Ah, the good ole days — when health professionals could mix together mysterious chemicals and distribute them to terrified and apparently freezing cold children without consequence.

See also: John standing next to a bunch of perfectly mixable chemicals.

This handy Google Maps map will help you locate the “The Pharmacist” in Old Town Alexandria, VA. After completing your mime, check out Joe Theismann’s Restaurant just across the street. They actually play the Arizona Cardinals games on a regulation-sized TV and have best chicken wings in the area. (By “area”, I mean, “universe”, and by “universe”, I mean, “Old Town Alexandria”)

View Larger Map

1.  Who is Thank You Rosekind?
2.  New album, Attention Intention!
3.  Summer Tour with Little Band of Sailors
4.  Pictures

1. Thank You Rosekind consists of artists and musicians Michael G. Bauer and Joel Chartkoff. They aim to express various forms of gratitude through song, dance and the visual spectrum. To learn more about TYR, read this recent interview by Emily Currier in Impose Magazine. Find them on Facebook.

2. Listen to recent songs from Attention Intention: www.attentionintention.com

3. Upcoming Shows. We are excited to go on tour with Little Band of Sailors.

June 15 • Assemble, 5125 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA
June 16 • Mexicans sans Frontiers, 120 S Division #226, Grand Rapids, MI
June 17 • Co-Prosperity Sphere, 3219-21 South Morgan Street, Chicago, IL
June 18 • Empty Bottle @ Andrew Rafacz Gallery, Chicago, IL
June 20 • Charleston Inc., 2076 N Hoyne Ave., Chicago, IL
June 21 • Park Bar, Detroit, 2040 Park Ave., Detroit, MI
June 23 • Garfield Artworks, 4931 Penn Ave., Pittsburgh, PA
June 24 • Hamilton Arts Collective, 5440 Harford Road, Baltimore, MD
July 14 • Space15Twenty, 1520 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Los Angeles, CA
July 17 • Human Resources, 410 Cottage Home St., Los Angeles, CA

4. They will be updating their band photo blog routinely during the tour.  It’s called 1000 Affections.

Thank you.

For the first time since 1998 when I was home sick and accidentally watched Total Request Live on MTV, I can admit to watching a Carson Daly-related television show (by 1:30am, I am usually closer to waking up than to my bedtime). I couldn’t have picked a better one.

This Last Call with Carson Daly segment features Anthony Ameen, a retired Navy Corpsman and founder of Wings for Warriors, a non-profit organization that provides support to combat wounded servicemembers returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

As you learn in the interview, (and this CNN video), Ameen knows first-hand the physical and mental challenges experienced by wounded warriors. In 2008, while operating in Afghanistan with the 2nd Batallion/7th Marines – 1st Marine Division, he lost the lower half of his left leg and endured injuries to his left hand and fingers. Thirty surgeries later, he started Wings for Warriors to help other wounded warriors and families who face the same challenges on the road to recovery.

Wings for Warriors helps provide guidance counseling related to healthcare, financial, and legal benefits; financial assistance to help family members visit wounded loved ones at military and hospital facilities; and builds public awareness about the unique challenges faced by wounded warriors.

To learn more about the organization or to donate money, visit the Wings for Warriors website. Thanks to my Michael for passing this along.

Please join me in congratulating this year’s duo of OscarFest Champions: first-time winner Allison Hawley and second-time winner Eric Doty. In a feat that can only be described as “ridiculous”, Allison and Eric scored a ridiculous 19 correct picks out of 24. Seriously?

Visit OscarFest 2011 to see how you stacked up against all 138 participants. You’re sure to find at least a few friends who did worse than you.

Thanks to several generous contributions, $235 will be donated in the Champions’ names to 1n10, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. Allison and Eric may have earned the OscarFest crown (and complimentary OscarFest Snuggie), but, in the end, we are all winners.

Thanks again for taking part in the greatest and best OscarFest the world has ever seen… EVER! (until next year)

This was the only logical next step.

