Andrew's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This week's entry is from Andrew whose biggest pet peeve, like Monica from 'Friends', seems to be animals dressed as humans.

Living in New York City exposes you to a lot of freaks - there's no other way to put it. Over the past 6+ years that I've lived in Manhattan, I've seen it all. Everything from a peeing one-legged homeless man wearing a pinwheel hat to an obese woman eating a hoagie, screaming "Your life is going to end on Tuesday!!!" One can assume that these people suffer from severe psychological issues, out casted from society as a result of drugs, alcohol, chemical imbalances, or just crap luck. With nearly 9 million people in New York City, it's safe to assume at least 1% are clinically insane based on my flawless computations.

But what about the rest? Among the remaining 99% are your fine-dressed business men in Armani suits, your upper-east side elderly woman with too much makeup and money, and your 20-somethings barely scraping by on $30k a year. Lurking among these remaining 99% are the truly insane, primarily because they don't know that they are insane. They're the ones who you should be afraid of - the most insane of the bunch. And the only way to recognize them is to look for a dog leash.

I'm, of course, speaking of pet-owners who dress up their dogs.

These (mostly) women strut down 5th Avenue staring downward with egotistical grins at their miniature pet pooches, using the streets as a catwalk - nay dogwalk - for Fido. It's just sick. Odds are you've seen it everywhere yourself. Raincoats, sweaters, tu-tus, diamond-encrusted collars, trench coats, hoodies (yes, hoodies), Yankee attire, top hats, boots, sneakers, even sandals. With so many people in New York starving and in need of fresh clothing, it's a travesty to see dogs with brains the size of acorns walking around in expensive garb. Even the moral compass of New York, the recently-deceased Leona Helmsley, suffered from this severe affliction of cancerous insanity. She left $12M to her dog!

Beyond just the utter waste of money, the dog has no idea what's going on, likely forgets it's even wearing something, doesn't need clothing to begin with, and looks like an utter tool. The cons overwhelmingly outweigh any sort of benefit. Yet, in the mind of the deeply troubled owner - it all makes sense. Gladiator sandals and a beret on a chihuahua are the true signs of deep emotional problems, shrouded in costume.

Now don't get me wrong, I love animals, and I understand the psychology behind wanting them to be the center of attention. I have two dogs back at my family's home on Long Island. Janie, our 12-year old golden retriever absolutely adores strutting around au naturale. And Jasmine, my 7-year old maltese? She's perfectly content as the 110% overweight animal that she is; she doesn't need to cover up her belly that hangs on the floor. Though, recently things took a turn for the worse when I returned home to find my mother slipping a yellow raincoat on our maltese before a walk in the rain. I watched in horror as the dog stared forward in confusion and nervousness, wondering what the hell was going on. I said nothing. I immediately got on the next train to New York City, knowing full well that my mother had turned and was unable to be saved.

Bleak, Andrew. Bleak.

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Megan's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This week's entry is from frequent flier, Megan, who shares her disdain for unreasonable airline requests.

I experience seat anxiety whenever I get on a plane. One of my greatest fears is being trapped in one place for several hours, becoming very sleepy, and not being able to sleep. (I am not one of you lucky people who can fall asleep anywhere, at any time, standing on your head). Thus, I am always afraid that either a) my seat won't recline for some reason or b) the person behind me will make a stink about it. I have always operated on the assumption that you are allowed to recline your seat--otherwise they wouldn't recline, right? People always get slightly pissed off when the person in front of them does it, but social norms usually prevent them from saying anything. At the end of the day, not being able to sleep when you are exhausted is far more excruciating than not being able to put your laptop screen completely upright.

Luckily for me, I never had anyone actually attempt to prevent me from reclining my seat until very recently, when the man behind me shoved my seat forward with his hands and shouted that his legs were "too long." I was caught completely off guard so I complied, but then proceeded to fume about it for the rest of the flight. I eventually decided to be passive aggressive and just reclined my seat in tiny increments, so that he couldn't be sure what I was doing. But the anger has stayed with me. If I had been alone I would have been fine being that jerk who told him he was free to get reseated/cut his knees off/just deal, but I was with friends and didn't know what their expectations were about airline seat reclining. So I decided to take a poll.

