Happy Fourth

July Fourth Weekend falls somewhere between New Year’s Eve, St. Patrick’s Day, and Countryfest as the largest amateur drinking competition ever witnessed. I know this from both personal research in the field and behind the bar. I’m not shitting in the proverbial punch-bowl, I just don’t know where being a belligerently-drunk asshole falls in the Patriotism spectrum. In the quest for a memorable Fourth, one shouldn’t go into it with the intention of forgetting. If it happens, it happens, but save “winning the party” for campus. I’ll leave you with a quote from Mark Twain: “Loyalty to the country always. Loyalty to the government when they deserve it.” Try not to exercise your loyalty to the porcelain throne.

Tis the Season

Tough week for me as a Boston sports fan. Doc Rivers leaves the most historic basketball franchise to work for Donald Sterling, the Bruins choke away the Stanley Cup in less than a minute, and the Patriots' most ubiqutious offensive player looks like a homicidal maniac. I never thought John Lackey would be the highlight of my sports week (matched his career-high 12 Ks last night).

Beyond the aforementioned, the beginning of Summer marks the end of various sports coverage. I know, ESPN gave up on varied coverage years ago, but you get the gist: baseball, golf, and tennis is all we got.

The good news is you should be outside either enjoying the 8-weeks-of-perfection or trying/learning something new. Put the ball game on outside on the radio while your grilling for guests, work on lowering your handicap, or get in shape with someone on the tennis court. You're outside, learning something new, getting/staying in shape, being social, and the authentic tan is always a good look.

The Best Advice

Think about it. Seriously. Were you thrust into the cycle by your parents and, if so, will you continue it? 

The Lump Above Your Ass

I’m Fitzy, I’m a bartender, and I hate August.

Working on Cape Cod, the middle two weeks of August are a nightmare. It’s like everybody realized Summer is ending and they have unfinished business, if only everyone else would get out of their way so they could hurry up! (Manhattanites are particially to blame for this, as the finance sector takes their vacation during this time and expects the surrounding world to realize this and conspire to their every demand. On behalf of the rest of us, Go Fuck Yourselves.)

Besides priding myself on professionalism, I get to do quite a bit of people-watching  during the Summer and I’ve figured out a way for everyone to improve their experience (and life).

PLAN BETTER!

Or as Jimmy Dugan would say, “Use your head! That’s the lump three feet above your ass!”

It boggles my mind how pissed off people get when their frustration could be avoided by taking a few minutes to think about the situation before engagaing. One way to do that is to conciously be in the moment, be observant, and make sound decisions based on the aforementioned.

You have no one to blame but yourself if you’re so concerned with the speed of something that you ignore the obvious. While technology has made things more accessible at a faster rate, it doesn’t translate to people making the same progress with their brains. It results in lazier people making worse decisions at a faster rate.

Stop staring into the cell phone or GPS, be aware of your surroundings, and use that lump three feet above your ass.

Bob Marley says, "Happy 420"

Oh. Do I have your attention now?

Alec Baldwin got a Best Supporting Actor nomination for these seven and half minutes. He deserved the whole effing award. I watch this video for many reasons: it inspires me, it makes me laugh, and it reinforces how thankful I am to not be hawking something or someone.

The point is that sales is a tough racket (upends drink gesture) because anyone who can keep their sanity and perspective in such a bullshit environment deserves a medal. It's an environment based on insecurity, both inside and outside the team. There's always a constant pitching of everything to anyone who will listen (i.e. money, lifestyles, dreams, and ironically, security). A materialistic undertone equates branding to success. Never mind individual style, you should be a human billboard for Gucci, Versace, D&G, Armani, YSL, etc. If you're not being associated with wealth, what are you associating yourself with? 

Don't even think of questioning me if it doesn't pertain to business, either, because that's what we're all about here. In fact, don't even ask me a question if you're not ready for my answer and follow-up question [QAQ is a proven sales tactic used to keep one person in control of the conversation]. Any questions? 

Whoa, whoa, whoa where are you going? We were about to give you your own team! You've really been demonstrating management qualities lately, so to leave now would be a waste of all that hard work you've put in. You weren't as successful before we gave you this opportunity. Remember what we talked about? The riches, the success, the security? This happens to everyone, just stick around until you close something else and that rush will come back. 

You're a valuable asset to this company, primarily because your value is helping us acquire more assets, but what did I tell you about asking questions?

