busted by the cute police

Picnic/BBQ in Prospect Park - ON SUNDAY 5/30

Fam,

Looks like today is not a great day for the park. Its overcast and only supposed to be a high of 76. And Adz and the Ross family would prefer Sunday.

Tomorrow is supposed to be lovely day - sunny and a high of 87 degrees.

Ashley and I have something to go tomorrow afternoon. But we should probably be able to get to the park around 3-330pm (around the usual spot). But by all means try to get to the park earlier and enjoy the weather.

If you can come please bring stuff to share...food (stuff to grill)/beer/snacks/dessert.

Ashley and I will bring chips, hot dogs (and buns) and some beer to share.

Remember to bring those park blankets too.

Hope this works for most people.

Let us know if you are coming, by commenting on the blog post or texting us. This helps us know how much food to possibly bring.

Thanks,

Sol

Fun at home w/ iPhone

A photo of a painting hanging in my parents house. I thought I'd share.




Now the same painting, but this time with the sun shining through the nearby window.



Comments on how this applies to the meaning of life are encouraged.

Looking Back

Spending the last couple months coaching my old high school baseball team, it naturally got me thinking about my days back in high school, and of course it led me to pick up my high school yearbook and thumb through the pages.



When I think of myself in high school I tend to think of someone who was extremely naive and not totally locked in. I discovered something kind of surprising and awesome, though, when I looked at my yearbook page. In addition to the very tasteful appreciation I expressed for parents, teachers, and friends, here are the 3 quotes I included on my page:

"I'm always interested in a challenge ... It's hard work. You've got to have a plan and you've got to follow it. If [you] do that, nothing's impossible." - Bill Fitch

"Look back, and smile at the perils past." - Walter Scott

"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Of course I picked those quotes out of some kind of quote book or something, and immediately forgot them as soon as I had chosen them. But honestly, I'm floored by how completely those three quotes reflect my current outlook on life. Clearly I knew what was up even back then.

The lesson here? I am and have always been the man. I'm The Natural!

Dr. Funkenstein

"The state of funk today is kind of funked up."

Such a dire musical proclamation comes from no less a groove guru than William Earl Collins. Better known as Bootsy, the trailblazing bassist for James Brown in the early '70s and then George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic through 1980, Collins fears for the future of the music he helped pioneer.

The problem? Young people today, he lamented, just don't know their history.

"If you say anything about those old musicians to youngsters today, most of them don't have a clue," Collins said. "All they know is who their favorite bass player or guitarist is now. They have no idea how to connect those dots, where this style or this music comes from."

So, as one of the universe's foremost funkmasters, Collins has decided to do something about it. Starting July 1, aspiring funkateers can enroll at Funk University, an online bass guitar school he is co-creating and curating with actor-entrepreneur Cory Danziger.

JUMPING FOR JOY, NYC HERE I COME!

I'LL BE IN NYC NEXT WEEKEND FROM SATURDAY THROUGH MONDAY!

*Who is in town?

*Perhaps we can have a family picnic? Sunday? Weather.com says 80 degrees

* Jon and Renana: When is good to visit the baby?

XO!

A

Merle

confessional

robot rabbi, katie + josh?

From the Washington Post:

TOKYO -- Almost everyone stood when the bride walked down the aisle in her white gown, but not the wedding conductor, because she was bolted to her chair.

The nuptials at this ceremony were led by "I-Fairy," a 4-foot (1.5-meter) tall seated robot with flashing eyes and plastic pigtails. Sunday's wedding was the first time a marriage had been led by a robot, according to manufacturer Kokoro Co.

"Please lift the bride's veil," the robot said in a tinny voice, waving its arms in the air as the newlyweds kissed in front of about 50 guests.

(continued...)

Kisses to You Warm Weather

Prospect Park BBQ at the usual spot.

1PM on Saturday.

Bring foods, drinks, infant children, sports equipment, blankets, and generally your BBQ A game.

I'll handle condiments, plates, napkins, forks...

No word on a Bull cameo yet

As I may have mentioned to some of y'all, my friend Mike Zegen is currently co-starring in a play called "Oliver Parker" with John Laroquette (aka Dan from "Night Court," and co-star of the beloved Kirstie Alley vehicle "Madhouse")

I'm going Monday, I believe it plays through early June. Click link for details.

For the Bammas

Our Future

I'm a little embarrassed to follow up the last post with this one, but I feel compelled to. Apparently, the TV entertainment industry is up for grabs (click link). This blog alone is probably worth more than most cable stations. It's time to go to work.

dad blog

first off, apologies for waiting 4 1/2 months to blog about the newest member of the jj8 family. as you imagine, shit has been busy, and sleep has been at a premium. also, while i'm getting my blog skills warmed up, how about a prospect park picnic this weekend? the weather should be good and carmel has been bugging us about finally getting her little butt over to brooklyn.

so now, as carmel slowly puts herself to sleep in the room next door [imagine a slow, gradual fade out of a screaming baby], i will take the opportunity to shed a little light into the world of being a dad.


so far, the best part has been coming home from the med student life and getting a wide, toothless smile from carmel. at the beginning of course she had no idea who we [or anyone] [or anything] were and as long as she got a boob in her mouth every few hours she was happy. but over the last few months she has become really aware of her surroundings and has learned a bit about her friends and enemies. in particular, she has developed a strong love/hate relationship with a small stuffed giraffe. anyway, she definitely knows who we are and it is pretty effin' awesome to walk in the door and get hit by a beam of 100% baby love.

the worst part [besides the nightly 3am wake up, and i can't even complain because i just get woken up, it's almost always renana that actually has to get out of bed and function] is probably the constant ambiguity in the face of serious responsibility. i feel like we never totally know if we're doing what we're supposed to be doing. and i'm finishing up my PEDIATRICS rotation people. more food? less food? more sleep? less sleep? stomach pain? exhaustion? weird baby shit? we never really know, we just do it.

but it's awesome.
more dad blog to come.

Someone Throw a Beetlejuice Party Please

bball me

i played in a full court basketball game as a sub for my restaurant's team and was completely overwhelmed. it was embarrassing. but, it made me think, i need some regular bballing and so do all of you. who's down for a weekly bball game tuesday evenings from 730pm to darkness. we could pick a single court to play at each week or switch it up from week to week. i'd like to get going tomorrow night (tuesday). anyone down to play?