A "Kosin-ism"

"On a scale of one to ten, I think it's pretty good..."

College

Just went to a BBQ going away party and for some reason, I always feel like an outsider. I guess cuz all the people there have known each other for years and years. Their little group of friends all went to college together, work together, and play together. I'm just like a fringe person. That's what I always hated about Penn. There wasn't one group of friends I could call my own. Just lots of random people. I really wish I could redo college all over and approach it in a totally different manner. I would have played a lot more, been more confident in my own abilities, and just have been more open to new experiences. Sure, it's not too late but that stage has passed. Yet, I think I'm fucking up this stage too...whatever it is.

Underworld Evolution

I finally subscribed to Netflix. The first movie in my queue was Underworld Evolution. I love vampire movies and sci-fi flicks...I know, I'm weird. But I love these stories about continuing legacies, battling evil, and recognizing your humanity. I think I liked the first Underworld better but the second one was enjoyable. It has a crazy love scene and having watched the director's commentary with it, they said they had to digitally erase uh-hum, certain parts of Scott Speedman. I love Scott Speedman...he was the one good thing about Felicity. Wish he would do more films. Anyways, they need another good vampire flick...all the part IIs of Blade and Underworld just don't quite measure up to the first.

KRZR or RAZR?

I still vote for the RAZR despite the cool glass surface and rubberized bottom of the newly announced KRZR in Motorola's lineup. (Although the krazy name may make me a convert yet.) I do like the glass surface but for those people with their oily faces and fried chicken grease-laden fingers, I would not recommend buying this phone and then offering it to friends who need to make a call. eek! I mean, you know...haven't you ever borrowed someone's phone only to hold it to your face and realize your horrific error in judgment? Not sanitary I say...at that point, you might as well make your way to a standard pay phone...if you can find one these days. What has improved is the bluetooth headset. At least you're not inserting a ear bud into some greasey, waxy recess. Ok, ok, I know I'm KRZY!

Assumptions

I hate people that jump to conclusions and accuse others without fully knowing what they are talking about. I've had several similar experiences lately. For instance, I pay to subscribe to this newsletter but my credit card on Paypal expired. So I resubscribed and then the link to the newsletter didn't work. So I emailed them about my technical difficulties and this lady responds by telling me she thinks I'm just subscribing and cancelling to take advantage of their free 2 week offer. She's all "I do this for a living" and accuses me of taking advantage. Sure, I can see people doing shit like this. But c'mon, you just insulted a customer. It pissed me the hell off. What is wrong with people? It's like everyone assumes they know what I am thinking instead of giving me a chance to explain first. I'm getting really sick of it. It seems like everyone is too cynical these days. No one gives anyone the benefit of the doubt. It's sad. I think I deserve an apology. All I can say is, I don't get mad often and I'm stinking mad.

I've Got the Blues

(What can I say? I like puns...)

Oh man, you've got to try Terra chips' Terra Blues. They are basically bluish-purple gourmet potato chips that are kettle-cooked to perfection. They have 40% less fat than regular chips, and have no transfat or cholesterol. And best of all, they are YUM with a nutty taste and are pretty to look at. I am totally hooked on these and have to restrain myself from finishing an entire bag all at once. I've only had purple potatoes up until now...I believe they serve them at Jae's with the tuna. I've always thought they had a certain depth to them. I wish other restaurants would use them more often in dishes...they really kick up the color scheme and add a bit more flavor than the blah Idaho potatoes of yester-year. Anyhoo, go buy yourself some...but leave some for me! =D

Quote of the Day - 7.25.06

"Without metaphor the handling of general concepts such as culture and civilization becomes impossible."

— Johan Huizinga

I suck at metaphors and analogies. But I threw a good one in this morning in a meeting...I'm so proud of myself. ;) Ha. I should just study some and keep them in my repertoire so I can sound like I know what I'm talking about.

Love, Explained

Interesting article, "Love, Explained."

Here are some highlights I thought were interesting...

Q: Can someone truly love more than one person?
Dr. Fisher: No. I think you can feel lust for more than one person, and feelings of attachment for more than one person. But not love. As the Indian aphorism goes, “The lane of love is narrow; there is room for only one.”

Q: How do men and women experience love differently?
Dr. Fisher: Men fall in love faster than women do. Women take longer because they have to create a “memory trail” of their mate’s behaviors. She has to remember what he promised, and what he failed to do.

Q: Does having sex make people fall in love?
Dr. Fisher: Having sex can trigger love—probably because after orgasm, there’s a peak in dopamine activity. So watch out if you casually bed down with someone—you might unintentionally fall for them.

Derwin Di Di

"What are you gonna write about me? That I'm super awesome? Those are the two words I think of when I think of myself."

