Day 8

"being grown up isnt half as fun as growing up. these are the best days of our lives. the only thing that matters is just following your heart and eventually you will finally get it right."

in 2002, right before thanksgiving, i went to see the ataris at peabody's in virginia beach. before the ataris played, sugarcult, rufio and autopilot off graced the stage. it was an amazing lineup and other than sugarcult throwing dollars bills into the audience in an effort to compensate for the singer losing his voice mid-set, it was a great show(they had their merch guy try and sing the remainder of the songs... it was bad).

the ataris closed out the show and played a killer set. the night could have ended before their last song and it would have been one of the best shows i had seen. then right before the ataris played their last song, kris roe(lead singer) announced that one person from the audience could come up to the stage and sing "san dimas high school football rules" with them. weird name for a song but it was/is classic. i once sang it over the phone to a girl i liked completely by memory, including instrumental sections, trying to convince her to break up with her boyfriend and date me. (10th grade was a tough year... ok!?)

from the second row of the pit, i lifted myself over the people in front of me and fell over the barrier gates. after tumbling down into no man's land(between the dividers and the stage), i jumped up onto the stage ready to make my singing debut.

but before i could grab the mic, a bouncer grabs me and begins to take me off the stage. probably to throw me out of the club. out of nowhere, kris roe grabs the bouncer, stops him from trashing me, walks me to the front of the stage and hands me his mic. for one song, i was the lead singer of the ataris. for two and a half minutes, i was a rockstar singing my heart out to 3,000 people i didnt know. it was one of the best experiences of my life.

my exit off the stage was abrupt and full of adrenaline. like a graceful swan, i dove off the stage landing directly at my fraternity brother's face(sorry again, jay).

after the show, i stuck around and talked with kris roe for 20 minutes. just an awesome dude from the midwest who is super chill and super talented. he signed my ticket stub and it currently resides showcased on my wall. good times.

Day 7

wow, i haven't been in dc for a weekend in a while... i kinda miss it.


with that said... hey new york, im back!!!!


*mid-day addition*
living so close to my parents has made it almost a weekly trip on the weekends to go spend time with them. lately though, because of my schedule and leaving town on the weekends, i have not seen them very much in the last two months. in fact, this year was the first time i didn't spend christmas day eating chinese food and seeing a movie with them. coincidentally, the number of phone calls to check-in have dramatically increased...

earlier this week, i surprised my parents by stopping by on a weekday unannounced. and you know, its hard to express the feeling you have when you walk into a place and the joy that just your presence creates is almost overwhelming. even my 16 year old sheltie pulled herself up, persevering through arthritis that affects her hips and closely followed me around the house, nuzzling my leg the few times she was able to catch up(dont worry, i stopped a lot and provided her with positive reinforcement).

i just sometimes need to take a step back, remove myself from my hectic day to day, and focus on the things that really matter.

Day 6

who doesn't love fun group sing-a-longs?!

Day 5

i am in the middle of two trips to nyc in the same week. the trip that just passed was spent with my good friends that i have grown close with over the past 5 years... and we had an incredible time. bar hopping and hookah bars, we took over nyc and made a lot of new friends. also connected with old ones. we spent many mornings (4am-7am) walking the streets talking about life, singing songs from bands of the early 90s like the gin blossoms as well as more modern day classics like "eloise" by say anything and everything in between. we may or may not have also drunk dialed a person or two. i have spent the last 2 days trying to completely recover/detox before my next trip... but it may be a futile endeavor.

the trip upcoming is with good friends that i have known for what seems like forever. some members of this group played tee ball with me when we were 5. we grew up together in the same neighborhood and went to same grade schools. we have been to bar mitzvahs together. we have been groomsmen for each other. we have remained close despite hundreds of miles and several states that have separated us for almost 10 years. we even made a rap about our hometown once(its really good btw). they have been a guiding force for me as i found my way through the awkward stages of puberty and beyond.

so what's my point? my point is i just wonder how it will be similar to this last trip and how it will be different... how will i be different? am i the same no matter which set of friends i am hanging out with in a strange city or do i take on a personality that is specific to those individuals and experiences we have shared?

either way, i love both groups and im looking forward to another solid weekend of long islands, late night shawarma and drunken antics that will only be remembered if someone has enough dexterity and coordination to take a picture with their cell phone.

Day 4

there is a bar called "the penny farthing" in nyc on 3rd avenue and 10th near nyu. i walked into the bar around 1:30am alone and made my way through the crowds to the downstairs bar. upon entering the room, i said hello to my friends i was meeting up with and took off my jacket. the moment my jacket landed on the pile of other coats, this particular song began playing...

my reaction was instinctive.

i may or may not have started a dance party that included me, my friends, my friends' friends and several nyu students that were pulled into the excitement. the dance party lasted until the basement bar was closed, to which we responded by simply moving the party upstairs. you cant stop us... you can only hope we'll let you join in.

can you tell im having a little nyc withdrawl...?

special thanks to monster energy drinks. you are not delicious with vodka, but you are effective.

Day 3

the soundtrack to the ride

Day 2

dedicated to a nye trip with my boyos to nyc...