Job shift.

Yesterday was my final shift at Hot of the Press, the coffee shop in Cambridge. The pay was decent, the people were cool but I couldn't deal with slinging drinks and sandwiches for customers anymore. I also began to feel like HotP work wasn't bringing me any closer to figuring out what I want to do here in Boston.

So, I've dropped the coffee shop hours and that means I've picked up more shifts on the WFNX street team. Live Nation also offered me a position (though not the one I had hoped for). Starting on Sept 4th, I'm going to be a runner 2 days a week. This means I get to drive around the streets of Boston picking up and dropping off whatever is needed. The idea, really, is to get to know people in the office stay and stay poised in case a full-time position opens. This all means that I'll be ditching the commuter rail for my black Jetta once again. Sadly, that means my list of books over there on the right will be much slower to change. It also means that my Sirius satellite radio will get a workout.

On another note, there's potential for me to get an interview at the GE aircraft engines plant here in Lynn. I don't know if that's a good thing, but I won't rule it out. The issue is following a dream vs. financial security...and I don't have an easy answer.

Overall, the Live Nation opportunity is a good thing. Lately, though, I haven't been very happy with the jobs I'm doing. My mind and engineering degree are capable of bigger and better things than this. It feels like I'm spinning my wheels, trying to find a direction in which to focus my energies. Lately, that's been frustrating and I'm having a tough time deciding what to do about it.

This weekend, though, is a different story. Jess and I are headed to Utica to see Joe, one of my best friends, marry his fiancee Julie. There will be plenty of friends, merriment, cold, adult beverages and perhaps even shenanigans. I can't think of a better way to spend a long, labor day weekend.

Best. Business meeting. Ever.

I've never taken part in a budget meeting this hilarious. I can only hope that someday I will.

Hash House Harriers

For those who believe drinking and exercise are mutually exclusive activities, I present to you a organization called the Hash House Harriers (H3). This "drinking club with a running problem" was founded in Kuala Lampur in 1938 and now has established "kennels" the world over. There are many groups (particularly in Boston) that will get together, go for a run and have a few drinks at a bar afterwards. The H3 is different in that it says, "Why wait until the end of a run to drink?"

I began hashing after my Mom, the loving influence she is, gave me an article that she had spotted in the local paper. It was a profile of the Albany kennel, the Halve Mein H3, and described a typical hash (a run in H3 terms). She handed it to me and said "You like running. You like drinking. Why not try this?" or something to that affect. Anyway, I received the article in 2004 but didn't get up the courage to hash until St.Patrick's Day of 2005. It took me a little while to start going regularly, but once I did I was hooked.

So how does it work? A group of hashers will typically meet at a bar before a hash and it's optional to have a beer or two before trail even starts. The big catch, though, is that you don't even know where the run will go. One hasher, called the hare, lays trail on roads/trails/whatever in chalk or flour on the ground for the pack (the rest of the hashers) to follow. There are several marks and plenty of twists and turns. One mark, a circle, means the hare has decided to go in a different direction and it's up to the pack to figure out where. More inventive hares will run the pack through some shiggy (water, mud, thick brush, yards with old abandoned cars), to some nice vistas or through large, confused crowds. There are usually 1-3 beer checks DURING the run and an on-in at the end. The on-in is a bar or someone's house and more drinking and shenanigans go on there.

The most fun comes from large events. For instance, the Boston H3 has a weekend-long hash the weekend of the Boston marathon. I was 1 of 4 hares for the event and we all decided to dress up like punk rockers. There were ~100 hashers in town so we had to come up with an interesting trail to both amuse them and avoid getting caught by the pack (remember, hares only get a limited head start). Imagine that many people running around the North End of Boston looking for chalk marks on the ground. It's spectacular mayhem that gets a lot of funny looks.

Speaking of funny looks, the big event of the Halve Mein H3 is the Red Dress Run, held every May. Same idea, a weekend long event, but the catch is that during the hash everyone must wear a red dress. Yes, everyone. Imagine, if you will, seeing a crowd of about 50 people scattered around, looking for marks on the ground and yelling about beer. It's totally worth it, if only for the spectacle. In addition to the red dress, I've also hashed in a kilt, dressed as a woman for halloween but mostly it's standard running gear.

