Friday Faves: Atomic Habits, Big Mouth, Breakfast, and Music Nostalgia

Best Activity

Crumpin Fox: This golf course had lived on my Massachusetts bucket list for quite a while. On Thursday, with the weather looking dynamite, I made a tee time and took the two-hour drive out to Bernardston for a round of golf. I am glad I did. The foliage was on its last legs, but the golf course was a lot of fun. I was paired up with Jeff and Matt, who were two friends taking advantage of a presentation at UMASS-Amherst as an excuse to play some golf before heading home. Jeff and Matt were good guys to play with. They were fun, didn’t talk to much, and didn’t sweat the small stuff. Inadvertently, I didn’t realize that today was parent conferences at my old job. It felt pretty sweet to be enjoying one of the last wonderful days of the fall instead of peering longingly out a window as the sun sets.

Rhode Island: For Tiff’s birthday, we spent the weekend in Narragansett, a sleepy town about 8 miles from Newport (as the crow flies, NOT as the car drives….). We stayed in, undoubtedly, a haunted inn along the water. The inn had an interesting background, especially as a speakeasy during prohibition.

We had two good dinners in Narragansett (TRIO and Coast Guard House) and spent Saturday in Newport (see: Best Eat). We stumbled upon the Seafood Festival and also did some celebrity seeking (not really) because Jennifer Lawrence was getting married in one of the mansions. Newport in October is pretty swell. It’s a little quieter, the weather is still great. We perused a flea market, walked Thames Street and window shopped, had a couple outdoor beers, and listened to some live music.

Best Watch

Big Mouth: This pubescent cartoon is one of the greatest things on Netflix, dare I say on all of TV. I am not a cartoon person, at all. I’ve never really watched The Simpsons or South Park. We were drawn to it initially because two of our favorites, Nick Kroll and (especially) John Mullaney voice a large number of characters in Big Mouth. The show is about middle school and borders on the vile and disgusting at times. If you don’t notice a sex joke every 9 seconds, then you missed one. Hormone monsters, shame wizards, pillow girlfriends, and jealous cell phones send the characters on insane, ridiculous adventures. Having experienced life in middle school for 13 years as a teacher, there’s a lot in here that I imagine strikes a cord with them. The nostalgic exists in here for the older folk, while the younger viewer can relate to a lot of the modern day problems.

Give it a watch and then decide who would have voiced your hormone monster.

Best Listen

Continuum by John Mayer: Last week, while visiting friends in Hoboken, we started talking about John Mayer. My friend, Dean, loves John Mayer, maybe a little bit more than is comfortable. He’s seen Mayer in concert numerous times and we got to talking about his albums. Dean believes, deep down, without a shadow of a doubt, that Continuum is Mayer’s best album. I scoffed. Room For Squares was always my favorite, probably because it wasn’t tied to any big expectation like his other albums. I listened to Continuum this week, and I really enjoyed it. It was a great reminder of my anticipation at the album coming out in the first place, songs like “Waiting on the World to Change” left me disappointed the first time around, and, frankly , it did when I listened this week. However, if you skipped track one and started the album with “I Don’t Trust Myself (With Loving You)” you might find yourself not skipping a single song, the stretch of “Vultures” “Stop This Train” and “Slow Dancing in a Burning Room” is my favorite.

Viva La Vida by Coldplay: We’ve all seen the 40 Year Old Virgin scene, but I don’t care, I love Coldplay. I have seen them in concert more than any band outside of PigPen Theatre Co. This past week I decided to listen to Coldplay from soup to nuts while I wrote. Golly, Parachutes, A Rush of Blood to the Head, and Viva La Vida were great (X&Y has some great songs, but just doesn’t fit into the top 3 albums from Coldplay). Viva La Vida is just excellent. “Lovers in Japan” “Viva La Vida” and “Strawberry Swing” are my favorites, but I just really enjoyed going back and listening to this album.

Best Read

Atomic Habits by James Clear: After finishing Range last month, my friend Paul asked if I had read Atomic Habits. I hadn’t, and he urged me to read it. When the book arrived, I started in on it right away. The book sucked me in right away with a nail biting anecdote (Hi, I’m Sean and I bite my nails… and my cuticles, and kind of my skin, too) I have found myself snapping pictures of passages in the book to send to friends, particularly my teacher friends. The book immediately made me change how I think about a lot of things I do and how I do them. From writing every day to how I use the “snooze” button on my alarm to making the bed in the morning to how I avoid social media and my phone, the ideas are laid out in simple terms and each chapter has a summary at the end with bullet points, which I will surely return to in the future for refreshers. If you want a hint at what James Clear is like, check out his website.

Best Eat

Irish Egg Burrito: Cru Cafe is a spot we visited in Newport this past weekend. It was a delightful discovery just behind the Tennis Hall of Fame. This burrito filled me up for most of the day. It was heavy enough to replace a medicine ball (but more delicious, for sure). It was stuffed with eggs, Irish sausage (not that shriveled up American garbage), home fries, and (drum roll, please…) corned beef. Was it too much? Yeah probably. Was it the perfect breakfast following a 20 mile run to kick off a weekend escape? Absolutely.

Cru Cafe as a whole was a great experience. Tiff ordered the Newport Benedict, which included crab cakes. Their menu has all the breakfast things and cool specials (like the two items we ordered). We also shared a apple cranberry hand pie, which was a great little late afternoon snack after walking the streets of Newport and checking out Seafood Fest down on the pier.

Breakfast Sandwich at Crumpin Fox: Sausage, egg, and cheese would be delicious if it was served on the trunk of a tree. However, the sandwich at Crumpin Fox is instead served on a potato hamburger bun, wrapped in foil, ready for the walk to the first tee. It wasn’t messy, it wasn’t too hot, it was just perfect. I’m not sure why we get so bogged down in English muffins and bagels for our breakfast sandwiches (burritos and tacos have a different, and very special place in my heart). I have decided that a hamburger roll, potato bread of course, is the best way to deliver egg, cheese, and your choice of protein.

Best Drink

Awake by Night Shift: Just a solid coffee porter. It’s just about this time of year when the beers get a bit darker (I have found myself ordering more Guinness as of late too.). I particularly like this one because it isn’t too high on the ABV%. This past weekend, Tiff was looking for one in the fridge, but I drank the last one. She was bummed and said she was craving an iced coffee, but didn’t want the caffeine. If that isn’t a ringing endorsement, I don’t know what is.

How was your week? Toss some of your favorites in the comment section.