After another crazy week, I try to put some of my favorite together. Running has certainly calmed me down during the quarantine. Hans Zimmer has a Spotify playlist and The Karate Kid has a podcast. We made dinner at home each night because, well, it's really the only choice we have.
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Golf in Time of Corona - The last couple weeks, the weather has slowly warmed up in Boston to unseasonable temperatures; it started to feel like we might have escaped the winter unscathed. The pessimistic among us always punctuated the conversation with a statement like, “We’ll probably get some massive storm in March or, god forbid, April!” Unfortunately, I think this years version of winter is disguised as a pandemic. After perusing the aisles yesterday in search of some canned goods and other non-perishables, Tiff said it felt like the entire country (even the world?) is preparing for a huge blizzard (There’s a joke hiding in here about spot savers and shoveling, but I just can’t formulate it…)
I cancelled a trip to Las Vegas next week. Golf and March Madness were the siren songs for my friend Phil and I. We had spent a few years threatening to plan a trip somewhere to play golf and hang out (he lives in San Francisco). In order to tune up my game, I went to an indoor golf facility to hit golf balls for an hour. The repetition of hitting balls is therapeutic, just like clicking off miles during a run. There’s a rhythm to it, there’s constant feedback spinning in and out of your head. Both are beautifully individual but also a form preparation for something bigger like a tournament or a road race.
As this coronavirus pandemic sweeps through the world and cancels everything in sight, I hope everyone finds some way to release some stress while staying safe and healthy. It’s the only thing that will keep us sane.
I Am Not Okay With This - This Netflix show is a fun watch. It follows a teenage girl who is slowly realizing she has some sort of super power. It’s set in what looks like a Pittsburgh suburb (Penguins t-shirt, rust belt vibe, etc…). The end of the first episode was jarring, not for any cliff-hanger or plot twist, but because it didn’t feel finished. Why? The episode it was around 20 minutes long and I was settled in for a 45 minute pilot. The producers of Stranger Things are behind this one too, and captures the same vintage aesthetics, but it’s set in modern day.
The Bachelor Finale - It’s too late, it’s over, you’ve missed the boat. If you were there for the last two episodes, I hope you enjoyed them as much as I did. I don’t think we’ll ever see a performance like the one Peter’s mother gave in the last 20 minutes. It was like Walter Payton, Hall of Fame in such a short amount of time. To add salt to the wound, Peter and Madi announced on Friday morning they were breaking up.
Parasite: I finally got around to seeing the Best Picture of the year, and it was, unsurprisingly, incredible. I thought I had a bit of an understanding of the plot from the trailer, but I didn’t. It had the feeling of a folktale told in modern day. Yes, there is some violence, if you’re not into that kind of thing, but it comes in a very small dose. If you still have a chance to see it in the theater do it (if it’s still open and you’re willing to go outside…). The subtitles weren’t a distraction, but they were tiny in the version I watched and sometimes blended in with the background.
You’ll probably be cooped up for the next week (or more?). This is something you should watch.
A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again - This is travel writing at it’s most hilarious and wonderful. David Foster Wallace is exceptional. I had never read this essay/story about his first cruise experience. Harper’s Ferry asked him to write a review, and he also put together this recap of the trip. It’s laugh out loud funny in many parts and incisively perceptive in so many others. He writes the truth and tells you things you knew but couldn’t dredge up into words.
A Lockdown Diary: A simple, well-written illustration of life in Italy right now. - NYTimes.com
Get a Grip Podcast - The name of the pod could make you think it’s talking about the coronavirus, but it’s not. This pod is co-hosted by Shane Bacon, a golf commentator, and Max Homa, a PGA TOUR winning. They’re really great to listen to each week. Max offers some great insight into the life of a pro athlete earning a paycheck week in and week out. He’s honest and self-deprecating while Bacon asks good questions and they banter well back and forth.
HAIM’s “Now I’m In It” - I love HAIM and have been listening to them a bunch the past couple weeks. I find myself starting with this song every time.
