Happy 75th Elvis

I don’t have an appropriate Elvis pic for his birthday however, a quick story. I was shopping Wed. for my mum’s birthday this month at a specialty card shop in the west village that was closing down. Apparently calendars and cards don’t pay the rent any more in Bloomberg’s Manhattan, so they were closing shop and moving to Brooklyn.

I was going through all the unique stationary: embroidered, unicorns, and special typewriter fonts for the 60 year old news paper reporter. There was 20-50% off everything but even at those discounts it was really all crap. I hate to buy something superficial and just couldn’t find anything with a persona connection.

Some would say a spiritual sign, others would say the laws of gravity, but as I accidentally kicked the bottom shelf of the calendars, a stack of black and white photos fell on my Timberlands. The twenty or so photos were all of Elvis Presley in his prime, staring up at me with blue discount stickers. I’m a fan since my college days but since I was on my mission to shop for someone else, not myself, I passed on the purchase. I realize now that Thursday is Elvis’s birthday so I’ve put a few of my favorite quotes of his together and a tribute to him as well:

Elvis Presley – My Way
[audio:https://austinvegas.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/18-My-Way.mp3]

“After a hard day of basic training, you could eat a rattlesnake.”

“I knew by heart all the dialogue of James Dean’s films; I could watch Rebel Without a Cause a hundred times over. ”

“I don’t know anything about music. In my line you don’t have to.”

“I was training to be an electrician. I suppose I got wired the wrong way round somewhere along the line. ”

“Man, I really like Vegas.”

“Rhythm is something you either have or don’t have, but when you have it, you have it all over. ”

“The closest I ever came to getting married was just before I started singing. In fact, my first record saved my neck. ”

“The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I’m doin’ now, man, for more years than I know. I got it from them. ”

“Those movies sure got me into a rut. ”

“When I was a boy, I always saw myself as a hero in comic books and in movies. I grew up believing this dream.”

photo365_2010_008

Sagittarius babies

It’s the month of my birth, but it seems being a Sag, I’m drawn to all those that are as well. Much props to old and new friends. This time around, I’ve been stress and preoccupied with business to think about a celebration. Another day yes but I’m still trying to subscribe to the celebrate every day, not just the single ones. I did however have an excellent meal at A Voce, and every night this week I’ve been out with local friends. Happy Birthday to Lisa, Romesh, Olly, Danielle, Shantu and all others!

Happy Birthday Lady!

Just a quick shot out to the woman for her birthday this month. I took her to L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon in the Four Seasons over the weekend and it was by far one of my top restaurant I’ve been to in the city. JR focusing on French with Japanese influences. We had the 6 course tasting and each was more unique and exquisite than the last.

By the time of writing this, this restaurant is voted the best in NYC by the user community at Yelp.