Beloved Blogger Moves To Big Apple

I should apologize for my blog inactivity. You avid readers must have been going through withdrawals. It's mostly because I've been busy arranging a move to NYC. It's a bit of a surprise move to most. If all you have is my previous entry to go by, you may think that Farm Aid alone was enough to convince me to move. While it was an amazing concert, I assure you I have other reasons. Lacey lives there, the job market is fantastic for my line of work, the women are beautiful, it has live music, and I have many good friends already positioned throughout the city. They know who they are, because I've been sleeping on their couches for the last two weeks.

Long story short, I got the bug. The city beckoned, and I had no reason not to answer its call. I'm optimistic. Now I have a few days to say goodbye to DC while I also pack and brush up on my knowledge of the finance industry.

I am officially moving into my new place on the 14th, and I start work with my new company on the 15th. I have a one-bedroom apartment on the Upper East Side with a view to the East River, and I work in Herald Square.

Farm Aid (It's Not Just for Hippies Anymore)

Willie Nelson, playing his old guitar "Trigger"

It was such a great show, and the culmination of a great weekend. I headed up to NYC after work on Friday (guitar in hand), and I stayed with Michah for the three nights I was there. The show was on Sunday, and we met up with Lacey and some other people to take the ferry from Manhattan to Randall's Island. The actual attendance still hasn't been calculated, but there must have been 15 to 20 thousand people there, all of them spread out on blankets and t-shirts for a long, sunny day of live music.

The point of the concert, as Willie Nelson puts it, is to support, "family farmers, good food, a better America." The food on premise was definitely better than average as far as I've come to expect at concerts and festivals. (That organic fruit smoothie I had around 1:30 really helped fix that hangover I was suffering from the night before.) But I was happy to see that despite the noble cause of the concert, the music still took precedent.

And I was pleasantly surprised to see that the Allman Brothers can still rock the house. Gregg Allman muttered incomprehensibly between songs, and then Derek Trucks or Warren Haynes would suddenly burst into some soulful, scorching Southern guitar riff. Gregg also backed up Dave Matthews and Willie Nelson for a memorable acoustic rendition of "Melissa".

But the highlight of the show, without a doubt, was the Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds set. Before I could even see them, I heard that first D major chord of "Lie In Our Graves", and the crowd went wild. When everyone quieted down, Dave and Tim played a long and impressive set as the sun set over the East River.

Tim Reynolds & Dave Matthews

SET LIST:
Jesse Lenat
Pauline Reese
40 Points
Jimmy Sturr
The Ditty Bops
Danielle Evin
Billy Joe Shaver
Supersuckers
Montgomery Gentry
Matisyahu
* Kodesh
* Beatbox - Jam
* Indestructible
The Derek Trucks Band
Guster
* Captain
* Manifest Destiny
* Satellite
* Amsterdam
* Airport Song
Warren Haynes
Counting Crows
* Rain King
* Satellites
* Washington Sq
* Long December
Gregg Allman
* Midnight Rider
* Melissa (with Dave Matthews & Willie Nelson)
* Will the Circle Be Unbroken
The Allman Brothers Band
* Statesboro Blues
* One Way Out
Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds
* Lie In Our Graves
* Grave Digger
* Crush
* Maker
* The Dreaming Tree
* Dancing Nancies
John Mellencamp
Neil Young
* Human Highway
* Silver and Gold
* Beautiful Bluebird
* Too Far Gone
* Everybody Knows
* Heart of Gold
* Homegrown
* Strong Winds
Willie Nelson

Neil & Pegi Young

Popular Blog Changes Name, Web Locale

Well, the summer is seemingly at an end. The weather is growing colder, the days shorter, and the grass on the greens is starting to thin. I've had a lot of new experiences over the last few months... gliding, skydiving, whitewater rafting, shooting a 75, surfing in a Northeaster...

I feel an impulse to get a little misty now, because this summer was also a time for finding new friends, and growing closer to the people I've known. I just want to say a brief thank you to everyone who spent time with me over the last few months doing the things I love doing.