Pastrami Reuben Hash - Imagine a hot skillet with chunks of pastrami, onions, peppers, Swiss cheese, TWO poached eggs, with a side of rye bread in front of you… that’s what Monument has concocted. On Sunday, I went down and found a spot at the bar to watch the Manchester United v. Manchester City soccer game. This meal was my companion for most of the second half. It was incredibly delicious and I didn’t have an appetite for the rest of the day. The pastrami was cooked perfectly, big chunks of it just falling apart and mixing in with the rest of the ingredients. Pair it with a Downeast cider and a Manchester United win; you can’t go wrong.
Frozen Waffles - I’m training for the Big Sur Marathon in April right now. It’s up in the air if it will even happen. Good times! One of the challenges hidden challenges when you start running marathons is fueling up before a long run. Running 20 miles takes hours; if you don’t eat properly before the run, you’re screwed, and you’re probably screwed a long way from home. I typically like oatmeal or an english muffin. I’ll add peanut butter and a banana to both of them. Recently, I rediscovered my inner-fat-kid infatuation with the frozen waffle. Two of these puppies an hour before a run with some peanut butter and maple syrup is perfect. I also find them delicious when I’m not going for a run (with butter and honey…). English muffins and oatmeal have been ruined for me because of the connotation they have with running and pain and misery. I’ve been eating the Wegmans brand and the 365 brand from Whole Foods. I haven’t tried any of the flavored ones… yet.
Florida Man by Cigar City Brewing - A really good Double IPA that I came across at Blackmoor on Saturday. The name and description were enough to pique my interest. Here’s the blurb about the beer from the website: “A modern Double IPA with a tropical expression from the blend of American hops including Pacific Jade, Galaxy, Azacca, Lemon Drop and Simcoe is balanced by delicate peach esters from a unique Double IPA yeast and a dash of Canadian honey malt.” - CigarCityBrewing
NYTimes Writing Prompts: This week I randomly picked some writing prompts from the NYTimes list of thousands… This is something I’ll be doing more regularly.
Here are the first three;
Have You Ever Been Told You Couldn’t Do Something Because of Your Gender?
What Do You Remember Best About Being 12?
What Food Would You Like To Judge In a Taste-Off?
The Random Division - The season is over! We have our Mondays back! What a ride it’s been. Tiff and I do our best to process and wrap-up Peter’s disastrous season that ended with him being verbally cooked by his mother on live national TV.
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The Imperfect Game: Both and I try to spend $120 million on a starting line-up for our imaginary soccer club; however, we’re only allowed to pick players from the ten teams we have researched over the past few months. It was much more challenging than we thought it would be and compromises had to be made.
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A new planner: During my time as a teacher, I became dependent on my daily planner and a Moleskin notebook. They kept me relatively organized, although sometimes meetings would slip through the cracks… The planner was made for our school. Each student used one, it had events specific to the school on it (overnight field trips, the start and end of breaks, holidays, etc…) and it only covered the months of September-June. The summer was “plannerless.”
Now that I don’t have that planner anymore (I’d be lying if I didn’t think about asking a friend to grab one for me) I started looking around for one. I stumbled upon a “Bullet-Point” planner and started to use it this week. As far as dates, it’s completely blank, so I settled in on Sunday and filled in the entire thing with the dates for the next year. It was strangely gratifying to fill out all those dates. It reminded me how long a year is and how quickly it can go by all at the same time. When I arrived at December 2020 I started to think about the future version of me sitting down to reflect back on the year and fill out my 2021 planner. Considering my professional career is in limbo and I’m not sure what life will be like in a year, it was a little nerve-racking. Once I got over that feeling, it was exciting to imagine the possibilities that lie ahead.
The thing I like about this planner is it actually has pages every three months that act as a “quarterly” reflection for achievements, things I learned, things I’m looking forward to. The individual weekly pages are also simple. There’s a place for appointments, but also for a meal plan, To-Do List, priorities, and a theme.
As we head to 2020 and you’re trying to find a fresh way to organize your life, a new, different type of planner might be a good start.
