Yankees Fans Like Boston

No lightning as this Yankees fan touches the Green Monster

Fenway Park, Boston

June 3, 2011

There are an awful lot of Yankees fans in Boston. I see them when the Yankees play. We have a sort of underground code involving head bobs, hand gestures and other methods of acknowledgement when Yankees on the field do good things.

We live in Boston because we like it here. Shocker I know. Seven months out of the year-- from April until October-- we are derided by those who know us and our allegiance. I have had beer spilled on me, I have been laughed at countless times, and the number of creative Evil Empire references I have heard is priceless. We are reminded that we are the enemy every day. Yet we are still here, meaning we must not just like Boston; we gotta LOVE Boston.

One of my favorite parts about Boston is Fenway Park. Yes, I love watching a game there. I love the charm of a stadium built when stadiums had to battle for land versus train tracks and highway right-of-ways, and ultimately lose (hence the Green Monster). I love sitting in right field and being oriented so as looking straight ahead means you look at the Green Monster, and you need to kink your neck to the left to see the pitcher. I love sitting in seats that are way too small. I love drinking beer before the game on Yawkey Way.

I like Fenway because it really is so welcoming. Driving home from work each night (I work in Waltham and live downtown), I pass under Brookline Avenue and immediately to the left of the park on the Mass. Turnpike. Hoards of fans pass over me. The lights of Fenway on on a warm summer evening. There is nothing more inviting.

Truth be told, Boston is a welcoming city with a welcoming skyline. I see it quote often landing at Logan airport. I hope the wind is out of the north, so the plane will land on runway 4. Out the left side of the plane is a breathtaking view of downtown.

Rivalry aside, the residents of Boston (Yankee fans and Red Sox fans) all share the same concerns. We all want the same things from our elected officials. We all hope of raising families, providing a good education to our kids. In return for receiving those things, we give back to our communities.

And we all love to watch baseball.

I often say it takes a special type of Yankees fan to live in Boston. Each spring I call Comcast, my cable provider, and request that they add the YES network to the lineup (for those not familiar, YES carries the majority of Yankees games). Typically, the attendant has a nice insult-- or worse-- to throw back at me.

One year, I pleaded my case. "You know, there are a lot of Yankee fans in Boston."

The attendant's reply: "Well, there are a lot of Red Sox fans, too."

A special type of Yankees fan lives in Boston? It's perhaps better stated that it takes a special type of city to be welcoming to fans of its dreaded rival. The lights of Fenway, the skyline, the restaurants and bars... they are welcoming even to me. But don't worry, I am almost always at home, locked away, when the Yankees and Red Sox face off. I know not to push my luck.

An Ode to Apple

My Apple collection over morning coffee (photo taken by my iPhone)

South Lyme, Conn.

July 25, 2011

After a very convincing argument from friend and high-tech entrepreneur Doug Levin, I bought an Apple iPad a few weeks ago. Now, I am not going to say that "it changed my life" forever, especially considering I am still reeling at the amount I paid-- considering the accessories for which I splurged, but the iPad is a pretty amazing little device.

The iPad has become my media center. I have signed up for a digital New York Times subscription. I also use it to ready the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek, the New Yorker and Sports Illustrated. I love the CNN app, which cleverly combines video and text, along with the CNN radio hourly update, in a way that complements my other news sources.

I am connected into my MobileMe account through the gallery and idisk applications, allowing me to view documents on the iPad as part of both professional and personal pursuits. I often surf for videos on the iPad and then use the built in sharing feature to watch on my television, channeling the Apple TV box I bought this spring.

I am now fully hooked into the consumerization of IT trend. I use the iPad to check work email. The touch-pad keyboard is a bit clunky, but it is way better than the interface on the iPhone.

Yes, I also have an iPhone, and I am typing this post on my MacBook. I am a big supporter of Apple, both financially and through word of mouth. There was a day earlier in July where I bought a new iPhone, the iPad and a Shuffle within three hours (from two different stores). So I probably new ahead of time that Apple's earnings would be phenomenal.

I will say one thing that I have proven-- the iPhone and iPad do balance out a use of a laptop. It is true that the web surfing and email checking I do on the phone and the iPad I can do on my laptop. The cynics make this argument nicely, especially related to the iPad, as at least the iPhone serves a mobile purpose. It would be hard to carry the iPad everywhere to check email.

On the whole, however, the iPad and iPhone have cut down my laptop use dramatically. The overwhelming majority of my computer use involves simple tasks that are easily done by the devices. Checking email. Looking up the Yankees score. Investigating something on Wikipedia. Laptop not necessary.

So hats off to Steve Jobs. He truly is the computer genius of our time. And certainly I worry about Apple's founder as well, given his illness. The last time Steve stepped away from the helm of Apple, the product line suffered. I know from personal experience.

I bought my first Apple product in 1994, when I moved to Boston to go to Boston University. I pooled together a lot of money and bought a Powerbook 150 laptop and a printer. It was a big deal that the computer had a modem; at the time, "dialing-in" to BU's campus network to check this thing called email was bleeding-edge stuff.

