Yonked :: Diary of a New Home

A Bear that Snovels Show

2010-02-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

On Wednesday it snowed about an inch or so, and I had to clear it before it got all icy. I took out the bear to do the work also, for his first official snow time. (We finally found Snow Boots!) I wrapped him up in his oh so warm snow suit and took him outside.

He had a fun time, and really seemed to like shoveling and the snow. I took a bunch of pictures and then put the camera in the car so it wouldn't get wet. About 10 people then walked by and said "Oh how cute! You should take some pictures!" So I took some more, to satisfy our well-meaning but nosy neighbors. Overall I took nearly 40 pictures.

Although he had a great time, I had a huge fear that he would drop the snow shovel and rush into the street, where the cars go very fast, and would not be braking for bears, so I was completely hyper-vigilant about it. I did most of the shoveling with him in my arm, or trapped behind the fence watching. Nothing bad happened. (See, my hyper vigilance is working!)

There's 6-8 inches of snow forecast for this weekend, so maybe if we get enough we can go out and build a snowman! Hmmm,,, maybe I need to go get a carrot and some buttons....

Here's about half of the photos that I took.

XKCD-- You rock!

2009-12-23T12:41:00.001-05:00

The House, she has been painted

2009-12-22T17:12:00.000-05:00

You know, for a house blog, we've done a poor job of chronicling our house painting adventure.

For the last 4 years we've been working on the inside of the house, and ignoring the outside. Primarily because, in our neighborhood, it seemed wise to not shine too brightly. But also, we needed to do our living space first, and then deal with the outside aesthetics second.

At some point, we started to get very worried that the integrity of the house might be compromised. Holes where birds were crawling in, shingles falling off, etc. So we were resolved to do something. And S said to me: "I don't care what it looks like, just get it painted." If I waited just a little bit longer, I could have maybe gotten a purple and yellow house!

At first we thought we were going to have to re-side the whole thing. But pricing that out, it was clear it was very expensive. Especially if we wanted to go with cedar shingle siding or hardy board. And we weren't sure if we wanted to go with vinyl siding, which was still quite expensive.

After getting ready to bite the bullet, I realized that I'd never gotten a quote from a painter. So I went to the Home Show, got a few numbers, and arranged a free estimate. This was mid-November.

We knew time was running out (you generally can't paint past November) so after the first quote with a clearly very knowledgable painter, which was THOUSANDS of dollars less than any siding quotes we got, we decided to go ahead. At the very least, it would buy us some time to save up the money.

(Although we had a little bit of a problem-- we'd been saving up our home equity to get the painting done, and just as we got ready to pull the trigger, they lowered our line of credit!-- Fortunately, I talked to them, and we worked it out, and all is good in financing world right now.)

We went away for Thanksgiving, and while we went away, they painted. We wanted the fumes to be as far away from our little bundle of Aaron as possible.

Coming back from the airport was very exciting-- we barely recognized the house!

There's still some stuff that they need to do/redo (and weirdly, some of the trim color looks like they didn't use the same dark blue) but overall we are very pleased with our makeover.

Anyway, here's some of the before- and after pictures. Someday, we'll take the exact same before photos in the after pose. But for now, here's what's changed. Pretty big change, yes?

Did the Bear Make a Poo? -- Yes He did!

2009-12-09T17:27:00.000-05:00

Video I shot today on the changing table of a song I made up on the spot, and AA learned to contribute to it. Shows off his impeccable rhythm, timing, and an infectious giggle. Oh yes, and the word "Yes!"

Piano Playing Bear

2009-10-27T14:50:00.001-04:00

We've picked out AA's Halloween costume for this year, and well, what else could he be but a bear?

We originally had a dog costume that S had given to one of AA's cousins, and now no longer fits, but it mysteriously disappeared. Can't find it anywhere. Being as it was a dog, we can only hope it has found greener pastures.

We went on a shopping spree to make sure that we'd have this costume in time, and found the perfect costume (although S does not like the bowtie particularly. I'm kind of a big fan of the bowtie- it's not a run of the mill bear- this is a CLASSY bear)

The costume also came with a rainbow blanket (is it possible that this is a CareBear (tm) costume?) At any rate, the blanket has been banished from the costume.

S has to cut off the bear's feet (the costume, not the child) so that he can wear his shoes and walk around as a bear.

We have to hope that Halloween is not bear season!

A full set of these photos is available over on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kafclown/sets/72157622676189934/show/

Full blown walking!

2009-10-18T13:52:00.002-04:00

Just days after the first video of him tentatively walking, he's gotten a LOT better!
His mom to encourage him no doubt helps quite a bit.

And he's a fast learner!

How our houseblog became a homeblog

2009-10-15T09:15:00.006-04:00

I'm in Las Vegas for Blog World Expo for the next few days and I was talking to some bloggers last night, describing how we used to be housebloggers, but that now I feel like we're no longer legit in using that term (when we do blog, which is so rare). It's almost never about the house anymore, much more about Aaron and our lives. So someone said, "now you're a homeblogger" which is so true! That's what I'll say from here on out. I definitely don't want to be lumped into the "mommyblogger" category since a) Adam writes 75% of the blog and b) it's about more than our kid (well, at least that's the intent). (I also have an issue with the term "mommyblogger," as do many female bloggers I know, since marketers and PR-types (my colleagues, excluded, of course!) tend to want to categorize all women bloggers as "mommybloggers" even though most of them don't write about being mommies most of the time....but that's another post entirely!)

So, inevitably, what am I going to post today? Photos of Aaron from our pumpkin/apple adventure at Outhouse Orchards on Columbus Day. Because I'm missing him and these are the cutest photos ever of my boy who's getting so big! (Thanks, Shelli and Patty for a great day at the pumpkin patch!)

Also please note the tiny bit of knitblogging going on here as Aaron shows of his newly-knitted Pumpkin Hat! So see, it's not just about the kid!

On the cusp of walking

2009-10-14T10:28:00.001-04:00

As these two videos below show, Aaron is on the very cusp of walking.

The first video shows a 13 second clip of Aaron actually walking to the walker, and then walking with it.

The second video is longer, but has lots of cute little moments of him looking at the camera, and walking, and looking at the camera, and walking!

Set your Clok Radio.

2009-09-16T14:14:00.003-04:00

We have one of those Ipod clok radio's (made by emerson, bought at Target) that works very well.

The only problem was that it recently needed to have the time reset, and I had thrown out the manual, and the setting of the clock is not intuitive.

It also turns out that for whatever reason, Emerson doesn't make a manual available online.

Looking around on the internet, there's lots of other people with the same problem.

So for those of us with my Clok radio problems, this one's for you, and for all posterity, and mostly so that if you ever do come over for a visit, and I happen to be indisposed and you need to reset the time on my radio for your own nefarious purposes, here's how:

1. Press the power button off (no functions highlighted).

2. Press and hold the Clock/display button for 5 seconds.

3. While continuing to press down that button, press the hour or minute buttons to adjust the hour and the minute

4. When you are finished, release the clock/display button

It was just a year ago today...

2009-09-02T09:00:00.005-04:00

That at 4 am Stephanie started having contractions and writing them down, and we started the 15 hour process/adventure that ended at 7:08 pm with an emergency c-section and a young boy named Aaron Kyle.

And now he is 1! The year went by very very fast!

And here for your viewing entertainment only-- some unedited unexpurgated first moments of Aaron's life. Don't worry all, the only nudity is baby nudity, and it is brief.

94-year-old heading to National Urban League conference :: CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

2009-07-29T13:49:00.002-04:00

Stephanie's Grandfather gets a big article in the Chicago Sun Times today. And he's even more remarkable in person than he is in the article! He's on facebook, and will undoubtedly read this post! (Hi Hank!)

94-year-old heading to National Urban League conference ::
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES :: Metro & Tri-State

Longtime activist heading to National Urban League conference

July 29, 2009
BY MAUDLYNE IHEJIRIKA Staff Reporter/mihejirika@suntimes.com

When the convention hall doors swing open today on the National Urban League's annual conference here, Hank Schwab will be there.

Schwab's been there a long time.

Hank Schwab (inset) took this picture of Martin Luther King Jr. and
Coretta Scott King at a civil rights rally at Soldier Field in June of 1964.

This year will be the 94-year-old Hyde Parker's 51st National Urban League conference.

"It was 1958. I'd just moved into the new, integrated Lake Meadows housing development when I met Urban League President Bill Berry," Schwab says.

"Berry lived on the 17th floor. I was on the 11th. We became friends. He took me under his wings, made me a member of the Urban League and put me on the board. He took me to all the national conferences."

But Berry, the legendary civil rights activist who led the Chicago organization from 1956 to 1969, is only one of many African-American icons that Schwab, a Jewish immigrant and Holocaust survivor, has called friend over the years.

His personal photo collection -- spanning decades -- is filled with images of him and the likes of Martin Luther King, Whitney Young, Julian Bond, Joe Louis, Dizzy Gillespie and other historical figures.

Admittedly drawn into the African-American struggle for civil rights by accident, the still very vibrant Schwab has a colorful history.

Born in Frankfort, Germany, he and his family at the onset of Nazi rule lived comfortably, running a family business. Then came Kristallnacht, the Nazi attack on Jewish people and their property in November 1938. The family business was destroyed, and Schwab and his father were among 25,000-plus Jews arrested and deported to concentration camps.

"My number was 10052. I'll never forget that," says Schwab, imprisoned for five weeks at the Buchenwald camp recently toured by President Obama. "There were 10,000 prisoners lying on shelves. I didn't think I ever would get out."

But it turned out an uncle in America, a banker, had filed for visas for Schwab's family as Germany was deteriorating. The visas came through while he and his father were in the camp, they were released, and emigrated to New York.

"I believe that Jewish and African-American people had the same exact problem in the Holocaust and slavery," says Schwab, who found his way to Chicago as the civil rights movement was growing.

"I was selling automobile policies when one day, several came back in the mail. The underwriting company told me, 'Sorry, but we don't take colored'," Schwab recalls. "I didn't know anything about discrimination until it touched me personally, and I was heartbroken."

Schwab worked successfully to tear down racial barriers in his own firm, then met Berry and became a staunch activist in the movement.

"There is no one in Chicago or the whole country who has been to 50 conferences but me. I've missed two since 1958," he says proudly.

His photos and archival documents recently donated to the Chicago chapter -- including his program from the 1963 March on Washington and photos from the 1964 Civil Rights Rally at Soldier Field -- bear witness to pivotal moments in African-American history.

This year, Schwab found himself close again to a pivotal moment he never thought he'd live to see.

"It turned out President Obama is a personal friend of mine. He was my senator, and I have letters of his starting, 'Dear Hank,' and signed, 'Barack'," says Schwab. "What I can say is we've come a long way in civil rights in this country, but we still have a long way to go, and a black president does not change that."

For more information on the conference running through Aug. 1 at McCormick Place, visit www.nul.org

A long life filled with sorrow, hardship, and frustration.

2009-06-30T07:11:00.004-04:00

I'm sorry to say that my son is in for a long life of hardship, sorrow,and frustration.

And I can't do a thing about it.

You see, my son is more than likely going to be a Cubs fan.

His grandfather, his uncle, his great uncle, his cousins, and even sometimes his mom are all Cubs fans. And not just regular crazy Cubs fans. I'm talking dyed in the wool, wears Cubs underwear, watches every pitch, bought a house near the field so you can walk to the games kind of Cubs fans. And you know what that means.

Sorrow. Hardship. Frustration. (you can almost see it on his face now. Or is that spinach?)

His grampus gave him a cubs hat, and while we didn't go to a game, or watch one on TV (I'm trying to limit the amount of tragedy that enters my household) I thought he could practice watching a cubs game.

I've attached the slide show below, but if that doesn't work, try this url (you'll also get my super observant titles of photographs if you visit the link)

http://bit.ly/aaron_the_cubbie

Granny's Cats

2009-06-19T20:59:00.002-04:00

I've been following a new site http://www.oldjewstellingjokes.com; which is EXACTLY what it sounds like-- video of older Jews telling jokes-- the setup is great, the idea is great, and as one of my facebook friends remarked recently "The link is gold!"

They recently asked people to contribute jokes that they've heard older Jews tell-- so I contributed a couple of stories about my Granny...

You can read that contribution on their website here: or if you read it below, you also get to see a picture of my Granny!

Enjoy-- and if you have any stories or old jokes, either send them to the website listed above, or post them in the comments!

=====================================

Granny's Cats

My Granny was born December 31, 1900 and passed away December 24, 2004. She had an eighth grade education, and in 1938 her husband left her and her three children, disappearing for parts unknown. My dad was a year old at the time.

Granny started a jewelry stringing business (called Woodman’s, which was her sister’s husbands name — she felt that Gertsacov was far too ethnic) and did jewelry work well into her 90’s. Her brand of expertise in pearl stringing was legendary, and some of the finest jewelry shops still sent their most precious stuff to her. Jewelry stringing is a lost art. She strung the pearls of many society ladies, politicians’ wives, and gangsters’ molls — she did them all.

Granny always came off as kind of a hard person. She lived a hard life through the Depression, but she loved several jokes that she told and re-told through the years. She liked these because they were clever, had word-play, and you had to understand in order to get it. She didn’t like slapstick and physical comedy that much, which is kind of surprising, since I ended up as a professional clown and performer. She saw me perform several times, and always said “Marvelous, Marvelous.” But I don’t think she ever really loved it. Ah well.

Here are a couple of her favorites: (some of them are more along the lines of a little routine she would do. She was a woman of routines.)

About a person who was a chatterbox: “She is a woman of VERY FEW WORDS.”

On getting into a car to go home: “Home, James, and don’t spare the Hosses.”

If you were feeling ill: “You’ve got to go home and get into bed with a nurse.”

And this was probably her favorite joke:

I know a woman who sleeps with cats.
Now ask me who it is.

(the person asks, who is it?)

Mrs. Katz!

(pause)

and sometimes Mrs. Nussbaum.

Aaron and the Bumbo

2009-06-17T22:09:00.003-04:00

Well, it looks like Aaron may have outgrown the bumbo seat-- here's his successful escape attempt using pluck, derring do, and a little bit of luck. It's about 1.5 minutes long

Urban baby

2009-06-08T16:07:00.002-04:00

We went to a friend's house on Saturday for a barbecue in NJ. It was very nice, it was very suburban, and the people were incredibly nice.

Aaron had a great time hanging around with the people who smiled at him, eating lots of goodies and treats, and playing with the two dogs of the house.

The one thing he didn't like was sitting on the grass.

We realized that it was his first exposure to grass (HEY, before you call Protective services on us, we live in an urban, non nice grass environment-- and he's a September baby, meaning it's been pretty cold for most of the time he's been alive) Anyway, sitting on the grass made him pretty uncomfortable and more than a little crybaby-ish) Not sure if he was frightened of bugs, didn't like the tickly feeling, or just prefers the concrete.

He'll have plenty of grass time over the next few months to figure it out and grow to love the green.

An architectural survey of Yonkers buildings

2009-05-26T16:56:00.003-04:00

This is a really interesting and exciting project, if it gets off the ground.

from lohud.com

Historians preparing architectural survey of Yonkers buildings

By Ernie Garcia • elgarcia@lohud.com • May 26, 2009

YONKERS - Two historians are preparing an inventory of the city's homes and buildings to identify historic or architectural landmarks.

The representatives from TKS Historic Resources of Babylon, N.Y., are poring over maps in the city's Planning Department and developing paperwork they will use to categorize and describe homes, buildings and neighborhoods.

The city hired the company to produce the survey for the Landmarks Preservation Board, which would use the information to consider landmark applications.

The landmarks board also needs an updated survey of old structures so it can make informed decisions on demolition permits it must review.

In July, Mayor Phil Amicone issued an executive order requiring that all buildings over 75 years old be reviewed for landmark protection before they can be razed.

Yonkers has a partial inventory of vintage buildings. A survey in 1980-81 was incomplete because the project ran out of funding.

Other surveys have been done of neighborhoods where residents have proposed historic districts, but some older areas of the city have remained unexamined.

The current survey's budget is limited to $50,000, so the landmarks board will have to decide which parts of the city most urgently need review.

Sarah Bean Apmann and Karen A. Kennedy of TKS told the landmarks board at a meeting May 18 that they will focus their survey on structures built before 1935.

The process will take about a year. The TKS team plans to return to the landmarks board in July or August to give a final presentation on how the survey will proceed. At that time, the landmarks board is expected to tell Apmann and Kennedy where in the city they should begin their survey.

Just a little advertisement

2009-05-11T08:48:00.002-04:00

Amazon is having an amazing deal-- if you go to Amazon and create a baby registry, you'll be entered to win a sweepstakes every month for $3000 worth of baby stuff, including a year of diapers. There's no purchase necessary, and you probably want a lot of stuff that Amazon is going to have anyway.

Create an Amazon Baby Registry

Details about my son

2009-04-20T22:02:00.004-04:00

His nose is as long as the second joint on my index finger.

His thumb is as long as the first joint on my thumb.

It looks like he's going to have fairly stocky fingers, particularly his thumbs. Probably not a virtuoso piano player.

His toes look like mine, not Adam's. At least that's one thing he got from me. Oh, that and the long eyelashes.

His whiny-cry and his laugh can sometimes sound similar. His aunts and his nanny can't always tell the difference. But his mommy always can.

When he first started eating solids he really favored holding food with his left hand, much to his daddy's delight. Now he's an equal opportunity grabber/stuffer. We'll see what happens.

He has enough hair now that when I kiss the back of his neck now I'm kissing hair, instead of skin. And I can run my fingers through the hair on top of his head.

Sometimes I look at him and can imagine him at 3. Or 6. But more often I hold him and wish I could hold him, just like he is, forever.

The windswept yard

2009-04-19T22:02:00.004-04:00

One of the things that has plagued our house since day one is the trash in our yard. We're on the corner so we have a lot of frontage, our side street (the longer stretch) is slightly downhill, and we're also in, as dear readers know, a neighborhood where there, ahem, doesn't seem to be a lot of neighborhood pride. (I'm trying to be nice here.)

So the net effect is that our yard, and especially the grass on either side of our (now three-year-old) sidewalk (outside of our decrepit fence), is constantly filled with trash. Adam insists it's worse because we're downhill and trash just blows down the street into our yard, but I'm not willing to give our neighbors that much credit. Sometimes it's just a cigarette butt here and there, but more often it's full-blown trash: potato chip bags, White Castle cartons (as most of you know, we live in the shadow of the White Castle....which will be the title of Adam's memoir), gum wrappers, bottle tops, and cans. And lots and lots of dog poop. Yucch.

As this was an exceptionally beautiful weekend (finally), Adam and I got outside yesterday to try and start to tame some of the mess. Aaron came with us and sat in his stroller (sun shade up of course). We made fair progress on the back half of the yard and the area around the garage, but it will take another major effort to do the front part, which is worse because it's weedier and on a more trafficked street.

Adam has been talking to fence installers and we're hoping to have a new fence up soon, which may help somewhat since the decrepit fence is awkwardly standing against a hill of stone and grass sloping down from the backyard area, which is most often where trash gets trapped. So when we have the new fence installed we'll have to either grade the hill down or add sod and grass to where the new fence will be. Yet another decision, yet another expense, yet another house story to be told.

I'll add to the photo baby madness

2009-04-17T09:52:00.006-04:00

It's true, we haven't been posting as much as we should-- and facebook is taking its toll, as well as a certain bear to remain nameless. I've done my small part, but it gets hard to maintain a personal blog, or a home blog, because so much of what you are thinking about is embroiled in everyday life, and after you've solved those problems in real life, do you really want to relive them by writing them down?

Here's something I've been thinking about.

People are always asking me "So how is it to be a dad?"

Overall, I'd have to say, it's great. The fears I had of fatherhood, mostly irrational (not loving the baby, a large fear of poop, fear that I would abandon the family as my paternal grandfather did to my grandmother, my dad, and his two siblings in 1938) are no longer fears at all (although I'm not particularly fond of the poop mind you) I recognize those now as irrational. I have a whole new set of irrational fears, of course (which I'd prefer not to share at the present time)

One of the downsides is that I'm not nearly as productive as I'd like to be from a small business/clown/theatrical producer point of view, now that I'm a part-time stay at home dad. (Truth be told, I wasn't all that efficient with my time when I didn't have this 5-7 hours a day unpaid parenting gig-- and it may be hard to imagine, but productivity has gone down! On the plus side, procrastination numbers have held steady!)

But as a number of people told me when I started on this journey-- even though it's hard and you'll want to complain about it and it will drive you insane and nuts and wear you down more than it seems possible, it's still something you won't ever want to trade.

So I get less gigs, so be it.

He's very funny, and has a great sense of humor, and sometimes I just laugh and smile for no reason when I see him.

I suppose there's a reason, actually; he is my son, and I love him to pieces!

His laugh is really infectious-- here he is laughing from being tickled-- but sometimes he just laughs without being tickled. Sometimes it's something I do (he loves the doubletake-- and it's amazing how much my clown stuff works even at his young age)

Sometimes he laughs for no reason whatsoever! And that is a also a real pleasure.

I'm thinking about adding his laugh as my ringtone....

Back to the blog

2009-04-14T21:52:00.003-04:00

It's so embarrassing that we've been almost completely post-less since Aaron was born. I guess I didn't realize that we actually have non-family reading the blog - it took a friend from our synagogue (yes, you!) to remind me that we actually did have blog readers, once upon a time, and that some of them actually checked it out without prompting...when there was new stuff to read, of course. And lately there's been nothing.

I could say that we've been a bit busy, which would be dramatically understated and also totally lame. And I could say that we've both been sort of obsessed with both Twitter and Facebook of late, which leaves less time to blog, which is true but also lame.

So I'm going to make a real effort to blog more frequently. I won't make any promises about how often, but I'm going to try. Really.

For now, here are a few recent pictures of our little bear. Because we know you all want to see him. Isn't he delightful? We're really enjoying him.

In Yonkers, this happens all the time!

2009-03-16T12:17:00.001-04:00

Yonkers Woman Shot by Errant Arrow on Riverdale Street
full article and audio

NEW YORK (AP/1010 WINS) -- A 51-year-old Yonkers woman remained hospitalized Monday after she was shot in the stomach by a 30-inch arrow while getting out of her car in Riverdale over the weekend.

Denise Delgado-Brown was hit by the arrow around 2 p.m. on Independence Avenue near the Frances Schervier Nursing Care Center in Riverdale, authorities said.

"I thought that maybe somebody had hit me with a baseball or something," said Delgado-Brown. "It was a black arrow with yellow feathers on the end...I started screaming."

Delgado-Brown, who had just dropped off some friends at the assisted living residence, was just getting out of her car when the arrow hit her, police said.

She was rushed to St. Barnabas Hospital, and underwent two hour emergency surgery to remove the arrow from her abdomen.

Police do not think Brown was the intended target of the shooting and say the fiberglass arrow with yellow feathers is the type used for practice or hunting.

