Why did this song pop in my head?

It popped into my head while reading this post on ACL (Check it out, especially if you like Steve McQueen.) but I don't know why as the subject of the post and the song have nothing to do with each other.

Odd, no?

This made me laugh

This is from October...

...Roethlisberger is very rich, very famous, a two-time Super Bowl champion and was regarded, until a series of recent sexual assault charges fouled up what had become a very lucrative persona, as a prize example of the dull virtue of Ohio high school football – a big, unflappable, rocket-for-an-arm, all-beef archetype who could pull off remedial self-effacement in interviews and deliver a few lines in a television commercial. Roethlisberger is the fourth highest-paid player in the NFL, and he also looks like a boiled ham that has somehow acquired the ability to think highly of itself. That's about what you need to know about Ben Roethlisberger.

Via The Awl

All Over Albany has a give away

See the post here.

What is the best thing you've ever eaten?
Think broadly -- it could be the perfect apple you plucked straight from a tree, your grandmother's strawberry-rhubarb pie, mussels you once had in France -- whatever. We'll pick one winner at random from the comments.


The winner gets a four course tasting menu at the Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark.

My entry involves oysters, great beer, and better friends on the patio at the Lionheart.

Edit: And then there is this: Oysters on the verge of extinction.

Interesting look at smart phone use by ethnicity

Via Gizmodo

How can you be so obtuse?

"Are you dead?"

"From the neck up."



Yes, I know we are not supposed to be talking about "She who dare not be named" for the month of February, but this was too funny and accurate not to share.

I am surprised that there wasn't the question, "What's a Deist?"

(H/T to jonathanrnash)

And I have nothing say...

But I am going to say things anyway...

• I decided against the Bachelor Auction, not because it isn't a great charity but because I didn't have the intestinal fortitude to stand up in front of people and have myself bid upon.  It isn't that I am unaccustomed to playing the fool, it is just that I don't want to be embarrassed
• This irritates me to no end.  A week or two ago, a woman confronted me at the store regarding this and then walked over to her huge SUV and drove off.  The irony was not lost upon me.
• Pitchers and catchers report in ten days.  At least for the Mets.
• Governor Cuomo's budget is...interesting.  That's all I am going to say about that.
• Come out and support local artist's tomorrow, especially my friend FPR, at the First Friday events.
• I really don't want to do anything for the Super Bowl.  Do you have any plans?

Okay, I am done.

I sent this to TEA yesterday and it has been all over various social networks but I should share it here.  It makes me smile.

App Suggestions

Does anyone have any app suggestions for the iPhone/iPod Touch?

Specifically, I am looking for a good crossword app as well as games that I can play with TEA.

Why am I looking for a crossword app? It seems like a good idea and I want to help with my Scrabble/Words with Friends vocabulary.

I would prefer turn based games as opposed to real time.

TEA and I have a game of Words with Friends going, if you are looking to make that suggestion.

(I am also looking for games that I can play with my father who is becoming an iPhone owner within the next week or so. Welcome dad, thanks for joining us.)

Yet another reason not to watch the Big Game

(Image via Deadspin)

And then there is this...

Sexual Assault and the Super Bowl

There has to be something better to do, right?

(Oh, and those of you who are actively rooting for either team, I am judging the crap out of you.)

And I was behind the curve on this...

Remember last week when I raved about the food (especially the poached eggs on toast at the Pearl Street Diner) and provided a picture? It would have been better if I had a cool Hipstamatic-esque filter to make the diner food look wonderful and vintage. Yesterday, Gizmodo had an updated list of all the necessary apps(original List was from October) for the iPhone and while I was familiar with a lot of them, I had never heard of called Instagram.

Instagram posts instantly to additional sites, such as Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare as well as a couple of others.

I really like this, and I was shocked to see that there were other friends who were using in and they had never told me about it.

From this point forward, expect my pictures to have more of that wonderful classic look. You know the one that FAU hates so much.

A Summer Song for Fighting the Weather

This song makes me think of August when the folks at Gawker.TV told me it should be the song of the summer.

So, on a cold and dark evening, this song makes me think of ninety degree weather, water playing on a lake, and a bright blue sky.

On this opening day of February, I am looking forward to the winter ending, and the summer sun kissing my skin.

Thank you, Cee Lo.