Style

Wooster

Style has been a big part of The Leisure Study since its inception. Style is personal. It's a set of beliefs. Fashion is an idealology, created by retailers, as a means of business. Fashion is something so old it's new again. It's your parents laughing at the $160 sweater you bought because they have the same one in their closet that's 30 years-old (well broken-in and probably more bad ass) and bought it for $50 bucks, hand-sewn.

Zen Buddhism suggests, "We are all two things: what others see us as being, and what we see ourselves as being." Although all monks wear the same maroon robes, that is great style advice (technically, they're ahead of the Italians and cartoon characters in the uniform dressing ideal*). You have to be comfortable with yourself to know what you want to project. You don't have to follow every fashion blog to be stylish, but street pictures exemplify great usage of patterns, textures, colors, etc. for those with an advanced sense of haberdashery. Incorporating what you see on the Internet into you takes a great sense of self. If you simply copy and paste outfits worn by others into your closet, you're accumulating costumes. You

The Day Sports Died

My sports teams are better than your sports teams. It's not anybody's fault, simply the byproduct of living in Massachusetts and going to college in Miami. Timing is everything, as is being in the right place at the right time.

From my senior year of high school through my senior year of college, I thought I had seen it all. Chronologically, it goes something like this [starting at the beginning of the millennium]: Miami Hurricanes win college baseball title, Miami Hurricanes football goes 13-0 and wins national champioship, New England Patriots win Super Bowl over highly favored St. Louis Rams, Miami football loses national championship to Ohio State in overtime on pass interference call, Patriots win second Super Bowl against Panthers, Boston Red Sox lose ALCS Game 7 to New York Yankees on Aaron 'Fuckin' Boone's walk-off home run, Patriots win third Super Bowl against Phili Eagles, Red Sox win first World Series in 86 years, on an 8-game win streak, after being down 4-3 in the 9th inning to the Yankees, Game 4 of the ALCS, trailing 3-0 in the series and on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs.

It was quite a run.

Throw in the Giants snapping the Patriots perfect season in '07 on a David Tyree miracle catch, the 2008 Champion Boston Celtics beating their rival, the LA Lakers, for their NBA-record 17th title, the 2011 Boston Bruins winning the Stanley Cup, and there is a legitimate case to made that I've experienced the emotional gambit as a sports fan.

And that doesn't include putting a friendly wager on things. (shuddering at the thought)

Fight

A great two minutes for the creative minds out there. If it were easy, everyone would/could do it.

The Moment

The last month of my life has been fucking crazy. I won't tax you with the details because it's unfair to the people involved and I don't want any blog to read "Whoa is me. My luck sucks. Wahhhh." because it doesn't.

If it did, I'd have no one to blame but myself. I made the decisions to get here. But to steal a line from Lemony Snicket, there have been a series of unfortunate events.

I couldn't be happier about it.

Every moment gives me a perspective. It could be a new one, it could confirm what I already believed to be true. Whatever the perspective achieved, the moment is something that can never be taken away from me.

And I can use these moments, these perspectives, however I choose. They've become more valuable to me than any material possession, because they help me to become a better person. Whether it is perceived as positive or negative, I will use it to be better myself in the future.

There is no such thing as wasted experience unless you forget about it.

My favorite moment?

The next one.

-S. Tobin Fitzpatrick

A Lasting [Valentine's Day] Impression

I gazed at the cash register like a deckhand at a lighthouse; its glow a refuge from the tidal pool of people bustling around me. I had an hour to get lunch. I looked down at my watch. 

12:42. Five hours today and 10 more tomorrow, then I'd be up north and on the slopes. 

"$10.31," the cashier barked, snapping me back into coherence. I paid for lunch and scrambled back up Boylston Street towards my office, all the while knowing the few remaining minutes I had at my desk would be spent resembling a competitive eating contestant. 

The combination of shoes clicking against the sidewalk, tires on pavement, and the occasional blast of a car horn created white noise that was less chaotic than the sandwich shop. I called my buddy Lumpa to see how the conditions looked for the weekend. No answer. Bitch had probably skied the whole hill already today with no crowds. I called Bob, a mutual friend who could give me the same information. 

"Hey man," Bob flatly answered. 

"What's up?! How are ya?! Ready to rage it this weekend, guy?!" I recoiled with prototypical salesperson enthusiasm as anticipated weekend adrenaline coursed through my veins. 

Did I just drop the call? There was nothing.

"Oh shit," I heard on the other end. "You don't know. Do you?"

"What's up? I just tried to call Lump but he didn't feel like answering my call. You guys ready for this weekend?" I responded with blissful ignorance. I heard Bob exhale in my ear.

