Under Construction!

Hey everyone! Well, its been about 18 months since I started TDM and I’ve really enjoyed it.  On that same token, I feel like it needs an update – so over the next several weeks I will be changing things around a little bit….or a lot a bit. I’m no pro with CSS and/or WordPress so I don’t see the process going super smoothly, but I want to attempt it.  You can check back periodically to see the progress I am making and after I am finished I will write a new welcoming post.

In the meantime, I hope everyone enjoys the beginnings of summer.  Check out my new music post for some great new tunes to get it started off on the right foot!

- Andrew

Broken Social Scene - Forgiveness Rock Record

The New Pornographers - Together

The National - High Violet

Josh Ritter - So Runs the World Away

Kate Nash - My Best Friend is You

The Black Keys - Brothers

Band of Horses - Infinite Arms

Ted Leo & The Pharmacists - The Brutalist Bricks

Rogue Wave - Permalight

And two others. The Joy Formidable is a new band that I was introduced to by a buddy of mine (thank you Mr. Jason Wagner) and the new Stars album is out June 22 – which I am entirely way too excited about.

The Joy Formidable - A Balloon Called Moaning

Stars - The Five Ghosts

The Mint Julep

I was in Vegas this weekend with friends and had the pleasure of watching the Derby there.  It was fantastic.  The one aspect where I was bitterly disappointed was the mint julep we all ordered.  It just….was not good.  At all.  Anyways, I came across this great post over at Secret Forts about mint juleps and thought I would share.  Some really great photos and a recipe link (which the bar in Vegas could certainly have used).  It was a great Derby and I’m sure everyone is looking forward to the Preakness.

“You want the truth? You can’t handle the truth. Son, we live in a country with an investment gap. And that gap needs to be filled by men with money. Who’s gonna do it? You? You, Middle Class Consumer? Goldman Sachs has a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Lehman and you curse derivatives. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what we know: that Lehman’s death, while tragic, probably saved the financial system. And that Goldman’s existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves pension funds. You don’t want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don’t talk about at parties, you want us to fill that investment gap. You need us to fill that gap. “We use words like credit default swaps, collateralized debt obligation, and securitization? We use these words as the backbone of a life spent investing in something. You use ‘em as a punchline. We have neither the time nor the inclination to explain ourselves to a commoner who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very credit we provide, and then questions the manner in which we provide it! We’d rather you just said thank you and paid your taxes on time. Otherwise, we suggest you get an account and start trading. Either way, we don’t give a damn what you think you’re entitled to!”

**UPDATE**
My father sent me this quick story about yesterday’s hearings and I liked it a lot.

Anthony Hopkins as Burt Munro in The World's Fastest Indian

Hey folks – looking for something low-key to do this weekend?  Well, I have a couple of suggestions for you.  The first is a movie which is available right now through Netflix Instant.  It is a film based on the New Zealand speed racing motorcyclist Burt Munro.  Munro is played by Anthony Hopkins, who in my opinion does a fabulous job.  The film tells the tale of Munro’s quest to travel to the Bonneville Salt Flats and break the motorcycle land speed record with an engine under 1000 cc’s.  It is an impressive and heart-warming story.  A movie that I think appeals to a lot of people and is pretty difficult to dislike.  If you’re in the mood for a movie this weekend, definitely give this one some consideration.

Vina Peralillo's Arenal Carmenere

A second suggestion comes in a bottle.  Blogging about wine bothers me a little because I feel like such a snot, but I really try to do it in the least pretentious way possible.  And liking wine isn’t a crime – sometimes it just feels that way when you talk about it.  Anyways, moving on!  I was at my local wine shop last night and stumbled upon a grape that I had never heard of – Carmenere.

Chile is the big producer of this grape and it is very similar to Malbec.  I picked up Vina Peralillo’s Arenal and was blown away by how much I liked it.  If you are a Malbec fan, definitely scrounge around your LWS for some Carmenere – I think you’ll really enjoy it.

Anyways – that’s all I got for ya.  Have a great weekend everyone.

