Sibi & Ruby's wedding

Halloooo, Memorial Day weekend! A three day weekend to relax and unwind, and attend a wedding. Sibi and I used to go to church together for many years, from when I was in junior high school through a portion of college. In the middle of my college years, the church itself closed up, and he and I went to separate churches. In the intervening years, he’s gone on to medical school and became an anesthesiologist. Dr. Sibi John? Who would have known? We had very intermittent contact these past 10 years, so I was suprised to learn he was getting married, and I was invited. I’m not one to turn down an invitation to a party, so we were in it to win it.

On Saturday, we bathed our two rugrats, dressed ‘em up, and made our way to Long Island for Sibi & Ruby’s wedding. One of the things I dislike in life is making my way to Long Island. The place is a driver’s nightmare if you can’t stand being stuck in traffic. We hit traffic approaching the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, specifically the left-hand side going to the upper level. Noting the right lane was slowly moving (towards the lower level) and fearful of being stuck, and seeing one paramedic SUV head up on the shoulder, I said screw it, and made a bold move. I drove sideways across bridge traffic, through cars and traffic cones, and made my way into the lower level. What a good crazy decision that was, as we saw people standing and waiting on the upper level. I don’t know what happened, nor did I care. I didn’t want to get stuck on a bridge with two kids in the car.

Watching the wedding on live TV

We made the wedding, but the church was packed. We watched via live video in the adjacent fellowship hall. I didn’t mind since you had a better view, and the hall was air-conditioned. That’s a no-brainer in my book. We saw a lot of old friends that we hadn’t seen in a while too, which was nice. The wedding reception was at the fancy Villa Lombardi’s in Holbrook, NY. What I found to be a funny coincidence was that two of my friends, Nehal and Meghal, who DJ’d our wedding in 2003, were providing entertainment for this wedding too. Imagine our surprise, and when I went up to them, they were surprised to see us as well.

So, to wrap up, good time for everyone. It was certainly a long day. By 10pm or so, we got the car, changed the kids in the restrooms to the pajamas, brushed their teeth, and bundled them up in the car for the long ride home. We got home after midnight, but at least there was no traffic back to NJ. Best of all, a nice new family portrait.

Ipe Family - May 2010

Since I was writing about weird things I’ve watched on television recently (recently, because I’ve watched a lot of tv in my years), let me show you this remix video for Shamwow. Read those last few words back to yourself. A remix video for Shamwow. Shamwow is that spongy shammy that you see selling on tv. As part of the commercial, they are now showcasing a remix of just the commercial, and featuring people dancing.

Catchy, no? It’s almost as catchy as the Picard video that I’m still enthralled with to this day.

It’s amazing the weird stuff you can find on the television at odd hours of the night. Have you flipped the channels recently? There is some strange stuff out there. I’m most stupified by the themed exercises on tv or for purchase. I suppose that most people are not inclined to work out on their own, so they need some gimmick to motivate them? From what I’ve seen of these two examples, I’m uncertain about the aerobic qualities.

Exhibit #1 – Bollywood Dance Workout

This is a show actually on during the weekday. I was flipping channels and stumbled onto this in the onscreen guide. Does this help you lose weight? I’ve seen plenty of fat Indians dancing bhangra at wedding receptions, so I have my doubts. And who is losing weight and getting toned from that “mouth” exercise?

Exhibit #2 – Flirty Girl Fitness — Pole Dancing Workout

I saw this commercial while watching Hostel on the Chiller channel. I love how one of the exercises featured in the tv commercial reinterprets guys in the club dancing and pretending to be spanking some woman in the midst of intercourse. And erotic dancing on a chair? Best is the pole dancing workout, as seen below. A “fitness pole”? If you walked into someone’s house, and you saw a stripper pole in the living room, your first thought is, “Oh, I wonder who is doing Flirty Girl Fitness?!”

On second thought, I should buy this for my wife as an early Christmas gift “for my wife.”

After moving to FiOS last summer, one of my favorite channels is the Military Channel, which is one of the many channels under the Discovery Channel umbrella. It’s basically weapons and war 24 hours a day. As a guy, it’s good stuff. One of the shows they broadcast is The World at War. This is a 26 episode British television documentary  published for British television. Begun in 1969, it began airing in 1971.

