My Boy's Wicked Smaht!

Despite your political views, I think everyone can appreciate the common sense my cousin exemplifies here:

Mr. President,

I came up with an idea that could help with issues such as: growing welfare costs, abuse of the welfare system, obesity, and possibly even rising health-care costs all at once. You have said on numerous occasions that this nation’s greatest resource is our people, so please consider the following. 

Much like FDR’s Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930’s, I propose that we put the recipients of welfare and unemployment aid to work several hours per week to earn their check. There are stationary bicycles already fitted with technology that will harness the energy produced by the rider. What if you placed facilities throughout the country and gave people a time to ‘show up for work’. Giving them a 2-3 hour work day would allow plenty of time to let them continue to look for more gainful employment, perhaps discourage the continued abuse of the welfare system, give many people a much needed workout which could lead to decreased health-care costs – all while producing energy from a clean source.

I have read that by giving people a job, rather than a handout – FDR helped restore a sense of purpose and meaning to many lives during the great depression. Perhaps this could work again. Others would find the task undesirable, and may be incented to look for more gainful employment. The energy produced by these bicycles is not going to solve the global warming or foreign energy dependence issues, but it certainly couldn’t hurt. I’m sure if the initiative were taken seriously there could be further developments in the technology to produce a respectable amount of energy. 

In areas where it would not make economic sense to build such facilities, you could put people to work doing other tasks that municipalities are in need of and are lacking the budget to pay for these days. 

I know your time is limited, therefore I have not included too much detail in this note. If you would like me to expand upon my idea in further detail, please let me know. I have included a link below to give you an idea of how this technology is currently being utilized in gyms, prisons, etc. 

Sincerely,
Greg Cyr
Henderson, NV

Let's take it one step further. A few weeks ago I wrote a piece regarding cyclists that received mix reaction. Now I have a use for those cyclists that clog roadways! They can quit their day jobs, put on their tightest ensemble, and become government employees. Take these people on rides, or better yet, stick them all in a room together and pedal for power! These assholes could've been getting all of us through Hurricane Irene instead of Trivial Pursuit.

Life in the Fast Lane...

I had a dinner conversation a few nights ago that I've thought about every 10 minutes since its inception. That's what a great dinner is all about; unbelievable food with [hopefully] some new/different perspectives on things. I was talking to a science professor at a well known northeast university and his views on some existential topics were fascinating. The amount of alcohol consumed also contributed to this and might come into play during my recap of the night.

We started talking about the end of Summer and people operating in such haste. Is it because they feel the need to cram everything in before the kids go back to school their lives start again? Maybe they felt like they hadn't accomplished as much as they wanted to, so they're taking it out on everybody else?  Or could it be the oppressive heat?

We moved onto the speed in which people operate. When you're young, you're observing everything. As you age, the more you use those observations to help you get an edge, get ahead, or feel a sense of advancement. At some point, during this "advancement" period, something either clicks or it doesn't. The professor said you reach terminal velocity. You can't go any faster. Or so it seems. He noted that, in the process of growing up, once a person reaches terminal velocity, they can't go any faster because time [or your world] slows down for them. He then related this theory to the 70's short film, The Powers of Ten. Here take a look:

At first, you're zoomin'! Then, as you realize that things are progressing at the same speed, you recalibrate, and what started off as speeding up actually starts to look like it's slowing down. The sports analogy would be a young Quarterback leading his team to victory in the clutch. How many times in post-game speeches have you actually heard guys say, "everything just kind of slowed down for me out there and I was able to really focus and get it done today."

The professor was blinding me with science. So when does this slowing down, almost zen-like transformation phase begin?

"It's like everything else in this world," the professor said. "It's a bell curve. Eventually, you hit an apex in your life when that decision is made for you."

He brought up an example of an experiment conducted with different people looking at pictures. The pictures were mostly of graphic, disgusting nature with a few pictures depicting happiness. After viewing the pictures, people were asked to talk about what they saw. Most people went on, in-depth, about the multitude of disgusting things they were shown. But, most of the older demographic only described the nice looking picture that occurred maybe once every 25 images. They could accept and ignore the majority of things they didn't want to see and focus on what they did want to see. They had slowed down and only remembered the positive things they saw. And they described them in great detail.

