November 2009
46 posts
I
I am back from my long weekend in the Bay Area. On my recent visits back to California, I usually leave with a feeling of longing for the family, old friends, mild weather and relaxed demeanor. But this past weekend it was different. While I enjoyed the company of family and old friends and savored the mild weather, I found myself a bit stir crazy with the relaxed demeanor. I missed New York...
Obama's Brilliant First Year - By Jacob Weisberg -... →
“Obama is having the best first year of any president since Franklin Roosevelt.”
Google Voice
I kind of, sort of, really love Google Voice (even though I use the light version). I love how my voicemails are transcribed and sent both as text messages and emails with audio files. And I even love how my Google contacts have their icons associated to their voicemails. Just simple pleasures.
Why do we eat turkey for Thanksgiving and... →
A bit of interesting information explaining why we eat turkey for the holidays.
Wired How-To Wiki: Make Ice Cream →
I like MilkMade’s idea of sharing a bit and keeping the rest.
milkmadeicecream:
“As for the not getting fat part…the fun of making ice cream is to experiment with different flavors. It’s not about eating a huge bowl while watching Project Runway and getting high. The secret is to have just a few scoops, then give most of it to a friend. They’ll be excited to get your unique gift of a home...
MILKMADE - flavor of the day: Riso arborio rice... →
MILKMADE deliveries start in just 2 weeks! I can’t wait for my pint of Ris a la mande!
The Smartphone Chronicles
I am extremely, embarrassingly, bad with my Smartphone. Witness the recent history:
Nokia phone
8/2007 Blackberry Pearl
3/2008 Blackberry Pearl (#2)
8/2008 Temporary pay as you go Motorola
8/2008 Blackberry Curve
8/2009 iPhone 3GS
11/2009 iPhone 3GS (#2)
“Bonus points for trying something new: flags of the world with their colors...”
– The Average Flag
Bacon-Flavored Envelopes: Your Bills Will Now Make... →
Case in point that bacon frenzy has definitely gone too far.
Social Media Business Cards
Since I’m always trying to check out new things online, though definitely not at the forefront of it, I just created two social media business cards using Card.ly and Magntize. The two are different in their approach, but both are very easy to create and set-up. I like that you have the option of streaming content from all your sites into one place. Note that Card.ly seems to offer the...
True Colors Personality Quiz →
Roommate shared this with me:
Take the quiz
Respond with your top 2 colors
Read brief explanation for your results
Balthazar
A friend and I just stopped by Balthazar for a drink after watching Pirate Radio at the Angelika. Sunday evening, 10pm, height of nationwide unemployment, in the midst of a major recession… and Balthazar is completely packed! Both the dining room and the bar are full to capacity and our friendly bartender is hustling to fill orders. Go figure. Got to love NY.
America's Best Leaders 2009: Ray Odierno -... →
General Odierno was the keynote speaker at my B-school graduation this year. He is undoubtedly interesting, powerful, respected, and a great leader, but I’m not sure many of the students nor the rest of the audience related much.
Regardless, it was an honor and a great favor to the school (it helps that his son and new daughter-in-law were in our graduating class).
“Apple made $1.6 billion in operating profit off of the iPhone in Q3. Nokia,...”
– While Rivals Jockey For Market Share, Apple Bathes In Profits
$1.6B. Profit. 1 quarter (not even Q4 holiday high). 1 product. Only 2.5% market share. This is insanely amazing. I guess that’s how you get to $34B in cash with no debt.
Pwn Craigslist - Wired How-To Wiki →
This is dangerous. I could end up owning a LOT more junk… but at a value!
Loving A Gadget-Obsessed Person Is Easier Than You... →
“Whether your lover is obsessed with an iPhone, a BlackBerry, a printer, or tricked-out ottoman, communication is key.”
A printer? Seriously?
100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do... →
More personal faves:
51. If there is a service charge, alert your guests when you present the bill. It’s not a secret or a trick.
57. Bring the pepper mill with the appetizer. Do not make people wait or beg for a condiment.
68. Do not reach across one guest to serve another.
75. Do not ask if someone is finished when others are still eating that course.
80. Never insist that a guest settle up at...
100 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do... →
Personal faves:
2. Do not make a singleton feel bad. Do not say, “Are you waiting for someone?” Ask for a reservation. Ask if he or she would like to sit at the bar.
3. Never refuse to seat three guests because a fourth has not yet arrived.
4. If a table is not ready within a reasonable length of time, offer a free drink and/or amuse-bouche. The guests may be tired and hungry and thirsty, and they...
