The Happy Newlyweds!

The Four Horsemen of the nVo

Hall, Nash and Hollywood

A groomsman suffering the after-effects of a busy night.

A New Hampshire local nut. No doubt campaigning for the '08 primary.

It's been a busy week with little time or motivation to update the good ol' blog. And when I have felt like blogging, it's been to work on my New York Mets Blog!

Tomorrow morning I'm flying to Manchester, New Hampshire for the wedding of Jon and Emily. I'll be there through Monday and am looking forward to being in their wedding party. A wedding report summary to be posted upon my return.

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day Weekend!

Announcing my newest blog venture, Lets Go Mets!

At Sarah's birthday party I was talking with Eric and Jon about the large number of blogs that are devoted to baseball and how most of them are of poor quality and rarely updated. I mentioned that I thought I could run a blog about the Mets that's better than most of those currently out there. So I'm giving it a shot. Check out mets101.blogspot.com for game recaps, player profiles, standings updates and more.

Hopefully it will last longer than that tennis blog I did last year.

Tragedy at Coney Island. On Saturday afternoon a small aircraft crashed on the beach, killing all four people aboard. Fortunately noone was on the beach at the time. If it happened one week later when the beach officially opens or if the weather was sunnier on Saturday, the tragedy would have been even more serious.

This afternoon I was at Coney Island working on the preparations for the annual Beach Opening ceremony. I stopped by the site of the crash and noticed that two metal pipes were tied together as a cross, and the makeshift cross was staked in the sand on the spot where the plane went down. A few feet away was a gathering of candles, flowers and teddy bears, in tribute to those lost.

Soon Coney Island will come alive again for the season. The beach will be filled with sunbathers, the ocean will be filled with frolicking children, the Cyclone roller coaster and the Wonder Wheel will be operating and sounds of minor league baseball will emanate from KeySpan Park. But for now, the Coney Island is silent, except for the waves crashing against the shore, honoring the four who met their end on this famed beach.

Happy Birthday to Sarah and Eric! Had a great time celebrating at their respective parties this weekend.

You know you've made it big as a blogger when you get flamed by random strangers. Case in point - I checked my Sitemeter statistics and found an unusual number of hits from The Guardian website in the United Kingdom. Turns out that someone found my blog and linked to it on a message board, saying that it was 'pathetic.' Someone else then characterized it as a 'boring episode of Seinfeld.' That characterization actually made me laugh. Others flamed me for being into Star Wars, the Mets, my old crush on Katie Holmes and my interest in trivia. (They appear to be unaware that the trivia craze started in the UK) I'm not upset or anything - far from it. I find it highly amusing. So keep on visiting my site guys and flame me if you wish. Unless you actually find anything better to do with your time.

Well done, Mr. Lucas, well done. I was very satisfied with "Star Wars : Episode III." This could have been the entire prequel. Who needed the first two episodes? All they were was backstory for this movie and if you want to see the setup for the classic trilogy, it ALL goes down in this movie.

Things I enjoyed about the film... (I’d say SPOILER ALERT but I think everyone pretty much knows what’s going to happen.)

• The opening action segment. Not only was it visually dazzling but Obi Wan and Anakin actually looked like they were having fun. And the bits with R2D2 were hilarious.
• Christopher Lee got the sendoff deprived to him in "The Lord of the Rings." I don’t understand why Peter Jackson left the scenes showing his fate on the cutting room floor. At least Lucas gives him a satisfying departure.
• Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor / Emperor Palpatine is the man. Best actor in the whole prequel trilogy and this was his movie to shine. "Execute Order 66!"
• Cool battles ranging from Anakin vs Dooku, to Obi Wan vs Grevious, to Mace Windu vs Palpatine, to Yoda vs Palpatine and finally Anakin vs Obi Wan.
• Jar Jar is only seen briefly in two scenes and he has NO dialogue!
  

