Book Review: My Lucky Life In and Out of Show Business

by: Dick Van Dyke

I want to preface this post by saying I enjoyed this book. It was a quick, easy read about an actor who I like and enjoy. However, it was probably a bad idea to read it immediately after Steve Jobs.

It was nice to read about the golden age of television and see how actors back then had real talents like singing and dancing. Van Dyke is 75% of the way to an EGOT, only missing an Oscar. That is an especially amazing feat since he is known primarily for only 4 things: The Dick Van Dyke Show, Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and Diagnosis Murder.

The only problem with this book is the one I read before it. I was still in the frame of mind of Walter Isaacson’s take on Steve Jobs’ life and it carried over to this read. First of all, one is a biography and one is a memoir. That’s a huge difference. I’m not saying Van Dyke was trying to spin anything in his favor but obviously it was written from his perspective. Second, there was no dirt. Van Dyke is known for being clean cut and staying out of tabloid trouble which is fine, of course, except that I had already been immersed in the Apple exposé known as Steve Jobs.

Anyway, it’s a good read if you’re a fan of Dick Van Dyke but make a point to buffer it with some lighter fare (or maybe I’m just weird).

Wonderful Christmastime

It’s funny how things change. When I was a kid there was nothing I hated more than getting clothes. Now I’m actually excited about new dress socks or ties for the office.

I used to pray for a huge gift like a Game Boy, Nintendo 64 or PlayStation 2. Now I want practical stuff for my home like a space heater and wine glasses (But I’d be lying to you if I said I wasn’t jealous of my sister’s new Kindle Fire).

Probably the clearest difference, though, is that I never used to be able to sleep on Christmas Eve. I'd have the hardest time falling asleep and then I’d be up by 6 am. It was tough having to wait for everyone else to wake up so we could finally open the presents. This year we opened presents at 9 am and still had to wake up my siblings.

However, I do take much more pride in the giving of gifts now than receiving. I realize that I’ve lived my life without these “presents” and if I don’t get something I want that I will be able to continue living without it-- Or break down and buy it. That’s the other advantage to being an adult.

Book Review: Steve Jobs

by: Walter Isaacson

Unprecedented access. That’s what Walter Isaacson got from Steve Jobs and that’s what the reader gets from Steve Jobs.

Most people know his story, especially the past decade or so. But this biography has a lot of inside information that the public never had access to: behind the scenes stories and glimpses into a brilliant mind. But with that brilliance came a dark side. He was a perfectionist and therefore a very difficult and demanding boss. The fact that he was so hands as a CEO made it even more of an issue with confrontations between him and employees becoming common daily occurrences.

But people believed in his vision and would follow him anywhere. His list of successes is enviable; the original Macintosh, iMac, iPod, iPhone and iPad, nevermind his co-creation and leadership of Pixar (yes, that Pixar). He was a showman first and foremost but was also a design freak. He lived by the mantra of minimalism and making things as simple as possible.

This life story is so packed with information that I can’t even write a cohesive blog post about it. Read this book for the true tale of Steve Jobs.

The office yankee swap

With the holidays come many traditions. Some of these take place in the workplace such as secret santas or yankee swaps. Yesterday, my team had a yankee swap.

I’ve only been at this company for 3 weeks so I’m glad we didn’t do a secret santa. I don’t know people well enough yet. My real concern coming in to this was if I should play it safe or not. The safe gifts include Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts gift cards and booze. I was heavily considering picking up a bottle of something but decided that wouldn’t be very exciting. So I went on a Target trip to find some inspiration. They had plenty of cheap things but nothing I thought would be good for a yankee swap. Until I saw it... a lava lamp. It was perfect because it wasn't a standard gift and you can put it on your desk at work.

When we started the swap we put all our (wrapped) gifts in the middle of the table. Mine got picked first because it looked so bad ass. Then the person with #2 actually swapped for it. Boy was I feeling good! But that was the end of it. #2 kept it the rest of the time and pretty much every other gift was a bottle or a gift card. For a second, I had a bottle of Wild Turkey but lost it in a swap for a Starbucks card. Which was great because I don’t drink coffee. But hey, first person to comment gets it!

