Where Have All The Drug Dealers Gone?

If you don't already know, Washington Square Park is undergoing huge renovations. The biggest project being that they are moving the fountain so that it is aligned with the arch. Crazy? Perhaps. So they have already fenced off most of the park which leaves me to wonder "Where Have All The Drug Dealers Gone" Maybe Paula Cole can give me an answer? Well, I saw some of them this morning looking like deer kicked out of the woods. They didn't know where to go. They were circling the park looking lost. Now they will hang out on the sidewalk harassing students and others passing by. Not good!

So I had such a wonderful Birthday yesterday and the celebrations will continue through the weekend. Thanks to everyone for their wishes, calls, emails, etc.. It meant a lot to me.

Today is the last day before winter break. I am so looking forward to two weeks off! I know many of us need to learn how to properly wrap presents. Well this kid will teach us step by step after the first step after the second step after the...wait, WHAT? Now I'm no expert, but the wrapping job he does looks just awful. Someone should let him know. That's not how you wrap a gift.



This clip lead me to search youtube for "How to Wrap"...here's something that came up





Oooooh...How to wrap a widgy bar??



Oh, Thanks Melissa



And now I must post a higlight reel of clips from my personal favorite Christmas Movie:



Sorry, I went a little YouTube crazy today. So what are your plans for the holidays? What's on your wish list?

I'm Officially 27!!!!

That's right. As many of you know, today I am celebrating 27 great years of life. Sound the trumpets and the noisemakers, put down the giftwrapping, and take a minute to wish me a Happy Birthday and take a look at the following list of famous people I share a birthday with:


1537 - King John III of Sweden (d. 1592)
1629 - Pieter de Hooch, Dutch painter (d. 1684)
1841 - Ferdinand Buisson, French pacifist, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1932)
1901 - Robert Van de Graaff, American physicist and inventor (d. 1967)
1902 - Sidney Hook, American philosopher (d. 1989)
1927 - Kim Young-sam, President of South Korea
1945 - Peter Criss, American drummer and singer (Kiss)
1946 - Uri Geller, Israeli psychic
1946 - John Spencer, American actor (d. 2005)
1946 - Dick Wolf, American television series creator
1954 - Michael Badalucco, American actor
1963 - Infanta Elena of Spain, Duchess of Lugo
1966 - Chris Robinson, American singer (Black Crowes)

Wow...the most exciting person who shares is a birthday with me is...umm...Uri Geller? I bet he can tell what I'm thinking right this moment. Maybe I have the same powers Uri Geller has!!!!


I have scheduled a hair cut at this curly salon in Morristown and I am planning on taking some photos before and after to see the difference. I have been letting my hair grow out so we shall see what kind of magic (if any) they can do. I'm noticing a magic theme today and while we're talking about magic let me wish Brad Ross (Mr. Magic himself) a happy birthday. His birthday was yesterday and if you want some fun go check out his site (www.bradross.com). Book him today! I should be an agent. I knew it.

And now, a special birthday YouTube treat:



I might just have to pick up the Mr. Wizard DVD. Classic stuff.

When Parents Go Wild..a new Fox special:

I'm back

Hey everyone,

Sorry for my short disappearance. I got really sick on Friday night after the wedding and have been slowly recovering. I really have to get well for my big birthday tomorrow and for Florida. I was home sick on Monday and Tuesday so I had some time to rest up and catch up on some tv and movies. I haven't been following the news while at home and apparently here's what I missed!!!

A woman groped a man playing santa at a mall in CT!

Activists are angry about santa hats being put on whales!

Whew! I'm glad I was able to catch up on the important headlines.

I encourage you to head over to JibJab as they posted more movies in which you can insert your heads! If you haven't already noticed, I love these things!

My DVD pick of the week...



I bet you can watch it more than Once though.

While I was sick in bed I finished Cormac McCarthy's The Road. It is a gripping story that will make you cry and is brilliantly written. I encourage you to pick up a copy and share it with your loved ones.

