And We're Back!!!

OK, its been like, what, 3 weeks plus since the last posting on the blog? And while I'm glad we didn't hit the month long streak of non blogging record set by Brian and Katie in recent days (oh lets face it, its just Katie...), its still reprehensible that is has taken me this long to put fingers to keyboard and update ya'll with the goings on in the Watts household....

I blame my schedule in recent weeks. Covering as the producer for The Osgood File is fun, but it basically makes my schedule look like this....up at 1230am, into the office by 2am....work the Osgood shift from 2am to 10am....nap in the office til noon....work by normal shift from 12pm to 6pm...get home by 7pm...eat dinner...say hi to Jen...in bed by 9pm (hopefully) and then up by 1230am and all over again...

And of course, I hate going to bed early, so that 9pm bedtime usually turned into 10pm....and there were several days where the late morning nap didn't happen...I had one stretch of 72 hours where I got sleep in like 7 of those hours....oy...

Amazingly, we were able to do some fun things during this schedule nonsense, and in the days following it as well....so without further ado, here's 9 things that have happened in the past 3 weeks:

-- Singing karaoke at a Mob bar in Brooklyn. So a few weekends back Chris and Shirley had us, Dawn, and their friends Steve and Kelly over for dinner on Staten Island....Shirley teaches yoga now, so Jen, Dawn, and Kelly went to her class, while Steve, Chris and I hung out at the apartment...then after dinner we went to a bar in Brooklyn called Goodfellas....

Now its probably hard to believe that a place with a cheesy name like Goodfellas would actually be a place where Mafia members hang out, but I had been told that there would be made men there, and frankly, they were pretty easy to spot...some of them actually sang...along with those folks, there were other old guys with names like Johnny Sinatra and Mikey Suits who sang Rat Pack songs...

I eventually got up and sang two songs...and while I should have listened to Jen and not sang the first song "I Get A Kick Out of You" (since we already had TWO Sinatras in the house)....but my second song went over much better...."Help Yourself" by Tom Jones (better known by the youngsters as the dream sequence song from "Anchorman")....anyways, I sang, the girls danced, and we brought the house down...

All in all, a good time....can't wait to go back to Goodfellas again soon....

-- The reinvention of our Trivia Night team...most of you know that Jen, Dawn and I play trivia at the Piper's Kilt here in the neighborhood...we usually finished in 5th place every night, week in and week out....occasionally we'd finish 4th...once even 3rd...and that was like we'd won the Super Bowl....

So when the new season started, we reinvented the team a little bit....we had added Kieran, this old guy that I befriended on my first day in town, towards the back end of last trivia season...this season we picked up two people...Lori (who's good with the music, like Dawn)...and her friend Jim (who's good with obscure historical stuff and just about everything else)...

Now, we're unstoppable...we finished FIRST a couple of weeks ago, and then took second last week....we're still a little behind another team known as the Rangers, but they have like 14 people on their team to our 6, so frankly, they should be beating us....but we're holding out hope we can catch them by season's end...

-- Having our friends James and Laura over for dinner a couple of weekends back. James and Laura are friends who we met at trivia months ago, and who live in the neighborhood. We finally had them over for dinner a couple of weekends back, and of course, we busted out the Watts specialty for dinner parties...homemade gnocchi and flank steak....Dawn couldn't make it, and our friend Andy came over for a bit, but then had to rush off for a date...so the four of us had a grand old time....

-- Going to the Bronx Zoo. The day after the dinner party with James and Laura, Jen and I decided to spend a Sunday at the zoo. It was so much fun, we decided to become members for a year...pretty cheap actually, and we can go whenever we want. Cool exhibit on Madagascar, with lemurs, and a couple of Nile crocodiles...and other cool stuff...I could always spend hours at the zoo...

-- Celebrity spotting: A few of the folks we saw wandering around town over the last couple of weeks:

Colin Quinn (corner of 57th and 10th as I was walking to work)

Martin Short (inside Borders at Columbus Circle

Debra Messing and Kelly Ripa (walking outside Columbus Circle)

Lou Dobbs (over by the Time Warner building)

-- My new shift at the top radio station in the country. So when we had the layoffs in the company a while back...one of the guys that got let go was the guy that did weekend news at WABC for us....so we've been filling that hole every weekend, and I've been chosen to cover some of those days over the past six weeks...good exposure for me...we should find out soon whether I get a permanent place on the weekend shift...would mean six day work weeks, but I'll take it for the opportunity to be on WABC.

