Resolutions for 2012

I though it would be fitting to jot down some resolutions for the public record. Some things below I don't do, and some I do well but could always be reminded to continue. With that said, next year, I resolve to:

- maintain my new diet, and once and for all, have a flat stomach, eat more color, and quit drinking diet sodas
- survive the Mayan apocalypse
- be less neurotic and anxious and instead make the conscious effort to live in the present
- travel beyond the confines of the northeast more
- be less plugged in to my phone, email, facebook, twitter, etc.
- stay connected with friends now all over the world
- appreciate my family, friends, and all the amazing positivity that exists in my life
- stay hungry and foolish

And to finish off, an article from one of my favorite columnists:

Days of Auld Lang What?

The origin of the New Year's anthem—and what it means to us.

• By PEGGY NOONAN

"You know exactly when you'll hear it, and you probably won't hear it again for a year. The big clock will hit 11:59:50, the countdown will begin—10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4—and the sounds will rise: the party horns, fireworks and shouts of "Happy New Year!"
And then they'll play that song: "Should auld acquaintance be forgot and never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and days of auld lang syne?"
It is a poem in Scots dialect, set to a Scots folk tune, and an unscientific survey says that a lot of us don't think much about the words, or even know them. The great film director Mike Nichols came to America from Germany as a child, when his family fled Hitler. He had to learn a lot of English quickly and never got around to "Auld Lang Syne": "I was too busy with words like 'emergency exit' on the school bus," he told me. "As a result, I find myself weeping at gibberish on New Year's Eve. I enjoy that."
The screen and television writer Aaron Sorkin, who this year, with "The Social Network," gives Paddy Chayefsky a run for his money, says that every year he means to learn the words. "Then someone tells me that's not a good enough New Year's resolution and I really need to quit smoking."
"Auld Lang Syne"—the phrase can be translated as "long, long ago," or "old long since," but I like "old times past"—is a song that asks a question, a tender little question that has to do with the nature of being alive, of being a person on a journey in the world. It not only asks, it gives an answer.

It was written, or written down, by Robert Burns, lyric poet and Bard of Scotland. In 1788 he sent a copy of the poem to the Scots Musical Museum, with the words: "The following song, an old song, of the olden times, has never been in print." Burns was interested in the culture of Scotland, and collected old folk tales and poems. He said he got this one "from an old man"—no one knows who—and wrote it down. Being a writer, Burns revised and compressed. He found the phrase auld lang syne "exceedingly expressive" and thought whoever first wrote the poem "heaven inspired." The song spread throughout Scotland, where it was sung to mark the end of the old year, and soon to the English-speaking world, where it's sung to mark the new.
The question it asks is clear: Should those we knew and loved be forgotten and never thought of? Should old times past be forgotten? No, says the song, they shouldn't be. We'll remember those times and those people, we'll toast them now and always, we'll keep them close. "We'll take a cup of kindness yet."
"The phrase old acquaintance is important," says my friend John Whitehead, fabled figure of the old Goldman Sachs, the Reagan State Department, and D-Day. "It's not only your close friends and people you love, it's people you knew even casually, and you think of them and it brings tears to my eyes." For him, acquaintance includes, "your heroes, my heroes—the Winston Churchills of life, the ones you admire. They're old acquaintances too."
But "the interesting, more serious message in the song is that the past is important, we mustn't forget it, the old has something for us."
So does the present, as the last stanza makes clear. The song is not only about those who were in your life, but those who are in your life. "And there's a hand, my trusty friend, and give a hand of thine, We'll take a right good-will draught for auld lang syne."
To Tom Coburn, a U.S. senator from Oklahoma, the song is about friendship: "I think it's a description of the things we lose in our hurry to do things. We forget to be a friend. We have to take the time to make friends and be friends, to sit and tell stories and listen to those of others."
Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana said he always experienced the song as celebratory and joyful until something happened in 2004. Mr. Daniels was running for office, and it became a new bonding experience for him and his father, who followed the campaign closely: "He loved my stories from the road." The elder Daniels died unexpectedly in August, "50 days short of my election as governor." At a New Year's party, the governor-elect heard the song in a new way. Ever since, "I hear its wistfulness."
Lesley Stahl of "60 Minutes," enjoying one of the great careers in the history of broadcast news, thinks of childhood when she thinks of "Auld Lang Syne": "I see New Year's Eve parties going way back, all the way back to when we were little kids and you had to kiss someone at midnight and you had to sing that song." She interviewed Mark Zuckerberg recently. "Maybe in the age of Facebook you don't lose old friends," she says. "Maybe it's obsolete." Maybe "they'll have to change the song."
For the journalist and author Marie Brenner, the song didn't come alive until she moved from her native Texas to New York City, in the 1970s. That first New Year's in town, "Auld Lang Syne was a revelation to me. . . . I thought, this is beautiful and maybe written by a Broadway composer, by Rodgers and Hammerstein." She saw people singing it "on the street, and at a party in a bar downtown." There was "this gorgeous moment when everyone seemed to know the words, and people looked teary and, yes, drunk." They played the song back in San Antonio, "but it took me coming to New York to really hear it."
The song is a staple in movies, but when I asked people to think of the greatest "Auld Lang Syne scene," every one of them had the same answer. Not "When Harry Met Sally," not "Out of Africa," not, for film buffs, Charlie Chaplin's "The Gold Rush." The great "Auld Lang Syne" scene in cinematic history is from "It's a Wonderful Life," which Mr. Sorkin puckishly describes as "Frank Capra's classic tale of an angel who takes up the cause of a progressive in order to defeat a heartless conservative. It's possible I'm misinterpreting the movie, but the song still works."
The scene comes at the end of the film. Friends surround George Bailey, recently rescued by an angel. Someone bumps against the Christmas tree and a bell ornament makes a sound. George's daughter says, "Every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings," and George looks up and winks. "Thanks, Clarence," he says, as the music swells. God bless the baby boomers who discovered that film on TV after their elders dismissed it as Capra-corn.
Tonight I'll be at Suzie and Joe's, with whom I worked at CBS News in auld lang syne. I'll think of some who won't be entering the new year with us—big, sweet-hearted dynamo Richard Holbrooke, and Ted Sorensen, counselor to presidents, whose pen was a terrible swift sword. I'll take a cup of kindness yet for them, for all the old acquaintances in this piece, and for the readers, for 10 years now, of this column. We mark an anniversary. Thank you for being in my life. Happy New Year"

China House, New London, CT.

Take a moment to analyze every part of this image :)

Chinese Food on Christmas

We shared, but stacked the food together for dramatic purposes.

Zoe, my Jewish partner in crime, met me in New London to break dumplings today. Without trees or Christmas cheer, we in the words of Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan, "you know, like all Jews, [were] at a Chinese restaurant." Well we were, and thanks to Zoe, ate in a very sketchy part of New London (see photo in next post). Zoe's company, as usual, was delightful. Departing momentarily from a new stringent diet of fruit, flax and chia seed, and other "colorful" produce, Zoe and I profoundly over-ordered, selecting dumplings, chow-fun, general tso's, and a few unnamed mystery items. I'm still dealing with the postprandial from this meal, aware that it's a miracle I didn't go comatose on the highway ride home. 

