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Who Wrote This? Last night was a lot of fun. Purposeful emphasis there, as the stage was set for everything to go awry and derail my fledgling return to writing and publicly reading poetry as the show was unexpectedly moved to the upstairs lounge because of construction on the main floor and I've never liked that space.  Bad feng shiu and all that. But all was good as I signed up for the open slam -- 17 Love Poems with No Despair SLAM! -- read my new poem -- Mariah @ the Dive Bar -- and made the second round. Of course, I…

Cherry pickers A rare relaxing weekend that included a trip upstate for an afternoon of cherry picking at Lawrence Farms Orchards on Saturday, and a walk to the local branch of the NY Public Library today, an impressive facility smack in the middle of a neighborhood dealing with gang problems. Gotta love NYC, no? No? Ah, shaddup! :-P Read and post comments | Send to a friend

What are three things you want to learn, and three things you can teach others to do?  Submitted by bookishbiker. To Learn 1) Speak Spanish 2) Graphic design 3) Self-discipline To Teach 1) Write a marketing plan 2) Change a diaper 3) Play basetee ball Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Kate Walsh and David Spade Talk About Maxim's Hot 100 I had no idea she was funny, too! Read and post comments | Send to a friend

Me, Self-Portrait New York City: It's more than just a city, it's a state of mind. Not the most original thought, but over the years, I've come to appreciate/realize that you don't have to be a native New Yorker to be a New Yorker. Some transplants come here already more of a New Yorker than many of those who've spent their entire lives here; others come with wild illusions and assumptions that are quickly dispelled, and they either adjust to reality or skip town a year or two later with complaints about how tough it is to live here. Some…

Viva le Difference I made a quiet resolution last December to get in better shape this year, partly spurred by the fact that I was tired of avoiding the scale in fear of finally having crossed the 200lb tickmark. Also, I wasn't wearing more than a third of my wardrobe because I didn't like how most of it fit and I refused to buy the next size up, but was getting to the point where it was becoming unavoidable. First, I quit smoking; completely this time. No more social, only-when-drinking, it's-not-really-smoking smokes. Next, earlier this year, I had Salomé put me on a high-protein, 1500-calorie…