http://jswetnam.com James Swetnam's weblog Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:52:26 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en One of the nicest things about living in New York City is having the chance to look at it with fresh eyes after a trip away. It could be the exhaust fumes, but for me there's really nothing like the few minutes after you emerge from the Lincoln tunnel, dead-tired from ... http://jswetnam.com/2008/06/16/coming_hom/ I lifted this sprawling sentence from an article on Robert Rubin, Citigroup's long-time advisor with a mythological reputaion, in today's Sunday Business section: At the Treasury Department, Mr. Rubin threaded a moderate stance on the always-controversial issue of market regulation, navigating between conservative free marketeers like Mr. Greenspan who wanted to ... http://jswetnam.com/2008/04/27/the-new-york-times-conservative-rag/ It’s odd how your perception of the age difference to younger or older friends seems to shrink dramatically when you reach adulthood. A good friend of mine who always seemed incredibly immature when I was in high school was just two grades behind me. Now I see little ... http://jswetnam.com/2008/04/16/adulthood-the-great-equalizer/ From a police officer off the Bedford L stop, talking into his cell phone: "Let me ask you a question, Mom. Do you love me?" http://jswetnam.com/2008/04/16/overheard-in-new-york-2/ In an effort to shore up my somewhat lacking vocabulary skills for the GRE, I've been compiling a list of all the new and unfamiliar words that I come across when reading. Here's what I have so far: Querulous Imprimateur Bemused Chattel Tendentious Natty Inveigh Punctilious Yeoman Zaftig Oenophile Semaphore Rebarbiter Termagant Vainglorious Fillip Raffish Aplomb Piquant Cadging Astringent Deplored Sempiternal Penury Tenuous Impertinance Teutonic Churlish Recusal Coterie Asperity Strident Phlegmatic Rigmarole Florid Potentate Puissant http://jswetnam.com/2008/04/09/fun-with-vocabulary/ From a girl in a coffee shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn: "I'm so glad I'm back in New York.  I can't stand anywhere else in America." http://jswetnam.com/2008/04/03/overheard-in-new-york/ The software you buy advertises free will-creating add-ons. http://jswetnam.com/2008/03/12/you-know-youre-becoming-an-adult-when/ A friend and I were sitting on the G train and waiting for it to wind its usual slow way through the seedy underbelly of Brooklyn when I noticed a copy of the New York Times magazine lying on the seat beside me. There not being a conversation to ... http://jswetnam.com/2008/03/05/the-real-cost-of-a-65-million-apartment/ Don't be discouraged if you come up with a great idea only to find it's already taken by a successful company. Rather than being disappointed, take it as an indication that you're capable of coming up with lucrative ideas on your own! http://jswetnam.com/2008/03/05/from-the-desk-of-james/ Noncomedogenic (adjective): not tending to produce laughter. Source: A bottle of shampoo. http://jswetnam.com/2008/02/24/from-the-unabridged-james-dictionary/