Oh yeah, I want to fix up my cubicle space like this.

Baby it's Coooold Outside!

It's cold out there...so bundle up and grab a cup o joe to go! And remember, America doesn't run on Dunkin, America gets fat on Dunkin. Mia and Robert got married on Friday and it was a wonderful ceremony and reception. It was great seeing everyone and I got some really great footage which I look forward to editing. Friday night I started feeling awful, with stomach pain and sore muscles. This sick feeling continued through the weekend ( Elissa and I missed Asha's yearly holiday party)and I am still feeling it today especially as I rode the train this morning. Hopefully I'll be able to make it through the day.

Are you a Netflix subscriber? Well I have been for awhile and Brendan recently made me aware of the watch instantly feature. I get two dvds at a time and who knew that every month I get 14 hours of watching movies instantly online. It's really great! Just go to the netflix site and click on the watch instantly tab. The choices are somewhat limited but I managed to find a lot I wanted to see.

Hope you are in for a great week!!!

I Am Legend

I am currently immersed in post-apocalyptic stories. I am reading Cormac McCarthy's The Road and last night saw I Am Legend. I am really really enjoying The Road and I highly recommend it. I'm hesitant to recommend I Am Legend. Some will like it, others won't. Let me start out with the things I didn't like about the movie. The story is the main problem. I don't want to spoil anything but the story goes nowhere. It's too bad that this is the case, because the action and scare factor of this movie is great. The best thing about this movie and the reason I would recommend it, are the shots of post-apocalyptic New York City. I also will admit that both Elissa and I were nearly jumping out of our seats during certain very intense scenes. So if you want to watch some fluff, be scared, and see Will Smith's shapely bod...check out I Am Legend this weekend.

Creative Visualization

So I strongly believe in ESP...

Extra-Sensory Perception (ESP) is the purported ability to acquire information by paranormal means independent of any known physical senses or deduction from previous experience. The term was coined by Duke University researcher J. B. Rhine to denote psychic abilities such as telepathy, precognition and clairvoyance. ESP is also sometimes casually referred to as a sixth sense. The term implies sources of information currently unexplained by science. Popular belief in ESP is widespread.[1][2][3]


While on the train in this morning I was thinking about Michael Berger and how I hadn't seen him on the subway in awhile. I had a strong feeling that I would see him again today but when I got on the subway car he wasn't there. I arrived at West 3rd street, stepped out of my car and there was Mr. Berger. Weird huh? It freaked me out but things like this happen often to many people.

Today is our holiday party so at 4:00pm I will be heading over for some snacks and work fun! Then Elissa and I are off to see a special screening of I Am Legend. It's getting mixed reviews but for the most part critics enjoyed it. I saw Will filming this movie when they closed off Washington Square for what is apparently a huge vampire scene. I can't wait!

I mentioned that I saw Juno last weekend. Well I bought the soundtrack on itunes because the cd isn't being released until January. The soundtrack is phenomenal! I listend to it on the train and am looking forward to hearing it again later.

Here's a little something special for you on this warm Wednesday!

Not only do interns like heckling Bill Clinton, but aparently so do robots

Diet Squirt

Diet Squirt, a Fresca-like drink that I purchased last week just because it was called Diet Squirt. I looked on Wikipedia and found this:

Squirt is a caffeine-free citrus-flavored soft drink created in 1938 by Herb Bishop. Bishop gave Squirt its name because the drink seemed to "squirt" into your mouth like a freshly squeezed grapefruit. Squirt is naturally flavored and contains grapefruit juice (less than 1%). Another version, Ruby-Red Squirt, which is a citrus-berry flavor and contains caffeine, was created in 1993.

A Diet Squirt was also introduced. Diet Squirt is similar to Fresca. In 1983, Diet Squirt became the first soft drink in the United States to be sweetened with aspartame. Diet Squirt is carbonated with a white tint to it. A vitamin-C-enriched Diet Squirt Plus was briefly marketed in the mid 1980s.

