Anjali Vora

Veggie Booty

2008-01-11T18:26:00.001-05:00

According to the Robert's American Gourmet's website, they say "Veggie Booty Better Than Ever!!". They are the makers of Pirate's Booty as well as other products.

I tried some today, and it might be better but it's still not great. I think it needs more salt.

Of course, I am guilty of comparing it to Pirate's Booty which is sooo good! I can eat a whole bag all by myself.

Consider all of you warned, I don't really recommend Veggie Booty as a good snack. It's pretty bland.

Australia Pictures

2007-12-26T17:54:00.001-05:00

Click on the photo to view photos of my vacation in Australia.

Originally uploaded by vora828

Five Year Olds - Fight?

2007-12-25T09:23:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of the holidays, I provide you with this link:

10

Bison License Plate!

2007-04-03T18:30:00.000-04:00

The best license plate ever!

I'm assuming the owner of this license plate is a Bucknell Bison fan.

2006-12-27T13:08:00.000-05:00

I joined Netflix!

Be my friend.

2006-12-19T16:24:00.000-05:00

Testing my feed...

2006-09-10T20:22:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I went to Ocean City, Maryland. I had a good time. One interesting thing though, on the drive there I saw a Harvest Moon. I had never seen the moon like that. At first, I thought it was just a big neon sign in Ocean City, but as I looked at it closer, I saw the Man in the Moon, which amazingly was the first time I had ever seen it. The moon was so unbelievable and beautful and unfortunately, I did not have my camera so I did not take a picture of it. If you had to imagine it, think of a huge orange ball in the sky that was pretty close to the horizon.

I started watching some college football and I'm finding it to be really boring. Possibly because I really have no interest in any of the teams that are on tv. Even when I went to Bucknell football games, I would lose interst in the game. I think I will treat college football how I treat television shows. I will give it a few more weeks to decide if I like it or not. So, we'll see.

I just saw Akeelah and the Bee and Glory Road. I enjoyed both movies especially Akeelah and the Bee. Glory Road was about the first all African American team that started at the NCAA Tournament. I've definitely been missing collge basketball, so this helped me forget that it's not college basketball season yet.

Apparently I'm not the only one who likes to look for creative license plates. The The National Portrait Gallery collected a bunch of plates and hung them up like so:

Stupid License Plates - Mini Cooper Edition
SHRUNK
SMALLCAR

2006-08-16T20:47:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, I went to a Mystics game at the Phone Booth, aka The Verizon Center. I had my checkbook with me, which is rare to say the least, but nonetheless, I was making certain that I wouldn't lose it. This turned out to be a very hard task, I was trying to keep track of my iPod, cellphone, keys, wallet and my checkbook. Well, as you could imagine, I lost my checkbook at the Phone Booth.

I didn't even realize this when I got home. Blissfully unaware, I go on with my life. I was on vacation this past weekend at the beach and when I got home in the mail was an envelope from the Phone Booth. I was wondering what it was since I hadn't bought any tickets recently. I open it up and there was my checkbook! I couldn't believe it, one that I had lost it and didnd't realize it and two, there was someone or multiple people nice enough to send it back to me.

I believe I've used all my good luck for the year.

Stupid License Plates
AALOHA
2BLNT4U

2006-07-29T16:02:00.000-04:00

Last weekend I visited Chicago, IL with some good friends. The weather was perfect, except whenever we went out to eat dinner, then it would rain. As we were walking around Chicago, I realized how big of a city it is and how small Washington, DC is. Washington, DC is a real city but feels very small compared to both Chicago and NYC. I appreciate that all three cities have a variety of things to do, but sometimes I wished I lived in a bigger city. But, then I realize how much I love DC and all it has to offer.

You can not go to Chicago and not eat. I felt like we never stopped eating. Ironically, the food I liked the most was at a place we didn't plan on eating at. It was Friday night and we were hanging out at a bar during Happy Hour. Earlier in the day we had stuffed pizza, so I wasn't hungry to eat anything at the bar. After Happy Hour we went to Silvie's to watch a friends band play. When we got there, we found out that they wouldn't be going on for another 45 minutes. So we decided to find some food. It was around 11pm and most of the places were closed. We found this one bar and luckily the kitchen was closing at midnight. We sat down and ordered, stuffed pretzels, this great cheese dip and something else. The food was amazing and was arrived quickly. We were able to eat and get back to watch our friend play.

