October 23, 2007

Manhattan Doll
Volume 1, Issue 1

Film Reviews

Toots: Wonderful portrayal of a man (Toots Shor), his times (1950s-1970s), and his city (New York). I remember going to Toots Shor’s restaurant on a date as a teenager and ordering a jumbo shrimp cocktail. I can still remember how cold and tasty the shrimp were.

Elizabeth, The Golden Age: I’m fascinated by Elizabeth I and thoroughly enjoyed the first Cate Blanchett movie. However, the sequel was more tin than gold. Although I could watch Clive Owens for hours!

Commuting Curmudgeon

4 Reasons Why I hate the 86^th Street Crosstown Bus.

1. Why do parents and their kids always sit in the seats reserved the achy, cranky, and tired—like me!

2. Put your make-up on before you leave the house! I wonder how many people have been stabbed by a mascara wand?

3. Going from York Avenue to 12^th Avenue is not like crossing the Sahara. Why do you need to bring your coffee on the bus—the better to spill it on your fellow passengers? And, if you are going to bring a beverage, at least bring enough for all of us.

4. Ditto for you MacMuffin munchers!

Quotes

There is no snooze button on a cat who wants breakfast--Source Unknown

“Red-Ink Behaviors: Behaviors that create cultures of disrespect—arrogance,
intimidation, perfectionism, victimization, non-team attitudes, micromanagement,
and ‘triangular games.”  

Nontreprenuer: An executive who demands growth from his team, but is
afraid of taking risks.

Both quotes compliments of Jargon du Jour

Graduate School (without the GREs, GPAs, term papers, and stress!)

I recently attended One-Day University (http://onedayu.com/). For $200, you get 4 lectures from award winning professors from top-tier schools. It’s an Ivy League education condensed into one day--a wonderful way to exercise your brain. I enjoyed it so much, I signed up for the November and December sessions before I left. You may not be interested in all the topics, but each one is only 70 minutes. And if you really hate it, you can always go out for a cup of coffee (breakfast and box lunch included).

Matchmaker, Matchmaker Make Me A Match

Realizing that the kind of man I want to date is not trolling on-line dating sites like jdate and match.com, I took the plunge and signed up with a matchmaking service. I liked the fact that they’ve been in business for over 30 years and combine a 90-minute personal interview with compatibility tests and, most importantly for me (having been burned by a high school sweetheart who turned out to be a liar and a thief) a national background check. The membership fee is good for my lifetime (hopefully, it won’t take that long).

After the background check, I go to their offices for my picture and video. Then the fun begins. I’ll keep you posted on my dating adventures.