Josh and Katie Adopt a New Kitty!!!!

Check out our new little guy. no name yet....we're open to suggestions. 2 months old....female...part lilac point siamese.

she is currently living in bathroom....oliver doesnt know what to think.

Hero For A Day

Barry Schwartz!

http://www.itconversations.com/shows/detail252.html

This is a talk on his book The Paradox Of Choice. Listen and weep. At the very least, this podcast got me through the worst traffic jam of my life. Maybe it can give you 30minutes of excitement behind your desk in NYC.

Superlatives

OK.. this blog has been up and running for a minute now and I wanted (in my last week of not-work in Nicaragua) to honor those that have contributed to this magnificent piece of art.



All of these are up for discussion as this is not a monarchy. Although perhaps the family can vote me in as queen for a day.



Of course BLOGMaster goes and will always go to Sol for having the idea and running it for us.



Best Layout:Johnny Rocket... how does he do it?



Most Frequent Commenter: Between Dave and Joe... these comments are like a topping on the blog-cake.

Best Comment: Clever Cassie with her chilli cook off lawyer letter!



Biggest Promoter of the White Rabbits: Katie.. congrats to them for Letterman!



Most Invested Blogger: Josh F. He really encourages us to do more with this amazing resource! Editorials, gossip, pics, reviews....he does it all.



Best Blog Pic: Ben's Belly pic! The accompanying entry was also noteworthy. Although Raju's random toot toot pic is also pretty funny.

And so ladies and gents, I encourage those that have other superlatives to come forth. Best entry? Or will that add tension to this lovely family....

I miss you guys

PUBQUIZ

AT FIDDLESTICKS

9pm

Tuesday 29 May

Teams will compete for a keg of Budweiser

This place might suck on weekends, but it will be uncrowded on a Tuesday.

(AND WE COULD WIN A FREE KEG, PEOPLE!)

White Rabbits on David Letterman - They're Amazing!

White Rabbits Rock!
www.myspace.com/whiterabbits

Check them out!

White Rabbits on David Letterman

In case y'all missed it the other night!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0V-Xn5s6LVw

Outdid

The NYC Thriller dancers are pansies compared to these hardened criminals. Must start practicing now for a thriller-off.

Coming Up For Air

Bloggers Unite!!

In an effort to maintain my sanity, I am contemplating a study break for part(s) of the weekend, and am thinking of leaving my apartment at some point. I've checked the weather report and it looks like we're in for Sky Blue Sky for the next couple of days, so things may be coming together for me.





This Saturday is the Siren Music Festival. There will be about 15 bands playing. And a few of them are actually good. I was thinking about maybe going to see one or two of the following (time permitting). If I can't make it, I suggest you all go regardless, as they are good bands.



Scissors For Lefty
Saturday, July 21, Union Hall, 8:00 pm

Voxtrot
Saturday, Stillwell Stage, 6:30 pm

We Are Scientists
Saturday, Main Stage, 5:00 pm

The Black Lips
Saturday, Main Stage, 4:00 pm

Elvis Perkins (In Dearland)
Saturday, Stillwell Stage, 2:30pm

White Rabbits
Saturday, Stillwell Stage, 1:30 pm

The Story Of A Splinter

As most of you know, just over two months ago I went on a canoing trip on the Rio Grande with a bunch of well-intentioned investment bankers.

It was a great trip. We canoed 83miles were hailed on, stung nocturnally by real scorpions, camped in a streambed that became a stream, listened to a subset of four I-bankers retell endless stories about a common summer camp, and ate spam every morning for breakfast.

However without question our greatest triumph came on the morning of the 4th day. We camped by a beautiful "hot" spring. The quotation marks only denote the fact that the geothermal processes deep within the spring kept it at a wonderful 80degrees compared to the solarthermal process in atmosphere which kept everything else at an unbearable 95degrees.

Anyway the hot spring provided a literal oasis in the desert: you could drink from it, bath in it, or merely sit and relax and watch little fish come up and nibble sweat off your leg hairs. The water was so clear and the childhood camp stories so oft retold that this particular activity provided me with hours of entertainment.

Naturally the spring also provided a good source of water for the living elements of the desert. I saw a huge snake one morning when getting water. Later that evening a group of Mexicans wandered up and set-up camp. These Mexicans combined with the faint appearance of a trail on the other [American] side of the river, led us to wonder if this spring was the location of a major immigrant crossing.

A quick check in our guidebook revealed that, sure enough, we were camping right in the middle of the Immigration Highway. The spring was kind of like nature's version of a Flying J Travel Plaza.

As we had scheduled the following day off [rest day from canoing], a group of us decided to hike up the trail on the other side. Just up to the top of the ridge. It didn't look too hard from the campsite [see for yourself, pic on left] and we would get a chance to see what these immigrants were made of.

