Yesterday I went to the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum in the Fenway area of Boston. It is located adjacent to the Longwood Medical area, where I spend a good deal of time professionally. I was leaving the Harvard Med School when I realized that I hadn’t been to the museum since my return to Boston!

I have always loved this Museum. There are many reasons. I love that Isabella Stuart Gardner put together the whole collection, built the place specifically to display her collection as she saw fit, then turned it into a museum on her death. A part of her will states that nothing can e changed in the museum. No new acquisitions, no moving of the art, no loaning of items. It all must remain as she had it upon the moment of her death. Such a magnificent force of will and determination!

I love the art here! Old masters, tapestries, illuminated manuscripts, books, sculptures, gardens. It’s all amazing. It is a very peaceful and contemplative place in the midst of the bustling city. I have come here in times of inner conflict to walk the halls and think about what I am about.



My favorite room is the Raphael room on the second floor. It is a red room lined with exquisite paintings. The light on a sunny day illuminates the old paintings in ways that just fascinate me. It seems that every time I am in this room I find some new detail that was put there by Mrs. Gardner. She created a particular setting in the rooms so that every item works together to accent her favorite pieces. Everything in the museum is connected by her ideas and tastes.

I have tried to present myself in a similar way. I have given thought to the way that my life and accessories have been arranged. I surround myself with things that have meaning to me. Everything in my life has a story behind it. I like to look at something and have memories come to me. Every glance brings me to another time or place in my life. I am fortunate that my memories are full of love and happiness.

I plan to become a member of the museum so I can spend some more time in the company of Mrs. Gardner.

"Years ago I decided that the greatest need in our Country was Art… We were a very young country and had very few opportunities of seeing beautiful things, works of art… So, I determined to make it my life's work if I could." - Isabella Stewart Gardner, on the creation of her Museum, 1917

What I did in 2008

What I did in 2008
By Brad Coyle

January 2008 started off great with New years in Ft. Lauderdale. I then went right out to ski in Colorado with my Heterosexual-Life-Partner Craig. We toured the Coors Brewery, I made $300 gambling, and we skied Copper and Winter Park.
February 2008 found me bouncing between Florida and Alabama for work. I really like Mobile and Gainesville. Mid month I stole up to Maine for two days of skiing. I need to get in shape for Austria.
March found me in Austria skiing in St. Anton with Dave Falkenstern, Dave Hassel, and Mike Altreuter. It was Falkensterns Bachelor party. But he was already married. It really doesn’t matter because he was sick half the trip anyway. Wuss. I was not in shape for the Alps. I am still not in shape for the Alps. I hope I am in shape for the Appalachians.
April found me up to Atlanta for Training. Good times. I also took my Mom to NYC for the weekend. I checked out one of those time share things. We shopped a bit and hit some museums. The Met and MOMA are good. The Natural History museum is not. Taxis rock.
The last weekend in May Alex came to town for his Bachelor Party. That’s all I have to say about that. I went camping out to Cayo Costa on the west side of Florida. That was great. I have never seen sunsets like that. Luis and Hillary kept me company on the drive out.
June had me on Long Island for some training. Then I went straight to Colorado for a backpacking trip. I climbed a mountain on about two hours of sleep. It was great to see Dave, Dave, Darren, Craig, Jason, and Blee. We saw no movies. Then climbed another mountain. We decided to go out again this year rafting.
In July Alex got married to Katie. I was in the wedding as the best man. I gave a speech and wore a kilt. It was awesome. If I could wear a Kilt everyday I would. It was in Chicago so I got to see Carolyn Wrobel before the wedding. She was blind, but we had fun anyway.
In August I made few trips to Boston to find an apartment. I decided to live with my cousin Mathew. Good choice. My Mom came down to Miami and we packed up all my belongings. Steve Bluestein introduced me to Noel who introduced me to Dorothy. They are all my friends. Drove from Miami, to Savannah, to DC, whre I stayed with the Dwyers, then to NYC where I stayed with Julia and Craig.
In September I moved to Waltham. The HAM! Weird to be back. I hosted a child friendly birthday party for myself. I caught up with Mandrus, Johanna, and Damien. My Cousins ex girlfriend introduced me to my current girlfriend Lori. Lori is awesome! I took a road trip to Rochester NY to teach about confocals.
In October I got to spend ten days in Woods Hole on the Cape teaching a Microscopy course. That was fun and the weather was fall beautiful. I hope to be able to do that again. Then it was off to New Orleans for PUNKS 08. Much happened. I’m not going to tell you about any of it. To protect the innocent, and those who went to jail.
In November I got serious with Lori. I got to spend Thanksgiving Day with my folks. Then I got drunk twice in one day by 5 pm going to see Alex and Katie in Nebraska. I got drunk a lot that trip. I spent a lot of time at Harvard, Yale and up in Hanover New Hampshire at Dartmouth. Dartmouth is prettier than Harvard is.
December found me working quite a bit in Maine, which made my parents happy. I learned that this year is the 25th anniversary of GI Joe toys, which were the love of my childhood. I have spent a lot more time in Toys R Us since I learned that. I spent a quiet Christmas with my parents. Then I went back to Boston and hosted a Brunch that ran for 7 hours. Crissy, Morgan, Claudia, Craig, Nerine, Eric, Little Andrew, Sam, Annie little Marion, Dave, Laura, and I were there. I saw Sarah Kennedy in from Ireland. I ate fantastic cookies at Dave and Laura’s. I met Sophie and Jared and Melissa for lunch with Dave and Maria. I kept Maria awake. The New Year preparations hit a huge snag, but recovered nicely. I welcomed in the New Year with my cousins Mathew and Michelle.
Wow, 2008 was very busy and eventful year for me. I loved it and I fully expect 2009 to be better! Big shoes to fill, but I am optimistic. Peace to you all and to all a good night!