There are criticisms of course but none of which should cause irreperable harm to the film, like they did the first two. For instance, Anakin’s ultimate descent into darkness could have been illustrated better by Hayden Christensen. And the dialogue between him and Natalie Portman was literally laughable. But what can ya do.

Can’t wait till the DVD release.

Had a blast hosting Trivia last night. For those who weren't there or for those who want to relive the experience, I've pasted the General Knowledge questions that I asked with the answers below it...

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE ROUND

1) In the song "19" by Paul Hardcastle, he told us that the average age of a soldier in the Vietnam War was 19. Hardcastle also told us the average age of a soldier in the Second World War. What was it?

2) In the film "Coming to America", Eddie Murphy played Akeem, the prince of what fictional African country?

3) In a few weeks, the film "Cinderella Man" opens with Russell Crowe playing what Depression era boxer?

4) The mathematical value of Pi is 3.14 and what number comes next?

5) What two football teams are tied for having won the most Super Bowls with 5 wins each? You must name both teams.

6) What is the most commonly spoken language in the world?

7) In the video arcade game "Punch Out", who is the first fighter that comes up as the opponent in the first round?

8) What is the official flower of New York State?

9) Who was officially credited by the U.S. Congress for having invented the telephone?

10) According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations, what is the best selling magazine in the United States?

Answers
1) 26
2) Zamunda
3) Jim Braddock
4) 1
5) Dallas Cowboys / San Francisco 49ers
6) Chinese (or Mandarin – 1 billion speakers, English is 2nd with 500 million)
7) Glass Joe
8) Rose
9) Antonio Meucci (in 2002, Congress credited him for inventing it before Bell)
10) Readers Digest

The Visual Round was a Primetime TV grid from 1991 where you had to fill in ten shows that were whited out. The shows were Parker Lewis Can't Lose, Herman's Head, MacGvyer, Coach, Law and Order, Doogie Howser MD, Night Court, The Simpsons, Brooklyn Bridge and The Golden Girls.

From A.O. Scott’s review in The New York Times of "Star Wars : Episode III : Revenge of the Sith."...

"This is how liberty dies - to thunderous applause," Padmé observes as senators, their fears and dreams of glory deftly manipulated by Palpatine, vote to give him sweeping new powers. "Revenge of the Sith" is about how a republic dismantles its own democratic principles, about how politics becomes militarized, about how a Manichaean ideology undermines the rational exercise of power. Mr. Lucas is clearly jabbing his light saber in the direction of some real-world political leaders. At one point, Darth Vader, already deep in the thrall of the dark side and echoing the words of George W. Bush, hisses at Obi-Wan, "If you're not with me, you're my enemy." Obi-Wan's response is likely to surface as a bumper sticker during the next election campaign: "Only a Sith thinks in absolutes." You may applaud this editorializing, or you may find it overwrought, but give Mr. Lucas his due. For decades he has been blamed (unjustly) for helping to lead American movies away from their early-70's engagement with political matters, and he deserves credit for trying to bring them back.

This time last year I often blogged about the television show "Survivor." A lot. Since getting more of a life though, I haven't blogged as much about it. But that doesn't mean I haven't continued to watch religiously. Last night's finale was uber-exciting and I'm happy for the winner - Tom Westman of the NYC Fire Department. Tom's a real class act and a straight shooter. Earlier today I was at an event that was attended by Mayor Bloomberg. After the event, he held a press conference and one of the reporters asked him if he'd watched "Survivor" last night - obviously to make the connection about the winner being a City employee. Mayor Bloomberg's response? "No."

