Random Super Bowl Image

Detroit Airport

Getting Better

I'm slowly getting my appetite back. Which is good, because I love food. Today I was able to have lunch and dinner. Though, dinner was just leftovers from lunch.

Went to Ruby Foo's, this HUGE Times Square Chinese/Sushi restaurant. Due to the recent stomach issues, I stayed away from the sushi and tuna. Besides, who eats sushi at a Chinese restaurant? Instead, I went for something called Shanghai Chicken and noodles.

I felt like I was eating at Disneyland, but my dish was pretty good. I had maybe 10 bites and was full. At least I was hungry going in. Tomorrow, I'm going to try running again. Not sure if I'll have the energy, but I'm giving it a shot.

King and Queen of the Olympics Prom

Who takes the crown for the top U.S. Olympic athlete? For me, the king and queen of the Olympics are Apolo Anton Ohno and Tanith Belbin.

Ohno's gold in the 500m yesterday pretty much put him on top, but when he passed the Italian in the final lap to bring home a team bronze in that crazy short track relay, he sealed the deal.

Tanith Belbin. I've written about her before (and here... and here) but Lord, you know she's hot when she got lug heads like me to watch Ice Dancing. I would watch The View or, even, God forbid, Cold Pizza on ESPN, if Tanith Belbin was a host. She's that beautiful. And even though she sounds like Keri Strug on helium, I'd still let her whisper sweet nothings into my ear.

Upon Further Review: Food Poisoning

My brother finds it suspicious that 48 hours after indulging on steak tartar (raw beef) and sushi that I would run into the stomach flu.

He's probably right.

Last night was one of the worst nights of my life. But, if offered the chance for a steak tartar again... I'd probably take it.

Hello Mr. Toilet, Nice to See You Again

Just spent the worst 24 hours of my life.

Sitting in a meeting, I could just feel myself getting sick. Three hours later I was shivering in bed. Then, I spent the next 20 hours with either my head in the toilet or my ass on the toilet seat.

But the good news is, I feel a bit better. I just ate for the first time in a day... some watermellon and orange juice.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't food poisoning because all I had eaten on Friday was yogurt and a peanut butter and honey sandwich (my standard post-run meal.) The night before I had a grilled cheese sandwich.

I'm guessing I just had/have the stomach flu.

Dinner in the Meat Packing District

I'll be writing more about this area of Manhattan. I loved it. Went to this place called the Chelsea Market, which is an indoor market filled with bakeries and shops.

One of the bakeries is called Elenis. They specialize in cookies. They do the "official" cookies of the Academy Awards. Follow that link, I think you'll be impressed.

Food Network and O Network both have offices here.

Went for dinner to Matsuri in the Meat Packing district. The food was phenomenal. I was just sort of along for the ride, so what we ordered, I wouldn't normally have. But that turned out to be a good thing. I tried new foods and it was all great.

I was really impressed with the steak tartar and the eel in the philo pastry. Really good.

Went here for drinks afterwards.

I'm sufficiently buzzed and going to bed.

Good night.

"Brokeback" Revisited

When I ranked the Oscar contenders a couple of days ago, I put Brokeback in the four spot of four films. However, the movie is completely haunting me... for the same reason that I had originally knocked the film.

It's not the gay love thing, it's for the heartbreak. I didn't think the film moved me that much. But, it did.

After I see Crash this week, I'm going to have to re-order things.

SPOILER ALERT: Discontinue reading if you haven't seen the movie. You've been warned.

I keep picturing Heath Ledger's character going to the closet of Jake Gyllenhaal's parent's home and seeing the bloody shirts. It's just a painful moment. I can't clear it from my head.

UPDATE: Seems the shirts have been sold on ebay for a cool one hundred grand. I guess the shirts are haunting more than just me.

Separated At Birth

So, here I am again, writing about figure skating. This time, though, I haven't actually seen any.

Instead, I'm writing about the remarkable resemblance between Alyson Hannigan ('this one time at band camp') and skater Emily Hughes.

Hughes from Long Island, so when Kwan left the team, she was all the news. These photos don't do it justice, but trust me... these women are TWINS.

Recent DVD's

When I was at MSN, I was dialed in to DVD's from the studios. With my new job, I'm only receiving DVD's from Paramount, and occassionaly from Warner Bros.

