Random Sightings I

Last Wednesday, Clay & I witnessed Caroline eating a piece of meat- an honest to goodness piece of hanger steak - in between fists full of farfadelle.

Last Thursday, Caroline & I got together with Amy & Alex for lunch and a rousing game of 'How many books can Caroline hand Amy?' at the Barnes & Noble on 86th. Caroline was pretty tired afterwards and slept on the 7 train platform at Grand Central during rush hour yet again. Maybe I should tape it for her as a lullaby. Thanks Amy for the picture.

On the way back through our door, a neighbor invited us to the famed 'Farm Spot.' While we don't own a farm share, there are other vendors there and a nice patch of grass for the kids to run on. Well, apparently this day, there was also a Marimba band, two guitarists, free flowing champagne and a line-up of strollers. Who new Farm Spot is just a front for a big party of toddler parents? Sign us up.

On Monday, we went to visit Aunt Roie & Uncle John. Caroline had a great time checking out the neighborhood, especially the pool. Roie also taught her how to nod her head 'yes.' I almost thought Caroline would never say 'yes,' but even she just can't say no to Roie.

Arrrgg! Not my booty!

Schoolwork and a running toddler haven't left me much free time over the past week (except for all those pre-scheduled activities). This is big news, though - especially for Clay, our own Veggie Booty addict. Good thing we haven't touched the stuff since KU was ousted from the tournament.

Bored of the Rings

I've always considered myself to be on the up-and-up of what's going on theater-wise. Translate that to mean that I've always thought I preferred newer musicals to older ones. I'm a real connoisseur, can't you tell? Then I realized that by newer I actually meant shows that opened from 1965-1995. Sure, there are some more recent favorites of mine- Urinetown, Avenue Q, Hedwig - and the puppetry in The Lion King is brilliant - and I still want to see Spamalot - but I just haven't been drawn to most of what's on Broadway lately.

This is what I was thinking this morning when I read there were mixed reviews for 'Lord of the Rings' - the musical. Originally written by the Finnish folk group Varttina, it's gotten two re-writes, including one by a famous Bollywood composer. Am I just behind the times or is this the sign of a weakening art form?

The Lion King aside, I'm truly annoyed by the recent number of movie-to-musical creations trying to cash in on big screen success. Granted, some were obviously books first - but the movie is where they should have ended. Let's look:

• At what's on Broadway now: Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan, Legally Blonde, Hairspray, Mary Poppins, The Color Purple, Xanadu. Check out ibdb.com for these shows.


• And what's already closed or said to be coming soon: High Fidelity, The Wedding Singer, The Little Mermaid, Young Frankenstein, Shrek, Goonies, Spider-Man (music by Bono) and The Addams Family.


• And don't even get me started on Mamma Mia! - that's a whole separate Abba rant. You know, they actually can write real shows.

As box office revenues are finally up, I guess I should take this as a sign that I'm behind the times, or at least out of touch with demand. But Lord of the Rings?

This post would not be complete without Clay's list of his top 5 favorite musicals. They're eclectic and witty picks. I feel especially proud to have introduced him to most of these shows, though #1 was all him.

• 5. Sweeney Todd
• 4. Falsettos
• 3. Assassins
• 2. Hedwig
• 1. South Park

Guidelines for the Pastoral Care of the Road

Ok, I can't resist this stuff this morning-

The Vatican has issued a set of "Ten Commandments" for drivers. They are:

1. You shall not kill.
2. The road shall be for you a means of communion between people and not of mortal harm.
3. Courtesy, uprightness and prudence will help you deal with unforeseen events.
4. Be charitable and help your neighbor in need, especially victims of accidents.
5. Cars shall not be for you an expression of power and domination, and an occasion of sin.
6. Charitably convince the young and not so young not to drive when they are not in a fitting condition to do so.
7. Support the families of accident victims.
8. Bring guilty motorists and their victims together, at the appropriate time, so that they can undergo the liberating experience of forgiveness.
9. On the road, protect the more vulnerable party.
10. Feel responsible toward others.

