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Blogger has eaten my blog

2006-04-04T10:58:00.000-04:00

I have no idea what happened but Blogger ate my Blog yesterday. I am changing the template and starting from scratch. We shall see.

Gawker Stalker

2006-04-03T13:55:00.000-04:00

Celebrity bloggers are the latest rage. Apparently, they are the latest thing to enrage celebrities as well.... http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/04/03/clooney.gawkerstalker.ap/index.html

Sooooo, after looking at today's Gawker Stalker I decided to do just that....stalk. I noticed that someone saw Drew Barrymore filming at 18th and 5th. So i walked down there given that it is only two blocks from my office. Sure enough, huge crew setup, dressing room trucks the whole kaboodle. I even stole some Tootsie rolls off the catering table as i walked by:) Apparently it is a Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant movie, Music and Lyrics by. No sign of Drew or Hugh, but i did recognize a couple E-list extras tooling around the catering table.
No doubt in search of more Tootsie rolls.

On a sadder note....

2006-03-31T11:52:00.000-05:00

I turned 30 last Wednesday. Officially accountable for life now. When you are 0-12 people call you a child, a kid not old enough to do anything. 13-19 you are a teenager. Immature and inexperienced. You can vote, not that is matters cause look what that got you for the past 6 years. 20-29 you are a "twenty-something". Young, energetic, eyes-wide-open, passionate, brash and capricious but it is okay because you are still in your "20's". Now 30.
What is 30? Simply the decade before you are "Over the Hill". Great.
They used to have a show called "thirtysomething". (Not that YOU in your 20's would remember it). It lasted 4 years. Hmm, that doesn't bode well. I remember it being about adult angst and the harsh reality of getting old, physically and emotionally.
So i've got that going for me...which is nice.

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2006-03-31T11:41:00.000-05:00

That's how I feel about being married so far. It will be two weeks tomorrow since we were standing with the beautiful turquoise blue water behind us saying I Do. Seems like eons ago. It was quite possibly the longest two weeks vacation I have ever had. And I remember ever single minute of it. I probably always will. (Having pictures will help I'm sure:)

This picture truly captures our spirit. Always laughing. I love that. I love her laugh. Nothing makes me smile more. (Not even a Liverpool victory.....although that is a close second:)

I can't wait for the next 70 years with my Bebe! (I plan on living to 100 BTW)

And..we're...out.

2006-03-09T17:02:00.000-05:00

Sucks. The defensive stalwart that is the Liverpool backline was maligned with injury and lack of talent. I am not sure why that bumbling fool Traore was in the starting 11 since I can't even remember seeing him play since last year's Championship game. He is horrible. But we can't but the full blame on his weak shoulders. Our strikers just continue to be bereft of scoring ability. Between our 4 strikers (Cisse, Morientes, Fowler and Crouch) they have had I think 4 goals in 40 starts. That is NOT what you need to win games. Mind you the defense had only given up 5 goals in that same span but this is not the NFL...defense does not win games. It simply causes a draw. And you know what they say TIES are like.....
something about your sister and first base....

Well, on to securing our automatic spot in next years tourney.

Sidenote...isn't it odd that the top three teams in Englans are out and the has-been Gunners are still in it? Of course who couldn't string together two wins against to over-hyped, over-the-hill, Gaglacticos .

Fin.

Let the idiocy commence

2006-03-06T16:09:00.000-05:00

http://www.cnn.com/2006/POLITICS/03/06/sd.abortionban.ap/index.html

I actually wrote a pretty severe email to this guy two weeks ago. Amazingly enough, no reponse yet.

Dark and Stormy

2006-03-02T11:33:00.000-05:00

No, not the weather...although it is White and Snowy out there today. A random 4-8 inches of the icy powder on March 2. To think Spring is just 19 days away. But back to Dark and Stormy.

I love rum. People who know me, know this. I collect rum. I drink rum. I smell rum. I have even thought about making the stuff(Apparently it is still illegal though.) My nickname is The Captain. No, I don't own a boat. Nor have I ever. So you do the math.
When the Captain and I aren't hanging out I like to venture into different cocktails and types of rum other than his spiced Puerto Rican gem.
The Bermudians make this terrific rum called Black Seal. It is distilled by Gosling's. I believe it is the national rum of Bermuda. To make a Dark and Stormy, take a cocktail glass; fill with ice; fill about 1/3 with Black Seal and top with ginger beer. Now, not ginger ale mind you. Ginger beer. Ginger ale is the sweet knockoff of true ginger beer. The drink totally loses its feel with ginger ale.
Now, where do you find ginger beer do you ask? Good luck. I have been having the same problem here in NYC finding a good ginger beer anywhere.

Soooo, i have decided to brew my own. Here in the office in fact. The fermentation should be complete by this afternoon and the final batch by tomorrow morning. (Don't worry, i am not brewing "beer" in the office, though the thought has crossed my mind, since the sugar and yeast I am using really don't produce any significant amount of alcohol. Merely some flavorful carbonation.)

Stay tuned for the results.

La musica por hombres? De hombres.

2006-02-28T12:13:00.000-05:00

So with the countdown at just under 20 days I have been trying to put together the playlist for the reception in Mexcio. Knocked out the playlist for the wedding CD in a matter of minutes. However, in doing so, it was brought to my attention that I didn't have one female singer/group in the bunch.
Which got me thinking....do I have something against female singers?

I had noticed this before and never really put much thought into it. I guess there aren't that many female singers/groups that I really get into. Perhaps it is because most of the music I listen to is about the music and not really about the lyrics.

I am not a lyrics guy by nature.
The sounds and transitions is what moves me about music and not necessarily the message.

