Adventures in Brooklyn

Manhatta/GROVE

2012-01-07T12:10:00.001-05:00

Bianchi. Italian for bench?

2011-12-14T12:28:00.001-05:00

go dingo!

2011-12-12T16:25:00.002-05:00

It's Christmas time in the city!

2011-12-12T14:00:00.001-05:00

Fulton Street Mall

Carroll Gardens Santa needs some work

The Sweetback Sisters Annual Holiday Party at Jalopy!

Thanks, scaffold.

2011-12-07T01:34:00.001-05:00

I think it's a good thing you're here too.

Almost...

2011-12-05T12:25:00.001-05:00

Sadly, football is not among those things in which it counts. From my favorite Murray Hill coffee joint... Sad that I have a favorite Murray Hill anything - another casualty of the many doctor days up here. But Murray Hill is *almost* the East Village...

22nd floor: therapy & sunset

2011-12-02T19:49:00.001-05:00

Before I die...

2011-12-02T14:18:00.001-05:00

Get it together, LGA!

2011-11-30T12:19:00.001-05:00

The witching hour

2011-11-17T02:08:00.001-05:00

Late night shadows on our window...

Beans of temptation

2011-11-14T15:46:00.001-05:00

Metropolitan Etiquette Authority?

2011-11-11T12:29:00.001-05:00

Falling in love with fall

2011-11-10T15:22:00.000-05:00

Taco parties!

2010-07-08T12:27:00.000-04:00

vuvulezas 4eva

2010-07-06T11:25:00.000-04:00

happy 4th!

2010-07-02T08:15:00.001-04:00

i want one!

2010-06-29T09:45:00.001-04:00

booze cruise skyline

2010-06-24T16:25:00.003-04:00

for my birthday in 2008, we all took a rock n roll booze cruise to the mets game. it was totally awesome. check out the view on the shea stadium approach!

candid villages

2010-06-23T08:35:00.003-04:00

this picture was the result of an interesting experiment i tried when i was traveling in east africa. i would take a few pictures and show people what the pictures looked like, then as they were peering into the camera i would flip it around and take their picture. this one is from the village of nchenachena in northern malawi. and here's the same technique in eluwai, deep into maasai country.

my africa venture was a great success, as you can hear for yourself in my radio documentary. but one of the great failings was that i took all these pictures at very low resolution, concerned that my camera would run out of space. i wish i could go back with my new DSLR and get some really high quality pictures - i guess i'll just have to return some day. maybe this time with a video camera and someone to capture the dances... if only i knew someone who knew about dance. :)

pictures

2010-06-22T12:48:00.004-04:00

obviously i've been slacking off for quite a while on the adventures - only understandable, given the regularity of my groinstrong posts and my new job as chief correspondent for cobble hill blog. but this picture inspired me to post again. i'm thinking maybe a new picture every day will give me something to write about.

this is a photo from bemidji, a town in northern minnesota and the heart of paul bunyan country. my grandparents were able to visit our cabin on a lake near bemidji a couple of times before my grandfather passed away earlier this year, and this remains one of my favorite photos of them.

kathryn and i are headed to the lake in a couple weeks and could not be more excited. there are few places on earth where i'm able to fully and completely relax. here's a slideshow from the last trip we made back in 2008 which included a visit to itasca, the headwaters of the mississippi. i heart minnesota! at least in the spring, summer, and fall.

Minnesota Vacation

No A trains to China, Mexico or Africa.

2010-06-07T18:30:00.000-04:00

babies

2010-05-24T17:30:00.002-04:00

have i seen the babies movie?

yes.

have i seen it twice?

yes.

i mean, it's babies. who doesn't love watching babies? especially japanese babies that are not so mechanically inclined.

but this baby is cuter than all the babies of san francisco, tokyo, namibia and mongolia combined.

best. study break. ever.

2010-05-18T11:10:00.001-04:00

Taco parties!

2010-05-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

just watch it.

2010-05-11T00:19:00.001-04:00

Soap box

2010-05-07T12:06:00.000-04:00

I know I'm not the first to say so, nor will I be the last:

Penn Station is a subterranean hellhole.

