Sunflowers

This farm also had some beautiful flowers, and plants, even indian corn!

Pumpkin patch

This place took you to the patch and the orchad by a tractor, or a hayride if you will. That was great for 2 reasons, firstly, we didn't have to walk as much. Secondly, you wasted less time wandering around as the ride will leave without you. Another difference between this farm and the ones I'm used to in NY, the pumpkins were actually on the vines, and not pre-cut and laid out for you. They also had a great selection of fresh pies, breads, muffins and other goodies. Lek and I made off with a fresh, soft loft of pesto bread, and a blueberry pie!

Apple Picking

Lek and I have been working hard lately, and since our schedules don't always synch up, we decided to take a full day for ourselves and make a little day trip. We decided to go to our favorite seafood place, Adams Crab Shack at the Tropicana hotel in Atlantic City. Every Wednesday, they have all you can eat $16.95, woo-hoo! As it's also now fall, we also have another tradition that we figured we could squeeze in as well, apple-picking. So instead of the usual upstate farms, we decided to look around for one not too far from Atlantic City. We found this little gem, Johnson Farms in Burlingto county, NJ.

San Genarros Festival 2006

One of the many booths availible at Little Italy this year. We went during the day, so it was a little more mellow, but it was still fun. Events like this really make living in the city such a treat. There was so much food! Zeppolis, sausage and peppers, seafood, canolis, among the many other delights. Unfortunately, none of this was easy on the wallet, nor my waistline, but, hey the fair only comes once a year. There is still 3 days left, the festival is going on until the 24th!

Thai Military Launches Coup in Thailand

As I've blogged previously in past posts, things have been heating up in Thailand the last few months. I was fearful that this event would have taken place while I was actually in Thailand. Although I lucked out and my trip went without incident, the shit has truly hit the fan today.
The Thai military launched a coup against Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra on Tuesday night, circling his offices with tanks, seizing control of TV stations and declaring a provisional authority pledging loyalty to the king.

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MLB: New York Mets Clinch NL East Division

I said it here first! The Mets are going all the way! Last night they clinched the NL East division, and we're playing some October baseball boys! Woo-Hoo!

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Coupon Code for Timberland

Go to Timberland.com for 40% discount on timberland shoes. Use Code FFSEPT1 at checkout for savings! Enjoy and thank you Christie for this tip!

Never Forget

Seemed appropriate today. I've had this video for a while and every time I watch this, I still get a little misty eyed. I've been saving this, as it's important to me that I remember the feelings we had that day. Hopefully you'll feel the same. Never Forget!

Trick or Treat!

Hey halloween is right around the corner! Check out how this guy dresses like a scare-crow and sets out treats for kids, then he patiently waits for people to grab the candies, so he can scare the bejesus out of them. Unfortunately, the jokes on him!

Thai police: Man admits killing Ramsey

*Sigh* I'm hoping that this is indeed the man that commited that most horrible of crimes, to at least bring closure to the Ramsey's family, and finally ending the saga of that poor little girl. I am also troubled by this story. Could this be the machinations of a stressed and fractured mind, who knows jail in the U.S. is better then jail in a draconian thailand? Or could he really be the killer?

Thailand, whose taken huge strides in political, economic and social change in the last few decades, to become one of the western nations strongerst allies in South-east asia, is once again painted and depicted as a sex industry governed haven for pedophiles, perverts and the sexually confused. This saddens me greatly for this image of Thailand is prevelant in American minds and media. I prefer to think of Thailand as the nation of peace and philosophy, the nation of the worlds greatest martial art, the land of temples and buddhas, of hospitality and politeness, and as it is often marketed, the land of smiles. I hope we can finally put all this nonsense behind us.

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Junk Mail

Do you receive tons and tons of Junk mail? I know I do, and since I'm very paranoid about dumpster diving and identity theft, I make it a point to shred every piece of mail I receive. After looking through countless envelopes, I realized that most of them come with a self addressed prepaid envelope to mail back the correspondence. So I figured, "Let's see how they like getting junk in the mail". The photo above shows real envelopes stuffed with junk, ranging from ads from other companies to menus from the local stores in this area. Maybe some clerk in charge of opening these letters will get a kick out of it, in any case, the companies take a hit on the stamps they have to pay since I've mailed them back. Take that, junk mailers!

Eat These Specific Foods To Raise Your Metabolism and Help Burn Body Fat

I know a lot of people that naturally crave these types of food. I'm very jealous of them because I crave butter, fat and cream. It's a good list though, especially the tip about cold water.

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Lady magician with nothing to hide (Video)

A must see!. This lady magician will take pieces of clothing one by one just to convince you.

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Thailand Plans to Give 1 Free Laptop Per Child

"Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra has announced that an ambitious project to provide low-cost laptop computers to all of Thailand's millions of elementary school students will begin in October."

Man I thought we were done with this guy.... Although I think the plan is altruistic, I wonder if the article isn't correct in stating that it may be money better spent to provide these children with better education or other basic needs. I also feel this paints Thailand in a negative in the sense that I portrays our nation as one that is more third world nation, than the developing nation that it is.

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Rock Climbing Gym

Another passion of mine! I miss indoor rockclimbing, and it's one of the things I did on a more regular basis, while I was still living upstate. Now, here in the city, I rarely have the oppurtunity to climb. I used to frequent the gym, Go Vertical in Stamford, but now with this new Gym, The Rock Club, in New Rochelle, it's just a tad closer, so I may find myself visiting this place more regularly.

Just so you know, I took this picture with both feet on the ground because since Pat was going to take this shot, I figured it would be a bad idea to do it while I was actually climbing, since he needs two hands to belay my fat ass. They were also trying to close, so they were politely kicking us out by running into us with the vacuum cleaner!

