Archive for December 2016
Resolution update: 2016 in review
In 2016, I completed 19 of 32 goals (one goal was cancelled early in the year) for a success rate of 59%. While this is not great, it compares well to previous five year average of 51%. My previous year success rates: 2010: 44%2011: 62%2012: 30%2013: 60%2014: 60%2015: 59% I also recently pointed out to…
Read MoreWhat is wrong with Queens?
My daughter Clara is angry that Super Wings – a TV show about anthropomorphized planes that visit other countries – hasn’t visited Israel yet. “Or Argentina, at least! Or how about Queens! What’s wrong with Queens?” Yes, she’s talking about Queens, NY. The place we drove through yesterday on our way home from New Jersey.
Read MoreMy 2016 Christmas haul
Every Christmas, I take inventory of the holiday gifts that my wife gives me. Some people wish for cashmere sweaters, new video game systems, stylish watches, and jewelry. My hope is often for the least pretentious, most unexpected, quirkiest little gift possible, and she never fails to deliver. For the past seven years, I’ve been…
Read MoreUnfair assumption #28: Parents who threaten to disown their children based upon their marital choices are the lowest form of human life.
You know these people. These are the parents who will refuse to attend their child’s wedding and sometimes disown a son or daughter for failing to marry someone who shares their religious belief, racial composition, socioeconomic standing, national or cultural origin, or does not conform to their heteronormative expectations of marriage. They are the despicable…
Read MoreIn regards to Russian hacking: “I think we ought to get on with our lives.” Also, word salad.
Donald Trump took a few questions at Mar-a-Lago last night and said this about Lindsey Graham, John McCain, and many Senators – Democrat and Republican – who are pushing for Russian sanctions following evidence of hacking in order to tip the balance of the Presidential election. His answer strikes me as slightly incomprehensible, questionably incompetent,…
Read MoreBottle flipping: I gave it a month. Here are my thoughts.
When I was a kid, we climbed the highest trees. Rode our bikes without any hands. Jumped across roaring streams. Skateboarded down concrete steps. Threw tennis balls at each other. Today children flip half-filled plastic water bottles in the air in hopes of landing them in a standing position. Perhaps this is unfair. Simply because…
Read More“Merry Christmas” is perfectly fine. But the existence of Jews should not be a secret.
Conversation between a cashier and me at a local restaurant on the morning of December 24: Me: (handing over a signed receipt) Happy holidays! Cashier: You know what? I’m going to wish you a merry Christmas! Donald Trump said that we need to say ‘Merry Christmas’ more often, so I’m going to do that… (leans in and…
Read MoreThe truth about red meat (and an ugly truth about me)
During our Christmas Day open house, a debate was sparked over the claim that the red juice in a piece of raw steak is blood. I argued that it was not blood. Everyone – and one friend in particular – disagreed. Facing a wall of opposition, I faltered. Doubted my claim. Wondered if I had…
Read MoreBruce Springsteen understands the cliff. Do you?
I’m listening to Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography Born to Run. It’s incredible. The man speaks truth with eloquence again and again. How can someone be this talented? One of the aspects of this book that speaks to me most is the way in which he understands the cliff. If you’ve never stood on the edge of the…
Read MoreWhen someone suggests that we give Donald Trump a chance, say this.
When someone fires off this Trump talking point: “He’s our President now. Why not at least give him a chance?” … please do not remain silent. I inform these people that I have a policy against giving bigots, misogynists, sexual predators, and liars a second chance, at least when it comes to governing our country…
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