Like a variety of other bloggers, I was skeptical of this new reality show. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy was trying to bring together aspects of so many different kinds of programs (While You Were Out, Dating Story, Will & Grace, Makeover Story) and it seemed unlikely something like this would work. After watching the first three episodes I am completely hooked. Instead of taking the worst of the above shows they take the best of them.

There are two aspects that really stood out for me. The first was the concept of fixing up a person and then allowing 1/3 of the show to be his attempts at living his new life. It makes you feel like a proud parent when the straight man remembers to use the before-shave gel. The other part of the show I enjoy is the great casting of the Fab 5 (the five gay men who fix up the straight boys). They are genuinely funny and, so far, are very good at what they do.

This shall become my new reality show. I am very selective these days (especially for reality shows but for television programming in general) and this show has managed to enter the Tivo Season Pass list.

Above, is the photo of 5/7ths of my improv group that performed this last Sunday. The photo was taken by 1/7th of the group, Farhad (the other 7th couldn't make it to the practice). The group was half of my level two class at Upright Citizen's Brigade. Now that all the math is done, I'll tell you about the show.

The level two class spends their time learning "The Harold," which is the standard for long-form improv. During our show we split into two groups and each performed a Harold, lasting half an hour each. Both of them went incredibly well. It's amazing what a little bit of adreneline can do for you. What was even more fun was having a good portion of my family there and a whole bunch of my friends. I loved it.

This show cemented my desire to continue my improv education. It makes me very happy. I'm meeting wonderful people, keeping my brain active, and making people laugh all at once. Look forward to seeing me in shows more often in the future.

After my trip to the movies last night (see previous post) I went to Cold Stone Creamery to get some amazing ice cream and then to Broadway City, the only true arcade I have found in New York thus far.

While living at home in the Chicago suburbs I would often frequent Super Just Games (note: the link is to a Street Fighter competition page) quite often. Maybe once every couple weeks at high points. In college, I pretty much stopped going because there was nothing convenient and I didn't have any close friends who wanted to go (or maybe I was embarassed to ask). Now, I did find one in NYC but it is in Times Square and is amazingly expensive. (The cheapest games were $.75 and those were Galaga, Ms. Pac Man, and Metal Slug 4.) Where have all the arcades gone?

Sadly, I know the answer but I don't want to admit it. Arcade games are expensive to produce and don't have a great rate of return unless they're at an amusement park. Just look at my current favorite game, Time Crisis 3, and how much it costs. $15,495. Granted this is a shooting game with two screens, but it is an example of how much new games cost to produce. So, the neighborhood arcade is gone because kids would rather stay at home and play games from their couch.

What we lose is the sense of community that comes from playing people that you don't know. Even though fighting games aren't my forté, nothing can beat waiting in line to play the reigning champion of the game. Even though you don't know him/her, the two of you have a both a rivalry and a common bond already there. In a more basic way, we also lose to the ability to just hang out with like-minded people. I am not as obsessed with games as some people, but it's nice for me to visit that world and chat with people who know what they're talking about.

Another reason to keep arcades around is for games that can't be recreated on a PC or console. Racing games, gun games and Dance Dance Revolution cannot be recreated in the home setting. It is impossible. Now the only place to enjoy these games is at amusement parks that charge at least $1 per game. I don't expect things to still cost a quarter but I know that price can come down. I paid $1.75 per game last night and some of the racing games were $2.50. That is ridiculous.

The only thing that has come close to replacing the arcade is the converted movie theaters. (In some places movie theaters are being converted to LAN gaming areas.) You do get to bring back some of the community, which is nice, but you still lose the variety of games and some fun nostalgic factors.

I don't know if I'm ever going to get my arcades back but I do know that I can't be alone. There must be others out there who long for the arcade experience. I just hope that we are able to find some happy medium where I can play my games without dropping $30 per session.

Last night I made my debut appearance at the Bryant Park Summer Film Series. Ever since I first found out about the series a few years ago I have been dying to go. This was the first summer I've lived in NYC while knowing about it and it was prime opportunity. My hopes were shot down early as I found out that my improv classes were scheduled on the same day as the film series. My class ended last week and my Mondays are free again, which allowed me to attend last night.

They were showing Cat on a Hot Tin Roof this week, which was wonderful. I had always wanted to see it and this was a great opportunity. My only complaint about the whole event was the size of the crowd. It was too big. Apparently this was unusal and probably because last week's movie was rained out. Aside from the crowd's size, I had an amazing time. I think it would be nice if they sold food and drinks right in the park, but maybe that's asking too much. Just sitting in the park on a beautiful night, watching a wonderful movie should be enough. And it is.

