One of the oddest occurrences in my day to day office life is the morning when we have our windows cleaned. I’m never quite comfortable when someone has to come into my office and do full-bodied work while I tap about on my computer, but more disconcerting is trying to type away, speaking brightly to the customer on the phone while a man, approximately two feet from my receiver is hanging out the window.

For the higher floors they have rigs and pulleys and wire-fu-like Matrix devices, but for my short three floors, they just hang out the frickin window, dangling a good twenty five feet off the ground with nothing but the McDonald’s awning to catch them. (Given that it is a McDonald’s awning, they’d at least be well greased by the time they hit pavement.)

I just find it odd to see some guy Spidermaning it off a twentieth floor building face, just so a few office drones don’t have to deal with that smudge some dang pigeon must have left.

If nothing else, if the whole window cleaning thing falls through, they can at least be a repelling advisor to SWAT.

Image from cns.gatech.edu

Not sure if you know about this, but evidently there’s a little known site out there on the interweb called MySpace, and all the cool kids are partaking. Myself, I’m a fan of anything that both entices children and enrages parents and the media in one fell swoop! Why should you participate with us on this social networking site? Well as Demetri Martin’s so eloquently put it on the Daily Show’s Trendspotting clip about MySpace, “On the downside they’re loaded with sexual predators. On the plus side they’re also loaded with sexual prey.” Also I happen to know for a fact that Art Lowe is an avid MySpace junky.

This all culminates in the fact that we here at Metroblogging just got hip to the social networking thang and now you can find us on MySpace! Check us out and send us a friend request if you are so inclined. We promise to be gentle.

I get a “FILTER: Presents…” email in my office InBox every Monday and I like it. And i’ll actually go to some of the suggested events eventhough they tend to be in Brooknon. Today I get one and they’re taking about some MSTRKRFT shindig at the Hiro Ballroom and to email them for tickets. Reading this entry i’m struck by the following request:

…email here with your FULL name, the subject “MSTRKRFT NYC” and why you should be at the show

WHY YOU SHOULD BE AT THE SHOW !? Are you effin’ kidding me. What do they want? Some, “oh i knew them when…” entry. Something with a lot of OMGs. Listen, I want to go. Badly. I’m emailing you aren’t I? Isn’t that enough to display my zeal n’ excitment?

Here was my reply:

TO: ‘RSVPNYC@filtermmm.com’
FROM: [redacted]
SUBJECT: MSTRKRFT NYC

Why I Should Be At The Show?

Because since inception, since day one, that day, that October 18th in 1981 at Cedars Sinai Hospital with the Dodgers stumbling through the playoffs and I stumbling through my own travails, at 10:09pm, a night of nights, with the cityscape playing silhouette games through the hospital windows I vowed, then and there, with my mother’s vagina as my witness, that I would never answer such a stupid, lame ass, teenage daughter fuckin’ question as “Why should you be at the show?” Are you serious? Save it for your craigslist postings assholes.

With that said, can I get +1.

Love as always,

Michael
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I really hope they put me on the list.

So, while insane dancing is commonly suggested as the number 1 way of forgetting about 90 degree weather; a new method has been created.

No, it’s not air-conditioning! We’re not John D. freaking Rockefellers over here and do not have enough money to shell out for fancy shmancy AC units.

It’s iced coffee. NY Magazine has compiled a list of the top 10 places to get this delicious and cooling concoction at places around the city.

Pink areas are current service areas and blue areas are proposed expansion areas for 2007.

Saturday night from 12-3am, instead of my usual getting-drunk-and-dancing routine, I did something good for my community by volunteering for RightRides as a driver.

In case you’re not familiar with this program, here’s the low down:

RightRides For Women’s Safety’s mission is to reduce women’s, transpeople and gender queer individual’s risk of harassment and sexual assault by providing a free, late-night ride home service to insure their safe commute to or through high-risk areas. We also organize educational, violence-prevention opportunities in our related programs to foster increased safety awareness for the greater public.

Not bad, huh?

This year, they’ve teamed up with ZipCar, which provides 3 cars on Saturdays from 12am-3am. They’re hoping to increase their service availability and are always looking for more volunteers to drive, navigate, and bike patrol!

The dispatch number to call in order to get a ride is (718) 964-7781.

Go ahead and call, volunteer, etc!

Summer makes me crabby. While the rest of y’all frolick amid the free outdoor concerts, movies, and walking tours, I hole up in any place air conditioned, waiting for the sun to go down. You’ve heard of Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD (what genius thought up that acronym)? Well, I think I have the summer version (it’s a real thing! CNN says so).

So it is any wonder that people have been irritating even more than usual?
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That’s right! It was our 2 year anniversary over here at NYC Metblogs on June 16th, and I must say we are looking fabulous for our age! And to think it all started two years ago with this post! Ah, memories!

So, in honor of our big B-Day, we’re all getting together on Tuesday for drinks, german food, more drinks, fun and even still more drinks–and you’re invited! Some come on down and join us at Loreley…here’s all the info:

NYC Metblogs Second Anniversary Fest
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
7:30-ish
Loreley
7 Rivington Street
Lower East Side
Between Bowery and Chrystie Street

Directions (not that you need them, hot stuff)

- Take the F train to 2nd Avenue exit. Walk South on Second Avenue. After Houston Street Second Avenue becomes Chrystie Street. Continue walking South two blocks to Rivington Street.

- Take the 6 train to Spring Street, walk East on Spring Street to the Bowery, turn left to Rivington.

- Take the N or R train to Prince Street, walk East on Prince Street to the Bowery, turn right to Rivington.

And thanks to our very own Anna Weichselbraun for organizing this little soiree for us!

If you’ve ever looked out at Governors Island from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade or the southern tip of Manhattan and thought, “I wish I could go over there and walk around,” this summer you’ll have lots of free chances.

I recommend going with low expectations, though. The island has lots of grass and trees (and not many people) but the buildings, including the old fort and prison, aren’t as exciting as they sound. But then again, I didn’t take a tour, so it’s possible they’d be more interesting with a guide explaining things. A few photos are here.

The Governors Island website has information about free public access to the island on Fridays and Saturdays through September 2.

The website also lists the upcoming events. I’ve pasted a few potential highlights after the jump (including a day featuring slip-n-slide races, which sounds way more fun than wandering around some old fort).
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This morning I encountered two things that I never wanted to experience. A slow motorcyclist made his way in front of me on the Meadowbrook Parkway this morning (that’s in Long Island folks) and I was forced to follow him for 2 exits since he took mine. The guy was going like 40 mph on a road where 70 is a breeze. As if this wasn’t bad enough, as I was switching radio stations, I heard the last few lines of Paris Hilton’s new song . . . all I caught in the lyrics was “nice and naughty” . . . and this is how I knew my day was going to suck.

I hope you all have a better one.

Tonight I went to see Saturday Looks Good to Me at North Six, and it was a lot of fun. I especially appreciated the dancey audience, because at the Eels show the other night, I saw a security lady ask people to stop dancing. (The sad part was, they did. I was secretly hoping for a Footloose-style rebellion.)

Usually when I post about rock shows, it means you’ve already missed your chance. But not this time! The band is also playing a free outdoor show on Saturday afternoon at the East River Amphitheater as part of the East River Music Project. Normally, I’m all about free outdoor rock shows, but I already have plans on Saturday, so I won’t be there.

Also playing: Meneguar, Human Television, and Mobius Band. Check the website for more info.