Well today we were a bit sluggish getting going. I swear we have walked 40 miles already. We started back at the Park Cafe. No Tony this morning though. Amy got down with some wicked looking French Toast and bacon. We then walked to Bloomingdales to find Amy's dream jeans. No luck. We then decided maybe we had time to go the museum of TV Radio and Film, but after going in, we decided we didn't have that much time left before we had to go to The Letterman Show. So we came back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes. We headed over to the Letterman show and got in line. We got our reserved tickets, and met a couple form Dallas in line in front of us. Small world.. The show was pretty cool. We got balcony seats, so Letterman's head was cut off by a giant stage light from where I was sitting, but Amy could see him pretty good. Richard Lewis who we both love was on the show. He was hilarious! We got out of that and got some Starbux refreshments and jumped on the subway headed for the Mecca of basketball, the one the only Madison Square Garden.
We saw the first WNBA playoff game of the year with the NY Liberty against Indiana. It was a really good game and I got goosebumps being in The Garden. It was really just awesome to be there and feel all the energy of past games. The Liberty has some awesome players on the team. Becky Hammon was a very good point guard. Although Indiana shut her down in the 2nd half and won the game. It was still just great to see basketball played in the Garden.
We then went back down and got on the subway. MAN, is it hot down there. It must be 150 degrees down there in the summer. We came back to the cafe to say goodbye to Tony. He served us some chocolate cake with ice cream. As we were going through that cake like hurricane Katrina, we looked up and legendary comedian, Jackie Mason came in with some other comedians and sat behind us. We didn't disturb him , so Amy sneaked a picture over my shoulder. He was discussing getting old and having operations and what not. I'm a big Jackie Mason fan, so that was quite a topper to our trip to NYC. WE are now going to go up and pack and get ready for our Super Shuttle adventure part 2 to New Jersey Airport. And I am of course looking forward to being searched head to toe for being a retard for not renewing my drivers license. Oui vei. Thanks to everyone who went on the blog, and we will see everyone soon.
Peace out,
erik and amy!!!
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
Monday, August 29, 2005
NYC: Day Three:The Empire Strikes Back
Day 3 was no less hectic than the other days thus far. We got started early and took our first subway trip to Chinatown's Canal Street in search for some backroom deals on some designer purses. We went to a store, and asked the proper questions but were turned down. We then met a lady on the street who took us to an undisclosed location, where I was sure we would be mugged. However, things got kinda interesting, and I won't go any further, other than to say I was quite nervous being there. More later...
We then walked from Chinatown to Little Italy and had lunch at this place called Lombardi's Pizza that was recommended by our friends back home, the Tovars from Brooklyn. Best pizza ever! Yo, for the reals yo. We then hiked back up the street and took the subway to Brooklyn, and walked around State Street and the hood a little. We then took the subway back to Manhattan and went to my dream store, The NBA Store. I bought a bunch of Houston Rockets stuff and some Mavs stuff. Amy got a cool shirt. After that we went to FAO Schawrtz and was quite disappointed. No stuffed cats and compared to the Chicago FAO, this one sux. Even LA has this one beat.
We went back to the hotel for a break then hopped back on our new friend the subway and went to Macys to see our friend Merk's Fossil display in the front window. Very nice work there Merk! You can see the photo below. We toured through Macys, (all 8 floors.......)We then went to the Empire State building at about 8pm and it was awesome at night. You can see some pics below. Very crowded though. Up there we felt very sad about 9-11 and all those people up that high. That must have been the worst feeling ever. After the ESB, we went down and low and behold a comics store! We went in and I finally found the Superman baseball cap I have long desired. We also got some magnets for our Kelly hommies for their new house. Sup Kelly clan?
We finally made it back to our fave place to eat so far, the Park Cafe and had dinner with our fav waiter, Tony. He said that my Rockets hat reminded him of the good old days of the New York Knicks when Rockets coach VanGundy was the Knicks coach. I said well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. He was nice to take a picture with Amy. See below. Tony is the shit. We capped off the night by Tony bringing us a bad ass mo fo piece of NYC Cherry Cheesecake. YUM. YUM. Amy is upstairs soaking her feet in the tub. I'm next. Tomorrow, we head over to the Letterman Show to see the show and dabble around some more in Manhattan.
Peace out,
E and Amy...
