From the Surfside

May 28th You print out the Summer Reading List three weeks before school gets out vowing to make sure that, number one, your kids have picked a book from the list and, number two, you have the book in hand before the end of the school year. This will ensure that your kids get a jump on their summer reading early and you don’t run into cramming right before Labor Day. June 11th You and your child argue over the choice of books based on what you think they should read, what your child has heard is the “easiest” book to read, and what Grandma might already have a copy of. You completely ignore the fact that no matter what book is chosen, it will fulfill the requirement of summer reading and neglect to consider that the reason there is a list in the first place is because there cannot be a “wrong” choice. June 28th School is out and not only do you not have the book in hand, you’re still arguing about which book your child will read. 4th of July While attending a cookout with...

While this post was originally written on August 21, 2015 when the album turned 25, “Of Course”, the memory is still clear as day today at 29. "True hunting's over..." I vividly remember, 25 years ago, going to Strawberries in Pembroke to look for Ritual De Lo Habitual. The store manager, who I did not know at the time but would end up working for at the Hanover store one year later, told me that sometimes new releases that "aren't that big don't get here until later in the day." Rather than lecture her about the actual importance of the album's release I chose to exit quietly and  got in my tan Chevy Chevette and drove down route 139, turning right onto route 53, making my way to Good Vibrations in Hanover (bypassing Strawberries in Hanover knowing their philosophy on the less important new releases of the day). I entered Good Vibes only to find out that, even though their name could have a certain connotation to it, the edited version ...