So, I'm back on Netflix. I'm on the four movies a month plan, which seems about right. Here's a quick write up on what I've watched:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: Better than I was expecting. I like the new storylines Tim Burton introduces. That kid, Freddie Highmore... I really like him. He's now stolen two movies from Johnny Depp. Maybe he and Dakota Fanning should start dating.
• Cinderella Man: Good flick. I didn't like it as much as other people I know, but I would certainly recommend it. Russell Crowe is great. Am I the only person who is totally sick of Renee Zellweger? If she never made another movie again, I doubt I would even notice.
• Kung Fu Hustle: Stephen Chow makes good movies. OK, I've only seen two, this one and Shaolin Soccer. But, he knows how to entertain with fluff. To me, there's nothing worse than a movie that takes itself too seriously. If a movie has a serious topic, then the filmmakers need to lean into it. But, if what you have is just meant to entertain, then entertain dammit, don't get all heavy handed and preachy. Where was I? Oh, yeah... Kung Fu Hustle... good fun.
• The 40 Year Old Virgin: Very funny, well done. Definitely one of the Top 10 films of 2005.

Next on the docket: Crash and Lords of Dogtown.

Loving WordPress

I love the software I'm testing out for my other blog. I love it so much that I may at some point port this blog over there.

The strength of WordPress is that it's a completely open system, meaning anyone (well, anyone with programming acumen) can create new plug-ins, or modules/tools, for the blog. There are so many cool options with WordPress.

If I left Blogger, I would miss the ease of uploading images. I'd also miss the simple posting-by-email and SMS features. Though, I believe both of those features are available for WordPress, too.

So, if I switch it over, I'll definitely link over there from here. I'll keep you posted.

Best Picture Analysis

My weekend spent in movie theaters is over. After $32.25 (movies are $10.75 here), I can now give my opinion on the best picture of the year category.

Note, I still need to see "Crash" so I may update this post. I'll let you know if "Crash" changes my opinion.

My pick for Best Picture is "Munich." It has everything I look for in a movie... story, acting, cinemetograpy, intrigue. I think it's best because it makes you genuinely care for each of the characters. It also deals with a weighty topic without being preachy.

I rank "Good Night, and Good Luck" number two. I absolutely love the topic. I like the way director George Clooney makes the film relevant to today's world. It feels like a "small" movie, yet as it's about TV, I think it's intentional.

Third, I would say is "Capote". A deft performance by Philip Seymour Hoffman (who should win Best Actor) propels a good movie to great.

Finally, I rank "Brokeback Mountain" fourth. Look, it's a great movie, so don't jump down my throat here. I just don't think it's as good the other three films. Here's my question... had Jake Gyllenhaal's character been a married female, thus maintaining the "forbidden love" aspect of the story, would it still be the Best Picture favorite? I think it would still be nominated for Best Picture, but I don't think it would be odds-on-favorite. Ang Lee does his usual fantastic job with it. He takes a light, Romeo and Juliet story and turns it into something special.

So, there you have it. Which Oscar nominated film do you think deserves to win Best Picture?

25 Words or Less: Brokeback Mountain

Wonderfully crafted film. The score is perfect. Good job casting. Memorable score (can't get that jangle out of my head.) Real heartbreak. But best movie of the year? I don't think so.

More on Tanith Belbin

I kind of retract my statement that Tanith Belbin is "hot." While she is hot, she's actually more beautiful than "hot."

She's kind of a cross between a young Cameron Diaz and a young Julia Roberts. That ain't too shabby.

I Heart Tanith Belbin

I wrote a long post on Ice Dancing on my other blog, Keep It Off My Wave.

Look, there's no reason to watch that crap except to see the sexiness. And there's no hotter woman in Torino than Tanith Belbin.

My New Girl

No, not the hottie on the left. That's Rosemary (Ro,) she's married to my buddy Mitch. I'm talking about the cutie on the right, Eva. Isn't she adorable?

Apparently, I'm one of the lucky ones. She normally doesn't let anyone hold her, but she actually reached out to me. How could I resist?

She was so comfortable with me, Mitch and Ro left the room to see what would happen. Eva was fine! We 'talked,' laughed, played with Elmo. She's great.

Watch out Kaia, you have some competition!

Sitting in Ossining

Why? Because I'm visiting my friend Mitch in Tarrytown... But I missed my stop!

I was reading a NY Times book review of Jay McInerney's novel, and completely missed it.

Thus I have to wait 25 minutes for the next train back to town. Idiot!

On the plus it's beautiful out here, if not a little (OK, a lot) cold.

By the way, I'm pretty impressed my crappy little camera phone could take this picture.

Uh, It's Still Cold

15 degrees, feels like -1.

Ouch.

Frigid Frickin' Cold

I can't ever remember being as cold as I was today walking back from the movie theater. I just checked weather.com to make sure I wasn't fooling myself. Ready? 19 degrees feels like 4.

