Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
Terry McMillan (11 cents)
Several months ago, I picked up a copy of Terry McMillan's "How Stella Got her Groove Back", with no expectations whatsoever, and I loved it.
So, tonight, I picked up "Waiting to Exhale", with great expectations and, after 75 pages, said "Yuck", and put it away.
How do you explain my strong feelings in opposite directions? Particularly when the reviewers on Amazon.com rate Exhale higher (slightly) than Stella?
Maybe I should try "Disappearing Acts". It gets the best reviews of all.
So, tonight, I picked up "Waiting to Exhale", with great expectations and, after 75 pages, said "Yuck", and put it away.
How do you explain my strong feelings in opposite directions? Particularly when the reviewers on Amazon.com rate Exhale higher (slightly) than Stella?
Maybe I should try "Disappearing Acts". It gets the best reviews of all.
Sunday, August 28, 2005
Rome [4 cents]
By chance, I picked up and read Tom Holland's "Rubicon", subtitled 'The Triumph and Tragedy of the Roman Republic'. This is a fascinating book, which starts with the foundation of Rome and winds up with the death of Augustus Caesar and the end of the republic. It paints a very harsh picture of the city of Rome and the Roman way of life, a remarkable picture of men and women of extraordinary capability who are out for their own glory at the expense of friend and family and who will stop at nothing to achieve their ends. It is extremely readable.
I say, by chance, because my decision to read "Rubicon" came only a week or so before the premier episode of HBO's "Rome", which covers much of the same ground, but beginning with Julius Caesar's victory over the Gauls and the civil war between Julius and Pompey. The miniseries is touted as bringing to the fore an unglorified picture of Rome and Roman life, much as Holland's book does.
Having just seen the first of the series, which I enjoyed, I can appreciate the similarities between the book and the show, although I know of no direct connection. And, had I not read "Rubicon", I am sure that my appreciation of the episode #1 would have been much diminished.
The picture of Rome and the Romans both in the book and on television clearly come after a lot of research on the topic. How different from another book on Julius Caesar (obviously there have been many), the fictionalized version found in Thornton Wilder's "The Ides of March".
I happen to have a copy of that book, which has been annotated in some detail by Wilder himself. His Rome is different from Holland's. And clearly came with no heavy research background. As Wilder notes in the margin at the start of the book:
"It looks as though this book required a lot of historical learning on the part of the reader (and of the author) -- Horsefeathers. I knew no more than anyone who happened to read a book on the later Roman republic. I began and made it all up as I went along. Later, I went back to the libraries and cleaned it up a little. I simply assumed that people have been around the same in all times and places."
Different strokes for different folks.
I say, by chance, because my decision to read "Rubicon" came only a week or so before the premier episode of HBO's "Rome", which covers much of the same ground, but beginning with Julius Caesar's victory over the Gauls and the civil war between Julius and Pompey. The miniseries is touted as bringing to the fore an unglorified picture of Rome and Roman life, much as Holland's book does.
Having just seen the first of the series, which I enjoyed, I can appreciate the similarities between the book and the show, although I know of no direct connection. And, had I not read "Rubicon", I am sure that my appreciation of the episode #1 would have been much diminished.
The picture of Rome and the Romans both in the book and on television clearly come after a lot of research on the topic. How different from another book on Julius Caesar (obviously there have been many), the fictionalized version found in Thornton Wilder's "The Ides of March".
I happen to have a copy of that book, which has been annotated in some detail by Wilder himself. His Rome is different from Holland's. And clearly came with no heavy research background. As Wilder notes in the margin at the start of the book:
"It looks as though this book required a lot of historical learning on the part of the reader (and of the author) -- Horsefeathers. I knew no more than anyone who happened to read a book on the later Roman republic. I began and made it all up as I went along. Later, I went back to the libraries and cleaned it up a little. I simply assumed that people have been around the same in all times and places."
Different strokes for different folks.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Today's Interesting Happening
The announcer said that there were over 44,000 people at the Nats/Cardinals game today, although it did not look like it to me.
