I’m in NYC for some user testing. Long day. By the time I get to my hotel, I’m exhausted. Around 10, I get hungry and walk to a McDonald’s a couple of blocks away from the hotel. I see a bunch of paps (paparazzi to those of you who aren’t as hip as I am) and I kind of blend in. Those of you who know me (some of you are very hip), know that I dig celebrity. Eliza Dushku is waiting for her limo and a couple of security guards are trying to keep the peace. The paps are screaming, “Eliza, over here!” and some autograph pros (you know, the guys who sell glozzy autograph photos) are yelling “Eliza, sign this!”. One guy asks for a photo with her and she goes “Aren’t you one of the glossy photo guys?”. She was nice enough to pose with him.

The split-screen NBA Playoffs commercials are starting to get a little slipshod as we move closer to the Finals. Maybe it’s just me, but when I saw the Tim Duncan / Chris Paul combo, I figured this campaign had officially jumped the shark.  What were they going for — the Elephant Man?  Some of them are eerily similar.  This was a shoot and a miss.

I decided to see what some other bad combos would look like:

I was in Chicago earlier this week for the Web Design World conference. I have fallen madly in love with Chicago. The highlight of the trip (aside from the AMAZING conference) was the White Sox / Twins game. Special thanks to Matt Walker and Nick Swisher for the great seats. Pitcher Gavin Floyd carried a no-hitter into the ninth. But, Joe Mauer of the Twins destroyed a perfect night at the ball park with a 1-out double to center field. Overall, this was a great trip.

Check out some photos from the game.

BREAKING NEWS!

Middletown, CT - After days of badgering, Andy ‘AP’ Peterson of Skaboom.net has added yours truly to his blogroll. My name appears between Matt Restivo and Steve Clancy. The news of the addition came as quite a shock, considering updates to Peterson’s blog were happening at a handicapped physically-challenged snail’s pace. I contacted myself for a sound byte on this monumental achievement, and I supplied myself with the following statement (which I read aloud to myself):

I am We are thrilled to be included among the list of bloggers on Skaboom.net. This is a wonderful day for us me. Our my excitement will soon be replaced by a promise to live up to the standards that have been set by Skaboom’s other blogrollers. A special thanks to Andy Peterson, Wile E. Coyote and everyone else at ESPN.com for their support.

More to come.

That’s right folks. Eminem wants everyone to know that he is famous for other things. Like posing next to one of the 2008 Sports Emmys won by ESPN. The awards were presented this week in New York City. Shout outs to Vic Lopes, Jennifer Caron, Mike Colella, Sean Hintz, and John Westgate from ESPN.com Design for their brilliant work.

2007 NFL Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings was on campus today to shoot a commercial. He signed my ESPN autograph book, which also includes a signature from Kevin Durant that I got in Seattle last year. Kevin Durant was named NBA Rookie of the Year yesterday, so now I have two. Maybe I can turn this into some kind of tradition.

Ever wonder what your desk pals do when you’re in a meeting? Me either. But, today, I returned to my cubicle to find a horrific scene.

“The cows are always trying to get us to do stuff, and today, one thing led to another, and – I mean, it WAS a nice day out.”, said one of the participant, who asked to remain anonymous. “Eminem watched, but I could tell he wanted in on the action.”

Eminem had no comment.

The geese have gotten so bad at ESPN that the coyotes have been called in to remedy the situation.  This not-so-scary impersonator has been posted near the entrance of our building.  His job: keep the geese away from the hired help.  He’s doing a good job.  The geese now congregate in the parking lot.  I think one of the females is actually laying eggs in some of the landscaping.  Her boyfriend is very protective.  Last night, while walking across the parking lot to my car, I walked right into the middle of a confrontation between the male goose and a stray cat.  Apparently, the cat was sniffing around where the female was relaxing and the boyfriend didn’t appreciate it.  One problem: I am in his flight path.  What do you do when an angry goose is in attack mode and flying toward you?  Hit the deck, that’s what.  I’m happy to report that I escaped unharmed.