BARACK ON BROADWAY

All the bigwigs of Broadway organized a fund raising evening for Barack Obama, (the next President of the United States) in the New Amsterdam Theatre on 42nd Street during the 'dark' night of Mary Poppins. It was a wonderful evening, full of beautiful words and music from actors, singers, dancers and of course our man, Barack. He spoke for about 45 minutes, and he was truly inspiring. He is humble, optimistic, realistic, and genuinely funny. I couldn't help but think, more than once, while he was speaking, "he doesn't sound like a President, or a 'polished' politician for that matter." That's why he is so refreshing. He speaks from his gut, without pretense and smooth talk. He gets to the point in a conversational way that makes you feel your having a discussion with him in your living room. That's comforting. And I want to follow 'that'. And most importantly, he is different. He is not D.C. experienced, he is an idealist, and he constantly talks of hope. Isn't that what we need right now? A hopeful, new way of dealing with Washington D.C. , our country, and the world.




To make the evening even better, afterward, I approached one of the evening's presenters, and 'god' of Broadway theatre - Harold "Hal" Prince. I was completely starstruck. If you don't know who he is, you should. He is contemporary theatre's most legendary producer/director. He has won a multitude of awards as a producer and director of such famous original productions as: The Pajama Game (1954), West Side Story(1960), Fiddler on the Roof(1964), Cabaret(1966), A Little Night Music(1973), Evita(1979), Sweeney Todd(1979), Phantom of the Opera(1988), Parade(1998), Lovemusik(2007), and dozens of other plays and musicals.

Anyway, I approached him and told him how much I admired him and his life and work. He was extremely warm and friendly, despite the multitudes of people. We talked for a minute about nothing important, since my mind was wiped clean of any rational thought. And I got this great picture. He is one of those people I have always wanted to meet sometime in my life - and I did.

#3

Hooray. We just found out today. 20 weeks along, and everything is good. Margaret is particularly excited to have a little sister on the way. And if this new little one is as easy going as Margaret was, it sure will be a nice break for Heather, after the craziness, but cuteness, of our little boy Cole.

Once a month or so I blog at Segullah
Today I'm pondering the reasoning behind becoming a parent. Any thoughts? Share them there.

Belated Birthday Wishes

Our friend Nate had his birthday yesterday. We always tell everyone, "We've been friends with him more than half our lives, so he's really more like family."

Last month when I posted he was extremely peeved because he wasn't in any of the photos or even mentioned in passing even though he was present at more than half of the activities listed. Soo . . . here's a belated birthday gift to him. My proclamation to the world who reads this blog that we love him dearly and he is present at most all the important events in our lives.

Thanks Nate, we do love you and are thankful you're here. Here's proof for the rest of you.

1) Cole's B-day Beach Trip

2) Early Summer Zoo Trip

3) Springtime Botanical Garden picnic

4) Winter Coney Island Adventure

5) Sledding at Lori's

6) Christmas visit to Temple Square

7) Reunion dinner with long-time friends

And that should suffice! I feel blessed and happy to have such a friend in my life! May your 32nd year bring you much joy.

BrockO Bama

In an attempt to brainwash his children (and probably other undecided Americans) Matt donated to the presidential campaign for Barack Obama. In return for his donation they sent bumper stickers, t-shirts, and signs. One of the t-shirts has a picture of Barack Obama's face and since one of Cole's favorite questions is "Whoz Dat?" Matt found it an opportune time to teach him just who it is. Well, Cole got the name down, but he's not quite clear on the rest. Cole's not of voting age, but that smile could sure sway a few votes, so watch your back Barack, Thomas the Train may be your newest competition.

Summer's Flying By

So, maybe it's been a few months, but I am committed to updating this blog at least once a month. That is all I can commit to right now, okay? Okay good! Not to be cranky to anyone who may be reading, it's just that I'm pregnant and I can only commit to so much. You read that right, I'm pregnant. Baby number t-h-r-e-e is on its way and will make an arrival in early February of next year. For other pregnant moms out there, that means I'm 14 weeks along, just finished my first trimester, feeling mostly better. For the rest of you lay people who have a hard time transferring weeks into months and pregnancy lasting nine months is the only thing that makes sense to you, that means I'm about 3 1/2 months along. Margaret is excited and has begun praying that the baby will be cute when it comes out and that mommy will feel better from the baby sickness. I'm on the upswing, so her prayers must be working.

We've had a fun-filled summer. We went to Utah from the end of June into July and had a great time going on a family campout, swimming at various pools where they actually let kids use floating devices, enjoying food cooked on the grill in the backyard, visiting those amazing Utah mountains , and playing with friends and family. Since we came home to New York we have enjoyed a visit from Matt's sister Marti, her husband Russ and a couple of their kids. We helped them find all the delicious food we know about (like Grimaldi's, Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory, Vynl, Pam Real Thai, Junior's for cheesecake, Dale and Thomas for candied popcorn, and don't forget H&H bagels) and they enjoyed it all, at least once, sometimes more ;-). Maybe we all gained a couple of pounds . . .it was worth it.

