Mabfan's Musings

Hey Kids! Comics!

2013-05-02T13:07:11Z

Yesterday I bought actual comic books for Muffin and Squeaker for the first time. (The picture shows Squeaker reading on our front steps.) They've been enjoying lots of picture books, of course, and even early readers about superheroes. But they hadn't started comic books yet. Part of that is because I didn't want to present them with any of my own, and in fact, most of them are probably inappropriate for kids (ironic, isn't it?). But it gnawed on me, as I was buying and reading my own comic books when I was only a little older than they are now.

So I was delighted when Sesame Street #1 appeared at New England Comics yesterday. I bought two copies with the same cover, one for each girl so there would be no fighting. Indeed, that was a good idea, as when I gave the girls the comics, Muffin immediately tried to claim Squeaker's for herself until I showed her they were identical.

Kudos to the folks who put together the comic, by the way, as the first page has Elmo explaining to readers the iconography of a comic book. For example, he tells them about the word balloons and the narrative captions, and what they mean.

Finally, I will admit that along with each comic book, I provided a plastic bag and board. Because you're never too young to be taught to treat your treasured reading material with care.

Boston Marathon Memorial Thursday Morning

2013-04-18T13:41:15Z

More pictures of the memorial. Someone moved it to the side, and many more items and messages have been left. Scroll over each photo for the title.

Two Days Out - Photos

2013-04-17T15:02:40Z

I took a bunch of photos this morning from a few blocks away from the Boston Marathon finish line. They're shown below, but the album can also be found at http://mabfan.livejournal.com/pics/catalog/8723 .

And I'd like to thank publicly the two National Guardsmen who were guarding Arlington Street Station for allowing me to take their picture.

Checking In; Copied from Facebook

2013-04-15T19:41:20Z

For those who want to know or need to know, I am checking in. I am fine. I was not at the office today, so I am nowhere near the explosions. We are home safe, reporting in at 3:10 pm EDT. — with gnomi.

Meeting Douglas Adams: A Note

2013-03-12T01:16:38Z

Since Google is noting that today is the birthday of Douglas Adams, I feel compelled to mention that I met him once, when he was touring the United States promoting his books Last Chance to See and Mostly Harmless. The late lamented bookstore Wordsworth hosted a reading at the Brattle Theatre, and although he was a draw, it was not so crowded that we didn't all get a chance to spend a few minutes talking with him. He was quite friendly and personable. And tall. Boy was he tall. I finally understood why Ford Prefect felt that one of the things humans say over and over is the obvious phrase, "You're very tall." Because he was tall. Even taller than my friend Ian Soboroff, who is very tall.

Did I mention that he was tall? He was.

Babylon 5 and the Time Change

2013-03-10T16:13:02Z

The annual recurrence of Daylight Saving Time prompted me to remember a story that took place years ago, on the weekend we went off Daylight Time and back onto Standard Time, and when the TV show Babylon 5 was first being broadcast.

If, like me, you were a fan of Babylon 5 from the beginning, you may recall that it was broadcast as part of the Warner Brothers PTEN network, meaning that whatever local channel in your area had chosen to sign on had the rights to broadcast the show. But it also meant that, unlike network shows that were supposed to be shown at precise times and days (such as, say, every Monday at 8 pm), Babylon 5 could be shown by each channel whenever it wanted to within the week of broadcast.

In October 1996, my main source for the show was channel 50 out of New Hampshire, which at the time was an independent station with the call letters WNDS. Channel 50 did a pretty good job of keeping the show on schedule, but there were times when the show got moved around to another slot. Fortunately, with the aid of a magazine called TV Guide that included print listings of television broadcast schedules, I was able to know when the show would be on. If the show was being broadcast at an inconvenient hour, such as in the middle of the night, I would set my VCR, a device that allowed me to record television shows onto a medium known as videotape, to watch later. (If I recall correctly, channel 50 showed a lot of local live sporting events, which is why their scheduling was often a bit flaky.)