-- Going to see "W" last weekend....it was good...wasn't great. Josh Brolin does a really good job playing George W. Bush, though...he's head and shoulders above everybody else in that movie...you should see it just for him...

-- Going to see "The Daily Show" last Thursday. Jen was able to get tickets for us and her sister Becca, who came into town on Thursday, and was with us til Sunday. I got the afternoon off, and we went to the taping. Jon Stewart was awesome...very funny. I'm glad we got to see the show immediately after the last presidential debate, made it even funnier...can't wait to go see the show again...good times...

-- Hitting Broadway Friday night with the girls. Jen, Becca, Dawn and I all went to see Speed-The-Plow on Broadway, starring Jeremy Piven, Raul Esparza and Elisabeth Moss (from Mad Men)...its still in previews, and it actually started 30 minutes late, we're guessing because Piven was sick ( he looked a little dragged, and he didn't sign autographs after the show like the others, who told us he was sick), but it was still an AWESOME show....

It's been a busy three weeks...and more to come. My birthday is Thursday, and we're headed to Connecticut for a couple of days to celebrate it with Will and Jen Selva....which is always fun....

So hope everyone is well, and we promise not to drag so much in between posts...

Mike

J-E-T-S Brett! Brett! Brett!

I couldn't do it...I just couldn't do it...

When we lasted visited me talking about Brett Favre, I spewed so much hate and vitriol towards good ol' number 4, I probably fast-tracked my ticket to hell...

But I was bitter, I was lashing out....and I knew that when push came to shove, I would fold like a cheap suit...

So when Sunday rolled around and Jen and I were getting ready to go to the Jets-Cardinals game at the Meadowlands, Jen suggested that I wear my Favre Packers jersey.

I had planned to boo the crap out of Brett, but as soon as I pulled the jersey on, we all knew that wasn't going to happen...

So we went to the game, and while we were waiting to get in, the NFL Network pulled Jen and I aside and told us they were filming people talking about the most exciting NFL moment they'd ever seen.

Well I signed up immediately. Because I knew the story I was going to tell. The one about how I was on the sidelines when the 49ers stole...yep, STOLE a game from the Packers...1999...playoffs...at the Stick...late in the game, Pack is up, and Jerry Rice fumbles the ball...yep, FUMBLES THE BALL...only the refs don't call it, the Niners keep the ball, and Steve Young hits a young Terrell Owens in the end zone to win the game for SF...

Tough moment for me, but still a great NFL moment. Anyways, they videotaped me telling the story...they're going to pick like the top 50 and put them up on NFL.com...if it goes up, I'll let everyone know...

So we got inside and got to our seats (right on the 40 yard line...perfect) and then watched the Air Show take off....I was immediately rooting for the Jets, and made a few friends in the section who thought it was cool that I'd be rooting for number 4 even those he isn't playing for the Pack...

Most know by now...Favre threw for 6....SIX touchdowns....and no one was cheering louder than I was...

So I'm a hypocrite...I admit it....but I'm rooting for Number 4 this year...even though he's not on my team anymore....

So...better get used to hearing this.....

J---E---T---S---Brett! Brett! BRETT!!!!

Mike

Mom & Dad Weiss' NYC Visit

We had a wonderful time with my parents! We had a great visit. I took the picture of them above in Brooklyn standing under the bridge. The Brooklyn Bridge, the east river, and the Manhattan skyline is behind them. That area is known as DUMBO. Down Under the Manhattan Brooklyn Bridge Over Crossing. There's your lesson for the day. :)

I took them over to my work.. here they are on the News set. My desk is just to the left of the the set behind the glass.



We took them to Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem. Here we are standing outside...

They toured the city on a double-decker bus for 2 days. Now they know more about the city then we do!!!

On Saturday morning they took Mike and I on the Brooklyn tour with them. Afterwards we had Grimaldi's Pizza.