Dinner with India

En route to Philadelphia, the family stopped in New York City for the night. With the knowledge that most of my friends would be home for Hanukkah break, I phoned India to have dinner. We met at Serafina, and as with most meals with Choaties, we reminisced, discussed college, and shared our profoundly vague plans for the future! One of the nice things about seeing my peers periodically is that my day-to-day encounters are with adults at least two decades older than I. While fun, it's always well worth the time and effort to meet up with someone my own age. By no means have I tried to live vicariously through their college experience; on the contrary, breaking my/the education cycle has been one of the best and most useful decisions to date (an appropriate explanation of "why?" will be written at the end of my year as I reflect).

John visits, part ii

Though we split up for one day (John had to attend a funeral, unfortunately), we met up again Saturday night in Providence. Having conquered my fear of "the hill," we journeyed up to Brown to pick up John's friend Penny, a freshman at Brown. Together we all had a lovely dinner at Al Forno. Penny had a salad and eggplant; John and I, ordering without regard to price or money spent in New York, ordered baked pasta and the steak. To say we were shocked when we received our portion of the check would be an understatement.

Sunday was pretty lax. I taught John to drive a stick shift in the morning, we took a court tennis lesson in the afternoon, and had dinner with a RhodySquash board member that night. We shot the sh*t until Monday, at which point I dropped him off at TF Green to head to grand ol' Tejas.

John Visits, part I

Momofuku You!

Taking a break from stressful California, John Webber came eastward to NYC and Newport to visit for an extended weekend. We met in New York City. Under the auspices of a culinary adventure, we became lazy and opted for the "healthy" chain resteraunt around the corner, Chop't. That afternoon we caught up, walked, visited the touristy spots, and dare I say it, took the subway. For no apparent reason, we decided the rest of our night would be spontaneous. To that end, we met the one and only David Black downtown -- very downtown -- went to Momofuku Noodle Bar (an ultimately disappointing dream), saw the hilarious "A Life in Her Day" at the offensively liberal Theatre for a New City, and then, out of nowhere, visited Paula Ho to see the midnight showing of "New Year's Eve."

The next morning, with very little sleep, Paula, John, and I embraced our inner Jews and had bagels, lox, cream cheese, and whitefish salad at Hot & Crusty. Paula split off and John and I went to Occupy Wall Street. In the spirit of spontanteity, we opted not to research the movement, only to find that after a 20 minute subway ride, the protest had all but disappeared. We continued to satify our touristey cravings, walking through Wall Street, visiting the church from National Treasure, and trying, to no avail, to get into the WTC memorial. John and I split at Penn station, only to meet in Providence the next morning!

Famous people seen: Jim Kramer on Wall Street, Chef Forgione of Iron Chef America in Little Italy, Senator(s) Thune and Lott in Penn Station ... All in one day!

A lovely fundraiser @ TSK

In Newport, there exists one decent restaurant: Thames Street Kitchen (TSK). Devoid of the garbage culinary scene characteristic of our quanit, seaside town, TSK seems the only restaurant that "gets it." The food is good, tasty, and not offensive.

My friends, tutor, and mentor Martha Cummings had the sagacity to thus host a fundraiser for her nonprofit, Universal Promise, at TSK. That evening was a learning experience for me. Much of my RhodySquash fundraising has happened over lunch, dinner, and the telephone. We haven't ventured into the party territory, and I hitherto had no idea what a small fundraiser might look like.

The meal was delicious and the company superb. And for Martha's purpose, she raised a lot of money for an international cause in town known for it's provincialism (to cross the bridge is unthinkable) and one lacking in big New York City hedge funders.

2011 RhodySquash RI Open

Made it to the finals ... forizzle!

Weekend at Maddox ... not Bernie's #lamejoke

Smile needs some work

Last weekend, Gabe and I joined the legendary Ed Maddox at what we had come to know as "The Cape." It was, as always, an absolute pleasure to see old friends, discuss new experiences, and attempt -- ultimately to no avail -- to cure Maddox of his liberal leanings. While somewhat hesitant to get in the car without a helmet, Gabe eventually agreed to drive up with me, after we finished coaching the Saturday session of RhodySquash. We came to find out that "The Cape" is in fact Cotuit, a lovely seaside town. Despite a very late start, we arrived in the afternoon, and shot the s**t with Maddox for about an hour, after which we went to see Anonymous, the logical movie choice after a full term in Shakespeare and the Death of Kings. Dinner with a live band followed, and though we all tried to survive insipid Republican soundbites and watch the GOP foreign policy debate, we eventually hit the hay (under heated blankets I might add). The next morning, I tried to recreate a Choate breakfast for a Choate alum and teacher, but was too out of my element. If only I had a picture of the final product! Maddox gave us a tour of Cotuit, after which Gabe and I made the long trek home.

Jeffery Laikind visits

I had the pleasure of hosting Jeffery Laikind last week at my house! Originally, I planned the visit to catch up with Mr. Laikind post-graduation and show him RhodySquash, an organization which benefited immensely from his advice in our early, "I have no idea what I'm doing" stages. As Chip lovingly describes, he was a Choate Godfather to me, and his advice and wisdom consistently proved accurate. On Wednesday, I picked Mr. Laikind up from the Amtrak station, after which we had a nice lunch at a diner. We headed to TMS in what would prove a corroboration of Murphy's Law. First, the bus was 15 minutes late, prompting me to think that on the one day that we had a visitor, the transportation fell through. In addition, we ran into a student we rejected earlier this year. Though 25 minutes late, the actual program ran quite smoothly, and the kids responded extremely well to many of Mr. Laikind's stories of adversity from his childhood. That night, Mr. Laikind and I went to Thames Street Kitchen. RhodySquash and fundraising were the subjects of conversation, but we also had an opportunity to catch up on a more personal level. Mr. Laikind slept the night, and after an inspired breakfast of egg-sandwiches a la our alma mater -- Choate -- I drove Mr. Laikind back to Kingston and resumed the ever difficult task of fundraising!

The magic 15

Recruiting Board members has proved difficult. 15 doesn't seem like a big number. It is. Board growth has been stagnant. We have seven, myself included. I've been going for big names and big money. If StreetSquash has Mort Zuckerman, why can't we have Ruth Simmons? This rant amounts to one concern; I have always had the nagging fear that RhodySquash suffers from"small town fundraising syndrome." Compared to New York, there are only so many people, and even fewer play squash. As essentially a professional fundraiser, I begin the conversation with "squash is not a vegetable," before I can even explain the RhodySquash mission. That said, our job is not impossible. On more than one occasion, and correctly so, I've been reminded that Newport is the land of the rich, once home to the Vanderbilt's and Astor's. I'll eventually crack this fundraising cookie. In the meantime, we've already secured slightly over a half a year's budget!

So it's been awhile ...

This has been a pretty busy week for me re: RhodySquash. We've transitioned from recruiting kids to fundraising. Kids are number one, obviously. I couldn't raise money for an idea, however. Imagine me asking, "support the budget of a non -- but soon to be -- existent program." That's not how it works. As I've mentioned in the past, we have 13 enthusiastic and low income students from Thompson Middle School. Aside from implementing the mission, our Board has charged me with broadening the fundraising base beyond the generosity of a few families. To that end, I continue to fill out grants (though my court tennis doubles partner informed me that we we're unsuccessful with the RI Foundation) and have approached every credit union in the state. Next I'll hit up the law firms, and we'll go from there. We continue to plan for the 2011 RhodySquash RI Open for individual donations. In addition, I had a lovely lunch with Martha, the director of Universal Promise, and we exchanged ideas that mutually benefited both our nonprofits.


