Meh

I know I have neglected you lately. My life has been work, training, and races. Not sure why, but I've been in a bit of a funk. Maybe this year just needs to end.

No Kidding

While still on the fence about the whole kid thing, I thought this article raised a lot of good points about the childfree lifestyle.

Did you know...

...that in 1971 holography won the Nobel Prize in physics? It's true! Unfortunately, because of predatory lending, the delightful little museum where I learned this curious fact from a half-senile curator may no longer be around to share the story.

Clutch Player

Great article about thinking clearly and using "old-fashioned" values of discipline and thrift. Everything old is new again....

Picnic Favorite

Despite my host's protests, I brought this lovely side dish with my CSA bounty over the weekend. It was polished off in fifteen minutes flat.

Even though it's not outdoors, I made these muffins for my colleagues, and they were also promptly polished off.

Zucchini, it's green but tastes great.

For All You Triathletes Out There

It was hard being sidelined this weekend, but I also was happy to give the other participants support - "Hey, you walking, you've got a quarter mile left, pour it on!"

This is a nice article comparing triathlon training to playing complex piano compositions. Who knew?

How to Be Domestic Goddesses

O and I have been very domestic lately, making butter-poached breakfast radishes, root-topkopita, and rhubarb compote. What's next?

I Need a New Drug?

I recently read a few articles about medication that affects women's sex drive, two about oral contraception in Marie Claire and The Daily Beast suggesting women go off the Pill. Marie Claire states that the hormones in the Pill can affect your choice of mate, while The Daily Beast indicates that oral contraceptives can kill sex drive. While I personally have never had this problem, I do have friends who have found this. In some ways, this seems like a step backwards for women in protecting their ability to plan when they have children. Men can be unreliable at wearing condoms, and if they break or otherwise fail it's nice to have a backup without worrying that it works partially by decreasing your libido.

Fear not, damsels in amorous distress! The German pharma company that until recently made quiet, unassuming medications for pulmonary disease and restless leg syndrome has developed a "female Viagra". Now you can take a little pink pill to counteract the loss of libido from another pill, all in the name of satisfying sex without pregnancy.

Marie Claire also mentioned that Jews and agnostics have more sex than Christians. Guess I should seek out Members of the Tribe, despite all previous mediocre experiences?

Best (or Worst) Financial Headline From the European Crisis

Posen Says U.K. at ‘Low Risk’ of ‘Turning Japanese’. He really thinks so.

Isn't Celebrating Divorce an Oxymoron?

Don't get me wrong, divorce is a sad, sometimes necessary part of life. But loading up your best buds and going to a strip joint in Las Vegas to celebrate your newly-found freedom? Maybe you shouldn't have gotten married in the first place, Douchey McDoucheBag.

Wax On, Wax Off

I've taken the plunge and started waxing more than my eyebrows. Two weeks ago my legs were hairy enough for hot wax to rip the little buggers out from the root. It was mildly uncomfortable but not completely unbearable. Now, it bothers me that my legs are fuzzy, but at least they are not visibly stubbly.

Today I decide to go a bit further to the bikini line. Not Brazilian, that is being reserved for someone special. It is my conclusion that wax for depilatory purposes in the pelvic area is a medieval instrument of torture. I got through it by laughing nervously. Not sure if I'll take the next step or just stick to my razor. That guy I meet better be something else, or at least know how to call and not text.

It's Not Having What You Want, It's Wanting What You've Got

Another casualty of the economy - romance. An old friend of mine confided over a beer a little while ago that he's having issues with his significant other. It's best categorized as existential confusion - "do we have to like the exact same things? are we meant to be with each other forever? is something missing?" I was disappointed that they are struggling but not surprised. Given that money is the most frequent subject of arguments, and men's professional self-esteem issues spill over into their dating lives, it's no surprise that many long-term relationships are showing cracks or have ended. To some degree, my last long-standing thing collapsed under the weight of job anxiety, as did those of several friends in the past two years.

It's easy to project frustration onto an SO, in particular if their work situation is better. In tough times it's also natural to navel gaze and consider options in life. In New York City this seems amplified, where the selection is large and everyone seems perpetually on the lookout for a better choice. (digression: could this be symptomatic of our large finance d-bag population where seeking a better trade and bigger deal translates off-hours to acquiring a trophy partner with bigger tits, larger bank account, and better bedroom skills? Discuss.) These two concurrent forces can make for a lethal combination. It may make us feel better in the short term to take out frustrations on someone close to us, it's an easy target, but we need loved ones more than ever to lean on as we limp through a rough patch. Many men especially seem to lose sight of this, as the stress response tends to be curling up into a ball or lashing out on others, including those who may provide relief. Short of severe effed-up-ness (drugs, cheating, abuse), the grass is not greener on the other side of the fence. As New York magazine found in their review of the Sex Diaries, the abundance of choice can end up paralyzing and anxiety-inducing. As exciting as it can be to pick partners like chocolates in Dylan's Candy Bar, one may agonize overs the choice and thus end empty-handed (or not, for that matter ;) ).

