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"Fame is an illusive thing -- here today, gone tomorrow. The fickle, shallow mob raises its heroes to the pinnacle of approval today and hurls them into oblivion tomorrow at the slightest whim; cheers today, hisses tomorrow; utter forgetfulness in a few months."
- Heny Miller
I'm liking this trend of publications making their content online free, instead of hiding it behind a pay subscription set up. The latest: The Atlantic Monthly. W00t w00t.
Sorry kids. There was just too much cuteness going on in my last post. I need to remedy that imbalance by posting this photo. Can someone please tell me what the fuck this thing is and why God decided to make this, this nightmare?
Lets all have a laugh and chuckle at this dog going nuts against a whole pile of balloons. Hey dog, what'd the balloons ever do to you? Ever think about that? What a jerk. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoiFGva_JoY]
As a youngling blogger back in the days--back before I grew up, started eating my vegetables including cauliflower (yuck), and getting excited about dental coverage--I used to blog more uhm, frequently about the intimate lives of celebrities from the A to Z list. Basically, I was part of the problem. On the other hand, I don't believe in absolutism be it in a constitutional or lifestyle sense. As my father always says, moderation is the key to everything. This isn't anything momentous in the world of celebrities, thankfully. No drug overdose. No death. No DUI. Surprising when considering the subject in these photos. Instead, it's just good ol' fashion and delicious booty shots of Lindsay Lohan. And by delicious, I mean I'm outraged. Absolutely outraged at yet another example of our country's moral decline into depravity, and it is only a matter of time before our society resembles something from the twisted mind of Hieronymus Bosch. I. Cannot. Wait.
I need a cliff notes version of what's happening in this video. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5muVjcQ6zHM]
Cultural globalization is in full beat box display in this Korean music video featuring that classical tune Pachelbel's Canon played with traditional Korean string instruments, as well as a turntable, beatbox, and break dancers. They only thing missing is Kanye West. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcGGxC8j_no]
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=CvkyjR4yk60]
Some pictures from New Year's celebration and Clay's visit to NYC last weekend.
Stan and some girl (sorry I forgot your name) who made us feel wholly inadequate with her dual Columbia law and business school thing going on, as well as working at some private equity firm in the summers, and fighting crime at night.
What I like about this picture is the face the girl behind Stan is making.
The. Most. Ridiculous. Picture. of. Stan. Ever.
Happy New Year! Oof, 2008. Where is all this time going?? I'm starting to have a difficult time recalling exact dates. I should get this hazy memory looked at by a professional.
The girl who wore a clock. Man, was this girl drunk. You know a girl's had too much to drink when she lifts up her skirt to use as a cloth to wipe clean her "2008" party sunglasses.
And we're off to yet another year...
I met up with Cyrus and Co. Stan had to take off as he had to be at work by 5 am...
Kenny! Or the "Gay Willy Wonka" as I kept calling him that night because of that hat.
Kenny and some girl.
The next day I met up with Cyrus for our customary New Year's brunch at Coffee Shop. It's our tradition. Afterwards, Kenny showed up and we hung out with him while he destroyed the McFish sandwich.
Last weekend Clay came up from DC. We went to a party at Sin Sin. After some drinks there, I went to use the bathroom. Usually I'm not the antagonistic sort. I was about to step into the single occupancy bathroom, and actually thinking "Sweet! No line!," when some guy taps me on the shoulder and says to me "I'm next." 99.9 percent of the time, I would have apologized and stepped out. However, because--and this was my logic at the time--I was already two-thirds inside the bathroom I said "Sorry bro. I gots to piss and it'll just be a second." In this really whiny and sickly voice, he replied, "But-but I'm the DJ!" After I finished, I stepped out, patted him on the shoulder and apologized. "Sorry bro." So then I returned back to our table near the dance floor. I talk to Clay about something. I don't recall. A girl drunkenly says "I think I'm getting deja vu." Initially, Clay and I had no idea what she was referring to. And then it dawned on us. We were all listening to the same song that had just played two seconds prior. And then I realized that the DJ was still in the bathroom. Haha. And to think this same DJ earlier that night had randomly complimented me from his booth on my rockin' Rolling Stones t-shirt that I had purchased for two dollars from that vintage used clothing store on Thayer Street during my senior year at Brown. I wonder if this store is still there. Hmmm.