Four degrees wind chill! My face literally hurt. Good Lord.

25 Words or Less: Good Night, and Good Luck

Loved it. Good story, top notch filmmaking. Clooney the director is probably better than Clooney the actor, and that's no indictment on his acting. He has a great eye and he really knows how to tell a story.

More on "Capote"

Actually, this post is probably more about me than the film "Capote" in that it explains why I had a hard time loving it, which is truly no fault of filmmaker, Bennett Miller. Technically, the film is quite good. The performances are off-the-charts. Philip Seymour Hoffman will probably win an Oscar, as might the always wonderful Catherine Keener.

The film, however, will not win Best Picture. I can say this now without even having seen three of the nominated films. Why do I know this? Because the Academy likes films to have protaganists with redemptive or redeeming qualities. (I did NO research on that statement, so if I'm full of shit, let me know!)

Truman Capote, as portrayed in this film (this is key... AS PORTRAYED IN THIS FILM... I have no idea what he was truly like) is a self-centered, ego-maniacal ass. It's hard to truly love the film when 90% of it is focused on such a jerk.

SPOILER ALERT-- you've been warned... if you don't want to know the ending, skip the rest of this post! Here we go, turn away now...

The slides at the end of the film try to redeem him somewhat by mentioning that "In Cold Blood" was the last book he ever published, and that he wrote prior to dying -- "There are more tears shed over answered prayers than over unanswered prayers" -- as if to say he knew what he did to the two men about whom "In Cold Blood" was written was wrong. But to me, that doesn't excuse him for his wretched behavior.

I'm curious to know what happened to his friendships with Harper Lee and his partner Jack Dunphy (who had to be the most patient man alive.) All I can say is that I'm glad he suffered for his sins.

25 Words or Less: Capote

Phillip Seymour Hoffman is nothing short of brilliant. At first I thought his performance was all mannerisms. But, by the end, I was completely sold. Excellent supporting cast. The film itself, while quite good, falls short of the performances.

New York Weather

Have I mentioned how freaky the weather is out here? To recap the last week:

• Sunday-- 26.9 inches of snow
• Monday-- 40 degrees and sunny
• Friday-- 57 degrees and drizzly

Tonight? It's below 30, with a wind chill of 19.

Honestly, I don't mind the cold. I can even live with rain. All I ask from Mother Nature is some consistency. I wore a 'spring' jacket to work, which was fine. But, coming home after work it was back to the mid-30s. I was freezing.

Another Day, Another Blog

I've started a new blog, Keep It Off My Wave, that looks at the world of sports. Basically, at that blog, I'll be writing about anything that pisses me off. Should be pretty fun.

Really, though, it's more of an excerise in using the Word Press software. So far, I've found it to be pretty easy to use. It's not as simple as Blogger, but it gives users so much more freedom to customize and it has advanced blogging tools like tagging.

I'm pretty sure my new blog won't get 1/10th of the traffic this one gets, but, it should be pretty fun for awhile.

Seno and The City remains my day-to-day blog.

Academy Awards Weekend

Don't know if I've mentioned this, but I have a huge multiplex with 12 screens and an IMAX and two art house theaters that each have four screens within a mile of my apartment.

Why do I tell you this? Because this weekend I plan on seeing Brokeback, Capote, Crash and Good Night/Good Luck. I've already seen Munich, so that will get me up to speed.

I've also heard that The Squid and the Whale and Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada are both excellent. But not sure I can endure six movies in one weekend... let alone afford it. $10.50 here in New York, with no matinee pricing. Ouch.

Not a Whole Lot Going On

I took pictures of the snow last night in Central Park and the Upper West Side. But, I'm not sure how they turned out. They might be too dark. I'll try to get them posted in the next couple of days.

The snow is basically gone. Kind of sad, really.

New Record: 26.9 Inches

Central Park officially measured 26.9" of snow during this blizzard.

I have no pictures. It's just too cold out there.

More Super Bowl XL Photos

TWENTY TWO INCHES!!!

Currently, there's 22 inches of snow in Central Park. Uh, yeah.

The issue here, for me, isn't the snow accumulation. The problem is that it's 24 degrees and crazy windy. The wind chill is 14 degrees.

It's coming down at three inches per hour with 40 mph winds.

It's a DVD day today!

Mesa Grill

Kelsey is in town, and we went to Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill. Flay, of course, is the host of Food Network's Boy Meets Grill. He's also the author of several books.

In New York, chefs are as big of celebrities as models or actors. This is my first visit to a 'celebrity chef' restaurant.