Austin's 2nd Birthday

Ok, so I'm already past the age where all my friends are getting married, and I've officially shifted into that age where all many of my friends are having children. Ting's baby boy here is celebrating his 2nd birthday! We went to the shindig and it was a reunion of sorts, great to see all the familiar faces. Food was great, even the super spicey papaya salad! I felt bad for the poor kid though, seems like everybody got him clothes of some sort. I've resolved to by everyone robots for now on as gifts. You can't go wrong with robots! Ben and Erica missed out, if I'd made this resolution sooner, they would now be the proud owners of a tricked out flamethrowing Robosapien!

Ben and Erica's Wedding

We had such a great time! The food was awesome and the band was fantastic. During the cocktail hour, I nearly stuffed myself with all the hor's devours, especially the coconut shrimp! Everything was beautiful! Ben and Erica looked great, best wishes guys!

How To Get Out of A Speeding Ticket

Great article, you'd think the person that wrote this was a cop himself. Lot's of great points and good advice. This should be part of every drivers exam, before issuence of the license! Read and thank me later for money it saved you!

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Perv gets caught looking up co-workers skirt

Watch this dumbass as he tapes a webcam to his shoe, then uses it to look up his co-workers skirt. Karma baby.

24

I love this series and I love boxed DVD sets. I've sat idly by year after year, season after season, while 24 fanatics raved on and on about 24, CTU and Jack Bauer. I longed to partake in these heated, animated discussions, but my schedule was cruel and unforgiving. Finally in a burst of inspiration, I decided to add "24 season 1" to my netflix list and using "move to top of queue", I eagerly awaited the beginning of a new saga. I'm big on watching seasons of TV on DVD sets as it's much more flexible, and I don't have to wait each week to watch one stinking hour. I don't have Tivo (gasp! it's true!), so if I miss a show, it's gone for me forever.

I've watched thus far, "The Shield", "The Sopranos", and "Lost". Through trial and error, we've found that 2 shows is just about right. One is way too quick (no commercials!) and 3 leaves you with an uneven single episode floating around, so 2 is just right. I've also added season 2 of "Lost" to my queue, as well as "Prison Break" which I've heard very good things about.

Netflix is kinda like Christmas every day in that you get a nice little package in the mail, like a small gift for being such a great person! Anyway, as I opened my mailbox, eagerly anticipating my foray into 24, imagine my dismay when they shipped me Disc 2 first! Disc one was listed at "shipping shortly". WTF!!!! Of course I sent them another one of my famous emails (remember the one I sent to McDonalds?) And just as I'd suspected, they ignored my email.... Oh well, at least season 1 disc one finally arrived...and yes Jack Bauer really kicks ass!

Benny takes the plunge!

Ok, so he hasn't actually gotten married yet, but it's coming up soon. One of the first steps to a proper wedding is of course the bachelor party! Here's Ben and his Pops celebrating at Ben's bachelor party in Atlantic City (yes I too have noticed that I've been spending an unusual amount of time there!). The ride down took me a staggering 6 hours! With down-pouring rain, bumper to bumper traffic, and even an inattentive middle aged hag rear ending me, it was a miracle we made it down at all! I of course managed to gamble away $80 in about 15 minutes, not a record, but pretty respectable. I decided to stop gambling pretty quickly. Anyway, to Ben and Erica, good luck and best wishes!

Burger named after wanted felon

A restaurant in upstate NY names a hamburger after a cop shooting felon. Ralph "Bucky" Phillips is wanted in connection to the shooting of a New York State Trooper, and is apparently still on the run. A restaurant actually named a burger after him, calling them "Bucky" Burgers. NY State Troopers are understandably upset. This is disturbing. I hope the cops up there strictly enforce ALL infractions commited by all patrons of this establishment.

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Happy 4th of July

Well as usual, I ended up having to work, but it could have been worse, it was relatively quiet, and I spent all day manning the grill for everyone anyway. The rain wasn't so bad, and it actually knocked out some of the humidity out, making the summer night a bit bearable for once. A lot of times we lose our own focus and forget what it is we're celebrating. Below is the first 10 amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights. It's importance to our nation and our culture can not be overstated, yet how many of us actually know the entire Bill of Rights? I know I had to refresh myself, I get stuck after 4! Here you go, read it for a bit and feel a little patriotic for once.

The Conventions of a number of the States having, at the time of adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added, and as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution;

Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States; all or any of which articles, when ratified by three-fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes as part of the said Constitution, namely:

Amendment I


Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II


A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III


No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV


The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V


No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI


In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.

Amendment VII


In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII


Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX


The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X


The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Yankees vs Mets

This is actually from last friday's game. The final score was 2-0 Yankees. Damn it, well at least we didn't get swept and we're still about 10 1/2 games ahead in the National League east. I think the Mets are starting to lose their focus with the All Star break coming up.

Fashion Vs. Style

My gift to all you men out there. People wonder why I love martial arts so much!

NYC Cops Arrest Animal Baloon Maker On Terrorism Suspicions

A Manhattan face-painter and balloon-animal maker said overzealous cops tackled him off his bike, shoved two guns to his head and threw him in the slammer for more than four hours - all because his misplaced balloon pump looked like a bomb.

What a dummy. In England, due to the numerous backpack bombs they've recieved there, most stores and citizens do their best to keep an eye out for suspicious packages. This guy would have gotten a lot worse there. There are people out there to hurt us, now also, and it's up to us all to be vigilant...

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UFC 61 July 8th

I haven't been able to keep up with the Ultimate Fighter 3 series (maybe it's time to invest in TiVo?). I still love the UFC fights though, and the upcoming one is no different. I'll actually be off this time and I think I'm going to go ahead and order it on Pay-per-View again. Let me know if you're interested, I think there are going to be some awesome fights. All are welcome!

Bully gets what's coming to him!

