When Tara Met Blog: July 2005

Organ Donor

Thursday, July 28, 2005
I keep meaning to get my license changed so that I'm listed as an organ donor. Hey, it's not like I'll be needing them anymore, but others will.

I was a flower girl at my cousin Renie's wedding when I was around 7-years-old. She married her childhood sweetheart and neighbor. She was really beautiful and the wedding was huge, I still remember how grand it was. My dress was more like a poofy gown you'd see in Cinderella, I really felt like a princess and was in awe of my cousin during all the wedding preparations. Probably more so because everyone said she looked so much like my sister Serina. And unfortunately like Serina, she'd also die young. A year or so after her wedding, she began to have liver problems. She was only in her late 20s. I remember visiting her at St. Vincents hospital in the city, she was so pale and extremely skinny in her hospital dressing gown. It was shocking, but she was laughing and joking with my dad out in one of the waiting rooms despite having an IV attached to her. She needed a new liver but they couldn't find her one. During that same time Mickey Mantle who abused his liver by drinking most of his life, was also going through the same thing, but being who he was, he got a new liver within the week. My cousin sadly did not.

A friend at work alerted me to the following press release, he's worked with the woman mentioned before and her situation seems very similar. I of course hope her story ends better.

NEW YORK (July 20, 2005) Shari Kurzrok is two months away from her wedding. The 31-year-old PR executive recently spearheaded the largest-ever national blood drive. Today, she is fighting for her life. Her doctors say she will not live if she doesn't receive a complete liver transplant within days, and her colleagues in the PR industry are urgently mobilizing to help her.

Potential donors must be Type A or Type O blood. Anyone wanting to help Shari with a liver transplant referral should call: 877-223-3386 or email: liverforalife@yahoo.com
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Jeff Jarvis' blog Buzz Machine was voted the best media blog by Forbes Magazine. Read about how I met Jarvis last Fall here

News: 'Worthless' gifts get the good girls

Back again

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

to the oppressive 95 degree heat and oven like subways.

Anyway, I had a wonderful time in San Francisco. I had never been, and wish that I had more than 3 days to explore. But while part of our group chose to go shopping a couple of us rented a car and went to the Muir Woods, over the Golden Gate, and to Sonoma for a wine tour of Sebastiani winery. We also went for martinis at Top of the Mark sky-bar, went on a dinner cruise, danced at the St. Francis Drake, made friends with two drag queens, ate in Chinatown, bought Ghiradelli chocolate and went to Alcatraz.

Here's some things that I learned about SanFran:

It takes four years to paint the Golden Gate Bridge, and they never stop painting it, they go in one direction and by the time the finish, they have to repaint the beginning and start over again.
After going up and down the very very steep hills in the city in numerous taxis, I had to ask one cabby how often they had to change their breaks. Literally they have to ride down the hills on their breaks and sometimes stop mid incline due to traffic. It was like when you slowly edge to the top of a roller coaster, I just don't get how the cars don't simply fall backwards. Anyway, the driver laughed and said they have to change their breaks at least once a month. Yikes!
Redwood's are part of the pine family and are really freakin huge. (I daringly ignored the "Do not walk beyond trail" sign to get a better look and to be among the trees. It was amazing)
SanFran doesn't like Air Conditioners, even Macy's in Union Square didn't have AC and the first day we were there it was really hot and could use it. And typically to me malls=AC. Even our elegant hotel room also came without an AC unit, just a fan.
The Birdman of Alcatraz, Robert Stroud, was no Burt Lancaster! He has been compared to the intelligent psychopath Hannibal Lectar. Also Stroud really should be known as the "Birdman of Leavenworth," since it was at that prison that he kept his birds and did his research. He was not actually allowed any birds during his time at Alcatraz and spent most of his time in a hospital wing cell. (Besides the audio tour, a ranger gave us a free private tour because she said, "you guys are fun." We got to go into the prison's hospital wing, where we saw fake blood on the walls from the filming of The Rock, took photos in Al Capone's cell, oh and I got to lock up when we left).

In San Fran from Sat to Tuesday!

Friday, July 22, 2005

I've been to California several times now, but never to San Francisco. And everyone keeps telling me that I'll love it, since it's like the New York City of the west coast.

I'm staying in the downtown area at the Warwick Regis, which looks really old fashioned and pretty.

While there I'm going to see Alcatraz and go to a wine tour in Sonoma, all the fun touristy stuff.

For a cool SanFran blog check out Just Another Week.

