Gardening: San Marzano Tomatoes In A Pot (DAY ONE)

We're taking the plunge. By we I mean me and my two children. And by plunge, I mean, we're finally going to be growing San Marzano tomatoes from seed. I'm going to document the process from Day 1 through making our own fresh sauce using the tomatoes we harvest.

We are going to be growing the plants in a pot. Not in the ground.

On Day 1 we planted these seeds:

We used a Jiffy seed incubator (mini greenhouse).

These pods will serve as the soil for the seeds to sprout. Once there are leaves on the plants we will transfer them into 5 gallon pots/pails.

Keep indoors and in sunlight. We're hoping to see sprouting soon!

Why I'm Ditching Spotify for Google Play Music All Access

That's it.  I've had enough.  I've asked, I've begged, I've pleaded, I've threatened but you don't listen.  You never listen.  You don't care about me.  You never did.  I don't know why I stayed with you so long.

When we first got together you were new, fun, exciting, you knew what I liked but over the past couple of years you sort of lost your luster.  I think I was just staying with you because I had invested so much time with you.

But, well, I don't know how to say this, but, umm, I met someone new.  So, this is is it, I guess. Anyway, good luck with your other relationships.

Why
The letter above describes how I actually feel about my relationship with Spotify.  I like Spotify.  I really do.  I have a shit load of playlists that took me hours upon hours to create.  But there were two things that always bothered me.

1.  Lack of Chromecast support
2.  Music Discovery

In the end these became deal breakers when Google Play Music All Access came along.

What Is Google Play Music All Access
Basically, it's the same as Spotify.  You can choose the music you want to add to a playlists from a catalog of a bazillion songs.  You can also listen to music on radio that is tailored to your listening habits (taste).  In addition, they offer Youtube Music (music and videos streamed from youtube in a playlist format).

Lack of Chromecast Support on Spotify
I like to listen to music through my television and sound system connected (tied into) my television.  This is where chromecast comes in.  Why Spotify refuses to offer this feature is beyond me.  Especially for their premium users.  Forum after forum show Spotify subscribers begging for this feature to be added.  Clearly, there's some licensing issue between Google and Spotify.  This means Spotify loses in long run.

Music Discovery on Google Music All Access
This is where Google Play Music All Access is much, much better.  The music discovery is on par with Pandora.  Spotify always had a hard time figuring out what I wanted to hear.  It would get stuck on a specific genre or offer songs that really weren't in line with my tastes.  Google Play Music All Access offers music much more in line with what I'm looking for no matter what genre I select.  Better music discovery algorithm.  That's about right for Google.

For my money, I'm going with Google Play Music All Access and you should too.

Think differently?  Let me know in the comments.

I Just Went Rogue: The Edwin Jagger DE89lbl Safety Razor

Big news on the shaving front in my house...I just decided to go old school and ditch my Mach 3 Turbo razor in favor or a Safety Razor.

To start the new year, and in line with my quest to find the perfect shave, I have purchased this razor, to be exact:

The Edwin Jagger DE89lbl.

I'm petrified to actually shave with it.  I have visions of my face looking like it has gone through a blender.  But, I'm a man!  My daddy and my grandpappy and his father before him all shaved with an actual blade.  Why not me?  I'll be ok, right?  I'm not optimistic.  I can see this item available for sale on ebay in about two weeks.

I'm hoping this is a keeper - I'll keep you posted.

Do you shave with a safety razor?  What's your poison?  What's your favorite blade/handle combo?  Leave your comments below.

Why You Need To Buy An Acer C720 Chromebook Right Now: Tales from a week of using the chomebook in the real world

I've read all of the reviews.  I've watched all of the terrible (and some not so terrible) YouTube videos.  I hemmed and hawed and waited over a year and then I finally took the leap and bough an Acer c720 Chromebook for my very own.  Once it was delivered I was determined to see if I could use it as my sole computer.

Full Disclosure/Pro-Tip:  I bought the Acer on ebay for $100 with free shipping.

