Pappy Van Winkle

My stash

If you've never heard of Pappy Van Winkle bourbon, get educated.  It's highly sought after and widely praised by those in the know.  My friend (name redacted to protect their job) works at a wine store and was able to secure two bottles for me, one 23 year and one 20 year, even though each customer is only allowed to buy one.  The total cost - $450.

Now why would I do this?  I searched the 20 year bottle on Craigslist and it was going for $500.  This bourbon is so rare that stores only get a few bottles per year and they fly off the shelves.  So if I was lucky, I could keep the more expensive bottle and sell the cheaper one to cover the cost of both.

I immediately cracked open the 23 year and all I can say is that it is amazing.  No mixers, no ice, just straight, smooth bourbon.  Even if you don't like bourbon - if you get a chance, try it.

I started posting ads on Craigslist in the New York metro area during my last week of work, then in Atlanta when I went home for a few days, and finally in Kentucky as I drove up for the holidays.  I got a few inquiries here and there but nothing serious.  I dropped the price to $450 and then got a serious buyer in North Carolina.  After a little negotiation he got me down to $400, and with shipping that meant i got $375 out of it.  It wasn't quite what I wanted, but it would have to do.  Note - don't go into FedEx or UPS with a bottle of alcohol to ship.  Listen to me closely... you're shipping olive oil.  A fine, expensive bottle of olive oil.  You follow?

I shared my bottle with friends and before I knew it, it was gone.  But it was well worth it.  Then on a whim I searched eBay to see how much an empty bottle would go for.  To my surprise it was $50.  So I put my used bottle on the website and within 5 days I was shipping an empty bottle.  So in the end, I was only $25 in the hole.

I've seen a glass of this bourbon go from $40-50, and I can really justify that price.  But if you have a friend with a connection or find someone with a stash like I did, try to take advantage of it.  It's the best bourbon I've ever had!

Maybe Next Christmas

Maybe Next Christmas by Matthew Mayfield... a little dark but appropriate considering recent breakup events...



‘Maybe next Christmas’ she used to say
‘We’ll find a new life and we’ll both run away
Maybe next Christmas I won’t be with him
Maybe next Christmas we can start fresh again'

Maybe next Christmas we’ll have reaped what we’ve sown
Maybe next Christmas we’ll have paid what we owe
Maybe next Christmas we won’t be afraid
Maybe next Christmas we’ll both be ok

But you can’t pull the truth out of thin air
And you can’t manufacture what ain’t there
And maybe next Christmas we’ll sit by a fire
Maybe next Christmas you won’t be a liar

Maybe next Christmas I’ll be in your arms
With the scent of the evergreen keeping us strong
Maybe next Christmas I’ll finally get to see
You wearing that dress that you bought just for me

Maybe next Christmas you’ll be by my side
And relentlessly prove to me that I’m worth the fight
Maybe next Christmas I’ll have more to say
Than ‘I gave you everything and you gave me away’

But you can’t pull the truth out of thin air
And you can’t manufacture what ain’t there
And maybe next Christmas you won’t be thinking
That I’m just a criminal and you’re still the queen

Maybe next Christmas I’ll have more to say
Than I gave you everything and you gave me away
I gave you everything and you gave me away
I gave you everything and you gave me awa

Touring Upper New England

I've visited Cape Cod a few times through work for my South Harwich based company, but I always find the most ill-timed weekends to go.  The first two trips were in January, and this time I was going up to attend our Christmas party in December.  I made a weekend out of it, planning one night on the Cape, one night in Boston and then driving back to Connecticut for the next work week.

I've been to most states in the US, but upper New England has eluded me up to this point.  My parents made the trip after I was in college, so I didn't get a chance to see it with them.  I left Connecticut on Friday morning, driving up I-95.  I planned to have lunch somewhere in Rhode Island.  I actually had to turn around because I got through the state so quickly that I wouldn't have actually touched the ground in the state (and made a credit card transaction at Subway for proof).

A few hours later I checked into the Chatham Bars Inn, which was also where our Christmas party was being held.  It was a really nice, old, established hotel.  The rooms were a bit small, but modern and cozy.  The lobby has great views of the water and the service was very good.  And being in the middle of winter, it wasn't very crowded.

