Stonefield Newsletter: Spring 2024 Update

TALK TUNES

Wasn’t it great that one day this Spring when it wasn’t raining, and we could all enjoy the season in its full glory? We remember that one day, too.

Now, before we all start to wonder what projects are going to float away with the next big rainstorm, let’s take a moment to relax and enjoy these rains for what they are. They bring us the reds, pinks and whites in our trees. Smell the fragrance of blossoming plants along our streets and in our neighborhoods. And when the clouds finally break, talk a stroll and soak in that warm sunshine that we’ve been missing for the last few months.

Now is the time to get cracking for the busy bees of Stonefield. Speaking of our buzzing brethren, here’s a fun fact: Did you know honeybees swarm during the Spring as a way to start new colonies? They’re actually at their most docile and harmless during this season because really, they’re just looking for their next home. And once they are in the hive, they transform from the single bee to the collective bee –making delicious honey together. There is nothing so social, so communal and so interdependent and beautiful as what happens in that hive. If you want a bee to make honey, you don’t issue protocols; you put that one bee together with lots of other bees and arrange the general environment for the air to be right. Just ask Jason Statham.

Somewhere between “I can’t believe he dumped me,” and “Boy, bye,” is Double Dueces by none other than Double D. Dana blessed us with the soundtrack to our hot girl summer. Whether it’s a bummer or a blessing, those cherry-red disco balls will help you get over that ex and onto the next one. Imagine the 36 Chambers of Shaolin, but each chamber takes you through a different level of grunge. Listeners move from chamber to chamber being torn to shreds by riffs from Tom Morello, Anders Osborne, and Eddie Vedder to name a few. Now, Matt Checca claims to be the biggest Pearl Jam fan at Stonefield, but IT Mike - is he even a member of ten club? Regardless if he’s the #1 or #2 fan, give 042 a shot if you miss that filthy sound that could only be created in the 90’s. Have you ever felt like your life was the final lap of a race on Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 64? Boy do we have the playlist for you. Each song slected by Olivia Kononiuk on Mixtape 043 is 170 bpm MINIMUM. A bit of Princeton slang, “Rip Session” toes the line between a caffein-induced heart attack and just enough coffee to get that site plan finished before the deadline. If you’re looking for intensity, look no further. This one’s for you! If you managed to survive the 36 Chambers of Cheese Graters on Mixtape 042 then get ready, because John Englese delivered for round two. Much like a vicious dog in a cagehe may seem innocent through the glass of his side office in Rutherford, but inside that room is a whirlwind of rage that comes out through the voices of Trent Reznor, Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, and many others. Whether you’re smashing things, lifting weights, or even designing roadways - this one is sure to get you through it.

Photo of Michael Rebolledo in Japan.

joN’S jAwNS

Jon

tells us about his favorite whiskeys and whiskey-drinking experiences.

The interview we did with JI featured in the last newsletter was so good, that we had to split it into a second part. Jon’s sartorial and epicurean tales are the stuff of legend, so we saved a few of those for this edition. A recurring segment of JI’s recs, affectionately called “Jon’s Jawns,” will be a treat to look forward to in future issues.

What’s something you’re into that you wish more people were into?

It’s a wild question. One of the pet peeves that I have with this company is that they are too fixated on tequila–we need to branch out. Tim, who is probably the biggest proponent for Tequila in this company, only drank whiskey forever. We were pretty trashy and drank a lot of Hennessey back when we got out to these bars.

So once he got me into scotch and whiskeys, I was like, cool, man, I’m going to get into this other lane, and he immediately switched over to Tequila and brought everyone back. And I was like, cool. Now it’s just me.

I feel like it’s still slept on, even though they won a ton of awards, but I’m really big on Taiwanese whiskeys and Indian whiskeys right now. There is a distillery in Taiwan called Kavalan, and they make a single malt whiskey. They have a bunch of different types, and their usual motif is the orchestra. They’ll have a conductor and soloists of different types. It’s an aged tropical whiskey that is fruitier.

