Call Me Alexander

A HOUSE WHERE NOBODY LIVES

2011-03-05T00:09:00.001-07:00

Thanks for this one Tom.

There's a house on my block that's abandoned and cold. The folks moved out of it a long time ago. And they took all their things, and they never came back. Looks like it's haunted with the windows all cracked. And everyone calls it the house, the house where nobody lives.

Once it held laughter. Once it held dreams. Did they throw it away? Did they know what it means? Did someone's heart break or did someone do somebody wrong?

Well the paint is all cracked. It was peeled off of the wood. The papers were stacked on the porch where I stood. The weeds had grown up just as high as the door. There were birds in the chimney and an old chest of drawers. Looks like no one will ever come back to the house were nobody lives.

Once it held laughter. Once it held dreams. Did they throw it away. Did they know what it means? Did someone's heart break or did someone do somebody wrong?

So if you find someone, someone to have, someone to hold, don't trade it for silver. Don't trade it for gold. I have all of life's treasures and they are fine and they are good. They remind me that houses are just made of wood. What makes a house grand, oh it ain't the roof or the doors. If there's love in a house. It's a palace for sure

Without love, it ain't nothing but a house, a house where nobody lives. Without love it ain't nothing but a house, a house where nobody lives.

-Tom Waits

My Top 20 Photos of 2010

2011-01-10T14:26:00.001-07:00

In chronological order…

Photos here

_Alexander

A BING AND BOWIE CHRISTMAS

2010-12-07T16:50:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again. Here's a look at the greatest Christmas duet you're likely to find on the 'ol information superhighway.

UPDATE! Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly step up as contenders for this greatest duo title. Good stuff.

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Will Ferrell

_Alexander

Norm’s Darwinian Beer Wisdom

2010-11-03T12:55:00.001-06:00

Based on this alone, no longer will I skip past reruns of Cheers.

Via 175proof.com

_Alexander

RIP VAN SNAIL MAIL

2010-10-29T13:06:00.001-06:00

I got a letter in the mail last week, a single letter sitting on my desk at work. No return address was listed. It appeared to be a greeting card of some kind. On the inside was an unexpected message.

Wishing you the best in 2008 - Nike USA Brand Connections.

The last bit was written in pen, so it was actually signed by someone from Nike. Strange, I haven’t worked with them in years. But wait, did that just say 2008? I looked back at the envelope where the post mark date clearly read December 19, 2007. Running down to the mail room, I asked if this letter was found hidden behind a file cabinet or slipped underneath a bookshelf. There had to be some kind of explanation. Nope. Matt confirmed that this gem of a letter arrived today and he dropped it off himself.

So that means this little slip of paper has been out in the wild world for nearly 3 years! That’s when I began to wonder. Did it just sit on the bottom of an abandoned mail cart for all but one week of its life? Maybe it was the calculated by product of a mail man who hated his job and intentionally lost one letter each day. Or did it go from city to city, hitchhiking across America’s mail rooms in some Brave Little Toaster meets Jack Kerouac postal journey. If only this letter could talk. Hell, it’s been ‘alive’ for as long as I’ve lived in Colorado. But it can’t, so I’ll give him the best tribute a single piece of paper can get, the crowning achievement of legible print…placement on the home refrigerator. Front and center. Well done sir.

_Alexander

THOUGHTS ON THE WEATHER

2010-10-28T12:33:00.001-06:00

CROWD REACTIONS – USA VS ALGERIA

2010-06-24T17:36:00.001-06:00

It was a hell of a game on Wednesday and there have been a good number of crowd reaction videos. It so great to see people filling the bars and cheering for this sport. Here are some of my favorites.

But first, the goal…

Lincoln, Nebraska – My pick for best reaction

Davis, California

Las Vegas, NA

San Diego, CA

Springfield, MO

_Alexander

OVER THE RAINBOW – EXPLAINED

2010-04-13T17:25:00.001-06:00

I’m not too well versed in musical theory but NPR’s dissection of Dorothy's famous track was enlightening. I’ll never hear it the same again. Next time you have 10 minutes, definitely check this one out.

