Welcome to Concourse H!

So sometime between now and the next month your life will change

2009-04-27T20:51:00.003-04:00

Karyn and I are sitting here watching TV after making a very nice Jerk Chicken recipe with pineapple and black beans (see picture below). Tomorrow we have another doctors appt - we are going every week now which is just crazy because it's very weird to know that sometime over the next month our life is going to change in a major way. During the day we can focus on work but we know that sometime in the near future a little baby is going to join our family!

What an interesting way to live a 3-4 week period...

Enjoy yet another food picture - I love celebrating successful recipes.

Stay tuned for the arrival of Baby Mann.

"No G.I. Joe for me this year, I want a box of matzoh!"

2009-04-20T10:27:00.005-04:00

Have you ever wondered about all of the gimmicks out there for commemorative items? I have seen a couple of places where there are certain magazine covers for Entertainment Weekly where they have collectable covers, or even Sports Illustrated. I know i saved the SI cover from the Maryland championship season in 2002. I also have a coin set that was given to me as a gift from 1978, the year of my birth.

But I have to say I was a little surprised when I started my Passover shopping to find that Manischewitz, the world's largest producer of our most famous bread of affliction - matzoh, had some sort of commemorative box for this year's holiday. Now, it had a fancy clip, a hard shell and if perhaps I was a kid, I could collect different things and put it in. It also had a historical sense to it since it had a design that replicated the "old school" matzo packaging. I know in the industry, airlines do retro-paint schemes to harken back to days of yore....

I just think this special edition matzoh box gave me a huge chuckle. For a second, I even considered giving it to my nieces - maybe they need a new little box to keep charms or keepsakes. And isn't a box from Manischewitz more fun than Barbie or Hannah Montana?

Perhaps...

An association for everyone is out there!

2009-03-25T10:57:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Karyn and I came home from work, got the mail like usual and I got a piece of mail asking for a donation to the Jewish Braille Institute.

Now, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love being Jewish and I support all aspects of sustaining the faith for years to come. But I ask you, are the broader blind-person organizations not being inclusive of the Jewish blind persons? Who knows? I hope that there aren't broad rifts in the blind community where Jewish needs, Christian and Muslim needs are not being harmonized into one effort?

Perhaps too many associations create unnecessary divides.....

Just a thought...

I'm no Madoff, but I do steal money!

2009-03-06T00:14:00.000-05:00

It's time for me to admit to a cheating scandal that I have been involved with for the better part of two years. It's doesn't involve marraige, test scores or copying material at work.

Every morning when I head to work I exit the Farragut North station and make my way to get my morning coffee at Caribou. I order my medium dark or light roast and then glance at the trivia question on the board high on the wall for an additional 10 cents off. The trick is that each cashier writes on the top of the inside machine what the answer is. Sure the screen is tilted but its just so easy to glance when they go and grab your coffee. I give an inquisitive look and then act like I think I may know it! (And sometimes-as the Trivia junkie I am-I do know it)

Caribou Coffee workers think I'm a genius!

So there it is, I've been holding it in for so long. The secret's out! I've been slowly draining this huge coffee corporation over the last two years.

....I forecast the total loss to be 20 dollars :-)

One eye on adulthood and one eye in the rear view mirror

2009-02-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

Over the last two weekends, I have been able to see little things in my life where I say to myself "Am, I really an adult? How did this happen?" Aside from the fact that I will be entering parenthood sometime in May, I still consider myself a little kid at heart. Maybe it's because I get so excited for the same thing I did when I was 5 - planes.

This past weekend we got our couches delivered and they were slip covers (which if you asked me prior to buying, i would have said, slip covers, what the hell is that?). They were actually delivered bare with white cushions. In the bags to the side were all of the slip covers that i realized had to go on. I kept thinking of that infamous Cosby Show episode when Mr. Huxtable is trying to get Rudy out of her winter coat... That's pretty much how my 1.5 hour battle with the slip covers went. It was during this slip cover battle I realized - Howie is now Howard and Howard is a full-blown adult....

But then I harken back to the weekend before where we teen-sat our friends kids who were 12 and 14. I spent all weekend playing Wii rockband, battling in NFL Monopoly and shooting hoops (even though, while I love watching all kinds of sports, I fit the jewish boy stereotype of sucking wind at playing all of them, aside from bowling and tennis).

I guess I am constantly being reminded that I am indeed an adult but will always also be a kid at heart.

I'll take it...

The problems of the aisle seat....

2009-02-11T08:26:00.000-05:00

First mobile blog! I'm sitting in seat 10D on a flight to Vegas for work and I'm so amazed that people keep bumping into me. I can understand a little but it always makes me chuckle when I get a elbow, hip or butt cheek in my face. And next time don't bring your widest bag you own. Argh! I'm a seasoned traveler but come on!

Off to Sin City.

When Nine becomes Three...

2009-02-03T09:51:00.002-05:00

The tuesday after labor day, Karyn came into our bedroom in the early morning to show me the pregnancy test that was positive. At that moment, I was overwhelmed with excitement but still had in the back of my mind that 9 months was far away.

Now it's February 3 and I ask myself where did the time go? We have successfully moved, we are almost settled so to speak and we are entering the last trimester with a lot of excitement. The weird thing is that I don't find myself worrying about major issues such as being a good father, rearing my kids in the right way, sleep, providing them nutritious meals, etc. I find myself haveing more random worries such as:

Am I going to pick up the kid or drop them off and if I am on pick up duty, what will happen if the Red Line is mega delayed?

Depending on its a boy or a girl and I buy them a ton of items with airplanes on it - will people think I am just pushing my hobby onto my kid - what if they like trains, spaceships, or historical coins?

Will my kid think mommy and daddy are total weirdos if we sing in the car on the way to places?

We are about to begin birthing classes which could lead to other more real-world issues coming into play about having a newborn but for now, I'll stick with what works for me ;)

A great wedding and a great reunion

2008-08-26T00:21:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, Karyn and I headed to Big Sur, California for the wedding of Lauren Markofsky and Greg Cera. They got married on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in a ceremony that was a perfect representation of them both. I was asked to participate in the wedding and selected a Pablo Neruda love sonnet.

It was also a great reunion of my high school group - hard to believe we have all known each other for almost 16 years! Another great part of the trip was driving on California Highway 1 - which was not for the faint of heart.

If you would like to see some pictures, check out this link.

Pad-see-Who's That Girl?

2008-07-13T23:03:00.003-04:00

So tonight Karyn and I went out to dinner with my bro-in-law Justin and our niece Lucy at Thai Pavillion in downtown Rockville. My sister and other niece Madelyn are in San Diego visiting family so the four of us were looking forward to a bonding dinner.

So we got there and there were about 10 people in the whole restaurant (Hmmm, softening U.S. economy or the fact that it was 5:30pm? - you make the call). When we sat down, Lucy asked as usual Aunt Karyn, I want to sit next to you. Then the waitress came by and started taking our drink orders. Justin, lemonade, Uncle Howie and Aunt Karyn, diet coke then the waitress looked at Lucy and said and you sir?

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

Lucy was wearing a brown shirt with sparkling pink hearts on it!!!! And, oh by the way, she looks like a girl. The amusing thing was that Lucy, who is quite frankly the world's smartest 6 year old (and no I am not just being biased) quickly said... Why did that waitress call me sir, she should have called me ma'am? I guess if I had earrings on, she would have been able to tell...

We all laughed hysterically because kids really do say the darnedest things....

A wonderful trip to the land of enchantment

2008-07-08T00:03:00.004-04:00

Karyn, her mother, and I have just returned from a wonderful long weekend to Santa Fe, New Mexico. We went for the July 4th weekend and saw beautiful sites, had great food (I LOVE THE FOOD THERE!) and go to a performance of the Santa Fe Opera.

It was truly a great trip and if you are interested in seeing photos, please click on the link below:

http://www.flickr.com/gp/12965101@N04/e764LJ

Hanging out with my own kind

2008-06-29T21:25:00.003-04:00

This week I attended an aviation marketing conference in Pittsburgh, PA. I was very excited because Karyn was able to join me. Karyn has been a fan of Pittsburgh since she came and visited me during college. The fun neighborhoods with lots of character, the great shopping and the yummy food. It was also a chance for Karyn to experience a full immersion into the world of aviation nerd-ery. I told her that everyone who would be there (for the most part) would be speaking in aviation nerd code like I do most of the time.

These people get excited about a new paint scheme, a major route announcement or a controversial airplane change for an airline - say from Boeing to Airbus or vice versa. These are the news bytes that send blackberries on overload and the pending coffee break buzzing with excitement. It always refreshes me to be at these conferences because at the end of the day, even though working is always work and it can be stressfull - I am very happy to be in an industry that I enjoy. So what if $140 oil is gradually killing the everyday person's appreciation for how awesome it is - but c'est la vie - It's a great time. Everyone enjoyed meeting Karyn and she even mentioned "Hey, your conference people are way more exciting!"

Side notes:

1. We got to go to the first Yankees game in Pittsburgh (due to interleague) since Bill Mazerowski's homerun to win the 1960 World Series. He threw out the first pitch and it was awesome.

2. We got to see Dave Sherer (friend from Pitt and Semester at Sea) and his new place.

3. We also got to see baby Claire June Gerencir at only 6 days old. So Cute!

4. We have also recently celebrated great events such as Michelle and Sara's commitment ceremony and Kyle's 30th Bday and PhD celebration.

For pictures of Michelle and Sara's commitment ceremony, check out the following link.

For other pictures from June including Baby Claire and Kyle's celebration, check out this link.

This Thursday we are off for a long weekend to Santa Fe with Karyn's mom. While we are not taking a major vacation this summer - we are doing Santa Fe, Big Sur (wedding) and Chicago (fun, fun, fun) for long weekends. Let the Summer officially begin....

Ballpark Burgers, Long-lost Cousins and 98 degree heat...

2008-06-08T16:49:00.009-04:00

I am sitting here in our air-conditioned condo and looking back on a very nice weekend. It actually started a day early on Thursday when Karyn and I went with Marci to the St. Louis Cardinals - Washington Nationals game at the new Nationals Ballpark. Marci, who is from St. Louis, was able to cheer on her team that actually has a proud baseball history. The Nats one day will have one... We also got to meet up with fellow friends and fans (Lauren, Chris, Monesha and Emi). Socializing and baseball justs works really well together.

It was a lot of fun, especially the food. This time I decided to go back to the old standby - a Five Guys hamburger (for those of you who don't know - that is an Alexandria, VA based company). The ballpark is great and actually includes batting cages and I was able to further add creedance to the notion that jews are really not that good at sports. Oy! I was pretty bad - at least I hit the ball once.

On Friday night, we went over to my mom's house for a nice Shabbat dinner with Jenn, the girls, my mom, Harvey and Marc Snyder. We had a great time and afterwards, Lucy and Madelyn, as usual, were begging Aunt Karyn to paint their nails...The amusing part was that afterwards, Grandma Ellen asked to get her nails painted as well. I guess that was in the fine print of the ketubah :-) Karyn is of course willing to help anyone who believes in having pretty pink nails.
For pictures from both Thursday and Friday, click here.

Yesterday we had a graduation party for the Epsteins and then we hung out until our big dinner with our new long-lost Pincus cousins. Further to my previous blog, Karyn's second cousins recently, through the power of the internet, located both Karyn and Risa. David Pincus, it turns out is living with his wife Vonnie and son Ari, only 6 blocks away from us in Silver Spring. They had us all over for a great dinner where we ate, had great conversation and watched two very cute kids play together. This story of family reconnection may be on an episode of Oprah one day...who knows?

Check out that family resemblance in that picture! For pictures from our long-lost Pincus cousin dinner on Saturday night, click here.

And now to Sunday, we had a great brunch in Olney to see David's very awesome girlfriend Morgan (who yes, is my facebook friend)....And of course, I told myself Howie - have one bagel. Unforunately my hands grabbed two - oops!

So now I am sitting and waiting for my slow-cooker Chicken and Turkey Sausage Jambalaya to finish cooking while doing some work and trying to procrastinate from cleaning our condo...

Signing off from Concourse H....

Odds and Ends from the Born Again Blogger...

2008-06-01T21:49:00.011-04:00

Summer is upon us (well until the Summer Solstice) and I am enjoying the nice new weather after a May full of a lot of rain! Unforunately, I have been a little lax about blogging over the past 6 weeks so I have some interesting news and notes for my blog ...

In early July, I will become a boss for the first time! I know it sounds crazy but I am very much looking forward to passing on the perfect balance of hard work and being obsessed with aviation to a recent college graduate!
Facebook.com is really a great website but I am starting to reduce my introductory obsession with the website. Where else can you waste time by putting buttons on a digital bulletin board, look at interesting photos of your friends and update everyone on your daily status. Don't get me wrong, I still love the site but I am trying to reduce the effect it has on the rest of my life.
I have been really trying to perfect some cooking skills. Karyn and I love to cook, it's just the pre-planning recipes after a long day at work which becomes hard. I will tell you what I am super obsessed with. The Crock Pot! I had to squash some of Karyn's worries about leaving on the Crock Pot on during the day but we have moved past that... Also, I finally cooked (successfully) my very first fish dinner. Turns out it's pretty easy. Special thanks to my sister-in-law Lisa for getting me on track. See the photo of tonights dinner Tilapia cooked with pineapple salsa. Yum!
Last Thursday, I was working away at work when a very surprising email popped into my inbox from a Joshua Pincus. Turns out Karyn's long lost second cousins have been searching for her side of the family. Josh lives in Chicago and his brother (get this!) lives 4 blocks away from Karyn and I in downtown Silver Spring. This has been really exciting for Karyn and Risa and we are looking forward to getting to know the extended Pincus family! Part of the internet search that led to Karyn actually went via Concourse H - I knew there was a reason for doing this blog!
I have been already to the new Nationals Stadium twice and I have to say - the team may not be good but the food is really good. The hardest part of the going to the game is deciding what to eat! (hamburger, chicken fingers, kosher knish, etc.) Life is full of tough decisions...

So there you have it - Concourse H is back from it's Spring Break! Enjoy!

Just another typical day in the Nation's Capital

2008-04-17T07:46:00.004-04:00

Many of you know that I love being from and living in the Washington, DC area. I grew up going to museums and seeing events that most people see from a news report far away. This past weekend our friends Lauren and Nathan came down from Pittsburgh to see the Cherry Blossom Festival. As usual I gave them the hard sell to move to Washington in the future.

