Thanks to Sarah for hosting a fun Oscar party last night. I’m pleased that "Million Dollar Baby" won Best Picture as it was also my #1 ranked film of the year. But I am outraged that "Super Size Me" didn’t win Best Documentary. Outraged!

And the results of my Oscar Pool were tabulated and the winner is... me! Yes, I won my own pool, getting 16 out of 24 right. The second place person who just missed the gift certificate prize, with 15 correct picks, was Tim – my friend from Vassar and current commissioner of my fantasy baseball league. Better luck next year Tim and to all of the other losers!

Prior to the Oscar party, I took a walk through Central Park to look at The Gates. It was the last chance for me to see them as they are now being dismantled. I enjoyed the spectacle and felt that they were a welcome addition to what is usually a barren park in the winter.

A big snowstorm is coming later today. Batten down the hatches!

The great apartment search of 2005 has begun.

I went to Bay Ridge today to scope out the area. Plenty of bars, restaurants, supermarkets, shops, train access and a nice view of the Verrazzano Bridge. All I needed now was to find an apartment. I walked into the offices of five random realty offices (there seems to be one on each block!) I laid out my criteria : a 1-bedroom apartment in a rent-stabilized, elevator building with laundry facilities for hopefully no more than $950 a month. (I’d really like to avoid using a laundromat) One broker said I’d be able to find something like that but she didn’t have any at the current moment. Another bluntly said that it’s doubtful I’d find a elevator/laundry building for less than $1000. Another just had me fill out an application and said he’d get back to me. But thankfully there were two brokers who made time to show me around! Not that they showed me exactly what I was looking for but it’s a start.

I toured three apartments today. The first was on 92nd Street between 3rd and 4th Avenue. The positives were that the rooms were large, in good condition, there was a view of the bridge and it was a half block away from the subway and a major supermarket. The negatives were that there was a heating pipe in the kitchen where I’d want to put my table and there was NO elevator (even though the apt was only on the second floor) and NO laundry. I then asked the price and I was told $1000. I persuaded the landlord to lower it to $975. The second apartment I viewed was on Marine Avenue between 3rd Avenue and 4th Avenue. The positives were that the rent was only $875 and the rooms were large. The negatives were that it was dingy, on the first floor with a crappy view, and oh yeah, NO laundry. Finally I was shown an apartment that DID have laundry and an elevator. It was on 4th Avenue and 71st Street. The current occupant was still living there so I got a good sense of how it would look furnished. It seemed ideal except there was a leak stain on the ceiling (that the broker told me would be “taken care of”) and the price was $985. Better but not quite there.

So the search will continue. After all it was only the first day. I will stubbornly look for exactly what I want and if I need to settle, that will come later on. When I got home I went onto Craigslist and found some interesting leads that I’ll have to follow up on. And of course I’ll provide full updates here!

The Academy Awards are being held on Sunday. I’m holding a pool where the winner will get free movie gift certificates! The deadline for entering is Saturday at noon.

And now I will publicly offer my own picks as to who I think will win the golden statuettes on Sunday night. Last year I did pretty well (see the archives) except for Best Actor where I chose Bill Murray for "Lost in Translation" but Sean Penn won instead for "Mystic River." I highly doubt I will get Best Actor wrong again this year.

Phil’s Oscar Picks
Picture : "Million Dollar Baby"
Director : Clint Eastwood "Million Dollar Baby" (Sorry, Scorsese)
Actor : Jaime Foxx "Ray"
Actress : Hilary Swank "Million Dollar Baby"
Supporting Actor : Morgan Freeman "Million Dollar Baby"
Supporting Actress : Cate Blanchett "The Aviator"
Adapted Screenplay : "Sideways"
Original Screenplay : "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
Animated Picture : "The Incredibles"
Original Song : Accidentally in Love "Shrek 2"
Original Score : "Finding Neverland"
Cinematography : "The Aviator"
Art Direction : "Finding Neverland"
Costumes : "The Aviator"
Editing : "Million Dollar Baby"
Makeup : "Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events"
Visual Effects : "Spider-Man 2"
Sound Effects : "The Incredibles"
Sound Mixing : "The Aviator"
Foreign Film : "The Sea Inside"
Documentary Feature : "Super Size Me"
Documentary Short : "Autism is a World"
Animated Short : "Gopher Broke"
Live Action Short : "Little Terrorist"

Great news - my mom does NOT have cancer! There was a little cause for concern because of some large polyps that she has in her colon. An endoscopy and biopsy were done and even the doctor was concerned that they might be cancerous. But the results are in and they are benign! A HUGE relief off my mind.

