Howard & Foxy - round 2
and it continues...
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Tuesday, October 02, 2007
New - A Survey!
I'm happy to report that there's a new blogger "widget" available that lets me post polls & surveys easily on this blog. Hopefully anyone who remembers the old weekly survey questions will enjoy this little bit of slivken nostalgia. We'll see how it goes...
This week's question:
- what's your favorite survey topic?
- sex & romance
- food & drinks
- television & movies
- music
- politics
Look to the top left of any slivken - my meals & more page to cast your vote. (This survey ends 11/07/07 at midnight)
There'll be a new question next Monday. Feel free to leave comments with any questions or topics you would like to see in the future!
Monday, September 24, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
Volleyball Recap
Another week - another win!
Last night was great... we won our first 2 games to secure the match, but ended up losing the 3rd game. Everyone on the team did well & I was happy with most of my playing except for 2 missed serves (which was frustrating because I'm a fairly consistent server.) The overall results for the division are all close: there are 2 teams at 2-0 (both 4-2 in games), 4 teams at 1-1 (all 3-3 in games), and 2 teams at 0-2 (both 2-4 in games). It's still very early in the season and most teams have yet to play with their full line-ups (mine included,) so anything can happen. It's exciting!
Oh, and another piece of news I'm happy to report is that I'll be playing with a lot of the guys from my league team at the upcoming "Golden Apple" tournament over Veteran's Day weekend. It's a NAGVA tournament for players 35 and older, and while it doesn't bring in nearly as many out of town teams as the spring "Big Apple" tournament, it's still a lot of fun. Last year my team finished 2nd - so I'm hoping to do as well again this year.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Volleyball!
Hooray - a new season of volleyball started last night. For anyone
paying attention, last season was pretty pathetic (1-11, with our only
win coming from another team's forfeit the very last week.)
Well, I'm happy to say that this season is already better - we won our
first match! The team is great and I'm looking forward to a really fun
time.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Leave Britney Alone!
Oh... my.
Gawker.com posted this Chris Crocker video & all I can say is -
"thank you"
Saturday, September 08, 2007
Friday, September 07, 2007
iPhone in hand
Yes I am blogging from my new phone - it's pretty cool! Now if I can just do it more often...
Monday, August 20, 2007
Forwarded from Customer Service...
My work is such fun sometimes, I get to read lots of interesting letters. A sample of customer correspondence for your enjoyment:
*********************************************
I was dissapointed to find out your selctions of artist is not updatedof all their music I tried to find Pebo Bryson song Can you Stop the Rain itis not in his music that you have and could not find Ruban Studdard;s Why You Want To Change On Me ad well as could not find the Soundtrack toHairspray at all please explain the absent of these artist song titles
*********************************************
I...AS YOU MAY KNOWI'AM A GOOD CLIENT OF YOURS.
BUT IT SEEMS THAT IS BEEN A MISTAKE WITH MY LAST ORDERS.
YOU SHIPT TO ME ON 08/17/2007 ORDER # XXXXXXXXXXXX
2 ALBUND OF THE SAME...GUILBERTO SANTA ROSA & VICTOR MAUELLE,
ALBUN..(DOS SONEROS, UNA HISTORIA....2 OF THIS CD WAS MAIL TO,
ME ON THIS DATE I OUNLY NEED ONE......
* YOU SHIP TO ME AS WELL A CD FROM VICTOR MANUELLE
ALBUN (INCONFUNDIBLE)....I EMAIL YOU FOR YOU TO CHANGE THIS
ALBUN FROM BEEN SHIPT TO ME SINCE I HAD BOUGHT FROM YOU AS
WELL. ON MY EMAIL I ASK OF YOU TO CONTINUE WITH THE NEXT
ALBUN ON THE LIST....SO I WILL BE RETURN THEM TO YOU. I HOPE
YOU CAN EXCHANGE THIS 2 CD'S FOR THE NEXT ON MY QUENQUE LIST.
I WILL BE LOOKING FOWARD TO HEAR FROM YOU...PLZ REPLY TO THIS EMAIL.
AS SOON AS POSSIBLE
THANK..............
*********************************************
I'm sure you know that Akon simulated a rape scene with a minor at one of his concerts. Is this a person that you want to promote with a banner on your homepage? We are a family of five that loves music, just signed up & will be watching. If you continue to promote such "artists" we will cancel our subscription.
*********************************************
you guys don't have a punkl rock section that blows you barely
have any
CDS I want that sucks all your featured selections in the so
called
alternative area are all mainstream garbage and in my opinion
as a
musician are badly mislabeled pop I want out of this so called
club it
bites dick can you relate?
*********************************************
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Vegas Photos
Well - as I said at the end of the trip rundown - there aren't too many. They're also mostly of our hotel suite because it was so hilarious - but here they are (and this one is worth the price of admission):
(just click on the photo above or cut & paste the link below into a browser to visit the slide show)
http://flickr.com/photos/slivken/sets/72157601420487142/show/
Monday, August 13, 2007
Viva Las Vegas!
Hey friends, boy did I have a good time in Las Vegas this past weekend. It was F-U-N! It started off kind of rocky, but everything worked out fine and I had a blast.
