Big winner

Just a little preview of what yours truly will be up to this Thursday at the GHI Workforce Challenge 5K in downtown Albany ... Actually I expect that the race winners will be on their third beer or so by the time I cross the finish line. It's my first race of any sort, ever, and I'm not thinking of it as a race so much as a valiant attempt to finish. It's supposed to be a little chilly and overcast but hopefully the rain will hold out - I've never attempted a run in the rain and I'm assuming my sneakers aren't waterproof.

It was funny because yesterday I was talking to one of the court officers about the race, and he said, "you don't seem like the type to run a race," and I said, "I'm definitely not the type to run a race!" I have never been and will never be an athlete, but I'm starting to think that this is truly necessary for my health. And wouldn't you know, after eight weeks I'm kinda starting to like the whole running thing. A little tiny bit.

These days ...

It's springtime now, everything seems glorious, and we're up to new things. Ben and I are most excited about our recent acquisitions:



We bought two kayaks! They are Current Designs Kestrel 120s, one green and one orange. The green one in the picture is the right size and shape but ours is all green, without that white on the bottom. The orange one in the picture is the right color but a little shorter than ours. We named them Clementine and Sweet Pea.

We also had to get the requisite gear:



So now we're all set! A few days ago we put them in the water at a local lake, paddled right up to a pizza joint, got out and had pizza and a beer, and then paddled back into the sunset. We decided this has to be our new summer routine.

We have fallen in love with some other things too. A couple of recent Berkshire jaunts have led us to the firm conclusion that in seeking the ideal place to build our future home, what we've really been looking for is The Shire (of Lord of the Rings fame). We are short enough to be a couple of hobbits, after all. Anyway, we believe we found our Shire, and it's a place called Williamstown, Massachusetts.



Beautiful, no?

On a Williamstown trip, we also decided that we want our future home to be modeled after the Hopkins Observatory at Williams College, a 170-year-old stone structure that is the oldest continually operating observatory in the country. It has features we have always liked anyway, such as the hexagonal tower room on top, and we love the proportions and classic design. Why not, right?














As for me, I've been keeping busy and especially happy drinking up all this sunshine.
Currently reading:










Also working on:

Performing with Ben is so much fun. In June he'll be releasing a six-song EP, which will probably be entitled "We Are Giants Now." Our friend Matthew Loiacono's label, Collar City Records, will be releasing it, and it'll be available on iTunes as well. The songs sound great and Ben has been adding electronic beats, instruments, and even sampled sounds of tree frogs and birds to the mixes. We've been introducing those to the live show too, which is quite the technical challenge. When we have the full set-up, it's Ben on guitar and vocals; Dan Sorensen on drums; Matthew on mandolin, banjo, and vocals; and me on bass guitar, keyboard, and vocals. It sounds awesome, though between the computer running the electronic tracks and all of our in-ear monitor wires, the stage is covered with more wires than I can count. We're having a lot of fun with it.

Happy May!