I don't have class on Monday night because of the holiday and I for some reason, thought that because I didn't have class, I didn't have work. I was wrong. We don't get it off even though government offices and public schools are closed. So I figure on Monday, I'll make lunch plans with Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.
I finally got around to watching Speed Racer the other night and I was surprised. It wasn't that bad. In fact, it was like candy for the eye. Great sets, colors, and effects. Speeeeeeed Raceeeeeer.
Did you catch the Thursday night, Saturday Night Live special last night? I thought it was pretty funny. It's a lot funnier when it's all political.
So there have been rumors that on Tuesday, Apple will release their new MacBook and MacBook Pro models. It looks like it's going to happen.
That's right, last night I went to go see a press screening of Body of Lies (I will let you know what I thought of it in a bit). Trying to get the 9:30pm bus back to NJ I quickly hopped into a cab and headed to Port Authority. The clock was quickly approaching departure time. The cab pulled over into the cab lanes outside of Port Authority. I swiped my credit card and opened my door. All of a sudden, I hear some guy yelling and see this guy on his bike stop short a few inches from my door. He was biking between my cab and the cab sitting next to me. He was wearing no helmet and if he wasn't paying attention or was any less skilled with the use of his breaks, he would have been on the ground. He started screaming at me with his German accent and I screamed back. But I was too determined to catch the bus so I quickly fled to my gate. I hope you are reading this, German bike rider with no helmet. Why are you riding your bike between cabs in front of the Port Authority? What is wrong with you? I was just getting out of the cab (curbside) and you yell at me?
Let me get back to the movie, Body of Lies. It's one of those terrorist/CIA flicks that jumps back and forth to locations around the world. It's brilliantly directed by Ridley Scott and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Leonardo carries this movie completely. Russel Crowe doesn't do much for me. The most impressive thing about his performance is that he gained 50 pounds for the film. The other brilliant performance in this film is given by Mark Strong. He is excellent. If you're looking for an action packed thriller I recommend this one. I actually found this movie to be quiet disturbing and terrifying because it all seems so real and it is. Body of Lies is based on a novel of the same name by author David Ignatius, a veteran journalist who covered the CIA and Middle Eastern affairs for 10 years for The Wall Street Journal before joining The Washington Post, where he is currently an associate editor and columnist. The film is very well paced and goes by very quickly. The major disappointment for me was the ending. For some reason, I went into the film expecting a surprise ending and wanted more of a twist. Bottom line: On the Evan Almighty scale of 1-10 I give Body of Lies a 7.
I took a walk to Whole Foods yesterday for lunch and I spotted Sarah Silverman having lunch at a table on the sidewalk at Think. I'm a big fan of Sarah so this was definitely an exciting sighting. Exciting sighting, I like that.
Umm okay, so robots are pretty cool right? Well this just freaked me out a bit:
While watching the 11:00PM news last night on NBC Chuck was reporting on a story about reptiles when there was a sudden beeping and he let us know that there was a fire alarm going off. Then he smoothly continued finishing the story. It was a nice moment.
I had a great class last night. The VP of nonfiction programming for a major cable channel came in to speak to us about programming and what he looks for when taking on new projects. He also made us raise our right hand and swear not to tell (or blog) about any of the clips he was going to show us as he showed us some things in the works. Nope, not going to tell you.
I have a wonderful group of friends but this morning I was also thinking about the wonderful group of street friends that I have. I take the same walking route to work every morning once I get off the subway and I pass the same people every day. These are my street friends. I don't know their names, their occupations, where they live...I don't really know anything about them. But I see them every morning and it's very nice. Do you have street friends?
Nick and Norah's Infinate Playlist might be bringing more customers to Veselka!
The Visitor is now out on DVD..be sure to see this film!
I'm thrilled that Anne Hathaway has signed for the role of The White Queen in the Disney version of Alice In Wonderland directed by Tim Burton. I'm a big fan of Hathaway's and think it's funny that she used to come see me perform in my high school musicals.
And now I leave you with my clip of the day. I wonder who I need to write to to get tickets for this show?
I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Over the weekend I caught Food Detectives which taught me that a) bar snacks are okay to eat and are not covered in bacteria except for cheese and crackers. I'll be sure to stay away from those at the next party and b) cooking with liquid nitrogen can be fun! Not only can you shatter raspberries but you can also grind up foods such as olives into a powder to make a great meat rub. I love this show and check out one of my favorite food blogs, Ideas in Food.
Did you hear about the Fisher-price doll that apparently speaks messages of hate when it should be speaking baby talk?
Check this out...the first short film filmed entirely with a cell phone:
I think it was the piece of dark chocolate I ate last night that kept me up for awhile and when that happens...well, late night karaoke.
The weekend is just about here and you better grab a light jacket or sweater this morning because it is definitely starting to feel like fall. I'm looking forward to some more apple and pumpkin picking soon. The weekend weather is supposed to be perfect and part of it will be spent writing a paper. I'm sure many if not all of you watched the debate last night, but did you stay up to watch Ben Folds on Conan? It was awesome to be able to see Sam rocking out on drums. Very cool. If you missed it, don't worry. I'm providing a link. Click here to watch it online. The new album is really quite good and I'm bummed I missed the New York City performances.
There were a bunch of empty seats on the bus this morning but for some reason the last woman onto the bus chose to sit next to me. I look forward to a day without someone next to me on the bus and I thought today was going to be the one day this week. I started to get comfortable, spread out my legs but my comfort was cut short when this lady sat down. I was cornered. I couldn't get out so I just went to sleep. She was shifting a lot and I felt it. I am hoping that in the near future, I will be able to eliminate "commuting" from my vocabulary.
Did you hear about this guy who smeared peanut butter all over a fellow student who was allergic to peanuts? This is an awful story but I'm curious: crunchy or creamy?
Broadway will be dimming the lights tonight at 8PM for a minute in memory of Paul Newman.
Ciao WaMu!
Have a great weekend everyone! And hey, give me a call. Okay, take it away Lil O'Reilly...
Be sure to tune in tonight for the VP debate: Biden Vs.Palin. Should be very interesting to see what happens. I found out yesterday about a really exciting opportunity that has now been given to me and I am ready to take it and run. I've got some great ideas and I know it's going to be a rewarding and educational experience.
During my lunch break yesterday I escorted Erin to Best Buy to look at laptops. One of the blue shirted employees eventually came over to help Erin and answer any questions she had about the laptops. Now, I'm sure you already know this but probably 99.5% of Best Buy employees don't know anything about the products. There are some who are very knowledgeable however. Many will tell you a computer is great and durable and make up the number of battery life hours it has. They'll tell you a lot of people come in asking about the model you are interested in and that their sister's boyfriend's uncle has the same one and loves it. Meanwhile, they have never even set foot in the laptop section because they are usually working the DVDs. So I say, what's the point of even asking for help? Do your research online and then go in knowing what you want.
I gave the new Ben Folds album, Way To Normal a listen yesterday and it's really good. It's so cool to have Sam with me wherever I go! His drumming is excellent and the songs are great. Be sure to go pick up your copy today. It's hard to believe that October is here already. I love anything pumpkin. Pumpkin ice cream, cookies, beer, cake, soup... all this talk of pumpkin is making me hungry. Here's a recipe for pumpkin-apple muffins.
A dog owner saved his dog from being eaten by a shark..wow.
Remember all that fuss about the Montauk monster? Well apparently more monsters have been washing up. Publicity stunt? Perhaps.
Project Ferris Bueller is scheduled to take place at this year's Village Halloween Party. That's right, get ready to Twist and Shout as the big parade scene is reenacted. Want to join in the fun? Click here.