We had a great time going around the city, attending a street festival on Japanese culture and then we saw the last live Cherry Blossom tree around the Tidal Basin. Note: it's really hard to plan around our regions crazy weather!

Now yesterday as I was driving from work to go and meet the Lewis' for dinner in Rockville - I had a quintessential Washington, DC event take place. For anyone in the free world who doesn't know, Pope Benedict is in town! He has been all over our capital city and has been generating excitement throughout the area (mostly for the Catholics, but it's still a big event). Anyway, after I left my office I drove around the block and found myself at a light on M Street NW. I had my Ipod on with windows down since our weather has been very nice lately!

I had noticed that there was a video camera set up but really didn't pay attention to it. However, then I saw a reporter look down and peer into my car as to say "I'm about to report, can you close your windows". Of course I wanted to hear what he had to say so I just turned off my music. (yes, this is all happened while I was at a red light - it's a long one at M and Connecticut) Then the man proceeded to give a news update for the South African Broadcast Corporation and I just thought to myself You just don't get this type of excitement when you live anywhere else.

Truly a great town!

I wanna rock and roll all night - and party every day!

2008-03-25T10:42:00.005-04:00

All of the sudden I have been really into singing and rocking! (OK, more than normal with the singing) I guess tis the season!

Some of you know that I recently became obsessed with Guitar Hero which is awesome! I am pretty good at the three key levels but pandemonium ensues when I attempt anything harder.

And this past Friday night, a group of us got together to do some Karaoke! For those of you who didn't know - I am huge Karaoke fan! Since I knew I would never be a professional singer - this is really the next best thing. A Korean restaurant nearby offers private Karaoke rooms with what is quite possibly the largest foreign language remote control that I have ever seen (among a competition of one of course).

Our group (which included Kyle, Margot, DJ, Kat, Karyn and I) rocked to some favorites including: Midnight Train to Georgia, BYE BYE BYE, Part-Time Lover, Build me Up Buttercup, 9 to 5, Wanted Dead or Alive, Gettin' Jiggy Wit it and many other song gems!

The first video is of Kyle and I singing Thank God I'm a Country Boy by John Denver. We have been obsessed with this song for awhile since they play it during the 7th inning stretch at Baltimore Orioles game (which of course is super ironic since Baltimore is not really that "country"). The second video is the finale - Build Me Up Buttercup.

Enjoy the Video and Pics below and remember - "Sing out Louise!"

Video 1: Thank God I'm a Country Boy

Video 1: Build Me Up Buttercup

Pictures
Click on this link or the picture below to see more!

No need for the gym....I'll just play the Wii

2008-03-11T10:02:00.003-04:00

Last week, Karyn and I had dinner with our friends Sara and Michelle and then headed back to their apt (which conveniently is 3 doors down from ours - notice the casual dress). They have the Wii and I was so excited to play guitar hero. We ended up playing Bungee Buddies (part of the game Smooth Moves). Who needs to go to the gym when you have Wii so close?

Sara is on the left - that freakish kid on the right is yours truly!

Can drinking cold coffee be passed on through genetics?

2008-03-09T20:44:00.005-04:00

Poppa Picture from San Diego Starbucks, February 2008
Howard Picture from Pittsburgh, April 2006
(I call my pic the 45 year old khaki businessman photo...)

Happy Sunday night everyone! Recently I went on a business trip to San Diego and was able to take some extra days beforehand to see my family there. Whenever I see my grandparents in San Diego, I always enjoy taking walks, going to events and just having some great conversations. However, this trip, I confirmed that the genetic links are strong in the Mann family.

Karyn always is noticing that I drink my coffee over a very, very long time. She zips through her vanilla skim latte and I drink mine over about an hour period. Sometimes even longer. Perhaps Karyn has a higher threshold for the hot coffee (she even orders her drinks extra hot)but I like to take it a little slower. I also take about 1/10 of the milk in my coffee than Karyn does - she is not a fan of the black coffee....

So when I arrived in San Diego at 9:00pm, I drove my rental car over to College Area, where my grandparents live-and sure enough Poppa greeted me as he was drinking his Starbucks from earlier that morning. I got such a chuckle because I guess genetics really have passed this preference down from grandfather to grandson.

Anyone who knows my grandfather knows that he loves to talk to anyone (perhaps, yet another genetic trait that links us...hmmm)... We woke up the next morning and we walked to Starbucks near San Diego State and both ordered black coffee and put a very little amount of milk in. It was pretty cute. We sat down and had a great talk about what goes on in our 86 and 29 year old lives.

So I guess my Grandmother and Karyn's wishes that cold coffee disappears from their lives are not about to change...

Gotta love genetics!

If there is some Guessin', we can do some Competin'

2008-02-25T08:00:00.003-05:00

Many of you know that I always enjoy some competition - Fantasy Football, March Madness, Amazing Race and Awards shows. Last night we continued our tradition of getting together and making Oscar night fun and competitive. Karyn and I hosted a shin-dig which included M&M Oscar Bingo and an Academy Award Ballot. It was also a chance for us to show off our new HDTV, or what I like to call my first child.

I am pretty sure that any form is competition is fun. Of course, not every time I participate I do well but it definitely helps pass the time! Especially during those boring lifetime achievement awards or the fact that they feel it necessary to perform each Oscar nominated song. Ugh!

Now I need to go and see No Country for Old Men. I think my ballot turned south because my heart was with There Will Be Blood - which still nabbed the Best Actor award. And I still need to watch more noiminated Short Films - because that is how you randomly win the Oscar pools.

And now we are on the brink of the best competition of the year - prepare for the 2008 March Madness pool - bigger and better than ever!

The Biggest Valentines Day Surprise Ever

2008-02-11T11:57:00.000-05:00

Some of you may have heard about this during the past 6 months but I planned a surprise trip to Lawrence, Kansas for Karyn's valentines day present. Lawrence is home to the University of Kansas and is the alma mater for Karyn's sister and her late-father, Mark Pincus. Mark lived and breathed Kansas. If there was a football, basketball or women's softball stat about KU, he knew about it! Mark shared his love of Kansas and college basketball with everyone he came in contact with. This is exactly why I wanted to put this together for V-Day.

The surprise was very well constructed because of help from Risa, my sister-in-law, Ashleigh de la Torre, a friend and a KU Grad and Aunt Debbie, babysitter extraordinaire.

Karyn was made aware about a week before that we were going to go somewhere on Feb 9th for the day. She was led on to believe that we were going to get massages and relax at a spa south of Mount Vernon. This worked out perfectly because she knew we would have to take the GW parkway - the road that goes right by National Airport. As we drove on the parkway, Karyn was thoroughly confused when we pulled off @ the airport:

Karyn: "Why did you just pull off at the airport?"
Howard: "Oh, I am so used to going to this way, I must have messed up"
Karyn: "Well you can drive through the airport and get back on the parkway, don't worry..."

awkward silence

Karyn: "Wait, are we flying somewhere?"
Howard: "Oh, I guess we are"

So we got to the airport and I let Karyn swipe the credit card on the airline kiosk. Click here to see video of suprise! After Kansas City was revealed, I told Karyn that her family couldn't join us because of moving houses and other trips. She was sad that they couldn't join us and I even had Karyn call her sister (not knowing that Risa, her mom and Steve were downstairs already checked in and waiting at the Security checkpoint). We went downstairs and Karyn was stunned for surprise #2 as her family was right behind a hidden billboard!

So then it was off to Lawrence KS for a quick trip to see the Kansas Jayhawks play the Baylor Bears. We saw the beautiful little town, ate at some of Risa's old sandwich joints and saw the campus where she and Mark went to school. It was very emotional to see the place where my father-in-law went to school because he always spoke of it when he was alive. I always enjoyed talking to my father-in-law about KU because I never got to share that experience of even understanding what my dad's college life was all about. (I did get a change to go to UCLA once to see my dad's school and it was very special) We got to the see the paver stone in front of Allen Field House that was dedicated in memory of Mark as he was the leader of the Washington, DC area alumni association for many years.

The atmosphere in Allen Field House was electric and it was a memorable weekend for all of us to have for the rest of our lives. And lucky for me, Karyn is already planning my surprise trip to Toulouse France to see the Airbus factory.... Atleast in my head I think that.

Below are the pictures and videos from the event. Enjoy and Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Pictures
The Pictures have been uploaded to Shutterfly and can be found at this link.

Videos
Video 1: The Surprise is revealed for Karyn @ the Airline kiosk
Video 2: Student Section during the KU Alma Mater before the game
Video 3: Intro KU Montage Video before the game
Video 4: Student Section during Player Introductions (throwing confetti)
Video 5: Student Section during foul shots
Video 6: Play during game
Video 7: "Waving the Wheat" after victorious ending for the Jayhawks

Exactly how many flexible people are there out there in this world?

2008-02-07T23:54:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the road - Terminal D at the Las Vegas McCarran International Airport. I am here for an aviation conference and had a good two night stay at Treasure Island after a brief shampooed carpet incident followed by a room change. But I digress...

Last night, a group of us from the conference went to see Mystere by Cirque du Soleil. Now I have to add first that I have seen CDS almost 6 times already and each time it amazes me. The first time I saw CDS was on the Washington Mall with my Aunt Lois (a Bar Mitzvah present maybe - what's up with all my bar-mitzvah related references in my blog lately?)

Anyway, last night was just like all of others. Incredible amazing aerobatics and death-defying stunts - and of course, being CDS, a lot of songs in foreign languages and imagery that was competely lost on me. But seriously, these shows are just incredible!

My question is this? Where are these courageous flexible artistic people coming from in the world? Quebec? China? Azerbaijan? That is the part of these shows that I just don't understand but I guess if you were a retired wrestler or a gymnast who didn't have any more competitions to go - Cirque Du Soleil is a great way to earn some money...

If anyone has ever NOT seen Cirque Du Soleil - definitely go and see it! And if you go to Las Vegas, there is a show on every block so you are good to go.

Off to my redeye flight back to Washington Dulles... Maybe I will put on a unitard, and do a triple flip down the boarding aisle and do a stunt while jumping in my seat???? Maybe not with my carry on...

Oh and a shoutout to my Pitt Panthers for beating West Virginia with a last minute three pointer. Trust me, I was the only Pitt fan in the SportsBook @ Treasure Island....and I made sure everyone knew that...

In `91, I wanted a Sega Genesis, in `08, I'm getting a HDTV!

2008-01-31T07:55:00.001-05:00

Can you remember the items that you wish you had 17 years ago? Well last Sunday I had to think back. The story is this.... Last Sunday, my mother and I went to the mall for a day of lunch, chatting and shopping. During the previous week, my mom had mentioned to me that she had something to give me. My mom is eventually going to move out her house and into Harvey's condo so she is starting to go through various files.

After we sat down @ California Pizza Kitchen, my mom pulls out two things for me. One is my passport from 1987 which is hilarious because I look so young! I wish I could go back to that FedEx Kinkos (where if you haven't seen, my new passport photo is great except for the fact that they tinted the photo so I look like a Canadian who has been out in the Cancun sun to long) and tell them how to correctly shoot a photo.

Then onto the second item. My mom pulls out a white envelope and says "I think you'll definitely like to see these. I guess I forgot about these". Turns out it was the rest of my Bar Mitzvah U.S. Savings Bonds from 1991! Hot Damn! What a fortuitous turn of events for Howard! So know I have a chunk of change that I was not expecting. This means that dream of getting an High-Definition TV in place for the March Madness college basketball tournament is getting closer to a reality!

So I ask you, can you remember what you wanted 17 years ago? I think I wanted a Sega Genesis or of course, to be about 9 inches taller in height. So no Sonic the Hedgehog for me, I am now firmly on the path towards the HD Sweet 16, Elite 8, Final Four....

Mazel Tov!

Don't sneeze or you'll create a powdered sugar fog!

2008-01-25T00:52:00.000-05:00

Greetings from the Crescent City - New Orleans. Home of cajun cuisine, jazz music and the Mississippi River. I am here for an aviation conference - in fact I gave my first conference presentation today. It was actually fun listening to my bio before they introduced me. I guess I really am an adult (update: The beard is still here ladies and gentlemen). Tonight a bunch of us went to dinner at The Gumbo Shop and I had Chicken Gumbo and Jambalaya for dinner. Very very good. ...And the people watching on Bourbon Street is still not to be missed!

After dinner we walked over to the world famous Cafe Du Monde which has been in New Orleans since 1862! Crazy - that's during the civil war. We had the beignets (french donuts) and they were pretty amazing. I think if I lived here I would eat them everyday.

Side Note from Concourse H: Don't forget to see the two best movies of the season - There Will Be Blood and Juno!

Mountain "Mann" unleashed....

2008-01-08T21:31:00.000-05:00

So before our trip to Argentina I decided to make a bold decision and attempt to grow a beard. The beard was partly inspired by my friend Tim who is in a cast of Fiddler on the Roof and reading the book The Year of Living Biblically.

The good news is that as of Thursday, the beard celebrates its one month anniversary... And Karyn keeps telling me it looks OK so its staying for now. It also protected me from the strong winds of Patagonia in Argentina... I didn't even need a jacket...just kidding.

So as 2008 begins, the year of my 30th birthday, we will see if I can make this beard work.

And today I had lunch with Tim so we snapped a shot of both of our beards. His is rocking, my is ... well aspiring...

Get thee to Argentina!

2008-01-08T21:15:00.000-05:00

Karyn and I have returned from a great trip to Argentina. We had a great time exploring Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. We experienced many different weather systems including heat, humidity, snow, rain and some really strong winds in Patagonia.

I have included some pictures and video for everyone to see. Enjoy!

PICTURES
Online at Flickr.com(Click here)
Choose slideshow and to make sure the captions are loaded click on the " i " in the middle of the screen..

VIDEOS
Buenos Aires
Video 1: Landing at Ministro Pistarini International Airport in Buenos Aires
Video 2: Widest Street in the World: Avenida 9 de Julio
Video 3: Tango Dancers at New Years Eve Dinner
Video 4: Howard & Karyn Dancing on New Years at Cabana Las Lilas
Video 5: People Dancing around the Restaurant on New Years Eve
Video 6: Tango Show (1) at El Viejo Almacen
Video 7: Tango Show (2) at El Viejo Almacen
Video 8: Tango Show (3) at El Viejo Almacen

Ushuaia
Video 1: Landing at Isla Malvinas International Airport in Ushuaia
Video 2: Off Road Jeep Ride to Lago Fugarno in Tierra Del Fuego (1)
Video 3: Off Road Jeep Ride in Tierra Del Fuego (2)
Video 4: Off Road Jeep Ride - driving at 45 degrees (3)
Video 5: Magellan Penguin colony in the Beagle Channel (1)
Video 6: Magellan Penguin colony (BEST VIDEO) in the Beagle Channel (2)
Video 7: Magellan Penguin colony in the Beagle Channel (3)
Video 8: Tierra del Fuego National Park - snowy overlook

It's Winter and We're about to Head South...

