That's Phat

I saw these pickled items at the Grand Army Plaza greenmarket today.

I just like the cool labels - like "phat beets".

For more info, check out rick's picks.

Broken Social Scene: 7/4 Shoreline

Nets Win but rest of NYC Teams Lose

Last night was one of those nights I wished I had multiple flat screen TVs in our apartment.

There was Yankees/Red Sox, Mets/Nationals, Rangers/Sabres (Game 2), Bulls/Heat (Game 3), and Nets/Raptors (Game 3) all on TV at the same time.

Unfortunately, all the New York area teams lost last night except for the Nets who beat the Raptors 102-89.

J-Kidd had a ridiculously good stat line of 16 points, 19 assists and 16 rebounds.

Agent Zero

First there was Barkley. Then Shaq. Now one of the more entertaining players in the NBA has to be Gilbert Arenas (nicknamed "Agent Zero").

His blog is pretty good. Check it out here.

And check out this YouTube clip of Arenas beating DeShawn Stevenson in a three-point contest with one hand!

Overheard in Prospect Park

I overheard this exchange in Prospect Park over the weekend.

Woman (to male friend): "What's your secret?"
Man (to female friend): "It's the hypnotherapy".

Pavement - Major Leagues

An oldie but goodie.

Ridiculously Good Weather

Yesterday's weather was flawless so we spent a good part of the day in Prospect Park and took some of the pictures you see here.

Then we headed over to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and picked up a family membership. While we were there, we took these pics.

Indian Food

Last night we met up with a friend and tried out Amin (7th/Union) here in Park Slope. The ambience was fine (decor is fairly conservative), service decent and food was pretty good. In fact, I don't think we've had Indian food since we moved here.

We tried the assorted appetizers (samosa, floza, chicken pakora and papadom), chicken tikka marsala, and spinach. The best was the naan, however, which is unleavened bread baked in a clay oven.

Afterwards, we headed to the beer garden of Flatbush Farm and enjoyed the warm evening weather.

Cat Power - Lived In Bars

Finally Spring

I took this picture from our apt window today....

Everyone was out in the Slope....

We also sat on a park bench in Prospect Park and did some people watching....

Playoff Time

Things are looking up after a cloudy, rainy and depressing week.

The forecast for the NYC area is great for this weekend - sunny and the 70's and it's the start of the NBA playoffs.

I've been a huge fan of the NBA for some time and have been following the Nets for years. Today, they begin their first round series against the Toronto Raptors at 12:30 pm ET on YES and ESPN.

The big underlying story is Vince Carter going up against his old team, Toronto. Toronto absolutely hates him (he admitted not playing to his full potential so that they would trade him) so this ought to be interesting.

I've watched just about all the regular season games on YES Network this year and this season's team has been frustrating to say the least. Granted, they've suffered key injuries to Nenad Krstic, Richard Jefferson and Eddie House but even when they were healthy, they were up and down. The most consistently entertaining parts of the Nets broadcasts were the announcing of Ian Eagle and Mark Jackson's "You're Better Than That" segment. They have been playing well of late, however, so there's hope that they will defeat Toronto and move on to the next round.

Gone are the glory days of Nets past when they had some of my favorite players like Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin, but this team should be pretty fun to watch nonetheless with JKidd, Vinsanity and RJ being flanked by the rising play of Boki Nachbar and Mikki Moore.

For more on the Nets, check out the blog JoeNetsfan.

Human Giant - Illusionators

Hilarious skit spoofing Criss Angel and his "illusions".

Remember Britpop?

I recently watched an interesting documentary on the 90's Britpop phenomenon on BBC America.


I'm not sure I fully understood everything that was said thanks to the very heavy cockney accents, but it sure did bring back memories of high school/college - picking up copies of Select magazine and brooding to the tunes of The Verve, Sleeper, Gene, Oasis, and Blur....

Last Weekend

Since I was sick all week I am behind in blogging...anyway, last Saturday we finally checked out Brooklyn Fish Camp (162 5th ave.) here in Park Slope and...it was good. We were there for lunch and I tried their signature lobster roll while my wife had the shrimp tacos. Although it did carry a steep market price of $28, the lobster roll did deliver.

