South America -- Vacation Recap

Being gone for 11 days in a different hemisphere (covering 4 different towns/cities) spurs a lot of great blog material. This being said, I’d prefer not to post too long of a description of the trip, so instead, just tried to just give some bullet-points from each place. As a review, Amy and I went to Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Rio de Janiero, and Buzios. It goes without saying, but much props and love to Amy who not only made the actual detsils of the trip, but also made the trip complete for me..... Now to the review:

OVERALL
* The trip was AWESOME. I highly recommend almost everything we did, exactly how we did it to almost anyone. (For some single guys – you may have a different Rio trip planned than we did)
* It was the perfect amount of time at each place with the perfect ratio between exploration (touristy stuff) and relaxation (beach)
* The weather couldn’t have been better. Was between 70 and 80 everyday and only rained on the last 4 hours of our trip – which we spent in a car going to the airport anyway.
* This was the first time that I have used a travel agent. Truth is that we probably didn’t necessarily save any money doing it, but, between the convenience and already-set activities, etc – it is NOT the last time I use one.

Now for a bit on each place…

Buenos Aires – 3 Days
* BA is a major city. It has an exotic location flare-type sound to it, but it really is not a “tropical destination” (the closest beaches are 3 hours away)
* Hotel was great, Tango Show was a quality experience, and the food was very tasty… Especially the PROVOLETA and CHORIZO. (By far my two favorite)
* What made BA amazing was certainly my BA Friends (Picture below), particularly Lau and Manu. They both took Amy and I all around the City and showed us cool/trendy places as well as authentic/local joints. are the BEST and I look forward to doing the same with them when they come to New York. (Gracias Amigos!)

Iguazu Falls - 1 Day
* Came highly recommended by Amy’s Dad, Arie. (Particularly the boat trip – which we took and thought was awesome)
* Hotel with large mosquito issue was the only ghetto experience within the whole trip
* The Falls were pretty cool to see – although wouldn’t say this is a *must* if you are trying to shorten your trip

Rio de Janeiro – 3 Days
* Our Guide of the city (Heidi) was AWESOME. On 2 separate days, we took 3 hour excursions where we were “supposed to go” (Pictures to prove it) Throughout this time, we asked a lot of questions about the country, culture, etc. She also gave us great recommendations on where to go to eat, where to sit at the beach, etc.
* Speaking of the beach… The vendors at the beach were so interesting to us. Amy made the great analogy of the vendors being very similar to vendors at a baseball game. Not in your face, but loud enough to let you know what they’ve got for sale. Amy did her part in supporting the “apparel vendors”, while we both did our part to support the food vendors (Cheese on a stick, GLOBO Chips, and Corn on the Cob were our favorites)

* The hotel (Cesar Park) and area (Ipanema) were a perfect match for what Amy and I were looking for. We were across the street from the best beach in Rio, in walking distance to great restaurants. One (Porcao – an All-you-can eat meat place), which just opened up 2 blocks from Amy and I. And yes – although Amy doesn’t eat meat – she loved it anyway. ;)

Buzios – 3 Days, including New Years
* The “Hamptons of Rio” – is a small, quant beach town (actually has 23 beaches) about 2 hours from Rio
* We happened to be there during probably the busiest time of year… Every night, the streets were FILLED (I am talking about “leaving Giant stadium after a last second field goal” type feel walking the streets), mostly with Brazilian high-schoolers…there weren’t so many Americans.
* After visiting 4 crowded beaches our first day, upon recommendation, we found “our spot” at Pria Brava. We stayed there pretty much 10-6 for 2 days, got pampered by Lula (our waitress) … and it was VERY relaxing – was exactly what we were looking for to wind down our trip.
* We stayed in a very nice, boutique posada (Casas Brancas), which held a private dinner party for us on New Years Eve. With great views of the fireworks show and everyone dressed in white – (WHICH, by the way, Puffy totally stole the idea of a white party from), it made for a great New Years Eve.

