Gil's Obsessions

No need to blog that much anymore

2009-07-14T22:13:00.001-04:00

You can follow me on twitter - http://twitter.com/gilnyc

or find me on facebook.

Christmas in California

2009-01-08T22:53:00.003-05:00

The UPS package containing my camera (that I left on my sister's coffee table in California) arrived today.

Here are a few pictures from my trip to the O.C. for Christmas.

My Top 5 Christmas songs - #1

2008-12-22T22:18:00.000-05:00

My Top 5 Christmas songs - #2

2008-12-21T23:53:00.001-05:00

My Top 5 Christmas songs - #3

2008-12-20T19:53:00.001-05:00

2nd NYC snowstorm this week

2008-12-20T19:49:00.003-05:00

took these shots on the way to/from SK today.

took these shots on the way to/from SK today.

My Top 5 Christmas songs - #4

2008-12-19T21:48:00.001-05:00

My Top 5 Christmas songs - #5

2008-12-17T20:02:00.002-05:00

Virgin America

2008-12-09T23:11:00.003-05:00

I flew to San Francisco this past w/e for Adrian's 40th birthday party - it was a blast. The outbound flight gave me the opportunity to give Virgin America a try. It was good, the service not quite as polished as I'd like, but no surly staff ala AA.

Virgin & Tonic, my A319 ride JFK-SFO
My seat #1F

seat controls, massage function

fruit & yogurt appetizer
asparagus omelet

Buenos Aires & Colonia

2008-11-15T07:15:00.005-05:00

Just back from Argentina with a side trip to Colonia, Uruguay (a very cool UNESCO World Heritage site). The weather was a bit warmer than I like, a summer-like heat wave in the midst of spring, but it was fun and a much needed break from the daily grind.

Sarah Silverman on voting!

2008-11-01T23:27:00.001-04:00

Great Daily Show Video

2008-10-21T20:18:00.000-04:00

Watch and wonder...

Madonna - Sticky & Sweet Tour

2008-10-07T23:51:00.004-04:00

I just got home from the Garden where I saw Madonna on the NYC stop of her Sticky & Sweet Tour. It was Fabulous! 1,000 times better than the last time I saw her on the Drowned World Tour. I went with Lorelei, Marla and Diana - 3 very sweet, but no nonsense, Long Island chicks.

I thought that the kick-ass rock version of Borderline was better than the original.

During one of her costume changes, a video for Get Stupid was shown. Along with images of war, poverty, floods and Hitler was McCain. Towards the end of the video when the lyrics were uplifting images of John Lennon, Al Gore, Gandhi, Mother Teresa and Obama were shown - the audience roared their approval!

During I Love New York she added a little nugget to the end of this verse -

New York is not for little pussies who scream
If you can't stand the heat
Then get off my street, Sarah Palin

Here are some pix I took -

A few songs that I remember from being a kid

2008-09-27T22:05:00.003-04:00

that I still like.

Heroes Season 3 Premier

2008-09-26T00:04:00.003-04:00

although a bit gory, I thought they hit the ground running. Best line - Sylar to Claire "...Claire, that's disgusting." Mohinder shirtless, nice chest, who knew?

The Twins Birthday!

2008-09-14T18:45:00.008-04:00

It was Leila & Ruby's birthday yesterday and my good couchsurfing friends Edouard & Eric and my friend Suraj and I all showed up at the Dove to wish them a Happy 23rd!

Here are some pix from the party:

My least favorite day of the year

2008-09-08T18:35:00.003-04:00

is coming on Thursday.

If you weren't in the city that day, you have no idea what we went through. Really, not a clue.

Barbie Girl Palin - what an idiot!

2008-09-05T23:31:00.002-04:00

These vids speak for themselves...

Heroes: Spoiler Alert

2008-09-01T23:20:00.005-04:00

On July 26, Tim Kring screened the season 3 premiere of Heroes "Villains" at Comic-Con. Here are a few things that were revealed:

In the future, Sylar has a four-year-old named Noah. According to Zachary Quinto - Sylar's baby mama is "silver-tongued and alive. I don't know what else to say. I can't give that away—it's too good."

Peter and Nathan will discover they have not one, but two, living relatives they weren't aware they had. One shocker will come earlier in the season. The other a little later.

Brea Grant will play Daphne, a superfast foil for Hiro.
Sylar gives Claire a power-sucking craniotomy.

Future Peter kidnaps present Peter.

All this and much, much more to come - 2 hour season premiere on Monday, September 22nd.