We then walked from Chinatown to Little Italy and had lunch at this place called Lombardi's Pizza that was recommended by our friends back home, the Tovars from Brooklyn. Best pizza ever! Yo, for the reals yo. We then hiked back up the street and took the subway to Brooklyn, and walked around State Street and the hood a little. We then took the subway back to Manhattan and went to my dream store, The NBA Store. I bought a bunch of Houston Rockets stuff and some Mavs stuff. Amy got a cool shirt. After that we went to FAO Schawrtz and was quite disappointed. No stuffed cats and compared to the Chicago FAO, this one sux. Even LA has this one beat.
We went back to the hotel for a break then hopped back on our new friend the subway and went to Macys to see our friend Merk's Fossil display in the front window. Very nice work there Merk! You can see the photo below. We toured through Macys, (all 8 floors.......)We then went to the Empire State building at about 8pm and it was awesome at night. You can see some pics below. Very crowded though. Up there we felt very sad about 9-11 and all those people up that high. That must have been the worst feeling ever. After the ESB, we went down and low and behold a comics store! We went in and I finally found the Superman baseball cap I have long desired. We also got some magnets for our Kelly hommies for their new house. Sup Kelly clan?
We finally made it back to our fave place to eat so far, the Park Cafe and had dinner with our fav waiter, Tony. He said that my Rockets hat reminded him of the good old days of the New York Knicks when Rockets coach VanGundy was the Knicks coach. I said well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. He was nice to take a picture with Amy. See below. Tony is the shit. We capped off the night by Tony bringing us a bad ass mo fo piece of NYC Cherry Cheesecake. YUM. YUM. Amy is upstairs soaking her feet in the tub. I'm next. Tomorrow, we head over to the Letterman Show to see the show and dabble around some more in Manhattan.
Peace out,
E and Amy...
Sunday, August 28, 2005
NYC: Day Two
Day Two was a bit better. We got a late start and had a good breakfast at our local hotel diner/deli. Tony was not working today but we saw him later walking by. We made the trek out to Central Park which is massive in size. We also witnessed some real wild life. We saw bigfoot. A giant dude with more back hair than Chewbacca. We also saw a Japanese wedding near the fountain. They were all eating Ice cream bars... We next went to the Guggenheim and saw the Mapplethrope exhibit. It was an amazing piece of architecture. (The Gug that is) We next walked back to our hotel in the rain. But believe me it felt really good! Its kind of humid here. We got back here and switched to a nicer room, since our AC blew up last night. We then walked to a mall and saw CNN studios and a futuristic Samsung computer system which had a computer that you operate by waving your hand in the air in front of the screen. It was pretty crazy. We want one!
Next we went out to eat and could not find a place that didn't charge 30 bux for a burger and fires. So we finally went to Maxies in Times Square and had a good meal there. We then saw a cat that looks like Sam in Times Square. His owner was accepting tips for petting. He also had a dog companion too. We ended up getting a Jamba Juice in Times Square and then some awesome Carmel Chocolate Chunk popcorn for desert. Tomorrow is subway day as we make our way to Chinatown and Canal Street to find some knockoffs. Wish us luck!
later,
Amy and Erik.
Next we went out to eat and could not find a place that didn't charge 30 bux for a burger and fires. So we finally went to Maxies in Times Square and had a good meal there. We then saw a cat that looks like Sam in Times Square. His owner was accepting tips for petting. He also had a dog companion too. We ended up getting a Jamba Juice in Times Square and then some awesome Carmel Chocolate Chunk popcorn for desert. Tomorrow is subway day as we make our way to Chinatown and Canal Street to find some knockoffs. Wish us luck!
later,
Amy and Erik.
NYC: Day One: Pure Insanity!!!
Hello From NYC from E and Amy. We are having a good time so far. The first day was a bit chaotic at best. My first mistake was not realizing my drivers license had been expired since Feb. 05. My bad. So at first I didn't think we would make it on the plane. What a lonely birthday Amy would have had all alone in NYC. But after a full cavity search, all was well and I was allowed to travel. I'm not looking forward to the trip back through NY airport...
Our shuttle was a hour late. The ride over here in the cab/shuttle was like a rollercoaster ride with no wheels at Six Flags. Amy was seriously freaking out and even got stomach cramps from the ride I think. But she's cool. We had a good birthday lunch at a nearby deli. We made friends with a waiter named Tony. And we are going back there now for lunch again.