Giving a cursory glance at my iTunes library only compounded this argument. Jazz, classical, punk, rap, techno, trance, acoustic these are the genres that have distinct melodic quality and not necessarily a vehicle for a poignant message or lyric.

To make a long story not much longer....there was a staunch request for the wedding playlist to include at least one female. So, Sheryl Crow's Strong Enough made the cut. Apropos I think.

As for the reception playlist.....not sure if I can make any promises. (But there may just be some Gwen and Kelly on there for good measure)

On to the quarters!

2006-02-19T23:29:00.000-05:00

After having to wait until the re-brodcast of Saturday mornings match (wedding ring shopping apparently took first billing) till this evening, patience tastes so sweet. I can't remember the last time I haven't logged into BBC.com for over 24 hours. But I just didn't want to take the chance and see a headline or worse a final score of the historical match.
It's been 85 years since we have won against our bitter rivals in the footballworld's oldest cup tournament, the FA Cup.

Liverpool 1 - Manchester United 0

Come on you REDS!!!!!!!

The natural state of water

2006-02-15T10:49:00.000-05:00

Water is one of those unique elements in nature that can take three unique states naturally. Solid, liquid and gas. Liquid is the most common state with the solid and gaseous forms requiring some sort of extremes to occur. In the case of this past weekend the extreme was low temperatures causing nearly 27 inches of the white stuff in 24 hours.
Now with the temps being above freezing all that snow has got to go somewhere. Turns out it turns into dirty nasty slush and constant dripping off of every ledge, awning and subway entrance. Not as pleasant nor picturesque as the drifts of white heaven that is snow.

I don't have the right kind of shoes for this.

Take a Swizz

2006-02-15T10:10:00.000-05:00

Or don't, actually, unless you don't mind waiting an hour for your first course. I understand it was V-day and a pretty busy night for "deuces wild" at a restaurant. But at least staff accordingly to prepare for this type of scenario. The food was nice but the service was very poor. Complimentary champage is nice if you actually get it before you are done with your dessert fondue. Last time I checked champagne was supposed to be served first to wake up your taste buds, not last to wash out the chocolate in you mouth. That is what the coffee/tea service is for. (Which never happened).
All and all I might take a group back there to eat in the private wine cave but definitely not on a traditional restaurant holiday.

Sadly Swizz fizzled.

26.9 inches

2006-02-13T10:07:00.000-05:00

Of snow in less than 24 hours. We set a new record here in NYC this year. Beating the 26.4" back in 1940.
Powder snow though, so it should melt away pretty quickly this week.
Still pretty fun to look at.

0-1-9

2006-02-08T11:02:00.000-05:00

That is the record of my two teams as of late. Talk about winter doldrums. The GT mens basketball team (although, there are only two upperclassmen so I am not sure I can call them "men" yet) have just rattled off 7 straight losses. I knew this was going to be a rebuilding year. But I guess it just stings to actually see that realization on paper. Of course being in arguably the best conference doesn't help the W column for the struggling youngin's. On the plus side I think Hewitt will be able to make a run at it again in two years. Hopefully this time there won't be a UCONN in our way to the championship.

My other team, Liverpool, has just gone 0-1-2 in the past three game. Mind you the losses came to #1 and #2 on the table (Chelski and Man Ugh) which just adds to the defeats. We pretty much dominated both games possesion, strategy and overall play we just can't find any quality scorers in the box. Hopefully Fowler will be able to put some in the net up front. Stevie G's shoulders have got to be getting tired. Hell, the whole team for that matter. I mean they have played 38 game already this year. With a roster no where near as deep as Chelski or Man U.
Hopefully with the two games in hand on the aforementioned they can pull it out in the end and steal that #2 spot by May. With a healthy midfield, the same stalwort defense and some newfound scoring up front I think we may even have a shot at a repeat in Europe too!

Fingers crossed.

Brrr, it's cold out

2006-02-08T11:00:00.000-05:00

Are you serious?

http://www.thrillist.com/tell-friends-aim.html?entry_id=158

Need a place to stay?

2006-02-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

Ah, NYC living at its finest. This kind of situation abounds. Don't think that the fiancee and I haven't discussed sub-letting our place while we are away for 10 days on Honeymoon. Could pay for the trip!

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/03/nyregion/03mattress.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2

Do you hear what I hear?

2006-02-03T10:50:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been listening to some new music. Well, new to me anyway. Let's just say I have always had an "ecclectic" taste in music. Some of mix CD's could make you question what truly goes on in my addled brain. You'd be surprised just how smooth the transition is from Tupac to Glenn Miller to Weezer to Alison Krauss. I love it though. I wish that one day they would create this device that houses every song ever made and I could simply speak the song I want to hear and it would play. I always have a song in my head so it would be nice to let it out at will. But i digress.
So, one of my new favorites is The Fray. We saw them open for Ben Folds at Radio City a month ago. They were great. The more i listen, the more i enjoy. I like that type of music. Because lord knows I have no problem sticking a song on repeat for hours on end. Anyway, we are going to see The Fray at Bowery Ballroom later this month and I am pretty stoked about it. Check 'em out if you haven't already. A couple other worth noting that have been getting their due on my iPod are Ben Lee and State Radio. Both solid. But of course this is just my opinion.

What's yours?

Stage fright anyone?

2006-01-31T12:14:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of a public toilet in downtown Houston:

Now this is a picture from the inside of the toilet:

It's made entirely of one-way glass! No one can see you from the outside , but when you are inside, it's like sitting in a clear glass box!

La vita è una sceneggiatura

2006-01-31T10:04:00.000-05:00

I am back on the Italian kick. Just cleaned out my car last week and found my Pimsleur CD's. I figure with four languages under my tongue I should have a good shot at being sent to our European office within the year. Wish me luck!

