Rainbow Sorbet

Sushisamba on Park

2007-02-21T20:19:00.000-08:00

So, continuing an unnaturally diverse series of posts about food, tonight for dinner I went to Sushisamba on Park Ave. after our quarterly meeting at the office. (And, no, I didn't take foodbloggy pictures. I was with a bunch of editors! So not appropriate!) It was okay. Not amazing. I've heard that the West Village location is better; the thing about restaurants in the Madison Square Park/Flatiron area is that they're in a very business-heavy part of town, and any one of those upscale places for dinner or a happy hour will have a cramped, thank-goodness-the-workday's-over vibe. Kind of like any of those same restaurants for lunch will have a guys-in-suits-talking-money vibe.

Beyond that, the experience was pretty good. I ordered two dishes: yellowtail ceviche (with ginger, garlic, and soy) and a seared beef maki roll with palm, pineapple, and scallion. The former was quite delicious; the latter was only so-so and not particularly memorable, but not terrible. For dessert I had mochi ice cream...green tea, passionfruit, and lychee. Kind of typical Asian-restaurant fare, nothing like what you'd find at a dessert bar or anything, but whatever. It was good!

Food-blogging is not my strength. Food-eating is. But aside from the goings-on at the office, food was kind of the highlight. Oh, and Lost. Tonight's episode had some of the prettiest sights to look at out of all three seasons, but I had some trouble figuring out exactly what the point of it all was. And not in the island-mindfuck sense, but in the "who's writing this script?" sense.

Coffee Evolved?

2007-02-20T17:35:00.000-08:00

OK, so, today was momentous because our new coffee maker was delivered way earlier than we'd expected. K. and I opted for free shipping on Amazon, and expected it would take a week or what-have-you, but in the end it took two days. So that was nice. We'd been looking to upgrade our coffee maker from the cheap KitchenAid one that K. had inherited from her sister, and we chose a Melitta MEMB1B Mill & Brew, which was affordable but way nicer than what we were currently working with. This one not only has a mill built in and doesn't require paper filters, but it also has a timer--something our old one didn't. We haven't tried it out yet, but I think it's safe to say that we're both actually looking forward to waking up tomorrow. Let's just hope I don't screw up the timer...

Anyway, that's about it. Lunch today was at a perennial favorite midday spot for when I'm in the Madison Square Park area, Dos Caminos on Park Ave. between 26th and 27th Streets. Naturally, the three of us at our table pretty much inhaled a double order of chips and guacamole. I almost ordered the Cubaña quesadilla (pork, ham, and chihuahua cheese), which I'd had last time and liked quite a bit, but instead I opted for the skirt steak salad with roasted mushrooms and beets. Not the most Mexican item on the menu, but hey, it still tasted good.

Best thing about having Monday off work: Only two work days until a new episode of Lost is on!

Today in food news...

2007-02-19T17:54:00.000-08:00

I apologize for not taking photos of this afternoon's culinary experimentation, but I couldn't possibly compare in food-porny goodness to Vanilla Garlic. VG's blogger posted the recipe for chipotle cinnamon chocolate cupcakes a month ago and I decided I absolutely had to try it. I owe baked goods to one of my co-workers who helped me out in a pinch last month when I needed access to a camcorder, and so I decided to make a bunch for the office. They were extremely easy to make, except for the part where I had to dig chipotle pepper puree out of the bottom of the blender. My roommates K. and M. seemed to like them; K. was especially effusive about the wonders of spicy chocolate. So I suppose it was a success.

The other novel component to the cupcakes was the fact that I used Silicups, or rather the Crate & Barrel equivalent (cheaper than the ones from Williams-Sonoma that Outblush featured). These are basically reusable silicone muffin cups that allow you to 1) cook without a cupcake tray, and 2) not use disposable paper muffin holders that get messy. The catch is cleaning them in between batches, which takes a while. I recommend getting twice as many as you think you need, so that you can alternate.

Then, post-baking, I headed to a networking event at Mixx Lounge, where I was able to hang out with a few people I know and peruse the menu of sketchily-named signature drinks. I settled for the "Fruity Biznitch," which is a concoction of vodka, peach schnapps, pineapple juice, and cranberry juice. Tasty, though very weak -- but I suppose anybody going for something with peach schnapps and pineapple juice isn't exactly looking for a dirty martini.

First signs of spring?

2007-02-12T04:58:00.000-08:00

Know what's cool? The fact that I woke up at 6:48 this morning (my alarm goes off at 7) and saw light coming through my window. And when I stumbled into the kitchen to make some coffee, there were birds singing. I'm so ready for warmer weather.

On a completely unrelated note, if this turns into the overblown post-Anna Nicole story of the season, and the evening news is filled with stories about the scandals and dangers of joining the Mile High Club, I might just have to go renounce my American citizenship. I can totally see it coming...

Out and about: end of January, early February...

2007-02-10T06:19:00.000-08:00

As I said earlier, Death & Co. in the East Village is a really impressive bar. The place keeps attendance restricted so that it doesn't get packed, which might seem snobby, but in truth, it really just makes it a much more pleasant place to enjoy a drink. I went over with three friends (including Cliff, who was visiting from DC) and they told us they'd send us a text message when they had a table opening. So we went a few blocks north to Sushi Lounge on St. Mark's for their $3 sake-tinis (and I had red bean ice cream) and then were back at Death & Co. within 20 minutes.

I also said in my brief post about Death & Co. that this was the first time I'd ordered an overpriced drink and really thought it was worth it. The bartenders are very skilled, and when you take a look at the list of signature cocktails, you think "Okay, this is something I couldn't make on my own." (Unless you happen to be a highly skilled bartender yourself.) Plus, I spent my senior year of college slaving over the history of the early 1930s, so the ambiance of this bar really resonated with me. The music and décor were perfect, and the pinstripe-clad bartenders were a nice touch, too. Highly recommended.
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine from college had a birthday party at Prey, which my nerdy self refers to semi-affectionately as "the mashup bar." The place is clearly trying to toe the line between a chic lounge and a warm, old-school bar, but ends up rather dichotomous because there's basically a "bar" section and various "lounge" sections sprinkled throughout. Personally, I think The Plumm does a much better job of putting together an atmosphere that's both trendy and vintage-cozy (hello, wood paneling!) but unfortunately, the crowd there kind of sucks. Or at least it did when I checked it out last summer.
I was one of several reporters covering the Windows Vista launch for our company, and I think it's kind of funny how Microsoft sure knows how to throw a party (bellinis and sea bass at Cipriani? a performance by Angels & Airwaves?) but has had quite a few issues getting a decent operating system off the ground. I have a copy of Vista, but I'm legitimately afraid to install it because I'm scared it might sabotage my hard drive since I've heard so many horror stories. Kind of funny...
I'm kind of a blonde now. Dark blonde, really.