Also, having been inspired by Diners, Drive-in, and Dives, I went to Crazy Burger and it was totally underwhelming. Does Guy fake pleasure. On a price/satisfaction/convenience scale, I'd choose Five Guys any day!

Happy St. Crispian's Day!

"This is good stuff." - Ned Gallagher, Shakespeare and the Death of Kings, Spring 2011

Enter the KING

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
    But one ten thousand of those men in England
    That do no work to-day!
 
KING. What's he that wishes so?
    My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
    If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
    To do our country loss; and if to live,
    The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
    God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
    By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
    Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
    It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
    Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
    But if it be a sin to covet honour,
    I am the most offending soul alive.
    No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
    God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
    As one man more methinks would share from me
    For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
    Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
    That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
    Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
    And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
    We would not die in that man's company
    That fears his fellowship to die with us.
    This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
    He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
    Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
    And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
    He that shall live this day, and see old age,
    Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
    And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
    Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
    And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
    Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
    But he'll remember, with advantages,
    What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
    Familiar in his mouth as household words-
    Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
    Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
    Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
    This story shall the good man teach his son;
    And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
    From this day to the ending of the world,
    But we in it shall be remembered-
    We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
    For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
    Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
    This day shall gentle his condition;
    And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
    Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
    And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
    That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

A lovely weekend in Boston!

Photo courtesy of Gail

Armed with a driver's license, I headed to Boston to see the Head of the Charles. I was lucky enough to stay with Gail, my Mom's best friend from childhood. Gail met me at Back Bay, and we quickly went to Cambridge. For some reason, I expected to see 1000s of people; it seemed there were less (contrary to what the pictures suggest). However, Gail and I headed to the Reunion Village, hoping to see some Choate friends and faculty. Gail can attest; for the tuition, the Choate tent proved profoundly disappointing. Even Deerfield offered Dunkin! The Charles itself was spectacular. Reunion Village lies between the Weeks and Andersen Bridges, the most precarious straight of the course. You may remember that a Chinese boat crashed and sank at that point last year. We witnessed some world class crew, and I've been inspired to try intramural rowing next Fall. Alex Brake, my Latin buddy, joined us for a while, before Gail and I left to work out. That night, we ate at a great Japanese restaurant called FuGakYu (chuckle, chuckle). Exhausted and exposed, Gail and I hit the hay pretty early. The next morning, Gail and I had breakfast and shopped, after which we bid farewell, and I took the lonely ride home.

The experience was great; but I'm with Gail on Boston. I've checked it off of my "to live" list, ever mindful that it has an incredibly unfavorable tax structure.

Photo courtesy of Gail

Am I supposed to care?

Nice try, I'm still paying attention to the unemployment numbers:

Reflections on tryouts, 10/15/11-10/16/11

The tryouts this weekend were exhausting, including eight sessions, each an hour long! All the kids were super enthusiastic and responsive. Please read this blurb I wrote for our website:

"We held a very successful second round of tryouts for 30 Thompson Middle School students this weekend. With enthusiastic and skilled help from Coaches Bill DiMarco, Guillaume de Ramel, Scott Lebrun, Jennie Freiman, and Zach Kagan, each RhodySquasher enjoyed an hour of squash. Over the course of two days and eight different sessions, the kids learned straight forehand rails, boasts, and cross courts. In addition, the “fitness” portion of our tryouts, which included pyramids, court sprints, and relay races, drew much support (after some initial woe)! Having selected 13 successful and talented students, we’re ready to forge ahead with our unique program of squash, academic tutoring, community service, and mentoring. We’d like to thank Principal Crowley of Thompson Middle School, whose commitment to RhodySquash allowed for a successful 2011-2012 tryout."

If playing college admissions officer is a truly an unpleasant job, then temporary role was even worse and equally fickle. Whereas a college admissions officer works in the abstract -- figures, applications, bulls**t essays, etc. -- I had to meet each family, work with each kid for an hour, and then inform them late Sunday evening there child did not make the cut. Never doing that again.

This weekend and OWS

For the next two days, we're hosting tryouts for 30 returning kids; That's 8 hours of squash in one weekend! Rejection in the abstract is easy; selecting only eight students will be difficult. But after this weekend, I'll finally get to work with some kids and abandon the abstract. A detailed description of a day in the life will follow soon.

WARNING ... Political hyper-conservative rant below (Maddox beware)

Assuming a massive economic paradigm shift comes in the following years, I'd like to go on record before s**t hits the fan. To begin, I think the Occupy Wall Street protests are lame. Joblessness is a consequence of the individual. Since when did the state become responsible for creating opportunity and prosperity? Not only does the government claim to know what's best for my life, said government achieves that vision through the use of force. Politics is all cost-benefit analysis. Take the Romney/Perry exchanges. Mitt slams Rick over child healthcare. In Massachusetts, he says, <1% of children are uninsured but in big ol' Texas >20% are uninsured. True to character, Perry stands there like a dunce and rambles. How about saying Massachusetts is in fiscal shambles on the verge of bankruptcy while Texas stands with comparatively stable footing. Socially optimal outcomes would be great if only we could afford them. But back to OWS. Once again, the liberal media establishment paints a romantic picture of this organic, non-partisan movement. Ya right! We have a liberal tea party on our hands, defaming public property, displaying anti-Semitic signs, etc. At least the Tea Party got 50+ members elected to Congress. OWS will go nowhere.

Hiring woes

Everything re: RhodySquash was coasting. Over 30 kids signed up for a second round of tryouts, funding continued/s to stream, and we had an article published in Newport This Week, a welcome and first form of press. Muphy's law wound not take hold; it couldn't. But because I'm an 18 year old male working with 5th-7th grade students, many of whom are young girls, it is a liability for me to work with kids alone (there was no way to make this sentence not sound slightly creepy). RhodySquash is a still young organization. We have volunteers, but not a volunteer infrastructure that can reliably provide a second person to aid me at practice every day we need them. We collectively decided to hire a part time "Academic Adviser," who would be compelled to show because his/her modest salary (a volunteer is only compelled by his/her conscious). We advertised on Craigslist, interviewed the candidates, and reviewed their qualification. I thought I had found the perfect "Academic Adviser" to learn that a week before practices start, she won't return my calls or emails. She was so gung-ho. What happened? So we're at square one. Updates will follow; expect a link to our site with the bio of the person we eventually hire.

I tried to make polenta with mushroom ragu for dinner. It was literally inedible. After having made pork belly, multiple ragus, shepherd's pie, and caponata, I think I'll heed my Dad's advice and start cooking simple items. Roast chicken sounds good.

We purchased a Prius today!

Thought you'd might like to know.

Tryouts 05 October 2011

Thanks to the enthusiastic Principal Jaime Crowley, RhodySquash tryouts at Thompson Middle School were wildly successful; 54 5th and 6th graders and a reporter showed. Admittedly, I was extremely nervous. "Would these kids like me?" "Would anybody actually come to the tryouts?" To say we were unprepared for the turnout is an understatement. Two gym teachers, however, were extremely helpful while Molly (a volunteer) and I frantically tried to get contact info. 50+ kids, 30 minutes ... pretty efficient if I do say so myself.

