I am seriously looking forward to the Presidential debates tonight if, for no other reason, than because I am finally going to get to see the candidates square off against each other with no help from spin squads, partisan p.r. flacks, and web hit-men. No intermediaries to explain the positions. I am hoping for pure, unadulterated content straight from the horse's mouth. I want a hard hitting, no punches pulled debate. I do not want mealy mouthed equivocation or cheap shots. I want to know what each candidate's position is with no filter in place.

I am bound to be disappointed but a boy can dream, can't he?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:13 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Hi, all,

Just a quick wave to let you know that I am still alive. Just facing some deadlines here at work. Left the house to catch that horrid 5:56 train again and I left in full night. The moon was out, sort of hidden by the clouds but illuminating them completely. It was beautiful but I just can't keep doing this. I am over committed at work (where I can't keep up with the new business), at home (where I'd rather be taking care of my children), or with all of the non profit stuff (where I have to learn to start saying, no, when asked to do more stuff).

I am definitely having one of those days in which I wonder, fleetingly, how far I can get with my car before American Express wises up to the fact that I've done a runner and cancels my charge card. Mexico? Through Central America? Maybe Argentina? If I stay away from places where the hotels, such as they are, can check with American Express, maybe further? If my next dispatch is bylined, "From the Road", you'll know what happened.

All suggestions as to destinations are welcome.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:24 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 i think out west i have always wanted to go...but have never been. have fun. ;-)

Posted by: standing naked at September 30, 2004 08:23 AM (IAJcf)

2 You've been quiet and I was wondering where you were my blog brother And, for what it's worth, you should know-you've got a good 45 days worth of Amex loving before they cut you off. Not that I've checked or anything, while entertaining thoughts of escaping to Africa...

Posted by: Helen at September 30, 2004 11:26 AM (2mqzj)

3 I had a great week in Wyoming. Flew into Salt Lake and took a nice drive north into Idaho and then followed the Snake River east into Wyoming and up into the Grand Tetons. Stayed in a lodge near Jackson Lake with no tv, no radio, no c*ll phone or blackberry reception. I would get up before dawn, drive up to a mountain top and watch the son come up over the mountains. Hiked within spitting distance of moose, elk, bison, and buffalo. Went rafting. Your weather window may have passed - but I gotta say - it was very, very, nice. Your girl child would love it. By the way . . . your blog prohibited this post until I deleted the correct spelling of a non land line phone.

Posted by: ivan at September 30, 2004 09:40 PM (xy2ZU)

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If you've ever spent any time at all looking at the history of the Revolutionary War in this country, you know that it was a damn close thing. If Howe had taken Philadelphia that winter of 1776, if he had pushed across the Delaware and taken the city, that might have been the end of our Revolution. After all, Howe had chased Washington out of Long Island, off of Manhattan, and across New Jersey to Pennsylvania. In that time of loss after loss, not only battles and skirmishes, mind you, but supplies and wagon trains with clothes and food, there was only one bright spot -- the Battle of White Plains. There, the Continental Army stopped the British and the Hessians cold. The Army escaped intact with a victory, of sorts, under its belt and it retreated in good order. It was the first time in this campaign that the Continentals could claim a victory, even if they were driven from the field.

You can visit the battlefield, or parts of it, in White Plains, NY. Have you ever visited an historical battlefield before? It is a place that is made holy, consecrated by the deaths of the men who fought and died there. Sometimes they fought for good reasons and died simply because of the stupidity of the men who led them. Sometimes they fought and died because they had to. Either way, it is a solemn thing to visit a battlefield.

I took the kids and set off to find the last remaining Revolutionary War battlefield in Westchester County on Sunday. It was deserted. The children and I were the only ones there. It was located in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It is called, Miller Hill.

The actual monument plaque is:

I enjoyed the visit very much. It was transporting to stand in the the lines where our forefathers stood and waited for the Hessians to charge with bayonets fixed. The lines looked like this:

and like this:

There is something transformative about the laughter of children. Even the laughter of children at a former battle field. I was happy to leave the past behind to watch the Girl Child and the Boy Child chase each other around the sun dappled field, stopping to hold hands and share pretzels. I think the kids had a good time, even if they didn't really understand what happened there. In fact, for more information generally about the Battle of White Plains, go here. The Girl Child, thanks to some of the historical fiction I have lying around the house, is familiar with the concept of Dragoons and was not a little bit disappointed when she didn't see any at the field. The Boy Child was also disappointed, but that was because we ran out of pretzels, I think.

After we left the park, we stopped quickly by Gen. Washington's headquarters, a national historic monument and park. I snapped a quick shot of it through the fence (the place was closed):

All in all, it was a lovely way to spend a morning.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:02 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 Lovely pictures! Sounds like a terrific time, too. I think it's wonderful that you're giving your kids an awareness of the history around them. You're providing them with a strong foundation with which to appreciate and respect their heritage. If more parents did that, more children would grow up to value their country and what it stands for.

Posted by: Mick at September 28, 2004 01:48 PM (VhRca)

2 Thanks, Mick. I think sometimes that my wife and I had kids so as to have a built in audience for lectures!

Posted by: rp at September 28, 2004 02:18 PM (LlPKh)

3 Fabulous pictures, RP. I echo Mick's sentiments, too. I thought I had kids so that I can embarrass them in public. I'll have to check the manual. Heh.

Posted by: Margi at September 28, 2004 03:18 PM (MAdsZ)

4 Getting into the outdoors is a great way to relieve some stress. It's also great to introduce your kids first-hand to the concept that history is all around us -- it's not just in a book somewhere. And even if your kids don't listen to your lectures, they are at least absorbing your enthusiasm. Nice story, and I hope your coming week is better than last week!

Posted by: JohnL at September 28, 2004 03:27 PM (Hs4rn)

5 great pictures i agree. i have never been there, but i think i will put it on the list of places to go. thanks for the tip. glad you had a good time.