When Ben Folds Five's Whatever and Ever Amen was released in 1997 I became an instant fan. I heard the first single, "The Battle of Who Could Care Less," on the radio and I immediately went to Borders to pick up the CD. I don't know where I was supposed to go but I couldn't help but buy the album immediately. My love-at-first-site blossomed into a more matured, ever-lasting love. I was completely hooked as I'd never heard anything like BFF and it totally changed my perspective on music.

I remained a rabid fan up until the band split up in October of 2000. After that I remained a devout follower of Ben Folds in his solo form. This week I realized that things have changed. I still love Ben Folds and all his projects, but my obsession has clearly waned. I think of it as a marriage after the honeymoon period has ended.

My realization came when I noticed that a new EP had been released without me knowing about it. Two years ago, or even one year ago, that wouldn't have happened. I used to check Frank Maynard's site daily. It was a rude awakening, to say the least.

I know that it is impossible to be a groupie forever but I am disappointed that I let things fall so far, so fast. If this were a marriage, I would be the husband sitting on the couch in a wife-beater, hand in my pants, yelling for my lady to get me a beer as she sobs into her apron. I said I would never let this happen, which is why I vow to begin checking the Ben Folds sites more regularly now.

The new EP, which is the first of three and entitled Speep Graphic has already been ordered and I can't wait to hear it. It's not all new stuff but I'm still very excited.

On another note, Ben is self-releasing this material which many point to a sign that he has grown tired of the major label shenanigans that go on. Once of his best songs as of late, "One Down," also points to this fact. It's cool to see major artists trying alternate avenues for releasing their music.

Earlier today there was a shooting at City Hall in NYC. The man got off several rounds and hit two people. The thought is that he was targeting someone in the chamber balcony.

What I found interesting was the following quote by Mayor Bloomberg, who was in the building but not near the shooting:

An attack on democracy? Isn't it a bit premature to say that? We know absolutely nothing about the shooter - except that he had a gun and was shooting - and we have determined that this not an act of terrorism, but the mayor decided it was safe to assume this was an attack on democracy. I know that politicians are expected to say something after an event like this, but Bloomberg's statement is ludicrous.

Imagine if I owned a mini-mart that had been held up for cash only to say the following, "This is a terrible attack, not just on my cash register, but on mini-marts all across the country." Can't anyone wait until there are actual facts before speaking to the public? I know it's a near impossibility but it is worth saying.

Yesterday the Cubs picked up Kenny Lofton and Aramis Ramirez from the Pittsburg Pirates for Jose Hernandez and two minor leaguers. This is a great deal. The Cubs really needed to fill in the slots at center field and third base.

Kenny Lofton is getting a little older but he is a great fielder and potentially a great batter. He will do just fine for us until Corey comes back next season. Aramis Ramirez could be the Cubs' next Sammy Sosa. Sure, this is a bit of a stretch, but the kid is amazing with a bat despite some inconsistency last year and the beginning of this season. If Dusty and the Cubs can keep him happy and in sync with the team he could be a big boost. It seems that the Cubs are hoping Ramirez is a permanent solution.

Aside from this being a good deal, it is a sign that the Cubs are going to give the penant a shot this year. It isn't a rebuilding year. There will be no fire sale. I am excited and I am Tivo-ing the game tonight to check out how the new Cubbies fit in.

By the way, here is a plug for RBI, a great/young baseball blog. Froom the proprietor of what used to be Daserbeam.

Lake Gunisao, Manitoba, Canada (CST)
06:15 Wake up, finish packing
06:45 Eat breakfast
07:45 Board turbo-prop plane en route to Winnipeg

Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada (CST)
09:30 Arrive in Winnipeg, hoping to make a 10:30 flight to Chicago
09:50 Finish packing fish filets in dry ice, take van to main terminal
10:20 Get on 10:30 flight as a standby
10:27 Finish customs
10:36 Finish security. Of course, my bag was checked
10:45 Plane takes off for Chicago

