Skiing

We went skiing at Hunter Mountain with our friends. This was my first time skiing.
                             
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Marc David Friedlander

MARC DAVID FRIEDLANDER

MARCH 21, 1954-DECEMBER 17, 2011

MONTICELLO, NY

Marc David Friedlander, the owner/operator of M&I garage door company and longtime area resident, died on Saturday, December 17, 2011. He was 57.

I can relate to Paterno's supporters...

...but I was probably 10. Hearing about how the PSU students are rallying in support of Paterno reminded me of this story from my own youth. When I was in sleepaway camp one day we all got called into the camp leader's office. One of the campers had complained about our counselor. He had said that our counselor was mean. That if a camper misbehaved our counselor punished them by having the rest of the campers beat them up and give them the silent treatment for the rest of the day. Of course this was all true, but nevertheless every single one of us denied the camper's accusations.

Green Meadow Fall Fair

We went to the Fall Fair at the Green Meadow Waldorf School with friends.
                             
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Genesis

When I was young and I wanted to learn more about the bible, someone offered to give me bible lessons. I was confused as to why he kept picking and choosing sections from all over the place to discuss as opposed to starting from the beginning.

When I got a little older I decided I would read the whole thing for myself, from the beginning, cover to cover. In doing so it became clear why the bible is not taught in this fashion.

Just Say Osu!

For the many years I was training regularly (3-4 times a week) at Koguma Dojo (many years ago) the classes were about 180 minutes long. We spent a lot of time working drills across the floor. They were very repetitive, but whenever anyone complained I remember Sensei David Anderson saying "have you mastered them?" so I never complained. I always tried to do my drills enthusiastically and give energy back to the class.

Rosh Hashanah

We picked up my mom and went to babcia's house for Rosh Hashanah. In between meals we took a walk to the boardwalk. The kids tried to put on a performance.

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Sesame Place

We took the kids to Sesame Place with their cousins.
                                                           
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Eason's Playland Park Birthday

Eason took some friends to Playland Park to celebrate his birthday.
 
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Rooted In Martial Arts

When I first started martial arts it was in this Shotokon dojo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. I didn't stay there long, but I learned some valuable lessons there.

One time Shihan had us stand in a rooted stance with one arm held out strong. He called students up to demonstrate. When the first student came up Shihan pushed his arm down showing that he wasn't strong enough. When the second student came up. Shihan pushed his arm to the side.

I thought to myself that these students were weak and I was strong. If Shihan called me up I would show everyone how it was done.

Whale Watching

We got up early to go whale watching on Nick’s Chance. Afterward we had a nice seafood lunch before heading back to the beach. Then we had more seafood for dinner.

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Fireworks On The Hudson

We watched the fireworks from our friend's wedding at the Chelsea Arts Tower in Manhattan.

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Playing By The Lake

We had fun playing by the lake. The kids played on the swings, and in the water, and ate lots of good food.

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Father's Day Weekend

Father's Day is my favorite holiday. Is it any surprise?
                               
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My Mom's Birthday

I took my mom to lunch for her birthday. I needed a pass to take my mom out of the facility, and the rehab center was supposed to have it ready. On Sunday the nurse said she would leave it for the doctor so that it would be ready. Yesterday, when I called, the nurse's station said I just had to pick it up when I was ready. When I arrived no one knew anything about it.

VillageCare

We visited my mom at VillageCare Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.

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Anniversary Dinner

We all went to Café Greco for dinner to celebrate our anniversaries.

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Birthday In The Berkshires

On our last day in the Berkshires we celebrated Andi's birthday. After opening presents we went for a special breakfast. Then we went back to the hotel to pack and take a final dip in the pool. Then we went to see RIO 3D before taking the trip back home. When we got home we had a last birthday muffin before reading birthday stories.

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Hiking In The Berkshires

On our second day in the Berkshires Eason worked out with me in the hotel's fitness room. It was small, but we were able to get in a good workout. Then we all hiking in Pittsfield State Forest. We hiked for about two hours. The kids raced up the hill and we had to keep up. That night Aviva and I went out for drinks and sushi to celebrate our anniversary while Israel & Tamara watched the kids.

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Dinner In The Berkshires

We all went up to the Berkshires to celebrate Andi's 4th birthday, Israel & Tamara's 40th anniversary and our 9th anniversary. When we first got to Pittsfield we had lunch at the Lantern Bar & Grill. They were supposed to have the best burgers in the county. I think they were the worst burgers I've ever had. They were really small and burnt, and the bacon was like large chunks of bacon bits. After lunch we headed back to our hotel. After we unpacked we went down to the pool. It was nice and warm. Eason swam laps and Andi hung on to the ropes when we weren't holding her. On our first night we took Israel & Tamara to the Dakota Steakhouse. The food was good. My steak was a little too cooked. The kids really liked the salad bar.

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How Healthy Is Your Home?

I took this 10 question "How Healthy Is Your Home?" quiz designed to assess how your family is doing with each of the five pillars of a healthy family home: EAT HEALTHY, PLAY EVERY DAY, GET TOGETHER, GO OUTSIDE and SLEEP WELL.

My Coworkers crack me up.

One of them just passed this along.

My Biological Father

My mom raised me by herself and I never knew my father until I met him once or twice when I was about 13. We never stayed in touch after that.

Over the past few years my kids have asked me about my father and I told them that I didn't know if he was alive or not.

Well now I know. According to Memorial Networks:

College Bed Lofts

With Andi growing out of her crib we decided we'd move Eason into a loft and give Andi the bottom bed. Instead of picking up something from IKEA we decided to get something from College Bed Lofts.

Their customer service was very helpful in putting our order together. He seemed very knowledgeable and was able to help us determine all the measurements we needed.