Various images from D.C.

Japanese American Monument

The Supreme Court

The Capitol

Jefferson Memorial

Lincoln Memorial

Washington Monument

The Empire State Building

Dressed for St. Patrick's Day

Manhattan Skyline

From DUMBO

Can You See This?

I'm getting a 'Forbidden Error' which is a little insane, since this is MY blog. Not sure how I could be fordidden to see my own work. Oh well.

Wait, Not Quite Done Yet

I'm going to keep this blog going... as a picture blog. When I take pictures and such, I'll post them here.

When I post pictures I'll alert you on my other blog, so don't feel like you need to keep checking back here.

That's all. Have a great day!

OK, I'm Pretty Much Done Here

I'm up and running at my other site. So, this thing is basically done. For the URL, see the post below.

Thanks for coming, hope to see you on the other side!

My New Blog is in Beta

Go check out my upcoming blog. It will be replacing this one. I think it looks pretty smart. But, I still have to work out some kinks.

Here it is: My West Side Story

I like the weather thing, the calendar, and the categories. It also seems easy to read.

The problems with it are the images and the fact it doesn't render as well in Internet Explorer as it does in Firefox, which is pretty stupid since IE has about 80% of the browser market.

I also haven't figured out if I can post via SMS. It's kind of fun throwing up the random mobile phone pic. On the other hand, I think I can integrate Flickr, which should mean more photos overall.

Why Tom Cruise Is A Movie Star

OK, he's got charisma. Looks. He's a decent actor. Blah blah blah.

But, today at work, I needed to do a little research on Tommy and found something amazing.

Look at this list of directors he's worked with, in order from the start of his career:

• Francis Ford Coppola
• Curtis Hanson
• Ridley Scott
• Tony Scott
• Martin Scorcese
• Barry Levinson
• Oliver Stone
• Ron Howard
• Rob Reiner
• Sydney Pollack
• Neil Jordan
• Brian DePalma
• Cameron Crowe
• Stanley Kubrick
• Paul Thomas Anderson
• John Woo
• Steven Spielberg
• Michael Mann

Holy crap! Look at the list... throw in Ang Lee and he's worked with every director that matters over the past 25 years. OK, not Tarantino, but QT kind of sucks now anway.

Dreary Sunday

It's about 45 degrees and rainy today. Yesterday was simply beautiful.

Here are some random weekend notes.

I ordered an indoor grill from Amazon. I miss barbecuing. Not quite the same as a real barbecue, but it does the trick.

Last night I made a t-bone steak, rice and corn for dinner. It was good.

HDNet has been running "Step into Liquid" and "Endless Summer 2" this weekend. The surfing is incredible. One of the interesting bits is on Laird Hamilton in "Endless Summer 2". Gerry Lopez, a famous Pipeline surfer is in awe of Laird because he uses a Jet Ski in big surf. Of course, now, you see it all the time. But at the time of this film it was unheard of. Laird also talks about windsurfing from Maui to Honolulu. At 45mph he can make it across in about five hours. Amazing.

Went out for Mexican food with some co-workers on Friday. The place was in Times Square and very unmemorable. But, you gotta love free chips and salsa.

Yesterday, I went to SoHo and met Mitch and Ro for lunch. We went to The Cub Room. As I said it was a beautiful day. The restaurant had it's windows open, it was like eating in an open air cafe.

Now, I'm just sitting around waiting for the NCAA Tournament selection. If the Dawgs get sent to DC, I'm going to try to make the trip.

Washington Square

Lincoln Center

I'm sitting in one of my favorite parts of the city, the plaza in Lincoln Center. There are four buildings surrounding the square, it's quite peaceful.

Simply put... it's pretty, quiet, clean and nice. When I sit here, I get rather meloncholy... but then thankful for all I have in my life.

I may be the luckiest man alive.

It's Spring... and I Couldn't Be Happier

On Monday, we had a high of about 35, windchill in the low 20s. Today? We're looking at 71 degrees.

The record high is 72. We have a shot.

It's downright balmy. I can see where humidity is going to be a serious problem for me, but for now, I'm just glad I don't have to wear gloves, a scarf and a hat. It's the first time in three months I'm not sitting at my desk with major hat head!

Crazy Dinner

My friend Elaine is determined to show me New York. Tonight, she took me to the Spotted Pig in the West Village. The Pig is part owned by celebrity chef Mario Batali.

I ordered the Pork Belly and cabbage. My inner voice was telling me to order a burger, but the adventerous side of me said to order something you've never had. So, pork belly it was.

Have you ever had pork belly? I found out pork belly is basically roasted fat. But, you know what? It tastes amazing! It's served with a light gravy. Seriously, this was the real deal.

New Blog to Check Out

This woman knows food and loves it. For that, I must love her back! Her blog, The Girl Who Ate Everything, takes food/restaurant reviews to the next level, with a great sense of humor.

The site is also loaded with great pictures that are sure to make you drool. Good stuff. Check it out!

Pizza Bar

Went back down to Chelsea this weekend to try out the pizza at Pizza Bar, a trendy little spot with a DJ, flat screen monitors and very uncomfortable (but cool looking) seats.

I ordered a slice of pepperoni and a Coke. The crust in New York is generally really thin. But, the Pizza Bar crust is ridiculously thin... yet, really good. It's a crisp, "light" pizza with a spicy sauce and good cheese. However, it's pretty expensive, as the slice and Coke came out to $7.00.

The pizza out here is fantastic, and generally runs about $2.50 a slice. It seems everything in New York is more expensive than Seattle... except for pizza and steak.

"Crash" = Trash

Apparently, someone at Google also thinks the movie "Crash" is trash.

