reminiscing of the good old days when conan was our city’s treasure and we could go see him on a regular basis…at least 3 times a year. so many times that i lost track….i’ll have to count my bracelets.

here we are with him during sketches the time u2 was the sole guest. i was shown licking theresa’s forehead on national tv. besides that, i’ve danced with conan before…i’ve hugged max weinberg…all during preshows.

the good old days….hanging out with our flannery o’connor loving irish friend.

i seem to have a lot of irish friends.

theresa seems to take a lot of pictures like this.

here we are in an illegal picture….didn’t know how illegal until much later when the security made others erase their pictures!!

never made it to the new studio at universal studios…the week we were in la, conan was not taping. but we hope to see the really new studios when he restarts at fox, abc….wherever he lands. we are with coco!

i hope he considers coming back to nyc.

the predecessor to the jon stewarts and the stephen colberts of the world…the one who is the missing link between the fake news of snl and the fake news phenomenon of today(see dl hughley with his show on cnn…cnn!)is craig kilborn. the former sportscenter anchor turned faux headlines anchor turned(now)actor and behind the scenes producer used to have a daily moment of zen on his show. the kids would call it a wtf??? its a crazy, unbelievable, can’t make this up scene that leaves you speechless…and in wonder. i won’t(can’t)do this daily but will post whenever i see something….wow?

in today’s episode,  the leader of the free world bows down to the real leader of the free world.

President won’t interrupt ‘Lost’ premiere

There was some recent angst by fans of the popular ABC series Lost, when rumors circulated that the White House was considering scheduling the State of the Union Address on Feb. 2, which happens to be the series’ premier. Rabid fans even started a Facebook page, called “Americans Against the State of the Union on the Same Night as LOST” to urge Obama to choose a different night for his address.

President Obama’s first State of the Union address has been scheduled for Wednesday, January 27. Barack Obama will speak before a joint session of Congress to outline his agenda for the upcoming year and take a look back at his first year in office, after inheriting a destroyed economy, two wars and years of abuse of our Constitution and rule of law by Bush/Cheney.White House press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters on Monday that his speech would be broadcast on national television and also streamed live on the White House Web site.

Posted by: CNN.com writer Breeanna Hare and ChattahBox

check out if you have any of the items below to be shipped out of nyc tuesday for haiti relief efforts:

helping haiti — an updates from the charity: water office from charity: water on Vimeo.

There’s a plane leaving NYC for Haiti on Tuesday and we need your help filling it with cargo.

We’ve been in close contact with our field partners, and are turning the charity: water office into a drop-off point for the following items that are most needed in Haiti right now:

Blankets*
Tents*
Soap
Feminine hygiene products
Sleeping bags*
Medical gloves
Bandages/gauze
Cases of bottled water

Please do not mail these items to our office, but rather stop by during these times —

Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

IF YOU CAN CARRY THE DONATIONS BY HAND IN ONE LOAD: Please enter through the front door at 200 Varick St. You will need a photo ID to enter the building. We are located on the 2nd floor, Suite 201.

IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS OR ARE DONATING IN BULK: Please email us to schedule a drop-off time (email Lane Wood).

These supplies will be transported next week by Partners in Health to where they are needed most. Our other partners in Haiti, Concern Worldwide US, are sending supplies from Ireland and still have a pressing need for donations.

We still encourage online donations to our partners on the ground, too:

Click here to donate to Partners in Health.
Click here to donate to Concern Worldwide.

Many thanks for all the emergency relief donations to our partners, all the reTweets from our friends around the world and all the hard work to help the hundreds of thousands suffering through this crisis.

*These items can be gently used.

the story of haiti is heartbreaking and people are looking for ways to help via donation. here is the organization that our church regularly gives to during world wide crises to support in relief efforts; and what they are currently doing.

the days of leography have come to an end..as promised, a new column will rise in its place in the early winter as we explore different permutations of patty to honor our friend, patty.

like with leo…we have enough to start but not to finish…as of yet! so submit your best and favorite patties…..

what do you got?

we’ll be coming at you soon enough.

we’ve been touring with the boys….and eating well…here are some of the places we went in the early fall…and love.

our annual trek to los angeles includes our annual trip to ruby’s burgers…specifically this location in newport at the end of a long pier by the water. and usually we are on the roof but renovations left them without the umbrellas temporarily so we settled for the dock which had the majority of the appeal….burgers, shakes, fries and rings by the water.

the okholms from my wheaton days treat us every year and were delighted to meet zoe!

