a square peg in a round hole

Remember that toy you use to play with when you were a kid -- the one with the different shaped blocks and the box with different shaped holes that matched? Well in essence, I played a grown-up version of that game today, and I don't think the people who designed the pieces were really communicating well. Because supposedly this cog with its pattern:


is suppose to fit over this hub with this spline pattern:


The pictures are a little out of focus (taken with my phone) but I think it's obvious that, "the shoe doesn't fit" if you know what I mean. What the spline pattern should look like, is something like this:


Instead, the splines are deeper, and at different angles.

Hopefully tomorrow when I call customer support someone can help me understand why my Shimano 9-speed cassette doesn't seem to fit over the hub of my new Easton ea70 rear wheel when ,according to their website (and every other retailer website I've checked), the two are compatible. I must be missing something REALLY obvious here.

Pinkberry, eat your heart out

Today during lunch I decided to get some frozen yogurt goodness. My New York readers will know all about Pinkberry, but for those of you who don't...wikipedia refers to it as an "upscale franchise of frozen dessert restaurants." It's basically a hyped-up trendy frozen yogurt place---the Kirspy Kreme of frozen yogurt. It's quite trendy. But also tasty.

Anyways, I didn't go there. Instead, I went next door (quite literally like 4 doors down the street) to Very Berry, one of those places that people would consider a knock-off brand of Pinkberry. I went there mostly for kicks because, "hey, I work in branding!" I wanted to experience the "knock-off" brand, and see how different or the same it actually is. Turns out it's very similar. A few noted differences:

• their granola was kind of weird. more like little cubes of granola cookie...like the size of sugar cubes.
• the spoons the employees used to scoop the toppings were actually those white plastic spoons you buy.
• asian pop music videos were playing quite loudly on a flat screen tv.
• the focus and precision of which my toppings were placed (quite generously too I might add)
• oh, and i'm pretty sure the guy that made my frozen yogurt didn't know how to speak much (if any) English. My favorite part was when he bowed his head slightly when handing me my frozen yogurt with both hands. Awesome!
• and last but not least, the awesome Engrish everywhere

Sidenote: Turns out that Pinkberry might actually be a copycat of another frozen yogurt brand from Korea called Red Mango...hmmmm....the plot thickens....I think Korean companies have an interesting definition of "benchmarking," but anyways, that's not what this post is about. What it's really about is about the awesome Engrish [sic] that I found on Very Berry's window posters.

Here are a few of my favorites. I've kept them in all caps, which is how they were on all the posters. Also, it seemed they got better and better (or worse, depending on your perspective) as I moved progressively from left to right from poster to poster. I've kept them in that same order. Just so you know...all spelling, punctuation, and grammar below is not a mistake on my part. :) Enjoy:

"HEALTHY IS A BIG PRIORITY FOR YOU."

"ROASTED GRAIN MIX ARE EXCELLENT FOR WEIGHT LOSS."

"ALSO THEY CONTAIN VERY POWERFUL SUBSTANCES, SO IT NOT ONLY FIGHTS AGAINST AGING, BUT IT BLOCKS THE OCCURRENCE OF CANCER AT THE SOURCE."

"VERY BERRY'S BANANA SPRIT IS MADE WITH 3 FLAVORS FROZEN YOGURT, STRAWBERRY, FRUITY PEBBLES, PINEAPPLE, WALNUT, MOCHI."

"IN THE WORLD'S BEST COFFEE PRODUCING REGIONS, THERE REMAIN A SELECT NUMBER OF FARMERS. THAT HAVE GROWN COFFEE THE SAME WAY FOR GENERATIONS. THEY PLANT AND NURTURE EACH COFFEE. THREE USING ONLY ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY TECHNIQUES. THEY HARVEST EACH CROP BY HAND. THE COFFEE FROM THESE FARMS ARE 100% ORGANIC AND THE FLAVOR IS PURE...THE WAY NATURE INTENDED IT TO BE."

I miss this girl

I don't know that I've ever looked forward to a Monday with such excitement and joy.

vedera in nyc?

