So… I think it’s fair to say that CC and I have failed miserably this semester to keep up with this blog. I’m happy to see that people are still reading it regularly, but I think I’m going to say we’re throwing in the towel. If either of us starts blogging again, here or somewhere else, we’ll let you know.
what happens when you take an american banjo player and travel with him to africa? he makes an amazing album with a number of great african musicians, that’s what.
béla fleck, the well known front man of béla fleck and the flecktones, released an album earlier this year on rounder records, throw down your heart. the album features artists from all over the african continent, collaborating with béla in a number of ways, either as singers, percussionists, or strummers. not only should you be looking to add this incredible album to your repitior, but you should also be looking out for béla and toumani diabate, one of the musicians on the album, coming to a venue near you. they recently played a free show at central park’s summerstage, and let me tell you, it was amazing! it was also packed, with the seating at full capacity, probably about 100 people standing in line in the hopes they might get in, and with the ground around the stage/seating area filled with blankets and picnickers who knew better than to even try and get in (i was one of those).
in addition to the album, there’s a documentary film by béla and sascha paladino about the making of the album, and béla’s experiences in africa while recording the album. you can get information about the film, and where it’s playing here. otherwise, check out béla’s site here.
So, apparently when I decided to fall off the face of the earth, so did CC, and for that I am truly sorry. I’ve fallen into a routine where I’m rarely at my computer, and so Twitter is much easier than blogging. Blogging requires much more concentration (usually) than twitter. The confines of 140 characters doesn’t leave much room for extensive contemplation.
Truth is, summer ran by me without my noticing it. I head back to Boston in less than a week! And what have I done with my summer? Not much… Spent some time upstate, went to the beach once, went to maybe 3 concerts, threw 2 parties and a dinner party… That’s about it though. I didn’t really go out all that much either. All I have to show for the summer is another bullet point on my resume and another failed summer fling. Not that either of those is necessarily a bad thing, but that’s not how I saw my summer summing up.
Now that I’m heading back to Boston, I’m gonna be blogging more, and I have some interesting stuff lined up for the fall. I’ll try to find CC before I go- give her a bit of a nudge.
This past weekend, I hit Miami for the first time. Loved it! I didn’t do much touristy stuff, as I was staying with a native, so that was nice too. We hit up bars, hookah bars, clubs, restaurants… we did it all. For lunch on Saturday we chose a random place on South Beach and got HUGE drinks, and just sat and people-watched for a few hours. We went to Asia de Cuba for dinner on Saturday, and then the lobby bar at the Fontainebleau. For brunch on Sunday we hit Big Pink.
The food at Asia de Cuba was magnificent. There were three of us and we far over-ordered, which allowed us really to get a taste of everything. The fish was fresh and properly done, with some interesting flavors, and concepts. We had a lamb dish that was also delicious, and well cut. The vegetables were all nicely done, none overcooked or over-flavored.
The Big Pink was a wonderful experience. It’s exactly what I always imagined in Miami, and on top of that, the food is good. I had pasta, and AK had matzah brai. All of it was great, and the people were nice.
The bar at the Fontainebleau is beautiful, and buzzing at midnight, although the crowd begins to thin at about 1:30. We met some really interesting people, including two Saudi men, there on vacation. The drinks were good too, with a relatively large selection, and a good selection of drinks with muddled fruit (a personal favourite).
All in all, I would say that Miami is definitely a place I could visit again.
how many people have you met recently who are romantic? certain visions of the past are slowly fading. in this day and age, when you’re dating someone, exclusively or not, it means you meet for drinks at least once a week, if you’re lucky you catch a movie sometimes, and you’re sleeping together. you have to be pretty serious about someone to go to dinner together. it makes no sense. how can you get to know someone without some one-on-one time that isn’t in a crowded/loud/dingy bar? also, guys seem reluctant to spend the time on dinner, even if they wont have to spend the money (e.g. offering to go dutch doesn’t help). we all have to eat, and if you’re dating someone, hopefully you have similar interests (like good food), so why is it so difficult for a girl to pin a man down for a meal? and why, and how, has the simple act of eating dinner together become romantic?
i postulate in this way, because i’ve been listening to friends’ stories of fledgling relationships, or summer flings, and been interested by how different their interactions are from the ones my beau and i have. before we lived together even, we often had dinner, either out or one of us would cook. on weekends, even if we hadn’t slept over at one or the other’s house the night before, we frequently met for brunch. when you’re dating someone, one of the perks is being able to sit at a good meal, with a glass of wine or beer, and bitch about your day/week, or whatever else, to a totally sympathetic ear (or, almost totally). obviously, the comfort to speak in this way comes with time, but how does one develop that comfort if you’re never in a situation where it might happen in the future?
why do men suck? and why do women let them?
is beau brummel really closing… going out of business?
I finally made it out to the hamptons this weekend, for the first time this summer (pretty crazy, huh?). It’s been great, albeit a little windy. I came out to see my summer fling, and we’ve been here for four days. Isn’t that something. Summer flings are fun, which I’d forgotten. The key though, is making sure it’s not someone you like too much, and also not someone too unlikable. I mean, like them all you want, but the point of a summer fling is that it ends come fall, which is tough if you like them too much. It’s always nice when you have a lot in common though, and it’s ok if you spend 4 days straight together. Hope you’re week’s going well.
Nail colors! The purplish one is bermuda shorts, and the blue one is shelter island. Perfect for each other, no? Sent from my AT&T Wireless Blackberry.
I did free yoga this morning at the pier 64 park… It was great. I miss my regular yoga routine. Sent from my AT&T Wireless Blackberry.