Posted by: standing naked at September 29, 2004 08:29 AM (IAJcf)

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I know it was very quiet here today. The thing is that I woke up this morning at 3:40 in a total sweat. I was absolutely convinced that every decision I've taken in the past month, or more, on every case I'm responsible for, was utterly wrong and I had totally screwed up millions of dollars of litigation. It was horrible and I was terrified. I also admit to worries that I had defaulted on a zillion different things. This is how stress manifests itself sometimes for lawyers; in night terrors. I could not get back to sleep and I was not awake enough to think about things rationally. It was pretty fucking horrible. I got up and I went to work. At my desk by 6:15 a.m. And I worked very hard today with no time outs for blogging. I didn't accomplish everything I wanted to do but I got enough done that I ought to be able to sleep tonight.

All that said, I wish I had had the Girl Child's career vision when I was younger. She told me the following tonight:

GC: Pappa, I know what I want to be when I grow up.

Me: What's that?

GC: A doctor. [Pause] And a super hero. Although, it's hard work being a super hero.

That may be, but it beats being a lawyer. At least, it does this week.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:55 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Too funny. My son is alternately Spiderman and Superman. Occcasionally? A firefighter or a Rescue Hero. Just ask him who he is today. I once thought I wanted to be a lawyer. IReading your posts give me a warm fuzzy feeling that I made the right choice

Posted by: Elizabeth at September 28, 2004 01:08 AM (Sqjve)

2 Second guessing yourself is a problem for many of us. I'm sorry you had such a bad night. I hope your sleep is sound tonight. And I love the confidence of little children. The Artist use to want to be a vet, a horse-trainer, an artist and I don't remember what else! Of course at one point she weanted to live together with me and the rest of the family forever. She no longer has that as a dream. I miss that.

Posted by: Rachel Ann at September 28, 2004 02:21 AM (cOAtt)

3 Random...my job has suffered time to time as well due to blogging. It has panicked me at times. Blogging is fun, but not at the expense of our jobs. That being said, I've often awoken in the wee hours of the morning, sure that all my decisions have had dire consequences. Mostly concerning my children, not my job. "They are grown," you say. Yes. I still suffer at 3:40 in the morning. There is nothing that brings grey hair on as quickly as watching the decisions of 20-somethings you raised. In other words...I relate. In more ways than one. :-) As the girl-child said, it's hard work being a super hero. :-)

Posted by: Amber at September 28, 2004 03:11 AM (zQE5D)

4 I think it would be easy to be a super hero. What's to it? A pair of tights, some hair gel. The ability to leap tall buildings in a single bound. No problem! I totally understand about the tossing and turning at night, though. Hoep you're feeling better today...

Posted by: Helen at September 28, 2004 04:59 AM (xKCn6)

5 i myself am currently employed as a super hero. it is hard work, but i find it extremely gratifying. and there was not as much school to attend as there is for a doctor. hope your week gets better RP....

Posted by: standing naked at September 28, 2004 09:06 AM (IAJcf)

6 Feeling much better today, thank you all very much. But, the day is young.

Posted by: RP at September 28, 2004 11:15 AM (LlPKh)

7 DAMN YOU and your thoughtful posts! You're totally RUINING my image of all my NY lawyers being claw-footed cyclops' that have NO SOULLLLL!! Kidding. Totally. And I'm very sorry that you're stressed. I'm sure that this means the transaction/deal/whatever it is will go off (seemingly) effortlessly, because you've done all of the "what if" planning beforehand. Hug your support staff. ::: wink ::: ::: grins :::

Posted by: Margi at September 28, 2004 03:15 PM (MAdsZ)

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I stumbled across the following article and was both amused and a little shocked. The efforts the Brits will go to these days to protect the rights and easily offended sensibilities of those less fortunate than us is exceptional. If you advertise for help wanted, "hard working" may not be a requirement for the job, because you may be discriminating against the lazy:

A businesswoman has been banned from asking for 'hard-working' staff in a job ad because it discriminates against the lazy.

Beryl King was told by a Jobcentre that her advert for warehouse workers discriminated against people who were not industrious.

Beryl, 57, told the Daily Mirror: "I couldn't believe my ears. Has our world gone mad?

"I've been running my business for 27 years and it's getting harder to find people who want to do a fair day's work for a fair day's pay.

"How long before someone says you can't pay people for working because it discriminates against those on benefit who are paid for not working?"

Beryl, who owns two job agencies in Totton, Hants, offered £5.42 an hour for "warehouse packers who must be hard-working and reliable".

The Southampton Jobcentre is investigating. A spokesman said: "Words such as 'hardworking' can be accepted if used with a clear job description."

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:46 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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As I noted below, tonight we begin the celebration of the end of the High Holidays, so I will be out of the office early today. I will be happy to have a couple of moments of peace at the end of this week.

First, sorry to all of you who have emailed me and/or left comments and I have not replied. This has been a very busy week and I'm going to try to catch up over the weekend. I am involved, out of work, with three or four different not for profit entities. I had board meetings for three of them this week and all of the meetings generated more work. I did not get home before 10:30 at least twice this week. Then, last night, my in-laws arrived to stay with us for the weekend.

In the meantime, I also squeezed in a visit to get the car serviced and I took my daughter to school one day.

Did I mention that I also practice law in my spare time? One Federal Court oral argument, one motion, one dispute resolved, one settlement negotiated, papers in opposition to a motion received, two new contracts to review and comment on, and, one new piece of substantial litigation offered to me by an existing client. Nothing done to hit next week's deadlines yet, but those are really on Friday.

And now it's Friday already. I wish I had the sense of control that this guy has (it's a great picture)!

Anyway, I'll be trying this weekend to catch up on my emails! Sorry about the delays!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:04 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Tonight begins the end of the High Holidays which began with the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah and ends tonight with Kol Nidre and Yom Kippur.

I was going to write something about it. But Simon already wrote a great explanation of the holiday and Rishon wrote about the liturgical peculiarities. Both of these were fabulous posts and I have little to add.

