It's Been A Long Time...

...I should not have left you, without a dope blog to step to.

I haven't posted in so long that this blog might as well be dead. Sorry about that. Here are some of my thoughts that have sprung up in the past month that I would have perhaps blogged about if I was more responsible with this here site:

- I do not like Julian Assange's face

- I blame my lack of blogging solely on The Twitter and The Facebook. I post shit on there when I think of it and not on here. But then it goes away as soon as more tweets or stati come through. But this shit right here is forever man

- I am (re)falling in love with the New York Knickerbockers

- I still do not get for the life of me why people keep the protective plastic on their electronics way after they have purchased them. No class.

- I have been going to the gym so much recently, more so than I did in the summer. The data nerd in me is trying to obtain a printout of all the times I have been at the Y since I joined in '07 so that I could make a graph of it on Excel.

- Speaking of Excel, the Paste Special function gives me a digital orgasm every time

- I cannot stand when the 2 or 3 express train pulls away on 96th or 72nd RIGHT when the 1 train is stopping. What the FUCK is up with that shit??

- Speaking of the trains, I witnessed or heard two fights on the platform/inside the train last night. I fear I may be involved in one soon.

- 5HE still works so wonderfully well and anyone who hates on it is missing out.

- From the Dmitry-hates-on-things-that-are-popular-when-they-first-come-out-but-not-several-years-later-when-the-love-has-died-down department, Arrested Development is the shit!

- 4Loko is overhyped

- That new song by Rihanna, "What's My Name," really makes me want to stick it in her. I mean, I have always thought were her to be alright, but her fivehead always got in the way. But there is something about that song...

- Speaking of music, GirlTalk's "All Day" is beautiful

- Can everyone lay the fuck off of Obama. Shit! His job is hard! He's trying his best! All of the fucking liberals who are all "I am not voting for him in 2012 if he doesn't do ________ or if he goes through and does ________." Man, STFU!! You know you are going to vote for him no matter what!

31 days....

...since my last blog post!

The New York Knickerbockers

I first started watching the Knicks when they were in the playoffs in '94. I was in 4th grade and one of my friends told me to watch them play on TV. I would keep going home and looking at the TV Guide and only seeing something about a "conference" on channel 4. In my mind, my innocent mind, I figured I didn't want to watch a bunch of men sitting around the table discussing things. But my friend kept telling me and telling me and I finally tuned into the "Eastern Conference Semifinals." Bulls vs. Knicks. Game 7.

I would watch the rest of that mesmerizing playoff series and fall in love. Until John Starks broke my heart in the Finals.

It was easy to be a Knicks fan in the 90s. We were pretty good! Plus we had that sick rivalry with the Heat when we would get into a fight every year in the playoffs.

Then came the 2001-2002 season. And after that, I lost interest. Yea you can blame me for being a fair-weather fan, but it's not like the Knicks were winning a championship every year (a la Yankees). They just had character. The teams after 2001 did not. They were just a collection of overpaid, under-performing, former superstars. And the management... ugh, just fucking awful.

So now comes this season. The season we have all been waiting for. I would say that even with all the hype I probably would have only watched secondhandly. But ehre has been a perfect storm of events that now have me thinking I can be into the Knicks as much as I was back in the 90s.

First off, the Yankees most recently pissed me off to no end. Not like from 2001-2008. But more of a "wow, you were just so pathetic you really did not deserve to go to the WS" way. So now my NY sports thirst remains unquenched.

Secondly, I very recently had the pleasure of going to a Knicks preseason game and sitting courtside (my view above). Now, on the one hand this has ruined all future live games for me because there is nothing like sitting literally on the court. On the other though, for the first time in 10 years I know the names of most of the Knicks players! I am much more invested in them now as a result of that game.

Thirdly, and this is more of a future investment, I am on the brink of joining an NBA fantasy league for the first time. Now, if my NFL fantasy experience is any indication, I will become A LOT more involved in the NBA in general, and thus in the Knicks.

So there you have it (not like you really wanted it). I am an ex-disgruntled fan coming back to the team I used to love. Win or lose this year I am excited to see what happens. And also excited to beat the fucking heat!

White Boys

DAT Justice

I'm Alive Again

I got through ebbs then I get back in the game by posting videos. You know the routine by now.

This one is simply too good not to watch.

iPhone Apps I Love: Part II

Angry Birds

I hated on this for awhile (obviously). But once I got it, oooohhh man, it was on. I have beaten every stage of every level with 3 stars. It is addicting. I heard now they are even coming out with a movie for it. I definitely WILL NOT be seeing that, but the app is definitely worth paying a buck for. Try it out.

Chase

Many of us in NYC are Chase card holders. If you are and you own an iPhone, you HAVE to get this free app. It has the usual checking of balance function and finding the nearest Chase ATM function, but the far-and-away best feature is the option to take photos of a check and automatically deposit it into your account. Sick!