Believe the hype.

2007-02-03T21:02:00.000-08:00

Believe the hype. Death & Co. is awesome. Pretend your pockets are deeper than they are, plunk down $12 for a Company Buck, and imagine that it's 1935. This was one of the few times in my life that I felt an overpriced cocktail was worth the price.

I'm going to post a recap of the superficial goings-about-town this week tomorrow, most likely. So I'll have more to say then.

Number one in the hood, g.

2007-01-31T17:33:00.000-08:00

In case you haven't heard already, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" has terrorized Boston. I mean, seriously. How stupid are we? One of those LED guys was planted up on a building on Lafayette Street in NoHo a few weeks ago (because before it's anywhere else, it's in New York City) and I never doubted for a second that it was some kind of silly advertisement.

I think the sad part is that this is, in a sense, a blow to creativity. If the American people has grown so paranoid that anything out-of-the-ordinary is seen as a threat, it's a sad day indeed for street art, public performance, and unusual marketing campaigns like this one. I hope that something as utterly silly as mistaking an "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" character for a terrorist-planted bomb will make us realize that this whole "fear" thing has gone way, way, way, way, way too far. But knowing how things work here, it won't.

But perhaps the last laugh will be coming from the right side. Anybody want to bet that "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" ratings will be soaring after this?

P.S.: The Daily Kos thread about the incident is actually very funny.

I was Gothamisted!

2007-01-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, I was part of a five-person squad that ran the Idiotarod 2007 dressed as authentic Canadian lumberjacks. It was my first time running the race, and man was it amazing. Technically, it's a shopping cart race from Greenpoint in Brooklyn to Long Island City in Queens, but in reality it was more like a cross between a race, a scavenger hunt, a drag parade, and a food fight, which was exemplified at one of the "checkpoints," held at a bar on Greenpoint Ave. and Franklin St. While the check-in process was going on inside the bar, everyone else turned the intersection of Franklin and Greenpoint into a massive food-throwing extravaganza.

In fact, Flickr user mdpny took a picture of my teammate Ryan and I looking out the second-floor window of the bar at the mayhem below:

I'm not exactly sure how our finish was, because the rankings haven't yet been released, but we went pretty darn fast since all five of us seemed to be in decent athletic shape. At one point, while crossing the Pulaski Bridge from Brooklyn to Queens, we were sandwiched in between a team dressed up as Chippendales in Speedos, and one dressed up as Jesus and the apostles. What a great image. And a photo of my teammate Jennie and me made it onto Gothamist, too, so I can now say that I had the honor of being featured on a major NYC blog while wearing a lumberjack outfit.

Some notes on some links

2007-01-26T05:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few thoughts about some things I've read online recently...

Health Problems Pose Governing Challenge (The Politico). This was an interesting one, about how the average age of the Senate is older than it ever has been, and whether the kinds of health problems that plague American lawmakers should be a warning light that they might not be able to get their jobs done particularly effectively. I think it's an interesting idea, and one that certainly should result in more dialogue (I mean, come on, Strom Thurmond remaining in office in his state was a joke) but the Politico article misses two important points in my opinion:

1. Youth has not always equaled health. I think it's important to bring up that while the Senate may be older, the whole "health problems" thing is likely nothing new. It would take a lot of research, but I'm sure that a congressional roster from a hundred years ago would include all kinds of health problems that are virtually gone today: the lingering aftereffects of childhood diseases, health consequences of lifestyle practices that are now known to be unhealthy (I wonder how many Senators back then had syphilis?), and diseases that are now treatable. It'd be an interesting analysis to see whether or not America is better off with a Senate full of octogenarians or one full of guys in their 50s who have been living amid the influences of asbestos and mercury. (You could argue, however, that 21st-century levels of pollution are just as bad.)

2. The whole "longevity" thing. I don't think this trend is going to change. Not only are Americans living longer than they were in 1900 or even 1950 (a major "duh" point -- I'm surprised the Politico article didn't touch more upon that), but there's also the whole phenomenon of affluent, educated Americans "settling down" later, and the perception that some form of graduate degree is obligatory for a high-profile political career. I knew plenty of people in college who were ambitious enough to already be dead-set on running for office, and I'm pretty sure that every single one of them is currently in law school, business school, or some other variety of graduate school. We're a resumé-padding generation even beyond the SAT and soccer years, and thanks to the fact that it's no longer taboo to wait until your late 30s to have a kid, people are spending a whole lot longer building that political cred. College, a year or two doing some kind of nonprofit work overseas, graduate school, an entry-level job...and wow, you're 30 already. And, of course, you don't want to shoot too high too early. Mean bloggers will make fun of you and you'll never be able to bounce back.
The Web Celeb 25 (Forbes). The thing about this is that there are plenty of "celebrities" who might not be able to trace their fame directly to a blog or YouTube clip, but who undoubtedly owe the majority of their fame to the Web. Some of them, I'd argue, would make it to this list. Take John Hodgman, for example, who's on the cover of the most recent issues of both Wired and Good. I don't think I've ever seen an "I'm a Mac" ad on TV (then again, I don't watch a whole lot of it, and we use a DVR to skip commercials) -- it was the viral distribution online that clued me into them

The problem with that list that probably fewer than half of the "web celebs" in question actually have a considerable degree of offline influence beyond the smaller-than-it-seems community of avid Web users. Yes, Boing Boing is popular, but 90 percent of the people I know have absolutely no idea who Cory Doctorow or Xeni Jardin are. Matt Drudge undoubtedly deserves his spot, as do Jimmy Wales and Markos Moulitsas Zuniga -- but where's Craig Newmark? Thanks to that guy, I have a roommate. The most significant thing that Mario Lavandeira (sorry, I refuse to use his irritating pseudonym) ever really did was force Lance Bass out of the closet.

