Shakira + ACDC=Questionable Results

my ipod has very few single songs on it. when i got it i made a rule that only full albums would go on it because i appreciate the album as an art form and i don't want my ipod full of random singles. i have made a few exceptions for this rule, however, and one of those exceptions is shakira's "hips don't lie". i like this song for two reasons: 1) shakira is smoking hot (not that it matters for a song, but she really is smokin') and 2) its a good song.

so, with that in mind, i present to you a video (much better for shakira purposes) of shakira covering ACDC's "back in black". i'm not sure what to think of it. the first 1:30 is a little weird and shakira gives the rest of the song a decent run, but overall i don't think classic rock is the appropriate avenue for shakira. keep it to the latin beats, girl!

Why Is NBC Getting Such Poor Raitings?

all 3 of you that read this blog regularly know my deep fondness for the office and 30 rock. i think both shows are in the top 5 on television today. both have a dedicated spot on my DVR. so it was with great surprise that i read that NBC has fired its programming chief due to low ratings. i can't, for the life of me, figure out why NBC is last in the thursday night ratings. what are these shows going up against? not idol. not monday night football. not even the ratings juggernaut deadliest catch. so what the hell else are people watching? let me rephrase that: why aren't more people watching the office and 30 rock? it makes no sense.

maybe this is another reason i am just a bit outside. i don't watch american idol, so i am clearly out of the loop on the appeal of the most watched show on television. that is probably why shows like 30 rock appeal to me. i wonder how many people out there watch both idol and 30 rock...

This New Google Map Feature Is Amazing

check this out. go to google maps and type in new york, ny, or a more specific new york address, if you prefer. then click on the new icon at the top of the map that says "street view". you can then zoom in and literally get a view of what that particular block looks like at street level. you can zoom in and rotate and scroll the map...its pretty amazing. in addition to new york you can also do miami, denver, las vegas, and san francisco.

for other fun with google maps, ever wonder how to get from boston, ma to paris, france? google maps will tell you :)

Has There Ever Been A Better Movie Pair?

i saw "the sting" for the first time last night. great movie. does it get any better than a newman/redford pairing? the sting, butch cassidy, both classics, both totally awesome. those two don't even have to be on the screen together. i think i'd see almost any movie with either redford or newman in it.

can anyone else come up with a better buddy flick pair than newman and redford?

He's Gone

like a steam locomotive
rolling down the track
he's gone, he's gone
and nothing's gonna bring him back

on monday, memorial day, sir matthew tisdale departed washington, dc for the california coast. it was a sad day for those of us left behind, but i am happy knowing that matthew has gone some place better (san francisco). matthew was the first friend i made at GW and his friendship over the years has helped sustain me in good times and bad.

i wish him all the best in san francisco. say hi to jerry for me.

Could It Be Possible for One Person To Be So Misinformed?

i was on the train back from new york on saturday and the gentleman sitting behind me might possibly have been the most misinformed person on the face of the planet. this guy was nice enough, he claimed he was going to baltimore to watch his son play in the NCAA lacrosse finals (i think his son plays for hopkins, but after all the statements this guy made i'm not sure if he even knows who his son plays for), but had no idea about what he was talking about on anything.

first off, he was sitting next to some kid who was involved in some military service, so naturally, after learning this he told the kid that had he been drafted in vietnam he would have gone to canada. strike one. then they started to talk about politics and i heard him claim that mitt romney was catholic. strike two. my favorite misstatement, however, was when he thought dc was north of baltimore. strike one million. see, if his son does indeed play for johns hopkins, wouldn't he know the geography of the east coast in the slightest? granted, people can make mistakes, but when you add this one onto the library of his esteemed knowledge, i don't think it was a simple mistake. and this list went on and on. it was quite entertaining, but it took every single bit of my will-power not to turn around and tell this guy how wrong he was on everything.

my advice for this guy is simple: keep your mouth shut unless you know exactly what you are talking about, and in this guy's case be really, really, really, really sure.

New York, New York, Here I Come!

i'm headed to new york this afternoon to check out some apartments.

wish me luck!

Thursday Night At The Times

for the past 4 years a group of my friends have visited kelly's irish times virtually every thursday. this thursday, while it does not mark the official end of thursdays at the times, does mark a significant milestone that the end is near: it is the last thursday appearance by one sir matthew tisdale.

matthew was one of the founders of thursday night at the times. he, along with the hon. jon snow and others, were the trailblazers of this tradition. i remember receiving emails about their thursday excursions to the times when i was in alaska. jon kindly sent them to me partially to remind me that i couldn't be there (how nice) but partially to keep me in the loop. upon my return to DC in 2005, i immediately took my rightful place at the table, drinking smithwicks, eating cowboy burgers, and listening to the musical styling of pete papageorge. while trips to the times have become less frequent for me, it still remains a vital cornerstone of the extended 505 family.

so, tonight, if some anonymous reader of blogs happens to read this blog, drink a pint of smithwicks for us and remember the good times we had.

I Think Some Of These People Need To Have Their Head Checked

recently i have been reading a lot of stories about nostalgia for the "old new york", the new york of the '70s and '80s when the city was bankrupt, dirty, and unsafe. to those people i say this: are you fucking nuts?

read this quote from alison:

“I remember, there was just this fear,” Alison said. “I remember having to carry mugging money—$5. I remember having to know where all the Safe Haven stuff was. I remember all the bus ads with Etan Patz. There was just this fear, this fear of home, and I remember being really scared of the city.”

alison, sweetie, are you serious? you miss the days when muggers would mug a kid? and you take some sort of pride in that you had to carry "mugging money" to cover that eventuality? get real! who the hell wants to live in a city where they constantly feel scared, let alone feels nostalgic about it?

now, i do understand where some of these people are coming from. new york today, especially manhattan, is becoming the worlds largest playground for the rich. this i get (ironically, its one of the reasons i want to move to new york even though i am far from rich, but i digress), but to actually miss the daily threat of physical violence, flashings, public urination, junkies, dirty buildings, and everything else seems a little misplaced. you can miss the grittiness of the old new york, but you have to acknowledge that the city is something to behold these days.

but, if these people REALLY do miss the old new york, i suggest they move a close 90 miles down i-95 to philadelphia. we still know how to kill people at an astonishing rate there!

