I went on an adventure this weekend and not only did I live to tell about it, I loved the whole damn thing.
In a few weeks I'm going to be taking a group of students from my new school out for an 2 day/1 night backpacking trip through the backwoods. In order to prepare for this trip, I backpacked down the Appalachian Trail for four days to learn the skills I'll need to lead my students. I'll be writing about this experience more in depth sometime over the next few days but for now I just want to list two words phrases that tell the story of this amazing adventure. While some of them may not make sense others represent the nature of this trip. Enjoy
*very nervous
*six strangers
*sore hands
*real tired
*bear bag
*hot spots
*getting "lost"
*tough riddles
*the leader
*reading maps
*scuba woman
*raising tarps
*truckers hitch
*fire tower
*red trail
*head lamps
*hurt back
*green trail
*packs on
*raccoon ridge
*work late
*up early
*always learning
*green window
*walking sticks
*hot sauce
*micro-trash
*forest fire
*no water
*orange moon
*white trail
*everybody poops
*packs off
*morning stretch
*orange trail
*scenic point
*the woofer
*power clap
*challenge & support
*blue trail
*six friends
*so proud
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Are You Ready For Some Football?!
So here we are with September fast approaching and the upcoming fall sports season on the horizon.
NFL preview?
No.
NCAA?
Nope.
The desktop football with the triangle shaped paper that you used to play back in grammar school?
Not even close.
All of the above sports are considered mainstream sports in the United States yet I'm not talking about any of them. Today, I write about the English Premiership! (Waiting for reaction......waiting....waiting....oh never mind I'm going to write it anyway)
If you've read this blog before you may recall that I've developed an affinity for soccer over the past few years, specifically the English Premier League (EPL). Even though it's outside of my favorite sports, I find it very easy to watch and write about soccer. I attribute this to my lack of emotional investment in both the game and the league/teams that I follow. (The flip side of this is that even though the Mets/baseball are my favorite team/sport I have almost never written about them. I think living as a Mets fans is bad enough, I don't really want to re-live it through my writing.)
Anyway.
Soccer has made some strides on this side of the Atlantic recently and I'm not looking your way David Beckham. Many people seemed genuinely enthused about Team USA during the World Cup and with the exposure the English League is getting on ESPN now (2-3 televised matches per week) maybe soccer is about to make the jump from total obscurity to kind of total obscurity. The EPL just finished it's second full week of the '10/'11 season and it's time to take a look at what has happened so far.
The summer brought a lot of action. Benitez is out at Liverpool, Man City spent nearly $200 million on the transfer market, Chelsea remained relatively quiet after winning the Double and Man United is in the midst of a youth movement.
Week Two ended with a match up of the new hot shots on the block and the weary, beat up veteran as Man City hosted Liverpool. Plainly stated, City showed the dominance that a billion dollars should buy, but very often does not. They dominated possession, Adam Johnson shined and Joe Hart was sharp once again in net. Liverpool on the other hand had glimpses of the team that was once mainstay in the Top 4 but were undone by sound defense and some great saves by the aforementioned Joe Hart. You knew it wasn't the Reds' day when their best span of play at the beginning of the second half ended with a goal by City.
While the "Other Guys" (SUMMER MOVIE PUN!) of Manchester looked amazing today, I think we need to wait and see what the rest of the year hold for City. A victory at home against a Top 4 team was seen last year (Chelsea and Arsenal). The real test will be what they do on the road as well as if they can turn some of those draws from last year (13 in all) to wins that will help secure them the Top 4 or better.
Liverpool on the other hand have to be on notice. After a rough 2009/2010 campaign which ended with them finishing out of the Top 4 for the first time since '04/'05, they sacked their manager and started this season by giving away two points to Arsenal in the first game and being dismantled by City in the second. Either way, the next three games are crucial with two against West Bromwich and Birmingham City followed by a trip to Old Trafford and Manchester United.
Other random thoughts about the Premiership so far:
-Chelsea looked dominant in their first two matches with back to back 6-0 wins. Although the opposition may not have been the best (newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and bottom dwellers Wigan) it's never a bad thing to have your coach compare your play to that of a video game.
