Despair and Euphoria in an Instant

Unbelievable. I have watched sports for my entire life and have witnessed dramatic victories and crushing defeats and experienced the full spectrum of emotions on every level. I learned about heartbreak early, watching the '86 Red Sox fall apart in Game 6 with family and friends in my living room, then tasted my first glory with the Patriots' first Super Bowl victory in 2002 in The Louisiana Superdome with my dad. These epic contests ended on singular plays that are eternally enshrined in Boston sports lore: Bill Buckner's ground ball whiff and Adam Vinatieri's boot through the uprights. They were…

The Patriots Are in the Super Bowl Again!

It has been truly astonishing to witness the consistency of The New England Patriots' domination. I am inspired by their greatness and feel fortunate to have experienced their ascent from nothing to everything in my lifetime. Of course, I am aware that they will return to nothingness again, likely after Belichick and Brady move on (and not, as it briefly appeared, after the Kansas City game of this season), but in the meantime I will enjoy every meaningful game of this run. Unfortunately, nobody wants to talk about how great the Patriots are now, about how they are about to…

A Favorite Day

I had a fun family day today! We went to New Jersey to spend time at Liberty Science Center; Ivy loved the animals there, including tamarins, lizards and neon frogs, and I was excited about the guitar exhibition. Alaina appreciated the Infection Connection for the giant sneezing nose and the "actors" portraying her dad's job, and we watched a phenomenal performance by a Brazilian student string orchestra, playing sambas, Beatles and James Brown while dancing and jumping out of their seats. Then we went to Harrison for some playoff soccer! Red Bulls v. Revolution in leg 1 of the Eastern…

SNOW!

I was born a snow lover, a few weeks before the blizzard of '78 in Boston, and have always appreciated the convergence of atmospheric phenomena that produces dendrites! Sledding was the earliest form of snow fun and my backyard, with its 15' vertical drop was more than enough to thrill me through my tiny years. When I outgrew that, I would sled down our back steps off a jump onto the patio. I started skiing when I was 7 and was quickly obsessed, following daily conditions in the Boston Globe Sports Section and memorizing mountain statistics; I drew hundreds of…

The Boston Red Sox Are 2013 World Series Champions!

The Boston Red Sox bring me great joy. With an amazing redemption from last year's debacle, they go from laughable losers to World Series Winners! All year long they played with resolve and determination, willing victory from certain defeat, a different teammate stepping up every night to deliver when it mattered. It has been an incredible ride beyond this season that stretches back as far as I have memories; The Red Sox are always part of my life. Through pain and suffering to joy and celebration, I love this team and feel fortunate to have grown up in a geographical…

Two Months

Time has lost any relative meaning it might have had for me. It is impossible to believe that two months have passed since Ivy was born; it still seems so new and yet hours pass instantly with me doing nothing but holding her and staring in amazement. She is always incredible. But in many ways my life is the same! Every day I go to work as I did since before the dawn of Ivy! I still have friends that existed before she was ever imagined! And my eternal devotion to the sports teams of my youth has never been…

Boston 4.15.13

I was born in Boston, raised in Newton, and although I have displaced myself geographically, my heart will always beat Bostonian and right now I feel more love than I have ever felt for that city. Patriots Day is a holiday and tradition celebrated exclusively in the region and consists of a morning game at Fenway and a night game at The Garden while the Marathon pours people into the heart of the city. It is a day of pride for Boston's unique and important history in our nation's independence and a day to enjoy family, friends and springtime in…

Jay Peak

Jay Peak has Mystique. As far North as you can drive in Vermont, it is the one major New England Ski mountain I have never sampled in all my years of obsession. You need to really want Jay all the way to drive by countless other great resorts and make the epic trek, but it is worth it. Jay Peak is unique in its terrain and has skiable trees everywhere, from steep one liners to gently sloping sapling slalom tracks. Getting lost in the glades of Timbuktu and running into the occasional ski area boundary sign feels about as remote…

Nemo

The snow predictions began the previous weekend and steadily rose throughout the week. Emails were exchanged remarking on the prospect of glorious Northeastern powder and arrangements were made. Massachusetts looked ripe for a slamming so we honed in on Berkshire East in Charlemont, but just before we left, Massachusetts ordered a statewide driving ban, sending us up the Taconic to Vermont. It was a slow and slippery drive, but I had full confidence in Captain Jack to deliver us safely. Fortunately, southern VT was also graced by Nemo and Saturday morning we were whoopin' down Magic Mountain. It was a…

Amour

It is hard to think of a less fun movie than "Amour". It had its chuckles here and there, but they were just brief respites from the pain and suffering of the film. In entertainment, one of life's great escapes, we generally choose easy/painless and happy/fun. This seems like a reasonable choice, but misses out on some of humanity's heaviest emotional responses. Without sorrow, would there be joy? As I sat through this film, I was uncomfortable and depressed, but also perfectly aware that I was in the presence of great art. Interestingly, the most profound aspect of the movie…