Thank God Chacos Are On The Approved List

most people that know me know that i preach the the gospel of the chaco sandal. now my "crazy" ideas have finally been validated thanks to this report.

for a news story on why everyone else but me is stupid, check here. the rest of you could be one step away from disaster!

There Has To Be An Easier Way

every week i watch "deadliest catch" and every week i think to myself "god, there has to be a better way to fish for crab". it just seems like there are too many moving parts in the process from the big, hulking crane to the 800lb. pots to the ropes the guys have to toss overboard. then, once the crab pot is pulled up with an archaic system of throwing hooks and coiling rope you have to deal with that stupid crane again, the launcher, and sorting bin. oh, and you are doing it in 30ft. seas with 50 knot winds in january on the bering sea. isn't there something wrong with this picture?? i wonder how long crab fishing has been done in this way and i wonder if anyone has tried to improve the process in order to increase efficiency and safety. granted, there are some unavoidable pieces (like being on the bering sea in january), but it just seems so overly complex. who knows, i could be totally wrong and this might be the best way to fish for crab, but it seems like it would be worth looking into to make sure it was.

I Have A New Found Fascination With Long Island

i am an impressive 320 pages into "power broker" and i still have about 700 to go. i am finding a it really good read. one of the more interesting aspects of the book is that back in 1926 one of al smith's major campaign platforms was park construction. read that again: the governor of the largest state in the union (i think new york was the largest state back then) won an election on parks. he ran on building parks. and won. by a landslide. that is crazy. and the linchpin location for all these parks was long island. yes. long island. it's almost incomprehensible to me how a) a statewide election can deliver a mandate for parks and b) long island was considered pristine nature.

it just shows what a different time it was. and, you know what? despite all of moses' bullshit, if it was not for him and his vision, parks in this country would not be the same. that is one of the most striking things about moses. again, forgetting all of his asshole qualities, which were in abundance, he had a vision of a grand statewide park system, connected by a series of parkways so the outdoors could be accessible to all new yorkers. it was really an incredible vision, and that was moses' strongest quality. he had the ability to think big. he was uncompromising in his vision, but, hey, we can't all be perfect, right?

I Could Really Use A Water Ice Right Now

tangerine on top/chocolate on the bottom. nary a better summer treat exists.

Happy Birthday Exile On Main Street

according to the rolling stones (like they would know) exile on main street was first released on may 12, 1972 (coincidentally that was the same month and year that europe '72 was recorded. there must have been some serious cosmic significance about music that was played that month and year across the pond). ANYWAY, exile on main street is considered one of the greatest albums in rock history, so i think it is just that it gets its own 35th anniversary line of merchandise such as a workshirt, a military cap, and a women's spaghetti strap tank top. i'm shocked that the rolling stones would commercialize their greatest achievement. shocked i tell you!

but, still, here's to exile on main street which is truly a rock and roll masterpiece.

Just A Bit Outside Does Not Condone Drug Use

but with my sister in amsterdam this week, i feel this is appropriate (not to mention funny as hell).

Memo To Craigslist Posters: Learn How To Spell

have you ever been searching craigslist looking for an apartment, in, oh, i don't know, lets say new york. and have you ever seen a post for a decent place that you are about to respond to until you see that the apartment is on a "quite street"? you would be surprised at how often i see this. it could be an honest mistake or it could be a tip-off that the apartment is not all it seems to be. regardless, i will not answer any ads that claim to be on a "quite street".

has this happened to anyone else?

Thoughts On The Office

this post dovetails on a post i have been wanting to post for a while now on the subject of jim and pam (and karen).

SPOILER ALERT .... DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THIS WEEK'S THE OFFICE

like most, i was initially pro-pam. who wouldn't be, right? but then one day i read a back-and-forth on a blog about pam or karen and i realized that the karen side was making some good points, and over the past few episodes i have been agreeing with team karen. i feel that karen pushes jim more. she makes him better...not that pam keeps jim down, but i feel that karen just makes jim a better worker...again, not because pam is stupid or has a bad job, but karen as the professional woman pushes jim forward in a manner that pam can't...or can she? maybe from her position pam can push jim to achieve and realize his full potential...stop distracting me...bottom line: i have become pro-karen.

but tonight it has become aparent where jim wants to be; in scranton with pam. can i blame him? no. but did he make the right choice? i'm not sure. maybe jim does belong with pam, but jim does not belong in scranton. he is like (gag...i can't believe i am doing this again) lloyd dobler in seattle. i've always felt that part of the reason lloyd went for diane court is that she, in a weird way, was his ticket out of seattle. karen was jim's ticket out of scranton. in this i sympathize with jim. i needed a ticket out of washington and i got it in admission to NYU. but unlike jim, i was able to take it. maybe that is the kind of life jim wants, but he could do better, again, not better by pam, but better by himself professionally.

i guess what i am saying is i don't know anymore what i think. i would kill for a girl either like karen or like pam and if i had one and the other wanted me, i don't know if i could give one up for the other necessarily. but what i did find touching was the montage of jim and karen in new york. they had a magical day, the kind of day you can only have in new york. again, here is the new york romanticism floating out of me, but its true. you can only have those days and experiences in new york, and if i could be so honored to have just one during my tenure there, it will all have been worth it (ok, thats a lie, but THAT is one of the main reasons i am moving to new york. i need those new york experiences.). i just hope that jim has made the right decision. i like him.

one other office note: there are lots of philadelphia sports references in the show. the character ryan howard is actually named after THE ryan howard who used to play for the scranton/wilkes bare red barons. and, if you noticed, the corporate dunder mifflin guy joked with jim about him being a sixers fan. i don't know what affinity the writes of the show have to philadelphia sports, but i like it.

and in closing, as much as i like both the office and john krasinski (jim) i will never, ever, ever see that upcoming movie he has. ever. (unless there is a woman involved)

Why Won't My Pictures Come Out Clear?

i don't get it. am i doing something wrong?

