New York City Quick Hits

This last weekend I took a flight up to New York to see my lovely wife while she is on a business trip.  These little weekend trips are great because we don’t have to pay for a hotel, and can also eat for half price on the Novartis per diem.  Here are some things which stuck out to me on the trip:

• iPods.  I have never seen so many people with the white ear buds stuck in their heads.  I don’t even think most people were listening to music because they kept touching their iPods over and and over.  It was like they only wanted to listen to the first twenty seconds of each song, then went looking for another Justin Timberlake song to nod their head to.
• Dirty in so many ways.  On the train ride back to New Jersey one night, the only two open seats next to each other were right in front of the restrooms and we were forced to sit there. While we sat there, a mere three feet from some of the foulest filth imaginable, and watched people slip in and out (sometimes two at a time. . .) we realized that if we could go into our back year and rub our hands in dirt, Texas dirt, we would feel cleaner than any hand sanitizer could make us.
• Public Transportation.  Aside from my last point about the overall dirtiness of the experience, I was impressed with our ability to navigate our way around the city.  The complexity of the system is amazing when you think of all the different levels of tunnels and stairways crisscrossing their way under the entire city.
• It is all so old.  Here in the Great State of Texas the land is either for the most part undeveloped or newly developed.  Shopping centers and buildings are torn down and rebuilt every few years to keep them looking new.  Nothing looked new in New Jersey.  Only only Time Square looked new in New York.  I don’t mean this to be all bad.  There were some very quaint buildings that looked nice here and there, but for the most part I couldn’t understand why someone didn’t tear a lot of it down and build a descent looking building.

Veritas Wine & Bistro

This week Laura and I celebrated our fourth anniversary with a fine meal. After reading reviews about some of the new fine dinning establishments in town I choose Veritas because. . . .I am not sure why. I guess their menu sounded the most interesting.

I think what I liked most about Veritas is that it wasn’t trying to be like any of the other “nice” restaurants in town. There is more of an asian theme at Veritas than Christopher’s or Maddens, but what sticks out is the wine. After we had sat down for a few minutes at our table, the sommelier (wine steward) came over to offer suggestions. He seemed to know what he was talking about, and didn’t make me feel like tasteless idiot–which is a plus.

My humble suggestion for anyone not a wine expert (speaking from experience here) would be to order a “wine flight.” This gets you three smaller glasses of wine set up by the sommelier (there’s that word again) to help you find what your looking for. When he brings the wines, you also get an explanation about the differences and some things to look for in the taste.

And now a word of warning.  This is not the place to go if searching for hints of oak and boysenberry in your pino grigio is not your cup of tea.  The entire place is geared toward waxing poetic about grape juice.  Also, the portions are much smaller than what you might find at a place like Cheddar’s.  In the end I actually enjoyed this part, because even though I cleaned my plate I didn’t have that overly full feeling for the next four hours.

So, overall I give Veritas my endorsement if you are looking for a special night out.

New Camera, New Pictures

Laura and I used our economic stimulus package to buy a nice camera and learn how to take nice pictures. This weekend Laura enjoyed the wonderful weather and rode her horse, Al. I took the opportunity to try out a few functions of the camera.

In honor of my impending greatness in the field of photography. I set up a Picasa account.

Sunday Ride

A Slippery Slope

One of the shows my wife has liked to watch over the last few months is “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”  She started off watching some of the other shows about crazy large families–the Duggars, et al–but settled on this family.  At first I rolled my eyes and would leave the couch to find a book to read instead, but eventually I found myself watching to show too.  Only when Laura first tuned the channel there, of course.

I think last week I past the point of no return when I found myself flipping to the show on my own late at night after finishing my lesson for the next day.  At first I think it was an unconscious decision.  There is not much to watch at night anyway at 10:30, right? When I realized it was one I had not seen (the family’s trip to the Crayola Factory) I did not notice how excited I was, how I sat up a little straighter wondering what crazy things are going to happen.  Nor did I pick up on my own inventory of how much bigger the sextuplets are starting to look.  None of these things triggered my awareness of being a “fan” of the show.  No, it was when I saw that Kate was using a new camera to take pictures of the boys, and was happy for her (because we all know how much she hated her other camera).  No one ever mentioned that it was new, but I could tell.

That was when it happened.  It hit me like a bolt of lightning hard enough to make me drop the remote–I liked watching Jon & Kate.

How to Treat Your Sports Addiction

I have been ruminating on the subject of this post for a while now. Laura can attest that I have a love/hate relationship with my television whenever there is a sporting event on. I can’t wait to watch some games, and then find myself unable to enjoy them because my team is performing so badly. My wise wife sees this as complete insanity and is always willing to put ONE of our copies of Pride and Prejudice in the DVD instead of the game. The sad thing is I have turned control of the remote over to her when the game becomes too much to handle.

The worst example of my sports enthusiasm run amok would be my inability to watch the Mavericks play for the last two seasons. Ever since the Mavs blew their 3-0 lead in the finals to the Heat, I can’t get onboard with the NBA at all (some might call that a blessing). After the Heat won their championship, I refused to watch ESPN for about a week just so I wouldn’t hear anyone talk about it. My only consolation was that none of my friends or co-workers were from Miami.

Much of this came to a head a few months ago when I found myself shocked at the Patriot’s defeat in the Super Bowl. I realized how much I really wanted to see them win. At the same time I witnessed the shear joy of my friend, Andrew, as his team came out of nowhere in the playoffs to win it all. The problem with fan-dom is the vast differences between the highs and lows of cheering on your team. If only there was a way to even things out, to take the edge off winning or losing.

