Viol-initiation

The Bible says that "For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it."

On a similar note (ha)...Rosemary got her first violin today.













We took her to a little shop in Bryn Mawr (almost an hour from South Philly) run by a very helpful and very serious little Asian woman named Kot.

She plays a 1/16 violin. Apparently they come in sizes that get bigger with the child, who knew?

So now we get to listen to her practice 20 minutes a day from now until she gets to Carnegie Hall.

Carmellina And The Panda Parade

Rosemary has started taking violin lessons.
We're trying to interest Carmellina in playing something musical as well.
This is her vision.

It's In Her Blood

Jess and I have decided not to push the kids into the arts simply because we're interested in them. Nevertheless, they seem to be innately prone to them. In fact, today, as I was working on a portrait commission, Rosemary stood next to me and said, "Dad, when I grow up, I'm going to be an artist just like you."
Poor thing...does she know she's going to be broke all the time, too?

A Little Bit Of Sunshine

Here's a little something to make you smile.

The Big Three Oh!

Well, it finally happened. I did what I could to prevent it but in the end I was powerless to stop it. This July I turned 30.

I don’t mind it; really, it’s just another number in the end. I’ve often heard the adage about being “young at heart,” actually I think that was Sinatra and not really an adage. Nevertheless, I think there’s a lot of truth in that. I know many people who have been “old at heart” long before they hit 30. Then there are people like me who still think the whoopee cushion is man’s greatest achievement since the pyramids.

One difficult thing about 30 is being a High School teacher. When I was in my 20’s I was able to develop friendships with many of my students. After all, I was only a few years older and many of them even had siblings my age. It didn’t matter that I was 29, when they asked how old I was, all they heard was, “I’m in my 20’s.” Now that I’m just barely 30 years old (okay almost 30 and ½) all they hear is, “I’m in my 30’s.” “Well,” they must think, “that’s almost 40.”

But so what, right? I don’t need those guys. I have plenty of friends; friends who were there for me (all two of them) to share my celebratory 30th birthday fajita at Don Pablo’s. Friends who are no longer able to stay out past 10:30 pm. Friends whose stomachs can’t take roller coasters or bacon cheese burgers anymore. Friends who share my elation for coupon day, filing income tax forms and staff meetings. Good friends.

I am not alone in my family, either. I have one cousin who is still four days older than me (hi Dee!) and another who is only a few months behind me (hi Lisa!) who shared this milestone with me. I’m sure their celebration was every bit as thrilling as mine (how was Manhattan Lisa?)

While it’s true that I have no emotional stress about being 30, I think my body has decided to just start packing things in. In fact, I think my body is trying to sabotage itself. Apparently it’s angry at me for something I did to it in my childhood, and it can really hold a grudge. For one thing, it has starting sprouting hair in places that have no plausible function in life; places like my ear and back. Last time I got a haircut the girls started shaving the back of my neck and kept going down until she saw my belt. I have also weighed in at my all time high at 185 lbs (although that was during Christmas). My feet hurt all day regardless of what kind of orthopedic contraption I put on them or under them. Also, when we go out to eat, I need to start planning around my stomach’s extra curricular activities. I even find myself drinking soy and rice milk, craving bean sprouts, and raving about tofu dogs. The days of midnight cheese steaks and Mountain Dew for breakfast are rapidly disappearing.

But with age comes wisdom and that means I’m getting smarter…I think. In these past 30 years I’ve learned many valuable life lessons. The kind of lessons a father and teacher, such as myself, is dutifully bound to pass on. I’ve learned what happens when you put a marshmallow in a microwave. I’ve learned why you shouldn’t touch exposed electrical wires in a wall outlet. I’ve learned what happens when you put a firecracker in a teddy bear and how to escape form an erupting volcano. I’ve also learned very useful life skills like juggling scarves, several yo-yo tricks, how to pull a quarter out of an ear and how to make a Twinkie-wiener sandwich.