It turns out that most people assume you are allowed to recline your seat, but don't like it when the person in front of them does it. Kind of like how you hate pedestrians when you are driving and hate cars when you are walking. But I was surprised to find that I had a couple of friends who believe that seat reclining is one of the rudest things you can possibly do, and that we as a society have an obligation to reverse this insidious trend. This only made me more curious, so I decided to go to the top and started asking flight attendants.

After much exhaustive research, I am happy to report that there is, in fact, a definitive answer to this age-old question: IT IS ALWAYS THE RIGHT OF THE PASSENGER TO RECLINE HER SEAT. SEAT-RECLINING BENEFITS COME WITH THE PRICE OF THE TICKET. In fact, airline seats are meant to all be reclined during the flight like dominoes, and the vast majority of passengers recline their seats. Check it out next time you fly. The only time your seat must be upright is during takeoff and landing. But what about those freakishly tall people, you ask? Well, they can book ahead of time and make sure they get the aisle. I should not have to accommodate them via torturous sleep deprivation. If they are over 6'8" and still managed to book the middle seat for themselves, they can ask a flight attendant to re-seat them behind someone else who enjoys sitting upright for seven hours at a time.

Some of you may have experienced an instance where the flight attendant asked you to put your seat up because the person behind you complained. At the end of the day, you should always do everything the flight attendant tells you to do--please don't get yourself arrested. But that doesn't mean you can't politely decline first. And if he actually makes you keep your seat up, feel free to get him fired.

So seat recliners of the world- unite! What you can do and what you should do are certainly different things, but know that the final decision is yours. Don't the let misguided airplane etiquette fanatics mislead you--the relief of your exhaustion trumps their preference for watching movies. And honestly, very few people's legs are actually that long.

I am going to go recline my seat now.

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Sean's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This week's entry comes from Sean, who gives us an inside look at the upcoming Fall television schedule.

Another summer, another TCA. What is TCA, you might ask? TCA stands for the Television Critics Association and twice a year all the TV critics gather at the Ritz in Los Angeles for what really boils down to a two week press conference. Each of the networks is given a day or two to have panel discussions on whatever they choose. This usually turns out to be mostly new shows as well as a few returning shows. I am here to give you the highlights from this past session which ended with NBC’s presentation on Monday... and when I say highlights, really it’s just from what I have read on www.tvguide.com, www.ew.com and from talking to my TV publicist friends. Because of the writers strike most of the networks are sort of re-launching the returning shows that they launched last year.

Let’s try to pick a standout show from each network. As far as new shows, ABC’s most high profile newcomer is a series called Life on Mars. It’s a British import that just relocated to NYC – so be on the lookout! In Life on Mars, a detective in 2008 is hit by a car while chasing a criminal – and finds himself in 1973 when he wakes up, where he apparently is still a detective in NYC? Sounds weird but it’s getting a lot of buzz and apparently the British version was great. Catch it Thursday’s at 10pm ET, right after Grey’s!

FOX probably has the MOST buzzed about new show this Fall – Fringe, coming straight to us from the genius that is JJ Abrams. I think the pilot is being re-tooled but my “source” tells me that it’s kind of like Indiana Jones meets The X-Files. I mean, JJ is amazing. I will watch it. Go to www.fox.com to check out the homepage – it’s cryptic and creepy. Catch Fringe Tuesdays at 9pm ET on FOX.

Also noteworthy for FOX is the return of Joss Whedon, the brilliant* mind behind Buffy, Angel and Firefly. Whedon brings us Dollhouse starring Eliza Dushku in a series about a lab that assigns tasks to its various residents, who then have their memories erased after the task is completed. Dollhouse is midseason and will start some time in January on FOX.
*I have never seen an episode of any of his former shows but apparently they are amazing.

NBC’s most noteworthy new show, simply because of the talent, would have to be another foreign import – this time from Australia – Kath & Kim. It stars Molly Shannon and Selma Blair as a mother and daughter duo who are crazy and funny. This in itself is funny because Shannon is 43 and Blair is 36… do the math. Also a noteworthy show because apparently Molly Shannon’s shorts were inappropriately short at TCA. Kath & Kim is on Thursdays at 9:30pm ET/PT.