Reminder: Books and Beers on February 10th

Books and Beers is happening on February 10th. If you are interested in the event, please sign up at the Facebook Event and leave a comment.

Just catching you up here if you don't recall:

The event is taking place at 6:30 pm at McGeary's which you should check out before and become a patron of afterwards. Tess is a wonderful hostess and it as an amazing space.

We will be having a "cocktail party" revolving around a book, in this case "The Unnamed" by Joshua Ferris. If you want, the Onion AV Club did an interview with Ferris that covers the novel.

Remember, if you are buying the book, use your local and independent bookseller. I recommend Market Block Books.

Oh, while you are at it...become of fan of AFM on Facebook!

Thanks to All Over Albany for their promotion of this event.

Best Foursquare Check-in Ever

Here is the venue on Foursquare.

Why I find this so funny, I cannot explain, and it generally violates some of my rules regarding Foursquare.

While I have you reading, here are some of my rules:

1. If you are window shopping, don't check in.  
2. If you aren't purchasing something, don't check in.
3. If you are just "stopping by", don't check in.
4. Do not create venues akin to "Third Table from the Back" at a venue.

Foursquare recently changed their official house rules (which references the Snowpocalypse) to enforce some of these things (and you can read a good write up about them here).

For those of you who are using some specific locative social networking tool (I know that Fish loves using Untappd, which is beer based.), I do suggest you try using Foursquare.

I Love My Father (and hate the weather)

I talk to my father almost every day.

As of late, he has been jokingly complaining about the weather.

Now, when he was in the Berkshires, this was funny as his weather was generally worse.

However, he is now on Marco Island and this is his weather:

Here is the weather in Troy:

I think that he may be well aware of how awful this weather is and that is why he didn't take my call this morning.

Thank you, Dad, for caring about my feelings.

I hope that you are enjoying your beach day.

(For the record, all my plans have been canceled by the weather.)

This is a song about looking into the eyes of your beloved...and having a staring contest

I really hope that it works out that I am going to be able to see The Mountain Goats when they are in New York in the early spring. (March 28th and 29th at the Bowery Ballroom)

What are the chances that we could get John to play in Albany? It would make me really happy (as well as a bunch of others).

Social Networking Fail

There are few things about social networking that irk me more than the poor communication exhibited by otherwise smart people.

I could update with something like "I think my spleen ruptured" or "I had dreams about death camps again" and someone will "Like" it. I see this on other people's pages as well. "My immune system has failed" followed by "6 people like this".

No.

You shouldn't like this. There people should be your friends and loved ones and you should never "Like" when they are hurt or in harm's way.

Instead of "Liking" it, how about a quick note expressing sympathy, or maybe a call.

Oh! A Charity!

Look what I woke up to in my Inbox.

I decided to to the first part, and not ignore this e-mail. However, I am not going to contact maybery@rogers.com.

So you are a "devoted christian" (sic (devoted to what? I am sure you meant devout here, right?) and you have a PA names Mary Polen who is an Administrative Assistant at the National Dropout Prevention Center (which does seem like a wonderful organization) and you Mrs. Mary Abery have a Rogers Communications e-mail address. Now, to the best of my knowledge, Clemson is still in South Carolina and Rogers Communications is still all Canadian. Are you wintering in South Carolina?

Or this this just a new type of 419 scam?

Anyway, thank you! A simple search of the interwebs shows that you have been trying this a little too long.

And I see my future

Can you see me running my own lines of touring coaches? It would be great!

Poaching Fail or Finding Breakfast

When I wrote about how wonderful the poached eggs were at the Pearl Street Diner, I mentioned on how poached eggs should be served. On the toast, right?

So, yesterday when I went in search of breakfast, I figured that Spill'n the Beans which had quickly become on of my favorite coffee shops would do my eggs correctly.

As you can see, I was wrong. Very very wrong.

Then this morning, I had my usual at Capital City Diner (formerly Metro 20).

The eggs belong on the toast, or maybe...just maybe...on the home fries. They do not belong in a little bowl on the plate.

I want to start a movement to prevent this travesty from continuing. Now, some of you are saying that not everyone likes there eggs on their toast, and I am trying to explain to you that those people are douchebags. They are wrong and they should ask for something special (like a bowl) and I should have my meal properly made.

Who is with me?