Chicago, Illinois, USA (CST)
12:50 Arrive in Chicago, skeedaddle to United Customer Service
13:05 Helpful lady puts me on 2pm flight to NYC-LaGuardia
13:20 Another helpful lady moves me to the 3pm flight, so I stay with my bag
14:10 Eat McDonald's, finish Human Nature
14:25 Flight pushed back to 3:25
14:55 Board plane
15:15 Pilot tells us there is a ground stop at LaGuardia until 5pm CST
16:30 Finish reading ESPN the Magazine cover to cover
17:00 Told by pilot that our new departure time is 8:21pm.
17:01 Cry
17:45 Read Fargo Rock City until my eyelids get heavy
18:45 Wake up from hour-long nap, find a copy of PC World
19:15 Told by pilot to put on my seatbelt.
19:16 Do so
19:25 Take off, an hour "early" and 4 hours late

New York, New York, USA (EST)
22:15 Arrive at LaGuardia Airport
22:45 Get my one bag
22:55 Get in a cab
23:20 Arrive at home

It was a long day, but the trip was great so it was definitely worth it.

Tomorrow I leave town for the annual Jacobs fishing trip. My father and all of the boys on that side of the family head to the middle of a lake and put hooks in the mouths of fish for 3 and half days. We will be fishing in Gunisao, which is 250 miles north of Winnipeg in Manitoba, Canada. The lake is 16 miles long with 75 islands and, according to Budd's Gunisao Lake Lodge, "The accommodations are excellent and the food is delicious." Thanks for the info Budd.

After doing a little surfing, I have learned that this lake is nothing short of famous for the quality and quantity of fish it produces. Take a look at this feature from National American Fish & Game. Those guys look hardcore. The last couple trips I took with the family were relatively wimpy. We still went out in two-man boats but we finished each day on a houseboat with a cook and Satellite TV. We weren't really roughing it. Now, I'll be sloshing around with the big guns, but I will not be wearing any camo. Also, I still plan on watching Dead Man on my Powerbook when we make it back to the lodge.

I am looking forward to this trip. I'm not really into fishing, but I'm definitely into Canada, sitting on a lake, and spending time with the family. All of that should add up to a good time.

The part of the trip I'm most looking forward to is the return of my digital camera. As I've mentioned, the camera went back for repairs. It is now in my hands again and I hope I get another two good years out of it. At that point, it'll be time for a digital SLR.

I return on Tuesday night. I can pretty much guarantee there will be no posting between now and then as Gunisao Lake is unlikely to have wireless internet. Of course, you never know these days.

Update: I was supposed to leave at noon. Due to unforeseen circumstances, I will now have to leave at 7am. Blaaaaaaa.

Today has been extremely annoying already. I rarely allow my days to be annoying, but today I am annoyed. I even had trouble enjoying a nice lunch with my pall Charles. The non-Jew job has been giving me a little stress lately, and if I'm getting stressed out you know there is a problem. I cleared a few things up this afternoon, so things are better, but my brain is still swimming a bit.

The one really nice thing is that I developed four rolls of film yesterday and they look great. There are photos from the BBQ this weekend, the West Wash Blog Pool Party, Father's Day and a Staten Island Yankees game. Lots of good stuff for the photo section.

This weekend I will be heading out to Gunisao in Canada for the yearly Jacobs Boys fishing trip. I'm excited. Fishing isn't exactly my bag, but it's nice to spend time with family, especially on a tranquil lake in the middle of nowhere. Although I just got back from vacation not so long ago, I could really use another one.

Tonight I went for my first bike ride in a really long time. When I went home last week I made sure to bring my bike back with me. When I was at school in Madison I would ride my bike almost every day. Often I woiuld ride to class and sometimes I would just hop on it and ride around the city.

For my first ride in a while, I thought I'd go over to Prospect Park and enjoy nature in the big city. There is a big loop around the park that gives you a nice view of everything. I entered the loop at the top and made my way around. I was planning on once around and then back to grab some dinner. Apparently, my subconcious wasn't ready to finish up after once around as I missed my exit and kept going. This was a good thing as I needed the exercise.

The park is beautiful. This is my first time making it all the way in and there is so much good stuff going on. I found out they do outdoor films with music every Thursday at the bandshell this summer. This Thursday you can see Creature from the Black Lagoon in 3D with live music by The Jazz Passengers. Fridays you can see music. This week is Stephen Malkmus. There's plenty else going on, see for yourself.

I plan on making bike riding a regular thing here in NYC. Running is boring but I need to get my body moving. Today I went about ten miles and I feel really good. If you want to go on a ride, let me know. I'm down.

Today has been busy. I am having a BBQ. If you're in NY and you're a friend then you know about it. If not, you'll see pictures on the blog as soon as I have time to develop/scan them.

Now, start the grill.

