Raindrops Keep Falling On My........house
It was a day like I have never seen in my 37 years of life. Actually, I don't know one other person who had ever seen a day like this one. In fact, I would guess that the only person in history who had ever lived through a day like this was named Noah. Yes...that Noah. The one with the boat. The day was last Monday the 12th. It began raining around 7:30am and didn't stop downpouring until after 8:00 at night. DOWNPOURING. Constant, loud, pelting rain for 12+ hours. Everyone was amazed that it could rain that much.
I have a finished basement. Less than a year ago, the previous owners of our house had completed the job with new carpets and paint on the paneling. There is a drop ceiling and everything. I mean, it is a finished basement complete with L-shaped leather couch, furniture, cable and all the kid's toys. We also store a ton of stuff down there. It is my favorite room in the whole house. In fact, it's the main reason why I fell in love with the house in the first place back in October 2003. I would finally get a basement.
Deb had gone down there around 6:30 to check on it with all the water outside. We never had water down there but it was a good idea to check. Dry as a bone. Nice! Nary a drop. I arrived home around 7 and we had a nice dinner and the kids went to bed around 8 as usual. I was watching the Baseball Homerun Derby on TV around 9:45 when I decided to go up and get ready for bed. As I passed the basement door, I heard a strange noise. It sounded like a toy that was left on. I thought maybe Deb left the TV on when she went down there earlier. I put the light on at the top of the stairs and looked down....
I have never, thank God, lost anyone tragically in my immediate family. My cat died in 1999 but, well, that was my cat. They are not supposed to live to 19 years old. Basements are supposed to live forever. They hold your memories and never tell a soul. I lived in my parent's house with a finished basement until I was 24 and, let me tell you, if those basement walls could talk then I would be on Jerry Springer.
I walked down the stairs to my basement and the final step onto the basement floor was like stepping into the kiddie pool at the swimclub. Water above my toes. Covered the floor of the room. Edge to edge. It was getting higher as I stood there.
Panic.
My first thought was to get the electrical stuff out of the way. The dehumidifier was 2 inches in water. I was going to run to it but it was like sloshing through ab obstacle course with water in it. I picked it up and unplugged it. All the water was draining from it as I put it on a table. What next? I scanned the floor. HOW LUCKY! There were no books on the floor but the bottom shelf of the bookshelf was touching the waterline. Took those books out. Then I saw the toy in the middle of the floor that had caught my attention from the top of the stairs. It was a Blues Clues toy that was screaming, having shorted out in the pool. Toys can't swim.
15 minutes later and the water was above my ankles. Six inches in spots. I had moved the wooden furniture from the floor into the garage and Deb dried it. The couch, however, could not be moved. The rain had stopped...but I had a nightmare on my hands.
I was depressed. I knew that a plummer was on the way but it took him 2 hours to get there on this busy evening. I sat on the couch with my head in my hands and I was depressed. I felt an actual sense of loss. It felt as though something had died suddenly and I could not control those emotions. My basement was in an accident and was severely injured...
The next day was horrible. The plummer pumped 2,000 gallons of water out of my basement. He left after that four hour job and I remained pulling up carpet and padding, rolling it up with duct tape and hauling it out, dripping, to the curb for the trash man. I used so much duct tape rolling up the carpet - I realized what Tony Soprano must feel like.
By nightfall my hands were blistered from the carpet and the basement floor was glistening with what was left of the dampness. I used a borrowed wet-vac to clear any puddles and borrowed 4 fans that I rotated around the room to finish the drying process. By 8pm I was done with everything I could do to insure there would be no mold or mildew problem down there. I was POOPED.
The phone rings. My sister is on vacation in Alaska with her husband. It's HER home number on the caller ID. Before I answer I know exactly what happened. Yup. Mom went to feed her cats. The food and litter box are in the basement. I got there 15 minutes later with the wet-vac. 300 gallons of water later I was loading the wet-vac back into my car and driving home.
Sleep.
I've always considered myself lucky. Things always seem to go my way. I believe that's karma. I believe good things happen to good people; positive people. Why was it that I had ALL my valuables packed in Rubbermaid containers in my basement? Could I have known? 7 large sized Rubbermaid containers stuffed with my baseball card collection and other sports memorabilia items like 1970's programs and signed baseballs. Floating.....but safe inside. All the kids toys - same thing. On tables or somehow propped up against other things. No wet stuffed animals. No wet books. Lucky lucky lucky.
Still depressed, I turned on the news and within 15 minutes I was not depressed any longer. Other people - in MY township - lost everything. Pictures, momentos, important papers, collectibles, memoirs....HOUSES....gone. If I was depressed...what were they?
Now it's Tuesday and it's been a week since the rain. The couches have dried out well and I've been successful in avoiding mildew and mold. The fans are off. My basement looks like a half-finished storage shed filled with boxes, Rubbermaids, and some furniture. There is carpet tack all around the perimeter of the room and I go down there several times a day to check on it. I dunno...I guess I have accepted that it's not finished anymore but there is still a sadness down there.
We plan on putting carpet down there again soon after taking a few small measures to insure that we are safer from water than we were before.
Tuesday afternoon while I was cleaning the basement, Elijah came home from camp and ran downstairs. I was practically in tears when I saw him and he practically ignored the fact that it was wet and the carpet was gone. He just ran over and gave me a hug and asked me to play with him. He grabbed the waterlogged Blues Clues toy and handed it to me. I gave him a hug and told him he was a gift from God.
jb
Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Thursday, July 01, 2004
There Ain't No Cure for the Summertime Blues...(unless you have kids)
June was horrible. What a crappy month. Ever notice that when you need something so bad, it becomes harder to capture? Why is that? I think it's God's way of saying "nothing comes easy - EVER." Whatever. It's one of those things. So much of my business at work is church related (I know - Jewish guy financing church organs) and churches take the summers off from purchasing items. They get busy with daycamp and things and my business goes in the pooper. Happens every year. July is usually a good bounceback month so I am expecting big things this month.
When things are bad at work and you come home depressed it's good to have kids. Kids could care less about work. All they know is that Daddy is coming home and they are happy. Hannah's first word was "Elijah" but the only word she uses these days is "daddy." She says it in the most beautiful, sweet voice I have ever heard. "Daddy daddy daddy daddy." When I walk in the house from the garage after work she is in the kitchen eating dinner and she hears me and her hands start flapping and she starts giggling. Then she hears me and it's "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY." "Hannah, how was your day today?" "DADDY DADDY DADDY." "Did you play with the other children?" "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY." "Did you eat a good lunch?" "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY." "You know, I had a REALLY bad day at work and I wasn't happy today." "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY!" and everything is good again.....
The other day at my mom's for dinner, we are all sitting around the table eating my Aunt's famous meatloaf. Elijah does not touch the stuff - sticking to his usual chicken nuggets. Deb offers him meatloaf and he says, "No thanks. Meatloaf sucks." That's my boy.
One thing about Deb taking the kids everyday now is that I don't get to ride with them in the morning anymore. It's better for me for work because I get there earlier and leave later but I miss my Breakfast With the Beatles at 7am with Elijah. Now he's watching Rescue Heroes at 7am with Mommy and I am by myself singing "Maxwells Silver Hammer."
Elijah started camp this week though and he LOVES IT. Bus 37 is the chant as he gets on and he sits next to Molly every day. So far in THREE days, he's done karate, nature, music, hockey, science, swimming lessons (twice per day), arts and crafts, soccer, Little Gym and, of course, LUNCH. We knew lunch would be a problem because it takes him 2 hours to eat it. He's been eating peanut butter on white bread because he does not like camp's jelly. He didn't eat pizza bagels yesterday because they are not like HIS pizza bagels. So...he had peanut butter on white bread. "THREE bites daddy. Then I was done." I think he's anorexic.
This is Deb's favorite time of the year - JULY 4th. We are going to the fireworks Phillies game tonight with my sister. Elijah won't go to fireworks because the "noise bodders me." "You can cover your ears and not hear it, Elijah." "NO - I don't like fireworks - they're scary." So we are taking sister.
OH YEAH - those pictures I promised....don't have 'em yet. I keep forgetting to post them from home!!! I'll try to remember this weekend. ANYWAY - back to work to make it a better month. Until next time I remain...
dad
June was horrible. What a crappy month. Ever notice that when you need something so bad, it becomes harder to capture? Why is that? I think it's God's way of saying "nothing comes easy - EVER." Whatever. It's one of those things. So much of my business at work is church related (I know - Jewish guy financing church organs) and churches take the summers off from purchasing items. They get busy with daycamp and things and my business goes in the pooper. Happens every year. July is usually a good bounceback month so I am expecting big things this month.
When things are bad at work and you come home depressed it's good to have kids. Kids could care less about work. All they know is that Daddy is coming home and they are happy. Hannah's first word was "Elijah" but the only word she uses these days is "daddy." She says it in the most beautiful, sweet voice I have ever heard. "Daddy daddy daddy daddy." When I walk in the house from the garage after work she is in the kitchen eating dinner and she hears me and her hands start flapping and she starts giggling. Then she hears me and it's "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY." "Hannah, how was your day today?" "DADDY DADDY DADDY." "Did you play with the other children?" "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY." "Did you eat a good lunch?" "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY." "You know, I had a REALLY bad day at work and I wasn't happy today." "DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY DADDY!" and everything is good again.....
The other day at my mom's for dinner, we are all sitting around the table eating my Aunt's famous meatloaf. Elijah does not touch the stuff - sticking to his usual chicken nuggets. Deb offers him meatloaf and he says, "No thanks. Meatloaf sucks." That's my boy.
