Boy am I glad it's Friday! The partying starts tonight as does my first summer vacation. Let's take a moment to celebrate by posting this wonderful pic taken as I approached the finish line. Thanks Elissa!
*Cue Chariots of Fire please*
Wow, you would think Blue Moon and TCNJ were paying me. Even though the photo is awful and I look like I was in pain, I had a great time.
I hope you have a great weekend. The blog will be off next week but stay tuned for exciting posts when I return. I may however post some photos from Virginia Beach.
I don't think I've ever been to Virginia so I am really looking forward to vacationing there. They say Virginia is for lovers so it's an appropriate destination right now. If you are curious, here is the history of the slogan:
Virginia is for Lovers is the tourism and travel slogan of the state of Virginia. Used since 1969, it has become a well recognized and often imitated part of American jargon. For example, New York drew on its success to create the I Love New York logo nearly a decade later in 1977. Maryland also parodied this phrase with their own "Maryland is for Crabs" slogan. A team led by David N. Martin and George Woltz of Martin and Woltz Inc. of Richmond, Virginia came up with the slogan after winning the Virginia State Travel account in 1968. Originally, they had come up with history ads, "Virginia is for History Lovers"; beach ads, "Virginia is for Beach Lovers"; and mountain ads, "Virginia is for Mountain Lovers". This approach was eventually discarded as too limiting, and the qualifiers were dropped. "Virginia is for Lovers" was born. Martin and Woltz Inc. eventually gained prominence and grew to become The Martin Agency. The first year that the slogan was introduced, travelers spent $800 million in Virginia. By 2004, that number had increased to more than $14 billion, making Virginia the tenth most popular tourist destination of the fifty states. American Idol winner Jordin Sparks recorded a song called Virginia is for Lovers in 2007 and it was featured as a bonus track on her eponymous debut album.
I noticed this dome art on my walk to work this morning and didn't think I had seen it there before.
My to-do list for today is quite long so I will end here and leave you with this. You might want to put the kids to sleep before watching this:
I didn't get to put birthday wishes up yesterday for E's birthday so I'm doing it today! Here's to carrying out the party for as long as possible!
Have you ever thought about auctioning your life off on Ebay? No, neither have I.
Watch out, Japanese game shows are headed our way. Will they be a hit? Or a miss? Hey, I want to play human tetris.
I finally got around to seeing Iron Man over the weekend and didn't think I was going to like it as much as I did. Apparently I should have stayed for the credits.
I've been throwing away a lot of stuff lately and I came across a gem that I found while I was in college. I took a picture of it for the records:
I will write more about the weekend in tomorrow's blog... Yesterday, I participated in a 5k race with Elissa and afterwards there was beer, hot dogs, and watermelon. So I have been throwing away a lot of stuff from the past and I came across a daily writing exercise I had to do in middle school. The teacher would write something on the board and we would have to continue the sentence. I'm going to post these for you to enjoy. Here's the first one:
9/8/1992-
Daydreaming... (that's what the teacher wrote on the board)
(And here's what I wrote)
Daydreaming is something that everybody does during a boring subject in school. I once daydreamed during a subject and then the teacher called on me and I didn't know the answer. I was daydreaming about all different things. One day I dreamed that this weird guy made me invisible.
Here's another one for your enjoyment:
10/27/1992
How to play footbal...
The quarter back throws the ball. Someone on their team catches the ball and tries to make a touchdown. The problem with scoring a goal is that people from the other team try to stop you, so they tackle you. A tackle is when the people on the other team try to get you on the ground so that you can't score a touchdown. If you play football you also should wear a lot of padding so that you don't get hurt. Football is a very good sport, and that's how you play it.
Happy First Day of Summer!!! The sun was shining this morning, the birds were chirping, and I woke up feeling alive. It was a great feeling and I am such a lucky guy.
I know you are probably wondering about the title. Well I was in the mood for a sparkling refreshing beverage this morning with zero calories so I came across this clear glass bottle of Pink Grapefruit Clearly Canadian. Well it was zero calories, pink grapfruit (mmm) and clearly, Canadian. Well I hope everything in Canada doesn't taste as horrible as this drink. Gross...I don't think I've ever disliked a beverage as much as this one.
