NYC and Charlie's Birthday

Yesterday Doug and I took a bus into the city to visit Lauren Hagen who happened to be vacationing in New York City with her parents. Lauren is a charming young lass who plays for Durga (the girls Ultimate Frisbee team at St. Olaf). She's has a bursting personality and impressively adorns dreadlocks. We arrived expecting it to be unbearably hot in the city, but surprisingly it was tolerable. While we waited for Lauren to lose her parents, Doug and I started walking towards Central Park. We walked through Grand Central Station. Before we went in I wasn't expecting to be impressed, I mean after all it's just a train station right? But as I entered I was taken aback by how simple, yet elegant the architecture was. It was also mind blowing to see how many people were going through the building at one time. The only thing subtracting from the whole experience were people doing the whole tourist routine. After going through Grand Central Station we met up with Lauren outside of Central Park. It was kind of funny because Doug and I had our East and West mixed up so we were walking the wrong way for a bit. Central Park is also HUGE so it took quite some time for us to finally run into Lauren. After some catching up we walked through part of the park and found a bench to just relax for a while. We ended up just sitting there and talking about college, Ultimate, friends, and just about everything that comes along with growing up for a couple of hours.

After that we decided an early dinner was the way to go. We stumbled out of the park without any real direction, but after a recommendation from Colin Murphy (one of Doug's friends who has a home in Manhattan) we set off for a Shake Shack. Shake Shack was outrageous crowded, but the food was well worth the wait. Shake Shack sold mouth watering burgers and incredible hand spun shakes. Their fries were also cooked to a crispy golden brown. Now satisfied, we set off around Manhattan and decided to take the subway to Times Square. Times Square was something out of a dream. It was a sensory overload. From the humongous ads, to the flashing lights, to the street performers. Times Square was beyond my wildest dreams. A very strange thing also happened in Times Square. Doug and I were in Times Square with Lauren, which you know is kind of crazy because we all go to St. Olaf, but as we were watching some street performers a girl starts talking to Doug. I turn around and see Tori. Tori was a girl who I had lab with for most of second semester. A very nice girl, but I wasn't really friends with her. She was friends with Katherine which was how she knew Doug. Tori just happened to be in New York vacationing for her birthday. The fact that we ran into her, in New York, in Times Square was just baffling. Doug and I were taken aback and did not recover for quite some time. As it got later in the day, Lauren had evening plans with her parents to see a show, so we walked back to her hotel with her since our bus was leaving from nearby as well. She invited us up to her room for a chance to meet her parents. Lauren's parents were extremely nice. (Quick side note, on the way day to a bar in the hotel, two families got into the elevator with us from different floors and their kids actually knew each other. I can't really fathom how absurd this is.) Very interested in who Doug and I were as people and they were sincere and extremely generous. We quickly talked a significant amount of time away and before we knew, they needed to rush off to their show (that happened to feature Daniel Radcliffe or Harry Potter). Doug and I then boarded the bus back to Shelter Island exhausted but content.

Now to today. Today was Charlie's birthday. He's now 15. Hooray Charlie. Anyway I woke up at 8:20 because Uncle Adam wanted to play some tennis. He and I had been talking smack for a couple of weeks now, but I don't think he realizes that tennis isn't really my thing anymore. Anyway, I only ate a banana this morning because I didn't want to risk getting a stomach cramp or getting sick for some reason. We played on this "Hard True"/Clay court. When I was growing I remember all I wanted to do was play on clay because I wanted to slide like the pros. But this morning I was uncomfortable on the surface and never really felt sure of my footing. I also had to play with a racket that had too much power in the frame, so I really couldn't unload on the ball like I would've liked to. I ended up losing 6-4, 6-2. The second set was a little pathetic because I was just dead tired. After all I haven't played competitive tennis in almost two years! My legs are still feeling the toll from scrambling all over the court. Hopefully next time Adam and I play I'll be using a racket I'm a little more comfortable with and on a court I feel a little more sure on. Charlie's birthday was pretty low key, we just chilled, he and Doug played some tennis, gifts were given, incredible meals were had. For dinner we had some delicious steak with onions, some vegatables, etc. For dessert Susan made this magical strawberry rhubarb crisp. I love rhubarb, but this was like nothing I've ever tasted before. Something funny that I'd like to mention. Lulu and Jojo were over to celebrate Charlie's birthday and very randomly Jojo asks me "if I've put the moves on Katy". This is funny and slightly uncomfortable because 1) Katy is Doug's sister 2) Doug is present when I am asked this question 3) Both Susan and Darrin were also present 4) Katy is going to be a junior in high school this coming fall. I will be a Sophomore. In college. I responded with the only thing I could think of: That would be widely inappropriate. That seemed to ease the awkwardness a little bit.

Anyway, we are reaching the end of July which is hard to believe because that means there's only about another month before school starts again. I really cannot wait to be back.

Best wishes,
Vinh

My hair grows

I got a letter last week from a friend. It was a really pleasant surprise despite the fact that I was expecting the letter. I forgot how personal letters are. There's something very flattering about receiving a letter. It's like one person saying to another, "I dedicated some time. There's no mistake, I wrote this for you and you only." I hesitate to describe a letter as intimate because not all letters are love letters, but I feel like it's more appropriate than personal. Anyway, Shelter Island has been heating up. The weather has been hot and humid so this week pool cleaning is going to be awful. Otherwise life has been very easy going, relaxing, and calm. I've actually picked up another part time "job" teaching tennis to the Binder/Dunhill clan. Job is in quotations because I don't really get paid, but it's still fun nonetheless. Lulu and Jojo did hook me up with a private teaching gig for this week teaching a nine year old. I taught him for the first time yesterday and I have to admit, I was blown away. Connor (I think his name was Connor, maybe Colin) was very impressive skill wise, but also in maturity. I never saw him get upset when he missed a shot, although he didn't miss many. He also knew his mistakes and admitted to them rather than trying to cover them up. Currently I am scheduled to teach this kid today and everyday this week if i can finish pool cleaning early enough. But honestly, I have no idea what I'm doing and I have no idea what else I can possibly teach him. He knows what he's trying to do, he know's what he should do, and he has the ability to do it just about every time. Basically I can only watch him play and tell him what I'm sure he's heard before. But having been on the side of the player ( a very coachable player I might add) I realized that even though I knew that what my coach was telling me was right, I still had a way that I wanted to play. So I'm trying to let this kid develop as his own player and play the kind of style he likes, but at the same time I'd like him to consider the smart way of playing (which also doubles as the boring way of playing).

On to a slightly funnier topic. So before I came out to New York my hair was relatively short and I shaved the day before my flight. A month and a half into summer, I have not cut my hair or shaved, yielding shameful, yet hilarious results.My hair has grown long, not unreasonably long, nothing news worthy. The real gold is with my facial hair. I've grown a nice little mexi-stache and a shamefully thin goatee. And that is all. That's right, in a month and a half I have not even managed to grown a full beard. In fact, facial hair is not even visible in regions other than below my nose and my chin. My inability to grow facial hair is a blessing and a curse. Mostly a curse.

Best wishes,
Vinh

Remember?

I am concussed. Today wasn't a great day. Besides being a payday, nothing really went as planned. The pools we had were high maintenance, which isn't unusual, but it was unusual how bad they were today. At one pool we had to move 15 40 lbs bags of salt up a hill. That's 600 lbs of salt dumped into a pool. Doug was a champ and carried most of the bags. The other pool from hell took an hour and we did not even finish servicing it. The pool has an outrageous amount of algae growing (maybe my bad on that one...). The real kicker is we checked it last Saturday and it was golden. Today also marks the first time I made a big oopsie. I added way too much chlorine to a spa, due to very poor listening skills on my behalf, and we had to pump the water out and refill the spa. Really not that big of a deal, but a pretty significant mistake none the less.

So after work Doug and I went to East Hampton to play a little pick up Ultimate. I was having a good time until Doug put up a huck that I ran for, laid out for, didn't catch, tried to mark the thrower, and then after that is a fog because...I got a minor concussion. Woo. Hoo. It was really an interesting feeling. My head's pretty much back to normal now, but from what I do remember the moments following were very spotty. I remember telling the guy, who essentially punched me in the face, that I was alright and continued to play. But my stream of consciousness wasn't very constant, and I began to notice people who I didn't remember being there before. I also remember thinking, "I think I have a minor concussion." After the next point I sat down and began to quiz myself about recent events, where I was, etc. Before I knew it the lights went out in the park and Doug and I were on our way back to Shelter Island. Along with the minor concussion my frenulum (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frenulum) on the lower part of my mouth snapped. Shucks.

Best wishes,
Vinh

Everything went better than expected

So on Friday Katherine came to Shelter Island. Life proceeded as usual except it seemed a little more lighthearted. We joked around, Doug and her did their thing, I gave them space nothing out of the ordinary. Her visit was going great until her "last" day (this last Monday) out here. On her "last" day we went to a beach party that night. She met more of Doug's friends we talked, relaxed, nothing out of the ordinary. However, when we were ready to leave Katherine couldn't find her bag. Normally not a big deal, but in her bag there was something that is necessary to fly: her ID. After some searching we gave up and Doug and Katherine tried looking again at the beach, but with no luck. We still have not recovered her bag, but we suspect it was taken by a random group of summer people (people who come to Shelter Island for the summer, such as myself). Anyway, Katherine got an extended stay. Losing her bag turned out not to be the worst thing since Katherine got to stay on Shelter Island longer, meet more of Doug's friends, and meet Katy (who has been in Spain until today). So a little bit of excitement out here, but other than that life has been pretty ordinary...until last night that is.

Last night Doug, Katherine and I went to the Pridwin. The Pridwin is a resort style hotel down on Sunset Beach. Sunset beach is a place that is popular with summer people, celebrities, and people with way too much money for their own good. At the Pridwin was a weekly summer barbecue, normally mundane, but last  Owen Wilson was in the house! A lot of people excited, myself?, only moderately. It was cool to see a celebrity, but the reason why it wasn't that exciting? He looks just like he does in movies. Big surprise I guess. One thing I didn't expect though was he is of average height. I guess it is true that movies make short guys look taller. I didn't get to meet him, or get a picture with him which is a little disappointing, but at the same time I wanted to respect him because obviously he was receiving a lot of unwanted attention. He was just there, chillin' at the Pridwin with a baby. Even if you don't believe me, it's really not worth fighting over. 

Best wishes,

Vinh