Bruni's Book

I just finished reading "Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-Time Eater," by Frank Bruni, an acquaintance of mine from work. If you've ever wrestled with food issues, or been curious about people who develop fraught relationships with food and weight, you should definitely read this book. It's a memoir with the author's struggle to control his own weight as its central theme, but it's also a touching reminiscence about his family, the various stages of his career and his love life. ("Watch out for the PG-13 parts," Frank jokingly wrote when he signed the book for me.)

I've never been overweight, at least not significantly, but I did go through a period in the very early 1990s when I was obsessed with food and exercise, on a level that put me at the threshold of an eating disorder. When I look at pictures from that period I'm alarmed at how skinny I was. Newly vegetarian, I took great pains to avoid any fat in my diet and bicycled about 60 miles a week. I was struggling with several issues back then, including professional boredom and an unrequited but fierce love for a close friend -- and all that angst wound up being subverted and expressed in my diet and exercise. Controlling my diet became a way that I could control my otherwise unsatisfying life.

So I can appreciate the complex relationship some people have to food. Frank's relationship was different, in that he struggled with being too heavy rather than too light -- and yet, I think he would see similarities in the underlying need to get emotional and personal satisfaction through eating (or not eating, in my case).

What cured me of my food drama was transforming my life. I quit my job, joined the Peace Corps and moved to the other side of the planet, far away from my angst-producing friend. I didn't join for those reasons, but the move undoubtedly did me good. (Unfortunately, the angst-producing relationship continued for another eight or nine years, but that's another story.)

In Frank's case, he buckled down, began exercising diligently, and even became a restaurant critic -- a job that you'd think would be a minefield for someone with a tendency to overeat. But Frank used the job to impose order on his otherwise chaotic food intake, and he managed to keep his weight under control despite eating out daily -- sometimes more than once. Pretty amazing!

At any rate, I enjoyed the book. If you're looking for a good read, check it out.

(Photo: Lower East Side, on Monday.)

Auto Adventure

For months now, as I've ridden the train between New Brunswick and New York City, I've been taunted by amazing graffiti in various spots along the tracks. A couple of times I've gone out to photograph this graffiti, but it's been hard because I didn't have a car and was restricted to areas near train stations. And forget shooting from the train -- there's no time for composition, and all I can ever get is a big blur.

Yesterday, I finally had a chance to take Dave's car on a graffiti adventure. I set out about 9 a.m., and drove State Road 27, which roughly parallels the train tracks through Edison, Metuchen, Rahway, Elizabeth and into Newark. I then pushed a little farther into Harrison, across the river from Newark, and got some good shots there before turning for home.

I'd already scoped out several hot spots using the GPS feature on my iPhone. (I hate to sound like an advertisement for Apple, but this phone has definitely changed my life!) While riding the train home on Monday, I watched and remembered where the good stuff was. So all I had to do was go back to that spot with the car and hope I could get access to the graffiti, either by sneaking through holes in fences or with the use of my Christmas-gift zoom lens. I was successful in every case.

There's still more to be shot, though -- so here's to future car adventures!

(Photo: Graffiti in Elizabeth, N.J.)

Mobile!

I'm sitting in Starbucks in SoHo, experimenting with blogging on my iPhone. I'm mainly doing it because a creepy guy is sitting next to me, trying to engage me in conversation. It pays to look busy, even if it's not very Zen!

Typing on an iPhone is not the smoothest process in the world, especially for those of us with big fingertips!

I'm in New York today to finish up some final paperwork with my erstwhile employer. I came in on the bus early this morning, went straight to my apartment and packed up a few things I want with me in East Brunswick. (I've found, not surprisingly, that I really don't miss the vast majority of my stuff, though!) Then I went to my office for what I hope will be the last time, and bought myself a mug at Starbucks to celebrate! (Using a handy gift card!)

Now, despite the cold temperatures, I'm going to go do some photography before heading back to New Jersey this afternoon!

(Photo: My new mug, taken with my iPhone just now!)

I Can't Move My Knee

As long as we're talking about potentially embarrassing personal revelations, like my enthusiasm for middlebrow '60s movies and television (thanks Dave!), did I ever tell you about the time I faked a knee injury?