"Lumpa died last night."

I dropped my phone on the sidewalk. 

Luckily it didn't appear to have any damage. I quickly put it back up to my ear. I could tell Bob was trying to stay composed on the other end. He took a few breaths and then told me that Lumpa had gone on a snowmobiling trip. He had a free spirit and I thought a little sauce, triple digit speed, and some thick trees or thin ice when one realizes they're over the middle of a lake. The northern new england news outlets specialize in delivering that story about 35 times every winter. The anchors become proficient in displaying 30-seconds of generic sympathy by February. 

"He had an allergic reaction to food," Bob said. "They think it was escargot or caviar or something on top of dinner. His airway swelled up so people's CPR efforts didn't help. By the time they got an ambulance out there it was too late."

William 'Lumpa' Brett

I went through the natural processes of mourning a friend who is unexpectedly taken at an early age. The easy part about Lumpa was that he truly lived life to the fullest, always enjoyed himself, and because of that, made everyone he came in contact with happy in that moment.

He had a lasting impact by being himself. And he only had a fraction of a life.

Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back on the short time I knew Lumpa, I realize he introduced me and re-introduced me to a good amount of things I highly prioritize in my daily life: family, quality friends, sports (particularly golf!), enjoying whatever decision you make, and not caring about what other people think. I'm sure my memories of him are typical, but the anniversary of his passing being so close to Valentine's Day is a solid reminder of what people value. 

I've always thought Valentine's Day was a pagan holiday, created by retail companies to boost quarterly earnings during a short month (I'm such a romantic). At least I've never broken up with someone because I'm too cheap to get them a gift! (All 14 of my readers just felt bad for a minute)

Whether or not you have a significant other doesn't matter, despite what Hallmark wants you to believe. What matters is letting the people you love know it. It can be simple or extravagant, but it should be genuine, because regret sucks. At least I think that's what I could picture Lumpa saying. 

That, and, "You want another beer?"

Unsquare: The Quest for Simplicity.

I read an article recently about new, trendy cocktails you should try the next time you go out. I hate these articles. I don't know why I read them. Sometimes I feel like I don't have a partner, sometimes I feel like my only friend I should be 'in the know' as a bartender that can deal with pretentious clientele. 

Afterwards, I felt the same way I always do: simple is best. 

Don't get me wrong; I watch Top Chef and the like, and there is a time and place for creative cuisine and inspirational drinks (i.e. celebratory occasions). In regards to routine behavior,  however,  a simple martini or booze+rocks is a decision the unflappable gentleman makes. It shows far more character than anything requiring over 4 steps to concoct. There is beauty in the simple. It displays an acquired taste. There is also mystery, for it begs the question how one went about acquiring that taste.  

I guess I should have prefaced the aforementioned by stating, 'this is assuming your affection for said alcohol/spirit is genuine. Otherwise, stop bullshitting yourself and be proud of your malibu baybreeze or basil/lavender/sage/frankincense/parsley/sage/rosemary/thyme, etc mojito. To thine own self be true, right?'.

Reading helps me unwind, along with music, and as I finished the article my feelings on simplicity were reaffirmed. 

The staccato emanating from the speakers was almost primitive. Like most music I've been listening to recently, it had to be either jazz or funk inspired. Hand claps, a drum that's being played mostly on the rim [like someone playing on a wooden table], percussive piano ], and something slightly askew. The simple resulting in a beautifully layered sound. I got up and looked at iTunes: Unsquare Dance by Dave Brubeck. The piano was a dead givaway, but the time signature was different than the typical 4/4 used in most all popular music. A quick check on wikipedia yielded the following: 

Dave Brubeck's liner notes: "Unsquare Dance, in 7/4 time, is a challenge to the foot-tappers, finger-snappers and hand-clappers. Deceitfully simple, it refuses to be squared. And the laugh you hear at the end is Joe Morello's guffaw of surprise and relief that we had managed to get through the difficult last chorus".

I want to be deceitfully simple. Growing wiser as you grow older is a choice. You have to be conscious of all experiences to keep them in context and evolve.

The internet is great. None of this would be here if there was no internet. But; as great as it is, as much as it's streamlined things, it also gave us more sizzle than steak. It's sped everything up, changed the game as far as how we receive information, it's become a race to see who can inundate us with as much stuff, as quickly as possible, in an attempt to keep our attention for more than 30 seconds. All of this in an effort to convince advertisers it's worth giving them money based on your attention rates. What the fuck happened to content? We're living in an age of specialization where most people specialize in telling you why you shouldn't listen to the other specialities.

