:00

These days, trying to catch a big-name movie and remain Spoiler Free is getting harder and harder, thanks to the internet. After years of simply thinking of it as a casual Summer (or Winter) distraction at the cinema, I am finding myself really looking forward to the final Harry Potter film, which will premiere across the world this very week . I recently had an opportunity to reacquaint myself with the students of Hogwarts, taking some leisure time out to watch the entire series of the Harry Potter films which are presently available on video. I found it a bit alarming that I had retained very little memory of what went on in any of the movies, although admittedly I had only seen each one once at the movie theater, with the exception of the most recent film, which opened during the busy 2010 Holiday season and snowstorm filled Winter.

Watching the films sequentially, over a couple of weeks, without the need to wait a year or two between releases, stirred up my current enthusiasm, along with finally having had the opportunity to read some of the books on which the movies are based. Film-wise, I am pretty much all caught up, savoring the excitement of the final film chapter and it's resolution. I will probably remain excited as long as I can avoid any more of the 'chamber of secrets' being spoiled out by over zealous fans, news reports or even people I know.

Two news stories that I skimmed through for news on the recent premieres, have already divulged things that I would have preferred to have been surprised about while watching the move. They were big things, too, not just whether or not Harry makes it through in the end. While I have always been the sort of person who will research and absorb the entertainment I enjoy before viewing it, and have on occasion read a script or book prior to the release of a movie, this time around I wanted to go in blankly, and be surprised, as I have been with all of the releases of these Harry Potter films. I am looking forward to enjoying it as a cinematic treat. As popcorn for the eyes, excitement for the heart, and sentiment for the brain. Slowly, but surely finding out what happens to these movie characters I have grown to love.

Ultimately, I don't think it will really matter that I know the few details that have been spilled, as this series, which sports an extremely likeable cast, exciting special effects imagery, and a soaring theme based upon a tune by John Williams, has not yet been a disappointment to me. I truly do not expect this last movie, which is helmed by the same director of the last four to let me down in any way. This immersion into Fantasy, featuring characters, such as the orphaned Harry, and the Villian who should Not Be Named, has always been immensely enjoyable, way back from the earliest adventure. Not only did I find myself caring and rooting for the main characters throughout the past decade, I also learned to enjoy the appearances of some of the lesser ones, and mores have been impressed at how the movie makers were able to sustain the majority of the same cast, including minor players, to stick with the entire project.That the children have matured into terrific actors who are totally into their craft and characters is another plus. Though the storyline may meander and sometimes be either repetitive (as in the case of the Quidditch matches - do they pay off in the end?), or reflect on other source material and favorite film sagas (for the longest time I suspected that Voldemort was Harry's father), I have always found something to enjoy in each and every one of the movies. I have also found a growing tendency to prefer the latest movie over the previous ones, another incredibly magical spell that this saga has cast on me.Watching the lead characters grow both emotionally and physically through each film has almost felt as if I were watching my own kids grow from school age into adulthood. If they'd attended Hogwarts, of course.

As for the books, I had never, until recently, been really interested in reading them, other than the first, which was presented to me as a gift before the premiere of the first film, in remembrance of my early boyhood fondness for magical things. I never bothered reading the rest, feeling with some rightful snobbery, that these films were simply based upon a series of children's novels, and I did not have time to delve into them. With the dawning of the last episode of the film series approaching, I decided to go back and give in, and see if I could understand a little of what makes this story so appealing to so many people. Not surprisingly, I became momentarily addicted to it. A forty-something year old fan of what essentially started as a children's book, devouring each chapter as if it were an adult necessity to do so .

The author, Ms Rowling, who is close to me in age, demonstrated throughout her writing that we likely shared the same sorts of interests while growing up in the 1970s. Somehow despite living 3,000 miles and an ocean apart,we both managed to be influenced by the same sort of entertainment while growing up, and she found a wonderful way of expressing it.

Recently, while researching some of my old writing and sketches for a personal project, I came across an old drawing of mine that demonstrated this likeness of theme. An old comic book cover idea a classmate and I had come up with back in eighth grade,inspired by a failed 1970's TV pilot called, "Detective School". Our idea was to create a comical comic book series about a bunch of students who are in training for more,magical, pursuits. The drawing depicted a bunch of children dressed as Wizards, surrounding one older, bearded wizard who appeared to be a bit flustered. I had drawn myself and my friend amongst the students and had labeled the comic in bold letters with the title for the idea that would not take over the world for another 25 years or so; "Wizard School".

If we had only known back in 1978!

Inspired or not, spoiled or not, I am looking forward to "Harry The 8th" ,or Potter the 7th Part 2, although I never did get to finish the book series past book four, before the need to watch the entire movie series took over. The good news is I can still delve into the worlds that Rowling created long after the movie series is done, and will likely soon pick up where I left off, even if I get to see how it all ends cinematically first. The spoiler this time will be cinematic. What won't be spoiled will be the excitement within the pages, or the magic which appears on screen.

I just hope I don't hear any more things I shouldn't know before I get to see it!

Here are some pics from the premiere. I might be old, but I find this so exciting that it almost makes me giddy as a Wizard-School boy. ;-)

Day in celebrities

The Day New York Stood Still (an excerpt from my personal memoirs, "Before I Forget"

2010-09-11T09:19:00.003-04:00

In remembrance of the events of September 11th, I am sharing an excerpt from my personal memoirs in which I reflect on the events of that day:

THE DAY NEW YORK STOOD STILL by Anthony Gonzalez

(excerpted from my personal memoirs)

There are memories that are uniquely our own, and then there are those that are part of the public consciousness, the moments when it seems the entire human race reacts as one.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, I awoke feeling a little unwell. Concerned, over a mundane thing; the delivery of a new sofa I had ordered, I considered calling in from work and waiting at home, but eventually got myself together and started off for work a bit later than expected, struggling to make the earliest Express Bus into the City possible. I had taken to riding the bus to Manhattan once I was transferred back to the that same old place I laughed about, the building I had worked as an Intern in many years before, which also happened to be a block away from where I went to college. I lived in Queens about fifteen miles from the City, which translated to an hour and a half of riding buses and subway trains, so I opted for the more direct route of the Express Buses that considerably cut down on the commute. Without traffic, I would arrive in Manhattan in about an hour, after which I would sprint ten blocks south to make it to work on time. Going home was considerably worse, sometimes taking up to two hours at a time. Looking back, I don’t have any idea how I managed to make it without needing a bladder break, or panicking much, or simply going out of my mind.

On this particularly morning, the busload was full, as if everyone riding were running late, and the traffic itself was moving very slowly. I had closed myself off into reading the book I had brought along, a thick biography about Nostradamus. I was in the midst of researching material for a project I was working on, and used my bus time to listen to Classical music, which poured through my portable, but rickety CD player. In the midst of the traffic tie-up, I heard some chatter around me and spotted an older lady sitting across from me, a regular bus rider, who was uncharacteristically in a panic.

“I need to call my office. I’m going to be so late,” she said, rather distraught. It was nearly 8:30 in the morning, and it appeared we wouldn’t be arriving into the city anytime soon. “Does anybody have a phone I could use?” she continued. Mobile phones were still in their infancy at the time. “I need to call my office,” she repeated, getting more and more frustrated. “Doesn’t it figure?,” she continued, as the passengers shuffled uncomfortably in their seats, “The one time I have to be Downtown, and I can’t get there in time!”

The traffic ahead of us was going nowhere. I had seen this lady’s face many times before, and could feel her pain, as I looked at my watch and noticed that it was getting later by the minute. In order to get to work by 9am, the bus had to arrive in the City by at least 8:45, to allow me the time to walk from there. It was already after 8:30, and we were still sitting in horrendous traffic on the Long Island Expressway on the way into the Midtown Tunnel. Since not many people had cell phones, I reached into my bag and pulled out the huge black brick of a phone I used to carry and offered it to the lady. Thanking me, she promptly called her office, then went mumbling back to her seat. I had never seen her so upset before.

Looking up and out the window, I would always admire the City Skyline; lower Manhattan, including the World Trade Center was visible to the left of me, Upper Manhattan gleamed to the right, and the Empire State Building stood solidly straight ahead. Though I had lived here my entire life, I would always marvel at the structures that differentiated the “City” from the outer boroughs, and thought to myself that I had yet again managed to miss a perfect picture opportunity. While I was able to see the Twin Towers, as we called them, under construction from a distance as I played in the schoolyard in my Brooklyn Elementary school, I had only visited the building a couple of times. The most distinct recollection was the time I visited my sister who worked at the Tower during the late 1970’s. There was an odd, slightly swaying sensation under my feet and an almost frightening sprawling view of the City visible from the high office windows. It actually felt a little unsettling, and I didn’t really enjoy my visit there very much. Having watched movies like the disaster epic, “The Towering Inferno” when I was a kid, only added to my fears of being stuck in a building like that during such an emergency situation.