I found the website that listed all of the telephone numbers hacked off of Paris Hilton's cell phone. So being bored last night, what did I do? I called some of them. However, this was days after the numbers went public so many of them were taken down. I got messages saying that the number was no longer in service for Andy Roddick, Anna Kournikova, Avril Lavigne and Paris's parents. But I was able to get through to Gavin Newsome - the Mayor of San Francisco. His voicemail answered and in his voice I heard "Hi, this is Gavin. Leave a message." It then said that the mailbox was full. It's kind of funny that the SF Mayor gave Paris his cell number. Maybe he was hoping for a fun night in Paris.

Last night was my hosting debut at Tuesday Night Trivia and it went very well! (Except for the usual hiccups like misplacing a couple of teams answer sheets, etc. But all was corrected so no harm!) We had a good crowd of about 65 people with many new faces. One of the teams even selected as their team name "Phil, are you single?" (which I had to read out). Thanks to Barry for being a fun co-host and I look forward to doing it again soon!

For those that weren't there I did the visual round which was to identify pictures of minor "Simpsons" characters. The ten that had to be ID'd were Poochie, Brandine, Hans Molman, Frank Grimes, Lyle Lanley, Uter, Selma, Hank Scorpio, Disco Stu and Gil.

I also did the Current Events round. I've included the ten questions below so those that weren't there last night can play along. First I'll list the questions, and then I'll list the answers.

Questions
1) A group of nudists have recently begun hosting clothing-optional dinners at many of New York's top restaurants. One of the rules for these dinners is that a certain kind of food may not be served. What is that food?
2) On Saturday, the U.S. Navy commissioned its most heavily armed submarine ever built. What former president was it named after?
3) What film was chosen to open this year's Cannes Film Festival?
4) Who was named last week as the U.S.'s first director for national intelligence?
5) The National Hockey League season was officially canceled because of a labor dispute, making this only the second time that the Stanley Cup will not be awarded. For a half-point, tell me what other year the Stanley Cup was canceled in, and for the other half-point, give me the reason.
6) Over the weekend boxer Bernard Hopkins made his 20th title defense in what weight division?
7) The Academy Awards will be announced on Sunday and the most nominated film with 11 is "The Aviator". Two previous films received 11 nominations but were both shut out on Oscar night, going home empty handed. Name one of those two films.
8) Stage performer John Raitt passed away over the weekend. In what show did he make his Broadway debut?
9) The Gates will be on display in Central Park until Sunday. For a half-point, give me the first names of both the husband and wife artists who designed it. For the other half-point, tell me their last name.
10) Jim Guckurt, using the alias Jeff Gannon, was issued White House press credentials where he usually asked softball questions at press conferences. Recently Guckurt was forced to quit for what reason?

Answers
1) Hot Soup
2) Jimmy Carter
3) Star Wars : Episode III
4) John Negroponte (Nick replied "It's not nice to use that word!")
5) 1919 / Flu Epidemic
6) Middleweight
7) The Turning Point or The Color Purple
8) Carousel
9) Christo & Jean-Claudde / Javacheff (one team disputed the last name, saying that Christo gave it up - they were denied)
10) He was exposed as working as a gay male prostitute

Many of you will remember that a few months ago, Amy Sohn wrote a not-so-flattering article about bar trivia games in New York Magazine. I'm pleased to say that yesterday's Daily News portrayed trivia in a much better light. Although they used the word 'geek' more times than necessary, it's still a great reflection of what it's all about! Click here for the article. Although it's not specifically about Tuesday Night Trivia at the Baggot Inn, they do list it at the end along with a few other places. Good to see such positive press right before my hosting debut this Tuesday!

It's snowing and I'm off from work today. Both are good things. And although I'll have to do some shoveling, I'm not complaining. I'm just glad that I'm feeling better. In case you were wondering, I had a 24-hour flu that lasted more like 30 hours. But I'm feeling much much better!

