Boston - Day Two

Today we went to Boston University. We took a walking tour of some of the Campus. It was rainy and cold. Bob Saget and his daughter were in our group, which I found quite random. I don’t think anyone recognized him except Katie and me. It was so rainy and hectic that Betsy didn't really notice him until Katie mentioned it. This was the second time I bumped in to the guy. The first time was back when I was working for Capitol Records in Hollywood. I guess he was setting something up for some sort of practical joke for a show, and he was using either our building, or the parking lot for his prank. It's funny how life is.

After that we ate lunch at a little Irish Pub called the Black Rose. We did some shopping at the Quincy Market. It was fun. My legs are sore from what walking we did. That tells me how much I need to get in shape. After we rested up back at the Hotel, we walked down Commonwealth Avenue to a nice Thai place called Bamboo. Then we ambled back up to the room and now we are chilling out. We were thinking of going over to Harvard for fun tomorrow, but I think we have decided against that in favor of sticking around here and doing a little relaxing. Newbury is the name of the area that we are going to explore tomorrow. We have to be at the airport by five, so our time is a bit pinched, as we have opted to ride the trains instead of renting a car.

Boston - Day One

The girls and I made it safely to Boston, thank God. We went on a tour of Boston College. I have to say it's a beautiful and exciting school. Tomorrow we are going to check out Boston University. The schools seem to have very distinct vibes. We'll know more of course after tomorrow. So far, this has been a very positive experience. Time permitting, we plan on doing a bit of sightseeing. I want to poke around in some historical stuff, and we'll walk around downtown. My daughter Katie has saved up a bit of cash and wants to do some shopping. I'll have some pictures up in a few days. Right now we're beat, so I'm going to say goodnight.

Morning Input

It's a nice sunny day here in Myrtle Beach. It's my last day of work for the week. Today we are getting ready to go to Boston. We leave super early tomorrow morning. I hear the city of Boston has wi-fi, but I hear it sucks. It should be interesting to check it out. Of course, only a complete internet troll would think about something like that anyway. Maybe I should leave the laptop at home. NAH!

BOSTON

The girls and I are getting ready for a quick trip to Boston. Katie is interested in checking out Boston University, and Boston College. This is the first college exploratory trip (not counting when we were in LA over the Christmas break; We had a superficial scope-out of UCLA) we have embarked on. We'll be there Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, and we have a lot of things to cram into those days. I have never been to Boston or the Northeast in general, so I am keen to check it all out. I know there is a very vibrant music community up there, but I won't be able to see to much of that on this go-round. All I know is, if Katie does decide to and gets accepted by either of those schools, I'll have to sell a kidney or something! She is a fantastic student, so I'm sure things will work out whatever the case may be.

I'll keep you posted....

Absence

I've been absent a while. I suppose I haven't had much to post. I seem to have been in a bit of a dry spell creatively and spiritually. I feel like I am going through some sort of refining process in my soul. Things are being churned up, and I am doing a lot of reflection and re-evaluation amidst sort of partly cloudy emotional terrain. I am growing, and I daresay it hasn't been a walk in the park. But this must happen; this process must continue to take me where I need to be at this stage in the game. I need to take it one step at a time, one day at a time.

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Easter!
May the grace of the risen Christ be with you all.

20th

Betsy and I celebrate twenty years of marriage today. It's hard to believe it's been that long. The years seem to have snuck by very quickly. For dinner, we're going to check out a place called Rioz, which is a Brazilian steakhouse. My daughter went there with her old workmates for their holiday party, and she said it was awesome, with the extensive salad bar to die for. We'll see...

A side note. We finally have internet access at the store. As if I wasn't enough of a troll at home....

Food for Thought

Check this out. The statistics are staggering.

Sick Saturday

I've caught a horrible cold. I have been spending the day recuperating, reading, listening to some podcasts, and sleeping. It's funny how the body lets you know what it needs. Yuck. I'm over this already. The upside is that I get to catch up on some media consumption.

I saw a fantastic movie last night with Betsy. It's called The Illusionist. I highly recommend it. It's quite a unique film in my opinion. It got me. Tonight we're going to see Hollywoodland.

I just found out that Brad Delp, the amazing-voiced singer for Boston, was found dead in his home yesterday afternoon. R.I.P. Brad.

The private pain we all possess.

We laugh

We cry

We’re scared to death

Throwaway Treasures

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly."
Thomas Paine
US patriot & political philosopher (1737 - 1809)

The things we get too easily are seldom cherished as the things which we work hard or struggle to obtain. The thing, apparently, is in the doing. The becoming is in the being. They are intertwined. The road less traveled is the pathway to where we want to be. It is indeed the narrow gate. It is indeed the eye of the needle. It is apparently designed that way for a reason. That reason is growth of the person; development of the soul. Becoming, in so many ways, whom we wish to become, and accomplishing the things closest to our hearts. I have been thinking on such things lately. I have been thinking about what may be my throwaway treasures, and what things have lasting value. Treasures at the very core of my heart. Treasures that will last. At the end of the day, what will not be chaff? What will not be burned away? It behooves me to consider these things in this Lenten season.

I often think (fantasize) about winning the Lotto. Quite a life-changer, no doubt. But at what cost? We all know of the benefits of such a windfall, but when you get in to super-large numbers, the mind rebels at considering the drawbacks (the rich young ruler sadly walking away from the Lord).

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to be the guinea pig in that experiment. I'm just contemplating this stuff. I wonder how something like that would change my heart. It would be a lie for me to say that things would not change in many ways. But I am talking about the fundamental part of me. How would that be impacted? Would winning the lotto feel different than earning a fortune by the sweat of one's brow? No doubt. But would the results be the same? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

It's good for me to think on these things.

Lent. A Time Of Renewal, Reflection, and Expectation

Check out this awesome take on the lenten season from Abbey of the Arts.

I love Lent. It is a fantastic opportunity to recharge the spiritual batteries, so to speak, and to realign with God, and our purpose in the scheme of things. Christine, from the Abbey of the Arts, summed it up nicely. I enjoyed what she had to say. It rang true for me.

Garage Punk Sunday Morning

It's a beautiful Sunday morning. I'm listening to the Garage Punk Podcast! This guy's show is called Get Drunk and Play Records. He spins tracks from his vinyl collection of older and obscure bands/songs. It's a lot of fun. Raw rock and roll!

MORE DR PICS

DR Pics

Here are some pics from our DR trip.

Dominican Republic

Betsy and I are headed to the DR tomorrow, compliments of Davidoff, the premier cigar maker. I will be offline until next weekend. As addicted as I am to the Internet, that should be a bit odd.

We will be touring the fields and the manufacturing facilities, and attending some presentations and having fun! This will be a fun and informative trip. I just wish I stayed awake in spanish class!

If You Walk Away

Here's something from my old band Rogue Alley. Those were fun times indeed.

Rogue Alley - If You Walk Away

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A book worth reading

My daughter turned me on to this one. It spoke volumes to my heart.

Currently reading : For One More Day By Mitch Albom Release date: By 26 September, 2006

Katie's 17th Birthday

Yesterday was my daughter Katie's seventeenth birthday. We took her and a bunch of her pals out to dinner last night. Here are some pics of the evening.

Art Buchwald

Art Buchwald has passed away today. God bless him. He was a funny and brilliant literary gem.