Santa needs to get a boat

http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/index.html
From the article:
The North Pole may be briefly ice-free by September as global warming melts away Arctic sea ice, according to scientists from the National Snow and Ice Data Center in Boulder, Colorado.
"Last year, we had sort of a perfect weather pattern to get rid of ice to open up that Northwest Passage," the center's senior research scientist Mark Serreze said. "This year, a different pattern can set up so maybe we'll preserve some ice there. We're in a wait-and-see mode right now. We'll see what happens."
The brief lack of ice at the top of the globe will not bring any immediate consequences, he said.
"From the viewpoint of the science, the North Pole is just another point in the globe, but it does have this symbolic meaning," Serreze said. "There's supposed to be ice at the North Pole. The fact that we may not have any by the end of this summer could be quite a symbolic change."
Serreze said it's "just another indicator of the disappearing Arctic sea ice cover" but that it is happening so soon is "just astounding to me."

Reality Celeb in NYC

Still in NYC- near Chelsea Market.
On our way to lunch today we walked past Bob Guiney from 'The Bachelor.' He's sort of a celebrity, right?

Celebrity (non) sightings

This gallery is RIGHT NEXT DOOR to the studio we were shooting food footage at this week. We saw the carpet, and my co workers saw Pacey from Dawson's Creek (Joshua Jackson) as our cabs pulled away yesterday around 6pm. Apparently, Elijah Wood and Danny Masterson were there as well. So close, yet so far away from a celeb sighting!

From Perezhilton.com:

No, they're not dating….but they should!
Elijah Wood and Riley Keough hosted a benefit for The Art of Elysium, Tuesday night in NYC.
How hot would that be - Elvis' granddaughter dating the cute Hobbit!
[Photo via Getty Images.]

funny

http://www.overheardintheoffice.com/

Looking forward to ...

I sort of wish it was 4th of July week - NOW. (I picture that being said like Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory when she says, "I want an Oompa Loompa - NOW")

Next week - Fly to SF Wednesday night. Thurs - Head to Santa Cruz w/ Heather, Evie and Cristin, and eventually Erik. Fri - Happy 4th! Eat, drink, beach, free concert on the boardwalk. Sat - beach. Sun - fly home - sad to leave CA and my sister.

This is yummy

Five Vintners 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley

I do not know a ton about wine, but love finding new ones that are tasty! I at least have learned that I prefer Cabernet over Merlot.

*On further inspection, the logo does make me think of things like 'The Village' or 'Blair Witch.'

NY has the best food

I'm in NY for a food shoot for work. We got in yesterday evening around 7 - as did Jim and Caitlin from Hill who were supposed to arrive around 3. Yikes. There was some rainy/cloudy/stormy weather that delayed and cancelled tons of flights. The 12, 2, 3, and 4 pm US Air shuttles were combined and took off at 5:45, about 15 minutes before our 5 pm flight took off.

Last night we were supposed to go to Salute (italian) for dinner, but because we were late, we pushed that reservation to tonight. Instead we went for Mexican at El Rio Grande, where they make fresh guacamole in front of you. Fabulous. Of course, we finished dinner with some fried ice cream. Hopefully the (short) walk back to the hotel burned off some of the calories from all we ate!

Today for lunch we went over to Chelsea Market and ate at Green Table. http://www.chelseamarket.com/pages/stores/thegreentable.html
They have a great macaroni and cheese dish, which 5 out of 6 of us ordered!

American Craft Beer Fest

The event was held at the World Trade Center/Convention center, with tons of tables all lined up with microbreweries from around the US. For $40, it is all you can sample beer for 3 hours. (In 2 oz. quantities)

We must have tried at least 25 beers, but it is easy to lose track after a while. We all enjoyed the Terrapin beer - well at least enough to all buy pint glasses from them, which came with a turtle bottle opener that also assists in making black and tans. (Or black and blues.)