One thing about Deb taking the kids everyday now is that I don't get to ride with them in the morning anymore. It's better for me for work because I get there earlier and leave later but I miss my Breakfast With the Beatles at 7am with Elijah. Now he's watching Rescue Heroes at 7am with Mommy and I am by myself singing "Maxwells Silver Hammer."
Elijah started camp this week though and he LOVES IT. Bus 37 is the chant as he gets on and he sits next to Molly every day. So far in THREE days, he's done karate, nature, music, hockey, science, swimming lessons (twice per day), arts and crafts, soccer, Little Gym and, of course, LUNCH. We knew lunch would be a problem because it takes him 2 hours to eat it. He's been eating peanut butter on white bread because he does not like camp's jelly. He didn't eat pizza bagels yesterday because they are not like HIS pizza bagels. So...he had peanut butter on white bread. "THREE bites daddy. Then I was done." I think he's anorexic.
This is Deb's favorite time of the year - JULY 4th. We are going to the fireworks Phillies game tonight with my sister. Elijah won't go to fireworks because the "noise bodders me." "You can cover your ears and not hear it, Elijah." "NO - I don't like fireworks - they're scary." So we are taking sister.
OH YEAH - those pictures I promised....don't have 'em yet. I keep forgetting to post them from home!!! I'll try to remember this weekend. ANYWAY - back to work to make it a better month. Until next time I remain...
dad
Thursday, June 17, 2004
Growing Up and Pubic Hair
Two things that go together like soup and sandwich.
Elijah is growing up and the realization of two things this week bring that to reality for me. First, he is starting camp in 10 days and will be taking a yellow bus every day to Medford. Secondly, is will be attending pre-kindergarten in the fall at the JCC. He's going to be learning how to read and simple addition and...well...it's SCHOOL! Crazy!
This morning Elijah took a shower with me and was staring at my, ahem, my "stuff" and asked, "Daddy, why do you have HAIR down THERE? I don't have any hair THERE, Daddy." So I responded what every dad would respond to that question. "It's the 100 Aker Wood down there, Sweetie, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger live there."
After a 10 second panic attack, he realized I am kidding. "DADDYYYYYYYY - Winnie the Pooh does not live on your PENIS!"
So, of course, right on queue, I start singing, "OHHHHH theeeeee wonderful thing about Tiggers...is Tiggers are wonderful things...."
It's fun to be a Dad.
The other day, Elijah told me he wanted to be a teenager. I asked him why and he said, "so I can reach the light switch."
Why is it raining so damn much? Every day this week - DOWNPOURS. Not a drizzle, not a little sunshower. NOOOO...95 degrees and POURING. Makes me so happy. Now I have to leave here and go to the hospital because my Buba is in there. She went in yesterday with low blood pressure. Another day in the life of a 98 year old. She's stable but I am going over to give her a kiss and let her tell me how wonderful I am. You need that now and again. She'll be going back to her community center tomorrow, good as new. She's amazing. I was watching Nancy Reagan last week during the Reagan funeral, noticing how she's aged and I was thinking that my Buba could be NANCY REAGAN'S MOTHER. That's how old Buba is. Insane.
In Hannah news...she's got a temper now. Rub her the wrong way and she GOES OFF. NO - I am serious....rub her the wrong way and she'll sock you in the face and growl until you back off. She's MUFASA the toddler. No...before you all attack me....she's not bad. She's gonna be the kind of girl you just don't mess with. Gotta have it HER way. Like her mama. That's OK with me cause its better than being a softie like me.
I am off most of the week next week from work and need the break but it's the WORST month I've ever had as far as business goes so if you have any business....SEND IT TO ME!!! ;-)
Pictures next. Good ones.
JB
Two things that go together like soup and sandwich.
Elijah is growing up and the realization of two things this week bring that to reality for me. First, he is starting camp in 10 days and will be taking a yellow bus every day to Medford. Secondly, is will be attending pre-kindergarten in the fall at the JCC. He's going to be learning how to read and simple addition and...well...it's SCHOOL! Crazy!
This morning Elijah took a shower with me and was staring at my, ahem, my "stuff" and asked, "Daddy, why do you have HAIR down THERE? I don't have any hair THERE, Daddy." So I responded what every dad would respond to that question. "It's the 100 Aker Wood down there, Sweetie, and Winnie the Pooh and Tigger live there."
After a 10 second panic attack, he realized I am kidding. "DADDYYYYYYYY - Winnie the Pooh does not live on your PENIS!"
So, of course, right on queue, I start singing, "OHHHHH theeeeee wonderful thing about Tiggers...is Tiggers are wonderful things...."
It's fun to be a Dad.
The other day, Elijah told me he wanted to be a teenager. I asked him why and he said, "so I can reach the light switch."
Why is it raining so damn much? Every day this week - DOWNPOURS. Not a drizzle, not a little sunshower. NOOOO...95 degrees and POURING. Makes me so happy. Now I have to leave here and go to the hospital because my Buba is in there. She went in yesterday with low blood pressure. Another day in the life of a 98 year old. She's stable but I am going over to give her a kiss and let her tell me how wonderful I am. You need that now and again. She'll be going back to her community center tomorrow, good as new. She's amazing. I was watching Nancy Reagan last week during the Reagan funeral, noticing how she's aged and I was thinking that my Buba could be NANCY REAGAN'S MOTHER. That's how old Buba is. Insane.
In Hannah news...she's got a temper now. Rub her the wrong way and she GOES OFF. NO - I am serious....rub her the wrong way and she'll sock you in the face and growl until you back off. She's MUFASA the toddler. No...before you all attack me....she's not bad. She's gonna be the kind of girl you just don't mess with. Gotta have it HER way. Like her mama. That's OK with me cause its better than being a softie like me.
I am off most of the week next week from work and need the break but it's the WORST month I've ever had as far as business goes so if you have any business....SEND IT TO ME!!! ;-)
Pictures next. Good ones.
JB
Tuesday, May 25, 2004
I Can't!
I remember when I was growing up and my father used to tell me not to say certain words because they were not really words. Like AINT. Aint isn't a word. Well, it wasn't at the time. It is now - it's in the dictionary! Anyway - dad used to correct my vacabulary all the time. I find myself doing the same thing with Elijah. His favorite word these days is 'can't'. He says, "I can't do it" all the time. So Deb and I tell him that 'can't' is not a word and he has to stop using it.
This has been going on for a couple of weeks now. In the morning when we are getting dressed, he says he can't get dressed by himself, that he can't do it. We tell him yes he can and we keep on him until he does it. Of course, he can do it. He just dosen't feel like it.
So that brings us to this morning. I was in the shower and Elijah was going through his morning routine, saying he can't get dressed by himself and whining that he needs help. He's got this shirt on that Uncle Richard gave him that has The Incredibles on it (a movie coming out later this year). Elijah wore the shirt to sleep on Sunday, all day Monday and then to sleep on Monday night. IT'S DIRTY. He won't take it off. He wants to keep wearing it. So Deb says, "Elijah, you can't wear it again." What does he say back? You guessed it! "Mom, don't say can't. It's not a word."
Try explaining THAT to a 4 year old.
What a day we had on Sunday. FANTASTIC DAY!! It was Hannah and Ariana's first birthday party at our house and we had 50 people and it was hot and humid and wonderful. We rented a moonbounce for the backyard and the kids were hopping around in there. I was melting at the BBQ and the food was delicious. Everyone said it was a great party and we all had a blast. It was great tossing the Nerf around the yard and playing Monkey in the Middle with the kids. Reminds me of 1975 when our parents did the same thing with us. Everyone was too generous with their gifts, of course, and Hannah already has a backlog of toys to open up. Some we will save for a month or two until she is bored of her other ones. Uggh. Lemme tell you, with all these toys in our house, someday we are going to make a mint at a garage sale!
I will post pictures of the BBQ here in the next few days. Otherwise, that's about it!! The summer is coming and Hannah will be walking soon!!
JB
I remember when I was growing up and my father used to tell me not to say certain words because they were not really words. Like AINT. Aint isn't a word. Well, it wasn't at the time. It is now - it's in the dictionary! Anyway - dad used to correct my vacabulary all the time. I find myself doing the same thing with Elijah. His favorite word these days is 'can't'. He says, "I can't do it" all the time. So Deb and I tell him that 'can't' is not a word and he has to stop using it.
This has been going on for a couple of weeks now. In the morning when we are getting dressed, he says he can't get dressed by himself, that he can't do it. We tell him yes he can and we keep on him until he does it. Of course, he can do it. He just dosen't feel like it.
So that brings us to this morning. I was in the shower and Elijah was going through his morning routine, saying he can't get dressed by himself and whining that he needs help. He's got this shirt on that Uncle Richard gave him that has The Incredibles on it (a movie coming out later this year). Elijah wore the shirt to sleep on Sunday, all day Monday and then to sleep on Monday night. IT'S DIRTY. He won't take it off. He wants to keep wearing it. So Deb says, "Elijah, you can't wear it again." What does he say back? You guessed it! "Mom, don't say can't. It's not a word."
Try explaining THAT to a 4 year old.
What a day we had on Sunday. FANTASTIC DAY!! It was Hannah and Ariana's first birthday party at our house and we had 50 people and it was hot and humid and wonderful. We rented a moonbounce for the backyard and the kids were hopping around in there. I was melting at the BBQ and the food was delicious. Everyone said it was a great party and we all had a blast. It was great tossing the Nerf around the yard and playing Monkey in the Middle with the kids. Reminds me of 1975 when our parents did the same thing with us. Everyone was too generous with their gifts, of course, and Hannah already has a backlog of toys to open up. Some we will save for a month or two until she is bored of her other ones. Uggh. Lemme tell you, with all these toys in our house, someday we are going to make a mint at a garage sale!