I would add once again, as I did before, my hope that this is a quiet holiday and, for those who keep us safe from harm, a boring and uneventful tour of duty.

Let me also add a note about how my family marks the end of the penitential fast. After nothing crosses the plain of your lips for 25-27 hours, no water, no nothing, we break our fast. How? Since I have been about twelve, and old enough to join in the fast, I have joined in the breaking of the fast with a shot of Scotch. Have you ever tried this? It hits your stomach like an explosion and warmth spreads throughout your body like it was on fire. This is a great way to end the fast. However, you do find yourself in temple during that last service just wishing for a drink! That may not be completely within the spirit of the holiday, but, what are you going to do?

I wish all of those celebrating this holiday an easy fast! And to the rest of you here in NYC, I urge you to follow the example of some of my non-Jewish friends and go out to a nice restaurant since there is almost never a problem, according to my friends, in getting a reservation that night!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:29 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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My father sent me this joke and since I am very pressed for time today, I tender it in place of a real post. I hope you enjoy it!

Harvey and Gladys Goldman are getting ready for bed. Gladys is standing in front of her full-length mirror, taking a long, hard look at herself.

"You know, Harvey," she comments, "I stare into this mirror and I see an ancient creature. My face is all wrinkled, my boobs sag so much that they dangle to my waist, my arms and legs are as flabby as popped balloons, and...my butt looks like a sad, deflated version of the Hindenberg!"

She turns to face her husband and says, "Dear, please tell me just one positive thing about my body so I can feel better about myself." Harvey studies Gladys critically for a moment and then says in a soft, thoughtful voice, "Well...there's nothing wrong with your eyesight."

Services for Harvey Goldman will be held Saturday morning at 10:30 at Beth Israel Synagogue. Female friends of the family are invited.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 02:58 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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There is something oddly beautiful about Bruckner Blvd. at 10:00 on a Tuesday night in the Fall. The cars go whizzing by as they pass by the scrap metal yards, building supplies establishments, gas stations, strip clubs, and mysterious boarded up lots with huge amounts of razor tipped barb wire. True, your quiet contemplation of this urban landscape may be disturbed by the shouts of the driver telling the gas station attendant that he gave him a ten dollar bill and not a five and that he better program the pump for ten dollars, all expletives deleted here. But you let that all roll past you since you left your house some 16 1/2 hours earlier that morning and you sit in the car sort of half dazed by lack of rest.

At this point, you may be wondering, with apologies to the Talking Heads, this is not my beautiful train. How did I get to this place? Metro North. Police activity. Shut down the New Haven line for who knows how long. Stranded in Grand Central Station.

So I called a car service. The car service assured me that they would have a car for me in 8 minutes. I must have misheard them. It took more like 40 minutes. I stood outside the Grand Hyatt on 42nd Street for 40 minutes and watched the Secret Service and Police cars fly by with the dignitaries and their hangers on. The UN General Assembly is in session and all kinds of world leaders are here to address the Assembly and do a little shopping. It was fun to watch the President of Kenya, surrounded by body guards and guys trying to sell knock off Rolex watches (I kid) and other guys in flowing white robes saunter into the hotel. I was still out there when one of the bodyguards came out and, in accented but idiomatic English, have a long, pleading cell phone conversation with a woman (I presume) who he was trying to convince to come out and give him some special international intervention. Highly entertaining. The doorman I was standing next to thought so, too. This was easily the high point of the journey home last night.

When we managed to tear ourselves away from the conversation with the gas station attendant and leave the Bronx behind, we journeyed on to Westchester and home. Where the son of a bitch driver tried to cheat me. First, I paid the toll at I 95 -- $1. Then, he asked me if I could pay the tip in cash and I said, sure and gave him a $10. The denomination may not have registered with him because when I gave him the $10, he told me that there was a mandatory 20% tip. Also, his math? Not so good. A 20% tip would have been $10.40. So I, at that point with no patience, lost my temper. I took the ten back. I told him that this was the first time in the many years I had been using this car service that I had ever heard that and I was going to call the dispatcher right now and ask if that was true. He told me to forget it. I then got the charge slip to find that he added $5 on for "tolls". At that point I crossed that out, told him that I wasn't tipping him at all, accused him of trying to cheat me and left. Not a great ending to a not great trip. I'm going to be calling American Express shortly to see how much the car service has tried to actually put through on my card. Then I'm calling the car service customer service people. Let the games begin.

What idiot said it was the journey, not the destination, that mattered? I have a number for a great car service for him.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:38 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 I hope things go better today...you don't want to deal with that crap everyday!

Posted by: Mick at September 22, 2004 09:32 AM (VhRca)

2 well. good afternoon anyway.

Posted by: standing naked at September 22, 2004 12:15 PM (IAJcf)

3 Sic 'em, Random. They just don't know who they're fooling with.

Posted by: Amber at September 22, 2004 09:54 PM (zQE5D)

4 Crap, that sucks. I wish I could say that this happened to me, but it's, als, only a story told by my High School biology teaxher: "I got out of the cab after the ride and handed the driver the fare plus a fiver. 'Is that all...?' he pleaded. 'Oh, did I hand you a five? I'm sorry, jus' give that back to me.' He handed it back and thereupon I told him to get the fuck outta here."

Posted by: Tuning Spork at September 23, 2004 08:07 AM (cjZzG)

5 I can relate to your experience, as well as Tuning Spork's. Hopefully, you can use a different car service in the future. If you need a good, reliable, and professional car service email me. It's bad enough when you have to work that late, to be subjected to such rudeness in addition would put me over the edge easily. I rarely stay late anymore, instead I telecommute after taking a pleasant dinner break at home. It's a much better environment, as I can work in my sweats or jammies, with my favorite mug by my side. Hope this evening's commute is much better.