Here's the rundown of the trip:
Thursday
My American Airlines flight leaving LaGuardia was almost 2 hours late because of poor ground traffic control (according to the pilot) so I missed my connection in Chicago, which would have gotten me in to Las Vegas around 4:30pm, by about 20 minutes. American Airlines couldn't get me on another direct flight from Chicago to Las Vegas so they put me on a 5:00pm flight to Dallas to make a 10:30pm connection which would get me in to Vegas around 11:15pm (thanks a lot.) American Airlines also forget to tell me that there was a possible connection at 8:00pm in Dallas that I could have made, but since they didn't put me on that flight or on the standby list, I stood at that gate and watched the agent hand out seats to the first 8 standby passengers - I was #9 - before heading to another terminal to wait for the 10:30 flight (thanks even more.) Needless to say, despite several meals at McDonalds throughout the day I was cranky. Oh, and the funniest part was that when I arrived in Las Vegas, I was steps away from leaving the airport when alarms started going off and I was forced to stand behind security doors with dozens of other passengers while security officers investigated a supposed "breach." Finally, I got out of the airport, into a cab, and arrived at Bally's! Hooray! And, what was really exciting was that Tom ended up with a suite because the hotel didn't have a non-smoking room to give him. It was tacky but awesome. It had a bar, several seating areas, an awesome view, a jacuzzi bathtub in the middle of the bedroom and a steam-room / walk-in-shower with two entrances. Ooh la la!
Friday
Tom & I had breakfast at the Le Village buffet in the Paris. It was great. We then took the monorail down to Harrah's and did our own little Casino tour. We walked down the strip to the Wynn, stopping in the Venetian along the way. We then crossed the street and made our way back through Treasure Island, the Mirage and Caesar's Palace. Oh, did I mention that it was 104-105 degrees? It was hot! We went back to Bally's and rested for a bit before Tom had to head off to work (he was attending a convention.) I made my way through the Paris and over to Planet Hollywood (formerly the Aladdin) where I got some lunch at their buffet. YUM! After eating I rested some more before taking a walk to the Flamingo and then to O'Sheas where I learned to play Pai Gow poker. I definitely had beginner's luck and, because of it, a lot of fun. By that point it was time to meet up with Tom. We had a quick drink before going to see Ms. Toni Braxton's show at the Flamingo. I thought it was a lot of fun - she looked and sounded great. Back at Bally's we met up with one of Tom's co-workers and had drinks before turning in for the night.
Saturday
Neither Tom nor I could imagine doing another buffet for breakfast (it's true!) so we had a quick bite to eat before starting our daily adventures. We decided to head down to the LV Hilton to do the Star Trek Experience. As luck would have it (and I'm not being sarcastic,) this was the weekend of the big Star Trek convention at the hotel - so we knew that we'd be seeing some major trekkies/trekkers. We weren't disappointed. We saw some great costumes & the "Experience" really was a ton of fun. We followed that excitement with a buffet lunch at the Wynn (which was another great experience!) After lunch, we went to see the old-school-stylings of the Sahara and rode their roller-coaster, "Speed." It was really exciting. From there we headed back towards the central strip area and visited the Imperial Palace. Regardless of its drab exterior, it turned out to be the most fun casino we visited. There was one area where the dealers were all celebrity impersonators and took turns performing up on a little stage. Tom & I played Pai Gow Poker while watching Christina Aguilera, Ricky Martin & Wayne Newton sing - whee! Eventually we headed back to Bally's for a little rest and then went to see the Cirque du Soleil show Mystere. It was the first time I'd ever seen a Cirque du Soleil show and it was amazing! Finally, it was back to the hotel for good - we were wiped out.
Sunday
In almost complete opposition to my trip to Las Vegas, my trip from Las Vegas couldn't have been nicer or easier. Thanks to Tom, we both got First Class upgrades the whole way and made it back to NYC right on schedule. The dogs were thrilled to see us & we spent a mellow night at home watching a bunch of shows that had been recorded while we were gone.
I didn't take a lot of pictures on the trip - but I'll get some fun shots up later this evening!
Dinner Report - 8/8/07
* ARMANDO'S *
(Montague Street)
salad
chicken rollatine
mixed vegetables
wine
The food wasn't great, but the wine was good and the company was fantastic - so it all turned out fine.
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
Lunch Report - 8/8/07
* HOME *
leftover pizza
leftover chinese
club soda
Ok - it's horrible, I know, but it had been a long morning & I still hadn't gone to work. Because of all the weather stuff, the entire subway system was screwed up. I couldn't take the train in, but that turned into a lucky thing because Tom had to go the airport and he couldn't get a confirmation from his car service. I ended up driving him and it took FOREVER. By the time I got back, the trains were running, so I just grabbed this stuff from the fridge before heading into the city. (Getting stuck on the train is bad - but getting stuck on the train hungry is much, much worse.)
Tornado in NYC!
I don't know if a tornado really hit Brooklyn last night, but it sure sounded like it!
