Boom De Yada Boom De Yada Boom De Yada Boom De Yada...

It's things like this that make me want to smile and give everyone a hug. I've watched this like twenty times, and it never gets old. :]

Rock on, world. And Stephen Hawkings.

Where the Hell Is Matt?

Well, if you've become used to my recent trend of very long posts... rejoice! It's short 'n sweet.

I found this site called Where the Hell Is Matt? It's basically this cool guy named Matt who travels the world doing his crazy version of a dance. He's made two videos that have basically become internet phenomenons, which can be found on his website... and now he's got a third, new one!

The Alphabet Universe

Why is life so confusing? I mean, even once you learn the necessary things there are to know, get into a routine, know how to meet the basic needs... they are so many complexities, so many variations, so many... possibilities. All of this makes for one complicated world.

Why can't things be straightforward? Let's say Person A has a thing for Person B. In a real, idyllic world, the Alphabet People could simply be together, simple as that. If they realized that things weren't working out, they could simply break it off and start over where they were before.

The real world isn't so simple. In reality, all potential outcomes should be predicted first, in the event that something doesn't work. If they break it off, it might lead to a dangerous rift and lead to pain for either one. But it's not even that simple: Person A might be unsure of his feelings, having gone through emotional turmoil. When a third Alphabet Person, Person C, is introduced to the equation, even the most experienced Calc major will lose his mind and resort to pyromania.

The point is, things are rarely simple. If one sees the universe as a single thread (or maybe several), split into various microthreads for each possible outcome of a situation, then one can see how amazingly complicated the tree of history really is - billions, trillions, quadrillions, quintillions... innumerable amounts of possibilities, all intertwining and intersected to form wondrous and confusing realities that no one could ever truly understand the width and breadth of.

It truly boggles the mind.

Cool

I like good people. I like people who are kind and intelligent and funny and witty and caring and generous and... yeah. So many people are underrated, unnoticed, never seen, even though they are the ones who deserve the most to be. So often, the people that get the most attention and admiration are the ones who deserve it the least. I mean, look at most celebrities these days. Or even the "cool" crowd in school.

I reject the classic definition of cool. A "cool" person isn't someone who wears brand-name and trendy clothes, who makes sure they're appearance is picture-perfect, plays the right sports, and what have you. A "cool" person is someone worth knowing, someone who's interesting for who they are, or is just a good person who you like to be around.

It helps when you realize that you're surrounded by people like that sometimes, people who don't always show everything on the outside, and sometimes even hide, but inside, are real gems of people. (This is a semi-shout out to a special friend, who we'll call M.)

The world works backwards sometimes. I should write a paper, or a book on that. About how backwards the world is, about the definition of cool and how it really should be. that would be cool.

Definitely Not Zagat: Becco

Well, today, I try my hand at restaurant reviews. No, this isn't exactly Zagat quality, but hey, worth a try. Y'see, before the Coldplay concert, my family decided to splurge on a nice dinner, which brought us to a nice homestyle Italian place in the Hell's Kitchen district of Manhatten called Becco.

Word of warning: This is probably the most upscale dining place I've ever been to. We're talking an $18 minimum per person, most entrees in the $20-$30 range. So don't go for it unless you're willing to splurge on good food.

The word Becco is derived from the Italian word beccare which means to peck, nibble, or savor. I don't know about the first two, but I did quite a bit of savoring. The restaurant is best known for its savory, home-inspired cuisine of its owner, Lidia Bastianich. It's signature dish (which I ordered) is called Sinfonia Di Pasta, and features a trio of pastas with unlimited portions, along with an appetizer. The pastas are handmade fresh each day, and there is a different pasta for each night. Great quality.

I found myself with an Antipasto Misto, a seafood appetizer beautifully presented with fresh vegetables and seafood. For the first time, I tried monkfish and... octopus, the latter of which is surprisingly chewy and, well, fishy.

The main course featured spaghetti with tomato basil sauce, a penne bolognese, and a Swiss chard ravioli. All were absolutely fantastic, and had a unique bite to it that, I'm told, was a result of its handmade nature. I finished them all, with seconds.

