Blog | Tristan Kernan - good list

Good List Week 12

2026-06-22T00:00:00-04:00

Wow, it's been 3 months of good lists, and I am feeling accomplished for maintaining such consistency in this project. I also feel that the level of adventure is increasing over time, no small thanks to working the Artist's Way throughout.

Mount Tammany

Having read about the Delaware Water Gap in A Walk in the Woods, I beat myself up for having never visited. This week I remedied the matter by hiking Mount Tammany on the red and blue trails. The day started with panic: I became convinced that going in the middle of the week, I'd be the only person on the trail, and therefore guaranteed to be eaten by a vicious bear. I accepted the fear, I reached out to a friend who hikes a lot, and with reassurance in hand, I ventured out west.

I had been warned the hike was steep, but I had to experience it to understand: the climb up is tough, it's about 1200 feet gain over a mile. I practiced taking breaks, extra breaks, breaks every couple hundred feet. I felt a little like the tortoise in the old story, as I leap-frogged other hikers who pushed through, ultimately beating them to the top.

The views were spectacular, and I faced even more fear by winding down the rock ledge at the overlook. I had packed a sandwich and coconut water, which tasted all the more delicious with mountain climbing accomplishment for dressing. After some rest, I took the trail back down, which was in some ways more challenging, as the going was rocky the whole way down - I rolled my ankle once, thankfully no more damage than a little soreness the rest of the day. I paused at the stream and falls near the end of the trail, and plopped back into my car and happily drove home - hitting a rainstorm no more than five minutes away! The day really lucked out: clear weather in the 70s, plenty of folks on the trail, no bears (the worst was grasshoppers jumping on me, haha).

With Mount Tammany hiked, I can mark the Appalachians / Water Gap on my map.

Drumming

My girlfriend had suggested we visit a recording studio with drum rentals - I like the percussion of playing drums, and had never in my life sat down to play a drum set! She's an experienced drummer, so with her as instructor and me as mostly attentive student, we went to Angry Papa studios in Wallington, NJ. For $20/hr, we got to jam out to our heart's contents, me trying to get the rhythm of syncing the kick drum with drum sticks, and Maria showing me up with her skills.

I had a blast, the two hours flew by, I don't think I have any natural talent on the drums, but I am learning that I do like playing music, and can follow a basic beat on an instrument. I next want to get an intro guitar lesson from a friend, as part of a musical tour, before settling down and investing more serious effort into learning one instrument well.

Catskills

My friend moved to Sullivan County in the Catskills about a year ago, and I dragged my feet on visiting until this past weekend - and how silly do I feel! The area is stunningly beautiful, covered in trees and filled with exciting wildlife. It took about 90 minutes to drive up, a peaceful and easy drive, punctuated by the loss of NPR on 93.9 and poor reception for the Catskills public radio on 90.5. We started at Mamakating Environmental Education Center, or MEEC for short, which is a charming building nestled into Basha Kill Wildlife Refuge. There were binoculars positioned to view woodpeckers nesting in a nearby tree, I was lucky enough to see the baby poking its head out. A local artist is working on a residency project, stitching a mandala with colored layers from the birds observed in the area.

We then went to Basha Kill proper, an incredible sight, the valley carved out by glaciers some millennia ago. Onward to lunch at Brew in Rock Hill, where I feasted on delicious bbq cauliflower "wings" and an impressive veggie burger. Then to the next adventure, hiking at the Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River park, on the lookout for bald eagles. My friend is spectacularly lucky to have bald eagles nesting outside his apartment! We spotted the baby in the nest, but hoped to find an adult on the Delaware. We spotted a juvenile, maybe one or two years old, feathers not fully developed but white underbelly clear. We soaked our shoes in the water tramping about trying to get a better view.

There was a troupe of kayakers on the river, and it made me dream of a weekend long kayak and camping trip down the river. Then I thought, how would my back feel sitting in a kayak all day? Well, maybe it'll feel just fine :)

Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.

Good List Week 11

2026-06-14T00:00:00-04:00

It was my birthday this week, I celebrated with loving friends and family. I turned 32, thankfully still in my early thirties for the time being (ie still in the "plenty of time to figure it all out!" period of my life, at least I tell myself..). This was my best birthday in so many years, as I was able to open myself up and feel the good in my life.