Heck, even Colbert himself owes a lot to the Internet. And I'm not even going to bring up Chuck Norris...

Expanding the gadget collection

2007-01-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today I obtained two important new pieces of tech-ish equipment: 1) a 250GB LaCie external hard drive, and 2) a Helio Drift. The best part is that I got a nice fat price cut on the Drift and had my activation fee waived. I dig that I have easy access to my Gmail, Google Maps, Yahoo IM and AIM, and other basic Web features, but that it's not a phone that's going to make me feel like I'm carrying an office with me everywhere I go.

My tech budget for, oh, say, the next year is now officially exhausted.

Mmm, let's see, what else. Today I watched A Walk on the Moon, which is one part hippie nostalgia, one part The Awakening, and one part Viggo Mortensen with blond hair, which made him look strangely like Josh Holloway. Good movie, though a little predictable, with nothing really breathtaking or eye-opening about it, and some of the characters were somewhat uncomfortably stereotypical. But it was well-done, and the script wasn't terrible, and the acting was decent. Guess I can't complain.

On the food front, both lunch and dinner were home-made, cheap, and fantastic. For lunch I stuffed half a pita with mesclun greens, deli beef, sun-dried tomatoes, shredded four-cheese mix, and low-fat balsamic dressing. For dinner I marinated a piece of chicken in the same dressing, grilled it, melted some fresh mozzarella on top, and sprinkled it with thyme and oregano. Highly recommended.

I might return.

2007-01-23T07:54:00.000-08:00

Recently I've been using Vox. I like it, with its community features, easy addition of book and movie picks, etc. But I'm starting to get a little bit irked by its walled-garden (sorry for the business cliché) model. You know, I'd like to have some links on my profile, and have non-users be able to comment, and that kind of thing.

So I think I'm returning to Blogger. What I'm planning to do first is to port my Vox entries here, and I may actually do some kind of cross-posting. Then I'll be back here in full. More and more, people have been asking me why I don't have a real "personal blog," since apparently it's kind of obligatory for a new-media journalist. At this point, I'm looking into it...but it's growing more and more likely that I will finally "re-decide" to have a permanent home on Blogger.

As much as I tried to avoid it.

Manhattan Geek Chic Week, Part 2

2006-10-11T23:25:00.000-07:00

It's 11 PM, it's pouring rain outside, and I'm sitting at my desk in pajamas, drinking a glass of Yellow Tail shiraz from a bottle that one of my roommates graciously uncorked this evening. Perfect after a long day and a fantastic episode of "Lost." I'm painfully addicted to Season 3 already. But that's a tale for another day.

Anyway. It was a busy, and extremely productive workday. This morning I received a generally positive response to my feature story ("Is New York a geek's town?") and then I headed to Times Square for the Final Fantasy XII kickoff press conference. I really should've researched the game better; I'm not much of a gamer at all and was pretty unfamiliar with the characters and plotline; my ensuing photo gallery probably could've been a lot better. Oh, well. I got some good shots of the cosplay competition winners. Man, are they hardcore.

Then I got back to the office to throw together the photo gallery and chat with Coop on his podcast, and after that I was off to the DigitalFocus "wine, dine, and demo" show. Basically, it was a hell of a lot of Italian food, wine served from bars made of ice, and products to play with from the PlayStation 3 to the T-Mobile Dash. (No Wii, sadly.) We learned about some cool new Web 2.0-ish companies that are just getting ready to launch. And there was swag! We snagged all this wonderful semi-useless stuff: pens, flash drives, DVDs, backpacks (no joke!), mints, and a stuffed TiVo mascot. He's going to sit on my desk at work! That being said, we also grabbed a whole lot of press kits, and I really need to find some kind of way to keep those organized at the office. My desk is a mess.

Now it's time to finish that shiraz and get ready for tomorrow, which is going to be the most hectic day of the week. Hello caffeine!

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: Timeless Albums

2006-10-11T15:06:00.000-07:00

What are some of your favorite, forgotten albums that have stood the test of time?
Submitted by PeterGibbons.

Um, I'm just going to direct you to my Harvey Danger concert post.

Imported from my Vox.

Manhattan Geek Chic Week, Part 1

2006-10-10T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today was the press kickoff for the officially-sanctioned NYC Digital Technology Week, which was instigated primarily by this weekend's presence of the DigitalLife trade show at the Javits Center. It's going to be pretty hectic, but the powers that be seem to be surrounding it with plenty of fun pre-parties and after-parties, which started this afternoon. One of my co-reporters and I left work a bit early to check out the kickoff event, which was held at the resort-style Nikki Midtown lounge -- it's a tad awkward when a load of geeky journalists is thrown into a harem-style nightspot where there are curtained beds in the place of tables, but it was a well-run and enjoyable event regardless. There were plenty of hors d'oeuvres (the usual mini spring rolls, mushroom puff pastries, bruschetta, and a cheese platter) and the waiters were aggressively courting us with champagne, wine, and "Digital-tinis" (white cosmos). We had our picture taken with a guy in a Sonic the Hedgehog suit.

Then, for purposes unrelated to DigitalLife, I went to a local Web 2.0 meetup to see what sorts of interesting shouts and whispers about NYC-based tech entrepreneurship are going around. I met plenty of very cool people who have some really great ideas, and learned about some more upcoming events that I can potentially cover. The meetup was held at R Bar, which is a big and cavernous place with an old-school-rock-meets-classy-strip-club sort of theme. Not exactly what you'd think of for a technology gathering, but hey, I guess this isn't Web 1.0 anymore.

Tomorrow will likely be a bit crazier. Thursday it'll hit a fever pitch, and Friday things should be a bit calmer. It is, I must say, good to have things to do.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: Save It For A Rainy Day

2006-10-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

What's the best way to spend a rainy day?
Submitted by Vee.

That seriously depends on the season. But if there were a rainy day right now, I'd make some tea, pop in the latest Netflix selection, and hang out with my roommates. Actually, it's supposed to rain tomorrow, but sadly I'll be out reporting and won't have the luxury of just staying home and watching movies.