Later we went over to the Court Street cinema in Brooklyn Heights to see Will Ferrell in Blades of Glory. The film did not disappoint and was solid fare among the others in the Ferrell pantheon (Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Old School).

Afterwards, we walked down Atlantic Ave. and headed back to Park Slope and saw some interesting places in Boerum Hill that we may have to check out again - like Betty Bakery, a French bistro called Jolie, and a wine bar called Donna da vine.

Eventually we made it back to Park Slope and ended up at the fairly new neighborhood gastropub Alchemy (pictured from their website). It's got a great vibe and the fried chickpeas were a nice touch. My wife enjoyed the lamb stew and we had no choice but to try the Sticky Guinness pudding. We'll definitely be back....

GE Aviation Commercial

How is this commercial for real? It seems like an SNL skit. It's really corny.

Sick All Week

Sadly, this was my drink of choice all week.

It started on Sunday - headache, chills, stomach problems...

Continued on Monday with a sore throat which kept me at home...

And on through Tuesday until I had a persistent cough on Wednesday and then an interminable and yet intermittent runny/stuffy nose on Thursday and Friday.

I've had a lot of cough drops, Cold-Eeze, Airborne, tea, and soup along the way and I think I am finally feeling better. What a bitch.

Belle and Sebastian - White Collar Boy

Tribeca Film Festival...

is coming April 25th. I'm thinking about checking it out. Click here for more info.

Passing On Beer Pong

Earlier in the week I must have taken every subway line to get to the Upper East Side for a free happy hour that my wife won at Mo's Caribbean.

It's not the kind of place that we would, um, normally frequent but long story short, she was there once with co-workers, dropped the biz card for the free happy hour, and next thing you know we have free drinks.

We stayed long enough to catch up with people but departed once the beer pong started.

Later, we walked down 2nd Ave. and ended up at Ko Sushi (2nd/70th) which was surprisingly good.

American Express - My Life. My Card. (Deniro)

My Media Consumption Habits

It's interesting to think about how much media consumption has changed over the years. Driven by the constant introduction of new technology, I've certainly noticed changes in my behavior.

Here's a look at some of the media I've been consuming lately and any relevant changes:



PRINT
We get a ton of publications thanks to turning in some unused airline miles. It's almost too much so I tend to scan them or just read articles of interest instead of reading cover to cover.

1. 4 weeklies: BusinessWeek, Economist, Time Out New York, New York Magazine
2. 1 daily: The Wall Street Journal
3. 1 monthly: Fast Company

TELEVISION

I'll rarely watch live television unless it's news (NY1, News 12 Brooklyn or the local NBC affiliate) or a sporting event. Most of the time I tend to "binge" watch my DVR'ed programs on the weekend. DVR'ed programs include:

1. Lost
2. Heroes
3. The Colbert Report
4. The Daily Show
5. The Soup
6. The Office

There's also the occasional one-off program: a special on The Travel Channel or Fine Living or NYC-TV...

RADIO/MUSIC

I don't listen to terrestrial radio at all. I do consume some Internet Radio, like:

1. Soma FM
2. Download specific shows from KCRW.com like Jason Bentley's Metropolis or Nic Harcourt's Morning Becomes Eclectic
3. Download podcasts from i-Tunes for shows like NPR's This American Life
4. Hardly ever buy actual CDs anymore (pretty much never!). This is a total change from all the cassette tapes and CDs that I used to buy. Now it's pretty much relegated to one-offs from i-Tunes.