I will post pictures of the BBQ here in the next few days. Otherwise, that's about it!! The summer is coming and Hannah will be walking soon!!
JB
Wednesday, May 12, 2004
A New Look and the Everchanging World
It's becoming more difficult to take the time to post here because of my ever busy life but it's so important now with Elijah and Hannah progressing so much every day. My memory lasts about 15 minutes so I really have to document everything, which is the real reason why I started this Blog in the first place.
The new look of the site may be temporary - let me know what you think. I am also adding a new comments button at the bottom so you can give me feedback on everything. I removed the Links section at the left because nobody was every clicking on them. The Jawdy Goodies Site with all the pics is still up but not accessible at this time. I will post pics here in Jawdy's Basement going forward.
It's hot as crap outside.
Hannah is mobile like the Energizer Bunny. She is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Stairs too. Yep..she's climbing them. That changes everything. Gates. Everywhere. She's going to be ONE on Friday. I just cannot believe that it's been a year already. She's showing us one finger when we ask how old she's gonna be. She's also eating food that we eat. Baby food is going to be history soon. Last night she enjoyed chicken with asparagus and some watermelon and strawberries for dessert. Me? I ate cereal. SHE ATE MY DINNER.
Elijah is going to bed now with no pullups. It's a challenge as he learns. I am waking him up around 11 every night and taking him to the potty. After that, he's on his own. Last night he didn't quite make it BUT he woke up immediately after he wet the bed and called for us. He's getting CLOSE and we have to be patient. I have a feeling Hannah will be easier with this because girls usually are.
This weekend we are going to Dice and Scottie's open house on Saturday and have a date at night. Just the two of us!! We are going to go to PF Changs restaurant and catch a movie. It's rate that we get a date so it's exciting!!
Anyway - gotta go take Eli to the potty!! More later...
JB
It's becoming more difficult to take the time to post here because of my ever busy life but it's so important now with Elijah and Hannah progressing so much every day. My memory lasts about 15 minutes so I really have to document everything, which is the real reason why I started this Blog in the first place.
The new look of the site may be temporary - let me know what you think. I am also adding a new comments button at the bottom so you can give me feedback on everything. I removed the Links section at the left because nobody was every clicking on them. The Jawdy Goodies Site with all the pics is still up but not accessible at this time. I will post pics here in Jawdy's Basement going forward.
It's hot as crap outside.
Hannah is mobile like the Energizer Bunny. She is ALL OVER THE PLACE. Stairs too. Yep..she's climbing them. That changes everything. Gates. Everywhere. She's going to be ONE on Friday. I just cannot believe that it's been a year already. She's showing us one finger when we ask how old she's gonna be. She's also eating food that we eat. Baby food is going to be history soon. Last night she enjoyed chicken with asparagus and some watermelon and strawberries for dessert. Me? I ate cereal. SHE ATE MY DINNER.
Elijah is going to bed now with no pullups. It's a challenge as he learns. I am waking him up around 11 every night and taking him to the potty. After that, he's on his own. Last night he didn't quite make it BUT he woke up immediately after he wet the bed and called for us. He's getting CLOSE and we have to be patient. I have a feeling Hannah will be easier with this because girls usually are.
This weekend we are going to Dice and Scottie's open house on Saturday and have a date at night. Just the two of us!! We are going to go to PF Changs restaurant and catch a movie. It's rate that we get a date so it's exciting!!
Anyway - gotta go take Eli to the potty!! More later...
JB
Friday, April 23, 2004
Pics!
OK! As promised - two new pics of the kids!! All together now...awwwwwwwww!!!
Eli and Hannah April 2004
Hannah April 2004
OK! As promised - two new pics of the kids!! All together now...awwwwwwwww!!!
Eli and Hannah April 2004
Hannah April 2004
Tuesday, April 20, 2004
Don't Blink......part 2
I cannot believe it's been over 5 weeks since my last post. I suck! I have been so involved with so many things and it's been hard to pick just one thing to write about! So...I decided to give this update on what's happening and PROMISE to post pictures here in the next few days.
Our kitchen is DONE. Looks great! We hosted a surprise birthday party for Aunt Helene on the day after the kitchen was done and it won rave reviews! So did Aunt Helene for that matter! The whole family was over and Aunt Helene was moved by everyone and we all had a fantastic time.
Aunt Toby has been LOVING her stay here. We celebrated her birthday last weekend at Buca de Beppo and she gave a speech and said it was the best moment of her life. I believe her. It's been wonderful having her here and I wish she did not ever have to leave. The kids LOVE her so much. Sadly, she is leaving next Wednesday and I get to drive her to the airport. It will be a sad day....
Elijah is growing up so fast it's mind boggling. He just learned to write the letter 'A' last week! Deb has been working with him at night in learning how to draw and he loves it. He asks her how to draw things and then tries to do it. It's adorable. His language skills most amaze us. Not necessarily the vocabulary, but the conjugation of verbs and his use of connecting words like 'actually.'
"Elijah, do you want pizza bagels for dinner?"
"Yes. No!! Actually, I want chicken nuggets."
I find it amazing how a young kid learns to conjugate verbs without studying the subject. Sentences like, "I already did that," or "I went there three times today," are tough sentences! He is learning at an incredible pace. The whole Beatles thing that I spoke about in a previous post, is unreal. He hears a single note and yells out the song title. He knows the words, he even knows who the lead singer Beatle is on some songs. "Daddy, George sings this one!" Right now, his favorite songs are "Happy Birthday (the Beatles version)", "Bungalow Bill", "Here Comes the Sun", and "Blackbird." He brushes his teeth all by himself every night and takes more showers than baths. He loves the shower. He is very protective of Hannah and even more PROUD of her. See this exchange he had with a 7 year old kid at the park last week...
"Hi - what's your name? Hi Adam, I am here at the park with my little sister. Do you wanna meet her? Come on! Let's go - follow me - she's over there on the swing with Mommy. COME ON!!"
The kid and his grandmother followed and ended up talking to Deb for a bit. Elijah introduced Hannah to them and said how cute she was. It was adorable.
Hannah news? She's crawling! All over the place. Her first word is probably going to be 'Elijah' which is amazing but she's almost saying it! Her first birthday is coming up on May 14th and I just cannot believe it's been a year since the Duece Dauily was last published.
What else? In the proud brother department, my lil sisssssster will be graduating with a sign language degree next month and we are going to celebrate that! No more school!! NOW HAVE BABIES! he he.
So that's it in a nutshell. So many moments go undocumented because they are here and gone...I wish I could carry my computer with me everywhere and document everything....in any case....life is good now and, even though we are housepoor because of the darn kitchen!!
Pictures are coming!!!
I cannot believe it's been over 5 weeks since my last post. I suck! I have been so involved with so many things and it's been hard to pick just one thing to write about! So...I decided to give this update on what's happening and PROMISE to post pictures here in the next few days.
Our kitchen is DONE. Looks great! We hosted a surprise birthday party for Aunt Helene on the day after the kitchen was done and it won rave reviews! So did Aunt Helene for that matter! The whole family was over and Aunt Helene was moved by everyone and we all had a fantastic time.
Aunt Toby has been LOVING her stay here. We celebrated her birthday last weekend at Buca de Beppo and she gave a speech and said it was the best moment of her life. I believe her. It's been wonderful having her here and I wish she did not ever have to leave. The kids LOVE her so much. Sadly, she is leaving next Wednesday and I get to drive her to the airport. It will be a sad day....
Elijah is growing up so fast it's mind boggling. He just learned to write the letter 'A' last week! Deb has been working with him at night in learning how to draw and he loves it. He asks her how to draw things and then tries to do it. It's adorable. His language skills most amaze us. Not necessarily the vocabulary, but the conjugation of verbs and his use of connecting words like 'actually.'
"Elijah, do you want pizza bagels for dinner?"
"Yes. No!! Actually, I want chicken nuggets."
I find it amazing how a young kid learns to conjugate verbs without studying the subject. Sentences like, "I already did that," or "I went there three times today," are tough sentences! He is learning at an incredible pace. The whole Beatles thing that I spoke about in a previous post, is unreal. He hears a single note and yells out the song title. He knows the words, he even knows who the lead singer Beatle is on some songs. "Daddy, George sings this one!" Right now, his favorite songs are "Happy Birthday (the Beatles version)", "Bungalow Bill", "Here Comes the Sun", and "Blackbird." He brushes his teeth all by himself every night and takes more showers than baths. He loves the shower. He is very protective of Hannah and even more PROUD of her. See this exchange he had with a 7 year old kid at the park last week...
"Hi - what's your name? Hi Adam, I am here at the park with my little sister. Do you wanna meet her? Come on! Let's go - follow me - she's over there on the swing with Mommy. COME ON!!"
The kid and his grandmother followed and ended up talking to Deb for a bit. Elijah introduced Hannah to them and said how cute she was. It was adorable.
Hannah news? She's crawling! All over the place. Her first word is probably going to be 'Elijah' which is amazing but she's almost saying it! Her first birthday is coming up on May 14th and I just cannot believe it's been a year since the Duece Dauily was last published.
What else? In the proud brother department, my lil sisssssster will be graduating with a sign language degree next month and we are going to celebrate that! No more school!! NOW HAVE BABIES! he he.
So that's it in a nutshell. So many moments go undocumented because they are here and gone...I wish I could carry my computer with me everywhere and document everything....in any case....life is good now and, even though we are housepoor because of the darn kitchen!!
Pictures are coming!!!
