I. M. Bitter . . . why yes, yes I am

Grandpa Bitter, passed away earlier today

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:07:00 +0000

I took this photo of Grandpa Bitter back in February. Little did I know it would be the last time I saw him.

It's my favorite.

I remember him always, sitting there, chin resting on hands, listening, thinking, or just enjoying the view.

I remember his hands.

They've always looked similar to this. Strong fingers, bent with age. I specifically made a point to take a picture, so I'd always remember.

They're so much like my father's hands, and a bit like mine.

He passed away earlier this evening.

He lived a full and happy life. Enjoyed 64 years of marriage, and lived to be 91.

Love you Grandpa!
-M

Something New, coming in october

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Fri, 29 May 2009 19:29:00 +0000

Oh, deer

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Mon, 25 May 2009 17:45:00 +0000

Ground Squirrels: Four down, one to go.

Bunny, with fluffy white tail: Still outstanding.

Now the question remains, what am I going to do with the buck I saw early this morning when I checked the (live) trap next to the wood pile?

-Bitter

100 Miles of Nowhere, yay

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Sun, 24 May 2009 05:30:00 +0000

Another tale from 100 Miles of Nowhere.

Bucky the Donkey, Peter, Tom, and Colin going around, around, and around the inner circle at Regents Park, London. 160 laps in all. I tell ya, I couldn't have done it. I think I might have fallen over and died. They make it look so easy!

Enjoy,
-Bitter

100 Miles of Nowhere: Inner Circle, Regents Park, London from Fat Cyclist on Vimeo.

Humming Bird, rescue

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Thu, 21 May 2009 18:13:00 +0000

We attempted a daring rescue of a baby hummingbird this morning. Happily we got one baby back into the nest, and the mom & dad came back to feed it. Unfortunately, one of the babies died before we noticed. :(

Photos tomorrow.

Oh, and the ground squirrels multiplied into a family of ground squirrels. Which are now living in the wood pile next to the garden.

In the past 24 hours they've eaten all of the leaves and flowers off of all three of my eggplants. Are continuing to eating the leaves off the tomato plants, corn, and are starting in on my parsley and basil.

So far, they don't like the pepper plants, cilantro, or strawberries.

I'm contemplating drop spots. And am planning to break out the 'ol wire cage trap.

-Bitter

This Morning

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Tue, 19 May 2009 18:22:00 +0000

Good nights sleep. Check.

Ate breakfast. Check

Started the pool pump. Check.

Watered the vegetable garden. Check.

Counted the plants ravaged by ground squirrels, one new casualty. (Two tomato plants are growing back. happy day.) Check.

Threw rocks at wood pile. Thought I saw fur. Most likely a squirrel. Check.

Four-wheeled the garbage/recycling cans down the driveway. ( _waaaahooooo!_ ). Check.

Saw snails. Mating. (No pics since this is a family-friendly blog.) Check.

Baby hummingbirds. Still Alive. Check.

Contemplated the future of publishing. Check.

Email freelance editor regarding current WIP. About to do.

Ponder getting up early in the morning every day. Check.

Go eat lunch. In a moment.

-Bitter

My New Favorite Song, and an earthquake

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Mon, 18 May 2009 04:02:00 +0000

I was jamming out to Amp Radio while driving the other day and I fell in love with my new favorite song and wanted to share it with you.

It took a bit of searching--I didn't know the name--but eventually I found it. I clicked play, wanting to vet the music video before putting up a link, and was just over 4 minutes into the song, the couch started shaking beneath me.

Actually, it was more of a rumble. You know, like one of those massage chairs they have in the mall.

The problem?

Well, the bumpy jitter didn't stop. A moment later, unnerved, I paused the song and listened. Intently. You know, the kind of intent when all your muscles tense up and you're absolutely still and silent, waiting.

Birds were shrieking outside, the house was groaning lightly, but I didn't hear any loud creaks or bangs. Should I move? I glanced up, would something fall and crush me?

Several seconds passed, as I sat, legs outstretched, computer on lap, gazing up at the cathedral ceiling and the an exposed wooden truss directly over my head. Should I move? I listened harder. Did it feel like the shaking was increasing or staying constant?

Constant. Definitely constant.

And then it stopped.

I immediately went to google, but nothing was listed.

So I alternately refreshed google and my 2nd favorite site: the USGS's (US Geological Survey) "Did you feel it?" page.

Since I've moved to So Cal, I've reported on about five or six earthquakes. It's fun to put in your stats, and then check what everyone else reported. It also kind of makes me feel like I'm doing my civic duty, helping some dedicated researcher huddled in a paper-ridden, linoleum tiled office with buzzing florescents overhead, while they puzzle out the next strategy or prediciton.