Posted by: michele at September 23, 2004 02:26 PM (2c9qq)

6 I need to use a car service again tonight (9/2 and you better believe I'm using a different one!

Posted by: RP at September 28, 2004 11:26 AM (LlPKh)

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Can you be coerced to vote? Should voting be a requirement for an English Lit. class? One professor seems to think so over at Drew University in New Jersey. Appalled by the low voter turnout among college students, Prof. Skaggs has made it a course requirement that her students enter the voting booth. Of course, once they go in they don't have to vote and non-U.S. citizens are exempt from the requirement. This requirement has provoked, according to the article, a lot of controversy. Care to guess where I come out?

Not in favor. I believe it is contrary to our system of government to require a vote. It is clear that sometimes a decision not to vote is a protest and is as much an expression of free speech as a decision to vote. In other words, we have the option of abstaining if we don't like either candidate and we want to send a message that a candidate may win, but that candidate lacks the popular mandate necessary to bend Congress to his or her will. That can be a powerful and important message and you send it by staying home from the polls. I think that this professor, will coming from crunchy good motives, lacks an appreciation of this aspect of our system.

What do you think?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:00 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I appeared for a conference and for argument to oppose a motion this morning in the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York. I prepared most of the day yesterday for it and took the 5:56 train this morning so that I would arrive at the office with plenty of time to get my documents organized and be calm and happy. It was pretty damn dark when I left the house this morning with not even a hint of the sunrise. Winter's coming, no doubt about it.

This was a motion I expected to lose, by the way. It was to vacate a default judgment where the defendant had not filed an answer to a complaint and been out of touch for something like 9 months. Nonetheless, this is the kind of situation that a court will bend over to alleviate because the courts have a bias in favor of deciding a case on the merits, rather than on default.

And I did lose. But not before getting a rather nice compliment from the Judge who told me that my arguments were "forceful and skillful" and that I had been a "real gentleman". He also, even though I had lost, awarded my client $1,000 in costs in opposing the motion. Do you know how rare that is? To be awarded costs when you lose the motion? That's the first time for me. So the day wasn't a total loss. I walked out of the courtroom with the knowledge that I have a lot of credibility with the Judge and that is a fabulous thing for my clients. Credibility with the court is everything. If you have it, a judge will believe your representations and give you the benefit of the doubt. If you don't have it, you are in for a whole world of trouble.

So now, I'm pretty beat. Feeling a little drained. I have a meeting in 30 minutes and then a meeting after work. I'm just waiting for the Advil to kick in and I ought to be good to go.

I saw that Mr. Green has hung it up, or at least is taking a break. Blogger fatigue? I don't know. I think that some of this is cyclical for people. I feel a little burned out today but I feel that way about everything.

Last thing and this amused me. I was on the subway going down to Court and this young man looked at me up and down and asked me, "Lawyer?" I admitted that I was and we then had a very pleasant conversation.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 03:27 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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Some of you may have been following the Yankees / Red Sox games and rivalry. Most of you probably don't care. I care. Right now, the Yankees lead the Sox by 4.5 games and the two teams are scheduled to play another three game series starting on Friday night this week. Friday night marks the beginning of Yom Kippur, the culmination of the High Holidays and the Day of Atonement when we ask God to forgive us for the many sins we have committed during the year and to seal us in the book of life. Yom Kippur begins with something called Kol Nidre, which takes place that evening on Friday night. This brings us, with this background, to the joke, one of my favorites:

Mr. Goldberg calls his Rabbi and says, "Rabbi, I have a problem and I need some advice. This year, the Red Sox and the Yankees are playing in a very tight pennant race and the most important game falls on Kol Nidre. What should I do?" The Rabbi listens, thinks for a moment and responds: "Mr. Goldberg, what are you worried about? It is just for a situation like this that we have VCR's!"

And Mr. Goldberg replies, "You mean I can tape Kol Nidre!?!"

Posted by: Random Penseur at 11:32 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I have clearly warped the mind of the Girl Child who, at 3 1/2, appears to understand me fully without need of translation. See, the thing is that I got into the habit very early with her of trying to say things in as many different ways as possible in order to build her vocabulary and the habit has become unconcious. This weekend we were in the car and had the following interchange:

GC: Pappa, can I put my window down?

Me: No.

GC: Why not?

Me: The control panel indicates that it is not appropriate for you to open your window.

GC: That means the lock is on, right? Maybe you could unlock it.

Me: [I laughed, bowed to her superior reasoning, and unlocked it]

It's fun with kids, to watch their vocabularies explode. I wouldn't trade these moments for anything.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 07:40 AM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 I'm going to try that on mine in the morning. She'll be confused, but that's because we won't be in the car.

Posted by: Simon at September 20, 2004 10:05 AM (rLUlE)

2 wonderful... she delights all of us...even though we have never met her. 'maybe you could unlock it.' heehee... great kid.

Posted by: standing naked at September 20, 2004 08:21 PM (IAJcf)

3 If this conversation happened when I was a kid (and we had automatic window-scrolling buttons in cars way back then) it might have gone something like this: BC (boychild): Can I roll the window down? Carolyn (my daytime guardian): Your question is 'MAY I roll the window down'. BC: Okay.. MAY I roll the window down? Carolyn: No. BC: Why not? Carolyn: Because the control panel indicates that it is not appropriate for you to open your window. BC: That means the lock is on, right? Maybe you could unlock it! Carolyn: Yes. Yes, indeed I could. BC: [*stares at Carolyn until the conversation has obviously ended*]

Posted by: Tuning Spork at September 20, 2004 09:58 PM (LYY6j)

4 She is so precious. I know exactly what you mean re: living for those moments. They are precious indeed, and it's great that your recording them.