Witness ... performance anxiety

Looking forward, I've been contacting every kid who signed up, trying to schedule a more formal tryout at the RhodySquash clubhouse. Now we're looking for serious commitment and innate squash facility (maybe this is a good time to formally give a shout out to the late Jim Phelan, my squash coach; without him, none of this would be possible). Again, the response has been overwhelming. Over 30 students scheduled a second tryout. In some sick/twisted way, I'm like a college admissions officer. With the advice of others, we have to choose 8 kids out of 40. More than anything, I feel bad about being not being able to offer each and every one of them the opportunity. That's the nature of life though; unlimited needs with limited resources. Now that I mention it, someone should relay that message to Democrats...

Let it also be known that this has been the first week I've regretted taking Latin; fluency in Spanish would have been extremely helpful. Live and learn, I guess.

If you have Facebook, please "like" our page.

Farewell Steve Jobs, you were a visionary and changed the world for the better.

Court/Real Tennis

When we have match'd our rackets to these balls,

We will in France, by God's grace, play a set,

Shall strike his father's crown into the hazard.

Tell him he hath made a match with such a wrangler

That all the courts in France will be disturb'd with chases!

(Act II: Henry V) - William Shakespeare

The court at the Tennis Hall of Fame, Newport, RI

Last weekend, Gabe came to visit. Having had a superb time in Costa Rica, I felt the need to impress. What better way than with something TOTALLY unique. We've sampled all the restaurants (including the world famous and profoundly overrated Flo's Clam Shack), visited the sites, talked the talk, etc. But -- and I'll admit selfishly -- I've always wanted to try court tennis and thought Gabe, a rackets man himself, would be a great partner. Essentially, court tennis (aka real tennis) is an 800 year old racket sport invented for British royalty. As Henry ? (not sure which one) got older and fatter, he morphed the rules to favor his corpulent physique. What's resulted centuries later was an esoteric sport, played in a polygon, with arcane rules, from which all other more logical -- and should I add prolific -- racket sports blossomed. Looking forward, as I am on my gap year, I've decided to take 2 free lessons per week? After all, this year is about experimentation. Now you may ask, "why are they free?" Coincidentally, Rhode Island court tennis is supremely well endowed. And when I mean well endowed, I mean like full access to world class courts and coaching for 200 dollars per year. The irony for me is that I'm a serious squash player. We have a crappy courts and no real pro; for court tennis, I benefit from one of the world's nicest courts, at no cost, with two top 50 ranked pros. Go figure ...

For a brief history of court tennis, please visit this Wikipedia page. In other news, I made a Marco Pierre White "Belly Pork" recipe; It was absolutely delicious but a little fatty. My dad even took an extra Lipitor to compensate.

The Pig Roast, finally

Some take away from the pig roast:

• I'm not sure if this is a Rhode Island thing or not
• 100s of drunk people
• 120 pound pig roasting in the background
• Pampered dogs ate pig feet
• A lot of off road ATV riding
• Huge bonfires
• Pick up trucks
• In the middle of nowhere
• Just amazing
• TOTALLY NOT KOSHER!!!
• Priceless

Pig Roast Spoiler

Yes, that's a real pig head. Notice the blood stained pole.

Tomorrow, I'm excited to write at length about the pig roast. Until then, please enjoy this picture featured today on my Mom's blog, I Love You Often. Give her site a visit if you have a chance!

An Op-ed I wrote for the WSJ!

Unintended Consequences And The Proposed Buffett Rule

I’m 18, a Millennial, one of the “children and grandchildren” to whom politicians frequently refer. As a member of the generation that will inherit the outcome of the current political debate, I view policy decisions though the lens of my future.

Consider this parable: Nobel Prize winning economist Milton Friedman engages a group of college students in a question and answer session. A brave, idealistic student queries why Ford Motor Company fails to install a device that saves 13 dollars per car in production costs at the expense of 200 lives lost per year. His tone is accusatory and righteous. The professor defends addressing price rather than principal, pointing out that an infinite value cannot be placed on any human life. The student, asked to consider his position given conditions in which each safety guard costs 200,000,000 dollars, stumbles.

This story illustrates the point that government officials and "principled" people support policy untethered from real life consequences – intended and more often that not, unintended. Sound bites and talking points overlook the fact that most issues are subtler than is superficially apparent. In society and economics, fundamental principles exist. The free market and pricing system, for example, have proven the single greatest engine for economic growth in the history of mankind. The Obama Administration has sought to disrupt these guiding rules.

President Obama's proposed "Buffett Rule" is one such example.

I would argue that it fails on its merits:

- The government has no money of its own. It operates using the money of one group to subsidize the activities of another.

- Mr. Buffet -- a billionaire calling for a millionaire’s tax -- can easily visit www.pay.gov and donate his money directly to the treasury. As Grover Norquist notes, moral preening has not translated into the simple act of writing a check. Consider that I’m a foot soldier; without the leadership of a ranking superior, I’m lost! Mr. Buffet, please lead the way.

 
- The class warfare card is a ploy, full of smoke and mirrors but failing on substance. Class warfare plays well as sound bites but inevitably translates to a much broader tax for the middle class.

These arguments recognize both flaws and implications, but have proven offensive to some. Congresswoman Maxine Waters wants Tea Partiers to “go to hell” and Vice President Biden calls them “terrorists.” Civilized discourse has given way to taunting and name calling, behavior that belongs in the sand box. I would know. I’m far closer to that age than those on the Hill.

I see another consequence.

A tax on capital gains causes "millionaires" to sell the stock on which they have accrued these gains, putting downward pressure on the stock market. For the past few years, since the advent of Quantitative Easing, Ben Bernanke has printed money to boost the stock market, encouraging in part "The Wealth Effect." Accordingly, rising stock prices accompany a rise in perceived wealth. Now, I'm no Keynesian, but that increase in perceived wealth should cause more spending. The Executive Branch now proposes to tax earnings from Capital Gains; so much for the controversial stimulus policies Obama touts.

Never mind the fact that if every American citizen making over 100,000 dollars were taxed at 100 percent, it wouldn't cover an Obama deficit for even one year. Now different forces from within the government are actually working against each other. Not only has government been counter-productive for the macro economy, but it has also retarded itself.

So to all those who have relegated my generation to a talking point; here we are, in the flesh, telling you that enough is enough and we see past your rhetoric. Thank goodness I can finally vote.

Letter to the Editor

Here's a letter to the editor that I wrote to the Wall Street Journal. Let's hope it get's published!

"Occasionally, there’s an event so cataclysmic that we’re forced to revisit guarded assumptions. For better or worse, the United States embraced government manipulation of the business cycle during and after the Great Depression. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, a nation committed to neutrality plunged itself into a world war. And now, the Palestinian Authority has sought recognition of statehood from the UN.

Though Rick Perry acknowledges Israel’s dilemma in his 9/16 Op-ed, The US Must Support Israel At The UN, he forgets to consider the efficacy of the UN and the strategic advantages it offers the United States. We’re all familiar with the Farewell Address, in which George Washington advised that we “steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world,” yet we’ve failed to heed his sound and even clairvoyant warning. Under the guise of the international community, the UN undermines our sovereignty, subverts the safety of our greatest ally in the Middle East, and incurs a hefty opportunity cost in annual dues. More on Capitol Hill should begin to question the strategic value of participation in the UN."

