More Fishing

Fishing

Boating

the next day we took the boat out again into the Sound to do some fishing.

Baum. Apfelbaum

license to pour.

Pequot House

So after Brandon picked me up by boat, we went to the Seahorse for steamers and an incredible lobster risotto. Surprised Carter at the airport, per the video. From there we went right back to the boat and punched it across Long Island Sound to Fishers Island. (because bars stay open later in New York than in Connecticut) Enjoyed ourselves thoroughly at the Pequot House, with Brandon & I dominating the bar sports of pool & foosball, even scoring a foosball shut-out.

Surprising Carter

Surprised an unsuspecting Carter by picking him up at the Providence, RI airport - he didn't know I was coming to visit.

Brandon's Car

Nice.

First Beer

docked in Mystic, CT @ Abbott's Lobster in the Rough, enjoying our first beer.

Picked up by boat

Got off the train in New London, CT and Brandon picked me up by boat.

Absolut New Orleans

Hardly.

The Wife & I went to the New York launch party for Absolut's new vodka: "Absolut New Orleans." Absolut has created a limited edition vodka (flavored with black pepper and, inexplicably, mango) to honor and celebrate New Orleans and all profits will go to some very worthy charities benefiting the Gulf Region. A great idea. The party was...

Awful. It was obviously concocted by some hipper-than-thou Marketing automaton as there was little to no New Orleans flavor. If you turned off the (admittedly cool) lighting effect pictured here, it could have been any party, for any purpose whatsoever. The space it was held in was very cool and I had very high hopes for the evening, but they failed. For instance, in the main room, they had a DJ spinning overplayed dance hits, NOT NEW ORLEANS MUSIC. They had a 3 person zydeco band tucked in a corner right by the entrance, playing to 6 people. There was some good post-Katrina artwork on the walls by a talented photographer and the food was very good, but only the crawfish appetizers were even reminiscent of NOLA cuisine. (The main caterer was Ruth's Chris which served great steak but it's more of a chain now, even though it got its start in New Orleans.)

There also was a silent auction with one item I bid on - a Tipitina's poster signed by Fats Domino. Thankfully the bidding for that was spirited. HOWEVER, the other items were a signed Little Steven guitar and a bunch of Absolut New Orleans bottles signed by such celebrities as Eva Longoria, Michael Imperioli, Will Ferrell, Brooke Shields, and Matthew McConaughy -- actors with LITTLE TO NO CONNECTION TO NEW ORLEANS!!

It was really dispiriting. The Wife & I left pretty quickly. We had such high hopes for the event, but it completely missed the mark. They had a real opportunity to make a statement and an impact, particularly as it was held on the 2 year anniversary of Katrina, but they failed utterly. With the ad budget I assume Absolut has, they could have hired nothing but impoverished & talented name New Orleans musicians to play (Mardi Gras Indians, brass bands, etc.), but instead held a bland and tasteless party populated by the soulless pretty-bots that frequent such events.

Boo. I was visibly distraught. The Wife kept asking me, "Are you okay? You seem... deep in thought." Yes. They really should have done this better. Again, particularly as it was held on the 2 year anniversary...

"Stoned, Drunk & Naked"

Finally pulled the video off of my camera of Anders Osborne performing his song, "Stoned, Drunk & Naked" aboard the "Rockin' the River" cruise a couple weeks ago... Enjoy.

My Brother's Travels

He is currently in Golden, Colorado at the School of Mines.

Van Hayride

Went to grab dinner and see Van Hayride (the world's preeminent countrified Van Halen tribute band) with Reverend Jon at the Rodeo Bar. Good meal, surprisingly good opening band and Van Hayride amused. The opening few numbers were enjoyable but we left as the shtick got a little grating and both had busy days on Tuesday.

Dinner with Reverend Jon

Went to hear Reverend Jon preach at his new church on the Upper East Side and then took him out to dinner for burgers at J.P. Melon's. Welcome to New York!