Not many consultants make it up to the Christmas party because we are spread out all over the country.  I got a chance to see a lot of people from our home office that I usually only know through email.  They work in billing, deployment, travel, payroll - all of the people that make my job easier.  There was dinner and drinks and a few speeches about the year, then we headed to a local bar to continue after the hotel party shut down.

On Saturday I planned to meet up with friends in Boston, although I wasn't planning to go all out like I did last time.  Until then, I had a whole day to waste.  I had a conversation the night before about a coworker's trip up the Cape to Provincetown at the very tip.  So that's what I decided to do.

Cape Cod Bay with Provincetown in the distance

The town is known for its gay friendly population, stores, bars and vacationers.  Why, I haven't quite figured it out.  It takes sooooo long to drive up the Cape.  I can only imagine the traffic nightmares in the summer.  When I got there, it was cold and windy on the water and there were very few people out.  Not to mention, most of the stores were closed with 'See you next summer' signs on the door.  I found a restaurant that was open and got a hot drink and a lobster roll - crucial for a trip here.

Lobster cage Christmas tree

I browsed around the shops that were open to look for Christmas presents, but only succeeded in finding a surf shop with a sale going on (score!).  I got a few shirts and called it a day.  There were a few monuments to the pilgrims and founders of Massachusetts, so I snapped a few pictures as I tried to stay warm.

After seeing all I could see, I wove my way back down the skinny arm of the Cape and tried to find all of the lighthouses.  I think I missed one or two but here's what I have:

I stopped in a parking lot to see a surfer getting out of the water - it looked frigid, and I've been surfing in water in the mid-50s lately.  The waves were obviously bad from the onshore wind, but he told me that there were good spots if you knew when to come out.  I probably won't get that lucky, or have the thick wetsuit needed to brave the waters.

After that I headed to Boston for dinner and a decently late night on the town.  I knew I had to get up for the long trip back in the morning, and I had this idea forming in my head.  Since New Hampshire was only about 45 minutes from Boston, and Maine was only another hour, why not just make a mad dash to go there?  Then I could cut back across New Hampshire to Vermont and head south back to Connecticut.

I mapped it out on Google and it looked like a 6 hour trip.  Not bad, and I didn't have anything to get back to in Connecticut anyway.  I left Boston at noon just for flurries to start to appear.  I stopped in upper New Hampshire for lunch and snow was sticking to the ground.  Not too long after that, I pulled off the first exit in Maine to buy a candy bar (transaction complete!) and the snow was a good inch or two thick.  This should make the ride back entertaining!

I started to creep as I got stuck behind slow moving trucks on two-lane roads.  You'll notice there are no pictures in this section - I was 100% concentrating on the road.  By the time I got to Vermont I wondered if I was going to make it back.  Traffic was inching along and the snow was really coming down.  I stopped for gas in Brattleboro, a town in the corner of the state, and then got back in the car for the last 1.5 hours (hopefully).

Massachusetts still sat between me and my destination, but luckily the further I moved south, the less it snowed.  Then it turned to mush and finally rain.  By the time I got back to my hotel in Stamford it was clear.  I finished the trip in 7 hours and made it back unscathed.  I Xed off all of my remaining states in New England, bringing my US total to 40/50.  I know it's kind of cheating to make a run like this to cross them off the list.  I'd love to ski Vermont and drive up there to see the leaves change in the fall, and I haven't ruled that out.  But for now, I've been there done that and it's off to the next place!

Allow Electronic Devices On Flights!

I think anyone that travels a lot will agree that having to turn off your devices for takeoff and landing is at the very least, inconvenient, and in all honesty, annoying.  If you're like me, sometimes you forget and sometimes you just turn off the screen.  There have been no documented cases of devices affecting navigational electronics (otherwise, wouldn't terrorists just turn on their phones in flight?!).

Sign the petition (started by George Takai) here.

Coffee Mug Murderer - No More!

Back in August I had an interesting run in with the (alleged) coffee mug murderer on my JFK-LAX flight.  Turns out they're dropping the charges with not a lot of other details.  Oh, well.  Still a cool story I guess.