But, of those there, I would venture to say that there as many Cardinal shirts and hats, as there were Nationals shirts and hats. Maybe even more.
It goes to show what I always have thought:
If everyone living in Washington who comes from St. Louis had to move back to St. Louis, St. Louis would become the world's largest city and Washington would be the size of Takoma Park.
But, of those there, I would venture to say that there as many Cardinal shirts and hats, as there were Nationals shirts and hats. Maybe even more.
It goes to show what I always have thought:
If everyone living in Washington who comes from St. Louis had to move back to St. Louis, St. Louis would become the world's largest city and Washington would be the size of Takoma Park.
Friday, August 26, 2005
Most Interesting that Happened Today - So Far
Tonight, the Nats and Cardinals meet for the first time. Subconsciously (?), I wore, for the first time, a red shirt to the office this morning.
The first two people I saw when I arrived also (without thinking) were wearing red shirts.
It must be in the air.
The first two people I saw when I arrived also (without thinking) were wearing red shirts.
It must be in the air.
Blue Diamond Out of Business
The Blue Diamond Chinese restaurant in Adams Morgan appears to be out of business. It has been at the same location on 18th Street as long as I can remember.
I have never been there. Neither has anyone else I have ever met.
Do you think that is why they closed?
I already miss them.
I have never been there. Neither has anyone else I have ever met.
Do you think that is why they closed?
I already miss them.
Saturday, August 13, 2005
Vacation - next few days
Well, the problem is that the hotel in Budapest was not internet friendly, and when I figured out how to blog, I wrote a completel day's report, and then it got screwed up and I lost it, so I am behind. And will never catch up.
Where did I leave off, I do not know. I also do not know how to do a question mark on this keyboard. (you would have learned a lot about Hungarian keyboards if my last message had gone through).
Our last full day in Vienna included the Secession museum, which was weird. It included the famous Klimt mural for the turn of the century Beethoven exhibit which has its own room in the basement, and a very helpful guide who was happy to have someone, even me, ask her questions, and two weird exhibits on the upper floors.
The Cathedral of St. Stephens is impressive enough and we did a quick gander inside, and were caught by a Bosnian dressed like a Hapsburg who wanted to sell us tickets to the nightly concert at the Kurhaus in the park across the street from the hotel, and we said ok for reasons unclear and paid about $35 a ticket for what I assumed would be a mistake and it was. We were told to get there early to get a good seat and we did, right behind the Wooggys (more about them later) and saw a group of music students under uninspired conducting play a group of waltzes and other schmaltzy pieces while two people balleted and two others opera'ed. We left after the intermission, realizing that the second half would simply be a repeat of the first. They oversold the room, by about 50 people; I think there were about 400 in the room and they do this 7 nights a week. That is something. We met a nice IT man from lebanon traveling by road with his two children from Beirut to France, a very exciting trip.
After that we had supper at Finmollers, which has been there since 1905 and serves very good food in pub-like setting (not a bar, but a restaurant). I had my only Wiener schnitzel which was too much to eat, and Edie had fish. Our waiter was a Serb from Bosnia, who was educated to teach political science but was an emigree and had no choice but to be a waiter. 40 years old, and all alone in the big city. Nice man.
After Bosnia day, we went to jewish day, and went to the two jewish museums and the holocaust museum, and visited the only synagogue to last through WWII, because it was in teh same building as the jewish community records which the nazis needed to keep and therefore could not burn on Kristalnacht. A very good speaker/guide. Exhibits at the museums included one devoted to the 100th birth anniversary of Elias Canetti, Bulgarian jewish nobel prize winner, and the history of Jews in Vienna. Also, the architecture of new \jewish synagogues and community centers worldwide.
Did I tell you about stumbling by accident on Fabios, a restaurant Edie found in a guidebook, and having a terrific lunch, or about the elegant shopping in the city, or the MAK where we say exhibits on jugendstil, wiener werkestette, etc.
One day........
budapest was next, and we are already in prague. i will try to catch up.