The RhodySquash saga begins

I've officially taken over as Executive Director of RhodySquash. Let me interrupt your immediate thoughts; yes, that's a pompous title. Imagine you're in my position, having just turned 18 and introducing yourself to adults as the Executive Director. But that problem is neither here nor there. Yesterday, Emily (a board member) and I went to Newport Fed to open up a bank account, while simultaneously going to Bank of America to close the RhodySquash account. One of my leading mandates as Director is to raise money; in my opinion, that implies I find a safe place to store said money. With 30,000 BOA employees recently laid off and echos of the phrase too big to fail, Emily and I thought it prudent to switch to a safer bank. Suffice it to say, what seems a simple task inadvertently takes hours. That's a general rule with which I'm coming to terms. For the next two-to-three weeks, my priority is establishing the systems and relationships necessary to start practices with the returning kids and organize tryouts for a new class. To that end, I spent all day today creating and editing a promotional video, in which I interviewed Jesse Pacheco, a CitySquash alum and all around all-star of the urban squash movement. With that completed, I'll contact the principal of Thompson Middle School, the parents of all RhodySquash kids, our transportation, tutors, and landlord. In the meanwhile, I'm having lunch with Maddox tomorrow!

It's here

Up until recently, I was nominally on my gap year, though none of my friends were in school. That is to say that I was on summer break and nothing was out of the ordinary. I first truly realized that I'm not going to school when we sent Charis off to Choate, and the realization that my gap year arrived hit me. At times I feel pressure; Choate was about routine. Every living-waking moments of your day is scheduled and taken care of. Currently I'm transitioning to RhodySquash (it's becoming apparent that being busy and scheduled is an ephemeral concern), so I feel charged with creating my own routine. It's a completely new feeling, and coincidentally good preparation for Brown, which is one of the least structured schools in the universe in my estimation. I have a plan for the next 5 years, and I'm currently unconcerned with preparation for the next steps so to speak. Without school, I have time to focus on what interests me. I'm slogging through The Road to Serfdom and beginning the sex thriller House of Holes. I play squash every day and I cook for myself what I want when I want it. I'm watching movies at night that I was otherwise too busy to watch when I was at school (Pulp Fiction don't get the hype). And yes, I'm less neurotic and anxious now because I don't feel the immense pressure to perform academically. So going forward, I'm excited to do RhodySquash and create my own squash coaching business. I'm excited to make money. I'm excited to learn how to drive and visit friends at other schools. And most of all, I'm excited to experience things I would never have been able to experience if I were at school studying right now (next week for example I'm going to Boston to see Showdown at Symphony).

Driving

When parking, remember to use the breaks.

I've gone 40 mph in the car recently, but this time I am a legally "permitted" driver. My dad and I have been driving 2-4 hours a day, religiously. For someone who hates riding in the car, driving is quite enjoyable. The stick; however, that damn stick shift. In the pursuit of knowledge and mastery, I will have most definitely burned the clutch to the point of replacement. I'm a very self-conscious driver, always concerned that others will honk me as I stall out in the middle of the cross walk. To add insult to injury, Rhode Island drivers have a respect for the rules and the road akin to the ubiquitous massholes we all know and avoid. I have this weird sense of pride driving a stick. Because of circumstance, I must learn to drive with a standard. That's all we own. For two years my friend made fun of me for being unable to drive. The tables have turned now. I can't wait for the fateful day when my friends come for a ride and the witness a clean shift from 1st to 2nd gear. Given my performance anxiety, that day exists in the very distant future.

My new idea/free ChrossTalk press

Somehow and someway, by the end of this year (preferably before Christmas) I hope to get an Op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal. I read the WSJ op-ed section religiously and have had some good ideas worth writing about. Peggy Noonan may be smarter than I, Shelby Steele more eloquent, but neither is 18, and that shall be my hook. Regardless of the content, I'm hoping to capitalize on my youth to get published. Considering that the fiscal health of future generations is a huge talking point on the Hill, I think there's a chance that the WSJ will publish my article provided it's thoughtful and personal (obviously easier said than done). This may just be another quixotic dream to be quickly tempered by reality. We'll have to see.


... ps I created a personal twitter account. Please follow me @rossfm16

Lessons from Irene

Superman can fly in 60 mph winds

So we survived the Hurricane. For all the hubbub, the Irene was more like a gusty rainy day. My mom's friend Judy visited, so we enjoyed the company of friends, which made up for the lack of power. We stayed inside all day, and I read a lot (The Road to Serfdom ... a must read for all libertarians). If I may have yet another existential view on the world type moment, I realized how dependent we are on energy. Will I change my day-to-day now? ... probably not. But I did learn that bad things can happen without power. The take home message -- have a backup plan. We've invested in a generator; consequently, we didn't lose all of our food. Contingency planning in the broad sense is important. By the time something bad hits -- be it a hurricane, lack of clean water, or any natural disaster -- it's too late to prepare. Only after we lost power did my dad and I spend hours scouring Rhode Island for 15 gallons of fuel. Who knows, maybe a day will come when we all wish that we had stored canned beans and bottled water.

Promised picture

The hurricane is a comin

To the loyal followers, this may be my last post. The hurricane is coming; the necessary preparations have been made; our futures are subject to fate.

Having been reared on the east side of New York and in Newport, I have led a sheltered life style unencumbered by these things people call "hurricanes." Now, as we cruise down Memorial, I've seen shops boarded up, emergency signs all over, and Home Depot is out of generators. My sister, dad, I will make one last trek to Five Guys today -- our last supper. Let's hope for the best. My camera is charged, and I'll be taking photos of the ocean as the storm intensifies. Stay tuned for pictures on another day (if there is one ...).

A harrowing Yankees game

First, let me announce that I've began my year long "Gap Yah Burger Quest." By next summer, I will hopefully be able to recommend the best burger in the US. To date, my notable burgers have included Five Guys, Ray's Hell Burger, and Good Stuff Eatery/We the Pizza. I tried Shake Shack on Wednesday with Madeleine Foote; it was really good and the burger was especially meaty -- I kid you not; this burger had the most pure beef flavor of any burger I've ever had. Unfortunately, I forgot to order "Shack Sauce," so my assessment is incomplete. I'll have to revisit and reassess. Also, as a general burger pet peeve, I hate it when a place can't cook a burger medium rare. Shake Shack was the most grievous offender, because they "can only cook the burger medium or rare." Really?

We were in the nose bleeds all right.

I'm not much of baseball follower. I was a huge fan of the Yankees in 2009 and a bigger fan of the Rangers in 2010. Are you noticing a pattern? Either I'm the greatest baseball soothsayer in the history of history, or there's a more insidious motivation behind my support. This summer, I've had the good fortune of being invited to two baseball games, both times using the tickets as a backup. Last week, Brian McNamara had an extra ticket, so Brian, Madeleine Foote, Mariah Foote, and I went to see the Yankees play the Oakland A's. The game was rather boring until the 8th inning, at which point the Yankees were down 6-0. Nick Swisher hit a home run in the bottom of the 8th to make the score 3-6. Oakland didn't score in the 9th and went on the defensive. Jorge Posada, first at bat, knocked a homer into left field ... 4-6. Bases loaded, two outs, the pitcher walks Cano ... 5-6. Nick Swisher gets at bat again, hits the ball deep center, and comes 10 feet short of a grand slam. The Yankees lose. What an exciting anti-climactic game!

