Life In The Weeds

Mizuki Asian Bistro

Third time a charm!  

After my 3rd visit, I have decided a review is in order...a GREAT review, for a new restaurant in town, Mizuki Asian Bistro

My first visit was with my wife...sitting at the Sushi Bar...then with a large group of 12...then, last week, six of us sat in one of their great over-sized booths.

The food is very good...we have dined on a variety of their special sushi rolls, along with many of their entrees...all of which have a uniqueness about them.  The presentation of their dishes is also worth mentioning.

We enjoyed the service...very friendly staff who were super patient with our many bottles of wine and beer (BYOB)...I think their prices are reasonable, in fact, it's a bargain for such a great meal.

We have been chatting up Mizuki around town and will definitely be back.

mj

How to become an overnight Social Media Success

Here is a great story for all you struggling 20-somethings who spend 24 hours a day gaming, tweeting and face-booking.

Long story, short...

The Philadelphia 76er's ran a contest to allow their fans to vote for the name their new mascot - they gave three names to choose from.  However, they did not think about creating a social media campaign using twitter.  So, a Sixer fan registered a couple of twitter accounts - @PhilEMoose and @BFranklinDogg -  and started tweeting like crazy.  Instead of acting like total a-holes and taking legal action against him, the owner of the Sixers invited this kid into his office to talk Social Media strategy...next thing he knows, he's hired!

Here is the long story, long.

mj

Bluestone Farms

When driving from Hopewell Borough towards Pennington, one can not help but notice the sprawling farm on the right side of the road named, Bluestone Farms.  Over the past couple of years, this farm has spared no expense on their grounds...from their out buildings, to the gorgeous fencing and stone work, to the massive additions to the main house.  I have never been quite sure what Bluestone Farms was all about...but I always figured, whatever they "did", they sure did "it" well.

So, I came across an article, about a year old, that descibed their business...the owners were outspoken about issues surrounding horse racing in New Jersey leading up to a summit on the state’s horse racing and gaming industries. 

Located on 300 rolling acres, Bluestone Farms is a Standardbred horse farm...home to nearly 100 horses.  They focus specifically on breeding horses who, hopefully, will go on to harness racing, the tradition of the Standardbred horse.

The farm breeds and in some cases, co-owns, horses like Bar Slide, a 3-year-old filly who recently trotted to victory in the $750,000 Hambletonian Oaks at the Meadowlands. Yearlings there regularly fetch anywhere from $30,000 to, rarely, over $100,000.

It's easy to forget just how lucky we are to live in such a beautiful area of New Jersey...so much open space, farming and, let's not forget, horse breeding.

Check out this property.

mj

Was it worth it, Mr. Wright?

41 years ago, George Wright was sitting in a prison cell, eight years into a 15-30 year prison term.  He was convicted of murdering a gas station attendant in Wall, NJ.  After already serving 8 years, you think George may have been feeling "up"...potentially half way through his sentence...hoping for a shot at release.  Clearly, his head was in a different place because he and three other prisoners escaped from a New Jersey prison on the evening of 8/19/70.

But, old George, was not finished with his criminal ways....two years later, he hijacked a dam plan...collected a million bucks for the passengers release and flew to Algeria seeking asylum.

Then, poof...George pulled a houdini act.

For almost 40 years, George was living a simple life in a small Portugese hamlet. Married with two grown children.

Yesterday, the law finally caught up with George and he was taken into custody.  At 68, his life is over. He'll be hauled back to the US and serve the remainder of his sentence...not to mention, I would think there may be additional penalties that he'll face...like for hijacking a plane and escaping from prison.

Question is...was it worth the freedom?  Even if he served the full 30 years...he would have been a free man at 50.  Plenty of time to have a full life without having to look over his shoulder every day, wondering when or if he would hear that dreadful knock at the front door.

I wonder if George told his wife?  His kids?  

Hindsight is 20-20...or in this case, 15 to life!!

mj

This Winter, Make it a Full Cord

It's getting cold outside, and as such, many folks will be turning to their fireplaces for some extra warmth...there is really nothing quite like a roaring fire during the cold days of winter.

I'm lucky enough to have lots of fallen trees off the back of my property, so purchasing wood is not part of my winter routine. However, many people need to purchase wood and get it delivered.  

I am going to go out on a limb and bet that most people really do not just how much wood they are buying.  They call up and ask for a cord of wood and find a pile in their driveway when they get home...seems right?

For the record, one cord of wood equals a volume 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet, or 128 cubic feet.  For a visual reference, imagine a 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood on the ground, stacked with 4 feet high of wood. 

A filled half-ton pickup is not a cord of wood.

mj

The Quiet Car Experiment

In early September, NJ Transit began a 90-day Quiet Car Experiment...and, it appears to be working.

