"Blue" Moon over Baltimore

I took these from the roof an hour ago...

James & Jordin

James is 6 feet tall.

Idol Winner

Me and American Idol winner NotBlake, I mean Jordin Sparks. She's a very sweet kid with a pretty voice.

Homer The Heretic

Watching the episode where Homer rebels against church. It's from '92, although not sure if it was senior year or not. Do you guys remember? (And by "you guys," I mean Gary.)

Classic line:

Homer: Apu, you're not in church.

Apu: Oh but I am. I have a shrine to Ganesha, the god of worldly wisdom located in the employee lounge.

Homer: (to small statue of multi-limbed elephant god) Hey, Ganesha, want a peanut?

Apu: Please do not offer my god a peanut.

Homer: No offense, Apu, but when they were handing out religions, you must have been out taking a whiz.

Apu: Mr. Simpson, please pay for your purchases and get out...and come again!

Ahh, that's good stuff.

Just found this on americanidol.com

in NY, eh?

Me...and Blake...over there...

Hee hee, made it into the background of this pic with Blake! He was here in the office yesterday. Jordin will be here in 15 minutes.

How you sleeping now Todd?

hilarious

how could Miss USA not have won? She should freakin get something for such a graceful recovery.

She's a cutie!

Put this game on your blog Create your own More games

Olive Turns 1!

I can't believe little Olive is 1. If you're so inclined, you can see some more pics of her birthday HERE.

I'm a sucker for this song

Hey There Delilah by The Plain White T's

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Me and josh's pooch Nexie in CT.

Worst Scrabble Letters I've Ever Had

This Made Me Smile

An outdoor news conference in perfect spring weather, with birds chirping loudly in the magnolia trees, is not without its hazards.

As President Bush took a question Thursday in the White House Rose Garden about scandals involving his Attorney General, he remarked, "I've got confidence in Al Gonzales doin' the job."

Simultaneously, a sparrow flew overhead and left a splash on the President's sleeve, which Bush tried several times to wipe off.

Some video is HERE.

I'm a Diplomat

This morning I was asked to make a presentation to a delegation from the Fujian Provincial Development and Reform Commission. Using the translator was quite interesting and challenging, especially given the technical terms that apparently would not translate easily. Several people gave me their business cards. I really like this one.

This is My Now

Just had to say it as I am so inspired and uplifted.

World Premiere Video...

I'm writing for a new blog...

It's called The Right's Field and it covers the Republican presidential contenders...through a critical lens of course.

From last night

Sad at work, wishing I were having a drink with Christopher.

I have a certain green ogre...

...to thank for getting Friday off. Thanks, buddy (and your $122 million opening.)

Drinking alone.

Lauren stood me up for drinks.






Well, technically, she canceled, but the end result is the same.

We're so urban chic

We joined the local kayak club.

Reviews

Shrek 3 - oy. 3/4 crap (ie boring, should have been funnier although Justin was good) and 1/4 freakin awesome -- the last 1/4 -- very funny, very clever and most importantly, F-U-N. better than the 2nd, not as good as the first.

Notes On A Scandal - gooooood, Judi Dench was incredible, Cate Blanchett was not quite but almost as incredible but Bill Nighy blew and the end sort of fell apart. but very involving, worth the $3.99.

Heroes finale - almost completely a worthy finale to a complex and incredibly creative season. Hiro/Ando stuff was great, Nikki/Jessica stuff was great, Parkman/Molly, Claire/Nathan, all great. But man, why did it have to devolve into sentimental sap at the end? And it didn't make sense. The whole latter part of the season revolved around the fact that if Peter was about to explode (and hence kill millions of New Yorkers), he'd be fine as long as Claire was there b/c she could kill him, stop his exploding, and he'd absorb her healing powers and come back to life. So what happens, he's about to blow up, Claire runs in, takes a gun, points it at Peter and she says "boo hoo there must be another way." Umm, what's the big deal Claire, you kill him, stop the explosion, he comes back to life. but nooooo, Nathan flies in, redeems himself with a "there is another way. you saved the cheerleader so WE could save the world." sniff sniff. "I love you Peter." "I love you Nathan." {hurl} Nathan picks up Peter, flies him up into space (still freakin cool) and he explodes up there safe from New Yorkers (yay, Lauren and CK are safe!) But, umm, wouldn't it have been easier if Claire had just done her thing? I mean I get that Nathan saving his brother was dramatic and iconic in the scheme of Heroes but come on. PS can't wait till Vol 2!

