I’m a new owner of a pug. as cute as can be. he’s 4.5 months old now, and i know that these past two months of being away from his litter must have been hard. he misses his own kind. i know that because whenever he sees other pugs on the street, he go’s wild (yes, his name is nigel, and he turns it up to 11). that’s why we’re both super excited for pug meetup next saturday, october 2nd. it’s a meetup that happens on the first saturday of each month at a dog park in the city that the meetup members vote for. next week’s is at thompkins square park at 10am.
if you or someone you know owns a pug, or if you’re just a pug fanatic (they’re such cute little dumplings!!!) then check out pug.meetup.com for details. the more the merrier.

I did my first critcal mass last night through New York City, and all I can say is that it was amazing. Not only do you get to bike through parts of the city where bikes just aren’t allowed–overpass to Grand Central, weird car ramps near hotels–but you can peddle through Gotham without having to worry about cars. The stretch down Broadway through Times Square had to be my favorite part. The entire street was just bikers, and it was the first time I didn’t feel insanely claustrophobic in that tourist trap. The not so good part was when a large group of us took a wrong turn and the cops started to close in on us. Watching a few hundred bicyclists slam on the brakes and into each other and then scattered in all directions is a little nerve wracking, especially when the NYPD has you cornered on one block. Luckily I got out without getting arrested or getting my new bike seized–phew!
I highly recommend critical mass to anyone who likes getting on their bike and riding through this great town.

Some people claim US Healthcare is the best in the world. And of course, between Columbia, NYU, Johns Hopkins, New York has great resources waiting for all of us. Which, thankfully, is now available to me if I need it, because after 4 years of freelancing, I finally have health insurance. This is a wonderful thing, or would be, if I actually had any time to go to a doctor’s appointment. But believe me, it’s a terrible thing to not have health insurance especially during times of crisis, like when I was in shock after running my bike into a lamp post, or, in the case of my neighbor, Miguel, who cut his finger to the bone and is now using a rubber band to hold it together, or my friend Gabriel, who had a growth on his shoulder and decided to get rid of it using an X-acto knife, or Doug who is in the hole $8000 after having a kidney stone operation. Without insurance you constantly have to weigh the cost/benefit of going to the doctor. But once you go to a doctor, you’re still not much better off. Case in point, my night at Brooklyn’s Woodhull Hospital where I waited 4 hours for someone to stitch my busted chin, but my files were lsot before anything was done. (And I have the scar to prove it). So, after reading a commentary by George Lundberg, MD, where he discribe when exactly US healthcare is the best in the world, I thought I would share. The following is from Medscape, posted 08/13/04.
——————–
One could make the case that “the American healthcare system is the best in the world if:
1. You have full, comprehensive, in-depth health insurance coverage with low deductibles and copayments, and no exclusions for pre-existing conditions
2. You live in a major metropolitan area
3. You have a long-term relationship with a physician who serves your primary care needs, seeks specialist attention when needed, and finds the right specialist
4. You speak and understand good English and so does your doctor, and you are neither sight- nor hearing-impaired
5. You are well educated
6. You have money and transportation capability
7. You are white
8. You are naturally skeptical and questioning
9. You personally access the Internet to help you take charge of your life; and, until recently
10. You are male.
———————
So, how do you score?

Extreme Hula Dancing?!? Come on, you know you HAVE to come and see GROOVE HOOPS perform! Take my word for it, you will be awed.
Here’s all the info:
SPECTACLE – A new Traveling event reminding you to be your own spectacle.
Join Spectacle with its premiere launch! Featuring The Colonel, Firefly Dance, Emperor City Motorcade, and Much more!!!!
Very Special Guest – GROOVE HOOPS! As seen in the Village Voice best of NYC 2004! NYC’s extreme hula dance team! Prepare yourself for gravity defying hoop feats and mind numbing dance grooves. This exciting new dance troupe combines the spiritual essence of the circle, the raw power of rock and roll and turns it into the funkiest good time ever! Catch a glimpse of what the power of the hoop can do! We gonna Hoop it Up.
Groove Hoops will be going on around 10-ish.
@ GALAPAGOS
70 North 6th Street
between Kent and Wythe
Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
718 782-5188

After getting breakfast at Enid’s in Greenpoint/Williamsburg this past Sunday I walked through McCarren Park to get home. To my surprise there was this INSANE dog event happening on the northside of the lawn to benefit the BARC animal shelter. There were tons of pups in all these awesome costumes. I could have sat there all day watching pug in chaps, and depressed basset hounds sporting cowboy hats. Still trying to figure out why Meow Mix was there since this was a dog exclusive event.