My Man-Crush On Daniel Craig Is Now Complete

i saw layer cake last night. for those who have not seen it (or heard of it) it is the movie that won daniel craig the role as james bond in "casino royale". in layer cake, craig plays an atypical drug dealer involved in one last caper before his retirement. its filmed in the guy ritchie, post-modern style (although it falls short in its guy ritchie tribute, but still a commendable effort), and also stars colm meaney and a bunch of british guys you have seen before (coincidentally in guy ritchie movies).

but the point of this post is daniel craig. i felt that in "casino royale" daniel craig embodied the truism about james bond that "women want to be with him and men want to be him", the first bond since connery to really embody that persona. i am not afraid to say it: daniel craig is a good looking man and wears his clothes impeccably well. in layer cake, craig didn't wear the tailored suits like he did in "casino royale", but he had more of a chic blazer and jeans kind of thing going on and still looked like a million bucks.

so, add daniel craig to my list of man-crushes. we are all allowed a few of those, right? also, go see layer cake. a good, not great move, but well worth the watch.

An Open Letter To Stan Kasten, President Of The Washington Nationals

dear mr. kasten-

i thoroughly enjoy going to washington nationals games. i have been going to baseball games since i was a little boy, and like most baseball fans, there is a special connection you make with the game when you go to a game and see the grass, hear the crack of the bat, and smell the hot dogs.

there is one thing about attending nationals games that i don't like, however: the ushers. see, mr. kasten, the nationals are no good. as of right now they are 15-26 and have exactly a 0.0% chance of making the playoffs considering the braves, mets, and phillies all reside in the same division. and your stadium sucks. your new baseball palace will be ready next season, but for now your crappy team plays in the crappiest of crappy stadiums, rfk. and one more thing...no one goes to nationals games either. 24,000 people attended the game today. that's 54% of capacity.

so, taking all that into account, mr. kasten, do you think you could tell your ushers to lay off folks like me who come to your ballpark, buy your concessions, support your crappy team in your crappy stadium who want to move to a better seat? why on earth should i be hassled by an usher when i try to move to a seat behind home plate when no one is clearly sitting there? why, in the 11th inning of a game against the phillies earlier this year, should your ushers care of i want to sit on the rail? there was REALLY no one left in the stadium that night! why? why not try and make me happy? when i am happy i spend money. that money goes into your pocket. that money can be used to purchase talent to fill your sparkling new ballpark that will open next year. think about it...

i don't think i am asking for much here. if the stadium was even remotely close to capacity, i could understand the need to be diligent about checking tickets. when your new stadium is complete and you draw 2.5 million fans next year, i will agree that making sure people are in their correct seats will be needed (granted, the stadium will be smaller and will have better sight lines so the need to move from the upper deck will be somewhat decreased). i'm not hurting anyone here. all i am doing is sitting in a seat that would otherwise be unoccupied. why does that matter? i don't get it. if i was forced to buy one of those precious $35 tickets i might not go to the ballpark at all and i wouldn't spend any money on concessions that support the vendors, other stadium workers, and your bottom line.

so please, mr. kasten, lets call a truce. you let me sit wherever i want and i promise to spend more money than i otherwise would at the ballgames. deal?

Day Baseball

one of the best things about having your weekdays free is heading out to the ballpark to grab some $5 seats and sitting wherever i damn well please. today i am going to catch the nats-braves game at rfk. lets go nats! with the phillies now at .500, the braves and the mets need to start losing. the nats did their part earlier this week and i hope it continues today. i also hope teddy finally wins a race! go bull-moose!

Dare I Say It? (updated)

dare i say it? the phillies are at .500 for the first time since...well, since...they were 0-0 (does that count as .500?). hallelujah!

another stellar game was pitched by cole hamels (pictured below). this kid is going to be a stud. he is 6-1 with a 3.30 era and is among the lead leaders in strikeouts (he had 11 last night).

things are finally looking up...fingers crossed, of course.


UPDATE: 2 things. 1) i did not cole hamels was perfect through 6 when i published it. 2) there was an announced attendance of 43,000 at the game. that is amazing. its remarkable. its really incredible. can someone in philadelphia please tell me what is going on? is the town phillies-crazy? i mean, i am phillies-crazy this year, but i always am..but maybe with the expectations, my generation coming of age (those of us who fell in love with the '93 team at the ripe age of 13), and citizens bank park there is a new base of support for the phillies that can hopefully carry on into the future...and to a world series championship!

I Am Not Your Typical Allison Krauss Fan

tonight i had the distinct pleasure of seeing...get ready for it...tony rice with allison krauss and union station featuring jerry douglas. thems a lot of names (and there are 3 other guys in the band too!). what a great show. if angels could sing, they would sound like allison kraus. her voice is just amazing. and jerry douglas, the greatest dobro player ever, just wailing away. and dan tyminski on mandolin and vocals. this is the guy who sang clooney's parts on "o brother, where art thou?". oh, and tony rice was with them all night. totally sweet.

i did feel slightly out of place there, however. i was probably one of the youngest in the house by about 30 years. i don't have a body mass index of 86. i was one of only a handful of yankees, and one of even fewer jews (if there were any others!). but you know what? that is the beauty of music. it has the power to transcend race, class, religion, ethnicity, geography, and so on. it was very nice in a way.

I Need To Start Carrying Around A Notebook

i haven't been blogging much this week, not because i am out of ideas, but because i don't sit in front of a computer 24/7 anymore i can't just throw my thoughts up as soon as i think them, so i think i need to carry around a notebook to record my thoughts when i have them at non-ideal blogging times.

one thought i had today: as i mentioned last week i bought "the power broker", robert caro's seminal work on the legendary robert moses (for those who are unaware as to who robert moses was, he was the city planner for new york from the '30s-'60s and shaped modern new york, both the good and the bad). its quite a good read. caro is an excellent author and has a very descriptive, yet not tiresome, style. i was reading some this afternoon and came across a passage where caro says of moses "suddenly, the burning eyes were looking at everything on long island in terms of parks" (do i have to footnote this? i just signed NYU's academic statement saying that i would not plagiarize...so here is my citation, which will not be in the appropriate format, but its the best i can do...caro,159). back to the statement. right now, i completely understand moses' mindset. everything he looked at he thought of parks just like how everything i look at right now is viewed through the lens of my impending move to new york and my new field of study. i mean EVERYTHING i see i think of in terms of new york or what i am going to study. i hope i can sustain this passion and perspective through the summer and into the fall.

well, i'm off to try and get into the allison kraus and union station show. hope i get in!