GAMING

1. PS2: a couple hours a week - gameplay has significantly dropped off as I get older
2. Nintendo DS: Just picked this up - been playing "Brain Age" to stave off old age!
3. No online gaming or Second Life for me - I don't get it

ONLINE

1. Hours spent online too numerous to count
2. I blog (obviously) and read some blogs daily (Gothamist.com, Brooklynvegan.com)
3. Look at news sites daily (CNN.com and NY Times.com)
4. Sometimes randomly search Youtube for random videos
5. Occasionally look at social networking sites but it's not that fun since I'm out of the demo and most of my friends aren't on there

MOBILE

1. Not into ringtones, playing games or downloading songs/videos to my phone
2. Rarely use my phone to take pictures
3. Have finally begun text-messaging (yes, a late adopter)

FILMS

1. Go to the actual movie theater 1-3 times a year
2. Mostly watch films via Netflix and usually it's the DVD of tv shows that I never got to watch

I Need to Start Using My Camera Phone

Saw two interesting things in East Village yesterday....

1)The irony of a homeless person wearing a baseball cap with a "Credit Suisse First Boston Private Equity" logo on it; and

2)A squirrel in Tompkins Square Park perched on a park bench next to a brown paper bag with his hands on a full sandwich.

Reading Pays Off

I was talking to a Brit recently and somehow I worked into the conversation the recent NY Magazine article "NY vs London" AND a recent Economist article about pub closings b/c they can make more money turning the property into condos.

Week of Happy Hours

Somehow, it's been a week of meeting up with old friends for drinks after work. First, it was at Flute in Union Square.

Then, it was at the Grey Dog Cafe in the West Village. And did I reveal too much to my friend MD about my blog? Has she discovered it through the clever search technology of Google? :)

Finally, it was in our very own neighborhood at Flatbush Farm where the artichoke dip is great and onion rings okay but fries were cooked in the same oil as some of their fish dishes. Yuck.

Dine-In Brooklyn Week at Tempo

Earlier this week my wife and I met up with another couple to take in the great deals of Dine-In Brooklyn Week at Tempo Restaurant and Wine Bar.


The place was packed for a Tuesday night and surely everyone was there for the $21.12 three-course prix fixe menu.


I had the sweet pea and ricotta bruschetta, pan roasted chicken and lemon ginger creme brulee. My wife had the wild greens with warm goat cheese roulades, sardinian fregola with spicy calamari and passion fruit torte.

This Is How Stereotypes Get Perpetuated

Notice the incorrect spelling of "Virginia".

These players don't seem to be bothered by it though.

Half a Movie

We watched Half Nelson on DVD last night and I have to say that I didn't love it - despite its critical acclaim, despite Ryan Gosling's very believable performance as a crackhead, despite the Brooklyn setting and music by Broken Social Scene.

I get that it's not supposed to have a neat and tidy "After-school Special" type ending and that not everyone or everything can fall into black/white but often, shades of gray. Whatever. I was disappointed with the film.

Mates of State - Like U Crazy/Crazy (Gnarls Barkley)

Life Logs - Old School Version

I saw these cool "themed" journals at a local gift store a few weeks back.

You can check them out at knockknock.biz.

Amy Winehouse - Just Friends - Live @ Bayswater

Grass is Greener

With march madness upon us and alma mater pride in full effect, it's always interesting to reflect on whether one would choose the school they went to if they had to do it over again.

I attended an undergraduate institution in the Midwest. It had a prestigious name and good academics but the social life was well, socially retarded.

It ended up working out - I enjoyed my classes, made some best friends for life and even met my wife. But would I do it again knowing what I know now? And aren't I a different person at 31 than the one I was at 18? Or am essentially the same person at the core?

I jokingly told my wife that I should have based my college choice on where I wanted to party for 4 years b/c as we become working stiffs and our friends spread out across the country or to the burbs to start families, college was a pretty good time in retrospect. Little responsibility and you get to live amongst your best friends and significant other in the same place? Not a bad deal.

So what schools sound like they might have been a good time to me based on location and prestige?

-Georgetown (Washington, DC)
-McGill (Montreal, Quebec)
-UCLA (Los Angeles, CA)
-UC Berkeley (Berkley, CA)
-Columbia (NYC)
-Brown (Providence, RI)
-Northwestern (Evanston, IL)

Getting into these schools would be another matter but if I ever have kids maybe I'll strongly suggest they look into these institutions.

Visiting Columbia U

The weather was pretty good today so we headed to Columbia U to see the Medical Center campus and the main campus in Morningside Heights (see picture from the steps of the libary to the right).

