New York Botanical Gardens

We went to the New York Botanical Gardens. We saw The Little Engine That Could and the Train Show and had a great time.

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Rockefeller Center

I took Eason to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center.
                                                         
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Eason's School Party

We had a party at Eason's school.

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Hanukkah With Family

We all went to babcia and dziadek's house for Hanukkah. We ate latkes and played Hanukkah bingo.

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Philipsburg Manor

We went to Philipsburg Manor with the Degnans.

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Thanksgiving 2009

We hosted another Thanksgiving at our house. It is always special having family over to celebrate.

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Eason Reading Little Bill

Eason read Little Bill to Andrea.

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Halloween At The Gardens

We had a party in the courtyard and then we went trick or treating around town.

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Boo At The Zoo

As is our tradition, we went to Boo at the Zoo again at the Bronx Zoo.

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Nathan's Birthday

Nathan sent me these pictures from his birthday party at Louie’s Restaurant.

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Renaissance Faire

We went to the Sterling Forest Renaissance Faire. It's a good thing we didn't dress up as strong men.

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Kamander Family Photos

We took some photos by the lake and on the pedal boat. Lots of smiles and some silly faces.

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It's All About The Lake

We all love boating on the lake.

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Sesame Place

We went to Sesame Place with out Hoboken friends.
                                                               
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Eason's Sixth Birthday At Stamford Nature Center

We went to the Stamford Nature Center for Eason's birthday party. We had a party in the barn and then we went after a scavenger hunt. After that we played in the playground.

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Blanket Kids

My kids like to pretend they're my blanket.

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The next hacking frontier: Your brain?

Hackers who commandeer your computer are bad enough. Now scientists worry that someday, they'll try to take over your brain. • Scientists can use thoughts to operate computers, wheelchairs and Twitter • As tech develops, risk of "brain hacking" become more real, scientists say

38th Birthday

For my 38th birthday the the kids sang me Happy Birthday and we all went to Edo for dinner.
                               
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Aunts, Cousins And An Uncle

Aunt Debbie, cousin Zoe, uncle Marc, cousin Adam, and aunt Emily all came over for a visit.

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Eason's Graduation Day

Eason graduated from kindergarten! Afterwards we all went to the beach.
                               
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Refinance

We just closed the deal on our refinancing, a process we started back in January.

We stayed with our same bank, Wells Fargo, since we had always had positive experiences in the past.

Father's Day Walk At The Bungalow

I took a walk around the lake with Eason and Andrea on Father's Day.

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At Last, Facing Down Bullies (and Their Enablers)

By PERRI KLASS, M.D - NY Times

"We've gotten past the "kids will be kids" notion that bullying is a normal part of childhood or the prelude to a successful life strategy...

Parents of [victims and bystanders] need to be encouraged to demand that schools take action...

...start from the idea that bullying has long-term consequences and that it is preventable..."

Stamford Museum & Nature Center

We always have a great time at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center.

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Thomas The Tank Engine Helps Autistic Kids Identify Emotions

By Saeed Ahmed - CNN

"I always thought Thomas was a great educational show for kids."

Story Highlights:
• Online game uses Thomas the Tank Engine to help autistic children
• Children try to recognize which engine has happy, sad, angry face
• Autistic children often have trouble distinguishing different facial expressions
• UK study: More autistic kids fascinated with "Thomas" than other fictional characters

Animals & Acrobats

After hanging out at Rye Beach we went to Van Cortlandt Manor to see Animals & Acrobats.

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Tinkling in the pool causes disgust and discomfort

By Madison Park - CNN

Story Highlights:
• Recent survey showed 1 in 5 adults admitted urinating in public pools
• Sweat and urine in pool water combine with chlorine to irritate eyes and respiration
• Recreational water illnesses can lead to hospitalization

"I always new I wasn't supposed to pee in the pool and that I was supposed to shower before going in, but I never really knew why."

Energy Supplements

Energy drinks were a recent topic of discussion on Beatdown Radio. I'd like to throw out some thoughts. There are all kinds of energy supplements (pills, drinks, etc.) and people take them for different reasons, especially energy and weight loss.

Museum of Natural History on Mother's Day

For Mother's Day we all went to the American Museum of Natural History. Then we went to Scaletta Ristorante for dinner.

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The Mellow Doctrine

NYTimes.com: "The Mellow Doctrine" By ROGER COHEN

I was concerned that perhaps Obama would be too idealistic. I'm happy with how things are going so far.

WASHINGTON — Amazing what happens when you cast aside the testosterone.

Exit The King

For our anniversary we left the kids with their Babcia and Dziadek and went to see Exit The King at the Barrymore Theatre.

The review by David Spencer is the best I've found, but I can't find anywhere that elaborates on the various archetypes and metaphors to the degree in which I was looking.

If you've seen the show, tell me what you thought.

Ultimately Aviva and I had a great time.

More Atheists Shout It From the Rooftops

Via NYTimes.com: More than ever, America’s atheists are linking up and speaking out

They liken their strategy to that of the gay-rights movement, which lifted off when closeted members of a scorned minority decided to go public.

Circumcision reduces risk of herpes and HPV infection - CNN.com

Via CNN.com:

Men who are circumcised are less likely to get sexually transmitted infections such as genital herpes and human papillomavirus (HPV)...

Interesting information about a much debated topic.

What Are Friends For? A Longer Life

In What Are Friends For? A Longer Life Tara Parker-Pope says:

In the quest for better health, many people turn to doctors, self-help books or herbal supplements. But they overlook a powerful weapon that could help them fight illness and depression, speed recovery, slow aging and prolong life: their friends.

Check out the entire piece in The New York Times.

Why Isn't the Brain Green?

Via NYTimes.com: Decision scientists are trying to figure out why it's so hard for us to get into a green mind-set. Their answers may be more crucial than any technological advance in combating environmental challenges.

A branch of behavioral research situated at the intersection of psychology and economics, decision science focuses on the mental proces­ses that shape our choices, behaviors and attitudes.

The Fuzzy Lemons

We went to see The Fuzzy Lemons at the Liberty Science Center.

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At The Kam's

We spent time with the Kam families.

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Royal Hanneford Circus

We went to the Royal Hanneford Circus at the Westchester County Center.

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Winter Fun

We built a snowman (sort of) and went sledding around the courtyard. Later we went to Stepping Stones Museum for Jack's birthday.

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Aviva's Birthday

For Aviva's birthday we went to see Murdered by The Mob at Arno Dinner Theater. They called me up for questioning.

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Stamford Museum & Nature Center

We went to a concert at the Stamford Museum & Nature Center. Then we went home and had a sparring session.

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