Philip Seymour Hoffman

February 5, 2014
His death is haunting me. Since the moment I read of his demise, I have been wrestling with the grim details and vividly imagining his final moments. I do not follow celebrity news, but for all his fame, he seemed like a true man of the people. I have seen him around town at various theater events and he was dedicated to that world--one that most movie stars abandon entirely or dabble in only occasionally. He was immersed in the craft and pursued it completely; it is obvious he had a true passion for the work and his career is…

2014

January 14, 2014
Time Check: 2014 is two weeks old. Ivy is five months old. I am 36 1/12 years old.   Free Me-time is extremely limited these days, which is why it has been over a month since writing here and it is 11:00 pm, which has become obscenely late-night for me recently but is the only time that everyone else is sleeping so I can be selfish and creative! In theory I could have these hours every night as I did Before Ivy, but somehow I am drained after a day of work and play and find sleep to be the…

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…