Nazario Scenario

Lavender, My Lavender

Hey, CCNY commencement was today! I demonstrated to the world that I have a Master's. I didn't think I'd be going, but Veronica (who graduated also) asked me to come and keep her company. Alison, who graduated last year, lent me her old cap and gown so I didn't have to pay for them.

The best part of the ceremony was NOT Senator Chuck Schumer's commandeering of the public's attention, although that was sure amusing. He was a cameo -- not on the program at all, he just breezed in, made a speech, and spent the rest of the exercises walking around the grandstand getting his photo taken with people. No. The best part was the singing of City College's alma mater or, as I prefer to call it, fight song. Here is a link to the text of "Lavender, My Lavender."

I also thought it interesting that the officiators referred to the school emphatically as "THEE City College of New York," punching the "The" hard, as if it were the only college in the whole city. I've long remarked upon how the "The" appears in the college's logo, larger than the rest of the words and in a different color.

Fun Facts: The mascot of NYU, where I received my baccalaureate degree, is the Violet. "Go Violets!" we said. While the school color of The City College of New York is, indeed, Lavender... their (Okay! "Our!") mascot is not the Lavender. To quote my commencement program, it is that "symbol of intelligence, industry and determination" that was also essential to New York City's commerce when it was run by the Dutch in the 17th century. The beaver.

Happy summer and congratulations, all. Go Beavers.

Quotidian Musings

I was excited this morning to learn that papaya ripens in the fridge. You can buy chunks of slightly underripe papaya and put them in the fridge; they will be good in a couple of days. Tell your friends!

I forgot my notebook at WHFR last night and now I wonder if Shay read any of it on the air when he was pre-recording his summer shows. The notebook contains some pages of a new short story, playlists, to-do lists, and a description of a guy I was observing at the Hungarian Pastry Shop.

So sleepy.

People should use the insult/dismissal "Go screw!" more often.

When I went to pick up Popeye in his building, I ran into a spaniel named Willow with her owner. Willow was eating a piece of paper, which she had cunningly concealed in her mouth without chewing it until I started petting her and noticed. I should have noticed it first thing, considering her guilty aspect.

I Love The Young Ones

I've been reviewing my Young Ones DVDs lately, conducting in-depth textual analysis. The series, short-lived as it was (twelve episodes), holds up -- its energy and inventiveness is still remarkable, twenty-some years later. In particular, Rik Mayall's hyperbolic physical comedy kills me; I can't think of anyone who does that kind of thing as well as him. Too bad his greatest mainstream vehicle in this country was the movie Drop Dead Fred, which saw his singular talent reduced to kid-friendly Brit minstrelsy. Why???

Most of the musical performances were awesome, as well -- last night I watched the episode that featured Dexy's Midnight Runners turning out a bizarre and delightful piece of showmanship on the Young Ones set.

See for yourself...

Funnies

Justin once asked me which character or characters from the Sunday comics I had a crush on as a girl. I found this question insightful; it was odd that he'd know I'd had a crush on any characters from the Sunday comics in the first place. And my answers, which we discussed at length, were revelatory as well. In brief, here are the crushes I cited and the things that may have made them so appealing:

#1. Schroeder -- reclusive; unbowed/annoyed by Lucy's affections; a genius
#2. Linus Van Pelt -- neurotic; eccentric; confused or thrown into panic by attentions of Sally
#3. Michael Binkley -- anxiety-ridden; imaginative; had intimidatingly pretty black girlfriend (whom his dad disapproved of); New Wave hair
#4. Archie Andrews -- letter sweaters; smooth-chested; big teeth; hot girls fought over him despite dorkiness; intense eyebrows
#5. Shermy -- tall; spiky hair; didn't talk much (mysterious); earflap hat
#6: Milo Bloom -- socially conscious; obstreperous; deadpan delivery; square glasses before they were cool

I will close by saying that the person in the Sunday funnies who is most like someone I'd actually go out with is definitely Jon Arbuckle of Garfield. But during my formative years he was off my radar completely. Maybe it was the tiny nose?

Leisure

I plan to spend today writing, watching cat jumps and other YouTubes, and listening to mashups on Mashuptown. And going to the bodega to buy more coffee.

It is written.

Happy Memorial Day!

PS: This is my favorite mashup of today so far.

Cat Jumps

Yesterday my friend E.L. sent me an email that contained a link to a YouTube video of a cat jump. This particular video was titled "Best Cat Jump Ever."

