Category: Lifestyle

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LaGuardia & Bard Writing Workshop

Bard Writing Workshop

As a benefit of my participation in the LaGuardia and Baruch WID faculty colloquium I was able to attend an all day workshop on the process of defining “Academic writing”. The workshop was developed by English professors from Yale and Bard. A number of my colleagues in the WID workshop had attended a similar workshop last year and raved about it. LaGuardia was hosting a version of the same workshop for members of the English department. The leaders of the WID colloquium thought it would benefit the rest of us to have the same experience, so they acquired the funds to enable us to attend.

The workshop was both enlightening and a bit intimidating for me because I was out my academic discipline and the sole professor from outside of the English department. Now while I was an undergraduate Continue reading “LaGuardia & Bard Writing Workshop”

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Hail Ceasor!!!

Now before you go telling me that I spelled the word “Caesar” incorrectly, let me explain. I woke up this morning to a ringing telephone. The wife and kids had gone to Easter service with my mom so I was actually able to sleep in late for a change. And as much as I love my mom, not even she can make me step inside of a church. But that is a story for another time. Anyway, the ringing phone woke me up. I hate waking up to the phone. Needless to say I was pissed. I was all set to flip out on whatever telemarketer had the balls to wake me up this early in the morning when all of a sudden I hear……

“Rock……what’s up my brother? It’s your boy Ceasor!” Continue reading “Hail Ceasor!!!”

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My baby is getting old!

Tita and me

It is hard to believe how fast they grow up. It seems like it was just yesterday when I was changing her diapers and pushing her around in a stroller. Now she is a little lady. I love her with all my heart….. but she still ain’t getting that $2,000 Macbook Air.

Daddy may be wrapped around your little finger but he ain’t crazy.

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I loves me some free Knicks tickets!

J and J

As I posted yesterday, my boy Jeff Ice is in town traveling with the Pistons. He and my other boy, Des “D’Increbible” (don’t ask), all hung out a bit last night and kicked it old school. I remember busting their chops about not keeping in touch and causing my kids to think that I didn’t have any close friends. I guess Jeff took it literally because he calls me up the next day and asks me if me I want two tickets to the Knicks-Pistons game. My son has been bugging the hell out of me to take him to the Garden again so of course I jump at the opportunity. Continue reading “I loves me some free Knicks tickets!”

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Where my dawgs at?

My boys!!

Every now and then the tone of a day can just turn around and head in a totally opposite direction. This was the case today. The morning got off to a rocky start because I was still feeling like crap from the cold bug that has been floating around. I had meetings scattered all throughout the morning and afternoon and wanted nothing more than to call in sick and rest up. I was scheduled to lecture in the evening and the prospect of talking for a couple of hours with this cold was not something I was relishing. However just as I was expecting the day to be a total drag, two of my closest friends in the world called to see if I was gonna be available to hang out later that evening. It had been a couple of years since all of us were in the same place. So after my evening class I sucked it up and I went to go hang out wit’ my boys. Continue reading “Where my dawgs at?”

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A Visit from Norway

Bagels for Norway
My mother-in-law and my nephew flew in from Norway last week to spend some time with us over the kids’ winter break. It was good to see them since we had not gotten together in a few months. The kids are always excited to see “Mor-Mor” and their older cousin Bjorn.

Their visit made me realize how much I miss being overseas.

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My first Video game system

I was watching Attack of the Show on G4TV and saw a reference to the first video game system that I ever owned, the Magnavox Odyssey. The Odyssey, while more primitive than games found on today’s cellphones, was cutting edge at the time. I had to be around 7-8 years old when it came out. I still remember when my father brought it home and my cousin Clarence and I played all night on it. I think was hooked on gaming and computers from that point on.

Now keep in mind that this system pre-dated the Atari 2600, Colecovision, Intellivision, the Commodore Vic 20, and just about all of the old classic gaming systems. In fact I was shocked to see that it was released in 1973. Pops must have paid nearly $100 bucks for the system. So in “1973 dollars”, the Odyssey was probably more expensive than the PS3 is today. So I guess buying my kids PSPs and DS Lites isn’t so strange in comparison now.

I found an old commercial for the system on YouTube. I still can’t get over how silly it looks by today’s standards.

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An Oberlin event: Out on the town with old friends

It is rare that Ski and I get a chance to go out. For better or worse, this is just something that you get used to once you have kids. However, Mike Sorrell, an old friend of mine was in town and invited us to a special dinner concert that Oberlin College was holding at The Birdland Jazz Club. The invitation only event was hosted by the new president of Oberlin, Marvin Krislov, and featured the Oberlin Jazz Septet. Since I hadn’t seen Mike since our graduation from Oberlin almost twenty years ago, I made it a point to ask my moms to watch the kids for a few hours. I wanted to catch up with an old college buddy, and being a cheapskate, I figured that it wouldn’t hurt to take my wife out at the same time. Continue reading “An Oberlin event: Out on the town with old friends”

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I am not very political….

but I have to admit that the prospect of a Black President has me more than a little intrigued. I find myself watching the evening news channels, reading the internet blog sites, and getting up early to view the Sunday morning talk shows. I think that my interest has been sparked largely because I never truly believed that there would be a Black Commander-in-Chief in my lifetime. I am still not sure that it will really happen, but for the first time in years am hopeful that true change may be possible.

I guess only time will tell.