First Time in Philly

Ding dong

After my trip to Boston last month, the last major city on the east coast to cross off my list was Philadelphia.  I've heard mixed reviews in the past... some people love it, some not so much.  My friend Tag was having his Dirty 30 last weekend there, so it was a perfect time for me to do some sightseeing and have a place to stay.  My project on in Connecticut makes it an easy trip to get pretty much anywhere on the eastern seaboard and it's better than trying to fly there from the west coast.

I got to Philly by taking Amtrak down from Connecticut – it was only about a 3 hour ride.  I’ve gotten used to taking the trains between the major cities like I did on my trips around Belgium and Holland a few years ago.  It’s kind of nice avoiding the traffic and relaxing.  I used to get pretty motion sick but I’ve gotten to the point where I can do a crossword puzzle and light reading on the train.  Tag and Missy, his girlfriend, picked me up from the train station and took me to South Street.  I immediately recognized it from the opening credits of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.  The bars were relatively quiet (as it was a Thursday night) so we only had a few drinks at Jon's and went to their apartment.

The next day Tag played tour guide around downtown Philly.  We walked by Betsy Ross’ house, but we didn’t have much interest/time to go inside.  The Liberty Bell was free to see and we only had to wait in a line for about 5 minutes.  It’s funny that I recognized it more from National Treasure than from history class.  We also briefly walked into the massive Masonic Temple which was a place where the founding fathers of lore made plans for our new country.  That looked cool but we really didn't have time for it either.

Creepy Wooden Statues R Us

One of the more random stops we made was at “The Most Unusual Store in Philadelphia.” Tag had never noticed it before, but had probably walked by it a handful of times.  We went inside and were faced with hundreds of wooden carvings, statues, weapons and oddities from Africa.  It was dark and dusty and could have been the setting to a scary movie where the figures come to life when the sun goes down.  (When I started Googling the store for this post, I found out that the owner got busted a few years ago for smuggling carved ivory into the US.)

Later that afternoon we drove by the Philadelphia Museum of Art (made famous from Rocky), but I didn’t get to take a good picture.  They were preparing for the PhiladelphiaMarathon later in the weekend and we had to stay on schedule.  I was meeting my friends David and Carrie for dinner and they lived a little ways outside of the city.  David and I went to grad school together and I hadn’t seen him since he and Carrie had their 3 kids (chaos!!!).  So we got a chance to catch up and have a home cooked meal… I also got a little sneak peak on how parenthood changes everything!

Geno's vs. Pat's

I met back up with Tag and Missy after dinner and we hung out until a few more of his friends came in from out of town.  We went out to 'center city.'  The names escape me now but there was nothing especially noteworthy about them.  And we weren't out to rage all night long since tomorrow was going to be a big day.

We took it easy the next morning and started prepping for everyone to come over.  We got the house in order and then took another stroll around Old City.  Before the party got going we had to take a little car ride to South Philly to sample cheese steaks at Geno’s and Pat’s.  These two Philly cheese steak rivals have been going at it for years, and it's something you have to do when you visit the city.  Just know what you're going to order beforehand so you don't get yelled at.  Tag and Missy were well versed in the lingo and we split up our orders so we could all sample both… I ended up being a Geno’s guy for the bread and cuts of meat although I think everyone else was a bigger fan of Pat’s.  (makes me want a cheese steak right now...)

Musical Chairs Flip Cup

I met a lot of Tag and Missy’s friends at the party and introduced them to Musical Chairs Flip Cup. I figured that they would appreciate it, considering Flip-Flip-Flip-adelphia.  After the party wound down I went with one of their friends to an after party at the Racket Club of Philadelphia.  I’ve never been to a racquet club before, but it seemed like a country club in the city.  Walking in, it felt like a very blue blood, old money place to hang out.  I could see old guys with cigars making some major business deals in that building.  Every wall was covered with black and white pictures of members posing in athletic attire and group shots.  Despite all of that, there were a bunch of young people in tuxedos playing beer pong – pretty random.  It was a very interesting place to end up late night but we didn’t stay long.

After a short night of sleep I caught a taxi in the morning to the bus station.  Instead of taking the train back to Connecticut, Tag recommended that I take the Megabus back to New York.  You could get there for $20 and it took about the same amount of time.  I would still have to cross Manhattan to get to Grand Central for a train back to Stamford, but it was cheaper and easier to do it that way.  I don’t feel like I got a FULL weekend doing things in Philly… seeing the Rocky statue close up, soaking in a little more history, etc. so I’ll have to come back for that.