I still have the Powerbook 150. That sucker survived years of college pounding, numerous term papers, and a three-month jaunt to Washington during my semester there in 1996.

My brother Scott was so impressed by it that he ran out to the local computer store and bought his town Apple laptop. Except something had happened in the delta between my purchase and his. Steve Jobs had left Apple.

My brother's machine, was, to put it nicely, a piece of crap. It crashed all the time, and it froze when it didn't crash. He had a color screen that never really looked right. He hated it.

Steve Jobs Apple products and non-Steve Jobs apple products are the difference between the iPad and the iCrap.

For now, at least, I am enjoying my Apple-powered life.

Celebrating Independence... On July 3rd

Since 1996, my parents and I have watched a 4th of July concert on the Esplanade in Boston the night before Independence Day. Back in 1996, it was a little known secret that the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra would rehearse on July 3rd, a final prep before the famous concert held during the evening of July 4th.

After 16 years, we have the rehearsal concert down to a science. We make the commitment to show up first in line so we can be right up front for the show. Since we're camped out for so long, interesting stuff happens. Last night, one of the performers, Norm Lewis, came to visit the spectators.

Norm Lewis on the Esplanade

Boston

July 3, 2011

Amazingly enough, I am posting this video before Lewis even has a chance to perform during the "actual" performance on July 4th. I guess you can call the above a rehearsal ahead of the rehearsal.

Golf Carts Should Be Outlawed

I ask for legislation making golf carts illegal, except for the handicapped or elderly.

This past Saturday I joined my parents and my brother Brett at the TPC River Highlands golf course in Cromwell, Conn., where we were volunteer marshalls during the Traveller's PGA golf championship. One of our jobs was to block pedestrians from a golf cart path so that forty or so golf carts driven mainly by 14 year olds could whiz by at ludicrous speeds without killing anyone.

About three in the afternoon, I noticed that most of the golf carts were empty. Some of them hauled food to the hospitality tents that lined the 18th fairway. But the overwhelming majority transported people and nothing else.

Now this might sound like I am whining about having to stand on my feet for 12 hours, lugging a chair, umbrella, sweatshirt and several other assorted items everywhere (I actually had a good time), but when exactly did walking fall out of style?

Today I woke at the family beach cottage in Old Lyme, Conn. My mom and I went for a walk. We walked by zero other people. No dogs, no kids, and nobody we recognized. Don't worry, there actually was an awful lot of activity. We were passed by about 10 golf carts. In one case two residents were sitting in a parked golf cart chatting with the owners of another cottage. They wrapped up their conversation, said their goodbyes, and whizzed away on the cart. Apparently it was too much for them to walk.

Later, one of my other brothers told one of his several anecdotes about golf cart drivers. He noted how at one particular campground in Conn., the visitors will line their golf carts up for a special event, configuring them in such a way so that they never have to leave the cart during the show. Their adult beverages of choice are in the basket behind them. How convenient.

Kids today drive golf carts like maniacs. On the golf course yesterday, they also were rather perturbed when they had to wait for attendees to pass by. During the most congested parts of the day, walking probably would have been faster.

At the beach, I see kids whizzing by on golf carts in front of the cottage, clearly overloaded. There's one in the passenger seat, and three or four clutching to the back of the cart, with various parts of their anatomy perilously close to danger. You can't help but say out loud, "Not safe," or at the very least, "Not smart."

No wonder kids today are obese (as are their parents). A pleasant walk on the beach is not possible without a golf cart. Taking a bathroom break while in a tent at the campground is too hard unless no physical exertion is necessary to get to the latrine.

Two of the kids on the golf course Saturday did have to exert themselves. The golf cart they were riding ran out of gas, leaving their mode of transport sputtering. They dismounted the cart and started pushing. Now it was hot, and within a few minutes they were breathing heavy, but they managed to get the cart moving on the way to somewhere-- I am assuming a garage of some sort.

A mere ten yards away, I couldn't help but smile a bit as I watched. Yes, I am going to hell.

It's Michael Flaherty Against the World

The Boston Courant related it to the Iowa Caucuses, and one city council at-large candidate called it the "bell weather" of this election cycle. A forum for at-large Boston city council candidates packed a Back Bay community room this past Tuesday, kicking off the 2011 election season with a nice burst of interest.

My ward committee, the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, hosted the forum, which drew six of the seven candidates-- Incumbents Stephen Murphy, Felix Arroyo and John Connolly; and challengers Michael Flaherty, William Dorcena and Sean Ryan. Only Ayanna Pressley-- also an incumbent-- couldn't make it, and she had a very acceptable reason. Her mom is very, very sick.