I liked it so much that I began clicking through other YouTube links, the ones that were "similar," until I had viewed about twenty cat jumps.

My new favorite type of internet distraction: cat jumps.

It's not that recording video of your cat jumping hilariously is a new trend -- I'm sure Bob Saget et. al. had a giant room in the America's Funniest Home Videos library that was all full of VHS cassettes of cat jumps and that different shelves in this room were labeled, "Cat Jumps: Wacky"; "Cat Jumps: Death-Defying"; "Cat Jumps: Toy Mouse-Aided"; and so on. But now that those days are behind us, I think YouTube needs to develop a dedicated cat jumps repository.

And no, I'm not going to include links here to any cat jumps. That would dilute the effect.

Come On Everybody Now Do The Color Quiz

Amanda took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test! "Longs for tenderness and for a sensitivity of feel..." Click here to read the rest of the results.

From Russia With Dogs

This article made me smile. The reason dogs make such good pets is because they survive by having complete understanding of humans -- or, rather, of how best to get what they want from humans. This is also true of cats, to a lesser extent.

I have known many non-stray dogs to beg for food in the passive-aggressive way demonstrated by that one stray dog in the video.

Long Shot

If any of you friends has a reason or an excuse to drive to Tennessee on Tuesday July 15, you might give me a ride to the Sewanee conference. Otherwise I think I'm going to take the bus.

(If you're a friendly stranger from the Northeast who is also headed to said conference, that goes for you too!)

Really, send me an email if this interests you. I'm an excellent navigator and mix CD-maker.

That Which I Imbibe Which Is Not Booze

Being a Treatise on, & Catalogge of, the Soft Beverages & other Drinkables which I enjoy when not Bingeing on Spirits, Beer, Wine, or Cordials, &c. (2008)

I. COFFEE
Coffee is what I drink almost always when not drinking booze. Anyone who does not enjoy coffee has been woefully misled. It is my constant companion, seeing me through good days and bad. Without it I would be nothing and no one --

II. FLAVORED MILK
I used to put International Delights flavored creamer in my coffee. This is, however, a soy product and soy does weird things to One, so now One is happy to enjoy Nesquik chocolate or vanilla, purchasable in convenient half-liter bottles that see me through a couple of days of coffee enjoyment. (NB: I enjoy flavored coffee with regular milk, as well as plain coffee with flavored milk. GO FIGURE!)

III. TROPICANA JUICE
Why do people spend a billion dollars on a thimbleful of Naked juice or Odwalla or any of those other brews, when Tropicana offers such a similar taste experience for a mere dollar-seventy five? Is it because those fancy juices are unpasteurized and contain Nova Scotia Dulse and all? I think it's a brainwash, plain and simple. You love fruit so much, you should eat fruit. I happen to love juice slightly more than fruit, so I'll stick with Tropicana. (Honorable mention: Dole 100% Juice Pineapple Juice.)

IV. NOT WATER
I tend to eschew water. I like it, just not as much as these other things. They say I'm one of these people who have become accustomed to being dehydrated, so much so that I've lost my natural taste for water. I say I'm slowly evolving into a cyborg that subsists on oil and antifreeze.

V. SUGARED AND CAFFEINATED SODAS
Piggybacking on the above entry: last summer I spent a few legs of the RAGBRAI tour (a bicycle tour that lasts 7 days) with a can of Pepsi in my water cage, instead of a water bottle. That guy rattled around like I don't know what! And you can probably imagine how foamy it was when finally opened. Worth it.

VI. ICE CREAM-BASED THICK LIQUIDS
They call them "milkshakes" now, I think? I'm a particular fan of the "malted" milkshake. They make it in butterscotch flavor in some regions; if you can find this type of refreshment I recommend it. There's something about the interplay of butterscotch and malt that fascinates and delights the palate (of me). Because of the "malt" and "scotch" aspects, we can assume.

VII. VERY OCCASIONALLY, TEA
But only when I'm at home with my Euro-parents and I can have it brewed very strong with milk and enjoyed out of a very big cup with a saucer under it. And cookies to balance on the saucer.

**

I'm sorry I like so few beverages which aren't booze. I don't really consider it a problem. DO YOU? Also: it was my morning coffee that inspired me to type up this list, because I was like, "Why do people drink water when there's coffee? Water! Bah!".