Broadway in Bryant Park: Wk 4

So last week I totally forgot about Broadway in Bryant Park (and hence missed rocking out to The Lion King), BUT I remembered today and got to catch the very first movie I fell in love with: The Little Mermaid! (Don't even act like you don't know the words to the songs). Today we were also treated to Cirque Dreams (left), A Tale of Two Cities, In Transit and Altar Boyz. Below are some video clips from The Little Mermaid's performance, but first I'd like to say a few things:





-I wanted to hurt the lady with the yellow umbrella.
-I love the little boy who plays Flounder. That cutie can sing!
-I think I want to see Altar Boyz, a play about a Christian boy band. Their songs were hilarious (I included one clip from their performance at the end). Fave lyrics: "Jesus called me on my cell phone."
-I hope you know this is more for hearing pleasure than anything because the quality is pretty craptastic.






Part of Your World


Under the Sea


She's in Love


Altar Boyz

Newsflash

According to an article in today's amNew York, tourists are what's keeping NYC afloat during these hard times. The story starts by saying that "the city now generates the most tourism bucks in the country."

Go figure.

I also like how they included a little Tourist Etiquette sidebar in the paper.

Tourist DON'TS

As a born-and-raised New Yorker, I've grown up with a certain distaste for tourists. Few things annoy me more than a clueless out-of-towner blocking my way to point B. So I've compiled a little list I'd like to call "Tourist Do Not's:"


DO NOT take a picture of your beloved friends and family from 50 feet away. We will purposely walk into your shot (if we notice you that is) to prove to you how stupid this is.

DO NOT walk down the street hand in hand, taking up the whole sidewalk. Your chain, and spirits, will be broken.

DO NOT stop in the middle of the street to marvel at the height of our skyscrapers. Yes, the buildings are tall. Now move along or step aside.

DO NOT stop a rushing New Yorker (there's a redundant phrase) to ask for directions. I, for one, do not have time to figure out which way Madison Avenue is (especially after coming out of a train station; I barely know which way is up!). Therefore, I will point you into which ever way the wind blows and walk away.

DO NOT automatically flock to Times Square for all your sightseeing and chain-walking adventures. Some of us have the luck/misfortune of actually working there. I'm sure Staten Island has something for you to do.

DO NOT assume New Yorkers are all a bunch of rude and selfish bastards. We're nice, really. Just stay out of the way :)

So New Yorkers, I'm sure I left some things out. Care to share?

Image: improveverywhere.com

Answer

Addicted to E-mail

According to a NY Daily News article this morning, New Yorkers check their e-mail more than anyone else! And to that I say, "Ain't that the truth!" I know for sure that I am an e-mail addict. I don't even know how many times I check it throughout the day. At work, I keep my two personal and my work accounts open and refresh 10,000 times a day. Yahoo and Entourage both let me know when a new message comes in, but sometimes I can't wait for the notification and refresh anyway. If I'm bored/have nothing better to do, I go over and check things out. At home I just leave my computer on to pop over and see if anything new came in.

See the thing is I love mail. Opening my mailbox at home and getting snail mail is like Christmas to me. I even check that every time I come in or leave the building (well hellooo, what if the mailman hadn't arrived yet when I first checked it?!). But since no one sends letters anymore unless they're after your money, it's all about the e-mails.

So in conclusion, yes I check my e-mail many times a day. Which is exactly why I cannot, for my own sanity and safety, ever get a Sidekick, Blackberry or any other portable e-mail checker. I already have enough problems crossing the street while texting.

Tigger vs Eeyore

I just finished watching "The Last Lecture: A Celebration of Life" on "Primetime" about Randy Pausch. It's still amazing to me that someone facing such a thing could still maintain their optimism and, as he calls it, "tiggerism." At that infamous lecture he asked his audience, "Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?"

Right now I think I'm a Teeyore. I have a bouncing spirit with an occasional bout of blues. And I've lost count how many times this special made me tear up and smile at the same time. I've also decided to start reading his book on Monday. Feel free to pick it up over the weekend if it hasn't sold out yet.

Which character do you consider yourself to be?

In 1492...

So this major history buff I know lent me A Voyage Long and Strange: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz after he told me how awesome it was. After he kept filling me in on details about my parents' country I realized, "Damn, I don't know a thing about DR." Not only that, but I don't know much about American history either. I'm thinking it has something to do with the fact that those classes were a total bore to me.