Another pet peeve I have of anyone who has alcohol of some expensive type is that they buy a bottle and put it on a shelf to display, but never drink it or enjoy it. I just want to get a nice whiskey to share with anybody who wants to drink it.

What’s the Indian whiskey?

It’s very slept on. There’s a distillery there called John Paul. It used to be British back when it was a colony. They have wonderful whiskeys, and the only place that you can really find them is if you go to an Indian restaurant, which I feel is a shame.

What’s your coolest whiskey drinking experience?

One of the best experiences I had was when I went to Scotland about a year ago. I was in Edinburgh waiting for a reservation at this farm-to-table next door. There was this bar; I think it was called the Thistle Bar.

I didn’t know what it was. I walked in, and it was two dudes who looked like Thor running the bar. It was dead silent when I walked in. And I was like, I clearly feel like I am in the wrong spot. I walked in, and it was almost like the record scratched.

It was already silent, because the Scottish are generally miserable, except when they drink. I sat down in front of this giant hearth that was roaring, and these three beautiful Scottish women came out with these instruments. They started playing these very, very eerily sad Gaelic songs.

And there were these beautiful voices, playing these instruments, and I was sitting there drinking a scotch in front of this fireplace. I thought, “This is what I wanted on this trip. This is peak.”

But if it’s something like at home, you know, I do not have a fireplace in my apartment in Hell’s Kitchen. But I would maybe throw up a video, sit back, and listen to some jazz and just relax.

What’s your best whiskey recommendation?

It’s a very strange question to ask, as it depends on the mood, but if I had to pick one, it would probably be a Laphroaig 10. Everyone seems to say that their favorite whiskey is a 40 year-old Balvenie, and don’t get me wrong, those are phenomenal, and I appreciate them very much. In terms of an everyday whiskey that I can enjoy, it’s 100% Laphroaig–super smoky like a Jersey summer bonfire with your friends. You can smell it from quite a distance away. I love smoky, peaty Scotches.

I still remember the first time I was in this bar called Angel’s Share that is right off of St. Mark’s. You go upstairs to this broom closet. At like 6 o’clock, there is a line of people lining up at this broom closet where people just ignore the people working in the restaurants on their way upstairs to go to this wonderful Japanese bar. I still remember the bartender there, a guy named Takuma, who now runs a place called Martini’s. I was still new to whiskey, and he said, “Why don’t you try this?” And he gave me this Laphroaig 10, and I remember thinking, “I don’t know what this is, but give me more of it.”

What are some of the issues you have when trying to go out in New York?

A lot of places in New York are tough because of social media, which ruins places that I like because they were lesser known. I don’t know if it’s related to TikTok or something, but people say, “oh check out this spot here” and all of a sudden it’ll just blow up.

What are some highlights of some of the items you are wearing today?

The scarf I’m wearing is from this small designer called Margo Petiti; she’s an Italian designer. A couple times a year, particularly during the holiday, she comes out and she has a pop up at Grand Central. I have a few of her scarves and pocket squares. Her designs look nice, but they’re also playful because on the inside, she does a double-ply, so she’ll have a fresh pattern on the inside if I want to go with something else.

I did not come from the most well-heeled family, so I never had a suit or anything like that. I remember going to weddings with my family in khakis and maybe a Polo or something on. It was actually here at Stonefield that I learned to appreciate a lot of these things that we’re talking about a little bit more. I still remember I was on vacation, and when I came back, Chuck was very insistent that I go to this client meeting with him.

I said, “I don’t have a project with you,” and he took me out. We stopped at the store because he wanted to give me a custom suit. It was a Hugo Boss suit, and in true Chuck fashion, it was one of those suits that are very, very form fitting. So he got the same one for me and it was very, very tight. I gotta be honest–I can’t fit in that suit anymore, but I still keep it because I love that thing as a great memory.

