The Digital Dabbler

OK.  So what?  So I took a blogging hiatus.  Big deal. 2009 was rough so I was a little busy cleaning up that mess. This latest post does not guarantee that I'm going to be blogging regularly but I'm mindful of the fact that I shouldn't neglect this.  Not for the one person who reads this blog, of course, but for myself.

And speaking of hiatus, I need one.  From life. Hot damn, I need a vacation.  It's been 2 years since I've been on a real vacay so I'm long overdue.  And no, my trip to Dallas in early February doesn't count. I am now 31 and painfully mindful of the fact that I haven't seen alot of this world. I've been to Canada and the Caribbean twice, respectively and Europe once.  And frankly, that's pitiful.

I will travel out of this country in 2010. This is not only a resolution but also a mandate. I'm setting some realistic goals.  First up, London.  No, I've never been to London.  And if I hear one more person tell me that it's not worth the money, or that it's such a boring, expensive, vanilla city, we'll act out that one scene in the Dark Knight..you know, the one with The Joker and the pencil?  I need to have the experience so I can come to the same conclusion.  Capisce?

And then I think I'll take advantage of a package deal.  I see alot of cheap packages to Ireland (think carefully about that pencil...) and Iceland (especially in the late Fall and Winter).  I think I'll just pull the trigger on one of those just to get a few more stamps in the passport. Or wherever there is an international travel deal, there will be me, agonizing over whether or not to put in my credit card info.

And what about the money?  Well it's no secret that I'm a foodie. So in order to realize my dreams this year, it's looking like I'm gonna have to make a foie gras and oyster sacrifice.  I see a lot of tuna noodle casserole dinners in my future.  And a whole lot of reality TV.  And Netflix.  Tonight's choice?  How about The Dark Knight?

Anniversaries and birthdays are big in my house.  And no one takes them more seriously than my husband.  He’s the King of decadence and indulgence when celebrating an annual event.  And our four year wedding anniversary on Friday, October 9 was no exception.  This year we celebrated our anniversary at Perry St in Manhattan. So worth the wait.

            Some people have been dissing the restaurant lately.  But I think that really has to do with the price point (high) and the people who post on the review sites I typically refer to (broke).  I’m looking at you, Yelp.com. But anyway, on to the food.  I could talk about the décor and ambience but I choose not to waste time on it.  It’s lovely.  Moving on to the food.

• Appetizer: I had the rice cracker crusted tuna crusted sushi in a sriracha-citrus emulsion (aka scallion cream sauce).  My husband had the japanese snapper sashimi with black truffle shavings.  Both dishes were quite decadent but mine was amazing.  Sorry, Stuart.

• Main Entrée: I had the “famed” fried chicken with mushroom spaetzle and some sort of extra extra gingery couscous concoction.  It was aiight. Stuart had the Butter Poached Lobster.  There were some other things on his plate but I’m not really sure and it really didn’t matter because I couldn’t stop sneaking bites of the whole thing.  I’m sure you can guess who won this round.

• Dessert: We shared the twice baked butter coookie with coconut cream and rasberries.  Very lovely close to a very lovely meal.

 Stuart’s November birthday can’t get here fast enough. Happy Anniversary!

OK so I’ve been laboring over one post for the past month.  Let’s just say I’ve had a bit of writer’s block.  I’m inspired to write when I’m in a positive state of mind. That’s ironic, since most writers find inspiration through angst and tragedy.  Not me.  I live life by balking at the status quo (ie. I don’t stress eat. I only eat when I’m happy…etc.), so writing just wasn’t in the cards for the last few weeks. 

To be honest, like a lot of New York City dwellers, I’m unemployed and it’s been a struggle trying to find work, even short term contract positions.  I also lost my car. After 8 years of dutiful, sentimental, disaster-free service, my little black 2001 Toyota Echo lost it’s life (to be specific: it’s front wheel axle) in an accident on the George Washington Bridge. And because of this, I lost a great Project Manager contract opportunity at a retail company in New Jersey as car transportation was essential to complete the assignment. 

I know, I should appreciate surviving such an awful accident.  But it’s hard to part with something that you’ve put so much love, care and frankly, a lot of money into.  But I needed a little time to realize that it was just a thing and my health and wellness mean so much more. 