Well the premise of the book is this: the author realizes that after years of schooling and even majoring in history, he doesnt have much knowlegdge of what happened between the year Columbus sailed the ocean blue and when the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. And the bit he does know, has been completely skewed and biased. So he tries to put the pieces together while traveling to those places mentioned in the history books. Starting with the Vikings and ending with the...well...I'm not there yet, but I'm guessing Europeans taking over America is in there somewhere.

So far I've concluded that Columbus was a bastard who set the coarse for the abuse inflicted on the Native Americans even though the man never set foot on what would later become U.S. soil.

So if you don't want to go through life being a total moron, pick this one up. He's actually really funny. Case in point: right now Horwitz has just arrived in Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana (the first European city in the New World) and has just learned that ahorita, "when use in the D.R., means roughly, 'between now and never.'" So true.

Biz Quiz

Mission: Gain Weight Update

Ok, so I'm still doing the things I said I'd do. I even bought a scale at Tar-jay today to keep track. I weighed in at an impressive (not really) 83 lbs, so I'm getting there I guess? At least I haven't dipped into the 70s, thank God. You can keep tabs on my progress on the side panel.

Ok, time to make porkchops.

Update update: Something is wrong with the scale because now it says 80 and it's not budging from there. Argh.

Annoyance

Sorry, but for some reason this thing doesn't want to follow directions when it comes to spacing things out. And because I'm losing my patience here, I'm leaving the Sunday Round-Up as is even though it's not how I want it to look. Hope you guys can enjoy/read it anyway.

Sunday Round-Up

Comics.com

The Buckets

Overheard

Mmm...Marriage...

Art teacher: This piece is from the enlightenment period in England and is called "Marriage a la Mode".

Kid to friend: Wait... Marriage with ice cream?

--Bronx Science Art History Class

So It's Like a Blog That You Carrry Around?

20-something girl: Today I saw the cutest rat, it was just sitting there cleaning itself.

20-something guy: No way! I saw a cute rat today too. When I came to New York I thought that all the rats would be huge with glowing eyes and sharp fangs, but I kind of wanted to keep it... Look! I even wrote it down. (gets out notebook) Saw first rat today, it was surprisingly cute.

--4 Train Station

You're Barefoot, Amy

Sober girl: You have no idea what's going!

Drunk blonde: Yes I do! I am still totally relevant to what is going on!

Sober girl: Wait, what?

Drunk blonde: Oh, relevant of! Relevant of what is going on!...Aren't these shoes sexy?

--Santa Barbara, California

Did You Know?

- You can get your pedicure done by fishies

- Sophie Kinsella's real name is Madeleine Wickham and has written under both names

- You may have unattractive habits that could totally turn men off (because that's a shocker.)

Braingle

Solve the rebus puzzle below:

023456789 lives ever ever ever ever

(click on comments for the answer)

Video

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

Daily Puppy Pick of the Week

Tek the Australian Shepherd

You Tell Me...

If you could give your younger self three pieces of advice what would they be?

Answer

The Last Lecture

Yesterday, the author whose book I'd been thinking of choosing as our first Book Club selection passed away. Randy Pausch, author of The Last Lecture, had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer in September 2006, gave a memorable speech at Carnegie Mellon a year later as part of a "Last Lecture" series, and published this book based off that speech this past April. Extremely popular, and still at the top of bestseller lists, Pausch's book talks about the importance of seizing every moment, overcoming obstacles and living life to the fullest because you never really know how much time you have left.

I know it sounds depressing a la Tuesdays with Morrie. But like Tuesdays (and I loved that book even though I had to stop reading it in the train for fear of crying around strangers), I'm sure I'll take away so much from it. If you haven't read that one yet, I suggest you do and I will let you know when the Book Club officially starts (within the next couple of weeks) so we can read and discuss The Last Lecture together.

Bring The Rules Home!

So apparently there's baseball at the Olympics (which is news to me despite the fact that I kinda knew there was basketball), but this summer could be its last appearance for a while after the International Olympic Committee voted to keep it out of the 2012 London Games. But that's not why I'm writing. This summer, the International Baseball Federation decided to change up the rules for extra innings played in Beijing this August. To keep it from turning into a never-ending game (and because of time constraints), teams start the 11th inning with players on first and second, no outs and from any point on their batting order.

