The Real Reason for Sport

Some people consider Olympics the pinnacle of sport, showcasing the finest athletes from around the globe. I'm not sure... I guess it depends on what you think sports are supposed to represent.

I've been watching the Olympics (in so much as I can stay in a bubble in advance of NBC's primetime hatchet-job of the days events) and I'm tiring of all the solo athletes in pursuit of greatness. They all seem so self-involved. One example is Craig Hedrick, the US darling of these games, explaining why he was able to pull out a silver in today's 10,000 meter speedskating final:

"My heart is bigger than anybody else out there,'' Hedrick said. "If another skater had felt like I did today, he wouldn't have been on the podium. That's just me refusing to lose.''

Cool Craig... why don't you go share a root beer float with Shani Davis?

I'm not doubting that there are great storylines coming out of the Olympics, but the majority are not what makes sports so compelling for me. It should be about the development of team, the unselfish pursuit of a dream and the realization of your true potential.

That's why this story almost brought me to tears.

"Jason McElwain, a 17-year-old senior who is autistic and usually sits on the bench in a white shirt and black tie, proceeded to hit six 3-point shots, finished with 20 points and was carried off the court on his teammates' shoulders."

New Audi RS4 Avant

I'm not currently in the market for a new car, but if I was it would be hard to ignore this one. Can you say Ultimate Ski Car?

The Ultimate Disclaimer

My in-laws have a house in Key West and until recently it was a quiet corner of the island... then MTV came to town. The Real World/Key West house set up directly across the street. I wasn't "lucky" enough to be down there during filming, but did get a tour shortly after the talent left town. This disclaimer hangs just outside the main gate to the RW house. It's a little scary. If you're ever looking for a template to exploit someone's likeness in "all media throughout the universe in perpetuity", this will give you a head start.

ps.. the series starts on February 28th at 10pm.

Tu Y Yo

Jen and I went to Tu Y Yo on Sunday night and had a great experience/dinner.

We arrived at 7:30 with no res and were seated immediately (the only remaining booth). We ordered traditional sangria (which was great) and a special beer drink that had salt, pepper, lime and hot sauce (not very good imo, but I had to try it. it was like having a carbonated bloody mary - strange).

We ordered the tamales app (very tasty - we both would have ordered this again, although the coconut wasn't our favorite - the pork was) and the stuffed jalapenos (they were delicious. i've always wondered what authentic stuffed japapenos were like, the standard bar food just seems like an exceedingly cheap imitation. this dish reminded us of a tapas experience in barcelona, where we had a dish of fried local peppers. some are hotter than others and eating them is a sort of gastronomic russian roulette. the same occured with these peppers - three of the four were mild... the four knocked our socks off).

We ordered two main dishes shredded pork and shredded chicken. Both were delicious, but very different in the way they were spiced. They both came with rice (two shades - yellow [??] and green [tomatillo]), black beans (very mellow and good complement to the dish) and hot corn tortillas. The portions were large - we probably should have had leftovers, but ended up eating too much since it was so good. They brought three tortillas with the dishes and refreshed it upon request (nicer to have warm tortillas than have them drop six with the plates).

Mexican coffee (coffee flavored with chocolate, orange peel, raisins and spices) was good, but not something I'd write home about (am I doing that now?). The flan with the cinnamon cream was very good - I'll save more room for it next time.

The service was very good. We never wanted for anything. We never felt rushed, in fact our waitress was very good about patiently explaining/recommending numerous dishes (even while holding several plates in a free hand). I highly recommend Tu Y Yo for a nice night out for traditional mexican.

ps.. If you go on a Sunday, the salsa dancing at Johnny D's is a good way to work off the meal. ;-)

Walk in the Woods

My grandmother Evelyn (on the left, with my dad and Aunt Libby, on the camp porch in Island Pond) was a "woman of the woods." Growing up in northern Vermont (Montgomery) and spending spring, summer, fall in Island Pond, she took special pride in tending to her woods. As a child I remember walking with her in the woods of Island Pond, taking time to check out beautiful forest flowers and little animals. Of course, we also collected downed branches to help keep her woods clean. The paths that wound around the wooded hillside in IP were a sight to behold.

She died last winter. In sorting through her treasures we continue to be amazed by her commitment to Vermont in general and the woods in particular. What follows is a article we found among her belongings... something she felt compelled to clip out and save. I think it speaks to who she was and why the woods is something to cherish. Take time out from your busy day to enjoy the woods for what it is and what (we hope) it will always be...


New England Notebook
By Haydn S. Pearson

To the unfortunate who is literal-minded and whose approach to Nature is prosaic and practical, a woodland is only a natural resource to be calculated in board feet. Such persons miss much, although many of them are doing their full share to win a great battle in this nation. Since early days of the colonial era, there have been voices crying that we must conserve our forests and soil as a heritage for generations to come. Little by little, year by year we are learning to treat our woodlands as a continuing crop; year by year we are replanting ravaged areas and bringing trees back to steep slopes and thin-soiled fields and hillsides.

This is the time of year when a quiet woodland can offer solace and uplift to the human heart. The leaf canopy is deep green and summer shadows cover the forest floor. Leaves are still fresh and glowing: time and heat have not drained their beauty. He who delights in a woodland has favorite spots to which he goes. Blue and gold day, soft, cloudy hours, or during a gentle rain, one can refresh the heart and refill the reservoir of the soul among steadfast and friendly trees.

Sit quietly for a time in the woodland. Soon the life of the woods goes again on its appointer rounds. Vireos and rose-breasted grosbeaks sing their June music; small rustlings among dense shrubs tell of woodland lives moving in their habitat. Reach down beside you and feel in the surface carpet of dried, faded, brittle leaves; beneath the upper covering there is black, rich, and mellow humus, the primal stuff of our Earth, a bank which pays perpetual dividends on food for plants and animals. Inhale the aroma of the woodland-a pungent, satisfying fragrance that tells of making humus. One woodland hour can be an experience in which the frustrations and tension of the marketplace fade away and a man regains a glimpse of the meaning of life.

John Butler Trio - Coming Back to Town

Just quick not to give everyone a heads up that JBT is back in town in April. It's a GA show at Avalon on a Sunday night. If you've never heard JBT you're in for a treat. Here's the link (login with password "johnbutlertrio").

FYI... The Red Sox play an afternoon game in Baltimore that day, so the Fenway area should be relatively quiet.

Always Stretch Before Running

Ok - we moved. We moved and then packed the whole family up and went to Florida for the holidays. And then I caught a cold. Not just a wimpy, one box of tissues cold... this was a full on head cold that lasted for a full two weeks and drove me to invest in Kimberly-Clark. And then it lingered for another few days, not sure if it really wanted to exit my body. So, that's why I titled this one the way I did... this post is all about stretching. I'm not promising daily posts or anything crazy like that, but we'll see where this takes us.

So in the spirit of stretching I'd like to share a link to an article I found while surfing the internet. (In fact I typed curmudgeon into Google to confirm I was spelling it correctly and then got sidetracked into looking at something that looked interesting, The Curmudgeon's Home Companion. Anything with a name like that must be good, eh?... back to the point). I found this a great diversion and right on point. Getting stupid a few times every year should be mandatory. Maybe more than a few times for some people.

Anyhow, not much more right now. I'll see about getting (and staying off) the dinosaur listing.

I'm going home to open a bottle of wine.