Postings!

Ah, an update! Hasn't it been a while? I thought so as I sat here watching the Daily show. I am well, here in Miami for a bit.

I have just returned from a fun filled weekend in Austin Texas! This was PUNKS trip so most of the details are confidential. The full 12 person crew was there. I can tell you about an amazing band on Saturday night. It's called the March 4th Marching Band and I suggest you check them out. They are based in Portland Or and they rock in a most unexpected way. 17 pieces, dancing girls, stiltwalkers, jugglers, and an amazing girl with a hula hoop. Austin is nice too. I would like to go back for another weekend.

Tomorrow I am going up to Boca Raton, then onward to Birmingham and Tuscaloosa Alabama. I get to go to the most exotic places! Fortunately they all have hooters there and cell phone reception.

Travel Thoughts

I fly a lot these days. I'm a frequent flyer. It's not bad. I just reached the level where I get automatic upgrades n Delta. Today I got a surprise upgrade to first class on my flight from Miami to Atlanta! Yes! That rocks! It seems to me that besides the larger seat, the big difference between first class and peon is the service. The stewardess kept asking me if I wanted another drink or snack! It's an hour and a half flight and I left at 7 am. how much do I need to drink or eat at that hour? I had four OJ's and three oatmeal bars. It;s the same stuff as in coach, just more of it!

Today there was a family travelling in First class with a little boy about 4 year old. hew was very excited about flying! He got a tour of the cockpit by the pilots and a pin with wings on it, that he proudly showed me every 20 minutes. As we taxied out he kept shouting! "we're moving! We're gonna take off!" when we actually did he yelled "We're flying Mom! We're flying!" AS we landed he exclaimed "Here comes the ground, Mom! It's coming really fast! WE'RE LANDED!" When he shouted that, the whole cabin burst into applause! It was really fun to see him be so excited about his adventure. His enthusiasm really infected everyone. people were all smiles as we lined up to leave. It really made me feel happy as I stepped off the plane.

I made my way to the next gate for my connector to Birmingham. Going to the 'Ham! I'm awaiting the call for boarding as I write this. Across from me is an Air Force officer in his dress blue uniform. He has no luggage, so I don't think he's going on a long trip. He looks to be about my age. His demeanor is troubled and weary, though not form lack of sleep like the rest of us.. He doesn't have the happiness I caught from the boy. On his lap is his uniform jacket, neatly folded, and his uniform hat on the seat next to him. On top of his jacket is a neatly folded triangle of an American Flag. He is standing now, walking to the gate for a flight to Little Rock. He puts on his uniform and then with great care and reverence picks up the folded Flag. He is holding it out in front of him as he walks away from me. I believe he is going to deliver that Flag to the greiving family of a slain soldier.

