Avenue Q and Tripe

We tried like hell to find a Broadway show to go to yesterday afternoon. Well, Lindsay and her mother tried. They went down to the TKTS booth with a list of shows - In The Heights, Promises Promises, Rain - sadly all went off the board before their two hour wait in line had concluded. We saw Avenue Q and it was surprisingly pretty damn funny. A bunch of grown ups toting around a bunch of puppets. Don't ask how they pulled it off, but they did.

Following the show, we slowly strolled uptown seeing how we had over an hour before our 6:00 dinner reservation. The theater was on 50th and 9th - dinner was at Bricco (56th and 9th). We took a detour to see the Rockefeller Tree - my third and least crowded time seeing it and it was still a mad house.

Got to the restaurant and heard the specials - sauteed tripe with cannelini beans. I got it. I've seen it on Food Network several times, and it was the first time I've heard tripe on a menu. It was actually pretty good. I had the tri color gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce for dinner - also awesome.

I have to shower, sorry to cut his post shotr. I feel like a loser because it's 11:43am and i haven't brushed my teeth or showered yet. Don't judge. At 3:00 I'll head over to the gym to set up for tonights women's basketball game. Just another day in the life.

I may have to splurge for a $2.99 app so I can upload pictures to the blog from my iPad. Apple, they sure know how to corner the market. Giants.

Pictures to follow in a separate post.

Another Christmas Miracle

Just had another Christmas gift exchange. You know what I got? A tool box and plenty of tools. Now lies the rub - how the hell to use some of them.

Hammer. I know what to do with you. Power drill. Check. Tape measure, Mag-Lite, ratchet set - got it. Right angle looking level thing, not so sure how you're gonna help me. If I ever need a right-angle, you're my tool.

I sensed a theme right off the bat, as soon as I opened the tool box. I'm not complaining seeing how I needed a tool box. I have tools randomly scattered about our apartment, but can never locate them when needed. The toolbox will be utilized whenever I need to do some handy work. Jesse is still the handy one but I may be running a close second (pretty easy seeing how there's only two of us). I'll get there though.

Syracuse is on the television. It finally got fixed. I asked the doorman what the deal was earlier today. He said the repairman was coming today. I guess he earned his money.

I've had about five Amstel Light and four other beers from Martha's Vineard. Last time I drank the Offshore Ale, it was lights out for this guy. Blackout potion. Doing OK now though.

Gonna sign off. I'm being a bit anti-social. Later dudes!

Christmas Day

What do you think? Watching Christmas Vacation with Chevy Chase. "Eat my road, liver lips!"

Christmas was a success. Everyone had a great day and are anticipating a blizzard here in Long Island. We're supposed to get a winter survival kit, whatever that means.

I'm writing my very first post from the iPad my darling wife got me. She's the bomb.

Later dudes and dudettes!

Merry Christmas

After several hours of A Christmas Story, Christmas finally arrived and so did many a present.

Luckily, I got an iPad, so I will be able to blog yet again, seeing how both my laptops seem to be shitting out on me.

Anyway, Ho Ho Ho and have a very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Eve is Upon Us

Happy Christmas Eve!

Our Advent calendars are finished - cleaned out of little chocolates.  Yes, my wife and I still have Advent calendars.  They're typically a .00000008 oz piece of chocolate that corresponds to the dates on Decembers calendar.  We were fortunate with one of ours, since the chocolates under each numbered flap had a giant chunk of chocolate.  We had to alternate days to keep all involved happy (read: Lindsay).

I always thought there was a chocolate on Christmas Day, but Lindsay said, "No way, that's because Santa is coming tonight" - point taken.  Here's our calendars (blue had big chocolates; red had piss-ass chocolates):

Happy Holidays.  Ho Ho Ho!


Feliz Navidad! 

G-T-L Thursday

Gym.  Train.  Lunch.  I'm not from Jersey - actually, neither are any of those fools on Jersey Shore!

Today started with our fourth straight morning workout, something I've felt the need to initiate seeing how I am turning into a heavier, less motivated version of my former athlete self.  My legs felt like bags of sand attached to my hips - but I persevered.  Lindsay has been doing the prenatal workouts I've been researching online and is sore as well.  (As I type this, we're watching SportsNation's "101 Jeers" of 2010).  After the workouts were complete, we headed down to Broadway to take the silver bullet down to NYC.  It was very, very windy out there, my hat and gloves were clutch.  Lindsay had gloves as well, so don't go thinking chivalry is dead.

