Fight Song Friday

Most people can't wait for summer to arrive. I, on the other hand, cannot wait for it to merge into fall and become the most glorious sports season of them all: College Football Season! Last night marked the official start of the college football season with a couple of Thursday night matchups, but tomorrow is when the rest of the teams hit the field and begin the 13-week march toward the goal of playing in a post-season bowl game. I will undoubtedly write subsequent posts about the splendor and goodness that is college football, as well as observe the downfalls of a sport focused almost entirely on the regular season with virtually meaningless and arbitrary prizes to win in the post season. Those posts will hopefully have much more intelligent and well-reasoned analysis, but for now, I will simply leave this for everyone to enjoy. Go Irish.

Tuesday Tunes: Jason Mraz

This week's Tuesday Tune is courtesy of Jason Mraz. Mraz has graced pop music listeners with several feel-good, catchy hits in recent years, and "I'm Yours" follows in the footsteps of his earlier releases. The tune is reminiscent of Israel Kamakawiwo'ole's "Somewhere Over The Rainbow/What A Wonderful World" medley with its delicate, breezy guitar accompaniment and uplifting, poetic lyrics. Mraz maintains a jazzy, honest purity in all his songs, and he turns the simple melody of "I'm Yours" into a current, relevant hit with his dynamic interpretation. Each time I listen to Mraz's version of his own song, I find myself singing it in my head for the next few hours, sometimes the next few days. I like the message that the song relays: Life is too short to worry about its complications. Instead, we are better served by simplifying our situations and loving those around us. It is only by fully giving ourselves to others that we gain anything valuable in return. Listen. Love. Live.

Miscellaneous Musings: Napa Valley, CA

I travel a lot for work. Some places I go are not so different from my lifelong Midwestern home. Some are not so similar. Napa, California, is one such not-so-similar place. Complete with the striking natural beauty of rolling, vine-covered hills, wholly delicious and satisfying food and drink, and a lifestyle and mentality that magically combines shrewd business savvy with the relaxed, carefree attitude of the proverbial hippie, Napa is a place I always enjoy visiting.















Whenever I get to the wine country, I am engulfed by a peaceful serenity and clarity of thought. Something about the place inspires dreams, relaxes the tightly-wound soul, and showcases a simpler, slower, more conscious life. Even when I am visiting for business, I still find myself taking more time to appreciate a good meal, a smooth glass of wine, or a beautiful sunset. Something causes me to be fully present in each moment of my time in Napa, because even though the moments seem to stretch out into long, pleasant memories, I know they are fleeting.

On my most recent trip to Napa, my fiance and I were treated (courtesy of a mutual friend) to a rare personal tour of Pride Mountain Vineyards in nearby St. Helena. After a quick tasting-room visit to awaken our tastebuds, we were allowed to taste some super-exclusive (and super-expensive) reserve vintages straight from the tanks prior to the wines' bottling. Then we got a quick tour of the winery's mountainside caves, which were created to house hundreds of barrels in a naturally climate-controlled environment while the precious wines ferment and age. We were sent with a parting gift of a very fancy bottle of red wine to take to our dinner reservation that night, and we left satisfied. It was a sublime few hours, and an experience I won't soon forget.

In a world where people are overconnected, overzealous, and overworked, it is supremely refreshing to visit a different world where people still work hard, but at their own pace, and without forgetting that the simplest experiences can be the most rewarding. The folks who live in Napa (at least the ones I have encountered) don't let themselves remain chained to desks in offices with artificial lighting. They don't feel guilty if they wait an hour or two (or more likely a day or two) to answer e-mail messages, Tweets, and Facebook postings. In fact, most of these folks probably don't even use Twitter or Facebook. Our host at Pride didn't even own a cell phone. Instead, they spend time outdoors walking up and down rows of grape vines, tending to aging wine barrels for perfect vintages, working to live rather than living to work.















There is not much else that needs to be said except that I admire these people and enjoy visiting their terrestrial wonderland whenever I have the opportunity.