OscarFest 2011 is back and better than ever!  Thanks to Eric, we have a great new multi-functional OscarFest website, and, thanks to Arlene, my head has once again been plopped seamlessly onto a shiny Oscar statue. Let’s get down to business!

Haven’t see any movies? Don’t worry! OscarFest is so easy a child could do it. In fact, we regularly have infants who score better than their parents simply by mashing their hands about the keyboard. Now THAT is bonkers!

Here is how you participate:

1. Register if you’re new or log in using your email address from last year.
2. Make your picks by Sunday February 27 at 8pm eastern.
3. Join our Facebook Fan Page.

Even if you don’t win, I promise that you will enjoy identifying those who did worse than you and mocking them at future social events.

If that isn’t enough incentive, we’re donating $70 (and growing) in the Champion’s name to 1n10, a non-profit organization dedicated to serving and assisting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth. It’s an effort to have fun and help people.

Visit OscarFest and see what everyone (~34 people) are talking about!

As part of a collaboration on the Changing Planet series, Science for Citizens is partnering with a climate research project at the University of Waterloo called SnowTweets. To help researchers track climate change, we’re asking people to grab a ruler, go outside, and measure the depth of snow wherever you happen to be. Then, report the data here. Pretty easy.

With the help of friends and family, I was able to produce the above video to show people just how easy it is to contribute. The video went decidely not viral, despite enjoying a presence on the Science for Citizens blog and Discover Magazine’s Intersection.

Thanks to everyone who helped out! Enjoy the below image of me holding a ruler while laying on a snow-covered bench outside of my office in my work clothes. It makes sense.

The chin-rub and reminding the high school student that combined you have six more degrees than they do are two of the most effective maneuvers. Can you name any others?

Two additional noteworthy items from today’s Wakefield High School Science Fair judging experience: 1) Kel and I probably learned more about soil absorption during this student’s presentation than we will learn for the rest of our lives combined times 40, and 2) neither of us were judges in the Earth Sciences category.

If you were in my 2010 Fantasy Football league, this is the team that would have annihilated you.

Kurt’s Warner

Offense
QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
WR Calvin Johnson Detroit Lions
WR Lance Moore, New Orleans Saints
RB Jamaal Charles Kansas City Chiefs
RB Matt Forte Chicago Bears
TE Randy McMichael San Diego Chargers
W/R Ahmad Bradshaw NY Giants

Kickers
Mason Crosby Green Bay Packers

Defense/Special Teams
New England Patriots

Bench
Todd Heap (Bal – TE)
Matt Ryan (Atl – QB)
Antonio Gates (SD – TE)
Mario Manningham (NYG – WR)
Terrell Owens (Cin – WR)

Michael offers the first international contribution to the growing MimeFest catalog by miming this sign in Vietnam. We may never know if the sign depicts a pedestrian or the piano scene from Big.

It’s always a great feeling to know you can help out a friend in need over the holidays. Like when Jen asked me to Photoshop a Santa hat onto Ron Jeremy’s head for her holiday greeting card.

Two noteworthy items in the screen capture below: 1) The Mariah Carey in Santa hat with dog photo, which provided the source material for the hat, and 2) Jen now having the #1 Google Image search result for ‘Ron Jeremy in Santa Hat.” Congratulations?

This Science Cheerleader home-made holiday cheer really conveys just how much attention I command on-screen when wearing a Santa costume.

There is nothing I like more than anything that I do. So, i encourage you to check out this Science Cheerleader interview I conducted with my friend and colleague, Arlene!

The AZ Republic is reporting that my good friend JD (Javan) Mesnard has won the 2010 Republican primary for the Arizona House of Representatives, District 21. Things are looking good for Javan — he’s all but assured of taking office in January because no Democrats are on the November 2 ballot.

Congrats, Javan!