Imported from my Vox.

Vox Hunt: Are You Ready To Rock?

2006-10-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

Show us some concert photos.

Submitted by Abigail Road.

As I said in my previous entry, I took none at Harvey Danger's show on Saturday night. But here's a rare example of a concert photo that I actually did take. This would be Colin Meloy, lead singer of the Decemberists, at the end of their show at Webster Hall last October. The band had just played "I Was Meant For The Stage."

Imported from my Vox.

Harvey Danger at the Mercury Lounge

2006-10-09T18:44:00.000-07:00

First, a disclaimer: I do not like to take photos at concerts. Yes, I love to take pictures, and I love my little Leica, but I do not like to take photos at concerts because I'd much rather get really really into the music. Especially when it's Harvey Danger, a band that I've been a huge fan of for about eight years. I saw them in Philly six years ago at the TLA (Theatre of Living Arts), and it was pretty much incredible. Seeing them this past Saturday night, a half dozen years later, was obviously very different though equally amazing. The crowds were obviously very different: at the Philly show in '00, HD had just released their second album, King James Version, and they were largely still thought of as "the band that sang 'Flagpole Sitta' and had their video on TRL." They were playing with two bands that haven't been heard from since (Wheatus and SR-71...yeah, remember them?) and the crowd at the all-ages show was mostly 16-year-old proto-emo-pseudo-punks with colorful hair, who wanted to rush the stage and "mosh" during "Flagpole." As for people who knew all the lyrics to each HD song, there were about ten of us, tops. Amazing show, though.

Flash forward to Saturday night, at the much smaller and more intimate Mercury Lounge on East Houston Street. Harvey Danger was the headliner, with opening acts Little Hearts, So Many Dynamos, and Ra Ra Riot -- HD didn't take the stage until after midnight. We didn't see either of the first two, though I hear So Many Dynamos is very good, because we'd been out to dinner at Mercer Kitchen (the "nice restaurant" visit of 4Q 2006) and then chilled for a while as we knew we'd be out late. Ra Ra Riot was suprisingly good, and the violin/cello section definitely adds something significant to their sound. I'd be interested in seeing how they sound in studio recordings.

I wish I had a copy of HD's setlist in order, because it was really just fabulous. They started with "Humility on Parade" from KJV, and went through a wonderfully long set that included selections from their first album, Where Have All The Merrymakers Gone? ("Problems and Bigger Ones," "Carlotta Valdez," "Old Hat," "Terminal Annex," "Private Helicopter," a piano-accompanied "Jack the Lion," and "Radio Silence" to close the encore), a few from KJV ("Humility," "Meetings with Remarkable Men," "Pike St./Park Slope," "The Same as Being In Love," "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo," "Authenticity") and from the most recent album, Little By Little ("Moral Centralia," "Little Round Mirrors," "Cream & Bastards Rise," "Picture, Picture" with audience participation, "War Buddies," "Wine, Women, and Song"). There was also a cover of Bowie's "Oh! You Pretty Things," the B-side "Ballad of the Tragic Hero (Pity and Fear)," and the fan-requested, rarely-heard "Defrocked."

Yeah, basically it was fabulous. And this time around, there were very few proto-emo-pseudo-punks with colorful hair (people were normal-looking, shockingly), and it seemed like just about everyone was singing along to everything, especially the quieter piano tracks ("Pike St." and "Jack the Lion"). And, you know, the band seemed to be more than content with that. I mean, heck, I'd rather be an obscure indie artist with a cult following than even the most well-looked-upon of one-hit wonders. Funny how HD's managed to be both.

Next up on my concert calendar: The Decemberists, yet another band I've already seen and just can't get enough of. I'm absolutely loving their new album, The Crane Wife. There are, sadly, no sea shanties thrown in the mix, but it's a very very pretty, melodic set of songs. Highly recommended, even for those out there who think the Decemberists are too weird.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: Mmm...Brunch

2006-10-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here's my centerpiece: a whole-wheat bagel (I eat whole grains whenever possible) with prosciutto, sopressata, and port wine cheese spread. For a drink, I'd go for a mimosa made with the orange-peach-mango juice from Trader Joe's, and also a big mug of black coffee. Usually, that's enough for me. But if it's going to be a really filling brunch, I'd go for something involving potato and asparagus on the side. No eggs with anything; I don't roll like that.

That's my urban brunch. If I'm feeling slightly more countrified, I'd go for whole-wheat pancakes with loads of maple syrup. There need to be plenty of blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries present as well. Orange juice and coffee may remain, however.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: My Weekend Plans

2006-10-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

What are your weekend plans?

For once, I could have what may be an exciting weekend -- one of my friends is going to come visit, so we're going to check out a cool new gallery. Then we've got dinner reservations and we're going to see one of my favorite bands. (I'll recap it in more detail once the weekend's over.)

As for tomorrow, I'm getting a haircut. How sweet is that?

Imported from my Vox.

Is New York a geek city?

2006-10-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

I can't even begin to estimate how many event RSVPs I've sent in over the past week or so, how many briefings and demos I've set up, and how many keynote addresses I've "penciled" into my Outlook calendar. GOOD LORD. Yes, next week is the official "Tech Week" in NYC, and I'm so there. I've got everything from a Final Fantasy event to a Dell product demo to a wine-and-dine product show. It should be really exciting, yes, but also pretty overwhelming.

Thanks to the wonders of telecommuting, I've been at my parents' place in NJ for the past two days. Yesterday was beautiful and warm; today was cold and gross. But coming back to Jersey is nice, if only because it means that I can hear crickets again and smell things that grow. Anyway, today right before the end of the workday, I IMed one of the editors with a story pitch that's going to mean I'm working for much of the weekend; I think it will make for a really interesting piece ("Is New York a geek city?") but it's going to be time-consuming. Kind of like how this whole week in general will be. I've been consequently trying to pinpoint NYC-based techies and new-media-ites who are willing to give some kind of commentary on the subject. Sadly, I have none as of yet. But we'll see. I'm determined to actually get this done since my last big piece kind of flopped when my photos were too blurry for a gallery.

