Thank you, Old Man

Thank you, Old Man!

Today was the perfect day for you to back into my car with your Avalanche. What makes it even better is that...

1. Your shirt was on inside out.
2. You were backing out of a handicapped spot.
3. I was beeping at you to stop.
4. A woman was flailing her arms at you to get you to stop.
5. Your wife thought everything was funny, especially the rubber toy grenade on the ground about 20 yards away.
6. You couldn't provide insurance information.

Here's to faith in humanity.... please pay up, please....

Rules of Engagement

If slacking at blogging was skiing then I'd be first to the bottom of the mountain.

I'm not sure that made sense.

Well, the big news first: Barb & I are engaged! Woo-hoo!
Now, the 101 update:

8.) Get under 185lbs - I did. I'm currently at the 180 mark, which gives me some room to play with when it comes to #9 (remain under 185lbs). I'm not sure how to measure that because I think it's unfair that if I slip to 186 for a day it disqualifies the entire thing. Maybe I'll weigh in once a month and average it all out. Regardless, the first part is done.

35.) Send an (extremely weird, non-sensical) message in a bottle - I did. Over July 4th weekend Barb and I hosted Craig, Carla, Derby, and Erin down at her parent's place. At around midnight on Saturday, and a few drinks in, I whipped out my glass bottle, a pen, and a sheet of paper. I started the letter and proceeded to pass the note around in a circle until everyone added a few lines. I wish I transcribed it but I didn't. However, I know it included losing my virginity to the Beastie Boys, cherry picking, Neverland Ranch, and ended with "Dammit". Amazingly, we weren't lazy and walked down to the ocean and chucked it in for some very lucky person to find.

51.) Brew my own beer - I did. A few weeks ago I went over Jim's house and we went to the local home brew store. We picked out the ingredients we'd need for a nice Bavarian Wheat Beer and went back to his place to get started. I went back this past weekend to bottle it and can't wait for it to carbonate. Should be about 2 weeks before I tell you how good it is.

The Brewmaster himself:

54.) Cook 50 New Recipes - not quite there. So far I've made 38 out of 50, which is a tremendous pace. Being that some of these were made over July 4th weekend when I was in the midst of hosting / celebrating I got lazy and didn't bring my camera out. The real shame is not having a pic of the ahi because it featured the best damn grill marks I've ever made! At least I have eye witnesses.
Dijon Grilled Pork Chops:
Grilled Eggplant and Tomato:
BBQ Alaskan Salmon:
Corny Cous-Cous
Seared Ahi w/ Wasabi Vinaigrette over Baby Greens
Crispy Potato Cakes

62.) Re-learn CSS - I kinda did so I'm counting it. This was a goal of mine because I hope to go back to school for web design and/or programming. For those of you who don't know, CSS is a language similar to HTML that allows you to stylize and layout the content of your web site. It's like learning a new language, and is kind of tricky, but I would say I have the basics down. This past weekend I built our entire wedding site. It's currently not live, but once we confirm our reception site I'm going to post it.

65.) Learn 5 "popular" (read: recognizable) songs on the guitar - 2 of 5 - The Beatles - "Can't Buy Me Love". The chords aren't hard, but I'm terrible at deciphering strumming patterns. Luckily, I found the strumming pattern online and can play along to it now. If they posted strumming patterns along w/ every tab I'd be a happy guy.

73.) Compile a playlist of my favorite song each week for a year - added some more. This one always makes me realize how long it's been between 101 updates...
The Dodos - Fools
Don Lennon - Junior Year Abroad
Good Old War - Looking for Shelter
Maritime - Parade of Punk Rock T-Shirts
Passion Pit - Little Secrets

78.) Read 30 books by 30 different authors - 2 more added bring the total to 13 of 30. I believe both of these were recommended by one Jennifer Scanlon, and coincidentally, today is her birthday. Happy Birthday, Jen!
Ray Bradbury - Fahrenheit 451
Cormac McCarthy - The Road ... Honestly, this is one of the best books I've ever come across. I highly highly recommend it. Seriously.

