Smell you later

Crunch time right now. Just did laundry. Need to fold it all, iron some shirts, pack everything up, pack up my gear, and wake up at 4am to go. Can't wait. Probably won't have a chance to write during the trip, so maybe you'd care to re-read some of my earlier posts. There must be some grammatical or spelling errors therein. Point them out to me. Win a prize. (If you count my eternal admiration as a prize...)

False Start

Listening to Radiohead's Kid A today. It's the first Radiohead album I have ever purchased. So many people have been raving about them for so many years now. Had to break down and give them a try. Not at all what I was expecting. Then again I didn't quite know what to expect. The last Radiohead track in my posession was "Creep" on a CD-Rom that came with my Mac Centris 610 back in 1993. In any case, I am not so into Kid A. I was expecting more. Perhaps I should have read the review first. Perhaps I should have started with OK Computer.

CRUSHER

My new favorite blog.

H&R Block - My new best friends

Going to H&R Block tonight to handle some business. Filing returns for 2003, 2002, and 2001. Yes, that's right. I am a return evader. I am not officially a tax evader, like some people. I should be due some refund money. So no harm no foul. Just some late paperwork. I'm certainly an idiot for waiting this long to get my measly refunds back, but a harmless idiot. I have not wronged my country. In fact, by letting them hold on to my refund $$ for the last two years, I've actually been a good citizen. Think of all the interest they earned off the money they would have paid me. :-P

On the bright side, if things go well tonight, my 2003 return will be in on time. Dare to dream!

Liar liar pants on fire

So I'm a big fat hairy liar. I've taken to reading the bulletin board on Gothamist, and will post myself now and then. One of the posts was titled Blogs are for attention hounds?, and talked about how blogging in general is egotistical and vain. I thought I'd throw my two cents in (as I am prone to do in life) and stated:

"To me, a blog is simply a diary or journal, evolved. In the past, when I have tried to keep a journal, I have always failed dismally. It required sitting down, finding the book, grabbing a pen, and writing. My blog, however, is much more accessible to me. I spend so much time in front of a computer. I am used to writing "mind-dump" style from emailing for years. So far it's a much more natural fit for me than a traditional journal. (though it is very new still) And so far my blog has been anonymous, and mostly private. (It is accessible, but I do not plan to publicize the URL at all.) I am aware when I write, however, that someone _might_ be reading it. This gives a more human feel to the proverbial "Dear Diary" sense that we have when we write into a private, locked book. So in a sense I feel that it is a private and personal outlet for me, and the fact that there might be some audience simply affects the tone and style of my writing.

Does this make any sense at all?"

This was two days ago.

Since then, I have been adding to this little blog here, bit by bit, and have had a few readers. (I can tell from comments and the sitemeter stats.) Knowing that I have had some readers has made this seem more real to me, and less secretive and internal.

Anyway, here I was waiting for a task to finish at work, blog-surfing. I came across an entry on someone's site that I thought I'd comment on. Next thing I know, there's a comment on his site, left by me, with the URL: portion filled out. Shameless. I couldn't keep this to myself. Had to drop my pissant little URL onto his comment board.

Damn! Is that my tush burning??

New Toys

I am very excited. I am now the proud owner of a two-way radio set. People in the group headed out to Colorado this week have been talking for a while about how useful they would be. Given that some of us can ski/ride pretty well and others are beginners, we plan on splitting up quite a bit. These will help us keep track of each other, plan to meet up for lunch, plan to meet up for drinks, etc... Should be pretty handy. And then there's all the trash-talking we plan to do. Nothing like a little Smokey and the Bandit or Convoy re-enacting to get your juices flowing. Good times ahead. Good times. (By the way, isn't that Convoy poster cheesy as hell? Gotta love the 70s!)

Seriously, I am pretty excited about these. They will come in handy for hiking, caravaning, and playing tag in this big city. Just a useful thing to have at times.

In future posts I will rave about my other favorite toys. These include my MP3 player, my XBOX, my HTIB, my digicam, and my skis. I am very lucky to be able to afford some goodies now and then. Alas, one day I shall have mouths to feed (hopefully!)

Orange you glad I asked?

How long do oranges keep in the fridge? This question is now forefront in my thoughts. I need to do my research some time today, when I have a chance. You see, my teenaged cousin was doing a fundraiser for a school trip. To raise money for the trip she was selling crates of fruit. One weekend recently my girlfriend and I went out to Long Island to help my mother pick up and move a piece of furniture she had bought from some garage sale or tag sale or something. While we were in the house, she explained about the fundraiser, and asked if we wanted to help out. Hmmm. Help my cousin go on her trip, and get lots of fruit in the process? Done and done. So I signed up for the big crate of oranges, for about $35. Then my girlfriend decided to buy a box too, for her family, because they love fruit. So there you have it. Two forms filled out, $70 given over to the fund, and our empty fridge eagerly awaiting the oranges.