Now why can't this just be the rule every other time, too? Then we won't have to sit through a 5-hour long game!

Mets v Phillies Update

So turns out I never watched the second and third games despite the fact that I wanted to see how the battle would unfold. Either way I thought I'd share with those interested few the scores of the three games:

Game 1: Phillies 8, Mets 6
Game 2: Mets 6, Phillies 3
Game 3: Mets 3, Phillies 1

I guess they both got tired as the days dragged on, but now the Mets have clinched the top spot in the NL East (for the first time since April 19) and the Phillies drop to second (thanks to Rollins being kept out of the lineup for most of the game as punishment for being late earlier that day). Are the Mets going to hold onto first or let it slip through their fingers like so many times before? Who knows. (Kidding! They will so drop the ball on this one. Pun intended.)

Tonight the Mets play the Cardinals while the Phillies host the Braves.

Where In The World...

Career = No Life?

Like I mentioned earlier, yesterday was yet another hectic day at work. Each day I get in by a certain time and the time I get out is open ended, which makes having a life and making plans after work harder than it should be. It's always "Will I get out on time?," "Will I have to cancel, reschedule, rush to make it?" I know this happens in other fields, but it's very much the nature of the journalism world. Deadlines are constantly set and missed, in turn affecting everything else down the line.

*Side note: I'm not complaining. I love being in this field and feel extremely lucky to have the opp to do what I do. This is more about how nowadays it's so easy to let your job become the center of your life so it's as if you're never off.

I went out with a friend last week who's also in journalism, but she's let her work practically become her whole life. She keeps crazy hours (crazy to me anyway) getting into her office early and leaving after 11 pm everyday. And guess what? There's always more work to be done. Turns out when we die, there will still be work pouring into that inbox. Go figure! I looked at her incredulously as she told me about all this work she left behind and how she should have come to the concert later to get some more if it done!

Errrr??

A red flag shot up in my head. At what point do we have to say, "Hold up (wait a minute)," take a good look at we're doing to ourselves and ask if it's too much? Many of us work ourselves to the ground, taking on even more without so much as a break. I'm guilty of it to a certain extent (because you won't see me being happy about staying at the office til 11 pm, and that has happened before). I completely understand that in order to get to where I want to be I need to do quite a bit of leg work to get there. My motivation to keep trudging through the hard days is the idea that it will all pay off in the end, but sometimes I have to try my best to leave work at the office and not carry it with me everywhere I go. That's right because it's not just to my apartment; I carry paperwork with me if I take the train, visit my mom, chill with friends so that if I have one minute to myself I can devote it to my career.

Insane isn't it? And it doesn't get better with time. In college, all-nighters would be routine and eating and taking care of Me would go by the wayside. Back then I thought, "I'm doing all this work now so I can get a job and have a set schedule." Wrong! We work more hours, take less vacation days, make more to spend more, get fatter, sicker, more depressed. Then we take meds just to get through the day.
Can't we just stop? Is there any way we can get to work, relax without our bosses breathing down our necks (and work better because we're not having anxiety attacks) and then leave it all behind when we walk out that door? Can we keep in mind that no matter what happens today tomorrow will give you another chance to get it done? That if a deadline isn't met, another will be set?

Now this isn't an invitation to slack off because clearly when things need to get done, they should. But when there's a mountain of work piling up on you, sometimes you have to look out for your well-being first. Many bosses want you to make them look good and will stretch you to your limits if you let them.

Either way, all I'm asking for is the chance to create a life outside of, apart from, having nothing to do with work. Is that too much? Or will I have to wait until I retire? What do you think?

Now I'm going to take my whole hour-long break because it's 3 PM and I've yet to eat lunch.

Answer

Mets v Phillies

Last night was my "Happy Very Belated Father's Day, Let's Go Watch the Mets Play Your Rivals" date with my pops. I had to fill him in on the surprise earlier in the day during a very frustrating moment at work (more on that in a later post). I wasn't sure if we'd get to the game on time - or at all - and wanted to give him a head's up. He was able to calm me down a tiny bit, but I was still getting panicky and mad.

Either way, we made it to the game at the bottom of the third and I was zoning out for a chunk of the game. Yeah, I'd clap, yell "charge" (although I still don't really associate charging with baseball, but anyway) and sang "Take Me Out to the Ballgame," but man was I tired.

