This weekend and next are all about getting ready for my next move to my new apartment in Prospect Heights. Like most, I am usually less than excited about the prospect of packing up all my earthly possessions and trucking them off to a new home. In the past, it has been the subject of…
“Sit Down to Rise Up”: Support the Interdependence Project!
My buddy Rafi sends out word that his organization the Interdependence Project is sponsoring a "meditation marathon" for 24 hours on November 6-7 to raise funds for their innovative approach to activism: I’m asking anyone reading to sponsor me as I meditate for a full twenty four hours as part of the Fall fundraiser. I’ll…
COBU’s hoofer/drummers bring together Japanese and American beats
Last night my friend Joyce and I caught the latest show by the Japanese drumming / tap group COBU at the Theater for the New City in the East Village. They always put on an incredible show, and after 10 years of work, the depth and power of their performance just keeps increasing. Since the…
I’ve been to the coffee promised land: Ninth Street Espresso
As a coffee lover, I'm always on the lookout for the perfect "cuppa." I'm not a fancy coffee confection drinker: cappuccinos are too frothy, lattes too weak, iced coffee too sweet. I just like a plain old, well-made, robust and flavorful cup of coffee. That said, if I want to get fancy, I go for…
A Room (or 4) of My Own!
I just realized that my new apartment that I am moving into at the end of the month is the first place in my whole life that is exclusively my own, to furnish and decorate as I wish. This is kind of a big deal. So what kind of environment do I want to live…
Passing the Friend Test as a Known Sperm Donor
I'm in the Schipol airport in the Netherlands waiting for my flight back to the States, successfully completing my mission to help my friends conceive a child. The process so far was relatively painless and smooth, even though this was done at a large public Dutch hospital involving several departments. Pretty much everyone we dealt…
Dreaming of Dutch Living
As I write this, I’m eating brunch in an outdoor café on the corner of Oosterpark in the southeastern part of Amsterdam, imagining (again) what it might be like to live here. Tall blonde girls walk past me every couple of minutes, each one cuter than the last. A waiter serves me a perfect cup…
Donating Sperm at a Dutch Fertility Clinic
I had an interesting day spent mostly at one of the main public hospitals in Amsterdam, fulfilling my role as the "known sperm donor" for a couple of friends of mine. It began, strangely enough, with the actual donation. I met the nice lab tech guy named Cor, who handed me a plastic cup and…
Quaker artist James Turrell’s new hologram show opens September 10
I've been a big fan of the work of Quaker artist James Turrell after seeing him lecture in 2007, and then visiting his "Meeting" installation in 2008. Mr. Turrell has a new show opening on September 10 featuring his large holographic work that looks amazing. From the press release: In this new work James Turrell…
Helping bring a new life into the world
Tomorrow night I'm off to Europe to help some dear friends of mine have a child. To be exact, if all goes as planned, I am going to be the biological father of their child. It's one of the most important things I've ever done in my life. I've been friends with the couple for…