ABBA's 1st TV appearance

2008-08-27T20:10:00.001-04:00

This was before they were officially ABBA. Listen to Agnetha try to out-sing the others at the end...

Labor Day

2008-08-23T11:35:00.004-04:00

is almost here. Many bemoan the end of summer. I, for one, am happy to see summer over as I'm not a fan of the heat and humidity and the Budget season at work will be over. But I will miss summer Fridays (we get every other Friday off from work during the summer).

Don't watch this record spinning around or you may get nauseous like I did!

This is how I'm feeling lately

2008-08-16T17:27:00.002-04:00

Update 08/23/08 - it was a minor blip, feeling more Brady Kids "Sunshine Day" lately.

Heroes - Season 3 Villains

2008-07-31T19:23:00.002-04:00

2 hour premier episode on Monday night, September 22nd. Promises to be good like season 1 and not lame like season 2.

Dinner at Daniel's

2008-07-13T17:27:00.003-04:00

a little video I made in London last week when Daniel had a dinner party. Starring Jason, Barry, Billy, Susan and Daniel.

Las Vegas in June

2008-06-25T21:39:00.004-04:00

Yes, me, the one who starts getting uncomfortable when the temperature rises above 65F/18C, went to Las Vegas last week. What on earth could drag me out to the scorching dessert in June? A double milestone birthday: my sister Kathy (??) and niece Tawnya (21) celebrated milestone birthdays this month. I was there for 2 nights and actually had a pretty good time (as long as I remained indoors where the a/c was always blasting due to the 109F/42C heat). My sister Vicky, niece Jessica and Kathy's best friend Terese were also in attendance.

I vaguely recall something about a frozen piña colada that tasted so good that it was gone in about 90 seconds and Chippendale dancers story, but that will have to wait.

Brother Beyond

2008-06-12T23:40:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot about this 80's gem

Time to Change

2008-06-11T23:26:00.002-04:00

the administration in Washington.

and then it will truly be...

Gray's Papaya

2008-06-07T19:46:00.002-04:00

Saw this on the way to Soup Kitchen today - looks like they've already correctly called the election!

Not since the Beatles in 1964

2008-05-29T20:09:00.005-04:00

has an artist had 11 songs in the Billboard Hot 100 at one time. Hot & sexy David Cook has now matched that phenomenal record. Additionally, my newest music obsession has 17 tracks on the Top 100 Digital Songs Chart, the most ever by any artist.

I have faith in the American (Idol) Voters

2008-05-21T22:21:00.004-04:00

They've sensibly voted hottie David Cook as this year's American Idol. Now they must go to the polls to elect Obama this fall!

London/Paris Trip

2008-05-19T23:59:00.003-04:00

I just spent the last 10 days in London and Paris - I had a very relaxing time and only checked work email every other day. A few highlights of the trip: Billy & Susan's BBQ; Jason & Barry's "adopted" cat Arthur; Chess at Royal Albert Hall with Laura, Jason, Barry, et al; running into Jurgen & Erik at the Apple Store; hanging out with Guilain in Paris; Kew Gardens with Donna & Martin; dinner at Le Mercury with Daniel, Barbara, Jason, Barry, Donna & Martin; Randall's 30th bowl-a-rama birthday party; collagen eye treatment at the Virgin Atlantic LHR Clubhouse and trying to teach Pepper to say ABBA.

Buh-Bye Jason Castro

2008-05-07T23:23:00.002-04:00

Finally he's been voted off of American Idol. I detest him and won't even post a picture of him.

ABBA Day

2008-04-26T18:10:00.004-04:00

Another spring, another ABBA Day in Roosendaal. It was great to catch up with friends and to dance the night away at the ABBA Disco. My only complaint is that the food sucks. Breakfast was the only meal I had for the entire weekend.

It's Big!

2008-04-22T22:35:00.005-04:00

I finally got to see in person the new Airbus A380 at LHR on my way to ABBA Day. I was thrilled when the bus that I was on transferring from T3 to T5 drove right by it. Later while waiting to board my flight to BRU, I got to see it take off. I've flown on the DC8, DC9/MD80, DC10, MD11, 707, 717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, A300, A310, A318, A319, A320, A321, A330, A340-300, A340-600 and Concorde. Must add the A380 to my list!

American Idol's David Cook

2008-04-16T22:58:00.007-04:00

After recovering from the shocking news of Michael Johns elimination from Idol last week, I am now a David Cook fan. Almost as easy on the eyes as Michael was and his singing is original and miles ahead of all the others.

His version of Lionel Richie's Hello is fantastic!

