Adam Rants

10/20/10

2010-10-21T15:23:00.000-07:00

Immediately following our wedding, I spotted a group of guys gathered in China Town. They were playing a game similar to hackey-sack (footbag) but they were using this extremely unique object. I joined them and we had around a half dozen "full hacks"

The Birthplace of Cheyenne

2010-07-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

Friends, Romans, countrymen.......... Lend me your ears. This famous speech from William Shakepeare's 'Julius Ceasar' utilizies the 'rule of three'. The same rule you must follow in order to get to the island of Capri off the coast of Italy. Plane, Train, Boat. One can also substitute a car in there somewhere, or perhaps a bike, but this is not my point. In fact, i dont even have a point! This is merely a RANT.

So without further ado, I would like to welcome everyone back to 'Adam Rants'..... The worlds most idiosyncratic blogosphere.

Oh, and the title 'The Birthplace of Cheyenne' has absolutely nothing to do with this rant, it is just something that popped into my head in the shower before i wrote this. I have also listed some interesting facts about the Cheyenne Indians below.

-Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming.
-The Cheyenne are a Native American people of the great plains who are part of the Algonquian language family.
-The Cheyenne is formed into ten bands spread across the great plains from southern Colorado to the Black Hills in South Dakota (where Lewis and Clark found them in 1804) at the same time they created a centralized structure through ritual ceremonies, such as the Sun Dance.

Stay Tuned for more tales from Capri.

Where is the Love?

2009-11-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

Stones for Change is foundation that supports artisan miners and fair trade stones. This is a new organization that sells minerals and jewelry that is made from ethically sourced gemstones, and then donates profits to the poverty stricken communities in which they came from.

In essence, this organization supports positive change through ethically sourced minerals, and donates proceeds to mining communities around the world. One of the first projects of this foundation involves raising money for Nurturing Minds, a school for young women of Tanzania, Africa.

The idea behind this project is to provide education and build schools for this community. Ideally because educated girls will have a better life and economic opportunities, bring up healthier families, and better manage their natural resources.

Nurturing Minds is a non-profit organization established in January 2007 by Polly Dolan, who also established SEGA (Secondary Education for Girls' Advancement).

Jewelry made from ethically sourced minerals coming soon! The beautiful gold necklace is available, along with the garnets. Contact us for any questions.

TROUT FARMER

2009-01-08T19:08:00.001-08:00

It all started with a thought. A mental painting if you will. But my imagination could never have created such a masterpiece. The conclusion of our trip to florida will forever change our lives, and make it seem, "meant to be".

And to think, it all happened outside of the Jupiter Movie theater in florida. I remember my cousin Paul telling me about the movie "Doubt" when Gabi and I went to go see it. Great acting by Merril Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman, and what happened after the movie left me with an uneasy feeling of "Doubt"

As usual, it is imperative that Gabi visit every pet store within view, so "Precious Puppy's" was no different. We were both immediately drawn to the brown and white spaniel in the baby crib. The dog was laying on it's back, and i remember thinking "She looks exactly like Sammy!" (The dog I had growing up) The puppy was unusually docile, and her azur blue eyes were hypnotizing. And just like every other puppy store we went into before, we walked out empty handed. I ran through the generic list of excuses why we weren't ready to get a dog, and we were on our way.

The first three days of the trip, Gabi and I rode bicycles to Starbucks, and planned our day. The agenda usually involved sun and food. I remember Gabi saying "Isn't it funny how humans revolve around eating"

We had planned to go fishing new years day, but the captain of our boat canceled the day before. I made a few calls, and soon after we had reservations to go fishing that friday. We left the house about 7 am, and headed to Flamingo Bay: Everglades National Park. We boarded the 22 ft. fishing boat and had our rods in the water by 10 am. No Bites! It took about two hours before we even had a nibble. But then gabi reeled in two lizard fish in a row. The captain said "this isn't good" He called this situation "Dead Bottom". We were having a great time, so the lack of fish didn't break our spirits. Plus Gabi had already won the bet! (If she caught the first two fish, we would buy the puppy we saw the previous day) Then, it happened, Gabi's rod completely bent over, and the captain screamed "You got a shark! don't let go!" The shark circled the boat, and put up quite a fight. Finally, the captain secured the "Bonnet-Head Shark" and brought it on the boat for a picture. As this was happening, i pulled my first fish in. It was a beautiful Sea Trout, and soon after I caught a Tarpon. The captain said it was extremely rare to catch Tarpon this time of year, and I was dually satisfied with my catch.

TO BE CONTINUED...

OBAMA

2008-12-08T18:19:00.000-08:00

"THE RECAP OF 2008"

This is a picture of E-dog, praying to Allah. Its amazing what converting to Islam can do for your Poker game. Congratulations to E-dog for winning the $12 dollar re-buy, and closing out the year "Champion of the home game" winning the last 3 in a row to finish in a landslide.

I filled up my gas tank the other day for around $30.00.... Its amazing what could happen in one' year

. I started to think about how things were different, and how many amazing things happened this past year. First of all, some of my closest friends have all gotten engaged this past year. Paul & Marni, Andrew and Kate, and most recently, Ethan & Melissa! Mazel Tov.

This time last year Heath Ledger was still alive and the Giants were not yet NFL Champions. The Economy was brighter, and people only whispered of a black president.

At this time last year Michael Phelps did not yet break the all time record for Olympic Medals, and the Leihman Brother's were ready to give out Enormous Christmas Bonuses.

At this time last year Phish was still broken up, and my Girlfriend was not about to move in with me. I am exited for both!

In closing, i would like to take a moment to honor our fallen soldiers of 2008, along with Bernie Mac, Isaac Hayes, Paul Newman, and Dow Jones.

Someone's Coming And I'd Like A Review (by Charlie Horse)

2008-10-12T20:03:00.000-07:00

Is this what I've become? A Nostalgia Act? Have I become a Caricature of myself?

Seriously though, I think it's necessary to put out an email to all my kidzzz because it's exciting as all hell what's going on here. I know a lot has changed for all of us in the last four years, and in many ways, I looked at Phish's break up as a chapter of my life that was over and done with. I guess as the story progresses, it turns out they make a return.

Rumors had been swirling, and in all honesty, I didn't believe a single one of them, only because it was getting so out of hand that it was getting annoying. I ALMOST left PT (phish message board community) for good. But sure enough, Wednesday, October 1st 2008, at 7:21 AM, I was engulfed in the comfort of my Tempur Pedic bed, the windows were open, it was freezing cold and I was toasty warm under my blanket. It was at that precise moment that the phone rang. I look over and see on my caller ID Sonny Thadani. I honestly knew at that very moment what he was going to say. I picked up the phone and he told me the news. I tried for about 30 seconds after the call to go back to sleep, but it just wasn't happening.

The feelings running through me were just insane. They still are to this day. I'm excited but nervous at the same time. My biggest question is "how the hell am I getting into these shows?" Of course I've hashed out every possible option at this point. I've even asked Fatman Scoop, but he's not sure because phish isn't in his genre. I've considered asking Adam where the door with the old lady guarding is that he busted through in 98? Do you think that old lady still sits there?

But I've since calmed down. I'm a much different person now than I was 4 years ago when I walked away from Coventry. My life changed on that very day, you all may recall, I got home and got fired from my job. Ultimately leading me to work in Television. Paul said to me on that day "Justin, don't worry, it's a blessing in disguise" and I'll never forget that. In the long run, Change is good. Even though it can come with some anxiety, I always embrace it, as I will with Phish's return. I am looking forward to hearing a fresh sound from them.

So for the last 3 days of commuting, I've listened to two shows. The first show (6.11.94: Gets me fired up every time) I only got a few songs in, and then I synced my iPhone and it lost it's place. But the second one I've listened all the way through. It's 12.13.97. A weekend where I think I found a big piece of who I am somewhere in the hallways of the Knickerbocker Arena.

As I walked to work this morning, I realized that I should be sharing this show with you guys. So with that said you can download it here:

http://www.sendspace.com/file/fpq7lt

I'm pretty sure the entire show is there. The first set is relatively tame, but that doesn't mean just breeze through it. The Ya Mar opener is probably some of the best rock improvisation from Phish that dwindles down into a tasty funk jam, with mike leading the way. The Tube is pretty incredible as well. The second set of this show is just the heat. I really don't think it can get much smoother than this. If you've never heard this Llama you're missing out. It's so out there and like nothing they ever played. Also this is the famous "Bring in the dude" show...check out Mike's song. It's dark and dirty. The PYITE has some of the best piano work I've heard from Page. The man is just on.

I could go on for days about this show. Download it, listen to it, and let it flow through you. Every time I've had a chance to listen to it I've smiled knowing we'll be able to feel it again. It's been an awesome feeling these last few days knowing its happening. I hold my experiences that surrounded Phish very near and dear. Enjoy!

More shows to come..listen to this one first

"You are not wearing the Ribbon"! ?

2008-09-20T19:14:00.000-07:00

The "Walk" for breast cancer awareness will always remind me of the Seinfeld episode where Kramer is jumped in a ally for "not wearing the ribbon" A small pink ribbon is the symbol for the breast cancer charity, so i was surprised, and mildly concerned when I didn't receive one.

I signed up for the event about a month prior, and planned to walk with my girlfriend Gabriella. The brisk sunday morning turned out to be quite a beautiful day, and the 3 mile walk turned out to be 6, because of our idiot cab driver.

We got in the taxi on 39th ST, and I said to the driver "79th and Central Park West, I think all the drives through the park are closed today, you might wanna go crosstown now" he said "No, its ok" (in a high pitch indian accent) Of coarse when we got there, the park was closed. So."No tip for you!"

We still had to pick up our numbers from race registration, so weaving through all the people was quite a task, and quite smelly. (people really stink sometimes) = /

After getting our numbers, and a blueberry muffin we finally made it to the starting gate. Once we got started Gabi and I had a lot of fun running through the crowds. Dipping and dodging all the people, we finished the race with our hands up in the air.

We grabbed some free water and popcorn, and headed out of the park towards 5th avenue. We then headed to Chelsea Piers to see what kind of activities they had to offer. After perusing the gymnasium and basketball area, we decided to go to the golf range. Gabi was impressed how the balls come up automatically on a tee, and I was impressed how far she hit the ball! 100 balls seemed to go so fast, but we left soon after to grab a bite to eat. The plan was to walk into the city, and find a place to eat brunch. Soon after we found what seemed to be the perfect place. A chic brunch spot in the heart of the meat-packing district called 202. I had an interesting version of a roast beef sandwich, and Gabi had the pancakes! Overall a great day, and no, we weren't harassed for "not-wearing-the-ribbon" =D

Caught In The Rain Part 2:

2008-08-24T18:25:00.000-07:00

From the moment the cab broke down on 34th ST. I knew this would be an epic trip down to florida. Paul and I had to exit the vehicle in the pouring rain, and hail a new cab to the airport. The black clouds on the horizon were so ominous, that a delayed departure seemed imminent. the initial delay was 3 hours, and then wavered as the rain tapered off. There was a complete ground stop at JFK, so we watched the Olympics as we waited. Our flight was initally delayed to midnight, then we found out it was CANCELED.

At this point it was 10:15, thats when I got on the phone with Elizabeth, a Jetblue represenitive. She sounded like a nice old woman, and remained extremely patient with me on the hour-long phone call. We were searching for different flights to florida, so we reserved seats on the 8 a.m. to Ft. Lauderdale. With that; she said to us; "There is a flight leaving in 45 minutes from Laguardia. Can you get there in time?"
Paul and I said "No way" and waited on hold for another 10 minutes. We then leisurly packed up our stuff, and headed for the taxi stand. There we saw the line of 200 people, it was clear we wouldn't be able to make it. So we began waiting on the line. Standing in front of us coincidentally was Kevin Johnson. Paul said hi him, and told me later he was a former Phoenix Sun's point guard, and is running for mayor of Phoenix. Suddenly I had an idea. Cross the road into the departures area, and jump into a cab dropping someone off!
At this point it was 10:40 p.m., and I was on still on the phone with Elizabeth. The computer system was slow because of nation-wide delays, so it took time to process our new reservations. When we crossed through the taxi driver gave us a hard time, but we muscled right in, and told him to go to Manhattan. When we got on the highway, Paul redirected the cab to Laguardia Airport, Looked me in the eye and said "we're makin the flight". Elizabeth told me the flight was now boarding, so we told the taxi driver to "step on it". As we pulled up to the terminal we sprinted for security, and ran through the checkpoint. We didn't even have boarding passes for the same plane, let alone the same airport! We showed security the tickets for the other flight, and told them it was an emergency. He let us through. I was still on the phone as we were running , so I had to pass the phone through the X-ray machine (by staying in contact, Elizabeth was able to keep the reservations on the morning flight, and the reservations on the night. Just in case we missed this' flight, we would still be covered for the morning) . It was a miracle, we got there huffing and puffing, but we boarded immediately! It was unreal. Elizabeth was very happy for us, and said it would make a great story. I plan to send her flowers when we got home.

When we got in to florida Jon and Mitchell picked us up in the "fish car" (Jon's car smelled so bad, after a day of fishing in the Keys =). We drove to West Palm and arrived at the Katz Foundation at about 4:30 a.m. I looked Paul in the eye and said "We made it"

Golf in the morning with Steaks for lunch. We eached used our own mini cuttingboard as a plate. Later we met up with Jonas and the bachelor party for dinner. We ate at one of my favorite seafood shantys "The Rustic Inn". Later that evening I was reintroduced to the awfull poker room at the Hard Rock Casino. I finished the night down $150, before we drove back to West Palm.

The next day we played beach volleyball and swam at the Rock Pool. Overall a great a great afternoon. That night we went out to an Asian Fusion restaurant, and took tequila shots back at the room with Jonas's dad and brothers. We left the casino soon after to catch the Heavy Pets at the Culture Room. Sick show, and overall a great weekend with Jonas!

Oh yea! and the reason for this blog title, is because that saturday, Jon and I had an epic Jog!. If you've ever been running in Florida, in August, you would know, thats its fuckin hot! So it was amazing when it started pouring about a mile away from home. We had to ring out our sox.

E: golf on sunday morn

Summer Tour 1998 recap by: Charlie Horse

2008-08-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Friends,
So I'm feeling inclined to do this, as this is the 10 year anniversary of perhaps the greatest week in my life. It's a long email, take the time to read it. There's some great downlaods in here too, so don't pass up owning these shows.
Summer Tour 98 was just an all around perfect experience. As we started off in Columbia, MD at Merriweather, I think we knew what was in store for the rest of the week. I think that it was 2 days before the show that John Capasso managed to cough up my extra ticket. So on Saturday morning, 8/8/98, Adam, Paul, and myself hoofed it down to MD. We got to the parking lot, and Paul and Adam bought their tickets from a scalper standing at the entrance. I remember they paid the guy a whopping $55 per ticket, which these days is cheap and below face. Needless to say, we were in. I think we were lucky to have found that scalper, as it seemed NOBODY had a ticket to this show.
The show itself is just phenomenal, and we all had a blast. There is a picture that I probably still have somewhere of the three of us, and our faces are melted. I swear. It's funny how Merriweather still to this day goes down as one of the greatest shows phish ever played. What's even better, somehow a soundboard of this show leaked. If you'd like to download it, here it is:

Disk One: http://www.mediafire.com/?brwgetfphjt

Disk Two: http://www.mediafire.com/?ez2ewdjyexd

Disk Three: http://www.mediafire.com/?1edowtlvhxa

Enjoy that show. Rarely does a time come along where such an incredible recording gets released.

The following days were blissful for me. I remember sitting on Andrew's front porch just in awe about how amazing that show was. I'll never forget the day I "Got It" with Phish in Albany of 97. Merriweather was like the second coming of "getting it" for me. I guess you really can't experience something like that from a recording. It stretched far beyond the show itself. It was the start to an amazing week of shows that came along with a few bumps in the road.
Fast forward to 8/12/98. Vernon Downs. We left Closter early that morning. I took out $250 from an ATM, and left my damn card in the machine. Restricting me to $250 to get through the tour. I guess at the time when things were less expensive, we could pull off such a task. Upon arriving at Vernon Downs, we came upon a LONG line of traffic to get into the venue. Of course, as we were overly excited 18 year olds, Paul and Adam wanted to sit on the hood of the truck, while I drove in the traffic. For a regular show, I'd say this was a ridiculous amount of traffic.
I'll never forget this. I put a tape in the player, AC/DC Bag is blasting. Adam and Paul on the hood of the car...the sun is shining and the windows are down. Things couldn't be more perfect, when in my window enters a damn bee. Being that I'd only driven a car a handful of times at that point, I didn't realize that as I was swatting at the bee, I had taken my foot off the brakes, and the car was rolling. Next thing I know I felt a BANG and Look up only to see Adam and Paul looking at me like I'm a total fucking retard through the windshield. That's right, I rear ended the vehicle in front of us. Oh, and speaking of feeling like a retard, it was a short bus....full of retarded kids.
We sat on the side of the road for a good 2 hours. The cops finally showed up and wrote out a police report. The crazy redneck driving the bus was trying to point out damage that just didn't exist. Finally, the officer told me to just go on the bus and apologize to the kids. It was pretty traumatic having to step on a bus and apologize to a bunch of kids who really didn't know what was happening in the first place. But I did it. Whew
So I guess we hit our first bump in the road. Needless to say, Vernon Downs was yet another EXCELLENT show, and incredible experience on top of that. Best Slave ever? Download the show here:

Disk One: http://www.mediafire.com/?5xejn32ggx1

Disk Two: http://www.mediafire.com/?reg1xmumlg4

That night we met up with Jeff Gorsky and crew. Good times. But the next day it was off to Limestone. I guess there's not much to say about amount of driving we did. I mean this place was just SO far away, as we all know. We camped out yet another night. I'll never forget the guy from that camp site telling us that Phish had signed on to do a festival in Limestone for 2 more summers after that one. Could you imagine?
Either way, the next day we got up, and drove a bit more, and got in the line. I guess it was our first time in a line for a festival. We were all very excited, but Paul was so excited that he got out of the car to mingle with the crowd, as Paul likes to do. The line into the Lemonwheel would stop for 15 minutes, and then move a quarter mile. Paul was maybe 20 to 30 cars behind us, when of course the line started to move. We didn't know where Paul was, so of course, we just kept moving. Can't keep the crowd waiting I guess. Just as we're approaching our next stop point, I notice Paul in the side view mirror of the QX4 just running. Birkenstocks in hand, the boy was Forrest Gump. He finally caught up to us, and within a few hours, we were in. However, in a few hours we also hit paul's bump in the road.
Basically, Paul started the first annual, "Fuck myself up at a festival" tradition, which was followed by other injuries at other festivals, such as him burning his finger prints off grabbing the top of a lantern (Why?). He came over at some point just limping. I guess it was running barefoot on hot pavement that caused his feet to blister. We were all pretty shocked. I guess had we known what was in store for future festivals, we probably wouldn't have been very surprised.
It didn't help that we were a good half hour walk from the concert venue. I'll never forget how badly my feet hurt after that festival. But needless to say, Phish capped off their summer tour in grand fashion. The boys were on point, and the festival was overall just an amazing experience all together. My first Festival. Also, it was Andrew's birthday, and if I recall correctly, his first shows? Either way, it was an unbeatable experience. It was SO FREAKIN COLD AT NIGHT THOUGH!! No festival that followed held up the vibe that the Lemonwheel did. I can't speak for the two prior to that one, but I never missed one after that. The music was incredible these two nights. And of course you can download them here:

8.15.98:Disk One: http://www.mediafire.com/?ggzdtyvmzy5

Disk Two: http://www.mediafire.com/?429idbbmf2g

Disk Three: http://www.mediafire.com/?bja3wjbjdhy

8.16.98Disk One: http://www.mediafire.com/?jjd5pjw9bw3

Disk Two: http://www.mediafire.com/?lyzyctp6vjm

Disk Three: http://www.mediafire.com/?hmzwbovj3jj

The music ends, as it always did. The next morning was an interesting one, as Adam's backpack had been stolen from the tent. In that backpack were the key's to the QX4. So we had to somehow get on the horn with a locksmith and get key codes from Adam's mom. How the hell did we even get cell service up there??? It was fucking 1998? Ten years later I don't get service in my apartment in MIDTOWN! Grrr
Finally I think it was Paul who managed to find Adam's ransacked backpack behind a tent about 15 yards away. His money was gone, but they keys remained. Paul and I get in the truck and start bombing down the now empty runway to where Adam was with the locksmith. I'll never forget the feeling of "THANK GOD WE'RE GOING HOME!" So I guess that was bump in the road #3.
We couldn't make it home in Just one night. We stopped at some motel along the way. We decided we all wanted to get lobster since we were in maine. So there were about 12 of us at a table in some random sea food joint. One of the Gorsky Crew smuggled in a bottle of rum, so of course, we ordered 12 cokes. When the waitress brought out the tray full of cokes, she managed to lose her grip and dropped them all over Adam. He was soaked. I guess this was the final bump in the road. I'll never forget the look on Adam's face as he looked up at the waitress and said his first words, "I'll have your biggest lobster please." Adam's meal got comped and we were all on our way the following morning.
We made it home in one piece, however, I don't think life could ever be the same after such an experience. And I guess what I'm getting at is that it was probably the best time of my life. In many ways I knew it was at the time. I had my closest friends with me, and we had some amazing shows to top it off. It was never the same after that. Sure we all had fun, but more people started jumping on the wagon. And while it was fun with them too, it wasn't the perfect mix that I think we all had that summer.
I'm happy that 10 years down the line I can honestly say this was the best time I've ever had in my life. Really nothing can beat it. We had the world to ourselves, in the transition between graduating high school and starting college. If I could turn the clock back, I'd do it again in a heart beat. I'm just happy I had you guys to share in the experience.
Happy Anniversary Best Week EVER
::Cue "Wonder Years" Music::
Justin

Erronious Watermelon Intermezzo

2008-08-07T20:38:00.000-07:00

If you are not familiar with "Congee", I suggest you go out and try it. Congee is a hearty Chinese poridge made from leftover rice. The specific location of China you are in will dictate the other fresh ingredients which make up the soup. This evening Jordan and I (the geinus behind awkward face McGhee) went to Congee Village in Chinatown. The only way to describe the restaurant, is like you are living inside the video game guitar hero. Colors and sounds flying in every which direction. I felt like we made a solid novice order. First Beef Congee of coarse, ribs, dumplings, beef chow fun, and a surprise order of sesame chicken. The food was great, and very cheap. Truly a unique dining experience.

We first entered the restaruant and were told about the 15 minute wait. We had no problem sipping club soda and the colorfull bar, watching the bartender cut up pounds and pounds of fresh melon. We conjured that they must serve the fruit as a complimentary desert. (As do many Chinese restaurants) Halfway through our meal we recieved two slices of watermelon at the table. "Wow" I thought, this must be some sort of intermezzo in order to cleanse our palletes. Jordan and I enjoyed our watermelon as we waited for the entres to come. We then we noticed an awkward look on our waiters face. He pulled the other waitress aside and scolded here for bringing us the accidental watermelon coarse. Hence the "arronious watermelon intermezzo" I kinda liked it.

PEACE GREECE

2008-07-01T19:41:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Athens, still dazed from the long day of travel. 10 hours on the plane can leave you quite disoriented, not to mention the time change. We left at about 4 P.M. eastern standard time, and landed in Greece at about 9 A.M. the next day. After leaving our bags at the Athens Gate hotel, Gabi and I made our initial ascent into the Acropolis.

As we were walking around the ruins, I tried to imagine myself in ancient Greece. Bartering with the common folk; Living without all the modern technology that ails our conscious. The thought that stuck out the most was simply asking someone for the time. Telling time back then was a mere art of estimation. There were no watches . And it probably didn't matter if you were off by and hour or two. The pace of life was so different, that its nearly impossible to imagine living without the simple amenities we all take for granted.

By the second day in Greece I became obsessed with Tzatziki sauce. I think I had it every day on our 8 day excursion. Ingredients: Yogurt, cucumbers, lemon juice, parsley, fresh garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil. So simple..... So delicious.

The first night was probably one of the best nights. We had dinner at this sick restaurant at the highest point in Athens. We had to take a mini uphil train, called a "Feniculare" to get there. We had a good time walking down the mountain in the dark, after dinner. Other than that we watched the changing of the guards, which is one of the main tourist traps . Not impressive. So after a quick stroll through downtown Athens, Gabi and I decided to catch an earlier flight to the island of Santorini. The 15 minute flight was a little shakey, and the landing was even more abrupt.

I was a little nervous in the cab ride from the airport to the hotel. Not seeing one restaurant or store, I remember thinking "We're never leaving the hotel"

Upon check-in, we were given champange, and a tour of the hotel. Beautiful landscapes dotted the multiple pools and complimented the adobe palace. Everything was white, except for our politely purple room of coarse. The mini loft was quite cozy, and definatly grew on me over the week stay.

We walked out of the hotel the minute we got situated. We wanted to explore a little and get a bite to eat. It turns out there is a sick row of restaurants lining the beach, along with shops, bars, and internet cafe's. It wasnt long before we had our daily coffee shop picked out. The island of Santorini is shaped like a hill. Our hotel was located at the bottom of the hill; near the beach. The next day we explored the hilltop area of the island: a town called Fira'. Narrow cobblestone walkways lined the small village with panoramic views of the islands. Our first evening there, we ate seafood at a cliffside restaurant, while overlooking the orange sunset. Mmmmm Saganaki'

The second day there, we decided to rent a boat. It was a huge speadboat call the "Alex Boat" Captain Paulomita took us around on one of the best days I have ever had. He explaind the volcanic history of the island, and showed us the hot springs . Gabi and I went swimming in the merky turquoise bubbley, and we came out stained in yellow sulphur. The captain made us quickly wash off with a shower hose on the back of the boat. I also collected cool pieces of lava when i climbed on the edge of the volcano. Later on I went snorkeling, and collected sea urchins to eat on the boat. I didnt realize you can only eat the females, ufortunately seven out of the seven i brought back, were all males. When I got back from the snorkle, the captain had prepared an authentic Greek meal. He actually had a deep fryer on the boat, and arranged fried tomato balls, crusty wheat bread with tomato and cheese, grape leaves, fried eggplant, and Greek sausage. It was amazing, and so was the homemade wine. Best boat ride ever?

The rest of the trip was spent lounging at the beach, eating chicken Gyros with extra tzatziki. We spent some time at the hotel pool, and played poker by the jacuszzi connected to two other rooms. I want to go back to Greece and see some of the other islands. Its definately more of an attraction than the mainland.

Save The Last Jam

2008-06-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

-I remember turning my back to the stage and raising my phone to my head. I made an attempt to drown out the noise by sealing my index finger to my ear, but Doug E Fresh was just too loud. "Im down on the left side of the stage! I whisper shouted...., hoping Jesse would hear me.

-His immediate arrival to the front row area, seemed to coincide perfectly with the following performance. A Beatles cover band "The Fab Faux" was playing a fabulous rendition of "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except Me and My Monkey" when I heard a voice say: "Why dont we get closer?" I instinctivly followed Jesse.... Jonas and Sam followed me. and Sonny followed the magic.

- As we were all making our way to center stage "While My Guitar Gently Weaps" brought an obvious memory to the Phish friendly crowd. An appetizer sized hint of implied musical coincidence? Eloquent thoughts bounced around in my head, until a vision of the band Phish, materialized.

-The high water mark that remained, after the Phish Wave receded, has left a young generation lost for words, but enthused to overachieve. Addictive fascinations, and unanswered mysteries, still linger in the minds of their once ravenous fanatics. Phish was more than a sound. It was a feeling,,, it was a state of mind. A religious subculture of sorts. The effect of it all still resonates in the musical genre they helped create, and in the souls of their followers.

-Suddenly a familiar face, Trey Anastasio walked out on stage and finished the set with incredible energy, vibrations that were reminicent of the Phish years.

-I was at the first ever Jammy Awards, and this was a great way to celebrate the last. A friend who works at Relix Magazine informed me that the "Jam Band" genre is growing, and is now melding with a larger, POP music award ceremony next year.

PARNI

2008-04-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

This blog is dedicated to my best friends Paul and Marni. They just got engaged during a recent trip to Colorado. I believe he proposed to her, halfway down the mountain while snowboarding. Congratulations.

I believe they also saw The Heavy Pets on their first ever Colorado run. Speaking of the Pets, this past weekend was incredible. Their new drummer Jamie Newitt is fantastic, and is exactly what they needed.

Thursdays show was at the Lark Tavern in Albany, and friday was at Sullivan Hall in NYC. New York was only one set, but it flowed with audacity. Thursday was the show... Something about the Lark that always brings out the bands' magic. The next morning I met up with a new gem dealer in New Paltz. We also stopped at a friends farm. Here is a great shot of Edog with the horse... Above is a picture of Jeff and Jamie.

The Crystal "SNOW"

2008-03-04T13:57:00.000-08:00

This is part II of the previous blog "The Crystal Show" our trip to Arizona

About two and a half months ago I decided that the last weekend in February would be a perfect time to plan a "boys weekend" to Vermont. Boy was I RIGHT!

I had a feeling our excursion would be epic. First , because There was a storm brewing in New England called an "Alberta Clipper" and second, because everyone who was supposed to come, bailed out! I had this weird theory that anyone who flaked, was not lucky enough to be a part of this high pressure crossroads.

We left Jersey early on friday, in order to beat the storm up there. The second half of the ride ^was a little shaky, but I had a good support team to help me. Murphy in the back with Ralph, and Paul riding shotgun. At one point we made a bathroom stop on the Thruway. I grabbed a chicken sandwich, and mistakingly gave Ralph (the dog) a piece of the bun. Paul said "That wasn't a good idea", he then immediately threw up all over Paul's leg!

The snow began to dump harder and harder as we approached the condo. When we arrived we had our first of three poker tournaments. I won the first, then Paul, and Murphy won the final tournament on Sunday. In fact, Murphy made an amazing run on Poker Stars that day. He went from $6.50 up to around $700 bucks! wow

Saturday morning we were out on the mountain at 7:45 am, and had a full day of riding. Truly amazing. The conditions were so good we even decided to do back to back runs on "Ripcord" (The steepest trail in the northeast) I was so tired that night that I fell asleep on the couch before 8:00.

Sunday was so beautiful and sunny out, that we just had to take a couple runs. The first picture below is a shot of Paul, waist deep in powder. The second is a shot of me "Surfing The Himalayas" The picture above was taken mid-mountain, of a slope called "Ridge" Paul's new favorite trail.

Sitting In A Tree

2008-02-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

First comes Love, then comes Marriage, then comes a baby in a BABY carriage. "OK, one step at a time dude..." Congratulations to Andrew and Kate on their engagement. I have had a few camp friends and family friends who have gotten married, but this is the first one of my friends from the "Heady Inner Circle" to Make the Move... Awesomely Fantastic!!

The Crystal Show

2008-02-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

The most memorable part of our trip to Arizona was the coctail party on Saturday night. Mark and Dennis, the two most prominent crystal dealers in the country, invited me to their private showroom. Paul, Jordan and I left the hotel at around 8 o'clock pm, and headed to downtown Tucson. We arrived at the elegant house party, and were given a private tour of the showroom. The rooms contained priceless gemstones that would most likely end up in museums. We were also introduced to a few international gemstone dealers, one in particular stuck out in my mind. His name was Moses, and he was responsible for bringing to America, the new electric blue and red (parabia) Tourmalines from Morrocco.

The second most memorable part of our trip, was eating Jack In The Box late friday night. It was the best fast food I have ever eaten! We got Spicy Chicken nuggets, and jalapeno poppers. I think Paul got a chicken sandwich, which was also fantastic. =D The city of Tucson Arizona is laced with more fast food spots, than I have hairs on my head. Literally, every 10 feet was different restaurant. There were even fast food joints I have never heard of... Weinershnitzel!? I was a little disapointed with "IN-N-OUT BURGER" though. I gave it a MEH...

Paul and I flew out to "U of Zona" to meet up with his brother Jordan, and also go to the Tucson Gem and Mineral show. I was blown away by the amount of gem material located throughout the 10 different hotels. Incredible weather also made for a spectacular trip. Woot! Woot! Looking forward to next year. . .

P.S. Best move of the trip was renting a Dodge Ram PICKUP! big ups Enterprise. 24 bucks a day!

THE CATCH II

2008-02-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

"The Catch" is one of the most famous plays in all of sports history. Dwight Clark will always be remembered for catching Joe Montana's high pass, but also his acrobatic leap in the end zone. Yesterday, in Super Bowl 42, David Tyree made a miracle catch, that will go down as one of the most amazing plays ever executed on a football field. The screams that followed the catch, echoed through the streets of New York like a "Barbaric Yalp" that lasted through the night.

After the snap, Eli Manning scrambled about, as the offensive pocket collapsed around him. It seemed inevitable that he would be sacked. Somehow...Someway, Eli escaped the grasp of the defense, and let loose a throw that seemed like an improvised chuck, that managed to find wide reciever (Syracuse Alumni) David Tyree. David is considered a hero by Giant's fans, not only for the importance of the catch, but the way in which he made it. Under pressure, David was able to make a astonishing leap to find the ball, and then pin the ball against his helmet to secure possession. How he maintained a grip on the ball as he fell, is one of those magical moments in sports that really can't be explained. Giant's fan or Pat's fan, if you were watching the game, guaranteed your heart rate was equal to that of a massive corronary. G-D only knows how the players felt.

Dont wanna Jinx it butt

2008-01-19T17:49:00.000-08:00

The Devils have been playing very well at hockey, and I have been doing well in poker. The Devils are tied for first place, and I have been grinding out a pretty respectable bankroll, for and recreational player.

I read a lot of poker blogs and strategy books, but I generally like the fierce competition.

Above is a piece of jewlery I just finished at class. Since class has ended, I bought a tourch, and built a small jewlery studio in my apartment.

Bienvenidos A Miami

2008-01-04T20:43:00.001-08:00

Right now I am typing on a wireless connection in E-dogs moving van. We are headed back to Ft. Lauderdale, and to be honest, it feels nice to leave Miami.

We left the Lowes Hotel a night early to make our way to the Hard Rock Casino. Stuffed from the meal we ate, I am just now begining to digest. Prime 112, is always an amazing meal, but it can be a little rich if you dont watch what you eat. Our first mistake was getting two orders of the deviled eggs; then, ordering desert.

About 2 months ago I made reservations, because its always packed on the weekends. We were running a few minutes late, so I decided to give a courtesy call to the restaurant. Thats when I heard it. "We're sorry Mr. Katz, but I dont see your name here" I was a little upset, so when we got there, they somehow managed to squeeze us in. Ethtan got the Chilean Seabass and I split a steak with E-dog. For appetizer we had Poke' Tuna Tarrar that gave Eric vertigo. Literally, the dish was so strong he became light headed and thought he was going to pass out. haha

I am writing now from Eric's house, and it is the next day. . . . We had a lot of fun last night at the casino, and we also went to "The Club" for a little while. E-dog danced with two fat sisters and I won a little dough at the poker table. Great Success! Oh yea, Ethan's new nickname is "Hamster" because when we got up this morning E-dog said that Ethan's room smelled like a hamsters cage. haha +D

Snow Wonder

2008-01-02T19:08:00.000-08:00

We left Vermont yesterday in the middle of a blizzard. They were calling for another 12-15 inches, on top of the foot of snow they got the previous day. New Years was jammed at Mount Snow, I noticed a lot of European vacationers. The condo next to us was packed with Germans. They blasted Techno music all weekend, that nearly drove us madd. Gabi and I also helped a 5 year old English boy up the lift. His name was Charlie and he was wearing a yellow jacket. At first we didnt realize he was English, we just thought he was speaking "KID"

The ride home took about 6 1/2 hours, mostly because the New York Thruway was pretty much a parking lot. The ride took so long we decided to play "Im going on a trip" The game is a test of memory where each passenger chooses an item to "bring on the trip"(The list must go in alphabetical order) Let's see if I can remember...

A- apple
B- bulldog
C- caramel
D- dictionary
E- eager beaver
F- fascinating book
G- goodie goodie gumdrops
H- hoodie
I- indigo girls cd
J- jerky
K- knife
L- liquor
M- money
N- negro
O- opium
P- purple haze
Q- quick dissolving toilet paper
R- roman emperor
S- sterling silver cleaner
T-
U- urinary tract infection
V- vagina
W- window washer fluid
X- x-t-c
Y- yo' mama
Z- zebra

(ps- this was just a game- we didn't really bring anything on that list... well, besides money) =D

New Years Paradox

2007-12-26T20:19:00.000-08:00

Its been a while, but that only means things have been calm and steady. Thanksgiving and Christmas are now over, and the year is coming to a close. This past year was very exiting and part of me is sad to see it end.

