Yeah, You Know You're Curious

UPDATED: I've got to give credit where credit is due. Got the "Knot" tip from a friend. You know who you are and apparently, now you know who I am on the 'Net (she whose name rhymes with "Latey Night"!). But how do I feel about now having a readership of 4? I don't know. As for the "MySpace" tip - props to my wife.
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Ever wonder what happened to some of your classmates?

Yeah, you've googled them but those searches came up empty.

Check out myspace.com. There's a chance you might come across the page of someone you know. Use the "Classmate Finder" and you can search by School and Year of Graduation.

And for those of you really looking to kill time and display stalker-like capabilities, you can always search TheKnot to see if anyone you know has set up a wedding page.

Fascinating.

Mensa is BS

Apparently, being a Mensa member means something to Donald Trump, as there is a Mensa member (pictured above) competing to be his next Apprentice.

He gets to compete in real rigorous business scenarios - like trying to drum up more people to sign up for Sam's Club through street marketing and the use of a blimp. Remind me again how this is good practice for running one of Trump's companies?

But back to this Mensa thing - isn't this just some bullshit organization like that Who's Who publication that was popular back in high school? Couldn't anyone be in that as long as you paid them to be in the publication? Yeah, I know there's an actual test involved in Mensa, but its credibility and relevance in this day and age seem awfully suspect. Why don't they just say you have a high IQ if you can solve a Rubik's cube or one of those Sudoku puzzles?

Those Damn Pandas Are

Too friggin' cute.

What are you going to do?

Check out this link and click on "Watch the video here" to see Panda kindergarten...

imPRESSive

Corny title? Yup.

But the food at Press 195 on 5th Ave. in Park Slope was definitely impressive. It's a great sandwich place. I had the #26 - Turkey, smoked Canadian bacon, smoked Gouda, fresh tomato and roasted garlic spread. My wife had the Soup Special - pumpkin and coconut soup.

The Boo Birds Are Out

Last night, we went to the Nets/Knicks game at the Garden. I'm a big Nets fan so it was with great pleasure that I witnessed the drubbing delivered to the hapless Knicks.

It's stunning how poorly run the Knicks organization is and the fact that Isiah Thomas is still allowed to keep his job. He continues to stockpile players who have atrocious contracts and completely no defensive abilities. None of the players mesh with each other or with Coach Larry Brown's system. It's an absolute mess.

Toward the end of the game the Garden crowd began chanting "Fire Thomas!". Amen.

Smushy Face

What the heck is the Lakers' Smush Parker doing to this poor Clipper?

Overheard in PS

My barber, talking to someone on the phone, while I sat in the chair waiting for him to finish my cut....

"Basically he told me to go fuck myself..."

He didn't explain whom he was talking to and then continued with my haircut.

People Are Basically Insane

I recently received an email from a former supervisor from a former employer. I hadn't talked to this person since I left so it was with some surprise that I heard from him.

When I shared this with a friend who also used to work at XYZ company, he called it immediately. Former Supervisor (let's call him ABC), was probably reaching out because he was now promoted and wanted to gloat about how great the organization was now that he was in charge.

I decided to bite the bullet and call ABC since he contacted me and I hadn't spoken to him in years. Basically, I wanted to be polite and reciprocate the effort. My friend was correct, however. ABC went on and on about how lots of changes were being made and how it was a great place to be, etc. ABC really didn't ask me much about my life. And it was transparent - he didn't call because he was genuinely interested in hearing about me, but because he wanted to tell me how great he was doing. He wanted to talk to me to make himself feel better.

Sadly, I could really care less. I hadn't really thought of this person since I left. Hell, it was two jobs ago! But obviously this person took my departure (and my friend's) personally. His attempt to find us is akin to a jilted lover calling an old flame to tell him/her about a new love they have found. There's a part of me that regrets calling because I gave this person some satisfaction in being able to talk about how his life and the organization were so great nowadays. But there was also a part of me that kind of felt sorry for this person who obviously has carried this grudge (or whatever you call it) around for a while and was just waiting for a moment to say "I told you things were going to get better but you didn't stick around."

