Rusharound

See this hand? It is not mine. And despite my dual love for Apple products and really, really smart phones, I don’t think I’ll be among the iPhone-eratti for quite some time. I’m resisting the temptation to buy this little gyroscope-equipped, multi-touch-screen operated, brilliant resolution-equipped global multimedia communicator because I’ve matured just enough to know that the second generation will be worth the wait.

Thanks to my sister urging my parents to give me an iPod for my birthday I was the first kid on the block with one. And I loved it – but it wasn’t a year before my neighbors’ iPods had touchscreen wheels, and then the color screens, and then size shrunk by a factor of six. I’m looking forward to the same advancements in the iPhone.

I’m holding out for a faster wireless network, an even better keyboard interface, GPS capabilities, and whatever bug fixes the earliest adopters discover for me. To them I say, congratulations on your new phone and thanks.

Oh, and I have one request of the Apple developers – can you make the little gyroscope generate electricity to charge the wonder device while its in my pocket so I never need to plug it in? That’d definately make it worth the wait.

Though the week’s sailing at Block Island provided some excitement (remember being trapped nearly underwater on the windward rail, John?), perhaps the biggest adventure was simply getting home. A friend was supposed to pick me and all my stuff up from Point Judith, Rhode Island.

When his plans changed, I was stuck with a decision – rent a van and do two round trips between Cambridge and Pt. Judith, wait until 8PM and ask the friend to come fetch me, or bite the bullet and ride the scooter back to Cambridge. If you’ve seen the thumbnail picture at the start of this entry, you know which path I took. Read the rest of this entry »

Look closely at the piece of beef pictured here. Notice anything interesting?

Read the rest of this entry »

I just got back from Block Island Race Week where I sailed on Richard’s new X-35 (sailboat). BIRW, if you haven’t been there before, is one of the most festive combinations of boats and booze you can find in New England. As usual, Richard assembled a fantastic crew and invited me along, too. We finished in fourth place with lots of good stories.

More details after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, you have now. And if you’re Sarah or me, you think it’s about the funniest thing you’ve ever seen. Certainly the funniest thing ever associated with a pygmy horse.

In addition to the joy they bring to every person who sees them, these horses do even more good for blind people who will never take in their Adidas-equipped ridiculousness.  Read the story.

If you haven’t seen the movie Idiocracy, this post will save you the trouble and entertain you with an “Idiocratic” moment of my own.

The premise of the movie is that in 21st century life, intelligent urbanites have fewer kids or no kids at all while they wait for their careers to blossom or hold out for the ideal conditions for parenting. Meanwhile, the stay-at-home welfare class has more and more kids so that by the year 2505, the population is filled with uneducated, unmotivated, pleasure-seeking good-for-nothings. [Note, this is not what I think of the welfare class, it’s just what happens in the movie]. When two mediocre citizens from the year 2005 travel through time to 2505, they find themselves to be, quite literally, the smartest people on the planet.

Well, today was 2505 in Cambridge and I was the lucky time traveler. Read the rest of this entry »

Tonight I took time out of my upcoming super secret project* to reminisce about others’ bizarre self-inflicted pastimes. By this, of course, I’m referring to the circa 2002 Stinky Feet Project.

What? You’ve never heard of the Stinkyfeet Project?

Imagine devoting your whole self towards contracting the worst documented case of athletes’ foot. Imagine being so committed, in fact, that you start by dragging your bare feet through the public shower stalls at the YMCA in Cambridge, MA’s Central Square — and then put bags on your feet for nearly a month.

Yes, brought to you by TheSpark.com and the kindness and foresight of Archive.org, I remind you of the Stinky Feet Diaries.

* The super secret project has nothing to do with athletes, their feet, or any other form of self compromise. This post is not intended to be a segue of any kind.

This last weekend was a big one for me. I became a godfather for a little fella who shares a lot in common with me — he was born early and with respiratory difficulties, bumps into lots of things when he walks (note: he’s one year old), and is surrounded all the time by excellent friends. Though his baptism ceremony nearly overlapped with my cousin’s wedding (see previous post), I got to attend the rehersal and the chaotic-yet-wonderful ceremony.

His parents and I also got to trade some presents on Henry’s behalf. In addition to the great honor, I also got my first scented geranium, which I’ve named Hentry (spelling intentional – sounds like Hen-Tree). He appears to be getting along quite well with the Lucilles and Lupe. For Henry (talking about my godson now), I pledged to offset his per-capita carbon output for the rest of our lives.

If any seasoned godfathers have any hints, tips or suggestions, this first-timer is all ears.