_Alexander

MY FIRST INSTRUCTABLE – WATERPROOF DRYER LINT FIRE-STARTER

2010-04-09T00:37:00.001-06:00

I’ve been a huge fan of instructables.com for a long time now and I’ve finally put together my first submission. Gather up some household items that you would have otherwise thrown away (dryer lint, an egg carton, some old candle stubs) and make your very own fire-starters.

Use them for camping, backpacking or even in your back yard. Either way, these guys were fun to make and fun to use.

Waterproof Dryer Lint Fire-Starter - More DIY How To Projects

UPDATE: The editor’s decided to feature my entry on their home page, way cool.

DIVE BARS – CHEAP WHISKEY, COMPLIMENTARY WISDOM.

2010-02-08T16:14:00.001-07:00

We all love a good dive bar and the folks at Westword were kind enough to list out the top ten. I’m sure there are some gems missing from this, most notably, The Lancer Lounge (who’s staff seems to measure their shots in exponentially larger quantities as the evening progresses). I’ve taken it upon myself to map out these seedy destinations.

1. Ace-Hi Tavern

2. Carioca Cafe

3. Club 404

4. Candlelight Tavern/Kentucky Inn

5. El Chapultepec

6. Hill-Top Tavern

7. Rustic Tavern

8. Squeeze Inn

9. Squire Lounge

10. Thunderbird Lounge

First on my list, The Hill-Top Tavern. Allegedly, it’s a preferred hangout of Bill Murray. Should you find yourself looking to ponder the finer aspects of life, or maybe just kill a Friday evening, drop me a line and we can trade stories at one of these established watering holes.

_Alexander

SUNUP IN SUMMIT COUNTY

2010-01-25T13:07:00.001-07:00

I drive a lot in the Winter, I-70 to be specific. Sometimes it’s a straight shot at 80 miles per hour, blasting through the Eisenhower tunnel to the slopes. Other times, you leave and return late, stop at Loaf and Jug for coffee, Blue Moon for Breakfast, Daylight Donuts for second breakfast, followed by beers at Eric’s and Chili at Kermit’s. Then there are those days where the highway seems like little more than a parking lot, testing the patience of every white knuckled, chapped-lip’d, wind-burned, snowpants-wearing rider. In any situation, you need fuel. The cars get gas, the people get this mix. I call it “Sunup in Summit County”. It’s a decidedly chill, admittedly folk compilation. Wherever you spend your winters across this big blue marble, I hope you enjoy.

