I'm Back

Summer is over (well almost anyways)! Which means a number of things, firstly we can all look back on our summer and think about how much it has changed us, hopefully noticing that it aided us in bettering ourselves rather than the opposite. Second we must try preparing for the year to come and what it may or may not bring. Lastly, that I will resume writing for my blog.

Now, for those of you who have never read my blog before, or simply for those of you who never understood its purpose, please allow me to explain what the blog is all about.

My blog, at this point simply represents ideas or feelings that I have experienced in writing. In addition it also contains (slightly edited) weekly e-mails by my brother (which I will now resume posting). I will also occasionally post an interesting article that I come across, and will always post the weekly New Yorker, Cartoon Caption Contest.

I have however, set in motion the publication of two sister blogs, one of which is related to science and technology and one relating to business and finance. My interest in the later was sparked by my Columbia course in the topic this summer and my interest in the former by sheer interest in the topic.

- More information on said blogs will follow shortly.

O.K. Back to summer. It has been a long summer, and a rather enlightening one for me. For those of you who don’t know I spent it at Columbia University. Columbia, for lack of a better word, was awesome. The experience really opened my eyes to how great an education can be.

Goodbye

I would like to wish a good bye to one of my closest friends Joseph Skydell. Joseph and I were roommates last summer and both enjoyed the experience immensely. On countless occasions, we freshly squeezed orange juice for each other as we watched episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm on Jo's DVD player. Other enjoyable experiences included us chasing Mio with air freshener all night long as well as eating makolet bought supper during mincha. There are other far better stories as well but they will remain untold out of fear and respect, to and of the many who read this blog. Unfortunately, this summer will be different, Jo and I will be spending our summers thousands of miles apart as Jo returns to the holy land to embark on multiple quests I will remain in New York and go to school. I will miss Jo and all of the great times we had and while I am sure we will both have tons of fun this summer some how I know Jo will have more.

Revelations

I spent this past Thursday in the city with a very close friend of mine Joseph Skydell. The experience was both enlightening and enjoyable. It was enlightening in the respect that I realized never to order more then 12 Buffalo wings at Dougies. The order of 24, while only a mere 4 dollars more, is excessive and I could barely even finish my order of twelve. It was enjoyable in the respect that the food was good, the company was good and the movie we saw, War of the Worlds was good. In the case of War of the Worlds I personally recommend it. I mean, come on, you can't go wrong with a Spielberg film, staring Tom Cruise, which is based on a book by HG wells.

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

Once again sorry for the delay, this time it was my fault. I have posted the winners from the previous contest, as well as the New Yorker finalists where applicable.

The Solomon Key

While many eager readers, young and old alike, await the arrival of the sixth installment of the Harry Potter series, those of the latter category are undoubtedly awaiting The Solomon Key. The Solomon Key is Dan Brown's next installment into the Angels & Demons/ Da Vinci Code series featuring Harvard cryptologist Robert Langdon. The key is rumored to be based mainly on the Freemasons but at this point little can be confirmed save the title.
-for more information on the novel check out
www.cultofdanbrown.com/ubbthreads/ postlist.php/Cat/0/Board/solomon

PSP

I just got a PSP and wow yes it is really that good. In part enjoy it so much partly because I splurged for a 1 gig memory card (set me back a bill) so I can store songs and movies. I hope to get some more, by the way this thing is much cooler than the IPod! "If you have the means I highly recommend you pick one up" (Ferris Bueller)

Gary's weekly e-mail

Good Morning all...