Where did I leave off, I do not know. I also do not know how to do a question mark on this keyboard. (you would have learned a lot about Hungarian keyboards if my last message had gone through).
Our last full day in Vienna included the Secession museum, which was weird. It included the famous Klimt mural for the turn of the century Beethoven exhibit which has its own room in the basement, and a very helpful guide who was happy to have someone, even me, ask her questions, and two weird exhibits on the upper floors.
The Cathedral of St. Stephens is impressive enough and we did a quick gander inside, and were caught by a Bosnian dressed like a Hapsburg who wanted to sell us tickets to the nightly concert at the Kurhaus in the park across the street from the hotel, and we said ok for reasons unclear and paid about $35 a ticket for what I assumed would be a mistake and it was. We were told to get there early to get a good seat and we did, right behind the Wooggys (more about them later) and saw a group of music students under uninspired conducting play a group of waltzes and other schmaltzy pieces while two people balleted and two others opera'ed. We left after the intermission, realizing that the second half would simply be a repeat of the first. They oversold the room, by about 50 people; I think there were about 400 in the room and they do this 7 nights a week. That is something. We met a nice IT man from lebanon traveling by road with his two children from Beirut to France, a very exciting trip.
After that we had supper at Finmollers, which has been there since 1905 and serves very good food in pub-like setting (not a bar, but a restaurant). I had my only Wiener schnitzel which was too much to eat, and Edie had fish. Our waiter was a Serb from Bosnia, who was educated to teach political science but was an emigree and had no choice but to be a waiter. 40 years old, and all alone in the big city. Nice man.
After Bosnia day, we went to jewish day, and went to the two jewish museums and the holocaust museum, and visited the only synagogue to last through WWII, because it was in teh same building as the jewish community records which the nazis needed to keep and therefore could not burn on Kristalnacht. A very good speaker/guide. Exhibits at the museums included one devoted to the 100th birth anniversary of Elias Canetti, Bulgarian jewish nobel prize winner, and the history of Jews in Vienna. Also, the architecture of new \jewish synagogues and community centers worldwide.
Did I tell you about stumbling by accident on Fabios, a restaurant Edie found in a guidebook, and having a terrific lunch, or about the elegant shopping in the city, or the MAK where we say exhibits on jugendstil, wiener werkestette, etc.
One day........
budapest was next, and we are already in prague. i will try to catch up.
Tuesday, August 09, 2005
Vacation - Vienna (Day 3)
First, I have to show you all the things that the computer in the Raddison business center can do that ours cannot: £ € ¬ ¦ ` .
OK, so here goes Monday, the 8th.
After visiting the fitness center (we are its only users, since everyone else is from Arab countries and would never use a co-ed facility), I recalled that I, the great vacation planner, had made the train reservations to Budapest for the wrong day (Tuesday) rather than the correct day (Wednesday). I assumed that our friendly concierge (she is Spanish) could right this wrong with ease, but quickly discovered that the only way to do it was to go to the Westbahnhof, the station, which we did on the Orange Line. [The Vienna subway U-bahn system is very friendly; you seem to be able to go on it for free, although we spent €16 each for a ViennaPass. We couldn't figure out where or how to show the card, or where to pay]
At any rate, the station is modern and after talking in pidgen-German with the help-man, we stood in a fairly long line to get to the window where the very nice man on the other side of the glass smiled and said: 'Wrong line'. And we had to start all over,and the right line was only one person long, which was good, except the one person took a very, very long time because her credit card didn't work, for some unclear (i.e. German) reason. At any rate, the man behind the exchange desk apologized for having to charge us €3.40 each, and we were able to go on our way.
Oh, yeah, we did have breakfast at the Picknerl cafe (or something like that).
We then went to the Naschmarkt, where they sell fruits and vegetables and everything all day, every day, from all sorts of corners of the world, and it all looks beautiful. Also meats and fish and cheeses, etc. We wandered and took pictures and had a vegetarian lunch at one of the luncheonettes there which was run, like a lot of the market by Turks. The owner was a Turkish Turk, our waitress was an Armenian Turk, but she did not think that their ability to work together meant that the problems between Armenians and Turks were getting solved.