I am currently watching the Cubs game on mlb.com's Gameday app. It is a java app that let's you see a version of the game. ESPN has one as well but I think it's inferior in both quality and usabilty. Here is what it looks like (click on it for the full-size image):

The amount of information they're able to pack in there makes it really nice to watch. I would say it's better than the real thing but it's incredibly difficult to convey emotion through statistics. I think with the onset of widescreen televisions we may see dual-screen setups that have this sort of thing on one side and a live view on the other. That would be truly amazing.

The only bad thing about this system is that the Cubs are currently losing 4-1 in the middle of the 4th. No amount of technology can fix the jinx on the Cubs.

Update: Also, it is nearly real time while ESPN and Yahoo are both as much as a half an inning off. Go MLB.com.

It's lunchtime, which means I must do something completely and totally unproductive. Today's event is watching movie trailers. Here are several I viewed followed by my thoughts and reactions.

Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights
Seriously, what's this all about. It makes no reference to the original movie but it's fairly obvious there is some sort of tie-in. And this was in the trailer, "Her life is about rules. His life is about freedom." Give me a break. Next.

S.W.A.T.
This is the newest from the new Jerry Bruckheimer, Neal H. Moritz. He is the "genius" who brought us XXX, The Fast and the Furious, Cruel Intentions and I Know What You Did Last Summer. I would write him off at this point, except he also produced Greg the Bunny, my favorite show that only lasted a few episodes. Anyway, this movie looks like J.U.N.K.

Peter Pan
Peter Pan is back and it actually looks really good. They are totally playing up the sexual tension between Peter and Wendy, which is cool. Is it wrong to think a 13-ish year old girl is cute? Don't answer that. Oh, and they use Coldplay as the music for the trailer. Looks exciting to me.

The Cat in the Hat
Okay. I love Dr. Suess. He is a genius and not a "genius." So, why do they keep making all of his books into fairly boring movies? Also, why do said movies kill careers? Look at Jim Carrey. After the Grinch, it was all downhill. Now Mike Myers might be on the same path. Don't do it Mike, I like you. Well, if you're into pastels and hidden jokes for adults, you'll probably be less annoyed by this.

The Medallion
Jackie Chan: go back to Hong Kong. America no longer knows how to take advantage of your talents. You are funny and you know how to fight. Don't let them make you do engrish jokes all the time. I like the Rush Hour movies, but Brett Ratner is a good director (and I'm surprised he hasn't gotten more work). Trust me, take all of your cash and leave the States.

There are more, and actually a couple good movies, but I'm going to go back to doing real work now. Whee? No.

About freaking time. My favorite show from the UK is finally getting its US premiere on FOX. Banzai! The show is amazing. Fox gives a pretty good description on their site:

I'm telling you, it is so much fun, especially with a big group of people. You have to see it!

Further Reading
harrumph! Anil Dash

Okay, so you get to help me figure this out. I definitely need some help. Currently, I am using my cell phone from Chicago that uses Cingular for service. In Chicago, Cingular is a TDMA network while in New York they are on a GSM network. This means that I get spotty and confusing service while in the city. I need to get a new phone because my current phone has a totally pooped battery, a dying screen and a dying speaker. I am pretty sure I'm going to get the Sony Ericsson t610/616 (same phone, two names), but it might not make the most sense given the cost ($200-300). Also, my contract with Cingular is not up until November.

Now the problem is that if I get another Cingular phone here in NYC then I have to get a new number and use Cingular's horrible GSM network (from what I've heard). The number wouldn't be a big deal if I wasn't planning on moving back to Chicago in a year.

So, I have come up with a few options. Please pick the one you think is best.

1. Buy the t616 from Cingular for $200 (I think, might be $300) here in NYC. This means I will have to deal with the crappy service and number changing issue. I don't really like this option or any option that includes buying something from Cingular NY.

2. Buy the t616 from Cingular in Chicago. I would keep the same number but I would be forced to deal with the network problems I've been having since my phone will be built for a different network.

3. Buy the t610 unlocked for $300 here in New York and sign up for a one year plan with T-Mobile. This means I would have to continue to pay my contract at Cingular until November and would still be forced to get a new number. The bonus is that I would have good service in both cities and the phone is unlocked so I could use it with another carrier in a year.

4. Buy a cheap/free phone from Cingular in Chicago and deal with the problems until I get back home in a year. This way, I'll be in the same situation I have no but will have a fully functional phone. On the downside, I'll have a phone that will not have all the features I have waited months for. This is the safe option.