It's pretty pathetic and then it struck me that so many people are nuts. I mean, I've got insecurities and neuroses with the best of them, but I'm pretty sure they don't affect other people.

Also, I've decided that fundamentally, people don't change. If you were an insecure asshole back in the day, you probably still are one. If you were a decent, considerate person in high school, you probably still are a nice guy today. For some naive reason, I always held onto the ideal that people matured or improved with age, but I've encountered so many individuals who still exhibit unprofessional, immature, or straight-up kooky behavior despite advanced age or high positions of power. People are insane.

My Own New York Stories

Do these qualify as making me a true New Yorker now?

-Yesterday, I had my bag randomly searched by NYPD at the Grand Central Station. It was fine - they said "Excuse me sir" and motioned me over. I opened my bag and they thanked me and I was on my way.

Maybe they singled me out because I looked ornery. But hey, that's how I look after a long day's work!

-Yesterday I was asked by a co-worker where I was from originally, to which I responded "New Jersey." She seemed miffed (maybe an exaggeration) when I didn't share her Jersey pride in Bon Jovi. I told her I liked Springsteen and Sinatra. Sorry - I draw the line at Bon Jovi.

-Today, a young man (with his friends in tow) asked me where Rockefeller Center was and being in NYC mode, I pretty much ignored him. He was annoyed by this and responded saying "Don't be nervous, I am not going to mug you." Maybe I naturally gave off a disturbed look but I am not going to respond to a bunch of thuggish looking dudes coming out of nowhere and asking me for directions. What did he expect?

NY Stories

Recently I picked up a book called New York Stories: The Best of the City Section of The New York Times.

I've been reading essays here and there and really like it so far. One of my favorites is a piece titled "Everyone Knows This Is Somewhere, Part I" by Glyn Maxwell.

Here's an excerpt:

"And to walk the blocks of New York is to experience a warm anonymity. I've lived in the kingdom of the smirk and the chuckle, I've passed through the town of the sneer and the village of the snarl - we all have - but I'm at home now in the city of the shrug. It's not the shrug of not caring, but the shrug of having cared, the shrug of acceptance that so many have come, so many have suffered, so much has happened."

Big Dummy

Maybe it's good that we left Illinois, considering the governor is a moron and didn't know that the Daily Show was NOT a real news show.

Overheard in Park Slope

With apologies to Overheard in New York which recently put out a paperback version, here's something I overheard in Park Slope, walking down 7th Avenue:

Woman on cell phone: "So Julie inadvertently slept with some other chick while they were supposedly patching things up...."

I didn't know one could inadvertently sleep with someone!

Federline, Social Networking, and Coffee

Yes, that's the big fool, Kevin Federline (aka Mr. Britney Spears) pictured to the right. Apparently, he recently launched his new single on his website. He is an absolute trainwreck and the song is a complete mess. Think about every other corny white-boy rapper that has ever been out there (Vanilla Ice, Snow, etc.). He is actually worse than that. You can also listen to his song on myspace.com.

I have to admit that I don't know a ton about myspace but apparently it is a big deal - so big that Rupert Murdoch (he of Fox News fame) and his company News Corporation paid $580 million to acquire myspace.com.

You know I am getting old when I start to not "get" what kids are into. I still don't get text messaging by the way. Comedy Central's Daily Show did a funny piece on social networking sites. Click on Trendspotting: Social Networking.

And speaking of the idea of socializing through an arguably impersonal technological and virtual environment, what's with all the laptop users at coffee shops like Gorilla Coffee? No matter where we go in the Slope, it seems like they are dominated by individuals looking at their laptop screens rather than interacting with each other. Maybe they're talking to the person next to them on Instant Messenger, or hating on their neighbor on their blog, or maybe they're listening to Federline's awful song on myspace....

