5 days until my birthday!

Oh yeah - who's your softball daddy? Final score of the annual Brooklyn Parks softball game - Management 22, Field Supervisors 8. And yes, I played for Management. My batting results : 2 for 3 with 3 RBIs. Not too bad since I hadn't played softball since Vassar Intramural. My first at-bat was a single that drove in a run. My second at-bat was a single that drove in two runs. And I hit the ball the hardest in my third at-bat but it was caught by an outfielder. Defensively I played most of the game in left field and didn't drop anything. OK so there was the one ball that flew way over my head that wound up being an inside-the-park home run. It happens. A picture of me accepting the trophy is posted below.

Big debate tonight. Kerry better do good or I'll kill him.

Accepting the Commissioner's Cup after a hard fought victory

6 days until my birthday! Is this countdown getting annoying yet? Too bad! :)

More details on the Nielsen Media Research study : approximately 78% of Jon Stewart's audience has a bachelors degree and approximately 24% of Bill O'Reilly's audience has a bachelors degree. O'Reilly is supposed to be a guest on "The Daily Show" next week so that should be interesting.

It sure did rain hard yesterday. NYC was hit with the remnants of Hurricane Jeanne. It was nothing as bad as what the southeast experienced, but still enough to make me feel like a drowned rat.

I found my baseball glove so it's off to play softball!

7 days until my birthday! And 4 days until my birthday party! If you're in the NYC area on Saturday night (or if you feel like making a commute!), come to the Carriage House on East 59 Street between 2nd & 3rd Avenue, starting at 8:00 P.M.

The following was found on the AP wire...
NEW YORK (AP) -- The folks at Comedy Central were annoyed when Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly kept referring to "The Daily Show" audience as "stoned slackers."
So they did a little research. And guess whose audience is more educated?
Viewers of Jon Stewart's show are more likely to have completed four years of college than people who watch "The O'Reilly Factor," according to Nielsen Media Research.

Ha! Trivia tonight. Brooklyn parks softball game tomorrow. Now where did I put my baseball glove???

8 days until my birthday!

I saw "The Forgotten" yesterday. I’d been looking forward to this movie since last November because they filmed a good part of it right outside of my office. In front of our building there is a big grassy area that Revolution Studios thought was perfect for their park scenes. They built a playground onto the grass including a swing set and some climbing play equipment. They spent a few days shooting night scenes and a few days shooting daylight scenes. For the duration of the time they were here, they set up their catering buffet in our parking lot and let us partake in their bagels, donuts, cold cuts, veggies and sodas. So thank you Revolution Studios for a weeks worth of breakfast and lunch!

Now...the movie. Good performances by Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinese, Alfre Woodard and Anthony Edwards. But the story...oy. It was entertaining enough but it’s premise was way out there, even for sci-fi. Even if you suspend your disbelief, there’s way too many holes in the plot. Questions are left unresolved and the fate of some central characters are literally left up in the air. And at the end, you’re still scratching your head as to what’s unfolded. I think the cast could have benefitted from a much tighter script. Despite my anticipation, "The Forgotten" is... forgettable.

9 days until my birthday!

It's not always easy to come up with topics that are "blog appropriate." Two of the things I feel most compelled to write about, I shouldn't and therefore won't. One is my current dating situation but I'm far too discreet to discuss things like that it a public forum. The other is stuff happening at work... which also would not be wise to discuss in a public forum. So it's on to other more innocuous observations...

And what is more innocuous than religion?!? The once a year ritual of going to temple on the High Holydays is over and to that I say...whew! As Larry David said, "Temple, as you know, can be quite grueling." That it is. Stand up. Sit down. Stand up. Sit down. Are we praying or doing exercises? And those songs in Hebrew really stick in your head. 24 hours later and I'm still humming some tune that I have no idea what it means. Although I'm not religious at all, going up to stand on the beamer in front of the Torah is a pretty cool experience. At the temple I attend, all of the rows take turns going up to the beamer during the concluding service of Yom Kippur. The idea is that we pray for forgiveness of our sins and ask God to inscribe our names in the Book of Life. I hope it worked!