We also took in some bruch at nearby Le Monde on Broadway and 110th.

A Belated Birthday Dinner

Last night we met up with a few friends for drinks at Verlaine in the Lower East Side. Yes, we had cheap cocktails amongst the hipsters (they do exist and they do sport ironic mustaches).

Afterwards, my wife and I walked over to my post-birthday birthday dinner at wd-50. We had the tasting menu and overall the food was good and probably some of the most inventive I've ever had (see picture to the left of the miso soup with sesame noodles that you squeeze out of a tube).

Here's the rundown of the meal:

-Trout roe, cauliflower, parsley, kobayaki crisp
-Shrimp and tarragon macaroons
-Foie gras in the round
-Sweetbreads, cabbage-kaffir, water chestnuts
-Beef tongue, fried mayo, tomato molasses
-Miso soup, sesame noodles
-Langoustine, popcorn, hibiscus, endive
-Squab breast, beets, sorrel, coconut pebbles
-Black currant parfait, green tea, elderflower
-Soft chocolate, avocado, licorice, lime
-Coffee cake, ricotta, maraschino, chicory ice cream
-Juniper marshallow, lime sugar

The portions weren't huge so don't be fooled by the intimidating list above. And though the food was exceptional and innovative, the overall experience suffered from the ambience and service. I felt like there was a disconnnect between the food (and its prices!) and the feel of the space. When dropping that kind of cash, I might expect a more refined experience a la Jean Georges. However, it was a good meal nonetheless and certainly a unique experience.

Signs That I Have Turned "31"

1. I got my shoes shined yesterday

2. I wore a sport coat to dinner the other night

3. I took a car service to work b/c the 2/3 trains were delayed

4. I place a premium on sleep versus staying up late

Vegas, After All

It was disappointing that my wife and I did not get to go to Vegas on our own but I still had to make it out there for my work event.

Flying was still no treat - even three days after the sudden snowstorm in the NYC area. I had to fly to Charlotte, NC and then fly to Vegas from there.

After a couple hours of delays on both legs of the flight, I finally reached my destination. Vegas is certainly not a pretty town - the strip has theme hotel after theme hotel intermixed with strip-mall like establishments and construction sites. All of this resides in a relatively small area surrounded by desert.

Exhausted from the flight and battling a cold, I took a nap immediately. Later that night, I met up with co-workers to have dinner at Social House at Treasure Island. The food was pretty good and we were a little distracted by the Sirens of TI show that takes place in front of the hotel every night. If I had a kid, I don't think I would take them to watch this show but apparently that does not stop the throngs of tourists and families from flocking to this free event.

The next day we had our partner meetings and in the afternoon it was back to "team-building". We had a private poker lesson from a dealer, took in dinner at Il Mulino at the Forum Shops at Caesar's Palace and saw an entertaining show from Penn and Teller at the Rio.

Au Revoir Simone - Fallen Snow

Moving On

Still stinging from not being in Vegas this weekend, we decided to make the best of the weekend and head into the city.

We ended up having brunch at The Little Owl in the West Village. My wife had the whole wheat pancakes with berries, marscapone and vanilla maple syrup. I had the eggs benedict and side of bacon. The food was tasty and the place had a nice vibe.

We then headed to Magnolia Bakery to pick up some cupcakes.

Grounded (or "How we Endured a Horrific Day of Non-Travel")

It all was going too smoothly. I called the airline the night before and despite the repeated winter storm warnings, our flight was not cancelled. I called again in the morning despite the fact that it was snowing outside but the flight was still not cancelled.

So, we got up at 5:00 am, got our things together and headed to JFK airport. We waited in line for an hour to get our bags checked in and to get our boarding passes. Amazingly, still no cancellations. We were thinking that this might happen. We might escape New York's wintry mix - a cruel final blast of ice and snow that took place just 36 hours after we experienced 70-degree weather in the tri-state area. We spent a half-hour getting through security and scarfed down breakfast in just enough time to get to the gate as the boarding process began. Maybe we would get to Vegas after all!

