Thoughts Going Into Novembeard

With sports beards in the news recently with the Red Sox making their harried run to another World Series appearance, it is no surprise that Boston players and their beards in various stages of "development" were recently featured in an online article entitled A Six Stage Manual For Growing Out Your Face Pubes This Coming November. Not so sure how much I like the word choice ("pubes"?) but the sentiment is one I can get behind as I am heeding the clarion call to beardedness a few weeks early in an effort to maximize my November. (That there are "purists" out there who suggest it's not No Shave November if you start in October--spare me!)

The blogger with misguided
goatee, circa 1992-ish.

It sure is funny how facial hair, in general, and the month of November have now been married in the cultural zeitgeist in such a way that even the stigma attached to growing a mustache have been given a pass for the sake of a good cause in the form of Movember. Good cause or not, while I applaud those raising funds toward prostate cancer awareness via growing a mustache, I will donate my funds and defy the rules which strictly prohibit the "joining of the mo to your sideburns" as that makes it a beard. It is just too difficult to grow out "the mo." Given my poorly executed attempts at pulling off both a goatee (see pic to left) and an honest-to-goodness mustache (pics have mysteriously disappeared) it is for the best. Though I am sure half the "fun" is growing a crappy looking 'stache, my half-hearted attempt would like just get me followed by police when I walk around my neighborhood.

I will , however embrace the coolness of cultivating a hilly-billie beard... at least until my wife gently suggests that it (and the roughly fifty years a huge white beard adds to my appearance) needs to go. I am committed to the manliness of No Shave November, just not enough to ruin my marriage over. Today, after one week of abstaining from the self-mutilation that is shaving one's face, I am just slightly beyond Stage 1: The “Oh, ya I forgot to shave," or as my wife refers to it, the "You Look Like a Wreck" stage.

An occasional summer beard-wearer (and ultimately, shaver), each time my chin is shorn, I am quickly reminded that Jean Cocteau's related words are more a truism than merely just a clever quote: “There is always a period when a man with a beard shaves it off. This period does not last. He returns headlong to his beard.”

Head of the Charles Regatta, Day 2

A second consecutive beautiful day along the Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts.

The second day of our roadie to the Head of the Charles Regatta 2012, included the primary reason for our excursion: watching my stepson Gregory's McQuaid Jesuit High School junior eight compete. Because they launched at around 1:00 and werent' schedule to row until about an hour later, we had plenty of time to wander around the regatta site, along the Charles River, which was fairly extensive.

Our journey down the Charles began (to use an oft quoted teaching line) "with the end in mind": Anne and I started at the launch area where teams', including McQuaid's, prep their vessels for competition. Many schools flew colorful flags with paddle insignias and school mascots. It was a fairly festive area though as the day wore on, and the excited, energetic teams were replaced with exhausted, often discouraged rowers and coxswains.

Trailers with shells rigged and ready to race!

Rowing is a physically and emotionally challenging activity, and thought his was not a competition that had head-to-head racing but was rather based on time, often upon completion, without knowing the results, teams had a sense of their performance: good or poor.



Shells head to the start after entering the Charles at any number of launch areas.

We walked to the pre-planned meeting spot with other parents, Reunion Village. Fortunately, we had been invited by Boston College High School's rowing club to share their space at the "village." Located on the Boston side of the Charles River between the Weeks and Anderson Bridges, Reunion Village is a simply a small quartered off area wherein there is a single large tent and multiple smaller "stalls" that are reserved by schools, both secondary and collegiate, for their use during the races.



The Weld Exhibit as seen from the comfort of Reunion Village.

On the Harvard College side of the Charles is what is officially called "the Weld Exhibit," while it is more commonly referred to as "the free eats stop." Populated with (primarily) healthy food vendors, the Weld Exhibit served as our lunch stop for the early afternoon, before we needed to head back over the bridge to the McQuaid "eight" race.




The McQuaid eight boys heading to the start.

It would be hard to deny that in the end, McQuaid's eight ultimately performed below expectations. This is what happens when one has high expectations for performance. The team rowed "okay" (though I am in no way an "expert"), and though there were a number of factors that one could point fingers at (environmental and otherwise), we were very proud of the grit the boys showed. Many of them had been to the Head of the Charles event previously, and while this was my first one; it was an incredibly impressive event and I look forward to one day returning to watch Greg and his boat-mates row for their universities and colleges.

