Although this week’s newsletter is devoted to what Twyla Tharp declares “a philosophical tug-of-war,” on a daily basis I encounter a less lofty version of that game. It’s mostly an evening activity, usually when I’m finally ready to kick back and relax, and it happens invariably whenever Bobby, Malibu’s...

Fittingly, I’m writing this on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Indeed, although more than a few years have passed since I was a full-time student, I still feel a deep attachment to the academic calendar. Starting fresh in September still makes sense to me. In fact, later this month, we’re soft...

It felt almost biblical. Indeed, the event definitely stirred some low-grade apocalyptic feelings. Two weeks ago, during the middle of my first pottery class––the one I wrote about HERE––I caused a flood. Specifically, after watering my vacationing upstairs neighbor’s terrace, I didn’t quite turn ...

It’s not essential to the story but it’ll be helpful if you understand I’m writing about the cutest 6 year-old ever. This is definitely augmented by Jesse’s often wearingSpiderman costumes and that––although he initially seemed confused by the name “Vlad”–he totally loves my dog. During the sch...

It’s hard to believe I began this tradition in 2007, something that feels like several lifetimes ago. Since then it’s taken place all across this hemisphere, from NYC’s Lower East Side to its Upper West, from Los Angeles to Florida, from San Francisco to Seattle, and now to hipster Bushwick. It’s al...

Invite HERE I was surprised that I was surprised. It seemed like an easy enough question. And yet I found myself unexpectedly at a loss for an answer. You see, I recently enrolled in a very high-end marketing program. Each month there’s a group call entitled “Needs & Leads.” Since I’m...

Charles Dickens understood it well: As the opening of A Tale of Two Cities reminds us: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Nowhere was this more true than this past week as NYC experienced apocalyptic, Blade Runner skies. Vlad seemed to sorta understand that since the smoke l...

When it happened, I wasn’t prepared. It was an honor far beyond anything I could ever have anticipated. In fact, no one could have. That’s because the gift itself––and the inherent responsibility––hadn’t even existed the day before. Namely, this week I was chosen to receive the spare key to a v...

The first time it happened, the situation seemed innocent enough. But since it happened again last weekend, I now detect a pattern. It begins with an effortless experience. Namely, reserving an Uber to get to a venue, in this case for a mountaintop wedding. In fact, our driver arrived five minu...