I enjoyed seeing the Towers appear in movies. The quintessential shot of New York City at the time would feature a long shot of the World’s Tallest Buildings, and I’d feel a sense of pride in knowing that not only was this my hometown, but I had actually seen those building being built way back when. During the summer the movie remake of “King Kong” was filmed, we would walk along the West Side and glare up at the structures and try to imagine what it would be like to see a giant Ape scaling them, as was depicted in the advertisements for the movie. The same went for the filming of “The Wiz”, which was covered in the papers, where the massive structures actually where the heart of the Great City of Oz in the movie, glowing in shades of amber, gold and emerald. The buildings were the world’s symbol that New York was the center of everything. Tall enough to be seen from even from as far as where I lived in, the site of the towers poking out over the edge of the distant hills, would elicit a sigh of relief during long journeys home from New Jersey. They were an indication that home was just a short ride away.

This particular morning’s ride was not very short at all. Traffic was still on hold for no particular reason. People who were standing on the bus, began fuming, restless. This was to be a Primary Election Day, so the traffic was doubly curious, considering the schools were likely shut. When the clock started ticking closer to 8:45, I got fed up with the slow going myself, lost concentration and closed the book I was reading, leaving a bookmark in the odd chapter I was looking at. I closed my eyes to relax for a bit and listen to my music. “I’m going to be late again,” I sighed to myself, resolved. The lady who had borrowed my phone was still mumbling to herself about how late she was going to be. When I shut my eyes, traffic suddenly started to pick up, and we were soon heading through the tunnel.

“Where’s that plane going?” said the Bus driver aloud to himself, as we entered the tunnel at what seemed like break-neck speed compared to the pace we were traveling at before. None of us had a chance to see what he was talking about, and didn’t really care, since thoughts had now switched to, “Okay, if I make it to 34th in the next two minutes, then I’ll be able to make it to 23rd in time.” As soon as the bus arrived in Manhattan, I got off and headed downtown as quickly as I could. In the distance, I thought I heard the sound of a horrible car crash. Soon after, I noticed the sound of fire trucks had begun to intensify around me. “Must have been some pretty big accident,” I thought to myself, trying to beat the clock. Nearly there, I tried calling my boss to let her know I was only minutes away, but I got a busy signal and couldn’t get through. “Oh well,” I thought, “I’ll see her when I get there...”

I had normally exited the bus at Park Avenue, but this time, since I was in a rush, I walked quickly down Lexington, instead. Had I gone down Park, I might have seen what was causing all the fuss, but instead, as I arrived at the lobby of my office building, I noticed a few people were standing on Park, looking southward and pointing. As I entered the door, I saw the familiar face of our doorman, Joe, who was on the phone at the time.

“A plane just crashed into the Trade Center,” he told me, pulling his phone to the side, cursing the pilot out. “What an idiot, how could he miss seeing where he was going?”.

“A plane?,” I said, thinking about how horribly strange and funny the situation sounded. I had always reasoned the buildings were impervious to damage, of course, and imagined a shrunken little jet smashed up into the side of the Tower, and nearly laughed out loud. I headed into the elevator, rushed into my office, stopping first to see my Boss. She was on the phone, checking messages and looking a bit flustered as I popped by and waved. The television set behind her showed there was smoke jetting out of the Trade Center. I suddenly realized that this was may have been more than some little plane jutting into the building. A gaping hole in the side of the tower was billowing a cloud of thick, black smoke.

I got her attention about this, and we both stood there staring at the screen, agape. I went over to the main office, where we had a television on as well, and everyone had the same reaction. I immediately tried to call home to let my father know what was going on, but I still couldn’t get through. I tried my girlfriend Jennifer’s line, and again, kept getting a busy signal. The phones weren’t working. Something big was happening.

People wandered in and out of our office for the next few minutes, staring in wonder at the site before them. “My daughter works down there,” said John from Construction, “She was on the ferry this morning.” Though widespread panic had not yet ensued, people were beginning to get worried for their loved ones. I started to hope that people made it out of there safely, as I dialed home a few times until I finally got through.

“Dad,” I said calmly, “Everything is all right. I am fine. But put the news on, hurry...” I explained to him what had happened, and we watched it together for a few minutes, until I received a call on the other line from Jennifer, who was panicked. Her office, which was located in Hoboken right off of the Pier, had a nearly unobstructed view of the Hudson River, and so she had raced down to see what the commotion was when she heard the news from her own father. From her vantage point, she could clearly see the building on fire across the Hudson, and the clouds of smoke that rose to the sky.

As fellow workmates entered the office, each reacted accordingly. My father called me back to tell me he had heard from my sister in Florida, and while he was on the phone with me, we both watched as the second plane zoomed across the television screen and smashed into the other tower. “Did you just see that?,” I asked him, now growing a bit concerned. “How could it happen again?,” I wondered, as the reality of the situation set in. “Was that a replay?” On the Jersey side, Jen had seen a plane headed toward the Tower, thinking it was sent there to help. She turned around for a second and as she turned her head back, she witnessed the devastation caused by the second plane from across the river.

The Director of our department, a former military man, wandered in and out of our office to see the news reports, as well as give us information on what he heard. His next words sent chills through us all: “The Pentagon has been hit! This is no accident. This is a terrorist attack!” My head swirled, thinking of how this scene had always played out in movies. The threat was now a reality. This was no disaster flick. The Director’s comment sent a few people into instant panic mode. My workmate Sarah, who had been handling the whole thing very well up to that point, suddenly started to rattle off orders, “We have to get supplies! Quick get some water together. We should get some food, some shelter...” and then she completely lost it. “Oh my God, my son....I don’t know where my son is - what if he’s down there?...” She started to cry. Another friend of hers, Louise, had popped in at the same moment, noticing Sarah’s breakdown and wondering what was going on. “Oh my God,” she said, “My husband works down there...” Her face turned red and her eyes started tearing. We heard rumors of more planes attacking more cities. We stood around the set and watched the Towers crumble to the ground. This was a day of disaster. “What should we do?,” someone asked, “Should we get out of here?”

The company President and Vice Presidents entered our office for the first time that morning together, likely due to the fact that our area had one of the few television sets on the floor. “Stay calm,” said our company President. “Right now, this is the safest place to be.” They weren’t making anyone stay, but they had decided that it was best to stay inside the building until this was all over. They calmed the nervous folks down a bit, and stayed with us to watch a bit more of the footage. We all sought comfort in each other’s presence.

I sat by my area and tried looking up news stories about what was going on, since the Internet was still functioning, and also tried to reach out to people I hadn’t heard from, yet. Turning to our friend Steve from London’s online Forum, a place where we often kept in touch with friends during the day, I saw a panicked message. Steve had heard the news and was devastated. He implored that his New York friends check in. Each of us did, in turn, offering stories and information of what we knew and what we saw. At that moment, the Internet had become our community. It was the one place where we could escape to for refuge while this madness was going on.

There was no use in leaving the building, even if we wanted to. After the second plane hit, the City shut down the entire subway system, and closed all entry points into and out of New York. We could only wait and hope to hear what the next orders would be. The Mayor was nowhere in site. And we had yet to hear from the President. I tried to imagine how to get home and who to call, eventually getting in touch with my best friend Mark, who was blissfully unaware of the gravity of the situation, since he worked in a clothing store without television, and only heard about what happened without seeing it.

Two years earlier, one of my coworkers had told me about an odd dream she had with me in it. She said that I was wearing a plaid shirt and was sitting in her spot, saying, “I’ve got to get out of here!” repeatedly. The plaid shirt she meant was a red white and blue Tommy Hilfiger shirt I had bought back in the early nineties but had rarely worn, since it didn’t really match anything. She had remembered the dream when she saw me wearing the shirt one day, and we laughed about it. Two years later, after she had left the company, I was sitting right in the spot where she once sat, wearing the very same plaid shirt for the first time in ages. And I was wondering how I was going to be able to “get out of here”.

By mid-afternoon, the City lifted some of the restrictions on the Subways and we were told we could leave if we could find our way home safely, with instructions to call in the morning before showing up. I made arrangements to meet up with Mark on 51st Street, and take the subway over with him from there, since he had parked in Forest Hills and could drive me home. As I headed out into the city streets, I noticed that the day itself was absolutely gorgeous. The skies were blue, the temperature was about seventy degrees, and it felt very comfortable outside. Most of the shops were closed and the streets were somewhat desolate. The city was still. Once I got to the corner and looked down Park Avenue, though, the reality set in.