"Sounds like how most people describe the impact of having a child," I said.
"That changes a lot of things," he said jokingly. "What we're talking about is the evolution of that life, from speeding up to hitting the apex on the bell curve, hitting terminal velocity, and slowing down. Except it's not really slowing down, it's becoming used to that speed, giving you the appearance of slowing down. You're consciously speeding towards something, which I hope is worth it, because when time slows down, you're going to want to enjoy what you're observing. That's what makes people slow down. Observing happiness."

Steam was starting to come out of my orifices precluding my brains spontaneous combustion.

"I mean, if you find this interesting, what you should start looking at is Einstein's Theory of Relativity, because that's what we're really diving into," he exclaimed!

Yes. You read that correctly. Somebody actually suggested I look into E=MC②.

That's when I sped up to the bar and ordered another Martini, hoping it would help slow me down. Or use it to put out the flames on my already smoldering brain.

Dance Lessons :: James Brown

I'm going to have these things perfected by the time Irene gets here. Probably could just look her right in the face, give her the camel walk, maybe the electric bugaloo, and she'll go right out to sea knowing she's been defeated by a greater force of nature.

Think Different :: The Crazy Ones

Thank you Steve Jobs. For everything :)

"Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Apple Inc.

Let it Flow...

Just lay off the highlights,
gold stud earring, & lipstick
in "A-Rod Fuschia" hue. Wait!
KD Lang?

I'm pretty much full Irish, but I have what my friends so kindly refer to as the Jew-Fro. Whatever. They're just jealous because they have regular hair. Chicks dig curly hair, and if I wanted to hook-up with a jewish chick, I'd have an instant in (la heim!). Pass the bagel pon the left hand side...

Once I decided to rock my coif, not hide my locks under the guise of a shitty fade, I learned a valuable lesson that applies to all dudes.

 If you want your hair to look consistent, keep yourself on-schedule. Get a haircut every 3.5 weeks, or about half a week to a week before you think you need one. You'll know your spacing after the second visit to your barber/stylist/gay-friend-who-cuts-your-hair. Once you find someone who does it right, stick with them too.

"You might be a
redneck if..."

So schedule your next cut when you're paying for the one you just got. If you don't go to that type of place, set a date in your phone while you're sitting in the chair. Just don't be the guy who considers this ->

Whoa, Hipster!

This was the best sentences I read this morning (via GQ):

"These days, the supposed cool kids look like straight-up jackasses. It's like, dude, why is your tie tucked, your collar askew, your pant rolled, your sleeves cut off, your jacket double-breasted, and your pocket square poufing so high it's licking your earlobes...all at the same time? You know it's bad when bros are making Kanye West seem like a bastion of restrained taste."

I think style is totally personal. So keep it that way. Embrace what you like. It doesn't have to be everything all the time.

Unless that's who you are...

Party Trick!

You're hanging with friends, probably late night, and you want to get some music going. Just something for the background. No speaker set-up is available. Try this: take your smartphone [works best with an iPhone 4 or something with decent output] and put it in an empty (preferably) red wine glass. The shape of the glass amplifies the acoustics, boosting the volume on whatever comes out of the phone. A stemmed glass is better because it puts the speakers in the air as well, carrying the sound a little more. Way better than schleppin' that ghetto blaster around on your shoulder like Tron.

College Corruption :: Who's to Blame at The U

If you've been living under a rock the last few days or don't follow sports, click here for the back story.

My dad went to graduate school in Miami in the early-mid 70's. He brought me up on Miami football in the 80s when they were "The U".  A bunch of chest-beating, ass-kicking, show-offs who were widely viewed as thug niggers to a vast white audience used to watching Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Penn State, or any other mid-western school showcasing large, corn-fed, white linemen running the "3 yards and a cloud of dust" offense. Miami Football in the 80's was an unwelcome change. A high-flying passing attack that didn't just beat people, but destroyed them with speed and tenacity that was unrivaled, and they knew it. So every chance they got to show it off, they did. Big time.

But you can't look at something without historical context. In 1983, Miami won their first championship [as a 10-seed] against [then #1 seed] Nebraska that was heavily favored at the time. In this day in age, you would never get that match-up that allowed a team to jump 9 spots after one game. Beyond that, Miami had been getting their ass handed to them by teams like Notre Dame and Oklahoma for 10+ years prior to that. Most of these "elite" teams, which had almost every high-school all-american on their roster, would leave the cold midwest and schedule a vacation week down in Miami and kick the shit out them on National TV once a year. The NCAA fat cats were happy with the Old Boys Clubs beating up on the hapless, rag-tag thugs. If you were a catholic, all-american athlete, you went to Notre Dame. If you weren't, you tried to get the most money possible between schools like Texas, SMU, Oklahoma, or some SEC school like Alabama or Georgia. There were only a handful of schools where you could gain national exposure and help out your poor family.