You have got to be kidding me. The document also suggests praying the rosary while driving. Do you think that's going to help my driving? Have they checked with the DMV on these?

#8 sounds perfect for a reality series.

A real catch

From yesterday's NY Times article Erasing Tattoos, Out of Regret or for a New Canvas

Kelly Brannigan was suffering from a case of tattoo remorse. Just a year ago, Ms. Brannigan, 24, who holds up Case No. 24 as one of the models on the NBC game show “Deal or No Deal,” had been full of hope when she and her fiancé had each other’s names tattooed across their inner wrists.

But now, when she looks at the letters — P-A-T-R-I-C-K — she is reminded of the failed relationship....

Ms. Brannigan of “Deal or No Deal” said she was happy to see the name of her former fiancé fading from her wrist. She said she had learned an important lesson: “I’m not going to get a tattoo of another guy’s name until I get married.”

Coming this fall

NYC has officially said go to the cash for grades plan and it will start this fall. Maybe they can pay kids' allowances for taking out the garbage, too.

The school incentive program is part of the mayor’s wider antipoverty initiative, which also includes other cash payments, all raised privately, to influence behavior and reduce poverty. Details of the various incentive programs were announced yesterday by Linda Gibbs, the deputy mayor for health and human services, at a briefing at City Hall. The incentive programs are expected to attract more than 2,500 families in Harlem; Brownsville and East New York in Brooklyn; and the Morris Heights and East Tremont sections of the Bronx, she said.

Cash incentives for adults will include $150 a month for keeping a full-time job and $50 a month for having health insurance. Families will also receive as much as $50 per month per child for high attendance rates in school, as well as $25 for attending parent-teacher conferences.

Under his plan, fourth-grade students will receive up to $25 for a perfect score on each of 10 standardized tests throughout the year. Seventh-grade students will be able to earn twice as much — $50 per test, for a total of up to $500. Fourth graders will receive $5 just for taking the test, and seventh graders will get $10.

In related news... check cashing store owners are ecstatic this morning...

Bada Bing

Sad the Sopranos is gone? Gawker has the scoop on a Sopranos yard sale happening today in Long Island City. They got the info from the gay pop culture website LOGO. Come early to fetch some of Carmella's chachkis or a stripper pole of your very own.

Update: Found the craigslist post.

Crocs

New Yorkers can be quite egocentric - and they really hate it when the city succombs to a fashion trend that started somewhere considered less 'fashion-forward.'

The latest offender? Crocs.

Comfy but ugly resin shoes, crocs have been discussed at length in certain NYC mommy circles lately. Founded in Boulder, CO, they're finally reaching California, NY and even Kuwait. Crocs are everywhere. Teri Hatcher & Jack Nicholson wear them - but this doesn't matter. Manhattan moms let out an audible gasp at the mere mention of crocs because it is a symbol of all things mini-van driving and fanny pack wearing. As one mom put it, "So California kids are adopting a fad that Kansas City is already over?" These shoes are surprisingly polarizing and flammable.

We were out looking for Kansas chigger-proof sneakers for Caroline on Thursday in Astoria when we wandered into Modell's. There in the middle of the sneaker aisle was a huge display of crocs. Clay's comments were, "I see a lot of residents wearing those things" and "Caroline and I should get matching pairs." Well, unfortunately, there were no hot pink crocs in Clay's size and no black crocs in Caroline's - so the two won't match after all.

We probably would not have picked up the shoes had we not stumbled across them (We also got those neat light-up sneakers we stumbled across too) - but have them we do. Now we can once more illustrate the difference between Manhattan and Queens: We were at the playground for only about 5 minutes before a parent approached me and said, "Where did you find those shoes?"

Welcome to all things toddler

A few of things have happened this week that make me think 'toddlerdom' has officially arrived:

Caroline is now 'sans paci.' Though she's only been using it to sleep for months now, it was still a tough break-up for both of them. The paci just sits on the Dining Room table unresponsive. Caroline is really bleary-eyed and will only take one nap. This has put a big dent in my schoolwork & blog time.

