Mabfan's Musings

Bedtime Ritual

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:37:01 GMT

[This is about the kids.]

One of the things that Nomi and I have been learning to do for the past five-and-a-half months now is putting the kids to bed in a way that gets them to go to sleep quickly. Whether or not they get to sleep and stay asleep can sometimes feel like a crapshoot; for the past two nights, the girls have gotten to sleep relatively quickly (thanks to Nomi) but then woken up within a half-hour and been unable to get to sleep again until very late. There's also the fact that they do wake up during the night for feedings and diaper changes, all of which contributes to a lack of sleep for both Nomi and myself.

A nice part of all this, however, was developing a bedtime ritual that we thought the kids would enjoy. As it now stands, here's what we tend to do.

First we tend to feed them as much as they'll eat, change them into fresh diapers, and then put them into their sleep sacks. We know the kids are learning because one night we put Muffin in her sleep sack before feeding her, and she got this sad, confused look on her face as if we were planning to put her into her crib without dinner. We fed her immediately, and she ate two and a half bottles of food, and was most satisfied.

After they are in their sacks, we sit them on our laps and read to them. Right now, we're mostly reading to them from "But Not the Hippopotamus" by Sandra Boynton, and they seem to appreciate it a lot. We tend to read them the book twice.

Then we walk them into their room, gently lay them down in their cribs and sing to them. A lot of our singing is from the davening, which makes Nomi think that the girls will spend their lives falling asleep in shul. Sometimes we pick them up and rock them as we sing to them, but we also try to get them to fall asleep without that.

Anyway, that's our usual bedtime ritual with the kids.

The Holiday Season

Thu, 24 Dec 2009 16:49:18 GMT

Tomorrow, 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. This year, with the added complication of the twins and the need to prepare for shabbat, Nomi and I will probably forgo this tradition. Still, we're contemplating taking the kids to Rubin's or Taam China tomorrow if we can.

(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.)

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 2010.

Dadros, art by Steve Rider

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 20:12:00 GMT

One of my day job colleagues is an artist named Steve Rider, with whom I share a love of the TV show Doctor Who. A few weeks ago, Steve was showing me elaborate plans he had found for building your own Dalek, and I mentioned how useful I would find a Davros-style wheelchair.

Next thing I know, Steve has sent me the following piece of original digital art (posted with permission):

Dadros by Steve Rider
Copyright ©2009 by Steve Rider. Do not copy.

I'm very pleased to say that as of this afternoon, he has also gifted me with the original sketch, framed.

Now I just have to find something for my daughters to annotate....

Thank You, Lewis Carroll

Tue, 22 Dec 2009 05:36:43 GMT

Why am I up after midnight? We got the kids to go to sleep on the early side, and then they woke up and would not go back to sleep. Eventually, we got one of them down, but the other just wouldn't go to sleep, despite being tired.

Nomi sat with her and starting reciting "The Walrus and the Carpenter," which gave me an idea. I found my Annotated "Hunting of the Snark" and started to read it to her.

By the time "the Baker had fainted away," so had she.

Good night.

The Friendly Neighborhood of Peter Parker: Free for a Limited Time

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 15:53:17 GMT

Two years ago, Smart Pop Books published Webslinger: SF and Comic Writers on Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man edited by Gerry Conway, and I was pleased to have an essay in the book. I grew up in Forest Hills, the same neighborhood of Spider-Man's secret identity, Peter Parker, and as a result I always took a greater interest in the character than I might have otherwise. It didn't hurt that I, like many others, identified with Peter and the difficulties he faced in his regular life. So when I had the chance to contribute to the book, I plumbed my own personal life and wrote an essay about the real Forest Hills, as opposed to the one in the Marvel universe. I explored what Peter's life might have been like had he grown up in the neighborhood of my childhood, noting the actual stores, schools, and sites he would have woven into his background.

Smart Pop Books is promoting their line by running whole essays from their books, and for this week only my essay is available. So if you never picked up the book, but would like to see what I said about Spider-Man (and about my own childhood, come to think of it), check it out here:

"The Friendly Neighborhood of Peter Parker"

Music

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:51:51 GMT

I'm not sure how interesting this will be for people, but...