SMU Football got the "death penalty" for running a program so corrupt, the money chain went all the way up to the Texas governor's office. College football is an arms race, you're only as good as your next recruiting class. SMU sanctions opened up the opportunity for Barry Switzer to take the reins and do similar things at Oklahoma (read "Bootlegger's Boy" if you don't believe me).

Every time one school goes down, it opens up the chance for another to step up. Usually their rivals.

Recently, school's like USC (Reggie Bush/Matt Leinhart/coach Pete Carroll), Ohio State (Maurice Clarrett, Troy Smith, Terrell Pryor, coach Jim Tressel), North Carolina (former Miami coach Butch Davis), Tennessee/USC-again (Pete Carroll descendent and fellow weasel Lane Kiffin), and possibly 2010 champs Auburn (Cam Newton, coach Gene Chizik) have all violated NCAA rules and, in some cases, won NCAA titles!

The NCAA refuses to acknowledge ANYTHING UNTIL THAT TEAM WINS! Congratulations, here's the trophy. Soon we will take out the microscope, peel back the curtain, and find out just how corrupt this title really was. Either that, or a media outlet blows the whistle on a program and the NCAA comes out with a statement a week later that reads, "we've been investigating them for 6 months already, we just couldn't tell you..." Sure thing.

I graduated from the University of Miami with degrees in both Broadcast Journalism and American Studies. I covered the Football team for a local magazine while in college. I got to cover the team that I grew up watching every Saturday as a kid. And I'll tell you, truthfully, it ruined the fantasy for me.

I realized that college athletics are full of hypocrisy.

My freshman year, I watched the 2001 Hurricanes, the greatest college football team ever assembled. Longest winning-streak, longest home-game winning streak, largest average margin of victory, over 26 first-round NFL draft picks, etc. University President Donna Shalala started her tenure there in the same year. Donna had different priorities. Hers were to raise a billion dollars in 10 years and turn the image of Miami into the Harvard of South. Talk about not knowing your audience. Here's what happened.

2001: The Best Ever?

Miami hasn't won a title since 2001, but they led the NCAA Academic Progress Rating (APR) with Stanford for the last two years. This year, they were ranked 47 in the Princeton Review College Rankings, which was the highest ranked school in Florida. Shalala raised her billion dollars in just under her 10-year goal.

Like the locals say, "Miami is a sunny place for shady people."

Shalala the oompa-loompa yells, "show me the money" like she's Jerry McGuire, just make sure the check is made out to something that benefits the school and keeps her looking good.

Even if the check is signed by Nevin Shapiro, the bitter, convicted, $930 million-dollar ponzi schemer. He's not to blame for this mess,  University President Donna Shalala is. She didn't care where the money was coming from, just as long as it was coming. You didn't ask about this guy or his background?

Oompa-Loomp, Doopity, Doo...

That's where the hypocrisy in college sports arises. The athletes can't behave a certain way, but it's totally legitimate for the University president to open up her back pocket. Now, newly-hired head coach Al Golden is thinking, what the fuck did I just inherit.

ESPN's Heather Dinich's puts it perfectly:

"Former athletic director Paul Dee, who once sat as chairman on the NCAA’s Committee on Infractions and lambasted USC for its violations, has some explaining to do. Former athletic director Kirby Hocutt, who abruptly resigned to become athletic director at Texas Tech after he hired Golden, has some questions to answer. (Hocutt did not immediately return a call to his office.) Shalala, who can be seen in a Yahoo! Sports photo accepting a donation that was allegedly comprised of illegal money, needs to address the issue beyond the statement released earlier today. And former coaches Randy Shannon and Larry Coker, under whose watch these alleged violations took place, also need to state their cases. (Shannon did not return a text message to his cellphone.)

Funny how the majority of Miami officials who are accountable for this mess are gone."

Pete Carroll left before USC got hit, his protege Lane Kiffin did the same thing at Tennessee, and Ohio State's Jim Tressel "resigned" before he could be fired, so as to not forfeit any money lost if he was "fired".

Here's what chaps my ass. Miami basketball has never been any good. Miami Football hasn't even been good for about 7 seasons. So what the fuck was this Shapiro guy paying for? Himself! He was a 5'5" douche bag from Miami Beach who has been a professional fraud his whole life. He never played sports, never went to The U, and was never publicly accepted by any university clique. Like so many people, he fell in love with the U-Swagger in the 80s. So as long as he acted like the man, everyone should treat him like that, except for when it comes time for punishment.