It was a fun weekend. I mentioned the video arcade mecca that I went to on Friday but I should also mention meeting a very talented upcoming author! You can visit her website to learn more about her novels that will be coming out soon. Then on Saturday I ventured out to New Jersey with Ben and Tracey. First stop - Madison for dinner at the home of Tracey's parents. I was tested by her family's very large and very excitable dog. The test consisted of the dog literally jumping on you while barking as loud as she could. If you showed fear she wouldn't let up but if you were calm and pet her despite the attack, she'd warm up to you. Fortunately, I'm pretty good with dogs and she was soon lying docile on the carpet. Next stop was Bloomfield for a party in Tess's new place. Good times. Luckily we got a lift back to Hoboken where the PATH train awaited. A fun day in the heart of NJ but too much traveling! Then on Sunday I saw "The Interpreter." Not bad. A little slow but a compelling story. The last movie I saw in a theater before that was "Hotel Rwanda." Combined the two movies lend toward one inevitable conclusion. That things are pretty fucked up in Africa.

Don't forget to come on down to The Baggot Inn tomorrow night at 7:30! Caren and I are hosting and I guarantee that you will be entertained. (This is not an actual guarantee.)

The sofa arrived! And it was the right one! In the right color! With a sleeper! And it fit through all the doors! Now I can relax and enjoy the ambiance that is my living room.

But it wouldn't be blogging unless I had SOMETHING to bitch about, right? So as the delivery guys were leaving, I paid them the balance of the money that was due for the sofa. They counted the money and one of the guys muttered under his breath about the lack of a tip. Um, excuse me - the fee included a $100 delivery charge. I'm usually a generous tipper and have tipped most of the workers who have come to my apartment to perform services. But THE FEE INCLUDED A $100 DELIVERY CHARGE. Now if there was no delivery charge or I asked you to do something extra for me, then yes I can understand wanting a tip. But to do the job that you're paid to do, while charging $100 for delivery, there seems to be less grounds to be bitching about a tip. I'm reminded of the "Curb Your Enthusiasm" episode where Larry David can't go anywhere or do anything in his hotel without being besieged by hotel employees expecting tips. And then there's the paper cups in the pizza parlors and Subway restaurants where tips are requested. Seriously if I gave a tip to anyone who ever performed a service for me, I'd be broke.

I also want to mention that I went to this amazing bar last night. It's called Barcade and it's in Williamsburg. They have every classic 80s arcade game under the sun! Ms. Pac Man, Galaga, Frogger, Punch Out, Centipede, Q-Bert (well actually Q-Bert was broken). It was paradise. And while I was there I made sure to get lots of quarters for my laundry.

I'm hoping to get my new couch delivered on Saturday. I always get nervous about deliveries - namely that I have very little trust in these companies. I tend to get concerned that there will be a problem and I'm hoping that's not the case. For example, the sofa was ordered to be a sleeper (consisting of a fold-out bed) and I had a bad dream last night that it was delivered but it wasn't a sleeper. It got me so upset that I suddenly woke up feeling distressed. Then talking to my mom on the phone tonight, she reminded me to inspect it upon delivery and make sure it was the right type with working mechanisms and a mattress, or else not to accept it. So I'm needlessly anxious about what should be an irrelevant matter. Oh then there's the anxiety about it not fitting in my elevator or through my front door - which again is a baseless worry since there should be plenty of room and how did anyone else in my building get their furniture through? Seriously, I need to chill and stop stressing about shit like this. OK, deep breath.

But hey, I got my opening day ticket for "Star Wars." Ya-hoo!

I learned something today. Paul Giammati from "Sideways" is the son of Bart Giammati, the former baseball commissioner. Fascinating.

My team last night finished in second place at Trivia. A mere half-point out of the lead. Of course if they went with my suggested answer that the NYU student stole $43 million, we'd have won. Good job Jess on a co-hosting well done.

Whatever you do, be sure to attend trivia next Tuesday night when I will be hosting with the illustrious Caren! It should be a hell of a barnbuster.

On my lunch hour today I bought the audio soundtrack to "Star Wars Episode III : Revenge of the Sith." I'm all ready to geek out over it tonight. After I watch "Lost" that is. And "The Amazing Race" that I taped from last night. Hmm, guess I won't be sleeping much.