Then, the Albertina Museum, part of the Hapsburg Palace complex. Two terrific exhibits, one of German/Austrian portrait photography 1930-1938, and the other the first showing of part of the collection of a Swiss art dealer named Krugier. He was born in Poland, interred in two concentration camps, liberated from Bergen Belsen, wound up in Switzerland, where he befriended the sculptor Alberto Giacometti and opened a gallery with him. This exhibit is called Goya to Picasso and there are terrific examples of each, but also everyone in between. Some paintings and sculpture, but mainly drawings and etchings. Virtually every one is one you would like on your wall.
Dinner on the other hand was a mistake - we tried the kosher restaurant we had seen the other day. It is pleasant enough, but the food (we had a mixed grill, with lamb, chicken and beef, all on skewers) was not of very good quality. But it was one more experience, and the walk back to the hotel, through the wandering alleys of the old part of the city, looking at all of the restaurants we wished we had gone to, was very pleasant.
If we did more, I don't remember.
Wiederschreiben.
OK, so here goes Monday, the 8th.
After visiting the fitness center (we are its only users, since everyone else is from Arab countries and would never use a co-ed facility), I recalled that I, the great vacation planner, had made the train reservations to Budapest for the wrong day (Tuesday) rather than the correct day (Wednesday). I assumed that our friendly concierge (she is Spanish) could right this wrong with ease, but quickly discovered that the only way to do it was to go to the Westbahnhof, the station, which we did on the Orange Line. [The Vienna subway U-bahn system is very friendly; you seem to be able to go on it for free, although we spent €16 each for a ViennaPass. We couldn't figure out where or how to show the card, or where to pay]
At any rate, the station is modern and after talking in pidgen-German with the help-man, we stood in a fairly long line to get to the window where the very nice man on the other side of the glass smiled and said: 'Wrong line'. And we had to start all over,and the right line was only one person long, which was good, except the one person took a very, very long time because her credit card didn't work, for some unclear (i.e. German) reason. At any rate, the man behind the exchange desk apologized for having to charge us €3.40 each, and we were able to go on our way.
Oh, yeah, we did have breakfast at the Picknerl cafe (or something like that).
We then went to the Naschmarkt, where they sell fruits and vegetables and everything all day, every day, from all sorts of corners of the world, and it all looks beautiful. Also meats and fish and cheeses, etc. We wandered and took pictures and had a vegetarian lunch at one of the luncheonettes there which was run, like a lot of the market by Turks. The owner was a Turkish Turk, our waitress was an Armenian Turk, but she did not think that their ability to work together meant that the problems between Armenians and Turks were getting solved.
Then, the Albertina Museum, part of the Hapsburg Palace complex. Two terrific exhibits, one of German/Austrian portrait photography 1930-1938, and the other the first showing of part of the collection of a Swiss art dealer named Krugier. He was born in Poland, interred in two concentration camps, liberated from Bergen Belsen, wound up in Switzerland, where he befriended the sculptor Alberto Giacometti and opened a gallery with him. This exhibit is called Goya to Picasso and there are terrific examples of each, but also everyone in between. Some paintings and sculpture, but mainly drawings and etchings. Virtually every one is one you would like on your wall.
Dinner on the other hand was a mistake - we tried the kosher restaurant we had seen the other day. It is pleasant enough, but the food (we had a mixed grill, with lamb, chicken and beef, all on skewers) was not of very good quality. But it was one more experience, and the walk back to the hotel, through the wandering alleys of the old part of the city, looking at all of the restaurants we wished we had gone to, was very pleasant.
If we did more, I don't remember.
Wiederschreiben.
Monday, August 08, 2005
Vacation - Day Two (Vienna)
Monday, August 7. (Happy Birthday, Michelle)
Well, one thing is clear. The average Viennese speaks German much better than I do. Also, they speak English about as well.
