July 4, 2008

The fireworks above Brooklyn tonight - thanks to the fine people at Macy’s. You’d never think some of those clerks in housewares could pull something like this off, but congrats guys and gals, you did it.

June 23, 2008

Congratulations to our friends Phoebe and Drew (couple 2 of the 5 who got engaged after attending our Scottish nuptials!). We had a fantastic time at Phoebe’s mother’s farm in Freeport, Maine. The home of L.L. Bean, lobster rolls, and the best sausage and gravy biscuits I’ve ever had. I want to give a shout out to the Pitch Black Blues band, a hard to say name for a band of teens (sweet dancin’ Kyle and his buddy) who write songs that “match up with a beat” and may or may not include a recorder. We’re about to see a major resurgence in recorder made-music - mark my words. Next up on the same farm, is the wedding of Phoebe’s brother Rufus and the lovely Maura Madden.

June 14, 2008

Happy birthday to the best wife ever! Awwww….Lookit! Sweetness in a lawn chair.

June 10, 2008

Today sitting in the back of a tiny restaurant in SoHo, I watched as the heat of this unbearable early June firestorm was swept furiously away (along with several menus and a patio umbrella) in a dangerously strong wind. Behind the wind came the lightning, followed by the inevitable downpour. The sight was made all the more curious and stunning, because the only other people in the restaurant were comic legend Art Spiegelman and his wife New Yorker arts editor, Francoise Mouly. Another, only-in-New York evening.

June 4, 2008

O! I like it when an investment pays off! Wow. And this is history making, but after watching McCain’s sneering, yellow teeth during his speech against that green backdrop last night, (where was he? Did they even move the foosball table out for him to talk?) I’m ever more optimistic that January 2009 is going to be the most historic-iest time ever.

June 2, 2008

If you’re in New York by all means check out Playing the Building, a project by the marvelous David Byrne produced by my new best friends, Creative Time. Lauren and I went to see the installation right next to the Staten Island Ferry terminal in the crumbling-soon-to-be-boutique-condos Maritime Battery Building. The piece manages to be a truly satisfying act of participatory lo-tech art making, while being totally in line with everything Byrne has been predicting about the hi-tech future of the music industry.

We followed that experience up with a trip to the lovely home of Blakely and Jason in Scarsdale where I once again learned the hard lesson that red solo party cups are a too-strong vodka tonic’s best friend. Ouch.

May 26, 2008

Spending Memorial Day 08 on the Couch of the Unknown or Little Direction. K and I went down to West Chester over the weekend and enjoyed the 29th Annual Kimberton Antique Car Show. (This is a shot of Dad with his matching shirt/car combination- sweet!) The show used to be over at the Exton Mall (my place of employment through high school) and has now moved to a field with three picnic benches and no shade. But the streaky sunburns aside, it was a great day to sit out and see the friendly faces of the Chester County Antique Car Club. I grew up in the Club and I can attest, not only do they have the best picnics with the tastiest eggrolls in South Eastern PA, they also are among the finest souls that ever picked up a wrench. So while today I salute our men and women in uniform, I also salute the men and women of the CCACC. Here’s to the red, white, blue, green, and gold.

May 18, 2008

There’s no two ways about it. Things Younger Than McCain.

May 13, 2008

Just got back from visiting a top secret set for a top secret new reality series on Country Music Television. Being of CMT origin, it only made sense for it to take place in Music City, USA: Nashville. I learned a great many things down south and thought I’d share a few with you here.
1) Nashville is like 5% of what you think it’s going to be. Seriously it’s like one street with bars. Thayer Street in Providence may have had more to offer.
2) People are crazy for painting pictures of country stars. And they’re less crazy about being good painters.
3) Mother’s Day is not the day to go to Bob Evans outside of Opryland. Half hour wait? For biscuits?
4) I don’t think it’s a good idea to assume that every woman at Bob Evans wants to be greeted with Happy Mother’s Day. Not everyone is a mother. The carnation was nice, though.
5) Barbara Mandrell seems like she was a freaky bed time companion. Mirror on the ceiling of the canopy bed? I could see that for Irlene, but Babs? Shocking.
6) Charlie Daniels has a museum.
7) If you do paint Conway Twitty- it’s okay to leave out the chest hair. Yeuh.
8) Brisket Sandwich at Jack’s BBQ = Pork Bun at NY hotspot Momofuku. Fat + Starch + Sweet Sauce is a recipe for magic.
9) Newark Airport is far from Brooklyn.
10) Late night trains smell even worse than day time trains.
GO COUNTRY!

May 4, 2008

Like I said, Spring and Bewleys just go together.

May 2, 2008

From the time I was a squishy big headed squeaker riding a tractor wagon through my grandmother’s flower gardens in Newtown Square, I’ve always fallen for this time of year. Now after essentially ten years without a change in season, this Spring has got me all a twitter. I find myself mumbling about cherry blossoms, dogwoods and rhododendron and just marveling at what is surely the luckiest, most beautiful one block walk from the subway a fella could have.

April 18, 2008

Oh it used to be so easy in LA. I was well on my way to seeing the entire cast of Head of the Class. Dennis, Ms. Meara, and Mr. Moore. I had em all. Dennis was actually on my flight to NY from LA! But now that were settling into the New York way of life, I’ve seen an entirely different kind of celebrity. The reality show kind. So shopping at Fairway market - Alex McCord with her adorable little son talking about becoming a marine biologist with the fish monger. Outside Momofuko, Victorya Hong the always kind of angry one from Project Runway. In fact last time I was here, I saw Jai from Queer Eye outside a gym. Anyway - reality is much more real in New York. Oh and I saw the Pope today. Twice. Totally underwhelming.

April 10, 2008

Back in blossom filled New York. You can almost smell the urine of summer. Last night we enjoyed a Stravinsky concert at the Morgan Library and dodged a few raindrops back to the F Train. The F is the 22 Fillmore of NY. And someone needs to start a daily review site for all the various homeless pitches on that train. Instead of stars it should be used Metrocards. Would I give more MCs to “Morty” for his played down approach, the barely able to carry a tune quartet that sang In the Jungle into my ear, or for toothless Dream Shirt man who asked for hugs from the attractive people on the train? I dunno, but someone should be rating this stuff. Unless that’s offensive, and then of course not.
*This image is a Raymond Pettibon, that now that I think about it is a somewhat spring-timey limited edition print that I just bought. Soon to replace some weird thing hanging at the end of our hall. Enjoy the buds!

April 1, 2008

I find myself back in the arms of Los Angeles for the week. Sitting atop the freeway in the Angeleno Hotel, listening to the constant roar of the 405. It’s like they designed this to be a traffic themed hotel. It even looks like a parking garage.

March 24, 2008

So many cardboard boxes. We’re still digging out from the cross country move. Kellie and I are fighting the cold. AGAIN. Which meant we spent Easter in the Emergency Room at Chester County Hospital. They didn’t have any marshmallow peeps or honey baked ham there, but they did put me on anti-biotics which I hope finally kill this damn cold once and for all. Good news is that I don’t have pneumonia or influenza, but whatever I have has got ahold of me good. And no amount of extra spicy Thai takeout is helping! But given that I’m eating so much of it, I want to give a shout out to the fine folks at Ghang Thai in Brooklyn. It’s still early, but in the new-to-the-city takeout competition of 2008, they’re pulling ahead.