Around Town 5

Mount Pleasant, mostly.

Ian Bremmer

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to sit down with Ian Bremmer of Eurasia Group for a joint CSIS-YPFP interview. He has a new book out, The End of the Free Market, so conversation mostly revolved around that. I, for my part, tore through The J Curve in a few days, which is a refreshingly straight-forward and interesting political science book. We were fortunate to have all the time with him we did, especially considering his recent appearances on The Daily Show and numerous other media outlets.

Ian Bremmer is something of a hero in certain circles for, as he says, creating a company at which a dedicated political scientist can thrive and add value to the market. Additionally, by founding Eurasia Group before the age of 30 and much more, it is evident that his business skills are formidable.

His creations add significant knowledge to the understanding of foreign policy and international affairs. He's also not afraid to defend the Western-style free market capitalism, which is more than many people today can say. Surprisingly, at the end of the day, he is also an optimist.

He gives a good interview, and we're hoping to have a solid cut in the next couple of weeks.

Recommended reading:
State Capitalism Comes of Age
The Call

Tufts Commencement

Wednesday after work I went up to Boston for the second half of Amanda's senior week celebrations. Wednesday night was the gala, so we made good food and got into the city for a drink at Top of the Hub for great views before hitting the scene.



It was a nice time and good to get out to see people. I ran into a bunch who I hadn't seen in a while and probably won't for the foreseeable future. It brought back good memories of my senior gala two years previous, not too long after Amanda and I got together. Overall I think the space was organized a little better my year so that there were multiple rooms for dancing, music, and chilling, but it was a good time.

Thursday night we met up with some of the old Tufts crew for a delicious potluck. It was a lovely evening outside, which made use of the porch area of Nadkarns's place a necessity. I was stuffed with ribs. That is a good thing.

Friday they had the Community Health commencement separate since, as a paired major, they didn't want people to have to choose which of their majors to attend. Amanda's cousins arrived, so we hung around campus and hoped that the great weather would continue through the weekend.



Saturday was a beautiful day and shabbat, so we walked from Somerville into the city, around a bit, had lunch, and back. Somewhere around 12 miles I think. It was also good for running into Jordan in Davis (briefly in town for Raquel) and the Spiros in Kendall too. Good times.

Sunday was the magical day of dressing up like wizards and sitting around for a long time. And lots of picture taking.



Hard to believe that it had been two years since I was in the same spot. They had excellent weather just as I did, which was a big plus.

Sol Gittleman gave the Commencement Address, which was good. He's no one famous outside of Tufts, and I never had him while I was there, but I know he is a institution himself and very well respected.

We picnicked on the President Lawn before making our way downhill for the next stage. The Biology commencement didn't take itself too seriously, which is always a plus. The students marched in to John Williams's Superman Theme and out to Three Dog Night's Joy to the World.

That night, we had a very nice dinner at Avila in town. It was great to be able to celebrate with all her family. She did not give herself an easy last semester but destroyed it nonetheless.



A very early flight Monday morning brought in to DC in time for work. It also ran me into Jonah and Derek, who were on their way to Seattle for some crazy roadtrip. That's their story, though.

Guitaring

I've slowly come around to the fact that it's better to play guitar standing up. Helps with the singing too. Gives a stronger sound. Makes you tired, in a good way. This is a pretty basic discovery.

YBP: Home

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros “Home”:
http://blog.yellowbirdproject.com/2010/05/16/home/

Around Town 4

Today was a good day for a stroll down 14th St.





There are some very nice houses.





There are signs that could use some maintenance.





There are some interesting little icons scattered about.









There are a few thrift/antique stores offering interesting opportunities.



Back to the Heights. This weather is how DC should stay all summer.

I'm off to Boston on Wednesday for Amanda's graduation. That means...my class has been gone for two years. Yikes.

This summer is shaping up quite well already, with trips and adventures, although it will require a good amount of planning. It's going to be good having Amanda working right over the the MD-DC border.

Around Town: Baltimore Edition

5/1/10

Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race, Patterson Park, and Sox vs. Orioles