A Weekend Without a Party (2/16/08)

Yes people, contrary to popular belief it's possible for me to go a weekend without MAKING PARTY™. Friday night I went to the Theater for the New City in the East Village to see "A Clear Midnight," a performance inspired by Walt Whitman's poem "Song of Myself." A work colleague, Ramiro Sandoval, starred as the young poet who reads a selection of verses illustrating his lifelong path. Along the way he encounters a solider, a woman, a maiden and death who each help depict various facets of the protagonist's life and being. It was great to get out for some theater - it's been too long! Kudos to Ramiro for an a job well done and to Death to giving the creepiest (and best) performance I've seen in a long time!

I woke up on Saturday, hit the gym and then made my way to Lusker Rink in North Central Park to ice skate with 20 autistic kids from the Bronx. The kids were so cute and so much fun. At first a few of them were really scared to leave the safety of the rink wall but after a little while I had them skating laps! What a great day - I had a blast and am really hoping to do more activities with the same kids in the future. For the NYers reading this, sign up with NY Cares for similar volunteer opportunitieshere!

Saturday night I stayed home and watched a documentary from 2004 called "The Future of Food" which according to its website is "an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabeled, patented, genetically engineered foods that have quietly filled U.S. grocery store shelves for the past decade. From the prairies of Saskatchewan, Canada to the fields of Oaxaca, Mexico, this film gives a voice to farmers whose lives and livelihoods have been negatively impacted by this new technology. The health implications, government policies and push towards globalization are all part of the reason why many people are alarmed by the introduction of genetically altered crops into our food supply." I highly recommend checking it out as I think you'll be shocked at the impact of GMOs and the inner workings of the industry. I actually got the DVD from a young guy at the 8th Avenue "L" subway stop who was giving away copies of films he felt were important for people to see. I grabbed "The Future of Food" and "Sicko" so stay tuned for more on the latter.

"The Future of Food" Movie Trailer