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Edge of Desire

2011-06-26T20:22:00.015-04:00

"I want you so bad, I'll go back on the things I believe..." - John Mayer

For someone who is as into faith, and honesty, and belief as I am, that quote is such an incredibly powerful line. And, I know exactly what Johnny's talking about. What he's speaking of isn't a state of mind, rather a moment... just a fleeting moment... where you'd give anything to touch the Holy Grail (whatever, or whomever, it may be at the time).

For me, hearing this song and watching this video brings back great memories from seeing Mayer in concert both this past tour and countless (I've lost count, but I have a rough number) times over the years. These are wonderful, wonderful memories that are so great to re-live.

Hearing these words also hit me in a different place right now. "Employment... I want you so bad, I'll do just about anything." I have a solid camp job for the summer with people I know, care about and enjoy working with, but I am itching for full-time employment in an educational setting. I'm applying for dozens and dozens of jobs, and tapping every resource I can, but at this moment, my hope is fleeting. The best and worst thing about this moment is that it truly is only a moment. My time will come soon. But, in the moment, it feels dire.

Soon!

I guess it's better right now that my unrequited passion lays in looking for work rather than finding love. Both shall come in time. If I continue to put forth the effort and continue being my awesome self, good things will happen.

Right?

Right.

What is universal about this song is the way it captures the simultaneous feelings of hopefulness and helplessness. We've all been there. The Chinese symbol for crisis has two characters: one for danger, and the other for opportunity. Every experience is a chance to make this moment better than the last... It doesn't always go the way we hope, but that shouldn't keep us from trying.

So, I wake up tomorrow, dust myself off, and put myself out there again in search of the Holy Grail. Thankfully, I'm not on the road alone.

New York Will Have Same-Sex Marriage

2011-06-25T18:44:00.000-04:00

I was leaving Yankee Stadium last night when I saw that New York State passed a bill allowing same marriage. From what I've read, couples can get married as soon as the end of July.

My first thought upon hearing the news was joy. I am happy for all those people who have committed their lives to another person who now have the opportunity to have their love recognized. While I lean to the left politically and believe strongly that same-sex marriage should be allowed (I don't like allowed, and encouraged isn't the right word), I have friends (gay, straight, pansexual... whathaveyou) that have been more invested in this process than I... and to those, my heart could not go out more. I am thrilled that their voices have been heard and that two people can share their love (...and the same benefits of marriage as intergender couples).

I understand why people fear that which they do not understand. The unknown is an incredibly scary thing. But in the world in which we live now, for people to be so hateful... so hurtful... that, I do not understand. To love someone of the same sex does not make you un-American. People deserve the right to be proud to be who they are.

I also don't understand those who use religion as the reason they stand against same-sex marriage. While I am by no means religious or a theologist, if you asked me two tenets of most religions I'd say: (1) Act the way to others the same way you'd like them to act to you... and (2) Love one another.

In the simpliest of terms in the brotherhood and sisterhood of (hu)man(ity), we have to be true to one another. The history books have shown throughout the ages that the majority will nearly always exert control over the minority. Unfortunately we still live in a world full of racism, sexism, ageism, and a whole lot of other-isms... I'm not saying we as people will be able to love everybody, but I'd like to be able to say that I've made a decision about another person based on who they are, not what I (think I)see.

Love is a powerful thing. Whether or not this bill passed, same-sex couples would have continued to love each other. Not a whole lot has changed, regardless of where you stood on this issue. I'm sure a game of frisbee in Central Park felts the same today as it would have yesterday. But, yesterday... today, tomorrow... and through the future, we celebrate the opportunity to celebrate the love our friends and family share regardless of what we see with our eyes.

It's what we feel with our hearts that matter most.

Metta World Peace

2011-06-24T15:58:00.000-04:00

Today, Ron Artest filed papers to legally change his name to Metta World Peace (With 'Metta' serving as his first name, and 'World Peace' serving as his surname). Changing one's name is certainly nothing new in sports. Muhammad Ali and Kareem Abdul Jabbar (the former Cassius Clay and Lew Alcindor respectively) had very admirable reasons for changing their names, while World B. Free (formerly Lloyd) and Chad Ochocinco (formerly, and, now again currently, Chad Johnson) had presumably less than legitamate reasons for changing their names.

Over the last few weeks, given the amount of time I've had outside of looking for work, I've been focusing again on writing for the first time in a very long time (in case you haven't noticed how little I've been updating this here blog). One of the bits I've been working on is how, if you want to get vanity license plates, you have to petition the DMV and explain why you want that specific plate, and what it means (if they don't like it, they can turn it down. Like, I'd have to come up with a really good explanation for MFFDVR)... while you can name your kid (or re-name yourself) pretty much anything. Thank you, Mr. World Peace, for helping me to finish that joke.

Say what you want about Ron Artest, but I don't feel he's a bad guy... maybe more of a misgotten soul. We think of Ron Artest now more along the lines of Mike Tyson... guys who have certainly made mistakes, are immensely crazy/quirky (depending on how you feel), and are just trying to find their place in the world. This doesn't forgive their missteps, rather, we choose not to focus on their mistakes... we focus on their uniqueness.

For the rest of their lives, Ron Artest and Mike Tyson are always going to try to be a part of the joke, embracing their unusual selves, but unfortunately, they'll always be on the outside looking in. There is a childlike sense of wonder and naievity that makes the story of Artest changing his name to Metta World Peace not entirely funny, but not all sad either. It's just the world he inhabits. And, we're on the outside looking in.

Superstition

2011-01-15T12:00:00.007-05:00

For as much as a unique creature I may be, I have never defined myself as superstitious. As an athlete, as a writer, as a student… a son, a grandson, a friend… I may have my idiosyncrasies, but I can’t point to anything being a true superstition.

Watching the Jets last week, getting ready to watch them again this week, I get a masochistic thrill out of watching the ups and downs of every play. I don’t have to drink a certain drink or wear a certain jersey, I just surround myself with great people and hope for the best. The Jets won.

This year, beating the Colts in their building in a playoff game may not have been as great of an achievement as it has been in years past; but it is still an achievement to build on. Whether we, as Jets fans, admit it or not, we would have been disappointed if had we lost that game, whether we expected to win or not.

As we were cleaning up and emptying beer bottles, there was talk amongst our motley crew of doing everything the same for the next week’s game to ensure victory; as if anything we did could control the outcome of the game.

The more I thought about it, I realize re-creating the circumstances of the previous week wasn’t so much a measure of control, rather, it was the creation of a scapegoat to ease the pain of seemingly impending defeat. “The Jets didn’t lose because we weren’t good enough; it was because they brought the wrong chips! Sons of…”

It has been 16-and-a-half years since one of the teams I root for have won a championship. Sure, it’s not like living in Cleveland and suffering through the Cavs, Indians and Browns, but it’s difficult living in a town where the Devils (3 cups), Giants (Super Bowl 42), and Yankees (5 Evil Empire rings) reign [Alright, the Devils are finally having a down year, the Giants didn’t make the playoffs and the Yanks didn’t make the Series, but come on! Nine local title celebrations in 16 years? It’s a little tough to take.] Not to mention seeing division foes constantly succeed; the Pats have won three Super Bowls and have had decade of dominance, the Phillies now control the division with a ring and another World Series appearance, the resurgence of the Celtics, and the Flyers and the Crosby’s leading the Atlantic.

I try not to be a negative person, but that’s a lot to take!

I’m in an unfamiliar place as a sports fan. I can literally count the years my teams have made the playoffs, let alone have had a legitimate shot at a title. I count this Jets season as one of those years. I’m beyond prayer, fear and superstition. If the Jets lose, it may be because the Pats are the better team, it may be because of a bad call, or a dropped pass, but it’s out of my control. And nothing in this world can change that.

Superstition may be a precautionary measure against failure, a way to ease the inevitable pain, but I’d rather have faith. I truly believe that one day… one extraordinary day… I will see one of my teams prevail. Hoist up that glorious, shimmering trophy… and I will be able to bask in the love and appreciation of those who I surround myself now, those I haven’t seen in ages, and those who have passed before me. I’ll be out on the street, somewhere, with a chilled 2-liter of Diet Sierra Mist spraying foam everywhere I can reach.

That will be a great day.

I can only hope tomorrow afternoon is another step towards Zihuatanejo.

Writer.

2011-01-04T00:24:00.000-05:00

I always knew I could never be the first baseman of the Mets, but I always dreamed of it. Heck, even now, at times, I dream of it. Hope is a beautiful thing and what is the point of losing that dream unnecessarily.

I knew I couldn't play, but I could cover. For a time, I wanted to be a sports journalist, a poet, a songwriter... and while that dream has never lost me, I have lost that dream.

In my youth, I wrote because I was confused... I was in pain. Writing out the inner workings of my mind as blog posts or poetry helped to serve as a release and a way to better understand my emotions.

The last few months and years, I haven't written as much as I have in the past. It's not because I don't have much to say (those who know me know I can be a talker), but, rather, I am not fighting the pain I have dealt with in the past.

I still have the intense desire to write, but the passion isn't there. I sit at the blank page and I lose the battle. There is a reason why there are infinite amounts of literature and music about pain and suffering, and fewer comedies and happy songs.

It's really hard to write when you're happy. For me, I've been in a great stretch of my life and I'd rather share my free moments with loved ones rather than isolated at a computer screen.

It's funny, in a way, how one moment, one instant can change the course of events. I want to write every night, but tonight, I can't shake the emotions I once knew all too well... and still silently linger.

I want to write a happy prose. Or, at least, not be inspired by heartbreak. The next few months of my life are planned, but they aren't written. I'm anxiously awaiting the journey... the next stage. As that happens, I'm ready to explore the world of being a writer again... writing about what I know: sports, movies, music, life.

Because, well, why not? We only get one shot at this thing, right?

I hope you're all having an amazing start to 2011 and I hope you're ready to follow this train one more time.

Be well.

#how140characterscametoruletheworld

2010-08-17T12:25:00.001-04:00

I signed up for Twitter in October 2008 to see what all the fuss was about (When Did You Join Twitter?). I followed a couple of athletes, a bunch of musicians, and didn't very much understand the concept of Tweeting just yet.

John Mayer (@johncmayer) signed up for Twitter in January '09, and such began my phase of Twitter of responding to any post I was around to see, hoping for a Tweet back... I never got one : (.

When I came back from my summer camp experience in August 2009, I had been away from the world for two months. I missed family, I missed friends, I missed baseball... I felt like I had missed the world.

And, though, that wasn't an entirely bad thing, the way I would gather information changed. Instead of following a few athletes and musicians on Twitter, I would follow many more athletes and musicians, and sports writers, and music writers, and media outlets... Instead of gathering my information daily from websites and blogs, I was logging on to Twitter and finding out all I wanted and needed to know.

It's not that the media and blogs aren't important anymore. They are, but now, in a different way.

If newspapers ran on a 24-hour cycle, blogs run on a hourly or minute cycle... Twitter literally runs in real time. In the last year, I've gotten all my news from Twitter before anywhere else: Haiti, Gary Coleman, major sports news... hell, I even found out about the minor earthquake in Albany, NY because a friend of mine Tweeted it.

In a lot of ways, it's a shame that people are living in the moment by not living in the moment; meaning, when I'm out with friends, we're all on our phones checking up on the world that isn't there. We love each other, we love to hang out, but we kind of want to get back to our sanctuaries with our cool air, computers, video games, Netflix, and whathaveyou.

But that's where we are.

Is that where it'll stay? I've had a few good conversations about whether Twitter will be here for the long haul, and many people believe it's a fad. I believe Twitter is here to stay. Maybe not always in its current form, but the immediacy of getting new, connecting with friends, and celebrities directly communicating with their audience is huge.

If a major sports star is 'misquoted', then they can put out on Twitter immediately what they intended to say. If a band is trying to take things to the next level, communicating with fans and putting show dates on Twitter is essential now. If you're a blogger now, Twitter has taken over RSS... if you want people to check your site, post the hyperlink of your newest post as a Tweet. Even CNN and TMZ (yeah, they're almost in the same class now) are posting breaking news on Twitter.

The benefits are there for everyone, as long as we don't allow ourselves to be completely consumed in the digital world.

At this moment, I'm using Twitter to follow my favorite sports teams, my favorite sports writers and my favorite sports blogs... @sportsguy33, @Brian_Bassett, @Peter_R_Casey, @JoeandEvan, @Adam_Schefter

To follow some very great musicians... @harperblynn, @ingridmusic, @carybrothers, @leslieband, @miekapauley, @michaelfranti, @BenFolds, @AmyRegan, @RiversCuomo

To tweet with some pretty cool people who share a love of similar things as I... @LibbyCrews, @OriginalNixster, @flickrlovr, @Majin_Bernard, @foomanizer

To communicate with people of whom I have the utmost respect for what they do and who they are... @JulieAlexandria, @kerryrhodes, @JamieKaler, @MichaelBunin

And to, of course, Tweet with my friends... @JeremyTheCritic, @therealanicid, @afifafif, @theomegachrist, @RyInFullEffect, @Harlem4Dais

I guess you could call that the biggest Follow Friday (#FF) ever![...I know it's Tuesday...].

All that being said, I'm going out in the sun to enjoy my day off either going for a jog or hitting some golf balls... with my phone right by my side.

The 2010 That's Been... so far

2010-08-15T11:57:00.000-04:00

Class... and work... and camp... and class... and work... and class.

These are the things that have kept me from you... my loyal readers. And for that, I apologize.

2010 is about two-thirds done, and, to be honest, I can't believe it's almost the fall. Since I've left you last, I've been working retail, just finished another tour of summer camp (though, this time, it was a day camp), taken 7 classes (...and waiting on one more grade!), seen one pair of friends get married and getting ready for another pair to do the same, watched the Mets struggle, but be interesting, watched the Jets be interesting and praying they won't struggle... and, now, I have a little time to myself before I start a little more craziness in the fall.

This fall, I start an internship which I'm partially scared as hell about and partially excited as hell about. The nervousness won't dissipate until I start, so I cannot wait to get started. I'm also full-time with classes again... three nights a week. I should also have a job at an after-school program by the end of September... and we'll see if I keep my retail gig.

The days are getting shorter... the weather getting that much cooler. The summer is ending and I'm not fighting it as much as I usually do. As long as I get in one more round of golf, I think I'll be alright.

Football is on it's way... I'm getting excited for Notre Dame and the Jets on Saturday's and Sunday's. ...and going to the bar to watch the games on Sunday's.

