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We have settled into our quaranroutine here on the homestead. Mornings are dedicated to schoolwork--I am impressed with how quickly and efficiently PS130 has adapted to the new reality, posting assignments and videos from the homeroom and special subject teachers using the school message board and Google Classroom to stimulate home learning. We have had video calls from their teachers to check in and Miles is loving his everyday karate classes. My work has been disrupted by the fact that being in the same room as anyone else is currently prohibited, so we have pivoted to making videos and hosting…

Saturday was Alaina's birthday. We had a fun party planned in Brooklyn, but the rapidly unfolding coronavirus situation led instead to us packing up and leaving the city indefinitely. It has only been a few weeks since the first case was discovered in the US but it has progressed exponentially and 48 hours ago, all major sports leagues were suspended and Broadway closed; schools across the country including my various work establishments were shut down, leaving me without scheduled obligations for the forseeable future. The general, worldwide consensus for this disease seems to be "duck and cover and prevent its…

I have highest of hopes for this new year but it began with the death of my Uncle Tom. He had been suffering from cancer for several years and was struggling with immense pain recently, yet somehow found the energy to travel from his home in Naples, Florida to Washington, DC to visit family for the holidays. His health deteriorated rapidly upon arrival and he was placed in hospice at his sister's house. I made the journey to see him as soon as we returned from Vermont but arrived a few hours after he passed away... It has been a…

Summer is always a sweet yearly pinnacle of family time and travel, every one surpassing the last on the list of best Summers, so returning to Fall can be a bit rugged. The annual educational calendar that I abide brings me back to work and my rhythm is re-calibrated. I love my work, but freedom and family are what I live for. This summer has to rank as one of my best ever. Miles and Ivy are old enough to entertain themselves (best friends) and appreciate our travels to familiar haunts. Every summer entails most of the same destinations but…

Andrew is an artist and a scientist, entrepreneur and chef. He is an explorer and adventurer in the kitchen and his journeys and creations bring ecstasy to the palates of his many delighted customers. It is a joy to consume his food, but an even greater joy to watch him work; seeing his vision and technical procedure with insight into the molecular process the ingredients undergo towards the final presentation is a deeply pedagogical and inspiring experience. He has a comprehensive knowledge of all aspects related to his craft, from farming strategies and livestock handling to transportation and storage; from…

I could not have been luckier in the birth lottery, raised well by two amazing parents and accompanied by two siblings through my formative years, sheltered by a beautiful home in Newton Highlands, Massachusetts. This family has grown and now includes wonderfully-chosen spouses and incredible created progeny. When we assemble biennially on Lake Ave and fill the house that once fit five comfortably with fourteen, including six under five, it is wildly chaotic in the most fun and exciting way possible. Great people I see too rarely and whose company I enjoy more than anyone, make 72 hours in their…

What The Fuck? Our Country has lost its mind and I have been similarly afflicted with a haunting psychosis. Trump is scarier than anything I have ever encountered in my lifetime and my brain refuses to let me forget it. It's been one month since 11/8 and every day seems harder than the last as he picks his cabinet of ghouls and picks fights with Hamilton, The Media and China. He makes a private deal with Carrier by giving them corporate tax breaks to send jobs to Mexico (and save a few for us). He chooses Climate Change Deniers to…

It happened. He won. She lost. We despair. I was hopeful. The polls and the math and the logic pointed to an historic election of the first female president. Our best political scientists overwhelmingly believed that the country was with her. And we were, with more individual votes than him. But the Electoral College! As Florida became increasingly red throughout the night and North Carolina began to lean, I became nervous. When Michigan and Wisconsin turned into battlegrounds, I went to bed. It was obvious where this was headed and salvaging what I could of sleep took priority over sinking…