So it's Sunday morning and it's raining and Joanne's off on a Lady's
Day in NJ and my grandson's lacrosse game is rained out. A perfect
time to address next Friday's 18 hour blog. Why 18 hours? Because it
is 4/30--the last day of the month and it gets posted around 6:00 am
and disappears like Cinderella at Midnight. Most bloggers lament this
"throw away" blog, eg, HHDB, but what... More >>

Last Sunday, I was taken aback by the size of the New York Times Fashion Section for the Summer. Periodically - I guess its four times a year - once for each season - the Sunday Times includes a section featuring upcoming fashions. I am a printer's son and acquired a sensitivity to printed materials. The Fashion Times last Sunday was alarmingly small. Small means no advertising.
Two poss... More >>

Follow-up on one of my previous blogs, one in which I received public and private comments that will help shape my views on dealing my and other children for the rest of my life. The generosity of those who responded about their own personal circumstances and results was astounding. Thank you, sincerely.


After voicing concerns about my 8 year-old son Tyler about his Terra Nova scores, his r... More >>

This is Jane's story. Do you have one?

The New York story is a staple. O’Neill and O. Henry, Mitchell’s Up in the Old Hotel, Metropolitan Diary, Woody Allen, Edith Wharton, Jimmy Breslin, Tom Wolfe - there are 8 million stories in the naked city. Everyone has a vignette because everyone’s witnessed a scene worth sharing. Here’s mine:

I was due in federal court in Brooklyn at 11 ... More >>

It is a beautiful spring day outside. As is my habit lately, I am sitting at my desk eating my lunch and working. For a moment I let my mind wander and wonder what I would be doing if I had chosen to be a teacher instead of a lawyer. Given the warm temperature outside and the beautiful blue sky the image that immediately comes to mind is sitting outside with my class enjoying an animated discussi... More >>

It is not a good feeling when you are driving and you see a police car's lights flashing in your rear view mirror and you move to the side to let them pass but they don't pass but stay right behind you and you realize it is you they are stopping. Suddenly you are cursing and probably blaming somebody else for whatever you think the officer thinks you did.

Like the other night, for instance, ... More >>

Staring out the back door and thinking about what I have to do today lead me to create this list

1. Leaves pop out. You know, those green things that are attached to the branches we've been staring at all winter
2. You have to go get gas to fill the lawnmower, or worse, you have to get it repaired because you found out it doesn't work
3. Fred shaves his beard (not sure if that's a indication ... More >>

When I was young I was captivated by the history book mystery of Katyn
Forest. Katyn Forest is wooded area a short distance from Smolensk
in Russia. After WW II started in 1939 with the invasion of Poland
over 22,000 Polish elite--most of them army officers, but also
thousands of leading members of the Polish intelligentsia-- were taken
prisoner in early 1940. In 1943 the Nazis ... More >>

From the very beginning, Jennifer and Charles had a vision of what their wedding would be. It was fitting that as they began to plan their life together, their first major project was planning their perfect day. Not surprisingly, as the families prepared for their childrens' wedding, some issues arose, and I repeatedly told myself, and others, to trust Jen and Charles's vision. I was sure ... More >>

Let me start by revealing my personal bias. I and my family have always been "Toyota Loyalists". It is not necessarily a natural or hereditary bias, but rather a subjective anaylsis of personal experiences in my lifetime.

That being said, it looks like "America's Favorite Car Brand" which for decades had thrived simply by putting the best pound for pound product on the road has been brought... More >>

Sunday morning I picked my 10 year old son up from Hebrew school and he handed me $1.50. "Mom, hold this for me, ok?" Knowing that I had not sent him to Hebrew with money, and there was no vehicle that I was aware of during the school day to earn money, I asked where it came from. "That's easy, Mom" he said "my friend Joe [name changed to protect the innocent] bought my calendar from me."

A... More >>

I jokingly say that I joined Facebook to annoy my kids. My teenage children all think its embarrassing that their ancient mother is a part of their social networking site. But I have had more fun on Facebook than I expected having reconnected with some old friends, such as some of my college roommates. However, I find the almost daily friend requests a bit intimidating as it requires me to consid... More >>

My family always shared food. When my kids were younger, and even not so younger, and a tasty portion of crispy fries were on their plate, I would dig my fork in, saying "Daddy tax," and gobble them up. Plates of food are passed around. It is a given that dessert is shared, as many dueling spoons dive for that hot fudge on the bottom. Is this a good thing?

Last week I had a searing sore thr... More >>

It took about 4 hours to get there. Traffic getting out of New York was the culprit although we did arrive 45 minutes before show time.

I bought tickets for Pam and I and we entered the theater. It was small yet functional. Seats on three sides faced the set in the middle. After some thinking we picked seats that we could see almost all of the stage. We weren't sure where he would be.

Afte... More >>

Two weeks ago we enjoyed a memorable Saturday night in timeless Oyster Bay (home of Teddy Roosevelt and the then "Summer White House" on Sagamore Hill). The draw was a 6 artist photography show at a local gallery. The draw within the draw were the amazingly provocative photographs of Gothamite (and former blogger) Ennid Berger.