Wednesday is the fourth of July. This year our Nation turns 231 years old. Over the holiday as we drink beer and barbecue, please raise a toast to those who aren't here to enjoy it with us. Think for a moment about the Americans who are not safe with family and friends. Think about the things that make our country strong and admired in the world. Think about where we have come as a nation and a people. Raise another toast the the people who have led us here. These are the thoughts that filled my head when I saw that officer with his Flag.

Coyote Ugly

Coyote Ugly is a bar inspired by a movie. Go watch the movie, it'll help you understand the bar. Last Friday I visited the bar with my buddy Dan. I have no pictures, because I forgot my camera that night. Which is better for all involved anyway. These are the bartenders at the place.




Let me share the concept behind this bar and then I'm sure you'll understand why I like it. They have hot bartenders (see above)who get up on the bar and sing, dance and yell at the drunks. They met out body shots and penalty shots with wild abandon! They also have choreographed dances to southern rock songs. It's cheesy, but a lot of fun!

I hosted happy hour at chez moi. Dan and I sat around an watched sports center and did some damage to my keg. Good times. After a while (4-5 pints) we were sufficiently buzzed that we deemed ourselves ready to venture out into the night in search of adventure and romance.

We got down into the Grove and headed to the newest bar on the block, Coyote Ugly. Dan had never been there, he was initially hesitant. He was mumbling something about "the movie sucked so why go to the bar?" I didn't listen to him and in we went.

Dan decided we should drink Crown and Cokes. Nice Dan. The Bartender loved our drunk attitude, Her name was Mia and she was our friend for the night. She gave us drinks. We stood watching the show for a while. The Devil Went Down to Georgia came on and all The Coyote Ugly Girls got up on the bar and did a line dance. It involved a lot of boot stamping and booty shaking! Every now and then they would talk the girlfriend of some guy in the crowd to get up and dance on the bar. Then The Girls would spray her down with the water hose! Awesome. Then Mia gave us more drinks.

I think the best part of this particular bar is to watch how people react to the antics of the bartenders. Some guys just stand around drinking and staring at the girls with unconcealed lust. They are creepy. There are always a few bachelor parties in there having fun. It's fun to watch The Girls torture the groom! There are always a few parties of ladies there, they are always drunk and can usually be coerced into dancing on the bar. As a rule they are unattractive. Then there is the few couples there. I don't really understand that. The Grove has a lot of better places to hang out if together than Coyote Ugly. It just doesn't have that certain ambiance. Then Mia gave us more drinks.

This night sitting at the corner of the bar was an older gentleman with salt and pepper hair. he was intently watching the frolics of The Girls on the bar and drinking G&Ts. Next to him was much younger girl with an amazing body you see often in Miami and fantastic fake boobs! I know this because her sheer green shirt was open to her navel, which was an innie. She had the dark over tanned look of someone who doesn't work, a mistress. She was just sitting there drinking a glass of red wine and trying to talk to this guy, who was to intent on watching the frolics of The Girls on the bar. What a shame. We couldn't figure a way to chat her up that wouldn't lead to a fight or humiliation. Then Mia gave us more drinks.

Dan and I laughed over this situation for a while, until the action on the bar heated up. The Girls had a lady up on there dancing. The lady was soaked with water or beer, I am not sure. When we looked over she was in the process of removing her bra as a donation to the collection on the ceiling above the long bar. Her tank top was white. Priceless. Then Mia gave us more drinks.

After Mia gave us more drinks, they announced last call. Mia gave us one more round for the road. At around 4 they closed the bar and Dan and I stumbled back to my place to recover. I cannot confirm or deny reports of regurgitation. (Dan, I don't do that anymore) We decided that we would have to go back soon to hang out again with our friend Mia!

It was rough morning the next day, but I made it to my Saturday Yoga class! Yoga will sweat the hangover out of you, but it does not go peacefully, let me tell you.

Team in Training

So I haven't had a lot of free time lately. Work has been keeping me hopping on my toes. It's good, I am enjoying it, but it is a huge change form the laid back environment of the lab. There I made my own schedule (10-6), had the freedom for vacation and "sick time". I was usually able to sneak out early on Fridays to sample the local happy hours.

