Childhood Influences

In November my husband and I are having a baby girl.  I am starting to think about how to present a healthy image of what a girl should be, what a woman should be, what kind of person she should aim to become, etc. and I'm finding that there are a lot of different paths she might choose from and many different influences about which path to take.  While I will make sure she gets exposed to lots of very positive NYC media like The Muppets Take Manhattan, Miracle on 34th Street, and Spider-Man my bigger concern is that she be exposed to lots of positive female role models and positive examples of what adult men and women should be.

Something that is both a benefit and a detriment of living in NYC is being exposed to all sorts of people, from the most coked-up homeless person to the CEOs of Fortune 500 companies.  I very much look forward to exposing her to all sorts of cultures but the cost I will pay for that is explaining homelessness and other unpleasant sides of humanity.  My hope is that she sees where poor decisions and bad luck can take you in life and that will push her to work hard to do better but you never know what messages children pick up from the world around them, especially media images.

I used to love Inspector Gadget, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and She-Ra which I think were excellent examples of strong, intelligent people (and turtles, of course) but at the same time I watched Jem, which was basically a show where the animators barely attempted to make sure her cartoon hoo-ha didn't pop out from under her micro-mini and plenty of Disney movies with excessively thin and barely dressed heroines (I'm looking at you, Ariel and Princess Jasmine!)  And let's face it, even though she was massively powerful She-Ra still dressed like a hooker at a sci-fi convention.

I'd like my daughter to be able to watch the occasional show or movie that skirts the line, not only because I don't think it is healthy to have a child that is too sheltered from culture and media but also because these things provide excellent talking points to start a discussion about personal values and such.  And to be fair, the large majority of children's programming and toys, while perhaps not incredibly educational or anything, aren't inappropriate or damaging.  However, there appear to be a few really inappropriate toys and shows that are overly violent or place too much emphasis on weight and appearance.  Hell, even Strawberry Shortcake, the most adorable of 80's characters, has been revamped to make sure little girls know that you should be rail thin with long, silky hair.  Heaven forbid a little girl be a bit pudgy or have curly hair!  Take a look at the new vs. the old Strawberry Shortcake:

I know that most programming for kids is innocuous but I want more from my daughter's television, music, and other media experiences than that.  I want for her to see more of things like the Powerpuff Girls (scientist father, crime fighting little girls, no excessively exposed skin or excessively tiny waists) and Dora the Explorer (explorer and naturalist little girl who loves her brother and works to save the environment) and less Cinderella (cleans a lot and her biggest accomplishment is marrying a rich man) and iCarly (ultimate dream is to be a reality tv star.) I also don't want to have to watch 7,000 hours of children's programming to determine which of the shows and movies should make up her viewing time, however much or little of it there might be.  In a perfect world when she got old enough to appreciate television she would watch an hour or so a week and no more, but realistically I understand that TV might be what allows me to take a shower without an interruption too so who can say what will happen?

It's a good thing we have a little more time before she is born!  We've got a lot of research to do, and not just best brands of diapers or how to operate a breast pump either.  Hopefully by the time she is old enough to get into TV we will have figured out exactly how we want to approach the situation.

Veterinarian

Everyone knows about our adorable puppy, right?

And the kitties!

We've been taking them to a vet in our neighborhood for the past year or so that has been pretty wonderful.  One of the doctors there opened her own practice and makes house calls with her assistant now so today when the puppy needed an exam she came to the apartment to do it.  It was very affordable and she was wonderful with the dog!  I'm very excited about having a vet that makes house calls!  The cats have never taken well to being hauled several blocks in their carriers and usually work themselves into such a fit that they poop in the carrier out of fear and anger.  This prevents them from being forced into panic attacks at a time when they are probably already not feeling great, which is wonderful, and it allows for me to get them proper vet care without leaving the house which is hugely important to me as a very pregnant woman.  I'm not really showing yet but I am pretty uncomfortable and due to the sciatica I'm supposed to try and avoid stairs if I can so it was great to have someone come to the house to provide a service like that.  Check them out if you live in the area!