Great video sent to me by Geoff! Thanks man!

Happy Fathers Day!

To all the Father's out there, have a good one, this day is for you. Surprisingly I have more and more friends that this day applies to. It's a great day for a family bbq too. Today should be a hot one, the first day to actually reach 90 degrees. I have to work, so I'll be jealous of all of you that are off...

Apple Store

This is a model standing in front of the new Apple store on 5th Ave. Just kidding, it's actually my wife. Seriously, this is such a great marketing move by Apple. I felt this uncanny urge to whip out my wallet and to start spending money. The new Macbook in black is especially cool, the screen is gorgeous, the design is very cool and it seems to run really fast. Very nice, it's definately going on my Christmas list to Santa!

Intrepid

We ended our trip with a visit to the Intrepid Museum. It's pretty small, but still a great exhibit. We watched both movies, and toured the entire ship. There are lots of different aircraft including harrier jets, and the Blackbird. It's expensive to buy food here, so eat elsewhere. It happened to be fleet week as well, but we didn't see any other ships out, and not too many military personel either.

Statue of liberty

There's two beautiful ladies right there!

Circle Line

I've done the Circle Line trip before, when I was in 4th grade. That was quite some time ago, so it was pretty much like doing this for the first time again. We took the 3 hour cruise around the entire island. It was a gorgeous day, and I actually learned a little bit on the cruise. It's a whole new perspective to do this as an adult.

Rainforest Cafe

At one of the many hotels/casinos we visited, this one had a Rainforest Cafe. In the shop it had a nice Aquarium with real fish in it. We took pictures and left without buying anything. They gave us dirty looks.

An Extended Honeymoon

Sorry I haven't been posting as much, but we've been pretty busy. I guess with all the traveling we've done lately, we realized that we've been to so many places, yet there are so many places so close to home that we've never been too. So now we're on a quest to try new things and visit all the local tourist spots close to home. We started off with Atlantic City. Here's Lek on the Boardwalk.

Some highlights of the trip include Lek's first taste of Funnel cake and Salt water taffy. Some shopping at the local outlets, all you can eat crablegs at Adams CrabShack and even some gambling (with me up $100), so in all not a bad trip. We had the room comp'd at Ceasars, so the stay was free.

The Broken Laptop I Sold on Ebay

Great article about this guy who gets ripped off by buying a broken laptop on ebay, so he exacts his revenge on the seller by posting photos and facts (like from his resume), on his own blog for the world to see. Priceless!

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Happy Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day! It's too often that people forget meanings of Holidays, and we arrogantly associate them with what affects us most. In the case of Memorial Day, we often think of Bar-b-ques, beaches and picnics, the "unofficial" start of summer. That's all great, but we shouldn't forget the true meaning of this holiday - remembering the heroes past (and present) that allow us to have these celebrations, and live the free life that we do in this great nation of ours.

So today, I wish you all a safe and happy holiday, hopefully as you spend it with family and loved ones. Also take a moment to reflect on those great men and women who've sacrificed so much so for us all.

First Dance

First dance as husband and wife! Unforgetable night.

The Reception

Look our names on the Marquee! This is the Ambassador Hotel, where we had our reception. It's a beautiful hotel, and we got a very good deal on the Sala Thai room. It looked amazing!

Receiving prayers

Receiving our blessings from the monks.

Ceremony

Here we are in our traditional Thai outfits. They are hand made from thai silk. I like the way this looks and amazingly, you stay pretty cool in this garb.

I'm Back!

Ok, I know I've been real bad about keeping up to date on my posts. For that I apologize. I attempted to upload photos a couple of times last week and the server kept booting me off. I guess, there were just too many people trying to do the same thing. I'll post more pics as time goes on, or maybe I'll post em on flickr and the have a link.

I've been back in the States for about a week now and everything in Thailand went great. The weather was very hot, and humid, but the sun was out most of the time. The ceremony, and the reception were all terrific. I know that I'll have to make it back to Thailand a lot sooner then 10 years next time.

The flight really wasn't that bad. Yes, 17 hours is a very long time, especially when you stay awake for the entire duration, but I was able to keep myself entertained. Each seat comes equipped with it's own video player and you can watch movies, play games, read news and listen to music. On the return trip, I didn't even boot up my laptop as the inflight movies were enough.

Movies I watched -
Aeon Flux. Charlize Theron was so, so hot, but the movie, so so sucked. I didn't really get what was going on, other then some sort of creep, shitty future society where the government controls everyone and the rebels are getting restless and want to overthrow the current regime and blah, blah, blah. Oh, Charlize Theron is so hot!

Cheaper by the Dozen 2 -
It was a cheesy, campy movie, yet I was entertained by it and enjoyed this movie. I love Steve Martin and he doesn't disappoint in this movie. At least I didn't fall asleep in this movie!

Tom Yum Goong -
Yeah, said what? I've never heard of this movie either, but it stars Tony Jaa that really kick ass Thai kick-boxer that really rocked in Ong Bak. It's a Thai movie, which gives it a special place in my heart. Tony Jaa has more spectacular moves that makes you think of Jet Li and Jackie Chan all rolled into one. I have to buy this movie and add it to my collection.

Memoirs of a Geisha -
Stupid chick flick. Had to check it out to see if Zhang Ziyi was really going to play a Japanese prostitute, but I never got that far. Too much blah, blah, blah, so I got impatient and watched Charlize Theron some more.

Some travel tips. Pack some snacks, 17 hours and 3 paltry meals makes you pretty hungry. Pack some extra food for those long spells in between meals. Also you can request instant noodles free of charge. Get noise-cancelling headphones. My brother had the Bose model and it completely cancels out the drones from the engine making a much more peacefull flight. Unfortunately he only let me check em out, I had to promptly hand them back after getting a taste of silent, ear nirvana. Wear comfy clothes, or bring some you can change into. Make sure you dress appropriately for your destination. It was surprisingly chilly when we arrived in New York. A light jacket would have been suitable.