And at one friend's suggestion, I'm continuing my blog under a different name. Naturally, I can't call it the "Summer of Liam" anymore, so henceforth this weblog will be known as the "Era of Liam". The forwarding web address has also changed to WWW.ERAOFLIAM.COM

DMB Concert Necessitates Foosball Table Sterilization

I can play just about anything from Dave's catalog of music, but this was the first time I've ever seen him live. I've wanted to see him in concert since college, but it's never worked out until last Saturday.

Set List:
One Sweet World
You Might Die Trying
Hunger For The Great Light
#27
Warehouse
The Maker
Corn Bread
Shotgun
Anyone Seen The Bridge
Too Much
Sister
The Idea Of You
Bartender
Everyday
Sweet Up and Down
Louisiana Bayou
Stay (Wasting Time)
__________________

Gravedigger (Solo Acoustic)
Two Step

Michah and me jamming out hours before the show.

The show was amazing (good seats, great set, nice weather, etc.), but the funniest moment was the next morning. I'll start at the beginning... my friend Michah came down from NYC to see the show with me. After an entire afternoon of tailgating and the subsequent 3-hour concert, we were both exhausted when we got back to my apartment. I hit the sack, and Michah crashed on the couch. When I woke up the next morning Michah and his guitar were gone, and there was a huge puddle of urine in my foosball table. Apparently Michah had trouble finding the bathroom. Either that, or he needs to be housebroken.

Some Thoughts on a Prius

I've been considering hybrids ever since they arrived on the market, so I was excited to drive Jay's new Toyota Prius this weekend. After having driven a Prius and a golf cart, I can say that they handle about the same. However, I prefer the golf cart for both speed and reliability.

My Quarter Life Crisis

Those of you who have seen me lately may know that since my birthday I've been going through a quarter-life crisis of sorts. I've lived a quarter of a century, and what do I really have to show for it other than a bunch of prematurely gray hairs and a growing collection of ex-girlfriends? I haven't been to a doctor in over two years, but I recently discovered that, due to my age, my next physical checkup will involve someone probing my rectum. And things are only downhill from here.

Somewhat to my chagrin, other people my age are settling down, building nests, amounting mortgages, etc. I recently contacted a girlfriend from high school who told me that she is married with a kid now. When I dated her (almost 10 years ago!) she was captain of the cheerleaders. That's just weird. And a couple weeks ago an old chum called me at 3 AM from the hospital, where his wife had just given birth to his baby boy. I congratulated him through a lump in my throat.

But I was talking with a friend over the weekend, and she worked to comfort me somewhat. (She's 20, and she doesn't quite get any of this yet.) Here are the pros of turning 25...

I'm old enough to rent a car.

I am no longer considered a hazardous driving statistic, so my auto insurance rates should come down.

I feel about the same as I did when I was 24, but now the square root of me is 5.

I hate cake. And when you're 25 people stop numbering the candles on your cake. Instead, they buy two candles shaped like numbers (in this case, a "2" and a "5" of course), which are easier to light and less likely to drip wax onto the icing.

At least I still have half a decade before I'm 30.

So not all of it is bad, I suppose. I can't imagine what coming to terms with 30, or 40, or 50, is going to be like. Last time I saw my dad he bought some boardshorts with a giant Jamaican flag on the ass. I called him Rasta for the week. At least he's not buying a red Miata convertible.

The Mountains Win Again

DSCN0188, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

I just got back from visiting my grandparents' place in Glenville, NC. I hadn't been there in seven years, and in that time I suppose I forgot how beautiful it is... the sheer size of the land, and how completely silent it is at night. Papa and I cleared some trees and branches in the front yard to open up the view down to the lake.

Here's a closeup of the lake. You can see where the Smoky Mountains get their name.

(Click on photos to view full size.)









A family of wren built a nest in the flower basket next to the front door. When I got there, the eggs hadn't hatched yet. But when I woke up on Saturday I could hear the chirping of the little babies. The rest of the time I was there, the momma and poppa wren brought back worms, crickets, and little bugs to feed their hatchlings.

Here's a scratchy photo of the baby wren right after they hatched, mouths open for food.













Whitewater rafting... something I had never done before. We started out at the top of the mountain in freezing rain. Then the rain turned into a thick fog that rested for three feet above the rapids. And at the bottom of the river it was sunny again. I'm ready for class 5 rapids now. Unfortunately, I didn't get to keep that neoprene vest.