Another thing they did while they were being New York Tourists... They went to Ellis Island. Ellis Island is where Immigrants arrived before being granted entrance into the United States. My Grandfather , My Dad's dad immigrated this way. Ellis Island is now a museum where you can look up old manifests and discover all the details of how your relatives came to this country.

My parents were able to find my Grandfather Sam Weiss. He came over a ship called the Roon in 1909. He was only 13 years old , but he told them he was 15. You had to be 15 in order to come by yourself. We learned his height, weight, eye color, ethnicity and even how much money he had on him. He also had to give them his Occupation. He was a barrel maker also known as a Cooper. That's right, in the ships manifest it lists his occupation as a Cooper.

In 1950, Sam Weiss along with his wife and 2 kids (my Dad and my Uncle Art) all moved out west to California and then Arizona.

My Grandfather died before I was born.

Who could of have imagined, almost 100 years later, his granddaughter would move back to New York City with a dog named Cooper and live on Cooper street.

It kind of gives you chills, huh?

Ironically, Mike's sister named Cooper. I guess it was fate that I met and married Mike.

xoxo

Jen

One Year Ago Today (A Jen Post)

One year ago today I moved to NYC… I flew out here scared, intimidated and by myself. I had to start my new job and find an apartment. Wow how time flies…. I never thought I'd know my way around, learn how to do my job or even make friends. A couple weeks later I found a place to live and Mike and Cooper moved out and slowly but surely we've learned the lay of the land and had an amazing time doing it.


Anyhow, just felt like reflecting- Wow- 1 year! I wonder how many more years we'll have in this Crazy City?


On another note,


Guess who decided to make a last minute visit to NYC???


My Parents!


They called on Sunday asked what we were doing next weekend then booked their tickets. They fly in tomorrow- Wednesday!


We are sooooooooooo excited!


Here's how they plan on spending their time here


Wednesday


Arrive at 7:30pm- We'll have dinner up in our neighborhood- probably order in- My dad loves the Chinese food place n our street.


Thursday
Mike and I have to work and Mom & Dad will take a double-decker bus tour of the city http://www.coachusa.com/newyorksightseeing/


Cooper guards the house

Friday
Mike and I have to work and Mom & Dad will tour the Natural History Museum and re-visit spots from their tour on Thursday that they would have liked to spend more time at.


Cooper guards the house


For Dinner we're going to the best BBQ in the city - Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem- It's awesome http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/


Saturday



We'll have breakfast somewhere fun on the Upper Westside


Then we'll head to Brooklyn! We'll walk across the Brooklyn Bridge -its a really fun activity- It will be the 3rd time I've done it.


We'll have NY's Best Pizza - Grimaldi's - It's awesome http://www.grimaldis.com/


Then we'll have a cab take us to the hospital my dad was born at and the apartment he lived in when he was just a baby before his fam moved out west.


Cooper guards the house



Then we'll had back to my hood- because I'm sure we'll be exhausted.


Sunday


We're renting a car and heading to the Hampton's for the day


Cooper gets to come play!



Monday


They Fly home with wonderful memories of their spontaneous trip to NYC

Long Time No Blog --A Jen Post

Hi Guys!

It's been awhile since I've blogged.. many apologies!

I had an amazing experience at the DNC in Denver. I really felt like I was a part of history.

While I was in Denver, Mike got in touch w/ my boss and got me the Monday after our anniversary off and planned a surprise trip. All I knew was we were renting a car, Cooper got to come, and we were leaving Saturday morning.

Or actual anniversary was on Thursday. 3 years! Can you believe it? What's even crazier is it's almost been a year that we've lived in NY!

Anyhow, Thursday was our actual anniversary. We both had to work and we had dinner that night at the Boathouse in Central Park. It was beautiful and great food!

That Saturday we left for our trip. We were off to Lake Placid in upstate New York. It was about a 4 hour drive from the city. We drove upstate through the Catskills and ended up in the Adirondacks. (Both are Mountain ranges for those of you west coasters that only know Tahoe)

Lake Placid is best known for hosting the Winter Olympics in 1932 and 1980. I would describe it like Lake Tahoe, but with the charm you find on the streets of Carmel.

We shopped and wandered around main street and toured the Olympic Venue Sites...Here are Mike and Cooper in front of the Olympic Center... this building houses the 1932 and 1980 hockey arenas.... Home of the "Miracle on Ice."

