PHIL'S SPIN ZONE

2006-12-14T21:32:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow night, coinciding with the beginning of the holiday, Radio Hanukkah will go on the air! If you have XM, it's channel 108. If not, all you have to do is log onto www.xmradio.com/hanukkah and enter a special promo code. I won't say what it is here but if you ask, I'll tell you!

Among the programs you'll hear:

"Grandma Rose's Kugel"- dedicated to my own grandmother, an hour of songs about Jewish foods

"The Imperial Room" - a collection of classic Jewish comedians who did the Catskill Mountain Resort circuit

"Rockin with the Rebbe" - moden Jewish rock

"Hits of the Holy Land" - Israeli folk and traditional music

and more! Here are links for PDFs of the program schedules and descriptions. Enjoy!
http://www.xmradio.com/pdf/RadioHannukahDescriptions.pdf
http://www.xmradio.com/pdf/RadioHannukahCalendar.pdf

2006-11-12T00:44:00.000-05:00

Roll call of the recently, not-so-dearly departed...

Tom Delay
Bill Frist
Karl Rove
Jim Talent
George Allen
Rick Santorum
Donald Rumsfeld
Saddam Hussein
Kevin Federline

Nice knowing you guys.

2006-11-09T17:33:00.001-05:00

It is official! The Democrats control the Senate!

happy dance - happy dance - happy dance - happy dance

2006-11-08T23:08:00.000-05:00

I've always said that I developed strong character from two things. Being a Mets fan and being a Democrat. Because both experiences cause you to suffer loss after loss and through dealing with that adversity, you become a stronger person.

But 2006 seems to be an aberration. The Mets had a great year and, although they had a tough loss in the NLCS, their 97 wins and NL East title made the season a huge success. And last night, for the first time in forever, the Democrats had a hugely successful election!

I can only remember two other elections that I enjoyed as much. (Not counting my own personal election wins in junior high, high school and college.) That would be 1992 when Bill Clinton won the presidency for the first time and 1998 when Jesse Ventura was elected governor of Minnesota.

Last night the Dems not only won the House of Representatives... it appears that we won the Senate too! Wow. If I smoked, I'd light a cigar.

So Bush is officially a lame duck and the race for the 2008 presidency is on. Huzzah!

2006-10-18T18:05:00.000-04:00

I don't blog much these days. But I'm blogging today to say...

LET'S GO METS!

C'mon guys. You can do it. I have faith. But whatever happens, I love you anyway.

2006-09-10T22:29:00.000-04:00

Today I made my feature film debut. Kind of.

Around the corner from my apartment building, they were filming "Then She Found Me," a romantic comedy starring and directed by Helen Hunt. The scene that they were filming was Hunt and Colin Firth sitting on a bench outside of Yanni's - a restaurant that's a block from me. From what I hear, Matthew Broderick and Bette Midler are also supposed to be in this movie that will be released next year.

Anyway, they were shooting the scenes with Hunt and Firth and they had a bunch of extras walking back and forth. Two other local residents and I were standing in the background watching them. When they adjusted their cameras to get different angles, they realized that we were in the line of the shot. Rather than tell us to move, they asked if we could stand by the bus stop that was there and look like we were waiting for a bus, as part of the background. So we did that for about four takes. If it makes it into the film, I will surely be expecting compensation.

After they wrapped (that happened to be the last scene they were filming), Helen Hunt went into Yanni's and came out with a birthday cake filled with candles. She then presented it to Colin Firth, whose birthday it was today. Everyone there (me included) then sang Happy Birthday to him.

Now I have to sit down with my agent to find a follow up project.

2006-08-24T17:04:00.000-04:00

Intently watching the Mets as they begin their comeback against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night. Best game of the season!

2006-08-11T14:33:00.000-04:00

The foiling of the recent terror plot to blow up airplanes has me convinced that Jack Bauer really exists.

2006-08-08T23:16:00.000-04:00

He lost his Joe-mentum.

Joe Lieberman lost the Connecticut Democratic Primary. A rare occurance for an incumbant.

BUT - he's still going to run in November as an independent. Maybe he can regain some of that Joe-mentum then.

2006-07-23T22:53:00.000-04:00

It occurs to me that I never got around to posting many of the vacation photos from last month in Toronto. So, here they are!

The CN tower...

View from the CN Tower...

Standing on the glass floor of the CN Tower...

Another view from the CN Tower...

View from the cruise around Lake Ontario...

The Rogers Centre (formerly known as Skydome)

2006-07-14T00:02:00.000-04:00

Holy shit! He blogged.

I know, I know. It's been a long time. More than a month in fact. Whatever, I've been on a blog vacation. A hiatus, if you will. I know you missed me and I thank you for checking in day after day, only to find the same old wedding pictures from Toronto.

I figured that I had to post something, if only because I am getting mentioned on more blogs these days than my own.

First there is Sarah. Sarah had a dream the other night that I wrote all sorts of terrible and revealing things on my blog about her sordid past. And that the police were coming to arrest her based on information that they gleaned from my blog. But you know what they say. Dreams are indicators of truth. And Sarah, I can't keep quiet any longer about the counterfeit jeans racket that you are running out of your new apartment. It's time to come clean.

And then there is Jess. One year ago, Jess and I were almost cast on a reality TV show. It was supposed to be a show where New Yorkers show off their favorite spots in the city to a documentary TV crew for the Discovery Channel. Ultimately we were not cast. Anyway, Jess mentions on her blog that she recently found out that the whole thing was a rouse. Whereas, it really was a TV show for the Discovery Channel, the premise was that they take unsuspecting New Yorkers expecting to show off their favorite spots and thrust them onto a quiz show instead! Which explains why we had to fill out a trivia questionairre during the casting process.

Thanks for the blog cameos, Sarah and Jess. Regular updates to resume on this site shortly.

2006-06-13T11:31:00.000-04:00

Back from Toronto! There were two parts to the weekend : sightseeing and wedding. First I will post wedding pictures and then later in the week there will be sightseeing pictures!

2006-06-04T21:49:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend, Canadian police arrested 17 people who were plotting to blow up places in Toronto. And guess who's going to be vacationing in Toronto soon? THIS GUY!

David Wright is fast becoming my favorite New York Met. And now I find out that he has a blog!
Check it out. It's called Wright Now.

2006-05-25T20:53:00.000-04:00

These are some really great pictures from the infamous race!

2006-05-24T23:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I went to an orthopedist and I was diagnosed with having inflammed tendons in my left knee. Tendonitis is a good word for it. It is an overuse injury as my body was not equipped to handle the mileage that I did. Apparantly, one cannot go a few weeks without running and then wake up one day and run a 10K. Who knew.

So although the pain is still there (and is going to be there for several weeks), I feel better knowing what the injury is and that it will eventually heal.

One interesting comment from the orthopedist : "You have the build of a sprinter more than that of a distance runner." Interesting.

Anyway - how about dem Mets? Pretty good!

2006-05-22T14:09:00.000-04:00

I'm injured.

I'm paying the price for running the 10K on Saturday as my left knee is hurting real bad.

All planned races for the month of June are hearby cancelled.

Sniff sniff...

2006-05-20T13:02:00.000-04:00

I did it.

I ran a 10K. 6.2 miles. A complete loop of Central Park.

How? I don't know. But I did. Final time : 1 hour, 6 minutes, 27 seconds. A 10 minute, 43 second per mile pace.

Since the park's loop is slightly less than 6.2 miles, the course was configured so you begin at the start line, run about .2 of a mile, and then cross what is the finish line before embarking on the rest of the course. Upon arriving at the finish line, right after the race began, I said, "Hey, we're at the finish already!" A woman next to me said, "That was easy."

At the second mile, a Road Runners volunteer was on a megaphone and joked to us back-of-the-packers, "Let's go! There's $10,000 in prize money!" (Only the top three finishers get prize money) I yelled out, "Come on everyone, we still have a chance!" Everyone laughed and started joking about how all we needed to do was pull off two-minute miles.

I also saw Uptown Girl, cheering the runners with her pom poms, near the 4-mile marker, and NYFlyGirl at the conclusion of the race.

All in all, a satisfactory morning!

And now I rest my weary self...

2006-05-01T22:02:00.000-04:00

I've been a very bad blogger lately.

Here's the upcoming races that I've registered for...
May 20 - Healthy Kidney 10K
June 4 - NYRR Anniversary Run
June 18 - Father's Day Run
June 22 - Corporate Challenge (not NYRR affiliated)

I should probably find the time to do practice runs sometime in between these races...

2006-04-23T19:50:00.000-04:00

In the movie Top Hat, Fred Astaire sang "Isn't it a lovely day to be caught in the rain." Mind you that he was standing underneath a gazebo with Ginger Rogers. Not running a 4-mile race.

Weather be damned, I ran in the adidas Run for the Parks on Sunday morning. And I achieved a new personal record! 41 minutes and 32 seconds - a 10:23 mile per minute pace. This is nearly 2 minutes faster from the 43:19 that I posted two weeks ago.

I'm glad that I participated in the race, especially since I wasn't sure if I was going to. The downpours on Saturday were torrential and the forecast said that they would continue on Sunday morning. So I waited to see what the weather would be up to. When I woke up, the rain had nearly stopped and it was just misting. Good enough, I thought. I packed up and made my way over to Central Park. When I got to the park at 9 it started raining again. I ducked inside my office building to use the restroom and wait out the rain. When it let up, I made my way over to the start area, near the bandshell. There the rain was continuing but it was light. Ten minutes before the start, the rain nearly stopped. And then two minutes before the start, here it came in torrents! But hey, I was already there, might as well run, right?

I joined around 3600 other hardcore runners, speeding through Central Park in the middle of a rainstorm. I'm told that this particular race usually draws around 10,000 people. I can't blame the vast majority for staying home but also thought it was cool that so many still decided to participate. Even though the rain made for a pretty miserable run (dodging and weaving through all sorts of puddles), I'm pleased that I ran almost two minutes faster than last time. Of course, rain is a good motivator to speed up and get out of there.

After the race, there was little socializing to do. Just get out of the rain and back onto the subway where a hot shower, change of clothes and a big lunch awaited me.

2006-04-19T20:34:00.000-04:00

Sorry blog readers of mine. You come here expecting to read what I've been up to yet all you see are those same pictures of me crossing the finish line. What I've been up to mostly has been work. It's going REALLY well and I'm REALLY enjoying what I'm doing and I have some REALLY interesting stories but alas, I can't really talk about it in this venue. But e-mail me sometime and I'll fill you in!

Have another race on Sunday morning. It might rain though. Booo.

2006-04-14T11:32:00.000-04:00

Photos of me crossing the finish line at Sunday's race!

(Never mind the clock that says 49 minutes - as I said, it was a long time until I was able to get to the starting line!)

2006-04-12T17:28:00.000-04:00

Happy Passover!

I am currently blogging from my parent's house where the first night's Seder is due to begin shortly. And then tomorrow night, my aunt in New Jersey is doing the second night's Seder. So much eating to do!

And speaking of eating, I must blog about a very unique restaurant that my family went to last Saturday night to celebrate my dad's birthday. It is called Marchi's. Located on East 31 Street between 2nd and 3rd Avenue, it has been in existance for 80 years. It is in the lower level of a brownstone and there is no sign outside indicating that it's a restaurant. Once you are seated there is no menu. Instead, there is one huge dinner consisting of five courses that will be served to you. This set meal has not changed over 80 years.

First course : Platters of antipasto... celery, melon, radishes, Genoa salami, and a Lorenzo salad consisting of tuna, olives, capers, chopped celery, parsley and red cabbage

Second course : Lasagne with a special sauce concocted by the Marchi family

Third course : Deep fried fish with string beans and cold beets (The beets is the only thing I didn't eat)

Fourth course : Roast chicken, slices of roast veal, fresh mushrooms and tossed salad (Actually, I didn't eat the mushrooms either)

Fifth course : Dessert - a bowl of fruit, lemon fritter and "Crostoli", crisp deep fried twists with powdered sugar

Plus coffee or tea. Bread is included but they do not serve butter because that would detract from your appetite. And then there is the option of purchasing wine.

Mmm. So that is what I ate on Saturday night and subsequently burned off during the race on Sunday.

2006-04-09T14:57:00.000-04:00

First of all, happy birthday to my dad!

Second of all, I made my New York Road Runners racing debut this morning! It was the Thomas G. Labrecque Classic and proceeds from the race went toward lung cancer research. Going into the race I had very low expectations for several reasons : first race, never ran 4 miles at a time before, hadn't run AT ALL in several weeks, getting over a stomach flu. And despite all of that, I not only finished the race but experienced a run that was far more comfortable than any of my practices. My final time was 43 minutes and 19 seconds - a 10:49 minute per mile pace. I am very happy about that!