www.homefrontvet.com

Alice's Tea Cup and William Shatner

Yesterday we had a fabulous time!  We went to the Intrepid Museum and saw a ton of military history.  We got to see a film on the intrepid and check out the flight deck.  My husband rode a simulator and we got to see lots of places in the ship that I didn't even know existed!  After we spent the day touring the museum we waited in line for 2 hours to get seats for the screening of William Shatner's new documentary The Captians which is about all the people who played a captain on Star Trek at one point or another.  The documentary was okay and William Shatner was there for the screening (which was very cool) but the film itself was not great.  There were lots of funny moments but it didn't really capture my attention and they didn't provide seats but instead made you sit on the cement flight deck of the Intrepid.  Let me tell you, this was not at all comfortable especially for a pregnant woman.  I couldn't stay for the whole film because it hurt my body so badly to sit on the hard ground.  Also after hearing him address the crowd and seeing him in the movie I've determined that William Shatner is either the least self-aware person on the planet or a giant ass.  He seems really unaware of the way his presence and the things he says impact the people around him.

None of that stuff matters though because yesterday I found a new restaurant in the city that is so good it makes me want to pack up and move downtown to be closer to it.  It is called Alice's Tea Cup and it has the best scones I've ever eaten in my entire life.

The food here is absolutely amazing!  The staff was very friendly and the decor was precious but, really, you go out to eat because of the food, right?  This was probably the greatest brunch I've ever had and it was really, really delicious.  If you are coming to NYC for a vacation put Alice's Tea Cup at the top of your list.  If you live here and have never eaten at Alice's for the love of all that is good and holy in this world go now!

The Visitor's Center

Holy crap it is hot in NYC!  It is hot all over the country right now but in most places you aren't expected to walk so much or spend so much time outside so I think it seems worse in NYC.  I actually bought a small package of baby wipes to give myself a whore's bath of sorts when I get to the office so I don't stink to high heaven from the heat. Luckily it is only like this for a few days during the summer here and most of the year is actually a quite comfortable temperature.  But enough of that and onto today's post!

When you come to NYC one of the places you can go in Times Square is the Visitor's Center.  It has some interesting stuff to look at and a ton of information about things you can do for fun in NYC.  One of the things they have there is the ball from the 2000 ball drop on New Year's Eve.

Behind the ball you can see an old Peep Show sign from back when Times Square was kind of gross and dangerous and visiting meant you had a 50/50 chance of walking away with herpes and no wallet.  It is obviously much better now and a fabulous place to visit but for a while there it was a little seedy.

One of the other things they have there is the costumes from various Broadway shows.  Lots of fun stuff to see there!  The costumes below are from Guys and Dolls, Sunset Boulevard, and Thoroughly Modern Millie.  The pictures are sideways because I'm too damn lazy to figure out how to turn them right side up.

But do you want to know the best reason to go there?  It is air conditioned!  Seriously, get your sweaty self off the street and go check it out, if for no other reason than to prevent you from dying of heat stroke and having the crowd around you think it is performance art and throwing quarters at you instead of calling 911.

P.S.A. for NYC

Many of you may remember when this video was all the rage:

This woman was on the Metro-North train from Connecticut to NYC and flipped out for being told she was too loud and to please quiet down so she wouldn't disturb other passengers.  She paid the price for it when it was videotaped and put up on youtube so now the whole world knows just how difficult a person she can be sometimes.

Unfortunately people often do not take into account how their behavior impacts the people around them and this woman certainly isn't alone in that.  This weekend we went to a Mets game ($10 tickets!) where we ran into her sporty doppelganger, Screams-Inappropriately-During-The-Game man.

We were 2 sections away from this guy and we could still hear him screaming the entire game.  Lots of pseudo-rhythmic clapping, lots of screaming (in fact, he screamed so loud that towards the end of the game his voice started to give out as he yelled random crap at the players on the field) and no thought given to the other people who paid for tickets to the game that did not want to hear his commentary for 5 hours.  Baseball games are not supposed to be quiet, they are supposed to be loud and fun and full of $7 beers and everyone knows that before they arrive.  This man still managed to be so loud that people from our section were standing up to yell at him to shut up and put a hot dog in it.  He got to a point where he was yelling stuff that wasn't even baseball related, just stupid stuff because he wanted to yell.  I think I heard, "I need to get eggs at the store on my way home!" come out of his mouth at one point.

I know that it is important to do what you are going to do and not care too much about what other people think because if you did you would never do anything at all, but seriously, take some consideration into whether or not what you are doing is impacting the people around you.  Major in art instead of business.  Eat Cap'n Crunch for dinner tonight.  Put off laundry until tomorrow and watch a few episodes of The Simpsons.  Really, most people don't know or care if you do things that make you happy.  But for all that is good and holy in this world please keep your volume reasonable in public.  Don't be "that guy" if you can avoid it.  And if you can't avoid it try drinking less and see if it is any easier not to be "that guy" without the booze.

