Parlez-Vous Montreal?

The following is a not-so-brief account of my trip (with Erin) to the fantastic (and fantastically nearby – 6 hour drive) city of Montreal, Canada. It is like visiting a European city, but one that’s within driving distance – and without that pesky Euro! Erin and I had a blast. Here’s our trip, in words and pictures.

Departure – Saturday, August 19, 2006 @ 6:00 a.m.
With the best of intentions, we set the alarm clock for 4:15 a.m. (!), but really only woke at 5-something.

Arrived in Montreal about 12:30. It was too early to check in, so we found a cute little spot for brunch, Cafe Cherrier. We had only been in Montreal for about 20 minutes when Erin thanked our waitress with a confident “Grazie.” Guess she thought we were in Venice or something.

Still too early to check in, we then sat in Square Saint Louis. At 3:00 p.m., we checked into our hotel, Hotel Kutuma. NAP TIME!

Take Me Out…

From the “small town experience in NYC” file…Alan Arak and I went to a Staten Island Yankees game last night. From the incessant and kinda annoying in-game entertainment (Scooter, the Holy Cow!) to the actually-decent baseball played, we really had a fantastic time. Watch out for the starting pitcher, George Kontos. The RHP had decent velocity (in the low 90s, topping out around 93mph), good control (despite his warm ups…both Al and I thought he might be in a for a LONG night), and a knack for striking people out. He whiffed 8 batters in 5 2/3 shutout innings.

On the cutting edge

Well, well, well. I was surfing around the CNN videos section yesterday. Much to my surprise, they have a Showbiz Tonight or whatever, feature on the lovely Britney Spears video below…or shown here. Yes, that bitch is still crazy!!! But I think it’s cool that something I posted on here…oh, almost TWO WEEKS AGO, is now garnering the attention of CNN. Hooray for me.

(Note: I didn’t break the news about the video. In the interest of full disclosure, I found it on another website, and then downloaded it from here.)

Speaking of amazing discoveries, I happened upon some pretty cool new music last night. Anyone who saw the series finale of Sex and the City might recognize the stylings of MC Solaar. But his stuff is pretty fantastic. Erin and I went to my favorite speakeasy (Yes Gerd, I LOVE speakeasies) Single Room Occupancy last night. Solaar was pumping through the speakers. Ya’ll should check him out. Read about him here! You can now also buy his music on Itunes.

More later…

New York Times Editorial

I never intended for this to be a three post Friday – but the following editorial featured in today’s New York Times got me nodding. So well written, and so very, very true.

For almost five years now, we have carried around the legacy of Sept. 11. There is no sunny morning that does not revive its memory. The news of a terrorist plot against America-bound airliners yesterday called up feelings that are never all that far below the surface.

How To Be An Expert On ANYTHING

I read the following Stephen Colbert excerpt on Daily Kos and laughed out loud. I hope you enjoy it!

Pick a field that can’t be verified. Try something like string theory or God’s will: “I speak to God. I’m sorry that you can’t also.” Security experts are in this category: They have security clearances, we don’t. We can’t question the expertise of the NSA because we are not in the NSA.

Choose a subject that’s actually secret. Dan Brown invented a secret subject for The Da Vinci Code, so now he is forever an expert on this secret subject that no one can challenge. Anybody who attacks the secret subject is, by definition, part of the cabal.

Torrential

Last night, while on my way to meet up with the newly-returned (from Europe) Rod and Danny, I hopped on an uptown M104 bus. It had just started to rain – though not yet heavily. That changed quickly.

By the time the bus made the 16 block trek, the rain was coming down harder than I had ever seen it, much less tried to walk in it. Indeed, it was always coming sideways, rendering my umbrella completely useless. Before exiting the bus, I glanced at the driver. He cocked his head to the side and stated sympathetically, “Sorry.” Even with an umbrella, I was drenched within seconds. I haven’t looked up rainfall amounts yet…but I wouldn’t be surprised it was at least a few inches. Amazing.

(Note on the photo: This is not a depiction of last night’s storm. It is, however, a cool photo of lightning in NYC.)

Wednesday Thought Purge

Ah, these lazy days of summer. Not a lot happening in the office. The social life, however, is a bit of a different story.

Went, with several pals, to a very cool spot last Saturday. Water Taxi Beach is a man-made, waterfront “beach” that features DJ-spun tunes, volleyball, grub, and best of all, booze. There is no swimming allowed in the East River, but there is a fine mist blown on the sunbathers and volleyballers to help keep everyone cool. It was hipster central, and there were definitely some ill-advised bikinis. Regardless, we all had a blast.

(BTW, I kicked some serious ass in volleyball. Maybe it was the $2 Schaeffer drafts…but I was, if I may say so, amazing.)

Erin and I are off to Montreal for a few days. Who knew it’s only a six hour drive?!?

The Voice Versa Ten Year Reunion planning is in full swing. I (finally) was able to speak with someone on campus. Granted, it was only a temp called Katie, but at least my call will be noted and we’ll be able to get on the schedule. I even volunteered to help plan some “young alumni” events for Westminster here in NYC. Do I even want to see all that many people from my college days? Answer: Well, most of them!

More later…

Our NATIONAL embarassment

This is horrifying, yet certainly not the least bit shocking.

A report published Monday, the Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania , detailed its findings of a four month study of the intelligence quotient of President George W. Bush. Since 1973, the Lovenstein Institute has published its research to the educational community on each new president, which includes the famous “IQ” report among others.

There have been twelve presidents over the past 50 years, from F.D. Roosevelt to G.W. Bush, who were rated based on scholarly achievements:

1. Writings that they produced without aid of staff, and

Radiohead – Thom Yorke Interview

This is such an interesting glimpse into the life of the Radiohead frontman. Enjoy!

Thought Purge in a Heat Wave

Jesus Christ it’s hot out there!!! 100 degrees is expected today. I just hope our friends at ConEd can keep the juice flowing.

Speaking of Jesus Christ and his #1 fan, everyone’s favorite Lethal Weapon/Braveheart/anti-Semite/drunk Mel Gibson has himself in just a touch of hot water these days. I guess railing on about Jews after driving almost twice the speed limit on the Pacific Coast Highway, and then calling a female police officer “sugar tits” is the epitome of conservative Catholic behavior.

Two of my favorite sites, The Superficial and What Would Tyler Durden Do, have become my primary sources of information on the subject. But even CNN is getting in on the act with some fantastic drunk shots of Mel.

Come to think of it, maybe it isn’t so nice to make fun of a guy who has an obvious drinking problem?