2008 – A Year in Review

I’m trying something new.

A few of my more  industrious friends  send an “end of the year” letter in which they recall the triumphs, tribulations and mundanity of their personal years.  Some of these, I’ll admit, are incredibly boring; others are rather enlightening.  Having never written one myself, I figured this is as good a year as any to try to write my own.  Follow me over the fold for “2008 – A Year in Review.”

I’m Serious This Time…

You’ve heard it here before, but this time I mean it. I’m serious. Don’t look at me that way!

I am going to re-re-rededicate myself to posting here more often.

Those of you reading this who know me personally – probably all of you – know that I’m not usually at a loss for words/funny stories/details of funny videos/political opinions/Philly sports team angst or euphoria, etc., to share.

To spare my darling wife Erin – and my lunch buddies – I’ll put those items here. They may be short quips, insights, videos, thought purges, or long-winded rants, but at least the intertubes will have a little more content in them.  If I can keep it up, this blog will be updated daily.

I mean it.

Thoughts on the ‘Social Networking’ Phenomenon

I just created a profile on Facebook.com. To be perfectly honest, everything involved with the process is a little bit daunting.  This got me thinking about the concept of social networking in the 21st century, in general.

My first foray into social networking was Friendster, way back in late 2003/2004. It was all very new and exciting…until it wasn’t anymore. There entered an anxiety about trying to add as many friends as possible, of building up my comments section. That anxiety grew old, so I deleted my Friendster account a few months ago. By then, I had created a MySpace account. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the thought of deFriendster-ing people who were no longer in my life. Seemed a little passive/aggressive and petty. It was a much better thought to delete the profile entirely. I mean, I’m in my 30s. Why must I worry so much about these things?

Fast forward to today, and I’m on both MySpace and Facebook. Maybe I should complete the cycle and re-up for Friendster?

Or maybe not.

100 Things

My friend Amanda Martinez, part of my daily lunch crew at Rockefeller and easily one of my favorite people, did a list of “100 Things” about her on her MySpace blog. I enjoyed reading hers, learned a lot about my friend, and immediately wanted to do one. Amanda’s boyfriend Jorge referred to it as “a good exercise for the mind and soul.” I agree!

In no particular order of importance, here are my 100 things:

1. I genuinely love my life right now.
2. I have two brothers – Matt, who is 26, and Kevin, who is 24 – who are both very different from me.
3. My favorite sports teams are all Philadelphia-based, even though I have lived in New York for 8 years.
4. None of them have won a championship since 1983.
5. This makes me very sad.
6. I DVR Molto Mario every weekday, and usually watch it when I come home from work.
7. Cooking shows make me happy.
8. When I was little, I wanted to be a doctor, a weatherman, a broadcast journalist, and a sportswriter.
9. I didn’t want to be a singer until I was a senior in high school.

Take Me Out…

From the “small town experience in NYC” file…Alan Arak and I went to a Staten Island Yankees game last night. From the incessant and kinda annoying in-game entertainment (Scooter, the Holy Cow!) to the actually-decent baseball played, we really had a fantastic time. Watch out for the starting pitcher, George Kontos. The RHP had decent velocity (in the low 90s, topping out around 93mph), good control (despite his warm ups…both Al and I thought he might be in a for a LONG night), and a knack for striking people out. He whiffed 8 batters in 5 2/3 shutout innings.

Wednesday Thought Purge

Ah, these lazy days of summer. Not a lot happening in the office. The social life, however, is a bit of a different story.

Went, with several pals, to a very cool spot last Saturday. Water Taxi Beach is a man-made, waterfront “beach” that features DJ-spun tunes, volleyball, grub, and best of all, booze. There is no swimming allowed in the East River, but there is a fine mist blown on the sunbathers and volleyballers to help keep everyone cool. It was hipster central, and there were definitely some ill-advised bikinis. Regardless, we all had a blast.

(BTW, I kicked some serious ass in volleyball. Maybe it was the $2 Schaeffer drafts…but I was, if I may say so, amazing.)

Erin and I are off to Montreal for a few days. Who knew it’s only a six hour drive?!?

The Voice Versa Ten Year Reunion planning is in full swing. I (finally) was able to speak with someone on campus. Granted, it was only a temp called Katie, but at least my call will be noted and we’ll be able to get on the schedule. I even volunteered to help plan some “young alumni” events for Westminster here in NYC. Do I even want to see all that many people from my college days? Answer: Well, most of them!

More later…

Thoughts from 34,000 feet

What a difference a few months makes.

I write this from seat 12F on American Airlines Flight #1217, from Newark Airport to Chicago’s O’Hare. Despite a delay of over 1 ½ hours due to the inevitable thunderstorms in the New York City area, I’m about one hour from touching down in Chi-town. The affable Mark Jones and the lovely Kari Burgess will wed tomorrow afternoon in the city of St. Charles, IL. I’m going alone, as Erin and I only started dating two months ago. I’m cool with that, but I do wish that she were sitting next to me. A good time will undoubtedly be had – it would be great if she could be there to share it with me.

The last time I flew this route, my life was in a very different place. I was ensconced in romantic “limbo,” leaving NYC for a three day holiday in Chicago at the Burgess/Jones flat. I went, first and foremost, to see my pals – to drink heavily and to welcome 2006. (God knows that I was anxious to see 2005 come to a close.) I also went to escape – to “kick the tires” of the Second City. I was giving some serious thought to packing up my things and waving goodbye to the

Weekend reflections

This summer is flying – though much of that perception is probably due to my schedule. Until last weekend, it was occupied with professional commitments – Corpus Christi recording, Grendel, etc. This past week, however, my commitments were much of the social variety.

Friday night and most of Saturday were spent in Fort Montgomery, NY at the MacInnes Cottage of Rockefeller University. Despite the rain, Jenni+Alex+Brock+Shannon+I had a great time of it – playing Kings, Asshole (first time since college!), Boggle and just reliving our college days. (Photos will follow)

Yesterday was Heather Meyer’s first annual Croquet & Rose picnic in Central Park. In defiance of powers-that-be, we sipped wine, snacked, and tossed a football around. The weather had cleared by this point…and we had a grand time.

From there, it was off to Lewis White’s 60th (!) birthday celebration in Tarrytown, NY. Yummy food, great conversation and a few hundred laughs were the rule of the day. (Again, photos to follow)

A nugget of life wisdom, as shared by Lewis: “Feed everyone. Love everyone.” He then went on to say, “Those inside this fence make the second part easy.”