Have you seen pictures of the grand lobby that used to rise above these tunnels? It makes a man weep. And that man is me, wandering the halls with arrows pointing in three different directions towards NJ Transit. Weeping for confusion and Helvetica leading me astray, for the destruction of history, for the Lost City that is disintegrating into rubble before our very eyes. Not all that is old deserves to be saved, and not every new gleaming tower of glass and steel is to be dismissed.

But by god, someone has to do something about Penn Station.

Also, the 34th Street subway station smells like pee.

That is all.

i balls out love opera.

2010-05-06T11:08:00.001-04:00

as you know, i balls out love opera.

but my buddy skippy has taken it one step further. wow. that's all i can say.

So tempting...

2010-05-05T11:40:00.000-04:00

Fresh concrete calls to me like a blank canvas... Too bad it's the middle of the day.

Adventures in baseball

2010-04-10T15:10:00.000-04:00

First mets game of the season!

Another billboard liberation

2010-04-08T17:59:00.001-04:00

Picasso Steve Carell is pretty disturbing...

Blossoms everywhere!

2010-04-07T09:58:00.000-04:00

I miss California in January. But when spring finally makes its way to New York, I realize that the Bay is really missing out by not having real seasons. The rebirth of life after winter's decay is transformative, year after year.

My god it's beautiful here.

Belonging to Tip?

2010-03-26T15:37:00.000-04:00

Funny, that seems like too many digits.

2010-03-25T16:33:00.000-04:00

I know, right?!?

2010-03-19T16:20:00.000-04:00

Fail.

2010-03-17T17:53:00.000-04:00

Agreed.

2010-03-17T15:22:00.000-04:00

what's this? happy st patrick's day

2010-03-17T11:40:00.000-04:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

goat bagpipe? whoa.

2010-03-11T18:49:00.001-05:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Well, thanks for the warning at least.

2010-03-10T12:43:00.001-05:00

Look into the eye of the prehistoric rhino

2010-03-09T09:01:00.000-05:00

What the hell is a bake place??

2010-03-08T16:12:00.000-05:00

"i can't imagine my life without her."

2010-03-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

what? no. why?

2010-03-04T09:10:00.000-05:00

name that painting. awesome.

2010-03-03T12:02:00.000-05:00

70 Million by Hold Your Horses ! from L'Ogre on Vimeo.

Auto-tuning the subway?

2010-03-01T12:24:00.000-05:00

advertising that really works

2010-03-01T10:39:00.001-05:00

Patio party!

2010-02-26T11:28:00.000-05:00

I'm definitely grilling tonight!

More dragon parking?

2010-02-23T12:40:00.000-05:00

Oh good... It's so hard to find parking.

2010-02-19T12:43:00.000-05:00

Not encouraging (taxi)

2010-01-06T11:04:00.000-05:00

ed is a dancing queen

2009-12-31T09:20:00.001-05:00

Yes, that bearded, beleathered man is singing ABBA with Kathryn. One of the funniest things I've seen in a long time.

i think i know where this is

2009-12-28T23:55:00.002-05:00

after living on atlantic avenue, i have wished so many time that this button existed.

from oddlyspecific.com

you think you waste post it notes at work?

2009-12-27T21:31:00.001-05:00

EepyBird's Sticky Note experiment from Eepybird on Vimeo.

Times square: what's next?

2009-12-21T17:15:00.000-05:00

Enjoy your go.

Home sweet winter home

2009-12-21T14:11:00.000-05:00

I WANT ONE

2009-12-14T15:17:00.001-05:00

awesome.

2009-12-07T18:44:00.001-05:00

Adventures in Counterfeiting

2009-12-04T18:05:00.000-05:00

Outside my office today - turns out the sketchy folks across the hall were making unlicensed sports gear. Anyone wear a XXXXXXL?

punch it!

2009-12-03T10:55:00.000-05:00

autocompleteme.com

Back to the gilded walls

2009-11-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

Mosaic in AT&T Building

Agreed.

2009-11-25T09:00:00.001-05:00

are you legally a douche?

2009-11-24T10:13:00.001-05:00

thanks ameet

Insurer Must Defend 'Douche' Defamation Suit, Judge Says

Daniel Wise

11-23-2009

Calling someone a "douche" may be bad manners but it does not give an insurance company grounds to disavow a policy protecting against defamation claims, a state judge has ruled. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Judith J. Gische ruled that because calling someone a "douche" or "douche bag" is an opinion, not a statement of provable fact, the Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Co. must pay the legal costs of public relations firm owner Drew Kerr, who was sued by a rival.