Blogging world... it's been a busy, but great 2010, and I'm sorry I haven't kept you in the loop as much as I always have. I will be doing my best to keep you in the loop.

Sincerely,
Five-Time Defending World Three-Point Shooting Champion of the World
d$mania

Ben Folds on Chatroulette... at a concert

2010-03-23T15:36:00.002-04:00

Ben Folds on Chatroulette
Uploaded by trentisthenewpink. - Explore more music videos.

...I never thought I'd have a legitimate opinion on Chatroulette, but I thought this was pretty darn funny.

Saving the Democracy - Jon Stewart

2010-03-23T15:22:00.002-04:00

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

Conservative Libertarian

www.thedailyshow.com

Daily Show
Full Episodes

Political Humor

Health Care Reform

Last Thursday, before the passage of health care, The Daily Show started with a cold open and proceeded to continue for nearly 15 minutes with Stewart providing one of the most intelligent and funny segments an on already ingenious show. The funny part is when The Daily Show comes back next week, and, you know, people actually realize what's in the bill... fantastic.

Shirtless and Dreamy...

2010-01-21T17:05:00.004-05:00

So, this has been a good week for me. The Jets have won two playoff games and play in the AFC Championship game Sunday... I should finally have a job, hopefully, by tomorrow, if not the weekend... and, now, the two men I'm probably the biggest fan of right now are pictured shirtless on magazine covers. Alright, well, that last part is kind of weird...

Well, At Least the Bills Have a New Coach...

2010-01-19T15:28:00.003-05:00

Chan Gailey. Really? Chan Gailey?

The man who led the Dallas Cowboys for two mediocre playoff seasons, the man who won only 7 games in five of his six seasons at Georgia Tech, the man who didn't even last the preseason as the Chiefs offensive coordiator... is now the man who will lead the Buffalo Bills into battle. I'm not sure the AFC East is shivering in their boots.

My only question when reading about this hire is if my e-mail was forwarded to the right people in the Bills organization... because if Chan Gailey got hired, surely I would have been in the running.

The Weekend That Was

2010-01-18T23:22:00.003-05:00

So, yeah. You could make the case that this weekend was a little uneven. Friday night, I was a little worse for the wear, so I stayed in and played some NHL '10 for the XBox 360. Saturday, while still fighting this cold I sat through the Cardinals/Saints game before mustering out for a night on the town. Honestly, this is about the worst I've felt in a long time and shouldn'tve been out, but we ended up at this place called Slate on 21st and 6th. Think trendy club with big screens, billiards and ping pong. Interesting...

I somehow made it garnered enough strength to make it out to Burke's for the Sunday action. After watching the Vikings thrash the Cowboys early with Ryan, Andrew and Kristin rolled through to watch the Jets and Chargers. The Jets went down 7 early again this weekend, but scored 17 straight to take a 17-7 lead... the Jets defense and the right gutsy called sealed a 17-14 win, a trip to the AFC Championship game, and a chance to face the Colts for the right to be in the Super Bowl.

Another big game next weekend and I hope to see you all there along for the ride...

Kimmel Pwns Leno

2010-01-15T15:03:00.005-05:00

I have never really been a huge man of Kimmel's late night show, but he is starting his 8th year, and I've always appreciated the guts that he shows more than anyone else on network television. For some reason, Leno invited Jimmy Kimmel on his "10 at 10" segment the day after Kimmel impersonated Leno for a whole show. What follows is awkward as Kimmel completely destroy's Leno on his own show, practically to his face... Enjoy.

Baby, We Were Born to BelTRÁN!

2010-01-14T14:33:00.003-05:00

At this point, it is nearly impossible to defend anything that happens in Mets World at this point. Last night, I was spending time in Manhattan with friends checking out some music when I saw the Twitter Universe a-twitter about impending negative Mets news. Chatting with a few people, most Mets fans figured Reyes, Beltran or Santana would be done for the year... I, on the other hand, was praying someone didn't die.

In his 5+ years with the Mets, it seems like Beltrán has always been dealing with one injury or another, rarely being 100% healthy. Despite this, Beltrán is one of the best pure talents in baseball and a pleasure to watch on a day-to-day basis. From what I am hearing, Beltrán wanted to get this surgery towards the end of last year, but the Mets needed him for those last few weeks... for no real reason. Then, rather than letting him get the surgery after the season, the Mets convinced Beltrán to try their treatments, only to see his knee pain come back. Surgery was his only recourse.

If the last two years are any indication, the Mets are comfortable and all too willing to be a "C+" organization. Yes, the Wilpon's do make moves and bring in top quality talent, but they are all too willing to skimp wherever possible. The Mets are one of the richest organizations in baseball, but they are consistently at the bottom on spending money on draft picks. They will get an "A" level free agent every few years, but settle for a "B" or "C" level player whenever possible. The way the 2009 season went, I'm picturing the Mets locker room has worse rehab and injury facilities than Rachel Phelps' offered in Major League.

The Mets have the fan base, the talent, the location, and the finances to be one of baseballs leading franchises, but year after year they show the world that they are alright being a laughing stock... more concerned with painting the right picture than finding any real solutions. The New York Mets were one of my first true loves, but I'm not sure how much more this heart can take.

Terrorball

2010-01-13T10:19:00.004-05:00

Listen, I try to stay as apolitical as possible in both my personal life and my blog, but I just find this hysterical. It's funny how conservative pundits forget all the fear and attacks that happened during Bush's watch, yet assign blame for everything that happens on Obama. Watch the video and check this text to see how silly this really is.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart

Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c

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Classy Conan O'Brien

2010-01-12T15:34:00.005-05:00

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

Conan remains simple, funny, and classy through an impossibly disappointing situation. Wherever Conan goes, he is always entertaining and hope he ends up in a situation where he is happy and appreciated.

The Weekend That Was

2010-01-11T13:36:00.005-05:00

I know life gets a whole lot better than this, but for where I am right now, this is a beautiful place to be.

Friday night, I went out to Rory Dolans with some friends to get some dinner, share some drinks, and to celebrate our newfound friend Emily's 25th birthday. Though there was only a little dancing, it was still a good time even if it further exasperated my need for a wing man.

Saturday, we treked to Burke's for some Jets action. Paz (pictured above) made a special appearance and only further spread the good feelings. The Jets went down early to a Bengals touchdown, but the Jets scored the next three TDs to earn a 24-14 victory and a Sunday afternoon showdown in San Diego next week.

Afterwards, Ryan, Brian and I headed to Mickey Spillanes to cash in on a free bucket of beer I won for answering a trivia question on their Facebook page. We posed for a picture on their page, though, in retrospect, I wish I held the bucket with only a finger to show my utter dominance.

Sunday was spent with family celebrating my uncle's birthday at my grandmothers. It was a small gathering, but time very well spent. I love spending time with my grandmother and family. I came home and caught the end of a crazy Packers/Cardinals game, the Simpsons 450th episode and 20th anniversary documentary all as a lead-in to the new season of Chuck. The two episode start did a good job of tie-ing in the events that happened between the end of season 2 and the start of season 3, all while setting the stage for the coming season. There is another new episode tonight, along with new episodes of How I Met Your Mother and Big Bang Theory, it is a good start to the television week. As a Chuck fan, the best thing that has happened with this Leno/Conan nonsense is that NBC needs programming, which leaves the hope for a season four.

In the week ahead, Wednesday night, I should be heading down to NYC for some music at The Living Room and Rockwood Music Hall... Thursday, it's The Situation at Burke's... Sunday afternoon is Jets/Chargers... and somewhere along the way there will be an interview or two.

As always, nothing but love.

COTW - Friends, Lovers or Nothing

2010-01-09T14:36:00.003-05:00

I was at this show... just another great performance by Mayer. Check out the other songs on YouTube if you get a chance. Of anything on the new album, this song sticks out to me because of the last few lines of the song.

Anything other than yes is no...
Anything other than stay is go...
...Anything less than I love you is lying

Wisdom From The Simpsons...

2010-01-08T10:14:00.000-05:00

When Bart complains to Homer that girls ruin everything, Homer simply replies, “Oh, Bart, you say that now, but when you’re grown up, you’ll just think it.”

Truer words have never been spoken.

Sincere Guy Stu

2010-01-07T13:04:00.004-05:00

Joe Montana hosted Saturday Night Live in the mid-1980's less for his charm and more for his Super Bowl rings, but I have heard about this SNL for years and only recently found a transcript of the skit... the video is no where to be found on the Internet.

In the scene, Phil Hartman brought Jan Hooks back to his place trying to seduce her when his roommate, Joe Montana, comes home. The humor in the skit comes from the fact that Hartman and Hooks are putting up a front, obviously not meaning what they're saying, coming from their internal dialogue. But Montana is truly sincere in what he's saying.

The whole skit seems pretty simple and funny, but the last line of the skit, when said by Joe Montana, had to have brought down the house. My plea to the world is for somebody to find this skit and put it on the Interwebs.

Gilbert Are(nas) You Kidding Me?

2010-01-06T16:35:00.002-05:00

Gilbert Arenas was suspended indefinitely today for bringing guns into an NBA locker room shortly before Christmas (ESPN.com). He is being investigated by both league and federal officials. Honestly, Arenas should have been suspended almost as soon as the story broke and the investigation began, but I'll tell you this, although a suspension was probably imminent, David Stern took one look at this photo and freaked the hell out.

Chuck - Season 3 ... The Recruitment

2010-01-06T15:35:00.008-05:00

From GiveMeMyRemote.com, via TV in a Flash twitter, you can check out Chuck 101 to get recaps from seasons 1 and 2, a preview of the new season, and find out what you need to know for Sunday's two-hour season 3 premiere.

Season 3 starts with two episodes this Sunday (1/10/10) at 9pm & 10pm EST before settling into it's regular Monday 8pm time slot the next night (1/11/10) for another new episode.

Once again, Chuck has been able to stave off cancellation due to a tremendous out-pouring of support from their loyal fan base. I was thrilled to find out that there would be a third season, even if it is only a 13 episode order... but for there to be a fourth season, more people are going to need to watch.

When you check out Chuck 101 and you're interested to take the next step, set your DVR for tomorrow afternoon/night when SyFy is running an 8 episode marathon of some of the best Chuck episodes from 5pm to 1am.

Hopefully, by Friday morning, you'll be as excited as me for the new season of Chuck!

Anything Less Than 'I Love You' is Lying

2010-01-06T01:00:00.008-05:00

So, it's 2010. Honestly, the last few months have been a blur and I'm not entirely sure how we got here... how I got here. It's been nearly three months since I've posted a conventional blog post and, for that, I apologize.

I spent the last three months undergoing powerful personal introspection and, while I've had a lot to say, I just haven't had the wherewithal to put it in blog form. Seeing my buddy Andrew join the blogging world helped to serve as inspiration for me to come back and occupy my little corner of the digital world.

Usually, I would have self-medicated with writing, music, sports and school going through such a difficult period, but for the first time in my life I have been able to rely on the support of my family and friends to guide me through. I've been immersing myself in music... I've been loving all the highs and lows of sports... but they don't define who I am.

I've been thinking about all that's happened over the last few months, both in my own life and the larger global world. Nothing lives in a vacuum and there are dozens, if not hundreds, or different worlds in which we all live. Think of everything that's happened in the last three months... the last few days... the last few hours. Think about how much is changed and how things could be different if just one thing happened differently... whatever that is. And I picture the remote rivers... all over this country... all over this world... that if there was a camera fixed on them, how little would change over the years other than the change of seasons. Wars, death, famine... wins and losses... love and hate. Everything that we experience doesn't change the fact this world lives on through everything... there's beauty in that.

I'm heading towards a point in my life... you might call it a crossroads, though, I'm not sure I would define it as that. I'm not sure where the world will find me in the next few months... the next few years... and I think I'm alright with that. For me, that's growth.

For all that's happened last year, it's in the past. There is so much to look forward to over the next year and that's incredible exciting. In the fall, I'm going to start an internship as part of the first step of the rest of my career. It's nerve raking in the best way possible. Two good friends are getting married... there's an incalculable about of joy in that. The Jets have a playoff game... John Mayer is on tour... the Knicks might get LeBron... the journey of the boys of summer begins as the hope of spring springs eternal.

So, I'm back. Not that I really feel that I've gone anywhere. I'm ready for that this new year has to offer and I'm hopeful that this year will be better than the last. The world is out there for me and this year I am determined to make the most of it. I hope you're able to make the journey with me.

George Carlin - Football vs. Baseball

2009-11-26T23:00:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite sports routines ever. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Congratulations, David Robertson!

2009-11-05T14:17:00.005-05:00

Congratulations, David! You won the World Series! People might point to Hideki Matsui's 3 home runs and 8 RBIs in the World Series, but without those 5 1/3 scoreless postseason innings you provided, you and I both know this team wasn't going anywhere!

So, David, again, congratulations! You deserve it! Oh, and can you get Jeter's autograph for me? Thanks!

Get a good look at this Mets fans... get a real good look. First the Phils, then the Yanks... and look at our own debacle. When do we get mad and fight back?

TV in a Flash (Halloween Edition)... Featuring guest Tweeter: dmoneymania!

2009-11-04T10:11:00.000-05:00

Incredibly random, but hey, so am i!

Colbert Nation sponsors a U.S. Olympic Team

2009-11-03T09:18:00.000-05:00

The Colbert Report

Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c

Sport Report - NYC Marathon & Olympic Speedskating

www.colbertnation.com

Colbert Report Full Episodes

Political Humor

U.S. Speedskating

To donate to the U.S. Olympic Speed Skating team in the name of the Colbert Report click here.

RT @OAB - Centaur

2009-11-02T12:39:00.003-05:00

My buddy Ryan over at Orange, Apple, Banana has been in the zone blogging over the past few weeks... click that smarmy picture of A-Rod to find out about a story we all can only hope is true.

I'm Pretty Sure This is the Greatest Idea Ever

2009-10-07T14:47:00.002-04:00

(via @aprilsmithmusic on TwitPic)

I'm Pretty Sure That's Not Braylon Edwards

2009-10-07T14:46:00.002-04:00

RT - Today's AL Central Playoff

2009-10-06T16:29:00.000-04:00

Funny post by a funny man.

The Weekend That Was

2009-10-06T14:09:00.005-04:00

There haven't been a lot of movies I've been wanting to see, but being a somewhat of a Ricky Gervais fan, I wanted to see The Invention of Lying.

