TGIF

Some miscellaneous things that are on my mind today:

Sorry, neighbors: I hit snooze for a solid hour and a half this morning. That, after waking up in the middle of the night and sleeping on my couch for what must have been four hours. When the radio went off at 6:15, blaring from my bedroom, I darted off the couch, ran to go shut it off ... and then proceeded to fall right back asleep.

Bagel basics: I've long thought that only Jewish people should work at bagel places. Before anyone gets all uppity that this is some sort of racist, reverse anti-Semitism thing, hear me out: When was the last time you had a good sandwich at Finagle-a-Bagel? Really. A good, well-made sandwich, where the ingredients weren't just slapped together (in excess) and the bagel wasn't burnt, etc. Too often, I feel like bagel sandwiches — whether they're with cream cheese or turkey or whatever — are put through like some disorganized assembly line and made without much care for their quality. I take my bagels seriously (despite the fact that I still go to Bruegger's regularly). Jewish people know from bagels. If Jews were making the bagel sandwiches at Finagle, they wouldn't screw them up. Go to any bagel place in Florida. You'll see.

This could have been worse: Nicole Richie was on the Today show this morning. At the risk of sounding like an old man triple my age, what a well-spoken young lady she was. Who knew?! Apparently she has a book out that's "a novel a novel a novel a novel a novel a novel" — it's repeated six times on the cover to underline and highlight the fact that even though characters closely resemble former aquaintances (i.e.: Paris Hilton), the book is not based in reality. Whatever. I'm still not going to read it.

T things: So if the T isn't crowded and I've got plenty of space in the back of the train to stand, why must people come all the way back and crowd me? There's plenty of room for them elsewhere. And in related musings, is anyone who rides the B Line happy? I don't think I've ever seen anyone on that line smile. On the C Line, people are talking to each other, laughing — I mean, it's not the love train by any means, but at least the general mood of the riders is happier.

Happy day: Today is Veterans Day. So who has it off? Only the post office, it seems. And also in related musings, I was in Shaw's last night and saw "Happy Veterans Day" cakes. Do you really wish people "Happy Veterans Day?"

Bad TV: I'd care more that it's Sam who dies on Reunion if only I liked any of the characters on that show. It's a good premise, but not one of the six characters is compelling enough to make the show watchable. Basically, the only reason I do watch is because it supposedly takes place in Bedford, NY, which is where I grew up. Supposedly. That's not the Bedford I know. The characters would have gone to Fox Lane High School (not Bedford High) and the hospital would have been Northern Westchester Hospital (not University Hospital). Just fyi, in case you're curious.

Behave or be gone: I really liked this story from Wednesday's New York Times. I think Dan McCauley, owner of a coffee shop in Chicago, has the right idea. "Part of parenting skills is teaching kids they behave differently in a restaurant than they do on the playground," he says. It's easy for me to say since I don't have kids, right? But the same goes for movie theaters. Bad thing is, of course, it's not just children: too many adults treat the movie theater like it's their living room. It's my biggest pet peeve — after people who don't know the correct way to ride an escalator, of course. (If you're going to stand, stay to the right and let the rest of us pass.)

Summertime: Got an advance copy of UB40's new CD, Who You Fighting For?, in the mail today (it's out January 24). Yes, those guys are still around, and with this album, they've got a return to form. (And I'm not just saying that because the British Mojo Magazine said it first.) I have the CD on while I'm working and it's making me forget that it's, like, 40 degrees out and that I dug my cold weather coat out this morning. At least mentally, summer's already here.

No day but Tuesday: Got my invite yesterday to see an advance screening of Rent next week. Can't wait. Especially now since Jeff Wells has posted such a huge rave about the film on his site, "Hollywood Elsewhere." Jeff calls himself a "not-very-hip type," something I can identify with if I know what he means, and he, like me, saw the show in 1996 when the original cast was still in it (I also saw the original cast in London, if you're interested). I've been listening to the movie soundtrack for a couple of months now and like it. I've also seen clips, but they cause me to be a bit reserved in my enthusiasm. Jeff Wells gives me hope today. Look for my review of the film mid next week.