Numerous outlets, including Universal Hub, Dorchester Reporter, Boston Courant and The Boston Phoenix, have written about the forum, so mostly to get things off my chest I add my own observations:

1) This race is Michael Flaherty vs. the world. Flaherty was an at-large city councilor until two years ago, when he decided to run for Mayor (and was defeated by Mayor Tom Menino by a large margin). Now Flaherty wants his old job back, and it's clear the incumbent councilors are not in his favor. Councilor Connolly was the most direct, basically telling the audience at the forum that the current slate of at-large city councilors was the best slate since the current City Council makeup was introduced. Flaherty followed by noting he is "beholden to no one." To me, Flaherty seemed a bit off during the night.

2) The First Church in Boston doesn't have air conditioning. The forum's venue, the First Church in Boston, became quite warm during the event. It also didn't help that the room was packed.

3) The three candidates who earned the ward committee's endorsement all contacted members directly. Ward 5 dems endorsed Connolly, Arroyo and Pressley. Arroryo sent committee members a letter. Connolly called members ahead of the forum, and Pressley both made calls and submitted a letter that was read aloud to the membership.

For the record, I cast my endorsement votes (as a member of the committee) for Pressley, Connolly, Arroyo and Murphy (the four incumbents).

Thanks to all who made the forum an overwhelming success!

Oldie but a Goodie

With the demise of the local movie store, I sometimes can't satisfy the whim of watching a movie I enjoyed as a child. One such movie is "Legal Eagles." No, it's not available on Netflix. Not yet, anyway. Today, I spotted it as a free movie available via COMCAST on demand.

It's scenes like this one that likely compell me to watch. Random scenes that have no bearing on the plot but give the movie a comfortable feel. I just wonder how long it took them to cast "Ed."

"First in the City" City Council Forum Tuesday

If you look at elections as happening in four year cycles, this year's election should be a sleeper. There are no federal or even state elections on the ballot. The only elected officials voters will choose this fall are the city councilors who will represent them in the City of Boston.

Then former City Councilor Michael Flaherty decided to run, and the race suddenly got interesting. Flaherty was an at-large Boston City Councilor, and then two years ago he decided to run for Mayor (and got trounced by Mayor Tom Menino). Now, Flaherty wants his old job back.

Who am I kidding? In reality, this year's election is still a sleeper. The Flaherty vote provides the only real drama. Truth be told, most people don't care about local elections, which is sad, since the local officials tend to have the most impact on issues that people actually care about: crime, education, and affordable housing, to name a few. The people who do vote this year will be special; not many will go to the polls. If you say you are voting, I guarantee you will get special attention from those running for city council in Boston.

Certainly this election season really matters for the four incumbent at-large city councilors, who would like to keep their jobs despite Flaherty's decision to run. For that reason and for those candidates, this Tuesday's "First in the City" City Council candidates' forum is very, very important.

My ward committee, the Boston Ward 5 Democratic Committee, has a history of hosting the first city council candidates' forum for at-large candidates every two years. This year's forum promises to upstage the event's all-ready significant legacy. David Bernstein of the Boston Phoenix will be the moderator. Boston Neighborhood Network will tape the event to broadcast it at a later date on COMCAST cable. Reporters from the Beacon Hill/Back Bay Patch, Universal Hub and the Dorchester Reporter, among other outlets, are poised to cover the event.

If you would like to go, the forum starts this Tuesday, June 21 at about 7 p.m. at the First Church in Boston, which is at 66 Marlborough Street (corner of Marlborough and Berkeley Streets) in the Back Bay neighborhood of Boston. The forum will be an hour long. All seven of the presumed candidates for at-large city council have confirmed to the committee that they will be there: John Connolly, Ayanna Pressley, Felix Arroyo, Stephen Murphy, Will Dorcena, the previously mentioned Michael Flaherty, and Sean Ryan.

I have been a member of my ward committee for three years now, so I have some free advice for the candidates. Two simple suggestions:

1) Show up. Certainly the members of my ward committee have their quirks, but the group assembled Tuesday will be comprised of very motivated, active voters. If you impress, you will earn volunteers and donors... maybe even an endorsement by the committee, which brings other benefits given the committee's sizable bank account. As State Treasurer Steve Grossman reminded me last weekend, it was Woody Allen who said, "Ninety percent of life is just showing up." That could not be more true on Tuesday. I know there are members of my committee who will literally write off candidates that don't bother to appear at events like this.

2) Make your thoughts local. The forum is being hosted by the Ward 5 Democratic committee, so make sure you know geographically what Ward 5 includes and cater your comments to the concerns of that geography. We're talking Beacon Hill, Back Bay, Chinatown, part of the South End and part of Fenway. If you talk about trash, keep in mind that we don't have room downtown for large trash receptacles. If you talk about crime, remember that Fenway Park rests inside the ward. I know this sounds simple, and I know it sounds like I am preaching, but you don't know how many times candidates have appeared before the group and talked about their experiences in South Boston or West Roxbury. Not gonna work. As Speaker O'Neill said, "All politics is local."

To the candidates, thank you for agreeing to be at the "First in the City" City Council candidates forum. I am looking forward to it. Good luck.