But seriously, my heart does go out to all of the Floridians who have been devastated by recent hurricanes. Yet another one, Jeanne, wrecked havoc today. What drives me crazy is watching the network news channels send their correspondants outdoors in the worst conditions to report their story. Last night, a CNN correspondant was knocked off his feet by 100 mph winds and he landed flat on his back...all on camera. Is it really necessary to needlessly punish these people? It's windy out - we get it!

Today I saw "The Forgotten" with Roslyn. A brief review of the film will come in tomorrow's blog entry!

11 days until my birthday! Thanks to Sydney for sending a very cool e-card. Dancing babies rule.

Yesterday I mentioned that reality TV shows only cast one or two token minority members each season. More often than not, they are portrayed very poorly or are never given a fair opportunity to win. Case in point - "Survivor : Vanuatu". Never mind that in my opinion, it is shaping up to be the worst of the nine Survivors. This time there are no black women and only one black male, Rory. Already he is being picked on by his white, Southern tribe members. One of them commented that Rory is having problems fitting in. Another made a point to criticize him for taking the game too seriously. In every other season of "Survivor" before this, the token black contestants have been portrayed as lazy, surly or selfish. But it's not just CBS. Over on NBC, you have "The Apprentice". Last night, the sole black woman, Stacy J., was fired because the rest of her teammates complained to Trump that she was mentally unstable. This just because she joked around with her Magic 8-Ball and the other white girls felt threatened by it. I shit you not. And then you have the dating reality shows like "The Bachelor" or "Average Joe". I don't think any interracial couple has ever resulted from one of these shows and I'm skeptical we'll see one in the future. Sure they keep the minorities around in the first round so they don't appear to be racist but they are gone soon after that. The longer that these reality shows remain on the air, the more apparent these trends are.

Yom Kippur begins tonight and continues all through tomorrow. In the meantime, this blog will fast!

The countdown has begun... 12 days until my 27th Birthday!!!

Lots of reality TV shows are pretty crappy. Others get lots of mainstream attention but can be very repetitive. But perhaps the best one of all is the Emmy-winning "The Amazing Race." Last night I watched the season finale and was on the edge of my couch cheering for my favorite team, Chip and Kim. In five seasons, they are the first team over the age of 40 to win it. They're also the first African American team to win it. (Like most reality shows, they only cast one token team per season - my biggest peeve with the genre.) Chip and Kim defeated an ultra-competitive team, a team that thought Jesus would lead them to victory, and a pair of middle age mothers. It’s a great show that takes place in six continents. The scenery is always great and the airport drama, roadblocks, challenges and personal tests of the contestant’s preexisting relationships is great fun to watch. "The Amazing Race" may not get as much publicity as "Survivor", "The Apprentice", or "The Bachelor" but I think it surpasses all of them.

Yesterday was busy busy busy. At work, we opened a new playground in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. The ribbon cutting was held after a million-dollar renovation and featured the usual amount of pomp, circumstance, Oreos and juice boxes. Then last night, Roslyn and I went down to Little Italy to check out the San Gennaro Festival. It’s quite the boisterous atmosphere with crowds, loud music, restaurant owners begging passersby to choose their restaurant, and carnies gypping patrons of their money with rigged carnival games. But that’s what makes it all so much fun!

Funny line of the day :
A crowd of Jewish kids in yarmulkes is asked a question and they are waving their hands, waiting to be called on. The person who asked the question points to one of them and says, "Yes, you in the hat."

I thought John Kerry did a great job last night in his appearance on David Letterman. He was jovial, easygoing, self-assured and well spoken. He seems to be very confident and comfortable in his own skin. It's hard to tell if he's not concerned about the latest polls or if he's just covering it very well.

I won't be at Trivia tonight. Try to have fun without me!