When you wear a good-fitting suit, you just feel better. I know it sounds strange, but like there was a period of time before COVID that I didn’t wear suits every day, and then we would wear them and go to hearings or more formal meetings. I got my first real custom suit from the tailors in Shanghai. I wore it and people asked me,”Jon do you have a hearing? You look good.” It feels good, and when you go out, people treat you nicer.

Istranyi

DAILY CARRY

With Brenna Scyzoryk

Starting at the top of this pyramid scheme and moving our way down, you can see my bag, accompanied by the cutest little blue dude you’ve ever seen. You never know when you might be stranded somewhere without internet, so the cards are reserved for emergency Euchre games. Anybody want to play a round? If that’s not enough; what better way to get the party started than a little bit of fireball (shoutout Pitbull). It makes me feel like I can breathe fire and the pepper spray.. well it really does breathe fire, so look out! The bottle opener is the most important item on my key ring and is reserved for when the party doesn’t have my favorite shitty beer with a twist-

off cap. It’s an unfortunate day when I’m forced to drink a beer other than Coors Light or Blue Moon. Most people would think those sunglasses are for sunny days, but really they’re for my Ray Charles impersonation side gig I do on the weekends. The dramamine is for when those gigs take place on a boat. And can anyone tell me why this small bag of nerd gummy clusters says ‘Share Pouch,’ as if I’m not eating the entire thing myself? *Side affects to eating foods located at the top of the food pyramid are counteracted with my handy digestive juice.* And lastly, I don’t go anywhere without a photo of my best friends to remind me of just how lucky I am.

mURDER mYSTERY pARTY

A look at the lineup of characters who may or may not have murdered Orlando.

Another day, another murder at Stonefield. But this time it had nothing to do with the intern that screwed up Englese’s coffee order. No, this event was pre-meditated. Costumed and in character, the conspirators (members of Zulu, Bravo and Delta) gathered at the Williams Center on February 16th to catch a killer. Once liquid courage and noshes were added to the mix the group began casting assertions and accusations. Could it be eccentric interior designer, “Harper Doodles” (Nafen)? Or maybe the Pick-A-Plucky Chicken executive manager, “Rue Hellebore” (Evan)? Soon there were just as many suspects as there were sleuths.

Then the bodies started hitting the floor. Well, actually just one, the apathetic concierge, “Raven Thornhill” (Orlando). From that moment forward, no one was safe. After a final round of finger pointing, it was time to expose the murderer. Thornhill, from beyond the grave, lead the group as each motivation and alibi was uncovered until it was revealed that reporter, “Cove Draco” (Dana), was the culprit. It’s always the one you most suspect.

Stay vigilante, Stonefielders, and remember it’s two sugars, no cream, because next time, the victim (or killer) could be you!

TEAmS

1. Fill in the Self-Awareness box below:

a. What are your strengths? [List 3]*

b. What are your weaknesses? [List 3]*

c. What are areas you need to bolster to achieve furture goals?

d. Simple Tests:

i. Predict how you’ll react in situations and the impact of your reaction.

ii. Can you accurately predict what others would describe as your strengths and weaknesses?

2. How to develop a Proactive Stance:

a. Put yourself in a strange, uncomfortable, unfamiliar place to grow

b. Just ask for the opportunity.

3. Completing 1-2 provides you with Opportunities to Grow:

a. These Opportunities are the Experiences you need.

b. Experiences of all types are the greatest teacher.

4. What is your Personal Vision? (Refer to next page for help):

a. What do you want to achieve in your life?

b. What are you willing to sacrifice to reach your goals?

c. What would you want your legacy to be?

5. Create a Learning Environment for yourself:

a. What information is needed to learn the most from each experience?

b. Seek out feedback and be open to it.

c. Be patient, with yourself and others.

_ Fill out the chart below and cut out following the dotted lines.