I just returned from a week in Paris. I had never been to Europe, or around anything so old and beautiful, so I was compelled to spend every day, all day, walking the streets of that gorgeous city. And because of my walking schedule I was forced to do something I hardly ever do: wear sneakers.
Okay, I admit it, at 5’2″ and living in New York, where a train stop is every few blocks, I pretty much wear heals all the time. But after a day of trecking along the Seine, I realized I’d have to quit my stillettos cold turkey. And do you know what I discovered? Muscles that I hadn’t been using, speeds that I haven’t achieved in years, the physical ability to keep going and going and going all day long. So, for now I hope to kick the heal habit and start wearing flats (at least some of the time) here in New York.
Still for those of us who love heals, here are some tips (from the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society no less) for helping your healed feet say “oh la la” for years and years to come…
Wear a shorter heel. a 2-inch heel causes less problems than a 4-inch heel. A shorter heel will give an elongated appearance if it is a thin stiletto type rather than a thick or chunky heel.
Try to save the use of your high heeled shoes for functions where you will not be on your feet for extended periods of time; treat them as a limited privilege accessory.
Take your designer shoes to a pedorthist to have them custom fit to your feet. They may be able to stretch the toe box to better accommodate your feet.
Try wearing a larger size shoe than usual and insert heel cups into the backs for a better or more comfortable fit.
Wear open toe shoes instead of a similarly-styled shoe that causes discomfort in your toes. Partially open toe shoes have become more acceptable in many work environments, allowing you to further customize your shoes to your feet.
Remember that however appealing those high-heel, high-fashion shoes are, your feet need to carry you around for a lifetime. Treat them kindly!

If you’re planning to check out Little Italy’s famous San Gennaro Festival, you can get all the details by clicking the link. We had our own version, the Feast of Santa Rosalia (…I think it’s a feast, anyway), out here a few weeks ago, but I might have to commute in for a cannoli taste test. Just, you know, for quality control. Heh.

Architect Eero Saarinen designed the TWA terminal (a.k.a Terminal 5) at JFK in 1962. It closed in 2001, and has been relatively empty ever since, save for the occasional fashion shoot. On October 1 the terminal reopens as a temporary art space. There will be an Airport Gift Shop with pieces made by Tobias Wong, Colette of Paris and other designers. Ken Courtney will use real photographers during the opening and then a rigged flash bulb installation to make visitors feel like chic celebs stalked by the paparazzi, plus you’ll be able to crawl around this amazing building and wonder what the fuck happened to the glamour of flying.
From October 1 2004-January 31, 2005

Is it me, or does the proposed lineup for the NY Comedy Festival seem a little…creaky? I wouldn’t pay to see any of these folks except Leary.
Still, the idea is cool; I hope it gathers some steam as time goes on.
In the meantime, check out my boy Jeff at Comic Rhythm, Monday nights in the East Village. “Oh, I don’t know.” Oh, go on. He lists awkward silences as a skill on his c.v. That’s awesome. Go check it out.

I’m not a fan, but maybe you are.
Supposably Wolf Parade & Friends includes modest mouse. Totally possible since how else could the Bowery charge $23 for a band no one’s heard of?
THE BOWERY PRESENTS
presents
Wolf Parade & Friends
at Webster Hall
18 and over with government issuted photo ID – opener subject to change
Wednesday, September 15 9:00 PM (7:30 PM doors)
U.S.$23.00
To fuel speculation there’s this. “& Friends” really just Modest Mouse?