This is a very busy week so I’m not sure how much of an opportunity I’ll have to update the blog. I noticed though that Jon Stewart and his Daily Show crew have published a hilarious book called "America". Fashioned like a text book, it brings the humor of the Daily Show to the entire span of American history. Likewise, congrats to Mr. Stewart on his Emmy wins last night. The funniest part of the entire broadcast was Stewart’s "Skiff Boat Veterans for Truth" spoof where George Washington is criticized for his "alleged" heroics in the Revolutionary War. Other well deserved winners at the Emmys included the entire cast of "Angels in America", as well as "Something the Lord Made", "The Sopranos" and "Arrested Development."

John Kerry needs to run the following advertisement. The text is credited to Wayne Barrett of "The Village Voice".

-----------------------------------------

The ad starts with Bush and his September 14, 2001, bullhorn. This time, though, it's a Kerry commercial that reminds swing-state Americans of Bush's blood vow—precisely three years ago—that "the people who knocked down these buildings" would "hear all of us soon." The cowboy soundbites that we would "smoke 'em out" track across the screen with any network's footage of the "wanted dead or alive" culprits: Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Mullah Omar.

Then the camera moves on to anchors reporting that bin Laden was cornered at Tora Bora, picked up on cell-phone intercepts commanding the surrounded 2,000 Al Qaeda troops, but that U.S. commanders were allowing mercenary Pashtuns to lead the fighting and Pakistanis to seal the backside border. Next, news headlines blare that Special Forces and key CIA operatives were prematurely pulled out of Afghanistan to prepare for the war on Iraq. The last visual is of Bush momentarily forced at a March 2002 press conference to discuss bin Laden: "I just don't spend that much time on him, to be honest with ya."

The voice-over is Monica Gabrielle's, a 9-11 widow and leader. "My husband died in tower two and the people who killed him have not heard from us three years later. The president will not even talk about these murderers. Sometimes he claims his administration has captured two-thirds of Al Qaeda's lesser leaders; sometimes, three-quarters. The 9-11 Commission says one-quarter. Terrorists killed more people—625—in 2003 than in any year other than 2001. They wounded more than ever—3,646 people. Even the president concedes that Saddam Hussein had nothing to do with the attack that changed my life forever. Why have we expended hundreds of times the resources and troops in Iraq than we have in pursuit of the mass murderers who vow to hit us again? Anybody could accept a good-faith effort that failed. But we cannot accept a so-called war on terror that has never aggressively targeted the number one terrorists."

This morning it's back to temple for what I call... the rerun. I think they should videotape the services on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and then on the second day, they should just play the tape on a big screen TV. After all, they do the exact same stuff so why go through with everything all over again?

Turns out that my error in not taping the right program for my aunt didn't matter anyway. She got home from our Rosh Hashanah dinner in time to watch the program as it aired. Whew!

And since yesterday's posting I've received TWO more Friendster messages from different girls in the Philippines. What am I, some kind of rock star down there?

Happy New Year... Jewish style.

The new year is only hours old and I've already messed things up. First my mom asked me to put a pie in the refrigerator overnight. I forgot to do so. Then I was supposed to tape two TV programs for my aunt but I messed up the VCR settings and it only taped one of them. And now I'm off to spend hours in temple. Sigh.

I just got an e-mail saying that I received a Friendster message from Cynthia. I'm thinking "Hmm, I knew a Cynthia in high school but that's about it." So I opened Friendster and found that it was from some random girl from the Philippines saying "Hi Phil! Please add me to your friends list." How does one send such messages to people they've never met before? I think we have a Friendster Whore in the making.

Tomorrow is Rosh Hashanah – the Jewish New Year. So does that make tonight New Year’s Eve?

