European Talent

Esmee Denters is a Dutch singer who got her start singing covers on youtube. She's toured with ne yo and recently signed on justin timbelake's label. People have compared her to Keri Hilson, Ciara, Rihanna, Beyonce, Alicia Keyes, etc. I guess it's not really a surprise that someone who got her start singing covers on youtube has songs that jump out as being remixed versions of other songs.

Check out these song pairs:
Gravity / No Air
The First Thing / If I Ain't Got You

The prime directive

Sometimes we take ourselves way too seriously. Have fun with life, because there's definitely times when it's going to decide to have fun with you.

Word of the day: "Dude I thought there were going to be girls at this party."

Mysterious Text Partner

Referencing a previous post, in which I inadvertently received a text booty call from a 901 area code number, here's what I discovered about this frustrated texter:

1) avid sushi lover. goes to sekisui for sushi.

2) under 21. can't get into fox and hound (sports bar).

3) we have mutual friends named blake and caroline, and we all go to florida together to hang out on weekends.

here's the fictional elements I made up for, uh, whoever the hell i'm supposed to be

1) i have a pool

2) i got a fake ID, which is why I could get into a fox and hound, even though I'm under 21

3) i have a friend in town named melissa who I'm taking around to have a good time.

4) i'm considering traveling to new york in a couple of weeks

Incidentally, it's quite clear I should take up fiction writer as my weekend occupation. It's not a vivid imagination as much as my propensity for lying for no good reason. Make that, no reason at all. I'm not talking about just, bending the truth or BSing, I'm talking about spewing out a veritable litany of total horse shit. Yes, I realize I've created a hierarchy of excrement. I'm actually, very OK with it.

As Perfect as Long Island Gets

On a clear and breezy 70 degree day, 25 of us set out on a journey through the surprisingly extensive Long Island wine country (which I had no idea existed until this week).

In a few hours I found myself on the deck of a vineyard lodge, overlooking a vast sea of grapes, clear blue horizon stretching info infinity, the wind chasing itself through the rows of green as a jazz combo enthusiastically churned out music that wafted across the landscape. Our group sipped mostly chardonnays, merlots, cabernet francs, and rieslings from tasting menus that kept everyone involved in pleasant buzzing conversation.

The tour:
Wine-making, like so many other things, ends up being a metaphor for life in general. As much art as science, requiring attention to detail as well as a macro vision, with a never-failing element of chance that can single-handedly make or break your vintage. An ill-timed rain, an amazing summer, things the presentation and marketing of your product can't capture or combat. Subject to the constraints and geography of your region, but empowered by your creativity and vision, you are in constant pursuit of the ultimate reward, the creation of bottled perfection.

The math:
A capital intensive business for sure, planting costs at least $20K an acre (one acre produces 200 - 400 cases of wine) and that doesn't include the cost of obtaining the land in the first place and anti-pest/bird control. Most of the aging barrels come from France and shipping them over isn't cheap, the other big expense is the stainless steel equipment needed to process the grapes and keep everything fermenting as planned. This, among all other hobbies of the wealthy, is an interesting one.

Superheroine

The force is strong with this one.

I can't help but think of yoda when I look at her profile and records. Really small, somewhat aged, and commanding vast power incomprehensible to mere mortals.

Greatest of Fifty, Or How Superheroes are Born

"In a videotape obtained by CNN, a covert GAO inspector places a bag containing bomb components on an X-ray machine conveyor belt and then walks through a magnetometer at an unidentified federal building. Unlike some covert tests that use simulated explosives, the GAO used actual bomb components in the test and publicly available information "to identify a type of device that a terrorist could use" to damage a building.

"The (improvised explosive device) was made up of two parts -- a liquid explosive and a low-yield detonator -- and included a variety of materials not typically brought into a federal facility by an employee or the public," the report says. Investigators obtained the components at local stores and over the Internet for less than $150, the report says.

After the components were smuggled into the building and assembled, the GAO says, it took steps to ensure the device would not explode. But to demonstrate the device's destructive power, the GAO videotaped the detonation of several devices at a remote site.

The GAO also released a photograph of a guard asleep at his post and detailed an instance in which a woman placed an infant in a carrier on an X-ray machine while retrieving identification. Because the guard was not paying attention and the machine's safety features had been disabled, the infant was sent through the X-ray machine, according to the report.

The FPS dismissed the guard, who, as a result, sued the agency for failing to provide X-ray training. FPS lost the suit because it could not prove that the guard had been trained, the report says."

Indepedence Weekend

I dub this weekend the freedom to have spontaneous fun with no plans made in advance.

A few thoughts:
1) Transformers sequel. A lot of my co-workers hyped this one up for me. And it's not like the things I expected to enjoy weren't enjoyable - explosions, air strikes, spec ops taking on robots, special effects, special effects again, gratuitous Megan Fox shots. The problem was, as one reviewer said, the plot and dialogue could have easily been pieced together from fan-fiction submitted by 4th graders. At least they could have credited them at the end.

2) Give some credit to us youngsters. There's definitely times when I feel really young and times when I feel really old. All I can say is, if you're a suit salesman and you miss out on a large commission because some older shoppers come in and you rush over to help them figuring they'll spend more than the younger person you're helping, that's fine, you made your best guess. But don't rush over to hand me your card after you see what I'm buying versus what they're buying because a) you made your decision already and b) the reason I'm buying is so I can not have to make a similar trip any time soon. I continue to believe that in terms of intelligence, wisdom, and success, age is a highly overrated factor. And, for looks, it definitely matters, but there are some exceptions to the rule, as I discovered this weekend.

3) Biking. There's definitely an element of fun to weaving in and out of traffic on the busy streets of the west side or in-between tourists crossing the Brooklyn bridge (also, you should probably wear a helmet while doing this). The combined possibilities of being run down by an overeager motorist and running over someone on foot who's not paying attention at all are entertaining for at least one full day. For the record, I hate bikers when I'm on foot and the seats, despite designers' best intentions, are supremely uncomfortable.

4) Cooking at a soup kitchen >> serving people at a soup kitchen. That, and the fact that even hungry homeless people will turn down squash with the excuse that they're "watching their figure" (but never mashed potatoes or mac and cheese).