McNally Jackson, ice coffee to go, $2. McJ is proof that organic fair-trade coffee in NYC can be had for evil soulless multi-national coffee cartel prices. The last time I went there, I thought they were geniuses for having simple syrup for cold drinks on hand. This time I couldn’t find it (maybe it was in the thing that look like a salad dressing dispenser, didn’t want to gamble putting oil in my coffee). Oh well, good deal and since it was early I got an empty table to sit and read a magazine.

Mariebelle, 75% cacao pazela European-style (with water) in unrefined sugar, $8.50 + tax + tip = $11. Seriously, beverages are the only items I throw away money at. It was worth trying something this chocolaty for once. Next time, I’ll settle for the 60% Aztec. Better yet, I could buy a can of chocolate from them and make cioccolata myself.

Pho 21, ice coffee, $2.25. So I went to the wrong Pho place (Pho So 1 is on 11 Mott St., this place was on 21 Mott St, duh.). Oh well. While I blew $11 on one drink in Mariebelle, I paid the same amount for lunch here. Vietnamese coffee combines espresso strength brews with a healthy heap of sweetened condensed. This combination of sweet and bitter is sure to wake your ass up. It’s like a Starbucks double shot, but way better.

Hopefully, when I start working in NYC again I can put up another segment like this.

Mamma Che Buono is an Italian style eatery. Unlike other joints in the area which are dominated by Pizza and Pasta, Mamma serves Gelato, Espresso, Panini, and other Italian desserts. Originally in West Palm Beach, it’s now on the ground level of Bridgewater Commons.

I’ve already said that gelato is good but overpriced, and this place is no exception, starting at $4.80 for a medium (at least they give out free sample). I made the mistake of ordering a ciocolata calda for $3.90. It turned out not to be the awesome kind where you eat like pudding, but plain old swiss miss type (probably could have gone to the Godiva next door for something better). The service is alright for a cafe-type place, I guess. They also had 4 Macs set up for free internet access. The place does look like the nearby Apple store.

I did not try anything else as I felt much poorer from the experience. The menu prices seems to be $8.90 for a panini, $6.90 for a tiramisu (I paid $5 CAD for something similar in Toronto). In their defense, all their items look pretty good and their flagship in West Palm Beach got pretty good reviews.

I’d go back there again for lunch or have an espresso (which is actually competitively priced with the Starbucks upstairs). Despite the prices, it fills a nice niche now Bridgewater Commons want to become more upscale.

Hopefully I get over the sticker shock by then.

Update: When I say I’ll pay double for real cioccolata caldi, I meant it. And today I did, 275% more to be exact. At Mariebelle, for $8.50 + tax + tip = $11, I got a medium Euro-style Panela 75% cacao. Just a bit of advise, get anything over 60% once, or go buy Mariebelle’s cacao and make it yourself. It was worth it though.

Surfing the net at work for pleasure actually increases our concentration levels and helps make a more productive workforce, according to a new University of Melbourne study.

Dr Brent Coker, from the Department of Management and Marketing, says that workers who engage in ‘Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing’ (WILB) are more productive than those who don’t.

“People who do surf the Internet for fun at work – within a reasonable limit of less than 20% of their total time in the office – are more productive by about 9% than those who don’t,” he says.

“Firms spend millions on software to block their employees from watching videos on YouTube, using social networking sites like Facebook or shopping online under the pretense that it costs millions in lost productivity, however that’s not always the case.”

According to the study of 300 workers, 70% of people who use the Internet at work engage in WILB. Among the most popular WILB activities are searching for information about products, reading online news sites. Playing online games was the fifth most popular, while watching YouTube movies was seventh.

The attraction of WILB, according to Dr Coker, can be attributed to people’s imperfect concentration. “People need to zone out for a bit to get back their concentration. Think back to when you were in class listening to a lecture – after about 20 minutes your concentration probably went right down, yet after a break your concentration was restored.

“It’s the same in the work place. Short and unobtrusive breaks, such as a quick surf of the internet, enables the mind to rest itself, leading to a higher total net concentration for a days work, and as a result, increased productivity.”

However Dr Coker says that it is important such browsing is done in moderation, as internet addiction can have the reverse effect. “Approximately 14% of internet users in Australia show signs of Internet Addiction – they don’t take breaks at appropriate times, they spend more than a ‘normal’ amount of time online, and can get irritable if they are interrupted while surfing.”