-I adopted Man City over the past few years as my team (and will continue to support them) but they've lost many of the players that made me a fan of the team in the first place specifically Richard Dunne, Craig Bellamy, Stephen Ireland and now possible Shay Given. For this season I will also be following Fulham. They have American favorite Clint Dempsey, pesky Irishman Damien Duff and a possible transfer of Shay Given from City.
-Nice to see Newcastle back in the Premiership. When I first learned of English football in the mid 90's, Newcastle was one of the top teams lead by Alan Shearer. They crushed Aston Villa 6-0 on Sunday after an opening loss to United. Speaking of Aston Villa....
-They're season might have ended before it started when their manager, Martin O'Neill, resigned. After a few top 6 finishes in a row, '10/'11 might be one to forget for Villa. Rumors of US national coach Bob Bradley taking over could add some excitement to a (possibly) tough season)
So that's about it for now. If you made it all the way to the end then you must really like me or really like soccer. The EPL is the perfect way to start a weekend with matches on Saturday mornings on ESPN and Fox Soccer (check your local listings!) I'm sure I'll write about the league a few more times before the end of the year.
Next blog up: The summer wrap up with the Best and Worst of the summer of '10.
NFL preview?
No.
NCAA?
Nope.
The desktop football with the triangle shaped paper that you used to play back in grammar school?
Not even close.
All of the above sports are considered mainstream sports in the United States yet I'm not talking about any of them. Today, I write about the English Premiership! (Waiting for reaction......waiting....waiting....oh never mind I'm going to write it anyway)
If you've read this blog before you may recall that I've developed an affinity for soccer over the past few years, specifically the English Premier League (EPL). Even though it's outside of my favorite sports, I find it very easy to watch and write about soccer. I attribute this to my lack of emotional investment in both the game and the league/teams that I follow. (The flip side of this is that even though the Mets/baseball are my favorite team/sport I have almost never written about them. I think living as a Mets fans is bad enough, I don't really want to re-live it through my writing.)
Anyway.
Soccer has made some strides on this side of the Atlantic recently and I'm not looking your way David Beckham. Many people seemed genuinely enthused about Team USA during the World Cup and with the exposure the English League is getting on ESPN now (2-3 televised matches per week) maybe soccer is about to make the jump from total obscurity to kind of total obscurity. The EPL just finished it's second full week of the '10/'11 season and it's time to take a look at what has happened so far.
The summer brought a lot of action. Benitez is out at Liverpool, Man City spent nearly $200 million on the transfer market, Chelsea remained relatively quiet after winning the Double and Man United is in the midst of a youth movement.
Week Two ended with a match up of the new hot shots on the block and the weary, beat up veteran as Man City hosted Liverpool. Plainly stated, City showed the dominance that a billion dollars should buy, but very often does not. They dominated possession, Adam Johnson shined and Joe Hart was sharp once again in net. Liverpool on the other hand had glimpses of the team that was once mainstay in the Top 4 but were undone by sound defense and some great saves by the aforementioned Joe Hart. You knew it wasn't the Reds' day when their best span of play at the beginning of the second half ended with a goal by City.
While the "Other Guys" (SUMMER MOVIE PUN!) of Manchester looked amazing today, I think we need to wait and see what the rest of the year hold for City. A victory at home against a Top 4 team was seen last year (Chelsea and Arsenal). The real test will be what they do on the road as well as if they can turn some of those draws from last year (13 in all) to wins that will help secure them the Top 4 or better.
Liverpool on the other hand have to be on notice. After a rough 2009/2010 campaign which ended with them finishing out of the Top 4 for the first time since '04/'05, they sacked their manager and started this season by giving away two points to Arsenal in the first game and being dismantled by City in the second. Either way, the next three games are crucial with two against West Bromwich and Birmingham City followed by a trip to Old Trafford and Manchester United.
Other random thoughts about the Premiership so far:
-Chelsea looked dominant in their first two matches with back to back 6-0 wins. Although the opposition may not have been the best (newly promoted West Bromwich Albion and bottom dwellers Wigan) it's never a bad thing to have your coach compare your play to that of a video game.