I Love Boosters

I chanced hearing about this movie on the radio, Boots Riley gave an interview about it, helpfully explaining that boosters is a term for shoplifters who resell to the community at discounted prices (in other words, the facebook marketplace resellers of laundry detergent). I had previously seen Sorry to Bother You, so I was excited, but didn't have much in the way of expectations going in. And I am glad I didn't, because Boosters blew me away: it is such a fun, whacky, wild adventure through class, fashion, and labor organizing. I just adored the dialectical materialism raygun, heighten the contradictions indeed, it took me way back to my days as a youthful organizer.

A Walk in the Woods

Another media hit this week: A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. I grabbed this and The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill at Montclair Book Center, the premiere used book store in Montclair. I was disappointed to see that they're moving away from used books to higher price/margin new books at an eye watering $18 minimum price, but I scored these two books for less than $10 each.

It's a trend for me now that I'm reading so many outdoors oriented books: How to Do Nothing, Into Thin Air, and now A Walk in the Woods. It also coincides with my withdrawal from technology and into slowing down and presence. I can't say I don't still get easily spooked and startled outside, whether from a bee or a deer. But I'm in good company with Bryson, who journeyed the Appalachian Trail (AT for short) in the late 90s. I appreciate his sense of humor, as he describes the typical American as someone more likely to drive than walk to their own mailbox, as someone who's experience with nature amounts to little more than driving into the parking lot of a national park, taking a picture, and getting back in the car. I appreciate the irony that as much as Bryson disdains bland, monotonous consumer culture replicating across the country, nothing pleases him more than a hamburger and cheap motel room after just a few days on the trail.

His walk through history and geography was of particular interest to me, as a New Jersey denizen. I did not realize that the AT is less than an hour drive from me; I also cop to having never visited the Delaware Water Gap despite living so close for so long (I do plan to address this promptly). Bryson's description of nature on the edge, of the total destruction of so many species at record speed (e.g. the American chestnut tree just about eradicated in a few decades, having a population in the billions prior), left an impact on me, in the vein of How to Do Nothing: I feel disconnected from the earth, from my environment; driving in a car through New Jersey's sprawl feels distinctly uncomfortable now, as do the kept, clean and polished spaces where I spend my time.

Boonton Coffee Open Mic Night

For my artist date this past week, I went to Boonton Coffee's open mic night, where local musicians and performers play a couple songs or practice their art for the crowd. Boonton Coffee is one of my favorite cafes in the area, a short hop for me on 280/287. Their coffee is high quality, their pastries and toasts tasty, and the space is big and comfortable, with plenty of seating.

I've been attending open mic nights here for the past couple years, as I'm consistently impressed with the quality of the performers, ranging from hippie dads with an acoustic guitar to up and coming young singers. I also like that the music tends to be more folksy and original, with most musicians opting to play their own music. The star of this most recent show was an eclectic performance by a young artist who danced and sang to what I can only describe as five minutes of scrolling through tiktok, short segments of random songs and audio clips. That she was painted in clown make up and dressed like Chappelle Roan fit the bill.

After attending so many sessions, I do start to wonder about performing myself, though I have nothing even close to presentable (nor any talent developed enough anyway). Still, with a missed karaoke opportunity this past weekend, my inner teen is expressing the desire to get on stage, to be seen and heard and join in on the fun.

Old Photos

I ventured back into the forbidden lands and reactivated my facebook this week. In working with my inner teen, I realized that I don't have any photos of myself as a teenager. But of course facebook does, and I get enough login code emails to be reminded of that. It took a lot of courage, and a couple drinks, but I logged on and revisited all the old memories (curated selection above).

So many things stood out to me. Was photo quality really so bad back then? I wonder if HD (now 4k)-by-default plays a part in technology vampirizing our attention. The way we used to post full photo albums, I remember, with a digital camera and just bulk uploading fifty or a hundred photos at once. No taking the perfect picture, cropping, editing, etc etc, just dumping what you had and moving on. And that we'd look at albums of other people! Now it's a chore to look at one photo sent from a friend. I was also amazed at how innocent the internet was back just ten to fifteen years ago: adding random people as friends, posting on public walls, status updates ranging from banal to banal.

What hit me most was seeing myself as a teenager again. I think that was my block these past years against doing so. I've long carried so much guilt and shame about my teenage years, feeling like a failure. In my healing, I started with my the basics with my inner teen, then worked with my inner child's wounds, and now am back working with the deep wounds of my inner teen. Some pictures are shocking: I can't believe how much pain is written into my face, my posture. Sure, there's gawkiness and angst, but then there's wounds, layered and layered.