Vermont or bust? yes... We are loading up the car on saturday, and I cant wait to snowboard. Then, after new years I am heading down to florida with Ethan to visit E-dog and go to the Orange Bowl.

Lloyd and Rachel are in town for the holidays, hopin' to meet up with them tomorow night at Mitchel's 25th surprise birthday party. Boy I hope he's not reading this!

Anyway, the paradox of new years is that everyone has all these resolutions, and then they get completely wasted, only to start the new year totally hung over....

And yes, that is another view of the Verrazano Bridge. Stellar shot Gabi!

DURA-FLAME NATION

2007-12-03T19:25:00.000-08:00

I generally make fires whenever I travel to vermont. I have been known to start an occasional campfire or bon fire, and as a kid, I was a bit of a pyro-maniac.

Duraflames are artificail firelogs. They are made of Sawdust and Petrolium wax (a byproduct of Oil) Since researching the company, I have found out that they are going "Green" and will soon be using only natural waxes, from plants such as soy. Gosh, they can use soy for everything! I think this is a great move for the company. Not only will this save 100 million pounds of petrolium wax per year, but it also helps their business. By making duraflames "environmentally safe" they are now able to compete in such retailers as Trader Joes and Whole Foods. They will also be promoted in places like Wal-Mart and Home Depot that are launching programs for environmentally safe products.

This past weekend I used plenty of them in Vermont. Another great trip full of cold snow and warm fires.

At one point during the trip the humidifier BLEW UP! litterally, It was kinda freaky.

We made Pizza.

And Gabi beat me in Candlestick Bowling.

-This is a picture I took of the Verrazao Bridge that thursday night

Turkey Hangover

2007-11-23T12:52:00.000-08:00

Boy, I needed this... A quick little stint down to Florida always recharges my batteries. I came down yesterday morning, and from the minute I left my apartment, I have had a smile on my face. I come down every Thanksgiving, to spend the holiday with the family. This is the third year in a row we are celebreating at 109 Talavera (My parents house) New additions to this years Turkey Manifesto include: Shaun (My sisters Fiance'), Donald & Dawn (good family friends)

We started the feast with Joe's Famous Stone Crabs (A rather new family tradition). Donald and Dawn also brought a few goodies: Proscuitto and melon, w/ aged Riccotta, Boratta (super rich/milky mozzorella), Caper berries, and Italian pignolli cookies. For the actual meal we ate: Turkey w/ stuffing and cranberry(Obv.) Yams with marshmallows, and green beans with fried onions. I enjoyed a few vodka cocktails with dinner, hence the "Turkey Hangover"

Heres a quick rundown of the trip so far...

Thursday:

6:00 am- I woke up to the Opey and Anthony radio show

6:10- Jump in the shower

6:20- Make the bed and clean up around the house (I strongly dislike coming home to a dirty apartment)

6:45- Start to organize my clothes for the trip

6:55- Pack my backpack

7:10- I feed Ninja, and leave extra food and water for him.

7:25- Double check that I have my phone charger, and my iPOD and I do the double pocket tap to make sure everything is in its propper pant compartment.

7:29- I stop at the front desk to my building, to leave keys for Ninja's possible caretaker.

7:35- I drop off a check at the garage, and pick up my sunglasses from my car

7:41- I grab a bottle of water and a New York Post from Impress Deli

7:44- Hop in a taxi to JFK International Airport

8:12- I arrive at the airport

8:15- Get my boarding pass

8:20- Go through securtiy

8:25- I bought a vegetable sandwich and soy chips, and headed to my gate.

9:00- Rows ten and higher boarded the plane. Since I was in the fourth row, I was the last person on the plane (I like to board the plane as late as possible, the smell of exaust before you take off makes me dizzy and nauseus)

9:13- Get on the plane

9:30- The plane takes off (Exactly on time)

9:37- I fall asleep

10:00- Z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z z

11:00- Z z z z z z z z z z (PEEP) Z z z z z z z z z z z z z

11:45- The plane descends, and I wake up

12:01- We land (45 minutes early)

12:15- I grabbed a cup of black coffee in the airport, and head to the pick up area

12:20- I finished the Phish Boston Montage video while waiting to get picked up

12:27- My wonderfull mother comes to pick me up

12:45- We arrive at the house.... YEsss

1:00 PM- Say Hello to Grandma Molly and Aunt Ruth

1:10- I went for a run (5 miles)

1:55- I return home and shower

1:20- I unpack the laptop and fiddle with the Internet

2:00- Mingle with the family and think about the preparing for the feast

4:00- I begin cracking the Stone Crab Claws

4:45- I finish the crab cracking, and serve with them w/a creamy mustard sauce. Mmmmm

4:55- Belvedere with Olives

5:15- I began carving the turkey

5:25- Finish carving the turkey and enjoyed some more appetizers

6:00- The dinner bell rang

7:15- After dinner, eveyone was engrossed in a computer game (Travel IQ is a great new application on Facebook that tests your knowledge of a world map. Big ups to Shaun for the introduction)

7:20- I had another cocktail =D (Hey, its a holiday)

7:35- Desert

8:15- After desert I lost 2 Sit & Go's on the computer (Poker)

10:00- Tracy, Sean and I watched the Office

10:30- I watched two Phish videos on my iPOD

10:50- Went to bed (Turkey Coma)

Today I woke up late and Played golf with the boys. Dad had about 6 pars in 11 holes (not too shabby) Richie has spent a lot of time practicing his swing over the past year, and it shows.

Above is a picture of the house.
Below is a picture of the dinner table.

Dog Day Afternoon

2007-11-18T18:29:00.000-08:00

So this weekend was pretty relaxing. Hung around the city and ran a few erands, that I have been meaning to take care of. I got two new rugs for my apartment and some groceries. I also picked up a new shower curtain and liner. During the shopping trip we went into a pet store, thats where I took the picture below, of the white "BullyBee"(the half Beagle half Bull Dog mutt)
When I was looking for a parking spot I accidently tapped the car in front of me. There was no damage to the cars, but the Asian man insisted there was. He wanted to stop in the middle of a busy street to assess the white smear that was left on his bumper. I licked my hand to show him you can simply wipe those kinds of discolorations right off. But he still insisted, and repeated "Damage" "Damage" He wanted me to stay but I basically told him he was being ridiculous for making scene over nothing. "DAMAGE" =D

Friday night we played poker up at Ryan's. Thats where I took the picture of his two dogs; Justin "Jackass" and Sebastian "Seabass" Martin. I finished in the money for the 2nd game in a row. My cousin Terry brought an english girl to the game who didn't really know how to play, and was quite annoying. It was one of those things seems funny when you look back at it.

Meals on Saturday:

Breakfast- bannana and green tea

Lunch- Lentil soup, sauteed spinach, and a whole wheat pita

Dinner- Tuna Tar-Tar, raw oysters, and scallops(AWFULL!) Skate, and Flounder.

-Other News
After dinner, we picked up Jon and played a three way poker match, back at my place. Congratulations to Gabi! Finished the day undefeated.

Methane-Ammonia-Overtones

2007-11-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

The picture above was taken this morning, on my way to work. I could tell it was going to be a great day from the minute I saw the ethereal sunrise. This weekend is daylight savings, so by the time the sun begins to rise from now on, I will already be at work.

Question: Does daylight savings officially take effect at Midnight, or 2 am?

The Heavy Pets roll into town this weekend, kicking off in Philly. Then Saturday night in NYC, and Sunday in Goshen NY. Looking forward to seeing a lot of familiar faces at the concerts.

BTW- big ups to Gabi for taking the photo =D

Cant Think Of A Title

2007-10-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

I have been a hockey fan for about 20 years now, and my favorite team has always been The New Jersey Devils. Earlier this evening Ethan, E-dog, and I, went to Madison Square Garden to see the Devils play the Rangers. As a Devil fan, navigating the Ranger infested waters of MSG, always makes for an entertaining evening. (Especially when you wear a Devil Jersey) New York fans cannot hold back from getting in your face and screaming "Jersey Sucks" or "Matteau, Matteau"
The Rangers won tonight 2-0, and the Devils played terrible. Its just a sad era to be a Mets, Jets, and Devils fan. I guess its a good thing I have a life.
Tonight is game 2 of the World Series. Boston Vs. Colorado. I always feel bad for the teams that make it to the finals (in any sport) and loose. Its gotta be devastating for a team to have such a seemingly magical season come to a screeching halt.

The picture above was taken once again from a moving vehicle. I'm pretty sure its a random view from Brooklyn Queens Expressway.

BTW: It rained today

Sunday

2007-10-21T13:41:00.000-07:00

The lens of my camera phone is cracked, so all the pictures have been coming out blurry. Part of me wants to get a new one, but is that good enough reason to spend $200 on a new phone. In addition, I don't particularly like any of the Verizon phones out (especially not blackberries and such.) So shouldn't I just wait for the next generation Flips to come out?
Technology is moving so quick these days, within 6 months of purchasing my I-MAC, it was already outdated. I'm not complaining, I actually think its amazing how companies like Apple keep making their devices smaller and more efficient.
*So this weekend I purchased the new 80 gig I-Pod. Its sick

Btw: My friend Jon W. took this picture in cape cod. Big Ups! He also won some lute with E-dog this weekend in A.C. . . . . Word.

Brendan Monroe.Com

2007-10-17T15:38:00.000-07:00

The artist is 27 year old Brendan Monroe from Berkley California. He's got a lot of great work, both paintings and sculptures. Some of his pieces remind me of Salvador Dali. If your interested, you should pay his website a visit.

Other news:

Lasts nights poker game was a doozy. I finished fourth out of nine. It was quite disappointing, because I had the chip lead for most of the tournament. I had Pocket -7-7- fail me twice.

"And like that, he was gone" U.S.

-Congratulations to Paul H. , the proud winner of the Harvest Crop Tournament 2007

Ideas in mind:

- I'm thinking about getting a new phone.

- Thinking about getting a new I-POD . I decided I dont want the touch. Not enough memory.

- Thinking about a vacation.

-Thinking about buying a soldering iron for metalsmithing.

-Thinking about recording a demo.

Steady As She Goes

2007-10-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

I was having trouble sleeping, so I decided to write.
I find myslef sleeping less and less these days, spending alot of time and energy at work.

The indian summer we were having is now over, and we are witnessing autumn at its finest. "It smells so fresh" GK

Recent Interests:

Metalsmithing classes, The New York Mets, and The New Jersey Devils.

Metalsmithing seems to be the most promising extracurricular activity, given that the Mets blew their entire season, and the Devils don't look anything like Stanley Cup contenders.

I've been playing a lot of poker recently... Whats new! tehe. I host a weekly game at my apartment, and the tournaments seem to get more exiting every time we play. The usual players include E-dog, Murray, Compton Ass Terry, Jamie Poker, Israel, Ryan Martin, Dee, and Ethan Jamron, with an occasional visit from Eli, Paul H, and Jesse. I look forward to the weekly gathering for many reasons. First of all, I love the competition, and second; it is a great way to laugh with the boys.

BTW: I took this picture while driving = )

my dream

2007-09-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

This is the image I saw in my dream. I was hovering in this position proving my ability. <"(((><

NINjA

2007-09-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

He tiptoed through the trees of Brooklyn undetected. Crouching near the bush. He was NINjA.

* * *

CLEVER AS EVER
NINjA STOOD IN SILENT NIGHT
LOST WITHOUT A CAUSE

* * *
HAIKU

Take The Long Way Home

2007-09-06T07:15:00.000-07:00

September hath arrived, and the end of summer is near. The begining of Fall is around the corner and harvest season will soon begin. This is one of my favorite parts of the year for many reasons. First is obviously the weather. The lack of humidity, and the lingering summer breezes brings a smile to my face.

The aproaching Jewish holidays are always a special time for my family, and marks the begining of a new year. Time just seems to be flying by. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it" Ferris Bueller.

The picture above is a beautiful shot of the Brooklyn Bridge taken from my balcony. Big ups to Gabi (the photographer)

The Perfect Day

2007-08-18T18:49:00.001-07:00

I decided to relax and do nothing this past friday night. My good friends E-dog and Jason came over to watch the Mets, and play online poker. My plan was to get a good nights rest. I fell asleep around 1 am, and I didnt flinch in my bed until 11 am. Nice! I relaxed in bed for another hour, and then my phone started ringing. It was Paul, and he wanted to know what the deal was.

The plan was to head out to Jersey and play golf; so I grabbed a Iced Venti Skim Latte from Starbucks and hopped in the truck. I picked up Paul on 58th st. and we were off. The conversation quickly lead to the whereabouts of Pauls golf clubs. About two months ago, on the night of my birthday, Paul loaded his clubs in the back of the taxi. When he arrived home, he forgot all about the clubs, the rest is history.

Paul and his two brothers all worked at Alpine C.C. at some point, so his familiarity with the club lead him to the idea of "Demo-ing" clubs. First we had to make the inevitable stop at the Hirschorn residence. We spent about 20 minutes in the house conversing with his parents and harvesting tomatoes from the garden. When Michael (Paul's dad) asked about his gold clubs, Paul said "Don't Ask"

The weather was spectacular for golf, sunny and breezy. "Perfect!" EVEN. We spent about another half hour on the range, and we began playing at about 3 pm. On the 2nd hole, a good family friend, Jordan Green joined us for a few. Soon after, we spotted my parents on the first hole. We decided to stop over for a pleasant hello. Paul described my parents as being in a "Zen Golf Mode" tehe

The day was just ripe with possibilities, and the good vibes lingered throughout the entire round (21 holes). Sick!

From there we decided to go to Baumgart's, a gourmet Chinese restaurant/Ice Cream parlor. We made a "perfect order" 1)Chicken and pine nuts (lettuce wraps) 2)Sizzling duck crepes 3)Chicken Lomein, and 4)Shrimp with shallots* (*The shallots were basically chopped and fried, then loaded on top of shrimp) ILL!

From there we drove back to the city to shower. We fixed up and then went to a local bar called "Pine Tree Lodge" We stopped for a few drinks, because the hotel we were going to has a $17 price tag on all their drinks. Whoa

We picked up Ethan at the bar, and rolled to "The Garden" at The Gansevort Hotel. We got a table and a couple bottles. "BALLIN!!" Sick night! Marni was a trooper, having thrown up in a cup, followed by a napkin! haha "Puke and Rally?" Eli made a cameo appearance at the bar; and big ups to Ethan, for taking home the "Buzzards"

BTW: The picture above is a random shot I took from the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn/ The Verrazano Bridge.

TOUR (FINALLY)

2007-08-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have a court date tomorrow. Flashback! About 4 years ago, I met a woman named Blanca. She used to clean the house, of a good friend of mine; and I was interested in hiring her. She was always very pleasant, a little dumb, but always nice. Until one day, I got a phone call...

I was in the barbers chair when I missed the call. Soon after I recieved another phone call from my friend Chef Ryan Martin. Blanca used to clean his apartment as well, and she explained to him that there was an emergency. When I finally spoke to her, she told me that she fell, and broke her arm in my apartment. When I returned home, she was not there...

About a week later Blanca shows up in my apartment, unanounced. In my opinion, this type of behavior was totally unacceptable, and one of the reasons I refused to help her when she asked for money. She told me that the incident was my fault, because I didn't have a stepstool.

About 6 months later I recieved a letter in the mail from the Small Claims Court. The bitch sued me! My sister Tracy is a lawyer, and she agreed to represent me free of charge. Since that day I have been in and out of the court about 5 or 6 times. I was sued for about 4 grand, and there is no way I was settling.

Our final court appearance was this past monday. My sister and I spent another 5 hours in the court that day. Blanca showed up without a lawyer, which was obviously good for our case. Tracy was great during the trial! Very profesional and quite clever with her cross examination. She exposed Blancas every mistake, and in fact made her look quite silly.

See, Blanca claimed she climbed on top of a chair in order to organize the top shelf in my closet. We all know that chairs are not made for climbing, so as far as the law goes, all we needed to do was have Blanca admit, that she knew climbing on chairs is dangerous. Tracy created a line of questioning that lead Blanca into a verbal trap, so to speak. Tracy asked her questions about why Blanca sometimes bought me supplies; such as paper towels and soap, but never purchased a ladder/stepstool. In a clever way, Tracy then asked her about the possible dangers of climbing on chairs. Blanca then admitted she almost fell once before, and that "climbing on chairs" is not a safe practice. Tracy and I looked at eachother and she said "no further questions your honor" We are still waiting for the verdict in the mail.

NOTE: At the begining of the night the court made it very clear that all phones are to be turned off. During the actual trial, Blancas obnoxious cell phone rang at least 10 times. Everyone in the court was rolling their eyes at her, and it was quite comical to hear the translator explain her verbal fumbling. Like: "Oh, I cant turn it off, I'm sorry, this damn thing" FYI (Blanca speaks very little English)

Her main piece of evidence was my text message that she saved from the day of the incident. She had trouble accessing the text message because someone kept calling. Everyone in the court was getting frustrated with her. She actually tried leaving the courtroom in the middle of the trial to make a phone call. The Judge began to yell "you cant leave the courtroom, you are under oath!" When she didn't respond, the cops were forced to chase after her! hahaha, The judge then denied the text message as evidence because it was taking too long.

The picture above was taken at the Hawthorne (formerly the Regency Suites) in Albany New York. The shot was taken at about 6:30 am after one of the most epic Heavy Pets Shows at the Lark Tavern. Below is a picture of Jeff around the same time.

The band is just about complete with their second official east coast tour! Big Ups to the Heavy Pets for really "bringing the pain". Even just a couple nights on tour with those guys is quite exausting. "One"

FUN PICS

2007-08-03T07:09:00.001-07:00

THIS IS MY POOL.

ITS FUN TO STAY AT THE YMCA! VERMONT!

JULY 4TH PARTY AT MY APARTMENT. MIDDLE= MY SISTER TRACY. FROM LEFT TO RIGHT, KATE, ANDREW, PAUL, MARNI, ERIC, ERICA.

THANX AGAIN MARNI FOR ALL THE SHOTS!

CAPRI (revisited)

2007-08-03T06:29:00.000-07:00

CAPRI IS FAMOUS FOR THE "FARAGLIONI" ROCKS.