Friday, March 12, 2004
Don't Blink
Spring is coming...there's flowers blooming...the grass is starting to come up...and my children are older. Really. Elijah especially. He's learning 140 things a day. The part that really gets me is the vocabulary. He'll pull words out that even I have not used in years. We had a funny situation the other night. We were finishing dinner and he was very tired. He was being fresh to us and, when asked to stay at the table until dinner was over, he hit Deb on the arm. "I'M NOT STAYING AT THE TABLE!" So Deb carries him to the stairs for a 5 minute time-out and he's kicking and screaming the whole time. After the time-out was done, he finished his dinner and acted like nothing happened. We got his PJ's on and I settled in bed with him as I do every night. I usually stay with him for about 15 minutes, playing with his toys or reading books and then I leave and he goes to sleep. Well as soon as we got in his bed, he stops what he's doing and says he has to ask me a question...
"Daddy - I have to do something."
"Do you have to go potty?"
"No - I want to apologize to Mommy."
APOLOGIZE?? My son knows the word apologize?? It must have been bothering him since dinner and even though he never said anything, he was obviously thinking about it and feeling bad. So he gets out of bed and walks into our room where Deb was laying with Hannah on our bed.
"Mommy - I apologize because I hit you."
Deb was choked up because it was such a sweet sounding apology. She was shocked that he used that word too and asked him...
"That's a new word Elijah!"
"I'm learning, Mommy!"
Incredible. He IS learning. We are at the stage where everything he sees or hears, he remembers. Deb once called me a moron and now whenever she yells about anything to anybody, Elijah asks if the person is a moron. "Mommy - is she a MORON?"
Our kitchen is getting pummelled tomorrow morning. 3 weeks til a new kitchen! I will post the before and after pictures here on the site.
Aunt Toby is here!! For the first time in 3 years, she is here with us. It's awesome and I will write about her visit here soon. She just got here on Wednesday and Aunt Rockie came with her too. It's going to be a good month with family!!
Have a great weekend everyone! My weekend starts in 30 minutes.....
dad
Spring is coming...there's flowers blooming...the grass is starting to come up...and my children are older. Really. Elijah especially. He's learning 140 things a day. The part that really gets me is the vocabulary. He'll pull words out that even I have not used in years. We had a funny situation the other night. We were finishing dinner and he was very tired. He was being fresh to us and, when asked to stay at the table until dinner was over, he hit Deb on the arm. "I'M NOT STAYING AT THE TABLE!" So Deb carries him to the stairs for a 5 minute time-out and he's kicking and screaming the whole time. After the time-out was done, he finished his dinner and acted like nothing happened. We got his PJ's on and I settled in bed with him as I do every night. I usually stay with him for about 15 minutes, playing with his toys or reading books and then I leave and he goes to sleep. Well as soon as we got in his bed, he stops what he's doing and says he has to ask me a question...
"Daddy - I have to do something."
"Do you have to go potty?"
"No - I want to apologize to Mommy."
APOLOGIZE?? My son knows the word apologize?? It must have been bothering him since dinner and even though he never said anything, he was obviously thinking about it and feeling bad. So he gets out of bed and walks into our room where Deb was laying with Hannah on our bed.
"Mommy - I apologize because I hit you."
Deb was choked up because it was such a sweet sounding apology. She was shocked that he used that word too and asked him...
"That's a new word Elijah!"
"I'm learning, Mommy!"
Incredible. He IS learning. We are at the stage where everything he sees or hears, he remembers. Deb once called me a moron and now whenever she yells about anything to anybody, Elijah asks if the person is a moron. "Mommy - is she a MORON?"
Our kitchen is getting pummelled tomorrow morning. 3 weeks til a new kitchen! I will post the before and after pictures here on the site.
Aunt Toby is here!! For the first time in 3 years, she is here with us. It's awesome and I will write about her visit here soon. She just got here on Wednesday and Aunt Rockie came with her too. It's going to be a good month with family!!
Have a great weekend everyone! My weekend starts in 30 minutes.....
dad
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
White Shoes
My grandpa Irving passed away in 1992. He was 92 years old and lived in Florida. He had been living down there for quite a few years so I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him in his later years. Growing up in Central Jersey, he lived in Brooklyn so I have great memories of spending time in the apartment on holidays, etc. He was my last grandpa so it was sad when he died and I think about him often. One of the memories that always comes to mind is the white shoes. Grandpa Irving always wore those patent leather white shoes. He wore them in the morning, noon and night. Typical grandpa in Florida. White shoes, polyester patterned pants and belt with the buckle pulled to the side. Beautiful.
I bring this up because we lost another pair of white shoes last week. Deb's grandfather, Zeide Abe, passed away after several weeks in the hospital at the age of 80. Too early. He was a good man whom I got to know over the last 8 years. His life had not been the same since his wife, Bobe Ana, passed away in April, 2001. He's probably happier now. I was grateful to have had a grandfather again, even if it was just for a few years. Deb spent the week in Florida with Hannah. I went down for 24 hours to pay my respects. I came back and Elijah and I spent a few days alone together.
When I told Elijah that Mommy went to Florida to see Zeide Abe because he was sick, Elijah asked, "Is he going to get dead?" I said I didn't know. The next morning, he passed away. I wonder if Elijah understands. When Deb got back on Saturday from Florida, Elijah said he wished he could have gone too.
I never knew my great-grandfather. I think it's neat that Elijah got to know one of his. Zeide Abe always said that Elijah was going to be President of the United States. "El Presidente" he called him.
All of this makes me think of my Grandmother. Buba Pearl is 98 years old. She is lucid, she is in good health and she lives in the a Jewish home here in Cherry Hill. Imagine if Zeide Abe had lived to 98! Elijah would be 22 years old!! Hannah would be 19!
I will always remember Zeide Abe. I am honored to have known him. I know Bobe Ana is up there ironing his underwear again! (she really did that!)
My grandpa Irving passed away in 1992. He was 92 years old and lived in Florida. He had been living down there for quite a few years so I didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him in his later years. Growing up in Central Jersey, he lived in Brooklyn so I have great memories of spending time in the apartment on holidays, etc. He was my last grandpa so it was sad when he died and I think about him often. One of the memories that always comes to mind is the white shoes. Grandpa Irving always wore those patent leather white shoes. He wore them in the morning, noon and night. Typical grandpa in Florida. White shoes, polyester patterned pants and belt with the buckle pulled to the side. Beautiful.
I bring this up because we lost another pair of white shoes last week. Deb's grandfather, Zeide Abe, passed away after several weeks in the hospital at the age of 80. Too early. He was a good man whom I got to know over the last 8 years. His life had not been the same since his wife, Bobe Ana, passed away in April, 2001. He's probably happier now. I was grateful to have had a grandfather again, even if it was just for a few years. Deb spent the week in Florida with Hannah. I went down for 24 hours to pay my respects. I came back and Elijah and I spent a few days alone together.
When I told Elijah that Mommy went to Florida to see Zeide Abe because he was sick, Elijah asked, "Is he going to get dead?" I said I didn't know. The next morning, he passed away. I wonder if Elijah understands. When Deb got back on Saturday from Florida, Elijah said he wished he could have gone too.
I never knew my great-grandfather. I think it's neat that Elijah got to know one of his. Zeide Abe always said that Elijah was going to be President of the United States. "El Presidente" he called him.
All of this makes me think of my Grandmother. Buba Pearl is 98 years old. She is lucid, she is in good health and she lives in the a Jewish home here in Cherry Hill. Imagine if Zeide Abe had lived to 98! Elijah would be 22 years old!! Hannah would be 19!
I will always remember Zeide Abe. I am honored to have known him. I know Bobe Ana is up there ironing his underwear again! (she really did that!)
Friday, February 06, 2004
Looking Through a Glass Onion
This is the worst winter weather I have ever experienced! Every day brings more threats of ice and snow and temperatures in the teens and twenties. It's horrible! Right now, it's raining slush and it's totally gross out. Three weeks until I hear the best three words in the English language: "pitchers and catchers." Spring Training begins this month and that means BASEBALL season is just around the corner. Next to Hanukkah, Opening Day is my favorite day of the year. It means spring and hot dogs and BASEBALL. Ahhhh.... BUT that is still weeks away. For now, I need to find other little pleasures to keep me happy.
One of those pleasures is my new toy. I got an iPod. This little device fits in my shirt pocket and it's hard drive will hold ALL 900 of my CD's. I still can't grasp that fact. It's got a 40gb hard drive and I am "ripping" all of my CD's to Mp3 so I can import them to the iPod. I already have around 1,500 songs on it and it's like a wet dream. I go into the car and hit Shuffle and get the ULTIMATE mix! I am one of those guys that spent half their childhood making mixed tapes. How can you top this? No more choosing which songs make it and which don't! THEY ALL DO! Needless to say, Deb is none too happy with my new joy because she is...well...she's jealous of the thing. I told her that the iPod has a volume control and she......ah never mind. JUST KIDDING HUDDY!!
Anyways, I had a misty moment on Tuesday morning. I was driving Elijah and Hannah to Melissa's house for daycare and put the radio on. Elijah likes to listen to his music but he had a liking for Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles. So I taught him Yellow Submarine, She Loves You and All You Need is Love. Being a huge Beatles fan myself, it was fun teaching him those songs because that's how I began my love of music. I heard the Beatles and it was it for me. Now I knew that one of the local radio stations had a morning show called Breakfast With the Beatles. I was scanning the radio stations looking for the show. I stopped on 102.9 WMGK and they were playing "Glass Onion", a track of the classic Beatles White album. Well, before I could even speak, Elijah YELLS out from the back seat, "YOU FOUND IT DADDY! It's Breakfast With the Beatles!!!!" WHAT? He does NOT know Glass Onion! Glass Onion??? I was flabbergasted. Did he recognize the singing?? the SOUND??? How did he know this was the Beatles? I remembered the first time I heard the Beatles and then it hit me. Elijah is going to have the same respect and love for music that I do. I got a little mushy! Now we listen to Breakfast With the Beatles every morning on our way to Melissa's. This morning he heard "All You Need is Love" for the first time! I've been singing it to him for weeks. Very cool.
