Shake it up, baby.

As I mentioned before, I recently moved in with the ERL. We are now proud residents of the Murray Hill/Gramercy/Flatiron district. Needless to say, we are within smelling distance of Shake Shack -- located in lovely Madison Square Park.  (Be sure to check out the giant head sculpture. Zoo Weee Mama!)

From 2000-2004, I worked on 26th street--on the north side of Madison Square Park. I was there the day Shake Shack opened and sampled Danny Meyer's meaty wares -- I was honestly not impressed. As the weeks passed and the lines grew, necessitating a webcam monitoring the real time status of the drooling masses, I grew increasingly puzzled. "What is wrong with you idiots?!? You're waiting on line for an hour for mediocre, tiny burgers! Terrible hot dogs! Soylent green is made of people....PEOPLE!!!"

Well, I take it all back. Shake Shack is awesome and delicious. Whether it's because I've grown and matured in the subsequent years or the burgers have improved--I'm loving it now. ERL and I went last night (at 9:30 on a Saturday night the wait was just about 30 minutes from order to cramming juicy deliciousness into your meathole) to reaffirm that it was not a fluke.

So in words and pictures, here's how it all...shook down (ERL says I "try too hard" on this blog. I'll give it to her this time.):

So, if you haven't been to Shake Shack, be forewarned: you will WAIT in line and you will love it.  If you want a concrete (frozen custard and mix-ins), booze, or drinks -- go to the B-Line and you'll save yourself some pain. But if you are here for the main attraction, burgers necessitate that you queue up like the rest of us. Hey, at least it's not the DMV, right? You get a tasty treat at the end of it all, so quit the complaining.


Here I am being a moron and modeling my belly pre-Shack consumption. Also showing off my Boba Fett t-shirt (from Old Navy). I'm a purist and I like my Mandalorian armor to be primarily in shades of green -- but the shirt is pretty awesome and I will abide by the non-traditional color scheme. Heck, the Fett is anything but traditional, am I right or am I right? *crickets chirp for the lonely nerd* 


I'm lucky to have ERL. Her facial expressions are often hilarious. She makes waiting in line fun(ny). Here she is looking puzzled when I told her that I didn't need to get a frozen custard. "Huh, Tubby doesn't want dessert? Really? And put your belly away. You look ridiculous."

In any case, when the wait JUST TO ORDER at Shake Shack is less than an hour, it's a good day. Day or night, you will often find a stream of yuppies here. You may have to fight for a table or a bench, but be patient, young Padawan and it will be yours. The lights do make it seem like a fairy kingdom (of magical meat) and the setting couldn't be lovelier (for secret sauce). Look at these pics and tell me it doesn't look like a slice of (ground beef) heaven.  

We ended up ordering Shack Burgers (with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and secret Shack sauce), a Shack-ago dog (with cucumber, pickles, onions, peppers, tomato, celery salt), fries, and drinks. You can check out their full menu here.

After you order, they give you a pager that lights up and shakes (get it! love it!) when your order is ready. Here we are with lucky 77's. ERL is showing off her manicure and new gold nail polish. *BLING!* Holla.

When the pager goes off, the adrenaline kicks in.  You rush over to the pick-up window and you genuinely feel like you have been CHOSEN. And in a few short moments, you've got the steamy, juicy, salty, perfection that is a Shack Burger. (Yeah, they might be a little small, but order a double or just get two burgers!)

Ok, ok. The Shack-ago Dog wasn't exactly "write home to your mama" good. I would probably skip the hot dogs here altogether because the best ones are from any of the "Papaya" (Grey's , Mike's, Papaya Dog) establishments in the city. (Ask for them "well done" and you will get a grilled, crispy, juicy tube of mystery meat.)

A perfect medium-rare. Don't you dare ask for well done (that's for hot dogs at Papaya's, remember? I just told you!)! DON'T!!! 

(On a sidenote, we met up with E and P shortly afterwards. Got drinks at Live Bait on 23rd. I didn't tell them about the blog and thought best to leave them out for now. But "hey guys!" if you are reading this. We had fun, huh?)

In conclusion: Shake Shack is a great place to get some good food and a fun place to take your significant other or a group of friends.

"Great date night, right?"

"Yes, burgers make me happy. But you are still a dork for taking all these pictures for your fatboy blog."








GeekOmnivore score: JUICY BURGERIFIC!

Dulli noted.