It turns out the earthquake was near LAX, and was a 4.7. That's the strongest I've felt so far. Of course, I'm over 30 miles away from LAX right now, but still, the 4.7 counts. Doesn't it?

No?

oh.

Well, I've felt the ground shift violently, laterally beneath me. Twice. Does that count?

Good.

Anyway, here's the link (sorry, no embedding allowed) to my current favorite song, Ne-Yo's "Part of the List".

-Bitter

Update: 5/18/09 @ 11:30 pm - An hour after the quake, seismologists revised the quake magnitude from a 5.0 to a 4.7.

100 Miles of Nowhere, may 23rd

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:28:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, Fatty over at Fatcyclist.com announced his 2nd Annual Century, 100 Miles of Nowhere.

Touted as the most ridiculous, far-ranging race, simultaneously covering more ground and less ground than any other race in history. It's an event that you're not going to want to miss.

This year 66% of the entry fee will go toward fighting cancer. Of course, there was no entry fee last year, but that's a story for anther day.

Starting on May 23rd--or before, as demonstrated by the "Jumping the Gun" title holder Neil C.-- keep an eye on Fatty's blog to check out highlights from the event.

If you'd like to buy a t-shirt to commemorate the event, periodically check Fatty's site he'll post a link as soon as Twin Six sets the order page up. Or if you'd rather have a race bib (even if you're not racing) head over to Clay's Livestrong Challenge page. For a $5 donation one of these fabulous bibs can be yours. :) (ps, He'll get your shipping address from the donation form.)

In case you were curious, I've pasted a GPS map of last years route below.

-Bitter

Man, that was tough

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:10:00 +0000

Sometimes getting out of a rut is the hardest part.

*exhales sigh of relief*

There. That wasn't so bad. New blog post posted.

On a side note, I have lots of fun and exciting things happening on the writing front. (Re: the current works in progress, yes that was plural.) Happy day. As things progress, I'll keep you posted.

As for now, my lips are sealed.

Moving on, per fabulous recommendations from Howard Taylor, Scalzi, and Anne Sowards, I'm off to see Star Trek tonight.

Instead of the mild interest I had before, I'm actually pretty excited and am looking forward to a good show. And since Anne's facebook review is my favorite, I'm posting it in it's entirety below. Enjoy.

"Anne Sowards just got home from seeing STAR TREK. She enjoyed it so much that not even having her train go out of service, then the next train she took stopping short of her home, and having to take a bus the rest of the way has killed her mood."

Ahhh, life in NYC.
-Bitter

p.s. The Star Trek site is pretty dang cool.

I'm Taking A Sabbatical, from nyc

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 22:07:00 +0000

Spawning from my plans to fly west for the winter (bird-like of course) to avoid the upcoming brutal winter. (We didn't have a winter last year, so logic tells us we'll get two this year. As of 3/6/09 this assumption has been 189.2% correct.) I've decided to move to California.

Yes, I know your hearts are breaking (I hear them cracking as I type). But don't weep too long, I'll most likely be back. Besides grieving can be a healthy process.

I'm going to miss documenting street life springing forth from the City's boroughs, the enormous amount of shoes that I won't be wearing out on the City's sidewalks, and the my favorite restaurants, sites, and friends.

The City is always shifting. Cycling. Renewing. Hopefully, one day I'll be back, adding to the mix. Only time will tell.

And so, the West Coast calls and I'm off.

Wish me luck.
-Bitter
(written December 12, 2008)

Catch Up Time, just a heads up

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 21:49:00 +0000

Those of you who know me, know I'm rarely very far from a notebook or paper.

Why? Well, because I'm frequently jotting things down.

What might I be jotting down you might ask?

Well, everything.

Things to do.
People to call.
Plot arcs and major discoveries for the books percolating in my mind.
The pricing of my photography services (which I obsess over).
And lastly, blog posts.

Yes. You read that correctly. Blog posts.

I've written all sorts of them over the past several months, 1% of them have actually made it onto the blog. Today that changes. I'm cleaning house.

Some I'll post, others will make their way to the round file. And a very lucky few will be placed into a holding pattern where I'll tinker with them until they're perfect, at which point you'll find them here on the blog.

Happy day. I bet you're excited.

-Bitter

25 Things, on facebook

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 20:16:00 +0000

Saw this a week or so ago, thought it was pretty funny.

Posted it to Facebook.

Facebook deleted it.

So, . . . Here's to censorship.

-Bitter

Christmas Clubbin, lmao

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 15:34:00 +0000

Oh, these are too funny!

Enjoy,
Bitter

At Long Last, my nyc experience is complete

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 07:45:00 +0000

I've battled roaches, and won.

I've fought with mice, and lost, then won, only to lose again.