Another interesting thing we at is Pizza Pot Pie. It's pizza like a pot pie. It was very good.

Adam put up some great pictures from our trip, click here to see them.

People in chicago also like vanity license plates. Unfortunately, I only remember one.

Stupid License Plate - Chicago Edition
PNUTMNM

2006-07-17T12:08:00.000-04:00

My parents are currently on a cruise to Alaska. My dad called me and we were talking about their trip. We were discussing the glaciers and then out of nowhere my dad asked me "Do you know what Himbo's are?"

Shocked, I responded they are the male equivalent of bimbos. My dad then went on to say that he thought the word was quite funny and cute. We then went back to discussing the glaciers.

Welcome to my family!

This past weekend I drove up to NYC for a family function. I thought this would be a great opportunity to see many stupid license plates. Alas, I was wrong. The folks in New Jersey and New York do not have as many stupid license plates as the folks in DC/MD/VA (especially Virginia). Here are a bunch that I saw.

Stupid License Plates
RDY2ROLL
BOOKPR
LUX CAR (on a lexus)
BMMEOWW
ILVRTN

and here is a billboard I saw:

SAVEROBBINSVILLE.COM

I saw the billboard in Robbinsville, it looked like a nice town, not sure why they needed to be saved though.

2006-07-07T09:54:00.000-04:00

WMATA - how much I wish to love you. You served me real well during the major rain storms that hit the DC area. I was actually thinking, I can commute using public transportation every day, this isn't too bad.

But, something had to go wrong. My SmarTrip card broke. Unbelievable, I know! Let me set up the scene for you. I get to the gate and wave my SmarTrip card and nothing happens. I try bending the card a little to get it to register, no avail. I then get the attention of the Station Manager. I let him know that my SmarTrip card is not working. He takes the card and tries it out in his booth and returns to me and lets me know it's not working. (At this time, I'm thinking "No Sh*t, Sherlock). He then told me that I had to mail it in to get a replacement card. I nodded my head. The Station Manager then asks me if I wanted the form? (In my head, "Well, duh? How else was I going to send the card in).

I then remembered reading somewhere, you can take broken SmarTrip cards to Metro Center and they can replace it. I asked the Station Manager if that was true. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "You can try".

I take the form from the Station Manager and eventually get through the gates. The next day I am looking at the form, the whole top part needs to be filled out by the Station Manager. At that point, I just had to shake my head at WMATA's ineffectiveness. Anyway, I filled out the form and mailed in my broken card. Let's see how long it takes to receive a new one. I'm not holding my breath.

Why is it so hard for all the employees that work for WMATA to learn how to handle various problems? Or at least know something about their jobs? My SmarTrip card not working is not an unusual problem.

WMATA - you won. I broke down last night and bought another card.

I wasn't going to post about this but I was really annoyed this morning when I saw my bus arrive at the bus station 3 minutes earlier than it should have. Needless to say, I missed the bus. Don't worry, I won't rant about the bus, there are plenty of folks doing that already.

Stupid License Plate Watch
LES'S LEX
JIM BMW
(I don't understand the need for people putting their names on License Plates)

HIM8NCE
4PETESK
4MY40TH
DSNYWLD (minivan with multiple mickey stickers)

2006-06-01T13:22:00.000-04:00

This morning at my favorite intersection, Montgomery Village/North Frederick Avenue, I was waiting in the left turn lane to turn onto MD-355 North (Frederick Avenue). The wait seemed to take forever, as usual. The light turned green and people started turning, as I made my way to the front, I thought to myself, I can make this light and not have to wait another cycle.

Unfortunately for me, 2 cars in front of me made a u-turn which significantly slows down everyone else. At this point, the light was yellow and if the car did not make the u-turn, I would've been able to make the left turn. Subsequently, the car in front me made the left and the light turned red, so I slammed on brake. This left my car in the crosswalk but out of the intersection.