Congrats to the Bruins

I admit I am not really a Bruins fan, but I did watch the Stanley Cup Finals, and there really isn't a sporting event like playoff hockey. There also really is no other sports town like Boston.

Seven championships among the four major sports franchises over the past ten years, including at least one for each of the major four franchises (Hockey, Baseball, Football and Basketball). Will the MLS New England Revolution be next?

Congrats to the Boston Bruins on their 2011 Stanley Cup Championship.

When the Bruins Won

(Clock struck zero when you hear me say, "There it is!")

Clarke's

Boston

June 15, 2011

There are Boston People and There are Cambridge People

Quick geography lesson. There is a river that runs through eastern Massachusetts. It's the Charles River. If, like me, you come to Boston from somewhere else, you live on one side of the river or the other. Sometimes it's by choice; oftentimes it's by chance. Whatever the case, the side of the river you live on changes your life forever.

There are Boston people and there are Cambridge people. Boston people live south of the Charles River; Cambridge people live north of it.

My apartment is almost right on the river, a couple blocks from the Longfellow Bridge, one of the few crossing points that connect the Boston and Cambridge worlds. I can walk to Cambridge in about five minutes, or I can take a two-minute T ride, yet Cambridge may as well be a different country.

For whatever reason, I am not a huge fan of going to Cambridge. If I had the choice of going to a restaurant in Kendall Square, one T stop north of where I live, or a restaurant in Dorchester (four or five T stops to the south), I would prefer the Dorchester destination. Dorchester is a part of Boston, and Kendall Square is on the other side of the river, in Cambridge.

I honestly don't understand why psychologically I prefer Boston over Cambridge. It might have something to do with one of the biggest pet peeves of any Boston University student. While I was there, my friends from my hometown in Conn. used to say, "Oh I was in Boston and had fun recently." When I asked where they were in Boston, they would respond, "Harvard Square."

Harvard Square is not Boston, and I don't think it wants to be. And it's so far away from my apartment on the Boston side of the river, that I never go there anyway.

Scared I Might Cause Bruins Defeat

The Boston Celtics lost last year's NBA Championship series four games to three. During the three games the Celtics won, I was in the air, flying somewhere. I was on the ground for each defeat.

This year, the Boston Bruins and Vancouver Canucks are level in the NHL Stanley Cup Finals, with each team having won two games. That's right, you guessed it. I was indeed in flight for the two Bruins victories and on the ground for the two Bruins losses.

Over the past 13 months, Boston teams are 5-0 in title series when I am in flight. They are 0-6 when I am on the ground.

I am not planning to fly anytime in the future, including tonight, when Vancouver hosts Game 5 of the series, or on Monday, when the B's and Canucks play Game 6.

I am scared to death that I might be the reason the Bruins lose the Stanley Cup.

Newton Mayor Setti Warren

Mass. State Democratic Convention

Lowell, Mass.

June 4, 2011

State Dems Gather In Lowell

Hats off to the Massachusetts Democratic Party for getting more than 3,000 fellow Democrats motivated in Lowell yesterday. The state party convention was a significant feat, given that it's not exactly a busy political year. To get people motivated, the party proposed an "action agenda." In reality, the convention essentially was a pep rally for the party faithful (myself included) to get ready for the battles that await in 2012. And it achieved that purpose very well.

It was also the chance for me to see and meet the candidates running for U.S. Senate next year against Senator Scott Brown. Each candidate was given five minutes to speak (which means each spoke for six). Among the takeaways from the convention, for me:

-- Among the Senate candidates, I thought Newton Mayor Setti Warren gave the best speech. He spoke of returning to values that Democrats care about. He also mirrored some of the themes put forth by Gov. Patrick earlier in the day, which is a good idea considering the audience.

-- Senate candidate Bob Massie has a lot of energy. He spoke before Warren. Massie also has very cool hats that say "Massiechusetts" on them. Also, one of his supporters gave me a donkey pin. Not saying I will vote for him, but at conventions, chachkis speak volumes. [And I would like to have a hat, too.]

-- Gov. Patrick gave the best speech of the day. He was able to relate the causes Democrats care about to real-world events, such as the recent tragic tornadoes that struck in central Massachusetts. Lt. Gov. Tim Murray's speech was also very good.

Overall, a good day to be a Democrat in Massachusetts. Thanks to Chairman John Walsh and the rest of his team that organized a very informative convention!

Red Sox Fans Are Friendly

Panificio

Charles Street, Beacon Hill

Boston

May 21, 2011

Maybe it's because they are from the National League. Or because Red Sox fans know the pain of not winning a World Series for a ridiculously long time. Or maybe it's just because they are not the Yankees. But Cubs fans are welcome this weekend.

BHCA Election a Distraction

Recently I have joined a couple of my neighbors, including Pat McDonough and Pat Amend, to canvass Beacon Hill for nomination signatures. It's that time of year again, as candidates for municipal offices are asking voters to put them on the ballot, through signatures. We were asking residents on behalf of City Councilors Ayanna Pressley and John Connolly, who are both running for re-election.

