Kathleen's space

Swine Flu

While some parts of the city are at a standstill -- well, sort of, with schools closing and kids being sick, the majority of people in NYC are not even talking about the Swine Flu.  I'm amazed because I wake up in the am, listening to NPR and that's the main topic in the news -- both (inter)nationally and locally -- last night, the President talked about it. Yet, with all the attention, the day to day happenings just keep moving (which I guess is what they want).  I sneezed today and got worried...God forbid I get it!!  I've been careful -- washing my hands a LOT and for longer -- 20 second rule (10 seconds longer than the food on the floor rule). When I'm walking to work, I literally touch nothing, and just because my mama told me, no kissing. 

What I do find amazing about the national discussion around this is the question that people keep asking the president or others in government -- will you close the border with Mexico to contain this? I just laugh!  I mean really - some people in this country have been trying to close the border for so long and it's kind of impossible to close it. It's a long one. Maybe you can close the 'official' border crossing, but I really don't think the US can close the border with Mexico for real.  Anyway, I just think that the guys down at the border that go hunting for the illegal immigrants to haul them in to the police must cheer when they hear that question. I laugh.

Anyway, what I'm not laughing about is that on May 13th, I'm supposed to go to the school I visit monthly and really am not sure if that's a good idea. I don't want to panic and won't say anything yet, but if there's still stuff going around then, I'm cancelling!  Well, postponing. I'll go when things are safe...

Give me that fish

Give me that filet o fish.  That's my new favorite ad. Actually, I'm sure it's not on anymore. It's Mcdonald's annual push for Lent. Who knew they did Filet o Fish ads every Lent? I didn't.  But this year I fell in love with the stupid ad. 

Last week I tried out a new restaurant near me.  And these are the two pictures I took. It's a mediterranean place. Pretty good food but this impressed me most, especially in light of the McDonald's ad.

This week the weather was great! Well, memory is short, which can be a good thing, it's really just the end of the week that was beautiful.  And I enjoyed every minute of it -- when I was outside.  Here are a couple of pictures I took while walking to work, through Madison Square Park.  Just beautiful.

making friends in the subway

Recently I had to go up to the Bronx during the week, during rush hour.  I switched to the 5 train to get up there and thankfully, got a seat.  After one stop or so, a little boy sat next to me.  He was eating one of those small packs of oreo cookies. Cute little boy with dirty oreo cookie-fingers. He started to look at what I was reading. I was reading NY Mag.  An article on Facebook and the article had multiple bastardizations of the facebook profile picture (when you don't put one up on your own). They weren't kosher bastardizations, they were nasty.  And little boy started to ask me what each picture was. So, for instance, there was one pic of the profile pic peeing into the street, making a puddle.  He wanted to know what that was. I told him a puddle. I mean really, did he have to pick THAT picture? he took the answer at face value and moved on.  It was funny, he was cute. But then, he finished his oreos. That's when I didn't think he was that cute. His dad was standing across the way, watching him, and the boy started YELLING for chocolate. He wanted the chocolate that his dad had in his bag. The dad pretended he didn't have any and then finally gave him chocolate. I'm sorry, cute boy, but not so cute after oreos and more chocolate before 9 am!?!  What was he thinking. And the boy had his daddy-o's number - yell and get what you desire. No questions asked. I have to tell you, I'm going to be a good, but a bitch of a mother to my children (when I have them). Can't be having this attitude coming up at 5 years old. No siree bob.

A few pictures from Macy's flower show

and if you're clever or at least observant you'll notice the HP Vivienne Tam netbook in the hands of the models in the window display -- speaking of window displays, I must say I like saying that in Spanish better than English - escaparate.  Much better than window display.  Wouldn't you agree?

Oh what a day

On Saturday, Spring was here. It was really here.  It was beautiful and sunny but not too hot and just great. But I had work to do. My cousin, from Costa Rica, emailed me this week to let me know that she had left a package at the hotel she had stayed at in NYC and asked if I could pick it up and mail it to her. It was a baby band -- a thing to put around your waist post-pregnancy to lose the babyfat.  Now, little cousin (who I guess is sort of my niece) does NOT need this -- she's RAIL thin. Probably thinner than I've ever been and in my low days, I was thinner than a 00 (that's a double zero and it ain't pretty...especially when trying to find pants that don't fall off your hips. I definitely don't have that problem right now...can you say muffin top!?!?!?) Anyway, it's for her friend and I guess they were taking advantage of the fact that she was here to buy it and bring it back. That didn't happen.

So, today, in the beauteous weather, I walked from my place, east 20s, to the west 40s to pick up the package. Then, I went to the post office to mail the package to Costa Rica.  That wasn't too easy. It took at least four forms/envelopes to fill out -- a few of which were unnecessary but part of the whole process -- and a whole lot of time. I decided it would be best to go to the main post office, by Penn Station, as that was closer to mine (and that means I wouldn't have to carry the package as long).  That mightn't have been the best decision. The line was long, there was noone to help before you waited in line and the people were strange :).  But I did get a good person once I waited in line and told her what I wanted to do.  $30 poorer, I did get a compliment on my license ID which I guess makes up for the $30.  Well, not really, but some of it, I guess..I think my postal guy here in the 'hood wouldn've made up for more of the $30 cause he's a throwback from the '60s crazy dude (and I don't use that word often).  The last time I went to my post office, I got him and was sending something to El Salvador and he was hysterical. He wanted to know whether El Salvador had 'chicken, sausages, meat, steak, hamburgers, shrimp' and the list went on and on and on.  If nothing else (cause he was slow), he kept me entertained.