Normally this wouldn't be a problem because very few people use the crosswalk. But, today someone used the crosswalk. As this person started crossing the street, I looked at him to see if I recognized him. Once he got in front my car, he gave me the finger, presumambly because I was blocking the crosswalk. What irritated me was not the fact that he gave me the finger but more because he refused to look at me. What kind of man just gives someone the finger and not look? Every other time I've been given the finger the person has been looking at me.

What makes this even better is that after I parked at my work parking lot and started walking to the front door, I saw the guy who gave me the finger walking in the building. At this point I had so many scenarios going to through my head if I ever were to confront him. For example:

1. I would get everyone in my team to walk by his office and give him the finger without looking at him.

2. I would introduce myself to him because I could never curse out someone face-to-face without knowing their name. After the introductions were made, I would say something like this, "Listen you little F*cker, next time you decide to flip me off at least have to nerve to look at me"

3. I would introduce myself and then politely ask why he decided to give me the finger. If it was because I was in the walkway, I would explain to him the above situation. If it were some other reason, I would just say he is a "stupid f*cker"

Stupid License Plate Watch (College Edition)
96HOYA
UOFPENN

2006-05-22T14:50:00.000-04:00

Many of my coworkers thought I was crazy to move into DC. They thought my commute would be horrible. For the most part, my commute is pretty easy. I make my way to River Road and then take I-495 to I-270 North. Getting to I-270 from my place takes about 20 minutes. I take Exit 11B off of I-270 and to get to the exit takes about 10 minutes.

From this point on, my commute is annoying...ridiculously annoying. When I take the exit, I can see the building I work in. There are 3 traffic lights between the exit and the parking lot at work. I hate these traffic lights with a penchant. If I have to wait for each one, it could take me 10 minutes to go a half a mile.

To give you and idea what I'm talking about, click here.

The first balloon is right at the end of the exit ramp to get onto Montgomery Village Avenue. This is the first annoying traffic light. Typically, I usually sit here for about 2 minutes. I usually do not have to sit at this light more than one cycle.

When the first traffic light turns green, I drive to get into the inner most left turn lane. This left turn lane is for drivers wanted to make a left turn onto Frederick Avenue (MD-355). Now, this is the 2nd traffic light, by far the worst traffic light of the three. It's not unusual for me to sit here for two cycles if not three cycles. What makes this traffic light so annoying is that it's a 4-way traffic light including left turns. So, there is a lot of waiting. What irritates me the most, is when people make a U-Turn which holds up traffic and causes me to miss my left turn. To all drivers out there: STOP making that U-Turn especially during rush hour.

Finally, when I make the left turn onto Frederick Avenue, I wait at the 3rd traffic light to get into my work parking lot. You would think that this light would be green right after I made my left turn, but no, I must wait at the red light for at least 2 minutes. I have never waited more than one cycle at this light.

Overall, this takes about 10 minutes...which breaks down to about 20% of my commute. To all my coworkers, even if I did live near work, those lights would still make up a good fraction of my commute.

2006-05-12T12:24:00.001-04:00

I just saw the best license plate to date.

495SUKS

I understand that only those that live in the MD-DC-VA areas truly understand this license plate, none the less, it is still great.

To the person who came up with this particular vanity license plate, I tip my hat to you.

2006-05-09T12:36:00.000-04:00

If anyone out there is following my website, they may have noticed that I've been keeping an eye out for Stupid License Plates. Apparently, I'm not the only one doing this. The Washington Post had a whole article about vanity license plates. Virginia, which is about 15 minutes away from me, has the most amount of people with vanity license plates. This is partly due to how cheap it is and that Virginians can't stand to be anonymous. Virginians, not suprisingly, feel they must make a statement at all times.

Honestly, I don't understand the penchant for vanity plates. Most of them are quite dumb. The few creative ones out there, and I do mean few, are a nice surprise. Although, I'm glad people feel compelled to get one, otherwise I would have nothing to talk about!

Stupid License Plate Watch
Y - I actually like this one, considering I ask "why" all the time.
VDEOLNK
FGODB4M

2006-04-20T19:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, I went to Science Club right near Dupont Circle. I went with a friend of mine from Bucknell. I was running a little late, but luckily I heard the bus when I was walking up to the bus stop, so I started running. The bus driver saw me and stopped, so I was able to board the bus. I wish I caught the bus driver's name because I definitely know some people would drive right on by after seeing you running.