So I just found out about this, and although I'm not familiar with a lot of their music, I'm really tempted to go because I've loved everything I've heard from them since Mooney introduced me to their music and Kristen May's gorgeous voice my first summer in New York City.

it's gettin' hot in herre

For the record, I've always liked toaster ovens. But now I like them even more. A lot more.

Collin Herring: Punches

I really like what this guy had to say about Collin Herring's song, "Punches".

"Punches" came on the sampler CD of this April's Paste Magazine, and I've since lost track as to how many times I've listened to it.

Related Links:
myspace.com/collinherringmusic
http://www.collinherring.com/

wpm

Thanks Becca. This was fun.
And thanks Sarah for your mad props!

92 words

Speed test

Blue Note: Late Night Groove Series (take 3)

A table during a Friday night show at Blue Note usually run about $25-35, but a couple summers ago Jared and I discovered that they have late night shows -- we're talking so late it's early. (Read my account of our first show here. Or Jared's account here.) These Friday and Saturday night shows feature: "New York's up-and-coming jazz, soul, hip-hop, R&B and funk artists." We went a couple times and although it makes for a really late night (shows ending somewhere around 2-3 in the morning and then trekking home on a local train uptown from the Village to get home at like 4am) it's been well worth it each time considering the caliber of the music we've heard and the price of tickets being $8-10 (typical ticket price for one of their late night shows).

I'm sure the 8pm and 10:30pm shows are phenomenal, but the Late Night Groove Series is definitely a winner for someone like me who:
- doesn't own money tree
- enjoys jazz without being a connoisseur of the form
- has a music taste that entertains a bit of the avant-garde and digs the cross-pollination of music genres
- doesn't mind staying up late and getting home at about 4am

Anyways, all of that was basically a longish intro to tell you this:

Leah gets up really early on Saturday mornings; so consequently, our typical Friday night ends earlier than that of our friends. This makes attending something like the above mentioned Late Night Groove Series slightly difficult, considering the start time of the set is ~12:30 am.

Well, wanting to attend a late-night show at Blue Note, Leah and I decided to take advantage of the fact that her early morning Saturday would not be in affect for conference weekend. We enjoyed the night of April 4th (err...the morning of April 5th?) listening to a Brooklyn-based band named "Soul Cycle." The show was great. On their youtube site, they describe themselves as "a sublime mix of jazz, funk, and breakbeats, with a little reggae, Latin, and African grooves thrown in for good measure." I'd say that's fairly accurate and would definitely encourage people to go to one of their shows. If the opportunity arises, I could easily see myself enjoying my time at another one of their shows.

You got me Google...you got me

Did anyone else fall for this April Fools? I'll be honest, they had me going for a couple minutes until I realized it was April 1st. What a great example of brand voice in action. It totally fits the personality and tone of Google to do something like this.

General Conference

Is anyone else as excited about this as I am?
I love General Conference.

St. Patrick's Day

So, I have this pretty awesome shirt, and although it's a little small for me, (why didn't I listen to that little voice in my head that told me it was going to shrink and that I should buy one size larger? Why???) I still couldn't resist wearing it today.

Thanks Roger for the awesome shirt design. I remember the first time I wore it.

highlining + base jumping = crazy

Ever heard of base lining?


Maybe you've heard of slacklining. If so, you probably know what highlining is (slacklining from a high altitude). Base lining is pretty much what you'd get if highlining and base jumping were to get together and make a baby. It looks something like this.

The video linked in this post was brought to my attention, and is therefore brought to you, by my news-savvy roommate Nick (as well as the letter "NY Times," and the number "crazy").

Thanks Nick.

today was a hard day

as was last night.
they were really hard.
(not to be confused with bad)

I'm ok with that

So, I saw this quiz on a friend's blog. I took it..and then I wondered what would happen if I took it again.

I think both outcomes are interesting because Desmond and Charlie are two of my favorite characters. What do you think? Are the quiz results fitting?

Which Lost Character Are You?

More on Lost. Created by BuddyTV

Which Lost Character Are You?

More on Lost. Created by BuddyTV

I wonder if I would get Daniel Faraday (another one of my favorite guy characters) if I took the quiz a third time...

we communicate in audible breathing

Ever wonder how many words are communicated in a sigh?
You should ask sometime. You may be enlightened.

Only You...