Yesterday and today, Central Park plays host to the annual JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The 3.5 mile run through the park is taken seriously by some, enjoyed by most and represents a serious challenge to those of us who are out of shape. For those that do not run regularly, 3.5 miles which seems short in the grand scheme of things all of the sudden seems like a lifetime. I ran the respectable 10-minute mile, but was hamstrung coming out of the gate by the many people walking the race. In addition, of course, grabbing the cup of water and throwing it back down along the sideline, all without breaking stride, never loses its allure. One of the things that come along with marriage is getting to know your spouses friends. This could be a daunting task since you really want to show that you are interested and that you want to get to know all of said people that are a major part of your spouse’s life. My challenge is more difficult, it seems that nearly every single one of my wife's close friends refers to themselves as "ME" under every circumstance. I will pick up the phone to hear on the other end, "Hi! It’s ME." Had they given me a name it would have been hard enough, the ME makes it a step worse. It is amazing how many messages (I stopped counting) we get on the machine from ME. I guess my wife can recognize the voices without a problem--I cannot. Then when I meet these people I real life I am always asking-are you "ME"? I think I do a good job of holding a conversation for enough time to figure out who is actually calling. If I do not hopefully, it will signal to the person that they are not as close as they thought and they should get back to their name until they take the friendship to the next level. We are headed on our honeymoon this afternoon and of course, the most difficult thing is packing for a trip that lasts longer than a week. No matter what we bring, we will end up using only half of it and missing half of what we need. However, you try your best. I am always impressed with people who know what and how to pack. Of course, unlike those people we are lucky enough to bring back some cool things that we bought along the way. Saving the best for last, I would like to wish congratulations to my wife, Lesley, on her completion of three years at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and her embarking on a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Later all.

GT

Delays and Farewells

Sorry for all the delays but I was undergoing finals, now its all over. Which means I get to think about Columbia this summer! Okay so here's what's happening first I would like to wish a congratulations to Simeon (Simcha) Botwinick on winning an Ipod shuffle -I still have no idea what that is but congratulations none the less. Simeon won said Ipod in the raffle that all participants of the psychological experiment were entered into. I would also like to wish everyone a great summer everyone going on TVI, Yad B'Yad, NYC826 etc. Those attending NYC826, acually only one MTA student, have the oportunity to work amongst some of the greatest writters of our time one of whom, David Sedaris, happens to be a personal favorite of mine. Well good luck to all and enjoy!

Duane Reade

Can anyone explain to me why there are so many Duane Reades in the city do they have a monopoly or something. I know I'm not the first one to notice this but seriously, I mean there are better drug stores. Even if it was the best drug store do you need one every block?
- I am only mentioning this fact because today I must have passed more Duane Reades than Starbucks ( I'm not exagerating!)

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

Sorry for the latenss it was posted late on the New Yorker website. I'll post the winners to the preivious contests soon.

Gary's weekly e-mail

Good morning all. Despite the horrible weather we have been having as of late, it is nice to be in NYC. For those of you who find the heat a little unbearable think about this: many public schools are not equipped with air conditioning at all. In fact, some teachers recorded temperatures as high as 103 in many of their classrooms this past Tuesday. This Sunday is Father's Day. This means Bar-B-Q's, family get togethers, ties, cologne and of course power tools. It also means that the lucky few who read through this message will know the history of the day. Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a "father's day" in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd's Mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. The first Father's Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a "father's day." In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father's Day. Finally, in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father's Day. Mazel Tov to the Spodek clan on the recent addition of Maya, mother (Michelle), father, baby and big sister (Shaina) are all reportedly doing well. Apparently, there is a new reality show on TV entitled "I want to be a Hilton". Is this really, what the world is turning into? The premise of the show: Kathy Hilton (mom to Paris and Nicky) hosts an engaging and humorous series that follows 14 eccentric young contestants as they vie for the opportunity to live the glamorous lifestyle of high society. Kathy Hilton guides the contestants through a variety of weekly challenges set in glamorous Manhattan and ranging from art and culture to beauty and fashion. Each week Kathy eliminates those who "didn't make the list." The finalist will win an extravagant prize package including a $200,000 trust fund! So apparently, the mom is now trying to cash in on the famous name. I thought these people owned a profitable hotel chain—do they really need our money? In addition, I am still trying to figure out what type of role model this woman represents? She married into a hotel business and never had a worry other than what her two daughters were up to. Have we run out of smart, innovative, creative or humorous writers? Are we all out of ideas? Worse yet, have audiences tired of watching 14 people trying to survive on an Island with nothing? Me--I will continue to pay up for HBO and watch 6 Feet Under, and Curb Your Enthusiasm--if I need to be in front of the TV. Best of luck to the 14 contestants.

