O'Reilly Meets Blacks, Eats Their Food

Thanks to Media Matters--and my mother--for tipping us off to this juicy little tid-bit: apparently Bill O'Reilly thinks Black people curse a lot. And are generally crass. And use profanity to request service. All the time.

I'm not even going to attempt to go further than that in describing what he said; I'll just let you read it here. Keep in mind that this was his response after dining at the famous Sylvia's Restaurant up in Harlem, with Al Sharpton.

O'REILLY: I couldn't get over the fact that there was no difference between Sylvia's restaurant and any other restaurant in New York City. I mean, it was exactly the same, even though it's run by blacks... There wasn't one person in Sylvia's who was screaming, "M-Fer, I want more ice tea."

Maybe it was just that folks were on their best behavior because they saw him coming. Or maybe not. But I seriously don't know how any media figure can be so continuously stupid and still be revered by millions. It's moments like this that remind me just how hard it will be for Barack, and maybe even Hillary, to win the election...I guess it's really true what they say: there is no finish line when it comes to achieving equality. Days like today make it feel like we've barely even gotten out of the blocks.

Buyer, Know Thy Preservatives

I feel pretty certain that I read a hauntingly similar piece about this topic a few months back (way to be on top of it LA Times), but for those of you who missed it the first time around, here's another chance to better understand the provenance of one of the best snack foods ever created: the unholy and utterly delish Twinkie.

Long story short, there ain't much good in there, or natural either. But do you really care? She who dives, mouth agape, into the magic of Twinkie-land surely doesn't have health on her mind when she does so. Still, interesting to know for sure now that additives are... umm... bad for us. Like I always say: you learn something new every day.

Bienvenidos a Miami!

Call it the luck of the (black) Irish: I've been sent to Miami for three days to observe a convening of the Foundation's Reproductive Rights grantees--and so far so good. Today was mostly travel, check-in, and settling in to our surroundings. Tomorrow, though, the hard work begins. Which is why I spent my evening "enjoying my own company," as I said to Jess (who is currently on a company boondoggle in Cancun... ah, the for-profit world).

Anyway, this enjoyment of my own self took the form tonight of taking up residence in a bar along Lincoln Road called Finnegan's 2, where I nursed an Amstel Light for about an hour and half while reading "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert (loving every minute of it; definitely pick it up). Then I wandered down to the far end of Lincoln, popping into stores; then turned and headed back up towards Collins, where my hotel is, stopping first to have the sushi I had been craving all day. The concierge recommended a place called Sushi Siam, and though I'm usually wary of sushi places that try to mix with another cuisine (here, Thai), I figured I'd give it a shot. It was... fine--though the seaweed tasted a bit too "seaweedy" for my taste. The lesson? Never second-guess your own instincts.

Still, it's been a great few hours. I'm taking a breather back in the room for a bit to watch what I believe is the season finale of "Heroes" (can't wait!) and then either going to venture down toward Ocean Avenue and see what's happening there in the way of dessert. Or I'll just hop next door and check out the quality of their gelato. Not bad, friends. Not bad at all.

What a Day!

Or maybe two, is more apt. Craziness over here at the workplace, but even in the midst of the chaos good things happen: yesterday, went with my boss to a panel sponsored by Demos, where the focus was on policies that affect LGBT families. In particular, really interesting research presented on how anti-gay policies disproportionately affect LGBT communities of color; all available in Sean Cahill and Sarah Tobias' new book on the topic, available from Amazon. (The packaging is a bit academic, but don't let that scare you.)

And then, today, had lunch with a friend of a friend who happens to work in the same building as I do but whom I have never, until today, seen in this actual building. We went around the corner to this underground Japanese place that has a great lunch special ($9 for miso soup, shumai, and two rolls) and just chatted about the ins and outs of being 30+ year old lesbians, in relationships, and preparing to walk down the path of conception. She and her partner are farther down that path than Jess and I are, for sure, but I found it so reassuring to talk to someone very much in the process of figuring out "how it all works", more or less at the same time as we are. Plus, she bought me Starbucks afterwards... truly the way to my heart.

Weekend Round-up

Whew! Has anybody else ever noticed how many people's birthdays seem to fall right around this time of year? The 25th alone is the birthday of 3 people I know (Birthday shout outs to Nettie, Jenn and Gloria), and there are more to come in the days immediately ahead. In any case, this birthday barrage meant that this past weekend was filled with candle-laden revelry: one party on Friday night, 2 on Saturday, and then another one on Sunday. Each of them was fun filled in its own right, but each very different from the others; the one thing they all had in common, though, was that each left me filled with a very profound sense of how lucky I am to be surrounded by family and friends whose company I truly enjoy.

Another bonus was being introduced to two fabulous new restaurants (new to me, that is) here in NYC. Cafe Noir is where Nettie's 31st birthday bash took place, and between the fried brie and the lamb meatballs I couldn't have been happier. Oh, and they make Mojitos so strong (and delicious) that Jessica was pink in the face and sweaty after about four sips.

The second restaurant, where Gloria had her party last night, is called Candle 79. It's a totally organic, vegan establishment, and despite what you might imagine the food was fabulous. I had seitan picatta--seitan being some form of pure gluten that has a very "meaty" texture and pretty much seems to take on the flavor of whatever sauce you put on it. Because I love picatta sauce (it's a lemon and caper blend, usually) this was a good thing. I'd highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a new food experience on the UES--and frankly, the food's good enough to travel for, too. (Don't forget to try the deserts!)

News on my mind:

Abortion or Adoption? The $500 Question: In Texas, a bill is on the table that would pay women who are considering abortion $500 to carry their babies to term and then give them up for adoption. So now the pro-lifers have turned to outright bribery? I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Warner Books Warner No Longer: Looks like that big ugly "W" is flying the way of a Republican majority (if only I meant the human one). Warner Books now has both a new owner and a new name: Grand Central Publishing. I don't care what they call it--I'm still not buying books w puffy covers... unless I'm on my way to my yearly beach vaction and can't stand the thought of taxing my brain beyond subject, verb, object.

The Final Four is Set: Because I was busy partying last night, I missed the end of the of the Georgetown/UNC game where, according to Jessica, UNC went stone cold at the end of the game and into overtime, missing 17 of 18 shots from the field. Needless to say, Georgetown found a way to triumph. Jess is heartbroken, but I've had a soft spot for the Hoyas ever since John Thompson, Jr. was at the helm.