For the second week in a row, my team was victorious at Trivia! This time I actually had a great deal to do with our victory. I knew that "Family Matters" was a spinoff of "Perfect Strangers", I knew to identify the song "My Child" from "Blood Brothers", and I was able to come up with the correct names of all the Harry Potter characters. My reward was a nifty "Heineken – AmsterJam" t-shirt. Sarah did a great job co-hosting and I was surprised to hear that she performed in the Broadway ensemble of "Seussical". It’s amazing how well you can know someone and still not know cool things about them.

It seems that the latest rage is the yellow "Live Strong" bracelets. It supports cancer survivors and cancer research – a very noble cause. I’ve seen many people wearing them including people at trivia, my co-workers and some family members. I’d wear one too except for one small hitch. The color. Does it come in any other colors than yellow? Maybe blue or green? Sydney said that if it was a different color, it would represent a different disease. That’s too bad because although I support the cause, I just don’t look good in yellow. Oh well.

Today is Primary Day in New York State. However, there aren’t any contested races where I live, so I will not be going to my old elementary school to cast a ballot. Noone is challenging Chuck Schumer on the Democratic line and none of the other local incumbents have any opposition either. I suppose that I could vote for judges except none of them are distinguishable from the others. Next year will be very busy though as all of the City offices will have primary races, including for Mayor.

Yesterday was the first day of school in NYC. I’m so glad that I’m out of the system, based on the horror stories I’ve been hearing about the Education Department. But I know that school is back in session since the streets and mass transit are noticeably more crowded.

I saw the movie "Hero" a couple of days ago. Very well done. The cinematography is stunning as such vibrant uses of color are employed. The fight scenes were also amazing – very reminiscent of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The story is a fable of ancient Chinese history dealing with dynasties, assassins, honor, love and national unity. Popular in China for several years, the film was just recently released in the U.S. and is well worth your time.

On the baseball front, things are not looking good for Mets Manager Art Howe. The team decided on Friday to fire him at the end of the season but word leaked to the media and it was splashed across the back pages. Howe is now a lame duck and asks that they fire him now rather than put him through a month of limbo. Poor guy. He was a genuinely nice man but his plain spokenness failed to inspire his team to play. That and the usual combination of Met injuries and bad luck.

But in better baseball news, my fantasy team is in 3rd place out of 12 teams! I’m in the running to win the "Most Improved" prize!

Good weekend. Really good. Really really good.

My tennis blog that I mentioned the other day has been launched! Check it out – Tennis Central – the quick stop for results and rankings from the mens and womens tour. I chose the template with the green and yellow dots because they looked like tennis balls.

I saw a documentary on HBO the other day about the nuclear accident in Chernobyl and how the fallout has affected children born since then. 99% of the country of Belarus has been contaminated and so many children are being born with terrible physical deformities. What’s more – with the Chernobyl plant abandoned – it’s roof is caving in and its infrastructure is falling apart, lending to the possibility of another accident that could seep even more radiation into the air. Very very frightening.

In solemn memory of all who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

More Blogapalooza pictures can be found here. Thanks to Chris for putting them all online. They can be viewed all at once or as a slideshow. The party was also mentioned in a fellow blogger's newspaper column. It can be viewed here.

The Great American Hopes, Andre Agassi and Andy Roddick were both eliminated from the U.S. Open yesterday in tough 5-set matches. The final four are Roger Federer from Switzerland, Tim Henman from Great Britain, Lleyton Hewitt from Australia, and Joaquim Johansson from Sweden. The funny part is that Johansson is dating Hewitt's sister and the two will be playing against each other tomorrow. Where will the sister's loyalty lie???

I watched "The Apprentice" last night for the first time. I never watched last season (with the exception of part of the finale). Even though Trump is a ridiculous egotist, I admit to being entertained with the program. Hence it has met my standard for continued viewing. There's this one female contestant on the show who, although her profile says that's she's 26, looks 12!

