Vacationland

August 27, 2009
Maine. I sit on the deck of Eventide, the Taylor cabin on the cliffs of Frenchman's Bay and I have found what I was seeking. It is calm and quiet, the gentle lapping of the water, rustling of leaves and chirping of birds creating the soundtrack... Peace and Tranquility are profoundly important aspects of life that can be truly hard to find. In this spot they come in abundance. I don't need to go far to chill, the deck will do fine, but I have been exploring Mt. Desert Island in depth the past few weeks, with hikes and bikes…

Milk

August 7, 2009
Following our San Francisco theme, we watched the amazing Gus Van Sant film about gay rights activist Harvey Milk. His dedication to the cause is truly inspiring, fighting endlessly to provide a voice for his people in government. Though ultimately tragic, his life represented hope and love in a world of intolerance and hate. He may have spoken loudly for a small minority, but anyone who desires freedom and justice should consider him a true hero. Amazingly, he fought the beginning of the gay rights movement around the time of my birth and here we are, thirty years on and…

San Francisco Treat

August 4, 2009
Having completed our work obligations for the summer, Alaina and I decided to fly west to San Fran for some playtime. The four-day weekend could not have been more action packed and gave me an entirely new appreciation for this amazing city. While the focus of the trip was spending time with our friends, it turned into a major music festival with delicious food complements. Arriving Thursday evening, we were greeted at the airport by our gracious hostess, Alaina's college roommate Rocky, who drove us to her apartment in The Mission and set us up with a bed for our…

Oh Papi!

August 3, 2009
Who was I kidding, thinking that the Red Sox would stay clear of the steroids mess? Today the news broke that David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez both failed drug tests in 2003. Manny, of course, just served 50 games for taking a female fertility drug but I still hoped that it was just a Dodger problem... Looks like that's not the case. The Sox' run to the World Series in 2004 was one of the most thrilling sports adventures of my life and it will forever remain so, even under clouds of allegations. Falling asleep during Game 4 of the…

Baseball on my phone

July 30, 2009
This is amazing. I could have been watching it on my computer, yes, but instead I watched tonight's Red Sox game on my new telephonic device. Honestly, I don't mean to brag about how cool my phone is but it is just too rad to not mention something. I am just getting started with the apps so please let me know if there is anything I need to try...

iPhone Revolution

July 28, 2009
I just made the iPhone transition and am currently testing my new mobile posting capabilities. I feel liberated! I am sure that soon the thought of a phone that simply places calls will seem quaint as we progress toward full computing power in the palm of our hand. Someday we will tell our children about the mobile computer revolution and they will marvel at our life before personal pocket omniscient machines. Even today, seven years after I purchased my first cell phone, I can hardly comprehend how I must have lived my life in the dark ages of ground lines.…

Maine

July 14, 2009
When we talk about the northeast U.S., we usually think about population density. The corridor from D.C. to Philly to NY to Boston is packed with people tighter than anywhere else and driving in that area can be absolutely maddening, but once you escape it and get really north, like Vermont, or really northeast, like Maine, it is a very different story. It's not Wyoming or Montana in terms of population, but it will do as an accessible outpost of frontier for us ***** This was the post I was writing when Lilly died. I got up mid-sentence and walked…

Wilco

July 14, 2009
I enjoyed myself tremendously at Coney Island last night, seeing a great show at the baseball park then riding The Cyclone and eating fried food and drinking extra large beers at Nathan's. Wilco was excellent, playing their bittersweet noise beautifully, a soothing balm on my fresh mourning. Impossible Germany, Jesus, etc. and The Late Greats felt especially amazing and spiritual after a day of heavy emotional lifting for my pet. Music is so crucially important to me, and in times of hurt it lifts me up, giving me comfort and perspective.

Lilly

July 13, 2009
Our 16 year old cat has been sick for months, medicated for a thyroid issue and deteriorating slowly. For years, she woke us up excessively early to be fed promptly and although her meows and paws were annoying as we lay in bed every morning, I have seriously missed it recently as she seemed to stop caring about consuming food. We knew that her time was drawing near and had confronted the possibility of imminent death, but to actually walk into the bedroom and find her lying lifeless on the floor was a fresh shock. I have suffered through many…

The King Is Dead

June 29, 2009
Yes, the last ten or fifteen years of his life were controversial to say the least. His appearance changed dramatically and he slept with chimps and young boys, maybe in an oxygen chamber. He was chosen to be worshiped and from his earliest years, he was subjected to mass hysteria. We accuse him of being abnormal, but how on earth could he be expected to be normal when he had no grounding in our perceived normal reality. His life is the greatest example of our destructive celebrity culture, our obsession with fame and our deep dark desire to watch the…