AT THE HEAD OF THE TABLE

Hope all your holidays were pleasant and happy--for those celebrating Greek Easter, good luck with the goats!

During our holiday of Passover, a Seder is held.  In Hebrew, Seder translates into "order".  And, in fact, there is an order to the meal with certain foods and a fairly extensive written script.  The leader kind of orchestrates the whole deal and the children participate to their maximum abilities.  Since the death of my last surviving uncle and the death of Barbara's father, I have led this Seder.  This year Oliver, our grandson, sat on my left.  Lilli, our granddaughter, sat near Barbara but helped me with certain sections of the script. I felt deeply the absence of their mother and their aunt--my own daughters. The point of describing the context is this:  I have never felt comfortable being at the head of this table.  It should belong to the older generation--they were the ones who knew the whole thing by heart; they were the ones who believed the words in a literal sense; and they are the ones we have replaced.  I am not being nostalgic when I say that I wish one of them were here to be the leader.  My being the leader has all sorts of symbolic meaning none of which I care to explore here; but all of them heavily laden with the issue of becoming older. Despite my own inner turmoil, it was a very nice evening with friends and family.  Enough.

Two more crazy Florida stories--not counting Senator Rubio who, immigrant child though he is, is not sure about immigrant reform and is consistently crazed.  The first concerns the University of Central Florida and the body found in a dorm room which was stacked with weapons no one knew about. I guess those mean RA's from my dorm days do not go into rooms anymore.  The second concerns Florida Gulf Coast University which made it to the NCAA sweet 16.  This is a school carved out of the Everglades which apparently takes anyone and everyone.  The coach's wife is a rather risque kind of model.  400 acres of swampland.

The state with the worse health in the country--that would be Mississippi--objects to Mayor Bloomberg trying to ban big gulp drinks.  I say let them get all the big gulps they want and gain as much weight as they want and continue to have their health worsen.  It is after all a free country--right?  They probably will opt out of the medicaid piece of Obamacare but will surely be at the trough if they want federal highway dollars..

A terrific few strips in Doonesbury.  Joanie Caucus has gone to work for my very own Senator Warren.  She is kind of always under dressed and under made up--but she has to sit behind the Senator at a hearing.  So the comic strip focused on her getting "prepped" with make up and clothes because she would be on tv--just wonderful.

Saw the documentary on Dick Cheney.  The filmmakers never pushed him or confronted him and maybe that was the deal.  Even so, this guy is scary and is unapologetic and still believes Saddam had WMD's all evidence to the contrary.  Very creepy.

Another judge withdrew after Obama nominated her--too liberal say the Republicans.  Having 60 votes in the senate apparently makes a difference unless you are considered a good old boy like Kerry.

I love having a pile of books and magazines next to my bed.  I like the choices they offer and the idea that I can move among them. Great article a couple of weeks ago in the NY Times magazine about a Palestinian village.  The residents non-violently stage a weekly protest along with pro peace Israelis and Americans in objection to the restrictions placed on their lives including that fucking wall.

Menino will not seek re-election.  All I know is that he is very good at fixing potholes which I read somewhere is the most important job of a mayor. 

And if you read no further, look for me in a month after the great silver bird returns us from a week or so in Key West.

SPORTS TALK

Got obliterated in my NCAA brackets--did not even back my boys from Ann Arbor and now they are in the final 4.  I would like to ask this question:  does Wisconsin have a special recruiter who locates tall thin non jumping white guys who can hit 3's?  Those guys usually are led by an African American guard who can fly.  Where do they come from?

I was going to complain about these long term extensions college coaches get--all paid for with public dollars and was going to use Steve Alford at New Mexico as my worst example. But he did me one better.  Days after getting a 10 year extension, he bolted the Lobos for the UCLA job.  Hope he loses 20..

Celtics and Bruins looking mighty lethargic.  Baseball in the Bronx today--but talk to me about baseball after July 4th.

Sayonara.