there is a feral cat problem at JFK and someone is upset by it

Awwwww.

In short, the Port Authority is trying to remove feral cats that roam/live in/around JFK airport. In short, a rally is being held in protest of said action.

Related personal story. I climbed down a barrier wall to rescue a feral kitten that was trapped on some rocks in the Florida intercoastal waterway before the tide came up. A co-worker of mine heard the poor wet kitten yelping and she asked me to help. I climbed down the wall, rescued the kitten, lifted the kitten up to my co-worker, and climbed out. The only thing that I have to say is that the kitten showed their appreciation for being rescued by bloodying up my hand. So, in short, I have a love/hate relationship with feral cats.

sweet obsessions

Has our little search for america's next top cupcake gone too far? The answer is no, so shut up if you said yes.

Anyway, we are at a point where when deciding where to go purchase our weekly sin we need to consider location. I've spent some time surfing the web for various bakeries in within the 5 boroughs. Below is a list, with neighborhood locations, that I have compiled thus far (in no particular order):

Sugar Sweet Sunshine - LES
Baked – Red Hook
Amy’s Bread – Hell’s Kitchen
Billy’s – Chelsea
Make My Cake - Harlem
Kyotofu – Hell’s Kitchen
Two Little Red Hens - UES
Downtown Atlantic – Downtown Brooklyn
Joe, the Art of Coffee – West Village, Union Square, SoHo
Kitchenette – Tribeca & West Harlem
Tribeca Treats - Tribeca
Sweet Melissa – Carroll Gardens & Park Slope
Colson Patisserie – Park Slope
Cake Man Raven - Fort Greene
Almondine - DUMBO
Dessert Delivery – East Midtown
Penelope – Murray Hill
Hope & Union – Greenpoint
Duane Park Patisserie - Tribeca
Soho Cupcake Company - UWS, UES, Harlem, Chelsea

Have I missed anything? Please keep in mind that we have already been to and rated several bakeries (please see ipj's blog and scroll down to the section that says "All Things Cupcakes"). If you know of a great bakery anywhere in NYC please let me know so we may add it to the list. Thanks in advance for any and all suggestions.

i laughed so hard, I cried

knit 1, goth 2

Apparently, crafts are very goth. I was trying to look for a Halloween-related item (like a trick-or-treat bag) that ipj could knit for me (shh, don't tell, he doesn't know it yet) and I came across the site "the anti craft." Yes, even you can make your very own asphyxia choker, beaded pendant of blindness and insanity, and vd surprise (who knew that a surprise vd was goth?).

Upon further investigation I found and decided that I wanted this. But then I thought, if only ipj could knit me some counter space in my bathroom for this to go on. Then my life would be fulfilled for the moment.

bathroom banter

The following converstaion took place in the ladies restroom at the Biltmore Theater after a performance of Mauritius, sometime between 9:50pm and 10:10pm.

Woman #1: "I remember Bobby Cannavale from The Station Agent, but I can't remember him from any other movie."

Woman #2: "Did you see him on Will and Grace?"

Woman #1: "Yeah, but I stopped watching it after a while. I got tired of all that gay shit. It was just too much."

Woman #2: "Yeah. Have you heard of The Ritz?"

Woman #1: "Yeah, it's set in a gay bathhouse. I wanna see it."

where's the motivation?

What I should be doing - aerobic exercising on the days I'm not in pilates sessions w/ ipj.
What I am doing - aerobically exercising my right thumb adjusting the volume on my remote while watching Law and Order (my god, they're on every channel!).

What I should be doing - resuming research on a play that I want to write based on a historical theatrical figure.
What I am doing - letting my research books gather dust on my bookshelf. Why aren't they as fun to read as Harry Potter?

What I should be doing - eating healthy food.
What I am doing - eating tasty food.

What I should be doing - cleaning out a closet so I may reorganize it (I've been saying that I would for a while now).
What I am doing - watching shows on HGTV and reading magazine articles that show other people reorganize spaces.

What I should be doing - shopping for items for my famous Christmas baskets.
What I am doing - perusing catalogues for my famous Christmas baskets.

What I should be doing - finishing my typed, double-spaced homework assignment, which is due tomorrow.
What I am doing - writing this blog

5 things to know during halloween

1. www.halloween.com. This site gives you links to find out Halloween histories & stories, where to get your Halloween supplies, where to find haunted houses (very important), and give you a "until Halloween" counter (by the way, at the time of this posting there are 19 days and 1 hour, approximately, left until the big day).

2. speaking of counters, on Halloween day there will only be 45 shopping days left until Christmas and just slightly over 4 months until the Easter candy arrives in drugs stores everywhere (mark that on your calendar ipj).

3. as I am sure many of you know, the area surrounding New York City is home to some very spooky places. Sleepy Hallow, NY (the setting of Washington Irving's famous tale of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman) and Amityville, NY (anybody see the film bearing the town's name?).

4. theaters (the buildings not the art) are well known places for ghosts to roam. Amongst others in NYC: Radio City Music Hall is said to be haunted by the lover of the hall's builder S.L."Roxy" Rothafel. The New Amsterdamn is haunted by Olive Thomas, a former Ziegfeld girl and the most famous ghost on the Great White Way. Two former theater houses of David Belasco, the Belasco on W. 44th and the New Victory on W. 42nd, each house a ghost, both of whom happen to be his former mistresses. I've even read reports that both Judy Garland and Bob Fosse haunt Broadway theaters.

5. vampires are from Romania and werewolves are of German origin, but Halloween comes from the UK, originally a Pagan Celtic celebration of Samhain (the end of the harvest). Though it is not an officially observed, Halloween is the fasting growing holiday in all of France.

dear mr & mrs zpj, i suck!

...for not hanging out with the coolest couple I know this side of the Mason-Dixon line last night. I was just too wiped out to make it there alive. Anyway you both know how much I love, adore, and worship your yard, um, I mean, you both with all of my heart. I hope that I can convince you two to go out for drinks sometime soon.

i've got a terminal case of the beach blues

Above is a picture of Lantana Beach. This is one of the beaches that I used to go to growing up in Florida (hmmm, no swamp here mr.o.) Beau-ti-ful, huh? I found this online. Do you know how many pictures of blue-haired republicans I had to go through to get this photo?

I've been thinking about life in the quiet lane recently. I would be so happy if I could be sitting on the beach, with my toes in the sand, watching the waves break on the shore right now. Instead of spending my day in the warm sun with the breeze in my face, I swam up against pedestrian traffic in Times Square...both ways, I sat inside a windowless room for over 8 hours, and I wore a phone head set and stared at a glaring computer screen today. I spent my day experiencing the antithesis of enjoyment and fun. Calgon, take me away!

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm loving it in the big apple. I have a lot of good friends, I see lots of great art, and I am a part of a very serious dessert battle. I have a lot going for me. I'm just whinning for a vacation.