The World at War (1971)

It is the most in-depth series of documentaries about World War II that I have ever seen. Stretching over these 26 episodes, there are no recreations or CGI graphics. It is 100% actual footage from newsreels, battlefield video, and other footage from the era. To see people’s faces, to witness actual battles, and to see what it must have been like to have lived through that time. In addition, the producers interspersed footage with interviews with actual combatants and people in power back then. Actor Jimmy Stewart who described his time as a U.S. bomber pilot, to Averell Harriman as U.S. diplomat, to chiefs of staff, commanders, generals, from various countries who fought in the war. You watch interviews with Luftwaffe commanders as they described their missions to bomb London and the English countryside, the German people who survived bombing, the Polish people who survived the Warsaw uprising, etc. This series of documentaries was put together over two years starting in 1969, and these people were still alive at the time, and tell you first-hand what it was like.

What I also find fascinating are the background information and footage describing how the world got to the point of war and what happened behind the scenes, not just on the front lines. It was very interesting to watch how Japan slowly became a fascist state run by the military, and that their quest for expansion was to acquire the necessary natural resources that they lacked on their series of home islands. To watch footage of the common British citizens walking around rubble after the bombings, doing their best the next day to continue life. Having studied WWII before, these documentaries have brought the whole period from the 30′s to the mid 40′s to life for me.

Lastly, from Europe to Africa to Asia to the Pacific, there were so many atrocities committed by so many nations against others. The amount of people struggling to survive with limited food, no clothes, living in bombed out homes. I remember one anecdote where a Japanese woman interviewed spoke about how originally Japanese were reluctantly forced to work in factories. She tells in the interview how she worked from sunrise to late in the evening, and due to the rations, and her only meal would be the late dinner — a bowl of soup with one noodle. The people of Stalingrad who survived the Nazi invasion had no food, so they would mix sawdust into their version of bread. The number of people who died in these battles and bombings. We talk about the wars these days and how 10 or 20 people were killed in an attack. Back then, thousands of people at a time were dying  in bombing raids or on the battlefront in a day. The scope of the carnage is mind-boggling.

I don’t buy DVDs any more, since I’ve found it much more economical to simply rent a film as needed. However, I’m very interested in purchasing this series and adding it to my DVD collection. It’s worth its weight in gold.

In the aftermath of the Jay Leno primetime debacle, television network NBC is on the hunt for scripted shows to fill the gaps, and get the network back in the black. One of the shows they have greenlit for the upcoming season is the new comedy Outsourced, and I’ve embedded the trailer for the show below. It’s based on the 2006 movie Outsourced, which I watched a la Netflix in December 2009.  Hmm, looking back, I should have written a more detailed review of the film. Ah well, I was more tight-lipped back then, based on all my years working at the CIA.

I kinda liked the 2006 indie movie. It was a thoughtful satire that wasn’t perfect, but it had its moments when it tried to present the similarities and differences between cultures. This show looks to be going for cheap laughs, and I don’t see anything very smart about it. I’m embedding the 2006 movie trailer below, and you compare the difference in theme and tone. What do you think?

I’ve been home for two days this week to get some rest. Spending my free time stuck on the couch, I thought I’d use it to watch a popular movie that I lack a reasonable excuse to have not watched yet. I queued up the Netflix PS3 disc, and selected The Big Lebowski, a 1998 Coen brothers movie starring Jeff Bridges and the usual Coen brothers cast of memorable actors.

This was an interesting movie. Jeff Bridges plays a fellow named Lebowski, but I was always under the impression that he was the “Big Lebowski.” Bridges plays “The Dude”, a slacker with slacker friends living in southern California. He gets mixed up with this millionaire Jeffrey Lebowski, who is apparently the real “Big Lebowski.” Starting off with an initial case of mistaken identity, it morphs into a strange tale of kidnapping. Without giving away any spoilers, I will say that I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the ending, as I felt that it was too unresolved for me. I’m not even quite sure what the movie was trying to tell me. It felt like it was a short story with not a lot of meaning, but just a retelling of events that happened.