Later all.

gt

News

Sorry guys its been a while since I posted, ie. Not my brothers e-mail or the contest. So naturally there is a lot going on. Firstly Entourage, the second episode played the first night of Shavuot so I watched it on demand 30 minutes before my gemara final. Speaking of my gemara final,(which was today) it was also a very important event in my life I am no longer under the control of Rabbi Handel. Why that is so awesome well to quote the uncle of a friend of mine upon hearing Rabbi Handel was still teaching at MTA " I had him 30 years ago and he was the worst Rabbi ever". On the lighter side of things I have posted the winners from the past to Cartoon Caption Contests. Unfortunately the next cartoon will not be posted till this coming Sunday (rather than last) due to the New Yorkers double issue last week.

Gary's weekly e-mail

Good morning and welcome to Hazy, Hot and Humid New York City.

For those of us to have to wear a suit to work every day (even through the summer) we pray for nice weather on the weekends and cooler-more manageable weather during the week. Although I honestly never understood why some firms (including mine) are not willing to budge on the expected attire even during the summer. How business-like do I look when I get to work dripping wet looking as if someone had sprayed half of my shirt with a water gun? Don't they want me to be comfortable? Next week we will be celebrating Shavuot, the holiday of weeks which commemorates the giving of the torah as well as the harvest season. The holiday carries with it many traditions/customs. For example, many stay up studying throughout the night on Shavuot to compensate for the fact that the Jews overslept the morning of the giving of the torah. What about dairy? I think I ask this question every year. I have found several sources for this tradition ranging from: the laws of Kashrut were passed down at Har Sinai and the Jewish people did not have the opportunity to properly slaughter animals. There is also a tradition to decorate homes and synagogues with flowers for the holiday. Many say this came from the Jews having found Har SInai blooming with flowers and shrubbery. Sometimes you wonder if the crazy driving of some of these cabbies ever leads to consequences. IN traveling to and from JFK airport this week I watched both drivers get tickets. The first was subtle; the driver decided to take Queens Boulevard to save time. He tried to make it through a light as it was turning yellow. He missed. I watched the flash from the camera in the intersection go off. I know he saw it too because he turned around to see if there was a car behind him hoping, he was off the hook. There wasn't, he wasn't. On the way home from JFK my driver failed to see signs for construction and got into the wrong lane. It was late--about 1 in the morning and you would normally expect light traffic. But I knew that our lane was too light. We were the only ones in it. When he saw the cones to our left it was already too late. There was a police car in front of us and the road ahead was all chopped up. We ( the driver received a ticket) and I hoped he didn't have too many hours left on his shift because he was clearly tired and now irate. There is always a bright side--he had just saved 20% on his insurance by switching to Geico. A happy and healthy holiday to all. Later.

gt

New Yorker Cartoon Caption Contest

Last week's results were slightly less then that of the week before but hopefully this week we will take it to new hights!

Curb Your Enthusiasm

For those of you who didn't belive me about the return of the show here is a paragraph taken directly from the HBO FAQ:
When does the next season of Curb Your Enthusiasm begin?
Curb Your Enthusiasm will return for a fifth season in late summer 2005. The ten-episode fifth season will begin production in early 2005.
http://www.hbo.com/corpinfo/faq/curbfaq.shtml

Entourage!!!

Tonight the season premier of Entourage is at 9 watch it!!!

I'm Back!

Sorry about lack of posts this week I was away on the Jr. trip to lake geporge I notice the low amount of posts for the cartoon caption contest which is surprising considering the fact that this weeks was easier(In my opinion) either way I plan to resume posting
-I have added ads on the side I recive a small amount of money everytime they are clicked so please click

Gary's weekly e-mail

Good Morning all.

