The Domes at the Catskills & Other Stories: Day 2

Incredibly, the second day of our Catskills adventure was almost as surreally strange as our first day. It wasn’t bad, and indeed, a lot of it was awesome, but at every turn, we’ve been confronted by the weirdness that I suppose constitutes normalcy in rural America.

The Domes at the Catskills & Other Stories: Day 1

Yesterday proved to be an interesting day. 

We're staying at the Domes at Catskills for a couple of nights. It's a kind of high-end glamping place. They set you up in these geodesic, safari-style domes. It feels very much like the kind of place Lord and Lady Greystoke might've lived during their African adventure, right before they were slaughtered and their son taken to be raised by apes in the jungle.

Sally overlooking the view from our dome.

6 Things on a Sunday: Dragon’s Lair + Free Wrestling

I’ve been working on this post since the middle of last week, but without my regular commute rides on the train, my writing schedule is out-of-whack.  Also, the COVID-19 outbreak has gotten so bad that making jokes about it isn’t really in good taste anymore.

Happy Hour at Casa Cabeza in the era of COVID-19.

Well.  Let’s do it.

Trying Not to Go Crazy

Tough week, am I right?

I don't know what it's like at your house, but from where I'm sitting, it feels like the whole world is on a snow day while I'm stuck in the office.  I know -- in my head -- that I'm lucky that I'm working and that our daily routines haven't been as badly disrupted as they could have been.

From Friday.  This is our daily happy hour ritual.

Many, many people have it much, much worse.  I get that.  But in my heart, I'm still mourning our vacation to St. Thomas.  At the same time, my wife is out of work, and because we've already got one down in my office, I'm working as hard as ever.  So at least for now, we're looking at a long, hard slog without a break in sight.  Can't ski, can't go to the beach, can't really do anything except stay in the office and continue plugging away.

XFL: Offenses at the Halfway Mark

We’re five weeks into a ten-week XFL regular season, and despite the coronavirus outbreak and a predictable drop in TV ratings, America’s newest football league is off to a seemingly strong start.  We’re seeing regular mainstream media coverage, power rankings, podcasts, and -- after a slow offensive start -- an increasingly interesting product week-to-week.

Let’s discuss.

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‪This is where things stand halfway through the regular season‬

A post shared by XFL (@xfl) on Mar 10, 2020 at 6:35am PDT

2020: The More Things Change...

Earlier this week, I told my wife that we're not celebrating the end of a decade, we're turning the page to a new beginning.  And yet, I somehow found myself scrolling through old blog posts yesterday, trying to get a feel for how much life has changed -- and how much it hasn't.  

It was a little depressing.  After a life full of whirlwind changes, the last ten years have been amazingly static.  I've been with the same woman since 2002, nurturing the same kids since 2003 and 2005, in the same house since 2007, and in the same job since mid-2010.  None of that is bad, but it doesn't make for some kind of sweeping narrative of hope and change, either.  Given the turbulence of my previous decade, I suppose that a quest for stability -- seen clearly only in hindsight -- was a natural outcome.  But going back through some of my older writing, I also felt keenly that the thing I've done most is to keep on keeping on.

5 Things on a Friday: Pics from Our Camping Trip

We're back from vacation today, having spent a few days camping up by Lake George.  It was much cooler up there, but we got rained on a few times.  The trip was a lot of fun, but I'm sort of enjoying being back, too.

How was your week?  Good?

Back to Life, Back to Reality

It's Sunday, but after more than a week off, we're back to the grind today.  I have to swim, iron, and get to the grocery store, and tomorrow I have to go into New York City and do actual work.  My phone tells me that I have more than a hundred sixty-five emails waiting for me, and that's after I've had my out-of-office assistant on all week telling people not to bother trying to contact me.

Sally took this picture yesterday at Pier A in Hoboken.

What can you do?  We've got to pay the bills.

5 Things on a Friday: 80s Sci Fi Comes Roaring Back

It’s Friday, folks.  Wahoo!  Let's get ready to party!!!

Saturday News & Notes: A Bit of Football

Against all odds, there's some football in my Twitter feed.  Amazing, no?

Giants questions: Offensive line, Tom Quinn's status, injuries and more #nyg http://t.co/oPaM36m4L8 pic.twitter.com/WetpnnRzSw

— Big Blue View (@bigblueview) May 30, 2015

Saturday News & Notes: #Deflategate & other stories

Happy Saturday.  We're snowed in!