Well suffice it to say we were wrong. The first thing I learned was that those immigrants are made of a far hardier substance than I am. The second thing I learned was that their clothes must be made of a far hardier substance than mine as well.

By the end of the hike three out of four of our pants blew-out so badly they could never be worn again. By blow-out I mean that prickerbushes & thorns shredded them. A thorn would go in, you would walk forward and a long gash worthy of Freddy Kruger would appear. Fifteen or twenty of these and your pants would be "blown-out." This became especially unfortunate for the person walking behind me, since the site of my first major blow-out was straight down the length of my anal crevice. A great picture exists but I will spare the blog.

When our clothes were used up. It was onto the flesh.

Anyway it was the hardest hike of my life. And when I got back my legs were destroyed. Literally thousands of scratches, hours with a tweezer in the hot spring removing thorns and needles.

A few of which still haven't healed.

Which leads me back to Suburban Maryland. Four days ago, I was in the bathtub. Splashing around, reflecting back on the spring, our hike, and all those hours with a pair of tweezers - naturally I started poking at one of the unhealed wounds. It was round and felt tight, like there was a small acorn locked under the flesh. I squeezed at the acorn.

And up like a grass shoot, a splinter popped out. It had spent two months in my skin. And just slid straight up, poked its head out and looked around. Like a piece of pencil lead from one of those retractable pencils, maybe 1/2inch long.



Crazy!

Of course, when I recovered from my shock, I ran dripping from bath to take pictures of my splinter to share with all of you.

Loose Lips! Volume 1, Issue 0!

I declare this blog has gone on too long without gossip, rumor, and bold-face lies reported as fact! So I bring you:

LOOSE LIPS!!!

No more will the salacious secret lives of JJ8ers and their friends, lovers, and animal companions go undocumented! Loose Lips is putting its eye to the keyhole, its ear to the door, its nose in the air for the whiff of rumor and intrigue. Be warned, happy-go-lucky twenty-somethings! The next time you wake up beside a certain secret so-and-so, you might just spit your morning Joe all over your iBook to see—the whole blog is onto you!

Got a Tip for Loose Lips??? Email with guaranteed anonymity to
TipsForLooseLips@hotmail.com
All rumors will be reported as fact—no substantiation necessary!!

Rumor! There was much bravado when a certain brunette member of the JJ8osphere discussed squaring off against one of New York's most celebrated urban planners in a summer-long sex-off. But Loose Lips wonders if the bravado was false, and our brunette has in fact been a one-guy gal these past few months… Might the Mann have taken the day had the bet been made? Is the appeal of a law degree and air conditioning stronger than that of besting a founding member of the JJ8osphere in the Game o' Fuck??

Speculation! Why is this man smiling???

This snapshot raised some eyebrows around Loose Lips International Headquarters! Note the happy grin, the unwashed hair, the sleepy eyes… Could that be post-coital bemusement on the face of New York's Favorite Master of the Engineering Arts?? But who was the recipient of the Rosales treatment??? A Nicaraguan native… or someone closer to home…!? Developing!

A Pug Too Far?! The Cornerstone Couple of the JJ8osphere might want to start keeping one of their beloved pugs on a shorter leash! But this is no joking matter—those who've seen the dumpling-dubbed dog in action recently worry that he's escalated from recreational weed to an unsteady diet of pain killers, ecstasy, and sleeping pills. Worse, he's been spending the family gambling money to unleash the Red Rocket on cat prostitutes!! Yuck! Loose Lips volunteers to lead the intervention!

Blind Item! One member of the JJ8osphere sure likes the prospects for wedding bells for a local chef extraordinaire and the sister of a member of one of NYC's hottest bands. This native JJ8er bet $100 the nuptials would occur. Who made the bet...? Only Loose Lips knows for sure!

Heard a rumor? Saw something unsightly? Want to clarify the above or add fuel to the fire? Want to make something up? Insert the tip in the Loose Lips inbox! TipsForLooseLips@hotmail.com

blowin' up the blog, part III: swissatronic

i know you guys are fans, so here's a few short videos i shot with my trusty little canon in switzerland. the first clip is of a bunch of cows making some music with their cow bells (such a good instrument). the other two are from the tinguely museum in basel - named after jean tinguely, a wacky artist from basel who made all sorts of crazy machines. whether they are mooing, chomping or thrusting, the swiss keep it full on the methodical tip. word.

blowin' up the blog, part II: swiss adventures

well thanks to an early morning jet lag wake up, and a day free from work or responsibility (except of course my responsibility to you the blog-reading public), i am now ready to share with you a truly awesome blog. but first my friends, let me say that it's good to be back home. there's something so sweet about coming back to new york - right from the shitty attitude the passport control guys have, to the the dirty and noisy subway, to the thick, sweaty air that hits you as you walk out of the train. i love this town!