It was a smart movie that was pretty funny, and made you think a lot more than I would have imagined. Picture living in a world where everyone told the truth, so when you figured out you could lie, everyone accepts whatever you say as indisputable fact. Fun concept.

Saturday, me and the guys went to the mall and caught the end of the Notre Dame game. They never, ever make it easy, but in college football as it's presently constituted, a win is a win. Notre Dame has an off week this week, but come back to host USC on the 19th in a huge game. The mall was a fun time, as usual, a good place to kill time on a Saturday.

Sunday was my little cousins 2nd birthday party. I stayed for a little bit to catch up with everyone, which was a nice time. Then I hurried down to Yonkers to catch Jets/Saints, where the Jets suffered their first set back. Sanchez made two gigantic mistake which cost them the game. The offense was alright otherwise, but the defensive continues to be great. The Jets have a big game on this coming Monday night against the Dolphins. And, of course, Burke's continues to be a great place to watch the games on Sunday's.

As always, nothing but love.

The Black Knight

2009-10-01T12:47:00.003-04:00

The whole Mets injury thing has gotten out of control this season. After a relatively quiet September injury wise, with Delgado shelved for the year and John Maine and Carlos Beltran returning to action, Jose Reyes had to try and push coming back from various leg injuries to try to play in the meaningless final three games of the season this weekend. Of course, he tore his hamstring... but should be healthy by spring training.

This whole season reminds me of The Black Knight from Monty Python and The Holy Grail. How the knight, instead of accepting his injuries for what they are, chalking up the defeat and allowing time to heal, he continued to fight until he was relieved of all appendages. At this point, the 2009 Mets mantra from now will forever will be, "It's just a flesh wound!"

The Weekend That Was

2009-09-28T12:56:00.005-04:00

Another great weekend for the big man.

Friday night Jess won a free dinner to our favorite Sunday afternoon spot, while earning half-off dinner for the rest of us. Steak, an appetizer, and tip for $15? Can't beat that! I was under the impression that we were going classy, but every else bailed. Lame. None the less, I dressed up and looked pretty damn good. I cannot wait for the next opportunity to SUIT UP!

Saturday, me and Ryan made a trek to Manhattan for some Shake Shack and Ring of Honor wrestling action at the Manhattan Center. Unfortunately, we were running a little late and we had to scarf down those Shake Shack burgers, but my initial impression is that it was really good. I cannot wait for my next excursion to have a meal and review it.

Ryan turned me on to the best professional gimmick in years in the form on low mid-card Rhett Titus. Titus has the gimmick of "Addicted to Love", gives keycards to women in the crowd with his teeth, gyrates like no other, and has fantastic theme music. There's not much there not to like. Of course, he lost his match. A few matches later, a heel manager of this big Swiss dude comes out to rile the crowd up. He points right to me and says, "Shut up, fat boy!" I wasn't saying anything. It was pretty funny and pretended to be riled up, with Ryan holding me back. ...only at a wrestling show. Finally, Bryan Danielson and Nigel McGuinness sent the fans home happy and impressed wrestling their last matches for ROH before they left for the WWE. They were in ROH for a very long time... will they make it in the WWE? I hope so. ...but I'm not holding my breath.

With the Jets and Giants both playing at 1 yesterday, it was a quick day at Burke's. The Giants and Jets continue to impress, and watching the game with two 49ers fans, I can't help but feel bad for the miracle that got pulled off against them. Another big test for the Jets as they travel to the Superdome to play the Saints. I can't wait for more football action next week at Burke's.

As always, have a great week guys!

Music Mania: Rockwood Music Hall/Mercury Lounge (9/23/09)

2009-09-24T11:17:00.002-04:00

You could say one of the advantages of being in grad school, having a substitute teaching gig without any openings, and not currently having the best of luck finding a job, is having free time to post to my blog and to get to Manhattan earlier than I would have expected. With the UN in session, I was expecting the lower East Side to be a cluster of madness, but it wasn't really all that bad. I found a parking spot right on Houston at 6:30, when I didn't expect to get there until at least 7:30. Call it serendipitous, I guess, because it allowed me to catch another act before I got to see the band I planned to see open.

Rockwood Music Hall is fast becoming one of my favorite venues in NYC and it's only helping to foster my love of the Manhattan. I still don't know if I could ever live in the city, but I can see how easy it is to get swept up in it. There are millions of people and thousands of things going on every moment. For as much as we see, there is so much more going on; it's easy to forget.

I caught the last two songs of Melissa Nadel's set... unfortunately not enough time to make any true impressions, but I was impressed with her vocals. Nadel has a smooth, jazzy sound that feels almost theatrical, as if she could perform on Broadway. Her voice evoked memories of spending all those years hanging out in jazz clubs that never happened... but if I did, I imagine that's what it sounds like.

Next to the stage brought Ryan Tennis and his trio. Tennis combines a classic soul with a modern acoustic sound that has the feel of Dave Matthews or Jack Johnson. He has a quiet on-stage demeanor, which makes it feels like he's playing a show for his closest friends. Tennis' songs seem to be largely autobiographical as evidenced by "17 Years" that references specific childhood memories of youth and sibling life that anyone can relate to. The whole set left me impressed and happy I was in the right place at the right time to check out a pretty fun set. If you check out only one song from Ryan Tennis, be sure to check out "Owayo"... it's the kind of song that makes you want to move your feet or belt out on a long road trip.

Remember last week when I wrote how hopeful I was about seeing Pete and J playing with a full band? Simply, they were amazing. Pete and J played a 45-minute opening set at the Mercury Lounge that started the win over the crowd as they trickled in. When they slow it down, they own the room, but when they rock out is when I'm the most captivated. With J on electric guitar and Pete playing the synth and acoustic guitar, flanked by their bassist and drummer, they play great music with outstanding harmonies, which sets them apart from other bands. They closed their set with "This Is It", which is a fantastic closer, but it only leaves you wanting more.

Update #3 - dmoneymania.com's MLB Over/Under Challenge

2009-09-24T09:14:00.000-04:00

Before the 2009 Season, me and my boys each picked six MLB over/unders. The winner of the competition will be treated to a meal by the other four men in the challenge. With a week-and-a-half left in the MLB season, I figured I'd give the dmoneymaniacs another little update...

THE CONTENDERS

Ryan (Orange, Apple, Banana)

1. Angels over 89.5
Currently 90-62. WIN
10. Blue Jays over 80.5
Currently 69-83 LOSS
11. Royals over 75.5
Currently 63-89 LOSS
20. Marlins under 76.5
Currently 82-71 LOSS
21. Giants under 80.5
Currently 82-70 LOSS
30. Mariners over 72.5
Currently 79-73 WIN

All of Ryan's picks are locked in or just about locked in. At 2-4, a couple of surprise teams kept Ryan away from contention.

Ollie (the total package)
2. Nationals over 71.5
Currently 52-99 LOSS
9. Red Sox over 94.5
Currently 90-61 [PROJECTED WIN]
12. Mets over 88.5
Currently 65-88 LOSS
19. Pirates over 69.5
Currently 56-94 LOSS
22. Phillies under 87.5
Currently 88-63 LOSS
29. Tigers under 82.5
Currently 81-70 LOSS

The Tigers losing out or the Red Sox spliting their remaining games give Ollie his only shot at a win in the challenge. Football is his sport, but we all hope for a better showing next year.

Paz
3. Yankees under 97.5
Currently 97-56 LOSS
8. Twins over 83.5
Currently 79-73 [PROJECTED WIN]
13. Marlins over 76.5
Currently 82-71 WIN
18. Cubs over 91.5
Currently 78-73 LOSS
23. Padres under 71.5
Currently 70-83 LOSS
28. Indians under 85.5
Currently 61-90 WIN

If the Twins splitting their remaining games will give Paz a respectable 3-3 record. The Yankees monster year, the Padres doing better than expected, and the downfall of the Cubs, were solid picks at the beginning of the year that didn't pan out.

d$ (dmoneymania.com Presents 'The Money Pit')
4. Dodgers over 82.5
Currently 91-61 WIN
7. Reds under 80.5
Currently 71-81 WIN
14. Astros over 74.5
Currently 71-81 [PROJECTED WIN]
17. Diamondbacks under 86.5
Currently 66-87 WIN
24. Phillies over 87.5
Currently 88-63 WIN
27. Twins under 83.5
Currently 79-73 [PROJECTED LOSS]

Kenny (Drunken Philosopher)
5. White Sox over 79.5
Currentl 73-80 [PROJECTED LOSS]
6. Rangers over 73.5
Currently 83-68 WIN
15. Braves under 83.5
Currently 82-70 LOSS
16. Rays under 87.5
Currently 78-74 WIN
25. A's over 81.5
Currently 72-80 LOSS
26. Yankees over 97.5
Currently 97-56 WIN

Kenny and d$ are the only contenders and Kenzo has certainly closed the gap. I have 4 guaranteed wins, while Kenny has three with a possible, but not probable fourth win. If the Astros or Twins come through for me, I will lock up the MLB Over/Under title. Three more White Sox losses also give me the win. With a week-and-a-half left in the regular season, I will be your 2009 dmoneymania.com MLB Over/Under Challenge Champion!

The Return of The Money Pit Podcast!

2009-09-21T13:50:00.002-04:00

At the start of the year, I started an experimental web show known as The Money Pit Podcast. One pilot, 17 episodes, a countable number of hours produced, and a full summer later, I'm ready to get the band back together. We talked sports... we talked movies... music... I had a blast, and I'm ready to try this thing again, which just a little twist.

I'm looking for a co-host for the podcast. If you're in the area and want to find a mutual place to record it together, we can do that. If you're outside of the NY area and you're interested, we can record the podcast using Skype! I have an idea for the format of the show, but I'm open for ideas. I want to talk sports, music, movies, TV, pop culture... anything really. I had a lot of fun doing the podcast solo and trying to get guests whenever I wanted to record, but it's tough to find guests every week... so, one of the reasons of looking for a co-host is to find someone to share the air with, to have a solid base to build a foundation on, so when we do have guests on, it makes the show that much better.

If you're interested, let me just tell you what I have in mind. I want do to an hour of programming a week... whether it's a one hour block, two half-hour shows, or three twenty-minute shows. I would want to record mostly mid-week nights. I'm looking for someone honest and fun, and willing to commit and share this silly little project.

And the most fun part is that we will product a talk radio show that will be on the Internet for anyone to listen to. For some of my podcasts in the spring, I had upto 300 listeners per podcast with minimal promotion.

So, yeah... putting that out there! Let me know!

Music Mania: Rockwood Music Hall (9/19/09)

2009-09-21T11:45:00.003-04:00

As promised, I'm going to try to start a new feature on The Money Pit where I spotlight bands that I get a chance to see at various venues in and around New York City. Some of these bands you might not know... some of them might be bands you know and I only just learned of... but the running theme from me is to let you know the acts I saw, what I thought of them, and use my teeny tiny little corner of the Internet to show them some love.

After thoroughly enjoying Wednesday night's set at The Living Room, I was on a music high that created an itch that needed to be scratched. When Kelly mentioned the possibility of seeing a band Saturday night that she saw earlier in the week, I was all too eager to join her and some friends. got there a little earlier with the intent of checking out a little more music.

I got to Rockwood around 7:30, when I caught the last few songs of Arthur Lewis' set. Unfortunately, I didn't get to see a lot of his set, but what I saw, I liked. Lewis has a funky, soul infused sound which worked well on the piano and was backed up well with his sister providing support on vocals and guitar. I would certainly welcome the opportunity to check him out again.

For better or worse, Nate Campany's personality and humor is what I first took away from his set. But while waiting for the next act to set up, I began to appreciate Campany's set for more than his tribute to our 20th President James A. Garfield, his humorous banter with his upright, bassist, and willingness to answer all questions from the audience. Campany has a sweet, mellow voice, but his appeal to me lays mainly in his songwriting ability. Every song in his set had a combination of vocals, harmony and lyrics that left me wanting more. Campany seems to be an intelligent songwriter, "Stockholm Paris New York" standing out to me at the moment.

Listed as Hans and Sven on the schedule posted at Rockwood, Pete and J didn't really seem to mind what anyone called them. Kelly had saw them play Tuesday night at The Living Room and was excited to see them again on Saturday night. I can certainly appreciate why. Pete Harper and Jason Blynn are both individually talented musicians, but combine to produce a sound bigger than the sum of their parts. While the obvious comparison could be made to Simon and Garfunkel (especially when you throw in J's [I think it was J and not Pete's] awesome hair), I believe they're more of their own duo. From what I understand, they're playing with a full band as an opener this Wednesday night at the Mercury Lounge, which would be a fun chance to see them in a different, and maybe, truer dynamic. While I enjoyed seeing them in such an intimate setting, I can't help but wonder how much better they can sound with a full band.

The Mieka Canon, led by Mieka Pauley, made the 50 or so capacity of Rockwood feel like some of the larger venues of New York City. What most impressed me was the true varietal of songs that she and her band played. "We're All Gonna Die" is a full sounding, all encompassing rock song that highlights the musical talents of Pauley and her band. Yet, when Pauley slowed it down with the vocal powers "Marked Man", you are left with the feeling that she's channeling the soul of another generation. The Mieka Canon comes off with powerful conviction that could fill the smallest stages to the largest halls. Very impressive.

Jeff Taylor closed out my night of music playing three sets of four tunes. He played four songs he was working on, four covers of his friends tunes, and played finished with four of his established tunes. Playing without a friend who was sick, Taylor performed his set of what I guess I could describe as experimental rock music. The song had an existential tone as you could feel every thought traveling throughout Taylor's head throughout his performance. Jeff Taylor provided a truly unique musical experience that I enjoyed every second of.

So, all in all, a pretty awesome Saturday at Rockwood checking out the eclectic musical stylings these venues have to offer.

The Weekend That Was

2009-09-21T11:26:00.003-04:00

I had another great weekend with some pretty awesome people. As I'm slowly transitioning to the next stage of my life, the support of friends and family goes a long way to keeping me sane, so I have to put that out there. Classes have alright so far as I wait for a job to get me through this semester. I'm probably going to check out some random retail stuff this weekend, but if anyone knows of any open jobs, please let me know!

Friday was a pretty chill today. A couple of friends from camp were in the area, so it was nice to spend some time to hang out with them. It's funny as you strip down the friendships you built because during the summer after you spend 7 weeks straight with people, then don't see them for over a month, how much of the relationships you have built last. At the heart of it, they're good people and I was glad to see them.