I was recently convinced against all of my conventional wisdom to support my friend Jen and her happy fun baby in their efforts to win the 2010 Parents Magazine 2010 Cover Contest. It was very easy. I went to the webbed site and clicked “VOTE FOR ME”. The only other requirement was to verify my vote by entering the words below. Ridiculous.

This dangerous behavior resulted in immediate removal from the Air and Space Museum.

Here’s Michael looking sharp on the Market Optical blog.

My long-time friend, Javan Mesnard, announced that he’ll be running for the Arizona House of Representatives next year. The Arizona Guardian covered the story this afternoon, and I’ve successfully copied and pasted it below. Congratulations and best of luck, Javan!

Senate staffer jumps into House race

Thursday, 10 December 2009
By Dennis Welch
The Arizona Guardian

A longtime policy advisor to Republicans in the Senate says he’s running for an open seat in the House next year.

Javan Daniel Mesnard, 29, said he intends to open a committee on Friday and start campaigning in Dist. 21, which includes a large part of Chandler.

Mesnard, a Republican, has worked at the Senate for the past eight years, serving as an advisor to numerous committees dealing with issues ranging from education to transportation.

His last day is today. Mesnard says he’s considered running for a while because he wants to be the one making the final decisions.

“There’s a lot you can do as a staffer,” he said. “But you’re still working for someone else.”

He says he’ll have an official website up within the next couple of days and plans on running under the name of J.D. Mesnard.

“That has nothing to do with J.D. Hayworth although it doesn’t hurt,” he said.

Mesnard has already picked up two prominent endorsements from lawmakers in his legislative district, Reps. Steve Yarbrough and Warde Nichols, who are both Republicans.

“I think he’s a fabulous candidate,” said Yarbrough, who is thinking about running for the Senate next year. “He’s smart and talented and I really hope he makes it through.”

Two other Republicans have filed to run for the seat, Jeff Vance and Venessa Whitener. If everything works out as planned, Mesnard says he will be running as a team along with Yarbrough and Vance.

Nichols is prohibited from running for re-election because state law limits the number of consecutive terms a lawmaker can serve in the same office.

The district is solidly in Republican hands as Republicans currently hold both seats in the House as well as the seat in the Senate. The GOP also enjoys a big registration advantage, out numbering Democrats by roughly 20,000 in the East Valley district.

According to the Secretary of State’s website, there are about 58,500 registered Republicans, 38,700 registered Democrats and 43,203 voters not affiliated with the two major parties.

Ian is in the band, Deville. He also looks like this statue of Caeser, which gained considerable poularity after Laura mimed it in Caesar’s Palace. There is pretty much nothing else about Ian that I would like you to know at this point.

I’ve really been into user-generated content lately, so I was extremely pleased when Laura sent me this mime from Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. Three stars for the mime and another half star for navigating the Vegas crowds to find a piece of historical art.

That being said, I’d much rather have a mime of that strange little naked man-child thing holding onto Caesar’s leg.

It’s been 1o months since the Cardinal lost to the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII, and today I finally looked at the pictures taken during our Super Bowl party. It may sound ridiculous, but I honestly feel so much residual pain from the experience that I couldn’t bring myself to revisit that day until now.

People that have followed an even mildly successful sports franchise will never understand what it is like to be a Cardinals fan. Since forever, they have been the laughing stock of not just the NFL but the entire sports world. Detroit Lions fans get it . Los Angeles Clippers fans get it. People who cheer for the Yankees or the Broncos simply do not understand what it is like to support a team that has zero chance of ever winning anything.  Cowboys fans, Steelers fans, Lakers fans are all given credit for being such amazing supporters, but really, cheering for a winner isn’t the best way to measure devotion.

Last year, Cardinals fans finally had a chance to feel like a winner. When Larry Fitzgerald scored the go-ahead touchdown in the Super Bowl, 20 years of pain was almost instantaneously dissolved, only to rematerialize 10-fold a few minutes later when Santonio Holmes scored the game-winning touchdown. While Steelers fans were ho-hum happy about their SIXTH Super Bowl, it was absolutely devastating to true Cardinals fans. Our only chance in 20 years, and possibly, our last chance for another 20.

