31 More Days of Pizza

[Sean_Taylor]

Just like last year, October is National Pizza Month and I am going to try for a second beat of Pizza Month '02 . All of the (self-imposed) rules still exist for Pizza Month '03. those rules are the following:

• I must eat at least one slice of pizza each day of October
• I must eat with at least one [1] other person
• I must go to 31 different locations for pizza

From experience, I can tell you that Pizza month was my happiest month in all of 2002. For this reason, I strongly recommend that everyone out there observe pizza month for yourself this year. Yes, I want you to join me at least once over the course of October, but I also want to share the wonderful experience that only 31 days of pizza can provide. Your rules don't have to be as strict as the ones mentioned above, just adhere to the ones you make.

Tomorrow, I will endeavor to create an online sign-up sheet and FAQ sheet that will provide all the necessary items for you to start your own pizza month or at least join me in mine!

[Sean_Taylor]

FAQ

• Given that you cannot repeat a pizzeria location, will Variety Underground be supplying free pizza from different locations during Pizza month?
  Yes. Domino's is the primary supplier but only once this month thanks to rule number 3. Good question.
• Do you have to eat ONLY pizza all month?
  No, but that would be something wouldn't it? I'd be impressed if someone lived on pizza and only pizza for an entire month. I need to eat at least a slice a day.
• How much weight do you expect to gain this year?
  I expect to gain a little but I don't know how much nor do I want that threat to be an obstacle.
• What's new this year?
  One thing new I would like to try is to eat in smaller groups during the week but have "coal-fired weekends" where anywhere from 2 to 10 folks get together and enjoy NYC coal-fired pizza together.
• Can you repeat the same pizzerias from last year?
  Yes. Some of them were so delicious that I very much look forward to going again.
• Why, Sean?
  I love pizza. I am fortunate enough to live in the city regarded by millions to serve the best pizza in the world. With over 500 pizzerias (rough estimate I heard on some tv program) in the city, who knows which ones are the best? I don't...but I may know someone who does. If you do, then please sign up and let's go! A second reason is to make good on all those plans when you see someone and say "let's do lunch" or "we should meet up sometime" but have yet to do so. A third reason is to increase my time management skills. And a final reason is, of course, because it's there.

Sign up sheet
I'm experimenting with a new calendar application located at http://www.stomping-ground.net/jcal/index.php. The labels on the days begin with "Open" or "Pizza". "Pizza" means that I have already arranged to eat pizza that day. If you are interested in joining me for an "Open" day, then email me at seantaylor99@hotmail.com . I have an 8-6pm day job around 23rd St. but I can usually get away for an hour for lunch if you have a pizzeria in mind. I look forward meeting and eating with you.

Let Pizza month '03 BEGIN!

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 1: October 1st
LOCATION: Ray's Pizza & Bagel Cafe (St. Mark's St. & 3rd Ave.)
GUEST: Matt Pack
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese, 1 poppyseed pizza-bagel

PIZZA REPORT: Batting .500 today. The slice of cheese was typical Ray's deliciousness but the pizza-bagel just didn't measure up in either the pizza or the bagel category. I think the bagel was made early in the morning so around lunchtime had solidified into a brick. It's hard to eat a brick even when dressed up like a pizza. The slice of cheese, on the other hand, was dressed up like a pizza and tasted like a pizza as well. Sure there were some red edges (sauce that extends further out on the crust than the cheese) but I am a bigger fan of sauce than cheese anyhow. Besides, standing next to its poppyseed step-sister, the slice - red edges and all - was nothing less than beautiful.
MISC.: Who better to kick off Pizza Month '03 than someone I met during Pizza Month '02: Mr. Matt Pack. He even wore the very same T-shirt today as he wore the day I met him! He pretended as if he didn't remember, but I know deep down he wore it on purpose.