In the distance, I could see a huge puff of smoke that rose from the spot where the Towers once visibly stood and seemed to touch the sky. Along the streets, I spotted several people walking, almost zombie-like, many covered in white soot, with looks of complete disbelief and shock on their faces. They had walked all the way uptown from the devastation, weary, shaken. I turned to walk uptown myself, since 51st Street was about thirty blocks from where I worked. It was the only subway line that was operational at that moment that was going where I needed to be. As I approached 26th Street, an armed American soldier carrying a tremendous weapon in his hand appeared before me, patrolling the area, something I had never, ever seen before or expected to see. Several other army soldiers were dispersed in the streets ahead. The world was changing faster than ever expected.

It had been over a year and a half since we had all worried about the calamities that would be caused by the “Y2K” computer glitch, a worldwide panic that had us concerned about losing our precious computer files and data once the clock would turn over to the year “2000”. The world feared revolutions, Armageddon, disasters, and worldwide panic, but instead, the Year 2000 was ushered in with the most peaceful images the universe had ever seen to that point, as each country celebrated the brand new century in a beautifully blissful manner. Now the images we were seeing were much grimmer. And there was a harsher reality to this one, as it was happening for real right in our own front yards.

At the 51st Street stop, I noticed a line wrapping around the building, and feared that the wait for the train might be longer than expected, until I realized that the line was for giving blood! Thousands of New Yorkers had volunteered to donate their time, effort and lives for the sake of those who needed it. I was humbled by the acts of charity I saw before me, and was surprised to find the line had posted up to a “four hour wait”. Instead of falling apart, this crisis had somehow brought the City closer together.

Though the threats had been contained, and it was deemed safe enough to travel homeward, an unsettling feeling still filled the air. As I sat on the stoop of the station waiting for Mark’s arrival, I felt very nervous, and would flinch, along with everyone else in the street, when any loud noises were heard, particularly if they were coming from the sky. Aside from the smoke in the distance and the activity at the blood drive, New York seemed very tranquil and quiet in that hour.

When I arrived home, I was no longer interested in the sofa that had been delivered, but in catching up with what was going on. Images of desperate people trying to escape the buildings kept showing up on the news, and later infiltrated my nightmares, as I had dreamed of people falling from the sky and onto my bed in a bloody shattered mess. Though I was miles away from the incident, the trauma of the event still affected me and was disturbing my sleep, as well as my emotions.

My girlfriend had not taken any of this too well, either. She panicked about whether she should return home to Upstate New York, which was safer than the city where she had dreamed to live in her whole life. She bemoaned the fact that only a year before, she had been accepted at a firm that had its offices located in the Towers and had not taken the job since she was also not fond of being in those buildings. She lived alone, across the River, and it was all I could do to console her over the phone for the next few days, since there was no way for me to get to where she was once the roads and highways were closed down to unnecessary traffic.

On the very night after September 11, I was due to go to a family birthday party at our local Tony Roma’s restaurant. At first, there were thoughts of canceling it, but the staff claimed the rest of the events scheduled for that night would proceed as usual. I felt very serene during the dinner party, which also featured some music. When I noticed that the majority of the couples dancing were elderly people, most of whom had survived many of the hardships of World War II, I realized that the events of the day before were just one more big event in their lives. I admired their brave happy faces and attempted to find my own courage in dealing with the overpowering gloom in the air.

Two nights later, we were at yet another 60th Birthday party, this one attended mostly by family friends who actually were New York City Police officers, many of whom had been in and out of the site since the incident. One of them, family friend Sharon, had worked at the Trade Center during the 1993 bombing, and was one of its victims. That event had influenced her to become a police officer. I watched as New York’s Finest put aside the sadness for a while and enjoyed themselves in celebration, and thanked as many of them as I could for their efforts once the evening was done.

The next few weeks were sad and depressing, especially since I passed the New York Armory on Lexington Avenue regularly, and would see the hundreds of posted photos and clippings for people who were lost on that horrible day. All day from our offices, we could hear the sirens of the ambulances, as the bodies that were found were rushed to a nearby morgue. An unforgettable aroma filled the air above the City for the next few weeks, most notably drifting up from the areas in closest proximity to what had happened. It was a devastating time, but somehow New York pulled through.

The City not only quickly came back to life after this event, it proved that under pressure, it would come together and not fall apart.

As things returned to normal, and years had begun to pass, it became clear that the Day New York Stood Still was the signal of a brand new era.

Moon Over Manhattan.... Sort of....

2008-04-21T19:13:00.002-04:00

I have officially started my vacation this year. However, I didn’t intend to spend it looking at my City and literally observing Sundown during a full moon. But that’s exactly what happened on Friday night, as I needed to wait to meet up with Jennifer, and ended up waiting for far longer than initially expected. No worries, though. I had my camera with me, and decided to try out a couple of its features. I sat by the Hoboken pier, started taking photos of the city from across the Hudson, and noticed that a full moon was struggling to come out. When it got clear enough, I zoomed in tightly, and grabbed a clear shot of the looming moon. I have been itching to do something more with my photos, so I got the idea to mix the two tonight - one of the city, one of the moon - and create this mood piece for that Friday night. Enjoy.

An Audio-Visual Tribute to Disneyland by me now on YouTube

2008-04-18T05:27:00.002-04:00

Gearing up for this year’s Disney trip and found an old video I created in honor of Disneyland’s 50th Anniversary. I never put this video up before because it was a bit long-- but thanks to YOUTUBE, I’ve made it into a three part extravaganza. Check out my YouTube page.

Join us on an audio-visual journey throughout Walt’s Original Magic Kingdom, as it was preparing to celebrate it’s 50th Anniversary in 2005. THe photos are from our three journeys from 2000 -2004, and feature a glimpse into every corner of the park.
Part Two is my favorite, but I kinda get nostalgic when I re-watch this and enjoy all of it. Please note, photos were taken by myself and Jennifer, and the soundtrack was mixed together from the official Disneyland album, which was given to me as a present that year.

It was fun to make - but probably even more fun to be there! Check it out at:

Time and time again

2008-03-13T22:01:00.002-04:00

Time is such funny business. It's amazing how a mere few seconds can cause you to delay yourself for hours or more. Especially when you live a huge city and need to rely on public transportation for commuting to work.
This morning I left even more hideously early than my normal hideously hour early in the hopes of finding a good parking spot near the train station I commute from. I figured that by getting there just a few minutes earlier, I could beat the people who arrive just a few minutes later, and get a parking spot that is near the station, rather than several blocks (or as you will see, miles) away.
I almost made it.
I heard the alarm and reluctantly rose this morning with all of the intent of getting out of here as early as possible. Today is what we call an "alternate side of the street parking" (ASOTSP) day. For those of you who don't know, it's a system set up whereby the city cleans one side of the street on one day, and the other side of the street another. This way the streets can be full of parked cars on all of the other days, and the city gets a handy new reason to give out tickets for those who don't obey the traffic regulation.
The biggest problem with an "ASOTSP" Day near a train station is that you have a ton of commuters all vying for the same spots - but with the street needing to be cleaned, a whole side of the street must remain empty. And all the people who would have parked at those spots would need to find other spots, and so....you get the picture?
So I typically leave a little earlier on ASOTSP Days (Thank goodness there are only two a week where I park), and try to find a spot before a) the regular commuters and b) the regular LOCALS, who get up early and move their cars into the spots that regular commuters were hoping to get.

Today I was on my way out the door of my house when my umbrella fell. Now being that it was an annoyingly early hour, it was still kind of dark in the room, so I couldn't see where it went. So I stumbled around for it -- wasting several precious seconds- until I finally decided to give up, walk to the other side of the room and pick it up. Now, on a normal day, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but today, this little maneuver cost me 10 whole seconds at least.

So I drove to the station. (I'll tell you more about my commute some other time, but right now know that I drive to the train station, since I live that far away from it (about 20 minutes or so)). As I am arriving at the station, I hit a red light and have to wait for it, just as another driver scoots in in front of me from another block. The light had JUST changed, so if I'd have been there, oh, about ten seconds before, I'd have been the first car at the light. But As it was, there was someone ahead of me now. And the light changed.

And the person in front took the Only Remaining Spot in the area. Just like that. (And worse than that, decided to back into it, clumsily, holding me up for an additional 40 seconds or so).

This shouldn't be such a big deal, but in that neighborhood, if you don't find parking, you are screwed. The streets are completely car covered. And if I were to drive around looking for a spot, I'd miss the chance of a)catching my train on time, and b) making it to my alternate parking spot.