It was a a day of extreme highs and lows that I had experienced only a few times in my life. Is that sad? Sort of. Sports are fundamentally about entertainment. But, when you commit yourself to supporting something–a person, a cause, or a sports team–your pride and happiness are also at stake, and it doesn’t matter how seemingly trivial that something might be. Thus, while I am admittedly embarrassed to still be unable to watch Super Bowl XLIII highlights, I am proud to have supported the Cardinals in their best and worst moments.

Anyway, this is a meaningless discussion since the Cardinals are guaranteed to win the Super Bowl in 2010.

Of the 6.022 x 10^23 reasons that I love my mom, one of them is not her ability to perform complex arial maneuvers.  I award her no points, and may God had mercy on my soul.

For some reason, Google Alerts just now picked up the 2005 Arizona Republic article that featured Pejman as an “obsessed” Cardinals fan and me as perhaps the most incoherent person in the history of the world:

“I can remember five or six times a year, walking back to the car before the game was over, sunburned and totally dejected,” Ohab said. “What remains so vivid in my mind is walking through the trenches before the game was over – those fences they had around the field – leaving the game, an 11-year-old kid trying to look in, as we were leaving because they were down by 20 or 30 points.”

Um, what? Anyway, click here to read the full article.

It may be hard to believe, but this is the only known photo of man doing an impression of Kiefer Sutherland doing a mime of Chief Seattle.

My friend and colleague, Dr. Jessica Palmer, who you might remember from such science blogs as BioEphemera, was recently featured in a Powell’s Books article written by Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum. I’ve copied and pasted the article below, likely breaking several copyright and distribution laws in the process, but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. THAT is how cool she is.

The New Scientists
By Chris Mooney and Sheril Kirshenbaum
August 6th, 2009

Perhaps our nation’s scientific illiteracy isn’t merely an educational problem, but rather a matter of personnel — one whose solution is already struggling to emerge from universities.

÷ ÷ ÷

To qualify as a scientist, Jessica Palmer has ticked off all the right boxes. She received her Ph.D. from a top research institution, the University of California at Berkeley, in molecular and cell biology. She published original research, on the genetics of nervous system development in fruit flies, in Neuron and BMC Neuroscience. And at a time when academic jobs are scarce, especially in the biological sciences, she won a tenure-track faculty position after graduating, and started to pull in grants.

But then she gave it all up. She started a science blog called Bioephemera and went to work in science policy in Washington, D.C. This fall, she will matriculate at Harvard Law School.

“I was labeled pretty early on a troublemaker, for not wanting to go the research routeI was labeled pretty early on a troublemaker, for not wanting to go the research route,” laughs Palmer when asked about her career choices. It started at Berkeley, where she felt constrained by the limited teaching experience and scant opportunities to bring her work out of the lab and into the public arena. “In graduate school,
everybody wants you to publish your first three or four first author papers, and then go on to a postdoc,” says Palmer. Yet she wanted to write for nonscientific audiences. Soon she helped found a publication, the Berkeley Science Review, to give young scientists the chance to do just that.

Palmer is one of a growing number of young interdisciplinary scientists for whom the traditional career path — a trip through the academic pipeline that eventually ends in becoming a version of one’s mentor, a professor — makes less and less sense. In a recent survey of more than 1,000 science graduate students and postdoctoral fellows at another top research school, the University of California at San Francisco, less than half described becoming academic researchers as their top career choice. Instead, these young scientists want to take their degrees into industry or the policy world, into the media or K-12 education.

For some senior researchers, that’s a very good thing. Young talents like Palmer should “no longer be viewed as deserting science,” wrote Bruce Alberts, the editor-in-chief of Science and former president of the National Academy of Sciences, in a recent editorial. That’s especially the case, Alberts observed, since having such researchers leave the ivory tower and filter out into the world would have the beneficial effect of “increasing contacts between scientists and the rest of society.”