“WILB is not as helpful for this group of people – those who behave with internet addiction tendencies will have a lower productivity than those without.”

I have no idea whether this study is accurate, but the reason I find it plausible is because it works for me.

August will be one year after getting fired from a average-paying yet comfortable full-time position for (getting caught) surfing the internet at work. For you employers reading, my productivity had nothing to do with my demise. As a matter of fact, I spend quite a bit of time lobbying to expedite my projects to make it through the sloooooow approval process of developing for a Top 1000 website.

I was told my habit was negatively affecting the morale of the rest of development team. Whatever.

Despite the fact I was fired during the beginning of what would be the worst job market in decades, that I haven’t been able to find stable employment as a freelancer, and that I absolutely despite all HR people even as I recognize their importance, I thought my previous employer made the right choice in removing me.

I’ve realized oh, five minutes, after being canned that we’re not meant to be together. It could be ADD, but I definitely don’t have the concentration to work two 4-hour shifts with a lunch break wedged in between. Reading blogs and catching up to the news keeps me sane throughout the day. If an employer doesn’t recognize this, and I realize the market is overwhelmingly in their favor and it could further sabotage my chance of employment, let’s not do business together. Because other than doing my job as a webdev even better than the day before, I haven’t changed at all. I deliver results, not illusions of it.

And really, I think this study applies to everyone in the workforce working with a computer. They just do a better job hiding it.

Soft served ice cream is not too cold and I don’t stand a chance of feeling like licking into glass shards. It’s also quite cheap, at least at the place the family frequents, Polar Cub.

Head to Polar Cub, park on the side of the highway (because the place is packed at night), get in line, order a vanilla soft serve with a chocolate dip. Order a large for under $3 because soft-serve has better structural integrity than hard ice cream (won’t roll off the top, though I don’t recommend holding it sideways for lulz).

Having soft serve is like being the kid from American Pie (Not Jim, but Kevin when he is “returning the favor”. That’s right, I went there).

If, for some reason, you end up in my neighborhood. Make a stop at Polar Cub, and have the best ice cream ever.

What is the Pontiac Montana? It’s a minivan. Yep, the brand that made the Bonneville and GTO offers a friggin’ minivan. Who cares if it’s has a 240 HP 3.9 L engine?

I know why the Montana (which succeeded the Trans-sport, I didn’t know this was 20 years in the making) exists, because Buick/Pontiac/GMC dealers wanted a minivan.

Talk about brand dilution. The thought of one the my favorite cars, the G8, associated with a minivan, an Aveo (G3) and Cobalt (G5) rebadging makes me believe that Pontiac’s demise is well deserved.

T3h Aw3some

Nice urban planning. Toronto is Philadelphia if it weren’t built in the 1700’s. Wide open roads, good zoning, and a great public transport, it’s a wonderful example of a well-planned city. I’ll even overlook the aggressive drivers and garbage strewn all over the city (see below).

Low food prices. I was wondering why menu items in Canada are lower than their American counterparts. Plus, produce and seafood in Canada are significantly cheaper. It could be America’s extremely generous farm subsidies, but that warrants further study. Even with a 15% consumption tax, it’s cheaper (and in the case of Chinese food, way better) in Canada. Everything else, on the other hand…

T3e Sux0r

Massive government encroachment. Just discussing what one can and cannot do with their yard is nauseating enough. No pesticides and alternate watering days and among the regulations people of Ontario have to deal with.

Massive public sector. Speaking of nausea, Toronto is in the midst of a public workers strike. Unfortunately, that meant many services shut down during my visit, most notably garbage collection. It’s nice to see a city shutdown when one public worker’s union feels like it.

T3e m3h

Healthcare. Good for you, Canada. That’s a lovely healthcare system you have. But as long as you only have 30 million people and depending on America for advances in medicine, don’t try exporting your system south. In Ontario I saw the Canadian HQ’s for dozens of Fortune 500 companies, but one sector absent is Pharmaceuticals. The only pharma building I saw was a Novopharm factory in Markham, which only manufacture generics. For new innovations in pharma, New Jersey is king.

Taxes. Canada, on average, has a lower corporate tax rate than the US. Unfortunately, it also has a combined PST and GST of 15% in Ontario. Neither of which benefit a tourist like me but the US should be more competitive in keeping its business advantage.

In conclusion, I had a nice vacation visiting family and eating very well. Sorry I got all political on your asses.

