Lee Feigenbaum's Life in Words

Our upstairs neighbor's cat, Tux (a.k.a Mr. Tux) was killed this weekend in a tragic accident. I've never had a pet in my life, and I've never really found any cats that I was particularly fond of. But Tux was different. We liked to say that Tux was a cat that thought he was a dog; he was always full of mischievous playfulness and cuddly friendliness. He was equally happy chasing a piece of string or a set of keys as he was nuzzling against my fingers or curling up in a lap. He loved to stretch out on the grass outside and show off by rolling over when he'd catch one of us looking at him. We'd find him napping in our planters or on our porch chairs, and if we ever left our front door open even a bit, we'd find Tux merrily trotting back to our third bedroom, or rolling over on our kitchen floor, or trying in vain to get up on our dining room chairs. Tux was fun and friendly, and never failed to bring a smile to my face. I loved him like my own pet, and I'll miss him tremendously.

   

Edited to add: Lynn was talking to Angelo Jr. upstairs, who observed, "We could all learn to be a little bit more like Tuxie." I couldn't agree more.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 08:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Today was marked by evolving news stories detailing the bickering between Senators Obama and Clinton's campaigns over who is injecting race or gender as a campaign issue and about how inappropriate such behavior would be. The two campaigns seem to take great pains in subtly alluding to the chances of Senator Clinton to be our first female president and of Senator Obama to be our first African American president while at the same time explicitly decrying the idea that race or gender should matter.

But why not? It will be historic if 2009 sees the inauguration of either President Obama or President (Hillary) Clinton. It will be a moment of pride and progress in the history of the United States. There aren't many moments in a lifetime when we can sit back and know that we're watching something unfold that history will remember and will smile upon, and the ascent of either President Clinton or President Obama would be such a moment.

And we shouldn't need to fear the demagoguery that tells us that we are shallow if we consider race or gender in casting our votes this November. Americans, by and large, are not simple. Americans go to the polls and there are a wide range of factors that drive their decision. For one person, it might be her fear of having a job outsourced combined with a fierce belief in 2nd amendment rights and concern about rising health insurance premiums. Another might choose a candidate based on a desire to see our troops in Iraq brought home safely, balanced against a belief in a tight federal fiscal policy and strong convictions that abortion should be the choice of a woman, her loved ones, and her doctors. And yet another American might draw on his religious faith tempered with the desire to see more federal funds allocated to basic science research and renewable energy sources. The media talks about single issues as if they are decisive in and of themselves; this is not entirely incorrect, as campaign strategists and the media alike are dealing with large population groups, far more easily understandable via profiles that approximate the group as a whole, rather than via the kaleidoscope of individual concerns that drive each of us to make our own decisions.

If we elect Senator Obama this November, history will not deride voters for electing a candidate because of his race. Nor will we need to shamefully defend a decision to vote for a candidate "just because she was a woman" if we elect Senator Clinton. We needn't fear talking about historic moments and acknowledging them to ourselves and to the world. I wish that Senator Obama would stand up on his stump one day and proudly explain that he has a vision for our country, he has a platform and policies to implement that vision, and he has the leadership experience to guide this country for the next eight years. And then, I'd like to see him acknowledge the humility that he'd feel being sworn in as America's first African American president. I'd like to hear Senator Clinton's pride in the possibility of breaking the biggest glass ceiling that exists in this country and of her excitement at the opportunity to demonstrate that a woman can be just as good (if not better) a president and commander-in-chief as the 43 male presidents that preceded her.

And maybe if this happened it would reach out to people. Maybe some black students across the country would see that we live in a generation in this country that is slowly but surely becoming more welcoming to racial minorities. Maybe some teenage girls throughout America would realize that it's ok to embrace their gender and to strive to succeed because they are female, rather than instead of it.

