Slide Show - (Big Apple Circus 2009)

I finally got around to posting the photos I took at during the Big Apple Circus. With the help of the brochure and the website, I was able to provide some details for the photo captions.

Also, if you want more information about the individual performers, click on the link:

The Big Apple Performers

Slow Cooker

Another day wasted. I'm amazed how fast the day goes by (Partly due to sleeping very late). By the time I get up and shower the day is half over.

I should have started cleaning my apartment, but instead I showered and went to the post office to send off my waistpack. I think I might have mentioned in a previous blog entry that it arrived in a less than new condition. After the post office, I had a slice of pizza. Not wanting to return home, I wandered around downtown for a while.

On an impulse, I bought a slow cooker. For the last couple of weeks, I've been telling myself that I need to move away from the Chinese takeout and the microwaveable meals. Unfortunately, that leaves me cooking.

In theory, I like the idea of a slow cooker. From what I understand about it (and have been told), you can throw in basic ingredients in the cooker, turn it on, and when you return home, the food is hot and ready. Cool!!!

Unfortunately, I'm not comfortable with the idea of leaving appliances on when I leave home. I don't even like to leave my cell phone charger plugged in when I'm not using it. And yes, I even unplug my computer when I'm not using it.

In order to get the most out of my slow cooker, I'm going to try throwing the ingredients in at night so that it cooks overnight. I've already did an internet search for slow cooker receipes. The first website I found was "Slow & Simple". The receipes seem easy and simple. The slow cooker also has a website with receipes as well[Proctor Silex].

If this slow cooker works the way it seems, this would be a great investment. I only need to use it once or twice a week to make enough for leftovers.

Having just seen a video for a roaster oven, I now want one of those as well.

Post Date - Tuesday, December 29, 2009 9:16PM

What Happened ?!?

I don't understand. I can't tell you how much I searched for prepaid phones online. I can't recall how many times I've visited Amazon.com to check if they had prepaid phones. I've typed "Prepaid Phones"....nothing. I've typed "QWERTY+prepaid"...nothing. I've typed Tracfone, and beyond the regular Tracfones seen many times before, there was nothing new. Now, after purchasing an ugly (neon green) prepaid phone from AT&T, I received from Amazon.com an email with the tag line "someone who has searched for cell phones" that included a link to... -- get this... a line of prepaid cell phones. Including a grey and black phone just like the ugly green (refurbished) one I purchased.

CHEAPER!!!

On the AT&T site, my (refurbished)phone was offered for $299 with a $200 (online)discount making the purchased price $99(with a $25 prepaid minutes card). At Amazon.com the same phone (better color) is being offered for $74(with a $50 prepaid minutes card)... no mentioning of a discount, but with a MSRP$99 with accessories not shown on the AT&T site.

What Happened?!?

I should be angry, but strangely, I'm not. Annoyed Yes, but not angry. I already know I'm not the smartest or the quickest. My first impulse was to order from Amazon.com and return the AT&T phone unopened. But, with the green phone arriving tomorrow, and the Amazon phone not arriving until Jan. 5th at the earliest, I'm going to stick with the green. I don't like the green color, but it really isn't as ugly as I'm suggesting. Besides, I'm happy with being able to carry over my Tracfone phone number (which has been my "official" phone number for the last 4 years). I can't tell you how many applications and documents with "my phone number" I have completed in the last 4 years, I have no desire to backtrack to find out or update. As long as the phone arrives early and works well, then I'm happy. Besides, I don't mind the idea of upgrading to a fancier model on this new system. Tracfone has been a good company but their phone selection suck! Besides, I'm someone who doesn't like change. If Tracfone even suggested that they might have "QWERTY" phones in the near future, I would have probably stuck with Tracfone. I'm someone who gets (too quickly) set in my ways and routines.

If this green phone doesn't measure up, I have no problem going out and buying a newer (fancier) model. Although, knowing I'm eager to buy a new phone when the green one breaks or gets a scratch, this green one will probably last much longer than I want it to last. That's how my luck works.

Lesson learned? Being impatient is costly.

Post Date - Tuesday, December 29, 2009 12:50PM

New Phone

I just brought a new phone!!!!

I guess you didn't think I would be able to hold out for very long.

So, What do I think about spending about $100 per month for a cell phone?

Actually...

I didn't buy the one mentioned in the previous blog entry. Nope. I settled for a refurbished phone. Yes, refurbished. The cheapskate in me won out. I hate the color, but I like the style -- just what I was looking for in a new phone. Easy texting...I hope. I ordered the phone online. If everything goes well, I will be switching companies..

Snag...My credit card was rejected. That can be correct later.

I'll post a photo found from the internet.


Gotta say, having just looked at the posting. I'm really starting to hate that color (light neon lime green). Maybe the ugly color will keep me from burning through my minutes. Anyway, I'm hoping that if the phone is activated and works, I will then be on a network that would allow me to purchase a newer better "unlocked" model. Unfortunately, the Tracfone network system doesn't allow compatability with other phones not on their network.

