Alternative Responses to the question, "how are you?"

Someone, at the offical Saints bar in manhattan (Bar None) gave me an honest response to the half-hearted question, "how are you," today and it made me think...what's the best way to answer that question? Here's some options off the top of my head:

I don't speak with strangers.

Every day outside of the cell is a great day!

The grout is back.

Do you want the honest answer or the polite answer?

I feel alone, and hopeless (then watch the interviewer's face).

Alrighty then (which I reserve for geeky conversations).

Fine and dandy (which is dangerous in the south).

Like the weather.

I'm fantastic/wonderful/amazing (or any other version of theses words you'd like to use to portay wonderfulness).

Fuzzy as a peach.

Spiffy!

What's your favorite reply?

My Tribute to Pam Hamilton

Pam Hamilton savored life and lived it with a hilarious zeal.

When she laughed she threw back her head and opened her mouth wide enough to let all the sound out.

She had a certain appreciation for girlfriends that I've always cerished.

I never saw Pam "get tired" of anything -- she simply joked her way past it.

She always had painted nails and astonishing jewelry.

She loved scotch and football (an awesome combo).

She threw themed superbowl parties every year and spent a full-day finding a rotating hot dog machine one year.

She cleaned her own gutters, which she usually waited until the dead of winter to do and had a special yellow rain outfit specifically picked out for the job.

She intimidated the hell out of most men who tried to cross her and simply couldn't see how anyone could be scared of her.

She had a bit of Clevland, NYC and Marin personality in each sentence she spoke.

She cracked me up.


Pam was my first real "boss" and introduced me to the wild world of PR (not to mention the insanity of working in front of a computer screen M-F). She remained in my life as a supporter, cheer leader and mentor. She passed away in Marin County, CA this morning and moved on to a pain-less, happier place.

Quote of the day...

"Damn brotha, you're as old as Yoda."

"I know Yoda, I kicked his ass last time I saw him."

-Overheard on the block of 122nd between Adam Clayton Powell and Fredrick Douglas.

Eureka!

The Eureka's -- an stellar team of friends including Jerome, Bonnie, Erick, Davina and myself -- took the Conflux East Village scavenger hunt by storm yesterday. We scavenged (see photo) throughout the village, solving puzzles about everything from the location of the 1988 riots to the meaning behind Adam Purple's garden on Eldridge Street. We were supposed to earn points by gathering items from seperate challenges, proposed by the teams who were playing alongside us. But, either the heat/humidity or our hangovers got the best of us and we decided to just focus on the puzzles. At the finishline, the Eureka's lack of challenge points hurt our final score significantly, and we came in close to last (close being the key word here). But - I'm pretty sure we had the most fun....and in my book, that's all that counts.

Storm King

Finding serenity in NYC can come in a variety of forms, from a quite subway car to an old-fashion in a heavily wooded bar, or from a few quite moments in front of an air conditioned store with their doors open to a jog through Central Park. Last weekend, we found a new form of serenity -- just outside NYC.

We had heard of a magical place called the Storm King Art Center, but we never imagined it would actually re-set and restore our serenity-meters the way it did. We booked a zipcar for the weekend, after a lazy Sunday afternoon conversation with our friend about heading away for the weekend and began searching through our "NYC getaway" notes and resources for a place to go. After a rainy Saturday in NYC -- which we spent at the Buckminster Fuller exhibit at the Whitney (which I highly recommend)-- we were hesitant about the weather. But when the sun shone through on Sunday morning we packed our picnics, beach towels, hiking boots and friends into the car and heading towards the mountains.

Pictures can describe Storm King, far better than words. But as an overview, this 500 acre park, marries the relationship between art and nature better than any other sculpture garden I've visited. The careful placement of each sculpture and care for the grounds gave each visitor pause as they approached a new piece. To finish off our abandon-NYC-day we did a quick 1 hour hike up Bear Mountain, watched the sunset over the hills and dined on NYC Dinosaur BBQ. Ahhhh, refreshing!

It's nights like these...

What makes NYC special? I know it's different for everyone, and has changed for me over the years -- but it all comes down to the people. Last night, like many nights in NYC, I sat table side on the sidewalk of a busy pedestrian street (this time it was St. Marks Place) and hung out with my friends. We drank wine and dined on Korean food letting hump day pass us by. It's the best way to kiss off summer, even if I don't want to let it go.