The CW has a bunch of newcomers but clearly the most important is the new 90210! It stars Aunt Becky from Full House in the Carol Walsh role plus a lot of hot newbies. Jennie Garth returns as Kelly – she is now the guidance counselor at West Beverly. Tori Spelling is back as Donna – she owns a boutique in Hollywood. AND…Shannen Doherty is back as Brenda! Now a famous stage actress (from LONDON??), she comes back to direct the spring musical. Plus Kelly’s mom (random) and Nate make cameos as well. Catch 90210 Tuesdays at 8:00pm ET/PT on The CW.

Do we even care about CBS? I don’t. Except for Survivor. But only because I want to be on it.

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Matt's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This week's entry is from my friend Matt who is a huge nerd and is writing about Comic Con. Yikes.

About a year ago, someone close to me who we'll just call… I dunno "Pat," outed me as a nerd in some silly blog that he writes. (If you've met me at all, this shouldn't come as a shock.) The entry described my preparations for the annual Geek-a-palooza known as the San Diego Comic Con. Yes, you may scoff and imagine a bunch of dorks in their parents' basements, looking at old comics on a folding table, but I'm taking this Summer Friday to disprove such myths before the 2008 SDCC takes place next week on July 24-27. (And no I'm not going this year, but if someone out there wants to sponsor me as a Make A Wish Child, I am willing to do dirty, horrible, depraved things to get there. Seriously, ask Pat for my contact info).

MYTH #1: "Only Nerds Go To Comic Con"

While, for the most part, this may be true (I always say I feel better about myself after going to Comic Con), Comic Con has evolved into a gathering celebrating a variety of pop culture. Comics aside, you can find booths dedicated to video games, film and television, and anything collectible really. This draws in a broader demographic than you'd think- granted the majority is made of geeks, but whatever! Shut up. For instance last year my best friend, who doesn't read comics, went because she wanted to see celebrities. Yes, big names such as Angelina Jolie, Jessica Alba, and Steve Carrell have attended (Personally I'm still holding out for Britney or at least the sextuplets from Jon and Kate Plus 8). Bottom line, over 125,000 people went last year. At least one of them could be someone you know and love…

MYTH #2: "Comic Con Takes Place In A Hotel Lobby"

Unlike some pathetic imitators (I'm talking to you New York Comic Con), the SDCC fills the San Diego Convention Center to capacity. It's the largest dork convention of them all. I can only describe what goes on in it like visiting Disneyland. On top of that, it's set in the Gaslamp District of San Diego, known for it's great restaurants and nightlife. For this week and this week only, you can go to the hottest club dressed as a Stormtrooper and cut in front of scantily-clad women. Seriously, they have signs that say, "The force is strong in this club," or "Serving drinks only Superman could handle." (EDITOR'S NOTE FROM PAT: I gagged a little.)

MYTH #3: "I'm Not A Nerd. Comic Con Doesn't Affect Me"

WRONG! TV Shows like Heroes and Lost debuted their uncut pilots here, to the fervor of fanboys everywhere. Millions of viewers later heard the buzz and set their TiVos. 300 and Iron Man both released exclusive teaser trailers, which again generated buzz, and made millions of dollars for the movie studios. Beyond Hollywood, the rest of the world has taken notice of the impact of Comic Con. When I got back from the Con last year, my theater friends bombarded me with questions about Sweeney Todd at Comic Con. (Sorry guys. Something tells me Mamma Mia! won't be presenting anything this year).

At the end of the day, the San Diego Comic Con probably is made for nerds, but I don't care how cool you are. Even if you have a twinge of nerdiness in you, I say embrace it, and if you have the means, attend Comic Con. (Or at least pay attention to the news coverage telling you how next year's Watchmen movie is going to kick ass!)

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Brian's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This one is from Brian and is all about robots. Seriously.