That’s about it. Again – if anyone is looking to go to South America – let me know. I’ll forward you our itinerary! There was much anticipation about our trip, as we've been planning it for about 8 months, but I gotta say that it was well worth the wait!

Feliz ano nuevo!

Amy and I are heading to South America for the next 11 days. We will be traveling to Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls, Rio, and Buzios. Hopefully we will have plenty of pictures to share/post when we get back.

I'm not sure if I'm going to post while traveling, but in case I don't, I hope everyone has a Happy Holidays and New Year!!

MTA Transit Strike - Day 1 (Chaos)

Today was the official start of the transit strike here in NYC... I definitely do not think that it's the end of the world ... but to describe it in one word is just "Chaos" ... You add more chaos, on top of the one of the most chaotic cities in the world, during one of the most chaotic times of the year - and it's just, well, CHAOTIC.

I was one of a handful of people who made it into my office today...although my company was VERY cool about working from home. When a got into the office, there was a false sense of hope for those that thought the drama was all hype... a few women I work with were saying how surprised they were because of how many cabs were OPEN ... I felt bad bursting their bubble, telling them that in fact the all cabs "available white lights" on them were on due to the fact that none of them were turning on their meters.... (Cabs are able to pick up multiple rides and are operating on a "Cost per zone" basis)

Anyhow, the day went by (with a few calls from out-of-town friends asking what was up)...
When the work day was over, Amy and I met up and walked home. Yes, the sidewalks were packed and I noticed a lot more bikers on the streets.... Yes, it was a little creepy going down Madison Ave where NO CARS were allowed to roam (for emergency vehicle sake), and yes there seemed to be A LOT of traffic in different areas.... However, there wasn't any rioting or people going crazy.... Just a lot of people in a small space... Pretty chaotic....

So now I am home and beginning to worry about tomorrow.... Not how I'm going to get to work, but how Amy and I are going to get to the airport during primetime traffic tomorrow night...
Stay tuned...

A Rarity - A Quality SNL Skit

I don't think there is any debate that Saturday Night Live has been AWFUL for the past few years (we'll call it the Post-Will Ferrell era). Although there is a bright spot here and there, (such as Amy Poehler or Tina Fey) I have given up watching the show altogether...

Anyhow, today, someone sent me this funny skit from this past week that I wanted to share. (Warning - you may be singing the song for the rest of the week after watching)

Stan Van Gundy

In a news conference today, Stan Van Gundy announced that he is resigning as Miami Heat coach. Stepping in as coach will be current General Manager and previous Head Coach, Pat Riley….

As a loyal heat fan for the last 17 years, I am torn…On the one hand -- I really have grown to like Stan Van Gundy. He is honest and I always seem to respect his comments during post game interviews, etc. On the other hand -- Pat Riley is a coaching legend. I certainly cannot complain that the 3rd most successful coach of all time is taking over the reigns on my favorite team..

What seems to be at the heart of the public debate is whether or not he was FORCED to leave. Today, I watched (via webcast) the entire press conference. In case you missed it, Stan claimed he was resigning due to the lack of flexibility within his role ty to be a family-man… When you read the description “leaving for personal reasons,” I understand why people are skeptical, but after listening to him and hearing specific details – I do believe that he has had enough of the demand of putting his family as a second priority…

This being said, during the press conference, a reporter asked if the fact that the team was 10-11 had anything to do with his decision …. Stan was adamant that this has been a long time coming and had nothing to do with the record…. Sorry, Stan, I don’t buy that…. If they were 15-3, I think you put your inner feelings on hold at least till the end of the season… This coupled with the fact that Pat Riley is clearly an ego-maniac and has been dreaming of coaching again since we landed the Shaq-daddy… Oh and perfect timing – Shaq came back last night….