-I adopted Man City over the past few years as my team (and will continue to support them) but they've lost many of the players that made me a fan of the team in the first place specifically Richard Dunne, Craig Bellamy, Stephen Ireland and now possible Shay Given. For this season I will also be following Fulham. They have American favorite Clint Dempsey, pesky Irishman Damien Duff and a possible transfer of Shay Given from City.
-Nice to see Newcastle back in the Premiership. When I first learned of English football in the mid 90's, Newcastle was one of the top teams lead by Alan Shearer. They crushed Aston Villa 6-0 on Sunday after an opening loss to United. Speaking of Aston Villa....
-They're season might have ended before it started when their manager, Martin O'Neill, resigned. After a few top 6 finishes in a row, '10/'11 might be one to forget for Villa. Rumors of US national coach Bob Bradley taking over could add some excitement to a (possibly) tough season)
So that's about it for now. If you made it all the way to the end then you must really like me or really like soccer. The EPL is the perfect way to start a weekend with matches on Saturday mornings on ESPN and Fox Soccer (check your local listings!) I'm sure I'll write about the league a few more times before the end of the year.
Next blog up: The summer wrap up with the Best and Worst of the summer of '10.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Desserts (that's with two S's because you want more of it!)
Like many people, I love the establishments around where I grew up. The diners, delis, movie theaters and malls all provided great memories from my youth that I still remember today. One of those establishments was Friendly's. Whether it was after a St. Anne's Christmas Concert or a Chaminade dance, Friendly's was a place where we would usually end up between the ages of 11 and 14--not old enough to do something cool (well I wasn't anyway) but too old to want to be at home. While it may not be considered 5 star cuisine, Friendly's always hit the spot, especially their desserts. The Reese's Pieces and Peanut Butter Cup sundaes were always a must during any Friendly's visit. However, the one dessert I always remember seeing but not getting was the Wattamelon Roll. For those not familiar with the Wattamelon Roll, it is basically lemon and watermelon sherbet shaped like a piece of watermelon with chocolate chips acting as seeds. See picture below.
Although I like sherbet, I was never interested in having the Wattamelon Roll but, like many things in my life, that all changed when I met Kate.
When talking about Friendly's one day, Kate began extolling the virtues of the Wattamelon Roll. The only problem was that there were no groceries that sold them around Kate's place in Woodside. One Sunday, we were on our way back to Kate's when we realized that we could pick one up in Stewart Manor and bring it back to Queens. Although it was a muggy June night, we were both confident that we could make it back without any serious melting. We were wrong.. Once we hit traffic on the LIE we went into crisis mode. We jacked up the AC and Kate held the Roll next to the vent. but it didn't do much to help. Traffic eventually broke up and while we didn't have Wattamelon soup in the car, our dessert was just about ruined.
Here we are in 2010, again living in Queens without a Wattamelon Roll to be found. When we came back from Ireland last week, we crashed at my parents house then drove home the next morning. We stopped to pick up groceries at Key Food and there she was in the Frozen Foods aisle. A cool, refreshing Friendly's Wattamelon Roll--and on sale no less! We were both a little bit hesitant about trying the drive again (this time in sweltering July heat) but we both believed it could be done. We got the Roll out of the freezer (last stop on while shopping to maximize "frozen-ness") and just to be safe we did what any rational, dessert loving couple would do: we bought a Hot/Cold bag and threw it right in. I'm happy to report that the roll made it home safely and was enjoyed by the aforementioned rational, dessert loving couple.
I've always loved memories. I'm still amazed by how the sight of a house or the smell of food can bring me back to a place from my past. Things like Wattamelon Roll are what I love about life. Ok, maybe not literally, but I do love what that simple dessert represents: great memories from my youth and new memories with my wife.
Monday, August 2, 2010
God Save the King
So I realize I'm about a month late on the whole LeBron thing but better late than never. Here goes!
When we were over in Ireland, Kate and I would always end up watching the World Match Play Darts Championships. It was on in every pub as well as our various hotel rooms and we completely enjoyed watching it. We were just reminiscing about dart watching, specifically about a player named Phil Taylor. Although he is the fifteen time world champion, we somehow never saw him play. When I told this to Kate I wanted to make a sports analogy to show how huge this guy apparently is in the world of competitive darts (maybe the worst two word phrase I've ever typed).