Anyway, I'm back in NYC and I'm trying to get readjusted. I can't believe that it was only the beginning of this month that my adventures began. It's also reawoke the traveling bug in me, so we intend on doing a lot more traveling from this point on, all of which I'll document here!

Floating Market

Although it's late, and low tide, the floating market here runs pretty much dawn to dusk. As, you can see in the picture, there are always a lot of people interested in visiting the market. It was a 1 hour boat ride there (and another one back), so due to the time constraints, we really couldn't fully enjoy the floating market. In the morning, with the tide high, it's a busling market with boat ladies selling everything from food, flowers and every kind of trinket imaginable. Along with the floating market, Samut Songkran (this area) is also known for it's salt farms and coconut sugar. Very yummy!

My Temple

This is where I was a Monk nearly 10 years ago. The temple is a lot bigger, but the head abbot remembers me well. Here he is, giving us a blessing for good luck as well as some amulets. I wish I had more time to spend here and see the temple fully again, but it's a full day for us.

Wat Po

Here's a shot of the reclining Buddha. This temple is also regarded as the first real school or univeristy of Bangkok, with studies in medicine, massage and other holistic disciplines. It's a beautiful temple and very low key compared to the other temples.

The Grand Palace.

We got off to a great start, with a trip to Wat Phra Khew. Unfortunately, it was closed do to a visit by the Prince and some sort of Religious ceremony. In fact, while we were in Thailand, there were an awful lot of holidays. The temple is also known as the Grand Palace, with one of the main attractions being the Emerald Buddha. As I mentioned, we weren't able to enter Wat Phra Khew, but we did go to Wat Po, another historical temple, with the largest reclining Buddha. This however is a picture of the Grand Palance from outside the walls.

Here's Lek showing off some exotic fruit. It's called dragon fruit and actually tastes very much like a bland kiwi.

A late night dinner

First night in, and we took a leisurely stroll down Silom Road to enjoy a late night meal. It's really hot here, like 98 degrees and very, very humid. We decided to go to a noodle shop and grab a late night meal. It's great to be here with everyone.

We've made it!

Here we are at Don Mueng airport in Thailand. It was a long flight and we're really tired, sweaty and grumpy, but it's great toall be here!

And away we go!

I can't believe this day has arrived so quickly! These past weeks have really flown by. The last night before the flight was especially hectic with me making last minute preparations, then realizing that my suitcase is too small, so I had to borrow my brothers. Of course I'd forgotton my dress shoes at work, so had to swing by there as well. Even though we were hectic to the very end, there was still a lot of excitement and a great feeling of adventure! Here we are with tickets and passports ready to fly!

NYC Homicides since 2003 on Google Maps -- Where not to live!

Very cool. Follow the link and you can see where all the homicides are. It's interesting to see all the different boroughs. I see a lot of buildings and addresses that I've responded to, and the jobs I've handled.

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Vatican: "Boycott Da Vinci Code film"

Vatican officals urged Catholics to boycott the film. I thought it was a good book. It's fiction and not meant to be "real". Besides, the Vatican and the Church by causing all this sensationalism just ensured that the movie will be a blockbuster, just like the book.

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NYC School Raids Begin; iPods and Cell Phones confiscated

So the NYPD has started to crack down on weapons in schools by doing random searches at schools that do not have permanent metal detectors. Although electronic communications devices have been banned since 1988, students are protesting that schools are also confiscating their ipods and cell phones. Give me a break, there's a time for play and a time for work, school is a time for work, these have no business being there anyway...

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Count Down

Time is flying now. In just a little less then a week, I'll be on my way over to Thailand. Some of my friends are leaving even sooner. I'm very excited about the entire trip, especially more so about getting married. I remember thinking I'll have a lot of alone time to do my stuff and stuff that I normally don't have enough time to myself to do. Instead, I find myself missing Lek a lot and that I really don't like being too long. I'm looking forward to seeing her again and I'm looking forward to our wedding, and to finally having all this behind us. I'm excited to finally move on. To everyone that's been with me throughout, thanks a lot for all your support and for being a good friend!

40% off Desktops and $750 off Notebooks- Dell coupon codes

Some great deals if you are interested in buying a computer. $750.00 off a laptop of $1999.00 or higher, and $300 off a laptop of $999.00 or higher. Great bargains and Dell makes very good computers!

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UFC 59

I broke down and ordered the UFC fight last night. Some of the fights were a little slow, but over all it was a great time. We had a few people over, made some spaghetti, had some beers and watched the fights. Afterwards we topped it off with a little HALO, and killed the crap out of each other. Just like old times.

If you watch UFC at all heres a brief recap -
Arlovski Vs Silvia
Arlovski was the heavy favorite and in fact has gotten so terrifyingly good that he seemed invincible. He comes out and after trading some jabs with Silvia lands a huge right hand sending Silvia to the ground. Silvia is very hurt and you think "oh shit, this is going to end just like last time". Silvia is able to defend himself and actually bounces back up and starts swinging too. Somehow Arlovski smelling blood steps in and swings again, misses and catches a short strong uppercut to the chin, sending him to the ground. Silvia pounces on him raining shots on his head. Arlovski looks more stunned then hurt, but he's not defending himself, so the ref stops it. Unfriggan believable. You know this is going to a third match.

Tito Ortiz Vs. Forrest Griffin
First round, Tito takes down Griffin and classic Tito grounds and pounds him. Landing elbow after elbow down on Forrest. Looks like it's going to be a quick first rounder. Somehow late in the round Forrest gets out and stands up and now he's hurt and angry and the fight is on. The rest of the fight they trade blows, with Forrest being the main aggressor. Tito shoots often, but is only able to take Forrest down again in the last round, but Forrest is able to defend and get up quickly. It went to split decision, with Tito barely winning. In my opinion, he deserved it, but boy does that kid Forrest have some heart.