A prominent character on "The Simpsons" came out in last night's episode. It was Marge's sister Patty. I'm glad that they didn't go with the obvious (Smithers) but that it made sense with her character. The only man Patty ever dated on the show was Principal Skinner. That was way back in the second season and she was never that into him to begin with as she wound up dumping him to spare her sister's feelings. And then there was the episode in the 4th season where Patty saw Homer naked and said "There goes the last lingering thread of my heterosexuality."

Weekend Update

Well all my weekend plans have gone up in smoke. Yesterday afternoon, while sitting at my desk at work, I was overcome with chills and bodyaches. I went home early and found that I have a slight temperature. So I went to bed last night at 8 PM (earliest I've gone to sleep in a loooong time). Right now though I'm feeling a little better so I'm hoping that this is just a 24-hour bug. Annoying though.

I apologize in advance if this is "too much information" but I must say that there is no greater feeling in the world than having a bowel movement when you haven't been having any for a while. As Borat in Da Ali G Show would say, "Success!"

Last night was a great night of television. It started with the premiere of "Survivor : Palau" and I think this has potential to be one of the better ones. They started with 20 contestants and eliminated 3 right away. One of the contestants is a Brooklyn firefighter, one is a Vegas showgirl, one is a dolphin trainer... overall it looks like quite an eclectic bunch. Then later on, I watched "ER" for the first time in a while. Cynthia Nixon was impressive as a stroke victim. Although she was physically paralyzed and unable to speak, her mind continued to work perfectly. We heard her voice as a reflection of her thoughts as she went through the ordeal of having the stroke. Very powerful.

Three-day weekend coming up. On my agenda : haircut, see The Gates in Central Park, see Sideways, scope out Bay Ridge. I'm out!

BREAKING NEWS (of interest to anyone connected to Vassar College)

Dear Fellow Vassar Alum:

With great warmth but bittersweet feelings, President Fran Fergusson announced her departure as President of Vassar College, this morning, at the monthly meeting of campus administrators, to be effective as of July 1, 2006. As one would expect, there were "noticeable gasps from the audience" followed by "a long and warm standing ovation."

The Vassar Trustees were notified of her departure this past weekend, and have reportedly commenced a search for a replacement, with a plan to announce a successor by February 2006.

Timothy Wan '97
President of the Long Island Vassar Club

Happy birthday to Anonymous! And happy birthday to Wendy, even though it was yesterday. All these blogger birthdays so close together can't be just a coincidence... or can it?

My trivia team Saffron Dreams (a nod to The Gates) came in tied for first at trivia last night. This was despite my cluelessness on most of the answers. But next week, be sure to be at trivia when I will be co-hosting for the very first time! Barry and I have a good show planned so come on out! Y'all know the drill... Tuesday, February 22... 7:30... Baggot Inn... West 3rd Street between Sullivan and Thompson. (As an aside, when running spell check on this entry, I was advised to replace Baggot with Faggot)

Mets pitchers and catchers report to camp today. And the temperature is going to be in the 50s. Spring is coming!

Daryl pointed out that the Stella Awards that I posted yesterday are, in fact, an urban legend. That makes me feel a bit better about humanity.

All went well at the dentist yesterday. And the rest of my Valentines Day was OK too. Even though it's a holiday designed to make single people feel bad about themselves.

XM Satellite Radio launched their 24/7 baseball channel this morning. I turned it on as soon as I woke up (even before I took a whizz). It seems to be a fun mix of talk shows, interview shows, fantasy analysis, and rebroadcasts of classic games. And then once baseball season starts, XM will be carrying every single game!

Speaking of XM, I was going to enter their sweepstakes for free tickets to the opening night and VIP reception of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels." But then I saw the fine print where it says that the immediate family of XM employees are not eligible. D'oh!

Congratulations to Val and Jon on getting engaged last night!

Happy Valentines Day to all. And I will be celebrating Valentines Day by going to the dentist. Beats the plans of someone else who I spoke with this morning. He will be celebrating Valentines Day at the urologist's office.

And now I present... The Stella Awards. The Stellas are named after 81 year-old Stella Liebeck who spilled coffee on herself and successfully sued McDonald's. That case inspired the Stella Awards for the most frivolous successful lawsuits in the U.S.

This years awards go to:
5th Place (Tie)
Kathleen Robertson of Austin, TX was awarded $780,000 by a jury of her peers after breaking her ankle tripping over a toddler who was running inside a furniture store. The owners of the store were understandably surprised at the verdict, considering the misbehaving toddler was Ms. Robertson's Son.