2007-12-25T23:21:00.000-05:00

As South as you can possibly go...

Well the long holiday weekend is over and we are coming up on our trip to Argentina! We leave on Saturday night and will be in Buenos Aires for New Years Eve and then a 3 day trip to Ushuaia in Tierra del Fuego (Should be a great trip with penguins, glaciers and canoeing - But don't be crazy - we are not roughing it and camping - we will be staying in a nice cabin). The Buenos Aires portion will include lots of walking, eating, shopping, sightseeing and seeing the world's widest Street!

Before we head out of town, I wanted to briefly mention that this weekend was pretty nice and relaxing. Even though it wasn't my holiday, it was still really nice to have a long weekend. Plus we get the luxury of going to some Christmas parties. I want to give a shout out to Lauren Vincent (loyal reader to Concourse H) and her family for a great party that had good wine and great cookies! While at the party, I heard about a crazy TV interview where Elizabeth Taylor actually howled after a reporter asked if she was getting married again. If you haven't seen it make sure you do at this link. Other weekend highlights included a game night, Chinese food, Last minute shopping for our trip, meals with family and friends and of course, some good reading and tv watching...

Concourse H will be back in action in 2008! I hope everyone has a Happy New Year and....

GO REDSKINS!

A Festival of Lights followed by a Festival of Flights

2007-12-16T10:48:00.000-05:00

This past week has had holiday fun and a criss-crossing trip through the snowy and icy Midwestern United States. Last weekend included two great Chanukah parties with the Mann and Pincus families. Our adorable neices got goodies from Uncle Howie and Aunt Karyn but the real fun was playing with Chanukah stickers and spinning dreidels - and of course, eating is always fun!

If you are interested in seeing some great shots from the two Chanukah parties, click on this link.

And post Chanukah included a very unique business trip. I had to be in five Midwestern cities for a work project and decided to cram it into 4 days. This included 8 takeoffs, 8 landings, 3 delayed flights and 6 voyages through Chicago O'Hare International Airport. All in all, I got everywhere on time and didn't miss any flights (except for a close call with my Chicago-Kalamazoo flight). The best part of this trip was that I added two new states to my list (North Dakota and Nebraska) and had two great dinners with Chicago and Kalamazoo friends.

The only bad thing was that I had to go through Airport Security 6 times! Oy! For Pictures, click here (press "i" for captions).

Here is an overview of the trip schedule:

Monday

Early morning flight from Washington to Fargo through Chicago
Meeting
Flight back to Chicago
Dinner with Mandy and Tami

Tuesday
Early morning flight to Lincoln, Nebraska
Meeting
Tour of State Capitol and University of Nebraska with Bill
Delayed flight back to Chicago
Rented Car and drove to Rockford Illinois

Wednesday
Broken down rental car in Rockford - emergency Taxi
Meeting at Rockford Airport
Replacement car and trip back to Chicago O'Hare
Traffic Traffic Traffic
Made flight to Kalamazoo (barely)
Meeting in Kalamazoo
Dinner with Luis and Melissa, tour of Kalamazoo
Overnight at Hilton Henriquez

Thursday
Morning drive to Grand Rapids, Michigan
Meeting in Grand Rapids
Delayed trip back to Washington DC over Chicago O'Hare...
....and then arrived back at home safe and sound.

It's time for the 1st Annual HoRB Awards

2007-12-05T14:20:00.000-05:00

I figured after a year of good reading (already at 25 books with a month left) under my belt - it is time for me to start the HoRB Awards for 2007. The HoRB awards are essentially the way that Howard Recommends Books. Perhaps when the awards show becomes bigger we can create more a slang term like the HoRBies? And then I'll get Jon Stewart...

So here it goes, the 9 Official Awards for 2007 (plus some honorable mentions)

Check out my book website for more details.

Best Book that you will want to see made into a movie
Not Me by Michael Lavigne.
Imagine if you find out that your dying father who lived his life as a Holocaust Survivor was really a Nazi soldier who stole someone's identity as the Allied forces were liberating the camps.

Honorable Mentions
The Color of Water by James McBride

and of course Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (I already know this is going to become a movie but don't think for one second that I didn't love this book - 2 of the best Summer days ever!)

Best Book that will make you a threat at cocktail parties
Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil by John Ghazvinian
Did you ever wonder how countries are going after new oil sources in Africa? This book does a great job giving an overview on its effect on the each country, its citizens, the colonial ramifications and many other issues that American's should be very aware of.

Best Book that will change the way you live your life
The Omnivore's Dilemna by Michael Pollan
Anyone who has spoken to me in the last month knows that this book was easily the most fascinating book I have read in the last five years. Are you interested in how human's as omnivores, make food selection? How does our industrial food supply effect our eating habits (local and national systems)? What are we feeding the animals that we eat and how does that effect us? Was is the history of organic and how are those items made within our food supply?

Best Book that will shock you when you find out it's non-fiction
Catch Me If You Can by Frank Abagnale.
My friend Esteban suggested that I read this great non-fiction story - especially since I had never seen the movie. He was right!

Best Book that will make you look like the biggest nerd
Empire: How Spain Became a World Power 1492-1763 by Henry Kamen
Yes, this one took three installments but I did finish the 550 page book and loved it. I am trying to compare the various effects of colonialism on the world and now I can add Spain to books I have read on Britian, Portugal and Belgium - watch out France - I'm coming for you in 2008!

Honorable Mention if you want to just be a Washington, DC nerd
The Great Society Subway - A History of the Washington Metro by Zachary Schrag

Best Book that will make you look for your kleenex box

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Oops, he did it again! Hosseini's follow up to The Kite Runner is another riveting story full of rich characters, tense moments and a great window into a culture that American's may not be aware of.

Best Book that will make you want to grab your Passport and go
Mexican Days: Journeys into the Heart of Mexico by Tony Cohan

Are you looking for that vacation that isn't the same as everyone elses? Check out this great book that follows the author through many small towns in Mexico that are full of authentic cultures, good food, lively festivals and many other reasons to grab that passport and go!

Best Book that will make you want to laugh out loud after each chapter
Ciao America! An Italian Discovers the U.S. by Beppe Severgnini
Imagine an Italian moves to Washington, DC and quickly discovers all of the cultural nuances of renting an apartment, eating, shopping and living in a major U.S. City. I know many of us read the reverse version of these type of books about American's going to other foreign places but this one is hilarious (another Esteban suggestion)!

Honorable Mention
The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to follow the Bible as Literally as Possible by A.J. Jacobs

So there you have it - hopefully these awards will one day be an industry standard. Watch out Newberry, Booker and Nobel - the HoRBies are coming!

I wish everyone a Happy 2008 full of Reading!

The War Between the States (and our marriage)

2007-11-28T22:40:00.000-05:00

This evening, Karyn and I attended the Maryland-Illinois game, which was a part of the ACC-Big Ten Challenge. It was very exciting because Karyn and I are both huge fans of college basketball and enjoy the atmosphere so much. Plus, we had never been to the Comcast Center - the new arena at the University of Maryland.

However, Karyn and I were rooting for different teams. Even though I didn't attend Maryland, I have always been a Maryland basketball fan. Pitt is my other favorite men's basketball team since I went there for school. So that means Maryland and Pitt are my two favorite teams. Karyn doesn't like this because she thinks I need to root for Illinois as my second favorite team since I married someone that went there. Illinois will always be my #3 favorite team - but not #1 or #2.

So tonight Maryland held off Illinois 69-61 (and last year they ended Illinois' 51 home non-conference home winning streak in Champaign) and our marraige survived the night where one of us wore bright red and the other bright orange.

Go Terps and Go ACC!

The Ultimate 12th Man Experience

2007-11-22T00:49:00.000-05:00

This past Monday, work brought me to Northeastern Ohio and even though I was particularly nauseated by the overabundance of Ohio State University paraphernalia, I was able to take some time to go and see the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Holy good fun Batman!

I have to say I never realized why the Hall was in Canton, Ohio but it turns out Ohio played an important role in popularizing football way back when (and yes, I realize Pennsylvania played a major role too!). Turns out there were teams not only from small Ohio towns but other places like Rochester, Providence (Go Steamrollers!), Racine, etc. Maybe I should create some sort of "Former Teams" fantasy football roster? That would be fun.

This was my first Hall of Fame in any sport and it was pretty awesome. I missed out on the a previous opportunity to go to the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto because I had to leave a conference early but so far I am on board for seeing more Halls. In September it was Presidential Libraries - now onto November where it moves to Sports Hall of Fames.

If you would like to view my pictures from the stop at the Pro Football Hall of Fame, click here (and press the "i" button to read captions after you start your slideshow).

A Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

My newest addiction....

2007-11-12T16:19:00.000-05:00

So I have a problem. It's not drugs, it's not even airplane models. It's not reality TV, Nope, not even fantasy football. How about Pad See Ew at Thai restaurants? Nope.

It's Facebook!

People, this website is beyond addicting. I have been able to not only find my long lost friends from middle school, cousins, etc., but I also have been able to spread the gospel on what books I have been reading and where I have traveled to on this planet. There are geography, movie and book quizzes and who doesn't love quizzes!!!

Plus I am learning about new phrases such as Tagging, SuperPoke and iLike (ok, some some of these sound not so G-rated) but I am telling every one of you this site is awesome.

Of course some of you who are reading this have already joined the Facebook addition.

And for all of you who are still using Friendster or MySpace, it's time to come over to the better site, Facebook.

Go and sign on at www.facebook.com and make sure you Add Me, Poke Me or Tag Me. (seriously, this is not dirty)

Lights, Camera, Grid System!

2007-11-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

Greetings from Chicago O'Hare - Concourse H is headed to Vancouver, Canada for a week of work. About an hour ago, I landed at O'Hare and as I peered over the annoying couple who felt the need to make out the entire flight - I saw the most beautiful sight ever (with regards to nighttime urban aerial views).

The view of Chicago at night by air is unrivalled by any city. A grid system that goes on for as long as the eye can see. It also doesn't hurt that the city has one of the most beautiful group of skyscrapers in the world. And hello, the prize at the end of your flight is that you get to be at Chicago O'Hare. This is coming from a person that has done 1,000s of nighttime arrivals over the Potomac and into Washington, DC. (close second perhaps - or maybe we will give that arrival the daytime award...).

After my recent travels through European cities, the sheer nature of America's urban planning as a new world example of layouts, street systems and population flows defininitely exceeds that of many other nations. However, not to get on my tangent again but other countries still have perfected the ability to get around on mass transit...

So here I am at the heart of the America, the center of our nations Rail network, a poignant place in the history of our Labor force - getting ready for my next departure and view!

By the way, I seem to be making my way through future Olympic host and bid cities - London 2012, Vancouver 2010 and Chicago 2016 (bid). Oh, when will my company send me to Beijing (2008) and Sochi (2014)?

And thanks Tami for waving to me as I landed - I'll throw another high five at you in another 15 minutes.

Side Note: I can't believe the Redskins actually won. Hallelujah - I was about to start the losing sports team checklist, it goes like this - "I have a roof over my head and a beautiful wife, who cares if the team you root for didn't win this week" - This may be coming in the future....

Any week where you get to go to London Heathrow 3 times is a good one!

2007-10-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

I just spent a week over in Dublin and London for work and wanted to share my photos. For you airline geeks, I have split the two albums.

Also, I got to see Amsterdam Schiphol Airport for the first time....and it was awesome!

Album with Pictures (non-aviation)
Album with Airplane Pictures (London, Dublin, Amsterdam)

Get me an Oboe bloody fast!

2007-10-25T19:24:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the United Kingdom - Concourse H is in the middle of a business trip across the Atlantic. After I worked today at Chiswick Park Starbucks (great wireless there) on various projects, I met up with my cousins for a night at Royal Festival Hall to see the London Philharmonia (not philharmonic, the philharmonia!).

We got to see Wagner, Bruch and Schumann. The Royal Festival Hall is perfectly situated on the Thames River for beautiful vistas of the London Eye, Big Ben, Charing Cross station and St. Paul's at intermission.

So the funniest thing happened tonight when we got back to our seats after intermission. Everyone was waiting for the Schumann Symphony to start and after 10 minutes the following annoucement was made:

"Ladies and Gentlemen, unfortunately one of our musicians has become ill and we have called a replacement to fill in. The replacement is currently en route. We hope to be able to start soon. Thank you for your patience."

So everyone was waited with baited breath to see who arrived and after about 8 minutes (my cousin and I remember seeing someone leave at the very beginning of the performance) the replacement Oboe player arrived. I guess Schumann would have sounded poor with only one oboe! Now here is my question, how quickly did this guy get dressed and I hope he didn't live in a far out suburb of London. What a hoot! I was waiting for the conductor to give a special thanks during the applause but he didn't.

Happy Friday everyone from Concourse H!

Membership has its privileges

2007-10-21T02:27:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here at the BMI Diamond Lounge (see picture below) at Terminal ant London Heathrow Airport and am loving my gold status on United and the Star Alliance. Essentialy I continue to support United and its partner carriers when I fly since it is so easy to gain mileage. That is not to say I only suggest that people fly United - it means you should always look to gain loyalty to one airline or group, whichever is good for your area. Since United has a hub at Washington Dulles and US Airways, a fellow Star Alliance member, has a hub at Washington National - it's a win-win for me (and now karyn who is hooked as well). Although, I do prefer Southwest for flights to the mid-atlantic and northeast.

And the benefits are great as well:

Credit card that gives me even more miles
Priority Boarding in Zone 1 on every flight
Complimentary upgrade coupons
Higher status than common folk when wanting to stanby on earlier flights
Lounge access on international flights
And of course free flights! Who doesn't love that - Karyn and I have cashed in tickets in the last 3 years to Italy for our honeymoon, Chicago for weddings, Phoenix for a reunion trip with SAS, our new years 2007/2008 trip to Argentina, San Francisco, San Diego, etc.

Now I will say something about the lounnges, ironically in the Star Alliance family, United has the worst lounges. I have been in Lufthansa's, Swiss, Air Canada and now bmi. This BMI Lounge has breakfast food, newspapers, clean bathrooms, silence, computer workstations that are complimentary, etc. Still not as nice as the Maple Leaf Lounge at Toronto Pearson's new terminal but hey, it works.

