barack 4 pres

via saipua

happy halloween, harry potter

uh oh, what am i thinking about?!

spirit of halloween

this photograph just made my day. that's my friends corie and her big sisters britney and tasha. impeccable.


it's mementos like these that make me fond of halloween.

sacrificial flowers

while sitting at my apartment this afternoon with my friend trevor, i decided that i might make it a rule that guests to my apartment bring a sacrificial flower offering. trevor laughed at the thought of slitting open the flowers in sacrifice while on bent knees. but i just seriously thought it was a great idea--my apartment would be a like a secret, special garden.

i like those flowers, so i snagged them from here

double negatives

laugh out loud, i dare you.

the librarianist

if i could have it all...

the walk home from work was nice. i was appreciating being able to leave my coat open and feel the brisk cold air. i also, for the first time, appreciated the season to come when i could smell a hint of winter--of pine trees and that "upstate" smell, and smiled at all the winters to come in log cabins, with fireplaces and friends and family, board games, t.v. sets, and warm nights with cold air.

earlier this afternoon, on my way to work, i found myself drooling over these photos from this article in last week's home design issue of new york magazine. if i could have it all, i would have this californian landscaping in surrounding me in my new york apartment. these photos are from an apartment on lower fifth avenue. what a treasure!

david sedaris on undecided voters

"I look at these people and can't quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention? To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. "Can I interest you in the chicken?" she asks. "Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it? To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked."

- Author David Sedaris, on undecided voters

w.

saw W. yesterday. eh...

the best part was when laura bush reveals that the president's favorite musical is coming to town and a big smile lights up his face. what do you think it is?

free scoops for voters!

ben & jerry's will be offering free scoops to voters on election day from 5-8pm! they say that all you need as proof is your "i voted" sticker, or you can just do the "i voted" election dance. how easy!

which flavor will you pick on election day?

goodnight irene

after hearing news that a friend's film, goodnight irene, picked up the best narrative award at the new orleans film festival, i did a google search and came up with this youtube clip of leadbelly singing "goodnight irene." equally awesome.



also awesome, leadbelly singing "house of the rising sun":



i love these creepy, haunting lyrics. what is it about new orleans that is inevitably spooky? i think it really is the city of the dead!


There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

who that is?

pretty things like flowers and apples

today i found this cool store on grand street after my run called sprout home. they sell things like plant kits and pretty flowers that you can't find online.

i also like this picture of apples from this blog.

you may be sick of these...

but i'm not.

moses: you are the cutest little boy in existence.

spicy fettucine with italian sausage

my roommate and i just made a delicious, impromptu dinner of spicy fettucine with italian sausage, onions, and peppers. it was incredibly simple and only took about 20 minutes. we sauteed some chopped green pepper, onion, and garlic, added some chopped italian sausage from trader joe's, and then added some creole seasoning and red pepper flakes. we topped our fettucine with the sausage combination and added pecorino cheese.

chloe says she's really full.

100 skills

according to popularmechanics.com, this is a list of 100 skills every man should know:

Automotive
1. Handle a blowout
2. Drive in snow
3. Check trouble codes
4. Replace fan belt
5. Wax a car
6. Conquer an off-road obstacle
7. Use a stick welder
8. Hitch up a trailer
9. Jump start a car

Handling Emergencies
10. Perform the Heimlich
11. Reverse hypothermia
12. Perform hands-only CPR
13. Escape a sinking car

Home
14. Carve a turkey
15. Use a sewing machine
16. Put out a fire
17. Home brew beer
18. Remove bloodstains from fabric
19. Move heavy stuff
20. Grow food
21. Read an electric meter
22. Shovel the right way
23. Solder wire
24. Tape drywall
25. Split firewood
26. Replace a faucet washer
27. Mix concrete
28. Paint a straight line
29. Use a French knife
30. Prune bushes and small trees
31. Iron a shirt
32. Fix a toilet tank flapper
33. Change a single-pole switch
34. Fell a tree
35. Replace a broken windowpane
36. Set up a ladder, safely
37. Fix a faucet cartridge
38. Sweat copper tubing
39. Change a diaper
40. Grill with charcoal
41. Sew a button on a shirt
42. Fold a flag

Medical Myths
43. Treat frostbite
44. Treat a burn
45. Help a seizure victim
46. Treat a snakebite
47. Remove a tick

Military Know-How
48. Shine shoes
49. Make a drum-tight bed
50. Drop and give the perfect pushup

Outdoors
51. Run rapids in a canoe
52. Hang food in the wild
53. Skipper a boat
54. Shoot straight
55. Tackle steep drops on a mountain bike
56. Escape a rip current

Primitive Skills
57. Build a fire in the wilderness
58. Build a shelter
59. Find potable water

Surviving Extremes
60. Floods
61. Tornados
62. Cold
63. Heat
64. Lightning

Teach Your Kids
65. Cast a line
66. Lend a hand
67. Change a tire
68. Throw a spiral
69. Fly a stunt kite
70. Drive a stick shift
71. Parallel park
72. Tie a bowline
73. Tie a necktie
74. Whittle
75. Ride a bike

Technology
76. Install a graphics card
77. Take the perfect portrait
78. Calibrate HDTV settings
79. Shoot a home movie
80. Ditch your hard drive