Can I also say that I desperately want a Nabaztag bunny? It's my birthday in a week and a half, but sadly I don't have the nerve to tell my parents that what I really want isn't an iPod Shuffle or a new cell phone, but rather a talking, singing rabbit that reads RSS feeds and glows different colors to show you the weather forecast. As I said in my recap of NextFest, they're very Michel-Gondry-meets-Pokemon. Most people would only see the Pokemon part.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: The Day I Met My BFF(s)

2006-10-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, goodness. Aren't "best friends" such a third-grade concept? I'm going to tell you how I met my cat. Yeah, I know that's kind of lame of me, but this is a public blog and I don't like to go into too much depth about people I know without them knowing it. Got it? Good.

Anyway, my cat. I like to say that my parents got George as a replacement for me, considering I'd just started my second year of college when they announced, "Caroline, we're going to get a cat to keep the moles in the backyard under control." Whoa. Backtrack there. We never had pets that weighed more than five ounces. It was just a given; they were too much of a hassle, too expensive, they shed everywhere, and all that good stuff. I was sort of in disbelief until one day I went home and my family said, "Oh, you should meet the kitten." (It was actually kittens, plural. One, sadly, was hit by a car and died within the year. So I'll focus on the one they still have.)

Let me make it clear: That cat hated my guts. He was terrified of me. He still kind of is, actually, although he finally has decided to let me pat him now. But the first time I saw him, he was cowering in a pet carrier and wouldn't move. Eventually he relocated to a storage bin sometime when no one was around, and still wouldn't move. Now he's about three times the size he was then (the vet recently said he's "a little overweight") and prefers to sit around in a cardboard box, but luckily it's a cardboard box without a top. I suppose he's somewhat willing to socialize...

Imported from my Vox.

Of Orwell, Colbert, and "Lost"

2006-10-05T00:29:00.000-07:00

The flight home was somewhat more productive than the flight out; instead of sitting around, bug-eyed, watching TV, I actually read an entire book. Yep, I read 1984 for pleasure, and I'm going to have to say I really liked it. It's funny, because the whole time I kept thinking about "The Colbert Report" and how Stephen Colbert (the character) gleefully and naively revels in anything that can seemingly change reality. i.e. Wikipedia. I really hate the word "Orwellian" because it's so horrifically overused: it seems like these days, if you don't like any particular form of authority for whatever reason, you just label it as "Orwellian" whether you've read the damned book or not. But my dislike of the term aside, I think that Stephen Colbert is seriously underappreciated as an Orwellian caricature. The ironic part is that he really does get people to blindly listen to him, as was shown in his escapades involving Wikipedia-altering and convincing people to vote for him in the Hungarian bridge-naming competition.

If I were an English teacher who had to force a class to deal with 1984 -- not that there ought to be any forcing involved, but it definitely isn't kid stuff -- I'd start by showing the class the "Wikiality" segment of that "Colbert Report" episode. That would, in my humble opinion, legitimately get the most jaded class interested.

In other news, my dear, sweet roommates had DVR'ed "Lost" for me and I was pretty much blown away. I was skeptical about exactly how much they could surprise viewers any more, but I was proven wrong. I especially like how they took some popular fan speculation (i.e. that Sarah had had an affair with Jack's dad) and teased us with it and then turned it on its head. Fantastic. Just fantastic.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: My Ambitious Wish List

2006-10-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

What are 5 things you'd like to accomplish in the next 5 years?

Since I don't like to be lofty, I'll be vague, short, and typical:

1) Get into a decent routine of working out regularly.

2) Speak something that isn't English, or l337.

3) Visit at least one new country each year.

4) Own a cat who likes me.

5) Conquer at least two frigates of pirates.

Imported from my Vox.

OAK's WiFi: Faster than JFK's

2006-10-04T09:36:00.000-07:00

Here is Part 2 of my running series of "How many airports can I possibly update my Vox blog from?" -- OAKLAND EDITION. You can also visit installment #1, JFK EDITION.

Some good news today: Pennsylvania's fraudulent Green Party candidate in the Senate race has been ousted from the ballot. Also, I'm really glad I was on the West Coast and didn't have to deal with this.

Imported from my Vox.

My last night in the Bay Area

2006-10-04T00:03:00.000-07:00

A few of my SF-based co-workers took me to the Valley Tavern in Noe Valley, because a former employee had an art opening there. It was great fun, and not just because there was food and drink that I didn't have to pay for. I hadn't been to that area of the city yet, and I was surprised at how small-townish it felt. I mean, really, there are taller buildings in the northeastern college town where I grew up. It was beautiful, though; the Victorian buildings and wide boulevards were completely unlike anything you find in NYC.

Anyway, it's midnight in the time zone where I'll be in 24 hours, so I figure that I should get some sleep to try and get myself on track. I've still got a month of even more travel ahead. Being itinerant is pretty exciting sometimes.

Imported from my Vox.

San Francisco got sunnier for me!

2006-10-03T16:42:00.000-07:00

Well, it's my last day in San Francisco and thankfully the weather has cleared up, at least temporarily, since apparently the weather can change at the snap of a finger here. But anyway. Yesterday two momentous things happened. The first is that I joined Second Life, at the suggestion of one of my co-workers because my company now has a virtual office building in the game. Now, I have an addictive personality and consequently have stayed away from the whole "virtual world" trend because a) I thought it was too geeky for me, and b) I thought I might get too roped into it. Well, anyway, my division of the company is being encouraged to join SL and hang out in our office building, so consequently I decided to jump on the bandwagon. In the picture to the right is my avatar in the lobby of our virtual office building. Yeah, Second Life. I suppose I've reached a new low.

Momentous Thing #2 is that I was finally able to see Mark and Janine again after way too long! We met up at the Six Apart office, which is a really cool place with exposed-brick walls, and then we went for dinner at the sushi place at the Metreon, which absolutely puts all indoor shopping-food-entertainment complexes in NYC (i.e. the lame-ass and overpriced Time Warner Center) to shame. There was even a Reactrix display, which I'd seen at NextFest the week before.

