Overheard at LaGuardia Airport

Woman (speaking into cell phone): I've been a complete pig recently. Last night I had a bagel and this morning I had a croissant and now I have to get back on track again.

NYC Mini Update

Yes, we're still in NYC. Will write more when we return home.

Among a million other things today, we went to see Jenny Holzer's "Protect Protect" exhibit at the Whitney this pm. Very powerful and sometimes heartbreaking. Will write more later.

I haven't been taking a great volume of pictures as I rarely photograph things that don't interest me and, in NYC at least, the things that interest me can't be photographed (unusual subway graffiti for example.)

Despite it likely being considered kitch, we visited the Empire State Building - both the 86th floor and 103rd floor. Damn this city's beautiful.

New York City Thoughts 1

It takes 5 hours to fly from Halifax to London England. Due to a flight cancellation and subsequent rebook, it took us 7 hours to fly to NYC. Given we'd left for the airport at 445am and we had theater tickets for that night, it was a very long day.

I apologise New Yorkers, but LaGuardia Airport is a pit. UPDATE: The ARRIVALS level is a complete pit - the departure level is quite nice.

Last evening, at 7th Ave and 52nd(maybe) saw this actor. She was crossing 7th, umbrella in hand (as NYC was - and is - having rolling not-quite thunderstorms) ... she looked fantastic.

I know we've only been here less than 24 hours but we're yet to meet anyone who I'd call genuinely rude. (Of course, I'm not exactly Mr Tact myself.) A couple of people have been a little brusque but no one's cussed me out.

Walking back from the theatre (Avenue Q) last night was interesting. It was about 1030pm and Time's Square was packed with people just sitting, watching the giant electronic billboards. The walk back to the hotel was very pleasant. It was reasonably cool and the sidewalks weren't overly crowded so you could walk at your own pace.

Today, the Whitney and the Apple Store for sure. Oh, and tickets to "The 39 Steps."

Fundy National Park - It's Spring, right?

Had yesterday mostly to myself (long story) spent a few hours visiting Fundy National Park. Of course, it wasn't really open for the season but I just needed some quiet time to myself.

And I got that quiet - I saw no more than 4 people while there. Above is the view near the park headquarters, looking out into the Bay of Fundy. (It will embiggen if clicked.)

It wasn't overly cold so I sat on a picnic table and took in the warm spring sun while listening to the waves at the bottom of the cliff. I didn't have a lot of time so this was a "stop, sit, picture" visit. I'm hoping to make time later in the summer to wander in the woods on my own.

Coming up in a couple of weeks, R and I are heading for New York City. It'll be the first time for both of us. I love exploring the urban landscape so I'm hoping it'll be fun.

When "Knowing" isn't better.

Commenter NatureJockK asked nicely for a little more detail about a recent post - why I thought, to paraphrase Bart Simpson, "Knowing" both sucked and blowed.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

My dislike from the movie fall into three mini-rants.

First, the science or, rather, the lack of good science.

• Cage's an MIT professor (astrophysics?) yet he falls into the numerological pseudo-science thread of the movie in seconds. Scientific Method meet Window.

• The super explosion in the Sun that will kill the planet (conveniently taking our Mercury and Venus at the same time) seems to be triggered by a big ball of something hitting ol' Sol according to his nifty video. There's no mention of it.

• Continuing on that theme - if it was getting warmer due to the Sun's influence don't you think someone would have noticed the planet-killing plasma burst heading our way.
  

• While we're talking about that sun shower, Cage's character mentions it could reach as deep as a mile and a half. But this is going to be largely radiation. How could radiation scrape up matter like that. Yes, the rads would be so high you couldn't possibly survive but scrapping up a mile deep trench through Boston? Come. On.

Secondly, the movie makers golly-gee attitude toward religion left me insulted. I'm not a Christian but I try to accept the belief systems of others.

The movie loved to move back and forth between whether the "angel" dudes were really angels or not. This was especially true near the end where their disguises burned off and they were made of energy. The energy dissipating behind them would, from time to time, take on a wing shape. It was as if they were saying "I'm an angel. No I'm not. Yes I am..." If I were Christian, I'd have been offended.

Finally, what sort of angel/alien in their right mind thinks it's a good idea to drop off children on an alien planet and just fly away.

In an effort to purge my mind of this drivel, I got up the next day and went to another movie. A smaller one. A better one.

I went to "One Week" starring the always adorkable Joshua Jackson. He plays a schoolteacher in Toronto who's disgnosed with a very agressive form of cancer. Rather than immediately consign himself to being a patient, he takes a week making a journey across Canada to Vancouver -- on a motorcycle. It's a funny, sad, sweet little Canadian film - it won't make a dime and very few outside Canada will see it (and that's just sad.)

New Policy - Effective Immediately

As I just saw this complete piece of garbage - the only thing missing were bits of corn - in the future I won't actually spend $$ on a movie until it's appeared here.

One of life's little mysteries

Answer me this? Why is it it's the most miserably unattractive straight boys who invariably think they're Zod's gift to queerdom?

Really, it's very annoying isn't it? They're dropping hints that you're dying to "put the moves" on them when you're just hoping you can keep from barfing.

Update: Towelroad adds something to the idea here