But there are exceptions. When trying to find our way last night to Theatre am Wien, I asked the proverbial man on the street. First, I asked if he spoke English. I did this because the German side of my brain was 'sehr mude (with an umlaut)'. He told me he did a little.
I asked him how to get to the theater. He said, looking down the street: 'duh, duh, duh und duh.' Wanting to make sure I understood correctly, I said: 'We go duh, duh, duh and then we go duh'? He said 'ja'.
We went duh, duh and duh, and then saw a couple who looked like they were going to the theater in front of us. Believe it or not, at the next corner they went duh, we followed and arrived right on time.
What did we see? Well, for one thing, not the Count of Luxemburg by Franz Lehar with Placido Domingo, which we had tickets for but instead decided to spend time at the zurich airport. This time, we saw the Giora Feidman trio (look him up), and it was a very enjoyable feel good evening.
Food yesterday? We are still playing it low key. Breakfast at the hotel (Edie and one other woman being the only unscarfed ones in the room, other than the wait staff). The Arab male hotel guests all dress like they are about to go off for their day jobs as auto mechanics, but many of there wives are dressed to the T's,in beautiful, all covering garb. There was one youngish woman (with auto mechanic and a young son), dressed in beautiful and varied shades of brown, with everything completely covered but her eyes. My instinct, when she was getting her food at the buffet, was to say: 'Haven't we met before? You look familiar.' But, I didn't want Edie to get jealous.
It was very cold yesterday;I doubt it got to 60, but they operate in centigrade here of course which, after years of traveling, I finally realized is simply not translatable into fahrenheit. (And, fahrenheit is, after all, a Germanic word, so why don't they use it?) I had a short sleeve shirt on while most people were dressed in leather jackets. Crazy American.
Middle eastern style lunch at the pleasant restaurant/cafe of the Leopold Museum, and supper at a Greek restaurant (clearly modeled after the Greek restaurants in Detroit's Greek Town), which was just a duh, duh, duh, duh way from the theater.
We went walking around the Ringstrasse, and spent most of the day at the Museum Quarter, at the Leopold and the MAMUK (the museum of modern art). Klimt, Schiele et al, some decent twentieth century art, and a lot of what I would call experimental art (photos or drawings of writhing naked people doing things that you would not want any of your relatives to do). There seems to be a raw (if that is the right word) current through Austrian erotic art. We recently saw the prize winning movie, The Pianist, and it was there too, written by Austrian nobel literature prize winner Elena (?) Jellinek. I didn't realize how closely it followed from the Secession artists of 100+ years ago; I think it was present in the Weimar republic too, so it must run through up time Germania somehow.
Any, das is genug for now. We will see what heute brings.
Well, one thing is clear. The average Viennese speaks German much better than I do. Also, they speak English about as well.
But there are exceptions. When trying to find our way last night to Theatre am Wien, I asked the proverbial man on the street. First, I asked if he spoke English. I did this because the German side of my brain was 'sehr mude (with an umlaut)'. He told me he did a little.
I asked him how to get to the theater. He said, looking down the street: 'duh, duh, duh und duh.' Wanting to make sure I understood correctly, I said: 'We go duh, duh, duh and then we go duh'? He said 'ja'.
We went duh, duh and duh, and then saw a couple who looked like they were going to the theater in front of us. Believe it or not, at the next corner they went duh, we followed and arrived right on time.
What did we see? Well, for one thing, not the Count of Luxemburg by Franz Lehar with Placido Domingo, which we had tickets for but instead decided to spend time at the zurich airport. This time, we saw the Giora Feidman trio (look him up), and it was a very enjoyable feel good evening.
Food yesterday? We are still playing it low key. Breakfast at the hotel (Edie and one other woman being the only unscarfed ones in the room, other than the wait staff). The Arab male hotel guests all dress like they are about to go off for their day jobs as auto mechanics, but many of there wives are dressed to the T's,in beautiful, all covering garb. There was one youngish woman (with auto mechanic and a young son), dressed in beautiful and varied shades of brown, with everything completely covered but her eyes. My instinct, when she was getting her food at the buffet, was to say: 'Haven't we met before? You look familiar.' But, I didn't want Edie to get jealous.