When I arrived at Central Park this morning, it was cold. I wore a t-shirt underneath a sweatshirt and was planning on taking the sweatshirt off prior to the race, but it was way too cold for that. Most of the other runners seemed to be bundled up pretty good as well. When I arrived at the registration area, I heard someone say my name. I turned around and it was a former classmate of mine from Vassar. She was also running in her first race, her reason being that her roommate is involved with the lung cancer charity and basically forced her to. So I pinned my race number to my sweatshirt, attached the scoring chip to my shoe and was ready to go.

I lined up at the 11-minute per mile marker and it was crowded. They announced that 7000 people were running. The website later said that 5368 people finished the race. Lots of no-shows or were lots of people unable to finish? Anyway five minutes passed between the blowing of the horn and the time that my group was able to get to the starting line. And from there, we were off! The first mile seemed to be endless. Part of it was uphill but besides that, it seemed to be excessively long. I later saw NYFlyGirl and she told me that the mile markers were in the wrong places, so the first mile seemed longer than the second. The second mile was more fun because it involved turning a bend. When I got to the second mile marker, I raised my arms in victory which elicited some laughs from the people nearby. Each mile marker had a water station so I took advantage of the H2O. Those were the only times I stopped during the race - to drink - which surprised me because I had to often stop and walk during my practices. I think that all in all it was easier because I was running alongside thousands of other people. That made it motivating to keep on going and more fun than practicing alone. Finally, I arrived at the finish line. Victory! Well, not "victory"... that went to an Ethiopian guy who ran the 4 miles in 19 minutes. But I finished and felt good doing so. Which, I consider to be a huge victory.

Next race - two weeks - the Adidas Run for the Parks!

2006-04-05T23:11:00.000-04:00

Remember when I said yesterday that it was nice to have a bullpen that could pitch a 1-2-3 ninth inning?

Never mind.

2006-04-04T21:08:00.000-04:00

I started my new job today and lived to tell the tale! It's actually the first time that I've ever worked in Manhattan and that in and of itself is very exciting. All in all, it was a good first day and I think things are going to work out fine. And I now have my very own Blackberry!

Mets won yesterday which means they are in first place and undefeated. (I'll enjoy it while I can!) Furthermore, it is very nice to finally have a closer who is capable of pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. After the heart attack inducers that were John Franco, Armando Benitez and Braden Looper, all I can say is welcome to the team, Billy Wagner!

2006-04-03T11:46:00.000-04:00

The song going through my head right now is Peter Gabriel's "Big Time." That was the theme song for last night's WrestleMania 22 and the annual WrestleMania party that I host was a big success. Briar came from Maryland, Gans came from Boston and Bartow came from Long Island. The original nVo was joined by Gans' cousin Andy and a great time was had in my new apartment, watching on my new TV. As per tradition, enormous quantities of Chinese food and cake were consumed.

The company has since departed and thoughts turn to the new baseball season. As promised, here are my picks!

NL East
1- Braves (because they ALWAYS come in first)
2- Mets (wild card - laugh all you want, T.A.B.)
3- Phillies
4- Nationals
5- Marlins

NL Central
1- Cardinals
2- Astros
3- Brewers
4- Cubs
5- Pirates
6- Reds

NL West
1- Dodgers
2- Padres
3- D-Backs
4- Rockies
5- Giants (Barry Bonds distraction will wreck them)

AL East
1- Yankees (because they ALWAYS come in first)
2- Blue Jays
3- Red Sox
4- Orioles
5- Devil Rays

AL Central
1- White Sox
2- Twins
3- Indians
4- Tigers
5- Royals

AL West
1- Angels
2- A's (wild card)
3- Mariners
4- Rangers

Playoffs
Cardinals d. Mets
Braves d. Dodgers
White Sox d. A's
Yankees d. Angels

Cardinals d. Braves
White Sox d. Yankees

White Sox d. Cardinals (Back to Back World Series titles?)

2006-03-31T21:27:00.000-05:00

Today was the last day of my job. A few weeks ago I was offered a promotional opportunity within the same company and I will begin the new job next week. Although it felt sad to say goodbye to my co-workers, we all knew that it wasn't really goodbye as I'll be seeing them on plenty of occasions at events and work functions. Hence the cake that said "See You Later!" It was a very nice last day as they took me to lunch and had a party later in the afternoon in our conference room. Some pictures are posted below!

2006-03-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

Ack! Baseball season starts on Monday and I haven't made my predictions yet on this blog. In the past I've done pretty well as last year I picked 6 out of the 8 playoff teams. So I'll look over the baseball preview section in today's Daily News and get back to you on this one.

2006-03-28T10:20:00.000-05:00

In yesterday's blog post, the picture of the SUV stuck in the crater was taken from NY1's website. At noon yesterday, the SUV was removed. Later that afternoon I went to the site (2 blocks from my apartment) and took some of my own pictures. Pretty big hole, no? Hope they fix it by November - this is part of the marathon route!

2006-03-27T12:45:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes. I wish I could say that I was feeling all better. I'll say though that I'm better in some ways! C'est la vie.

There was a huge water main break in Bay Ridge. I turned on NY1 this morning and they were showing a picture of an area just a few blocks away from me (4th Avenue & 73rd Street). There was a van that had partially fallen through a crater in the ground. The water main break was all underground, knocking out subway service in that area. Fortunately, I was still able to get to the subway by walking 10 short street blocks. Here is an article about the situation.

2006-03-23T09:39:00.000-05:00

Ugh. Being sick is no fun. I came down with a fever yesterday and last night was one of the worst that I've ever had. Fortunately, as daybreak hit, my fever started to break and I'm feeling much better today.

Tonight, watch Jeopardy! at 7:00 as Jess is going to be on it. Go, Jess!

I feel like I should say something witty about the Central Park Coyote but nothing comes to mind. Except that it was nabbed by the New York Road Runners. (Well, not really. The police nabbed it. But coyote... road runner... too easy)

2006-03-20T10:59:00.000-05:00

Final Score from Friday Night at the Prospect Park Tennis Center... Boss & his partner 8, me & my partner 6. Which is in keeping with my strategy of "let the boss win." Seriously though, I didn't even have to try to let him win. Boss is an amazing tennis player! My partner and I got out to an early 4-0 lead before Boss rallied, eventually tying it up at 6-6. We then pondered whether to play a tiebreaker or do it the old fashioned way, where you have to win by two. We chose the latter and 8 to 6 was the final. After that, Boss and Bob played each other one-on-one with Boss winning that set by a score of 6-4. Knee surgery and age hasn't affected his abilities at all! After their game, Portia and I hit the ball to each other for a half hour but didn't keep score as each of us didn't want to suffer the potential embarrasment of losing.

Saturday was Tracey's birthday party, which consisted of dinner at the Yaffa Cafe and drinks at an East Village bar whose name I forget. At one point, Ben and I got bored and started mixing the leftovers of people's drinks together. That and various other food items that were strewn on an abandoned table. Then we stirred it to see what sort of nasty combination would result. (Sort of like what I used to do when I was 6 years old at Seniors Restaurant in Sheepshead Bay) Anyway our activities caught the attention of a female bar patron who chose to strike up a conversation with an opening line of "Did you just spit in that drink?" At first I thought she was pissed because we had messed with one of her drinks, but I later learned that this was just her attempt at an opening line. For the record, there was no spitting involved!!! And although we engaged in some polite conversation, that is as far as it went because she was nearly as nasty as the drink combo we had just created.

Finally, congrats to Tamara for her 5:14 performance at the L.A. Marathon and to all of those who participated in Saturday's Brooklyn Half Marathon. My race debut is three weeks away!

2006-03-18T10:50:00.000-05:00

It hasn't even been 24 hours and my old URL has already been taken by someone else. By a guy involved with the International Aerobatic Club.

2006-03-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

Please note the brand new URL of this blog : philsspinzone.blogspot.com. Update your links and bookmarks!

I have a huge tennis game coming up this evening. I'm playing against one of my bosses who plays regularly. He's under the assumption that he's going to lose to me but he is so wrong. I am the one who is going down. Just to be safe, he's asked me to submit a urine sample so I can be tested for steroids.

Sunday is the Los Angeles Marathon. I want to wish all the best to Tamara who is running it for the very first time! Tamara has impressively trained over the past few months and I know that she'll do great.

Happy St. Patrick's Day! (and Happy Belated Purim)

2006-03-15T13:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Ides of March! It was one year ago on this date that I signed my lease. Fortunately I have a two-year lease so no rent hikes this year!

Dwight Gooden - how sad your life has become. I idolized thee back in the 80s when you were a star pitcher with the Mets. But now you've gone and messed up your probation (again) by taking cocaine. This year, the Mets will be celebrating the 20th anniversary of their 1986 championship and while several events are scheduled featuring all the members of that team, Gooden will be sadly absent. A shame.

MySpace has been getting lots of attention in the media. So I thought I'd make a profile and see what all the fuss was about. Seems like a glorified version of Friendster to me. Still, I got to reconnect with a very good friend of mine from Vassar (Dave!) who I haven't seen in 7 years! Check out The Boondocks comic strip for a funny story line about the grandfather who joins MySpace in the hope of meeting women.

2006-03-13T11:20:00.000-05:00

Uncle Junior! What did you do? What did you do?!?!

Observed some funny things this weekend :

Was doing laundry on Saturday. The cat who lives in the basement decided to take a nap on top of the drying machine. The fact that I was using the dryer didn't deter it. He just looked at me without the slightest amount of interest.

Then I took the train into Manhattan on Saturday night. On the train was a family of four - a 60something man, a 50something woman, a 20something woman and a 20something man with a mohawk. And they were having a picnic. Literally. The older man distributed paper plates and then he gave each of them a home-made sandwich. Then he took out a bottle of juice, poured it into 4 paper cups and gave those out. After that, they gave him their paper plates and paper cups and he put it in a garbage bag that he brought. Then he handed out cartons of Jello and spoons. It just looked so... out of place... especially being that it was on the D-train going from Brooklyn to Manhattan at 11:00 at night!

2006-03-11T16:41:00.000-05:00

Loving this weather. Took advantage of the unseasonably warm temperatures by going for a run in Prospect Park. Not long after I started running, I noticed a couple of middle aged men running ahead of me at a slow pace. I decided to pace myself by running behind them. That lasted all of two minutes until I decided that they were going too slow and I was going to pass them. So pass them I did and pretty soon I couldn't even see them behind me. I thought, "So long, suckers." Then I instantly felt bad for calling them suckers - even though it was only in my own mind. Halfway around the park, I started feeling winded so it was a good thing that I was carrying a bottle of water. Still, I slowed down considerably to the point that it resembled more of a fast walk. Then I looked behind me and the two middle aged men were back in view. Uh oh. Better pick up the pace! The potential embarrasment of being passed by people who I had previously passed was enough motivation to kick it into gear. I finished my full rotation of the park (3.35 miles) a full minute ahead of them. And my total time was EXACTLY the same as when I ran around the park three weeks ago. Not that I'm very interested in my total time though. I think the lesson learned is to run at a slow, deliberate pace so that I don't get winded. Only after I'm able to do that, should I concern myself with speed and how I'm doing compared to the people around me.

2006-03-09T11:37:00.000-05:00

Today is the one-year anniversary of me getting my current apartment! Well, it was one year ago today that I settled on it and had the broker hold it for me. Upcoming anniversaries will include March 15 when I signed the lease and got the keys, and April 10 when I actually moved into it. I think about all the hecticness and craziness that was going on this time last year and think... boy am I glad I don't have to go through that again this year!

This blog has been quiet these past few days as I'm busy working on Let's Go Mets. It's current emphasis is on the World Baseball Classic. Go Canada!

2006-03-07T13:12:00.000-05:00

It is a sad day for baseball fans. Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett has passed away. I cheered for Kirby back in 1987 when he led the Minnesota Twins to their World Series Championship. Granted, my motivation in rooting for the Twins was my hatred of the St. Louis Cardinals. But it was impossible not to like Kirby. And then in 1991 he led the Twins to another World Series Championship. He was forced to retire because glaucoma caused him to lose vision in one of his eyes. His weight then ballooned to over 300 pounds. The last time I remember seeing Kirby was 2001 when he was elected into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The man had such an infectious smile. Yesterday, he passed away at the young age of 45, after having suffered a stroke over the weekend.

I will close by singing to the tune of "Davey, Davey Crockett"... "Kirby, Kirby Puckett!"

2006-03-06T11:35:00.000-05:00

"It's hard out here for a pimp..."

Oh yeah, you know that song is stuck in my head this morning. That was an Oscar surprise last night but not as much of a surprise as Crash. Crash?! Don't get me wrong - I liked Crash. But Best Picture? Over Brokeback? I don't know about that!