we chowed on jalapeno laced burgers, said rings and fries…as well as previously unmentioned fried fish platters and chicken salads…and sucking down peanut butter chocolate shakes and home made cherry cokes. everything is hearty and all american in the best sense of the word. sun, breeze and eating outdoors makes everything taste even better.

the burgers specifically taste fresh and like real meat. and  not like frozen pucks from a box.

zoe will have to wait til next time for her first taste.

we love it here! even grandma did!

seek out this location!

the predecessor to the jon stewarts and the stephen colberts of the world…the one who is the missing link between the fake news of snl and the fake news phenomenon of today(see dl hughley with his show on cnn…cnn!)is craig kilborn. the former sportscenter anchor turned faux headlines anchor turned(now)actor and behind the scenes producer used to have a daily moment of zen on his show. the kids would call it a wtf??? its a crazy, unbelievable, can’t make this up scene that leaves you speechless…and in wonder. i won’t(can’t)do this daily but will post whenever i see something….wow?

as i read this story below….i thought….isn’t this the ending to love, actually? once again, if you can’t tell the difference between fantasy and reality, please suspend your netflix.

Newark Airport Security Breach Suspect Stays Quiet

PISCATAWAY, N.J. (AP) — A Rutgers University graduate student faces arraignment on a charge stemming from a security breach at Newark Liberty International Airport last weekend.

Haisong Jiang of Piscataway has not commented publicly since he was taken into custody at 7:30 p.m. Friday at his home in Piscataway. A person briefly came to the door of the residence on Saturday morning, but stayed inside and did not speak with numerous reporters waiting outside.

Authorities say the 28-year-old Jiang breached security Jan. 3 to bid his girlfriend goodbye, triggering the shutdown of a busy terminal that led to snarled flights worldwide.

He faces a defiant trespassing charge and a fine of up to $500. However, it was still not clear Saturday whether he had retained a lawyer and when he would make a court appearance.

Haisong Jiang just wanted a hug from girlfriend when he breached security at Newark Liberty Airport

He did it for love.

The Chinese graduate student who snuck through a Newark Airport checkpoint to steal a kiss from his girlfriend – sparking a massive security scare – was described Saturday as a hopeless romantic.

Pals were shocked to discover Haisong Jiang, 28, was responsible for shutting down Terminal C for seven hours, causing more than 100 flight delays and stranding thousands of passengers last Sunday.

Outside his home in Piscataway, N.J., they insisted the quiet scholar could not have meant any harm and is just a guy with a big heart smitten with the love of his life.

“This man is very romantic. He’s a very good man,” said Andy Rui, 28, one of Jiang’s best friends.

“He just wanted to say goodbye to his girlfriend, I don’t think he realized what he [was] doing,” said another pal, Ning Huang, 33, who plays soccer with Jiang.

Jiang, a bio-medical research student at Rutgers University, was arrested Friday after cops identified him as the man who illegally passed through a security checkpoint into a secure area so he could prolong his farewell to his girlfriend.

TSA guard Ruben Hernandez had temporarily left his post unguarded, highlighting porous security at the airport despite recent terror alerts.

Jiang, who came to the U.S. in 2004 from Jiangxi province in China, is charged with defiant trespass, which carries up to 30 days in jail.

He was released from custody and will be arraigned this week. He did not return home after his highly publicized arrest.

Friends said he and his girlfriend have been carrying on a bicoastal relationship for a year. She was returning to Los Angeles after spending Christmas with him.

“He was totally excited, even before his girlfriend visited,” said one of his roommates, who only gave his first name, Hui.

“He was very excited to find a real good woman.”

Grace Chen, who went to college with Jiang in Shanghai, pronounced him “in love.”

“It’s wrong for him to cross that line but I just think he didn’t think too much before he did that,” Chen said. “They have a long-distance relationship and she’s going back to California so it was probably just his first response.”