In my teenage self, I see so much longing, longing for relief, for acceptance, for guidance. As my teenage years progressed, unfortunately, my home life deteriorated until I was homeless, sleeping on a friend's couch. I had to shut down so much of myself to survive. I see now my bravery, ingenuity, creativity, resourcefulness in my inner teen. Rebuilding my relationship with my inner family will take time, but I recognize the immense progress in this action, and feel the release.

Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.

Good List Week 10

2026-06-08T00:00:00-04:00

Birthday hike and swim

Last year, I had planned to host friends at a nearby park for an outdoor picnic on my birthday. Due to rain, the party moved indoors to my apartment, where we crowded around the living room and played pictionary. This year, I wanted to up the ante; I jokingly said I wanted a birthday that folks would remember. I think I accomplished that with a hike and swim at Harriman State Park. We roughly followed this Pine Meadow Lake trail, making an extra stop at Lake Wanoksink first, before making camp at Pine Meadow Lake. When we arrived, we were warned of a giant snapping turtle in the water; some folks (me included) stayed at the water's edge, while others merrily swam out. Some folks napped and sunned, while others munched away at their trail mix and snacks.

By the time we got back, and made it to the restaurant (Characters in Sloatsburg - great stopover for traditional American fare), we were all exhausted, thirsty and starving. Massive plates of food were consumed, or attempted to be consumed. The drive home was peaceful and quiet on the Jersey Turnpike, as we let the accomplishment sink in and our bodies rest.

I personally had a positive but challenging time. Last year as this year, I found myself focused on everyone but myself, are they having a good time, do they have enough food and water, is everyone comfortable and socializing. All the same, progress is progress, and my shoulders were elevated but not nearly as high this time as last. I found myself also once again overwhelmed by how many people showed up, there were 14 of us all together, just an incredible display of love and connection that I cherish.

While some of us doubted, the turtle turned out to be very real, and very large.

Comedy show

I love live performances and theater, and I love comedy, so when my stand-up comic friend invited me to her show I jumped at the chance. The crowd reminded me of college: loud, boisterous friends leaning over to greet each other; cackling laughs from select audience; my seat neighbor finishing off five cans of beer. The comics were fantastic, all local, really hyperlocal, as the headliner grew up nearby and shared his story of buying condoms for the first time in the same place that he now performed (Lackawanna Plaza used to host a Pathmark supermarket).

Ramapo artist date

For my artist's date this week, I listened to my inner teen and leaned into "expansiveness" in time and space. I realized that I orient my time around responsibilities, and try to compartmentalize play. My inner teen can't settle into a fixed hour of time set aside; he craves long drives to far off places, whole afternoons and evenings without a care in sight. I recalled that as a teenager I liked to write sappy poetry - as cringe as it is now, I'm going to link to my teenage poetry blog. I had a desire to revisit Ramapo Valley County Reservation, particularly the waterfall. I stopped at the store and bought myself a little black notebook (yes, an homage to Pink Floyd).

I then took the long drive to Mahwah, listening to The Wall. I hiked up to MacMillan Reservoir, a significantly steeper venture than I had recalled. I was surprised by a frog, and watched a dog playfully splash about in the water. I then hiked down, and stopped where I could sit on a rock in the rushing brook. I breathed in the fresh air, dancing light, and running water. I wrote poetry. Then I hiked down to the waterfall, where I sat in meditative quiet, admiring all the ways the water effortlessly snakes down the rocks.

Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.

Good List Week 9

2026-06-01T00:00:00-04:00

Memorial Day

For Memorial Day, I co-organized a hike and barbeque with friends: about twenty people showed up, the grill was manned, food was shared, wiffle ball was played (as team captain I drafted to win, my competitive spirit got the best of my sportsmanship). With the weather uncertain, we were able to grab multiple tables and a grill without competition; we returned to Watchung Reservation for the second year.

Blood Drive

I invited a new friend to meet for coffee, and he mentioned that we'd have to plan around a blood drive he was participating in. Undeterred, I suggested I join him for the blood drive; it's been years since I donated blood. It felt good to be of service, I was thinking of the phrase, "to feel esteem, do esteemable acts." I did end up almost fainting, having forgotten that I get shaky with the blood loss; the kind attendants resurrected me and I left with a whole box of girl scout cookies (samoas!).

Pickle Ball

One symptom of my progress with the Artist's Way is trying new activities. My friend had been trying to plan a pickleball match with a larger group, so I suggested we get some cheap paddles and play ourselves in the meantime. A trip to Target and $20 later, I was in possession of a set of paddles. As we arrived at the court, the group playing walked off, serendipitous indeed. We ended up playing with another pair that showed up, and got our butts kicked - all in good fun, considering we had twenty minutes of experience prior to our first match!

