Day one: Virginia Beach, a taste of Busch Gardens

virginia-beach

As mentioned in yesterday’s post, we were to get going at 3 a.m. It was about 4:30 before my father arrived at my apartment, but no matter; the trip was smooth and uneventful, and we made it to Virginia quickly enough. Continue reading

My vacation will dominate this week

loch-ness-monster

Starting at 3 a.m. today (this post is set for 9:30, so technically we’re on the road now), my family and I will be heading out on the road for a trip to Virginia first, and then, Massachusetts. We’re planning on spending five days in Virginia, seeing Williamsburg (and particularly, Virginia Beach), our old neighborhoods in Hampton and Poquoson, Virginia Beach, and hopefully a Norfolk Tides game in there as well. Then we’ll head to Massachusetts, first to see my grandmother on her birthday, and then to spend a couple of nights on Cape Code in Hyannis and head over to Nantucket for a day.

There’ll be some quieter days than others, but I hope to offer a fun account and thoughts about this year’s trip as a way to break up the blog (and give me something to write about while I’m gone). Let me know what you think in the comments!

Chipping in: How all those new credit cards will get issued

credit-card-chip

For years, credit card companies have been talking about “worldwide” cards that have a chip to allow use in certain countries overseas where a swipe isn’t deemed secure enough. Here in the U.S., that has been considered too inconvenient to switch to a chip and PIN system, that is, until the Target credit card debacle led to some thoughts over whether the protests were a bit too forceful. Continue reading

Melanie Dunea’s latest: Photo Tripping

melanie-dunea

I’ve had the opportunity to work with the talented Melanie Dunea for a few years now through the company I work for, Pixafy; the celebrity photographer is known for her “My Last Supper” book series, which features celebrities and chefs sharing what their last meal would be if it could be anything. She’s also got a strong philanthropic side, putting time into raising money for victims of Sandy and helping the New York City Food Bank, among others. Continue reading

Great picks from The Littlest Winslow

the-littlest-winslow-presents

This post is nothing more than a shameless plug for my friend and old college colleague Nick at The Littlest Winslow, who’s been mentioned here more than once in terms of music selections to which he’s introduced me. (He was the lead inspiration for the Music Other People Like series you find here as well.) Continue reading

Celebrities who knew how to play the game

match-game-somers-reilly-flagg

Celebrities and game shows have been linked since the beginning. For some shows, celebrities are brought in to liven up ratings (Millionaire and The Weakest Link were guilty of this a decade back, a couple among many). For others, they are a critical component of the game (think Hollywood Squares, where the jokes are what propel the tic-tac-toe game forward). For a third class, the show, and the chemistry within a panel or the star’s ability to play a game well, made the panel celebrities in their own right. Continue reading

Michelle Williams’ new song reunites her with Beyonce, Kelly Rowland

michelle-williams-beyonce-kelly-rowland

It’s crazy to realize it’s been a decade since the members of Destiny’s Child went their separate ways, but yet it has been since their last studio album. Meanwhile, all three have pursued separate solo endeavors, and have definitely seen their careers continue, even if some have been more successful than others. Continue reading

Sounds hiding in your favorite music

vinyl-records

Sometimes, for various reasons, music production leads to an occasional gaffe or sound being left in the final recording. Other times, hidden items are intentionally placed into a song. There is, of course, that third bucket where people think an item is embedded into a song, but it’s just the story of urban legend. Continue reading