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…

Labor Day

September 5, 2015
What a Summer for this guy! I currently sit in one of my favorite spots in the known universe: Eventide Cabin on Mt. Desert Island. Acadia is a personal paradise and spending time here with my wife, child and parents is very high on my who/what/where triangulation rankings. I have been consistently scoring very well this Summer, packed with fantastic weekends around the Northeast: The Land, Bellport, Osterville, Vermont, Maine, and even a few in Brooklyn; Ivy and I rolled all over town on my bike and explored beaches and amusement parks (Coney Island!), swimming pools and water playgrounds (Sunset…

Three Months Pass Fast

June 16, 2015
Wow. Since my last post 88 days ago, written in a moment of great leisure on vacation in Barcelona, I have been through a vortex of time and space. It has been a wonderful but somewhat delirious 3 months of my life and I have had zero seconds to compose an account of it, which I will finally do here and now, sitting in my new studio in my new home with free time that I now have since school ended last week. Things are different now: Alaina is pregnant again and we moved into an amazing home in Kensington,…

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…

Sufjan Stevens at BAM Again!

January 25, 2015
A few years ago, I witnessed a performance that still ranks as the most incredible live event I have ever attended. Sufjan Stevens' BQE at BAM: video of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway with a live score performed by large ensemble and hoop dancers. It was such a unique and special event and I cherish it as an inspiring and beautiful demonstration of audio-visual possibilities. Last night, he performed his newest piece, Round-Up, with slow-motion rodeo footage and an entrancing score performed by Sufjan and quartet Yarn/Wire. It was phenomenal. The music was layered and textured, with a propulsive Steve Reich feel,…

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…

Here’s Hoover

December 13, 2014
Sometimes I do things now that remind me of how different life was before Ivy. Last night, Alaina and I did something incredibly rare that we did frequently until 16 months ago. Seeing a show together involves many more calculations now but occasionally we make it happen. We hired a baby sitter and went to see Les Freres Corbusier's new production, "Here's Hoover!" at the Abrons Art Center. It was a blast: Herbert Hoover's Comeback Special as a rock star dead set on re-telling his legacy and escaping the pack of below average presidents. It is fun and ridiculous with…

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…