What I did like were the motley crew of odd characters, played by character actors and actresses that I have seen before in other Coen and cult indie favorite movies — Julianne Moore, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, John Turturro and of course Peter Stormare. Heck, even Tara “Is that Coke in my nose?” Reid had a small but pivotal role. They were all interesting, but I most enjoyed John Goodman, Julianne Moore, and even John Turturro in a small but hilarious role. The music and strange dream sequences were entertaining too. I suppose the movie itself was a bit meaningless, but the outrageous quotes were the major entertainment factor for me. Overall, I found the movie to be weirdly engaging.

Yup, that’s what I’m going with. Weirdly engaging.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

This year, I survived the MS Bike Tour. Let me briefly recap the day.

I was supposed to be on the road by 6am, in order to arrive at Monmouth University by 7am, so that I could get in the group photo with the team. Alas, I woke up late around 6am, and had done nothing to prepare. No paperwork filled out, no water bottles or Gatorade or snacks purchased, no directions. I still had to get ready, load the supplies, load the bike, buy supplies and breakfast, and make my way the hour to the university. Yeah, right. I decided not to stress about a team photo when my goal is to ride to support multiple sclerosis. Why be stupid?

Teammates Sheri and I

I got on the road by 6:35, and only forgot my bike pump and tool box at home. Not the biggest deals. I also didn’t have time to pick up breakfast, but I hoped they had something for riders at the start. When I reached the campus, there were no directional signs, so myself and other drivers with bikes tied to their cars all drove around looking for the gymnasium. We finally found it, and I parked at 7:45. The parking lots were full of riders. I walked towards the gym, and found coincidentally found three of the team riders from last week’s practice ride, including Ravi. Of course, I missed the team photo, so maybe if I had not been lost, I could have made it. Oh well, who cares in the end? I registered, and the gym was full of people. We had a special table reserved for the team, so I signed in, dropped off my collected money, and got my tags. I also got my t-shirt, a goodie bag of snacks and stuff, and ate a quick bagel and banana for breakfast.

I later found my team member Sheri at a station getting more air in her bike tires. We chatted and hung out until 9am. We also met a woman riding the 50-miler by herself, so we invited her to come along with us. We all started a little past 9am after a few speeches and the national anthem. It was a bit crowded, but it cleared up once we all got on the road. It was a beautiful day, and there were places to stop and refuel and rest every 10 miles. I didn’t even need to pick up beverages or snacks, as the supplies at the rest stops were really good.

2010 Cycling Joel

Most of the ride, I rode solo, joining various people who were riding together to make conversation and for the company. Almost everyone from the CentraState team riding the 25 and 50 were on slower bicycles, so I often went ahead of them, but we would catch up at the rest stations. I met some nice people along the ride, and only got yelled at by one a-hole in Sea Girt who passed us and called a bunch of us “punks” before driving off. I don’t think he was yelling at me, because I stayed to the shoulder. I did notice a lot of bad behavior from other riders who took up the entire side of the road. Even when I yelled “Car back!”, they either didn’t hear or ignored me. I think they ignored, because even when the cars passed, they didn’t move over. See, that’s not good. Everyone has to obey the rules of the road.

Around 12:30pm, I realized I wasn’t making good time, and I was running late to run errands and make it to a birthday party in Pennsylvania. For the last 18 miles, I went solo, and went a flat 15 MPH the rest of the way. It kind of hurt, but it kind of felt good too. I reached the campus by 1:45 in not too bad a shape. I loaded the bike in 10 mins, and made my way off to my next destination. Although my muscles and back were seizing up on the drive home and in the evening at the birthday party, I’ve been feeling pretty well today a day later. That’s a good sign that my body is coming back. All last week, I was nursing a pulled muscle in my left leg, but that’s not the case today. As a matter of fact, if you look at the overall mileage I’ve done since last Sunday’s ride, I rode over 90+ miles in the same week. That has to be a new personal best!