No Warning, No Reason

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Because he left her, she must make him
someone she doesn't love, rescripting as
deception their hand-clasped walks at dusk
It must have been lies:
each touching word, all thoughtfulness,
his shows of pleasure putting her first,
his endearing sex talk that first
amused her then got to her
(his hot moist breath the poison in her ear)
as he learned with seemingly selfless patience
how to move inside her as no one ever had before.
How can she change memories like these?
He must have been lying
because the man who did these things
could not leave her with no warning or reason.
But she knows he wasn't,
and, because she knows he wasn't,
she is stuck. No one can help her.
No one can enter the sacred circle they made together
she now wears as a necklace of fire.
How can she obliterate the person he is?
What is she to do? She has to live.
--Michael Ryan (The New Yorker, March 28, 2005)

I had saved this poem because I thought it was powerful, and could relate to parts of it. Granted I've never been IN love, but I know from my previous relationships/flings, how easily it is to start painting someone you once cared about in a bad light just so you can move on, even when you're the one who did the breaking up. I posted the poem for a friend though. Be strong Polar Bear!

If you can't stand the heat

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

STAY OFF THE NYC SUBWAYS!!

It was 84 degrees today on my way to work, this is the early morning mind you, and now it's going to go up to 96. I actually don't mind the heat or the humidity, having grown up in New York i'm used to it. However, I can't take waiting on the subway platforms in this heat. It's almost double the temperature. Women wave hand fans, blowing hot stale air on their faces for some sort of breeze, and nobody wants to sit on the benches, in fear they'll stick to them. Also the smell of BO on the trains are at an all time high as well as the occasional sweaty arm brush-by.

I usually take the express train to my office, but after waiting for 5 minutes in the oven slash underground, I jumped on the next local train that came my way, knowing it would at least be Air Conditioned. Which made the additional stops to Times Square worth it in order to just escape the temporary hell that is the subway platforms. Plus the local trains are usually less packed during rush hour, so I was able to get a seat instead of stretching up on my tiptoes to grab the overhead handle bars, while a guys backpack is rammed against my back.

Thank you Heidi for cabbing me home after dinner! You life saver you!

PS: You gotta love unexpected but desired phone calls! :)

PPS: Tom Cruise attacks Oprah lol, I guess Scientology is some pretty powerful stuff.

Checklist for Weekend in Connecticut

Saturday, July 16, 2005

Buy Harry Potter book (check!)

Attend birthday party in SoNo (check!)

Dance on bar (check!)

Avoid hang over (negative)

By the numbers:
Jeff the bartender

4 chicken fingers

2 shots

3 free drinks.

2 opened bottles of Merlot

1 spilled drink, oh, no make that 1 1/2.

2 business cards given out (but both to female friends!).

1 photo with the bartender.

0 bad phone messages left (phew!)

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I always wanted to be able to do awesome Graffiti like this:

Make yours

Here's my card

Thursday, July 14, 2005

I really need to stop doing that--giving out my business cards like they were life savers. I think I'm still not over the fact that I have professional cards and not just my personal "freelancer" VistaPrint ones, although I gave those out frequently too.

As you are probably guessing, I give them out most when I am tipsy at events, clubs and once on the subway platform. Sometimes I intend it as friendship, like 'hey, keep in touch, send an email and we'll hang out sometime.' Or you're cute and intelligent, wouldn't mind a call from you. And last but unfortunately not least, I'm wearing wine goggles (I don't drink beer) and look how thick and pretty these cards are.

So lately I've gotten a few No ID/Restricted calls and weird NYC numbers that I don't recognize. I was invited to the Brazilian Film Festival as a result though, lol.

While waiting for the film to start in Bryant Park the other night, my friends and I were talking about how a few months ago at my friends birthday party, when I gave my card to two of her guy friends and it caused a thing. I had met them before at another party and had liked hanging out with them, but one interpreted it that I was looking for a relationship. So I get a phone call saying "Hey, this is Mike," now I know several Mikes and stupidly assume it's my friend Mike and start chatting away until it got weird and I was like "WHO is this?" Turns out it was my friend's friend telling me that he's really busy right now and doesn't have time to spend with me. LOL! First of all, I was shocked that he thought I had meant more by giving him my card and then surprised he actually called to say he wasn't interested. Pretty brave of him. His other friend meanwhile probably thought I was being a player once they found out they both got my card. Grr, embarrassing.
Two nights ago at a Public Relations happy hour mixer, a place where it was appropriate to give out my business cards, I met a woman named Lisa who started DVDFanatic.com. The site is pretty cool and has lots of contests where you can win DVDs. Good luck!