94.) Photograph 5 sunrises in 5 different places - 1 of 5 done. I stayed up for the full 24 hours during Relay for Life and got the shot below. It's not the most stunning sunrise ever, but that's not part of the deal.
95.) Photograph 5 sunsets in 5 different places - 2 of 5 done. The first pic below is the sunset that came before the aforementioned sunrise. Again, nothing great but it counts. I'm also including a second one below it that I got on the 4th of July at LBI. It doesn't count towards my total because I already took one at LBI, but it's nice enough to include.
Some random photos from the past few weeks:

Long Island Wants to Secede

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Long Island Wants to Secede
thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Jason Jones in Iran

11pm-12am on Comedy Central = Best Hour of TV (when LOST isn't in season)

A Joke From Mom

Mrs. Kohler:

2 young brothers are in a convenience store. They bring a box of tampons up to the cashier. The man behind the counter says, "Boys, do you know what these are?"
The older boy: "No."
The cashier: "Are you buying them for your mom? Your sister?"
The older boy: "Nope."
The cashier: "Then why on Earth would you want to buy these?"
The older boy: "I'm buying them for my brother. On the box it says 'you can swim, ride a bike, and play tennis.' He can't do any of these things!"

She heard this joke in church.

Brad Pitt Stop

I'll copy and past the full article:

"Brad Pitt is accustomed to stopping passersby in their tracks. The Hollywood heartthrob's next job is slowing traffic in Siberia... or so Russian traffic police hope.

A Russian newspaper reports that cardboard cutouts of Pitt dressed as a traffic cop have been placed by the most dangerous intersections in the city of Omsk.

It's the latest move by authorities in their endless battle against speeding. Traffic accidents in Russia are among the highest in Europe.

The campaign seems to be working. Omsk officials say accidents are down as star-struck drivers ease off the gas to gaze at the unusual image."

Kodachrome

Some recent shots that don't have frames:

Burn, Baby, Burn

"Most of us can't rush around, talk to everyone, know all the cities of the world, we haven't time, money or that many friends. The things you're looking for are in the world, but the only way the average chap will ever see ninety-nine percent of them is in a book. Don't ask for guarantees. And don't look to be saved in any one thing, person, machine, or library. Do your own bit of saving, and if you drown, at least die knowing you were headed for shore."

- Faber, from "Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury

Obey 101

Some 101 updating is due:

54. I have now cooked 32 out of 50 recipes (can you tell I burn through a ton of charcoal and enjoy the taste of corn?):

Spicy Grilled Chicken
Grilled Sweet Potatoes
Curry Grilled Chicken
Grilled Pork with Avocado Salsa & Campfire Potatoes
Summer Vegetable Medley
55. There's not much I enjoy more than enjoying a beer in a brewery. It's like drinking milk straight from the nipple. I tackled my 2nd of 5 breweries while in Boston last week. After walking approximately 9 miles we stopped in to the Boston Beer Works outside of Fenway. Now, I know this falls on the wussy side of the beer line, but I went with a Watermelon Ale. I had to. I had never heard of such a thing, and I'll admit it was damn good and refreshing.
73. 3 more songs of the week... I can't believe I've been hacking at this list for more than half a year already...
Phoenix - 1901
Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire
The Church - Metropolis

75. I didn't report on this originally because I didn't even realize I did it, but a few months ago I checked out the University of Pennsylvania's Institute of Contemporary Art in Philly with Shu and Sheila. This past week, when I went to visit Jackie and Chris in Boston, we checked out Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art. It was pretty awesome because they had a Shepard Fairey exhibit entitled "Supply & Demand." Shepard Fairey is the guy behind the iconic Obama image seen everywhere during his campaign for President. They had the original on display, plus tons and tons of his "Andre the Giant Has a Possse" work. Yes, the same guy is behind both. It was a terribly inspiring and crushing exhibit to say the least. So... 75 = 2/5.

101. I was so close to fulfilling this one that it hurts. Damn you Ian Toth!!!!

Thank you Jackie.
Thank you Chris.
Thank you Dave, for driving.

Grand Slam

Congrats Mr. Federer. You finally did it.

Guitar Dog

"Among God's creations, two, the dog and the guitar, have taken all the sizes and all the shapes in order not to be separated from the man."

- Andres Segovia