Summer 2024: Entertainment and Recreation

July 18, 2024
It's hot! Brooklyn is blazing right now and I am baking in this atmospheric energy. Fortunately I have enjoyed ample time off and have ensconced to cooler climes frequently over the past month. Our annual Taylor convention in Maine is always a highlight and while our general itinerary is the same; great company of siblings, parents, nieces and nephews, aunts and uncles and cousins, fantastic food, boating, fishing, island camping in Casco Bay, hiking in Acadia and relaxing at the cabin, we somehow manage to improve it every year and enjoy it even more as the nine cousins rise in…

Projects

June 2, 2020
Some activities that I used to enjoy do not currently exist and the place I usually reside is 60 miles away so I have lots more time in a different place and I have been making the most of it. Here in Warwick we have woods and finding Kevin's mountain bike, a 25-year-old Specialized Rock Hopper, has changed my life; although I ride my bike every day on the streets of Brooklyn, I have never spent any time mountain biking and I absolutely can not believe that I was not diehard dedicated to the discipline! It is skiing on wheels!…

Elimination

October 15, 2017
  I watched in grim horror as the US Men's National Soccer Team booted away their invitation to the World Cup in 2018, losing 2-1 to the Trinidad & Tobago Soca Warriors (with a great team name, representing the proud music of the islands) while Panama and Honduras took care of their own business in the CONACAF Hexagonal Qualifier, scoring late goals to climb ahead of the US into the quadrennial tournament. I may spend more time devoted to my hometown Boston teams (and watching the Red Sox bounced out of the playoffs by the Astros was another stinger this…

Big Papi

October 12, 2016
Adios, Papi. As the Red Sox' season ended in a sweep by the Orioles, it was a meek exit to one of the best careers, but when the pain subsides and we step back and get some perspective, we will see the incredible impact on the team and the city of Boston. Three World Series victories in nine years is a pretty good run and I don't think they would claim any of those without him. One of my favorite moments in all of sports watching came in game 4 of the 2004 ALCS, with the Sox facing elimination against…

Looming and Reminiscing Excitement

November 17, 2015
We are approaching Due Day here, with a baby arrival sometime in the next three weeks. The anticipation is growing while the drama and mystery of when it will begin is becoming more real every day. Alaina is feeling aches and pains that I can not imagine and will soon go through one of the most intense physical human experiences. All I can do is watch helplessly and offer sympathy. She is the bravest hero I know and is doing it all for Love. Despite the imminent appearance of the newest Taylor, I risked a jaunt out to The Meadowlands…

From The Place I Am Sitting

March 20, 2015
On a balcony, overlooking the Calle in Barcelona, I am thoroughly enjoying my amazing European vacation. There is a vibrant street life and I am listening to unfamiliar languages and seeing a larger humanity in a longer time-frame; Ancient Traditions and Relics with Futuristic Thought and Style. Two days ago, I found myself at Camp Nou, where local heroes FC Barcelona were taking on Manchester City in a Champions League match. I couldn't have been further away from the pitch in the 99,000 seat stadium, but it was one of the most exciting sports experiences of my life. It was…

Snow Blessings

March 4, 2015
The past two weekends were spent in the abundantly snow-covered Green Mountains of Vermont, getting after some of the best conditions one could hope for; February was one of the best months for snow in the Northeast that I can ever remember. I spent two days at good ol' Magic Mountain, riding Red Chair and finding pristine stashes of untracked powder everywhere. Saturday was actually the most crowded I've ever seen the mountain, and the usually empty lift line involved a 15 minute wait a few times. While I love that place for its desolation, I like to see it…

Despair and Euphoria in an Instant

February 4, 2015
Unbelievable. I have watched sports for my entire life and have witnessed dramatic victories and crushing defeats and experienced the full spectrum of emotions on every level. I learned about heartbreak early, watching the '86 Red Sox fall apart in Game 6 with family and friends in my living room, then tasted my first glory with the Patriots' first Super Bowl victory in 2002 in The Louisiana Superdome with my dad. These epic contests ended on singular plays that are eternally enshrined in Boston sports lore: Bill Buckner's ground ball whiff and Adam Vinatieri's boot through the uprights. They were…

The Patriots Are in the Super Bowl Again!

January 24, 2015
It has been truly astonishing to witness the consistency of The New England Patriots' domination. I am inspired by their greatness and feel fortunate to have experienced their ascent from nothing to everything in my lifetime. Of course, I am aware that they will return to nothingness again, likely after Belichick and Brady move on (and not, as it briefly appeared, after the Kansas City game of this season), but in the meantime I will enjoy every meaningful game of this run. Unfortunately, nobody wants to talk about how great the Patriots are now, about how they are about to…

A Favorite Day

November 23, 2014
I had a fun family day today! We went to New Jersey to spend time at Liberty Science Center; Ivy loved the animals there, including tamarins, lizards and neon frogs, and I was excited about the guitar exhibition. Alaina appreciated the Infection Connection for the giant sneezing nose and the "actors" portraying her dad's job, and we watched a phenomenal performance by a Brazilian student string orchestra, playing sambas, Beatles and James Brown while dancing and jumping out of their seats. Then we went to Harrison for some playoff soccer! Red Bulls v. Revolution in leg 1 of the Eastern…