We went to Times Square first thing off and went back at night and went to Toys R us which you can see some of the photos below. We ate at a pizza place there and then walked ourselves to death. The Hotel is nice, although right b4 we went to bed a huge flame shot out of the air conditioner and we no longer have AC. But we are being upgraded to a nicer room this evening, so we'll see how that goes. Its not hot here at all, in fact to us its perfect.
Well that is all for now, we are on our way to Central Park and then to the Guggenheim. We will check in tomorrow. Hope all is well and keep checking the site for more photos!!!
Peace out! Brooklyn word.
Erik and Amy.
Our shuttle was a hour late. The ride over here in the cab/shuttle was like a rollercoaster ride with no wheels at Six Flags. Amy was seriously freaking out and even got stomach cramps from the ride I think. But she's cool. We had a good birthday lunch at a nearby deli. We made friends with a waiter named Tony. And we are going back there now for lunch again.
We went to Times Square first thing off and went back at night and went to Toys R us which you can see some of the photos below. We ate at a pizza place there and then walked ourselves to death. The Hotel is nice, although right b4 we went to bed a huge flame shot out of the air conditioner and we no longer have AC. But we are being upgraded to a nicer room this evening, so we'll see how that goes. Its not hot here at all, in fact to us its perfect.
Well that is all for now, we are on our way to Central Park and then to the Guggenheim. We will check in tomorrow. Hope all is well and keep checking the site for more photos!!!
Peace out! Brooklyn word.
Erik and Amy.
Saturday, August 27, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Review: The 40 Year Old Virgin
Steve Carrell and writer/director Judd Apatow finally have a big hit. The 40-Year Old Virgin is a lot of fun. I counted over a dozen laugh out loud moments in this film. And for the rest of the film you are left with a stupid grin on your face. Steve plays Andy Stitzer who has the aforementioned affliction of the films title. The film centers around his revelation and his friends attempt to get him over the hump. The film in the beginning is very crude (in a good way) but never feels totally unrealistic. The banter of his fellow co-workers at a Circuit City like electronics store feels like the banter you hear between male co-workers. And what I really enjoyed about this movie is its attempt to try all sorts of kinds of humor, yet had the sense to pull it back and keep it on track with reality. The film takes a nice totally unexpected turn when Andy meets Trish played Catherine Keener as a Ebay store owner. The film does a great balancing act of becoming a romantic comedy yet retains its dirty first half roots of sick humor. All in all it kind of reminded me of Howard Stern's Private Parts which was filled with dirty humor but had a true heart beating behind it.
I think to be honest you have to give total credit to writer/director Judd Apatow. I really didn't know who this guy was until several months ago, when I rented his TV show from the late 90's called Freaks and Geeks. I love this show. And after I consumed it I was so desperate for more that I started to see what else Mr. Apatow had on tap. I'm currently watching his other quickly cancelled but brilliant show about college called Undeclared on DVD. But back to Virgin, Apatow like Freaks and Geeks seems to have a real love for its characters. And that is writing 101 folks. That's what makes this film better than a lot of the other comedies or gross out comedies. And if the studios would someday figure that out, going to the movies would be more exciting than going to see the latest CGI plane crashing into a desolate Island of CG people trying to stop CG dinosaurs. But that's just me getting old, and that's my opinion for the day. Go see The 40-Year Old Virgin, and have a great time.
Monday, August 22, 2005
REVIEW: Godzilla: Final Wars
Yesterday at 3:30pm the longtime Kung-Fu night club of mine took a rare field trip to the movies and witnessed the greatness of the Big G, Godzilla at the Asian Film Festival of Dallas. This is Godzilla's latest flick. In fact this is Godzilla Part 28 for those of you keeping tabs at home. On Big G's 50th anniversary the producers decided to mix things up a bit and go for broke. They hired action director Ryuhei Kitamura who direced, Versus, Alive, and my fave thus far of his, Azumi. Ryuhei Kitamura is nuts. His films are like Michael Bay mixed with Oliver Stone on crack making Natural Born Killers 2 with Terry Gilliam shooting 2nd unit with Yuen Woo Ping at Craft Services. I know that last sentence didn't make any sense and neither does Ryuhei Kitamura's style. He is everywhere at once here as always. But now he has giant monsters to throw into his usual kinetic stew.