I’m not sure if I’ve officially entered middle-age yet. Technically speaking, if 30 is middle-aged then I’ll be dead by 60, so let’s not call this middle-age. I think 30 is like the pre-teen years of adulthood. I’m hoping that soon the acne-of-debt will clear up for me and I’ll get my learner’s permit-of-career-professionalism. Then I’ll graduate from the high school-of-bumbling-parenthood and head off to the college-of-not-watching-so-many-cartoons. Maybe I’ll stop at the trade school-of-awkward-metaphors on the way.

So here’s to the next decade. I’ll be 40 in one third of the time it took me to get here. Let’s see if my body will hold out that long.

Rice Rice Baby

This one is for the grandmas! Joey started eating rice cereal on Monday. He has a whopping 2 tablespoons a day! Where does he put it all?

Why Everyone Should Own A Dog

Jess and I both grew up with a dog in the house since we were born. Dogs can provide companionship, comfort, entertainment, and, occasionally, protection. About two and half years ago Jess and I, believing that our lives were not yet complicated enough, decided to get a dog. We spent a little time pricing around and discovered that our budget quickly restricted our options to all but the misfits of canine society. A retriever is a good dog, after all, but not good enough to spend a month and half of rent money to purchase one.

We discovered our choice puppy in a high quality (ahem) establishment conveniently located in scenic Shirley, NY (motto: Spandex Is For Everyone!). We picked out a small wiry haired whitish dog. The lady at the counter said she was a "schnoodle."

For some time I had been thinking of getting a dog for our family. Again, having grown up with a dog all of my I life I felt that having one around would make our fledgling family feel a little more complete. As the sole man in the family at the time my thoughts turned to:

a) a male dog

b) protection and

c) not looking ridiculous when in public.

Alas, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry. Alice, as we named her, managed to fall short on all three counts.

We moved our family to South Philly this summer. Alice, of course, made the move with us as well. It seems that she has had the most difficulty adjusting. The biggest problem being the control of bodily functions. When we lived in NJ Alice was able to go out whenever she wanted and do her "business." Now that we live in the city we can't exactly open the door and turn her loose. Oh we we could do that but it might result in schnoodle pancakes. So now she is at the mercy of our schedule. Each morning, as I take her out for a walk around the block, I am inevitably reminded of when Jerry Seinfeld said,

"If aliens are looking down on us right now and see us picking up after our dogs, who are they going to think are the masters?"

It is a blow to your pride to have to bend over and grab a fresh hot load with that little bag. I just hope I never get one with a hole in it.

But Alice's morning walk serves many purposes. Not only does she get a chance to download on our neighbors' sidewalks, but she also gets a little exercise, helps me keep on schedule, and she also does her part to keep the neighborhood clean. Most dogs are mother nature's vacuum cleaners and Alice is no exception. Dave Barry once said,

"Dogs operate on the wise survival principle of eating anything that falls on the floor, because if it turns out not to be food, they can always throw it up later."

So far I've seen her eat chicken bones, pizza crusts, lemon rind, paper, bread, something blue, a candy cane, some plastic, M&M's, something brown, some cement and rained-on Chinese food. I have also had the grand privilege of discovering in her stool a penny, some hair, and what I can only assume was a wad of Floam.

Occasionally, though, Alice takes a little "vacay" at the grandparents' houses. Somehow our little furry dust buster has managed to work her way into the hearts of our family members. I have to say, that while she is gone, I notice there are a lot more crumbs on the floor. Having a live-in dust buster is handy for a snack-intensive family like ours. There's also not as much for the kids to do. They miss her terribly when she's gone, as does Jess. There's also no one to bark and warn us of our impending doom when the mail comes...or when someone walks past the house...or when our neighbor takes out his garbage...or when the wind blows. Nevertheless, we always seem to look forward to her return when she's away. It seems that this little dog has managed to prove her worth in our lives simply by earning our affection. She's no dummy.

She is, in fact, maybe the smartest dog I've ever had (Jessie-dog, if you're reading this blog, I take it back...in fact, if you can read, then I really take it back). I have had the pleasure of not having to take a lot of time to train this dog. She has managed to learn almost every command within a day of training and has even managed to work out her own routines and schedules.

