Garfield and more....

I've got a new favorite blog I think everyone should check out. It's called 'Garfield minus Garfield' and it features the classic Jim Davis comic strip with one minor adjustment, no Garfield. Strangely enough, when you remove Garfield from the mix, it makes Jon look increasingly insane. This new comic is dark and sometimes earily depressing. The person responsible for this latest adaptation is unnamed, but sums up his (or her) work in the following paragraph: "Who would have guessed that when you remove Garfield from the Garfield comic strips, the result is an even better comic about schizophrenia, bipolor disorder, and the empty desperation of modern life? Friends, meet Jon Arbuckle. Let’s laugh and learn with him on a journey deep into the tortured mind of an isolated young everyman as he fights a losing battle against lonliness in a quiet American suburb." -Awesome. This is why the internet rocks.

While we are discussing Garfield, you might want to tune into youtube.com for a series of great Garfield inspired videos. Every video features a live action version of a Garfield comic strip, followed by a cheesy laugh track and most are followed by a music video of some sort. It's one of the worst, yet funniest things I've seen on the internet to date. You can see all 28 by going to http://youtube.com/user/lasagnacat. If not, at least enjoy the sample below, it's one of my favorites.

Vomit on the 1 train.

We had a great night, jumping from bar to bar throughout the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This visit from Joe was too short. It was a classic 'Joe' night. We've had a lot of memorable nights, with countless stories to go along with them, but this one was up there on the list, next to Eric Thill's graduation party of course, and New Years Eve at my house senior year. It's awesome to know that ten years later we're still able to party like we were in high school. It wasn't the most responsible of nights, which was also good. If I were responsible I would've been at home resting or doing work of some sort, but instead, I was out on the town enjoying a variety of bands, bars, and beers. A three hour trek home is two and a half hours longer than it should be, but there was no way I could've known the difference. Still, this was easily one of my favorite nights in NYC so far.

Days off are fun.

I started the afternoon by heading down to Times Square to see Cloverfield. I intended on seeing this last week, but didn't have the opportunity until today. I loved this movie. Despite the obvious side effects of poor acting and motion sickness, this film blew my mind. Producer J.J. Abrams can't lose. I only hope he doesn't push his charm too far, similar to what writer/director M. Night Shamalan did, over saturating pop culture with his unique style. There is so much more to the story of Cloverfield that J. J. Abrams and his crew intentionally withheld from the audience, like the significant direct connection between the lead character, Rob, and the monster itself. Or the involvemend of the mysterious Tagruato Corp. and it's overly peppy subsidary Slusho Beverages. Anyway, if anyone wants to share theories on Cloverfield, I'm up for it. If you want to explore more Cloverfield conspiracies, here's the official site to explore.
After the movie, as I walked towards the 1 line subway station to head towards home, a guy in a 'worldwide pants' jacket approached me and offered me a seat for a taping of David Letterman. Having nothing else to do but laundry, I chose to accept. It was also a great show. I have no clean underwear, but I think I made the right choice. The experience was interesting. Watching all of that goes into a show like that each night was fascinating. The guests were alright, and I enjoyed the musical performance by the Redwalls. It all ended too quickly however. As quickly as I had been swept in off the street I was being booted back out.
After a quick stop for some New York pizza, I headed back home to relax. More fun days like this and I may have to consider staying longer.

Visit me in New York, or virtual New York at least.

I've got an odd new hobbie...

MTV has launched a new social networking site like myspace or facebook. It's nowhere near as complex or thorough as its competitors, but it has a few small advantages. Most importantly, much of it is intertwined with the virtual, 3D verion of the Manhattan neighborhood known as the Lower East Side. So you create a 3D version of you and go virtual bar hopping, meeting different people from all around the world as you go. The best part is that they've only developed about 3 blocks worth so far, and it happens to be my favorite three blocks. It includes most of my regular bars and venues such as the Cake-Shop, Katz Deli, and Pianos. Unfortunatly, the Motor City Bar is about 1/2 block outside of the developers limit. Hopefully that'll be open to explore soon. Either way, now everyone out there can explore all of the places I'm loving in NYC. It's pretty accurate too, so rest assured that if you learn your way around the virtual Lower East Side, you'll know you're way around when you come to visit. Each venue has it's own video soundtrack programmed to play randomly on the stage in the venue with eventual plans to broadcast live shows. Scary, but kinda cool.

This is a screenshot of my avatar hanging out in front of my favorite spot, the Cakeshop. Be sure to check out the venue in the basement if you get in. The record store in the back is pretty good too, unfortunatly you can't do much with it.

Check it out at www.vles.com. See you there.

This is a fun one...