PACK FACTS

• Matt Pack lives in Rockland County, NY which is the setting for the TV show Ed.
• Matt loves bowling
• As a junior in high school, Matt Pack once ate folded together 4 slices of pizza to come from behind and win a pizza eating contest.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 2: October 2nd
LOCATION: Domino's Pizza (Allan St & Houston St) during Variety Underground @Parkside Lounge (317 E. Houston St.)
GUEST(S): Tony Carnevale, Aaron & Tony, Shockwave, Samantha (the waitress), Esto, the Left Overs, Margot Leitman, VU regulars - Neil Casey, Kevin Cragg, Amey Goerlich, Kevin Hines, Janella Hong, Erik Tanouye, and the entire audience of Variety Underground.
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Um, not so good. The slice I had suffered from a number of pizza related problems, yet I still ate it. First of all, I ordered the pizza to be ready at 6:30pm for the 7pm show. I think it was ready at 6:10, giving it 20 extra minutes to cool down. Pizza is best when it's piping hot, in my opinion. The second problem was the bubble factor. During the cooking process it is common (if the pizza crust is not perforated) for the dough to bubble up. Once a bubble forms, the cheese and tomato sauce slide off the bubble due to gravity leaving a bite-size patch of crusty dough in the middle of the pie. My pizza had not one but two bubbles on it. The third problem was red-edge-overcompensation. This occurs when the pizzamaker puts too much cheese or too little sauce on the outer crust. My slice was a victim of both. I did still eat the whole slice. My slice's redeeming quality; the sauce. Domino's pizza has really tasty tomato sauce.
MISC.:

• Margot Leitman has got a new hair color and VU likes it!
• Shockwave discovered he can mimic a new sound; the sound of a wet finger on the rim of a crystal cup
• In honor of pizza month VU will be serving free pizza from 5 different pizza places. Next week Erik Tanouye has offered to give a gift on his birthday and provide the pizza for the Oct 9th Variety Underground.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 3: October 3rd
LOCATION: John's Pizzeria (278 Bleecker St, NYC)
GUEST(S): Kevin Hines, Brian Waddell
ORDER: 3 slices of cheese, 1 slice of pepperoni, 1 slice of sausage

PIZZA REPORT: So good! Coal-fired brick oven pizza cooked and served to the tune of the entire Frank Sinatra collection. In general, I wouldn't include the music in the "pizza report" but it truly added to my enjoyment of each slice. The slices themselves (particularly the pepperoni) also added to my enjoyment of each slice. John's pizzeria redefines the "textbook pizza" by avoiding the cheese-covers-sauce convention. Depending on where you are in the slice, you may be eating sauce on top of cheese, cheese on top of sauce, just cheese, or just sauce. It's unpredictably delightful. A slight excess of sauce resulted in an occasional soggy portion of an otherwise ideal slice.
MISC.: I was unable to convince Kevin and Brian to come to my little sister's boyfriend's band's (Copeland) gig in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I still went. From Sinatra to Hardcore Christian punk in less than an hour...quite a night.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 4: October 4th
LOCATION: Lombardi's Pizzeria (Spring St & Mott St., NYC)
GUEST(S): Bob Alstrum-Acevedo, Chris Butler, Tony Carnevale, Brian Waddell
ORDER: 4 slices of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Perhaps the perfect pizza was brought out to our table today. Looks, taste, consistency - this pizza had it all and more. The "more" I'm referring to are the parmesan cheese and basil that are automatically added to a cheese pizza at Lombardi's. Nice touch. My favorite part of the slices was the crispy but not burnt underside of the each slice. The volume on the music was a tad bit loud and the seating was a tad bit cramped but I was more than a tad bit oblivious to my surroundings once the pizza consumption began.
MISC.:

• Brian Waddell spent more than he should have at dinner because it was the only way he could let us know he had won at poker the night before.
• Tony, Bob, and Brian all carry Jokers around in their wallet, Chris doesn't. I guess their in some sort of club or something...well, except Chris.
• I enjoyed my first day wearing a t-shirt advertising Copeland, my sister's boyfriend's band. The t-shirt held up pretty nicely.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 5: October 5th
LOCATION: DiFara Pizza (E. 15th St, BROOKLYN)
GUEST(S): Ivan Lerner
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of pepperoni