As for Life being a Screenplay, I have seen a lot of movies in my day. Certainly not as many as my ex-pat in Italy, but enough to day dream in script quite often. Whenever I read a book I imagine the whole thing playing out like a movie. Full on characterizations, expressions in dialogue, scenery, sometimes even sound effects in my head. I often actually cast the parts in my head as well. Take Davinci Code for example. I hear that Tom Hanks is being cast as Langdon. I totally had a more imposing figure cast in my head. Maybe Charles Grodin or even Clive Owen. But with an A-list book, i guess you have to go with an A-list actor. Audrey Tatou, while very cute seems too frail for the part of Sophie. Too doe eyed. I was thinking more like Thandie Newton or Monica Barladeanu.

Lately I have been having these vivid dreams but they haven't included me or anyone I know. More like movie plots. When i wake up I have even gone so far as considered writing a few of them down. Could make for a solid movie. Too bad I am not a good writer or I would simply create a serial blog. Serials for you young kids out there are what people read before movies and TV. Think comic books and radio programs. Cliffhangers du jour.

Hmm, maybe I will give it a go some time. In the meantime, back to daydreaming in THX.

Ciao!

Les Savy Four (per Bebe)

2006-01-26T10:48:00.000-05:00

FOUR? JOBS I'VE HAD:
--"The Man" at Checkers Fast Food
--professional bartender (a trade for life)
--In 1995 I ended up with seven W-2's (golf pro shop, security guard at Comdex, parking cars, production dept. at software company, assembly line for collegiate telephones, bartender, inventory manager for pool chemical company assigned to Home Depot account)
--consultant/product manager/project manager HW/SW companies

FOUR MOVIES I'D WATCH ON REPEAT:
--The Great Escape (I am the Scrounger)
--Big Lebowski ( The Dude abides)
--Rear Window (Ahhhhh, Princess Grace....purrrrr)
--Shawshank Redemption (Get busy livin' or get busy dyin')

FOUR TV SHOWS I LOVE:
--Grey's Anatomy
--Good Eats
--Family Guy
--Lost

FOUR CAREERS THAT APPEAL TO ME:
--professional golfer
--pastry chef
--food critic
--history professor

FOUR JOBS (FILLED BY PEOPLE I KNOW) AT WHICH I WOULD BE TERRIBLE:
--financial advisor
--OB/GYN
--java programmer
--general accounting administrator

FOUR VACATION LOCALES I'D LIKE TO HIT:
--New Zealand
--Egypt
--Italy
--Fiji

FOUR FOODS I LUST AFTER:
--cheese
--bacon
--spinach dip
--bbq ribs

FOUR CHANGES I'D MAKE TO THE APARTMENT:
--make it bigger
--paint the walls
--create a dust free environment (Intel chip clean-room standards)
--bigger toilet seat

FOUR BEERS I LIKE:
--Guinness
--Fat Tire
--Smithwicks
--Coors (Khaki)

Give me a break...

2006-01-12T14:33:00.000-05:00

A new pro-life angle? Geez...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/01/11/fetus.carpool.ap/index.html

$50,000 a night?

2006-01-12T13:36:00.000-05:00

Looks like the Palm Casino in Vegas has a couple pricier themed rooms for the sporting enthusiasts.

Thanks Tao!

2006-01-12T10:12:00.000-05:00

Had the fortunate pleasure of eating para gratis at Tao last night. It is the number one restaurant in terms of OpenTable reservations. It definitely lived up to its hype. The place was jam packed for a cold and rainy Wednesday night. Had to wait for 15 minutes even though we had a confirmed reservation. But the manager must have recognized I was an OpenTable VIP and gave our party of 4 a free round of drinks on him. (I am assuming he recognized my VIP status...most likely he was passing those drink cards out like Halloween candy, but I'll keep dreaming i'm special)
The real treat for me though, was the fact that the ditzy bartender didn't know who she was dealing with. I sauntered up to the bar already drunk with power and my free drinks coupon and ordered up another round for my party. Potato juice and tonic, grape juice from South Australia, sweet sugar cane nectar from Puerto Rico with a splash of diet cola and the kicker..... a full brim glass of 1977 Sandeman Vintage Port. She had to open the bottle new because apparently no one had tapped into that $225 bottle(restaurant price). It was a perfect ruby red. Clear as glass. Clean berry aromas, full-bodied yet supple, very well balanced, with a nice long finish.
Not sure what I enjoyed more last night, the port or the black peppered sirloin with udon noodles. Needless to say though, thank you Tao (and Bebe's expense account) for a wonderful meal.

Sweet dreams...

2006-01-10T10:17:00.000-05:00

If you've ever heard of Daily Candy then....you must have a girlfriend/wife/female significant other. But there is also a site similar that has a more masculine slant. Here is today's posting. Maybe you can see what I mean.

The hyperlink pics are usually my favorite part of the articles.

Happy Holidays!

2006-01-10T09:53:00.000-05:00

So I hope everyone had a Happy Turkey Day, Merry Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa, and a very Happy New Year.
One of my resolutions this year is to put more of my everyday thoughts/sightings/ramblings onto paper/blog. I even bought a little leather bound journal(can't say that i have written anything of substance in it yet but it is there and ready for the scribing)
Just a quick recap of the past two months. Ate a lot, spent a lot of time with family and friends, re-kindled some relationships, had a great New Years eve, fun wedding shower, and watched Liverpool win 11 in a row with 10 cleansheets. All in all a fab four fortnights. (nice alliteration).

So, on with the new year. 2006 is sure to be a 'craic'-er!