After a while the answer hit me: gambling! All you have to do is put a price tag on the joy you would feel if your team wins, and wager that amount against your team. Now, let me point out that this strategy might not work for some people. I am competitive enough as it is, and the idea of loosing money on top of a game has always been unsavory. Even a $5 buy-in poker game makes me uneasy, so the thought of a $5 side bet on UCLA to beat Texas A&M the other night would have evened my anxiety pretty well. I don’t think I would have had to stand up in front of the television once.

When I announced this plan to our Easter dinner hosts and fellow guests as a conversation starter, I felt pleased with my cleverness. It seemed like a well-reasoned and thought-out solution to my problem. I don’t know the exact chain of thought that brought me from the Easter Sermon to how sinful my cleaver new plan was, but it happened as I drove home that afternoon.

Putting the ethical question of gambling aside (which would make a good post), using money to make you feel better is pretty hard to defend morally. And placing my happiness in the outcome of a game is as big an idol as any golden calf. So rather than dull the effects of one sin with more sin, I guess I need to focus on what should be my hope and happiness in this life. So much for good ideas, or bad ones.

I wish I had a pencil-thin mustache. . .

Leading up to our trip to Colorado, I let my manliness manifest itself.  Partly out of laziness, and partly to provide protection against windburn as I travel down the ski slopes at record speed. Anyone who has seen or heard of my skiing prowess will know how ridiculous, and unnecessary the second reason really was.

By the time we got back, I had built up a substantial amount of growth.  I think it is safe to say, it is closest to a beard I have ever been in my shaving career. Since Laura was not the biggest fan of it, and likened kissing me to kissing our dog, (I don’t want to go into the details of how she was able to make such a comparison) I decided to grab my razor and get to work.

However, since this was the most substantial growth I have been able to achieve, I thought it was best to document the shaving as a testament to my testosterone. Here are the pictures.  Think of it as peeling back the layers of my face.  The shades and crazy hair are there for extra visual effect.

So it begins. . . .

Cleaned it up a little. . . .

How ’bout some chops?

The goatee.

Fu-man-chu (I don’t know how to spell it)

Oui, Oui!

Spring Break Ski Trip

A few weeks ago Laura and I ventured to what has become our second favorite state–Colorado–for my Spring Break. It was one of the nicest trips we have taken, and we each had a great time relaxing in the four feet of snow which had fallen around the city of South Fork.

This was also the first time either of us have stayed at a Bed & Breakfast. I guess it is because I am so accustomed to staying in places like Holiday Inn, and Super 8; but I was amazed at the level of service and attention to detail we enjoyed at the Arbor House. There was a fire ready to light in the den, brownies and hot chocolate at night, and a trunk filled with board games just to name a few. I still think the best part was being asked each night when we wanted to wake up to a delicious breakfast.

The oddest part of our trip was walking into the ski rental place the first day and finding the person ahead of us in line was our fellow WPC attendee, Josiah Newton. I think what made the chance meeting crazier was the fact that I usually see him at the local bike shop here in town, and the ski shop had a very similar vibe to it. I believe for a moment Josiah didn’t know where he was. He was looking around the place for bikes hanging from the ceiling and only saw ski poles.

The only downside of the trip was my inability to acclimate to the altitude. Each day my health got a little worse. By Wednesday night I was running a high fever and my lungs sounded like a bowl of rice crispys in milk every time I breathed. As we drove down the mountain and into thicker air Thursday morning I could feel the oxygen making its way into my body once again.

Here are some of the pictures from the trip (including Laura’s Triathlon):

Our dog’s new backpack to slow him down and wear him out.

This is not a picture of someone’s behind, but Laura’s start at the Tri-Race.

Laura’s transition to the bike.

Laura’s parents. Her Dad was in the race too (not a ninja).

Laura running to the finish line.

Father and daughter at finish. “What you riding there? A Trek? Yeah, that’s good stuff. . . .”

There was a little snow in Colorado.

Fantasy American Idol Redux

As some of you may have heard my family is participating in a little friendly competition concerning America’s most watched television program. I posted earlier on the rules our competition was going to follow.  After talking it over with some friends we came up with a more suitable set of stipulations.

At first I was a little embarrassed to admit that I watched the show.  Through the first four or five seasons of the show, I was pleased to pronounce I “didn’t watch THAT show.”  Then we were able to get in on this game, and it turned the saccharine-sweet teen drama into something much more entertaining.

I believe that my profession gives me a unique edge in this competition because I am in the presence of the target audience so much of the day.  The best proof of my prognosticating powers rests in the fact that from the start of last year’s competition I was able to pick Jordan Sparks as the sure winner.

This year the rules have advanced in complexity in accordance with the number of families involved.  Each week we F.A.I. players will need to choose candidates in three categories:

1. An Overall Winner: A player can choose to change their pick in any week, however the earlier you pick the overall winner the higher to point value.
2. A Survivor for the Week: A player picks a contestant which they think will not be voted off.  At first this might sound easy, but you can only pick each contestant once.
3. Two Possible Losers for the Week: A player may pick two people who they think could be voted off.  If a player “hits” on either of their losers, they receive points for the week.  You may choose Losers as many times as you would like.

And now, my picks for week 12!
Losers:  David H. or Kristy Lee
Survivor: David Cook
Overall Winner: Carly (the Irish Bartender)

IronHead Triathalon

Yesterday Laura completed her first Triathlon with her Dad.  I have some good pictures of it, but our fancy new camera doesn’t know how to connect to my Mac.  We will have to wait until we get home to sync with Laura’s PC.

Laura hit her goal, finishing in 1hr. 43 min.  If you want to check out her times and stats from the run click here.

Quote of the Week

Time is God’s way of keeping everything from happening at once.”–A bathroom wall at Texas A&M University (apparently)