Fun Times

I'm sad the weekend is over!
Friday - Dinner and some yummy wine w/ a friend.
Saturday - I did random errands, and read about half of the book "Something Borrowed" by Emily Giffin. Then, we grilled and headed into Boston around 5:30 for the American Craft Beerfest. We probably could have gone home when it ended, but instead went to the Black Rose.
Sunday - Happy Birthday Jen! Lori, Jen, Greg and I went to the Sox game. It started an hour late, it rained on and off, and was 13 innings long! (We left in the 11th.) But it was a fun time, and the Sox eventually won. Lots of interesting characters, as usual. And, we saw the folding up of the tarp - which is a long, tiresome process. I hope those guys get paid well. After the game, I sat on the couch and read the rest of "Something Borrowed." I really wanted to know how it ended!
So, then at 10pm I started to pack for a work trip to NY this week.

George Carlin Died

Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/SHOWBIZ/06/23/carlin.obit/index.html

What I learned at Trivia

Lori and I went to Trivia at a bar called Johnny D's. Below are some thing we learned, or were confused by.

• If you write "Johnny" in cursive, it looks like "Johmmy" (see above)
  
• The picture on the logo for the bar is not a beer tap.


• The dots on dice are called 'Pips' (we guessed)


• Vader is the Dutch word for Father (as in Darth Vader)


• People wear shirts that say ' I > U'


• Hosts of trivia night may refer to themselves as 'Trivia Jockeys'


• Macauley Culkin is the godfather of Michael Jackson's first child. (Lori knew that)


• The movie 'Clueless' has something to do with Jane Austen (It was a themed picture round)
  
• Even though Johnny D's has free pizza from 6:30 - 8:30 on Mondays, people BYODinner. Highlights include: Pizza delivered to a bar table, Burritos from Bolocco and Chipotle, popcorn from the movie theater and home made guacamole w/ tostitos.

Why I'm not allowed to go to the beach

Episode 1 of Summer 2008:
Jen, Colls and I went to Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester Saturday. (Reminder: I am white. Whiter than white. Casper is about the same shade as me.) I put on SPF 30 before I left to make sure I got it everywhere. I put it on my chest, face and stomach MULTIPLE times during the day.
What Happened:
- Sunscreen apparently removes itself from my body if applied more than once.
- If you sit in a chair and then lay on your stomach, reapply sunscreen to the side of your legs. If you sweat at all, the sunscreen is GONE.
- There is a slight sunburn near my hairline which looks ridiculous.
Punishment:
- The back of my leg is red and hurts. Like, when I get up from sitting, or sit on a specific surface, like a stool or a toilet seat.
- I have awesome red stripes where my bathing suit lines are. Sort of like a pink zebra.

In the next episode - Kim uses an umbrella and SPF 70. Or, forgoes the beach and gets a spray tan.

Flipped off

On the highway right before the exit to get to work, you are allowed to drive in the breakdown lane. I've learned that you MUST drive in the breakdown lane to get off your exit. So - my exit is approaching in about 20 feet. I'm still going about 40mph, but clearly have my blinker on and need to slow down for the curve. Some a-hole behind me is 1. right up on my bumper 2. beeps and flips me off as he passes. Seriously buddy? If you wanted to drive faster, don't drive in the right /exit lane! d*ckhead.

graceless

I was walking down the stairs at work today, and was just reaching the landing when my shoe started to fall off as I stepped down. I managed to sort of catch it with my foot, and land on the edge of it with a nice thud. I then proceeded to awkwardly drag my other foot across the floor because I was slowing down and half tripping. I was relieved that no one was with me, but the door only opened to the stairwell as I was regaining my balance (hopefully they didn't see me flailing around). I then ran away before I could see who it was. At least I didn't fall down the stairs, which is painful and usually only happens on the 'death stairs' at 107 Warren St.

I realize that I have always been a klutz - always running into chairs, walls, tripping on the perfectly flat carpet, etc. I'm sure if I tried harder I could be less klutzy, but at this point I have pretty much come to terms with it and think it is amusing.

