Have You Tried Posterous?
Well, I have. Technically, this very entry is my first attempt at using the service that Jason Calacanis of Mahalo calls “my go to application.” http://www.techcrunch.com/2010/01/04/jason-calacanis-top-tech-products-and-a-political-rant/ So, for that reason, I’ll keep this first entry short. It should show up on Twitter, Facebook, AllMyDealsAreLive.com and mblock.posterous.com if I set everything up correctly. If it works, I’ll keep tooling around with it and see if I can get some good use out of it.
2010 Predictions
Hi friends. Long time, no see. I deeply regret my prolonged absence for many reasons.Most especially because I had to forgo the opportunity to joke about, “Seeing you next year,” one of my all time favorite moves, circa every December 23rd of my elementary school career. I’ve been enveloped in a deep, dark, time-sucking pit also known as the pre-holiday scramble to get projects done for clients before the start of vacation. Many 2am nights and early mornings spent at work, actually working, left me unable to write the glorious contributor gift guide that I had planned. Before you could say, “Le Crueset Crock Pot for CCL” I was whisked away to work on a 175 slide Keynote deck until my eyeballs bled. Anyway, with 2010 upon us, I decided my belated gift to all of you would be to put my uncanny senses to work predicting what glorious things would befall AMDAL contributors in the coming year.* And here we go....
CCL: A Food Network executive, eager to find a new chef who can compete in the Martha Stewart timeslot, comes across CCL’s posts on AMDAL. After reading Coq au Vin and Ambien Sex, they realize that she has a special talent and the potential to pioneer a new cooking show model, something no other Food Network chef has done before her. Recognizing her ability to seamlessly combine pop culture and food in a way that fascinates and intrigues even the most epicuriously challenged, CCL is invited to work with the Food Network to develop a primetime show that’s a cross between E! News and Giada. For her debut, she has her cousin on as a guest to make marshmallow filled chocolate cupcakes and unveil his Tiger Woods theory. Immediately, forensic scientists from NASA pursue this highly plausible scenario, recreating the exact conditions using Tiger and Elin look-alikes. It is inevitably proven that this is EXACTLY how the scandal played out, and CCL and CCLCousin are awarded the Nobel Peace prize for saving the world from Tiger Woods Skank Scandal 2009-2010.
BMartin/Apple Symbol: BMar, upon graduating from Law School, adds another line to his already voluminous email signature. Much like what was supposed to happen on the verge of the millennium, this makes his signature spill over into two pages, upsetting the delicate balance of the internets. As computers worldwide short circuit, causing mass pandemonium, Apple Symbol quickly recognizes the opportunity to put all of his technology knowledge to good use. He quickly tracks down Al Gore (knowing that he’s probably at NBC studios preparing to ham it up on every single sitcom they air during Green Week), and like Batman and Robin, the pair work in perfect synchronicity to correct the issue. Their brilliant solution, involving the finagling of wires, electrons and other things about which I know nothing, revolutionizes the internet, reduces computer generated greenhouse gas emissions by 50% and allows all law school grads to list as many accomplishments in their email signatures as they want. And all becomes right in the world. From here on out, Apple Symbol and Al Gore are known as the Internet A’s – a team of computer malfunction fighting vigilantes on which several major motion pictures will be based.
Scos: While applying for business school, Scos decides that a good way to stand out from other candidates is to include “Co-Editor of AllMyDealsAreLive.com” on his resume under the Other Interests section. Upon reviewing his application, the admissions directors come across this tidbit of information and, intrigued by the blog’s clever title, decide to check out some of Scos’ work. While initially, they’re concerned by the number of porn and fart jokes, they find themselves inexplicably drawn to his posts and unable to stop reading. They notice that his Random Thoughts are balanced by detail-rich political debates and also find that, judging by the high number of comments his work generates, that he must be popular and well respected amongst his peers. And even though this prediction scenario is slightly reminiscent of Elle Wood’s video diary application for Harvard Law (in which she lists “background dancer in a Ricky Martin video” and “designer of a line of faux-fur panties” among her many accomplishments and manages to get in based solely off these items, with absolutely no academic consideration) they decide that Scos will bring much needed diversity of interests (porn, fart jokes, boobs, Sarah Palin), humor and creativity to the incoming class. This exact scenario happens at each and every school he applies to and he gets into all of them.