Yet at the same time, the science education system doesn’t really know what to do with these Leonardos, and rarely trains them for what they’ll encounter in non-research careers. More traditionally minded faculty members may look askance at their plans of academic abandonment. The young scientists themselves may be afraid to tell their mentors what they’re really thinking — or they may be told, as Palmer was, that they’re committing “career suicide.”

As for the careers they seek, careers that might help reconnect science and society — it’s true: they often don’t even exist.

÷ ÷ ÷

Perhaps, then, it’s time to make the case for the young Renaissance scientist — to argue that she or he deserves both an academic and also a cultural embrace; that such nontraditional career choices should be encouraged, rather than viewed with suspicion; and even that the training of scientists itself ought to change to make becoming a Jessica Palmer less of a struggle. In fact, a surprisingly strong argument can be made that young interdisciplinary scientists who leave the confines of academia are not only good for the country, but also for universities and even for corporate America, especially at a time when preserving the nation’s scientific competitiveness is a concern of presidents.

(Read the rest of the article)

Don’t worry. You are simply witnessing an illusion created through forced perspective and innovative optical imaging technology. Marty is still the tallest singular entity in the universe.

I’m a real boyyyyyyyyyyy

One of my favorite memories from our recent trip to St. Louis was visiting Citygarden, a downtown oasis full of lush plantings and impressive sculptures, which, in addition to a system of 102 water fountains known as “Splash Plaza” (aka “hookworm central”, in the background), features a 14′ 7-1/2″ painted bronze statue of Pinocchio that is perfect for public miming.

When I arrived in Pittsburgh to watch the NFL draft with Dr. Brian/Josh, I noticed a glaring juxtaposition at the Pittsburgh International Airport. In the lobby, there stood a statue of George Washington, the father of our country and one hell of a model American. Next to him? A statue of Franco Harris as he appeared during the Immaculate Reception, perhaps the most famous play in football history besides every play made by the Arizona Cardinals.

Is this juxtaposition worthy of Bioephemera‘s long-running “Juxtaposition” series? How many more times can I say juxtaposition before people starting getting uncomfortable? These questions and more will be covered in the next edition of JuxtapositionFest 2009.

Let’s talk about the reasons that your family is getting hit by cars and start with the fact that they’re looking into the sky when crossing the street.

A-Muse-ing

When AnHUGE and I volunteered for Servathon 2009, we weren’t thinking about individual recognition or accolades. We were thinking about America’s youth and their right to an enriching educational experience. But, I suppose when you dedicate a single Saturday morning each year to cleaning and painting elementary school bathrooms, you’re bound to inspire at least one piece of public art. This year, our commitment to teamwork, excellence, and yellow-green doors led to this beautiful artwork on the Wilbur J. Cohen Building (across from the Air and Space Museum).

What will we inspire next year?

After a satisfying 4-2 regular season, Change You Can Bocce was dominated by its milk chocolate-colored opponent, BB Chocolate, 16-8 in the first round of the playoffs. It was bad, folks. Real bad. NBA Finals Game 1, Lakers vs. Magic bad. And, we were the Magic, except nobody on our team was rocking the Stan Van Gundy mustache and only three of us can two-handed windmill dunk a basketball.

There are a number of reasons that could explain our rapid fall from grace. Maybe it was the unpredictable regular season schedule. Maybe it was The Captain’s inability to convince teammates to actually wear their $40 Teal uniforms during match play. Maybe we shouldn’t have discontinued our rigorous pre-game partner stretching routine. Maybe we should have given she-who-has-not-been-nicknamed a suitable nickname to go along with Dr. Clutch, The Captain, The Enforcer, The Beast, Mr. Awesome, An-HUGE and Unkle Unkool. Only time will teal.

