after irene.

rueby:

The Morning After.  A view up 8th Avenue from the New York Times cafeteria. Note the billboard is back to its regularly-scheduled advertising.

before irene.

rueby:

Times Square as seen through Irene’s colorful rain confetti.

hurricane irene is nearing new york city as i type. at noon today, the mta shut down the entire system. and, of course, there have been a number of once-in-a-lifetime photo opportunities.

i am safe and sound in my apartment in astoria watching kill bill vol.2 on amc and unpacking the rest of my stuff. (i finally moved all of my stuff to new york!) it’s an interesting choice as the storm approaches, but there isn’t anything else worthy of watching right now.

just saw lightning. still hoping for an easy evening.

thedailywhat:

Once-In-A-Lifetime Shot of the Day: The MTA shut down Grand Central Terminal today ahead of Hurricane Irene, allowing Metro-North Railroad Press Secretary Marjorie Andres to snap this rare photo of the world’s largest train station all-but-deserted in the middle of the day.

[@mtainsider.]

longshotmag:

The moment has arrived. Here’s how this works: Starting right now, you have 24 hours to produce and submit your work. We’ll take the next 24 to select, edit, design and lay everything out. The end result will be a beautiful glossy paper magazine. And a super sharp digital edition.

And this…

wow. i’ve been in new york for three weeks (+/- a few days for a trip to boston). last time i posted, i was six days out from the move. now, i’m mostly unpacked except for my collection of non-fiction books, and some odds and ends. i’ll post pictures soon.

i really like the city. much bigger than boston, many more people (people-watching is fantastic!), more bars, restaurants, parks, and the like, and more things to do. kid cudi is performing in williamsburg tomorrow night, and i’m tempted to check it out, but it’s not free ($62/ticket). i will probably end up at trivia instead. next time, kid cudi, next time. : )

i’m going to sum up the last three weeks in a list only because the recap would take forever to write. and, this list is order of how i remembered what i did. again, i’m really good at being busy:

• trivia with sean laing, lee, and friends (week 1)
• pickup ultimate at mccarren park, williamsburg
• friends’ bbq competition at project parlor, bedford-stuyvesant
• dim sum in chinatown followed by people-watching, card-playing, and frisbee throwing with emily, jason, and friends
• drinks at the stag’s head with emily and jason, midtown east
• sushi with alycen at yuka, ues
• trivia with emily, lee, alycen, and friends (week 2)
• post-work shenanigans with alycen: beers and apps at the half pint, east village; a third beer at heartland brewery, union square; then grocery shopping at whole foods
• 2nd of july rooftop party at kevin/jen/o-town’s, prospect park west
• 4th of july fireworks, brooklyn bridge park
• dinner with the bro at zen, east village
• bar-hopping with daniel, manhattan and brooklyn
• bikram yoga, astoria (today)
• lunch with lee, lic market, long island city (today)
• exchanged my hawaii driver’s license for a new york driver’s license (sad face)
• work at the new york public library, schwarzman building, bryant park
• walked the high line, meatpacking district/chelsea
• lunch with kevin in bowling green park
• read in washington square park
• drinks with alycen at rattle ‘n’ hum bar, near grand central station
• boston invite with the ghosts, boston
• work at my office, second floor outdoor patio, long island city
• work at mit, cambridge
• drinks with drew and sue, lower depths, boston
• a day in brooklyn with alycen and ian: sixpoint tasting at bklyn larder, park slope; brooklyn flea, fort greene; watched bridesmaids and had dinner in cobble hill

i think i got everything. and it’s been TONS of fun. for the first time in a really long time, i’m not crazy-busy, and i have free time. i will have a summer, and i’m excited. i will get in shape, i will have fun, i will relax, and i will be productive. hooray.

again, pictures to come. for now, just know that summer in new york city is effing awesome.

-me : )

If Colbert was giving voice to a September 11 mind-set that still secretly plagued the network’s image—Al Jazeera as a Trojan horse for extremism—Mohyeldin seemed to anticipate the question, assuming the measured voice of reason to Colbert’s contretemps. “Unfortunately Americans are being deprived of the choice of watching Al Jazeera,” he said, “and people say that Americans aren’t interested in international news. I think that’s false…. The reality of it is these cable companies which are not carrying Al Jazeera are sadly helping to contribute to the misinformation…. “

On Colbert’s mock-news, this was the only true ideological clap line of the night, perhaps because the audience cottoned to the idea of free choice and unfiltered information, and from where I stood, sandwiched between two Al Jazeera PR people in the wings—a pair of young Americans named Molly and Sophia—there was a palpable sigh of relief. If the first question of the day was whether America was ready to give Al Jazeera a second look, then, at least here at the Comedy Central theater on West 54th Street, the network had reasonably survived the hard blast of American chauvinism played by Stephen Colbert, but more, they’d heard what they felt at least a little deserving of: some good old-fashioned American applause.

(via the-feature)

thedailywhat:

Opinion Poll of the Day: Straight from the horse’s site.

[thd.]

Earlier: Stewart v. O’Reilly: Part 1, Part 2.

thedailywhat:

Accepted Challenge of the Day: Jon Stewart made good on his promise to appear on The O’Reilly Factor to debate Bill O’Reilly on the subject of Common’s controversial appearance at a White House poetry event.

Part 2 Below:

[fni / thanks cameron!]

i’ve been away from tumblr for a few months, and it’s been sad. work, grad school, internship, and college ultimate responsibilities filled my plate for the first half of 2011.

now that grad school is done (hooray!) and my internship is at its end (happy and sad), it’s time to dive back into tumblr. my friend and colleague, alicia, suggested that i start a blog to document my upcoming adventure. since i already use tumblr, it seems like the best fit. so, alicia, stay tuned for the updates!

in short - i am moving to the big apple (long island city to be exact) next month. i will be helping two friends open a bar/restaurant, and will manage the back-of-house stuff. i’m pumped: the space is awesome, the view of the city is breathtaking, and there’s so much to do! our goal is to open sometime this summer, and i plan to use this space to document the new adventure.

before i get to new york, there’s lots to do: secure an apartment in nyc, close up shop in boston, sift through and pack up 10 years of stuff, and bid adieu to friends and colleagues. it’s going to be a crazy summer! : )

Not so long ago, the average American man in his 20s had achieved most of the milestones of adulthood: a high-school diploma, financial independence, marriage and children. Today, most men in their 20s hang out in a novel sort of limbo, a hybrid state of semi-hormonal adolescence and responsible self-reliance. This “pre-adulthood” has much to recommend it, especially for the college-educated. But it’s time to state what has become obvious to legions of frustrated young women: It doesn’t bring out the best in men.

(via the-feature)