List of the Week: Best Things About Going Home (Wilmington, NC To Be Specific)

Tomorrow at around 2:00 I'll be heading to my hometown of Wilmington, NC. At times, Wilmington was my favorite place on earth. At other times I'd rather spend a day in Hell (which actually would be comparable if you visited Wilmington in the summertime). But I guess that is to be expected of your hometown. We never realize how much where we come from has had an effect on us until we leave. Or at least I didnt. After I left I realized I missed a lot of things about my home (both big and small). Here are some of my favorite things about the sleepy little beachtown I call home.

1. My Friends- While some have moved on to other towns, you can always count on holidays to bring everyone together.
2. Indochine- The best Thai food on our hemisphere
3. Gravity Records- One of the few independent record stores still left standing in America (at least it seems).
4. Blue Post- The best bar in Wilmington. Back in the 1800s it was a pirate hangout. I mean c'mon, it doesnt get cooler than that.
5. The Beach- I didn't take advantage of it nearly enough when I lived there. And I went quite a bit.
6. Downtown ILM- Enough hangouts to fill any number of nights, all snuggled up to the Cape Fear River.
7. The Soapbox- The perfect upclose venue to see your favorite local band.
8. Trolly Stop- Probably the best hot dogs that you can buy outside of a baseball park.
9. Pita-Delight- My favorite lunch spot.
10. The Heat- I know I'm in the vast minority here, but I cant get enough of the southern heat. Especially because Wilmington has a nice salty seabreeze to go along with it.

Yeah, I'm excited about this weekend...

This is awesome and I want one...

Good Lord It's Hot

I'm a beach kid. I love the summer time. I always have, always will. This summer it feels like the heat is one for the books. I haven't been down to my hometown of Wilmington, NC to feel the how scorching it is there yet, but I will this weekend. Here in Northern Virginia it's pretty hot though. I think about 94 on average, peaking at around 100 in the dead afternoon. A lot of people complain about it, but I don't. I think it's great. I love being able to go outside in just a t-shirt and shorts.

I remember a few months ago we were digging our way out of multiple feet of snow. It was fun, sure, but after the novelty wore off the cold started to become annoying. You could only be outside for a few minutes at a time, and even then you (I) had to be so bundled up that you could barely move your joints. I'm not saying that winter doesnt have it's perks, it most certainly does. I'm just saying, to me, the perks of summer outweigh the perks of winter.

Everyone loves fall and spring. How can you not? The weather is usually in the 60s or 70s. The colors on the trees are always rather brilliant. Most people when you ask them what their favorite season is, they will say fall or winter. But there are those precious few people who love the extremes. They like to feel the sunburn on their arms or the numbness on their toes.

I definitely love the summer the most. I like the way it feels to go on a walk, sweat a bit, then walk into a nice air conditioned room. I like opening the windows, turning on a fan, and putting on some relaxing music. I like falling asleep in the sun, regretting it later that night when you are walking around with a sunburn on the back of your legs. Perhaps the best part of summer is the muggy nights where you can hear cicadas buzzing with the wind rustling through the trees. Or the waves crashing on the beach. I like being able to have the freedom of wearing flip-flops everyday.

To me summertime always takes to long to get here and never stays long enough when it is. Hopefully this one will take its time.

One Of The Coolest People On The Face Of The Planet. Period.

I will definitely be picking up a copy...

Bruce Springsteen London Calling Trailer from Columbia Records on Vimeo.

I want this so bad it hurts

I'm taking a poll. Who wants this to be me and Lia's wedding topper?

I Shouldn't Enjoy This As Much As I Do...

Movie Review: Toy Story 3

Some things are just masterpieces, gifts from genius minds that for whatever reason deem us worthy to to enjoy their creations. Not only does Toy Story 3 belong in this private group, but the Toy Story trilogy belongs there as well. Usually the third film is where a franchise falters. Case in point: Spider-man, X-Men, The Godfather, The Matrix etc. One could argue that The Lord of the Rings broke this spell with Return of the King, but I would counter that the book was already written, the story laid out, so Peter Jackson did not have to worry about staying fresh while also being faithful to the preceding films. This is not a swipe at Jackson, I'm just saying that the task at hand for Toy Story 3 was different than it was for The Return of the King.

When my fiance and I walked out of the theater, we dabbed the small remnants of tears from our eyes and asked each other which Toy Story film we liked the most. I couldn't do it. The beauty of Toy Story 3 is that it makes the films seem like one saga. While all three most certainly stand on their own, the best way to watch them, obviously, is in sequential order. We grow with these characters and learn as they learn. Perhaps it helps that I was 9, 14, and 23, respectively, when the three films came out. I saw them all in theaters at different points in my life, and I was able to make a strong emotional connection to all three of them.

Perhaps the message in the third film is the most profound of the three. That what makes life worth living are the people who we live with and the connections that we make with them. Sometimes our "purpose," whatever we think it may be, can change and shift in ways that we are not ready for, but the only way to face those changes is with the people who made us who we are by our sides. Pixar is genius in doing this, bringing out deep messages in family films. They are so good at it, in fact, that it makes me wonder why they seem to be the only ones who are doing it these days.

Regardless, Toy Story 3 is the best film I've seen in a long time, and definitely the best film I've seen all year. There aren't many movies that come out where I would say drop everything and go see it, but drop everything and go see Toy Story 3.


P.S. Make sure you get there in ample time to catch Pixar's short Day & Night. It's the best short film Pixar has ever done and it may be just as brilliant as Toy Story 3 itself.

What I've Been Listening to Lately: My Favorite Albums of 2010 (So Far)

2010 is shaping up to be one of the best years in music we've had in a while, and we still have records from the Arcade Fire and Radiohead (supposedly) coming out. My iPod has been on almost constantly as it tried to keep up with all of the music that was coming in. Here is what I've liked the most so far:

The National- High Violet
Local Natives- Gorilla Manor
Janelle Monae- The Archandroid
The Roots- How I Got Over
Beach House- Teen Dream
The Tallest Man on Earth- The Wild Hunt
Broken Social Scene- Forgiveness Rock Record
LCD Soundsystem- This is Happening
Wild Nothing- Gemini
Four Tet- There is Love in You

If you all havent heard some of this stuff, I suggest you get yourself to your favorite local record store. This is a great year in music that only looks to get better!