Category Archives: Review

Good Reads: Norwegian Wood

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I discovered this book, thanks to our neighbor in the Catskills. We were hanging out at her place wrangling a couple of dead trees in her driveway when she offered to let us borrow this very on-topic piece of literature. I didn’t actually dig into it until several weeks later, but once I did, I had a hard time putting it down.

Norwegian Wood (the rest of the title is a mouthful, but see above photo for reference), by Lars Mytting. Mytting is a Norwegian author who has published a myriad of novels in Norway. Apparently this piece of non-fiction is his best seller and has been translated into several languages. After reading it, I can understand why.

The book is equal parts history, science, how-to and folk tale. As a nerd and an outdoorsman, I found it both fascinating and entertaining. There are a couple of sections that get a little bit technical, which maybe isn’t for everyone. But generally speaking I would recommend this book to anyone who can appreciate the smell of fresh cut wood or warming their hands by the fire.

Nike Zegama 2 Trail Shoes

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Some Crappy Iphone Photos of the Author’s Zegama Trail Shoes

I’ll start off here with a disclaimer, that this post is not sponsored content in any fashion. I paid full retail price for these shoes. Similar to the Wildhorse, I picked these up with the winter months in mind. I was particularly drawn to them by the sub $150 price point and the Vibram sole. I have worn them on a number of trail runs in the Catskills this fall, starting with an 18 miler and a 10 miler in pretty quick sequence.Continue reading→

New Rig

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Author’s Newish R5 MkII with EF Mount Adapter and 50mm f/1.2L

I love SLR cameras. I was a slow convert when film gave way to digital. Similarly, when mirrorless cameras became the standard, I resisted for several years. Earlier this year, I finally pulled the trigger on an R5. There were a series of preceding events that catalyzed the shift. First, the dial that controls shutter speed on my 5d Mk IV started glitching. My guess is that too many instances of shooting in heavyish rain caused the contacts to oxidize or something. At any rate, I would have to scroll it 5 or 6 clicks to adjust 1 or 2 positions. Not ideal. Around the the same time, my knock around rig just generally shat the bed. If I had it’s power switched on and popped the battery in and out, it would work. But… not something I really had time to mess with.Continue reading→

Good Reads — Trouble Boys

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On any given Monday night, more likely than not, you can find me bellied up a at certain north Brooklyn establishment enjoying some happy hour oysters for dinner. In all honesty, I rarely make it for HH anymore, since I’m typically getting my little one bathed and ready for bed during that slot of the evening, these days. But I still make it a point to pop over after the little guy is sawing toothpicks. In the years since establishing this weekly ritual, I have made some friends, namely the gentleman who holds court behind the bar on Monday nights. He, and I have heavily overlapping musical taste and often chat about such. My discovery of this book was a product of one of those conversations.

Like many of the bands I discovered in my youth, the Replacements were already over by the time I was introduced to their music. Notwithstanding the fact that I would never be able to see them play live, I was a fan. I picked up the “Pleased to Meet Me” album on CD at some point, and even followed Paul Westerberg’s solo career for a while after seeing the movie The Singles. But I’ll admit that I didn’t really know much about the band prior to reading this book: “Trouble Boys, The True Story of the Replacements” by Bob Mehr.

The Replacements, or the “Mats” (short for “place mats”) as they called themselves, had a rough (ROUGH!) existence as a band. Their story is not some sort of underdog conquers the world, feel-good, happy ending-type. It is one of self sabotage and wasted brilliance. Just the same, it is an incredible tale. Mehr really gets into the weeds a little more than necessary with some of the peripheral characters, but overall his writing is easily digestible. I had a few stop-starts while reading this book, where I had to put it down for a few weeks during times where I was taking in particularly dark segments of the text. But this book also caused me to revisit the band’s entire catalogue, which is now all very accessible on streaming platforms. If you are a fan of 80s-90s alt rock, I strongly recommend checking this one out.

