I'M KVELLIN'

No not jellin' with Dr. Scholl. And no not another word I learned from Mrs. Reynolds as she wrapped me with her ruler. Kvell(ing) without the "ing" is a Yiddish word I learned from my mother--it more or less means to take pride in but in a BIG BIG way. And I'm kvellin" because Barbara and I spent a week with Oliver and Lilli--those would be our grandchildren. Their school vacation week was a couple of weeks ago and we met them and their parental drivers at the famous Ruby Road exit off I-84 in Northern Connecticut--home of that scrumptious all you can eat buffet which all of us passed on. Though we did manage to have lunch and exchange precious cargo--made it back home to Beantown in time for dinner and a week with the kids. They were wonderful and we did a lot of stuff with them including the Big Apple circus, the zoo, the MFA, assorted meals out, and some parks. They also had some play dates with old friends which they really enjoyed. I have been reminded by their mother that I don't know what its like to raise two kids so close in age. She is oh so right. My eyes were poked literally/regularly somewhere around 7 every morning and while someone else (Babs) was able to get a few more zzz's, the kids and I stumbled downstairs to begin our morning routines--which more or less meant unlimited tv until I could really wake up. The week ended with their parents arriving and joining the kids and assorted relatives for the first Seder. A really nice evening which both kids participated in. Lilli read the 4 questions in
English. Just a terrific time--Jess and Steffen have done a great job. We shall repeat our stellar performance in May this time in the City of Brotherly Love.

Moving on--Want to welcome the 4 Fleishers to this space. I am pushing closer to 50 though I am missing some key states--like Mississippi which as I have often said ranks 50th in terms of medical care in the country but has the world's best sex addiction facility--just ask Tiger. Know someone from the heart of the Confederacy?

Speaking of the confederacy, I think the best decision I ever made was to leave Florida. That state has turned into an armed camp so it should be no surprise that this child Trayvon was killed since guns are so prevalent and there is a law allowing you to "defend" yourself and your property. Furthermore, the new Hispanic manager of the now Miami (not Florida) Marlins is Ozzie Guillen. The man has always spoken his mind so anyone hiring him should have expected something to erupt sooner or later--in this case sooner. He decided he had an opinion about Fidel and the opinion was that maybe he was not so bad. Well, those octogenarian Cuban refugees might and did disagree. Caused a big hullabaloo down there and he got himself suspended not by Major League Baseball but by the team which is very mindful of the need for the support of the Hispanic community. Miami is simply run by these folks as if the revolution were a week ago. BTW, I was going to put this in the SPORTS section but a close friend insisted that I put it above the fold as they say in my business. Finally, we have Obama in Venezuela refusing to agree to allow Cuba to participate in whatever kind of Inter-American confab he was attending. Just fucking great kissing up to those Octo's like he is ever going to win Florida to begin with.

So Romney will be Barack's opponent and so far every poll shows Barack winning. My two polls consist of talking to one person from Ohio and one from NH--both of whom say nope he wont win their state. So I would be worried. Hope that unemployment rate is 7% by November and that every woman, person of color, and gay person in American votes. Otherwise the Supreme Court will end up worse than it is now.

I saw some list of the country's best hospitals and just don't get the following. Both MGH and Brigham and Women's made it but not Deaconess which just happens to be where all my docs are. All 3 are Hahvahd hospitals. What I don't get is why 2 make it and the third does not--do the boys/girls at Hahvahd shell out resources differently? And what about Mt. Auburn also a Hahvahd teaching hospital. There is something screwed up about all this.

The Bib C is back with Laura Linney--I love it and the best thing is that in the new season her hubby (Oliver Platt who I love) has started his own blog and immediately outed Laura for having had an affair. The least I can say is that I know my boundaries. A terrific show.

And a terrific book about Juarez Mexico whose name I forget but the author is Robert Andrew Powell. He went there to live and wanted to write about the god awful murder rate--about 5 on an average day. But he ends up using the local soccer team as the vehicle to enter the community and integrates its season with all the killing. He is on the same bench as Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger.

Speaking of Passover (and I was way back there) the vegetarian chopped liver from Whole Foods is simply to die for.


SPORTS TALK
The great white hype (that would be Phil) and Tiger both failed at Augusta. I cannot stand to watch Phil and his all white rooting section. On the other hand Tiger continues to have major psychological problems and I guess he may need to head back into Mississippi for a tune up.

I actually picked Kentucky in the NCAA pool but lost so many other games, I finished way down. The minute there are upsets especially by a smaller school (like Murray State this year) over a big conference school, I am totally screwed since I pretty much believe the stronger conference should prevail. Wrong.

The Celtics are playing better and as the boys on PTI would say--"they were going to trade Rondo? Are they crazy". He is playing out of his mind though every so often he makes a first grade dopey play. And speaking of out of his mind, Tim Thomas is there again despite his despicable politics. Now if only someone could put the puck in the net. At least those dastardly Canucks are in worse shape.

Off for Stef and Grahams big wedding event in Costa Rica. Hoping to see the monkeys up in the trees but no zip lines for me.

I do love Bruce's new album. Been wearing it out in the car.

sayonara