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.”

Fox News is a Disgrace

Radiohead – Thom Yorke Interview

This is such an interesting glimpse into the life of the Radiohead frontman. Enjoy!

Movin’ Right Along…

Phew! It’s been a while. I’ll have be gentle with myself….

I’m moving…again. I use the word again as though it’s happened frequently. In actuality, it’s been 1 1/2 years since I last went through this process. I still hate it, though.

Work is going well.

Singing is going fine. I will performing a staged version of the Bach St. Matthew Passion at BAM this April. Staged = memorized. Yikes! The work is THREE HOURS LONG. Rod says it’s like learning a script…I find it to be my hell.

More later…

Culinary Delights

One of my hobbies, and there are relatively few of them beyond music/sports/theatre, is food. Good food. And the restaurants that serve it. (With wine, please.) I am a “foodie.” I’m happy to admit to that.

I anxiously await the Dining section of the Wednesday edition of the New York Times which brings Frank Bruni’s latest snarky review of the NYC culinary temple du jour. I am lucky enough to have dined at some of NYC’s most esteemed restaurants. Here are a few of my New York (and beyond) favorites, with a thought and reaction on each.

River Cafe, Brooklyn, NY. The food at this waterfront gem overlooking Lower Manhattan is extraordinary, especially the terrine of foie gras. AMAZING. The price point is quite high, so this is a place for special occasions only.

Nobu, New York, NY. Though it remains a struggle to gain a reservation, this gorgeous Japanese restaurant on Hudson Street in TriBeCa remains worth the wait!

The Lodge at Game Creek, Vail, CO. Any restaurant that you have to take a ski lift and a snowcat to reach, is pretty cool already. Then, the food arrives!

Aquagrill, New York, NY. As a former server/bartender at several NYC establishments, I am rather unlikely to return to these former places of employment as a paying customer. Aquagrill, on Spring Street in SOHO, is a very clear exception. Here, it’s all about the oysters. More than 20 varieties are available each day…several of which are FedEx’ed in each morning. The oysters are fresh, the dining room is lovely, and the location is choice. It’s a great place to eat, but it really sucked to work there.

The White Elephant Inn, Nantucket, MA. The most recent entry to this growing list, this harbor-side restaurant serves phenomenal seafood and surprisingly good steaks in a gorgeous setting.

The Foggy, Foggy Dew…and LGA

I hate LaGuardia Airport, USAirways Express, and the atmospheric phenomenon known as fog.

My lovely three day weekend on Nantucket grew an extra day when the Nantucket Airport (ACK) was closed due to fog. My 5:50PM and 7:15PM flights were both canceled. Then, my 8:55AM flight was canceled the next morning. I was booked on the 2:05PM, and it seemed as systems were go. “Not so fast, pal!” the airline seemed to say to me. My fourth flight was delayed due to a “ground stop” at LaGuardia (LGA) because of “storms in the area.” Pay no attention to the fact that my New York contacts told me it was hot and sunny, and there was no sign of thunderclouds and the like. I finally got home around 9:00PM Tuesday evening.

Success…now what?

Hi kids.

I still haven’t figured out what this blog will now entail, as it started as a response to my lack of gainful employment. That has now been remedied.

I still turn 30 this Monday. That has been weighing on me for quite some time, but now I’m looking forward to it. For those for whom their 20’s were a challenge, they say the 30’s are a joy.

I’m counting on it.