Philadelphia Now Has Its Own Mayor Mike

here's to hoping that michael nutter can be as effective as mike bloomberg. he ran as the anti-street candidate, but i suppose that ANYONE could be a better mayor than john street.

congrats, mayor-elect mike.

Root, Root, Root For The Home Team

the phillies set a record for citizens bank park last night and had a walk up crowd of 11,300 for the game last night. that is awesome! its nice to see all the phans sticking with this team. yeah, they got off to that atrocious start, but they are really coming together as of late. late inning heroics the past 2 games. chase utley on pace to hit 500 doubles this season. rowand still batting around .35o. and they are doing this with ryan howard on the DL. lets hope when he gets back to full strength he will be the ryan howard he knows he can be. the phils still have quite a way to go to catch the mets and the braves, but at least they are on their way.

Shall We Go Out Later?

just got home from the velvet revolver show at the 930 club. good show. not great, just good. not long enough for the money and slash was too buried in the mix, but it was still fun to see the show, especially when 3/5 of the band is GnR. i was impressed with scott wyland. he is 1/4 jagger + 1/4 chris robinson + 1/4 axl rose + 1/4 scott wyland. fun night, though. tomorrow i think i am going to try and get into the allison kraus and union station show down at DAR.

Tribute Tuesday (Wednesday)

as tisdale pointed out, there was no tribute post today. that will have to come tomorrow. it sure is different publishing the blog when it isn't the only thing that gets me through the day!

Delaware Pics Are Up

no wayne's world jokes, please. check out the pics!

Next Year in Savannah!

Finally Saw Donnie Darko

its been on the list for a while. finally saw it. awesome flick.

there are many, many lessons one can take from that movie. first off, i clearly don't understand about 60% of that movie. it would probably require viewing 6-7 times to even begin approaching 90% comprehension, but i'll see if i can't extrapolate some wisdom now. one of the aspects i liked about the movie, and about donnie (jake gyllenhaal) especially, is that he was never afraid to question anything. he saw truth not through convention but conflict and always searching for the right answer, even if there isn't necessarily one. he wasn't afraid to challenge authority, even to his detriment. no one was going to deny donnie the truth as he saw it, and i admire that. granted, he was nutso, but still...there is a fine line between genius and insane; i'm still not sure exactly what side of the line donnie was on.

i also found his relationship with gretchen (jena malone) very interesting. donnie and gretchen had one of those "only-in-the-movies" relationships where two lost souls find each other and the world seems right. it reminded me of some other movie relationship that i can't remember (it's really bothering me that i can't remember what movie i am trying to think of. the relationship had almost the exact same dynamic as the donnie-gretchen relationship and it's really, really bothering me that i can't think of the movie. i know it exists and that i'm not making it up...or am i?? I JUST REMEMBERED: they reminded me of the relationship between the daughter and the neighbor in "american beauty"). ANYWAY, they had a rare relationship, one that only exists on screen, yet speaks to the human condition in such a meaningful and profound way that it makes you wish and yearn to have that kind of connection in your own life.

i also found the mother a very interesting character. she was strong and knowledgeable, yet still was not able to fully connect with her children or communicate very effectively. she, in a weird way, might be the most complex character in the movie: strong, knowledgeable, loving, and caring, but at the same time aloof, detached, and because of her certain philosophy of allowing her children to decide their own destiny, not able to fully be there for them.

verdict: donnie darko is a great movie. existential in the vein of the aforementioned american beauty, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, and (gag) say anything (for my thoughts on say anything please see chapter 1 of "sex, drugs, and cocoa puffs" by chuck klosterman or for the cliffs notes version check out this washington post article).

two more observations: 1) the movie needed more maggie gyllenhaal. most movies need more maggie gyllenhaal. 2) i don't know if i am reading too much into this, but i found it very reminiscent of ET when donnie would put on his hoodie and ride his bike. that could have significance or it could just be a coincidence. if it does have something to do with ET symbolically it might take the movie to a whole new level, especially considering drew barrymore was in both.

what does everyone else think about donnie darko or any of the other multitude of subjects i threw out there?

Johnny Drama On The Edge Of The Grand Canyon

last night johnny drama drove to the edge, literally. he was standing on that sharp, yet indefinable point, that separates make from break, success from failure, sink from swim. i'm glad the wave broke the right way for johnny. he needed it.

my break is coming. i can feel it.

Delaware Spring Delight

hey man!

back from delaware alive. what a weekend. for those who are not in the know, the delaware beaches are probably the most underrated beaches on the east coast and if any town accepts the party vibe better than rehoboth (and dewey) then i would like to see it! much props to the dogfish head brewery for putting up with our shenanigans and to the po-lice for not busting us up too much.

again, what a weekend it was. it was the perfect setting to honor and celebrate our past, present, and future friendships together. a celebration of life. it was truly a great time, but i don't think my stories and memories, which are slightly hazy, can do it justice so i will let the pictures do the talking for me. except i don't have those ready yet. i'll get around to posting those tonight.

here's to the funnel cake parade!

Boston Respects Its Cultural Institutions

thank god there was no pizza involved in this one! stay classy, boston. the video is classic.

Jury Duty Tomorrow!

my first time doing jury duty. should be interesting. just to be on the safe side i went out and bought both robert caro's "the power broker" and jane jacobs' "the death an life of great american cities".

Connecting Thoughts

a few thoughts have been running through my head recently: this weather reminds me of summer in alaska, i like magic hat beer, and i LOVE IPA. in the past, these 3 thoughts would have existed in my head completely unrelated. i never would have connected the dots.

see, summers in alaska are the most amazing thing ever. the weather is gorgeous and the whole 24 hour daylight think is something everyone should experience at least once in their life. and you know what i drank in alaska? IPA. IPAs in alaska are incredibly delicious. and drinking IPA in this weather reminds me of alaska. and magic hat beer fits perfectly into this too because they make a delicious IPA, and magic hat is the kind of brewery you would find in alaska (magic hat is from vermont).

i'm finally connecting my thoughts and i think the blog is party responsible for this. it is providing me with a forum and an outlet for the many, many thoughts that swirl around inside my noggin.

thanks, blog.

side note: the artwork for the hIPA label was done by stanley mouse.