And torn! I didn't know who I was rooting for half the time. Dad even asked who I was clapping for and I said I had no clue because I liked them both. Throughout most of the game the Mets had a pretty strong lead and I kept taunting him that there was still time for them to blow it. I'd yell "Whooo" whenever Utley, Rollins and Ry How batted for the Phillies more so than when David Wright came out. I even got defensive when Mets fans started chanting "Phillies suck" and heckling the Phillies fans in our section (there was a surprising amount at the game actually and many who took the train into the city).

"Oh like the Mets are that much better," I muttered.

In the seventh inning, the Phillies had only managed two whole runs while the Mets were on a roll with five. And then in the top of the ninth, the tables were turned and there were less "Phillies suck" chants and more "Let's go Phillies." Then by some miracle of God, the Phillies somehow managed to squeeze out six runs! The Mets went through four relief pitchers in that one inning, but it didn't help at all. Damage was done and they could only score once more at the bottom of the ninth. That's when I realized I had been pulling for that sucky team all along. Why else would I have come out of my coma and jump and yell when I saw those players heading for home?

All in all, great game, dad had fun (was disappointed, but had a good time; he even bonded with the guy sitting next to him lamenting the absence and injury of the Met's star pitcher, Billy Wagner). And for now (hey, they still have plenty of time to blow it), the Phillies have sole possession of first place in the NL East. We'll see how the rest of this 3-game series plays out tonight and tomorrow.

Game 1: Phillies 8, Mets 6

MTA: Going Your Way to the Poorhouse

So apparently the MTA is planning on hiking up the fare yet again next year. The price would jump from $2 to $2.25 next July to take a late, grimy train that's sure to halt in between stops for one reason or another. And let's not mention the constant "construction" going on that makes weekend trips near impossible. What's all the construction for anyway? They say it's to maintain reliable service along that line, but it seems to make things worse with no improvements in sight. Instead of focusing on the tile work and what color to paint the walls maybe they should concentrate a little more on getting those trains running on time. If they did that then commuters won't stuff themselves like sardines into each car while rolling their eyes as the conductor yells, "THERE'S ANOTHER TRAIN RIGHT BEHIND THIS ONE!"

Yeah, there is. A half hour away maybe. And that's life in New Yorker years.

New York International Latino Film Festival

Heads up: the NYILFF starts today and runs through the 27th. Check out their schedule and support these filmmakers who've worked so hard to get our stories heard. Hopefully this will encourage others to do the same (and by others I mean both filmmakers and supporters). I'll be seeing 60 Miles East about the Dominican Republic and then after-partying at Thursday's Dominican Night! Grab tickets if you can ;)

Biz Quiz

Hancock and Girl Talk

Saturday night the girls and I went out to catch food (Junior's) and a movie (Hancock) and I must say as much as I enjoyed the flick, I loved the talk we had beforehand as much if not more so. Here's the thing, I rarely partake in that girl talk business and often choose to sit back and listen instead of offering up any of my own stories (not that there's much to tell mind you). It's usually a combo of shyness, my need for privacy (since I never had it growing up), the thought of being judged, and just plain not interested in sharing. There's also the tiny fact that I have trouble speaking up and refuse to keep trying to talk over people.

So this little mouth usually stays mum around family, coworkers, and even my closest friends and just opt to pouring my heart out in my journal (because clearly I'm a lot more comfortable writing things out than actually saying them out loud). But every now and then, I do open up and sometimes surprise my friends with what I have to say. "It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for," one of them said at the theater.

The topic of the night was what else? Boys. Or rather men. I think it developed from the fact that this cute guy was sitting right in front of us with the bluest eyes you ever saw. We were trying to convince one friend to sit next to him since he came very much alone, but boo, she refused. And from then the convo went from how far we've gone with a guy at the movies, the crazy things we've done with them elsewhere to the number of guys we've kissed and just how wonderful those kisses were. And after all that (and right before the previews began) what did we conclude? That we really missed our former flames.

Then we spent the next 90 minutes watching a movie about trying to be with the person you were destined for. Yes, people. Surprisingly enough, that's what Hancock is about. Sure there's flying and superhero stunts, but at the end of the day it was about whether you create your own destiny and choose things for yourself or if everything has already been planned out for you. And if it does turn out that you were destined for someone, would you have the strength to let them go if it's for the best?

