Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Beautiful Things!

Hey Blog Watchers!

Here is a clip of an American Express Blue commercial I did. I just found it on Youtube. My part is at the end. Enjoy!

Saturday, October 18, 2008

One Year Anniversary!


Hey Blog Readers!

So, can you all believe that a whole year has gone by since the launch of nyc2la2007.blogspot.com? It almost didn't come to my attention until I was flooded with emails and comments (and a few gifts; more would be appreciated) from all of you!!

I have been getting re-settled here in NYC over the past 3 months. I am so sorry that the posting has not been more regular. I am moving into a new apartment in two short weeks, on my birthday, November 3! Which is also the day before Barack Obama is elected our new President! Yay!

Remember Celia, from last years road-trip to LA? Well, Celia has been subletting her amazing studio apartment in the village to her younger brother, Andrew. Andrew is going on tour for 14 months. Therefore, I will now be subletting from Celia. I can't wait.

I have also been in school since the end of August at Hunter College. I'm trying to finish off that pesky Bachelors Degree that I have been working on for the past 12 years. However, I did finish a masters degree in that time. The thing is, Yale won't give me my actual MFA until I have a B.A. Got it?

I'm not sure when I will be able to take another epic road-trip to document here on the Blog. Maybe I can start doing a NYC blog with fun activities and post them here.

What do you, my voracious readers, want to see?

Thanks again for all the hundreds of emails and comments. They keep me going.

Best,
Joe

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Mt. Rushmore and Noah's Ark!

Hey Blog Watchers!


The road trip is coming to a close! We started to accelerate the pace of our trip after Yellowstone with some marathon driving days. Check out the vlog and see for yourselves!



Friday, July 11, 2008

Yellowstone: Days 12, 13, 14

Hey blogwatchers! We know how much you've been dying for a new blog, but it hasn't been easy finding the internet on the American plains. But here it is! It's been an amazing time. Yellowstone was beautiful. Filled with lush sage fields, wildflowers and the occasional wild game sighting. Tommy, Charlie and I spent three days hiking, camping and sweating in the Wyoming heat. We saw all kinds of flora, fauna and American vistas, and Old Faithful was just as faithful as we'd heard it was. Now that all the backpacking is done we're gunning it back to the East as fast as our CR-V will carry us. More soon blogwatchers...

Saturday, July 5, 2008

Days 10, 11 & 12!





Glacier Lake, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada!

An amazing two nights and two days! The hike in was strenuous and hilly, however, it was worth it for the vista that awaited us. Check out the blog and see.

The last pics are of our drive through Glacier National Park in Montana on the way to Kalispell; where we stayed the night of July 4th and watched some fireworks.

Internet has been spotty. Sorry about the delay in posting! I'll give more details later.

Monday, June 30, 2008

Days 6 & 7!

Hey, Blog Watchers! The time is flying by as fast as the odometer on the CR-V. Fun road trip fact #1- I bought my car from Charlie and his parents a year ago when we graduated. Charlie was moving to NYC and I was moving to LA, so it worked out perfectly. {Side note to Dr. and Mrs. Semine- those last few payments are coming real soon ;-) }

So far we have traveled 1,424 miles! Crazy. As I type this, I am sitting in the backseat watching the beautiful scenery of coastal Washington. We just crossed the Oregon/Washington border and it is truly awe-inspiring.

We arrived in Portland on Friday night at 7:30. On the way to Portland we stopped and swam in a river in the Redwood Forest. It was very refreshing. The air further north was thick with smoke from the wildfires. It was hazy and warm. We drove directly to the restaurant my good friend Jesse Leo works at called “Night Light”. Jesse and I grew up together in Bethel, CT. He and my other childhood friend John Ricci both moved to Portland about 8 years ago and they both love it. I can see why; Portland is a city rich in culture, beauty and great food. Snow capped Mt. Hood loomed in the distance as we enjoyed a cold beer in the late June heat of SE Portland.

Tommy’s sister, Dawn, also lives in Portland. She owns an amazing company called fruitforward.com. Fruitforward.com is a web-based wine club that ships two bottles of great wine every month to its members for a great price. Check it out!

