All hands up, salute the Empire State

All hands up, salute the Empire State. Faith is true, she knows the way.
Ten miles tall in this: an empty space. Fallen walls all around.
We'll build again, Rebuild again.
-Guster

Doug mentioned to me the other day that the last time we had any fun was like school vacation week in April, or was it February. We have been all work, no play, no caching, no hiking, no camping, no visiting, no fun... for way too long. So we decided it was time to take a trip. And we picked New York City.

We went down to the city on a day trip in November of 2004, when my parents still lived on Long Island. We took the kids to the Museum of Natural History. We walked all around. We wanted to eat at Virgils and it was a huge long wait and Geoff ended up having a total meltdown so Doug went back to my folks' house with him while I waited for my sister and Ronnie to join us for Ribs. It wasn't the best day ever; it was a good day, but not the best.

Doug wanted to take the kids back, stay at a hotel, really have some fun. We actually decided that we need to have some no-kid time for a day or two, so my sister is taking them for us (oh my God thank you Linda). They'll stay with auntie and uncle and Missydog and hopefully be well behaved little angels.

For weeks now, Doug has been planning what he wants to do. Walking tours, a museum with all sorts of Dylan memorabilia, (remember the SAT Test? Doug : Dylan :: Christine : BNL). He wants to eat dim sum in Chinatown. He wants to go on a Circle Line tour of the harbor or a booze cruise or something fun.

And he suggested gently in passing but didn't insist upon it, that we maybe might just possibly think about going to Ground Zero.

I had been keeping this journal for just a couple of months when 9-11-01 was just a date on a calendar. People who have been with me here online since the beginning of (a)musings may recall my entries from back then. New readers may want to go back and start here and read forward, if so inclined.

We haven't been to Ground Zero. I haven't wanted to go to Ground Zero. I haven't wanted to go any further south in the city than Penn Station. I just don't want to go see it. I don't want to see it. I don't want to see it gone and not there. I don't want to see the hole, the memorialized sentimentality, the ghosts. I don't want to see. No.

But a deep part of me feels seeing is owning. And perhaps it is time for me to do that.

When Guster's CD came out in August, I listened through on the drive home, soaking in each song. Almost at the end of the disc is this song called "Empire State." And I had to pull over.

I don't know if it is about WTC and NYC, but the whole song, the feeling of "Been talkin' to Jesus, but he ain't talkin' to me" brought me back to that period, and the walls fallen all around, the stories, the ghosts, the memories -- Ryan's soft and sweet nasally voice singing through one of the saddest things I've ever heard come out of this band (a band who writes great songs about depression, suicides, etc... yah! good stuff!).

Fallen walls all around, we'll build again. Rebuild again.

So maybe we'll go. Maybe I'm ready. And do you know what will echo through my head? Ryan Miller's voice. Whether or not it was their intent to write a beautiful eulogy for this place or not, I'm not sure -- it has become that in my ears, heart, and mind.

All hands up, salute the Empire State.

---

So I won't be available for a few days. And Earl is on now so I wanna get skuttlin' down stairs. I did want to mention that we found a new favorite show on Nickelodeon/Nicktoons called "Mr. Meaty."

Initially, I saw a few of the short pieces over the summer and probably was not in a receptive enough state of mind to give it a chance. It does for puppeteering what South Park did for animation -- it is stiff and jerky, very very poorly done, with some of the grossest fast food/food court stuff I have ever seen. Very Juvenile, and I don't know how it was that I didn't love it from the second I saw it.

My kids begged me to watch it the other night, insisting that it was the best thing ever. I was still skeptical... but.

I found almost immediately, right from the theme song, that I had been grossly misinformed about Mr. Meaty.

And I owed Mr. Meaty an apology.

If you are anything like me, some of you are, some are not, I highly suggest you give it a chance if and when you come across it. Or better yet, go to TurboNick and quckly before the whiney assed "Unfabulous" chick melts your brain, click on center of the "All Shows" circle and go to the Mr. Meaty page. All of the videos are there. Watch the insanity.

Frickin' hysterical funny stuff there. Josh and Parker are my heroes. And, it's from Canada, eh? So it's extra funny because it is like they're making fun of Scarborough, which is where BNL hail from, and their accents are Canadian Valley Girl/Mall Rat like and it is awesomely funny. So yes -- Mr. Meaty gets ten thumbs up. Along with the Avatar. And let me tell you, there is nothing better than both shows back to back some nights.

If you get Nick Toons on your Cable or DirectTV, I do believe there is a NEW Avatar on tomorrow and a NEW Mr. Meaty. Please watch and tell me what you think.

It's much MUCH better than ... The Doodlebops.