Sugarpants Class on Amtrak

Rolling up to CT & then New Hampshire with my brother (nicknamed "Sugar Pants") and Marvelous Matt S.

RIP: Jim

Jim lost his battle today - but BOY did he FIGHT. I don't have the pictures I would want to share - he was a better photographer. I don't have the words - he meant too much to The Wife, her family, and mine, as he & Chris hosted our Engagement Party. But that does not begin to capture the man. He was - and I choose my words carefully - a wonderful man. Full of wonder. Full of hope. Full of life & joy.

And so, lacking the proper photo, the proper words, all I can say (because we shared a love of music) is that... "The Boy's doin' it..." (So let's not be TOO sad... He would not want us to be.)

Good sir, I was happier every time you were around.

Godspeed. You did it. And kept on doin' it...

Sugar Pants!

My brother is on the way from Texas!

Nantucket Offroading

Mark, his wife, myself and The Wife go "offroading" on Nantucket. We parked on this beach and then got stuck in the sand. When we tried to go past Wauwinet up to Great Point, we REALLY got one of the Jeeps stuck. Of course, that's because Kevin forgot to put it in to 4 Wheel Drive... And we all almost ran out of gas. But still, a great day...

Dead to Me

As predicted, Will Simon of Brooklyn, NY won the New Yorker's Caption Contest with MY quote. I am furious. And Will Simon of Brooklyn, NY is now - officially - Dead to Me.

"Objection, Your Honor! Alleged killer whale."
Will Simon
Brooklyn, N.Y.

Nantucket Bumper Sticker

Nantucket Offroading

Nantucket Kadima!

Mid-Afternoon Monkey Nap

Sometimes, The Monkey needs go s'eeps...

Nantucket!

A great day on Nantucket. Spectacular weather & we're about to surprise the guest-of-honor Jeff for his 40th birthday.

The Cruelest Month

When TS Eliot wrote that April was "the cruelest month", he had not experienced this June. From the absurdly minor (losing our AC & having the truck break down) to the tragically major (a lost relationship & a close family friend counting away his last minutes in a hospital bed as I type) our Inner Circle has taken some severe hits of late.

All I can do is hope that those affected will lean on us, their family & friends to rise from the ruins and move, even if haltingly, forward knowing that we love all of you very much.

Unhappy Wife

Her SUV died on the West Side Highway & we are now awaiting a tow truck...

Dad's Night Band @ The Office

Opened with Eric Lindell's "Casanova". (!!) Playing Little Feat's "Dixie Chicken" now. Made up of local fathers who started their own garage band and are now getting gigs, including their annual night before Father's Day blow-out at The Office.

Father-in-Law's Day @ Smith Bros.

As my father-in-law Bob just said to our waitress, "We're trying to pick up girls." An older lady walking by started laughing & I said, "That was easy!"

She responded, "You want young ones - like that one!" pointing to a pretty young thing walking by.

Bob responded, not missing a beat, "Well, experience counts..."

USA! USA! USA!

By contrast, proud American that I am, I have been to 66% of the States in America (34). God bless her..


create your own visited states map
or check out these Google Hacks.

Places I've Been

The strangest thing about travel is that the list never gets shorter - the more places you go, the more places you realize there are to go. This web site tells me that I've been to 32 countries, a mere 14% of those in the world. (And I thought I was a pretty serious traveler... It's a mighty big world.) Of course, also very telling are the places that you return to...



create your own visited countries map

See? I Told You So...

Speaking of my "Dead To Me" List... #1 is The Manatee. Someone recently asked me, "Why do you hate the manatee so much?"

I would think the answers would be obvious, and legion. But for those who have never stopped to think about it, they are useless creatures. Hideous, inedible, and they get in the way of boats. I refer to "the sea cow" as "Nature's speed bump." I also have to assume they take massive poos.

The fact that people would confuse these hideous beasts for mermaids also flicks my tail. Mermaids rule, manatees blow. The amount of energy that people exert to save this awful, awful creature is simply shocking to me and could be far better spent. And so, I really hate the manatee. (As Marvelous Matt S. said years back when I first explained my position, "Huh. You're kind of kidding, but kind of NOT!") You betcha. Screw the manatee.

I recently was pleased to get even more validation in my correct opinion from none other than my comedic hero, Stephen Colbert. Here is a photo of him punching a manatee dead in the face:

GO POLAND!

Had a meeting cancelled, so I threw on my Polska jersey & went to legendary soccer bar Nevada Smith's to watch the first half of Poland v. Austria - a MUST-WIN for the Polish! Knew I made the right choice when I saw this Polish beer truck parked outside...

Dead to Me

Following directly on the heels of Kubica's historic win in Montreal, Poland played Germany in the Euro 2008 soccer tourney. Big day for Polish sport. Unfortunately the heavily-favored Germans proved too tough for the pesky Poles and Germany won 2-0.

That would be bad enough, but both goals came from POLISH-BORN Lukas Podolski with an assist from POLISH-BORN Miroslav Klose, both of whom also proved lethal against the Poles in the last World Cup. (!!)

Congratulations, you traitorous bastards. You have just made my "Dead To Me" list.

A Great Day to be Polish

(as most of them are)

For the first time in history, the Polish national anthem was played at a Formula One Grand Prix, thanks to the stellar victory of my main man Robert Kubica. Well done, Robert. Well done...