I think I’m somewhere in the middle of where the purists and the most of main-stream media will be ….
- I am sad to see Stan go, but also have no complaints about Pat Riley being the head coach
- I respect and believe Stan’s rationale, but I don’t think it’s 100% accurate to say that the teams lack of success had nothing to do with it
- I don’t foresee Stan coaching anywhere else other than in South Florida… That includes smaller colleges, high schools or even the Miami Heat again down the road…. His brother left and then came back….

Finally, Stan Van Gundy has consistently been said to look like adult film star, Ron Jeremy, but
I think I he looks more like my buddy Andrew Salis. Hard to say without the mustache, but I think it’s spot on… 

Business Class .... In Session

I consider myself a low-maintence guy... This is not to say I don't appreciate the finer (read: more expensive) aspects of life, but I generally don't REQUIRE any of it to be satisfied.

Over the last 2+ years, business travel has been a fairly steady requirement for me. Nothing like my boy Brian, however. (He travels from Florida to Ohio every week - living away from his wife and baby girl Monday through Thursday). Anyway, the business travel has enabled me to accumulate some frequent flier perks every now and again.

Today, I type this from my plush Business class seat on my way back to NYC from SFO.

The first thing I noticed when entering "the zone" (ie. First class/business class) was that about 90% of the people "up here" are men. On top of that, I think almost all of these guys are wall-street types. I've already seen 2 Salomon Smith Barney bags and UBS briefcases...From the sounds of over-hearing conversations ... most of them either live in Conneticut or in the burbs of Northern California...
And then there is me...the young kid with his Google bag trying to fit in - so I break out my blackberry and act like I have important business to attend to... (I'm really playing video poker)...The truth is that once most people I sit next to in airplanes see my Google bag - that's it. Curiousity kicks in and the questions start...Sometimes what I really think they want to ask is..."are you worth a million or a BILLION dollars?" I then have to disappoint them by telling them I'm nowhere near close to either of those, BUT ..."I love what I do..."
Truth is, I can't even say that I think the "Google attention" is annoying. One would think that I get sick of answering (or avoiding) the same questions - but I don't... Perhaps more on this in another entry...

Anyhow, back to the perks of business class. You start by having the flight attendents take you jackets to be hung up (they will later bring it to me when the plane lands). I then sit in my cushy seat which has four different options of extended comfort (Recline, Leg-rest Extend, Leg-rest, and Footpad extend). About 5 minutes after take-off, I am served a nice cup of hot, salted nuts and choice of beverage (Jack and Ginger please). 5 Minutes later - round 2. 15 minutes later - round 3...(This is nice) Now it's time to grub...To start, some lettuce with a nice vinegrette dressing, alongside tomato and Mozzerella and a piece of multi-grain bread. Offer for round 4, but I opt for some water instead. Main course arrives (I chose the chicken over the beef and pasta). It's ok. Jack and Ginger part 4 arrives as well. Desert is a choice between a vanilla ice-cream sundae (with choice of hot fudge, caremel, strawberries, whip-cream and nuts) or a apple-carmel cheesecake. I chose ice-cream with strawberries.
Might I add that the "clean-up" process is almost instantanous upon completion. Quite a difference from coach - where I typically am forced to stare at the remnants of my $3 Snack box for 30 minutes.

Throughout the flight, if there is something I want (round 5 perhaps??) it's well within my reach. There are 2 flight attendents who seemingly only service this cabin.
Speaking of well within my reach ... I should be snooring outloud listening to the bankers next to me talk about the "upside or working for a large firm..."

Anyhow - before I make you snoor outloud - I'll get to my point...Although traveling in First/Business Class is certainly more than twice as good as traveling in Coach, I don't know if anyone on the plane today would pay double as much if it were on their own dime. I, luckily, was rewarded by the airline for my frequent travel. Most of the men sitting in first class now are rewarded by their companies for traveling cross-country. This being said, however you are able to swing it, I certainly recommend it.

Ah... Round 5 has arrived. Good Night.

Happy Birthday Amy!

On Friday (December 2^nd), Amy turned 30. As most who move on to the 3^rd decade, Amy wasn’t thrilled about the occasion, but I must say that once it actually came….she embraced it.