Caroline has started taking other children's toys on the playground. True to her Queens roots, I caught her hot wiring a tricycle on Wednesday. Note the picture of her slyly trying to sit on it. I finally broke down and got her a doll stroller that we can take to the park so she doesn't have to bogart poor little Adam's when we get there. She has been pushing this thing non-stop. She won't even let go of it when she falls down (she's not a very good driver). I've taken to hiding it during early morning/evening hours so as not to disturb the neighbors.

Caroline is crying more often now if she doesn't get her way. This is probably related to the tired, bleary-eyed, sans paci phase. We haven't had any full out tantrums yet, but I wouldn't put them too far over the horizon if I continue to hide the stroller.

Caroline has started to 'help' me do things. She assists in loading/unloading the dishwasher and will come running with an oven mitt on her hand if the oven 'dings.' Don't worry - she has not been near the hot oven. She even helps 'clean up' by putting things in the garbage. Yesterday, I found $41, my wallet and the phone there. Good thing there wasn't much to sift through.

Caroline has started staging coups on the playground. This afternoon, she led a gaggle of fellow crumb-crunchers to freedom by opening the gate and letting them all out. Parents scurried while Caroline cruised her stroller around the bathrooms outside and back to the gate again. She released the toddlers once more before giggling and letting herself back in. One of the parents turned to Clay and said, "Why did you teach her that?" We didn't.

I love you Bear

Caroline had lunch with bear on Thursday outside at Rock Center Cafe. Oh - Aunt Beth, Aunt Jeanne and I were there too. You never would've guessed that, though, as she made rounds to all the other tables.

On Friday, Clay & I managed to catch the 11am showing of Ocean's 13, which was a lot of fun. We'd definitely recommend it for anyone with a sleepy 16mo. After you get through the previews, the movie is quiet enough to sleep through in a stroller.

One more NYT piece to post as a follow up to redshirting. Apparently, NYC is more seriously considering giving kids cash incentives for standardized test scores 4-5 times/year. Although the Department of Education hasn't officially approved the idea, Bloomberg likes it and organizers have already met with some principals. That's certainly another way to go.

The 'Where have you been?' award of the week goes to Clay, who said on Saturday, "Paris Hilton's in jail?" He followed that up later with, "The iPhone looks cool. I want one."

Los Altos Kindergarten Trounces East Claremont

I'm a little late in posting this article from the NYT that talks about states moving up their school cutoff dates. With standardized testing starting in the 3rd Grade these days, a lot of states are trying to help their scores by ensuring their children have "the gift of time."

Indeed, increasing the average age of the children in a kindergarten class is a cheap and easy way to get a small bump in test scores, because older children perform better, and states’ desires for relative advantage is written into their policy briefs. The California Performance Review, commissioned by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2004, suggested moving California’s birthday cutoff three months earlier, to Sept. from Dec. 2, noting that “38 states, including Florida and Texas, have kindergarten entry dates prior to California’s.”

What caught me about the article was the use of the term 'redshirting' to describe children born close to cut-off dates that are held back a year so they'll perform better against relatively younger peers.

Redshirting is not a new phenomenon... ...Recently, redshirting has become a particular concern, because in certain affluent communities the numbers of kindergartners coming to school a year later are three or four times the national average. “Do you know what the number is in my district?” Representative Folwell, from a middle-class part of Winston-Salem, N.C., asked me. “Twenty-six percent.” In one kindergarten I visited in Los Altos, Calif. — average home price, $1 million — about one-quarter of the kids had been electively held back as well.

Another side note - According to the article, in 49 of 50 states, the average annual cost of day care for a four-year-old in an urban area is more than the average annual public college tuition. The Times then suggests the choice is between spending an unbelievable amount of money for preschool or plopping the kid down for another year of TV "in the basement with Grandma."

You know what I think? Instead of TV, a year of Wii & weightlifting with Grandma will better prepare your child for those older, bigger, faster and much more exciting games of dodgeball on the playground.