And the best reason to go to the lounge is that it has the best view of the airplanes! And who doesn't love that.

Off to relax for another 30 minutes before my connecitng flight to Dublin

Side Note: a.) I love Ambien, got a nice 3.5 hours of sleep on a short 6.5 hr flight. and b.) I already finished my book Not Me by Michael Lavigne on the flight over here. Everyone should check this one out! Great Book.

Behold the power of the All-Inclusive bracelet

2007-10-10T10:46:00.001-04:00

Well Concourse H is back from a wonderful relaxing 5 day trip to the Riu Palace Mexico Resort in Playa Del Carmen. Everything was super easy with this trip, the flights (except for a brief delay on the runway at National due to Atlanta ATC congestion), the transfer to the hotel, the rooms, etc. This was my first time at an "all-inclusive" resort which is essentially a cruise ship on land. Everything is included and you don't have to worry about any money or expenses after your initial payment. We did have a couple awkward moments where we weren't sure if we had to tip or not but no one else seemed to be doing it either.

The beach was gorgeous and the food was good for the most part. I had a little overdose on nachos and hot mexican cheese. The best part of the trip was the Blue Coral drinks that I had on the beach, at the swim-up bar, in the piazza at night and at meals. That's the beauty of all-inclusive - you can have as many frozen drinks as you want (BTW, those of you who know me know that I am not a huge drinker but I guess Mexico does that to you!).

The other interesting part of the trip was that it was myself and 5 women (my male-friends had conflicts - BOO!). For the most part, I have no complaints as the group of ladies were very flexible and willing to roll with the punches, which was very nice. I did get reminded a lot about how to take appropriate swim suit pictures and it turns out they definitely had comments on the various topless women who were roaming the beaches.

So the All-inclusive bracelet was pretty awesome - you can even see it in the picture above. I will say that it wasn't fun to have the bracelet on while showering and putting on sun-tan lotion but it was a necessary evil of the tropical trip.

To view my pictures from our trip to Mexico, click on this link.

I got to Kansas City on a Friday! - actually Sunday

2007-10-03T06:23:00.000-04:00

By Saturday I learned a thing or two...

Hello out there in the blog world. It's 5:20am and I am sitting at the Kansas City International Airport waiting for my flight back to Washington National Airport. In my overtired haze, I realize that this city in the middle of the United States is quite nice. There are many beautiful historical buildings, modern buildings (pretty impressive Kansas City Star Building), memorials and a River confluence! You know I love the confluences now. The Kansas River joins the Missouri river in Kansas City.

On Monday night, I was able to go to a reception at Union Station (building in foreground in above picture) and participate in the two best things Kansas City has to offer - BBQ and Jazz music. Holy good BBQ! I also got to have a good Kansas City steak last night as well. Now of course, I am going on full red-meat detox...

Anyway, I am about to board my US Airways flight back to Washington National and get my four course breakfast. Just kidding!

And the best thing is that tomorrow morning a bunch of us are going on long weekend vacation to Playa Del Carmen, Mexico - some call it the Kansas City of the South....

Adios from Concourse H.

The newest member of the Mishpochah - Baby Grace!

2007-09-25T16:50:00.000-04:00

Last week, my cousin Dan Rabinowitz and his wife Doris welcomed an adorable new baby girl, Jacqueline Grace, into the world. (will be called Grace - and it was probably Doris who had more of the physical role in the welcoming part...) I am excited to meet this very cute new member of my extended mishpochah (hebrew word for family - pronounced Mish-puh-huh...that last huh has to come from the stomach though).

Check out an awesome video of Baby Grace at this link on YouTube.com

Keeping a Great Legacy Alive

2007-09-19T20:56:00.000-04:00

This morning I was able to participate in the presentation of the Mark Mann Award with my mom, which is an award for the Montgomery County Public Schools. For those readers who don't know, Mark Mann is my late father and was a great principal/educator in his day. His legacy was honored with this award because he always strived to be inclusive of staff, students and the community, regardless of socioeconomic background, religion or race. The award has been given to the top principal in Montgomery County Public Schools (which is the 17th largest school district in the world) each year since 1991.

My dad's interest revolved around education, geography and aviation. I am happy to be a part of his legacy and will continue to work towards achieving his professional and personal success.

This year, two principals were given the award: Lance Dempsey from Shady Grove Middle School (who ironically was my teacher when I was in Middle School) and Lee Derby from Garrett Park Elementary School. (Click here for the press release and a description of the award)

Below is the picture:

Cautiously excited about a 2-0 record!

2007-09-17T23:55:00.000-04:00

It's week 2, and so far the Redskins have yet to lose a game. I just watched the Redskins beat the Eagles in Philadelphia with caution - but you know what - we did it (and by we, I mean I sat on the couch watching TV and "they" won the game).

So the crazy thing about this record is that usually every team I root for disappoints me. That includes: Pitt Basketball, Pitt Football, the Redskins, Orioles, Nationals, WNBA Mystics (ha just kidding on that one), Maryland Basketball (however still thankful for the 2002 championship), Team Anniston, The Jewish teams on the Amazing Race, Illinois, etc.

Next week the Redskins meet the Giants at home in an effort to reach 3-0! I am still optimistic that we can keep winning. Dallas and Washington 2-0, New York Giants and Philadelphia 0-2.

Only 14 more games.....

And for Larry, Jen G, Brad, Ben and Dave S - I would like to say - "Hail to the Redskins!" (and I mean that in the most politically correct way)

Side note - I saw 3:10 to Yuma on Saturday and it was great! Great cinematography, great acting, great story, great everything!

I’ll take Presidential Libraries for 100 Alex

2007-09-08T01:11:00.000-04:00

I have just completed a whirlwind tour through some of America’s reddest states so to speak. But I have to say – it was a great trip. A project that I am working on at work required me to do some work at both the Little Rock and Paducah airports so I connected the two assignments…

On Wednesday night, I landed in Little Rock and added Arkansas to my list of states visited in the Union. My former co-worker Pam (seen at the following blog), now lives in Conway (and as she said when I asked if it was a suburb of Little Rock –she replied “Um, 25 miles out of the city is way different that in DC) and we met for dinner at a great place called Loco Luna, which was dubbed an “Bold new Arkansas Bistro”. Better than a luke warm Montana Meeting Place – those can be a real downer. The food and conversation was great and then it was back to the Doubletree. What I first realized about the Midwest was that the rivers out here are gigunda. Like seriously wide. (Also note, the Jordan River in Israel is very very thin and about 4 feet deep in parts – yes, I walked on the Jordan River, well in it). The Arkansas River is quite a big river and I gazed across it into North Little Rock – or as Pam called it, The Heights.

Yesterday afternoon, I decided to take a couple of hours before starting my drive to Paducah, Kentucky with a brief tour of Little Rock with Pam that included The State Capitol (Come on people, who doesn’t know I love State Capitols!) and I wanted to see Little Rock Central High School, site of one the boldest moments of the American Civil Rights movement. Very neat! But, the best part of the afternoon was the President Clinton Library and Park in downtown Little Rock.

For anyone reading this blog, I tell thee “Get Ye to a Presidential Library!” By the way, did everyone know Presidential Libraries are a division of the National Archives? The place was just incredible. As a registered Democrat I was just in awe of the place but in fact I am quite interested in seeing other Presidential Libraries – not just Democrats…But seriously, the whole time I was reading about Clinton’s views on Civil Rights, the Environment, International Relations, Education, the Economy, etc – I just kept thinking “What on gods green earth are they going to put in President George W. Bush’s Library?” I guess if Gerald Ford gets one, then so does W.

I also realized that I wished I was older during the Clinton years since I feel like I understand our country’s political world so much more now. The Clinton library had so many great exhibits and personal memorabilia that I ended up taking about 100 pictures – oops. Pam and I had a great time reading everything and as I wrapped up my time at the Library, I realized it was a quintessential Washington, DC type activity that can only be done outside of Washington – in the President’s home state. So there you have it – if you have time to stop in Little Rock, it is just amazing. The Clinton Library is also becoming a major tourist attraction – the number of visitors have exceed all expectations 10-fold and people come from all over the world to this place. How ironic in one of America’s Reddest states we have this monument to a True-Blue human being. And yes, everyone has their own views of Clinton but to me, he was a great President and I do believe that in years to come, he will be remembered as one of the best as well.

Ok, enough about Little Rock, now it was time to hit the road and start my 315 mile journey from Arkansas to Paducah, Kentucky.

The drive on I-40 East, I-55 North and US 60 East was quite an experience. Driving through America’s Southern Heartland was awesome I have to say. I had my iPod which definitely helped with the music situation. I did notice some very interesting things along my journey:

There are trucks everywhere in the Midwest. I guess every interstate is a major truck artery – overall, good driving across the board. But boy, that must be so boring – I hope they have good tunes as well.

I drove over my first bayou, St. James Bayou – It was super exciting. I started to sing Blue Bayou but since I decided to keep the full rendition for a future trip to Louisiana.
So I always thought there were a lot of McDonalds in the U.S. but after this drive, I definitely know it! At least every 3 exits it seemed like. I partook in some dinner there in the metropolis of Blytheville, Arkansas.
Missouri is crazy with their Road Names – they had roads named after letters – Route J, Route H, Route U – that was whack if you ask me – I laughed to myself when I passed a sign that said upcoming Junction between “J” and “JJ”. Maybe when I am stuck in a future game of Scrabble I will throw some letters down and say “Wait, I thought we were included Missouri Highway names?”
People, there is a town in Missouri called Cooter. Enough said.

So last night I entered Paducah, Kentucky and found my hotel perfectly. Then today after my airport stop, I headed down to Nashville, Tennessee for my flight home to Washington. As I then drove down I-24, I realized that between the previous days journey and today’s, there is so much to enjoy on drives like these – especially if you love History like I do.

I am now a Confluence-ophile. Maybe its because Pittsburgh has always played a strong role in my life? When Rivers come together it is super cool. Yesterday I drove over the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Holy long bridges and today I saw where the Cumberland and Tennessee Rivers both come into the Ohio at the same place.
By seeing at of the agriculture of the Missouri and Arkansas regions, I realize that Napoleon Bonaparte may possibly have been the biggest idiot in the history of the world. Remember, he sold the US the Louisiana Purchase (all lands drained by the Mississippi and Missouri rivers so that France could concentrate on Haiti) Smooth move Bonaparte – Hows that working out for you France? Addition - Poppa Norman has already noted that Napoleon and France also needed more money for the war against Britain... But isn't my version better?
It was neat to drive through the region with the Tenneessee Valley Authority, which was one of the many elements of FDRs New Deal to get this country back on its feet. Pretty awesome.
And a shout out to another President – this time Eisenhower. Many of you think that I just love airports – but I love subways and highways too – anything to do with transportation. Eisenhower’s vision of a National Interstate Highway System is just awesome. And for the most part, it’s very easy to use. Subtract Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes.

Well now my journey is over. Make sure you check out my pictures on Flickr (CLICK HERE)

Bobblehead presidents, Funny Plastic Teeth and some mini Hamburgers

2007-09-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

My labor day weekend is over and now it's back to work. We had a great weekend going to the Nationals game with Kat and DJ. And I just love the bobblehead President's race. I also realized that I love my wife so much because when I asked for what war did Teddy Roosevelt win the Nobel Peace Prize for (It was Teddy Roosevelt bobble head night @ the Nats game) she correctly said The Russo-Japanese War. What a keeper!

FYI, he brokered the peace deal in Nashua, NH between the two sides. Also, my great grandfather Henry Morgan was a Russian solder during that war.

We also had a great time on Sunday night with the Pincus extended family where we had too much fun playing with Lilly's tent and some plastic teeth.

Then it was over the Jenn and Justin's on Monday for mini-hamburgers with Noreen and Morgan Gale. I got to make some homeade Zaatar with Madelyn, which was fun...

Now the week starts....and on Wednesday I leave for a business trip to Arkansas and Kentucky. Two more states for my checklist. I am going to catch you Wendy!

If you would like to see pictures, click below:
Labor Day Weekend Pictures - 2007

We just got a new digital camera for our anniversary so we are born-again photographers.

Anniversaries and New Beginnings

2007-08-28T11:41:00.000-04:00

Well, since today is August 28th, I wanted to send a special greeting to my lovely wife, Karyn. Happy 2nd Anniversary! She is my best friend and the love of my life - the Sally to my Harry, the Yin to my Yang, the Jlo to my Chris Judd, I mean, wait, Ben Afleck, wait no not that one, Oh, Marc Anthony. :-) In all seriousness, I love you Karyn and I am looking forward to many, many more anniversaries! (For those who are interested, we are going to Pizzeria Paradiso tonight to celebrate since we had really good Italian pizza on our Italian honeymoon. We always have heard that it is the best pizza in Washington, stay tuned!)

Of course, I also want to thank our friends and family for helping us reach this day....Thanks!

Now, another momentous event took place yesterday, August 27th... My adorable, brilliant, little 5 year old niece Lucy, started Kindergarten at Lucy Barnsley Elementary (Alma mater of Aunt Karen A. Mann and Unca Bunca - aka Uncle Howie). Click on the picture to the right to see pictures of her first day....

Thar He Blows!

2007-08-23T22:01:00.000-04:00

Another summer, another hurricane season begins. So as I was watching the endless hurricane coverage of Hurricane Dean, I realized that our real-live hurricane media access has increased threefold since Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Now it seems that the weather reporters need to actually be in the hurricane to adequately pass the news onto America.

Why? I find the fact that Al Roker was in Chetumal, Mexico earlier this week was completely idiotic. And if I was Mrs. Roker, I would be absolutely appalled. I mean, he isn't a journalist who covers wars like the British reporter who has been in Baghdad for the better part of this century. But the problem is that the networks believe that this is way to great ratings. Totally not true - I have read the news online, I have seen the satellite images from space, I got it - Dean is a big storm. And the best part is that Al Roker live from Chetumal is in the middle of pre-dawn darkness which means there really isn't anything to see.

The best part was as NBC saught higher ratings and a more comprehensive coverage, they also decided to have live reports from Kerry Sanders who actually during the broadcast said "Oh, Matt Lauer, not to worry about me in the Hurricane, we are strategically placed up against a wall." As if a storm that is churning 160 mph winds can't blow down a wall. And later, he said "Excuse me Matt but I think I need to walk away from this area as debris is flying around". I shutter to think that America and its disaster addicted viewers are one day going to see some poor reporter get blown away. Remember when Al Roker fell down during that one Hurricane. So the best thing is to report that indeed the storm is strong and wait until the next morning to witness the actual damage.

