It's been awhile since Joe Concha decided to share every shallow and somewhat meaningless thought trickling through his head. But back by popular demand (OK, his Mom asked for it) here is your autumn-kickoff on topics on everything from Starbucks taking over Hoboken to Obama's leadership issues to who will take will be our town's Mayor next May.

You know it's that time of year when this annual version of Joe Concha's perspective on the Hunt appears on Hoboken's Premier Online Magazine. For 2008, our wily veteran offers up nine things you should absolutely, positively avoid to, at, from and after the Far Hills Races. Be sure to print this out as a guide when the big day comes this Saturday...you may be needing it.

A new work-life study says a whopping 87% of professionals sleep with their PDA's in the bedroom. So why haven't we mastered the simple rules of emailing a prospect in the neverending game of courtship in Hoboken? Joe Concha shares a full hard-and-fast rules on the keyboard.

The Summer of 2009 has come and gone in a Jersey Shore minute. And with the abrupt ending comes the sudden beginning of guys and girls faced with the ominous reality of actually having to, gulp, date and get to actually know each other, instead of the usual fuzzy conversations and sloppy physical explorations. Joe Concha attempts to explain the awkward transition from summer to the Real World.

Believe it or not, there are somehow only two weeks left in summer. Lots of money has been spent, physical exhaustion endured…all in the name of signing a free agent to at least a nine-month contract in the game of love. So what do you have to show for all the effort? Joe Concha tallies up the totals.

When it comes to the complicated process of breaking up, women prefer to end things quickly. Men, on the other hand, would rather shove needles into their reproductive organs than end matters candidly and quickly. Joe Concha, the Lion’s stunt double from that 1939 movie, shows how guys torture themselves and their not-so-soon-to-be-exes when trying to saying goodbye for good.

Two Night Minimum
Traveling to meet a one-time hook-up for a weekend getaway turns two people who barely know each other into the closest thing there is to a married couple. And as Joe Concha explains, meeting expectations in these situations invariably is impossible unless perfect weather and/or copious amount of alcohol are involved

With summer now officially in full swing and drama finally starting to rear its ugly head in many a beach house, veteran house manager Joe Concha Top 5 (out of 52) most selfish things one can do in any beach house.

Being ambushed by a giant cockroach can turn your cozy Hoboken abode into a place of existential despair and mortal terror, but it's still an all-too-common part of city life. Casey Carmichael explains how he learned to stop worrying and love the bug.

Hoboken Weathers the Market

Despite the mortgage crisis that is being felt nationwide, it appears Hoboken is immune to any trends in the real estate market. At least according to the New York Times...

Throwing Caution to the Thong
Somewhere between holding out for our virginity and losing track of our total number of partners came a subconscious decision to no longer think of sex as a big deal or even a small one. Joe Concha explores the road many Hobokenites have traveled to moral poverty.

The Jersey shore is many things to many people, but one thing all can agree on is that it is a place where time seemingly stands still. And one aspect that can always be counted on perhaps as much as bad tanlines and sand itself was seeing Big Al of Edgar's Pub in Manasquan perched on the same seat before entering the mayhem. Realhoboken.com's Joe Concha pays tribute to a man who personified carefree happiness of summertime.

It's been awhile since Joe Concha has shared his shallow yet poignant observations. But thanks to a much-needed vacation, he finally finds the time to opine about Parker House card colors, low gas prices, Obama's audacity, why Sex and the City will bomb, why the Bronx Bombers are bombing, and offers advice on how to avoid DWI at the Jersey Shore...all while asking the question on everyone's lips: Where in the world is Rachel McAdams?

The Girl Code
Treat your friends with respect: it’s a basic principle of life. Yet the complexity of the female psyche creates a whole other set of dos and don’ts - especially where men and relationships are concerned. Right in time for the new Sex & the City movie, Realhoboken’s Christina Attardo and Jen Walsh clarify the necessary intricacies of the Girl Code…

With Summer 2008 now only days and hours away, what better way to build the breathless anticipation than an unsolicited advice column from the Jersey Shore’s self-appointed ombudsman? In today’s edition, Joe Concha lays out the conundrum more than a few Hobokenites will be experiencing over the next month regarding whether to raise the ante in a relationship…or to take the cards off the table altogether.

With the international protests against China no longer topping the news day, the Olympic torch relay quietly entered main land China this past weekend on route to the Beijing games. Chasing the torch himself one day, Craig Zabransky, our resident travel writer, tells us his tale of how the Olympic flame stopped more than traffic in San Francisco.