1,000 places to see before you die desk calendar

Yesterday's quote:

"Every once in a while it hits people that they don't have to experience the world in the way they've been told to."

- Alan Keightley

Other people's random stories.

I found this blog link on my sister's blog and was literally laughing out loud when I read this post. Blogs are my new favorite thing. (*although after 6 months, I don't think it is considered 'New' anymore.)

http://www.jennsylvania.com/jennsylvania/2008/05/yet-another-cup.html

This sounds like something that could happen to me, which is probably why I find it so hilarious.

too funny

http://tlc-smileygirl.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

oh my god, this is the funniest stuff I have ever read.
Heather, where did you find this?

New England Heat Waves are awesome.

This weekend it was ridiculously humid, and in the 90's. This weather is sticking around til Wednesday, so if I want to sleep at all, I'm going to have to put the air conditioner in the window.

Last night, I came home from CT, and had a softball game at 9. I thought about putting the AC in but didn't really have time. I figured I'd be fine for one night with just a fan.. not so much. No covers, and a fan directly on me - I at least fell asleep. Around 2, I had to hunt around the house for another fan. Around 3, that fan was too loud so I shut it off. 4 am - too hot, turn the fan back on. A new air conditioner is going in my room TODAY!

Weekend

This weekend I went to CT to visit my parents.
Saturday - my dad and I went to lunch and hung out for a bit, then headed over to the theater in Stratford to see my mom in a play for the Irish Club my parents belong to. Unfortunately, the theater was having some sound problems, and up until about 10 minutes before the show people were attempting to sort out the issues. Luckily - it all worked out and the play went really well! My mom was so good! She has never been in a play before, and I give her a lot of credit for going up on stage and putting in a lot of hard work to be ready for the show. After the show, we went to a bar nearby with the cast and their families. I figured we'd be out for a drink or two.. but this crowd was not going home early! They started playing with the Juke box and found some Irish music to dance/sing to and ended up closing the bar!

Sunday - breakfast at my grandparents. My grandmother loves to watch old movies. She was watching one w/ John Wayne about a group of people who were in some foreign country gathering animals to put in a zoo. They used a rocket to launch a net over a tree to catch monkeys, chased a rhino with two jeeps, and fought off elephants who tried to get back 3 baby elephants. It was strange. The 3 baby elephants thought this one woman was their 'mom' so they kept following her around. The woman ends up being John Wayne's love interest, and at the end, one elephant tries to climb up on the bed with her before he gets in! Seriously, who comes up with this stuff? After that - my mom and I got pedicures and ran a few errands. I headed home around 3:30, driving right into a torrential downpour/thunderstorm. I came home to play softball with a team I found on Meetup.com. Sadly, we lost 19-24. We had a few great hits, and clearly scored a lot. . we could have won but our pitcher walked a lot of batters for the other team. Oh well, it is just for fun anyway!

Jeff's pub crawl pics

scorpion bowls - taste so good, not always a good decision Our karaoke friend Timmy (we met him at the bar)
The Redeemed pub crawler

If Harvard were Hogwarts

Click here for the image gallery:
http://boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/gallery/hogwarts?pg=9

Oh yeah? Well....

I can't stand the competition game. You know - when someone has a bad day, and the person they are talking to counters with, "oh yeah? If you think that was bad, listen to my day!" Sometimes, this truly is someone comiserating about whatever the situation may be, but sometimes it is over the top.

There are people I know with who play this competition game almost every day. The topic: traffic and their commute. Both parties are chronically late to work, both live at least 25 -30 minutes away. One lives knows the commute is awful, and could probably just take more time to get to work. One doesn't like to be out done, so will elaborate his story at all costs to be the one worse off. I realize this isn't my problem since they aren't talking to me, but it gets so obnoxious that I either have to leave my desk, or put on headphones.

Jeff's Redemption pub crawl

Just one photo from last Saturday's pub crawl . .more to come.

We LOVE singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" at Karaoke, at 4pm, at the Hong Kong - and making new friends named Timmy who also love Karaoke. I am too excited in this picture.

quote of the day

this is funny:

Regarding Whole Foods grocery store:
"Oh that place is like Tiffany's for food"
-HLM

hmm

At 26, is it a compliment for someone to tell you that you look like you are 12? I thought about what I could attribute it to - outfit, hair? The outfit - button down shirt and black capri pants from Ann Taylor. Hair - long, and I had pulled my bangs back bc I'm sort of over them. Maybe that was it. Oh and I had glasses on. So - no bangs, plus glasses = 12? I wasn't offended, but 12 is alarmingly young!

Lady Lovely Locks

I have had long hair for quite some time now, and I'm getting sick of it. But, now that it is this long I want to donate it when I cut it off.

Part of me is ready to cut it off now - it gets in the way, and sometimes I think I look like a little kid w/ it. Then, I had a dream about 2 weeks ago that I cut it all off to my chin, didn't donate, and cried about it. I was SO relieved to wake up and know I hadn't cut it. So I guess I'm not ready yet. The plan is to cut it at the end of the summer, and hopefully my sanity will last that long! If I can, I'd like to donate 10 inches to Locks of Love (http://www.locksoflove.org/donate.html)
but if 10 inches is too short for me, I might go with 8 inches to Pantene's program - Beautiful Lengths.
(http://www.beautifullengths.com/en_US/requirements.jsp)

If the title of the blog makes no sense:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Lovely_Locks

Yum

The new flavor is a caramel and sweet cream whirl of chocolate-covered peace signs and toffee pieces. I will let you know what I think once I try it.

http://www.benjerry.com/imagine/
http://www.johnlennon.com/html/news.aspx

MTV Movie Awards

http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1588375&vid=237159

On Sunday night during the MTV Movie Awards - Lindsay Lohan, P.Diddy, and Verne Troyer presented the award for Breakthrough Performance. They did a bit where they fought over who should announce the winner. P.Diddy said, it would be the first time for black man to announce it. Lindsay said, she was a woman, and best suited for the job. Verne Troyer said something about being the white dude in the background watching it all happen. I caught on to the point of the bit when P.Diddy kept saying, "Yes we can!" I'm trying to figure out what MTV's point of view on Hilary Clinton is though, based on this skit. . since Lindsay Lohan ultimately announced the winner, one could argue that MTV is in favor of Clinton. But they picked L. Lohan to represent her, someone who is not that put together, and sort of a train wreck.

On a lighter note, Johnny Depp is HOT. I looked up his age, and am in disbelief that he is 45 yrs. old.

procrastination

Thank you Heather for sharing the M&M creator!
http://pinkpolkadotdiary.blogspot.com/2008/06/us-as-m.html

Will you accept this rose?

Typically, I do not watch "The Bachelorette," and only sometimes get sucked into "The Bachelor." Last night, I found myself watching it with Jen and Colleen and now will have to watch the season to see if she picks Jason! Jason is a single father of a 3 yr old boy named Tyler. . after Jason told DeAnna about his son, she opened up about the death of her mom, which has shaped her emotionally closed off personality. To let him know that she was open to the idea of a guy with a kid - she went and named a star after his son. I wonder if she is really ok with it, or if she wanted him to at least always know she really liked him - no matter what the decision is. However, the bachelorette is 26, and that is a huge package deal! 3 year old, and an ex wife to deal with? ps. does anyone else think she looks older than 26??

Give Me Back My Five Bucks

I was inspired by my sister's blog about personal finance (http://pinkpolkadotdiary.blogspot.com/2008_04_01_archive.html) and came across one that I now read every day. I have no idea who this girl is, but I am impressed and inspired by her ability to get out of debt and try to save $.
And, I am enjoying the personal commentary about her job, boyfriend, and life in Canada.

http://krystalatwork.blogspot.com/