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Thursday, June 29, 2006
Boston is beautiful
It really truly is. Fuck, Massachusetts is beautiful - I did see pretty much all of the different kinds of lanscapes it has to offer. From the wide whitewater creeks snaking through the Berkshires to the tree-lined parks and streets of dowtown, from the colonial facades of buildings as old as our country to the rocky beaches and sun-soaked sand of the southern shores. I must admit, some of the vistas left me awestruck.
I could live there.
The trip had it's moments of panic, frustration, weariness and exhaustion but all of it was made bearable by the woman I love. All the headaches of this minor vacation seemed tiny, they were... hmm... I'm not sure I know how to say this... I remember before we left how I felt anxious and worried, that was dumb. I forgot I'd be going these places with her. Her who made the monumental seem so much more effortless. The challenge of being charming to her old friends, the anxiety of meeting her family (very nice people), they were easier feats to accomplish than I thought.
Cause when you're "in it", I mean really "in it" and the world is flying in your face and you're scared out of your mind, visibly freaked out and then, just when you need it, you look over and see that smile, that million-dollar beautiful smile and you squeeze her hand with yours it's just... easy. It's so easy to do... anything.
(p.s. - Oh, the other thing? There are Dunkin Donuts fucking EVERYWHERE. They're more prevalent than gas stations, I never relized how much those people loved their Coolattas and they're pastries. Good god, EVERYWHERE.
p.p.s. - And yeah, there are pictures. Tons of pictures that I'll somehow figure out how to get up here. This site's due for a major layout change.)
It really truly is. Fuck, Massachusetts is beautiful - I did see pretty much all of the different kinds of lanscapes it has to offer. From the wide whitewater creeks snaking through the Berkshires to the tree-lined parks and streets of dowtown, from the colonial facades of buildings as old as our country to the rocky beaches and sun-soaked sand of the southern shores. I must admit, some of the vistas left me awestruck.
I could live there.
The trip had it's moments of panic, frustration, weariness and exhaustion but all of it was made bearable by the woman I love. All the headaches of this minor vacation seemed tiny, they were... hmm... I'm not sure I know how to say this... I remember before we left how I felt anxious and worried, that was dumb. I forgot I'd be going these places with her. Her who made the monumental seem so much more effortless. The challenge of being charming to her old friends, the anxiety of meeting her family (very nice people), they were easier feats to accomplish than I thought.
Cause when you're "in it", I mean really "in it" and the world is flying in your face and you're scared out of your mind, visibly freaked out and then, just when you need it, you look over and see that smile, that million-dollar beautiful smile and you squeeze her hand with yours it's just... easy. It's so easy to do... anything.
(p.s. - Oh, the other thing? There are Dunkin Donuts fucking EVERYWHERE. They're more prevalent than gas stations, I never relized how much those people loved their Coolattas and they're pastries. Good god, EVERYWHERE.
p.p.s. - And yeah, there are pictures. Tons of pictures that I'll somehow figure out how to get up here. This site's due for a major layout change.)
Friday, June 23, 2006
greetings from Deer Creek Lodge
... here in beautiful Charlemont, Massachusetts. Charlemont of course being Native-American in origin from "Charle-" meaning "mosquito" or more accurately "flying devil" and "-mont" meaning death. So greetings from Mosquito Death, Bumfuck, MA.
It actually is really nice here in this five room inn. Teri and I left her house at 2:15am and got here around 9:30am, not bad for a middle-of-the-night dash into New England. We were, somehow, the first to arrive and now it's 1:26 in the afternoon with no sign of the others. We must wonder then if perhaps the wedding was called off and us, with not a cell phone tower to piss in, are grossly misinformed and will be left to die here in the middle of nowhere... sweaty and sleepless.
I'm sure everything will be fine.
Sunday afternoon we head to Boston where I will be given a tour of my homegirl's hometown. While this wedding business with people I don't know seems awkward and weird, the two days of Beantown are something I am most definitely looking forward to. Especially having never been there.
