Dear John Part II (apologies for the profanity but sometimes it's appropriate)

Dear September 2006,

I've never had to dump a whole month before so this is new for me. Please bear with me.

Okay, here we go...

We are F*****G through. That's right...you can take your m*****f*****g 30 days, and autumnal equinox, and changing leaves, and stick em where the sun don't shine.

You'd think that being kidnapped and robbed would be plenty for one month...but no...you had to go and throw in being very unceremoniously dumped by your boyfriend to make it all the more fun. And over email no less. What the heck was up with that?! At least you could of had him pick up the phone or something. And what's the deal with the non-response to my calls and emails. That's like rubbing hydrochloric acid into my wounds. Skip the salt.

And while starting a new job is a very good thing, I'm still blaming you for the stress brought on by the newness of it all. If I get a new gray hear because of you, I'm gonna bop you.

Yeah, yeah...there was the whole triathlon, not drowning thing. But that's chump change pal. You're just lucky I've got a good sense of humor or I'd of ditched you somewhere around the 16th of the month.

So grab your bags and don't let the door hit your arse on the way out. I'm shacking up with Oct.

Cordially yours,
Bo

Big Mike

Read this article!!!!

It may be one of the best pieces of journalism I've read in a long time. And I didn't even mind that it was about football. Or maybe I'm just a big squish ball in inside.

Whatever...it's still wonderfully written. Bets that it'll be in the running for a Pulitzer.

I'm Two Years Old

Well, not me exactly. But "Your Daddy Named You Bo" is. Since this blog was born out of my need to document and make sense of one crazy year back in 2003/2004, it has become a tradition for me to look back and summarize some of the changes, accomplishments, disappointments, and all around freaky, wonderful, delicious, heartbreaking, and sparky things that have happened to me in the past year. (That was one grammatically incorrect sentance but I'm not in the mood to correct it. So was that one.)

So, since Sept. 22 of 2005, I:

- Travelled to Thailand and learned to cook Pad Thai, a Chicken Green Curry, Fish Cakes and a few other dishes.
- Got kidnapped in Malaysia.
- Sued a corporation for the first time (well, technically we're-the lawyer and I- still investigating but I'll likely really get the ball rolling very soon)
- Re-entered the for-profit world! SELL OUT! :-P
- Dated someone for more than 3 months (That should probably be number 1 on this list)
- Revisited Paris for the first time in 9 years
- Figured out that I really DO prefer good old film photography to digital (but maybe this has more to do with the fact that I don't have one of those nifty digital SLRs)
- Made a nifty new chum in arms
- Learned that sometimes you really do have to follow the directions that come with the box of pectin (but the pseudo-jam still tastes pretty darn nifty on freshly made Oatmeal Pancakes.)
- Accepted the fact that I really do need to hire a weekly house clearner. I'm just not domestically gifted like that.
- Turned 30!
- Hosted a Thanksgiving dinner in my apartment. Who knew you could actually cook a 10 lb turkey in my itty bitty oven. Not to mention all the fixins.
- Realized that at some point in the future I'm gonna have to get reconstructive ankle surgery (but I'm trying to postpone this until...well until I'm ready to not walk for about three months)
- Competed in my first triathlon (and didn't drown)
- Ran my first marathon (and didn't die)
- Biked all the way from Beacon, NY to New York City (that's about 75 miles!)
- Visited Dia:Beacon (can you tell that my memory works via association?)
- Fell in love with Anna, my Cannondale R800 road bike.

That's about it for now :-P

Todays blog is brought to you by the letter Rrrrrrrrr

Today I jogged around the Capital Building (I'm in DC) and even passed a barrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (International Talk Like a Pirate Day)

And it only took one Tri

That's not a mistake. I completed my first triathlon today. And I didn't drown!

Whooo Hoooo!

Go me! :-P

Sign that the world is still a really great place

So I saw this in the NY Times and thought it was just the coolest piece of news.

Three Rabbis were ordained in Germany today. Check out the article. It's the first time since the holocaust. And there was even a Muslim community leader in attendance at the ordination. The article also reports that the population of Jews in Germany is growing. Only 30,000 existed when Germany first reunified. Now there are approximately 100,000. That's pretty cool.

Now everyone can enjoy the pleasures of matzo ball soup, a good brisket, and kvetching in Yiddish.

Please Don't Pass The Nuts

A quick shout to my girl Sloane and her newish blog Please Don't Pass The Nuts. Check her out. Her blog is especially interesting for those foodies out there.