It was very cold yesterday;I doubt it got to 60, but they operate in centigrade here of course which, after years of traveling, I finally realized is simply not translatable into fahrenheit. (And, fahrenheit is, after all, a Germanic word, so why don't they use it?) I had a short sleeve shirt on while most people were dressed in leather jackets. Crazy American.
Middle eastern style lunch at the pleasant restaurant/cafe of the Leopold Museum, and supper at a Greek restaurant (clearly modeled after the Greek restaurants in Detroit's Greek Town), which was just a duh, duh, duh, duh way from the theater.
We went walking around the Ringstrasse, and spent most of the day at the Museum Quarter, at the Leopold and the MAMUK (the museum of modern art). Klimt, Schiele et al, some decent twentieth century art, and a lot of what I would call experimental art (photos or drawings of writhing naked people doing things that you would not want any of your relatives to do). There seems to be a raw (if that is the right word) current through Austrian erotic art. We recently saw the prize winning movie, The Pianist, and it was there too, written by Austrian nobel literature prize winner Elena (?) Jellinek. I didn't realize how closely it followed from the Secession artists of 100+ years ago; I think it was present in the Weimar republic too, so it must run through up time Germania somehow.
Any, das is genug for now. We will see what heute brings.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Vacation-Vienna (Day 1)
Everyone wants to know how our vacation is going. We arrived in Vienna yesterday, and are still here today. But it wasn't easy (of course).
We flew free, so we had to go where American Airlines sent us, which means we started out by flying to Chicago. Our flight left National late, and the new AA attendant scared us by saying: 'Don't worry. You will have 45 minutes to change planes.' This was at o'hare, where we had to go to the International Terminal, so of course we worried. She meant, we think, that we had more than 45 minutes (in fact, an hour and a half), which would be the minimum transfer time. (She also put my boarding pass on Edie's ticket, and Edie's on mine), which caused great confusion later in the day.
At any rate, Chicago was fine, and we got on our Swiss Air flight to Zurich (Swiss Air = dull), hoping for a layover of a little less than two hours, BUT the flight from Zurich to Vienna was cancelled, so we got to spend 9 hours (remember, after a sleepless night) in the airport in Zurich. We arrived at 8:30 a.m. and we left at 5:30 p.m.
The Vienna airport was much livelier that Zurich (Zurich airport = dull), and we found a taxi driver from Tunisia who could not speak English (made us feel right at home; Washington taxi drivers are often from Tunisia and can't speak English), who took us to the Radisson on Parkring, where we arrived at about 7 p.m. or so.
Our room is small, but fine, and the hotel guests seem to come from many countries: Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain. You get the picture. This is not the place to come if you want to look at women's legs. In fact, on the streets around here (a quite fashionable area, with boutiques, restaurants, bookstores and galleries), we saw last night mainly arabs and hassidic Jews. We figure that the Austrians are all away either for the summer or at the weekend houses where they go to yodel.
We were directed to a typical Austrian restaurant (casual) where typical Austrians serve typical food.........to typical Americans. Actually, it was just right, considering that we were so tired, and it was a 5 block walk from the hotel. Also, just right. I tried the typical Austrian mixed salad (think American salad with the addition of saurkraut), and the typical Austrian rump steak (not my usual, but I am trying things--in fact on our kosher meal on dull Swiss Air we had what seemed to be rump steak or something similar, that had been cooked under the supervision of Rav Binjamin Gruber, dayan of Monsey; he could learn something from last night's restaruant, which is Zu Den 3 Hacken, in case you are in the neighborhood). Edie had a vegetarian lentil dish, along with typical Austrian ewe's cheese. We tried typical Austrian red wines - I think they were Blaupunkt (ok) and Sankt Lauren (ok+).
Auf wedersehen.