NextStop

Great free app. Basically, it tells you when your the subway is coming next. You can look at the NYC subway app, program in your favorite lines, and automatically see how much time you have until the train comes. Also great for seeing when you can transfer from train to train. You don't need to have service to see the times either

Concrastination

I started this blog Thursday, August 2, 2007. Thats 3 years, 1 month and 5 days. Or, more impressively, 1132 days of the DAT.

First of all, you gotta give me props for keeping a blog for 3.1 years. Others have came and went, while I have stayed (relatively) consistent.

Anyway, I digress. Obviously this blog was originally (and now in part still) called CONCRASTINATION. I named it that because I thought it was clever as though reading this blog would be the opposite of "procrastination."

That never made sense.

Well now, I think I have figured out what CONCRASTINATION really means. It is something I do so well. It is something I do everyday. It is something I am doing right now.

CONCRASTINATION is the act of doing something important well, efficiently and thoroughly WHILE procrastinating doing something of a higher priority and/or importance.

For instance, right now I should be outlining and writing my business school essays. Instead, I am keeping up with my blog. Bschool is a higher priority. My blog is of lower importance, but yet still worth doing.

Another example, in college, when you caught yourself cleaning your apartment when you needed to be reading that book.

Everybody does it. Now you know what to call it.

Look Alikes: Josh Duhamel & Timothy Olyphant

This Is America

"Ground Zero" "Mosque"

I haven't taken much time on this blog recently to weigh in on on pressing social issues that have made it into the national discussion. I want to, and always make a mental point of doing so, but it never really happens for some reason.

I think I will start trying to do it more. Here are my views regarding the "Ground Zero" "Mosque."

There exist so many avenues through which to enter this discussion. Let's just start with the above photo. Obviously, this is not a "Ground Zero" mosque. It's actually a couple of blocks away, with buildings in between. So that characterization falls pretty flat. Interesting.

But let's not focus on semantics here. Let's instead focus on the huge outpouring of anti-American sentiment that has resulted because of this proposed "mosque" (I am going to put mosque in quotations because it is actually a community center that is potentially being built). Yes, anti-American sentiment. I will make my views very clear:

Anyone who opposes the construction of this "Ground Zero" "mosque" is expressing very disturbing and very real anti-American sentiments.

Why? Well, I think the answer is pretty fucking obvious. America is about having freedoms and having rights. It is what it has been for hundreds of years. It's what makes this country the best country in the whole world. It is about freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of press, freedom of worship and yes, freedom of BUILDING "MOSQUES" WHEREVER YOU FEEL LIKE!

The whole notion that this will somehow upset people because of 9/11 is RIDICULOUS. Um, hello, 9/11 was planned and executed by EXTREMISTS. We cannot as a society shun ALL Muslims because of it. Muslims are Americans too! Crazy, right?! They work for a living here in New York, many times helping with the daily nuances of life, like, say, getting you to work, or getting you breakfast (obviously there are a million other things Muslims do in New York but I want to focus on these two because you find these things very close to Ground Zero). Maybe we should ban Muslim taxi-cab drivers from entering a 10 block radius in lower Manhattan. Or, how about we ban the Halal carts from lower Manhattan while we're at it. That would make just about as much sense as all of the "Ground Zero" "mosque" bullshit.

All of this really pisses me off. There is such an obvious right truth to this. And it is lost in the petty politics that are society has been stripped down to. For some reason, for many Americans, the notion that this country has helped millions of immigrants over the years has been lost. From the immigration debate, to this "mosque" business and to countless other things, certain "Americans" want to be here and stay here and get everybody who doesn't look like them the fuck out of here. Well guess what, sometimes I think we would be MUCH better served if we got those asshole the fuck out of here. And then, I think, that America also is made up of those assholes and it wouldn't be fair to kick them out and feeling this sentiment would be me sinking down to their level.

Every time this news story pops up I just get sad and upset. Sad because stories like this reinforce in me the feeling that I will never be able to see and actually INTELLECTUAL national discussion take place. That there will always in my lifetime be too many ignorant people who are controlling the discussion. That obvious issues like gay marriage will never be resolved in my lifetime because politics will now and forever be dominated by allegiance to Party over Country. Let's hope this is not the case.

Trailer for "Black Swan"

This is from the guy who directed "The Wrestler" and "Requiem for a Dream."

It is worth putting here because it contains footage of the 2 hottest women ever making out.

More Will Ferrell

On Jimmy Fallon. Hilarious skit.

Will Ferrell's NYPD Recruitment Video

Will Ferrell's NYPD Recruitment Video from Will Ferrell

Inception Visualized (Spoiler Alert)

Click on for better quality.

Trailer for "The Town"

Thought it would be stupid, but it definitely piqued my interest.