I know that there are a lot of pragmatic concerns with what I'm suggesting. There are still strong pockets of racist and sexist stereotypes that run deep within parts of our country's social fabric. And many of us think that the price of failure--a presidency by the name of McCain or Romney or Huckabee or Giuliani or Thompson--would be devastating. But success could be equally monumental. We can embrace this historic opportunity upfront and with a loud voice. We can actively and eagerly chase a progressive step towards equality for all in both actions and attitudes. And we may never have this good a chance again. Let's take advantage of it.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 03:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lynn: How long has my brother been abroad?

Lee: Hmm? He's been a guy as long as I've known him...

(Yes, I haven't blogged in a long time. A great pun is just the way to get back on the horse. Maybe.)

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 06:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

...when they smile, you smile back.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 11:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

I'm sure we all remember the Steve Bartman incident from the 2003 NLCS. Bartman was a Cubs fan that knocked a foul popup away from the pursuing Cubs outfielder, allowing the Marlins to prolong a rally and eventually win the game and the series.

What most people don't remember--I didn't, at least--was who the other key participants in that infamous play were. The batter of the lazy foul ball was the Marlins second baseman, Luis Castillo. The left fielder chasing the ball was Moises Alou. And, of course, with the trade-deadline acquisition of Castillo, both are now key members of the 2007 Mets.

(Thanks to the Wikipedia entry for Luis Castillo for reminding me which players were involved in Bartman-gate. I doubt I'm the first to make this observation about the 2007 Mets, but I haven't seen it anywhere before.)

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 03:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Weeks after moving in, we discovered a heretofore hidden vanity cabinet in the bathroom. What other secrets does our home hold in store for us?

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 02:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The under-the-counter kitchen cabinet right next to the stove has two pull out drawers rather than regular shelves to make getting at pots and pans quite easy. Fantastic.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 12:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The fridge has a water dispenser. Goodbye, Brita!

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 10:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

It came with a free grill. Grilled food is good.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 11:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The dishwasher has a time-delay setting.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 02:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Lines of dialogue that I don't expect to read on an arbitrary page in a book that Lynn is reading:

"One to seek him," Gilly whispered. "One to find him. One to bring him, one to bind him."

Come again? (Copyright 2001, for what it's worth.)

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 02:23 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

There are a few things in life which I'd be comfortable using as a litmus test to judge the competency of people to participate in the important aspects of society--things like voting or teaching our children. In the light of the recent NBA scandal, I wanted to note that (despite this story!) one of my litmus tests is:

Have you ever called a sports-talk radio station to espouse a theory that a sporting contest was fixed by gambling coaches, athletes, or officials?

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 04:38 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I first wrote about Lynn running Doyle's Road Race, I promised that I'd shortly share the conclusion I came to while watching the runners finish the five-mile race. Now's that time.

As I watched the runners approach the end of their journey, as I witnessed them expending final bursts of energy and leaning towards the non-existent tape, as the sweat dripped from their brows and their sneakers pounded the pavement, one thing became clear: these people are crazy! This isn't a stroll in the park; they're not smiling broadly and whistling a happy tune as they wrap up their morning jaunt. Rather, they're experiencing all kinds of pain, agony, suffering, and just plain insanity!

If you don't believe me, just take a look for yourself:

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

I haven' t blogged in a while. Going to try to get back in the habit, perhaps with short, less polished entries.

Ann Coulter is a crackhead, and made a crackhead remark about John Edwards's sexuality at the 2007 Conservative Political Action Conference. You shouldn't care about that.

What you should care about is the reaction of the audience. I didn't hear any boos or hisses in the relatively large audience following her slur. I heard some surprise, than some delirious, hooting laughter mixed with substantial applause. And as far as I can tell this isn't a conference attended by your garden-variety wackos, either. At least, both last year and this year CPAC has featured a lineup of mostly intelligent, reputable, and main-line conservatives.

