PEP Graduation Address

Try, try again

It's been a while since my last blog (the Israel trip) and, of course, a lot has happened since then. But it would take me too long to go back and recap the past month, so I'll just take it from the top. Israel expenses keep adding up: I was sick to my stomach for a lot of the time that I was in Israel. When I got back I went to see a GI and he ordered an endoscopy. Needless to say, these things aren't free. And since I got sick on the way to Israel, I decided to add it to the expense of the Israel trip (it's all the same back account, but mentally, it helps). Then came the credit card bills. Well, that was a bit of a shock. When it's on the card, you really don't feel it. Our most expensive days were those "second days" that we opted out of. Maybe G-d is punishing me for keeping only one day of Chag (or maybe I was just too irresponsible with my money). I just remind myself that spending money in Israel is a Mitzvah. Finally, despite trying to figure ...

Terrible Twos

( People have been telling me that my blogs are a bit too edgy and negative for them, so I'm going to write about my daughter again. It's a happier topic ) So last week my wife and I went away and left my daughter with my father-in-law and his wife. We were worried about how she'd deal with being "on her own" but she did really well. I guess she was ready to start living on her own, and our trip away was her chance to play. Trouble is, though, that while we came back ready to assume the role of parents, she continues to stubbornly cling to her independence. This wouldn't bother me too much if she would go out and get a job (let alone get dressed, fix her own meals and change her own "pishee"s and "poop"s), but she seems content to leech off of us while asserting her needs. Apparently this is what is meant by "Terrible Twos", which is a total misnomer in this case because my daughter won't be two for another couple of months. Q...

My 2 year old

So my daughter turned 2 last Thursday. Her birthday happened to coincide with the Leafs' (Toronto's NHL hockey team) visit to Washington to take on the Caps, so I took it as a sign from G-d that she should go to the game. My wife thought I was nuts for wanting to take her (the game was an hour away and started at 7 pm) but she doesn't really get what it means to be a Leafs fan (get them while they're young, because if they're too old they'll be smart enough to cheer for a team that has some hope in hell at winning the Stanley Cup - and then they're lost forever). "My guy" who works for the Caps hooked me up with four tickets (eight rows from the ice) and a VIP parking pass, and we invited the Bierers and their almost-2 year-old and headed south. And even though the Leafs lost, it was a positive overall experience. There's so much that goes on at a hockey game (loud music, flashing lights, videos and - yes - hockey) that it was the perfect stim...

Life of Spud

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