I like doing things like this because by talking to my neighbors, it provides quite a bit of insight into what they care about.

Except this year, the issues are being overriden by something else, and that's unfortunate. All attention right now is on the upcoming Beacon Hill Civic Association election, taking place at Monday's association annual meeting.

For those who are not close to what's happening on Beacon Hill right now, we're in the middle of a campaign season. Tomorrow night, at the civic association's annual meeting, members will elect officers and board members for the new term. In most cases, this happens with little fanfare. The new board members and officers are consulted in advance to preserve continuity for the organization. It's not the most democratic process, but it works. And the association, which is private and able to determine its own methods for elections (following bylaws, of course), is stronger because of it.

This year, Steve Young was nominated to be the new president of the association by what you could call the normal process. Rob Whitney, who like Steve is a current board member, followed a process prescribed in the association's by-laws to challenge Young. So now tomorrow's civic association annual meeting will feature an election for president. Either Young or Whitney will be picked.

In my recent conversations with neighbors, the board election is all anyone wants to talk about. They are not interested in trash or recycling or neighborhood schools. They are fascinated by the election not for the issues involved, but for the personalities of the candidates.

I like Steve and Rob very much, and I have had the privilege of serving with them on the civic association board for many years. I believe either could lead the organization and further its cause on behalf of the group's members. However, and I mean this with all due respect, I am not sure if I see a different course for the group, regardless of which one is elected.

One thing I have learned through my service on the board (which comes to an end at the annual meeting) is that organizations such as the civic association are directed by the members. The causes the board pressed most significantly over my eight years of tenure were the ones that neighbors cared about and advocated for strongly. The specific opinions or agendas of the board officers had little to do with it.

The ongoing campaign in the neighborhood has done little to advance discussion about neighborhood issues. Instead, the debate has come down to a gossipy discussion of personalities. Tomorrow's vote will not be an election so much as a popularity contest. And that's sad.

As it turns out, I cannot attend the meeting. I am flying to Atlanta this afternoon for four days of work meetings at a tech conference there. I do hope the proceedings at the meeting do not get out of hand. (The meeting is at 6 p.m. 5/16 at the Union Club on Park Street.)

Credit Where Credit is Due, President Bush

It's nearly impossible for me to think of one policy issue where I agreed with President Bush while he was in office. I remember watching one of his State of the Union addresses a few years after 9/11. There was nothing--absolutely nothing-- that he said that I agreed with.

But I never questioned President Bush's patriotism. I always believed strongly he did what he did because he thought it was right for the country.

This past week saw the conclusion of one of the largest and most sophisticated manhunts in the history of the world. It used intelligence across three different administrations, though mostly from the past two. While the United States' locating Osama Bin Laden within Pakistan should not be seen in any way as vindication of the harsh intelligence practices preferred by the Bush administration (indeed there are reports that most of the investigation relied on non-harsh practices), there is no doubt what happened a week ago is a victory for Presidents Bush and Obama.

To be sure, I agree it's more a victory for President Obama than Bush. Afterall, it was President Obama that called the strike. It was President Obama who was in the situation room watching the events unfold. It was President Obama who took responsibility should the circumstances have turned out that Bin Laden wasn't actually there.

But President Bush has right to feel a sense of victory as well. And on that point I identify the two classiest acts of the past few weeks. First, was when President Obama phoned President Bush to tell the predecessor that the military had gotten Osama. The second was when President Bush declined the invitation to visit Ground Zero this past week.

President Bush has been noticeably silent in the aftermath of the raid. It reminds me of the day President Obama took office. There was a moment just before now-citizen Bush hopped on the marine helicopter. He gave President Obama a pat on the back and said good luck. To me, it looked incredibly genuine. Despite their differences, both Bush and Obama wanted what was best for the country.

As much as I applaud President Obama, I applaud President Bush. For being a patriot. As for former Vice President Dick Cheney, well that's another matter.

Too Many Gosh Darn Channels

1000 Channels But Nothing to Watch

My Apartment, Boston

May 1, 2011

Comcast made an offer I couldn't refuse. For the same monthly fee, I get HBO, Starz, Encore, Cinemax and Showtime. I get the expanded sports package, which includes Red Zone HD (the NFL Network's channel that follows every red zone offensive set during the season). I got updated, faster Internet, home phone service, and a new cable box. What more could one want, right?

Well, it turns out I think I would rather want less. I officially have too many channels, and two many choices. In addition to cable, on the shelf there's the small Apple TV black box, which allows me to to stream Netflix in HD. And then there's XFINITY OnDemand. I also sign up each year for the MLB INDemand baseball package so I can watch my beloved Yankees, and as a result, I can watch any live MLB baseball game. Finally, gathering dust is my DVD player and my, ahem, VCR.

