I Speak; Therefore, I Write in a Similar Fashion

I've been told by a few people that they can literally "hear" my voice when they read my writing. I like to think of my writing style as a combination of wholesome, snarky, sarcastic and (hopefully) concise.

Well now there's a website that tells me what famous author I write like!

I write like
David Foster Wallace

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

I have actually never read any of this famed author and essayist's pieces. If anyone has, 1) Is it any good? 2) Do I really write like him?

Granted, a website that "analyzes" a part of my blog, and then a second later tells me I sound like this guy, probably isn't all that accurate. But if I ever had dreams of becoming a famous author, maybe this is a hint about what style of writing I should try.

Wow Sam, this is a random blog post. I know.

My Google homepage keeps popping up in German. I'm not the only one in my office with that problem. Has anyone else had foreign issues with Google?

My brother completed the New York City Triathlon this weekend. He currently holds the title of "Superman" to me right now. Especially surviving the 90+ degree heat. He also competed in the 1.7 mile Underwear Run the Friday before, but for the sake of his dignity, I won't post those photos online.

While he was burning hundreds of calories competing, I sampled 12 different kinds of ice cream at the New Jersey Ice Cream Festival. Sad to say, the festival was insanely crowded and most of the ice cream (minus the key lime pie flavor) was just so-so. I think beside the Key Lime, this random flavor of vanilla that wasn't even entered in the contest was my favorite.

I'm counting down until the start of Season 4 of Mad Men. I blame my Dad for sucking me into it, but it's AMAZING! And look here, the secretary who I'm convinced has crazy eyes had decided to take her baby blues to Playboy.

I'm also counting down the days until my friend Lauren and her boyfriend,Tad, move to NYC. Lauren got an amazing job in the city and I'm super stoked to have a UMD friend in the neighborhood. I think Steve; however, is more excited for the twice-baked potatoes she makes.

Super busy the next few weeks at work and weekends with family and friends. This is shaping up to be quite a lovely Summer in the city!

Pilates in the Park

It's a good thing I watch the news and read newspapers. How would I know that it's freakin' hot outside without them?

It's day two of Hotmagaddon (it's like Snowpocalypse, only hotter) and I haven't completely melted yet. My subway car had no air conditioning this morning (awful!), but besides that, I'll keep praying to the A/C Gods that my little window A/C that could keeps pumping that sweet, sweet cold air.

Even with the temperature rising, I thought an 100 degree day was the perfect time to take a free outdoors pilates class. I'm serious.

The recently renovated Brooklyn Bridge Park is offering free pilates classes every Tuesday until Labor Day, and I would be a fool to pass up free gym classes. So I brought my mat to work and sprinted out of the office to make it to class on time.

I was sweaty by the time I got to class (not good); however, I hydrated all day at work (very good), so I was ready to face the heat. I hadn't been to the park before, but I had heard that it was very pretty and had great views of the bridge and downtown Manhattan, and it did not disappoint.

Pretty decent quality for a 2-year-old Sprint Flip Phone. Take that IPhone! And look how many people showed up! I'm not the only crazy one!

I made sure to get a spot next to the river so I could really feel the breeze from the water. Granted, it wasn't much cooler than the air temperature, but I'll take what I can get. I almost completely forgot how hot it was as soon as the class picked up the pace. Then I saw how sweaty I was when I got home, and I remembered.

Anyway, the class kicked my butt (well more like kicked my abs, arms and back) into shape and I left feeling absurdly sweaty, but really proud of myself for facing the heat and getting in a really interesting workout.

I plan on going as much as I can. Anyone in NYC looking for an exercise buddy?

Maine: The Way Life Should Be

We passed the "Welcome to Maine" sign, and that slogan greeted us as we cruised up I-95. I thought at first, "Wow super northern state, is life really that fantastic up here? Is this really how life should be?"

Summertime answer: Yes, yes it should.

I'm not going to campaign that this is the way we should live all year round. Granted, the water stays a constant 55 degrees around Bar Harbor all year, leaving it cooler in the summer and slightly less cold than the rest of the state in the winter. But still. Who wants to be in Maine in January? A New York winter is enough for me!

