Meetings in NYC

A week or so a go, I headed down to New York for at meeting at Hachette Book Group. Rather than drive in like I usually do, I took Amtrak from Springfield. I can't wait until the line comes back to downtown Holyoke so I can walk from down the street to the station.

I arrived earlier in the day for a stroll through the city and so I could stop by and say hello to some clients. I headed over to Warner Music Group headquarters in midtown and as I was leaving the building, I bumped into one of the most dapper musicians around, Tim Nordwind from OKGo. We talked for a bit and then I went on my way to EMI / Capitol / Virgin down near the beautiful Flatiron.

Then, I was onto the main reason I was in the city, a meeting with the good folks at Hachette, the second larger publishing group in the world. I met a bunch of the talented people that lead many of James Patterson's online initiatives. I also had the exciting opportunity of meeting James Patterson! Overall, I was very impressed with the way they do things over there.

After the meeting, I had a quick dinner at Brasserie Les Halles and then I was on my way back home. It's always an adventure when I'm in New York, I can't wait to go back.

It's All Here

This past Thursday, I was in Cambridge at Akamai Technologies headquarters for the start of the day. I was recently appointed to the Advisory Council for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts' "It's All Here" campaign and was there for the launch event. Powerful words were delivered by Greg Bialecki, J.D. Sherman (CFO of Akamai), and Robert Culver (CEO of MassDevelopment) to warm up the crowd. Soon after, the Commonwealth's communications guru, Kofi Jones took the floor and unveiled the campaign. You can read more about the initiative in the Boston Globe.

Anyways, from the invention of chocolate chip cookies, to the technology that powers the internet, endless innovations flow from this state and it's time to take another look at everything that's here... especially those cookies.

The Wodka Wars

"Vice Scandinavia correspondent Ivar Berglin travels to the front lines of the Vodka/Wodka Wars – and discovers that the tortured history of Russian-Polish relations can be saved in a bottle."



At first glance, I thought this would be a comedic piece about vodka, but as the documentary played on it revealed a powerful story of Polish nationalism, identity, history - and of course, the rightful origin of wodka. I was very impressed by this video.

Note: When I was in Kraków a few years ago, there were no people walking around in giant beer costumes. Maybe next time?

Jim Jefferies in Boston

Last Friday, Elizabeth and I headed to Boston to see emerging comedian Jim Jefferies. He has been the talk of the Edinburgh Fringe / Comedy Festival, regarded as the UK's most offensive comic, and he's also a client - I was very excited to see him live and say hello.

Before the show we had dinner at Gaslight Brasserie, a French bistro in the South End. The decor was very similar to that of Pastis in NYC (very, very similar menu) and Kingston Station in Boston - covered in shiney white subway tile, a floor of mosiac tile, antique lighting fixtures. After dinner, we walked over towards the BCA to pick up our tickets and meet with some friends at the Beehive, which was right next to the theatre.

After that, we went over the theatre to see Jim Jefferies.

I've seen lots of his older material, and recent HBO Special... I must say, his current stand-up routine tops any I've seen or heard so far. Witty punchlines, intense stories, dirty and clever, no boundries. You must hear it for yourself.

He'll be back on the East Coast in September at Carolines in NYC. I might need to experience his live show once again, it's worth it.

Turks Head Building

Although, I haven't been to Providence in a few months... I feel it's important to confess my admiration for the iconic Turks Head Building. Designed by Howells & Stokes and constructed in 1913, the Turks Head Building is one of New England's coolest buildings. It has classical touches, beautiful proportions, and it's one of the only V-shaped (not flatiron, but V!) structures around. My note to aspiring architects: if you want win people over (or just me) just carve up a block of granite into an Ottoman Turk sultan's head and attach it to the façade.

Eccentric Architecture

Here is a small round-up of my favorite examples of eccentric architecture. I decided to consciously avoid including obvious buildings, anything by Gaudí, and items covered by other sources. I haven't been to Belgium yet, but have personally explored out in and around the "Crooked House" in the beautiful city of Sopot on the Baltic coast and also checked out Otto Wagner's floral ceramic covered Majolika Haus while in Vienna. As you can see, I'm largely drawn to art nouveau / jugendstil.


't Bootje
Architect: Frans Smet-Verhas
Location: Antwerp, Belgium



Krzywy Domek
Architect: Szotynscy Zaleski
Location: Sopot, Poland



Maison Saint-Cyr
Architect: Gustave Strauven
Location: Bruxelles, Belgium



Majolika Haus
Architect: Otto Wagner
Location: Vienna, Austria

Esser - "Satisfied"

This is an incredible song by English musician Esser. The video takes inspiration from Georges Méliès's early film masterpiece "Le Mélomane". Great song, great video.