I'm thinking about starting a Tennis Blog - one where I only talk about tennis tournaments throughout the world. I'm sure it would be very boring for my current crop of blog readers, but perhaps I can cultivate a different audience with it. One thing that struck me at the U.S. Open was how easy it was to talk to people from all over the world, since we had a common interest. From the family from Germany that I met on the train, to the couple from Maryland who I ate lunch with, to the diehard Argentinian fan sitting near me screaming "DA-VID! DA-VID!", it's quite a diverse group.

The blogger weekend hangover has just about subsided. Photos can be found on Sarah's blog and some should be arriving soon on Chris and Sydney's blog. Val has a recap and hopefully Wendy will too as soon as she gets settled back home. Great seeing everyone and looking forward to doing so again soon!

What floods NYC had yesterday! The remants of Hurricane Frances hit us, flooding much of the city and taking many subway lines out of commission. My commute wasn't affected as Brooklyn was spared the worst. But the trains were really crowded from people who usually take those subway lines that were cancelled.

That's all for now. Check ya later.

Labor Day weekend is over and an amazing weekend it was. From the U.S. Open to a Yankee game, from a birthday party for a 28 year old guy to a birthday party for a 2 year old dog, from spending time with old friends to meeting wonderful new friends, it was a blast. The weekend fun extended into Tuesday at Trivia as my team won! Afterwards, a bunch of us went for cupcakes at a famous bakery in the Village. I personally thought the place was a bit overrated as the cupcakes were dry. But a great time was had nonetheless.

At the U.S. Open, upsets abound in the womens draw. Both Williams sisters are gone. Venus was beaten by Lindsay Davenport and Serena was beaten by Jennifer Capriati. The #1-ranked player, Justine Henin-Hardenne, was also ousted by Russian Nadia Petrova. On the men's side, the top seeds are advancing and there is a marquee match tonight (weather permitting) between Roger Federer and Andre Agassi.

And now to catch up on all the hours of sleep I missed over the weekend.

Blogapalooza 2004 is now history and a great time was had. Special thanks to Sarah for being the hostess with the mostess. It was great to see so many bloggers (and non-bloggers) all at the same time! And a very happy birthday to Zoey, Sarah's lhaso apsa. She was the real reason that everyone attended. Some pictures are attached below - from the party and from the Yankee game that Wendy, Wes, Ben and I attended prior to the party. And yes, Mr. Anonymous Blogger, despite your pleas I have posted your picture anyway!

Wendy, Bob (The Anonymous Blogger) and Wes at Blogapalooza

Sarah, Chris and Sydney at Blogapalooza

Wes and Caren at Blogapalooza

Dave and Sarah at Blogapalooza

Ben, Wendy and Wes at Yankee Stadium

Wendy and me at Yankee Stadium

Jay & I at Jay's 28th Birthday Party. nVo 4 life, baby!!!

Have I mentioned how much I love going to the U.S. Open? It just might be one of my favorite days of the year. How often do you sit down on a bench, only for Martina Navratilova to walk right past you?

I was there yesterday for over 10 hours, watching matches from 11 A.M. to after 9 P.M. The best part is walking back and forth between Ashe Stadium, Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand and all of the outside courts, checking out all of the action. On the womens side, every seed advanced including Jennifer Capriati, Serena Williams and Amelie Mauremso. Angela Haynes, a teenager from Compton, CA fought gamely but was sent home by Francesca Schiavone, who had the shot of the day - hitting the ball between her legs! The closest womens match was contested between Patty Schnyder and the leggy Daniela Hantuchova. The third game had about 20 deuces and the final set went to a tiebreaker. On the mens side, Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt advanced but #12 seed Sebastian Grosjean was beaten by Tommy Haas, #7 seed Juan Carlos Ferrero was beaten by Stefan Koubek, and #8 seed David Nalbandian was beaten by Mikhail Youzhny. This was the last match I saw and the best. It was a five setter that Youzhny pulled out after encouraging the crowd to cheer for him via fist pumps and clapping. This pissed off Nalbandian who yelled to Youzhny - "Could you stop it. Do me a favor." This only turned the crowd against Nalbandian. After losing the match, he slammed his racket on the ground, kicked it across the court and hesitated before shaking Youzhny's hand. High drama!