Model
I bought the 2gb version.  Don't believe the hype.  The 4gb version is like a unicorn.  You won't find one.  If you do happen to see one you'll pay a pretty penny for it.  And, it's not worth it.

 I'm not boring you with the rest of the specs.  If you're reading this you know it comes with the Haswell processor or the new i3.  Either one is fine.  If you're not attempting to launch a vehicle to space using this chromebook you won't notice any difference.

The Real World
I wasn't sure I could live with a chromebook as my daily driver.  After all, you're forced to live in the cloud.  That was the argument that prevented me from buying this thing in the first place.  But then I realized I'm not as sophisticated as I made myself believe.  I don't spend my days toiling away on photoshop, lightroom, dreamweaver, etc.  Sure, I edit photos, who doesn't, but Pixlr is more than enough for me.  If I find myself wanting to do some serious editing I move to one of my 2 iMacs.  If I want to edit on the go I use my MacBook Pro.  Guess what?  I'm not a professional photographer or graphic designer and neither are you.  You might think that meme you made is awesome, but it really sucks.  Don't worry, you can still make your shitty edits using your chromebook using Pixlr.  But, I'm begging you, please don't.

But I use Word!  Grow up.  Word is shit.  Google Docs has everything you need to write, edit, etc.  Google Drive has the rest of the stuff you need.  If you're a professional, you might need word and excel for work.  If that's the case you can't use the chromebook.  Sucks, but, hey, you need your job.  (Get the Acer c720 for your personal use)

I write books.  So, this is fantastic for me.  I use Docs for everything that I write.  Auto save, up in the cloud, sharing and editing capabilities, collaborative editing, it has it all.  All meaning everything that I need.

Shameless Plug: Laugh Your Ass Off Reading My Book:  Sh*t.Falls.Up

Pro Tip #2:  You don't need to download software.  You won't use it.  You literally can do everything in the Chrome browser.

I like the Internets.  Good for you.  You tweet, you post, you love social networking, you browse, you stream shit, you binge on Netflix, you chat and join hangouts with 8 of your friends, you do all of this at the same time.  You're in luck.  Go ahead, open 20 tabs at once. The Acer c720 can do all of that, at the same time, with no trouble a'tall.  No sputters, no pauses, no buffering, no nothing.  It all works perfectly and snappy.  Fo' Reals.

Added Bonus
If you are entrenched in the Google ecosystem then this is the ultimate machine for you.

Hangouts: The app sits right on the "desktop" and notifies you when you have messages using chatheads.

Google Now Notifications: You are alerted to new messages on the home screen.

Gmail, Drive, Google+, YouTube, Photos, Inbox:  All one click away.

Everything runs great.  Everything is synced across all of your devices.

Battery Life
8.5 Hours.  It's true.  I bought mine used and the battery gague was all screwed up. It was telling me I was getting 4 hours.  I was pissed.  I panicked.  I called Acer.  I panicked again.  I explained the situation.  I asked for a new battery.  I was wrong.  The customer service rep told me to try to calibrate the battery and if that didn't work then, yes, they'd replace the battery.  He was right.  I calibrated the battery and I'm getting at least 8 hours.  More importantly the gauge is showing a better estimation of remaining battery life.   Phew.  I can relax.

Size
Every video and post that I have read about the Acer c720 has pictures of the chromebook on a table.  No one uses this on a table.  You use it on your lap.  This thing is super light.  It doesn't heat up.  It's super quiet, the fan never comes on.  In short, it's a pleasure to use.  In comparison, my MacBook Pro all but burned my legs as the fans roared and the battery quickly depleted.

Boot Up
7 seconds or less.  That's from off to browsing the web.  It is as quick as your ipad or tablet.  That is quite remarkable.

Final Thoughts
I've used the Acer c720 as my daily driver for a week and I absolutely love it.  I haven't picked up my ipad or any of my other laptops.  It is light, powerful, easy to use, quick to get online and overall a pleasure.  This just might be the best hundred bucks that I have ever spent.

