Author: Sean

Happy second day of spring. The Floating Pool Lady spent the winter berthed ‘neath my window. Now it appears she is being readied for journeys to disenfranchised neighborhoods up river, providing relief and urine soaking to poor children.
The boat is a Parks Department idea to provide a public swimming pool in neighborhoods that lack such a resource. It arrived too late last year to be used and has been sitting at the Brooklyn Bridge Park ever since. According to the NY Times, it’s the work of Ann L. Buttenwieser, a former Parks Department official who lobbied the idea for 25 years. Architect Jonathan Kirschenfeld, with the help of my personal friend Jan, made the vision happen. Now it seems that soon someone may actually take a dip.

More info here:
– Only the Blog Knows Brooklyn

Site of the Day: Goodbye, Bud! We loved you Mr. Melman.

The wtb and I spent Sunday at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It was one of those paradoxical spring days where you walk over deep snow in warm sunshine. Despite the snow, it was still a great day to visit the gardens. While the plants outside were dormant, there were still four gigantic terrariums to tour without the spring and summer crowds.

Outside little markers pointed to the sleeping perennials’ like civil war grave markers…

…but inside was warm and blooming like Amanda Bynes.

Close eyes. Picture perfect tree. Open eyes. I am a giant!

The Steinhardt Conservatory has four glass pavilions, each reproducing a particular climate. The Warm Temperate (shown here) is the best smelling place I have ever been, full of lavender, sage, orange, blossoms, and hundreds of other aromatics.

Apparently, the Palm House is a popular wedding spot and we had an appointment to tour it. The wtb is very clever and very aware of the “to be.” I am aware that ignorance is bliss.

Links:
– Brooklyn Botanic Garden
– The Palm House

I hope you had a fine, drunken day. I guarded a stool at the Chip Shop on Atlantic Avenue for six hours or so. The Chip Shop is a British fried fish joint, but it was the closest thing I could get to an Irish Pub. I must offer sincere apologies to my friend Joanna who was looking to drink a pint just two doors away at Buck’s Lodge. I must also say “boooo!” to the folks who hate the Irish and stayed in. The know who they are and they know I’m not saying “boo-urns!” Erin go Bra-less to the fine folks who did make it out.
For the record, I love malt vinegar almost as much as beer.

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Bored with today’s shot? Have a free desktop wallpaper of the ferry heading off into the sunset:

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Site of the Day: Via Gizmodo, what you might think I want for my birthday, but not so, cell-phone enabled lederhosen.

I’m super busy at work this week, but I wanted to post a photo from my brother Dan. The wtb began to take over my Christmas shopping this last holiday (which is great!) and nailed an awesome present for Dan. She somehow found a steak brand with his initials, perfect for a New York Times famous griller.

An “Irish goodbye” is when you sneak out of bar because you are drunk and tired and you are afraid your companions will try and make you stay. It’s a necessity among warm people who hate to see you go. No one has caused or done more Irish goodbyes than my friend Colleen. And now she is saying farewell to NYC for a spell to pursue some other opportunities in the capital. So to my favorite fellow barfly I offer another type of Irish goodbye:

May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face and the rain fall softly on your fields. And until we meet again, May God hold you in the hollow of his hand or in a rocket powered race car with lasers and a fridge that can hurtle through time and catch dinosaurs.
– Traditional Irish Blessing (revised by me)

Some great C pics on STC.com:
– Getting married
– Brithdays here, here, and here.
– Pimping Alexander Hamilton.
– Having a drink here, here, and here. Also here. And here. Here. Here and here.
– Eating tacos or cookie dough.
– Dressing up in costumes or dancing. More dancing.
– Helping me move to the East Village.
– Finally, one of the first Pics of the Day, here.

Don’t be sad, she’s only moving to another state, not Paraguay. I’m sure she will show up as POTD again sometime very soon.

Let’s hope that pic is more flattering than today’s for both of us. We just look psycho in this one.

Sarah has posted all her photos from the party. Yes, I take my Guinness two at a time.

Created by my fiancée and me last night over post-wedding space shopping drinks:
Our movie opens with Denise, a cute, small town, self-made, 30-something professional, and her fiancé Brian walking around a NYC studio space. They are browsing for a potential wedding spot. Denise is energetic, smiley, and romantic in a nice sun dress (Mandy Moore?). Brian (called “B-side” by his friends) is in standard hipster tightness, expensively shabby. Brian (Justin Long?) is an attempt to profit on hipster backlash. Denise is the Drew Barrymore vanilla woman of every chick movie.

