ATL Essentials: Mid Summer Edition

 Summer is in full swing, and has it been a hot one here in the northeastern United States.  I have been loving getting out there and enjoying summer as best as possible.  I decided to put together a short list of the things that I can't live without during the summer, and a short write up on each of them. 

Loafers, no socks.  This is my footwear of choice, although I occasionally go for sneakers or more formal options, loafers are the summer stand-by.  They go great with both pants and shorts and sockless is the only way to go.  I prefer the full strapped loafers, but penny loafers, driving shoes and many other variations work as well.

Seltzer.  I used to be a big soda drinker, pre paleo, but now I get my carbonation fix from seltzer water.  Zero calories, ice cold, and refreshing on a warm day.  Many people prefer the imported Pelligrino, but I really like Poland Springs, especially the lime and mandarin orange flavors.

Vineyard Vines neckwear.  Bright colors, summery motifs, these are my favorite summer ties.

Patagonia Standup shorts.  I am a pretty big Patagonia fan in general, and the stand up shorts are possibly my favorite item.  They are designed for climbing, with the big pockets, but I think they look great and the fabric is incredibly thick.

Leatherman Ltd Motif Belts.  Leatherman makes affordable belts and are a product of Connecticut!  I prefer the nautical, sport, or fishing patterns, these are great summer belts.

Tennis.  I have recently picked up playing the sport, as a result of my wife taking classes.  We both have improved dramatically, and it is really a great competitive past time for us now.

Fresh produce.  Summers in New England are the best time for us to get fresh produce.  Grocery stores, farm stands, and farmers markets are the places to pick it up.  I love tomatos and really prefer the locally grown heirloom varieties, so I make sure to get my fill while available!

Duffle Bag.  Duffle bags are essential for a weekend getaway to Cape Cod, Maine, the Hamptons, Narragansett or any of the other great summer getaway locations near by.  Luckily Red Clay Soul, a blog I really like, written by a guy out of Charleston, gave a great rundown on duffle bags recently, and I urge you to check it out!

Check out other ATL Essentials posts.

Summer in March

I have been thoroughly enjoying the record breaking heat here in New England, with temperatures in the 80s, and its only mid-March!  I enjoyed spending the last weekend with my family, and my beautiful wife, Marina, has been on spring break this week as well.  This means lots of great home-cooked meals, walks, and just a better vibe at home, without the stress of schoolwork hanging on her shoulders. 

We have been playing tennis lately, as she has taken it both beginner and intermediate classes at her school, and has taught me the basics as well.  I just recently ordered a Babolat racquet from Ebay, although used I am happy to get a "tweener" racquet that I can use for at least a year or two!

  

I also have been able to pick up two great ties from Ebay, a Turnbull and Asser for $8 and a Vineyard Vines for $16, both bargains!

I enjoyed a few beverages this weekend.  Blue Hills Brewery's American Bitter was pretty decent for $8.50/growler and the Sam Adams Spring Mixed 12 pack was solid, for the few offerings I had tried so far.  The Mighty Oak was not my favorite, but certainly not terrible.  I had my brother pick up a 750ml bottle of Bulleit Bourbon on his way back from New Hampshire for $25, saving $7 off the retail price here in MA/CT.  I enjoyed this bourbon a lot, and I hope to continue tasting more great brown spirits!

Hiking up Tuckerman's Ravine at Mount Washington the weekend after this coming one, should be a good time!

NBA/NHL Finals Update

We are in the midst of both the NBA and NHL Finals. Unfortunately the Celtics are not anywhere near the NBA Finals, but as a huge basketball fan, I am still definitely into the series. Although Dallas was the underdog, they have a ton of support from the public, especially in my neck of the woods. The series is currently Miami -330 and I believe they are still at least 1 to 4 to win the series, although I don't usually like laying that much chalk. The first game went as much as I expected for the entire series, Miami basically in the drivers seat. Game 2 was going much of the same direction, and at one point Miami was up 15 and Lebron/Wade were chest bumping each other with big shit-eating grins. Then Dallas proceeded to go on a 20-2 run, winning the game by 2 to take the series back to Dallas even. Last night was Game 3 and although I did not watch the majority of it, I monitored the score, and Miami was cruising the majority of the game. Although they brought it within 2, Dirk had 2 chances at the end of the game, throwing away the ball in the first possession, and missing the shot over Haslem with 4.4 seconds to go, ending the affair. Wade and Lebron are too strong, and are starting to get Bosh going, so to restate, I do not think there is any value in taking Dallas for the series even at +300.

The finals of the French Open/Roland Garros (how about that for Anglicization) was surprisingly not Nadal v. Djokovic. The semi-finals of the open was the most exciting, Nadal destroyed Andy Murray in the morning, but the afternoon match of Federer/Djokovic were what people were anticipating. Federer who is a lot older, and not having quite the drive and motivation the Serb has. not to mention the momentum. However, Djokovic is not quite as strong on clay, and Federer who was +275 took the match in 4 sets, with a very convincing performance. I enjoyed the match immensely, and was looking forward to Sunday's final. Rain was threatening the match, but the day ended up going smoothly, and Nadal won in 4 sets. He won the first two, although they were fairly close, and was up 4 games to 2, when Federer hit the gas pedal, and won the set 7-5. Federer started the 4th set strongly up 40-0 and about to break the first game, but Nadal adjusted and was able to win that game and ultimately cruised to another Grand Slam victory.

Most important and closest to me is the NHL Stanley Cup Finals and my boys the Boston Bruins. Tonight is the first game in Boston, and the B's are in a 0-2 hole to the heavily favored Vancouver Canucks. The weird Swedish Sedin twins, the biter Alexandre Burrows, and Ryan Kessler have dominated the series, although both games were decided by one goal. The first was a defensive/goalkeeping showcase with the Canucks scoring with 20 seconds to go in the game, and everyone here in Boston was crushed. The most memorable part of this game Burrows clearly biting Patrice Bergeron, although the NHL claims they lacked evidence to suspend him. Saturday night, they played game 2, which was a much better showing, the Bruins dominated the 2nd period, scoring on a power play (very tough for us to do this playoff) and taking a 2-1 lead. I knew that the Canucks were going to come out strong in the 3rd period, and managed to tie the game up. After that it looked like it was simply their game to lose, even though it was a tie. The Bruins played solid defense and had several chances, but it seemed like the Canucks were going to win. However, they lasted through the 3rd and went to overtime. Amazingly, Burrows beat Chara and scored after 11 seconds of OT and everyone was crushed once again. Burrows, who probably should not have been in the game was involved in 2 of 3 of the Canucks goals, much to the dismay of Bruins supporters. Bruins have a must-win game tonight at the Garden 8PM EST.