SO where is this alternate spot, that I chose to drive straight to rather than drive around in circles wasting time? About 2 miles away in another town. The next train stop. And even THERE, time is an enemy. The nearest parking spots in that somewhat gated community (the only place in NYC where there are "Private" streets that I know of -- where they can boot your car if you park in the restricted spots), it at least, ready for this? A good 5-10 minute WALK away from the train station. Which actually is fine on a day like this, in which I had PLENTY of time to get there and catch my train. But on other days, it's a virtual nightmare, as I need to find a spot and then run, usually breathlessly as my bags bounce on my back, to make it to the train on time. If only I had gotten there seconds before. Or minutes. Or days.

Speaking of time --- I should be asleep by now. Gotta get up again tomorrow for another round of this kind of fun.

Time Shoot - A Virtual Group "Photo Gallery"

2008-03-09T23:54:00.001-04:00

Some of you might recall that I am a longtime fan of an internet audio program called, “Your Mac Life” (http://www.yourmaclifeshow.com). This program offers useful tips and tricks on things you can do on your Macintosh, as well as interviews with prominent people in the Macintosh community who offer information on their new and up and coming products. It sounds so strange to put that in writing, as our once ‘little Macintosh community’ has grown to tremendous proportions, and the things we can do are not just platform specific.
 Host Shawn King has lately been delving more deeply into Photography on the Mac, due most probably to the connections his wife Lesa has within the graphic community. This has taken the show into whole new levels of interactivity, with weekly lessons from Lesa on things you can do with your photos, to tips from Shawn on how to shoot better pictures. They are taking their act on the road this year with a plan to host a “Camera Con” across the country.

Recently, Shawn developed an exercise called “Time Shoot”. This is a variant of a group photo shoot, where people get together in a group and shoot pictures. The “Time Shoot” is a virtual way of doing this, whereby anyone from anywhere in the world can participate. Each month, at a given time, we are asked to go an take a photo of “whatever” we happen to be doing at that excact time, and then email our photos to a main page at Flickr, where we can all see what our fellow photographers (both novice and expert) have shot at the same time you have. It’s a novel way of doing things together with people from all over. I unfortunately missed the first one, held last February, but this afternoon, I found myself once again at a great spot for taking pictures: the pier at Hoboken that I had photographed a few weeks ago. Since this was an international effort, I thought it would be fun to represent my hometown, since I could see it from just a couple of blocks away from where I happened to have been.

My photos are up. The complete set (including repeats) are up at my Flickr page, but the ones for the “Time Shoot” can be found here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/timeshoot) , along with everyone else’s.

I think the idea for the Time Shoot is a great one, and I’d love to try something like that amongst family and friends in the near future. It’s a great way of sharing that one moment together.

Sorry it's been a while

2008-03-09T23:48:00.002-04:00

Hey everyone, I am back.
Time seems to be slipping a lot lately. I just noticed that the last entry here was during the time of my tooth surgery, and that was months ago now. Sorry.

I hope to keep up with things from now on. I am having trouble deciding what to do about blogging. I enjoy doing it, and like having it be integrated into my main home page. But the blogging feature of the program I use for my homepage (iLife '08), is still lacking that certain something that Blogger seems to have, so I will maintain this page, with many of the same entries as can be found on my homepage, in the meantime.

A few neat things have gone on. I also have a Flickr page, where I share my current photographs. Classic and favorite ones can be found on my homepage. My YouTube page has a few new entries on it, too.

I recently bought the URL for my homepage, so I'll post it here in case you're reading this out of context: www.mynahworks.com.
Simple enough, eh? That site is updated regularly, and I'm always trying out new features, so just stay tuned. Links to my Flickr, YouTube, Odeo, Podcasts, Facebook, etc, can be found there. Have a look.

And watch for more blogging. More regularly. Right here. I promise.

All I want for Christmas is... my wisdom teeth

2007-12-20T22:47:00.000-05:00

It always happens.
You put aside something important that you know you have to do because at the time it doesn't seem as important as it will be someday. You think to yourself, "Yeah, my tooth is hurting today, but I'll call my dentist when I really feel the need to. I'm too busy right now...." So you put it off for a week. A month. Several months. And then one day, "Whammo!", you're met with the problem that you tried to shove under the carpet, at the most unlikeliest of times, in the worst circumstances. That was me.

Several months ago my rear wisdom tooth was beginning to grow in a weird way. After a routine visit to my dentist, it was beginning to hurt and show signs of decay. "OK," the dentist said. "That tooth has to go. It's going to cause problems. Come back in a couple of weeks and we'll take it out."

On the night before I was schedule to have it removed, both I, and my old man had some bad dreams - of the sort that would frighten old Ebeneezer Scrooge out of doing anything. We were worried that the tooth should not be pulled that particular day. It was like a Spidey sense moment. We worriedly arrived at the dentist early, and it seemed he had the same dream, since when he looked at it, he decided it was "healthy enough" to try and SAVE. So we rescheduled an appointment to try and save the tooth, which would require a root canal.

My Dentist is getting older and is not too comfortable performing procedures like this any longer, so he brings in experts. One particularly gruff guy who barely speaks, mostly grunts and is otherwise very mean. He had performed a root canal on me before, but even though it was uncomfortable, I was a bit younger and not prone to be hyper about it. But this time, he was rougher and gruffer than before. After a great warm-up routine, he proceeded to gag me both literally and unintentionally (since the tooth was way back), and angrily lost his patience and threw me out of the chair! He refused to work on me, simply because I had asked 'how long would the procedure take?', a simple question I thought could ease my mind. Even if he'd said "hours", I'd have been content with an answer. But instead he gave up. And I was simply told I would have to return at some point to have it removed.

Now fortunately, for the greater part of the year, I had no further complications with that tooth. Except for the one week in Florida, where I was due to be in California on the Monday for Celebration IV and my tooth was acting up while I was away. A quick application of ORAJEL helped, and to be honest, other than a mild momentary pain while I was waiting on line to meet Carrie Fisher in California, I never felt anything again....

Until this past weekend when I accidentally bit into something that BROKE OFF part of that tooth. "Oops, that was my tooth," I said, while chomping on a drumstick. Either that or very hard chicken. Made of enamel. Again I was fine for a day or two.... Then the pain set in.

I have a thing about delayed pain, it seems.

So I call my Dentist on Wednesday to find out about visiting him - but this being the Holidays and all - he is OFF until NEXT WEEK!!!!! He gave me an associate's number to try just in case. I tried to hold out another night, deciding what to do.

No go. Even that magical Orajel that helped so much in May wasn't doing the trick. I told my boss about my condition, and decided to try the Dentist's suggestion. At the very least, they could tell me if there was anything wrong. Or whether the holiday stress was causing this panic, like it had in May.

Well, turns out I am lucky I did check it out. The tooth had broken and had begun to be infectious. It would require an extraction that would mean cutting through the gum, pulling out the tooth, adjusting the nerves, and cleaning out the infection. I hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before resolving that I had waited enough (thanks to a forceful push by my sisters and Jennifer).

I tried to calm myself as I watched the other patients leave the office. They seemed to be doing OK. This was an Oral Surgeon who seemed to know what he was doing. And it was a youngish guy with a good demeanor. He put me under (one of my biggest fears about this whole process), and before I knew it, the work was done.

Now I am sitting (lying here) in pain. Excruciating pain, mind you. (Yes, I took something for it). But at least I am secure in the knowledge that this problematic tooth that had caused such consternation over the past year, is now gone.

Now I just need to get through this painful part of it (Wish me luck) and hopefully I can have a happy Christmas after all, without worrying about my mouth.

Do iPods Dream of Electronic Sheep?

2007-12-20T22:41:00.000-05:00

One of my iPods wants to fly the coup.
Twice this week, I have found my original 5 G Video iPod, the one I got as a present by cashing in on some birthday certificates a couple of years back, has been found in precarious situations that could have led to its loss. Or discovery.
On Monday, I had just ambled my way through crowds at Penn Station, when the bags I was carrying somehow hit against me in a way that jostled the iPod loose from its secure spot on my belt and tumbling toward the floor. Ground. Cement. (Luckily, I recently got it a new protective leather jacket to wear. Sporty one, no less).
So I keep walking and I hear a commotion behind me. “Whoa, Whoa, Yo!”, I hear from some helpful New Yorkers behind me. I look back in horror at the little music and video playing device I've had for a few years, lying perilously on the ground waiting to be either trampled on, or picked up.... like it was by the helpful guy in the Parka.
“You don't wanna lose this,” he said helpfully, as he handed over my black music box.
I thought that was scary enough. I mean --- imagine - he could have just walked off with it!

