Smags love boy bands...

(SmagLy)

Yes, it's true... The smags are headed to the NKOTBSB concert this weekend.  Smag-Jen and I bought these tickets last fall.  I'm soooo super stoked. (sidenote: to those of you that saw this show at Fenway where Marky Mark introduced NKOTB, I'm still jealous)  As an old-school BSB fan, it will be 1999 again for a few hours - and it will be awesome.  When even your mom knows the words to "I Want It That Way," then you KNOW that a boy band has truly made it.  (This may not be the best measure of credibility though, to this day, the only pop song my mom truly remembers is "My Humps" - but that's a whole 'nother story.) 

I was going to post the video for "I Want It That Way" to pump everyone else up - or just make them jealous - but then I found this video from back in the day.  And it was too good not to pass on, like when it made the rounds in college.  This pretty much sums up what goes on in my head when I hear this song anyways.

Black and yellow, black and yellow ....

(SmagLyd posting)
So the first time I heard that Wiz Khalifa song I thought, "oh, interesting... is this a song about black and asian people?" Actually, I said that out loud.  And was made fun of for doing so after we found out it was about the Pittsburgh Steelers.  I maintain that if they were talking specifically about Hines Ward, I'd also be correct, but that's not the point.

Today Alex sent me a link to this Funny or Die parody of that song, which is "at least more in line with what we thought this song was about" originally.  It's called: "Black and Jewish"

The problem with going to concerts with 'young people'...

The problem with going to concerts that a lot of teenagers will be going to (for example, Matt & Kim at Terminal 5, which is where Alex and I are right now), is tri-fold.

1) We have problems using our legitmate IDs to get wristbands. The girls at the front door stared at, bended, compared Alex and my IDs for a solid 3 minutes. Then the girl announced to Alex, "This says that you're 27 years old..." To which of course, we just stared in confusion. "Uhhh, but I am 27..." And then I have to say, "Hey they took that picture when I was 16, give me a break." That's what I said to my girl, anyways. Seriously, I'm flattered, but we're old - just give us the wristbands and shut up.

2) We don't just look young, but we also feel old. More than once during the pre-concert DJ set did I yell down to all the kids on the mainfloor - "You were, like, 5 YEARS OLD when this came out!" Also, nothing weirder or funnier than 400 teenagers screaming "ohhh skeet skeet motherf*cker!" to a song that came out when they were 8 years old. Inappropriate and yet so hilarious.

3) The realization that this nerdy asian boy up here in the VIP section could use some serious fistpumping lessons from the Jersey Shore crew. He keeps punching straight out just slightly above his own eye-level in sharp jerky movements. Its probably the best part of the night. Matt & Kim haven't even come out yet, but I'ma call this one early. Poor funny uncoordinated asians. C'mon! We have better rhythm than that!

More later, gonna actually pay attention now.

Overheard in New York, Nerd Edition

(posted by Smag-Al)

It's that time of year… RFA time, when the foundation's scientific advisory board, comprised of a select bunch of highly respected scientists, convenes for a two-day meeting to review all the applications for this year's round of grants. It's quite the dazzling, nerdtastic 'melding of the minds'; there's so much brain power in this building right now, the air is almost palpable.

As with other scientific meetings, a spirit of gleeful one-upmanship accompanies this event, as the nerds are let out of their cages (read: universities/labs) and encouraged to intermingle and exchange ideas, but mostly just attempt to prove to each other that whatever obscure research project they've been slaving away on over the past several years has had (or will soon have) some sort of measurable effect on the scientific community at large. Case in point, this discussion I overheard in the elevator this morning, on the likely contenders for this year's Nobel Prize:

Nerd 1: "So, do you think John* will get it this year? That stuff he's been doing with enzyme X is amazing."

Nerd 2: "What about Ben*? I'd say he's definitely in the running."

Nerd 3: "Nah, I mean, Ben does everything, but to win you really need to focus on just one thing… and 'help humanity.'"

[nerdy chuckles.]

Nerd 2: "Ben sure isn't gonna cure cancer anytime soon."

[more nerdy chuckles all around.]

Nerd 1: "John will definitely get it sometime in the next 5 years, but I don't think this is his year."

Nerd 3: "But have you HEARD what his lab's been doing lately?"

And so on and so forth.

As Lydia said when I gave her the recap, it's crazy to think that we're 2 degrees separated from a future Nobel Prize winner.


* Names have been changed; nerds deserve their privacy, too.

Smags in Atlantic City... worst idea ever...

(by Smag-Lydia)
Nothing on the East Coast is more ghetto than Atlantic City.  "What?!" you ask, "How about all those inner city parts in all major metro areas?"  And I would respond, "yes, but an unfortunate and fortunate attribute to those inner city parts is that you can avoid those areas if you don't want to be harassed.  In Atlantic City, they're mixed in with the crowd.  You can't avoid them if you TRIED."  

Here's a small sampling of comments the SmagTwins Al & Al got when they went down to AC on Tuesday afternoon.  (note: this is in DAYLIGHT)

[excerpt from an email from Smag-Alex]
As we're walking down the boardwalk this afternoon: "hey do you want a happy ending?" His friend standing nearby is just saying "f*******ck, f*******ck" the entire time we're passing by.

Two men pass by in one of those carts pushed by some poor dude: "squishy squishy squishy squishy squishy"

I have no idea what that second one meant, but it was definitely said in a really lewd way. Why do gross men feel they're entitled to shout obscenities at small Asian girls?
[end email from Alex]

Why DO people feel entitled to do that?  I've discussed this with Alex before, and we're confused why people who are in cities/places where there is a constant flow of Asians (many of whom who speak perfect English) feel compelled to yell weird things like this.  We don't understand the choice of words either.  Squishy, squishy?  Al and Al are tiny girls with a really low body-fat ratio, so it can't be a physical attribute comment... Also, if you've read our blog from the beginning, you'll remember that a fellow smag and I were harassed with a shout of "CHICKEN CHOW MEIN!" in Times Square late at night.  I don't run by Polish people and yell "PIEROGIES!"or the like.  How does a leering gentleman choose what to say to someone?  What are they trying to accomplish, and has it ever worked for them? 

Of course, Atlantic City is different place when you have more than 2 smags in your travel group, and also different when you have some jasians with you.  (Jasians = jacked asians)

Happy Smagmin day! (that's Admin Day to you non-smags...)

Yes, we two smags are currently admins at a foundation that spoils the crap out of us.  Not only are all the ladies at the foundation attending a posh luncheon at the Pierre tomorrow, but since we're out for most of the day  -- they delivered gorgeous flower arrangements to all the admins today in honor of Admin Day (tomorrow).  Each admin got a different arrangement!  Here's mine: 

 

I know we're totally spoiled here.  I'd completely forgotten how awesome it is to be delivered a gorgeous set of flowers.   (also, we both know we're terrible at regular blogging, but we'll work on that.)

Happy Opening Day!

What better way to brighten up a gross rainy cold day than with an Opening Day Yankee win?!? 

This is the exact time of year that I get inklings of resentment towards "The Other Smag" for not letting us get cable at home (read: access to all baseball games) - even though she's absolutely correct predicting we would just plop ourselves down in front of our tv and never leave.  (Heck, I already sometimes do that with just network tv.  Do you know what's ON network tv?  Nothing!)  Does this give me just cause for spending money on MLB.tv this year then?  I spent all yesterday afternoon listening to the CBS radio coverage of the game while doing work.