After hearing tons of lightning & thunder I expected the streets to be a mess this morning, but I had no idea how bad it was. As soon as I stepped outside to walk the dogs, I saw small branches on the ground, and then I saw bigger branches, and then I saw trees. TREES! It was unreal. I rushed the dogs to do their "stuff," took them back upstairs, and then ran back down with my camera. I had already checked to make sure that our car was fine (it was parked on the block as usual,) but I took some pictures of cars that weren't so lucky: 
(just click on the photo above or cut & paste the link below into a browser to visit the slide show)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99863484@N00/sets/72157601304471907/show/
Dinner Report - 8/7/07
* HOME *
pizza (sausage, mushroom, black olive)
After my long-hard day of picnicing work, it was nice to come home and just relax.
Lunch Report - 8/7/07
* DIRECT GROUP NORTH AMERICA COMPANY PICNIC *
(Bookspan offices, Garden City, Long Island)
cheeseburger
hotdog
pasta salad
shrimp salad
chocolate covered rice-krispy treats
water
wine
Yay! The whole office got on buses and trekked out to Garden City for a company picnic. It was the first company wide function since BMG Columbia House acquired Bookspan. They had lots of activities, and a raffle for prizes. But it was really hot, so I mostly just stayed in the shade and talked to people (although I did win the one game of foosball I played!)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Breakfast Report - 8/7/07
* HOME *
peanut butter
cheese
coffee
I was sooo uninspired this morning... but I'll try to do better tomorrow.
Dinner Report - 8/6/07
*ERIN, PETER, BRUNO & BONES' *
(183rd & Ft. Washington)
turkey chili
vodka & soda
My visit to see new baby Bruno was awesome. Not only did I see one of the most beautiful babies EVER - I got turkey chili for dinner! Congratulations!
Monday, August 06, 2007
Lunch Report - 8/6/07
* SEATTLE ROASTERS *
(Penn station concourse)
chicken burrito
It's close, it's fast, and it's GOOD!
Breakfast Report - 8/6/07
* HOME *
scrambled eggs w/cheese & prosciutto
coffee
A good start to the week!
Dinner Report 8/5/07
* HOME *
steak
sauteed spinach
cous-cous
A quick dinner, perfect for winding down the weekend.
Weekend in the Hamptons
I did a REAL New York thing this weekend and went out to the Hamptons for some luxurious relaxing with friends. It was a lovely time and I especially want to thank Jim, our host, for inviting not only me & Tom, but the dogs as well!
Highlights include watching the dogs run around the backyard, seeing the Perseid meteor shower, spending time with some really wonderful people, and... of course... the eating!
Here's a rundown of the meals:
Friday night
We arrived around 9:30 and the guys had lobster rolls, salad, corn on the cob and a bottle of wine waiting for us all! (How great is that - come on!)
Saturday morning
We had a couple snack sessions. First, some lox & cream cheese on toasted bread. Second, I made myself a plate of fridge leftovers: chicken salad & lobster salad - yum!
Saturday afternoon
Rotisserie chicken (from the I.G.A.), pasta salad & a green salad. So good.
Saturday night
This was the big meal - the lobster boil! We did whole lobsters for everyone, corn on the cob, a green salad & garlic bread (plus wine & other drinks, of course). It was awesome - you can see some prep pictures in the slide-show I put together below.
Sunday morning
Tom made scrambled eggs & cooked up some prosciutto while Colleen went shopping with a friend and picked up some bagels, cream cheeses, muffins & fruits. It was all perfect.
Sadly, it all had to end, but I put together a slide-show (sans comments this time) to help keep the memories - enjoy!
(just click on the photo above or cut & paste the link below into a browser to visit the slide show)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/99863484@N00/sets/72157601251147042/show/with/1027180931/
Friday, August 03, 2007
Lunch Report - 8/3/07
* SUBWAY / SEATTLE ROASTERS *
(Penn station concourse)
6" subway club (from Subway)
black bean soup (from Seattle Roasters)
This was a good lunch - but it would have been better another day. Unfortunately I forgot that I BROUGHT HALF A LUNCH WITH ME TO WORK TODAY! DOH! So, naturally I ate it too (leftover pork cutlets from the other night)
Breakfast Report - 8/3/07
* HOME *
frozen burrito
coffee
Yay - it's Friday! Nothing says "It's gonna be a great day" like a burrito for breakfast!
Lunch Report - 8/2/07
* SKYLIGHT DINER *
(34th St & 9th Ave)
chili
tuna salad sandwich
Whenever I try chili at a place for the first time I get a little excited in hoping that it might be the best ever. This was a disappointment. Oh well.
Thursday, August 02, 2007
Dinner Report - 8/1/07
* SOSA BORELLA *
(8th Ave & 50th St)
caesar salad
bife alla sosa borella (grilled strip steak with chimichurri on a bed of arugula, side of french fries)
chocolate cake with nocciola gelato (shared)
wine
As usual, the meal was DELICIOUS!
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
New word: GLICHÉ
One of the fun things I get to do at my job is read some of the wonderful emails our customer service department receives everyday. A lot of the messages just say things like "You Suck!" (ouch), or "I'll never shop with you again!" (oof), or "Don't you know how to run a business?" (hey now). BUT, a lot of them actually are meant to be helpful and/or to alert us to potential problems with our site. Take for example a note I read from someone whose credit card wasn't processed correctly. Here's an excerpt:
It must have been some sort of gliche or hiccup with either your computer or theirs.