Oh, also they have trouble naming towns out here in the less populated western half of the state - the last three towns we drove through; Springfield, Deerfield and Greenfield are excellent examples. They should've kept going with the co-opting of old Indian names. No problem making bucks off their proud aboriginal heritage though, Route 2 also being known as Mohawk Trail. Boy do they never let you forget it either, Mohawk named businesses dot the roadside for the 18 miles of what was probably a great hunting path for bold and courageous warriors. Now you can buy real sheepskin moccasins from a guy named Dale and have your picture taken under a giant red-skinned and feathered statue. Hooray, America. We whities suck.
Anyway, I'll try to keep everyone posted on the developing misadventure...
... here in beautiful Charlemont, Massachusetts. Charlemont of course being Native-American in origin from "Charle-" meaning "mosquito" or more accurately "flying devil" and "-mont" meaning death. So greetings from Mosquito Death, Bumfuck, MA.
It actually is really nice here in this five room inn. Teri and I left her house at 2:15am and got here around 9:30am, not bad for a middle-of-the-night dash into New England. We were, somehow, the first to arrive and now it's 1:26 in the afternoon with no sign of the others. We must wonder then if perhaps the wedding was called off and us, with not a cell phone tower to piss in, are grossly misinformed and will be left to die here in the middle of nowhere... sweaty and sleepless.
I'm sure everything will be fine.
Sunday afternoon we head to Boston where I will be given a tour of my homegirl's hometown. While this wedding business with people I don't know seems awkward and weird, the two days of Beantown are something I am most definitely looking forward to. Especially having never been there.
Oh, also they have trouble naming towns out here in the less populated western half of the state - the last three towns we drove through; Springfield, Deerfield and Greenfield are excellent examples. They should've kept going with the co-opting of old Indian names. No problem making bucks off their proud aboriginal heritage though, Route 2 also being known as Mohawk Trail. Boy do they never let you forget it either, Mohawk named businesses dot the roadside for the 18 miles of what was probably a great hunting path for bold and courageous warriors. Now you can buy real sheepskin moccasins from a guy named Dale and have your picture taken under a giant red-skinned and feathered statue. Hooray, America. We whities suck.
Anyway, I'll try to keep everyone posted on the developing misadventure...
Monday, June 19, 2006
spin
I am not unaware at how unorthodox my lifestyle is what with living in the city, carless and managing a bar-resturant by the harbor. At times I have felt it convenient to fabricate, obfuscate and embellish when it comes to simple everyday questions asked by the people I meet.
Now with an impending trip to Boston with my girlfriend where I'll be meeting old college friends of hers and perhaps a family member or two, I thought it best to get my story straight or at least to document my canned responses for the occassion where I may have to "put on airs". He goes...
So Doug, what is it you do down in Baltimore?
Well, currently I'm the operations manager for a new resturant group. There's a lot of minutae and running around, mostly the handling of details the owning partners don't have time for, a sort of high level catch-all for the two resturants in our portfolio at the moment. Here's hoping some of the properties we're looking at have a certain potential so we can continue expanding.
What do you drive?
I actually do not drive, what with living so close to work and in a great neighborhood with shops, resturants, museums and what-not a car just isn't really necessary. Plus there's that added advantage of saving money by walking or biking, I mean don't even get me started on the criminally negligent energy companies and auto-manufacturers.... aren't our cars supposed to be able to fly by now?! I mean... ha, seriously... what's that all about...?
How long have you guys been seeing each other?
Just about 7 months... Yeah, we met when I was filling in for my friend behind the bar at this corner pub he owns on a slow, boring Wednesday night and she just wandered in for a copy of the City Paper (our alternative weekly down there) and suddenly we were talking about music. The next night we were driving down to DC to see a band we both really liked. The rest as they say...
Where'd you go to school?
(sharp sucking of breath between teeth not unlike the sound one makes taking off a band-aid) Umm, I didn't. No. Yeah, crazy right? I had some problems with authority when I was a teenager. That creepy kid in the back row of History class who slept all the time? Yeah, that would've been me. I know, I was pretty much a mess back then. Nothing hard work won't cure, I left home at age 18 and got a job, signed a lease and have been working my way up from there. If there's a silver lining to that kind of path it'd be learning a lot doing a lot of different things. Something my dad told me ; whatever you find yourself doing, do it well and whatever you do well, make your boss look better - though it did take me a while to realize how right he was. And I've been lucky in that there was always was someone a little higher up who saw my potential to do more and challenged me. Just like Chris Clark, Mike Oliver, Ben Greene - good mentors who gave me some great opportunities.
