Accenture Prom

D, RJ and I went to Accenture's annual formal party last. It was very fun and also very impressive.

The company rented out San Francisco's City Hall for the night, and all the Bay Area employees were invited. There was something like 1000 people there and plenty of food and drinks to go around. In the main enterance there were sushi and carving stations and a couple open bar setups. In the North Light Court, they had some chocolate fountains and top 40 music. The South Light Court hosted additional food spreads and a live band playing classic, old school rock and R&B songs.

I had a fun time hanging out with RJ, D and friends eating and dancing and eating some more :)

Thanks guys!

(btw this picture is actually from the pre-party at Mr. Smith's in SoMa.)

Please Hammer don't hurt 'em

Again in my random surfing of the worldwide web, I ran across MC Hammer's Blog. As with most things on the worldwide web, I may be late to the game, but I still think its a fun find. :)

Enjoy!

To read more about Stanley Kirk Burrell, check out the MC Hammer Wikipedia entry.

Google Reader

I came across Google Reader by happenstance when I curiously clicked an "Add to Google" button while surfing the worldwide web (that's a new term I came up with for the "internet" - it will catch on). Reader is probably old news, but it is fun to me so I thought I would share.

It is a web-based RSS reader - pretty simple and elegant way to read your RSS feeds. I like it because I have the same feed list and the same interface anywhere I go. I no longer have to sync my reading list between home and work. So far It was worked well with Safari and Camino (Mac) and with Firefox (PC). I haven't tried IE, but I am sure it will work just the same there.

If you are a fan of Gmail and read RSS feeds, then I and pretty sure you would enjoy Google Reader.

Zanna, Ho-zanna, Hey, Superstar

This past weekend I went home to hang out with my moms. (Always a pleasure. It feels good to be home, Mom :) We got some work in cleaning out the garage on Saturday. We both had a lot of crap in there. After dropping two carloads worth of stuff on Goodwill's door step, we showered and headed downtown to the show: Jesus Christ Superstar at the Byham Theater.

I remember listening to the soundtrack to JCS as a kid so watching the show brought back a ton of memories. It was good. We enjoyed the cast, although (this sounds funny to say) Judas and Mary were better than Jesus. The company flipped a couple of the scenes (spoiler warning for those in Pittsburgh...) They had Caiaphas and his homies as Italian mobsters (conceivably to avoid any possibly antisemitic appearance) and they made the scene with Harod like a meeting in Trump's boardroom on the Apprentice, which I thought was a fun scene. One of the coolest things they did was recreating famous paintings by freeze-action posing during the play. All in all, Mom and I had a great time.

On a whim, we decided to pop into the movies to see what's playing on the way home. We showed up with perfect timing to see Madea's Family Reunion, and we thoroughly enjoyed it. It was funny, deep, and an all around feel-good movie. This was the first movie I have seen by Tyler Perry. My mom says she enjoyed it even better that Diary of a Mad Black Woman. I recommend it - especially if you grew up with a large black family.

Now I am off to San Fran to hang out with RJ and Danielle for two weekends ...oh and to do some work during the week between ;)

So long, farewell, auf Wiedersehen, good night

(another long overdue post...)

My Disney Buddy, Michelle, has moved on to bigger and hopefully better (in the end) things: She took a temporary assignment down in the Washington, DC, Metro Area. I miss having her to bug a few cubes away (now I bug her via IM :), but I am sure she will be running things down there in a couple months. We had a fun dinner at Trappe Tavern in her honor.

Michelle, God bless on your rotation and life down in the WMA. Let's hang out sometime when you get back in town. :)

PS She is knelling (or kneeling) on a bar stool in that picture. She's not really 6'4" (actually, I think she is closer to 4'6" :)

It's not easy being green

In honor of my blogging revitalization, I have switched up my background. :)

I guess you can say I am hoping for an early spring no matter what Punxsutawney Phil says. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think of the layout.