My audition

Went to my Crosswords audition and the initial test itself was freakin hard. What's a 4-letter word for 'Meat that sings?" What's a 5-letter word for 'Archie's dingbat?' What's a 6-letter word for 'Chinese adder?' I won't tell you which of those I got and which I didn't. Curious your guesses in the comments. The first half of the test was pretty easy (4 letter word for 'the first word of Moore's Christmas poem'), the second not so much (9 letter answer for 'Where Francis Scott Key wrote the anthem') but turns out the barrier to entry was pretty low. They took the majority of us to the next 'personality round.' Here 30 or so of us had to sit there as each person was interviewed on camera about where we're from, what we do (I did not mention my primary employer), what crossword puzzles we do and how long we've been doing puzzles. Then she asked to tell her one thing she wouldn't know by looking at us. I said "I sing a mean 'Faith' at karaoke." That answer was a big hit. Made it to the next round, another on camera interview, this time with a producer. This time for my "tell me something..." question I answered "My brother married a woman named Blueberry, they named their daughter Olive and they live in a house with no electricity" and she freakin loved it. Next step: to get called to be on the show. Taping starts in July and continues until Thanksgiving. Come on...

Wish me Luck

I'm auditioning for a new gameshow today called "Crosswords." The audition starts with an initial test crossword puzzle, which is apparently the difficulty level of a Thursday NY Times puzzle. Probably means I'm screwed. But who knows.

Hey, Lauren! (Part Deux)

Still in NY? Want to have a drink?

Mmmmmm

After months of searching, I finally found some of Mr. Colbert's ice cream at Wegman's today. Two enthusiastic thumbs up. Mmmm, mmm good.

Hot Fuzz

So, a third granny and granny-by-association walked (didn't run) to finally see Hot Fuzz. I still didn't know much about it. I laughed, but still thought it was a bit weird. Still, an enjoyable outing, and we had Ben and Jerry's afterwords. Mmmmmm, Triple Caramel Chunk.

Porgy and Bess: A Review

Warning: spoilers!

While we anxiously await pictures of Lauren with her buds Kiefer, Paula and Julianna, I thought I'd write my impressions of LA Opera's Porgy and Bess, which Christopher got us tix to last night (thanks ck!) Overall it was pretty incredible. The sepia toned set design matched the feel of the music perfectly for an oddly sad yet nostalgic (celebratory yet with a sense of dread) feel. And I loved how the show wasn't afraid to take time out to give voice to random characters like honey man, strawberry lady and crab guy. Every note sung was not in the service of advancing plot -- setting and character were just as important.

The leads were phenomenal -- perfect casting. Porgy was this strong man cursed with a crippled foot yet with a look of childlike innocence and Bess had the face of an angel and a body of, well not a devil per se but you get the point, which perfectly captured the character's conflict between angel and devil that tore her apart.

The end though seemed a bit rushed and I only realized after the curtain closed on Porgy setting off on a mission to save Bess from a thousand miles away despite having the use of only 1 leg, that his cathartic moment, the climax of his character's arc, was killing Crown, the man from whom Porgy had tried to save Bess. In his mind, by killing Crown, he had become a man. But was that really his conflict? Or if it was, did Porgy really see violence as the means to manhood? I didn't think so. It seemed to ring false. And when whitey came to take Porgy to the morgue to ID Crown, both Porgy and Bess considered the prospect of Porgy's looking Crown in the eye as a fate worse than death, so much so that it sent Bess into a tragic spiral downward causing her to give up the baby she'd inherited and take up the happy dust again.