No wonder everyone I know seems to be going to Cape Cod lately...
Good morning! I'd like you to notice a new link on this page to the left. That's right, now you can subscribe to my blog via email which means you will get an email when I post something new. Doesn't get much better than that. Just think about all the time you'll save not having to constantly check my blog for new posts. So sign up today!
And now, back to our regularly scheduled blog post:
Have you seen any of the ads for Michelob ULTRA lately? I saw a few of the ads on the subway yesterday and I would have thought that they were advertising a sports drink. Seriously. Then this morning I went to the site and was shocked...Michelob ULTRA will make you better at sports? Go see it for yourself but be warned, you have to be 18 years of age or older to enter. Once you get through click on the bottles.
I somehow missed this article in the New York Times and word has it that Paramount has purchased rights to the article and J.J. Abrams is going to produce the feature film based on the article. So cool! I want to go see this place.
Check it out, the $200 Burger King Burger. That'll make you feel like a King.
A gang of female robbers dressed as nurses are on the loose in Florida. Okay, now there's a line in the very brief article that just made me laugh. Investigators are looking for a bunch of women but one in particular. Okay, ready for this?
"She is a heavy-set woman with very short hair and can be mistaken for a man, detectives said."
Wait, could you say that again please?
"She is a heavy-set woman with very short hair and can be mistaken for a man, detectives said."
Thank you. So if you have relatives in Florida tell them to check their nurse to make sure she couldn't be mistaken for a man.
People keep on asking me how I come up with such wacky commentary and I have to tell you something that I haven't told anyone before. When I was a baby..well, here...this explains it all:
Yeah, and this cured my fear of snakes at an early age:
We all love Sacha Baron Cohen and I was happy to see that his next movie, Bruno, will hit theaters May 15, 2009. Check out this website for some behind the scenes fun. If you haven't seen Da Ali G Show, do yourself a favor and add it to the queue...respect.
Now, who doesn't love a good thong story. Okay, Okay..let me try to get this straight. This woman goes into Victoria's Secret, tries on a v-string, and claims a metallic piece flew off and hit her in the eye causing injuries? Now she is suing Victoria's Secret and probably hoping for a lifetime supply of v-strings. So the next time you are in Victoria's Secret, be careful, wear goggles when trying on v-strings.
So Mark went to China for a week and as always, he brought back some candy. Below is a photo of the box of candy. He asked me why I thought no one was brave enough to unwrap the box and try it I told him maybe it was because it looked like the candy was made of Panda. See for yourself:
Wait, do you know...where did I put My Lil' Reminder? I can't remember..
Friday marks the first day of Summer which means longer days, watermelon, fireworks, corn, berries, warm breezes, the beach, shorts, ice cream, fireflies, peaches, lemonade... gee, I'm sounding more and more like Garrison Keillor. I better snap out of it...
Oh right, so my point was that if you are looking for a summer destination why not make it this nude Vermont beach. Wait, is that a wood paddle?
Have you been in a waiting room lately? It's such a fascinating place to observe people. I was in the waiting room yesterday waiting my turn to get blood drawn. To my left was Val, she was in her 70's and reading the local paper, The Daily Record. To my right, Melanie, who worked at JC Penny and usually went to a LabCorp near her house but that one gets so crowded that she tried this location. Closest to the window was Eugene, a guy around my age who was getting riled up because they couldn't find the paperwork that his doctor was supposed to fax over. Finally, there was another woman, whose name I didn't catch...but she was having a glucose screening and was told to drink a bottle of orange sugary liquid in 5 minutes. I watched her drink it slowly and eventually the guy who gave it to her told her she needed to hurry up and finish it. I finally got called in and though it took a few minutes, the "vampire", as she referred to herself, extracted enough blood and I was sent home.
There is a huge hole in the ceiling above my desk at work. I'd like to think it's safe but I'm not really sure. Many of the other tiles above my head look like they are about to fall. I wonder why they aren't being fixed? I hope they have been tested for Asbestos. Seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
I was hoping we'd have another guest blogger today but I don't think this guy is going to pull through until next week:
I snapped this candid photo of him yesterday when he wasn't looking.