New York City is filled with wonders and curiosities that never cease to amaze. There are those special moments however, when one happens upon something in the city that resonates so deeply in their soul, they are stopped in their tracks. I recently had said experience last weekend when I found myself gazing past the window display of a store I had come across and the wonders contained behind its plate glass façade. What was this magical place you ask? Well, it is my new favorite retail find on this utopian island of mine know as AC Gears. A treasure trove of gadgets, gizmos, doodads, and thing-a-ma-beeps that could cause a person like myself to lose countless hours of their life. Wide-eyed and memorized, I began to scan the offerings and instantly fell in love with everything that I touched. But what really got the ink inside the pens in my pocket protector boiling was the assortment of robots. Yes, robots… Why, because I am in love with robots… There I said it, and I feel better.

Ever since R2D2 first beeped and glipted at me through the 9” black & white TV I had in my room when I was four, robots have held a special place in my heart. Through their portrayal in TV shows and movies robots teach us about humanity, the human condition, and ourselves. These lessons are all relegated to the role of the robots in science fiction as we have yet to experience what it would be like to have a free-thinking companion made of metal with an off switch in real life. Nonetheless, these lessons are some of the best of my life, and would have been impossible to communicate in such a unique way without the dynamic characteristics of the robot.

In addition, to keep it simple... and not so deep, robots are just plain cool! They look cool, they move cool, they talk cool, and they can generally do cool stuff that we can’t. Robots make me feel like a kid again, which makes sense seeing how my parents bestowed upon me any robot toy that they could get their hands on. From actions figures to 2 ½ feet tall remote control programmable robots – I had them all. (thanks mom and pop) Which leads me back to AC Gears.

The store has a great selection or robots for the grown up kid. The crown jewel of this assortment is PLEN, a desktop hobby robot that roller skates and skate boards. PLEN commands a high price of $2,499.99 but with only 50 produced in the world so far it is easy to see why: He is programmable via bluetooth and is sure to offer countless hours of entertainment.

If PLEN is a little out of your price range AC Gears also carries a unique collection of electronics, and “limited run gadgets,” which are sure to make the Geek Squad at Best Buy jealous. So reconnect with your inner dork and pay AC Gears a visit at 69 E. 8th Street in NYC or online at www.acgears.com. The robots will thank you.

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Happy Independence Day!

No Summer Friday today!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Pierce's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This week my good friend, Pierce, shares some cool, unknown information about New York City. Enjoy!

I'd like to tell you a little story of my youth. I came to New York City in 1997 to study at university. It was four years of walking around the West Village, never going past Avenue A and breaking up with my boyfriend because he lived a whole 20 blocks away from me. It was one of those isolated school experiences you didn't expect at a New York school. But, as soon as I graduated I fell in love with New York. I get a sense of satisfaction finding out fun facts and little tidbits about this city. There will always be occasions where you can say "I bet you didn't know this about NYC?" and start spewing out random facts and look like a pompous fool. I do it all the time. So as my gift to you, I offer two sites that will help you on your way to becoming a New York nerd (atomic wedgies sold separately).

The first site is Forgotten NY. It's got a ton of information on a wide range things New York. You might not know that, along with the elevated train and subway, New York had an old trolley system (it may be a San Francisco treat, but not for the hardcore New Yorker).

What about this gem? You may notice that all of the street signs are green with white lettering, but that's not how is always was. Before 1964 you could tell which borough you were in just by looking at the street sign. If you encountered a blue street sign with white letters, you'd have known to get the hell out of there… fast!

Here's a useful tip to all you park goers: if you're in Central Park and you need to know what cross street you're at, run to the nearest light post and look for a small metal plate with 4 numbers. The first 2 numbers will tell you your cross street.

Also, did you know that there use to be a K line in the NYC subway system? Crazy, huh? It was part of the current A/C/E (blue) line. It was kind of a mix between the C and E line (even though both lines existed alongside the K). It ran from the World Trade Center up to 168th Street in Manhattan. It looks like redundancy is what finally killed it.

Speaking of subways, I'm in love with New York subway system. It may be dirty, hot and smells of urine from time to time, but it gets me everywhere I need to be in this city (except it failed Pat and me during our scavenger hunt). It's so chaotic, yet beautifully organized. It's efficient, but frustrating at the same time. This is why I offer you NYCSubway. This site seriously has a wealth of information about that trains you ride for an hour everyday. From old subway maps to new subway cars to new new subway lines, this site has most of it. It even humors those New Jersey folk with some information on the PATH train. That's so cute.