A few years ago, Nomi and I got iPods. But when we got iPhones, I stopped using my iPod as my portable music player. Especially after my Palm device died, it made much more sense for me to combine all my functionality into one device. It's true that my iPhone can't hold as much music as my iPod, but it was easier to carry around only one device rather than two (or the three I used to carry).

Sometime after we bought the iPods, we also bought a Bose SoundDock so we could plug the iPods in and listen to music in the living room. But once I stopped using my iPod, I thought that perhaps that was the end of using the SoundDock.

It wasn't until this past weekend that I realized how foolish I was being.

I dug out my iPod, loaded all my new music into it, and plugged it into the SoundDock. We now have a SoundDock with an iPod always plugged into it, so we can always play music for the room.

I took advantage of this yesterday by playing songs for the kids, and singing and dancing with them. I hope they like Schoolhouse Rock and Peter, Paul, and Mommy.

Any suggestions for music for babies would be welcome.

Senate Endorsement: Alan Khazei

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 18:03:52 GMT

For those of us living in Massachusetts, tomorrow is the day of the primary to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the death of Ted Kennedy. We've had a fascinating campaign season this fall, mostly because of the odd schedule forced upon the voters by the law that requires a special election within a certain timeframe. Even now, reports are that most Massachusetts voters are either unaware of the election or have no idea who they intend to vote for.

As a local politician (Library Trustee and Town Meeting Member), I'm sometimes asked for my endorsement in local Brookline races. People don't tend to actively seek out my endorsement for anything higher than Brookline Selectman, because, frankly, my opinion would probably not carry that much weight outside of the town. That said, though, I see no reason why I shouldn't offer my endorsement for the Senate race, so for anyone who is still trying to decide how to vote, here's where I stand.

I endorse, support, and plan to vote for Alan Khazei, the co-founder of City Year, in the race.

Why Khazei? I can't really say it any better than the Boston Globe did when they endorsed him, so rather than reiterate what they said, I offer the link here (Boston Globe: For Democrats – Alan Khazei for Senate) along with some quotes from the endorsement:

The 48-year-old Khazei offers a strong vision for success in the Senate, channeling the energy of activist groups and private-sector policy incubators while dedicating himself to the laborious task of building legislative coalitions.

He offers a time-tested and relevant example of this approach: his two decades of work bringing together politicians of both parties and citizen-activists to develop a national service plan....

Khazei promises to apply the same principles to other issues, believing that building a grass-roots network for change while demonstrating both commitment and a willingness to compromise in pursuit of common ground can break down political barriers. This isn’t just hopeful rhetoric. Khazei speaks admiringly of streetwise education reformers who, having seen challenging conditions in urban classrooms, dreamed up such innovations as charter schools and Teach for America. Along the way, these activists had to elbow their way around established interest groups that tried to squeeze them out of the policy debate. With the support of an energetic and idealistic senator, public policy can flourish.

Extended to issues like health care, the environment, energy, and job training, this entrepreneurial model of progressive politics offers hope for real improvements....

...[H]is energy, idealism, and intelligence - combined with a grounded sense of how the Senate works - is unusual, and gives voters a chance to support a new, home-grown approach to politics. He isn’t trying to line up just enough constituencies to eke out a win; he’s asking voters to sign on to a vision - a less top-down, less programmatic way of improving people’s lives. His emphasis on capturing the energy of private initiatives and translating it into the conventions of the Senate feels rooted in Massachusetts and the Kennedy legacy, but also appropriate to this moment in history.

I've talked with many friends leading up to the primary, and I've discovered that many of us are supporting different candidates in the race. Given the importance of this race, it would be a shame if people let the opportunity to choose our next U.S. senator slip away, as it's likely that the winner of one of the primaries will end up representing Massachusetts for years to come. So for all my Massachusetts friends, I encourage you to take the time to vote tomorrow. Obviously, I hope you'll vote for Khazei, but whether or not you do, I hope you'll vote nevertheless.

As for me, I'll be at my polling place at 7 am tomorrow, casting my vote.

Photo Essay: The French Toast-a-thon

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 21:59:56 GMT

As everyone in the Boston area knows, last night we had the first accumulative snowstorm of the season. On December 4 at 12:29 pm, Universal Hub declared the French Toast Alert level to be at Elevated.