We boarded the plane, stowed our belongings, buckled our seat belts, fired up the ipods and Nintendo DS and we're looking forward to the warm weather, the gambling, the NCAA games, our dinner reservations, and possibly seeing some friends who would also be there. They even de-iced the plane and got us to the runway. But alas, it was not to be! First, the pilot took us back to the gate and had us de-board. That's when it did not look good. We had been on the plane for a couple hours so getting us off was the only thing they did right. Afterwards, we all sat around at the gate. They said they weren't cancelling the flight and it was "indefinitely" delayed. What the hell does that mean? We were held hostage. Our bags still on the plane having been checked in. Dreams of going to Vegas dashed but still remained on the off chance that they might fly. But we all knew as time went on and the weather worsened, the chances of going to Vegas got slimmer and slimmer.

U.S. Airways just handled it poorly. We all get that they can't affect the weather, but there was little communication. We relied on each other or word-of-mouth to find out what was going on. Three to four hours later (out of a total of about 8-9 hours wasted in the plane and at the airport), it was clear that we weren't flying. We waited in line to find out where to get our bags and how to get re-booked but upon getting to the desk, the clerks walked away! What are we, invisible? One even said she would be right back, but never returned. Absolutely terrible customer service. Finally, we said "Fuck it, let's just get out of here." We went down to baggage claim, got our bags and waited in line. Ice pellets barraged almost as mercilessly as the entire day had. We waited for quite some time before we got into the cab and headed home.

Au Revoir Simone at Union Hall

Last Tuesday night I met up with a friend at Union Hall to see Au Revoir Simone.

I purchased the tickets a while back but of course was second-guessing the purchase as I sat at the bar waiting for my friend to arrive. Not because I don't like Union Hall or because I didn't think Au Revoir Simone would be good. But rather, it was simply because one gets into the flow of the work week, gets tired, and finds himself wondering if he is too old to be going out on weeknights and seeing shows. Okay, that "one" person would be me.

There was a good crowd at the bar upstairs and of course the usual throngs surrounding the bocce court but I had never been downstairs to see the live music venue. It was nice - a small bar, a few chairs/benches along the side and the intimate feel of seeing a band play that was reminiscent of my younger days watching indie bands in people's basements.

We missed the first opener but did catch a spirited performance by Liverpool's Hot Club de Paris, which had an interesting mix of oddball humor, barbershop a capellas and dare I say, a Futureheads-type sound of music.

Au Revoir Simone then came on and I wondered to my friend - "Which came first, the haircut or the band?" - referring to the almost identical-look that all three members sport. See picture above. The place was packed and Au Revoir Simone did not disappoint. Some of my favorite songs were "The Lucky One" and "Through the Backyards".

Family Guy

Random but funny.

Slope Saturday

Yesterday we ran errands and then ended up at Park Slope Ale House for a drink and lunch.

Later that night we headed to old fave Union Hall for a couple drinks and their flatbread.

We then tried to check out newcomer gastropub Alchemy but it was totally packed! So, we found ourselves at Long Tan, a Thai restaurant with a good bar, good prices (if you eat at the bar) and a great i-tunes playlist courtesy of the bartenders. We tried the shrimp dumplings with plum sauce, vegetable spring rolls and crispy squid. It was all pretty good and made us want to come back and try the entrees. And the tunes couldn't be beat - The Smiths, Bloc Party, The Shins, etc.

The Little Ones -

Cool City Gear Here

Check it out here

Late Adopter

I finally got around to downloading some free podcasts on i-Tunes.

There's lot of good content on there - from NPR's This American Life and Fresh Air to Harvard Business Review pieces and daily foreign language lessons. Check it out!

Eventually, they all leave Chicago and move to NY

First, Ira Glass takes This American Life from Chicago to NY.

Now, Ryan Schreiber of indie rock tastemaker Pitchfork is moving from Chicago to Park Slope!