While the two countries may differ in many ways, I am glad both of them are around. And looking around a seemingly booming Southern Ontario, I’d say there are a few things New Jersey could emulate.

Here’s to the two brothers from different fathers.

Now comes GPS, you don’t need to memorize directions either.

While no one ever disagrees with the phone numbers in their cellphone, people do disagree with the directions offered by their GPS. Different people in a group disagree over the direction. As a result, this conflict between GPS and self and among passengers makes every turn a ticking-bomb situation.

That was the case during the family trip to Toronto. Once the GPS start leading us into crappy neighborhoods (outskirts of Syracuse and the American side of Niagara), there was great conflict among the family. Thanks to the last minute voice commands, we missed quite a number of turns. A combination of indecision and traffic (only in Toronto can one get stuck in traffic at 10 PM) turned an 8 hour trip into a 10 hour trip.

Next time, Google Map it.

Stability in the starting rotation. The new point system implemented by CBS Sports heavily punishes pitchers that give up tons of runs. Now, even the most elite pitchers can and will blow up occasionally (see Johan Santana on 6/14). That means your rotation must consists of guys that almost never lose points for your team. That means giving up a 2 start pitcher with lousy match-ups and using a 1 start pitcher with a favorable match up. Low risk is key here.

K’s and mo’ K’s. Having pitchers with a high K/BB ratio can help staunch point loss on bad nights.

Lots of innings. If you can’t have the best pitchers, have the longest lasting ones. That means finding pitchers that can eat up a lot of innings without their arms falling off towards the end of the season.

Plenty of at bats. Your offense can’t score if they don’t get the opportunity. So watch for where your players are batting. Check to see if they are everyday starters or part of a platoon.

More Powah! Batting averages and on-base percentages only tell part of the story. For a complete picture, you need at bats and slugging percentage. You might want to avoid the guys with the high strikeout rate, but power is greatly rewarded.

Bonus

Build for September. By September, certain young pitchers will reach their innings limit and will likely shutdown for the season if they on a crappy team. The most ideal players are those playing for teams contending for playoff spots.

Team Update (Freelance Pornographers): Looking back I had a pretty crappy draft. Other than Albert Pujols and Roy Halliday I’ve completely misjudged player value. I got players that regressed too high (Quentin and Pedroia), picked my closers too high (Rivera and Lidge), got some slow starters (Oswalt, Upton, Verlander, Tulowitski… yikes), and picked Jacoby Ellsbury over Carl Crawford (whoops). Thankfully, with one great trade (Sabathia for Lidge and Volstad), great free agent pickups (Andrew Bailey, Zobrist, Wandy Rodiguez), and a teh a3esome starting rotation (Halliday, Sabathia, Verlander, Oswalt, Buerhle), I am on top of my division.

So hopefully Quentin returns soon and I can trade away some extra outfielders for other needs and I will be ready to take the Championship.

Iced Coffee: It’s tough to make ice coffee distinguishable. So to me it boil downs to price and quantity. LPQ’s ice coffee is not cheap, probably because it’s organic. ABP’s ice coffee is f’in massive. Maybe it depends on the location, but for $2 my iced coffee is served in a filled 32 oz. cup. Advantage ABP.

Pain du Chocolat: Otherwise known as a Chocolate Croissant (but it’s not, since Croissant has to do with its shape). ABP’s Pain du Chocolat is topped with mo’ chocolate and confectioner’s sugar which to me is overdone. LPQ, on the other hand, is not only bigger but it’s nice and simple. Sure, it’s twice the price, but I think I got my money’s worth so advantage LPQ.

Service: LPQ annoying because they require table service if I want to eat inside. Sure, the service is great but do I need to play an extra 15-20% on top my bill for a croissant and coffee? I get the fast food experience at ABP but I’m not paying for that. Though, if I do eat inside LPQ, they got some awesome jam and hazelnut spreads I could use. Advantage LPQ.

Environment: ABP looks like a Starbucks. So average. LPQ looks like a proper bakery. I sat in the big ass community table. I like it, even if I had to pay extra for the privilege. Advantage LPQ.

Price: That’s easy. ABP is half the price of LPQ. Advantage ABP.

Frankly, you get what you pay for in both places. Although, if you want to save money in SoHo, order food at LPQ, walk over to McNally-Jackson, get their iced coffee (cheaper and better), grab a magazine and enjoy a better deal (though you’ll be battling yuppies for seating).