That put me in the mood for French toast. So on Friday, Nomi went out to the supermarket to make sure we were well stocked with eggs and milk. We had plenty of homemade challah for French toast, so we didn't have to worry about buying bread.

This morning, Nomi and I made French toast. (Well, I sliced the challah at the start and washed the dishes at the end; Nomi had the hard job of making all the French toast.) I documented the making of the French toast because I felt it was important to note the first French toast of the season. I've placed most of the photos behind a cut to spare your browsers the download, but if you want to see the whole French Toast Alert photo essay, click away. Or you can skip to the end, which is a good bit and has Marvin in it.

We begin with the slicing of the challah, of course.

Michael Slices Challah for French Toast
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Challah to Become French Toast
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

We already had maple syrup and cinnamon & sugar, but Nomi also made homemade whipped cream:

Nomi Mixes Whipped Cream
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Now the fun began. Nomi made the custard in which to soak the bread.

Nomi Cracks Eggs
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Eggs In the Bowl
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Nomi Pours Milk
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

We didn't want the French toast to stick to the frying pan, now did we?

Nomi Prepares to Melt Butter in Frying Pan
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

And then Nomi began to soak the bread. Yes!

First Slice in Custard
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Nomi Soaks Bread
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Once enough pieces were set to go, they went out of the custard bowl and into the frying pan.

The First Pieces in the Frying Pan
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Lots of French Toast Frying
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Viola! French Toast!

French Toast Has Been Achieved
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

Nomi Gets Ready to Flip Even More French Toast
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

And finally, the reason we have French Toast Alerts in the first place.

French Toast Begins to Accumulate
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

More French Toast On the Way
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

French Toast Alert: Three to Five Inches of French Toast
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein.

I hope you've enjoyed this photo essay. For the next snowstorm, maybe I can convince Nomi to make pancakes.

One Disabled Train....

Thu, 03 Dec 2009 14:00:15 GMT

So this morning, before I left for work, I received alerts for the Green Line saying that there were delays on the Green Line D. I usually take the Green Line C, so I ignored the alert. (I live close enough to a D stop that I can take it as well if I choose.)

Well, as I was standing in the wind and rain on a stretch of unprotected-from-the-elements concrete with a gathering crowd, I received an alert that there were now 10-15 minute delays on the Green Line C due to a disabled train at Cleveland Circle.

One disabled train led to a much more crowded commute and got me into work about twenty to twenty-five minutes late.

The irony is that before my C train ever arrived, I received an alert saying that the D line was back to normal. Maybe I should have walked over there instead.

Apex Publications Cyber Monday Sale

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 16:09:12 GMT

For those of you looking to get a copy of I Remember the Future at a discount, the publisher, Apex Publications is having a 30% off sale today in honor of Cyber Monday:

http://www.apexbookcompany.com/news/2009/11/apex-cyber-monday-sale/

"Apex Cyber Monday sale–30% off all orders today only! Enter code CYBERMONDAY on checkout!"

The sale is on all their products, not just IRTF...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 14:00:34 GMT

All of us here at the Burstein household – especially Muffin and Squeaker – wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!

Muffin and Squeaker say Happy Thanksgiving!
Photo copyright ©2009 by Michael A. Burstein. Do not copy. All rights reserved.

SF Signal's Mind Meld: The Pros and Cons of eBooks

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:26:07 GMT

Once again, I'm pleased to note that I was invited to participate in a Mind Meld discussion by the fine folks over at SF Signal. This time, the question they asked was, "Do you read eBooks? If not, why not? If so, what are the pros and cons of eBook reading? What device(s) do you use?"

Participants include (deep breath): Rachel Swirsky, Rose Fox, Jeremiah Tolbert, Dominic Green, Fabio Fernandes, Paul Levinson, Tim Lebbon, Jeff VanderMeer, Paul Melko, Ellen Datlow, and me.

What surprised me the most was the number of people who don't read eBooks, and why they don't.

Go check it out:

Mind Meld: The Pros and Cons of eBooks

Breakfast With Jeff VanderMeer

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:17:38 GMT

About a week or so ago, I noticed that the Borders store next to my office building was advertising Jeff VanderMeer's appearance to promote his new novel Finch. Sadly, the event was scheduled for tonight, so there was no way I could attend and finally meet Jeff in person.

