Sweet Home Alma Mater!: So I figured the best time to try out this new camera would be on a spontaneous trip to Syracuse. After worrying all week about how the Jets would fuck up the draft, I watched them scoop up Dewayne Robertson with the 4th overall. Fantastic pick, he's going to be the next Warren Sapp without the mouth. Anyway, after that I decided it was time to celebrate. Greg Bishop, a very old and dear friend from college was in town and he and PK were going to head up to Syracuse to check out what old Alma Mater was like after this National Championship. Eli Sazlow, one of our friends was still in school there and offered up his place to crash at. To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. I haven't been to Syracuse since PK's graduation. I was at a point where I wanted to keep Syracuse in the rear-view. But I was a bit curious, and it was a good excuse to try out the digital camera in the trenches. It was fun, we went straight to Faegan's where we met up with Douche (Jeff Passen), Marisa and Kristen Ertel. After throwing back a few Bud Lights and talking about the good old days, we decided to get Max Diulus on the horn. He was good enough to drop everything and drive 2 hours to Syracuse to get up with the old crew. Next stop down memory lane was Darwins, one of PK's favorite old watering holes. Passen knew the girl bartending, so we got VIP service. Unfortunately, this crappy band made it tough to enjoy ourselves. Next thing I knew, we were in Lucy's throwing down shots like it was 1998 all over again. We also managed to get make a cameo at Chris Auh's house. Not too bad for a shabby bunch of alumni. Now that part of the old crew is back together, it was time to hit up this big Sazlow-fest. To my surprise, these Syracuse kids threw a rocking party. I see some things never change. There is also an amazing Passen story to go along with the weekend, but it's a little too graphic for this type of website. You can look at the few pictures I took by clicking on this link.

Happy Early Birthday!: My birthday is coming up in a few weeks, and I got a digital camera from my folks. The old Nikon Coolpix 4300 is now gonna be busted into the rotation every now and then. It seems to come in handy every once in a while. Plus, it will be much needed for St. Thomas.

Birthday Shout Out to Katee Frost: Frosty's birthday is today, so I figured the least I could do is throw her a shout-out. Frost is coming to St. Thomas with us, so it should be interesting. The fact that she looks amazing in a two peice is going to make the trip a whole lot of fun... :) There will be pictures to follow...

FINALLY!!!!!!!!: For the first time in Syracuse University Basketball history, we are the National Champions! Last night, Syracuse defeated Kansas, 81-78. It's been a long wait, but finally the Salt City can rejoice. After 27 years of coaching at Syracuse, as an assistant and head coach, Jim Boeheim finally brings home the banner to him Alma Mater. I'm honestly at a loss for words. I can't even explain what is going through my head right now. I spoke to Max Diulus this afternoon. You have to feel good for the kid, he told me this is his first title ever as a sports fan of any team. He did mention that the Buffalo Bandits won the MLS title a few years back, but I guess that doesn't really count.

Cuse is in the house, oh my God, DANGER!: Wow, it's been one hell of a year. Syracuse has managed to make it to the Final Four in New Orleans. Word on the street is that Rich Bianculli will be in the house (lucky prick). This has been a special year. It's events like this that makes me wish I was back in college. I remember what it was like in 1996, my freshman year, when we made it to the Final Four against Kentucky. The place was buzzing, the vibe was so thick you could get slapped in the face with it if you didn't pay attention. I'm sure the current Orange Nation is keeping it real up there. I heard that Melo and Hakim went down to the line for tickets at the Dome and passed out food for the kids who were camping over night. One kid had Melo sign his Old English 400 bottle. If that doesn't sum up Syracuse, then I don't know what does. Anyway, I wish the boys the best of luck. Who knows, maybe this is our year. But regardless of the outcome: CUSE IS IN THE HOUSE, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!!! DANGER!

Schappy birthday to you!: Ethan Schapira, what can I say other than a Schappy Birthday to you! I believe Ethan has finally hit the big two-four as well. As I told Jay, he has nothing to look forward to other than grey pubes and a higher tax bracket. If he's lucky, he might not experience penile dysfunction until he hits 30...that is if he's lucky. (Of course, I wouldn't know...this is what I've been told...) So we decide to celebrate the Schaperone's birthday by taking him to Chow’s Caribbean Restaurant in Tarrytown, NY. If you’re ever in the area, check it out. It’s amazing and quite cheap as well. Between 8 heads, the bill came to about $110 before tip. The highlight of the evening, other than the bartender refusing to put the Mets game on after several pleas by a broken John Buchalter, was instead of birthday cake, the waiter came out with an onion and candle for Ethan. Props to Mike Cooper for setting that one up in advance. Let me tell you, the next few months can really test a friendship or two. One slip up and a guy can be getting the cold shoulder for a few months… For some reason there is a plethora of birthdays in the next 6 weeks. Last week was Jay Camhi, this week, (actually on Monday), was Ethan's. In upcoming weeks, we can look forward to the birthdays of Scott Spivak, Mike Cooper, Josh Kimes-Smith, Ben Gabriel, Kate Frost, Katie Matyas, Jonathan Kanakaraj, Pramini Kanakaraj, and of course, my princess Leah (who has the same birthday that I do! We're exactly 20 years apart.) Not to mention that I'll be hitting the big two-six next month.