The Jasinskis!

At the Semester-at-Sea reunion!

Breakfast Cheesesteak

On our way to the Bahamas for the Semester-at-Sea event.

THE LAST G*D-DAMN STRAW!

Okay... THIS is infuriating... As even the casual reader of this blog knows, I am obsessed with the New Yorker's Cartoon Caption Contest. Imagine my rage when I opened up the current issue of the New Yorker to find a nearly IDENTICAL caption to the one I submitted as one of the finalists!!!

I submitted "Objection! Alleged killer whale." While Will Simon of Brooklyn's "Objection, Your Honor! Alleged killer whale." was judged superior. I am beside myself with rage. To come SO CLOSE...

It's a good thing we are traveling for most of this week, I would hate to run in to Brooklyn's Will Simon...

A very nice dinner

The Wife made a very nice dinner of some of my favorites. Chicken breasts marinaded in my favorite marinade, cucumber / onion salad, corn on the cob & cut mango for dessert. Delicious & we watched a Battlestar Galactica marathon.

[Also, The Wife hates this picture and my Mom thought she looked "sad." Nope. Just intently watching Battlestar Galactica, unaware I was even taking a picture. We've both become BSG addicts.]

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...)

Next Stop

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. In a city seemingly knitted together of my favorite bars, this is one of my absolute favorites. The second oldest building in the city of New Orleans, allegedly the oldest bar in the U.S., and where the legendary pirate Jean Lafitte made his weaponry. Legend also holds that he would slaughter a crew member everywhere he buried his treasure so that the crewman's ghost would guard it. His greatest treasure is said to be buried in the chimney of the bar, but everyone fears his wrath too much to try and find it. Of course, "as with many things involving Lafitte, no documentation of this exists."

Me & Tommy Lee

At the Famous Door on Bourbon Street.

New Orleans Champagne

On Matt's French Quarter balcony...

Rollin' in a Limo With Momma

That's how she rolls. After a huge delay we're in a stretch limo to the French Quarter.

Jazz Fest Eve Y'all!

I am jumping out of my skin in anticipation. Leave tomorrow on a super early flight with Momma. Marvelous Matt S. is already there and providing me with constant, envy-inducing updates. This year is shaping up to be delightfully weird. As they all are...

"We can't stop here, this is Bat Country!"

Arthur C. Clarke

While on the topic of geniuses... I've always enjoyed this quote by brilliant science fiction author, the late Arthur C. Clarke:

"Two possibilities exist: Either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying."

Esther Dyson

Went to a lecture luncheon at the U. Club featuring Esther Dyson.

A great lecture about privacy and the internet. As an added bonus, her father eminent physicist Freeman Dyson was also there!

Bishop Krister Stendahl

Sarah's grandfather, Bishop Krister Stendahl, passed away a week ago, on Tuesday, April 15th, 2008. His accomplishments are legion; including serving as Dean of the Harvard Divinity School from 1968- 1979 and increasing the school's diversity during that period, as well as serving as Bishop of Stockholm from 1984-1988. His awards and authored works are too numerous to mention, but I would encourage you to read his New York Times obituary here as well as Harvard Divinity School's obituary here.

I had the great pleasure of meeting him several times and enjoyed every single one of them, with two events really standing out in my memory. Firstly, Chris & Sarah's wedding. Chris and I were standing at the altar and Bishop Stendahl asked that we step back in to the church and have a moment of prayer, together - the 2 brothers and the 2 mass celebrants, before the ceremony began. I treasure that moment between my brother & I, and know that I forever will. Also, after I made my Best Man speech, he asked that I escort him to meet our family. I was extremely honored, and asked him out of respect for his position as Emeritus Bishop of Stockholm, "How should I address and introduce you? As 'Your Eminence'? 'Bishop'? 'Right Reverend'?"

He replied simply, "Krister."

When my brother graduated from Harvard and received his PhD, Bishop Stendahl gave me his faculty ticket for the commencement ceremony. Again I was extremely honored. (and the seats were great!) Later that evening I asked Sarah and her mother if they thought Bishop Stendahl would indulge me and autograph my ticket for me. Sarah had a funny reply, "I think he'd see the humor in that. Either he will or he won't." And Sarah's Mom took the ticket to him.

Sure enough, a few weeks later, an envelope arrived with a Nantucket return address...

Obviously a very special person, who led a very blessed life. Thoughts, prayers and condolences to Sarah (who shares her birthday with him) and her family and I for one am extremely grateful for even what little time I was able to spend with Krister.

I would say "May God bless him..." but I have to figure he has that covered... So I will simply say, "Thank you."

Gone Fishin' Redux

The Guys went fishing on Saturday and had a great time, catching 11 fish in total. Grant & I were a "fishing team" against Jack & Bob and the old fellas edged us out by 1 fish. Grant caught the first fish, Jack edged Grant out by 1 inch for the biggest, and the old-timers narrowly beat us 6-5 for most. We kept 2 black drum that Captain Keith expertly filleted and Jack cooked up that night -- they were spectacular eating.

Brett's On The Water

After a relaxing day on the beach with a lot of bocce, football and Kadima the adults went to play golf and The Wife, Grant and I went in to town for a few sunset cocktails at Brett's. Then we all met up at the Sand Dollar for dinner.

Gone Fishin'

Gone Fishin'
Originally uploaded by Guzilla.