The title says it all. My sister and I attended Bon Jovi's concert last night at the New Meadowlands Stadium (Home of Super Bowl XLVIII) and it was phenomenal. I can't believe I waited this long to see one of their shows! OneRepublic opened for them and if you're not familiar with them, here's one of their current hits:
OneRepublic - All The Right Moves
My sister took pictures with her camera and as soon as she sends them my way, I'll update this post, but for now, here are some photos I took with my iPhone:
I actually remember when I first heard this song. I was running errands with my dad and we were on Northampton Street in Easton, PA. I was playing around with the radio when I came across the awesomeness that is 'Love Shack'. Enjoy!
I came across the following video and I was just stunned. This 2-year-old boy from Indonesia smokes 40 cigarettes a day - 40 - a day! His father also claims that he gave his son his first cigarette at 18 months of age. Absolutely unreal!
I'll admit that I have bummed a cigarette here and there, but I don't think I've even come close to smoking 20 cigarettes total, let alone 40. I think I was 12 or 13 years old at the time (maybe even younger), but I remember asking my father to try one of his cigarettes. My mother, ever so cautious, tried to warn me and just trust her word that it was a bad idea. My father, on the other hand, wanted me to learn my lesson the hard way. So, he lit up a cigarette and handed it over. I puffed on it, held the smoke in my mouth for a bit and gently exhaled. I did it! Or so I thought. My father explained that I had to inhale the smoke and then exhale. Ok, so I tried again, this time inhaling the smoke. As you can imagine, it didn't go so well. I choked, coughed, wheezed, gagged, gasped...you name it. I'm sure my face was beet red. I remember my mother bringing me a glass of water and as I regained my composure, I looked at my father who had a smirk on his face. He knew that I had just learned my lesson.
Yes, my first cigarette was a Kent. Does that brand still exist?
As I mentioned in a previous post, I describe my taste in music as eclectic and unique. So you can get an understanding of what that means, I'm going to start posting some of my favorite music videos at random. To kick things off, we're going back to the late 80's. Enjoy!
"You don't choose your family. They are God's gift to you, as you are to them." -Desmond Tutu
I have always said that my family should have its own show. We've really had some amazing times and every time I think back, I can't help but realize how truly thankful I am for my family. There was always one person who I knew I could count on and no matter how much I screwed up or misbehaved, she always had my back. Now, my parents were the disciplinarians, the bad cops if you will, but my paternal grandmother (we called her yiayia, which is Greek for grandmother) was always the good cop to the point where she would scold my mom or dad for punishing me.
When I think back to my earliest memory of her, I always end up on the day I almost set the house ablaze. We had a fire burning and of course, being a curious young boy, I started poking the fire with the little broom that sat next to the fireplace along with the shovel and poker. Well, that little broom caught fire and I started to panic. My grandmother sprung to her feet, grabbed the broom from my hands and before I knew it, the situation was under control. Crisis averted. I was in awe.
My grandmother barely spoke a word of English (Little Known Fact: neither did I, until I started kindergarten - Greek was my first language), but she always made an effort to communicate with everyone who stopped by the house. She was so strong willed and determined to the point of being stubborn at times (Gosh, I wonder where I get that from?). She had an infectious laugh - one that is forever etched in my mind - and always provided us with comic relief. There is no doubt that I got my sense of humor from her as well. From her sometimes slightly inappropriate jokes to trying to repeat rap lyrics to outright mocking us, she would always find a way to get us to crack a smile.
Unfortunately, my beloved yiayia passed away a little over two years ago and each day that passes is just another day for me to relive the wonderful memories I have of her. I love and miss her dearly.
I don't want to end on a somber note, so let's get to why I titled the post 'Modern Family'. As I stated above, my family should really have its own show, but while we work out a deal with one of the networks, you can catch the next best thing on ABC: Modern Family!
Enjoy some of my favorite moments from this season:
"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts." -Author Unknown
Before we hit up Kleinfeld, we headed to Momofuku Milk Bar for some amazing cereal milk and cinnamon bun soft serve. If you ever get a chance, definitely give this place a try!
On our way back to the car, we ran into a little excitement.
According to the authorities on the scene, there was a suspicious package near 59th Street & 5th Avenue.
We were cutting it close on time, so we rushed to Newark Airport and said our goodbyes at the curb. I was about a good 20 minutes into my trip back to Alpha when I received a text message from Emily that they cleared security and then found out their flight was delayed for two hours. D'oh! Figures.