And his versions of Mariah Carey's Always Be My Baby - which I never liked until I heard him sing it - is great!

Ever Wonder What Became of Roy from the Vengaboys?

2008-04-07T23:44:00.005-04:00

I found this video of Roy working in his new profession, a KLM flight attendant!

Happy Birthday Agnetha

2008-04-05T03:28:00.004-04:00

Next Friday the Pyramid will be celebrating Agnetha Fältskog's birthday which is a great kick-off for the upcoming ABBA Day in Roosendaal.

My First Op-Up as a VS Gold

2008-03-25T22:16:00.003-04:00

I went to London this past weekend to help Jason pack up for his move to Barry's. Naturally, Jason being Jason, the packing was all done, so I just helped haul all the boxes down the the van that they had hired. I stayed with Billy, Susan, Pepper & Astro and had a great time.

My first trip as a newly minted VS Gold and I got an op-up from PE to UC on the LHR-JFK flight.
My JFK Clubhouse Dessert.
My LHR Revivals Breakfast.
My UC ottoman with menu, boarding pass and snooze pack.
Billy, Astro & Pepper

My reaction to the news of my upgrade.

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold

2008-03-17T20:33:00.007-04:00

I'll be taking my first trip as a newly minted Gold to London on Wednesday.

I'm already planning on dinner in the JFK Clubhouse
sleeping throughout the flight, then a shower, massage and cooked to order breakfast at the LHR Revivals lounge.

I've already booked my massage appointment at the LHR Clubhouse for my return. Click here to take an interactive tour of the LHR Clubhouse and here to see the menu for the Brasserie, the full service, sit down restaurant.

Click here for a list of the spa treatments available at LHR, ranging from manicures to massages to spray tans - all complimentary, of course.

Life is good as a VS Gold, far, far better than it was as an AA Executive Platinum.

Buh-Bye to American Idol Gay Stripper David Hernandez

2008-03-12T23:34:00.003-04:00

After the way he butchered the Beatles "I Saw Her Standing There" last night, it's no surprise that David Hernandez will be heading back to his job as a stripper at Dick's in Phoenix. Next up on the chopping block will be Kristy Lee Cook.

caption: David "Ryan, will you come see me at Dick's?" Ryan "I'm there buddy"

Mardi Gras in Sydney

2008-03-06T01:42:00.002-05:00

Just got home on Monday from Mardi Gras in Sydney. It was a great trip - I stayed with my friend Adrian from San Francisco at his friends Ian & Will - they are very nice guys and wonderful hosts! My friends Daniel from London and Mario from NYC were also there enjoying the festivities. One of the best things about the trip was that I made Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Gold - woo-hoo!

The Next American Idol

2008-02-21T22:43:00.005-05:00

I hope it's the very sexy & talented Australian, Michael Johns.

An early 80s gem

2008-02-09T11:45:00.000-05:00

Produced by 1/2 of Modern Talking, it incorporates 3 of my many obsessions - one being gay club hits. The other 2 are shown below, before you click the play button.

Alphaville

2008-01-29T00:13:00.000-05:00

I finally found the dance version of Forever Young on YouTube. Much better than the sappy, slow version.

Absolut Disco

2008-01-20T22:00:00.000-05:00

I had a fun & crowded (40 people in my apartment) party last night and I received my favorite bottle of liquor EVER!

Here's a few shots of my new obsession - thanks Sarah!

Oops, below is an old obsession - a hot shirt I saw in a vintage shop on my way home from Soup Kitchen on Greenwich Ave.

Friday the 18th

2008-01-09T22:39:00.000-05:00

Jason's coming to NYC for a conference. 3 guesses as to what we'll be doing next Friday night.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-31T17:09:00.000-05:00

Hmmmmmm...wonder what 2008 has in store for us?

Hilarious Argentine Commercial

2007-12-27T19:26:00.000-05:00

for the adult beverage Fernet Cinzano

Farewell Maxjet

2007-12-25T00:08:00.000-05:00

Well, as I speculated in my blog of December 17th, Maxjet has gone under.

Here's the message from their website:

IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM MAXJET
Information below regarding those who have booked travel

Dear Friends of MAXjet:

It is with deep regret that I must inform you that MAXjet filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy on 24 December 2007. With today’s fuel prices and the resulting impact on the credit climate for airlines, we are forced to take this drastic measure. Our top priority is to assist our customers, particularly those who already have begun their travel with us, in securing alternative flight accommodations.

