Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Hope it's all champagne wishes and caviar dreams for you.  I feel like this picture sums up the Cape & Islands this weekend.  At least how people feel about themselves.  This is usually what they really look like though:

If you're going to stay thirsty, remember to stay classy. 

Have an unbelievable weekend. You deserve it ;)

Nantucket Splendor, Trip to Siasconset

This is why there were no posts yesterday, I was too busy staring at the Horizon from Sankaty Head Golf Club.  If you can get on there, do it! Luckily I was like a proud Asian parent and snapped enough iPhone pics to give you a taste of the day.

Overview of Sankaty Head, Siasconset, Nantucket. #1 (L), #9 (R), #5 (N to Sankaty Light)

Happy 70th Birthday Bob Dylan!!!

I remember growing up and hearing his name. I remember the words visionary, icon, and genius always being associated with it.  Then I heard him sing. Same guy? His music personified irony, scorned conformity, and evolved from precocious to cynical as he ascended to his spot, regretfully, as music royalty.  Watch DA Pennebaker's documentary "Don't Look Back" to see an amphetamine-fueled Dylan, touring Europe for the first time in '65, constantly denying his success and claiming he's just a songwriter.  It's a dichotomy that's displayed in almost every stanza of Dylan verse. Neil McCormick sums up Dylan beautifully:

"This is music to grow up with and grow old to, songs and performances of such depth they reveal ever more with repeated listening. On the best of Dylan, melody and lyric effortlessly mesh together, all those cascading cadences and tripping internal rhymes swept along by tunes of surprising dimensions and perfectly served by Dylan’s dramatic vocal delivery, resounding with heartfelt if often poignantly understated emotion."

For me, nothing exemplifies this point better than 4th Time Around.  Specifically the Royal Albert Hall Concert 1966 Version.  Unbelievably poetic (check out breaks/spacing), an odd time signature, and the characteristic warbling lyrical delivery describing a tragic event with emphatic beauty.  Typical Dylan.

Do you know what 4th Time Around is about?

Perfectly Imperfect

“…it’s just my own theory that, as the future unspools toward its inevitably cosmetic ends, a counter-reaction will take hold: We’ll be drawn, in our environment and in our bodies, to what is untouched, unspoiled, natural, and perfectly imperfect.”  -GQ's Jim Nelson

Day 2 or 3 of the new world (don't know how Harold Camping calculates it) and I think this quote holds some weight.  As the world throws more shit at us and the older we get, the more we aspire to surround ourselves in a simple, natural state (physically, mentally, spiritually, etc).  Think about growing up and wanting exposure to as many things as possible. You're curious and tenacious, a rough combination when in reality, you have no idea what you're doing, but you already think you're an expert.  You want to grow up as fast as you can.  You want it all and you want it now!  If only you knew what you were rushing towards....

Ladies dug HDT's neck
beard and Walden Ways

The internet has only sped up this process. You can find, buy, sell, design, or inquire about almost anything. Has access to this information made us any smarter, increasingly civilized, or well evolved?  Put it this way: G.W. Bush served two terms as President and "Jersey Shore" is a hit TV show.

When you realize you have access to almost anything is when you should start striving for that which you have the least access to.

The city dweller who wants to retire to the countryside.  The yearly vacation to a secluded beach resort.  The summer-house you always dream of buying so you can relax and "get away from it all".  There's a reason people still study Thoreau, whether or not they search for Walden is their choice.

So now that we've survived and society continues to evolve, pursuing perfection, don't forget that the imperfections are what natural beauty are all about.  It's like how Miles Davis once described jazz music, "Don't play what's there, play what's not there."

Transcendentalist'd

Rapture, Smapture...

"I don't like to commit myself about heaven and hell - you see, I have friends in both places."  -Mark Twain

Apocalypse Now?

Reno, NV

California

Nashville, TN

Love the People @ 5:44

So how are you going to spend your last hours?  Do whatever the hell you want! It's like writing off your behavior between the ages of 18-22 because "it was college".  

