My Man Vin

Back when I was in college, I drove the NJ Turnpike fairly often, going back and forth from my parents' house in Northern NJ and my college campus in Delaware. And, this being the days before iPods, radio transmitters, XM, CD players, etc., I generally just listened to the plain old radio to keep myself awake for the usually late-night drive.

And so that's when I discovered Vin Scelsa. Vin has been on the air for over 35 years and is, in my opinion, the BEST DJ EVER.

First of all, he has the coolest voice.

Second, he plays cool stuff and interviews cool people.

(Wan't more details? Listen to him yourself.)

//TANGENT:
Those of you who know me know I can get pretty effusive about things I like and so during the time that I was listening to him regularly, I would often refer to "My man Vin." I used this phrase so often that when my mom told my brother, "Jen's man got fired"--referring to a sculpture she was working on and planned to give me--he said, "What? Vin Scelsa got fired?? What happened?"
END TANGENT//

My love for Vin notwithstanding, I haven't owned a car for years and just generally don't sit around listening to the radio, like, ever. So I haven't listened to him for a very long time.

However, at work I am currently doing a temporary assignment on a different floor. I normally sit in a cubicle between 2 colleagues who like to have conversations with each other without leaving their respective desks. And the rest of our branch is pretty boisterous as well. Basically, it's noisy. And I like it. In my current (temporary) digs, I'm on a VERY quiet floor and, on top of that, actually have an office. So things are way quiet. Which led me to start searching for some streaming audio to counter the silence.

And, happily, I have re-discovered Vin Scelsa.

I love the Internet.

Whos, Its and the French

Awhile back I read this essay on the web. I can't remember what site it was on or who the author was (if anyone knows, please let me know, I'd love to give credit where credit is due), but the main idea was this: in our everyday dealings with people, we either treat them as "whos" or as "its." "Whos" are the people we treat like people--our family, friends, co-workers, etc. "Its" are the people we treat as, well, basically, as machines. People who are there to provide us with a service. The biggest "its" that come to my mind are service people behind counters (and sometimes glass): bank tellers, postal workers, movie ticket sellers, etc.

The author's point, of course, is that we're all people and so we should strive to treat everyone like a "who."

What does that mean?

To me, it means, at a minimum, taking those extra seconds (and, yes, it really is just seconds) to look them in the eye, smile and say hello before engaging in whatever transaction we're there to conduct. Basically, it means taking the time to consciously acknowledge them as a fellow human being.

As I was thinking about this post, I was suddenly reminded of the French. In France, the cultural etiquette is that you must greet someone with a "Bonjour" or a "Bonsoir" before transacting business. If you don't, at best, you'll be gently reprimanded. At worst, you'll be not so gently reprimanded. I think Americans generally chalk this up to the famous French rudeness, but what dawned on me today is that they've decided--as a society--that no one should be treated like an "it." And that's pretty cool.

The other revelation I had is that those jobs most prone to the "it" treatment (bank tellers, postal workers, movie ticket sellers), i.e., where we tend to treat people like machines, are exactly those jobs we've begun to replace with machines.

Food for thought.

Earth Day

I would be a poor environmentalist if I didn't post SOMETHING for Earth Day.

So, first of all, Michael Pollan says it all better than I can, so I actually recommend you read one of his books. But if you're not up for that, at least read his latest NY Times article.

Or, if you're too lazy to read, then watch this.

I Love My Cult!

In a surprising turn of events, I actually lost another pound this week, or one of these:


That's after a very decadent Friday that consisted of High Tea in the afternoon (complete with scones and dessert) and Cacio e Pepe in the evening.

Yay!

Ok...NOW my plate is full

Life is pretty busy these days.

I'm doing a temporary assignment at work that has increased responsibility (and that I'm hoping will become permanent).

I'm deep in the midst of reading scripts so I can put together my week for the Estrogenius Festival (scripts will be chosen by May 1).

I'm part of a writer's group and trying to carve out some time to actually work on a couple of ideas I've started jotting notes down for.

I'm doing yoga and pilates again (although not as often as I'd like--see above).