And then the kicker, Matt Lauer and Ann Curry actually go back to Al Roker, who is huddled in a slicker with a cell phone to do the national weather report. TOTAL MADNESS!!!!

I mean really, are we months away from Al Roker hitched to a wooden post in the middle of a tornado in Central Kansas? Probably would be hard to do with the video crew but honestly, I am getting nervous that we are close.....I admit disaster video footage is intriguing but only when its accidental like the Asian Tsunami coverage or a building collapse. But to know that someone is purposely putting themselves in harms way for useless video coverage.

And as a side note, I would like to bring up an important point that some of you have already heard. I am pretty sure that Ann Curry is about to have a complete and utter breakdown. Is she angry that Meredith Vieira got her coveted job? Is she upset that she is so beyond boring that it isn't even funny? Is she pissed off that everyone that has ever worked for NBC got to go to the last 4 Olympics and she still is back at Studio 1A so she can do the news with the fifth string camera crew? And then what report does she get to cover? Darfur! Don't say I didn't warn you people...

Amen to Amenities

2007-08-16T10:04:00.000-04:00

Welcome back to Concourse H everyone. I have been busy enjoying my summer with some beach trips and overall laziness....

Recently I have been thinking about the various things in my life that I love - those actions that I go through where I say to myself "Oh, my gosh, I love that this is in my life". It may be something technological, it may be something super basic, but it still has got me thinking. I really love certain amenities and I would be sad if they were never invented. And of course, what types of amenities do I need invented to make my life easier....

Here are some of the amenities that I just absolutely love:

The individual TVs in the back of the seats on airplanes. A particular nod goes to the Air Canada system that is on their newer planes. When I fly from Toronto to Washington National, I just think that this is the best thing in the world. Touch screen - Watch the office - watch a movie - watch an educational program, etc. Rumor is the new Virgin America system is quite nice as well.
The online reservation system and catalog at the public library. (and as a backup for this one, the print option from Borders kiosks) I love this because I can get lost in Borders sometimes and easily want to buy a billion books, but I usually just print out the book and go back and search the library for it. Exceptions involve aviation related books, Harry Potter and my favorite authors - those books get bought...Thumbs down however on the library only really having hardback books - not easy for the metro commute.
My Bose Ipod speaker - I have a full stereo that takes up much less room. Thumbs down on the Bose speaker remote however which for some reason you need to do a full rhythmic gymastics routine or press so hard you get an aneurism to get it to work. And yes, I have checked the batteries.
New Balance workout shorts - Available at all sports related retailers. I love to run on the treadmill and for some reasons these shorts are the best out there. I won't go into all of the details but these don't make you feel like you are pulling your shorts back into place every two minutes. Enough said.

The 15 second button on my remote control - For those moments when you think you didn't hear something correctly on your favorite show or in the case of the Sopranos -the screen goes blank. This button is awesome.

My new sink which has a extendable handle and the ability to change from single stream to shower coverage. I love it - one day I was trying to mandhandle the Brita into the sink when I realized I could leave it on the counter and alas, the sink would come to me. I was so excited I think I actually cheered out loud...simple pleasures.

So on to the amenities that I would like to see invented in the not-to-distant future:

A full fledged system in movie theatres where patrons can easily press a button and people who are talking on their cell phones, or are bringing 2 year old babies into an R rated thriller or people who are slurping their sodas and munching on their popcorn in front of me (or candy, ugh!) are immediately forced out of a movie. I actually heard a rumor that this was being tested in some theatre chains. Where is it and how can I participate? Those of you who watched me suffer during a very bad Rumor Has It experience understand my plight.

As a side note to #1 above, some sort of concert democracy controlled system could be introduced where if you are in the part of the concert venue with seats and everyone is sitting down during a slow song and two idiots feel like its time to introduce their drug induced interpretive dance to everyone - the masses would be able to all get a text and announce a time where everyone in unison would say "Sit the H*ll down now!"

In homage to my wife, I know she would like to see a mandatory system at metro farecard checks where if you don't get your card out in time, or you show clear signs of not understanding the system, you are levitated upwards and moved to the back of the line where the ExitFare machines are. Perhaps Karyn could lead the R&D on this one.

The "Weather-on-the-watch" system where if the skies are turning grey and I really need to just get to the metro or walk the quick distance home from the metro - I could look at my watch and it would say "2 minutes to precipitation - book it Mister!" Or "Drizzle only, walk at leisurely pace" or "Grab a newspaper now because you need something to cover your head - we are about to blow!"

So there they are. I have to say amenities are awesome. They add that special level of satisfaction in my daily routine. Without them, I would definitely be sad...

And yes, I did leave out my DVR and iPod, but don't think for a minute that they aren't cherished as well.

Passing on the family food traditions

2007-08-06T22:18:00.000-04:00

This past week, our family went to Lewes, Delaware (second trip to Lewes this summer) and we had a great time eating good beach food, swimming in the ocean, flying kites, doing puzzles and playing games. Karyn and I were also very lucky to have some really good bonding time with our two adorable neices (we were lucky to have also spent time with our other neice, Lilly, earlier this summer on trip #1).

One of the highlights of the trip was going to my favorite place on the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk - Gus and Gus Place, where one can have the best gyro in the world.

Check out the pictures from my sister's album at the following link.

Trying to decipher between a fan and a fanatic

2007-07-24T22:14:00.000-04:00

I have been pondering some of my interests lately and trying to think of those activities/interests of which I am a fan and those of which I am a fanatic. When I think about it, a fan is someone who enjoys following a certain team/activity/interest while a fanatic takes it to the next level.

In reality, I am a fanatic for one thing - airplanes. I am a fan of things such as the Redskins, Harry Potter, Independent Movies, NCAA March Madness, the sports section of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Bagels, Gyros, etc.

This past weekend in Silver Spring, I was exposed to various types of fans and fanatics....

First , on Friday night we went to the Book Release event in Downtown Silver Spring (second largest in the country if I may give SS some props!) for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The main street in Silver Spring was transformed into Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter series. There were a ton of people there and lots of them were in costumes. As the clock struck midnight, they started giving out the books and I actually won one of the two raffles. A signed poster of the book signed by the illustrator Mary Grandpre. I got so many offers for this poster as soon as I got off the stage. Hello eBay! I can tell you there were many fans and fanatics at this event. It was pretty awesome. Click on this link for the pictures of the event.

Second, on Sunday, Karyn and I witnessed our first Grand Prix bike race. Downtown Silver Spring was transformed into a high speed bike race and it was pretty awesome. And let me tell you, there were some crazy bike fanatics there. People who really took this stuff seriously! I snapped some shots with my cell phone. Karyn and I actually really enjoyed this fun event - we ended up learning various different bike race terms and cheered on the winners!
I guess it's totally normal to be a fan or a fanatic. All of those things helps us get through the day to day repetition of life and work. Lucky for me, I get to include my fanatical aviation interests in my job!

I won't be blogging for a little while since Karyn and I will going on the Mann Family Beach Vacation to Lewes, Delaware next week! Stay tuned to Concourse H for the return of my random thoughts!

Ready, Set, Activate

2007-07-15T21:10:00.000-04:00

Today a bunch of us went to go and see Michael Moore's movie SiCKO, which meant that a blog entry was in fact predestined. Why you ask? The movie is centered around the state of the US's current healthcare system in comparison to universal/socialized medicine programs in other nations. I don't watch these movies taking each word that is said as face value but what I do love is that they get people thinking about the issues. It means that people need to try and dig through the details, come up with their own opinions and become activists on whatever issues and policies they want to support.

I could easily watch this movie and think "Oh, it's so much better in Canada, I need to move there or France has got it better". But I don't. I do, however, believe that the current system in the US is indeed flawed and needs fixing and we should look around to see what works and what doesn't work - and more importantly what would work with the 290 million people that live in the U.S., not just what works for 33 million in Canada. Unforunately the U.S. sometimes gets so cocky on its own system related to education, the environment, energy use and free press that it tends to forget that it needs to evolve many of its policies. And in any political environment, that can be quite difficult to do in any reasonable amount of time.

The one thing I did really take away from the movie besides an deeper introduction to various issues related to health care in the US (which, yes, I need to sit and think about what I believe and what I don't believe) is that in America, we have a big problem with moving from a "me" mentality to a "we" mentality. Everyone always talks about The American Dream as a way to find the magical storylines of our lives but in reality, that mentality is based on the individual making it - not America as a whole making it. Until we move to a more community based country in our thinking, we will lag behind other nations.

Now Michael Moore isn't loved by everyone but the reason I go and see his movies are because this is what gets people talking about the issues - regardless of if you believe in his views or not. That is why we need to push more activism in this world. Whatever you believe, start voting with that power. And educate yourself on the issues - both from what those who are close to you in your opinions and those who aren't. The power of activism and knowing what our own opinions are are the the only real powers we have.

I keep hearing all of these people complain about the state of the world and then those same people say "Oh, I didn't vote in the last election". True, it is easy to go and say "it won't make a difference anyway, republicans and democrats are the same" but if you don't make your voices heard in the power of the ballot, then the apathy breeds more status quo. Perhaps I am too hopeful on returning to a world where the people really will have a say....but there has to be something better out there for this country and the human race as a whole.

Now if there is one thing I am learning in this lifetime it is always be prepared to know what your opponent is thinking. People may watch this movie and say "America is evil, I am moving to Canada or France". But I watch this movie, and make a realization about how I can further the cause of understanding the benefits of a national healthcare system in concert with why America is a great place. So here is my SWOT analysis on this country. (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats for you non business majors)

Strengths

Religious Freedom
Freedom of Press
True Citizen Mobility
Civil Rights
Infrastructure
Still a top choice for inbound immigration due to its opportunities (See immigration problem in Europe and its effect on security, communities, etc.)

Weaknesses

Heathcare
Full Civil Rights for all types of people
Role of Business in our Foreign relations

Opportunities

Leadership role while being open to new ideas
Environmental champion
More propping up of economies and populations and less propping up of governments

Threats

Continuing through the impacts of Globalization without necessary forwardlooking safeguards and plans in our economy and workforce
"Big Kid on the Block attitude" where US does its own thing (too many times I see this in our aviation policies - argh!)
Continuing to create an economic environment in the U.S. that only benefits a highly skilled workforce - we need all different levels of labor in this country.

So there is my brief SWOT analysis on the state of this country. I know that after seeing this movie, I need to continue to be an activist for what I believe in but at the same time continue to look at ways in which my goals could positively change the community and nation that I cherish.

:-)

Paid for by the exploratory committee for Howard Mann for President in 2020.

Finding the right combination

2007-07-10T10:43:00.000-04:00

Greetings from the beautiful town of Lewes, Delaware. This seaside town on the east coast is the first town in the first state. When the Dutch touched down in Lewes in 1631, it solidifed the role of Delaware in the future role of first....And who doesn't want to be first? The best part of this town is it is Delmarvelous. Delmarvelous you ask?

The Delmarva peninsula is the land shared by Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. And in all honesty, Delaware is the only state that has all of its land on the peninsula - therefore really validating the need to be first in name. And who wants to say the Virglandaware peninsula? That isn't fun at all!

Here are some other notable combination places in the world:

Texarkana, Arkansas - This town is located where Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana come together. This region is also known as the Ark-La-Tex region.

Benelux - Referred to as a group of countries, this region in Europe refers to Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg. Side note - the Benelux countries are trying to cash in with their brand to host the World Cup in 2018.

Calexico, Mexico and Mexicali, California - These two cities are right across from each other on the California-Mexico border.

Budapest - Did you think that this was one city name? Not so! This is the combination of two cities (Buda and Pest) across from each other on the Danube River.

Tribeca - This is one that I didn't know. Tribeca refers to the Triangle Below Canal Street.

Kanorado, Kansas - This one is a given - on the border of Kansas and Colorado but it probably stinks to high heaven of cattle farms with flat lands. But only 248 people live here so hopefully the amount of Jayhawks and Buffalo fans are split down the middle with 124 each.

Now it's time to get back to my Delmarvelous Vacation. Until next time.

The life and times of Canada's favorite dog.

2007-07-06T07:15:00.001-04:00

As I enter my fourth month of blogging, I wanted to add a new and very unique blog link to my site. Have you ever wondered what our favorite four legged friends are thinking? How they interact with other humans and dogs? Check out the blog of Canada's favorite dog, Radar.

http://life-of-radar.blogspot.com/

The Countdown is Here...2014 or bust!

2007-07-03T22:51:00.000-04:00

Many of you remember my original post of the Olympic Bid Process. Well the day is here tomorrow, July 4th. The 2014 Winter Olympic Host City will be announced.

Check out the story about the rampant corruption between the three finalist cities (Sochi, Salzburg and PyeongChang).

Watch the annoucement live at 7:00pm EST. 5:00pm Guatemala time.

I'll take the 2 Cheeseburger combo meal and could you Super Size that?

2007-07-01T22:33:00.001-04:00

This weekend Karyn and I went to Philadelphia for a wedding and to see cousins. On the drive home, we had an interesting occurence . When we got to the Delaware Turnpike (which has got to be the shortest most ridiculous toll road in the history of the world) we were stuck in traffic for about 20 minutes - of course it felt like 3 hours!

As we were sitting in traffic, we saw this man pictured below drive by and I immediately grabbed my camera. Karyn immediately uttered the drive through comment from the blog title. The thing that really does it for me is the puffy mic headphone. And how does the other person hear him when he is driving in a convertible? I guess once he got through the tollbooth, he had to take it off.

But I would like to digress on the Delaware Turnpike. Delaware, we know you are the First State and the second smallest and you have lots of great things going for you like tax free shopping, nice beaches and a massive air force base....but seriously, do you need to squeeze the $3 each way for an 11.0 mile road? And even though I know you can get off in Wilmington and avoid the toll - it's just annoying.....I mean, Delaware you should charge more like 30 cents because that the proportion of the road I am using.

For those of you interested in seeing pictures from this weekend, click here.

No one ever told me about "Summer Rates"

2007-06-27T21:02:00.000-04:00

I have now realized that Karyn and I are officially homeowners. Yes, I am extremely happy about living in our new condo but after I opened our Pepco electric bill, I now have a whole new outlook on the energy crisis gripping our country. Little did we know about "summer rates", which just happened to creep into our most recent bill. These so called "summer rates" more than doubled our electricity bill - granted it was also a lot hotter last month compared to the prior but still.

