Sense of direction

Monday, January 22, 2018

I never suspected that my brother was the archetypical New Jersey resident, although he has lived there almost 50 years.  According to census data, she is "a 39 year-old woman of Italian descent.  She lives in Middlesex County, makes about $38,000 a year and has at least some college experience.  She is married, lives in a home worth around $328,000 and has a commute of about 31.8 minutes."  
http://www.nj.com/data/2018/01/who_is_the_typical_nj_resident_data_tells_us_and_h.html

Well, Middlesex County is exactly right, leaving a few data points for my brother to work on.
. . .

Sfilatino Italian Gourmet, 342 West 57th Street, is so small that I missed it the first time I walked down the street.  It has 5 two tops crammed in the space not taken by the counter and prep area.  Sfilatino is the Italian version of a baguette, and sandwiches are the focus of the menu.  Almost 30 versions are listed, with an option to create your own.  Prices range from $6.95 for the interesting combination of brie, pear, walnuts and honey to $13.95 for roasted prime rib, olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.  The sandwiches are all named for Italian locales, such as Trento, Genova and Salerno, and most hover around $9.95.  

I ordered a meat ball parmigiana, a daily special called Roma ($10.50).  It was good, but what made it special was the ability to hold it while eating, contrary to the architecture of most meat ball heroes.  Two things made this possible.  First, the sfilatino, although very fresh, was grilled, giving the sandwich a sturdiness, resisting the weight of the ingredients and the pressure of my hot little hand.  Second, the tomato sauce was applied sparingly.  You tasted it, but it didn't drip down to your elbow. 

The joint is open for breakfast and only charges $2.95 for a double espresso and $3.45 for a large cappuccino.  With my sandwich, I stuck to the traditional Diet Coke.
. . .

Today's New York Times has a possibly interesting article about the energy requirements for bit coins or bit coining or bit coinage.  https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/21/technology/bitcoin-mining-energy-consumption.html

I tried to read the article carefully and yet I have no idea what the hell they were talking about.  While I was awestruck that "the computer power needed to create each digital token consumes at least as much electricity as the average American household burns through in two years," I cannot explain this using the English language, Xs and Os, or 0s and 1s.  Whose idea was this, anyway?

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

As a byproduct of last week's physical examination, I went for a hearing test this morning.  The results were quite satisfactory; I have only lost some ability to hear the higher ranges of sound, typical for an older person.  That means I am ignoring you although I heard you clearly.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

In this very complex world, we often search for some simplicity, even for a limited time or space.  Life unadorned, unrigged, direct.  That's why the news from Saudi Arabia is particularly distressing.  The annual month-long King Abdulaziz Camel Festival involves up to 30,000 camels and now has been tainted by scandal.    

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/24/saudi-camel-beauty-contest-judges-get--hump-botox-cheats?CMP=share_btn_link

We are all too accustomed to humans primped and pumped in order to distinguish themselves, but can't we spare our camels from cosmetic, pharmaceutical and surgical enhancements?

Thursday, January 25, 2018

For 23 years until I ascended to Palazzo di Gotthelf, I lived in the Turtle Bay neighborhood, just down the block from the United Nations.  In spite of trying to pursue an active social life, I often had to dine alone.  One of my favored destinations was Mee Noodle Shop & Grill at the corner of Second Avenue and East 49th Street for Chinatown quality Chinese food.  Once I moved to the Upper West Side, I found it easier to get to Chinatown than get across town.  

In the years that followed, Mee moved up the block to 930 Second Avenue and opened another site at 795 Ninth Avenue, but I never returned to the original or relocated Second Avenue location until today, when I traveled from my cardiologist on First Avenue to my barber on Third Avenue.    

The new site is only one storefront wide, it is at least twice as large as the former, because of extended depth.  It was almost empty when I entered before noon, but soon filled with people escaping their cubicles for the 30 $8.50 lunch specials, including choice of soup or egg roll, and choice of rice.  I had an excellent hot and sour soup and very good shrimps with lobster sauce, 5 plump ones, and egg fried rice.  Having fasted before the morning's medical tests, I was very hungry and ordered cold noodles with sesame sauce ($6.25) in addition.  Mee served a very large portion, but something about the quality of the noodles, not the sauce, disappointed me.  I am sure, however, that the large menu would provide many satisfying alternatives as it did in the past, but I probably will continue to head south rather than east for my Chinese food.

Friday, January 26, 2018

From The Growth Delusion by David Pilling:

"Only in economics is endless expansion seen as a virtue.  In biology it is called cancer.”