LOA

2005-11-14T13:26:00.000-05:00

With Fantasy football taking over the majority of my free time I have indeed neglected this blog. Therefore, an official Leave of Abscence has been submitted. Pending approval I shall see once again after the holidays....(and at least the fantasy playoffs).

Cheers!

COME ON YOU REDS!

L-I-V...E-R-P...Double O L, Liverpool FC!

2005-10-19T16:34:00.000-04:00

My boys squeaked a win today missing their captain Gerrard. Unfortunately, Chelski obliterated Real Betis and that will slide them atop the group based on differential.

I HATE Chelski.

Revealing Kiera

2005-10-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

If anyone has a thing for Kiera Knightley, check out this months (October) issue of Esquire. Yep, that's an exposed nipple you see. I guess when you consider yourself not-so well endowed who cares if a few million readers can see a nipple here or there.
I definately liked her in Pirates but not sure if I fancy her in that new Domino flick. Trying to be to edgy for my tastes.

Celebrity Sighting

2005-10-19T16:17:00.000-04:00

Hideki Matsui in the Union Square farmers market. That place is a hotbed for people watching.

Fantasy Update

2005-10-12T16:29:00.000-04:00

Just because I am sure many of you are curious as to how my fantasy NFL teams have fared thus far 5 weeks into the season. Well, it was a slow start in the office league. I started out in the basement, 10th place, after week one with a poor showing. My bench players scored more than my entire team. Needless to say I have sense started the right players and have made all the right moves. I have worked my way up to 2nd place and lead the league in total points scored( the guy in 1st is the guy i lost to Week 1). That league is shaping up nicely. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing into the playoffs.

My college buddy league is weird. I have scored the 2nd most points yet am stuck in 4th place. A couple tough weeks with some injuries cost me two games. Hopefully i can keep up the pace and finish strong coming into some crucial BYE weeks.

My high school buddy league is the big money league. $100 entry fee, nothing but trash talk, kill your first born type of competition. This one plays out even from top to bottom with the points and records being in line. I am currently in 5th place in standings and points. Top 6 get a spot in the playoffs and a chance at the cash. So long as I maintain my position over the next integral BYE weeks I should be ok. Although, i am a little nervous about this upcoming week. I am coming off a win last week but if history repeats itself as it has all season (win,loss,win,loss,win,???) i could be in trouble. Hopefully the streak ends here.

Top 500 Songs since 1980?

2005-10-12T16:10:00.000-04:00

Not totally sure about this list but still some great tunes on here. I would say my current iPod is holding upwards of 75% of these as we speak.

http://www.blender.com/guide/articles.aspx?ID=1761

Blender's top 500 songs since 1980
001. "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
002. "B.O.B." - Outkast
003. "Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses
004. "One" - U2
005. "Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
006. "Like a Prayer" - Madonna
007. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" - Joy Division
008. "Sucker MCs" - Run-D.M.C.
009. ". . .Baby One More Time" - Britney Spears
010. "In Da Club" - 50 Cent
011. "My Name Is" - Eminem
012. "The Message" - Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five
013. "Fight for Your Right" - Beastie Boys
014. "You Shook Me All Night Long" - AC/DC
015. "Hey Ya" - Outkast
016. "I Want It That Way" - Backstreet Boys
017. "Super Freak" - Rick James
018. "I'm Coming Out" - Diana Ross
019. "Just Like Heaven" - The Cure
020. "The Show" - Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew
021. "Fight the Power" - Public Enemy
022. "Pour Some Sugar on Me" - Def Leppard
023. "It's Like That" - Run-D.M.C.
024. "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" - Prince
025. "Nuthin' But a 'G' Thang" - Dr. Dre
026. "Hypnotize" - Notorious B.I.G.
027. "Just a Friend" - Biz Markie
028. "Cars" - Gary Numan
029. "Get Ur Freak On" - Missy Elliott
030. "99 Problems" - Jay-Z
031. "I'll Be There For You/You're All I Need To Get By (Puff Daddy Remix) - Method Man featuring Mary J. Blige
032. "Livin' on a Prayer" - Bon Jovi
033. "No Diggity" - Blackstreet
034. "Mybabydaddy" - B-Rock and the Bizz
035. "Crosseyed and Painless" - Talking Heads
036. "It Takes Two" - Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock
037. "Bootylicious" - Destiny's Child
038. "I Love Rock & Roll" - Joan Jett
039. "Mind Playing Tricks on Me" - Geto Boys
040. "Push It" - Salt 'N Pepa
041. "In the Air Tonight" - Phil Collins
042. "Got Your Money" - Ol' Dirty Bastard
043. "Hurt" - Johnny Cash
044. "White Lines (Don't Don't Do It)" - Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel
045. "Sexual Healing" - Marvin Gaye
046. "$$$$ tha Police" - N.W.A.
047. "I Want to Know What Love Is" - Foreigner048. "Monkey Gone to Heaven" - Pixies
049. "Lose Yourself" - Eminem
050. "Hungry Like the Wolf" - Duran Duran
051. "All Apologies" - Nirvana
052. "Wonderwall" - Oasis
053. "Beat It" - Michael Jackson
054. "Middle of the Road" - The Pretenders
055. "The Scientist" - Coldplay
056. "Poison" Bell Biv Devoe
057. "West End Girls" - Pet Shop Boys
058. "Karma Police" - Radiohead
059. "How Soon is Now?" - The Smiths
060. "Missing You" - John Waite
061. "Ignition (Remix)" - R. Kelly
062. "Just Can't Get Enough" - Depeche Mode
063. "Beautiful Day" - U2064. "Say My Name" - Destiny's Child
065. "Enter Sandman" - llica
066. "Doo Wop (That Thing)" - Lauryn Hill
067. "The Boys of Summer" - Don Henley
068. "That's the Joint" - Funky 4 + 1
069. "You're Still the One" - Shania Twain
070. "Summer of '69" - Bryan Adams
071. "Criminal" - Fiona Apple
072. "The Humpty Dance" - Digital Underground
073. "House of Jealous Lovers" - The Rapture
074. "Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
075. "Head Like a Hole" - Nine Inch Nails
076. "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" - The Gap Band
077. "Girls, Girls, Girls" - Motley Crue
078. "A Stroke of Genius" - Freelance Hellraiser
079. "Losing My Religion" - R.E.M .
080. "Hot in Herre" - Nelly
081. "Galang" - M.I.A.
082. "Yeah!" - Usher
083. "To Hell with Poverty" - Gang of Four
084. "Borderline" - Madonna
085. "Drop It Like It's Hot" - Snoop Dogg
086. "Work It" - Missy Elliott
087. "Into the Groove" - Madonna
088. "Pull Up to the Bumper" - Grace Jones
089. "Rockin' in the Free World" - Neil Young
090. "That's Entertainment" - The Jam
091. "Feel Good Hit of the Summer" - Queens of the Stone Age
092. "Heartbeat" - Taana Gardner
093. "Cut Your Hair" - Pavement
094. "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" - P.M. Dawn
095. "Unsatisfied" - The Replacements
096. "True Faith" - New Order
097. "Since U Been Gone" - Kelly Clarkson
098. "When You Were Mine" - Prince
099. "Come As You Are" - Nirvana
100. "Bring the Noise" - Public Enemy