Now that I am a salesman I have my schedule dictated to me by the needs of the customers. I have been asked to be in and working with them at 8 in the morning! It's uncivilized I tell you. Also they complain a lot. My camera doesn't work, the software keeps crashing, etc... I am forced to deal with these emergencies, usually over the phone on Friday afternoon. Oh Joy! Happy Hour waits for no man, and it has not waited for me.



This is my expression after one beer during my last happy hour at Buck Ten on South Beach. It's rough out there when you don't have time to train!

Fear not loyal fans, Mighty Casey has not struck out yet. Top athletes need to make sacrifices to remain at the top of their game. The Happy Hour in Paradise is no different. I have recently made a purchase that will help me get back on top of my game. That's Right! I bought a KEGERATOR! This beauty holds a full 55 liter quarter barrel of malted ambrosia. This marvelous miracle of science keeps the beer cold all the time and delivers it on draft with a full frosty head. All of this happen mere steps from my couch in the comfort of my own home! I have realized the dream of man since he first discovered the miracle of cold beer in fraternity basements everywhere!



Here is is, ensconced under my Guiness sign. How I got that one is another story. Rest assured though that the Caramel and cigarette butts came off of it nicely with a little bleach and a lot of 409.

So when i do get time off to myself I have been keeping busy. I have been doing a lot of Yoga and a lot of Rock climbing. I am getting into more Extreme Sports these days. Next up is Skydiving. That trip is actually planned for the weekend of my annual pilgrimage to inebriation in celebration of my baby brothers birthday. So I will miss that dive, but I plan to line up one soon. I'll share those pictures with you, because it is always fun to see a grown man pee himself in absolute terror!



This is me halfway up a 5.10 wall at my local rock gym. South Florida is very flat, so any climbing must be done indoors. This place is in an airplane hangar. We figured out last time that the walls were about 12 meters high. You do the math.

I will end on a job related high note. I rented a car this morning in Birmingham Alabama. Following exchange occurred.

Avis Guy: "Oh, I'm sorry, we don't have any midsize cars left Mr. Coyle. (I get RESPECT) We do have Mustangs. Does that interest you?"

Mr. Coyle: "A Mustang? Absolutely! Score One for me! (Fist Pump)

Avis Guy: "Would you like a convertible or a hardtop Mr. Coyle?" (I get mad RESPECT)

Mr. Coyle: "I would like a red convertible Mustang please." I was being cheeky at this point.

Avis Guy: "We have a red convertible mustang for you Mr. Coyle. Please sign here. Thanks you for coming back to Avis."

Mr. Coyle: "Thank you sir!" Walks away toward the garage to the tune of Radar Love by Dutch band Golden Earring.




Here I am this afternoon on the Campus of Alabama State University with my sweet ride.

BooYah! Sell out with me! Ohh Yeah!

Nikon Canada

Last week I was in Toronto for work. I was representing Nikon at the American Society of Microbiologists, or ASM for short. Ironic isn't it that the ASM was in Canada? Anyway it was lot of fun. Here are some of my pictures and some anecdotes.


This is the CN tower. It is really tall! I had dinner up at the top. They have a revolving restaurant up at the top where we ate. I got ot sit at the window seat and look out as we revolved. It takes about an hour for a complete revolution. Unfortunately I forgot my camera so this picture at the bottom is all I got. The best part was the glass floor. It was really cool to look all the way down from the top. I stepped out on the floor and immediately my stomach flipped out. Even though I knew I was safe, it was still really freaky. I loved it!



On Wednesday afternoon I took off early and went to the Hockey Hall of Fame! It was awesome! The Stanley cup was there and I got to touch it. I touched it!! They had a bunch of games there where I could measure the speed of my slapshot and take aturn being a goalie and blocking shots. Unofrtunately there was a school group from Quebec there so I didn't get to play. I got in line but they kept making fun of me in French. I guess they never saw a hockey fan in a shirt and tie before. Little froggy bastards.




These pictures are of the booth we had set up. It was nice and I got to talk to a lot of people. That's what I liked best about it. I met a lot of nice people and talked to them about lots of nice bacteria. Only in Canada kids!