Mikey: After pushing mean Anon to the breaking point by posting 10-20 new LiveBlogs a day, Anon uses MLR’s roadtrip posts to stalk him across the country seeking revenge. After looking for our fearless editor in many a Diner, Drive-thru and Dive, Anon finally tracks him down on the mean streets of Haight-Ashbury, where they engage in hand-to-hand combat. MLR emerges victorious, having serendipitously been listening to a Karate for Dummies book on tape as his main source of road trip entertainment. After one too many piledrivers to the gut, Anon surrenders and agrees to let his true identity be published on the blog for all to see. MLR immediately LiveBlogs a photo of a battered and humiliated Anon, making him a national hero and earning him a glorious tickertape parade and lifetime supply of the fancy champagne of his choice (which he shares with the other contributors at the “Defeat of Anonymous” celebration gala). Anon is sent to jail for stalking and intent to cause harm, where his punishment is to watch a continuous slideshow of all the LiveBlogs ever published, for the rest of eternity.
Block: Consumed by the never-ending game of Farmville, Block continues to hatch chicks and raise adorable brown cows from calf-hood until all contributors lucky enough to be his Facebook friends get so fed up with the incessant updates on their news feed that they defriend Block in a fit of anti-agrarian rage. Block, deeply hurt by this thoughtless, hasty behavior, breaks away from AMDAL to start his own blog, Goodmoviebettermovie.com. A major LA studio exec stumbles across his genius Photoshop work, and hires him as both a movie poster creator and a plot consultant. Block wins a Golden Globe for coming up with the genius twist of making Amy Adam’s fiancé in Leap Year a brain-eating zombie, instantly making this formerly sappy rom-com into a blockbuster megahit. He continues on this newfound path of fame and fortune until one day he tragically gets caught up in a game of Mafia Wars, causing him to not leave the house for three weeks straight. He loses his new job at the studio for failing to prevent the disastrous release of Adventureland 2 while absorbed by this virtual turf war. This event opens up his eyes to the error of his Facebook game ways, and decides to devote all of his extra energy to saving the children of Africa and writing awesome posts on AMDAL – two very worthy causes indeed.
AOG/ARod: Following a hectic holiday season, AOG and ARod decide to escape to Costa Rica for a secluded “love vacation.” (AOG’s terminology, not mine.) Months go by, but nobody hears from them. Concerned, MLR sends out a search party, armed with sunblock and surfboards, to find our favorite contributing couple. After days of searching and nights of enjoying pina coladas at swim up beach bars, we come across the happy pair only to find that somehow, ARod has converted AOG into a Prius-driving, feminist-sympathizing, beach-hut-dwelling hippie. We try to convince them to move back to the US, only to find that they’ve started a moderately successful line of handcrafted, all natural hemp swim trunks worn by Obama on his Hawaiian vacations. Happy with their expat status and swimwear success, they use their newfound fortune to open up a beachfront inn exclusively for the AMDAL community. After weeks of rest and relaxation on the South American shores, AMDAL contributors return to work with a renewed vigor and post so many awesome articles that our blog simultaneously reaches 1 million hits and wins a Pulizter for blogging (a new category in 2010 created for the sole reason of recognizing the flowing, perfect prose, side splitting humor and hard hitting journalism that coexist on AMDAL like nowhere else).
Apologies to any contributors whose futures I’ve been unable to see. After all of these clear, incredibly accurate predictions, my crystal ball started to go a little fuzzy. I welcome anyone else who considers themselves a gifted psychic to add their predictions in the comments. And as for whether these will come true, only 2010 knows for sure. Happy waiting!
* Makens waives any responsibility for the accuracy of these predictions.
NO FATTIES: BeautifulPeople.com
"As a business, we mourn the loss of any member, but the fact remains that our members demand the high standard of beauty be upheld. Letting fatties roam the site is a direct threat to our business model and the very concept for which BeautifulPeople.com was founded."