Link: http://www.sendspace.com/file/ejp35r

SUNUP IN SUMMIT COUNTY

1. Big Rock Candy Mountain – Harry McClintock

2. Oh, Girl – Hackensaw Boys

3. The Hardest Part – Ryan Adams and the Cardinals

4. Ragged Wood – Fleet Foxes

5. I And Love And You – Avett Brothers

6. Old Man – Neil Young

7. Son – Sean Higgins and Jonathan Cendrowski

8. Mr. Tambourine Man – Bob Dylan

9. Requiem – M. Ward

10. The Man Comes Around – Johnny Cash

11. In the Mystic (cover) – The Frames

12. Tell Me Why (cover) – Will Yates

13. Adirondack Amish Holler – Frontier Ruckus

14. Man of Constant Sorrow – Oh, Brother Where art Thou?

15. Every Wall You Own – Chris Bathgate

16. Pints of Guinness Make You Strong (acoustic) – Against Me!

17. Hazey Jane I – Nick Drake

18. Such Great Heights (cover) – Iron & Wine

19. Glenn Tipton – Sun Kil Moon

20. Everybody’s Moving Out of Michigan – Will Yates

21. Brackett, WI – Bon Iver

_Alexander

Snow

2010-01-19T17:18:00.001-07:00

Click here to enlarge

December 10, 2009

2009-12-10T11:10:00.001-07:00

It’s time to shut my mouth and let my boots do the talking

Hike out and up

Put some hard miles on the interstate

Let’s watch the odometer roll into a full gallop

Let’s sleep in airports with ridiculously important fiction as our head rest

Vehemently pursue the noble act of going very far to do very little

Just take it in, listen, speak, observe

Shut the fuck up

Make something with your hands

Stand on top of mountains and be humbled

Now yell

The revolution will not be streamed on YouTube

Write a letter, sing a song

Bring good people into your home to do nothing more than drink too much whiskey

Tell stories until the sun comes up

Good people, people who get it

When you find them, don’t lose them

Don’t ever forget this could be over tomorrow

There are no curtain calls, there are no encores

Keep it honest, terribly, wonderfully honest

_Alexander

MOON – DON’T MISS THIS ONE

2009-11-04T13:43:00.001-07:00

If what I read on the internet is true, one of my favorite movies this year, Moon, will be out on DVD in a few days. In the vein of classics like Silent Running and Alien, this is one of those really thoughtful Sci-fi films in which the main characters aren’t stoic astronauts, but everyday people placed into outer space. It’s the first major picture by Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie. Sam Rockwell plays the lead and Kevin Spacey voiceovers as the HAL-like robot. For whatever reason, it had a very small release in the US, and I stumbled into it while in London. Check out the trailer.

I love how the set design looks a little dated, almost like the ship was made in the 80’s by GM, held together for 20 years with duct tape and string. In an age where Sci-fi is synonymous with massive budgets and explosions, simplicity was the driving force here. A great script, confined to a small space station. Moon plays more like Robinson Crusoe than Star Trek.

The soundtrack was scored by Clint Mansell, who I think is one of the best film composers in the business. He’s worked on most of Darren Aronofsky’s films (Requiem for a Dream, The Fountain, the Wrestler) and acts almost as the 4th character in this one, reinforcing the cold distance and isolation. Some kind soul uploaded the tracks to youtube and I made the playlist below (or here). If I ever muster up the courage and buy that keyboard, I’ll have to give this one a try.

Check out the movie, You won’t be disappointed. and if you know any other great flicks that I might have missed, drop me a line.

_Alexander

LET THE WILD RUMPUS START!

2009-09-29T18:34:00.001-06:00

We’re all aware that in just 2 1/2 weeks Where the Wild Things Are will be in theatres, right? Everything about this project seems to be a grab bag of top-of-their-game creativity. Maurice Sendak’s renowned children’s book, directed by Spike Jones, written by Dave Eggars, soundtrack by Karen O, trailer music by Arcade Fire.

Check out the trailer, it’s goose bump worthy.

There’s also a really cool featurette with Maurice Sendak, Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers.

Have you read the original book? If not, check out a PDF scan of it here.

Not big into reading? That’s OK, Barack Obama will read it to you.

If you haven’t heard the soundtrack, stream it from imeem.com here. To top it all off, Dave Eggers is creating a novelization of the book and a piece of it is available through the New Yorker here.

See you at the pictures.

MAP YOUR RUN

2009-09-10T18:01:00.001-06:00

The big day approaches quickly, just over 4 weeks until my 26.2. In the last few months, I’ve taken stock in the beauty of running’s minimal hardware demands. Do you own shoes and socks? Good, you are now ready to run. That said, there are a few other helpful bits and pieces..iPods, fuel belts, some gels, bear mace. Even more important than those has been one site, a completely free mapping tool where I can track my distance, log my runs, even calculate my calories burned – mapmyrun.com

Map out any distance from anywhere in the world.

Enter your run time to calculate calories burned.

Save each run, bike, hike or workout to your calendar.

I certainly don’t use every aspect of the site, but it was and continues to be my virtual trainer. Kind of like a hybrid between HAL and Burgess Meredith.