I would like to formally apologize to our sponsors–though, it was your decision to sign us to a heavily front-loaded contract–and to the DC Bocce League for our embarrasing performance. We realize this means you will have to cancel the rest of the Spring Bocce playoffs, forfeit many nights of enjoyment at the Pour House, and delay the championship trophy presentation until next season when we return to form.

Unteal next season… Change You Can Bocce OUT!

I’m proud to announce the first episode in an original video series that I’m producing for Science Cheerleader.com, a blog that promotes public involvement in science and builds awareness around important science policy issues. The project took shape this March when I met Science Cheerleader at the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin. After her panel, Back Off Man, I’m a Scientist: User-Generated Discovery, we discussed a number of possibilities for creatively engaging her audience and encouraging them to participate in science projects, including a video series that would “show by doing”.

In each episode, I will be taking part in local citizen science projects, interviewing volunteers and project administrators, and reporting back on my experiences. Armed with a bottom-tier HD camcorder, whichever friend I can con into holding the camera, and virtually no audio/visual editing skills, I hope to demonstrate first-hand just how easy and fun science can be. Am I up to the challenge?

This first adventure with Casey Trees relied entirely on the steady camera work of Jackie Marks, several hours of audio/visual production training providing by my Uncle Rob, and the glorious music of Princess Ladyfriend. It was a true team effort, and I think we did a great job representing Casey Trees and their efforts to restore and protect the Washington DC tree canopy.

Science Cheerleader has quite a web presence. You can find her on ScienceCheerleader.com, Twitter, and her Facebook group, Open the OTA with Citizen Input, which is part of a larger effort to encourage Congress to reopen the Office of Technology Assessment.

Rock, Paper, MimeFest

Michael and Lindsor’s recent trip to Washington, D.C., provided a wonderful opportunity to experience the history, culture, and vitality of our great nation’s capital. Most importantly, it provided a plethora of opportunities to photograph complex aerial mimes next to popular civic statues and memorials.

We got the ball rolling in Lafayette Park, where French General, Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau stands immortalized, gesturing demonstratively toward the Potbelly’s Sandwich Works on 12th Street. General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau is well known for supporting the American Revolution by commanding French troops to fight the British army. He also has the longest name in the history of the world. But you already knew that. What you probably didn’t know is that General Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau would inadvertently inspire a generation of children to replace the traditional “Rock, Paper, Scissors” with his 4th last name, pronounced phonetically, “Ro-cham-bo”.

As for Michael, I award him five points with a great deal of hesitation. He nailed the aerial maneuver and the pointing, and we sure as heck learned a lot of important history. But, where was the colonial outfit, the gingivitis and the giant map that were so common in those times?

I would pretty much sell my soul for a Potbellys sandwich right now.

Check out Bioephemera‘s very thoughtful blog post about the Defense Department’s new audio webcast, Armed with Science, which I host every Wednesday at 2pm ET. In her post, she discusses this week’s interview with former AAAS Fellow, Dr. Mark Drapeau, a researcher at National Defense University’s Center for Technology and National Security Policy, who is studying how social technologies are impacting the way government agencies share information, collaborate, and communicate with the public. After reading her post, you should visit Pentagon Web Radio by clicking here and listen to our interview with Dr. Drapeau, as well as our previous shows. They are really interesting.

Bioephemera also mentions in her post the soon-to-be world famous send-off, “You’ve been SCIENCED,” but she incorrectly gives me credit for inventing the term. Indeed, I take full credit for bringing this phenomenon into popular culture, but it was Bioephemera herself who actually turned “science” into a verb. What a concept!

There is no limit to the number of ways in which you can use “science” as an action word. Feel free to come up with your own and post them in the comments section. Let’s try a few to get things started. This is fun!

“If you’re not busy for lunch, I’d like to science you.”

“I got scienced four times this morning on the way to work.”

“Science THIS!”

“Don’t mind him. He inadvertently sciences people all the time.”

“Stop sciencing me. No, seriously, I’m not kidding. Stop.”

