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October 18, 2004
Happy Birthday Ernie!
Our ole' buddy, ole' pal Ernie is celebrating a birthday today. Bert is organizing a surprise party for him. He's making paperclip garlands and stressing about the miniature Ernie heads cake decorations. And wouldn't ya know, Ernie keeps getting in his way.
But that's no surprise. After all, Ernie is always playing with Bert's buttoned up personality. He's forever stealing Bert's cookies--living his life philosophy "Do unto others before they can do unto you." Ernie is the eternal clown. Remember the hysterical Banana Sketch and Ernie saying, "I can't hear you, Bert! I have a banana in my ear!"? Or how about Ernie's classic poking method for checking if Bert is awake. If he wasn't when Ernie started, he will be soon!
Jokes aside, we all know that Ernie has a sweet side too. Who can forget his touching rendition of "I Don't Want to Live on the Moon?" Or how upset he gets when he imagines life without Bert, his roommate, his best buddy, his best pal?
Even I get upset when I imagine Ernie and Bert without one another. The odd couple make the perfect pair. Ernie couldn't be a prankster without having Bert around to annoy and Bert couldn't thrive on being uptight if Ernie weren't around to test his patience. They are a well-matched twosome down to the coordinated shirts on their back. Have you noticed that they both wear striped tops? A clever design technique used by the creators has Ernie's stripes run horizontally, creating a relaxed look, while Bert's run vertically, creating an uptight look. (Gee, I always thought that vertical lines were simply slimming!)
As relaxed and rambunctious as he may be, Ernie is a good friend to Bert and everyone else on Sesame Street. So we wish him a very happy take-that-banana-out-of-your-ear-birthday!
Posted by ernie at 11:36 AM | Comments (1251)
October 16, 2004
Mini store
Took some time this afternoon to ogle the newly opened Apple Store in nearby Bridgewater Mall in Bridgewater, New Jersey. This store opening visit is different because I personally have been curious as to what these mini stores look like. There have been rumors and photos posted on the web prior to this week's opening of 6 mini stores nationwide and I'm happy to report that once again Apple did not disappoint. Click on the photo above to see more photos of the interior.
Posted by ernie at 07:14 PM | Comments (0)
October 08, 2004
Currently reading...Prey
Michael Crichton practically created the genre of technothriller and with Prey, he's back to scare us with the horrors of technology again. This time it's nanotechnology, molecular-sized robots used for a variety of purposes inside and outside the human body. Throw in genetic engineering and artificial intelligence, and you can probably guess that best intentions will go awry. Michael Crichton novels are not high literature, but they do keep you riveted to your seat.
Posted by ernie at 11:56 AM | Comments (0)
October 06, 2004
Currently reading...
My Life as a 10-Year-Old Boy
Nancy Cartwright is the ultimate Simpsons insider. Her raspy, childlike voice is immediately recognizable as none other than Bart Simpson, the most precocious, irreverent, and intriguing 10-year-old ever to enter the American consciousness. In this behind-the-scenes story, Nancy Cartwright tells of the Simpsons' early days, when the cast was given a closet-sized space to record commercial bumpers for The Tracey Ullman Show. She traces the Simpsons' rapid rise to wild popularity, offers hilarious anecdotes about cast members and guest stars including Mel Gibson, Meryl Streep, and Elizabeth Taylor, and explains what goes into making the half-hour animated series. And she reveals what it's like to be at the center of an American institution, one that reinvented the sitcom, rocked the networks to the core, and changed forever the face of American television. Packed with more information than has ever been revealed about the longest-running animated show, here is the perfect book for the millions of Simpsons fans who can't get enough of America's favorite dysfunctional family.
Posted by ernie at 03:16 PM | Comments (135)
October 04, 2004
Go team
The Bristol-Myers Squibb 2004 Tour of Hope Team
Posted by ernie at 01:26 PM | Comments (470)
October 01, 2004
World on fire
Words often fail me when I come across such moving visuals as this Sarah McLachlan video. She decided, instead of spending $150,000 on a music video, she'd rather spend $15 (for tape, I'm guessing) and donate the rest of that budget to charity. What a soul. Lately I have been more conscious of the plight of the poor and the needy in the world. And here's another reminder that yes, we can make a difference.
Posted by ernie at 10:52 AM | Comments (0)