Our kitchen is getting redone. We put our order in for the cabinets and things are underway. The entire kitchen is getting remodeled. We have to move the dishwasher and sink too. It's everything. We are going to pick out the granite countertop tomorrow at the granite yard. They say the entire kitchen will be done by April 3rd. We will be kitchen-less for 6-7 weeks! Can you say TAKEOUT?
Hannah is clapping her hands now. We sing the "Clap Your Hands Hannah" song and she goes to work! It's adorable and she loves it. She also blows kisses. She is so freaking cute that I can't stop squeezing her. She's like a zit that almost pops every time I hug her. (collective "EW! that's no way to talk about your daughter!") Whatever. She's awesome.
So what's up with you?
This is the worst winter weather I have ever experienced! Every day brings more threats of ice and snow and temperatures in the teens and twenties. It's horrible! Right now, it's raining slush and it's totally gross out. Three weeks until I hear the best three words in the English language: "pitchers and catchers." Spring Training begins this month and that means BASEBALL season is just around the corner. Next to Hanukkah, Opening Day is my favorite day of the year. It means spring and hot dogs and BASEBALL. Ahhhh.... BUT that is still weeks away. For now, I need to find other little pleasures to keep me happy.
One of those pleasures is my new toy. I got an iPod. This little device fits in my shirt pocket and it's hard drive will hold ALL 900 of my CD's. I still can't grasp that fact. It's got a 40gb hard drive and I am "ripping" all of my CD's to Mp3 so I can import them to the iPod. I already have around 1,500 songs on it and it's like a wet dream. I go into the car and hit Shuffle and get the ULTIMATE mix! I am one of those guys that spent half their childhood making mixed tapes. How can you top this? No more choosing which songs make it and which don't! THEY ALL DO! Needless to say, Deb is none too happy with my new joy because she is...well...she's jealous of the thing. I told her that the iPod has a volume control and she......ah never mind. JUST KIDDING HUDDY!!
Anyways, I had a misty moment on Tuesday morning. I was driving Elijah and Hannah to Melissa's house for daycare and put the radio on. Elijah likes to listen to his music but he had a liking for Hello, Goodbye by the Beatles. So I taught him Yellow Submarine, She Loves You and All You Need is Love. Being a huge Beatles fan myself, it was fun teaching him those songs because that's how I began my love of music. I heard the Beatles and it was it for me. Now I knew that one of the local radio stations had a morning show called Breakfast With the Beatles. I was scanning the radio stations looking for the show. I stopped on 102.9 WMGK and they were playing "Glass Onion", a track of the classic Beatles White album. Well, before I could even speak, Elijah YELLS out from the back seat, "YOU FOUND IT DADDY! It's Breakfast With the Beatles!!!!" WHAT? He does NOT know Glass Onion! Glass Onion??? I was flabbergasted. Did he recognize the singing?? the SOUND??? How did he know this was the Beatles? I remembered the first time I heard the Beatles and then it hit me. Elijah is going to have the same respect and love for music that I do. I got a little mushy! Now we listen to Breakfast With the Beatles every morning on our way to Melissa's. This morning he heard "All You Need is Love" for the first time! I've been singing it to him for weeks. Very cool.
Our kitchen is getting redone. We put our order in for the cabinets and things are underway. The entire kitchen is getting remodeled. We have to move the dishwasher and sink too. It's everything. We are going to pick out the granite countertop tomorrow at the granite yard. They say the entire kitchen will be done by April 3rd. We will be kitchen-less for 6-7 weeks! Can you say TAKEOUT?
Hannah is clapping her hands now. We sing the "Clap Your Hands Hannah" song and she goes to work! It's adorable and she loves it. She also blows kisses. She is so freaking cute that I can't stop squeezing her. She's like a zit that almost pops every time I hug her. (collective "EW! that's no way to talk about your daughter!") Whatever. She's awesome.
So what's up with you?
Wednesday, January 28, 2004
Sun, Fun and the Persuit of a FREAKING AIRPLANE!
I am in recovery. It's been 3 days since we returned from our vacation in Mexico and I am just not quite 'there' yet. Now, we had this thing setup perfectly....fly out of Cancun at 1pm Sunday and land in Philly around 6pm local time. We should clear customs and walk in the house by around 8pm Sunday, leaving some time to unwind, put the kids to bed and get ready for the return to work in the coming week. Sounds like a plan?
Did you know that the Cancun airport is like a big warehouse with a few doors on it? Much like airports here in the states, it is under construction. There are 7 snack bar /restaurants, 3 news shops, 5 duty free shops, 11 bathrooms (with 25 total stalls), 16 of the lightbulbs are OUT in the ceiling and 196 tiles missing from one of the concourse walkways. I know this because I counted. I had THAT MUCH TIME.
We got to the glorious Cancun airport on time for our 1pm flight. By 11:30am we were running around waiting for the announcement to board our plane to Philly. It was the four of us along with Deb's sister Melissa's family (husband Brian and 3 kids), and Deb's parents. 6 adults and 5 kids.
1:00pm - the announcement. There will be a slight delay due to a mechanical problem with the plane (coming in from Orlando). OK, no big deal - there are delays all the time. More running around.
2:00pm - scratching our heads...another announcement...our plane has not yet left Orlando. It would be at least 3 hours until we board our flight home. THREE HOURS! OK...break out the carry-ons and take the toys out for the kids.
Hmmm...now our gate is being used for OTHER flights...it's approaching 4pm...UPDATE PLEASE!!!
OK - people we are going to give you $15 for food in the airport restaurant. That's great considering we were walking back to our seats having just ate at BURGER KING.
More toys. A little complaining from the kiddies. Manageable but annoying as hell.
6:00pm...Announcement...the flight will be ARRIVING in Mexico by NINE and we should be taking off for Philly by 10pm.
Gulp. Panic. The 6 adults and 5 kids I mentioned earlier? Nope. Now it's 11 kids. Crying and complaining and yelling at eachother. We were a sitcom. I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to walk out from the missing tiles and announce that we had been Punk'd.
THANK GOODNESS - a nice little girl from our flight pulls out a portable DVD player. Ahhhh....BLISS. That took up a few hours. I wanted to hug her mother but she was butt ugly.
10:00pm...announcement..."The plane is here!"...applause...I saw Herve Velechez saying to Ricardo Montalban, "De PLANE...De PLANE!!!" I didn't care at that point, I just wanted to get the hell off of Fantasy Island.
So right as we are about to board..."Daddy - I have to go POTTY." No you don't. Hold it in for 4 hours.
We touched down in Philly around 2:30am. Our limo drove through a snowstorm and we walked in to our house just after 4am.
I decided that from that day forward I would wish a different fate on ALL my enemies. No longer would I wish their testicles be boiled. No longer would I dream that their nipples be connected to an Amtrak train travelling at 100 MPH. Nope. No more. From now on, I wish on my worst enemies that they travel through customs with 4 kids under the age of 5 at 3:00 in the morning in a snowstorm in -142 degree weather with no jacket. Now THAT is SUFFERING!
It's taken until now to recover. The kids are still a little behind but we will be OK. We survived.
Mexico was FANTASTIC, however. The weather was wonderful, the Carribean was perfect and the shopping was great. Amy's wedding was romantic and beautiful and I got some great pics and video. It was a great vacation until that last day.
I will post some pics up at the Goodies Site in the next few days.
Congrats to Aaron and Robin Greenberg who had their second baby yesterday!
Until next time...
I am in recovery. It's been 3 days since we returned from our vacation in Mexico and I am just not quite 'there' yet. Now, we had this thing setup perfectly....fly out of Cancun at 1pm Sunday and land in Philly around 6pm local time. We should clear customs and walk in the house by around 8pm Sunday, leaving some time to unwind, put the kids to bed and get ready for the return to work in the coming week. Sounds like a plan?
Did you know that the Cancun airport is like a big warehouse with a few doors on it? Much like airports here in the states, it is under construction. There are 7 snack bar /restaurants, 3 news shops, 5 duty free shops, 11 bathrooms (with 25 total stalls), 16 of the lightbulbs are OUT in the ceiling and 196 tiles missing from one of the concourse walkways. I know this because I counted. I had THAT MUCH TIME.
We got to the glorious Cancun airport on time for our 1pm flight. By 11:30am we were running around waiting for the announcement to board our plane to Philly. It was the four of us along with Deb's sister Melissa's family (husband Brian and 3 kids), and Deb's parents. 6 adults and 5 kids.
1:00pm - the announcement. There will be a slight delay due to a mechanical problem with the plane (coming in from Orlando). OK, no big deal - there are delays all the time. More running around.
2:00pm - scratching our heads...another announcement...our plane has not yet left Orlando. It would be at least 3 hours until we board our flight home. THREE HOURS! OK...break out the carry-ons and take the toys out for the kids.
Hmmm...now our gate is being used for OTHER flights...it's approaching 4pm...UPDATE PLEASE!!!
OK - people we are going to give you $15 for food in the airport restaurant. That's great considering we were walking back to our seats having just ate at BURGER KING.
More toys. A little complaining from the kiddies. Manageable but annoying as hell.
