I allowed myself an all American treat for supper tonight- corn on the cob. Yum, with butter and salt, it was delicious. One ear of corn.

I know, my fellow New Yorkers are going to be laughing at this. One ear of corn? A treat? The thing costs 10 cents, how can that be a treat? It's cheap summer food.

Umm not here in London. Here it costs $1.20 an ear on sale. And it's not even the sweet and creamy fresh American corn. It's tasty but believe me folks, it's not sweet or creamy. It's more like canned niblets corn but still much nicer.

I can remember pinching pennies in NYC and buying fresh corn in season 10 for $1 because it was so tasty and so cheap.

Still it was a lovely, buttery treat.

Monday is 9/11 - five years since the WTC attack. My stomach churns painfully if I even think about that day but I continue to mentally replay my experience with a compelling morbid fascination. No matter what anyone says, unless you were there in NYC actually watching it happen - live - in front of your eyes, you weren't part of it. You may have lost friends or family or colleagues which is an absolute tragedy and an outragous offense to all decent, peaceful, broadminded people. But if you were watching it on TV, you weren't part of it, it's different for you.

In a typically non-creative media way, since they can't think of anything better, some of the TV channels plan to replay all their news coverage from 9/11 on Monday. They started that last night, in fact.

Nail salons

I was watching the morning show GMTV this morning and they did a special segment on New York City's "nail bars" (they are called nail salons but that's typical of the Brit News, sloppy on the details).

So they reported on the NY "phenomena" of women having frequent manicures and pedicures - often more than once a week. They noted how cheap and convenient the salons were and how strict the NY regulations were with all technicians licensed and strict sanitary requirements. As if this was something extroadinary. Well, yes it is very different from the practice in the UK.

But the choice moment came when the reporter couldn't come up with any juicy NY nail salon related horror story scandal so she trotted out some nonsense about Paula Abdul having a problem with a LA nail salon. Woah! Desperation. That's like a story on London trottting out an incident that occurred in Moscow. You could just see this on the face of the salon manager as this idiot Brit reporter rabbited on.

NY Nail salons and the pampered hands culture of NY are something the Brits just won't get.

84 Charing Cross Road


I'm watching the wonderful film, 84 Charing Cross Road at the moment. Wonderful, wonderful charming film staring Ann Bancroft, Anthony Hopkins, Judi Dench. I've seen this film several times and it's always a delight.

I was curious tho, since I've been coming to London for many years and now live there, about the location of the book shop that inspired the film. Alan and I were just on Charing Cross Road last night. So I looked it up on a map and oh my goodness, I know 84 Charing Cross Road. I know it very well, been going there for years. But sadly, it's no longer a book shop. As long as I have known it, it has been Au Bar One, a wine bar. How many afternoons have Alan and I lounged on the huge leather sofas there, sipping vino verde, chatting, and reading books from Blackwell's just a snip down from the street.

If you haven't seen this film - buy or rent a copy and watch it. You'll thank me.

Today's Laugh of the Day -

Headline from today's LA Times:

EU Will Try to Clarify Tehran's Nuclear Stance

My take on this? I think Iran made itself extremely clear in it's response to the UN. They said no.

What part of NO does the EU not understand? What amusement they must be providing Tehran with their request for additional definitions of No.

I can provide a very clear explanation - They are saying, Fuck Off Infidel Crusaders. You will die soon.

Ah well, gatta laugh or else you'd cry.