Monday: Angry
Tuesday: Free
Wednesday: Easy
Friday: Loyal
Sunday: Lucia
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Breaking Free
In eighth grade, we had Physical Education at the end of the day. Mr. McIntyre was my PE instructor. He was my PE instructor throughout my primary entire education, actually. Well, towards the end of the school year, we were playing softball, and I was playing shortstop, and there was a popup in shallow centerfield. I drifted back and called it, but Oliver Krug did not hear me and crashed into my leg, breaking my femur cleanly in two piece. I heard the crack. I yelled some obscenities, at the top of my young lungs, and attracted hundreds of school kids to the windows of the school. I did still catch the ball, I must say, which was the final out of the game.
Mr. McIntyre came to help me up, and I told him that it was broken, and in classic PE teacher stereotype, he must have said something like, "ah, it's just a scratch", or, "toughen up, Yonker!", or, "broken? I'll show you broken, now get up!" And, he proceeded to pick me up and let me stand on my two legs, one broken, without support. My right leg, the broken one, bent in the direction that legs are not meant to bend, and, once again, I yelled those same obscenities, at some higher peak of my lungs that I did not realize, just moments earlier, that I could reach, and attracted hundreds of kids back to the windows of the school, all trying to figure out what the hell was going on.
It actually took me 24 hours to convince anyone that my leg was indeed broken. Apparently, I cried wolf a lot in my younger years, but once I did, they straightened my leg which had atrophied, wrapped me in a waterproof cast and sent me on my way with crutches. It was the single most important event in my life that helped me to gain my independence.
You see, I was, and likely always will be, a momma's boy. I was the youngest. Always picked on (never a pest, of course). Only in retrospect, do I realize what a royal pain the arse I was to my mother those early years, but something about that extra challenge of dealing with a cast at the end of school and that summer focused me to do it my damn self!
I learned how to flip off the diving board, with my cast on. Everyone signed my cast at school. I walked miles with my crutches, refusing rides from my mom. I also did not bathe and dry the cast according to Dr. Bartolett's instructions, actually, and when they removed it, I remember my brother's horror at the shriveled, smelly horror that my leg had become. Either way, it was one of the best summers I have ever had.
Challenges can bring out the best in us or the worst in us. Keeping an even keel and focus is key to making great decisions in times of need, and perseverance can help to surmount almost any obstacle. It helps to be stubborn, as well.
 |
| Plump, with cast and T-Rex arm... |
It actually took me 24 hours to convince anyone that my leg was indeed broken. Apparently, I cried wolf a lot in my younger years, but once I did, they straightened my leg which had atrophied, wrapped me in a waterproof cast and sent me on my way with crutches. It was the single most important event in my life that helped me to gain my independence.
You see, I was, and likely always will be, a momma's boy. I was the youngest. Always picked on (never a pest, of course). Only in retrospect, do I realize what a royal pain the arse I was to my mother those early years, but something about that extra challenge of dealing with a cast at the end of school and that summer focused me to do it my damn self!
I learned how to flip off the diving board, with my cast on. Everyone signed my cast at school. I walked miles with my crutches, refusing rides from my mom. I also did not bathe and dry the cast according to Dr. Bartolett's instructions, actually, and when they removed it, I remember my brother's horror at the shriveled, smelly horror that my leg had become. Either way, it was one of the best summers I have ever had.
Challenges can bring out the best in us or the worst in us. Keeping an even keel and focus is key to making great decisions in times of need, and perseverance can help to surmount almost any obstacle. It helps to be stubborn, as well.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
What's in the Cookies?
My mom bakes a lot. Some people bite their nails when they are restless or nervous. Bubs bakes. She can whip up some chocolate chip cookies like others blink. She puts everything in the cookies: raisin, nuts (or as my niece instructed once, "no gnats, please"), raisins...you-name-it. We joke that if you're too quiet or still in the kitchen, you'll end up in the cookies.
She used to bake cheescakes for local restaurants. She had a list of 49 different flavors that the restaurants could choose from, to rival Baskin-Robbins' 49 flavors of ice cream, at the time. We used to help her bake them sometimes, after school, up at the fraternity on Lafayette College, where she used to cook after my parents were divorced. It was all fun, however, I rarely eat cheesecake anymore. Like maybe once or twice in the last 30 years.
There's always a cookie jar at my mom's house. Always a stash of something sweet somewhere. Always some new baking idea that must be discussed and obsessed over. My wife also loves to bake and bakes well, too. I think of it as a gauntlet for my health and waist. Kind of like Cookie Frogger. We find ourselves baking with the kids on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, when there is nothing to do. Some brownies. A batch of Alfajores. Some Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars, which may have been one of the times I ate cheesecake in the last 30 years.
The children are easy to corrupt in this way. And, the cycle continues.
There's always a cookie jar at my mom's house. Always a stash of something sweet somewhere. Always some new baking idea that must be discussed and obsessed over. My wife also loves to bake and bakes well, too. I think of it as a gauntlet for my health and waist. Kind of like Cookie Frogger. We find ourselves baking with the kids on Saturday or Sunday afternoons, when there is nothing to do. Some brownies. A batch of Alfajores. Some Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Bars, which may have been one of the times I ate cheesecake in the last 30 years.
The children are easy to corrupt in this way. And, the cycle continues.
