Crosswords
I’ve been doing the New York Times Sunday crossword every week since April 2021. I find working on the paper version more satisfying than the app version. Usually I get a little help from my wife and son. Rarely do I get it 100% correct, but last Sunday was an exception:
Music
I’ve been told my father’s father was quite a good accordian player. My father, who proclaimed himself tone deaf and had memories of being kicked out of chorus in school, used to say that music runs in his family but skipped his generation. I’m not more musically inclined than the next guy, but playing music is just something I did growing up.
I’m mainly an alto sax player. I don’t play a lot these days but still can rip off a Charlie Parker riff at a 200+ BPM tempo. In recent years I’ve enjoyed playing my son’s tenor sax. I can never play enough John Coltrane. Then there’s clarinet, guitar and piano. And anything else I can get my hands on.
I inherited my grandfather’s accordian and learning to play it is still on the bucket list.
Neither my wife nor I can sing particularly well, but all three of our kids are quite good singers. All have done musical theater and we’ve been to countless productions over the last dozen years. And we try to see at least one broadway show a year. We saw Les Miserables in London about 6 or 7 years ago and that simply blew us away like no other.
Running
If there is anything that keeps me sane, it is running. Frequent, short runs. 2 – 5 miles almost every day. It’s got to be outdoors; for me, no treadmills, Peloton or indoor track.
The one and only marathon I ran was the Marine Corps Marathon in DC back in 2008. Great marathon and awsome experience, but one was enough for me.
I’ve done many shorter races. I get a bit obsessive with my times as evidenced by the data I was tracking this summer to achieve my goal of a 6 minute mile, something I haven’t done in over a decade:
Alas, I fell short, peaking at a 6:32. There is always next summer. 🙂
Cooking
I enjoy cooking. To me, cooking is about creating something that is greater than the sum of the parts. My wife and I put function over form – usually chosing meals that the whole family will eat and that don’t require a whole lot of prep time. Here is one we like that meets these requirements.
The Outdoors
I love just about anything having to do with the outdoors. I was on my high school ski team and still like to hit the slopes a few times a year, although I no longer enjoy flying down steep, icy mogul fields as fast as possible.
I’m not a particularly good golfer or tennis player but I enjoy them both quite a bit.
And if the sun is out and I have free time on my hands, I’ll happily spent it in our yard. We have a bit over an acre of property and whether it’s pruning trees, raking leaves, fixing fence posts, or weeding, there is always something to work on.
In fact I’m going to get out as much as possible the next couple of weekends before the real cold weather kicks in.