THIS IS ROBERTO RUSSO'S SPEEDER! SICK!

THE PORT IN NAPLES.

"SMOOTH, WIND IN MY HAIR. LIFE WITHOUT CARE" FRANK SINATRA (LADY IS A TRAMP)

THIS IS MY DAD AND MY SISTER ON THE BACK OF ROBERTO'S BOAT.

WALKING THROUGHT THE TOWN OF CAPRI.

THIS IS THE ROCK BEACH AT "FONTELINA"

THESE ARE THE SMOOTH TILES I FOUND AT THE BEACH. YESS!! I GAVE A BUNCH OUT A SOUVENIRS.

Day 6: Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow

2007-07-27T04:01:00.000-07:00

When I planned my vacation to Europe, I wanted to make sure I would be back in NYC for the weekend. I like having a few days to relax after traveling, and I also did not want to miss The Heavy Pets at the Knitting Factory tonight.

Right now it is about 1 pm, and I am in the airport in Rome. The flight is about 7 hours, and if all goes as planned, I should be arriving back in Newark around 6pm. Knock on wood.

I wanted to take a moment to thank my parents for such a wonderful trip, and good vibes all around. They will be speninding another week on the island. Some parts of me are jealous, another part of me is ready to come home.

The last couple days of the trip was more of the same. Beautifull weather, and even more beautiful people. The last two nights were easily my favorite. New arrivals to the island on wednesday included good friends of my parents; Steve and Earl, and another animated family "The Volks" We had dinner with Steve and Earl on wednesday which was fantastic. We all started with a local delicacy (Deep Fried Deviled Eggs) and then I had Steak Vournuoff, or something like that. The dish was amazing; Beef, with a creamy mustard sauce, and a side of Spaghetti Pomodoro. Last night was however one of the best meals I ever had in my life! no joke.

The seafood restaurant was called Ciro, and had just opened about 3 days ago. The owner "Ciro" was cruising the dining room to help with the already decadent ambiance. We perused the menu and picked out a few appetizers. I got fresh pasta with rockfish. Everyone agreed it was the best seafood pasta dish we had ever tasted. I usually dont like fresh pasta because of the soft texture, but the short noodles were quite al dente'. The dish was served with chunks of red Rock Fish, that was caught that day. I explaied to Ciro that I was a seafood fanatic, he then told us to wait till the new shipment of "fresh fish" arrived before we made our choices for the main course. About 10 minutes later, Ciro pointed to my father and I, and told us to follow him as he exited the restaurant. We waited a minute or two, and then a mini truck pulled up through the narrow streets. He opened the back of the truck to unload the fish, and he explained what everything was. He went right for the shrimp with claws and broke it in half. He ate it raw! Then he handed me a piece of the raw tail. Probably the best thing I have ever put in my mouth, without embellishment. My father who is not a fan of raw fish in general, was blown away by the taste as well.

As we returned to the empty restaurant, one of the waiters was cutting fresh proscuitto. He turned to me and said "You want to try?" my eyes lit up and I said "YEA!" He told me this was special proscuitto from Spain, so we had to order a plate. = ) I was overwhelmed with the choices of fish, but in the end, I ordered the Pink Snapper Aqua Pazza (Crazy Style) Hands down the best plate of fish I have ever tasted. The chef also gave me a complimentary plate of mixed raw prawns dressed with olive oil. They were very similar to the Japanese Amaebi (sweet shrimp)
but much more elegant. BONUS!

Now that the trip is just about over, I have noticed a few major differences between Italians and Americans, and I have comprised a short list.

1) Italians have no sense of standing in line. They push and cut in line, and if there is no respect for personal space. Americans are much more propper in this respect.

2) When driving in America, people love to drive slow in the fast lane. In Italy, even though people may travel slow in the left lane, they are very quick to switch into the right lane, in order to let people pass.

3) The men in Italy think its totally fine to wear a spedo and a T-shirt. Its quite a funny outfit because it looks like they are wearing no pants! (Paul, please save the gay jokes) = )

4) Americans are loud and obnoxious, Italians are quitet and obnoxious.

5) Americans are much fatter.

6) The women are much more beautiful in Italy.

7) Italians have a lot less road rage.

8) The pace of life is much slower and more romantic.

9) Its is quite normal to have dinner as late as 11 pm in Italy.

10) If a srore in the U.S. says something like. "Open from 9 AM to 7 PM Monday through Friday. I will be open at those hours, unless major emergency. In Italy, these postings mean absolutely nothing.

11) Americans wear deoderant.

Day 5: Fusilli Jerry

2007-07-26T08:24:00.000-07:00

If you've never seen the show "Seinfeld" then you might be a little weird. If you've seen the show, and didn't like it, then your just a Freak! Everywhere I go something always reminds me of the show. Whether its finding an old Keith Hernandez baseball card or eating fusilli pasta, the geinus of Larry David always seems to come up.

The end of the trip is near, so instead on harping on that, I am going to rundown a list of memorable "Seinfeld Moments"

- The Magic Loogie! haha

- "I think the dingo ate your baby!" Elaine

- When Kramer tries to get Joe Dimaggio's attention by banging on the table and yelling... "YIP!" (One of Paul's favorite moments)

- "Tippy Toe, Tippy Toe!" George

- When Papi pees on the couch

- "Cartwright! Cartwright! I yell Cartwright, but nobody answer."

- "T-Bone!" (also, Coco the monkey)

- The Kevorka (Kramer is irresistable to women)

- Marble rye on the fishing pole

- The Chocolate Babka

- "We went to dinner, I had the lobster bisque, then we went home...Yada Yada Yada. What do you mean yada yada yada. you skipped over the best part! No, I mentioned the Bisque."

- "Fungiside...?"

- "Art Vandilae" haha

- "How dare you stop short with me"

- "Is that a Titleist...? Hole in One!" Kramer

- "Hello Newman"

- "A muffin can be very filling"

- "Top of the muffin... TOO YOOO!"

- "Bubble Boy"

- "Moores, Its the Moores your idiot... Oh noo, Its the MOOPS"

- "Get OUT!" Elaine

- "No soup for you!"

- "My wallets gone! what kind of clip joint you running here"

- "$75 to see the doctor, what, did I see Sinatra in there?"

- "Steinbreners here, George is dead, call me back"

- "Your face is my case" Jackie Childs

- "Man Hands"

- "You are not wearing the Ribbon"

- "I am Costanza, lord of the idiots"

- "I am Queen of the castle" "King of my domain"

- "Who told you to use a balm? Did I tell you to use a balm?" Jackie Childs

OK, back to our regular scheduled programing. I got the the idea for the title "Fun Facts" from my friend Jesse's blog- Memoiars Of A Leather Ass Grinder www.Mazeorbowie.blogspot.com

Fun Facts Q and A:

How many times I ate Spaghetti during the trip- (2)

How many espresso/cappuccinos did I have- (11)

How many times did I eat squid- (6)

How many naps did I take- (2)

Average time of dinner reservations- (9:00)

How many shirts did I buy- (7)

How many pairs of pants/shorts did I buy- (0)

How many fights did Tracy and I get in- (1)

How many disagreements did my mom and I get in- (2) 1. The difference between a sale, and a discount. 2. Whether or not a public beach existed at the Marina Grande.

How many times I went to Fontelina- (3)

How many boats have I been on- (2) but we are also planning to take the Hydrofoil back to Napoli tomorrow

How many pairs of underwear did I buy- (5)

How many Peligrinos did I take out of the mini bar- (7)

How many different hotels did we stay in- (2) The first night, when Tracy shut off the air conditioning, we were in the sister hotel Casa Morgano. Our room was taken by a couple who decided to stay another day. BTW, the hotel we are staying in now, is called "Scalinatella". The same as the restaurant in manhattan. 61st and 3rd. Great food, but its kinda pricy.

How many times we watched TV in the hotel room- (0)

How many times did I play online poker- (2)

Ciao for Now

Day 4: The Blue Notto

2007-07-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

The Blue Grotto is an underwater cavern only accessible by boat. In order to get there, you need to transfer from one small boat to another even smaller rowboat. The cave usually glows an etherial blue, but can also appear green and sometimes white; depending on the time of day.

This is my fifth time to the island, but neither my sister or I have ever been to this # 1 tourist attraction. So last night over dinner, I said. Ya know what Tracy, we should go first thing in the morning to avoid all the annoying tourists, and she agreed. We woke up promptly at 8, and proceded to the Marina Grande to join the charter. We were pretty dissapointed to find out that the Grotto was closed. Why you ask...? Well, the tide was extremely low today, and extremely choppy.... = ( "No soup for you!" L.D.

Today was jammed packed with events, so I will give you a quick rundown of how the day unraveled...

8:00- Wake up call

8:30- Cappuccino in the lobby with Tracy and Richie

8:45- We walk through town towards the Feniculare' (The Feniculare is basically a single train car that goes up and down the mountain)

9:00- We Enter the Marina

9:10- We find out the Blue Grotto is closed. = (

9:15- We Catch a taxi back to the square

9:22- Souviner shopping with Tracy

9:30- Split up with Tracy, and purchase Proscuitto Parma on a roll. Mmmmmm

9:45- I Return to hotel to find Richie and Darcy (the rents) eating breakfast with Fern and Danny. I Nibble on a piece of toast.

10:00- I grab sneakers, and my I-Pod, and head back through the town.

10:15- I find a shortcut to "The Hike" (Scala Fenicia)

10:20- I begin my ascent, and start I-Pod shuffle. (the three songs that came on were all coincidently related to the hike. first was "Rise" by the Heavy Pets."If you think your on the way to the top, dont stop" next was "Slippery People" by Talking Heads "Turn like a wheel inside a wheel. From the BOTTOM to the TOP" and to finish was of coarse "Fire On The Mountain" by The Grateful Dead.

11:00- I reach the top and purchase a water, and small collection of volcanic gems.

11:05- I purchase a ticket to the museum "Villa San Michelle"

11:10- I reach my destination. The Sphynx. I touched it with my left hand, like the legend says, and I made a wish. = >

11:15- I Roam the gardens one last time.

11:30- I Catch a taxi back to the square.

11:45- I return to hotel to change into a bathing suit.

11:55- I head down to Fontelina, via "The Steps"

12:05- I contemplate uprooting a small cactus to bring home (I left it alone)

12:20- I arrive down at the beach and begin reading the USA Today, and the British newspaper The Herald Tribune.

1:10- Observe the beautifull women on the short walk to lunch.

1:30- We start drinking the famous "White Peach Sangria"

1:33- I Get a slight BUZZ.

1:45- I ate Grilled Calamari. Amazing! I also had some of my dads Rock Lobster over Spaghetti, and also some of moms Sea Bass. Mmmmmmm

1:50- More Sangria.

1:55- I finish Sangria and eat the fruit, along with "Affocatto" (espresso over vanilla ice cream) Mmmmmm

2:00- I Talk to the beautifull women. = > tehe

2:10- I fall asleep on the beach, listening to Pink Floyd. (shuffle of coarse)

3:00- I dive off the rocks, into the ocean. Sweet!

4:00- Boat ride back to the marina (Marina Piccolo this time)

4:35- Taxi back to the square (Near miss accident)

4:51- We return to the square, and some quick shopping with mom and dad. (Tracy stayed by the pool today)

5:15- We run into friends in the middle of town, and then we headed back to the hotel.

5:35- Shower

6:00- Write Blog! =^ )

Dinner is at 9:30 tonight...

The picture below is a old rendition of Scala Fenicia. (The Hike)

Day 3: The Hike

2007-07-24T10:18:00.000-07:00

The thing that stuck out most about today was our lunch conversation. We ate at Fontelina again, right on the beach. The meal started quietly, but by the end, I think we all got the giggles. It was one of those family moments that is hard to describe. My mom said it perfectly "Thank G-D we understand eachother" haha I guess you had to be there.

Before the silliness, we were talking about the exchange rate from Dollars to Euros. It is about 1.38 EUR for every 1 USD. The conversation went like this.

The exchange rate is so terrible for Americans. It used to be, that we would come to Italy to get amazing bargains. Thats no longer the case. Europeans now come to New York and splurge on fifth avenue, quite a role reversal. Europeans are also buying apartments in New York. For example, a million dollar apartment would only cost you $600,000 if you were paying in Euros.

NOTE: Edog, you would love this... At lunch, each table has a wooden disc, about the size of a hockey puck. At the end of the meal I was rolling it towards my mom, and she would save it from falling off the edge. It was more funny than it seems, mostly because if the disc fell, it would definately hurt one the people below, tanning. "Caveman Games" This is a modification of E-dogs post meal table games, usually played with crumpled Sweet And Low's, and forks.

Afterwards, I completed the hike from Capri to Anacapri. It is definately the most difficult hike I have ever been on. Navigating through the jagged terrain is not easy in the hot sun, not to mention the steepness. One of my goals this trip was to eat as much squid a possible (Capri is known for some of the best squid in the world) and also, to visit a museum. I have already eaten plenty of squid, so when I got to the top of the mountain, and saw a museum, I knew my trip would then seem complete. The museum was a old villa from last century. The villa once belonged to the expatriate Swede, Axel Munthe who served as physician to the Swedish Royal Family and to Queen Victoria when she resided on Capri. The architecture was beautiful; White marble pillars, accompanied by beautifull arches. The Villa is famous for the maze-like gardens in the back, and also a sculpture of a red Sphynx, looking out into the ocean. There is an old myth, that if you touch the sphynx with your left hand, and make a wish- It will come true. I did touch it, but I never made a wish. I may have to go back. = )

Day 2: Smart Shuffle

2007-07-23T08:14:00.001-07:00

Have you ever been listening to your I-POD, and it seems like G-D is DJ' ing...? Well, this happens to me all the time. Sometimes, the perfect song comes on at the perfect time, and seems like more than a coincidence.

Day 2 began with a wild episode in the middle of the night. I woke up in a hot sweat, and I realized my sister had shut off the air conditioning. This is a no no in Adams world. I find it much easier to sleep in a cold bed. My sister says "Tempature is an age old battle of the sexes. Women are always too cold, and men are always too hot" haha. I woke up feeling dizzy and nauseus; when I stood up to wash my face, I colapsed, nearly hitting the floor. Something I ate didn't agree with me. I also had a couple Stolis that night, which didnt help. Also, the sauna-like conditions in the room, made me think I had some sort of fever. Seafood risotto was the culprit. My father was mildly sick this morning as well, and when I asked him if he threw up he replied "No, but I wish I had, just so I would have gotten it over with" Blahhh

My sister and I woke up at 8 and we had planned to go to the gym. Upon leaving the hotel we were informed that the other hotel (The Quisisana) was no longer accepting outside guests into the gym, for insurance reasons. We were a little bummed out, but the concierge reccomended an even closer gym. "Techno Gym" haha, typical... They said the gym would open at 9 (In Italian, this means 9:15), so my sister and I sat outside for a beautifull light breakfast. We ordered fresh fruit, and they gave us assorted croissants on the side. The produce here in general is much fresher and more natural tasting than in the States. We worked out for about an hour and then we headed down to Fontelina (Rock beach) to meet up with the folks.

This is when it happened. I listened to Neil Young's new nostalgic album: Prairie Wind. (Jordan Goldberg highly reccomends you listen) Next I put on shuffle. The one song that stuck out in my head was "Daniel" by Elton John. This was weird because I dont have any Elton John in my library. Somehow the track slipped in undetected, under Billy Joel, and I never knew about it. I was about to change it when I realized it wasn't Billy, but I decided to listen anyway. I played the track over twice and I remember thinking, Wow, his so talented. The way he sings with such passion and clarity, while playing perfect piano. The song was literally in my head as we sat down to lunch. And as the waiter took our order, my mom says "Oh my God, look who it is" It was Elton John! He sat down right next to me, along with English actor Michal Cane, and thier crew. Micahel Cane was singing "Tommorow" (The sun will come out) with his recognizable British accent. Classic!

Things overheard at the celebrity table:

Michael: "When I was working on Cider House Rules with Charlize and that kid, whats his name?"
Elton: "You mean Spiderman?" haha

Michael: "I also worked with Beyonce, she was nice, but I heard she's become somewhat of a diva" (ummm, ya think?)

Also, they were bashing Barbara Streisand for using a teleprompter during her concerts. They said she was paranoid, and she even used the screen for her on stage jokes...

After the meal I went up to Elton and told him I enjoy his work. One of his strapping young body guards grabbed my arm and Elton said "Its quite alright" He said "Thank You, and asked if I was on holiday" I said yes, and pointed to my family. I thanked him again and I was on my way.

Day 1: Wireless World

2007-07-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

I am fighting a battle against "Jet-Lag" and I seem to be winning. It's quite a long trip to get to the Island of Capri, so I will give you a quick rundown of my travel experience. My sister Tracy and I left Manhattan at 2:30 this saturday. Thanx to Paul for driving! (dont worry Paul, your tickets for Knitting Factory are waiting at Will Call)

We arrived at the airport at 3:30, and easily checked our luggage. The First Class Lounge was clutch for many reasons. First was the free food and beverage, and second was the free wireless internet. Do you believe it costs almost 8 bucks to get WIFI, in the Newark Airport terminals... BULLL.SHIIIIT...

The 747 seemed to deliver quite a steady ride. Much more stable than those JetBlue 737's. The 7 and a half hour ride seemed to fly by (no pun intended) expecially with those extra roomy seats in Continental Business Elite. The meal they served consisted of four courses. First was Chicken Satay, Lobster Bisque soup, and a Portobello Mushroom Fritter. I passed on the fritter, to save room for the pasta meadly to come soon after. Then was the main course: Everyone had a choice of four Entres, and then desert. Pretty good for airplane food.

I sat next to Tracy, and she seemed super exited for our Bi-annual heads up poker match. The plan was to play the best of 3 tournaments. After I won the first two, she insisted in playing another. I must say, when the lights dimmed, it got quite intense. I won the third match also, tehe... Keep Grindin' Tracy, you played great!

Due to the time change, we got off the plane at about 8 am Sunday morning. Home Sweet Rome... From there, we got our luggage and hopped in a van to Napoli. Naples is about a 2 hour drive from Roma, and was much prettier than I remembered. My father brought his "I-PHONE" and I remember him saying something like "Its such a huge advancement!". You can use the phone anywhere in the world, and it was truly amazing to have full internet access driving through the secluded Italian farmlands.