Got my permit

The line at the Cranston DMV

Equipped with 3 hours of cram studying, I woke up bright and early to go to the Cranston DMV to take my permit test. I had heard the horror stories, tales of government bureaucrats, incessant lines, and the effects of budget cuts apparent everywhere. To our dismay, my dad and I arrived 10 minutes before the DMV opened, and there was a 1/4 mile long line. To quote the great Ned Gallagher, I thought "ah fag-ga-gaad." Surprisingly, once the doors opened, employees ushered in the entire line and the process was painless from there. The employees were respectful, but more important, efficient. I got in, took a number, waited in line for 30 minutes, was processed, waited in line for another 30 minutes, took the test, passed, waited in line for another 20 minutes, took my picture and then went to Whole Foods. Here's the scary part (though loyal viewers, you need not be scared). I have no idea how to drive, but I can legally take a Hummer, for example, and cruise down the highway. Unfortunately my parents won't take me unless I'm a good driver, so I now I have to get lessons, learn to drive a stick, and pass my driving test on October 18th. We'll see if that's possible. My only hope -- our two cars, a Mini and a Wrangler, are idiot-proof when it comes to parallel parking. Just remember, when the car starts hydroplaning, don't slam on the breaks. I unfortunately learned that after I took the test.

Today's juices

Breakfast - Carrot, Apple, Orange, Yellow Pepper, Tomato

Lunch - Five Guys

If you haven't noticed yet, a full out cleanse assault was a failure. However, I'm sticking to multiple juices a day, coconut water, and less substantial foods to the best of my ability. Beginning tomorrow, I will start posting about RhodySquash and my experiences as the Executive Director!

Cleanse temporarily postponed

Don't judge me yet. Sometimes I can be like the government; I make promises I can't keep, impediments eventually arise, inconvenience mounts, etc. I'm only human. The cleanse is still on, but we postponed it until Saturday.

Today, I woke up at 5:30 to take a train from Kingston to Stamford, CT. There I met Chip. The Choate board had a meeting today, which for all intents/purposes, meant we had a chance to interview Bruce Gelb for ChrossTalk. Equipped with a new mic, Chip and I conducted our longest interview to date -- 1600 bars on GarageBand, which amounts to a 75 minute interview. Luckily, Chip edits our interviews! Tomorrow is my birthday, and I'd prefer to eat cake rather than juice. Barring no unexpected surprises, the three day cleanse -- and my extremely soon to be mercurial mood -- will begin on Saturday.

Now that it's the end of August, I'm having to send many of my friends off to college. Not having to attend school next week is a total relief. I'm not ready for college. Choate cooked me to a crisp, and Washington exposed me to a completely different and at times more satisfying reality than school. Planning for the rest of the year continues. Tomorrow I have the inaugural RhodySquash meeting with the seed donors to chart the direction for the coming year. Off to the next adventure!

Preparation for "The Cleanse"

Please excuse the tardiness between posts. I just returned from DC. Last week, my Mom and I collectively agreed that we're going to do a three day cleanse. The idea was completely spontaneous, but probably necessary. I need a cleanse more than my mom does. I could lose some weight. I need a six-pack. I probably could afford to eat slightly healthier, having lived in the land of Five Guys for the entire summer. Beginning on Thursday, my Mom and I will go more intense than vegan.

Here are the rules of the cleanse:

1. The cleanse shall last for three days -- no more, no less.

2. Only fruit and vegetables allowed. No meat, eggs, bread, bagels, butter, hamburgers, hotdogs, and pasta. Include any and all other foods that you hold near and dear to your heart.

3. The food need not be raw. If compelled to sex up the food, please do so for the sake of sanity.

When I get hungry, I get upset. The running joke in the family is that I'll have to lock myself in my room to avoid flipping out at people. I'm totally obsessed with food. With the exception of a few Fox/Bravo game shows, I am devoted to the FoodNetwork. I should also mention that I've attempted cleanses in the past to no avail; my record is one day with a lapse for an after-dinner snack. As a testament to my obsession with food, I am genuinely scared. Without squash, I'm certain I'd be another obesity statistic. I have gone thunderous in the past and danger always lurks. Let's hope I last and emerge with a willingness to eat healthier foods. After all, I need to jump into the dating scene some day... 

I will give daily updates tracking my increasing desperation. God speed!

A little something stupid I co-wrote for the American Action Network

Quintessential Class: The Origins of Bow Tie Tuesday

 

We have often pondered the nature of the tie. Why is it expected in certain environments to hang a tailored piece of cloth from your neck? Perhaps that question is too existential. That is for the sages of yore and the scholars of now to discuss. We have not reached that level of thought… yet.

But, we have experienced several levels of dress, while interning in Washington, the District of Colombia. We have come to one conclusion from our time in this city on a hill.

What is classier than a bow tie?

The short answer is nothing. Perhaps a bow tie coupled with a cumber bund, but there may be such a thing as too classy.

There is a myth called Bow Tie Tuesday. Some say it doesn’t exist, but we are here to tell you that it does and it is growing. Tuesday used to be a day without anything to look forward too, until now. Bow Ties. Real ones. Everywhere. Every Tuesday. That is our dream and we will fight for it until the end of time.

To date, three interns have embraced the idea of Bow Tie Tuesday. We are reminded of Star Wars as an appropriate allegory at this time. Forces of good exist and they perpetually war against the forces of evil (aka Han). However, the forces of good, seem to be gaining momentum as a fourth person, an employee no less, has pledged to take part in next week’s Bow Tie Tuesday.

Change can be slow and often cumbersome. But, we will not rest until the bow tie has won.

If we don’t fight, who will?

By Ben Gitis, Mark Bednar, and Ross Freiman-Mendel

Spottings and confidence

In DC, if you walk around and don't space out too much, you're bound to see famous government people. There are two types I have noticed while here: those who I should have heard of and those who I instantly recognize. Regarding the former, this happens often. I'll be walking with Pete and he'll point to somebody, explaining "That's Rep so-and-so, Chairman of the this-and-that committee." It happened for example with Krauthammer, who I had not heard of until before this internship. Normally it's cool, and I proceed with the tasks of the day. However, the latter is often more difficult, because failure to solicit someone I instantly recognize results in the missed opportunity for an interview. Please excuse any bragging connotations, but I while in DC I have shied away from soliciting 1) Michelle Bachman at breakfast 2) Roy Blunt walking with a staffer from his Senate office building 3) Debbie Wasserman-Schultz in the metro (Chip's fault, not mine) 4) Janet Yellen at the Fed 5) David Axelrod entering the White house and 6) yesterday a sweaty Al Franken leaving the squash courts. Hope prevails! As they say, "7th time's a charm."

Hitting up the museums

Mass workout in the National Mall

One nice thing about DC is that all the public museums are free. In the short time that I've been here, I've tried to visit as many museums as possible -- checks off my tourist bucket/to-do list. In addition to hanging with Ethan Underhill (which was awesome-blossom) this weekend, I visited the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, and the Holocaust Museum. Generally the exhibits were great, albeit slightly childish. Being that it's summer in DC, attendance to any of the museums is actually quite annoying. It can be difficult to appreciate the magnificence or profundity of an exhibit when surrounded by throngs of crowds: hot, sweaty, body odor, stupid commentary and loud Chinese filling the atrium, shoving, pushing, and the list goes on. For this reason, I entered and quickly strolled through the Air and Space and the Natural History Museum. In contrast, the Holocaust Museum was far more civil. Surprisingly -- and I found this encouraging -- the museum was packed. But the exhibits are only open to "x" numbers of people at a time, giving one time to appreciate the exhibits in a more personal, less tourist intrusive manner. The museum was very moving and depressing, but having actually been to Auschwitz, it didn't nor could it compare.