Nike Alphafly 3

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The Author’s Feet After a Taper Run on the Not-So-Mean Streets of Brooklyn

Since we are less than two weeks away from marathon Sunday in NYC, running is often on my mind. That being the case, I figured that I might as well drop a couple of running related posts in the interim. We’ll kick it off with a review (of sorts) for the Nike Alphalfy 3, which will be my race shoe this year.Continue reading→

Spring Running Gear – Nike Vaporfly 3

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Brad Hall-Style Photo of the Sneaker on the Author’s Foot

I’ll start here by saying that I wanted the Alphafly 3’s but Nike sold out of the entire men’s sizes before I had time to cop, and have been out of stock since, with no word on when they will be restocked. Maybe it has something to do with this; unclear. So I rolled the dice on the above pictured Vaporfly 3’s. I’m happy to report that I have been pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoy them.Continue reading→

Good Reads– ‘The Creative Act: A Way of Being’ by Rick Rubin

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Rick Rubin has always been a bit of an enigma to me. I remember reading an interview he gave after Beastie Boys’ License to Ill came out (which he produced) and thinking, “wow, this guy is out there!” During that same time period he was tapped to produce some of my other favorite albums. He has received mentions in multiple other musician memoirs that I have read. So I was very curious to see what he had to say in his book “The Creative Act: A Way of Being.”

As with most of the books that I have really enjoyed recently, I didn’t realize that this book existed until I received it as a gift from B. She read it first and warned me that it might be a little too far on the ‘self-help’ end of the spectrum for my liking. At first blush, I saw what she meant. There was definitely a bit of a self-help element to it, as well as some stuff that was a bit more hippie dippy than I typically care for. But overall, I really enjoyed the text. It is one of those books that feels like there is a little something for everyone. Rubin acknowledges in one of the early chapters that the reader should take from the book the parts that make sense and discard the rest. If the book was an 800 pager, I would have probably found that notion to be offensive. Luckily, the book is much shorter than that, very densely packed and easily digestible. I would recommend this one to anyone who has any hobbies or interests outside of the daily grind.

Winter Running Gear — Salewa Jacket

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The Author Cranking Through Some Winter Miles in That New Jacket. Photo: Dr. B. Maschal Private Collection.

For the past 15 years or so, I have been using a Nike waffle fleece lined neoprene zip-up for cold weather running. It has been an awesome jacket. After a few thousand trips through the washing machine, it is starting to come apart at the seams. I have been creeping the Nike website like a fiend, looking for a new one since it first started to fall apart last Autumn. Continue reading→

Good Reads- “Barbarian Days, A Surfing Life” by William Finnegan

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This book was actually a gift from B (sort of). B was the one who added it to the Amazon cart, but it was my turn to pay for the order, haha. Anyway, I’m glad she did because I loved reading this book. It had been a while since I read a book that I didn’t want to put down at the end of the night. This was definitely one of those. To enjoy this book, being a fan of surfing definitely helps. But even if surfing is not your cup of tea, Finnegan is such an incredible writer that it may not matter. The book is essentially an autobiography with an emphasis on the plentiful elements of surfing that comprise his life. The prose with which he uses to tell these stories is as artful as it is interesting. Finnegan’s tales of the ‘barbarian days’ evoke a strong sense of nostalgia for a bygone era of simpler times when the world seemed much larger and more mysterious. I highly recommend reading this book.

Good Reads: “Wayward” by Chris Burkhard

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Once again I have to thank Fieldmag for turning me onto this gem. Prior to reading the Q & A Fieldmag posted, I had certainly heard of Burkhard and was semi-familiar with his work (I stopped reading surf mags before Burkhard really became a fixture in that world). But after reading the piece, I realized that he was a pretty interesting dude who probably had some cool stories to tell. A few pages into the book, I could already tell it was right up my alley. As a kid who loved photography and board sports, young me essentially dreamed of having Burkhard’s life. The stories that he tells from his early career left a little bit of FOMO pang in my gut. If you are remotely interested in photography and/or cold water surf, I highly recommend this book. The images alone are worth the flip. Plus, the hard cover makes it a very handsome addition to the coffee table.