Fast forward a couple of weeks. The oranges have been delivered. My aunt was helping my cousin make her deliveries. Given that they too live on Long Island, it made sense to get our oranges to my parents. We'd see them sooner or later, no? Well, two crates of oranges is a whole lotta fruit. Not so easy for Mom or Dad to lug into the city and carry around. Schedule-wise, not so easy for us to get out to LI. What to do?

First move. Mom came into the city on Sunday to meet us all for dinner. She brought with her two bags of fruit. One contained some of the mixed assortment that my brother had ordered. (Yes, there are other city-dwellers waiting for fruit in this deal, don't even ask....) And one contained a smattering of our oranges. We decided to send those back to my girlfriend's family with her, because they were more likely to eat them this week. OK. Girlfriend's crate: partially delivered. My crate, and the remainder of hers: sitting in M&D's fridge.

Next move. I need to borrow a ski bag from Dad for an upcoming trip to Colorado. (SWEET!!!!) Dad works in the city here, so he brought the bag in. When I called him to arrange meeting up to get the bag, he informed me that he also has a "few oranges" for me. OK. Now we are getting into my crate. Progress.

Here's the issue. Not only am I unlikely to eat all of the oranges he is bringing me today before my trip, but because of the trip we won't be able to even pick up another batch for a while, let alone get it to my girlfriend's family. So. The better part of our $70 orange cache will remain in M&D's fridge for the time being.

Which brings us back to my question? How long can oranges stay good in the fridge?

(Addendum question: why didn't we just give my cousin some money for her trip??)

Books (or why size doesn't matter)

So I decided to add a booklist to my sidebar. I have no desire to list other blogs I read, because for the most part I read the same ones you do. Nor do I have any desire to share my list of links, because for the most part I surf pretty standard, popular sites. Would me providing a link to the New York Times bring them any new readers? Funny thought. My booklist, though, is at least somewhat unique. Mainstream as my selections might be, the exact selections, and the order in which I choose to read them, is at least something that might prove interesting. Regardless, I thought it would be good for me to keep track.

Confession time. Multiple confessions.

1. I am not as much of a reader as the list might make you think. The list is long because I can never remember what I've read, so I went over to the bookshelf, and decided to list off everything that I had read in the last year or two. Just to get the list started.

2. I fudged the order. Besides the most recent few (Angels and Demons, Wind-Up Bird, Basket Case, etc...) I have no clue when I read which book. I think the order is a good approximation. And that's close enough for a little list on a little blog.

3. I chose to read Bridget Jones's diary of my own free will and accord. My girlfriend did not push it on me. Truth.

Mamma mia!

I knew Chef Boyardee was a little too smiley.

From CNN

Blogs for idiots?

After looking at my last post, it occurred to me that it was long. Well, long for a blog.

Why are most blog entries so short? Surely people have more to say than a few scant lines on each topic. Is their time limited, and they are sneaking in entries on the fly (like this one...)? Or are they catering to the blogging generation's short attention span? The latter is my most likely suspicion. This whole medium is full of short little snippets of information. Some blogs are news digests. Others are foodie digests. Yet others are mind digests. Why not share more? Go in-depth with opinion and thought?

If I were to write a super long entry, would anyone bother to read it? (Will anyone actually bother to read this?) Or is there some limit to how involved we are willing to get when it comes to leisure-time web reading?

Bite of irony for the day: my short entry on short entries.

Go East

Just got back from lunch at East. This is my favorite near-work lunch spot. It is a chain of Japanese restaurants in the New York area. This particular locale, the only one I have been to, has a center prep-area enclosed by a conveyor belt. (Their other locales might have conveyors too, but I'm not sure.) The belt rolls by long bars with mounted stools, and a handful of booths. Sushi and other yummy treats coast by on small, color-coded plates. A white plate costs $1.00, pink $1.50, green $2.00, red $2.50, etc.... You can order from a menu, or a la carte, or you can simply sit there and pluck plates from the belt. It looks something like this, but more appetizing.

The prices are good to begin with. Most of the basics (tuna, salmon, whitefish, eel, crabstick, etc...) cost $2-$3 for a plate with two pieces. And there are many roll plates, with half a roll (3 pieces), for $1.50-$3. They do charge more for things like yellowtail, toro, etc... but the prices are generally good for the basics. In addition to all of the basics, they always have some interesting new things to try. Special combo rolls, Japanese desserts, potato fritters, bean cakes, etc...