R.I.P. The Boss

George Steinbrenner 1930-2010

Love him or hate him, you have to respect him. As a fan of the team he owned, the team he loved and the team he was willing to spend anything on, I was obviously fond of the big Bossman. And I knew a lot of people weren't, which I always found puzzling. This is the guy ANYONE would want to have as their owner. He wanted to win. Period. And I think he is one of if not THE only owner of my generation who was willing to do anything to win. And you have to respect that.

M. Night Shyamalan's "Devil"

Somebody needed to call the waah-mbulance!!

Honestly good for her. This fucking idiot. She deserves years. There are rules and just because you are a celebrity doesn't mean you can get away with anything you want.

Jersey Shore: Season 2 Trailer

Ama. Zing.

MTV Shows

Between Two Ferns: Ben Stiller

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis: Ben Stiller from Between Two Ferns

Look Alikes: World Cup Edition

Clint Dempsey vs. Dr. House

Carlos Tevez vs. Rafael Nadal

Mexico's Coach vs. Slobodan Milosevic

Hilarious

"Put it on your hose. Then put it on your hos!"

True Blood is the truth.

If you haven't yet jumped on the True Blood fangwagon, you should. Immediately. This show is the shit. The season premiere was tonight and it definitely did not disappoint. Now if you're not into the vampire fad that has swept Hollywood the past couple of years, i'll tell you this: True Blood is not your regular run-of-the-mill vampire show. This is not bullshit like Twilight or the Vampire Diaries or any other series. This is an extremely well done show from most to every standpoint: acting, writing, cinematography, etc. As a matter of fact, everything HBO does is pretty darn good.

Anyway the moral of this story: watch True Blood.

Jay-Z brings out Kanye

Kind of gives me goosebumps (no homo). At 3:07. Crowd goes f-in nuts.

Hi Haters...

...I'm off of hiatus.

(after one month. damn.)

King of New York

Conan at Google

The Massacre

Look Alikes: Freddy Garcia & The Rock

Exactly Alikes: KGB & KGB

I really would have loved to have been at the brainstorming session for this company's name.

I am going to start a rival text messaging answer service. The name?:

Schutzstaffel

YES messes up

Count the pitches

LOST!

(Click to see a clearer version)

via wired

{S GOODBYE

Remember AOL? That used to be the shit. Keeping up with your bootleg-ass profile. Instant messaging within the actual program. (Parents) Paying $29.95 a month for service. Figuring out how to have the computer say hello and goodbye to the person you were talking to. Chatrooms. A/S/L checks.

Nowadays, my AOL mail is a spam haven. Like I would say 7% of the mail I get on it is legitimate. Actually, now way. More like 0.5%. Maybe it's because my AOL email is the one I put down for bullshit offers.

Anybody Read Lips?

Here's the backstory:
Final seconds of the Cavs-Bulls game tonight. Cavs up by 3. Lebron gets fouled. Sometime before the foul he hurts his arm. He takes his first free throw. Makes it. Takes the next one left-handed (presumably because his right arm hurts too much). Misses it. Bulls call timeout. Camera zooms in on Cavs huddle. Stays there for awhile. As Lebron is coming out, this happens:



He's talking to someone who appears to be walking by. It looks like he is saying something along the lines of:

"What?"

"Oh, my arm something something something something"

"Is he fucking kidding me??"

Can anybody gather what the he is actually saying? Pretty funny though.

Look Alikes: Jeffrey Dean Morgan & Robert Downey, Jr.

Look Alikes: Joe Girardi & Ben Stiller from "There's Something About Mary"

Your 2010 New York Yankees

The 2010 Yanks have gotten off to a great start. As of today's victory (and sweep) of the Texas Rangers, NY is 9-3. Best start since 2003 (in which we started out 18-3 before losing our 4th game, so we have awhile to go). I tasted every game thus far, either on YES, on 880, or in person. Here are my keys to start of the season:

1) PITCHING

Here's the line on our starting pitchers:

C. Sabathia - 2-0, 2.84
A. Burnett - 2-0, 2.37
A. Pettitte - 2-0, 1.35
J. Vasquez - 0-2, 9.82
P. Hughes - 1-0, 3.60

Now, obviously Javier Vasquez is a sore spot, but everyone else has been stellar. CC, a notorious slow starter, has come in at the same pace as when he finished last season. AJ is in sync with Jorge and Pettitte doesn't seem to be slowing down at all given his age. Here's the line on another pitcher who does not seem to be showing his age in the least bit:

M. Rivera - 5 saves, 0.00 ERA

2) BRETT GARDNER

A very pleasant surprise Gardner has been. He's batting .333 (4th) with an OBP of .444 (2nd on team, out of the starters). He's leading the team with 7 stolen bases. He just gets on base. Yesterday against the Rangers, he had 3 infield hits. He can develop into such a valuable asset because when you have a guy with speed like that, game plans change and so do the mindsets of the infielders. With Gardner up, potential easy out grounders turn into potentially rushed throws.