One of the highlights of the trip.. we did the "Bobsled Experience" down the 1980 track. You have a professional driver and break man ride with you, the bobsleds are on wheels in the Summer and Blades in the winter. Think 'Cool Running's.'

These are the Olympic ski jumps.. don't you wonder how this sport came about? Do you think some guys were in a pub one night and said "hey- wouldn't it be cool to build 24 story tall ramp and have skiers do jumps and flips off them?"

We drove up Whiteface Mountain and had a picnic half way up.

At the top of the Mountain there is a castle that you can hike up to the very top. Guess who didn't think he'd need a jacket!?! It was freezing!

This is Cooper the bobsledding dog...

Things I learned on the trip?

Did you know fly fishing doesn't mean that fish fly out of the lake at you? I always thought it meant that fish jumped out of the water and you had to stand on the back of the boat with a net to catch them. Anyhow.. I saw all these fly fishing signs in town and was nervous if we went near the lake fish may attack us. Then Mike told me fly fishing is when people wade into the water to catch fish that way... My vision is way cooler.

Beware of Flying Fish!

xoxo

Jen

It Comes In Threes...

They say celebrity deaths come in threes. And this past week was no exception as the entertainment/news industry lost three greats. Some people might not consider the three men that passed away "legends," but they were exemplary in their field, in my mind...and deserve praise for their abilities to inform and entertain.


We'll start with Jerry Reed...who is Jerry Reed, many of you ask? Well, Jerry Reed is a country singer probably most famously known for appearing in the "Smokey and the Bandit" movies with Burt Reynolds....one of his most famous songs comes from the soundtrack to that movie. Dave Knight and I always joke about Jerry and this song...and my absolute love for it.






Along with that song, Jerry Reed hit it big with other stuff like "Amos Moses", "When You're Hot, You're Hot", and my favorite, "She Got The Gold Mine, I Got The Shaft."


Younger audiences got to see Jerry perform in the "Waterboy" as the threatening coach that gets his ass kicked by Adam Sandler. All in all, Jerry Reed was a tireless entertainer, and he deserves to be remembered as one of the greats of country music.


The second man to pass away was Don LaFontaine, a man whom most people have always heard, but never seen until recent years. LaFontaine was "the voice of movie trailers," lending his pipes to thousands of movies, TV shows, and commercials. I'd say more, but here's a really good interview with him conducted a few years ago...





And here's where most people finally learned what the guy looked like...probably one of the funniest Geico ads out there.





Poor guy died from complications of a collapsed lung at the age of 68. Movie trailers won't ever sound the same...


The final man who took his final bow in recent days was Ike Pappas, and if you're a newsguy, you know Ike Pappas. Ike was a veteran of CBS News for years, and he most famous "story" came when he was front and center for history in 1963. Ike Pappas was one of several men covering the transport of Lee Harvey Oswald when Jack Ruby opened fire on him. In fact, Ruby actually SHOVED Pappas out of the way and then shot Oswald. Here's his live radio call...unbelievable...





All in all, three great men who deserved to be remembered at the top of their industries...


Mike

Sox Yanks: The Rivalry

As a baseball fan, I thought I had a good understanding of the rivalry between the Yankees and the Red Sox. I consider myself knowledgeable when it comes to baseball history. I watched the Sox get the monkey off their back in 2004 by coming back from 3-games-to-none to eliminate the Yankees and bring the rivalry to a whole new level.


And I knew when I moved here, that the energy surrounding every Sox-Yanks series would be 20-fold. This week is no exception, as the Red Sox make their final trip to the Bronx before the close of Yankee Stadium.


I knew the energy would be good, so since I couldn't get a ticket to one of the games due to exorbiant StubHub prices, I figured I'd keep a running diary of one of the games. Without further ado:


7:00: We are LIVE from the Watts Palace in Manhattan! I'm joined by Cooper our cocker spaniel, 4 bottles of Labatt Blue Light and a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos (health? bah!). Also, we're joined on the YES Network (yes, the Yankees have their own network) by Michael Kay, Al Leiter and John Flaherty....Jesus...Al Leiter and John Flaherty?? Is it "disappointing MLB career week" at YES this week?