Now I am all paranoid that there is some secret whole in one of our windows that is sucking all of this priceless air conditioning out. Many of you know I always praise the fact that Washington doesn't have wildfires, earthquakes, occassional blizzards and nothing to note of in terms of major hurricanes or tornadoes. I guess "summer rates" are better than any of those.

Anyway, I gotta go and hold the fan over Karyn's head while she watches Oprah. Just kidding! We are still using our A/C!

Be still my heart O Megalopolis

2007-06-22T09:38:00.001-04:00

For my blog readers out there in cyperspace, I have just returned from a business trip to Tucson, Arizona and have realized here and now two things - A.) I am definitely an east coast person and b.) there are definite differences between regional personalities within in the U.S. and even other countries in the world.

Many times people focus on differences in habits when people are from different countries but in reality the more tangible differences come in comparing common geographical pairings - i.e. East Coast vs. West Coast, Chicago vs. Detroit, Rio vs. Sao Paulo, Toronto vs. Vancouver, Regina vs. Moose Jaw, Champaign vs. Urbana, etc.

The one I want to focus on is East Coast vs. West Coast in this blog entry. BTW, when I say Coast I mean coastal areas therefore adding in places such as Tucson or Atlanta. One thing I noticed upon arrival in Tucson is the physical beauty and the grandeur of the mountains and landscape - don't really have that in the east to a scale as say Seattle, Portland - or even the Wasatch Range in Salt Lake City. I am a true lover of mountain scenery and have to say the west has us beat. But the world is so spread out there and maybe that affects the way people communicate. Perhaps this means that nature plays more of a role in their lives out west? Perhaps people are used to driving long distances in their car because it could take you 10 hours just to get to a new state? Perhaps they can deal with the summer temperature of 108 degrees in Arizona? Even though its a dry heat, trust me, its still unbearable!

In the East we have congestion, threats of terrorism, bad baseballs teams (well just in our area), overcrowded airports with no expandable capacity (except for you my Dulles) - BUT, we do have many other things, cosmopolitan cities with rich history, subway systems for tourists, and a geographical closeness that helps move people to Philadelphia and New York in a heartbeat. The term Megalopolis refers the large urban area that spans between Boston and Washington, DC. The mood of the east coast just fits me better - not to say I haven't had incredible times in West Coast destinations. And yes, there is rich history in the west, but as Americans we tend to feel closer to East Coast history as it was born out of Britain and not from Native American or Mexican history (now Santa Fe, stop your blubbering, you know I love you and your green chile!)

Now whenever I am in the west, I always act appropriately. I spend times outdoors hiking, eat my fill of Western Cuisine, take pictures of the spectacular scenery but in the end, I enjoy coming home to see my Washington Monument, Annapolis, Manhattan, Boston, etc.

Maybe I am just an urbanophile... There have been conversations that have discussed if I am rural racist and just have no ability to fully immerse myself in non-urban situations? Perhaps....but for this argument, I am going to pin it to East Coast vs. West Coast.

Now, what to do about Middle America? That is a whole other blog.

2 Side Notes: 1.) My cousin Rachel who is in med school in SF just left for a month to Uganda to work in a clinic - follow her on her blog at The Last Queen of Scotland and 2.) per a previous blog entry, Elliott Yamin played Tuesday night in Tucson and I missed it! Argh!

Without Geography.....you'd be nowhere

2007-06-14T13:16:00.000-04:00

A city that is divided by a river of the same name was the imperial capital of Vietnam for more than a century. Name this city, which is still an important cultural center.

That was the final question in this year's National Geographic Society's geography bee. The reason I thought about blogging about Geography is because I love everything about it. When I was a child, I spent a lot of time reading atlases and looking at airline route maps. One of my earliest memories is sitting and memorizing my dad's National Geographic Atlas so that I could learn all of the countries, capitals, highest points, lowest points, etc. When my dad realized I was memorizing everything, he confessed that I had been memorizing his atlas which was dated around 1964....."Son, there is no more Rhodesia and East Pakistan" (bonus points for those people who can comment on what the modern names of those countries are - and NO WIKIPEDIA help).

The history of maps is very interesting and I even suggest reading a true crime book suggested to me by my cousin Ron in Rochester -- "The Island of Lost Maps" by Harvey Miles. It is a book that parallels a true map theif that preyed on university libraries in North America and the role of maps throughout history. One of my favorite things about my current job is I get to join my love of maps with my love of airline route maps. I have always enjoyed connecting the dots in the back of airline schedules and now I get paid to put them in presentations.

So why is geography so important to everyones life? Here are some reasons I would like to suggest:

Conversational skills. When you trying to talk to someone either from the U.S. or another country, being able to converse about their hometown or the places around them will help you in the long run. Karyn knows as soon as I get into a cab, I love to ask where the driver is from. People absolutely love talking about the city they are from (i.e. in cab with someone from Pakistan, they tell me the name of their city - "Oh, is that in the Indus River Valley, I have heard that is quite nice".) Then of course, I always talk about airlines in some way. Even by knowing where U.S. universities are can go a long way in conversation - "Hey, you went to Oklahoma, what is Stillwater like?"
Directional skills. They can help when you are stuck in traffic but have a good sense of what is north, south, etc and which diversionary road may lead you to your final destination.
Passing the time. Karyn often is surprised when we are flying together because I point out rivers, cities, airports, moutain ranges, etc. This makes any daytime flight more enjoyable. And who doesn't love the maps on the airplane TV Screens?
Real World Understanding The best way to undersand some of the events in the world right now relates to looking at the geography of the situation. This could include India-Pakistan border issues, Chechenya, Sudan, etc. Sometimes, since the U.S. is so big and isolated in many ways, we can tend to bypass a need to expand our geographical knowledge.

So I ask all of you to become more geographically inclined.... It is a skill that will provide you with many benefits throughout your life.

Oh, and the answer to the above question is Hue. (pronounced H'whey) And you know I love a good side note: Hue is the place where the Spicy beef pho noodle soup is from (Bun Bo Hue)- which my brother in law Justin introduced me too.

Teach your children.....how to spot aircraft

2007-06-07T07:36:00.000-04:00

Last week I was lucky enough to take my niece Lucy Fields, who is 5, on her first airport spotting adventure. We went to Washington Dulles International Airport and did a comprehensive tour - it included taking pictures of planes landing and taking off, a tour of the terminal and we even had time to practice our letters by looking at plane tails.

The funniest part of the whole day was when she saw SAS's Airbus A340 - that is Scandinavian Airline System which is the national carrier of Denmark, Norway and Sweden - I brought some paper and a pen because Lucy is quickly learning how to write down her letters, words and numbers. When I asked her to spell the tail, she first started "A-S-S" which was funny - not to worry, she corrected herself on her own.

We had so much fun and I definitely think she caught the airplane bug!

Here are the pictures (Click here) - Enjoy.

Side note: I haven't blogged since last week due to being absolutely engrossed in Khaled Hosseini's new book: A Thousand Splendid Suns. If you enjoyed The Kite Runner, you will absolutely love this book. It may even be better.

The art of social nosiness is alive and well at Chevy Chase Bank

2007-05-30T14:31:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been listening to a conversation with two other people and realized that you really wanted to say something? Have you seen someone reading a book that you loved so much that you want to emphatically tell them how great of a book it is? Have you ever been on an airplane and some moron behind you is telling his kid that the plane he is looking at is a Boeing 747 and you want to turn aroud and say "you idiot, you are lying to your kid - we are at Washington National Airport and a Boeing 747 wouldn't even make it off this piddly runway"? Ok, perhaps just me on that last one....

The art of social nosiness is one that draws a fine line between being nice and friendly or annoying and nosy. It just so happens that I have two examples - both of my examples happen to be at the same place - Chevy Chase Bank (2 different locations though).

The first one took place after our wedding. I was so excited to deposit the checks that we received as gifts that I went to the bank the day after our wedding which was also the day we left on our honeymoon. I listed the checks on the 2 deposit slips and went up to the teller. As we made small talk, the teller began to realize that I had just gotten married due to the large amount of checks. I guess I didn't look 13 and proud that I just read from the torah... Anyway, the teller started to input the checks when she stumbled upon one that was the biggest amount and said "Wow - this check is really nice". I laughed a little bit only because I knew that it was her social nosiness that felt the need to comment.

The other example happened more recently. Our friend Marci was writing us a check for a trip we are taking to Mexico later this year and in the memo, she had written the words "Mexico!". And lets be frank - an exclamation point is needed when you are going on a vacation of any sort. So when I went to Chevy Chase Bank this time, the nice teller was going through the deposit process and said "Ooh, looks like someone is going on a great trip to Mexico". Now for this one I was in a better mood. I ended up talking to the woman about the great deal we got on airfare and the resort and then she mentioned to me she had a fear of flying and hated turbulence. I told her that no airplane has ever fallen out of the sky due to turbulence and some techniques to calm people down if they are a nervous flyer. We had a great conversation and then I was off to work.

So the question remains? Is social nosiness ok in some situations and not in others? I remember once commenting to a woman on the metro reading The Kite Runner that the book was amazing (sorry jen p, the world disagrees). She seemed to be ok with my comment but secretly could have said "shut up boy and let me read my book!" In reality, for someone as talkative as myself - it is really hard to manage the appropriate level of social nosiness.

Maybe we can all do a test of the threshold of social nosiness? Next time you are writing a check to someone write in the memo one of the following:

Bank Tellers are awesome
Bank of America rocks my world
Taliban Summer Camp Payment
Imelda Marcos Shoe Buying Seminar
Paris Hilton's Etiquette Class
Smile if you love the Ebola virus

After that, your friend will ask you to pay them back in cash!

Is life easier when you're flat and laminated? Perhaps...

2007-05-23T10:20:00.000-04:00

Over the past week, I have been very lucky to be picked to participate in the Flat Stanley project for Mrs. Fields' (my sister) 3rd Grade class at Oakland Terrace Elementary School. The Flat Stanley Project is based on a children's book from 1964. I have been matched up with Flat Mehret, the doll based on a very lovely Ethiopian girl from Mrs. Fields' class. Flat Mehret and Mr. Mann (as I am called in my summary) have been having some great adventures.

Flat Mehret and Mr. Mann have gone on airplanes, met interesting people, taken trains and eaten lots of food (although frankly, Flat Mehret is much better at not retaining water weight).

So, what are the benefits of being flat and laminated?

Traveling light really means traveling light! TSA Airport checks are much easier and quicker.

No worries about long term damaging effects from iPods (see Don, I got it right)

You don't get as annoyed when two people across the aisle on the metro are talking like they are hanging out in a speakeasy while Mr. Mann is trying to read his book...

So enjoy - check out the pictures at the following link.

Play that funky music Efraym

2007-05-21T09:26:00.000-04:00

For my Jewish sisters and brothers out there and even my non-Jewish friends - did you think that the popularity of Jewish musicians peaked at 2 Live Jews (best known for the rap song - Oy it's so humid) and Matisyahu (the very popular Chabad reggae artist)? Well there is a new guy in town (and not Adam Noah Levine, the lead singer from Maroon 5).

It's Efraym Elliott Yamin. The third place finisher from last season's American Idol. First, I heard his new song on the Billboard countdown on Saturday morning while driving to the airport and I decided to download his album last night. So onto my Ipod it went and (even with NBC 4's strong guidance on potential Ipod thefts on the Washington metro) I decided to give Elliott a chance.

People, this album is awesome! This young Bruce Willis look alike (with some recent reconstructive dental work to boot) has a ton of great songs to listen to and it even made me not completely unmotivated to go to work on Monday morning - and frankly that is difficult when all you want to do is play outside on a nice day.

Elliott is a son to an Iraqi Jewish father and a Jewish American (also born just two months ahead of me). Pretty awesome for raising the music strength of the "tribe". I know some of you probably thought we peaked at the Neil Diamond but we didn't - trust me.

So go and log on to Itunes or stop by Borders. Below is the album review from amazon.com - spot on!

"Elliott Yamin's debut is so agreeable and well-executed it may well convert hardened R&B experts--the kind who'd normally distance themselves from a disc with a TV pedigree. With sincerity and a voice that vaults itself to places no talent-show contestant should be able to go, Yamin bares his soul here in a way that would do his hero, Donny Hathaway, proud. Tracks like "Take My Breath Away" and "You Are the One" find him twisting a wrench around love-stained lyrics; "I'm the Man" and "Find A Way" flow with hat-in-hand grace (and, in the case of the latter, a scat worthy of a vintage jazz stage); and opener "Movin' On" immortalizes the season five judges'-table words of Paula Abdul: Ellliott Yamin is "one funky white boy." As he proves with this five-star album, he is also among the most gifted artists ever to a turn a stint on the show into a recording career. --Tammy La Gorce

And now a side note: You didn't think I was going to let this go without a history lesson did you? In biblical times, Baghdad actually had one of the largest Jewish populations - about 1 million inhabitants.

You gotta have a gimmick if you wanna have a chance

2007-05-18T09:56:00.000-04:00

Remember that great scene in Gypsy when they sing about the need to have a gimmick in order to succeed? (well maybe just my mother in law and my wife and I do but that's not the point!) After last night, I have realized that gimmicks are everything right now in the restaurant world.

Last night, Karyn and I went out with our friends Esteban and Siobhan to IndeBleu. A downtown DC establishment that is a fusion of Indian and French. This restaurant, which is in the booming neighborhood around the Verizon Center and Chinatown markets itself as "an exotic menu that combines traditional French ingredients with the boldness of Indian spice". Anyway, we had a great time and the food was great but it made me think - fusion is the new fad in restaurants, especially in downtown DC. In February, Karyn and I went some other friends to Zengo which was fusion Japanese and Latin and I have to say it was pretty good as well. Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good Five Guys burger or a grilled cheese from the IHOP - but I am totally drawn into these fusion restaurants.

And its not just the gimmick of fusion cuisine - its a gimmick of a theme in most examples. Even in our neighborhood of Silver Spring, there is a new bar called Piratz Tavern where everything is themed around pirates. (as the guy who cuts my hair says "Seriously, a pirate themed restaurant is good for your vacation at the beach, but on Georgia Ave?") I guess I am kind of interested in checking this out as well.

The first real fusion I can remember is when I was visited my friend Kyza in Minneapolis and she took a bunch of us out to Chino Latino on Hennepin Avenue. I was so intrigued and of course I was asking everyone "Should we ask for General Tso's Enchiladas or Moo Shi Arroz Con Pollo"? I remember that the food, dubbed as from the tropic zones, was incredible!

