Aviously

Person Of Interest

@iAmAviG

December 18, 2014

I’ve been watching Person of Interest since the Pilot episode, and it is quite possibly the most complex/”Big Picture” show on television these days.

No other story line that I have seen, or heard about, has created such a complex world, where we know so much and so little about what is going on, yet is still entertaining on a weekly basis that you want to keep tuning in.

Unfortunately the few friends that I had who watched it in the beginning has fallen away, as most of them stopped watching…

Now I can’t write too much about the show, lest Control comes after me as well, but The Machine has been building up our views of it (and un-building, packing, moving, and rebuilding (inside show joke for the long time watchers)). But the views of the show has been slightly low in the ratings this year, but with a Netflix contract that starts late next year, will that be enough for a Season 5 to be picked up?

I certainly hope so!

Any other POI viewers out there to discuss the latest developments?

Happy 1st Day Of Hanukkah – #AvisTravels Free Giveaway?

@iAmAviG

3 comments

December 17, 2014

Tis the 1st of 8 days of Chanukah. And what better time to give out gifts then during the time when people assume we are given 8 days of presents (thanks Adam Sandler for setting the ridiculous standard everyone thinks we keep).

As such, I want to run a promotion, with a giveaway like free Yankees or Mets tickets or even an iPod Shuffle.

But in the past, when I’ve given away free things I’ve had all of one or two entries, which isn’t enough to run a giveaway.

So I’m asking you, those who would actually win the item, what would you like to win?
What would encourage you to enter?

If not, it’s a lot easier for me 🙂

Ideas For 2014 In Review

@iAmAviG

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December 12, 2014

I don’t know what my readership is like anymore, as I rarely look at the statistics, because quite frankly I don’t want to know.

But as the year winds down I plan on having a few end-of-year related posts.

This will include “celebs who’ve passed this year”, my personal “Top 10 Songs of the Year” (which will be tied to my #SongOfTheDay’s), and most likely a “Year In News” of some sort.

If anyone has any other reviews they’d like to see or suggest ideas for, as usual, feel free to comment on here, email me, or tweet me.

Suggestions and feedback is always welcome!

Inside Out – A Pixar Masterpiece?

@iAmAviG

3 comments

December 11, 2014

Next summer Pixar is coming out with Inside Out which is starting to look like an amazing movie. Check out the trailers (Trailer 2 first…because Trailer 1 has almost no information. and the second one is just leaving us with much to look forward to).

Breadsmith Opens In Brooklyn – Review

@iAmAviG

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December 10, 2014

A few months ago I wrote about the upcoming opening of Breadsmith in Brooklyn.

Well, yesterday was the day of their Grand Opening, and I swung by in the afternoon to give the place a look and see if they lived up to my extremely high expectations (thank you South Bend Breadsmith for setting them that high).

Here is a review of some of the products I bought, as well as their “price list/daily specials”.

BREAD/ROLLS

With most of their bread products, they sell a “loaf” and “roll” versions, which will let you taste them for a lot cheaper without investing in an expensive loaf of something you are uncertain of.

Country White – This bread had a “sweet” taste to it. Because of this it is probably best used for French Toast. And it also toasts well (an even brown, while others (due to denseness) don’t toast as well). — 2.5 out of 5

Italian – This bread is very airy (see “French” below) and is a really good sandwich bread (hello Peanut Butter sandwiches for breakfast). It has a slight salty tinge to it, which adds nicely to the taste. — 3.5 out of 5

French – This bread uses a very similar recipe as Italian but is much denser. The denseness is a lot nicer (and tastier) in the roll form. — 3.5 out of 5

COOKIES

As you can see from the list at the bottom, they have a wide range of pastries, but I chose to stick to cookies for yesterday.

Sugar Cookie – The ones that I got seemed to be under-baked. I can only hope that was a mistake, and not the way they are supposed to be, as it didn’t taste good because of that. — 2 out of 5

Chocolate Sugar Cookie – By far the best thing I ate from Breadsmith, and probably the best thing I’ve eaten this week. If the regular version tastes like this when baked properly, they’ve got a good thing going. The right amount of chocolate in the cookie made for a great taste, mixed with the sugar-sweetness, and it was an amazing combination. — 4.75 out of 5

Overall

Overall they the store looked really nice, their products looked really good as well.
I personally stayed away from the really fancy stuff for Day 1, wanting to try out their base (and daily) products first, figuring that if you can’t do your staples well, you probably won’t make it.
Be sure to pick up a BREAD CARD while you are there, as every 12 loaves you buy, you get one free.
While their Challahs are fairly expensive, and I know we won’t be getting (since all of us wouldn’t eat from it), but families who need a few challahs, that buy 12 get 1 will work out nicely for them.
OVERALL – 3.5 out of 5 for their Opening Rating.

Daily Breads, Sweets & Specialties, and Monday/Tuesday specials.

Specials for Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Sunday (Friday top right, not labeled).

Travel Poll – Traffic or Time On Road?