Evans Vs Some guy
Don't know who Evans fought, but Evans won by submission.

Parrisyan also beat his unknown by submission

Nick Diaz and Sherk had a long boring fight, but whenever they went to the ground it was very interesting as they both have awesome ground game. Sherk won that one by decision

2 other guys fought, but I don't know who they were, the short guy won.

Anyway, next fight is May 27th and one of my favorite fighters is going to be fighting one of the UFC's greatest legends. I may have to buy another fight when Matt Hughes fights Royce Gracie. That's going to be a battle.

Thai New Years!

Today begins the first day of the Thai New Year. It's a fun time in Thailand, with April being the hottest time of the year and people celebrating in the streets with the water festival. It's a great time to be young and single where people spray each other with water guns, and cups and buckets of water. Obviously, young women are favorite targets. As explained in Wikipedia -

The Thai New Year (Southeast Asian New Year) (สงกรานต์ = Songkran in Thai language) is celebrated every year on April 13 to April 15. It is also celebrated in Cambodia, Laos, and Myanmar (Burma). Sri Lanka also celebrates a similar festival called Sinhalese and Tamil new year on the same dates.
The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed . If these days fall on a weekend, the missed days off will be taken on the days immediately following (But Sri Lanka still uses an astrological calculation to set the dates and times based on the sun's positional change and those dates and times are used to start the festival events). Songkran falls in the hottest time of the year in Thailand, at the end of the dry season. Until 1888 the Thai New Year was the beginning of the year in Thailand; thereafter April 1 was used until 1940. January 1 is now the beginning of the year. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since then.

The water festival is also representative of cleansing, and making good karma. You can read more about it on wikipedia

Atlantic City

For those of you that were able to join me for my bachelor party in Atlantic City, I thank you, I had a great time out there. We had a very good turn out from co-workers and past co-workers and a even a good friend from Westchester who lives in AC now. The dinner was good, I know it was only a buffet, but I really love buffets. I got to gamble and didn't lose too much money, which is always a win in my book. Much more happened, and like the commercial says what happens in AC (ok Vegas) stays in AC. I will tell you one thing though, I will never, ever drink again....and this time I mean it! Really!

Mayhem in Brooklyn

Mayhem and chaos breaks out in the streets in front of the 66th NYPD precinct as hundreds of Hasidic Jews protest the arrest of a 75 year old man. It looks like the elderly man was driving while using a cell phone, officers subsequently pulled him over. The driver was uncooperative, leading to the officers arresting the man. The Hasidic community claim that the NYPD were overly aggressive, sending hundreds out into the streets. A police car was destroyed and fires were set, yet this was supposedly a "peacefull, non-violent" demonstration and therefore not a riot. I don't know man, you put whipped cream on a turd, it's not cake, it's still whipped cream covered shit.

A cop is trying to do their jobs, a simple summons would have been issued. Instead the man decides he doesn't want to cooperate so the police have no option but to place him under arrest. Now the community is mad? I'd bet if he was a different type of minority, perhaps one with darker skin tone, the community wouldn't have been as outspoken? This is the nasty side of politics, where people are so scared of losing the votes of this community (since these people actually vote) and are worried about percieved biases against a very vocal minority. This is a politcal shitstorm, and the powers that be want more then anything for this to go away. This is horse-shit and more people should have gotten arrested.

Thai Prime Minister steps down

I was concerned about this growing problem in Thailand. The Prime Minister has been tainted with claims of corruption, ever since he sold his multi-billion dollar company to Singapore. It has been claimed that he used his political powers to unfairly grow his company, and then the sale being tax-free incensed educated Thai people. It's also very upsetting to have sold so important a piece of the Thai economy to a foreign nation. Now it appears he's finally resigned, which is also good for me on a personal level, since until recently protestors were organizing in Bangkok by the thousands and i was worried it would interfere with my wedding.

BANGKOK, April 4 — Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire turned populist politician, said Tuesday that he would step down as Thailand's prime minister, ending five years of increasingly tumultuous rule and breaking a political stalemate over demands for his resignation that had gripped the country for the past two months.

Read the rest of the article here NYTimes article here (registration required)

Spiderman 3 Plot Revealed

IMDB has an article claiming they have the skinny on the next Spiderman movie. Now, you know how I get with good comic book movies, this is like a second Christmas to me! Basically, it looks like we're going to have 2, maybe 3 badguys. Spidey is going to be introduced to his black symbiote suit, and Edie Brock. It's not clear whether Venom is going to be an enemy to deal with in this movie, or maybe he'll just be introduced here, and dealt with in the next movie. Sandman, the dude whose molecules are fused with that of Sand, and Harry (Green Goblins son) will take on the role of the Hobgoblin and duke it out with Spiderman. Gwen Stacey, a character from the comics is going to make an appearance.

It all sounds so exciting, but my biggest concern is, how are they going to squeeze all this plot into a 2 hour movie? Please don't suck, the last 2 have been great so far. I'm having deja vu of Superman 3, which really blew, after an excellent Superman's I and II! Lets not have a repeat.

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New NYPD Police Cars

In police jargon, the police car is known as an RMP (or Radio Motor Patrol). The NYPD now has a few of these Chargers, and are testing them. If they work out, you could soon see your neighborhood patrol car in one of these babies. They look sweet!

30% off Foot Locker

This very generous offer has been sent to us by Seth. Note the dates on the promo Friday 3/21 - Sunday 4/2, so basically, it's good for this weekend only. The good part is that it appears to be good online, so we don't even have to drag our lazy asses out to the store to buy....er work-out gear. Anyway, thank you Seth! Enjoy it all.