All in all, I got 15 of my predictions right last night. Just down from last year when I got 16 right. I blame Crash for that. But now that the winners have been announced, I realize that there are many many movies that I have to catch up on via Netflix. They include Walk the Line, Capote, Syriana, The Constant Gardener, Wallace & Gromit and Hustle & Flow.

Went to a fun Oscar party last night where I watched the awards with a great group of people on my friend's new flat-screen, 32-inch HDTV. Then on Saturday, I ventured to Astoria to work out with Ben at The Rock. Did the treadmill, elliptical bike, some light weight training and boxing. I have a pretty mean left jab, if I do say so myself.

2006-03-03T14:20:00.000-05:00

Last summer I launched a blog about the New York Mets. It lasted about two weeks. This year, I am giving it another shot. Hopefully it will last three weeks!

Check out ... Let's Go Mets! ... mets101.blogspot.com

2006-03-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

TV Observations -

The scene in "24" when President Logan asks Mike to kneel on the ground and pray with him is taken right out of history. Richard Nixon did the same with Henry Kissinger. And the more we see how paranoid Logan is, the more he reminds me of Nixon.

"Lost" has its good weeks and bad weeks but last night's episode was amazing. We finally saw what happened to Claire back when she was taken by The Others in the first season. I've always hated when characters come down with amnesia so it was satisfying to finally fill in those blanks.

And the Academy Awards are on Sunday, to be hosted by one of my favorites - Jon Stewart! Last year I offered my predictions as to who would win and I got 16 out of 24 categories correct. That was good enough to win my own Oscar Pool. I'm not doing an Oscar Pool this year but I am offering my predictions below. Keep in mind that I still haven't seen many of these movies and I'm basing many of these picks on the buzz I've been hearing.

Picture : "Brokeback Mountain"
Director : Ang Lee "Brokeback Mountain"
Actor : Philip Seymour Hoffman "Capote"
Actress : Reese Witherspoon "Walk the Line"
Supporting Actor : George Clooney "Syriana"
Supporting Actress : Michelle Williams "Brokeback Mountain"
Adapted Screenplay : "Brokeback Mountain"
Original Screenplay : "Crash"
Animated Feature : "Wallace & Gromit"
Original Song : Travelin' Thru "Transamerica"
Original Score : "Brokeback Mountain"
Cinematography : "Brokeback Mountain"
Art Direction : "Good Night, and Good Luck"
Film Editing : "Crash"
Costumes : "Memoirs of a Geisha"
Visual Effects : "King Kong"
Sound Mixing : "Walk the Line"
Sound Editing : "King Kong"
Makeup : "The Chronicles of Narnia"
Foreign Language Film : "Tsotsi"
Documentary Feature : "March of the Penguins"
Documentary Short : "God Sleeps in Rwanda"
Live Action Short : "Our Time is Up"
Animated Short : "9"

2006-02-27T07:34:00.000-05:00

The Winter Olympics are over. And the winner is... Germany. Nothing better signals a return to worldwide prominence than winning a bunch of alpine skiing competitions. Oh and the biathalon. Can't forget that. That's the odd combination of cross-country skiing and shooting. Yes, shooting. I wonder if the New York Road Runners would like to incorporate shooting into any of their races. Just to do something different.

Anyway the morning papers are all running final medal counts for the participating nations. But I feel that a better measurement is a system used by many but not officially recognized by the International Olympic Committee. That's assigning 3 points for each gold medal, 2 points for each silver and 1 point for each bronze. In case of a tie, the nation with the most golds gets the higher ranking. Using that system, here are the Top 10 from the 2006 Winter Olympics!

1- Germany (63 points)
2- United States (52 points)
3- Austria (48 points)
4- Canada (48 points)
5- Russia (44 points)
6- Norway (31 points)
7- Sweden (30 points)
8- Switzerland (28 points)
9- South Korea (26 points)
10- Italy (21 points)

Next stop - Vancouver - 2010. I wait with baited breath.

2006-02-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

Last night when Sasha Cohen was finished skating, the TV announcer said "Some skate to the music of Romeo & Juliet. Sasha Cohen IS Juliet." To which I thought, does that mean that she'll be so despondent over her falls that she'll stab herself in the heart with a knife?

Blog News :

Jess is off to California where she will soon be a contestant on Jeopardy. Good luck, Jess!

The Anonymous Blogger publicly reveals that he is now seeing someone. Good luck, T.A.B.!

2006-02-23T10:54:00.000-05:00

Some observations...

President Bush's reaction to allowing the United Arab Emirates control of six American ports is that "people don't need to worry about security." Except for all of those times where he told us that we had to worry about security.

How desperate is Donald Trump for publicity? Writing hatemail to Martha Stewart and then releasing it to the media. And then he still has the gaul to claim that The Apprentice is the number one show on television. It was number one for ONE WEEK back in 2004. Since then, it hasn't been able to win its time slot, much less crack the Top 10.

It's been known that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton, holds disdain for the institution. Last night he really punished his fellow ambassadors. He took them to a New York Knicks game.

Finally I feel congratulations are in order for Dick Cheney. He got through the week without shooting anyone.

2006-02-21T16:19:00.000-05:00

Resemblance?

2006-02-20T11:09:00.000-05:00

Busy day on Saturday!

The first stop was Prospect Park to cheer on the Speedy Beagles at the Cherry Tree Relay Race. They finished first place among the female relay teams!

Then it was off to Union City, NJ for The Anonymous Blogger's birthday party and presidential campaign kickoff. Contractual obligations prohibit showing any actual photographs of The Anonymous Blogger... which will make his candidacy a hard sell - even for an experienced P.R. guy like myself.

So here are some of the other pictures that I took. First, me and Caren.

Then, me and Sarah.

Then, Sarah and Jeremy.

Then, Daryl makes a "point".

Then, Dave and Robyn.

And finally, Valerie and Jon.

On Sunday I slept-in until 11:30 (ah, good times) and then saw my parents. And the 3-day weekend continues today. What's on the agenda? Food shopping!

2006-02-17T10:20:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, seeing that it was 55 degrees, I brought my new running sneakers and running pants to work yesterday and at the end of the day went for a run in Prospect Park. For the first time, I ran around the entire park! The total distance of the running track on the park drive is 3.35 miles. It was awesome. The NYRR 4-mile races are looking more and more doable.

The run helped contribute to an excellent night's sleep. I was so tired that I fell asleep with the television on - something that rarely happens. Fortunately, I had already seen "Survivor : Exile Island" and "Everybody Hates Chris" so the only thing that I missed was the Olympics. I wound up waking up at 3 am with the TV showing NBC's late-night replay of their primetime coverage. I could have stayed up to see what happened in the men's figure skating but didn't really care.

Three-day weekend coming up!

2006-02-15T09:39:00.000-05:00

The Dick Cheney shooting his friend story is still funny, but slightly less funny considering that the gun pellets caused the guy to have a heart attack.

Which leads us to... The Ten Ways Dick Cheney Can Kill You!

2006-02-14T11:37:00.000-05:00

Dick Cheney...shot a friend of his...while hunting for birds. Excuse me for one moment.

BWA HA HA HA HA HA!!!!!!

Not only that, but Cheney did not even have a license to hunt. And the White House sat on the information leading to this give-and-take, as described by the Daily News.

"The vice president spoke with Mrs. Katharine Armstrong, and they agreed that she should make that information public," McClellan repeatedly stonewalled.

But having a private citizen contact the press deviated from the White House practice of sending out e-mails to the media. In an off-camera briefing marked with name-calling and loud give-and-take, McClellan was repeatedly asked about the delay and the curious method of getting the information out.

"You're totally ducking and weaving here. We don't care if some ranch owner called the local paper," NBC's David Gregory said.

"David, hold on, the cameras aren't on right now. You can do this later," McClellan shot back.

A red-faced Gregory returned fire, saying, "Don't accuse me of posing for the cameras. Don't be a jerk to me personally. When I'm asking you a serious question you should give me a serious answer instead of jerking us around."

Another reporter dryly asked if it was now standard White House policy to release information through private citizens. The contentious scene was repeated at the afternoon on-camera briefing, though without name-calling.

As a conservative-leaning friend of mine said to me yesterday, "I can't wait until John McCain runs for president so it can be normal to be a Republican again."

2006-02-12T15:14:00.000-05:00

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

Here I am right before venturing out into the frozen tundra.

Here is the front of my apartment building (the super said he had already shoveled it three times at this point)

4th Avenue is deserted

Snow covering the trees and church

The view from INSIDE my apartment. First, the fire escape!

And finally, snow piled atop the AC

2006-02-10T11:59:00.000-05:00

Last night, someone named Your Old Pal commented "comments are more interesting than the blog these days..."

Well, what do you expect? The blog is still grounded!!!

Grounding will end this weekend though so the blog can go out and play in the snow.

Lynn asked about the pinata incident. I was reluctant to talk about it because the lawsuit is still pending.

Normal posts to resume next week...

2006-02-08T15:39:00.000-05:00

I went to the ESPN SportsZone restaurant last night. It was what heaven would probably look like to a sports fan. TVs all over showing every sport imaginable and a menu full of goodies like ribs, chicken, burgers, and root beer. And on the top floor is an arcade with sports-themed videogames, air hockey tables, basketball free throw booths and even a miniature bowling alley! This is currently a slow time of year for sports as we're in between the Super Bowl and the start of baseball. But this Friday begins the Winter Olympics. Luge, baby, luge!

The blog was not allowed to go to the restaurant though because it is still grounded.

2006-02-07T12:15:00.000-05:00

This blog wants to apologize for not posting yesterday. Its birthday party got a little bit wild. All I will say is that pin the tail on the donkey is a dangerous sport. The root beer was spiked and this caused all sorts of mayhem. And don't even ask me about the pinata incident. It's a good thing I have renters insurance.

As a result, this blog is grounded. It has to come straight home from school and it is not allowed any TV or video games. We have to learn our lessons somehow.

2006-02-04T11:20:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to my Blog!!!

It was on this day, February 4th, in 2004 that I started this blog. Two years later it is still going strong. Thanks to all of my faithful readers, everyone who leaves comments, and even those of you who read the blog regularly and never leave a comment!

And now this blog is off to eat birthday cake and play pin the tail on the donkey.

2006-02-03T11:36:00.000-05:00

Just in case anyone missed it, yesterday's post was a spoof of the classic Bill Murray movie "Groundhog Day."

Last night on "The Office", the employees left their office environment to interact with the workers in the company's warehouse. As they descended the stairwell that leads to the warehouse, Dwight looks at the camera and says "This is just like that episode of Lost when the castaways encountered The Others."

On "Survivor" they did something different for a change. They divided everyone into four tribes of younger men, older men, younger women and older women. What they did not change is the hokey lines that Jeff Probst says year after year : "Fire represents life", and so on and so on. He's even looking bored saying it.

A&E televised a dramatization of the events of 9/11, centering around Flight 93, the plane that crashed in the Pennsylvania field. Very well done but too soon? It hasn't even been five years. In other basic cable movie news, the Discovery Channel is televising "Grizzly Man" tonight - the story of a man who lived with wild bears... and then got killed by them.

Yay, TiVo.

Super Bowl prediction - the Pittsburgh Steelers will win. The waiter at the Chinese restaurant I went to the other day agrees with me.

Finally, tomorrow is a very special day for this blog!

2006-02-02T08:17:00.000-05:00

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.

2006-02-01T12:08:00.000-05:00

Trivia went well last night. Another large crowd of 70something people attended and The Anonymous Blogger and I had a fun time hosting.

I covered three of the rounds : current events, top 10 and visual. The Top 10 stumped everyone. I asked them to name the top 10 movies ever rented on Netflix. The list is widely available on their website but apparently noone had looked at it. The teams were far more successful with the visual round where they had to identify ten U.S. Senators, namely Barbara Boxer, Barack Obama, Robert Byrd, Russ Feingold, Joe Biden, Rick Santorum, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Mel Martinez, Jim Bunning and Jim Jeffords. And these are the current events questions that I asked with the answer in italics.

1) The Academy Award nominations were announced this morning. Name three of the five Best Picture nominees.

Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Crash, Good Night and Good Luck, Munich

2) What film received the most Razzie Award nominations with eight? These are the awards given to the worst films of the year.

Son of the Mask

3) What billionaire announced today that he will not run for Governor of New York State?

Tom Golisano

4) Samuel Alito was confirmed today by the Senate as a Supreme Court Justice. How many senators voted for him and how many voted against him? (Hint - it adds up to 100)

58-42

5) Coretta Scott King, widow of Martin Luther King, died today. How old was she?

78

6) Mike Piazza signed a one-year contract over the weekend with what baseball team?

San Diego Padres

7) According to a survey released today by the Economist Intelligence Unit, what is the world's most expensive city to live in?