We have also ventured to a few different beaches. If you like other people's loud radios and don't mind lots of litter floating in the water, then Orchard Beach (in the Bronx) is only a bus ride away (to be fair we did go to Orchard Beach in the fall and find it quite lovely when the beach was practically empty and the park workers had had a month or two to clean up all the trash; it is a beautiful view. ) However, if you have access to a car or don't mind a little more time on the train, Jones Beach is absolutely gorgeous and amazing, as is Robert Moses (both in Long Island). We've also made a couple of trips across the river to Bear Mountain State park and that's a nice way to get out of the city as well.

Aside from recreational news Cole turned two, Margaret is figuring out how to read, Matt is working over time, singing, auditioning, I'm still feeding the family even when "the baby sickness" makes is difficult, and we got bunk beds for the kids room. All in all I'd say we've had a delightful and successful summer. What have you done lately?

Guess what? My wife is amazing. Despite the fact that we have two small children, and I work 9-5 and was in a play every night, Heather trained for and completed a half-marathon a couple weeks ago. She is amazing. I am so proud of her dedication and commitment.
Today is her birthday, and mine was last Friday. We are 31!!! We are now officially, 'in our thirties'. That feels weird. I still feel about 23.
For my birthday, we went to see a play at The Public Theatre, here in town. They're the ones that produce Shakespeare in the Park. I bought the tickets as part of season package a while ago. I had no idea what we were in for. The play was called Passing Strange. Here is the link. It was one of those mind-blowing experiences that can only be had in the theatre. AMAZING!!! It made me want to be a better and more courageous artists, and person, for that matter. If you are in town, you must see it. The most powerful line for me, was when the lead actor/narrator stated, roughly,"It's rather frightening to wake up one day and realize that everything you have become, everything you have worked and dreamed for, was decided by your 17 yr. old self" That really connected with me. That is me! And you know what?, I am really proud of that. I was lucky enough to have a passion that I wanted to follow. I could have ignored it in my twenties, and taken a more conservative and predictable route of survival and success. But I didn't. And I am happy living this wonderful and scary adventure with my wife and kids. This is living. Learning, struggling, and doing things without fully knowing what the outcome may ultimately be.
Hooray for good theatre!!! It's hard to come by theatre that brings you to a higher plane of understanding and creativity. These are the moments I live for.

HOORAY FOR THE INDIGO GIRLS!!! On Tuesday, I grabbed a free AM New York paper from the regular newsperson. I made a choice to stop reading physical papers about three months ago (another one of my little ways to help the environment). I now get all my news online. But for some reason, I had an overwhelming urge to go all 'old school' and do a crossword in a physical paper. And boy am I glad that I took part in forest depletion that day! On the first page, there was a listing for the two-night stay of the Indigo Girls at Town Hall ( a small concert/theatre venue just off Times Square). While in Austin, this happened a couple times. I would hear about it the day of, and of course it would be sold out when I tried to secure tix. But in Austin, they always played small clubs and bars. With hope, I tried this day, again, to get tickets. Not only were there tix available, but I go 7th row center. WOW! To make a long story short, I told Heather, we got a last minute babysitter, went to the concert, had the time of our life. It was meant to be. The Indigo Girls play a very significant role in my and my wife's relationship that goes all the way back to high school. And in the six years since we've been married, we have never seen them in concert until Tuesday night. Their new stuff is beautiful, and they played a great mix of oldies, even "our song", Mystery. Thank you Girls! Emily, for your voice and melody, and Amy, for your guts.

It's a new dawn, a new day, a new life! Yes, we are terrible bloggers. But hey, nobody really reads this anyway. Not much to report. I am moving to a new law firm in April. Margaret turns 4 soon, Cole is repeating the last word of every sentence he hears, and Heather Anna is quickly becoming what she has always dreamed of - Cute,Teeny, & Tan!!! She is looking mighty fine, but still lacking in the Tan part. It's winter after all. I, on the other hand, am quickly becoming Ugly, Chubby, and Pasty!!! I've got to nip that in the bud. Hey, it's winter after all. It's my body reacting to the cold weather, right? Or maybe it's because I sit behind a desk 9 hours a day. Ah well, the grind of life.

This is the color of fall to me. The best time of year in NYC. The Botanical Gardens in the Bronx are amazing. With the autumn season here, and the seasons of family approaching, I created this blog to help us stay in touch with our friends and families that mean so much to us, and to journal our travails in this crazy city. Take the ride with us and join our blog.