Today is the last day of June. It has been a very long, busy and enjoyable month. Seeing as how it is the end of the fiscal year, I came into work this morning and found a plethora of new office supplies waiting for me at my desk. Stationary, envelopes, staples, paper clips, white out... it was like Christmas morning!

Nicole Kidman, goddess of the cinema, is having problems meeting men. Her words from a recent interview : "I'm hoping to meet someone and be happy with them. But that's not as easy as it sounds. I'm a 37-year-old woman with two children. Men aren't beating a path to my door. I don't want to sound like a woman from a lonely hearts club and I don't want to advertise. The children are my priority. I take them around with me... and that's not so appealing for any new man on the scene, is it?" C’mon guys, any volunteers???

The final four women left at Wimbledon are Sharapova, Davenport, Amelie Mauresmo and Serena Williams. Earlier this morning, Serena spanked Jennifer Capriati 6-1, 6-1. And the pride of Great Britain, Tim Henman, lost again. A perennial semifinalist, this year he lost in the quarters. Poor Brits.

The debate over “Fahrenheit 9/11” continues! Commentaries can be found on Wendy’s blog and Val’s blog. (see the links on the sidebar) I am also attaching a link from Denis Hamill’s article from today’s Daily News.

This just in! The Supreme Court ruled that underage kids can look at porn on the internet. Their reasoning had to do with free speech. I don't fully comprehend it but I cracked up laughing when I heard that the five who voted in the majority were the four liberal justices and CLARENCE THOMAS! Perv...

I’ve been in a mood for documentaries these past few months. Last night I watched “The Fog of War.” It is an interview with former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara and his take on the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. Some of his insights are remarkable. With reference to the Cuban Missile Crisis, it’s amazing how close the world came to nuclear war. It’s a good thing that Kennedy and Khruschev were both rational individuals, as Castro admitted to McNamara years later that he had urged Khruschev to use the nukes! And with reference to Vietnam, it’s a classic case of two sides not being able to understand the other’s point of view. America viewed it through the prism of the Cold War. The North Vietnamese viewed it through the prism of a civil war. Now that McNamara is in his 80s, he is able to speak openly about his regrets and it is refreshing to hear a policymaker admit that they even have any regrets!

There is a new 17-year old tennis talent from Russia named Maria Sharapova. Today she won her quarterfinal match at Wimbledon and is now in the semifinals where she will meet Lindsay Davenport. Sharapova is being called the second-coming of Anna Kournikova as, not only is she a young talent from Russia, but she is also quite the looker. Let’s hope that, unlike Kournikova, the fame won’t go to her head and she can concentrate on her tennis.

It was a very fun weekend what with the “Fahrenheit 9/11” outing, the day at Coney Island on Saturday, and a return to Coney on Sunday to take my parents to a Cyclones game. This time, the Crappers beat them by a score of 6-5. To which I said “Oh Crap!”

But there’s lots of news to talk about on this Monday morning. After months of anticipating the June 30 transfer of sovereignty in Iraq, they instead did it two days early this morning with little fanfare. How anticlimactic. It’s like changing Christmas to December 23. Now I have to call the caterer and cancel the party I was going to throw on Wednesday. Kidding of course. No doubt, the date was moved up and not publicized in order to prevent terrorists from attacking during the ceremony. How effective will the new Iraqi leaders be against the insurgents? Can they convince other Arab nations to embrace their legitimacy? Or will they just serve as American puppets? Lots of questions remain to be answered.

In other news from Iraq, an American Marine of Muslim descent was captured and is threatened for a beheading. The terrorists are claiming that they infiltrated one of our camps and captured the marine. The Pentagon is claiming that the marine deserted days ago and must have been captured elsewhere. Who to believe?

Michael Moore is having a very good morning. “Fahrenheit 9/11” was the #1 movie at the box office this weekend. This is even more impressive considering that it was only playing on over 800 screens whereas the #2 flick, “White Chicks”, was on around 2500 screens. What’s even better is that the film’s popularity is not confined to the blue states. Theaters were sold out all over the red states that voted for Bush in 2000. Its success is now prompting distributors to release it in even more theaters. This film looks like its going to have some considerable staying power!

