And you thought the Charles River was unsafe.
At least it’s not filled with Sunny D, like this river near London is.
Poor fishies.
Click here to read the story: Fish killed as soft drink leaks from factory
Archive | May, 2006
Spiders Are Scary
19 May
True story: I was on the T this morning riding into work, and as we were nearing Park Street, waiting for the train ahead of us to move so we could enter the station, the driver started to get all antsy.
Then all of a sudden, in one of those baby-ish/wimpy/annoying tones, she screamed out, “Spider!” and actually got out of her seat.
Of course, this meant she had taken her foot off the break pedal, so we started to move backwards.
She grabbed her copy of the Metro, ripped it in half, squashed the spider in one fell swoop — while at the same time making a sound of “Oh, thank God I killed that spider before it ate me” — and flung the paper across her compartment, as far away from where she was sitting as was possible.
Then she sat back down, slammed her foot on the break — thus shifting the momentum of the train and causing those of us standing to jut forward — and pulled into Park Street.
Let’s hear it for the T drivers: Ready for anything — except spiders.
Hot Damn
17 MayFinally, after a week of rain, the sun has found its way back to Boston today.
It’s a good thing, because there were a lot of unhappy people in town the past few days. This woman below must have lived next to one of them.
Thanks to Universal Hub for the tip, and Evan for the screen grab.
I’ll Console You, Addison
16 May
It seems all anyone can talk about today, or wants to talk about today, is the awesome Grey’s Anatomy finale last night. I don’t mind spending three hours watching one show over two nights when it’s as good as Grey’s was this week. And now it’s going to be an agonizingly long summer until the show returns with new episodes … on Thursday nights! YUCK! Whose lame-brained idea was that? It’s opposite the new Aaron Sorkin show, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which is supposed to be incredible. Thank God for my dual-tuner DVR. I just hope it works.
Anyway, so Grey’s was really good — despite Katherine Heigel’s total over-acting. I mean, I can only imagine how many takes there were of that scene where she was bawling while lying next to Denny’s dead body. Otherwise, good stuff. And am I the only one out there who feels sorry for Addison Shepherd? She can run right to me if she needs consoling, now that Derek and Meredith seem to be on the road to another relationship. I’ve really come to like Addison this season, and I might spend at least some of the summer seeking out actress Kate Walsh‘s other work (even if that means watching Under the Tuscan Sun, the movie in which she apparently plays Sandra Oh’s lesbian girlfriend). And on a personal note, my family also had a dog named Doc, and two years ago we had to put him down, so that scene was a bit sad for me too.
It’s been a good week of finales so far. I stopped watching The West Wing a couple years ago, but I still got wistful and nostalgic while watching the finale on Sunday. And The Office was great on Thursday. Idol is on tonight, there are two more episodes left of Alias and Lost, The Amazing Race ends tomorrow, and even the finale of Desperate Housewives on Sunday looks good. (Yes, I watch a lot of TV. What else am I supposed to do when this rain just won’t stop?) Have I mentioned I hate the long summer break between new episodes of my favorite shows? Happy Summer …
Perfect Timing?
15 May
My umbrella broke today.
It happened right in the office as I was about to leave to go home.
The top — the umbrella part, the part that opens up — separated from the pole, and I was unable to reattach the two parts.
So as of 7:30 p.m. this evening, my umbrella is dead.
Long live my umbrella. Continue reading
Spring, Ahead
11 MayI figured since yesterday’s postings now feel dated (not only did the Yankees win last night, but Chris Daughtry was kicked off American Idol), I needed to get something else up here quickly. Pickings are slim — I don’t have a whole heck of a lot to say today — but I thought I’d pass along the exciting news that in the vote of pro and con, with everything else going on in the world today, The New York Times has enthusiastically come out in favor of Spring in today’s paper. So now we know: Spring is good. Phew. That’s a relief. I can only imagine the contentious debate this editorial triggered among the editors. Now, if only the glorious weather written about in the Times would come a little bit farther north…
(Thanks Doug for the tip, and Evan for the encouragement.)
Elliott Yamin Is the Man
10 May
Here’s my new American Idol theory: Taylor Hicks is simply William Hung with more talent. They’re both goofy and dorky and awkward, both difficult to watch for sustained periods of time, both can’t dance, and really, can’t you see Taylor recording a novelty album (or two or three — Taylor Sings Christmas Songs!, for example) after the whole thing is over to cash in on his gimmick appeal, just like William Hung did? So that’s why I’m rooting for him (or Katherine McPhee) to go home tonight. I’ve finally had it with Taylor. And Katherine, well, Elvis’ songs weren’t written for a woman to sing in the first place, and she really didn’t help her cause by over-dramaticizing (is that a word?) “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and doing the totally clichéd, unbelievably cheesy “Hound Dog”/”All Shook Up” medley.
By contrast, I’ve been calling Elliott Yamin my favorite for weeks now (documented here), and I hope that last night’s performances finally proved that he’s worthy of being there — if not in the final two with Chris Daughtry, who looks unquestionably to be the winner at this point. Elliott’s performance of “If I Can Dream” is one of the first performances on the show this season that I would truly like to own. It was really close in quality to Barry Manilow‘s own cover of the song, which has been the main way I’ve known it up till now. (Don’t laugh. Barry actually does “If I Can Dream” really well. Go to iTunes and hear it for yourself.)
Still, last night’s show was one of, if not the best one all season. It’s going to be a close vote tonight. They’re all just about equally good. That said, my support is fully in Elliott’s corner now. When he goes, I lose interest in whoever’s left.
So that’s my morning-after Idol commentary.
Oh, Pedro. Where Have You Gone?
9 May
Have y’all seen the front-page — front page — story about Pedro Martinez in today’s New York Times? If not, it’s certainly worth a read.
Classic stuff. Check it out.
Rescue Me
8 May
You know a movie’s bad when you spend the bulk of it thinking of what title you’re going to give your review. Hmmm … “It’s a Disaster?” “A New Low?” “Waterlogged?” “That Sinking Feeling?” Or maybe “Going Down.” Well, whatever you call it — and I like what I chose — Poseidon is a pretty bad movie. It starts with the first shot of the boat, which looks totally fake and unbelievable. And it really only gets worse from there, with lame dialogue, forced acting, and a character whose actual name in the credits is “Lucky Larry” (I’ll give you one guess if he makes it out alive). Perhaps the best part about the movie is how efficient it is; it takes just 5 or 10 minutes for the wave to hit and turn the ship upside down. Why get held up with all that pesky plot and character development, right? Hell, there’s not even an impending sense of doom or a warning or anything. The wave just appears, hit the boat, and the movie gets underway with these characters you don’t know and don’t care about — and really, don’t even like — trying to find a way out. But anyway, no need to belabour the point. The original Poseidon Adventure was no Shakespearean classic or anything, and I haven’t seen it in years, but it was infinitely better than this waste of time remake. It’s not even ridiculously funny bad, it’s just bad. So, Poseidon gets a C– on the Martin Meter.
Martin's Musings 