My Dad's Bench

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

My father's favorite song was "Under the Boardwalk," oh and "Maggie May," but for the point of this story let's focus on the Boardwalk. When I think of summers growing up, I can't help but think of weekends at the New Jersey Shore with my dad and aunts, uncles and cousins. I used to go with my mother too, one week with her and then my father would head down, spend a day or two that would overlap, but my parents were always good friends even after they separated, so that was fine. Then I'd spend the rest of the week or a weekend with my father. We'd go to Pt. Pleasant, it was more family friendly than the nearby Seaside, which I'd venture later as I became a teenager. We'd stay at a hotel right on the boardwalk so we could enjoy the beach, pool and activities on the wooden pier. It really became a special annual trip for me and my dad. He taught me how to dive there and would spend way to much trying to win me a porcelain doll and Yankee jacket, both of which I still have and sadly still fit into (didn't grow too much).

So, when he passed away five years ago, my aunt who now has a condo in Pt. Pleasant had heard you could pay to get the new benches on the boardwalk personalized and dedicated. We immediately knew we had to get one for my father, Benny.
A few weeks ago, I got an email from an editorial intern at The Islander, which is a free publication in Pt. Pleasant and for the Shore asking if I was related to the Benny Settembre that is mentioned on the boardwalk bench, "Unforgettable Benny." I replied yes, that I was his daughter and answered a few questions for his article about the dedicated benches up and down the pier. It was definitely weird being on the other side of an interview, especially since the topic made me very emotional. Apparently he had found my email address via my blog, since I recenlty posted about my father on his birthday and included his full name. Pretty impressive investigative skills on his part!

Here's the article that resulted: Many of us simply take for granted the benches that line most boardwalks. They provide a place to sit and watch the waves or enjoy an ice cream cone.

For many people in Point Pleasant Beach, however, these benches honor and memorialize loved ones. (more) .

Movie in the Park

Monday, July 11, 2005

Last night, on a beach towel, with a bottle of red wine, cheese and crackers, and Mike and Ikes, me and two girl friends and thousands of strangers watched the Fred Astair, Ginger Rodgers film The Gay Divorcee in Bryant Park. It was really cute and the dancing of course amazing and beautiful, although I like them in Top Hat better "Dancing Cheek to Cheek."

Every Monday, Bryant Park, just between Times Square and Grand Central plays a film on their big screen near the large lawn behind the New York Library. The lawn opens at 5, so I briefly snuck out of work and walked the two avenues over to the park and waited around the square lawn with a hundred of other eager visitors. They kept counting down the minutes over a microphone, going "The lawn will open in 5 minutes, please do not run, there is plenty of lawn for everyone." Then 2 mins, and when she said, "Please do not run, the lawn is now open." Everyone ran to claim a spot. I got a great area right up front, underneath the screen. I laid down my towel and my friend came to relieve me while I headed back to work for another hour before joining her and my other friend.

We picked a really hot day to be out there, but it was still nice, mugginess and all. The bottle of Merlot, I'm sure helped make us more chill too. As the sun set, a constant stream of people trotted on our towels to find any corner of grass still available. Behind the screen the Verizon sky scraper looms overhead, making a sharp contrast between the cozy picnics in the park and being in Midtown Manhattan. It's really bizarre, but in a good way.

Last year, we saw the Bogey/Bacall flick, The Big Sleep (although I had seen it a dozen times before). HBO sponsors the series and always shows a Loony Toons cartoon before the real film, it's pretty cute. Later after each dance scene, everyone would clap, as well as each time Fred or Ginger entered the screen. It's fun to watch the older movie especially, because there's always that unexpected laughter from innuendos that were not intended when they made the film but are present now in todays pop-culture.

How far can a dollar go?

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Well, apparently mine has traveled 208 Miles in 114 Days, 18 Hrs, 40 Mins at an average of 1.8 Miles per day.

Let me explain, the other day I received a dollar bill back from the Buritoville delivery guy (everything in this city can be delivered, even McDonald's and Subway) and on it is a stamp that reads www.wheresgeorge.com . So being a curious geek, I go to the site and type in the serial number and found out the above information. The bill started traveling in Fort Washington, Maryland and is now in the Meat Packing District of New York City. Next stop? The Victoria Secrets register on 34th--It's the Semi-Annual sale, and I stopped there after work last week. You can also go to the site and register your own buck and then track where it heads.

AP Article: Bloggers Learn Price of Telling Too Much I was actually interviewed for this story, but they didn't go with my quotes, probably not scandalous enough ;)

What I Learned During a Mobile Conference Meeting

Friday, July 8, 2005

Now in 2005, there are 200 million cell phone users.

86% of wireless users access the Internet via their cell.