Presidents and Pizza

Where the heck did today go?

In honor of President's Day, we spent some dead presidents and continued to bolster the local economy.

Took in lunch at Miracle Grill. I had the Breakfast Burrito while my wife had the Lunch Special of half of sandwich (BLT) and soup (black bean). The food was okay but nothing to write home about.

We continued down 7th Ave. and stopped in at Cocoa Bar for a Pear Tart and some hot chocolate. Good stuff but no Steve Buscemi sightings this time.

Tonight we had a really nice time at Peperoncino. The atmosphere was good, service was attentive, and the food was of high quality. We started with the Insalata Formaggio (Seasonal mixed greens with gorgonzola, pear, carmelized walnuts in a pear vinaigrette). We had the Pizze Peperoncino (Cherry tomato, shrimp and zucchini) and finished off with some tiramisu. All in all, a great dinner that will be sure to have us coming back for more.

NYC Bagels Are For Real

This morning we got up early and started getting our weekend tasks done - taking out the garbage and recyclable materials. Unfortunately, the NYC Department of Sanitation never showed up!

We finally tried out some NYC bagels (or is that like calling food "Chinese Food" in China?) at La Bagel Delight. The bagels were tasty but the setup for placing orders and paying for your bagels was inefficient and confusing. Thankfully, the bagels were well worth the hassle as they were flavorful and not that expensive - we got two plain bagels and cream cheese for under $4.

Later in the day, we finally explored Atlantic Terminal Mall, home of Target and other budget-conscious stores like DSW, Daffy's, and Old Navy. We were pleasantly surprised with the cleanliness and orderliness of the store and will definitely be making return visits to Target. For all the independent charm of Park Slope, it's also nice to have a slice of suburbia close by with a chain store like Target.

We also checked out Union Market on the corner of 6th and Union. It's a really cool neighborhood gourmet food market in the vein of Whole Foods. I think we'll be back there for sure.

Oui Oui

Last Thursday we checked out French restaurant Moutarde (French for mustard) on Fifth Avenue in Park Slope.

There weren't a ton of people there but it was a nice, welcoming environment and the food was satisfying. We started out with the escargot and French Onion Soup. My wife had the sauteed cod with butternut squash, carrot puree and sweet potato crisps. I opted for the classic Steak Frites.

It's nice to know we have a reliable French restaurant to go to when the mood strikes us.

Douchebag, Thy Name is Ashley

This show is such a trainwreck, it is must-see television. Called There and Back, it's MTV's latest reality show that follows the up and down (but mostly down) career (and I use that term loosely) of former boy-band member Ashley Parker Angel.

He's so delusional and such a "little bitch" as my wife likes to call him. He never really had a career - 15 minutes at best through the old ABC reality show where they formed a boy band called O-Town. There and Back chronicles his attempts to make a "comeback". Meanwhile, he is living with his pregnant girlfriend (who's a total pain in the ass) and apparently they are both being financially supported by his girlfriend's mother. It's awesome.

He's spouted off such verbal gems as "I just hope I can keep taking care of all of us." I'm pretty sure he's not bringing in any income so this makes his statement even more hilarious. And once she has the baby and they're ready to have sex again, he proclaims to her: "Dude, I brushed my teeth. I never had so much deodorant on. I'm tryin' to set the mood here." What a charmer.

Not Bad, But It's Still Texas

I can't believe I've been in NYC for only a few weeks...maybe it's because there's been too much going on.

Earlier this week, I went to Austin, TX for a business trip. I hear that it's a pretty cool, liberal town (by Texas standards, of course). And apparently, it's also the home of yuppie foodstore Whole Foods.

I didn't get to spend too much time there but I might like to visit again down the road. Then again, what's Austin got that NYC doesn't?

Keepin' it Real in Park Slope

Check out these funny fake (yet real?) t-shirts on the Muk Report, poking fun at The Slope.

Stupid Snow

Here's the scene from our living room window as we got stuck inside due to the Blizzard of '06...