Thinking of getting one?  Do you already own one?  Leave your comments below.

This Jew's Definitive Top 5 Christmas Songs: The 2013 Edition

Christmas Season 2013

#1  "Last Christmas" by Wham still holds onto it's number 1 spot.  It is in my Spotify library all year long.  Christmas tragedy.  Maybe next year he'll find someone to love.

#2  "This Christmas" by Donnie Hathaway.  The opening bars of this song have so much soul that it is almost impossible not to dance.  Let me be clear.  I do not dance.  I also do not dance at my in-laws three spiked eggnogs in.  No, really...I don't.

3.  "White Christmas"  by Bing Crosby.  It's not that I like Bing Crosby very much (although I do like when he sings with Bob Hope) but I love that a Jew (Irving Berlin) wrote one of the most quintessential Christmas songs.  Listen for the minor chord at the end of this verse "may your days be merry and bright".  It doesn't get more Jewish than that.

4.  "Jingle Bells" by Sinatra.  Swinging Christmas songs.  I'm in.  Buble counts too.  A close runner up is Buble and the Puppini sisters singing Jingle Bells.

5.  "It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year" by Andy Williams.  The instrumental crescendo alone earns it a place on my list every year.  Classic.


I included my previous two lists below.  Let me know your favorite Christmas songs.



PREVIOUS LISTS

Christmas Season 2012
 
#1 "Last Christmas" by Wham. Is it gay? Very. Especially the whispering of "Merry Christmas". Regardless, I like it.


#2 "Little St. Nick". I think I like it because its like 90 seconds long. Sometimes that's all I can take of a Christmas song.

#3 "This Christmas" by Donnie Hathaway. Its one of the only Christmas songs with soul for G-D Sake.

#4 Still making the list this year...Elvis with "Blue Christmas".

#5 Rounding out the list is Andy Williams with "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Its a classic.


Christmas Season 2011

#1  So what is this Jew's #1 favorite Christmas song? Its The King singing "Blue Christmas". Even though its not true -

#2  Andy Williams comes in at #2 with "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Guys can't have all the fun.

#3 Belongs to Earth Kitt with "Santa Baby". 

 #4 is an obscure oldie and I have no idea why snow/cold equals Christmas but my pick for #4 is "Baby Its Cold Outside" by Pearl Bailey and Hot Lips Page. You can take all your other versions and shove them. This is how the song is meant to be sung.

 #5  I don't even hear #5 anymore. The last spot belongs to RUN DMC'S "Christmas in Hollis". Fuck Yeah, that's how you rock Christmas

Calling all Gen XYZ... We lived this...it's time to sit back and laugh at ourselves!

Recent Five Star Review for Shit Falls Up...

So much fun to read! My family was dying to know what mommy was laughing - literally, out loud - about in the other room. I was sad when it was over...just wish I had had this novel to make me laugh when I was going through all that post-graduate career and personal life drama. Deutsch's wit comes through on every page. So many moments we can all relate to brought to life, with honesty and humor, by engaging characters we all know. Well done! Can't wait for the next...

Read for yourself HERE

Chick Lit From a Guy's Point of View

We all know the formula for chick lit:

The blog Chit Lit Books describes it:
Chick lit is smart, fun fiction for and/or about women of all ages. Story lines often revolve around jobs, children, motherhood, romance, fame, living in the ‘big city’, friendship, dieting and much more, usually with a touch of humor thrown in. Many of these books are written from a first-person viewpoint, making them a bit more personal and realistic. The plots can range from being very light and fast-paced to being extraordinarily deep, thought-provoking and/or moving.

What if the main character was a guy and we watched as he struggled to find a job, love and his own path in the 'big city'?  That is the premise of the new novel Sh*t Falls Up by David Deutsch.