P.S. - In the excitement, I forgot to add the most important part.
THE PHONE IS A PREPAID PHONE!!!No contract!!! No fees!!!

The Invisible Man at the Circus

Today I planned a social networking trip to see "The Big Apple Circus" in the park behind Lincoln Center. I made the meeting time 3:45PM to give the group time to meet beforehand -- the show started at 4:30PM. This time, yes the Invisible Man did appear...again. You'll see in a few minutes what I mean.

I arrived at the meeting spot about 3:25PM. About 4:06PM, I got tired of waiting in the cold and went inside. About 10 minutes before the show started(4:20PM), I received a text message from one of the members of the group. Basically, she wrote that since they didn't see me at the meeting spot, they decided to go in. Didn't ask how I was, or my location. Later(during the first 4 or 5 minutes of the 15 minute intermission), there was still no reply, so I sent a vague email to see if I'd get a reaction. I texted about the show being great. The response I had gotten was basically, "Yep, it's great". That's it. Another 4 or 5 minutes later still no attempts to contact me. Finally, I asked where they were. The response, "Section 9 Blue Area". The blue area is the Mezzanine ring. I'm guessing there were about 40 or 50 seats in the "blue section #9". They were 7 or 8 rows behind me in the front row of the Mezzanine Area. I was in the front row Box Seats Area. After the last text, they still made no attempt to contact me, ask where I was, or to try and see if they could see me. Since the ring attendees were sweeping the dirt and straw (to the edges) as if there was no one in first rows, I got up and moved to the aisle separating the mezzanine ring from the box-seat ring. All the while scanning the "blue area" for the other two. After about 2 or 3 minutes, I see someone who looks like the RSVP profile picture laughing with the woman who also looked like her RSVP profile picture. They were making no attempt to find the guy who organized the meeting (or at the very least had the idea to go see the circus).

When I approached the two, the guy did most of the talking. He explained that they couldn't find me. I just said it wasn't a problem. However, since I received the first text about 35 minutes after the meeting time, I'm assuming they had arrived around that time. It would have been nice if they had contacted me (via call or text) to say they were running late, or that they wouldn't meet at the meeting spot. Actually, it would have been nice if they responded to any of the planning emails asking for feedback. The only response was from both of them at different times (and days) stating that they had (and would) buy their own tickets. The small talk ended with the guy suggesting we go for drinks after the show.

After the intermission, I returned to my seat to watch the second half of the show. When the show ended, I stopped to take a couple of pictures of the clown playing a trumpet in the music box as the audience began to leave. That was only about about a minute. The strange thing, when I looked to see if the other two were waiting (they were closer to the exit). I just assumed that they would have waited for me at their seats or in the lobby. Nope! I went to the bathroom area...nope. I waited 2 or 3 minutes outside the tent entrance...nope. I returned to the meeting spot (waited about 10 minutes [just to be sure]). They were gone.

So you see, the Invisible Man was at the circus.

I was a bit annoyed that I had managed the invisibility act once again. Over the years, I've managed to appear invisible in various situations. Now, I can add invisibility to an event that I planned (and had a couple of people accept my invitation). That includes the circus hand sweeping dirt and straw directly in my direction (in fairness to the circus hands, they did the "sweep to the perimeter" around the whole ring not just at me.

So, how was the show. It was nice. I was expecting the venue to be larger. I didn't need binoculars. I thought the circus was very nice. The performers (human and animal) were all very well trained. It was an enjoyable experience. It was a nice show, so I decided to end on a positive note and headed for home. I liked this circus better than one I saw many years ago in Madison Square Garden. Then, I was way up in the nose-bleed seats. This time around, I thought I might need binoculars, but I was wrong the Big Apple Circus was a nice size.

The attached photo is just one of about 178 pictures I took at the circus. I narrowed the selection down to 31 pictures I'll upload into a slideshow at another time. I'm posting this early, so that I won't have any excuses later on today to get online. Once I get online, I'll probably stay online for a few hours. I really need to make use of this vacation time so that I don't end up starting the new year repeating the mistakes of the past year(s).

Post Date - Monday, December 28, 2009 6:14AM

The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus

Saturday, December 26th
Today (despite the rain), I ventured out for a bit of scouting. I organized a social networking event for tomorrow. Unfortunately, I didn't plan well by putting the event so close to Christmas. I just knew I wouldn't be doing anything, and thought there would be others like me. Well, at this moment, there will probably two others who will be joining me to see the circus.

Anyway, my goal today was to scout around the neighborhood for planning purposes. Since I'm not good with directions, I wanted to look around the neighborhood. I also wanted to try finding a place for dinner that wasn't too expensive. The circus is set up behind Lincoln Center. When I did an online search, I kept getting expensive places. Well, with the walk around, I was able to find a couple of nice places.

After scouting out the neighborhood in the rain, I stepped into Barnes & Nobles. I didn't buy anything because I have another social networking event planned for Jan. 2nd. It involves a book club/ book selection in B&N (more details at another time). After B&N, I went to the movies.