Head of the Charles Regatta 2012, Day 1

Arriving in mid-afternoon on Saturday to check the ambiance of the event, the skies begin to clear (10/19/12)

My wife, I and a dozen or so friends spent this past weekend in Boston, Massachusetts, attending the Head of the Charles Regatta 2012 with my stepson's high school crew team. This was the first year, of the last three he's rowed in, that I have been able to attend as the cross-country team I coach had a weekend free of an invitational of their own, so it was nice to get to go for what will be his final year rowing as a high school crewman. Time not spent at the Charles River was spent in Waltham, Ma, a suburb about 15 minutes from the location of the trailer.



The view of the Charles River from teh walkway behind our hotel in Waltham, Ma.

We spent three days at the site, the first of which was spent rigging the "eight boat" (a boat for competitors with eight rowers and one coxswain), as well as an opportunity to briefly get on the water and preview the course. The weather (and traffic) were very challenging that day, so my wife and I decided to drop of her son and wait until the following day to check out the site.

The boys get a quick warm-up in at the ERG tent.

The second "day" we were in town, but the first full day at the regatta, the student-athlete's warmed up in the ERG tent for about twenty minutes and then took advantage of the opportunity to reconnect with old classmates and new potential collegiate coaches. (What the newbie would call a "rowing" machine is really called and ERG. It's used fro training and warming-up prior to races, as a means of improving form and stroke rate--at least that's what I think.)

 

Even with no rooting interest in the races, it's fair to call the Charles "picturesque."

The Head of the Charles is a HUGE regatta drawing teams and fans and dogs from throughtout the state nation WORLD! While I had attended many smaller scale events, the HotC was incredible in its scope featuring rowers from young highschoolers to past Olympians to seniors who had been rowing for decades.

 

Club, high school and college teams are all represented in the competition at the Head of the Charles.

Following our brief visit to the regatta site, we (and the student-athletes) were more then ready to get to the business of competing, an opportunity which woudl need to wait until the next day...

"Huzzah" for English!

Faneuil Hall and Samual Adams in Quicney Market, Boston (7/27/12).

During the past few summers, my wife and I (along with any combination of our two sons) have been fortunate enough to visit a number of historical sites. Destinations have ranged from "go to" stops such as Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia and the Pony Express Station in Gothenburg, Nebraska, all the way to the less frequented sites such as Deadwood, South Dakota. Often we'll stop along the way to other places to check out whatever Americana there is to see. While our destination may not be any specific historical site, we'll often try find a way to mix in some U.S. History. This past summer, on our college visit to Harvard for my stepson, we naturally took time to check-in on the sites in historic Boston, Massachusetts.


Purchased at Faneuil Hall.

While in Boston, we made the standard stop to the most touristy of all sites, Quincey Market. (Having been on field trips with middle schoolers to Boston, it is among the most requested sites to visit, not for the history, but for the shopping.) Part of the Freedom Trail, Faneuil Hall, has served as a marketplace and a meeting hall since 1742, and has also been the location of many inspirational speeches by significant figures in American history such as Samuel Adams, whose statue outside the Hall is seen in the picture above.

At one end of the Market, not long after exiting "The T", we stopped to look around the gift kiosk inside the Faneuil Hall. It was there that I found the small button exclaiming "Huzzah!" (left). This got me thinking...

Having employed the interjection on occasion during class, I know the blank stares of students who have no idea what you've said, so I purchased the button as a conversation starter around the changeable nature of the English language. A point further reinforced this past summer with the announcement of addition of new words to Webster's Dictionary  (like "f-bomb" and "sexting") to Webster's Dictionary, it is extremely valuable for students to recognize the at our language is continually evolving around us.

This is especially true as many of these changes, including those not included in any "respectable" dictionary, are the result of their use by the youth culture, though not many students use other new additions like "obesogenic" and "flexitarian," so there remains a role for we older cats in developing language, too. (Be prepared: It's not a stretch to project the future inclusion texting and online jargon into more common usage in the not-too-distant future.)

For those of you, like I, looking to bring an oldie-but-goody back, I invite you to continue using "huzzah." Just because a term has fallen out of common usage doesn't mean it can't be prime fro a comeback, just be sure to use it correctly let it return with a different connotation. Our friends at Wikipedia (with a touch of Dictionary.com phonetics) can define it more expediently than I:

huzzah ([huz·zah] also [h-zä])is "an archaic English interjection of joy or approbation. According to the Oxford English Dictionary it is 'apparently a mere exclamation' ...used to express joy, encouragement, or triumph. Whatever its origins, it has seen occasional literary use since at least the time of Shakespeare."

