insomnia

so it's about 2am and i'm on the couch. when i attempted to go to sleep, my son was in my bed and taking up the better part of my side, and being very restless. so, here i am. it's been a while since i've posted, and i'm not really sure what to write, but I figure if I get started, something will come to me. I drove out to our house in Milford, CT tonight to mow the lawn, and on the way I saw that there was a sailing race in progress, and with the warm weather coming my mind as always turns to the water. I remember fondly my youth spent on the water and long to return to a life of sailing.

Test

IPad

preppy

I think that there is a common misconception on what it means to be preppy these days. Preppy isn't a style. It isn't something tangible that you can deffinitively say, "oh look. that guys a prep." It's a way of life, a state of mind. Most people that I would catagorize as preppy, wouldn't necissarily call themselves such. the style of dress that comes from this is always an natural, and unforced style that just seems to suit the person. it's an unexamined look, that naturally looks nice. clothing designers try and imitate this look and market it to the masses, and these days have been quite successful. like j crew and vineyard vines, even the gap and banana republic. but if you examine what it means to be preppy you'll see that it's not something that you can buy, or put on. you don't have to be born of priveledge, but having gone to private school of some kind is almost prerequisite. Whether it's boarding or day, this kind of enviornment is pivotal to the growth and nurturing of the young prep. You can't buy culture or class, and that being said, another key to defining a prep is a love of art, literature and culture. you're average prep is a voratious reader and prides himself on having a solid knowledge of the finer things in life like wine, film, politics, and art. it's easy to be a pocketbook prep, who's trying to buy their way out of wherever it is they came from, but true prep is born deep within and can't be taken away. whether you're a builder or a banker, gardener or gourmand, it's an unappoligetic way to present yourself to the world. hold your head up high fellow preppies, it's a cruel world. i'm off to finish my glass of wine and head to bed.

Deer Tick

I recently came across a band that I love. Deer Tick is an alt-country act that really strattles many genre's with a deep gutteral voice booming over steel guitar, fiddles and an amazing rock-a-billy/outlaw sensibility. On the surface, there is an obvious punk influence as well, but the sonic force and originality of this young artist renew my faith that there are young guys out there making great music forward facing with healthy respect to the past. Another band that got me this excited a couple of years ago was Two Gallants, whose debut record, The Throes, blew me away with it's throw back song writing with nods to the delta blues, as well as Bob Dylan.
Solid stuff.

rain

I love it when it rains. Especially at the beach. I love a cool rainy autumn day at the beach. One of my favorite places in the world is Nantucket in October, with a light rain. Fishing in the morning and then reading by a fire while the rain taps out a methodic tone on the window. I should have lived in london or seattle. I get depressed when it's sunny for too long. there is something thereputic about a good rain, however recently I haven't been reading as much as I'd like, or as much as I used to, and a good hard rain always reminds me that I miss reading. Even the chill you get from being out in the rain for too long makes me feel good. taking a long hot shower when you're chilled to the bone is one of the greatest feeling in the world.

Saturday in the city

So, on Saturday night I went out with the boys in New York, we were supposed to meet up around 2pm and then head to Brooklyn for some good old fasioned drinking. Well, Brooklyn didn't really pan out. I got into the city around 1, and made my way from Harlem/125th st to the Upper East Side, where we were to all meet up, and the birthday boy was not there yet. He was to be on his way, so we went to lunch. after lunch we had ice cream and went for a windy walk in the park. three dudes eating ice cream and strolling along the river. a little suspect I know, but it was kinda nice. We went back to my friends apartment and watched baseball and waited for the birthday boy to arrive. He showed up around 4:30 with beer, and we all had a few and shot the breeze. then we went out to a bar and ate and drank like grown-ups, which doesn't happen all that often. This was to be the pre-game. from there some of us who were looking to get a little loose went to some less reputable establishments on the UES. Toward the end of the night, there were only two of us left and thinking that it was a good idea, we decided to stop and one last place on the way home. i'm really glad that we did. There were a couple of drunk trollops hanging out, being really loud and obnoxious. another group of girls called them whores, and it almost went to blows. I was rooting for it and thought that it would be fun to see a good old fasioned girl fight, but alas it was not to be. All in all, it was a tame night, and I'm a little embarrased that I don't have any good stories to relay.