Tommy and Dawn went out on the town and enjoyed an amazing meal at Paley’s Place. Charlie, Jesse and I visited with Jesse’s life partner, Silvana, before going to meet up with John at his burgeoning business, Mr. Biggs Wings. It was great to see John and Jesse again.

Saturday morning Charlie and I got to spend some quality time with Jesse, Silvana and their 17-month-old son, Silas. He has gotten so big since I saw him in November. He is talking a lot and loves to eat breakfast. We all went to the farmer’s market at Portland State University. It really was the best farmer’s market I’ve ever experienced. There was so much great local produce and food. Next, we made a quick stop at REI before saying goodbye to everyone. Tonight we will be staying at Pacific Beach State Park just outside of Olympic National Park in the Northwest corner of Washington. Tomorrow we will be getting up bright and early for our first backcountry foray into the wild! Can’t wait.



Oh, one last thing. Just wanted to say an extra special thanks for the tons of comments from everyone on the blog. When Tommy, Charlie and I finish an exhausting day of hiking and camping there is nothing like hankering down and reading all the wonderful comments and advice. Keep 'em coming!

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Days 3,4,&5!

Hey, Blog Watchers! Wow. What an amazing trip we are having. When I last left you Charlie and I were on our way from Big Sur to San Francisco to pick up our third road-tripper Tommy Russell. Tommy flew in from NYC after having just returned from 3 weeks in Europe. Talk about jet-lag. He was so much fun in the car for the first six hours. And when I say fun, I mean asleep. In San Fran we met up with two of my great friends from LA; Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Andrew Dudley. Jesse and I are ole friends from NYC and I met Andrew through Jesse in LA. However, he recently moved to San Fran to work on his internet start-up wundrbar.com. Check out that site and you can hear some of my voice-over handiwork. Anywho, we all drove up to Humboldt Redwood State Park for two amazing days of camping, hiking and fun. We stayed at Hidden Springs Campground, site #27. It was really secluded with a firepit and bear-proof lock box for our food. Also, hidden behind our site was an awesome rope swing. Swinging up into the redwoods was breathtaking. We got into Hidden Springs around 9 PM Wednesday night. We made some burgers and sausages and then got some sleep. The next morning, after some pancakes, we took a 6 mile hike through the Redwood Forest. That night we cooked some more, swung on the rope swing, played some yahtzee and then hit the hay.

Charlie, Tommy and I said goodbye to Andrew and Jesse this morning and are now driving 8 hours to get to Portland, OR by tonight (Friday). We stopped right outside of Oregon for a dip in the river. So fun!

Thanks to all of you for the many comments! It keeps us going!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Day One and Two!

Hey Blog Watchers! Charlie and I left LA on 6/23 with our ole' classmate Alec in tow. The three of us went on a wonderful hike in Point Mugu State Park and then met my good friends Jesse and Kevin at our campsite on the beach in Malibu. We did some cooking and eating and drinking. A fun time was had by all. There was some alarm on Charlie's part concerning the size of our tent and the idea of three of us sleeping in it. We did a dry run and it seems perfect and cozy! Our friends departed and Charlie and I played a game of Settlers of Catan before hitting the hay.

Day two brought us to Fernwood Campground in Big Sur. We had to take a detour off of Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) because of the wildfires! They are only about 10 miles from our campground and at this point they are not controlled. We took an amazing hike to the top of a mountain and we could see the ocean and the smoke from the fires. We could also see the emergency planes dropping water onto the fires. Scary! We also saw a few deer.

There is Wi-Fi at the lodge where I am right now. The vlog was put together hastily but please enjoy!

We are about to leave for San Fran to pick up Tommy at the airport! Then off to the redwoods!

See you soon!

Joe and Charlie

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Roadtrip 2008!



It looks like it may be time for a blog title change, eh? We are about to embark on the roadtrip to end all roadtrips! Charlie and I leave from LA tomorrow and pick up Tommy on Wednesday in San Fran.

Stay tuned for updates and vlog entries. We are hoping to have Wi-Fi in some places along the way. Here are some rough time estimates:

Malibu: 6/23/08
Big Sur: 6/24/08
Redwoods: 6/25-6/26
Portland, OR: 6/27
Olympic National Park: 6/28-6/30
Banff National Park (Alberta, Canada): 7/1-7/3
Bozeman, MT: 7/4
Yellowstone: 7/5-7/7 (Happy Birthday, Dad!)
7/7-7/12: TBA!