We flew free, so we had to go where American Airlines sent us, which means we started out by flying to Chicago. Our flight left National late, and the new AA attendant scared us by saying: 'Don't worry. You will have 45 minutes to change planes.' This was at o'hare, where we had to go to the International Terminal, so of course we worried. She meant, we think, that we had more than 45 minutes (in fact, an hour and a half), which would be the minimum transfer time. (She also put my boarding pass on Edie's ticket, and Edie's on mine), which caused great confusion later in the day.
At any rate, Chicago was fine, and we got on our Swiss Air flight to Zurich (Swiss Air = dull), hoping for a layover of a little less than two hours, BUT the flight from Zurich to Vienna was cancelled, so we got to spend 9 hours (remember, after a sleepless night) in the airport in Zurich. We arrived at 8:30 a.m. and we left at 5:30 p.m.
The Vienna airport was much livelier that Zurich (Zurich airport = dull), and we found a taxi driver from Tunisia who could not speak English (made us feel right at home; Washington taxi drivers are often from Tunisia and can't speak English), who took us to the Radisson on Parkring, where we arrived at about 7 p.m. or so.
Our room is small, but fine, and the hotel guests seem to come from many countries: Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain. You get the picture. This is not the place to come if you want to look at women's legs. In fact, on the streets around here (a quite fashionable area, with boutiques, restaurants, bookstores and galleries), we saw last night mainly arabs and hassidic Jews. We figure that the Austrians are all away either for the summer or at the weekend houses where they go to yodel.
We were directed to a typical Austrian restaurant (casual) where typical Austrians serve typical food.........to typical Americans. Actually, it was just right, considering that we were so tired, and it was a 5 block walk from the hotel. Also, just right. I tried the typical Austrian mixed salad (think American salad with the addition of saurkraut), and the typical Austrian rump steak (not my usual, but I am trying things--in fact on our kosher meal on dull Swiss Air we had what seemed to be rump steak or something similar, that had been cooked under the supervision of Rav Binjamin Gruber, dayan of Monsey; he could learn something from last night's restaruant, which is Zu Den 3 Hacken, in case you are in the neighborhood). Edie had a vegetarian lentil dish, along with typical Austrian ewe's cheese. We tried typical Austrian red wines - I think they were Blaupunkt (ok) and Sankt Lauren (ok+).
Auf wedersehen.
Thursday, August 04, 2005
A Dog Has Been Cloned in Korea! [3 cents]
This is the latest news from the cloning world (I even saw a picture of cloner and clonee today), and what welcome news it must be for the Koreans.
According to (who knows preccisely how reliable) websites on the subject, there are over 6500 restaurants in Korea which serve dog meat cooked in various ways, and eating dogs is viewed as making women more beautiful and men more virile (apparently, Koreans eat cats as well, but the only benefit cats have is to help cure or prevent arthritis).
So, all they need now is to perfect the dog cloning mechanism, make available dog cloning kits for home use, and the days of famine in North Korea will be history.
Clearly, God works in wondrous ways.
According to (who knows preccisely how reliable) websites on the subject, there are over 6500 restaurants in Korea which serve dog meat cooked in various ways, and eating dogs is viewed as making women more beautiful and men more virile (apparently, Koreans eat cats as well, but the only benefit cats have is to help cure or prevent arthritis).
So, all they need now is to perfect the dog cloning mechanism, make available dog cloning kits for home use, and the days of famine in North Korea will be history.
Clearly, God works in wondrous ways.
Wednesday, August 03, 2005
Sociological Fact [2 cents]
At 9:30 this morning, I went to the Caribou Coffee at 17th and L for a (believe it or not) coffee. There were twelve people in front me of me in line, which was not out of the ordinary, but there were FORTY SEVEN people sitting at tables in this small space, drinking coffee, etc., reading the paper, computing or talking. FORTY SEVEN people!!
This surely says something about something. But the question is: what does it say about what?
This surely says something about something. But the question is: what does it say about what?
Monday, August 01, 2005
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