Podcast
The First One.
Barbara Elise Herter
My grandma's health was declining and we knew that her time was nearing its end, so we went to see her in Naples, Florida this weekend. Mom and Dad plus Andrew and Caitlin's families arrived on Thursday and had early-bird dinner with her on Friday, but we got in around 1:30 that night and missed what turned out to be her last meal. She died that night and I never saw her. I loved visiting her in Florida growing up (great candy dish) and she would make the trip up to Boston or Cape Cod in the Summer regularly until…
Bernie
I remember exactly where I was when I read a tweet stating that Bernie Sanders was entering the presidential election; I was actually so overwhelmed with political pride and hope that I cried. Bernie has been my favorite politician for years: an independent renegade who actually takes principled stands on issues that matter to me. His honesty and integrity in the House and Senate have always been inspiring and he is clearly guided by values that reflect my own. In short, he is a hero of mine and by announcing his candidacy, he instantly changed my outlook on the possibilities…
Six Weeks
Miles joined us 6 weeks ago and it has been a wild and wonderful ride. Although we went through this process with Ivy 2 1/2 years ago, I seem to have forgotten (or blocked) how intense it is. Constant awareness is required and needs must be promptly satisfied or the abyss awaits! Most of the time he is a fantastic baby, quietly eating, sleeping, or chilling, but occasionally, he demands full attention with his primal siren scream -- a hideous wailing frequency that heightens the urgency of any request taking longer than a couple of seconds to complete. It is…
Miles Acadia Taylor
My son is born! In LDR 4 at Methodist Hospital, Brooklyn on December 8, 2015 at 10:03, Alaina brought Miles into life. Through an act of courage, strength and love, she nurtured him into existence. There is nothing mankind has ever created or accomplished that can equal the beautiful and heroic act of creating, growing and birthing a baby, performed by every mother on the planet for every single person. The dads have a small part in the beginning (which I thoroughly enjoyed!), and hopefully more once the umbilical cord is cut (which I had the honor of doing!), but…
Looming and Reminiscing Excitement
We are approaching Due Day here, with a baby arrival sometime in the next three weeks. The anticipation is growing while the drama and mystery of when it will begin is becoming more real every day. Alaina is feeling aches and pains that I can not imagine and will soon go through one of the most intense physical human experiences. All I can do is watch helplessly and offer sympathy. She is the bravest hero I know and is doing it all for Love. Despite the imminent appearance of the newest Taylor, I risked a jaunt out to The Meadowlands…
Labor Day
What a Summer for this guy! I currently sit in one of my favorite spots in the known universe: Eventide Cabin on Mt. Desert Island. Acadia is a personal paradise and spending time here with my wife, child and parents is very high on my who/what/where triangulation rankings. I have been consistently scoring very well this Summer, packed with fantastic weekends around the Northeast: The Land, Bellport, Osterville, Vermont, Maine, and even a few in Brooklyn; Ivy and I rolled all over town on my bike and explored beaches and amusement parks (Coney Island!), swimming pools and water playgrounds (Sunset…
Three Months Pass Fast
Wow. Since my last post 88 days ago, written in a moment of great leisure on vacation in Barcelona, I have been through a vortex of time and space. It has been a wonderful but somewhat delirious 3 months of my life and I have had zero seconds to compose an account of it, which I will finally do here and now, sitting in my new studio in my new home with free time that I now have since school ended last week. Things are different now: Alaina is pregnant again and we moved into an amazing home in Kensington,…
From The Place I Am Sitting
On a balcony, overlooking the Calle in Barcelona, I am thoroughly enjoying my amazing European vacation. There is a vibrant street life and I am listening to unfamiliar languages and seeing a larger humanity in a longer time-frame; Ancient Traditions and Relics with Futuristic Thought and Style. Two days ago, I found myself at Camp Nou, where local heroes FC Barcelona were taking on Manchester City in a Champions League match. I couldn't have been further away from the pitch in the 99,000 seat stadium, but it was one of the most exciting sports experiences of my life. It was…
Snow Blessings
The past two weekends were spent in the abundantly snow-covered Green Mountains of Vermont, getting after some of the best conditions one could hope for; February was one of the best months for snow in the Northeast that I can ever remember. I spent two days at good ol' Magic Mountain, riding Red Chair and finding pristine stashes of untracked powder everywhere. Saturday was actually the most crowded I've ever seen the mountain, and the usually empty lift line involved a 15 minute wait a few times. While I love that place for its desolation, I like to see it…