75% of households belong to a rewards program, IE credit cards that offers free miles, CVS, grocery store cards, chain stores, etc.

According to a Nielsen rating, an average household has 11.6 credit cards!!!

11.6 blew me away, but I guess it makes sense because I have 5 myself. I keep needing to get a bigger wallet, it begs the question of how much can you stick in there? No wonder why they started moving credit cards and reward cards to key chains. Pretty soon you'll be able to pay for purchases with your cell phone. It's already feasible in Boston with MobileLime.
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PS:

I just donated.

VIP

Thursday, July 7, 2005

It's good to have a mother in the adult beverage industry. She spent 10 years as the Director of HR at the liquor distributor Alied Domecq (Courvoisier, Beefeater, Sauza, Kahlua etc) and now recruits executive level marketing positions for all the major liquor companies (Bacardi, Absolut, Pernod, Remy). Growing up our liquor closet was a basement and I got to do a tequila shot way before I should have. Went VIP to all the clubs in Vegas during my spring break senior year of college and now it's another VIP event in the city tonight.

I belong to GenArt and every year they have an annual Ignite party. It's really big, there's art galleries, film shorts, open bar, entertainment, DJ's etc. Last year Alize Bleu launched at the party and my mom called in her Alize contact and got me and a friend in VIP. So it was champagne all night in a roped off section. I even got to paint a wall blue. I'm not an artist, so I just painted the word ME on the wall in white over the blue and everyone cheered me for it. I felt very creative if not self indulgent. Women were also getting their bodies painted and opting for the paint and glitter instead of their shirts, believe me, I didn't go there!

So this year the event is hosted by Stella Artois so I figured I'd have to pay the regular admission and be with the hoi poi because I sure as hell was not paying $100 for the VIP ticket. So my fabulously connected mother called InBev and LaBatt who distribute Stella and she got me in VIP again. How awesome is that? The theme this time is early nineteenth century Carnival/Circus. I have a short suede skirt in mind that I think will go, my friend has final approval though.

So I'm running home after work, jumping in the shower, styling the hair and then getting my friends advice on an outfit and heading to the party. Can't wait.

(July 4th's New Yorker by Paul Noth)

Monday, July 4, 2005

I thought this was a funny cartoon and very appropriate in the age of blogs, AIM, LiveJournals, cyber cams, Match.com, etc.

I don't Google people ... my friends do that for me! ;) Seriously though, on numerous occasions several of my friends have suggested that I Google this person or that person but I just can't bring myself to do that, too invasive and desperate. I have Googled myself though, lol, that sounds dirty. Do you Google people?

PS: OK seriously there should really be a law that prohibits me from leaving phone messages. You'd think I'd at least remember my script that I had prepared in my head and not try to read someone's IM message at the same time. For shame! If I got a voice mail like the one I just left, I'd think "loser" and "inarticulate wacko." James Earl Jones' voice should come on and be like "Verizon Wireless, you are prohibited from leaving a message!"

Block Island and the BI sticker

Thursday, June 30, 2005

I will be on Block Island for 4th of July weekend on my mother and stepfather's sail boat, "Gone With The Wind." Get it? A sail boat, wind! Plus my name is Tara, it's all really cute in their yachting world.

Anyway, Block Island is a little Island off of Rhode Island that can only be reached by ferry. I'm taking Amtrak to New London, CT and then the high speed ferry over. I don't need my car since the whole island is walkable and there are bikes to rent on every bend.

You know those oval stickers that people put on their cars that say where they vacation, like VT or MV? I figured although I like Marthas Vineyard and I do go skiing in Vermont, getting a Block Island sticker would be more appropriate since I've been going there every 4th of July weekend and on other occasions since freshman year of high school. Two years ago, I tell my mom and stepdad that I'm going to go buy an oval BI sticker for my car when I went walking into town that day. My stepdad goes, "You're going to drive around with a sticker that says BI?" I had not thought of it that way, so I defend myself and the sticker by saying, "No one will think that!" He then says if he saw a woman with a BI sticker he'd think she was BI. I ponder this a minute, wondering if I could pull off a BI status or if I even cared. With a determined shrug I told him that I'm getting the sticker anyway. Much to my luck, I found a larger oval sticker that read, BI (a picture of the island) and then RI.

So although BI%RI sounded stupid, I figured it was a good solution to my bumper dilemma. I was pretty happy with it too, until the next year when a guy told me that the picture of the island's layout looked like "The Money Shot." Eww! Now that I'm living in the city my 91 Honda Accord is in my mother's driveway, rotting away, sticker fading in the sun.

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