TEAmS

Ikigai, or purpose, is a Japanese concept dating back to the Heian period of Japan (between 794 and 1185 AD). Everyone’s ikigai will be different and will likely take time to plot on the diagram below. If you were to place a dot on the map below, where would it land today? Do you think that the location might change in 6 months, 1 year? The diagram gives us insight into the intersection of both personal and professional pursuits and how the interaction of those modes of being can

lead to meaning and growth. Your ikigai can be thought of as your purpose in action. Off the coast of Japan, the island of Okinawa boasts an impressively high number of hundredyear-olds. Scientifically there seems to be little proof as to why that is. The author that studied this community suggests a high degree of self-awareness and joy may indeed be connected to the pursuit of ikigai.

INTERvIE w

With Max Zienkiewicz

I met with Max on the second floor of the Williams Center, bathed in light from the angled glass ceiling. We sat across from each other sprawled on couches as music from Soldato blended with sounds from the lobby downstairs. After a short time, as the photographer had us shift a few times to change the composition of the shots, Max unfolded stories about a trip abroad, dream design challenges, and even the rewards of local mushroom hunting.

How did you land at Stonefield?

My path was pretty streamlined. I went to school at Drexel, and they have a co-op program, so six months studying, six months working. The first co-op I landed was here in 2015 and I loved it. Then I tried a second co-op at another more corporate firm where they stuck me in a corner cubicle and I hated it. Then, I decided to go back to Stonefield. Apparently, I didn’t interview well. They offered the co-op to some other kid who was going to take it, but then something happened and he didn’t. So they decided, all right, let’s go to the second choice, me. Stonefield offered me a job before I left my third co-op. So even before I went back to school to finish my final year, they said, “Listen, we have a job for you.” So I didn’t bother interviewing anywhere else. After graduating, I took a little gap before starting work. Half of my family is in Poland, so I went there. I did this crazy, I don’t know, wild pilgrimage and walked across the country for a religious thing. I’m not religious, but I did it because my family had done it.

So what’s the idea behind that trip?

They’ve done this since the 80’s, probably longer. But, basically, you walk from one part of the country, usually around Warsaw, but you can even go further east. And the group walks to the center of the country. There’s this very holy place that is called Chesztyowa. There’s a story about the castle there being destroyed and ransacked in the 1500’s. The only thing that was left untouched was this holy painting of the Black Madonna of Chesztyowa. So people go and march, you know, walk there without help. And they claim to get healed from their sicknesses. I went with a group, and we walked 20 to 30 miles a day. It’s a huge thing. Thousands of people do it. Some people come from other countries to do it. Every day you wake up at 5 a.m. to start walking. And then you kind of just walk from town to town and everyone opens their doors. It’s a beautiful thing. They’re just making food. You eat there. You tent up on some large farm. A farmer will open up their farm for people to be in the barn or you put a tent down in the field.

How long was the whole thing from start to finish? Did you feel more connected to the culture?

10 days. And yes, actually. That was another huge reason why I wanted to do it. I had been there to see my family but had never seen the rest of Poland. So by walking hundreds of miles, I bettered my Polish tongue, my language. The fact that I did it and pushed through led me to meet a lot of friends there that I still keep in touch with. I actually saw them last year when I went to Poland again.

What would be a dream project to work on?

I’m not really good with cars, yet I would love to build a car. I watch this car guy on YouTube, Vice Grip Garage, and he just puts cars back together somehow. But, to answer your original question about a dream project, I was leaning towards some beautiful, idea-driven building instead of a profit-driven kind of building. I think that would be kind of cool. Maybe I could design a park? I told my girlfriend maybe I could design a golf course because that’s all grading, so that’d be cool.

What is it that the car thing is doing for you that you’re not getting during your regular day?

I think one of the biggest things with plans is that you’re part of the design and then you have to wait a few odd years before you actually see it. But with a car, it’s something you can test out, use, and then see. It’s more tangible. In planning, you’re a little far removed from the end product, and at the end, it’s not something that’s dynamic. It’s not performance-oriented.

What city do you think is overrated and what’s a city that’s underrated?