No, no, no...not mine. :-)
I'm off to Northport, NY (with a quick stop at Newark Airport to pick up two of my favorite Canadians: Emily and Tara) for the weekend to attend a friend's wedding (Congrats Brian and Steph!), so I won't be posting for the next few days - I've been on a roll this week, too. I'll definitely be tweeting and you can follow my feed on the right side of this page. --->
While I'm away, enjoy some wedding-themed YouTube videos:
JK Wedding Entrance Dance
'The Office' Version - Jim and Pam's Wedding
The Dixie Cups - Chapel Of Love (yeah, the album shown is wrong)
I get A LOT of flak from my friends regarding my taste (or lack thereof) in music - I describe it as unique and eclectic and they mostly say it's crap. So, instead of writing about my favorite tunes in this post, we're going with a theme: New Jersey!
Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Whitney Houston, Queen Latifah and, yes, the Jonas Brothers all have something in common - they're from New Jersey! (Side Note: A few years ago, my brother and I were Christmas shopping and we ran into Kevin Jonas at The Sharper Image at The Mall at Short Hills.) New Jersey has produced some incredible talent, but who's shown the Garden State some love? The following artists have written and/or performed songs with Jersey in the title.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Jersey Girl
Van Atta High - Call Me Jersey
Antigone Rising - New Jersey
John Pizzarelli - I Like Jersey Best
John Gorka - I'm From New Jersey
Nelson Trout - New Jersey, USA
I have to give an 'Honorable Mention' to Bon Jovi as they named an entire album after New Jersey.
From Talking Points Memo...
This dude is intense. You would assume someone who was "a cop and a Marine during Vietnam" and states in the following ad that he would "name names and take no prisoners" would be running for Sheriff, but not Dale Peterson. He wants to be Alabama's Agriculture Commissioner. Yes, the Agriculture Commissioner.
"Oh yeah. It's the best part. It's crunchy, it's explosive, it's where the muffin breaks free of the pan and sort of does it's own thing. I'll tell you - that's a million dollar idea right there. Just sell the tops." - Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes on Seinfeld
I was chatting with a friend over the weekend and I forget how we landed on the subject of muffins, but we both agreed that the top of a muffin is the best part. I don't know about you, but I totally leave the top for last (large glass of cold milk also required). Naturally, I had to share the above clip with him. (Side Note: Seinfeld is my absolute favorite show of all time and I can quote lines like it's my job. I know, I know...fascinating.) Anyway, I was at a meeting yesterday morning and I noticed someone was having a muffin top. No, not like a 'Muffie' from Panera Bread (yes, that's what they are called), but a top completely torn off of its base. It was the first time that I have ever witnessed such a bold move and I complimented them on doing so. Elaine Benes would have been proud.
This brings me to my current favorite show, 30 Rock - starring the amazing (and Greek!) Tina Fey and the hilarious Alec Baldwin - and their take on 'Muffin Tops'. If you've never watched the show, you're missing out. The writing is witty and totally genius. I even have the ever so catchy opening theme song as my ringtone.
Without further ado...30 Rock's Muffin Top song as sung by Jane Krakowski who plays Jenna Maroney:
Since we're on the subject (last one, I promise), here's a Life Savers commercial that deals with 'Muffin Tops':
When I saw this video of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's 'confrontation' with The Star-Ledger's Tom Moran, only ONE thing came to mind - Dr. Evil and his henchmen sharing a laugh.
So, I've been doing some thinking over the last few weeks and I've decided to take this blog in a slightly different direction. According to my analytics, I get a lot of the same guests stopping by daily, so I came up with a few ideas to give you all something new on a (near) regular basis. Now, this doesn't mean I'll stop talking about Alpha and politics - because I most certainly will when it's warranted, but I'm going to delve into my mind and share some stories, photos, favorite music and whatever else I think is worthy of posting here. I have to give credit where credit is due - I was inspired to change things up a bit by two of my friends' blogs, so I need to give a shout-out and props to Elizabeth and Justin. Thanks so much guys!
Speaking of change, the background and layout will be getting a redesign, so expect to see a few modifications here and there over the days and weeks ahead.
Last, but certainly not least, I'm also retiring the name. 'Harry's Take' has served me well, but I'm resurrecting the name of my blog that I used to write for NJ.com titled 'Alpha to Zikas'. I'm going with that name since this blog, going forward, will encompass everything in my life from A to Z.
So, there you have it. I'm looking forward to the changes ahead and hope that you are too.