A mini Choate reunion

Last night, Chip, Serena Elavia, CJ Bell, and I went to Founding Farmers to have a nice meal before all of them left DC for the summer (I still have one more week). It was so nice to reconnect with old friends -- Serena and CJ primarily, as I see Chip almost every day -- and do it over a very nice meal. We went wild with the menu: crispy fried green tomatoes, Prince Edward Island mussels with chorizo, bacon lollipops, flat breads, crab cakes, pastas, shrimp-and-grits, and the list goes on. The meal was absolutely delicious, if not a bit superfluous. Choate afforded us a level of intimate conversation, a consequence of over 3 years of a unique, shared experience. It was nice to reconnect with Choate, even if it was only a couple months after graduation.

Heat

Notice the temperatures in each city

The Senate Gallery

Yesterday the Senate voted to raise the debt ceiling. If anything, that's kind of historic, given the length of the debate and the supposed dangers at hand. In the morning, all of the interns had a tour of the Capitol with an intern for Boehner's office, which afforded us the opportunity to see the House gallery. When entering the galleries from the visitor center, there is a security check point after which you decide whether to take a left to the House or a right to the Senate (important later). After our mediocre tour (if I'm going to be completely honest), 3 other interns and I decided it would be awesome to travel to the Senate gallery and watch the debate and vote on the Senate bill. The story follows:

11:00. We all headed to Sen. Orrin Hatch's office and play the constituent card in order to get tickets to the Senate gallery. Easy as pie -- we didn't have to fight for them.

11:30. In 90-100 degree weather, we hauled you-know-what across the Capitol, helped set up an event for the AAF on the House side, and then went back again to the Senate side.

11:42 (approximation). We enter the Capitol visitors center and notice there is a 200+ person line for the Senate gallery.

11:45. Matt the intern has a brilliant idea. We can bypass the line for the Senate gallery by taking the elevator to the House side. Once up there, we can swap our House badges for our newly acquired Senate badges, and voila, we've circumnveted the line and stuck it to the man.

11:47. Nathan and I realize we threw out the House badges we got at Boehner's office at the end of the tour. We can enter the elevator to House gallery and are stuck at the entrance.

11:50. Nathan and I beg unsuspecting tourists who had completed the tour for their badges. We eventually pressure (maybe too harsh a word) some nice foreigners who have already been to the gallery to give us their badges.

12:00. We triumphantly exit the elevator, having just successfully cut a 200 person line, to find out that the gallery has been full for hours, and there is no chance we can enter. We are turned away at security but are politely reminded we can visit the House gallery. How exciting! Twice in a day and the House is on recess.

Perhaps we should have done our research more thoroughly ...

Party on the boat

I'm writing this post during a break at work, so please excuse the brevity. For the past couple of weeks, I've been staying on a 55 foot boat (size will become relevant later...). Though it's been a blast -- and far superior to dirty, crowded, hookah ridden GW housing -- the three of us have been cramped. JY and Ethan are now staying with us, making the grand total 5 people on the boat. That's equivalent to 11 feet per person. So while it's a total party, it's also quite cramped ... But you know, after living in closets for 4 straight years, having a water front view ain't too shabby.

Charles Krauthammer, part deux

Chip and I interviewed Washington Post columnist Charles Krauthammer for ChrossTalk today. It was the second time I have met with him while working at the American Action Network/Forum. We think (and hope) that this interview will be one of our big breaks -- someone who has instant name recognition and is at the forefront of US politics. I must admit I was concerned about Chip before the interview. Chip is an outspoken liberal, and Charles Krauthammer, let's just say, is not. But with confidence and respect, Chip asked Krauthammer tough liberal questions. I don't think Krauthammer dissuaded Chip of his convictions. For me, Krauthammer was preaching to the choir. I almost always agree with his columns. I sometimes wonder what if he had a one-on-one debate with President Obama: I just can't imagine how he would lose. Anyway, the interview went well, and he was gracious enough to answer all of our questions, which meant we were there for over an hour. In order to get some publicity, we asked a topical question about the debt ceiling, which we will release tomorrow. For me, this meeting was quintessentially what interning in DC has been about. Yes, I have been assigned some grunt work, and yes, I have retrieved my fair share of coffee, but only by being in DC was I able to meet with and schedule an interview with Charles Krauthammer. Those opportunities have been invaluable.

The Debt Ceiling

The office of Congressman Dan Benishek (R-MI)

The debt ceiling debate has become all consuming. Its effect, its seriousness, are tangible in Washington. In terms of policy, other matters suddenly seem less important. When Chip and I walked through Cannon House Office building yesterday, the usual energy was replaced with silence. Quite frankly, the joviality and amusing aggression that I have come to associate with DC has been replaced -- at least temporarily -- with a more somber and even exasperated mood as both August 2 and the Congressional vacation nears. Coincidentally, this mood is exhilarating. Never before have I felt so in the thick of things. After weeks of posturing and years of kicking the can really, really, really hard, Washington and government are finally moving, frantically. They've tried kicking the can again; it just won't go anywhere this time. Having originally supported default, I've come to support the Boehner plan for two reasons. First, it sets a standard -- the new norm for future increases will have to include spending cuts and NO added revenues. Second, it allows Republicans leverage, because they're demonstrating unity. August 2 is only a few days away: if the Boehner bill passes, the Republicans ought to dare the Democrats to not accept their solution. Thus tonight has been the most intense night of all. The leadership won't call the bill until they have the votes. Earlier tonight, they called a recess. Draw your own conclusions. I sure hope Boehner will get the votes he needs. A true mandate would come in the form of the Senate and the White House in 2012.

Gather all Jews (discussed later in the post)

Standing ovation for Wasserman-Schultz

ChrossTalk has progressed swimmingly. Currently, we have about 70 subscribers. Chip and I would like to have 100 subscribers by August 2: while the United States descends into chaos, ChrossTalk shall flourish! As I am in charge of subscriptions, I implore you to please subscribe at www.chrosstalk.wordpress.com. Chip keenly realized that in order to boost our site traffic, we had to increase the content on our site. Thus we introduced a new segment, called "The Talk," where we debate issues in a manner similar to The Conversation in the NYT (http://chrosstalk.wordpress.com/2011/07/22/the-talk-the-cut-cap-and-balance-gang/). We are also working on an Amicus Brief section, where we invite policy experts to write brief analyses of an issue on which they have expertise. Today we received excellent news -- Charles Krauthammer confirmed an interview for Friday. And to add to the excellent news, Chip and I finally purchased a microphone to improve our sound quality.

ChrossTalk has surprisingly proven itself to be one of my most passionate (and increasingly time-consuming) activities. It's been an absolute pleasure working with Chip, though we often don't see eye-to-eye. You could say he and I get cross with each other, which in some way is the nature of our relationship (disclaimer ... I wouldn't have it any other way). If it weren't for the pages ad infinitum of transcript and vulgar language, I'd love to post our G-chat conversations.

Being back at the Network/Forum is awesome. It's great to see all of my friends -- better yet, mega uber conservative like-minded friends -- again. In addition to ChrossTalk, Pete is having me catalog and organize a list of Florida donors that the Forum will presumably hit up in the future. It will be very difficult to finish, because there are 7013 rows to sort through. At least Republicans are generous. Tonight, I attended, on behalf of the Network/Forum, the AIPAC Summer Seminar Series (http://www.clotureclub.com/2011/07/aipac-middle-east-event-w-rep-wasserman-schultz-rep-cantor/) to see House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and Chair of the DNC Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) speak on strengthening US/Israeli relations. As with many events in Washington, the speeches were shallow and pre-packaged, but well worth the opportunity to see these Representatives in the flesh. Cantor, in particular, is a like a government idol of mine, because not only is he the Majority Leader of the House, he's also a Jew!

