Brian Cook Presents

The Department of Motor Vehicles is better known by its fear-inducing abbreviation: DMV. Just the mention of it conjures up visions of long waits, frumpy employees, miles of red tape and the queerest cross-section of society you can find in one place. It’s a place everyone avoids for as long as they can, but eventually […]

It happens to everyone. You’re down in Florida, living in a hot, dusty boatyard through the scorching summer months. You don’t have a refrigerator and all you want after a sweaty day of work is a nice cold beverage. Oh yeah, and you’re too cheap to pay for one. What do you do?
Find a motel. 

Your […]

I’ve had my share of difficult travels. I’ve crashed a dinghy and lost an outboard motor in a stalagmite-studded New Zealand tidal cave. I’ve battled legions of leeches in a Tasmanian swamp. I’ve simultaneously vomited and experienced diarrhea in the mountains of Nepal. But before last week, I had never seen the world beat such […]

After seeing numerous end-of-year lists around the web, I thought it fitting to sum up my Top 5 in each category of The Cookblog. And so, without further ado, here they are:

Art
These are the best web sites and artists that I discovered during the past year.

Edward Gorey - I’ve posted about him before, but the […]

We all need a break from time to time and mine took place November 17 - 24 this year. Securing a week off from work, the dazzling Angelina and well-worn I woke up early and hopped on a Virgin America flight from New York to Los Angeles. Complete with video games and a Simpsons-only TV […]

I don’t like to brag, but I’m 1/4 of the most dynamic company with the best prospects in the world. I’m talking, of course, about Borgamo LLC, a board game business that is now expanding into all sorts of areas including travel and video games.

These sites will very soon turn into outstanding repositories of information […]

There’s a reason it’s taken me three days to lay down a record of my trip up to Boston last Sunday: it was a day packed so full of fun and memories that I hadn’t even recovered until now. So let’s begin at the beginning.

In my line of work, I am rarely but occasionally given […]

Happy Birthday John, you magnificent bastard.

John Mayer - Kid A (Radiohead cover)
John Hartford - Indian War Whoop
Paul McCartney - Dance Tonight

Singapore was my home for 3 years during high school and I have very fond memories of the country. One of the most fascinating cultural differences is in the national sense of humor, which is either unexpected or nonexistent depending on the occasion. The signage found throughout Singapore provide some perfect examples. Here are a […]

Traveling is so great for so many reasons. The fresh experiences, bonding time with companions and poorly-made souvenirs really do enrich one’s life. Most frequently, my memories of places I’ve been are triggered by smells. There’s the smoky scent of Nepal, the honeysuckle musk of Singapore and the mossy odor of Bali. Fortunately, I got […]