Hudson Tavern is Hoboken's latest burger and beer joint in an area of town dominated by The Madison, Liberty Bar and City Bistro. Cindy Heller, realhoboken's new restaurant reviewer, heads uptown for her first column.

Your First Love
Eli Manning Marries His, But Yours Is Long Gone

Eli Manning married his college sweetheart this past weekend at the ripe old age of 27. Realhoboken’s Joe Concha explains why Manning is absolutely the exception when it comes to strolling down the aisle before the age of 30 in a perpetually-single town like Hoboken.

According to Wikipedia, drunk dialing is a pop-culture term denoting an instance in which an intoxicated individual places phone calls that he or she would not likely place if sober. The term often refers to a lonely individual calling former love interests. The term is a parody of drunk driving, intended to imply similar undesired consequences. Joe Concha, recovering Drunk Dialaholic, provides his own definition.

Many Hobokenites hit the bar scene to meet people of the opposite sex, but there are several things that can skew your judgment in this pursuit, namely alcohol. But there's another factor that has many patrons saying, "I'm in the daaaark here!" Bad bar lighting can turn your beer goggles into a beer telescope. Just ask this guy...

Everybody is a friend, until they prove otherwise,” or so the old saying goes. Realhoboken.com’s Joe Concha breaks down the seven types of companions most Hobokenites likely have to make their lives infinitely more socially convenient.  

The Joy of April Fools

April's Fools Day used to be a time when fake columns actually worked on unsuspecting and gullible readers. But thanks to abuse on the concept by overreaching on the ruse and every single blog and online magaizine feeling an obligation to write one, allow Joe Concha to provide you a real world scenario a perfect AFD joke that nearly ended in a sex change...

Liberty Bar is the #1 bar in town, at least according to realhoboken.com's most recent poll. So how does an owner capitalize on such popularity? Open the same bar in another part of town with a few exciting upgrades, of course...

A new study says that women who marry men less attractive than them will be happier in the long run. But does this theory apply to Hobokenites? Darren Cole, Realhoboken.com's newest columnist, tackles the issue of frogs vs. Princes.

The countdown to the end of Hoboken's quintessental neighborhood bar has reached zero, but it will surely not go quitely if the buzz around town regarding the Good-Bye Bash is any indication. Joe Concha shares the thoughts, good and not-so-good, from realhoboken.com readers about a farewell night most thought they'd never see.

Sexy, Single and
Supporting the Cause

Bachelors AND Bachelorettes took to the block to support the fight against cancer at Relay For Life’s Third Annual Bachelor’s Auction. Realhoboken was on hand to capture the love connections…

As you read this, the high in Cyprus will be 26 degrees...well, Celsius, that is (which is about 80 degrees Fahrenheit in our world). So you really can't blame Hoboken soccer star Nick Gkionis for traveling to the paradise island country to play professionally, can you? Realhoboken.com interviewed the striker to learn what life is like when you're living the dream.

The news of Hoboken's favorite neighborhood bar shutting it doors for good was as shocking as it was sudden. Now the man behind Ted and Jo's speaks out for the first time about why the gem on 11th and Park will cease to exist come March 26. Read about it here only and first (again).

When the computer technician tells LJ Miller that her laptop needs to be "put down," she learns the hard lesson that data recovery can be an expensive business. Whether you are an "Appple" person or a "PC" person, all people can relate when the thought of losing all your data on your home computer is at stake.

In case you didn't notice, 2008 is a Leap Year, which gives everyone an extra day to prepare for St. Paddy's Day - that is unless you live in Hoboken.   Like Pitchers and Catchers reporting to Spring training is an annual rite, so is the First Saturday of March - the day of the Official Hoboken St. Patrick's Day Parade.   Realhoboken's resident red-head and proud Irish-American Amanda Dwyer provides a primer for the celebration in this Irish themed edition of 'Ranting and Ravings of a Former Cheerleader'

While the real estate market experiences its worst downturn in nearly two decades nationwide, Hoboken appears immune. With new construction seemingly everywhere and stars such as Alex Rodriguez coming to town, the Mile Square is truly is the place to be right now. The New York Daily News recently looked at Hoboken's market and has this report.

Break open those piggy banks and clean out those couches, Hoboken! Because courtesy of recently announced hikes on cab fare, crossing the Hudson, and to your already-ridiculous electric bill, you're going to need all of the spare change you can find. Realhoboken.com's Joe Concha has all the details on how these jacked up cost of living and commuting expenses will effect you...and when.

