Category: Uncategorized

  • The Knicks Tonight (Unedited)

    First of all; I just want a fair and competitive game tonight, which showcases why these are the two best teams in the NBA.

    I said the other day about how amazing it is that the Knicks have united this City in a way that I haven’t seen in the twenty years that I have lived here. Even my kid, who only follows women’s soccer, is excited by this team, and has somehow taken on even more pride that she’s from New York, is rallying around this team. It’s been great the past couple of weeks seeing just about everybody in orange and blue on the streets. Crime is down, people are getting along, and we all know where we are going to be tonight; around a tv watching the game, and quite a lot of us will be doing it with a group of friends who a few hours ago were total strangers. It is exciting to be here with all of this going around.

    Which is also why I am so annoyed, and disappointed, but not surprised, that Trump will drag his useless orange ass here, and take a big fat stinky dump in the middle of the court and try to ruin it for all of us. And he will ruin it, because even his presence is enough to attempt to kill all the fun that the rest of us are having.

    Yes, he will be booed tonight in a way and manner that he fully deserves from a City that never accepted him, but put up with him. I guess every circus needs a clown, and he will happily fill that role while trying to make it all about himself. Take the hint bro; you’re not welcome.

    I did see Stephen A. Smith’s comments about how if Trump comes it will through the Knicks off, and kill the energy that the fans will give this team. I don’t necessarily agree with that. This team represents New York, and we get to be the beneficiaries of their success. I know they deeply appreciate our support which we willingly give, but at the end of the day, they are playing for each other. They want to win for each other, because that’s what a team is. They are getting each other’s back, and that’s the way it should be.

    When Trump’s face comes up on my tv tonight, I will join in on the booing. Not because I dislike Trump, which I do by the way. No, I’m going to boo Trump to protect this team. He is not allowed to come into my City, and shit up this great moment.

  • ODDS and ENDS: World Cup Countdown, Knicks, and Gotta Go

    ODDS and ENDS: World Cup Countdown, Knicks, and Gotta Go

    (Wha’ca talking about?)

    Group of diverse soccer fans watching a live match outside a neighborhood bodega
    Fans gather outside a bodega to watch a soccer match on TV

    I am slowly seeing the neighborhoods of the City get ready for the World Cup. I’m not talking about the big corporate stuff, or the FIFA shit. I’m not even talking about the stuff the City is putting up for the tourists, if the tourist show up. No, what I am talking about are the people and the stores doing stuff. How people are displaying nation flags in their windows, how store fronts and bodegas are getting tv positioned in the windows for people on the street to watch. I love living in a City of Immigrants because everyone is from somewhere, and there is a special pride in being able to show that off. The World Cup in New York City is a special time, regardless if it’s being played here or not.

    Speaking of sports, Game 2 of the NBA finals is tonight. I will admit that I am a half-ass Knicks fan. I watched less than a handful of regular season games, and was hit or miss with the playoffs. But, I am here for the Finals. In a weird way, I am trying to use the Knicks as a learning experience for the kid, to have some pride in her hometown team. My loyalty to teams has pretty much been spoken for, but pro basketball seems to be the one area of fandom that I have some wiggle room, which means I have a very clean concience when it comes to rooting for the Knicks and Liberty. (Also, I’m cool with the Gotham FC, and iffy with NYCFC but that is a blog for another day.) All of that being said, all the Knicks love should be totally welcomed because the Knicks sure have brought this whole City together, which is damn near impossible to do.

    I gotta go to the grocery store, so the last point here is a little thin…

  • ODDS and ENDS: Proof of Workouts, Sitting Still, and Goodbye Playlists/Hello Albums

    ODDS and ENDS: Proof of Workouts, Sitting Still, and Goodbye Playlists/Hello Albums

    (And Sunday always come too late…)

    Four people in a car driving through a forest with vibrant fall colors, all cheering and smiling
    A happy group enjoys a fun autumn drive surrounded by colorful fall foliage.

    My kid doesn’t believe that I do exercises. She knows I go to the gym, as she’s seen me do it. What she doesn’t believe is that, while she’s at school, I doo push-ups, sit-ups, and squats at home. She wants my wife, her mother, to take pictures or shoot a video of me working out at home. I don’t know how to feel about my child doubting me on this matter. Is she saying that I would lie about this? Or is she saying that there has been no progress in my size, so I must be lying? Or is she just making fun of me?

    We rented a place in Vermont over Memorial Day weekend, and we all had a good time. One thing that I noticed about myself was that I had a very difficult time just sitting still, being quiet, and not moving. The whole family has been under a great deal of stress this Spring, with jobs and school, and life in general, so the break was needed. But, with my inability to just be calm of twenty minutes, I started to wonder if I have burned myself out, and started to get use to feeling edgy all the time; as if stress is my default state, and I need to constantly engage in something.

    See, when we were driving back to New York City from Vermont over Memorial Day, we got stuck in some pretty bad traffic around Albany, and we started getting bored with our playlists. So, the wife asked what album did I want to listen to. The first thing that popped into my head was “Achtung Baby” which she put on, and it still holds up as a great album. Then the wife suggested “Ten” which was awesome to listen to as well. The kid wanted to listen to “Guts” which we all enjoyed. When we made it home, we decided that for this summer, for all of our road trips, we are only going to listen to albums. I had forgotten how much fun it was to road trip and go from album to album. Not since the days that I had a cd player in my car, had I done this.

  • Busy Day (Writing on My Phone)

    It would be easy to say that the day got ahead of me, but that would be incorrect. Today was a financial planning day with the wife, and I had a feeling it would take up most of my time… and I was correct in that estimation.

    We have a kid that we’ll need to send to college, most likely, and we need to come up with a plan to pay for it all.

    So if anyone out there is feeling charitable, please feel free to drop me a line, and let me know how much you would like to donate. We’re looking at $34,000 a year, so any amount of donations would help.

  • Memorial Day Cooking