Archive for February 2006
Diver Down
My mom worked across the street from NASA headquarters in Washington, D.C., when I was a little kid. She would periodically bring me photos, posters, and patches from the Space Shuttle program’s infancy because she knew that, like most kids my age, I wanted to be an astronaut. Despite being born in Iowa, I grew…
Read MoreSalva Vida
What a difference a day makes. This morning I was lying on a floating dock beneath a blazing sun in just swim trunks. Tonight, I am sitting in my bedroom waiting for my space heater to kick in. This morning, it was 85°. Tonight, it is 8°. This morning I was wearing shorts and flip…
Read MoreContinental Drift
I am woefully unprepared, but I will soldier on. In just over twelve hours, a car service will pick Abbi and me up and whisk us away to JFK Airport. We will board Continental flight #311 to Houston, where we will connect with Continental flight #10 to Roatan, Honduras. We expect to be on the…
Read MoreFlirting With Disaster
I walked out of my apartment building today in a navy sport coat, navy sweater, purple shirt, army pants and sneakers. Two dudes dressed head to toe in Carhart work clothes were drinking coffee and smoking on the corner. They looked at me like, ‘You’re gonna wear that!?!’ It was one of those days. I…
Read MoreHurt
I woke up this morning with crushing pain just above my heart. My first thought was heart attack. My second thought was pulled muscle. My third thought was pleurisy. I’ve been checking out quite a few podcasts of late, primarily because MTV News is charging into new platforms, but secondarily because I’ve always been a…
Read MoreRoatan, Honduras
After The Fall
There’s something about a fresh blanket of snow that turns even the most jaded New Yorker into a kid again. It stands to reason, then, that 26.9 inches of powder turns us all into toddlers. Abbi and I loafed around all afternoon, reading the Sunday Times, watching bad wedding shows on Oxygen, and eating waffles.…
Read MoreThe Heart Is
Philosophically, I’m a strong advocate of the red eye. Practically, I’m losing faith. I was in Santa Monica for sunset last night. And I was in Queens for sunrise this morning. I love that that’s even possible. Growing up, my family took its fair share of road trips. No matter where we were — The…
Read MoreCalling All Angels
Another year, another award show… another award show I missed almost entirely. I was fifteen feet from the Grammy red carpet (Heineken green, technically), but I didn’t see one celebrity. I was one hundred feet from the big show, but I didn’t see U2, Kanye, Kelly Clarkson — nobody. But I did work alongside some…
Read MoreTouch The Sky
Downtown Los Angeles to Santa Monica in nine minutes, all for Kanye West. 8:13 – Six blocks from the hotel, my cell phone rings. It’s Angela in New York. “We need you to feed the Kanye video again. The audio was messed up.” This is a big deal. We’re premiering a snippet Kanye West’s video,…
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