Posted by: michele at September 21, 2004 12:37 AM (2c9qq)

5 I'm glad you all enjoyed the story!

Posted by: RP at September 28, 2004 11:28 AM (LlPKh)

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I just returned from my friend's funeral. His death was not unexpected but the news still carried a shock. The speakers who chose to memorialize his life were very good. They knew him intimately, spoke with great love and conviction, and were moving. I sat there, listening and getting choked up and I began to think, gee, I hope they told him how they felt about him while he was alive. I hope he knew how much his friends loved him and appreciated him. Now we got the title of this post. I think we may all be guilty of not telling the people around us how we feel about them. I know I am. I also know how awkward it can feel to tell someone that you love them and that you appreciate them. Nonetheless, better to hear it alive then at the funeral.

My kids know they are loved. Sometimes my daughter just climbs up into my lap on her own, because she feels like sitting in my lap, and I'll say to her: "Hey, do you think you can just climb up into my lap whenever you want!" And she'll reply, "yes". I'll ask her why she thinks that and, without fail, she responds: "Because you love me".

So my wish today is that you, gentle reader, go and tell someone dear to you how much you love them.

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Yesterday, we celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. I should be doing the same thing today but I'm kind of backed up at work and, to top it off, I just got an email informing me that a friend has died and his funeral will be held this morning. I'm glad I happened to be wearing a tie today because I'm going to try to sneak out for the funeral mass.

I took the Girl Child with me to temple yesterday for the whole morning, armed with a bag containing snacks, a drink, and a small selection of books to look at for when she got bored. When I tell you that she looked exceptionally cute, you don't have to take my word for it. Two different policemen patted her on the head as we passed and she thanked them for stopping the cars for us.

After we made it in, we went to the tots service. It was very sweet and the Girl Child got to play the honey (literally, the honey jar) in the little skit about dipping apples in honey for a sweet new year. I think she had a good time and she picked up a couple of new songs. What was the best part? Easily the best part was sitting next to her and watching her face change from fierce concentration to curiosity to delight and back again. She had a good time for sure.

We then went upstairs to the main sanctuary and joined my father and my grandparents, so four generations in one row. That was sweet, too, and I enjoyed having her with me. As we left, we spoke to the rabbis to wish them a happy new year. We sit, with my grandfather, up at the front (the second row) of the synagogue. My grandfather was one of the founders of the synagogue and helped build it. The younger rabbi told me he was impressed by how well behaved the Girl Child was. He clearly did not hear us reading Little Red Riding Hood in Norwegian for a part of the service. I was very quiet.

As we left, the Girl Child turned to me and said: "Did you hear that, Pappa? Mr. Rabbi said I was very well behaved!"

I then returned home with the Girl Child to pick up the Boy Child and take them over to my parents for lunch. The Girl Child amused me by turning to the Boy Child in the car and saying: "BC, sitter du der og driter, vennen min?" She's speaking much more Norwegian now to the lad, which makes my wife and me very happy. A loose translation, is, "BC, my friend, are you sitting there and shitting?" She didn't seem to mind that she was wrong because she then said to him: "are you my little bean, studman?"

The day ended with a profound thought from my wife and I want to pass it along. We were talking about a job interview she has coming up in a couple of days and she was clearly not excited about the job or the interview and so I asked her why she was doing it. She replied that she wanted to meet the people she'd be doing the job with and for. She said that as she's gotten more experienced, she's come to realize that the people are at least and sometime more important than the job itself and if she really liked the people, she'd take a job that didn't interest her. She's a smart one, she is, my wife. I learn a lot from her when I pay attention.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:39 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
Post contains 615 words, total size 3 kb.

I just had the phone ring through to my office and, being a responsible sort, I picked it up. It was Susan, from Customer Service. You know Susan, right?

Her: Hi, this is Susan calling from Customer Service about your photocopy machine. How are you today?

Me: Well, I'm fine, Susan, thank you for asking.

Her: I just need to update our records and need the model number on your photocopy machine. Could I ask you to go over to the photocopy machine and read it to me? It should be a 3 or 4 digit number.

Me: Well, sure, Susan, I'd be happy to. But first, tell me, exactly what customer service department are you calling from and who are you?

Her: click [as phone hangs up]

I wonder what the scam was.

Go to the EXTENDED ENTRY below for my all time favorite email scam, which I reproduce below. more...

Posted by: Random Penseur at 03:07 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 259 words, total size 1 kb.

I pass through Grand Central Station at least twice a day every work day, sometimes more often. I pass through it during prime commuter hours, at least in the evening when I usually try to make the 6:00 train so I can get home early enough to play with my kids. That's why I'm at my desk by 7:30 every morning. The terminal is usually guarded by police and national guardsmen. I think that the guards are supposed to make us feel safe. Generally, I don't feel safe. My thoughts usually tend to the dark and the morose while walking through and I fixate a bit on some bad things. Today, coming off the train, there was some woman with a small camcorder taping the passengers as they exited the train and streamed up the platform. She wasn't in an MTA uniform. It made me nervous. I've never seen anyone do that.

So I found a policeman immediately, told him what I saw, and he went from relaxed and watchful to tense and in motion in a nanosecond as he went to investigate. He didnÂ’t even take the time to say a single word to me after I reported to him. He was just on his way without hesitation.

The taping made me nervous, more nervous, I should say. I'm glad I narked on this woman, even if it was a perfectly innocent exercise on her part.

Because, what if it wasn't?

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:28 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
Post contains 252 words, total size 1 kb.

1 Better safe than sorry!

Posted by: Andrew Cusack at September 15, 2004 08:51 AM (xuV6d)

2 Hey I was going to say that! Glad you did something RP..

Posted by: Rachel Ann at September 15, 2004 09:18 AM (tM5rN)

3 What they said!

Posted by: GrammarQueen at September 15, 2004 10:21 AM (gDEwS)

4 She could have been dangerous, or she could have been this guy - http://www.toomuchsexy.org/index/weblog/2004/09/06/ Or this guy - http://www.brownequalsterrorist.com/ Not that I'm saying she may not have been dangerous and that you over-reacted... but photography and videotaping has almost become illegal in the U.S. it seems. Unless you are in your own home taking pictures of you cat, you may be a terrorist

Posted by: Oorgo at September 15, 2004 10:59 AM (lM0qs)

5 Oorgo, standing on the commuter platform, which is not a place frequented by tourists and has no intrinsic artistic merit, then videotaping is really a suspicious act. Let her explain herself to somebody. When you read in the news about video surveillance performed by terrorist groups in aid of planning attacks and you see someone filming where there is no good obvious reason to do so, then I think it is the better practice to request a polite explanation. If she doesn't like it, well, not my problem and certainly not a violation of her civil rights.