We stopped at Dunkin' Donuts - I got an iced coffee.  Cold weather can't stop me.

Subway ride was quite uneventful, besides the kid with these gross looking dreads hanging from him head.  He also had on a trench-length crinkled leather jacket - not sure how he got it so wrinkled.  I know little about fashion, but this guy made me feel like that guy on Bravo who throws out all those other people's clothes.

Got off the train and headed over to the tree in Rockefeller Center.  Snapped a few photos and got the hell out of there - way too crowded.

Continued our journey uptown via Broadway, picked up a few last minute Christmas items, and stopped for lunch at a place we saw recently on "Best Thing I Ever Ate" - Bar Boulud.  The show was discussing brunch items, and former NYT food critic Frank Bruni chose the Croque Monsieur - pictured below.  It's a warm ham, gruyère cheese and béchamel sandwich - and it was awesome!

 As we were leaving, the hostess offered to take the bag of the woman who was walking in as we were walking out.  Lindsay turned to me and asked why no one asked to take her bag.  I looked at who the woman was with, turned to Lindsay and said, "Because that's Ron Howard."  (The woman he was with was his daughter, Bryce Dallas Howard).  Richie Freakin' Cunningham.  The man who produced some great movies (A Beautiful Mind, Apollo 13, Cocoon, Frost/Nixon, to name a few).  We turned and left, and I nearly lost my lunch trying to wrap my head around how much money that guy is sitting on.  Oh well, that was our celebrity sighting for the day.  Didn't get a picture but sent an e-mail to US Weekly - maybe it'll get in their VIP Scene blurb column next issue (I'm guilty - I read it in the bathroom).

Walked uptown some more, passed numerous people peddling Christmas trees on the streets of Broadway.  Not sure how many more trees these guys are going to sell with Christmas only 2 days away, but good for them for keeping their spirits up.

Hopped on the 1 Train at 72nd Street and came back to the Boogie Down to see our dog Nathan.  Took him over the the dog park and tired him out again, even though he was sleeping for 6 hours while we were gone.  Dogs have some kind of life - eat, poop, pee, sleep, scratch, repeat.

Once again, thanks to all of you who whose to follow WRT.  I look forward to keeping your interest.

Ho Ho Ho!  Happy Holidays!

How Freakin' Awesome

I want to thank everyone - especially CARLA, a random stranger who commented on my previous Gift Giving post - for visiting my site.  The amount of visitors is astounding.  And now, out of nowhere, WRT has been selected as today's "Blogs of Note".  Pretty freakin' awesome.  Here's the proof:

Now, I'm not sure what being named the days "Blog of Note" means or what the qualifications are, but I can care less.  I hope more people start reading and those who already partake in WRT continue to enjoy my musings.

Lindsay is watching Glee, so I am going to check out other Blogs of Note and maybe follow a few.  I appreciate the time my readers spend checking out my blog.  I mean, chances are most people just click Next Blog» at the top of the page.

Anyway, thanks again and keep on reading.

Ho Ho Ho!!  Ho Ho Ho!!

Gift Giving Tips

I'll admit it, I'm a bit of a tech geek.  I am not, however, at the forefront of technology.  That role is reserved for my brother.  I enjoy fashion - to an extent (I won't watch those shows on TV).  When it boils down to it though, I wear sweats or shorts and a t-shirt to work.  I  keep up on my current events via Lindsay's subscription to US Weekly.  I don't, however, discuss it openly with anyone except Lindsay.  I read plenty of blogs from all corners of the world - from music to sports to photography to food to what pisses people off.  I am well-rounded.  I know enough about a lot of things but certainly not a lot about any one thing (besides baseball and gift-giving).


I learn about new gadgets from the Internet by doing hours of research before actually purchasing an item.  I comparison shop like a mo-fo.  I always want to get the best price.  I will always look for promotion codes - the Internet is full of them, and you're a fool for not checking.  I'll do my homework for something I don't necessarily want - I've done extensive research for my parents, my brother, my wife, and even stupid dog toys for Nathan.  Ninety-eight percent of the time, I'll put do the research and wind up not even buying said item.  But at least I was prepared.