So I'm sure there are other options but those are the ones I came up with. I think my current order of preference is 2,4,3,1. Tell me what you think. PLEASE!

As I test out TypePad, I will also be posting at my TypePad weblog. I'm guessing it's going to be somewhat Livejournal-ish, but read this post and you'll understand a little better.

While IMing with a friend I began to wonder the birth of our modern definition of cool. Then, I stumbled upon this explanation at dictionary.com.

I love language.

For the past three and a half months at Job #1, I have been forced to bring in my laptop to work everyday. This is because our CMS only works on PCs (something worth discussing on its own) but my company wouldn't spring for a copy of Photoshop. Today, I finally got a brand new laptop with a brand new copy of Photoshop 7. This means that I will no longer need my Powerbook at work. Finally, no more schlepping. My only concern is that I won't have access to my RSS feeds at work anymore. Of course, maybe that's better in the long run. I might actually get some work finished.

The laptop is very nice so far. It's a Dell Latitude D600 and has not yet caused any problems in the first two hours. I'm hoping this trend will continue, but I think it's a little early to make that sort of prediction. It's going to be weird working in a Windows world again. I haven't been forced to use a Windows box for a few years, but I don't mind it. As much as I love OS X, it's nice to have access to a whole new crop of programs, especially the open source ones.

And now, I should do that not-procrastinating thing I was talking about. It will be strange doing actual work.

One of the things I did at home was get a new Honda Element (my family is in the car biz, for the uneducated). The car is nothing short of amazing. The outside look takes some getting used to, but the inside s so functional it wouldn't matter if you thought the thing was the ugliest car ever. Personally, I like the styling at this point. It's very Japan. It is being referred to as "The Box."

My favorite feature is the auxilary audio link. It allows me to plug my iPod into the stereo via a 1/8" plug. The sound is a lot better than using a tape deck converter, especially when I use the line-out from the dock. I also love the way the seats fold up, the amazing turn radius, and the variety of storage options.

So that you can share in my joy, I put together a collection of Element photos for you. It is worth noting that I put this together using a beta version of TypePad and it was incredibly easy to do. In fact, I realized I did more than was needed. I like it.

I took a little quiz at SelectSmart.com to see which candidates match with my political point of view. I don't think you can represent your views in multiple choice questions, but it's not too far off from what I was expecting. For instance, I'm a huge fan of Russ Feingold and they put him further down than I had expected. You should go there and read through all of the biographies of the candidates as it gives pretty good rundowns (available after completing the quiz). Here are my top fifteen. They listed twenty-seven, some of whom haven't declared their candidacy.

1. Kucinich, Cong. Dennis, OH - Democrat (100%)
2. Kerry, Senator John, MA - Democrat   (88%)
3. Gephardt, Cong. Dick, MO - Democrat   (85%)
4. Green Party Candidate   (85%)
5. Moseley-Braun, Former Senator Carol IL - Democrat   (82%)
6. Dean, Gov. Howard, VT - Democrat   (80%)
7. Lieberman Senator Joe CT - Democrat   (78%)
8. Jackson, Cong. Jesse Jr., IL - Democrat   (77%)
9. Leahy, Patrick Senator, Vermont - Democrat   (75%)
10. Edwards, Senator John, NC - Democrat   (72%)
11. Sharpton, Reverend Al - Democrat   (71%)
12. Biden, Senator Joe, DE - Democrat   (69%)
13. Feingold, Senator Russ, WI - Democrat   (68%)
14. Graham, Senator Bob, FL - Democrat   (67%)
15. Kaptur, Cong. Marcy, OH - Democrat   (61%)

Howard Phillips got a whopping 5% and G.W. Bush got 23%. He is dumb.

I've been gone and I owe you a big update. That will come later tonight or tomorrow, but until then I will provide you with a short list of things that happened this last week:

• I drove from NYC to Chicago in one day.
• I got a haircut. Summer 'do.
• I helped my sister move into her new apartment in Chicago.
• I hung out with my little cousins from NYC, who were in Chicago for the weekend.
• I attended the West Wash Pool Party in West Bloomfield, MI. It was amazing.
• I drove back to New York in a new Honda Element. (Pictures coming soon)
• I decided I will definitely be buying a pinball machine when I settle down somewhere.
• I twisted my ankle and I blame you.

By the way, I am in Chicago right now. I'll be out of town until Sunday so expect posting to be scattered. I do some things to say though. Stay tuned.