It’s easy to notice how easily ideas slip away from our minds. But this is a distraction: when you focus on this you do not see that the same ideas slipped in just as easily. And they’ll keep doing that.
Ideas are cheap. Catch them if you can, but it’s not really worth worrying about them much.
This is an inside-out observation consonant with mindfulness: Thoughts-good and bad-are temporary appearances in our consciousness. (Non-dualists would add that we don’t “think” them from a central self or cognitive operator.)
While it can be frustrating to forget “good” ideas, it is inversely helpful that we are able to forget “bad” thoughts, too. Thoughts come, and thoughts go. You don’t have to identify with them.
I’m back from vacation in Ocean City, New Jersey. We’ve been going since 2009 for a week or more each summer. It’s a great Disney-esque shore town. I checked email lightly and did some more yesterday and today so that I don’t walk into Monday without a plan. Here are some things to check out.
Fiery Feeds
Andy Baio linked to this post by Molly White a while back, where she extolled the benefits of RSS:
Perhaps you’ve heard of RSS. It stands for “Really Simple Syndication” and it allows websites like blogs, newsletters, and news sites to make their content available in “feeds” for outside services called “RSS readers” or “feed readers”. Far from being the new hotness attracting glitzy feature stories in tech media or billions in venture funding, RSS has been around for 25 years.
I was swimming this week in Ocean City and thought for a sec about how I’ve been using RSS to curate my news for nearly 20 years, and I’m glad the spec has stuck around all that time. I know a lot of people who would never bother with RSS, and that’s disappointing to think about. It’s one of those things I could bother a normal person about with great enthusiasm.
I was doing some reading on vacation last week and I remembered farting around with Fiery Feeds not long ago; I loved the high level of customization available in the app, but didn’t see why I might need to add another to my stable of RSS readers. As it stands, I use, frequently, and appreciate each of these for different reasons:
Unread
Reeder (Classic)
NetNewsWire
ReadKit
I’ve been working on an RSS reader article for Uncorrected, kind of rounding up the ones I use and cataloging their features and why I like/prefer different apps. Trying Fiery again after hearing Matt or Chris talk about it on The Comfort Zone, I realized how much I like it. And the yearly sub is cheap. It runs great on the Mac, too. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to just stick with one of these apps, and I’m glad to have the variety (even if it’s a bit of cognitive overhead to think about which one I’ll use at any given time). I like the Hot Like and Low Frequency filters in addition to the wild array of UI customizations.
Fiery Feeds
Somers Point Brewing Company
Rhonda and I found this brewery on vacation last year and stopped in for one pint each this summer, we managed to get there twice: once after our date in Atlantic City, and once again while picking up dinner for everyone.
One intriguing sensation that I’ve started to notice is the flavor profile that tends to tied the varied offerings of each winery or brewery we try. I don’t know how to describe or quantify it, but for example, having tried many pints over the years at the excellent Tonewood brewery, I detect a flavor that unifies the brews. I notice this with Bellview Winery’s offerings, too; there’s something that unites their Astraea and rosé on my palette.
Somers Point’s brews certainly share this property, too. I would not say that their beers have roundly been my favorites compared to Tonewood or Bonesaw. I think I’ve settled on their NEIPA as my favorite of their styles, but I can’t wait for a chance to stop in again.
Somers Point Brewing Company
Somers Point
Speaking of Somers Point, I would recommend it to shoregoers looking for a break from the food in Ocean City. If you don’t mind heading off of the island for takeout, I can recommend that you try these spots:
Shen’s was Jing’s, and it was better when it was Jing’s, but this is still good if you need a sushi fix. The sashimi portions are huge. Cazadores seems new but the staff were super-sweet and the food was really good.
Another week vacationing in Ocean City, NJ concluded! It’s always sad to leave vacation but it’s nice looking forward to finding your old rhythms, too. For my part, I walked and swam a lot (I did row once, when we came home on Wednesday before our dinner at Knife and Fork) in place of rowing. My weight stayed consistent despite some allowances in the fermented grape department, a few desserts, and pizza and fries + other requisite boardwalk eats (salt water taffy, anyone?). Rhonda wasn’t up for some of the walks, so I took half of them alone this trip. I of course love her company on a walk this summer, but as an only child I have cultivated a tolerance at least, and an appreciation even, for being with myself. And hey–I have my own mission.
An additional benefit of striking out alone: I checked out some places I was curious about.
Sunset in OCNJ
Positively 4th Street Café
One of those was Positively 4th Street Café, which is a cute coffee shop on the north end of the island, close to Ocean City High School. It’s got a kitschy, cozy vibe, with art installations including guitars and other mixed media, elevating the space. I have a feeling the joint gets packed; I managed to get there just before the line to order was snaking out the door. My Americano was serviceable but I enjoyed sitting outside, beneath the awning, amongst the mix-and-match furniture, and calling the office for some business. I logged 18,000 steps that day (we went to Wildwood as well).
A Fender Squire Tele at Positively 4th Street Cafe
Cathy’s 14th Street Bakery
Another spot I was curious about was Cathy’s 14th Street Bakery, which a mentor of mine who lives in OC raved about but decried their sporadic hours. I was in maximal indecision mode once in the shoppe; I didn’t want to overbuy, but I didn’t want to come home without a decent sampling of their donuts. I ended up getting a mix of things, including two different kinds of jelly donut (cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar), a Boston creme (the last of the day in fact, much to another shoobie’s chagrin), and some rings, including their cider donuts. I had a half of a glazed and a half of a cider and they were good.
Bright Lights, Little City
Thursday night into Friday was a little wild; we had a lightning strike on a transformer outside our room around 5 pm, and the hotel lost power until about 1 am. All of us: mom, dad, me, Rhonda, joey, Aaron–had different recollections about what happened, but there was some serious shit that went down.
I had a hotspot so we were able to stay on the internet and get updates about what the estimated restoration of power would be (and refresh our RSS feeds, of course), but we housed our takeout in an increasingly stuffy dining room. Nipping out for Gyros and Greens allowed Rhonda and I time to soak in some Subaru air conditioning, and we found a few minutes for a quick pint while dinner was being prepared. These are the digressions that make vacation vacation.
Somers Point Brewing Company
Back in OCNJ, Aaron and I sat outside for a while to keep cool later in the evening and were treated to seeing some line workers in buckets fixing the problem. We heard some shop vocabulary, including “I’m in the hole!” And the response, “Yeah, get out of there.” It was so nice outside before the crew arrived that I fell asleep. The power came back on and we all enjoyed the return of the air conditioning. Aaron and I reflected that the job of a lineman must be both physical and intellectual.
We’ve been making jaunts to Wildwood during our annual Ocean City vacation for years. Wildwood is the closest approximation of the canonical Jersey Shore in parts southerly. It’s a baudy, ribald place compared to more Disney-esque Ocean City or Stone Harbor. For a 14-yer-old, it’s a revelation; to young parents, a hive of scum and villainy.
Crane Games
Pizza
There are a few things to say about Wildwood. First: pizza. Pizza is a big deal down here. The king in Ocean City in Manco & Manco, which fumbles off the tongue of local pizza cognoscenti. It was, and perhaps always shall be, Mack and Manco. Due to a family squabble, there’s Mack’s in Wildwood, and Manco in ocean city.
Sam’s Mushroom
There’s a famous/infamous pizza reviewer who I won’t comment on other than to say that he weighed in. And he really liked Sam’s in Wildwood. We’ve tried it both before and after Dave’s seal of approval and I will say I considered it fine but quotidian before the big review, but enjoy it more now. It’s got a more crusty, firm undercarriage. I did have Manco earlier this week and I liked it more, though.
Fries
Wildwood and of Ocean City both have great French fry spots. We always hit the curlys in wildwood on the boardwalk near Morey’s because there’s a bar there and we can always get a Tonewood on draft. They serially have the Parkway to Paradise which we really like every time we have it. Back to Curly’s-They’re a thicker-cut fry than I prefer, but they’re good and have a sheen of historicity. (For the record, I like the hand-cut fries at the Promenade.)
Curly’s and a Beer
The Local Flavor
Wildwood is a bawdier affair than Ocean City. I naturally gravitated towards it from the ages of 13-20ish, but the ideal of the boardwalk as a cozy family place always took root. Think vape shops, lousy pizza, and barkers.