So here are some of my ideas for new fusion or themed restaurants:

Queen Victoria's Colonial Grill
Searching for that meal that tantalizes you with Indian bread, Caribbean conch fritters , a good Australian beer and Hong Kong Dim Sum? Then wait no further - come and taste all of the foods of Britain's Commenwealth at the height of Queen Victoria's reign. But we won't serve actual British food because it stinks!
Cafe Regime Change
Does the thought of biting into a juicy pineapple from Hawaii make your mouth water with excitement? How about some chicken dishes from every Central American country? A lamb kabob from Iraq or Afghanistan? Then by all means and come sample our new fusion cuisine that blends all of the countries where America has overthrown some sort of government in the last 100 years!
Pangaea - The Restaurant with everything!
Have you ever been to a restaurant and you just can't decide what to get? Well stop by Pangaea and celebrate the cuisine of the most famous prehistoric continental mass of land? Maybe even throughout the meal you can get up and bring your food to other tables to signify breaks in continental shelves? Then you can even re-enact collisions of continents around dessert?
Chez Hub Closure
Thinking of fried ravioli from St. Louis? How about a Primanti Brothers sandwich from Pittsburgh? Local fare from San Jose, CA? Stop by Chez Hub Closure where you celebrate the reorganization of domestic U.S. airlines and their choices to close hub operations due to competitive threats and poor local market demand. Your meal even comes with 2 gate leases for you to do with what you please. Future possible additions: Memphis Pit BBQ and Slavic foods from Cleveland...

So there it is - just a couple of ideas - feel free to share yours as well. Maybe we can all start a restaurant and then have a sort of boulevard of fusion/topical themed places to cash in on!

America's Linen Store: In search of a new moral fabric

2007-05-15T20:58:00.000-04:00

Today after work, I was on the metro on the ride home when a younger teenager came onto the train about 3 stops in and proceeded to not only talk on his cell phone but was cursing the entire time. It was so dissapointing to hear this because I knew in the society we live in, you never know what is going to happen to you if you actually complain to a perfect stranger. And this problem is not just on metro trains. People are just getting ruder, more entitled and frankly increasingly becoming focused on the wrong things. And it goes across all socioeconomic classes. Today, people seem to be more focused on new gadgets they can show off as a status symbol in stead of being a good citizen. 2 days ago a 91 year old man was beaten up in northern Detroit during a carjacking and a group of bystanders just stood there and did nothing. How about atleast letting out a scream? Absolutely disgusting.

The other thing I have been noticing is that some people now think that traffic lights just don't mean anything. I have been driving through major intersections (not those ones that are in the nether regions of a neighborhood) and people are just walking like an automobile going 40 miles an hour doesn't bother them at all. It is one of the few times I honk my horn - and my wife can tell you - I rarely honk my car horn!

People need to care less about the car they drive and instead focus on their moral fabric. Otherwise the only Good Samaritans will have been left behind in Samaria.

Come on ride the grain and ride it!

2007-05-09T22:18:00.000-04:00

Does everyone know there is a new fad that is sweeping the nation? Well it's not exactly super new but each new day I feel like it reaches a new corner of my everyday world. It is the whole grain craze! The reason I love it is because I know I am eating food that is healthier for me with lower fat, higher fiber and *sometimes lower calories. This idea that the food is better for you has also led me to religiously start eating turkey sausage, turkey hot dogs, turkey bacon, turkey burgers, turkey meatballs.

Each week I feel like something else makes the magic conversion. First it was pasta (which BTW, Barrilla Plus is the best), then it was pizza crust, macaroni and cheese, donuts, tortillas, english muffins, pita bread....but seriously, yesterday I reached a new high.

My awesome wife came home from the grocery store with WHOLE GRAIN FIG NEWTONS!!!!

Hot diggity dog I was excited. (and yes, I like whole grain hot dog buns with turkey hot dogs!)

Side note: A cookie is just a cookie but a newton is fruit and cake.

But of course there is a fundamental problem with my new pro-healthy high fiber regiment. (and no its not the toilet) That is that my brains tells me that because it is healthier for me then I can eat more. But that is not correct. So I guess its a work in progress but it's still a lifestyle change that is bound to help me in the long run.

So SO LONG white bread and other white flour products. Better join the crowd of extinct products of this world along with travel agents, VHS tapes, cassette players, blockbuster video, etc.

....tomorrow's topic, how the entire world is slowly moving towards the 100 calorie snack packs. I can't wait for the bag of 100 calorie gyros, 100 calorie vietnamese lemongrass chicken or 100 calorie Boardwalk Fries from the beach.

Hey Mister, that's my name up there on the marquee

2007-05-06T21:28:00.001-04:00

Last night at Karyn's birthday party, one of the attendees came up to me and stated "Howie, I love your blog! I am obsessed with it and I just really want to be in it". So then as I sat down today to do a mental checklist of my thoughts I concentrated on that fundamental excitement about seeing your own name in print. Of course there are some good times to see your name in print and some bad times.

How many of us sat through high school and college graduations to rifle through a program just to see the Mann, Howard K. Or maybe you were quoted in a local newspaper or were featured in a tv news spot? I was once quoted in 8 words in a USA Today article and also once in the Allentown PA Morning Call. Karyn was interviewed by Chicago News at O'Hare Airport but in the caption they used the wrong name (Andrea Reynolds - one of my pet names for Karyn - fyi, the next person interviewed was quoted as Kryns Pincus, pretty funny!).

I do also know we have seen our names printed in bad situations as well. That speeding ticket that I once got on Rockville Pike and was stupid enough to think my mom wouldn't find out about. Then my mom called Geico to question an increase in her rate and the operator noted "Um, a driver on your plan named Howard Mann got a speeding ticket a month and a half ago and the rate reflects that infraction". Whoops on that one.

But the point is this - everyone loves seeing there name - either as a reference, a quote, a honor given or dare I say a building named after you at a local college?

So here are my top places I would like to see my name in the future:

A Metro station: Farragut North/Howard Mann's work I mean I spend so much time there it should have my name included
Airport terminal: Washington Mann International Airport - sure John Foster Dulles was a secretary of state but he corrupted numerous Latin countries in the name of big business in the U.S. and as I am learning he was incredibly anti-semitic. But I still love the airport so it should be named after me - and while I am alive so I can enjoy it.
The Howard K. Mann Center of Frequent Notations of Random Trivia in the World at the University of Pittsburgh (better start to actually contribute to the university before that happens).

So I wind down my weekend thoughts, I am pretty excited about moving forward in my goals to get one of the above 3 a reality....

But first, let me give written appreciation to the reason this post is here on this blog:

Marcia Paige Allison, the shining star of the Show-Me State, thanks for being an avid reader of my blog!

Side bar: If you want to see pictures of Karyn's Birthday celebration, click here.

Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Duh Mambo

2007-05-02T10:38:00.000-04:00

This morning I walked into the coffee shop and as I waited in line (which included people who, like everyone else, are pretty much silent until they get their morning cup of joe) a song started playing....Dean Martin's "Ain't that kick in the head"...

How lucky can one guy be;

I kissed her and she kissed me

Like the fella once said,

Ain't that a kick in the head?

So as I was sitting listening to this song play, I really just wanted to start singing the lines! That song is soooo good and you always hear these great songs when you are in public and you can't do anything. Which is why I think we need to bring back random group choreographed dance numbers to our lives? True, most previous ones were in movies but this has to happen sooner or later. I mean, maybe this could help solve some of our world problems?

Imagine the scene - the 6 party talks are in progress along the Chinese-North Korean border about nuclear proliferation. Kim Jung Crazypants and George Bush join the leaders of Japan, China Russia and South Korea at the table. And instead of coming to a jam in communications - one of them (a la West Side Story) could just scream out "MAMBO". Then they could do a dance around the rooom - give a little solo to Kim Jung-Il (like Anita had) to make him feel better, get out all that pent up frustration of diplomacy and then bam - we could really move forward with solving the worlds problems. Of course if Jenna Bush and Kim Jong-nam (eldest son) feel in love, they would have to secretly roam the streets of Pyongyang singing "Tonight"....But I digress (not to mention that West Side Story didn't end that well for everyone involved - maybe the Oklahoma Farmer and the Cowman example is a better one?).

So as I stood in line listening to this great song - all I wanted to do was sing at the top of my lungs - and by seeing the smiles around the place as Dean's voice permeated the morning boredom of commuting into work, I bet you other people would have joined me....

A room with a view

2007-04-30T07:56:00.000-04:00

So yesterday I went with Karyn to see her new office which is located in Crystal City, Virginia. At first I was so sad to hear that her office was moving because she was only 3 blocks away from me at work which was nice for commuting and lunch. Now Karyn is across the river in the confederacy but the good news is that she is closer to the airport. But I underestimated how close she really was....

Wow! I went to her office on the 8th floor and there was a huge window overlooking National Airport which was so dangerous! I would have absolutely no productivity if I worked in this setting. It would actually probably be negative productivity because as many people know, I have a way of getting others excited about airplanes. So I probably would have meetings in the board room to look at planes!

Below are two pictures for your enjoyment from Karyn's new office. I now know where I will be bringing my laptop when I am "working from home!"....

Side note: Pretty awesome that the NBC Today Show chose the Boeing Factory in Everett, WA for its first location on "Where in the World is Matt Lauer?"

Don't make me go all intermodal on you!

2007-04-27T09:57:00.000-04:00

This morning I woke up refreshed after a great evening with my grandparents attending a book signing at the School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins in downtown Washington. The book was titled Untapped: The Scramble for Africa's Oil. It looks to be a great book (only 35 pages in...) about how our world's dependence on oil is leading to more and more involvement in Africa. New offshore opportunities in places like Angola, Equatorial Guinea, etc. will lead to many opportunities for development but also for corruption. I have always been interested in reading about Colonialism and this seems to be a modern version of what happened in the late 19th century land grab for African colonies. But I digress.....

As I walked to metro and went through the turnstiles and up the escalator, I ran into a huge group of people with a train waiting at the platform. Any subway commuter can tell you that is not a good sign. It turned out Fort Totten Station was closed for power outages due to the rain. So I walked right out of the station and jumped on the S2 bus and was downtown at my office in 30 minutes. This journey made me realize that our country needs more intermodal transport in order to lessen the burden on our environment and our hunger for oil.

A successful intermodal program would develop a network where rail, bus, airport and car are linked together to provide the maximum benefit for the movement of people. Of course we need highways and cars, I am not trying to preach that. But we need increased access to move greater numbers of people across all modes of transportation. Cities in Europe are light years ahead of the U.S. And Washington is much more of an intermodal region than other cities in this country.

Here are a couple of examples that have me thinking:

A new Silver Spring Transit Center is planned to open in 2009 which will link road, bus, taxi, commuter train and metro all together. This will help continue Silver Spring's development as an urban close in suburb and in the process will alleviate traffic for those commuters coming from farther out points in NE Montgomery County and Howard County. But what I love about this transit center is that it will benefit all socio-economic classes of our area's population. Regardless of what mode you rely on.
The new Chicago 2016 Olympic bid will include many projects that will upgrade the transportation infrastructure exponentially. If Chicago's transportation infrastructure isn't developed in a strategic multi-year vision soon, another city could overtake them as a midwestern hub (much like Chicago did to St. Louis at the turn of the century). While it's sad that an Olympic bid really fast-tracks some of these projects, it's a unique opportunity that shouldn't be passed up! Ask Barcelona and Vancouver....
The Intercounty Connector project in Montgomery County is an extremely controversial project in our region as residents feel that the road, which would cross over our county to increase access between I-270 and I-95, would lead to uncontrolled growth therefore just increasing traffic around the region. Of course, a significant environmental impact has been discussed at length as well. My thoughts are this, how healthy is it for our environment when Washington commuters spend an average of 70 minutes a day in their car for a one-way commute? Not good at all. What our region needs is a smart, realistic and collaborative vision for transportation growth - the ICC should be a limited access highway with controlled growth around those 3 exits. If we don't get it right now, we are going to dig ourselves into a deeper whole.
Washington National Airport has the highest percentage of passengers that use rail for access among U.S. airports. This is a great story of intermodal planning. The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority recently struck a deal with the Virginia state government to take over the operation of the Dulles Toll/Access Road to fastrack funding for a Metro extension (Silver Line) to Washington Dulles. And now who wants a piece? The State of Maryland, which operates BWI, is also pushing for the Green Line to be extended to BWI. Rail access becomes a huge competitive advantage of getting passengers between the downtown and airports.
Light Rail or Heavy Rail? Years ago, leaders from Montgomery and Prince Georges county worked together to decide what type of rail line should the Purple Line be? This is the new line that will run from New Carrolton to Bethesda with hopes of laying out a foundation for a circular route for the Washington area. Light rail would divert traffic among the poorer populations from the bus to light rail and would have a minimal impact. Of course it would lead to economic development around stops and would increase access. But not to the level of heavy rail which of course is more expensive. Heavy rail would link New Carrolton to Greenbelt to Wheaton to Grosvenor and would actually alleviate traffic on roads. It would mean workers from NE Washington, Olney, etc. at Marriott headquarters (rich, poor, middle class) could take rail back and forth to work. But unfortunately a smaller scale Light Rail system was agreed to. The success story of the Washington metro area can be directly attributed to our first class metro system. By having a vision of an intermodal world for all cities of the world, the increased movement of people can be achieved.

Ok, that is my Friday rant on intermodal transportation! I have always said that if I went to graduate school, I would be interested in transportation planning.... Who knows, maybe my ideas would make sense one day. A day when gas costs $6 a gallon?

Feel free to add to the debate!

Survival of the most anxious

2007-04-24T08:28:00.001-04:00

So a couple of weeks ago I was on a business trip and on the second night, I ended up walking back to my hotel alone at around 8:30pm after a dinner with an industry colleague. I was walking through a very very safe neighborhood but in order to pass the time, I ended up calling Karyn to say hello before she went to bed. She kept telling me "Be aware of your surroundings, Howard, make sure you are looking around for anything suspicious. - Seriously, are you looking - don't joke about this - you better be careful - Call me when you back to your hotel room" I of course, reiterated to Karyn that it was indeed a safe area and that she was over-reacting.

But I have to say, with all the weird things that happen in this world, it's not that odd that Karyn, or anyone else has those worries. Especially for a woman walking alone in some parts of this world. But after watching Planet Earth (yes, still my favorite show), I have realized that Karyn would be perfect in these situations....

