tap & go > paypass

a few months ago my citibank mastercard sent me a new card - with a little surprise. it is called paypass -- a small keychain dongle that allows you to not carry your card, but still charge stuff. to help manufacture increased usage here in NYC; mastercard, citibank, the mta combined to enable this paypass to gain you entrance into the subway. a simple tap & go. no need for a metrocard. you can see how it works here : subway trial site. i love it because if the train is pulling in and i don't happen to have a metrocard, i can use it quickly and easily. and in addition to the subway, now paypass is enabled in a few other key retailers. it comes in handy when you leave the house without your wallet. for example, it has allowed me to grab a vitamin water at duane reade on the way home from the gym. ahhh - refreshing!

the bestest birfday card ever!

this is my favorite birthday card of all time. i'd first seen it on a mug someone gave my father -- many years ago. it's so simple, and so clever. my dad and i, to this day, still call each other with the 'hippo birdie two ewe' greeting on our respective birthdays. classic!

Park it here!

this weekend marked the official beginning of spring in new york, not because of the calendar -- but because of the weather. 60s/ 70s and sunny! yesterday, my buddy Dex and I played volleyball in Central Park. there are nice courts near the Great Lawn. the folks were friendly and the level of play helped me gear up for my impending indoor season. after 3 hours of play (4 games) i walked through the park. as you can see, it was really intimate -- me and 50,000 of my closest friends. :)

bump - set - drink!

the new volleyball season is about to begin. last season was underwhelming. i joined BIG CITY as an individual player -- and ended up on a team of mostly people who were a level or two below my level of play. not that i'm a pro-beach player or anything.. but i at least have a grasp of the strategy, placement of players and can perform all the necessary functions of play. anyhow, this season, my one shining light on last season's team - allison, and i decided to construct our own team. so we went to the "pick-up" scene open gym night and grabbed 5 other players. two tall guys, a great all-around playing gal, another good all-around young guy, and a spry asian dude - who is 5' 5" but can jump out of the gym! after our ranking game on thursday, where BIG CITY determines our team's level, we went to a local bar and basically got trashed together! hysterical! a good bunch of folks - looking forward to playing some great volleyball this season.

we all scream....

the spring in new york is marked by the spotting of mister softee trucks on street corners. awww - the sound of the jingle mr. softee trucks play - takes you back to days of old in The City... fun at the beach, playing football in the street, cook outs, public pools, 4th of july fireworks watched from the roof. the song is a welcome to warm weather and cheer. i can hardly contain my excitement! i scream - you scream - we all scream for ice cream!

2 words: raul midon

i went to see him tonight at joe's pub. my dad and i saw him at the north sea jazz festival last july. in a word : incredible. watch / listen / be amazed - BUY THE ALBUM!!!!! he deserves your support. album = "state of mind". it's on itunes and in stores.

my new kicks

my new kicks
Originally uploaded by djtakefive.

i was walking around this weekend, and popping in and out of stores, as i often do. i went into urban outfitters and saw a clearance rack for kicks - aka - sneakers. this pair of adidas was only $40, reduced from $100! a must-buy!!!!! I plan to rock these all SPRING and SUMMER!!!!! I even wore them to Easter dinner. no joke.

Pregnant Bunny Egg Bread

so, some friends from work and I were having lunch and rehashing our Easter meals. Lucy and Rob, both "eye-talians", were telling Nadia & I of a bread their grandma's make, sometimes shaped as a bunny -- with a whole hardboiled egg inside it, often in the belly. so it looks like it's "with child" - or "with bunny", in this case. anyhow, at our lunch table is was named, for ever after, Pregnant Bunny Egg Bread. though i could not find a pic depicting a bunny, i did find a photo of the bread as a wreath. pictured here. and, after some research, found that it is simply called Italian Easter bread..... our name is MUCH better!

Easter in the NJ

today i went to NJ to my grandma's house for Easter. as a city-dweller it is always interesting to be in a house with approx. 15 people. multiple conversations, tv's blaring, kids running around... it's also strange to have sooo much food around. my apartment has water, cereal and occasionally some chips in the cabinets. the spread today consisted of : mini quiches, pigs in a blanket, shrimp cocktail -- turkey, corn, rice & beans, terrific mac & cheese, and phenomenal sweet potato souffle. note: i have not even gotten to dessert. gatherings at my dad's side of the family are always filled with laughter, intelligent conversations, and your usual dose of gossip -- but always strange that my dad is not there.

my girl