Did you hear about this NYC company that is marketing with Obama and McCain condoms?
While the company can't guarantee the condoms are 100 percent effective, it says it's certain "that without wearing one, there's likely to be an Obama-Mama in your future."
So I have been looking for Mario Kart for Wii and they are sold out everywhere. I can wait until it's available but what is with Nintendo? Do they think it's funny that they have people scrambling around trying to find a copy. I went into Game Stop at the Short Hills Mall the other night and the guy in front of me was looking for it as well. Stop playing games, Nintendo. Same thing with the Wii Fit. Can't get it anywhere. You are just starting to annoy us.
This weekend has a lot in store including a Renaissance Wedding...I know, you can't wait to see those photos. Well I'll be sure to document the event and give you the rundown. What I can tell you is that I will be wearing this shirt, and only this shirt:
Whenever I see that David Sedaris has written a piece in the New Yorker, I quickly flip to that page to read his funny and brilliant commentary on life. I am really looking forward to reading his new book, When You Are Engulfed In Flames which was just released. In fact, many of the New Yorker pieces are in this book including one of my all time favorites, "Solutions to Saturday's Puzzle".
Have you ever been to YesButNoButYes? If not, I highly recommend it. You will most definitely enjoy Adam's commentaries and will enjoy the myriad of topics discussed. So check it out....NOW.
And who said I couldn't find a Damien Hirst original at my local thrift shop?
A few weeks ago I mentioned my exotic egg adventures at Whole Foods. Well they do sell Emu eggs so perhaps this is my next goal.
Do you have fun summer plans? I want to hear all about them!
Have you heard of Slavic Soul Party? Well Andrea has a friend in the band and she went to one of their shows the other night. I was curious and when she sent me to the website I heard their music and got into it. They are really great. Check it out for yourself. I dare you not to move your body once the music starts playing.
Oh, I think I see Andrea rockin' out...
I've got a great infomercial to share with you today. Now this is real and gave me a good laugh...Order yours Today!
Ahhhh..it was so pleasant this morning when I left the house and I'm happy that the 90 degree weather has left us. There were some really wild storms last night, knocking down trees and power lines and leaving commuters with many many delays. I won't talk much about commuting for awhile because Andrea says she is tired of hearing about commuting complaints.
I have mentioned on this blog before that my car gets 35 mpg, but imagine a car that gets 100mpg. Check it out!
Scientists at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden are testing a spruced-up Toyota Prius, a plug-in hybrid sedan complete with a solar panel attached to its oval roof and a bigger battery in the trunk to supply power in lieu of the gasoline-fueled engine. The result: A spunky Prius that runs the initial 60 miles mostly on battery, adding up to a fuel mileage of 100 miles per gallon.
The smurfs are coming to the big screen! Yes, that's right...those little blue smurfs will star in a animated/live action feature film. I wonder who is going to play Gargamel? I am assuming it will be a real person and I have heard someone suggest Ricky Gervais. How awesome would that be. Who do you think should play Gargamel? Johnny Depp? Bill Murray?
And now it's time I take something from those junky celeb magazines and make it my own.... Presidential Candidates Are Just Like Us
Oooooo...Obama Bikes
I love Mangoes and they are ripe and delicious now. So why not go ahead and make some Mango salsa? The best part, there are no tomatoes needed? Enjoy.
2 cups chopped pitted peeled mango 1 cup chopped red bell pepper 2/3 cup chopped green onions 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice 4 teaspoons olive oil Preparation Mix all ingredients in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill.)
What is with all of the "suits" walking around in this hot weather wearing their jackets and ties?? Do you think you look cool? Well, you don't. I don't want to hear you complaining that you are hot when you are wearing your jacket and tie which can easily be removed. So do me a favor, stop thinking you are impressing us by strutting around in your black suit. We are just laughing at you and will continue to do so until you wear "commuting clothes" on days when it is 100 degrees outside.