Oslo, Norway

8) What former Super Bowl MVP told ESPN that he is leaning towards retirement?

Brett Favre

9) What former Lord of the Rings actor is starring as a government bureaucrat in the current season of 24?

Sean Astin

10) On Sunday, World Wrestling Entertainment presented the Royal Rumble. Who won the Royal Rumble match?

Rey Mysterio

2006-01-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

Tonight!

Tuesday Night Trivia

The Baggot Inn
West 3rd Street between Sullivan and Thompson

7:30

Be there!

I'm hosting

2006-01-30T09:41:00.000-05:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy. That's Happy New Year in Chinese. I learned it in Pre-Kindergarten when we celebrated the Chinese Lunar New Year by making a big dragon costume and walking up and down the halls of the school in it. These days, my celebrating the Chinese New Year usually just consists of eating Chinese food. Which come to think of it is not very different from the rest of the year. But last night while eating Chinese, I opened my fortune cookie and got the funniest fortune ever. It said "The weather is pleasant."

Also over the weekend, I got new running sneakers! They are Asics 1100s. I looked at the 2100s (the newest model) but they did not have any in my size. I am a 10 and a half and for running shoes, they say to go a half size higher. Unfortunately they had 10 and a halfs and 11 and a halfs in the 2100s - no 11s. So I got the 1100s instead which is a slightly older model but they seem to be perfectly suitable.

My review of "The New World" - slooooow and plodding.

2006-01-26T15:26:00.001-05:00

Last night's episode of "Lost" was terrible. Just terrible. As are any episodes that center around Charlie. The next time the writers are looking for a character to kill off, I gladly volunteer Charlie.

Characters on "Lost" who I like
Sayid
Hurley
Locke
Jin
Sun
Mr. Eko
Walt
Walt's dog

Characters on "Lost" who I hate
Charlie
Ana Lucia
Jack

Falling in between the like & hate categories are Sawyer, Kate, Claire and Michael.

2006-01-25T11:13:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned a couple of times before on this blog how much I enjoy "How I Met Your Mother." But the last couple of episodes have been amazing.

The show centers around Ted (Josh Radnor) a single guy in his late 20s who is looking to find someone who he can have a relationship with. He lives with his college friends Marshall (Jason Segal) and Lilly (Alyson Hannigan) who are engaged. Ted meets and falls for Robin (Cobie Smulders) who doesn't want to date him because he is looking for something more serious than she currently is. And then there is Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) who as the wise-cracking friend always has the best lines.

The first of this two-part episode was titled "The Wedding." Some friends of Ted were getting married and Ted thought that he RSVPd for him and a guest to attend, hoping that he'd have a girlfriend by the time that the wedding came along. Since he remained single (and since Robin had just broken up with a guy she was seeing) he asked her if she wanted to go and she enthusiastically said yes. (Turns out that Ted didn't actually RSVP for a guest - his subconscious penchant to remain single led him to only check himself off) But he was ultimately allowed to bring Robin anyway, only for her to get a call from work asking her to anchor the night's local newscast. Ted encouraged her to do it and he wound up going stag. Sitting alone at the wedding, mired in depression, he thought that it was his lot in life to remain single. Until he locked eyes with a cute girl sitting a few tables away. End episode.

The second part aired on Monday night and was titled "Drumroll Please." Ted and the cute girl (Victoria) are now talking and agreed that the worst part of meeting someone at a wedding was the disappointment that usually followed shortly after it was over. So to create a perfect evening of memories they decided not to exchange last names or phone numbers and just to enjoy each other's company for one night only. They also decide not to kiss but to instead experience the drumroll - the moment of anticipation before a kiss where your lips get as close as possible to touching without actually doing so. Robin, done with her newscast, decides to show up at the wedding and surprise Ted only to see the two of them in the midst of their drumroll. This causes her to realize her own feelings for Ted and inspires a bathroom cry. The next day, Ted realizes that for all their talk about not being in touch, he absolutely has to see this girl again. Despite her feelings for Ted, Robin sees that he now wants this new girl and she helps him to find her. He tracks Victoria down as she baked the wedding cake and upon entering her bakery, she sees him and says "Oh, thank god!" They kiss, end credits.

Maybe I'm a sappy romantic but this is some good stuff.

2006-01-24T12:33:00.000-05:00

In yesterday's comments, Gabe linked to the "Top 10 Uses for Vassar Squirrels", as published in 1996 by the now-defunct Vassar Daily.

It reminded me of another Top 10 list that they published in 1995. Originally it aired as one of David Letterman's Top 10 lists in 1991 and I've always enjoyed it. For obvious reasons...

Top 10 Ways the World Would Be Different If Everyone Was Named Phil

10. Almost impossible to get personal license plate "PHIL."

9. Ben & Jerry's ice cream now called Phil & Phil's.

8. Expectant parents could be heard saying "Phil if it's a boy and Phil if it's a girl."

7. When caller to Donahue show said "Phil?" everyone in audience would reply "Yes?"

6. 007 fans look forward to classic line, "Bond. Phil Bond."

5. Instead of screaming, "Watch where you're going, you stupid bastard!" New Yorkers would scream, "Watch where you're going, Phil, you stupid bastard!"

4. Some woman named Phil would keep breaking into my house.

3. Teenage pranksters would call airport and have them page "Phil Hertz."

2. Wouldn't have to look in TV Guide to see who's on the "Tonight Show."

1. Most popular Beatle? Phil.

2006-01-23T11:58:00.000-05:00

This picture was on Vassar College's web page this morning as it is the first day of their second semester. I just had to post the image here. Those who remember a campus overrun with squirrels will doubly appreciate it.

2006-01-20T11:41:00.000-05:00

January 20th. Inauguration Day. I remember that on this day last year, I was very upset and doing everything I could to ignore Bush's second inauguration. I had wanted so badly to see John Kerry sworn into office on that day. How different would things be in this country if that had happened? For that matter, how different would this country be had Al Gore rightfully been elected in 2000? Would Gore have been re-elected in '04? How would he have pursued the War on Terror? The Iraq War would have been non-existant under a Gore Administration but to what extent would the campaign against Al Qaeda be successful?

Yesterday, Osama Bin Laden released another one of his "Greatest Hits" videotapes. Another reminder that he is still at large, and although Al Qaeda has been weakened, the fact that he is still alive and broadcasting has to represent the single most catastrophic failure of the Bush Administration. I wish that Kerry pushed that point during the campaign last year. Sure, he touched on it, but it didn't really resonate. And now Kerry wants another opportunity in 2008. Sorry John, we got our hopes up for you in '04 and you let us down.

The upside is that Bush really only has a year and a half left. Sure, he technically has three years but once the summer of 2007 comes along, all attention will be on the new crop of presidential candidates and Bush will officially be a lameduck. In the meantime, be careful what you say on the phone... they're liable to be spying on you!!!

2006-01-18T11:18:00.000-05:00

So how about this weather? For two hours this morning, I lay in bed listening to the pounding sounds of the wind. It was very tempting to stay there and build a fortress with my blankets. Bad weather + good book that I'm reading (Philip Roth's "The Plot Against America") + several TV shows stored on my TiVo = day off? Not to be. Having been off for the MLK holiday on Monday and having a doctors appointment scheduled for tomorrow, I trudged my way in through the rain and the wind. After all, there's stuff to be done!

The first four hours of "24" were as exhilarating as any. David Palmer - assassinated! Michelle Dessler - blown up! Tony Almeida - fucked up! And then there was the hostage crisis at the airport. So exciting. Best part is that Jack Bauer has reached the point where he's no longer taking any crap. Or in his words.. "The only reason you're still conscious is because I don't want to carry you."

And the Golden Globes were on Monday. Glad to see "Brokeback Mountain" do so well. It's probably now the frontrunner to win Best Picture at the Oscars. Hopefully it will change the attitude of some of the homophobes out there. Other well deserved winners included "Lost" and Steve Carrell as Best TV Comedy Actor for "The Office."

2006-01-16T00:03:00.000-05:00

The Anonymous Blogger has tagged me to fill out a meme. How exciting!

Four jobs you have had in your life:
Computer Center Help Desk Guy (a disaster)
Assistant to Politicians
Government Bureaucrat
Syndicate Crime Boss

Four movies you could watch over and over:
The Frisco Kid
The Godfather
The Outsiders
The Goonies
(As you can see, I like movies with the word "the" in it)

Four places you've lived:
Brooklyn, NY
Poughkeepsie, NY
(... yeah that's about it!)

Four TV shows you love to watch:
Lost
24
How I Met Your Mother
Everybody Hates Chris
(I could keep on going here)

Four places you've been on vacation:
Southern California
Montreal / Quebec City
Atlanta
Cooperstown - Baseball Hall of Fame!

Four of your favorite foods:
Matzah Ball Soup
Hot Dogs
Rainbow Cookies
Root Beer
(eating the above four at the same sitting would constitute the perfect meal)

Four sites I visit daily:
GMail
CNN.com
My blog
Too many other blogs to mention

Four Bloggers you are tagging:
Elyssa
Jess
Lara
Jennie

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

As movie award season approaches and all of the critics have released their year-end Top 10 lists, I thought that I would do so myself. There are a few movies that I haven't seen yet that, based on critical acclaim, might warrant a ranking such as Munich, Walk the Line and A History of Violence. But based on the movies that I have seen this year, here is my Top 10!

1- Good Night, and Good Luck
2- Brokeback Mountain
3- King Kong
4- Crash
5- March of the Penguins
6- The Wedding Crashers
7- Mad Hot Ballroom
8- Sin City
9- Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire
10- Tim Burton's Corpse Bride

Eclectic selection, no? Other movies that I enjoyed that didn't quite make the cut were Fever Pitch, Revenge of the Sith, Batman Begins, Cinderella Man, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Rent.

2006-01-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

One year ago, I mentioned on this blog that Fran Fergusson, the President of Vassar College, had announced her retirement. Fran had been President since 1986 and was there while I was a student from 1995 to 1999. This morning, I received an e-mail from the Board of Trustees, declaring that they unanimously selected a new person. Although the college is 145 years old, this new appointee will only be the tenth president in the school's history.

Dear Members of the Vassar Community,

It is our pleasure to announce that on Saturday, January 7, the Board of Trustees of Vassar College unanimously elected Catharine Bond (Cappy) Hill as the tenth president of Vassar College, beginning July 1, 2006.

Currently the Provost and John J. Gibson Professor of Economics at Williams College, Cappy Hill is a noted economist whose work focuses on higher education affordability and access, as well as economic development and reform in Africa.

The election of Cappy is the culmination of an extensive, nine-month national search to find the successor to President Frances Fergusson, who last year announced she would step down as Vassar’s president at the end of the 2005 – 2006 academic year. Cappy was the unanimous selection of the fourteen-member search committee, which reviewed more than 200 candidates.

A 1976 summa cum laude graduate of Williams College, Cappy also went on to earn a B.A. and M.A. from Brasenose College, Oxford University, with First Class Honours in politics, philosophy and economics, and a Ph.D. in economics from Yale University. A member of the Williams economics faculty since 1985, she has held the position of provost at Williams, where she has major financial and academic responsibilities, since July 1999. The depth and breadth of Cappy’s portfolio as provost make her one of the most highly qualified senior academic administrators in the country.

To learn more about the tenth President of Vassar College, we invite you to visit our 10th President website.

We know you will join us in enthusiastically welcoming Cappy and her family to the Vassar community.

2006-01-09T10:47:00.000-05:00

23-0. The Giants lost yesterday by a score of 23-0. Pathetic! But a great time was had yesterday at the Riviera Cafe in spite of the game. Still, it would be nice to go there one time and see the home team win for a change!

This weekend was an all-around poor weekend for the young quarterbacks of the NFL. First there is Eli Manning of the Giants who did nada, zip, zilch, zero yesterday. Then there is Carson Palmer of the Bengals - who tore his ACL on his very first playoff pass and had to miss the rest of the game. Then there is Chris Simms of the Bucs. He is the son of Phil Simms - former QB for the Giants. Young Chris actually played pretty well but his team lost anyway. So who's left? There's the Colts - best team on paper and sentimental favorite since the head coach just lost his son. There's the Patriots - who are the two-time defending champions. And there is the Bears - who I'd root for just so I can say in SNL style, "Da Bears!"

I rented on Netflix, "The Outsiders : The Complete Novel." Basically, Francis Ford Coppola shot the entire S.E. Hinton book when he originally made the film but he left lots on the cutting room floor. In this DVD release, he puts everything back into the movie and there is an all new beginning and end. Although for people like me who read the book 15 times as a kid, the new material was all very familiar. He also adds plenty of 1950s-era music to the soundtrack, a nice compliment to the main title track - Stevie Wonder's "Stay Gold."