Sunday Round-Up

New section alert! Sunday Round-Up will be a collection of lighthearted bits and pieces to end out your week. If you find anything cool you think should be in that week's round-up (pics, videos, cartoons, jokes, articles, total randomness, etc) send them my way :)





Comics.com













Overheard in New York

And Getting Better Every Minute

Girl (sobbing): I'm sorry... I know cheating is never the answer... I'll do whatever I can to make it up to you.
(long silence)
Guy (chuckling): Sorry for laughing. I'm just thinking of what a better person than you I am.
(five minutes later)
Guy (still chuckling): You know you're hot and guys hit on you all the time but what you forget is that I'm hot. Girls hit on me every day. But I'd never cheat because I'm a good person.--Metro Cafe, 57th & 5th

From the Long-Awaited Ernest Goes to ESL

Girl to old man in baseball cap: What does the "E" on your hat stand for?
Old man: (unintelligible)
Girl: The "E"? What does it stand for?
Old man: (unintelligible)
Black lady observing scene: E stands for the English he don't speak.--A Train

Was That the Beginning of a Haiku?

Strange Latino man to girl: Excuse me, but I was wondering, do you like poetry?
Girl: (stares for a moment) Um, vomit.--104th St & Broadway

Braingle

1-2-3-4-5-6
I am a 6 letter word.
Letters 6-5-2 spell out a drink.
Letters 4-5-2-3 spell out a fruit.
Letters 1-2-6 spell out a pet.
Letters 3-2-6 spell out a pest, which often gets eaten by 1-2-6.
What am I?
(click on comments for the answer)

Daily Puppy Pick of the Week
(Btw, it was super hard picking just one!)

Dennis, the West Highland Terrier

Apartment Update

I finally put some more stuff up on the walls this weekend! In the hallway, I started up on my makeshift gallery with pics my sis and I took; behind the "big" couch in the living room are two frames I bought from Urban Outfitters some weeks ago and decided to let my plant keep growing on and around it; and I finally bought a frame for the blue,white, and black poster my cousin made for me on her computer (it looks so good!!).

Answer

Me and My Teddy

And because it wasn't enough for me to jam my lunch hour away to showtunes, I met up with a grad school friend to see Teddy Geiger ("For You I Will (Confidence)") perform at the Bowery Ballroom. I remember she and I drove from Syracuse to Rochester for their Lilac Festival two years ago just to see him play. I hadn't heard much from or about Teddy since and was surprised he was still playing. But she really wanted to go, and I'd never been to the Bowery before, so I agreed to go.

Other performers that night included Standard of Living (never heard and actually didn't get to see this first group perform), Scott Harris (also never heard, but he was actually really really good, need to remember to look him up some time), and Hilary McRae (her name rung a bell, but turns out I've never heard her songs; was more of a soulful singer but needs major improvement on connecting with her audience; loved her songs though and reminded me of Sara Bareilles' voice..."Head underwater and they tell me to breathe easy for a while..."). All the acts were surprisingly talented (to me) and way better than those Latin indie acts I saw last week. It also helped that these kids actually played their instruments. Then of course Teddy came out and rocked it. He sang like 20 songs in an hour and half, maybe more, I lost count. The kid took like a 2 min break in between all that so major kudos to him and his stamina. Apparently he recorded 33 songs which are all up on his site and fans can vote on their faves/create their own album. Then the best picks will make it onto his next album due out sometime this fall.

Broadway in Bryant Park: Wk 2

Yesterday I caught 106.7's Broadway at Bryant Park during my lunch hour. Each year the radio station gets a slew of Broadway shows to perform a few of its songs (for free) to the crowd on 42nd and 6th. This year (and I think every other year) it's on Thursdays so check out the site to see if any of your faves are performing within the next four weeks.

Yesterday we were treated to Avenue Q, Pure Country (a new play coming in '09), Phantom of the Opera, and the reasons why I suffered through the intense heat: Mamma Mia and In The Heights. You know I was singing along to those ABBA songs ("You can daaaance, you can jiiiiive, having the time of your life, ooooh ooooh..."). Below are some clips from Mamma Mia and In The Heights:

Love Is Timeless

So today we're featuring Dry As Toast's very first guest blogger, Heidi! I invite any of you that have something to share with the rest of us to just let me know. I'd love to hear what you have to say :)

*****

So, I’ve been reading Jane Austen lately. No, it’s not for school, I’ve been reading it for pleasure; because I love, love, love her and because I think that she was a fantastic writer.