I saw "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus". I don't know why, but I thought the movie would be empty. But, maybe due to the rain, and/or this movie being Heath Ledger's last movie, the theater was PACKED!!! PACKED!!! I really don't like going to crowded movie theaters, and today's was one of the reason.
1. There was just too many people in that theater.
2. The theater was poorly designed. This was a disappointment I was not expecting. I just assumed that a theater about two blocks from Lincoln Center would have been better. I think in order to pay for the rent, the theater tried to cram as many seats in as physically possible. How small? I'm 5'8" tall. Sitting, my knees just touch the seats in front of me. Unfortunately, when someone sat in front of me (as usual it was someone very tall), the seat kept banging my knees. I don't believe I've ever been in a theater where the seat in front touched my knees. Halfway through the movie, I had to sit sideways to stop my knees from getting banged by the guy who kept trying to get comfortable in small seats.

So how was the movie? I thought it was going to be much better. Visually, the movie really looked nice. The premise was also an interesting one, but the execution was poorly done. Since Heath Ledger died before the movie was finished, other actors were brought in to finish his role. Nice idea, but having other actors play one character was a bit unsettling. For me, it was difficult to get a sense of the Ledger character, because different actors were playing the character at different times during different character moods. Since Ledger didn't end the movie, the character who ended the movie didn't feel like the character who started the movie. I know about character growth and development in a movie, but when there are different (in this case three different) actors, playing that character, there was (for me) a certain "disconnection" from the character. There was also plot points that were distracting. The character discovers there is magic (to a certain extent) involved in the mirror, although the actor is written to be initially surprised, but quickly starts acting as if he is hired to wait tables in a restaurant.

After the movie, I headed over the Staples to buy a calendar. For Christmas, I received a cover for personal planner. Yep, just the cover($10). I should have been a bit annoyed having spent about $60 on a gift. However, I liked the gift. It was something that reminded me about needing to get organized. Since I will be returning to college to finish up my Master's Degree, having a personal planner would be very useful. So the positive of the gift was that it was something that I could really use. I also liked the idea that the color was black.

I better go. Once again, this was much longer than I was planning to write. And to think I got online just to send a quick email to those who RSVPed "Yes" my contact information for the circus. Here it is 8AM. Now, I'm tempted to buy the phone (see previous blog entry) just to feel like I accomplished something this morning.

Bye for now. Today, is the circus. I get to try out my new binoculars.

Post Date - Sunday, December 27, 2009 8:09AM

New Phone

The title should have been "Should I or Shouldn't I". I'm thinking about getting a new cell phone. For the past 4 years, I've been using a prepaid Tracfone. The cost of the Tracfone are only the minutes I've paid to use. I don't use my phone very often. 100 minutes will last me a couple of months (or more). For the last couple of days, I've been wanting a new phone. With the prepaid, the services are very limited, not to mention the slow texting ability. Well, I was surfing online, and checked out the various cell phone providers. I was just about to make my online purchase, when I saw the monthly charge for the basic package (about the same as my landline phone). The monthly cost does not include "the extras" like internet connection, etc... Do I really want to be locked into paying about $80 per month every month(about $96 per year). That's excluding taxes, fees & other charges). Once the "extras" are factored in, I could be spending over a thousand dollars for a phone I don't use very often. Now that I think about it, the "extras"(Taxes, Fees & Other Charges) could be as high as $15 per month.

In the past, I've always smile when those around me complained about their cell phone payments. Do I really want to join the ranks of those who have to deal with contracts, penalties, monthly payments, etc...? I saved the shopping cart page. For once, I resisted the impulse buy I usually cave in to. But since I saved the shopping page, isn't it a matter of time before I cave. Also, I like the idea of starting something new at the beginning of the new year. Well, ...

"Should I or Shouldn't I?"

Below is a picture of the phone I was planning to get.

A Day at South Street Seaport

Yesterday, I planned a social networking event. The plan was to spend the day in the South Street Seaport area. I thought it was a nice event. Unfortunately, there was a no show. It was a bit disappointing for the only other"Yes" RSVP to not show(and not contact me). Anyway, I followed the plan. Starting first at the Bodies Exhibition. Unfortunately, picture taking was not allowed. I found the audio tour helpful, I liked being able to choose from two settings (one for adults / kids), I ended up listening to both. The tour was about two hours. From "Bodies" I headed over to the South Street Seaport Museum. For $12, it was okay (not great, but okay). Lots of old maps and old toy models of boats. Staying for two hours was a bit of a stretch, but I managed. Next, I headed over to the two boats included in the S.S.S.M fee. The boats were also nice. I called it an end to the "Day" about 4PM. I skipped dinner at UNO, the area was overflowing with Santas(SantaCon?!?). SantaCon is an area event were people meet dressed as Santa. Since it was still early, I decided to see a movie. At first I went to Union Square, but nothing was starting at that time, so I settled for a movie on 42nd Street (Ninja Assassin). Before the movie, I took a walk around Bryant Park, they had a shopping village and ice skating rink. I'll post photos later.