6:00pm...Announcement...the flight will be ARRIVING in Mexico by NINE and we should be taking off for Philly by 10pm.
Gulp. Panic. The 6 adults and 5 kids I mentioned earlier? Nope. Now it's 11 kids. Crying and complaining and yelling at eachother. We were a sitcom. I was waiting for Ashton Kutcher to walk out from the missing tiles and announce that we had been Punk'd.
THANK GOODNESS - a nice little girl from our flight pulls out a portable DVD player. Ahhhh....BLISS. That took up a few hours. I wanted to hug her mother but she was butt ugly.
10:00pm...announcement..."The plane is here!"...applause...I saw Herve Velechez saying to Ricardo Montalban, "De PLANE...De PLANE!!!" I didn't care at that point, I just wanted to get the hell off of Fantasy Island.
So right as we are about to board..."Daddy - I have to go POTTY." No you don't. Hold it in for 4 hours.
We touched down in Philly around 2:30am. Our limo drove through a snowstorm and we walked in to our house just after 4am.
I decided that from that day forward I would wish a different fate on ALL my enemies. No longer would I wish their testicles be boiled. No longer would I dream that their nipples be connected to an Amtrak train travelling at 100 MPH. Nope. No more. From now on, I wish on my worst enemies that they travel through customs with 4 kids under the age of 5 at 3:00 in the morning in a snowstorm in -142 degree weather with no jacket. Now THAT is SUFFERING!
It's taken until now to recover. The kids are still a little behind but we will be OK. We survived.
Mexico was FANTASTIC, however. The weather was wonderful, the Carribean was perfect and the shopping was great. Amy's wedding was romantic and beautiful and I got some great pics and video. It was a great vacation until that last day.
I will post some pics up at the Goodies Site in the next few days.
Congrats to Aaron and Robin Greenberg who had their second baby yesterday!
Until next time...
Wednesday, January 14, 2004
WE LOVE ROCK N ROLL!!!
Elijah is really getting into music now. I am LOVING IT. He likes all the kids music like the Wiggles and the theme songs from the Disney movies and shows. However, he has also taken a liking to popular music and I am taking pride in fueling that interest every day in the car.
At first, he took an unusual liking to the classic Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody. He kept asking for it and learned ALL the words...Including the entire "scaramoush" part! It's VERY funny watching him sing it and I got it on video tape so I can have it forever. Anyway - we continued to listen and learn Queen songs and now he knows Radio Ga Ga, Bicycle Race, We Will Rock You and a few others. I quickly noticed that he has a musical ear like me....I love that. Music comes on the radio and he concentrates on it. A great example of this was yesterday. We were in the car and I put on 102.9 WMGK because they have Breakfast With the Beatles on every weekday morning. The song Hello, Goodbye came on and Elijah asked me to turn off the radio and turn on HIS music. I asked to wait a minute and listen to the song and he was quiet the rest of the time just listening. This morning in the car, he asked to hear "the Hello Goodbye song." DIRECT HIT!! He he. So...we listened to Breakfast With the Beatles again and started learning other songs like Two of Us and When I'm 64. I told Elijah that the Beatles were rock and roll and he gave me the Billy Idol sneer and shouted, "YEAH - and we like ROCK N ROLL!" He he. I taught him that face.
We are leaving for MEXICO on Sunday morning! A week in the sun culminates the following weekend with the wedding of Amy and Brett (Amy is Deb's sister for those not in the know). They are getting married on the beach and the best part is I am in the wedding and don't need to buy shoes!! I am going barefoot! This is SO Pam Anderson/Tommy Lee!! Maybe we will have to fight off the paparazzi too! Anyway - hopefully the Pam Anderson/Tommy Lee comparison ENDS with the ceremony and the happy couple does NOT take a video camera around with them afterwards. Ahem....
The house is coming along fine. Still a lot of clutter but its getting better every day. We are having the kitchen remodeled and are interviewing several companies for the job. We hope to have a new kitchen by March!!
That's the update for now. Some peeps are getting mad because I am not posting house pics. I don't understand it, but I am just not motivated to take pics of the house...strange but true. Maybe the urge will hit me soon. I am DEFINITELY taking before and after shots of the kitchen though.
Hope all is well with you!!! More after Mexico!!! Cheers!
Elijah is really getting into music now. I am LOVING IT. He likes all the kids music like the Wiggles and the theme songs from the Disney movies and shows. However, he has also taken a liking to popular music and I am taking pride in fueling that interest every day in the car.
At first, he took an unusual liking to the classic Queen song, Bohemian Rhapsody. He kept asking for it and learned ALL the words...Including the entire "scaramoush" part! It's VERY funny watching him sing it and I got it on video tape so I can have it forever. Anyway - we continued to listen and learn Queen songs and now he knows Radio Ga Ga, Bicycle Race, We Will Rock You and a few others. I quickly noticed that he has a musical ear like me....I love that. Music comes on the radio and he concentrates on it. A great example of this was yesterday. We were in the car and I put on 102.9 WMGK because they have Breakfast With the Beatles on every weekday morning. The song Hello, Goodbye came on and Elijah asked me to turn off the radio and turn on HIS music. I asked to wait a minute and listen to the song and he was quiet the rest of the time just listening. This morning in the car, he asked to hear "the Hello Goodbye song." DIRECT HIT!! He he. So...we listened to Breakfast With the Beatles again and started learning other songs like Two of Us and When I'm 64. I told Elijah that the Beatles were rock and roll and he gave me the Billy Idol sneer and shouted, "YEAH - and we like ROCK N ROLL!" He he. I taught him that face.
We are leaving for MEXICO on Sunday morning! A week in the sun culminates the following weekend with the wedding of Amy and Brett (Amy is Deb's sister for those not in the know). They are getting married on the beach and the best part is I am in the wedding and don't need to buy shoes!! I am going barefoot! This is SO Pam Anderson/Tommy Lee!! Maybe we will have to fight off the paparazzi too! Anyway - hopefully the Pam Anderson/Tommy Lee comparison ENDS with the ceremony and the happy couple does NOT take a video camera around with them afterwards. Ahem....
The house is coming along fine. Still a lot of clutter but its getting better every day. We are having the kitchen remodeled and are interviewing several companies for the job. We hope to have a new kitchen by March!!
That's the update for now. Some peeps are getting mad because I am not posting house pics. I don't understand it, but I am just not motivated to take pics of the house...strange but true. Maybe the urge will hit me soon. I am DEFINITELY taking before and after shots of the kitchen though.
Hope all is well with you!!! More after Mexico!!! Cheers!
Friday, January 02, 2004
2004
Happy New Year everyone!! 2004 has begun. I cannot belive it. Where did 2003 go? Where did 2002 and 2001 go, for that matter? Time continues to fly by and that only means we are having fun. As the final ticks of 2003 were happening, Deb said to me, "new house, new daughter, new job for me, new promotion at your job - pretty good year!" Damn. That IS a pretty good year..but then again - we've had a bunch of those in a row. We are on a roll.
I have not written in a few weeks...here's the update...
We moved as scheduled on the 15th and it was smooth sailing. Unpacking has continued since then and as of now, we are 90% moved in! Only the upstairs office remains packed. That is the project for this weekend. It's awesome!!
The big New Year's Bash was a huge success and they keep getting bigger and bigger!! We had well over 50 people in the house this time and there were a dozen kids running around and most of them made it to midnight! We had a great time with the Newleywed Game again and nearly broke up more marriages. I'm telling you - that game is BRUTAL - especially to those who can't laugh about certain things....
Anyway - on the 1st we had some old friends over and it was one of the best days I have had in years. Sandy was my best friend in high school and lives in Kentucky now with Judy and their three beautiful kids. They were visiting for the week and were at my house along with Gary and Nina and the girls and the Weinbergs came in later on. It was a phenominal day playing football in the new backyard and talking about old times....too deep and too much to talk about here but suffice to say - it was an amazing day. I have great friends.
Elijah's birthday party is FINALLY happening Sunday at the Aquarium. It got snowed out in December so we moved it. I still cannot believe he is 4 years old. He is so funny sometimes with things he says - STILL makes me laugh 3-4 times a day. Sometimes he falls down or trips on something and he jumps back up and says, "I'm OK Dad. It's OK. I'm fine." I love him. Hannah is wonderful too. She started sitting on her own without support last week and she LOVES it. She's moving a lot and is close to crawling already. Don't know if we are ready for that yet but its coming!
I really need to write more often. I've been reading the Deuce Daily's from a year ago and am amazed by how much information is forever archived because of that "diary". I don't want to forget things (which I often do) and this forum is perfect for my memoirs. So anyway - just thought I would say that in hopes I will stick to it.
So what's new with you?
Happy New Year everyone!! 2004 has begun. I cannot belive it. Where did 2003 go? Where did 2002 and 2001 go, for that matter? Time continues to fly by and that only means we are having fun. As the final ticks of 2003 were happening, Deb said to me, "new house, new daughter, new job for me, new promotion at your job - pretty good year!" Damn. That IS a pretty good year..but then again - we've had a bunch of those in a row. We are on a roll.
I have not written in a few weeks...here's the update...
We moved as scheduled on the 15th and it was smooth sailing. Unpacking has continued since then and as of now, we are 90% moved in! Only the upstairs office remains packed. That is the project for this weekend. It's awesome!!
The big New Year's Bash was a huge success and they keep getting bigger and bigger!! We had well over 50 people in the house this time and there were a dozen kids running around and most of them made it to midnight! We had a great time with the Newleywed Game again and nearly broke up more marriages. I'm telling you - that game is BRUTAL - especially to those who can't laugh about certain things....
