Category Archives: Personal

Flash Mobbed

Posted on by

I’ve been to many “flash mob” like events, but tonight was my first actual pre-choreographed  flash mob run by Flash Mob America. I had never heard of FMA before, nor have I seen any of their flash mobs, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit that I didn’t really learn the dance steps for it. In fact, It wasn’t until earlier today that I actually watched the video through and tried to memorize as much as possible. Probably not the best plan, but in the long run, it worked out.

The crowd consisted of both men and women, though we (the men) were grossly outnumbered. We ranged from young children around 10 or so, to adults in their 40’s (maybe 50’s). Many were there with friends or their families. I was there with my friend Will who had been watching FMA plan the event for some time. Everyone was in “party” attire, mostly wearing white button-down shirts with black pants. The idea was to break in to a 30th birthday celebration being held at a catering hall in Plainview, New York. We all met in the basement of the catering hall to register and rehearse for the big flash. After checking in late (oops) and getting settled, I joined the crowd being lead through the entire dance routine. There were some last minute changes and we all continued to practice over and over for about an hour until people were comfortable with the routine.

Continue reading →

Hurricane Irene: My First Scare

Posted on by

I checked into Hurricane Irene on FourSquare and just as I hit the check-in button, there was a loud BANG from outside my window and the entire room went dark. It was completely black.

I looked out the window and saw the lights on in all the buildings across my courtyard, It seemed that my building was the only one that lost power. My biggest concern was the frozen foods (chicken, pork, steak and salmon) that I just bought tonight. I went into my kitchen and looked around. I noticed the time on my oven. My oven uses gas, but I thought the clock was electric. I was right. They are.

That’s when I realized that the compressor for the refrigerator was still running. I was relieved. The lights in my Kitchen are on the same circuit as my bathroom/bedroom but the appliances are on their own. And I guess I just turned out all the other lights which is generally uncharacteristic of me. Whew.

So here I sit at my laptop in the living room with an extension cord to my bedroom powering the rack containing my cable-modem, router PC, and wireless access point. The T V is working too, and it’s getting late, so I may just relax and call it a night. Hopefully my room won’t be out for too long. And yes, I checked the circuit breaker 😉

UPDATE: The original post was around midnight. At approximately 9:30am the rest of the power went out. My contingency plan is in effect. I’m going to fill my cooler with ice and saltwater and bring my frozen goods to my parents, who may have lost a tree, but they still have electricity!

Homemade Bacon Candies

Posted on by

Bacon Candies

I don’t know exactly when this happened, but bacon has made its way from our breakfast plates to our post-dinner snack. Who would have thought that pork would be the next big dessert? A few months ago, it would have been my last choice but lately, I’ve found a place in my heart, and my stomach, for Candied Bacon.

My interest in candied Bacon was piqued with each installment of EpicMealTime, and I found my inspiration to make my own with a recent episode of Outrageous Food on the Food Network. The show went on site to The Sticky Pig, a shop that specializes in gourmet handmade candied bacon. The show featured the Pig in a Blanket, a candied bacon with a sweet, spicy and tropical twist according to The Sticky Pig website.

The Sticky Pig is located in California, and because the candies are made from Bacon, they need expedited shipping. A 4-Piece collection of Candied Bacon goes for $20 (at the time of this post), and has to be shipped overnight to guarantee quality and freshness. This gets expensive when you need to ship it across the country, so rather than shell out $10+ per piece of bacon candy, I decided to make my own. After watching Outrageous Food over and over, taking notes, shopping for the ingredients and setting up my web cam for my latest live cast, here’s what I came up with:

Continue reading →

Thing in a Jar

Posted on by

Jaypoc's Thing In a JarIt’s Intriguing, yet creepy at the same time. Inspired by Drew Olbrich’s Thing In a Jar, I created my own oddity in a jar. Using Drew’s design I sculpted my own alien fetus. Here’s how I did it.