Miami is full of people who can sell & promise you the world, until you start asking them how they plan on doing it. News flash: Young kids in Miami love to party for free.  This guy hoodwinked adults out of $930 million dollars, but some 18 year-old, undereducated, poor kid is supposed to say no to advances? Please. Like the Miami New Times wrote about Shapiro*, "he's the epitome of a Magic City con artist: a hard-partying, tasteless, status-obsessed gambler with a lust for harems of girlfriends, famous friends, and luxury yachts."

Shapiro and Shalala

Tell me you don't like college sports, tell me you don't like Miami, but don't tell me that this whole thing doesn't fall squarely on the shoulder's of President Donna Shalala.  This whole thing benefitted her while she claimed to be changing the perception of the school . She's the only one still employed by the university who has ties to Shapiro. The athletic department was completely overhauled 6 months ago. Rather than punish them, fire the person who is really in charge. Stop the hypocrisy.

That's change we can all believe in.

America loves two things. A winner and a comeback story. The Miami Hurricanes have been both. Donna Shalala accomplished her goal.  She changed the perception of the University of Miami.

P.s. How does Urban Meyer chime in on this on ESPN? Dude had 27 players arrested while coaching Florida! Pot, meet kettle.

*click the link for the article, "Nevin Shapiro: Miami's Caligula"

Fantasy Football

I love this ad. Not only because of the Heart reference, but because of the "gentlemen's bet" that ends with the guy saying, "I love the horse..."

It reminds me that two of my friends have a bet this year regarding regular season wins between the Patriots and Giants. Loser has to get the winner's initials tattooed on his lower back aka "Tramp Stamped".

Neither guy looks like the picture at right, so it's safe to say that the loser's social/sex life is pretty much doomed after this season.

We'll have some fantasy and betting previews coming up for the 2011 season soon on TLS. Stay tuned.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the...

I had a nice lazy Sunday.  I was fliiping through the tv and came across a Stone Temple Pilots concert. Flip no more for the next 30 minutes or so.

It wasn't because of the music. Although I enjoyed the show, it made me think about being 10 years-old and thinking, "this is what rebellion sounds like." I remember my cousin bought the STP CD, Core when we were on vacation in New Hampshire. We didn't have cable up there and this is about 2-3 years after CDs came out, too, so I thought my cousin was bad ass because he had a CD player. The first song was [lead singer] Scott Weiland screaming into a bullhorn, "I am/ smelling like a rose/that somebody gave me/ on my birthday/deathbed. I am/ smelling like a rose that somebody gave me/ 'cause I'm/ dead & bloated...[guitar pounds in WAH-WAH/BA-DA-DA-DA/BA-DA-DA-DA...]"

What the fuck? This is what angst, talent, and heroin sound like, huh?

That's at least how I remember my introduction into grunge music. So whenever I hear bands like Pearl Jam, Blind Melon, Soundgarden, Rage Against the Machine, Radiohead, etc I almost start laughing because I think about how awkward everything was when I was younger and trying to figure it all out. Don't worry, heroin was definitely not involved. That grunge era was my soundtrack growing up. Most of my firsts probably have those bands in the background.

ahhh, the 90's

Quick related tangent:  Fast-Foward 10 years later. My sophomore year at U-Miami. The local radio station announced that STP was having a free impromptu concert on South Beach that day. 2pm.  So my friends and I jump in my buddies Ford Probe ( the poor man's super shitty mustang on Ford's product line) and head towards the show. The driver has so much ADD that 1.3 miles into the trip we rear-end a Jeep Grand Cherokee and the hood actually goes underneath the Jeep, lifting it up! We lose one friend.

Not in the accident, but afterwards.

Turns out that in the chaos following the accident, he casually walked away from the scene because he had pot on him and the knew the cops would be showing up soon.

Cops show up, they move the cars out of my way, my friend who's driving starts going through accident details, insurance swapping, etc. and tells us to go on without him. We say, "There's no way we could do that, bro" as the ride that we had arranged two minutes prior to that statement pulls up.  Keiver's already riding shotgun, laughing. We pile in and see a great STP show literally on the sands of South Beach.  Weiland was singing through his bullhorn, the crowd sung along to "Plush", and although I thought I was the coolest thing since Don Johnson, I actually let down my layer of douchery and embraced the giddiness of a 10 year-old discovering himself. Again.