Posted by: RP at September 15, 2004 12:06 PM (LlPKh)

6 "Better safe than sorry!" Please, give us all a break. The only threat to civilization is the mass of Henny Pennys running around fearing that the sky is falling, yet taking no note than the trusted Farmer Brown is going to lead them all to slaughter. Perhaps you should start narking on mobile phone users too......they may be DRUG DEALERS! With all do respect Mr. RP, you very much sound like a commuter.

Posted by: Eric at September 16, 2004 12:02 PM (1xJuE)

7 Eric, I guess you haven't spent much time reading any of the previous posts. I don't mind since there are rather a lot of it. That said, one, it's all "due" respect and two, that's just a fancy way of saying you have no respect at all for the object of that phrase. So, bearing in mind your ignorance, maybe we'll just give this one a pass. Also, I'm feeling sort of kindly disposed towards humanity today. No, screw it. Eric, you don't have the first clue, do you? The next time you attend a memorial service with an empty coffin for a victim of terrorism, you are welcome to comment. Until then, you have added nothing to the discussion. I would have expected more from the U of Chicago.

Posted by: RP at September 16, 2004 05:18 PM (X3Lfs)

8 Personally, I don't like being filmed by particulars in public areas. I must submit to being filmed by security cameras everywhere, but I think I have the right to object to being part of anybody's personal endeavor, be it made with good or bad intentions. That said, I would rather people err on the side of safety than not challenge questionable activities because it may seem like a silly thing to do. I'm with you Random. If there's no hidden motive behind the lady's recording, she can easily explain herself and move on. But people have to show a little more caution and consideration in what they do, and be aware of the high sensitivity of our current predicament. It's not a good time to go out there and do things that could be confused with planning or conducting a terrorist activity. Sorry...didn't mean to ramble on so much.

Posted by: Mick at September 16, 2004 07:21 PM (m/BWU)

9 I have to side with Eric on this, only definitely in a less acerbic way, since you are my big blog brother and I think I am allowed to disagree with you I commute into London several times a week (as you know, since I blog about the trains and how they are fodder for people watching and frustration!) and I go to the commuter platforms of said stations, not the cool Eurostar ones or anything like that. If I saw someone videotaping it, I wouldn't care a bit. Big deal, video all the people you want, I know people watching is a huge part of being a tourist. Now, if she were trying to get into a locked maintenance shed or something, then that's a different matter, and would be reported pronto. I live with a train enthusiast, who is keen to check out the fittings and workings of trains. I don't like thinking that just because my boyfriend is checking out the hooters on a train instead of on a woman, he may wind up in the clink. I think the videoing was likely totally ok, and if it made you feel better, perhaps the best thing to do would be to ask her yourself what she was up to.

Posted by: Helen at September 17, 2004 03:05 AM (/uGVk)

10 Helen, you are totally allowed to disagree with me. Indeed, EVERYBODY is allowed to disagree with me, I just prefer it when people do it lie you do it, as an adult without a spiteful comment. That said, I remain unmoved by your argument. Filming in odd places today is a suspicious act. Grand Central Station has been evacuated a couple of times over the last few years because of terror threats. I know, I've been there when it happened. Filming the commuter platforms which by themselves have no artistic merit and should hold little to no interest (and which are reserved for ticket holders, I believe) is out of place and cause for noticing it if not concern about it. We don't really have train watchers here as you do in GB. It's a cultural difference. And there was something about the way in which the young woman was holding the camera plus the odd expression on her face made me nervous. If I was nervous, the best thing to do was to ask a police officer to do something about it. What was I supposed to do if I asked her what she was up to and received an answer I didn't care for? I'm not empowered to do anything about it and nor should I be. No, she's better off talking to someone who has to care about her civil rights because, as a private citizen, I don't have to let my behaviour be guided by the protections afforded to her by the Constitution. Again, it may be that the taping was ok. But what if it wasn't? People with links to terrorist groups have been filming bridges and other infrastructure, including the Citibank building in NY. Put into that context, I don't believe I was over-reacting. The police officer I told about it didn't seem to think so either.

Posted by: RP at September 17, 2004 09:34 AM (LlPKh)

11 The only question I have to you and her would be if she was a terrorist, why did she pick a commuter platform, filming people as they go to work. I'm sure she was amazed at the streaming crowds of people coming too and fro, I sure am. I also know weird film buffs that use stock footage like that to make mosaic type short films. And they probably have weird looks on their face while trying to avoid the bustle and get a good shot. I just hope, if it was innocent filming, that she didn't get hassled by "The Man". I personally would have casually asked what she was up to, I'm usually pretty good at telling when people are lying to my face. If I wasn't satisfied with the response then I would report her. Besides you could always say that she needs your permission to show your image anywhere, or that she's stealing your soul

Posted by: Oorgo at September 17, 2004 03:58 PM (lM0qs)