Munchkin
I woke up this morning and decided I needed a sugar high to start the day off. Each morning my carpool arrives with a piping hot cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee to get the day going. So this morning I texted him for “one chocolate donut hole” please. To my surprise, he showed up with one whole chocolate donut. HAHA
Lesson learned: when asking for a donut hole from a New Englander, ask for a...
Netflix Recommends
Netflix recommends “Planet Earth: The Complete Collection” because I enjoyed “Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 5”. Interesting algorithm.
But yes, I do enjoy Curb and Planet Earth. So really, it’s either brilliant or I’m just a foregone conclusion.
Email Faux Pas
Never send important business emails after you’ve had two glasses of wine. Especially to someone that you are not quite familiar with. ARGH! The content was fine, but I misspelled the name! A stupid typo on the last letter. The name! The second word in the damn email. The name!
I, of course, only realized this 2 hours later. A brief apology email quickly ensued. UGH.
The Jobless Rate for People Like You -... →
Yet another cool interactive from the good people at NY Times dot com.
Sunday Morning
It’s sunny, brisk and wonderfully silent this Sunday morning. I stayed in last night so I’m actually feeling fully refreshed this AM. No disarming bomb-shelter-end-of-the-world iPhone alarm buzzing incessantly and no morning obligations to attend to. This is exactly how I like to start the end of my weekend. Off for my usual cup of Gimme! coffee.
Mom's Warning
If you read a previous post, then you know that I’m meeting my ex for coffee tomorrow. My Mom just did the sweetest thing. She called me tonight to warn me to prepare myself in case he’s meeting up to tell me he’s engaged. She said I need to prepare my heart and not be surprised and flustered if this is the case.
I had already considered this as a viable possibility. But I...
WatchI’m not usually one for cutesy, pointless pet animal photos and videos. I also realize that this has been up for awhile. But this is really cute. And I root for him through the whole video, wish he just could’ve… I’m just saying, it would have been so much more satisfying.
Puppy Can’t Roll Back Over is Today’s BIG Thing - SEP 08, 2009
“I appreciate “speakeasies” for the substantive quality they have...”
– Did Gossip Girl Kill The Speakeasy? - The Atlantic Food Channel
Thursday Night
I had one of those it’s-great-to-be-in-New-York type of Thursday evenings last night. After work, I started the evening off at the 14th St Stella McCartney store for a Juli B private shopping event. It was to promote her new line of pretty, girly Stella McCartney lingerie while we sampled free glasses of prosecco and vegetarian horse d’ouevres (I don’t think I’ll ever...
“Your online coolness factor hinges on three things: your number of friends (or...”
– Samsung DualView TL225 | Wired.com Product Reviews
Ex
Today my ex from about four years ago messaged me, for the first time in three years. He messaged to inform me that he will be in town in two days, Thursday through Sunday. Apparently it’s for pleasure and not business. Since he’s in town, he wanted to see if I’d like to meet up for coffee.
We haven’t talked in three years so this is quite a bit out of the norm. I...
The Gadget Buyer's Decision Making Flowchart -... →
Funny.
“when subjects slept four hours a night over five days, and then “recovered” with...”
– Really? - The Claim - A Person Can Pay Off a Sleep Debt by Sleeping Late on Weekends - Question - NYTimes.com
Best of Wikipedia - Mamihlapinatapai →
I love learning new words. I like it even more that this is supposed to be the “most succinct word”. I even like what its supposed to mean. But how do you pronounce it or use it in a sentence?
Breakfast
Since my supply of my usual breakfast oatmeal is low, I instead had a fried egg with a slice of America cheese on wheat toast. It was wonderful. It’s all about the simple pleasures. :)
The 8-Bit Low-Res Make-Up Is High-Res Clever -... →
This is amazing.
Name Your Dream 'Scream
Trying to get creative. How about a Marshmallow Sweet Potato scream?
Update: I’ve enlisted the help of some of my foodie girl friends and we’ve come up with the following ideas:
Marshmallow sweet potato
Pear and bittersweet chocolate torta
Pumpkin bread pudding with candied ginger
Buttered rum with vanilla
milkmadeicecream:
.. and you could win a FREE PINT of MILKMADE Ice...
Skype
My parents have only just discovered Skype. Naturally, they wanted to test it out with me. I obliged and called them last night. The two of them were extremely giddy on the other end. I’m actually surprised at how seamless the whole process was, no glitches, and we managed to connect on the first try. I guess it really is easy.
Then I surprised them and turned on my webcam. You should...
EN Sighting
If you’ve read any of my older posts, then you know I have a bit of an unhealthy obsession with Edward Norton. Today I saw him. Apparently I unknowingly walked right past him on 63rd and CPW, post-marathon. But my friends were quick to point him out to me. I assumed he was trying to be incognito so I watched from across the street. I realize that seems a bit stalkerish and voyeuristic,...