I think Smokey the Bear should sue the conductor of the 3 train I was riding today during my morning commute. At 72nd Street she came on over the loudspeaker and said (after several unsuccessful tries at closing the doors), "Only You know if you can't fit on this train. And only YOU know if your clothes are stuck in the door!"

I don't think she was too happy about the situation, but it was kind of funny.


All joking aside, that conductor woman should be careful...otherwise she might summon the wrath of Senator Clinton.

Wait, Wait, Wait

I am a little bit sad because I just learned from a friend's blog that The Format is no more--looks like the band is on a hiatus. You can read about it in the news section of their website or on Spin. Nate and Same are still good buddies...they just want to do their own thing for awhile. It's still a little sad.

If you remember, I blogged about seeing them back in August at Webster Hall. Good music. Good show. Good memories. (Becca, I wish you would have joined me that evening as well.)

I think I'm going to listen to their music for the rest of the day today.

My President's Day

I must say, my President's Day was quite enjoyable. Here's a play-by-play:

8:20 - my laptop starts playing music to cue me into the fact that it's time I start to thinking about waking up.
8:30 - my cellphone chimes in to second the motion.
9:00ish - I get out of bed.
9:00ish to 9:30ish - I shower and get ready and all that jazz.
10:00 - Adrienne sends me a text to call her when I get up.
10:05 - I call Adrienne.
11:00 to 12:00ish - I enjoy the company of Adrienne while we both enjoy yummy brunch at Sarabeth's.
Directly After - I stop at the grocery store to pick up bread and milk stuffs.
12:47 - I call Christy to tell Russ that I'm home. (He accidentally locked himself out of the apartment while I was at brunch and was camping at Jessica and Christy's apt just down the street a couple blocks until I got home.)
1:00 to 4:40 - I do several loads of laundry, wash dishes, vacuum, make lunch, chat, relax, etc.
4:40 to 7:00ish - I travel down to Wall Street and work my way up Broadway and round abouts taking pictures of Starbucks' storefronts and signage for work while the rain and wind comes and goes.
7:00ish to 7:34 - I sit at the Rockefeller Center Starbucks, sip hot chocolate, people watch, text.
7:34 - I get a reply text from my friend Ali and find out she's engaged.
7:34 to 7:40 - I talk to her on the phone.
7:45 to 8:00ish - I wait for a B train at Rockefeller Center
8:00ish - I decide to take a D train to 59th Street and transfer to the 1.
After arriving to 59th Street - I find out the D train I'm on will be running local past 59th. I stay on until 96th street and smile at my good fortune.
8:30 - I arrive perfectly on time to Malecon (98 and Amsterdam) for Becca's birthday dinner.
8:30 to 10:00ish - Eat, Enjoy friends, Enjoy friends, Eat. (If you notice, the center/important part of this chiasmus is "Enjoy friends.")
10:15ish - I arrive home.
10:30ish - I show Ryan my apartment so he can decide whether or not he wants to take my spot in March when I move down the street to the new place.
11:12 - I start writing this post.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable and productive day.
But there was definitely something (someone) missing.

I like...

I like why I haven't had time to post for several weeks.
I also like that it's certainly not due to a lack of good things to post about.
I like that I'm pretty healthy and didn't get anyone sick when I was feeling as horrible as I was 2 weeks ago.
I like that I have a bedroom.
I like that I can actually grow something worthy of shaving.
I like that I have cool socks (and a washer and dryer in my apartment with which to wash them pretty much whenever I need to).
And I like that it snowed today.

I also like...
That I received such a positive informal 6-month review today at work.
That I was able to go grocery shopping in a relatively uncrowded grocery store.
That I had the opportunity to grow closer to a friend via an extremely helpful, insightful, and enjoyable conversation over the phone.
That I was told Happy Anniversary today over gchat.
And that I have someone to celebrate a happy anniversary with.

"Happy One-Month Anniversary Leah!"

I don't like...

I don't like how I haven't posted for several weeks.
I also don't like that my blog sat with such a connotatively negative post as its most recent post for so long.
I don't like that I still have a cough.
I don't like that my bedroom is a complete disaster.
I don't like that I'm out of shaving cream.
I don't like that all of my cool socks are dirty.
And I don't like that it snowed today.