Coffee. Used to put loads of sugar and cream in it. Now it's closer to black [especially the better the quality]. Same can be said for alcohol and all other vices. The older I get, the less filter I need, baby! I don't want infused vodka. How about you make a vodka that tastes good enough on its own? Miles Davis famously said, "Don't play what's there, play what's not there." Then I hear this guy, Skrillex, is popular and I want to smash my face into the closest table.

At the beginning of the year, I posted something that said, "In regards to purchases, buy things that truly and consistently improve your life rather than make it grow in size." I even posted a Rorshach test with it to expand upon the idea of looking at something differently to improve instead of accumulating things and wasting money. (You missed that part, huh? It's cool, you can look at it again here.)

I've been posting stuff under The Leisure Study's umbrella (Blogspot, .com, tumblr, twitter, FB) for a year now and I feel like I'm just offering you my real voice. I get lost in the flood from time to time, just like anyone else, so please don't feel as though I think I'm immune to the aforementioned criticisms on behavior. I'm trying to get better. I'd like to thank all of you that have stopped by the last year, shared posts, written emails, followed on twitter, liked on facebook, etc.

There's nothing better than sharing something with someone than knowing they appreciate it.

You guys are awesome!

It's all about Outlook

This is such a great three minutes that I had to post it. I think what Jonah Lehrer says at 1:39 regarding Picasso, Dylan, creativity, persistence, and mood is phenomenal.

Meditation Monday

From Valet. 

A recent study by the University of Miami studied the effects of meditation developed by the Mind Fitness Training Institute for the US Marines. The soldiers spent between 12 to 15 minutes a day engaged in mindfulness meditation—which, explained simply, is a focused concentration on the present. For example, sitting in a chair, eyes closed, focused on nothing but your breathing, and the feeling of the air coming in and out of your lungs. 

The result? Researchers reported that the Marines who meditated scored better on mood and memory evaluations, They also found improved athletic ability, relief from anxiety and

City Mouse / Country Mouse

These two clips form an interesting dichotomy (I'd watch both w/ full screen) :






How's this make you feel?

Ron Paul :: Crazy One?

This is one speech. In 2002. If you only watch a minute, make sure it's from 4:00 on.


This kind of 'radical' thinking reminds me of something:



The people who think they are crazy enough to change the world, often do. The question remains whether or not are they changing it for the greater good.


Thanks to Jeff and Mike for the video. Tips/suggestions email TLS.

Life's a Vacation?

"I find it fascinating that most people plan their vacations with better care than they do their lives. Perhaps that is because escape is easier than change." -Jim Rohn

Think about that for a minute. Ok? Good. If you are still looking to take the the ultimate golf vacation, may I suggest saving up the funds for this floating golf course in the Maldives? Some of the details according to the press release:

Featuring 18 holes connected by underwater tunnels, the course will be made up of several islands floating in the Indian Ocean, which will contain two or three holes each. The floating islands will also be linked to a series of hotels by more underwater tunnels, which will overlook the golf course and surrounding coral reefs. The project also has an environmentally aware side - it will be powered by solar energy with sustainable desalination and water cooling techniques, and will work in co-operation with the Maldives' rising sea levels.

Wanna get away? 

Small Town

Courtesy of Shreddy Times

*After completing this post, sources confirmed that free skier Sarah Burke had passed away January 19th as a result of a traumatic brain injury suffered January 11th while training for the X-Games in Park City, UT. Read more about how you can help donate to 'Believe in Sarah,' fund that's been established in her honor, by clicking here.

Back in November, I posted a story about Danny Toumarkine, a friend who lived down the street from me while living in New Hampshire. He was a great snowboarder that had suffered a traumatic brain injury while filming his first feature film out west. He is somebody who truly embodies the spirit of this blog; enjoy your time as much of the time as possible.

Upon first viewing, I found myself not only happy for Danny, but for the portrayal of his hometown, (North) Conway [NH]. It is a place I spent a lot of my childhood visiting, eventually moving there post-graduate from Miami in search of Winter, nature, and space.

Whether or not one has ever lived in a small town, hopefully at some point, they get to experience the

Words of Wisdom :: Agnelli

“Men fall into two categories: men who talk about women, and men who talk to women. In my case, I talk to them.” -Gianni Agnelli 

2012 Resolution

In regards to purchases,buy things that truly and consistently improve your life rather than make it grow in size. 

-F