So, how was it? The restaurant is two levels. The top level is a balcony that holds about 10 tables. The lower level has roughly 25 tables and a long bar.

I had the spice crusted strip steak. The spices were perfect. It's served over a bed a spinach with a raspberry-chili sauce on the side.

For dessert we split a piece of chocolate cake, which is filled with a warm chocolate sauce and roasted pecan ice cream. Yum!

Another Good Burger

Went to the highly recommended burger spot the Corner Bistro for lunch today. The burger was juicy and tasty. Great burger. However, I think the burger at the Burger Joint was a little better (and cheaper.)

Headed to Bobby Flay's place, Mesa Grill, for dinner tonight. I've always liked Flay's Food Network show. Hopefully I'll like his food, too.

Me and Dad

This is what the Super Bowl was all about!

Me and D-Nice

Jeez, I look OLD in this picture. Man, the truth hurts!

Random Shots from Detroit

The Tailgate

Half-Time with the Rolling Stones

Pictures from Ford Field

Hampton Chutney Company

After my haircut today. I had quick bite of dinner at the Hampton Chutney Company. I had cup of soup, the name escapes me... it was sort of a lenti and rice soup. Very good. And I had a grilled cheese with tomato sandwich.

It was a perfect meal for cold, cold night. I finished my dinner with vanilla cupcake with strawberry buttercream frosting from Crumbs.

I Miss Sherry

Who is Sherry? Sherry is the person who has been cutting my hair for the last 13 years.

I got my haircut today after work. The woman, who charged $57... read that again FIFTY-SEVEN DOLLARS, didn't do a bad job. It's just a little shorter than I wanted. She was nice enough, but for $57, I should at least be relaxed, right. The place was hectic. It felt rushed the whole time.

Oh well, I won't have to worry about another haircut for three months...

Blizzard Watch 2006

Yes, the news out here gets as hysterical about a snow storm as they do back in Seattle. Of course, this morning they were saying 10" - 12" on Saturday, not Seattle's typical 2" - 4".

However, last time I checked it was down to 6" - 8" tomorrow night.

I'm kind of looking forward to it. We've only had two days of snow so far.

Good Eats

Had two fantastic meals yesterday.

First, went to Bond 45 for lunch with two of our company's VP's. I wasn't sure what the lunch was all about, but it turned out good. To quote Sally Field, they like me, they really like me.

Anyway, back to the food. It was really good. The lasagna I ordered was cooked kind of funky. The laid the noodles down then put the sausage filling on top. A majority of the noodles were uncovered, so when it baked, the noodles became crispy. Very tasty, very delicious.

For dinner, I met up with my friend Tricia for dinner. I went out with a bunch of folks from their company. We went to Perry Street in the West Village. The hors'dourvres weren't all that good, a tuna sashimi and a crab dumpling. But the main dish, a rack of lamb, was to die for. Cooked to perfection, it may have been the best dish I've eaten in New York. It was that good. Unfortunately, it was a pretty small serving.

Tricia and my friend Tim are both doing really well. It seems their company is, too. So, good for them!

I Miss My Niece

I need to make another trip back to Maui soon.

Look at Kaia! For God's sake, could there possibly be a cuter girl on the planet? Could she have possibly eaten that entire hamburger?

Your boy David might be 'surfing' on Maui sooner than later. I'm going to shoot for two trips. One in May and one in early September. I still wouldn't mind doing the Maui Marathon, so we'll see how that goes.

Running

The bug is biting. Hard.

I've been a good boy and haven't run since the first week of January when I re-injured my back. Well, now that it's been a month, I'm going to give it a go again. I feel like I've gained about 15 pounds in the past two months. And frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if I have.

The food out here is killer... bagels, pizza, hot dogs. It's my biggest dream to have those three foods so readily available. It's also my biggest nightmare.

When I run, I can eat whatever I want. When I don't run, I can't.

Tomorrow, I start running again. Unless it's under 25 degrees. Since I'm only going three miles, in 25 degree weather, I won't even begin to sweat. If it's under 25, I'll ride the bike at the gym. But, I hate that.

Back to Reality

Work is actually going pretty well right now. Oscars are coming up. That's always a fun time to be working with the motion picture industry.

I'm also working on a redesign of our Gossip column and a redesign of the entire site. And I'll be adding two new photo features: Seeing Red (Red Carpet fashion reviews) and an unnamed paparazzi photo flipbook with catty callouts. I'll be needing a writer, so if you know of anyone, let me know.

Kelly's fiance Tim is in town. We're supposed to go out dinner sometime this week. But, Kelly says I can't let Tim eat too much because she doesn't want to marry a fat guy. The wedding isn't until September, so I'm sure a nice New York dinner won't spoil their nuptials.