Wal-Mart sells a product similar to Squirt, named simply "Grapefruit." Unlike other Wal-Mart-branded sodas which are available chain-wide, the availability of Grapefruit is apparently limited to markets in which Squirt is popular.

Ownership of the Squirt brand has changed hands several times and is currently owned by the British Cadbury Schweppes. In the United States the brand is produced under the authority of Dr Pepper/Seven Up, Inc.

I think perhaps they should change the name of this soda. What do you think?


Out on DVD today:
Bourne Ultimatum
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
LOST Season 3


Wii is an amazing thing. Here's a video that proves just how great it can be:

Crowds, Juno, Latkes, Oh My!

It seems that either the sign outside of Atlanta Bread Company is constantly being targeted by witty teens or letters are always falling off. This one got my attention and I snapped a quick photo of it. So go ahead, war up with some cocoa and coffee.

Wow, this past weekend was so much fun. It started with a great dinner with Liz and Brendan at Spring Street Natural. I highly recommend it. Now that the holiday season is well underway one must remember the thousands of tourists coming to New York City. I remembered this when we got into Penn Station and were greeted by wall to wall people waiting for their trains. We could hardly navigate through the crowds it was so jam packed and the sidewalks were a similar situation. After dinner, we went to see Juno, the new movie directed by Jason Reitman. I would definitely recommend this film. Brendan introduced us to the Nerd Rope and we made sure to give each preview a thumbs up or down. Elissa and I had a blast.

Sunday was a great Hanukkah celebration with the Williams family. I always have a great time with them and this time there was hot oil and lots o' latkes. Yes, it was a latke making frenzy. The Food Netork should have been there to cover it. Rachel made the classic latke and I took a risky route and made the sweet potato latke (thanks to Briana for her great recipe). All of the latkes turned out great and were delicious. All of the food was really good as it always is and we even got Godiva Gelt! We exchanged presents and the evening was really wonderful!

Tonight is my grad school orientation. Then some holiday parties this week and I'm out on Friday for Mia's wedding.

Good Morning Cubicle!

I figured there was no better way to start off this friday than with some old classic sesame street clips. The second edition of Sesame: Old School was just released on DVD.

I've mentioned it before and I'll plug it again, the Late Show With David Letterman writers have a great strike blog. I wonder when the writers strike will end. There's a photo of paul shaffer sporting a grey beard. Maybe he's going to Sundance this year?
I'm at work and sitting in my new space! I forgot how much you can hear sitting in the middle of a room. You can hear everything everyone near me is saying, even those employees in offices around me. So much for any privacy.

Hanukkah is well underway and this weekend holds many fun adventures! I hear there may be some snow in the forcast as well. While I'm on the topic of snow I want to mention that the folks at JibJab have provided us with more fun videos in which we can insert faces of our loved ones. So pull out some photos of your family and the old scanner and let the chaos ensue...or just use recent digital photos. Either way, it's a fun way to wish those you care about a happy holiday season.

Ready for your Friday Sing Along?

The cube

The cube

Moving Day

Today is the day I move out of our office and into the hallway! I wanted to take some photos of what the room was like yesterday...a flurry of activity. I see this move as being temporary for a number of reasons and it's really interesting to listen to people go on and on about the move. It's really putting people in a foul mood and a number (more than 5) of staff members really seem agitated. Well, 'tis the season.

I'm just happy that break is coming up and many many celebrations. The temperature has dropped and the new year is just around the corner. In movie news, No Country For Old Men picked up a National Board of Review award for Best Picture of the Year and my favorite, Tim Burton, was nominated for best director for Sweeney Todd. You can see the other winners here. It is thought by some that the National Board of Review picks for these awards has something to do with who is nominated for Academy Awards. Is this true? Keep an eye on the NBR list and come Oscar time, let's compare.

And now for something I know you will enjoy. Recently on MARTHA, the folks put together a segment with bloopers over the years. I enjoyed this and hope you will too!

Is a Cubicle Life Worth Living?