She would totally be looking over her shoulder seeing if there was a lion or she would be peeking her head around a corner underwater very slowly - just to be safe. Then she wouldn't be like the monkey last night in the "Seasonal Forests" episode who just thought, "Hey, I know everyone else is hanging out over here so I am going to go in the middle of the grass where I am completely vulnerable." And of course, he got his head clamped down on and was eaten.

Should've been more observant of your surrroundings silly monkey....

So I guess Karyn has a balance of being prepared not only for the Washington metro, but for walking around a new city and the forests of Madagascar. I knew I married the right girl !

When book titles steer you wrong

2007-04-20T22:16:00.000-04:00

Currently I am reading a book called "King of the Jews: The Greatest Mob Story Never Told". It is a biography of famed gangster Arnold Rothstein, who was actually the model for characters in The Great Gatsby and Guys and Dolls. Plus I love watching movies about the mob and mob behavior (i.e. Casino, Goodfellas, the mob with torches in Beauty and the Beast, etc.).

So the book is about 350 pages and for the first 70 pages I noticed that the book alternated narrative styles between an introduction to biblical history and an overview of the days after Rothstein was shot. But still I stuck with it because, after all, it was only 70 pages....Then it was 140 pages and they are telling me about the first Jews in America and how Rothstein's grandfather had a hat company in 1860. Now I am about 3/4ths of the way done and I have to say, I keep flipping to the back of the bookjacket to read the blurb to see if the story is actually about Rothstein's grandfather and father. No joke, Arnold is 18 and the book is almost over!

It's weird when book titles become vessels for false marketing. I keep reading the book because the book is indeed interesting. The only problem is that about 25% of the book has been about Arnold Rothstein.

I would rename it "A History of 19th Century Jewish Settlement in New York City". Perhaps that wouldn't have sold as well?

When the last bean falls

2007-04-18T09:16:00.000-04:00

For the past two weeks I have been participating in Caribou Coffee's national sweepstakes to win a trip to Costa Rica. The contest involves either getting a scratchoff piece in the store or playing a game on the web that involves dropping a bean (in a very "a la Plinko" fashion) into a sack at the bottom of the screen. As sad as it is, I have been playing five times a day (limit) each day for the past two weeks because I really think I can win this!

These are the same gut emotions when I am standing at the craps table or sitting at the card table with family and friends before a game. I really think to myself, "Hey, I can do this!". These same emotions took over with this promotion for a free trip to Costa Rica. I was so convinced that Karyn and I would be spending a free vacation I was about to start charging the digital camera battery and looking for the best connecting flights to San Jose. And surely I was the only one who "really" wanted this free trip so I should get it. Just like when I signed up for promotions with National Geographic, United Airlines, Incredible India!, etc.

So, last night after trying and trying, (as I was watching Planet Earth of course of the DVR) I let the second try at the daily bean go and sure enough it went in. I think Karyn was a little surprised when I exclaimed "Oh my lord, my bean finally went into the sack! I wonder what I won?" So will baited breath I clicked on the link to find out what my prize was, briefly hoping that I could find the right sun tan lotion in the neighborhood store before we jet off on our adventure....

I clicked on the link and I won a set of 4 espresso cups. Ah crap! Back to the drawing board. I guess the closest I will get is making one normal cup of Costa Rican blend and then dividing it into four little cups to savor the feeling.

Today, it was back to the bean....

Make sure you all click below and play to win!

*Click on the link to receive the general code

Coffee and a history lesson - all at the same stop

2007-04-17T09:17:00.000-04:00

This morning, Karyn and I were driving into work and we decided to stop at a neighborhood coffee joint called "Kefa Cafe". I went in by myself and was greeted by an incredibly friendly Ethiopian woman. She was so friendly and had pictures of her relatives and kids and their life in America on the wall.

This reinforced my interest in learning about ethnic populations in the world's cities.

For those of who don't know, the Washington DC area is home to the largest Ethiopian population in the world outside of Ethiopian (and of course the largest Eritrean population as well, but that Civil War can be another post). So what led me to be interested in learning about these unique ethnic migrations where so many of one group settle in a far off place? The answer surprise surprise is in my aviation interest. For years I have looked at route networks of international carriers and there have always been reasons to question why a certain airline flies a certain route? Ethiopian Airlines will serve Washington Dulles six times weekly this summer from Addis Ababa (stops in Rome)

By analyzing airline maps and learning more about the world, I have learned the following:

Sao Paulo - The largest Japanese community outside of Japan (estimated to be 1 million of direct or indirect Japanese descendants) and the largest Lebanese population outside of Lebanon (estimated at 850,000 but over 7 million are of Lebanese descent). Japan Air Lines serves Sao Paulo over New York and Emirates recently announced service to Sao Paulo to help connect the Middle Eastern population.
Melbourne - Due to an influx in immigration from the Mediterranean after World War II, Melbourne has become home to the largest Greek population outside of Greece. Olympic Airways used to fly Athens - Bangkok - Melbourne - Sydney.
Detroit - Dearborn, Michigan currently has the largest percentage of Arab-Americans of any American city (30,000 out of 98,000 - New York has 70,000 out of 8 million). Royal Jordanian Airlines flies twice weekly nonstop between Detroit and Amman to cater to this population.

I have many more examples but here are a few to start with - I guess it's something new to learn over a cup of your morning coffee.

Where is Aretha when you need her?

2007-04-16T21:10:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I went with Karyn and our friend Jen to see a movie. It was a pg13 horror movie on a Saturday night at 8pm and it was quite easily the worst movie experience of my life (yes surpassing previous disasters that included the 13 year old girl sucking a straw behind me for 2 straight hours and when we saw a movie with a woman waving her fan over her head -although that last one came with the best joke "um, I think she thought she was in memoirs of a geisha"). There were two crying babies and a child who was 3 years old walking around the middle of the theatre as people were dying in the horror/thriller movie. Also the kids were loud beyond belief.

So why was it so bad? Because I left shocked at the state of our world. The fact is that most of the people in this world lack respect for other people. Perhaps what we need is a giant social propgram where Aretha teaches that magical word to us all? R-E-S-P-E-C-T! People just don't care (Rich, poor, middle class - it's everyone). People shoving to get places, people taking an extra seat for their bag on a crowded train, Talking loudly on your cell phone when you know people are trying to enjoy their peace and quiet. Even my almost five year old niece Lucy has better behavior than 80% of the kids in this theatre. This type of behavior drives people farther and farther apart and creates more barriers in the world. I am proud to say that I do not live my life as a part of the "me" generation.

As a side note, after watching the horrors of the Virginia Tech massacre, I realize that again, more programs are needed for our world that help deal with social issues - mental health awareness, respect for your fellow man, etc. Even though I know elements of this tragedy are unexplainable, I feel like something can be done to help further improve the progress of our society.

Respect for your fellow man should not be a pipe dream - it should be a reality.

The Youth of America: sexually active but high scores in SAT verbal

2007-04-15T22:32:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Karyn and I were in Border's with some of our friends and we noticed the following display on one of the tables. This picture (taken by my cell phone camera) explains it all:

Risky Bid-ness

2007-04-13T09:05:00.000-04:00

After reading my friend Josh's blog about his analysis of the Chicago 2014 Olympic bid campaign, I got rejuvenated about the whole Olympic bid process. For years, I have been following a website called GamesBids.com, which tracks the news about upcoming Olympic bids and selection processes.

For everyone's knowledge, every two years an Olympic host is selected, 7 years prior to the start of the selected Olympics. This July, 3 cities will duke it out for the honor of hosting the 2014 Winter Olympics. It's a huge jockeying event of local support, continents against continents, financial strength and national pride.

The candidates for 2014 have been shortlisted to the following cities:

South Korea vs. Austria vs. Russia. Who will win?

And also tomorrow here in Washington (should I go and crash the decision?), the U.S. Olympic Committee has to decide if its candidate city for 2016 Summer will be Chicago or Los Angeles. Frankly I think Chicago deserves it more and would do a good job. But in reality I love both O'Hare and LAX!

The fact of the matter is that I love everything about the Olympics. I am a fiend for it when they are on every two years and what's even more fun is watching the videos of the candidate city selection annoucement. The head of the IOC (now Belgian, Jacques Rogge) reads a letter as three groups of candidate city groups (mayors, financiers, chambers, sponsoring athletes, etc.) wait with baited breath. As the winning city is read, one crowd jumps for joy as other dreams are shattered. Kind of a mini-Olympics?

Here are some recent bid announcements:
London 2012 (Official Video & clip from Trafalgar Square)
Vancouver 2010 (Official Video - go to 2:20 in clip)
Harrisburg 2008 (Got ya!)

So stay tuned - July 4, 2007, the place is Guatemala City - find out where Matt Lauer (who will be completely bald by then) and Meredith Vieira are going to be setting up shop...

Coming to a crosswalk near you: The Daytona 500

2007-04-12T08:43:00.000-04:00

The world is full of many new inventions that have brought great efficiencies to all of our lifestyles: the Tivo/DVR, the iPOD, the spray salad dressing, Mr. Clean wall eraser, etc. Another new invention however, has caused me to look like an idiot and compromise my safety.

The count down crosswalk signal.

They are all over the place now - on the way to work and on the way home. True, I am all in favor of more information but it seems that all it does is cause you to frantically run across the street instead of focusing on the surrounding cars whizzing by. And now you have to make an all important judgement about when you are still close enough to make it across. Are you taunting the driving traffic when you see it down to 5, 4, 3.... and you still cross. Of course. We have all been in the car trying to make a left and have wanted to shout "Look lady, there are only 4 seconds left, if you don't vamoose I ain't getting across" (of course the window is up and no one can hear you). In the mornings, I tend to keep it cool and not rush. Afterall, who wants to rush to work? But in the afternoon, as soon as I get close enough to see the numbers (which is usually in front of a crowded bar, The Fourth Estate), I begin to think that I am running for the gold at Beijing 2008. With khaki pants, a jacket and a side satchel bag w/computer I end up looking like this weird waddling yuppie trying to get to the metro platform in time. I am sure the people in the bar think I am an idiot.

And my wife and I have a new type of communication as we walk home from the metro together up Wayne Avenue. It's usually walking having a conversation and then one of us interrupts "Are you running, are we staying, what do you want to do, GO GO GO!".

So all over the city, I guess all over the world, you now see people doing these frantic mini-dashes across crosswalks.......just to get to the next crosswalk where you have to do the same thing....

Winter, Let us go from your Kung Fu Grip!

2007-04-11T09:51:00.000-04:00

Ok, I was the first to admit it in January when I was wearing a T-shirt and was enjoying the seasonal blip in mother nature's weather pattern that a little cold weather would be nice. And I knew we all deserved the 32 straight mornings of below freezing temps but it is now April 11th people! I have shorts and t-shirts (long sleeve is even fine) to be worn. This weekend I woke up and there was a dusting of snow. Now come on, that's ridiculous. And going to the mall this weekend was just a tease as all of the spring and summer clothes are there and out for us all to see. Baseball games are too cold to attend which stinks and April/May is the prime tennis playing season amongst my friends. I know our poor friends in the Midwest are suffering through more snowstorms this week.

Hopefully warmer weather is on the horizon because the real inconvenient truth is the fact that I can't really manage my trips to the dry cleaners since I have to keep sweaters at the ready.

I'm sure I be complaining in July that is too hot. So is life...

(Side note - in March, I realized that the coldest place on this planet is Ottawa, Canada. I had a business trip there and it was -40 degrees fahrenheit. I only had to walk 2 minutes outside after my meeting before I started feeling pains in my ears. Silly me, I figured for a trip less than 24 hours, who needs a hat?)

What do you do with a tilted soapdish?

2007-04-10T09:22:00.000-04:00

As some of you know, my wife and I recently became homeowners of a spacious 850 sq ft condo. Everything is brand new and we love it. Of course, now that I am not a renter anymore, I can't call someone to come and fix my appliances. I now have to call someone and then pay them to come and fix things. Ugh!

Since our place is "new construction", one would think everything would be perfect, shiny, new, useful, etc. But it seems that we have inherited a tilted soapdish. We have one in our shower that just does not want to hold any soap - not if it's placed gently, thrown on it - perhaps with double sided tape maybe? Of course, that could really rationalize the nice smooth dove feeling on the skin.

How does a soapdish become untitled? Unfortunately, I don't think there is any Bob Dole sponsored product out there for this soapdish? Perhaps our plumber didn't have his (or her) V8 before installation? Perhaps I could make a makeshift gate to rest at the end of the soapdish? Of course, we didn't go on our walkthrough with the developer and demand that we test out the capture angle of the shower soapdish. But for those out there who are about to buy property, let this be a lesson to you.

I guess the shower soapdish is like the human appendix of our condo - it truly is a vestigial soapdish.

My new obsession: Earth

2007-04-09T22:20:00.000-04:00

I am sitting here watching Planet Earth on the Discovery Channel and have decided that it is the best television show in the world. I have now watched hour long descriptions of animals of the Great Plains, Ice Worlds, Mountains, etc. Each footage that is shown leaves me with a question of "Holy moly, how did a camera catch this image?"

I have now realized that I am happy for the following things in being a human:

1.) I don't live 2 miles below the sea where nasty animals such a 3 foot crabs, sea snakes and 1 ft. long sea lice scavenge along the ocean floor. (Seriously, a lot more people wouldn't snorkel if those animals were closer to humans)

2.) I am glad that I don't have some weird crazy-long appendage like some animals on this program - like huge horns, long necks, a hard shell sticking out of my head, completely flat tails that are 2 feet long, etc.. (overall it seems like a huge impediment - evolution rocks!)

3.) Sure we all wish we could see in all directions, but after watching some of our earth's creatures, I am least thankful that I can see forward. The poor snail that they showed in the ocean episode swims forwards with eyes facing backwards. It kept bumping into everything. Oy! I mean, how many times could you say "Excuse me" in Snail?

4.) Usually when I am in a big group, I tend to enjoy a leadership role - i.e. figuring out where the group will go for dinner, how will the group pay the check, taking up the role of lead car in a caravan - but these animals that travel in herds of 2 million - canadian geese, caribou, seals in south africa. Frankly, that would make me too anxious.

If you haven't seen this program, go and check it out! It is incredible! Here is the link: Planet Earth

Welcome to my Blog!

2007-04-09T22:16:00.000-04:00

Greetings everyone! I have decided, per my wife's suggestion, to start blogging. I have entirely too many random thoughts to keep to myself. So enjoy my new blog and feel free to contribute!

Howard:-)