(my fingers are tired)

446. "Just an Illusion" - Imagination
447. "Do You Realize??" - Flaming Lips
448. "Player's Anthem" - Junior M.A.F.I.A.
449. "Steal My Sunshine" - Len
450. "Smooth" - Santana featuring Rob Thomas
451. "Country Grammar (Hot Shit)" - Nelly
452. "All the Things She Said" - t.A.T.u.
453. "Don't Wanna Know Why" - Whiskeytown
454. "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" - D'Angelo
455. "Lover I Don't Have to Love" - Bright Eyes
456. "Too Drunk to $$$$" - The Dead Kennedys
457. "Right Here" - Go-Betweens
458. "Come Out and Play" - Offspring
459. "Don't Know Why" - Norah Jones
460. "P.S.K . What Does it Mean?" - Schoolly D
461. "Hail Mary" - Makaveli (aka Tupac)
462. "Judy and the Dream of Horses" - Belle and Sebastian
463. "Hate It or Love it" - The Game
464. "Trapped in the Closet" - R. Kelly
465. "Let the Music Play" - Shannon
466. "Baby Got Back" - Sir Mix-A-Lot
467. "Brick" - Ben Folds Five
468. "Papa Don't Preach" - Madonna
469. "Radiation Vibe" - Fountains of Wayne
470. "They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.)" - Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth
471. "Hunger Strike" - Temple of the Dog
472. "Small Stakes" - Spoon
473. "Autumn Sweater" - Yo La Tengo
474. "Gigantic" - Pixies
475. "I Alone" - Live
476. "Strictly Business" - EPMD
477. "C.R.E.A.M." - Wu-Tang Clan
478. "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See" - Busta Rhymes
479. "Santa Monica" - Everclear
480. "Guilty Conscience" - Eminem
481. "Lake of Fire" - Meat Puppets
482. "Man on the Moon" - R.E.M.
483. "Passing Me By" - Pharcyde
484. "I Wanna Be Adored" - Stone Roses
485. "We are All on Drugs" - Weezer
486. "Can't Stand It" - Wilco
487. "Regulate" - Warren G
488. "Murderer" - Buju Banton
489. "Da' Butt" - E.U.
490. "History Lesson Part II" - Minutemen
491. "Common People" - Pulp
492. "Here Comes the Hotstepper" - Ini Kamoze
493. "Born Slippy (Nuxx)" - Underworld
494. "I'll Be You" - Replacements
495. "Don't Speak" - No Doubt
496. "1979" - The Smashing Pumpkins
497. "I Believe in a Thing Called Love" - The Darkness
498. "Somebody's Baby" - Jackson Browne
499. "I Dont' Want to Miss a Thing" - Aerosmith
500. "Yellow" - Coldplay

Don't Go Back to Rockville?

2005-10-11T11:49:00.000-04:00

What a night to be at the bowling alley......pretty cool.

I love Port

2005-10-11T10:45:00.000-04:00

Yes, I know for years my friends have called me The Captain in honor of a true gentleman amongst boys in the spirit world, however, what not many people know is that my true passion is port. Most people are not really aware of what port is. I am a big fan of tawny but a nice vintage port is hard to pass up as well. I would have to say the best for the money would be Taylor's. Nothing beats the 20 year Taylor Tawny.

If you are looking for a beginners port to get you started I would recommend Graham's Six Grapes . A really good port for the value. So next time you are in the wine shop looking to try something new, pick up a bottle of port and savor it during these upcoming cool fall nights and long winter evenings.

My jobbie job

2005-10-06T13:25:00.000-04:00

Looks like we've joined the ranks of eBay, Google, Sun, and Yahoo (at least in the eyes of Sun Microsystem's COO)

http://www.cbronline.com/blog.asp?show=cbr/2005/10/sun_google_to_a_1.html
"...in Sun president and COO Jonathan Schwartz's latest blog, in which he wrote about some big changes afoot in the software distribution space. Schwartz wrote: "The first thing the internet did was allow companies to bypass Microsoft's legendary distribution power. From eBay to Google to opentable.com, the rise of industry standards allowed services to emerge on an open network platform... "

http://www.alwayson-network.com/comments.php?id=12315_0_6_0_C
"You go to yahoo.com, or java.sun.com, or opentable.com, and you use what they offer - for free"

NYC weekend Part 1 - Friday

2005-10-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was an adventurous one. Did a lot of "New York"-things. It was much needed. Bebe and I definately needed to live a little. We have done so well the past few weeks trying to save for the wedding and just survive in the Big Apple financially.