I have gone past TV programming saturation. And it affects my psyche. When I sit on my couch, I quickly scan the dozen or so movie channels and typically settle on a recent release I haven't seen. Yesterday it was "Valentine's Day." But no less than five minutes later, I am again scanning my options. Who knows, I might me missing a new episode of "True Life" on MTV. I end up with the new "Karate Kid." Five minutes later, I am catching up on the last episode of "Friday Night Lights." Then I am waiting for "Dear John" to start on HBO at 3:30. And what time do the Celtics play again?

Viewing "pleasure" for me is a constant state of panic, freaked I might be missing something better a mere click away. And one other thing--I find I keep my TV on all the time. Even when I leave the apartment to run an errand. I guess I figure if I am not around to watch, I still want to get my money's worth.

Life was so much easier when I just had basic cable. Saturday afternoon was spent watching an 80's movie on TNT. Or maybe the news.

Life was also easier before I had Apple TV (which is awesome, by the way). Back then I couldn't on a whim decide to watch the entire second season of "Lost" while eating sausage pizza on my couch.

But I can't go back now. If I revert back to no movie channels, I will still scroll through them on screen. The neurosis will remain, combined with envy of not having every channel at my disposal. I guess that's the reason Comcast offered me the deal I couldn't refuse. They got me. Now pardon me while I change the channel.

To Rent or To Own

I tell people I have been looking to buy a place for 10 years, and for the most part, it's a true statement. Back after the turn of the century, my good friend Akemi Tinder and I did the dutiful tour through several of Boston's neighborhoods on consecutive Sundays in May, each of us looking to buy a condo. The hunt ended with her settling on a neat South Boston first-floor one-bedroom, with a Jacuzzi on the back patio. It led to me staying right where I am today, where I have always been, in an apartment on Beacon Hill that I always said I would rent until I buy a place.

Around that same time, I decided there was fundamentally something wrong with the real estate market. I visited a mortgage broker (remember them?) who said I could borrow a truly obscene amount of money and would only have to put five-percent or so down on the purchase. Through a home equity line of credit (HELOC), he explained, I could simply hold off paying the standard down payment (20-percent) until the home value increased a few years after a purchase, using the HELOC loan to cover the down payment in the meantime.

"OK so I get it now," I remember saying. "But what happens if the value of the home doesn't go up?"

"Ummm," came the reply from the broker, between condescending chuckles. "They always have, Ross."

The mortgage crash of the past few years, coupled with an American population that is coming to grips with the realities of the current and likely ongoing economic situation, has caused a fundamental rethinking of home ownership in this country, in my opinion. The American dream--indeed, the very inculcated sense of success in this country--has always included owning a home. Cities push for home ownership to promote healthy, vibrant communities. The conventional wisdom is ingrained in us all: You rent when you are either in college, too young to know what you want to do when you grow up, or when you are in a transitional stage in life. Otherwise, you own.

I am not an economist, but the tapestry of problems with the mortgage thing, in my opinion, boils down to two points. First, the mortgage industry has been propped up forever by the government, which created Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to make it easier for people to get loans (simply put, the government has been willing to take much more risk than the private sector). Second, people are greedy. As one of my favorite authors, Michael Lewis, chronicled so nicely in The Big Short, everyone involved in the mortgage industry was making so much money just a few years ago that they didn't want to admit there was something fishy going on. The were addicted to it, despite the damage it was causing.

Given the crash, it makes sense that banks today would rather not give out any mortgages at all. The rules today put forth by the banks are ridiculous. More fundamentally, banks are not willing to give out mortgages that are not backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, since the banks want the assurance they can potentially sell the debt to the government-backed entities.

So the government is supporting the industry right now, until the banks get their sea legs again. And no doubt history will repeat itself, with the industry getting greedy once it's back on solid footing, and the government there to support it.

However, our elected officials in Washington are considering getting rid of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Republicans think the industry can support itself, without needing taxpayer assurances. President Obama agrees that the government has too much skin in the housing game, and he agrees that the elimination of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is worth discussion. [Note: The New York Times has covered this issue at length.]

If Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac go bye-bye, you can also likely say goodbye to the 30-year mortgage, providing even less incentive for home buying. And let us not forget that our elected officials are also openly discussing tax reform that includes scaling back or eliminating the popular interest deduction, which I am reminded about almost every time I note my reluctance to buy.

With government support, the real estate industry has spent decades promoting the American dream of home ownership. Have you ever heard a real estate agent say it's a bad time to buy? I don't blame the industry, since it's good for business. The concept of ownership in general is uniquely American. One of our government's fundamental tenets is rooted in John Locke's teachings, the concept that we all have a right to life, liberty and property.

But forces today are strongly opposed to home ownership. In addition to legitimate concerns about how the mortgage industry operates, the economic woes of the past 15 years have caused Americans to tighten their belts. As today's New York Times put it:

Instead of wanting the biggest and the newest, even if it requires a long commute, buyers now demand something smaller, cheaper and, thanks to $4-a-gallon gas, as close to their jobs as possible. [New York Times, "Builders of New Homes Seeing No Signs of Recovery," by David Streitfeld. April 23, 2011.]