The next day, Saturday, after an intensive afternoon of jeans shopping for Clay in Soho, we went to visit our old friend Mark from our high school days. He's an artist who lives in the outskirts of Williamsburg with his wife, also an artist. So weird for me to see Mark's tranquil domesticated life as he was quite wild one in high school.
Mark showing us this solid gold plated computer part he found. He's working with computers for his current art projects. Pretty neat stuff.
At some point, Mark asks us, "Hey, do you guys want to help me build a desk?"
Clay pondering the carpentry challenge.
I predictably find a toy to play with, and that toy being the protective goggles. With the background of one of Mark's ongoing installations, I feel like I look like a visitor from the future...and yes, hoodies are still very popular in the year 2080. And in 2008, be sure to play these following numbers for the Mega Zillion lotto: 43 50 41 23 68 99 34. You can thank me later.
His neighbors were really stoked with all the sawing we were doing.
Mark and Clay working while I was drawing neat patterns in the saw dust.
Clay pulling off a simultaneous "Captain Morgan" and Flex-o-Guns pose. This is an extremely difficult pose to attempt, especially while power tools are around.
Clay holds up the measuring tape that Mark accidentally sliced through while cutting through the wood. Oops.
Did I mention that Mark is also a giant? He is 18 feet tall. That is not a lie.
Final product was a dual tall table/bar.
And because we're in Brooklyn and this is how we roll, we tagged up that table.
Anyone recommend a good eyeglass store in NYC? I want to update the ones I've had since 2001.
There are now three installments of this series, but I was immediately hooked after the first one. Photoshop guru and unhappily married, although not necessarily in that order, Donnie Hoyle has been posting short Photoshop instructional videos titled "You Suck at Photoshop" and in between telling us that we the viewer suck at photo shop "big time" and passive aggressively bitching about his extremely unfaithful wife, he really does clearly show you how to use photoshop. I've definitely learned a few good photo editing tips thanks to him, as well as the fact the magic of photoshop can erase seven years of marriage in just a few seconds by stamping out that the wedding ring or rather "the dirty liar ring" from the wedding pictures.
Episode 1.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_X5uR7VC4M]
Epsiode 2.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXeZ0s8DXZ0]
Episode 3.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWn0lxRNqos]
It really bothers me how little people understand blogging, and video games, and how ignorant they are when it comes to Internet communication. I'll just leave it at that for now, except for this final comment. I mean, come on, people. Blogging means talking about things like this. And yes, it IS important.
Walking home through my neighborhood of Park Slope--yes that same neighborhood Gawker.com incessantly mocks--I passed two guys. One of them, explaining Park Slope to his friend, said, "So, this area is getting really gentrified." Over hearing this, a guy walking in front of me turns to his wife or girlfriend and scoffed. "That's an understatement. Park Slope is gentrified out of its freakin' mind."
And then everyone proceeded to light their hundred dollar bill on fire. Just because.
This is the exact opposite of the crime against humanity that was 2 Girls, 1 Cup. I've posted the video that started it and a few response videos as well. I have two thoughts on this: First, it's very bizarre and weird. Second, I need a freakin web cam so I can get in on all this YouTube fun. Will someone please gift me the new Apple Air? It is my birthday in about a week. [youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=kib05Ip6GSo]
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=SzHgHoE05NU]
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=w2P8GFJ7nWk]
This is courtesy of one of my new favorite blogs. Some of you may have heard of it already as this blogger has quite a fan base. Anyway, it is quite hilarious, such as his most recent entry about a birthday cake for a 3 year old gone horribly, oh so horribly wrong. It was meant to have a basketball theme, but it ended up evoking that ever so classic pornographic imagery of double penetration, or "DP" in industry terms. Amazingly, his entry is quite readable at work. P.S. Yup, I checked. There is indeed a wikipedia entry on DP (SFW). Well, it is actually a page for the abbreviation DP, although "double penetration" is numero uno on that list.
Via the NY Times: Which of the following people would you say is the most admirable: Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Norman Borlaug? And which do you think is the least admirable? For most people, it’s an easy question. Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to the poor in Calcutta, has been beatified by the Vatican, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and ranked in an American poll as the most admired person of the 20th century. Bill Gates, infamous for giving us the Microsoft dancing paper clip and the blue screen of death, has been decapitated in effigy in “I Hate Gates” Web sites and hit with a pie in the face. As for Norman Borlaug . . . who the heck is Norman Borlaug?