Here’s an interesting story. Tiffany Schley, the valedictorian of the High School of Legal Studies in Brooklyn, gave a graduation speech where she criticized the school for its failure to provide resources and address student’s concerns. This is obviously a very smart and astute girl as she will be attending Smith College on a full scholarship. After giving the speech, she returned to the school to pick up her diploma and was barred from the building and denied the diploma out of sheer retaliation for her speech! How repressive is that?!? Only after the Daily News exposed the story did the school relent and grudgingly agree to give her the diploma. Mayor Bloomberg had it right when he decried the school’s administrators as “bozos” who tried to deny her freedom of speech.

Saturday was a great day as I gave Sarah a complete tour of Brooklyn. We started in Prospect Park, visited my office on the way, lunched at Two Boots, took the train to Coney Island, watched the Mermaid Parade, gawked at barely and strangely dressed people, walked on the beach, went on the Wonder Wheel and Thunderbolt, and then saw a Brooklyn Cyclones game. They beat the Mahong Valley Scrappers, 4-3. Or as Sarah likes to call them, the Crappers! Pictures are posted below.

Sarah & I at KeySpan Park 

Sarah at the Mermaid Parade 

KeySpan Park & The Parachute Jump 

Dick Zigun, Founder of the Mermaid Parade, and Marty Markowitz, Brooklyn Borough President 

Ah, street dancers... 

The Mermaid Parade (The nudity should get this webpage a bunch of new hits...) 

Fahrenheit 9/11 

"Fahrenheit 9/11" is just as amazing as I thought it would be.

It goes like this. The Bush Administration seized power by a fraudulent vote in Florida and exploited the September 11 terrorist attacks to pump up fear, tamp down dissent, enrich its cronies and, ultimately, to launch an ill-advised war against Iraq - on the dubious grounds that Saddam Hussein was somehow in league with Al Qaeda.

Michael Moore's telling of this narrative is enthralling and always entertaining. He begins by showing Al Gore's victory celebration on Election Night 2000 and wondering "Were the past four years just a bad dream?" We then see details of how Florida was rigged for Bush and his inauguration on a rainy day with huge protests in the streets and eggs being thrown at the motorcade. Prior to 9/11, Bush is shown as laid back and ineffective. His vacation for the entire month of August, 2001 is emphasized by the song on the soundtrack : "Vacation, all I ever wanted. Vacation, time to get away." (The song remained stuck in my head for the entire film) Then 9/11 is handled well by showing a black screen with the sounds of the airplanes crashing. Video is shown of Bush learning of the second plane hitting the tower and then sitting in a Florida classroom for a full seven minutes, with a vacant stare on his face and reading "My Pet Goat." We then learn how the administration made sure that all members of the Bin Laden family were safely flown out of the country without being detained for questioning. We also learn about the Bush family's ties with Saudi Arabia and the Bin Laden family in their oil business. Moore raises the point : "If you earned $400,000 in salary from taxpayers as President, and millions from Saudi Arabian oil interests, who would you be the most loyal to?"

Moore then explores the Patriot Act (most members of Congress didn't have time to read it before voting for it), the color coded terrorist threat warnings (used to induce fear), the insufficient job of defending the homefront (a national parks staffer complains that their budget is nonexistant), and the military's emphasis on recruiting among the poorest classes where the military is their best shot of going to college.