Kelsey's coming to town this weekend for Toy Fair. The only night she's free is Saturday, so we're going out to dinner then. Should be fun. It'll be good to catch up.

So, prior to the Super Bowl I was looking all over for a Seahawks NFC Champions hat, knowing I could only get about two weeks wear out of it. I found it at a Champs around 34th Street. 34th is where Macy's is located. I consider this area to be the arm pit of New York City. I just don't like it. It's extremely ugly and tacky. Madison Square Garden and the Empire State Building are also located here. I know as a tourist, you have to go to this area, and I'll take you there, but other than that, I'm going to try to avoid the area like the NFL officials will want to avoid a trip to Seattle.

I can't remember why I started typing that. I didn't mean to go on a rant.

Oh yeah, I mentioned that because today I left work and realized there's a Locker Room right across the street from my building. I mean, directly across the street. When I saw that, I scanned the street left and right. I saw stores that I had no idea were there. Instead of rushing out of Times Square every day, I need to slow down and check out my surroundings.

Back Home

Long travelling day. Got into work around 2:30 and stayed until around 6:45.

I'm really tired. I just ordered a salad and spaghetti and meatballs. After I eat, I'm going to bed.

I have many pics. I'll be posting them later this week.

Outside of getting completely jobbed by the officials, it was a fantastic trip. I'll remember it for the rest of my life.

I was with my best friends and my father. What more can you ask for?

I Hate Airports

So, my first flight was delayed enough to make me miss my flight.

However, the good thing about living in acity witg three airports is you can always find a flight. The next flight to LaGuardia wasn't until 3:30. But, there was a flight to Newark a half hour after my original flight.

Now I'm waiting for a train in Jersey. Living the high life ain't always glamorous... Ha ha

Delayed

How does a 25 minute flight get delayed by over an hour? This is ridiculous. I'm going to miss my connecting flight if we don't get a move on.

Pass the Aspirin

Someone needs to silence the little man playing bongos on brain.

It's 7am. I went to bed at 3:15. My dad set a 5:30 wake up call. My flight doesn't leave until 8:45. Shoot me.

Rough Half

We should be up by 10 right now. I'm a little worried, but we'll come through, I hope.

Remember Rocky III?

Jerome Bettis is posing for pictures prior to the game, just like Rocky Balboa, prior to getting his ass kicked by Clubber Lang.

Dancing on the Ceiling

Lionel Ritchie is performing. I forgot how many hit songs he had.

Getting closer...

Tailgate Party

At Tailgate

Again with the free food and booze. And ice sculptures. Two hours to gametime. Can't wait. Have lots of pictures. Have fun!

Game Day

We're at the Ren Center. Just watched some SportsCenter taping. Ran into Linda Cohn in the elevator.

We got our tickets upgraded to 50 yardline, 21 rows up. Holy shit!

Great Day

Went to the Renaisance Plaza to pick up some passes and saw Jerry Rice, Lynn Swann and Jay Mohr.

We then went to the NFL Experience. Because of the passes from Mitch,we skipped the hour long line to get in. It was kind of cool, but not worth the $15 they were charging.

After that, we met up with RT, Giles. Brad, Josh and Denice. We drank for a few hours before heading to the hotel to change for a party.

We went to an NFL sponsored party. The Bangles played and were awesome. Susanna Hoffs is still a major babe. Smashmouth also played and they were horrible. Free food and topshelf drinks. Fantastic.

I'm exhausted.

Overheard at the Bar

"I think Seattle is somewhere in Canada"

One Thing We Have on Pittsburgh

If nothing else, our fans are better looking than Pittsburgh's. The women all look they're playing on the other team, and not in a Jenna Jameson kind of way.

All the Little Chicks with the Crimson Lips Go...

... Cleveland rocks, Cleveland rocks.

Ah, The Drew Carey Show. Good times.

Sitting in the empty Cleveland airport. I think everyone here is going to Detroit, and they're all in Black and Pansy yellow.

Rough Start

My flight from NY to Cleveland is delayed, so I had change my flight from Cleveland to Detroit. I'll be arriving an hour after my scheduled time of 8:30.

By the way, getting to LaGuardia kind of sucks. So does the airport. Until today, I had always thought this was the main airport and JFK was the little brother, like LAX to Burbank or O'Hare to Midway.

Movin' On To Motown

I should be arriving in Detroit at about 8pm. Once again, I'll be posting via Sidekick and mobile phone, so margins may be a little screwy. But, I'll edit my posts when I return on Monday.

Go Seahawks!