The great day of tennis helped to obscure some of the bad news going on in the world such as the newest Florida hurricane, the tragedy in Russia with the Chechnan terrorists, Bill Clinton's upcoming heart bypass surgery and Bush's bounce in the polls.

And now the fun Labor Day weekend continues!

No time to write much of a blog entry this morning - I'm off to the U.S. Open!

Yesterday, the top seeds all won their matches at Ashe Stadium : Lindsay Davenport, Justine Henin, Andre Agassi, Venus Williams and Carlos Moya. Upsets on the grounds included Anastasia Myskina, Mardy Fish, Taylor Dent and Gaston Gaudio.

Now it's time to enjoy the action in person!

If you're looking for an analysis on what's-his-name's speech last night, find another blog. :)

This Sunday night... 7:00... it’s Blogapalooza 2004!!! Bloggers from around the country will come together to eat, drink and mud wrestle. Can’t wait!

Zell Miller is a raving, ranting lunatic. It’s no secret that I disagree with most all of the speakers at the Republican Convention. But at least you can watch people like John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Arnold Schwarzengger and Laura Bush without feeling completely revolted. Zell Miller’s diatribe against Kerry was full of venom and delivered with such a mean countenance that it was almost frightening to behold. Even worse was his appearances on CNN and MSNBC after the speech. On CNN, he was challenged for bashing Kerry for voting against the same military spending plans that even then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney opposed. Miller became flustered saying that he didn’t care what Cheney’s position was, he was only interested in Kerry’s position. Then on MSNBC, Chris Matthews asked him if he really thought Kerry would arm our military with "spitballs" (Miller’s rhetoric). Miller started yelling at Matthews that he should shut up and let him answer the questions. And then he challenged the anchor to a duel!!! Is this guy unhinged or what?

Miller’s words might fire up the conservative base but will it swing others? Combined with Dick Cheney’s pessimistic vision of the post-9/11 world, it’s very clear what the G.O.P. campaign strategy is... you will be safe with George W. Bush and you will not be safe with John Kerry. That’s all they have to offer the American people. No words of hope, no words on the economy, no words on domestic issues. Kerry needs to hit back hard on this point. And he needs to start today. (I think he can start with four words that will undermine Bush’s claim to keeping the U.S. safe from terrorism : "Where is Bin Laden?")

U.S. Open results from Arthur Ashe Stadium : Daniela Hantuchova defeated Olympic bronze medallist Alicia Molik, then Lleyton Hewitt, Serena Williams, Jennifer Capriati and Roger Federer all advanced. Tomorrow I will be at the Open myself!

Today’s posting is about animals saved and animals lost.

Yesterday I helped to save the lives of three infant kitties. They were found trapped in a hole near the side of my office building. One was meowing for help, another looked like he was done for as he wasn’t moving at all. No park rangers were around nor were the ASPCA able to make it in a timely enough fashion. So a few of us were successful in pulling the kitties out of the hole, using a broomstick and a dustpan. We put them in an open cardboard box and I found some milk in our refrigerator to give them. All three became revived after tasting the milk and starting hugging and rubbing each other to keep themselves warm. Some other people in my office were planning on adopting the cats. Not me though, I’m allergic.

While the kitties made it, I’m sad to say that Boomer, the beloved golden retriever of former Parks Commissioner Henry Stern, passed away on Friday. Boomer was put to sleep after suffering from bone cancer. I had many nice encounters with Boomer as Commissioner Stern often brought him to work, taking him to special events throughout the City. Boomer’s obituary in the New York Daily News can be read here.

U.S. Open results from Arthur Ashe Stadium : Marat Safin was upset in the 1st round by Thomas Enqvist, but Andy Roddick, Justine Henin and Lindsay Davenport all easily won their matches. Maria Sharapova also won her 1st round match, defeating Laura Granville in a close one.