Finally Moore gets to Iraq where precious resources needed to hunt Bin Laden in Afghanistan were diverted. It is demonstrated that the administration pushed for war with Iraq from the beginning, even though the case could be made that Saudi Arabia was more responsible for 9/11. We see first-hand the devastation suffered by innocent Iraqi civilians. We also see the death and injuries of many of our own troops. The kicker is his interviews with the mother of a U.S. soldier. In the beginning, she supports the war and the administration. But after her son is killed and she receives his last letter where he writes that Bush sent him there for no reason, she changes her mind and asks what the point of this war was, going as far as traveling to Washington D.C. to stand outside of the White House gates and demand answers. It's heartbreaking and riveting. Even if Bush feels that he doesn't owe anything to Michael Moore, he does owe a damn good explanation to each of the families who lost their loved ones in a war that was fought under false pretenses.

To sum up, everyone must see this movie. I went with my friend Kerry and some of her friends and, to us, it felt like Moore was preaching to the converted. What we need to do is to bring Republicans and undecided voters to see this movie, especially those who live in the swing states. Kerry raised a good point in that some people might be turned off by the partisan manner in which Moore mocks Bush. But even if they don't buy some of Moore's points, there are others that will give them serious pause about Bush and his cronies.

On a side note about the theater I saw the movie at. It was the Loews on 34th Street and 8th Avenue. It was the first time I'd been to a theater where they had reserved seating up front, with food menus for the concession stands and ushers who take orders and bring food to your seat! At the movies! Unreal.

With one week to go until the Iraqi transfer of sovereignty, all hell has broken loose. This morning alone, there were a wave of coordinated attacks that have resulted in at least 83 people dead and 233 wounded. Threats have been made on the life of the new Iraqi Prime Minister. All in all I’d say that things are going badly. Not exactly the rosy scenario promised by Cheney and Rumsfeld before the war. As a matter of fact, Democratic Senator Joseph Biden had a recent meeting with Bush and Cheney. When asked what he would do about resignations following the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, Biden replied, “Look, Mr. President, would I keep Rumsfeld? Absolutely not.” Then he turned to Cheney and said “Mr. Vice President. I wouldn’t keep you either.” He went on to tell Bush that Cheney and Rumsfeld were “dead wrong on every major piece of advice they’ve given you.” What was the reaction from Bush and Cheney? According to Biden, “They said nothing. Just sat like big old bullfrogs on a log and looked at me.” Maybe they’re in a bad mood about something.

I’m a huge tennis fan. Every year I go to the U.S. Open and at this time of year, I always enjoy watching coverage of Wimbledon. Except this year, the rains have hit London pretty hard. This is the fourth day of the tournament and they are still playing 1st round matches. The big story of this Wimbledon has to be the comeback of Martina Navratilova. She’s 47 years old and the other day she beat a player half her age. Let’s see how she fares in her second round match. And speaking of tennis, a movie called “Wimbledon” is coming out this fall. It will star Kirsten Dunst and Paul Bettany. Should be good! (I hope!)

Last night I was talking with my new friend Caitlyn and we were discussing recent vacations that we’ve been on. It occurred to me that I haven’t had a vacation where I went somewhere that lasted more than 4 days in YEARS. Part of the problem is that I usually do not have a traveling companion so Caitlyn suggested that I use this blog as a forum to gauge if anyone else has the traveling itch. So here it is, as I really need to get out of this city!

Al Qaeda beheaded the South Korean. Bastards.

So I started reading my long-awaited Bill Clinton book last night and I wasn’t five pages in before my eyelids started feeling heavy. What separates this from say “Harry Potter” novels is that in “Harry Potter”, it’s an adventure where you can’t wait to turn the pages and find out what happens. In this case, you read about Clinton’s life and say “Oh yeah, I remember that.”

Last night, the American Film Institute presented their list of the Top 100 Movie Songs of all time. The full list can be found here. No surprise, is that “Over the Rainbow” was #1 and “As Time Goes By” was #2. It seems that each time AFI does a Top 100 list, “Wizard of Oz” and “Casablanca” rank at the top. Some other selections include...
35- “America” (West Side Story)
40- “Fight the Power” (Do the Right Thing)
58- “Gonna Fly Now” (Rocky)
74- “Rainbow Connection” (The Muppet Movie)
80- “Springtime for Hitler” (The Producers)
85- “Come What May” (Moulin Rouge)
93- “Lose Yourself” (8 Mile)

The Mets are one game over .500! They are now a winning team! Enjoy it while you can folks...