MAXjet has contracted with Eos Airlines for seats on Eos’ scheduled all-Premium service to accommodate passengers awaiting a return flight between New York and London. Passengers needing return travel between London, Los Angeles and Las Vegas will be contacted regarding their flight re-accommodations. Any customers who choose to make flight accommodations directly should seek a refund from their point of purchase (credit card or travel agency) for the unused leg of their journey.

We have also secured hotel rooms in London, New York, Las Vegas and Los Angeles through early January 2008 which we will provide to affected passengers whose travel plans have been disrupted.

On behalf of the entire MAXjet family, we extend our apologies to you for the inconvenience. We are extremely saddened to discontinue a service that we so passionately believe in, and we thank our loyal flyers who helped build MAXjet since our start in 2005.

Sincerely,

William D. Stockbridge
President and CEO

What's up with Maxjet?

2007-12-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

This could be the beginning of the end for Maxjet. Last Friday they halted trading of their stock with no reason given. A vacuous blurb on their website thanks customers for flying Maxjet and says that they will continue uninterrupted flights. Hmmm, no mention of them yanking IAD service (where they're headquartered, no less), no mention of the extremely shaking financing.

Don't get me wrong, I like Maxjet and love the fact that they've shown that there's a market out there for those willing to pay, say $500 - $1,000 more than steerage for a comfortable, humane experience, but don't have $8K to drop for a trans-Atlantic round-trip flight. Till this all shakes out, it would be in your best interest to book EOS, Silverjet or Virgin Atlantic.

Zachary Quinto (Sylar) is Spock 2.0

2007-12-08T23:18:00.000-05:00

Zachary Quinto, now on hiatus from Heroes, is busy shooting Star Trek, an origin story partly set at the Starfleet Academy, as Spock (check out the arched-eyebrows behind the HRGs)

Zach, who is often recognized as Sylar (''People are sometimes really scared of me...but I laugh at them''), is jittery about next year's Comic-Con, where he'll contend with rabid fans (count me as one of those) from two separate sci-fi cult hits. Nimoy's reaction when he learned that Quinto had taken over his role sums it up best: ''You're screwed.'' Hmmmm....

Heroes - Volume 2 Finale - Powerless

2007-12-04T22:29:00.000-05:00

Last night's finale, this volume cut short due to the writers' strike, left a lot of unanswered questions. How come Sylar has never killed Mohinder (who I find very annoying this season)? How can Nathan be dead since he now has Adam's blood? FYI, before the strike he was supposed to collapse from the Shanti virus. Why on earth did Mohinder bring Maya back to life? What happened to Niki? Why doesn't Matt go on a diet? How long will Adam be buried in the coffin? Why didn't Peter have his shirt off?

Darren Hayes Unplugged

2007-12-01T04:25:00.000-05:00

It was with much excitement that Lorelei and I met at the Canal Room this past Wednesday to see Darren Hayes for the 2nd time this year. He is on a U.S. acoustic tour promoting his new double album. He was fantastic, as always, and is so fucking hot!

Cautionary Tales

2007-11-27T22:54:00.000-05:00

Just finished last week's episode of Heroes. Wow - does this mean that HRG is now like Claire?

2 episodes behind

2007-11-27T20:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, thanks to spending Thanksgiving week in the U.K. I'm 2 episodes behind in Heroes. Note to self, get caught up before next Monday's finale.

I had a great time hanging out with Billy, Susan, Pepper, Barbara, Josie, Mario, Peggy, Gary, Astro, Daniel, Jason, Barry & Teddy. Here are a few pix from the trip.

4 months ago

2007-11-12T22:02:00.001-05:00

Tonight's episode of Heros was really good and as we only have 3 episodes left the story lines are getting tighter and drawing together. I'll have to watch next week's episode online as Teddy & I will be in Edinburgh next Monday (a side trip to Thanksgiving week in London).

Homemade dessert

2007-11-10T20:48:00.001-05:00

Teddy made dinner on Monday (a spicy, yummy veggie chili) and this delicious homemade dessert...

What happened to fall?

2007-11-10T20:45:00.000-05:00

Several weeks ago we were in the midst of an unseasonably warm October - with highs in the mid 80s. Now in early October and it's in the 20s & 30s. Summer to winter in the blink of an eye.

Heroes Creator Admits Mistakes

2007-11-09T03:25:00.000-05:00

Tim Kring has acknowledged that there have been problems with Season 2:

Starting the season off with a slow buildup
Introducing new characters like the lame-ass Maya & Alejandro and Monica in story lines that didn't flow with the rest of the show
The Hiro storyline in feudal Japan was way too long
The love story lines between Clair & West and Hiro & Yaeko

He said that the complaints have been heard and that they're doing something about it. The December 3rd episode will be the end of the "Generations" story arc and a new ending has been filmed for it that will more firmly make it a season finale.