To wrap up, I want to thank everyone who supported me by contributing to my fundraising goal of $500. I primarily dedicated this year’s ride to my childhood friend Allison, who was recently diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She and I share the same exact birthday day/date, so we both used to bring cupcakes to class on the same day. Through your kind donations, I raised $595, which I was proud to raise in just two weeks. Next year, I’ll do this again, and start sooner. MS is a terrible disease, and I want to do what I can to ensure Allison continues to enjoy her wonderful life for a very long time.

Joshua's new eyeglasses

Joshua has succumbed to his DNA. At his annual checkup this year, he had trouble with the vision test. I watched it happen, and I was unnerved. The doctor recommended we take him to see an opthamologist. That doctor also confirmed that Joshua would need corrective lenses. Sigh. I had this small hope that he would always be the happy little young boy who didn’t have to wear eyeglasses growing up. I started wearing eyeglasses in 2nd grade back in 1985, and I still don’t like them much.

We found some decent eyeglasses from Pearle Vision, and he seems to like them enough. We can’t be sure how well they’ve improved his vision, but he says so. I’ll post a picture here when I can. On the first Monday back to school, all the teachers told me that he now looks just like me. What, he didn’t look like me before?

I wanted to take a moment to talk about last Sunday’s ride, and explain how important it was to me. Provide a little context, so to speak.

At the bar after the ride, some of them were still surprised that I had hung in there and completed the entire 43 miles. I was overweight, slow, and I didn’t have the fancy bikes they had. Although it wasn’t at all meant to be malicious or demeaning, when they doubted me during the ride, I started to doubt myself too.  I started to doubt my ability to even do the full 50 miles during the actual MS Ride, and wondered if I had finally bit off more than I could chew. What was I thinking? I’ve ridden between 18 and 23 miles three times now since late April. And here I was, trying to ride 50 miles, attempting to keep up with people who take spin classes during the week?

I’ve always been a fighter. Back in 1992-1994 at CHSN when I lived in Rockland, I took AP courses in Bio, English Language, and American History. When I took the AP American History in my junior year and AP English Language in my senior year, I didn’t immediately perform well. Both respective teachers, accustomed to working with the “smart” kids, suggested a few early months into the classes that I should drop, and move into the Honors version instead. Both times, I was devastated. I liked being in the courses. I was pushing myself, and I was learning.  I didn’t want to drop and give up. I’m a fighter.

Maybe the teachers were reluctant to have me waste their time and my time. Maybe they felt it would just be better for me. Instead, for both classes, I opted to stay late every week after school to work on practice essays and assignments with my respective AP teachers. Seriously, every week. In the end, after the doubts, I passed both AP exams with a “3″ score, which meant I passed. Both of my doubting teachers were surprised and proud of me. I’m a fighter.

On this ride, I was being doubted and doubting myself. Yes, it’s true that I’m not currently as fast or as young as I used to be. I’m 34 years old, I don’t have they energy to stay up late anymore, and my body is more creaky. But so what? Some things don’t change. I’ve been calling this “The Year of the Turnaround.” I have been adamant about going back to basics, and focusing on improving myself. Being true to myself. Being who I am. After all this time, I felt that I had not been true to who I was, what I am capable of, or achieving what I wanted in life. I had stagnated under the weight trying to raise two young children with my wife, and maintaining a house, and all the new expenses. It’s been a daunting task for both of us these past five years.

Five years later, the stress is beginning to lift for us, and we’re happier now. The kids are getting easier to manage, and we’re getting things done. This year is the year of the comeback. I call it “The Year of the Turnaround.” My wife and I are finally focusing on taking care of ourselves, enjoying life a bit more, and smiling. We’ve been going out more, got the house painted, and been cleaning the clutter and detritus that has accumulated over five years. Personally, I want to return to being the man I used to be, and that includes getting back in shape.

So when these people on the Sunday ride started doubting me, it felt like a setback. I doubted myself and what I was trying to do. Trying to improve. Trying to be. I could have given up, taken the easier route, and let them go on ahead, while I should turn around. I’m happy to say declare that some aspects about myself never changed. I never stop fighting. I hung in there. I did it at my own pace, but I rejoined the group, and I made it to the finish line.

Don’t call it a comeback, I’ve been here for years. I’m a fighter.