In celebration, we had a multitude events (in various locations) that ranged from a surprise party to a romantic dinner to a pre-party that led into a party throw-down…

The “throw-down” as we’ll call it, was a blast. I know this, not only because I had a great time, but because I looked at pictures of the event… (and there were a lot of pictures). In almost every picture – people have enormous, genuine smiles…. And I’m not talking about the “hey let’s pose for a picture” type smiles … I’m talking about ear-to-ear grins from everyone (even those people that aren’t known for smiling very often)…

Organizing 2 weeks of festivities is never easy, but is something you do for someone you love, and I have to say that is was well worth it. Amy was so happy throughout. (see picture)

Happy Birthday Amy!!

How many Jews are in this country?

Just ran across this random data and thought it was interesting...

According to a 2001 study done by the "United Jewish Communites", there are 5.2 million jews that live in the US. Additionally, according to the Census Burea population clock, there are 300 Million people that live in the US, which would make the Jewish population 1.7%....

I was actually fairly suprised how small that number was considering about 98% of my summer camp and about 90% of my college social scene was Jewish... :)

Cyber Monday

My title here at Google is currently “Retail Vertical Specialist.” In short, I work with the large retail companies who advertise with us….
For retailers, the holiday season (that just officially started this past Friday) is the most important time of the year…. For some sub-industries (like toys), over 90% of their sales come from this 2 week period!

Because the holiday season is so important, the media world intensifies it’s coverage and analysis over these months …. They do things like blame low retail sales on high gas prices or the weather… They also feel compelled to come up with cute names for particular time periods. The most famous to date has been “Black Friday,” which is the Friday after Thanksgiving... It’s called Black Friday because this is usually the day that retailers go from “the red”(unprofitable) into “the black” (profitable). To lure shoppers on Black Friday, retailers have been known to offer incredible deals for a small window of time. This year – this tactic caused some pretty interesting commotions, such as people getting trampled on when doors opened or fights among customers for remaining merchandise….

Anyway within online retailing, today(11/28), the Monday after Thanksgiving was usually called “Blue Monday.” Blue – referring to the typical blue hyperlinks on websites ….

This year, however, someone has dubbed today as “Cyber-Monday” …. CYBER-MONDAY????? Doesn’t that sound like a 1989 Movie title, starting Keanu Reeves???

Everyone from Katie Couric to Barbara Walters is talking about “Cyber Monday” today… It's like a flash back to my college professor talking about "the information super highway" ....

I guess I shouldn’t complain …. The fact that the media finally acknowledges that customers are using the web (and Google) to shop for holiday gifts - should make my job easier.

Truth is that several CEOs still believe that the internet channel is too minor to ever focus on…. (Example – TJ Maxx and Marshalls recently shut-down their e-commerce completely) The interesting thing is that today isn’t even the biggest day to shop on the web. That will come in 2 weeks…..

Anyway – I am sure over the next few years – someone will come up with an even more lame name than “Cyber-Monday” … Until then, we seem to be stuck with it.

Merry Cyber Monday everybody….

The Move

As many of you know, I moved in with Amy last week. For the majority of people who ask me, "how is it," I can tell you it's been a week -- but it's great.

Surprisingly enough, what was actually "great" as well was the actual move .... NOW ... Before I discuss why, I can firmly declare the following 3 things:
1) I 100% do not have any desire to ever do it again.
2) The next time I move I will certainly be hiring movers and will be directing rather than doing physical labor.
3) Moving causes a lot of anxiety and, as a whole, sucks.

So - why was it great? Well, first of all, it was an experience. I firmly believe that both good and bad experiences create life lessons that in turn make better individuals. I had never rented a uhaul and moved out of (and into) a place before on my own. I'm glad I did it.