Really, hashing is about drinking, running, friends, fun and camaraderie. That, and giving every hasher a dumb nickname...mine is Krusty the Meat Miser. Perhaps I'll explain it at a later date but for now, I prefer the shroud of mystery.

Alt-weeklies in Boston.

Every city, whether large or medium sized, has its own alternative news weekly. In Albany, there's only one, the Metroland. Bostonians are fortunate enough to have two to choose from, the Boston Phoenix and the Weekly Dig. The Phoenix has been around since '66 and just so happens to be owned by the same person that owns WFNX. The Dig is relatively new and tends to have a 20-something hipster attitude which makes for some interesting writing styles. It also means that they spend a lot of time bitching about the T, Boston's public transit system.

Generally, my T commute is fairly painless, but I have dealt with delayed trains and busses, a lack of seats, grouchy officials and the hot, stale air in the underground stations. But at least we have the best, most modern T system possible, right? Right?

The Dig disagrees. In doing research for an article on 10 T cars from 1946 that are still in service, the author found a few ways the T was better back in the day. Let's talk about the underground stations that become "airless tombs" in the summer. Why are they so uncomfortable? To quote an officer of the Boston Street Railway Association, “Back before air conditioning was popular, the tunnels used to be nice and cool in the summer."Because the T cars are cranking A/C, all the extra heat from the cars gets pumped out to the stations, making them hot, stale and gross. For further explanation from the Dig, click here. That link is to a Dig blog which will reveal more ways the T used to better in the coming weeks.

Wisdom in unexpected places.

This past weekend, I was in Saratoga Springs, NY celebrating the end of bachelorhood for my good friend Joe. It was full of friends, drinks, laughs, etc and generally left me drained by Sunday. Despite that, I returned to Boston and worked a concert at Avalon. My assignment was the arduous task of the "guest list", which means that I check IDs and give people the free tix they got through band or Live Nation connections. The hardest part of the gig is seeing through the BS of someone trying to talk their way onto the list.

Guest list is a job with a lot of downtime, which I killed milling around outside the club and chatting with the Avalon bouncers. Most are big guys but are unitimidating once you've engaged them in conversation. Still, they cop a "tough guy" mentality that ensures they probably won't be drinking buddies with a guy who occasionally runs around town in a red dress looking for beer(me).

The head bouncer, Dominick, is an an ex-marine, born and raised in Southie, who's been working concert security in Boston for the last 25-30 years. It's hard to imagine a person with a brighter or friendlier disposition. He always has a handshake and smile at the ready and never fails to thank you for yours in return. All this despite the fact that he could level dudes half his age (around 50) if the situation called for it. I had spoken in passing with Dom before but Sunday was the first time I had a conversation with him.

Now, I've done a good amount of reading on the Art of Zen. It's terribly interesting because most of Zen philosophy is simply common sense and is very applicable to life. Talking with Dom, I recognized many things he said as Zen-like but he didn't read them. Instead, he's experienced things that led him to those conclusions. I wish I could do justice to the conversation we had, but it was an interaction that isn't neatly summarized on a blog. That said, I'm going to try with some key points...

If you have wisdom in your heart, you can find peace and show it to others. This is how Dom manages to deal pleasantly with drunken a$$es at shows and underage kids with alcohol on their breath.

I'm not a physically imposing guy but when Dom discovered I had an Irish heritage he told me I would fight against injustice if I saw it. Being told you have strength like that can be inspiring.

Back in the day, Dom was a rock n' roller and he still counts Led Zeppelin as THE band. Still, he was able to admit that Wham and Prince were performers who absolutely blew him away. On a side note, Madonna sucked when she was supposedly in her prime.

Finally, I got some advice on dealing with celebrities and avoiding the star-struck factor. Back in 1979, Dom saw the Clash perform at the Orpheum in Boston. This was the London Calling era and for a band known for their incredible performances, the show exceeded even their live reputation. Joe Strummer was electric, one of the best ever. Anyway, Dom gets to know one of the Clash security guards, a big dude from Jamaica, and offers to take him out for a drink. When Jamaica guy shows up, he has Joe Strummer in tow. That's right, a drink with Joe. So I said "weren't you star-struck to be drinking with Joe freakin' Strummer?" Dom says to me, "Matt, I'm a star too." I'll have to remember that when I run into Robert Smith.