80's Karaoke Costume Party

Saturday night was a party thrown by my friends Victor and Francilis. The official title was the Rockin 80’s Costume and Karaoke Party! Now tell me friends, how do you pass up something like that?

I pulled out my best Don Johnson look and Laura put on a Robert Palmer girl look, but with Leather Pants and huge boots. The party was held at the Studio on South Beach, a Karaoke Club located in the basement of the Surfcomber. It was packed full of people in 80’s gear! This is a full time Karaoke club. They have a stage with a whole bunch of instruments to play to back up your friends. Most of the instruments are “air” with no sound, but if you know what you’re doing they have many real instruments as well. We stuck with the “air” guitars.

The place was packed and there was a wait in between songs. You could only put one song in queue at a time so everyone got a chance. Most of the people up there were form our group, but there were a few randoms. They were really surprised to see a costume party in effect. Also as in every Karaoke Club, there was one guy who took it real seriously and sang Frank Sinatra songs all night. He had talent, but it was bit out of place. I think I figured out what drives people to try out for American Idol. It was a lot of fun!

Those of you know me may know that I am not a good singer. In fact I sing off key. So of course I sang 3 songs, thanks to my friends Bacardi and Coke. Not that I really needed it, I have no shame anyway and I’m used to looking foolish in front of crowds. I started off with Garth Brooks “I got Friends in Low places”, and then I went with George Michaels “Faith”, and finished with REM “It’s the end of the world as we know it”. That on is hard to pull off Karaoke, whew! The big secret to Karaoke is to pick a song everyone knows, so they’re too busy singing along to actually listen to you sing. That was my strategy and everyone came out of the evening thinking I had skills! Laura did a prize winning rendition of “Hot for Teacher” and some Country song I didn’t know. She actually has a great voice, so she could carry the moment with style!

So I haven’t seen or hung out with any famous people recently. I haven’t been spending too much time on South Beach these days. I’ll keep looking though!

Bahia Honda

In July South Florida is a hot and humid place. It is not recommended to go out side for any reason. They say necessity is the mother of invention and I believe that air conditioning was developed by someone who lived down here. Even the Mosquitoes sweat in July.

In New England summer is a time to get outside and enjoy the sunny weather. People head to the beach and play outside any chance they get. In Miami it’s the opposite. The entire population huddles inside next to the air conditioner. We only leave the house to buy hurricane supplies, and we wait to the last minute to do that. None of the locals can be found on the beach, and no one plays sports except the crazy Brazilians, who play soccer 24/7.

With this in mind it is an oddity for ExtremeMiami to have a camping trip in July. July 8th we went down to Bahia Honda State park for an overnight adventure. This park is located in the Florida Keys, just above Key West at mile marker 38. It very hard to get reservations for a site, which is why we ended up there in July instead of April. We figured it’s totally worth it because the campsites are right on the beach and the cool breeze from the water would keep our shorts from melting.

Saturday morning dawned grey and overcast. I was psyched because this meant it wouldn’t be too hot. It’s amazing what a difference it makes when the sun is out vs. behind the clouds. I got picked up at 9 for the long ride down there. It’s about 3 hours form Miami. We stopped on the way down at Robbie’s. This is a keys institution located on a small inlet where you can actually feed Tarpon in the water. It’s like a marine petting zoo. They hang out underneath the dock and you just throw in fish. They go crazy! These are huge fish, too! One was about 6 feet long. He actually jumped out of the water to get at a fish I was holding!

We arrived at the campsite to find that we weren’t in the beach spots. We were around the back of the park in a dredged out inlet where we weren’t allowed to swim. Supposedly there were manatees in the area, but we sure didn’t see any. The campsite was not great, it was pretty much rock clearing where we pitched our tents. We had to build the fire in a metal grill up on a post, no ground fires allowed. Despite it being overcast we had a good turnout, about 15 people. We played some football and Frisbee in the water at the beach in the afternoon. I wish I had video of us trying out the skim board! It remained overcast for the whole day, but it was warm, not hot and it hadn’t rained on us.

As the sky began to darken we headed back to camp for dinner and some drinking games. Kings was the game of choice and I was living large with my Milwaukee’s best! Unleash the Beast! Now after my experience in the Badlands I make sure not to drink too much alcohol while in the wilderness. So I was the first to realize it was starting to rain. Within three minutes it was pouring. One of the tents collapsed under the onslaught and those guys had to sleep in their car!