I often have wondered what happened to Mr. Wilde, my middle school math teacher whom I really liked. He was really nice and I always felt bad when kids would act up in class and make fun of him for rubbing against the chalk board and getting chalk all over his pants. I recall him once also having a pen leak in his shirt pocket, the kids laughed at that as well. After Elissa's race started I walked toward the finish line and heard a man say something behind me. I turned around and it was Mr. Wilde. It has been 13 years since I last saw him and he recognized me. He said I look exactly the same. We talked for awhile, until Elissa was finished and it was really great reconnecting with him. I encourage you to connect with a middle school teacher.
Have you heard about this whole Mattel, Dark Knight Joker figure ordeal? They are redesigning the Joker figure and now the figure that looks like Heath Ledger is being sold for ridiculous amounts of money. Quick, get your Joker action figure!
I know many of you keep tomatoes around the house waiting for the perfect moment to make your famous sauce. Well...Throw away your tomatoes!
I apologize in advance for my complaining in this post. I hope you enjoyed the guest blog on Friday and Brian's rants and raves about commuting in the city. I hope your commute was pleasant this morning, Brian. I took Elissa's advice and wore my shorts and t-shirt for the commute. The train was very well air conditioned but when I got to the subway platform I was immediately in a sweat. The train pulled up and of course I step into the car with no air conditioning and a really pungent odor from a homeless man who was sleeping inside. I quickly ran out and squeezed into a packed car next door. Whenever this happens I think to myself, why do I put myself through this? Why? Well, I need to make money, there's one reason. New York is really the pits when it is this hot and humid and you need to go out. Luckily, my office is air conditioned and I have a job where I don't need to be working outside or traveling except at the beginning and end of the day when it is coolest. Okay...so how was your weekend???
I had a lot of fun this weekend. Saturday began with garage sales and ended in Queens with some friends and a great game of Apples to Apples. Then came Sunday, a Greek festival in NJ with a lot of food, a lot of Greeks, and a whole lamb on the spitfire grill. (I should have taken photos but I didn't so you'll have to use your imaginations). Then Elissa and I went to my aunt and uncles for a swim in their pool which cooled us down and was really nice and relaxing.
On Saturday, Elissa got the new LG EnV 2 phone and we went to an annoying Verizon store where an annoying guy tried to help us. He told Elissa that she was eligible for this rebate on June 18th. Then she called Verizon and they said she was elligible on June 3rd..Then we went to another verizon dealer and he gave her the phone and the rebate...phew.. My reason for telling these details is this...at the first Verizon store, Elissa used one of the display phones to send me a text message..."I love you" . About three or four hours later I got another text, (pardon my french) "Poopsex" it read. Great, some punks were sending me messages from the store phone which now had my number stored in it. Luckily, I haven't gotten any more messages.
Man it's hot out...I heard the heat index is going to hit 105 today..whatever that means. I'm going to stay cool by watching this...
And here's a classic Techtv blooper which I first saw in College...
First off, I just want to thank Evan for bestowing upon me the honor of “guest blogger” on his critically-acclaimed blog. This is a moment for me.
Keeping with the most common theme of Evan Almighty (commuting headaches) I thought it would be fitting for a Manhattan commuter like myself to enlighten our buddy Evan to the fact that the grass is not always greener on the other side of NYC commuting (maybe he’ll even give NJ Transit a break as a result).
My morning misery starts with the very first intersection I reach at 60th and 2nd outside my apartment. With 3 bus stops, the 59th Street Bridge, 6 different subway stops and that decrepit tram dangling precariously above, the area is the epicenter of the Upper East Side commuting world. To make things worse, there is invariably some brain-dead tourist standing in front of Serendipity, Dylan’s Candy or Bloomingdales (seriously, if you come into the city only to shop at a department store and eat overpriced crap in a cramped diner surrounded by gaudy tchotke, then you deserve to be shot . . . or at least exiled from the island.)
To make matters worse, I have to duck and weave through the collection of people standing on the corner once they cross the street. I swear, it’s like kicking your day off by navigating your way through the Double Dare obstacle course.
Quick side note to all the “standers” on NYC corners – MOVE!! Seriously, people need to get out of the street. The cornerstone of my 2009 NYC Mayoral campaign is going to be the introduction of a law that punishes corner standing with the same firing squad for the tourists outside of Bloomingdales. Or at least arrest and fine them like this guy.