As we headed to the port, my fathers friend from the island surprised us with his private boat. The trip from Naples to Capri usually takes a little less than an hour by Hydrofoil, but the elegant sleeper speed boat got us here in 25 minutes...HOT!

NOTE: In years past, we only knew about 1 computer with internet access on the whole island. Now, all the hotels are hooked up with wireless access. . .

I went for a hike today to sweat out the traveling, and muscle through the Jet Lag. Symptoms of jet-lag include; extreme yawning, restlessness, discomfort, and irritability. Later, I sat in the sun for an hour after meandering through town. Now, we are headed out for dinner! BTW the food is terrible here.... NOT! = >

Where's Justin?

2007-07-20T10:35:00.000-07:00

If you have ever tried starting a band, then you know about flaky drummers. For some reason our four piece band has now dwindled down to two. Rob (the other guitarist) is completely out of the band. Justin however, claims he still has interest in playing music. Andrew (the kid playing the bass) is a motivated musician, and loves to play. Considering how busy both mine and Andrews schedules are, we do a pretty good job making time for jams. We could do a bit more practicing however... I would really like to get going on this demo CD, but there seem to be alot of distractions. Mainly, the lack of a drummer...

If anyone talks to Justin, tell him he is wanted. . . "Mr. Herman... Paging Mr. Herman"

The picture above was taken on Jesse's roof top. The Jam session that insued afterwards included Angie on the keys, and is up for a jammy award. "Best impromptu space-jam of the year"
(Its a new category = )

Oh yea! Big ups to Marni, for taking the beautifull pics!

Birth of Venus

2007-07-19T19:44:00.001-07:00

This is a painting by Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi. You may know him better as "Botticelli" Botticelli was actually his nickname, given to him by his older brother. The word Botticelli means "little barrel" haha

This is one of the most striking pieces in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence "Wash Uffizi and drive me to Firenze?" ; )

So many times in life you get to a museum and your favorite piece of art is so much smaller than you expected. Its kind of disappointing. Well, this is not one of those instances. The painting is huge, and extremely satisfying to see in person. Hopefully I will be lucky enough to go back and visit Firenze.

I am actually headed to Italy within the week. I am not going to Florence, but rather Rome and Capri. I will try my best to keep up with the blog. Ciao

2007-07-18T16:57:00.000-07:00

The Final table of the Main Event aired on Pay-Per-view last night. It seemed Dull and quiet. And the lackluster characters involved seemed to rub me the wrong way. I know ESPN will do a good job editing, but it still seems like there is a lack of a story this year.

As far as I am concerned poker hit the mainstream the year Chris Moneymaker won the damn thing. The final table seemed so classic with Moneymaker and Farha. The same with the year after with Raymer and Williams. This years final table, even made Jaime Gold seem tolerable.

Furthermore:
Some people think that the poker phenomenon has peaked! and is now on the decline.
I however, have no comment on this... = )

Late addition: I heard someone refer to Alex Kravchenko (the fourth place finisher) as, the Ivan Drago of Poker. (hysterical) Looking back at it, Jerry Tang reminded me of Jesus Ferguson. He has the same annoying setup as him. Everytime he looks at his hole cards, he uses the same deliberate routine, just like Ferguson.
Jerry also reminded me of a Poker Ninja. I am not a fan. I do like ninjas though.

There were a couple of weird moments during the tournament where Jerry said something to the effect of "Please Jesus, just let me win this hand and I will Serve you in your Kingdom" I thought this was a little weird. Jerry has only been playing for two years. And after his, and Steve Dannemans performance 2 years ago I am still convinced that, anyone can win it...

Lookie Here'

2007-07-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

My good friend "G" took this picture. Amazing! Anyway, I am running a little contest. Anyone who can guess what city this was taken in, will receive two free tickets to The Heavy Pets concert later in the month. Either Mexicali Blues in Teaneck NJ, or The Knitting Factory in NYC. holla!

TEJAS

2007-07-12T21:32:00.000-07:00

Tejas is a good friend of mine, he is also "the man". Quite talented at song writing, and all around, a pretty solid kid. His golf game has extreme potential, and he is also good at playing poker.

The kid playing lead guitar in that video also has his "soul on his sleeve"

Tejas has been an big help in teaching me how to use the recording studio I built in my apartment. Maybe one day I'll actually make a CD, engineered by him. Maybe one day we'll actually think of a band name... hahaha. Right now it's "Beat Nixon"

Find Tejas at:
MySpace URL:

http://www.myspace.com/tejassingh

Lets Go Mets!

2007-07-12T20:40:00.001-07:00

I decided not to go to tonights game; But rather, stay at home for some well needed R+R.
-A home cooked meal, and the couch. . .

The weather was spectacular today, perfect for grilling; I bought two fish tonight... One Black Bass, and one Bronzino. I didn't love the texture of the Bass, and the Bronzino is still in the fridge. I have been on a "fish grillin' kick" and my favorite so far is Red Snapper. I was very surprised how good it was! Being a very picky eater and all... And it also looks great on the grill; makes you feel like your on the islands, Mon. Cheap too!

I used the same recipie for all three fish... Oh yea, the fish I forgot to mention was a "Dorado Royale"...

Take a whole fish, scaled and gutted of coarse, and stuff the cavity with fresh herbs, (I used parsley, and thyme), along with some garlic, and basically your set! Tie up the fish with string or wire, Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, and make sure the grill is Real Hot! (So the skin won't stick) A little trick, compliments of Chef Ryan Martin, and Thanks to my cousin Paul for the recipie.

I sipped a good white wine and Turned on the Mets game. They beat the Cardinals 3-2 and it sounded like Paul H. and E-Dog had a great time. Paul took the picture above and I have to admit it. . . . .
I kinda blew it . . . . jk = )

Thanx for the invite Paul. Next time Kid

Switch to the Dark Side ?

2007-07-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

A bomb was dropped today. Im not talking about the one in Scotland, but rather the blockbuster trade announcement that rocked the National Hockey Leauge. Im not sure if anyone died in the Glasgow attack thank god, but please feel free to correct me.

The story begins like this. Seven years ago, a young Latino man from Alaska fulfilled his life long dream. To get drafted by a Professional Hockey Organization. Scott Gomez became a New Jersey Devil.

Scott was the first player of Hispanic descent to ever play in the NHL. He then took the league by storm, winning the rookie of the year award, along with the coveted, Lord Stanley's Cup.

"Gomer" (his nickname), was also named one of GQ's "Top 50, Most Eligible Bachelors of 2004.

The Devils went on to win the Stanley Cup again in 02'-03' In which Gomez became one of the top players in the league; and had the stats to back it up. As a lifelong Devil fan I feel rather numb in light of recent events, just because I knew this was coming. The real disappointment, is that Scott's departure from the team now marks the ending of an Era, the ending of a Devils Dynasty.

Its been in the works for a few years now. One can only be happy for a guy like Gomez, earning something like 51 million over the next seven years. I'm just pleased that he is going to be playing with a team so close by. The New York Rangers. Which brings me to my next point...

What are the Pro's and Con's of switching to the dark side (becoming a Ranger fan)
I have always respected Ranger hockey, but I have never actually been a Fan.

Pro: The Rangers play 4 blocks from my apartment.

Con: The Uniforms are not as cool.

Pro: The Rangers just got Chris Drury and Scott Gomez.

Con: The Rangers might have a 54 year Hex on them.

Pro: I wouldn't have to travel to Newark to see Devils games.

Con: I would get a lot of slack from die hard Devils fans.

Pro: People would stop screaming Matteau, Matteau, at me, every Ranger game I went to.

Con: I would never be able to chant "1940" ever again.

I think i'm going to try to be a fan of both hockey clubs. I'll keep you posted.

MELON

2007-07-02T12:22:00.001-07:00

The toy poodle pictured above is Eric's dog Melon. He decided to name her Melon after his teachers aid in middle school. Her name was Mrs. Melon of coarse. She had fluffy white hair that was very poofy. So it was only fitting that the Goldfeier's named thier new white poodle, Melon. There have been differet variations of the name Melon, such as: The Greek (Melonious)

The Italian (Milan)

The Russian (Melske)

The picture was obviously taken in E-dogs backyard.

CAUGHT IN THE RAIN

2007-06-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

I Think i'm going to cancel my trip to Florida for the weekend. It seems to be interfering; plus, my gut says to stay in New York!
so im gonna...

I just got in from a late night walk to Tasti D-Lite. It was closed! Not one, but two Tasti's. Its cool though...

It was kind of drizzling when I left, but It suddenly started to downpour! I had just purchased a fountain soda from Subway, to satisfy my palette-when it happened. I didn't really care that I was getting wet. I just continued walking at that same gingerly pace I started at. It was one of those weird moments where nothing mattered.

When I returned home there was a large group of people gathered in front of my building. They were all wearing WHITE! And struggling to get cabs. I felt bad, but it was kind of comical to see through the girls clothing. haha

Final Conclusion: I dont like Pina coladas, but I sometimes like getting caught in the rain

Oh yea. I found a 10 dollar bill on the ground As I started the walk... obviously wet.

MOUNTAIN "GEM"

2007-06-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

The landscape driving into Hunter mountain is what I will remember most. Red rushing rivers, and red waterfalls, as we ascended through the revene. '

This past Sunday, E-dog and I decided too catch the tail end of the "Mountain Jam" festival in Up State New York. Phil Lesh and Friends was the closing act the weekend, but we also went for the vending. Gemstones tickle my fancy, and there are always some around when the hippie festivals come to town.

Since E-dog and I are experts at hippie festivals, we anticipated "getting in for free" The Sunday ticket was $90, and there was no way we were going to pay $90. As we approached the parking area, we noticed people leaving. We rolled down the window and asked a few of them if we could have their bracelets. They politely obliged and ripped the bands from their arms. When we were finally parked, I asked the girl next to us for a band-aid. I knew she had band-aids because she had one straight across her forehead, haha. We used the band-aid to secure the ripped bracelet together and wear it. nice

The sights were beautiful, and so are the gemstones I got. Very nice to get out of the city for a day and "Smell the clean mountain air" E-dog

BTW: We saw Beasley in the crowd, he had a shaved head!

Oh Yea! We also saw a family of Black Bears in the woods!

MIAMI

2007-05-12T10:47:00.000-07:00

My friend "Dizzle" took this picture in Miami. Sick! Something about Miami. Just the sound of it is exciting.

Right now we are in Ft. lauderdale, but tonight we are headed to Miami to see The Heavy Pets play at Tobacco Road... Lasts night show at the Culture Room was nothing short of spectacular. The band looked great on the extra large stage. More to come...

More Betta'

2007-05-07T06:21:00.000-07:00

Ok... I have finally completed the trilogy of what I consider the 3 major east coast gambling destinations. My final analysis is as such: By staying too long at any of the locations, one might develop following disorders.

1) "Atlantic City Ear"
This disorder can become extremely irritable during ones stay at any of the casinos in the Atlantic City area. Since the casinos are so grimy, It is believed that this air-born filth can actually build up in the ear canal, causing irritation, and if not treated properly, can eventually lead to ear infections.

2) "Foxwoods Eye"
I have never suffered from this disease, but I have been witness to friends who are continually affected by this bacteria driven ailment. Common symptoms of "Foxwoods Eye" are; redness, swelling, irritation, cloudy vision, and general discomfort. If symptoms persist for 24 hours after leaving the casino, please contact your physician. The cause of Foxwoods Eye is unknown, but many have speculated that it might be related to the detergent they use on the bedding, or, the lack there of...

3) "Mohegan Sun Back"
This disorder commonly effects visitors long after they have left the reservation. Lower lumbar pain is a surefire sign that you have "Mohegan Sun Back" The lack of support in the beds are directly linked to the back pain one might experience. In addition, the lack of a poker room leads to one aimlessly roaming the casino while wondering, "what table game can I waste my money at?" This pace of walk, is similar to the slow pace you would stroll at, while eating an ice cream cone on the street.

Besides the back pain, my recent stay at Mohegan was a very positive experience. Haddon House, a well know gourmet food distributor and manufacturer, provided rooms, food, and entertainment for 3 full days. The event was surrounded by a 2 day food "buying show" held at the Mohegan Sun Convention Center.

I lost money at the casino the first night, but I left the trip a winner, thanx to the experience I had at a seemingly cold blackjack table. I approached the table ready to gamble. The female, Asian American dealer seemed to be in one of those funks dealers sometimes get in. Hey, I don't blame them. There was no one betting at the table, there was however, a very pleasant older woman sitting enjoying the passing action. She looked like "Pangea" from "Poltergeist" and she said to me in broken English: "This table no good" and I said to her "I'm here to change that"
I am not the most experienced blackjack player, so I didn't hesitate to ask for her advice when I was in a questionable situation. Plus, she enjoyed being somewhat involved. I started to play one spot at the table, and she says to me "Play two, More Betta'" So, I played two spots at the table. With that, I then began to streak! Hitting hand after hand, we started to have a little fun. I then got a 5 and a 6 in one of my positions. I was a little distracted by my own winning enthusiasm, that I forgot to double down. The little woman jumps up, and shouts "Double! Double! More Betta'" I said "Oh yea!" I doubled down, and hit a 10, she said loudly "See, More Betta'". The other hand, I wound up sticking at 19. When the dealer busted, I began cheering "MORE BETTA'" exchanging high fives with the woman(I like to call Pangea) More Betta' became my themed mantra for the rest of the night, shouting it every time I won. Its just fun to say, and I will now use this phrase whenever I play blackjack.

* * *

Upon entering Mohegan Sun, you will notice a large blue and white glass sculpture dominating your view. It is unmistakeably a custom sculpture from the artist Chihuly. I have been exposed to his work thanks to my great friend Erika Hilsen, a long time fan. I have had the privilege of seeing his outdoor gallery/exhibit in recent months, hosted by the Bronx Botanical Gardens. Dale Chihuly is still alive today, and his work is featured below.

Ryan Mont,Who?

2007-04-25T07:54:00.000-07:00

Ryan Montbleau! His last name is quite hard to remember, but once you see his band perform live, you wont ever forget it. My list of favorite bands is constantly changing, expecially after the 4:20 weekend extravoganza that just passed. Arriving early to see the band RAQ about 6 months ago, I was first introduced to The Ryan Monbleau Band. I was blown away by the tightness and musical maturity of the quintet. The band definately "jams out" but they are very focused on performing their songs with extreme clarity. Each member of the band compliments eachother, and there is no struggle for the spotlight whatsoever. They all look like college kids, but when you close your eyes, it sounds like a band who has been playing together for a quarter century.

This past saturday, the crew went to see RAQ. I was a little disapointed with the setlist and the energy in the room. My one critique is that they played too may "Todd Stoops" songs, which in my opinion, sound like show tunes.

My revised list of "Top 2 Bands to see live" is the following...

1) The Heavy Pets
2) Ryan Montbleau Band

above, is a picture of The Ryan Montbleau Band on 4:20, at the Knitting Factory NYC

The "Kandinsky" of Poker

2007-04-16T19:59:00.000-07:00

Congratulations Jesse Martin "A well know east coast poker player"... This evening Jesse is the proud winner of 2007 WPT Belagio Championship. This was one of the $2,500 no-limit hold'em tournaments leading up to the WSOP. This is Jesse's largest cash win in any poker tournament, live or online. One of the biggest perks of the win, besides the cash, is that he has a free entry into the $25,000 WPT main event. Wow The story on the street is that Al Krux, his mentor, was at his side while the final table unraveled. I however, was watching the live updates on Cardplayer.com

The final hand, Jesse had A-4, and his opponent had K-8. Jesse spiked an Ace on the river to secure the hand with 2 pair, and his first gold bracelet!

Jesse's online persona is "Mazeorbowie" but after this win, my new personal nickname for him is "The Kandinsky Of Poker"

Kandinsky was born in moscow in 1866, and died in 1944. He was considered to be "The founder of abstract art" A few of his famous works are featured below.

Taj Mahal: revisited

2007-03-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE "REAL" TAJ MAHAL IN INDIA, NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE "TRUMP" TAJ MAHAL IN ATLANTIC CITY. THE OUT-DATED RESORT AND CASINO SEEMED TO BE UNDER MAJOR RENOVATIONS. LAST TIME I WAS IN ALTLANTIC CITY WAS FOR THE HOT 97 CELEBRITY POKER TOURNAMENT. (SEE BLOG: GG DIDDY) THIS TRIP HOWEVER WAS A BUSINESS VENTURE CENTERED AROUND THE "U.S. FOODS" FOOD SHOW, ALSO HOSTED BY TRUMP TAJ MAHAL.

UPON ARRIVING AT THE HOTEL, THERE WAS AN ENORMOUS LINE FOR CHECK-IN, WHICH CAUSED MY COUSIN PAUL AND I TO BE LATE TO THE INITIAL COCKTAIL RECEPTION. WE DIDNT MIND THAT WE MISSED ALL THE FOOD, BECAUSE WE RECIEVED A FREE UPGRADE TO A PRESIDENTIAL SUITE. AND PLUS, THERE WAS STILL 45 MINUTES LEFT AT THE OPEN BAR. AFTER GETTING SETTLED IN THE ROOM, WE MADE OUR WAY TO THE CASINO. I FLUCTUATED MY CHIP STACK AT THE ROULETTE TABLE UNTIL I DECIDED TO WALK AWAY EVEN MONEY. THEN WE MADE OUR WAY TO 3 CARD POKER. I PLAYED ONE HAND FOR AROUND 45 BUCKS AND I SPIKED TWO JACKS AS MY HOLE CARDS. ANYONE WHO KNOWS 3 CARD POKER KNOWS THAT ALL THE DEALER NEEDS TO QUALIFY IS A MEASLEY Q HIGH, SO WHEN I SAW HER LONE ACE APPEAR, I INSTANTLY KNEW I WAS A WINNER. SO WE WALKED. PAUL AND I THEN MADE OUR WAY TO THE $15 MINIIMUM BLACK-JACK TABLE, AND CONSOLIDATED OUR MONEY. A FRIEND OF OURS FROM THE INDUSTRY "MISCHA" FOUND US AT THE TABLE AND BROUGHT OVER A LOVELY IRISH LADY WHO NEVER PLAYED CARDS FOR MONEY. WE EXPLAINED TO HER "THE ONLY WAY TO LEARN, IS TO JUMP RIGHT INTO THE FIRE." THE TABLE WAS HOT! FOR ABOUT A HALF HOUR STRAIGHT, IT SEEMED LIKE EVERYONE AT THE TABLE WAS WINNING AND CHEERING. WE TRIPPLED OUR MONEY, AND THEN I DRAGGED PAUL TO THE REAL POKER ROOM. I PLAYED TWO HANDS, AND WON THEM BOTH. THE FIRST HAND I WAS DEALT, REALLY GOT ME GOING!