Woodstock, NY

As I've been experimenting (playing?) with music and instruments, I've talked about getting some basic drums, either a drum pad or bongo drums. My girlfriend suggested we take a day trip to Woodstock, NY (not to be confused with the festival, though you wouldn't know by visiting the town), where there's a drum circle on Sunday evenings from 4-6pm. The town is really cute, there were so many clever store names in the area (e.g. Candlestock). We ate at the Garden Cafe, an all vegan restaurant, which was just delectable.

Finally, we joined the drum circle, they provide all the instruments and chairs, and I'd guess the crowd was about thirty or forty people total, all drumming along together. I liked it, but I realized that I struggled to really sink into the music, as the drum circle was more chaotic than ordered: there was no one beat that everyone played to, so it was more a joining of many different rhythms to form one song. In contrast, I feel I can sink into a single, steady rhythm that all are tuned to.

Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.

Good List Week 8

2026-05-24T00:00:00-04:00

Kite flying

For my artist date this week, I bought a kite at the toy store and went to the local park to fly it. It is funny to me that I just read Julia Cameron share on synchronicity and serendipity. I first went to Target, assured by Claude that they'd have kites in stock. The store worker looked at me funny and suggested I order one on Amazon. Not to be deterred, I called a nearby toy store and they were stocked! The weather that day (Tuesday) chanced to be the last beautiful day for some time (it's rained every day since), at a gorgeous mid nineties with just the right breeze.

Flying the kite, I was taken back to memories from childhood, flying kites at the beach, and at a nearby park from my home. I could recall the string spinny handler thing rolling in my hands; the kite diving into the water, to be resurrected back into the sky.

Presby Iris Gardens

Driving through Montclair, I passed the Presby Iris Gardens, and noticed cars parked along the side and people walking among the flowers. With a tinge of spontaneity, I went back later that day, and stopped to smell the flowers, a mix of sweet, earthy, candy, bitter. I must've driven by this park dozens of times, plenty during in spring season, and yet have never visited this delight before.

Running

After reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer, I (presumably in good company) became very interested in mountaineering. In order to manage my expectations and build up to Everest, I set a modest goal of running a 5k. With serendipity, there is a local race six weeks away, plenty of time to train. I went to my local thrift shop to pick up some running shorts, and they had the exact kind I was looking for, at a steep discount.

I have hit the track at Brookdale Park twice so far: 1 mile, 1.25 miles. I'm following a modified couch to 5k schedule, reformulated for a track (eg 1 lap run, 1 lap walk) rather than time (30s run, 60s walk).

It's taken me back to the year I ran track in high school. I also ran a 5k in college. I remember running a mile or so maybe six years back or so. I've long had a difficult relationship with running: I didn't feel comfortable in my body, the internal pressure to achieve was more harm than help. This time around, with about a year of yoga under my belt, and a much better relationship with myself, these training sessions have been, well, surprisingly easy.

Veggie points

This was a fun one, my girlfriend suggested that we log each unique vegetable that we eat for one week. The catch is that the veggies should not be processed in order to count (we made exceptions for minimally processed foods like peanut butter and hummus). The target was 30 unique veggies, which we both hit! As vegetarians it wasn't particularly challenging, and I'd say I didn't make any special effort to consume new veggies for the list.

Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.

Good List Week 7

2026-05-18T00:00:00-04:00

Turtleback Zoo

My inner child loves animals, but I've long been resistant to visiting the zoo: animals in pens and cages, isolated and away from their natural habitat. I recognized those thoughts as adult discomforts, and challenged myself to take my inner child to the zoo anyway. It went well, standing by the cows my inner child wanted to hug their furry bodies and befriend them. This zoo has a wide array of animals, though not all were exhibiting themselves: alligator, komodo dragon, snakes, penguins, birds of prey, hyena, flamingos, gibbons, giraffes (unseen included the lion and bear).

I remembered that I grew up near the Cohanzick Zoo, going there as a small child, and passing by often over the years, walking, biking, driving. Zoos have a deeper meaning for my inner child, and I am thankful for the courage to explore that meaning.

Mills Reservation

Another nearby spot that I've managed to miss in the several years I've lived in Essex County - Mills Reservation is a delightful wooded park with trails and an overlook looking over New Jersey and New York City. We had perfect spring weather, and when a friend invited me, I jumped at the chance to get outdoors in company. She's big into outdoors meditation, sitting in the park, listening to the breeze rustle the trees, the people, the dogs, the birds, I realized that outdoor meditation had been a goal of mine and by opening myself to saying "yes" I found myself exactly where I wanted to be.