Michael Kay lets us know that the Yankees stunk last night, and that it was mainly Alex Rodriguez's fault...A-Rod struck out twice and grounded into two double plays with runners in scoring position...must've been another late night at Madonna's place.


7:01: Our starters for tonight? Paul Byrd for the Red Sox and Sidney Ponson for the Yankees. Not exactly thrill-inducing.


7:04: Michael Kay says Yankees manager Joe Girardi told him tonight was a must win game if the Yanks have any hope of catching the Red Sox for the wild-card (the Yankees came into the game six games back). Only on a network owned by George Steinbrenner could there be that kind of optimism. Every Yankee fan I know has already given up on this team.


7:08: Batting leadoff for the Red Sox, young Jacoby Ellsbury, who single-handedly killed one of my fantasy baseball teams this season. I say one of them, because I have six fantasy baseball teams this year. Yep, SIX. I have a problem...


7:10: Ellsbury flies out, followed by the pride of Woodland High School, Dustin Pedroia, singling to left. Pedroia is easily the best guy out of the Sacramento area to make it to the pros in 20 years...


7:12: Uh oh, the boo birds are already out at Yankee Stadium. Big Papi just laced a double to right...second and third with one out and Yankee fans are ALREADY shitting on Ponson's performance, which might break the record for the quickest give-up on a starting pitcher.


7:16: Well, Yankee fans really aren't going to like this. Ponson gets Youkilis to strike out, but Mr. Canada Jason Bay laces a liner to left that bounces off Xavier Nady's glove...2-zip Red Sox. Let the booing ensue!!!


7:20: Jed Lowrie walks, leading to a visit from Yankees pitching coach Dave Eiland, six batters in. What's Eiland going to say? "Hey fat boy? How about getting some of these $^@$^ out??!" At least that's what I hope he's saying.


7:22: Varitek singles to right, but the Red Sox make a baserunning blunder by running on Bobby Abreu, who guns down Bay at home. Yankees are lucky to be out of that inning.


7:25: Michael Kay tells us that Sox starter Paul Byrd (whose name came up in the Mitchell Report earlier this year) started the season 3 and 10 with Cleveland, but has gone 5-and-1 in the 2nd half, and was traded to Boston a few weeks back. That HGH shipment must have finally arrived.


7:27: Johnny Damon strikes out looking, and then whines to the home plate ump about the call. Reason number 743 to hate the Yankees: their constant whining when things don't go their way. Remember to look for my book "6,732 Reasons to Hate the Yankees" coming out this fall!!


7:31: Jeter lines out, and Abreu walks, bringing up A-Rod, who comes to the plate as "This Is Why I'm Hot" by Mims plays over the loudspeakers...I don't even have a joke here...


Actually I do. If the other teams in the league had any balls, they would absolutely play "Like A Virgin" every time A-Rod came up to bat...I think he'd snap by like the sixth time.


7:33: A-Rod doubles to left, bringing home Abreu to cut the lead to one (of course he does...no pressure in the game at this point.) This is followed by Jason Giambi (still rockin' the 70s' porn moustache) striking out...


7:40: For those who don't know, Yankees starter Sidney Ponson is from Aruba and was actually knighted by Queen Beatrix of the Netherland in 2003. He celebrated that honor by assaulting an Aruban judge in 2004 over misuse of his powerboat and spent 11 days in jail. Read that last paragraph again. Meanwhile, the Red Sox go down in order in the 2nd. Followed by the Yankees doing the same in their half of the 2nd.


7:58: The Red Sox go quietly in the 3rd, followed by yet ANOTHER version of the Chevy ad with that mind-numbing John Mellencamp song. I'm sorry...could somebody remind me...whose country is this?


"This is ouuurrrrr country!!!"


Got it...thanks.


8:02: Jack Nicholson in the house!! He's behind home plate. Michael Kay bets that Jack's never had a regret in his life. I don't know.."Mars Attacks" might be a regret.


8:10: Tonight's NYS Smokers' Quitline Quiz question: Who is the Red Sox all-time RBI leader at games at Yankee Stadium? I'm guessing its Ted Williams. We'll find out later. I'm usually great at these....