Saturday, I endured, and I do say endured, another Notre Dame Saturday. The Irish clung on to a victory against Michigan State, but they didn't make it easy... plus they lost a Michael Floyd, a great receiver, for the season. This Notre Dame team has all the talent in the world, but something is missing from making this team be remotely close to as good as they should be. It'll be a tough season, but I'll be rooting for them every step of the way. Saturday night, I spent some more time in the East Village with some friends checking out some great music. I'm going to include my take of the music in a new feature a little bit later in the day, so check it out. We spent a few hours chilling at the Rockwood Music Hall, which is a cozy, little room in the East Village and had a great time taking in a variety of different acts. I hope I found myself some new music friends.

Sunday was a true marathon day at Burke's. Myself and Ryan spent nearly 12 hours at Burke's catching some great 4 o'clock games sandwiched by watching our beloved Jets and Giants respectively. The Jets defense continued to look amazing, bringing pressure all game... even during the last stand by the Patriots, when all too many coaches play off the receivers, leaving in fear of the big play. The Jets team carries themselves with a confidence and aggressiveness that's great to see. Another big game for Gang Green as they host the angry 0-2 Titans. The Giants and Cowboys played a great game to open the $1 billion plus Cowboys Stadium, where thankfully, the Jumbotron didn't come into play. Add great football, great food, and better people, and that's the recipe to an awesome and very long Sunday.

I have a full night of class tonight for the first time (4:15-7:05; 7:15-10:05), so we'll see how that goes... class Tuesday night... maybe some more merriment and music during the week... and another great weekend to look forward to next week.

Maniacs, I hope life is treating you well.
As always, nothing but love!

Music Mania: The Living Room (9/16/09)

2009-09-20T12:40:00.000-04:00

Last night, I went to The Living Room for the first time in what seemed like years. I love The Living Room because they pretty much stick to the schedule of 45-minute sets, which a new band that starts on the hour. Maybe you walk in ready to check out someone you like and are starting to get a feel for, but you walk out with another band or two to keep your eye on.

The two artists that caught my eye fast night are Mutlu and Amy Regan. Mutlu, from Philadelphia, is a man who has an amazing voice and better songs, but doesn't take himself too seriously, ready to charm the audience with an anecdote. He has a hysterical song about board games, and had fun with a version of the Cheers theme, but brought the house down with Shaky Ground and Hello Morning. He has a smooth voice and style, with kind of a pop take on soul and upbeat blue feel. Amy Regan has a natural, infectious smile that she wore throughout her fantastic set. She carries a voice that absolutely takes you aback. Most of the songs dealt with love and heartbreak like everyone in their 20's. Carry On and Some Kind of Blues, absolutely stood out from her set. Think of Regan as a Norah Jones with a guitar (actually, I don't know if Norah Jones plays the guitar, and well, Regan, plays the piano, too... I digress) or someone who reminds me a lot of Brandi Carlile. Both played just awesome sets and I will absolutely catch them the next time they're in the area.

COTW - Centre de Deportes

2009-09-19T10:19:00.002-04:00

I had never seen that commercial until recently, it seems like it's at least a few years old. Funny stuff.

Bonus Clip of the Week: Barry Melrose may not be as cool as the guy he's imitating, but damn, he's close.

The Weekend That Was (PLUS!)

2009-09-17T12:52:00.006-04:00

The Weekend That Was (PLUS!) really came about for three main reasons: First, this has a crazy week with school and family stuff, so I didn't really have the time to write this post sooner. Secondly, I knew I was going to do something fun last night, so I wanted to include that. And, finally, lastly, I have been in one of those moods that I have to be motivated to write something... so here we are.

Guitar Hero, and later Rock Band, operate under the amazing premise that people love music, but don't love the years of training it takes to be great, or even decent at an instrument ... so, instead, as a video game, we can all be rock stars to some of our favorite songs.

Cut to Friday night, Me, Ryan and Ollie formed the Fab Three and spent about four hours completing Beatles Rock Band. I have to say, it was a great experience for us, and the game was built for people who love the Beatles, as well as the casual fan... the hardcore gamer, and the person who picked this up to rock with the moptops. The song selections were mostly spot on, plus, over the next few months you can buy more individual songs or whole albums from XBox Live. The game is similar to most GH or RB games in terms of play, but what makes it stand out are the backgrounds and pictures to go along with the story. You can play on The Ed Sullivan Show, Shea Stadium, or even the Apple Studios Roof... there are even some trippy, psychedelic places you can play. Plus, as you advance through the game, you get some awesome pictures and other unlockables. I can't recommend this game enough, and I'm only a casual Beatles fan.

Saturday was a mostly chill day as I spent most of the night recovering from a difficult to take Notre Dame loss. I still can't rationally think, let alone, discuss it.

Sunday, I fell in love. Hunky QB, you won my heart. Sure, the Jets fan base might have unrealistic expectations for you and this team right now as some of us almost down right expect that we'll win next week, but boy did you inspire. You might throw four picks, and I might takes this all back Monday, but, Hunky QB... whatever you need, it's yours... we'll make it happen!

The first Sunday at Burke's... the first of many... was a lot of fun. We saw a lot of familiar faces (none of which we know the names of), felt the warm glow of more than half a dozen high-def TVs, and ate and drank like kings. The Jets pulled off a surprise and very welcome easy victory, while the Giants dominated throughout against a game Redskins team. Cannot wait until this Sunday...

Last night, I went to The Living Room for the first time in what seemed like years. I love The Living Room because they pretty much stick to the schedule of 45-minute sets, which a new band that starts on the hour. Maybe you walk in ready to check out someone you like and are starting to get a feel for, but you walk out with another band or two to keep your eye on.

The two artists that caught my eye fast night are Mutlu and Amy Regan. Mutlu, from Philadelphia, is a man who has an amazing voice and better songs, but doesn't take himself too seriously, ready to charm the audience with an anecdote. He has a hysterical song about board games, and had fun with a version of the Cheers theme, but brought the house down with Shaky Ground and Hello Morning. He has a smooth voice and style, with kind of a pop take on soul and upbeat blue feel. Amy Regan has a natural, infectious smile that she wore throughout her fantastic set. She carries a voice that absolutely takes you aback. Most of the songs dealt with love and heartbreak like everyone in their 20's. Carry On and Some Kind of Blues, absolutely stood out from her set. Think of Regan as a Norah Jones with a guitar (actually, I don't know if Norah Jones plays the guitar, and well, Regan, plays the piano, too... I digress) or someone who reminds me a lot of Brandi Carlile. Both played just awesome sets and I will absolutely catch them the next time they're in the area.

As for me, football picks are coming up on the site either later today or tomorrow... Clip of the Week on Saturday... and I'll be at Burke's on Sunday.

Hope you're all doing amazingly well...
Always nothing but love

Hot Spots and Hidden Gems: Lucky's Classic Burger and Malt Shop

2009-09-17T12:13:00.000-04:00

Today, I had an interview in downtown Stamford, Connecticut, as I walked by this charming little 50's throwback called Lucky's.

Lucky's in not very much unlike Johnny Rockets, but the American proprietor in me was all too ready to root for this testament of small restaurant ownership. The restaurant was quiet as I got there just past opening at 11am. The waitstaff was quite courteous and I orded a cheeseburger and fries to go.

While seeing the pictures of the shakes were down right appealing, it was just a little too early in the day for ice cream. I got home around 20 minutes later to enjoy this delightful meal and it was very solid. The burger was good, the bun was fresh, the fries were awesome. A very solid 7.5 in my book.

So, if you're ever in Stamford and you're looking for a fun place to eat with good food, make sure you check out Lucky's.

d$ Co-Ed College Column - Lesson #193

2009-09-13T22:16:00.001-04:00

When in college, find a band... love that band... immerse yourself in that band. See them as much as possible throughout your college years. The music you love now will always bring back awesome memories of your college years.

COTW - Work Hard, Try Your Best

2009-09-12T16:07:00.001-04:00

Join me at ESPN.com!

2009-09-09T12:42:00.002-04:00

ESPN has some pretty cool fantasy sports and games, and there are two games and groups I invite you to join!

First, there is a NFL picks group. In this group, we pick every NFL game against the spread, and ESPN.com will track our record throughout the season. Join the dmoneymania.com group!

And, secondly, there's an eliminator group on ESPN.com. In an eliminator pool, you pick one team every week to win outright. If you win, you stay alive and cannot pick that team again for the rest of the season. Whomever stays alive the longest wins! Join the dmoneymania.com group!

Both of these groups are for fun, so join us and have some fun!

The Week (Plus) That Was

2009-09-08T13:17:00.009-04:00

The last seven days have been pretty crazy, so I'm going to extend the time period for The Weekend That Was longer than usual.

Last Wednesday, I got a call from my good friend Monica alerting me to a going away gathering at The Half King on the lower west side. Monica got an awesome gig as the traveling trainer for Toto for the Wizard of Oz stage production that will be touring for the next eight months! She seemed pretty stoked about the gig and excited to see all her friends from the city, but a little bummed out she won't be seeing us for a good couple of months. There were about a dozen of us to start, but trickled down to a handful as it crept towards midnight as we discussed random topics with incredible vigor. It was a good time.

The Half King gets aces in my book for several reasons. One, it's right off the West Side Highway at the corner of 23rd and 10th. Finding parking was a bit of a hassle, but I love not having to either cross Manhattan or take the FDR. Secondly, the ambiance is awesome. There's a nice little bar, there are a bunch of tables and plenty of booths. We ended up just ordering drinks and appetizers, and everything was fantastic. Finally, The Half King invokes precious memories of the time I was there with a few friends when Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Bill Hader, Will Forte, etc. came in and got a big table with about two dozen people. In someways I regret not saying hey to Arnett, but I generally try not to be a bother to celebrities, or people, in general.

Saturday, I went out with the guys to get something to eat at Friendly's (which was awesome and has to happen again very soon... solid food at solid prices? Sign me up!) and to see 500 Days of Summer. 500 Days is the kind of movie that will stay with a certain type of guy for a very long time. I saw parts of myself in JGL's character that I've been trying to suppress for years, and saw other parts I never realized that were there. The performances by Deschanel and JGL were spot on... so much so, that I can't even imagine anyone else playing their roles. I'm going to have to see this movie again, but on first impression, I believe this one is a definite keeper.

Sunday brought even more time with the guys... this time, we ended up going to the driving range. Sunday nights they have a $6 large bucket special, so the three of us hit some balls, while I tried to impart some sort of wisdom to the novice's. Apparently I did a decent enough job because they hit some good balls and a lady stopped me on the way out wondering if I taught lessons. When I told her I didn't, she told me I should think about it... she told me I was a good, patient teacher. That was incredibly sweet and awesome to hear. Something to think about, I guess, huh? As the blisters started to form, the fellas and I engaged in some mini golf. We played with skins rules for very, very low stakes. In the end, I won 10 skins, while Ollie and The Deigh Man each won 4. Go d$!

Finally, last night, I spent even more time with the guys as we went to a make-up game from the beginning of the summer. Labor day, baseball, and time with the guys in the Bronx? Good times. The game became a blow out early as Teixeira hit two home runs as the Yanks cruised to an 11-1 victory. Jeter went 0-for the doubleheader and crushed our hopes of seeing him break or tie the Yankee record for career hits. Right now, he's still three from tying and four from breaking the record. While the game lost its luster early, it was still a blast to hang out with the guys and, hey, I even got a souvenir cup out of the deal.

Now, it's back to reality... back to the grind. Unfortunately, there were no subbing openings today, so no work, but in two short hours, I am going back to school! I start graduate school today on a path towards my graduate degree and certification in Counseling, so I can either be a high school guidance counselor or college advisor in two years. We will see where the next two years take me... I'm a little nervous. Some first day nerves... but that's good, I think. I'm about to go get some lunch, then head to campus early to see what's good. Tomorrow, I have a phone interview to be a tutor, then dinner with a lovely, and beautiful lady, then possibly going to see Ingrid Michaelson at Webster Hall if I can find a ticket to the sold out show. Then, Thursday, the NFL is back in swing as the Titans travel to Pittsburgh to play the Steelers. I'm going to try to convince someone to come out with me to watch the game. Until then...

Overall, it's been a great week, but I can't wait until I get back in to the routine. I hope you all had a great holiday weekend and a better week ahead! Stay tuned for plenty of football posts this week!

As always,
NBL

COTW - Manning to Tyree

2009-09-05T11:49:00.001-04:00

Your 2009 Woo WOO Woo Warriors

2009-09-03T22:55:00.018-04:00

Quarterbacks

Philip Rivers - San Diego Chargers

Mark Sanchez - New York Jets

Running Backs

Matt Forte - Chicago Bears

Ronnie Brown - Miami Dolphins

Knowshon Moreno - Denver Broncos

Donald Brown - Indianapolis Colts

LeSean McCoy - Philadelphia Eagles

Wide Receivers

Andre Johnson - Houston Texans

Greg Jennings - Green Bay Packers

Anthony Gonzalez - Indianapolis Colts

Devin Hester - Chicago Bears

Percy Harvin - Minnesota Vikings

Tight Ends

Dallas Clark - Indianapolis Colts

Zach Miller - Oakland Raiders

Kicker

Robbie Gould - Chicago Bears

Defense

Dallas Cowboys - Defense/Special Teams

Coming Soon to 'The Money Pit'

2009-09-01T19:25:00.003-04:00

Welp, it looks like the summer's over. I still can't figure out where the time has gone, and it feels like I really missed out on something, but I cannot wait for this fall. New job, new school, on my way towards a new career... very exciting.

You know what else is exciting? Football.

This fall I hope to embark on the longest continuous posting on 'The Money Pit' as I will pick every NFL game this fall against the spread! Anyone else who wants to make picks, post them in the comments of the post and we'll see who has the best record at the end of the year. Along those same lines, I will also pick at least five college football games every week against the spread. So, look out for that. As well, I am posting my 2009 NFL Season Preview on Sept. 9, so look out for that. It will have projected records for every team in the league, my picks for the playoffs, and who I believe will win the major awards. After having a lot of fun with our Over/Under Wins projections for baseball, The Crew is currently picking our selections for the 'dmoneymania.com presents The 2009 NFL Over/Under Wins Challenge'. When we finish with that, that will also be posted!

Needless to say, there will be plenty of football coverage on 'The Money Pit' blog!