One morning, David Michaels awakens at his sister’s studio apartment and ponders how it all went wrong for him. Three weeks earlier, he had a beautiful girlfriend, a fabulous sub-let apartment in Manhattan and a seemingly secure job at a top, New York investment bank. After losing everything, including his hair, all he has now is a place to sleep, albeit on a twin-size mattress that he must inflate every night. However, this is better than his other, only true option - returning for a third time to his parent’s house.

David’s life-long aspiration is to be a writer, and he has notebooks filled with stories and ideas. One story - the only story he has published - won him a prize while in law school. Unlucky at love, his friends set him up with a woman who bases her life on insights gained from reality TV, and he reluctantly (and hilariously) joins an online Jewish dating service. Frustrated with his career choice of law, he happily accepts a job as a lowly sales clerk at a women’s shoe store. When he becomes manager, he decides once and for all to regain control of his life. On a daily basis, he shuts himself in his office, keeps the booze flowing and pounds out a short story on the absurdity of his life.

When his short story suddenly garners high acclaim, he is left again to pondering. Does he settle down with his hot, volatile, socialite girlfriend, who helped him get his story published? Or does he pursue a woman whom he believes is his soul mate, though he can’t stop lying to her?

At times, gut-wrenchingly funny, other times, soulful and touching, Sh*t.Falls.Up. places the reader in the mind of a man who does his best thinking on an inflatable air mattress.

A five star, funny read from start to finish says DAnthony.

A contemporary, creative, take on chick lit and romantic comedies with themes that should appeal to both men and women alike.  

Grab your copy today: Chick (oh, I mean click) Here 

Shit Falls Up - Book Review from Amazon

I had to share my first five star review for the novel Shit Falls Up

Pick up your copy today and read it for yourself Buy Shit Falls Up Here

Start to Finish Funny August 28, 2013

By DAnthony

Format:Kindle Edition

Imagine having spent $90,000 on a law degree and not wanting to use it. Imagine friends and family constantly in your face about being unemployed. Imagine waking up on an air mattress every day in a place that you can't even call your own. I imagine that your options fall under the "you either laugh or you cry" categories when explaining your continued misfortune and missteps. Fortunately, for readers, David Deutsch takes the "laugh" approach in fleshing out his protagonist, David Michaels, in his debut novel Shit Falls Up.

Everyone dreams of becoming more than they are. Few succeed, mainly because few are willing to work hard for it. David Michaels succeeds as a writer in the end, but only due to his diligence in attaining what he has dreamed about his whole life. It's not easy for him, and he stumbles often in his pursuit of self-preservation and true love. He naively and happily takes jobs beneath him. He falls head over heels in love one minute, only to fall into fatalistic, sexual situations the next. In short, he's Every Man. Except Michaels never gives up, even after he falls flat on his face, er, has a diamond ring thrown into his face.

For a first-time novelist, Deutsch shows great touch and snappy style with dialogue, especially with the ongoing conversations David has with himself, and those he shares with his continually bewildered best friend, Jon. There are also many moments of hilarious asides and snarky commentary on the misfits and odd balls he meets on the job or on a date. The online chat David has with a woman, who's either very desperate or psychotic, on a Jewish dating website is bust-a-gut funny.

Favorite Quotes from Shit Falls Up

Here area few of my favorite quotes from Shit Falls Up:

"I should embrace this moment. The moment I took my pride and self-respect, spit on it, threw it in the gutter, and then stomped on it repeatedly just for good measure."

"I just stood there shaking inside when I formulated a new, life theory: Hugs Kill."

"This woman just bought an apartment like I buy dinner.  Well, actually Sandy buys dinner.  I‘m nearly broke."

"Sandy got upset.  She leaned in even closer.  I could really get a good look at her face.  Her teeth were really white.  I wonder what toothpaste she used.  I needed to get myself a tube.  Her eyes were really green, too.  They were piercing right through me when she again reassured me, 'I am going to leave him.  I want to be with you.  Just give me some time.'"


What is your favorite quote?