Back in DC

Well, I was on an Amtrak train for 10 hours today, so obviously not much happened. I'd say the most eventful moment of my day was discovering mold on the pizza I ordered for lunch. But, I'm back in DC for internship part 2 at the American Action Network/Forum. Having already met everyone in the office, I'm excited to forgo the awkward first week of establishing myself and get cracking. So far, I have scheduled a ChrossTalk interview with a Chief of Staff and will (with Jeremy) have a private tour of the Fed! Hopefully exciting stories and interesting photos to come. As I side note, my goal is to take extraordinary pictures of ordinary things, but more often than not, I either take ordinary pictures of extraordinary things or ordinary pictures of ordinary things. Ansel Adams started somewhere.

Driver's license

First, please look at past posts to see some of the pictures I took! Now, to the meat of this post. I'm 17 and an unlicensed driver. I have driven twice. Once, I drove Allie Hutler's car up and down my driveway. Two weeks ago, I drove John Webber's car from one parking lot to another one minute away. Both times I was terrible. I swear that I thought driving would be easy: apparently the car can even go forward without pressing on the gas pedal? Perhaps I'm being unreasonable, but I was frustrated when my parents expected that I be a good driver before I take my driving test. Let me paint the picture as I had imagined it. August 19th would come and I'd be 18. I'd wake up, have a coffee, preferably some encouraging music would play in the background as a friendly bird chirped on my window sill (actually, exactly as this video shows: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tJoIaXZ0rw). Either my Mom or Dad would drive me to the DMV. I'd logic my way through the written portion, get behind the wheel, start, stop, turn, park, and woosh, I'd walk out of the DMV with a license ready to drive myself to the Five Guys by the Newport Bridge anytime I wanted. Now my parents are telling me I need lessons with an instructor -- first with an automatic and then behind a stick (because that's all we own). And for some reason, every time I drive, the car jerks forward and back: it's never a smooth ride. So what this long didactic schmaltz is getting at is that it will be awhile before I get my license, which is annoying. Maybe that common sense thing everyone talks about is important after all?

Harry Potter 7, Part 2

A nice little candid of Gabe

My favorite writer is Anthony Bourdain, in part because of his humor, in part because of his content, but beyond all else, his ability to curse, and do so effectively so as to heighten his prose. Now, as someone who aspires to serve in public office some day in the very distant future, it would be unwise to publicly write a curse word that so effectively describes what I feel, having just watched with my Costa Rican companions the final installment of the Harry Potter movie series. Excuse the french and the self-incrimination, but I am thoroughly mind-fu**ed (I've decided to compromise in the spirit of the Washington debt-ceiling talks). Appropriately humorous, ever dark, well scored, and faithful to the original text, Harry Potter gave me and my movie-mates goose bumps repeatedly during the film. I hate to sound like an HP dork -- which I am not -- but there are times when this muggle can't resist (excuse the stupid joke). The New York Times article I've attached below perfectly describes the emotions: we've grown up with these character, watched them mature -- intellectually, magically, sexually -- and the final movie proved a profoundly satisfying end. Harry's son and classmates waved off their parents as the audience saluted this decade long adventure goodbye. If I may add just one observation, which I believe has yet to be mentioned -- the entire film had a recurring motif of the Revolutionary War. As Harry became master of the Deathly Hallows and destroyed that power for the betterment of future generations, so too did the colonists (and especially Washington), armed with newly-won freedom, submit themselves to a constitution and a codified system of laws that protected liberty and limited power for generations to come. The film is a must see.

Please read: http://movies.nytimes.com/2011/07/15/movies/harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2-review.html?ref=movies

------

As this was our final full day in Costa Rica, I thought I'd very briefly mention two things that happened. First, Jimmy, Gabe, John, and I took a 2 hr hike to las antenas, which afforded us excellent views of San Jose at the cost of lactic acid, shortness of breath, and sunburn. The hike was steep but worth it. Second, today I met Luis Liberman, the Vice President of Costa Rica. He lives in Gabe's building, and we ran into him on the elevator this afternoon. He has a surprisingly soft handshake.

Back in San Jose

Enough already

Yesterday, we drove from Manuel Antonio back to San Jose. Unfortunately (though I'm looking forward to seeing my family), we have reached the final leg of our trip. In anticipation of our Tuesday night viewing of the new Harry Potter film, we picked up the HP 6 and HP 7 Part I to prepare for the epic final movie. In the afternoon, Gabe invited his friend Daniel to the house. Daniel has been in Israel for the past 5 months in a Kibbutz and returned to Costa Rica less than a week ago. He's absolutely hilarious. For dinner, we had lasagna, a welcome relief from excessive amounts of rice and beans.

This morning, we woke and traveled, with Daniel and company, to Poas, an active volcano in Costa Rica. Though we got there in the morning, the entire Poas crater was filled with clouds. We had to wait for about a half hour before the clouds temporarily cleared up and we snagged a view of the crater. We then hiked briefly to Lake Botos, an inactive crater that had filled with rain water and became a lagoon: as with everything in Costa Rica, it's was natural and beautiful. We took a quick ride to see a waterfall. Though we intended to hike down the rocks, a newly married couple was taking staged photos, and we voluntarily avoided the awkward situation. For lunch, SURPRISE, we had rice and beans ... Gabe's parents are consciously trying to expose us to the culture of Costa Rica, which I appreciate. But sensing all of our exhaustion with comido tipico, they have cooked international dishes for dinner, including a delicious steak au poivre tonight.

Manuel Antonio

Jimmy comes in for the crash landing.

Yesterday, John, Jimmy, Gabe, and I woke up early to do our final La Fortuna excursion of the trip -- zip lining over the rain forest. As someone not in love with heights (I have in the past assumed crash position during take-off and landing), the idea of jumping off a platform into open nothingness was unsettling. What´s more, after we took the tram to the top of the mountain, I realized that the intense fog and mist meant we had to jump into the clouds, blind, unsure of where the end of the line was. Second thoughts? too bad. I did the first canopy and realized, once in the clouds that there was me, suspended by a harness, 600 feet of open air, and rain forest. Let´s just say I ran through the cable snaps/harness breaks scenario more than once -- in mid-air for that matter.

That afternoon, we took a 5+ hour car ride to Manuel Antonio, a charming beach town. The ride was long: though we slept for most of it, we did banter ... if I may, I´d liken us to a prep-school version of The View. In a couple weeks, we´re kinda spreading across the country (i.e. Gabe and Jimmy are staying in the northeast; John is going to Los Angeles), so it´s nice to have some face time post-Choate, after which it will be harder -- but still possible -- to stay in touch.

Manuel Antonio is great. Our hotel is amazing: we´re staying in 3 bedroom apartment, outfitted with a kitchen, multiple bathrooms, dining room, and living room (I´m typing from a hotel computer, so I can´t upload pictures until tomorrow). This morning, we went to the national park, and took a 3 hour guided animal watching tour. In the afternoon, we hung by the beach, though we couldn´t go very deep into the water, because Costa Rica has severe riptides. Concluding thoughts -- if I ever have to see or eat rice-and-beans again,  I´m going to be sick. All the other food is great and authentic though.