Rebecca A. Foster

This Queens fire is devastating; the photos of the scene are heartbreaking. I wonder if any of those homeowners thought their home would be destroyed not by water or trees, but by fire? The scene and story resemble those disaster movies that were so popular in the 70's and 80's. (It's a commentary that theater is what I can most closely relate to in a disaster. I've been lucky.) Those firefighters working through the hurricane to save lives and property were prepared, and it would have been much, much worse if not for their skills and experience and willingness to be there. I think we take them for granted too often. I'm grateful to live in a society where we have such services, and where people are willing to step up to help each other out. It also reminds me to be prepared for any possible outcome. I've already got a "go bag" and supplies for an emergency, but now I'm thinking of my cell phone, which only lasts about 36 hours in a best case sc...

Last night in bed I couldn't stop myself from reading news stories about Hurricane Sandy in NYC: the terrible fire in Queens, the flooding in lower Manhattan, and other terrible events. I flipped over to Twitter and noticed NYU in the top trends, which is how I learned about the power backup failure at NYU medical center and the evacuation of NICU patients. I cried a little for those parents when I read this news, because I know from our family how difficult it is for parents to have their baby in NICU, and then to be evacuated during a hurricane? God bless those nurses, doctors and EMT/firefighters who got all those patients out safely. And all those battling the terrible effects of the storm all over the region. I realized this is the first time I learned a major news story from Twitter first. I remember clearly the first news story I learned from the internet: when Princess Diana died. I was on Yahoo and read she was in an accident and when I went back to the homepage, they ha...

I like how this little snapshot defined introvert not as being unable to talk to people and be personable, but just as preferring not to do it as often as extroverts. Introvert does not mean socially inept! I've found introverts and extroverts can find a happy and comfortable balance when they both accept the other without expecting change. My good friend Tom from college was very extroverted and when I used to go visit him out of state, he'd always make sure I had time to read quietly or nap in his room during the day. He could go go go all day, but he understood I needed that quiet time if I were going to spend a lot of time with new people later. I really appreciated his gesture and later spent the time socializing with his friends as he liked to do. I don't remember telling him how I felt, he was just very intuitive and picked up on it and accommodated it. (He's a very successful drug rep now, so those skills have paid off well for him.) I've been friends wi...

"The cops are here, at the front door! You need to come inside!" "Wait---real cops, or people dressed like cops??"  They were real cops. Sometimes Halloween parties get a little nutty, yo. Also, my friends are crazy. I love them for it. Their neighbors? Not so much. (Rightly so.) "Mike! Get off the roof before you break your legs! You can't heal yourself!"  Mike, dressed as Jesus, jumped. No broken legs. It was a Halloween miracle! "Merlin! Get away from the tiki torch!" Dudes who are not used to wearing long hair or long robes need to be more careful around open flames. I haven't caught my long hair on fire in like, 15 years. It's a skill you learn. 

I liked Mindy Kaling's book, so I checked out her new show. This scene: so much yes. The girl on the far end? I've had that look on my face too, watching a man dance. It might be evolutionary, but I just assume a man who can dance well can do lots of things well. Even if I never do anything other than watch him dance (this is almost 100% the case), I still know. I've developed a near-instant crush on a guy who impresses me with his heretofore unknown moves, and lost all romantic feeling upon the discovery that we don't move well together at all . Dancing is a fun date activity because of what it tells you about the two of you together: Shy? Rhythmic? Adventurous?  In tune with each other? Is he embarrassed I would get up on the bar or Hell yes, she's leaving with me!  enthusiastic? I recognize it is not a clear-cut indicator, because I am often waaay more shy outside of dancing than I am while doing it, but it does give you some indication of your combined chem...

Soap leaves are perfect for carry-on only, compact traveling because they are dry and lightweight. I buy mine from travelerssupply.com . Pull them out with dry hands and then just get wet to use. Magic! And no pesky leaks, which is even worse than having to pull them out for the TSA. They also have shampoo but I use solid shampoo from Lush , as well as their conditioner bar . R. turned me on to these products and I love them. Great for traveling, but I also use them at home and because they don't strip your hair and scalp with lots of chemicals, my hair doesn't get oily and I don't have to wash it as much. They are more expensive upfront, but they last a long time. The Karma Komba (green one in the pic below) is my favorite.