A city that’s overrated from a simple perspective is New York. I think there’s fun things to do and cool culture stuff, but compared to other cities in the world from a civic side, the subway sucks, the streets are destroyed, and sidewalks suck with not much room for biking. If they could just repave all the streets all at once with all new sidewalks with a much better, more efficient subway system, I think that’d be great. Inversely, I think Amsterdam is pretty good only because you’re forced to use a bike, and it just kind of worked out naturally that all you need is a sidewalk.

More locally, where are some places you go to get outside?

I usually go to Mills Reservation in Montclair. My girlfriend and I love to mushroom hunt. In the summer, you’ll find chicken of the woods, and in the fall it’s head of the woods up there. So that’s where we started out because my mom and my brother go too. Now we just love mushrooms, and if we go on hikes and find them, we know how to ID them. If they’re edible, we’ll pick them and bring them home to cook. We just sauté them with butter, garlic, shallots, and lemon. Four things.

Why do you mushroom hunt? Ever guessed wrong and felt *funky?

Mushrooms are very tasty, and they’re nutritious too. If you wanted to, you could sell them for a lot of money. Head of the woods are very pricey. Some larger ones are 50 to 60 bucks. You can sell them to restaurants and farmers markets. I’ve never sold them, I always eat them. I’ve seen turkey tail, oyster mushrooms, chicken of the woods–obviously. I saw a reishi mushroom here in Rutherford. They actually grow around here. I was out for a walk and saw a little one-foot grass strip that was sunken next to the sidewalk. I don’t know why I looked in there, but I did and there was this beautiful reishi mushroom. I didn’t know what it was that day. I tried to go back a few days later, but it was decaying. It’s awesome because you have to get it at the right moment to enjoy it, and then it’s gone. And to answer the magic mushroom question–no, because I’m too scared of that. If you don’t know 100%, you don’t want to mess around with that.

INTERvIE w

With Louie Torres

In the basement of 92 Park, a narrow corridor winds around to Louis’ Lair, a nook with exposed beams, HVAC ducts, and endless snakes of multicolored wires. An array of screens, some with toy figures perched atop, show Stonefield’s inner workings. Decked out in a military coat with Jean-Michel Basquiat’s scrawls kept open over a North Face x Gucci collab hoodie, Louie excitedly unfolded a bit of his past, his tastes, and even his parallel-universe self.

How long have you been here?

So I believe around 2017-ish, Mr. Bossman here, Mike, was the solo IT guy. He’s the one who was the original IT guy of Stonefield. In 2017, funnily enough, we were at an event, and he was having a basic conversation at a table talking about how IT at the office was getting a little difficult. He happened to be talking to my father-in-law, who mentioned that I do IT. So around 2017, I started part-time for about two years until 2019, when I was asked to join full time. But I never really planned to be in this field.

What other things were you planning? Is IT what you went to school for?

I was interested in psychology, but I was the tech guy in the family. Whenever something happened, they would ask if I could repair a phone, change a battery, or set up grandma’s new TV. So eventually when the opportunity came, I said, “I’ll try it.”

How have your responsibilities changed since 2019?

Honestly, I have to say I am slowly going up that ladder from entry level, when I did the most basic work to now understanding the administrative part of Stonefield and its operations. I have knowledge of those areas because I’m more trusted, since I’ve been here so long. I have admin privileges, access to everything, and I have the keys to the whole castle. We can see what everybody’s doing like their programs and what they open up.

What is your official title here?

Stonefield doesn’t work on titles. I guess systems administrator because that’s technically what we do. Or, if I invented one as a joke, IT Overlord.

What is it that you’re seeing right now at your station? I see that there are about 5 screens of information.

Right now, I’m preparing for the influx of interns that we get every summer. So in the last month or so, I’ve been building computers and laptops for them. This is a laptop that I’m getting loaded up with user accounts. I think maybe close to 30 people are joining in the next two to three months.

What’s the most random problem you’ve seen, one that would be on season 2 of the sitcom version of Stonefield?