And Danielle gained a new playtoy in her big cousin. Following me around like a puppy dog, she invented a game where she would come up and poke me with her finger at random. After several hours of being incessantly poked, I figured out that if I poked her first she wouldn't poke me back. And a new game was born.

Little Sis Explains Big Apple to Hillbilly from DC

This weekend I was able to witness Lacey's new life in NYC in all its splendor. She lives in an apartment with no AC, no furniture, and spray paint on the walls. But it's great because it's hers. I had forgotten how much I love that city. On top of going out and listening to live music until 4am, the highlight of the trip was a two-hour bike ride through Central Park. We circled it twice. The park always amazes me in how tranquil it is, yet it's surrounded by the most condensed metropolis in the world.


Lacey and me on the Subway.








A photo op during our awesome two-hour bike ride through Central Park. The reservoir is my favorite place in the park. And I like the skyscrapers in the background.







Mojitos afterward.

In My Element

DSCN0122, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

I hope everybody had a great July 4th.

This is a photo of myself and Emmett, my uncle / surf instructor. I was in Jax Beach for almost a week sitting beachside, playing guitar, drinking margaritas, and celebrating my birthday with the family. On the last two days of the trip, a Northeaster hit and the water was huge. The waves were so big that they posted "No Swimming" flags up and down the shore. So, of course Emmett took me out into the water for a royal pounding.

I just got home, and now I'm packing my bags to visit the little sis in NYC. Even greater debauchery awaits me.

Project Northstar Picnic

Here are the photos from today's end-of-the-year picnic for the students and their tutors. I was put in charge of sports for all 70 of the kids who came, ranging from 1st grade through 12th grade. We played football, soccer, kickball, and... my personal favorite... frisbee. (It's the ultimate.)

Click on pics to see full size.


Putting on our name tags, getting ready. This was perhaps my youngest athlete.








Warming up. This one had a cannon for an arm. He had me stretching out for passes.








Cooling off. There was definitely PLENTY of food at this thing, and these kids could just pack it away in Kobayashi-esque fashion.







The football game. The little kid in the gray shirt on the left has the ball. (I remember this play. No one expected them to hand it off to him, and he almost ran it in for a touchdown.) I'm in the back right in the blue shorts with the whistle in my mouth playing referee.






Group shot after the games. These were my two star football players. I love the "blue chip prospect" t-shirt. I think I may look as exhausted as I felt.







In the van on the way home. After four hours of sports they either slept or listened to my iPod. You can't see some of them because they're laying on the seats.

Skydiving

John and I at the airfield after the jump...

DSCN0056, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

My friend John and I have been trying to do this for a while, but something has always come up and forced us to reschedule.

It was a tandem jump, which means the back of my harness was attached to an instructor. I was expecting to just let my instructor, Rob, do all the work and take me along for the ride. But before we got in the air he ran through the jump sequence, explaining falling positions, when to pull the rip cord, and how to maneuver the chute toward landing. We flew almost three miles up (15,500 ft.), then we jumped into freefall for 60 seconds before pulling the chute and landing, and Rob let me handle the whole process. He even let me land so that my feet touched the ground before his, although he really had no choice since I was a foot and a half taller than him. Basically, instead of just a parachute, I had a parachute and a Rob on my back.

The first five seconds of freefall felt like I was losing my stomach, but then I was weightless for a whole minute with the wind and the ground rushing toward me at 120 miles per hour. My ears popped twice, and it was harder to breathe up there. One thing that surprised me was how easy it was to steer my body during the fall. The smallest motion of my arms or legs drastically affected the direction and speed of my descent. I wore an altimeter on my wrist, and at 5,500 feet I pulled the chute and floated back toward the airfield.

I can see why this is addicting for adrenalin junkies like Rob. He was an awesome instructor, and also clinically insane. On the plane, Rob told me about the time he base jumped from a bridge 450 feet off the ground. That's 150 yards... It's an 8 iron. (Sorry, I had to relate this to golf in order to understand it.)

"If you go parachuting, and your parachute doesn't open, and your friends are all watching you fall, I think a funny gag would be to pretend you were swimming."
--Deep Thoughts by Jack Handey

Liam Shoots 75 During US Open 3rd Round

I think these pink shorts are magic. I shot a legitimate 75 today. By far my lowest score ever. Here are the witnesses...