Well, I go home tomorrow. I like San Francisco quite a lot and look forward to spending more time here since I'll quite likely make more trips out to the main branch of our office. It's really different from NYC; on the good side, it's cleaner, more spacious, has a much more interesting array of new architecture, is (obviously) more openly tech-savvy, and seems overall to be "healthier." On the not-as-good side, it's nowhere near as navigable, parts of it seem really empty at times (something you pretty much never get in Manhattan), and it's far less of a 24-hour city.

Or at least that's been my impression after three days here.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: An Unforgettable Home

2006-10-03T09:11:00.000-07:00

What's the most memorable building you've lived in?

Submitted by Shelly.

You know, maybe it'll turn out to be the apartment where I live now, or some place down the road, since I haven't lived in that many places at all or traveled a whole lot. (I'm working on that, particularly the second one). At this moment, it's a close call between the two buildings where I lived in college. Freshman and sophomore year I lived in a gorgeous little Gothic dormitory; junior and senior year I lived in another Gothic building that was, to put it plainly, a party house. (It's a long story.) Anyway, I think I'm going to select the former of the two for today's QotD, mostly because I haven't thought about it much recently but I have thought a lot recently about making sure that I write down things about college -- particularly the early years -- before everything bleeds together into a big four-year blur of books, sweatpants, Red Bull, and terrible beer.

Consequently, my answer is Hamilton Hall. I mean, really, what a fantastically preppy name for a dorm. It was known as one of the worst places to live on campus because the gardens had undergone about six hundred times more maintenance in the past century than the building itself had. The heaters didn't work right (freshman year, my roommate turned "It is so fucking cold in here!" into a tagline), there weren't anywhere near enough showers, and sometimes squirrels managed to get into the rooms, but the place was nevertheless gorgeous. I guess this was really where I grew up; I was one of those people who was undoubtedly a "kid" when she got to college. So, yeah, Hamilton has some serious nostalgia value as one of those "I grew up here!" places. Couldn't anyone say that about a freshman dorm?

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: I Give It 5 Stars

2006-10-02T09:09:00.000-07:00

What's your favorite restaurant?

It's not really a restaurant, per se, but I'm going to have to say Hoagie Haven in Princeton, NJ. It's the sketchiest sub joint you could possibly stick into an affluent college town, but those chicken parms and pizza cheesesteaks are just too good. Plus, they're open until 2 AM on weekends and they have an amazing cheesy-techno soundtrack playing constantly. I've got too many memories of that place to possibly give any other answer.

Imported from my Vox.

Cable cars

2006-10-01T23:44:00.000-07:00

I wish I had taken pictures on the Powell St.-Hyde St. cable car ride, but sadly the weather was just too cloudy and awful for my poor little camera. (I refuse to use flash except at parties.) It was neat, though; I've been to the Bay Area but never to San Francisco proper, and so it was cool to see part of the city via a mode of transportation that's much cooler and (very refreshingly) less touristy than the double-decker buses that go past my apartment in NYC. On the way to Fisherman's Wharf I rode on the very front on the outside, which was cool -- no, the cable cars are not as terrifying as the Fodor's guidebook says they are. By the time I got there, it was quite cold and on the verge of getting dark, so I grabbed a sandwich and then got back in line for the next car back to Powell and Market.

I'd have had a lot more time to explore, except that I napped from 12:30 to 5 PM. But I suppose I kind of needed that, as I was too caught up in the novelty of JetBlue satellite TV to get any sleep. I'm like a 10-year-old. Give me cartoons, and it doesn't matter how tired I am. I think some of my fellow JetBlue fliers were a little bit weirded out by the prospect of a 20something girl in black cats-eye glasses and a faux military jacket watching "Pokemon" during take-off, but I thought it was just too good a moment to pass up. Kind of like drinking a mojito on my roof while reading Interview. It's a tableau, you see.

The bad news: my trademark cheap-ass enormous white sunglasses were broken in transit. The good news: I can probably fix them. The better news: I think enormous white sunglasses may be past their days en vogue anyway.

Imported from my Vox.

I'm in San Francisco...

2006-10-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

...and SoMa reminds me of a more gentrified New Brunswick, NJ. Kind of sad, really. I'd like to explore around a bit more but I'm exhausted since I spent the entire plane ride watching cartoons and VH1 videos from the 80s. Besides, the weather is kind of gross.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: Strike Up The Band

2006-10-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

Do you play any musical instruments?

Right now, nothing. I played piano when I was a kid, but then again, who didn't? I got a guitar shortly after my 20th birthday, and I did attempt to learn how to play it, but I was doing heavy amounts of schoolwork at the time and the whole bleeding-fingers thing made that pretty difficult. At this point, I wish I could try picking it up again but I quite honestly don't think I have the time. Or the space. I left the guitar at my parents' house when I moved to Manhattan because I didn't think I'd have room for it, and I was probably right.

Imported from my Vox.

Because I'm a tool...

2006-10-01T04:58:00.000-07:00

I was toolish enough to post to Vox from a Starbucks. Now I'm going a step further and posting to Vox from the JetBlue terminal at JFK. At 5 AM. Headed to Oakland in 2 hours.

I was supposed to go see The Science of Sleep last night, but it was naturally sold out. Ah, well.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: Name That Horse

2006-09-30T17:11:00.000-07:00

You've been through the desert on a horse with no name. Except your horse does have a name. What is it?
Submitted by edubya.vox.com.

Phineas.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: Surprise!

2006-09-30T11:18:00.000-07:00

Do you like surprises?

I know a lot of people are going to be saying, "If they're nice surprises, yes, if they're bad surprises, no." I can't say I thoroughly agree. Yes, surprises are cool sometimes, like when friends you haven't seen in months show up out of nowhere, but I'm the kind of person who likes to think things out. Case in point: I have absolutely no problem with movie and TV spoilers. In fact, I like them. I think it's cool to have part of the finished product and use it for endless speculation. And I have been known to read the last few pages of a book before I'm finished with it.

Wow, that must make me pretty awful, right? Want to know what makes me even more awful? I'm blogging in a Starbucks. That's just about as trying-to-be-cool-but-really-just-dorky as it gets.

Imported from my Vox.