Devang and I are being transported to a new workspace. We'll be surrounded by 3 grey walls and will be a part of basically every conversation that takes place on our side of the floor. I'm not one to complain so I won't.

I've been searching for some cool cubicle toys and I found a great site. If you are having difficulty buying gifts for the person who has everything, you have to check out this site!

Last night was the first night of Hanukkah! It was a lot of fun and I'm looking forward to more crazy nights. Well, not really crazy. Speaking of crazy, there was some really big news on The Today Show this morning. Jenna Bush called her parents on Ellen!!! Can you believe it???!! What exciting news!!! Thanks Matt and Meredith for feeding us the important stuff.

Short post today and probably tomorrow as we are all moving. Enjoy your day!

Elf Yourself

I had a blast with this last year and thanks to Elizabeth reminding me, you can have fun with it as well!!!

Elf Yourself

A Clips and Quips Reunion

Elissa and I took the train into the city yesterday to meet up with Boaz at the Golden Compass premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater. It was like old times as Boaz and I interviewed the film's stars with the added bonus of having my incredible girlfriend there with us. We had a lot of fun! I will definitely post the segment when it's finished. The three of us then went out to dinner at a Thai restaurant . Not only was it delicious but it was really reasonably priced. $7.50 or less for most of the entrees. That's cheaper that McDonalds.

This weekend was really exciting because we got our first snow storm! Well I don't know if you can call it a storm but we got around 2 inches in NJ. Not quite enough to build a snowman but everything looked so nice covered in white.

If I worked on a train I would have a blast making the announcements over the loud speaker. That's probably the only part of the job I would enjoy. Last night on the train one of the workers said the following into the loud speaker. "Attention this message is for the ladies on this train. Attention this message is ONLY for the ladies... It is raining pretty hard outside so take out your umbrellas because sugar melts in the rain" He had a really good audience and laughs could be heard throughout the train cars.

And once again Leno follows Letterman's lead.

This just in..Fire on West 3rd

A fire has broken out underground at West 3rd. BREAKING NEWS

David Wain

Boaz is in town and he asked me to help him film an interview with funny man David Wain during my lunch break. I couldn't refuse the offer and am really looking forward to getting back behind the camera!

WHAP! WHAP!

JUNO

Boaz saw a screening of Juno last night and it seems as though he really liked it! I can't wait to see it. I have included a link to director Jason Reitman's blog in my links section. Check it out!

Sundance

As of now, it looks as though I won't be headed to Sundance this year. The lineup has been announced and there are some great looking films. Maybe I'll be crazy and just book a flight out there.

Speaking of films, they were filming something in Washington Square Park this morning. They set up a platform and there were picket signs that read something like "Moms fighting fat" but don't quote me on that as I was still in a sleepy daze.

Just before I came across the filming, I was assaulted. I'm not sure the guy was completely homeless but he had a scar running across his entire face. I saw him approach someone else and tried getting to the other side of the street but he ran after me and attached himself to my arm. I picked up my walking pace and he wouldn't let go. Should I run? Scream? Hop? Skip? He was talking a mile a minute about my positive aura and how he was in a relationship and it didn't work out because the woman said he was too negative and god bless me and then he asked me for money. He let go first and then asked me for money. I told him I didn't have anything and then he walked away. It was weird. I kept my hands in my pockets so that he wouldn't shake my hand. So if you see him approaching....start jogging.

Don't you hate sitting all day at work? Me too! I try to get up out of my chair as often as possible and here's a reason why we should all just stand up!

'Tis the season to be Merry...I love getting holiday party invites!

You've Been Googled!

Kristen took a class
Kristen started a blog
Kristen wrote about St. Baldrick's Foundation not sending her an acknowledgement letter for her donation
A staff member at the Foundation had been googling
This staff member found Kristen's blog
The Foundation wrote her an email apologizing and letting her know that an email acknowledgement had been sent.
I'm sure that same staff member will be reading this blog entry today. Hi staff member.


