Author: Sara

New York State of Mind

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One week in New York City. A chance to getaway from everything, yet still feel like we were in the middle of it all. Fall was all around, the election provided much commentary and images to remember, connected with long time friends… All in all, it was a trip that was much needed.


Empire State Building in red, white & blue

One of the reasons for our trip was that Roger was running in the New York Marathon. He finished in less than four hours keeping within 10 minutes of his previous times from 2004 and 2005. I got a chance to see the marathon from several locations, taking the subway to at least four spots on the route. At mile 19, Roger played with his old band, Squirrels from Hell. I might get a chance to post the video footage of Roger playing with them on the Marathon route, once Roger posts it on YouTube (I still haven’t figured that one out).


Cool subway photo

On election night, we wanted to go to this free event that featured a live, play-by-play of the results from editors of the Onion (including comedians from Flight of the Conchords), but it turns out that we had to RSVP way earlier to get in. So we decided that it would be a good night to see a show on Broadway. We went down to TKTS in Times Square to check out the listings of half price shows available. The square was starting to fill which surprised us a bit… not really thinking that people would stand around for hours to watch the results roll in rather than sitting at home or in a bar.

We decided to see Monty Python’s Spamalot featuring Clay Aiken, who was off that night. I guess he was probably in Chicago with every other celeb. The performance was pretty good, highlighting pieces of Mothy Python and the Holy Grail. Not your typical Broadway show. They actually weaved some of the election results into the performance. Hilarious.

By the time we got out of there, Times Square was packed. I don’t think the police were really expecting that big of a turn out. Since the Western states results were due in about 45 minutes, we decided to stay for entertainment value and to be able to stay that we were there at that historic moment. The crowd was insane. New York is a huge Obama town… I pity the McCain fans who must have been frightened for their lives. When the results were announced, there were people crying, dancing and screaming with joy. As we walked back to the hotel, it seemed as though every New Yorker wanted to give someone a hug, even random strangers.


In Times Square on Election Night

I don’t think I have ever seen this much merch for a president in my entire life. Vendors for Obama were everywhere. You could buy McCain or Obama condoms (I didn’t really look to see the difference) or a hats with Obama’s name across the brim. Roger’s favorite was a button he saw this guy wearing on the subway that read, “Vote for Obama because he’s black.” I was so close to buying an Obama “Hope” t-shirt but decided that it was kind of odd to have a t-shirt that has the president on it. Not to knock on those who do own one.


Obama sign outside a coffee shop

Roger and I walked around Manhattan for miles each day, spending one of our days walking through Central Park looking at the beautiful fall colors. Another day, we walked halfway across the Brooklyn Bridge taking in the sights. Other days, much of the running around was actually visiting friends in Manhattan, Brooklyn and even New Jersey. It was a great opportunity for me to meet some of Roger’s long time friends that I had only heard about.


In Central Park

We didn’t really get out to see any music, since CMJ just ended and there were no good shows that week, but we did keep busy. One night we went to see amateur comedians perform at Caroline’s, a let down performance-wise but I am glad to have seen the venue. Another night we went to this fantastic Venezuelan restaurant, El Cocotero in Chelsea. Highly recommended not only by us but also a bunch of Yelpers.

One night we decided to just hang out at the bar at Sardi’s Restaurant in the Theatre District. This is the restaurant that is featured in Muppets Take Manhattan with all of the drawings of famous people who have hung out there. Apparently a big celebrity hot spot. We just wanted a quiet place for a drink. This was the perfect spot, aside for the high priced drinks. No spottings for us but the locals and the bar staff were super friendly and chatty.

So glad to be back, but sad to be returning to work on Monday. Blah.

New York connections

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While many of you will be sleeping, recovering from your extra hour of Day of the Dead partying (yes, Daylight Savings Time ends on Sat night/Sun morning), Roger will be spending the morning on Sunday, November 2 running 26.2 miles through the streets of New York’s five boroughs: Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Manhattan. This will be Roger’s third time running the New York Marathon (the only marathon he would ever consider doing). At mile 19, he will stop torturing his body for a moment to play one song with his former band, Squirrels from Hell, giving him the much needed adrenaline to power on to the finish. The Squirrels have been playing at mile 19 along the marathon route for nearly 20 years.