I Bought A Pair of Ray-Ban Sunglasses

last weekend i was at gold cup. i posted the pictures the other day, but if you haven't seen them yet you can go here. anyway, one of the dudes i struck up conversation with was wearing a pair of knock-off ray-ban wayfarer sunglasses, and for whatever reason i thought they were pretty cool. despite the fact that the shades were knock-offs (tangent: never, ever, ever wear knock-off sunglasses. shit sunglasses that you get for $10 are not UV coated. because they are not UV coated, they are worse for your eyes than not wearing sunglasses at all because when you wear sunglasses your pupils dilate because of the tint of the shades. now, your pupils are dilating because thats what they do in dark situations, but essentially they are trying to let more light in, so if you are wearing non-UV coated shades you are letting more UV rays into your eyes than you should be. not a good thing. buy a real pair of sunglasses, please.), they projected a sense of style and sophistication that i don't posses, yet would like to emulate.

they reminded me of the cool of carey grant, george clooney, and jack nicholson. dylan wore them, as did the blues brothers. they spoke to the style of art deco and '50s hollywood sophistication. the hamptons, newport, nantucket, and the vineyard. white jacket with black pants and a glass of scotch. maybe its the fact that i am going to the vineyard this summer or maybe its the fact that i am moving to new york, which, i must say, is slightly more sophisticated than DC, that has gotten me into that look. whatever it is, i don't know. all i know is that it looked cool and i wanted it. so i did it. i ordered a pair of the new wayfarer sunglasses today and i am super-excited for them to arrive.

who knows, maybe i too can be cool.

Tribute Tuesday

i almost forgot it was tuesday. when you don't do anything all day at work, sometimes the mind can wonder, but it is tuesday so it is time to memorialize another friend. this week's victim: deborah obernesser.

when i say the name debbie obernesser, most minds immediately think of one thing: cake. not me. in addition to cake i think of cookies and pie and zucchini bread and all other sorts of wonderful, delicous deserts. debbie is the queen of deliciousness and now that she is moving to san francisco, aka the land of chocolate, her skills will become even more deadly. but debbie does more than bake. she, uh, you know, um, is really, really nice too. i kid. you rock, debbie. thanks for all the wonderful, sweet memories.

the land of chocolate:

Heat Vision And Jack

about a year or so i came across this tv pilot for a series called "heat vision and jack", a sitcom produced by ben stiller and starring jack black as jack and owen wilson as heat vision, a talking motorcycle, and ron silver as ron silver. now, before you think you misread that last sentence, yes, owen wilson plays a talking motorcycle. the crazy thing is, the pilot for the show is very, very funny. i don't really see how it could have lasted as a series but when you put jack black, owen wilson, and ben stiller together, well, we all know what happens. this is much, much better than the star wars thing i posted last week. this is truly funny, not unintentionally funny. check it out. thanks youtube.

Sopranos

i haven't talked about this season's sporanos yet, and now is as good of a time as any to start. this week's episode i thought was very well done as it added some new fuel to the fire that is smoldering inside the soprano family and expanded on some topics that have been explored in the previous few episodes.

i've noticed that the recent episodes have followed a similar pattern, with one character and their relationship with tony being the focus. the first episode it was bobby, the christopher, then paulie, now aj. this week we seem to have those personal stories come together a little more, with the christopher-paulie feud almost boiling over to the point of no return.

this week's personal plot, however, revolved around aj. the pain he was expressing was very real. i did find it ironic, however, that in order to get aj out of the blues he was in, tony pushed him to hang out with the sons of some of his "associates", the very same people that tony has tried to keep aj away from. his solution has almost worked too well: now aj is happy again, but the cost could be that he gets involved in the family business. i don't see aj taking over for tony when the series is over, he is still way too dumb for that, but i do see him filling the role of the front man or the face of the younger generation while the other kids are the ones controlling everything. aj will never have tony's toughness or business sense, but i think he is smart enough to know that his name will get him somewhere. if anyone takes over the soprano family when, as many predict, tony gets it, i think it will be sil because a member of the e street band can do anything he wants, whenever he wants.

my favorite part of the episode, however, were paulie's goons who consistently scammed christopher's father-in-law's store. those guys rock. great scams they run. consummate professionals. i even think i picked up a few tips.

What's The Deal With That?

check out this article in new york magazine about socialites.

what's the deal with that?

i almost don't even know where to begin. first, i have almost no idea what the hell they are talking about. if the article was written in french i think i would have the same amount of comprehension i do now. i mean, i just don't get it.

from this article, all i can gather is that a socialite is someone who attends a charity ball, is rich and good looking and thats about it. so why do they exist? what niche do they fill on the evolutionary scale of humans. do they add value to anything? how is this possible?

what i think is most fascinating about these people is that they are completely fabricated. not fabricated in the sense that they are fake, but fabricated in the sense that they created a market for something completely unnecessary, then manufactured some sort of scarcity over the product to drive up its price (popularity). this post probably doesn't even make any sense. writing a sane, rational thought on nonsense is one of the hardest things i can think of to do.

Monday Phillies Post

good win for the phils last night. fortunately the errors by wes helms and the mistakes in the outfield didn't come back to hurt the team. bourn's running in the 7th was awesome. how much hotter can "sugar" shane get? good to see howard hit one out, but he is still flirting with the mendoza line. jimmy is still backing up his words. even burrell, although he is not hitting, is getting on base. things might be starting to fall into place, but we are still 6 back and nothing is for sure.

one more scary thought from the game. ESPN flashed a graphic about cole hamels and how is #6 on the most strikeouts through his first 30 starts list. ok, thats cool. but the company he was with? doc gooden, kerry wood, mark pryor, some jewish dude i had never heard of, and the fifth name escapes me. im sorry, but that is NOT the company i want cole hamels with. doc gooden was a great pitcher but flamed out. kerry wood and mark pryor are two of the biggest "what coulda beens" in the history of baseball. the jewish dude i had never heard of before, and the fifth, while the name escapes me, i remember not liking it, so, cole, please, please, please, please don't let those guys into your head. keep on listening to jamie moyer.