The insurance coverage dispute arose after Kerr, according to an affidavit he submitted, sought to criticize a technique used by a competitor, Ronn Torossian. Mimicking Torossian's practice of purchasing domain names containing the names of competitors, Kerr purchased the domain "www.ronntorossianpr." On the site was posted a photo of a package of "Summer's Eve Douche." Torossian's company, 5W Public Relations, according to its Web site, is the 21st largest public relations firm in the nation.

"To the extent that Mr. Kerr's action implied a statement that Mr. Torossian was "a 'douche' or 'douche bag,'" Gische wrote in Four Corners Communications Inc. v. Graphic Arts Mutual Insurance Company, 601166/09, it is an opinion which "is not capable of being proven false." Based on that finding, Gische found that the insurance company could not rely on a provision of the policy exempting defamation coverage of statements made "with knowledge of falsity."

http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1202435726187&Insurer_Must_Defend_Douche_Defamation_Suit__Judge_Says&hbxlogin=1

the only way to relate a no-hitter on acid

2009-11-21T17:54:00.003-05:00

is with awesome animation! one of my all-time favorite stories. true or false? no way to ever know. a great story regardless. thanks to one of my new favorite art blogs puppies and flowers for the link.

Why didn't they warn me earlier?

2009-11-19T14:56:00.000-05:00

My liver would be in much better shape.

From the archives: IKEA backpack

2009-11-18T06:37:00.000-05:00

go titans!

2009-11-17T00:35:00.002-05:00

i can't help but root for a team whose 86 year old owner gives opposing fans the bird.

MANMOSA

2009-11-16T18:47:00.000-05:00

I love the taste of man in the morning

READ THE POSTER

2009-11-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

wow.

2009-11-11T12:21:00.000-05:00

http://www.humansexmap.com/

a night in carroll gardens

2009-11-09T10:55:00.002-05:00

i heart my neighborhood.

coming home late night after a saturday sunset park bowling adventure, we took our usual route down smith street. carroll gardens, as many of you know, is an old italian neighborhood, after being irish for a time, then norwegian - longshoreman, mostly, what with the nearness of the heavily-trafficked port of brooklyn, not to mention the industrial wasteland of the gowanus canal. there are a number of italian social clubs, though not as many as there once were. the doors of these clubs tend to be manned by barrel-chested, cigar-smoking beefcakes. who knows what goes on behind the heavily-curtained windows, but it likely has something to do with waste management. this is not the kind of place you mess around - which reminds me, i wonder how these halloween vandals are doing.

but i digress. it was midnight on smith street. we emerged from the subway to a large cadre of italians emerging from a local restaurant, faces flush with drink, their hearty laughs and cigar smoke filling the brisk fall air. breaking off from the group, a woman with a cane gingerly made her way towards the open door of a mammoth SUV. being that i spent a few months last year on crutches and canes, i'm sensitive to the particular plights of the cane-bound. i made my way to give her a hand and close the door behind her. suddenly the men from the group surrounded me. HEY!! LOOK AT THIS GENTLEMAN! WHAT A FINE MAN, HELPING THIS WOMAN! SO COURTEOUS!! SO CHIVALROUS! as they shouted, these large, drunk italians grabbed me by the shoulders, shook my hands, embraced me. i was mobbed by the mob. the husband of the woman happily demanded why i would dare to make him look bad in front of his old lady. they pulled kathryn aside and advised her to marry me immediately. they howled and hooted like wild things.

we walked on, marveling at the midnight magic, at the unforgettable adventures that new york city presses upon you, at the ecstatic night filled with wine-soaked laughter and the lingering scent of overly-cologned italians.

Lobby dance (92nd st y 75th anniversary)

2009-11-05T19:50:00.000-05:00

Vacation over!

2009-11-05T10:54:00.000-05:00

This was just too good not to post. Sorry about that long hiatus. I'm going to try and get back into the swing of things and post regularly.

Awesome funeral part two

2009-06-08T17:12:00.001-04:00

Awesome funeral part one

2009-06-08T17:12:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I forget to look up

2009-05-21T16:38:00.000-04:00

But it is so dramatic!