The week that the B5 episode "And the Rock Cried Out, No Hiding Place" was supposed to be broadcast, there was no listing at all for the show. Concerned, I actually called up the station to find out what was going on. Fortunately for me, they were very understanding, although I did get the impression that I was the only viewer who had contacted them.

A staff member explained to me that due to the quirks in scheduling there was only one time slot during the whole week in which they were able to fit the episode. A movie was going to run until 3 am Sunday on Daylight time, and then, at 3 am, when they moved the clocks back, they were planning to squeeze in the Babylon 5 episode during the second 2 am of the night.

Basically, the episode was going to be shown during the extra hour of the night that didn't really exist. Somewhat appropriate for a show like B5...

This also explained why the episode wasn't listed on the schedules. TV Guide didn't bother printing what the stations had planned for the second 2 am of the night, probably because most people wouldn't care. But given the TV show I was chasing around the airwaves, I did care.

That evening, I set the VCR timer to record channel 54 from 3 am to 4 am EDT (which by that point would be 2am to 3 am EST), and I hoped that the staff member had been correct. When I woke up in the morning, the first thing I did was run to the TV and VCR, and I confirmed that the episode had recorded successfully, along with a lot of the, um, interesting advertisements that were broadcast during the early morning hours.

I told this story at science fiction conventions for many years, and it usually got a laugh. I do sometimes wonder if any other New England fans found themselves confused when the next episodes were broadcast, as this particular one included some rather vital plot points for the show's arc.

When I Want Time Travel

2013-02-07T14:24:09Z

There's a photo making the rounds again on Facebook of a protestor holding up a sign that reads, "What Do We Want? Time Travel! When Do We Want It? It's Irrelevant!" Invariably, people share it with me, and I do appreciate it a lot (even if one of the Facebook pages that it comes from has a name with an obscenity in it).

However, I feel obliged to point out that when we want time travel *is* relevant. One of the standard questions that gets asked about time travel is, "If time travel is possible, where are all the time travelers?" As it is, our current understanding of how real, physically allowable time travel might work prohibits traveling back in time beyond the point at which the time machine is first invented. So, for example, if I invent a time machine on January 1, 2014, at 12:00 midnight, people downstream from that point in time would be able to travel back to 1/1/2014, but no farther.

So while I wouldn't mind receiving visitors from the future on 1/1/2014, I kind of wish time travel had been invented already, so I could explore my own personal past from today. When we get time travel is most certainly relevant.

The Brookline Parent On Hiatus

2013-01-31T16:00:22Z

It’s been two weeks since our last The Brookline Parent column, “The Mommy Blogging Question,” was published, and we’re sad to have to tell our friends and fans that it’ll probably be the last column for a while. Brookline Patch has decided to go in a new direction, one that doesn’t include our bi-weekly parenting column.

We’d like to thank Neal Simpson, Grahame Turner, and Nate Homan, the three Brookline Patch editors with whom we worked, for their stewardship of our work. We’d particularly like to thank Neal, for suggesting the column in the first place all the way back in 2010 and giving us a chance to try our hand at it. Although we’re both writers and editors, writing a parenting column wasn’t something either of us had tried before. We’d like to think that it was a success, and from everything our readers have told us, it was.

We’d also like to remind our readers that our 60 columns, covering two years in the lives of Muffin and Squeaker, are still published on the Brookline Patch site for the world to enjoy. From time to time, if something reminds us of a column we wrote, we’ll be sure to link to it.

We are hoping that this won’t be the final parenting column that we write. At the moment, we’ve been exploring other options for our column, looking for a paying media outlet interested in our ruminations as the parents of twins. (And we’ve been thinking of writing a book.) That said, if you know of any newspaper or website interesting in running a column by us on raising twins, feel free to point them in our direction.

