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!