The more you know...*insert rainbow graphic*

Food Trucks

One of the best parts of living in NYC is the food.  Delicious, fabulous food everywhere you go with every imaginable type of cuisine.  Seriously, there is a Tibetan restaurant here.  One of the many awesome things about food in NYC is the food trucks that bring tastiness around the city.  One of my absolute favorites is the Big Gay Ice Cream Truck.  I highly recommend the salty pimp!

But NYC has more than just ice cream on wheels.  Every 15 feet there is a hot dog cart or a halal food vendor, there is the wonderful Waffles and Dinges, and there is even a Tabasco themed food truck I've seen a time or two before.  My favorites are the gelato truck and the Italian sausage truck.  Talk about tasty!

I think NYC was just made for pregnant women, what with all the delicious food that brings itself right to your home or work!

GLBT

Woohoo!  As some of you may know the state of New York legalized gay marriage.  I am so glad to live in a state where, when my baby grows up, they can truly marry anyone they love regardless of gender.  I didn't think I could be more proud of my state...until I rode the subway this morning.  When I got on the train today I saw this:

This is an ad encouraging gay and lesbian couples to adopt children and open their homes to foster kids.  Within days of the announcement that gay couples can officially marry in NY they are encouraging them to help children who are in need.  I love living here!

Top Ten TV Shows Set in NYC

Here is a list of my top 10 favorite shows to be set in New York City.  Let me know if you feel like I left something out!

10. Night Court
I totally thought this was ridiculous growing up, but it turns out that the court system in NYC really does run 24 hours a day.

9. Law & Order
Law & Order has several variations that have been set in NYC (Criminal Intent, SVU, etc.) and all of them have been just fabulous!

8. The Jeffersons
Much like George and Wheezy we recently moved on up to the East Side and we love it here.

7. All in the Family
I heart Edith Bunker!

6. Friends
This show was awesome but it gave me a very poor understanding of apartment sizes in NYC.

5.Seinfeld
Why...do they always...eat...at that diner?  I've been there and it isn't the best diner in their neighborhood.

4. Sex and the City
One of my favorite shows ever!

3. The Cosby Show
Ah, Bill Cosby.  Your penchant for salty, fatty food and love of jazz stay with me to this day.

2. Sesame Street
Everything's A-OK here!

1. I Love Lucy
This is quite possibly my favorite TV show of all time and, if I'm honest, a big part of the reason I moved to New York in the first place.  As a little girl living in a run down little house in Texas (my family moved up to bigger and better as I got older but we started out in a pretty cruddy house out in podunk nowhere) I would watch reruns of I Love Lucy and marvel at how awesome life was in NYC.  Considering one of my favorite movies at the time was also The Muppets Take Manhattan I feel like I was destined to end up here!

Off Broadway

On Friday we went to see a show at an Off-Broadway theater.  The show was called The Sphinx Winx and it was kind of adorable.

It was a musical misinterpretation of Egyptian history, with Cleopatra, Julius Caesar, and Mark Antony and a host of other characters.  It would have been better with a larger cast and a slight script rewrite, but it was otherwise pretty cute.

I've been crazy busy lately so I haven't had much time to update the blog in a while but I will be updating it more frequently here in the future.  Tomorrow is my birthday so hopefully I will have some new stuff for you soon!

Fleet Week

Yes, it is that time again.  Walking through the city in the early summer heat you begin to hear what sounds like Barry White music wafting through the air.  You notice your hips swing back and forth seductively without any conscious thought or effort.  You suddenly have the urge to buy a push-up bra and you don't know why.  Yes ladies, it is fleet week!

Or it was last week at any rate.  This is the time of year when the men and women of the US Navy dock in NYC and run around town in their delicious uniforms, being all sexy and patriotic.  There is nothing quite like spotting your first sailor of the season, like when you see the first birds as the snow begins to melt away in the spring.  I, of course, am married and pregnant so fleet week is simply appreciating the view for a while.  I'm sure my husband would feel the same way if NYC had a large breasted underwear model week.

For your viewing pleasure, ladies and gay gents, I have taken pictures of a few of the sailors as they wandered around the city!  I mostly have shots from behind, partly because I respect the fact that they may not want their faces posted all over the internet and partly because the best part of a sailor is his rear end, so enjoy!