Merry Christmas

Have you shipped out all your Christmas presents to family back in New England?  Just barely for me.  I did some online shopping this year as well, but I was even late with that too!  I had a hard time getting into the "spirit" this year.  Maybe I'm getting grouchy in my old age or maybe it's being away from home.  (funny, I've been away from Cambridge for almost 20 years and I still call it home)

Trust me, I don't miss the snow, but I miss the spirit that comes with the cold weather.  If your like me and moved to a warm climate, it has an effect on your holiday moods.  Floridians tend to go over board on the decorations, I guess in search of that holiday spirit that naturally comes with winter time of the North.  It seems to manufactured, forced almost.

This year my mom is coming down for Christmas, so I'll get a taste of New England for a week.  I also call my grandmother about once a week to keep my holiday spirits up and my quota of sports talk up.

To all, Happy Holidays!!

Jesse

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Massholes

Is it me or is everyone from New England a smart ass? Judge for yourself.
Below is an actual email I sent to my buddies in Mass to entice them to come down to Florida. After that, you'll find the response I got from my buddy Auggie. Enjoy!!

"Boys,
I know your sick of me talking about playing golf while you guys are
freezing your butts off, but I can't help it! I'm making up for all
those times that you all were planning golf during the summer and of
course I couldn't go!!

Went out yesterday for 9 holes at the end of the day. Shot a 47, but I
felt like my game should have been better. Anyway, on hole 16 (par 5 -
465yards) I hit my drive left of center and just barely miss going into
a trap. Now I'm on kinda of lip just past the trap and I've got some
tall palms trees in front of me. I say "Eff" it and pull out the 3
hybrid and put the ball in front of my stance to get some height, 'cause
I'm going up and over! I never thought I would make it (which equates
to a nice and easy swing) and BAM! The shot goes up and through the
palms and lands a little right of the green on that first cut stuff.
(not officially on but damn close) Close enough to putt.

So, I'm screaming and of course, no one can hear me 'cause I'm by
myself. (it's fun to play with other guys, but would I play as good?)
Now I'm thinking eagle. My putt is around 25 feet, but uphill and
through some first cut crap. I'm thinking makeable after my incredible
shot to get here in two or at least a birdie. Now all this is swirling
in my head and I three putt! AARRRGGHHHH

I double bogey the next par 3 and then finally get my head straight and
bogey the final hole.

All this rubbing in of playing golf on Dec. 6 in 75 degree weather is
supposed to entice you to come and visit me and play golf all weekend!!
Myrtle Beach in September and Casa Turtle in January?!"

Here is the reply by my buddy Auggie (frigging funny!)

"I've got a similar story.

I was shoveling the snow off my driveway last week.

I only had 10 minutes before I would be late for work.

I say "Eff" and pull out the Ames Super Scoop snow shovel and widen my stance, making sure not to use my legs (which equates to spine-safe lifting method) and BAM! 5 minutes later and I'm almost done.

So, I'm screaming and, of course, my neighbors think I'm crazy, and I'm thinking I'll have time to go through Dunkin's drive-thru and get a bear claw and moccachino-soy-latte.

Now all of this is swirling in my head, and I go to shovel the last 10 feet of the drive way, and all the leaves that I didnt rake last week slow my shoveling down to a snails pace.

I end up being 15 minutes late to work, and no Dunkin's.

All of this is supposed to entice me to visit you too..."

Jesse
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The Evil Empire

My friend Auggie sent out a picture with the subject line: "The Evil Empire". Of course, I thought of the Yankees, right? Wrong, it was the Pats coach Bill Belichick with his three Super Bowl rings on and his middle finger up. I disputed to my buddies, that you can't call any team "The Evil Empire" 'cept the Dreaded Yankees. They pointed out that if you ask anyone outside of the "Nation" they might say The Patriots.

After serious reflection, I've come up with this: They have gone from being the "new" America's Team to cheating bullies of the NFL in a matter of a few years! Spygate helped spawn this new hatred of The Pats, but it started early than that. People love teams that can repeat championships, but seem to feel bad for other teams when the same team keeps winning. Why are dynasties out of favor? Is it our society that wants everyone to be a winner (don't get me started on that topic!!) Or is it the major sports leagues that want to spread the wealth around?