************************

i hope nobody’s  been doing the cue cards with the caroling boombox either….

its at this time of year that a lot of indie movies come out in time for oscar consideration…and usually my favorite time of year to watch obscure movies no one else will talk about. having a baby changes a lot but i’ve still been able to sneak in some time to catch up on some indies released pre-christmas

thankfully, the previews do not give away too much and i won’t either. i know sometimes people are frustrated that i give sparing details on the films i review….that’s on purpose! i like being able to discover a film with very little exposure.

i decided on seeing this movie based on the coen brothers at the helm and the subject matter of figuring out the world from a biblical(in this case jewish)perspective when the crap hits the fan.

the world is mad but we tolerate it as long as things are moving along for us. but when things don’t, as the lead larry gopnik experiences, then we are forced to figure out issues like meaning and purpose…and god? the problems he/we/all y’all face are both tragic and humorous in even painful doses. but is there anything more than what is on the surface? this dark comedy muses and philosophizes.

so this is not for everyone…..liked no country for old men? there will be blood? i heart huckabees? being john malkovich? synecdoche, new york? you’ll like this. never heard of these movies? tickets for the alvin and the chipmunks are plentiful.

on a personal note, larry visits a number of rabbis with varying degrees of experience, motivations and spiritual maturity. its dead on.

i loved this movie…and would watch it over and over. its deep, metaphoric, laugh out loud in the way life is laugh out loud(ie seinfeld and curb your enthusiasm). i think theresa would like it too but just not as much as i did. i might pick up this gem as i doubt anyone else will have this to borrow.

we’ve been touring with the boys….and eating well…here are some of the places we went in the early fall…and loved.

back in la…a place we travel to every year since the start of the decade to see theresa’s family; mostly to see theresa’s grandmother…she now lives with us, helping us raise zoe but there are still other relatives in valencia and orange. so while the 90′s were my san francisco years, the early 2000′s take me back to southern california over and over.

foodwise, that means korean. and good korean. new york won’t do it if you have access to the west coast version. this stuff almost makes me almost like korean. of course, at the center of the scene is korean bbq….and at hae jang chon, its endless all you can eat korean bbq.

the big question with all you can eat is the quality of the meats. sometimes big portions means eh standards. we are usually exclusively park’s bbq people in la but this place will have us back.  the thin sliced meats are great with both pork and beef options as good ways to start. for 16.99, you have 19/20 or so items. you get a few selections at the beginning and when you are done, more is brought out as you wish.

i had grandma and theresa with me so we also had seafood which i am only ok on. shellfish rarely appeals to me…i’m like a pork eating jew.  i wound up eating most of my table’s meat while the ladies ate more of the other items. we were too stuffed with our first round to get anymore.

but i wanted to eat more…a  good sign.

this is a great alternative to some of the ultra busy places in town. the only downside is that the wait staff is a little uptight with their weird, awkward watchdog vibe. it felt like a new york place rather than a west coast one.

the night was not really about bbq though. it was about reunion with our good friends, liz and leonard and their baby lina. and having zoe meet their whole family. we’ll go join them for dinner anytime and not just because they paid….they are so asian, snatching up the bill before we could start counting. how does this work? leonard pays when we’re in his town and when he’s in our town!!! i did help them get some u2 tix for the next leg at angels stadium….i’m sure they count that as even.

at the end of the night, proud fathers smelling of smoke and meat.

i need a haircut.

i live a few contradictions or at least a few things that don’t quite fit. i celebrate the holidays as holy: days as in God is vital and these are not just days off. but also i embrace the substitutes that my non-believing friends may indulge in while i am in my house of worship.

the new house of worship….the new synagogue is the movie theatre. this has replaced the old place where people gather on the weekends and holidays…where they are taught reality and ethics, much like how sunday school worked for me back in the day. consider how chick flicks inform us about how relationship and marriage ought to be.

i frequent both houses of worship….secular and spiritual. it is the intersection of the two that i am drawn to.

this is my long winded musing as to say that holidays means movie going!

this for me is the perfect movie.  realism through the prism of surrealism. the joyful melancholy of life. wes anderson. children’s movie not made for children.  madness. it appeals to my sensibilities.

i recoiled at the desciption that this was a cartoon or even an animated movie. its stop motion with puppets that can only be done for love or loopiness. certainly not for loot, though things like this can make money. but unlikely for a payday…so i’ll assume its love that powers the visuals that live up to the nothing you’ve ever seen before cliche.

its a caper film ala ocean’s 11 starring mastermind george clooney trying to go clean but he can’t resist the art of the steal. its always about one more gig. one more deal. one more comeback. and why the cuss do we give it in the first place.

as always with wes anderson, its about feeling comfortable in your own awkward self while finding the juicy, abundant beauty in the mundane.

i will buy the criterion edition of this film and watch it over and over. it is likely the only dvd i will buy in 2010 while on my dvd fast. the one exception claimed in 2009 if it does come out on criterion. if not, i will likely pass until the special edition arrives.  i will make zoe memorize it by heart much like my other daughter, stephanie has already.

theresa thinks the movie and joseph are fantastic. she sees a lot of me in the fox.