Red State Hypocrisy

I've grown weary and have lost count of the numerous occassions in which a Republican politician or supporter has stuck his/her foot in their mouth by revealing what a hypocrite they are (see Rush Limbaugh, Dick Cheney, Bill O' Reilly, Dubya, etc.) and now this little gem about Gingrich who apparently was having an affair while leading the charge against Clinton during the Lewinsky scandal!

Boozy nights

On Wednesday night I met up with some old co-workers at Blue Ribbon Bar in the West Village. It's got a great ambience and I did enjoy the Old Speckled Hen ale that they had on tap.

Afterwards we headed to Daddy O's whose ambience was less desirable but whose tater tots were for real.

Last night I had a friend in town for work and we met up in Union Square where we had drinks at Lucy Latin Kitchen followed by tapas at Pipa where the crispy calamari can't be beat. We finished off at Heartland Brewery for some Indiana Pale Ale.

It then took me forever to catch a cab. I pretty much walked from 18th and B'way to Bowery and Canal (~2 miles?) to get a cab to go home to BK! I now see why I never go out to Manhattan on Saturday nights...

Get Your Elastic Pants Out...

Because Dine-In Brooklyn week is coming....

My Favorite Things - NYC Edition

It's been a little over a year since we made the move from Chicago (hence, the Lake Michigan reference in The Slope via The Lake) and by most, if not all, measures have been happy with the move.

That being said, here are some of my favorite things (in no particular order):

-The hand-rolled bagels at La Bagel Delight
-The view of the city from the Q train when crossing from the Brooklyn side to the Manhattan side
-Everything at Al di La AND Rose Water
-Summertime stoop sales
-Two words: Fresh Direct
-The book reservation system at The Brooklyn Public Library
-Hot chocolate at Cocoa Bar
-Park Slope's tree-lined streets and historic brownstones
-The fried chicken at Blue Ribbon
-Ozzie's Blend at Ozzie's Coffee
-No smoking in bars and restaurants!
-The underrated Brooklyn Museum of Art
-No sales tax on clothing under $110
-The egg creams and ices at Uncle Louie G's
-The police blotter in The Brooklyn Paper
-The burgers at Helios
-The beauty, peace and quiet of The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
-The t-shirts at Brooklyn Industries
-Ethnic diversity
-Nathan's hot dogs and skee ball at Coney Island
-Catching a Brooklyn Cyclones game at Keyspan Park
-New York fans' love/hate of their own teams
-The cupcakes at Magnolia Bakery
-The dumplings at Rickshaw Dumpling Bar
-Prospect Park during the day
-The greenmarkets at Grand Army Plaza in Bklyn and Union Square in Manhattan
-The burrata at Tempo
-The fact that New York, for better and for worse, is a city of superlatives
-The aioli fries at Melt
-"Reading the headlines" segment on NY1
-The comfort food of Mango
-The jukeboxes at Union Hall, Great Lakes and The Brooklyn Inn
-Bananas Foster French Toast at Two Boots
-Flatbread and triple threat at Union Hall
-The deals at Century 21
-Full house cheesesteaks at High Stakes Cheesesteaks

Lemonheads at Southpaw

Last night we finally got to Southpaw to catch a show - Vietnam and The Lemonheads.

We started the evening at nearby Union Hall for the "triple threat", flatbread and drinks. We then made our way to Southpaw by 9. Of course, the opening act did not start playing until 10:30! In a word - ridiculous. We're way too old to be standing around for three hours in a crowded club. Tired and full, two of my companions left but I stayed on to see the main act.

Dando and crew did not disappoint - breezing through the set but playing many crowd favorites - "Confetti", "Rudderless", "My Drug Buddy", "Turnpike Down", "Bit Part", "Allison's Starting to Happen", "It's About Time", "Great Big No", "Down About It", "If I Could Talk I'd Tell You", "Hospital", and closing the encore with "It's A Shame About Ray". There was little banter from the band except for the occasional "Thank You. You're too kind" from Dando and "Thank You Brooklyn".

A good performance from the Lemonheads but "It's A Shame" it took them so long to take the stage!


