The Best of New Jersey

My favorite thing about the state is the Express E-Z Pass lanes. No more slowing down for tolls...even a little bit.

Even more good news for me

"American Gladiators" is coming baaaaaaack.

Hat to tip to E. Smith.

From the Archives

The original BeRiched pose. The setting is Tokyo and the year is 2004.

Good Vibes

If you have a chance this week, go see the The Music of Antonio Carlos Jobim and Stan Getz (it's mostly Jobim and Brazilian...not much Getz as far as I could tell) show at Dizzy's Club over at Columbus Circle. Joe Locke is particularly brilliant on the vibraphone. He plays with four mallets at once (two in each hand) and in my opinion he steals the show from some other very talented musicians.

More good news for me

First there was this, now there's this. According to New York magazine, New Yorkers live longer than other people. My favorite paragraph:

“Walking speed absolutely reflects health status,” [Eleanor] Simonsick says. So when you irritatedly blow past a trio of ambling visitors from Ohio or Iowa on the subway platform, you’re not just being an obnoxious New Yorker. You’re demonstrating that you’re going to outlive them—and enjoy better health while they slowly degrade.

Enough is enough

The water Nazis at the New York Times are at it again with this piece about the guilt people now feel when drinking bottled water. If they really want us to drink less bottled water, how about installing more water fountains around the city (like in Rome)? I don't think that everyone should be expected to carry around a Nalgene all day. We're not on FOOT anymore.

And if Barry Eskandani is a connoisseur, I can't even imagine how the Times would describe Beneficent Allah.

Barry Eskandani, 31, an administrative assistant in San Francisco who considers himself a connoisseur of water brands, said that lately his fellow Bay Area residents act as if “you just killed their puppy” if you dare throw a bottle in the garbage.

Highlights of my Life

1. In the Summer of 2004, when I had a "perfect game" in Tecmo Super Bowl. By this I mean that I ran the ball 9 times with Barry Sanders for 450 yards and 9 touchdowns. I can't even tell you how nervous I was after 7 or 8 touchdowns. But I kept running until the game was over.

1a. This week, when I knocked out 8 cups on one turn of beer pong. Playing one-on-one, I got two balls in the same cup, which brought it down to 5 cups. Then I got two balls in different cups, bringing me down to 3 cups. So then I put two balls in the same cup again, leaving me having to hit the final cup to finish my glorious run. Nothing but PBR.

Yes, I need to get a job.

Timing is Everything

While waiting 15 minutes for a 6 train on a hot and humid platform, having just watched a completely empty train pass by, what song comes on? Art Brut's "Moving to L.A."

Gilbert Arenas on Shark Attacks

This is a recent post from Gilbert's very entertaining blog:

There Are No Such Thing as Shark Attacks

I know this is random, but I just want to clear this up for people out there.

There are these things called shark attacks, but there is no such thing as a shark attack. I have never seen a real shark attack.

I know you’re making a weird face as you’re reading this. OK people, a shark attack is not what we see on TV and what people portray it as.

We’re humans. We live on land.

Sharks live in water.

So if you’re swimming in the water and a shark bites you, that’s called trespassing. That is called trespassing. That is not a shark attack.

A shark attack is if you’re chilling at home, sitting on your couch, and a shark comes in and bites you; now that’s a shark attack. Now, if you’re chilling in the water, that is called invasion of space. So I have never heard of a shark attack.

When I see on the news where it’s like, “There have been 10 shark attacks,” I’m like, “Hey, for real?! They’re just running around? Sharks are walking now, huh! We live on the land, we don’t live underwater.”

Next step: Wiimbledon

This weekend I turned pro in Wii Tennis. I know some of you think I'm too old to just be reaching this level, but I had to pay my dues on the smaller circuits. It all started with an embarrassing defeat to Al in his first match, which was when I knew how hard my training would have to be. It's all paid off now, however, and I expect the endorsements to come flooding in. Hopefully some wrist strap companies will get involved, or maybe some grip specialists?

Give the Times an ice-cold Feej

The last shipment of Evian to the New York Times office must not have been cummy enough, because these guys have their panties up in a bunch about how ballers shouldn't ball no more and live like poor people and drink nothing but Poland Spring. That's what they mean by tap water, right?

An interesting idea from the South

Everyone and his mother has had to deal with the problem of how to appropriately split the bill at a restaurant. Some people just divide everything evenly, while others look closely to see if they were charged extra or not for Diet Coke refills. But in the South (at least in South Carolina), they make all these issues moot: they just give each person a separate check. If you split an appetizer, it gets divided. If you got a drink, only you get charged for it. You can figure out exactly how much you owe.

So is this better for everyone? It takes a little bit more time for the waiters to sort out the bill (e.g. having to run 3 credit cards or make change for 2 people), but on the other hand it ends all those nasty arguments and is better at preventing people from shirking their payment responsibilities. Also, it leads to higher tips in general I would guess because people tend to round up on tips, and if 3 people round up, that's better for the waiter. This in turn would lead to slightly higher costs for each customer. But maybe it's worth it? Does anyone else have more considered thoughts? This is just my first impression.