Mars needs graphic designers. Or printer-fu. Like, now.

I desire to print out invitations on nice card stock for an event. I thought this was some basic task, the ways and means of which would be obvious to the meanest understanding. Apparently it is not so, and the usual method of accomplishment is to assemble a postscript or Acrobat file with exactly what you want, and print that onto plain card stock.

I do not speak .ps or .pdf, and I like the card stock I found. I just want to print out the basic who/what/where in a pretty font on this non-fold card stock AND MAIL THE BUGGERS THIS WEEK ahem. Help? Anyone? I will give you Pez from the bee dispenser Eli presented me last week.

Scenes from the M4

It's kind of astounding how many buildings each of the mega-banks owns. I think I passed three belonging to JP Morgan Chase alone, in less than five blocks.

What looks like the entire roster of the NY Mets is lined up, as if for a class photo, on the steps of the main branch of the NYPL. This must've just happened, as a crowd is only just starting to collect. No sign of why. Some press, but not as much as I'd expect if this was a known publicity whatsit.

What can you actually do at the main branch of the NYPL? I went there as a freshman, all dewy-eyed & excited, only to slink away in embarrassed disappointment when I learned you could not actually take out books. But they have two big banners out front, a la the Met, trumpeting their map room and their illuminated manuscript collection. Both of these things cause my bosom to heave and my bits to moisten. But are the hoi polloi permitted to touch or even see the valuables, or is this for Important Researchers only?

I wish we'd gotten space in the Empire State Building. I mean, I'm pretty content with the new office, and I know the lunch & shopping options would have been even more suckmoid there. But I just imagine coming into that glorious lobby every morning.

Does Macy's, in fact, tell Gimbel's?

There is a tall black guy on the corner of Seventh wearing this insane huge danger-orange fuzzy jacket and hat. He is what Midwesterners envision as Scary New York Pimp Guy, because for the general case, they're sort of stuck on what would be found in early 80s Cloak & Dagger comics.

Last stop!