Guess who was the first person to buy Bill Clinton’s autobiography at the Barnes & Noble in Park Slope? Me! I walked by just as they were opening at 9:00 A.M. and made a beeline to the Clinton display (along with about 15 other people). But I was the first to pay for it! And it was cheap too. In addition to it being marked for 30% off, I got an additional 10% for being a member, and then an additional 15% on top of that from a B&N coupon that I got in the mail. I can’t wait to read about his battle with Voldemort... oh wait, wrong series. Well in lieu of a Harry Potter book this year, this will probably be the publishing industry’s big hit. And if it sucks, I can always use it for weight training purposes.

The cartoon on my Dilbert desk calendar :

The scene is a restaurant. A waitress is taking Dilbert’s order.

Dilbert : “Give me $35 worth of food, including your 15% tip.”
Waitress : “If I bring you a penne pasta, will you promise to not build a log cabin on your plate?”
Dilbert : “I can’t promise that.”
Waitress : “Well then. We have a situation here.”

And this was yesterday’s cartoon. Dilbert is sitting at the restaurant table by himself :

Dilbert : “I’m not a loser who can’t get a date. I’m a business traveler.”
Waitress : “What’s your girlfriend’s name? I’ll call her and check your story.”
Dilbert : “Maybe I should order.”
Waitress : “Maybe you should.”

Happy Belated Fathers Day! A good time was had yesterday as I went out to dinner with my parents, brother, aunt and uncle. My brother drove up from Baltimore on Friday and went home last night after dinner. In between meals and movies, much of his time was spent working on fixing my dad’s computer. It seems that computer problems always arise when he is in town. Two years ago, my computer crashed and my brother had to install Windows XP on it. It’s good to have a tech wizard in the family!

I’m sickened by the beheadings in the Middle East. First Nick Berg. Then Paul Johnson. Now a South Korean translator has been abducted and will also be beheaded at sundown if South Korea does not withdraw their troops. Although Berg and Johnson seemed resigned to their fates, the Korean was videotaped bawling in hysterics. To hear his cries on the radio this morning was devastating.

And now, doing a total 180, how about them Mets? Winners of four in a row, a three game sweep of the Tigers, two game-winning hits by Mike Cameron, the debut of Richard Hidalgo, the return of Jose Reyes, an even won-loss record and they are only two and a half games out of first place. Let’s hope they can improve from here!

Romantic comedies aren't exactly my favorite film genre, but I just saw an amazingly sweet one. It's called "Love Actually" and it's a great piece of ensemble storytelling. Each plotline is unique yet compelling in its own way. There's Hugh Grant as the Tony Blair-ish Prime Minister, who falls for one of his aides. There's Emma Thompson married to Alan Rickman, who is tempted by his secretary. There's Liam Neeson who, after his wife passes away, bonds with his 10-year old stepson and advises the boy through his first puppy love. There's Laura Linney who longs for her co-worker yet denies her own needs for those of her mentally disabled brother. There's Keira Knightly who marries one man yet is longed for by the man's best friend. There's the aging pop singer who realizes that he'd rather spend time with his loyal manager than to any of the women he can have. There's the awkward English guy who goes to America to pursue his goal of finding hot American chicks who will sleep with him just because he's British. And there's many many other story lines that all weave together very well. Highly recommended!

Today I took a LONG exam (nearly 4 hours) for the title of "Staff Analyst." For a couple of weeks prior to the exam, I was studying past questions dealing with flow charts and their crazy symbols (i.e. a diamond is a decision, a rectangle is a process, a triangle is storage). Fortunately, none of that was even on the test! I guess they decided to update the test from its 1930s incarnation. While waiting on line to get into the test, I think I was hit on. I'm not sure, I'm bad about figuring those things out. But she gave me her business card and wrote her cell phone number on it. But then she said something about her boyfriend. I'll never understand women!

Litchfield Villa. This is the building where I work. 

The infamous Root Boot! (Two Boot's root beer & vanilla ice cream float) 

Ah, the safe streets of Brooklyn. Next to Lauren are are a couple of toddler bicycles LOCKED to a front gate with a black CLUB-like device.  

This time of year is just insane for me. Never mind all of the ribbon cuttings, park openings and check presentations. Never mind the increased number of permit requests. The craziest part of this time of year is that June 30 is creeping up on us. No, I’m not talking about the Iraqi transfer of sovereignty. I’m talking about the end of the NYC Fiscal Year. It’s a mad rush to get all of the paperwork in to document expenses and ensure that they are credited to this year’s account. It may not be exciting but it’s sure been keeping me busy!

The 9-11 Commission announced yesterday that there is no evidence that Iraq had anything to do with Al Qaeda or with the terrorist attacks. Did you hear that, Mr. Cheney? Iraq had NOTHING TO DO WITH IT. Yet, the VP still insists it in his speeches and, according to an informal CNN online poll, 31% of Americans still believe it. C’mon people, pay attention!

Bill Clinton’s autobiography is coming out soon and I cannot wait to purchase it and immerse myself in the happy Clinton years when there were no wars and the economy was strong. Ah, how I miss the days when the biggest scandals focused on irrelevant land deals and Oval Office BJs.

So much for the Mets’ hitting streak. Yesterday they went back to their old ways, only scoring one run. Guess they better fire the new hitting coach!

Office lunch outing to Two Boots today. I’m looking forwarding to ordering the Root Boot – it’s a root beer float with vanilla ice cream, served in a mug, shaped like a boot! Mmm...

It’s too damn hot out. Yesterday we had the ribbon cutting for the new playground at Brower Park. The event was a success but was it ever hot. And today is no different. At 7:30 this morning, it was already broiling. Consider me cooked.

The Mets fired their hitting coach yesterday because none of their players could remember how to hit. (But when have the Mets ever hit?) So in the very first game after the firing, the Mets win by scoring 7 runs on 14 hits. I guess it really WAS the hitting coach’s fault after all!

It’s time for Summer Reality TV! Yesterday was the premiere of “The Joe Schmoe Show 2” and tonight is the premiere of “The Simple Life 2.” Is it mindless? Yes. Is it perfect for the summer when mindless rules the day? Absolutely.

I’ve made plans to see “Fahrenheit 911” next Friday night, the first day it opens. That's Michael Moore's new doc and I’m excited to see it. They had the big celebrity screening a few days ago. Although most of the crowd was liberal, Bill O’Reilly also showed up. He left halfway through, which means that it HAS to be good!

Haven't been able to think of a single thing to say today. Happy Flag Day? Nah, that's lame. Although the cartoon guy in my "weather pixie" has been replaced by an American flag which for some reason I find to be funny. Oh that reminds me of something. Speaking of flags, the Supreme Court ruled today that "Under God" should remain in the pledge of allegiance. Not because of any logic pertaining to the issues at hand. But because they ruled that the plaintiff was not the proper legal guardian of the girl he was suing on behalf of. Three cheers for technicalities!

Happy Birthday to my Mom!!!

Last night I attended Tim Wan's birthday party at the Carriage House on East 59th Street. It's an ideal place for a party - great drinks, great food, fun interactive jukebox, pool table & dart board, not too loud or crowded, and a cute bartender / waitress too!

Thanks to Jess for e-mailing me more Reunion pics! They have been posted below.