  1. The process begins with a design. Being my first attempt at this project, I based my design off the sketch done by Drew Olbrich, but I encourage you to come up with your own ideas, shapes and designs. There’s lots of great variants on the Thing in a Jar via Google.
  2. The design started with a block of Sculpey clay. Sculpey is great! It is a modeling clay that, when baked, hardens to a plastic-like consistency. It can then be painted making it ideal for this project. I formed the shape of the little critter, complete with ridges and bumps to give it more lifelike detail. Once completed, I baked it according to the directions on the Sculpey packaging and let it cool enough to touch.
  3. Once cool enough to touch, I gave it a few coats of flesh-colored paint. I painted the eyes black and let the paint dry.
  4. Next, I coated the entire creature with Rubber Cement. This gives the final product some texture and can be peeled/pulled to add a skin/mucus effect.
  5. I used a Jar I picked up at Michael’s crafts store, but you can use any jar you want. I placed the creature inside the jar.
  6. To get the dark color, I used a mixture of about 60% water to 40% cola, adjusted as necessary.
  7. Because I did not use good quality jars, the jars did not hold an airtight (or waterproof) seal. I used Rubber Cement and carefully went around the rubber stopper and the entire lid to ensure a complete seal. Using screw-on lids or heavy-duty jars would eliminate the need for this step.

The possibilities are only limited by your imagination. In addition to the creature, I created a human finger (a thumb, shaped similar to my own), though the digit didn’t come out as good as I had hoped, and therefore will not get a post on my blog. I also created a Specimen label in Photoshop, printed and cut out the label, and soaked it in a cup of coffee for about 2 minutes. Dried it off between 2 paper towels while crumpling it up and let it dry. It has a great aged look to it and looks great glued to the jar.

Troubled Luck on the Long Island Expressway

Posted on by

I don’t know why the events of last night cancel each other out and just not occur at all. I was heading into Queens to meet up with a few friends for Vince’s birthday. I gave myself some extra time to get there, but used that time to detour to my bank. While cruising down the Long Island Expressway, I felt a shuddering. My wheels made that sound they make when you drive over the grooves on the side of the road that were intended to wake up sleepy drivers. I was in the left lane though. I immediately pulled over and inspected my vehicle. The front passenger side tire, one of the newer tires I had put on just a few months earlier, was completely flat.

In a slight panic, and realizing that I was just a few hundred feet from the next exit, I grabbed a can of Fix-A-Flat and emptied it into my tire. I knew the can had enough air to slightly inflate a slightly deflated tire, but it wasn’t enough to make a difference this time. I pulled out the air compressor I keep in my trunk, but it would not engage. It was a cheap plastic one, and has helped in other situations, but it wasn’t going to do me any good anymore. I realized that I would have to change the tire.

I’m no mechanic, but I can cover some of the basics… I emptied my trunk onto the side of the roadway and began unscrewing the components of my spare. It would have taken me at least another thirty minutes to get the car up on the pathetic scissor jack included with the stock spare tire of my Scion tC. I was dreading having to cancel on my plans when a vehicle pulled up behind my car. The yellow spinning lights on top indicated that this was a rescue vehicle. I was hoping for one of the H.E.L.P. trucks which provide free assistance to roadside travelers, but it turned out to be a tow truck driver between jobs looking for a quick dollar.

Realizing that I had the situation under control, he gave me his card and offered assistance if I wanted it. I didn’t need it but I knew he could change a tire in a fraction of the time it would have taken me. I took him up on his offer and let him do the dirty work. In seconds he had the car up on the air-jack and changed the tire for me. Despite the trouble of the flat, I was fortunate he pulled up when he did. He made a quick twenty bucks and I made a quick getaway from the situation. I arrived in Queens just in time to park and hitch a ride with my friends as they were heading out.

Is it good luck that I got a flat but recovered, delayed only fifteen minutes? or was it bad luck still, as I now have to deal with a flat tire? I guess my luck was split somewhere down the middle.