8:14: The announcers discuss Sox catcher Jason Varitek and his impending free agency. The 36-year-old Varitek reportedly wants a 4-year deal, even though he's hitting .226 and is basically "Dead Man Walking" But he's the "captain" of the Red Sox, including the team putting a ridiculous "C" on his uniform, likes he's a hockey player or something. Meanwhile, Flaherty says Varitek is important because he's "great in the clubhouse." What does that mean? Does he walk around telling jokes and handing out mix tapes to his teammates? When Big Papi's in a depressed mood does he do an "Anchorman" impression to cheer him up? I need to know these things. Anyways, right now he flies out to center.


8:18: And the trivia answer is?? TED WILLIAMS!!! I swear, if they ever bring back that sports trivia show on ESPN, I'm FORCING them to put me on it. I need to put this useless information to work!!


8:28: Here come the Yankees. Cano singles in A-Rod and we're tied at two. Its amazing, every time Michael Kay gets excited and gets his voice rising, Cooper sniffs his butt...I don't know what to do with this information. We're tied at 2 headed to the fifth.


8:36: Pedroia executes a perfect hit-and-run, bashing it through the right side as Ellsbury dashes to third. You have to love Pedroia, even if his beard is worse than mine...when I grow a beard, its red while my hair is blonde...it looks like I should be on display at Ripley's...meanwhile, the Sox just loaded the bases for Youkilis....big moment for this game...


8:40: The Arubian Knight walks Youkilis to force in a run. 3-2 Sox. And the live mic outside the announcers booth just picked up the first New York accented "Fuck!" Then Bay hit a sac fly to right, and that's all for Ponson...lets hope he doesn't punch out any Aruban officials tonight...


8:47: Enwar Ramirez is on to pitch for the Yankees and HOLY GOD does this kid look young. This guy doesn't have a pitch count, he's got a curfew. Anyways, he gets Jed Lowrie to ground out to end the inning.


9:02: Kay and Leiter talk about how important the Yankees bullpen is going to be over the next few weeks, especially one days when the starters can't get into the 6th inning. This is a bullpen that features Enwar Ramirez, Chris Britton, and Brian Bruney. Good luck with that, Yankee fans!


9:05: Just saw a preview for Lakeview Terrace. Sam Jackson should just take that Chappelle imitation of him full circle and actually endorse Samuel Jackson Beer...."IT'LL GETCHA DRUNK!! YOU'LL BE $@&%'IN FAT GIRLS IN NO TIME!! MMMM...BITCH!!"


9:13: The Yankees batters seem baffled by Paul Byrd's old-timey windup....they go quietly again in the 6th....but hey, want do you want for a 210-million-dollar payroll? Runs? Timely hitting??


9:17: Enwar Ramirez's mother comes to the mound to get him home before he breaks curfew. In comes Damaso Marte for the Yankees...another desperation pick up by the Yanks at the trading deadline as they try any which way to make the postseason...which isn't happening...


9:24: Seventh inning stretch time, which means everybody at the stadium has to stand and offer a moment of silence for the troops, and then listen to Kate Smith sing "God Bless America." Folks, 9/11 was 7 years ago....we really need to be doing this every night??? Still?? Really?? And of course, since we're on the Yankees network, we're gonna see this live...but that's the fun part, when they show the close up of the Yankees with their caps over their hearts, but you know in their head they're thinking things like "I hope the post-game spread has teriyaki chicken" and "I wonder how many hot chicks I'll be able to pick up at Butter tonight?"


9:27: "The dream is still alive....some day it will come true...and this country it belongs, to folks like me and you....so let the voice of FREEDOM...sing out through this land....this is ouuuuuuuurrr country."


Its gotten to the point where I look forward to belting out the lyrics in my living room now. Congratulations Chevy. You've beaten me down completely. And you've actually created an ad campaign that causes Stockholm Syndrome. This is ouuuuuurrr country.


9:30: Uh oh, Michael Kay is calling out Yankees manager Joe Girardi for saying the Yanks "HAD TO TAKE TWO OUT OF THREE" of these Red Sox games. So much for happy times later tonight on the Joe Girardi Show (which, amazingly, is broadcast on the YES Network). Girardi might punch Kay in the face....which would be a huge improvement...meanwhile, the Yankees go down in order in the 7th...still 4-2 Sox heading to the 8th.