Today I had what we call around the office, a “Senior Moment”, which involved my iPod. Same one. I really think it is jealous of its sibling, the new iPod Touch I got as this year's birthday present. At lunchtime, I packed everything into my pocket. I usually carry around both players with me. The Touch, which has less of a disk capacity, has been fitted with simply the most vital material. The original iPod, or “Vader” as I named it, since it was as black as the Dark Lord of the Sith, particularly so in its ebony leather case, carries everything. Or mostly everything. Or all the music that's made to fit, to paraphrase the Times.

I'd picked up lunch and listened to a podcast as I munched on 1/2 a Turkey Sub and some warm chicken soup. I wanted something soft today because I'd chipped my wisdom tooth this week and now the gums around it are numbing and causing discomfort on this, the one week that it will be difficult to gain anyone to help me with it (my Dentist has flown the coup for the week). So anyway, I'm there at lunch and listening to my show on the Touch, all the while leaving “Vader” in my coat pocket. It was buried deeply in an interior pocket of the long black cashmere coat I left dangling over a chair.

A couple of hours later, a co-worker asks me, “Tony, did you string your long winter coat over a chair in the cafeteria today?”. A moment of blankness was replaced with a recognition of having done so. And then trepidation. “Uh...Is it still there?”. I raced up the stairs to the 9th Floor Cafeteria, and sure enough, there was my coat, left dangling for a better part of two hours, over a random chair in a random corner of the cafeteria. I did a quick grab of my coat for the cameras and whomever may have been watching. “Of course, “ I play-acted, “I left it here on purpose.” One can't look uncool, you know.

A while after that, it occurred to me that I should check the pockets further. And it occurred to me even moreso that my Video iPod, or Vader, was not on my desk anywhere. A quick pat down proved that it was still secure in the inner pocket. But for the second time this week, it almost got away!

UPDATE: Now it seems the TOUCH has gone astray! I had to leave my office for a medical emergency today - and accidentally left my Touch (hidden away) on my desk. I asked a savvy coworker to hide it for me. Sigh. These things just WANT to get away.

Oh, and BTW- WHO IS this lady on the Box? Is this Mary J. Blige? Other than her name, I have no idea who she is. I wish my box had MY hero on it, John Lennon, but that would's cost a pretty penny more (for the 16 gig)

About the Star Wars Podcast - New Show in Production

2007-12-01T09:07:00.001-05:00

Greetings everyone.

Yes, I know it's been a while .As we all know, Real Life takes precedence. But we are back....sort of!

Mark and I finally got a chance to meet up last night, as he was going through some of his old props and collections that he left back in storage. We spoke on a few topics that might interest those collecting fans out there. His collection of lightsabers, some model kits and some thoughts about the future of Star Wars. I also finally had a chance to show him our claim-to-fame page in the Star Wars Vault book and get some initial feedback from him on "The Force Among Us". Sadly, we have not been able to get together in a way that will enable us to cover that great movie the way we want to, but we are working on it!

We've had an interesting couple of months, and received some great feedback from many people. We have even had some great interview requests out there, and are working to make them happen. Time and Energy are at culprit here.

Due to our lives and schedules, it has been difficult to plan a talk, even via phone on Talkshoe, because we are rarely at our computers at the same time, and when we do speak on the phone, we aren't at liberty to record our talks all the time. Any other moment we had available to record would have been greeted with either a very lethargic conversation (and believe me - you don't want to get me talking when I'm groggy), or one peppered with baby gurgles in the background (not that there's anything wrong with that -- but it's kind of hard to hold a conversation with someone who has to run off and change a diaper in the middle of it). But these are the way of our real lives. Yes, we are fans. But we are real people with real lives and real concerns to deal with. Those come first.

The great thing about Podcasting is that unlike traditional media, it was initially created as a method for producing your own kind of show at your own pace. And though I'd love to be able to produce a weekly show on par with the great ones out there (like for instance, The Force Cast), logistics, time, schedules and lives make this impossible. Mark and I live and work at opposite ends of the City. Our weekends are spent even further away. While I have constant access to the internet, he is on maybe minutes at a time. We speak frequently on the phone and we have met up a couple of times in person, but just because we can be in the same place at the same time, it doesn't mean we are ready to "record", if you take my meaning.

With that thought in mind, please note that our enthusiasm for this podcast is still strong. We will keep it going as long as we can. As you will note in the new show (when you get to hear it), our love of Star Wars has not been diminished at all for the past few months. In fact, it seems to have grown while we've been away. It always seems to be part of our lives. Which is why there'll always be a new story to tell.

This show was set up as a method for us to share our recollections ("the Star Wars Memories Podcast") and those of others, and I think we've been able to provide that for the past two years. As time goes on, it's amazing how many more stories we still have to tell about something that was just a science fiction movie for kids once upon a thirty years ago.

Keep up with the blog for the latest on the show. Those of you who have contacted us, Thank you for letting us know you are out there. Those of you who plan to join us for a conversation soon -- please be patient as we head into our our third year, we should be able to figure that out! And those who just happened upon us, I hope you enjoy the experience and that you let us know about it!

I estimate the newest program will be posted during the first week of December (that's this week to me and you!)

See ya real soon.

Toucha Toucha Toucha Touch Me!

2007-10-26T23:35:00.000-04:00

I knew it wouldn't be long before I'd be lured into getting yet another new Apple product. That company has such a way with making everything they come out with look so awesome and make one wonder how they ever got along without it.
Well, the new iPod Touch is another example of a technological marvel that has to be seen to be believed. Although once you see one, as I finally did this morning, you may not want to put one down, as I did this afternoon.
I had intended on merely window shopping -- I had surreptitiously saved a few smackeroos for this week - just in case I did something big during time off - like a trip, or a show or something that would have ended costing me more. We had looked into getting the iPhone, however, the price was far too high yet, and it would involve a bit more than just signing up for two years. We are on a specially discounted Family plan, which we'd lose if we decided to upgrade.
So, knowing that, I decided it was time to finally check out the alternative in person --- the new Apple iPod Touch (which, for all intents and purposes, will be known here as the "iTouch". Two years ago, the first iPod Video was a great Birthday gift from friends, and I still love and use it every day. But the iTouch is different. It also includes a Web Browser!!!
This means I SHOULDN'T have to lug my PC around all over the place -- a chore now that I also have other things to lug around -- and that I can finally find someplace to go during my lunch hour to surf the web!
With my birthday rolling around again, I also had more incentive to do something for myself, and so I headed into the store with the intention to MAYBE buy, but mostly browse.
When I tried the unit out, I was thrilled. It totally exceeded my expectations of it, and found its way into a shopping bag very soon after.
Getting it set up at home, as usual with all these great products, was a bit of a chore. The unit I got only holds 8 gig worth of stuff. My iPod Video holds 30 gig. SO this meant going through my whole list and creating a special playlist just for the iTouch. It took a few tries, but by golly, I think this thing is gonna be VERY useful. I love the browsing capability. And the videos look great on it. The songs sound even better.
Still have to tweak a few things, and learn a few more, but I'll keep ya posted of any interesting developments as we go aong.

Imagine Some More

2007-10-09T21:21:00.000-04:00

I took the time today to imagine (by Tony G)

I Imagine white horses
nodding and trotting
running freely through the green woods

I Imagine birds in the air
fleeting while tweeting
flying without fear through the light blue sky

I Imagine children smiling
gleaming and beaming
playing side by side, friends forever

Somewhere a weary warrior puts down his arms
So do they.
"There's better things to do with our time," he says.

Like watching children play. And birds fly.

And they rode off in white horses
into the forest of green.

--ag 10907

Imagine Peace

2007-10-04T22:24:00.000-04:00

Peace is the word.
Heck, at least it's better than some other words out there.
And if we're going to be imagining anything - how about imagining a world in which we all just get along?

You may say I'm a dreamer.

Yoko Ono says:

ACROSS the Movie Screens

2007-09-16T08:26:00.000-04:00

IMAGINE a movie about love in the 1960's told through the music of the Beatles and directed by the acclaimed artistic director of Broadway's 'The Lion King'. Throw in a talented, likeable cast of mostly unkowns, vague references to sixties musical icons, weird psychedelic imagery and a happy-go-lucky plotline, and there you have the latest attempt to place the Beatles music on screen, "ACROSS THE UNIVERSE".
I had been very excited about this project since I first heard about it, being a Beatles fan myself for nearly thirty years ago (today). My fandom began in the auspicious wake of the Bee Gees' infamous "Sgt Pepper" movie back in 1978, a mess of a movie that attempted to cram too much into too little, and was very badly received by critics and fans. However it did have an amazing soundtrack that led me to discover the originals, and it is my hope that this new movie and its astounding soundtrack (over 30 new versions of classic Beatles songs) does the same for today's generation.

As the trailer for the movie showed us, the film starts with a guy on a beach reflecting on the "Girl who came to stay..."
The action switches back to the mid sixties, as a lad from Liverpool makes his way to finding a new life in America, and an All-American cheerleader bids farewell to her ill-fated soldier boyfriend. In an astounding juxtaposition, the action cuts back and forth between the two as the cast sings "Hold Me Tight", a lesser known Lennon-McCartney song, and sets up the story before we have even dug into a handful of popcorn. The characters all have names referring to Beatles songs. The lead guy, Jude (as in Hey!), finds himself stranded at Columbia and meets up with Max (as in "Silver Hammer), who has a lovely sister named Lucy (as in the Sky With Diamonds). Through a myriad of circumstances, the three share memories 'longer than the road that stretches out ahead" (to quote my own Beatles song). The story takes us through iconic sixties imagery, through flashes and turns and trips that probably spun out of someone's pipe dreams. But in the end, it turns out that "love is all you need". It's a wild, groovy, mildly strange story, but it is told with such style that it simply "takes you away...."

On the downside, the story doesn't really make much sense, but it seems that in retrospect, neither did the sixties. Well crafted moments suddenly get bogged down by slightly inane moments. And often, it seems the filmmakers are simply looking for excuses to throw in a Beatles tune. "Dear Prudence, can you come out to play", sing the leads in a lovely, lovely version of the song, as they try to coax their friend Prudence (literally) out of the closet. Huh? Why did she go in there to begin with? Struggling to find a logo for a new company, Jude, and artist, gets angry at a TV being brought into the house (did they have portable sets in 1968?) and suddenly throws a ton of strawberries on the wall, simply to sing "Strawberry Fields Forever". And in the trippiest moment of the movie, then again, I think this movie must be what one long strange trip is like, the cast is stranded from their Magical Mystery Tour and left in a field, where, high on something (looked like invisible drugs to me), they enter a tent and are met with a production number from the BBC to the strains of "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite". How about explaining this for the benefit of Mr. Audience Member?

The characters also lack any real depth and are not given a chance to be introduced correctly. We are thrust into their world and are supposed to understand who and why and what they are and why they don't find it weird that Uncle Sam posters are coming to life and scaring them to death (one of the best scenes in the movie, btw). However, all of this can be set aside as nitpicking.

The filmmakers obviously care much about their source material, and do the music proud. The soundtrack is fantastic, performed by some great enthusiasm by the cast. In fact, after seeing the movie, I turned on the soundtrack once more (having bought it in the morning of the same day), and immediately wanted to see this all again. It is a visual treat unlike any other, and it's leagues above a lot of the current movie offerings.

Whether the movie-going public will agree remains to be seen. People are fickle. I knew someone who recently complained there was "too much singing" in "Hairspray", despite the fact that this same person saw the musical play barely a year ago! Are audiences ready to see a movie where the words to the songs they know and love are being used to tell a visual story? Not sure. But I do know that it takes guts to make a movie like this nowadays, and I applaud the studios, the filmmakers, and all involved for taking the chance.

I don't buy DVD's any more, really, but this is one movie I can't wait to own and watch over and over again.

Recommended for anyone who wants to experience the 60's without actually having to live through them. Great music, engaging cast, amazing visuals.

On the iPhone Debacle (Rambling Rant)

2007-09-16T08:21:00.000-04:00

A couple of people over the past weekened found it necessary to ask, “Did you hear about the iPhone? They have problems with it. It’s not selling so they dropped the price. People are gettng huge bills....” And my response is really, “Did you listen to the WHOLE story? Did you pay attention at all? Did you bother looking into it any further?”
Number ONE, they just sold their MILLIONTH one. There are NO problems selling them. Number TWO, there aren’t any “problems” that don’t come along from it being the first of it’s kind. And lastly, any idiot who takes a device like that oversease without researching how much it’s going to cost deserves to get a $4,000 bill.

For those who don’t know, Apple Inc., the company that has given me the tools for providing this site to you (amongst other things), came out with a handy dandy gadget about a month or so ago called, “The iPhone”. It’s a cellphone, a wide screen iPod, and internet device all rolled up into one. The excitement over owning one of these devices grew into a fervor, and on the day they came out, there were lines everywhere. Everybody wanted a piece of this truly futuristic device that went on sale at a premium of $499 and $599. Now I don’t know about you, but I don’t have a spare $599 for a TV let alone a new gadget. (Oh, but what a gadget it is!) Yet some people did.

Now, any self respecting REASONABLE working person would’ve said to themselves, “Gee, unless I really had the spare dough hanging about, or unless I really,really need this thing, I guess I can wait until they lower the price to buy this. Besides, it’s only the first version, surely they’ll come out with a better one.”

Those people would have read up on it. Researched it. Learned all about how to use it before even laying hands on one. They would have realized they are buying UNTRIED technology, and that they would be paying a PREMIUM for doing so. There might be a kink or two to work out.

Caught up in the excitement over owning the latest gadget (perhaps to show off to others), a million people bought one and I am sure half of those didn’t even know what the heck they were buying. “Seven Hundred Bucks!” (with tax), cried a cap-headed hoodlum-looking bad-boy to his friends as they left the mall, bewildered. “Lemme get two,” said the gold-tooth, gold chain wearing guy with the goatee and the look as if he had never even touched a computer, let alone a cell phone. These people didn’t read the fine print, I’m sure. The had no idea what it does. Or even how to use it. They just wanted one. Bling! Bling! Look at me!

Meanwhile, others who actually DID read the stories, did the research, could actually use one, and actually HELD the thing to try it out, realized the importance of a gadget like this but decided to either a)save up to buy it, or b) wait until the next version came out. There was no immediate rush. Smart users felt as if there were still refinements to come. And surely there would be a standalone iPod that came in widescreen soon enough, if that’s the one feature they wanted.

Last week, Apple Inc. came out with the latest version of it entire iPod line, and I’ve gotta tell ya, every one of the models is awesome. I love the new Nanos, which offer video in a tinier form factor. Great for watching things on the go. Better still, I love the new Widescreen iPod Touch which is essentially an iPhone without the phone. An iPod that lets you get on the internet for free?? AWESOME. Now THIS is something I can rush out and get once I save up enough for it.

To booster sales across the line and put an iPhone in more Christmas stockings this year, Apple lowered the price of it’s iPhone by 200 dollars. That’s TWO bucks, baby, just for the chance to play with your toy for 8 weeks longer than anyone else. Do I think it’s fair? Yep.

I don’t just BUY stuff to be ‘cool”. And contrary to public belief, just because Apple comes out with something, it doesn’t mean I have to rush out and get it. It all depends on need and affordability.
When I first bought my iPod, nearly 6 years ago soon, it was because I NEEDED something to replace my portable CD player, since carrying it around with a bunch of CD’s was creating a nuisance. By purchasing it (Five Gigs at the cost of 359 smakeroos!!!!) I knew it was expensive, but I read all about it and found I really, really needed it. And Six years later, I can’t stand to be without it. And neither can the rest of the world. It was cool to be among the first people to even know what it was, but I wasn’t trying to be cool. I remember hiding it wherever possible. I hated those white headphones. And I was so embarrassed at anyone finding out how much I had spent on my gadget. But it fulfilled so many important functions. And still does.
 The video below is a humorous attack on Apple for ‘stealing’ those 200 bucks from people. Or IS it humorous? It sounds kind of mean and whiny to me.

So, going by this judgement, being that the latest iPods are about 1-200 dollars cheaper than what I paid back in 2001, should *I* complain about wanting my 200 dollars back?

Whenever I do end up getting an iPhone (it’s inevitable, as I’m already an AT&T user, and really like the futuristic aspect of the device and could find it extra useful on journeys), rest assured I will have read up about it, tried it, learned all there is to know about it. I won’t be buying because of hype. Or to look “cool”. I’ll be getting it because ultimately, it was made to fit my lifestyle.

Don’t believe everything you hear. Research things for yourself. And enjoy what you get when you get it.  

Any Dream Will Do

2007-07-17T22:32:00.000-04:00

Last Winter, America was given the opportunity to vote for a new Danny and Sandy for an upcoming production of GREASE. As many of you know, my family enjoyed watching this show every week, as we are all avid fans of the movie and all rooted for the winning team of Laura and Max. The show will begin previews next week at the staggeringly high price of 120 bucks, so you won't be getting a review from me soon.
Most of America didn't know that the show was an offshoot of a British TV show created by composer Andrew Lloyd Webber (one of the famous people I've actually had a chance to meet in my life, although briefly), who had a hit with a search for a new Maria in SOUND OF MUSIC. Well, this year, Andrew went back to his own repertoire, and decided to search for a star to grace the stage in an all new production of "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat".