Secondly, I realized that my new building has an unbelievable staff of doormen and a super. When I was moving out of my place - there was only 1 of the 2 elevators working. This caused my super to give me grief about moving...(he really just wanted me to give him money for allowing me to move - but I didn't budge). When Amy and I were moving heavy objects, the super and his wife (the usual morning door-person) didn't even get up to open the door for us! When Amy and I got to my new place, we had an elevator waiting for us - and the doorman helped organize some of our stuff downstairs, which made it so much more efficient. Overall - the move made me realize what a better situation I was moving into.

And finally, I realized that my girlfriend is a straight-up trooper. A lot of woman would resist from the second any kind of discussion about moving without paid movers occurred, but Amy was always in favor. She was also the other half of physical labor AND drove the Uhaul van (on her own request even). I appreciate Amy for so much, but the move gave me another way to appreciate her.

[Side note: Uhaul has a shady re-fueling policy that I doubt you are aware of. Like most rental vehicle places, you have to replace the fuel you used, but in Uhaul's case - they start the van with 3/4 of a tank. Why is this? Well, I can only assume it's because most people are too lazy to realize how many miles per gallon they utilize and over-fill the van]

Anyway - Amy and I truly felt accomplished after the move. It went smoothly and it certainly was an experience.

2 Shout-outs

Quick props to 2 of my boys who had some accomplishments this week...

Chris Heller (and Brad Grossman) opened up their restaurant, 24 Prince, this week. Here is a clip from a recent review in New York Magazine:

"The owners of 24 Prince, opening this week, think they’ve nailed just what Nolita’s been missing: a loungy restaurant with homey décor and a comfort-food menu of meat loaf and mashed potatoes, fried chicken, and macaroni and cheese (24 Prince St., nr. Mott St.; 212-226-8624)."

I'll give it my own review after this Saturday night ... But definitely give it a try if you're looking for a new spot to get your grub on... Congrats Chris!!


Props are also due for my boy Tuna Glantz ... We all know that Tuna (of former "Thursday Thoughts" fame) has a talent in writing ... What you may not know is that he recently got his BUSINESS opinion published by a very prominant internet advertising source recently. Check out Glantz' take on Ad Targeting here. You can also TRY and check out his not-so-serious-commentary here, but, don't hold your breathe ... he likes to keep his fans in suspense.... Congrats on the article, Tuna..

Halloweenies

I don’t know if this has always been the case, but in the last 5 or so years, I feel like it’s become really trendy for Adults to embrace Halloween more than kids… It could be that I have merely lived in a kid-unfriendly city during that span … but I like sticking with the “trendy” theme …. Anyway - every year – I like to throw a pre-party on Halloween, followed by a night out of dancing and drinking. This year was no different. Pre-party followed by bottle service at a crowded club that played hip-hop…. Obviously over-priced entertainment, but it really is a once-a-year thing, so it’s fine…. This year – I noticed that most of the going-out public was dressed up, but there were a few people not dressed up ….

Who goes to a Halloween Party without dressing up? Halloweenies do – that’s who (I’m coining the term)!

Would a vegetarian go to an all-you-can-eat meat buffet? Do Jews go to Church? Do blind people drive cars?

I don’t think that everyone should embrace Halloween as much as I do … But I don’t think you should go to a Halloween party if you are not willing to dress up … Go to the movies, go out to dinner, go to a wedding (a popular one this year), stay home, whatever…..

If you are someone who feels compelled to go out, it doesn’t even have to be the best costume (I am not a costume-elitist) As long as you try (and saying “I dressed up like myself this Halloween” doesn’t count) that’s fine … Borrow your friends army fatigue pants, Basketball jersey, or pick-up Doctor’s scrubs….. Just make an effort…..

I believe that all 4 of my blog readers are loyal Halloween observers, but if you know people who are not, make sure they know that we now refer to them as a “Halloweenie” …

"You want to have your cake and eat it too"

Can someone PLEASE explain to me what this phrase means?! It is not very often that I actually have cake, however, when I do - I always intend to eat it... What other options are there beyond throwing it in the face of someone who says that?