5th Place (Tie)
19-year old Carl Truman of Los Angeles won $74,000 and medical expenses when his neighbor ran over his hand with a Honda Accord. Mr. Truman apparently did not notice there was someone at the wheel of the car when he was trying to steal the hubcaps.

5th Place (Tie)
Terrence Dickson of Bristol, PA was leaving a house he had just finished robbing by way of garage. He was not able to get the garage door to go up since the automatic door opener was malfunctioning. He could not re-enter the house because the door connecting the house and garage locked when he pulled it shut. The family was on vacation and Mr. Dickson found himself locked in the garage for 8 days. He subsisted on a case of Pepsi he found and a large bag of dry dog food. He sued the homeowner's insurance claiming the situation caused him undue mental anguish. The jury agreed to the tune of $500,000.

4th Place
Jerry Williams of Little Rock, Arkansas, was awarded $14,500 and medical expenses after being bitten on the buttocks by his next door neighbor's Beagle dog. The Beagle was on a chain in its owner's fenced yard. The award was less than sought because the jury felt the dog might have been a little provoked at the time as Mr.Williams, who had climbed over the fence into the yard, was shooting it repeatedly with a pellet gun.

3rd Place
A Philadelphia restaurant was ordered to pay Amber Carson of Lancaster, PA, $113,500 after she slipped on a soft drink and broke her coccyx (tailbone). The beverage was on the floor because Ms. Carson had thrown it at her boyfriend 30 seconds earlier, during an argument.

2nd Place
Kara Walton of Claymont, Delaware sued the owner of a night club in a neighboring city when she fell from the bathroom window to the floor and knocked out two of her front teeth. This occurred while Ms. Walton was trying to sneak in the window of the ladies' room to avoid paying the $3.50 cover charge. She was awarded $12,000 and dental expenses.

1st Place
This year's run away winner was Merv Grazinski of Oklahoma City, OK. Mr. Grazinski purchased a brand new Winnebago motor home. On his trip home from an OU football game, having driven onto the freeway, he set the cruise control at 70 MPH and calmly left the driver's seat to go into the back and make himself a cup of coffee. Not surprisingly, the RV left the freeway, crashed and overturned. Mr.Grazinski sued Winnebago for not advising him in the owner's manual that he could not actually do this. The jury awarded him $1,750,000 plus a new Winnebago motor home. The company actually changed their manuals on the basis of this suit just in case there were any other complete MORONS buying their recreational vehicles.

Tomorrow morning is the opening of The Gates in Central Park. The Gates is a huge art project, designed by Christo, that will adorn the entire park for two weeks. This project was a long time in its development. The previous parks commissioner was dead set against The Gates as he did not believe it was consistent with the park's character. But Michael Bloomberg was a supporter of the idea when he was a member of the Central Park Conservancy. When Bloomberg was elected Mayor, he gave Christo the approvals to finally implement the project. It's only going to last for two weeks in February so it should not detract from anyone's enjoyment of Central Park. I'll definitely have to check it out.

Jason Giambi : "I'm sorry"
Reporters : "What are you sorry for?"
Jason Giambi : "At this present time because of all the legal matters, I can't get into specifics."
Ah, a press conference to apologize for using steroids without actually apologizing for using steroids.

A new documentary opens in theaters today... "Inside Deep Throat" - a look at the pioneering hardcore sex flick. "Deep Throat" was actually the first porn movie that I ever saw. I was really young, didn't quite understand what I was seeing, and was a little scared. But hey, we all have to get our sex education somewhere. It was either that or "Fuzzy Bunny's Guide to You-Know-What."

I fixed up the blogroll on the side of this screen so that, rather than the blogger’s first name, it has the full title of their blog. I think it looks snazzier this way and maybe it will generate more traffic to their sites.

Otherwise there’s not a whole lot to say. Instead, I suggest scrolling down to yesterday’s entry and taking a trip down memory lane to the 4th Season of The Simpsons. My next project will be to rank the Season 5 episodes but I do not have the DVD yet. Would anyone like to buy it for me? Anyone?

Phil’s Top 10 ‘Simpsons’ Episodes of Season 4

1) "Marge vs. the Monorail" (originally aired January 14, 1993) : A fast-talking con man, Lyle Lanley, sells the people of Springfield a monorail, and Homer is thrilled to be the conductor. Marge warns that the monorail is a mistake, and is proven correct when it speeds out of control, with Leonard Nimoy aboard.