For those of you who haven't kept up on my blogs, life in New York has been a roller coaster to say the least. Work is crazy one minute and fantastic the next, and my often recurring homesickness doesn't make things much better. Well, this past week has topped it off. After working a 16 hour day last Friday, I made the all too common mistake of leaving my dome light on in my car. Being in New York, I didn't see or use my car again until the following Monday, when of course I found it dead. So, after paying a towing company $40 to shock my mode of transportation to life again, I decided to add some oil. After completing this task I closed my hood, or so I thought, and headed for work. 10 minutes later as I pressed the gas pedal down while cruising on the scenic Sawmill River Parkway my hood made the suprising choice to open, violently. It cracked my windshield pretty badly, broke both side panels on the front end of my car, dented the roof, and the hood itself is wrinkled like a piece of paper. Will my crappy car insurance cover this incident? In the words of many New Yorkers, "Forget about it!" So there goes any fun I was going to have this winter. The good news is that noone was hurt during the incident, which could've been much worse. As it turns out, the latch that hooks onto the hood and holds it in place is in desperate need of some grease. Now I know. Lesson learned. See the pictures below and learn your lesson too.

ADOXOGRAPHY

ADOXOGRAPHY IS DEFINED AS “GOOD WRITING ABOUT A TRIVIAL SUBJECT.”

So that’s what I do. Adoxography. Awesome. Although, I still am not sure how to pronounce it.

Life has been different lately. I know I shouldn't be surprised, since my life seems to be in a constant state of change lately. Still, this felt really different, and I think it'll last.

It started just over a week ago when I traveled back to Detroit for my dad's ordination. (Remind me to tell you about the ordination and my Deacon dad later.) I arrived early Friday morning and was able to nap away most of my day. That evening my brother, who was in from South Carolina, my old roommate Dave and myself headed downtown to have dinner at Slows. I had let my friends know where I would be and when, and figured that whoever wanted to show could. It truly couldn't have been a cooler night. About a dozen or so friends showed up and after a short hour and a half wait, we were seated at n oversized table on the patio. It was a great mix of friends and family and I couldn't have enjoyed myself more. Thanks to everyone who came out. And hopefully those of you who couldn't make it might be able to when I visit again in early November.

The following day was dedicated to my dad's ordination and family events that would follow. I can't think of a time when I was more proud of my family. Every member from my sister to my Great Aunt Tree were impressive to me. I used to hate family events. When did I grow up? I had to leave early Sunday morning, which unfortunately meant I didn't get to attend some of the most important events of the weekend. I was more than satisfied with the time I had and can't wait to do it again.

I've returned to New York more confident and ready than ever. I'm more prepared to take on the city and my endlessly irritating job, ready to battle the world.

Side Note:
While I was in Detroit for the weekend, my dog Jake got to stay at a New York pet hotel. I upgraded his room from a standard to a 'vacation villa' which apparently meant that he got two rooms and a couch and a TV., "to make it feel more like home". I also added on the 'pampered pet package' which entitled him to one break a day from the playtime with the other dogs for ice cream treats, as well as designated 'cuddle time' and a bed time story. He didn't want to leave there when I tried to pick him up on Sunday. Again, awesome.

IRON MAN

This has been an extremely eventful week for me. In anticipation of my sisters’ arrival tomorrow, I've spent the week cleaning and preparing my apartment. Simultaneously, it seems I've inadvertently taken part in some serious self-observation. As many of you have pointed out, I am not at my best here in New York. This has definitely impacted me, increasing my personal home-sickness and anxieties. But this week has been different. While I started the week at one of my lowest points since my move, I feel that I am now successfully returning to my pre-move self. As my good friend Elayne pointed out after her visit, "I could tell that you aren't happy because your apartment isn't funky." So my goal this week; funkify my apartment. I've got some pretty sweet ideas to finish it too. I'll be creating some extremely cheap yet awesome artwork for the walls, and hope to find some creative lighting while I'm at it. So there's that. I'll feel more 'at home' in my apartment. The thought is that I'll be more optimistic and outgoing in general once this is done. Either way, it'll give me something to do other than concentrate on work all of the time.
I have also ordered myself a DVR box from my local cable company. They tell me it should be delivered within the next 2 days, which is fantastic considering that next week is a very big week for T.V. premieres. Heroes, Bionic Woman, Bones, House, Law and Order: SVU, and Journeyman are just a few of the season premiers this week. Meanwhile, my sister will be visiting from Detroit, so I would likely have missed all of them otherwise.
Speaking of Jenn's visit, I can't wait for her arrival tomorrow. This is truly the highlight of my month. I've had so much fun with the company I've had so far that I can only imagine what Jenn and I will find to do. We are already planning on seeing the play Pygmalion starring Claire Danes live on Broadway! Awesome. I know we'll have a great time.
Finally, I saw the 'Teaser Preview' for the new Marvel Comics flick Iron Man. Check it out below. If this is just the Teaser, I can't wait for the real thing. This movie is gonna ROCK! For those who don't remember, or never bothered to read the comic, the story is about Tony Stark. Tony is a billionaire alcoholic weapons designer. A series of events (cooler than the average comic strip story) lead Tony to give up alcohol and use his knowledge to create the ultimate weapon and fight evil doers. Throughout the years fans watched as the Iron Man suit evolved and developed as Tony added gadgets and technology. Judging by this preview, I don't think this film will let us down in that area. I can't wait for May.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhgzIM-9lfA