Like everything about it

I’m not sure what it is exactly, but I’ve been really into furniture over the past year or so.  It probably has something to do with the fact that my girlfriend is an interior designer so she’s always pointing out great stuff.  I usually defer to her brilliant taste, but I’m happy to say that I found this guy on my own (she approved, so I have that going for me).  To give credit where credit is due, I stumbled upon it over at ACL, which I think is a fantastic blog.  I’m interested in almost every single post and it’s just chalk full of cool content.  Anyways, I immediately fell in love with this table and decided to head over to the manufacturer’s website to check out what else they made.  Someday I will grow up…someday…and when that day comes I’d love to buy from this place.  An entire room may be a bit much as it is very industrial, but I think a piece here and there wouldn’t be too bad – and that is my complete amateur opinion – I actually have no idea what I’m talking about it!  I think just about everything Get Back, Inc. produces is really cool.  Here a few of my favorites.

Over/Under on how much it weighs?

Factory Cart Coffee Table

Toledo Chair

Bindery Rolling Cart

In short, Evernote just keeps me more organized.  How many times a day does something run through your head and you think you’ll remember or want to remember, but after the fact….never do.  Well, this happens to me ALL the time.  Whether it’s a blog post idea, an errand I need to run, or music I want to buy – if I don’t write it down, I will forget.  This just seems to be a fact of life.  Evernote has solved this problem for me….and solved it for me in a way that is fast, easy, and useful.  I used to keep spreadsheets or little notebooks, but it never really worked.  I couldn’t carry a notebook around with me and accessing my spreadsheet wherever I was, was not always easy (e.g., opening and updating it up on my WinMo phone was kind of a chore).  With the Windows application and the Windows Mobile application I am never more than a few clicks away from jotting something down with ease.  Here are a few lists that I use all the time:

• Music, Movies, and Books: I’m always keeping my eye out for new music, movies, and books.  I used to try and keep spreadsheets, but remembering band names or book titles to write them down at the end of the day is impossible.  Updating these lists is a snap with Evernote and now I never miss out on a good read or a good album.
• Gifts: The best gift ideas are the ones that pop into your head on mundane Thursday afternoon or when your significant other quickly mentions something he or she likes.  Trying to remember gift ideas for all of the people you buy gifts for (including yourself!) can be quite difficult.  I now have a gift list that solves this issue.  Need a gift?  Go to this list and something will be there.  It reduces my stress level around gift giving A LOT.
• Online Usernames: How many websites do you belong to that you need a username?  For me, it’s about 4,819.  And of course, my preferred username is not available on half of them.  I use Evernote to keep track of all my usernames and if the website requires some oddities in the password (it needs to have symbol!  But why?  Why does it need to have a symbol), I keep these there too.
• Due Dates: I am a student so due dates are important.  I never liked putting them in a calendar because they are not really in the same place, especially if the calendar is electronic.  You have to click from day to day…blah blah blah…to see everything.  With this list I have everything I need to do in once quick snapshot.  It’s great.

Those are just a few of the many lists I keep with Evernote.  There are also a few things I really like about the Windows Mobile application:

• You can take audio notes.  So if your in a pinch and can’t write something, just record it.  Super easy, super quick.
• You can take a picture and add notes about it.  See something fun?  Take a snapshot, then write down the details about it so you won’t forget.
• Uploading files is easy too.  I don’t use this as much because I use Live Mesh, but it’s an easy way to access a file that you use all the time.
• Also, as a long time user on Windows Mobile I can say without doubt that the Evernote app is one of the most stable I’ve used….which is nice.

And last, but certainly not least, your updates occur automatically and are universal.  So when I update something from my phone, I can hop on my computer 10 minutes later and it’s updated there too.  No syncing, no wires, no bluetooth….it just works.  So all in all, I love Evernote.  I use it on almost a daily basis and it keeps me so much more organized and reduces my general stress levels.  If you’re looking for something to organize your life a little don’t look much further than Evernote.

Sugarloaf's Seth Wescott

I’d be remiss if I didn’t post something quick about Seth Wescott’s repeat Gold in Snowboard Cross yesterday in Vancouver. He’s from my home mountain in Maine so I was definitely screaming at the TV last night for him. It was a great race and if you missed it, definitely check out the video. I wanted to embed it, but it isn’t an option (grrrr….NBC).