Click Here To Get Your Copy of Shit Falls Up

Sh*t Falls Up Now Available

SH*T FALLS UP 

by David Deutsch

One morning, David Michaels awakens at his sister’s studio apartment and ponders how it all went wrong for him. Three weeks earlier, he had a beautiful girlfriend, a fabulous sub-let apartment in Manhattan and a seemingly secure job at a top, New York investment bank. After losing everything, including his hair, all he has now is a place to sleep, albeit on a twin-size mattress that he must inflate every night. However, this is better than his other, only true option - returning for a third time to his parent’s house.

David’s life-long aspiration is to be a writer, and he has notebooks filled with stories and ideas. One story - the only story he has published - won him a prize while in law school. Unlucky at love, his friends set him up with a woman who bases her life on insights gained from reality TV, and he reluctantly (and hilariously) joins an online Jewish dating service. Frustrated with his career choice of law, he happily accepts a job as a lowly sales clerk at a women’s shoe store. When he becomes manager, he decides once and for all to regain control of his life. On a daily basis, he shuts himself in his office, keeps the booze flowing and pounds out a short story on the absurdity of his life.

When his short story suddenly garners high acclaim, he is left again to pondering. Does he settle down with his hot, volatile, socialite girlfriend, who helped him get his story published? Or does he pursue a woman whom he believes is his soul mate, though he can’t stop lying to her?

At times, gut-wrenchingly funny, other times, soulful and touching, Sh*t.Falls.Up. places the reader in the mind of a man who does his best thinking on an inflatable air mattress.

Get Your Copy of Sh*t Falls Up on Amazon

Follow David on Twitter: @gslacks

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This Jew's Top Five Favorite Christmas Songs - Part II

A lot has changed over the past year with regards to my taste in Christmas songs. Last year top five looked like this:

 So what is this Jew's #1 favorite Christmas song? Its The King singing "Blue Christmas". Even though its not true -

Andy Williams comes in at #2 with "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Guys can't have all the fun.

#3 belongs to Earth Kitt with "Santa Baby".

 #4 is an obscure oldie and I have no idea why snow/cold equals Christmas but my pick for #4 is "Baby Its Cold Outside" by Pearl Bailey and Hot Lips Page. You can take all your other versions and shove them. This is how the song is meant to be sung.

 I don't even hear #5 anymore. The last spot belongs to RUN DMC'S "Christmas in Hollis". Fuck Yeah, that's how you rock Christmas



 This year we have some newcomers to the list. My new top 5 looks like this:
 #1 "Last Christmas" by Wham. Is it gay? Very. Especially the whispering of "Merry Christmas". Regardless, I like it.

#2 "Little St. Nick". I think I like it because its like 90 seconds long. Sometimes that's all I can take of a Christmas song.

#3 "This Christmas" by Donnie Hathaway. Its one of the only Christmas songs with soul for G-D Sake.

#4 Still making the list this year...Elvis with "Blue Christmas".

#5 Rounding out the list is Andy Williams with "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year". Its a classic.

This Jew's Top Ten Favorite Christmas Songs

Yes, even Jews are subjected to Christmas music ad nauseam around this time of the year. Since I can't escape it, here are my top 5 christmas songs.

So what is this Jew's #1 favorite Christmas song? Its The King singing "Blue Christmas".

Even though its not true - Andy Williams comes in at #2 with "Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year".

Guys can't have all the fun. #3 belongs to Earth Kitt with "Santa Baby".

#4 is an obscure oldie and I have no idea why snow/cold equals Christmas but my pick for #4 is "Baby Its Cold Outside" by Pearl Bailey and Hot Lips Page. You can take all your other versions and shove them. This is how the song is meant to be sung.

I don't even hear #5 anymore. The last spot belongs to RUN DMC'S "Christmas in Hollis". Fuck Yeah, that's how you rock Christmas.

And for the record, my least favorite Christmas song is Little Drummer Boy. Pa-rum-pum-pum-puke.