The Update (OTR @ Camp Mason)- May 15th

In today's edition of The Update Journal, apparently I’ve spent most of my life attending cookouts without actually participating in them. We’re talking barbecue blindness, the shocking realization that people have been eating brisket and ribs recreationally for years.Then, one piece of fried chicken and a can of Squirt turned into a full existential crisis. Because now I’m sitting here wondering what other flavors I’ve missed. Is there a secret underground beverage society? Have the rest of you been gatekeeping cream sodas and regional fruit drinks while I’ve been out here drinking the same three things since 2009?Plus, in The Last Word: we’re “roughing it” at Camp Mason for the Urban Dove spring overnight retreat—which mostly means pretending sleeping in a cabin is fun while every bug in New Jersey files a formal request to enter the building. “Getting closer to nature” sounds beautiful until nature starts scratching at the screen door at 2 in the morning.So: meat confessions, soda discoveries, and camping with a carefully managed exit strategy. Because yes, we’re outdoors… but we are also counting the days until we’re back at home base before Memorial Day weekend.In the headlines on #TheUpdate this Friday, An Long Island Rail Road strike could strand nearly 300,000 commuters starting this weekend as five labor unions and MTA leaders are at odds over wage increases for the union workers. At the same time, an electrical fire erupted on the Amtrak tracks at Penn Station, snarling service into the major Midtown hub, officials said. LIRR service was also impacted by the fire, with delays, cancellations and skipped stops reported on multiple lines, according to the MTA’s website.Big Apple retailers narrowly avoided having to shell out tens of thousands of dollars in upgrades to their roll-gown gates — as the city has temporarily paused its attempt to begin enforcing an obscure, decades-old law mandating changes to the security barriers this summer.And overseas, China’s Xi Jinping warned President Trump that their two countries could clash over Taiwan if the issue is not handled properly, an unusually harsh admonition that stood in contrast to the American leader’s praise for his counterpart.