One other thing I want to put out there into the world is that in the coming weeks, 'The Money Pit' Podcast will make its glorious return. Due to indifference and my summer working, I just didn't have the opportunity to do the podcast... but now? Oh, I'm ready. I'm going to need plenty of guests, so if you want to talk sports, music, movies, pop culture... whatever it is... and you want to be a guest, let me know! We can make that happen! I have also been thinking about trying to get someone to be a co-host, so if you're interested and you want to try out, please, please, let me know. It's a lot of fun and we'll have a blast!

That's all I have for you now. Look out for the NFL Preview and NFL Week 1 picks next week and look out for opening week college picks this Thursday.

As always,
NBL

Remembering Bob

2009-08-30T22:28:00.004-04:00

It's been nearly a month since someone I once considered one of my best friends lost their father, Bob. In my formative years and beyond, I have a lot of memories going to ball games, eating John's pizza, and shooting the breeze with Bob. Bob was the kind of man, who, if he didn't know you, regaled you with stories as if he'd known you all his life. And, if you did know him, and he knew everybody, you'd get to re-live those classic tales with him over and over.

Though Bob was a big guy, he presence wasn't defined by his size, rather, by his infectious personality. He was the guy with one arm around the guy next to him and the other arm ready to signal for another round. In the larger scheme of life, I didn't spend a lot of moments with Bob, but the ones I did share were memorable. He always treated me respect, even when I was a kid, and I will never forget that. And he always made me feel like family, though most of the times when I saw him it was one of the moments he wanted to share with his son.

I always respected the relationship between Bob and Bryan. I don't think I've ever had a relationship quite like the two of them shared. Bryan was close with both of his parents, and step-father, but the relationship with his father was special. The last few years, they didn't get to see each other as much, but they talked all the time, and when they got together, from an outside perspective, it didn't feel like time ever passed.

It feels like haven't had the time to reflect over the past month about a man who I shared a lot of experiences with in my youth. Baseball and hockey are two of the things I hold dear and I've spent many an afternoon in the stands with Bob and Bryan. Bob was a great and interesting man that I wish I spent more afternoons with, hearing more of those never-ending classic stories. To Bryan, his family, and all who knew Bob, I wish you all the best and my deepest condolences.

COTW - Where's Your Bro Code, Now?

2009-08-29T15:41:00.001-04:00

d$ Co-Ed College Column - Lesson #72

2009-08-29T10:07:00.003-04:00

Play as many intramural sports as possible... they're awesome. Don't play a lot of video games, do as little reading as possible... just get out there and do stuff. Four years from now you'll regret everything you don't try.

d$ Co-Ed College Column - Lesson #201

2009-08-28T23:07:00.003-04:00

One of the coolest things, from my perspective, about working at a summer camp is working with staff members just graduating high school and entering the next steps in their lives. While it seemed like a lot of people at camp weren't entirely sure what their next steps were going to be, there was a young gentleman who is about to enter college that I've decided to take under my wing.

Now, you might say to yourself...

"But, d$, you have no real experience dorming at college. What real advice can you give this guy and other college students reading this blog?"

Well, to counter that, I believe that's a load of hooey. Yeah. I said hooey. While I may have been a commuter student, I have spent plenty of time at college with friends learning the pros and cons about different aspects of college life.

That being said, I will now take my buddy Bill and the entire world of the d$maniacs under my proverbial wing and impart little gems to help you through the college experience as they come to me. Let's start with Lesson #201.

Lesson #201: Make sure whoever cuts your hair at school has some idea what they're doing. If it's a girl, don't be afraid to be honest. If it's a dude, make sure he's sober and you're awake.

The Hunky QB Era Begins

2009-08-26T21:21:00.004-04:00

Whether or not you're ready, Marky, it's time to saddle up and ride. In 17 days, you have the chance to lead the Jets to glory in Houston. While the expectations for this team aren't overly ambitious, there is a lot of hope for you and "Sexy" Rex Ryan. This one thing you should know, Hunk, is that we love you... we're with you... we're behind you 100%... well, until your first 3 interception game.

Happy Birthday, ...the Critic

2009-08-26T14:32:00.000-04:00

Happy *cough*...th Birthday to Jeremy the Critic!!!

All the best to you, brother, and many more. Be sure to check out his site for fantastic movie reviews.

Never Too Early to Visit Halloweentown

2009-08-25T16:35:00.000-04:00

With a little more than two months before Halloween, it's never too early to star thinking about possible costumes. Most of my costumes are usually conceived of late and with little preparation, so this year, I vow to have an awesome costume. I have three ideas that are leaders in the clubhouse.

Brett Favre

Pros
There is very little to get for the Brett Favre costume. Cargo shorts or jeans, sleeveless t-shirt or regular t-shirt, and a crappy old ball cap is all it takes. Growing stubble is becoming on any man.

Cons
Right now, Brett Favre is timely and funny, but who knows a few months from now?

Bouncer

Pros
Another easy costume to make. I could pull off the look well and it would be a solid choice.

Cons
People might actually mistake me for security... hell, they do anyway.

Chris Jericho

Pros
Chris Jericho is the man. I could go old school, which would give me an awesome excuse to wear a hideous outfit, or I can go new school, with a suit and class up the worthless, pathetic peons.

Cons
I don't have the abs to pull off the glittery shirt with no undershirt.

Chuck

Pros
Who wouldn't want to be America's favorite nerdy super spy? Outfit it simple with a few key additions. Kudos would be given out to everyone who gets the reference.

Cons
I would have to find a super hot blond co-agent to share the spotlight with me, and I think we all know how difficult that can be.

So, that's all the ideas I have for right now, but thankfully, I still have plenty of time to work on ideas. What do you think I should be for Halloween?

The Starry Night Lit Path

2009-08-24T00:44:00.003-04:00

It's funny to think about how life works sometimes. How, at times, it feels like we're pushed or pulled in a certain direction... almost as if we are guided by some thing or someone towards our destiny. Whether it's school, or work, or friends and family, or whatever, we can all look back and reflect about our decisions and how we would do things differently.

Would you go back and change the past if you could?

Are you a different person now than you were there?

Those are thoughtful and introspective questions, and while the answers to the questions seem simple, in reality, they are anything but. The Internet is amazing in so many different ways, but one way that stands out to me right now is the quick and direct access to information readily available at our fingertips. In seconds, I could go to ESPN.com and find out any sports score and pull up full stats for the game. I could get news from CNN, weather from The Weather Channel, opinions from anyone in the world... it's incredible.

I can also take a peek back into my past with just a few simple clicks. Logging onto Facebook, I can look back three years into my past and find videos, pictures, wall posts... just about everything about I've done for three years has traveled through my Facebook page. I can also come to this blog and check out old posts to see how I felt about certain things at certain times in my life. I can read my poetry site and lament about loves lost and found. There are hundred of old e-mails detailing the specifics of what I've done for years.

Every year or so it feels like, I spend sometime to remember who I was and where I've been... what I've done and who I've shared it with. After spending two months with people I now hold dear, it's funny to look back at who we were and where we are now. Two months ago I was scared to try something I've never tried before, and now, it's one of the best experiences I've ever shared.

I'm not sure where I am right now and where I'm going without the perspective of where I've been. By looking back and understanding the path I've taken, I can see all the great moves and all the mistakes I've made. Good or bad, I want to be able to look back and try to understand why I did the things I've done.

On the whole, I'm exceedingly proud of who I am and where I've been, and looking back just reassures me that the decisions I've made worked out and to give me the confidence to remain the same great man in the future. It's awesome to look back on your past self smiling that you're proud how they handled things.

COTW - Battle Studies is getting closer.

2009-08-22T12:35:00.000-04:00

New John Mayer album is almost complete! Here's to hoping it's released before the end of the year!

Camp Mix '09

2009-08-19T15:53:00.000-04:00

1. Clarity - John Mayer
2. The Way I Am - Ingrid Michaelson
3. Root Beer Rag - Billy Joel
4. Sweet Baby James - James Taylor
5. Love Story - Taylor Swift
6. Accidentally in Love - Counting Crows
7. Stand By Me - Ben E. King
8. The Story - Brandi Carlile
9. Breakaway - Kelly Clarkson
10. Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
11. Hands Down - Dashboard Confessional
12. Everlong - Foo Fighters
13. Crazy Thing Called Love - Queen
14. Blue Eyes - Cary Brothers
15. My Way - Frank Sinatra
16. Gravity (Live from 'Where the Light Is' DVD) - John Mayer

What the Hell is Brett Favvv-rah Doing Here?

2009-08-18T15:58:00.000-04:00

Breaking Down the Walls

2009-08-17T18:38:00.003-04:00

I'm home. ...and, God, does it feel glorious.

Twenty-four hours ago I left the camp grounds I called home for seven weeks for the last time. For seven weeks, there were plenty of times that I thought what I was doing wasn't worth it... that I was fighting a losing battle... but I never left. I stayed... and I'm lucky I did.

Greatness, no matter how short, will always stay with a person... and it will stay with the 30+ staff members that became like family with me. We shared beds, and meals, and showers, and games... good times and bad times... for 50 days, we couldn't escape each other if we tried... but we didn't want to.

There was a dynamic that was shared with all of us that exceeded just about anything else I've experienced.

People from Britain, Wales, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, Germany, California, South Carolina, Colorado, Vermont, Wisconsin, Maryland, South Carolina and the great state of New York bound together as a cohesive unit. I look back at the times I shared with these people on campus and off and I leave with nothing but amazing memories; orientation, Harry Potter, bowling, Target, bonfires... some of the best conversations I've ever had. For all the crappy moments we had to endure this summer, speaking for myself, when I left last night, the only thought I had was the sadness of leaving the people I had come to love.

I can only hope that the relationships that fostered this summer continue to last... I pray they will.

50 days later, I'm slowly trickling back into the real world. A buddy from camp is staying with me for a few days before he heads home and, honestly, we're both spent, so we've just been doing a lot of chilling. A lot of vegging combined with a trip to the library pretty much rounded out our day. Tomorrow, he'll head into the city, while I head to my new school to get my financial aid stuff figured out. Good times. Wednesday, I have to deal with the headache of car inspections and Thursday, I have a job interview to be a substitute teacher.

I'm going into the real world with my head held high... I know what I'm capable of and it's awesome.

This week is going to be a little crazy, but next week I expect to fully get back into the blogosphere. Get ready... Break the Walls Down!

Camp Update - Week #3

2009-07-18T14:53:00.002-04:00

Three weeks down. Four to go. 31 days until camp ends August 18.

So far so good at camp. Some good days, some frustrations, but for the most part more good days than bad.

I have a pretty sweet and fun job at camp. Monday through Friday, I drive a van with a dozen campers and counselors to a working farm to learn a little bit about how a farm works and to check out some farm animals. Two weeks and 10 trips to the farm in, it has been a lot of fun. There have been a lot of behavioral issues at camp and I haven't experience any at the farm, so I'm proud and lucky.

In the afternoons, I teach and lead athletics and sports sessions with activities that range from basketball to Capture the Flag to team building activities. Some of these sessions have been hit or miss, but for the most part have gone well.

I have met a lot of solid people that comprise the staff at camp. Last night we took an excursion to see the new Harry Potter movie in Danbury, which was a fun trip. One of the counselors in from overseas is heading back to Ireland to tend to family issues, which is kind of a bummer... although I haven't got to know her incredibly well, we had three pretty awesome conversations over the past few weeks. It's amazing how human relationships can foster, even in only three weeks... I wish her all the best.

As well, I finally got "Woo WOO Woo!!!" to catch on somewhere as this week it became the rave of the staff, as well as all the campers... so, so funny.

I can't wait to fly through the next few weeks, but I have to remember to slow it down every once in a while and make the most of a summer that will be stored in the memory bank.

All the best and nothing but love...

COTW - Love Story

2009-07-18T14:50:00.003-04:00

Been stuck in my head all week!

COTW - Thrillseekers

2009-07-11T17:14:00.002-04:00

This one goes out to my great buddy, Ryan... Woo WOO Woo!!!

Camp Update - Week #1

2009-07-04T15:01:00.000-04:00

One week down, six weeks to go. 46 days until camp ends.

This week was orientation.

I've always been a fan of orientations... as long as I'm not the only person learning the details of a new job. In this case, close to 50 of us were spending the week with each other, building relationships, learning the details of camp, and what our responsibilities will be.

There were times when the the lessons seemed to drag... there were times when I was lonely and wondering what I was doing there... but, for the most part, I feel confident of the success of the next few weeks.

Starting Sunday morning, I move to my new home with five other guys, where we will be spending the next six weeks together. There are beds and a dresser, with a round table in the center of the room to do work, but more likely to lend itself for card games. I will be leading excursions to the farm daily, while helping with the other camp activities during the afternoon and evening. I am also responsible for driving a big van during the week to the farm, and on weekends for the staff to get where they need to go locally.

After doing some work later in the day, I will feel supremely confident about the summer... or so I hope.

Today, I will probably spend some time at the pool, get some sun, hopefully some awesome food and fireworks.

Hope you're all well and miss you all... well, most of you.

Nothing but love... always

Reason #219 Why John Mayer is Awesome

2009-07-04T11:35:00.002-04:00

COTW - Build Me Up... Buttercup

2009-07-04T09:55:00.001-04:00

Fourth of July

2009-07-04T00:16:00.000-04:00

In celebration of this great nation, and with respect for those who protect us every moment of every day, I wish you all a very happy and very safe Fourth of July weekend.

I will be celebrating with good people, fun in the sun and a little work. Sometimes, it just can't get any better.

Happy Independence Day!!!

U-S-A! U-S-A!

Gone For The Summer

2009-06-28T21:18:00.004-04:00

For weeks and months I have been looking for a job to get me through the summer so I could prepare myself, ideally, for a substitute teachers job in the fall. While looking in retail, office work, etc., my minds eye always kept a look out for camp jobs. I interviewed for two camps in the past week and was hopeful about landing one of the jobs... I didn't land one of those jobs until tonight.

For the next seven weeks, I will spend a majority of time working at camp (one week of orientation, six weeks with campers), with a period off between Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning to do laundry, spend time at home, see friends and family, and maybe eat a good meal.

Unfortunately, this blog will be relegated to short posts, Clips of the Week, and maybe some weekly recaps until I'm back in town for good the third week of August.

Feel free to send me e-mails and what not... maybe some Mets updates!

Have a great summer!

Nothing but love...

Yes We Can!

2009-06-24T20:30:00.002-04:00

Over the last few months, I've found myself talking more and more soccer. I've been watching more as I talk to people who all soccer their own first love. I enjoy the beauty of the game, but a majority of the idiosyncrasies the sport has to offer go over my head.

