March 29, 2011 - The Universal Sigh Line

When I walked outside for lunch around 12:30, I saw a long line of people outside the next block's Dean & Deluca. I assumed it was some type of free giveaway and figured it was food related (like coffee or something.) I asked a couple people at work if they knew what it was, but nobody I talked to knew anything.

When I finally had the chance to do some real "research" (ie - search Google,) it took me awhile (ie - more than 2 minutes) but I eventually came across a funny post on the blog Thought Catalog and discovered the line was Radiohead related - cool! The freebie was a newspaper of short stories, poetry etc called "The Universal Sigh." With that info, I quickly found another website that actually links to a pdf version if you're interested in taking a look.

March 28, 2011 - Birthday Steak

My friend John took me out for a belated birthday dinner & of course we went for steak - it has been our tradition for over 10 years! It all started with a bet we had when we shared an office at Columbia House. He bet me that Lauryn Hill's album (she is ex Fugee person #1) would never be as successful on the Billboard charts as Wyclef's album (he is ex Fugee person #2.) The prize was dinner at Peter Luger's (the famous steakhouse in Brooklyn.)

Now, the thing you all need to know is that John's nickname was "Chartboy," because he knew them backwards and forwards, and normally was never wrong about stuff like this... except this time - I won, hooray! But, we never ended up finding a good time to go to Peter Luger's and somehow my prize became a birthday dinner for me at a different steakhouse. When John's birthday rolled around, it seemed like a fun idea to treat him at another steakhouse and so the tradition began. Since then, we've pretty much managed to hit a different place twice a year for more than a decade.

This dinner was at Benjamin Steakhouse and it was delicious. Coincidentally, the chef (who is one of the restaurant's founders,) spent over 20 years at Peter Luger's so it was a nice piece of trivia to bring it all back around to the beginning.

March 27, 2011 - I Feel Like Chicken Tonight

I made enchiladas for dinner and cooked up some cilantro-lime chicken for the filling. This is a shot of it just before I shredded it up, but I kind of wanted to eat it on its own! Luckily (for my food craving needs,) the other half of the batch is in the fridge for snacking.

March 26, 2011 - Run, Howard, Run

I wanted to practice taking action shots with my new camera and needed to find a good subject... Oh!

March 25, 2011 - Tap Project

I'd never heard about this before, but Tom & I had dinner at the Farm and they were promoting Unicef's Tap Project. It's an effort to provide clean drinking water to children around the world, this year the fund targets Togo, the Central African Republican and Vietnam.

The whole concept seems like a great idea - ask restaurant patrons to donate an extra $1 or more for the tap water they usually enjoy for free. The campaign is over for now, but you can find out more or make a contribution on their website: http://www.tapproject.org

March 24, 2011 - The Royal Couple

There was a ton of excitement in the office today because we received a life-size cutout of the royal couple. (It was fun watching various people pose for pictures next to the prince and princess-to-be... there was a lot of giggling involved.)

March 23, 2011 - The Book of Mormon

Tom and I went to see the last preview of the new Broadway show "The Book of Mormon" - it was laugh out loud fantastic. It's from the South Park guys so I wasn't too surprised at how funny it was, but it really is a solid show from start to finish with great songs and a fun story. See it!

March 22, 2011 - Gratuitous Photo

I didn't have a photo yet for the day, so I asked Foxy to get in a chair for a sec. Voilà.

March 21, 2011 - Leg Warmers

No - not the '80s kind, the pug kind.

March 20, 2011 - Oh, That Smile

It's not often I get a really good smile picture of Huckleberry, but it sure is sweet when it happens!

March 19, 2011 - Park Ducks

It was a BEAUTIFUL day, so I took the dogs for a long walk in Prospect Park. Of course there were tons of people enjoying the great weather, but there were also of course lots of ducks and other birds enjoying the lake. All three dogs really wanted to "say hi" to this group by the water's edge, but we kept a respectful distance away from them.

March 18 - Hucky's Island

Hucky (and his baby) decided to rest on the dog bed while I was getting ready. It was too cute to resist.

March 17, 2011 - Control vs Chaos

Here's a fairly typical scene at the house... Hucky sitting perfectly still, "protecting" doughnut baby from Foxy and Howard's wild thrashing. It's not strange for this to go on for extended periods of time and usually ends when Foxy decides she's had enough.

March 16, 2011 - Neighborhood Liquor Store

This is Elehas's, our neighborhood liquor store. It's not always a good sign when a liquor store has to buzz you in (and out) the door, but these folks are very nice. Our favorite thing about shopping here is that instead of saying, "Thank You," or "See You Soon," or even just "Have a Nice Day," the typical goodbye from them is... "Good Luck." It's brilliant.

March 15, 2011 - Whiteboard

I was in a meeting and we used a whiteboard to brainstorm requirements and questions for a new analysis project. I took pictures afterwards to send around to the group since none of us wanted to transcribe them immediately. Here's one section that's totally shareable (sorry, no company insights)... kind of silly but also lucky because it can count as my photo for the day!

March 14, 2011 - The Platform at Broadway/Lafayette

This is a shot of the platform as I wait for my train home after work (and finger therapy.) I did not get on the F you can see entering on the left, I waited a couple more minutes for the B which ends up being faster I think. It's important to know the alphabet when you ride the NY subway.