Character

I was recently told that I'm a "character." Dunno quite what that means...

Patriotic

I was at the Denver airport taking the little tram to the gate and there was a young soldier in fatigues and a huge backpack on his shoulders. A man standing nearby asked him, "Are you coming or going?" and he said "Going back to Kuwait." And they continued the chit-chat. The man said "Well, it must be scorching hot there right now!" And the soldier nodded politely. Then the tram pulled up to the terminal. An older woman standing right next to us reached out her hand and gently held the soldier's arm and said, "Thank you...be safe." The way she said it was so moving, I couldn't help but feel completely patriotic and grateful to this young soldier. He then replied, "Just doin' my job." It's so strange to think that these young boys in their early 20s are defending the country and protecting our rights while we just go our merry ways.

California Nights

Tonight is gorgeous and the night air just makes it lovely to take a stroll outside. California living seems like it is really is what it's cracked up to be. I'm sure I'd be much less of a couch potato if I lived here. Plus it's got awesome Chinese food and sushi. What more could you want? Maybe one day...

I Hate Politics

I swear, business is all about who you know and how you play the game. It's all so underhanded and slimey in a way. I hate how everyone has personal agendas and are two-faced. I'm too honest and blunt of a person for my own good. Ugh.

29 is the new 19?

Already a bit flushed just from getting a whiff of that champagne...

911 Date

A woman who called 911 to get "the cutest cop I've seen" sent back to her home got a date all right — a court date.


This is hilarious...I suppose it qualifies as an emergency...

"Honey, I'm just going to be honest with you, OK? I just thought he was cute. I'm 45 years old and I'd just like to meet him again, but I don't know how to go about doing that without calling 911," she said.

The deputy returned, verified that there was no emergency and arrested her for misusing the 911 system, an offense punishable by a fine of up to several thousand dollars and a year in jail.

Celebrity Chef Restaurants

Ok, my next venture is to visit all of these celebrity chef restaurants. I've been to Mesa Grill and Olives in Vegas, also Morimoto's joint in Philly. But the NY ones must kick ass.

• Mesa Grill (Bobby)
  
• Babbo (Mario) [looking at the Menu I just have to say "wow"!]
  
• Del Posto (Mario)
  
• Olives (Todd)...but the original one in MA
• Morimoto
• Nobu (I can't believe I still haven't been)
  
• DB Bistro Modern
• Per se [if I can ever get in!]
  

What to Watch

I haven't watched cable in forever. Don't even know why I pay for it. On my way to the CNN channel to catch up on all the news I'm oblivious to since I got Tivo, I started watching What Not to Wear. It was like meeting up with a long lost friend. I remember waking up on Saturday afternoons and eating lunch and watching this show. Maybe it's just nostalgia but it's fun to watch. I'm always in love with whatever Stacey London is wearing. Carmindy is awesome but what's cool is that every time she's applying makeup on these frumpy housewives, I recognize all of her tools and products. Though, I have to say, she really doesn't do too much...all her tips are pretty straightforward. I guess it doesn't take much if the women she transforms have never touched makeup. Anyways, I wish I knew someone I could recommend on the show. Actually, my old manager comes to mind. Or maybe I can just pretend to be really clueless myself because the whole process looks like so much fun!

Baby

One of my three adorable babies...always causing trouble.

Blogging Junkie

I must be addicted to blogging. I cannot believe it but I just launched another blog! I was thinking for a long time about doing one on beauty products. I really am the person my girlfriends come to asking about advice on products. I just know this stuff. Admittedly, my knowledge is slightly outdated since I stopped subscribing to inane fashion magazines and thought I'd save some money by not buying hundreds of dollars of makeup every month. Very sound idea, no? Well, in the interest of spreading knowledge and educating poor hapless women everywhere that don't know what Nars Orgasm blush is, I will make some sacrifices.

I usually don't advertise my blogs until I have a few entries under the belt but here it is regardless. I'm just playing with the color scheme in html right now.

http://beautybarnone.blogspot.com

"There are no ugly women, only lazy ones"
- Helena Rubenstein

Damn Rain Spoiled My Chocolate Run

I was about to go out to get some "world-class chocolate" ice cream from Baskin Robbins just now and it starts pouring cats and dogs. Sigh. Can't wait for some decent California weather and room service next week...

My "Tokyo" List

"You are to food what Godzilla is to Tokyo..."
- J.K.