9:41: Here's where it comes apart for the Yanks. Youkilis gets an infield single off of A-Rod's glove, then Bay hits a screamer to right-center that Abreu misses and it bounces over the head of Damon, sending Bay all the way to 3rd....one more run for the Red Sox, and this game is OVAH!!


9:50: And there it is...sac fly from Alex Cora scores Bay. 6-2 Boston. This seems to be a good time to take Cooper on a potty break, considering he's staring me down with a look that says "if you don't take me out soon, I'm going to redecorate this carpet"....we'll be back for the bottom of the ninth.


9:57: We're back just in time to see Woodland High's Dustin Pedroia belt a grand-slam to make it 11-to-2 Boston. And now we get shots of the Yankees fans making the "Sad Panda" face....Yankee fans heading to the exits in droves...sorry Yankee fans...your post-season dreams died tonight....wait, I'm not sorry...F-the Yankees!!!


Well it turned out to be anti-climatic...but again, what do you expect with a 210-million-dollar payroll?? God I love it when the Yankees lose....

Mike

Killing Time

Well, we're five days into Jen being gone, and despite my best efforts to keep busy, I'm already talking to the walls....Cooper is good company, but his lack of being able to vocally discuss things in English is leading to some rather silent nights here at home.


Of course, I have been able to have SOME fun while the Mrs. is gone..here are some highlights:


-- Catching "Pineapple Express" in the theater on Friday night after work. I've been given strict instructions NOT to see "Tropic Thunder" without Jen, and we'd already seen "The Dark Knight," so "Pineapple" was the choice. And it was hilarious...but what made it even more funny was I can guarantee that at LEAST half of the audience was baked to the Bejesus belt...so every joke got laughs 10 times harder than normal....which made for an entertaining couple of hours...

Anyways, go see it if you get the chance.

Other movies I've enjoyed as I blaze through our Netflix and On Demand lists: In Bruges (which was excellent...definitely see that), The Reaping, Rush Hour 3, The Simpsons Movie, Cassandra's Dream, The Bank Job, and The Brave One.


-- Watching the Comedy Central Roast of Bob Saget on Thursday night. I had DVRed it earlier in the week, and finally got around to watching the whole thing. While none of these CC roasts will ever be as funny as the old Dean Martin Celebrity Roasts, the Saget one was pretty good. John Stamos was the MC, and he got battered about Rebecca Romijn leaving him...Stamos himself was pretty funny....Jeff Ross was his usual comedic gold...but you need to see that roast for 82-year-old Cloris Leachman's comments....I can't believe how funny she was...definitely try to check it out.


-- Going to Jersey on Saturday for a party thrown by my co-worker Jim. It was a surprise party for his wife Heidi, and it was definitely a surprise, since her birthday was two months ago, but they hadn't been able to do anything for her because of work, so Jim decided to surprise her by inviting their friends....I took the PATH train to Hoboken, where my co-worker Jen and her boyfriend Jon picked me up, and we drove over to Cranston for the party. Our fellow co-worker Spencer was there as well with his wife and little 10-month old boy.


We have a small staff of news people here in New York, but the great thing is we all get along fabulously...Jen, Spencer, Jim and the others were more than welcoming when I arrived last year, and we've always talked about trying to spend more time with each other out of work...alas its hard to get the seven of us together with our other halves and such due to scheduling...so it was nice to just chill out for an afternoon and shoot the breeze...


-- After I got back into town on Saturday night, I was walking by Madison Square Garden when I realized that the WWE was in town. Most folks know that I still, at the age of 31, follow professional wrestling...I probably shouldn't, but I think its hilarious. Its my soap opera.


So I had 30 bucks in the wallet, and the show was about to start, so I went over to the entrance and was able to scalp a ticket....that ended up being 10th row...


Anyways, I hadn't been to the matches in awhile, and the crowd was really into it, without being a scary redneck crowd like poor Jen endured a few years ago in Sac...so it was a good time.


And yes...I graduated from college nine years ago...