We started our Oyster Bay night by happening upon "Fiddleheads" res... More >>

Jennifer and Charles were doing it, Jennifer and her father had tried it. So when we looked at each other, Flo and I thought, why not? We would take a dance lesson before the wedding.

It’s easier said than done. Jen recommended the same instructor as they were using. Finding the time was another matter. We were all set for Saturday at 4pm. When the instructor called us on Saturday morning an... More >>

I'm trying to figure out to what extent I should engage this current situation. My son is in second grade. He is a wonderful kid (like everyone's), he just completed his Verra Nova tests which came back almost ridiculously high. While I am very proud of that, my conversation with his teacher was quite odd. It was the culmination of a series of conversations throughout the year, but this one le... More >>

The front of my house is falling apart. It has been in quite a lovely state of disrepair for a long time, 3 years to be exact, since a pipe broke in front of the house and required emergency surgery for my driveway. The town has now decided that it is time for us to complete the repair and so off we went to find a contractor to fix our look.

Over the course of time, we interviewed several pot... More >>

As the “new blogger on the block,” I have been questioned a lot about my blogger experience. Friends and colleagues want to know whether I am enjoying being a blogger. I’ve been asked when do I write and where do I find the time to write. I have also been often asked where do I find my topics.

But the question I have been asked most often is how does my family feel about my blogging. Usu... More >>

What is women putting makeup on in public all about? I don't mean that refresher of lipstick after dinner. I mean sitting in a public place, pulling a mirror out of a bag and going the whole nine yards.

A few weeks ago riding the train into the city, a forty minute ride, the woman next to me spent the entire time fixing herself. It started with foundation (yes, I know foundation), eye line... More >>

A funny thing happened on the way to a lunch appointment. The weather was so nice that I drove with my windows open. I was driving up route 110 (a major north/south road on Long Island) and each mile was an experience. A cacophony of scents and smells.

When I made my first right onto 110 I got a whiff of gasoline from the station on the corner. Everybody seemed to have a convertible. A bit furt... More >>

When I was young I never read anything other than the sports page and baseball biographies. As I grew older, I found listening to books on tape and now CDs to be a great way to productively utilize my drive time and the bonus was that I was a blank slate and had all of the the English language's great literature available to me for consumption. War and Peace, A Tale of Two Cities, the biograph... More >>

As the next wedding in our family approaches, Jennifer and Charles allow me to share this email that I sent to them last weekend.

Jennifer and Charles-
I wasn't sure why I woke up early this morning until I remembered the Kiddush cup that Jennifer asked me to bring when we see you tonight. Even though I had recently polished it before the holidays, I wanted to polish it especially for ... More >>

I asked Tracey, a friend from high school whom I hadn't spoken with in a long time to write this blog for me, because in my worst moment of arrogance I couldn't possibly think that anything I could write could be as important or motivating as her experience as described below. My wife and I have committed to getting tested with the hope of having this same opportunity. Thanks for taking the time... More >>

Along with the arrival of spring, comes a burning need to shop. It has always been this way for me. There is just something about the sunshine and the change of season that draws me to the mall.

Apparently, this sickness is inherited. I idly suggested to my daughter last week that we visit the Tanger Outlets in Riverhead. The next thing I knew, we were in the car with my oldest (not in ye... More >>

It is now April 5, 2010 and I have only lost five of the fifteen pounds I resolved to lose on New Years Eve. While I am getting discouraged, I do know why I have been unable to lose weight. My problem is basic, too many foods tempt me and I lack the will or motivation to exercise.

Chocolate is the worse temptation for me. I cannot go near chocolate or, worse, a chocolate chip cookie without t... More >>

When flying, most important I want to get home alive, and also reasonably on time. I also hope that the guy in front of me doesn't push his seat all the way back. Aside from crushed knees, it makes me claustrophobic and cranky to have the top of a seat cushion in my face.

Friday night, flying home from a trip, here is what happened a few rows up from me, which woke me from a slumber. A young... More >>

Just recently I have come to find that the beliefs that I have developed in my life, center around a central premise of Buddhism: the purpose of life being happiness in its purest. So in a sense we can look at life as art. But it's much more than a painting or a drawing, it's something dynamic.

If you begin to examine life itself, you'll see its beauty is shown using circles or cycles. Every e... More >>

My 9 year old grand daughter Maggie Olive Klein is a prolific writer and artist and, in fact, blogger too (see her 1/15/10 blog substituting for me which drew an above average 20 comments).

Well, I have been trying to get in on some of her creative action. You know me, lots of suggestions and "You shoulds". My concept is that we should collaborate on something. However, no matter how much... More >>

Like Nancy (Tuesday's Blog), I have also been pondering tradition during the past week.
As our children -- already adults and beginning new families of their own -- move on with their lives, I wonder what our family traditions will look like ten years from now. On the one hand, I acknowledge the necessity for the evolution of tradition. On the other hand, as Tevya said: "Tradition".
... More >>