If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawn-mower

I have defeated the bathroom

2008-06-08T21:29:00.000-04:00

So maybe it took 3 months... or more... and maybe I'm not actually
done considering that there are no operable plumbing fixtures in the
room... but I have taken on this bathroom - and I have one.

Bye-bye paper!

2008-04-15T22:12:00.002-04:00

Finally - NeatReceipts is being released for Mac. $20 discount for pre-ordering before April 30... ships on May 1. They're not claiming feature parity from day one... but there will be a free upgrade to a more powerful version in 2009. And... it does import PDFs. Check it out.

The rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated...

2008-04-13T16:57:00.002-04:00

I'm working on starting up the old blog again - but in the mean time check out Mary and my blog about our coming baby... stay tuned.

Grab your v-day cards...

2006-01-31T20:35:00.000-05:00

I saw this link tonight on TV squad... just too funny. Get your cards now for valentine's day in two weeks.

Finally, the perfect cards.

Happy New Year; Happy New Dog!

2006-01-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year; Happy New Dog!
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Happy New Year!

-Ryan, Mary and Franklin (see above)

And then it rained.

2005-10-12T16:10:00.000-04:00

And then it rained.
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

I got out early because of flooding in Hackensack... and none too early because Essex street was barely passible. Thank you 4matic!

This is the river/street in front of our house. Start collecting two of every animal...

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

18th Carnival

2005-09-18T09:00:00.000-04:00

Once again it's been a week without any activity on my blog... yet the rest of New Jersey somehow manages to keep on going without me... simply amazing. Check out Carnival #18... this week it's so big, it needs to be split into 3 parts!

Number 17

2005-09-11T17:11:00.000-04:00

Carnival number 17 is up and kicking over at The Nightlfy. Check it out...

I may have taken a break from blogging... but the rest of NJ sure hasn't.

Shifting focus

2005-09-02T17:21:00.000-04:00

I started a new job yesterday... so I'll be switching gears here at the old blog. I ~~will be writing less and less~~ won't be writing about politics or the law for awhile.

The new focus will point more towards my obsession with gadgets and technology... and some items of general and local interest.

First on tap... a review of DaimlerChrysler's excellent iPod integration kit - available for most MY 2006 MercedesBenz and a select few of the 2005s. I may even have it finished tonight if Mary is much later in getting home tonight...

Two new albums...

2005-08-30T21:34:00.000-04:00

I just loaded up my iPod with two great new albums... one by Ben Folds and Late Registration by Kanye West... good stuff.

NJ Carnival of the Bloggers #15

2005-08-28T00:01:00.001-04:00

Carnival Number 15!

Welcome to the 15th weekly Carnival of the NJ Bloggers. We are baseball. We are peaches and tomatoes. We are beaches and concerts. We are politics and news. We are New Jersey blogging.

Being the who's-who and the what's-what of New Jersey blogging is all well and good... but this week, I thought I'd try to give us all a more visual picture of where we're writing from and what we're writing about. Using the newly released Google maps API I've tried to build on last week's innovative use of satellite imagery.

Please note that all locations are approximate or even in some cases complete guesses, based on either the subject of the post or the "location" of the blog itself. We're talking about towns and counties, not streets... so if you zoom in all the way on any one post you're not going to see anything that has the least bit to do with the entry... just enjoy the big picture.

I hope I got everybody... I sure did try. You'll have to do some zooming in Hudson and Essex counties to see all the posts... but nothing from Warren county, yet.

Click here to open Carnival Map!

Thanks everyone for blogging this week. I'm sorry that I couldn't post the map directly in my blog... Google just didn't want to cooperate. Also... if the map isn't loading in your browser, please let me know in the comments and I'll post the text-only version in the morning. I'll post a tutorial this week on how I did this... once I figure things out, it wasn't so hard (maybe somebody smarter than me can figure out how to mash up google maps and our RSS feeds to do this in real time...)

Carnival 15

2005-08-24T08:54:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone! I'll be hosting the 15th NJ Carnival of the Bloggers... so please fire up your email client and send your submission.

I'd also like to ask that this week you send along either the town that you'd like your blog associated with - or the town that is the subject of the post. Being a huge nerd, I've got to try something slightly different this week...

Carnival 14 is up...

2005-08-21T17:49:00.000-04:00

#14 in the NJ Blog Carnival series is up, courtesy of Sloppydawg. Great job this week... and I really love the use of the maps.