The real coup at East, though, is their Monday and Tuesday discount program. Monday all tuna items are half-priced, and Tuesday all salmon items are half-priced. So on a day like today, I was pulling white plates with two pieces of salmon off the belt for $1. You can't beat that. Granted, the fish is not Tomoe or Blue Ribbon quality, but it is always fresh and good. And certainly a good value. And maybe it's because I am a kid at heart (or maybe it's because I am a fat-kid at heart...) but I get a kick out of just sitting there, watching all the plates roll by on the conveyor belt. Not to mention the chuckle I get when I am reminded of the scene from the Johnny English trailer where Rowan Atkinson gets his tie caught in a similar contraption at a Japanese restaurant. (Trailer chuckle aside, I have yet to bother with the movie.)

The cherry on top of this coolness sundae (made with green tea ice cream, of course) is the East Club. To join the East Club you fill out a sign-up form and fork over $20. In return, you get $20 in gift certificates (2 $10 certs) and a membership card that entitles you to 10% off all meals for a year. Basically, you get 10% off for signing up. So those white plates with two pieces of salmon I was so psyched to pay $1 really cost me 90 cents. Does it get any better than that? Not in my world.

One word of caution. I have never been there for dinner. I'm not sure what kind of traffic they get, and I would be reluctant to take from the conveyor belt at dinner. If you go in the evening, make sure to order from the waiter, and have your sushi cut fresh. A la carte prices are the same as from the belt, so there is no harm in ordering from a waiter. It's just not nearly as fun. As for me, Tuesday lunch can be a real treat. Me, a mounted stool, a book, some tea, some water, and lots of good, inexpensive sushi.

So much to say...

I can't believe that this blog is only a few days old, and already I am being lax about updating it. Yes, procrastination is my middle name. Yes, I often start things that I don't finish. But I was hoping this would be different. It's such a positive outlet for my thoughts and stories. And the idea of keeping it fresh should help me stay motivated, and learn to make it part of my daily routine. Which in turn should help me to incorporate other things into a daily routine, and become more organized and regimented. (cue wishful thinking inspirational music..... .... ... now!)

But here I am, sneaking in a post from work, as opposed to taking the time in the evening to write something significant.

I am a hunter. My prey? The elusive beast called DISCIPLINE.

12:31

Not sure where the nickname saltydog came from. But it's the only one I have ever liked. So why not the saltydog blog? Alas, someone already grabbed it. So now the ever-annoying task of choosing a variation on the name. saltydog123? Nah. About as intelligent as my thumb. saltydog04? Why choose something that will be relevant for 9 more months? So what number will be meaningful, but not too personal? Think. Think about dates. Think about times. Think about favorite take-out menu items. Think about... a-ha. 12:31. A throw-back to good times. The longest lasting inside-joke with my roomates from freshman year of college. A number that makes me smile.

So there we were. Having breakfast one morning during the first week of college. The four of us. And Hans.

Hans was the faculty advisor assigned to the four of us for the year. His role? Just to be there for us if we had any questions or problems, or if we just wanted to shoot the shite. Because every freshman wants to confide in a man who looks to be not a day younger than 101. Ahh. Grandpa Hans. Anyway, there we were, having breakfast with the oldest freshman advisor on the planet (check the Guiness Book, no lie) and each rapping with him about our first week. He turns to me and asks "so, what time have you been getting to sleep?" My reply: "12:30, 1:00". He looks me in the eye, dead serious, and says: "tvelve sirty vun? you're dat preeecise??"

Classic. Thanks Hans.

Hello World

Wow. My blog. All this anticipation, and suddenly writer's block. You know, I tried something like this a few years ago. Got into a little web-design through work and decided I would make my own website, just to keep the skills sharp. I knew I would be constantly updating it, keeping it fresh. There was no limit to the number of slick web things I could learn and try. So I did it. I registered a domain. I found a low-cost hosting solution. And then (like now) I got stuck. What the hell was I supposed to put on my website? My bio? Fascinating. My resume? Equally as captivating. Pictures? Of what - my sink full of dirty dishes or the dustballs under my bed? Then it hit me. I could post my thoughts. Rambles. Musings. To quote my girlfriend - "he'll talk to a rock". So I would always have something to say. That was it. Genius. Great idea. And this was 2001, so I was on the bleeding edge. If someone had used the word blog back then, I would have thought they were referring to some Star Trek alien, or some random new board game. There it was. My website, and only some FTP commands standing between me and the world. So what did I do with it? I posted two anecdotes. And then I let it start to collect dust. It's in my closet right now collecting dust actually. Right between my rollerblades and the busted VCR I was going to fix. But this isn't that website. This is a blog. This is my blog. And my blog is already at 50% the productivity of that website of mine.