Becco: NYC

Becco puts a whole new meaning to "when you're here, you're family." I was with a group of 6 colleagues when we stumbled across this restaurant near Times Square. We arrived late and at first thought the place was about to close. However, the wait staff smoothly ushered us to a large table, took our coats, and after a few words to the head of our group, quickly started bringing us plates of food. We had ordered their pre fix dinner which included antipasti, bread, ceasar's salad, and 3 different types of pasta. The professional staff were attentive without being overly so. A wonderful experience and great food. Nice place to bring a group.

Sala: NYC

If you are looking for a Spanish restaurant in New York City, Sala is a nice choice. As I walked past their Bowery location one day during lunch time, I was lured in by their sidewalk "lunch special" sign. The place is quite dark inside and on that day, empty. As my eyes adjusted to the candle light and I helped myself to the delicious sangria, I easily forgot what time it was as well as the work I had yet to do. The lunch special was excellent, inexpensive, and quite authentic. I recommend going on a day you don't have a lot going on at the office.

Butcher and Singer: Philadelphia

Butcher and Singer is a great place to get a steak- albeit an expensive one. The restaurant may remind you of a bank with its tall marble pillars or Wall Street with its bronze bull statues. The decor provides insight into the building's history. Around 1900, it started out as the The National Bank. It then moved on to become the "Butcher and Singer Stock brokerage." It's a very large space, but the low, warm lighting and leather seating gives it a cozy feel.

The website states "you are sure to feel like a celebrity" and indeed you do. Their staff hound you like the paparazzi, though they are quite respectful. Our attentive waiter told us of the remaining bank vaults in the basement. He also told us of the restaurant's claim to fame- on a fully booked night, the owner turned away Bill Clinton during Bill's term as president.

The portions are large and are enough for two- even though our waitress (yes, we had a waiter and a waitress) told us otherwise.

NYC Tango

I've only gone tango dancing in NYC once, and I went to the Thursday night milonga at Tango La Nacional, located at 239 West 14th Street. The atmospher was very nice- low lights and lots of tables for sitting. However, I was disapointed with the dancing. As a visitor, few leaders asked me to dance. Compared to other East coast cities such as DC, Philadelphia, and Boston, the dancers in NYC weren't nearly as friendly. I do look forward to dancing in NYC again,  but will check out a different milonga next time.

Icelandic Paradise

My short 4 day stay in Iceland was difficult. I had packed for a Minnesota August only to find that sweaters and mittens were a must. The only affordable place we could find to stay was a hostel with a communal bed that could fit around 20- to which I instantly called "I get the wall!" We waited almost an hour for a bus only to learn that we were told to wait at the wrong stop. I admit that I did enjoy walking around Reykjavik- after buying some warmer gear- and I enjoyed watching the Olympic handball final with the locals at the library. They were going crazy- and ended up getting the silver medal. But, overall, I was anxious to get home and relax in a more comfortable bed. Then, we stopped at the best hot springs I've ever been to- The Blue Lagoon. It was so wonderful that I've completely changed my mind about Iceland and would love to go back- even if I had just a few hours - to relax in the brilliantly hot aquamarine waters.

Famous Hot Dog Stand

Iceland was freezing during the month of August. In Reykjavik we came across this hot dog stand whose claim to fame was that Bill Clinton, while president, bought a hot dog here. They were quite tasty, and compared to Iceland's overly high prices, this was a nice inexpensive lunch.

Stockholm Tango

In August 2008, I attended a wedding in Sweden. While there, I stopped in Stockholm for a milonga. Great atmosphere. I liked that the space had two areas (divided by a row of chairs): one for dancing and one for practicing.

Court of Neglect

I had a brief stay in Iceland last year and couldn't help but feel sorry for this neglected basketball court.

Philadelphia Tango

While in Philadelphia, I attended a wonderful milonga on Friday at the Buttonwood Studio. The studio is about a mile from the central part of the city. The surrounding area has a dark and deserted feeling at night, so I don't recommend walking there alone. The entrance way thankfully has a sign clarifying that this indeed is the place for the milonga. You walk upstairs into an apartment space with a large cleared off space and wonderfully smooth wood floor. A kitchen sink and cabinets line one wall, the other is lined with velvet covered seating and in the corner was the DJ with laptop. To your left you'll find a hallway for hanging up your coat and seats to assist with shoe change. The hallway leads to a more brightly lit room with chairs and a table with food. I did not investigate this area but headed directly to the velvet covered chairs along the dance floor and observed the dancers. I was greeted by ladies and gentlemen alike, who made me feel very welcomed. The hostess, Lesley, introduced herself and was delighted to have a visitor. Such a wonderfully welcoming community! I danced the next two hours with highly competent and gracious leaders. While I did not have high expectations on the way to this milonga, it has become my favorite milonga as an out of town visitor.