So while the overall effect was a sensory embarrassment of riches, it fell apart dramatically for me toward the end. Oh, and another thing, which has nothing to do with the merits of the show, I have to say that at the curtain call it was a bit unsettling to see a 99% black cast bowing before a 99% white audience. The implied subservience of the ritual made me a bit uncomfortable for a moment.

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On my way 2 the upfront!

Hey, Lauren!

How were your upfronts?

Today, Part II

I am in Pittsburgh, and I didn't take this picture. I got here too late because the weather sucked and my flight was late.

Happy Livestrong Day

From Lance Armstrong's Livestrong blog:

Today is LIVESTRONG Day and I, united with 200 advocates from across this country, will walk the halls of Congress demanding that our Senators and Representatives do more to support the fight against cancer.

We will urge them to support The Cancer Screening, Treatment, and Survivorship Act of 2007, introduced this week by Senator Tom Harkin, Senator Olympia Snowe, Representative Jan Schakowsky and Representative Sue Myrick. This bill is a bold expansion of access to early detection, treatment and survivorship services aimed at reducing cancer mortality rates and improving the quality of life of those diagnosed.

Today is LIVESTRONG Day and individuals across this country will be uniting to host over 230 local LIVESTRONG Day events. From Sean Swarmer, a cancer survivor, hopefully summiting Mt. Mckinley to a luminaria event in Las Vegas celebrating and honoring the spirit of those touched by cancer to a food blog event called a Taste of Yellow people all over this country and in some cases the world have found their way of participating in this fight.

With a few things we all can do HERE.

Today.

I'm in Salt Lake City. Do you think I should get me a whole bunch o' wives?

28 Weeks Later = scaaaaary

Damn, this movie scared the crap out of me. 28 Days Later is a better movie, this one relies a bit much on cheap slasher movie tricks for my taste (Lauren, it's right up your alley!) but there's plenty to chew on here (heh, couldn't resist) including the complexity and ambiguity of the definition of good guys and bad guys/heroes and villains, which is refreshing when so many would prefer to define the world in "with us or against us" terms.

Blackberry etiquette?

Ok, I'm horrified and felt the need to share:
I don't have a Crackberry, but several people in my office do and tote them everywhere they go. I was just in the men's room and hearing strange clicking noises. It took a moment, but I realized that someone was sitting down and using their Blackberry while conducting other business. Methinks this is a horrible breach of etiquette and all that is decent in this world. I don't bring my phone in there, why would you bring a Blackberry.

WHAT IS THIS A SIGN FOR?

Googlie Eyes Ahead?

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Theres a band down there on 6th ave that is quite loud even though a visual speck from the 20th floor.

sniff sniff

Saw this at a presentation for this political/social activism group, The Hollywood Hill last night. Needless to say I joined.

are you guys on facebook?

all the kids are doing it. Including Matt Gould.

Eyeball Bender

Any idea what this is?

fire from a distance near my place

Fire! Fire!

The Flames Are...Choppy?

Sigh, another freakin fire between me and me apartment. The LA Times is blogging it.

Chocie quote:

As of 5 p.m., L.A. fire officials said they were cautiously optimistic that the conditions were beginning to shift in their favor. The fire was still burning out of control, but officials said it seems to be less of a threat now to the L.A. Zoo and merry-go-round. But it could be well into the night before firefighters gained any level of containment.

Greaaaaat. Oddly, the traffic on the 5 doesn't seem to be affected.

lunch

Me sandwich can feed a small army. Already eaten a third of it. Fascinating i know.

How you sleeping now?

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My dad and i are at trendy nyc restaurant spice market. Its dark hence the candles.

He sees you when you're sleeping. . .

My book recommendation

I read a book! Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal, is totally irreverent and hilarious. It took a while (too many Sports Illustrateds to catch up on), but it was well worth it. Pinocchio liked it too.

New Orleans Souvenir tshirt

c/o Jeremy who is there with erstwhile gf Anu on his way back to the east coast.

my new bumper magnet

let's hope it doesn't get stolen...

I feel ostracized and alone.

I don't watch IDOL.

Check out the Obama profile in this week's New Yorker.

Here.