The Nutcracker

Last night we continued our holiday tradition of going to see The Nutcracker performed by the Boston Ballet at the Boston Opera House. This year is actually the final year they are using these props, costumes and effects. They have been in use for nearly 20 years and I am happy to say I got to see them the past 3 years.

When I was a kid we never went to see The Nutcracker (A fact further impressed on me when I couldn’t follow the story my first time). I remember some of my classmates mentioning it in elementary school and I didn’t get it. Why would anyone want to see a ballet anyway? But really, I was curious and a little jealous.

Fast forward many years to 2009. I had already been living in Boston for 2 years but hadn’t bumped into The Nutcracker at all. Yet one fateful day I was on Twitter and noticed something the indispensable @BostonTweet had posted. It was a link to Boston Ballet’s website where you could purchase tickets that day for 15% off. I was excited and intrigued so I went all in and haven’t looked back.

Now that I know the plot I absolutely adore going and I consider this my new Christmas tradition. It’s nice to dress up and go out and watch the fine arts. Have a sit down dinner and feel refined. But come on, it’s for the young at heart. The bear? One-armed gingerbread man? The black sheep? You got me -- I am the lowest common denominator and I love it.

Good Eats: Old Country Buffet

I had never heard of Old Country Buffet until my girlfriend started raving about it. Their tagline is “The best buffet in America.” Now that I’ve had my first taste I would be willing to bestow upon it “The best non-Chinese buffet in America” because you can’t beat the Chinese.

This place was surprisingly good. Why was I surprised? The location of the one we visited was in Ghetto Glen Meadow Glen Mall which I don’t frequent except for one Kohl’s trip to get my Steve Jobs Halloween costume. Plus, there were a lot of families present and I was getting flashbacks to the chaotic Target Pizza Hut we ate at in a time of weakness. But everyone was actually really well behaved and it wasn’t insanely loud with kids running around or anything like that.

The layout of the buffet was pretty cool. There was a salad section, an American(?) section (roast, chicken, other stuff), an Italian section, a Mexican section, plus fruits and desserts. The only bad thing I found was some undercooked chicken which they immediately replaced when it was brought to their attention. They had some solid beverage choices too and I had a couple glasses of chocolate milk (so good).

The only real negative is that it was a little pricey. Three people cost $40. It’s kind of tough for a family of 4 or 5 to throw that down with any regularity. Anyway, it was a nice treat.

First of the week

As you can see today is Thursday and this is my first blog of the week. Ugh, I knew this would happen. Actually that’s why I added my Twitter feed to the sidebar over there. -->
I figured it would give my readers (both of them) the ability to check out The Public Frog and not leave disappointed even if I hadn’t posted any new blogs.

The back story is that I joined Twitter in 2008 B.C. (Before Celebrities). I was hooked and having a lot of fun. Then I called in sick to work one day and wanted to tweet all the things I was doing instead. But I couldn’t because some of my colleagues checked my account. So the next day I made it private. It was like that way for 3 years until I decided I wanted to use it on my blog, so I opened it up again. Of course, I’ve always kept separate my name and my handle so it’s not like people I know who I don’t want to read it are suddenly flocking to my page. It’s better this way.

Good Eats: Boston Burger Company

I am a huge burger fan. I’ve been that way pretty much since birth. My mom says I take after my uncle in that regard. Apparently, he used to order burgers even when at Chinese restaurants. I’m not that ridiculous but anyone who knows me will comment on it. My girlfriend took me to the famous Mr. Bartley’s Burgers in Harvard Square for my birthday, for example.

On Tuesday, we went to Boston Burger Company in Davis Square. It’s a small place (smaller than Mr. Bartley’s) but has just as inventive a menu. I got the Killer Bee which is a patty topped with American cheese, bacon, a stack of beer battered onions rings and honey BBQ sauce. It was so unbelievably good. I had to take some of the onion rings off so it was a size that would fit inside my mouth. It ended up being exactly what I hoped for.