Elena Adelia Pepper Cometti

2007-11-06T20:56:00.000-05:00

at last, Pepper's arrived! Read her first blog post here.

I'm looking forward to meeting her a week from Saturday.

The Merry Widow?

2007-11-04T00:58:00.000-04:00

I laugh every time this ad pops up on yahoo mail. This woman looks like she's ready to go spend the insurance money and party.

June 14, 2008

2007-11-02T02:59:00.000-04:00

Peter & Caitlin flew to Montreal and then teleported to Times Square and an empty NYC. They found a flier on the street for a mandatory NYC evacuation on June 14, 2008. Season 2 is finally hitting it's stride.

What do the following have in common?

2007-10-25T00:04:00.000-04:00

a McDonald's commercial
a Slice commercial

Give up?

Teddy's in them all.

Heroes

2007-10-16T23:57:00.000-04:00

with the exception of Mascara Maya & her twin brother, both of whom Sylar should kill immediately, it's getting really good now...Matt's father, Monica, Nathan's reflection (how Niki/Jessica), Sylar's back, Peter without a shirt...

Facebook

2007-10-13T03:43:00.000-04:00

I signed up for Facebook last week-end after Billy convinced me that it rocks. I like it a lot more than MySpace and a million times more than Friendster. The problem is that I've spent every free minute on there, it's so addictive.

Now if I can just get Teddy Armstrong to sign up for it, but as you can see, he's resisting so far...

ABBA-The Music @ Royal Albert Hall

2007-10-01T19:33:00.000-04:00

I flew to London for the 3rd time in less than a month to go to the ABBA-The Music concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Waterloo performed and were in top form as always. It was great catching up with some ABBA friends - Jason & Barry, Andy, Frank, Sandra, Ursala, Paul and Julie to name a few. I was sorry that Achim was stuck in Dortmund as he had to study and Teddy was stuck in New York as he had to work. Word was that Anita & Helga were there, but we missed seeing them.

Here are some pix from the event and a video of Waterloo doing, what else, Waterloo. And yes, that's Jason screaming at the end...

Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy & Teddy in London

2007-09-22T22:35:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Teddy Armstong & I flew Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy to London for Billy's big 4-0 Hat Party. It's a surprising good product for only about $150 - $200 more roundtrip than coach. There are pre-departure drinks, printed menus, plentiful food & snacks and a comfy, if not terribly spacious, seat. We flew the old-school version on the 747-400s shown below. The newer seats already installed in the A340-600s is 3" wider, has 2 degrees more recline and has several inches more pitch. We flew downstairs on the outbound and upper deck on the return. A nice experience with plenty of bonus miles thrown our way.

Teddy enjoyed London very much, even though I fucked up and we missed the Jack the Ripper tour by 3 minutes - we'll have to do that the next time! Highlights of the trip, other than Billy's party, were shopping at Harvey Nicks & Harrods, Buckingham Palace and the Tower of London.

Petrelli Brothers

2007-09-22T22:22:00.001-04:00

I finally got my picture in with Milo Ventimiglia & Adrian Pasdar, who play the Petrelli Brothers on Heroes. Monday night at 9 pm is the season premier - can't wait!

Billy's Big 4-0 Hat Party

2007-09-20T01:02:00.000-04:00

I flew over to London to help Billy celebrate his 40th birthday. As it was Teddy's first trip to London we flew Premium Economy on Virgin Atlantic. Not a bad product, more on that another time. Susan outdid herself with Billy's party - a great time was had by all. A few pix of the momentous occasion. Oh yeah, the last one is me doing a shot of tequila with Billy & Teddy...

Circuit City Sucks!

2007-09-12T19:21:00.001-04:00

I just spent the last 90 minutes in Circuit City for what should have been a very simple task - picking up a digital camera (for Billy & Susan). I rang the toll-free number and ordered & paid for it in advance so that I could simply go to the customer service desk to pick it up. After an annoying 20 minute wait on line I was finally called up to the counter. After typing on her terminal for what seemed like forever, the clerk informed me that the system was down, to come back tomorrow. No way, I said...after speaking to her, the manager & the customer service line I ended up having to buy another camera. I'll have to pick up the extra camera and then return it for credit within the next 2 weeks. Arrgh!