I'll close with Robert Frost's poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" - as Ponyboy recites to Johnny in the movie...

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay.

And then there's Dallas Winston's classic line right before the rumble...

We're gonna do it for Johnny, man. We'll do it for Johnny!!!

2006-01-06T14:55:00.000-05:00

A recap of the first week of 2006.

Sunday, January 1 : Mary Purcell, the longest serving employee in New York City government, and the Parks Department in particular, passes away. Mary began with Parks on June 26, 1944. She served in the agency for 61 years before passing away at the age of 79.

Monday, January 2 : Thirteen miners are trapped underground in an explosion in West Virginia.

Tuesday, January 3 : It is discovered that 12 of the miners have died, although this news did not reach the families until Wednesday, January 4.

Wednesday, January 4 : Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister of Israel, suffers a devastating stroke. With heavy bleeding in his brain, doctors admit that his outlook is grim.

Thursday, January 5 : It is revealed that the one coal miner who survived, is suffering from brain damage. Ariel Sharon's condition worsens.

Friday, January 6 : Irving Domenech, Parks Dept. Supervisor for Districts 5 and 16 in Brooklyn, passes away after complications from an illness.

So yeah, quite a way to ring in a new year. I say we scratch this week and start the new year this weekend instead.

2006-01-05T10:25:00.000-05:00

Last night's Rose Bowl between Texas and USC has got to have been the most exciting college football game that I'd ever seen. And I don't watch that many college football games. Although I was originally rooting for USC, it was impossible to not be impressed with Texas's comeback. But where was the defense on either side? I guess defense is in short supply in the college game as each team passed and rushed with ease. Or maybe that was just a testament to how good Vince Young, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush are.

Football fever continues this weekend as the Giants have their first playoff game on Sunday. If interested, come on down to the Riviera Sports Bar in the West Village and join me and a few other friends in the fun. Beer! Chicken wings! And if it's anything like last year, there will be free party favors - like refrigerator magnets and beer-holding gloves!

And now I bring you an abbreviated version of "Good News / Bad News"

Jon Stewart has been selected to host this year's Oscars. Good news!

The Second Avenue Deli has temporarily closed due to a rent dispute. Bad news!

2006-01-04T09:58:00.000-05:00

Tragedy in West Virginia. The accident involving the miners resulted in 12 deaths, with only one survivor. This is very sad, made worse by the false hope given to their families.

At 11:45 last night, word got out...somehow...that 12 miners survived. This led to jubilant celebrations by their families. The story was picked up by all the TV stations. It also was carried by the daily newspapers, as they were just going to press at that time. For example, the headline in today's Daily News is "Miracle in West Virginia : ALIVE! : 12 miners rescued after almost 2 days trapped underground - one found dead." Upon opening the paper, we find that our fellow blogger Derek Rose was on assignment in West Virginia and wrote the lead article. We can't blame Derek or any of his colleagues in the press for this snafu because they were reporting what everyone, including the governor of West Virginia, thought was true. The only question is, what was the source? How did this information get out in the first place? How did this rumor spread and why did it take three hours until it was corrected? The most telling line in Derek's article was "Details of the rescue were sketchy last night."

At 2:30 A.M., the families were told "Oops. Disregard that rumor that your loved ones survived. They didn't." For the newspapers, it was too late to retract their stories. But for the families, the anguish and devastation was far more severe.

2006-01-03T12:11:00.000-05:00

Brooklyn gets screwed again. I'm talking about the backroom political theater that is the selection of the Speaker of the City Council. Despite being the most populous borough, and despite having the largest delegation of City Council members, once again a Brooklyn person will not be elected speaker. In this case, Park Slope Councilman Bill de Blasio was unable to get the requisite amount of votes to defeat Chelsea Councilwoman Christine Quinn. It is a shame because one would hope that all of the Brooklyn councilpeople would band together to elect one of their own. This never happens though. Feuds, fights, jealousies and rivalries always get in the way. Sorry, Bill.

Yesterday, I saw "Brokeback Mountain." It was exceptionally well done with strong performances from Heath Ledger and Jake Gyellenhal. It will definetely rank up there in my top ten movies of 2005. Early in the movie, the two lead characters complain that they are sick of eating beans. So instead they start eating each other. But before they descended into a tragic spiral of forbidden love, all those scenes of them cooking beans by the campfire made me hungry and I went home and made myself a nice batch of baked beans last night. Mmm.

2006-01-02T12:33:00.000-05:00

So this is 2006, eh? Seems to me to be no different than 2005. And yes, I am making a conscious effort to incorporate "eh?" into my vocabulary. All in anticipation of my vacation to Canada in June. Gotta assimilate myself with the locals.

Love it when holidays fall out on Sundays - meaning that I get the Monday afterward off. So I am off to the movies today which will be a thousand times more than what I did yesterday, which was... absolutely nothing! Does anyone actually ever do things on New Years Day? I did venture out to my bagel store around the corner and they were saying that they were going to have to close early because only two people bothered to come in for work.

I conclude with a thought on what I think should go back into fashion. Bowler hats. Come on, who doesn't look good in a bowler hat? If I lived in a different time period, I would be psyched about walking around all day in a black bowler. Fortunately at the party I attended on Saturday night, they were giving out plastic bowlers to the attendees. Given a choice of pink, orange or yellow, I chose yellow and wound up looking like The Man in the Yellow Hat from "Curious George."

2006-01-01T10:45:00.000-05:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2005-12-30T10:34:00.000-05:00

2005 – The Year in Review... Conclusion

October

I forgot to include this in yesterday’s post, because it appeared in my October Archives, but on the last day of September, I went to Great Adventure with Caren and Brad. Couldn’t leave that out!

And then October began. It has long been my favorite month because of the fall weather, my birthday, the baseball playoffs and Halloween. On October 5th, I turned 28 years of age. And my birthday also fell on the second day of Rosh Hashanah

from my blog entry of October 4...
It's now the year 5766. I just got back from temple where the tickets were mistakenly printed to say 5765. Temple, as always, is a grueling experience. Tamara hit the nail on the head last month when applying the Five Stages of Grief to the synagogue experience. First there is denial (It can't last that much longer, surely it will be over soon and we can go home to eat lunch). Then there is anger (Why are they still chanting? How many times can they give thanks to God?!?) Then there is bargaining (I'll take a bathroom break and then a quick walk outside. That should speed things up). Then there is depression (Sigh, they'll never get to page 420.) And finally acceptance (Well I only go these two holidays a year)

For my birthday, my brother got me a TiVo. If I didn’t watch too much TV before, I sure do now! The birthday was also celebrated with various friends at the off-Broadway show “Jewtopia”, at a dinner at “Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.” and at a house party in Astoria thrown by a Vassar friend who shares the same birthday.

Also in October, some of my comrades from Tuesday Night Trivia participated in a TV taping for VH-1’s “The World Series of Pop Culture.”

from my blog post of October 24...
On Saturday afternoon I attended a taping for the pilot episode of VH-1's "The World Series of Pop Culture." Picture teams of three in a quiz show where the questions focused exclusively on movies, TV and music. And if that wasn't enough, it was hosted by Pat Kiernan - morning news anchor for New York 1. (Love his "In the Papers" segment)... I thought that if I were a contestant, I would have done moderately well. For example, I knew the answers to some of the questions that they didn't, such as the insect that carried dinosaur DNA in "Jurassic Park" was the mosquito. But on the other hand they knew answers that I had no clue about, such as the name of the terrorist organization in "Die Hard."

The month concluded with two parties on Halloween weekend. Oddly enough, neither was a costume party. The first was an engagement party for Jay and Lisa. (Briar also was the first to use my sleeper sofa!) The second was a birthday party in Hoboken for Britta.

November

As November began, I imparted to my readers a very important lesson that I learned on Halloween.

from my blog entry of November 1...
I learned something this past Halloween. Eating lots of candy in the morning, followed by lunch at McDonalds, does not make for the most pleasant of afternoons.

The next weekend, I helped Ben and Tracey move into their new apartment in Astoria. Yeah, manual labor! And then I enjoyed watching the New York City Marathon! Part of the route in Brooklyn is right around the corner from my apartment building so I was out there to cheer on the runners and snap photographs.

from my blog entry of November 7...
Congratulations to everyone who participated in yesterday's New York City Marathon! I took advantage of living around the corner from 4th Avenue in Brooklyn to get a good, up close and personal look at all of the runners. Didn't see Bex amidst the 35,000 but I hear she survived it. Then I went into Manhattan later in the day to meet up with a friend and we watched some of the same runners in Central Park, albeit many hours and many miles later. Watching the marathon runners is inspiring and great fun.

Two days after the Marathon, Mayor Bloomberg was reelected. No surprise there. But the next week, I was invited to a party at Gracie Mansion!

from my blog entry of November 15...
Last night I scored an invitation to Gracie Mansion for a reception to welcome the Country Music Awards to New York City. It was my first time at Gracie and the place is quite swanky. Leading into the place I walked on a red carpet lined with paparrazzi. Nice! Now, I am not a country music fan at all and had to be told by my co-workers when I was standing next to someone famous. For example, while I was getting a glass of white wine, there was a very attractive woman near me who was garnering lots of attention from everyone else. I asked my co-worker Portia who that was. Her reply was "Leanne Rimes." Then there was an older guy in the same room who was also garnering lots of attention. My co-worker Bob gave me his camera and asked me to take a picture with him. Which I did. Afterwards I asked who I just took a picture of. Bob's reply was "Glen Campbell."

Around that time the wrestler Eddie Guerrero passed away and my blog got hundreds of hits a day from people doing Google searches for “eddie guerrero autopsy.” The only time I got even more Google searches was back in April when people were putting in search words likening the new Pope to the Emperor in “Star Wars.”

I hosted Tuesday Night Trivia for the fourth time in November, this time with the wacky and zany Jon C. as my co-host.

from my blog entry of November 16...
Hosting trivia was fun last night. I went into it thinking that it was getting old and it would probably be my last time hosting. But it was such a rush that I'll have to sign up to do it again. My co-host was a cool guy who was alot of fun to host with but he told a lot of intentionally bad jokes that turned the audience against him. One table took a liking to me in particular (they named their team "Phil Me Up!") and whenever my co-host started acting annoying they started up a chant of PHIL! PHIL! that was picked up by the rest of the 70-someodd people there. So that stroked my ego. In other words, I played the face while my co-host played the heel.

As November concluded, I bought a new TV set, celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, and inspired by the Marathoners attempted to start running!

December

On the first day of December, I attended Caren’s reading from her new book “Scenes from a Holiday.” Buy it on Amazon today! Then on the first Saturday night in December, I had two birthday parties in one night. Aren’t they always scheduled that way?

from my blog post of December 5...
First stop on Saturday was Nobi's party, held at Jappas 38, a Japanese kareoke bar in midtown. Nobi required all attendees to sing a one-song minimum. Now when I do kareoke, I only choose the most difficult songs with the most lyrics. A few years ago I did Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." And this past Saturday I did Eminem's "Lose Yourself." Snap back to reality, oh here comes gravity... Also at that party were several people from Vassar including Rouslan, a native of Kazakzstan. See, not only Borat comes from Kazakzstan! Then it was off to Brooklyn for Daryl's party at The Living Room Lounge. Good to see alot of people there including Jess, Brad, Sarah, Sydney, Britta, Ned, Matt and Lori.

One week later I found myself in Brooklyn Heights leading me to recall a memory from my childhood.

from my blog post of December 13...
Last night I had a nice dinner at the Henry Street Ale House in Brooklyn Heights. Right around the corner from the bar/restaurant is the Plymouth Church on Orange Street. That was a significant locale in the Underground Railroad. And right next to the church is an old home that I used to visit years and years ago. It belonged to an old friend of the family and I remember going there once when I was 5 or 6. I went to use his bathroom and in order to flush the toilet, you had to pull an overhead string. So I did but I possibly yanked too hard on it and the string came off in my hand. I then remember telling our friend that I broke his bathroom.

As the year concluded, I ranked my Top 10 TV shows of 2005. God bless TiVo. To recap, the Top 10 was Lost, Everybody Hates Chris, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, Grey’s Anatomy, Rome, The Office, The West Wing, Survivor and 24.

And then there was the transit strike. Ah yes, the transit strike. I’m not going to copy and paste it. It was last week. You remember.

Then it was Christmas and Hanukkah with the family and that led us up to this week.

And that was 2005! Hope you enjoyed reading my Year in Review. Comments have been light this week but as someone said to me “That’s because we commented on this stuff the first time we read it!” Ah well, TV shows have occassional clip shows and so does this blog.

I wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year! Here’s to good things in 2006.