I think next time someone uses that phrase - you should ask them what it means...

Hotlanta on Bid-naz

Since Amy and I are both in media sales, a reciprocal aspect of our jobs is business travel. For the last 2 years, though, we have been unable to coordinate a business trip to the same place… Last week, however, we finally worked it out – and we both had meetings in Atlanta.

The standard business travel perks (i.e above average hotels, meal allowances, etc) definitely are better when I can enjoy them with Amy… We aren’t cheap-asses when we travel together outside of business, but we also don’t book a room at the Ritz on the regular, etc…

It was also nice to be able to grab a drink at the Lobby before going to bed, without feeling like I was either a big loser or an alcoholic….

Regarding the city of Atlanta, it wasn’t my first time there, although it was my first time staying for a couple of days. It seems like a city with a good mix of diversity, friendliness, and business-minded people. I could be wrong – but that was my impression. My other impression is that I couldn’t live there. First of all, the traffic in Atlanta is just as bad as anywhere else – if not worse. Like LA, everything is so spread out, which means public transportation is just not a practical option…Second of all, I think the whole “Southern mentality” is great in small doses – just not full time. Feeling obligated to say “yes ma’am” 100% of the time when answering a question from the girl behind the check-out counter is just not who I am. I’m polite – but not “Southern polite.”

ICE - In Case of Emergency

Just read something interesting and wanted to pass along...

Vodafone believes that over 75% of people do not specify any "emergency contacts" in their cell phones. A local paramedic from England realized this as well and has since launched a program called "ICE." This program is nothing other than the desire for EVERYONE to designate someone in their cell phones as the emergency contact. Today, this can simply be done by adding a contact into your phone under the name "ICE" (including the appropriate phone number obviously). In the future, the hope is that the mobile phone companies will add a section into the phone that designates emergency contacts....

It makes sense, right? How many times have you heard people say, "you should carry a cell phone in case of emergency." The ICE contact helps to do this, but takes into account the possibility of the cell phone owner not being able to proactively dial.

Of course for this to work, the concept must be understood by all parties, including the paramedic community. So - this is my PSA ... I think it's a small thing that could go a long way.

The Time Warner Monopoly

As many of you know, Amy and I are switching some things around in her apartment in order for it to be feel more like OUR apartment when I officially move in. After scheduling an appointment 3 weeks in advance, we finally had our Time Warner cable appointment last night. I don’t want to go into intricate details, so I will try and be brief. The cable guy came in rearing with an attitude … He was snippy, with a grasp of the English language that I would rate a 3 on a scale of 10. He claimed that what we were asking him to do was not on his order form. He refused to do it and told us it was our problem and not his I asked him his name about 30 times – but he wouldn’t give it to me. I am VERY even-keeled, but this guy got me heated. After he left (and Amy blocking the elevator so he couldn’t leave), I finally got him to come in and call Time Warner…. While he was on hold with them, he must have realized that it wasn’t worth the politics so he decided to implement what we wanted… He continued with an attitude, but I am confident the job he did was satisficatory. His attitude CERTAINLY was not.

This all being said – I called Time Warner this morning to report him. The service rep and the manager were both very nice and empathetic, apologizing and promising to report him. BUT … I still feel powerless. So I’ve looked this morning to see what I can do – and there are really very few options. I am writing this post so I can share it with you all.

As cable providers are controlled by the government, our only options are to complain to Mayor Bloomberg. (It’s not like I can realistically not chose to be a customer of Time Warner) Here are out options. We can:

• Call 311. Trained operators will forward your complaint information to DoITT's Cable Unit for resolution.
• Submit a Cable Television and OVS System Customer Service Request online.
• Write DoITT or the New York State Public Service Commission. Their contact info is:

DoITT
Consumer Service Department—Cable TV
75 Park Place, 9th Floor
New York, NY 10007

New York State Public Service Commission
Office of Consumer Affairs
1 Penn Plaza, 8th Floor
New York, NY 10119
Phone: (800) 342-3377

I am going to do all of the above. F-Time Warner Cable!!!