Oh, Wildwood
Somers Point
We did manage to squeeze in another pint at the Somers Point Brewing Company. It has nothing to do with Wildwood but there it is.
The date itself did not occur in OCNJ; the vacation prompted us to alight for Atlantic City, which is a town with a vibrant dining scene. (I’ve never been one for casinos.) We did our own surf n’ turf at the Knife and Fork, ordering a ribeye and the lobster thermidor, and split them. The waitress caught onto our design and the kitchen helpfully divided the steak into two serving dishes. It’s a small thing, but not to have to ask for it was classy.
We skipped dessert but ended up at a local brewery for a quick pint. Great night.
Tonight Rhonda and I dine in AC at the excellent Knife and Fork. We’ve been doing a date nite on vacation for a while.
I woke up early today and decided to sit on the beach and watch the sun come up. I took a few pictures using both my phone and the E-M10 Mark IV. I was surprised by how many people had the same idea. You can conceive of a compressed version of reality that comports with your experience, but there are always people living meaningful lives that differ just subtly from your own.
This kid is off to college in the fall. I can’t see anything materially that is causing him any hesitation, but the liminal space between senior graduation and moving away to a university is dense. I’m very proud and happy to be able to be supportive in all of the ways that I have been. I loved this picture I snuck last night.
Joe’s girlfriend joined us for several nites but went home last night. She is a hard-working kid and just plugged right into the OCNJ vibe, with the fun, food, and family. It’s a very nice thing, watching your kids pair-bond.
Do we hope to capture these moments… these ephemera… to avoid forgetting them? In the hopes that we’ll see them again one day and remember them fondly? To think that we are, somehow, casting the shadow of our mortality just a bit longer than its natural demarcation?
We’ve been stomping around Ocean City for the past few days, which is always a summertime treat.
There’s a cool music store that sells mostly guitars (and basses and some ukes) that also has a selection of records. Aaron was keen to check out both, so in we stopped. I spied this used ES-335 in a case up against and wall and was curious to pop it open for a look-see, but I restrained myself. Aaron really likes the Fender Acoustisonic that we saw on the wall. That’s a perfect guitar to take to college. They had a well-loved Les Paul 1960s reissue, too, which we did ogle, but which I didn’t photograph, sadly.
I spied this cool paperback of Tropic of Cancer at the Bookateria Two yesterday. In the same vein, I purchased a paperback of a Lawrence Durrell novel.
Shrivers is a total tourist trap but hey–still good salt water taffy. The eighties continue their comeback with these Nerds-flavored taffies.
There’s an IT’SUGAR on the boardwalk, and I love how they lean into the eat-the-fucking-sugar angle and have so many fun throwbacks. They sell candy cigarettes and full-size Chico Sticks.
We like to pretend there’s a final form of the self called Expert. That you graduate, shake some spectral hand, get your little paper, and ascend to the mountaintop.
But here’s the truth — expertise is not a tombstone you plant in the soil of your mind. It is motion. It is hunger. It is an action verb.
It’s been hot. Then not so hot. Rhonda and I disagree on the historical heat level around these times. She swears its hotter than ever, while I recall thick SJ humidity and gnats from my childhood. We have reason to be suspicious of consciousnesses.
My recent addition/substitution of swimming in the morning has been thwarted by chilly overnight temps. Committing to a full 30 minutes in zone 2 has been a nice return to grinding out some meters on the Concept2.
Speaking of swimming, I’m posting this from Ocean City, New Jersey. Pool, ocean: lots of swim time to be enjoyed.
OCNJ
We’ve been spending a week or two in Ocean City, New Jersey, since 2009. That’s 16 years! We’re here now, and said vacation will explain my dearth of posting. Morning walks, breakfast treks, pool swims, and slices of ‘roni await. See you on the other side.
Sturgeon Moon Last Night
Glass
Glass is a photo-centric social media service; it’s paid, so the noise is low. There are enthusiastic photogs sharing pics and commenting on others. I like to open the app, widen my own field of vision, and let the images speak for themselves.
Glass
Ben and Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie
Rhonda and I split a waffle cone of this last night and it was awesome. Kohr Bros will be had, too, and soon.
Ben and Jerry’s on the OCNJ Boardwalk
William Painter
In April 2019, I got my first pair of William Painter sunglasses: “The Hook,” which feature titanium rails and an integrated bottle opener. They’re expensive but they do last. Beach time means sunglasses.