Once that mini-nightmare is over, I get to deal with the subway with such annoyances like the people who rummage for their metrocard while blocking the turnstile (firing squad); the people who stand and block the left side of the escalator (firing squad); and the people that don’t stand to the side to let the people off the subway (bamboo shoots under the fingers nails . . . followed by the firing squad).
This is pretty good visual evidence of the scene I’m talking about:
Thankfully, once on the train I can tune out with my iPod and book and try to completely ignore every other human around me (if anyone cares, Nina Simone and “How to Think Ahead in Chess” are my current musical and reading distractions. I can recommend both). But tuning out is sometimes hard when someone is screaming in the subway car for a hand out, a fight breaks out because someone stepped on someone else’s foot, or a tourist is hanging over the seats staring at the map to see where they should get off (can you tell I don’t like NYC tourists? If that makes me some kind of mean-spirited jerk, so be it. I can’t stand them!).
Things finally brighten up when I reach 8th street as I emerge in the bustling Village neighborhood that houses NYU. That’s the peaceful end to my commute - except when the students are here and clogging the streets . . . boy I could go on a rant about them!
See Evan, NJ Transit isn’t so bad when you look at it in perspective.
Thanks for popping my blogging cherry!
z
*** I can't tell you how thrilled I am with our first guest blogger...way to go Brian!! I just want to let you know that despite your commuting issues, I will not give NJ Transit a break and I feel this is an appropriate moment to share with you the response they sent to my email complaining about their trains and their making people stand including the elderly and the pregnant. Have a wonderful weekend.
Dear Mr. Nisenson,
We are replying to your feedback of 5/16/2008 regarding subject: Not Enough Cars Once Again.
We are truly sorry that your commute has not been going as smoothly as you and NJ TRANSIT would like. We have shared your frustrations with the appropriate rail supervisory personnel for review and consideration.
During peak commuting periods, the majority of our equipment and crews must be engaged elsewhere. Relief is on the way, as NJ TRANSIT is in the midst of implementing major improvements to our rail service. A total of 279 new rail cars have been ordered to provide customers with added seating and comfort. The manufacturer is expected to deliver all 279 cars by the end of 2008 or early 2009.
As the new cars are delivered and tested, the multilevel fleet will be used for additional service and to replace some single-level cars on the Morris & Essex and Montclair-Boonton lines. Additionally, as the multilevel fleet enters revenue service, NJ TRANSIT will reassign modern Comet IV and V equipment to replace many 34-year-old Comet I-series cars, the oldest in the fleet. Currently, Comet I cars are used on the Main, Bergen County, Pascack Valley, Montclair-Boonton and Morristown lines.
Please keep in mind that rail cars are not only shared between trains, but when you observe an extra car "missing," please be assured that this is due to scheduled maintenance that must be performed to assure safety throughout our rail system.
The decisions made regarding the number of cars needed on certain rail lines, during specific times of the day, are based on extensive investigations made by our Rail Planning Department. When a pattern of overcrowding is observed on a particular train, every effort is made to relieve the problem. However, we cannot guarantee a certain number of cars on any train. We ask for your continued patience and understanding.
Thank you for giving us the opportunity to explain some of the challenges we face in operating our service. Rest assured that your concerns are ours as well.
I'm sure you have come upon signs that have mistakes in them. Well yesterday I came across the two shown above. The first, a small little sign placed by the exit of Whole Foods. It's blurry so I'll tell you what part of it says: " Our store is location is convenient to many subways and bus lines thus reducing the..." How could they put this brass sign up in the store with such an obvious grammatical mistake?
And the second note advertises a room for rent in a Niece building...not a nephew or uncle or aunt, but a niece building. Glad to see NYU is teaching students how to proofread.
I think everyday there is another article in the paper about another positive effect of alcohol. Here's the new claim.
I've recently been obsessed with Infomercial bloopers and here's my pick of the week:
I would like to start having some guest bloggers so if you are interested in contributing please let me know. I've put the offer out to Brian and Devang and perhaps they will take me up on it.