Historically , "huzzahs" were given before a bayonet charge, as a way of building morale and intimidating the enemy. The interjection can still be heard in a more modern context (tongue in cheek) at regatta's by  rowing crews to celebrate victories with a chant of "hip hip huzzah" or (where most folks, including my students) have experienced it, at Renaissance Festivals.

Huzzah for English, and for school starting soon, too!

Peace Amid Congestion

St. Francis of Assisi(7/27/12)?

During one of our days in Boston we did the common touristy thing of simply walking some of the streets, specifically the narrow side streets of the North End. During this time we saw many historical (The Paul Revere House) and cultural (Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street), and among the most moving was the statuary/garden outside the Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Church in Boston's North End. The question mark after the caption above is intentional. One thing I did a poor job of doing while there is writing down who each statue was of: the final picture on this post was the only one I was able to track down online. It is my understanding that Saint Leonard's is run by Franciscan friars so I'm hoping my caption above is accurate. (if someone knows otherwise, please let me know.)

The Blessed Virgin Mary (7/27/12).

The North End is Boston's oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s, it is North Square area was known as Little Italy. It therefore makes sense that there would be a strong Catholic presence and the Port Maurice Church Garden is reflective of that. While not the much more frequented (and touristy) Old North Church (which I unfortunately did not take the opportunity to see), there was a serene calmness to be experienced here.

Statue of Blessed Padre Pio (7/27/12).

A likely byproduct of a lifetime of Catholicism, I can't help but find something meditative in the silence of a statuary, especially one in the heart of such a vibrant metropolitan area. After stopping by Mike's Pastry for a cannoli, we happened to wander into the garden, and found ourselves lingering for a few minutes as we took in the various saintly statues. For some reason, we never made it into the church (or the adjoining Gift Shop for that matter) though I understand it to be similarly "Old World" in its presentation.

Sometimes in Catholicism, as in many things, a little taste is enough to maintain the spirit...

Tracking the Spirit of JFK

The last leg of our public transit journey.

The spirit of favorite son John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, permeates much of Boston, Massachusetts. While in staying in Harvard Square as part of a college visit, my family and I took advantage of the opportunity to visit a few tourist hot spots, among them two that celebrate and extend JFK's legacy.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum (7/27/12).

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum was the first historic archives of the sort I have had the pleasure of visiting. Following the 20 minute subway/bus ride on "the T," we arrived with about ninety minutes to look through the museum before the final scheduled return bus. It was not enough time, just as my wife (who had visited previously) suggested. Her statement that "You could spend all day there" proved telling and unfortunately we did not have nearly half a day--but the time we did spend there was informative.

The Victura (7/27/12).

In addition to many displays and set pieces featuring archival footage, including the Nixon/Kennedy Debates and correspondences between he, his wife and other dignitaries, there were many items of personal importance to the president. Behind the building, positioned along the water, was JFK's beloved boat Victura (pictured above). Photographs of the Victura are present throughout the displays, so having the chance to see the actual vessel up close gave one a unique sense of being i the presence of  a small, but significant to the individual, piece of a larger historical figure's story.

The Pavilion, designed by I.M.Pei (7/27/12).

Not surprisingly, flash photography was not permitted in the museum, so I took very few pictures inside. The structure itself was stunning. Designed by I.M. Pei, one area it which it was possible to photograph was the pavilion. The pavilion is the last stop on the tour and opens into the Boston Harbor with the Victura directly outside. Despite the cloudy conditions it does offer a stunning view. Quotes from Kennedy's speeches are engraved on the wall and give the space a meditative quality. JFK's love of the nautical is illustrated throughout the museum.

A small monument in the park outside HKS with a quote
from Kennedy's Inaugural Address.

On our first evening in Cambridge we wandered the streets enjoying the architecture and history. Harvard College, like George Washington University (another school we recently toured) has elements of the campus that are interwoven into the community around it. The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University (HKS) is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools.

Because of the tremendous number of memorable speeches he gave during his lifetime, it is not unusual to see many tributes to his legacy include quotes, such as the one above.

Wannabe :)

Again, another of Kennedy's familiar lines is used in signage adorning the HKS building. More impressive than the building is to consider the significant number of intellectuals who came (and still travel) through the doorways at the HKS... excluding the individual above, of course.

It's good to be an honored guest!

4 Shops in 4 Days

Quite a bit to read this week!

This past week, I had the rare (for me anyway) opportunity to shop in four different (relatively) local comic shops (lcs) over the span of roughly four days. The first was my go-to, hometown joint, Comics Etc. in the Village Gate Mall. I have been shopping there on-and-off for the past 20+ years. The other two shops were part of larger regional chains of shops in the New England area: Newbury Comics (we actually stopped in two separate locations in the greater Boston area) and New England Comics. As a run-of-the-mill fanboy, the best way for me to quickly share thoughts about each is to start with what I purchased there. So as to remain (only slightly) unbiased, I brought a willing accomplice with me (my stepson) as a gauge.
Without a doubt, the shop(s) my stepson was most interested in sharing with me was Newbury Comics. We visited both the shop in Harvard Square, as well as the larger (3 stories) location in the Quincey Market. My stepson was very excited to bring me there, and while I could definitely see why he liked it (and were I his age, I suspect I might too) for the middle-age collector who specializes (ie. can only afford) comic books and not the other chachki, it was a letdown.

There were indeed comic book themed merchandise, mixed in with much more video game and movie/television stuff, but remarkably few actual comic books for a place with the descriptors in its name. It was as if I'd entered hipster paradise with Notorious B.I.G. memorabilia mixed with Adventure Time tees, with a splash of OBEY goodies. What was primarily for sale was anime, action figures, posters, t-shirts, CDs, DVDs, and clothing for the wannabe fanboy or cool hipster. I was however excited to see my stepson excited about the Dr. Who collectibles and Walking Dead stuff (of which he bought a couple things), but he is also aware of these things being available at our lcs; a place he is always glad the time to come visit with me when his busy schedule allows.

Recent releases (books that came out this and last Wednesday) were displayed on racks, as well as trade paperback volumes for popular series', but there was not a longbox or back issue to be seen. We spent cumulatively about two hours in both places combined and I made a grand total purchase of nothing.

The second place we checked out, and this one was completely on a lark, was the Harvard Square location of New England Comics. It was located across the street from the hotel we were staying in and I had noticed the unassuming sign hanging in the window on our way into the Square. After the first day in Boston and being disappointed by Newbury, we decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was an actual comic shop with books (new and old), a smattering of collectibles, and a healthy rack of recent back issues at cover price (or less if you're willing to dig).

Maybe it was because it had much more of that lcs character that collectors know when they enter: new and old promo posters, stacks of books seemingly in disarray (but not really), and friendly folks working the counter (but not hounding you to buy-buy-buy). I had not been previously aware until later looking online, but NE Comics, like Newbury, is something of a megalo-mart for comic books, which is neither a good or bad thing but what is interesting is that NE Comics does a much better job either 1) masking its corporate nature or 2) staying true to its comic book collector roots. I'm going to suggest it's #2, as I did purchase the first three issues of the New 52 Action Comics (DC) to peruse on the ride home.

Comics Etc., despite the other shops being in and around the huge metropolitan area of Boston, Massachusetts, had the largest available collection, better accessibility to back issues and friendly customer service. I guess I had been wrongly seduced by the idea that larger cities would have better more complete stock available, but that was far from the case. I have a "pull list" at Comics Etc which means that each week the store pulls, or sets aside certain issues for my purchase. Most shops do this, and this past Wednesday was a particularly "heavy" one for me as many titles that I currently follow were released:

All Star Western #11 (DC)
American Vampire #29 (Vertigo)
Dark Avengers #178 (Marvel)
Debris #1 (Image)
ERB John Carter The Gods of Mars #5
Exile on the Planet of the Apes #4 (Boom Studios)
The Goon #40 (Dark Horse)
Hawken #5 (IDW)
I, Vampire (DC) #11
Justice League Dark #11 (DC)
Legend of Oz: The Wicked West #5 (Big Dog Ink)
New Edwardians #5 (Vertigo)
Planet of the Apes #16 (Boom Studios)
Prophet #27 (Image)
Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #7 (IDW)
Ultimates #13 (Marvel)
Uncanny X-Force #28 (Marvel)

As evidenced by the HUGE list above, the overwhelming majority of my weekly comic book expenditures were used at the hometown shop--clearly the best of the four I visited in the past four days! Like Norm on Cheers, it is good to have a place to go where everyone (or at least the guys working the counter) know your name...