I would add to the Times assessment that Americans today have a desire or a need to be mobile. The demise of the old-style corporation and the shift away from workers' rights has meant people need to be willing to move, if necessary, to find work. Plus, it's taking longer for younger Americans to settle, which delays their home buying decisions.

Then there is the whole argument about whether a home is a good investment. I think it is, but only if you are planning to stay in the same home-- paying down the mortgage-- for a long time. Say 20 years. The online calculators I have used show that, given modest increases in home values, it takes a dozen years or so for buying a home to be more lucrative than renting one. And of course, no one is expecting even modest increases in home values in the near term.

If America is to become more a nation of renters and less a nation of owners, it will have a profound effect on what we think about our neighborhoods, about our preference for suburbia, and it could dramatically affect the balance between the haves and the have-nots. I don't dispute that. I merely note that given how the mortgage industry has changed forever, given the reality of the lack of growth in family wealth over the past 15 years, and given other factors such as gas price increases, the luster of home ownership is long gone.

I certainly don't profess that any of the reasoning above is why I did not buy a home before the housing crash. That was because I am merely a wimp.

Bravo Lululemon

Lululemon Athletica front entrance

Boylston Street, Boston

April 17, 2011

As a marketing guy, I am fascinated by oxymoron brands. Take McDonalds. Parents take their kids to McDonalds because kids like to eat the food. But McDonalds' amazing marketing feat, as chronicled in the often overlooked first section of the book Fast Food Nation, is in making parents feel good about bringing their kids to the golden arches. The marketing oxymoron is hidden there: Somehow a company can convince rational grown-ups that shoving fatty food down their kids' throats is good parenting.

Well, my marketing oxymoron award of the year goes to Lululemon. The company sells high-end yoga gear. Really, Lululemon sells sweatpants. Very expensive ones.

Since my friend Annmarie first alerted me to Lululemon's symbol, which resembles an upside-down horseshoe, I have seen Lululemon apparel popping up in my gym. Lululemon has made sweatpants fashionable. And when you consider each pair of sweatpants costs roughly 100 dollars, Lululemon must be making a fortune.

But that alone is not what amazes me about Lululemon's marketing success. What amazes me is that Lululemon seems to make women feel better about working out. My good female friends say that the pants make their derriere regions look better. And here lies the brilliance of the marketing oxymoron. Lululemon makes people feel good about sweating and, in reality, looking horrible.

I have also spotted the Lululemon horseshoe popping up around town, outside the gym. A New York Times story last month outlined how sweatpants are becoming accepted attire in the workplace, too. Psychologically speaking, if Lululemon's pants make you look good in the gym, where everyone looks like disgusting pigs, then they must make people look absolutely fantastic everywhere else.

Today, I visited the Lululemon store on Boylston Street in Boston, behind the new Mandarin Oriental Hotel there. The place was a zoo. Women inside were trying on Lululemon pants and jackets by the armfuls. I made my way to the small (but hardly insignificant) men's section. I admit I got caught up in the madness, forking over 64 dollars to buy a shirt that I am looking forward to wearing to the gym this week. I have a thousand t-shirts at home, but somehow the Lululemon shirt is now at the top of the pile in my closet.

It must have been the sales guy in the store. When I grabbed the shirt, he nodded his head, quickly noting that the shirt was made of some special fabric (the adjective he used for the material began with multi-, but I forget the rest). The key, he explained, was that the fabric cut down on odor.

How about that, a shirt that makes me smell good while I work out. A true miracle, indeed.

My Road to a National Championship

I picked one heck of a year to decide to go all out rooting for the UCONN Huskies. Here's a review of my road to a championship (When your team wins it all, calling it a Road to the Final Four seems so limited).

Round 1: UCONN vs. Bucknell

My location: Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. My brother Brett and I went to the game. Curiously enough, the earlier set of games at the venue featured UCONN's ultimate championship game opponent, Butler, so our "venue" t-shirts purchased in D.C. include the logos of both championship contenders.

Result: UCONN wins 81-52.

Round 2: UCONN vs. Cincinnati

My location: MJ Sports Bar at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. After an afternoon within miles of where I grew up, I gathered with good friend Jen Mehigan and a few dozen or so other UCONN fans to watch a victory. On the road to Uncasville, my car crossed the 100K threshold.

Result: UCONN wins 69-58

Sweet Sixteen: UCONN vs. San Diego State University

My location: Kinsale Pub, Boston. The Thursday night game found me back in Boston. For some reason, this game worried me the least of the six.

Result: UCONN wins 74-67

Elite Eight: UCONN vs. Arizona

My location: My apartment in Boston. Why did Derrick Williams not try to drive and take a two on Arizona's last possession? It's a question that will haunt Arizona fans for decades.