Here is the map of the route.

If you are up for it, you can sign up to receive text messages or emails as Roger crosses various check points through the Marathon’s Fan Alert System, so you can live vicariously through him. Sadly, since the race begins at 9:40 a.m. Eastern, that means 6:40 a.m. our time… on a Sunday morning. I doubt many of you will be following along, but it might be fun to read later to check in.

I will try to get some blog posts in, but I will at least tweet it up as this should be an exciting vacation.

Halloween: the holiday with the most potential

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Halloween in San Diego is something to be proud of. Transplants get it, but many San Diego natives take for granted the ways in which we celebrate this haunted holiday. I personally didn’t realize it until I lived in San Francisco for a number of years. San Francisco celebrates Halloween with a big party that is on the scale of Mardi Gras while the few children that reside there have the “opportunity” to trick-or-treat in the local malls. That is pretty much the extent of the holiday that has the most potential for fun. Many other cities around the country, you will find the same. Parties, trick or treating, but very little skill in the decoration or scare department.

The elaborate embellishing skills of San Diego residents and the history that made for real haunted houses, such as the Whaley House in Old Town, has created a culture that takes Halloween to a whole different level. Haunted houses, both amateur and professional spring up all over this city during the month of October that are truly hard to beat.

Scary stories, horror films and haunted houses, some of the most necessary components to Halloween, I really prefer not to partake in. Particularly, I tend to steer clear of haunted houses after an incident that happened when I was about 10 or 12 years old where I got “lost” from the group in a haunted house. I ended up being surrounded by the “actors” in a gory hospital scene involving disorienting strobe lights, large hypodermic needles and lots of blood. I freaked. One of the girls finally broke character and escorted me out.

But for some strange reason, I was compelled to find a haunted house while in college in San Francisco, I guess missing the abundance of freak out opportunities from back home. The only one I could find was a genuine haunted house, known as the Winchester Mystery House located in San Jose. They do midnight flashlight tours during the month of October. Other than that, there was no haunted anything to be found, not even a converted garage or community center.

However San Diego is loaded with opportunities to scare your soul out of you, both real and constructed, amateur and professional. Here is a listing of things to this season to make your stomach lurch or at least enough to get your fill of Halloween excitement.

Haunted Houses
Haunted Hotel
The Scream Zone at the Del Mar Fairgrounds
The Haunted Trail in Balboa Park
Monster Manor in Mira Mesa: Roger says this is the best one in San Diego
Haunted House at Otay Recreation Center: Many community centers in San Diego do something of this nature. You just might have to do some digging.
Sadly, Frightmare on Market Street is no longer open.
The Birch Aquarium also does the place up scary-like, however they ended their hauntings last weekend.

Close by Haunted Fun
Knott’s Scary Farm: Haunt
Universal Studios: Halloween Horror Nights

Haunted For Real
The Whaley House
Haunted San Diego Ghost Tours
Ghostly Tours in History
There are a number of recorded haunted hotels and houses in San Diego, the listing above only includes those offering tours.

Sadly, since I will be on a plane to NYC on Friday, I feel like I have missed out on a bit of the Halloween fun. No costume, no decorations, only a couple party invites. Next year, with the new house we will probably do Halloween properly.

Waking Dreams

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I feel lazy but inspired. I want to accomplish so much in my life, but I don’t even want to get out of bed in the morning. Dreaming big, but producing so little. Others may disagree with me by saying, “You do so much already.” Or, “You get out of the house way more than I do.”

What others don’t know is that I am only accomplishing about 15% of the things that I want to be doing or should be taking the time to do. There never seems to be enough time in the day, evenings to spare, vacation time or breaks at work to I fit in all the things that I dream of doing. Most are big projects, lifetime aspirations that seem daunting to even start. Other things include dusting or vacuuming the apartment. Not fun, not necessary, but bugs the crap out of me every morning as I look at the layer of dirt on residing my nightstand.