NextFest part deux, and the Long Winters show

2006-09-30T09:58:00.000-07:00

Day two of NextFest was unbelievably crowded with student field trips from just about every New York City public school, and that was slightly problematic since we had to actually take more photos (which I'll post once all my work's done and I can get them on Flickr) and also some video for, you know, our multimedia content. I would say that my favorite part was the Nabaztag bunny theater, which was just so trippy and bizarre that I could've watched it all day. I also, for some reason, found the hydroponic uber-cabbages to be kind of cute, too. And I definitely dug our light-up press badges.

After a hectic morning-into-early-afternoon of shooting, we had lunch with my on-the-road West Coast-based co-worker Declan, and then I headed back home to work on actually writing up the event. Problem is, the modem we obtained from Time Warner had died after about 24 hours in operation, and so I had to try the local Starbucks. It occurred to me that there may actually be a problem with the I-love-to-kick-you-off-the-Web wireless card in my laptop, which will pose some difficulties when I go to San Francisco tomorrow morning. But we shall see.

Last night Kath and I went to the Long Winters concert at the Bowery Ballroom. The first opener, What Made Milwaukee Famous, was surprisingly awesome and I'm certainly going to look into getting their album. The second opener, Menomena, I'd actually heard of before but never listened to -- very talented, very interesting sound, but they take themselves a little too seriously onstage. As for John Roderick & co., they were superb. I've been a fan since their first album but had never actually seen them live, so this event was a long time in the making. They played more or less everything I'd wanted to hear with the exception of "Prom Night at Hater High" -- opening with "(It's A) Departure" and closing with "The Commander Thinks Aloud." I'd have to say my favorites out of the evening were "New Girl," "Fire Island, AK," "Cinnamon," and "Clouds." Funny, though, I'd had no idea that so many people really really really wanted to hear "Medicine Cabinet Pirate." It's one of their more interesting songs, musically, but I wouldn't have picked it as a live favorite. Maybe it's because the song has a cool name? Or because the subject matter, "stealing drugs from your friends" as J. Rod put it, is a pertinent one? I give up. Somebody tell me.

Now I've got to actually write that NextFest article for work, and then go about pre-San Francisco errands, most notably going to Strand to pick up some reading material, and somewhere to pick up some new running shoes.

Imported from my Vox.

NextFest, Day One

2006-09-28T23:32:00.000-07:00

Today and tomorrow I'm at NextFest as a member of the press; we weren't there for too long today because neither my co-reporter nor I was (were? grammar police, please?) quite sure what to expect. I'll take plenty of pictures; the ones that don't end up getting used for work will probably make their way to my Flickr album in one form or another.

I watched the premiere of "Ugly Betty" tonight, and while it's pretty well-done, it's also quite predictable. I suppose it is a sitcom, though. I haven't seen the film version of The Devil Wears Prada, but I have read the book; there were definitely a few plot points in "Ugly Betty" that made me think, "Hey, wait, I read that in that book..." Nevertheless, I'm wondering if that was intentional; if the show is trying to rope viewers in with a pretty familiar premise (misfit in the fashion world) and then twist things to be a bit more innovative.

I'm presently listening to Sparklehorse's new release, and I must say I'm thoroughly impressed. I saw them perform at the Bowery Ballroom a week and a half ago, and it was a downright ethereal experience.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: All My Pets

2006-09-28T17:01:00.000-07:00

How many pets have you owned in your lifetime? Tell us about them.

Submitted by jennajellopy.vox.com.

I'm going to tell the truth here: I haven't the foggiest idea. I had fish when I was little. Lots of them. In middle school and high school, I tended to have a gerbil or two. My family now owns a chubby tabby cat named George, whose proper Roman name is Flavius Georgius Felix, but I am presently pet-free. There is a mouse who lives in my kitchen, though! I saw him running across the floor last night.

Imported from my Vox.

QotD: I'm Grateful For...

2006-09-27T22:40:00.000-07:00

Let's make a list. What are 20 things in your life that you're grateful for?
Inspired by wyndslash.vox.com.

1. My job. I love it: the amount of independence I have, the willingness of the higher-ups to listen to me even though I'm not even 22 yet, how interesting the work is that I do...and the occasional swanky industry parties.

2. The fact that I was able to effortlessly locate a relatively inexpensive apartment in a great Manhattan neighborhood despite all those real estate horror stories. I suppose it helps to know people. Corollary: My roommates are awesome. Yeah, I'm grateful for them too.

3. Trader Joe's, home of the $2 lunch and 3 Buck Chuck.

4. Being able to walk to the office. We'll see how enthusiastic I am about this once temperatures plunge below 40 degrees.

5. The existence of spicy yellowtail rolls. Especially the ones at Ushiwakamura on Houston St.

6. Being 5'8". It's the best height ever. Tall, but not to a degree where buying clothes that fit becomes an issue.

7. VPN access that lets me work from home...yesssss!

8. Asthma medication. If you grew up in New Jersey, you'll probably agree.

9. Swiss balls, or whatever you call those big, inflatable exercise balls. Aren't they the best?

10. Netflix! Up next is Pieces of April.

11. The obvious one: my parents. I am grateful that my mom never drove a minivan, that my dad knows absolutely everything that ever happened in American history, and a whole slew of other things about them too.

12. The coffee table in the living room in my apartment, which was manufactured from a hatch door in an old ship. That'll merit an entry of its own at some point.

13. Text messaging.

14. Fresh bagels from the place up the street (yeah, legit Manhattan bagels) that I can take home and gourmet-ify with sopressata, prosciutto, and port wine cheese spread. That's worth a mimosa.

15. The "Not News" headlines on Fark.

16. The place a block away that gives fantastic haircuts and has the coolest old plaster ceilings ever.

17. The guy who runs my favorite sandwich shop, who knows my name and sometimes gives me free food. This was the first thing that successfully made me feel "at home" in my neighborhood.

18. Um, the Internet?

19. The fact that I actually had the time this evening to fill out all 20 of these, because normally that'd be way too daunting of a task. Maybe four or five would be better next time?

20. THE DAILY SHOW AND THE COLBERT REPORT, WHICH START IN 20 MINUTES!!!

Imported from my Vox.

Success. I "moblogged." See previous entry.