In other news, four of us at work went in on a mega millions drawing last night. We didn't win the 60 million but we did win $3. Better than nothing!

The Nascar Victory lap parade is happening right now in Times Square and later on is the Christmas Tree Lighting where Al Roker usually is on hand to interview freezing tourists as they watch someone semi-famous push a red button. I'll watch from home thank you and use my clapper to turn some lights on and off for a similar effect.

I take the bus to work when I'm not staying at Elissa's and I get into work at about 7:50am. An hour and 10 minutes before I have to be there. Some call me crazy, but I like having some quiet time to get work done before people start coming in. I think they should give us an option to come in earlier and leave a little earlier. It makes it easier for those who have to commute into the city because even an hour makes a difference traffic wise. That's why I love commuting early! No traffic! 8-4! 8-4!

What else do I have to rant and rave about? oh.. I know, I caught them filming a new movie yesterday on broadway between 10th and 11th. It stars Michael Cera of Arrested Development and most recently, Super Bad and is titled, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. Bad title but it's based on a book.

"Playlist" is based on the novel by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan. Cera and Dennings will play a pair of broken-hearted teens who meet and fall in love over one night in New York City.

Indie film fans will be excited that "Playlist" will be directed by Peter Sollett ("Raising Victor Vargas") from a script by Lorene Scafaria.

I must mention that Peter Sollett is an NYU Alumnus! Maybe Peter will let me visit the set. Peter, are you out there, it's me, Evan.

Made in India

I don't know if you saw the article on the front page of the NY Times yesterday about Indian workers making manhole covers for ConEd and others. As you can see from the photo, working conditions don't look too great. Here's the article.

And here's an article on sex tourism...older ladies going to Kenya to pick up young men? Yikes!


The countdown is on for winter break. I can't wait! My birthday, the holidays, snow, gloves, Florida... Just a few more weeks to go. My grad school orientation is on December 10th and I am very excited. I don't quite know what to except so I will be sure to give a detailed report of what happens. Also going on next week, Arthur Frommer is coming to campus to do an alumni lecture. I'll have to ask him about the best nude beaches in france...kidding, just kidding.

I already told you about my crazy trip to Stew Leonards...well I was searching around on You Tube and found these videos. Enjoy!

I ate too much

Hey everyone,

I hope you had a really nice Thanksgiving and that you helped our economy by doing some holiday shopping. It's amazing how a four day weekend can feel so long. I could use a few more of these. My Thanksgiving was great because it was my mom's birthday, and I got to spend it with my family and Elissa. There was a lot of eating over the weekend and I'm ready to get back to the gym for my routine. 106.7 Lite FM has begun playing 24 hour holiday songs which makes me smile every time I turn it on. The window displays are changing, lights and wreaths are being hung...it's the most wonderful time of the year. On Saturday night, Elissa, Jon, and I went to see the new Coen Bros movie, No Country For Old Men, based on the novel by Cormac Macarthy. I still have mixed feelings about the movie, but the acting, directing, editing, sound, and score was incredible as they are in all of the Cohen movies. I love the way they use sound in their films. Everything from footsteps to a case of money being scraped to the creepiest murderer unscrewing a lightbulb...they are masters of their craft.

Thank You Elizabeth!!!

I'm Going To Disney World!!

Every year at this time, the President pardons a turkey. Well, this year the turkey is going to Disney World afterwards.

"...the winning Thanksgiving bird will get a first-class flight to Orlando on a United Airlines jet.

The bird will have a red-carpet entry to Walt Disney World. Visitors to Magic Kingdom can see the bird on Thanksgiving Day. It will also serve as grand marshal of the holiday parade before joining the resort's permanent live-animal collection.

This is the first pardoned turkey to be sent to Disney World. Two others have gone to Disneyland."

Does anyone else find this to be ridiculous? The turkey is being pardoned then leading a parade and then becoming part of the Disney "live-animal collection" as opposed to the "stuffed-animal collection". That turkey is going to get cooked at some point.