- Founder of BeautifulPeople.com Robert Hintze, after 5,000 less-than-attractive people were kicked off the site. They are welcome to reapply at any time.
Hat tip: Drew W.
2010 In Food
2010 was an interesting year in food trends – some more ridiculous than others. On the tasty side we’ve seen a huge resurgence in classic American comfort food with chefs all over sprucing up childhood basics for a fine dining experience. Truffle or lobster Mac and Cheese, Kobe beef burgers, brie grilled cheese and fancified meatloaf seem to be rocking out on any trendy restaurant’s menu these days, which is A-ok with me. There’s also my favorite food trend, which is the increasing number of focused food vendors- eateries that do only one type of food but do it well. Some of my favorite New York examples include Rickshaw dumplings, New York Burger, Hummus Place and Peanut Butter and Co. What’s not to like about a place that serves your favorite food and presents it ten different ways?
Then of course there are less encouraging food sensations, which all really stem from the same theme --- America is getting fatter by the day! Symptoms from this epidemic include the fattest ever cast on “The Biggest Loser”, the introduction of “food porn” to mainstream internet (no this does not involve a whipped cream bikini) with websites like “thisiswhyyourefat.com” or the TV show “Man vs. Food” (which is awesome) and most recently and ridiculously the “Taco Bell Drive Thru Diet”… We are doomed!!!!
But fear not, stick with me and I’ll hook you up with a tried and true healthy, easy and delicious recipe. Most recently I tried an easy recipe from my new Giada cookbook...
This chicken Gremolata was easy, fast and very flavorful. Her recipe was meant for the grill but I found it just as tasty using the oven.
Giada De Laurentiis’s Chicken Gremolata (adapted slightly)
Makes 2 big Servings
Ingredients
-¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
-1 ½ tablespoons lemon zest
-1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh oregano (near lettuce with other fresh herbs)
-1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
-Enough Chicken for 2 people – 3 breasts with skin or two thighs and a drumstick (you can take the skin off after cooking if you don’t want to eat it.)
-Tinfoil – so you don’t have to clean the pan
-Pam
Directions
-Preheat the oven to 300 degrees
-Cover a pan with tinfoil and spray with Pam
-In a small bowl, combine the parsley, extra-virgin olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, and garlic. Set gremolata aside (you can even make ahead of time and refrigerate)
- Rub a little bit of olive oil over all the pieces of chicken.
-Sprinkle chicken liberally with salt and pepper on both sides.
-Put chicken on pan and bake for 22 minutes (flip after 11 minutes)
Put the chicken on plates and spoon the gremolata over the chicken spreading it to cover. Serve with a side of arugula salad (just arugula and some balsamic dressing.)
Happy New Year
Dear Friends,
It's certainly been another fun and exciting year for me, and I hope for you all as well. It's hard to believe 2009 is already over and my 26th(!) birthday is right around the corner. I seem to be growing up faster than even I could have expected!
2009 was another banner year for me. The first year of medical school back at Dartmouth wrapped up nicely, and before I knew it I was off to Peru for another exciting South American adventure. I've certainly made these excursions one of my favorite traditions and I cringe at the thought of the change next year brings with less flexibility in my schedule. Nevertheless, it was an amazing summer abroad. I helped to start a medical clinic in a small village in the Andes. It was a fabulous experience to further my growing clinical skills and maintain my Spanish fluency!
After a Moroccan vacation from my vacation, it was back to Hanover for the start of year two. What a difference a year makes! This academic year has been much more engrossing. I'm learning new and exciting things every day and they finally all seem relevant. I've done great in my classes (I'm so proud!) and am looking forward to another winter of skiing and racing in the Thursday night Beer League at Whaleback.
In fact, as I write this note, the snow is gently falling on the trees outside my window. Tomorrow promises to be a beautiful day in the mountains. Can't wait! I'm so blessed to live and study here!
Hope this message finds you all well and greets you with love. Happy New Year!