Ridgewood

I'm a fan of the library system here in New Jersey, and the dozens of libraries part of the BCCLS system. I pasted the list of libraries into claude and was recommended to visit Ridgewood library, so I ventured out on the parkway north to the unvisited town of Ridgewood. It is charming, very similar to Montclair (in fact, many of the same restaurants haha), except with my main gripe resolved: a quaint park in the center of town, with benches and space to just sit and be. I opted for Korean for dinner, and was pleasantly surprised by the quality.

I spent more time in town than expected, so by the time I got to the library I was in a bit of a hurry. Still, I took time to absorb it, and found it to be a classic library: history displays, art displays, a seed sharing program, a reading room, and floors of rows and rows of books. I found the book I was seeking, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer - I had heard him on NPR last week - and said til next time to Ridgewood.

Side note: the Good List Visualizer has been updated to include these new entries.

Good List Visualized

2026-05-12T00:00:00-04:00

As I've been writing the good list series of posts, I've been interested in visualizing the activities on a map. I could've created a shared google maps list, but I wanted to do something a little more bespoke, specifically around the design. I also find the google maps lists to be cluttered; my default maps view is filled with pins.

So I spent an hour with claude code this morning converting the lists into usable shape and rendering on a beautiful watercolor inspired map from Stadia / Stamen:

I think it came out quite well. I find the visualization to add an extra dimension, well, quite literally of space.

Check out the live site here: Good List Visualizer.

Good List Week 6

2026-05-11T00:00:00-04:00

Montclair Art Museum

The Montclair Art Museum hosts a free first Thursdays event monthly, open in the evening. There's activities and crafts, live performances, and free guided tours.

There's currently an exhibit on the American landscape, including classic works by Hudson River School painters Thomas Cole and Thomas Moran.

Gathering Hay in the Salt Marshes by Martin Johnson Heade

Enter the Dragon

Montclair film occasionally puts on special screenings, this past week showing martial arts classic Enter the Dragon. There was a pre-show demonstration by a local martial arts group, providing some context to the movie; though the movie really stands on its own, with epic fight scenes and dialog.

Good List Week 5

2026-05-04T00:00:00-04:00

Contra dancing

Oh, what fun - wholesome smiling sweating moving dancing - I had at my first contra dance this weekend. I was invited by a friend, and because my girlfriend is a dancer, I suggested we go - nervous as I am, as someone with little dancing experience. I expected something stiff and ballroom like, something like I've seen in old English country dances in the movies.. all my expectations were cast aside, as I was thrown into the spinning and twirling.

Contra is a social event, incredibly welcoming to newcomers. Dancers partner up each dance, asking or being asked, in a friendly way. Each dance is composed of a series of moves, e.g. do-si-do and balance and swing, that repeat in a fluid motion up and down the dance line, changing matching partners every set. The structure exposes the dancer to interact with just about everyone else at the event.

For me, I really dig the structured dance. For one, it's a forcing function that exposed me to interact with just about everyone else, hands-on and face-to-face, quite the difference from the interpersonal distance I'm accustomed to, with strangers nonetheless. For another, the structure isn't total, with dancers improvising and playing, adding their own style to the mix. Finally the energy of a room of friendly people dancing to live music was just infectious; I didn't realize how exhausted I was until I walked out the door.

I've never seen so many smiles on so many faces for something so wholesome.

Good List Week 4

2026-04-27T00:00:00-04:00

Jersey Shore

Oh, the weather has just been unpredictable these past few weeks. From that brutal, brutal winter to a false summer of a few days, to now chilly, dreary spring. Well, I was fortunate enough to get to the beach on a warm day, and bask in the ocean.

I reminisced - I went to the beach as a child, but my memories are so fragmented, I couldn't recall any one trip clearly. Even without the recollection, I felt the waves crash deep within me, and found some small peace to take home.

Improv

Montclair film, aka the Clairidge, puts on a few shows just about every month, including an improv show. This was my third time going, and it was nice, clean fun for an evening. I've been exhausted lately, watching way more television than I'd like, so the opportunity to watch live community theatre was hard to pass up on.

It's also fun to engage, shout out suggestions for the performers. The audience volunteer this time was a hoot, an older lady who clammed up and refused to share any definitive details about her life: how many kids does she have? maybe 3, maybe 4; what was her career? better not to say! It was hilarious.