The next morning the weather was beautiful and clear. We headed back to the beach and it was easy to see why it was consistently ranked high among America’s beaches. We snorkeled and swam and played more Frisbee on the sand. On the way home we stopped for lunch at little café and had seafood and authentic key lime pie, which is never green!

Off the Beaten Path

Alright, let’s get back to the purpose of this Blog. Here’s a good tale of a crazy night in the 305!

Last weekend Laura and I took a step off the beaten path. I’m trying to cut my spending for the remainder of the summer. I’ve gone to 25 hours a week at work to get time to work on my capstone project, the final part of my Master program. It’s going well, but they also cut my paycheck. So I’m looking for a cheap way to entertainment. In Miami that means stay off of South Beach!

Fortunately Miami has a pretty good underground arts scene. It’s taken me almost four years to tune in to it. This Saturday there was a show opening at the Faktura gallery. The place is run by a girl who waitresses at a bar I’ve been known to frequent. The gallery was up in Liberty City, the setting for the latest Grand Theft Auto game, if that means anything to you. It was a sketchy area, but the gallery was hopping! It was in an industrial park down an alley in a space that looked to be an old auto body shop, complete with grease and oil stains.







The show is called “Sit on It!” The show was a compilation by a bunch of Miami’s underground artists. They all put their own brand of art onto toilet seats. They had a bunch of the seats on the wall in the gallery. They ranged from paintings, to wood burning, to sculpture. All of it was done on toilet seats and lids. I took some pictures of my favorites. In addition we enjoyed free beer and freshly made sushi while we appreciated the art.

Outside they had a movie playing on the wall of the warehouse across the alley from the gallery. That was my favorite part. It was montage of bathrooms. They were all public bathrooms, some gross, some clean. Fortunately they focused on the writing in the stalls, and not the contents of the receptacles. Some of it was full scale graffiti and artwork; other was just scribblings in magic marker. My favorite one said “I love writing in bathrooms”! It ended with a scene from the Big Lebowski. The Dude has just been doused in the toilet and is pulling his sunglasses out of the water. “Come on, no women live here! The toilet seat is up, man!”

Next stoop for the evening was Churchill’s pub. This is an authentic English pub located in the Little Haiti neighborhood. They were having a psychobilly music night featuring a few bands form NYC. Psychobilly is a sort of thrash rock/rockabilly fusion, with the lyrics tending toward horror movie plots. Sounded weird to me, but Laura said she’s heard it before and it was cool, so off we went.

Now Churchill’s itself is a unique place. Its way off the beaten path, so it draws a dedicated crowd. Think English punk rockers. I think it would be a great place to watch the World Cup games, but I’m too chicken to go out there and face drunken Brits if the English side loses. It has a clientele mainly of Miami’s punk rockers. They were out in force last Saturday, it was awesome!

Laura and I settled in at the bar I front of the stage for the bands. There were six or seven bands on the bill so we ordered pitchers of ale. Opposite the bar there was a movie screen. It was playing Halloween 2 when we got there, then switched to Dr. Frankenstein and the Demon Monster, and was halfway through The Return of the Living Dead when we left. It really set the ambiance for the night. It was pretty dead when we got here so I had a good view. I watched when the bands were setting up between sets.

We stayed for about five bands, but I think we missed the main act. I was new to the music, but every band sounded the same. All hardcore thrash metal. I couldn’t really decipher the lyrics to tell if they were horror inspired or not. I can tell you that there were lots of F-Bombs. The only rockabilly we heard was over the PA when the bands took a break.

The best was the third band. The lead singer was girl with a huge Mohawk and spiky hair. She informed us at the start that their drummer had stayed in New York. So there was a stand in drummer who had learned their music in two days. They kept messing up their songs, starting and restarting them. Pretty funny. By that time there was a pretty good crowd. The members of the earlier bands were the most into it, and they got started a kicking mosh pit! It reminded me of the infamous Green Day concert in Boston. I didn’t partake, but I enjoyed watching it. We left around 3am for home and bed.




It was great night and I spent about 15 bucks. That’s phenomenal for Miami. I’m going to see how long I can go with mostly free parties. That should make for some good blogging!