Due to Brian’s whining, they have no luck finding a space. Denise, at Brian’s mean, sarcastic urging, resolves to find another partner for wedding planning. Mother issues block that option and her best-friend, co-worker, and confidant Carrie is a Type-A, hater of love, children and cute, who while funny, has no interest. With few options, she stumbles upon an event planner named Ethan, new to her ad firm, that is so handsome and well-dressed, he must be gay.

Ethan and Denise manage to get a wedding on the schedule although Brian nixes all of Denise’s dream options (favorite flowers and such) as being “not deck” (cool). He spends his time not pursuing his career as a DJ/film maker and spending his enormous trust fund. His only contribution is to book a DJ, “Duchess Chill”, who he is sleeping with, unbeknownst to Denise.

Over the course of the many lunches and gown shopping scenes, Denise and Ethan really connect, but he is vague about his love life. Minutes before the wedding, she learns that he is not gay at all and actually crushes her. At the altar (decorated in Brian’s black) she decides to walk away from Brian and his money for Ethan. At this moment, Duchess Chill storms in and reveals that she is pregnant, confirming Denise’s decision in the eyes the congregation and world.

Cut to a new wedding montage, showing a beautiful ceremony complete with all of Denise’s favorites and dreams as she walks the aisle, Ethan beaming at her from on the stage, Carrie happy in a bridesmaid gown beaming at some other side character that we can assume she has found true happiness with.

The End.

Please note: This treatment is how Hollywood would see today’s pic, and has no bearing on real life.

Please also note: I am aware that this a complete rehash of The Wedding Planner, My Best Friends Wedding, and The Wedding Singer. I am not aware however how that would prevent this movie from doing really well.

“You have survived an epic struggle far greater than anything recorded throughout human history. Your heroics surpass even the mythic accomplishments of Hercules, Ulysses, and Achilles combined. No form of hyperbole can justly describe your epic deeds. Evermore shall your memory reign above all others in the annals of human accomplishment.”

Wow. I REALLY received some positive reinforcement for conquering Resistance: Fall of Man on the superhuman level. Despite that, I actually feel a bit empty inside, like I’ve wasted hours of sunshine and love. Maybe the next game will fix that.

Even though Resistance was awesome, I must council my peers (grups who don’s say “grup”) to hold of buying one.

5 Reasons Not To Get A PS3 Yet

1. Other than Resistance, absolutely no epic games. Wait until GOWII is available.
2. There is no infrared remote support. It’s very annoying to not be able to operate the Blu-ray play with a universal remote. It makes me feel postitively stone age.
3. Awkward DVD UI, just like the PS2. Let’s just say that the wtb can’t get a movie started unless I am home, a situation not satisfactory to either party.
4. The case is a cumbersome shape. The top is curved, wasting a ton of space in an already crowded cabinet. This just feels inconsiderate.
5. It’s really, really expensive.

So keep waiting, mi amigos. I hear the X-Box 360 is fun. And the Wii could be possible more hyped, but only if they taped an iPhone to it.

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Site of the Day: If you’ve ever been out late with me when I’m a touch drunk and tired (ta’ urd), you may have heard my Western PA accent slip out. Mine is acctually Central PA, but it’s very similar to the lovely lilt of fine Pittsburgh. Listen to a Pittsburgh accent here at the Speech Accent Archive. Put a link to the one that most sounds like you in the comments.

Remember, always avoid alliteration.
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A good assortment of the gang made it to the Brooklyn Inn this weekend to raise a tipple to Mr. B’s (this one, not this one) birthday. The ancient Inn is one of our main hangouts these days. It’s got nice high ceilings and original, smoke-stained wood paneling. That and reasonably priced beers are all I look for in a beer…and a woman!

The photo above was stolen from long-time favorite site Odd Todd.

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For the record, I am much smarter than a 5th grader.

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Site of the Day: What I am listening to on the treadmill, via MeFi, free classic audio books, including Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad.

Since my apartment was featured on Gawker as uber-romanitic, the wtb and I have been renting it out to wooing couples. The view is great, except you have to deal with me leaning into the couple shots. T&S made the trek to the BK and didn’t die (or at least I hope, haven’t heard from them yet). Why don’t you stop on buy? Please bring beer, tp, and decent pizza.

I tried to go to my local Taco Bell and I saw the sign above. Apparantly there was a big scandal while I was gone and the place was closed because of rats!

Yuck. I used to eat there all the time.

Eh, I probably will go back when it opens. I just love tacos.