Jamba Juice for Her; Camera Accessories for Him

So to wrap up our weekend in New York, we visited the Museum of Modern Art on Saturday. You will probably remember my parochial view of art from previous posts. I did enjoy several pieces, particularly works by Alexander Calder, Vincent van Gogh and Vasily Kandinsky.

But what was my favorite thing about New York? Jamba Juice. On our way to Little Italy for a late dinner, we chased Jamba Juices, only to get to there just after they closed. (We were successful on Sunday!) Okay, so maybe it wasn't my absolute FAVORITE, but Jamba Juices are far and in between in the DC area, so it's a treat!

On Sunday, we went to electronic (and of course, camera) mecca, aka B&H. It's quite amazing. I'm not sure I've ever seen anything quite like it. There's a constant hum of bins whizzing to and fro along a system of conveyor belts. You are "processed" through a series of steps similar to the Seinfeld soup nazi experience. Select product to buy. Proceed to the cashier. Pay. Proceed to merchandise pick-up where the bin-whizzing culminates with your purchase.

New York

I had a meeting in New York on Friday and we're spending the weekend. My meeting was in Midtown, so we stayed in Times Square last night. We had dinner in a local diner and walked around Times Square. There are so many things that make it a unique place.

Friday and Saturday, we are staying at the Hilton in lower Manhatten. The view is literally across the street from where the World Trade Center Towers stood. It's always amazing to see the progress there. We had soup dumplings for dinner at Joe's Shanghai and walked around Chinatown and Tribeca.

Close only counts in Horseshoes and Hand Grenades

Guessing is not always overrated. Take for instance, my NCAA office pool (AESFGANCAAMBCBT2008). [NOTE: I should mention, the non-gambling, not-for-cash, almost voluntary, in case anyone from the office stumbles upon this blog.]

Basketball is not a sport that I follow. At all. So I sort of worked backward. Assuming that the #1 seeds are there for a reason, I worked from that assumption. Much to my surprise, all #1 seeds did make it to the Final Four for the first time. Ever. There goes my theory. Fortunately, I picked Memphis in the final round. Unfortunately, I picked North Carolina to win the National Championship. Maybe next year, I will try the dart board approach.

Flippy and Modern

So I finally bit the bullet and went to a different hairdresser on Friday. Say, it isn't so! I know there are many a story on "divorcing" your hairdresser (see this one, which has eerie similarity).

It began so innocently, so simple. I needed a hair cut. Brian went to a very nice woman in a mall near to where we live. I never thought twice.

Many years ago, he eased his way to other hair cutting establishments. And, I have endured the anticipated, eager query of, "How's Brian?" as she passive aggressively cut my hair. Really meaning, "Where's Brian, and why doesn't he come here anymore, and what have you done with him?" I always wondered if there wasn't a little resentment and that's why my hair was never quite the requested length. I digress.

So, after several months of letting it grow to a length it hadn't been in years, I finally decided to take the plunge...at a salon closer to my office. My only requirements, I told the new hairdresser: shoulder length and I still need bangs. The result: I love it! Brian calls it "flippy" because of the layers and one of my colleagues commented, "modern." What does that say about the past eleven years? Again, I digress.

There are a few additional reasons I have dreaded changing hairdressers. One is that you always have to train new ones. It took many years (see high school through college years) to realize that Asian hair doesn't do anything but variations on straight. It's the Asian-hair curse. Just embrace it, stay away from drastic measures. That, and the fact that when you get a cut-straight-across-just-shorter, you hate to pay more than $25.

Well, it was definitely more than $25, but I justify it by the Membership Reward points I earned as this salon takes American Express!

Death by Blogging

In case you wonder why I don't blog every day...

From The New York Times:

To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people obviously does not qualify as an epidemic. There is also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their deaths. But friends and family of the deceased, and fellow information workers, say those deaths have them thinking about the dangers of their work style.
Read more

Just kidding, I'm sure it's just because I'm lazy! And, my life really isn't that interesting.

Two-by-Two

I know what Noah feels like. Okay, not really, but why do drivers in the mid-Atlantic area react to rain like it's the first time they've ever seen it? Seriously! It's rain. It falls from the sky. I'm pretty sure you've seen it before. And most likely, unless you're 16, you've driven in it before. And, I bet you even made it to where you were going.

I get cranky when the commute for 15 miles is 1.5 hours.

