A day in the city

There are few places where I would rather spend the penultimate day of the year--of the decade--than in New York. Hell, any day is a good one to spend in New York, as far as I'm concerned.

Every time I visit the city, be it for a day or three, I leave feeling as if I have done absolutely nothing, made no dent whatsoever in the unending list of things to do and see. Today was especially frustrating. Being that it was the 30th of December, Manhattan was as packed with people as ever. My parents, sister and I parked in a garage near Times Square in the hopes of finding a not-terribly-insane line at the cut-rate TKTS booth in order to score some tickets to a show. It was not to be, as we were greeted with an easily hour-long wait in the chilly late New York morning. We just decided to walk around for a while, find a noodle place for lunch, walk around some more, have dinner, and make our escape. I am somewhat ashamed to say we hit all the touristy stores along 5th Avenue--Saks, Tiffany, etc. The opulent displays of clothing and jewelry few people will ever be able to afford are a feast for the eyes, but remain the unsatisfying manifestation of one's more ambitious dreams of personal wealth. So, I try not to dwell on the having-not, rather looking forward to the having.

Which brings me to today's highlight: lunch. The Connecticut Family Gavrich dined at Menchanko-Tei, a Japanese noodle spot northeast of Rockefeller Center. If it's a small sea of vegetables, meat, and soba noodles you're after (and you should be after those things if you aren't already), you will be pleased by the ramen varieties at Menchanko-Tei. I enjoyed their Chanpon, a popular dish in Nagasaki with a tawny pork-based broth. Very savory, and a perfect antidote to the cold day. The surprise highlight of the meal, however, were the "tsukemono," or Japanese pickles. A crunch and a taste totally unlike and more complex than their American counterparts.

As you can see, I could go on and on about food, but I won't, at least not right now.

'Til next time.

"Up in the Air"--Some nice moments

Tonight, I went to see this recent film with my parents. I love being one of the cool kids. In all seriousness, it was a nice time (difficult for it not to be when I'm not the one paying). But enough about my wild and crazy weekend engagements (spoilers follow; you have been warned)...

"Up in the Air" leaves the audience a little bit down in the dumps, certainly moreso than one would predict after seeing the trailer. Clooney plays his familiar sort of role--a rather charmingly misanthropic middle-aged wiseacre. But this is what America loves him for. He turns in the solid performance that we are accustomed to, so that is all well and good. Vera Farmiga ably plays Clooney's fellow perpetual traveler-cum-siren-cum-betrayer, and Anna Kendrick plays the spunky know-it-all who threatens Clooney's way of doing business and precipitates his awakening to his true loneliness. The acting is pretty good in the film. Without going all Roger Ebert on you, Let me just impart some assorted thoughts (musings, even, since that's what we here at TVM do) before sending you on your way.

My favorite aspect of the movie was the periodic inter-generational dialogue that seems to be going on. Kendrick's character arrives in the company fresh-faced and full of new-age ideas but without experience. In one scene, she bemoans her bad fortune for not having found "the one," as her boyfriend has just broken up with her...via text message. Despite her obvious high intelligence, she receives advice from her older associates, whose values still seem relevant. Definitely a nice moment.

I have more to say about generational interaction, but I'll save it for another time (I have to keep you coming back somehow, don't I?

Cheers.

I'm Baaaaaaack

Merry Christmas, dear readers (if there are any of you out there).

I'm making a comeback, after nearly five months off god-knows-where in cyberspace. I'll ease my reentry into the blogosphere with just a little thought-nugget (though I reserve the right to blather on at length at any time, so come early and often henceforth!). Here it is:

I really, really don't want to consider the things Ke$ha did for P. Diddy to convince him to make her famous. Yikes.



Peace for now, ladies and gentlemen.