Now I must pack as it's off to London tomorrow for Billy's big 4-0 birthday party. I was originally coming back on Monday but since Teddy's coming with me and this is his first trip to London I changed the ticket and we're staying a few extra days. And we got a very good deal on Virgin Atlantic premium economy (they had sent me $400 off coupons for PE tickets booked within 7 days of travel).

Here's Teddy's Dark Hair

2007-09-10T20:10:00.000-04:00

Enjoy the pic, the color may be changing tomorrow.

Dying Teddy's Hair

2007-09-05T23:20:00.000-04:00

Yup, that's what we did last night. Here's the before picture. An after will be forthcoming.

Oh yeah, it's now black and looks very sexy!

Heroes Obsession Getting Out of Hand

2007-09-05T23:14:00.000-04:00

My Heroes obsession is getting a bit out of hand. I was in London for Labor Day w/e and went with Billy & Susan to London Film & Comic Con once I heard that Hayden, Jack, Adrian & Milo were going to be there as part of the Heroes World Tour. Billy & Susan bowed out early (very smart of them) and I spent 7 hours there so that I could get my picture taken with Jack (very nice chap) and then later in the day with Adrian (he was grumpy) and Milo (cute and nice).

Below is the picture of the picture taken with Jack. The Petrelli Brothers picture wasn't ready before the end of the day and they will be posting it to Billy for me to pick up. Once again, I was annoyed that they didn't have digital versions available.

I've now met 7 Heroes cast members in the last week!

Hmmmm...4 hours on line to meet the cast of Heroes. Yup, I'm a Geek

2007-08-28T22:00:00.000-04:00

It seemed like only minutes after going to bed at the ridiculously early hour of 10:30 last night that my 5:00 am alarm jolted me out of bed. I tuned on the timer on the stove for an extra twenty minutes of kip, then hopped up, splashed cold water on my face, dressed and grabbed the suitcase full of Billy & Susan’s shower gifts that I’m taking over to London tomorrow. I was in a cab and at work by 5:45. I safely locked up the suitcase, grabbed my camera and hightailed it 1 block over to 49^th Street to stand on line to be one of the first to buy the Heroes Season I DVD which was released today, and, much more importantly, to meet and greet some of the cast members who are in NY as part of their world tour. I can't begin to describe my excitement to find that Zachary Quinto (Sylar) was going to be there.

When I embarked on this journey, I was under the mistaken impression that the signing would start at 6:00 am. No, it didn’t start till 9:00. I placed a quick call to the office to leave a voicemail, strangely enough no one was there at 6:30 am, that I would be in a bit late. After enduing four hours of standing, no food, no water, no bathroom breaks, the line began to move. I got verklempt when I finally spotted Zach. Noah (Micah) signed my DVD first, then Tim Sale, the artist who actually created the paintings that Isaac "paints", next up was Zach. I babbled away at him like a school girl and told him that he was the sexist villain EVER. He smiled and said thank you. I wanted to reach over and kiss him, but demurred and shock his hand (I’ll never wash it again). The new Season 2 Hero, Dania Ramirez (Maya) was next, she refused to reveal to me her power...then James (Ando) signed .

Here are a few pictures from the morning. The next to the last one is a picture of the picture that NBC took (they don't have electronic versions available) and sold to me for a King's ransom. In it I happen to be telling Zachary that he's the sexiest villain EVER. The last one is the picture of him while I'm telling him that.

Kath & Kim

2007-08-24T23:47:00.000-04:00

Last evening before going to Pop Rocks, I was telling Teddy (handsome man to the right) about one of the funniest Australian shows ever - Kath & Kim. It's about a lower middle class mother & daughter's day to day adventures. It's reportedly under development at NBC for an American version (which will probably fall flat).

Here are a couple of trailers from the show.

Maxjet Sale

2007-08-22T22:22:00.000-04:00

Maxjet is having another great sale from JFK & IAD (Washington Dulles) to STN (London Stansted) of $499 each way. Maxjet provides a very basic business class, Cradle Seats, rather than Lie Flat or Fully Flat, no pajamas, ok & plentiful, but not great food, at a coach price. Travel is valid Monday-Wednesday from NYC and daily from DC. Purchase tickets by September 17th, travel thru year-end 2007.

6 am next Tuesday

2007-08-21T20:53:00.000-04:00

Looks like I'll be at the NBC store in Rock Center to meet some of the cast members of Heroes. The first season DVD is being release on the 28th and the cast is on a world tour promoting the release of the DVD and the season two premier (September 24th). I wasn't planning on going, I hate the thought of getting up at 4:30 am and standing on line with a bunch of geeks, but my assistant, Lorraine, has insisted that I go! If Zachary Quinto (Sylar) is there, the paramedics best be on call.

