2007年11月3日星期六

老歌

Johanson Schultz 有点心不在焉,上句不接下句的主持着节目。周六的下午坐在床上缝缝补补,听他的老歌节目是一种享受。他的啰嗦好像是细雨不断敲打在窗户上,他播放的那些 4050年代的老歌仿佛是炖在锅里的银耳羹,不断地冒着气泡,泛起轻微的甜香,诱人而不彰显,值得围在炉边细细地捉摸。突然地,辛纳特拉性感的声音响起 来,

Your lips are attempting lips, Your lips are the wrong lips,

Your face is attempting beautiful,

Your face is the wrong face,

But, I am drawn to your face.

五年后,十年后的今天,我会在干什么呢?听老歌总是有点让人伤感,这些没来头的想法在醒来后的第一杯咖啡后,在脑子里盘旋。昨天晚上的啤酒和两杯Amber Glow 好像还在身上发挥着作用,早晨朋友打来电话,让我上网查个电话,我听了半天,不知道她在说什么。

可是喝得有点high 的感觉真好,nothing to worry about and nothing can hurt you! 街对面的Leela Lounge我已经路过了上百次,第一次走进去,发现是个不错的聊天的地方。一群年轻人在开party, 用自己带来的80年代的老歌,让DJ给他们的party助兴。他们大概都是80后,这些音乐他们可能在摇篮里听过吧。对我们来说,这可是小学的时候,哥哥们和

姐姐们藏在砖头录音机里的宝贝。摇摇摆摆的80年代,喧嚣夸张的80年代,听着听着,我有点想哭的感觉。

Amber Glow其实有很多种做法,我要的那一杯放得不是柠檬汁,而是菠萝汁,味道好极了。我最喜爱的rum and gin搅和在一起,加上石榴汁的美色,和菠萝汁的衬托,整体的感觉非常暧昧.石榴汁密度大,沉在杯底,上面是透明的兰姆酒,捧在手上感觉上像是个红色的天堂.在网上稍微浏览一下,发现做法非常简单(

http://projectcocktail.blogspot.com/),以后我有了自己的窝,一定要有一个小小的吧台来招待朋友。

喝了几杯之后,话多起来。生活中的种种烂事都被拿出来开玩笑。米兰昆德拉是对的,生活不可认真,人类一认真,上帝就发笑,这个尘世上本来没有什么了不起的对错,而我们不过是匆匆的过客。这几天在安排去香港的旅行,事情开始有眉目了,可是心里对这个城市和朋友的不舍也显现出来。我以为自己不是一个恋旧的人,其实,我对“旧”宝贝的不得了。旧是什么?旧不是别的,就是五六年来的自己。初到美国的时候二十四五岁,这五六年中的种种,不是别的,就是我有时快活、有时沮丧的人生!不恋旧就是对自己的否定和回避。虽然有不少痛心的时候,我对自己的人生还是充满的感激。我感谢大家对我的关心和友爱,我这几年来最大的收获是朋友、朋友、朋友!和朋友们在一起的回忆,就像是那些老歌,虽然不会随时记着,但是偶然想起来,都像Amber Glow一样甜蜜。

2007年11月2日星期五

Gosh, I Love America!

“Gosh, I Love America!”: A 2008 Campaign Quiz

by Paul Slansky

http://www.newyorker.com/humor/2007/10/15/071015sh_shouts_slansky

1. Two of these quotes are from Mike Gravel. Which one is from Mitt Romney?

(a) “I am prepared to tell you that Americans are getting fatter and dumber. I have no problem saying that.”

(b) “I think we at one point were fish coming out of the slime.”

(c) “Gosh, I love America!”

2. How did a Times editorial describe Rudolph Giuliani when he was mayor?

(a) “A human hand grenade.”

(b) “A pit bull with a comb-over.”

(c) “A clumsy wife-leaver.”

Who’s who?

3. Bob Allen.

4. Kristian Forland.

5. Thomas Ravenel.

(a) Bill Richardson’s field director in eastern Nevada, who resigned after it was revealed that he’d worked at a legal brothel and was wanted for writing bad checks.

(b) Rudy Giuliani’s South Carolina campaign chairman, who resigned after being indicted on cocaine charges.

(c) The campaign worker for John McCain who resigned after being arrested for soliciting sex in a Florida rest room.

6. After he came in second in the Iowa straw poll, Mike Huckabee said that the experience of being swarmed by the media was akin to what?

(a) “Britney Spears being released from prison.”

(b) “Lindsay Lohan shaving her head.”

(c) “Paris Hilton being photographed passed out in her car.”

