St. Andrews
The Open Championship, or at least what it is called everywhere but here, our British Open has begun. I am not in contention in my golf Majors pool, but it only takes one good tournament to get back up there. Tiger is the choice to win, but I’ve already used him. My 7: Sergio Garcia Justin Leonard Darren Clarke Peter Lonard Davis Love Kenny Perry Michael Campbell We’ll see what happens. Last year if you had 7 out of 7 make the cut, you would win. This year it’s been much different. I don’t know if people are researching more or the better players are doing better, but we are having...
Read MorePart time
Rochester, NY 10:07 AM A crazy busy week turning into a packed weekend. I have been at a temporary (2 weeks), part time job that will net me some cash that I will tell you about and show you some pics from once it is over (Sunday). Another world over there… Enjoy the weekend. Time to hit the showers.
Read MoreMall
Rochester, NY 6:05 PM Because the life of a seeker doesn’t pay like the life of a salesperson, I hadn’t walked through the mall in many months. Today I dropped my car off at Circuit City so they could take out the GPS system I tried out. It worked pretty good, but no one was too helpful in figuring out a way to integrate it with my website. But, for trip #2 out west I will definitely get one. It is cool to be able to see on a map, down to the street, where I am, in real time. I had 45 minutes to kill. I walked around CC, drooling at the TV’s, video cameras, and digital cameras. I had an...
Read MoreBurn
Rochester, NY 9:40 PM It’s Sunday night and I sit in the recliner typing and flipping the channels. There is a Housewives rerun. The girls look good, but no. There are some reality BS shows on, No. ESPN has St. Louis and San Francisco baseball. This was OK as I needed some filler while I did some database entry, now, no. PBS has some English soap or drama, no. Fox has the Family Guy, that will work. Wait, it’s a repeat. Anyway, I sit here with my first major sunburn of the summer. I had some block on my shoulders and nose, but my chest got it. I got back here after lunch with the lady...
Read MoreParty Day
Rochester/Addison, NY 10:03 AM Here we are, Saturday morning. A bit sore after revisiting the gym yesterday. My dad and I are getting ready to go to Addison, NY for a family reunion. This is on my grandmother’s side, the Riffle reunion. My mom isn’t going because a friend of theirs is getting married today. Caytie and Bryan are off to Pittsburgh for the Pirates and Mets games today and tomorrow. B is a Mets guy. The reunion is set up by my hosts in Jacksonville, Glenn and Ginny. It will be good to see them again. It is kind of sad that I know one person won’t be there. I had...
Read More4th of July
Lake Onatrio, NY The fire just got built. It is 90. The keg will be here shortly. All of the people will follow. Today is a big day down at the beach. Everyone has fires and fireworks. Not sure the friework siwll compare to what I saw last night after the Buffalo baseball game, but the fires can’t be beat. My cousins are having a lot of people. I’m having a few. Rock out weekend. Happy 4th. A
Read More3rd
Buffalo, NY 2:11 PM Happy 3rd. Rushed as I’m supposed to have left already. Today is lady friend’s birthday. Off to Buffalo to have dinner with her family, then baseball game, then symphony in baseball stadium. Should be cool. Hit the Gap this AM for gift (I think I did pretty good). Beach with the family then nap, shower, iron, and off. Late as usual. One more until the big day…
Read MoreTom Petty
Darien Lake, NY 2:22 PM 90 degrees and humid is not the perfect day for an outdoor concert, but I’ll take that versus rain. The sun was out as we drove the 45 minutes west to get to Darien Lake for the Tom Petty and Black Crowes concert. The Crowes started at 7. Me being who I am didn’t pick up the lady until 4:30. We still had to go to the grocery store for tailgating supplies, the gas station, the liquor store (airplane bottles) and back to her house for the EZ Pass. We didn’t leave Rochester until 5:30. I was stressed. I love to tailgate and I knew we’d be pushing...
