An Urban Legend

Apple's Steve Jobs tops the list as the Most Powerful Businessman.  First the iPod with not just music but also video, now the iPhone - not to mention their ever-improving desktops and laptops.  AAPL has risen 106% year-to-date, more than 2000% in 5 years.  Now there's an urban legend. 

Perfect Sunday Music

Dan in Real Life introduced me to the music of Sondre Lerche (pronounced "Sonder Lerkay"), a Boy Wonder from Bergen, Norway. The acoustic guitar, the occasional piano, the easy rhythm, and the unpretentious vocal chords - he weaves music that makes you want to stroll down a pebble-studded European street with hands in your jeans pockets; bask in the warm sun and curl up with a good book and a big cup of cafe au lait; cruise in a convertible with the top down and sing, sing along, in the crisp autumn air, while watching the foliage turn their colors.

The style of his music - the fact that the vocal chords take the front seat, that nothing's overly dressed up - reminds me of another band, Kings of Convenience, whose songs I absolutely adore. Just looked them up and discovered to my surprise that they happen to be Norwegians from Bergen, too.

Recommended Sondre Lerche Tracks:

• I'll be OK
• My Hands Are Shaking

Recommended Kings of Convenience Tracks:

• Cayman Islands
• Live Long
• Misread

You can sample their music at Pandora, Rhapsody, and iTunes.

Black Friday

Black Friday. No, not THAT Black Friday. The annual recurring Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, when everyone goes shopping and helps the stores go from red to black in their books.

I'm not in the mood to brave the malls today. But I am participating in the national sport of shopping - on eBay. Except, this time the table's turned - I'm SELLING on eBay. "Editing" my closet, so to speak. A J. Crew sweater, a J. Crew jacket, a pair of J. Crew tall leather boots, a wool coat, a pair of brand new Oscar de la Renta leather pumps, tough-gal hiking boots worn only once, and a pair of 14K gold stud earrings that I received as a gift a million years ago which never even left the box.

Interested? Browse through them and make a bid. Happy hunting!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving 2006 vs. Thanksgiving 2007.

Focus Forward

As my orthodontics and jaw surgery have come to a successful end, I've decided to expand the focus on this blog to talk about.... life in general. Observations, exasperations, and perhaps even exclamations. It's all trial and error.... and so I brace myself. :)

• Facebook - If you don't have an account there yet, get one! It's not just for students anymore.
• Lust, Caution - Caution: total movie bust. Perhaps the hype spoiled it for me. But this was one of the worst Ang Lee movies I've ever watched, despite rave reviews.
• Beowulf - No 300.... but wow the computer-generated graphics were amazing. The details were vivid: skin texture, fine hair, snow, ripples, trees. You gotta see it to believe it!
• Christmas in New York - The tree at Rockefeller Center! Broadway! The Met! Nothing beats a white Christmas. :)
• Presents - I plan to do 80% of my Christmas shopping online. You? Take the survey in the upper left corner of this page!

Jawbone

Funny name for a fancy headset.  Don't you think?

A different Angle

All smiles. :) Now vs. 2004.

Braces Make A Guest Appearance At A Wedding

Manhattan would've been a great backdrop for any wedding. Alas, the wedding I attended yesterday was held in Jersey.

But it WAS in a country club. Jewish and lavish. I'm sure it's not PC to say so, but country clubs still feel very Old Boys' Club. Whiskey and cigars were readily available - so here you see me posing as one of the boys, complete with the suit jacket! (A dress simply didn't cut it if you were outside for a smoke.) Cigar's not my thing, really - I'd have preferred a fake chocolate "cigar" instead. Tant pis. ;)

I was re-applying lip stick in front of the mirror at the ladies' when two little old ladies hurried in. One said - "Oh I have to check my braces and make sure nothing's stuck on there" - and proceeded to the sink next to mine. She's probably in her 60s, with gray hair, in a dress that reminded me of both Queen Elizabeth and Sophia (from Golden Girls - why do I know such things?) at the same time. To my amazement, she opened her lips - and there they were! Braces! She quickly checked them, removed a toothbrush from her purse, and began brushing vigorously. "It's so much work! I have to do this every time I eat." She looked over at me with the outburst.

"I just had my braces removed about two months ago," the memories flashed back vividly, "it was a lot of work indeed!" I agreed.

We chatted a little longer about the wonders of braces and parted our ways. Half way through the reception someone patted me on the back. I turned around and saw a friendly face. It was the petite old lady with the braces. "Keep that smile on!" She flashed a bright smile of her own and disappeared into the crowd.

A Shout Out to Laura!

Hi there Laura, thanks for your comment on "The Elephant Woman". I'm delighted to "meet" a fellow Dr. Li patient. It sounds like you've just started out - oh my, spacers, what fun memory! :) I remember how I felt - a LONG, dark tunnel ahead, and no light at the end whatsoever. Yes it did feel like it would take "decades". However, now that everything's said and DONE, I can assure you that it'll be over before you know it. It'll be become part of the routine, your attention will shift to life in general, and before you know it, you'll have had your surgery and subsequent recovery and voila, a whole new you, then ON to the next new adventure. Buckle up and enjoy the ride - because indeed it'll be a short one. Even if it doesn't feel that way right now.

Again, nice to "meet" you, and please feel free to reach out along the way. Have fun!

Everybody - I've added a link to Laura's blog on the left, in the "Surf's Up" section. Read it at http://bracedup.blogspot.com/.