HOLD ON TO THE CAUL

2009-08-25T17:44:00.001-06:00

There’s something so crazy about turning the last page of a book. I swear there is. Old McQuail told me I needed to read this book by some crazy phony who hides out in the middle of nowhere. He doesn’t even tell people where he is or nothing. I swear. So you know I did? I went over to the Boulder Bookstore and bought The Catcher in the Rye. Anyway, the goddamn book was really good. Honest it was.

This is one of those books that seems to be all over the summer reading lists in high school but never made it onto my desk. Maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe this is exactly when I was supposed to read it. Either way, it is one of the best I’ve picked up in a long time. I knew it was going to be good from the get go. First off, the book has no description, just a title and an author. There’s not one review or introduction, I love that. For those of you who’ve read it, I was poking around for other info on Holden and came across this interesting bit:

Holden Caulfield’s last name links to the novel's famous rye-catcher metaphor, in which Holden wants to be the person responsible for catching carefree children playing in a field of rye from obliviously falling off a nearby cliff. A "caul" is a membrane that covers and protects embryos and remains on some babies after birth, so that, in "holding caul" in his rye field metaphor, Holden Caulfield wishes for all children to retain the pure, youthful ignorance they possessed before birth (before being brought into this world)—to, figuratively, retain their caul. Through the aforementioned metaphor, Holden wants to prevent children from nearing the symbolic cliff at the edge of the field, from which they must fall, metaphorically maturing into adults and thus ultimately losing their childhood innocence. [via]

This book is spilling over with amazing lines/passages, but this one had me stand up on the London Tube and remark with non-verbal utterances of praise.

“Look,” I said. “Here’s my idea. How would you like to get the hell out of here? Here’s my idea. I know this guy down in Greenwich Village that we can borrow his car for a couple of weeks. He used to go to the same school as I did and he still owes me ten bucks. What we could do is, tomorrow morning we could drive up to Massachusetts and Vermont, and all around there, see. It’s beautiful as hell up there. It really is.” I was getting excited as hell, the more I thought of it, and I sort of reached over and took Old Sally’s goddamn hand. What a goddamn fool I was. “No kidding,” I said. “I have about a hundred and eighty bucks in the bank. I can take it out when it opens in the morning, and then I can go down and get this guy’s car. No kidding. We’ll stay in these cabin camps and stuff like that till the dough runs out, I could get a job somewhere and we could live somewhere with a brook and all and, later on, we could get married or something. I could chop all our own wood in the wintertime and all. Honest to God, we could have a terrific time! Wuddya say? C’mon! Whuddya say? Will you do it with me? Please!”

A great read. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. Or don’t. He’d probably prefer you didn’t go out of your way or anything.

MIKE HORN - ADVENTURER

2009-07-28T01:08:00.001-06:00

A few years back, I watched a documentary on OLN (now Versus) about a guy named Mike Horn. While I had never heard of him up to that point, for the next hour, I was absolutely glued to my screen.

Born in South Africa, he has been called one of the greatest solo Adventurers of all time. Among his accomplishments are crossing the South American continent in 6 months, circumnavigating the world along the equator in 17 months, and completing a 20,000 km route around the Arctic Circle in just over 2 years. For the latter of the two, he was the first man to do so in the history of the world. For all three, he did it without the assistance of an engine or animals.

Surprisingly, I’ve found little information about Mike online, so I took it upon myself to share this man’s amazing story. On the link below, I’ve uploaded the documentary in 6 parts. Check it out sometime. He inspired me to redefine that which I might have thought impossible. If it does the same for you, it could only lead to good things.

Full playlist is here.

8,630 MILES

2009-07-23T18:47:00.001-06:00

That’s the distance between Denver, Colorado and Bangkok, Thailand. If all goes well, I’ll present my passport at 12:00 p.m. on November 26 and head straight for my first, real Pad Thai.