Anyway - on the 1st we had some old friends over and it was one of the best days I have had in years. Sandy was my best friend in high school and lives in Kentucky now with Judy and their three beautiful kids. They were visiting for the week and were at my house along with Gary and Nina and the girls and the Weinbergs came in later on. It was a phenominal day playing football in the new backyard and talking about old times....too deep and too much to talk about here but suffice to say - it was an amazing day. I have great friends.
Elijah's birthday party is FINALLY happening Sunday at the Aquarium. It got snowed out in December so we moved it. I still cannot believe he is 4 years old. He is so funny sometimes with things he says - STILL makes me laugh 3-4 times a day. Sometimes he falls down or trips on something and he jumps back up and says, "I'm OK Dad. It's OK. I'm fine." I love him. Hannah is wonderful too. She started sitting on her own without support last week and she LOVES it. She's moving a lot and is close to crawling already. Don't know if we are ready for that yet but its coming!
I really need to write more often. I've been reading the Deuce Daily's from a year ago and am amazed by how much information is forever archived because of that "diary". I don't want to forget things (which I often do) and this forum is perfect for my memoirs. So anyway - just thought I would say that in hopes I will stick to it.
So what's new with you?
Thursday, December 11, 2003
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE GREATEST BOY IN THE WORLD!
Elijah turns FOUR today!! WE LOVE YOU!!
We are moving on Monday.
Yesterday, my sister asked me how packing was going. I told her, "Did you ever get a colonoscopy performed using a spiked, molten hot metal poker with no sedation?"
Get the picture?
Give me root canal on 15 teeth. Give me a pierced scrotum with a 10 pound dumbell. Pour rubbing alcohol in my eyes and clamp my nipples to dental floss and hang me from the church steeple. JUST DON'T MAKE ME PACK!
That felt good.
Now back to work.
Elijah turns FOUR today!! WE LOVE YOU!!
We are moving on Monday.
Yesterday, my sister asked me how packing was going. I told her, "Did you ever get a colonoscopy performed using a spiked, molten hot metal poker with no sedation?"
Get the picture?
Give me root canal on 15 teeth. Give me a pierced scrotum with a 10 pound dumbell. Pour rubbing alcohol in my eyes and clamp my nipples to dental floss and hang me from the church steeple. JUST DON'T MAKE ME PACK!
That felt good.
Now back to work.
Wednesday, December 03, 2003
Packing a Few Boxes or Getting Violated by a Hot Metal-Spiked Poker
I am not liking this. I am NOT liking this at all. I am packing. Boxes. Hundreds of freaking boxes. We are moving on the 15th and, all of a sudden, my "too small" house is now the size of Neverland. There are boxes everywhere and some of them are full, some are empty and some are halfway...uggh. WHAT TO DO NEXT?
We hired movers. That's cool but I should have hired a packer. Ew. That did NOT sound good. It's just that you find so much stuff you never knew you had. It's like cleaning out the fridge and finding 6 month old string beans that just magically appeared in there. You know? Imagine finding those string beans, throwing them out and then finding them AGAIN in there 2 weeks later. You get the idea.
So Elijah's birthday party is this Saturday at the Aquarium. It's a small affair this year. These parties can get expensive! I mean, it's not like we are moving into a house and seeing our mortgage payment go up $800 per month or anything. Uggh. Another string bean moment. It's also not like we can say to Elijah, "This year, sweetie, we are going to pass on a birthday party for you so we can move into our new HOUSE." Yeah. OK. That will go over like a fart in church. Sooooo...we gotsta get the party started in this beeotch.
Have you seen the new show on TLC called 'Clean Sweep'? That's our life right now. Trying to decide what goes in the keep pile versus the trash pile. Hey, if it was up to me, everything would go in the trash pile. BUT - nooooooooo....Deb has to KEEP the candlesticks from 1984 because there is a piece of melted wax in one of them that carries a resemblance of her old best friends face. Pack rats: can't live with 'em, can't live with 'em.
Are you invited to our annual New Years Bash?? Did you get the evite? If you did not, it was because I was ignoring you and do NOT want you here.
Just kidding.
If you did not receive the evite, please harrass me and call me names. I will send you one right away.
So what's new with YOU?
I am not liking this. I am NOT liking this at all. I am packing. Boxes. Hundreds of freaking boxes. We are moving on the 15th and, all of a sudden, my "too small" house is now the size of Neverland. There are boxes everywhere and some of them are full, some are empty and some are halfway...uggh. WHAT TO DO NEXT?
We hired movers. That's cool but I should have hired a packer. Ew. That did NOT sound good. It's just that you find so much stuff you never knew you had. It's like cleaning out the fridge and finding 6 month old string beans that just magically appeared in there. You know? Imagine finding those string beans, throwing them out and then finding them AGAIN in there 2 weeks later. You get the idea.
So Elijah's birthday party is this Saturday at the Aquarium. It's a small affair this year. These parties can get expensive! I mean, it's not like we are moving into a house and seeing our mortgage payment go up $800 per month or anything. Uggh. Another string bean moment. It's also not like we can say to Elijah, "This year, sweetie, we are going to pass on a birthday party for you so we can move into our new HOUSE." Yeah. OK. That will go over like a fart in church. Sooooo...we gotsta get the party started in this beeotch.
Have you seen the new show on TLC called 'Clean Sweep'? That's our life right now. Trying to decide what goes in the keep pile versus the trash pile. Hey, if it was up to me, everything would go in the trash pile. BUT - nooooooooo....Deb has to KEEP the candlesticks from 1984 because there is a piece of melted wax in one of them that carries a resemblance of her old best friends face. Pack rats: can't live with 'em, can't live with 'em.
Are you invited to our annual New Years Bash?? Did you get the evite? If you did not, it was because I was ignoring you and do NOT want you here.
Just kidding.
If you did not receive the evite, please harrass me and call me names. I will send you one right away.
So what's new with YOU?
Tuesday, November 11, 2003
You Can Take the Country Club out of the Man, but you Can't Take the Man Out of the Country Club
The Borenstein Family is MOVING!! I am so freakin happy!! We sold our house on Lark Lane and are moving to our new digs.....1/2 a mile away. That's right - we are going to set up shop at 413 Country Club Drive....just a dozen houses or so from the house I grew up in. It's EXCITING!! Actually, it's not even 100% official yet because we are in attorney review. It's official on Friday though and we will be celebrating!! December 15th is the date! The house is a dream for us and we plan on staying there for a very looong time!!
More details to follow...just wanted to share the good news!!!
J
The Borenstein Family is MOVING!! I am so freakin happy!! We sold our house on Lark Lane and are moving to our new digs.....1/2 a mile away. That's right - we are going to set up shop at 413 Country Club Drive....just a dozen houses or so from the house I grew up in. It's EXCITING!! Actually, it's not even 100% official yet because we are in attorney review. It's official on Friday though and we will be celebrating!! December 15th is the date! The house is a dream for us and we plan on staying there for a very looong time!!
More details to follow...just wanted to share the good news!!!
J
Time Machine
Sometimes you just have to drop everything and be a kid again. When you have kids of your own and you are under constant time schedules for months on end....once in awhile, you just have to say...well...you know.
This past weekend, five of my best friends from high school convened on Atlantic City for a weekend of gambling, eating, gambling, eating and eating. They stayed at the Taj Mahal for 2 nights, comped of course, and dropped a few bucks at just about every casino on the boardwalk and even hit the marina for a few hours. I joined them on Saturday afternoon and stayed with them until 1am that night. Folks, if you ever have the opportunity to "go back" even if its just for 8 hours, DO IT.
Allen Frankel is taller than before, either that or I am fatter, or both. He and I spent an hour waiting for Duran Duran to emerge from the Borgata elevator so they could play blackjack at three roped off tables on the casino floor. They didn't show and we had to leave before we caught a glimpse of them. Deb was mad because I didn't get a picture of John Taylor. I told her she had enough pictures of him in boxes with scotch tape that used to secure them to her bedroom walls. Big Al is still a goofball and it was great to see him.
Mike Weinberg was...Mike Weinberg. After complaining that I didn't give him any props in my post to the Cherry Hill East Class of '85 message board...ugh...we got into our usual conversation about Night Ranger and he tried to convince me that Journey and Def Leppard define music history. Then I watched as hundreds of dollars left and entered his wallet time and time and time again. I love watching Mike gamble. It's like watching the Kentucky Derby - fast and furious for 2 minutes and then its over.
Brad Scher taught me how to play Paigow poker and I won $70. Thanks Beej. Brad is still one of a kind. His mood is ALWAYS the same - no mood swings like the rest of us humans. Level headed and relaxed as can be. I miss him - too bad we don't get together often. Still wondering if he ever hooked up with Lisa Washington...hmmmm..
Scott Turer was packing heat as always. Scottie has not changed a bit. Flashy yet sophisticated. The guy has more money than dirt and lets you know it but he is still as grounded as ever. One of the best guys in the world - my mother thinks he should be knighted. He lives so damn far away - Pittsburgh - and we don't get to hang out enough.
Gary Vincoff is still the best friend a guy could have. You wanna know what "real" is? Talk to Gary. NO BS, no cutting the corners, no beating around the bush. I like spending time with Gary because he can see things the way I see them. He's not superficial like so many Cherry Hill products. I am glad he's not moving to New Hampshire. Watching Gary get beat while gambling is a treat though and I am looking forward to watching him lose again soon. Gary makes losing fun.....for everyone around him. It's a sight to behold.
So that's that...we ate at the White House (awesome) and ate at the Hard Rock and ate some ice cream too. We gambled in between and shot the shit the whole time. It was a great trip in the time machine....
