The First Thanksgiving

December 4, 2013
This may rank as my best Thanksgiving ever. I don't really remember the first five or ten of my life and Ivy may someday overlook it in her list of greatest Fourth-Thursday-in-Novembers, but I can't think of another incarnation of this Holiday that brought together such delicious food and incredible expanding family. We spent Thursday in Armonk with Alaina's family and a beautifully prepared, classic spread of Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, Potatoes, Cranberry and Incredible Pies. Ivy is the newest addition to the next generation on this side, with six cousins under 13. It is a fun crew and I always…

The Boston Red Sox Are 2013 World Series Champions!

October 31, 2013
The Boston Red Sox bring me great joy. With an amazing redemption from last year's debacle, they go from laughable losers to World Series Winners! All year long they played with resolve and determination, willing victory from certain defeat, a different teammate stepping up every night to deliver when it mattered. It has been an incredible ride beyond this season that stretches back as far as I have memories; The Red Sox are always part of my life. Through pain and suffering to joy and celebration, I love this team and feel fortunate to have grown up in a geographical…

Two Months

October 15, 2013
Time has lost any relative meaning it might have had for me. It is impossible to believe that two months have passed since Ivy was born; it still seems so new and yet hours pass instantly with me doing nothing but holding her and staring in amazement. She is always incredible. But in many ways my life is the same! Every day I go to work as I did since before the dawn of Ivy! I still have friends that existed before she was ever imagined! And my eternal devotion to the sports teams of my youth has never been…

Six Weeks

September 25, 2013
It has been a challenging six weeks and we are still adjusting to our new sleep-deprived lifestyle, but it has also been incredible and amazing. Watching her grow and develop new skills (eye-tracking! head-swiveling!) has been wonderful and inspiring and I look forward to seeing her everyday when I come home from teaching. Even a frown and scrunched-up crying face is the cutest and most adorable sadness, and when she smiles I am enveloped in joy and love. This is the greatest adventure I have ever embarked on and my life has been enriched more than I could ever have…

One Week

August 20, 2013
Seven days we've spent with her and I am still out of my mind with joy and happiness. There have been some challenging moments but most of the time is bliss, enjoying the simple company of this child as she sleeps serenely or opens her eyes wide and sees the world unbiased and pure. She is so sweet and delicate as I hold her in my arms and have no choice but to nuzzle her nose and kiss the softest skin I could ever imagine. I am completely in love. I have always loved being around kids and looked forward…

Ivy Dorset Taylor

August 11, 2013
My daughter arrived on August 11, 2013 at 7:24pm at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn, NY as she and her mother performed the most unbelievably amazing act I have ever witnessed. This is all I am capable of putting into words at this point as I try to process what happened in Labor and Delivery Room 3 from 9am to 9pm today. Maybe with some time and perspective I could describe the event in greater detail, but I will never be able to communicate any real sense of what I experienced there. Love is Born!

More Summer Shows

August 7, 2013
This baby is late! The due date was July 29 and we are now into August and patiently awaiting the arrival. We are anxious to meet our new friend, but also focused on enjoying our final days as a couple without the enormous responsibility that will come with this child. One benefit to holding out: when I looked at the Celebrate Brooklyn schedule earlier this summer, I noticed many shows I might not get to see... Philip Glass and his ensemble performed his score to the original Dracula, which I have been waiting to see again for years. I saw…

Debt: The First 5000 Years

July 31, 2013
Since Introduction to Macroeconomics with Professor Michael Claudon in my Freshman year, I have been passionately infatuated with the study of money and its profound effects on every aspect of our civilization and society. It is one of life's greatest marvels that something so ephemeral, dependent completely on a communal belief in its power, could be responsible for almost everything that man has ever made. How could we be so motivated by scraps of metal and paper that we would organize our entire lifestyle and human existence around it? I have always been both fascinated and repulsed by our obsession…

Vermont Land

July 15, 2013
Since leaving Middlebury, I have had a insatiable need to return to Vermont as often as possible. It is a beautiful and inspiring place to be and absolutely necessary as a counterbalance to my life in the city. I have always dreamed of owning some raw and natural Land somewhere and recently the dream became reality with the purchase of 11.5 acres in Chester for $7,500. It is cheap and steep. A brook runs through the bottom of the property and the hillside shoots up a few hundred feet to a gentler slope that could have nice views with some…

Summer Swing

July 8, 2013
And then it was Summer! Hot and sunny with a two-day-a-week work schedule, the shift is quick and extreme and I am thoroughly enjoying it. One of my favorite aspects of the city at this time is the wealth of free outdoor cultural events. Concerts in Prospect Park have been supremely fun, with Amadou and Mariam, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Os Mutantes and Javelin providing the early season entertainment in my backyard. The venue is perfect and free events promote attendance, so bringing a group of friends to see a show by a band few have heard is easy; everyone has…