Finally Visiting Boston

I've flown into the Boston airport a few times on my way out to Cape Cod (where my company, BackOffice Associates, is headquartered) but have never actually seen the city.  A few friends from the company have been inviting me to come up to hang out and I finally found time to make it happen.  After my recent breakup, and the discovery that she was already in another relationship, I really needed a weekend to get my mind off of it and distract myself with something new.

Liberty Hotel lobby and former jail

Instead of flying home to California for the weekend, my client bought me a train ticket to Boston on the Acela (bullet train).  It took about 3 hours and I tried to work on the ride but the internet signal was way too inconsistent to get anything done.  I had never taken a high spreed train and I'll definitely do it again if I'm going to one of the major east coast cities.

I took a subway from the train station to a stop right near the hotel where I'd be staying Thursday night.  My Starwood points got me a free night's stay at The Liberty Hotel. Since the guys from my company worked similar schedules and were traveling in on Thursday night, we all agreed to meet up on Friday afternoon.  I had almost an entire day to myself to explore and sightsee on my own.

I had no idea how cool the hotel would be... it was re-purposed from the Charles Street Jail, built in 1851.  There are placards and videos that tell you about its history.  The hotel is very upscale and I definitely recommend staying there - it's really nice (especially if you can stay for free using points because it is kind of expensive).  I had dinner in one of the hotel restaurants and then wandered around Boston Common after dark since I didn't have anything else to do.

Tour guide in front of Paul Revere's grave

The next morning I retraced my steps to Boston Common for a Freedom Trail Walking Tour (~$15).  It started at a kiosk along the edge of the park and took me all through downtown Boston.  The guide knew a lot about the history of architecture, politics and characters that gave Boston its prestige over the ~2.5 mile, 2 hour time.

A few of the highlights of the tour included a burial ground where John Adams, John Hancock and Paul Revere were buried.  Note that Paul Revere's place in history is a lot of good PR!  There were other riders that night but he's the only famous one.  The Old State House was where the Declaration of Independence was read for the first time.  The Boston Massacre occurred just a few blocks away.  I hadn't heard about many of the people, places and events since at least US History in high school so it was cool to brush up and see them in person.  It's a cheap and informative tour to take and a MUST DO in Boston.

Rooftop panorama of Southie

After doing a little wandering of my own around the campus of Harvard, I went over to Martyn, Chris, Brian and Mike's condo in Southie to meet up with them.  A few of them had gone to school in Boston and all were from Massachusetts.  Chris and I actually took our first training class with BackOffice together in 2008 and Martyn had been our teacher. We caught up for a while and then went out to some bars that they frequent.  Our first stop was Jillian's right next to Fenway Park.  I honestly don't remember the names of the other places but I do know this... those guys know someone at every bar, whether it be a bouncer, doorman, bartender or waiter.  They're definitely awesome tour guides and have the hookup on cool places and drink deals.

Sailboats with Boston's skyline

The next day was a slow one to get up.  We drove around the city a bit and then took a Boston Duck Tour ($30) in the afternoon which is something a few of the guys had never done.  It was fun to be outside and the driver was entertaining, but I don't think it was worth the cost.  We got cleaned up and dove into some seafood at Legal Seafood.  Chowder, clams, mussels, shrimp, you name it, we got it.  Seafood is definitely another must do in Boston.  After that we hit the bars again... and again, I don't remember the names.  The next time I go back I'll have to note them down.  All I know is that they knew a bartender, 5 of us sat in a bar for a few hours and our tab was $60.  Awesome.

On Sunday morning I linked up with my friend Dana, a former coworker at CNN.com that moved to Boston a few years back.  She invited me to watch the Head of the Charles Regatta on the Charles River near Harvard's campus.  Dana rowed in college so she could explain all of the rules and strategy as the different classes and teams raced down the river.  The weather was perfect and her friends were tailgating for the race.  It was a nice relaxing end to the weekend.  I'm definitely going to hit the city up again.  The guys were great hosts and really showed me a good time.

Our tailgate spot for the Head of the Charles

How Not To Break Up With Someone

I don’t really know how to start this post… I’ve been crushed –again.  Broken up with via email – again.  Blindsiding me out of nowhere – again.  History repeats itself, almost 5 years later.