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Family Meal
As we all wrap our work to depart on our family adventures for Thanksgiving, it made me think of the great meals that I have had. While there have been some good food that I have had, while traveling, alone, all the good meals have been with friends and family.
Thanksgiving with family at Uncle Eddie's in Rockaway Beach. Bad Excuse Dinners in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress with friends. That 9-course meal with Tatiana our first time in Paris together a La Table d'Anvers. Team dinner at Doug's house, when he would flex his culinary skills with Northern Italian cuisine. In New York City, with Bubs, at the Spice Market, when she had a childhood neighbor walk in and surprise me.
I love food. It just taste better with friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
Thanksgiving with family at Uncle Eddie's in Rockaway Beach. Bad Excuse Dinners in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress with friends. That 9-course meal with Tatiana our first time in Paris together a La Table d'Anvers. Team dinner at Doug's house, when he would flex his culinary skills with Northern Italian cuisine. In New York City, with Bubs, at the Spice Market, when she had a childhood neighbor walk in and surprise me.
I love food. It just taste better with friends and family.
Happy Thanksgiving Week!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Stephen Colbert, Ice Cream Genius
This year, I've changed the way I eat, and ice cream is not normally on the new menu. In fact, one of the most significant changes I've made is to not eat dessert anymore. For the most part, it sucks. No other way to sugar-coat it.
I have lost over 20 pounds, however, and I'm back to my college weight. I do still eat dessert, just much more infrequently. Recently, I decided that I would have ice cream, with the kids, one Sunday afternoon, so I went to the frozen altar to unlock the sacred milk of Saint Ben and Saint Jerry, and there were 3 offerings to choose from: S'mores, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, and Americone Dream. I tried all 3, of course. I wouldn't want to anger the ice cream gods.
S'mores is a favorite of mine. With desserts, anything with marshmallow or caramel or apples is going to draw my attention. The toasted marshmallow shake, for example, at Stand in New York City, is a natural favorite and highly recommended if you are down near NYU or close to SoHo.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Yum. 'Nuff said.
And, this, Americone Dream...it had a picture of Stephen Colbert on it. Puzzling, indeed. So like a wild animal sniffing its kill as a safety measure, I read the label and noticed it had caramel in it, easing any fears, and I dug in.
What a magnificent concoction it was! The mixture of the vanilla, fudge-covered waffle cone bits, and caramel were both a great mix of flavors as well as textures. It actually got me thinking that although Mr. Colbert is quite popular on the television, he might be in the wrong line of work.
So, on this fine Sunday, go out to your local convenience store and pick up a pint (snack size, as my brother would say) or the several 3.6 ounce tasting samplers, and try it for yourself. It goes well with football.
 |
| Genius |
S'mores is a favorite of mine. With desserts, anything with marshmallow or caramel or apples is going to draw my attention. The toasted marshmallow shake, for example, at Stand in New York City, is a natural favorite and highly recommended if you are down near NYU or close to SoHo.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough. Yum. 'Nuff said.
And, this, Americone Dream...it had a picture of Stephen Colbert on it. Puzzling, indeed. So like a wild animal sniffing its kill as a safety measure, I read the label and noticed it had caramel in it, easing any fears, and I dug in.
What a magnificent concoction it was! The mixture of the vanilla, fudge-covered waffle cone bits, and caramel were both a great mix of flavors as well as textures. It actually got me thinking that although Mr. Colbert is quite popular on the television, he might be in the wrong line of work.
So, on this fine Sunday, go out to your local convenience store and pick up a pint (snack size, as my brother would say) or the several 3.6 ounce tasting samplers, and try it for yourself. It goes well with football.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
"Me" Time
At ad:tech this week, Christine Cook (@cooktine), SVP of Advertising at The Daily, spoke on one of my Tablets in Marketing sessions, and talked about how their subscribers make significant amounts of "personal primetime" for The Daily, usually after dinner. This, along with the fact that their content expires, increasing its contextual value, fascinated me. For me, since kids, I've often lamented the loss of "me time" or "nothing time". I never realized how much of it that I had, until I didn't have it.
I hardly remember it now. Some days, I did absolutely nothing. Nothing. Quite proud of it, actually. I don't know how it even works anymore. The "me time", though, is slowing reappearing.
The kids are 8 and 5 now, and its seems like Sunday mornings are coming back. Tati and I will stare at each other, while drinking coffee and reading the Sunday Times, which is a great tune by Loudon Wainwright III, and just be amazed. The occasional fight breaks out, so it's important to read the thicker sections first, because they are more powerful when you roll them up.
So, for you parents who also struggle to remember what "me time" is, grab your iPad and subscribe to The Daily. It will magically reappear. And, for you DINCs thinking about having children. It's great. Just go on a movie binge the weekend before labor, and take a strong mental snapshot of your "nothing time". It's about to go away.
 |
| The Daily |
The kids are 8 and 5 now, and its seems like Sunday mornings are coming back. Tati and I will stare at each other, while drinking coffee and reading the Sunday Times, which is a great tune by Loudon Wainwright III, and just be amazed. The occasional fight breaks out, so it's important to read the thicker sections first, because they are more powerful when you roll them up.
So, for you parents who also struggle to remember what "me time" is, grab your iPad and subscribe to The Daily. It will magically reappear. And, for you DINCs thinking about having children. It's great. Just go on a movie binge the weekend before labor, and take a strong mental snapshot of your "nothing time". It's about to go away.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)