I RAISED IN MIDDLE POSITION WITH Ad-6d, AND THE TWO BLINDS CALLED. I WAS ACTING OBNOXIOUS AS USUAL TRYING TO GET UNDER MY OPPONENTS SKIN. I MADE SOME SORT OF COMMENT TO THE LITTLE BLIND, "YOUR GOING TO CALL MY RAISE KNOWING YOUR OUT OF POSITION...?" AND THEN I ROLLED MY EYES TO PAUL, WHO WAS SITTING NEXT TO ME OBSERVING. THE FLOP CAME OUT: 2-7-8 RAINBOW. THE LITTLE BLIND BET THE POT, THE BIG BLIND FOLDED, AND I THOUGHT. AND THOUGHT. I KINDA FELT I WAS BEAT, BUT I WANTED TO FIND A REASON TO RAISE, ANY REASON. I COULDNT FIND ONE. AFTER ABOUT A MINUTE, I MADE EYE CONTACT WITH HIM, AND MY PLAN WAS TO ASK HIM MY USUAL QUESTION "DO YOU WANT ME TO CALL" HE SHIFTED HIS MOUTH AND SAID "I DONT THINK SO" FROM THAT VERY INSTANT, I SENSED WEAKNESS, AND BEFORE THOSE WORDS WERE FINISHED RESONATING ON HIS TONGUE, ALL MY CHIPS WERE IN THE POT. HE HESITATED, AND SAID "WHAT YOU GOT, JACKS?" AND THEN HE FOLDED. I TOLD HIM HE COULD PICK ONE OF MY CARDS, AND I WOULD SHOW. OF COARSE I SHOWED THE ACE.

BELOW IS A PICTURE OF PAUL, MISCHA, AND THE "LUCK OF THE IRISH LADY" AT THE BLACK-JACK TABLE. BTW- BIG UPS TO PAUL WHO SWEET TALKED THE WOMAN INTO GIVING US THE LARGER ROOM!

BTW: THE IRISH WOMAN STARTED WITH $15 DOLLARS IN CHIPS, AND WALKED OFF WITH OVER $200

THE KEY OF LIFE

2007-03-25T21:49:00.000-07:00

THE KEY OF LIFE IS A TONE,
OR A SOUND. IT HAS NO BEGINING
AND NO END. IT IS ALWAYS THERE.

AN EASY WAY TO HEAR IT, IS TO HUM.

* * *

A SILENT CAB RIDE ON FRIDAY NIGHT
LEAD ME TO THIS CONCLUSION. AFTER
AN IMPROMPTU VOCAL JAM BETWEEN JESSE
AND I, IT CAME TO ME. THE JAM SLOWLY
ENDED IN A DEEP HUMM, THE "OM" SOUND
APPEARED.

HUMMING OR CHANTING HAS BEEN USED IN
MANY ANCIENT CULTURES TO ACCESS HIGHER
STATES OF CONSCIOUSNESS. A MODERN
INTERPRETATION OF THIS RITUAL CAN HELP
REUNITE BODY, MIND AND SPIRIT.

MOTTY

2007-03-22T14:00:00.001-07:00

LOS ANGELES

"IM GOING GOING, BACK TO BACK, TO CALI CALI" BIGGIE SMALLS SAID IT PERFECT "CALI, A GREAT PLACE TO VISIT"
IM A BIG FAN OF THE CHANGING SEASONS, AND THE EAST COAST IN GENERAL, SO I DON'T PLAN TO MOVE ANYTIME SOON. "MOTTY" (RYAN) IS CURRENTLY SPORTING A MULLET, AND A SEEMINGLY POSITIVE ATTITUDE. "HOW CAN YOU BE IN A BAD MOOD ON A DAY LIKE THIS?"he said. MY FRIEND RYAN MOVED OUT TO L.A. LAST SUMMER, AND WE HAVE NOT KEPT IN TOUCH AS MUCH AS I WOULD HAVE HOPED. AFTER GETTING OFF THE PHONE WITH HIM JUST NOW, A SMILE IS STILL RESONATES ON MY FACE AS I ENVISION THE DETAILS OF OUR CONVERSATION. ONE TOPIC WE TOUCHED UPON WAS CURRENT HIP HOP LYRICS. THE SONG "THIS IS WHY IM HOT" WAS DISCUSSED, PARTICULARLY THE LINES; "I GIVE THEM BLACK TRAIN, I TELL THEM ALL ABOARD, WE ROLL TO THE STUDIO, THEY SAY THEY LIKE HOW I RECORD" IM NOT EVEN SURE WHO SINGS THAT SONG... ANYONE? ANOTHER UP AND COMING SOULFUL HIP HOP GROUP IS CALLED "UGK" IM NOT SURE WHAT IT STANDS FOR BUT THEY HAVE A GREAT TRACK CALLED "STOP-AND-GO"

* * *

TOMORROW IS MY FATHERS 58TH BIRTHDAY. (MARCH 23RD) WE CELEBRATED LAST NIGHT BY GOING TO OUR FAMILY FAVORITE RESTAURANT "SCALINATELLA" THE FOOD WAS GREAT, PARTICULARLY THE LINGUINE WITH LOBSTER RAGU. AT ONE POINT DURING THE MEAL DON CHEETLE AND ADAM SANDLER WALKED IN WITHOUT A RESERVATION, AND THE OWNER CLEARED AN AREA FOR THEM TO EAT. TODAY IS THE RELEASE OF THE NEW ADAM SANDLER MOVIE, ONCE AGAIN, IM NOT SURE OF THE TITLE. ANYONE?

* * *

-THE PICTURE ABOVE, IS THE VIEW OUT OF MOTTY'S OFFICE WINDOW

THIS IS MOTT

-FOR SOME REASON THERE THE LINK FOR COMMENTS IS DISABLED. IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO COMMENT, PLEASE USE THE PREVIOUS BLOG, THANKS... MANAGMENT

my morning bracket

2007-03-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Ok, Its official. The band finally manned up and bought a brand new van! Im not sure right now of the exact make and model, but I will make sure to get back to you.

BTW: I have recently seen the band My Morning Jacket perform. They dont do anything for me.

Other news: UNLV just beat Wisconson to advance to the Sweet 16.

The JANGO Fest

2007-03-12T10:54:00.000-07:00

Breaking story: The pet-mobile turned out to be a Lemon, and Ryan Neuberger returned the bus to the owner for a full refund.

* * *

Im just a little upset right now. Its hard to believe, considering that my extended weekend trip to Florida was extremely successful. The Langerado festival has become a must, on my list of things to do. Especially now, because my favorite band to see live, will presumably be invited back. After a spectacular "noon" performance of The Heavy Pets, we found ourselves yet again in "Festi-mode" There were a ton of new faces in the crowd, and it was a very feel good set of music. The songs of the set were Precious Minds, and Sopresatta. It took place in the "Swamp Tent" located directly near the entrance to the festival.
* * *
I returned home last night, when I walked in my apartment I got the "Three Little Bears Syndrome" "Who's been sleeping in my bed?" "Who has been eating my poarage?" "Who flooded my apartment!?!" Apparently, over the weekend a pipe located behind my toilet had burst, leaving 5' of water in the apartment. The Worst! By the time I returned home, maintenance had cleaned up the water and disconnected my appliances. I was just planning to write about the magical weekend in Ft. Lauderdale, not about this crap... I usually try to keep negativity out of the blog. Hey, thats a good idea. Maybe Ill write about all the bad things that happened on the trip.

* * *

The flying experiences were overwhelmingly negative. I might have overreacted, but I was very unhappy with the service on the both the trip down and back. For some reason I had a lot of trouble receiving a beverage during the service portion of the flights. When I asked for a "club soda" Twice, I unpleasantly sent back a can of Coke, only to be neglected the right to receive another drink. I began to fidget in my seat, only to stand up; walk to the rear of the plane, and demand a bottle of water. When I asked the steward for the water, It was clear that the crew had been talking about me, and pegged me as "the disgruntled traveler of the day" So when he said to me "You were very rude to the young lady sir" I burned a stone look into his eyes and said "I just need a bottle of water" In addition, on the flight down, I was sitting in the window seat located directly in front of the emergency exit row, so my seat was unable to recline.

* * *

E-dog and I introduced Jesse to "Bonzo Ball" on Saturday night. Jesse bought a small blow up ball in Walgreen's and we played a wall game. (Similar to wall ball, but the ball has to bounce before hitting the wall) Our playing field was conveniently located between one of the hottest restaurants in So. Florida, and the Dive bar where the Pets were playing their second night of music. I lost... But I demand a rematch, there were a lot of beautiful women passing by, so I was very distracted. I also lost in the Soccer style shootout the next morning. This took place in front of E-dogs condo in Boca. We used the same ball, with the garage being the goal. Final score: Jesse: 4 Adam: 3

* * *
BTW: Before the concerts, a friend of mine know as "EARTHCORN" wished me a safe trip text message. In it, he misspelled Lango, "for Langerado" and wrote JANGO> From there on, I refferd to the festival only as The JANGO Fest. Not to be confused with bounty hunter "JENGO FETT". Father/clone of "Bobba Fett" featured below. "STAR WARS"

THE PET-MOBILE

2007-03-08T10:23:00.000-08:00

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON'T ALREADY KNOW. THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE NEW AND IMPROVED TOUR BUS FOR THE HEAVY PETS. "VALERIE" MAY HER SOUL REST IN PEACE, WAS THE BLACK VAN THAT THE BAND USED ON THEIR FIRST EVER NORTHEAST TOUR. I WILL NEVER FORGET THE THICK ORANGE SHAG CARPETING THAT LINED THE ENTIRE VAN. (A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR VALERIE) BELOW IS A PICTURE OF JEFF WITH VALERIE "PITCHING THE BARB ON TO THE TRACTOR"

OTHER NEWS:

THE HEAVY PETS RECENTLY WON THE SONIC BIDS CONTEST, WHICH ENTITLES THEM TO OFFICIALLY OPEN THE LANGERADO MUSIC FESTIVAL. -PRETTY BIG DEAL-

"THE WET BAG THEORY"

2007-03-05T07:10:00.000-08:00

THIS PAST FRIDAY I DECIDED TO GO UP TO VERMONT. JORDAN AND I WERE PLANNING TO MEET UP THERE, THE LAST STEP WAS TO MUSCLE OUT THE TIRESOME AP RE-WORK COMMUTE. THE LONG WEEK IN GENERAL HAD LEFT ME EXHAUSTED TO BEGIN WITH, SO MY SUBCONSCIOUS KEPT REPEATING "ONCE YOU GET UP THERE ADAM, IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE RIDE. ESPECIALLY BECAUSE JORDAN BROUGHT WHAT I LIKE TO CALL A "HANDLE" OF HARIBO GUMMY BEARS, STRAIGHT FROM GERMANY.

ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER WE GOT THERE, FIRE BLAZING, WE NOTICED THE CONDO WAS STILL RATHER COLD. WE CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT "THERE WAS NO HEAT!" THE PLAN WAS TO CALL MAINTENANCE IN THE MORNING, AFTER TOUGHING OUT THE NIGHT AROUND THE FIRE.

THE AMOUNT OF SNOW COMING DOWN THE NEXT DAY WAS TREACHEROUS, AND THE OVERALL CONDITIONS SO EXTREME, WE DECIDED TO SPEND THE DAY INDOORS, HOPING TO RIDE SUNDAY.

THE SPORTS CENTER IS PERFECT FOR A DAY LIKE THIS, AND HAS PLENTY OF ACTIVITIES TO KEEP TRAVELERS BUSY. EQUIPPED WITH A SMALL GYM AND INDOOR POOL, JORDAN AND I MADE USE OF ALL THE AMENITIES. THE PLAN WAS FOR ME TO WORK OUT ON THE TREADMILL, JORDAN ON THE STATIONARY BIKE, AND THEN SWITCH. HEATHER, THE HEAVY SET WOMAN WHO WORKS THERE WAS VERY HELP FULL BUT AT MOMENTS BORDERLINE AWKWARD. SHE EXPLAINED HOW TO USE THE TELEVISION, AND DURING THE DEMONSTRATION, SHE HIT A BUTTON ON THE SET WHICH SENT THE PICTURE AND SOUND INTO AND ENIGMA BEYOND REPAIR. AT WHICH POINT, SHE OFFERED US AN ARRAY OF VHS MOVIES TO WATCH, MAKING CLEAR TO US THAT "WE ARE NOT TO WATCH ANY MOVIE WITH FOUL LANGUAGE" JORDAN JOKINGLY EXCLAIMED "OK, HOW ABOUT GOODFELLAS"

WE PUT IN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II, AND RAN FOR 40 MINUTES. AFTERWARDS, I WAS STRETCHING ON THE FLOOR WHEN A MAN SUDDENLY WALKED INTO THE SMALL GYM ROOM. FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, THE MAN ENTERED THE GYM AND MADE A B-LINE FOR THE SELECTION OF MAGAZINES (WHICH WAS RIGHT NEAR THE TELEVISION) FOR SOME REASON, JORDAN WAS UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT WHEN THE MAN ENTERED THE ROOM, HE HEADED STRAIGHT FOR THE NINJA TURTLES MOVIE THAT WAS PLAYING. FULL SPRINT ON THE TREADMILL, MIND YOU, HEADPHONES IN EAR, JORDAN YELLS TO THE GENTLEMAN "ITS THE SECOND ONE!" AS IF TO GIVE THE GUY A HEADS UP THAT, WHAT APPEARED ON THE SCREEN WAS IN FACT THE SECOND NINJA TURTLES MOVIE, "SECRET OF THE OOZE" NOT TO BE MISTAKEN FOR THE FIRST NINJA TURTLES BLOCKBUSTER, OR PERHAPS PREVIEWS FROM THE NEW NINJA TURTLES MOVIE COMING OUT. I COULD BE WRONG, BUT I DON'T THINK THE MAN EVER HAD ANY INTEREST IN THE MOVIE WHATSOEVER... = )

WORKOUT COMPLETED, WE MADE OUR WAY TO THE POOL AREA, THEN TO THE JACUZZI, FOLLOWED BY THE NECESSARY SHOWER/SAUNA. THE SPORTS CENTER CONVENIENTLY PROVIDES TOWELS, LOCKERS, AND PLASTIC BAGS TO PUT YOUR WET CLOTHING, WHICH COMES IN VERY HANDY. AS WE WERE MAKING OUR WAY BACK TO THE CONDO, JORDAN EXPLAINS HOW HE IS MISSING HIS NEW I-POD SHUFFLE;THE ONE HE WAS JUST USING IN THE GYM. WE WERE ABOUT TO GO BACK OUT AND RUN A FEW ERRANDS (SKI RENTALS AND FOOD) SO WE AGREED TO RIDE PAST THE SPORTS CENTER ONCE AGAIN, AND SEARCH FOR THE SLEEK MP3 PLAYER TOGETHER. THE DEVICE WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND, AND THIS IS WHEN I CAME UP WITH THE THEORY ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. ONE: THAT SOMEONE STOLE IT... AND TWO: JORDAN MISTAKINGLY PUT THE I-POD INTO THE PLASTIC BAG CONTAINING HIS WET SWIMMING TRUNKS. ABOUT 2 HOURS LATER WE RETURNED TO THE CONDO, JORDAN WAS GRATEFUL TO ANNOUNCE THE RETURN OF THE I-POD SHUFFLE, WITH A BIG THANKS TO MY "WET BAG THEORY"

BTW: EXPERT DECISION TO SNOWBOARD SUNDAY: 6 INCHES OF FRESH POWDER

CONDITIONS: PARTLY SUNNY WITH SCATTERED FLURRIES, POWDER & PACKED POWDER

THE PICTURE BELOW IS A SHOT I TOOK INSIDE THE SKI/SNOWBOARD RENTAL SHOP. IF YOU LOOK CLOSE YOU WILL REALIZE THAT IT IS A PICTURE OF A MIRROR ON THE BACK OF A DO0R.

Motivation, Movement, Momentum...

2007-02-23T22:59:00.000-08:00

(Warning! This might be a little weird)

This blog is about the things we don't talk about... The awkward social silences: The personal moments of hesitation, and the idea of embarrassment. On a small scale, humans are extremely unique and special. But as a species, I have come theorize that everyone experiences life on a similar plane of existence, with a similar set of emotions. Why do we feel embarrassment...? (even rock stars blush from time to time) Human nature is interesting. From eye contact to body language, our instinctual behavior is quite simple to understand. Boys are naturally aggressive and women are their balanced counterpart.
***
Watching animals interact is quite enlightening, especially dogs. Sebastian (Sea-Bass) and Justin Martin are the two dogs I am referring too. My friend Jesse is quite close with the dogs, mostly because his cousin owns them. Anyway, Jesse tried to explain how the alpha dog aggressed the the other dog by throwing his weight backward, into him, using his butt. These motions seem intrinsically human, kinda like the way boys push and wrestle for sheer entertainment.
***
Trying not to stray from the point of the story, I must,,, (The Point of this blog is to convey a message: "Honesty is the best policy" If something is not funny, don't laugh: If you have nothing to say, don't speak. Be honest with yourself, and nothing will seem awkward. Motivation, Movement, and Momentum has been my mantra for the past two years. But now, I am trying to focus on reality and personal honesty.
***
Awkward human interactions are a "dime a dozen"--- especially living in a city like Manhattan.
***
From elevator rides to crowded subways, There will always be room for self evaluation.
***
This blog is about the moments that we all are programed to forget. This blog is about the feeling you get when someone unexpected, walks into "your elevator"
The moment where you question your every motion, which ultimately translates into an uncomfortable social environment. Any time this happens to me, I immediately think of putting off positive energy which is ultimately an impenetrable forcefield. This is a tool that I learned from a book called "Healing The Earth" which has had a great influence on my spiritual journey thus far.

..........."Can You Feel The Love?"

2007-02-20T12:36:00.001-08:00

Here are more pictures from the "Love Gathering" The Bon-Fire was strategically placed about 50 feet in front of the stage. The weather dipped into the low 40's for the evening of the music festival, but everyone raged all night around the fire. There was an overwhelming feeling of Native American tribal rituals, including drum circles and deep vocal chants. (super heady) The picture below includes Taper Steve, E-Dog, and Joe Dupell, just after a tribesman threw an extremely flammable baby pine into the inferno.