The Profit Calculator

An interesting article in New York Magazine this week does a cursory comparison of the strategy and profits behind 21 different New York businesses, from a soup kitchen to the Yankees. Also on the list: a copy shop, Pfizer, Horace Mann school, Silver Star Diner, Macy's, a yoga studio, a cab driver, Goldman Sachs & others.

I used to shudder watching people buy milk & frozen food from Jack's 99 Cent Store by Bryant Park, but Jack's is making almost $7 mil in profits a year - That's a 23% profit margin.

Other items of note:

The YES Network's profit margin is 60%! I never thought they were worth $2/mo when I pay $.45 for a news channel.

H & M is fascinating - Goods go from design table to store in as little as 2 weeks. That's just crazy.

Will it float?

Though I don't catch much Letterman these days, I'll always consider myself a fan. I mean, how could you not be a fan of the guy that gifted your brother a canned ham? That's love.

Whenever I try to get Caroline to try something new (food, adventure, etc.), it makes me think of Will it float? This is when Dave & Paul ponder whether an object (bar of ivory soap, vat of oil) will float in a tank of water. They then test the theory.

Well, we've played our Will it Float? at-home game a lot this week. Currently I'm 2 for 3, with homemade Chicken Nuggets, Lemon Poppy Chicken & Balsamic Chicken. The nuggets were a shoe-in, but I was surprised she ate the Lemon Chicken.

Last night, I made Balsamic Chicken with Pesto Gravy & Bitter Greens. It's one of Rachael Ray's 7 minute meals that I can proudly make in 23. It's very easy & good. It tastes much better than the picture would lead you to believe. While Caroline liked the gravy, she wouldn't go near the dish as a whole. It Sinks! buzzzzz

Eureka!

Sometimes I'm really amazed at the amount of stuff Caroline can learn when she's got some downtime. In the past week or so, she's...

• mastered climbing on & off furniture (couch & coffee table)
• had moderate success with spoon & fork
• climbed up & down stairs without my help by holding onto banister spires. This is pretty exciting, considering she hasn't had much practice on stairs. The only stairs we have are marble - not suitable for occasional practice tumbles.

We think she may also have her first word - 'up.' This doesn't appear at all reliably or without being prompted, though.

But Caroline's personal favorite discovery is how to let herself in and out of the playground. This was a little unsettling to me. Perhaps planners should be aiming a little higher intellectually with their gate locking mechanisms.

Now she's working on doorknobs.

Jackson Heights, Queens - Part II

JH is the type of hood that's always evolving. There's a large number of families in the JH area and a good sense of community with the co-ops and the many small business owners. (The owner of the Italian deli on the corner even sent us flowers when Caroline was born.) This sense of community, diversity of cultures, architecture, affordability and quick access to midtown beckons to newcomers of all shapes and sizes.

The newest transplants to the hood are just as different as the variety of cultures that came before. They dress and groom themselves differently. They have their own distinct language, strewn with words like Claremont . They are delighted to hear about Jackson Height's FarmSpot. Yes, you guessed it - these people are from Brooklyn.

JH and Brooklyn realtors have been enticing people priced out of Park Slope for a while now and it's starting to really show, through the presence of Polo on kids in Bugs. They stick out like a sore thumb. But now the floodgates can truly open wide. JH is officially no longer one of those neighborhoods summarily dismissed at the start of a new home search. Why? Because, finally, FreshDirect delivers here.

FreshDirect is a central figure in the lives of NYC residents. Based in Long Island City, it is an internet grocery that delivers to most of Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens and selected parts of NJ, Staten Island, etc. - with summer delivery to the Hamptons as well. Commercials feature clients such as Ed Koch, Bobby Flay and Paulina Porizkova. The website displays the shopping lists of Spike Lee and other celebrity customers. In fact, Clay and I used FD alot when we lived in Manhattan. They were usually cheaper than the local grocery store, provided timely deliveries and you could be really specific about what you wanted to receive (i.e. slightly green bananas). According to Joe, one of his friends gets each of his deli cheese slices individually wrapped.