So it's back to 2003....strange, isn't it?
Sometimes you just have to drop everything and be a kid again. When you have kids of your own and you are under constant time schedules for months on end....once in awhile, you just have to say...well...you know.
This past weekend, five of my best friends from high school convened on Atlantic City for a weekend of gambling, eating, gambling, eating and eating. They stayed at the Taj Mahal for 2 nights, comped of course, and dropped a few bucks at just about every casino on the boardwalk and even hit the marina for a few hours. I joined them on Saturday afternoon and stayed with them until 1am that night. Folks, if you ever have the opportunity to "go back" even if its just for 8 hours, DO IT.
Allen Frankel is taller than before, either that or I am fatter, or both. He and I spent an hour waiting for Duran Duran to emerge from the Borgata elevator so they could play blackjack at three roped off tables on the casino floor. They didn't show and we had to leave before we caught a glimpse of them. Deb was mad because I didn't get a picture of John Taylor. I told her she had enough pictures of him in boxes with scotch tape that used to secure them to her bedroom walls. Big Al is still a goofball and it was great to see him.
Mike Weinberg was...Mike Weinberg. After complaining that I didn't give him any props in my post to the Cherry Hill East Class of '85 message board...ugh...we got into our usual conversation about Night Ranger and he tried to convince me that Journey and Def Leppard define music history. Then I watched as hundreds of dollars left and entered his wallet time and time and time again. I love watching Mike gamble. It's like watching the Kentucky Derby - fast and furious for 2 minutes and then its over.
Brad Scher taught me how to play Paigow poker and I won $70. Thanks Beej. Brad is still one of a kind. His mood is ALWAYS the same - no mood swings like the rest of us humans. Level headed and relaxed as can be. I miss him - too bad we don't get together often. Still wondering if he ever hooked up with Lisa Washington...hmmmm..
Scott Turer was packing heat as always. Scottie has not changed a bit. Flashy yet sophisticated. The guy has more money than dirt and lets you know it but he is still as grounded as ever. One of the best guys in the world - my mother thinks he should be knighted. He lives so damn far away - Pittsburgh - and we don't get to hang out enough.
Gary Vincoff is still the best friend a guy could have. You wanna know what "real" is? Talk to Gary. NO BS, no cutting the corners, no beating around the bush. I like spending time with Gary because he can see things the way I see them. He's not superficial like so many Cherry Hill products. I am glad he's not moving to New Hampshire. Watching Gary get beat while gambling is a treat though and I am looking forward to watching him lose again soon. Gary makes losing fun.....for everyone around him. It's a sight to behold.
So that's that...we ate at the White House (awesome) and ate at the Hard Rock and ate some ice cream too. We gambled in between and shot the shit the whole time. It was a great trip in the time machine....
So it's back to 2003....strange, isn't it?
Thursday, October 23, 2003
Rolling Over
OH MY GOD...OH MY GOD!!!! You are NEVER going to believe this!!! Are you sitting down?? OK...OK...OK...OK...are you ready for this INCREDIBLE NEWS? Brace yourself... take a deep breath!!!! OK OK OK...here we go...HANNAH ALMOST ROLLED OVER!
what? You were waiting for something more relevant? How can there be something more relevant than that??? She came soooo close!!! She's almost there!! I swear!! Soon, she will be rolling ALL OVER THE PLACE!! I am so proud.
Uggh. What is the big deal??? I mean really. ROLLING OVER?? WHO THE HECK CARES? I am stuggling to understand why mothers call up their entire address book to report to everyone that their child ROLLED OVER!! Baffles me. Now now...before you all attack my insensitivity....I am all about documenting and broadcasting events in my children's lives. Things like WALKING and TALKING are newsworthy.
"Hey MOM, guess what??? You are not going to believe this...HANNAH POOPED SOLID today! FIRST TIME!!! How adorable!!! I just wanted to squeeze her I was so proud! Not only that - get this - she also didn't spit up ONCE all day!!! Awwwwww..."
So while Hannah is busy rolling over, Elijah is learning to use reason in his daily conversations. For instance, we will say, "black and white animal" and he will say "zebra." We will say "orange dinner" and he will say "Mac and cheese." We will say, "underwear" and he will say, "no pee pee!!"
So, if you have not gotten the message yet...Hannah is almost rolling over. Be sure to tell your aunts, uncles and your bosses wife. If you forget, it will be on the evening news tonight at 11.
Love you all!!!
dad
OH MY GOD...OH MY GOD!!!! You are NEVER going to believe this!!! Are you sitting down?? OK...OK...OK...OK...are you ready for this INCREDIBLE NEWS? Brace yourself... take a deep breath!!!! OK OK OK...here we go...HANNAH ALMOST ROLLED OVER!
what? You were waiting for something more relevant? How can there be something more relevant than that??? She came soooo close!!! She's almost there!! I swear!! Soon, she will be rolling ALL OVER THE PLACE!! I am so proud.
Uggh. What is the big deal??? I mean really. ROLLING OVER?? WHO THE HECK CARES? I am stuggling to understand why mothers call up their entire address book to report to everyone that their child ROLLED OVER!! Baffles me. Now now...before you all attack my insensitivity....I am all about documenting and broadcasting events in my children's lives. Things like WALKING and TALKING are newsworthy.
"Hey MOM, guess what??? You are not going to believe this...HANNAH POOPED SOLID today! FIRST TIME!!! How adorable!!! I just wanted to squeeze her I was so proud! Not only that - get this - she also didn't spit up ONCE all day!!! Awwwwww..."
So while Hannah is busy rolling over, Elijah is learning to use reason in his daily conversations. For instance, we will say, "black and white animal" and he will say "zebra." We will say "orange dinner" and he will say "Mac and cheese." We will say, "underwear" and he will say, "no pee pee!!"
So, if you have not gotten the message yet...Hannah is almost rolling over. Be sure to tell your aunts, uncles and your bosses wife. If you forget, it will be on the evening news tonight at 11.
Love you all!!!
dad
Thursday, October 02, 2003
Old Friends
Those who know me are well aware of my love affair with music. As a young person I was hooked by the melodies of the Beatles and became addicted to pop music. In high school, it was hard rock and heavy metal. Over the past ten years or so, I've become a big fan of the progressive rock/metal genre and concentrate more on lyrics than on melody. One of my most recent purchases is the new double-CD by Neal Morse. It's called Testimony. I've been a big fan of Morse for several years as the lead singer/songwriter of one of my favorite bands, Spock's Beard. Last year, he left the band for religious reasons. He had become a Christian and felt he had to leave and work on his relationship with God. Anyway, I was upset at the time but I've gotten over it. In any case, Morse just released this auto-biographical CD that is heavy on the religious side but so stunningly beautiful that I became hooked instantly. The reason why I'm telling you about this is coming...hang with me! There is a side project of mine that will be reviewing CD's online. It's called Pick Your Noise and it will be up and running soon. I did this because people are always asking me about my musical taste because most of the stuff I am into is foreign to them. So look for the site soon. ANYWAY...back to the story...
The first track on the Testimony CD is "The Land of Beginning Again." The lyrics talk about going back in time...
"I wish there was a way to start again. Just blink and count to ten. In the land of beginning again. Where no one knows the bad things that you've done. The past is truly gone. In the land of beginning again."
I've been listening to this a lot lately and thinking a lot about it. Then, yesterday, I get an e-mail from my old friend Lou. I have not been in contact with Louie in 6 years. We were tight in college at West Chester University. After graduation in 1990, we kinda went our separate ways. He's in Willow Grove still and works as a high school science teacher. Anyway, it was so good to hear from him and the effect was greater because of all this "stuff" in my mind from listening to Morse's CD. Sound strange? It's amazing what effect music can have in my life. Anyway, I am looking forward to getting together with Lou soon and talking about old times - going back to the land of beginning again.
Those who know me are well aware of my love affair with music. As a young person I was hooked by the melodies of the Beatles and became addicted to pop music. In high school, it was hard rock and heavy metal. Over the past ten years or so, I've become a big fan of the progressive rock/metal genre and concentrate more on lyrics than on melody. One of my most recent purchases is the new double-CD by Neal Morse. It's called Testimony. I've been a big fan of Morse for several years as the lead singer/songwriter of one of my favorite bands, Spock's Beard. Last year, he left the band for religious reasons. He had become a Christian and felt he had to leave and work on his relationship with God. Anyway, I was upset at the time but I've gotten over it. In any case, Morse just released this auto-biographical CD that is heavy on the religious side but so stunningly beautiful that I became hooked instantly. The reason why I'm telling you about this is coming...hang with me! There is a side project of mine that will be reviewing CD's online. It's called Pick Your Noise and it will be up and running soon. I did this because people are always asking me about my musical taste because most of the stuff I am into is foreign to them. So look for the site soon. ANYWAY...back to the story...
The first track on the Testimony CD is "The Land of Beginning Again." The lyrics talk about going back in time...
"I wish there was a way to start again. Just blink and count to ten. In the land of beginning again. Where no one knows the bad things that you've done. The past is truly gone. In the land of beginning again."
I've been listening to this a lot lately and thinking a lot about it. Then, yesterday, I get an e-mail from my old friend Lou. I have not been in contact with Louie in 6 years. We were tight in college at West Chester University. After graduation in 1990, we kinda went our separate ways. He's in Willow Grove still and works as a high school science teacher. Anyway, it was so good to hear from him and the effect was greater because of all this "stuff" in my mind from listening to Morse's CD. Sound strange? It's amazing what effect music can have in my life. Anyway, I am looking forward to getting together with Lou soon and talking about old times - going back to the land of beginning again.
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