12 This set of comments is in response to RP's reply to my initial comment. 1) Thank you for pointing out that I misspelled "due" in the phrase "with all due respect." I know better than that and should have acted in a consistent manner. 2) I did not mean to leave you with the impression that I have no respect for you, I simply meant to leave the impression that after reading your post my eyes were rolled so far in to the back of my head that I could not see straight. I imagine that most people would agree that suspecting mobile phone users as being drug dealers is ridiculous, but, hilariously, such has passed in our very recent history. I certainly mean to suggest the obvious analogy. The new vogue simply happens to be terrorism and video recorders carry the symbolic power. "Better safe than sorry" is something one says to oneself in order to avoid having both the logical and empirical arguments which do not make one feel good about oneself at the end of the day. My eyes were rolled into the back of my head because you (and some of those who posted) approached the matter with immense gravity even though the question itself is a joke. 3) On my meaning when I said that you "sound like a commuter": I meant that your tale reminds me of the meddling, paranoid, "daddy knows best" characters that make rush hour such a nightmare in New York. It appears rather unfair of me to have lumped you into a category that is reserved for suspect persons based on only one of your actions, but I only meant to be safe rather than sorry. (The obvious analogy will not be forced on you.) 4) You failed to address the meat of my comment re the Henny Pennys. Addressing structural concerns is the best way to allay the threat of terrorism, not running around in a state of frenzy blind and deaf to the proven sources of peril. 5) I take it that you lost a friend to terrorism, but this does not grant you a monopoly on the discussion. The Chicago education in me is dying to point out the fallacy in your argument, yet I am simply going to resist. I will say that the fashion of September 11th stopped being pleasing to my eye the moment that all and sundry began flaunting it at every social club in town. Being a New Yorker requires more than wearing black. Read the last sentence again. Respectfully yours, Eric

Posted by: Eric at September 17, 2004 06:51 PM (1xJuE)

13 Eric, I write to acknowledge receipt of your last comment. It put me in mind of a quote from the Princess Bride. You may know it. The quote goes something like this: “You keep using that word [here: respect; consistent; vogue; symbolic; logical; empirical; structural; fashion; and pleasing]. I do not think it [they] mean what you think it [they] mean.” Your comment is shot through with so many lacunae and tergiversations that I would ordinarily dismiss it as the work of a troll and move on. But, seeing as how I am inclined, generally, to give people the benefit of the doubt, I shall do so one last time here and take a moment to respond, refute, and explain. We’ll go in order of your points. Your point 1: I would be prepared to give you credit that you know better except your use of the word consistent in this point is nonsensical and strongly suggests otherwise. Consistent with what? Frankly, impossible to say. Nonetheless, let’s move on. Your point 2: You may wish to see someone regarding the problem you have with your eyes. I decline to address your point about phones and drug dealers. I have no experience with drug dealers and am prepared to concede your greater familiarity. I take strong exception to your unsupportable assertion that terrorism is the new “vogue”, or fashion and that camcorders carry only “symbolic: power. Terrorism is not fashionable, except in that many of the organizations that support terrorism are enthusiastically supported by fashionable young men and women on college campuses. Terrorism is not considered fashionable by those who ride buses in Israel or send their children to school in Beslan. To suggest otherwise is insulting. To suggest that camcorders are only symbolic tools in preparing detailed surveillance of terrorist targets is dangerously ignorant. Beyond that, this is a field where the language of deconstructionist theories and semiotics is not applicable. Finally, there are no “logical or empirical” arguments left to discuss here. Either you believe the empirical proof that terrorism is a danger and that camcorders are used to plan terrorism or you close your eyes and reject that proof. I invite you to continue walking around with your eyes closed and I hope nothing worse happens than a barked shin. Your point 3: You have created a new class of insult. I doff my hat to you. That said, of course I am a “daddy knows best” kind of guy. I have young children at home and I am an attorney at work. I am both charged with the responsibility at home and paid at work to advise and guide. Would you want a father or an attorney who lacked that certitude? Well, come to think of it, maybe you would. Most others would not. The rest of the point reeks of condensation and can, I suspect, be safely disregarded as the work of a crank. Your point 4: To quote an old commercial regarding your question about the meat: “Where’s the beef?” What meat? There was nothing to address. You now attempt to ascribe meaning where none existed before. I suspect that may be the proof of the U of C education we were looking for before. There are no structural concerns regarding terrorism that can be addressed at our level. Those concerns are the province of state actors, not individuals. Can we think about them? Sure. Can we act on them? No. We lack the means. It is naïve to suggest otherwise. Finally, your point that we should not run around blind to the “perils” of terrorism must have been dashed off in haste. It proves too much. Taken as true, my actions were correct and beyond reproach. Once again, camcorder use in taping infrastructure is beyond peradventure. It is suggestive of a known “peril”. Walking away and doing nothing would be consistent with being “blind and deaf”. Reporting it and letting someone else with the proper authority sort it out is the correct response. Your point 5: You take it wrong. I lost family in the Towers, as many did that day. I am not inclined to discuss it further with you. I will point out that there is no “fashion” for September 11 and no one is flaunting anything. If you think that I am, and your eye is not “pleased”, go away and haunt someone else’s comment board. Eric, no one is forcing you to read here. No one is forcing you to comment. But now, having spent some time in replying to you, I am clear that your comment is utterly bereft of common sense. I invite you, should you return to read my reply, to go elsewhere in the future. I decline to continue the discussion. I suspect I’ve just wasted my time. Respectfully, etc.

Posted by: RP at September 18, 2004 04:45 AM (X3Lfs)

14 I think the main issue here is not wheather or not to NARC on suspicious people, but rather people should not be so paranoid, and know the actual laws. The rules of th MTA state that photography and videography IS permited unless flashes, lights, and tripods are used. You freaked out, had the police harass a technicaly inocent woman, possibly ruining her day, or week, or month. Just so YOU can say, "better safe than sorry". I commute everyday from Stamford to Grand Central, and work in Times Square. If you can't handel the everyday life of being in New York, one of them being, EVERYONE has and uses cameras, you should work or live somewhere else. The police should have responded in accordance as well, saying, "sorry ma'am this woman is not violating any rules of the MTA, but thank you for the tip we will keep an eye on her." Instead they pounced on her. Again, if the police that work in the MTA don't understand the law and are so quick to freak out, and in this case violate this poor woman's rights, they too are not forced to live and work in NYC. They too should move. I thinks it's ironic. You made an ambigious situation tense by involving the police. So now it IS a situation. This woman is now being interogated, and searched, (in front of more passers by) her video probably being watched from beginning to end. That's justice?

