Friday Faves 10/11: Sinclair, Stew, Chili, Ireland, Zodiac, and a Guest Writer

Best Activity

Golf for my dad: This Saturday a group of friends and family gathered for a round of golf to remember my dad. I wrote about it here…

Shaed at The Sinclair: Boston is not lacking for concert venues; however, most of them are rather flawed. My favorite place to see a concert is The Sinclair in Harvard Square. It’s a small spot, but they’ve had some cool acts come through over the years (it also has a delicious restaurant attached to it). It has the feel of a small House of Blues. It’s all general admission, with a simple balcony and very small bench seating. Drinks are affordable, especially compared to House of Blues or the TDGarden or anywhere else in Boston.

On Tuesday morning, Tiff texted me and asked if I wanted to see Shaed at the Sinclair that night. Tickets were cheap (18 bucks at the door) and she had just discovered them the pervious weekend. We decided to go and it was a lot of fun. The group is comprised of a lead singer, Chelsea Lee, and identical twins, Max and Spencer Ernst (one of which is married to Chelsea). Max and Spencer play bass, guitar, keyboard, electric drums, tambourine, and anything else that makes noise. Apparently they were all friends in middle school. Check out their pop sounds here. Trampoline is their big hit.

We caught the opener, Absofacto, for the last couple songs. They were pretty interesting, too.

Best Listen

WHOOP Podcast on Alcohol: #SoberOctober is sweeping the nation (I’d like to think I was ahead of the curve with Sober September…). WHOOP is a device that is built to track sleep and other stats and recovery. It’s popular with athletes and teams are using the tracker. This particular episode covers the effects of alcohol on our body, mainly our sleep and recovery.

MONSTER Zodiac: You thought we’d go a week without some horrible murderous podcast to listen to? I loved Atlanta Monster (which was also a major topic in Netflix’s Mindhunter). This Zodiac series is 15 episodes and covers the Zodiac murders that started in the 1960s. It’s really well done and it made me want to rewatch the movie Zodiac from 2008.

Bon Iver i,i: This album has been out for a while, but I just got around to listening to it this week, mainly at my brother’s urging. Bon Iver is playing TDGarden next week, and I am considering getting some last minute tickets. The album is right down the Bon Iver alley, atmospheric and playable all the way through. It fits in with the cold weather that is descending upon Boston this week. “iMi” and “Hey, Ma” are my two favorites after a few listens this week.

Best Read

A Course Called Ireland: A golf trip to Ireland is on most golfer’s wish list. Tom Coyne decided to take it a (crazy) step further. He decided to play all 40 seaside links courses in Ireland. However, he wanted to walk the roads of Ireland, almost like he was playing one huge golf course. The five month trip, where he walked to and from each course and B&B (no cars allowed at all), was insane. Due to his walks, he stumbled upon places he might not have seen if he was zipping around in a car. Coyne is an excellent, humorous, and humble writer. He brings Ireland to life and I enjoyed visiting it with him, especially the courses and towns that I have been to myself.

Best Watch

Gary Gulman HBO Special: I think the argument can be made that the northern corridor of I-93 in Massachusetts (and just over the border in NH) has created some of the best comedians over the last generation. Gary Gulman, born in Peabody, MA, is part of this cadre of hilarity. Gulman’s newest special tackles his struggles with what he calls “The Great Depresh.” He was buckled by depression four years ago and has just really foudn his way back to square, but it’s always a battle. The special is clever as it goes from classic stand-up to some interviews with Gulman’s mom and wife.

Best Eat

My mom’s Stew: It’s that time of year, warm rib-sticking food is back on the menu! This weekend, I was out at my mom’s house and she made stew. It was a staple of my childhood winters, we’d get home from church on a Saturday evening and have stew. My mom, in true Irish fashion, serves her stew with a side of potatoes. You know, just in case…

Homemade Skyline Chili: When you marry someone from southern Ohio, Skyline Chili is going to find you. Tiff made a batch this weekend for us. If you’re really looking for the authentic experience, eat it over spaghetti. Some claim it isn’t even chili because it has no beans. Those people are wrong.

Best Drink

Dram CBD Seltzer: (We have a guest writer! Here’s Tiff!) I’ve been drinking the Dram Apothecary Gingergrass CBD sparkling water nightly for over a week now, and have noticed a substantial difference in my quality of sleep. Dram describes these beverages as “cheerful and aromatic”, and I have to agree- I’m definitely more cheerful when I drink these.

I have no idea what “adaptogens” are, but I like whatever they’re doing. These do not make you sleepy, or really change your mood at all... they just somehow enable you to power through the BS (Editor’s Note: As far as I know I am not the BS…). Maybe it’s placebo and good marketing, or maybe there’s something to the mix of herbs and Colorado-grown Hemp CBD.”

Toss your favorites in the comment section.