What really sets it apart though is its liquor license. That’s right… burgers and beer. A combo made in Germany America. Plus, they are on LevelUp so I got $4 off my first purchase. This place is a must for burger lovers.

Movie Review: The Muppets

It's not a guarantee but usually when Hollywood brings back a well-known franchise from our youth it is a big hit (see: Transformers & The Smurfs). Something about wanting to rekindle our childhood innocence causes us to go out, open our wallets and watch it once again.

The Muppets are like that but for every generation. Starting in 1976 with the Muppet Show and running through countless movies in the past 30+ years, millions of children grew up with the Muppets (and of course Muppet Babies). The only thing more surprising than the fact that this movie was a huge success and made a lot of money is that no one touched this franchise for 10 years. In this period of Hollywood recycling how is that even possible?

I suppose the closest comparisons would be to Batman (8 years) and Star Trek (7 years). A big bust of a movie (Muppets From Space, Batman & Robin, Star Trek Nemesis) means a lot of bad opinions in people's minds and a hurting bottom line for the movie studio. Understandably, they need to ignore the franchise for a while until their wounds heal and people forget about the latest disaster and instead remember the classic adventures.

However, I think an argument can be made that unlike those other two, a children-focused product like The Muppets would bounce back quicker and be more useful to a studio. What I believe is that the studios thought The Muppets were dead in the water because of how America's comedic values have evolved. Kids see a lot of physical comedy today and young adults hear a shitload of cursing. The Muppets don't offer that. They are about doing the right thing. They are clean cut. They are the antithesis of what we see nowadays. But where the studios messed up is that The Muppets are not considered "quaint". It's not like seeing a typewriter or a corded phone and saying "Oh, that's so Nana". Even though they haven't had the spotlight on them in recent years they still feel current. The Muppets have proved that they are still relevant.

4 out of 5

Book Review: Shaq Uncut

by: Shaquille O'Neal (w/ Jackie MacMullan)

Most memoirs/autobiographies just aren't very entertaining. Childhoods are usually boring and then there's the never overnight rise to the top (AKA the stuff we don't care about). But like with everything else he does in life, Shaq succeeds famously. For a man who stands apart in so many ways, he is the everyman. People love Shaq and are drawn to him almost effortlessly. He's just an awesome human being who happens to be 7'1" and a future Hall of Famer.

Shaq Uncut is a great read. It is quick paced and tells all the stories you want to hear. About his playing days with Kobe, D-Wade, LeBron, Penny Hardaway and the Celtics' Big 3. Plus, commentary on guys like Dwight Howard, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and... Greg Ostertag? You will get an insider's look at NBA locker rooms and player/front office relationships. But most importantly, you will laugh a lot.

2011 New Year's Resolution follow up

Ladies and gentlemen, you are looking at an official New Year’s Resolution keeper! Back in December 2010 I was ruminating over what I wanted to change in 2011. I had tried in years past to “read more” but it never ended up sticking. This year, however, I crushed it.

I have read 27 books so far this year with a month to go. I have a sweet new library card for the NOBLE Network (North of Boston Library Exchange) and they’re having a tough time keeping up with me. I’ve read fiction (The Night Circus), non-fiction (The Longest Day), series (The Hunger Games), memoirs (Bossypants), and a children’s book (Go The Fuck To Sleep).

Am I better for it? I guess I’ll already know the backstory for The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo movie but now it’s forced to live up to my expectations. It’s a double edged sword. I don’t want to be one of those “The book was much better than the movie” kind of people. (But seriously, The DaVinci Code was definitely a better book.)

Then again, other things have fallen to the wayside to make room for all this reading. My music listening has dropped dramatically. I just don’t have the time now. And I rarely watch TV but that’s not anything new. So, I kept my resolution all year but isn’t the point to make it a normal part of your life? All I did was focus my energy on that in lieu of doing other things. Mission accomplished?