Happy Thanksgiving to all of my readers. I'll be off for the next few days but will be back on Monday with new exciting posts! Don't shop too much!

I'M IN!!!!!

I just found out that I got into Gallatin for grad school where I will be getting a masters in Entertainment Business. I'm so excited!!!!!

Ruby Tuesday

I hope you checked out the site for the Late Show Writers on Strike. I've been cheering them on and hope that you will go read the site and leave comments as well.

I can already taste the turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce. mmm.mmmm.mmmmmmm. I can't wait for Thursday! I'm a bit tired this morning so I'm going to share with you some youtube videos I know you will enjoy. The first one is for all of you Mr. or Ms. Wizards out there.



The next video is from one of my favorite youtube series: Will It Blend...well, will it? Of course it will!!!

How Far Would You Go?

Let me start off by saying we got our first snow fall yesterday and I woke up to a white landscape and even took photos! (See Below). Are we in for a warm winter? Who knows! All that I know is that I love snow. It makes everything seem so clean and pure and we need that in NJ/NYC.

Today's question: How Far Would You Go??? On Friday, my coworker Kristen told me about Stew Leonards. I had heard of it before but had no idea what it really was. I looked at the website and at the cup of yogurt with fruit and granola she bought there and exclaimed, "I've got to go there". And so on Saturday morning, Elissa and I did just that. We drove an hour each way to go to Stew Leonards, a grocery store. This marks the furthest I have ever driven just to go to a grocery store. Now you may be saying, "But Evan, it's not just a grocery store, it's an experience." I'll agree, but I was hoping for more. I wanted more fun! More animatronic things...the chaquita banana was on vacation!!!! Now come on. We managed to pick up some goodies and I bought fresh Grouper which was very good. The soft serve pumpkin ice cream was to die for. So good. I took a few photos (see below). I think the next time I need lemons, I'm going local.

Last week I mentioned a movie in my blog called Paris Je T'aime. Well I watched it over the weekend and it has made it to my top 10 films of 2007. Very very good. I highly recommend that you watch it! You'll thank me.

Well, it's Thanksgiving week, gobble gobble. I know I'm excited. By the way, did anyone happen to get lucky enough to catch this?

Wireimage

Two years ago, Boaz and I made our first trip to the Sundance Film Festival is Park City Utah. Not only did we get to see lots of movies, but we were celebrities. People were taking our photos left and right and we even made it onto Wireimage, not an easy feat. I saw that these photos are still available so be sure to put in your order today!

Letterman Writers on Strike!

I came across this great blog by the writers at Letterman who are currently on strike.

I also just read that Dave seems to be helping those who non-writers who aren't on strike. Way to go Dave!

Just Who Is Katie Couric?

It's always fun seeing tv personalities in their element and not reading from a teleprompter. We have all heard horrible things about Katie Couric from staff members who have worked with her and this video gives us a better idea of what she's really like.



It's the friday before Thanksgiving and it seems as though many people have already taken off for their Thanksgiving destinations. The bus was empty this morning which was such a pleasure. I was able to slump down in my chair and take a nice little nap.

For those of you who know me, I'm Mr. Gadget. I love cool gadgets. I recently made an early Birthday purchase and got a Blackberry. That's right, now you can reach me at all hours of the day via email. I've been good about not getting addicted and can turn the power off at anytime without a problem. So far I am really enjoying it and it's fantastic for the commute. So start sending me emails!

What better than to celebrate Friday with a Hillary clip! Enjoy your weekend!

Paris Je T'aime

So it's very unlike me to promote a movie or book I have yet to see or read...but there's a first for everything so here we go. Paris Je T'aime is my pick for must see DVD this week even though I just received my unopened copy in the mail yesterday. We can watch it together over the weekend and then discuss it on Monday.