The hubby and I enrolled in a 3-week meditation course and so I'm trying to incorporate meditation in my morning routine.

Our social calendar is back in full swing: this weekend we have plans with friends Fri night, Sat afternoon, Sat night and Sun night.

I joined the Hoboken Quality of Life Coalition which is going to work on reducing Hoboken's greenhouse gas emissions (ok, that's a bit of an oversimplification, but I've only been to 1 meeting so far so I don't quite have all the details nailed down yet).

I've just agreed to stage manage a show.

I'm trying to SEE lots of theatre (in the past 14 days, I've seen "Kitty & Lina" at the Source, "Crimes of the Heart," "Sunday in the Park with George" and "Macbeth."

And, as if all that weren't enough, I've now decided to join a virtual book club that's going to read "Ulysses."

Anyone wanna join me? For the book club part, I mean.

Cult Update

Ok, I never posted the update last week, but my combined weight loss for the past 2 weeks is 0.6 lbs, which is one of these:



Continuing to do the happy dance!

The Source's Spring Benefit -- "Family Guy" Style

Saturday May 3 at manhattantheatresource (177 MacDougal Street, between Waverly Place & W 8th St) -- Two performances 7 pm & 9 pm -- Tickets $30

manhattantheatresource, my non-profit theatre home, is throwing a Spring Benefit unlike any other. Spontaneous Combustion is the Source's trademark 48-hour play festival -- an intense race against the clock to present newly created short skits in under two days. For our Spring Benefit, we've teamed with the writers of TV's critically acclaimed "Family Guy" to produce one of the wildest Spontaneous Combustions ever.

On Thursday, May 1st, the "Family Guy" writers will be paired with two actors and given and opening line and a cultural reference to use in their skits. Overnight, they will create a brand new, five-minute skit. The actors will learn their lines Friday night in advance of Saturday's one night only performances.

Only two chances – 7 pm and 9 pm – to catch this very special evening only at the Source. Tickets are $30 at https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/44701

All proceeds benefit manhattantheatresource. We will also have an auction that night -- featuring tickets to The Occupant and a backstage meet and greet with Mercedes Ruehl, "Family Guy" memorabilia, art work, tickets to shows, and much, much more.

Hope to see you there!

Change or Die (Really Good Article)

I think this is the key quote:

"We like to think that change is motivated by fear and that the strongest force for change is crisis, which creates the greatest fear."

The author, of course argues that fear is not the greatest motivator.

Change or Die

Interesting Video

A stroke and near-death experience described by a neuroscientist. Really amazing stuff.

I Knew It!

I'm not a big water drinker and so this de-bunking of the importance of imbibing tons of water is welcome news to me...

Five Myths About Drinking Water: NPR

My First Cancerversary

It's hard to believe, but it's now been over a year since I was diagnosed and last Saturday was the 1 year anniversary of the surgery to remove the tumor. (Note: Some folks like to count their "cancerversary" from when they were diagnosed, I prefer to count from when I got rid of it!)

So, what's happened in the past year? Well, anyone whose been reading this blog knows about all the treatment-related stuff, but I'd prefer to focus on the non-treatment-related stuff.

I travelled a LOT. I went to:
- Charleston & Savannah
- Saratoga Springs
- Greenport
- London
- Paris
- Jamesport
- Eleuthera & Florida

I had a short play produced in New York.

I celebrated my 11th wedding anniversary (love you honey!).

I celebrated my 37th birthday.

I auditioned for a play.

I joined a writers' group.

I joined the cult and lost 10 lbs (so far).

I resumed practicing yoga and doing pilates.

I got a tan!

I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of right now...


And so how did I celebrate the end of what I like to call my year of living dangerously? With a champagne toast at a waterside restaurant in Del Ray, Florida. It was pretty cool.

I'm Walkin' on Sunshine...

So, after 2 weeks of NOT tracking points, including 8 days of vacation, I am happy to report that I am actually down 1.8 lbs from 2 weeks ago. Or one of these:



In celebration, a little Katrina and the Waves: