Tag: fun

st maarten and anguilla

Well, I just got back last night from a great trip to St. Maarten. I was visiting my brother Andy, who is in med school down there, for a good 5 days / 4 nights. It was easily the best time I’ve ever had (or close to it), the most beautiful place I’ve been to in terms of look & feel, and certainly a much needed getaway from the states.

Our days consisted of drinking piña coladas in the AM and some heinekens in the PM, lounging at the beaches, touring the island, eating ribs, listening to music, traveling to Anguilla, playing beach volleyball, smoking great cigars, going to some good bars/clubs/restaurants, and taking our time to do everything. We were always full, sunny, warm, sandy, relaxed, and happy.

Considering it was pretty simple to get down there (flew through Charlotte, 1.5 and 3.5 hr flights – see SXM airplane landing here) I may just go back pretty soon. It’s really all about taking the step. I’m sure glad my brother took the step to get away and live/learn down there. I feel like a lot of people just can’t take that step, even if it’s just for the visit. Sure there are financial and other personal considerations/obligations that make that step seem too big to take, but trust that happiness and fulfillment will come with taking that step. If they don’t, then maybe try another staircase.

tower of power

You can’t beat Tower Of Power. Last night at the State Theatre in Falls Church, VA was an absolute groovefest. I can’t even move right now my legs are exhausted from two steppin’ it all night. With hits like “Soul With a Capital ‘S'”, “I’ve Got To Groove”, “You’re Still a Young Man”, and “Diggin On James Brown”, the theatre was in bump city with vivacious vocals, bellowing bass, and hip-swingin’ horns.

The half-seated / half-standing venue was packed with mid-sixties, mid-forties, and two mid-twenties bouncin’ to the brim as every seat in the house was within arms’ reach of the trumpet line. As a side treat, the audience included two other legends, one from the Temptations and one from James Brown’s band, both grabbing the mic for a line or two as they stood front row. Good music certainly has no age limit and some current young guns could learn a thing or two from these hipsters of hop. I’m quite glad my mom (who is a two steppin’ legend) introduced me to T.O.P. and it ranks up pretty close to the TOP on my list of greatest performances seen live.

If you want to check out Tower Of Power, click here for a list of their upcoming tour dates. If you don’t want to check them out, then you got to FUNKIFIZE!

april fools’ day

Well it’s that time of year when your shoe laces trip you, it rains indoors, and The Onion is rightfully the most popular news outlet… April Fool’s Day! Now I must say I generally look forward to April 1st each year but do not try and actively prank those around me, aside from the usual corny jokes that comes out over conversation. That being said, it does seem as though this holiday has become much bigger over the past decade. It may be because of the realized marketing opportunity it can offer a business of any size or could be due to the social media/networking sites through which communities of users love to egg this sort of stuff on. 

I’m interested to see what kind of new products will come out this year. Perhaps another Canine Repellant Alloy Protection (CRAP) material by BMW or maybe BBC will come back with Smell-o-Vision again where they claimed odors could be transmitted with sound and picture. Too funny. I’m sure Google will have a good tech prank, as they have in the past. Hopefully Wikipedia doesn’t explode with content credibility arguments.
I’d like to see some good math jokes again this year. One year mathematicians apparently changed the value of pi. Another year they said time was going to be changed to a metric system based on powers of 10. I think these pranks that make people think awkwardly about concepts on which they’ve based their entire lives are the best. Let’s switch the meaning of “eye” and “nose” this year. That would surely make some people think hard.
Regardless, April Fools’ Day is a good day for some good laughs. That is until someone loses a nose.

st calzones day

So quick little post on the origin and the meaning of St Calzones Day. This year is the 6th annual St Calzones Day celebration, and looks to be the largest celebration to date. It started back in 2004 with Ben Woolley and I having a light discussion that turned into a wild night of fun and laughter. Despite a long night’s sleep that night, we remembered the ideals on which our initial discussion took place and characterized the day as a celebration to continue. And so, St Calzones Day was born.
Throughout the years, we have defined it to be a celebration of the Three F’s: Friends, Fun, and Food. It is to occur on whichever weekend in March works best for the most amount of people, and is really not bound by anything more. There are some traditions that have stuck, including the passing of the calzone, drinking of the wine, wearing of the jerseys, breaking of the Carlo Rossi, and tunes of Lou Monte. Each year usually brings something new including a secret swap of new jerseys, presentations on calzonius topics, games such as trivia, and new items on the menu.

I must say that this is my favorite day of the year and truly represents the happiness that should always be shared amongst friends. For those of you that could not make it this year, we hope to see you in celebrations to come!

With Sauce And Cheese,

Mister Pepperoni Chef