I should probably begin with apologizing for neglecting to mention my mother's birthday in last week's message. I try my best to include everyone-and typically end up forgetting everyone-but in any event, happy belated. I think Snoot's birthday was in May also so I guess I missed that as well. The Salute to Israel parade will take place this Sunday, June 5 in its usual location, 5th Avenue between 57th and 79th streets. The Salute To Israel Parade, is the single largest gathering in the world in support of Israel, not to be misread as the largest gathering of Singles in support of Israel. Many people make that mistake, but few are let down. The weather forecast for Sunday looks good: Warmer and more humid with times of clouds and sun

High Temperature: 85 F

RealFeel®: 84 F

Winds: WSW at 8 mph

Wind Gusts: 15 mph

Maximum UV: High (6)

Thunderstorm Probability: 18%

Amount of Precipitation: 0.00 in

Amount of Rain: 0.00 in

Amount of Snow: 0 in

Hours of Precipitation: 0 hrs

Hours of Rain: 0 hrs

This means that although it will actually reach temperatures as high as 85 degrees it will actually only feel like 84 degrees. Break out the sunglasses. Imagine my disappointment when I checked the Mega Millions results this morning and realized we did not win. My first mistake was checking the results after arriving at work-although had I won I imagine walking out to a group of clapping co-workers is more fun than calling in from the press conference. The good news is that we all have a chance to take home the 106 million jackpot this weekend SO if I see any of you rolling down 5th Avenue riding a NY State Lotto float on Sunday, I will have a pretty good idea that you picked the right numbers. How many of us have seen the famous movie Terminator where the premise, that at some point in the future machines control the world, seems completely out of hand. Flip to today where computers dictate exactly what we do. A crash in the computer system at the New York Stock Exchange forced trading to end early yesterday. Robots can be purchased to clean homes, and perform similar menial tasks. Heck, we are not even allowed to use an iPod during the first 30 minutes of an airline flight for fear that the little computer inside the iPod may communicate with the big computer that is actually flying the plane and tell it to go the wrong way. And, most ironic of all, the very cyborg from the movie is now running the state of Caleeeeeforneeeea. I wonder where we will be in another five years.

Later all

gt

New Yorker Caption Contest

Last weeks cartoon seemed to be a success with a total of 12 responses by everyone. Above is this weeks cartoon and again please post your captions as comments.

Polls

I have added polls to my blog. They apear on the right if you scroll down. Curently the poll switches between 2 , but if you guys have any good idea for others post them as comments and I'll see what I can do.

New Yorker Caption Contest

Every week the New Yorker - A magazine which I have started reading in part due to its intellectually stimulating content and in part because I feel that reading the articles will help my SAT scores - has a cartoon with no caption were you must fill in the caption. If anyone has any funny captions that would go with this cartoon (think far side) please post them as comments.

Congratulations!

In addition to the many natives of Spanish Harlem that attended the graduation held in MTA's Lamport auditorium today. I would like to congratulate a close friend of mine Mio for winning a PSP in a raffle for learning its a big accomplishment and feel free to stop by the Apt. for some free refreshment
-our hearts here at turk3 all go out to Mio, for after the receiving of his SAT grade, Mo has come to the realization that it's either Flanders or Rockland community.
(deep down in our hearts we all know Mo isn't coming back from the holy land)-

Caf` Closes

I just want to say it is quite tragic that the caf is officially closed. As many of you may or may not know the caf has served as my lunch portal for most of the year providing me with free food.
-yes the SkyCaf is open but please spare me-
-any of you who feel the pain as I do should stop by the Apt for a free meal-

Entourage Episode 3 ("Talk Show")

Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier) and Sara Foster ("The Big Bounce") refusing to stop holding hands because they "had sex five minutes ago"

Jessica Alba is just one of many celebrities who guest stars on "Entourage"