Fall in love with the most romantic city in the world…Paris, the City of Light. This critically acclaimed, box-office smash combines visions from the world’s top directors -- the Coen brothers (Fargo), Alexander Payne (Sideways), Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting) -- and some of America’s top stars -- Natalie Portman (Closer), Elijah Wood (The Lord Of the Rings), Juliette Binoche (Chocolat) -- who together create a panoramic portrait of this photogenic city. Find yourself transported and maybe transformed by these sexy, romantic, haunting, dramatic and beautiful stories. Paris Je T'Aime goes beyond the "postcard" view of Paris to portray aspects of the city rarely seen on the big screen, revealing its Parisian heart and soul and leaving you with a vision that will last long after the film is over.

Looks good, non?

NYU Journalism is making headlines this morning.


Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays and I am so looking forward to next week. And how could I leave you without something turkey related? Well, here you go!




*** Devang shared with me this story about a man who has tree growths***

Candy Cane Joe Joe's

That's right!!! Trader Joes has their limited edition Candy Cane Joe Joe's. They always sell out so run to your local store and pick up a box or two.

Sweatin To The Oldies

It appears as though someone has created gym classes for fat babies. That's right moms, think your baby is fat? Take them to the baby gym!

Last night I was so happy. This was partially due to the fact that the holiday commercials are starting to run. Sleighbells and all! It's the most wonderful time of the year. And while I'm on the topic of the holidays, I was so happy when I saw that Rev. Billy aka Bill Talen is coming out with a movie called What Would Jesus Buy? Boaz and I saw a short with him in it at Sundance and then saw him at Times Square. I went over and spoke with him and he is quite the character. He's like a Gospel version of Michael Moore.



Oh yeah, and NYU president John Sexton is raking in the big bucks!

Woweewow

Despite my being sick, I went with Elissa to the 2007 Tisch Gala last night at Town Hall. The event was a little well put together package of presenters, performers, and short video interludes which introduces the honorees. Chris Columbus (the director, not the explorer), Joan Tisch, Alec Baldwin, Ethan Hawke, Billy Crudup, and many others were present. It was fun and ran only a perfect hour and a half thanks to the help of teleprompters.

I missed the last NY Art show of Damien Hirst, but perhaps I'll head over the the Lever house to view his new show.

Tomorrow night, when the shrouding is removed from Lever House’s lobby at Park Avenue and 54th Street, viewers will confront a veritable Noah’s Ark of roadkill — 30 dead sheep, one dead shark, two sides of beef, 300 sausages, a pair of doves — that the British artist Damien Hirst describes as his most mature piece.

In addition to the art spectacle, illuminated 24 hours a day by fluorescent light, passers-by will also be able to gawk tomorrow night at an invitation-only party for some 2,000 art-world glitterati.

Perhaps I should be one of the bloggers on strike but I was on strike last week and have to please my readers who were angry that there have been no new posts.

Did you hear about the new $1,000 fine for feeding pigeons? It's about time they implement this law. Now the city can go around giving $1,000 fines to pigeon ladies who can't afford to pay up. Watch out Home Alone 2 pigeon lady! Watch out!

Boaz has a thing for ants and he celebrates Ant Day! I thought he might enjoy this article that says humans can learn a lot from the little insects.


HILLARY!!! WATCH OUT!!!

Coworker break

I'm BAAACK

Well, sort of. Sorry for the lack of posting lately but I've been really sick with a heavy cold. Unable to talk, sing, breathe...it hasn't been fun. Thanksgiving is around the corner and I'm already craving some turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce. This is my favorite time of the year because I can just feel all of the holidays and the new year around the corner. I've got a new toy and I love it! Okay, be sure to check in tomorrow for a very special post!!!!!!

The Birds

At the bus stop this morning I witnessed thousands of birds flying out of a tree and into the air. They separated and formed circles and then flew away. I tried capturing it by whipping out my camera phone but I couldn't get a clear shot. I can see how Alfred hitchcock came up with the idea for The Birds, a true classic.