Card Games

Nothing like a deck of cards to bring people together. I'm fairly activity oriented (as opposed to lounge oriented), so the chance to play some card games this weekend with friends was welcome. I learned the game slap-jack, which is similar to spit, but purely focused on slapping the pile as fast as possible. I get so animated with games like this, it's a fun rush to win some hands.

Good List Week 3

2026-04-13T00:00:00-04:00

Another week, another list.

Public libraries

I've been utilizing public libraries a lot the past few months, especially for books: the interlibrary loan system is a life hack, the network that includes my local library meets about 90% of my requests. The experience couldn't be easier: search for the book in the library catalog, request it to my local branch, and pick it up in a few days.

Last week I met up with a friend to work at the Maplewood public library. It's recently renovated, and situated right on a beautiful park with a turtle pond.

Grounds for Sculpture

I visited the Grounds for Sculpture in Hamilton - what a delight! I had recently learned the word kitsch, loosely meaning tacky imitative art, and just in time, because oh boy are some of these artworks kitsch! All the same, the grounds and gardens are beautiful to walk around, and the cherry blossoms were in bloom, making for a perfect spring day.

Saravanaa Bhavan

Dark horse pick here, but I was happy to find and introduce someone to my favorite global chain restaurant. I may be one of their most well traveled customers, having visited locations in the US, UK, Europe, India and Asia. A well crafted dosa just hits the spot sometimes. For decent Indian vegetarian food almost anywhere in the world, it can't be beat.

Good List Week 2

2026-04-06T00:00:00-04:00

Continuing on the gratitude practice of recognizing the good in the world - here's my good list for the past week.

Blossoms

It's spring in New Jersey, and that means the flowers are starting to bloom. Essex county is home to one of the largest cherry blossom populations outside of Japan, if I remember the Branch Brook Park signs correctly. While that park gets absolutely mobbed during cherry blossom season, you don't have to work hard to see the blossoms: they are just about everywhere in the area. Here's a lone cherry blossom tree I spotted at Hilltop Reservation:

After that brutal winter, it's nice to feel the warmth of springtime.

Volunteering

I volunteered at two drug and alcohol rehabs last week, speaking to over a hundred people about family and generational trauma. The response is always moving, with people regularly opening up about experiences that they've never told anyone before. I was reminded of the power of the work when a tough-looking guy stopped speaking mid-sentence and left the room to cry. The level of identification is humbling: it shows that beyond race, class, background, so many of us shared similar experiences. It's said that service to others is a pillar of a good life, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be of service.

He that plants trees loves others besides himself

Thomas Fuller

House plants

I picked up a few new house plants last week at a local nursery. I added money tree and tradescantia to my collection, which also includes: snake plant, monsteria, zz plant, pothos, and pepperomia. Having life in my apartment, and creatures to care for, adds light to my life.

Good List Week 1

2026-03-30T00:00:00-04:00

I heard on the radio today that the New York Times started publishing a "good list" of fun activities as experienced by reporters. The idea being to share the positive, on-the-ground experiences; get off-line and remember that life is to be lived, not watched from the sideline (or screen). With spring in the air, I feel inspired to do the same, starting with a backlog of the past month or so:

High school musical

Last year, I discovered Morristown high school's theatrer department when they put on Les Mis. It was amazing! The talent from the students really impressed me, from the performance, to the stage and costumes. I've since been back for the fall presentation of Little Women, and their recent spring musical Fiddler on the Roof.

Great way to spend $15 for a quality performance in the local community.

Opera

I attended the opera at the Met for the first time, just last Friday. I had some fear that, with the language barrier, and Timothée Chalamet's recent comments, I'd not enjoy the show - but I was pleasantly surprised. Language-wise, each seat has its own subtitles, making following the story easy. I put on my khakis, expecting folks to be dressed up - I might as well have worn blue jeans, compared to the ballroom gowns and dapper suits I was surrounded with. The performance itself, Madame Butterfly, was exquisite - I was mesmerized by the stage design, the use of simple lights and mirrors to incredible effect:

Birding

Birding was recommended to me as a way to be more present and engaged. And it certainly has that effect. Typically when taking a walk or hike, I'm unconsciously trying to set my personal best. With birding, I am significantly slower, walking slower and pausing occasionally so as to listen and look. I'm encouraged to explore new parks in the region, to see what different species are present. To that end my recent hotspots are Eagle Rock Reservation, Verona Park, and Hilltop Reservation.