anyway the last few days of the trip were spent in switzerland in the company of josh and julie. as far as i could tell, julie is rocking the international business world like a true playa, while josh mostly spends his days searching for a weed connection in basel. their hard work is paying off - julie has become her company's go-to global person and josh finally got the hook up!! (it took a little convincing though)

swizterland is an extremely impressive country. and also shockingly expensive. everything seems to be in order and everyone wants to keep it that way. the trains are amazingly punctual, the streets are clean, bicycles are treated with utmost respect, and even the bathrooms are impressive. this public toilet below really blew my mind - it was incredibly clean, had buttons for flushing, hand washing, and blow drying your hands, a slot for disposing of needles and razorblades, and it was free!

and of course, the scenery was beautiful. like jaw-dropping, awe-inspiring, maybe-there-is-a-god-after-all beautiful. josh and i spent 3 days in a part of the country known as the bernese overland, a region of jagged peaks, crystal lakes, and plenty of tourists. especially japanese tourists. the town of grindelwald is the first place in the world that i have been where there is a special tourist office catering only to japanese. we saw some really awesome stuff: soaring mountains, marmots, lots of cows. along the way we came across - in total seriousness - a goat that was herding cows, which took my respect for goats to a whole new level. and it is so easy to hike in the alps - all the trails are well-marked, there are cable cars for the tired/lazy/handicapped/jaded, and there is drinking water (straight from the glacier to you) all along the trails.

our swiss adventures included swimming in an ice-cold alpine lake, getting stuck in a herd of cows, meeting a dude who was half-man, half ogre, and passing by a butcher/restaurant that sold only horse meat. we also happened upon a vitriola festival in a town called thun. 250 organ grinders sweating it out in the hot summer sun, dressed up in random 1910 traditional outfits -- the only thing that was missing were the dancing monkeys.

it was really a great end to a month and a half of fantastic travels. so to close the show, here's a little collection of the highlights.

swiss times

-

blowin' up the blog, part I

from the AP newswire:

(AP) A would-be robber was disarmed by hospitable hosts who offered him a glass of wine and sent him off with a group hug but no cash.

A group of friends was finishing a dinner of marinated steaks and jumbo shrimp on the back patio of a Washington home when a hooded man slid through an open gate and pointed a handgun at the head of a 14-year-old girl.

"Give me your money, or I'll start shooting," the intruder said, according to Washington police and witnesses. Everyone froze, including the girl's parents. Then one guest spoke up.

"We were just finishing dinner," Cristina "Cha Cha" Rowan, 43, told the man. "Why don't you have a glass of wine with us?"

The intruder had a sip of their Chateau Malescot St-Exupery and said, "Damn, that's good wine."

The girl's father, Michael Rabdau, 51, a federal government worker, told the intruder to take the whole glass, and Rowan offered him the bottle.

The robber, with his hood down, took another sip and a bite of Camembert cheese. He put the gun in his sweatpants.

Then the story took an even more bizarre twist.

"I think I may have come to the wrong house," the intruder said before apologizing. "Can I get a hug?"

Rowan, who works at her children's school and lives in Falls Church, Va., stood up and wrapped her arms around would-be robber. The other guests followed.

"Can we have a group hug?" the man asked. The five adults complied.

The man walked away a few moments later with a filled crystal wine glass, but nothing was stolen, and no one was hurt. Police were called to the scene and found the empty wine glass unbroken on the ground in an alley behind the house.

Police classified the June 16 incident, which lasted all of 10 minutes, as strange but true. The witnesses thought the intruder might have been high on drugs.

"We've had robbers that apologize and stuff, but nothing where they sit down and drink wine. It definitely is strange," said Cmdr. Diane Groomes, adding that the hugs were especially unusual.

Too Good--Must Be a Trap

If an evil scientist wanted to construct a movie of maximum JJ8 appeal, it might just be be a Bob Dylan biopic with Dylan played by multiple actors ranging from Christian Bale to Cate Blachett (see clip), with a cameo of Allen Ginsburg played by David Cross. Throw in a pug, a Red Sox subplot and Gary Oldman nude scene and basically everyone reading this would attend... Attend, and be exposed to knock-out gas and taken to Brandon "Wundt" Dammerman's lair inside a hollowed-out mountain.

My Brain

My brain exploded

Any knowledge is long gone

Now nothing is left

Spain/Guatemala: Day 56

NERJA/BARCELONA/BASEL/SAN SEBASTIAN/ANGITGUA/OCOTAL



Today is the final day of my trip. In 5 hours I will be boarding a plane headed for New York City ending my 8 week jaunt through Spain and Guatemala, with side trips to Switzerland and Nicaragua. This is the longest trip I've ever been on, and I'm glad for the experience.