3) NOT-TOP 4

Here's the line on the first 4 Yankee batters.

1. Jeter - .380

2. Johnson - .158

3. Teixiera - .114

4. Rodriguez - .295

Obviously Jeter has been awesome, A-Rod has been OK, but Johnson and Teixiera have been horrid. And yet, we have still been winning. What that means is that the 2nd half of the order has been coming through big time. Cano, Posada, Granderson. A sign of a truly great team is the response of the 2nd tier players when the 1st tier is struggling. So far this season, the response has been solid.

4) KIM JONES

She's just so damn hot!

Has Potential

Keeping It Real

I met Tracy Morgan once. So randomly. I was in high school. After school one day. I was standing in line with one of my friends at the McDonald's on Broadway, right near the 238th street 1 stop. Lo and behold, who's standing in front of me in line with rolled up sweatpants and a white T but Tracy Morgan! This was when he was still doing his thing on SNL, not that well known. I got an autograph. Asked him where he lives. He said the Century building. Told him I think he's great on SNL. He said thanks. And that was that.

I'd Like to See the Following Movies (INPO)

Dinner for Schmucks

Splice

The Human Centipede

iPhone Apps I Love: Part I

Words With Friends (Free)

This app is the shit. Period. You can play

scrabble with other people who have the app. Up to like 10 games at once. Definitely my most used app. No point in getting the paid version as the ads don't take away from the gameplay. Get it and challenge me to a game (that you will lose!). My username name is: TheDAT.

Flixter

This app lets you check movie times, add movie theatres as your favorites, watch trailers, find movie theatres, buy tickets online, etc. All the good stuff. Definitely a must-have app, especially if you are an avid movie-goer.

Sleep Cycle

This app is interesting. Basically, it is an alarm clock. But oh, it's so much more. It uses the iPhone's motion sensor technology to feel out how much you are moving in your sleep. It then can tell whether or not you are in deep sleep or not. The point is that it sets off the alarm when it senses that you are in your lightest sleep phase. That way, you feel the most refreshed when you wake up.

Look Alikes: Zoe Saldana & Jada Pinkett Smitt

[ ]

It's that time of year again! Time to fill out your Brackets!

Question: does anybody in the whole country fill out the women's bracket??

I'm in charge of organizing the brackets at my workplace. I think it's technically illegal. Shhhh. Don't tell anyone. I do 10 bucks per bracket or 4 for $30. It's very exciting. And then I lose.

My first ever bracketing experience came in 8th grade I believe. I knew absolutely NOTHING about college basketball. I ended up winning. I remember people were very pissed with me. That always happens. The person who knows the least is the one who ends up winning it all.

Look Alikes: Clea Duvall & Josh Hartnett

Zach

If you did not know this already, Zach Galifianakis is Galifiucking hilarious. I enjoyed a rare viewing of SNL last night of which he was the host. Here is a sampling:

And here are some more hilarious skits of his from "Funny or Die":

Between Two Ferns With Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

Between Two Ferns with Zach Galifianakis from Between Two Ferns

Look Alikes: Sharlto Copley & Steve Carell

Em & Weezy

I think it's pretty f-in great that Eminem and Lil Wayne are collaborating now. Two of the greatest rappers of all time making great music together. It's about time too.

EDIT: Full video -

Look Alikes: Jackie Earle Haley & Steve Nash

Let It Slush, Let It Slush, Let It Slush

I just got home from driving in this god awful slushstorm. It is HORRIBLE out there. EASILY the worst conditions I have ever been in while driving. My car got stuck 4-5 times, once going up a ramp of the highway (uh-oh), two times going up the hill from the 158th exit on the West Side Hwy and one or two more times elsewhere. I was constantly swaying while driving, and my damn defogulators (sic) weren't working very well. Oh and I had to go through a couple of red lights in order to keep up my car's momentum and not get stuck.

How can they not possibly cancel school tomorrow?? I started the night thinking there was no way it was going to happen because it is just wet snow, but after the aforementioned driving experience, I have changed my view.

The worst thing is that I am planning on driving down to DC tomorrow. So on the one hand, if school remains open, that means conditions aren't that bad. But if it is closed, then the roads must be fucked.

I really wish I was going to a place where we don't need... roads.

Look Alikes: Christian Combs & Sean Combs

Addendum:

HOLD YOUR HORSES!! Before you mentally crucify me for his seemingly-obvious post, please let me get a word in. Of course I know the above people are father and son. BUT THEY LOOK EXACTLY ALIKE!!!!!! And... Diddy's other son looks nothing like him! The pudding for my proof: