It is gone now, it was torn out to make room for an addition on the house. I think that I was 20, which means that the tree that was my hideout and secret place has been gone for 16 years now.
I used to climb it daily, rest in it's branches and use it as a launching pad onto the roof of the house. There was a section in which two branches met perfectly, intersected to form a perfect chair. A seat that I could use for my thinking. A seat that was comfortable and it allowed me enough comfort to sleep, to nap.
It was my sanctuary, my fortress and the place I hid from the world in. My tree is gone now, forever removed from the earth, but eternally burnt upon my mind.
This Is Not Your Father's Atari
"LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - James Caan (news) and Robert Duvall (news) have joined the late Marlon Brando (news) in providing voice acting and likenesses for Electronic Arts' "The Godfather" video game.
Caan and Duvall, who reprise their respective roles as Sonny Corleone and consigliere Tom Hagen from the film, also were involved in the development of the game and are scheduled to attend its premiere unveiling of the game in New York's Little Italy on Feb. 10.
The video game, which draws inspiration from both Mario Puzo's book and Francis Ford Coppola's 1972 movie, is scheduled for release in the fall.
Before his death last July, Brando granted EA the rights to use his likeness, and he recorded voice-overs that virtually reprised his Academy Award-winning role as the titular Don Vito Corleone. EA also secured the rights to the Grammy-winning music Nino Rota composed for the movie and its soundtrack."
Of course you are probably wondering what the game involves, here is your answer.
"The game will allow players to create their own mob character and work their way up the criminal chain from petty theft to drive-bys and extortion to control of the Corleone family in a virtual New York spanning 1945-55.
Players will use their powers of loyalty and fear to earn respect through interactions with characters in the world, where intimidation and negotiation are key to success. Decisions made by the player in the game will have lasting consequences, just as it was in the mob underworld featured in "The Godfather" fiction."
Could be interesting.
DNA Sought to ID Jamestown Skeleton
"JAMESTOWN, Va. - The Church of England has agreed to allow researchers using radar to look beneath two churches for remains that could determine whether a skeleton found at Jamestown is that of one of the colony's founders, scientists said Monday.
Scientists who excavated the site of a 400-year-old fort at Jamestown want to know whether a skeleton discovered there in 2003 is that of Capt. Bartholomew Gosnold, captain of one of the three ships that carried settlers from England.
Scientists who excavated the site of a 400-year-old fort at Jamestown want to know whether a skeleton discovered there in 2003 is that of Capt. Bartholomew Gosnold, captain of one of the three ships that carried settlers from England.
To do so, they need to find the graves of Gosnold's sister and niece, who were buried in two churches in Suffolk, England, and conduct DNA analysis. The Church of England, which owns the sites, has agreed to allow a ground-radar survey of the graves."
Shul Politics- Or Dealing with People Can be Problematic
Hello Party People,
I always wanted to say that, but it just doesn't roll off of the tongue very well for me, feels kind of stiff.
A number of bloggers have posted recently about their dissatisfaction and irritation with actions (read: people) at their synagogues and offices. The problem is that if you want to attend a synagogue, go to work or do anything with people you have to deal with politics.
One thing that we share in common, regardless of race, religion or creed is politics. Dr. Seuss wrote a wonderful story about Sneetches that addressed this to some extent.
For better or for worse some people are like the Sneetches looking for ways to make themselves feel better about who they are at the expense of others.
It can be frustrating dealing with people like this. There are those who cannot be happy unless they are making others miserable. Those people who cannot be happy unless they feel that they are regarded as being better than others. Their egos require constant and consistent stroking.
The hard part is that sometimes these people end up in positions from which they cannot be extricated, or at least not easily. They are entrenched and we are forced to deal with them.
The question for me always comes down to what am I willing to accept. How much will I tolerate, and am I required to put up with it. Sometimes I really can go around them, I do not have to give them power to upset or hurt me.
Outside of the office I have found that more often than not I can make the decision to laugh at them, albeit not in public. A peacock is just a bird and not of consequence to me. Irritating, but inconsequential.
Life is often about how you act and react.
I always wanted to say that, but it just doesn't roll off of the tongue very well for me, feels kind of stiff.
A number of bloggers have posted recently about their dissatisfaction and irritation with actions (read: people) at their synagogues and offices. The problem is that if you want to attend a synagogue, go to work or do anything with people you have to deal with politics.
One thing that we share in common, regardless of race, religion or creed is politics. Dr. Seuss wrote a wonderful story about Sneetches that addressed this to some extent.
For better or for worse some people are like the Sneetches looking for ways to make themselves feel better about who they are at the expense of others.
It can be frustrating dealing with people like this. There are those who cannot be happy unless they are making others miserable. Those people who cannot be happy unless they feel that they are regarded as being better than others. Their egos require constant and consistent stroking.
The hard part is that sometimes these people end up in positions from which they cannot be extricated, or at least not easily. They are entrenched and we are forced to deal with them.
The question for me always comes down to what am I willing to accept. How much will I tolerate, and am I required to put up with it. Sometimes I really can go around them, I do not have to give them power to upset or hurt me.
Outside of the office I have found that more often than not I can make the decision to laugh at them, albeit not in public. A peacock is just a bird and not of consequence to me. Irritating, but inconsequential.