Published reports indicate the arrow was facing downward when it struck Delgado-Brown, leading police to believe it was descending after being fired high into the air. The arrow had a rounded-metal tip, which also suggests it was being used for practice, police said.

Despite a helicopter search of the area immediately following the shooting, no arrests have been made.

Ballet Verite- March 9 & 10 (NY)

2009-03-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

My brother has some choreography going on in the city, and I'm helping him promote it.

BALLET VERITE
Ballet Vérité, is a new dance company under the artistic direction of Sara Gerstein and Seth Gertsacov that creates and presents work for the 21st century.

Their first piece, entitled Ballet Vérité, will be presented at the Baryshnikov Arts Center, 450 West 37th St NY, NY on the following dates:

March 9 @ 8 pm
March 10 @ 2pm- SOLD OUT!!!!
March 10 @ 8pm

Tickets are $25 and are available online at http://www.balletverite.com

You can also read a great interview/blogpost about the choreography process here.

Hope to see you at the show! (I'll be there Monday night!)

CARING FOR LOVED ONE'S - A JEWISH PERSPECTIVE

2009-02-15T12:02:00.002-05:00

Our synagogue is co-sponsoring a local conference on Ailing Loved One's, and we are helping them promote it. If you are interested, please visit the website listed below for full details.

Congregation Tehillah and The Academy for Jewish Religion, Riverdale, New York
are pleased to present:
Caring for Those We Love: A Jewish Perspective
A one-day conference designed for families and individuals caring for ailing loved ones

The people we love are not supposed to get sick, except they sometimes do. Caring for them should not be scary or lonely or painful. Except it often is. Within the frenzied pace of life, where do we find the time… and the space… to care for ourselves while taking care of others?

Join us on Sunday March 15, 2009 as we tackle these and other difficult questions we face in caring for our loved ones:
How do we protect our loved one’s dignity once they are ill?
How do we ensure that their wishes are respected?
How do we project into the future when we may be the ones in need of care?
Where do we find answers — to issues of health, law, religion, spirituality?
What practical things should we know?
Where do we draw resources and strength?
What are the questions we don’t even know to ask?

WHEN: Sunday, March 15, 2009 9:30 am – 4:30 pm
WHERE: The Academy for Jewish Religion,
on the campus of The College of Mount St. Vincent
Main Hall, 4th floor (6301 Riverdale Avenue at W. 263rd Street)
Riverdale (Bronx), New York 10471
COST:
$36 Tehillah & AJR Members
$45 All others
$54 DAY OF EVENT (IF AVAILABLE)

A kosher lunch, snacks, and beverages throughout the day, relevant materials distributed by presenters, and the event’s culminating healing service, are included with the registration fee

MORE INFO: Call (718) 884-4839, extension 8 for information and registration
or visit the Congregation Tehillah Website

The Outside of the House

2009-02-08T18:26:00.004-05:00

So we are finally getting ready to start thinking about the outside of the house, and just in time.

The gutters have fallen off one side of the house, there are lots of little nicks and holes all over the house, the paint has come off, there are lots of cracks in the current/board siding, and even some of the siding is coming down. All that stuff is not going to fix itself.

We've had three (well, four people come out) to give us quotes on fibre cement and also on vinyl siding. Nearly everybody that we've talked to has said that vinyl siding is the way to go. Cheaper, easier to install, and easier to maintain. Not quite convinced yet, but based on the quotes so far that's the way we might have to go.

So far we can't quite afford ANY of the quotes (well, we got one that was 10K cheaper than two of the other guys, but we didn't actually meet him. He blew off the appointment, and then sent an email saying "I couldn't find a place to park, and I have a bum leg" and then proceeded to give us a quote WITHOUT ASKING US WHAT WE WANT. From my perspective, that guy could PAY US to side the house, and we still wouldn't go with him.

We're still waiting on one quote, and meanwhile we have to have a serious look at our finances and see how in the hell we can afford this.

We can't afford to not protect the house, but we can't afford to protect it either.

Anybody out there done vinyl siding? Anything to watch out for?