I found it

I think I found the absolutely most perfect hamburger this weekend.  I went to Irving Mill. I'd been there before but since I was there, the menu changed as did the chef.  And since the change, I'd heard about the burgers...well, more accurately, I'd read about them.  I went to Irving Mill probably a year or so ago. My mom was in town as was a friend I used to work with. Four of us went to Irving Mill. It looked good and also appropriate for the crowd I'd be going with (if you can say four is a crowd). Anyway, it's changed since then (the music is louder and the restaurant was pretty busy) and in my quest for the best burger in town, I was glad to have the chance to go  and test it all out.  According to my guide to everything and then some in this city, NY Magazine, has this to say about it:

Skeen’s elegantly casual brand of cooking is probably best suited to the bar area, and the item to get there is the superbly charred house cheeseburger, which the excitable Steak Loon lovingly described as “a beef bomb, oozing blood and glory.”

Mine wasn't oozing blood, but glory was oozing out strong and proud.  I had it medium rare, sans formage. And I can honestly say, the only thing wrong with it was that it was just a bit too small. I was tempted to get seconds. I will do so - but not at one sitting.  It was pretty fantastic. And, contrary to the above quote, I ate my burger at a table and it was suited just fine for the bar (although I'll be sure to try eating my next one at the bar). 

So, while I won't stop looking, I think I might've found it -- the perfect burger.

So much to say and then THIS happens....

So, I was about to write about a bunch of things that have happened over the last few weeks (because I've been such a terrible (muriel) blogger lately) and then I started hearing walkie talkies and just a whole lot of noise.  So, I decided to be nosey neighbor and stick my head out the door. And, good thing I did!  I started to see firemen walk downstairs, my neighbor from across the hall peeking out too and my neighbor who's across from me (in terms of the back windows -- so essentially, we can look into each other's apartments -- him into my living room/kitchen and I into his kitchen/bedroom (but don't fret he keeps the bedroom blinds down)).

I asked the first fireman I saw if everything was ok. He ignored me. Well, actually, he didn't hear me but I tend to be melodramatic at times.  The second one didn't look up and thus didn't see me and when the third one was coming down, I got loud and yelled - Excuse me -- is everything ok?!?!  He let us know that it was just a water leak.  phew. But then back windows neighbor asked us if we were ok and we said yeah, why? Well, apparently his apartment is flooded. Uff. Wouldn't want that!  But my neighbor from across the hall looked at me and whispered "better than a fire." And, yes, she's right. But, when your apartment's flooded, that's not exactly what you want to hear, is it?!   So, this is what you get today, my faithfuls (which I'm happy to say includes my mama who I didn't know was reading my musings).

Easter means visitors....

Easter in my life is just a Sunday.  We don't get Thursday off, nor Friday - not like some companies here and most people in Europe and Latin America. So, it's a regular weekend with a special Sunday.

This Easter was all about visitors. I had dinners on Thursday (Spanish from Spain), Friday (jewish friend at home for Passover), Saturday day (work friend from CA kind of stuck here for the weekend, wedged between an event on Friday and Monday meetings) and Saturday night (cousin from Costa Rica and poor thing got me after Saturday DAY with work friend!!)

The good thing is that I saw lots of people and ate well.  The bad thing is that I ate (and drank) too well!

Here I am with Costa Rican cousin (who I hadn't seen since she was probably 10!) And...that's her boyfriend who wants to marry her (he told us when she went to the bathroom!)

Here's a picture of the candles in the little pool the same night. I must admit I was a bit obsessed with these because they kept congregating together and I wanted to separate the candles. That led to some sinking of candles. My CA friend, who came to dinner, didn't enjoy that very much. Let's just say I was scolded like a child. And honestly, deserved it! Not the first time, won't be the last.

And after all that, I was very tired by the time Easter Sunday came along. And for the third year in a row, I spent Easter Sunday with SusieQ and this year, we went to MoMA to see "The Pope's Toilet" - a pretty bad movie, especially because I had high hopes -- not just to see a movie called "The Pope's Toilet" on Easter Sunday but also due to the description. Very disappointing.  But then we had a great burger at a diner to close up the very busy weekend.

Elvis Crespo

OK, this is funny. For those of you who don't know who Elvis Crespo is, he is, to me, a one-hit wonder...but oooh what a hit. He sings SUAVEMENTE...besame, yo quiero sentir tus labios besandome otra vez. And for those of you who've heard this song with me, you know it and you've danced to it and you like it too.  Anyway, just saw this on MSNBC.com:

MIAMI - Authorities have reviewed evidence but have chosen not to file charges against Grammy Award-winner Elvis Crespo, who is accused of performing a sex act on an airplane en route from Houston to Miami.

A U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman would not say whether charges could still be filed.

On March 19, a passenger told police she was sitting next to Crespo when he began to masturbate and expose himself. After the plane landed, Crespo told authorities at Miami International Airport that he “did not remember doing that.”

Honestly, do you think that's OK??? I mean really!  You'd think Mr. Grammy winner would know better.  At least go to the bathroom!  All I can say is I hope he was in business class so there was a bit of room before jackass and the passenger sitting next to him!!!