Now, what struck me about this had nothing to do with the point of the note, but the word "gliche." I know that it is probably just the word "glitch" misspelled, but I started thinking it could actually BE a real word, so I am going to define it as follows (as a derivation of glitch and cliché-
GLICHÉ - [glee-shey, gli-]
A trite, stereotyped "foot-in-mouth" expression; a sentence or phrase expressing something better left unsaid that illustrates the speaker's lack of awareness.
This is the first example I could think of:
(asked of a fat woman) - "Congratulations, when are you due?"
I'm sure there are a lot more, so if you think of one, please add it in a comment. (And let me know if you ever get a chance to use the word itself!)
Lunch Report - 8/1/07
* SEATTLE ROASTERS CAFE *
(Penn Station concourse)
chicken burrito
A build your own burrito station!! Why didn't I try this before? Today I had spicy chicken, black beans, mushrooms, spinach, some pico, a little guacamole, a little cheese and some salsa in a whole-wheat tortilla. Muy delicioso!
Breakfast Report - 8/1/07
* HOME *
ham & cheese omelette
coffee
This classic never goes out of style in my book!
Dinner Report - 7/31/07
* HOME *
garlicky pork cutlets with prosciutto, lemon, and sage
sauteed spinach
bourbon
mmm - the pork was a new recipe I tried from America's Test Kitchen "Fast & Fresh 2007." I think it tasted good & Tom liked it.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Lunch Report - 7/31/07
* HALE & HEARTY SOUPS *
(7th Ave & 34th St)
three lentil chili
spinach salad w/chicken, tomatoes, cucumber, red onion
Ok, ok. It has been a long time since I posted anything, but the only way to get back into it... is to get back into it!
Monday, July 09, 2007
Dog Comic - Part 1
Hey all, started another new thing that may (or may not) get finished!! Hope you enjoy part 1 of my new comic "Dog Party Weekend"!
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
RIHS '87 Reunion (Part 2 - let the eating begin!)
Well, now that you know all about Rock Island and the Quad Cities, it's time to get to the really fun stuff - the food!
Here are the non-reunion specific places I visited on this trip:
Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream
(30th St & 14th Ave, Rock Island)
Happy Joe's is probably my most favorite place to eat when I'm visiting the QC. Not only do I love the pizza, I also love the fact that I used to work there. During my time there I was a delivery driver, a pizza maker, a dough-man, even the cleaning guy at one point.
It's great to go at lunch on a weekday because you can sample all types of pizza from the buffet, but for this trip I ordered a whole pizza. I had them do half Happy Joe's special (canadian bacon & sauerkraut) and half taco (my favorite). Happy Joe's claims to have originated this (and maybe they did,) but all I know is that it is d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!
Pizza and Subs
(Blackhawk Road at 38th St, Rock Island)
They call themselves "Home of the calZONE" and they don't lie. It's hard to describe just how good this is... the meat-cheese-crust ratio is perfect, and when topped with sauce - ouch! These days they have over a dozen specialty calzones, with half-a-dozen sauces, but I'm old school and can't tear myself away from the original.
Rudy's Tacos
(18th Ave @ 28th St, Rock Island)
When I think of Rudy's, one thing comes to mind - CHEESE! No matter what you order, it's covered with cheese (and cheese grease). It's somehow disgusting and wonderful at the same time. This visit, I brought an order of beef & bean burritos (w/hot sauce!) home - they were great.
Ross' Restaurant
(under the I-74 bridge, Bettendorf, IA)
Ok, if you're at all sensitive to over-the-top food ridiculousness, SKIP THIS SECTION. But, if you have a strong stomach, I will introduce you to the "magic" that is Ross'. This 24 hour truck stop is a must at 3:00am. Their signature, the Magic Mountain, is a dish beyond compare - only topped by it's more ridiculous cousin, the Volcano. No picture will do it justice, so just imagine... texas toast, loose meat, french fries, cheese sauce, chili, chopped onions (the chili is what changes the mountain into a volcano.) Many joke that the name is more of a prophecy than a description, but it works for me.
Rock Island Arsenal Golf Club
Located on a 946-acre island in the Mississippi River, this country club shares real estate with the Rock Island Arsenal Garrison, an active US Army facility. The weather was beautiful, and lunch (seafood gumbo and a blackened grouper sandwich) on the veranda of the clubhouse was fantastic.
Whitey's Ice Cream
(16th St. Moline)
Yes, the name is almost offensive, but the ice cream is anything but! Named “Best in the Midwest” by Midwest Living Magazine, this chain is known for shakes thick enough to stay in the cup when turned upside down. Everyone has their favorite, but this time I went for mint chocolate chip with vanilla flavoring. YUM!
Believe it or not, I didn't explode after all of this. And unfortunatly, I didn't have a chance to get to Harris Pizza or Jim's Rib Haven this trip - each of them worth a trip home themselves.
NEXT UP: Part 3 - reunited and it feels so good! (coming soon)
RIHS '87 Reunion (Part 1 - what's a QC?)
