I live in the green zone

I received this pamphlet in the mail yesterday from the New York City Office of Emergency Management. This morning trains were delayed city-wide due to flooding.

Crappy Monday

It's bad enough that Monday marks the end of a sunny summer weekend. Having only sipped my coffee twice this morning, this is how I found my workstation. I'm still not sure how to respond to this prank. Ideas?

Kutztown on the map...err

For those who had the pleasure of experiencing undergrad at KU, you might enjoy this 'urban experiment' that I stumbled upon.

It's basically a few hipsters from NYC adventuring through the Kutztown Folk Festival... and shooting guns. After watching I'm not sure if I feel like more or less of a red neck. Thoughts?

Check out the webisodes!

Humbling Monday Commute

I was in a pinch this morning barely before I got out of bed. Rushing out the door on my way to work I quickly turned around as the rain was too heavy. After scouring the apartment for an umbrella pictured is all that I could find.

It's incredible how people are willing to compromise when faced with opposition.

High Times!

I have an itch to play fast pitch baseball. It's been 8 years since I've touched a baseball and can barely get out of bed after a 3 mile jog, downhill. With that said, last night I met up in Central Park with a player from the Brooklyn Beers (yes, Beers) who is looking for a pitcher who can "for the love of God just throw strikes". We were casually tossing around on an empty field when a team from another field started to migrate toward the field we were using.

"Hey dudes, you like... wanna play some softball?"

Their green jerseys read "Bong Hitters" and as they stumbled closer carrying a few coolers and bat bags I noticed a girl cradling a beer bottle in her mitt and another guy who had a can of beer cozied in his batting glove.

It was an instant party. Most of the team took a seat on the grass to take a breather and out of nowhere field C of Central Park North looked (& smelled) like a scene from Bonnaroo. I almost thought someone was going to start selling grilled cheese sandwiches and passing out nitrous oxide balloons.

The guy who invited us to play came over and introduced himself and benumbedly informed us that his team, assembled from High Times magazine had just beaten DC Comics in their media softball league standoff.

Day #2 - ultimate weight loss challenge vs. Neil Hurley

Painfully hungry and suffering from lack of mid-afternoon soda and/or junk food. Despite the sweltering heatwave, still planning on doing some sort of exercise tonight. However, may be revised to include indoor activity only.

The recipe

It came out of nowhere and when I least expected. It's not everyday you get a chance to completely change your own life. The words confidently rolled off his tongue as if he was announcing a great prophecy, something too powerful not to take part in.

"I challenge you to a fat man's duel!"

Straightening my posture as if rising to victory before the vague challenge was even defined I knew he could only be talking to one person - me.

"One month, one goal. Lose as much weight as possible, thus shedding the title 'fat man' – forever."

And so it has begun. Neil Hurley (200.5 lbs, 6'0", 34 y/o, cry baby) vs. Andrew Betlyon (206 lbs, 6'1", 26 y/o, unbridled stallion) in a 24-day festival of salad, exercise, and terrible mood swings.

When asked what strategy Neil would be utilizing his response included a Thigh Master purchase, yoga mat, and abnormal spike in daily gluten intake.

Stay tuned as August 1st serves up my fat I-told-you-so... Neil.

Joke's on You

The other night I was getting off of the 4-train (at 59th st.) and it just so happened that I was the first person to make it to the steps on my rush to catch my connecting train at the above platform. Out of nowhere I felt my left foot kick the broad side of a sewer rat. The vermin squeaked and continued sprinting through the crowd behind me causing sheer panic. I caught a glimpse of his back after I kicked him as his patchy behind made way for the safety of the tracks.

After brief contemplation about throwing out my year old, hand-me-down, New Balance sneaks I wore them the next night in our 15-1 kickball loss to Ogilivy. Suckers!

Baseball for blind guys!

That's right, blindfolds and aluminum bats do have collaborative uses other than junior's birthday piñata. 'Beep Baseball' is sport that combines a keen sense of hearing, communication and lots of trust.

Here are the basics: The ball has a built-in speaker that is continually beeping. The pitcher and catcher are the only sighted players on the team, and the rest of the team wears blindfolds (not all of the players are 100% blind) to keep the game fair. After the ball is hit, the batter runs directly toward the randomly activated buzzing noise from either first or third baseline (approx 100 ft. away). If the batter can sprint to the 4 ft. tall buzzing padded base before the field of six diving defenders can stop the ball then it's a run - if not, it's an out.

The entire game is played under the supervision of volunteers who make every effort to prevent sideline collisions and watch the game without making a sound until each play is over.

Amazing!

Things NOT to forget

Wedding bliss 2007

Pictured are the highlights from wedding 3 0f 7.

Movin' on... over

Deciding to move in NYC is generally not an effortless decision. My recent uproot from the Upper East Side to a new apartment in Long Island City was a choice made primarily to save some green, but with that decision came a few sacrifices that will take some adjustment.

My new neighborhood is directly across the East River in a heavily industrial section of Queens. Basically, an area that is thriving between the hours of 8am - 6pm – the exact hours that I'm never there. All of the restaurants and stores are closed by the time I do actually get home from work. Awesome.

On board the blogtrain

Ok. So I'm entering the blogosphere kicking and screaming.

For the past year or more there has been nonstop hype surrounding this phenomenon of social networking, and I don't mean the normal kind of networking where a polite handshake and a stiff drink ease the socially awkward into finding common ground in hopes of deeming the experience a delightful and/or productive encounter. No! This networking is a much more passive yet engaging process of carefully curating and crafting each exchange with all who is willing.

So back to the kicking and screaming part. While I witness many friends submerse themselves in this curious hobby I still haven't been able to find my own niche that I feel would ultimately be blog-worthy. Not having a particular hobby or interest that I specifically care to spend time writing about is something that for a long time has prevented me from exploring a blog. But after much deliberation, personal turmoil, and a few nightmares I've narrowed my starting-a-blog-justification down to these two reasons:

1. If you can't write well, you might as well stay home

Errr... or at least don't leave home expecting to change the world with the written word. Admittedly, it's a skill that has been underrated in my life for way too long. Having a creative career the emphasis can unintentionally shift to visual aesthetics because you work directly with copywriters who can practically do the thinking for you. And who doesn't want to think for themselves?

2. Life in New York City is too interesting not to talk about

As the moment I envision this blog as being a way to report/vent/reminisce about how New York is either making me more or less crazy. I'm not saying this blog will be 100% committed to living life in NYC, there may be posts that explore other thoughts/observations/etc.

To paraphrase Noah Brier, a good friend and 57% inspiration to start this blog: "If you start something today, in 20 years you will have been doing it for 20 years." So without further a due, here's to the start of the unexpected.

Cheers!

ab

ps. Are you supposed to sign every post? I'm so green!