-your friend, MW
Less Hanover, More Roadtrip
AMDAL community,
Starting tomorrow, I'll be hitting the road west, where I'll surely find myself and untold fame and fortune. Don't worry, I won't forget the little people (you) that made this possible. As a means of repayment, I'll try to find some liveblogworthy things along the way. Unfortunately they will probably be less like this and more like this, as I'll be traveling with my dad. Estimated roadmap here.
Special thanks to [Apple Symbol], Erik J. and the 73EDub crew, Jim the
Hopefully Scos, CCL, [Apple Symbol], WOHJR and the other contributors will be able to keep you entertained with actual substance in the meantime.
See you on the other side.
2009 Recap: Winners & Losers
I was inspired by this cool chart in the NYT to do a little recap of the year. Without further ado:
2009 Winner: Peyton Manning
Though the football season is not yet complete, this has been a good year for Archie's son on the field. Undeterred by the loss of one of his more talented (but homicide prone) receivers, Peyton led his Colts to a 14-0 start with several clutch performances. Two of his top receivers were virtual unknowns before the season began, particularly the absurdly-named Pierre Garcon (wasn't that he name of the candlestick in Beauty in the Beast?) and Austin Collie, which is a breed of dog I'm pretty sure. Any doubt that Peyton is the engine that makes his team go was erased last week, when the Colts self-destructed as soon as Manning was pulled. He should win the MVP, and his team looks tough heading into the playoffs.
Off the field, Manning has grabbed the title of America's Golden Boy with both hands. He can be seen on the television bantering with actors and Justin Timberlake quite at ease, and he continues to exude the good-guy persona. And actually, he is charming and funny on the TV. When you consider the added fact that Manning's only competition for the sports star/advertising icon throne has flamed out pretty spectacularly at the hands of his comely 9-iron wielding Nordic wife, Peyton seems poised for a big year. Look for guest-star appearances from him this winter and a boatload of new advertising contracts as he seems to be the best game in town. The chair is his until those strumpety cocktail waitresses from Orlando get to him. With or without a Super Bowl victory, we may all remember 2009 as the beginning of the Manning Era.
2009 Loser: Benedict XVI
So many to choose from here. Tiger, Balloon Dad, Bernie Madoff, Obama, Mitt Romney, the New York Mets-- I could go on for hours. But here are my Friday Five style reasons Il Papi loses the year:
1) Same Sex Marriage. Despite some political setbacks to the same-sex movement (seriously, Maine? WTF?) it seems clear to me that we are inexorably moving towards nationwide acceptance of teh ghey marriage. I mean, if Iowa is cool with it, the rest of the nation is definitely coming around. Not a moment too soon of course, but that's another post. Rome's moral authority on this may be slightly eroded anyways, as they reached out somewhat awkwardly to disaffected Episcopals whose priests aren't even celibate anyways.
2) Abortion. The monstrous Stupak Amendment will hopefully be stripped from the final Healthcare bill, but even if it is not, as with the gay marriage thing, my sense is that the country is moving in an accepting direction. Here's to hoping 2009 is the high water mark for the anti-choice crowd, and I think it will be.
3) Child Molestation. Yes, the hits keep on coming, this time out of Ireland, where the priests have apparently been buggering altar boys since the 1850s while each successive bishop looked the other way. This one creeps me out, so lets just move on.
4) Papal Security. Ratzo had a close call this Christmas with a deranged woman who jumped out of the crowd at Christmas mass and knocked the Holy Father and another cardinal over in her excitement at being in the big Christmas show. In addition to underscoring what a nightmare it must be to be in the Papal security business, the Pope must be at least slightly miffed at the news coverage of this event. For this rather astonishing breach of security surrounding a man revered by billions around the globe garnered perhaps 1/16 of the attention lavished on some Nigerian asshole who tried to light his underpants on fire on the final approach to Detroit. Where's the love for Christ's vicar?
5) Cultural Resonance. Fascinating poll out this week from Gallup, which asked the following
question: "What man, that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?" Some pretty surprising results, I must say-- Obama comes in first (that won't last) and George W. Bush (!) narrowly edges out Nelson Mandela for second place. If that isn't horrifying enough, the Pope can only muster a tie for fourth with... AMDAL favorite Glenn Beck! Radio and TV shock jock, Christmas Sweater and conspiracy theory enthusiast Glenn friggin Beck ties the Pope?!!!! Jesus, Mary and Joseph if this isn't the beginning of the end times, I don't know what is. 2009: the year the Pope jumped the shark.