So... it was my 20th High School reunion this past weekend and I made the trip back to the Quad Cities (QC) for the first time in a couple years.
Let me start this recap with a little info about my hometown area (via visitquadcities.com):
The Quad Cities rests on the banks of the Mighty Mississippi River and share a population of 400,000. The region is made up of Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Moline/East Moline and Rock Island in Illinois, and surrounding communities.Here's an awesome video:
(there's also a part 2 if you're
I grew up in Rock Island, home of Black Hawk State Historic Site (one of the Seven Wonders of Illinois). About 40,000 people live there and it has tied for second place as one the best mannered cities in the United States.
My high school was creatively named Rock Island High School (or Rocky for short)
Rocky is also known as the "Home of the Rocks!" and our mascot, Mr. Rock, wore a paper mache rock head at all the games.
All in all, it was a fun place to grow up and I was excited about the visit.
NEXT UP: Part 2 - let the eating begin!
Dinner Report - 7/2/07
* SOSA BORELLA *
(8th Ave & 51st)
sosaborella.com
fresh crab ceviche
caesar salad
rosemary lemon chicken (grilled boneless chicken, side of sautéed spinach and gorgonzola mashed potato)
wine
After having a few happy hour drinks at The Ritz (the bar, not the hotel), the group decided on our ol' favorite, Sosa Borella, for dinner. Once again, the food matched the company - GREAT!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Gawd - I'm so behind!
So, the past few weeks (since I got back from Russia) have been hectic. As such, I've done nothing on the blog and sincerely apologize to everyone who actually humors me enough to check in from time to time. Here goes a quick recap of June highlights...
Best restaurant meals:
Craftsteak (15th St. and 10th Ave)
Tom surprised me with a visit here as a way to prepare for the new season of Top Chef which is judged by the restaurant's head chef Tom Colichio. We started with oysters and I had one of the New York Strip selections. The meat was incredible.
Blue Ribbon Brooklyn (5th Ave & 1st St)
One of my favorite restaurants, we went out to celebrate "just because" with a bunch of friends one night. I had one of the Paella's for the first time - and it ROCKED!
Landmarc TWC (Time Warner Center, Columbus Circle)
This was a 5th grade graduation dinner for my cousin - so not only did I get good food, I had a great time hanging out with my family. The mussels were a big hit as an appetizer, and my grilled skirt steak salad was great.
Fun & activities:
Cousin Lindsay's wedding
A quick flight up to Rochester was all it took to have a really fun weekend with my family. Seeing everyone was great & the wedding was beautiful.
Xanadu - the Musical
A MUST SEE for anyone who has a sense of humor and/or likes ELO and/or likes roller-skating. It was just funny & fun. The post-show banana-split and cheesecake at Junior's didn't hurt making the night one to remember either.
The Mermaid Parade
Tom and hosted a Saturday brunch before dragging a bunch of our friends out to Coney Island for the mermaid parade (click on the picture below to see the slideshow I put together.) It was great and the mini-Wii competition afterwards was lots of fun.
Well, it's not much but it's a start to getting back on track. I figure that this past weekend's HIGH SCHOOL REUNION (!!) deserves it's own post, so I'll make that a goal for this evening.
Friday, June 08, 2007
Russian Breakfast Report
I didn't really keep very good notes on the trip as far as my meals, but breakfast should be pretty easy to summarize. Both hotels we stayed in (Hotel Dostoevsky in St. Petersburg & the Mezhdunarodnaya Hotel in Moscow) served buffets with a lot of the same things:
assorted breads (croissants, rolls)
assorted pastry (cheese danish, strudels)
pancakes (blinis)
smoked salmon
whitefish
various coldcuts
cheese
scrambled eggs
porridge
"omelette"
fruit juices
coffee
The Hotel D. also served bbq chicken wings & mini cheeseburgers on their buffet (??) while the Mezh offered an extended selection of pasta, seafood, and other questionable mayonnaise based salads. Both hotels served their scrambled eggs extra runny & oddly orange. Oh, and I put omelette in quotes because what both hotels were serving looked a lot more like flan than what I would expect an omelette to look like (the portions were cubes), and neither Tom or I actually tried it.
At the beginning of the trip, I tried most of the offerings, but by the last day I was pretty much at the following:
croissant
cheese
coffee
All in all, the breakfasts were fine but just average.
Thursday, June 07, 2007
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
And we're back!
More details to come, but for now:
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Thursday, May 24, 2007
And we're off!
Well, not quite - but close! Only another 15 minutes until we head to the airport for our Russian holiday to St. Petersburg & Moscow! Hopefully I'll be able to post some of my adventures while I'm there, but I'll definitely have some exciting stories & fun pictures to share when I'm back.
Happy Memorial Day!
Lunch Report - 5/24/07
* HOME *
rotisserie chicken
spinach salad
Tom and I picked these up at Costco. Just a few last errands before we leave on our trip.
Breakfast Report - 5/24/07
* HOME *
cheese
mixed nuts
coffee
I'm too excited to eat this morning (watch for an upcoming post to find out why!)
Dinner Report - 5/23/07
* HOME *
mixed vegetables
steak (broiled with spicy steak rub)
Not much to say about this... except YUM!