PS Check this groundhog day site out: http://www.groundhogchase.com/

Hoop Dreams

(another overdue post ... I am catching up :)

For the last couple months I have been in a basketball league out here in King of Prussia, PA (just west of Philly). A bunch of guys from work, some of their friends from the area, and I took the league by storm, finishing undefeated in a convincing fashion (granted the competition wasn't really that high). Above is a picture of me following up a beautiful off-the-backboard alleyoop from Brian (red shorts) .

Now we've moved on to a different, more competitive league in Upper Merion. I missed the first game, but I am looking forward to a good one this coming Sunday.

Early Retirement

This post isn't as over due as the last (but I think I skipped over some stuff in the middle :)

Again travelling for work, I made my way down to Orlando for a couple weeks. Because I had to stay over the weekend, I got to miss the big storm.

But because I had to stay over the weekend I had to entertain myself too. I took a trip over to Universal Studios' City Walk - yeah, if you are thinking about going, make sure to wait until night fall. It wasn't much fun at 3pm on a Sunday. Apart from Sunday afternoon, I had a good time though. Got to know some folks from work a little better, met up with my cousin, and caught up with an old buddy (What's up, Arlon-Glenn!).

One of the funny things I noticed though: radio is radio, no matter where you go ...or what language it's in. I was jamming to 100.3, a spanish radio station, most of my trip. I "speak" a little spanish, but definitely not fluent yet. However, I was still able to tell that the same songs were on heavy rotation as well. By the end of the two weeks, I was humming along! :)

Now it's back to the cold. (But I still love me some East Coast. Snow and all.)

Mmmm.... Chicken & Waffles :)

This post is long over due :) Back in January I made my way down to ATL for work. While I was down there I got a chance to hang out with my friend Marie. We met up at Gladys Knight & Ron Winan's Chicken & Waffles.

As I am walking in and saying hi to Marie, I noticed this guy sitting right by the door. He looked familiar but I thought nothing of it. As we were walking to the table, Marie says, "You know who that was right?" I had no clue. It was Mace! (remember him?) I guess I should say Reverend Mace, please excuse me. Yeah, apparently he sat right next to Marie and she told him quite plainly to back up. He replies, "Do...you...know...who...I...am?" (if you've heard Mace talk, you realize how slow he talks). Marie: "No, I don't know who you are. Please move away from me." Yeah, afterwards she realized it was Mace. :)

Haha.

PS Marie, I forgive you for making fun of the way I say "chicken and waffles." I am going to have the tee shirt made next time i visit: Forgive me, y'all. I'm from the North. :)

Just me and Mickey (and Michelle, and her family :) Part II

I've made a slideshow* of the pictures I took during the fireworks last week. I have a few videos of the fireworks and the parade, but I am tired so those will have to wait :)

Hope you enjoy. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think.


*File may take a while over dial-up

Just me and Mickey (and Michelle, and her family :)

There is nothing wrong with mixing a little fun into a business trip. Being that I had to be in Orlando for a 1/2 day meeting today, I decided to make the best of things and head over to Walt Disney World for Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party.

My good friend Michelle, who was on vacation with her mom and dad, invited me to join them for the evening. It was a blast! I was all gitty on the tram and monorail rides from the parking lot to the park (of course I couldn't show it cause that would just be kinda weird). Yay to Michelle, who is a Disney vet, for letting me know about the party.

We watched Mickey's Philharmagic, Stitch's Great Excape, the fireworks, and of course the parade. They also had a bunch of rides open. One of the best parts was the complementary hot chocolate and sugar cookies. The hot chocolate was some of the best i've ever tasted (it was made with Disney magic ;)

Of course you know I have a pictures and some video shots. I am stuck in the airport on my way home now, so you'll have to wait for the next post to see the fun.

Thanks again to Michelle (and family) for hanging out.

Weekend of Birthdays

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I would like to welcome into the world, weighing in at 8lbs 6oz and standing (...well, laying) at a full 22":

Jordan Anthony O'Neal

He was born to my cousins, Jay and Aliya, on Nov 18. I went to visit the three of them today at the hospital. That is a good looking baby boy, and I am happy for Aliya and Jay. Aliya is recovering well. She did have surgery so she isn't expected to go home until Wednesday. She should be home in time for Thanksgiving.