* Linzer Binzer of the Day: Courtesy of this pile of delicious cookies at the Firehook in Dupont. First Linzer Binzer of 2009. Great to keep the tradition alive.

Devon: I will win!

Marygrace: I can hardly wait to come in 80th this year!

Jessica: I am ashamed to say I have only seen one of these films. OK – I just watched Oktapodi. Now I’ve seen two! At any rate, if I do well at all, it will be because I am able to assess a film’s chance of winning based entirely on how angsty the actors look in a 40 pixel screenshot, how “serious” the color palette looks, and how pretentious the title of the film sounds. That’s MY winning algorithm – utter ignorance making snap judgments, all the way!

Beth: I only saw the Dark Knight, Ironman and Wall-e…how sad is that?

Karl: I will finish dead last in this since I know virtually nothing about any of these films. GO CARDINALS SUPER BOWL CHAMPS

Maral: Write-in candidates next time, dood.

Marina: Thanks for the opportunity to play!

Bardia: GO WALL-E

Patrick: Like last year, this is a shot in the dark since I’ve seen exactly none of these movies…

Ellie: Brangelina mania is already too out of control, so I truly hope neither member of the pretty pair gets picked.

Joan: John, I’m afraid I’m going to have a nightmare tonight after seeing your head on top of Oscar’s body! It’s kinda freaky! Go Sean Penn!
Geoff: Half these movies I haven’t seen. Guess I’m relying on a little luck here…

Alyson: Let’s DO this!!!

Mike: I have no idea what some of these movies are…so i guessed.

Gita: Thanks John

Dane: Film V.S. DIGI.

Oggie: I’m hoping I have at least one correct answer.

Grandmar Barbieri: Hi, Dr. John, I plan to win this time!

Gene: Going for broke yet again. Hopefully, I can hit the big zero this year. Failure is the only option! And no – I WILL NOT WATCH THE OSCARS NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU PAY ME!

Carla: It’s a crapshoot!

Lisa: Victory will be mine by the Power of Grayskull!

Theo: Somehow, somewhere, I smell an upset. I don’t know how; I don’t know where. But it’s in the air.

Tim: Nice work, Jono!

Grammy: I am a sure winner!

Kathy: I feel REALLY good about 7 of my choices.

Frank: I never win anything, maybe I will get the golden Oscar this year.

Anna: I’m pretty sure this is the crappiest ballot EVER!

Mark: I admit it’ll be hard to repeat this year – I’ve included way too many sentimental choices…

Brian/Josh: I can foresee no possible situation where I do not win.

Dave: Movies may be the entertainment king of today, but tomorrow will be the paddleball’s day in the sun.

Mary: Hope to be enjoying Oscar night with your mom!

Roger: I guarantee that I win. If not I will double your money. Please send me all of it.

Karen: I hope you’re doing well. Thanks for keeping the OscarFest alive!

Michael : I’m sure I failed big time! 2005 was my year!!!

Jen: One of these days, I will reign again.

The Pejman: Cardinals!

Songlin: Have fun!

Pedrom: This is my year!

Tim: Why am I not nominated on any of these lists?

Jerry: Greetings to all you movie lovers out there. For the 2nd consecutive year I am attempting to be voted Miss Congeniality of the Oscars. Could this be my year?

Ashwini: Thanks John!

Mark: Saw VI wasn’t nominated?

Steve: Just hand me the winning papers.

Jemal: I voted everything Slumdog…. but I’m really mad still that Wall-E wasn’t in Best Picture… HONK!

Jamie: these are the best GUESSES I could come up with

Sarah: Emily made me do it…

Drew: He’s towering over everybody!

Sarah: But we’re all winners just for being nominated…and why yes, I am wearing Chanel, but my swag bag goes to your charity Ohab!

Megan: I haven’t seen most of these movies, so if I do well it’s purely a stroke of luck…

Jag: Good job!

Tim: Hopefully, I beat random test picks this year!

Matt: Betting big on Benjamin. Could be a good bet, could be horribly wrong.

