The dino goes roar... again!

The semester is ending, which means term papers and projects are approaching their deadlines and a slowdown in my blogging. I don't want to get out of practice and I didn't want to just put up some tired old YouTube clip again, so here's a few pics from my most recent trip to the Museum of Natural History (which was a little while ago, I know). Enjoy.

And the Roosefest begins

Teddy Roosevelt month begins. First up was a trip out to his childhood home just down the street from Gramercy Tavern. Most of the house was really poorly lit, so I didn't get many photos, but I did get one of this bust -
And this mountain sheep. Strangely, he looks happy to be there.
Here's Jeff, looking boldly toward the future, and a whole month of TR.
And here he is explaining something that's surely exceptionally cool.
There were quite a few political cartoons on display. This one was my favorite, by far.
Brigham and Di enjoying the wonderful gift shop. Jeff too.
At this point, guest photographer Jaymoo took the reigns, capturing a Teddy Head and a Teddy Bear. Iconic images, Jaymoo.
Abby, also by Jaymoo. Or perhaps it's Abbie. Or Habby (silent H). I don't really know.
I don't really know Abby, but she sure does have some fun facial expressions! Take a look at this one- very cute.
And this one. I'm surprised I don't get that one more often when I bust out my camera.
As a side note, now that I'm shooting higher quality images, and taking the time to fix my mistakes in Photoshop, I'm really noticing the quality hit they take when shrinking them for use on the web. It's kind of a shame. So, I guess what I'm saying is, if you ever see a photo you like, just let me know and I'll pass you along an original. Or perhaps if I think you need the original, I'll just send it...

Late Breaking Addendum: Afterwards, JayMoo, Stephoin y yo went to eat some Alfajores, which are Argentinian delicacies that contain Dulce de Leche, which when done right contains ash. No photos, but I can tell you they were dee-lish, ash and all. Great heads up JayMoo.

I see some amazing things

Yes, I do see some amazing things at times. This week has been extra amazing, because starting last Thursday, I've seen amazing things at almost a daily rate. Here's a rundown of the highlights.

• Thursday: On my way home from Genevieve's bash, I had my second John Hodgman sighting. This time he was at the corner of Houston and Allen hailing a cab (as opposed to last time, when I almost tripped over him). He was wearing the EXACT same thing as he was last time. I get the feeling he has a whole closet full of the same thing, kind of like Matlock.
• Friday: At the new "Holiday Express" Toys 'backwards R' Us in NoHo, I saw the loveable mascot Geoffrey Giraffe manhandling a coworker and shoving him into an elevator (don't worry, it wasn't an elevator shaft, the car was there), thereby spoiling many a fond childhood memory. It was weird.
• Saturday: I saw myself entering Taco Bell, which is something I haven't done in over a year, and I quite enjoyed my crunchwrap supreme. Perhaps I should be worried about a relapse.
• Sunday: I saw the Prophet (on my computer screen).
• Today: I saw former president of Mexico, Vicente Fox at an NYU forum. He talked about economics, immigration, his time as president, and whether or not his grandfather is going to heaven. This last bit is worth a bit more detail, mostly because the other stuff is way beyond the scope of this blog. Apparently his grandfather was an Evangelical Christian, and a few days before his death, Fox's mother, who was concerned about his salvation, had the priest come and baptize him. The funny thing about all this is that, due to his Alzheimer's and being asleep, he had no idea what had happened. So, even though he's not sure if his grandad is in evangelical heaven or catholic heaven, he's pretty sure he's taken care of. As you can see, it had it's light moments.

Also, I got a facebook invite to join this group today. With all due respect to the party that sent it to me, I think I'm going to have to decline. I feel pretty secure at NYU as is.

Addendum

As I was writing that last post, I knew there was something that I was leaving out. I finally figured out what that was.

As I was standing in line to purchase my DVDs, I saw this book on display. May I assure you that the illustrations are not as graphic as you might be inclined to think. Also, seeing the word "turd" in print, and knowing it was placed there by an M.D. is something I find to be quite hilarious.

I also learned about this "breathtaking" book by Reepah Gud Wan (say it aloud).

The Last Brag

OK folks, tonight I had the great pleasure of listening to The Brawner Brothers at my apartment complex. So who are they? Well, the flyer advertised them as B.B. King's backup band, which I think might have been a bit of creative advertising. What I learned when I got there was that the Brawner Bros. are a soul/funk/blues group based here in the city. So, I didn't get quite what I was expecting, but what I got was pretty good. OK, enough talk, on to the pictures.
Here's just a little idea of what the setup was like. Pretty small, out on the river.
Here's the band. I'm kicking myself now for not having sat closer.
If I had to be one guy in the band, I'd be the bass player. He looks like he has a lot of fun. Also note the lady with the bluesy hat. I bet she has stories to tell!

So, if you were to ask me what group the Brawner Brothers reminds me of (not that you were), I would have to say Tower of Power. I saw Tower of Power in Salt Lake a few years ago with old friends Janelle and Cynthia at the SLC Jazz Fest. Ahh... those were the days.

Anyway, I'm getting a feeling that I'm not really helping you figure out what this music is like, so I'll try something that we've never done here at the OP, and that's video. Enjoy!


Sorry about the bald headed guy. If I'd only have sat closer... Wasn't that guitar solo awesome? It was way better than my movie taking skills, at any rate. Now, check out my personal favorite song of the night, "Compared to What":



Pretty good, don't you think?