This weekend I also took a trip down to DC to visit my good friend Kapil (pictures forthcoming). About a dozen or so of us went to Maggiano's for a good family style Italian meal. Then a few of us meet up with some other friends at a place called Chloe in Adams Morgan. All around, a good night (although I would suggest not trying to get a cab from Adams Morgan to Bethesda - took us a long while to find one that would do it for less than $50).

Happy Birthday to Jordan and to Kapil!

Take 6 at BB King's

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(Email me to see some video clips.)

The evening was a ton of fun!

Okwui, Jenn, and I thought we were showing up early at 6:20, or so, for dinner (thank you Okwui for dinner) before the show which started at 8pm. The line was already halfway down the block when we got there. It is a good thing we showed up when we did 'cause we got pretty decent seats right on the stage left corner (in front of the speakers, but that's okay - my hearing has started to come back now :)

When Take 6 came out they were amazing! At some points, it was hard to believe they were just human voices . (Check out "All Blues.") They were on before Marcus Miller (electric bassist), but I must admit Take 6 tore the place down for me (I am a little bias). Marcus and Vinnie (that is who Okwui and I are pictured with) go head to head on the "Take 6 with Marcus Miller" video - *bangkk*!

Check out the Take 6 website to read more about the group, hear some clips, and see some official videos ;)

Big ups to Shel and Jason for tipping me to the fact that they were rolling through the East (that was birthday present enough :).

PS There is a place in the world for Scientology: If Okwui had not stopped at the Free Stress Test booths right out side BB King's to have a 13 year old girl try and tell him about how Dianetics helps relieve the stresses of life, Jenn would not have caught the fact that Alvin was standing right out side the door (good catch Jenn!), and we would not have gotten to meet him and to take a picture :)

Happy Birthday to Me! :)

Friday, September 30, was my birthday - yay!! So to celebrate I took a trip to one of my favorite destinations: NYC.

I hung out Friday night with my friend Keren. We ate at Cafecito (12th and C), which is one of my favorite places to eat when I visit her. It is a little Cuban spot that serves excellent churrasco. Then we watched Crash - man, that is a thought provoking movie (especially after William Bennett's recent comments).

Saturday I hung out with Okwui and Jenn. We went to BB King's to see Take 6 and Marcus Miller perform. Take 6 is absolutely amazing (check out my next post for some pictures and such).

It was a great weekend, spent with good friends. I don't think I could ask for more. I felt (and continue to feel) so blessed.

Yay for New Old Friends!

I recently rediscovered an old friend and it is great :)

Back in high school, I went to Governor's School for Sciences. After just one month, I made some life long friendships - you wouldn't think you could create such depth in one month... especially for high schoolers. Yet, I am still tight with some of the folks from the program.

Angie is one of my homies from that summer. She is fun, vibrant, smart, and a general pleasure to be around. Unfortunately I haven't been keeping up with her as much as I should. So recently we connected via IM. Come to find out she is all grown up. ...well, married at least :) Here's some pics from her wedding. It's been great catching up on old times with her (in between her study sessions for med school).

It sure is good to have wonderful friends who, even after years go by, are still your homies.

Aged Grapes and Old Milk

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Matt and Molly sure know how to throw a party. This past weekend I had the pleasure of hang out in their new apartment and meeting a lot of their friends from school.

The newly weds hosted a wonderfully fun wine & cheese party. The group of us managed to use all of Matt and Molly's 28 wine glasses (in 4 different styles), consume 13 bottles of wine and... I lost track of the amount of cheese, crackers and fruit. :)

Once again, a testament to the quality of Matt and Molly, their friends were great people. We all spent the night chatting, joking and playing "Freeze Tag," an improv comedy game that left our sides hurting from laughter.

Cheers to Matt & Molly and their PSU friends!

Chicago 2005

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This past weekend my mom and I met in Chicago to hang out and explore the touristy things about the city. I must say I was thoroughly impressed by Chicago and would love to travel back there soon (before the winter comes ;o).