Too late

2009-05-12T09:02:00.000-04:00

Mmmm

2009-05-11T07:50:00.000-04:00

2nd avenue finger

2009-05-04T23:55:00.000-04:00

I'm famous!

2009-04-28T23:06:00.000-04:00

One who brings bad luck??

6 am

2009-04-27T11:05:00.000-04:00

The city that never sleeps... likes to sleep in on Sundays. Second Ave at 6 am. Empty!

I PAID MONEY WHERE IS TRAIN

2009-04-24T11:29:00.001-04:00

i put this up back in september!

and now look at superpoop!

Good advice (mars bar)

2009-04-23T09:28:00.000-04:00

No!

2009-04-14T19:13:00.000-04:00

"Dog?"

2009-04-01T09:41:00.000-04:00

No thanks

2009-03-28T23:51:00.000-04:00

sometimes i miss bartending

2009-03-05T11:08:00.001-05:00

the perfect music for a snowy brooklyn day

2009-03-02T11:16:00.001-05:00

hoppipolla

2009-02-18T14:33:00.003-05:00

i've been watching a lot of planet earth recently - the david attenborough version, natch; sigourney weaver is ok at best. the ads for planet earth featured this beautiful song by sigur ros - check out the old folks on a rampage. amazing.

what a way to wake up

2009-02-17T12:26:00.000-05:00

this was the first thing i heard this morning.

Heh

2009-02-13T11:21:00.000-05:00

did you ever get private eyes stuck in your head?

2009-02-12T16:36:00.000-05:00

The Procedure, with Willem Dafoe & Will Ferrell from Adam "Ghost Panther" McKay

curious pugs

2009-02-12T14:02:00.000-05:00

Curious Pugs - watch more funny videos

best. interview. ever.

2009-02-12T11:52:00.003-05:00

ok i stand corrected. that was a pretty awesome interview. but this one is just unreal.

again & again

2009-02-10T15:03:00.001-05:00

arctic unicorns!

2009-02-10T11:58:00.002-05:00

way to go bbc. thanks for my news stories this morning!

check out this video of narwhal. i love david attenborough.

also, here is a video about a john cage composition that is 639 years long. they just changed the chord!

song of the day (friday)

2009-02-09T11:14:00.001-05:00

i was super busy on friday and meant to find this... i was recovering from my five minute stint as bruce springsteen at karaoke. not as bad as recovering from the party this weekend!

song of the day

2009-02-05T16:59:00.002-05:00

the new tv on the radio is awesome! of course it is.

check out this video to see instruments delivered from heaven.

driving test

2009-02-05T11:34:00.001-05:00

i failed my permit test. my permit expired after i left the country. you guys, the california written test is hard!

but i only failed it once.

L-test hell for S Korean driver

A South Korean grandmother has failed her written driving test 771 times.

Police in the city of Jeonju said the 68-year-old woman has taken, and failed, the written test repeatedly since April 2005.

She failed the exam once again on Monday but has said that she will continue trying.

The woman, identified only by her family name Cha, has repeatedly scored between 30 and 50 marks, below the pass mark of 60 out of 100.

The Korea Times reports that Mrs Cha sells food and household items door to door at apartment complexes.

She currently carries the items in a handcart, but thought that she might need a car for her business.

Police estimate she has spent more than four million won (£2,000) to take the written test, with each test costing 6,000 won, in addition to other expenses.

"I feel sorry every time I see Cha fail. When she passes, I'll make a commemorative tablet myself and give it to her," says Park Jung-seok, a traffic police officer.

Mrs Cha has said that she will be back for another attempt. If she passes, then she can begin the practical test.

one last disturbing thought before bed.

2009-02-04T22:34:00.003-05:00

did you hear about these breasts? this woman has had EIGHT surgeries to increase her bust to a mind-boggling 34 FFF.

but wait. that's still not enough.

now she's gone to brazil because the state of texas REFUSED to put any more silicone in her boobs... she already has a GALLON in there. so disgusting.

here are her new, world-record setting 38 KKK size breasts. and with them, i have to assume, new, world-record setting back pain.

ew.

best. interview. ever.

2009-02-04T16:39:00.000-05:00

john oliver has freakin BALLS people.

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