Posts Tagged ‘ blog ’

palo santo sticks

palosanto

excuse my inner hippie coming out for a moment, but i had a trippy 2016.  if you catch me after a few beers, i’ll elaborate a little further.  bottom line: i spent a lot of time looking inward and discovered some things about myself that i think are pretty f**king cool.  before going any further down this rabbit hole, let me stop myself and recommend something that i found during this strange time: palo santo sticks.

what the hell is palo santo?  quite simply it’s wood from a tree that is thought to be holy.  palo santo (spanish) literally translates to “holy wood” (so it’s not just a clever name).

what do you do with it?  you burn it like incense.

why would you do this?  to cleanse your aura, chase away evil spirits, bring you good fortune…it’s powers are endless.  oh, and it smells good.

i realize it’s a bit hokey and not for everyone, but it works for me.  i burn some while i meditate or if i feel some negative energy that’s followed me home from my day.  you can find it at your local hippie store or hipster store for that matter and even on amazon.  try it out and let me know what you think.  i swear this s**t works.

2017
05/05
CATEGORY
life
TAGS







Leave a comment

nike lunar control vapor golf shoes

nike 3

nike golf shoes changed my life.  i think i’ve tried every other brand and nothing has come close to my nikes.  last season i bought a pair of fi impact nikes and they were the most comfortable golf shoe i’ve ever worn.  they’re beat to hell.  i need some new ones.  unfortunately, nike doesn’t sell the fi impacts anymore which is why i’m going to give these lunar control vapor golf shoes a whirl.  they’re on the pricier side, but they’re supposed to offer a little more support and traction which is crucial in the golf swing.  oh, and rory mcilroy wears them, so they must be good.

nike4nike 5nike1

2017
04/13
CATEGORY
golf
TAGS

















Leave a comment

48 hours in new orleans

catahotel2

we tried our best to do a 48 hours in new orleans this past weekend.  actually, it was more like 36 hours in new orleans.  we left early on saturday morning and flew home late on sunday.  we fit in as much as we could.  i’ll do my best to keep this semi-bulleted as there is a lot of information to unload.

our goal was to use the hotel tonight app to book our hotel room at the last minute.   the premise behind the app is great.  you can only book 7 days out, so your hope is that the prices come down the day of and you can find a deal.  i ended up finding a deal earlier in the week at the catahoula boutique hotel for $69.  the pictures looked fine and the reviews were decent, so i booked.  more on that in a second.

the airport ride was 20 minutes to the hotel and a flat rate of $33 via uber.  that’s pretty pricey for 11 miles if you ask me.  we got the skinny on the rate from our driver on sunday.  the airport is in kenner and they charge an $8 tax on uber to pick up and drop off at the airport which explains why it’s so damn expensive.  lyft isn’t even allowed to go there.  crazy.   Continue reading →

2017
03/28
CATEGORY
travel
TAGS
































1 comment

need: blundstone boots

blundstonesi’ve been traveling a ton lately – not that i’m complaining because i love to travel.  when we’re in a new city, we tend to walk somewhere around 8-10 miles per day which means you gotta have the right footwear on to make that happen.  most trips you can find me in my red wing iron rangers, but lately they’ve become a bit heavy and uncomfortable.  oh, and you have to take them off in airport security even if you’re pre-check because of the metal.  it’s annoying.

i’ve been doing a little research for some new travel boots.  my main criteria are as follows: light, comfortable, and an easy transition from day to night.  enter the blundstone 500 series.  these are the classic australian work boots that can take a beating during the day and not get you kicked out of a nice restaurant at night (well, maybe not super nice but they’re not nikes ok).

i’ll confess, i bought a pair several years ago, but returned them do to sizing issues.  i ended up never buying the bigger size.  it might be time to try again.  i’ve heard only good things about them.  anybody have any experience with these?  if you’re debating between the 500 and 550, this dude made a really great video regarding the subtle differences.  really great job, youtube reviewer.