The audience laughed; the audience cheered. Disgusting.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 03:57 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When trying to write have, I quite enjoy mistakenly typing hae, instead. It doesn't change my meaning at all, and I come off sounding Scottish! A win-win situation.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 03:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

My killfile feasts well in the hours and days following the end of another Mets or Broncos season.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 01:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Dodzie Sogah: biochemistry grad student

Rod Adkins: VP Development, IBM Systems & Technology Group

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 03:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

Former NASCAR driver, Benny Parsons, is diagnosed with lung cancer:

"Needless to say this was a huge shock," Parsons said. "The first thing everyone asks me is, 'Are you a smoker?' The answer is that I smoked my last cigarette way back in 1978, and since then I've hated being around smoking.

As much as I wish that this were an exaggeration and the first thing that people really ask Benny Parsons is "How are you doing?" (or something to that extent), I know from shared experience that this is no exaggeration at all.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 02:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Unfamiliar is having central-air installed in your childhood home years after you've moved away. All of a sudden, those vents that spewed only comforting, warm air for all your formative years now stare you in the face and emit cold air with nary a word of apology.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 10:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

If I were ever responsible for orchestrating a fireworks event, I'd be sure to choreograph one part of the show to the Gummi Bears theme song. It'd be great.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 11:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

On my day off, I went and visited Lynn at work. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to see her in action, and was not in the slightest surprised at how professional, prepared, well-spoken, and competent Lynn is at work. While the highlights of the hours that I spent watching Lynn (and her fellow ADAs) in the first session (arraignments) included a habitual tresspasser having his bail revoked and being led away in handcuffs despite his protestations, an alleged victim dropping a small blue bag of marijuana on the floor after talking with the judge, and the most introverted attorney I've ever seen (the wife of a defendant in a drugs case), I was most taken with thoughts of how Lynn's work environment and the legal system in general could be improved via the application of semantic web technologies. So I wrote about it over on my technical blog in what I'd term a mildly-technical entry. Some of you might enjoy it. (In the end, I'm just trying to find ways that Lynn can leave work earlier and spend more time with me. ☺)

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 05:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

At work there have been signs printed up and placed on some doors around the building. They say something to the extent of (name and number replaced to protect the questionably innocent):

For complaints about the work in the garage, call C_______ H_______ at 617-###-####.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 01:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The problem with trying to maintain a blog is that sometimes you just don't finish entries in a timely fashion. Exhibit A, your honor:

We enjoyed a gastronomic feast at the Zuckerman's home in Wyckoff yesterday on Thursday the other week, featuring:

• Assorted crackers with blocks of Swiss, cheddar, and Monterey Jack cheese
• Tortilla chips with a cheese-salsa dip
• Assorted veggies with a southwestern ranch dip
• Baked Brie
• Other dippables: hummus, baba ganoush, and tuna & cannellini bean dip
• Chicken wings
• Eggplant rollatini
• Oven-roasted turkey stuffed with an onion and herb stuffing
• Gravy from pan drippings
• Cranberry sauce
• Spinach soufle
• Sweet-potato pudding
• Homemade corn-bread stuffing
• Sweet and sour meatballs
• Cornish hens
• Ribollita
• Steamed asparagus
• Apple crisp
• Pumpkin pie
• Strawberry-rhubarb pie
• Vanilla ice cream
• Assorted candies and cookies

Following the food and festivities, the fine folks at CSI treated us to a Thanksgiving Day episode specifically designed to make us regret every single ounce of chow that we'd spent the day enjoying. The episode featured a poor man who suffered from Prader-Willi Syndrome, who escaped from his (temporary) caretaker and literally ate himself to death. The show, of course, shunned explanations that Prader-Willi goes hand-in-hand with levels of mental retardation in favor of gruesome autopsies and montages of the victim gorging at a buffet, competitive eating contest, and in the dumpster where he lost his life. Truly an hour of television carefully scripted to air on Thanksgiving night. I caught a re-run of a season one or two CSI episode a few days ago, and what struck me as surprising was that the team was investigating two run-of-the-mill murders. There were no rare diseases, no insect evidence, and no kinky sex acts involved. Somehow, investigation, forensics, and deductions (not to mention the requisite musical lab segment and eyestrain-inducing lighting) managed to create an engaging and entertaining episode. I do think that CSI is still one of the best shows on television today, but it's a bit of a shame that any subtlety or simplicity has long since been thrown to the wind.