Excited doesn’t begin to describe it, but in a way, it hasn’t hit me yet. The idea of Thailand has been top of mind for months now, but actually seeing myself get off the plane, it still seems surreal. But with the pop of a champagne bottle, the browser refreshed with our tickets, and it feel really, really good.

I found this quote from my boy Sam that sums it up pretty well.

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

Here’s to new sights, sounds and people.

THE DIRTBAG DIARIES

2009-07-10T13:49:00.001-06:00

This pretty girl I know told me about a great podcast called The Dirtbag Diaries. It’s sort of like a younger, lo-fi This American Life for outdoor enthusiasts. I’ve been catching episodes here and there on runs or bike rides to work. On one recent post, they interviewed a guy from Boulder and he talked about how the simple gift of a climbing rope changed his life forever. In another short clip, the host, Fitz Cahall, delivers a great monologue about the changing seasons and how it shapes his year.

“I’ve begun to crave and also fear the caress of cold water. I’ve yet to swim this season and it’s time for me to lend momentum to the passing of the season. It’s these moments, these chapters, not the days on the calendars, that push me through life’s gentle sway. It keeps me looking forward instead of back. It’s just a matter of recognizing the opportunity when it arrives.”

It’s only a few minutes long, give it a listen here. I love that there are shows like this out there and companies like New Belgium and Patagonia who are willing to sponsor it. It makes me wonder what projects I should get started.

SEVENTEEN WEEKS TO GO

2009-06-21T12:33:00.001-06:00

I LOVE THAT THIS IS CONSIDERED TRAINING

Back to the Mesa trail, but this time, we summited Boulder’s highest point, Bear Peak.

Full album here. This is going to be a good summer.

EIGHTEEN WEEKS AND COUNTING

2009-06-11T11:24:00.001-06:00

It began on April Fool’s day when I handed over the $125 for registration. Two months later, I’m no longer looking at a distant race that seems too far off to be real. We’re 18 weeks away, the amount of time most recommend you dedicate to training. Mostly pulling from the Runner’s World Rookie Marathon Training Plan, I tweaked it a bit to have my rest days on Saturdays and long runs on Sundays.

While I have been running regularly, it’s time to drop the run-when-I-feel-like-it attitude for a more serious, get-your-ass-out-of-bed-you-can-do-anything mindset. In the meantime, I though I’d share a few thoughts on training so far.

1. The attitude best suited for marathoning lends itself to injury rather than success.

By that I mean the never-say-die attitude will get you across the finish line but it will also lead to overtraining and injury. The hardest lesson so far has been that I need to slowly increase my miles, stretch a lot and take days off.

2. The Mesa Trail is one of the most beautiful trials I’ve ever had the pleasure of running.

From a thin single-track weaving around massive trees in a deep forest to jumping creeks, and jogging wide open fields, it’s one that I’ll be frequenting this summer

via http://www.flickr.com/photos/theslimobject/3570319996/

3. Keep the shoes new, you’re worth it.

Compared to most other sports I love, running is barely a blip on the financial radar. So why is it I try squeeze another month of miles on the tired cushioning of my Mizunos? If my ailing hips are any indication of this wisdom, I'm quickly learning that a new set of kicks every couple of months is a must.

4. Run New Paths

Is it a Frost-like metaphor for the deep spiritual journey that is running? Not this time. I just think it’s fun to map out a new run as often as possible. Keep it fresh, ya know?

4. Don’t underestimate a little caffeine.

I’m quickly learning that the gels, shot blocks, and sport beans can be the deciding factor between getting through a run and enjoying it. I’m also finding that the extra shot of caffeine really puts me over the top. Try it out.

Until next time.

A VERY LONG RIDE

2009-05-19T21:11:00.001-06:00

Here is a great video of two friends who rode their bikes across America. Stories like this make me excited about people and the things I can do if I just decide it’s something I want.