Brookline Patch Column: The Mommy Blogging Question

2013-01-18T14:00:24Z

As I've been reading more and more articles and blogs where people talk about their kids, I've also been thinking more and more about the issue of privacy. There was that recent article where a mother discussed the psychological issues her son has, and it triggered both a wave of sympathy for her and a backlash against her, as she was in essence branding her son with a label that might follow him whenever anyone does an Internet search.

It's a dilemma that gnomi and I have faced as we have written our The Brookline Parent column for Brookline Patch. Although we're not blogging publicly about our kids all that often, we do share a window into their lives with the entire world. (A somewhat more private window exists through our occasional private status updates on Facebook.)

Anyway, this week I decided to tackle the question head-on. The column, The Mommy Blogging Question, is somewhat meta, as Nomi puts it, but it will give you a window into some of the concerns we've had every other week as we write our column.

Mom's Yahrzeit

2013-01-16T20:16:43Z

Tonight begins the yahrzeit for my mom, who died six years ago. The yahrzeit is the Hebrew calendar anniversary of someone's passing.

Anyway. I just felt compelled to note that I miss her still and that I'll be reciting Kaddish this evening for her.

This Day in History, 1919: Great Boston Molasses Flood

2013-01-15T15:03:09Z

Today is the 94th anniversary of:

THE GREAT BOSTON MOLASSES FLOOD

"Shortly after noon on January 15, 1919, a fifty-foot-tall steel tank filled with 2.3 million gallons of molasses collapsed on Boston’s waterfront, disgorging its contents in a fifteen-foot-high wave of molasses that traveled at thirty-five miles per hour. When the tide receded, a section of the city’s North End had been transformed into a war zone. The Great Boston Molasses Flood claimed the lives of twenty-one people and scores of animals, injured more than a hundred, and caused widespread destruction."

The above is quoted from author Stephen Puleo, who has published a wonderful book about the flood called "Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919." It tells the story of what happened and also places the event in historical context. For more information on the book, you can visit his website at http://www.stephenpuleo.com.

Brookline Patch Column: My, How We've Grown

2013-01-04T14:00:37Z

In this week's The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch, gnomi looks back at how things have changed for our kids since the beginning of 2012. Muffin and Squeaker have grown and matured in a variety of ways, and some of those ways might not be what you'd expect.

Go read My, How We've Grown to see, well, how they've grown.

Happy New Year 2013

2013-01-01T02:17:44Z

I feel like I should say something about the end of the old Gregorian year, or the beginning of the new one, but I really don't know what to say.

I will say this. It'll be weird not seeing Dick Clark on the television in a few hours. That is, assuming I'm still awake.

Any questions?

The Holiday Season 2012

2012-12-25T14:36:58Z

Today, of course, is Christmas. If you're celebrating Christmas, may you have a merry one, full of happiness.

It's also Isaac Newton's birthday, something I always like to commemorate given my background in Physics.

And earlier in the month of December, I celebrated the festival of Chanukah. Let's take each of these in turn.

Christmas:
Being Jewish, of course, I don't really observe or celebrate Christmas. But in Jewish families, especially those living in New York City, there's a long-standing Christmas tradition of going out to the movies and eating Chinese food. I always thought it was a mostly New York tradition only, but I see a lot of my Jewish friends around the country are planning to do the same. As it is, Nomi and I had Chinese food last night with a friend, and if it works out we will try to get to the movies later today.

(For more information, see Judaism 101: What Do Jews Do on Christmas?)

Isaac Newton's Birthday:
I always enjoyed noting the concurrence of Newton's birthday with Christmas. Newton was born in 1642 to a widow whose husband had died just a few months before. And Newton grew up to alter the way we view the world. A few years ago, when the listeners to BBC Radio 4 were choosing the most important British man of the millennium, it came down to Newton and Shakespeare. (Shakespeare won, but it was apparently a tough call.) Newton lived through the period when the UK switched from the old calendar to the new calendar, so there's some evidence that in his later years he considered his birthday to fall in January instead. But as far as I'm concerned, he was born on Christmas.

