SNOW!

February 22, 2014
I was born a snow lover, a few weeks before the blizzard of '78 in Boston, and have always appreciated the convergence of atmospheric phenomena that produces dendrites! Sledding was the earliest form of snow fun and my backyard, with its 15' vertical drop was more than enough to thrill me through my tiny years. When I outgrew that, I would sled down our back steps off a jump onto the patio. I started skiing when I was 7 and was quickly obsessed, following daily conditions in the Boston Globe Sports Section and memorizing mountain statistics; I drew hundreds of…

The Boston Red Sox Are 2013 World Series Champions!

October 31, 2013
The Boston Red Sox bring me great joy. With an amazing redemption from last year's debacle, they go from laughable losers to World Series Winners! All year long they played with resolve and determination, willing victory from certain defeat, a different teammate stepping up every night to deliver when it mattered. It has been an incredible ride beyond this season that stretches back as far as I have memories; The Red Sox are always part of my life. Through pain and suffering to joy and celebration, I love this team and feel fortunate to have grown up in a geographical…

Two Months

October 15, 2013
Time has lost any relative meaning it might have had for me. It is impossible to believe that two months have passed since Ivy was born; it still seems so new and yet hours pass instantly with me doing nothing but holding her and staring in amazement. She is always incredible. But in many ways my life is the same! Every day I go to work as I did since before the dawn of Ivy! I still have friends that existed before she was ever imagined! And my eternal devotion to the sports teams of my youth has never been…

Boston 4.15.13

April 16, 2013
I was born in Boston, raised in Newton, and although I have displaced myself geographically, my heart will always beat Bostonian and right now I feel more love than I have ever felt for that city. Patriots Day is a holiday and tradition celebrated exclusively in the region and consists of a morning game at Fenway and a night game at The Garden while the Marathon pours people into the heart of the city. It is a day of pride for Boston's unique and important history in our nation's independence and a day to enjoy family, friends and springtime in…

Jay Peak

March 13, 2013
Jay Peak has Mystique. As far North as you can drive in Vermont, it is the one major New England Ski mountain I have never sampled in all my years of obsession. You need to really want Jay all the way to drive by countless other great resorts and make the epic trek, but it is worth it. Jay Peak is unique in its terrain and has skiable trees everywhere, from steep one liners to gently sloping sapling slalom tracks. Getting lost in the glades of Timbuktu and running into the occasional ski area boundary sign feels about as remote…

Nemo

February 12, 2013
The snow predictions began the previous weekend and steadily rose throughout the week. Emails were exchanged remarking on the prospect of glorious Northeastern powder and arrangements were made. Massachusetts looked ripe for a slamming so we honed in on Berkshire East in Charlemont, but just before we left, Massachusetts ordered a statewide driving ban, sending us up the Taconic to Vermont. It was a slow and slippery drive, but I had full confidence in Captain Jack to deliver us safely. Fortunately, southern VT was also graced by Nemo and Saturday morning we were whoopin' down Magic Mountain. It was a…

Amour

January 23, 2013
It is hard to think of a less fun movie than "Amour". It had its chuckles here and there, but they were just brief respites from the pain and suffering of the film. In entertainment, one of life's great escapes, we generally choose easy/painless and happy/fun. This seems like a reasonable choice, but misses out on some of humanity's heaviest emotional responses. Without sorrow, would there be joy? As I sat through this film, I was uncomfortable and depressed, but also perfectly aware that I was in the presence of great art. Interestingly, the most profound aspect of the movie…

Beantown Sports

April 28, 2012
The Bruins lost on a game 7 overtime winner from The Capitals' Joel Ward; a sudden, soul-sucking death that denied their Cup defense. The Celtics start the playoffs tomorrow as resurgent favorites to make a run at another Championship. The Red Sox started as abysmally as last year, Bobby V got booed, and since then they've won five straight and averaged 10 runs a game. The Patriots shocked everyone at the draft by trading up twice in the first round then selecting virtually unknown Tavon Wilson in the second round. It doesn't always involve victory, but as entertainment it is…

Farewell Winter

March 30, 2012
I welcome the end of Winter because Summer is sweet, but I always feel a tinge of remorse to see the snow melt away and know that I won't be back on skis for another eight months. The season typically ends with some Spring slush runs and over the last 10 days I have experienced this transition at Stowe, where we were skiing over huge dirt patches in 70 degree sunshine in the brightest ski attire we could find, and in Whitefish, Montana, where I went to visit my college roommate, Marty and his family. The first day actually had…

Snowbomb!

February 28, 2012
When I read the first Winter Weather Warning for last weekend, I immediately sent an email to a few fellow snow worshipers and quickly had a party and location: Stowe, Vermont. The first wave of snow hit on Thursday, dumping 6" on the region. I drove up Friday morning and hit up the all-time classic Mad River Glen for some single chair and steep glade action. It did not disappoint with its perfect bumps and long, twisting, desolate runs. The second wave hit that afternoon and for the next 30 hours dumped two feet plus in some places, so on…