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September 11, 2008, 8:01 AM
What Did I Breathe in on September 11?

For more than five years after 9/11, a messenger bag coated with debris was sealed in a plastic trash bag. Then a scientist tested it and what he discovered will change the way you think about what people inhaled that day.

By Eric Gillin


http://www.esquire.com/features/9-11bag




Don't miss this article. It's powerful, it's thought-provoking, it's just...very, very human.

Shadesong at Salon Con

Shadesong at Salon Con, originally uploaded by Ysobelle.

Seriously. How can you not love a job like this?

I'm with Snugglyevil.

Can I go back and to that again?

One of the things I didn't mention was that on our slightly-meandering trip home, snugglyevil and I all but literally stumbled over what can only be described as a minor gastronomic Nirvana: Banzai Japanese Seafood Buffet. $17.95 for all-you-can-eat sushi, salads, hot foods, dessert, and a drink. The nomnomnom was fierce, and though the miles-long buffet put up a bitter battle, it was, in short order, duly defeated.

One of the dark things, however, that I have discovered about always having a 'net connection on me is that it's possible to discover things you might not have wanted to know. In this case, when I tried to see if the place had any kind of website, I came across various reviews that were not just unfavourable, but utterly scathing and nasty. Is it just the New York attitude with which I'm so familiar? I'd no sooner read that one man was told, "We'll be closing soon, so if you'd like anything further from the buffet, you might want to go now," by the hostess, and responded by calling the hostess back and reaming her out for being so rude as to tell them to shift, than I looked up and saw the exact same thing happening to the table behind us. The "rude" hostess? A charming young lady who very graciously delivered her message, was politely thanked by the patrons, and moved on. Our servers were efficient and polite. The maitre'd, though he stopped snugglyevil from taking a picture, was lovely and informative, telling us that it was the Moon Festival that day, a Chinese Thanksgiving, so to speak.

So if any of you are in Piscataway, and on the prowl for a delightful lunch (dinner is closer to $30 which is a bit pricey), find this establishment:

Banzai Japanese Seafood Buffet
560 Stelton Rd
Piscataway, NJ 08854
(732) 968-6688

No photos of the buffet itself (they prefer photos to be taken when the buffet is posed and poised and looking its best, not when it's actually working), but you can see the food:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/yummyinthetummyblog/sets/72157606701111568/


Oh, G-d. Now I want sushi. Whimper.

Just so I don't forget:

For my next con, I need a mirror, the changing room, some kind of vertical rack, and signage. Everything else, it seems, fits into one plastic tub. That, with Madame Tussaud and our personal luggage, didn't even cramp the back of a Dodge Caliber.

Excellent.

This evening was, in the vernacular, made of fail.

On the phone with my aunt at about 4-ish. All of a sudden, she goes completely silent. Oddly, I didn't really think she'd hung up somehow, or the phone had gone dead. I kept talking, asking if she was there, and sure enough, after two or three minutes, I hear the low, gutteral laughing/crying that means she's having a seizure.

I called Mom, Mom called the front desk, they sent a nurse up, but she must have looked fine, because they almost immediately left. I was STILL on the phone, and I stayed on til, about five or six minutes later, she must have hung up. I called one of the coordinators there, she insisted, "Oh, they looked in on her, she's fine!" "She's NOT fine!" I snapped back. I believe she herself went up, but by that time, my aunt was coming out of it. I called my aunt a few minutes later, and she was having trouble with words-- lots of incoherence.

I got over there as fast as I could. By the time I arrived, yes, she was okay. But she has no memory of the nurse coming up.

We had dinner in the dining room at the apartments. I met some of her neighbours, and we had a nice evening. Unfortunately, I started feeling somewhat off myself, and bid her goodnight somewhat early. I had to fight to stay awake on the drive home, and now I'm officially giving up and going to bed. Perhaps it's a touch of Con Crud?

I'm frustrated. I'm tired. It's bedtime.