...another year......

Another year down...just hit the big 3-8.....and what a year it has been...Got to visit Ireland in January, got married in May & saw the gradual diaspora of friends...life moves at its own pace, I suppose. It has been a thoughtful birthday for me as I approach 40, especially since turning 30 so far back now, was not that big of a deal for me. Questions of success & failure loom and I just hope with Skye, friends and family that I can cheer myself back to a less morosely contemplative self. Oh well....

cool....

just a cool shot from our aquarium outing...

sunday 8.24...JP

sunday saw a slow crawl to JP....hi Behan!

...8.23...Johnny -Johnny Vu, where are you?

Johnny Vu, where You been?

here?

Actually, we had a Vu sighting this weekend @ Charlie's (nice new deck)...

8.22

SNAP!

soulful - soulful - soulful....

unfortunately, due to the Independent's dj equipment malfunction, SNAP! could not happen at it's finest... I ran home & back with some mix cds to fill the gap...McQueen knows them, he just got them himself. Better luck this week!

............2nite, Snap! ..............

almost caught up, that is....

i nearly forgot!

Skye went on a hike....well, an urban-ish hike. We visited the lovely Arbold Arboretum last month for a nice day hike, taking in the views & plant life...wary of the posted coyote warnings...

ok, now that I've caught up....

The hopes to squeeze whatever of the summer is left is upon us! Hopefully a few day-trips now that gas has dropped 40-50 cents (!), some good shows, some wild dj nights, some saints' fests...we can only try...We're planning also to have a Y'Art Sale in September: artwork, beer & yardsale...TBD...stoodio53-style!!!

hell, no.....

what a month! Way too busy at work. Thunderstorms nearly every morning, afternoon & night...at least I've timed my bike commute in between them! Head has been in a spin from work....there's hope to salvage the summer, right?

a rainy month...storms...floods...hope?

reggay hit de' town......

reggae rocksteady & ska:

friday 8-8-08....SNAP! -@- the Independent ....was a dedicated night, straying from the more soul-oriented to one that was exclusively Jamaican. Classic ska, rocksteady & early reggae 45s filled the air with sweet grooves & moves that the crowd took in, from the nodding head of the solitary retiree to dancing out on the floor....

...times a'changin'.....

one of the many complaints about Boston is it' lack of outside seating at pubs around town...due likely to retained Puritan notions of public sins, numerous laws have prevented the public consumption of the truly spritual...until now....many places are starting to get the opportunity to have said seating. Central Square's Tavern, Central Kitchen & the Middle East have all added outdoor seating, as other locales do the same. My two favorite additions are Charlie's Kitchen in Harvard Square and Deep Ellum in Allston. Rumor has it that others are to do the same, including a roof-deck at Bukowski's !

...al least it will pull some of the crowds from my dear Shay's !!!

ZuZu...Hits the Town...Soul-le-Ju-Jah !!!!!!

Soul-Le-Lu-Jah hits d'Town!!!

Sean "dj Claude Money" & yers truly put quite a fun vinyl slapdown and got all the kids a-grooving...Classic soul & funk...rarities and well-worn numbers spilled out into the streets.....

Around Town II

Wandering away from a simply amazing lobster roll on the waterfront, Skye & I crept into the North End in the midst of a Saint's festival...fried dough, sausage, games, saintly things, but mostly a great vibe. We grabbed a slice(!) at Ernesto's and took in the local flavor, heading down to the new Greenway park with its great open spaces, fountains & gardens; a great replacement for the old elevated. We finished up at Durty Nelly's, a great pub in Haymarket, drinking with Portuguese farmers & locals....and getting our drinks for free!!!.....thanks

Around Town ...

Saturday, the wife & I ventured out down to the harbor to visit the Aquarium (something neither of had visited since childhood). After a 45 minute wait in winding lines full of families of every stripe under a sweltering sun, we entered & proceeded to fight the crowds of tourists & townies to see baby penguins, jellyfish, sharks, turtles & all kinds of fish....truly cool

More of July....

Well....July was a good, true Summer-time friend (fair weather friend? Perhaps, it is Boston y'know)..,.The last weekend was a particularly full one. A good Friday DJ night at the Independent, spinning sweet soul...rockin' rocksteady...and sweaty Southern funk....