"Officer and a Gentleman" production update

We shot a few more scenes from Ethan's upcoming remake of the trailer from "An Officer and a Gentleman." The location was a paper warehouse in Hillside, NJ.





Ethan's classmate Lucy plays the Debra Winger role, and she nailed all of her scenes in one take.





Three more scenes to shoot, then it's ready for YouTube. Stay tuned.

Why Samuel didn't finish his homework tonight

The old "I was making a Delorean time machine out of a refrigerator box" excuse.

5 cool things about getting old

1. You can name at least 3 characters from "Knots Landing."

2. You know all the words to "Uptown Girl."

3. You could actually buy a Delorean if you still really wanted one.

4. Compared to everyone else your age, you get more attractive every year.

5. The older you get, the longer you haven't died yet.

Ethan's questions

Why does a grapefruit look like an orange on the outside?

Why do they call it a grapefruit? It doesn’t taste like a grape.

Which came first, a grape or a grapefruit?

How big a butthead is Kanye West?

Things I'd rather do than hang out with Kanye:

1. Be a gaffer for Christian Bale.

2. Double-date with O.J. Simpson.

3. Invest my grandmother's pension with Bernie Madoff.

4. Get drunk and discuss Judaism with Mel Gibson.

5. Go hunting with Dick Cheney.

Bailey catches a bird

(as told to Todd)

Bailey: I caught a bird! I caught a bird! I actually caught a real bird!

Kahlua: A pigeon.

Bailey: I was going for my walk this morning! With Kahlua and Dad! On our block! And, and, I peeked around a stoop, and I just, using my instincts as a hunting animal, I just pounced on him.

Kahlua: The pigeon was asleep.

Bailey: And I got his wing in my mouth! And he started flapping around like this! (Demonstrates bird flapping around.) I could barely hang onto him! But I didn't let go! I just went like this! (Demonstrates clenched teeth.)

Kahlua: Anyone could've gotten him. He looked sickly.

Bailey: And then Dad said "Drop him! Drop him!" But I didn't want to let him go! Then Dad stuck his shoe between me and the bird, and I couldn't hold him, and he kind of just ran away under a car!

Kahlua: Dad saved Bailey from getting pecked to death by a sickly pigeon.

Bailey: It was so cool! My first real bird! I'm, like, an alpha-male hunting dog!

Kahlua: You're pathetic.

Top 5 most fun things we did this summer

Based on combined votes of Samuel, Ethan, Todd, and Jennifer:

#5: Going to the Funplex in New Jersey.

#4: Tubing the Delaware River.


#3: Making Ethan's movie.


#2: Week-long vacation in Wisconsin Dells. "The funnest place ever"--Ethan.


#1: Got Bailey.

Things I learned over the summer, by Ethan Tarpley

1. Summer rocks.

2. Dogs aren't always lactose intolerant.

3. How to use chopsticks.

First day of school

They were slow getting up. Maybe it's because they've been staying up 'til 1am all summer.

I had to bring out the big guns: Spongebob, volume up.


We made it out the door by 8am, and to the bus stop, loaded up with backpacks, portfolios, and accessories. Ethan realized he didn't have his Metro Card from school yet, so we took a cab.

Got to school in time for one final photo op.

This is a visual metaphor for their entire personalities, captured in a single photo.

It's bittersweet watching them grow up so fast. I love them, I'm proud of them, and I know they'll be okay.

Last Weekend of Summer

We spent the first two days of Labor Day Weekend cleaning, and the final day playing.

We own a studio apartment next door that we've always intended to combine with ours, but the rental income is like crack. Our renter moved out last week, so we spent Saturday and Sunday cleaning and painting.






Not exactly how we envisioned spending Labor Day Weekend, but we feel better having it done. And, you know, no one wants to hear you complain about how you had to clean your rental apartment. It's like complaining about having to wax your Porsche.

We had a nice little picnic on Saturday evening in Central Park. The dogs and kids got to run around a bit.


And we spent the FINAL day of summer 2009 at Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom. It's about an hour and 45 minutes away, in Pennsylvania. We'd never been there.


It was overcast most of the day, and the temperature only got up to mid-70s. But that kept the lines short, especially for rides where you get wet--Samuel rode a log ride for the first time since being traumatized by the one at Rye Playland at age 3.


I always hate to see summer go, but we had a great summer this year, and we went out on a high note.

Fudge Dilemma

Last weekend Jennifer bought some fudge at Lake Compounce. It was just one large chunk. She ate, like, one bite, then brought the box home and put it on top of the microwave, so that I was sure to see it every time I walked into the kitchen.

I vowed not to eat any, because she gets annoyed over stuff like that.

But after several days of staring at it, on Wednesday I secretly sliced a little sliver off the edge and ate it, figuring she'd never notice.

Then yesterday I had another tiny sliver.

Just now I had ONE MORE sliver, and I realized that the remaining piece of fudge is about half the size it was on Wednesday.

I could probably eat the whole thing, throw the box away, and she'd never even notice.

But maybe she would.

And yet, if I never took any bites of it, it would just sit on top of the microwave for several more weeks until finally Jennifer would realize it was stale and throw it away.

I couldn't in good conscience let that happen to a perfectly edible piece of fudge. It would be like wasting joy, and there is too little joy in the world already. My job is to perpetuate joy.