However, Jeff happened to be staying in the area, so we met for breakfast.

Michael A. Burstein, Jeff VanderMeer
Copyright ©2009 by K. L. Bryant

It turned out that we had a lot to talk about. We discussed science fiction and fantasy writing, of course, and teaching, and Clarion experiences, but we also talked about Florida. In my day job, I'm working on a project for Florida, and it turns out that Jeff had some relevant experience in the same field. So who knows, maybe we'll be working together on something totally different than fiction later on.

Jeff graciously signed my copy of his book Booklife: Strategies and Survival Tips for the 21st-Century Writer, which I highly recommend. The link will take you to a website devoted to the book that includes a lot of supplementary material. Check it out if you're trying to carve out a life as a writer in today's world.

When Life Imitates Pop Business Book Titles

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:56:11 GMT

So after a brief bookstore browse, I returned to my office and went to the refrigerator to put my lunch together. Which was difficult at first, because although my bread was where I had left it, the rest of my food wasn't.

Someone had literally moved my cheese.

Brookline Town Meeting, Tuesday Night

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:41:03 GMT

Last night, I attended the first session of Brookline's Special Town Meeting in my role as a Town Meeting Member from precinct 12. The Brookline TAB was live-blogging Town Meeting, and I decided to do so as well. I plan to do so again tonight, so if you're interested, you can follow on my Twitter feed (@mabfan) or watch my posts on Facebook, as they'll port over there automatically.

I was fascinated by the fact that I was not the only one live-blogging. Selectman Jesse Mermell also tends to report from Town Meeting on her own Twitter feed (@jessemermell), and apparently there were a few journalism students in attendance who also blogged it (I'm looking at you, @taliabethralph) . If anyone out there reading it wants to blog tonight, use the hashtag #btm. At least, that's what I'm trying to use. Apparently, it stands for other things as well. (I mistyped it a few times, making me wish that Twitter offered the option of editing one's tweets.)

For those of you who didn't follow along last night, we got through Articles 1-6 and Article 10. We try to adjourn after whatever article we're in the middle of at 10:30 pm, and Sandy Gadbsy, the Moderator, wisely took a motion to let us skip the three articles about the Fisher Hill reservoir and instead deal with a shorter article before we adjourned.

The two most controversial issues we voted on last night were the Runkle School bond appropriation and the restoration of the Carlton Street Foorbridge. Runkle School is the K-8 public school in my neighborhood, so I have a strong interest in seeing the renovation move forward. The school right now is overcrowded, with classes meeting in the lobby and staff members using closets as offices. Everyone agrees that the renovation has to happen, and in the end the $29 million appropriation carried unanimously. The only problem is, there are a few abutters (including one of my fellow TMMs) who are concerned with the process as it has currently played out. The town will need a special permit to make Runkle large enough to accommodate the students they are expecting over the next decade, and it's going to affect the feel of the neighborhood. I'm hoping that those with concerns about the project will have their concerns addressed, but last night we needed to approve the money if we wanted to have the project move forward.

As for the footbridge... ah. There's a lot of history about that footbridge; the precinct 1 delegation to Town Meeting has turned over twice due to voters in that precinct either favoring or opposing restoration. Last night, we had the pleasure of hearing former governor Mike Dukakis address Town Meeting in support of the bridge. Dukakis's first elected office was as a Town Meeting Member, a position he won exactly 50 years ago this past March. Town Meeting gave him a standing ovation after he spoke. In the end, restoration passed by a vote of 192-25.

(As a side note, two proponents of the footbridge gave a list of objections to the bridge that they claimed were false, including the notion that the footbridge was placed there by aliens in 1894. I'm starting to get story ideas...)

Article 6 would have been controversial had the petitioners moved it, as it dealt with amending the town budget to remove the funding for the police security cameras. Although no motion was offered, Sandy allowed Frank Farlow to address us on the issue and Selectman Betsy DeWitt to give a response. Frankly, I'm not sure how much we really needed to hear about the issue given that there was no motion being offered. I'd much rather have waited to hear these arguments once a motion is actually on the table, which will probably be in the spring.

Neal Simpson of the Brookline TAB and I have a gentlemen's bet going as to whether or not Town Meeting will finish up tonight (my guess) or continue to Thursday (his guess). There's only 18 articles total on the warrant, and most of them seem relatively uncontroversial to me. Tonight we'll start with the Fisher Hill issues, which may take a while to explain but I doubt they'll take a while to debate. The child care zoning amendment will go through easily, I'm sure, and then we'll probably have a lot of discussion about the zoning for car-sharing organizations (e.g. Zipcar, which had a strong showing of supporters last night whom I expect to see there again tonight). My guess is that we'll get far enough into the warrant that people will want to stick around to see it through, even if it takes us to midnight.

We'll see. Check my Twitter feed tonight and follow along.

Arnold Hatters Gone

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:32:41 GMT

I just found out because I was recommending them to a friend that Arnold Hatters closed a few months ago.

Arnold Hatters was my favorite haberdashery, with Worth & Worth a close second. I discovered Arnold Hatters a few years ago when Nomi located an Ivy cap for me (my cap style of choice). We ordered it from them over their website, and the next time I was in New York City, I visited the store and met the owners.

They were a family-owned business. Father Arnold Rubin and sons Mark and Peter Rubin were true gentlemen. Many was the time Nomi and I would go there when on vacation so we could find me a new hat. You know those caps I always wear? Arnold Hatters. Those Fedoras that Nomi and I sport in the fall and winter, which make us look "fedorable"? Arnold Hatters. Even now, I can reach into my coat pocket and pull out the ear warmers that Mark sold us on one of the coldest Wednesdays in NYC that I can recall, back in late 2006. Any time someone in the Boston area admired my hats, I would send them to ahat.com and tell them to let the Rubins know that I sent them.

The last time I shopped there was in mid-2007, the summer after Mom died. I told Peter what had happened, and he offered his condolences. And then I bought another cap.

I hope the family ends up doing okay. Peter, Mark, if you're out there, drop me a line.

Jeremiah's Vanishing New York: Arnold Hatters

Lost City: Take Off Your Hats: Arnold Hatters Closes

Hat Life: Arnold Hatters Closes

Unpack Boxes for Food

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 18:14:24 GMT

Nomi and I have almost gotten the kids' room done, but we still have some boxes we need to unpack and sort through to finish setting up the room.

Anyone willing to help us out this Sunday afternoon? We'll provide some sort of dinner afterwards...

Edited to Add: We're looking at 1 pm to about 5 pm or so, with dinner after. We want to bring food in (either pizza or Chinese food), but it would help if someone coming had a car...

Contacting Your Town Meeting Member: Four Suggestions

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:36 GMT

Special Election Sign in Brookline

Today is Election Day across much of the country, but not in Brookline, Massachusetts, where our next election isn't until December 8 – the primary for the special election to fill the vacant senate seat. So while our friends in Boston and Newton choose a mayor today, those of us in Brookline get to relax and watch.

However, just because we don't have an election today doesn't mean that there's no politicking going on. Brookline's representative Town Meeting, of which I am a Member, meets the week before Thanksgiving, and this year the big issue seems to be the zoning of Zipcars in the town. Articles 12 and 13 on the warrant deal with changes to the zoning bylaws that would make the Zipcars currently in Brookline legal. If Town Meeting doesn't pass these bylaws, it could conceivably mean the end of Zipcars in Brookline.

Although it's extremely unlikely that Town Meeting will not pass these articles, there's been a lot of debate in town regarding exactly how Car Sharing Organizations, or CSOs, should be zoned. Not surprisingly, Zipcar has emailed their Brookline customers to ask them to contact their Town Meeting Members in support of the articles. In his letter, Dan Curtin, the General Manager of Zipcar, has explained rather well the best way to approach your elected representatives. His point is a simple one: find out what precinct you live in and contact the Town Meeting Members for your precinct. He's also encouraging people to attend the Selectmen's hearing tonight to show their support; again, quite appropriate.

However, in the wake of his email to supporters, I (and I presume other TMMs) are getting emails from people who are obviously new to this sort of things. In one email, a constituent referred to Town Meeting as Town Council. In another, I was asked to vote in favor at tonight's meeting, which is not the actual Town Meeting at which I can vote but the Selectmen's hearing. So in the interest of helping out the Brookline voters, I thought I'd offer a quick and easy guide on what to do when emailing your Town Meeting Members on an issue. (Disclaimer: I am speaking here for myself, not for all Town Meeting Members.)