WTC

Today I went for a bike ride and ended up riding right past the site of the WTC. This time five years ago I was having a restless night of sleep and woke up around 2am and couldn't fall back asleep. That night, five years ago, I decided that rather then toss and turn I would go for a very late night run. Those that know me well know that I love late night runs. The more empty, quiet, and mist filled the night, the more I crave a good run. I call my late night runs 'Running in Solace'. They keep me sane.

That night, five years ago, I ran down a very familiar path. I ran along west Houston until I hit the yet unfinished West Side Esplanade (it's still not but it's come a long way.) From there I turned south and ran along the Hudson heading towards the WTC and Battery Park. In total the run is approximately 5 miles and it usually takes me about 45 minutes to complete. That night I stopped at that point in the route when I reached Stuyvesant High School, my alma mater. I walked for about 15 minutes. I wasn't tired or out of breathe. I just wanted to enjoy the complete solitude. I was alone and the night was completely mine to live in. A rare gift in New York. It was probably 2:45am by this point. I walked from Stuyvesant to the towers of the WTC. I remember savoring the sheer minimilistic beauty of the buildings. The WTC towers were never traditionally beautiful. Upclose they appeared quite anemic. It was the sheer grandeur and unabashed presence of those structures that made a person realize that beauty is not defined by the eyes or brain but by the heart and spirit. I continued my run soon after passing the WTC towers and was home, showered and in bed by 3:30am.

And the Voice Said...

I realize that since I started this blog some two years ago the readership has expanded beyond the 4 or 5 people I had initially meant to stay in virtual contact with. Those 4 or 5 know who they are.

One thing that I've always been hyperconscious of is the fact that my "voice" is not exactly typical and/or appropriate for any of the personas that I have adopted. I'm not your typical New Yorker (although I come close from time to time), nor do I possess the soulful equinimity of a yoga teacher, the easy cynisism of a corporate MBA twat, the Long Island inflected drawl of a designer shoe obsessed sample sale junky, the pseudo-academic nebishness of a community college lecturer etc... etc...

I always wonder if this lack of consistency ever surprises those individuals who have only known one of my personas.

One more thing...

Someday this story is going to make an excellent chapter in my autobiography!

This entry is titled either "Possibly the worst 48 hours of my life" or "Why I'm thankful for Yoga and God"

I'm back in the US - New York City and I don't think I've ever been more happy to return to it's familiar chaos and cool autumnal weather. Don't get me wrong now, Thailand was a complete and utter blast. Bangkok lived up to every rumor, song, and hushed tale told of it. New York may be the epicenter of all things cool and forward but Bangkok is the epicenter for all things nonsensical and gloriously chaotic. It's a city that was designed by taking a box of pixie sticks and dumping the contents on the floor. The red pixie sticks represent all the major highways and roads. All the other colors represent the various one way streets, dead ends, and streets that seemingly run in circles that comprise all of downtown Bangkok.

*Non-sequitor*

Whilst wandering through one of the many new mega-malls that seemingly dominante the psychology of every teenage Bangkokian I made a profound discovery - shows are cut wider in Asia! This is a huge discovery. I got into A LOT of trouble!

*End of non-sequitor*

Now, back to the reason why I gave this entry two titles. Bangkok was a blast. I ate too much, practiced some good yoga, bought many pairs of cute comfy shoes, was invited to watch a female eject ping pong balls and open bottles with her most private of parts, and drank far too many fresh, young coconuts. All the problems began when I left Bangkok. Whilst enroute to NY via Kuala Lumpur I somehow got kidnapped for 4 hours and robbed. Sounds rather dramatic - it was. It's funny the thoughts that run through ones head when they think there gonna die in a foreign country. Since I'm writing this entry, hopefully it's obvious that I'm completely fine, both physically and psychologically. But let me tell you, thank goodness for God and Yoga...and I'm not talking figuratively. I'm sure both played a fairly large role in making sure that all things turned out well. God for that extra protective hand, Yoga for the calmness of mind to help me stay rationale and entirely far to boring to make for a good afterschool special protagonist.

After some review of the events and discussion with the US Embassy in Malaysia (and a criminal attorney) I'm starting to realize my kidnapping and subsequent robbery was an inside job - some combination of Malaysia Airlines employees, KL International Airport employees, and hotel employees. In anycase, I'm pursuing legal actions against all three parties. According to the detective who took my report, kidnapping of tourists, particularly Americans and Europeans, is a highly common crime in Malaysia.

So kids, what have we learned from today's lesson?

DON'T GO TO MALAYSIA!

Now, don't all jump to leave me sympathetic comments about blah, blah, blah. I'm fine...really. I'm just kinda pissed that they took my favorite sports watch.