Holiday Weekend

I had hoped to work and play this weekend but in trying to move files from my old Powerbook to my new MacBook Pro I managed to destroy my copy of Microsoft Office. I was using dropbox which is a great program, but I forgot that it doesn't copy files, just moves them. This was a fatal error. In moving my Office X, I think the program files were converted to documents and then wouldn't convert back. This also meant my original program was destroyed, so instead of having to work on my old laptop before my new Microsoft Office arrives in the mail this week, I have a new laptop with no word processing program... Of course this would happen when the library is shut, the tech staff at NYU are on vacation, etc.

I hope to do some reading today but the nearly 100 degree weather isn't the most amenable to careful critical thought. We're in a crazy heatwave right now--temperatures will probably hit 100 tomorrow in NYC and in the midst of it all, our apartment will be without water on July 8. I suspect I'll be in the library all day where it is cool and relatively quiet.

As for our weekend, I did both yoga and pilates (and now feel the muscles in my lower abdomen more than ever before), so I feel quite virtuous. If nothing else, I am curious to see if I lose a dress size and develop a leaner body over the next month or two. Saturday, Evan and I went to Film Forum to see the Phil Spector documentary. It was really interesting--it was an episode of the BBC2 arts program, Arena, which again made me realize just how much better BBC programming can be than most US network offerings. Really HBO, and possibly Showtime, are the only channels that can compare--although Mad Men is a work of genius, it's not like AMC is regularly turning out programming at this level.

Yesterday we headed out to Governor's Island to see a free concert--She and Him. Alas, the organizers decided to put it in a small, cordoned off area of the island (rather than on one of the parks) and it was full long before we got there. Many more people had turned up than could be accommodated (bad planning on the organizers part) and the stage was so located that you could neither see anything nor hear much unless you were in that small area. Still, it was possibly for the best--with 95 temps and very little in the way of shade, we would have been crowded and exposed to the worst of the sun. As it was, Evan and I wandered around looking into the buildings, exploring parts of the island and finding some shade before standing in a really long line so he could buy some ice tea (again, they had no idea how popular the island would be in the summer) before sitting in the shade, reading the NY Times and playing with my new ipod touch. It was fun and restful--I could have stayed longer but the last ferry was at 7 so we left at 6 to avoid the crowds leaving the concert.

Unfortunately, the fireworks were on the Hudson for a second year running so there was no way we could see them--I love fireworks and think it was highly misguided to remove them from the East River even if it was only for two years. At least split the difference so Brooklyn and Queens can see them.

I'm not sure what I'm doing today. I have to do some reading and some work--even if I can't write anything yet. But hopefully this evening as it cools down slightly I'll be able to get outside and maybe see a movie with friends.