1. Be polite.

This should go without saying, but you'd be surprised how often it doesn't.

2. Make sure you know what precinct you live in, and write to your own Town Meeting Members, not all of Town Meeting.

Many is the time a Brookline resident will send an email to every member of Town Meeting, and all 240 email addresses are on the list. While I appreciate the enthusiasm and passion that these residents have, the fact is that sending such an email can and does dilute the message you're trying to get across.

The reality is that I have to be responsive first and foremost to my own constituents. What might be the right way to vote for a Town Meeting Member representing Coolidge Corner may not be the right way to vote for a TMM representing Washington Square. I'm far more likely to appreciate your concerns if I know that you're writing to me because I'm one of your own representatives.

Corollary: If you do decide to write to all of Town Meeting, please use the blind carbon copy function, and make it clear from the outset what precinct you are actually residing in.

3. Do some minimal research on the issue.

At the very least, please let me know what article number you're writing to me about.

4. If you vote in local elections, tell us so; if you don't, start doing so.

Whether or not a citizen voted is a matter of public record, and I have to admit that here's an issue on which I get kind of, well, strict. On the one hand, as a Town Meeting Member from my precinct I feel an obligation to represent the interests of all my constituents. But on the other hand, if you want me to take a stand on an issue on your behalf, I'd kind of like to think that you might have voted for me and might do so again in the future.

if you don't bother to show up at elections, and I hear from some other constituent on the opposite side of the issues, whose opinion do you think I might pay more attention to?

One resident of precinct 9 used to email me about issues, but never bothered to vote in town elections. After a few years I called him on it, pointing out that if he really did care about what happened on a local level (which we all should), he should make an effort to vote. Even if there are only five candidates running for the five Town Meeting slots in a particular year, voters can show up at the polls and write in anyone they want. In fact, one year, two voters got into Town Meeting through a write-in campaign that they conducted that very day at the polls.

As a politician trying to make my community a better place, if I'm going to remain in office, I need your votes. And nothing gets my attention more than an email that begins, "Dear Mr. Burstein, I am a resident of your precinct, and I vote in every local election."

One Year Ago and Nineteen Years Ago

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:00:01 GMT

It's been a few weeks since I've managed to blog here; as I hope people can imagine, the kids still take up a lot of time in our lives. Nomi and I continue to enjoy being parents, and I find myself torn between wanting to post every update about the kids and not wanting to deluge the readers of this blog with all those details. I would post about other things going on in my life, but as I noted recently on Twitter and Facebook, there's not much else going on.

Well, that's not entirely true. We're working, of course, and I'm always trying to make progress on some writing project or other. We're continuing to clean the apartment; in particular, every day we make a little more progress in the kids' room so it will one day be entirely theirs. And we socialize a little bit, although that's mostly close to home. We did make it to a wedding last month, and we're going to another one this month, but any trips out of the house involve so many logistical details that they have to be considered carefully before implementing. (I sound like a military general.)

Amidst all the current chaos that is our lives, however, I didn't want to let two anniversaries pass today without mention.

A year ago today, on Sunday, November 2, 2008, was the official publication day of my collection I Remember the Future. It's hard for me to believe that the book has been out for a whole year. I blogged about publication day last year in my post The Publication Party, and I noted how wonderful it was to have so many people turn out for the celebration.

In honor of the first anniversary of the book's publication, the Open Book Society website is featuring an exclusive interview with me. I discuss a variety of topics, including my thoughts on the current state of the publishing industry and how having twins has affected my writing. Feel free to check it out.

(Also, although I'm probably preaching to the choir here, keep in mind that the book is still in print, and would make a great gift for Chanukah or Christmas. And check out all the other books Apex has for sale.)

Ahem.

So that's one year ago. Nineteen years ago... well, nineteen years ago my father died. And oddly enough, that's true this year on both the Gregorian and Hebrew calendar. Dad died on the evening of November 2, 1990, after sundown, which means that he died on the 15th of Cheshvan in the year 5751. As it so happens, the 15 of Cheshvan began last night and lasts all day today until sundown – and today is November 2.