I've melted into a puddle on the sidewalk in the middle of the summer when it's 95 outside and 92% humidity.

I've frozen my a$$ off in winter.

I've experienced an epic snowstorm.

I've navigated the City and subway on crutches.

I've seen the marathon, several parades (Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's, Mermaid, Tartan, etc.), watched the tree lighting at Rock Center, seen the ball drop at Times Square, dancing at Lincoln Square and the Winter Festival.

I've been to holiday markets, and green farmers markets.

I've listened to pipes rattle, squeal, hiss, ding, spit, and howl when the heat comes on in the winter.

I've fallen asleep to the hum of air conditioners on a summer night, only to be awoken later when people at the sports club a block away cheer at the latest touchdown.

I've watched the fireworks from the FDR.

I've been trapped in an elevator. (Not for very long, but still, it counts.)

I've awoken early in the morning to a woman screaming from the middle of the street, "Call the police, call the police, call the police."

So I did. (The domestic dispute, eventually ended. She was fine.)

I've seen the garbage and construction crews work the tunnels in the subway, and have wondered and read a book about Mole People.

I've been stuck on a subway and waited hours for the A train late at night.

I've learned to sleep through sirens of all sorts unless the stop at my building.

I've attended protests, seen the Central Park Skate Dancers, and been harassed by rent-a-cops for taking pictures.

I've walked past accidents where a bus and a semi-truck have run over people, and seen a body covered with a sheet.

I've had a neighbor in the apartment across from mine, die, then decompose in his apartment for three days. In the summer.

His relatives succeeded in dripping his oozing decomposing bodily fluids along the hallway into the elevator, then back along the hallway and down three flights of steps, then across the lobby as they removed the mattress from said apartment.

I've lived on a fourth floor walk-up and hauled my laundry, down the stairs, around the corner, past fancy restaurants and café's a couple of blocks away to the Laundromat.

I've arrived home late at night to find Amsterdam Ave blocked off at 79th street and filled with fire trucks and ambulances, only to discover that said fire trucks were responding to a now gutted building that just so happened to be right next to mine.

I've peered out my window and looked at the shattered windows and blackened rooms across the narrow chasm between buildings, and slept in a room that smelled like smoke for days, with a broken front door (thanks firemen, No, REALLY! Thank you!) because I had no place else to go.

I've walked from the very tip top of Manhattan to the other tip (Inwood to Battery Park) mostly.

And yet, until tonight my NYC experience wasn't complete.

You see it all started with a leak.

Or should I say drip.

Yes, drip. Or several or hundreds of them. And bulging bubbles of paint that hung from my bathroom ceiling over my sink.

Resulting in me vacating the medicine cabinet and moving all my skin and hair care products into the hallway.

And a couple of calls to my Super. (He lives upstairs from me.)

Tonight when I arrived home from a night out on the town, (book browsing, dinner @ Whole Foods, and the movies (Twilight, it half-way sucked)) I found disaster.

The only thing that remains of half my bathroom ceiling are the original lathe (as in lathe and plaster) slats from 1920.

Oh, and creepy dark crevices that make me scared that roaches will begin to invade again, or that mice will drop between.

I'm just glad I had the foresight , or shall we say intuition, to close my bathroom door today when I left.

Oh, so happy that the resultant mounds of dirt, dust and plaster chunks were contained to the bathroom.

Although, I am saddened to know my hesitance in removing my trusty, fluffy, cozy bathroom rug led directly to its demise.

-Bitter

No, I didn't take a picture, I cleaned the mess up, sanitized, and disinfected quickly, since the facilities were needed immediately.

Snow, at columbus circle

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 01:10:00 +0000

Saturday night I stepped out of the frigid wind zipping down Central Park West into the cozy warmth of the Time Warner Center for a brief moment.

I needed to call my sister before I hopped on the A train and I didn't want to get frostbite while while chatting about the latest and greatest.

So there I was, mid-conversation, when all of a sudden flurries of snow filled the air. It appears that the Time Warner Center has added one more element to their ensemble of fabulous and colorful blinking stars and music. Snow.

Yes, snow.

The real stuff.

It was actually kind of fun to watch. The snow machines aren't on all the time, and it doesn't stick, but if you're in the mood for some holiday cheer and wonder, then swing by Columbus Circle.

And please, please be careful, if you decide to run around attempting to catch snowflakes on your tongue.

-Bitter

In My Dreams, the great office war

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 02:31:00 +0000

Annee, was thinking about you this afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:07:00 +0000

Annee,

I was thinking about you this afternoon.

Love you.

Miss you.