Believe you me, I have been very much taking advantage of my single status in the past six months ;), so this is not meant to judge anyone who wants to prowl around. It's fun, temporarily exciting, and relieves stress. The attention from multiple people makes a person feel desired, special, appreciated. It counteracts the lack of love felt from layoffs and no raises at the office any day. That rush can be quite tempting for those in a relationship going through hard times. Truth be told, though, I'd much prefer to open my apartment door and find the same person on the other side day in and day out, to enhance experiences from sharing them, and yea, from the regular sexy-time as well. If it ain't broke, don't break it.

Su-Su-Studio

In the past two weeks I've ventured twice to the latest and possibly largest beer garden in town, Studio Square. Being located three blocks from the 36th St stop of the R train is a bonus, although cabs are few and far between in the wee hours, even on Northern Blvd. What's great is that there is so much space, about three times the outdoor and ten times the indoor seating of Bohemian. There was enough room for my drunk idiot friend T t throw me over his shoulder to teach me a lesson that I can't recall, with me squirming and kicking and only hitting him. It is a bit more of a dress-to-impress scene, and the staff wear geek-chic t-shirts of an S squared. Part of me years for the distant surliness and stick-to-your-ribs eastern European fare like pierogi, although having bratwurst, awesome fries, sushi, and mini cupcakes available in the same place isn't too shabby.

In short, I'd go again with friends, maybe not for my birthday. Next stop on the beer garden tour - either Fette Sau or Fatty 'Cue.

Incomprehensible

My parents have been married for 39 years today. Their wedding song was Perry Como's "It's Impossible." I think that says it all.

Deep Thought for the Day

“People universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck or something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather...That’s not how happiness works. Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it.”

Something That Made Moi Smile

The Muppets' take on Queen

New Orleans - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Good: Hanging with JJD and WC, partying at Oz on Bourbon St, the burgers and lethal cocktails at Port of Call, running into a college buddy at karaoke who had just finished the marathon, gorgeous early spring weather, watching the gold medal men's hockey game on the large screen at Harrah's
Bad: Frank's waitress telling us they ran out of muffalatta bread after we walked in saying we wanted muffalatta, JJD's constipation from the lobster mac and cheese (or so he suspects), US losing to Canada in OT during the gold medal game
Ugly: Frank's appetizers look the same (bread crumbs with artichokes and bread crumbs with mushrooms), getting up at 4:15am to go home

Irie!

M, O, and I all made plans to go to Jamaica. As it turned out, the morning of our flight, M and O both got monster stomach bugs. M toughed it out and made it to the airport, whereas O could barely stand up and sadly missed our trip. (p.s. M is a guy friend. Yes, I traveled with an unrelated male. No, we didn't have any hanky panky. I don't care what "When Harry Met Sally" said.)

This yet again turned into my yearly do-nothing vacation. Last year was Tulum with O. There's nothing wrong with spending a few days on a resort eating, drinking, lounging by water, reading, and otherwise being inactive. However, next year, I'd prefer less children around. Nothing against my friends with kids, I am currently child-free and would like peace and quiet for a few days out of the year. Nothing wrong with that right?

Inevitably, food and drink will be judged stringently. Red Stripe beer is not bad, neither is Real Rock. There were several rounds of fruity rum-based cocktails. I also got into the local fare served on the buffet, maybe more so than the other crap.

The only non-inert thing we did was go down the water slide and take a kayak in the ocean. Since M can't swim, the options were limited. I think the sea kayaking freaked him out a bit, especially after we would go over waves. Those poor children swimming near us heard quite a few expletives. It's hard to teach an adult how to swim. My mission was to get M to float on his back and failed. I feel like I've been swimming my whole life - how do you explain it?

Getting hit on by waiters was interesting. It seems social networking has become the latest pickup lead.

"You single?"
"Yea."
"You should move to Jamaica and marry a Jamaican. They'd love you."
"OK I'll consider it."
"You on MySpace or Facebook?"
[bald-faced lie] "No I don't use those."

Yea, I still got it.

And this one time, at band camp...

Although this video isn't as slick as Here It Comes Again, it's still endearing. This takes me back to college marching band, ahh memories.....

BLI RÖD!

Doug Murray '03 of the San Jose Sharks will represent Sweden at the Vancouver Olympics. I remember him as quite the hard-nosed beast who wore faux-snakeskin pants out to Dunbar's. On a local front, my Harvard-Cornell tickets have already arrived in the mail.

LET'S GO RED!