Ate the hottest pepper in the world. The Wife was making her fish sing.
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Friday, March 30, 2007
Virtual Worlds 2007
Spent the last 2 days attending the Virtual Worlds 2007 conference at the Museum of Jewish Heritage. All I can say is, "wow..." It was the first one and hosted a sell-out crowd from diverse companies, with a lot of international participants. There were some freaky-smart people who all agreed this is the wave of the future and at a very early stage. It was also reminiscent of the internet in the mid-90's as, while there was still the pervading sense of "this is The Next Big Thing," there was also a sense of a helpful and open community. Everyone was pleasant and accessible. And smart. Very smart... I am processing my notes and may post more later as I am still digesting. Took nearly an entire notebook's worth...
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
A Night Out with Joan
Monday, March 26, 2007
Saturday, March 24, 2007
My new shirt
Went boot-shopping again at Cavender's. Got myself a new Western shirt. If you don't like my new shirt, the terrorists have won. These colors don't run...
Friday, March 23, 2007
Southern Culture on the Skids
The three of us are currently at The Continental Club, awaiting Southern Culture on the Skids to take the stage.
Grinning like a tree frog
Chris & The Wife at The Daily Grind. Good lunch, outside, and I coined a new expression. "Grinning like a tree frog." No idea what that means...
Thursday, March 22, 2007
My brother's corporate overlords
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Grant's 30th! (belated)
Just got this photo (this past weekend, as we were shredding 2 feet of fresh up at Windham) from Grant's 30th birthday party on March 3rd.
A little belated, but worth the wait. The birthday weekend was more like several parties as he was feted at Chalet Stubbs, Wintergreen and during The Follies. Aunts & Uncles came in from St. Louis and surprised The Big Guy who handled it with his normal aplomb, yelling for everyone to "Bow down before me!"
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Dawn Patrol
Christian & I woke up before dawn to get first tracks at Windham after they received almost 2 feet of fresh snow.
An epic day of skiing... We got 12 runs in before breaking for breakfast at 10:30, having slowly worked our way across the mountain, getting fresh tracks & face shots on every run we skied.
Thursday, March 15, 2007
The Delta Grill
Had a good, New Orleans-inspired dinner at The Delta Grill in Hell's Kitchen, USA. Good food & they have Abita Restoration (the official beer of the Guzilla Household). However, unlike the normal dollar from every six-pack that goes to New Orleans' restoration, they donate a dollar FOR EVERY BOTTLE SOLD. Double Yay. Why drink anything else?
Started the night at legendary dive Rudy's and also saw Matt's new pad. Tremendous location & he will add that certain sissy magic to make it truly special. Including, but not limited to, a trellis & strung lights for his outdoor space. (!!)
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Dinner with the Z's
Monday, March 12, 2007
T-Shirt Hall of Fame
At my Mom's house in Connecticut in what has historically been my room, safely shut away from the rest of the world, I have a T-shirt Hall of Fame.In this undisclosed location, I store t-shirts of mine that are far too important to me to ever wear again. Ridiculous? Some think so, but I disagree. I am reminded of the lecture Michael Caine's Lawrence Jamieson gives Steve Martin's Freddy Benson in "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels:"
"Now, all of these wines are very old. I bought them to make sure they were cared for properly."
"You got a lot of wine to drink."
"I would never drink them. They're far too valuable."
So too with some t-shirts. T-shirts are, to me and to many men, important. They are comfortable and practical but are also souvenirs of our travels. Many of these Hall of Famers are particularly well-traveled and represent great memories. Each one has a story and has witnessed memorable chapters in The Life Guzilla. I have perspired on the other side of the world in some of these t-shirts, and a few of them are from places that no longer exist -- a t-shirt & memories being in fact the only proof that these places DID exist...
So here they are... The current inhabitants of my T-Shirt Hall of Fame. Clockwise from the upper left they include:
1. Semester at Sea -- My favorite Semester at Sea shirt from sailing around the world in Fall of 1993.
2. Polish Power -- Once my Dad's, now my Polish sentiment. Worn at several New Orleans Jazz Fests.
3. Fighting 31 Tomcatters -- T-shirt from the Fighting 31st F-14 Tomcat squadron & purchased at the 1986 Pratt & Whitney air show. My father, who was in charge of the air show, introduced me to Colonel "Snort" Snodgrass - the commander of the Fighting 31st. After watching him take the F-14 vertical and then shaking his hand, I thought Colonel Snodgrass was the coolest man in the world. The Tomcatters are the second oldest Navy squadron and were the LAST Tomcat squadron as the F-14 itself has been decommissioned, with the 31st transitioning to the F-18 Super Hornet.
4. Olema - the Epicenter 1906 -- Shirt my brother brought me from a geologic expedition early in his career. Olema was the epicenter of the giant 1906 earthquake that leveled San Francisco, and he was there. I wore this shirt non-stop for years until it became pretty fragile.