I purchased my first “real” digital camera back in 2013. It was an Olympus E-PL5, which I’d read a review of on Shawn Blanc’s website. I eventually got the pancake lens, too, which I cherish.
I’ve been shopping for a replacement for a while, something employing traditional meatspace dials for adjusting aperture and shutter speed. I still enjoy the shots I get from the E-PL5, but can’t for the lfe of me figure out how to readily get into either aperture or shutter speed settings using the camera’s control wheel. It’s baffling. And, I’d say, something an enthusiast would absolutely want ready access to.
Fast forward 11 years and I decided to stick with a 4/3 mirrorless because of the lens. I shopped OM/Olympus and Panasonic, but this was a fire sale.
I was planning on getting something on the next step up,notably the OM5, but I read a few reviews that made things sound like the E-M5 is, for my usage, the same camera minus weather sealing. And that’s not something I need.
So the Panasonic lens is on the new camera, and I’ve enjoyed the small collection of shots I’ve taken today. I’m looking forward to taking lots of pics in Ocean City next week.
Aaron had an overnight orientation last night; retrieved him and a friend this afternoon from Rutgers. He had a nice time it seems! I think these toe dips are helpful to anxious parents too. It’s really dawning on both of us that he’ll be away so very soon.
I did a little research and found John and Molly’s as a possible stop on the way home. It was a good mid-journey break. They have really good mussels.
Only shake cocktails with fruit juice in them. It’s a simple but more or less binding rule. Certain international super spies occasionally break it cough James Bond with his ‘special Martini’ cough tosser. However, it will serve the rest of us well. When you break them down, there are essentially two kinds of cocktail. Aromatic cocktails contain only alcoholic ingredients. Sour cocktails that contain citrus fruit (or occasionally other fruits, cream, egg, coffee, etc).
The former kind (which are often dry, aromatic and occasionally bitter) should be stirred with ice, which results in even dilution and a smoother texture. The latter kind (which are often tangy, fruity and occasionally creamy) require shaking, which results in more amalgamation, more dilution and a slightly altered texture.
I am increasingly likely to ask for my cocktail made in a specific way because, despite the parsimony of the fundamentals, many bartenders don’t know them.
This week was hot–really hot–but turned August mild this weekend. I still managed a nice swim yesterday in lieu of rowing (which I did Friday). Meditated on the deck, too. We cooked in a fair bit this weekend, which is easy, cheap, and fun. Last night was hot dogs, no joke. Chicken drums on the grill tonight. We’re gonna run out for corn in a bit.
I’m pretty excited to go on vacation to OCNJ next week. This week will be a straight run through a desperate productivity tunnel for sure. Our meal plan is set for the week.
Hoping you are finding joy and meaning each day. I have four things for you this afternoon; thanks for reading!
Glasstown Brewing Millville Lager
Millville Lager
Glasstown Brewery brews a “Fisherman’s Friend,” which is maybe a Yuengling clone: It’s light, a little sweet, and uninspired. It’s a beer made to appeal to a different crowd. Reading the description of their Millville Lager, I assumed that we were looking at a Bud or Coors clone to pull in a less selective drinker.
Not true.
I didn’t drain a can myself, but Rhonda and I both took a sip from the can designated to steam Friday’s steamed crabs. It’s very thin and light, but it boasts a tight hop bite. I’m thinking 3pm on the deck in Ocean City next week.
Bellview Winery’s Cheese and Peach Amaretto Plate
Rhonda and I have been heartbroken since the beloved Brie platter disappeared. The DiBruno Bros Brie has a nice stank to it. We get other nummies, though, and today this was the one.
MailMaven
I’ve been using MailMaven since it came out in public beta. After running out the generous trial period, I decided to pull the trigger and subscribe. We’ll see if it sticks, but I really like it. It’s an email application with strong opinions. I have observations.
Field Notes
I used to carry a Moleskine everywhere with me when I was a school psychologist. I still used digital everything but I needed paper notes for interviewing students (which was my favorite part of doing evaluations). To some degree, I still do, and these are perfect. I tend to keep mine in a Stuff Sheath in the winter, but they’re bulky with shorts.
