Monkey Couch!

Went for a very long walk and strolled by a store on the Upper East Side that had this monkey couch in the window. Then met Marvelous Matt S. for a fantastic dinner at City Crab.

Our Man in Spain

My brother is in Spain for work and sent me this picture of the view from his run this morning of the Spanish Pyrenees.

Rico's Graduation

Congratulations, Rico!

Balto

Went for a brief walk through Central Park on a beautiful day before a midtown meeting. Walked by this famous statue of Balto, the hero sled dog who led the team which delivered diptheria antitoxin to Nome, Alaska in 1925 -- the run which is annually commemorated by the Iditerod race. As the plaque under the statue reads:

Dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the sled dogs that relayed antitoxin six hundred miles over rough ice, across treacherous waters, through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the Winter of 1925.

Endurance · Fidelity · Intelligence

Profile of Robert Kubica

My favorite (and first ever Polish) Formula One driver, Robert Kubica, was profiled in this month's F1 Racing Magazine by the talented Peter Windsor. (Should you want a copy, let me know - I've scanned it in and already sent it to a few F1 friends) Good profile and my esteem for Robert just grows. Gotta love the Polish. No bullshit, just racing...

"Which celebrity would you most like to date?"
"None."



The article also adds that "[he has] the sort of face you see in those pictures of the valiant Polish resistance fighters back in 1941."

"Robert is a Pole, and so has resilience-under-hardship etched into his DNA. Life wasn't meant to be easy; life, from the start, is imperfect. You fight, and then you fight on some more. You do what is necessary - and without fuss."

Kubica also donated his driving suit from his first career pole position (at Bahrain) to raise money for Sudan. It is being auctioned off on eBay and Robert will present the overalls in the paddock at Monza. (If I only had a spare 10,000 Euros...) He is a class act and is off to an exceptional start this season.

Hendrick's Costume Croquet Invitational

Okay... I've been very behind on the blog because I've been so busy with work. Will try and update it soon as I have a little free time. One event I meant to blog about was the "Hendrick's Gin Costume Bartender Croquet Competition" I was invited to participate in, thanks to Evan Wade.

This was an event Hendrick's sponsored for all of the bartenders in NYC who served Hendrick's Gin, and made for a nice transition from Jazz Fest. A great day despite the weather, featuring Hendrick's Gin specialty cocktails and costumed croquet (under the watchful eye of the President of the New York Croquet Club), with the winning team getting a trip to London to represent the USA in a larger, international bartender croquet competition. Naturally (and as always), I wanted to win. Unfortunately my partner took it upon himself to sample all of the specialty cocktails in pint-glass sized servings and was useless on the croquet pitch. However, while I scored all of our team's points (even, according to the Croquet Club's President, scoring "The Shot of the Day") and kept us in the running, my partner's antics did win us the award for "Most Unruly Team."

F1 & Absinthe

Robert Kubica won a well-deserved second place in the Monaco Grand Prix as we enjoyed a blissfully low-key weekend by the pool, with beer, bocce and grilled foods.

Bocce

Steel pig & bocce after sitting poolside...

Opening Day!

Three word review:

Ridiculous, Silly, Awesome.

Good Morning!

Started the day off with Bloody Marys at L'Express, in advance of the most anticipated movie of the year....

American Hero

I met Stephen Colbert.

Enjoying a Gin & Tonic

On the water...

"Great Moments in Bartending"

Imagine my surprise when I was flipping through the current issue of Esquire magazine, the annual "Best Bars in America" issue, and happened across this gem, featuring our dear friend (and wedding guest) Patrick:

GREAT MOMENTS IN BARTENDING
Wollensky Grill, New York City. Packed bar, as always. Packed with men. Patrick, a beautifully intolerant man, stands in front of a new arrival. Guy orders white wine. Patrick says nothing. Patrick slides the wine in front of him, then bides his time until the guy has consumed most of the glass. Patrick stands in front of him again. Loudly enough for everyone in the bar to hear, Patrick says: "Another chardonnay, Alice?" - David Granger

The article goes on to list their entries in the "Greatest Bars in America." Of particular note, the two entries from New Orleans figured prominently in our Jazz Fest revelry: Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop and The Spotted Cat. These two are, indeed, two of the greatest bars in America. And also - in that strange New Orleans way - happen to be the two bars I bought signature hats in this year.

In another "Great Moments in Bartending" part of the article they profile Paul Gustings of Tujague's in New Orleans, who: "could be the crustiest bartender on earth. He's also one of the best." And who Gano & I met this past Mardi Gras as we crossed Tujague's off my Obituary Cocktail list.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to both of our wonderful mothers. Unfortunately, I could not be with either of them today as work is still crushing and has to be the priority for the next few weeks, but the love is there and The Wife went out to see her mom. I did get to see Momma G. in New Orleans and The Momma-in-Law recently in Florida, so hopefully that can count, as will this photo of the 4 of us at Jerry Lee Lewis have to.

Lots of love to both of you and hope you had a special day, as two such special ladies deserve.

Über-Busy & Productive Day

I have to assume that, to the casual observer on the street, our apartment building today looked like Ghostbusters Headquarters when they shut off the containment grid. I have been standing on the throttle work-wise since 6:30am and just got off my last conference call of the day at 8:30pm. A tremendously productive day, but one that was going full-throttle all day long with multiple meetings, conference calls, etc. (As a result, I have yet to get to Jazz Fest pics, etc. Stay tuned...)