Read MoreLake
Rochester, NY 2:11 PM Today was my first swim in the Lake (Ontario) of the summer. It is about 90 degrees here today. I slept at my sister’s place last night and got back to the lake at about 11. I threw my suit on, tied on my dad’s mowing shoes, and went out to the shed to start the lawn mower. My cousin Kyle and I take turns doing the lot in front. This weekend was me. It felt good to have my shirt off and have the sun hit. As bad as it is for your skin, the sun feels good. I did wear a hat though. My head needs to stay out of the UV. I won’t give you the row by row, but I...
Read MoreWhiff
Corning, NY 1:45 AM It’s 80 degrees and the sun filters through the trees behind me. I step into the batters box. The dirt kicks off my shoes. I stare ahead intently at the pitcher, Nate. The shift is on because I bat as a lefty. The foul lines were freshly painted on this morning. Welcome to the finals of the Woodycrest Memorial Whiffle Ball Tournament. The pitch comes in a big swooping curve, I shift the weight from my back foot and explode forward. The yellow bat an extension of body, it moves forward to the white ball with the precision of a 5 year old. I swing hard and whiff. My body...
Read MoreFirst Day of Summer
Rochester, NY 11:31 AM All Hail, it’s the first day of summer. Yippee. Hooray. Sun, Beach, Lakes and all of that good stuff. The first day of summer has always held something more for my family because it’s my dad’s birthday. He wanted to get in some golf this morning before he went to work. I obliged. We woke up at 5:30, were to the course by 6:20, and done with 9 at 8:30. It’s a beautiful sunny day here in Rochester and the high should get up to 83. We were the first ones out on the course. That is not typical with me and my friends. It felt great to be up and see the sun rise and...
Read MoreDriving like a fiend
Hwy. 1, I85, I95, Hwy. 15, 390 11:25 PM My car and I were in a zone. I made the drive from Raleigh, NC to Rochester, NY. Mapquest says 640 miles, 11 hours and 50 minutes. I did it in 10 and a half. I made one stop. Only one stop in all of those miles. I refueled the car gas tank and defueled my gas tank in Gettysburg, PA. Other than that it was me and a lot of broken lines. I am whipped. I got to Rochester at about 7:30. My aunt greeted me and told me to come over for some food. They had a dinner party planned but a few people couldn’t make it. I changed from shorts to jeans and joined...
Read MoreU.S. Open
Pinehurst, NC 11:02 PM What a day it was at the U.S. Open in Pinehurst. I woke up at 4 AM this morning and could not go back to sleep. I was not giddy like a school boy knowing I was going to watch the golf today, but it was one of those nights/morning where your mind doesn’t shut off. I tossed and turned until my alarm went off at 6:15. From there it was a blurry walk to the showers and then my senses came to. I am nit used to 6:15 AM wake up calls. Another one awaits tomorrow. I made the drive down 74 east to Hwy. 1 in about 2 hours. I pulled into the Blue lot and waited for Bob to...
Read MoreOut of the city
Ridgeway, SC 9:14 AM My brain is a bit cloudy as I type from Mike and Krista’s in Ridgeway, SC. Lake Wateree stares at me. Mike, Jake and I swam in it last night. Very refreshing on a 90 plus degree day. Courtney made the drive from Charlotte and we all hung out and munched on a feast of ribs, corn, mashed taters, pasta salad, and tossed salad. Yumm. We didn’t do much but listen to the nature, talk and laugh. The stars are so clear out here. No city lights. Not much of anything. And I love it. My time is too short. I was supposed to head to Columbia to see some old college friends, but I...
Read MoreWorkout
Charlotte, NC 10:42 AM Exercise is thing that helps when you have people pushing you along. When I was younger I had a workout partner, at least for a week or two. I’m at my cousin Colin and Kim’s. Last night we had big plans for some story trading and a movie. We had a few beers before dinner. A few on an empty stomach make you feel funny. Dinner was late, at about 9, and was old school (we used to live together) chicken and rice (real rice, in a cooker, not minute). After dinner BBG came over and we talked till about 10:30. Our plans went out the window as sleep beckoned. No movie. We...
Read MoreChanges
Charlotte, NC 11:35 AM Up and to it this morning. It feels good to not have to drive multiple hours for a few days. I was driving Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday of last week. I’ve been run down. I miss my Charlotte. People have gotten scattered in location and group, but the city still calls me. I got in from Atlanta Saturday at about 3. I finally was able to meet Jackson, my old roommate’s baby. I’m typing this from his and his fiancée’s kitchen table. Their baby boy is awesome. He looks a lot like Mike, poor kid. They have the same nose, eyes, but the chin formation is the...
Read MoreCover Boy
Atlanta, GA 3:06 PM I just got back to Kevin’s place after my photo shoot for Worthwhile. We shot down on the Chattahoochee River. Cool shots. I then navigated to downtown Atlanta where I had lunch with the editor of the magazine. Very cool guy. Former big dog at Wall Street Journal. Great Thai food. Curry beef for me. It was great for me talk in depth with someone who’s profession is very similar to what mine is. We talked about a wide range of topics like work and life and of course the search for passion. He told me he thinks I’ll be on the cover of the August edition (A...
Read MoreThe Peel
Asheville, NC 12:52 AM I just got back from seeing a band, My Morning Jacket, at The Orange Peel, a famous local place where all of the bands come in Asheville. Since I’d been in Charlotte living, I knew of the Peel and wanted to check it out. I wasn’t that familiar with the band, but they rocked it and mixed in some mellow stuff. The Peel was cool, a big open warehouse type thing with a bar on the left and the stage in the middle. I love the mix of Asheville. There were all types of people in there in terms of age to look. It was another busy day that started with a 7 AM wake up call and...
Read MorePhoto
Asheville, NC 1:07 AM This will be short. Way tired. Have a 7 AM wake up call and back to the photos at 8:30. Crazy day. Made the drive from Morgantown, WV to Asheville, NC. Over 400 miles. Nice day for driving, a little overcast so it wasn’t too hot and no need for AC most of the way. Tunes for this jaunt: Radio Foo Fighters Beastie Boys – Check Weezer – Green A tape my cousin Colin made for me in 1995 (still great) The Strokes Got here at about 3:30 PM. Photographers got in at about 4 and we were meeting in the lobby at 4:20. Met Andy and Adam. Very cool guys from Des Moines, Iowa. We...
Read MoreRushed
Morgantown, WV 8:11 AM Running late as usual. Goal was to leave by 8, but here I am typing. At least I’m showered and shaved. Time to load the car and head south to NC. I must say the hotel thing is pretty nice. It’s even better when it’s paid for. Hopefully they have a little continental waiting for me. I’m going to ask about a stereo shop for the install of my GPS. If there isn’t one or it isn’t open, I‘ll take care of that in Asheville. It looks pretty foggy out there, kind of like me in the morning. Out.
Read MoreOPP
Morgantown, WV 12:25 AM I am not sure if I have something wrong with me in the fact that I find so much fun and peace by driving, but man, I love the road. I left out today to sunny afternoon and some high winds. It was warm enough where I needed the AC on. Armed with my sunglasses, my newly fixed car, and some tunes, I barreled down I90 East past Buffalo and into Pennsylvania. I passed Erie and headed south on I79. It was a beautiful day. The drive was smooth and as the sun set, the green of the grass and trees was gorgeous. I took some video of it as I drove. I was in a zone. It had been a...
Read MoreStill here
Rochester, NY 1:53 PM Things are fast and furious over here. As great timing goes, the check engine light on my car came on yesterday. I am waiting for it to get done at the shop. Once it’s done, I have to drive it back here and pack everything. At the same time, my GPS system just got here. Now I have to mess with that. I am hoping the dealer will help me connect the wires. From there I have to contact the GPS company and get it set up so it is live on the website. Oh yeah, then I have to drive to Asheville. I have a photo shoot for the Hyundai magazine at 4 PM tomorrow.
Read MoreJail
Rochester, NY 5:35 PM I was supposed to be in jail today. Yep, I was supposed to be there at 4:30. But, I’m still at my house. I’m a bit under the weather. I wasn’t going to jail because of anything I did, I was going there to be part of the team my parents are on that is sharing the weekend with some of the inmates praying and sharing. Me and some others were going to go in at 4:30 and out at 8:30. I went last year at about this time and it was a very moving experience. I’ve been sick and was not feeling up to anything at all today. Last night I went to a 30th bday party and...
Read MorePrint it!
Rochester/Atlanta 4:48 PM Emails have been flying most of the day. I’ve been editing and re-writing, but my magazine article for Worthwhile Magazine has been deemed a go by the editor. My first authored work in national print! The photo shoot will be next week in Atlanta and the article will be out in August. Awesome. Enjoy the weekend.
Read MoreWedding1
Fredonia, NY I made the mistake of staying out too late Friday night. This means I woke up not feeling as well as I should to be ready for a road trip and wedding weekend. This also means I was late picking up my date. I arrived at 12:30, we had a quick sandwich that I had brought (left over beer can chicken) and made our way out the door for the two hour drive to Fredonia, NY. I was heading there for a wedding of two of my friends from Charlotte. He was from Fredonia and her family was all in Charlotte, so it worked out great for me that it was there. If it was in Charlotte, I’m not sure...
Read MoreWedding2
Fredonia, NY Late Night Surprisingly, I didn’t feel as harsh as I thought I would this morning. I woke up on my own at 7:10 and turned off the alarm. I hit the shower and put in my contacts. That didn’t feel so great. I woke up a sleeping girl to get direction which she gave and turned back over to go to sleep. I was a bit jealous of that. But, once I got outside and the sun was out and the day was perfect for golf, I was fine. I drove the few minutes to the White Inn. Ryan was running late and said he wouldn’t be down until 8:10. I walked the couple of blocks to the park where the...
Read MoreMemorial Day
Fredonia, NY Happy Memorial Day. It’s crazy for me to think back to a year ago. I was in the meat of my hardcore travel trip and was in Arkansas. I spent Memorial Day at my friend King’s place. What a place it is. This year I’ll be spending it at a place I’ve never been, Fredonia, NY. Most of you haven’t heard of that, but it is about 30 or 40 minutes south of Buffalo, NY. Some friends from Charlotte are getting married up there. A few others I know will be making the trip. I won’t know that many people, the wedding couple, another couple, and my recent...
Read MoreMagazine
Rochester, NY The energy running through me right now is incredible. I just hit send on the email that will be the first article written by me in a national magazine. I can’t wait. It’ll be out in August and on newsstands in September. www.worthwhilemag.com The first of many more to come… Also, today is a very special day because a very special lady in my life is having a birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! Without her and my dad’s support there is no way this all would be happening.
Read MoreBeer
High Falls, NY 10:58 PM It was an early morning at the house. It was moving day. The Memphis Harrison’s had 5:30 and 6 AM flights. This meant 4 AM wake up calls. Ouch. But we did what we needed to do. I didn’t have to drive, so all I needed to do was open my eyes, give some hugs, and say goodbye. I don’t know how Season did it. She took the two girls back to Memphis by herself with a 5 hour layover in Atlanta. But she called and said she was back. After they left I went back to bed and got ready for my day. I had a 10 AM interview with the COO of High Falls Brewing Company. They have...
Read MoreParty
Rochester, NY 11:32 AM Saturday was a big day for my family. Little Caytie graduated with her MBA. Mighty impressive. She did it with a job and with honors. As much as I want to be on the road doing what I do, it felt great to be able to go and see her walk across the stage. She was nervous, but very proud of her accomplishment. I could tell the pride she had as she walked across. She knew she gave it 100% and that all of her work and effort had culminated to that degree. I think she also knew what was waiting, the party. After walking around the campus for a while, we headed home and got...
Read More