-- Belting out karaoke at the Piper's Kilt Sunday night. I had the intention of just going there for an hour for dinner. Well, eight beers later, I had crooned three tunes. "867-5309," "Short Skirt, Long Jacket," and "The Rainbow Connection." It was fun...the crew for the UME social club that Jen and I are a part of were there, so we had a jolly good time.


That's about it so far...tonight (Monday) is a quiet night at home, though I did have dinner at the Kilt earlier. Plans for the upcoming week include a trip to the U.S. Open Thursday, and visiting with our friends Jason and Michelle, who come into town on Wednesday because Michelle is appearing on the Rachael Ray Show on Friday...


So I've had a good time so far, but I'd trade it all to be with my baby. Come home soon Jen!!

One Is The Loneliest Number

Well, Mrs. Jen has headed off to Denver for the DNC, leaving young Cooper and I all by ourselves. You'd think we'd be thrilled to have a bachelor pad for 10 days, but truthfully, its been 12 hours, and I already miss my baby....


So expect some extra writing over the next few days as I look to fill the hours. I'm sure it'll all be Pulitzer-worthy...


In the meantime, enjoy this news story that I had the privilege to write today at work. As Mike Huthman said when I showed it to him, "The story is great, but the last sentence makes it super-great."


NJ - Ninjas Arrested


>>Clifton Cops Arrest Pair Of Modern-Day Ninjas


(Clifton, NJ) -- A pair of men who described themselves as modern day Ninjas looking to rid the region of evil instead were arrested by Clifton cops this week. Officers picked up 19-year-old Jesse Trojaniak and 20-year-old Tadieusz Tertkiewicz Tuesday after the pair were spotted dressed in full Ninja gear inside a parked car on Route 46. The duo told officers they were "Shinobi Warriors" and were on a quest to rid the area of drug users and drug dealers. They planned to deliver letters to their targets telling them to stop their "impure" ways. The men were armed to the teeth with knives in sheaths, throwing knives, Chinese throwing stars, nunchucks and other weapons. Both face weapons possession charges. Tertkiewicz has also been charged with harassment for delivering one of the letters to his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend.


###
Mike Watts NJ)

The Huthmans Take Manhattan Photos!!

As promised...pictures from the Huthmans' recent trip to Manhattan. Ivanna had a conference here for about 8-9 days, so they stayed at a hotel for the first few days, and then joined us for 4 days in Inwood before heading home. All told they spent nearly two weeks here and got to see quite a bit.


Of course, the apple of Mike and Ivanna's eyes is their one-year-old daughter Anisa. She's as cute as a button and has all the personality in the world. And since Jen and I aren't going to be Aunts and Uncles by blood anytime soon, we're more than happy that Mike and Ivanna look at us as family, and that Anisa will grow up knowing she always has Aunt Jen and Uncle Wiggy in her corner.

So while Ivanna was unfortunately stuck in conference related stuff, Mike and I took Anisa around town, where she promptly fell asleep at all the major moments...

At Central Park

At the Buddhist Temple in Chinatown

Chinatown

Coney Island

The Pond at Central Park

Little Italy

She also fell asleep at Ground Zero, but we felt it was inappropriate to take a picture of that. Instead, here's a picture of the work continuing to happen at the WTC site.

Even when Ivanna was able to spend time with her daughter at night, Anisa was still ready to sleep.

She also managed to fall asleep at Yankee Stadium, which frankly, is hard to do...

Though to be fair, she actually watched most of the game. In fact, she had a blast...she was clapping when everyone else was...which was a lot because the Yankees kicked the Twins ass that night....f'in Yankees....

Most of the week, it just me and Mike taking the kid around town. It was like one long episode of "My Two Dads."

"You can count on me... no matter where you go.."

Mike also took her to the Museum of National History, where she got to see the dinosaurs!

Naturally, she was very excited!

That, in fact, is Anisa's "Super Happy Face!" (tm). She likes to do it a lot, and sometimes even without asking. Of course, I asked her to do it all the time, because I think its hilarious.

Mike and I tried to do the face as well, but its actually quite scary....

We also took the Huthmans to Coney Island.

All told, a really fun time, and we hope the Huthmans keep their promise to come back in the winter. Then we can pictures of Anisa asleep at the Rockfeller ice rink, at Madison Square Garden, at the big Christmas tree, etc. =)