She had asked for a few days to think about what she wanted to do with her life, but promised to discuss it when we were both back in town (since I've been gone for a few weeks and she was visiting family back home).

Cue the email before we spoke again:

I'm staying in Kentucky. I know we need to figure out your tv and sofa. I'm not sure when I'm flying back to ca but if you want I can even sell them for you.

I'm sorry we haven't had another convo since I've been home but it's just what I needed.

I'm staying in Kentucky.  That says it all.  Cold and short.  Now calls now go unanswered.  Texts are brief and only about tying up loose ends with furniture.

What little more I could eek out via text:

Can we talk about this?

What else is there to talk about? My feelings for you have changed.

If you don't love me anymore then I'm going to need you to say it. 

I don't love you.

How does that happen in two weeks' time?

Maybe I never did.

I am in shock.  I have no idea what's going on, or why, or how.  Maybe I never did is burned into my brain.

I can't say that I'm totally surprised that she wanted to move back home... her disease has been giving her horrible health issues from the outset of our relationship.  She was unemployed which causes an obvious financial strain.  She was close with her mom and homesick.  All of this created a downward spiral.  My accidentally insensitive dismissal of her question of whether I would ever move back to Kentucky didn't help... I think that made her feel like she couldn't talk to me about what she was thinking.  But there is nothing I can think of that could hurt me more than doing it this way.  Talk about insensitive.  Disrespectful.  Downright mean.

When I knew she was serious about moving home in the last real conversation we had (as it turns out she had already decided before speaking with me about it), I started seriously thinking about moving back to Kentucky.  Would I choose the beach over the person that I loved?  The answer is most definitely no.  I know that I realized it too late, but I had no idea it was that pressing of a decision for her.  I don't know if it would've made a difference.

California is a nice place to live, that is all.  I don't see myself settling down here forever.  I would like to live here for a while longer, but I really miss having people I can rely on; two years in California and I can only count one or two close friends.  Anyway, back to the subject at hand...

There was no attempt to work things out, no honesty about how important and pressing the issue was in her mind.  I would do anything - anything - for her.  And now there's nothing I can do.  Crushed, broken, blindsided.

(Post script edit - as I found out that two weeks later, she's in an official Facebook relationship with a guy in Lexington.  I thought it couldn't get any worse...)


Squeaky swings and tall grass
The longest shadows ever cast
The waters warm and children swim
We frolicked about in our summer skin

I don't recall a single care
Just greenery and humid air
Then Labor Day came and went
And we shed what was left of our summer skin

On the night you left I came over
 And we peeled the freckles from our shoulders
Our brand new coats so flushed and pink
And I knew your heart I couldn't win
Cause the seasons change was a conduit
And we'd left our love in our summer skin

Weekend in NYC

After my amazing trip to Yosemite (see posts Parts One and Two) I had to work Tuesday-Friday the following week.  Instead of flying back to LA on Friday night and then flying right back east on Sunday night, I decided to stick around and do a few things in New York that I've been meaning to see.  I tried to get Lindsay to fly in and meet me there, but she had some new carpet being installed in her apartment and had to be there for that.  I've been feeling disconnected from her for the past few weeks and I'm not sure why.  But there was enough for me to do in the city to keep me temporarily distracted.  The three major things I wanted to see were the MOMA, Statue of Liberty and 9/11 Memorial.

Museum of Modern Art
The MOMA was home to my two favorite works of art - The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali and The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh.  Picasso, Miro, Kahlo, Pollock, Warhol, Seurat, the list goes on.  The museum is pretty big but you can get through most of it in about 3 hours.  Here are some of my highlights.

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
Lady Liberty and Ellis Island are very close together, and for $24 you can see them both in about 2 hours. It's a cheap deal and entertaining to do, especially when you are alone like I was.  I usually don't do audio tours, but this one was easy to use and interesting.  The ferries are 'hop-on, hop-off', so you can spend as much time as you like at each site.

9/11 Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial opened just after I visited New York in 2011 during Hurricane Irene.  This was my first chance to see it and almost coincided with the anniversary of the event, which I think made it more packed than it otherwise would have been.  It's free to get in, and the only downside is that the museum is still under construction.  Overall, it is a powerful place and a beautiful remembrance to those who died.  The Freedom Tower is nearing completion, I can't wait to revisit it when all the planned buildings are done and the construction barriers are gone.