Friday night we started off near my office on a little bar crawl. Found a cheap rock and roll dive bar that served $2 Bud and Bud Light. Slumming it but definately fun. One highlight was that the bartender came in and said he had just seen the Olsen Twins outside of Home Depot. Not sure if they were shopping for shelving or anything but still pretty random. The evening ended abruptly when Bebe was about to saw her feet off becase she was wearing the wrong shoes.
Alas, bar hopping with a girl.

Finally...it's here!

2005-09-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

The cool weather of fall. I have longed for these days for 5 long months. Any temperature that begins with a number greater than 6 I hate. Always have. I get crabby, sweaty and all-around unpleasant. My mood is definately affected by the outside temperature.
Accenutate the fact that I live in NYC now and we actually have a full blown winter here...I am in wind sheer bliss.

Bring on the snow balls!

Almond Joy's got nuts....Mounds don't

2005-09-28T15:51:00.000-04:00

You remember the jingle. Sitting on the floor as a kid watching the "Charlie Brown Christmas Special" or "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown" and seeing those insessant Peter, Paul and Mary folk song singing candy peddlers. At least I always thought the Puff the Magic Dragon group was the one behind those little coconut treasures enrobbed in dark choclate with the one crucial almond to give it just the right amount of varied texture. Turns out it was Peter and Paul Company. Of course, no longer in business as anything to do with chocolate in the USA has been gobbled up by Hershey's. Apparently in 1988 in this case.
Anyway, with Halloween time upon us the CVS on the corner of my block has been sending me "Eat my candy" vibes all day. I may have to answer the call.

Mmmm, chocolate and nuts.

Fantasy update

2005-09-28T14:45:00.000-04:00

Won a barn burner in my big money NFL league this past week by less than a point. Thank goodness Rod Smith got hurt.

I am getting waxed by Tich in my EPL league. I think I need to totally mix things up. Forget favorites, play nothing but the matchups.

I was on the NFL message boards last night spouting off endless advice on trades and who to start's I was even getting compliments and specific requests for me to evaluate their team. Make's you feel warm and fuzzy sometimes to be needed in the Fantasy Football world.

Celebrity sightings...

2005-09-28T14:06:00.000-04:00

Co-worker saw Heather Graham and Molly Shannon filming down in the Green Market yesterday.

2005-09-20T15:54:00.000-04:00

No words.... speaks for itself.

http://justadrop.net/

"Hey man, spare a dime"

2005-09-20T15:48:00.000-04:00

Wrong or right, who's to judge. Remember some guy sold his forehead for $30K on eBay for a month. This is nothing but good business.

Another celebrity sighting...

2005-09-15T13:52:00.000-04:00

These sightings are getting substantially weaker I know but, hey, its a big city, i can't notice everyone.

Rachel Dratch - she was eating in a windo seat of Gramercy Cafe just down the street from my office. She looked pretty haggered. Not that she is hot or anything anyway, but just saying.

Some new tunes....

2005-09-15T13:41:00.000-04:00

Check 'em out!

Radiohead - 'I Want None of This'

Crosstide - 'Opposite Day'

The Jim Yoshii Pile-up - 'Silver Sparkler'

and anything by Laura Viers. She has a pretty sweet voice.

Hump day

2005-09-14T17:13:00.000-04:00

Why is Wednesday called that? Here are some people's opinions. But anyway, Wednesday has always been my least favorite day. It just feels so isolated in the week. Still a couple days until the weekend daylight and yet not but a couple days from the Monday doldrums. Just sort of a keep your head down, nose to the grindstone sort of day.

ManU tied. I hate ManU, so it is a decent result. Would've been nice for Villareal to pull it off being a man up for the last third. Oh well.

Finally...knew it was inevitable. Not sure if everyone will need to cash in their miles quite yet but it might not hurt to start planning that Hawaiian vacation.

Road trip this weekend....heading to the McD's to see them before they head to JAX. Hopefully Hurricane Ophelia will have come and gone by the time i hit the road Friday.

Poker night tonight. Wish me luck. I'll need the gas money.

It's only halftime, i know.....

2005-09-13T15:46:00.000-04:00

But it's always hard to contain my joy for my Scousers!

Champions League Group G Game 1

What's your Fantasy?

2005-09-12T16:24:00.000-04:00

Mine during the Fall happens to be Fantasy Football and a couple flavors as well... American and English. Having competed (and, yes, there is fierce competition) for the past several years my love for it just seems to intensify annually. However, so does the heartache when my teams fail to live up the loftly greatness that I tout them on the chat boards all pre-season. Aka Trash-talk to the highest degree. But in my mind that is all part of the game.
So this year, i am in three NFL leagues and two EPL leagues. Equally attached to both, I do however seem to succeed more in the EPL leagues. I guess since I have a sincere passion for one of the teams in the EPL whereas I don't follow any one NFL team (although I am partial to the Chiefs but that is merely because I have had Priest on my team the past 4 years).

I bleed red...that is Liverpool Red, of course.
I have been a fan of Liverpool long before Fantasy Football, hell, before the WWW for that matter. So, I am sure that the following of Liverpool and English football has kept me more in tune with the dealings and strategies of each team and therefore more success in the EPL.

Either way, come Fall, it's Fantasy season....my favorite season of the year.

Baaa -ng!

2005-09-09T13:32:00.000-04:00

Hours of fun? Well, a few minutes anyway.