We arrived Friday afternoon and decided to take a trip up to the top of John Hancock Center (thanks for the tip, Adrienne). Although it was overcast, the view was still spectacular! Afterwards we intended to check out N. Michigan, but the stores were closed so we just grabbed dinner.

Saturday we woke up early and took a morning walk around the museum campus and along Lake Shore Drive. Again, the landscaping and the view of the skyline was wonderful. We then cleaned ourselves up and took a ride on the trolley tour around the city. The neat thing about the trolley was that you can jump on and off at any of the pick up spots. We jumped off back on Magnificent Mile, went perusing through a couple of the shops, grabbed some lunch, then hoped back on for the rest of the tour. We got a nice overview of some of the history and a chance to check out most of the major landmarks/highlights about the city.

Later that afternoon we hoped off the trolley again at Navy Pier. Navy Pier is a fun place. We saw some pretty strange performers and ate junk like popcorn, roasted, caramelized nuts, and icees while we strolled the length of the pier. Joe's Be-Bop is a great place for dinner with live jazz and blues entertainment. After Navy Pier we took a couple buses down to Buckingham Fountain to watch the light show there. We could also see the fireworks display on Navy Pier from the fountain.

Sunday we did not get up as early - at least we didn't think so at the time. It turns out we thought it was about 11am when in reality the clock was almost 2 hours fast! So we had "more Sunday" than anticipated, which was a good thing. We went to the Museum of Science & Industry to see the Body World exhibit which, using a break through technology, showed real human bodies, "frozen" in real-life positions, dissected to show the details of our anatomy. It was very interesting (and only slightly creepy). Of course you know I had a blast at the other exhibits in the science museum as well ;o)

Alas, the inevitable: Monday was check out and flight home day. We had a great weekend! And as always, it was fun getting to chill with my mom. She is a great travel buddy :o)

Matt and Molly

After seeing their wedding last weekend, I hope that I have a daughter as beautiful and as sweet as Molly and that she is blessed with a man as wonderful as Matt.

Mr. & Mrs. Freyer

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Presenting... Matt and Molly Freyer!

I had the pleasure of being at Molly and Matt wedding and August 6, 2005. It was a beautiful weekend in Omaha, NE. (My first trip to America's Heartland :) Omaha was lovely and I even got a chance to get out to the corn fields - I was looking for crop circles or something.

Anyway, back to Molly and Matt. Friday night they had a Luau at Matt's grandfathers place after their wedding rehearsal. The luau was a ton of fun! I got to meet a lot of Matt's & Molly's friends about whom I've heard so much. Matt jokingly told me the day before that I was uninvited unless I agreed to wear a grass skirt so of course I had to oblige :)

Saturday's ceremony was absolutely fabulous. Molly looked so beautiful in her wedding dress and Matt was dapper with tuxedo and a fresh cut (although we did kind of miss "the wings" :) It was a short and to the point ceremony (which is not a bad thing at all). Once the vows were exchanged and the rings were placed on fingers, the priest leaned forward and whispered to the couple, "Congratulations. You're married." :)

It looked like everyone had a blast at the reception. The food was great and once again, the friends these two keep are amazing. I only knew a hand-full of people already, but I felt like I knew all of them! Then the DJ broke out with the music. It was a fun mix, and we all dance the night away (well, until 11:15pm :)

Sunday morning those of us who didn't have to break out right away headed over to the Cuddigans for brunch. Matt and Molly opened some of there gifts and we all enjoyed a chill Sunday morning.

I couldn't be more happy for those two crazy kids and their families!

Congratulations, and God bless your marriage!!

Got Dirt?

I read this in my bible study online this morning and thought I would share:

There's a story about a group of scientists who decided that humans could do without God. So one of them looked up to God and said, "We've decided that we no longer need You. We have enough wisdom to clone people and do many miraculous things."

God listened patiently and then said, "Very well, let's have a man-making contest. We'll do it just like I did back in the old days with Adam." The scientists agreed, and one of them bent down and picked up a handful of dirt. God looked at him and said, "No! You have to make your own dirt!"