She may not be a male dog, (that's okay, I always feel like they should be wearing a cup anyway) and she may not be vicious, (although you should see her lunge a the mail when it "mysteriously" makes its way into our mail slot everyday) and I may look like a complete dope in my pajama pants, work shoes, and leather jacket at 11pm walking a little white furball with a green sequin collar (okay, there's no upside to that one) but all in all I am very happy to have Alice.

And if she is reading this blog: Alice I think I dropped a chip next to the recliner.

And now...The Amazing Alice

Christmas Day Part 3: Reprise

Hey, this is Jessie's blog entry about our Christmas Day Part 3. Well, we said farewell to Joe's folks on Friday the 28th and drove the four hours out to my parents in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We slowly rolled out of New York over the Throgs Neck Bridge and had an easy ride to the Delaware Water Gap. After a fun break at the newly constructed rest stop, we pushed through to Nicholson, where we arrived just in time for a dinner of Mom's wimpies (sloppy joe's). The girls stayed up late as we indulged in Mom's homemade cookies for dessert. After the girls went to sleep in "My Room" (Mom's oasis), we quietly and oh-so-excitedly played Santa. On Christmas Day Part 3 we opened and opened and opened and wondered how we were going to get it all home (in the end most of the gifts we recieved from my family had to stay behind! We'll get them at a later date). It's nice to be so loved- by both our families!
We had fun the next day visiting with the Senatore's and the Deschaine's in Allentown (my mother's side). While we were there it started snowing- had to be the biggest snow flakes I've ever seen! Also, there was more eating and more gift exchanging and more good times despite the weather. My brother, my father, Joe, and our four month old son fell asleep watching football that afternoon! Oh dear!
Well, after the naps and the dessert and the long goodbyes that families make, we headed back to Nicholson where it continued to snow through the night. The girls were very excited when they woke up to a true winter wonderland on New Year's Eve. They didn't get to go out to play until the afternoon, but when Uncle Nick got home from work we all had a blast pelting each other with snow balls until only the pink of the sunset shone above the mountains. And after- what warmth awaited indoors with hot ovaltine and candy canes! (I know, hot OVALTINE?)
Cozily indoors, we hung out snacking and playing and watching television with the girls until ten or so. Too tired to stay up until midnight, they went to sleep easily. We grown-ups played Yahtzee until 11:56 when we rounded up the last minute "lucky charms" to welcome 2008. Gathered in the living room, we tuned in just in time for the ten second count down in Times Square. Smiling, clutching money in one hand and straw from a blessed manger scene in the other (oops! I had both in one hand and Joe stuck it all in his pocket), my little family watched the ball drop. "...3...2...1...Happy New Year" went up our cheer as we turned to hug and kiss each other in the thrill of the fresh start. Then, as is our custom, we threw open the doors, fanned out the old and welcomed the new, and shouted into the silent street "Happy New Year!"
Five minutes later we were back around the table playing the end of Yahtzee. Did I mention the original score pads from 1976 were still in use? I think there were just enough sheets for us to play the last game of 2007 and Dad was the winner!
The next day there was a fresh powdering of snow, an irresistable treat to Rosie and Bean. My brother dutifully took his nieces out and stirred up a winter delight of snowman building and sled riding they won't soon forget. Almost an hour later they came in rosy cheeked and cherry nosed and so frozen they had to sit under blankets with hot water bottles while sipping real hot chocolate to defrost. All the while Joe and I made the final cuts on what gifts would get to come home this time. It was tough to decide! Hopefully, in future Christmases, we'll remember not to go straight from one adoring family circle to the other without stopping home for a night or two to unload!
Now we are home, Joe's happily back to work, and we are adjusting well to reality...although today was a bit bumpy for me. :) Amazingly the laundry from our trip was washed, folded, AND put away the next day! Usually it haunts me, doubling the daily loads, remaining in the limbo state of "clean, folded and in the basket" so long we start to go there for clean things rather than into our drawers...but that is another story for some other time.
I hope you had a happy holiday and that you have many warmy, happy memories of those days!

The Polls Are Closed

In what turned out to be a shockingly enormous turnout, five whole people voted on our "Favorite Muppet" poll. Kermit the Frog garnered a full 60% (3) of the votes crushing the opposition. Be sure to vote in our next poll "How often should you shower?" or "Hi Gene!"