Many people know I'm a hugh G fan. So I went into this knowing what I like out of a Godzilla flick and what I like out of a Ryuhei Kitamura flick. I was not real sure I would like the combo plate this time. Well I was kinda right but also kinda wrong. After about an hour of kinda thinking about where this was going, I gave up to the madness of it all. This is Ryuhei Kitamura directing a Godzilla movie. That't the best way of describing it! Its fast, its too long, its insane, and I have not even talked about the movie's plot yet. I'll spare you the details and just say that its a cross between "Monster Zero" and "Destroy All Monsters" with a little Power Rangers and Star Blazers mixed in. I'm still kind of dazed by it really. I think I liked it. Because this morning I really wanted to see it again, to take all that in again.
In a nutshell Godzilla is frozen at the begining, these dudes called Xilens show up on Earth and bring out all of Godzilla's old nemesis' to help them dispose of us. So we have to travel across the earth to the South Pole and unfreeze the Big G and have a battle royale with kung-fu aliens and monsters. There are nice homages to previous films in the series and even a nod to Starblazers, the classic cartoon series. My final word on this is that if you like Godzilla movies then go see it. If you liked Versus or Azumi, then go see it. Then write me back and tell me what the hell is going on!
Monday, August 15, 2005
Fin
Most people that know me, know that I am a pretty die hard Houston Rockets fan. However about 8 years ago I started lighty treading in Dallas Mavericks water. The reason I started watching the Mavericks was because I used to be a closet Suns fan, and there was this rookie named Michael Finley that I really dug. Then all of a sudden he was traded to Dallas for Jason Kidd. I watched as Michael Finley put this entire franchise on his back for years and years. Then he got some help. Coach Don Nelson brought in some lanky German named Nowitski and some other little punk named Nash. Then things got better, then the best thing to hapen to Mavs in the team's history happened... Marc Cuban. The "Big 3" as they were called made it to within one game of the NBA Finals, but Dirk went down in the final game and the old Spurs were just too much. Every year since then the Mavs have been trying to get back there. The rookie Finley is like me now in his 30's. His body and speed were not what they used to be. (Oh how I used to love the violence of his slams. They were so sick.) So after getting a huge contract to thank him for all the lean years, he is now on the verge of being let go or traded, not due to his skills more so than his salary. The new Collective bargaining Agreement has a clause in it that allows a team to dump one contract that they will have to pay tax on. By waving Fin the Mavs save 51 million bux. Fin still gets paid his cash, but the team doesn't have to pay the additional 50 million in tax.Finley has long been one of my favorite players, and he will continue to be no matter what team he plays for next season. Personally I hope he returns to PHX to play alongside his buddy Steve Nash. Or if he really wants to make me happy then he can sign with the Rockets. (unless they can initiate a trade before midnight tonight) How awesome a Finley red Rockets jersey would be is beyond my wildest imagination... A lot of pro athletes are brash and unprofessional. Not Fin. You never hear him complain in the press. He is a very private and compassionate person who spends his summers helping out others less fortunate in Chicago and Dallas. He is the Mavericks captain and always will be. In two years the Mavs are allowed to re-sign him and I hope they make all attempts to do so. I look forward to the day I can look into the rafters at the AAC and see the number 4 jersey riding high. Mike made me a Mavs fan.
And also just as a side note, I give props to my lady Amy and the guy who two-way'd my friend Tahiti at a game once and told us that Billy Ocean needed to drive it to the hole more in the game we were watching. The image you see above is actually Billy Ocean not Fin. Amazing resemblence! And to all you local so called "sports critics", and in particular a large overweight one that I used to work with, you got your wish, now shut the F up, and grab some more donuts. I'll probably go to a lot less Mavs games than I used to, but count me in for Fin's return!!!
Good luck Fin, wherever you may end up!
Great article in the Dallas Morning News:
Finley Article
Friday, August 12, 2005
filmmusicradio.com
For all you film score lovers out there... There is a new internet radio station that I am currently addicted to called Filmmusicradio.com. If you love film scores, just click here and check out the site then click the link to start listening. They have full talk shows with film composers mixed with their compositions. I don't think it officially launches until Sept. 12th, but they have a limited program schedule you can listen to now. Check it.
Sunday, August 07, 2005
Sam Wise
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Originally uploaded by genzod.
This is our cat, Sam. He has three legs and a little sight problem... We are doing the best we can!
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