Any recommendations for places to visit or things to see are greatly appreciated in the comments section.

Best,
Joe

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Manny Time!

I went on one of my regular manny trips two weeks ago. My sister Mary had an academic conference in Montréal. My brother-in-law Ken was in China at the same time. Therefore, Professional Manny Joe (meaning me) flew in to help out. Unfortunately, I left my camera behind for many adventures in Montréal. We toured the Old City, went to the bio-dome, insectarium, and botanical gardens. It was so much fun and very exciting. Mary had downloaded Tootsie for us to watch and we all became obsessed with the theme song; hence it is the soundtrack for the vlog below! Enjoy!





Only 10 days till the road trip of the century!!!!!!!! Thank god the gas prices are reasonable right now!!!!!!!

Sunday, May 25, 2008

John McCain!

An interesting compilation of Sen. John McCain interviews!


Saturday, May 24, 2008

Six Flags! Magic Mountain!

Some people describe it as a poor man's Disneyland, but I describe it as paradise! No line! Unlimited rides on amazing coasters! And only 30 minutes from my apartment! SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN!

My friend Todd came to visit LA for a week. It was great to have a friend in town! We had many fun adventures. Watch the VLOG TO SEE!





*********ROAD TRIP ALERT*******ROAD TRIP ALERT*************

I am headed on an epic adventure with two of my best buds, Charlie and Tommy. We were all classmates at Yale and also roommates! We are embarking on a 6,000 mile roadtrip! (Perfect timing with the price of a barrel, huh?) Anywho, Charlie is flying to LA to visit his sister in June. On June 23rd we embark. We will drive up the Pacific Coast Highway and camp on the beach in Malibu the first night, then a night in Big Sur, on June 25th we will pick up Tommy from his flight into San Fran. Then, we drive straight up to the Redwood Forest where we will camp for two nights. Next stop is Portland, OR, then Olympic State Park in Washington. From there we will drive to Vancouver and then we will be on our way to Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies. We will do a two-three day hike in Banff with some backcountry camping along the way. The plan is to then drive back to the USA with stops at Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park. From there we may drive North of the Great Lakes to Toronto and Montreal into Vermont and ending in the great state of Maine. My family is taking holiday on Bailey's Island on the southern Coast of Maine. We will join them there.

Pretty exciting, huh? Anyone have any tips on cheap gas? How about camping gear?

Oh, yeah, Celia may be coming as well! She is starring in the musical Saved at Playwright's Horizon in NYC. If it extends she may have to fly and meet us along the way. If you talk to Celia encourage her to come! Don't you want to see her on the blog again!?!

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Boston Marathon!

Hey Vlog Watchers!

Last week I flew to Michigan to visit my sister Mary, brother-in-law Ken and my nieces Magda and Elinor and my nephew, Liam. Ken was flying out to Shanghai on business on Friday. So Mary, the kidsand I all drove to Boston, MA together. Mary had qualified for the Boston Marathon and she was determined to run it. We left Ann Arbor on Friday at 8:00 AM and arrived to Boston at 10:00 PM. Wowza. It was a fun trip. Liam and the girls watched some videos (Liam is obsessed with Thomas the Train). We also did some blogging; as you can see below. We stayed at the home of my brothers and sisters-in-law. Tim and Mike bought the house in Mission Hill a few years ago and have made some incredible improvements. Mike and Shannon live on the top floor. Tim, Sascha and Leo live on the bottom. They rent out the second floor. It is pretty amazing. My mom, Munsey, came down from Maine and we celebrated her birthday! My father came up from Bethel, CT. We all gathered on Monday to cheer Mary on in the race. She ran it in an incredible time of 3 hours and 32 minutes! Wow! A grand time was had by all. Watch some of the footage below!

Friday, April 4, 2008

Congratulations, Dr. Prof. Gallagher!

Hey Blog Readers!

