Fifth Avenue, 12-20-05

This Week's Pearl River Finds

TS Ma Bubble Tea Sign

Today's Pearl River Find

I'M MAD

I’M MAD because the federal government continues to cut public programs.
I’M MAD about the inequality in this country.
I’M MAD that the Democrats don’t have the balls to speak up and fight for what’s right.
I’M MAD that there’s rampant cronyism in the government.
I’M MAD because the oil companies made record profits last quarter.
I’M MAD that Bush supporters plug their ears and refuse to listen to reason.
I’M MAD that the leaders of the non-fundamentalist religions haven’t spoken up about the injustices our government is committing against our society and the world.
I’M MAD that these same leaders don’t step forward with THEIR interpretation of the Bible.
I’M MAD that thousands were left without food and water in New Orleans, and it took days for some sort of response to be “organized.”
I’M MAD that the poor and middle-class pay for the lifestyles of the rich and famous.
I’M MAD that FEMA has been gutted, so that it’s become a totally inept institution.
I’M MAD about reports that FEMA workers turned away food and water, cut communication lines, and slowed up the recovery effort outside of New Orleans.
I’M MAD that, in spite of the obvious ineptitude, some in the media continue to buy the Bush administration’s rationale for invading Iraq—whichever one they’re using at the moment, anyway.
I’M MAD that our security is in worse shape today than it was prior to 9/11.
I’M MAD that Bush is allowed to swagger like a monkey on steroids.
I’M MAD that PR takes precedence over human lives.
I’M MAD the richest country in the world can’t take care of its own citizens.
I’M MAD because there’s very little communication between “liberals” and the “conservatives.”
I’M MAD that, after millions of years, we humans haven’t learned a whole heck of a lot.
I’M MAD that injustices continue to take place across the globe.
I’M MAD that so many people watch and believe Fox News.

Engrish

I know it's not PC, but I suppose, with the Radish Girl thing, I need to discuss my obsession of Engrish (i.e., the misuse/misspelling of the English language by other cultures). Now, I'm the first one to admit that the only "foreign" languages I speak are French and German (and poorly at best), so to laugh about other people's misuse of English could sound mean/unfair/etc. But if you know me, it's more about being a nerd than being mean--I love all cultures, REALLY want to visit Asia sometime soon, etc. etc...

And it's so damn funny! I encourage everyone to check out Engrish.com as a place to start.

And I must also share my latest Engrish find. I've taken to doing much of my household shopping at the recently-opened Japanese discount store called "Samurai" on 8th Avenue between 39th & 40th. It's chock full of wonderful stuff, and I enjoy purchasing toilet bowl cleaner with a label entirely in Japanese (I don't really even know if it's toilet bowl cleaner, but it seems to do the job nicely, so...). I popped in Tuesday night looking for travel-size plastic containers, and as I was mulling about found some pouches for keeping water bottles cool. On them was sewn a little plastic label with a cute animal that reads, "Clickety Click [Copyright] Lube Sheep 2003."

Perhaps this isn't a water bottle cooler at all...maybe it's for shepherds...

Why Radish Girl, You Ask?

My cohort Apple Half and I visited the "Little Boy: The Arts of Japan's Exploding Subculture" show at Japan Society last weekend--and it was AMAZING! Though the show closed on the 24th, everyone should check out the catalouge... I'd never really thought about the atomic bomb and how it truly affected things. It was amazing to see artists my age dealing with something so horrendous that pre-dated their lives by so many years. It was a sad show with a sense of humor...if that makes sense.

But who is Radish Girl?

Well, it refers to one of the anime clips there, called Daikon IV. It begins with "highlights" from Daikon III, in which a little girl battles a variety of formidable foes to carry a mug of liquid to its final destination--a daikon radish growing in a field. She pours said magical potion onto the radish, and alas--it turns into a giant spaceship! We then jumped to Daikon IV, in which the little girl has grown up, and now fights for justice dressed as a Playboy bunny, and kicks the butt of the likes of Spider-Man, Wonder Woman, and countless others...

As we stood there watching, Apple Half named me Radish Girl.

Cwazy Peeps

It's amazing. When you don't really care about your job at all (and you're using it to figure out what to do with the rest of your life), you can really sit back and laugh at all the idiocy happening around you.

Like today. The boss is bored, so it's "Let's have fun with OCD" day (as is every other day). I have the pleasure of hearing all about her various ailments and her great distress that there's an empty box sitting on the floor.

Makes all of my little foibles seem like absolutely nothing...