"Yeah, I'm going to have to take Friday off because...you know...the rapture, christ, etc....so, ugh, if we're still...um....still here, still standing...I'll see you guys in the office Monday. Ok....Have a good weekend, I mean, be safe (hang up)"

P.s. If you're alive Monday, remember to come back and check out the blog :)

Desiderata :: Max Ehrmann

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,

and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

I hadn't read this in a while and it reminded me of the poem "IF" By Rudyard Kipling (most people know him only as the dude who wrote "The Jungle Book" smh) Many people think Desiderata was written centuries ago [1692], however that is NOT the case, for the full story on this poem, click here.  

Thanks Dante!

Beer Party :: Spice up Spring

The typical "Leisure Study" Dinner Party

Looking for something other than a pub crawl?  It's cheaper and more fun. Host a beer party (make sure not to misspell the invite and put Bear...trust me).  Invite your friends, maybe their friends, we can be friends (everybody! "Sh*t we could do this every weekend") over to your house on a night like a Monday when you need an excuse to drink Saturday night and tell them that you’re throwing a Favorite Beer Party. Their assignment is to bring (at least) a six pack of their all time favorite beer, and to be prepared to explain these three things:

1. Why they like it so much
2. Where and when they first had it
3. Any nostalgia associated with it

Once everyone has a glass in hand and some good music is going, put the names of all of your guests in a jar. Draw a name, and that person then gets to tell you the story behind their favorite beer.

Then it’s time to taste. It’ll add up quick as the night goes on.

Leave plenty of space in between each name draw / beer pour for tasting, conversing, and all that usual stuff which tends to happen at house parties. You’ll find a rhythm.

Sound cheesy? A little bit. But it’s fun. You’ll hear some great stories, drink some beers that’ll become your new favorites, and you’ll probably try some beers you’ll never want to ever have again. All while hanging out with people you probably feel lucky to be associated with.

Additions:

• Make sure you have enough glasses. Not plastic, not paper cups, glasses.
• Also have some masking tape and a marker on hand to label those glasses if need be.
• No snobbery. If someone’s favorite beer is PBR? Or Michelob Ultra? Good for them.
• Be honest. Don’t pick something obscure to impress. Your stories won’t be as good.
• Get a 3 – 4 gallon beer bucket and a few bags of ice. You’ll run out of room in the fridge.
• Points for growlers. 
• Food helps. A lot. Have those who are so inclined bring some kind of appetizer.
• The beer should be the center of attention. So leave your killer food recipe at home.
• Designated drivers and/or cab company phone numbers are a good idea. The point is to taste beer, not get drunk, but things get tipsy for the lightweights. Sometimes sloppy. Be prepared. 
• This is a co-ed party. Like they all are :)

Get noticed: 

"Do the Write Thing"?

Boston sweeps the Yankees. 

Got to love the Boston/New York Rivalry...

Bob Marley Died 30 Years Ago Today ;(

It's been raining and on the verge of the apocalypse in Massachusetts for the last three days. "Just Turrrrrible," as Charles Barkley would say. However, putting on some Bob Marley this morning put me in an unbelievable mood.  The guy personifies transcendence, consciousness, and positivity. I believe everyone strives to have Marley's attitude at some point in their lives.  For most, it's called college. Here are some of my favorite moments from Bob.

Bob talks about reggae music, rastafari, craving material possessions, violence, the media, politics, and being a 'revolutionary'

Playing Soccer 

Stir It Up from "The Old Grey Whistle Test" Show 5/1/73

Concrete Jungle from the same show (ridiculous harmonies)

"Everything in Moderation"

 "Better grounded emotionally through patience, we become stronger mentally and spiritually, and tend to be healthier physically." -His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

Sometimes I feel old. Other times I act young. Sometimes I am really lucky. Other times I make great decisions. Life is constantly throwing stuff at all of us, at such a rapid pace, it often seems like it's a constant series of reactions.