2009 Winner: Peyton Manning
Though the football season is not yet complete, this has been a good year for Archie's son on the field. Undeterred by the loss of one of his more talented (but homicide prone) receivers, Peyton led his Colts to a 14-0 start with several clutch performances. Two of his top receivers were virtual unknowns before the season began, particularly the absurdly-named Pierre Garcon (wasn't that he name of the candlestick in Beauty in the Beast?) and Austin Collie, which is a breed of dog I'm pretty sure. Any doubt that Peyton is the engine that makes his team go was erased last week, when the Colts self-destructed as soon as Manning was pulled. He should win the MVP, and his team looks tough heading into the playoffs.Off the field, Manning has grabbed the title of America's Golden Boy with both hands. He can be seen on the television bantering with actors and Justin Timberlake quite at ease, and he continues to exude the good-guy persona. And actually, he is charming and funny on the TV. When you consider the added fact that Manning's only competition for the sports star/advertising icon throne has flamed out pretty spectacularly at the hands of his comely 9-iron wielding Nordic wife, Peyton seems poised for a big year. Look for guest-star appearances from him this winter and a boatload of new advertising contracts as he seems to be the best game in town. The chair is his until those strumpety cocktail waitresses from Orlando get to him. With or without a Super Bowl victory, we may all remember 2009 as the beginning of the Manning Era.
2009 Loser: Benedict XVI
So many to choose from here. Tiger, Balloon Dad, Bernie Madoff, Obama, Mitt Romney, the New York Mets-- I could go on for hours. But here are my Friday Five style reasons Il Papi loses the year:1) Same Sex Marriage. Despite some political setbacks to the same-sex movement (seriously, Maine? WTF?) it seems clear to me that we are inexorably moving towards nationwide acceptance of teh ghey marriage. I mean, if Iowa is cool with it, the rest of the nation is definitely coming around. Not a moment too soon of course, but that's another post. Rome's moral authority on this may be slightly eroded anyways, as they reached out somewhat awkwardly to disaffected Episcopals whose priests aren't even celibate anyways.
2) Abortion. The monstrous Stupak Amendment will hopefully be stripped from the final Healthcare bill, but even if it is not, as with the gay marriage thing, my sense is that the country is moving in an accepting direction. Here's to hoping 2009 is the high water mark for the anti-choice crowd, and I think it will be.
3) Child Molestation. Yes, the hits keep on coming, this time out of Ireland, where the priests have apparently been buggering altar boys since the 1850s while each successive bishop looked the other way. This one creeps me out, so lets just move on.
4) Papal Security. Ratzo had a close call this Christmas with a deranged woman who jumped out of the crowd at Christmas mass and knocked the Holy Father and another cardinal over in her excitement at being in the big Christmas show. In addition to underscoring what a nightmare it must be to be in the Papal security business, the Pope must be at least slightly miffed at the news coverage of this event. For this rather astonishing breach of security surrounding a man revered by billions around the globe garnered perhaps 1/16 of the attention lavished on some Nigerian asshole who tried to light his underpants on fire on the final approach to Detroit. Where's the love for Christ's vicar?
5) Cultural Resonance. Fascinating poll out this week from Gallup, which asked the following
question: "What man, that you have heard or read about, living today in any part of the world, do you admire most?" Some pretty surprising results, I must say-- Obama comes in first (that won't last) and George W. Bush (!) narrowly edges out Nelson Mandela for second place. If that isn't horrifying enough, the Pope can only muster a tie for fourth with... AMDAL favorite Glenn Beck! Radio and TV shock jock, Christmas Sweater and conspiracy theory enthusiast Glenn friggin Beck ties the Pope?!!!! Jesus, Mary and Joseph if this isn't the beginning of the end times, I don't know what is. 2009: the year the Pope jumped the shark.