As part of the three-month pilot program, 29 express trains between Trenton and Manhattan have acquired two quiet cars, one at each end, that promise commuters a Zen-like cocoon: “No cell, no song/low talk/in peace we travel/arrive calm,” read the pale-blue promotional posters.

Of course, ornery commuters have been enforcing de facto quiet cars since the dawn of the mobile age. Every seasoned commuter is capable of a such a hateful, scornful look that is so nasty, it would make any noisemaker fall to their knees.  But, now, fellow quite car passenger will have strength in numbers.

I'm all for it!  I've always been shocked at the conversations people are willing to have in front of perfect strangers...

So, in addition, to peer pressure, how is the quiet car enforced?  I've seen the conductors inform folks to keep it down because they are in a quiet car, but is it really enforceable?  Is talking on your cell phone in the quiet car a law breaking offense?  Of course not...it's more about a social change in behavior.

My guess is that Quiet Cars will be part of the regular commuting experience...

mj

 

 

Pizza, Pizza

Here is a list of 51 Great Pizza Parlors across America!

For my local readership (all 3 people), here are the NJ, PA and NY reviews:

New Jersey

De Lorenzo's Tomato Pies in Trenton is a 63-year-old family-owned neighborhood joint that makes extraordinarily elegant pizza: thin-crusted with a web of cheese, topped with hand-crushed tomatoes, and, if you like, clumps of fennel-laced sweet Italian sausage. Dcor on the wood-paneled walls is pizza-parlor classic: pictures of fans, ranging from nobodies to Frank Sinatra and Luciano Pavarotti. There's now a second location in Robbinsville.

Pennsylvannia

Jules Thin Crust Pizza, with locations in Doylestown, Newtown and Jenkintown, tops its pies with organic ingredients like roasted eggplant, portabella mushrooms, artichoke hearts, kalamata olives and arugula. Spread on a delicate, thin crust, this pizza is one American classic you can enjoy without guilt. 

New York

From the floor-to-ceiling wood-burning pizza oven to the chef and ingredients, the secret sauce at Za'Za' is its Italian imports. This Scarsdale eatery serves up seriously authentic Italian cuisine. Try the Sorbillo pie with prosciutto, truffle oil and mozzarella, or the seafood pizza with clams, mussels and shrimp.

mj

 

Stevens Institute, Hoboken, NJ

Are you familiar with this Institution?  I certainly was not...at least, not until I drove through their campus in Hoboken, NJ a couple weeks ago.

What a pretty campus!  It sits way up on a bluff overlooking Manhattan, right on the edge of the Hudson River.  The streets are super narrow and very hilly...and the campus architecture is beautiful...Stevens was founded in 1870.  It was the first major educational institution to implement a personal computer requirement in 1982.

They have a nice athletic program as well.  Currently, their soccer team is ranked #5 in the country for Division III.

I must admit, growing up on Long Island and now living in Jersey for 8 years, I am disappointed to say I have never spent ANY time in Hoboken.  My "drive-by" left me thinking about finding the time to explore this great, historic town.

Add it to the list...

mj

 

Save the Ta-Tas

It seems that Cancer Awareness has taken a turn for the worse, or so it would seem for some folks...and, in all places to cause a stir...Sioux Falls, SD?

The principal of Baltic High School has banned the rubber bracelet, which has a message: "I love boobies."  The article I read, did not even mention this Tee-Shirt...

The bracelets have caused controversy in schools in states including California, Colorado, Idaho, Florida and Wisconsin. Some districts allow students to wear them inside-out, and others ban them.

Would I want my 13-year old daughter to wear a bracelet that stated, "I love boobies"?  Or a shirt that said, "Save the Ta-Tas"?

No.  

I think there are plenty of other ways that someone can support Breast Cancer Awareness...I understand that the company who makes this products is trying to engage young people and trying to spark discussion...personally, I do not think this tactic is the best way to go about it!

Does this make me old and un-hip?  I sure hope not...

For the record, I am a big fan of Ta-Tas and boobies...
 

mj

Rats in the Building

Nothing beats starting the work week with a picket line...right our side your window...starting at 8:00am Monday morning.

I thought they would let up after 30 minutes or so, but not so.  They are going on two hours and show no signs of letting up.

The chanting is tolerable...but the whistles...oh, man, the whistles.  The are quite effective!

It's actually a bit riotous, when someone enters the building they are protesting in front of...their volume level increases and they berate the person entering with screaming and yelling.

Where's the Rat, you ask?  Not sure, but I know there is one down at the Empire State Building, so maybe this Union get's the short end of the [picket] stick!

mj