My "best of" places to dine list for NYC and Boston
(includes both hole-in-the-walls, chains, and everything in between):

Chinese

• Joe's Ginger (NY)
• Peking Duck House (NY)
• King 5 Noodles (Flushing & Elmhurst)
• Chau Zhau Bowl (Flushing)
• YangTze River (Flushing)
• Taiwan Cafe (Boston)

Japanese

• Yamas (NY)
• Fugakyu (Boston)
• En Japanese Brasserie (NY)

French

• Le Singe Vert (NY)
• I'm sure Per Se rocks but I haven't been...
• Le Petit Robert (Boston)

Korean

• Cho Dang Gol (NY)
• Natural Tofu (NY)

Indian

• Classic India (Quincy)

Cuban

• Havana Central (NY)

French-Moroccan

• L'Orange Bleu (NY)

Pizza

• Armando's Pizza (Brooklyn)
• CPK
• Bertucci's

Italian

• Giacomo's (Boston)
• Rabia's (Boston)
• Maggiano's

Thai

• Dok Bua (Boston)

Vietnamese

• Pho Bang (Elmhurst)

American

• Stephanie's on Newbury (Boston)
• Joe's (Boston)

Mexican

• Anna's Taqueria [cheap burritos] (Boston)
• Still on the hunt for one in NY
• Mama Ninfa's (Houston, TX) -- I HAD to name it...it's THE BEST

Cajun

• Papadeaux's (Houston, TX) -- Again, I HAD to name it!

Hawaiian

• Roy's

Tapas

• Dali's (Cambridge, MA)

TBD:

1. Greek
2. Brazilian
3. Spanish
4. Seafood
5. Brunch
6. Dessert
7. Burgers

The Color Purple

Damn! The color purple kicks ass! I so want this phone!!! It costs a pretty penny though since it's one of those special unlocked phones without service. But it's justifiable because it's so darn pretty! Man, I am going to kick Verizon and their crap phones to the curb soon. Now if only they would make a purple iPod that looks just as chic...






Interestingly enough, check out this honey gold Dolce & Gabbana Razr...how luxurious! Not really. I tell ya, metallics are out this season! Didn't D&G get the memo?

Shakespeare's Blogosphere

I do love the blogosphere. Apparently, my Shakespeare in the park review landed on a fellow blogger's page that celebrates the work of Jennifer Ehle, the actress that played Lady MacBeth.

Since folks are reading my review, I'll have to add a bit more to it. My favorite line in the play is actually delivered by Ms. Ehle. In Act III, Lady MacBeth is trying to persuade her dinner guests that MacBeth often goes off in crazy tirades and that it is a "thing of custom." But MacBeth continues his feverish rambling and goes absolutely nuts speaking of murder and seeing the ghost of Banquo. Finally, MacBeth sobers up and tells everyone to resume the frivolity of dinner conversation. A moment of silence passes and Lady MacBeth, with raised eyebrow and an "oh-geez" air of sarcasm says...

"You have displaced the mirth..."

It was Ms. Ehle's deadpan delivery that made the entire audience laugh out loud. Forget all the famous lines in this play...that was the one that made me enjoy the show. She was great throughout - the type of scheming woman I'd imagine that would be running her own company as CEO...a worthy counterpart to Larry Ellison. In any case, a good portrayal of Lady MacBeth lends the sentiment that she is indeed the woman we all love to hate. And that, Ms. Ehle certainly did deliver.

Just the Girls

Me & Alison Lee...I just wanna hold her all day long!!!














Look at her fat baby forearms! It's got two segments of roll!

Quote of the Day - 7.10.06

"The compromise will always be more expensive than either of the suggestions it is compromising."

— Arthur Bloch

Uber-Cool Notetaking Gadget

DigiMemo 692

This digital notetaking pad looks awesome. You write on a paper pad (since it's what people are used to) and then you can save each page as an imaged digital file. It would be nice to have this so I don't have to carry around 50 different notebooks that I have to flip through to find my scribbled notes in. Wish I had this during my analyst days. The only drawback is that it is a 6"x9" pad...if only they can make it 8.5"x11"...then it would be super-functional. Nevertheless, kudos to the Taiwanese! =)

Quote of the Day - 7.9.06

"You are to food what Godzilla is to Tokyo..."

- J.K.

My response as I hover over my Penne Bolognese:

"Hmmm...To-ky-o!"

Shakespeare Summer Night

Part I

I just got back from watching Shakespeare in the park. MacBeth was playing and Liev Schrieber had the lead role. Having only read Shakespeare and never having seen it performed, I was awed. Really, now I see why a play is meant to be acted out and not just read in a classroom. There were parts that required emotion and actual acting...things you really don't think about when you're just trying to decipher that old english in print. It was quite enjoyable seeing it. Plus, it was modern too...lots of feminist undertones. What was surprising was that it had exciting parts...like the climax at the end. Amidst the backdrop of the trees in the park, the lighting and the set, it was perfectly executed.

Part II

See my entry, Shakespeare's Blogosphere