greetings from...

adrianne and i took advantage of the long weekend by making it extra long (we took friday off, suckas) and setting off for lake placid. we didn't have too much planned except relaxing, getting room service and bobsledding.

the first went off without a hitch. we had a cozy room at hotel saranac with a king-sized bed and quiet neighbors. (there was a christian retreat at the hotel.) we also enjoyed the feeling of space provided by long views over frozen lakes.

our second objective was less fulfilling. neither of us had gotten room service before so we were excited to have breakfast delivered to our room saturday morning. our excitement quickly faded after receiving our meal. the plates arrived on a tray covered in plastic bowls instead of on the cart under silver covers we imagined from watching too many movies. unfortunately the food was even worse than the presentation and the bad food ended up being a theme of the trip.

the third item on our itinerary was a major success, bobsledding was awesome. when we got up to the starting point we were quickly given helmets and placed in a sled. before we knew it we were gently gliding down the course. two turns later and we were whipping through the curves. left, right, left, right, done. it was over. when i looked back adrianne had a dizzied look in her eyes, but she pulled herself together for the victory photo.


the snow that greeted us when we awoke on sunday made for a lovely, if sometimes tense, drive through the hills back to the interstate. it was a great trip and i'll try to add some more photos later.

update: we set a course record!
adrianne on the medal stand
me on the medal stand

fright night

adrianne and i went upstate last weekend to attend the world renowned headless horseman haunted hayride and houses. that's right, i said houses, plural. there's three of those bad boys.

at first i was a little skeptical and cynical with the bad teenage actors trolling the grounds as witches and the undead. but once we started the hayride i was a believer. from the start there were all manner of goblins, zombies, and ghosts jumping out of the dark woods scaring the crap out of everyone on board. the appearance of the eponymous horseman was great. because of the cool temperatures and the low, bright full moon the first thing i saw was the clouds of breath from the black horse's nostrils. i was an awesome image. sorry i couldn't capture it, no cameras allowed.

after the hayride there was a path to follow through a cornfield. this stage started with what felt like 50 yards but was probably more like 10 in total darkness. the whole time adrianne is holding on to me for dear life.

after the maze we made our way through each of the houses, each one ratcheting up the screams. the final house was great because of the way the ghouls would distract us until one of their comrades would come up behind us and scare the living daylights out of our group. it was a great production.

the image above is after we completed our harrowing journey. see how close we are? nothing brings people closer than ghosts and goblins jumping out of dark shadows in the cool autumn night.

let's go to the fair!

the dutchess county fair! it's the biggest fair in the state!

since the beach was a bust, adrianne and i were stuck inside. that is, until harrison called saying he, andy and jon were going to the dutchess county fair. adrianne, who is from dutchess county, and i burst into action and were out the door headed to brooklyn to catch a ride upstate. we made it into the fair in a flash, thanks to andy's driving, and we were on to the midway. there was food, livestock, and, of course, rides. i convinced adrianne to join me on the cliff hanger. look at us. we're flying!

after gorging on a smorgasbord of fair food, including corndogs, french fries, roasted corn dipped in a vat of butter, caramel apples, hot roast beef sandwiches, and apple crisp sundaes, we made our way to the shopping tents. there, andy bought a sharp brown vest and the rest of the boys tried on cowboy hats. "hey there, buck-a-roo."

after the fair, we all visited the pasquarelli compound where we enjoyed some rousing games of scrabble and scategories. the next morning, adrianne's dad made some delicious eggs for breakfast and we were out the door headed back to the city.

ill-adelphia

i went to philly last weekend...this happened. that's about all i can piece together.

philadelphia story

partydude took his show on the road this past weekend with his travel to philadelphia. while i was no c.k. dexter haven, i performed in a manner that would make mr. grant proud. i defended two ladies' honor by confronting a bum who was harassing them. i dipped and twirled women on the dance floor. and all of this was conducted with a drink in my hand. while that may be more characteristic of william powell, i think of cary grant as a man who never saw a cocktail he didn't like.
unlike cary grant, however, i didn't get the lady at the end of the night.

i had the pleasure of partying with the cutest girl in the room. we talked about movies, danced on ottomans and watched a fight break out. and the best part was she lives in manhattan. i might have a chance of seeing her again, which, as my readers know, is in contrast to my recent romantic escapades. all of this began to feel a little suspect. and i was right. she has a "boyfriend." what a disappointment.

there have been other grant impersonators in the past and they too got the girl before the lights came up. so maybe this isn't the end of the film, but simply the intermission.