2017
03/27
CATEGORY
boots
TAGS


















1 comment

new(ish) instagram and (re)branding

totakeinsta

yesterday i read an article on getting more followers on instagram.  i wish i would have liked it on twitter or remembered who wrote it, but i can’t seem to find it anywhere.  the gist of the article was to be a leader rather than a follower.  what i took it to mean is being proactive with finding people to connect with.  one idea the writer mentioned was letting people in your social network know you have an account and asking them to follow.  i tried that on twitter last night and 3 more people added me on instagram.  i’m going to call that a success.  i may do the same on facebook tonight.  i will keep you posted on the results.

p.s. if you want to follow, you can find me here: www.instagram.com/totakethetrain

you may be wondering why this is important?  well, let me explain.  i’m in the middle of a branding process, so to speak.  i’ve had this blog for 6 years now and it really hasn’t progressed.  it’s mostly my fault.  actually, it’s all my fault.  i’m the only writer on here.  internet 101 says you have to create content on a regular basis to be successful.  i haven’t done a good job with that lately and that’s ok.  i’m not mad about it.     Continue reading →

2017
03/07
CATEGORY
blog
life
writing
TAGS
















2 comments

48 hours in nashville

nashville1

full disclosure: i’ve lived in nashville my whole life, so this 48 hours is not necessarily how i would do a weekend in nashville, but i’m happy with it.  maybe there will be a part 2 in the future.  i like that idea.

we had a guest in town this past weekend and we did our best to cover as much ground as humanly possible in 2 days.  many drinks were consumed and many ubers were taken.  i’m still tired…and full.

somewhere over the last 4 years nashville became the “it”city which means every single person in the entire world wants to be here on the weekends.  it’s insane.  the airport on friday afternoons looks like a la guardia or lax except it’s full of bachelorette parties and bros in flat brimmed hats looking to get absolutely obliterated on broadway.  honestly, if i didn’t live here and visited for a weekend, i wouldn’t want to leave.  it’s an amazing city.   Continue reading →

2017
02/22
CATEGORY
travel
TAGS
































1 comment

48 hours in las vegas

vivaslasvegas

i think this 48 hours in fill-in-the-blank city could become a thing.  i’m really really enjoying it.  it gives me an excuse to travel more and to try a bunch of new places.  i used to go to cities with no plan.  now i’ve got all kinds of plans.

one of my biggest travel complaints is that it’s hard to find the best stuff to do in cities.  you can google, but most of the stuff you find is written for the masses and we are not the masses.

this weekend i took on vegas for the super bowl.  i’ve been to las vegas a lot.  in fact, i’ve been so much that i don’t feel like throwing out a number.  i have a love / hate relationship with that city.  i used to joke that i’ll just send them a check once a year for $1000 and skip the hangovers and long plane flight.  with that said, each year i go i feel like i get better at it and with this last trip now in the books, i can safely say i’ve finally got it down.

since there were three of us this past weekend, we stayed at the venetian.  hat tip to the venetian for being awesome – not super expensive for 3; easy check in; huge room with 2 queen size beds and a pullout sofa; convenient to most of the other casinos; and easy checkout.  boom!  what more could you want. Continue reading →

2017
02/09
CATEGORY
travel
TAGS
















1 comment

instagram husband

“then she got mad at me because she thought i was just trying to get out of taking photos.  of course i’m trying to get out of taking your f**king photo.”  brilliant.  this video went viral overnight and for good reason.  i always wondered who was taking all of these photos for bloggers.  now i know.

2015
12/09
CATEGORY
entertainment
funny
life
TAGS






Leave a comment

happy anniversary

thebeatlesbow

today is the 4 year anniversary of to take the train.  this photo of the beatles was one of the first things i posted.  i had this theory that if i posted (and tagged) pictures of things that would get traffic, then people would come.  it didn’t quite work out that way, but that’s ok because i had help from a couple of friends (thank you valet, esquire, and every other site than linked or mentioned this blog).

it’s been such an amazing 4 years since i started to take the train.  i’ve gone through some major life changes, i’ve met some good friends (that i hope to meet in person one day), and i’ve had a place to write – which is something i love to do.  i realize i don’t write as much as i used to, but that’s about to change.  it’s a part of me i can’t deny.

all that to say…THANK YOU (first uppercase letters ever used on to take the train) to everyone who has ever read a post or clicked on this blog.  it means a lot to me that you would take the time to stop and read or view ramblings from a person that you don’t know.  i’m excited about the next 4 years.  i think they’re going to be some of my best.  let’s see how long i can keep this thing going.

2014
08/24
CATEGORY
life
TAGS




Leave a comment

sid mashburn double monks now in black and suede

the most talked about men’s shoe in the blogosphere, the double monk strap, is now available in black and suede from the internet’s most talked about men’s shop sid mashburn.  both look phenomenal.  my brown double monks have quickly become my favorite pair of kicks for work and weekend (i can’t wait to get them back by the way).  if you’ve been thinking about jumping on the double monks train, now is the time to do it.  get after these.  you won’t regret it.

2011
12/14
CATEGORY
shoes
TAGS







Leave a comment
wordpress hit counter