2006-09-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Truth be told, I don't think I'll be "moblogging" much very soon. I still, despite the fact that I write about technology, have a terrible LG clamshell which I would desperately like to upgrade but refuse to until my contract runs out in January. (New contract = discount on a sweet phone.) But nevertheless, being immersed in gadgetry day-to-day makes it easy to want to actually try out new mobile functions. I now have my Yahoo and AOL IM accounts set up to send text messages to my phone, though typically only when I'm out of the office so that my editor can quickly reach me to say, "Caroline, Google just bought Microsoft, Tasmania, and the rights to all Chuck Norris jokes. Press release is in your inbox. Let's do 350 words."

And now I am trying this whole "mobile blog post" shizz. It's pretty cool, I suppose.

Imported from my Vox.

Hey! It's a moblog post!

2006-09-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

Hey! It's a moblog post! I'm new to this! It had better work!

Imported from my Vox.

Okay, it's a given...

2006-09-26T19:18:00.000-07:00

...my personal blogging space is moving. I write for a wide readership every day of the work week, and I feel like I'm not going to be able to kick the phenomenon of the "seeking wide readership" meme as long as I'm on Blogger, at this address, where I once hosted a blog that was intended for (eventually) wide readership.

You know, if I hadn't been hired as a journalist I probably would've been able to keep this up, but at this point I'm plagued by a need to keep work and leisure separate. I don't want to be on anyone's "blogroll," and I don't want to feel like I have to impress anybody. Yeah, I know I've said all this before, but this slate just wasn't clean enough.

If (heaven forbid) you read this blog and liked it, please do leave a comment and I'd be more than happy to let you know my new whereabouts. In fact, you could probably find it if you looked hard enough. Not that I'm encouraging you to sleuth around...

QotD: Right Before I Doze Off

2006-09-26T17:56:00.000-07:00

What's the last thing you usually do or think about before you fall asleep?

This is my first-ever QotD, and it's a pretty simple one. Right before I fall asleep, I'm generally tossing and turning and thinking, "Damn, how come other people can fall asleep so easily?" For me it's generally a half-hour-long process at the shortest. My exception are midday naps, which typically I can fall into within a few minutes, but those same midday naps make it even tougher to fall asleep at night. Does that make any sense?

Regarding the photo: That is my old bedroom, from the place where I lived before I moved to Manhattan. I miss my queen-size bed and the best mismatched sheets ever. Oh, well.

Imported from my Vox.

While it's still light out at 5:30 PM...

2006-09-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

After work today I went up on the roof to drink a mojito and read this month's issue of Interview while wearing my big white sunglasses. (Ethan Hawke and Eliot Spitzer interviewed in the same issue! I thought I was going to faint!)

Yeah, it's been well-publicized that all the hipsters have run away to Brooklyn. This is what Manhattan's left with.

The Top 10 Things That I Didn't Know About New Jersey Until I Watched Coyote Ugly

2006-09-07T20:47:00.000-07:00

1. Residents of northern New Jersey are completely, wholly unfamiliar with Manhattan and everything about it. They have never been there, either. Ever. And when they get there, they drive instead of taking the train, because driving is so much more convenient.

2. You can pull two near-simultaneous U-turns in the middle of the Turnpike without dying on either one. You can also do this without getting barraged with f-bombs and middle fingers.

3. Girls in New Jersey are all dumber, shorter, and fatter than the ones across the Hudson. If they happen to be tall, skinny, or gorgeous, that means they have ambition beyond wifehood and must leave the state statim.

4. They also all get married at age 21 and by the reception they're already anticipating the next marriage.

5. On a Saturday night in New Jersey, everyone to the local strip mall, where there is inevitably a bowling alley with a built-in karaoke bar.

6. Toll booth employees on the Turnpike are the nicest people ever!

7. And when something really good happens, they all make the stop-and-go lights flash in patterns. (This movie must have predated EZ-Pass.)

8. The abrasive Jersey accents of cute girls are always slightly more subdued than those of their less cute friends. Sultry, even. When they run away to Manhattan, the accents disappear. When they return to their hometowns, they come right back.

9. All Jersey girls who don't go to college work in bars or diners. Until, of course, they get married. (See #4.)

10. It's actually possible to make a movie that takes place partially in North Jersey that capitalizes on every possible stereotype about the state without once mentioning the Mafia. Seriously, who woulda thunk?

Natural Blogarithms

2006-09-03T18:58:00.000-07:00

My roommate Kath remarked at dinner tonight that perhaps I should think about (re)starting this blog, specifically for the purpose of detailing tonight's dinner. The three of us (in two days there will be four of us -- yay hooray!) checked out this Thai place on 2nd Avenue, SEA Bistro, which was remarkable for two reasons. First, there was the delicious, cheap, and plentiful food served in a manner that could fool you into thinking it wasn't so cheap; and second, there was the music. The décor of the place would have you think of a lounge or house soundtrack, but no, it was early '00s party rap.

Yes, we're talking "In Da Club," "Hot in Herre," and "Yeah." For some reason it was actually pretty awesome, if only because that was the sort of music I was used to hearing at college parties, and now -- three months out -- I'm starting to get a bit nostalgic. So that was SEA Bistro. Highly recommended. Start off with the crispy duck salad, and boogie to 50 Cent.

More importantly, though, there's this blog. I did used to have a blog here. It was really sort of a writing exercise, so that I could get used to online writing and new-media journalism since that's what I hoped to end up doing. Well, now I'm doing it for real and I'm having a fantastic time at it, but I've realized that journalists nowadays have to really keep their "side projects" on the brain at all times. I'm a cautious person. I therefore didn't want anything public that I'd written "for myself" available to the Internet at large. The Web has made muckraking into a pastime for plenty of folks -- you know, the ones who try to find scandalous pictures of politicians' kids on MySpace or who scour hotshot young columnists' work for any hint of plagiarism. I'm not a politician's kid or a hotshot young columnist, but I prefer to err on the side of safety. And that's why the blog that previously occupied this space is gone.

But this one is here now, and while I can't promise a great read, I can say that this one will quite likely stay put.

Cheers,
Caroline

Hang in there...you.

2006-08-22T15:52:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this, I'm overhauling. Yes, there used to be a blog here, and yes, there soon will be a blog here. Just, well, a different blog. You'll see.

Cheers,
Caroline