Idol Side Bet

I bet Lauren that Blake would go before Chris. The stakes: the loser makes dinner for the winner. I lost, time to pay up. Lauren, what would you like for dinner?

Looks like a page-turner!

"Stop Dressing Your Six-Year-Old Like a Skank" If I've said it once, I've said it a million times... The author has a column in the local Wilmington, NC paper and this caught my eye. (Actually, it probably IS a page-turner.)

'I Blog Therefore I Am'

Saw Spider Man 3 Tonight

NOT good. Not good at all. All I'll say is that there are musical numbers. 'Nough said. One that's truly, truly bizarre. OK, I'll also say that coincidence plays WAY too big a role in the plot. Pure laziness on the part of the writers, who it should be noted included Sam and Ivan Raimi. Stick to directing, buddy. And could more people cry? This is the most melodramatic piece of schmaltz. Oy.

Jon Bon Jovi On Idol

Phil is singing Blaze of Glory. Sounds a bit pitchy in practice. Jon just called Phil "brother man." Wow, Phil is good. He is definitely making it work. Sweet, he's not going anywhere, this is really good. Oh wait, two people are going. But Phil was good last week too. Yeah I think he'll be safe. Phil in the final 4, crazy. He's getting the country twang going, which works for this song. It's about cowboys you know.

Simon thinks Phil will go.

Ha, Jordin just told Jon Bon Jovi that her mom is going to flip out. "My mom grew up on Bon Jovi." Greaaaat. Oh lord, she's doing Living On A Prayer. "We had to work a little bit on the melody with her." This might be really bad.

Well, she's ok. The verse is nothing spectacular. It's low for her. And the chorus does not suit her voice. Uggggh. She's trying to bring more energy to it. It's helping but now she's all shrieky. Uh oh.

She's handling the criticism very well. No, Simon, the look works. I think she'll be fine because she was so good last week. (Yeah wishful thinking.)

OK, Lakisha is up. She's being randy with Ryan. "This Ain't A Love Song?" What the heck is that? Jon thinks she's staying. Wow, she's doing well. She might be back. How unlikely that it would come on Bon Jovi week. LaKisha is back, baby.

Haha. Randy totally just said "LaKisha's back." I say it here, it comes out there.

Simon just kissed LaKisha. Wacky. And he said "LaKisha is back" too. OK, so now I need Blake to be really really bad.

What the hell is up with Blake's hair? He dyed it black? What the-? And what does Ryan mean by "Blake is going to stick his neck out." What does that even mean? Is it Wanted Dead Or Alive time? As I predicted?

Holy crap, he's singing "You Give Love A Bad Name" and he's doing something risky. Hmm. Is he going to beat box it? Please be bad. Please be bad.

His take on it is cool but the verse is rough. He's doing his weird vocal record skip noise. And yeah the chorus isn't anything special either. Now he's really beatboxing. What the? Umm, what's he doing? The kid can't really sing. It was all over the place. Paula is cheering him.

Randy said it was hot. Paula said it was amazing. Simon thinks he's a very brave young man. Very true. He thinks Blake will stay. Crap. So who the hell is going to go? Oh right...Chris.

Oh good, he's doing Wanted Dead Or Alive. OK, he's really good too. He's rockin it. Who knew? It's almost a copycat performance but he's doing his own thing with it. But it's the biggest departure for him to date. Now this is MUCH better than Blake. No gimmicks. Just singing.

What? No "It's My Life?" Lauren played a joke. What the hell song is this? Melinda can pretty much sing anything but this is rough. AND it's a song no one knows. Yeah this is her worst performance, which is to say it's a really good performance by any other standard. Hmmm. What the hell is going to happen tomorrow?

What the f- is Bush doing on this show? You don't care about poor people, mo-fo.

Idol Update

Oh Blake. You are so dreamy.

Bush Cuts Off Funding For The Troops

By vetoing the Iraq spending bill, President Bush has just cut off funding for the troops.

In a related story, looks like Bush was for withdrawal timetables before he was against them.

I took a taxi home today

Ahh, springtime in the city.


We live a few blocks behind the Domino factory.