Check out YouTube here for my favorite Lemonheads song "My Drug Buddy"

The Bird and The Bee -

Chris Elliott taking a drivers test

Separated at Birth?

Good Sunday Afternoon Flick

We finally got around to watching a Netflix rented movie - Wordplay.

It's an interesting documentary about the world of crossword puzzles and the people who love them - from NY Times puzzle editor Will Shortz to everyday people who end up competing at the annual Crossword Puzzle competition in Stamford, CT to celebs like The Daily Show's Jon Stewart and former President Bill Clinton.

It's an entertaining look at this subculture and makes me appreciate the work that goes into creating these puzzles. Highly recommended!

Filipino Food in SoHo

After staying in BK yesterday, we ventured into Manhattan (specifically, SoHo - Mercer btwn Broome and Grand) to try a Filipino restaurant called Cendrillon for brunch.

We started with the lumpia shanghai with fresh pineapple sweet and sour sauce. For the entree, my wife had the chicken adobo in a claypot while I tried the pancit bihon.

Both courses were flavorful but not extraordinary. However, Cendrillon did provide a solid and enjoyable dining experience.

You know you're getting older

when you get excited about your favorite childhood TV sitcom coming to DVD!

New Music I'm Interested In....

Bloc Party Weekend In The City
The Shins Wincing The Night Away
Peter Bjorn & John Writer's Block
Sondre Lerche Phantom Punch
The Bird & The Bee The Bird & The Bee
The Kooks Inside In/Inside Out

Cry For Help

Whoa. What a mess.

Obama 4 Prez

He's in! Now here's how you can learn more...

Shooting In the Slope

Yikes. I wondered why I heard helicopters hovering in the sky yesterday morning. Turns out that an NYPD cop was shot close to where we live! But was there another NYPD cop involved? This is where the story gets shady....

Narcissistic, Incompetent Bastard with a Love-Me-Daddy Syndrome

Okay, that's just one hypothesis of many put forth in a recent article of New York Magazine called The Loneliest President, written by John Heilemann. It's an interesting read and invites a number of different analyses into why Bush may be the way he is.

Of course, those of us who are rational keep trying to make sense of his nonsensical, irresponsible and irrational ways - which seems like a frustrating and futile endeavor.

Heileman writes:
Yet it’s worth considering the possibility that Bush’s madman-at-the-wheel métier owes as much to psychological factors as to structural ones. For some time now, armchair psychiatrists have argued that Bush suffers from a classic case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder, citing his sense of grandiosity (“I’m the decider”), his arrogance and lack of empathy, and his tendency to surround himself with sycophants as evidence. Certainly, Bush seems to be in the grip of something close to a bona fide delusion (“a false belief based on incorrect inference about external reality that is firmly sustained despite what almost everybody else believes,” says the DSM-IV) about the situation in Iraq—and in a state of near-clinical denial about the likelihood that his policy there has irretrievably failed.

For me, 2008 can't come soon enough. Edwards, Hillary, Obama...please hurry.

Old School

A couple weeks ago I was at The Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch and checked out some photos on display from Al Pereira (including the one to the left of Big Daddy Kane).

It was a nice collection of 80's and 90's hip-hop artists and reminded me of the brief period in my life where I was really into it (see eighth grade and freshman year of high school). It also reminds me of the old show Video Music Box with VJ Ralph McDaniels.

Yes, now I feel old.

Disappointment

Last night, we checked out a new addition to the Park Slope dining scene - Chiles & Chocolate.

We were excited to try it as it had a great location on 7th Ave. (close to us), nice-looking decor, good marketing and a unique offering - authentic Oaxacan cooking.

The menu looked good, so we headed there and brought a bottle of wine (it's B.Y.O.B.). Right off the bat, there were a few things they didn't have that were on the menu. I ordered the pato cacahuete y chocolate but was told later they didn't have duck. Undaunted, I gave them a pass since they've only been open for a couple weeks. Instead, I went with the Mole Negro with chicken breast and my wife tried the Mexi Mahi Mahi. The entrees were fine but not spectacular - the Mahi Mahi too spicy and the Mole Negro not as flavorful as expected. We also started out with the Quesadillas Antiquas but the chicken inside was cold and the quesadillas were not served with any salsa.