Lunch Report - 5/23/07
* CAFE EUROPAN *
(Penn Station concourse)
roast turkey
mixed vegetables
mushrooms
Hearty & healthy!
Dinner Report - 5/22/07
* LOCAL WEST *
(33rd St @ 8th Ave)
shared chili nachos
shared turkey club & fries
bourbon
It was a beautiful evening, perfect for sitting outside and enjoying an after-work get together with good friends.
Lunch Report - 5/22/07
* ROSE PIZZA & PASTA / HOT & CRUSTY *
(Penn Station concourse)
slice of mushroom pizza (rose pizza & pasta)
split pea soup (hot & crusty
This is what happens when one is uninspired
Breakfast Report - 5/22/07
* HOME *
mixed nuts
coffee
after last night's big meal - I didn't feel like anything more
Dinner Report - 5/21/07
* MANDARIN ORIENTAL *
(Columbus Circle)
various hors d'ouvres
- beef kabob
- tempura shrimp
- red pepper hummus
- spicy tuna
- mini egg roll
mixed green salad
filet mignon
strawberry torte
bourbon
wine
BMG Columbiahouse was a gold sponsor for this City of Hope benefit and I was lucky enough to be invited. It was a roast of Alan Grubman (old school music lawyer,) so there were a lot of industry people either ivolved or in the crowd including Clive Davis, Russell Simmons, John Mellencamp, and Bryant Gumbel. However, the most exciting celebrity I saw was the guest of honor's daughter... Lizzie Grubman (remember her?) She looked like a train wreck.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Battle of the Bands
This awesome video made it's way around my office several months ago & I just watched it again recently when it won a Webby award for animation in the online film & video category.
It's cartoonishly violent - but it's also very funny and I guarantee you'll see some familiar images in a whole new way.
Lunch Report - 5/21/07
* CAFE EUROPAN *
(Penn Station concourse)
turkey
mixed vegetables
mushrooms
I was hoping that they would have the red beans today - but it was still good with the side of mushrooms.
Dinner Report - 5/20/07
* ESCUELITA *
(39th St btwn 8th & 9th Aves)
salad
pasta w/vodka sauce
lasagna
chicken w/mushrooms
broccoli
string beans
tequila
This was the end of the season party for volleyball. The buffet was just the same as it always is, the drag show was just as fun, and the open bar was just as dangerous. It was a good season (despite my team's last-place finish), and I'll hopefully play at least a little over the summer, but I'm looking forward to the break.
Lunch Report - 5/20/07
* 5TH AVE STREET FAIR *
(5th Ave btwn 12th Street and Sterling)
chicken empanada (from coco roco)
bbq ribs (from blue ribbon)
pulled pork sandwich (from bisquit bbq)
It was a beautiful day and the street fair was packed!
Tom and I started at 12th street and walked the length of the fair, checking out the food options along the way. We were hoping for cheap lobster rolls from Brooklyn Fish Camp, but they didn't have them this year. I stuck with my plan to only eat food from local restaurants & everything was great.
Breakfast Report - 5/20/07
* HOME *
egg in a hole (aka a "bullseye")
coffee
Tom made a batch cuz he knows I like 'em!
Star Sighting
!! ADAM YAUCH aka MCA !!
Ch-Check It Out - it finally happened... I met a Beastie Boy. After following them for 20 years, it was a definite shock & I couldn't really say much. Bruce and I were in a bar at his cousin-in-law's birthday party & MCA was there as well (his wife and the birthday girl are friends.) I talked to him for a couple minutes, then Bruce did, then Bruce got a picture with him, then we stood in a group of people for a little bit longer, then MCA and his wife left. It might have been 20 or 30 minutes total, and despite later thinking of a million things I could have said, it was cool.
Dinner Report - 5/19/07
* BRUCE & JILL'S *
salad
chicken parm hero
pizza
vodka & fresca
Bruce & I split the sandwich, so it wasn't as crazy as it sounds and I had a great time playing with their beautiful daughter. Also, if bars had fresca, I would order this drink a lot!
Lunch Report - 5/19/07
* DIZZY'S *
(9th St & 8th Ave)
huevos rancheros
coffee
It was turning into a beautiful day, so we sat outside and enjoyed people watching along with our food. Even though I already had breakfast, this was technically brunch for everyone else, so I had the huevos rancheros. They were good & since my breakfast was really more appropriate for lunch anyway it all balanced out quite nicely.
Breakfast Report - 5/19/07
* HOME *
frozen cedarlane burrito (from costco)
gawd - I can't help my love for these things! And, despite the fact that it's a burrito - it's a pretty healthy meal. Here are the nutrition facts from www.cedarlanefoods.com
Dinner Report - 5/18/07
* SOSA BORELLA *
(8th Ave & 50th St)
bife alla sosa borella (grilled strip steak with chimichurri on a bed of arugula, side of french fries)
wine
Oh yes! This was Y-U-M...EEEEEEEEEE!
Friday, May 18, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/18/07
* ROSE PIZZA & PASTA *
(Penn Station concourse)
pizza (1 slice vegetable, 1 slice ground beef)
It had been almost a month since my last visit - just seemed like a good treat today!