Absinthe

Friday night I took The Wife for a belated birthday present, to go see Absinthe at the Spiegelworld Tent at the South Street Seaport. Truly fantastic. A great show that's been getting rave reviews, in a small & intimate venue. Very weird& trippy - a smaller-scale Cirque du Soleil. The best part was a roller-skating couple that performed high-risk maneuvers over the heads of those in the front row (like us). They even brought The Wife on stage and spun her around very quickly to the delight of everyone in the audience. Followed it with dinner at The Black Pearl - a wonderful evening all around.

Monkey Sipping Out of a Human Cup

Ook-ook.

McSorley's

Went to McSorley's and met Caldwell & Annie. Then went to a great dinner at Sea Salt, followed by a short burst of karaoke ending early as Caldwell's wheels fell off. A nice evening.

Street Fair!

Zoltar

My Grandmother

My Granny Helen (on my Mother's side) was a remarkable woman in many regards. However, the thing about her that people bring up first and foremost is her cooking. She was one hell of a cook. And not just those related to her felt this way, pretty much anyone who ever ate even the smallest portion of her cooking did, including restaurateurs. She had the ability to whip up incredible meals in no time at all, without using any measuring implements but instead all by feel.

Her signature specialties included pierogis (potato & cheese - the absolute Best in the World, bar none), "City Chicken" (cubes of pork and veal lightly breaded and fried on skewers, no chicken whatsoever), her homemade chicken soup (by "homemade" I mean everything was - including the noodles - she would spend the better part of a day making the dough and cutting the noodles very fine on the table with a large knife), her canned pickles from her garden, her "Italian cookies", and her famous Iced Tea.

She was a very tough lady and also had a great sense of humor - she loved to laugh. One trick she pulled on people who asked for her recipes was to always leave one lesser ingredient out, so they could make it, but not as good as she could. For a while now I (who can't cook at all) have been trying to zero in on her magical iced tea. Today, I think I've done it, getting as close as I have to date. I am elated. Naturally, I have to submit samples to experts in our family, the Sorbonne, and the Nobel Committee, but I am optimistic. It is The Greatest Iced Tea in the World.

Perhaps now on to more challenging dishes. My brother has come close on the pierogis, maybe City Chicken?

Razors

I've noticed something that really kind of pisses me off. I hate shaving (and I know I am not unique among men, or women, in that regard) but I purchase the latest and greatest in shaving technology, at every "evolution" of it. ("This one has 3 blades!", "This one is blue!", "This one has a battery in it!", "This one has FIVE blades!", "This one has 5 blades, a trimmer, AND a battery!") Well, I bought the five blade Gillette Fusion a while ago and I was STUNNED.
The shave was so close that the rubber guides would squeak on my face, like sneakers on a basketball court. HOWEVER, this was only the case for the 2 SAMPLES that came in the package with the razor - NOT the replacement blades. And I thought back to each iteration of new shaving technology at which I had marveled and realized, THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE CASE! The blades that come with the razor are ridiculously great, and the replacement blades are just mediocre. Has anyone else noticed this? Does this also happen with ladies' razors? Infuriating... I guess the only thing to do is upgrade to the Gillette Fusion Power Phantom...

Briefcase Phone

Just landed from a great, if quick, trip to Dallas. My friend Davis got me an Old School handset for my cell phone. Awesome. Briefcase phone.

Why is a Ship Called She?

Finished our dining tour de force weekend at the Crab Trap in Fernandina Beach, where this nautical wisdom was hung. (after a few at the Palace again, naturally.) Then retired for a nightcap to Wicked Davy's Fancy Saloon which had live music.

Carter the Great

"Carter Beats the Devil" is one of my favorite books. And another Carter the Magician poster is used as a decorative element at PLaE. I told you they got it right...

Birthday Waitress

For example... We IMMEDIATELY hit it off with our waitress who introduced herself to us as "my name is Stephanie, but tonight I am Stella." She was a delight and told us, "You guys are The Best Table I've Ever Had." A great meal and great evening all around. A very happy birthday indeed...

Birthday Berry!