I got off and walked really quickly to the bar. By the time I got there, I was really thirsty. Great thing about Science Club is their great Happy Hour Specials. I ordered a Yeungling which was $3! And it was so refreshing!

We were able to get a table inside, even though I would've love to eat outside since the weather was awesome, but there were no tables available. We decided to have some food after looking at the menu. We split the Platter of Lebanese Style Hummus, Babaganoush and Grilled Goat Cheese w/ Potato in Basil Sauce. Both were amazing, I really enjoyed the potatoes with Goat Cheese. The food also came with warm pitas. The plates were the perfect size for the two of us to share.

Science Club is most definitely a bar with a restaurant quality menu, definitely not a typical bar menu. One thing I wish they had were larger tables upstairs. But there space is pretty narrow. I didn't get a chance to check out their back room, so there are probably bigger tables there. They have a downstairs as well with a full size bar. The locations is great, few doors down from Rumors. Easy to get to via metro, either Dupont stop or Farragut North stop.

I definitely recommend the Science Club and encourage everyone to try it out.

Stupid License Plate Watch
AAH JAY

2006-04-15T13:32:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday, I went to the Mets/Nationals game at RFK. We were lucky to see Pedro Martinez pitch for the Mets.

Before this particular game, I watched Pedro pitch against the Nationals on TV. This was when he his Jose Guillen twice. I was really astonished how little control he had. I learned from the announcers that Pedro didn't pitch much during spring training, which obviously had a major impact on him.

I really thought the Nationals had a good chance to beat Pedro. Unfortunately, Pedro got a lot better from his last outing. He managed to control the location of his pitches and was able to outsmart the Nationals. What was really amazing was how he was able to get out of a bases loaded situation by getting the Nationals to pop up. The final score 3-1, Mets.

The Nationals really need to look into their outfield situation. There were a lot of fly balls that the center fielder should have caught. I don't know if the whole situation with Alfonso Soriano messed up the team chemistry or whatever goes on in the locker room, but the Nationals are not playing up to their potential.

After the game, predictably there was a huge crowd of people by the metro station. We decided to take the bus, D6 to Dupont, figuring it might be quicker than trying to get on the train. For a little while, it seemed to be the case, but then we got stuck waiting at Dupont for the D2. We did have some entertainement, there were 2 guys, one was obviously very drunk and the other was trying to keep him in check. It was quite depressing to watch. I decided to play with my camera a little to see if I could figure out how to take a picture without the flash. This is the result:

Stupid License Plate Watch
EZDUZIT (an old guy driving an oldsmobile)

2006-04-13T12:26:00.000-04:00

On Tuesday night I saw The Cribs, Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab For Cutie. At first glance, one would think, what an incredible lineup. After seeing the show, I am inclined to agree but I feel the show had some problems.

The Cribs and Franz Ferdinand have a decidedly much more upbeat sound than Death Cab For Cutie. While listening to Franz Ferdinand, you really want to dance around. Constitution Hall isn't really designed for dancing, which was disappointing.

After Franz Ferdinand finished their set, I was all excited. And then the lights dimmed for Death Cab for Cutie and immediately got more excited (if it was even possible). But, they started their set with a slow song, which didn't ruin my mood but I really wish they would've started with a more upbeat song. Credit Death Cab for trying to make it more upbeat, they definitly tried by bringing out a smaller set of drums for lead singer, Ben Gibbard played on. But, after he played the drums, he went back to the slower songs.

Death Cab for Cutie has been touring with Franz Ferdinand for awhile, so I can't believe that seeing the crowd lose energy is much of a shock for them. I feel they can change their set list to start with some of their more upbeat songs and then go into their slower stuff and then end with the upbeat stuff. I feel that would make the show that much better.

It was also curious that folks going to the concert were seeing or only knew about one band. So, folks who knew Franz Ferdinand did not know much of Death Cab For Cutie music and vice versa. It was also curious, that these same folks, found the other bands music to all sound the same. One of my friends who had known Death Cab for Cutie music pretty well remarked after watching Franz Ferdinand, that Franz Ferdinand kept him interested for the first 4-5 songs but then they all started sounding the same. And then my roomate, who knows Franz Ferdinand stuff well thought Death Cab for Cutie sounded the same.