Best Read:
Lovers in Auschwitz: “The first time he spoke to her, in 1943, by the Auschwitz crematory, David Wisnia realized that Helen Spitzer was no regular inmate. Zippi, as she was known, was clean, always neat. She wore a jacket and smelled good. They were introduced by a fellow inmate, at her request.” -NYTimes.com
Presidents Cup: This international golf team competition started on Wednesday and will continue through this weekend. This tournament matches Team USA against an International team that includes every country outside of Europe. If you like golf (or the USA) and are interested in golf architecture, this is worth watching. Royal Melbourne is the host club, which was designed by Alastair McKenzie, who designed Augusta National. The US has historically dominated this competition, winning ten of the twelve past events. The USA finished strong on Thursday night’s session, capped off by Justin Thomas hitting a huge putt on 18 and celebrating with Tiger Woods. That putt could very well be remembered as the one that turned things around for the Americans.
Pure Heroine: Lorde’s debut album hopped back on my radar this week as I spent some time sussing out my favorite albums of the decade for a podcast with Tiff. Hard to believe it came out in 2013. So many great songs on here: White Teeth Teeth, Buzzcut Season, and World Alone are some of my favorites. Not a skippable song in the bunch, I say.
Spiced Seared Eggplant with Pearled Couscous: This was a delicious one-pot recipe we made this week. Tiff and I had to tag team to make it because I had a phone call scheduled. I got it started and she finished it off. It was easy (read: not much slicing and chopping) and, like I said, required just one pot; that’s always a bonus. The dish was filling, had some interesting flavor combos, including cinnamon, which I rarely eat in a dinner. If you wanted to add a bit of protein, I would imagine something decadent like steak tips or simpler like grilled chicken would be good additions.
Slangria: There’s a brewery out of Cincinnati called Rhinegeist. It’s probably the only thing you’ll hear my wife get excited about that comes out of Cincy (oh, and Sky Line Chili). I’m not entirely sure how it made it’s way out to Massachusetts in such volume, but Rhinegeist (and Cidergeist) can be found in most stores around Boston. Slangria was a new brew that Tiff found at Total Wine and Liquor. I’ll let Rhinegeist give you the lowdown: “Pomegranate, blueberry and lime collide in an effervescent blend of ruby red refreshment. Luscious, slightly tart and full-bodied, Slangria sows scarlet seeds of juicy delight.”
I was surprised at how much I liked this. It’s like a gateway beer into sours, too. It’s tart, but not too much. A good beer to bring to a holiday party if you’ve got a few to attend this weekend. If you’re really creative, it’s probably something you could use as a mixed in a punch.
The Random Division: This week, Tiff and I talked about music of the last decade. Tiff has another “Get off My Lawn” moment, we rank our five favorite albums from the decade, and give some other artists a shoutout that we enjoyed listening to. iTunes (If you listen to us here. We’d love a rating or review. We’ll read your review on our next show!). Spotify (If you listen to us here, click “follow” and then go to iTunes and rate and review!).
Imperfect Game: For our fifth installment of this Past and Present series, Both and I researched at Sheffield United, one of the oldest soccer clubs in England. Sheffield United is newly promoted and making waves in the Premier League with their risky, and pioneering play. Their manager is a former Sheffield United ballboy and player. Some interesting info on Sheffield United’s home stadium and the city in here, too. iTunes (If you listen to us here. We’d love a rating or review. We’ll read your review on our next show!). Spotify (If you listen to us here, click “follow” and then go to iTunes and rate and review!).
Sport!: I wrote about my favorite English soccer team, Manchester United, this week. They have a star player that I think they need to sell.
Golf for my dad: This Saturday a group of friends and family gathered for a round of golf to remember my dad. I wrote about it here…
Shaed at The Sinclair: Boston is not lacking for concert venues; however, most of them are rather flawed. My favorite place to see a concert is The Sinclair in Harvard Square. It’s a small spot, but they’ve had some cool acts come through over the years (it also has a delicious restaurant attached to it). It has the feel of a small House of Blues. It’s all general admission, with a simple balcony and very small bench seating. Drinks are affordable, especially compared to House of Blues or the TDGarden or anywhere else in Boston.