2) "A Streetcar Named Marge" (originally aired October 1, 1992) : Marge wins the lead in a musical production of "A Streetcar Named Desire," in which Ned Flanders plays Stanley Kowalksi. Marge is infuriated by Homer’s brutishness and insensitivity during preproduction, until he sees the play and reveals to Marge that he has grasped its meaning. While rehearsing, Marge sticks Maggie in the Ayn Rand Day Care Center, where her pacifier is immediately taken from her, and a la "The Great Escape," she must struggle to win it back.

3) "Last Exit to Springfield" (originally aired March 11, 1993) : Lisa goes to the dentist and learns that she needs braces. At the same time, Mr. Burns tries to remove the dental plan from the plant employees’ benefits, and an upset Homer becomes a union leader, taking the workers out on strike. Burns and Smithers try to run the plant themselves but cannot dent the workers’ resolve. Burns finally agrees to restore the dental plan if Homer will resign as union leader. Voted the best Simpsons episode ever by "Entertainment Weekly."

4) "Homer the Heretic" (originally aired October 8, 1992) : Homer decides not to go to church one Sunday and has the greatest morning of his life. He continues to avoid services, causing Marge to worry about the fate of his soul. Then, one Sunday, Homer inadvertently sets the house on fire and is saved by the heroism of the local fire department, manned by volunteers of all faiths.

5) "Selma’s Choice" (originally aired January 21, 1993) : A death in Marge’s family sends the Simpsons to a funeral and makes Selma wonder if she should have a child before it’s too late. She volunteers to take Bart and Lisa to the Duff Gardens theme park when Homer becomes sick from eating a week-old sandwich. But when Bart gets stuck on a rollercoaster and Lisa goes beserk after drinking the water on a ride, Selma decides that she is not cut out for motherhood... and gets a pet iguana instead.

6) "Kamp Krusty" (originally aired September 24, 1992) : Bart and Lisa go off for the summer to Krusty’s camp for kids, leaving Homer and Marge alone to enjoy a romantic summer. Bart and Lisa are soon put to work making crummy merchandise and eating gruel, until the kids revolt and take over the camp a la "Lord of the Flies." Krusty returns and sets things right by taking the kids to Tijuana.

7) "Itchy & Scratchy : The Movie" (originally aired November 3, 1992) : At a school open house, Marge and Homer learn that the way they handle Bart’s misbehavior now will set him on the path for the rest of his life. Hence, when Bart’s negligence sends Maggie careening down the street in a runaway car, Homer forbids Bart from seeing the new film about Itchy and Scratchy. Homer actually makes the ban stick, teaching Bart a lesson about discipline. A flash forward to the future shows an elderly Homer treating his grown-up son (now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court) to the movie.

8) "New Kid on the Block" (originally aired November 12, 1992) : A single mom moves in next door to the Simpsons, with a teenage daughter with whom Bart falls in love. Unfortunately for him, she has a crush on Jimbo Jones. Meanwhile, Homer sues an all-you-can-eat seafood restaurant when it won’t let him eat all he can eat.

9) "I Love Lisa" (originally aired February 11, 1993) : Feeling sorry for luckless classmate Ralph Wiggum, Lisa gives him a valentine saying "I Choo Choo Choose You." He develops a huge crush on her, which ends unhappily when she tells him that she doesn’t reciprocate on a Krusty the Clown anniversary special. Ralph’s dad, Police Chief Wiggum, tries taking vengeance on Homer, but after appearing in a play about the U.S. Presidents, Lisa and Ralph agree to be friends.

10) "Homer’s Triple Bypass" (originally aired December 17, 1992) : Due to his outrageous eating habits, Homer has a heart attack. He must get a bypass operation but is only able to afford the cut-rate doctor, Nick Riviera. Lisa studies up on cardiology and, with her help, Dr. Nick is able to perform the surgery and save Homer’s life.

There it is – my Top 10 from a season where all 22 episodes are classics. Just barely missing the cut were "Mr. Plow", "Whacking Day" and "Krusty Gets Kancelled."