7. Who is Janet Neff ?

(a) The reporter who wrote a story about Hillary Clinton’s cleavage.

(b) The judge whose nomination to a federal district court Sam Brownback tried to block because she had attended the same-sex commitment ceremony of a neighbor’s daughter four years earlier.

(c) The blogger on the John Edwards campaign who resigned after writing about George W. Bush’s “wingnut Christofascist base.”

8. Two of these candidates apologized for saying that American lives lost in the Iraq war had been “wasted.” Who apologized for saying that homosexuality was “a choice”?

(a) Bill Richardson.

(b) Barack Obama.

(c) John McCain.

9. Complete this statement by Newt Gingrich, who keeps threatening to enter the race: “I think it’s proven I’m _____.”

(a) not getting the Hispanic vote

(b) candidate material

(c) the kind of guy who leaves his wives as soon as they become ill

10. Two of these statements apply to Mitt Romney. Which one applies to Tom Tancredo?

(a) He said that his favorite novel is L. Ron Hubbard’s “Battlefield Earth,” though he pointed out that the author had not yet founded Scientology when he wrote it.

(b) He claimed to have been “a hunter pretty much all my life,” then admitted that he’d only rarely ever hunted, and “small varmints,” at that.

(c) He suggested that the United States “nuke Mecca.”

Who did what?

11. Fred Thompson.

12. Dennis Kucinich.

13. John Edwards.

14. Rudy Giuliani.

(a) Found his name often appearing in sentences containing the word “hair” or “haircut.”

(b) Answered a phone call from his wife in the middle of a speech to the N.R.A.

(c) Got laughed at when he referred to “my inauguration as President” in 2009.

(d) Found his name often appearing in sentences containing the word “lazy.”

15. At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Joseph Biden referred to the queue of senators waiting to speak. How did he pronounce “queue”?

(a) “Kwa-you.”

(b) “Kway.”

(c) “Cue-you-ee.”

Who did what?

16. Hillary Clinton.

17. Chuck Hagel.

18. Barack Obama.

19. John McCain.

(a) Said that MoveOn.org, because of its ill-conceived “General Betray Us” ad, “ought to be thrown out of this country.”

(b) Was upset to learn that a formerly friendly mogul had switched candidates.

(c) Mistakenly said that “ten thousand people died” in a Kansas tornado that claimed twelve lives.

(d) Called a press conference to announce an unreadiness to announce anything.

20. Who is Jim Riches?

(a) The Fox News reporter who broke the erroneous story that Barack Obama attended a Muslim school.

(b) A business associate of the indicted Clinton fund-raiser Norman Hsu.

(c) The New York Fire Department deputy chief who said of Rudy Giuliani, “If somebody can tell me what he did on 9/11 that was so good, I’d love to hear it. All he did was give information on the TV.”

21. What did John McCain say could cause him to drop out of the race before the New Hampshire primary?

(a) “Forgetting which world leaders are still alive.”

(b) “Contracting a fatal disease.”

(c) “Getting caught in a men’s-room stall with Larry Craig.”

What a girl should learn?

Today's NYTimes has an article about "Seventies Somthing" by Judith Warner, who talking about the promoted girlhood in 1970s and right now. She compared two new books. "This week came “The Daring Book for Girls,” the work of two almost-middle-aged writers whose goal, they told me, wasn’t just to complement the mega blockbuster “The Dangerous Book for Boys,” but also to offer an escape route out of the high-pressure, perfectionist, media-saturated and competitive world of girlhood in our time. The way they do it: by offering up an alternative kind of girl culture that looks and sounds a whole lot like … life in the 1970s." In the article, Warner is kind of asking readers to be cautious about glorifying the 70s and tries to understand the essence of the 70s and our current cultural environment--the one puts a girl into womanhood at the age of 9. In the essence of the Sex and City writing, I cannot help thinking about the article from Columbia's Specters yesterday about the presidential search for Barnard College and the way the current president Schapiro's way of leading. Schapiro is a feminist from 1960s and Barnard College has its public images a cradle for future feminists. However, the interview of the students show students are not totally embracing this idea. They tend to label themselves as the moderate feminists. In their words, their mothers belong to the generation of bra-burning; however, they belong to the generation who can talk about the gender politics as well as loving Jimmy Choo's shoes. It explains the popularity of Sex and City. Not in a single episode you can see much discussion of politics, except in one where Carrie was dating this Republican candidate which ended tragically. The TV show is totally politically correct--it has nothing to do with it. Is it the kind of life we are longing to as girls? Many of my friends complain that they have nothing to talk with guys. Guys are interested in stocks, politics, golf and material stuff. There is no romance! No love letters! No old fashion woo. So what a girl should learn to talk with guys? My suggestion, that is easy. Read a little bit. listen a little bit. Talk a little bit. My observation is that not many girls listen to Brian Lehrer show--the easiest way to learn the local politics and sports you can chat with guys; or listen to the Leonard Lopate show--to learn the local culture events and comments. It is that easy! When you get time, instead of watching Sex and City nonstop, read the columns in NYTimes or articles in NY Book Reviews. Just to get enough to talk about. To my great surprise, I find my friends are extremely uninterested in the local politics. Not many of them know about the hate crime in Teachers College, or even Jena Six. It seems to me they live a parallel lives--study or work in U.S., but satisfy all their cultural, emotional, and psychological needs in Chinese literature, pop culture, and websites. I am not saying this is a problem--but it definitely leads to a sense of isolation and alienation.

2007年11月1日星期四

swastika

To the TC Community: This morning, a swastika was found spray-painted on the door of a Jewish faculty member at TC. We have reported the incident to the police. While the College would prefer not to give added visibility to the perpetrators of these incidents by publicizing them, clearly this action is a serious hate crime, and just as clearly TC and its faculty members are the focus of a malicious campaign to cause fear. We feel we've been targeted precisely because Teachers College is and historically has been a center for deep multi-cultural work. We are committed to maintaining that tradition by operating as an open, tolerant community. We will not be intimidated by these incidents and we will do everything necessary to find and punish those who have committed these acts. Such vicious actions are the work of hate-filled, angry individuals who have no place here or in any community that values inclusion and respect. As an institution, we repudiate them and their actions. We will provide additional details and updates as more information becomes available to us. Susan Fuhrman Tom James President Provost

2007年10月31日星期三

为什么我们需要万圣节?

从三街往第六大道走,身边都是妖魔鬼怪。从Comedy Central路过,看门的大叔看着过往的丫头小子们总结道,“万圣节嘛,就是一年一次的机会,straight guy can dress like gay!”

Home, home, home

已经预订11月28日回国。途经香港,12月6日左右到北京。 我不介意大家给我送行啦,吃喝玩乐都行啊! Top on my wish list: 1. an afternoon of golf class; 2. a night out for pool and beer; 3. a night of dance at Columbus 72 ; 4. a final drive to Long Island or Jersey shore; 5. a drink on roof garden of Met Museum; 6. an evening class at Institute of Culinary Education--learn homemade pasta; 7. a shopping tour to Woodberry Mall (never been there before, believe it or not); 8. a live rock concert around Union Square; 9. skate at Rockefeller center. Let me know if you are upto any of these crazy stuff and we can do it together. Let's rock, people!

2007年10月30日星期二

我猜,我猜,我猜猜猜

在96街跳上2号线,对面坐着一个黑人大叔,手抱电吉它,身穿皮衣,带着墨镜,非常酷。他随便弹一段旋律,然后和别人打赌,看对方能不能猜出歌手的原唱。他唱得高兴,大家听得开心,有几个年轻人音乐知识渊博,往往大叔刚刚弹出几个音符,就有人给出了答案。/////// 黑人的乐感真是好,随便弹弹,一会儿学摇滚,一会儿是爵士乐,偶尔还夹杂一些soul and blues。车快到42街,大叔开始收钱。他开口唱个喏儿,感叹家里三个孩子嗷嗷待哺,自己得卖艺养家真不容易。他半开玩笑地说,我什么都收,child support money, college financial aid, lucky cookie, chips, 最后他对着一个看书的印度学生说,老兄,I even consider Indian dollars。////// 今天看时代周刊,有篇文章介绍路易斯安娜的新任共和党州长,Bobby Jindal, 他是美国历史上担任参议院议员的第二个印度裔美国人,也是第一个印度裔的州长。他的父母七十年代初来美国读研究生院,他是出生在美国的第二代移民。从布朗大学毕业以后,他在牛津读了一个公共卫生政策硕士,就赶回美国在路易斯安娜州政府卫生部工作。此后,他征途顺利,一路升任到联邦政府卫生部副部长。然后又降落到自己的老家,竞选州长。我想起了老电影,Mississippi Masala, 里面忍气吞声在路易斯安娜生存的印度移民生活已经变成了历史,现在他们翻身作主人了!中国移民这么多,为什么不参政呢?//////// 这一期还刊出了介绍中国的ME GENERATION的文章。不关心政治,认为他们的生存不依赖于民主的一代中国青年。据说过去三年中,中国20-29随人口的收入提高了34%,但是他们对政治的关心度一路下滑。/////// 真有意思,美国大学研究生院一个劲儿地推行公民教育,鼓励大家关心政治,参与政治,尤其是对当下政治问题发表自己的意见。这个周末有争议的作家霍兹维茨要到哥大来讲演,他研究穆斯林中的法西斯主义,计划在100天内到140各大学和研究生院讲演。他一路讲演,一路受到各校穆斯林学生组织和 自由派学生组织的抗议。今天,学校里就号召大家出来抗议游行,抵制他的讲演。学校将这样的机会作为对学生进行教育的机会,没有加以阻止。作家有讲演的自由,学生有持有不同意见的自由。在不同意见的对立和冲突中,学生们才能学到民主中最宝贵的东西--一个人可以不同意另一个人的意见,但是他要用生命来捍卫他说话的权利。///////// 今天,图书馆的同事给了我一个surprise party, 其实是午餐。Yodit, Maureen, Aldof, Olzem, Melissa, Anita, Karen, Rubukun, Wendy, Usa, 大家聊了半天,吃得非常尽兴。 从图书馆出来,我抱着花挨个给老师的办公室送花。先和韩立文教授聊了一会儿,然后又和曾满超教授聊了一会儿。老师们嘴里说不用客气,其实受到鲜花还是挺受用的。 曾老师把花拿到学生办公室里,高兴地说,I get flowers today, from a lady!

2007年10月29日星期一

After party

跳、跳、跳

猫的家里乱成了一团,四个女生同时化妆。到处都是眉笔、粉底、眼影盒、腮红、唇膏、睫毛膏,大家兴奋地讨论着各种可能性,比如绿色的眼影加上紫色的眉毛。 从来不化妆的我,试着自己打粉底,猫看了一下效果,夸我真会刷墙。Jq不愧我们中间唯一的女科学家,她试验用胶水往脸上贴银粉。胶水和粉底、腮红搅合在一起,上面再撒上一层银色或者蓝色的荧光粉,看上去,三分像人七分像鬼。Ying 说,晚妆不怕化重了就怕化得不够夸张,没事儿。于是,大家跟着效颦。不久,洗手间的地上、水池里、每个人的身上都洒满了银粉,一个一个好象埃及艳后的仕女。Ying实在对我的大白脸有点看不下去了,花费一分钟时间给我加上了一些腮红,又花了一分钟时间示范如何用睫毛膏来画眉毛。群众的智慧可真不是盖的!
经过了45分钟的反复修改和试验,踩着高跟靴子,挎着闪亮手袋,四个信心爆棚的美女出发了。到街上一看,我就自惭形秽了。年轻的小美女们真是舍得花钱,每个人都置了专门的行头,从头到脚,毫不含糊。有的化妆成波涛汹涌的小护士、小红帽,有的变身成为Wonder woman、Super woman、Cat woman,大批的女孩子化装成日本韩国式的校服女孩,还有不少干脆就内衣外穿,在紧身衣外面套丁字裤。男孩子的想象力比较有限,街上有一堆囚犯、纽约警察、MTA工人、救火队员。经久不衰的造型当然非星球大战里面的怪物们莫数了,星战、星战后传、星战前传,凡是有点头脸的角色都出动了。当然街上也少不了各种恐怖片里的角色,血淋淋的有点恶心。
Webster Hall是纽约市著名的夜店,我从来没去过。根据维基不知道的介绍, Webster Hall is a nightclub in New York City. It is located at 125 East 11th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues. It acts as a concert venue, nightclub and corporate events center. Counted among the notable acts to play the club are The Hives, Rhett Miller, Beth Orton, Sonic Youth, The Jesus And Mary Chain, +44, The Bravery, Brian Jonestown Massacre, Mogwai, Spoon, John Butler Trio, Explosions in the Sky, The Flaming Lips, Dispatch, and Infected Mushroom. Webster Hall was originally built in 1886 by architect Charles Rentz and quickly became the country’s first modern nightclub. It was a place where one could witness figures such as Emma Goldman (the outspoken exponent of Anarchist philosophy) herald the cause of free love and birth control on one night and, on the next night, see the refined atmosphere and grace of a society function celebrating New York’s elite. Margaret Sanger led strikers to the building in 1912. Other patrons from the club's early years include painters Marcel Duchamp and Joseph Stella. In addition to its weekly club nights, Webster Hall is one of NYC’s premiere live music venues. Usher, The Stone Roses, Evanescence, Joss Stone, Good Charlotte, Linkin Park, Nelly, Duran Duran, Franz Ferdinand, Alicia Keys and Prince are just a few of the artists that have performed on the Grand Ballroom’s legendary stage within the last year alone.
因为是万圣节之前的周末,Webster Hall这个周末的主题就是魔鬼降临。11点钟左右,门口就排起了长队。幸亏我们在网上提前买了票,否则的话,还要排队等候。门口的安检比机场的严格多了,不仅把你的包从里到外检查一便,还要搜身。Webster Hall 里面有很多层,根据票价的不同,能进入的地方也不同。地下一层是hiphop music,里面的人多得像虱子一样,温度高的不行,进去像是蒸桑拿。灯光暗淡,温度极高,有的情侣就开始上下其手,动作是分出格,我们决定不能在这个少儿不宜的房间里久留。第一层的舞厅在不断地放送80年代的老歌,投影仪打出那个年代歌曲的mv。领舞的台子上有不少钢管,会跳不会跳的,都恨不得上去表演一下钢管舞。我们及时把猫按在地上,防止她冲上去表演加州风格的钢管舞。第三层的房间很小,墙上的壁画很有印象派的风格。DJ 年纪很大了,他打理的salsa music也很老派。舞厅里面只有几对在跳舞,其中跳的最好的是一对带着《惊声尖叫》面具的情侣。另一头一对超人和超女跳得也不错。
过了午夜,Webster Hall才正式打开。这个大厅有两层楼高,灯光和音响效果比其他的几个舞厅好太多了。我们进去的时候还没什么人,不消半个钟头,整个舞厅里就挤满了人和鬼们。我们的左边正对着巨大的音箱,音乐震得人心脏打颤儿,唯一的办法就是不停地跳舞,这样才不会感到不舒服。据说晚上有四个不同的DJ在打盘,可是听起来也没什么不同。大概中间有个从俄罗斯来的吧,不断地把手风琴和嘻哈音乐混在一起放。灯光和音乐一样拉风,有的时候晃的人家的眼睛都睁不开。反正大家几杯啤酒下肚都已经很high 了,这样吵闹的音乐和刺眼的灯光正好! 周围最酷的一对情侣打扮成Killing Bill 中间的新娘(Uma Thurman) 和V for Vendetta中的 Vendetta (Hugo Weaving)。这两个人的搭配还真是巧妙,只是男生的面具不大透气,过一会儿就要把那个面具摘下来透气。有个女孩子模仿Marie Antoinette ,高高的发髻连累的她走路都困难。最妙的是模仿Borat Sagdiyev,道具非常简单,那个男生浑身上下只穿了两样东西,他的八字胡和一件背带短裤。化妆舞会当然少不了SM couple,他们看上去好像是参加gay parade。我看见的最性感的女生是一个肚皮舞娘,她里面穿着丁字裤和bra,外面是一层透明的黑纱,她简直就是全部的真理—赤裸裸的真理!稍微打扮得有点出格的都挤到舞台上去,希望能赢得1000美元的扮装大奖。好几个摄影师在人群里晃荡,见着有意思的就拍。 我好久没这么跳舞了,真的很High。后来累得不行了,就跟着音乐蹦跳,我都奇怪自己怎么这么有劲儿。哎呀,原来身体可以带给人这么大的快感,就是简简单单的蹦跳都可以让人感到彻底的放松。什么时间啊,工作啊,都被我的靴子踩得粉碎,好痛快啊!喝一瓶啤酒然后接着蹦跳,什么未来啊,烦恼啊,回国恐惧感啊,未婚恐惧感啊,都被我揣到一边儿去了。跳、跳、跳! 从舞厅出来,已经两点了。意犹未尽,于是三个人到对面的Amsterdam Billiard 打台球。里面有不少从舞会出来的怪物,甚至有一个阿拉伯的王子从我身边走过。我抖擞精神,居然打出不少好球。基本的经验就是猫让我打红球,我偏不,我要打绿色的;猫要我打绿色的,我偏不,我要打紫色的。 最后,三个人都疲了,躲在麦当劳里吃冰。穿着超短旗袍的丫头们从我们旁边经过,super woman 也来了,然后是一个大纸箱子。箱子很有礼貌地移动到我们面前,然后把自己放在地上,温柔地问我们,隔壁的桌子有没有人。我们大笑,这才是今晚最佳的扮装诶!箱子里的绅士!

风中的野餐会

我试一下小鸟依人。嘻嘻!
呃冷啊!
多谢Ian 给我们照相留念!

US OPEN 2007 老照片