@iAmAviG

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December 9, 2014

As I drive the city this time of year, I am often faced with loads of traffic.

Because of this, I sometimes go around the traffic, adding miles onto my trip, to try and get from Point A–>Point B faster.

While most of the time it ends up taking the same amount of time as if I had sat in traffic (based off of days when I did sit through it all), I wonder if it is worth it.

Personally, I’d rather be moving, even on a longer route, because I don’t like sitting still in traffic.

Because I’ve had such great luck with polls in the past, I figured I’d do one here as well.

Giving The News You Trust – And Why You Should Trust It

@iAmAviG

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December 8, 2014

Over the years I’ve been reporting news stories on my Twitter and Facebook feeds, and I would say that most people take me to be a reliable source.

While I don’t gather my news from any one place, I always try to make sure that it has some substance to it before I post it, or else it would be posted as a “Report” or something similar.

Often times people will comment on my posts with “Where did you see this?” or “Source?”, and I’ll generally respond “I am the source.”
Because let’s be honest, if you go to the NY Times or CNN social media pages, do you ask them where they got their stories from? Nope. You just accept it as it is, because of who they are.
Now, I am not saying that I am on any level of major news corporations, but I will say that I have built the loyalty of those who do come to me for news and information.

I have happily had my social media posts quoted in news articles in the past, by places such as the New York Daily News or RT, and I am always happy to do follow-ups to be quoted for an article (thanks Washington Post).

But what always gets me is when people question my news or intentions…let me show you what I mean.
This example is from back in 2012, with the Aurora Shootings:
Let’s just be clear about it…I was on top of my news that day, just like I’ve been every day.

My style hasn’t changed since day 1, and most likely won’t change in the future. And in case you were wondering what Day 1 was, I always try to consider that May 1, 2011…the day that President Obama announced the death of Usama bin Laden, and when I was constantly ahead of news sources the entire night.

Osama rumored to be dead. If this is true, gives proper reason to rejoice!

— Avi Greenberger (@iamavig) May 2, 2011

On the other side of the coin, I have friends who post “Breaking News” all the time, followed by a joke…so when they do post something real, no one would actually believe them.

This isn’t to say that I don’t joke around from time to time, just that I would never portray a joke as actual news…that’s just counter-productive to trusted in the long run.

Mint And Why You Should Create An Account

@iAmAviG

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December 5, 2014

I have had a Mint.com account since earlier this year.

The usage that most people use it for is to manage their budget, and set spending limits on certain things (such as clothes or other things that tend to get out of hand).

There are two features that I primarily use that I would recommend for everyone.

Net Income

I like to be able to look as the month progresses and see how my spending levels out with my income. Some months I come closer to the middle line (such as months when big bills, like auto insurance, is due) and some months I splurge too much (hello Xbox One) or am a great saver (I wish these would come more frequently….hello Amazon ).

Credit Score

They give you a free credit score every few months, without having to file any paperwork or anything. Simply press a button, and together with Equifax (one of the Big 3 credit reporting company) provide the free service.

Mobile App

On a side, and final, note, their mobile app is pretty good as well, giving you a way to keep track of money flow wherever you are.

DJ Earworm

@iAmAviG

2 comments

December 4, 2014

Every December I look forward to DJ Earworm’s annual “United States of Pop” mashup, featuring the top 25 Songs from Billboard for the year.

I’ve been listening to these (and buying them) since they started back in 2007, and he really does a great job.

And it’s not just about making the music work anymore…he’s got the music videos mixed in as well.

For the full list of songs included in this years mix, check out the YouTube page.

PS. Did you hear the 2 seconds of “Let It Go” dropped in?

Depression and Suicide Revisited

@iAmAviG

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December 3, 2014

In the past I have talked about suicide and depression and how it is often unseen in those around you, and you never know who has it.

One of the recent cases that caught national attention was obviously with the late Robin Williams.

On Sunday, police found the five-day-missing body of an Ohio State football player, Kosta Karageorge, who killed himself.

Kosta suffers from concussions. Yup, the injury that all football players seem to get these days after getting hit in the head too much.

Now, I’m sure you can agree with me in saying that this is in no way his fault…but before he went missing, he send a text to his mother in which he “apologized for being an “embarrassment” as a result of the medical condition” (NBCNews).

This guy wasn’t allowed on the field, because of a concussion caused on the field, and felt that he was an embarrassment because of this. And because of that, he led himself to kill himself.

All I am trying to say with this post is that you never know what is going on with the people around you.

You can’t know who is suffering, who is hiding things, and who really needs help.

So before you bully someone, tease someone, annoy someone, think twice about it, and then just don’t do it.

On that note, can we discuss how badly NYC is on focusing on what really matters?

How many ads do we see with people talking through a hole in their throat, and similar ads, but you never see an ad to promote awareness for Depression and how to get help for it in NYC.

The real silent killer in New York isn’t cigarettes, and sometimes it isn’t even carbon monoxide, but it very possibly can be depression.

Wake up NYC!

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