Gym Time

Ok so I am a gym rat. There's no way around that. I have to admit it. But I HATE all the other gym rats. I think mostly cause Im a self gym rat. I don't go with someone, or "have a workout buddy." Currently I attend a gym at my Graduate school, with a ton of undergrads. So I think I should educate these undergrad gym rats on etiquette of the gym.

1. I don't CARE what your work out is, you don't have to say it so aloud to your buddy so loud that I have to hear it across the gym.

2. Please don't grunt.

3. Don't drop things. They are too heavy for you.

4. Don't look in the mirror every 2 seconds after you lifted. The muscles haven't changed in 20 seconds! The mirror is to make sure you are doing your exercises correctly, not AFTEr you are done.

5. Don't wait on the machine if you are taking a break between sets. That just pisses everyone off.

6. Workers: do not eat fast food in the gym. Just doesn't seem right to be smelling that there.

7. Workers: I don't know what you do, but please don't gossip while I can hear you from everywhere in the gym. I don't care that your boyfriend is being mean to you. I really don't care.

8. Spring Breakers/New YEars resolution people: Please don't say it will die down when the spring breakers and resolution people give up. You are these people.

9. Socialite girls and gays. Gym is not a place to be social, especially a small gym. Go to a coffee shop.

10. If you are sweaty. please wipe the machine.. Thanks

Well theres my 2 cents. I hope this curbs my anger tomorrow at the gym.

Other than NYC

I know I said I would talk about NYC and how awesome it is and I think Its great being back in the city. But... these pictures from this past weekend. I was on the beach, racing in San Diego/Carlsbad, and in between enjoying the sights of the mountains on the layover in Denver. See pics. Am I crazy or sometimes Man Made buildings in NYC has nothing compared to this Earth.

Walk Through Time

My Aunt was in town from Boston this weekend visiting her "companion" and me.

Side note (I use companion cause I've never seen them kiss, never seen them touch. But they are in there 50's, won't ever move in together, so I think "companion" is the right word even if it seems cold. )

Long story short, Aunt S coming into town meant that I finally had someone to go to the MET with me. My favorite exhibit there is the Greek Rooms. They are partitioned exactly by the art periods according to my Greek Art History Professor. Anne the professor was the quintessential absent minded abroad teacher who teaches little classes like mine to keep up her tiny apartment, with no bed, but is truly an archeologist. She knows her stuff and loves doing it.

The Rooms start off in 900BC and statues look like Ridged Egyptian statues, and move through to The Hellenistic Period after Alexander the Great. What a great exhibit. Go SEE it.

I just remember when we weren't in classes at the Ancient Greek Art Museum in Athens we would have slide shows. Almost ALL of those slides I saw at the MET. It was truly amazing to see them not in a slide but up close. I think my aunt got a little bored when I went so slow through the Greek Rooms. Ooops.

This photo up top is my favorite from that Art History class in the Fall of 2005. The caption at the Met says in my abridged version : Frame is missing, have no idea who the deceased is on the grave stele. Who is looking where? Who is dead? The man, the daughter, or is she the sole survivor of the group?" (MET Rogers Fund, 1911)

Anyone want to take a guess?

I think the man is dead and the little person is a midget.

Textbooks can be misleading

"Never believe everything you read."

Take the graph above. (from a public finance & econ textbook). This is to show that Washington D. C is more desirable to live because its a moderate climate, and its a trade off that Minneapolis is too cold even though he gets 50k and Phoenix is too low and too hot.

WELL SAM. (Guy in example) Let me tell you something. Phoenix may be "too hot" in the summer, but I have lived through 2 summers in PHX and 1 in D.C. Too HOT is better than 85 and 100% muggy in the Swamp that is D.C. SO that argument is out! Plus Phoenix has great outdoor activities and great getaways.

And Minneapolis. 1st off, 3 out of the 4 seasons are great. You can ski, snowshoe, skate, play hockey in the 4th. If you don't like that you have 10 thousand extra to travel in the winter. Lets not mention the great culture, bike lanes, outdoor activities in the winter spring summer and fall. No name dropping (like in D.C.), little congestion. Bitch Please! Sam you need to get your priorities straight

French Press Expert-> To Fumbler

Three problems this week with my most used possession, The French Press

1. Cooking chili in a small Manhattan kitchen is a chore in itself. Chopping up all the ingredients on a counter thats mostly taken up by the drying rack that I just bought at Kmart. There I was reaching for the parsley in one of my one cabinets (well not that bad, but it feels like I only have one). and BAM, While reading and reaching if the spice was parsley I knocked the basil off the second shelf of the cabinet, right into my french press. Glass goes EVERYWHERE in the kitchen. Im sure there will be the few remains of glass for the next few weeks.

2. Picked up a new french press at a Starbucks on Broadway. Everything went smoothly until, I did it again. Ive left my backpack, my keys, my laptop, my student Id, my credit card EVERYWHERE in this city from a bookstore to restaurants, to coffee shops. So without fail I left my keys at the counter. Went to unlock my bike, and no keys. Went back, a manager picked them up. THANKFULLY. Im always thankful about people who keep stuff for when I return. Everytime I leave something somewhere, usually its there when I return. When I went back to ask for the keys, a woman said "you're so lucky that he was kind, especially in New York City." My response "Im lucky everytime, and I think this city can be the kindest in some ways, like holding on to keys" She gave me a confused look and moved on.

3. New French Press, Was making coffee and making a smoothie at the same time, Just poored the coffee, went to reach for a class for the smoothiee while the french press is brewing. Clumsy me again in the small kitchen knocked over the freshly poored coffee with the grounds going again, everywhere. Grounds and shreds of glass will now inhabit this apartment with me, probably till I leave. Clean up was not the worst part, but the fact that i couldn't use those grounds, which of course are imported from Dunn Brothers in Minneapolis. Good thing my saint of a friend Will gave me a second bag.

Run

The best entertainment is running here. Run on the east side, Run on the west side, run in Central Park. Each has its own entertainment. Now that I have a camera on me at all times I can show you what is so weird about River Side Park South. There is a walking bridge that goes over the shore line of 200 meters, then goes back to land.

1. Was that Bridge necessary?

2. How much did it really cost?

3. And why are there Cities of the Nation on each concrete panel?

4. Why is there more Minnesotan cities/towns than any other state on this little bridge.

The Minnesota cities like, New Ulm , Goodhue, and of course Duluth. I think Mankato is on it too.

PS has anyone heard of Goodhue?

New York: 1st post

REVAMP OF BLOG> Since I am currently residing in "the best city" according to some, well, every resident here in NYC, I thought I should devote this blog to the tastes, smells, sights, sounds, and touches of NYC. This is also because now I have a phone that uploads pictures right to it.

Friends from Grad school have set up a week of activities before the break ends. Yesterday was lunch at the Peruvian restaurant, Mancora on 1st Ave, and 6th St.

Lunch at 2pm on a sat makes that we are the ONLY people there, and me being the first person to arrive from our group of 5, made it PRETTY AWKWARD. The waiter kept filling my class of water, and since I had nothing to do while I waited, I kept drinking. Then 2 out of the rest of the 4 came. then we waited..... and waited.... and waited. Translation: Frequent trips to see dear old friend El John, and there aren't too many public ones, when I am shopping

After I saw Mancora had a Lunch Special: soft drink, and appetizer and a entree for $8.95, I was hooked. The appetizer (shown) was a tamale, with chicken and corn meal. Followed by my entree of chicken a potato that was glazed and cut in squares and rice. Healthy, awesome food. (Though I just worked out for awhile, so anything could have been good.) But I recommend this place based on price alone.