PigPen — Blog — Stay At Home Husband

Best Activity

This week was a rather quiet one as far as activities go. I woke up every morning and had time to write. A couple of the mornings I walked down to the local Starbucks for a couple hours. It was so nice to have the time and space to write each and every day. It made me excited for the calmer days of the fall when life isn’t as crazy, and I can take advantage of the time I am trying to carve out for myself in the next few months.

There’s also something incredible about a Starbucks in the morning. I would love to see footage of a Starbucks from ten years ago, because it feels to me like the coffee powerhouse has wiggled its way into the lives of more and more young people. I feel for any adult that has to work with a kid riding the high of the tie-dye frappuccino.

Best Listens

Jurassic 5 - I defy you to put this rap group on and not smile. I’ve been listening to these guys since college when my friend Chris introduced them to our playlist. They’ve been the backdrop of many parties and hangs. Start with the album Quality Control, which came out in 2000.

PigPen Theatre Company - Full disclosure… this is my brother’s band, but they are incredible. They are also a theater group that is currently in San Diego performing in the musical version Tales of Despereaux (which they wrote the music, book, and lyrics for).

Here’s a video of PigPen playing some of their tunes….

Best Reads

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uk - I picked this book up in the spring when I was giving far too many fucks and trying to figure out how to disconnect from some of the things that were driving me crazy (note: the way I stopped giving a fuck was by leaving my job). It’s a good book to have around to just pick up and read a bunch of pages. Mark Manson writes well, and honestly, about his own struggles while also giving some fantastic anecdotes from history.

Social Effect of TV (NYTimes) - An interesting article on how TV, and mainly cable TV, is altering our society. Not really an earth-shattering take, but some of the numbers are striking, especially when they talk about Norway’s IQ drop in kids born in the late 1980s compared to kids born in the late 1970s.

Best Watches

Last Chance U - This show never really disappoints. It’s a football documentary that highlights the struggle of trying to make it out of small time football. It’s heartbreaking, annoying, and inspiring. I wrote a post about Bobby Bruce, the saddest story of the show. Put it on and buckle up. I’m six episodes in and it’s clear that this season is going to end badly.

Best Eats

Chicken Parm - A couple friends came and visited me in Boston this week. We have been having a monthly dinner for the last four to five years and this was the first one we had in Boston in quite a while. We went to the North End and ate at, you guessed it, an Italian spot called Cantina Italiana. I had not eaten chicken parm in quite a while and this one was delicious. Thin, crispy chicken which didn’t even require a knife, just the edge of my fork. However, I wasn’t crazy about the use of ziti noodles instead of angel hair or some other stringy pasta (man, that is the most Irish way of trying to talk about pasta).

Best Drinks

Maine Beer Co. - Our local watering hole, Monument, has a great rotating draft list. One of the staples at Monument is Maine Beer Co. One of my favorites from Maine Beer is called Lunch. It’s very hard to track down in bottles around here. Last month I was in Maine and picked up a few bottles of Lunch and last night I cracked one open and split the 24 ounces with my wife. If you’re an IPA fan and you haven’t checked Lunch off the list, make sure you do. They also make a Dinner, which will knock you on your ass.

One of the best glasses we have in our apartment is an 8 ounce Guinness glass. When we were visiting my family in Ireland during our honeymoon two summers ago, we were closing out a local bar after a family gathering at my aunt’s house. The half-pint turned into the perfect final beer order, my wife was enamored with the cute glass and now it’s in our cupboard. My wife remembered her grandmother, a proper Irish lady, telling her that a lady cannot drink a pint of beer. It’s unsightly; however, a lady may drink as many half-pints as she’d like. We also have a favorite bar in New York City that is called Half Pint.

In the world of heavy IPAs, the half-pint is an excellent glass to share the big bottle or the tall boy. Especially on a work night.

What were your favorites of the week? Toss them in the comments section!