Gold Cup Pictures Are Now Live

as i mentioned yesterday, what a great weekend it was. gold cup on saturday was a blast. if you weren't there, i will spare you with a blow-by-blow recap of the events because if i do, you will be so pissed you missed it, life might become so unbearable that you will be inspired to visit barbaro at the glue factory. needless to say, it was a great time. eric EASILY wins the award for most drunkest and stefan wins the award for most lost. check out the pictures. not even the rain could stop us!

our crowning achievement, however, was the fight. i am 100% impressed that most of us were able to stay awake for the fight. lets recap what we had to go through to make it: silver diner at 8:30am, mimosas on the bus from 10-11:30am, who knows how many drinks consumed at gold cup from 11:30am-5:30pm, the bus ride home (where things could have gotten really ugly) from 5:30-7pm, rocket bar & buck hunter from 8-11:30pm, and finally 5 guys and the fight. it was awesome!

here are some pics to get you going...scratch that. the image quality on the upload is no good, which is quite frustrating. i don't know why that is happening. check out the album.

Gold Cup Spring 2007

Oh Man, What A Day!

expect pictures and stories to follow, but yesterday's gold cup was the stuff of legends. we even made true on our pledge to stay up for the fight!

Friday Bibleday

i need to cleanse my soul after that last post.

Micah Chapter 3

א וָאֹמַר, שִׁמְעוּ-נָא רָאשֵׁי יַעֲקֹב, וּקְצִינֵי, בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל: הֲלוֹא לָכֶם, לָדַעַת אֶת-הַמִּשְׁפָּט.	1 And I said: Hear, I pray you, ye heads of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel: is it not for you to know justice?
ב שֹׂנְאֵי טוֹב, וְאֹהֲבֵי רעה (רָע); גֹּזְלֵי עוֹרָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם, וּשְׁאֵרָם מֵעַל עַצְמוֹתָם.	2 Who hate the good, and love the evil; who rob their skin from off them, and their flesh from off their bones;
ג וַאֲשֶׁר אָכְלוּ, שְׁאֵר עַמִּי, וְעוֹרָם מֵעֲלֵיהֶם הִפְשִׁיטוּ, וְאֶת-עַצְמֹתֵיהֶם פִּצֵּחוּ; וּפָרְשׂוּ כַּאֲשֶׁר בַּסִּיר, וּכְבָשָׂר בְּתוֹךְ קַלָּחַת.	3 Who also eat the flesh of my people, and flay their skin from off them, and break their bones; yea, they chop them in pieces, as that which is in the pot, and as flesh within the caldron.
ד אָז יִזְעֲקוּ אֶל-יְהוָה, וְלֹא יַעֲנֶה אוֹתָם; וְיַסְתֵּר פָּנָיו מֵהֶם בָּעֵת הַהִיא, כַּאֲשֶׁר הֵרֵעוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם. {פ}	4 Then shall they cry unto the LORD, but He will not answer them; yea, He will hide His face from them at that time, according as they have wrought evil in their doings. {P}
ה כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה, עַל-הַנְּבִיאִים הַמַּתְעִים אֶת-עַמִּי--הַנֹּשְׁכִים בְּשִׁנֵּיהֶם, וְקָרְאוּ שָׁלוֹם, וַאֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִתֵּן עַל-פִּיהֶם, וְקִדְּשׁוּ עָלָיו מִלְחָמָה.	5 Thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that make my people to err; that cry: 'Peace', when their teeth have any thing to bite; and whoso putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against him:
ו לָכֵן לַיְלָה לָכֶם, מֵחָזוֹן, וְחָשְׁכָה לָכֶם, מִקְּסֹם; וּבָאָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ עַל-הַנְּבִיאִים, וְקָדַר עֲלֵיהֶם הַיּוֹם.	6 Therefore it shall be night unto you, that ye shall have no vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down upon the prophets, and the day shall be black over them.
ז וּבֹשׁוּ הַחֹזִים, וְחָפְרוּ הַקֹּסְמִים, וְעָטוּ עַל-שָׂפָם, כֻּלָּם: כִּי אֵין מַעֲנֵה, אֱלֹהִים.	7 And the seers shall be put to shame, and the diviners confounded; yea, they shall all cover their upper lips; for there shall be no answer of God.
ח וְאוּלָם, אָנֹכִי מָלֵאתִי כֹחַ אֶת-רוּחַ יְהוָה, וּמִשְׁפָּט, וּגְבוּרָה--לְהַגִּיד לְיַעֲקֹב פִּשְׁעוֹ, וּלְיִשְׂרָאֵל חַטָּאתוֹ. {ס}	8 But I truly am full of power by the spirit of the LORD, and of justice, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin. {S}
ט שִׁמְעוּ-נָא זֹאת, רָאשֵׁי בֵּית יַעֲקֹב, וּקְצִינֵי, בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל--הַמְתַעֲבִים מִשְׁפָּט, וְאֵת כָּל-הַיְשָׁרָה יְעַקֵּשׁוּ.	9 Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and rulers of the house of Israel, that abhor justice, and pervert all equity;
י בֹּנֶה צִיּוֹן, בְּדָמִים; וִירוּשָׁלִַם, בְּעַוְלָה.	10 That build up Zion with blood, and Jerusalem with iniquity.
יא רָאשֶׁיהָ בְּשֹׁחַד יִשְׁפֹּטוּ, וְכֹהֲנֶיהָ בִּמְחִיר יוֹרוּ, וּנְבִיאֶיהָ, בְּכֶסֶף יִקְסֹמוּ; וְעַל-יְהוָה, יִשָּׁעֵנוּ לֵאמֹר, הֲלוֹא יְהוָה בְּקִרְבֵּנוּ, לֹא-תָבוֹא עָלֵינוּ רָעָה.	11 The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money; yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say: 'Is not the LORD in the midst of us? No evil shall come upon us'?
יב לָכֵן, בִּגְלַלְכֶם, צִיּוֹן, שָׂדֶה תֵחָרֵשׁ; וִירוּשָׁלִַם עִיִּין תִּהְיֶה, וְהַר הַבַּיִת לְבָמוֹת יָעַר. {פ}	12 Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of a forest. {P}

Sometimes The Internet Makes Things Better, Other Times Worse

i don't think i am eloquent enough to accurately describe what i just saw, so i think i will let youtube do the speaking for me. apparently in 1978 george lucas created something called "the star wars holiday special". as bad as that sounds, the reality is much, much worse. below are a few clips from said program. it can only be seen to be believed.

the opening


a 5 minute overview of the entire program


and, if you are a true star wars fan and can't look away, this youtube subscriber has the entire thing.

if you are as mortified as i am, please let me know. i don't think i will be able to fall asleep tonight

Funny Charles Barkley Photoshops

its a good thing charles is such a good sport. he can dish it out, but he can take it too. i can't wait to see one of these show up in an attack ad when he runs for governor of alabama.