Google Video: Everybody Hates Chris

Google has teamed with UPN to offer the Premiere episode of "Everybody Hates Chris" on Google's Video site. Click Here to watch it (commercial free I may add).

It takes about 20 minutes to watch. The site will only stay up for 3 days, so take advantage while you can.

For those of you who don't know, "Everybody Hates Chris" is about Chris Rock's teenage years (and is produced and narrated by him).

Enjoy.

Vegas Nuances

While in Vegas, there were a handful of things that stood out at me. Yes, beyond the obvious non-stop drinking and gambling going on - there were subtle things that I noticed. For example:

1) A 100 dollar bill was more common to see than a $20. And this is not becuase I'm a high roller. Anytime there is an exchange for money that is greater than $100 - you are almost certain to receive a $100 dollar bill. From the ATM, Cacino "cage" or anywhere else....What other place does this happen? I couldn't help but think that my wallet seemed unuasually light (which it typically is in Vegas), but it was only because I'd be carrying MAYBE 3 bills in total....

2) Taxi lines EVERYWHERE. Before leaving New York airports, I had never before waited in line to take a taxi. In Vegas, I feel like Taki lines are a law in Las Vegas - right up there with Prostitution and legal drinking ANYWHERE.

3) Speaking of the law - I have never seen a police officer in Las Vegas. Although my buddy DooDoo Brown swears they exist (or was it really in Delray Beach, FL?), I am convinced that the real "law" in Vegas are in the form of Casino pit bosses. Think about it...They are the only bodies in the city that actually put fear in anyone, they are almost always obied, and they never smile...

4) I had a blackjack dealer complain to me that every guy thinks she's a "working girl" when she goes out. I told her not to take it personally... When you mix testosterone and Las Vegas air, some kind of chemical mirage occurs where ANY woman under 50 looks like a "working girl"... Perhaps it's just wishful thinking for fellas, but it happens. I have friends that NEVER approach women without a clear indication that she is interested...but when they come to vegas they somehow find the courage to approach random women. I firmly believe because they imagine this so-called "mirage."

Final thought on Vegas is that I think the city finally has some smart people in their marketing department around the "whatever happens in vegas stays in vegas" theme....but this is a new thing that they actually stole. When coming up with city nicknames, they were the perfect fit for "the city that never sleeps," but New York had already taken that name...I love New York, but I think Vegas really deserves this title... Whatever ... I'm still going back even though they got stock with "Sin City"

World Championship of Fantasy Football

I write this post from Las Vegas, Nevada. Although I am out here for a business conference this week, I also had another "conference" of sorts this past weekend...It was called The World Championship of Fantasy Football. In short, it is a high stakes Fantasy Football gathering, that has 60 leagues of 12 teams a piece, all vying for $200K and a trip to the Pro Bowl.... Each league has a champion which is dictated by a week 12 Super-Bowl. This team wins $5K. From there, all league winners (plus a handful of second-place teams) vie for the big prize in a 4 week aggregate, roto-style point format.

To say I had been excited about this would have been a drastic understatement. I went with my buddy Jared, who also was a WCOFF virgin. Although we both had friends who went last year, we really didn’t know what to expect. We were equally anxious and excited to get to the event, pretty much talking non-stop the night before about players, strategies, predictions, etc.

Considering the amount I drank on Friday night, one would think that sleeping wouldn’t be a problem ….. WRONG! I was so excited for the draft, that I didn’t sleep at all. Fast forward to what seemed to be an eternity, 9 AM …. I registered for the event – joining my fellow 1400 men and 50 woman participants. They gave us fancy leather folders, an orange “lance Armstrong-type” bracelet and told us “good luck.” 10:15 the doors to the draft open, and you walk into a massive room filled with 60 tables in a large “U shape.” 30 minutes later, the organizers say a few words and have a color guard march in for the star spangled banner. Nick Bakay also had the mic for about 10 minutes and did a very funny speech on the multitude of random team names (i.e. “Seeking Suzy Kolber” among others), as well as gave props to the entire league for putting their money where their fantasy trash talking mouths were. (He drafted in Jared’s league … I wasn’t very impressed).