Ever thought about college?
Oh absolutely, I think I'm getting to the point where I've gotten almost as far as I can without it. It's hard though to find time though with my weird work schedule, lots of late hours and then trying to make time for a social life but it'd be nice to be back in a classroom. Accounting courses would be really useful for where I wanna go with my current profession.
How are your folks? What do they do?
They're good, thanks. My dad was a construction superintendent after getting out of the Air Force in the 50s. He was a crew chief on some of the Cold War era high altitude bombers, good stories from being stationed in Texas and Morrocco and around Europe. He's retired but still does concrete estimating out his his home office.
My mom's a real estate agent for one of the top guys in the DC area, doing nothing but residential. Last year they did something sick like almost 20o mil selling homes to those rich and powerful government types. I remember once she told me she was showing the penthouse at the Watergate. She's good though, shouldn't be more than a few years before she retires down to the Outer Banks with my step-dad.
Do you like your job?
Oh man; when it's bad, it's bad; but when it's good, it's fucking great. Lots of details, lots of diplomacy, lots of minutae, lots of problem-solving. Managing a bar is just being there when things go wrong and addressing whatever problems there may be. Water from the AC unit is dripping on the bands equipment downstairs, the credit card server on the main systems down so nobody in the front of the house can close out their sales, someone called out five minutes before their shift starts, we're out of X who nearby can we borrow that from, etc... So, yeah, sometimes I'm schmoozing with someone to see how their private party went and sometimes me and the owner are painting a bathroom hallway, it's full of surprises.
You have any brothers or sisters?
An older brother, Jeff, and a younger brother, Drew.
Ever been in a wedding party before?
Only twice. The first time I was a ringbearer and I was maybe 4 years old. I was convinced that I was being sent down the aisle with the flower girl because I had to marry her, I remember crying and telling my mom I was too young and that there was no way I could buy a house and that I didn't have a job yet and this was so unfair, "How come Drew and Jeff aren't getting married??"
The second time was a service for my oldest friend Jeff as his best-man. A small ceremony that was just bride, groom, maid of honor and me. Very simple and very low-key, nothing like some of the ones I've been to as a guest. It was really nice though, they gave me this pocket watch for my best man's gift (flash the silver engraved watch) and people seemed to really enjoy my toast.
Oh, hey, I gotta go.... Been nice meeting you.
I am not unaware at how unorthodox my lifestyle is what with living in the city, carless and managing a bar-resturant by the harbor. At times I have felt it convenient to fabricate, obfuscate and embellish when it comes to simple everyday questions asked by the people I meet.
Now with an impending trip to Boston with my girlfriend where I'll be meeting old college friends of hers and perhaps a family member or two, I thought it best to get my story straight or at least to document my canned responses for the occassion where I may have to "put on airs". He goes...
So Doug, what is it you do down in Baltimore?
Well, currently I'm the operations manager for a new resturant group. There's a lot of minutae and running around, mostly the handling of details the owning partners don't have time for, a sort of high level catch-all for the two resturants in our portfolio at the moment. Here's hoping some of the properties we're looking at have a certain potential so we can continue expanding.
What do you drive?
I actually do not drive, what with living so close to work and in a great neighborhood with shops, resturants, museums and what-not a car just isn't really necessary. Plus there's that added advantage of saving money by walking or biking, I mean don't even get me started on the criminally negligent energy companies and auto-manufacturers.... aren't our cars supposed to be able to fly by now?! I mean... ha, seriously... what's that all about...?
How long have you guys been seeing each other?
Just about 7 months... Yeah, we met when I was filling in for my friend behind the bar at this corner pub he owns on a slow, boring Wednesday night and she just wandered in for a copy of the City Paper (our alternative weekly down there) and suddenly we were talking about music. The next night we were driving down to DC to see a band we both really liked. The rest as they say...
Where'd you go to school?