I don't have a phone, I have a mobile computer I occasionally use to make phone calls. This screen shot is a few days into my billing cycle. (This was a month or two ago, but I can almost guarantee those 4 minutes of phone usage were me calling for take out.) Also? I hate that the majority of my phone bill is for voice minutes. I'm averaging about $3 a minute for phone calls each month. Rip off! 'Phone' is the least part of why I use this device. You might as well call this a smarttypewriter. I propose we start calling smartphones 'MComs':  mobile computers. Isn't that a better name? Let's make it happen!

German barmaids need ruffly petticoats under their dresses, so I picked this up at the local Halloween shop; I had no idea how fun it is to wear a ruffly petticoat! It's practically made for flouncing. And sitting on a handsome man's lap. I was going to post a photo while trying it on, but this is not that kind of blog. ;-) (It's sheer at the top and all.) That said, really looking forward to Halloween weekend now. And sooo saving this for future fun times.

(Click the photo to enlarge it.) I smiled pretty big when I read this man's comment about my 'tasting the sticks.' It's true, we did learn to be 'locals' in many ways, ways I didn't always notice. I never consciously made the decision to 'taste my sticks,' but I must have picked it up watching my Chinese friends do it. (As opposed to only letting the tips enter your mouth like we do here more often with chopsticks.) I still eat the Chinese way with chopsticks. My coworkers think it's gross I drink hot plain water, but I got used to it over there and found I like the taste of hot plain water better than cold. I didn't appreciate at the time how much cultural immersion can enrich your life in unnoticed ways.

These photos of the George Washington Bridge in NYC were not taken by me! But the very talented photographer generously sent them to me, along with the ok to post them. I thought about printing and framing them, but they are so unique (he was on the catwalk on top of the bridge arches for the two larger photos) and stunning, framing wasn't good enough. So I bought blank painting canvases of various sizes instead. I printed enlargements, glued them right onto the surface of the canvases with spray glue, then painted two larger canvases with gray acrylic paint. And glued them all together before hanging them on the wall. I wanted the presentation to somewhat imply the sensation of being on the bridge, hence no hiding them behind glass and allowing them a 3D effect when hung. I hung them in the hallway so they wouldn't compete with my Chinese-themed living room, and the hallway is the 'bridge' between the front and back part of my apartment anyway. Perfect! I love ...

My office does a Halloween decorating contest. Hell yes I'll use it as an excuse to look at Wolverine all day! This is my office door. However, my coworker informed me Wolverine is an X-Men, not a werewolf. He's just jealous I don't put his picture on my door! My other decorations:

(I have my sister's permission to post this.) My little sister M. (above at age 3) is often unintentionally hilarious. We eat dinner together at my mom's every Sunday and I've taken to writing down her gems. A few recent conversations: M: "I shaked his hand..." Me: "Shook."  M: "I shooken his hand..."  (Yes, I am that older sister who corrects her grammar. I try to keep that only in the family, though.) M: "I would never spend $200 on a purse...unless I had $200."  (You have to admit, that's pretty logical.) Note: M. has a foreign name that is very unusual in America; online it is usually spelled with the Cyrillic, not Roman, alphabet. M: "I googled my name. My Pinterest came up and then a bunch of dogs with my name and that's it."  M: "Did I tell you Ice-T's son was following me on Instagram? Only for like an hour, but still."  (My sister lives in a world where she not only know...

This guy, the one I tell myself sternly is not attractive, passes behind me as I'm carrying a cup of tea.  "Hey, the tag of your sweater is sticking out." I pause as his arm reaches out toward me, hishand sweeping my ponytailed hair away from my neck in an attempt to reach the tag. I'm usually standoffish about who I let touch my hair, but I keep still, steadying my tea cup. My hair is heavier than he anticipates and as it falls back into place, he sweeps it away again. And again. A brush of his hand finally, firmly, secures my hair against my neck, sending prickles along my spine. as his other hand rearranges my tag and sweater, I involuntarily, deeply, embarrassingly, shiver against the sliding of his fingers. I can't see his face so I don't know if he's noticed, but the crimson creeps across my chest and collarbone anyway. "There you go. All better now." A quick pat on the back over the now-secure tag. "Thanks." I keep walking, never...

Little Red Riding Hood? Annie from Community  dressed as Little Red Riding Hood for Halloween? (I do have a red hooded cape as well.) Or German Beer Girl? (I guess for the latter I'd have to drop the neckline a little for the sake of authenticity.) Carrying a little basket is much easier than carrying mugs! But I already have an authentic mug my dad brought back from Germany. Either way, white tall socks and red Mary Janes to complete the outfit, of course. Halloween is tough, y'all. (And a pleasant distraction.)