I’m staying positive.  I didn’t want to post the original post I had planned a couple of weeks ago: Things I Learned This Summer, which would have turned out to be a negative, snarky re-hash of all the crap that’s happened this summer and in 2009 on a whole.  Instead, I’m moving forward, staying strong, and keepin’ it real…

Oh my stars.  Okay, I’ll stop with the star references.  Anyway, last night marked my second time dining at Brooklyn Star in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.  The first time I attended with my friends Martha and Caroline and last night with the husband.  Not sure why I didn’t remember portion sizes but ordering five dishes, even on an empty stomach, was way too much for two people.  Here’s a sampling of what we ordered:

• Pigtails: Pretty good but my only complaint is there isn’t enough meat on the bone.  Not Brooklyn Star’s fault, but still at $11, you’d think the little piggy wouldn’t have sacrificed its life in vain.

• Mac & Cheese: I definitely balked at the price.  I mean, $16 for noodles and cheese?  Seriously?  Seriously worth every penny, in fact.  The mac came out in a small cast iron skillet, obviously straight from the oven as it was still bubbling and too hot to touch.  When it cooled, the bottom stuck to the pan and gave it a nice, soft and crunchy synergy.   I highly recommend.

• Pan Roasted Okra: OK, I’m a huge okra fan.  I’ll eat it any way it’s prepared, kinda like Forrest Gump and shrimp: fried, boiled, pan fried, pan roasted…you get the idea.  And last night’s version, sauteed with onions and a whole lot of spice was no exception.  Awesome.

• Dr. Pepper Short Ribs: This dish was by far my husband’s favorite.  They were perfectly charred and the sauce was neither sweet nor too sour. Just right.  In fact, the husband and I agreed, we could have done without the pigtails as this dish was a suitable and heartier replacement.

• Cornbread with Jalopeno and Bacon: You have the option of ordering the cornbread without the jalopeno and bacon, but why?  This dish also came out in a cast iron skillet, hot from the oven.  And one new twist from my first visit to this most recent one: they now bring out a little bottle of honey.  Nice touch as it added a much needed sweetness to the savory. 

So, should you eat at Brooklyn Star?  Sure, if you’re in the mood for some down-home southern eatin’ and you don’t mind dropping a little dough. Will I be back? You’d have to pay me to stay away.

So last night I attended  Digital Dumbo #8 at Galapagos Art Space in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Digital Dumbo serves as a bridge to connect members of the Brooklyn digital community and each event is sponsored by a local digitally focused marketing and/or advertising agency.  Last night’s event was sponsored by space150, a digital agency with offices in Minneapolis, LA and NYC.  Their presentation (and really the entire mission of the agency) focused on the past 150 days and the next 150 days in the digital ad space.  While the presenters had a hard time engaging the audience, (open bar was kickin’ and poppin’ at top speed), their presentation was enlightening particularly in regard to their perspective on the future or what’s coming in the next 150 days of digital advertising. A few items of note:

• Roku: So I admit, I had never heard of Roku until last night. But the future of Roku is fascinating – particularly when it comes to gaming.  Now I’m not an intense gamer (see The Sims 3), but this is extreme immersion media. Check out Roku’s Reward (Mscape/HP Demo) to get a sense of the next phase of gaming. 

• Mobile Tagging: Wouldn’t it be cool if you aimed your mobile device at a neighborhood or a general location and it would be able to tell you where to find your local Target,  Best Buy, or tell you what kind of cuisine is served at the restaurant you’ve aimed your phone at, etc.? Yes, the iPhone already has apps in place that are doing something similar but I think space150 is predicting its expanse will be greater over the next 150 days. Not only is this convenient for the consumer but it’s also another sponsorship opportunity for big and small brands.  Yet another cool mobile advertising technique.

• Apple iPad (not to be mistaken with the MADTv parody): Don’t get it twisted.  This is not going to turn into another mac worshipping blog.  But this is KINDA cool.  

• The Tron 2 trailer. Insane. 

Those are the few things I remember.  Of course, 1) I wasn’t taking notes (just mental) and 2) I too was partaking in the free sangria, so detail is sparse.  But hey, the next 150 days looks pretty awesome to me.