Tuolumne Meadows Yosemite Bro-cation Part II

This is a continuation of another post found here.

At this point we had made it to Lower Young Lake and had taken about an hour to rest, swim in the icy cold lake and lay in the sun.  We hiked up to Middle Young Lake and found a good camping spot.  There was no wildlife anywhere... just a few birds, trees and shrubs among the boulders.  In hindsight, we should have gone up one more level to Upper Young Lake, but more on that later.

Ragged Peak at sunset on Lower Young Lake

We walked around the middle lake, took another swim and refilled our water as we waited for the sun to go down.  At an elevation close to 10,000 feet, small inclines could still take your breath away.  Pat started to feel sick from the altitude and turned in early.  That left the rest of us to crack open our small bottles of whiskey and have our dehydrated dinners.  Even though we were much higher than the night before, the evening wasn't as cool as the previous night.  We were exhausted and without a fire to huddle around, we all turned in around 9 pm and got a better nights sleep since it wasn't so cold.

We woke up the next morning and decided to go up to Upper Young Lake. We kicked ourselves for not taking the extra half hour the day before to camp at this lake.  It was wedged right into the slope of the mountains and provided an amazing 360 degree view.

Panorama of Upper Young Lake

We walked around and took some pictures - it was a pretty amazing sight.  We toyed with the idea of climbing up the steep slopes of one of the mountains but with a big day ahead of us to get back to the trailhead, we finally decided against it.

One of the most spectacular views I have ever seen appeared on our descent to the campsite.  You could walk out on the edge of a rock outcropping to look down on the middle lake and see the lower lake below it, with the mountains and forest spread out over the rest of the scene.

Middle and Lower Young Lake from above

We broke down our campsite and made the long hike back toward the car.  Along the way we debated where we would go for our last night.  We could stay somewhere near our first night's site but we all wanted to see something new.  The important thing was that we had flights to catch in San Francisco around midday.  With a 4 hour drive and gear to pack up before we left, that means we'd have to be pretty close to the car so that we could get an early start.  We all agreed that we would just hop in our cars and find a new campsite near a parking lot so we could hop in and leave quickly in the morning.

One of the domes along the trail

The hike out wasn't nearly as strenuous, I think because we had a better idea of the difficulty and the time it would take.  The entire weekend had been perfect - sunny but not so hot that we were guzzling our water.  By the time we reached our cars we were covered in dust from the trail and pretty tired again.  We didn't have a lake for a refreshing swim so we were stuck being dirty, tired an hungry.

Since I was one of the least experienced hikers among us, I threw out a suggestion.  "Do you all want to forget the last night of camping, drive to San Francisco and get a hotel room with my reward points?  We'll be close to the airport and we can even go out in the city for a drink."

The other guys looked at each other and quickly agreed.  Tim and Pat headed back down to toward San Diego since they weren't flying and the other four of us hit the road for San Fran.  We stopped along the way for food at a Burger King and I took a sink bath to get all of the dirt off of my legs and arms.  We were all so grimy and I'm sure it was a sight to see when we rolled up the W Hotel. They always have hip, young crowds down in the hotel bars and restaurants, and here we roll up all dirty with backpacks strapped to our backs.

We checked in and all took showers - one of the best I've ever had.  We got a few drinks at a bar in Union Square but were all so tired that we again turned in early.

A few of the guys hadn't done sightseeing in San Francisco and we had about 4 hours to waste until the first of us flew out.  I took them to my favorite spot (from blog posts past) to hike and see the bridge at Baker's Beach but it was so foggy that you couldn't even see the span even from directly underneath it.  We cruised through the Presidio, Russian Hill and got lunch at a random taco cafe in the middle of the city.  I love doing things like that in the city... if it were warmer with better beaches, I'd probably move there.

With all of our time spent and flights coming up, we got in the car and headed to the airport.  The weekend ended perfectly for me because I'm not as seasoned in camping and 3 nights in a tent would've been a little much (I know that I sound like a diva).

I hadn't seen Jon in about 5 years.  Nick came out to California back in May, but before that it had been 3 or 4 years.  I'm hoping to go on the next trip and that we can all get together again.