I've discussed my father here before and how much he influenced me – in fact, I did so again just last year in the post Joel David Burstein for anyone who wants to be reminded about him. Yesterday evening, when I went to shul to recite the Mourner's Kaddish, I contemplated how far I've come from that night in college when Dad was taken from me.

For many years, I defined myself as an adult who had lost his father. Then, in 2007, I had to learn to redefine myself as an adult who had lost both his parents, and that was at an age when most people still have their parents around. But this past summer, I began to redefine myself again, as a father to twins. Last night, as I held my two daughters and thought about how they've both been named in a way that honors my parents, I thought about how joyously Dad would have held the two of them were he alive today.

I wish they could have met my parents, their grandparents, and I hope I'll be able to impress upon them the kind of people they were.

One year ago, and nineteen years ago.

Mom's Birthday

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:15:22 GMT

My younger brother Josh called from Seattle, where he's away for meetings, to remind me that today was Mom's birthday. If she were still alive, she'd be 73 years old.

I am sad to say that I had forgotten. But I'm sure Mom would have forgiven me. :-)

For those interested, the kids slept very well on Monday and Tuesday night, probably because we did our best to help them get used to the idea of going to sleep. Yesterday we went out to a meeting of the New England chapter of the MWA to hear a police officer talk about her experiences in law enforcement. It was a fascinating talk, but that meant that the kids went from nanny to babysitter, so they were a little fussier last night after we got home.

More when I have a moment...

Joshua Burstein: "Jewish Review Extremely Relevant"

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:20:07 GMT

My younger brother Joshua lives with his wife and three children in Eugene, Oregon. Earlier this year, he entered a writing contest sponsored by The Jewish Review, a local community newspaper that serves all of Oregon and southwestern Washington and is devoted to Jewish issues. The theme of the contest was “Why do community newspapers such as the Jewish Review remain important for their readers and for the communities they serve?”

Josh was one of the two winners of the essay contest.

In his essay, Jewish Review Extremely Relevant, he talks about our father's devotion to justice and how that shaped him, as well as the need for Jewish community newspapers in places where there aren't many Jews. If you want to learn a little bit about my younger brother's background (and my own as well), go read the article. I think you'll be glad you did.

And Josh? Congratulations!

I'm a Character in an Iron Man Novel

Tue, 06 Oct 2009 18:36:15 GMT

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, Tuckerization is the term given to the act of naming a character in a work of fiction for a real person. It was named for writer Wilson Tucker, who did it often. I've Tuckerized people in some of my own stories; in fact, I offered two Tuckerizations in a raffle for when I Remember the Future was being pre-ordered, and both of the winners had their names (or names of their choosing) appear in the book.

Ten years ago, I answered some questions for Robert J. Sawyer as he was writing the novel Flashforward, which has now become a TV series on ABC. Rob mentioned me in the acknowledgments and gave me a minor Tuckerization on page 150, under the assumed name of Michael Burr, a name that James Patrick Kelly had used when he Tuckerized me in "Think Like a Dinosaur."

And yesterday, I picked up the novel Iron Man: Femme Fatales by Robert Greenberger, and found out on page 58 what I'd be doing with my life if I lived in the Marvel Universe; apparently, I'd be working for Stark Industries:

"Michael, it's good to see you," Stark said enthusiastically as he rose. Rounding the desk, he accepted the new mug in his left hand while shaking Burstein's hand with his right.

"Good to see you, too, sir," Burstein said in a soft voice. He was in his mid-thirties, slightly overweight, and prematurely balding, and he wore a colorful yarmukle pinned to his thinning hair. His clothes never seemed to fit right, nor did he ever wear a tie – an affectation Stark allowed. After all, comfortable people were productive people.

I was delighted to be surprised by this Tuckerization for a few reasons, beyond the enjoyable egoboo. For one thing, I could see myself in that position. For another, years ago there was a scientist in the Marvel universe named Noah Burstein, so maybe we're related. For a third thing, Bob has done a good job of interweaving diversity in his character cast throughout the novel, and the offhand mention of the yarmulke just adds one more tiny note in showing that humanity isn't monolithic.

(And for those of you who would point out that technically this isn't a Tuckerization, since the character does appear to be me, albeit an alternate version of me, well, you're right too.)

Bob, thank you. I can't wait to find out what happens to my alter ego. Hopefully, I won't get killed by Hydra.