Sheep Shooting

"ATTICA, ATTICA"

2005-09-09T12:15:00.000-04:00

A chant made famous in Pacino's "Dog Day Afternoon" was inspired by the events that took place 24 years ago today.
Interestingly enough, Bebe and I stayed in the little town just north, Batavia, not but a couple weeks ago on our way to Niagara Falls. All the highway hotels were packed.... I told her it was because of the the inmates relatives staying nearby. I think she might have slept with one eye open that night:)

How true....

2005-09-09T12:05:00.000-04:00

Classic.

"Iiiiii want to rock and roll all Niiiiiight"

2005-09-09T11:54:00.000-04:00

Good for a considerable chuckle. Click here

To see more visit here.

Jones Beach

2005-09-07T14:21:00.000-04:00

I believe Bebe said it all. That place was a jungle. I guess where else would 12 million people have to go show off their muffin tops in bikinis and grape smugglers.

Restaurant reviews

2005-09-06T12:17:00.000-04:00

It just occurred to me that since I work at OpenTable I should be utilizing this blog as a nice personal NYC restaurant opinion board. We love to eat out and frequent quite many restaurants in the NYC area so it only seems natural. I will just start out with this weekend and may provide a historical in the near future. Please feel free to post your comments all the while.

I Trulli - Zagat 23/21/21 (for explanation of Zagat ratings click here)
This place was horrbile. Service was non-existant, food we cheaply prepared and lacked quality taste. We sat out back in the garden which was the only thing that made this restaurant worth visiting. Very nice ambience. The whole place inside was empty though. I can see now why. People obviously just come for the outdoor patio, not the food.

More celebrity sightings....(sort of)

2005-09-02T14:55:00.000-04:00

Hillary Duff and her beau( dude from Good Charlotte)

I love nuts!

2005-09-01T15:45:00.000-04:00

Catchy title i'm sure.
I love nuts. Pretty much all types. I'm talking about the fruit seeds. Yes, they are fruit and yes they are seeds. In fact, all nuts are seeds, but not all seeds are nuts. Sort of like that whole square vs. rectangle thing. I could get all botanical here and discuss the differences between nuts and seeds and legumes and drupes but in the end they are all just good eats.
My favorites lately have been peanuts and pistachios (legumes and drupes respectively). Especially since getting the cholesterol results back from my aforementioned physical, i have been devouring these two heart healthy nuts by the handful. They make a great snack. They are both very well thought of as it turns out. There is a peanut institute and a pistachio commission.
Whoda thunk?

I hate CIGNA

2005-09-01T15:36:00.000-04:00

Ok, i never thought i would use this medium as a venting tool but as my GERD is starting to act up (another reason i hate CIGNA but more on that later) I will tell you about my crappy day on the phone with CIGNA. I just changed jobs a few months ago and now CIGNA is my provider. I have tried to get 3 different prescriptions filled with them and each one they about had a fit trying to fill them. To date I have only received one. I could be dead by now if I was waiting on nitro glycerin pills or something.
Turns out i need "Prior Authorization" in order to get these prescriptions filled. What the hell is that? I mean, what is the point of a prescription then??? Is that not a form of prior authorization. It's not like all the doctors out there are signing prescriptions all willy nilly to anyone who asks. They obviously wrote the prescription because the patient "needs" the medicine. Arrrgh! Thankfully my doctor's office is down the hall from my office (in fact i stare out my window into his office all day. Good thing his back is to the window or else it could get awkward).
I need to go to the beach.

Places to live...

2005-08-31T14:15:00.000-04:00

Have you ever seen this site?

www.findyourspot.com

I went through the quiz a couple of years ago and found out that cities best match my partuclar living preferences at that time. Quite eye opening.

Now that I live in one of this cities that hit the top 10 a couple years ago, I decided to take another shot at "finding my spot". Well, apparently, my living factors have changed a bit in the past few years. Certain elements have higher priority and others less. Turns out my current city crept into the Top 5 this time around. Don't know what that means. Didn't think i was supposed to like it here:) Oh well. We'll have to see what another two years brings. (Too bad you can't choose other parts of the world yet)

Blog address

2005-08-30T15:01:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the constant blog address changes lately...i have been trying to import my blog into a couple other formats and the hyphens and extra letters just seemed extraneous. Thanks for bearing with me.

Let's get physical...

2005-08-24T12:36:00.000-04:00

Well, not really. And definately not like the Olivia Newton-John song. Sidenote, was her name really hyphenated or did i just do that because it seemed like the right thing punctuationally to do in this day and age of paternal and maternal conception credit equality?
I am going in for a physical tomorrow. Blood test, turn and cough, the works. Before last year I had not voluntarily been to the doctor in years. I hate them. Not personally and certainly not for their exceptionally clean environs ( i am a neat freak) but simply because they have needles. I hate needles. I know that I inflict more physical abuse to my body on the soccer field or by falling and skinning my knee on the pavement....but needles suck. I know it is all mental. You can barely feel the prick but it is the thought of my precious blood flowing unwillingly out of my body. Like i am being harvested. And I am certain that my specific physiological makeup can not allow even 2 or 3 ounces of blood to leave my fine tuned machine without my whole body turning a pale shade of blue.
Fortunately his office is merely down the hall from my office so it won't be like I have to get in a moving vehicle afterwards and try and drive while fending off the urge to pass out because my blood equilibrium is totally off.

Stay tuned...

Blogging...

2005-08-24T12:03:00.000-04:00

I really wish I could write better. I mean, if I knew how to put to pen and paper the thoughts that ricochet around in my head all day....

I guess I will just have to use this medium as a means to "jot" down many of those things. Some may make more sense than others and some may simply be phrases. Case in point.