My eldest sister Mary was recently awarded tenure at University of Michigan! In celebration, my siblings and I procured this very flashy singing telegram for her. It is from a website called tajtunes.com. They offer many different jingles for all different occasions; straight from India!

Mary is an East Asian labor scholar so she was quite interested in the working conditions of the tajtunes employees. Unfortunately, she didn't have the opportunity to ask any questions at the end of the singing.

Enjoy the recording!

Best,
Joe

Monday, March 31, 2008

Hiking in LA!

Hey Blog Readers/Watchers!

Can you believe it? Another vlog! So soon after the last ep dropped! (That's Hollywood speak for "so soon after the last vlog was posted.") Keep up y'all! I'm moving and shaking out here on the left coast!

What that really means is that I've had some serious time on my hands! There's been a lot of hiking going on all up in here! Griffith Park, Point Mugu in Malibu, and hundreds of other places. But guess what...there are still hundreds more to explore! So get up on that plane and come out here, y'all! Erin, Nick and I have actually been hosting quite a few globe-trotters of late! One of my closest and best, Mike Braun was here last week! I miss him so much already! Plus, my friend Tommar is spending a few weeks out here.

I've enlisted my roomie and bud Erin Buckley to help me sort through all the emails and posts from y'all! I appreciate the help and she appreciates doing it! It brightens her day as much as mine to rifle through the tens of comments we get monthly! Keep 'em coming, Blog Watchers!

Enjoy the VLOG!

best,
joe


Thursday, March 20, 2008

New York City!

Hey Blog Watchers!

It's the moment you've all been waiting for! A new video blog or VLOG! I have spliced some footage together from my six weeks back in NYC. Some are from Celia's birthday party and some are from a party Mike and Charlie had at their apartment in Washington Heights. I had a great time at both! I was real tired by the end of both of them as well. Trying to entertain everyone with my amazing wit gets tiresome!

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank ALL OF YOU for all of your comments and emails! I have been trying my best to answer all of you individually but this is getting harder and harder to do with the increase in demand. I'm sorry! I'm only one person and there are literally 3 or 4 comments total! EASE UP!

If any of you, my fans, have a request for a vlog of something out here in LA; let me know! I like assignments!

Hope everyone is well!

Bloggedly yours,
Joe



Friday, February 29, 2008

Los Angeles Redux!

Hey Blog Readers! I arrived back in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 23rd; just in time for the Academy Awards! I had an invitation for the Vanity Fair party but it was cancelled due to the strike. My invitation was as a cater server. Too bad.

I am blogging right now from my new roommate, Erin Buckley's computer. Unfortunately, my computer is in for repairs and I won't get it back for 5 to 10 days! Crazy, I know.

Los Angeles has been beautiful this week. 80's and sunny. I do implore any of you east coasters to come out and visit. It would be so much fun.

The strike is over. Yay! Things are starting to get back to normal (so I've heard).

I need a job to make some dough. Any ideas?

What else...what else can I talk about?

I really appreciate all of your comments and emails. I have been trying my best to keep up with them and respond. Keep 'em coming!

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

I'm for OBAMA!

Hey there Blog Readers! I am so sorry I have been so remiss in posting to my blog. I've been getting tons of comments and emails from readers begging for the next update.

Well, I voted for Senator Obama today! I am very proud to have cast my vote. I am anxious to see how things will turn out tonight. I urge all of my blog readers to head to the polls if you have not done so already.

It's looking like the WGA strike may be over soon. Therefore, I am headed back out to Los Angeles. I fly back on February 23rd! I am looking forward to the strike being over.

I hope to see as many of you east coasters in the next few weeks! Don't be a stranger, blog reader!

Saturday, January 12, 2008

Gahan Family!

My sister and brother-in-law have just announced that they are expecting kid #4 in September! Crazy! I have made this video in tribute to them. Starring Kate, Terrence, Brigid, Mary Patricia, Finbar and other friends and family. Enjoy!

Monday, January 7, 2008

Barack Obama!

Hey Blog Watchers!

This is not an endorsement because I haven't decided whom I am supporting yet! But you must check out my friend Maddy's song extolling the virtues of Barack Obama. Enjoy!

Christmas in New England!

Check out my holiday video! From LA to Maine. 3,092 Miles! Enjoy!