Eric: I haven’t seen any of these movies!

From Michael’s “Based on a True Story” series of thank you cards. Talk about a crazy night!

• The audio-visual coordination was so uneven that it often took 5 full seconds for a person’s actions to reflect the words or music they produced. At times, this was hilarious, but other times, for instance, during Obama’s speech, it was almost embarrassing.
• I stood in the same spot right next to the Smithsonian Museum in the middle of the Mall from approximately 6:30am to 1pm. That’s a personal record.
• I used a port-a-potty at about 6:15am for no reason other than so I could later say I used one of the of port-a-pottys. I actually feel sort of fulfilled.
• At one point, I was actually booed by about five Pittsburgh Steelers fans who saw my Arizona Cardinals beanie. I smiled.
• On the way home, I helped a man having a panic attack hurdle a large barrier so he could lay on the ground and gain his composure.
• My roommate showed up 2 hours after me and ended up just 20 yards behind me.
• I still haven’t searched for news articles that might explain why Dick Chaney was in a wheelchair because I prefer to make up my own reasons.
• Obama’s speech was amazing.
• I wore a Cardinals beanie and sweatshirt that both had a red, white and blue color scheme. Barack Obama’s campaign logo was also red, white, and blue. The American flag consists of three colors which just so happen to be red, white, and blue. Coincidence? I think not.

Here is my picture album. Enjoy looking at that pictures and imagining you were there with me.

Cardinals in Super Bowl + Obama in White House = best weekend ever

We were freezing.

Congratulations! Click HERE to read the actual article.

January 11, 2009

Inna Dexter, Benjamin Nussdorf

Inna Dexter, the daughter of Marina Dexter and Igor Dexter of Langhorne, Pa., was married Saturday evening to Benjamin Arthur Franco Nussdorf, a son of Melanie Franco Nussdorf and Lawrence C. Nussdorf of Washington. Rabbi Jeffrey A. Wohlberg officiated at the Mandarin Oriental in Washington.

The bride and bridegroom, both 26, met while attending the University of Pennsylvania, from which they graduated.

The bride, who is keeping her name, is an associate in the Washington office of Clifford Chance, the London law firm. She received her law degree from Georgetown.

Her father owns and manages commercial and residential buildings in Philadelphia. Her mother is a radiology technician, conducting ultrasonographs, at the Mercer campus of the Capital Health System, in Trenton.

The bridegroom is a presidential management fellow in Washington at the Minerals Management Service of the Interior Department. He works on special projects, appeals of administrative orders and development of regulations. He received a law degree from American University in Washington.

His mother is a partner in the Washington law firm Steptoe & Johnson and is a board member of the Jewish Community Center in Washington and the Buffalo Seminary, a college preparatory school for girls in Buffalo. His father is the president of Clark Enterprises, a real estate, construction and investment company in Bethesda, Md., and is on the executive board of the Washington chapter of the Anti-Defamation League and also the Washington Scholarship Fund.

With the bocce season on hiatus, each member of The Greatest and Best Team in the World is free to pursue their own personal endeavors (that is, in addition to our rigorous off-season nutrition, acupuncture, and exercise regiment). For example, Jennufine and the Captain pass their time as Citizen Foresters with Casey trees; the one individual whose nickname did not pass our nickname-vetting process worked for the Obama campaign; and the others prefer a quieter, low-profile experience.

The same cannot be said for The Beast, who throughout the year will be appearing on A&E’s The Beast, a gritty crime drama about a veteran FBI agent assigned to a new partner, unaware that he was recruited as a double agent to investigate his activities. Thrilling! Don’t worry–all of the episodes are scheduled to film prior to the Bocce season to ensure The Beast will not miss a single throw.

Please tune into A&E to support one of your own, The Beast, if not to preserve the sanctity of DC Bocce, then certainly because The Greatest and Best Team in the World (representing The Beast) has signed an incentive-laden, back-end contract deal based on the show’s performance.

Unleash the Beast!