I originally felt the same way after listening to both their albums for the first time. But over time I started to notice differences between songs and started appreciating both bands equally.

In the end, I feel both Franz Ferdinand and Death Cab for Cutie should be headliners for their own shows and not tour together. It just does not work. Where Franz Ferdinand makes you upbeat and happy, Death Cab for Cutie tugs at your heart and makes you feel very emotional.

Stupid License Plate Watch
HAHVAD
ILVBMW (this plate was on a BMW, i don't know if this makes it better or worse)

2006-04-02T21:14:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was quite the weekend. Besides going to the DC Regional Games at the Verizon Center (The Phone Book) and trying out a new Indian restaurant, Rasika, I saw the baby panda at the zoo. Yes, that's right, I saw Tai Shan or Butterstick, whichever name you like. I even took some pictures.

I have to say, the panda is pretty cute even though I was definitely tired of hearing about it. We also got to see one of Tai Shan's parents. This panda was happily chewing on some food. It was quite fun to watch.

Stupid License Plate Watch
MAKARENA

2006-03-29T09:41:00.000-05:00

On Saturday, I went to Rasika with a few friends of mine. It's a relatively new Indian restaurant near the Verizon Center. I had read about this restaurant in the Washington Post as well as on DC Foodies. I was intrigued by what I read and decided it was worth a try. You have to remember, that I live 5 minutes away from the best Indian restuarant in DC, Heritage India. So, it has to be pretty special for me to go to another Indian restuarant.

When you first walk into Rasika, you are impressed by it's decor and atmosphere. I had made reservations, so we were seated pretty quickly. One funny thing happened here, I started looking at the menu right away and forgot to put my napkin on my lap. Our waiter then took my napkin and placed it on my lap. I had never had that happen before, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

The menu was interesting. They had a whole section for chaat which is typically under the appetizers section. They also had Ragda Patties as an appetizer which I have never seen before. My mom used to make these for me all the time. They are spicy potato patties which are delicious.

They had familiar favorites for entrees, including my favorite, Palak Makai, spinach with corn. This is my favorite dish at Heritage India. At Rasika they use baby corn, whereas at Heritage they use regular corn. I have to say, I prefer Heritages Palak Makai because there is more flavor and it's a bit more spicy than Rasika's. Though, at Rasika, I failed to tell the waiter that I would like it a little bit spicy.

Riki order her favorite dish, Paneer Makhani. She thought it was fabolous, as good as Heritage India which is still her favorite. The rest of us tried the dish and thought the sauce was amazing. The Paneer (cheese) was all right, but the sauce really made the dish.

The boys had a lamb dish which they both thought was good, but doesn't make them want to come back and have it again.

Overall, Rasika is a good restaurant with a great atmosphere and good food. If you don't live near Heritage India on Wisconsin, I would recommend you to try it out.

Stupid License Plate Watch
BALDEGL

2006-03-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

Some of you must have thought I was insane after posting my last post about lacrosse. Never fear, I still love college basketball. How could you not after watching George Mason beat UCONN in OT.

I was at the Verizon Center (The Phonebook) watching regional basketball action. The first day, there were two games, Wichita State vs George Mason and University of Washington vs UCONN. The first game, George Mason got off to a nice 9 point lead by making their first 3 three pointers. From that point on, Wichita State had no chance. From the very beginning with the very Pro-George Mason crowd, Wichita State had no chance.

The next game was awful. University of Washington and UCONN could not hold on to the ball. Lots of stupid turnovers and lots of stupid fouls. If I were to introduce people to joy of college basketball, I would not show them this game. I'm just glad it's over.

Finally, the regional championship game, George Mason vs UCONN. I will spare everyone the details about david vs goliath. On paper, this looks like an easy win for UCONN. The beginning of the game, UCONN took a quick lead. It seemed like they could not miss a shot. This was the UCONN I was used to seeing during the regular season. George Mason though, would not quit. They stuck to their game and executed it perfectly. Though, at halftime they were down by 9 points. I was a little discoraged, but I told my friends, 9 points is not a lot.