AN EPIC END FOR A NEW BEGINNING

2009-04-20T20:41:00.001-06:00

And with that, I’ve officially declared it to be Spring in Boulder. If I may say so, Colorado really did it with class. Ten to twelve inches of snow and slush on Friday, sunshine and 70 by Monday.

One foot in front of the other

Entering week 3 of my training, I find myself more and more excited each morning. I have yet to crest the 10 mile mark but each run has been challenging, fun, even liberating. Evidently, my body believes in the adage that old memories die hard. Injuries from the high school wrestling team have resurfaced like a childhood friend you never cared to see again. Plenty of memories together, none of which are particularly warm. Maybe a few ice packs and some well calculated disregard will remedy the situation. Thoughts of race day are met with blind confidence and a touch of rational trepidation. I consider this to be an appropriate cocktail for the task. Time and again, I remind myself that 80 year olds can run 26.2 miles, and 60 year old dads can run 26.2 after swimming 2.4 and biking 112…while pushing your 37 year old son in his wheel chair. For those of you who haven’t heard the story of Team Hoyt, it’s defines inspiration, well beyond that of athletics. Here is one of the many videos on their story.

People and vibrations.

I like people. I like watching how they interact with each other. When Spring hits, there seems to be a lot more people watching to be done. In the end, I think we’re all just looking for people who can understand us. Polite company is found without much hassle, we can carry a conversation with anything that nods. But the really good ones to watch are the conversations among those who know each other so well there’s absolutely nothing to hold them back. They’ve established such a solid foundation of character, it would be nearly impossible to destroy that groundwork. It is when we’ve stacked the decks in our favor that we’re free to really let loose, to push the friendships and the world we live in upwards, more so than it was before we came into it. So let’s get together soon, you and I. Let’s kick back or race forward, I rather like doing both.

LET’S TRY THIS AGAIN

2009-04-06T17:49:00.001-06:00

It’s a new year, and I’m glad to say that this post can celebrate two of my new years resolutions simultaneously. First off, my goal is to keep this blog updated regularly, and secondly, I’m officially registered for the Chicago Marathon.

It’s strange how often my thoughts are on this race. I’ve been thinking about a marathon for 2 years now. Knowing that I’ve paid in full and all I need to do is show up October 11th makes it so real, so undeniably concrete. It’s just a matter of preparing. There are 101 ways to get ready for something like this, so my plans may shift and change, but for now I’m just running. One foot in front of the other, and it feels good.

More to come soon.

Do Not Ride the Train. Drive the Bus.

2008-04-01T01:36:00.001-06:00

A realization has been made. No one is keeping score on my life. Sure, people will look after me. Friends and family will help me if I am need. I love them and they love me. But when it comes to achieving greatness, whatever your definition, that drive must come from within. I must become my own harshest critic and fiercest advocate, continually questioning the validity of my path. Because if I don't, who will?

There was a point in my life where I was just trying to get by. Work, friends, even the city in which I was living produced a daily struggle. A few more months, and it might have gotten the best of me. I might have stopped asking myself the big questions, bought the train ticket and waited to see where it took me. Now I sit at my desk, unable to sleep, struggling to decide which ambitious plan should deserve my foremost attention. And it feels great.

Do not ride the train. Drive the bus.

Of course, late night musings on a keyboard can only be a starting point. Indeed, actions do speak louder than words. While I'm not typically a scientific man, I'll organize these actions into two categories, inputs and outputs. What am I giving myself to produce greatness? Do I actively seek stimulation? I need true friends. I need art. I need inspiring authors. I need food. And don't be afraid to ask, "What am I taking in that only hinders my progress?" It is a difficult but essential question.

From this, I can mash it all together, the physical, the mental, and the emotional inputs. I can use it to make a better me. I can use it to surprise even myself. Because if I never exceed my own expectations, the bar wouldn't be seen as low, it need not be there at all.

No, we'll set the point of success at "immeasurably high". It'll be more fun that way. I'm sure of it.