So far I've read Persuasion which was fantastic and I am re-reading Pride and Prejudice. And I noticed something: no matter how much we think things have changed, love is love. Whether we talk about love 200 years ago in Jane Austen’s time or whether we talk about love now in 2008.

I’ll discuss this in terms of men loving women, even though it applies the other way around as well.

When a man loves a woman, he feels lucky to have her. He might be better educated, have more money, and have a better job but at the end of the day he feels like he hit the jackpot when he met her because she brings so much to the table in his eyes. When Mr. Darcy first proposed to Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice, he mentioned that he loved her against his better judgment because they were not part of the same social class. And she turned him down. Yup, she turned down the millionaire and I applaud her. He wouldn’t have been grateful enough if she had said yes. He did a much better job the second time he proposed.

When a man loves a woman he turns into a man of action, not a man of words. When Elizabeth’s sister Lidia ran away with Mr. Wickham, Mr. Darcy saw how distressed Elizabeth was. He didn’t promise her he would help; he got out of his chair and did it. He didn’t even want her to find out that he had been the one who remedied the situation, he did it all because he loved her and wanted to ease her mind. No promises were made; he didn’t ask if she wanted help, he just did what he knew he had to do.

And finally, when a man loves a woman he’s willing to forgive her if she has a lapse in judgment. So in Persuasion Anne Elliot backed out on her engagement with Captain Wentworth because a close family friend believed he wasn't a good match for her. Even though Captain Wentworth was a great guy, poor (which was considered a bad thing back in the day) but a good guy, Anne loved him and lived with the regret of letting him go for years. And even though Captain Wentworth was heartbroken when she turned him down the first time he was man enough to recognize that Anne was worth a second chance. So he asked for her hand in marriage again because even the best of us make mistakes.

Yes, I know. I’m a romantic at heart and some people might say I expect too much out of men and love. But at the end of the day all I really expect out of a partner is love. And if that’s too much to ask for, I prefer to have nothing at all. ~Heidi

Where In The World...

Mission: Gain Weight

Ok, I am what I think is seriously thin. At 4'9" with 80 lbs, my body mass index is 17.3, which would throw me in the underweight territory (normal is 18.5-24.9). So, I've finally had it with the stupid body issues and will be aiming to gain 5 pounds within the next month and will gladly welcome more. My target weight is 95 pounds (which will push my BMI to a much healthier 20.6). I've always leveled off to a mere 86 lbs for as long as I can remember no matter how much I lose or gain (my highest has been 91 and I had never been so happy for that), but this time I want to get to the 90s and stay there.

And I want to do this the right way so that means I can't binge on Mickey D's like I have in the past. I'm going to reach for the fruits and veggies instead of the fries and snack on oatmeal and nuts. I also have to consume tons of protein, which is gonna be a task since I suck at cooking meat. Of course if I want to eat junk I can and will because I cannot for the life of me understand people who deprive themselves for the sake of losing weight. I'm just trying to go for the healthier route to see if this time the pounds will stick around for a while.

Like I said, I've tried this before and have always fallen off the wagon after a couple days because I'm either lazy, tired or just don't care. Maybe sharing it with you guys will make me more accountable. Tonight I'm going to make myself some pasta with steamed broccoli. I'm also cutting up some fruits to make a smoothie either tonight if there's time or tomorrow. That'll be a nice morning drink that'll pack a punch and get in my fruit servings of the day. Yum!

According to Nutrition Data, I need to consume at least 1740 kcal to maintain my current weight. But since I want to gradually move to a healthier one, I'll be planning my weekly meals with MyPyramid.gov and aim for a daily intake of at least 1800 calories. So let's see how this goes.

Holy Crap...

I just received my first Con Ed bill today and I grossly underestimated that thing. It's insane!! And then I sign on to Yahoo to check my mail and am greeted by this lovely NYT article about a spike in energy costs for households in the NY region. I'm actually in the apt maybe 40% of the time and sweat my butt off at night because I don't want to turn the AC on. I even go so far as to turn off the surge protector when it's not in use so the AC and cell phone charger don't pull electricity! Yeah, I have a couple other things I should unplug as well and never did because of the hassle of having to reset the clocks on them, but I might have to do that. Ugh, what if I can't afford to live on my own after all?