My first instinct was to call him the "Michael Jordan" of darts but I figured that comparison might be a little dated. I wanted someone from the modern day who was equally as feared and dominant in their sport as Phil "The Power" Taylor is in darts. I eventually settled on "He's the Kobe Bryant of darts." What does this have to do with anything? This statement not only lets you know how dominant Phil Taylor is, but it also says alot about the legacy of LeBron James. When I tried to come up with a non-Jordan athlete, the name that popped into my head was LeBron. After all, since 2003 (and before if you want to count his high school days) we've been told how "King" James was the heir apparent to Michael Jordan; the man who was going to do things that nobody had done since #23 left Chicago for the second time (we're going to erase the Wizards MJ from our collective memory). Hell, he even took the same number as Jordan and proceeded to win Rookie of the Year, a scoring title and now two consecutive league MVP's. Although he had yet to win a title, the future was bright for King James, especially with his upcoming free agency
While all this was happening, Kobe Bryant was winning championships. Sure, his first three rings were won when he had Shaq in his prime but he's now won back-to-back on his own--not with any other superstars (like say Dwayne Wade) but with a three time All Star in Pau Gasol and a cast of complimentary pieces. Kobe is a winner. With their backs to the wall, athletes will show their true colors. Down 1 with 25 seconds left? Kobe will clench his teeth, break out the "Kobe Face" (which hilariously enough has its own Facebook page) and bury an impossible fade away three that closes a game. By signing with the Heat, LeBron has proven that he doesn't want to do that. Come next June, if the Heat are down 1 with 25 seconds to go, LeBron won't be burying that shot. It's not his team, it's Dwayne Wade's team. LeBron gave up that shot when he told Jim Gray that he would be "heading to South Beach" There will be no "LeBron face" and the only teeth being clenched will be the ones of abandoned Cavs fans as they burn their #23 jerseys and curse their televisions. LeBron might win his ring (no guarantees there at all) but he won't have done it on his team.
I think we all should have been on notice about what LeBron's summer plans might be back in November. It was at this time that he submitted the paperwork to change his number from 23 to 6. Maybe the weight of that immortal number was starting to get too heavy for him to carry around for 40 minutes a night. Maybe he realized that he wasn't the player that he was built up to be or maybe he just didn't want to be "the man" anymore. You can't blame LeBron for wanting to win a championship but you can question the way he's going to try to do it, especially since we've been force fed his "greatness" for the past 7 years.
God save the "King".
When we were over in Ireland, Kate and I would always end up watching the World Match Play Darts Championships. It was on in every pub as well as our various hotel rooms and we completely enjoyed watching it. We were just reminiscing about dart watching, specifically about a player named Phil Taylor. Although he is the fifteen time world champion, we somehow never saw him play. When I told this to Kate I wanted to make a sports analogy to show how huge this guy apparently is in the world of competitive darts (maybe the worst two word phrase I've ever typed).
My first instinct was to call him the "Michael Jordan" of darts but I figured that comparison might be a little dated. I wanted someone from the modern day who was equally as feared and dominant in their sport as Phil "The Power" Taylor is in darts. I eventually settled on "He's the Kobe Bryant of darts." What does this have to do with anything? This statement not only lets you know how dominant Phil Taylor is, but it also says alot about the legacy of LeBron James. When I tried to come up with a non-Jordan athlete, the name that popped into my head was LeBron. After all, since 2003 (and before if you want to count his high school days) we've been told how "King" James was the heir apparent to Michael Jordan; the man who was going to do things that nobody had done since #23 left Chicago for the second time (we're going to erase the Wizards MJ from our collective memory). Hell, he even took the same number as Jordan and proceeded to win Rookie of the Year, a scoring title and now two consecutive league MVP's. Although he had yet to win a title, the future was bright for King James, especially with his upcoming free agency
While all this was happening, Kobe Bryant was winning championships. Sure, his first three rings were won when he had Shaq in his prime but he's now won back-to-back on his own--not with any other superstars (like say Dwayne Wade) but with a three time All Star in Pau Gasol and a cast of complimentary pieces. Kobe is a winner. With their backs to the wall, athletes will show their true colors. Down 1 with 25 seconds left? Kobe will clench his teeth, break out the "Kobe Face" (which hilariously enough has its own Facebook page) and bury an impossible fade away three that closes a game. By signing with the Heat, LeBron has proven that he doesn't want to do that. Come next June, if the Heat are down 1 with 25 seconds to go, LeBron won't be burying that shot. It's not his team, it's Dwayne Wade's team. LeBron gave up that shot when he told Jim Gray that he would be "heading to South Beach" There will be no "LeBron face" and the only teeth being clenched will be the ones of abandoned Cavs fans as they burn their #23 jerseys and curse their televisions. LeBron might win his ring (no guarantees there at all) but he won't have done it on his team.