I'm feeling sick today and hope I can make through the day. Occasionely I still receive review copies of books but none that interest me. Yesterday, I received a graphic novel that is really interesting and I thought I'd promote it here. It's called Shooting War and it's based on this website. Here's a blurb from their website about the book:

The Book
The year is 2011. The global war on terror is raging out of control. The American economy is deep in recession. The president is popping Prozac. When a suicide bomber blows a Brooklyn Starbucks to bits, hipster videoblogger Jimmy Burns is in the right place at the right time. His dramatic footage is picked up by Global News (“Your home for 24-hour terror coverage”) and Burns is transformed into an overnight media sensation. The next thing he knows he’s on a Black Hawk flying low and fast towards war-ravaged Baghdad. But Burns’ greatest dream – to become a war correspondent – quickly becomes his greatest nightmare. Everyone from his ratings-ravenous bosses, to a renegade squad of U.S. Army commandos, to a tech-savvy band of murderous jihadists all try to make him their pawn. But Burns has other ideas.

SHOOTING WAR began as an Eisner-nominated serialized web comic in May 2006 here on SMITHMAG.net. After receiving extensive media coverage, the story was acquired by Grand Central Publishing for publication in North America and in the UK by Weidenfeld & Nicolson. The full-color 192-page hardcover graphic novel will feature over 110 pages of new material, including all new plots twists and, by popular demand, more Dan Rather than you can shake a dead armadillo at.

SHOOTING WAR is written by Anthony Lappé and illustrated by Dan Goldman.

Click here to purchase a copy.





Because many of my writers are on strike, I would like to leave you with a wacky wednesday clip! Enjoy.

Weekend Activities

Below are some photos I snapped with my phone during some of the activities I participated in this past weekend. You will see a photo from the middle school version of Guys and Dolls that I saw...yes, middle schoolers playing gamblers and talking about marriage is quite funny. You will also see two photos from Devachan Salon where Elissa got her hair cut. They specialize in "embracing your inner curl" and you can see from the photo that even the branch decor is curly. The other photos below are of Lasagne/Italian Night which took place at the Puddingstone Club House. Lots of food, lots of neighbors...I had fun. Looking forward to Vermont this weekend!

Wakeup Call

Here's a way to gain voters and make sure people are at home when you call for their support.

It's 2 a.m. Do you know whom you're voting for?

That question confronted 3,000 voters across Peekskill, Cortlandt and Yorktown who were jarred awake by a campaign call for Democrat Domenic Volpe. Volpe is seeking to unseat county Legislator George Oros, R-Cortlandt, in Tuesday's election.

Way to go Volpe!

I'm so glad it's Friday. I'm so glad we get to turn the clocks back this weekend. I'm so glad THanksgiving is around the corner. I'm so glad.

Have you heard about Mighty Mice?

Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have genetically engineered mice that outrun, outlive, and out-eat ordinary mice while staying lean, light, and fertile well into old age.

Chalk it up to a change in a single gene.

That genetic tweak boosted levels of an enzyme called PEPCK-C in the mice's skeletal muscles, knocking mice's muscle metabolism into orbit.

"They are metabolically similar to Lance Armstrong biking up the Pyrenees," researcher Richard Hanson, PhD, says in a news release.

Yes, but can they fly? Who would have thought they would be comparing mice to Lance Armstrong.

November 1st

Happy November! Time to take down the inflatable ghost and put up the inflatable turkey. Also, ready, set, WRITE! Today starts national novel writing month. So sign up and start that novel!

I hope you had a great Halloween!!! I sure did and I even found someone who went all out with their haunted house. He had a mic system, graveyard, flying ghosts, and more. He wins the award for best haunted house in Madison, NJ.

Did you see that the army has been testing invisible tanks? So James Bond, check out this article! There's even a real life "Q"!

Nothing says fun like paragliding...especially on your 100th birthday!~ Peggy looks like she had a blast and happy birthday!



Happy Birthday also to Rachel who celebrates her birthday today! Who wants to go check out the Ocean Spray Big Apple Bog? I do!!!

Mark Your Calendar!

Robert Goulet

We'll miss you, Mr. Goulet.