Anyway – the draft finally starts, and my heart is pumping very fast …. My “worst-case” scenario happens with the 8 guys I want going right before me on the 9^th pick. No big deal, I pick my 9^th guy in the requested fashion: “Running Back, Tiki Barber, New York Giants.” (This format continued throughout the draft, although it was a little strange, it kinda made the picks a little more formal, which I thought was cool under the circumstances). As soon as I get my first 2 guys, I text message about 3 of my friends including Jared who got Tiki AND the guy I wanted at 9 (Westbrook, who went # 8 in my draft). Jared has the 12^th pick, so he came over to my table a little more frequently than I went to his … After the 8^th round, they give everyone a 45 minute break. I felt like it was halftime of a high school basketball game I was playing in – but it was missing those great orange slices someone’s mom would pack. I reflected a lot on what I did the 8 rounds prior and what I needed to do in the later rounds….. Jared and I actually had many of the same players, which I was psyched about. No doubt that all the talking we did the days before influenced us both, but I think that’s a good thing….

The next 12 rounds flew by …. All 12 teams in my league knew what they were doing, which meant that every team looked scary to play – INCLUDING mine…. Although I was really happy with my squad, I was so mentally drained from the intensity, that I couldn’t really show it after the draft was finally completed ….

Jared and I agreed that best thing to do next was: Bet on the Ohio State-Texas game, buy a lot of Jack Daniels, and order as much fried food as possible. It was PEFECT. Him and I analyzed each other’s league’s in and out …. Concluding that my league was certainly more competitive (which is good for Jared), but that we both wouldn’t do anything different in the draft after-the-fact. That is a good feeling to have….

On Sunday – Jared and I were in Heaven…. Watching every NFL games, drinking and eating like fat-asses….End result … Both him and I are 1-0 in WCOFF! I’ll try and keep the blog updated with this throughout the year….

On a final note, if you know me at all, you know that the original “BigTime Fantasy Football league” is one of my biggest sources of pride. This league is different than the WCOFF in that it is 14 team, very competitive league that I started and will always be commissioner of. I can honestly say that I would rather win “The BigTime” than win the $200K at WCOFF. (that is IF I had to chose one or the other).

This being said, I really enjoyed the WCOFF experience and hope to do it again for years to come…. I will be recruiting other friends to join me next year …. Hopefully returning as the reigning champion.

What was Kanye West thinking?

In case anyone didn't see Kanye West during a telecast to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina, you can check out Kayne's selfish, bumbling rant here. During this chance to raise money for victims, West instead took the opportunity to attempt to boil the racial anxiety surrounding this tragedy. In his semi-in-comprehensible babbling, he said "George Bush doesn't care about black people" .... and that the media is saying that "black families are looting and white families are looking for food ... they're giving the (Army) permission to shoot us" ...

It is interesting to me that just last night a buddy about how we thought his recent album was on a level rarely seen in music today... Him and I both virtually proclaimed Kanye a "genius" in music production.... But just as he's a genius in music production, I guess it doesn't mean he's a smart man beyond that... And I'm not saying that he's not entitled to his opinion ... I'm saying he sure as hell didn't choice the right venue/time/place to voice this opinion....

In listening to his lyrics, I've always believed that he certainly was extremely "pro-black," but wasn't sure if he was a racist .... well I guess it's almost been confirmed. No man who is not a racist has the anger built up inside of him to turn a FUNDRAISER into a racial conflict.

I suppose this makes me happy that I didn't actually buy Kanye's album, but still have the joy of listening to it on my hard drive...(although I didn't steal it)...It is a very well put together album. Seems like it's too bad that the person who produced it isn't well put together himself.