DC Tango

When I travel, I make a point to observe the local tango scene and attend at least one milonga, practica, or lesson. While in Washington DC, I attended the Tuesday milonga at the 18th Street Lounge. What a wonderful place! The entrace way is a bit hidden- next to a mattress store (in the image, it is behind the tree). You walk upstairs find the door to a space that feels like an art studio with high white walls and some paintings. The light was low and small lights lined the floor along the walls- very hip. The leaders were quite friendly, and I was asked to dance all night. The Washington DC tango leaders are a joy to dance with. I highly recommend attending this milonga, it is one of my favorites in the U.S.

Interesting Placement

I saw these two signs while waiting for the subway at Porter Square in Cambridge. One is promoting alcohol as the life of the party. The other one is advertising it as a killer. I wonder which sign went up first.

The Distracting Internet

This picture just cracks me up every time I look at it. I love how there is a birthday cake and jets flying in the background.

Addressing my Poor Cell Phone Etiquette

The mantra "The User is Not Like Me" sometimes makes me wish the user was like me so that products would be designed to fit my strange behavior. One of these strange behaviors is that I always have my cell phone on vibrate, no matter if I am in a quiet environment or not. I usually have my cell phone in my purse (sometimes in my pocket), and I don't have a landline phone at home. Needless to say, I miss probably 90% of my calls, and this includes the important one. While I find that my phone's vibrate setting is loud enough to wake me up in the morning, I frequently miss incoming calls even when the phone is in my pocket. This mainly happens when I'm on the go- either walking around or on my bike.

At last, I have decided to do my friends a favor and try to address my problem of frequent missed calls. I Googled "cell phone call notification bluetooth wristband" and found out about two products: BlueQ and the LM959. This reminds me again of why I love Google- you can think of something you'd like to design, and chances are if you google for it, you will find it already exists.

These two products are designed for the same function: they vibrate to let you know when you are recieving an incoming call. Each device communicates with your cell phone via bluetooth. You need to recharge them with your computer via a USB adaptor. The BlueQ looks more comfortable, and you can create your own skins for it with a downloadable template. The LM959 looks like it sounds- very high tech. Because of its design, I would not want to wear the LM959. Ideally, I would like something that was made out of soft fabric that I could easily attrach underneath an existing bracelet. I wear a lot of cuff bracelets, and this type of detachable design would easily mesh with my accessories.

While I like the BlueQ's aesthetics better than the LM959, I'm not sure when it will be out on the market. A few websites say "later this month" but that was back in July 2007. I emailed BlueQ; I'm hoping they will let me evaluate one.

Google Amazes Me

I recently noticed that my Google Map searches have been providing 360 degree views of the location, which is quite fantastic. Two days ago I was booking a hotel in San Francisco and wanted to see what the area looked like. Since the hotel's website and most other resources only provided images of the front of the hotel, lobby, and rooms, I had the impression that the hotel was on a quiet, one way street. Thanks to Google, I now have an accurate picture of what the area looks like. When I enter the address in Google Maps, I am given an image that provides 360 navigate- I can look up, down, and.... all around! I discovered that the hotel is actually on a busy street.

I then looked up my home address and found a similar 360 view of my house and street! I was surprised to not see any cars in the drive way. I then discovered that when I zoom away, I see a parked car. When I zoom in, the car is gone. I wonder if this is because the images were taken at different times, of if Google is editing some images to provide privacy.

Cheese Tasting 4: Clochette

This is my favorite cheese thus far. Clochette is a French goat's milk cheese with a very interesting 'brain texture' like rind. I bought it shaped like a bell. It's incredibly creamy, but has a distinct moldy yet smooth flavor. It pairs well with chocolate, crackers, wine, fruit. But, I mainly ate it alone.

Today I came across a great site for Cheese lovers: www.ilovecheese.co.uk. It has an interested section "Cheeses of the World" which lists countries and the cheeses they created.

Delivering Presentations

I watched the Tom Cruise video that has been creating buzz lately. I was quite impressed. Not by what he was saying or the words he used, but his delivery style. The way he expressed himself, the way he used pauses, and his facial expressions show off his expertise in acting. This video could be used to teach students how to deliver effective speeches. I remember one presentation I gave in grad school and I was so tired from preparing for the presentation the night before that I just wasn't into putting energy into the presentation. And the teacher commented on this. He said you have to act excited about what you are saying, which will influence the audience into paying attention to you. Tom Cruise does this perfectly; he's very excited about what he is saying. After my lesson in grad school, when I give presentations, I do my best to mask my anxiety or tiredness and pretend I am on a stage acting.