Special thanks to "Bob" for hosting a cool Super Bowl party. I'm very jealous of his 60 inches. 60-inch TV that is. The Patriots won the game and Paul McCartney got through his halftime performance without any wardrobe malfunctions. Although I wondered when he took off his sport jacket halfway through his set. Much Dominos, snacks, desserts, wine and beer were consumed. My contribution to the party (Wendy will be pleased to know) was a bunch of Coronas.

And now that football season is (finally) over, we can start the countdown to baseball season! It won't be long before pitchers and catchers report to spring training. Although now more steroid allegations are coming out. Specifically, Jose Canseco alleges in his new book that he, Mark McGwire and Jason Giambi went into bathroom stalls and injected each other in the behinds with illegal steroids. Isn't that a lovely image? Plus Canseco names a whole bunch of other players too and speculates that then-Texas Ranger owner George W. Bush may have known about it. So after Canseco dishes his gossip, what is his message? That steroids are wrong and he's sorry? Far from it! On the contrary, he argues that EVERYONE should use steroids. What a moron.

Coming tomorrow - my Top 10 Episodes of Season 4 of The Simpsons.

Weekend Update

I'm spending the afternoon throwing away more things from my apartment and I came across a diary that I kept when I was in the 4th grade. The precursor to this blog, I suppose. I've retyped the first entry, spelling errors and all.

September 15, 1986

Dear Diary,
A few weeks ago I built a culbhouse. One week later some girls wrote all over it. Thursday Joel, Leinord and I formed an army. Friday we had our first assenment. Leinord and I were playing in the culbhouse. One of my next door neighbors, a 12 year old kid started to hit the culbhouse with his skateboard. Then the girls were trying to sit on it but Leinord and I drove them away. Near Leinord's house he got into a fight with a 16 year old kid, it was called a draw. Then everyone went away.
- Philip

Then later on in the diary, I found this entry. The page was folded over and it said "Do Not Read." Here it is.

January 14, 1987

Dear Diary,
David likes a girl named Sally. A kid, Matthew Brown, also likes her. David wants to play a game of chess but Brown wants to fight. I'm writing a book on it. Who gets her? Who knows?
-Philip

Ah, good times!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY BLOG!!!

Phil's Spin Zone is one year old today. Started on February 4, 2004, I didn't know if it would last but so far, so good! Special thanks to my readers. I hope to continue entertaining you.

"NOOOO!!! NOT TRUE! NOT TRUE!"
Those were my favorite lines in Bush’s State of the Union address. They weren’t spoken by Bush though. They were moaned by Democrats as Bush talked about Social Security, claiming that the system was going bankrupt. That’s what we need more of – interactive State of the Unions. Why wait until the post-speech Democratic response? They should just have it out on the floor of Congress. Ratings would go up.

Also, it’s been said on other blogs (i.e. Tamara, Jennie) but if I hear Bush talk ONE MORE TIME about "the sanctity of marriage"...

Tomorrow is February 4 – a very special day for "Phil’s Spin Zone."

I attended Trivia last night and my team won! Consisting of Val, Barry, Tony, Dawn Eden, and T.A.B. (at least for a half-hour), our name was "The New Iraqi Parliament." My best round was (as usual) the visual round where I was able to identify all 10 of the baseball players who were acquired this winter by the Mets and Yankees.

I'd also like to take this moment to announce that I will be hosting Trivia for the first time on Tuesday, February 22! Come one, come all but please leave the tomatoes at home. More reminders will be posted as we get closer to the date.

And today is Groundhog Day. I woke up at 6:00 A.M. My radio alarm was playing Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe." I then enjoyed a nice continental breakfast before going outside where I was accosted by an insurance salesman. I then stepped in a big puddle on my way to work. Something tells me that this day will be repeating itself.

Earlier this morning one of my male co-workers was sitting at his desk, filing his nails. I walked past him and muttered "metrosexual." Broke up the room.

Scheduled a dentist appointment for later this week. I hate going to the dentist.

There’s definetely a virus going around. Even Hillary Clinton and her staff have been affected. Here are the explicit details from the Daily News : "Since Saturday, when Clinton and her staff gathered at a retreat in Westchester County, at least 30 staffers have been sick with diarrhea and vomiting... ‘On the way home people on the bus were already getting sick,’ said one staffer who spent the night throwing up. The retreat at the Hilton in Rye was supposed to be a get-to-know-you event for Clinton’s Senate staff, including several new hires. After suffering through an ugly weekend in and out of the bathroom, most of Clinton’s New York office called in sick yesterday."