Chanukah:
Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights, commemorates a military victory over King Antiochus IV, who was attempting to assimilate and oppress the Jewish people. A lot of Christians tend to equate Chanukah with Christmas, since they take place around the same time, but the truth is that the holidays have nothing to do with each other. In fact, from a religious perspective Chanukah is a relatively minor holiday compared to the holidays of Sukkot, Pesach (Passover), and Shavuot, since those three are festivals mentioned in the Bible and Chanukah was established in rabbinic times. Because of this, I always feel odd when people want to wish me happy Chanukah during the Christmas season, because just a few months ago most of those people weren't thinking of wishing me a happy Sukkot. It also feels odd being wished a happy holiday when my own holiday has already concluded about a week ago. Still, I understand the impulse to wish someone a good holiday, and I would never think of turning down such good wishes. (Or cards. Or presents, if anyone wants to check out my Amazon.com wish list. :-) )

(For information on what Chanukah is all about, see Judaism 101: Chanukah.)

So that's it. To all my Christian friends, as I said before, may you have a merry and joyous Christmas. To all my Jewish friends, I hope you had a happy Chanukah. To all my friends who celebrate some other holiday of the season, may it be for good. And for those of my friends who celebrate no holiday at all, may you enjoy a good start to the Gregorian New Year of 2013.

Brookline Patch Column: Dear Muffin and Squeaker

2012-12-21T14:51:35Z

In the wake of last week's news out of Newtown, CT, gnomi and I use this week's The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch to write an open letter to our daughters.

Click to read Dear Muffin and Squeaker.

RIP Reinhold Weege, 62, Creator of 'Night Court'

2012-12-13T20:31:46Z

Nomi spotted an obituary in today's paper this morning for Reinhold Weege, the television writer and producer who created the TV show Night Court. The New York Times obituary is here.

I had no personal connection to Mr. Weege, but I loved the show when I was growing up. I thought it was wacky and quirky and wonderful. For those of you unfamiliar with the show, it was set in a night court in New York City, set up to get through minor cases and clear the daily backlog of the court system. Harry Anderson played Harry T. Stone, the judge who ran the court. Given the show's locale, and the fact that my mom was a lawyer and later a judge, I found the premise particularly appealing. I was delighted when Nomi and I discovered it was among the many shows we both had enjoyed before we knew each other.

I also remember when I first noticed the name of the show's creator. One episode focused on (among other things) the real first name of character Dan Fielding (the annoying DA played to a hilt by John Larroquette, who won four well-deserved Emmys for his role). At the end of the episode, we discover that Dan has hidden his first name from everyone because it's Reinhold, and everyone agrees that it's a ridiculous first name. And then the first end credit flashed on the screen, and it was the name Reinhold Weege. I appreciated the inside joke, and the fact that presumably Mr. Weege was sharing with his audience a little bit of what he had dealt with all his life with his first name.

Sadly, Night Court isn't all that available to watch today. There was a DVD release of the first season a few years ago, but it didn't sell too well, and as far as I know they never released any of the other seasons. If you're looking for a show that will make you laugh, but with plots that will also make you think, I highly recommend tracking it down. (ETA: Apparently I was in error. Seasons of the show are indeed available on DVD! Thanks to Tom Galloway for pointing that out.)

I'll end with something I recall from the start of the show. In the first episode, everyone in the court is wondering why Harry Stone got appointed, as he is rather unqualified. Stone tells the story: they went down the list, calling candidates, and he was the first one to show up.

There's a life lesson in that.

Rest in peace, Mr. Weege. Thanks for the laughs.

Brookline Patch Column: Roots in the Future

2012-12-07T14:01:07Z

In this week's The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch, I discuss Brookline Town Meeting's recent votes to ban polystyrene cups and plastic grocery bags.