2005-12-29T09:59:00.000-05:00

2005 – The Year in Review ... Part III

July

In the beginning of July, I vacationed in Boston! I spent the 4th of July there with Ben and his co-workers. If there’s one city to go on the 4th, it’s gotta be Boston. Forget NYC’s lame East River fireworks, I’ll take the Boston Esplanade any day.

from my blog entry of July 5...
I'm back from spending the past four days in Boston. Thanks to Ben for the company! A stay at the Boston Park & Plaza Hotel, meals and the opportunity to see the Boston Pops concert and fireworks show... who could refuse? Plenty of time was spent walking around the Esplanade, Harvard Yard, Newbury Street, Chinatown, the theater district, the Prudential Center, etc. And I have a new second-favorite baseball team - the Boston Red Sox. I caught the fever, hanging out with the locals, and bought myself a Red Sox shirt that I wore proudly. All in all, it was a very enjoyable weekend and a great getaway from NYC.

A week after the Boston trip, I had the first thing go wrong with my apartment. Namely, there was a water leak from the bathroom above mine, leading to a blog post that I titled “The Saga of the Water Bubbles”

from my blog entry of July 14...
I entered the bathroom this morning to take a shower and was greeted by the sight of water bubbles coming through the painted walls above the bathtub. Uh oh. Worst case scenarios flash through my mind - a pipe broke, they're going to have to break through the walls... in other words it'll be a huge mess. So I called my super and he checked out the bubbles. Good news! Nothing broke. According to him, the bubbles had dried up and what caused them was probably a huge spill in the apartment above mine. So he peeled away the paint where the bubbles used to be, will check on the water spillers above me and will call the building's painter to make my walls look nice again.

And after several more water leaks, they finally repaired the bathroom above mine and repainted my walls... one month later.

Also in the month of July I met blogger Tamara and provided moral support at her big film festival debut. At work I planned multiple, and I mean MULTIPLE ribbon-cutting ceremonies. And it was hot... really really hot, as exemplified in this classic blog post.

from my blog entry of July 25...
I have three excuses for not updating this blog as frequently as usual.
1) The heat wave has made me sluggish
2) I'm swamped at work
3) I'm too busy reading Harry Potter

Loved the new Harry Potter by the way.

August

In August I had my ten-year high school reunion. There was no ‘official’ reunion so a guy in my class reserved a Manhattan bar and spread the word through e-mail. It was interesting to reunite, if only for a night, with such an eclectic group.

from my blog entry of August 8...
Some of the people who I saw included...
Stacie - who told me that she had been reading this blog for quite sometime! One would say she's been 'lurking' around...
Dan - who is now bald with a goatee! Obviously, in H.S. he was not bald nor did he have said goatee.
Gina - who was the smartest person in our class, went to Harvard and is now lawyering it up. No surprise there!
Shiran - who I didn't recognize until he told me his name at which point I yelled "Holy shit, Shiran!"
Jane - who chastized me throughout the night for rejecting her Friendster request a few months ago.
Arthur - the senior class president who went on to West Point (for a bit)

And if it wasn’t enough that they had yet to fully repair the leaking water conditions from the bathroom above, my apartment simultaneously started experiencing electrical problems! Not just me, but a few apartments that were connected to the same line. So until the electrician made the necessary repairs, it was very aggravating. Consider that it was also 95 degrees at that time and you can see that I wasn’t a very happy camper.

With one month until the Democratic primary, I was rooting for my old boss, Anthony Weiner. I helped his campaign out a bit by rallying outside of the Time Warner Center before the NY1 debate and then I got to sit in the studio audience to watch the debate!

from my blog entry of August 17...
There was drama from the beginning with the question being : Would Anthony Weiner be able to make it? At 5:00 yesterday morning, Weiner checked himself into the emergency room and was diagnosed with a kidney stone. I've been told that this is one of the most painful conditions that a person can be afflicted with. Despite this setback, Weiner not only came to the debate, he excelled!

Also in August, I hosted trivia for the third time, this time with Jess as my co-host. I also saw Jess give a reading at KGB Bar, a unique venue!

from my blog entry of August 24...
Last night I hung out at KGB Bar with fellow communists and communist sympathizers. Well, not exactly. It used to be a communist hangout, back in the day when it was cool to be a communist. You know - before they were the "bad guys." Now its a bar and host venue of a reading series with lots of cool hammers & sicles and pictures of Lenin on the walls. And the walls are painted red with red curtains. Come to think of it, I should have ordered something with vodka in it.

The month also consisted of birthday parties for Bartow and Dave (those two were on the same night!) And I attended the U.S. Open tennis tournament – always one of my favorite events of the year.

The month closed with the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. For only the second time in my life, I became physically ill just from watching the news. (The other time was 9-11)

September

As September got underway, it was becoming more and more apparent how messed up things were in New Orleans.

from my blog entry of September 5...
I know, I know, one should not joke about the terrible tragedy in New Orleans. But without laughing, the sadness and devastation can become unbearable. So I was thinking of the song in The Simpsons episode of "A Streetcar Named Marge" that goes like this : "New Orleans! Home of pirates, drunks and whores, New Orleans! Tacky overpriced souvenir stores. If you want to go to hell, you should make that trip to the Sodom and Gomorrah on the Mississipp, New Orleans!" That episode aired back in 1993 and I wonder if it will be pulled from syndication, much like the episode that aired in 1997 featuring the World Trade Center was since pulled from syndication.

But there was good news in the family as my cousins Russell and Lisa had a baby boy! I attended the bris. Poor kid.

The Democratic Primary happened and I proudly did some last minute campaigning for Anthony Weiner. I also went to his victory party! Well, it would have been a victory party if he actually won. But second place with 29% of the vote was a fantastic showing, particularly considering he was at 5% in the polls when the race started.

from my blog entry of September 14...
Ah shit. It's over. Anthony Weiner is conceding the race to Freddy Ferrer. To quote Charlie Brown yet again... "Good grief." But I still had a fun few days campaigning for the guy. To see him rise in the polls from dead last to a close second was a thrill. On Monday I attended a campaign rally in Carroll Gardens. Then yesterday I helped his staff distribute flyers at the Park Slope subway stop. After that I stopped by Tuesday Night Trivia at the Baggott Inn where I did some more campaigning. And then after that it was off to the Primary Night Party at Table XII. Thanks to some of my friends from trivia for coming along. The party was a nervewracking affair as everyone's eyes were glued to the big screens showing the tallies on New York 1. I spoke with Anthony's parents and some of his staff members and I was even interviewed by the New York Sun for being Anthony's first intern! It didn't make today's paper but I am indebted to Britta (my new publicist) for setting up the interview. And according to Daryl, who was watching the ABC news, I was seen on camera! So that was exciting. Although Anthony gave a speech indicating that his campaign would proceed, I could tell from his body language that the odds did not look good. So here we are, the next morning and he is conceding defeat. My guess is that he felt the odds were against him and that rather than fight an uncertain battle, he was motivated to promote Democratic unity, with the realization that it would put him in a better position for any future campaigns. Whatever his reasons were, he has nothing to be ashamed of. When this campaign started, Anthony had almost zero name recognition. Today, much of the electorate knows who he is and with 29% of the vote, many have a positive impression of him.

The end of September also marked the end of another baseball season for the Mets. But this time, they actually had a successful year! With a winning record of 84-78, they did good. Hopefully they can build on that in 2006.

Stay tuned tomorrow for the conclusion of my Year in Review : October, November and December!

2005-12-28T10:22:00.000-05:00

2005 - The Year in Review ... Part II

April

April began with a bachelor party for my friend Jon. It was off to the Mohegan Sun for dinner, gambling and other celebratory activities. The weekend was concluded with a group gathering for WrestleMania 21 – a longstanding tradition.

from my blog entry of April 5...
A great time was had at the bachelor party. The bachelor enjoyed it and that was the most important thing. It was fun to hang out and spend time with the rest of the wedding party in advance of the big shin-dig next month. The party was then followed by an nVo tradition - WrestleMania. Although a competing Yankee game and a dying car thinned our numbers, the tradition remained alive! Hopefully we'll be watching WrestleMania when we're 90.

It was then time to get down to the serious business of packing and moving. On April 10, I moved into my new apartment!

from my blog entry of April 13...
During my week-long absence from blogland, I packed up all of my belongings, moved, and then (mostly) unpacked said belongings. And I am now officially a new apartment dweller. Woo hoo! So yeah, this past week has been quite busy. Busier than any week that I've had in recent memory. I did intensive packing on Friday night and Saturday. Boxes and packing tape are my good friends. I then made the big move on Sunday morning and although I was nervous about how it would go, there was no need as the moving company that I hired was remarkably efficient. They loaded all of my stuff into their truck in a half-hour and then it only took them an hour to get everything into the new apartment. And everything arrived in the same condition it was when they loaded it so no worries. Then on Monday I had to exchange an entertainment unit that arrived in the wrong color (!) But I was proud to then successfully assemble it myself that night. Yesterday I got my cable, phone and internet connected (the most important parts) and today I continued unpacking and assembling various items.

For the rest of the month, there was little on my mind except making the apartment nice and hospitable. When I felt the need to actually leave the apartment, it included going to Chris’ birthday party, seeing a WWE show at MSG, and hanging out in Astoria with Ben and Tracey. The sad part about April was learning of the passing of a guy my age who grew up near me.

May

May began with my attending the funeral of Eric (the guy my age who died). Then two days later, my dad had a serious eye operation but thankfully it went well. Dad did a good job in the recuperation process.

The apartment continued coming together as my couch and loveseat were finally delivered. It only took them about seven weeks!

Thanks to Jess, I discovered a very cool place in Williamsburg called Barcade.

from my blog post of May 14...
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.

A birthday party was held at Sarah’s apartment and I hosted Tuesday Night Trivia for the second time... this time with Caren as co-host. I also made arrangements to see “Star Wars : Episode III” on its opening day, as I have done with each of the Star Wars films.

from my blog post of May 20...
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... 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.

But the best part of May was flying to New Hampshire for Jon and Emily’s wedding. As a groomsman, it was my first time in a wedding party. Pictures of the wedding can be found in my May Archives.

June

June may have arrived but my mind was still in May, on a post-wedding high and for the month’s first couple of days I engaged in an e-mail thread with four of the other groomsmen that wound up exceeding 100 back and forth e-mails.

from my blog entry of June 3...
It's been a short four-day work week with my mind still in vacation mode. The wedding in New Hampshire was fantastic. Flew up in a tiny plane that had a 35-person capacity. Going up, only 13 people were on board so the stewardess asked us to change our seats around so the plane would be more balanced. Yeah, that was interesting. An hour later I was there to meet up with Briar, Bartow, Lisa and Alvin. And the 48-hour party began, culminating in a game of mini-golf on Monday.

Now that my apartment was furnished, it was time to throw a housewarming party. On June 11, I welcomed about 25 of my friends to my new place. Plenty of food and drinks were provided and it was a very enjoyable time. Pictures can be seen in the Archives for June 12th.

By now summer had arrived, which meant a new season at Coney Island. On the day that I received a nice raise at work, I was also invited to sit in my company’s luxury box at KeySpan Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones.

from my blog entry of June 22...
Yesterday was a great day. In the morning I learned of a highly beneficial financial transaction that will help me out alot. Then in the afternoon I was offered a seat in the Parks Dept. luxury box for opening night of the Brooklyn Cyclones. There was a free buffet dinner for all the VIPs including hot dogs, chicken, pasta, fried calamari and plenty of beer, wine and soda. But the best part was that sitting right next to me in the adjacent box, were Omar Minaya (Mets general manager) and Jeff Wilpon (son of Mets owner Fred Wilpon). I tried to overhear their conversation and get some good Mets gossip but alas was not able to decipher much. I did notice that they had a TV on in their box and were closely following the Mets game in Philadelphia. Fortunately, both the Mets and Cyclones won last night... a good day for the organization.

Finally, I’m sure that you have noticed that I do not talk about my dating life on this blog. However, I had one first-date experience at the end of June that is just too unique not to mention.

from my blog entry of June 27...
...on Sunday I returned to Queens for the second day in a row. No, it wasn't to see Billy Graham, it was to count trees for the ongoing Tree Census. Last week I met someone who had signed up to volunteer for the census and what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon than exploring the streets of Woodside? And this is no simple count of "One tree, two trees, ah ah ah." There was a long form with multiple questions that had to be answered about each tree, such as what kind it is, what it's diameter is, are there any obstructions, is the soil level, etc. And we met lots of Woodside locals who were probably wondering why we were lingering in front of their property.

And there you have it! The first half of 2005. Stay tuned tomorrow for July, August and September.

2005-12-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

2005 – The Year in Review!

January

2005 started in Hoboken, New Jersey, with a celebration at a bar that didn’t have any
cover charge but unfortunately did allow smoking. (Love that NYC smoking ban)

from my blog entry of January 3...
New Years Eve was a lot of fun. I spent it at a bar in Hoboken with Ben, Tracey, Tess, Malinda, Brad and Caren who stopped by for part of it. I have two observations about Hoboken – they still allow smoking in bars which was disappointing to someone who had gotten used to the cleanliness of NYC bars, and there are no streetlights on any of the corners – a death maze if there ever was one! But other than that I enjoyed my visit to Hoboken. Maybe I’ll go back again one day.

The other big social event of January was a Jets party at the Riviera Cafe. A huge group gathered to cheer on the Jets in their playoff pursuit. They lost though. However, now that the Giants have made the playoffs in ’06, a sequel party is being planned!

In the second half of the month, the temperature dropped and encouraged hibernating conditions. I watched tons of Simpsons DVDs and compiled a Top 10 list for Season 3. (My #1 episode was “Like Father, Like Clown” where Krusty makes amends with his rabbi father, voiced by Jackie Mason.)

I also started cleaning out my apartment in anticipation of a big move in the spring and found a note written to me 11 years ago.

from my blog entry of January 18...
Yesterday I was cleaning my apartment and getting rid of lots of old things. I came across a box of materials from high school including stuff from when I performed in various stage productions. Among the scripts and rehearsal schedules, I found a note written by fellow castmate, Maria Bova. The show was "Hello, Dolly" and we were rehearsing the scene where I played a court reporter. Maria wrote this note and slipped it to me during that day’s rehearsal. To find it 11 years later brought such a smile to my face and I’ve transcribed it below.
You are the guy who writes things down
Your smile is bright, no trace of a frown
That’s very good for your part
But don’t let it go to your head, that wouldn’t be smart
So keep doing what you are, that will be great
So so long Phil, we’ll probably get out late.
-- Maria Bova, 12/9/93

The other thing I should mention about the month of January is that it was cold. Really, really cold. This cold weather impacted my commute to work one day and further inspired me to look for a new apartment.

from my blog entry of January 24...
This morning I experienced the commute from hell. Allow me to explain. I arrived at the F train at Avenue U in Brooklyn only to learn that there was no north-bound service due to frozen track conditions. There was south-bound service though to Coney Island at which point we were recommended to take a Q or D into Manhattan. So I went to Coney, connected to a D, took it into lower Manhattan where I connected to another south-bound F with the intention of arriving at my 7th Avenue – Park Slope destination. Unfortunately the train terminated at Jay Street – Borough Hall and wasn’t going any further south due to the same frozen track conditions. Nice of them to tell us that! So I go outside, walk a few blocks to the 2 & 3 train station at Lawrence Street, take a south-bound 3 to Grand Army Plaza and then walk from Grand Army Plaza to my building in Prospect Park. Total time of commute? Three hours. Shame on the MTA for failing to inform commuters of the full extent of the track changes and shame on the media for failing to report them in their "morning traffic reports."

And you thought I complained about mass transit during last week’s strike!

February

In February, I celebrated the one-year anniversary of this blog!

from my blog entry of February 4...
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.

The apartment cleansing for my move continued and this time I found an old notebook containing my diary from the 4th grade. My “original” blog, I suppose.

from my blog entry of February 5...
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

The month continued with a Super Bowl party at Brad’s condo and an Academy Awards party at Sarah’s apartment. And for the very first time, I co-hosted Tuesday Night Trivia at the Baggot Inn!

from my blog entry of February 23...
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!

I wound up hosting trivia three more times in 2005. But perhaps the most significant event in February happened at the end of the month when I went to Bay Ridge and started walking into random real estate offices, looking for one-bedroom apartments.

from my blog entry of February 26...
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.

Indeed, it was a start!

March

The month began with the engagement of my friends Lisa and Jay, to which I’m excitedly gearing up to attend their wedding this summer in Toronto!

from my blog entry of March 1...
First of all, I want to congratulate Jay Bartow and Lisa Annis on their engagement! Couldn't have happened to two nicer people. Lisa I knew from the dorms at Vassar - she lived next door to me. Jay I knew from our shared interests in politics, baseball, pro wrestling and Jewish stuff. We were the co-founders of the nVo. Although Jay and Lisa both knew each other at Vassar they didn't start dating until they reunited at their 5-year reunion. Best of luck to both of them!

BUT! The most exciting part of the month, and probably the year, was my finding an awesome apartment and signing the lease for it!

from my blog entry of March 10...
The building itself is in Bay Ridge, on Ovington Avenue (the equivalent of 70th Street) between 4th Avenue and 5th Avenue. It is one street block away from the R-Train stop on Bay Ridge Avenue. It’s also steps away from major shopping hubs on 3rd Avenue and 5th Avenue, which both afford a nice view of the Verrazzano Bridge as you walk down them. The building is pre-war, rent-stabilized, with an elevator and laundry facilities in the basement. My apartment is on the 3rd floor and there are 6 floors in the building. It has a very large living room, a large bedroom, a kitchen with plenty of cabinet and counter space, a nice-size eating area, a decent size bathroom, and a foyer with multiple closets. I had to slightly increase my desired price range by $50 a month but considering what I’m getting, it’s very worth it.
I’m very excited about this. There’s so much to do but the big weight of actually finding something has been lifted from my shoulders. Plus, many of you may not realize this, but this will actually be my first "real" apartment. For the past six years, since graduating college, I’d been renting my parents basement. It was a good way to save money for a while but the time had come to make a fresh start and start moving on with life. Can’t wait.

Then once I signed the lease, it was busy buying things to furnish the apartment! A sofa and loveseat (a gift from my parents), an armoire, an entertainment unit, a computer desk, mini-blinds. The whole process was so time-consuming that I actually suspended my blog! For about one week...

Stay tuned tomorrow when I will recap April, May and June!

2005-12-23T10:12:00.000-05:00

It has been a rollicking week on my blog for comments. As of now, there were 7 on Monday, 10 on Tuesday and 14 on Thursday. I think that has to be a record. Thanks to everyone for participating! I guess that a transit strike and a ranking list of television programs inspires lots of emotions.

I want to wish all of my readers a very happy holidays including Christmas and Hanukkah. Although I never really got Hanukkah. It appears that us Jews only celebrate it to the extent that we do because of its proximity on the calendar to Christmas and so Jewish kids won't get left out of the present giving. But in terms of its significance as a holiday, it is not as important as say Rosh Hashanah or Passover. Nor is it as festive as Purim. Yet society as a whole does not celebrate Rosh Hashanah, Passover or Purim as much as it does Hanukkah. Maybe those other holidays just need better marketing.

Anyway, this blog is taking the weekend off. See you next week!

2005-12-22T10:48:00.000-05:00

SECOND UPDATE : It is official! The TWU's executive board voted to end the strike. I just have one question for them. Was it worth it?

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UPDATE : The Transit Union's leadership has agreed to end the strike so that negotiations can continue. It is now pending approval from their executive board. If voted on, the trains and buses will be running tomorrow.

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Roger Toussaint, head of the Transit Workers Union, is a thug. So says Mayor Bloomberg and he is right. What is a thug? A thug is someone who takes advantage of poor innocents for their own selfish reasons.

Actually on a side note, "thug" was a nickname of mine in college. Some friends and I formed a group called "The Syndicate." I was called "Thug" or "The Notorious P.H.I.L." Other nicknames for people in the group were "The Boss", "Demolition Dave" and "E.Z. E" It's OK. You can laugh. I'll wait until you're done.

... waiting ...

Done yet? No? OK...

... still waiting ...

Allright, that's enough out of you.

So where was I? Oh yes. Roger Toussaint and the Transit Workers Union. They carry none of the Syndicate's grace and style, but they are thugs nonetheless. Because thinking only of their own self-interest, they have disrupted our lives, increased our expenses, shuttered and crippled businesses, and threatened the public health and welfare. And why are they even striking? Because they don't want to pay into their pensions. Well poor babies. The only reason that you have a pension is because you pay into it! No, this is not about pensions. It is about a stubborn refusal to accept a single concession. And it is also about their feeling disrespected. And yes, many of them are disrespected. They have to deal with a public that is often rude and demeaning. They have supervisors who discipline them harshly for the slightest infractions. And they have (literally) shitty bathrooms. But is any of that a reason to strike and take it out on the public who they serve? They seem to think so and that is why they are thugs.

2005-12-21T02:41:00.000-05:00

Transit Strike : Day Two

2005-12-20T10:47:00.000-05:00

For the first time in 25 years, New York City Transit is on strike. No subways. No buses. For many of us, no way to get around.

I stayed up until midnight, watching New York 1. Although it appeared very likely there would be a strike, the union had yet to vote to authorize one. So for the second time in five days, I went to bed not being definetely sure. Then at 3:02 A.M. I just happened to wake up and I turned on the radio. At that EXACT moment, the union was annoucing their decision to strike. Bastards.

But where there is a will, there is a way. I dressed this morning in many layers of clothing, anticipating a very long walk. Five blocks into my walk, I saw a yellow taxi cab. Mind you, there are NEVER yellow taxi cabs in Brooklyn - particularly not in Bay Ridge. But the strike has dispersed them throughout the five boroughs. I shared the cab with two other people - one who was also going to Park Slope, and another who was then going into Manhattan. Although convenient, I did not look forward to the prospect of paying cab fares twice a day for each day of the strike. So when I got to work, I saw a guy who lives not too far from me. I asked him if it would be possible for him to give me a lift home and he not only agreed but offered to drive me back and forth during the strike's duration. Whew, what a huge relief!

Although I lucked out, I recognize that lots of people are struggling to get around, especially in the frigid cold temperatures. I am very interested in hearing your commuting stories. Please leave a comment and let me know how you managed (or didn't manage) today.

2005-12-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

Here it is. The post you've all been waiting for. It's Phil's Top 10 TV Shows of 2005!

You will notice that several shows from last year's list are no longer present. Each has a good reason. The BBC version of "The Office" wrapped up its run and is producing no new episodes. Likewise, "The Sopranos" had no new episodes air in 2005, although it will return in March, 2006. Same with "Da Ali G Show" which sadly had no new episodes air this year. "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" was still funny but there was no national election to drive it. "The Simpsons" had an off-year and its writers are duplicating plotlines they've already done many times before. "Curb Your Enthusiasm" also had an off-year. "The Amazing Race" was excellent in the spring but the fall's family edition was a big disappointment with minimal international travel. And "The O.C." just got really dumb.

So that means there are EIGHT new shows on the list. Without further adieu, here it is...

1) "Lost" - Must see viewing. Can't wait to watch it on TiVo. Must see it live as it airs. What's in the hatch? Who are the others? Where is Walt? What's with all the animals on the island? What is Ana Lucia's problem? So many questions!

2) "Everybody Hates Chris" - Chris Rock is a creative genius. This show is hilarious. And as someone who also grew up in Brooklyn during the '80s, it is very relatable.

3) "Entourage" - Another hilarious show with great characterizations. Each week produces a series of quotable lines. A vast improvement over its first season.

4) "How I Met Your Mother" - Neil Patrick Harris steals his scenes but no show better and more realistically depicts the NY dating scene. And I AM the main character, Ted.

5) "Rome" - Great historical fiction. The story of Caesar's conquests and assassination is told through the eyes of two fictional soldiers - a new version of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern.

6) "Grey's Anatomy" - Move over "ER". This is the best hospital show on TV.

7) "The Office" (U.S. version) - Not AS good as the British version but still funnier than most of what's on television. Steve Carrell brings a different dimension to the character that Ricky Gervais perfected and they master the faux documentary style.

8) "The West Wing" - After a few off-years, the show has been revitalized with the campaign between Jimmy Smits and Alan Alda. Tragically, John Spencer who played Leo McGarry passed away over the weekend so it will be interesting to see how the show deals with his death.

9) "Survivor" (Palau & Guatemala versions) - Still the best reality show on TV. 2005 produced two good versions with Tom, an NYC firefighter winning Palau, and Danni, a KC sports radio host, winning Guatemala. But both seasons were dominated by Stephenie who was the sole remaining tribe member in Palau and then returned for Guatemala where she came in second.

10) "24" - It's easy to forget about "24" since it airs from January through May but this year's version was as action-packed and compelling as any other. The show returns in January. Those opposed to routine government torture of terror suspects should be warned.

2005-12-16T10:58:00.000-05:00

I went to work today. They didn't strike. They might strike though. On Tuesday. Maybe. Or not. Who the hell knows.

This reminds me of the Florida recount in 2000. Who won the election? What do you mean we don't know? I need to know!!! Same deal here. Are the subways going to be running? What do you mean we don't know? I need to know!!!