Second half starts and you could feel the difference with the George Mason players. Remarkably, they seemed to be playing looser than the first half. Little by little they narrowed the score, eventually taking the lead. The first time they took the lead, the lost it seconds later. About 5 minutes later, they took the lead again and held onto it for a little while. Both UCONN and George Mason exchanged baskets before the thrilling end of the second half. Of course, UCONN had to tie the game with .2 seconds left on the clock. At this point, I was in shock that George Mason was able to compete with UCONN.

OT was a perfect ending for George Mason. They got control early and beat UCONN. The atmosphere in the Verizon Center was amazing. I've never seen it so loud and so happy. Everyone was insane. I kept saying this was unbelievable.

I can't wait for the Final Four to start.

Stupid License Plate Watch:

IDONTWAIT

2006-03-15T10:08:00.000-05:00

Forget aboout college basketball...college lacrosse is way more exciting. Last night I saw the Bucknell men's lacrosse team defeat the #1 University of Maryland men's lacrosse team. The game was super exciting. Evidence by the score:

While driving to the game, I was thinking I really hope Maryland doesn't embarass us. I figured Maryland being the #1 team in the country would be really good. I thought that they would dominate the face offs and rush to a quick lead. What ended up happening is that I saw a very sluggish Maryland team. The first three quarters they made a variety of mistakes, unable to catch the ball or even pick up the ball from the ground. This allowed Bucknell to score a few times on Maryland turnovers.

Actually, the first 3 quarters the Maryland team looked sluggish. From the very beginning of the fourth quarter it looked like the team woke up. The score at the beginning of the fourth quarter was 6-3, Bucknell. Maryland was able to score 3 quick goals to tie up the game. The game then went into OT. Maryland was still very hot and won the face off. It looked like they were going to win and in fact had two great shots on goal, but the Bucknell goalie was able to stop them. Bucknell had the ball at the end of the first overtime and tried to score the last goal with time running out. They ended up getting a pretty good shot but unfortunately it didn't go in.

Onto the second overtime period. Things were different, Bucknell won the faceoff but unfortunately couldn't score. Maryland had the ball but then they turned it over. Bucknell took control and worked the clock. With ten seconds to go, they went in to score and they did! Game over! Bucknell won! It was amazing.

Watch out college basketball...lacrosse may become my new favorite sport.

This is by far the biggest win in Bucknell's men's lacrosse history. I am pretty sure we had never beaten a number one team before.

2006-03-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

Big game Friday, March 10th.

Patriot League Championship

Holy Cross vs Bucknell

I'll be watching it at Hawk and Dove near Capitol Hill. I'm going to try and get there around 4.

Hope to see everyone there.

GO BISON!

2006-02-28T09:38:00.000-05:00

My latest obsession besides foosball is finding all the dumb/funny vanity license plates out there. Luckily, this has been a lot easier for me, since my commute is now 30 minutes instead of 10 minutes. So far my favorites are:

LEXTASCY (this was on a lexus)
UQT PIE
TYPAMOM (this was on a minivan)

I'm sure I will see some more. Feel free to leave comments on stupid license plates you have seen.

Also, check out this article on license plates people have tried to get but failed. For example, DC officials refused to issue the tag "GO POSTAL". There are some scary folks out there.

2006-02-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

So, a little while back Adam R. hosted a Foosball tournament. It was a very enjoyable evening of playing foosball. Adam G. and myself were partners. We did pretty well, managed to get the 2nd place prize. Jonathan and Parag were the champions of the Foosball Tournament.

There were definitely some excrutiating close games, one of which Adam G. and I were involved in. It was the semi-final round, Adam G. & I versus Adam R. and Daniela. Shots were being exchanged back and forth, trash talking all over the place and a ton of spectators. I think it eventually got to 9-9. First team to 10, wins. Somehow or another, Adam G. and I scored the last point to end up winning. Here is a picture of Adam R. and Daniela reacting to the last shot.

We went on to play Parag & Jonathan in the final match. Unfortunately, they were the winners:

But, Adam G. and I did not go home empty handed. We won the great book "No More Baby's Mama Drama".

More pictures are available here.