-M (also known as Bitter)

Love Hurts, i've never laughed so hard in my life

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:43:00 +0000

I've never laughed so hard in my life.
-Bitter

Food Storage, wow, someone in harlem actually turned their basement back into a root cellar

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:53:00 +0000

I stumbled across a NY Times article earlier today about root cellars. I was a little surprised, and then a little in awe when I realized that someone in Harlem not only had a basement, but had reverted it back into a root cellar.

How cool is that? Bravo.

The article "Food Storage as Grandma Knew It", by Michael Tortorello, spoke about a trend that happens during difficult economic times, people begin to buy in bulk, grow, and store their own food.

Surprisingly there were a couple hints and tips, for those of us not blessed with the square footage to store root vegetables, for the savvy reader. I just might try a few. But otherwise, I'll just continue to dream of the day when I own a basement, and in the mean time buy "The Food Axis: Cooking, Eating, and the Architecture of American Houses" by Elizabeth Cromley, when it comes out in 2010.

-Bitter

Obama, acceptance speech

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 17:35:00 +0000

So is it silly that I cried during this speech?

Cheering, in the streets

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 04:06:00 +0000

It's 11:00 at night and people are out on the streets cheering and chanting "Obama".

I stick my head outside my 4th story apartment and listen to the cheers wondering if people have simply gathered at the park down the street or if they're marching.

I wonder, should I go join them?

My neighbors cheer as well. Some pop their heads outside their windows and chant too. Others just pull the drapes to the side and peer out.

It's too early to call, but Obama's ahead so far.

-Bitter

Update: It's 11:13 and it looks like the BBC had called the election for Obama with at least 297 votes.

Of course after the debacle a few years back, we in the US are a bit more conservative in calling the votes. The NY Times is reporting Obama ahead at 217 votes. Here's hoping the Brits have called it correctly.

Update II: People are setting off fireworks down the street. All of the networks have called the election for Obama.

Voting, it went smoother this time

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 16:12:00 +0000

I'm happy to report that voting went A LOT more smoothly this time. (Click here to read about last time.)

The down side is that the police officers wouldn't let me take pictures, and they threatened to confiscate my camera.

The good thing is that I was greeted immediately when I walked through the door and was directed to a check-in table.

The next volunteers in turn quickly looked up my address and directed me a sign-in table, giving me clear directions on where the table was located.

While standing in line a friendly gentleman went along asking for last names, there were two people signing voters in, one covering the first half of the alphabet and the other the latter.

He quickly moved the line along, moving people ahead in line when the second sign-in book was available.

The volunteer handling my sign-in book had a little difficulty with alphabetization. She kept thinking that BITTER was found somewhere after BRINKERHOFF. I had to help her realize that BI comes before BR, . . . and BO. But it went smoothly and fairly quickly, and posed no problems.

When I finally arrived at the booth (which looked a lot nicer this time), a volunteer stepped into it with me, I was a little unnerved by this, but she calmly and happily described how to cast my vote.

1- Pull the lever over.
2- Turn the knobs.
3- Pull the lever back over.

Voila you're done.

She left me, I snapped a few pictures. Voted. Then stepped back out.

Overall, it was a vast improvement from when I voted in the 2008 Presidential primaries.

Here's the photo I promised from last time. I was too close to get the overall effect, so I just took a photo of the lever. I'm not going to go into details about my photo taking troubles, but let it suffice to say that the cops were NOT happy with me.

Write In Candidate, kenneth

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:55:00 +0000

Call Me Crazy, yes actually - you should

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 17:03:00 +0000

As you may have noticed, I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) this year. But I also just signed up to do 70 Days of Sweat as well. (You may remember 70 days of sweat from last year.)

So yeah, call me crazy. I'll be attempting to juggle two books at the same time. Do you think I'll be able to do it?

I guess only time will tell.

WIP Report:
Chronicles of Loresse, Book I - Final Draft stages
Chronicles of Loresse, Book II - NaNoWriMo, outline finished, starts Nov. 1st.
Historical Paranormal Romance - 70 Days, partial outline, starts Nov. 10th.

Wish me luck,
-Bitter

NaNoWriMo, you know you want to do it

noreply@blogger.com (I. M. Bitter) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 15:29:00 +0000

Calling all writers, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) starts in three days. It's not too late to sign up. Come on, you know you want to do it.

10 Reasons To Sign Up.

I am.
You can add me as your writing buddy.
I know you secretly want to.
It'll be fun, except for the parts where you have to force yourself to KYBICAHOK (Keep your but in chair & hands on keyboard.)
We can be writing buddies.
You can kick my rear end when I don't post my word counts, and I can do the same to you.
It'll be cool.
It's definitely doable.
It's free. (But donations are welcome.)
Um, and you'll hopefully actually finish writing a story.

-Bitter

p.s. here's my NaNoWriMo profile, just in case you decide that you absolutely need to add me as your, ahem, writing buddy.