Greg Dulli. It's been a long time, my friend. Ever since I saw the video for "Gentlemen" on 120 Minutes on MTV, I've been a member of the devout. The seedy, dark side of the street always seemed so enticing because of the straining chords and pulse-riding beat of the Afghan Whigs. The soundtrack of my youth was largely influenced by a handful of bands and of them, it was St. Gregory that taught me about shadow and musk, degradation and lust. He seemed to say: Watch out for that drinksmokedruglove. It will wear you down, boy. 

At Webster Hall on May 13, 2011 (Yes, a lucky Friday at that), I got to immerse myself in some of that Dulli charm again. I must have seen him perform a dozen times or so in the last 15 years. He's gotten a bit more...cautious. The ubiquitous cigarette gone. The stink of brown alcohol missing. A healthier, kinder Dulli? Am I ready?

I had already seen Greg play a stripped down acoustic show this year that spanned his whole career: Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers, Gutter Twins. This show would ultimately be all about Twilight -- plugged in and mature, but still rocking it out as ever. There was definitely an emphasis on the new songs from  Dynamite Steps -- which are still growing on me. The funny thing is, a show usually isn't satisfying unless Dulli does a Whigs song, but at this point TS songs have enough history and breadth that I am pretty effin' happy to hear them all night long.

It ended up being a strangely emotional night for me. The stress of moving into our new apartment together, had me and ERL (she has opted out of Dulli shows because he said at the last concert we were at that he "didn't give a sh*t about the Yankees. Whose the biggest Yankees fan ever? ERL.) pretty exhausted. A lot of aggravation from the weeks prior also built up and I needed a release. "I'm Ready" and "Forty Dollars" had me exuberant and filled with a guttural bellow that I just needed to let loose. Releasing all that pent up stuff was much needed and the familiar rhythms of those two TS songs really let me do that.


Greg Dulli's music and lyrics not only were the background music for me through my formative years, but he's influenced me in my own work. The darker nature, film noir-esque/gangster film settings of many of Dulli's tunes have found their way into my lyrics (if you are curious, check out my website: abechangrocks.com), poetry and prose. My "mini-covers" (snippets of popular songs mixed in and sung in different keys or melodies -- to blend with original songs) that I play when I perform are a direct result of Dulli doing them first (and best). That night, he gave us some Prince, some Tom Petty, some of the Beatles, and some of the Who -- but in the context of his music.

But above all, I have to admit that he taught me that it's ok for a man with a bit of a gut..to strut a bit and kick some ass. Swagger. Dulli's still got it in spades. I love the man and would gladly buy him a beverage of his choice.

Here's Dulli and the boys doing "Teenage Wristband" at T in the Park. Pure awesome:

And for some serious nostalgia and a close Dulli moment. Check out this clip of "Candy Cane Crawl" from 2006. At around 3:40 look at the right of the screen for a bit of Abe geeking out (with buddy Eunice in tow also). I got to shake Dulli's hand at that show also:

Setlist for the show: 
 
*faves in green* 

Last Night in Town
Blackbird and the Fox 

I'm Ready

Forty Dollars
Beginning of the End 

Bonnie Brae 

She Was Stolen 

Don't Call 

Too Tough to Die 

Decatur Street 

Get Lucky 

Teenage Wristband 

Cruisin' 
Love 

Annie Mae 

Candy Cane Crawl 

Never Seen No Devil 

On the Corner 

The Killer 

Gunshots 

Esta Noche


GeekOmnivore score: Bad-ass and bourbon-y.

Uncannily good.

Caught the matinee (Deal alert! Best in Manhattan: AMC Kips Bay -- $6 all showings before noon!) of X-Men: First Class this morning and absolutely loved it.

This was one of the summer blockbusters that I did not have on my immediate MUST SEE list. I'm not sure why, other than I wasn't entirely impressed with what I had seen in trailers and still shots. But on the recommendation of a good friend whose taste has been spot on in terms of all geek-ery -- I knew I had to get a ticket.

In hindsight, how could this film NOT be awesome? With Matthew Vaughn at the helm (he of Kick-Ass, Stardust, and Layer Cake magic), a great cast led by Michael Fassbender (totally badass in Inglorious Bastards) and James McAvoy (totally badass in Wanted, but totally weird as Mr. Tumnus in Chronicles of Narnia: LWW --eh, Tumnus can only be weird and creepy, right?), and simply: it's X-Men -- all the elements of a great film were in place.  Throw in some good-looking ladies (more on this later) and it's geek ambrosia.