Answer

2008 All-Star Game!!!

Ok thank God I made it in time! I'll be live blogging this shindig here so let's see how this pans out. Btw, I'm rooting for the National League underdogs because they never win (and of course contain the Mets and the Phillies)

8:50- Aww Chase (Phillies) is up! Dammit, I didn't even finish the sentence and the kid is out.

8:51- Geez, the Nationals got struck out a bit too quickly. Americans coming up.

Btw, I just realized that my baseball guide book is not here! Argh, I must have left it at home- mom's home that is.

Yipers! I should put away my groceries or else my mango sorbet is gonna turn into a smoothie. Hmm, actually...

Ooh game is back! Go Suzuki (Mariners)! I don't want him to do well, I just think his name is cool.

Man, I suck at this. I'm contributing nothing to the sports writing world.

8:55- Jeter's (Yankees) up ladies so start swooning. I'll pass on that one. What do you guys see in him anyway?

Dammit Chase!! What the crap!! Jeter on base thanks to Utley, argh.

8:57- Aaaack! Now Jeter on second cuz he's a bloody thief.

8:57- I'm not even gonna say anything about A-Rod (Yanks). Next.

I'll take this time to comment on how great that stadium looks tonight. Oh the memories. Actually, memory since I've only been there once. Do you think I can catch one last game in there before the season is over?

9:02- Pujols (Cardinals)... I've heard of him before. Was he with the Mets before?

9:04- Oh my God! I think 5 people just got shot outside! That or someone still had some leftover fireworks. You really can't tell these days.

9:09- Oh whoa, what's Manny Pipilongstocking (Red Sox) doing with those dreads?? They're trying to escape from his cap! Can't front though, he's hitting that ball and aiming for Jersey. Wait, is he even facing that direction? Never mind.

9:12- Milton Bradley .... too easy. But I like how the announcers keep saying his name. Hold up, there's a team called the Rangers? Aha, Texas!

Boo, I just realized David Wright (Mets) is on reserve for 3rd base. That means I probably won't get to see him in action tonight. Oh wells.

9:25- Can these people score already? Maybe [Chinese spelling] (Chicago) here can do something. Oooor maybe not. (His name's Kosuke Fukudome. It's not pronounced how you'd think; it's Foo-Koo-Doh-Meh.) Chase is up again!

Man, Yogi is such a cute little old man :)

Sad update: I just remembered my baseball book is very much NOT at my mom's house.

9:41- Hmm, so I'm confused because from the slow-mo reply right there I could've sworn the foot hit second base before he was tagged. Don't ask me who did what because the only name I caught was Ichiro's who threw the ball 5000 feet from way out in right field.

9:46- You know what would make this game more fun? If whoever was in charge of drawing those lines and circles (courtesy of Burger King. Have it your way.) would just draw all over the screen during a play. Maybe add some flowers on the field, some Manny dreads on Jeter's head... 9:54- Holler! The Nationals score the first run of the night thanks to a homer some guy hit. I dunno. I was too busy drawing.

10:06- The Americans have a chance to score right now with 1 out and men on 2nd and 3rd. And now Jeter's up so- whoa whoa, a sign that read "The House That Jeter Built" just came into view! Negativo, he might draw huge crowds there, but let's not get carried away now.

The National League hasn't won an All-Star Game since 1996. Maybe tonight's the night they end that streak? The American's just lost their chance to score a run in this inning so there's still hope.

Sidenote: Does anybody know how to get rid of fruit flies? Apparently they don't die if you spray Lysol on them.

10:18- Nationals have men on 1st and 3rd thanks to Utley with no outs at the top of the 6th. Looking good, looking good!

10:24- No hits this inning, but at least we still have the lead as we head to the bottom of the 6th.

10:36- I notice that I'm bored and holy crap is it hot in here! Can the National League win already so I can shower and sleep? Thanks.

10:41- Eeee! Josh Groban!!! I heart him :) God Bless America!

Aww, look at him, he's so adorable with his cute little shirt and sneakers.

10:53- Noooooooo!!! Tied! Thanks to some All-Stars rookie. I swear to you, the Nationals had better not blow it and this game had better not go into OT.

11:02- Hollerations! Miguel Tejada (Astros) did some sort of fancy single-stolen base-error type of deal and squeezed an extra run for the Nationals.