Will, Jay, John, Tanner, and me...

Group Pic After the Match, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

Tanner and Me, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

Tanner Teeing Off On Hole 14, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

6th Hole at Needwood, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

Me, 3 wood, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

Group Pic?!!, originally uploaded by TheSummerOfLiam.

Local Company Makes Field Trip to Bowling Alley

So we were FORCED to leave work early on Friday to go bowling for cash prizes. I can probably count on one hand the number of times I've held a bowling ball, but somehow I managed to lead our team to 3rd place out of 10 teams. I'm thinking I need a career change. Seriously, I'm a natural. :)

Here are the pics (click photos to see full size)...

On the chartered bus to Lucky Strike in Chinatown.








My teammates.








The competition.

















Joe's happy because his house is painted.













Our resident PR guru. She's easily startled.













I really like this pic. She's so shy.








Two thirds of marketing. Strange folk. Apparently they drink cosmos.








The lovely ladies of LSI.








Who are these people? And who took this photo?

Joe Owes More Beer

About 8 hours of my Saturday were spent painting the downstairs of Joe's new house. His wife picked out the colors. Joe and I painted. (I believe they were "latte" and "silver sage")

BEFORE...

DURING...

AFTER...

Bon Voyage, Sam

We've known it was coming for a while, but Sam is officially moving to Dubai today. Now I checked, and Dubai is one of the seven United Arab Emirates. It has a really cool hotel. And it is very, very hot.

The photo above is of Sam, myself, and Shane. It was taken at Sam's going-away party last night. The three of us have hit a lot of range balls and drank a lot of beer together on some cold Friday nights. This is probably the last photo we will all take together.

I've known Sam for the last 2 years that I've been in DC. I've golfed with him, been to many of his BBQs, and hunted flocks of wild geese with him.

So Sam, safe travels and good luck at your new job.

The 2007 Annual BAC Classic

Coworkers: Jamie, Travis, myself, and Billy...

I played in my first golf tournament this weekend. Granted, it was not the most serious of competitions. The rules of the tournament were as follows...

1. All players compete against each other in four-man scrambles. So, my team was composed of Tanner (roommate), Jay (our couch guy), Jamie (coworker, pictured above, far left), and myself. We hit each shot separately, and we played the best of the four balls for each shot: including tee-shots, fairway shots, and putts. Each team recorded one score for the group, and that score is compared to the scores of all the other groups.
2. On the 16th hole (par 3, 186 yds) each player must take a shot of liquor within 30 seconds before making their tee shot.
3. Each player is encouraged to consume enough alcohol over the course of play to pass a breathalyzer over a certain BAC (Blood Alcohol Content); hence the name of the tournament. The top three BAC's from each foursome are averaged, and up to six strokes are deducted from that team's score accordingly.

We played well overall, scoring an honest 73 (one over par) prior to being breathalyzed. I didn't drink much because I was feeling a little under the weather, and I was a designated driver. As a result, I ended up scoring the lowest BAC from my foursome. However, our average BAC was somewhere in the .30 range, so we had the maximum number of strokes (6) deducted from our score. We placed somewhere in the middle, but were too tired to really care by that point. (Not to mention, I think we may have been the only team keeping honest score. What drunken amateur scores an 8 under par?)

Here's a pic of my textbook drive swing. Also notice the bright pink and white striped seersucker shorts. (Very nice!)...

I don't think I've ever been so focused and relaxed on the course before. Now, you all know how humble and reserved I am, but I feel the need to tell you that I was absolutely stroking the ball that day. There were several times when even the foursome ahead of us (who we were competing against) cheered after my shots. Unfortunately, I didn't hear them, because I was listening to Alexi Murdoch on my iPod the whole time. (It's great golf music.)

Before a crucial approach shot with a 9 iron. I'm so focused :)

I've never had more fun playing this silly game.

In a footnote to the whole event, after the round we all got on the charter bus to head back into the city. Somehow, on the bus Jay managed to start gambling with another golfer on what was drunkenly referred to as "toin coss". He won $600 dollars off the poor guy on heads vs. tails. I couldn't believe it. Here is a pic of Jay blowing into the breathalyzer before getting onto the bus. Clearly, the gentleman gambler...