Poker Stars

2007-02-19T23:08:00.000-08:00

E-dog and I were playing a cash game together in Boca Raton Florida.
This was the biggest pot of the day!

PokerStars Game #8507211546: Hold'em No Limit ($0.25/$0.50) - 2007/02/18 - 17:53:46 (ET)
Table 'Lykaon II' 6-max Seat #2 is the button
Seat 1: YellowJacks ($80.95 in chips)
Seat 2: hunkyrabbit ($52.65 in chips)
Seat 3: Jimmy Staxx ($54.20 in chips)
Seat 4: relado ($35.90 in chips)
Seat 6: speedynutt ($53.75 in chips)
Jimmy Staxx: posts small blind $0.25
relado: posts big blind $0.50
*** HOLE CARDS ***
Dealt to YellowJacks [Ts Th]
speedynutt: folds
YellowJacks: raises $2.50 to $3
hunkyrabbit: calls $3
Jimmy Staxx: folds
relado: calls $2.50
*** FLOP *** [Td 4s 3s]
relado: checks
YellowJacks: checks
hunkyrabbit: bets $6.50
relado: folds
YellowJacks: raises $10.50 to $17
hunkyrabbit: raises $32.65 to $49.65 and is all-in
YellowJacks: calls $32.65
*** TURN *** [Td 4s 3s] [8h]
*** RIVER *** [Td 4s 3s 8h] [Tc]
*** SHOW DOWN ***
YellowJacks: shows [Ts Th] (four of a kind, Tens)
hunkyrabbit: mucks hand
YellowJacks collected $106.55 from pot
*** SUMMARY ***
Total pot $108.55 | Rake $2
Board [Td 4s 3s 8h Tc]
Seat 1: YellowJacks showed [Ts Th] and won ($106.55) with four of a kind, Tens

"Im Mostly A Pond Fisherman"

2007-02-16T19:37:00.000-08:00

Sitting in the Jet Blue terminal, I can't help admire the enormous food selection. I am also gazing and the extraordinary amount of disgruntled travelers relax, due to sheer exaustion. Two days ago, the northeast United States was hit with what we call a "nor-easter" The New York City area only got a few inches of snow to stick, however the storm has made for armageddon-like delays at the airport. The lingering effects are still very visible in the people randomly laying on the ground as if they were at a "Shul-In" (see appendix for details) People have been here for over 48 hours, trying to get on stand-by flights.

My flight was supposed to leave at 10, but is currently delayed until 11:10. I found this information out on the computer before i left, but I was still uncomfortable in the small amount of traffic, in fear of missing my flight. I proceeded to the jet blue kiosk for my boarding pass, and headed for security. This was easily the longest line I have ever seen in this airport. After waiting about 5 minutes I realized that I might be able to cut the line since I technically had a ticket for a 10 o clock flight. (I of coarse knew the plane was late) I looked around with intentions of notifying the proper authorities that my plane was leaving in 15 minutes. Who better to tell than a National Guard Security officer armed with an oozie. I told him the news of my flight, he then turned, and politely interrupted airport security on my behalf. The tall woman he contacted seemed to drop whatever she was doing to assist me, and then provide me with a personal escort to the front of the line. If it wasn't for them, i would be on a 2 hour line instead of writing this blog... = )

I knew the whole travel experience was going to be epic, the minute i left my apartment. My friend Ethan drove me to the airport like a seasoned Nascar Driver. His expert route through Queens made for a very timely commute, by-passing all the traffic on the Van Wyck. (Clam Wyck) The conversation took off when we started talking about our past new years vacation to Florida. (The last time we went to visit E-dog and The Heavy pets.) On our way, we actually missed the Jet Blue terminal because we were laughing so hard. Ethan told me a story about when he used to go to an Applebee's-stlye restaurants and order boneless buffalo wings and dips them into a side order of Artichoke/Spinach dip. One time he actually "ordered it to go. Then he went next door and bought a roll: only to make a buffalo chicken sandwich, loaded with the sloppy spinach dip. wow
We also reminisced about our amazing fishing trip two months back with E-dog. Ethan told me he overheard the captain ask E-Dog if he was a fisherman? E- repllied "I'm mostly a pond fisherman..."

It is currently 12:29 am and I am still in good spirits, even in the anxious airport environment. My main concern right now is the half pint of beer I left at the airport bar. I had to leave it there when I heard a rumor regarding a gate change. As I write this, I just heard an anouncment regarding my flight. "The Ft. Lauderdale flight will be boarding in less than 5 minutes" The terminal just cheered in unison. The people in front of me standing on the customer service line still seem none so pleased. My new aquaintance Simon, whom I met at the bar just informed me what that line is for. As he aimlesley wandered past me, we connected eyes. He said "My flight to Buffalo is canceled" We both smirked... "how am i going to get my luggage back" he said, oh, I guess thats what this huge customer service line is for."

update: its the morning after. Landed safe in Ft. Lauderdale at 5:15 eastern standard time. "Better late than never" Who made up that phrase anyway? For some reason I feel like it was Yogi Berra or something... Anyone?
and yes...still in good spirits, just feeling drained. I am listening to the new Heavy Pets Album "Whale" soon to be released. Lloyds private unveiling of the masterpiece is currently lifting my state of mind. Lloyd just ran out to the store to get eggs, for and old fashioned egg festival. TheHeavyPets.com

Moreover, I wound up sitting next to a beautiful young Long Island girl once we boarded the plane, so I didn't mind when we sat on the tarmack for another hour and a half before take off. I wound up going to sleep at Lloyds apartment at 6 am and waking up at 9am. I never really made it into a deep sleep, partly because Jim Weust was sleeping right next to me, and mostly because Lloyds two kittens are in fact nocturnal. At one point during the night I woke up, and both of the kittens were resting in the small of my back. It was also kinda freaky when I woke up and the cat was two inches from my face, staring at me.

(Appendix) A "Shul-In" is a slumber party in a synagogue usually involving youths.

The picture below was taken during the sunset of this particular day at the "Love Gathering"

2007-02-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I think writing right now will be theraputic. In fact, It usually is. I have been writing rhymes, songs, and poems for a while, and recently, about a year ago an aquaintance of mine turned me on to "blogging". I think is a great creative medium to share with the world. I think it was Shanes writing style that drew me to the scene, but also his honesty. Entertainers such as Howard Stern thrive on similar ideals. See for yourself: WWW.Shaniaconline.blogspot.com

My mother encourages me to write. She tells me to write at times when im frustrated. When your mad at your boss or girlfriend you should write what you'd like to say to them, not necessarilly in a blog, = ) but on a piece of paper. It helps, Alot!

Its early february, and bitter cold... Last night we went to the north auditorium of the Y to see Trey Anastasio do a rare live interview. Jonas, Sam, Marni, Mitchoo, Sonny, and Jesse ventured to the upper east side with very little knowledge about what was going to transpire. Well, simple as this...Trey spilled his guts... From the very begining Anthony DeCurtis badgerd trey about his drug abuse problem, Trey took it well, and spoke from his heart. I think he is on a road to full recovery after a recent stint in re-hab. The most interesting point of the night was when Trey explained his "theory" after being asked a very thought provoking question. I paraphrase "If you were a historian looking back on the phish generation, hypothesize on the movement and the jam band movement thereafter... Starting with swing music/dancing Trey muscled his way to the eighties, and explained how "by this time, all the record companies had figured it out a formula to create a pop artist" and just like other musical rebellions in the past, the "phish" movement was in fact a huge revolt againgst; song length, time signature, lyrical content. Trey explained that he was at the right time and place as a mere vessel, to convey the "tones of life" which fueled a movement that disregarded musical conformity. hence, jam bands. Trey also gave props to Phil Lesh while recanting a staggerd thought he actually had on stage with Phil. "This guy can really play this music, Oh yea! He invented it, He was in the Gratefull Dead!"

From there, four of us broke off to go downtown for a latenight gourmet "Snack" As we pile into the X5, I remember saying to Sonny. "Wow, you love Trey. On a scale of 1 to 3, how happy are you? He said "3!" Then Jesse joined in by saying. "how about on a scale of 1 - 50 ?! Sonny said "46" we all said "WoW" Then my stupid ass says "If we got into a no injury car accident right now, what would that number go down to? Sonny said "high teens", but also gave a look that we shouldn't be talking about this.

We make our way to Blue Ribbon Sushi. Ill take the resposibility for blowing the order, but the service was terrible. And even though it was inevitable that I would pay, I was very displeased "lets say" for the manner in which this took place. "Credit Card Roullette" is the game, but my first spin of the wheel was unfortunate. As Mitchel swiped the three credit cards I remember thinking "this was a mistake." Not to call Mitch out or anything, but I think since he was getting away with only paying $26 dollars for food and alcahol. I think he should have stayed out of the negotiation process altogether, let alone be the comandant of the sensitive transaction.

In conclustion, do not talk about car accidents, its bad. Only moments after we left the restaurant, I was rear ended, YES, AGAIN. There was more damage to Jessse's back than the the car, so I wasn't surprised when he was super pissed.

Oh yea! Sonny's happiness level went down to a 17...

ALBY

2007-02-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

THIS IS MY FRIEND

Its a bird, its a plane... it's...

ALBATROSS?

: : : : : : : : :

Other stuff:

OK guys, maybe im the only one who thinks this will be funny, but here you go. Think of different phrases that would go great with this picture. I started in the comment area. any other suggestions...?

"RED BARRON COMING IN FOR LANDING" A WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED WHEN ALL ENTRIES ARE REVIEWED BY A COUNCIL OF PROFESIONALS FROM EIGHT COUNTRIES SELECTED AT RANDOM.

2007-01-29T17:12:00.000-08:00

16 Thousand Dong Equals A Dollar

A quiet ecsape from the city has left me refreshed. The vermont air alone could rejuvinate the spirit. I took a solo ride up to Mount Snow to meet JG. Equiped with an arsenal of stories, Jordan had just returned from what seemed to be an epic trip to Vietnam. I was making a fire when he arrived, and of coarse we both had treats for the weekend. I brought white chocolate popcorn, baked ziti, muscle milk, frozen clam chowder, and Japanese pumpkin gnochi. Jordan shared 80 gigs of music, Vietnamese sesame brittle, and aray of Vietnamese DVD's that didnt work, oh yea, and beasters... A most relaxing weeked in vermont wouldn't be complete without a trip to the local "Snow Barn". "Kashmir" the Led Zeplin cover band was playing, and before they exited the stage, they introduced themselves and both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant respectively. And then Proceded to throw a plethora of their "Kashmir" guitar picks into the crowd. I havent seen something that cheezy since Dr. Doolittle II...

The Picture above is the painting i purchased at the local "Wright GallerY"
best purchase ever?

-for the record. Ive never seen Dr. Doolitte II

2007-01-07T19:41:00.000-08:00

BOCA OR BUST II

WE LANDED IN ORLANDO AND RENTED A CHEVY TRAIL BLAZER. EXPERT MOVE. FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN'T ALREADY KNOW, THIS BLOG IS THE SECOND OF TWO TRIPS TO FLORIDA WITHIN THE YEAR. THIS TIME, WE WERE ON OUR WAY TO SEE "THE HEAVY PETS" AT A TWO DAY FESTIVAL. BEFORE THE FESTIVAL EVEN BEGAN, JESSE SUBCONSCIOUSLY RELIEVED SONNY AS TOUR MANAGER AND MADE AN EXPERT TRANSITION INTO "FESTI-MODE" JESSE'S UNIQUE PARKING JOB IN THE WOODS WAS FAR FROM ORDINARY, IN FACT ITS QUITE "INDESCRIBABLE" IT WAS SO AWKWARD AND RANDOMLY HAPHAZARD, THAT WHEN WE EXITED THE CAR LAUGHING, AND OUR NEW FRIEND CHRIS SAID "WHAT ARE- 'YOU GUYS ON?"

WE PICKED CHRIS UP AT THE CAMP JAM ENTRANCE, MOMENTS AFTER HIS DAD DROPPED HIM OFF. HE WAS A 21 YEAR OLD TOUR KID WHO RECENTLY MOVED TO ORLANDO FROM TEXAS AND HEARD ABOUT THE FESTIVAL ON THE INTERNET... I HOPE CHRIS IS SAFE, HE SEEMED PRETTY FADED AFTER PULLING A DRUG INDUCED ALL-NIGHTER, ITS A SHAME HE NEVER MADE IT TO THE HEAVY PETS NEW YEAR FINALLE...

* * *

QUESTION OF THE TRIP................................
Q: IF WE HAD RENTED THE CROSSFIRE, WOULD HE HAVE GIVEN US A SPEEDING TICKET ?
A: Y

JUGGLING THE OUTBACK ORLANDO ROADS AND AN IMPERATIVE CALL FOR DIRECTIONS....., I REALIZED IT WAS TOO LATE. NOT EVEN AN HOUR INTO THE TRIP AND WE HAVE A RUN IT WITH THE COPS. WE GOT PULLED OVER... THE COP APPROACHED THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE TRUCK CONSCIOUSLY AVOIDING THE PASSING TRAFFIC, AND THE INTERROGATION BEGAN. IM NOT SURE IF JESSE COULD TOTALLY HEAR THE COP, BUT HE SPOKE TO THE COP IN A TONE YOU WOULD GIVE TO A WAITER WHO BROUGHT YOU COLD SOUP, DEFINATELY NOT A WAY TO SERENADE A LAW ENFORCER. I THINK THIS CONFUSED THE COP. HE CAME BACK WITH A SMILE AND A PLEASANT WARNING. JESSE WAS IN SOME SORT OF ZONE, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT UNTIL ABOUT A MILE DOWN THE ROAD THAT HE GRASPED THE CONCEPT THAT WE GOT LET OFF WITH JUST A WARNING... I THINK THE COP WAS LOOKING FOR REAL TROUBLEMAKERS... IN CONCLUSION, RENTING THE CROSSFIRE CONVERTIBLE WOULD HAVE HAD A TWO PRONGED EFFECT: FIRST, WE WOULD DEFINATELY HAVE GOTTEN A SUMMONS FOR SPEEDING, AND TWO: WE WOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FIT CHRIS IN THE BACK.

* * *

WE MADE A TOTAL OF FIVE STOPS DURING THE 50 MILE TRECK FROM THE ORLANDO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT IN THE FOLLOWING ORDER. QUICKIE MART, TARGET, GETTING PULLED OVER, THE HOTEL, AND A KWIK STOP. THE LAST MOMENT STOP AT TARGET WILL ALWAYS STICK OUT IN MY MIND AS THE BEGINING OF THE ADVENTURE. TARGET HAD A LIMITED SECTION OF TOP SELLING CD'S, AS WE PERUSED, A CLASSIC DIALOGUE INSUED. THE SARCASTIC BANTER STARTED LIGHTLY WITH CRACKING JOKES AND MAKING FUN OF EACHOTHERS CD SUGGESTIONS, BUT THEN BECAME MORE SERIOUS. I AM AM NOW CONVINCED THAT ALL MUSICAL CONVERSATIONS ARE WITHIN SEVEN DEGREES OF THE BEATLES.

CD'S WE PURCHASED:

NAS
GYM CLASS HEROES
BECK
SNOOP DOG
LED ZEPLIN (DOUBLE DISC)
THE REPLACEMENTS
2 PAC (SHITTY REMIX CD)
THE GORRILAZ
(I FORGOT THE NAME OF THE BAND I LIKED THE MOST WILL GET BACK TO YOU)

* * *

OVERALL, IT WAS A GREAT TRIP, FROM THE VERY BEGINING TO THE VERY END. NOT TO MENTION I FINALLY GOT MY REVENGE FROM THE FIRST "MILE HIGH SIT-&-GO". ABOUT A YEAR EARLIER WAS WHEN WHEN JESSE AND I PLAYED OUR LAST HEADS UP...
THE VICTORY IN MY MIND IS A METAPHOR FOR A PROSPOROUS AND SUCCESSFULL WAY TO WRAP UP THE YEAR. I CONSIDER THIS BLOG TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY OF ONE YEAR OF WRITING. CHEERS...

2006-12-20T19:28:00.000-08:00

Last friday night was the real inspiration for this post. Drew and I were planning a jam session with the new IMAC. Pretty standard, until Sonny and Jesse make a surprise appearance. There was one awkward moment when we began playing, but once we got situated, the Jams began to flow. Everyone naturally rotated instruments as if it were an instinctual feel for sound. A primal jam vibe grew and grew until you could no longer distinguish begining from end. Music is truly the universal language...

* * * *

Later that night I made a solo run to the Bowery Ballroon to catch the second set of the New Deal show. I timed it perfect! Arriving promptly towards the end of set break, I was able to sneak past the bouncer monitoring the outdoor smoking area, and meet my friends. We found a place to stand about 17 heads back and began to dance. Coming from this deep jam session I had this overwhelming feeling that only part of me was there, kinda supervising. The jams were amazing, so much so that I had to leave, having reached some sort of personal pinnacle after only two songs...

2006-10-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Ricky Staplehead

This is a side view of my good friend Andrews head, and yes those are giant stapels. Apparently Andrew was elbowed in the head during a softball game. He began running after hitting a solid grounder, and as the first baseman was in the act of catching the ball his elwbow colided with Drew's noggin'. He was safe, but didnt finish the ninth inning. He did in fact go out for a beer before going to the hospital where they gave him three giant Frankenstein like stapels on the side of his head. Just something I had to finally share...

2006-10-24T15:59:00.000-07:00

Richie's Tale

This is part II of Richies's tale; Part one of the series happens to be my last post, conveniently I have found this great blog ordering to be the only positive thing that has come out of my recent blogging absence.

Its 4:45 am this past saturday and I had a funny feeling the moment my key made that final sticky swipe. I had three friends staying with me this weekend but I only noticed two of them as I cautiously walked past the untimely bright lights. "Come here!" they wisper-shouted "Before you go in there... Let us explain what happened" Its hard to express the myriad of fantastical thoughts that raced through my mind, but instantly, a smile came to my face.