I really think the TWU made a huge tactical mistake here. If they wanted to garner any level of public sympathy, they should have struck when they said they were going to and while people had geared up for their contingency plans. Now they are asking the public to go through the uncertainty of another midnight negotiating deadline? It sounds like their leadership is confused and spineless - wanting to appear willing to strike but afraid of the penalties that they will incur if they actually do. The fact that many transit employees earn higher salaries and have better benefits and pensions than many of the New Yorkers who ride the trains, also reduces the sympathy factor.

Not that the MTA is blameless either. They are sitting on a $1 billion surplus yet they still cry poverty. And since is a state agency, where is Governor Pataki? Campaigning in New Hampshire. We know that Pataki stopped caring about being New York's governor but really.

Stay tuned.

2005-12-15T13:52:00.000-05:00

STRIKE! STRIKE! STRIKE!

I know that the right thing to say is that I hope there will not be a transit strike tomorrow. But my mischievous anarchist side really wants to watch the city experience complete chaos. For one day. Any strike lasting longer than a day would probably annoy me. I like Bay Ridge but do I want to be STUCK there? As far as going to work, it would not be likely to happen tomorrow. My walk would be 65 street blocks and 5 avenue blocks. Doable on a perfect spring day but in freezing December? Uh uh. Come next week, if a strike is still going on then I will consider other options such bumming a ride from my boss. And then there are the parties this weekend and other social plans that all have to be put on hold until we find out what happens. But for one day and one day only, a strike would be great fun.

2005-12-14T13:01:00.000-05:00

It is done. I am officially a member of the New York Road Runners Club. Which means that I will receive a glossy, full-color magazine! Ooh. It also means that I can start thinking about putting a race schedule together for 2006. Fortunately, many of their races are in the 3-6 mile range and with enough practice in the spring, I should be able to handle that. I got a glimpse of their 2006 calendar and noted the following options. They are all in the morning and unless stated otherwise, they will all be in Central Park.

April 9 : 4 miles
April 23 : 4 miles
May 14 : 5K (3.1 miles)
May 20 : 10K (6.2 miles)
June 18 : 5 miles
July 15 : 5 miles
July 29 : 5K (3.1 miles)... IN SHEA STADIUM!!!!!!!
Sept. 16 : 1 mile ... along 5th Avenue
Oct. 1 : 1.7 mile (an odd distance...)
Oct. 29 : 5 miles
Nov. 19 : 4 or 5 miles

Something to look forward to while it's currently 15 degrees out there.

2005-12-13T11:31:00.000-05:00

My uncle got through his operation allright yesterday so that is a huge relief!

I received a nice e-mail yesterday from a guy who found my blog by searching for the Nevele Grande - the Catskill resort that I visitied last December. He is taking his family up there for New Years and wanted to know my take on it. This guy is a real Catskill veteran. Although he said that he'd never been to the Nevele before, he had gone to the Stevensville, Kutshers, Homawack, Pines, Raleigh, and Echo.

Last night I had a nice dinner at the Henry Street Ale House in Brooklyn Heights. Right around the corner from the bar/restaurant is the Plymouth Church on Orange Street. That was a significant locale in the Underground Railroad. And right next to the church is an old home that I used to visit years and years ago. It belonged to an old friend of the family and I remember going there once when I was 5 or 6. I went to use his bathroom and in order to flush the toilet, you had to pull an overhead string. So I did but I possibly yanked too hard on it and the string came off in my hand. I then remember telling our friend that I broke his bathroom.

2005-12-12T10:01:00.000-05:00

Another great Dilbert cartoon from my desk calendar!

Boss : Dilbert, I want you to write a letter to our new customer. I'll tell you what to say, then you'll go write it and I'll sign it. This way I won't waste my valuable executive time. It's efficient.
Dilbert : Yes, that's one possible outcome. Here's another. You'll keep forgetting to mention important things that should be in the letter. I'll be trapped in an endless loop of writing, tracking you down, getting criticized and starting over. Or you could simply write the letter yourself and save us both a huge hassle.
Boss : In paragraph one, say something like "Hi."

Congrats to Danni Boatwright on winning "Survivor : Guatemala" last night. I always thought that she'd definetely win if she made her way to the final two. And by winning the last immunity challenge, she did it, beating Stephenie by a dominant 6-1 vote.

My thoughts are with my uncle today who is having surgery this morning. And also for my boss's father who is also having an operation. Here's hoping they both go well.

2005-12-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

Funny Dilbert cartoon from my desk calendar ...

Boss : I need you to do Ted's job and your own job until we hire someone.
Dilbert : If I do well, you'll make me do two jobs forever. If I do poorly, I'll get no raise.
Boss : I can't promise anything but there might be some verbal praise down the road.

Heh heh heh.

So things are good. Haven't updated this thing as frequently as I used to but that's because I'm focusing my energies in other directions. Like going out and working and watching TiVo and running. Well not exactly running. More like reading books about running in anticipation of running in the spring. Or at least when the temperature gets above 40 degrees and the ground isn't so icy. But I've decided that I'm definetely joining the New York Road Runners and participating in some of their races next year.

I'll try to be better about updating this thing but no promises. Things to look forward to for this blog : My Top 10 list of favorite TV shows for 2005. (My 2004 list was a big hit) And also, my 2005 Year in Review! That will probably come the last week of December. Stay tuned!

2005-12-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

First blog posting in a few days. It was a fun weekend : saw "Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire", watched the Giants win, and went to birthday parties for Nobi and Daryl.

First stop on Saturday was Nobi's party, held at Jappas 38, a Japanese kareoke bar in midtown. Nobi required all attendees to sing a one-song minimum. Now when I do kareoke, I only choose the most difficult songs with the most lyrics. A few years ago I did Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire." And this past Saturday I did Eminem's "Lose Yourself." Snap back to reality, oh here comes gravity... Also at that party were several people from Vassar including Rouslan, a native of Kazakzstan. See, not only Borat comes from Kazakzstan!

Then it was off to Brooklyn for Daryl's party at The Living Room Lounge. Good to see alot of people there including Jess, Brad, Sarah, Sydney, Britta, Ned, Matt and Lori.

And when I woke up on Sunday morning, there was snow! More is expected this week. Winter has arrived.

And the Mets got a new catcher - Paul Lo Duca - a Brooklyn native!

I've been asked to plug the following event. I won't be able to attend but it sounds pretty cool...
DEBATE: "Is Dating Tougher for Men or Women?" The Anonymous Blogger vs. Hillery Borton (Moderator: Evanchik; Host: Seavey), at Lolita bar on Broome and Allen, Wed. Dec. 7, 8pm.

2005-12-01T10:23:00.000-05:00

Awesome bits of dialogue from last night's episode of "Lost" :

Hurley : "So... Rose's husband's white."

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Big guy from the back of the plane : "Let me start from the beginning. Before Jesus, the king of Judea..."
Locke : "Wow, when you say you're going to start from the beginning, you REALLY start from the beginning."

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computer screen : "Dad?"

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Damn, this show is good. Made all the better by minimal screentime from Michelle Rodriguez's Ana Lucia character.

2005-11-29T10:12:00.000-05:00

I'd like to begin my blog post with a plug...

Reading
Caren Lissner, Laurie Graff, and Melanie Murray
read from
SCENES FROM A HOLIDAY
(including the novella "Carrie Pilby's New Year's resolution")
Thursday, December 1, 2005
7:30 pm
Barnes & Noble
Eighth Street and Sixth Ave, West Village
(396 6th Ave at 8th Street)
NYC 10011

So set your TiVos for "Survivor" and "Everybody Hates Chris" and be there!

Another busy offseason for the Mets, acquiring first baseman Carlos Delgado and closer Billy Wagner. Is it April yet?

I saw the film adaptation of "Rent" on Friday. It was highly faithful to the stage play. Jonathan Larsen's music is amazing and it translated well on the big screen. I highly recommend it. One minor thing that bugged me - the stage play came out in 1996 and was vaguely set in the early 1990s. Some of the song lyrics then made pop cultural references to stuff happening around then such as the line "Like Thelma and Louise did when they got the blues." But in the movie, they established that the time frame was 1989 and 1990. They still left that lyric in though... even though "Thelma and Louise" came out in 1991. And then there was the song that they sing about moving to Santa Fe. It was filmed with the characters riding the F train - a fun visual. But in one shot there is a woman sitting in a subway seat behind Jesse Martin... the camera pans away and comes back but she's not there anymore... then the camera returns to that spot a few seconds later and there she is again! Sloppy. Chris Columbus should have had me in the editing room with him.

2005-11-25T16:03:00.000-05:00

A good time was had at Thanksgiving. My cousin and his wife cooked an excellent meal and plenty of entertainment was provided by their new dog, Rico.

In between licking each of the guests, running aimlessly from room to room, chewing on its many toys and barking at the deer that ran across the front lawn, Rico posed for pictures. Here is one that I particularly like :

Rico is a mixed breed - half golden retriever and half shetland sheepdog. He is just over one year old and was born in Puerto Rico (hence his name) where he survived on its streets before being snatched by the dog catcher, brought to the States and purchased by my cousin. What a cute dog!

2005-11-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! I will be celebrating tomorrow at my cousin's house in Westchester. I hope all of my readers have a good holiday as well.

2005-11-21T18:42:00.000-05:00

My building's super just replaced a bad electrical outlet in my living room. This makes me very happy.

On Friday I will be able to plug a brand new TV into that outlet as I bought a new one yesterday. (Technically I will plug the TV into the surge protector which is plugged into the outlet.) It is 27 inches - an upgrade over my 20 incher which will be relocated to the bedroom. (There's probably a dirty joke here but I'm not going there...)

For some reason the computer network at work is so maddingly slow. Sending a routine e-mail has become an ordeal. I find myself cursing at my computer more often than is probably prudent.

David Nalbandian won the Tennis Masters Cup yesterday which has caused a lot of people to find my blog by googling "Is David Nalbandian Jewish?" I don't know, is he? He's from Argentina. Would that make him a Span-yid?

2005-11-19T11:39:00.000-05:00

I ran four and a half miles this morning. Woo! And I lived to tell the tale. Woo-hoo!

I would have done five but I measured the distance from my starting point to the Verrazano Bridge and back as exactly four and a half miles. And I liked having the goal of making it to the bridge as my halfway mark. I suppose that next time I could just pick a slightly further starting point so that it can be an even five miles.

But I couldn't have done it without my iPod shuffle loaded up with the three CDs from the WWE Anthology series. Listening to wrestler theme songs from the 80s, 90s and today, how can one not be motivated?

2005-11-16T12:23:00.000-05:00

Hosting trivia was fun last night. I went into it thinking that it was getting old and it would probably be my last time hosting. But it was such a rush that I'll have to sign up to do it again. My co-host was a cool guy who was alot of fun to host with but he told a lot of intentionally bad jokes that turned the audience against him. One table took a liking to me in particular (they named their team "Phil Me Up!") and whenever my co-host started acting annoying they started up a chant of PHIL! PHIL! that was picked up by the rest of the 70-someodd people there. So that stroked my ego. In other words, I played the face while my co-host played the heel.

I did three rounds of trivia. The first was a top ten list where I asked for the top 10 fast food restaurants in the U.S., based on their number of franchises. Subway was # 1. Noone thought to include Dairy Queen which was # 5. Then I did an "audio" round where I read the first few sentences of classic novels and had the players name the title and author. I did "To Kill a Mockingbird", "Dracula", "Anna Karenina", "The Grapes of Wrath", "Ragtime", "Oliver Twist", "The Last of the Mohicans", "Lord of the Flies", "Crime and Punishment" and "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn." Finally I did a visual round where they had to identify pictures of female tennis players. All in all, they did quite well. The event draws some smart people!

Since I haven't been home much the last few days I have so many programs saved up on my TiVo. No idea when I'll find the time to watch them all. And "Lost" is on tonight!

2005-11-15T15:44:00.000-05:00

I've gotten over 100 hits on my blog today from people searching for information on Eddie Guerrero's autopsy. The initial results were just released by his wife, Vicky.

“It was heart failure. It was from his past – the drinking and the drug abuse. They found signs of heart disease. She (the examiner) said that the blood vessels were very worn and narrow, and that just showed all the abuse from the scheduling of work and his past. And Eddie just worked out like crazy all the time. It made his heart grow bigger and work harder and the vessels were getting smaller, and that’s what caused the heart failure. He went into a deep sleep.As soon as they saw his heart, they saw the lining of his heart already had the heart disease. There was no trauma, and Eddie hadn’t hurt himself in any way. It answered a lot of questions. I knew Eddie wasn’t feeling very good for the last week. He was home and kept saying he wasn’t feeling good and we thought it was just “road tired.” So we thought he just had to rest. It answered a lot of my questions, too, because he was just so exhausted. She said it was normal because the heart was working so hard."