We had an employee upstairs who doesn’t work here any longer, and she was trying to connect to the internet on her computer. So something happened where she thought her cable wasn’t working. What she did was, on her own, find a very long cable and plug it into her computer. And then she went to get an internet cable and ran it all the way across the office floor, going all the way down into another side of the office looking for a port on the wall to plug it in. But everybody has ports on their desk, and I guess she didn’t realize that. So when she got a new cable, she ran it all across the office and then even went to the extreme of getting painter’s tape to cover it up and even duct tape. It was then that somebody mentioned it to us, so we went up to look at it and we were like, “what the hell is this?” I told her, “you can just plug it in right there.”

So what are some of the stereotypes about an IT person that you check the boxes for? What are some that you don’t? I mean, you got a North Face x Gucci sweatshirt on.

I’m a gamer, a super-hardcore MMO fantasy gamer. That’s me. Dungeons and Dragons, that type of stuff. But, yeah. I guess I’m very fashion-forward, and I’m very up with the times. I think that a lot of IT dudes would not be. Before I had a kid, I used to go out all the time, clubbing, drinking, partying, literally just living my life. I don’t live the typical IT life. In my friend group, a lot of us are in tech. We’re computer scientists, whatever, and I have to say my life is probably the most active compared to theirs. I go out, spend money, buy things, hang out, drink, and go to restaurants.

Does listening to music help you work? And conversely, what kinds of music don’t help you work?

I can’t listen to slow tempo or calm-sounding music. I work better if I have a ton of background noise going on. I guess I’m able to focus on both. I’m able to vibe to music as well as do my job at the same time.

What’s something you collect?

I have a surprise collection of kicks. I have dozens and dozens and dozens of sneakers at home. I guess nobody would expect that. I have them all categorized by brand and color. I have two spaces. I have the shelves where I keep my pairs that I really love. And then I have my closet upstairs, where I keep the rest if I need to grab a sneaker quickly to go.

I guess one of the ones that I really love is the Ultraboost Galaxy that has a monochromatic type vibe and it’s a purple, bluish. And those are, I guess, my favorite sneakers because the color is really nice. And I have two pairs of the black Ultraboosts, plain black with the adidas logo in a bluish color. I have a million Dunks, a bunch of mids and high tops. I got these LV trainers that are really nice. Those are right at the top of my shelf at home, actually.

What’s an alternate universe version of Louie?

Easy–a playboy finance bro. Working on Wall Street in a Patagonia vest making 150, 200+ finishing work, going to a club, strippers, all that stuff. I’d have an Audi–maybe an A4 or A6. That would be my alternate life right there.

EARTh DAY RECAp

A look at the contributions made by the Stonefield Green Team

Led by Team Paris, our volunteers arrived on a brisk Friday morning in Leonia, NJ to assist the Teaneck Creek Conservancy Group to clean up and enhance their park. With the help of a few employees at Topology, a little over twenty volunteers split into factions focused on different goals. Some scoured the park for century-old bricks left behind from factories previously demolished on site while others prepared the foundation for a stone floor to be laid using those recycled bricks. Simultaneously, other groups collected pounds and pounds of trash while one group was determined to dig up an artifact from the past. Just like Master Yoda using the force to pull the X-Wing out of the samp, Jason Aktas can be seen digging up a K-Mart shopping cart that had likely been submerged in the ground for decades. We should all take notes on that impeccable form.

A “T” (for Teaneck) became the focal point of the field of stone created by Stonefield. An existing rain shed was in need of a floor to support educational activities for local schoolchildren on field trips to the park. Who needs grading plans? Just look at how level that floor is! Just like last year, volunteers were rewarded for their volunteering efforts with limited Stonefield Earth Day shirts. Everything we do at Stonefield directly impacts the communities we live and work in, so it’s equally important that we do our part in cleaning up, protecting, and preserving them.

For those interested, the cart is currently being repurposed into a sculpture soon to be on display somewhere within the park. Any day now, park visitors will be able to see that cart along with many other sculptures as they walk along the path.

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DEREK SAbATo

mARINA AmoRE ALExIS DECKER