Cool Camera Clique

Remember when you were in high school and kids checked each other out to see if they had the cool jeans on or if they were in the popular, nerd, jock or brain clique?

Well, Brian and I went down early this morning to see the cherry blossoms, which were gorgeous by the way. I borrowed Brian's "old" camera. As we walked around the monuments and the tidal basin, photographers of all caliber size you up by the camera equipment you're carrying. Are you sporting the black neck strap with the yellow Nikon logo? Do you have the Canon EOS 492092385709128374019384750192837409123D? Is your Konica Minolta lense longer than I am tall? So, what does your camera brand say about you?

Here are some photos from today.

To Twitter or not to Twitter, that is the question...

Does anyone Twitter? I'm sure it would just be another opportunity to waste time!
www.twitter.com

Happy Easter!

Of course, we know Easter is so much more than bunnies, candy and baskets. But the promise of being able to find our Easter baskets before sunrise service when we were kids was enough to get even my brother out of bed on Easter morning.

We hope the resurrection brings you a renewed sense of grace, not of anything we could ever do, but what He has done for us. Wishing you a blessed Easter.

It's Spring!

I particularly like the creative, seasonal Google logo designs.
www.google.com/holidaylogos.html

Green with Envy

Happy Birthday, Mom! Once on my Mom's birthday, her best friend made and brought us dinner. It was green scalloped potatoes and ham, green jello and green milk! Well, it was memorable.

My Mom shares her birthday on the day they celebrate Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick was a Roman Britain-born Christian missionary and is the patron saint of Ireland along with Brigid of Kildare and Columba. When he was about sixteen he was captured by Irish raiders and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. He entered the church, as his father and grandfather had before him, becoming a deacon and a bishop. He later returned to Ireland as a missionary in the north and west of the island, but little is known about the places where he worked and no link can be made between Patrick and any church. By the eighth century he had become the patron saint of Ireland. The Irish monastery system evolved after the time of Patrick and the Irish church did not develop the diocesan model that Patrick and the other early missionaries had tried to establish.

Why the shamrock? St. Patrick used the shamrock, a three-leaved plant, to explain the Holy Trinity to the pre-Christian Irish.
Source: Wikipedia

Tribute

SI Cover x 9

Commemorative Section

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel commemorative section with photos and career highlights.

I know I've said it before, but it's going to be really weird to watch the Packers and not see #4 out on the field.

Thanks for the memories, 4ever a fan!

Photo by Jim Biever
Packers.com

"I'd like to thank the Packers, for giving me the opportunity as well. I hope that every penny ... I hope that every penny that they've spent on me, they know was money well-spent. It was never about the money or fame or records, and I hear people talk about your accomplishments and things ... It was never my accomplishments, it was our accomplishments, the teammates that I've played with, and I can name so many. It was never about me, it was about everybody else. It just so happens the position I played got most of the attention. But the Packers have been, ... it's been a great relationship, and I hope that this organization and the fans appreciate me as much as I appreciate them."
[...]

"I can't leave without saying thank you to the fans. When I laughed and when my family laughed, they laughed. When I cried, they cried. When I cheered, they cheered. When I threw an interception, well, you know."

[...]

"I am honored. I hope everyone knows how special this is and I truly appreciate the opportunity, and as they say all good things must come ... come to an end. "

-Brett Favre

Full Favre retirement transcript and video

Favre-well

Joe Heller
Green Bay Press-Gazette

Favre-lous

Here's a list of Favre's significant league records:

• Most TD passes: 442
• Most passing yards: 61,655
• Most passing attempts: 8,758
• Most wins by a starting QB: 160
• Most consecutive starts, quarterback: 253 (275 including playoffs)
• Most 3,000-yard passing seasons: 16
• Most consecutive 3,000-yard passing seasons: 16
• Most pass completions: 5,377
• Most seasons with 30-plus TD passes: 8
• Most consecutive games with a TD pass, postseason: 18
• Most NFL MVP awards: 3

Memories 4-Ever

Here are some of the headline and banners from today's announcement.

packers.com

jsonline.com

nfl.com

packersnews.com

Sweet Sixteen

To be honest, I don't remember his first throw, his first NFL game, or his first start with the Packers. But, I will remember the 16 years in Green Bay that he has amazed us all, his love for the game and that we may have been witness to one of the greatest careers in NFL history. We've watched him grow as a player and a person. As a Packer fan, we have dreaded this day. He's a class act, one of a kind. Thanks 4 the memories.