If you Google "I'm so glad Crash won", Google hits you back with... Did you mean "I'm so glad trash won"... ha ha.

"Awesome, Totally Awesome"

Just learned from Gothamist, that Phoebe Cates Kline... yes, the object of Judge Reinhold's obsession in "Fast Times and Ridgemont High" (one of the 50 Greatest Films ever made) owns a store called Blue Tree on the Upper East Side.

The "Kline" part of that last name belongs to uber-talented actor Kevin Kline. So, yeah, I have a good shot of going out with Phoebe.

Seems Blue Tree specializes is high end children's toys. So as not to appear too creepy whilst stocking Mrs. Kline, I'm pretty sure my Kaia is going to end up with a very over-priced trinket of little to no use to her.

Most Boring Show Ever

Holy crap, that was a snoozefest. Quite possibly the most boring Oscars telecast ever. There wasn't one memorable moment... except for the winners getting their speeches cut off at the end.

How do they let Reese Witherspoon speak for 20 minutes, yet not allow the Best Picture winners to complete their speeches?

I have to be at work in seven hours. Ugh.

I Feel Sick

My friend Greg Ellwood at MSN predicted the "Crash" victory. He hated the movie even more than I did, but he gave a great explanation for it. In fact, he got every pick right. I mean EVERY SINGLE PICK... from song to foreign film to the major categories. Guess the dude knows what he's talking about.

The Most Beautiful Woman at the Oscars

You know that thing I wrote about marrying Meryl Streep? I'd rather marry Ziyi Zhang. So, Zhang, if you're reading this, I'd be willing to spend the rest of my life with you, you know, if you were interested...

I Love This Woman

I actually don't think much of Meryl Streep on film. I find her style of acting mannered, not real. Though, I will say, I like most of her movies.

Outside of film, however, giving speeches, talking to reporters, etc., she's absolutely wonderful. So funny. So charming. So smart. I would marry her in a heartbeat.

Cooney Bags the First Oscar

I may not get another prediction right, but I got the first one, so I don't totally suck.

Congrats George... and nice speech.

Oscars Cookies

These are real cookies, about the size of plates. The cookie shop also has smaller, RAZR phone sized cookies of the nominees. They're really cool. They were completely sold out of the 'Brokeback' cookies, but the shop is in Chelsea... Manhattan's "gay" neighborhood.

My Oscar Picks

I've finally seen all five Best Picture nominees. I gotta say... my opinion has TOTALLY changed from two weeks ago. Here are my picks if I were handing out the awards. In parenthesis, I'll put who I think will win.

BEST PICTURE: Brokeback Mountain. I can't shake it. When I last wrote about this film, I had it ranked at the bottom. But, of the five films, it's the only one that is completely haunting me. It's just a beautiful film. (Brokeback)

BEST ACTOR: Philip Seymour Hoffman. His portrayal of Truman Capote and all of Capote's faults was so good, I completely disliked Truman Capote, and therefore, I couldn't even enjoy the film. He's that good. (Hoffman)

BEST ACTRESS: Reese Witherspoon. This one is easy for me. It's the only performance I've seen, so how could I vote for anyone else? (Witherspoon)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: Jake Gyllenhaal. He was good. And you know he was acting... ha ha. Seriously, he was really good. He made you see why Heath Ledger's character would fall in love in love with him. (George Clooney for "Good Night, and Good Luck)

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Catherine Keener. She's always good. In "Capote" she fantastic. Acting against Hoffman's showy character, she remained restrained and within herself. Keener is the soul of "Capote". (Michelle Williams from "Brokeback")

BEST DIRECTOR: Ang Lee. His direction of "Brokeback Mountain" is flawless. If he doesn't win this award, I'll be stunned and very disappointed. (Lee)

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: "Good Night, and Good Luck". This is another category where I haven't seen many of the films. Between this and "Crash", it's no contest. ("Crash"... Hollywood has a guilty conscience and loves films shot in its backyard. There's no reason for this film to win anything, but the Academy needs to give it something.)

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: "Munich". I really liked this film. To me, best picture is a coin flip between it and "Brokeback". I liked this story better than the story of "Brokeback". ("Brokeback")

There you have it. What do you think? Enjoy the show tomorrow night!

25 Words or Less: Crash

All of the actors are good. Even Sandra Bulluck. But most of the storylines blow. It's offensive in a way writer/director Paul Haggis didn't mean it to be. I'm stunned at the accolades "Crash" has been receiving.

Otto's Shrunken Head

Went to a cool little bar called Otto's Shrunken Head last night. Located in the East Village, I went with three co-workers.

The beers weren't too expensive and the atmosphere was good. One of the better bars I've been in since living here.

The issue for me is that the East Village is about as far away as you can get from my apartment on Manhattan. It takes three subway trains (or two plus a walk) to get from the East Village to the Upper West Side.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

They roll a little differently in Hoboken, NJ. Today, I went to the St. Paddy's Day parade with my cousins Steve and Donna.

The parade kind of blew (see pics below)... but it was nice going to Hoboken. It's a cute little town.

If I was in early 20's, it would've been a blast. Hoboken is made up of pizza joints and bars. All the bars were packed and had lines to get in. No one actually left the bars to see the parade, so you can figure the parade is only an excuse to get drunk prior to 11am.

Not sure I'll ever get back to Hoboken, but it's not a bad little town.

Hoboken St. Paddy's Parade

This One's for My Niece

My niece wanted to see snow. Unfortunately, we only had about an inch today. So, I finally downloaded the pictures of the snow that I took when we had that record setting 26.9 inches in Central Park.

Here you go Kaia!