Zesty.

I haven’t really felt like blogging. I’m not really sure why. Maybe something to do with my shortened evenings and pressure to fit it all in before going to bed. That, or the lack of sporadic free time during the day the world of advertising afforded me in the past. In any case, I have not been blogging. Then again, there is no need to state the obvious. Look at the date on the last post for crying out loud.

I uploaded the photos from my camera last night in an effort to click through the memories of my ten-day vacation in both Minnesota and New York City that culminated on Sunday. Low and behold there were photos from Beer Olympics and Doreen’s visit and a number of other things still living inside the walls of my memory card. THIS,..is a first. Usually I skip over to my computer immediately after any event – small or large –giddy to see what the camera scooped up.

As I paged through the images I began to realize that I’ve had a pretty good summer indeed. And reflecting back on my trip I am becoming more inspired to write and share. Those lakes, family and friends in Minnesota and the crazy, incessant laughter in NYC seemed to be food for the soul in a big way.

On the plane I flipped through a several-weeks-old Time Magazine and began reading the 10 Questions page that lives near the front of every issue. This time the questions were directed at Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. I found it ironic that in my current state of euphoria sparked by my recent travels, his final two questions were the following:

What bands influenced you?
A lot of Minneapolis bands like Husker Du and the Replacements. After that, the Ramones, then the local punk rock scene that we came from in Berkley, CA.

Why do you never seem to age?
[Laughs.] I definitely age. It’s about trying to mentally keep yourself in a place where you’re never resting on your laurels. That’s the fountain of youth. It has nothing to do with the wrinkles on your face, how fat you get or if you get gray hair. It’s your zest for life.

Minnesota definitely influenced me, and New York City provided me with a toe dip into the fountain of youth. My zest for life is pretty zesty at the moment. Stay tuned. Stories and reflection to come.