The principle objective of the trip, to improve my spanish, has been a modest success. My spanish is definitely better than it used to be, though still leaves a lot to be desired. Simple, relaxed conversations are no sweat, but most people still talk a bit too fast for me to catch everything, I have a lot of trouble with strong accents (like the Nicaraguans'), and my speaking ability is by far my weakest. But I actually know all the grammatical rules now, so with a little practice, I should be able to figure everything out.



Otherwise, the trip was a pretty full experience: beach fun, surfing frustration and fun, family, seeing friends in far off lands, new cities, new places, new friends, love-sickness, home-sickness, bowel adventures, wealth, poverity, beauty...the world is a fantastic place.

NICA VOCAB LESSON...

Sopa de Albondigas: Not quite chicken noodle soup, not quite matzah ball soup, but chickencornmeatball soup with yuca, ayote, and papas.

Avena: An oatmeal sugar-water drink in which you don´t actually get to the oatmeal until you´ve finished the sugar-water.

Fachenta: Another word for high class!, which is what this group of big ballers was in having to pay a full $1.50 for use of this pool.

Gringa/Chela: Super-whitey-mcwhitewhite...Adz, sunburned after 5 minutes, posing in front of the "magnificent" view of Ocotal.

SALVAJE!!!!

(open to interpretation)

vamos ver mocambique

this is my friend adrico, a teacher at a rural (and i mean rural) school, playing guitar while some students sing a song and try not to go totally apeshit in front of the camera.

i shot this off the back of a pickup truck i hitched a ride on as it went through a town. the two other guys in the truck were totally blown away by seeing the video play back. just wanted y'all to see a bit through my eyes....

July 4th BBQ in Prospect Park!!!

Bar-BQ tomorrow in Prospect Park. Enter at the Grand Army Plaza Entrance. When you walk in go down through the tunnel underpass and stay to your right. We should be to the left of the path.

We would like to get started by 1pm.
Please invite friends! The more the merrier!
Get ready to chow down and booze it up!!!

FIELDTRIP!

totally unexpectedly, the dudes rolled up to my digs for a barbecue, making me oh so deliriously happy. here's proof of the slumming in the jerz --- xoxo, l.

ps. this saturday! a picnic! (don't worry - bklyn this time)

Goodbye Joe

Little late but pics from Joe's going away party. He is coming to Nicaragua to visit me this weekend. Yay for family visits and saltines!!

XO

a

Transformers - More than meets eye!

Transformers actually opens tomorrow (7/3) @ selected theaters. Is anyone down to go tomorrow afternoon?

Holla back...

- Optimus Prime

4th of July BBQ

Okay Kids,
Let's do a BBQ in Prospect Park on Wed. We'll bring the grill, and be in the usual spot by 1pm. Bring food, beer, etc. Leave a comment with what you're bringing so we can have a minor attempt at organization.

Please feel free to invite who you want. The more the merrier!

Anyone one have any interest in going to the Brooklyn Heights Promenade to watch the fireworks later that night (~9pm)?

jayjayate travelblog: africa and middle east correspondent

like our other globetrotting hero, i too am capable of hopping continents, and i even managed to do so with all of my luggage. but, since i was flying "fuck-you-jon-ross-i-can't-believe-you-paid-so-little-for-your-ticket" standby tickets, it took me a few days longer than planned to get to tel-aviv.... there was no room on wednesday's flight from johannesburg to israel so i had to wait until saturday.

anyway, because i don't got much love for jo'burg (and on tuesday night it freakin' snowed!!), i immediately bought a ticket to livingstone, zambia (as in, "dr. _____, i presume") to while away my days. the home of victoria falls, which were amazing. so so touristy though, and for some reason the town and the falls were totally packed with american families. wierd.

let me go back and talk a bit more about mozambique. it's changed so much and yet it's hardly changed at all. there's a KFC in maputo and everybody has a cellphone (even if they don't have electricty at home) (even if their kids don't have shoes). there are a lot of new schools and universities and many of my friends have become teachers or have gone off to study. but there's still goats riding public transportation, the same song being played over and over and over and over again, exposed titties flying everywhere, and men who could drink whole fraternities under the table. good times!!

so i'll be here in the motherland for a week or so. should be good to relax, hang out, and take real showers (and finally wash my hair with shampoo!). also the return to the climes of the northern hemisphere seems to have gotten my bowels back in order.

the final stage of this trip, insh'allah, will be a climb in the alps together with josh, where we will cavort with bearded old alpine horn players by day and drink cold steins of beer served by busty barmaids in the evenings. keep an eye out for a feldman blog about trailmix.

love to you all,

jonny rocket