But I know a big game when I see it. The United States made it out of pool play and earned the right to play the big bad Spaniards who have won 35-straight matches in international play. I was coming out of a job interview when I heard the U.S. went up 1-0 early. I stopped for lunch at the 70-minute mark and stood captivated for half an hour talking soccer with guys I'll probably never speak to again. When that second U.S. goal got over the goal line, we all lost it.

Whether it's patriotism or just more of us trying to connect to the sport, there will be a lot of eyes fixed to televisions ready to see if the United States can beat Brazil or South Africa Sunday afternoon for the Confederation Cup title.

Keyplay Replay - Time Will Never Be The Same

2009-06-22T14:20:00.002-04:00

Did you ever want to tell the world of a thousand love-lost days?
And share the stories of a face-less world without the one you love.
Afraid the words might never come or hardly make a scratch
You realize the only mistake is to let these feelings come to pass

Did you ever want to cry all night, but couldn't shed a tear?
Scared to death the body's your only connection between your mind and your heart
You can feel the spirit on the outskirts waiting for the aftershock to calm
Though it's only just for moments, they can only feel like years

I had about a million times to share with you my dreams
But dreams can never shatter outside the beauty of the soul
So terrified to let down, so terrified to succeed
Nothing made too much sense
Until I knew you were here

I love you more than words can say; more than they will ever allow
Sometimes I wish I said it more and had just one last chance
But now I know you're with me and I can't tell you how I feel
For the first time in my life, I know I'll never be alone.
I love you.

Written 9/21/04

Been thinking my father a lot recently and with Father's Day, that's no different. He was a great person, a stronger man, and someone who always believed in me... even when I didn't believe in myself. The past four-plus years, I've been deal with my grief in my own ways and am just starting to be able to see things that much more clearly. In the future, I want to be more involved in raising awareness and funds for the Huntington's Disease Society of America, and I'll have the link on my page. Learn more about the disease and help support the cause if you can. Thanks so much.

The Weekend That Was

2009-06-22T14:06:00.005-04:00

Pretty good weekend. Friday night I went with Ollie and Ryan to Candlelight for a Friday Night Feast. We've all pretty much settled in a pattern of meal: I get a burger, they get wings, they split jalapeno poppers, and we all split a large cheese fries. But the foods great and we love what we get... why switch it up? Waiting for a table in the bar area, we saw the Mets and Yanks win games at roughly the same time, with both broadcasts showing the game winning team handshakes. Good times.

Saturday was a lot slower. More rainy weather made it a tough night for anyone to want to go out, and to be honest, I can't blame them. I spent the day doing laundry, went to the gym, sent out some more resumes and watched a couple of movies... the best of which was Sideways. I hadn't seen it in a while, but I forgot how much I really love that movie... and that's always a good feeling.

For Father's Day, I spent the day with family up in Armonk. We started outside, but came in and out all day with the changes in the weather. The highlight of the day was playing two-on-two foosball which absolutely cemented the idea of me procuring such a table in the future... as well as coming up with a "Fringe Sport" event I over looked.

Weather permitting, I'm treating my step-father to a day at Citi Field for Father's Day. Hopefully it stays clear enough and we can have a good time.

As always,
NBL

COTW - Singin' in the Rain

2009-06-20T12:28:00.002-04:00

If you live in the northeast right now, this is an appropriate clip of the week.

Top 10 New York Sports Moments

2009-06-18T09:19:00.000-04:00

Today, on Twitter, the immortal Brandon Tierney of ESPN Radio 1050AM in New York posed the thought: "...if Phil edges Tiger late Sunday at Bethpage, can the 2009 US Open crack the Top 10 of all-time NY sports events?"

What a fantastic question, which poses an even better question: What ARE the top 10 all-time New York sports events. For my list, I take liberal use of the word "event." Some of my list are actually events, some are moments, others are teams... but you get the general gist of what I'm going for. As well, I'm limiting this to New York City, the surrounding area, and the hometown teams. For example, the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey Team played its games in the state of New York in Lake Placid, but I don't consider that a New York moment... but I do count the Manning-to-Tyree catch on this list. Although the game took place in Phoenix, it is a moment that will forever live in New York lore...

Without further ado, my Top 10 New York Sports moments.

#10 - Mr. November

It's crazy to think about how the 2001 World Series was seven-and-a-half years ago. It seems like an entire lifetime ago... but if you talk to anyone from the New York area who lived here during this time, they will never forget this World Series.

The three-time defending World Champions started off the 2001 classic by losing two convincing games in Arizona to Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling. After a day off, it felt like a whole 'nother world in The Bronx. Just seven short weeks after September 11th, New York was still in a funk. You felt it everywhere you went... like a palpable hue in the air. The city was ready for a release... ready to host the World Series.

For Game 3, President George W. Bush donned a flack jacket and threw the first pitch in front of the whole world... silently proclaiming, "We are not afraid." You have to remember, this was a different time. People were afraid to go to large gatherings... to go to malls... to go out to eat. Nothing was scared... nothing was safe. After some nerves seeing the Commander-in-Chief out alone on the mound, he threw a perfect strike, gave a thumbs up, and we could forget the world and focus on baseball for a few hours. The Yankees inched closer than night, still trailing the series two games to one.

Halloween night 2001. Wearing my Rangers jersey as a "costume", a bunch of us gathered in a buddy's basement to further watch the Series. High school seniors, it seems, often appear to need no sleep, and we were certainly no exception. We'd file in the basement around 8 at night and head home after midnight only because our rides were there to get us.

In the bottom of the ninth, Byung-Hyun Kim began his collapse for the ages. On the first pitch he saw, Tino Martinez lined a blast towards the right-centerfield bleachers to tie the game up at 3-3. Diamondbacks Manager Bob Brenly stuck with Kim in the tenth. Kim battled Jeter in an at bat that saw the calendar turn pages and set the stage for the 10th greatest New York sports moment.

Derek Jeter went with a Kim slider and poked a drive over the right centerfield wall for a Yankees victory. As Jeter touched home, the stadium clock showed "12:03"...

"Swung on and drilled to right field, going back Sanders, on the track, at the wall...See ya! See ya! See ya! A home run for Derek Jeter! He is Mr. November! Oh what a home run by Derek Jeter!" -Michael Kay

#9 - Willis Reed

Midway through the 1970 NBA Finals, the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers were tied in their Best of Seven series 2-2. In the first quarter of Game 5, League MVP and team captain Willis Reed came down hard after a shot and had to leave the game. With Reed out of the game, the Lakers held a double digit lead for most of the game. The Knicks defense forced 19 turnovers in the second half, as the Knicks eeked out a victory. Heading back to Los Angeles for Game 6 (...when the Finals were still 2-2-1-1-1...), the Knicks got summarily trounced without Reed in the lineup.

Which set the scene for one of the most truly dramatic scenes in New York sports history.

The great mystery heading into Game 7 is whether Willis Reed will play for the Knicks that night. During pre-game warmups, Reed limped on to the court and in to the Knicks lineup. The sight of Reed on the court fired up the Knicks crowd and players, while taking the Lakers out of their game. Reed scored the Knicks first two baskets, without scoring again in the game, allowing Walt "Clyde" Frazier to steal the show with 36 points, 19 assists and 7 rebounds. The Knicks cruised to their first championship with a 113-99 victory.

#8 - The Miracle Mets

In 1962, National League baseball was brought back to New York in the form of the New York Mets. The Mets toiled in mediocrity for their first seven seasons, failing to win more than 73 games in any season. In 1969, the New York Mets rallied at the end of the season to win 100 games. In the first National League Championship Series, the Mets clobbered the Atlanta Braves in a three game sweep.

In the Fall Classic, the Mets faced the powerhouse Baltimore Orioles. While the Mets had great pitching, the offense wouldn't be anything more than what you would call scrappy. The American League Champion Orioles, however, had a great pitching staff led by Mike Cuellar and Jim Palmer and a powerful lineup anchored by Brooks Robinson, Boog Powell and Frank Robinson.

The 109-win Orioles were the odds on favorites and looked like they had an easy road to a championship as they took Game One of the Series 4-1. On the strength of starting pitchers Jerry Koosman, Gary Gentry, and Tom Seaver (on three days rest), the Mets allowed only two runs to the powerful Orioles to take a 3 games to 1 lead in the series.

With the Mets down in the sixth inning of Game 5, Cleon Jones was put on first with what appeared to be a hit pitch on the foot. The Orioles argued the pitch hit the dirt and not Jones, but Gil Hodges summoned the baseball to shoe polish and Jones was awarded first. Donn Clendenon's subsequent homer would cut the lead to 3-2. Ron Swoboda would double in the go-ahead run in eighth.

With Jerry Koosman still on the mound and the Orioles Davey Johnson at the plate, Johnson hit a fly ball to Cleon Jones in left, which he caught and briefly brought him to a knee as the New York Mets won the 1969 World Series.

#7 - Tiger Tames Bethpage

If there's one thing I've learned living in New York all my life is that New Yorkers are ready to embrace the best of what the world has to offer... and in 2002, New York was swept up in Tiger Woods.

In 2002, Bethpage Black was the first publicly owned and operated club to host the U.S. Open and the tournament had that type of feel. Record breaking numbers of golf fans flocked to see the Open and star attraction, Tiger Woods... bringing thousand and thousands of fans not usually seen in golf galleries.

Tiger was already a golf legend. At 26 years old, Woods has already won seven Major Championships and 5 of the previous 8 contested. Tiger started out strong shooting a 3-under 67. Holding off competition, Tiger had the only score under par for the tournament holding off Phil Mickelson for a three stroke victory. Woods earned his 6th Major Championship in 9 tries and his 8th Major overall. What makes this event special is the dominance of Tiger, the uniqueness of an Open on public soil, and the droves and droves of New Yorkers out to see the greatness of Tiger Woods.

#6 - Aaron *Bleepin'* Boone

It's a game and series that has somewhat gone forgotten after the Yanks loss in the Series and the Red Sox recent successes, but the 2003 American League Championship Series might be the best series I have seen in my life.

With a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning, Red Sox Manager Grady Little left in Pedro Martinez to give up the game-tying RBI to Jorge Posada. Series MVP Mariano Rivera pitched scoreless innings in the 9th, 10th and 11th to keep the Yankees in the game. Red Sox knuckleballer Tim Wakefield pitched a scoreless 10th, setting the stage for the bottom of the 11th. Entering the game earlier as a pinch runner, Aaron Boone lead off the bottom of the 11th, sending the Yankees to another World Series.

What a fun video that is.

#5 - Broadway Joe's Guarantee

Played in January 1969, Super Bowl III was the third time the NFL Champion faced off against the AFL Champion. The AFL was continually shown little respect by their NFL counterparts as inferior, strengthened by the NFL's Green Bay Packers first two victories.

Despite being 18-point underdogs, under goading from confident Colts fans, Namath made his now famous guarantee... "We're gonna win the game. I guarantee it."

With a simple, but effectively game plan, the Jets utilized the strength of their running game combined with short, zone busting routs to stake out a 16-0 lead. Baltimore made it interesting by scoring a touchdown and recovering an onside kick with just over three minutes to play, but a fifth turnover, this time on downs, the Jets won Super Bowl III.

...and Super Bowl MVP Joe Namath showed the Miami Orange bowl and the world who was number 1... The AFL and the New York Jets

#4 - The Fight of the Century

The second of three top 10 events held at The Garden, The Fight of the Century pitted Heavyweight Champion Joe Frazier against the returning former-Champ Mohammad Ali in just his third bout after being stripped of his title.

The first of three fights between the two men, Ali was championed as an anti-establishment hero for his stance against serving in the Vietnam War, while Joe Frazier was depicted as more conservative politically.

Frazier has proved to be the perfect opponent against the great Ali, who's punching power and wicked left hook serving as a great counter to the speed of Ali. What seems to have won out in this fight, however, is the ring rust shown by Ali... Frazier serving Ali his first defeat and retaining his Heavyweight Championship via unanimous decision.

These men would fight twice more, including the legendary Thrilla in Manilla, with Ali winning both bouts. In the Golden Age of boxing, this rivalry proved to produce some of the best bouts in history.

Just watching some of these old boxing videos on YouTube makes me wish I was around when boxing mattered... Boxing is, at its best, the best sport.

#3 - When the healing began...

I will never forget where I was September 11, 2001. None of us will.

Just 10 days later, my stepfather and I scored some tickets to the first regular season back in New York. There was a moment of trepidation, but we're never people to turn down a ball game.

I'll never forget that entire game. Before the game, it was the quietest I had ever seen a ballpark. While not a capacity, there had to be a good 30,000 people at the game. People weren't sure how to react and there was a weird feel to the game. Until the bottom of the eighth... man. I will never, ever forget that.

Shea Stadium shook. I high fived dozens of people I didn't know. The stadium were euphoric with noise and celebration... we forgot the world for a moment and lost ourselves in baseball. There were tears... of remembrance and joy. We called Mikey out for a curtain call and he was all too happy to oblige.

For me, that was the first time I even allowed myself to think that things were going to be ok. No one knew for sure, but that moment gave us all a little hope... and hope is a very powerful thing.

#2 - Manning to Tyree/"The Helmet Catch"

The further removed we get from this Super Bowl, the more I realize what an amazing game this really was. This moment is only a year-and-a-half old, but this play... this team... has already found its way into New York legend.

Fourteen-point underdogs to the 18-0 to team of the decade New England Patriots, the Giants held close, taking a 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter. With under three minutes to play, Tom Brady found Randy Moss in the endzone for what looked to be the game winning touchdown.

Down 14-10, a field goal would do the Giants little good. On third down, with little over a minute remaining, Manning lined up in the shotgun and took the snap... the Patriots began to surround Manning, almost having him in their grasp. Manning was able to shirk a defender, get free and set, hoping to find a streaking receiver up the field. Tyree made an unbelievable leaping catch, pinning the ball to the side of his helmet while keeping the ball off the ground for a first down. Just a few plays later, the Giants found the endzone for the winning score and Super Bowl 42 victory.

...Man... How did Eli get free... and how did Tyree catch that ball?! Special, special moment.

#1 - The Wait Is Over!

As a lifelong sports fan, the 1994 New York Rangers Stanley Cup victory stands out to be over any other New York sports moment.