Hoboken's Eli Manning and fiancee Abby McGrew

For those who love politics and/or are deeply interested in this year's Presidential election, today is the playoffs of election campaigns in the form Super Tuesday. And for those who can't get enough of the Giants Super Impossible victory over the once-perfect Pats, two celebrations are happening today just minutes from Hoboken for still-drunk-from-Sunday fans to enjoy.

Joanne Borgella is a 25-year-old singer, songwriter, actor, and the 2005 Mo'Nique's Fat Chance winner...a beauty contest/reality show on the Oxygen Network to become Miss F.A.T. (Fabulous and Thick). But now Hoboken's Borgella is looking to win the biggest contest of them all after qualifying for the final 24 of this year's season of American Idol.

Giant fans celebrate at Texas Arizona

Somehow, someday, the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII, and to the shock of all of Hoboken, a Sunday night party that no one expected exploded in the Mile Square.

Hoboken has witnessed 13 notable fires break out in town over the last 18 months...seven of which have been major. One resident, Daniel Parente of the 4th Ward, voices his concerns in this open letter to Mayor David Roberts, a former Hoboken firefighter himself, to see what can be done to resolve this increasingly growing, and in this week's case at 1203 Washington Street, fatal problem.

Sunday will indeed be Super as Hoboken's Eli Manning leads the underdog (again) Giants against arguably the greatest team of all-time, the Patriots of New England. So get your Bridget Moynahan masks ready for a wild finale to a great NFL season. Realhoboken.com gives you an audible to the best drink specials in town for SB XLII.

With all the hype surrounding the big game this weekend - in case you missed the NEW YORK GIANTS and Hoboken's own ELi Manning are in Super Bowl XLII - realhoboken's Amanda Dwyer has come out of hibernation to take a unique look at this Super Match up between New York and New England.

Seth Dembowitz

A tragic fire early Monday morning took the life of Hoboken resident Seth Dembowitz, a 28-year-old systems analyst at Bear Stearns and a 2001 graduate at Rutgers. Dembowitz, a big Eagles and Red Sox fan, hailed from Cherry Hill. Realhoboken.com provides facts on this massive fire at 1203 Washington Street, and takes a look back at some of the most horrific fires in Hoboken history.

Even with Mother Nature delivering a cold MLK holiday weekend during one of the better northeast ski seasons in recent memory, our resident travel writer Craig Zabransky explains why he remains a converted west coast snowboarder. Apparently, it’s all about the powder. 

Two of the crash victims died after reaching Jersey City Medical Center

A high-speed crash at the intersection of 14th and Willow claimed the lives of three people and injured nine others late Saturday afternoon. A 36-year-old Hoboken woman, as well as a local husband and wife, were three of the victims in what was the most horrific traffic accident in the history of Hoboken.

Realhoboken.com’s LJ Miller is in no way close to being a Sugar Mommy. However, its very possible many of her neighbors are, as a recent study reveals that New Jersey has the most millionaires of any state in the country.

Work-release programs in New Jersey don't involve convicted murderers. But that apparently wasn't the case in the unofficial 51st state of Puerto Rico, where Carlos Rodriguez-Torres was allowed to leave prison despite serving a 99-year sentence for homicide, to live at home while wearing an anklet. So where did C-Rod escape to? Hoboken, of course...

Ed Burns is predominantly known as the guy who turned a $25,000 indie film (The Brothers McMullen) into a Grand Jury prize-winning film at Sundance. But like other actors of this era, celebrity on the big screen can be nothing compared to the excitement of being in a rock band on tour. Joe Concha caught up with the 39-year-old Irishman after a recent performance at Maxwell's.

In light of the four-alarm fire that destroyed the apartment building where McSwiggan's once sat, Realhoboken's Mike Tagliaferro--an apartment renter who learned the hard the way--educates us on the importance and affordability of renters insurance.

Thanks to two improbable upsets of a #1 seed in one conference and a defending Super Bowl Champ in the other, Liberty Bar on Sunday afternoon wents from just another sports pub in Hoboken to a miniture version of Giants Stadium (but louder). Joe Concha, certified Bears fan, gives his objective perspective of a fun playoff football Sunday in January.

McSwiggan's has long been a sloppy Hoboken pub favorite for the town's 29-and-younger crowd. But after a three-alarm blaze early Monday morning destroyed the entire apartment complex where McSwiggan's once sat, the bar appears to have poured its last beer for quite awhile.

How the hell is it 2008 already? In what might be the fastest-moving decade of all-time, Joe Concha uses his Magic 8-Ball to forecast events of this New Year with all the accuracy of the Farmer's Almanac.