11:04- And helloooo Mr. Wright ;)

11:04- And good-bye Mr. Wright :(

11:16: Hee hee, Evan Longoria's (Rays) name makes me laugh. But apparently the jokes are old news and he's used to it so I won't go there.

11:20- You know what?! I will go there now. Thanks to him we're going to 9th with the game tied at 3-3.

11:30- Ok I'll step out of my "Go National League" mentality for a sec to say that Mariano Rivera (Yankees) is a bit awesome.

11:32- Oh man, oh man. If the Americans score at the bottom of the 9th now it's a wrap for us. But I have a feeling this game is going into OT. Why? Because I want it to be over, so I bet it's going to drag on for another hour.

11:42- And it's on to OT. Surprised? Not me.

11:52- Men on 1st and 3rd thanks to Tejada!

11:53- Contrale! Que pique! Double play and the Nationals lose their shot to win this game yet again. I think I'm gonna pass out from the heat before this thing is through. Meanwhile, I keep adding more snacks to my lunch bag for work tomorrow. I'm gonna be a fatty.

11:57- Crap, we're screwed. The bottom of the 10th has barely begun and runners on 1st and 3rd, no outs. Dammit Uggla (yes, Uggla) you suck.

12:00- Bases loaded. I can't believe this.

12:02- Oh now, they're all scared. As they should be!

12:03- Yes, pleeease keep throwing to home. Please!!

12:04- Yessss! We survive another inning!!! Bases were loaded throughout the whole bottom of the 10th- that was way too close.

12:18- OMG, I'm not gonna make it guys. I think I'm starting to get nauseous. I don't even know who's up anymore. Is it me or is my HD Fox channel getting blurry-ish? I should call up Cablevision about that.

12:22- Yay!! I saw people running and I got so scared cause I stopped paying attention. I'm all "Oh no who's running?!?! Who are these people!" Phew! It wasn't my people, but they got tagged out at homeplate, so it's still tied.

12:25- My eyes...hurt....falling out....

12:29- Ok, this ends now. 12th inning. My man Tejada is up, men on 2nd and 3rd, 1 out.

12:30- Bases loaded...

12:36- And it's on to the bottomof the 12th inning. I actually had to think for a sec because I lost count.

12:39- Yipers! I go to finally change into some shorts and I come running back to find some guy hitting a double (and a very close homer) at the bottom of the 12. Uggla (Mariners) is still sucking something fierce.

12:41- Man on 3rd...

12:43- Two outs, man still on 3rd...

12:44- Some fool has the audacity to practically skip to 2nd! The nerve.

12:45- I hate baseball. These are my reasons why:

1. They can go on forever with no limits on the number of innings played.

2. I don't understand all the rules.

3. They think stats make them important.

4. They don't let the girls play.

12:48- Baseball's redeeming quality: cute men in tight pants. Wright is up at the top of the 13th. Ooh! And he shattered the bat and made his way to 1st. Hot.

Sidenote: Considering the fact that the home run derby was just last night, why haven't these players hit more homers tonight? I think there's only been one this whole game. Geez, what? Is it hard or something?

New Yankee stadium facts: it's 63% larger than the current one and can house up to 53,000 crazed fans.

1:00- Damn you, Ugly! Don't blame the "bad hop" blame the "no talent." That's 3 errors!

1:05- 14th inning.

1:08- Proof I'm losing it: there was another almost-homer and I'm praying it doesn't make it over the fence and breathe a sigh of relief when it's caught. Yeah, that was my side batting there. Argh.

All-Stars trivia: longest All-Stars game was 15 innings in 1967.

Fruit flies update: I found the source and it was not pretty.

1:25- Top of the 15th (the 15th!!) and Wright walks to first with 2 outs. Doesn't help much since the 3rd out comes soon after.

1:31- Wow, that catch by Ludwick was incredible!

1:33- Bottom of the 15th, men on 1st and 2nd, 1 out, Drew (Red Sox) batting...end the pain, Drew! I don't care who you're with anymore. Lord knows I can't tell.

1:36- Ok, maybe I care. Bases loaded, 1 out....

1:37- DAMMIT!! Thanks to Young's (Rangers) hit, the American League has won the All-Star Game yet again. I'm going to bed now. Mad because there is no justice in the world.

Duration of game: 4 hrs and 50 mins.