Traded to the Rangers in 1991, Mark Messier was heralded as the Messiah... destined to end the Rangers Stanley Cup drought. After 54 years, the Rangers rose the Cup for the Garden Faithful.

This team is special to all Rangers fan, young and old... and helped to revitalize hockey in the mid-90s. I will never forget Sam Rosen screaming after the final faceoff, "The waiting is OVER!!!"

I'll admit this event is number one because of how special it is to me... the only one of my teams I've seen win a title... but if you have any love for New York sports, this video will give you chills.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on my Top 10 New York sports moments.

You Did It!!!

2009-06-15T00:29:00.006-04:00

Adam Morrison... you did it!!! You and your weird hair, weirder facial hair, and penchant for tears have finally made it to the mountain top! You could take all the glory for yourself, but you're too modest for that. You let your coach and your silly shooting guard take all the credit. ...But you won't fool me, Adam Morrison. You're the one who made this all possible.

Congratulations to you and your Los Angeles Lakers!

The Weekend That Was

2009-06-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

This was a pretty fun mid-June weekend. Mid-June. ...unreal. Time keeps going faster and faster.

Friday was pretty simple and awesome. I headed down to Brooklyn for a really fun and simple night... a couple of cold beverages, a bunch of misplaced people way too into a hockey game, and Scrabble.

You forget how awesome board games and simple brain games are, but it was a whole lot of fun. I haven't played Scrabble on an actually board (I play online sporadically) in very, very long time. I keep pushing for a board game night, or a poker night, so, come on, babies!

Saturday, myself, Brian and Ryan ventured to Ridgefield, NJ's Country Pancake house.

On a Travel Channel special we saw a few weeks ago, this seemed like a big haven for pancake eaters. We get there and it's a tiny place, kinda of dead and depressing on a Saturday night.

That being said, the food was awesome. We were started off with complimentary chocolate chip cornbread. Awesome. The menu had a full page of over 100 different types of pancake orders, along with all the other good items a diner has to offer. We all order pancakes, I order the chocolate chip pancakes. In agreement, we all thought it was awesome food. Each order came with four big pancakes. None of us were able to get through them. The food was great and it was certainly an experience, but at 45 minutes each way, I'm not sure when we'll be going back.

Sunday... Mets/Yanks. Hachi Machi. Like I've said before, the best thing about baseball? There's always tomorrow.

Softball wasn't all that fun this week, either, as we got trounced again. Out record is at 5-5. ::shrug:: We have to pull it together.

All in all, it was a fun week. I'm searching online to get tickets for me and my stepfather for Citi for a game around Father's Day. Can't wait...

...as always, nothing but love...

COTW - Woo Woo Woo!!!

2009-06-13T16:11:00.001-04:00

You know it!

RT @DrunknPhilosipher - <3 The Onion

2009-06-11T15:43:00.003-04:00

I don't know if writing posts linking to friend's blog is going to be a new running feature, but if they're going to keep posting stuff before I get a chance to, it might just have to be. The Onion is a fantastic site and this short article might the most painfully funny thing ever written... Check out Kenny's site, Drunken Philosopher...

...and check out the article But If We Started Dating, It Would Ruin Our Friendship...

The Hidden Best Part of Citi Field

2009-06-10T20:53:00.003-04:00

This park is beautiful.

You can use any superlative you'd like, this ballpark is amazing. I wish there was a little more blue and orange, I wish it felt a little more like home, but that will work itself out in time. In the mean while, Citi Field is an amazing place to watch a ballgame.

There a lot of things to love about the park... the old-time feel you get from the exterior and the Rotunda, being no more than five steps away from any concession, not having to use a canoe to maneuver the bathrooms, all the food and beer and attractions behind center field, the new high-def scoreboard, the in-depth out of town scoreboard, the Pepsi Porch, no bad seat in the house... and more and more and more...

...that's a whole lot to love...

But in a lot of ways, I'm a very simple man...

What I love more than anything else about the Mets new ballpark is that you're able to walk 360 around the lower level of the ballpark and stop and watch the game.

After the second inning last night, me and Liz left our seats the upper tank (which were still really awesome seats by the way) and never came back. We started off right around home plate in the hallways behind the visitors dugout. After a little bit, we headed to left field, my new good luck spot as Beltran stroked one a few rows deep right in front of us. As we headed toward center field, we found my bad luck spot in left-centerfield when the Phils jacked two homers... I'm learning.

We wandered around behind center field for a little bit to see the masses wait for food and kids enjoying the attractions before we found our spot... on the bridge.

If the Mets somehow don't screw this up, for the next 50 years, I'm going to buy the cheapest tickets I can find and watch the game from the right-centerfield bridge. In my opinion, it's the perfect place to watch a ballgame. Everything is right in front of you, you can see both big screens, and the Mets Maniacs travelling all around us. I can't envision a better way to watch a ball game.

It was only my second game at Citi Field this year, but there are hundreds of games to come. Once I finish grad school and my real life begins, I know there will be a while lot of summer nights spent in Flushing. I'm lucky to share this passion of baseball with a whole lot of people, a lot of them Mets fans... we'll always miss Shea, but damn, it's finally good to be home.

RT @OAB - Zack Morris...

2009-06-09T18:42:00.000-04:00

Mark Paul Gosselaar has got to be one of the coolest guys in the world to do this for 10 minutes. One of the best viral videos I've seen in some time... check out Ryan's blog post about this amazing clip from Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

The Weekend That Was

2009-06-08T17:23:00.005-04:00

Who doesn't like a good weekend? Not me... that's for sure. I love my weekends. I spent the end of last week looking forward to catching my first game at the new Cathedral of sport, but the rains made sure that didn't become a reality... at least, not until September, or we redeem our rain checks. While I was bummed about not going to a ball game, I remained undeterred, joining, Andrew, Ryan and Brian (...the latter two whom I want to come up with a nickname for... BRyan? ::shrug:: If something comes organically, I'll jump on it...) for a pre-movie drink/snack, followed by checking out The Hangover.

It's difficult to make comparisons to other movies based off of one showing, but after one viewing, I thought it was very funny and I really enjoyed it. Each character was developed perfectly and brought something to the table... now how a movie like this compares to movies like Old School won't be known until at least the DVD comes out, when we know for sure how strong the re-watchability of the movie is. That being said, the movie capped off a fun Friday night.

Saturday was my buddy Gina's birthday celebration (her birthday is actually today, so yay! Happy Birthday!). It was a pretty good time... good music, icey cold Diet Wild Cherry Pepsi, cake, chips, good people, Wii... I enjoyed it. My favorite part of the night was playing Wii bowling, tennis and baseball against a alcohol-impared Kenzo. Good times.

Sunday's softball was surrounded by drama, but at least we found to lovely ladies to fill out the roster so we could play. We got trounced in the first game15-1, but came back from a 7-0 deficit in the second game to win 16-9... the first game, I hit two balls well that were caught, but the second game I hit a triple and had a run scoring walk. I also pitched the second game in hopes that would strengthen our outfield by having the speedy Andrew play center... Andrew didn't get many plays in the outfield, but after a tough first two innings, after an adjustment, allowed only one unearned run in the last 5 innings to earn the win. I also got a swinging strikeout of a dude, which was pretty awesome for slow pitch softball.

Tuesday night, I'm going to the Mets game, so I'm looking forward to that. And today I got an application to fill out to be a sub at a local school... cross your fingers for me...

As always, nothing but love...

COTW - Greatest Day Ever

2009-06-06T13:23:00.000-04:00

Late Night with the Guitar Gods

2009-06-05T16:55:00.004-04:00

John Mayer Trio on Conan... Elvis Costello interview and performance on Letterman... My buddy Steph said it best, "If Billy Joel was on Kimmel last night, your head would have exploded."

Ain't that the truth.

I'm not the biggest country music guy in the world, but Elvis Costello shows why he's a musical legend last night... it's a really cool tune and I can't wait to get the album. I can't find the video online, but I'll post it when I find it

John Mayer is just a ridiculous musician and this cover of "California Dreaming" really got me stoked last night. I'm sure this was just a one-time performance of this tune, but new music is coming... Oh, yes... new music is coming!

Quarter-Life Crisis... Or Just a Stirring in My Soul...?

2009-06-01T20:12:00.002-04:00

So, I turned 25 today. I had a pretty awesome weekend and I want to thank everyone for making it such. I'm incredibly lucky to have people in my life to make the great times truly special.

For the last six years, I've been trying to figure out where my life was headed and I'm doing the best I can to figure it out still. I now have my Bachelor's degree, something I'm incredibly proud of, and I'm going to start my Master's in September. Two more years until I can get the life I want to begin.

Right now? I'm looking for work for the summer, at which point, I will hopefully be working at a school in September. This summer should really be great...

All of you, thanks for making this a great birthday weekend... and let's make it an even better summer.

#1 - High Fidelity (2000)

2009-05-31T20:57:00.007-04:00

I was just watching Groundhog Day when I realized just how subjective top lists are. I'm a huge believer of everything on a scale of 1 through 10 and I love Top Howevermany lists, but they're always evolving... and that's awesome.

Groundhog Day is without a doubt one of my favorite movies of all-time, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention it, but for whatever the reason, it didn't make my Top 10 when I wrote this list. I stand by my list, but I have to mention other movies I love that didn't make it like Rudy, Clerks., The Replacements, Swingers, Say Anything, Cool Hand Luke, Anchorman, and more... and more... and more...

This top list has been an absolute blast to make. For the past three months, I've tried to post a new movie every Sunday, and while I've missed a Sunday here and there, I'm thrilled with how this list came out. Now, I need another feature for Sunday's. I'd love your help coming up with one.

High Fidelity is my favorite movie of all-time. No question about it in my mind. I love John Cusack movies... I love romantic comedies... I've had problems with love... this movie was just the absolute perfect match for me.

Cusack plays a mid-30s record store owner named Rob. He's an audiophile, owns a vintage record store in Chicago and just broke up with his long-term girlfriend. Rob feels stuck in the world and is dying for something different, he just doesn't know what.

After his break up with his girlfriend Laura, Rob looks back on his Top 5 break-ups to look back on where he's gone wrong in the past... to, you know, maybe feel better about things or to learn from past mistakes. Seeing Rob's take on his past relationships is nothing short of brilliant because as a viewer you see both sides of the coin... the blunt truth of what actually happened contrasting with the glorification/vilification of girlfriends past.

What is as at the heart of the movie is the question: Does Rob really love Laura? It's such a simple question and that's part of what makes this movie beautiful. The movie is based off such a simple premise and uses what we've all going through as the story

High Fidelity is a romantic comedy, so I doubt I'm going to spoil much for you by saying that the ending of the movie is fairly obvious... but I love the take that the story tells. Rob and Laura don't live happily ever after... at least, I don't think they do. ...but they are happy right now... and there isn't nearly enough said about that.

As human beings we turn over a lot of stones for the chance to find the one we're supposed to be with... the other half of us. What this movies serves as a reminder of to me is that this world is so big that if we try to live it all at once, nothing happens much at all. We need to cherish the simple moments and the bigger picture will evolve from there.

As the movie closes, Rob turns up his stereo and the music fades into the end credits... a beautiful Stevie Wonder tune into one of my favorite quotes...

"I believe when I fall in with you it'll last forever..."

At the core of me, I'm an optimist... I know my moment is out there somewhere... I just have to let it happen.

COTW - Sweet Baby James

2009-05-30T15:38:00.000-04:00

Simply beautiful.

The Weekday That Was

2009-05-28T12:47:00.006-04:00

After another day of toiling in through way too part-time work, I experience a fun day of relaxing sport. My buddy Chris, and his seemingly never-ending supply of golf gift certificates treated me to a birthday related day of golf. After another day of toiling in through way too part-time work, I experience a fun day of relaxing sport. My buddy Chris, and his seemingly never-ending supply of golf gift certificates treated me to a birthday related day of golf.

We played at Hudson Hills, the newest County course, and an experience unlike the other county courses I've played. They're trying to make it a public course with a bit of a country club feel with a swanky clubhouse, incredible carts with the ability to pinpoint all other carts in the area and showing the day's baseball scores, and a couple of kids right near the front ready to carry your bags or clean your clubs.

We paid for twilight which usually limits you to 9 holes, but since the course was mostly dead, we got in 15 holes... we definitely could have gotten 18 in, but we both decided to pack it in.

Not bad for a Wednesday afternoon...

After grabbing a quick bite to eat for dinner, I get a call to go bowling with BRK HOUSE and some lovely ladies... who am I to turn this down.

Bowling is always a blast... we have to start going way more than we currently do.

So, the first game, we're all getting our bearings... I bowled a 106 for the win, Erin bowled a close 106... and Ollie choked, getting only one pin in the last frame to tie for last (well, I guess you can point out at least he garnered a tie for last).

I was glad I won the first game, but I was really hoping to do better the second game... though, I wasn't completely sure that was possible.

I started my turn with the same routine I always try to do... right toe on the second dot from the left (...though, sometimes, the far right dot...), hold my feet should length apart, and I bend my knees twice to remind myself to get low... and I threw a strike... awesome.

My next throw is fired on a bee-line to the left pocket... two-in-a-row! Sweet! My third throw got a little away from me, but it got enough away that it hit the right pocket perfectly for a turkey! Now, I'm rolling...

My fourth throw... spot on! I've already got myself thinking... 1/3rd of the way to a perfect game!

My fifth frame ball felt great coming out of my hand... I thought it hit the pocket right, but alas, it wasn't meant to be. The fifth and sixth fames I hit nice spares to keep the mark streak going. In the seventh frame, I hit another strike!

In the eight frame, I missed a makeable spare to end my mark streak... but I come right back with a strike in the ninth and a strike to start the tenth frame. My second ball in the tenth left me with a 4-6 split. With my last ball, I rolled it better than I wanted to, straight up the right gutter, hitting the 6 pin on the outside to shoot towards the 4 pin, and just missed it!

I bowled a 220. I bowled one of the best games in my life and I haven't been bowling consistently in over a decade... I'm not sure how it happened, but I was on a roll... pun intended! I threw seven strikes, and as crazy as it sounds, I could scored a lot higher. But, believe me, I'll take it... especially when I have a hard time breaking 100 again the next time we go.

Greatest. Picture. Ever.

2009-05-25T22:21:00.001-04:00

The Weekend That Was

2009-05-25T15:16:00.004-04:00

This was a really fun, great weekend.