Priorities. We all have them. I believe and stand by the concept that the excuse of “not enough time in the world” is not a valid reason for not participating in something or not getting things done. We all make choices each and everyday. Each moring I make the choice of sleeping in a bit longer and not riddingthe nightstand of the accumulated dust. For me (at this very moment), my priorities include sleeping, resting, working, derby, music, and prepping for a house and baby. This blog is further down the list of my priorities, as is learning to play bass guitar (which I still really want to do).

Everything takes a certain level of commitment in order to succeed. Someday in my life I will write a book, record a song, be on the board of directors for an organization I believe in, and even make a quilt. These things will happen, but not right away, not all at once. But in order for them to happen, I need to make them a priority. For now they are just dreams, even cleaning the apartment.

As frustrating and difficult as it is for me to accept, sleep and rest are my biggest priorities right now. I know that my priorities will alter greatly in the next few months, even years, but it doesn’t make the change any easier. Life will carry us only so far. What we choose to do with our time, each passing minute, is up to each of us. I hate wasting even one minute. However, I need to understand that these minutes are not being wasted, they are minutes spent giving life to another. Hey, that’s my excuse, what is yours?

Everyone’s a Critic

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Last night Roger and I had the chance to watch Heckler, a sort of documentary on heckling. This is a subject that is close to my heart for many reasons: 1) I used to work in a comedy club, 2) I dislike heckling but I find the behavior interesting, and 3) I love studying human behavior and it is part of the reason I enjoy writing.

Moreover, the movie covered much more than just hecklers, it also delved into critics as a whole including but not limited to film critics and bloggers. Basically analyzing and slightly degrading individuals who have opinions and choose to broadcast them in one way or another. Interesting perspective, at times, that allowed me to be a bit introspective; hopefully without becoming hypocritical.

I have an opinion just as everyone else in this world. As a blogger and a writer, I chose to express my opinions through my website, tweets, verbally to friends, and in personal writings that may or may not become public one day. I am a critic. I view the world in a subjective manner. Rarely does any critic take an objective view.

I am not a heckler… the difference (which was surprisingly not discussed in the film) is in the means of the critique, not the motive. A heckler voices their opinions during the performance whether it be a stand-up performance, live TV show, theater, or sports, thereby interrupting or interfering with the performance at hand. The motive, which was covered in the film, can range from verbalizing personal opinion (“This sucks”) to attention seeking to the belief that they are actually helping the performance to downright hatred.

The heckler is usually drunk, but always acting inappropriately. The heckler in my mind is an uncontrolled critic who doesn’t know or doesn’t accept the role in which he or she is placed. The one on stage, with the mic, is the one with ultimate power. They are the ones getting paid; while the heckler usually paid to watch, yes, watch not participate. Those are the rules, written or not.

I also believe that it is up to the club/venue to help control this behavior, not the performer. However, the performer should have some capacity to stand up to the heckler, but ultimately the venue should be responsible for saying, “This is not acceptable.”

I truly enjoy my role as a critic, but I have also set some ground rules for myself:
1. I am not out to offend.
2. I attempt to look at the work, not the individual.
3. My opinion is my own.
4. I will never claim to represent others.

That being said, the movie, Heckler is worth a watch. A subplot of the film shows Jamie Kennedy as he takes on the world of hecklers and critics who have adverse opinions of his work. The interviews of stand ups, musicians, club owners, film creators and celebrities are provocative and fascinating. The live shots of performers on stage being heckled was stirring, particularly watching comic legend Bill Hicks oust a chatty woman from the club. Big fans of Lewis Black will appreciate his insight to critics and hecklers. Thank you Michael Addis at your attempt to show the world that heckling is not ok.

If you do watch this movie, you need to check out the deleted scenes, particularly the phone call to Bob Saget. I was dying… Great footage that didn’t make the film since it didn’t really fit, but hilarious none the less.