This short video makes me feel much better about my coffee habit
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTVE5iPMKLg?wmode=transparent]
JQA
Over the weekend I finished the biography of John Quincy Adams by Paul Nagel. His presidency, which only lasted one term, was one chapter of the entire (long) book. And it could be summed up with once sentence: "He didn't do much, and not much happened." Adams had strong enemies in Congress and anything he tried to do, they weren't interested in. So pretty much nothing happened. But the life before and after the Presidency! At 12, he risked capture during the Revolutionary War accompanying his dad to France. He went to St. Petersburg as a secretary to a diplomat Read more…
Crime Novels
Two books for you to consider: The first, and best, is In the Woods, by Tana French. Set in Ireland, it's an engrossing detective story with a good narrator and lots of interesting sub-plots. There's a sequel to it, The Likeness, which I haven't read, but very much intend to. The next book is a true crime novel, The Monster of Florence, about a serial killer in Florence during the 70s and 80s. It's interesting and scary at the beginning. It is less good as it begins to focus on the absurd police response. That part is definitely interesting, but Read more…
Titlow Lodge Opening this weekend!
This weekend Metro Parks is celebrating the centennial of Titlow Lodge and also it's grand re-opening. Things start Saturday around 11 am and go until 3, with tours, low tide walks, and complimentary chowder from Steamers. More here at Metro Parks site. Hope to see you there!
Three movies
Midnight in Paris, Super 8, and The Hangover Part II Midnight in Paris is a Woody Allen comedy. It's his best movie since Match Point, and his best comedy since the mid-90s. Owen Wilson is great, and the supporting cast is too. This was a summer charmer. Super 8 was good. It's exciting, it's funny, it's touching, and the kid actors are really great. This was a fun movie. It's directed by JJ Abrams, and produced by Spielberg, and it's definitely got flavors of both of them. It's not 100%–there's some stuff that doesn't quite work, but a lot that Read more…
Pictures from our week in New York City
I've fallen in love with the iPhone app Instagram, which is where I shared a lot of these pictures over the last week (and gave them that vintage look). So my apologies for not getting them on here. Here's what we saw. These first two are from the Highline, a long park that goes along Manhattan from about 14th to 30th streets. This part is on the new part that opened while we were there. This was our first breakfast spot, The Paris Commune. Loved their frontage. This is outside Schiller's, a French bistro on the Lower East Side. This Read more…