Life is often about how you act and react.
Dr. Seuss In Hebrew
My son and I read together every night. One of our favorites is the Cat in the Hat Comes back, only we read it in Hebrew:
It is still a lot of fun, but the rhyming of the words is slightly off.
It is still a lot of fun, but the rhyming of the words is slightly off.
A Fair Argument
Couples are told by people far wiser than they are to try and fight fair. Don't bring up things from the past, deal with the real issues, be nice and never go to bed angry.
Those are smart and sound principles to base a relationship upon, but the sad truth is that they are also some of the most difficult things to do. Relationships are built upon many things and one of the areas of bedrock that form the foundation is the history that the couple share.
There are the good times, the bad times and the in-between times that occupy this space. And inevitably bits and pieces of the history creep into conversations between them. Sometimes this can be a good thing and sometimes this can be bad.
I just finished speaking with my friend Tammy about her relationship with her husband Jack. Yes, we share the same name. I like to think that it is because Tammy secretly wishes that she had me, heee heee.
Tammy and Jack are one of those couples that make everyone else groan, they are madly in love and in lust with each other. They never lost that spark between them and the worst kept secret in the world is what happens when they tell us that they need just a moment before they are ready to go out to dinner, or the numerous times they disappear at parties.
Actually it was at a party that I learned more about them than I ever wanted to know. I walked into the bathroom to find that Tammy was sitting on the toilet, which would have normally been a little embarrassing in it's own right, except that Jack was standing in front of Tammy. I won't provide any more illustration of this picture other than to say that somehow Tammy and I made eye contact. It was a bit like a train wreck, I wanted to look away, but for a moment I couldn't.
We all managed to get over the awkward moment and since then we have become very tight.
Anyway, Tammy and Jack got into it this morning over a bunch of things, shtuyot, stupid things if you ask me. I suppose that since Tammy did call me, I was asked for my opinion, so Tamaleh, my answer is that you got worked up over nonsense.
But some of that nonsense is predicated upon their past history. The question I posed for Tammy was, what are you willing to put up with? Can you deal with a little adversity? The problem she has is twofold.
A) Sometimes when Jack becomes upset he refuses to speak about it right then and there. This makes Tammy crazy.
B) She is so crazy about him that when they disagree she get's stuck in a rut thinking about it. They really don't fight all that often.
My advice to her was to take a deep breath and to get some perspective. She forgets that sometimes it takes men a little time to process our thoughts and then respond. And she tells me that he always does respond, just not as timely as she would like
In the end from my perspective they have the relationship that most people want. They are crazy about each other, so much so that sometimes it is irritating to go out with them. Not because of the unbridled passion, but because they sometimes just stare at each other and forget that anyone else is around.
So Tammy, if you do read this my prescription is simple, take a deep breath, give him a hug and let nature take its course. All will be well.
Those are smart and sound principles to base a relationship upon, but the sad truth is that they are also some of the most difficult things to do. Relationships are built upon many things and one of the areas of bedrock that form the foundation is the history that the couple share.
There are the good times, the bad times and the in-between times that occupy this space. And inevitably bits and pieces of the history creep into conversations between them. Sometimes this can be a good thing and sometimes this can be bad.
I just finished speaking with my friend Tammy about her relationship with her husband Jack. Yes, we share the same name. I like to think that it is because Tammy secretly wishes that she had me, heee heee.
Tammy and Jack are one of those couples that make everyone else groan, they are madly in love and in lust with each other. They never lost that spark between them and the worst kept secret in the world is what happens when they tell us that they need just a moment before they are ready to go out to dinner, or the numerous times they disappear at parties.
Actually it was at a party that I learned more about them than I ever wanted to know. I walked into the bathroom to find that Tammy was sitting on the toilet, which would have normally been a little embarrassing in it's own right, except that Jack was standing in front of Tammy. I won't provide any more illustration of this picture other than to say that somehow Tammy and I made eye contact. It was a bit like a train wreck, I wanted to look away, but for a moment I couldn't.
We all managed to get over the awkward moment and since then we have become very tight.
Anyway, Tammy and Jack got into it this morning over a bunch of things, shtuyot, stupid things if you ask me. I suppose that since Tammy did call me, I was asked for my opinion, so Tamaleh, my answer is that you got worked up over nonsense.
But some of that nonsense is predicated upon their past history. The question I posed for Tammy was, what are you willing to put up with? Can you deal with a little adversity? The problem she has is twofold.
A) Sometimes when Jack becomes upset he refuses to speak about it right then and there. This makes Tammy crazy.
B) She is so crazy about him that when they disagree she get's stuck in a rut thinking about it. They really don't fight all that often.
My advice to her was to take a deep breath and to get some perspective. She forgets that sometimes it takes men a little time to process our thoughts and then respond. And she tells me that he always does respond, just not as timely as she would like
In the end from my perspective they have the relationship that most people want. They are crazy about each other, so much so that sometimes it is irritating to go out with them. Not because of the unbridled passion, but because they sometimes just stare at each other and forget that anyone else is around.
So Tammy, if you do read this my prescription is simple, take a deep breath, give him a hug and let nature take its course. All will be well.
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