Archery is the New Black

It's the only sport I may have a distant chance of winning an olympic medal in — goodness knows these legs wouldn't hold up to a mid-life hurdle attempt. Now thanks to my good friend, Joseph Ungoco, my olympic archery ambitions came to life this summer in New York City.

Long been the past time of the wise and wonderful; Gina Davis made the olympic trials for the U.S. women's team and much loved author Paulo Coelho of The Alchemist fame has been a long time advocate, archery is one step up from bowling, one step below red-neck-gun-range action.

Once armed with your compound bow, all sorts of images will likely run through your head that will make you feel like the warrior you always knew yourself to be.

Depending on your imagination you could quickly become an Elf mid-battle to save a Hobbit; Angelina Jolie in an upcoming action flick and/or part Rambo, part majestic Greek warrior/ess. The choices are endless really.

When it comes to taking up the sport, there are many options. Everything from the bow you use, to the conditions in which you practice. Queens Archery is where our lust for the arrow began and I have to admit I'm a little bit of a slave to my twice weekly practice.

For $20, you get an hour of shooting time, your equipment hire and a lesson on your first visit. As you get better there are options to join a competitive league and for the under 18s they even have a Junior Olympic Development program.

Whether you've always wanted to try, or are simply looking for something different to do this summer, I highly suggest taking a trip with friends for a good laugh and a chance to be your own action hero. Let's face it, a little controlled agression does you the world of good.

Go the F**k to Sleep

In today's overachieving world, sometimes it's the parents that need a “happy ever after," particularly when battling bed time. Now, thanks to father of two, Adam Mansbach, it's only a page away with this storybook for adults entitled, Go the F**k to Sleep.

A children’s book for an adults-only audience, this Where the Wild Things Are type storybook revives the tortured soul at a time when parents need it most. Aunties, Uncles, teachers and helpers alike will all get a giggle out of this ingenius offering that small Brooklyn-based publisher, Aksahic Books took a leap of faith to publish.

The book has been enormously successful since a pdf was leaked and went viral; particularly in a place like New York where parenting was recently described as a “famously competitive sport” by the New York Post.

Here is a video of Samuel L.Jackson reading a passage. Truly brilliant.