All in all, we wanted Chiles and Chocolate to be better than it was. And maybe they need to work some kinks out, but it's hard to be forgiving when there are tons of other restaurants you can spend your money on.

Quite A Gift

Friday night brought the Christmas gift my wife gave me - tickets to Knicks/Nets at the Garden. It's always a good time - beer, hot dogs, and the usual Nets' drubbing of their cross-town rivals.

There were some annoying fans behind us but that's to be expected at a sporting event, unfortunately. The Mets' Willie Randolph and New Yorker Ed Burns were in attendance and on the big screen. But the real star was ageless Cliff Robinson who had a putback of Vince Carter's miss for a 101-100 Nets victory.

Continued limited success, Knicks!

Birthday Dinner

On Thursday, we headed to Greenwich Village for my wife's dinner at Blue Hill.

The ambience was nice, service attentive and food possessed the quality expected from a restaurant that has its own farm.

For appetizers, my wife had the chestnut ravioli while I opted for the maine crabmeat. For entrees, she had the berkshire pork while I tried the grass fed lamb. We ended the night with the chocolate bread pudding.

The Indian Version Of Thriller

Bollywood version of Thriller. Enough said.

Nice Dumplings

We went to Union Square today to pick up some items for our place and decided to stop by Rickshaw Dumpling Bar for lunch.

I had the peking duck with shredded cabbage and scallion.

My wife had the chicken and thai basil.

The showstopper, though, was the chocolate shanghai soup dumplings that we had for dessert.

Take that to the bank

I don't like bankers. And I certainly don't like the fact they received huge bonuses.

But I do like people who make fun of them. Like this "fake" blog - Leveraged Sell-Out.

Nerdy Weekend

This weekend we:

1)Came across great train wreck TV in VH-1's new reality show, The White Rapper Show.

Bad flow, worse lyrics and zero self awareness equals great television.

Keep your eyes on the "King of the 'Burbs" who's bent on initiating a "Ghetto Revival" whatever that means.

2)Purchased and played excessively Guitar Hero II on the PS2.

3)Watched the first episode of Battlestar Galactica from Netflix.

Random

My wife found this card catalog creator....

Knicks, Cheesesteaks and Pita Pan

The only place the Knicks will win is in video games as evidenced by the Bobcats/Knicks game that I went to on Friday night.

Thankfully, the tickets were free and I had a chance to enjoy the Garden environs with a friend, chow down on a burger and have a beer. If it weren't for the in-game entertainment (the kids playing b-ball between quarters, the Knicks city dancers, and yes, those thunderstix), it would have been a lot less fun. No good celeb sightings either - Penny Marshall (from Laverne and Shirley) and old Knick Johnny Newman were in the house.

Yesterday, we checked out High Stakes Cheesesteaks in our 'hood and it was a nice surprise. Good food, clean restaurant and close to the Bergen Street stop. Do I see more cheesesteaks in my future? Yes, just what the doctor ordered.

Earlier in the week, we also tried Pita Pan finally and it's not a bad place for low-priced Mediterranean, though I don't see us making the trek down Seventh Ave. for it too often.

Blades of Glory Trailer

Stupid but I want to see this movie.

The Smiths - There is a light that never goes out

Unseasonably Warm

Sure, it's an inconvenient truth, but we had to enjoy the near 70 degree weather in NYC today.

We met up with a friend for brunch at Balthazar in SoHo. The food was good, albeit pricey. We started out with the "Le Panier" - basket of fresh breads. For the entrees, my wife had the scrambled eggs in puff pastry with wild mushrooms and asparagus, our friend had the sour cream hazelnut waffles with warm berries and I had the eggs benedict.

Afterwards, we strolled down Broadway and my wife exchanged an item at Banana Republic. Then we headed to Broome St. to pick up some bottles of wine at Vintage New York since we had received a gift certificate there for Christmas.

Later, we returned to Brooklyn and took in some sun at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Death Cab For Cutie - The New Year