The reason for all of this stammering on doing your homework is because during the holidays, it's easy to get caught up in the razzle-dazzle of the ads and commercials for products you may think those on your Christmas gift list may enjoy.

I pride myself on my gift-giving ability.  I am one of the best I know.  I'm good at it not because I spend thousands of dollars on expensive, brand-name gifts.  I'm good because I actually listen throughout the year and keep notes in my phone.  I have a terrible memory, so having an app that allows me to make a note of something before I forget is critical.  It may seem like I'm not paying attention from time to time when people are talking to me - and occasionally I'm not.

Back to the promo codes.  Before you buy anything online - ANYTHING at all, open a new tab, go to Google, and type in [store name] promo code.  I bet you something will pop up - I use retailmenot.com.  Right now, there's a promo code for 15% off one item from Barnes % Noble, 25% off photo gifts from Walgreens, and free shipping on all order from Lands' End.  There's thousands of others as well, but you can do your homework yourself.

As a self-proclaimed gift-giving guru, I'll recommend some things to you wannabe's out there.  First, download an app on your phone and whenever someone you actually give a shit about mentions something he/she likes, make a note of it.  Second, always comparison shop online for whatever it is - the Internet is pretty large and has pretty much anything you want, at all different prices.  Third, always look for a promotional code online.  This doesn't make you cheap, it makes you smart.  Who the hell's gonna know if you used a promo code to save 30%?  No one.  Finally, if you live with the would-be recipient, make sure to remove the return address from the top left corner of the package - because once they see it, they'll just try to guess what it is until it's actually time to open it.  Maybe that's just Lindsay, but I doubt it.

Ho Ho Ho!  Ho Ho Ho!

Oh, and here's a video I laughed at almost the entire time - ALLEN, ALLEN, ALLEN, AL, ALLEN!

We stick out

Like sore thumbs, our building is predominantly Jewish.  Here's a perfect example of what I'm talking about.  I went to take Nathan for a walk the other night and took the camera so I could take a picture of the lack of Christianity in the building.

I am not complaining, I think it's pretty funny, and fact is fact - Riverdale is dominated by Jewish and Russian people.  We choose to live here, and we enjoy it.  The dog park is great, too.

Anyway, here's the lack of lights in our building.  There's three of us - 3!  Granted, this is only one side of one half of the building.  Maybe there's more on the other side.

White Gold, Headlines, Idle Laughter, and Christmas...

Last night it began to snow.  And it kept snowing.  And I woke up and there was snow covering the ground and the grass and the cars parked out back.  The temperatures haven't been up over 35° in a few days.  I've been going outside to walk Nathan and my hands get numb after about 3 minutes - granted, that's my own fault.  I just dug out my gloves, so that problem has been addressed.  I also have a few wool hats to keep my head warm, so that's a plus.

Jay Leno had "Headlines" last night - by far one of the funniest segments on late-night television (right up there with "Jay-walking").  The fact that people have jobs as editors blows my mind on some of these.  All in all, a hilarious segment.  DVR Leno on Tuesday, 11:35pm.  Do it!

I am feeling so very unmotivated today and can really care less.  My office is freezing cold besides the one vent in the ceiling that blows out 200° heat straight into a closet.  Well placed.

People come in and out and try to make small talk when in fact I don't want any talk.  These are the same people that 95% of the time just say hi in passing.  No thanks.


Basketball just started practice and judging by how the season is going so far, they should keep practicing until the next game. 

Christmas is coming and I cannot wait to have a few days off from this igloo of an office.

I hate when people make fun of something or someone pretending not to know what they're seeing, even though they know full well what the hell it is.  Then try to get other people to buy in to their solo laugh party.

People here are complaining because they aren't getting a bonus - they're part-time coaches.  Shut your mouth!

The school Christmas party is on Friday.  Yippee!

I am just reading through some blogs waiting for the clock to strike.

Baked tilapia, spinach, tomatoes tower tonight for dinner -it's been a while since I've whipped this one up.

My fingers are getting numb, time to bail.  Later on followers.