Stages...

I was a nerd growing up. No denying it. I loved the idea of space exploration. Neal Armstrong was my hero. And I had posters all over my wall of different NASA rockets and spaceships. I knew I would never be an astronaut but the idea of exploration sparked my imagination. I've always been an explorer or an adventurer. Many people might claim the same titles or lifestyles but I think it is more about an attitude than anything else. There is always some new adventure awaiting me. Mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual challenged. And I'll be damned if some of these adventures don't lead to situations that are stressful or difficult. Exciting but difficult. I don't know about you guys but I have so many stories that stem from the good and the bad times. Life goes in stages they say. My life has always been just like a Saturn V5 rocket. Once one module's fuel is spent it is ejected and a new stage takes over. Five stages that eventually pull the astronauts from the gravity of the earth and launch them to the moon. Recently I've felt like I've been running out of fuel. But over the past week my resolve has been renewed by the wisdom of several of my mentors. I'm ready to eject the past stages of my life and keep launching myself all the way to the moon and back.

barranquistas

barranquistas

Come Around Sunday -KOL has done it again!

Kings of Leon (KOL) has produced a followup album to Only by the Night called Come Around Sunday that came out this past October. The album did quite well in foreign markets but didn't enjoy as much air-time here in the states. Despite breaking the record for digital albums sales in it's first week in iTunes with over 49,000 albums sold. Come Around Sunday sticks to the same aesthetic that KOL used for Only by the Night but has employed richer melodies, thickly layered and ethereal vocals, and more dynamic rhythms. Perhaps with over saturation of the single "Use Somebody" from the previous album the American market wasn't yet ready to hear from KOL again so soon. But the newest record deserved just as much air-time as the latter. If you're in the market for a great summer album to blare on your Toyota Tercel's crappy sound system you've come to the right place. The frontman for KOL, Caleb Followill, will have you singing along on the second spin. His strained powerhouse vocals are just right to put you in the mood to roll down the windows so that jerk in the next car will turn off Soulja Boy. Besides your Tercel doesn't have air-conditioning anyways.

Heading South for the Winter

I got a call from Luke a couple of weeks before Christmas. He had unused sick time. Winter break for me. Three days later we were on our way to Florida. Off on an adventure. I'm a road trip junkie. Any chance I have to hit the road I take it. After a late night drive to Nashville and my dog nearly killing my brother's roommate we made our way through Tennessee, Alabama, and finally Florida. But before we made it to the campsite we stopped at the Gator Café. Lured by the idea of eating wild game we stopped by the diner. I had a patty-melt and a milkshake. We reached Henderson state park which was closed. Quick brainstorming session. We parked Luke's car at a hotel and snuck into the camp site. After we set up camp we ran to the beach where I took the above shot of Luke. Hook was going nuts. He's never been out of the state let alone on a sandy beach. The next day we rented a boat for an hour at Luther's boat rentals and rode out into the bay. A pod of about 40 dolphins were feeding in the shallows. They made several passes by the boat. Luther Jr. Gave us the inside scoop on food and beer. The Marina Café and McGuire's Irish pub. I've never had a more delicious fish sandwich in my life. The jalapeño hush puppies were amazing. A welcome break from Waffle House (my brother's favorite). McGuire's brews their own beer. We got a six pack of the Irish red. The also have over $600,000 in singles stapled to the walls. Interesting place. Back to the camp site to discover my keys had gone missing while searching for fire wood. Panic set in and I might have said a few cure words. The last thing I wanted was to get back to Nashville and not be able to start my car. Luckily my brother with a stroke of genius suggested we take a trip to the local dealership. I was back in business with two copies of my key in half an hour. Lucky break. The rest of the time in Destin we spent laying on the beach or collecting seashells. It reminded me of my childhood and our weekly trips to Corona Del Mar. We had some strangers snap a photo and the next day we were on our way home. I spent the night in Nashville and drove four hours back to Cincinnati and went straight to work. Three days in Florida isn't much. But when you are wearing shorts and a t-shirt on a beach while everyone back home is donning winter gear it makes the whole excursion worth it.