The night started out at the upper west side bistro, for "Kleinman's" engagement party. Once inside, Richie and I made the executive deciscion to get a slice of pizza next door, not only to compliment the great hours dvors being passed, but to prepare for the open bar drinking session about to insue. The "Pizza Cave" we walked into was a well known kosher pizza stop for locals and travelers alike. In fact, we started talking to a pleasant young man wearing kepot, who came all the way from Long Island to enjoy this pizza with friends before going out. Richie and I both gave eachother that look "what kind of anomolie did we just walk into" The young man, I chose to remember as Mordechi, ordered two slices; 1 plain, and 1 mushroom, and he repeated "Ya know, keep it simple" which seemed to be his modus operandi. I have been planning to use this phrase, but I just havent found the right moment yet. Mordechi was speaking yiddish with his high school friends, and it seemed like we stepped into some sort of time warp. We wished him a good weekend while feeling fully satiated by the pair of plain slices we just murdered.

Back to the party, we then engaged in a tequila shot bonanza. After a few more drinks, about 20 of us rolled down to a trendy bar called Honey. Its was too croweded for my liking so my friend Sonny and I left Richie and the rest of the crew to experience a more down to earth or "Heady" scenery. Mission was accomplished when I ran into an old friend from Phish tour, only to spend the early morning hours hanging out on an east village roof top. I made my way home before five and, this is when I finally heard about the debacle that insued about an hour earlier.

Since I split up from the guys who were in town visiting, they didnt have a key. Luckily I have a 24 hour concierge at my apartment building who called me to confirm the release of my key. At that moment, the already stumbling Richie projectile vomitted all over the marble desk and flatscreen computer. The Concierge blurted some sort of profanity and hastily pointed to the bathroom where Richie was to be carried. After windex and paper towels were distributed to my friends, they finally made it back to my apartment where they dumped himRichie in my bathtub. His unatural position on the floor seemed to obstruct his breathing, making for a classinc gurgling sound. Oh yea, vomit e!erywhere! Richie is alive and well today...

2006-09-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

Im Sailing!! Kinda...

The last thing I heard my friend Rich say was, "dont let nature beat you" That sunday we decided to motor sail from Great Neck to Glen Cove LI, N.Y. and back. When we arrived at our destination on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, Rich and I had challenged ourselves to swim from the boat all the way to the shore, which is a debatable quarter mile or so... I was three quarters of the way there and something seemed wrong. I took a quick look back to check if Rich was on my tail, and he was no where to be found. After a few seconds I saw his hand flapping and the top of his head bobbing about thirty yards back. I twisted my body quickly to make a U turn, and began swimming back to help. Apparently Richie swallowed quite a bit of water, lost his buoyancy mid way through the swim. He was quite shaken up, so I helped him tread back to the vessel from which we came. Climbing up the drop ladder, Richie then began to vomit off the side of the boat, repeatedly into the already polluted Long Island Sound. Thats when my friend Gill told me about "Sound Sickness" lol.... apparently "The bacteria in the water cannot penetrate the skin, but if swallowed, can produce flu-like symptoms." I've convinced myself I have a very mild case of sound sickness = ) , And as for Richie, I think he's fine now, think I should give him a call. Just for the record, the story is not about my father Richie, but a dear friend, and thanks again Gill for yet another successfull trip...

2006-09-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

This is the first hole at Alpine CC. We started here,
but Mitch and I didnt play the second hole or the
ninth for that matter, but we made an expert play
by jumping to #14 and playing out to the clubhouse.
My par put went in and out of the cup from about
3 feet away on the 18th. I made up for it however
when i sunk a miracle 20 footer to save par on the
15th- big ups to mitch for the profesional read.

* * *

The weirdest part of the day was when an older woman asked us to play through. Also mind you that Mitch and I were in the center of the fairway at this point of a par 4, ready to take our approach shots into the green. The lady screams from the woamns tees, and for some reason we let her play through. She hit a pretty good drive right past us, but then she blew it. She duffed her next, I'd say, four shots, none of which went over ten yards. She then proceded to pick up her ball in embarrasment and move on to the next hole. "That turned into quite a disaster" lol!

* * *

Also had lunch that day at Ben's Deli with Grandma Hannah. Coincindently, during the meal she say something to the effect of. "I read this weekly insert in The Times called "Circuits" and I was reading about this new thing called a Blog... What is a Blog?" Its not the easiest thing to describe. I told her that a blog has many uses, some that I probably dont know about,.. But I use it as basically an online journal.

* * *

Big ups- Lee Podolsky's bachelor party and Phelipe

2006-09-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

GG DIDDY!

After Puff Daddy busted out of the first annual Celibrity

Poker Tournament, I happen to catch a great shot of him

watching E-dog taking down a crucial pot. The first round

of the tournament was a "shootout" which means that only

one player advances from each starting table. We started

with 3,000 in chips and blinds started at 100-200, doubling

every 15 minutes. I tend to agree with E-dog when he said

"Its kind of a crap-shoot" My plan was to play only premium

hands even if I had to wait a round or two without playing.

I can only blame myself for the following happenstance, but

I dont think the sub-par dealer helped at all. There was a lot

of commotion during the tournament: Celebrities, Papparazzi,

Body guards, ETC... So I was a little distracted when I made

my first mistake. The dealer says "$600 to you" So I threw

out $600, thinking it was my big blind. It checked around to

the real big blind, and when he checked, I realized what happened.

The flop came out

K-J-10

At this point I still havent looked at my cards, but it didn't really

matter when the little blind went all in for about another $1,200.

The big blind folded, and I disgustingly look at my hand...

-A-10-

Wow, i thought... I definately had the best hand pre-flop... I

decided that if i called, I had outs to win if my opponent had a

made hand, and if he was drawing, then I had him beat with a

pair, I was just a little dissapointed that I had no control over

the one and only hand I played in the entire tourney. My

opponent turned over a pair of jacks, and they held up. My

remaining $600 went into the pot for my big blind on the next

hand. Then I started to streak... I hit Kings full, on the big blind

to tripple up, and then moved in with -A-2- to double up.

I won another small pot, and i found myself with over $12,ooo in

chips. "Wow, i am chip leader just like that..." I thought to myself,

I had a good chance of winning the table. Then, I get -J-J- with

one limper. (blinds were still 300-600) So i make it $2,500 to go,

and I get re-popped for another 7,500 all-in bet from one of the

four guys remaining at my table. I folded my jacks face up, and he

showed his black aces. Of coarse I was happy with the fold, but I

still lost a lot of important chips, because the blinds immediatedly

jumped to 500-1000. A few hands later I get -J-J- again, this

time in the little blind. There was one limper, and I pushed for my

last $4,000 chips. The big blind folded and the limper called my

all in with -A-9-. I was good, until he spiked his Ace on the river.

I finished in fourth place at my table, and E-dog the same, respectively.

2006-09-07T22:15:00.000-07:00

I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN...

This picture says it all... I should have

known that the guy to my left, was going

to take all of my chips. He was giving the

finger to the "thousands" i had just won in the

prevoious hand. It was one of the biggest

hands i have ever doubled up on...

I limp in the pot with

-K-K-

and it worked perfectly...

Ethan raised to 500, E-dog called, and

I make it 1500 to go, with two callers,

Flop comes

Q-K-8

rainbow

I bet out on the flop, and E-dog was

the only one left to beat. I put him on a

straight draw after he called my bet,

maybe because it was the only

hand that could possibly beat me. The turn.

-Q-

When E-dog pushed, I "insta-called"

of coarse, showing down my full house

over his set of queens...

When the hand was over E-dog said

"I thought i was a genius when that queen came out"

I had the table dominated, and...then...

"I donked off all of my chips..."

I did the classic three moves that

that lost me over 42,000 in chips. First was

Re-raising with nothing before the flop, and

then getting out-played with the best hand.

Then, risking half my stack on an obvious coin

flip and losing with -7-7- , and then calling an

all-in with a small Ace. So, everyone raise a glass...

This one goes out to anyone that has ever blown

an enourmous chip lead in a poker tournament.

-F-U-

2006-08-03T20:37:00.000-07:00

Summer in the City

heat in the northeast
bombs in the middle east.
hot city streets.

its getting hard to breath
its storming in the west,
and its choppy out at sea.

southern fried dreams,
tarnished by passion
and other lost beliefs.

unbalanced thoughts
wave in the wind,
and sway with the trees.

2006-07-10T06:15:00.000-07:00

Woodstock

Upon arival at the Bethel Woods, I was in

shock to find out that they had converted

the original site of Woodstock into a fully

functional, state of the art music and

entertainment pavalion. Last night, Phil

Lesh and Phriends played a concert that was the

second act to ever perform on the brand

new stage. Ashley Simpson was the

first entertainer invited to play Bethel, the night

previous. Plush grass, incredible views, and

crisp sound filled the arena, comparable only

to such venues as Alpine Valley and MSG.

Its nice to finally have a beautifull pavilion only

an hour and a half outside the city. Meanwhile,

the show was great, and everywhere you walked

people were raving about how nice the new

venue looked and how inviting the staff was

in and out of the pavilion. Moreover, we

were lucky enough to have stumbled into

a handicapped section of seats where we

remained for the entire Phil show, and never

questioned to get up once. If you have ever

visited the original site of woodstock, it comes

as quite a surprise to see this new monstrosity.

2006-07-01T00:06:00.000-07:00

We all know that adam is not the most computer literate person
in the world. Moreover, it is quite amazing that i have come this
far, but i have to admit, I let the computer get the best of me
once again. So much so, that i led myself to believe that this
web-sight somehow swallowed my blogs one-by-one. Well, as
my friend "last minute jesse'' informed me, -all you have to do
in order to access the entirety of my blog is to click the word
"Archives" on the interface...

:btw. it is july fourth weekend, kicked off by a boat cruise with RAQ
followed by a Deadie evening in Camden, sleepin over in Crown Plaza.

2006-05-17T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well, my first post in a while.
I was kinda turned off from
this sight when i realized it had
erased my initial posts. I have
created another blog on myspace,
so check it out...Katzmaan@gmail.com

I had just got a great parking spot,
right in front of my store when it
happened. I see a man who looked
like Trey Anastasio. I started to
walk a little closer, and the less he
started to look like Trey. So I said
his name, and he responded. Simple
as that. What a nice guy... He always
seem like a pleasant person, and he
is exactly that, a simple man with
a serious talent. He was really
interested in getting to know about
his fans. Everything else he said,
he told me to keep a secret... Oh
yea, his wife took this picture of us.

2006-04-01T15:42:00.000-08:00

The Psychic

I was walking down the street today,

exchanging momentary glances with

the foot traffic on second avenue, when something

caught my attention. I noticed a woman

handing out flyers, promoting her psychic

talents. As I passed her storefront, I thought

to myself... If she was really good at what she

does, than she would have known I wasn't going

take a flyer, and therefore should have used some

other methond of attracting my attention. So I

kept on walking...

2006-03-22T19:14:00.000-08:00

Awkward Face McGhee!

This is my good friend Jordan. His last
name is not "McGhee" however, he is
making a, very, awkward face. We are
having a contest of who can take the
most "Awkward" picture of themselves
with a phone/camera. Good luck...
This guys hard to beat... Send pictures
directly to my phone, or to:
Katzmaan@gmail.com

Cousin McGhee

Geoff

Jesse (officially DISQUALIFIED*)

(see contest rules)

LLOYD

MAUL & PARNI

ANDREW

2006-03-15T07:56:00.000-08:00

In recent months, I have been fortunate
enough to travel quite a bit. Vermont and
South Florida have been the destinations
from which I have fled Manhattan.
My most recent excursion down south has
left me with an even stronger urge for warm
weather and outdoor activities. The week-
long trip began with two nights in Palm
Beach, followed by an evening in Miami,
And then three more days in Ft. Lauterdale.
The first couple of weekdays were spent
mostly relaxing in the sun, but the weekend
was "JAM" packed with live music at the
fourth annual "Langerado" music festival.
The festival was much more crowded than
years past. I think this is because the
performers who were given the prime time
slots were much more mainstream than
ever before. Such bands and "The Flaming
Lips", "G-Love and Special Sauce" and
"Ben Harper" replaced smaller, niche market
"jam bands" which generally tickle my
musical fancy a bit more. Upon arrival,
I was pleasantly surprised by the amount
of musical improvisation and general good
vibes surrounding the neo-hippie convention.
In addition, A dear friend of mine, (Jeff) who
recently moved to florida, was invited to
play at the festival. Jeff and his bandmates
who are also good friends of mine, played
one the of best hours of music I have
ever wittnessed. The show left me utterly
content but also craving more of the bands
original tunes. The band, "The Heavy Pets"
in my opinion have crossed the threshold
from a backyard garage band, to being profesional

entertainers. Their funky music can best be described as

-In your face Rock and Roll with reggae undertones,

married to a positive, musical intelect-

Why dont you just listen for yourself...

TheHeavyPets.com

2006-02-22T06:19:00.000-08:00

Boca or Bust

It was a friday in late january
when we decided to take
that fatefull flight. In
hindsight, it might have been
the "the best flight ever"
With that, i digress.. I had
purchased my plane ticket
about a month prior to this
day, but my friend, ("Last-
minute Jesse") conveniently
reserved his seat, that day.
My weekend excursion to
florida was a no-brainer,
however this was not the
case for Jesse. For him,
this flight would mark the
begining of a one-month
poker stint from Vegas to
L.A., and now including
a short stay in southern
florida. Jesse seemed
hesitant to leave his east
village apartment, so
i eased his troubles with
a timely Ed Moncada quote:
"All I need is my brain and
my laptop" and we were
off...

Upon arriving at the airport,
being the high maintainence
travelers that we are, we
proceded to the special needs
check-in desk. For lack of
better words, the middle-aged
black woman behind the desk,
seeming tired from a long work
week, wanted nothing to do
with our enthusiastic aprroach,
and especially nothing to do
with our "Special Needs"
Instantly, Jesse turned on his
sarcastic charm. The woman
smirked at his humorous antics,
and then decieded to bend the
rules a little and give us two seats
together in the first row. She
explained how these seats were
subject to change if in fact some-
one injured or handicapped
needed the extra roomy bulk-
head seats.

With confidence soaring, we
approached the x-ray machine.
After about four passes through
the arch, i was told to step into
an area for a secondary security
check. At this point I was
feeling pretty vulnerable, No
belt, and no shoes, suddenly it
hit me. I was carrying a box
cutter in my back pocket, the
same kind of knife they used to
hijack the planes during the
9-11 tragedy. It took another

20 minutes to complete the

"bulk weapon pat down search"

But it was all worth the wait

for the shotgun seats of the

plane. The composed gentleman

sitting next to us (David Leid)

seemed to have an entertaining

and yet relative story for every

comment that Jesse and I spewed

at him; and his timeless advice

about girls and money seemed to

fuel Jesse's ongoing crush of the

attractive stewerdis. The flight

was already "classic" with or

without the impending heads-up

poker match between Jesse and I.

We played a best of three

tournament using hershey kisses

and tootsie roll pops. I lost both

games, and fittingly Jesse won

the final hand with a wired pair

of black Ace's.

Best flight ever?

2006-02-06T20:56:00.000-08:00

Groundhog day just passed.
Again... I forgot what the
prediction was, but all I
know is that "Its, Fuckin
Hot" The warmest winter
the city has ever seen.
Global warming has shown
the world what it can do,
but still we continue to
self destruct. Mother
nature is angry at us,
And I don't blame her.

2006-02-06T20:23:00.001-08:00

As far as i am concerned,
The two best jam bands
out there right now are
RAQ and The Heavy Pets.
Coincidently, I have seen
them both perform the
months previous to
having this conclusion,
but still, i always knew it.
The bands I cherish most
will always out do themselves...
0 0 o o 00 o O 0
o O o o o O o
o O o o o o O
O O o OO
o O o o
O o
0 <'((((><

2006-01-07T22:30:00.000-08:00

New Amsterdam:
Old New York:
The City:

However your personal
nomenclature may vary,
The fact remains that,
Manhattan, Is the alpha-
male of Modern cities...

They say that "This city
can eat you alive" Well,
thats true: Unless you
stick to the following rules:
No smiling, No eye contact,
and the most important
rule of all: Always, I mean
always, carry your "I-POD"
God forbid you actually have
to communicate.

Don't get me wrong, There
are some very nice people
in this city, "you just gotta
poke around" I have met
some amazing specimens
during my stay, but dont
count on meeting them in
an average new york
experience. These people
are usually found in one of
three places: A dark
corner of an east village bar,
Roaming the streets
during a national disaster,
Or, in your own apartment.
This is the sad paradox
of living in "the greatest city
in the world" Sometimes
I wish that everyone would
just, Wake Up! I guess thats
impossible, when you live, in

"The city that never sleeps"

2005-12-27T19:41:00.000-08:00

Walking on the edge of time,
My mind with divided replies,
Stains my world, in turn,
I must read between the lines.

Sitting on the brink of reality,
Coaching choices of creation.
Defining the line of twisted time,
And subtle connotation.

Making the rules as I go,
The story unfolds.
Never look back,
And I will never know.

Feeling my way,
No sight, sense, or mind.
Wander through the park
Of the concept of time.

Thinking about the edge that is near,
Never skipping a beat.
Having no regrets
Is my incredible feat!

Every moment as if it were my last,
My body slows and my mind is at lapse.
Questions, answers, setting standards,
Life and liberty, from God it was handed.

Crushing blows of emotion,
I dont want to be judged.
It is he who is I,
That I just realized.

Dont listen to the voice,
But the divine sense within.
Now thats completed,
Im ready to begin.

My life as it were,
Many lives deterred,
From the light we heard,
You will never learn.

The concept I preach,
Bridge the gap, and teach,
Just to make ends meet,
Is what I strive to believe.

Deterred by the precedent
Set way before me,
Happiness is a state of mind,
It is happiness I seek!

2005-12-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

Well, Holidays in the city are always a timeless recipe for disaster.
When you add a transit strike and bit of bad weather,
A full blown media frenzy will be the result, almost enough
propaganda to make the average new yorker forget about
Nick and Jessica for a moment, and acknowledge eachothers
existence.

So lets see. A "transit strike", a "blackout", and.....and....what
else....? Oh yea,,, 9-11... Whats the next disaster to make
manhattan unite for 24 hours. A rat epidemic?

And now that "happy holidays" has become the
politically correct way to say "merry christmas" and
"Chrisma-Chana-Kwanzika" has become a common
household phrase. One can only laugh at the distorted priorities
of our country. Why dont you ask the troops in Iraq if they care
about your extra long commute during the transit strike?