Breakfast Report - 5/18/07
* HOME *
leftover steel head trout
coffee
As predicted - it happened this morning. The last of the trout has been eaten (at least until the next Costco run!)
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/17/07
* HOT & CRUSTY *
(Penn Station concourse)
chicken caesar salad
split pea w/ham soup
Delicious again!
Breakfast Report - 5/17/07
* HOME *
turkey & cheese omelette
coffee
Yay - the second time this week I cooked my own breakfast!
Dinner Report - 5/16/07
* HOME *
steel head trout
baked potato
salad
You're probably wondering "Is he going to have steel head trout everyday?" Well, we got it from Costco, so of course we had lots & wanted to make sure it didn't go bad. In any case, that was the last of it (except for a little bit of leftover that you'll probably see soon enough.) And, regardless of how many times I've had it in the past week - it was still DELICIOUS!
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/16/07
* CAFE EUROPAN *
(Penn Station concourse)
grilled chicken
vegetables
red beans
Not as good as the turkey, darn!
Dinner Report - 5/15/07
* HOME *
steel head trout
mixed vegetables
Tom made it with old bay seasoning & it was GOOOOD!
Lunch Report - 5/15/07
* HOT & CRUSTY *
(Penn Station concourse)
grilled chicken salad
split pea w/ham
This was really good! It may become a regular go-to meal!
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Breakfast Report - 5/15/07
* HOME *
scrambled eggs w/turkey & cheese
coffee
Yay - I cooked breakfast today!
Dinner Report - 5/14/07
* HOME *
mixed green salad
ribeye steak w/shallot pan sauce
bourbon
Quick & simple - and super good if I do say so myself!
Monday, May 14, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/14/07
* CARE EUROPAN *
turkey
mixed vegetables
red beans
Yum - this was rrrreal good today.
Dinner Report - 5/13/07
* HOME *
steel head trout
cous cous
asparagus
various cocktails
cardamom-pecan pound cake
We ate like kings while watching the finale of Survivor.
Lunch Report - 5/13/07
* HOME *
tuna-noodle casserole
And Tom creates another masterpiece! We ate it all - no leftovers.
Breakfast Report - 5/13/07
* HOME *
scrambled eggs w/ham, onions & cheese
coffee
Tom made 'em real good!
Dinner Report - 5/12/07
* PETE'S CANDY STORE *
(Lorimer St)
mixed greens
cheeseburger
hotdog
tequila
Some friends hosted this barbecue/happy hour to celebrate their upcoming wedding - it was great except that I was not dressed appropriately for the weather & I was c-o-l-d!
Breakfast Report - 5/12/07
* MCDONALD'S *
(Fort Hamilton Pkwy @ approx 36th St)
sausage mcmuffin w/egg
hash browns
coffee
We had a bunch of errands to do, so we stopped on our way into the city. It had a been a long time since I had this breakfast - and it tasted good!
Dinner Report - 5/11/07
* VLADA / SOSA BORELLA *
(51st btwn 8th & 9th / 8th Ave & 50th St)
fried calamari (Vlada)
fish (Sosa Borella)
tequila
Because of the drinks at Vlada, my memory of the dinner is kind of a blur. I can't remember exactly what it was I ordered - but it was delicious!
Friday, May 11, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/11/07
* SOUP KING *
(Penn Station)
chili
sun chips
The chili was good - but not enough for me today. I had to get a bag of sun chips for dessert.
Breakfast Report - 5/11/07
* HOME *
turkey
coffee
Just grabbed a couple slices of meat from the fridge - I know, I know, but it's quick & better than nothing.
Dinner Report - 5/10/07
* YEN YEN RESTAURANT INCORPORATED *
(Church Ave & E. 4th St)
hot & sour soup
chicken & shrimp dumplings
hunan beef (w/brown rice)
bourbon
We ordered in for an awesome night of TV. Delicious!
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Whatever Happened To...
...Brenda Dickson?
(formerly Jill Abbott from "Young & the Restless")
Most of you have probably seen this fantastic video:
And, some of you may have read the sad news of her Hawaiian incarceration a couple months ago.
But, I just discovered a March 11th press release on Brenda Dickson Today entitled:
WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN PRISON
Here's an excerpt:
"After seventeen days in prison and I contracted lice, was running a 104 degree fever. I was ill and frightened. All my rights were taken away by Jan’s friends in the Hawaii courts. I was so ill that I fainted at my last court appearance when the press appeared. I had been locked up with out shampoo or creams and my hair we put oil in our hair to avoid lice and tied it up. I was given only a bar of soap and a toothbrush. I didn’t eat for almost seventeen days, as the food was not at all my usual diet. I simply did not want to eat the prison food. Nor did I sleep, I was in a dorm-type setting with 60 women. The women I was incarcerated with had been convicted of murder, assault, knife threats, drug possession, dealing ice, and prostitution. It was a dangerous place to be!"
In addition, another press release exposes the sickening judicial system she faces:
"It is a disgrace to use Gestapo tactics to take womens' children away if they set foot on Hawaii soil and have them arrested, or bake cookies at a school to use the police to intimidate them and to threaten to arrest them if they continue to bake cookies and force them to sign a statement, to take away rights, it is disgusting. Yes! That is right. I am talking to other victims of this police abuse!"