"Joseph..." was the first show by Andrew and lyricist Tim Rice to be staged, and was originally intended as a school play. It eventually became a huge Broadway hit and a movie starring Donny Osmond. The Television show, "Any Dream Will Do", which was only aired in the U.K. this past Spring, was a lot like the GREASE show, but more intense and better produced. From the first episode, one particular lad stood out in auditions, and was the favored one between those of us who were lucky to get to see the show (all I can say is thank goodness for the Internet!), and we were pleased that Lee Mead, clearly the best performer of the 12 finalists, was chosen by the people of Britain to be their new Joseph.

Lee got to sing, along with Donny Osmond and British Joseph Jason Donovan at the recent concert for Diana. And now, TONIGHT merely WEEKS after being chosen Joseph, he is opening on Stage in the title role on the West End Stage. Our best to Lee from Across the Atlantic. (And yet the GREASE kids have had 5 months to prepare!)
Here's to more discovery of talent like this - we truly enjoyed the show and I am fascinated at how much young people love to sing nowadays.

Here is a clip of the music video for ANY DREAM WILL DO, featuring Lee, clips from the show, and the song that shot up to the top 10 in the U.K. over the past couple of weeks. You can see the FULL VIDEO here:

Here is the clip from the Diana Concert, if you're interested:

"Autism Speaks"

2007-07-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

I'd like to share a personal story of a different kind. One of my good friends and coworkers, Jamila, forwarded me a link to a page she created in order to raise money for a worthy cause. Her son Jayden is an amazing six year old boy who has a beautiful smile and a brilliantly curious way about him. When he was an infant, we'd hear stories about how he was studying computer manuals, and then later he'd be able to physically take the computers apart and put them back together again! I never cease to be amazed at the incredible mind this young boy has, from his detailed drawings, to his exact scribbles of words in foreign languages that he picked up from watching a video or computer game. He is always so brilliant at determining things (ask how many times he's changed the cellphone ringer, or taken artsy photos of himself!). I for one am always wondering what amazing thoughts are going on inside his head). At the age of two, he had been diagnosed with "PDD-NOS.

Jamila has signed up with "Autism Speaks" , a non-profit group that will help raise awareness, research and fight this challenging concern, which has become more commonly widespread in our society (even amongst celebrity children -- Toni Braxton, John Travolta and Sly Stallone all reportedly have autistic children). It is hoped that this condition will one day be cured; through therapy, and occupational development. For now, institutions like "Autism Speaks" can use your help.

Please visiti Jayden's page and make a donation toward this worthy cause.

Jayden Garcia's Story

You can contact Jamila here.

Beatles Reunion

2007-07-04T07:25:00.001-04:00

OK, so the Beatles got back together again and someone forgot to tell anybody? Wow, this seems pretty big to me! Technically, this is the second time that Paul and Ringo and the widows of John and George have united in the past year to celebrate the Las Vegas extravaganza by Cirque de Soleil ("LOVE"), but this is certainly the first time they've all been interviewed on one show. Pretty groovy stuff. I only wish I could have known about it when it was happening. (Thanks to Lillie for the heads-up on the existence of the show, and to Carmen for telling Lillie). But there is always the next best thing:
YOUTUBE!!

Instant Karma

2007-06-30T00:15:00.000-04:00

I recently purchased for download the new album called, "Instant Karma", which is a tribute to John Lennon by many of today's artists, united for the cause of stopping the "killings in Darfur". Sadly, before this album brought attention to it, I shall shamefully admit that I knew far more about the songs of John Lennon than of anything going on in Darfur. A quick Wikipedia search brought upon this: The country is in crisis, and money raised by this album will apparently help.
Now what exactly John Lennon has to do with any of that is beyond me. Yes, he was into causes, but sadly, he has not been with us for nearly 30 years. I was intrigued though, by the various artists involved in the project, and bought a special edition of the album that was offered to me via a promotion by one of the sponsors.
I must admit, I happen to really enjoy the album. Although some Lennon enthusiasts from way back when have posted on feedback that they don't like the choice of artists (people like Avril Lavigne, Christina Aguilera, R.E.M., and others). But I happen to think some of these version of the songs are even better than the originals. Lavigne's touching version of "Imagine" hits all of the lyrics with a new perspective - so much so that I teared up while driving through some countryside while it was playing. Others are playful fun (Aerosmith's "Give Peace a Chance" is an interesting new Reggae take on the song).
While some might complain, I know John would have loved the attention garnered upon his post-Beatles stuff, and I know for a fact he was an early Reggae fan, who loved deconstructing songs, so he would have enjoyed a lot of the tracks on this album. They don't all hit, but quite a few of them have become new iPod favorites.
However, John's own voice, passion, and need to write about himself and his ideals is often best expressed by the man himself. That is why I present to you a YouTube treat -- John Lennon performing "Instant Karma" live on "Top of the Pops", circa 1970-71.
You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one.

Star Wars Weekends

2007-06-27T23:52:00.000-04:00

Speaking of STAR WARS (is that all I ever talk about? Sometimes it seems so. But actually, no, whatever you see here is about the most I ever do write or talk about it other than on my podcast.

Here's a slideshow of the neat things I spotted at Stars Wars Weekends 2007.

Back from Outer Space!

2007-06-27T23:19:00.000-04:00

Crikey, it's been a while.
And I don't really have much time to write - but wanted to reclaim my blogging webspace, as I intend to use this spot again really soon for who knows what.
I've been everywhere. Florida twice for family events. California for Star Wars Celebration IV. Disney for SW Weekends -- oh, yeah, speaking of which...
The official Stars Wars site now gives you access to something called "Mashups", where you take their footage and mix it with yours-- just for fun.

Wanna see what I came up with first? Sure ya do. One of the reasons I chose Blogger is it allows you to post these things easily.
SO... with that said, HERE ya go, my first STAR WARS MASHUP....and See Ya Real Soon....

New Performance Coming

2007-04-09T23:49:00.000-04:00

Our good friend Jennifer Barr of the "Common Thread" Theatre company has announced the performance dates for her new play, part of an evening of Theatre that includes three variations on a theme. Please see the attached postcard for details of showtimes. In addition, you may listen to an interview with Jennifer during a fundraising performance earlier this year by clicking on the Podcast tab (to the right) and listening to "Using What they Got". Of course, feel free to comment here if you get to see the show.

The 'common thread' theme running throughout the evening of three one act plays is the word, "Suitcase".

"Connecting Flight" (by Delia Cyrille and Raul Jennings) is about two opposites that meet through a bizzare string of circumstances.
"Hiding Out" (By Adam Law, Maggie Fang and Yoshiko Siswa) deals with some family secrets divulged to a therapist.
In "Maleta" (By Anita Menotti, C.G. Reeves,Jennifer Barr and Sanja Stohakovic), four people become stranded in Argentina, and have their lives altered by a luggage mishap.

THE INDEPENDENT THEATRE 52-A West 8th Street between 6th Ave & MacDougal St
Tickets are $15 at the door. Performances run From April 11 through 15 at 8PM, April 18-21 at 8PM, and April 14, 15, and 21 at 2.

What 'Eggs-actly" Is Going On?

2007-04-09T23:31:00.000-04:00

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post -- Sorry about that. With the Easter Holiday (can I even call it that now? More on that in a minute. And Yes. I can call it that), and a few hectic weeks, it's been a little difficult keeping up with things. But I'm back at the helm and back at the keyboard, so you should see a few interesting missives or so from me in the coming weeks. Maybe.

Spent this weekend with family who decided to follow the age-old tradition of dye-ing eggs for Easter. I remembered the site of PAAS boxes from my own childhood. I remembered how excited we used to get about preparing the die and dipping the eggs and watching the designs come to life, but it had been so long that I had completely forgotten all about how we did it. "And then tomorrow we eat the eggs," said her Dad. EAT them? That seemed like an alien idea to me. I know that it has been over two decades since we colored eggs, but I certainly had no recollection of ever eating them once they were died. Strange. Thankfully, my siblings concurred with me later on that we indeed never ate them once they were colored.

I also found out (and realized all the while how many things one can forget) that the designs I used to love to impart the eggs with came by my own hand via wax crayons (So that's how we did it!). Getting old, that I didn't remember that for the life of me.