The future is here.

After writing my Back to the Future themed blog, I felt the need to rant about my displeasure with the direction science is taking our future.

It's actually been a pretty amazing year for science. There have been some major developments from scientists who clearly watched too much sci-fi as children (and likely still do). For example, this past year some science nerds in Denmark actually teleported an object a full 18 inches. That means that at some point in the future, we may easily be able to transport ourselves a full foot and a half. In my studio apartment that might actually get me halfway to the fridge from the couch... I'd take it. Now they've done it again. Engineers here in the US have created a laser rifle that can burn through a person with pinpoint accuracy from a five mile range. That's comforting. I'm sure that this is a technology that will catch on with the public. Why can't these guys spend their time on something useful like in home 'moving walkways' or flying cars? There aren't any hovering skate boards or talking holograms either. I'm fairly sure that scientists of today were watching the wrong shows as children. Unless some Jetsons fans show up in the science world real soon, the future is a very scary place.

Where's Michael J. Fox these days?

Have you heard the latest? Apparently, the DeLorean Motor Company is back from the past and ready to build cars again. All new DeLoreans to be released in 2008! Here's the odd thing; they haven't changed at all. At a surprising cost of $57,500, you can get yourself the exact same car Teenwolf drove back in the early '80s, without the flux capacitor of course.

A homesick feeling in my stomach... or maybe thats the ham sandwich I had for lunch.

I don't remember ever being in a place in my life where I long for the past. Until now. New York is amazing. I am a New Yorker now. I realize this more each time I venture out into the city.

The past few weeks have been amazing. April and Stanley and Elayne and Sylvia have all visited over the past couple weeks and we've had a ball. Visiting seedy spots like Coney Island or making friends at the Motor City Bar in SoHo was great. Broadway shows and Tigers games at Yankee Stadium all helped me to see why I miss Detroit, and what I miss about Detroit.

All the same, I'll have to head back to the Motor City Bar at some point soon. I'll buy a round of drinks for all of my friends back in Detroit. So please find a way if at all possible to stop by New York when you get a chance. I'll look forward to your visit. See ya then.

The benefits to being lonely.

Before moving from Detroit to New York, I expressed my fears to many of my family and friends. In one way or another I said that my primary fear was going somewhere where I knew noone. Everyone had the same response. "You'll meet new friends." Isuppose I should've specified that this was actually my biggest fear. The fear that I would make new friends. The fear that it would really be that easy, to move hundreds of miles away and just make new friends. If I could make new friends that quickly, what do my friendships really mean? Am I thinking too much? Absolutely. But, thankfully that hasn't been the case. After more than two months away from Detroit, I appreciate my friends more than ever. I now realize that even if/when I make new friends here in New York, they will never replace those friendships. So, I am finally taking some time off of work to hang out. I'm opening up and making friends comfortably, without fear. Still, I wish my friends from back home could be here with me. See you guys soon.

If only they'd taken me seriously.

When I was very young I often said things that would give everyone a good laugh. My family called them "Jerryisms". They were the type of things you'd expect to come from the Olsen twins or Webster. I remember one incident that occurred when I was 3 or 4. My mom had just served me a hot dog which I thought was too hot. I asked that she put it on the stove top and turn it off so it would cool down faster. This made perfect sense to me, if the stove heated things up when it was on, why wouldn't it cool them off when it wasn't? Of course I recieved an uproar of laughter in response, and the thought was dismissed as just another Jerryism. These things are still brought up now and again, and I'm truly not sure my family will ever let me live them down. Then today I came across an article about a 'new' invention from the laboratories of Whirpool Appliances. "The only oven that thinks like a refridgerator" they call it. An, "Innovative idea from Whirlpool". It's basically my idea. Some old nerd at Whirlpool is getting rich off of an idea I had as a toddler. I think this says a lot about me. I also think there is a lesson to be learned here. Might want to try cooling that hot dog again, mom.