Homemade Lasgana

Lek has been on a tear lately. This a a shot of Lek's latest masterpiece, homemade lasagna. I have to admit I was very skeptical as to the abilities of Lek in cooking italian food. She's pleasantly surprised me (and I think herself as well). The lasagna was delicious, hearty and served with a perfectly toasted loaf of garlic bread.

Lek makes awesome sushi and now lasagna. If only there was some way to fuse the two into something tasty!

My Bachelors Party

Ok, it's getting close to crunch time. Very shortly, I will leave the joy and freedom of being a single man, for the comfort and stability (smirk) of a married man. Before that time should happen however, we have one last hurdle, one last sacred rite that all men should comsumate. That event that we speak of is none other then the bachelor party.

Some guys from work (god bless em miscreants), have booked many a room in the fair city that is Atlantic City, and plan on a fun filled night of drinking, gambling and pure debauchery. I invite all of you that are free to attend. Details are as follows -

Date - April 6, 2006
Time - Leaving NY at approx 1pm
From - Leaving from the Bronx (good central location)

Some people are coming just for the day, no need to spend the night, if you don't want to. I know that it's a Thursday, and that makes it very difficult for a lot of people. I understand if you can't make it that day, but be forewarned, it's going to be a blast! Please let me know if you are interested, so I'll know approx how many people we'll need rooms for (the rooms are comp'd by the hotels, by the way).

Trader Joe's opens first NYC store.

NY1.com has an article about Trader Joe's opening up their first NYC city store in Union Square. Read the article Here.

I love Trader Joe's, and I make it a point to shop there every time I go up to Westchester. It's true that not every thing is cheaper, but a lot of the food there is reasonable. The food, you buy is usually excellent in quality and quantity. I love the exotic and eclectic mix, and the huge variety there. I have to admit though, chances are I'm still going to shop in the Westchester store, rather then the Union Square store.

MySpace Assholes desecrate a Hero

A NYPD cop, shot and killed in the line of duty deserves much better then this. These punks on MySpace.com took his photo and made up a phony posting pretending to be him. They put up offensive profile settings such as "people I'd like to meet - God...oh wait, I already have" This is so disgusting, it makes me sick. I don't like giving Myspace any time on my blog, because from what I know if it, it seems to be a creepy, scary hangout place, ripe for oppurnistic pedophiles or people who prey on younger, more naive people. It's no surprise that off all places to find something like this would be upon the webpages of this website. I will never use their site, nor become a member, and I hope you all feel the same way.

Article from the "Post"

March 18, 2006 -- An idiotic and mean-spirited profile that made fun of the brave cop gunned down in a firefight involving disgraced actor Lillo Brancato Jr. last year was removed from the MySpace Web site yesterday after angry police bombarded the operators with complaints.
The mindless ghouls who desecrated the memory of fallen hero Daniel Enchautegui could now face prosecution as the NYPD hunts down the creators of the beyond-the-grave profile on the popular Internet meeting spot.

The fiends, who appeared to be linked to a bunch of young gangsta-wannabes in The Bronx, included a photograph of the beloved officer in uniform besides the words, "No! Don't Shoot!"

"HaHa! You got bodied Wiz! Where you at? You got moked out!" the despicable pranksters wrote on the fake Enchautegui profile, which has enraged friends and colleagues.

"Ain't nobody tell you to become a cop papachuco, should worn ya body armor."

Read full article Here

I hope they get jail time.

BadBlueBoy now availible with RSS

RSS is "Really Simple Syndication" and basically, it's a good place where news sites and blogs can send posts, or articles to readers. This blog has a working RSS feed, so you can subscribe to it as well. If you have a mac, SAFARI has a built in reader (another reason why macs are better). Just click on the RSS in the address bar to be taken to the feed, and to add, click on the "plus" (+) sign to add BadBlueBoy.blogspot.com RSS. If you don't have a mac, you can istall a reader. Here is a list of readers

The link on the right side of this Blog also has a link that will take you to the RSS site.

Leaked Photos of the 700P?

Engadget.com and treocentral have posts about how some Sprint Customer service rep may have leaked some info involving the new 700P. For those not in the know, the 700P is the latest Treo smartphone running the Palm OS (not the windows OS) I've been waiting a long time for this, and I may have to leave verizon for Sprint just to get this phone!

Link here -
Engadget Post

Happy Saint Paddy's Day!

This has always been a favorite of mine. Parade, party and lot's of corned beef and cabbage. My father used to make the best corned beef and cabbage, complete with boiled potatoes and carrots and irish soda bread, yummy! Lot's of people in the city today for the Parade. Weather was great, a little chilly, but otherwise beautiful.

Like father like son!

Caption says it all. Keep in mind that this baby is premature!!! He's huge!

Cop tasers dog.

This is another reason why all cops should carry one. Give it a few seconds and it should play by itself. Click the play button to play again.


As seen on Wimp.com

Bill Gates to give you $12, if you live in New York.

$350 million antitrust lawsuit filed in New York will entitle anyone who bought a computer using microsoft software between 1994-2004 to a $12 coupon for each computer purchased.

Woo-hoo! Money for me!!

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Giftcertificates.com

In another life I used to work for Giftcertificates.com. That company is still around, and well, and I'm proud to have had a part in the company in it's infancy. I was there during that time, pre- 911 where there was a lot of optimism, and hope, and dot.coms were popping up all over the place. Venture Capital was giving out funds to nearly any company with a half-way decent idea. We were paid relatively low wages, but were promised huge shares in a company that would (could) make millions upon the IPO. Thought of millionaires like those Yahoo and Ebay employees tantalized us all. I never did make those millions, but we sure did have a good time. I miss working in the city at an exciting new company, and going out for drinks and parties and all that jazz. I even miss the new office when we moved to the NJ office. Although it was the beggining of the end, it was the journey, not the destination that was important. These are the people that made that journey with them, and we all got together again at Porky's in Manhattan, and it was a really good time.