(sharp sucking of breath between teeth not unlike the sound one makes taking off a band-aid) Umm, I didn't. No. Yeah, crazy right? I had some problems with authority when I was a teenager. That creepy kid in the back row of History class who slept all the time? Yeah, that would've been me. I know, I was pretty much a mess back then. Nothing hard work won't cure, I left home at age 18 and got a job, signed a lease and have been working my way up from there. If there's a silver lining to that kind of path it'd be learning a lot doing a lot of different things. Something my dad told me ; whatever you find yourself doing, do it well and whatever you do well, make your boss look better - though it did take me a while to realize how right he was. And I've been lucky in that there was always was someone a little higher up who saw my potential to do more and challenged me. Just like Chris Clark, Mike Oliver, Ben Greene - good mentors who gave me some great opportunities.
Ever thought about college?
Oh absolutely, I think I'm getting to the point where I've gotten almost as far as I can without it. It's hard though to find time though with my weird work schedule, lots of late hours and then trying to make time for a social life but it'd be nice to be back in a classroom. Accounting courses would be really useful for where I wanna go with my current profession.
How are your folks? What do they do?
They're good, thanks. My dad was a construction superintendent after getting out of the Air Force in the 50s. He was a crew chief on some of the Cold War era high altitude bombers, good stories from being stationed in Texas and Morrocco and around Europe. He's retired but still does concrete estimating out his his home office.
My mom's a real estate agent for one of the top guys in the DC area, doing nothing but residential. Last year they did something sick like almost 20o mil selling homes to those rich and powerful government types. I remember once she told me she was showing the penthouse at the Watergate. She's good though, shouldn't be more than a few years before she retires down to the Outer Banks with my step-dad.
Do you like your job?
Oh man; when it's bad, it's bad; but when it's good, it's fucking great. Lots of details, lots of diplomacy, lots of minutae, lots of problem-solving. Managing a bar is just being there when things go wrong and addressing whatever problems there may be. Water from the AC unit is dripping on the bands equipment downstairs, the credit card server on the main systems down so nobody in the front of the house can close out their sales, someone called out five minutes before their shift starts, we're out of X who nearby can we borrow that from, etc... So, yeah, sometimes I'm schmoozing with someone to see how their private party went and sometimes me and the owner are painting a bathroom hallway, it's full of surprises.
You have any brothers or sisters?
An older brother, Jeff, and a younger brother, Drew.
Ever been in a wedding party before?
Only twice. The first time I was a ringbearer and I was maybe 4 years old. I was convinced that I was being sent down the aisle with the flower girl because I had to marry her, I remember crying and telling my mom I was too young and that there was no way I could buy a house and that I didn't have a job yet and this was so unfair, "How come Drew and Jeff aren't getting married??"
The second time was a service for my oldest friend Jeff as his best-man. A small ceremony that was just bride, groom, maid of honor and me. Very simple and very low-key, nothing like some of the ones I've been to as a guest. It was really nice though, they gave me this pocket watch for my best man's gift (flash the silver engraved watch) and people seemed to really enjoy my toast.
Oh, hey, I gotta go.... Been nice meeting you.
Friday, June 16, 2006
zero hour
It's 7:19pm Friday night at The Waterfront Hotel in Fells Point, Baltimore.
- a private event upstairs for 25 people
- a pub crawl of 150 college alumni rolling in around 8pm (update: dressed as pirates)
- a complete walkout of the resturant next door's entire kitchen staff re: MUTINY! re: plenty of diners spilling over here
- a burgeoning ulcer eating it's way through my abdomen
Don't try and tell me my job is ever easy.
It's 7:19pm Friday night at The Waterfront Hotel in Fells Point, Baltimore.
- a private event upstairs for 25 people
- a pub crawl of 150 college alumni rolling in around 8pm (update: dressed as pirates)
- a complete walkout of the resturant next door's entire kitchen staff re: MUTINY! re: plenty of diners spilling over here
- a burgeoning ulcer eating it's way through my abdomen
Don't try and tell me my job is ever easy.
album
permanent :joy division
literature
breakfast at tiffany's :truman capote
single
big casino :jimmy eat world
worthwhile
they're playing my songpop occulture
i kan't spell
dispositive
pitchfork media
oblivio
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