PIZZA REPORT: Worth it. Ivan and I travelled deep into the heart of Brooklyn via train, shuttle bus, and then train again (thank you, weekend MTA construction) to get to DiFara Pizza. The nearly 2 hour trek from my apt in Queens was all worth it when I sunk my teeth into my first slice of a DiFara pepperoni pizza. The cheese was still bubbling, so I probably should have waited to take that first bite, but I had worked up quite an appetite en route. The crust was crispy creating a thin yet firm foundation for the mozzarella cheese and the hand cut toppings. The sauce was a delicious blend of spicies and fresh tomatoes that I could probably have eaten by itself. The combination of the sauce, the cheese, and the toppings (particularly the pepperoni) synthesized into a true mouthwatering slice of pizza.
MISC.:

• DiFara pizza has a reputation of serving the best pizza in New York and I am sure it is because of the care put into each and every pie. Dominic DiMarco has been working at DiFara for over 40 years and has the expertise to prove it. He, at his own pace and in front of anyone who cares to watch, stretches the dough then meticulously adds the sauce, cheese, and toppings to sculpt every pizza into a piece of art. After I had ordered, I saw Dominic making a fresh mozzarella pie from scratch. His special touches included slicing the cheese fresh out of the package and pouring a light layer of olive oil on the pizza just before putting it in the oven. These are just two of his many secrets...I'm definitely going back for more secrets (but, of course, will settle for just more pizza).
• Ivan and I both shave BEFORE we shower.
• During our shuttle bus ride back to the city, Ivan recognized two pedestrians walking together. They were holding hands which meant they probably weren't going to get that divorce that seemed inevitable. This made Ivan happy.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 6: October 6th
LOCATION: Anna Maria (23rd St & Park Ave S., NYC)
GUEST(S): Mia Stendahl, Andrew Butterworth
ORDER: 2 slices of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Big slices, big taste. These slices were much larger than usual and pretty tasty too. Since the slices were so large, it was difficult at times to keep the relatively flimsly underside crust of the pizza from collapsing. I managed ok. The sauce was made with chopped up tomatoes which I used to dislike but, as Mia put it, I "grew up", and now I love them. Because I like the chopped up tomatoes so much, I hardly minded the red edges at all.
MISC.:

• Mia would like to carry around a billy club everywhere she goes to take care of obnoxiously rude individuals. Andy wants a personal horn for similar purposes.
• Andy (aka PizzaTime) urged Mia and I not to worry about the nutritional value of our lunch because pizza contain anti-oxidants and, thus, "packs an anti-cancer power punch". I don't know how that works but between the three of us today, we gave gave cancer a pretty big wallup (no billy club necessary).
• We all love New Hampshire.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 7: October 7th
LOCATION: Pizza Suprema (31st St & 8th Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Jen MacNeil, Kevin Hines
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Nothing stellar. Visually, the slice of pizza I had appeared above average; the crust was consistent all around the pie and the sauce and cheese took their appropriate place. However, something was off (not just the last two neon light letters of "Suprema" either). I believe it was the cheese that seemed to be vulcanized atop the slice. All the chewing gave my mouth quite a work out. It was like a tug-of-war with each and every bite. Fortunately, I did win the tug-of-war each and every time but who knows what would have happened had I ordered another slice?
MISC.:

• Jen once played music to her hamster as part of a science project to measure how different genres of music affected hamsters. There was no "control" in the experiment but it didn't matter, the hamster was equally unaffected by all genres.
• Kevin thinks anything built out of sugar cubes is magnificent.
• My little sister is responsible for killing my brother's parakeet, killing my gerbil while I was at boy scout camp, and critically (perhaps fatally) injuring my class's incubated chicken all before the age of 5.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 8: October 8th
LOCATION: Cafe Time (Time-Life cafeteria at Rockefeller Center; 50th St & 6th Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Julie Sloane, Andrew Butterworth
ORDER: 1 individual size fresh mozzarella pizza

PIZZA REPORT: Good. Brick oven type ingredients in a conventional oven - pretty unique for a corporate cafeteria. The crust was a little underdone crust which gave it doughy consistency but it was surprisingly good. Fresh mozzarella is good on any sauce so the fact this pizza had a marinara/pizza sauce taste didn't matter too much. The Time Life cafeteria offers a lot of food and if the pizza is any indication of the rest of the items on the menu, then working at Time Life does have its perks.
MISC.:

• Working for Fortune magazine, Julie got to interview the founder of Domino's Pizza and George Foreman.
• Red Sox fan, Andy Butterworth observed that the secret to Pedro Martinez's greatness as a pitcher may be in the goofy faces he makes in the middle of his wind-up...
  For another example, see the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated.
• There are a lot of beautiful people that work around Rockefeller Center.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 9: October 9th
LOCATION: Two Boots (3rd St and Ave A, NYC) during Variety Underground at the Parkside Lounge (315 E. Houston St)
GUEST(S): Tony Carnevale, Aaron & Tony, Shockwave, Samantha (the waitress), Stomping Ground, Amey & Joe, Jackie Clarke, the Orphanage, Ruggles Outbound, VU regulars - Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye, Andrew Butterworth, Julie Sloane, and the entire audience of Variety Underground
ORDER: 1 slice of spicy pepperoni

PIZZA REPORT: Uniquely delicious. This pizza had a firm crust, "zesty" toppings, and a brilliant overall appearance. My slice was an excellent example of how Two Boots unites the pizza from Italy (country shaped like a boot) with the Cajun/Creole influence of Lousiana (state shaped like a boot). "Mmym" - that's Cajun for "yum".
MISC.:

• Today was Erik Tanouye's birthday and to commemorate it, HE bought the pizza! I know who I'm going to hang out with every October 9th from now on.
• A camera crew was in the audience of Variety Underground...not for coverage of Pizza Month '03, but instead to record the Variety Underground debut of the Orphanage.
• Eric Appel sat in as the lifeguard in Joe Wengert and Amey Goerlich's much anticipated "Lifeguardprov" debut. It was awesome.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 10: October 10th
LOCATION: Roma Pizza (27th St and 8th Ave, NYC)
GUEST(S): Andrew Butterworth, Tony Carnevale, Andrea Palumbos
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of pepperoni

PIZZA REPORT: Unbad. Both of my slices looked as if they had been made sometime early in the morning. Someone recently tossed a pepperoni or two on one of the slices to "mix things up". Both tasted rather generic, but not so bad. Also, since Roma Pizza is located perfectly in between my office and the long form improv comedy center of NYC, I know I'll be back.
MISC.:

• Andrea found out she "no longer needed to fill out timesheets" at her office anymore since she has been elevated to fulltime staff status. Andrea also gets benefits but she already got those.
• Tony's number one goal is to befriend Terry Jinn in hopes of one day taking part in an ENORMOUS TELEVISION event.
• Andy didn't bring his cellphone to lunch so I let him use mine to check to see if he had any work-related voicemails. He didn't. Whew.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 11: October 11th
LOCATION: The Pizzeria (McDougal St and W. 3rd St, NYC)
GUEST(S): Kevin Hines
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of pepperoni

PIZZA REPORT: Quintessential NY pizza. This had all the looks and taste of typical, non-coal-fired, neopolitan NYC style pizza. The large slice, thin uniform crust, oil puddles, ability to be folded (foldability), well-distributed toppings, and good taste are among these components. The crust had absolutely no taste, however. I'm not sure if that means I'm supposed to put garlic, oregano, red pepper, or pepper on the crust or if they just cooked the taste right out of it. I'll gladly go back and investigate.
MISC.:

• My pizza date in Hartford, CT fell through so it was Kevin Hines to the rescue. I arrived back in NYC at 8pm, called Kevin and told him I had 4 hours to get some pizza. He rallyed, met and ate with me in the Village with an hour and a half to spare. All this after he had eaten at Lombardi's hours before.
• I ran my first marathon today (that is the reason I was in Hartford, CT) Here's a picture from the race:
  

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 12: October 12th
LOCATION: Sac's Pizzeria (29th St and Broadway, QUEENS)
GUEST(S): Kitzi Taylor
ORDER: 2 slices of pepperoni, 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Oh-so-good. Coal-fired pizza in Queens. Except a soft underside in a couple of parts, this pizza was perfect. The cheese is fresh mozzarella, the sauce is plentiful and delicious, and the outter crust was expertly baked. After a coal-fired pizza comes out of the oven it is very flimsy (and hot), but as it cools the parts begin to solidify leaving you the ideal placement of toppings and the ideal consistency of the crust. Sac's does this as good as the other coal-fired big names.
MISC.:

• My mom and I initially sat by the open window but then we realized it was trash night. The odor was overwhelming so we sat closer to the pizza oven. There the odor was delicious!
• Kitzi (my mom) is moving to a small town called Lemmon, South Dakota. It's so small that the street that runs right through town, Main St., actually dead ends.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 13: October 13th
LOCATION: Frankie's Pizzeria (31st St. and Ditmars, QUEENS)
GUEST(S): Kevin Hines, Erik Tanouye
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Decent. This is a very solid piece of pizza especially if you happen to be up really late, hungry, and in Astoria, Queens. The cheese was well distributed on just the right amount of sauce. Also, the crust was firm yet foldable and the spicies (oregano and basil) added to the slice brought out the taste of the cheese and crust. Frankie's knows how to make a good Neopolitan conventional oven pizza.
MISC.:

• Kevin Hines makes up his mind on whether or not to drink another beer based on what happened to the Red Sox last time he decided to drink a beer.
• Erik has a polaroid camera and an artistic mind. If you don't believe me, check out these photos he took...
  
  
• I had a two minute long deja-vu (my longest ever) included within it was me saying "Wow! deja-vu". A multi-layered deja-vu...weird.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 14: October 14th
LOCATION: New York Pizza Factory (30 Water St. at Whitehall St., NYC)
GUEST(S): Danielle Zeghbib
ORDER: 1 slice of fresh mozzarella, 1 square of Sicilian

PIZZA REPORT: Factory-like. The NY Pizza Factory is probably named for its ability to churn out a lot of brick oven pizza in a short amount ot time. Of course, quality is sacrificed in the interest of quantity. This is not to say the pizza was bad, it just had room for improvement. Of the two slices, I preferred the fresh mozzarella. The cheese:sauce ratio was just right - but the sauce, itself, was not. Maybe some spices would have livened up the strong tomato after-taste of the sauce. The crust on both slices was a bit too crispy to eat entirely. This is a common side effect of brick oven pizza. Because the oven burns so hot, the slices must be eaten quickly or the bread will harden. A substantial portion of my Sicilian slice remained uneaten for this reason.
MISC.:

• For the first time I can remember, I did NOT get lost in the business district of Manhattan due to the brilliant directions given to me by Danielle. The directions included the car I should ride in on the train, the exit I should leave towards, and even the staircase I take.
• Danielle's attention to detail came in handy a second time when after I had returned to work, she had emailed me recapping the finer points of our lunchtime discussion including the name of her cat, Zeno and a link to whom he was named after Zeno of Citium.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 15: October 15th
LOCATION: The Pizza Booth (165 Bleecker St., NYC)
GUEST(S): Brian Berrebbi
ORDER: 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of spicy chicken

PIZZA REPORT: Great name for great pizza. The Pizza Booth makes a wide variety of good looking conventional-oven pies. All the toppings were well distributed with just right amount of cheese coverage. I elected to try a slice of the spicy chicken on appearance alone. Chicken on a pizza tends to be overloaded (creating an undercooked, doughy crust) or just haphazardly scattered everywhere (making for an uneven and inconsistent slice). The Pizza Booth must be aware of these fatal flaws because they distributed the already cooked-and-seasoned chicken perfectly. It looked and tasted great. The cheese slice was also very good. One of the secrets to the success of a Pizza Booth slice is the firm crust. It may be whole wheat flour used instead of all-purpose. I say this because the crust was both firm and enriched with much more flavor than typical crust - sort of like whole wheat bread.
MISC.:

• Brian, while working as a stage-hand, once made weapons with Blue Man Group's props and tossed them around the office with his boss.
• I found out why French people hate us. Apparently when one of their musical artists gets well known, we immediately label them "the French Bob Dylan" or "the French Genesis" or even "the French Neil Young of the 80's". If you're curious who these labels apply to, contact Brian. He knows them and even pronounces their names in French.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 16: October 16th
LOCATION: Famous Original Ray's Pizza (195 E. Houston St., NYC) during Variety Underground at Parkside Lounge (317 E. Houston St., NYC).
GUEST(S): Kitzi Roy, Aaron & Tony, I Speak To Robots, Jackie Clarke & Doug Moe, Filth, Sara Schaefer, Shockwave, Tony Carnevale, Andrew Butterworth, Kevin Hines, and the entire audience of Variety Underground
ORDER: 2 slices of cheese (one not pictured)