I've also asked Billy, who works at the BBC, to see if he can find out where I might see them in London, as they'll be there Thursday - Saturday (August 30th - September 1st).

It can only mean...

2007-08-19T17:11:00.000-04:00

Ever get a sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach?

Start feeling melancholy as Sunday afternoon stretches into evening?

Yes, it can only mean one thing...

Travel Summer from Hell!

2007-08-14T20:21:00.000-04:00

Ultra-long tarmac waits tripled in June as industry stats hit new lows

If air travel woes were bad during the first five months of this year - and they were - they got even worse in June, according to the latest monthly numbers from the Transportation Department. Overall, the airlines' on-time arrival rate in June was just over 68 percent, down from 73 percent for the same month a year ago. For the first half of 2007, one flight in four arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule, DOT said - the worst performance in 13 years of record-keeping. Even worse were the numbers for extremely long takeoff delays: 462 flights sat on the ground for more than three hours during June (mine from EWR-DFW just over FOUR hours), more than three times as many as in May. As if that weren't bad enough, flight cancellations in June hit a rate of 2.7 percent of all flights, up from 1.1 percent in May.

Here's the lovely cot that I got to sleep on at DFW gate D36 when I mis-connected on my way to my nephew's graduation at SNA.

Posh Nosh

2007-08-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

At Soup Kitchen today Anna
(who got 6,000 AA bonus miles for having to overnight on a cot at DFW while I, a PLT, got nothing when I had to do the same thing in June) told me about the BBC show Posh Nosh. It's quite funny & very British. I've posted a few episodes below --

I googled myself and found this

2007-08-08T23:35:00.000-04:00

my 5th grade class picture from Gulf Breeze Elementary School. Can you find me?

The fabulous Darren Hayes

2007-08-06T23:29:00.000-04:00

Darren is my second favorite Australian, after Daniel, of course!

Here's the rather grainy video I took of Darren with my camera when he played at the Canal Room this past June.

here's his fantastic new single "On The Verge of Something Wonderful" from his forthcoming double album "This Delicate Thing We've Made"

and my favorite Savage Garden song

Sadly, for me, Darren married his boyfriend Richard in London in 2006. I guess I'll have to stalk Sylar!

I felt like Lucy today...

2007-08-05T21:29:00.001-04:00

minus the cake, hats & Mrs. Trumble.

But like her I will continue to lie about my age! :)

Afraid of Sylar?

2007-08-04T19:06:00.000-04:00

He's a pussycat...

Boris

2007-08-03T01:42:00.000-04:00

Very sad news today - Boris, one of Adrian & Michael's sweet cats, has died of heart disease and old age. He was a very loving cat who I enjoyed snuggling with whenever I went to visit Adrian & Michael out in San Francisco.

Here we are, with his brother, Bubba, this past Saturday.

He will certainly be missed.

$433.50?!?

2007-08-01T21:25:00.000-04:00

After coming home in a fairly good mood - despite a grueling day at work on the 2008 Budget, TWX tanking and the heat & humidity - my doorman greeted me with "There's something here for you Saunders". Great, I thought, my new window shades have arrived. No, not quite, he hands me a folded piece of paper. It was the bill from the plumber who had recently fixed a leak in my kitchen sink drain. I unfolded it and all I could say for the next 10 minutes was $433.50?!? I guess I should have been a plumber rather than gone into finance. $400.00 for Labor & Materials and $33.50 for NYS/NYC taxes. Oy vey!

Here's a picture of the offense bill

Importe/12

2007-07-31T22:37:00.000-04:00

Importe/12 was a great NYC record label in the 80s that brought some excellent European dance music to the domestic US market.

Here are 2 fine examples of their songs

NYC Summers

2007-07-30T21:28:00.000-04:00

As a rule, NYC weather sucks in July & August. Oppressive heat & humidity along with sky-high ConEd bills are what's on tap. I spent last w/e in San Francisco, where it was so delightfully cool that my friend Adrian had to turn on the heat. Looking forward to our first cool night which usually arrives shortly after Labor Day.

Young Spock

2007-07-28T03:12:00.000-04:00

Just a brief comment from my quick w/e in San Francisco on some very goods news-- Zack Quinto (see my entry on Sylar) has been cast to play young Spock in the upcoming Star Trek movie. When Leonard Nimoy was asked what he thought of the choice, he simply replied "Logical".