So the next time someone says, "Oh my God, did you see Ironman? It was so awesome!", you can reply, "You know what's even more awesome? Our subway system. I bet you didn't know that there was an 18th Street stop on the 4/5/6 line. Yeah. Between 1904 and …." Unfortunately, you'll find that you'll be talking to yourself or your rum and coke after 5 minutes.

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Eric's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. This week my buddy Eric is writing about one of my all-time favorite TV shows! Check out Eric's post:

A new obsession has taken over my Tivo. I rarely watch TLC except for the occasional Flip That House because I am obsessed with real estate, but thats another blog. About two months ago I discovered the show Jon & Kate Plus Eight. This show is probably the most addicting thing I have ever encountered in my life. And that includes Taco Bell....mmmm...Taco Bell...

Jon and Kate Gosselin are a fertility experiment that has gone crazizle. About 7 years ago, having difficulty getting pregnant, Kate and Jon, with help from good ol' modern medicine, had twin girls, Maddie and Cara. About one second after birth, it was discovered that they actually just had Maddie but Cara came along to be Maddie's personal assistant. Watch this show and you will see the truth. Maddie is a bitch. I guess I shouldn't call a seven year old a bitch but it is true.


Direct quote from Maddie after she was picked last to be in the family talent show: "I don't care because I am going to be better than anything you all could ever do."

And Cara is somewhere off camera, in bad lighting and with no mic. Seriously, you NEVER see her. She never has anything interesting to say and nobody even wants to hear her. Look at the promo pic above. That has not been doctored at all. Well...maybe a little.

The real bread and butter of this show are the sextuplets. Six babies....BORN AT ONCE.

Okay...so they are very cute and some of the things they say are so adorable and priceless. Take Joel for example. You couldn't plan this:



I also love Aaden and Leah, who are best friends, no matter what the Snow Beast (or Hannah as they call her) tries to do. Seriously, don't you think that Snow Beast is going to grow up to be Khloe Kardashian. Watch this:



I could go on and on about this show, but I really encourage that you check it out for yourself. I promise that you will become addicted. What makes the show so great is that it is so realistic. Jon and Kate yell at each other and are maybe not the best parents all the time. They are doing the best that they can with cameras in their faces all the time. And just sit back and think.... 8 kids.....everyday.

I will leave you with this last video of their recent appearance on the Today Show. I cannot BELIEVE that Patrick did not stalk them. Ugh.



You can read more from from Eric on his blogs Philly Tri Guys or Eric on a Diet.

If you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Carolyn's Summer Friday

Every Friday between Memorial Day and Labor Day I'm going to be featuring "guest bloggers" as a part of my "Summer Fridays" series. My first guest blogger is someone you have seen here before... It's my vlog partner, Carolyn!

everyone knows i am a lover of tv and boy do i love a good commercial…not necessarily for the filming or editing but for the music!

i have been obsessing and i mean obsessing to find this commercial to share. when i saw it i was in awe and the music blew me away. i of course scribbled down the name and couldn’t read my own handwriting. but i finally found it and i still love it.

the commercial is for National Grid. The song is by Melanie Horsnell and she rocks. check it out:



i am loving, loving, loving this jcpenny commercial. i actually like the entire concept and the song rocks. it is called “get lucky” and is by dragonette. check it out:



Do you have a favorite commercial of the moment? How much does the music in a commercial impact consumers? Leave a comment!

You can read more from Carolyn on her blog Serendipity and Spark! And if you have something you'd like to write about just let me know, and you might be the next Summer Friday blogger!

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Summer Fridays

I'm gonna try a new thing on my blog this summer called "Summer Fridays." I'm lucky enough to work at a company that lets me get out uber early on Fridays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, so I thought I would carry that idea over on to my blog.

Each Friday this summer I'm going to take a "day off" of sorts and have a guest blogger write something of their choice. Lazy? Perhaps. But, I think it will be a fun addition for the summer and will provide a new and interesting voice for the readers.

So... Do you wanna write something? Do you know a cool website that other people should check out? Have you seen a new movie or listened to a new CD that you want to share? Is there something fun or interesting on your mind that you want to spit out? Bring it on! If you're interested in writing about something- anything- shoot me and email or leave a comment and we'll be in touch.

Thanks!
P