Needless to say, this one is going to give Green Lantern some tough competition. (I've already seen and loved Thor -- but First Class trumps Mjolnir in this case.)

Fassbender and McAvoy were eXcellent. Their acting prowess was on full display as Erik Lensherr  and Charles Xavier, respectively. The emotion, the motivation, the seeds of their two inevitable paths were explored extremely well. Two dear friends setting out on drastically different philosophies and methodologies with similar goals in mind -- peaceful resistance/assimilation vs. "by any means necessary".

Michael Fassbender was the real standout in this film. He really should be a big star. He's charismatic and has some serious acting chops. (I'm a big fan of Nazi killing in films, in fact Fassbender might be the best Nazi eliminator I've ever seen. He should continue doing this in future films.) AND he can shed a tear like a real man. (McAvoy-- ditto, but he's still kinda boyish.) Thoroughly convincing as the man who would be Magneto--you understand why and how he comes to develop his philosophy of protecting mutantkind without any regrets or hesitation. As a survivor of the Holocaust, you empathize with him and understand why "never again" is absolutely right. And yet -- when it comes to homo superior as the next evolutionary step and how humans are treading the fine line of extinction -- you understand how Charles Xavier must oppose his brother-in-arms.

Ok, the ladies. The less said about January Jones as Emma Frost, the better. Betty Draper in a skimpy outfit. Sigh. I think she could have done a much better job and played up the manipulative vixen (with a heart of gold!) that Emma Frost truly should have been.

But Jennifer Lawrence-- what a cutie! I hadn't seen her in anything before (though I've got Winter's Bone in my blu-ray queue) but I figured the Oscar nom must have been deserved. Her portrayal of a young Mystique really added depth to the character. In the comics, Mystique is complex, complicated, and kinda messed up. JL did a bang up job of adding some dimension to the cinematic version--a girl obsessed with her appearance and wanting to be normal. (Can you say obvious metaphor?)  She was great in the role. So how did Mystique grow up to be so one dimensional in the other X-Men films?  Sorry Rebecca Romijn (no-longer-Stamos) : P

And she's filming the Hunger Games now. I'm a fan of the book series (Though I have some issues with it. Battle Royale? Heard of it, Suzanne Collins?) and think she would be a great Katniss. (Elizabeth Banks as Effie and Woody Harrelson as Haymitch -- eh. I would have picked Kristin Chenowith and John Hurt. But I digress...) High hopes for this one. Hope it's bloody.


Real quick--

Awesome: 

• Two really cool cameos from other X-Men actors.
• Banshee's powers on-screen were excellent. 
• Kevin Bacon is a great villain. Footloose my arse! 

Sucky: 

• *minor SPOILER* At one point Mystique appears as Sebastian Shaw with his helmet on. I don't remember seeing her ever come in to contact with him to know what he looks like. So unless there was some off-screen moment/deleted scene -- seems like this was a mistake.
• Fassbender seemed to drop into his Irish lilt every now and then. He does speak multiple languages in the film, so it was a little jarring to hear it come out when it wasn't meant to be there. 
• Moira MacTaggart and Banshee both should have had thick Scottish brogues. Come on!

All-in-all -- I highly recommend it. Don't wait for blu-ray (though I will be sure to buy it).


GeekOmnivore SCORE:    Delicious. Want seconds!



*images sourced from around the Web. Thank you, Internet!*

In brightest day, in blackest night...

...no merch shall escape my sight!

Ok, I've got the Green Lantern fever.

Truth be told, I've probably had it since I was in kindergarten when my aunt (thanks, Tsai) gave me a stack of DC Comics from the stationery store that she owned back in the 80s. I remember once she brought home a huge stack of comics and digests and I spent weeks flipping through all the multi-color wonder.

Mind you, some of the stuff she brought home was caaaa-razzzy. I'm talking about old reprints of JSA stuff when there were dozens of superheroes jammed into one story, Superman with multi-colored kryptonite that would make his powers go all wonky, and the Flash turning-into-a-marionette type of comics.

But I clearly remember Green Lantern emerging as one of my favorites. If not THE favorite.

It was the magic ring that could turn thought (willpower) into anything imaginable - tank, mountain, trees, lion - you name it. Wow. My little brain was blown. And he had a buddy that was ALSO GREEN. GREEN ARROW! And my favorite color was GREEN. (And even though he was red, the Flash was the third in a three way tie of my faves.) Kindergarten Abe was enthralled by primary colors and heroes in spandex.

