CNN posted the FAA-released audio (with accompanying video) from the US Airways Flight 1549 that crash-landed in the Hudson River on January 15 2009.  It is pretty amazing that everyone made it out in one piece. 

I always raise an eyebrow when the flight attendants talk about what to do in the even of a water landing, especially if I’m flying to some state where we aren’t crossing the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.  Now I know better.

As non-experts, it’s tough to know when you should fix with your car.  When is the mechanic being truthful, and when are they lining their pockets with your hard-earned Chicken McNugget money.  Here are MSN Autos’ Top 10 car maintenance mistakes. 

BTW, it’s apparently time for me to buy a new air filter and some wipers for my wife’s car.  Whoops.

I’ll be working in the city Friday and Monday.  I have lunch plans for Friday, but if anyone wants to get together for lunch on Monday, call me on the cell, email me, SMS me, or comment on my website.  The highest bidder gets to take me out to lunch, your treat.  ;-P

I’m wrapping up my 2nd week back at the gym.  I’ve lost 3 lbs. so far, which isn’t that impressive, as it’s just the usual few pounds you lose after your body is shocked by the sudden change from a sedentary to active lifestyle.   It’s obviously been tough to find time to work out.  I try to go at lunch time, but there’s often too much going on during the day for me to go at lunch time without guilt.  I’ve had to work out at the gym more often after 5:30pm, which unfortunately gets me home late. 

Thankfully, my wife is supporting me on my 2009 back-to-basics health kick, even if she doesn’t believe I need to work out.  She’s sweet.  Deluded, but sweet.

It’s also been about portion control.  I have cut back on the frequency of fries, sweets, and other foods with empty calories.  I cut back on the soda, and drinking more water from the water fountain at the office.  Speaking of portion control, the Today show had an article about a new diet book, The Belly Off Diet, by Jeff Csatari.  I’m not buying the book, but it’s interesting to read how food portions have grown ginormous since the 1950′s.

Slate’s Green Lantern column (personally, never heard about it until today) answered some reader’s question about washing containers before throwing them in the recycling bin.  I never bothered, but I know my wife has done it on occasion when she feels like it.  Reading the article, Clean Jar, Clean Conscience, it turns out, it is not necessary, which doesn’t change my life at all.  There’s also some interesting tidbits about the recycling process as a whole, so it’s worth a quick read, if you are interested.

A recent study by researchers at Indiana University reported that women are hard to read.  No shit. How much did they spend on this one?

Researchers at Indiana University showed video clips from 24 different speed dates and asked male and female participants two simple questions: “Do you think the man was interested in this woman?” and “Do you think the woman was interested in this man?” Their answers were then compared with the responses of the speed daters themselves.

The results, published in the January issue of the journal Psychological Science, show that both men and women are able to gauge a man’s interest in a woman, but are equally baffled when it comes to figuring out if a woman is interested in a man.

Any guy who has tried to impress a woman in a bar, a billiards hall, partying at Webster Hall, hanging out with one, window shopping at the NYC Virgin Megastore, or even chatting over email or IM, will tell you that.  Maybe it makes life more fun dealing with them, I don’t know.  Then again, if you compliment them, then they want to know why you are complimenting them.

Whatever works to distract them while the flat-screen tv you secretly ordered is being delivered to the house, and hidden in the basement.