When I'm focused on all the small details and troubles, I find it easy to forget how amazing the world can be, or how good it is to be alive. To have someone like Dominick remind me of all that, it was a good night.

Nuts & Bolts vs Concepts & Ideas

One of the things I tend to do a lot of is read. Books, magazines, online articles, CD liner notes, if there's something around with sequential words, I tend to gravitate towards it. I always have, thanks to my Mom who cultivated my reading habit in its early days. As a result, my mind seems to handle concepts and ideas more easily than it does spatial or hands-on projects.

Back in my mid-college years I became obsessed with punk rock and its origins, beginning with the Ramones and Sex Pistols in 1976. Through magazines, documentaries and the actual music, I developed a timeline of punk rock's rise and fall. Immediately after college, I was reading The Vibe History of Hip-Hop since the culture of that musical genre has always fascinated me. It occurred to me that the development of punk and hip-hop had many parallels. For example...

• Both were movements started by outsiders bored and frustrated with their lack of opportunties (musical, career, etc)
• Initially, punk and hip-hop both had very specific geographical ties
• Musically, both were a reaction to mainstream music that a certain group couldn't relate to

As proof of this theory I offer the fact that Blondie chose Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five to open for them during a few shoes in the early 80s.

This was all pointed out in History of Hip-Hop, and, after reading that passage, I remember thinking, and I quote, "Well, obviously." Without conscious analysis my mind pieced together the parallels so I already knew what the book was telling me.

I enjoy a lot of talking and analysis, moreso than details or calculations. That's one of my strengths, and also a reason I'm unwilling to go back into a technical field. An engineer is (rightly) expected to focus on the minutae and calculations of a project, the nuts and bolts. In addition to the nuts and bolts, my last job with GE (technical trainer), involved creating the devices to allow others to understand concepts. That's what I enjoyed.

On another note, I have some news related to 2 of my previous posts. Speaking of regional colas, it seems that Jones Soda, a Seattle-based company, has won the contract to supply Qwest Arena (home of the Seattle Seahawks) with soda for the next 5 years. It's always nice to hear about a company staying loyal to its city and vice-versa.

The Cure The Cure The Cure

My Cure movie bar has been moved to the side of my blog. Check it out to see some of their videos. Why? Because if I only had one band to listen to for the rest of my life, it would be the Cure. Can't wait for their concert here in Boston on 9/25.

Isn't there a better business model than grow or die?

In business it is (apparently) generally accepted that a company must either grow or die. For large, publicly traded companies, perhaps that's true, especially when there are stockholders expecting a return on their investment. However, in a lot of cases it seems like that mantra will lead to overextension, perhaps placing a product where it does NOT do the most good to consumers. There are other things to consider aside from market share.

Take, for example, Diet Coke. Despite a few cases of RC sold here and there, Coke and Pepsi have emerged as the dominant colas of the world. At this point Coke seems to have exhausted any new demographics that it can push soda on. However, as a large, profitable company, Coke is expected to continually expand its profits. The latest solution to this problem is to market Diet Coke as a morning drink to sip right along with your coffee. Click here to see a poster from this ad campaign. I tend to drink either milk or fruit juice with my breakfast in the morning, which means I get both my Vitamin C and calcium. Diet Coke provides caffeine, sugar and empty calories with no nutritional value. How is that a healthy substitute for what I drink in the morning? Soda doesn't belong on the breakfast table where a balanced diet is concerned. Yet Coke is marketed that way because the company must either grow or die (according to the mantra).

I'm also not a fan of homogenization of a product. With only two colas on the market the consumer isn't left with much freedom of choice. Wouldn't it be cool if there were regional colas? Wouldn't the country be a more interesting place if there were different restaurants in each town instead of the same old strip? Now I'm rambling.

Anyway, today I began reading a new book, Small Giants, about companies that resisted the temptation to grow large and failed to die. Instead, they stayed small in order retain the ability to produce a great product, remain integrated with their community and have a tight-knit corporate culture where every employee counts, all while still turning a solid profit. Unsurprisingly, that makes a lot of sense to me.

Classy guy.

So, I live in the city of Cambridge. That can sound really snooty when you say it with an old money, rich guy voice. Try it out. Picture yourself as the Monopoly guy and say it. In addition to the city I live in, I now have another reason to buy a monocle. I'm one of the newest members of Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.