While a third describes an especially horrible incident that seems to have gone unnoticed in the eyes of the court:
"While barefoot in shock, she was taken out of her home by police, awaken out of a sleep in her bed at 7:30 a.m., as they grabbed her precious gowns, pictures and personal effects, and put them in uninsured public storage."
Well, all I can do is hope that this ordeal will soon be over for Brenda.
I'm sure she'll come out on top - she always does!
Lunch Report - 5/10/07
* GARDEN CAFE *
(7th Ave & 35th St)
chicken
corned beef
turkey
broccoli
string beans & mushrooms
lo mein
Well, I did the same breakfast 2 days in a row, so I figured it could work for lunch too (at least in terms of the place.)
Breakfast Report - 5/10/07
* HOME *
leftover chicken
coffee
Just like yesterday... this was quick & good!
The Play's The Thing
A Chorus Line
Where: Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre
With: Tom, Colleen, Sean
Snack: Slivken's (pre the show @ the Ritz - no intermission)
Wow - what a fun show! From the songs to the dancing to the story - it was thoroughly engaging and wonderful. The only parts that were a little boring were the long Cassie & Paul sections. I guess they were supposed to be emotional, touching, whatever - but I had a hard time caring (or staying awake). I think it's a must see & I'm glad that I finally got a chance to enjoy this legendary show in the setting that inspired its creation.
Dinner Report - 5/9/07
* CHICKEN BAR *
(8th Ave & 45th St)
grilled chicken fajitas
diet coke
A slight change of pace from the normal pre-theatre routine - this one is a winner!
Takin' It To Church!
* ARCADE FIRE *
concert review
When: Tuesday, 5/8
Where: United Palace Theatre (175th & Broadway)
With: EQP
Bandsite: www.arcadefire.com
Loud, Loud, Loud... oh, and great! I thought the show was incredible. I've been listening to (and loving) the new album almost daily since it came out, so I was really excited to see them live. We had great seats (1st row, balcony) and the venue was crazy, ornate. The staging was very cool, lots of live camera feeds on screens and curtains.
Win, the lead singer, didn't talk to the audience a lot, but when he did he was relatively engaging. After the first (or second) song - he told everyone, "you all paid the same price - come closer, it's not a movie." I enjoyed that it felt like a very fan-based, appreciative audience too.
Here's the set list from the show (look closely at the last song):
Keep The Car Running
No Cars Go
Haiti
Laika
Black Mirror
In The Backseat
My Body Is A Cage
The Well And The Lighthouse
Ocean of Noise
ATB
Power Out
Rebellion
---
Intervention
Wake Up (with audience members onstage)
Yes - as they started the last song, Win invited the audience to join him on stage... and the ones who could, did! They filled the entire stage - look:
It was really fun to watch, although I would have been scared if I were the band. In fact, some of the members (especially the littler ones), ran for higher ground towards the back of the stage. Below is a great video of the scene:
In the end, it was a great night. The only downsides were that it really did seem too loud (maybe I'm getting old,) and the guy sitting next to me was so big that when he got up to dance(!) the whole balcony started to shake - I felt like I was on one of those vibrating motel-beds.
If you aren't already a fan - do yourself a favor and check them out today!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/9/07
* GARDEN CAFE *
(7th Ave & 35th St)
california roll
dumpling
seafood salad
avocado salad
broccoli
bulgulgi
spicy chicken w/string beans
Just wanted to try something new, so I sampled this lunch buffet. It was good and is worth at least another trip.
Breakfast Report - 5/9/07
* HOME *
leftover chicken
coffee
Tom's special broiled chicken thighs are extra good in the morning (especially when I didn't have one the night before!)
Dinner Report - 5/8/07
* EL MALECON RESTAURANT *
(175th & Broadway)
ensalda de aguacate
papas fritas
arroz amarillo y frijoles negras
mofongo de camarones
medio pollo a la brasa "estilo malecon"
It was a Dominican feast! This bustling 24/7 spot is a must try if you're ever in the neighborhood. Sabor!
Tuesday, May 08, 2007
Lunch Report - 5/8/07
* SEATTLE ROASTERS CAFE *
(Penn Station concourse)
lentil soup
It was a big soup & it was good!
Breakfast Report - 5/8/07
* HOME *
hot turkey roll-ups
coffee
I rolled up some cheese in some slices of turkey meat (with a little mustard), and then heated them in a pan until the cheese started to melt a little. It was yummy!
Dinner Report - 5/7/07
* HOME *
chicken salad
club soda
We've still got chicken leftover, so I thought this would be a good thing... and it was!
Lunch Report - 5/7/07
* CAFE EUROPAN *
turkey
roasted vegetables
sauteed mushrooms
Yay - they had turkey today! MMMM
Amazing Race Finale Party Photos
My good friend Ken happens to be a past racer on "The Amazing Race." He invited me & Tom to join him at this season's finale party Sunday night!
We had a great time & saw lots of racers. Here are some of the photos - enjoy!
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