PIZZA REPORT: Doughy. These slices tasted good and were a good workout for my mouth. I don't know what causes the dough to be so chewy, but some folks prefer it like that. I don't. I do really like the sauce and the cheese distribution. To me that's why Ray's is "famous" and "original". Maybe soon the store will be called "Famous, Original, Chewy Ray's Pizza".
MISC.:

• Kitzi, my mom, arrived to Variety Underground late but not before unintentionally visiting 3 boroughs of NYC on the subway. She was afraid to call me because my phone ringing may have disrupted the show.
• Andrew Butterworth and Kevin Hines both "cowboy[ed] up!" support for the Red Sox, even though neither could explain what the two word battle cry meant.
• If possible, avoid scheduling shows opposite the seventh game of a Red Sox-Yankees American League Championship Series. Lesson learned.
• This guy, Justin Peters, ate an entire pizza while Matt Demblowski sang the song "Runaway Train" by Soul Asylum (pictures attached below).
  
  

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 17: October 17th
LOCATION: Brick Oven Pizza (44th St and 9th Ave., NYC).
GUEST(S): Kirk Damato, Angela DeManti, Erin Foley, Erika Kern
ORDER: 5 slices of an individual cheese pizza, 1 slice of an individual mushroom pizza

PIZZA REPORT: Soft and delicious. This aptly named eating establishment is cozy and tasty. The chef takes your order and prepares the pizza from scratch right in front of you. What the man-behind-the-counter lacks in ordertaking etiquette, he more than makes up for in pizzamaking expertise. With just the right amount of cheese, sauce, and toppings, his creations are consistently delicious. The brick oven results in a soft warm crust that will make you think twice before not-eating it.
MISC.:

• Erika thinks that the guidelines and requirements for becoming a saint are a bit too broad and have resulted in the dubbing of too many saints.
• Kirk is the only person I've ever met that has sold blue prints to a decommissioned EPCOT center rollercoaster ride on ebay.
• Angela gets much better service when she mentions her Sicilian ancestors...despite them having closer ties to the Catholic church than the mafia.
• Erin makes good catfight noises and hopes the state of Maine is eventually recognized for more than just being the home for Stephen King, former President Bush, and numerous lobsters.

[Sean_Taylor]

DAY 18: October 18th
LOCATION: Grimaldi's (19 Old Fulton St and Brooklyn Bridge, BROOKLYN)
GUEST(S): Petra Boden, Millicent Cho, Matt Donnelly, Angela DeManti, Christina Gausas, Kevin Hines, Terry Jinn, Shannon Manning, Erik Tanouye, Sean Taylor and Ben Rodgers (not pictured)
ORDER: 2 slices of pepperoni 1 slice of cheese

PIZZA REPORT: Superior. My slices tasted so good. I did prefer the pepperoni slices but it was a win-win situation. The coal-fired thin crust with imported tomato sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese truly sets a standard of excellence for pizza (basil leaves were also a nice touch too). I enjoyed my pepperoni slices more because the pepperoni is cut by hand and adds a nice spicy touch to the perfect pizza....making it MORE perfect.
MISC.:

• 
• Today commemorated the first anniversary of the Beverage and Pizza Journals from last year's IRC. Terry Jinn, author of the Beverage of the Day was on hand and, true to form, drank a beverage. He also provided these photos of the event...
  
  
  
• Kevin Hines, Shannon Manning, and Millicent Cho matched wits and cinematic knowhow in a grueling battle of "the Netflix game". For rules, please contact Kevin.
• Christina Gausas, Matt Donnelly, and [an unpictured] Ben Rodgers had to bolt soon after dinner in order to see Mother's show at the UCB Theatre but were elated to take part in the anniversary of the crossover of two cyberjournals. I was also elated because this was the first opportunity I had to meet and talk to them.
• Petra Boden, Erik Tanouye, and Angela DeManti had all seen the movie Kill Bill and were somehow able to have a discussion about it without ruining it for me. I plan on seeing it this week.
• Ben Rodgers is not pictured in this journal entry.