Friday was a really chillax day. I wanted to spend the night saving my energy before the big day Saturday morning. Ryan and Brian came over at 9ish and we caught most of the Cavs/Magic game. The Magic looked poised to take a 2-0 lead on Team LeBron before The King hit a clutch three to pretty much save any chance of the series for Cleveland. Last night's loss put the Cavs right behind the 8 ball again, which makes tomorrow night's Game 4 the most interesting game of the season thus far.

Saturday morning brought the big day... The Ultimate Challenge. I captained my Phantom Warhorses on the field of battle against the tri-captained TEAM BRK HOUSE. Brimming with confidence before the events began, the first contest did little to stop BRK's burgeoning momentum.

TEAM BRK HOUSE won the opening coin toss and chose the Punt/Pass competition to start the day. The Phantom Warhorses took a slight 11-10 lead after the passing event only to see that score equaled by TEAM BRK HOUSE in the punting competition. Tied at 21-21, TEAM BRK HOUSE won the tiebreaker my posting the longest pass and punt when each team had one attempt at each. Ollie of BRK emerged as the superstar of this event with a 72-yard punt and most of the longest throws of the competition. TEAM BRK HOUSE leads The Ultimate Challenge 1-0.

Already on the large grass field at Lincoln High, The Phantom Warhorses chose the event in which they felt they had the greatest advantage: 3-on-3 Flag Football. The Warhorses strength on the gridiron revolved around the touch passing and smarts of d$ at QB, with the speed and intensity of Paz and Provs at the wideouts and corners. TEAM BRK HOUSE had a clear strength and size advantage over the Phantom Warhorses, but the team speed of the Warhorses won out. The Warhorses sprung out to a 6-0 lead after the first four passes from TEAM BRK HOUSE were intercepted... three of which were snagged by the tenacious D of Provs. After the changing of ends, TEAM BRK HOUSE converted a 3rd-and-long into a big touchdown to Kenzo, but after another trading of scores and another BRK turnover, flag football was called after a 9-2 score. The Ultimate Challenge tied at 1-1.

Reeling from a tough defeat, TEAM BRK HOUSE decided to slow things down with buckets in the Team H-O-R-S-E competition. Three individual match-ups, best 2-of-3 format. To lead it off, The Phantom Warhoses chose Paz to go against BRK's Kenzo. Paz attempted a lot of fancy layups and shots that allowed the Warhorses to take a 1-0 lead in the H-O-R-S-E competition. Next, Provs and Ryan faced off in what proved to be the closest contest of this event. Both men struggled to make shots, but Provs was able to muster a H-O-R-S to H-O-R lead. Ryan was able to post the last two letters to his opponent to tie up the event for TEAM BRK HOUSE. The rubber match for this event pitted d$ (me) against Ollie. Knowing Ollie was a decent-to-solid shooter combined with the fact that my low post offense would be difficult to replicate, I quickly wore down Ollie in a flame of bank shots. The Phantom Warhorses lead The Ultimate Challenge 2-1.

Paz was very confident in the Warhorses ability to take the 3-on-3 basketball event, so that was the next event chosen. Possibly reeling from two straight convincing defeats, TEAM BRK HOUSE went down 10-1 in the basketball event. After a short break, TEAM BRK HOUSE went on a run to cut the lead to 11-7. At 13-9 Warhorses, both teams were running out of gas. TEAM BRK HOUSE upped the intensity and were beginning to take control. The Warhorses got the lead to game point at 14-11, only to see TEAM BRK HOUSE rally to gain a game-point advantage of their own at 15-14, their first and only lead of the game. On the back of Paz, The Phantom Warhorses were able to net the final three points of the game for a 17-15 win. The Phantom Warhorses lead The Ultimate Challenge 3-1.

The basketball event took a lot out of all of us. After a rest and plenty of fluids, none of us could get to the level we needed to continue The Challenge that day, so the event was suspended at least until next weekend. The Phantom Warhorses lead 3-1 with the Running Bases Relay, Seven Inning Wiffleball game, and the possible deciding dodgeball events still on the board. The Warhorses know the challenge still laid in front of them in the force that is TEAM BRK HOUSE... this lead will not be taken lightly. Stay tuned next week for the recap of the conclusion of The Ultimate Challenge.

Yesterday was a Memorial Day Eve BBQ that also served as a graduation party of sorts. It was great to share a great day with family and friends. I'm appreciative of my friends and family who were able to attend... it was a great time and a great way to cap the weekend.

One week from now, I turn 25... quarter-life crisis, Ladies and Gentlemen. I'm still not sure what I want to have planned for next weekend, but we'll see. Maybe karaoke, maybe a Met game, maybe just a chill hang... ::shrug::

As always, thanks for being a part of the ride... NBL

The Ultimate Challenge: Just 13 Hours Before...

2009-05-22T21:15:00.002-04:00

I consider myself lucky in a lot of ways. I graduated college in the last six months, something I would dreamed as an impossibility just a few years ago. I'm closer with my family now than I have been in my entire life. And I have close friends that I'm able to share the important moments with... both trivial and not. Count tomorrow in the trivial column.

The men I share the field with tomorrow I consider some of the closest friends I have. I've known Ryan for almost nine years now, meeting at a summer job, sharing a waning appreciation of wrestling and making fun of the variety of crazies that fancied that club. Brian and Kenny I haven't known as long, but it's hard to believe it's been well over a year and a half now since we first met, sharing the field of battle as El Fuego. Although we had trouble posting victories in the win column, the flag football team allowed me to meet a lot of good men I otherwise would not have known. Brian and Kenny are great competitors, good men, and will provide a daunting challenge for me and my team tomorrow.

In October of 2003, I was at troubled young man of 19 years of age. My mind was a wreck, my life was in shambles, and I got a call to interview for a job at Starbucks. I didn't take it seriously... I didn't drink coffee, I didn't want to work retail... it just wasn't where I wanted to be. But the next 18 months shaped the rest of my life. I met two men that I consider the best friends I have. Me and Paz shared a love of the Mets, classic wrestling, and the stupidity of working retail before the quarter-life crisis. Provs has had a profound love and understanding of music that drew me to him as a friend from the start. My first month at Starbucks I had an extra ticket to see Mayer at the Garden and, despite not knowing his music at all, he went with me. That's something I've never forgotten. The three of us have shared ballgames, and VT days, and Odds-Evens Challenges, and a lot more. When my father passed in September 2004, many of my Starbucks co-workers, led by Andrew and Chris, attended my father's wake. They knew me less than a year and for them to show that kind of respect for my father and caring for me is something I remember fondly. In the five years since, we've traveled along different paths, but we still share fantasy leagues, keep in touch via texts, and unbreakable friendships. I know from this moment through to the future, whatever I need, they will be there. Win or lose, whatever frustrations arise tomorrow, Andrew, Chris and myself are more than Phantom Warhorses... we are friend.

Tomorrow, there will be trash talked and tensions at a high... each event building the tension. I write this as a remind to myself to remember this is just a fun Saturday in early spring with five men whose friendship I value greatly. Whoever wins, I will shake their hand, look them in the eye, and tell them "Good job... Great job."

Brian, Ryan, Kenny, Andrew, Chris... tomorrow, it will be an honor and a pleasure to share the field of competition in something I hope will be, at the very least, an annual tradition. As a group, I believe we're only the beginning of something I believe will be something special... something we'll continue to do for years.

TEAM BRK HOUSE... I wish you the absolute best of luck.

Phantom Warhorses... let's just have some fun.

***All the gory details from the festivities by Monday***

Seriously... the last one...

2009-05-21T17:28:00.005-04:00

Last training montage/video here...

Alright... seriously... we had way too much fun doing this. TEAM BRK HOUSE... let's have fun Saturday. Either way... it's gonna be a blast.

The Phantom Warhorses Promo

2009-05-20T22:57:00.002-04:00

Go to the video here.

The Ultimate Challenge

2009-05-19T22:55:00.001-04:00

The Phantom Warhorses
d$
Provs
Paz

TEAM BRK HOUSE
Brian
Ryan
Kenny

The Events
Wiffleball
Running Bases Relay
3-on-3 Basketball
H-O-R-S-E
3-on-3 Football
Punt/Pass Contest
...and the tiebreaker...
Best-of-7 Dodgeball

The Weekend That Was

2009-05-18T19:00:00.005-04:00

Big weekend for d$ and the d$maniacs.

So, I graduated college. Well, I graduated in December, but I participated in the ceremony on Friday. It was a lot of fun... seeing my closest friends from Purchase, sharing the moment with my family, and running into friendly faces I haven't seen in a long time. I'm going to miss my 'true' college experience as I try to move to the next stage... I'm ready.

Two-thirds of B-R-K came over serendipitously came over right as the Travel Channel was showing Extreme Pigouts... incredibly fascinating. While initially suggested by Ollie, 45 minutes of killer food led us directly to Candlelight...

...and another great meal was had. Candlelight is so amazing... I hope this will always be my consummate meal choice for the next few decades. After a great meal, we hung out at a dead Burke's for a round, then spent the rest of the night at Rory's... always a good time.

Softball yesterday afternoon was incredible. We swept the doubleheader... 12-5 and 13-2... in the first game, my first two swings, I hit a grand slam and a two-RBI double. ::nods:: Very cool. Andrew's pitching was awesome... the team as a whole is coming together... we're 4-2. Next game in two weeks... I love softball on Sundays.

So, this weekend was pretty awesome... next weekend? Even. Better.

Next Saturday? The still-yet-to-be-named Heptathlon. Next Sunday? Family/semi-Graduation BBQ... you're more to welcome to come by. Good food, good times... hope to see you there.

'Til next time... NBL

#10 - Serendipity (2001)

2009-05-17T13:58:00.005-04:00

What if you had the perfect night with your other half, but you leave without knowing her name, her number or anything about them? That's the question Serendipity poses.

John Cusack has made a career as the king of the romantic comedy. People may scoff at the acting chops of Cusack, but he's the best in a very popular genre and has shown the ability to perform well in other roles. Serendipity shows what makes Cusack so damn likable.

Cusack plays a character named, well, Jon. A younger version of Jon meets a beautiful young British lady as they are both shopping for their beau's at Christmastime. Taking a liking to each other and sharing a frozen hot chocolate, they resign to the fact that this was one special night. After departing, Jon realizes he has forgotten his scarf on the cool winter night and finds Sarah who forgot what forgotten something herself.

The pair continue their night, but decide that fate doesn't want them to be together at that time. They both put their name and number on objects released into the world... if they get the others information, that's fate's way of letting them know its time.

Flashforward 10 years to the heart of the story. Although unrealistic, the message of belief and hope is one that has stayed with me from the first time I saw this movie. There is something beautiful in the knowledge that one day you will find your other half in the world... without it, I don't know where I'd be.

Until then, I sit... waiting... for my other half to complete me.

COTW - Peace. Love. Understanding.

2009-05-16T15:08:00.002-04:00

College Graduate

2009-05-15T19:15:00.000-04:00

I'm lucky in a lot of ways, not the least of which is having a great family around as I celebrate the special moments of my life. There was a time not long ago that I ever thought I'd get my college degree, but I did it. Thank you to all my family and friends for helping me along the journey, and as I continue it in to graduate school and finding stable employment. I can't believe WCC and Purchase are in my past. Four years went by all too fast.

Phantom Warhorses ... Are Coming Atcha!

2009-05-14T19:41:00.002-04:00

The Heptathlon To Be Named

2009-05-13T18:25:00.004-04:00

Alright, maniacs... we're getting a little further in depth into the "First Annual Heptathlon To Be Named." Seriously, we're working on a much better title...

Since, we decided to split the six of us participating in to teams, we're going three men a side with the longer friendships comprising the teams.

The team comprising of Starbucks Alumni who I have known since the Fall of 2003 will be known as the Phantom Warhorses. Why? I'm not sure... but it's incredibly badass. As Captain of the Phantom Warhorses, I would like to introduce my teammates.

Coming in at an undisclosed height, with an undisclosed weight, with an indeterminate birthday, is my buddy Chris. I'm very proud and happy to have Provs as a part of this team. What he lacks in height, he makes up with a combination raw determination, heart, and fearlessness. Provs has no give in him whatsoever and will be the backbone to the team.

If Provs is the heart and backbone to this team, then Paz is the soul and speed. Coming in at 5'7 and 142lbs, Paz might not be the biggest dog in the fight, but he's the hardest worker I have ever come across. He might not be the most physically imposing athlete, but is certainly one of the most cerebral. The combination of his thoughtful play with his physical abilities will make him an true asset to the Warhorses.

As (self-appointed) Captain, I bring natural athletic skill despite obvious size and physical limitations. Depsite coming in at 6'2 and 287lbs, I possess a natural finess that's hard to find in a man my size. The Warhorses, when seperated are all capable athletes, but with out powers combined, we are a difficult to beat force of pure animal sexuality... or something like that. I am proud to share a sideline with Paz and Provs, two of the finest men I have come across. Through victory or defeat, I consider these men two of my best friends on Earth... men I can always depend upon. This bond will do nothing but strength of ability to win the "Heptathlon To Be Named."

Our opponents are an unnamed, uncolored, faceless enemy comprised of Brian, Ryan and Kenny. While men of impeccable taste and immeasurable charm, they are destined to face the uncontrolable buzzsaw that are the Phantom Warhorses. Gentlemen... you've been warned.

As for the events, we decided on seven as a nod to your classic spring/autumn Best-of-Seven series. The first six will be chosen alternately by these teams:

Wiffleball. The two teams will compete in a classic Wiffleball game. Rules to be determined.

Running Bases Relay. Your classic relay race in the form of running the bases. The event will be timed. The race ended as the third teammate touches home plate. Fastest times wins.

3-on-3 Flag Football game. More than likely played to a score instead of timed, winner of this event will be the first to reach a set amount of touchdowns.

Pass/Kick. More than likely the closest thing to a track and field event in the form of a football event. Each member of a team will have a set amount of attempts to throw and kick a ball a maximum distance. Only the longest attempt for each participant will count. The combined distance for all members of a team will win this event.

3-on-3 Basketball Game. Depending on when this event takes place, this game certainly has the potential to get pretty chippy. Again, more than likely played to a score rather than timed.

Around the World/H-O-R-S-E/Knockout. We haven't decided for sure yet, but your classic basketball kids game.

...and the agreed upon seventh event, if applicable...

Dodgeball. Since we are two three man teams, one game of dodgeball for all the marbles is certainly silly. A Best-of7 Dodgeball to determine the winner of the Heptathlon To Be Named is the only way to determine the Inaugural Champion of this event.

More details to come...