I was excited to try FD again when they started to deliver to JH. Although I thought they would be slightly more expensive than the local Met grocery, I was sure their quality would be higher as well. It only took one order to realize how much I've changed. Items of note:

• All fruits/veggies received were organic. While this is nice, I can't afford to buy apples at $1/apple.
• They're very careful not to damage their fruit. The $1/apple apples were packed in a plastic container suitable for fragile tree ornaments. The Bananas were wrapped in foam to prevent bruising. The box of blueberries was encased in an additional plastic case.
• They're not very careful with their bread. It came completely squished.

All in all, I spent 66 bucks for what I could've bought for less than 50 down the block - and my bread still came squished. I've finally realized how much I've changed. I'm no longer a Manhattanite. I'm so Queens.

Jackson Heights, Queens

I often think back to December '05, just before Clay matched at Mt. Sinai for residency. At the time, we contemplated the various places we could end up. They were certainly diverse and any one of the them would surely influence soon-to-be-born Caroline's overall character after having been there for her first 5 years. Would she have a southern accent? or a love for the beach? or season tickets to the Indians? Nope - as it turned out she's going to be a Queens gal. How Queens? Well, let's just say Jackson Heights, Queens.

As I walk around the neighborhood, I can't help but wonder how all this will shape her. Let's just look at the facts. JH is known for:

• The most ethinically diverse neighborhood in the most ethnically diverse county in the country. Only 18% of households speak English only. Caroline, of course, doesn't fit into this category as she has yet to speak.
• 2006's Vendy award winner, Sammy's Halal & another of the finalists, the Arepa Lady. In fact, if you are a chowhound regular, you will know there is actually a map of the best 19 street food vendors in the area (including the Arepa Lady, the Churro Lady, the Oblea Lady and the Suckling Pig Dude). The restaurants are also pretty renowned for NYC.
• Being the hometown of Lucy Liu, John Leguizamo, and Gene Simmons .
• A substantial gay population & the 2nd largest Gay Pride Parade in NYC.
• Being the place where Scrabble was invented.
• The country's first planned garden community. The pre-war architecture is what originally drew us here. The history of how this grew from farms only 100 years ago is pretty interesting. Our apartment (built in 1917) still has a nob from the original gas lighting and, as discovered by Clay & Earl, the original cloth electric wiring as well.
• A Little India (complete with Bollywood theater and mangoes sold by the case) and a Little Columbia (complete with money laundering).
• Being featured in Maria Full of Grace , Ugly Betty and Coming to America (as home to the band 'Sexual Chocolate').

This is a big weekend in Jackson Heights. The barricades are up and there's a purple stripe running down 37th Avenue. We've reached the unmistakable eve of the annual Gay Pride Parade. Tonight is sure to be hopping - with the kind of noise that's rivaled here only during the World Cup. The local Queens Tribune even has their yearly issue devoted to Jackson Height's Divas, including 2002's Queen of the Country. My favorite quote: "It feels like a Victoria’s Secret fashion show directed by Willy Wonka and Hunter S. Thompson."

Maybe we'll wake Caroline up for some late-night pictures with the ladies of Roosevelt Avenue. Maybe we'll just let her sleep instead.

The crib was tagged 'Charlie'

The rest of my week off from school has gone by fast. Determined to make the most of the free time, we were in Manhattan 3 days of 5. Wednesday was Caroline's 15mo appt., which revealed she was still tall (33") and still has a really big head (49cm). We like to describe it as a thick skull.

Clay was post call on Thursday, so we hit the park for some sprinkler action. Caroline also proved her Queens hometown proud by leaving her first mark on the playground. She's a graffiti artist in the making and only had to bite into one piece of chalk before she decided she was full.

Beth, Caroline & I had a toddlerific lunch with Kristen on Friday and then did the Ferris Wheel in Times Square again. We also introduced Caroline to her first motorized dinosaur. Her expression to Beth was as if to say 'Shouldn't someone be concerned there's a great big roaring dinosaur in the room?' The big dinosaur picture has Caroline in it too - can you find her?









Caroline was so tired yesterday she slept from 6:30pm to 9am (with one wake up @ 5). Boy would Clay be jealous-