Wise men, by the name of the Doobie Brothers, once sang, "Whoa, oh, oh, Listen to the music. All the time"

Sugarland Stage Collapses

Like Country singers needed anything more to cry about....

Bug Eyes and Duck Lips :: Redux!

If you don't already know how I feel about this pic, click here. Or here.

Otis :: Jay-Z & Kanye West

Directed by Spike Jonze, the best in the game, I just feel like he always gets it. Despite them committing homicide on that Maybach, I love how it demonstrates pure Americana: Chest-Beating, Big Smiles, Hot Women, and Explosions.

And everyone will know what year it was made because of the Aziz Ansari cameo. This guy is randomly everywhere these days. Way to date it, fellas.

Listening to the whole album right now, not sure what I think of it yet. We'll see over the weekend. Have a great one!

Remember This

"If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything."

-Mark Twain

Bonobos Baby!

I know, I know, it's August.  It's hot as balls. It's humid.  We talkin' 'bout pants man?! Not shorts, not shorts...but pants.  We talkin' 'bout pants man?!  

Yup. Because Bonobos makes the best in the business. That's what they founded their company on; great looking, but more importantly, great fitting, pants. Well, that, and FREE SHIPPING AND RETURNS! Yeah, try 'em on and if you don't like them, send them back for free and their "ninjas" will take of everything, getting you the right fit in a few days, free. 

As always, I wouldn't endorse something unless I use it myself. And after dealing with these guys once, I was hooked. I know the colors in the pictures might be extreme for some gents, but check out their website and I think you'll be impressed.

Here's where reading TLS pays off. Click any of the links in this post to get to their website, and you get $50 right away towards anything!  Now get yourself a nice pair of pants, Fall is right around the corner ;)

Park & Bond

One day, you might be this cool:
Nickelson Wooster

A new fashion websites for dudes has arrived named Park & Bond.

"We chose those two Manhattan thoroughfares because each represents a distinct approach to style. One is tailored and classic, the other casual and contemporary. Put the two together and you’ve got the essence of how a man should dress right now," according to their website.

Founded by the Gilt Group, which still offers daily deals on high-end men's clothing and accessories on Gilt.com, Park & Bond offers:

• A curated selection of the world's best brands, available when and where you want them
• The ability to see how virtually every item appears as part of a head-to-toe look
• Tools and content designed to help men build an amazing wardrobe and get the most out of it, from personal shopping to buying guides and how-tos

Park & Bond is still in the Gilt Group price line, but they offer slideshows and look books, mostly shot on park avenue, to help exemplify how people are wearing today's looks. They also provide tutorials on how to maintain and care for your stuff! Take this interview [w/ Michael Bastian] for example: 

You’re only as strong as the tools in your toolbox. So all the work is pre-work: you choose your clothes carefully, you make sure they fit properly, you have a good tailor. Then make sure they are clean and on their hanger ready for you. You don’t need a lot of clothes—I’ve been saying this for ages now—buy less but buy better…It’s not uncommon to see some of the [Italian] guys I’ve worked with come wearing the same thing every other day and rotate. I call it “cartoon dressing.” Remember when you watched cartoons and you were like “why don’t they ever change clothes?” It’s because they are perfect. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it!

I am a proponent of style over fashion. Style is identifiable. It's your persona. How you wear things is just as important as what you're wearing.  

Fashion is now. Fashion is trending.  But that's not to say that things that are fashionable now can't become part of your evolving style. Can ya dig?

Marisa Miller vs. Kate Upton. Who ya got?

                                                                         VS.

Kate Upton is the new kid on the block. Blond with big assets, she's moving up the ranks in Sports Illustrated and Victoria's Secret. But let's not look to the future without acknowledging the past. Marisa Miller is amazing. Great smile, cute freckles, and probably the perfect body. Maybe I'm being nostalgic, but I remember seeing Miller for the first time ever in SI and thinking, "greatest usage of the iPod, ever." The argument between Miller and Upton is like debating between the chicken and the egg. That being said, I don't think you get Upton without Miller paving the way. So that means I'm siding with the egg. 

Or is it the chicken? Shit. Forget trying to make analogies when they're hot chicks around. Chicks...that means Marisa is the chicken. Original Recipe. Kate can be extra crispy.  

I'm going to get some KFC. Got a jonesin' for some breasts, legs, and greasy hands.

