So that's what I get to swim in?

My roommate and I were sitting on the couch one day most likely watching The Bachelorette or some shit, when she brought up that she went to one of my FAVORITE restaurants in the city. You may have heard of it if you leave in the state of New York and/or often visit the lovely (right) city of Syracuse--Dinosaur BBQ. Now, I don't even like BBQ but I would love to make sweet love to that Fried Green Tomato BLT they have on the menu (and then later spoon with some of their deviled eggs). A little background from the website:

In December 2004, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que opened in Harlem, NY. This location has contributed to the pioneering of a unique section of Harlem. Nestled under the grandiose Riverside Dr. bridge, this place possess the same charisma, style, and flavor of its upstate counterparts. Harlem Dinosaur has become a favorite destination for Manhattanites, locals, and everyone in the tri-state area.

What they don't tell you is that the "grandiose Riverside Dr. bridge is a fucking dump. Honestly, if you look at the worst parts of Manhattan, they're always near or underneath a bridge/overpass. But I suppose the ambiance of living under a highway gives the feeling of the biker bar the original in Syracuse possessed, so I go with it.

What the website also doesn't tell you is the restaurant is about 50 yards from the Hudson and about 1 mile up the river from where I will dive in at the beginning of my triathlon.

OK so back to my conversation with my roommate:

Her: Oh, I didn't tell you!
Me: What?
Her: I saw them pull a dead body out of the Hudson near Dinosaur BBQ.
Me: ...
Her: Really!
Me: WHAT?!
Her: Yeah, I was with [name redacted] when there was all this commotion and cop cars and ambulances rushing by us. [Name redacted] thought he saw a diver in the water cause he saw some dude's head behind a boat. Turns out it was some guy's body, not a diver, and I was about 20 ft from the cop as he took a giant hook and attempted to pull him out of the river.

My roommate then went on to describe the rigamortus claw the guy was sporting (she also demonstrated the position on her own hand) and also the grayish hue this guy had become from all that decomposition.

She told me that she attempted to find out who it was only to find out it was some unidentified black man in his late 20's. Yep! Black dude turned fucking gray. And I'm swimming in all his secretions. Thumbs up!

Note: In an attempt to find said dead person, I googled "body found in Hudson". Now I wish I didn't.

Jaysus

Kinda weird to see a path where you walked along completely submerged.

The above three pictures are pics of the University of Iowa's Memorial Union. I ate at those table and chairs many times trying to "study" or just eating Pizza Hut breadsticks dipped with ranch with my friends (all charged to my Pops, of course).

I've seen pictures of floods many many times, but to see probably one of my favorite places in the world (that would be Iowa City) in such a condition is seriously disturbing.

UPDATE: One of my fellow commenters at BHGP (the best Hawkeye sports blog on the web), three and out the KOK story, left this link in my comment section a little bit ago. Cedar Rapids is maybe a 20 minute drive from Iowa City. I used to drive over that bridge on 380 on my way to school every year. I remember very vividly the entire city smells like rancid oats (Quaker Oats headquarters is there). This is all just weird and sad at the same time.

Denied...again.

Dear Megan,
Thank you for applying to the ING New York City Marathon 2008. We're sorry to inform you that you were not selected in the random lottery drawing. Although we wish everyone could be accepted, we have to limit the size of the field to ensure the best experience for each of our runners.

We encourage you to consider running this year's marathon by applying for entry through one of our official charity partners such as Team for Kids or Fred's Team. Visit www.ingnycmarathon.org/about/charities.php to find out how you can take advantage of this opportunity to run while supporting a worthy cause.

For other great racing opportunities, you can join us at NYRR races almost every weekend in New York City. The NYC Half-Marathon Presented by NIKE is coming up on July 27 and if you're not yet entered, you still have the opportunity to fill one of a few remaining spots by running in support of a charity .

For details about other NYRR races, becoming a member, and other valuable programs this upcoming year, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of NYRR, visit www.nyrr.org.

Thank you so much for your interest in the ING New York City Marathon. We invite you to apply next year for the ING New York City Marathon 2009, and we wish you a summer of healthy and gratifying running.

Sincerely,
Mary Wittenberg
President and CEO, New York Road RunnersRace Director, ING New York City Marathon

The Greatest Story About Gatesy

I love that my best friend has a blog. She's been blogging since 2003. Did you know that? I think she might have invented blogs she has been blogging for so long. She had a blog before there was internet I think. She just used paper airplanes to get her message across.

Anyways.

Most of you know we've been friends for quite some time. Since 1998, to be exact. We're coming up on our 10 year anniversary this September (sweet fucking lord!) and in honor of that I am going to share one of my fondest memories of her, also starring yours truly.

I love college football. Perhaps my love of my Hawkeyes started way back when the first time I saw Tim Dwight return a punt for a touchdown, or maybe when one of my friends started screwing someone on the football team (both will remain nameless (no, it's not Gatesy)). Either way, I love everything about it.

One of the things I miss most though is tailgating. Sure, I can go to a bar here and order a cold one and enjoy the game, but there's just something special about being in Iowa City outside Kinnick Stadium in the fall.

Then there are the turkey legs.



There is some dude outside the stadium for every home game that sells giant turkey legs. I mean HUGE. Our senior year Homecoming (I think we were playing Michigan State), Megan and my other friends and I decided it would be a good idea to go tailgating for the game. My friend drove her '88 Cutlass Sierra (recognize!) and we danced on the roof to Soul Decision or some shit like that so hard we dented it. That's just how us Hawkeyes roll.

Maybe it was the booze, or maybe the football, or maybe my strong desire to put any kind of bone in my mouth, but I overcame my aversion to meat on the bone and bought a turkey leg. I took two bites out of the thing, realized that I hate eating meat off the bone (that's what she said?) and thought of the fastest way I could rid myself of this turkey leg.

Then she appeared in my site. My Gatesy girl. I knew what I had to do. She was standing about 15 feet from me when I took aim. I wound up and released the turkey leg at an astronomical speed and it smacked her right in the head. Bullseye.

I initially didn't own up to throwing it, but my maniacal laughter soon gave me away. The story have evolved into the stuff of legends. What started out as a simple stun from a turkey leg has turned into me launching a full turkey covered in bbq sauce so hard that it knocks her back in her chair, only to stand up with a face covered in sauce.

And to you, my sweet girl, I dedicate this song. I love you.