Tina Fey Is More Influential Than W

well, at least according to time magazine, the same magazine that named me (you) as their person of the year, so there judgement might be a bit off, but still, this proves what i have been saying for quite some time: tina fey is one of the best and brightest in show business today.

Helluva Game Last Night

i want to take this opportunity to give a very special thumbs up to noah's arkade. we played one helluva ballgame last night. everyone on the team contributed and we didn't panic when we fell behind. we stayed with our game plan: base runners win games, and we did just that. our defense, which has always been strong, was stellar last night. we made the clutch catches when we needed them. it was an all-around fantastic effort. lets keep this confidence and momentum going!

come bust a move where the games are played
its chill
its fresh
its noah's arkade!

'Lil Ronnie vs. Bentley Green

who wins?

bentley green:


'lil ronnie:

Maggie Gyllenhaal Is Jewish?

well, at least she says she is. file this one under "person i would least expect to be jewish". i'll take it, though! we could use more maggie gyllenhaal's in the tribe. i find her oddly attractive. she won't make heads turn like a catherine zeta-jones or cameron diaz or scarlett johansson but there is something about her that i find really, really attractive. i think its her eyes and her puffier-than-normal cheeks. also, i don't think her and her brother, jake, look anything alike. i guess he is jewish too?


UPDATE: my world has just been turned upside-down. i have just been informed that scarlett johansson is jewish too. amazing development.

who else is jewish that you wouldn't expect?

5/3/93

another stellar setlist from 5/93. take a look:

05-03-93 State Theater, New Brunswick, NJ

1: Buried Alive, Rift, Weigh, Chalk Dust Torture, Esther, Split Open and Melt, Colonel Forbin's Ascent-> Famous Mockingbird, Possum, Lawn Boy, Cavern

2: AC/DC Bag-> The Curtain-> Tweezer-> Manteca-> Tweezer-> Contact, It's Ice-> McGrupp and the Watchful Hosemasters-> Runaway Jim-> Big Ball Jam, HYHU-> Love You-> HYHU, My Sweet One, Tweezer Reprise

E: Memories, Amazing Grace, Highway to Hell

wow! you can never go wrong with a burried alive opener. solid first set all around, including a forbin>mockingbird, one of the few song(s) i never saw. the second set, however, looks unreal. i mean, there is no room in there to breathe until love you. wow! they were on fire back then!

Orel Hershiser Makes A Good Point

rarely, if ever, do sports announcers say something so meaningful during a game that makes you sit up and say "you know what? that guy is right on the money". last night orel hershiser did just that.

i can't remember if it was right before or right after the ryan howard home run (which was a MONSTER, by the way), hershiser made the comment that if the phillies lose this game its not because they failed to get a timely hit or anything like that, its because of the little mistakes they made on the front end (read: every play freddy garcia was involved in), and sometimes in the post-game analysis managers, coaches, and players will overlook what really lost the game (mental mistakes) in favor of saying "oh, we just didn't get the right hit at the right time".

that has been the problem the phillies have had all year, especially against the braves and mets, the two teams the phillies can least afford to lose to. the crazy thing about this team, however, is that statistically they should be doing much better: near the top of the league in runs scored, at the top of the league in outfield assists (another GREAT one by "sugar" shane victorino last night), and lead the NL in team on base percentage, but its the small mental errors (and on field errors) that have cost this team ballgames, and may ultimately cost them a shot at the post season.

10,000 loss countdown: 30

ps - always take what i say with a grain of salt because sometimes even the most obvious things escape my ever-watchful eye. all week i have been wondering why the phillies and the giants are getting the national ESPN game on sunday night. its not a rivalry, we aren't in the same division, and there is no history whatsoever between these two teams. then it hit me: it's ryan howard vs. barry bonds, stupid. see, i'm not as smart as i think sometimes :)

My Campaign Against McFaddens Goes On

i have also now labeled vanilla ice as an enemy of the state in my crusade against mcfaddens.

The date: April 28, 2007
The place: 42nd and 2nd
Sighting: Vanilla Ice in the flesh at McFadden's Saturday night around midnight. Made a big entrance and got behind the bar, but never actually sang. Ice Ice Baby did play in the background. Looked as good as a former Surreal Life star can... tattoos and tilted hat and all.

5/2/93

as part of my ongoing tribute to 5/93, here is the setlist for 5/2/93 which, like 5/1/93, was also played at the tower theater in philly. i've never heard this show, but i can only assume it was awesome. the second set looks especially sick with the llama>punch to open, followed by the YEM>lizards>BBJ, and you can ever go wrong with an antelope, HYHU>rosie and a rare set-closing creature.

05-02-93 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

1: Axilla, Sparkle, The Divided Sky, Mound, Stash, The Horse-> Silent in the Morning, Poor Heart-> Maze, I Didn't Know, Golgi Apparatus

2: Llama-> Punch You in the Eye, You Enjoy Myself-> Lizards-> Big Ball Jam, Uncle Pen, Bouncing Around the Room-> Run Like an Antelope, HYHU-> Cracklin' Rosie-> HYHU, Big Black Furry Creature From Mars

E: Sleeping Monkey, Amazing Grace

Meredith Dolgin Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving

god, she really is a moron. am i sure this is the school i want to go to? not only is there a problem with my registration already, but this moron was, at one point. president of some sort of class council. actually, on second thought, maybe i am needed at NYU to teach them about damage control, because this website hurts, rather than helps, her case. it almost reads like one of those crazy peoples' website where they ramble on about having micro transmitters in their teeth and that bees are spies for the king of england. then again, as the saying goes, just because you are paranoid, it doesn't mean no one is following you.