Hopefully I can top it next week when I get to host the carnival...

annoying advertising

2005-08-19T10:24:00.000-04:00

I read PoliticsNJ pretty much every day, even though it sometimes has some of the most annoying advertisements on the planet.

First there's a banner ad for Commerce Bank that for some unknown reason uses Java (and keeps the page from loading as fast as normal websites) despite being just a plain old still photo... but much worse are those full page splash ads that we've been bombarded with this week.

Aside from being a barrier between me and the content I want to read, is PoliticsNJ really the place for these ads? Is there anyone who reads PoliticsNJ who is going to be influenced by the back and forth splash-page ads arms-race? If you're already reading PoliticsNJ... you've probably already got a pretty solid opinion on these issues anyway... right?

Gas up and win!

2005-08-18T13:55:00.000-04:00

Gas up and win!
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Now I can't say that a state regulation (or a condition on a state contract, I don't know which) never saved me a little money. It seems that whoenever runs the Parkway reststops is restricted from changing the gas prices... untill tomorrow that is. Gas it while it's hot! The unheard of price of $2.38 for regular is going fast!

--
Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

UPDATE: I got my first comment spam today... I guess I've hit the big time!

Gold Digger

2005-08-17T09:17:00.000-04:00

You can't buy the album yet... but you can listen to Kanye West's new single Gold Digger online. It's a mash up of sorts with the Ray Charles song "I Got a Woman." Good stuff.

I first heard the song on Hot 97 a few weeks ago... then again every day this week. Apparently they just play the same songs at the same time every morning. I guess I'm hooked... payola works.

Moving to the country?

2005-08-16T12:09:00.000-04:00

Tris McCall is moving out of Jersey City?

According to The Sold Coast... he might be.

All I have to say is... the grass really is greener west of the Parkway... but maybe not greener than that toxic mold he's brewing up on Grand Street. That's what we like to call... uh... not good.

In other news... The Evening Journal Association, parent company of the Jersey Journal is up 2 3/8 in late morning trading on the news that its biggest competitor... the Jersey City Journal might be closing up shop.

Another Sunday, another Carnival!

2005-08-14T16:58:00.000-04:00

Check out the weekly blog-fest here! Get it while it's hot (outside).

What is 'dip it'?

2005-08-11T17:44:00.000-04:00

What is 'dip it'?
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Can somebody tell me what the heck "dip it" is, and why a whole isle at the A & P is devoted to it? In other news, we're finally moved in and should be back to full out blogging soon!

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

12th Weekly NJ Carnival of the Bloggers

2005-08-07T16:41:00.000-04:00

The Center of NJ Life hosts this week's carnival and does quite a nice job, I might add.

Blogging the Phillies

2005-08-05T21:20:00.000-04:00

Blogging the Phillies
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

Enjoy the view from section 111... right now it's 1-1, bottom of the 8th, Phillies and the Brew crew... More to come.

UPDATE: If you follow the Phillies, even without knowing the score you probably saw this one coming. Well pitched game lost in the end by blundering numbskullery. 3-1 Brewers in 10. Winning runs score on two errors in the same play.
-- Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Digging out

2005-08-01T22:36:00.000-04:00

Digging out
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

So Mary and I have moved to (Upper?) Montclair. We are currently burried under a pile of boxes, but we're starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. However, if we have to drive to Homedepot, Ikea or The Container Store one more time, I swear it'll be the last trip I make (is there any time of day that rt. 17 isn't completely awefull?)

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

We're done folks

2005-07-28T21:29:00.000-04:00

The bar exams are history, thanks for the kind words and well-wishes. After I move this weekend (I'll be sad to leave Jersey City) I'll get back to blogging...

1 down, two to go

2005-07-26T20:42:00.000-04:00

1 down, two to go
Originally uploaded by pdcryan.

We just finished the NY essay day of our NJ/NY bar exam world tour. As an added treat to spending 3 days in Albany, they're making us keep these paper wristbands on untill tomorrow (won't that be a fun shower tomorrow morning). After the MBE I can rip this stupid thing off and race back to NJ. You know, with the word "bar" playing such an important role this week, and the wristbands... you'd probably think to yourself... free drinks. You'd be wrong, of course.

--

Sent from Ryan's Treo650 mobile device.

Carnival number 10

2005-07-24T15:14:00.000-04:00

The Bad Hair Blog hosts this weeks NJ Carnival of the Bloggers. If I weren't taking the bar exam Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week, I'd tell you which posts I really liked... but blogging takes a back seat to my BarBri books...