Fast forward 30-some-odd-years and a dozen or two long boxes of comics later.... and Green Lantern comics are the best they have every been (ahem, Geoff Johns = genius), a Green Lantern anime/animated film is out on Tuesday, and the Green Lantern movie finally opens June 17th.

Yeah, I think Ryan Reynolds is more Wally West (or even Wade Wilson) than Hal Jordan....but man, I have faith that he's going to do right by the Corps. I'm thrilled.


Anyways, I've amassed a little shrine of green-ness in anticipation. You'll notice the baseball cap, the bank bust, the mug, the mini-book and ring, the mini-figures, and the promo spectrum set (that came with Green Lantern, Blackest Night, and Brightest Day comics).

But my favorite recent piece of merch has to be the NECA Green Lantern Projection Ring.
Pretty cool looking ring, right? Looks like the ring from the movie, huh? It's not gonna create a giant boxing glove for you to whap your annoying neighbor, but it does something pretty cool...



It projects this huge Green Lantern symbol. And it works pretty well.

The ring only fits on my pinkie finger (cause I got fat sausages for digits -- much like Kilowog would have) but I do find myself projecting the symbol on the wall, reciting the oath, and just spacing out every so often. (Man, if I had a dog - I could be driving him nutty with this thing.)

Two more weeks. Oa here we go!

* FIRST! *

Hello World.

It's me. Again.

This past decade, in some form or another,  I've been on the web "expressing myself" or "emoting" or "ranting and raving"... what have you. Needless to say, real life caught up with me and I've been absent for a while. And yet, like the tempting call from a half empty (half full?) bag of chips -- I just had to dip my hand back in for one more taste of fatty, salty goodness. (You can't have just one? Ok, metaphors. Enough!)

Somethings never change. I love lists. LOVE them. "Bulleted items." Mmmmm. "Agenda." Ohhh yes. "Action points." Wonderful. Lists are a neat and easy way to get to the point. So, without further adieu:

Why start this blog?

• I haven't written in a while. I have a frakkin' MFA in Creative Writing from NYU and...I don't write? At all? Really? Someone just flush my degree down the toilet. Use my published work to wipe, why don'tcha? I can't tell you how many writers (every single one of them) will attest to the fact that muscle memory and practice is all part of the craft. All the time. Every day. So, yeah. I shelved my "novel in progress". Have not written any poetry lately either. But blogging? Heck, that seems like something easy. Hey, it's a start. Baby steps, k?
• My brother and cousin started blogging recemtly and I felt inspired. (Check the side bar.) I am in no way a stranger. I kept a blog for 8 years that basically got just a bit too personal. The interwebs is no place to be airing out any and everything. So this new go-around is going to really focus on my pure unadulterated GEEK LOVE. All the things I read, watch, listen to... and food. (Yes, I blame Top Chef and Anthony Bourdain. I never was a "foodie" before. A fat boy who liked fried chicken and pizza -- ALWAYS. But all this food TV. Gah.  Do I really need to know what a coulis or ailoli is? And molecular gastronomy? Seriously, "sous vide" -- I actually know what that is now. And BTW, don't ever use it in a food cooking competition. You. Will. Lose. Please pack your knives and go.)
• I needed a kick start. After a tough year (which I will not get in to -- see above! Less personal, more happy fun times!), I'm in need of the proverbial "creative outlet". In my younger days, I would be getting poetry published, freelance writing for magazines, playing guitar and singing all around NYC, and just kicking some bubblegum and chewing some a$$! Let's get back to that as the status quo, shall we? WOOT! THERE IT IS! USA! USA!

What won't this blog be about?

• My adorable, beautiful, genius girlfriend does not want me writing about her. She will sue me. She's an actual lawyer, so I totally believe her when she says she is a-feeling all litigious. She may make a cameo here and there. But I will NOT write about her or our relationship. I will only refer to her as ERL. Whisper those letters and fear her wrath.
• No whining. Or as the Brits say "whinging". None of that. Please call me on this.

Anyhoo. By way of introduction, there you have it. The first post.

I'm already thinking of what to write about next. Blu-rays? Comics? Korean Fried Chicken?  All of the above?

Stay tuned, kids.

*The ERL read the above post and approved. She also thinks that I am "trying to hard". We'll show her, won't we! (I have no illusions. She is the boss. Don't rat me out! Shhhhh!)

I'm lucky I'm cute.