I think we all should have been on notice about what LeBron's summer plans might be back in November. It was at this time that he submitted the paperwork to change his number from 23 to 6. Maybe the weight of that immortal number was starting to get too heavy for him to carry around for 40 minutes a night. Maybe he realized that he wasn't the player that he was built up to be or maybe he just didn't want to be "the man" anymore. You can't blame LeBron for wanting to win a championship but you can question the way he's going to try to do it, especially since we've been force fed his "greatness" for the past 7 years.
God save the "King".
Sunday, August 1, 2010
One year down.....
Kate and I got married one year ago today.
It's crazy to think that the time has gone by so fast but here we are, one year removed from our big day. During the madness of the wedding day, the last thing that I was thinking about was (oddly enough) my marriage. What was life going to be like now that I was married? If I had stepped back last August and tried to predict what our first year of married life was going to be like, it would be pretty similar to what the past 365 days have been.
We've been as near as Stewart Manor and as far as Scotland. We went up to Connecticut and down to Virginia. We've been to Citi Field, Nassau Coliseum and even Croke Park. We spent time with family and friends. We went to birthday parties, Christmas parties and hosted an Olympics party (which,I might add, was pretty awesome.) We saw U2 and the Saw Doctors and had a few sing songs of our own. We've eaten Polish Platters, spicy tuna rolls and enough Italian Ice for to last a lifetime. We went through some very tough times but lived to tell about it because we had each other. We've cooked and cleaned; we've laughed and loved. One year ago, we started this brand new life together and it has been a beautiful experience ever since.
Marriage is not easy. Each time the statistics come out it seems like the divorce rate climbs higher and higher. But like a lot of difficult things, there are some obvious answers that can help. Over the past year I learned that marriage is similar to charades and the $100,000 Pyramid: if you have the right partner it can be pretty easy. The last twelve months have confirmed what I knew a long time ago: Kate is the right partner for me. She picks me up when I'm down, and she puts me in my place when I need putting. At the end of day, I love Kate and I know that she loves me and that's a pretty amazing thing to be able to say.
One year down, many more to come.
It's crazy to think that the time has gone by so fast but here we are, one year removed from our big day. During the madness of the wedding day, the last thing that I was thinking about was (oddly enough) my marriage. What was life going to be like now that I was married? If I had stepped back last August and tried to predict what our first year of married life was going to be like, it would be pretty similar to what the past 365 days have been.
We've been as near as Stewart Manor and as far as Scotland. We went up to Connecticut and down to Virginia. We've been to Citi Field, Nassau Coliseum and even Croke Park. We spent time with family and friends. We went to birthday parties, Christmas parties and hosted an Olympics party (which,I might add, was pretty awesome.) We saw U2 and the Saw Doctors and had a few sing songs of our own. We've eaten Polish Platters, spicy tuna rolls and enough Italian Ice for to last a lifetime. We went through some very tough times but lived to tell about it because we had each other. We've cooked and cleaned; we've laughed and loved. One year ago, we started this brand new life together and it has been a beautiful experience ever since.
Marriage is not easy. Each time the statistics come out it seems like the divorce rate climbs higher and higher. But like a lot of difficult things, there are some obvious answers that can help. Over the past year I learned that marriage is similar to charades and the $100,000 Pyramid: if you have the right partner it can be pretty easy. The last twelve months have confirmed what I knew a long time ago: Kate is the right partner for me. She picks me up when I'm down, and she puts me in my place when I need putting. At the end of day, I love Kate and I know that she loves me and that's a pretty amazing thing to be able to say.
One year down, many more to come.
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