I was in the ninth grade. I was one of those quiet, nerdy kids who never did anything physical enough to put himself in actual danger. Consequently, I never had any injuries. But I was surrounded by boys who came to school in casts, braces and bandages, wearing proudly the evidence of their perilous lives. (Even my own brother subsequently managed to jam a pair of pruning shears into his neck, requiring surgery and bandages and all sorts of attention.)

One day, and I'm not even sure where the idea came from, I decided to say I'd had a pin put in my knee. I walked from class to class with my leg completely stiff. When someone asked what happened, I told them I'd broken my knee and it was pinned, immobilizing the joint.

The teachers furrowed their brows and said they were sorry, but looked more confused than anything. They were probably thinking what a few of my classmates dared to say: If my knee was pinned, why did it look absolutely normal?

Dennis, one of my classmates, demanded to see the pin. I told him it was inside the knee and couldn't be seen. (I had no idea how joint surgery worked. I hadn't thought to read up on the finer points of orthopedic technique.) Dennis called me on my hoax, saying pins protruded from the skin and were easily visible.

I began to think faking a knee injury might not be such a good idea after all.

I think I limped through the entire day, for appearance's sake -- I couldn't very well pretend the pin just disappeared. But the next day I went back to school and walked normally. I was prepared to say it had been removed and I was back to my old self -- but I never had to, because no one ever asked. They were probably so appalled by my idiocy that they decided to leave well enough alone!

(Photo: Dandelion, East Brunswick, N.J., Nov. 2009)

Emergency Post!!!!!!

Dear loyal Shadows & Light Readers,

I write to you this evening with sad, and disturbing news. My partner, Steve, is ADDICTED to the movie Valley of the Dolls! He claims to be fully aware of his condition, and we are seeking professional help.

After viewing the film tonight with Steve, I'm convinced of his condition: he's obsessed with "the dolls!" He knows every scene, he has memorized every line, and he is fully aware of "inside information" regarding main actor/actress personal information and even "bit player" trivia. As you gasp, please rest assured that I am applying the needed remedy: gin and tonic!

I know you must be in shock as much as I...but remember, we are, afterall, GAY! And this is "normal behavior." However, the severity at which Steve "understands" this film is disturbing to say the least! I will continue with "therapy"...I'll keep you posted.

Concerned partner,
--Dave
(gay scifi fan who does not understand this obsession!)

iPhone Crisis

Yesterday my new iPhone decided to crash. Yay!

I was updating iTunes on my computer, so that I could download some of the much-touted "apps" that allow me to do cool things with the iPhone. The update seemed to work OK, until I was also prompted to update the iPhone software itself. That precipitated a crash that froze the phone.

The computer said I could "restore" the phone, but that would erase all my contacts and other information. I had just manually entered all the contacts, so I wasn't thrilled about losing them. I took the phone and my computer back to the AT&T store, hoping for a better resolution, but they couldn't do much for me. So I took the plunge and hit "restore."

Miraculously, the iPhone restored itself and saved my contacts. Hamdu'llah! So all's well that ends well.

What was most interesting about this episode was my reaction -- I completely lost my cool. I was stomping around muttering about technology and the advantages of keeping things simple. I felt sort of foolish once I ironed out the problem, but I get so frustrated when devices don't do what they should. Who's the boss here, anyway?!

(Photo: Greenpoint, Brooklyn, Dec. 2009)

Happy New Year!

So do you all have a headache today? :)

I must admit I'm a little bleary-eyed. I went with Dave and our friend Adam into the city last night -- we did not go to Times Square, however. (In all the years I've lived in New York, I've never done Times Square on New Year's Eve...from what I hear it's an absolute nightmare.) Instead, we went to our friend Stephanie's apartment, had dinner, and drank champagne until the ball dropped.

Unfortunately, we belatedly realized we missed the last train back to New Jersey, so we had to stay at Stephanie's for several more hours, until we could catch the 4:15 a.m. train back to New Brunswick. D'oh!

Still, we had fun. Now I'm just glad the holidays are past. I can finally settle down and get back to some kind of routine. Whew!

(Photo: Old Bridge, N.J., a few weeks ago.)