Update: ID Verification Needed for Stop & Shop's new 'Personal Check-Out Tool'

I've been using Stop & Shop's personal Check-Out tool once a week for a few months now. An interesting thing happened last week when I went shopping. When you pick up the Check-Out tool, you first need to scan your personal Stop & Shop card. I usually find this difficult, because the scanner is at a strange angle and it normally takes a few tries and randomly pushing buttons before it works. As I was doing this, a guy next to me was just putting his Check-Out tool away and since I must have looked like a new-bee, he asked if I needed help. I was curious as to what his trick would be, so I acted like I had never used the tool before and said 'OK.' He also had difficulty scanning my card, so then went ahead and entered the number on the back manually. He was a rough looking guy, with an unshaven face and a couple gold earings with a matching gravely voice. As he slowly entered in the numbers, I kept hoping he wouldn't make a mistake, since I was in a hurry. But, when he was finished, the number worked and I was able to get a Check-Out tool. He then showed me a special button on the device that will let you scroll through all the deals that Stop & Shop was offering to those who use the Check-Out tool. He went on to explain that I could get 24 cans of Coca-Cola on sale... I didn't have the heart to tell him that I don't drink soda and he shouldn't either if he wants to preserve his health, so I just replied, 'That's great!' I was impressed by his excitement of this device, and his excitement to teach others how to use it.

I then thanked him for his help and went along with my shopping. I still don't know the product code for loose carrots. It isn't on the list, so I just waited until I could ask an employee. When I was finished with my shopping, I had to again scan my Stop & Shop card. It still would not register, and an employee came over to help. I think I strongly give the impression that I am always in need of help. But, I quite enjoy watching what other peoples' approaches are. Not surpisingly, the employee could not get it to work either. And then I realized that the guy who had manually entered the number must have entered the wrong number. I did not tell the employee this. The manager came over and was shocked that my card did not work. She said she had never seen this happen. The employee then had to scan all my groceries once again. Lesson learned: Stop & Shop needs an easier way to scan in your Stop & Shop cards, and if you have to manually enter in your card's number, it should ask you to verify your name or address as well.

Belkin Rockstar

In March, Belkin is coming out with a device to enable multiple people to listen to one or more iPod(s)- or other MP3 player. It can also be used as a song mixer: there is a toggle button on each input to change between input and output. So, if you want to add a little Beyonce to the Beattles, you simply switch on the Beyonce ipod and switch off the Beattles. Well, I'm just guessing. I'll buy one for my brother when it comes out and let you know how well it 'actually' works.

It looks pretty cool though, and I could imagine it being quite popular on school bus trips.

Yahoo! Shortcuts Gone Wrong

Since my college days, I've been on the mailing list for American Eagle Outfitters (AE). Now that I am through grad school and have a job, my clothing style and preference has greatly changed. So, today I decided to take myself off the AE mailing list. On the bottom of the AE email it reads: "Changing your e-mail address? Update it now or change your preferences on receiving information from AE." The words 'Update' and 'AE' are underlined. Since I wanted to change my preferences on receiving information from AE, I figured I should click on 'AE' at the end of the sentence. As I scrolled over it, I was given a map of United Arab Emirates. It was an interesting jump from highschool/college hipster clothes to a map of a country bordering the Persian Golf. Looks like Yahoo! shortcuts is trying to bring global awareness to its shoppers.

Cheese Tasting 3: St. Andre vs. Bucheron Goat Cheese

For tonight's tasting, I have two creamy cheses: St Andre and Bucheron. The pairings are as usual (chocolate, cracker, and membrillo) but I have added a nice hot cup of English Breakfst tea with milk for this bitter Boston evening.

St. Andre has a very light tast and velvety smooth texture. It really does melt in my mouth. St. Andre and cracker: great! With membrillo: nice, but a bit bland. It is hard to get a clear taste of either one, but nonetheless it is a pleasant snack. With dark chocolate: amazing! It is like eating a chocolate truffle. It's hard to resist. I will definitely have to serve this combo for a dessert sometime.

The Bucheron is stronger than the St. Andre, with a nice goat's cheese flavor. With the cracker: good. I could imagine eating it with toast for breakfast. After eating the St. Andra with chocolate, this cheese really wakes me up from my chocolate truffle dream with its strong bite. Bucheron with membrillo: Interesting. The membrillo sweetens up the goat's cheese. it would be a nice combination to go with some hot toast. Bucheron with the chocolate: Good. The goat's cheese really brings at out the bitterness of the chocolate. It's a bitter treat.

It was quite a pleasant tasting tonight. I still cannot get over how supreme the St. Andra and dark chocolate go together.