I spent a lot of time this past week reflecting on a lot of things. But before you think I'm going all "Lifetime Original Movie" on you, there were situations thrust upon me that re-enforced the idea of everything in moderation.

I had a close friend get in a nasty car accident. He's lucky to be alive. It's not fair to him to post to the details right now, considering he can't even speak. We'll just leave it at that. The point of my posting is that I was having a great time with him and other friends that night. The Celtics lost to the Heat in the much-anticipated first game of their playoff series, but that news was blown over by the breaking news that Osama Bin Laden has been discovered and killed by US Navy Seals. Everyone was brought back to September 11th and where were you?

It was a very reflective, weirdly elating, and strangely communal night because you'll always remember where you were during historical moments like that.

Fast Forward to 6 AM to the next morning and my friend's sister calling me to ask if I was with her brother and if I could tell her anything that happened? What? He had flipped his car multiple times and needed several surgeries to basically reshape his face. Holy. Shit.

Mark Twain best summed this up, "Everything has its limit- iron cannot be educated into gold." Some people will get that, but for the others, just remember the title, Everything in moderation.

The next day, I played golf. I was actually supposed to play with the kid in the car accident. I wasn't allowed in ICU so what the hell, right? I was thrown in with a group of 6 buddies, all 50-somethings, that had gone to High School together. Good times. They reminded me that everyone has their group. You'll grow old with them. You'll stay in touch. And they'll be other groups that you don't stay in touch with as well, but you'll do the best you can because you care, it's just that life goes at the aforementioned pace. It's like that guy in the circus who juggles 15 plates on different sticks. You're just trying to keep them all spinning.

It's been a week, and if you wondering, my friend is doing better. He still can't talk because his jaw was broken. He's had multiple surgeries and I have no doubt he'll bounce back from this, but it's a harsh reminder of what happens when you can't balance your plates like the guy in the circus.

"Awakening starts when you notice that you notice." -Deepak Chopra

Cinco de Mayo :: Best Tequila Under $25

Because unless your a Tequila connoisseur, you won't be drinking this until Summer is in full swing. The list:

Milagro Silver $24 

The Ultimate Mint Julep :: Kentucky Derby 5.7.11

Bill Samuels' Maker's Mark Mint Julep Recipe to get you ready for Derby celebrations! (Note: this recipe is not for the faint of heart)

• 3 ½ cups Maker’s Mark
• 3 oz Maker’s Mark
• Lots of fresh spearmint
• 1 cup Distilled water
• 1 cup Granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar

Wash about 40 mint leaves and place in a mixing bowl. Cover with 3 oz Maker’s Mark and soak for 15 minutes. Then gather the leaves in a cotton cloth and wring over the bowl of whisky. Dip again and repeat.

Prepare simple syrup by mixing a cup of granulated sugar and a cup of water in cooking pot, heating to dissolve the sugar, stirring constantly. Add to the 3 ½ cups of Maker’s Mark.

Add the mint extract 1 tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture, tasting and smelling after each one is added to check for a soft mint aroma – usually about 3 tablespoons.

Refrigerate the mixture for at least 24 hours.

If you can get a hold of some shaved ice that is preferred, if not just regular ice will work, fill each glass half full, insert a sprig of mint, and then pack more ice to about an inch over the top of the cup. Insert a straw and then pour the julep mixture over the ice, topping it with a sprinkle of powdered sugar. Enjoy.

*Sounds like a lot of work to me. But the last time I hosted a Derby Party, I passed out before the race even started, leaving my roomates with a bunch of guests they didn't know.  I eventually awoke to my roommate pounding on my door, demanding I "stop being a bitch and rally", and finally making me do a kegstand to shock me back into coherence.  Good thing he did, I ended up winning the Derby Pool!  Unfortunately, I missed calling in my lucky number horse (who happened to be at 50-1 odds) and it won! Fuckin' 50 to win 2500. Nice job asshole. 

America, F*ck Yeah!

Photo by Mike Appleton of NY Times


Where's that asshole George W. Bush, in his flight gear, saying "mission accomplished"?