Two weeks ago I ventured out to Greenpoint and was suprised at how quickly I was able to get there (and even more surprised that it didn't take forever getting home).  Gogol Bordello was playing at McCarren Park Pool, and I've heard amazing things both about the shows that they put on, as well as the venue so when I was invited to go, I was pretty excited.

Gogol Bordello plays energetic gypsy-punk that makes people want to dance.  Not like, I'm 40+ and am going to sway my hips to the sweet melody shit, I mean really dance.  While I was inspired by their music, there was no way after having worked all day and a few beers I would have enough energy or be able to stomach the idea of jumping up and down for over an hour.  Honestly, I don't know how those people were so nimble on their feet with all the beer in their guts. 

I have admittedly done a poor job of updating my reading list, so here's a roundup of what I read this month.  I will admit that I took a slight detour and read/am reading a few books that even I would deem "trashy".

I actually read those in backwards order, her first book is the latter, My Horizontal Life.  Both books are a mere collection of funny and sometimes outrageous stories from this woman's life.  I would liken these books to Tucker Max's I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell though Max is a more outlandish and at times much more in depth that you need to know.  I'd rate Max's book as NC-17 and Handler's as R if we're abiding by movie ratings.

• Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
  
• My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands by Chelsea Handler

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

As I write this, I have a beard that makes me resemble Moses. Or Abe Lincoln. Or Ted Kaczynski. I’ve been called all three.

It’s not a well-manicured, socially-acceptable beard. It’s an untamed mass that creeps up toward my eyeballs and drapes below my neckline.

I’ve never allowed my facial hair to grow before, and it’s been an odd and enlightening experience. I’ve been inducted into a secret fraternity of bearded guys – we nod at each other as we pass on the street, giving a knowing quarter-smile. Strangers have come up to me and petted my beard, like it’s a Labrador Retriever puppy or a pregnant woman’s stomach.

I’ve suffered for my beard. It’s been caught in jacket zippers and been tugged on by my surprisingly strong two-year-old son. I’ve spent a lot of time answering questions at airport security.

I’ve been asked if I’m named Smith and sell cough drops with my brother. ZZ Top is mentioned at least three times a week. Passersby have shouted “Yo, Gandalf.” Someone called me Steven Seagal, which I found curious, since he doesn’t have a beard.

I’ve battled itch and heat. I’ve spent a week’s salary on balms, powders, ointments and conditioners. My beard has been a temporary home to cappuccino foam and lentil soup. And it’s upset people. Thus far, two little girls have burst into tears and one boy has hidden behind his mother.

But I mean no harm. The facial hair is simply the most noticeable physical manifestation of a spiritual journey I began a year ago.

• I attempted to read One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey but just couldn't get into it.  Maybe I'll try again at some other point in time.

• Then there is Hiroshima by John Hersey which I am nearly through.  It's a fantastic, yet horribly depressing novel about five people who survived the bombing of Hiroshima and their journey through the panic when the bomb went off, their struggle to stay alive and out of the way of the fires and flooding, as well as their lives after the bomb and their battle with radiation sickness and other side effects from the atomic bomb.  I get some very weird looks from people when I read this book as it's my current "subway/commuting book".

• My current "bedtime book" is  The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists by Neil Strauss.  It's an amusing read that I picked up on a recommendation from a friend.
  

I did my first brick of the season.  At this point you may have two questions, a) what the hell is a brick and b) how did it go?

A brick is when you do back to back workouts, the most commonly done brick for a triathlete is the bike/run brick but can also be swim/bike or run/bike (for biathletes).  This is done to simulate the transition from bike to running, which most say is the hardest transition. Since I'm still on the hunt for a cheap place to swim that doesn't involve me contracting multiple diseases, I opted for the most popular bike/run brick.  How did it go you ask?  Not well.  I did a 4 mile bike/1 mile run and then hit the wall.  I also felt like I was going to throw up.  I am going to blame it for me being sick all afternoon even though I'm sure it's not the reason why I spent the rest of the afternoon doubled over in pain at my desk.

DENVER (AP) _ A New York woman has been accused of punching a JetBlue Airways flight attendant who tried to stop her from smoking a cigarette onboard. An FBI affidavit says Szele yelled obscenities and racial epithets at an attendant who tried to stop her from smoking on Flight 643 from New York to San Francisco on Tuesday. Szele is accused of breaking through flex cuffs that flight attendants used to restrain her and punching an attendant in the jaw.  Authorities say Szele claimed she had been drinking and doesn't remember the incident.

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. (AP) _ A 16-year-old girl has admitted in a suburban New York court that she stabbed her boyfriend to death when he broke up with her. Peekskill resident LaTonya Fisher pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree manslaughter. State Supreme Court Justice Lester Adler says he'll sentence her to 10 years in prison.

NEW YORK (AP) _ New York City's Rent Guidelines Board has approved a rent increase for the city's rent-stabililized apartment dwellers. Landlords who don't charge their tenants for heating can hike the rents 4.5 percent on a one-year lease and 8.5 percent on a two-year lease. Tenants who pay for heat could see increases of 4 percent on one-year leases and 8 percent on two-year leases.
A spokesman for the landlords says the hike approved Thursday is higher than last year but falls short of covering the rise in fuel costs. A tenants' group has said the increases are too steep.

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) _ New York lawmakers want any pro sports team that builds a stadium with public funds to set aside a block of low-cost tickets. Democrats in the Assembly majority say that any professional sports team — including the New York Yankees — that wants public financial backing for a stadium should have to set aside tickets at a price fans of moderate and low income could afford.