On Tuesday morning, Tiff texted me and asked if I wanted to see Shaed at the Sinclair that night. Tickets were cheap (18 bucks at the door) and she had just discovered them the pervious weekend. We decided to go and it was a lot of fun. The group is comprised of a lead singer, Chelsea Lee, and identical twins, Max and Spencer Ernst (one of which is married to Chelsea). Max and Spencer play bass, guitar, keyboard, electric drums, tambourine, and anything else that makes noise. Apparently they were all friends in middle school. Check out their pop sounds here. Trampoline is their big hit.
We caught the opener, Absofacto, for the last couple songs. They were pretty interesting, too.
WHOOP Podcast on Alcohol: #SoberOctober is sweeping the nation (I’d like to think I was ahead of the curve with Sober September…). WHOOP is a device that is built to track sleep and other stats and recovery. It’s popular with athletes and teams are using the tracker. This particular episode covers the effects of alcohol on our body, mainly our sleep and recovery.
MONSTER Zodiac: You thought we’d go a week without some horrible murderous podcast to listen to? I loved Atlanta Monster (which was also a major topic in Netflix’s Mindhunter). This Zodiac series is 15 episodes and covers the Zodiac murders that started in the 1960s. It’s really well done and it made me want to rewatch the movie Zodiac from 2008.
Bon Iver i,i: This album has been out for a while, but I just got around to listening to it this week, mainly at my brother’s urging. Bon Iver is playing TDGarden next week, and I am considering getting some last minute tickets. The album is right down the Bon Iver alley, atmospheric and playable all the way through. It fits in with the cold weather that is descending upon Boston this week. “iMi” and “Hey, Ma” are my two favorites after a few listens this week.
Best Read
A Course Called Ireland: A golf trip to Ireland is on most golfer’s wish list. Tom Coyne decided to take it a (crazy) step further. He decided to play all 40 seaside links courses in Ireland. However, he wanted to walk the roads of Ireland, almost like he was playing one huge golf course. The five month trip, where he walked to and from each course and B&B (no cars allowed at all), was insane. Due to his walks, he stumbled upon places he might not have seen if he was zipping around in a car. Coyne is an excellent, humorous, and humble writer. He brings Ireland to life and I enjoyed visiting it with him, especially the courses and towns that I have been to myself.
Gary Gulman HBO Special: I think the argument can be made that the northern corridor of I-93 in Massachusetts (and just over the border in NH) has created some of the best comedians over the last generation. Gary Gulman, born in Peabody, MA, is part of this cadre of hilarity. Gulman’s newest special tackles his struggles with what he calls “The Great Depresh.” He was buckled by depression four years ago and has just really foudn his way back to square, but it’s always a battle. The special is clever as it goes from classic stand-up to some interviews with Gulman’s mom and wife.
My mom’s Stew: It’s that time of year, warm rib-sticking food is back on the menu! This weekend, I was out at my mom’s house and she made stew. It was a staple of my childhood winters, we’d get home from church on a Saturday evening and have stew. My mom, in true Irish fashion, serves her stew with a side of potatoes. You know, just in case…
Homemade Skyline Chili: When you marry someone from southern Ohio, Skyline Chili is going to find you. Tiff made a batch this weekend for us. If you’re really looking for the authentic experience, eat it over spaghetti. Some claim it isn’t even chili because it has no beans. Those people are wrong.
Dram CBD Seltzer: (We have a guest writer! Here’s Tiff!) I’ve been drinking the Dram Apothecary Gingergrass CBD sparkling water nightly for over a week now, and have noticed a substantial difference in my quality of sleep. Dram describes these beverages as “cheerful and aromatic”, and I have to agree- I’m definitely more cheerful when I drink these.
I have no idea what “adaptogens” are, but I like whatever they’re doing. These do not make you sleepy, or really change your mood at all... they just somehow enable you to power through the BS (Editor’s Note: As far as I know I am not the BS…). Maybe it’s placebo and good marketing, or maybe there’s something to the mix of herbs and Colorado-grown Hemp CBD.”
Toss your favorites in the comment section.