Have a great weekend ;)

Grrrrr Baby! Very Grrrr.

20-1? 20-1?  To Win a Tournament that he's won 7 times before?  And he's put all the excuses aside in press conferences this week, saying he's completely healthy.  For a guy like Tiger, who chooses his words carefully, I felt like he was really saying, "Fitzy, I got this, put a little $50-spot on it and if they hate, then let 'em hate and watch the money pile up!"

Plus! This is coming in the same week in which Randy Moss retired from the NFL. Coincidentally, Randy was most famous for one quote:

Friendly Fenway

Petey, Jacoby, Salty, Crawford
& Son

Wise man once said, "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Here's an example. I get some Red Sox tickets through a co-worker.  These things had been passed around a few times, but I hadn't been to a game in a while so I took them. My brain started working overtime as soon as they were in my hand. 

So I started doing what I do best. I talked to people. My friend and I got put in touch with a very high-ranking Red Sox employee who couldn't have been more accommodating. He took us on a private tour of the entire place. We go down for batting practice, hang in the dugout, watch home runs sail out of the park from the Green Monster, etc. Cool stuff. David Ortiz even came over and signed balls for us, which the executive told me was "extremely rare". 

Big Papi is a leisuralite. 

I needed some food before the game. Something close, quick, and delicious. Basho on Boylston is the play. It seems like most sports fans now are obese, chicken-finger inhaling slobs, which is ironic considering that they are attending an athletic event. So while they're crowding around in Friday's, my friends and I downed cucumber martini's [Ketel 1, Sake, basil, lime, and Thatcher's Cucumber] and rolls. I don't care if it's an atypical Red Sox dinner, I had an outdoor table overlooking Fenway and no one trying to waddle around me for a PBR Tall Boy. 

Got into the game and the seats were great. Just off home plate, towards third base, overlooking the skyline. It doesn't get much better.  Until the executive sends us a text telling us to come up to the owner's box!

Box View

Jackpot. Huge spread of food, leather couches and flatscreens, outdoor cushioned seats, a fridge full of delicious brew, and...a private bathroom with flatscreen so we didn't miss any action.  As the great Ric Flair once said, "Woooooooooooooo!"

Sox lost 9-5, but it was the best loss I've ever witnessed, which proves "there are no such things as strangers, just friends you haven't met yet." 

Thanks Tim ;)  

Pics: 

Cuc Martini and Tuna Tartar @ Basho

Say what you want, it was delicious!

Papi gave me his Herbie Hancock

The Adirondack Chair :: A Must Own?

Tommy Lee relaxes my ass. Not the grimey drummer with a baby arm for his third. Thomas Lee, who invented the Adirondack Chair in 1903. According to wikipedia:

"The original Adirondack chair was made with eleven pieces of wood, cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set at a slant to sit better on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It also featured wide armrests, which became a hallmark of the Adirondack chair."

I once thought these things were a sign of quintessential New England Waspiness, but the design is flawless.  Big seat, huge armrests that support anything [even cups and plates], and a backing that supports your head comfortably when zoning out.  The design is also aesthetically pleasing.  The simple design is a nice compliment to any outdoor area.  Much better than the unibody plastic resin chairs you're sitting on now. Don't feel like shelling out the coin?  I got you covered.  Get your Bob Villa on!

There's an APP for That!

Don't throw out your phone before you try these free apps. They'll help maximize your iPhone, iPad, or Android platform. Click on the names to go to their respective pages and download the apps.

Dubset-  Because you can't listen to Fitz FM all the time!  Dubset is like Pandora Radio, but features a constantly updating playlists of live DJ sets from all over the world. House, Electronica, Progressive, Trance, Mash-Ups, Rock, and more.  If you like DJs or clubs, download it. It's also fantastic if you're having a party and don't want to put together a playlist. Like Ron Popeil once said, "set it and forget it".

Evernote- Great for people who are always saving parts of articles or web links. It syncs with your computer so you can save entire articles, links, sentences, whatever, and retrieve them from anywhere.  You can also tag certain words and relate articles. It is an insanely robust app. I'm still tinkering with it, but if your short-term memory comes and goes like mine, download this.

Instagram- All your friends have probably changed their profile pics into something rustic using this app, so what are you waiting for?  Instagram lets you evoke some nostalgia into your mobile pictures and play with effects.  A very, very cool application if you love photography or like acting like a graphic designer. Or need a new profile pic. Just don't be the person who always takes the same picture, in the same pose. That shit is weird.