There's been a special exhibition of Edward Hopper's paintings at the MFA for a few months and Jess and I decided to go see it this weekend. Unfortunately, tix (tickets for those not in the music biz (business for those not in the know)) to the exhibition were sold out by the time we arrived. We got in line to buy tix to see Hopper's stuff this Wednedsday instead. We did some quick math, though, and decided to get a dual membership. Long story short, if anyone wants to come visit Boston and see the MFA, you now know a member (free admission, kids!). So drive over in your limos and act snooty with me!

For those who don't know Edward Hopper's work, you probably do but just don't know it. This is his painting "Nighthawks" (click for a larger version. The man is best known for portraying city dwellers who are lonely despite being surrounded by people. It's interesting to see and feel the downbeat tone in this powerful piece. The colors are very striking as well. I'm looking forward to the exhibition.

Free Jones Soda!

One of the perks of working at a radio station is that you get a bunch of free promotional items. So far I've gotten a few CDs, some oven mitts and, yesterday, a bottle of Frank's Red Hot. I've even had a free beer during work hours (yes, my boss knew and encouraged it). The latest promo item the station received was a palette of Jones Soda. That's right, over 2000 pounds of Jones Soda in cans for the FNX street team to distribute.

We, at the station also try some of this stuff. Personally, I have a hard time promoting what I don't like. Cream Soda was the flavor of the day and as soon as I cracked open the can, it smelled like something familiar. Very sweet but I couldn't quite place it. After the first sip, though, I decided it tasted exactly like cotton candy in liquid form. Yup, it had that sweet, slightly burned sugary taste of the stuff you get at the circus. Weird.

Even weirder is that Jones Soda apparently produces a pack of sodas for Thanksgiving with flavors like Turkey, Mashed Potatoes and Cranberry Sauce. Sounds interesting but gross. I'll place the Thanksgiving pack in the "I'll try anything once" category.

De-garfed

There's an entire online community of people who have "De-garfed" Garfield comic strips. This means removing Garfield's thought balloons. In addition to making Jon the focus of the strip, it also has the affect of making the strip darker and more surreal than it ever was before. I haven't read Garfield in years but I'm fascinated with the de-garfing phenomenon. As promised, here are some of my favorite examples. Click on them for larger versions...

For a thesis as to why de-garfed cartoons are funnier than the originals, head here. Okay, I promise that's my last post about Garfield. It's been my obsession for the past 2 days but I'm ready to move on.

Garfield dead?

I used to be a big fan of the funny pages. So much so that I had an entire shelf filled with books collecting the Garfield, Fox Trot, Calvin and Hobbes and Bloom County dailies into a trade paperback form. Come to think of it, that was probably a sure sign of my future comic book collecting. Anyway, moving on.

The A.V. section of the Onion has compiled an interesting list of "12 Memorable Newspaper Comic-strip Deaths" here. The first one that came to my mind was #1 on the list, Farley, the sheep dog from For Better or For Worse. He died saving young April (who is now a teenager) from drowning in a flood. I remember reading articles about people who were saddened by the event. The rest of the list was an interesting read but #12 threw me for a loop...it was Garfield the cat.

Back in 1989, the strip ran an oddly eerie storyline that seemed completely out of character for everyone's favorite fat cat that can't stand Mondays. I remember the strips but didn't give them much thought as a 10 year old. Here are two of the strips. To see them all go the Official Garfield Comics Vault. They begin on Oct 23, 1989.

According to the list, there are fans that speculate that Garfield is either dead or dying in an abandoned house. Jon and Odie are simply figments of his imagination that he uses to combat his loneliness. That idea adds a whole new dimension to the last 18 years of Garfield comic strips.

I've long thought of Garfield as unreadable and unfunny. However, some people have found an ingenious way to make some of the old strips amusing again. Normally, Garfield "speaks" in thought balloons. Remove them and all you have is Jon, a cartoonist who talks to his two pets. I'll post some examples another time. Right now I'm hungry.

Rehabilitation through Thriller

Who knew that you could pay your debt to society through sweet Michael Jackson dance moves? Click here to see a YouTube video of 1,500 inmates in a Filipino prison doing the choreography from the Thriller music video.

Seriously, it's as awesome as it sounds. I do have to admit, though, my first thought was "How can they let a woman loose with a group of inmates like that?" I figured it out very quickly.