Archive for July 2017
There are six seasons. Not four.
Kurt Vonnegut proposed a restructuring of the seasons that I like a lot. January and February: WinterMarch and April: UnlockingMay and June: SpringJuly and August: SummerSeptember and October: FallNovember and December: Locking Vonnegut argued that March and April never really exemplify spring. It’s still cold. The grass is brown. Trees aren’t yet budding, and winter…
Read MoreSo many white people
They’ve done it again. Here is a photo of the 2017 White House interns alongside Donald Trump. The fact that more than half of all millennials (age 18-34) are not white makes this photo particularly striking. Given these demographics, Trump’s team must’ve worked hard to ensure that there were be the requisite majority of white…
Read MoreSleeping babies: Less shame. More sleep.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) currently advises parents to sleep in the same room (but never in the same bed) as their babies for a year, ideally, but at least for the first six months. In a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, researchers led by Dr. Ian Paul, professor of pediatrics and public…
Read MoreRepublican Congressmen threaten female Senators with violence. This is not normal.
In the last three days, Republican men in the House have threatened their female Senate colleagues with shooting and beating. ON MSNBC, Rep. Buddy Carter said on Lisa Murkowski: “Somebody needs to go over there to that Senate and snatch a knot in their ass.” Apparently, “snatch a knot in their ass” means to hit…
Read MoreI never saw The Ramones in concert. It kills me.
Last night my family attended an outdoor concert at Elizabeth Park in West Hartford, CT. It’s a summer tradition that we love. The band closed the show with The Ramones’ Sedated. I took the opportunity to grab Clara and teach her how to dance to punk music on the green grass under the dying light of…
Read MoreCheck your privilege at the door
Few things annoy me more than unacknowledged privilege. People who complain about social safety nets while enjoying ample safety nets of their own. For many, the unacknowledged safety net is the presence of a prosperous family. A childhood filled with stability, opportunity, and advantage. Private schools. Outstanding medical care. Travel. It’s the knowledge that financial…
Read MoreTrump stomped on tradition at the 2017 Boy Scout National Jamboree.
Yesterday Donald Trump spoke at the Boy Scout’s National Jamboree. This is a standing invitation to every United States President. Seven of the last eleven Presidents have taken the Scouts up on their offer since the Jamboree began in 1937. None of those seven Presidents ever took the opportunity to turn a day of celebration…
Read MoreThe Macarena is fine. It’s these two songs that I despise.
I was asked by someone on Facebook if, as a wedding DJ, I’m sick of the Macarena. Honestly, I’m not. I explained that even though I have led thousands of wedding guests in the Macarena over the years, I almost never get tired of a song that fills a dance floor with wedding guests. When…
Read MoreWhy I am still a wedding DJ after 20 years
I DJ’d my last wedding of the year yesterday. My partner, Bengi, and I launched this business 20 years ago in September of 1997 with our very first wedding. We worked for free and received a $200 tip at the end of the night. The next year were booked 25 weddings, and we never looked…
Read MoreThe New York Times use of honorifics must end.
I like the New York Times. I’m an online subscriber to the New York Times. Despite Trump’s insistence that the New York Times is failing, digital subscriptions are at a record high, the stock price is near a 52 week high, and Trump gave a long and damning interview to the paper just last week.…
Read More