Teeth, Teeth, Teeth

2007-07-24T21:12:00.000-04:00

My rant today concerns teeth. One of the reasons I'm so into teeth is that when I was a kid one of the 3 things that I wanted to be when I grew up was a dentist. Another reason is that I've spent an inordinate amount of time and money at the dentist office. Hey, Dr. Cassidy, my root canal & crown paid for that cruise that you took on the QM2!

It's beyond belief that a certain wealthy blonde Swedish songstress, whom I happen to adore, has never bothered to fix her teeth. In the picture just above, you'll see that she has a gap between her central incisors and an eye tooth that's more like a fang as she's missing her bicuspid just below it as well as nearly all of her molars (on both sides). Her killer poodles are probably hunting me down at this very moment... Come to think of it, those poodles don't have very nice teeth either.

Pinkberry

2007-07-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Forget Jamba Juice, forget Tasti D*Lite, the hot frozen treat is Pinkberry! It's a pleasingly tart frozen yogurt topped with your choice of fresh fruits, cereals or candy -- I find that it's best with the fruit. It's such a sought after treat that folks on the left coast don't mind getting a parking ticket while waiting on line for their fix. Sure the name is kinda weird, Billy called it Dingleberry, but you can be sure that our favorite foursome (Carrie, Samantha, Miranda & Charlotte) will shoot a scene there in the upcoming Sex & the City movie.

Parsva Bakasana

2007-07-22T12:50:00.001-04:00

Parsva Bakasana or side crow is one of my favorite yoga poses, most likely because it's very easy for me to do! It's great for building core strength and balance.

Yoga has definitely helped keep me centered & focused and has improved my mood, muscle tone and balance. I highly recommend a yoga class to anyone who's never tried it.

Airlinemeals.net

2007-07-21T19:40:00.000-04:00

Another one of my favorite travel-related site is airlinemeals.net.

You can browse through in-flight meals by airline as well as see lounge food.

Here are a couple of pix that I've taken (even though my friend Jason scoffed at the idea while I was taking some of them) and posted on the site.

BA Lounge BKK
VS lounge JFK
MY lounge JFK
MY in-flight salad
MY in-flight breakfast

Sylar: Evil Incarnate in a Tasty Package

2007-07-20T18:41:00.000-04:00

Yes, he's evil and he's scary, but my heart beats faster everytime he comes on screen, and it's not just because I know something bad will happen. He's Sylar (fka Gabriel Gray) on the fantastic TV show Heroes portrayed by actor Zachary Quinto. I think he's HOT!
Gabriel Gray
Zachary Quinto
Sasan on So noTORIous
Sylar!

It's kind of a good thing that I'm not scared of him as it's helping me to watch scary things without jumping out of my skin.

Here's one of my favorite youtube videos of Sylar...

But, alas, it's never to be as I think he & Mohinder have a thing going on...

Virgin America to take off on August 8th!

2007-07-19T18:50:00.000-04:00

At last tickets are up for sale on Virgin America! Flights start August 8th. Initial routes are JFK-SFO, SFO-LAX. JFK-LAX will be added shortly. Introductory fares are $139 each way in coach and an amazingly low $389 each way in First. First has 8 very comfy looking recliner seats with a 55" pitch and a built in massage function among other things.

Here are a few things worth knowing about VX -

Virgin America is the first U.S. airline with mood lighting.
There will be over 3,000 MP3s on every flight.
You can plug into 110v power at every seat.
You can order fresh food, when you want it, from the screen at your seat.
Red, the in-flight entertainment system, has over 25 pay-per-view Hollywood movies on demand.
Virgin America is a cashless airline. Place your order, swipe your card and you're done.

I hope they give the majors (AA, UA, CO, DL) a run for their money.

Here's a slightly dated video (they've gotten the approval to fly now - thanks for your support) showing a few of the airline's onboard features.

Canada's Answer to the Village People

2007-07-18T23:40:00.001-04:00

Does anyone remember the Skatt Brothers? They were Canada's answer to the Village People. I had almost forgotten about them until I heard them playing in a bar in Sydney during Mardi Gras. I have their first album in my vinyl collection. Do you see any similarities?

and here's their biggest hit. It was especially big on the gay club scene.

Several very useful sites to visit when choosing a seat for your flight

2007-07-17T20:35:00.000-04:00

seat guru

seat expert

flat seats

This is only one of my many travel-related obsessions - you'll find out more in the days ahead. Be scared, be very scared!