Master Key Workshop Tools
81. Drill driver
82. Grease gun
83. Coolant hydrometer
84. Socket wrench
85. Test light
86. Brick trowel
87. Framing hammer
88. Wood chisel
89. Spade bit
90. Circular saw
91. Sledge hammer
92. Hacksaw
93. Torque wrench
94. Air wrench
95. Infrared thermometer
96. Sand blaster
97. Crosscut saw
98. Hand plane
99. Multimeter
100. Feeler gauges

silly faces (back from israel)

the first is my favorite.

i'm back in new york, since 7am this morning. got to see the sleepy pink sunrise over queens, and already made it to my favorite new spot, grand street park, for some defective ipod listening and stretching.

old yaffo

yaffo

tel aviv in the background

pops at "dr. shakshuka"

radio days

in israel, the radio plays songs like this in all seriousness. followed sometimes by songs like this.

some links

*bacon today is a website dedicated "daily updates on the sweet, sweet world of bacon."

reminds me of this, because bacon is best:



via librarianist

*a recent freeman's review. i wonder if i'm still hooked. (do you end statements that begin with "i wonder" with a question mark?)

BABies!

me and ruby, my cousin's newborn son, at my cousin's store in tel aviv--mikvah


little ruby in big ruby's arms, again


me and my cousin anthony at his 3rd birthday party


and (i couldn't help myself) a picture of little moses, my nephew, that my dad brought from l.a. he just woke up from a nap and was sitting like this, all sweaty and sleepy, when they walked in. oof i could just eat him!!!

mtv is still mtv

one of the best things about israel is that you can still turn on MTV and find music videos playing non stop. i got to watch the fun paul simon one below, followed by lil wayne's lollipop

from "the streets"

photo from "the streets", israel - cousins

lame

i am really embarrassed to share this, but here goes nothing.

at one point, i was 14 years old and totally loved this song.

especially the part that goes:
can't you see, it's not the same
the stars are spelling out your name
and the moon can only frown because it will
never be as beautiful as you

mark wahlberg talks to animals

elaine benes

You know, it's not fair that people are selected first come, first served. It should be based on who's hungriest!

when you google the name "elaine", the first result is a wikipedia page for elaine benes. ridiculous.

another reason to love new york

coming home from work today, the jmz was taking longer than usual so i decided to sit down on the platform bench. the only open seat was next to a sleeping man who seemed homeless, but my gams were tired and i took it anyway. while i was reading my magazine, the man beside me awoke, let out a loud roar (kind of like a wake up yawn), and started cursing slightly louder than under his breath about falling asleep on the subway bench. he then began to address all these concerns to me, since i was, i guess, most approachable and conveniently located. while avoiding eye contact, i respectfully answered his questions--he was talking to me after all. i stared at the fading tattoos on his forearms while i felt him looking my square in the face and asking me in a throaty voice in between coughs, "tu habla espanol? parlez vous francais? allemande? sprechen ze deutsch?" i shook my head no continuously in attempt to end the conversation. he turned away disappointed and began cursing me for not knowing those languages. "you gotta go to school and learn, then," he said. "my mom always told me to be smart, get educated, don't be a bum she said. i'm a high school dropout and i know four languages." he proceeded to talk about how he was a smart kid in high school, but then he got drafted, went to vietnam, was shot. he said that he always got good grades in high school, but he sucked at math. everyone sucks at math, he said. i laughed aloud and he looked at me, realizing that i was actually listening. he kept talking and i watched him talk. he excused himself for cursing and talked about how the draft ruined his life. he pointed to the back of his neck where he was shot and shook his head at how he never amounted to anything. he kept mumbling and mentioned something about having four kids and six grandkids--maybe they'll amount to something, but he never did. i finally spoke up: "four kids and six grandkids sounds like quite the accomplishment to me." he lifted his chin and looked at me as if in thanks, then proceeded to tell me all about them. he had some difficulty in remembering all six names, but his eyes glistened when he talked about his pretty turkish-puerto rican granddaughter, samantha. after some reflection over his grandkids, he patted my arm and told me i was a good soul. he asked if i was a psychiatrist and i shook my head no and he said that i should be one, because i was a great listener. he said that anyone else would have thought he was crazy and walked away from his conversation. and then the train came and he walked into a different subway car.

god, i love new york.

a pictorial recount of a great evening

they say a picture is worth a thousand words and thank god for that, because i'm lazy and tired right now, so here's something like a 12,000 word blog post.


so the event garnered a good deal of celebrity attention. i mean, its really no big deal when a real estate mogul and a baseball player send over bottles of wine.


honey-soy-glazed drumsticks (which played a part in singeing my friend david's hair)


pearl onions with sage and bacon


asparagus with parmesan


devils on horseback


me working on some horseradish mashed potatoes with caramelized onions


butternut squash salad with arugula, prosciutto, and parmesan


slow-roasted balsamic tomatoes with basil and garlic


braised brisket and root vegetables


...and the dining room


that's mac'n'cheese in the corner!


everyone was all smiles--especially when they found out they won a special treat if there was a penny under their plate


the special treat, very becoming glasses


and then we put on wigs. or one wig, over and over again. and the night turned into multiplicity with maggie replacing michael keaton.


and then we had delicious cookies and muscat for dessert. not to mention devil's food cake.