But I DO remember when Easter was Easter and we colored eggs in school and the Easter Bunny was NOT the same guy as Peter Cottontail. Some radicals have taken offense with the use of the word "Easter" on the imaginary bunny that we have iconized at malls to celebrate the Spring season, and have declared that he must be called "Peter Cottontail" from this point on, since it upset certain people to see the word "Easter". Excuse me? So, then we should also change the name of "Easter Island"? Shall we tell the Pope to stop wearing his hat because it 'offends' people who aren't of his religion? Or tell people to take their crucifxes off? I suppose it's far more necessary to take the Easter out of Easter and the Christmas out of Christmas than it is to stop such 'offensive' (to some) programs such as "The L-Word", "The Sopranos" or "Weeds". Yeah. That we need, but Easter Bunny? After all, we all know the story about how the rabbit was hopping all around the site of the open Tomb on that special Sunday, right? With the colorful eggs? I mean, he was real, wasn't he? That rabbit thing?

I remember when I went to school in the seventies, we celebrated the diversity of ALL of our cultures. We had Polish, and Blacks, and Greek, and Hispanic, and Italians and Germans, and Slavic and all sorts of kids in our class, being that this was Brooklyn, in the true melting pot of the world, New York City. And you know what? None of us was EVER 'offended' by what the others of us believed in or came from or knew about. We were all 'enlightened' by it. Not that we entirely understood our diversity. But we knew better than to take offense at our differences.

Let's hope these nutcases just stop the nonsense already and get back to what we all do on Easter Weekend: Color some eggs.

Another Droid Box!

2007-03-22T21:08:00.000-04:00

I haven't the slightest idea why, but this spotting R2-D2's is becoming a fun little game! I saw the little droid earlier this week at Penn Station, but there was too much commotion going on to snap a picture, but tonight I got the perfect opportunity, as he seemed to be gettting ready to catch a cab with his friends on the corner of 33rd and 7th Ave (Near Madison Square Garden).
I think the realization that there are only 400 of these boxes spread throughout the country is what is spurring me on to find them. Just received reports of a third one lurking about Jersey City this morning!! Hmmmm....Wonder how I'll get that picture?

Do we REALLY need to have Dancing Logos during our TV Shows?

2007-03-19T12:58:00.000-04:00

Why has there been no public uproar about the blatant mutilation networks are causing to their shows? Every channel has an identifier in the lower right hand corner of the screen (usually) that instantly informs you of the channel you are watching. It's annoying enough that this small annoying screen tatoo lingers throughout the entire length of programs, but now the networks are using them to advertise with - making them flash, sparkle, and totally distract viewers from the program they are watching.

During the opening sequence of last week's episode of LOST, a dramatic series about a host of plane crash survivors, ABC-TV decided to not only make it known what channel was being watched, but it also decided to have a pair of dancers saunter across the bottom of the screen until they hit the ABC logo --- all the while that a major DRAMATIC scene was being set up on the television show. In other words, I tuned in specifically to watch LOST, but had to be reminded that ABC will be airing "Dancing With The Stars" by having dancers block a good portion of the scene so as they almost became part of the action.

This samba sache couple was a complete and utter distraction to the show. In fact, because LOST is so trippy to begin with, and the episode began with the shot of an opening eyelid, it was actually comical to see these two dance across the screen at that precise moment (and others). This is outrageous. So now commercials are being shown WHILE you're watching TV???

And you wonder why I'd prefer to buy the program and not bother watching it live? That's your answer.

(Photo: This is an ACTUAL screen shot of what I saw that night. Doesn't it appear as if the dancers are part of the scene? This is an artistic outrage. Shame on ABC for the utterly ridiculous plug).

Look Out Neilsen; There are Many Ways to Catch our Shows

2007-03-19T12:44:00.000-04:00

Television executives lately have been scratching their heads at the apparent lack of viewership several hit shows are currently experiencing. Shows like ABC's "LOST", a huge ratings winner in its debut season, has 'lost' viewership in droves, they say. But in reality, I think they are not paying attention to the real story here: People are finding new ways of watching their favorite shows.
Since the fall of 2005, "LOST" itself has been available as a video download the day after it airs on ABC via the iTunes service, originally launching the debut of video programs for the Video iPod. This means that instead of watching the show live on Television as it aired, you could actually wait a day and buy the program to watch on your own schedule. Just as good as this, www.abc.com also features full episodes to watch on your computer -- for FREE. These can also be watched at one's leisure, and aside from a quick advertisement or two, are virtually commercial free.

This season, "LOST" moved it's viewing time from 9PM to 10PM, a time slot that is much too late even for someone like me, who loves to watch the show every single week. So this means, that yes, if Neilsen ratings were being taking from MY house, I would NOT be watching the show live.... BUT --- I AM recording it to my DVR to watch at the next possible opportunity. When I am away from home, I usually bring a blank DVD to record the show on so that I can bring it with me and watch during my LUNCH hour the next day on my laptop! Occasionally, I'll even buy an episode from iTunes, when it's easier to do that than anything else (and the joyous part of that, my friends, is that the show comes complete without commercial interruption!). And on yet other occasions, I have even taken to watching the show via ABC.com! So Don't accuse ME of not watching the show, you nasty overblown media, you. I DO watch it. I just do it on MY terms, not Yours!

Find Artoo Somewhere Near You!

2007-03-18T23:23:00.000-04:00

Lucasfilm and the US Postal Service are running a special kind of promotion for the 30th Anniversary of Star Wars. There are now, spread throughout the U.S. are special mailboxes painted to resemble the famous little blue droid, who first burst onto the big screen nearly thirty years ago.

I found R2 lurking about Hoboken this past weekend and took the picture you see here! Have YOU seen R2??? Join the search and post to a Frappr Map that is listing them all:

Rant: Perils of the City

2007-03-18T10:53:00.000-04:00

Didn't mean to start this blog with a rant, but I had to get this thought out:

I usually don't like to post about anything particularly controversial or political, but I have had it with being exposed to Second Hand Smoke. A couple of years ago I started developing a few asthmatic symptoms that I am sure are a result of the huge amounts of smoke that I accidentally have to inhale by simply walking down the City streets. Though smoking is banned in all restaurants and most buildings in New York, I think it should also be banned from street corners, subway stairwells, and building entrances. I hate to impede on the rights of others, but I can't help but feel this stuff is killing me.
I notice it mostly when I am away from the office for a few days and then make my way out of the subway station. So many people can't wait to light up that they start puffing before they are even out of the station, meaning that anyone behind them, (smoke-free people like me), will get the full blast of their chimney stoke right into their morning air, just as they hit the stairway to breathe their first bit of fresh air since stepping into the trains. Personally, that's when I feel it going right to my lungs, and it disturbs me greatly.

Climbing out of the station also means exposure to more wafting puffs that seem to reach out to you like zombies in a Haunted House attraction. Out of the corners. From the people in front of you. The people behind you. It is getting so horrible lately that I have taken to walking down the streets with my nose and mouth covered. It looks ridiculous, I know, but I really can't take that smoke anymore.

Sounds a bit extreme, but I have noticed that there is a distinct connection to my breathing problems and my exposure to Second Hand smoke. Aside from wearing a mask in the streets, there's really little that can be done about this that will be fair to everyone. I just wish that the First Hand people would be more considerate as they walk. Alert as I try to be, there is nothing worse than walking behind someone who suddenly decides to blow toxins into the air in which you are about to step.

I would hate to think that even though I spent a lifetime avoiding smoking, that someone else's habit would get to my lungs and cause problems.

Welcome Message

2007-03-17T21:46:00.000-04:00

Hello, and welcome to the newest incarnation of my blog page, once again with the startingly creative name I originally chose for it, namely, "Ramblings". Actually, 'Ramblings' is an appropriate title for a blog page from me, as there are times when I do tend to go on and on about things. This was probably spurned on by some creative writing teachers I had in College that encouraged us to keep free-writing journals of whatever came to mind.

I have had a public blog since about 2004, originally created with a program called "iBlog" for the Macintosh. Later, I found a newer, more manageable program called "Blogwave Studio" that was really great, but not quite always as cooperative as I wanted it to be. I recently dug it up and started using it again, but due to a major hard drive crash, I had to set aside for a bit. If I ever figure out how to get it to work again, I will, but it seems even the developer gave up on it. I've been very interested in the capabilities of Blogger and Blogspot, as I've read many interesting blogs created by them. I had no idea until today that they were now available via Google, and so, since I'm a Googler, I thought it would be fun to give it a shot.

My "Ramblings" tend to be about my own personal experiences. Not of the day-to-day variety, so much as about things, people, places and events that I might deem worth writing about. I'll get more into what I'm about at some other time, but anyone who is extremely interested might want to visit my previous blog (http://homepage.mac.com/tonygonzalez/blogwavestudio/index.html) or my personal website (http://web.mac.com/tonygonzalez). There you'll find an assortment of various projects, ideas, plans, as well as a couple of Podcasts I produce and co-host.

I hope any of you who have stumbled upon this enjoy the posts, and as always, feel free to comment on any or all of the content.