Entourage

Thanks to the on demand TV I have come to the realization that just because OC and OTH are over till next year doesn't mean there is nothing to watch. In specific I am referring to a show known as Entourage a great show with every episode containing extremely beautiful celebrities. Season one is available on demand and two premiers June 5. The greatness of HBO TV shows is that there are no commercials.
-HBO will also launch new seasons of Curb your enthusiasm and Da Ali G show "soon"

Its awesome I've now got my own apartment(well almost)

So basically a good friend of mine who rarely visits his apartment which is very close to MTA has been kind enough to entrust me with a spare key. Today I have put the place to full use coming their strait from the bus to find a newspaper on the doorstep. Next after studying for SATs on the leather couch I feel asleep covered by the throw conveniently located at my feet. In addition to what I have already described the place is fully loaded the fridge fully stocked with soda and an unlimited supply of Entenmanns and everything else complements of the Caf store. The Tv has cable and multiple on demand channels as well as game cube with a wide selection of games.
-Anyone who wants to stop by gimme a call-

Theaters in the city

In the past couple of weeks I have gone to two different movies from MTA. The theater locations were also different one was at 42nd (Times Square) and one at 66th (Lincoln Center). After each movie, I went to Lunch at KD and Bagels and Co. respectivly. Besides for basic knowledge of the subway, which is essential, a more advanced knowlede of both the subway and city streets is required in order to make the whole process realistic in terms of time. By switching to the 2 or 3 train at 96 (thanks to the help of a female stanger) we save about a half our. By not knowing the location of KD we lost about 15 minutes. Time is everything I managed to salvage the day somewhat i.e I came two minutes late for last period but I have learned from my mistakes and I don't belive that I would be wrong to say that at this point I can get pretty much anywere in hte city with the fastest ruite.

Gary's weekly e-mail

Good morning all---from not so sunny Denver CO.

According to the USA Today Carrie Underwood is our new American Idol. I am not sure how much this affects my life or yours, but I thought I would include it since I could not remember who else I should be wishing a mazel tov to. Just kidding!!!! A happy birthday to Sharon who celebrated yesterday. In each of her 26 years Sharon continues to remain sensitive about her age. I will honor that request and just simply say she is another year older. And, a mazel tov to Jeanne Broderson for being officially sworn into the NY State bar last week. This weekend, Memorial Day marks the official beginning of summer, linen, white shoes and I guess a bunch of other things. And, of course readers of this message are probably wondering how it all started: Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890 it was recognized by all of the northern states. The South refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dead on separate days until after World War I (when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war). It is now celebrated in almost every State on the last Monday in May (passed by Congress with the National Holiday Act of 1971 (P.L. 90 - 363) to ensure a three day weekend for Federal holidays), though several southern states have an additional separate day for honoring the Confederate war dead: January 19 in Texas, April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi; May 10 in South Carolina; and June 3 (Jefferson Davis' birthday) in Louisiana and Tennessee.

I just realized my PC is out of power. Sorry.

Later


gt

Condolences

Our hearts here at Turk3 go out to Simeon and Naama Botwinick, a couple recently forced to brake up by an "unidentified" source. We really tought they would last forever... and they would have if not for intervention by said "unmentionables."
- Don't worry guys your more than welcome to use the Apt. together to make babies

Another

Here are some pics from the season.

OC and One Tree Hill are over!

Yes quite unfortunately both OTH and OC have both ended to return next year. In the case of the OC, Merissa Cooper shot Trey and in the case of OTH Dan Scott - father of both Lucas and Nathan- is poisoned. Payton finds out her mother is alive and Nathan goes to High Flyers.

Star Wars Episode III

Yup, I saw it opening day in no less than a digital theater. The up side its awesome and I saw it opening day, with awesome sound, the down side, in additon to the claping after practicly every scene, I was slightly freaked out by the guy behind me holding up a Lightsaber and screaming at the films start. Overall in my opinion the movie was good despite the New Yorker's biting review.