What is the connection between these votes and Muffin and Squeaker? Read "Roots in the Future" to find out.

And if you're a fan of either Spider Robinson's Callahan's Bar stories or J. Michael Straczynski of "Babylon 5" fame, there's a little bonus for you.

Tomorrow's Brookline Parent: Roots in the Future

2012-12-06T19:11:56Z

Tomorrow's The Brookline Parent column on Brookline Patch, "Roots in the Future," begins with a quote from Spider Robinson and ends with a quote from J. Michael Straczynski. And in between, a discussion of Brookline Town Meeting. What do all of those things have to do with each other and with Muffin and Squeaker? Read the column tomorrow morning at 9 and find out...

A Hypothetical Question

2012-12-06T14:20:43Z

So, if I hypothetically were to have another collection of stories coming out, what would people want to see in it? :-)

The list of my published stories can be found here.

Note that in theory, I wouldn't want to include the stories already collected in I Remember the Future.

28 November 1942: The Cocoanut Grove Fire

2012-11-28T20:00:49Z

gnomi has a post about today's 70th anniversary of the Cocoanut Grove Fire. Go read it and follow the links.

Brookline Patch Column: A Grand Day Out

2012-11-26T14:00:07Z

Our latest The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch was supposed to run on last Friday as usual, but due to a production error, it ran on Saturday instead and has just been re-featured this morning. So for those of you who missed it...

gnomi writes a column that definitely lives up to the name The Brookline Parent, as she talks about the fun we had entertaining the kids in Brookline last Sunday (November 18). Come to think of it, we took the kids around Brookline a lot this past Thanksgiving weekend as well...

Go read A Grand Day Out to learn how we entertained Muffin and Squeaker locally.

Brookline Patch Column: Voting as Family Tradition

2012-11-09T14:00:33Z

Last week, I asked friends online if Nomi and I should take Muffin and Squeaker to the polls with us on Election Day, and everyone came back with a resounding YES to the idea. So, in this week's The Brookline Parent column at Brookline Patch, I discuss how it went, but I also take the long view of continuing the family tradition of voting. So, if you'd like to find out both how I have a family connection to a former presidential candidate, and what happens when a preschooler tantrums on the way to the polls, check out Voting as Family Tradition.

(There's also some cute pictures of the kids holding their own campaign signs. What issue did they support? Click through to find out.)

Voting in the Evening - With Kids!

2012-11-06T14:53:26Z

‎I'd like to thank everyone who offered their opinion on whether or not to bring Muffin and Squeaker to the polls today. After much discussion, gnomi and I decided not to vote first thing in the morning, as we've done for almost every election we've voted in since we've been married. Instead, we're voting after work, and we're taking the girls with us so they can one day recall their first presidential election.

The deciding factor was probably this PSA on voting from one of our town selectmen, Jesse Mermell.

Also, this gives me a topic for this week's The Brookline Parent column.

Election Day and Kids: A Question

2012-11-02T17:46:56Z

I have memories of going with my mom when I was a kid to the polling place on election day. Back then, the voting booth was an actual booth, with a curtain that closed. Mom would let me move one or two of the levers, and then pull the large handle that opened the curtain and sent her vote to be recorded. It made a nice KA-THUNK sound.

I am pondering bringing Muffin and Squeaker to the polls on Tuesday for their first presidential election. But I'm not sure if it is worth it, as they are only 3 years old and there's no voting booth. They'll get to see Mommy and Daddy fill out bubble sheets and feed them into a scanner. (Perhaps they could do the feeding.) Any thoughts on whether or not it's worth bringing them to the polls? Will they remember this election years from now? Or is it not worth the bother?

Twenty-Two Years Ago...

2012-11-02T15:15:55Z

Twenty-two years ago, November 2 also fell on a Friday.

Joel David Burstein (December 11, 1929 - November 2, 1990)