If you happen to be reading this issue before Friday, September 29th, 2000 - Click here. I just had to say something for the occasion. I actually hurried up to finish this issue in time to tell you that. Since I was in such a hurry, I rushed this issue without supervision of my anonymous editor, which means you're likely to find a few spelling mistakes and other grammar errors. Bare with me. If you read this, chances are your English is not that good either.
Don't
have a Cow ManJuly brought a lot of cows into town. They weren't herded by cowboys, but rather by artists. This is all part of the Millennium celebrations. Throughout this issue you can see a few of those cows. All cows pictures are courtesy of Golan Zohar, a veteran BOT photographer, and Dudi Zack, who's work you see here for the first time, but definitely not the last. In Columbus Circle (8th Ave. and 59th St) there's a cow dedicated to magazines. On it you can see some funny quotes by chief editors of current magazines. You will find a few of them throughout this issue.
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One of the most colorful and interesting people at my work is Barry. Okay, he's a bit older than I am, but it seems that he has done so many things. How many people do you know had a job at a supermarket handling the ice machines, and later became fire fighters? Add to that writing a full-fledged database engine, and much more. Now he works in WSG as I do, but in his spare time he likes to fly. He earned his pilot license a few months ago and now he can take passengers. I was the second person to "volunteer" to fly with him.
What can I tell you, this was a very amazing experience. Flying in such a small airplane is something completely different. First of all, there's a lot of shaking involved. This happens when you're either low over the ground or close to a cloud. Now you all probably flew jet airplanes and sat through a bumpy moment. It's not the same. Second, I always knew the flight direction is not directly towards where the airplane nose is pointed. This is because of the wind, of course, but seeing that from the front window seems very strange. It's like the airplane is sliding all the time, and not consistently. It changes all the time. It's actually very funny. Third and last - the landing. I'm sure you had your share of clapping in landings, but seeing the runway coming straight at you is unlike any landing I had before. I'm a bit envy of a relative of mine who flies regularly.
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(In the book this is actually Lightness and not Easiness. In Hebrew it sounds the same, but it's something completely different).
Oh man, the people from Time Warner (the cable company) came and installed a cable modem in my apartment. This modem supports up to sixteen gazillion bits per second. Now I'm downloading songs from Napster faster than I can listen to them, looking at movie previews (Courtesy of http://www.apple.com/trailers/) in real time and buying DVD titles at an exponential rate. You see, it's not only that the line is fast. The real world that's behind it is almost as fast.
Yes. As shocking as it may seem, there's a real world outside the monitor, and it's interconnected with the Internet. Buy a private T1 line and connect it to your home, it would still be hard for you to buy a rare book and get it delivered in just a few days.
Cows are a girl's best friend. After all, where would we be without ice cream? Atoosa Rubenstein, editor in chief CosmoGirl Its really amazing how you order a DVD from Amazon, use the cheapest shipping method, and still get it in a couple of days. Here's the proof. I ordered something on July 19th, and the next day, just for the sake of it, I checked UPS's web site to see what's the status of my order. I got the following results:
I got the DVDs later that day.
All New Yorkers rollerblade. Okay, maybe not all New Yorkers, maybe only those who look good. Okay, maybe not all of them,
but probably most of them. There's a circular road inside Central Park with everything a real blade-runner needs - hills, turns, old ladies, and more. Trying to be as much New Yorker as possible, I bought a pair of Roller Blades not long after I came to NY. I must admit I didn't use them a lot, but recently I've decided to give it a try once more. I went to 72nd street, where they give free braking lessons (very important!). I'm been roller-blading for about 2 months and can proudly (and accurately) say I'm definitely the worst Roller Blader in the Park. I also know why. It's the hills - they're too hard to climb, and too steep to ride down. I know other people do it, but I'm sure there's some kind of secret they share. I would have tried to ask them, but they keep passing by so fast...
If a cow were to suddenly decide she didn't like you... squash, you're dead. I fear cows. I fear them for their potential.
David Granger, editor in chief EsquireThis has been a "host a former 'ramad-coursim'" month. I had the pleasure of meeting Chen when he came on business to NY. We went to eat at a place where all the waitresses are actually cross dressers. They also performed - lip-syncing to songs by Cher, Dolly Parton, and more. Lots of fun.
Later that month Yinon came. He never rode on Roller Blades and suggested we'd go together to the park to roller blade. Of course I agreed. This could may well be what I've been looking for - seeing someone roller-blading worse than me. There were a few obstacles. Yinon had experience with regular skates and even ice skates. In addition, Yinon is usually very good at sports. I know that too well from the time I trained with him to the "Crossing of the Kinneret", which is probably the closest thing to swimming next to a Jet Ski.
We went to Central Park and the gorilla showed me his ass from afar. The picture just above shows my greatest fear - going downhill just before the exit to Columbus Circle (and beautiful women, of course).
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Barry the captain has turned on the seat belt signs... Well, actually he simply asked me to stop asking so many questions, he needs to concentrate now...