Second (and probably most important), the Pats are blowing teams OUT! Apparently, only folks in NE think this is a good thing. What's wrong with scoring whenever you can? Isn't that the point? What would happen if the Pats let up on a team and then lost late in the fourth quarter? Every sports writer in the country would be all over them. These guys are professionals and they are being paid to score points. So, why not score as often as you can? It's not Pop Warner football, ladies, this in the NFL

Last note: Undefeated season? Yes. Super Bowl? Yes. Champs again? Yes. (and I can't wait for the Miami game!!)

GO PATS!!

Jesse

Thanksgiving in South Beach

What's it like to have Thanksgiving among the beautiful people? Well, I found out. This year I packed the family in the SUV and headed to South Beach Miami to spend Thanksgiving with some friends. They have a condo right on the southern tip of SoBe (trendy way of saying South Beach, actually everything is trendy in SoBe!) and they live on the southern side of the building with a spectacular view of the Atlantic Ocean from the 35th floor. Not exactly what you think of when you picture Thanksgiving in your head.

Growing up, Thanksgiving was about bundling up in a warm coat, going outside during halftime of the football game and working off all the turkey you just ate, so you could eat more pie. While I was in high school, I was always playing football on Thanksgiving, which meant I was always in a bad mood because my high school team stunk and we always lost. Now that I have my own family, we have created our own Florida version of T-Day (basically the same thing, except I fry a turkey)

In South Beach, it's all about how long you can stay at the pool before your pre-cooked turkey heats up! Tan and beautifully enhanced women and buff men are laying out by the pool like it's a normal day. Most are on their cell phones, some are ignoring their bratty kids and some are replaying the previous night's party.

Our friends made a traditional turkey dinner with all the usual sides so that brought back some sense of a real Thanksgiving. The football game was on and we had apple and pumpkin pie and we had our friends parents there too, so it felt like a family. But as we walked back to our hotel at 10 pm, we saw a restaurant full of people eating dinner outside. Who eats dinner at 10 pm on Thanksgiving Day?

The Beautiful people of SoBe.

Best Poet in the Universe

So you are thinking that maybe it's Emily Dickenson or Walt Whitman? Not in my poetry book. It's Irene Koronas. Never heard of the critically acclaimed Cambridge, MA poet/artist? She lives in the Hub of the Universe, so that makes her the Best Poet in the Universe. You might know her better as my mother.

Yes, she is the women who carried me for 9 months and gave birth to me. But, what you might not know is that she has been creating art, both visual and written, since the age of twelve. She has a fine art degree from the Mass School of Art, she is the Poet Editor of the Wilderness House Literary Review, the "word catcher" for the Bagel Bards (a weekly gathering of local poets) and most recently a finalist for the first ever Cambridge Poet Populist.



I have been exposed to art, in many forms, all my life because it was always around. Not only in my house, but in New England. Many a weekend days were spent being dragged to another gallery, outdoor sculpture garden or bookstore. Then I was a little brat, now I'm gratefull to have grown up in a region rich with culture. I love living in St. Pete, FL, but it's nothing like the Hub of the Universe.

Enjoy this poem by Irene Koronas:

the following poem is in gratitude to the people in the city I love:



tree line streets and gingko leaves pressed between pages

some refer to my city as the republic of Cambridge

when blizzard pounded my door, the funds needed to rescue

when other doors were shut, this city released relief

my groceries in reusable bags, an easy carry,

to the dead end street where I've lived forty years,

where maple and ash trees change from green to yellow

as often as good neighbors

resting at night beside great grandmother, grandfather,

students, doctor, architects, artists and a photographer.

conversations with mothers, computer programmer,

office worker and retired factory help. our street has seven addresses,

four houses and two abutters

where else can I meet the world on a small short street.

where else can I hear dialects, differences a close beat

where else can an old woman walk one block to a bus stop,

two to four blocks to grocery store, post office, coffee shop,

or pass by the elderly center for a yoga class, or just to ask,

is this the center of the universe

Irene Koronas

Gone Baby Gone

Have you seen the new movie, Gone Baby Gone? (or is it Gawn Baby Gawn?) It's the new Dennis Lehane movie set in Dorchester and directed by Ben Affleck and starring Casey Afflect, both Cambridge, MA boys. Dennis Lehane is also a MA kid (Dorchester) and wrote Mystic River. I had the great pleasure of seeing a pre-screening of Gone Baby Gone through an Eckerd College event with Dennis answering questions at the end of the film.

The film is entertaining, compelling and authentic. And by authentic, I mean, it's got a real Boston feel, not the usual fake accents and sets made to look like Boston. Ben Affleck does a great job at capturing the Dorchester attitude in his directorial debut and Casey Affleck is phenomenal in developing his character.

The film brings to mind other movies set in New England that are believeable and others that aren't. Obviously, Good Will Hunting is on top of the list. I'm on the fence about The Departed. Marky Mark does the accent justice, but not really on Martin Sheen. I'd so no on Fever Pitch. Too cute and other then the Fenway shots, it's not true to New England. Let me hear your comments on others. I know I'm missing a ton of movies. What was the one set in Maine with Kathy Bates?

Side note about the Pats: 9-0 Baby!! Thought the game against the Colts was going to be an offensive slugfest, but was way below the over. I can't really see them losing. Any takers on a bet?

Jesse

Eight in a Row - Sox Champs Again

The Red Sox are the 2007 World Series Champions!! Did you believe they would sweep the Rockies? Did you think they would sweep the Cardinals in '04? Me neither. Eight world series games in a row. How do I feel? I can't put it into words. I just want to celebrate with the team and live in the moment. To tell you the truth, I'm a little jealous that I'm not back home now, celebrating with the Nation. It's just not the same watching the Rolling Rally from Channel 4 streaming video.

I remember when my dad took us out of school to watch the Celtics parade in '86. It was awesome. You felt like you were part of the team. Something I'll never forget. We actually saw Bill Walton driving through Harvard Square after the parade on his way home. These are the times when I feel home sick. So, like everyone else, I rely on the internet and my cell phone to keep me in touch.

I call my 93 year old grandmother and get her thoughts on the game. She loves Wakefield, but hates Schilling. She is a die hard Boston sports fan through and through. I call my family, my buddies, I call anyone who will listen to me rant and rave about the Sawx. I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

So now we can bask in the glory of another World Series win, look forward to hopefully seeing the Pat's in another Super Bowl, actually get to watch the Celtics on T.V. and see them win with the new Big 3 and possibly be home to the BCS Champion Boston College Eagles. Life is good for NE sports fans. Let's ride the wave.

In honor of the Red Sox World Series win, I'm offering a special "Buy 3 get 1 free" deal for your favorite T-Shirts from The Bawston Tee Company. Just use coupon code: GOSAWX
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Hey, you're that guy/girl from Boston!

Have you heard "Hey, you're that guy (or girl) from Boston, right? If you're like me, you've heard it a thousand times. And you know what, it doesn't get old. I've been down in St. Pete, FL for almost 18 years now, but I'm still proud of being from Cambridge. I'm still a die hard Sox, Pats, C's and B's fan. I scour the internet for every piece of news out of New England. And I try to get my hands on any t-shirt or hat that has anything to do with the Northeast.

I'm thinking this New England pride is not just felt by me, but by thousands of people who grew up in NE and now live somewhere else. This has led me to two things. First, I've started a company (The Bawston Tee Company) which allows me to create T-Shirts that celebrate the colorful language of our fair region. And second, this blog, which I hope will be a gathering place for all us New Englanders out there living across the country.

So far, we offer four designs in 100% organic cotton. We'll be offering several more in the months to come (and all in 100% organic cotton-just trying to do our part!) If you have an idea, post it here or send it to me @ jesse@bawstontee.com. I'll be adding a "what do you think" section to the blog as well, so everyone can vote on t-shirt designs. Who knows, if I pick your design, I'll be giving out free stuff. (I don't know what the free stuff is yet, but it'll be cool!)

I'll be posting on a regular basis on various subjects of interest to the "Nation" (I'll herein refer to "you", people born and raised in New England, but now living somewhere else, as The Nation and yes I'm stealing this from Red Sox Nation, it's just easier) I'll also be posting T-Shirt design ideas and asking for ideas too! So, visit often, comment, post pictures, and subscribe! And don't forget to check out BawstonTee.com

Jesse