Shit, How Did I Miss This One?

all hail king george!!!!

did you know that yesterday was loyalty day? seriously, it was. i'm not making this up. see:

Loyalty Day, 2007
A Proclamation by the President of the United States of America

America was founded by patriots who risked their lives to bring freedom to our Nation. Today, our citizens are grateful for our Founding Fathers and confident in the principles that lead us forward. On Loyalty Day, we celebrate the blessings of freedom and remember our responsibility to continue our legacy of liberty.

Our Nation has never been united simply by blood, birth, or soil, but instead has always been united by the ideals that move us beyond our background and teach us what it means to be Americans. We believe deeply in freedom and self-government, values embodied in our cherished documents and defended by our troops over the course of generations. Our citizens hold the truths of our founding close to their hearts and demonstrate their loyalty in countless ways. We are inspired by the patriotic service of the men and women who wear our Nation's uniform with honor and decency. The military spouses and families who stand by their loved ones represent the best of the American spirit, and we are profoundly grateful for their sacrifice. Our country is strengthened by the millions of volunteers who show deep compassion toward their neighbors in need. All citizens can express their loyalty to the United States by flying the flag, participating in our democracy, and learning more about our country's grand story of courage and simple dream of dignity.

The Congress, by Public Law 85-529, as amended, has designated May 1 of each year as "Loyalty Day." This Loyalty Day, and throughout the year, I ask all Americans to join me in reaffirming our allegiance to our Nation.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim May 1, 2007, as Loyalty Day. I call upon the people of the United States to participate in this national observance and to display the flag of the United States on Loyalty Day as a symbol of pride in our Nation.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirtieth day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand seven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-first.

GEORGE W. BUSH

i expect to be taken away at any moment and sent to a re-education camp. its been nice knowing you'se.

all hail king george!

Wow Am I Prophetic

i guess i cant really prove it (just like like joseph smith) but on my walk to work this morning i was wondering what would happen if the red hot aaron rowand batted in the two hole while the slumping victorinio was moved to the back of the lineup. and you know what? that is just what the phillies did last night. rowand batted 2 and victorino hit 7. and they won. rowand was 2-4 and shane was 0-1, but was left on base twice. i think this is a good move by charlie, especially while rowand is so hot. it makes things so much easier for jimmy and chase.

NOW WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH RYAN HOWARD?!? i mean, its not like last year was a fluke. he had a killer 2005. he IS the player he was those two years, but jeez, what the hell is going on? i wonder if a player like frank thomas, jim thome, albert pujols, and the other marquee first basemen of this era ever went though something like this. if they did, that would give me hope. my faith in the great one is starting to falter. i do not want to lose my faith.

but, hey, a win is a win. we finally beat the braves. monkey off our back.

5/1/93

today marks the 14th anniversary of 5/1/93 and marks the beginning of one of the best 7 show runs in phishistory, which laid the groundwork for the amazing 8/93 run just a few months later.

i really like '93, and especially 5/93 and 8/93 and 12/93. '93 had a really clean, crisp sound which progressed past the '92 sound and was the precursor to the '94 sound. in recent months, '93 has passed '97 as my favorite year in phish. the band was still on the rise and they were kicking ass and taking names. they still had their "old phish" chops but were beginning to push the boundaries of what was possible with their music. 5/1/93 was a perfect example of this.

the first set is standard '93 (which is not to mean ordinary or dull, but rather what could be expected for a first set) with a jim, foam, guelah, melt, fee, rift, sample, ice, glide, and bowie to close the set. everything you could want from a first set, the perfect mix of energy, jams, standards, and fun. the second set picks up right where the first let off with a chalkdust, fluffhead, my friend to open. i love '93 my friends when trey would play the intro on his acoustic then switch to the electric midway through. the acousic sounds excellent on the opening. my friend is followed by a coil, BBJ>comet>paul and silas (another '93 standout), but the real highlight is the mikes>great gig>weekapaug. the great gig is just awesome and totally unexpected, complete with fishman on the vacuum. a solid cavern to close the set and a carolina, rocky top encore sent the crowd home happy.

man, do i wish i could have been there, especially since the show was played at the tower theater in upper darby. fortunately, the tapes (i still call them tapes even though they are all on CD or in digital form now. XLII memories die hard) still exist for all of us to enjoy.

check it out.

05-01-93 Tower Theater, Upper Darby, PA

1: Runaway Jim, Foam, Guelah Papyrus, Split Open and Melt, Fee, Rift, Sample in a Jar, It's Ice, Glide, David Bowie

2: Chalk Dust Torture, Fluffhead, My Friend My Friend ,The Squirming Coil, Big Ball Jam-> Halley's Comet-> Paul and Silas-> Mike's Song-> Great Gig in the Sky-> Weekapaug Groove, Cavern

E: Carolina, Rocky Top

Mission Accomplished!

Beating the Bad Teams Is One Thing

but beating the good teams is another. the phils have been on something of a hot streak recently, and before last night they won 7 of their last 9, but this being the phillies, i could still hear the nay-sayers claim "yeah, but that was against houston, washington, and florida - all really crappy teams", and i, for one, wanting to believe in this team, tried not to listen. but you know what? they were right. we lost to the braves last night which brings us to 0-4 against them and 1-4 against the mets. can't win a division, let alone the wild card if you are a combined 1-8 against the two teams whom you are trying to pass in the standings. the season is still young, and ryan howard may finally be showing some signs of life, but this is something to be concerned with. hopefully tonight, with cole hamels going up against some dude named redman with a 0-3 record and 10+ ERA, we can start to even the score just a little.

10,000 loss countdown: 31

Tribute Tuesday

i am finally going to get this started. my first victim: laura osterman.

the good news about laura leaving DC is that she too is headed to new york. the bad news (for her) is that i will be there too. she is going to pursue a degree in education of some sort of columbia. speaking of columbia, do i have to automatically hate that school because i go to NYU, just like kids who go to GW have to hate georgetown? if so, columbia, you suck. but back to laura. i can hardly think of another person out there i would rather teach a young child than laura. someone who is kind and sweet and has patience that could last forever. that is the kind of person laura is. i don't think i have ever seen her get even remotely mad at anyone or anything. laura also appreciates good music, so i know i will have at least one concert buddy in new york.

so, here's to you, laura. best wishes at that evil school you are going to.

i encourage others to contribute thoughts and comments about laura in the comments section.