What I know about love

Love is not just a feeling. It's a decision. You make a decision to love someone.

There is no perfect mate. If you think otherwise, you'll be disappointed.

Find someone with a good heart and a nice smile who brings out the best in you. Then choose to love them.

It's the decision to love that keeps two people tethered.

Samuel is back at school

Samuel is back at Trinity after a long holiday break.

He said he was a little sad to go back, and I was a little sad too.

It was nice having him here every day, even though he generally slept until noon, stayed up until 3am, and was on his computer most of the time.

Just the fact that he was here made me feel good. It's a fatherly herding instinct. You want your little family together.

We had some quality one-on-one time, like bagels at Orwashers, and late-night diner pancakes in New Jersey, just to say we did.

Sigh. There is nothing like a son. I highly recommend them.

 

West 82nd St at Columbus Ave, then and now

This is the eastern end of our block, looking southwest. 

 

The earlier shot appears to be late 1930s (the 9th Avenue El, tracks visible at left, closed in 1940).

Note that some of the decorative elements have since been stripped from what was then the Endicott Hotel (which by the 1960s became a dilapidated, drug-and-violence-plagued SRO, before rebounding to become a co-op in the '80s).

Also note that there's still a fire call box on the sidewalk in the lower right of both photos, next to the lamppost.

Samuel's first 120 words

I found this scrap of paper when I was cleaning up the office.

When Samuel was 15 months old, Jennifer read that he was supposed to know at least 120 words. So like any good mother, she immediately panicked and started furiously writing down every word Samuel knew.

I'm particularly impressed by the way she separated words like "toothbrush" and "bathtub" (e.g. "tooth," "brush," "bath," "tub") in order to reach 120. Also note Samuel's early (and lifelong) interest in vehicles and mechanical things.

Here they are:

1. Mommy
2. Daddy
3. No
4. Yes
5. TV
6. Sofa
7. Pajamas
8. Bed
9. Crib
10. Dog
11. Cat
12. Frog
13. Pig
14. Duck
15. Milk
16. Binky
17. Pants
18. Shirt
19. Socks
20. Shoes
21. Elmo
22. Truck
23. Car
24. Firetruck
25. Ambulance
26. Teddybear
27. Moon
28. Phone
29. Stars
30. All
31. Right
32. Pooh
33. Love
34. You
35. Toast
36. Coal
37. Train
38. Thomas
39. Tank
40. Engine
41. Tummy
42. Nose
43. Eyes
44. Ears
45. Arm
46. Leg
47. Hair
48. Bottom
49. Toes
50. Tunnel
51. Book
52. School
53. Bus
54. Airplane
55. Airport
56. Circle
57. Square
58. Ball
59. Teletubbies
60. Po
61. Lala
62. Dipsy
63. Tinky
64. Winky
65. Grandma
66. Grampa
67. Pappa
68. Sam
69. Hammer
70. Door
71. Pee
72. Pee-Pee
73. Potty
74. Tiger
75. Horse
76. Sheep
77. Panda
78. Snake
79. Paint
80. Crayons
81. Bubbles
82. Soap
83. Sink
84. Water
85. Juice
86. Bird
87. Tape
88. What
89. That
90. Blue
91. Red
92. Green
93. White
94. Orange
95. Bee
96. Tree
97. Street
98. Shake
99. Tight
100. Presents
101. More
102. Thanks
103. Please
104. Hat
105. Goldfish
106. Flowers
107. Chair
108. Table
109. There
110. Pail
111. Fork
112. Spoon
113. Clock
114. Caboose
115. Wheel
116. Tractor
117. Tooth
118. Brush
119. Bath
120. Tub

First of all, Happy New Year

Okay, okay, let's catch up on the past week or two.

Samuel is home. 

I had three cavities filled.

We had dinner at the Hibachi restaurant down the block.

We shaved the dogs down to the bone. But we left a little on Kahlua so that we could take her picture and call her the Grinch Dog.

We had our living room, dining room and foyer painted. It doesn't look that different.

We took a 3-day trip to Prophetstown to see Jen's family.

We had dinner at Firehouse on Columbus, one of our old haunts.

Jen and I spent New Year's Eve at Hi-Life Bar and Grill around the corner on Amsterdam. 

Okay, let's get on with 2017.