5. Cream at MSG -- Concert shirt from Cream's historic October, 2005 concert at Madison Square Garden and the newest addition to the Hall of Fame, with the least wearings. The concert was the definition of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
6. Slithy Toves -- Shirt our high school improvisational comedy group, the Slithy Toves, wore at all performances. Far and away the greatest thing I did in high school, and I credit it and those that got me involved with making me who I am today.
7. The Mermaid Lounge -- Was one of my favorite bars in New Orleans, located WAY out of the Quarter, but no longer exists. Went in one afternoon with Gano to listen to the great music they had there at all hours. Wanted to buy a shirt for Gano & myself, but they were out of the ones they had above the bar. The bartender went in a back room and rummaged around and came out with these, that I preferred anyway. When I got home, I had a strange feeling (as I always do returning from New Orleans). I was researching some Polish history and was AWESTRUCK when I realized the same mermaid design on a t-shirt that destiny forced upon me in New Orleans, is the symbol of the city of Warsaw, Poland. Believe in magic.
8. Johnny White's 14, Hurricane Katrina 0 -- I went down to New Orleans after the storm and had to go to one of my favorite Quarter bars, Johnny White's. Johnny White's had achieved international fame as being true to its credo not to close. At all. Ever. At any hour. They even made the New York Times as the only bar that stayed open during the storm. I bought a shirt for Gano, and a tank top for Charity but they were out of my size. The bartender took down the display model and gave it to me, after I told him I knew Sarge. Then he pulled out pictures of Sarge and started getting misty. Another magical New Orleans experience, even though the shirt is yellowed with bar soot... It is a great reminder of the indomitable human spirit - Johnny White's has only closed for one day in 14 years, when the bar's namesake passed away.
9. The Shim Sham Club - Hottest Spot in Town -- Another legendary New Orleans bar that no longer exists. Bethany got this t-shirt for me after our epic Hat Night one Jazz Fest, many moons ago. Our group out-freaked the professional freak show they had, who simply gave up, as we were more amusing.
10. Delaney's Hong Kong -- Souvenir from a drunken rainy day spent with John Bon when I flew from Tokyo to meet him as he was on walkabout through Asia. Spent all day in this bar catching up, waxing philosophical and tag-team writing postcards to friends all over the world. Then we went out on the town in to the wee hours. Also, the design of Chairman Mao sipping a Guinness is pretty funny...
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Brooke O'Leary Compagnone
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Army First Lieutenant Jeffrey Adams
our buddy from the Wounded Warriors night, retired Army First Lieutenant Jeffrey Adams, was featured in an article entitled "Heroes on the Hill" and with this full page photo in Hudson Valley magazine.
Friday, March 02, 2007
Happy Birthday Chrissy!
Happy Birthday Chrissy!
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.
My brother is celebrating his birthday in Florida at Red Sox spring training with Ed & Sarah. Happy birthday Chrissy! His man Dice-K even got his first win. Over powerhouse... Boston College.
The Wife rocks Guitar Hero II
The Wife rocks Guitar Hero II
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.
In her pajamas, The Wife rocks "Carry On My Wayward Son" before bedtime. Solid.
JJ Grey & Mofro
JJ Grey & Mofro
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.
Saw a tremendous concert at Irving Plaza last night. JJ Grey & Mofro. Lyras, Damian, Sturcke, The Wife plus others - a great crew, a great show, and great music.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly
Took my father-in-law to a lecture luncheon at the U. Club this afternoon featuring NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. A great speech and Commissioner Kelly deserves a ton of respect. He is the only person to hold the position of Police Commissioner for 2 nonconsecutive tenures and is, to date, the only person to hold every rank in the NYPD. This on top of a career in the Marine Corps (including service in Vietnam) and Commissioner of the Customs Service, among many other impressive posts. He is a true American hero who has devoted his life to public service.
The speech was great and very detailed - he certainly has a command of the relevant statistics. Was impressed to learn how active the NYPD is in assisting combat, and learning from, global terrorism with task forces sent to global hotspots; in the case of the Madrid bombing THAT DAY. I was also particularly impressed by the depth of language experience in the NYPD's counterterrorism group, which makes sense given NYC's multicultural makeup. Commissioner Kelly said that the language skills extend to colloquial "street language" and not just an academic understanding. So much so, the NYPD has been brought in to consult with Federal agencies.
However, he made a point to bring up the disturbing fact that, due to union pressures, starting salaries for new NYPD recruits have been dropped from $40,000 a year, to $25,000 and it is negatively affecting recruiting efforts. This is not good for the long term. He said the Department was examining ways to address this, but this is a pretty discouraging fact. There must be a way for a very grateful New York populace to address this... However...
I left feeling very encouraged about New York City's safety and those charged with defending it.
This picture is from last year's Manhattan College De La Salle dinner dance at the Waldorf when I first met Commissioner Kelly.
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