Sally's Birthday Bash!

Sally's Birthday Bash!
Originally uploaded by badblueboy.

From left to right, we have Nancy, Sally (the birthday girl), Lek, Pat, Me and Angelica. We partied at Plan B located in the east village, and it was a pretty good time.

Sally is celebrating her 25th birthday, and by the time I got there after work, it seemed like everyone already had a few in them (especially Sally!) Well, one only hit's the quarter century mark once in their lives! Plan B was a fun spot, not too big and pretty good dance music (yes I did actually dance, though I am ashamed to admit it). Happy Birthday Sally!

Daniel James Hagan

I tried to get pics earlier, but here's one of Daniel James Hagan, born 8 lbs, 6 ounces on March 1, 2006. Scott and Audrey both doing well. Here is Auntie Kristy holding little DS. Scottie has to keep reminding himself that DS is his son, not his DUAL SCREEN gameboy. Or maybe he picked these initials for a reason? Anyway congrats to the Hagan's (and Terrillis) and their new kin!

Edit - My bad, Daniel James Hagan. Not DS.

BT and Lek

Such a gorgeous day today. Here's a pic of BT and Lek hanging out at Strawberry Fields in Central Park. it was so nice out we just had to take a little break, and just sit around and people watch for a bit. Hope you had some time today to go out and do the same!

Sent from my Treo600
www.badblueboy.blogspot.com

X-Men trailer

Yes, as spring time nears, so does the lure of Summer block-busters! Here, from youtube.com, a trailer for X-Men 3. It looks good, but then again, I love the X-Men so much, as long as they do a decent job, I'm pretty happy. Enjoy!

Spring around the corner?

Well it seems to be getting warmer everyday, but who knows with the way the weather has been so kooky lately. It's been over a week since I've had my teeth yanked and I still feel a little weak and feverish. I'm not sure what's going on. I am feeling slightly better each day, which is what's keeping me from seeing the doctor. I am tired and drowsy and am on nothing more then extra strength tylenol now. My teeth feel fine, I'm almost eating normally now, just can't shake off this fever...

BT has sent out a link with photos from Christmas and other events Click on link Here

Other news - Scott and Audrey have successfully given birth to a big bundle of joy! Congratualtions to the mother and father of Daniel James Hagan - pics to come shortly. Sidenote, kudos to Audrey for managing to deliver an 8 pound 7 ounce baby. Holy smokes!!!

Still feeling shitty

I had my teeth out on Tuesday and I'm still weak and I'm running a little temperature. I've been trying to sleep it off. Last night I was in real bad form with a fever and aches and all that. Today I'm feeling better, but still real tired.

One thing that's kept me entertained is my trusty old computer. Check out this video - The Simpsons Live

http://youtube.com/watch?v=brh6KRvQHBc

My wisdome teeth got yank!

Ok, I've been out of comission since yesterday, when I had all four wisdom teeth removed. I have to tell you that I feel absolutely miserable. I got there at 9:30 am on the dot, but the Doctor was since busy with another patient, so I had to wait anxiously until he was done. Nearly an hour later, he was finally ready for me. He starts off by drawing an IV into my left arm, and although I hate needles, it wasn't too bad. He then tells me, he is going to add the sedative through the IV. It felt like he literally flipped a switch, cause I was out like a light.

Next time I remember waking up and my jaw are in excruciating pain and my throat was extrememly sore. I remember the dental tech asking me if I wanted to keep my extracted teeth, I numbly shook my head "no", but in retrospect I wish I had said yes. Why do they ask you questions when you're in this state? My teeth hurt, but they didn't hurt as much as my jaw, which they must have really cranked up to get at my teeth. I was prescribed antibiotics and Vicoden and off to home we went.

The Vicoden makes me nauseous, but does little to stop the pain. I had to pop a couple of advil last night to keep the pain away. I've also developed a slight fever making me achy. I haven't really been able to eat anything the first day. I had some tea and some icecream. I've also had difficulty sleeping which is very frustrating.

Today is the second day and I'm feeling a little bit better. Still achy and dizzy, but not as much pain in my jaw. My teeth still hurt and I was able to eat some rice porridge today. I'm so glad that I decided to do all 4 in one shot, cause there is no way I'm going back there again....

On other news, I brought my Jeep back cause the check engine light came on. They fixed it again and charged me nothing for the repairs. Next time, I'll bring in the paneling that broke off and have that fixed too. Only 3 more payments to go!

Free USB Drive - Microsoft

Get a free USB Drive from Microsoft. Click on the image of the USB drive "Valuable Information - Get Yours".

You'll need a hotmal, or MSN account as they will send you a confirmation email. It's worth it though, free is free (probably a 32 meg flashdrive)

As posted by "bakerboy" here are the answers to the questions -

Q1. How many ways are there to obtain a full Microsoft® Windows® Desktop license?
Answer:: 2

Q2: Volume License Agreements cover Windows Desktop operating system upgrades only.
Answer: True

Q3: OEM operating system licenses are non-transferable.
Answer: True

Q4: The most cost-effective way to acquire an initial, full underlying Windows Desktop license is preinstalled.
Answer: True

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Engagement Party

ENG55
Originally uploaded by badblueboy.

Burin threw me an Engagement Party on Saturday. We had a great time, and it was great to see everyone. Although the actual wedding will be in Thailand, when we return, we intend on having a little party here in the States, probably in Westchester.

I'll have the link up as well and email this to people. You can click on the Photo as well to be taken to the Flickr site, where I've uploaded all the photos! To everyone that came, thank you so much. For those that were unable to attend, I know you're with us at heart!