Alas, i suck at this already but i don't care.

Why is there no good Chinese food in NYC?

2005-08-17T14:31:00.000-04:00

Seriously, been here 4.5 months and have yet to find a palatable sesame chicken anywhere. Not even in Chinatown. Where is all the good Chinese food?

I miss Malaya.

Travel woes...per usual

2005-08-16T09:52:00.000-04:00

Well, flew back to the ATL this past weekend for another wedding. As of late, air travel and me are not on the best of terms. I flew to Atlanta last month for a wedding and was held in LGA for an hour and a half before finally taking off. This trip was unfortunatly no different.
I was supposed to leave Thursday at 7pm. That afternoon I checked the flight online and apparently it was already delayed until 8:10pm....and this was at 3 in the afternoon. So i arrived and boarded the plane and then we pulled away at 8:20pm. Then the captain said we would be number 25 in line for takeoff so it would probably be another 45 min sitting in the plane. 40 min go by and we get out of line because they apparently "closed down" our departure route. So we ended up back in a different line. Another 45 min on the plane ticks by and the captain said they opened up another route and we were "gonna make a break for it". This time 3rd in line. So instead of a scheduled 7pm departure we end up "wheels up" at 10:01pm. (30 mins after the scheduled arrival time into ATL)

So on the flight home i was crossing my fingers for a smooth experience. Decided to skip my scheduled 11:30am flight and opted to standby with Bebe on the 3pm flight. Big mistake. (Aside from spending time with her of course) Long story short (too late, i know) sat in the airport until they let us take off at 6:30pm (3 hours late) and then circled Baltimore for additional two hours in the plane in a holding pattern until we either ran out of fuel and had to abort to Philly to fill up or shoot the gap and sneak in between the bad storms in NYC. We touched down a little after 10pm. Sucked.

Don't even get me started about the hour cab line and re-routing our drive from the airport through bad Queens and the Midtown tunnel.

No mas for me with the whole air travel thing. (Unless of course it is to get out of the country:)

Frrrozen Hot Chocolate®

2005-08-09T11:18:00.000-04:00

Went to Serendipity 3 on Saturday night. This is the site of the movie of the same name (well, minus 3). One of the unique things about NYC, you can wait for an hour and a half for dessert at 10:30 at night, and be happy doing it. By the time we sat down for our Frrrozen Hot Chocolate® just shy of midnight the place was still packed and a line out the door. Service was quick, portions were huge, and the taste......oh sooo gooood!
For those wishing to make the trek to the sleepy Upper East side street, I suggest stopping by first, putting your name on the list and then heading across the street to Patsy's for some eats at the acclaimed NYC top pizza joints or next door to Brasserie 360 , then check back in an hour or so for your dessert. You won't be dissappointed.

Now, if I can just figure out how to make that frrrozen concotion at home.....

Celebrity sightings in NYC

2005-08-05T10:46:00.000-04:00

Since moving here in April I have had my eye out for celebs. I don't know how I always seem to pick them out of a crowd. Guess I just have a keen eye for them.

In my first month here I literally ran into Parker Posey. She was walking her dog in the East Village, when I was walking back from Nevada Smith's after just watching Liverpool take out Juventus in the UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals.

The next sightings were bunched together in one weekend trip out of the city actually. We were flying to Pensacola, FL from LaGuardia for a weekend wedding in Orange Beach, AL. On our flight to ATL(connection) Stephen Baldwin was sitting about 8 rows ahead of me. One the second leg of the trip from ATL to PNS, Boston Rob and Amber were on our flight sitting a few rows away. Apparently they were looking at some beach property down there for after their wedding.

So, yesterday while I was leaving work I turn left out of my building and bump into this huge guy who turns out to be Ice Cube's bodyguard. Ice is just standing there hanging outside the front door of the W hotel, which apparently a hot spot hotel for celebrities. In the past month there have been Pauly Shore and Tori Spelling spotted by co-workers and my bebe, respectively.

Needless to say, i need to start carrying my camera to work.

The Met

2005-08-01T12:32:00.000-04:00

Went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art Friday night for drinks on their rooftop bar. One of the best views in the city. There was this pretty cool exhibit on the roof that got me wondering....could I be an artist? All this art stuff doesn't look to hard. I mean, couldn't anyone re-create these "works" of art? But I guess that is what makes the artists special...not the fact that they created these works, but that they thought of them first.

Think about it.

Also, little known fact about The Met that I was not aware of.....you can pay whatever you want for admissions. Since it is a not-for-profit organization, they can't force you to pay anything. You just quote them a price and they have to accept it. They do post "recommended" admissions prices. Now, i say this not to encourage anyone to skimp out on the admissions price but just so that if you ever show up and are a few bucks short, not to worry, you can still get in and enjoy all the Met has to offer.

OpenTable.com

2005-07-29T10:53:00.000-04:00

If you don't know by now, OpenTable.com is my new place of employment. I hunted them down about 6 months ago because I truly loved their service from a consumer standpoint and I wanted in. I was living in Atlanta at the time and they were only hiring for the NYC or Wash DC area. They offered me a position in the field but the pay wasn't quite there and no re-lo package. So I didn't accept the job and OpenTable would have to wait on me.....
long story really short. Two months later I quit my job, sold all my major belongings, moved to NYC to be with my love and started looking for a job again. OpenTable had a new and improved position, better pay, more exposure and the possibility for advancement to the European front.
I jumped on it. So here is where we begin.
My table was ready...

Back in the saddle again

2005-07-29T10:09:00.000-04:00

Well, two blogs down time to give number three a whirl. Lots has happened since the we last spoke. New town, new digs, new job, new "title", new life?

Now let's get on with the show.....