But enough of that. Our vacation was beyond fantastic. And here is a list of reasons why:

1. Clean air. I did not realize just how smelly NYC was until I left it...smelt fresh air...and then came back.
2. The Inn at Bay Ledge. We stayed here our first two nights. Delicious breakfast in the morning. Afternoon tea at 4pm. The most comfortable bed...ever. Friendly staff (that brought their dogs to play in the morning!) And steps away from these views:

This is the view from the porch while we were eating breakfast

From the stairs down to the pebble shore

The perfect place to look for clear, brown, green and blue sea glass.

3. Lobster lobster and more lobster. Those crustaceans tasted like they walked from the water, cooked themselves and then sat happily on my plate. By far the best place was a lobster pound on the side of the road. Yes, lobster on the side of the road. Better than any 5-star restaurant.

Doesn't it look like it's saying, "Eat me please?" Don't mind if I do.

4. Acadia National Park. Beautiful scenery, fantastic hiking/biking trails. The campsites were quite crowded (thumbs down), but besides that, our overnight provide me with the perfect combination of sweat, dirt and smoke on many of my clothes.
5. Ice Cream! We ate some much. So tasty.
6. Downtown Bar Harbor. Such a cute town with tons of restaurants, shops and bars. We went into one bar to avoid some rain and ended up staying for 2+ hours talking with the bartender and getting fed free drinks. That's the way service should be.



7. Portland. We weren't expecting much in this "city", but ended up seeing some beautiful lighthouses and hanging out with another friendly bartender in the city's downtown pub. Guinness on tap and part of the $3 happy hour special?! Steve was in heaven.

It even had a shamrock in the foam!

Lobsters do love Guinness.

I could continue the list, but I figure you get the idea. Will I go back to Maine? Yes, hopefully sooner rather than later. Now is the perfect time of year to pack the car and head north. It was sunny every day and didn't get above 75 degrees. You really can't go in the water (unless you have a super warm wet suit), but I'm more than happy to sacrifice that for all the beautiful nature.

If New York City ever becomes too dirty, crowded and smelly (even for me), I'm heading up there. Maybe I'll become one of those friendly bartenders. Or Steve and I will open a bed and breakfast. Vacation atmosphere everyday? Count me in.

Peace Out Big City!

By this time tomorrow I will have traveled the entire east coast. Top to bottom. That's because Steve and I are packing up his car and heading north...

to Bar Harbor, Maine!!

And Acadia National Park!

Five days of mountains, the ocean, fresh air, lighthouses and lobster. Delicious, delicious lobster. Cross your fingers for poor blackberry reception.

Business Trip to the beach? Should I wear a bathing suit?

In 24 hours, I'll be here.




Exciting, right? Well not exactly. I'm heading on a business trip to Miami tomorrow morning. And while maybe I'll get to spend a few minutes near a beach, I'll mostly be running around softball fields and GM dealerships. (Yes, in this instance baseball and cars work together)




I'm praying for good weather, decent interviews and that the other people involved were half as OCD as me. Seriously, you should see the time line/contact list I wrote.

Adios!

Sweet and Sour Awesomeness

New York will never cease to amaze me. After a successful (and slightly overwhelming) trip to Fairway in Red Hook, Brooklyn with Steve (really great supermarket, TONS of free samples),we stumbled into this just a few blocks away.

A key lime pie stand, in Brooklyn? Did we discover a hole in the time space continuum and end up in Key West?

My love for Key Lime began, where else, in college as a recipe taster for my roommate, Amy. She made a delicious frozen lime pie that made me fall in love with all things lime. And then there were the key lime cupcakes; I was pretty much sold after that.

This pie shop, or pie garage is what it looked more like, only sells one thing: pies. And lots of them. Steve and I decided to split a mini-pie. Fairly reasonable at just $4.



It was like taking small bites of sweet, sour and delicious heaven. No artificial colors, flavors or additives. Just key limes, pie crust and awesomeness.

And what added to the "gem-like" status of this place, was the beautiful garden that surrounds the slightly dilapidated parking lot, as well as the view of the New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty in the distance. (Wish I had a picture, sorry! I'll just have to go back! And next time, I'm getting this.)