Posted by: W at March 23, 2005 10:54 AM (IUd7b)

15 W, I decline to respond to you. I think that if you had read the extensive comment discussion on this point, you may not have made your comment. If you had and made the comment anyway, I have nothing to say to you. In any event, I think that the conversation can safely be closed. Suffice it to say that I disagree with you.

Posted by: RP at March 24, 2005 05:51 AM (X3Lfs)

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Simon, at Simon World, has an outstanding post today about the Jewish New Year celebrations and observances which begin today, at sunset, and mark the commencement of the High Holidays. I highly recommend reading it, it's better than what I was going to post about it.

I would add one thought, though. Traditionally, this is the time when Islamic fundamentalists and other freaks most like to attack Israel and Jewish targets outside of Israel, or even start wars. So join me, please in, if not praying for their safety, at least sending good thoughts to those brave men and women who during this holy period stand guard at borders and places of worship and in Iraq. May they stand a boring and uneventful watch and may God protect them.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 08:02 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 137 words, total size 1 kb.

I just put the Girl Child to bed and I wanted to record this quickly, before I forgot it. We were going downstairs, after saying good night to her brother, to have some dessert and watch some Yankees baseball and we had the following exchange:

Me: Would you like some pudding?

Her: The green kind?

Me: No, the other one.

Her: The butterscotch?

Me: Yes. [Ed. Note: The sugar free butterscotch jello pudding is like crack for the low carbers. Pure crack, I tell you]

Her: No [long drawn out and contemplative]. I'm into introducing myself to some ice cream.

Me: What did you say?

Her: I'm into introducing myself to some ice cream. I think I'll share with Mamma.

I really had to ask her to repeat herself. I just could not quite believe what she said or how she said it.

Posted by: Random Penseur at 09:13 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
Post contains 131 words, total size 1 kb.

1 "Introducing myself..." What is WITH this kid?

Posted by: frinklin at September 14, 2004 09:35 PM (7VjNn)

2 Your girl is the cutest!! Give her an extra hug and kiss. Just because you'll feel like it...

Posted by: Jester at September 14, 2004 10:07 PM (yS8Mo)

3 You have a listener on yer hands. And, listeners make the best lawyers...

Posted by: Tuning Spork at September 15, 2004 12:10 AM (OXKSY)

4 Frinklin, I couldn't believe it either. That's why I had to ask her to repeat herself. Well, TS, she's young yet and she may grow out of it. Thanks, Jester, you bet I will!

Posted by: RP at September 15, 2004 06:09 AM (X3Lfs)

5 omg way too cute giggling thinking of what your face must have been when you heard it...

Posted by: standing naked at September 15, 2004 06:43 AM (IAJcf)

6 She has the right idea. I think we should all introduce ourselves to some ice cream. Then take a nap. That's so *adorable*, Random! Makes my womb clench... :::sighs::: Ya know, nobody warned me that ramping up to menopause meant my womb was going to clench every 5 seconds or so! Nature's way of saying, "The two-minute warning just went off but you still have a chance! GO FOR IT!"

Posted by: Amber at September 15, 2004 11:52 AM (zQE5D)

7 Oh, man, she's adorable! And polite... after all, she wants to introduce herself, doesn't she? I hope she doesn't grow out of it all too much!

Posted by: Hannah at September 15, 2004 12:20 PM (7dELN)

8 Very cute Random. I wish I had her way with words!

Posted by: Mick at September 16, 2004 07:24 PM (m/BWU)

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I am reporting in on the first day of pre-school and the parents' meeting we attended that night.

Pre-school was charming. There are about 14 or 15 kids and 3 teachers. The Girl Child bravely consented to the pony tail and the risk of not being recognized, but, no fear, her teachers remembered her. That didn't mean she wasn't scared. She made it halfway down the front steps when she went tearfully flying back up the stairs to give her little brother an extra hug and a kiss. Drama and tears over, we headed off to school.

No separation anxiety this year. Uh, I mean that there was no separation anxiety for ME, she was fine. She gave us a wave, called me back for "an extra hug and a kiss, Pappa", and she was off. It was that easy. I don't think she looked back after the extra hug and kiss.

We picked her up after the abbreviated session and, on the way out, grabbed a couple of pastries for her off the tray they put out for parents. In the car, we asked her how the morning went. She told us, "we read Tassen Sover Borte på engelsk!" Which is "Spot slept over" and which she has in Norwegian at home. She was pretty tickled to have it in English.

All in all, it was a good start. The parent meeting was fine, too. The group of parents we met seem significantly less neurotic than last year. Interestingly, out of these 14-15 kids, the following language are spoken primarily at home: Spanish; Turkish; Hebrew; and, Norwegian. There may be some Korean speakers too but we weren't sure.

Thanks to everyone for their kind wishes! Unfortunately, no pancakes were possible. Sorry!

Posted by: Random Penseur at 01:15 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 300 words, total size 2 kb.

1 No pancakes? Ooohhhh...this creates a depression in the karmic strings. A tensing that must be relieved. For a child of such tender age a suitable amount of the original or similar substance (perhaps waffles) would suffice. You are indeed fortunate that it was this child of yours and not your wonderful bride. With maturity comes a much more highly strung karmic net. An error starting with missed breakfast could end up as jewelry before it is truly corrected.

Posted by: Jim at September 14, 2004 11:46 PM (GCA5m)

2 Her first day at school and she didn't look back? You are truely blessed with a beaut. A real beaut!

Posted by: Tuning Spork at September 15, 2004 12:44 AM (OXKSY)

3 there will be pancakes today? tommorrow? right?

Posted by: standing naked at September 15, 2004 06:42 AM (IAJcf)

4 There will be pancakes, I promise. And I'm sure she will be happy to know that so many people are out there and advocating on her behalf!

Posted by: RP at September 15, 2004 07:35 AM (LlPKh)

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