So I read about this guy who has some really great marketing techniques. First ex-MTV Road Ruler/writer/photographer Jake Bronstein dressed up in a Wookie suit and rode the subway hoping for a missed connection posting on Craigslist. Now, he's planting pennies around the city with a message affixed to one side that reads "It's Your Lucky Day" and then promotes his website. What a great idea! Maybe I should try doing this with my blog and taping notes to ripe fruit in the supermarket that say "This Fruit is Ripe. evanlucas.blogspot.com.
Like Magic? Then check out this creepy guy who claims to have the first interactive YouTube Video and disabled embedding.
I am very much looking forward to the Cohen Brothers' next film, Burn After Reading but I know you are more excited about Space Chimps...I guess monkeys are still funny.
It's going to be hot and humid today so I am bracing myself for the commute home. How will you cool down? Frappuccino? Dip in the pool? Lemonade? Gelato? I'm just going to keep on watching this:
Millions of men and women who suffer from premature baldness or hair loss could soon be able to regain their original lustrous locks - by cloning their remaining hair in the laboratory, research suggests.The new technique, known as “follicular cell implantation”, has already shown positive results in continuing clinical trials on human beings. The work, being carried out by a British team, is being hailed as a major advance in hair restoration and is backed by a £1.9 million government grant.
I'm looking forward to regaining my original lustrous locks..lustrous locks...lustrous locks..lustis looks..lustric strocks...
Not only do we have to be careful what we pack to bring on the plane, but now we can't wear Transformers t-shirts? Oh, come on!
So have you seen the show Bizarre Foods? I haven't really watched it but have been curious so I checked some clips out on YouTube...it's gross, really gross. Here's a clip and be warned, it's gross.
In case you were wondering, this is the book I am currently reading and it's really surprisingly fascinating. Want to be the most popular kid on campus? Join an acapella group.
Hey, don't you wish you could impress guests with bartending skills? Well, now you can! I found this series on YouTube that will teach you to make a number of drinks!
Blogger was down this morning so I apologize to my early morning readers. So here's the big question.... Did you see Sex and The City the movie this weekend? No, neither did I. Instead, Mark, Andrew and I went to see Indiana Jones and the alien skull with unnecessary flying monkey scene and wait, is Shia La Boeuf Tarzan? I enjoyed it but wasn't crazy about the story. I'm wondering what is going to happen next with the Indy franchise.
So, did you see the new alien footage? They should have edited this footage into the new Indy movie.
(UPDATE: The widely viewed video making the rounds on YouTube is a fast-and-cheap hoax clip put together by a Colorado debunker, according to The Rocky Mountain News: "A Denver man Thursday night spent five hours and $90 creating a hoax video of a space-alien-looking creature peering through a window," the paper reported.)
Here's my chocolate dessert of the week and boy does it look good:
This cake is light and luscious, like a barely cooked chocolate mousse. It's best served with strawberries, which are coming in gorgeous from New Jersey to the Greenmarkets right about now. Full recipe after the jump.
Chocolate-Whiskey Pudding Cake (adapted from Desserts by the Yard by Sherry Yard) 2 sticks (1 C, 8 oz) unsalted butter, cut into chunks 12 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped 5 large eggs 1 C plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar 1/2 C bourbon 1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
Preheat your oven to 350 F with a rack in the middle of the oven. Set up a deep baking pan with sixteen 4 oz ramekins set in it. Butter and flour the ramekins.
Melt the chocolate and butter together in a double boiler and stir together until smooth.
Beat the eggs with 1 C sugar until light and fluffy - they will expand drastically in size and become far paler than you might expect, a light cream color, almost. It'll take about 5 minutes on high speed in a Kitchenaid stand mixer.
Whisk in the chocolate mixture and the bourbon.
Stir the flour and 2 tbsp sugar together in a separate bowl. Whisk that into the batter as well.
Fill the ramekins to about 1/4" from the top with the batter.
Pour boiling water into the baking sheet around the ramekins, such that it comes about halfway up the sides of the ramekins.
Bake for about 20 minutes, or until fully set. Remove from the oven and set to cool on a rack. Serve slightly warm with fruit and perhaps whipped cream (Yard suggests whipped creme fraiche).
