Big Brother 12

Big Brother has begun.


Every year I wonder if I'll want to watch, but I'm already hooked.The boys, the attitudes all mixed together with a big side of drama!  It's awesome. How will this season stack up.


I want to give my first impressions of the contestants before it gets too far in the the season.  


I wonder if my "thin slicing" worked.

• Andrew - needs a lower profile.  If he's thought of as the saboteur he will be sent home
• Annie - playing well
• Brendon - paired up to early. Now a target. Genuine
• Britney - like her. Seems authentic
• Enzo - strategizing too hard.  He will crash and burn
• Hayden - follower and in over his head
• Kathy - weak physically, which is surprising given that she's a cop
• Kristen - don't know her yet.  Under the radar
• Lane - looks overwhelmed.  Too much in his head
• Matt - sexy appeal, laying low, aligning well
• Monet - very competitive. needs to watch her fire
• Rachel - I like, genuine
• Ragan - Sweet, I like, genuine 

My favorites:

Brendon, Rachel, Ragan, Annie, Andrew and Matt.

Where do I go Today

I love to sit in a nearby park during lunch, but this week NYC has been so hot that I'd be crazy to sit out in the inferno.  

• Tuesday, I did my weekly trip to Best Buy to see any sales items I'd like to purchase.  I didn't find anything.  

• Wednesday, I went to Barnes and Noble to relax 

Today, I'll head to Border's Books to sit in the A/C and read Blink.  

My Summer Memories

Summers were fun for me.  


My earliest summer memories were spent with my Grandmother at her apartment in Washington, DC.  She was funny, energetic and very charismatic.  I vividly remember this candy wheel with these delicious green soft chew-able candles with sugar crystals on them.  I used to think she kept them for me, but I'm sure they were for everybody.  While I was there, 9am to 5pm, Cousins, Aunts and Uncles would stop by and chat.  I met a lot of family through her.  She was like my family's epicenter.   Don't disturb us between 12:30pm and 4pm because we watched Soap Operas.    Young and the Restless, All my Children,  Capital, One Life to Live and Guiding Light.  It was intense.  We watched in silence and commenting during the commercials.

My Grandfather would come home after he got off work and give me the strongest handshake I've ever had.  He had the biggest heart of anyone I knew.  He worked at the same church he and my Grandmother went to on Sundays.  He was loud and his stomach (think Santa Claus) was so big he couldn't close his legs.  I loved him very much (God rest his soul).  He gave me my first taste of alcohol from his own homemade moonshine!  It was strong, but the peach flavor was my favorite.  My Grandfather could have given me anything and I would have loved it.  Funny how to this day I HATE beer, but love clear liquid (vodka, rum) mixed with fruit juice.

I live in an urban jungle now (New York City) and I have my grandmother to thank for taking me on my first subway ride when I was 8 or 9 years old.  It was magical.  If you've ever seen Washington DC's Metro system, imagine it in the eyes of an 8 year old who loved Star Wars.  

Then I turned 11 y/o and my parents sent me away to camp where I learned how to horseback ride, kayak, canoe, shoot a bow and arrow and a rifle.  That lasted until I was 15.  The year after that, I got a summer job at a movie theatre. After I started my job, I saw her less and less.  I let her down because I never gave her a ride in my car when I got my license.

I found out this weekend that her time on this earth is coming to an end.  We don't know when, but it will be soon.  

I am grateful for my summer memories!  

I love you Grandma!

Another Spring 4G Phone

Will this be my next phone?  I like this for the screen and zoom camera features. I have to say I don't use the video camera much on my phone now.

Blog of Note

I found this via the "Blogs of Note" section.

Check the link below.  It's so NYC.  Reminds me of the variety of visual stimuli that you can get from this city.
nyctaxiphoto

Nook...My Thoughts

I love it. It's gotten me excited about reading again. I'm actually thinking of starting a book club for owners of eReaders.

I've only paid for one book, but have "sideloaded" so much content on it.

• Samples (from the B&N store)
• Manuals (HTC EVO 4G)
• Library books

Yes, I said library books. I will never (well not ever) have to exclusively go to the library to check out books. Funny thing is you have to return the electronic books...lol.

I'm reading the self help book "Blink" and "Beginning CSS" (library books). Since Shakespeare book are all available free, I put Winter's Tale and Anthony Cleopatra on it too. I have to say as a eReader it's phenomenal. I can't put True Blood, Season 1 on it, but I'll have that soon enough. Because it's so small, I take it everywhere with me. I find myself leaving my PSP at home. Guess I'll pick it up again at some point.

Update:  You get a free tall coffee when you show your Nook.

Full Moon this Weekend

and it's called the Eclipsed Full Moon in Capricorn.

Oh boi.

I did the unthinkable

I finally have an ereader and it isn't made by the company you might have thought. I am the proud owner of a Barnes & Noble Nook. This is what happened.

I got into work on Monday and checked Google Reader. Engadget had a story about a "new" Nook device. I read the story and saw the image of the WiFi only reader and that B&N confirmed the price drop from $259 to $199 for the original 3G one.

I said, "Well this is compelling".

My main reason for getting a tablet "like" device would be for books. Having access to multiple books with the ability to download free ones was just too nice to pass up.

Certain circumstance prevented me from getting the "tablet" device at a discounted rate, so I threw my hands up and decided to wait for the 2nd generation of that device and get the Nook. I'll pass the Nook to my mom. A while ago I asked her about the Kindle and she said it was too expensive ($399) but today I got a call from her asking how a Kindle downloads a book.

I have to say it's a great device. All the software updates have paid off and it's very responsive. The interface take some getting used to, but it isn't too bad. The fact that I can go online and send samples to it and go into Barnes and Noble and get discounts and free books is cool. I don't know when I'll pick up the PSP on the train again. Last night I went to Central Park to read (at least before it rained).

I'm reading...Breaking Dawn

A Winter's Tale - Free

Samples of...

Accidental Billionaires

Eat, Pray, Love

Government by Accident

and many more.

Sidenote: What I love about it is that I can connect to the B&N store where ever there's AT&T 3G service and there's no extra charge.

Racism or Stupidity

I'm am disappointed and saddened that a General would have the nerve to disrespect the President of the United States in Rolling Stone magazine. General Stanley McChrystal should be ashamed of himself. I'm going to get the issue myself, but even if the statements were taken out of context, you just don't say things like that about the boss, when you're a solider and your job is to take orders.

My definition of racism is about power one race feels over another. I believe this General thought his comments would hold weight and hurt the popular President. Looks like he was wrong and hopefully his God complex is diminished a bit. His special assistant has resigned and he submitted his own resignation. Good. If he had a problem with the President's orders, he should have resigned a long time ago. This kind of confusion and infighting does not help the troops or the American people.

Time to move on. President Obama can't tolerate actions like this. He can find another General to head the effort in Afghanistan.

Killzone 3

I could hardly contain my excitement.