Yet a deeper look might lead you to rethink your answers. Borlaug, father of the “Green Revolution” that used agricultural science to reduce world hunger, has been credited with saving a billion lives, more than anyone else in history. Gates, in deciding what to do with his fortune, crunched the numbers and determined that he could alleviate the most misery by fighting everyday scourges in the developing world like malaria, diarrhea and parasites. Mother Teresa, for her part, extolled the virtue of suffering and ran her well-financed missions accordingly: their sick patrons were offered plenty of prayer but harsh conditions, few analgesics and dangerously primitive medical care.
Hey ya'll, It's not as if I'm campaigning (speaking of, how freaking thrilling is this year's horse race among the various presidential hopefuls??) for a blogger of the year award or anything--I just happen to be very interested in this transformative communication vehicle--but check out my new micro-blog on the right hand sidebar (---->) of my blog beneath the search field. It's linked to my twitter, which I primarily update via my mobile with ease, thanks to my phone's handy dual-flip qwerty keypad. Each twitter update is called a twot. Plural, twit. It's debated, however "twots" is also generally acceptable.
So expect frequent twots sent by me while I'm waiting in line, over the bridge on the subway, in the bathroom, or really bored at a party.
I'm a bit delayed with these posting these photos from the last few weeks. Cyrus was visiting from Detroit. Chris had his birthday party.
This was the only photo I took this night. I met up with these three guys-Marlon, Kenny, and Cyrus-at Kitra.
Next morning, I joined Cyrus and Kenny for brunch at RueB.
Rue B is really our favorite brunch place.
The following weekend I had brunch, this time with my old college friend and NYC roommate Cristina, at a Mexican place near my apartment.
Cyrus met up with us...an hour or two later. My brunches always end up being three or four hours long. Haha.
Afterwards, we ran into Rupa pushing an old lady cart. She was trying to sell her old clothing.
A bottle of wine we bought. Those free wine tastings are pretty effective marketing tools!
Afterwards, I went to Madame X for Chris's birthday party. Not sure if Chris knew these people, but either way they were definitely getting their dance on.
Cyrus in the background seems ambivalent about the whole scene in front of him.
Chris the birthday boy, Cyrus and Lea.
My nipples!
It was cold that night.
Lea showing off old lady glasses that I think was sitting around randomly at the bar.
Pam!
Stan and Pam!
Pam and Lea really digging some song that was playing.
Chloe and her friend (Gah! Sorry, I always forget your name!).
I don't know why I was doing here.
Lea was going to stay for just "one" drink this night. Haha. I think she ended up having five or six.
Stan in action. Haha. "It's rewarding to be able to save those people's lives at the hospital."
Chris and Lea.
Again, not sure what's happening here.
Before this photo was taken, Lea said "I'll be right back. I want to close out my tab." She came back with another drink instead.
Me and Cyrus keeping the party going in the streets courtesy of the iPod and Mos Def.
Cyrus is happy to be back in NYC.
We went to Babel after Madame X. At Babel a huge group fight took place. Thrice! Here's the remains of our hookah after the fight.
I still have one of those old school white iBooks from circa 2005, so I unfortunately lack the 180 gig hard drives or whatnot that you kids have nowadays. So, I deleted a bunch of my music to free up space for my latest obsession: iTunes University podcasts. You can now subscribe and download for free via iTunes an entire assortment of lectures, talks, symposiums from various universities (Brown, you really need to get on this. What the fuck?). The eternal curious, er dork, student in me is loving these "virtual" classes. I'm currently "taking" Macroeconomics 100A, "Existentialism in Literature," and "Foundations of American Cyberculture" all from UC Berkeley (where my mom really wanted me to go), as well as a collection of lectures at Yale Law. In addition, I've listened to the following talks:
Also, if you like science-y and technology news, I HIGHLY recommend you subscribe to the the Canadian national public radio show, "Quirks and Quarks." You'll love it.
During a meeting yesterday in our marketing meeting, we were discussing potential promotions for the early quarter of this year. While considering February, one of the guys remarked "Well, there's nothing going on that month, anyway." Without a pause, two of the women in our team simultaneously spoke up and said, "Valentine's Day!" This year, I'm thinking maybe hot air balloon?