Life is a long journey full of peaks and valleys, and we all learn at different times to appreciate the peaks and to weather the valleys. Life knocks us down and we get back up swinging; life lifts us up and we strive to cherish the moment. This year, though, I'm thankful for all those days when life simply looks the other way. The weeks when I wake up next to my wonderful wife, go to work with intelligent and witty people who are also my friends, create good times with high school and college friends who I must have known since ages past, watch my niece learn to say "boobies," and share in the warmth of two loving families. It's easy to celebrate the momentous occasions, but it's more important to learn to love the mundane things that make life worthwhile. Happy December, everyone.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 02:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

When I was growing up, my family went through a period in which we would sing our answering-machine greeting to the tune of well-known songs. My favorite one that I wrote was to the tune of Simon an Garfunkel's Sound of Silence

Hello friend, we are not home
The telephone is all alone
So leave your name, number, and message
Every call we get is precious
When you hang up, your message will be shrouded in darkness
It always was
And the house will be
In silence

I'm partiuclarly fond of the rhyme (sic) between message and precious, as well as the poetic imagery at the end. We had to sing the song doubletime when recording the greeting as the machine limited its length to about fifteen seconds. I think I was the only one in our family who ever liked this greeting—it was gone after less than a week.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)

I wore sandals to work today and after lunch I bought sneakers. After buying the sneakers, I put my sandals back on without taking off the socks I had worn to try on the sneakers.

I was going to write tonight about wearing socks and sandals together. I was poised to wax poetic about the epic tradeoff between unfathomable levels of foot bliss and the terrible stigma that society attaches to those who engage in this practice. I would weigh the pros and the cons of committing such a fashion faux pas while in search of simple comfort. And I would conclude in the end that Lynn would never let me get away with it.

But first I googled and I found that I am not at all alone in contemplating this ageless question:

• A healthy discussion courtesy of The Daily Ping in 2003.
• A word-order analysis that eventually relegates itself to rationalizing that dorkiness is cool.
• A condemnation of Czech men who practice this behavior
• And perhaps most entertainingly, instructions courtesy of Wing:
  1. Go to http://www.forceofgood.com.
  2. Click 'enter'
  3. Click 'do battle'
  4. Click 'choose your foe'
  5. Click the picture in row 2, column 3
  6. Click 'okay, go'
  7. Click 'do battle'

The debate rolls on without my help, it would seem, and yet the majority of the populous seem to fall squarely for fashion and against comfort. Yet tonight, Matt related a story to me of two women whom he overheard in a bar (I believe the word used to describe these women was 'hot') discussing how irresistibly attracted one of them was to men who can successfully pull off wearing socks with their sandals. I may be a novice at this, but that's enough justification for me to proclaim today proudly that I am a soxer!.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 02:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (10) | TrackBacks (1)

Billy Joel wrote:

A picture postcard
A folded stub
A program of the play
File away your photographs
Of your holiday

And your mementos
Will turn to dust
But that's the price you pay
For every year's a souvenir
That slowly fades away

Every year's a souvenir
That slowly fades away

We can take out our souvenirs and share them with ourselves, share them with each other. In doing so, we transform the postcard, the stub, and the program into indelible memories of the European trip, the baseball game, and the Broadway musical. And by sharing them, these integral moments in our lives survive not only in our own memories and in our souvenirs, but also in the memories of the people we love.

That then, is how I view this blog. It's a chance to share the moments of my life--big and small--with the people I care about and who care about me. Whether it's the people we meet, the food we eat, the games we play, the games we watch, or simply the thoughts we ponder, they'll be here to retell, relive, and remember. Most entries here will be far more concrete than this one, but all are born of this ideal.

The mementos may turn to dust, but the memories persist.

Posted by Lee Feigenbaum at 04:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)