Newsweek Magazine ranked the Top 1000 public high schools in the nation and I'm proud to say that mine just barely made their list! Edward R. Murrow H.S. in Brooklyn was ranked #912, as reported by their website. Of course such rankings are usually a poor reflection of a school's actual quality. For example, Vassar College deserves better than the #14 ranking that U.S. News annually bestows upon it. Likewise, I'm sure that Murrow deserves a higher ranking but it's still nice to see that it made the cut based on their criteria (which I think was heavily dependant on number of AP classes taught).

More good news - Time Warner Cable made a deal with Cablevision and they are now showing MSG and Fox Sports NY. Which means that I can watch Met games again! Although it was fun listening to games on the radio for a few weeks. If the TV announcers suck, I might hit the 'mute' button and go back to the radio.

Happy Mothers Day to all the moms out there, in particular MY mom! I spent the day at my parents house, enjoying the time with them. It's still weird to think of myself as a guest in their house. For instance, my mom vacuumed just for my visit. Since my dad is still recovering from his eye surgery, we ordered in from our favorite Kosher Deli. That's something I wish there were more of in Bay Ridge... Kosher Delis. Nothing beats cold cuts and potato knishes. Yum.

May 5, 2005 ... 05/05/05 ... one of the rare days where the month, day and year are all the same.

Check out the new addition to the blogroll... Ben's Solid Office Website!

So I was going to watch ABC's expose of American Idol but I fell asleep. Just as well. Idol is an annoying waste of programming space that FOX could be devoting to quality shows like "Greg the Bunny" or "A Minute with Stan Hooper." I'm alluding of course to the opening line of last Sunday's "Family Guy" where Peter Griffin informs his family that they've been canceled and their only hope of getting back on the air is if FOX cancels... and then he proceeds to name an ENDLESS list of shitty shows that have aired on FOX since "Family Guy" was originally taken off the air.

There's still some good TV out there though and I'm talking about "Lost." Last night's episode was the first original one in forever and I can't get enough of Terry O'Quinn's performance as John Locke. With only a few episodes left in the season, let's hope they have something good planned.

And my dad's eye surgery went OK and he's back at home. Now he just has to deal with an
annoying recovery process until it's all healed.

The housewarming has been scheduled for Saturday, June 11. It's a while away but I wanted to be sure to give everyone plenty of notice. Evites have gone out so if you got one, please be sure to RSVP! If you didn't get one but want one, let me know and please forgive the oversight.

Tomorrow morning my dad is having an operation on his left eye. Best of luck to him!

Another Parks event at work went down today. This was a groundbreaking for a new sports facility at Kaiser Park. All went smoothly as usual. Now there's a break from events for a couple of weeks which is a relief because I have a ton of paperwork to attend to.

The funeral for Eric (my childhood friend who passed away) was a sad, sad affair. I hope his parents and four siblings will be able to stay strong as it is such a tragic situation. It reminds me of our fleeting mortality and that we have to live each day to the fullest.

And on that depressing note, I shall say adieu for now!

Friday : Awesome day at work. It was Arbor Day and we had our annual tree planting ceremony. This years involved a class of pre-schoolers who wrote us letters asking us to plant a tree to go alongside a forgotten World War I memorial plaque. So we restored the plaque and planted a new tree beside it. We gave the kids Arbor Day t-shirts that were a bit too large for them so they came down to their ankles. So cute!

Saturday : Went to Astoria to hang with Ben, Tracey and Tess. Had dinner at Zenon - an amazing Greek restaurant. We ordered a smorgasboard of food that they kept bringing to the table. Then it was back to Ben's house for a party for one of his housemates.

Today I enjoyed sleeping in, reading the paper and relaxing. I did receive some sad news over the weekend though. A guy my age that I know passed away. We grew up in the same neighborhood, went to pre-school together, saw each other at synagogue each year and I attended his Bar Mitzvah and wedding. Although we weren't close friends or anything, his death is a shock and I'm still not sure what caused it. I may never know. But I'm going to his funeral tomorrow morning and feel terrible for his family.

Have a great week everyone!