Old Story, Good Review

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 17:28:49 GMT

Back in January 2000, Analog magazine published a short-short of mine, "Whose Millennium?" The story has been available for a while as an ebook for anyone who wanted to read it after its original publication. The point of the story was that the new millennium did not begin in 2000, or even 2001, but won't arrive until 2239. Just check a Hebrew calendar.

Last week, the reviewer who writes the Red Adept's Kindle Book Review Blog, Lynn, got in touch with me. She had read "Whose Millennium?" on the Kindle and had decided to review it, and she asked me for some comments on the story.

I'm glad to say that she liked the story. If you'd like to see what I said and why she gave the story five stars out of five, check out her latest review post here: Short Stories.

What's Planetary Scientist Dr. Carolyn Porco Up To These Days?

Tue, 22 Sep 2009 15:08:45 GMT

One of my favorite scientists is being featured again.

Planetary scientist Dr. Carolyn Porco is the leader of the Imaging Science Team on the Cassini mission and director of the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations. I first heard of her from her work on the Voyager missions and I had a chance to meet her in person a few years ago when she spoke at the Boston Museum of Science.

Today's New York Times features this article on her, An Odyssey From the Bronx to Saturn's Rings, in which it is revealed that she's now working on New Horizons and consulting for the next Star Trek film. Go read it.

I publicly offer my congratulations on her recent achievements, while at the same time note how glad I am that there continue to be such excellent role models for women (and men!) working in the field of planetary science.

My previous blog posts about Dr. Carolyn Porco (read the second one for the story of when we heard her speak):
Dr. Carolyn Porco at the Museum of Science (April 13, 2004)
Enceladus, Dr. Carolyn Porco, and the Power of the Internet (March 10, 2006)
The Necessity of Space Exploration (February 20, 2007)

Thoughts on Rosh Hashanah 5770, Somber and Sacrilegious

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 13:20:29 GMT

It should be no surprise to people that I haven't had the time to post on my blog as often as I used to; as I assume everyone knows by now, Nomi and I are now parents of twin infant girls, and that takes up a lot of time and energy. (For more on that, see my earlier post on Traction.) That said, tonight the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah begins, inaugurating the year 5770 on the Hebrew calendar, and I have some thoughts to share. Not that I consider my own thoughts on the holiday to be of any real significance, but I imagine they might be of interest to some of you.

To begin with, the arrival of 5770 means that we're entering a new decade. I actually remember ten years ago how one friend of mine, noting the arrival of 5760, made a connection to the culture of the 1960s and suggested that the new decade would be similar. I'll leave that question for the historians to answer while I acknowledge that the Hebrew calendar gives me a few months to get used to the arrival of a new decade on the Gregorian calendar.

Speaking of which, this year, amusingly enough, the first day of Rosh Hashanah coincides with September 19 on the Gregorian calendar. As everyone knows, September 19 is International Talk Like a Pirate Day, which led many of us who noticed this happy coincidence to wonder if this year Rosh Hashanah should also be International Daven Like a Pirate Day. Part of me was expecting to see more jokes and references on this topic as Rosh Hashanah approached, but instead, it seems to have fallen by the wayside (other than the two posts I just linked to, one of which suggests among other things adding the phrase "And who by walking the plank" to Unetaneh Tohkef). My guess is that most people continue to find the holiday too awesome to joke about.

And awesome it is. As others have said much better than I can, Rosh Hashanah is (or can be) an awe-inspiring holiday, in which we contemplate the birthday of the world and God's sovereignty. It also kicks off the ten days of repentance or Days of Awe, during which many of us undergo major introspection about our lives as we try to figure out how to become better people for the new year. For me, personally, the length and depth of the religious services on these days can sometimes work against my finding the spiritual connection I hope for; but this year, things are different. For the first time in a long time, I actually feel as if God has personally blessed me with the great gift possible, and for that I am thankful.

I would say more, but I'm about to collapse from lack of sleep. :-)

For those of you who are observing this holiday, shanah tovah, and have a happy and healthy new year.

For those of you who are not observing this holiday, have a good weekend and be advised that starting this evening, I will be away from the Internet until Sunday night at the earliest.

For those of you who want to know what it's all about, check out Judaism 101: Rosh Hashanah for a good basic introduction to the holiday.