Thanksgiving Parade in New York City

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade never ceases to amaze. People line the streets like it's the end of the world, and they wait for each new float with bated breath. We saw the tail end of the parade this year and were amazed by the number of people watching the event. As soon as the last cheerleader passed, the police removed barricades and people flowed onto Seventh Avenue and down 42nd Street. More people than we've ever seen in Manhattan, and that's saying something!

From Cry-Baby to Sanctuary

In the movie Cry-Baby many of the lead characters parade through life with doo-wop hair styles. Styles that need copious amounts of hair supplements. Even though they don't show this in the movie, you know they're using pomade like it's going out of stock. Other fictional characters were fond of the product, including Faulkner's Popeye from the novel Sanctuary. He even used pomade on the day he was executed. Vain to the end. Now, that's the way to be a bad guy and go out in style!

Third

Third is a relative term. It is a family oriented term if you have three in the family. It can mean one more than two. But third also refers to third base. When Alex Rodriguez plays in the field he is on third base. Sometimes I think third can also refer to the planet Earth because we are the third from the Sun. And it can refer to the third of any series. For this reason the word third is one of my favorite words, and it is a favorite in my family, too.

How I Tell My Friends to Dance

There are many kind of families and they have many ways of dealing with their children. But one universal is that kids need play. And dance is my favorite form of play. That is my passion. I like tap, ballet, and jazz dancing.

One thing necessary for tap is good dance shoes. Another thing that is necessary is a type of dance shoe that is appropriate for the dance you are doing. A friend of mine regularly uses sneakers. I have told him repeatedly that he would do better with appropriate attire, such as a professionally constructed and designed dance shoe. Every time my friend dances he slips, and I laugh because he is not interested in hearing about professional shoes, although he should be.

How to Simulate Fog on a Movie Set

As a child growing up in the eastern part of the United Stated I am exposed to a prodigious amount of pollution. One form of pollution that I don't mind, however, is Backwoods cigars. They are aromatic and pleasant to the nose. My friends who travel by ship often tell me about their experiences on the movie set where they were filming Moby Dick. They said the director and the crew were all smoking cigars and they even incorporated them into the movie. At one point the cigar smoke was used to simulate fog.

Me and Santa

Here I am with Santa. He was very nice to me and he gave me a few suggestions for how to deal with Christmas past and Christmas present. After my visit with him I went to my first movie and saw the film A Christmas Carol, directed by Roger Zemeckis. I was good throughout the whole movie and ate a pretzel and didn't cry once. I wasn't scared either. The special effects didn't impress me. I prefer a good story and human emotion rather than stick figures and cardboard people.

My Favorite Avant-Garde Children's Author

William S. Burroughs said that he wished he lived in New York all his life. But his life in New Jersey was far from optimal. His thoughts of finding a working and workable drug rehab never really materialized. Instead, he became one of America's most avant-garde writers. He would continually harangue his friends with stories about his experiences, good and bad, and one day he jotted them all down and the rest, as they say, is history. Not only was he prolific, but he was full of poetry. I bet he would have loved the Bowery Poetry Club. He would have felt at home, not so much for their menu as for their poetry acts and shows.

A Child of Her Age

Three simple solutions for three simple problems: First, barcode scanners, which solve the problem of efficiency. Second, hand-held calculators, which solve the problem of calculation. And third, smokeless cigarettes, which solve the problem of degenerative lung disease. All are modern marvels, and all can be integrated into the modern office environment with ease and style. Especially if you're looking forward to the twenty-first century way of living. And as a child of her age, I sure am!

Toys I Love

I like balls and blocks. But most of all I like water bottles. My favorite are Dasani water bottles. Next I like America's Choice quart bottles. I don't know what it is about them, but there's something attractive for a kid like me. Maybe it's the plastic and the feel of the soft bottle. Maybe it's the shiny coloring and the bright lettering on the bottles. Maybe they remind me of my baby bottles! Whatever it is, I know one thing for sure. Even when I grow up I'm going to love them.

Running on Empty Works for Me

November brings the rain, June the sun, and April the flowers of Spring. But an office supply that never runs out of bargains brings smiles all year long. That's why I am a child of the ages and love to shop where I can and when I can. It doesn't matter to me that it's November and the skies are gray. I love to run out in the droplets of drizzle and do my thing. I like hibernating on a cold December morning and then taking up my pen and pencil and making notes for my blog, secure in the knowledge that I have what I need and can go from there.