I can't believe it! Don Knots has passed away at 81 years old. Here's the link from CNN I remember Knots from Three's Company (with John Ritter, who's also passed away) and even long ago, when he was a guest cartoon dude on Scoobly-Doo commercials. Man I can't believe how old this is making me feel.

Party Hardy!

Pat went out and partied with some friends. Sally went out and managed to drag Pat back home, but he didnt' quite make it. It was a valiant try, but after ringing my doorbell, he passed out on the welcome mat (well he would have if I had a welcome mat). Guess he's out of pratice, boy is watching drunk people fun!

Check Engine

I just got my car back, paid about $1200 in repairs, and today after running around, doing errands, the stupid "check engine" light is on again. This is the most annoying and aggravating part of owning a car. I cringe everytime that evil yellow mini-engine lights up. Now I have to bring it back, demand that they fix it and start all over again!

Milk does a body good?

So I read somewhere that Milk is good for losing weight. So for the past few days I've been drinking lots and lots of milk. I think I've actually gotten fatter. Next time I'll try regular milk instead of chocolate milk. That might work better.

I made it to the post office today. So they want 30 extra dollars to do your form with you. I decided to do it myself instead. Then I went down the street to take my passport photo, which did a great job of making me look like a thug. After paying $10 for 2 teeny pictures I realized that I could have taken the pictures myself, printed them on photo paper then cut out my head with a pair of scissors and that would have only cost me about 50 cents. Damn rip off photo shop.

I got my car back. It drives really well, which is funny cause I didn't realize it was driving shitty. Jeep does a great job of fixing your car quickly and you can pretty much drop off your car whenever you please. I used to make reservations, but they used to make me wait. Now I just go when I feel like it and they take it! That's right! Take it!

This isn't my week...

Even though I'm on vacation this week, it's not looking to be a fun break. I've had to bring my car in for the stupid "check engine" light. Now they are telling me that it's going to cost me $1200.00 in repairs. The upside is that I've only got 3 more payments on that thing, then I'll be saving $400 a month. So if there aren't any more repairs for a while, maybe I can actually save some money.

Secondly my damn wisdom teeth are coming in. Actually, they've been coming in for a while, but I've been procrastinating getting them yanked (seems like a real blast). I can't hold off any more since they are starting to push their way through and it's starting to hurt, making that difficult to eat. You know that me and not eating don't go together too well. It took all day yesterday to call around and try to find an oral surgeon that accepts my insurance. The one that was referred to me is "out of network" which would mean I'd have to pay out of pocket ($2500) then wait for them to reimburse me (and we know how speedy that would have been!)

All this while I'm trying to prepare for my engagement party. Thank goodness BT is helping me with the party, without him, this wouldn't have happened.

Pics from the Blizzard

The last post was supposed to have pics, but they didn't upload. Anyway one's from the confort of my 4x4 jeep and the other is a picture of the Patrol Car. The chains worked really well, but you really can't go all that fast.

Blizzard of 2006

Lots of snow! Good thing we had chains on our crown vic! On my Jeep, 4x4 works awesome. While everyone was digging their cars out, all it took was a little scraping on the windshield and I was good to go! If you are digging snow, be careful, that's a great way to give yourself a heart attack.

A romantic restaurant for Valentine's day!

If you've procrstinated and don't yet have a restaurant to take your sweetie for Valentine's day, do not fret! There's still hope! It may be hard to see, but the flyer above is an add for a romantic dinner at White Castles! You heard right. This is from the White Castles located in the South Bronx! You can take your boo, or your baby momma or maybe both of em, for a night of fine dining! Hurry though, even here reservations are required! Bon Appettite!

Lord of War

I was excited to see this movie, but I was a little disappointed. There were plenty of action scenes and although they try to make a big deal about the firearms, they don't really talk about them that much. The lead actress is smoking hot and thats about it. I've seen better from Cage. I give this a 3 out of 5 stars. Definately worth a Netflix view, but not a full theatre ticket.

Meanwhile I've been watching the Shield on DVD, and I forgot how great that show is. I've gone through seasons 1-3 and am about to start season 4. I'm getting sad, cause season 5 isn't out on DVD yet, so I'll have to find another series to sink my teeth into. I'm thinking about either 24, or Lost. Maybe I'll do both.

See SuperBowl Ads.

This guy went through all the trouble of converting the ads into Quicktime movies so you can see them on your home computer. I think he meant for them to be viewed on the video Ipod, but they work just fine on your PC. I used the .mov files and they worked ok for me. My favorite is the Sprint/Nextel commercial with the "crime deterrent" feature. Very funny.

Cut and paste this link- http://www.devlib.org/blog/2006/01/30/2006-super-bowl-commercials/

or just clink HERE. Note: Looks like he's getting a lot of traffic on his website now, since Google searches put him at the front of the list. You may not get on, just try again latter on. Enjoy.

Don't support drug dealers. Boycott Vitamin water.

50 cent the Rapper and "former" drug dealer that proudly brags about the times he was shot while being a gang member, dealing drugs has invested a large amount of money, and is basically part owner in Glaceau, the company that manufacturs Vitamin Water. It's too bad, cause I used to drink this on a regular basis, and it tastes better than Gatorade. No more though, I'm not giving another penny to this thug. You can read the article Use HERE

Just this weekend in Brooklyn during a rap video shoot by Busta Rhymes a shootout killing a security guard took place. Among the guests, Missy Elliot and 50 cent. I'm tired of people glamorizing these idiots. They make a living out of sensationalizing drugs, violence and the all around shitty life. Don't give them another dime.

My Oven

So I finally got a working oven after complaining and calling for only 4 months. It's worse then pulling teeth with these people. Now that they finally replaced the oven the old one (pictured) is still sitting in the hallway. These people suck.