Infinite Jest

June 11, 2009
The book turns out to be depressingly finite. At 1000 pages, it took me about six months to hack my way through, and still I feel like there isn't enough -- I am cruelly left hanging (as was David Foster Wallace...) -- as it ends without any resolution. The story is bizarre and compelling from the first few pages and weaves its way through so many interconnected lives of greatness and depravity, but feels after the last page turn as if we have just reached an intermission... I have previously read D.F.W.'s "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men", which is a…

Phish at Jones Beach

June 6, 2009
I attended about 30 Phish shows between 1994 and 2004, by far the most of any band in my life, and then they disappeared from my consciousness, going underground and out of mind for five years while the internet flooded me with unlimited alternatives, but having the opportunity to finally see them again was pretty special. I got my first taste of the Jones Beach theater, which is in a gorgeous location, and enjoyed the experience with Alaina and my 22 year old cousin Lars who was attending his very first Phish concert. We were discussing live recordings we had…

Music Past, Present and Future

June 2, 2009
Alaina and I made a trip up to Newton, MA this weekend to spend time the company of Taylors. It was magnificent and included an epic Saturday night dance party in our living room with five families close to us since before I was born. Friday night was at Fenway Park, 10th row for Dave Matthews Band. Flashback to 1995 and the first time I saw DMB at The Orpheum... I have lost touch with Dave a bit since then and I was glad to reconnect. I did not recognize, but nonetheless enjoyed, the majority of his songs. I prefer,…

Superhuman

May 29, 2009
I am a fan of basically any type of entertainment spectacle, from sports contests to film and TV to concerts. I like when people demonstrate extraordinary humanity and push the limits of our own experience. But if I had to show an alien just one event in hopes of proving our survival worthiness, I might take it to Cirque de Soleil. It has everything: music, dance, comedy and unbelievable stunts. Performing feats of strength and concentration with potentially lethal risks, these performers bring you onto the precipice with them, jarring your nerves and repacing your heart. At times, it is…

i like music

May 17, 2009
It was a night of great music for me last night, beginning at Hank's Saloon, where I was introduced to the speed metal of bass and drums duo Bot. I am all for gender equality, so I feel a little weird about even making a big deal about the fact that the incredible drummer was female, but it seems unfortunately rare and special to see such a spectacle that it merits distinction. She totally rips, and she looks euphoric doing it. Actually, although I claim it to be rare, three of the bands I heard last night had fantastic female…

Most of sports is knowing defeat…

May 14, 2009
After watching the Celtics fall to the Magic in game 6, I switched to the Bruins-Hurricanes game 7, tied at 2 with 10 minutes to play in the game, and witnessed a crushing OT goal by Carolina that instantly ended their surprisingly super season. It can happen dramatically like this or quietly with a meaningless victory in a losing season, but almost every time we care, we lose. True, all Boston sports have had quite a run this decade and I consider myself fortunate to have enjoyed so many championships, but in the grand scheme most people who pour their…

Bogeys, Double Bogeys, Triple Bogeys and a few Pars…

May 3, 2009
I played my first golf round of the season at Forest Park in Queens this morning and it rained hard the entire time. Mets and Yankees games were postponed, but we slogged through the course and enjoyed every minute of it. Sure, it could have been bright sunshine and ideal golf conditions, but it wasn't, so we played what we got. It is a nice walk through rural New York City that included many bird sightings (nice Red-Winged Blackbirds, Red-Bellied Woodpeckers, Geese and an Egret) and occasionally offered the opportunity to strike a small ball with a stick in an…

The Goodness of War

May 2, 2009
Last night, I saw two movies I have wanted to see for a long time and both completely lived up to my highest hopes. "Sierra Leone Refugee All Stars" and "Little Dieter Needs To Fly" are both about triumph of the human spirit over the very worst that humanity has to offer. I suppose they both show how war can produce positivity, but the full-scale horror they experienced can never be justified. In search of some advice before I travelled to West Africa, I called a family friend, Banker White, who had spent some time there making a movie. A…

Let’s go Celtics!

May 1, 2009
We are witnessing an absolutely amazing series between the Bulls and the Celtics. It has been tit for tat in every game (both score-wise and physically) and has featured OT madness in four games so far, including last night's three extra period ridiculousness. It is maximum drama. So much clutch. Game 7 is tomorrow night in Boston and I have no doubt it will fit perfectly with the theme of epic contests. Win or Die!

Inside Out

April 26, 2009
Summer came early yesterday and we are enjoying the best weather of the year now, in the 80's and so appreciated after the past month of monsoon. All of Brooklyn seemed to be in Prospect Park yesterday (and I am sure today) in our annual migratory shift outside. Our lifestyle changes dramatically during this period, from our choice perches to our means of cooking food and our general attitude. We bloom with the trees and flowers in perfect time with the rhythm of life.