In conclusion, if you're looking for authentic homestyle Italian cuisine with a nice modern decor, Becco is definitely a great choice. I award this one a mutant three thumbs up.

Becco • 355 West 46th Street • New York, NY 10036 - Telephone: 212.397.7597

COLDPLAY @ MSG 6/23/08

Well, I just got back from seeing Coldplay at Madison Square Garden last night, and I am bushed. The concert was absolutely amazing. Here's the low down:

Coldplay opened up a contest on their website for people to win free tickets to a show at MSG. I didn't win, but a friend of mine did, and being awesome, he gave me the tixx. So, my family and I took the train into Penn Station, and went to the arena. I also got a stylish t-shirt beforehand.

The concert was... AMAZING. Extremely energetic - 10,000 screaming Coldplay fans make for some powerful singalongs. They played some old hits, including Clocks (complete with lasers), God Put a Smile Upon Your Face (very powerful), and Fix You (hugely powerful). They had some really sweet new songs, including Viva la Vida (huge singalong), Lost! (with lots of handclaps), and Lovers in Japan, the closer.

There were some cool things included, too. The band moved to the middle of the arena and played two songs there, which was way cool. Then, later, they moved up into the seats and played a two-song acoustic set: A heartbreakingly beautiful version of Yellow, and a new song where the drummer sang. Also, lots of tech: Laser lights, confetti butterflies, and six giant magic balls that were huge spherical video screens.

What impressed me the most was how with the crowd Coldplay was. They actually messed up certain parts (beginning of Chinese Sleep Chant, end of Lost!, and some lyrics on Fix You), and handled themselves well, joking with the crowd and ad-libbing lyrics. At one point, with some technical difficulty, the lead singer said "Fuck it, we're cancelling the show. No refunds!" which got a huge laugh. He even made new lyrics on Fix You when he forgot a part.

Either way, it was a magical night. They were amazing. You can read my full review here, or if you don't trust me, search Google.

Mellow Mongrain

Today marks yet another installment of Jon's Musical Menagerie. Or whatever the hell we're calling it now. Today's featured artist is a French Canadian by the name of Erik Mongrain. You'll find his music to be unique and interesting for a number of reasons, chiefly among them:

• His works are purely instrumental
• He plays only the acoustic guitar... but uses an interesting technique called "guitar-tapping" to make some pretty cool sounds.

To put it simply, his music is good mellow music: Stuff you might want to listen to when you're feeling thoughtful, or good background music for when you're working or have company over. I'd definitely give it a listen - it's a valuable addition to a good library. The album is called "Fates".

Fates
Alternate Link

Cookies!

Yay for free wireless internet! Extremely awesome.

On an unrelated note... Cookie Monster (of Sesame Street fame) has apparently recently appeared on Comedy Central's Colbert Report. Hilarity ensued.Ah, fun stuff. Stephen Colbert is a genius. And yes, I know this made the page explode. DEAL WITH IT!

Spinning

I often find that listening to music can help influence how I feel, or at least, I often listen to different kinds of music based on how I feel. Lately, though, I've been having a kind of hard time finding an accurate song. Last night, though, I finally found a good song: World Spins Madly On, by The Weepies. It's a really great song, I suggest you check the link. It's helped me a bit.

Also, I'll be leaving for a week at the beach in Delaware tonight, so don't expect as frequent updates. Still, I might be able to pop in once and a while.

Peace.

Worrrrrrrrdle!

I just found this site called Wordle.net, and it's really cool. Here's what it is: It's a free, non-profit word cloud generator.

Yes. Exciting. So very. Very. Exciting.

But seriously, now, it actually is pretty cool. Basically, all you do is type in a bunch of words, and it makes this really cool collage of all the words in it. Take, for example, me: I copied an outline of a speech I gave about energy independence and U.S. OPEC dependence, talking about how we need to get away from foreign oil. Here's what came out:
It's totally free. I suggest you check it out! Plus it's fun to say. Worrrrrrdle! ^^