After Brett's & the Palace Saloon, we returned to the Plantation to go to my Favorite Restaurant in the Whole World. (That's right - you read it correctly.) PLaE - "People Laughing and Eating." It's not that PLaE is the most beautiful restaurant I've been to, nor is each meal the greatest I've ever had, it's just that they get it right. Everything I've ever had has been great and the staff, and the decor, just get the vibe right.

Palace Saloon Pirates

After a few sunset cocktails at Brett's we went to the Palace Saloon, the oldest tavern in Florida, for a couple more. A great bar and Jas picked me up a hat from there.

64.5 Stang

Beautiful 1964 1/2 Mustang parked outside Brett's Waterfront where we went for sunset cocktails. Inexplicably, Jas ordered a milkshake.

Posluszny & The Bills

Christian gave me a retro Paul Posluszny jersey for my birthday. Great gift that I would not have purchased for myself. Jas is both Polish and from Buffalo, and a Bills fan, so he insisted on wearing it. Viva Polska! Also, Posluszny had a tremendous first outing with the Bills, getting 9 solo tackles including one major-league sack. Well done...

Anders & Me

Anders was sleepy... He had just played two shows on a boat.

35th Birthday Liberties

Had a great group that went to go see Anders Osborne & The Iguanas on a boat around Manhattan for a pre-birthday celebration in New York. A really good show and the weather held, making for a delightful evening, despite losing my mobile phone.

The Black Pearl

After The Wife & I attended our Graduation Party for our sailing class, we met Matt S. at the Cutting Room for a few cocktails. Then, Bailey joined us and we went to The Black Pearl for an UNBELIEVABLE seafood dinner. Incredible lobster bisque, lobster rolls, thai mussels and a great band playing. Who knew 11:00pm on a Wednesday could be so much fun? The birthday celebrations roll on... (My favorite line of the hilarious night? Matt telling the waitress, after she made a little fib, "Your original nose grew back...")

Completed Sailing Lessons

The Wife & I successfully completed our intensive 3 day sailing course aboard our boat, the "Sovereign of the Seas." I scored a 98 on our final test and The Wife would have had a 99, except she reversed the sail in her mind and mislabeled it, having to settle for a still-impressive 93. It was a lot of hard work, but an absolute blast. Got to sail around New York Harbor through the Manhattan Sailing School on J-24's. Long days and a lot of information, but we're hooked... Have our Graduation Party coming up as well. A truly great birthday gift.... Thanks Wife!

Mermaid Crossing

Sailing Lessons

For my birthday, The Wife got us sailing lessons. At the southern tip of Manhattan is the Manhattan Sailing School and you learn on J-24's, sailing around New York Harbor. A great birthday gift indeed...

Couch Monkeys

The Wife on Colbert

As described, here is the clip of The Bride on "The Colbert Report." As Dr. Vizzone exits, about 7 seconds before the end, she can be seen...

The Colbert Report

Thanks to the wonderfully generous Matt S. we were able to get VIP access to the taping of last night's Colbert Report. Very, very funny as always. A particularly good episode and you can see us (particularly The Wife) on TV in a crowd shot. [Actually, if you click here and watch the clip entitled "Wrist Watch - Vizzone" and you really look, you can see her. Right at the end, pause it at the 7 seconds left mark and she is sitting in the stands with her legs crossed in a blue dress, applauding.] As an added bonus, the opening comedian even singled JD out for ridicule calling him "Arnold Palmer," "a walking stereotype," and a "rich douche" asking, "if you fell off your money, would you get hurt?" Followed it up with a delicious garlic steak dinner at Bistecca Fiorentina and then a quick nightcap at Lansdowne Road. Truly a fantastic pre-birthday gift all around...

Colbert Injured!

Our comedic hero, Stephen Colbert, injured himself a few days ago in a fall during his pre-show crowd warm up. Sad really... But thankfully, due to the generosity of Matt S., we are going to A VIP TAPING OF HIS SHOW TONIGHT! That should cheer him up. Shocking footage of his fall below... Stay strong, Stephen. We're coming.