Result: UCONN wins 65-63

Final Four: UCONN vs. Kentucky

My location: My brother Mark's house in Moosup, Conn. On one of the final days before his own move to a new condo in Norwich, I stopped by Mark's house, a mere 25 miles or so from the UCONN campus in Storrs. It worked out, as I was at my high school earlier in the night to attend a charity auction organized by my mother. Mark was right: It's much better to listen to sports radio for two hours (during my ride home) when your team wins. Random fun fact: It was the first time a team with a dog mascot played a team with a cat mascot in the Final Four.

Result: UCONN wins 56-55.

National Championship: UCONN vs. Butler

My location: The Hill Tavern, Boston. When UCONN won in 1999, I was at my apartment in Medford, Mass. In 2004, I was at my apartment on Beacon Hill when the huskies won their second championship. This year, I walked three blocks down the hill to my local watering hole. And it was there that UCONN settled the madness.

Result: UCONN wins 53-41.

My Testimony to the Boston City Council

Ross Levanto
Testimony to Boston City Council (As Prepared)
Committee on Environment and Health
April 14, 2011

I want to thank this committee for investigating an issue that is very important to all residents of Boston. I speak to you today in two roles. First, as a board member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association, and the former chair of that group’s city services committee. Second, as a resident of Beacon Hill who has been investigating cleanliness, and the related issue of recycling, since I moved to the neighborhood in 1999.

The Beacon Hill Civic Association is a strong advocate for investigating ways to increase recycling rates. Adding a day of recycling would provide our neighbors with two days of recycling per week—currently we have one day of recycling and three days of trash pick up. By making recycling more accessible, it follows that recycling rates will increase. At the same time, the association is mindful that adding recycling days requires close investigation by the city and consideration of other circumstances, such as trash and recycling pick up schedules and, of course, costs.

The civic association’s strong support for increased accessibility to recycling dovetails the group’s successful cooperation with the City of Boston on the issue. The civic association has always helped the city to distribute the blue bins and now larger containers that are used to collect recyclables. Current association programs aim at educating our neighbors, whether it be through our email newsletters, by communication to land owners and realtors, or by distributing our own materials and those provided by the city that outline recycling options.

The Beacon Hill Civic Association applauds the single stream recycling program, which has clearly made recycling easier for our residents. We also strongly support other efforts by the city and our elected officials that have helped to keep our streets clean.

I am spearheading an effort by the civic association to investigate the impact of potential changes to our trash and recycling pick up schedules. Let me be clear, the Beacon Hill Civic Association has set no policy regarding any potential changes to the trash pick up schedules. However, we are investigating, in part, whether changes would increase recycling by our neighbors by making recycling even easier. The public works department has been very accessible during this process and is encouraging an open dialogue among the neighborhoods of Boston and City Hall to investigate options that meet the needs of residents, make our streets cleaner, and increase recycling rates.

If I might, I would like to talk to you a bit about my personal thoughts, separate from my official capacities as a board member of the Beacon Hill Civic Association. Fortunately for you (and perhaps unfortunately for me), I have studied the issue of trash and recycling on Beacon Hill for a long time. I have been asking my neighbors to consider reducing the number of trash pick up days on Beacon Hill from three to two, in exchange for having two days of recycling.

In that scenario, we would have recycling and trash pick up on the same two days each week. Other members of the civic association’s city services committee have also asked that the pick up times for trash and recyclables be moved very slightly so that trash pick up can begin at 9 a.m. instead of the current time of 7 a.m. The combination of two days of trash pick up, two days of recycling, and the move in pick up times... I call that 2+2+9.

Germane to today’s hearing, in my opinion, such a move would make recycling easier on Beacon Hill, because there won't be any more confusion as to which day is our recycling day. It will also dramatically reduce the amount of time trash is at the curb. Finally, it will not mean an increase in the number of pick-up runs the city must pay for on Beacon Hill, so hopefully it will not increase the cost to the public works department. By moving the start of pick up to 9 a.m., neighbors can advocate strongly for same-day trash pick up, which will further limit the amount of time trash is at the curb.

As part of my research, I worked with the civic association office to poll young professionals on Beacon Hill. These residents are more likely to live in a small space in our neighborhood and therefore would be the most adversely impacted by changes to trash pick up schedules.

Hot off the presses, here are some of the results of that survey. Less than half of these residents put their trash out on the curb three times a week. Roughly half of these residents recycle regularly. I have also heard comments from some of these and older residents that they end up having much more recycling each week than trash. I have come to the conclusion that these residents would feel an impact from the removal of a trash pick-up day, but that the effect is not overwhelming, and given the propensity of this group to recycle, by adopting 2+2+9, we could actually see a nice increase in recycling volume from younger residents. And I would imagine the impact would be similar to other constituencies throughout the neighborhood.

In summary, thank you again for holding this hearing today. We all know that recycling saves money, helps our environment, reduces landfill use, and in general, is just the right thing to do. And I look forward to working with each of you to put in place policies and processes so that we can increase Beacon Hill resident participation in recycling to 100-percent.

Thank you.

Submitted by:
Ross Levanto
112 Myrtle Street, Apt. 2
Boston, Mass. 02114
April 14, 2011