March 13, 2011 - Foxy, Queen of the Patio

Foxy's new favorite spot in our backyard is on top of our patio table. It's my fault she's doing this because I've been having her get up there when I brush her (it's much easier than me bending down.) Hopefully she will understand it's not acceptable behavior once we start actually using the table for food!

March 12, 2011 - Spring Is Coming!

Yay! (from our front yard)

March 11, 2011 - Sturbridge Herb Knowledge

I know it's hard to read, but this picture is basically of an old-timey list of uses for various herbs as recommended by a place called Old Sturbridge Village. The print hangs in the Farm's bathroom & I think it's a fun read, but I didn't realize until now that the village is actually a real place in Massachusetts - and it sounds very cool. According to Wikipedia, OSV is the largest living museum in New England. It covers 200 acres and recreates rural New England life between the 1790s-1830s. Neat!

Of course, I just asked Tom if he knew it was a real place, and he tells me he went there when he was a kid (his mom was a teacher, so vacations usually had an educational component to them!) He surprisingly isn't saying anything about it despite my further questions, but that might be because he has gone back to the nap he was taking when I started writing this post.

March 10, 2011 - How-weird!

I got a new camera and was playing around with the settings while taking pictures of Howard. This shot (almost) caught him for a second... but he was too speedy and disappeared while I was shooting! He's like a ghost - spooky!

March 9, 2011 - McGraw-Hill

This is 1221 Avenue of the Americas, The McGraw-Hill Building. It is where I worked for 10 years while at Columbia House from 1995-2005 and it was the location of an online publishers social media event I just attended.

I thought it was fun to go back for a visit and it's basically the same as I remember it. Of course I knew that that some things had changed... Yips, the gross chinese fast food place where I ate practically every day for years was long gone; as was the Strawberry's where Pamela, and Sheila Hutchinson from The Emotions shopped while their sister Wanda came up to our office to meet ME after a wonderful phone interview I did with them for a Columbia House mailing at some point. But, I did recognize somebody who worked in the building, and I still think the big metal triangle - seen above - in the courtyard is pretty awesome (it's sides align with both solstices - cool!)

March 8, 2011 - The New R.E.M.

I downloaded the new R.E.M. album "Collapse Into Now" and I LOVE IT! Of course I'm not too surprised because I've pretty much loved everything they've done since I first heard them 25 years ago. Yes, I came a little late to their party, but I caught up quickly and there's no other band I've emotionally connected with so consistently for that long.

FYI - the new album reminds me a lot of their 1996 album "New Adventures In Hi-Fi" which is still one of my favorites (and I can't believe IT is already 15 years old - yikes!)

March 7, 2011 - Mine!

Foxy and Howard playing their favorite game. (Notice how Howard positions himself on the ottoman to try and get the height advantage!)

March 6, 2011 - Pork Butt

I saw the folk on America's Test Kitchen cook a bone-in pork butt the other day and I decided I had to try it. All I can say is... WINNER (duh!) The boyz were of course very interested too, but they had to settle for smells.

Here are the basics of I made it - I covered the meat with equal parts salt & brown sugar and let it sit in the fridge overnight. The next day, I added some pepper and stuck it in the oven at 325 for about 6 hours. The meat had to rest for another hour after it came out, and 15 minutes after that I was feeling pork-love. If you want the real recipe, go to americastestkitchen.com and register for free - it's a great site!

PS - in case you don't know, a pork butt is actually the same thing as a pork shoulder (it's not a pig's actual butt!)

March 5, 2011 - Howard Likes Babies

Our friend Ellen came over with her baby, Henrietta, and Howard was completely fascinated with everything about her. Since Howard is usually the one sitting in laps, and is the the only one of our dogs that doesn't mind getting carried, and Henrietta was about his size, I think he might have just been confused about exactly what she was.

March 4, 2011 - Opera Rules

This is Tom showing me the rules at the Met. Unfortunately I broke them with this photo, but I got away with it (phew!) We went to see Lucia di Lammermoor featuring Natalie Dessay and her performance was absolutely spectacular... I can honestly say that I've never clapped more enthusiastically at any opera - she was magnificent. And, this was our 2nd time seeing this production (also with Ms Dessay) but this blew the first one away. She did crazy the way it was supposed to be done - hooray!

March 3, 2011 - Winston!

Another fun thing about my office... dogs! This is Winston who has been a special guest there for the past few days. Tom says he looks like an Affenpinscher (which I'm guessing is correct) & in person he's a very sweet little guy and very funny looking - his little twig legs are kind of wobbly and make me laugh.

March 2, 2011 - Just For Fun

I love that I work in a place where I can see this glass drying in the kitchen... enjoy!

March 1, 2011 - My Precious

One ring to rule them all - don't touch my doughnut!!
(start the Psycho music)

February 28, 2011 - Hudson Yards

Tom and I went to a party at Hudson Yards, a bar over by the Javits Center. Its owner used to own Chelsea Commons where our friend EQP used to tend bar, and where I spent many a night having fun. This new incarnation doesn't have quite the same feel, but a lot of the faces were familiar - and the nachos were still awesome!

February 27, 2011 - The Renaissance Street Singers

Tom and I went to see the Renaissance Street Singers perform in the lobby of our friends Vin & Carlos's building. The group has been performing free street concerts of a cappella 15th and 16th century music since 1973 and they were very interesting to watch. Plus, Carlos arranged the whole thing, so we were glad to show support, do something a little off the beaten path, and have a chance to catch up with friends all at the same time.

If you are interested in learning more about the singers - visit their website: www.streetsingers.org