Holding the Class Banner at the Alumni Parade 

Me & Ben at the Saturday Dinner 

Jess & me at the Saturday Dinner 

So I watched the tape of Reagan's funeral. Pretty powerful. My heart goes out to Nancy. She's been a rock of strength this past week. Although the eulogies by the politicians at the Washington Cathedral were well done (particularly the love shown by George Bush Sr.), I was most impressed by the speeches of Reagan's three children at the burial site. I was most struck by Ron's comment, "My father was a religious man but, unlike many of our politicians, he never wore his religion on his sleeve. He viewed his convictions as a responsibility but not as a mandate. And believe me, there is a difference." Wow, that statement seemed to be a subtle jab at Bush. Between Ron's statement and Nancy's push for stem cell research, would it be too hopeful to wish for the Reagan family to join the Kerry campaign? I'm sure it won't happen but the signs are there that they are not in lock-step with the current Republican administration. And right now, the heart of the nation is with Nancy Reagan.

It has been a busy week at the Parks. On Wednesday, we held an event at Taaffe Playground in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Children from the public school across the street, spent the year collecting $1000 in pennies in their Penny Harvest Drive. The kids then decided that they wanted to use the money to fix up our playground. So at the event, the Principal presented the Borough Commissioner with a ceremonial check for $1000. It was a very sweet gesture. Then on Thursday, another check presentation ceremony was held at Grand Ferry Park in Williamsburg. This time, we received a check in the amount of $300,000 from the New York Power Authority to fix the park up. Next on the schedule is a ribbon cutting this Tuesday at Brower Park in Crown Heights.

On the sidebar of this webpage, I have added a feature with links to other friend's webpages. Basically, there are two ways that you can get your page listed there. You can either link my page to yours or, failing that, you can leave a comment about one of my posts. It's all about reciprocity!

In honor of Ronald Reagan’s funeral, today is a national day of mourning. Federal offices are...closed. State offices are...closed. City offices are...open. Sigh. So while Mayor Bloomberg goes to Washington to attend the funeral, the rest of us remain behind to do the work of the city. No worries, I have my VCR set to tape the show. (Was I just insensitive to have called the funeral a “show”? Yeah, probably. But there’s so much pomp and ceremony, it’s hard not to be wowed by it all.)

On top of that, Ray Charles died yesterday. My favorite Ray Charles song has got to be “Night Time is the Right Time.” It was performed on “The Cosby Show” by the Huxtable family as they lip-synched it to Cliff’s parents on their anniversary. The best part is when Rudy belted “BAAABBBYYY!!!!!” I can watch that one in reruns over and over again and never fail to crack up.

Happy Brooklyn Day! When I was a kid, I used to get this day off from school. Although I’m still in Brooklyn, I don’t get it off anymore. Rats.

I saw “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.” It was my favorite of all the books and, thus far, it is my favorite movie. I enjoyed Alfonso Cuaron’s direction. Rather than show us every single scene from the book (ala the first two films), he just focused on the main themes and showed what was needed to move the story along. What’s impressive is that even though the book was longer than the first two, its film version was shorter than each of the first two. Besides, my alltime favorite scene in all of the Harry Potter books is the confrontation inside the tree between Sirius Black, Lupin, Pettigrew, Snape, and the kids. It was as much fun to watch as it was to read. Now, with “Goblet of Fire” schedule to open in November 2005, the films are catching up to the books. I hope J.K. Rowling can write the last two quickly!

I hope everyone has enjoyed the recaps and pictures of my college reunion. It put me on a serious nostalgia kick that has continued all week, what with keeping in touch with old friends, swapping pics, reading the books I bought about VC, etc. But life goes on and so must this blog. So starting tomorrow I will resume posting film reviews, political rants, news from the parks, and lots more! Now if you'll excuse me, I must go back to my book about Vassar's transformation to coeducation...

Me, Casey, Nicole, Graham 

"Three Men and a Baby" (Gabe, me, Jonty & Jonty's baby daughter) 

Me at the Alumni Parade 

Vassar Reunion Recap for Saturday, June 5 and Sunday, June 6

My first night sleeping in a dorm room bed in 5 years netted four and a half hours sleep. Not having an alarm clock, I left the shades open to ensure that the sunlight would wake me up. I awoke at 8:00 A.M. and then took my first shower in a dorm room bathroom in 5 years. Jay Briar complained that my blog posting about Friday didn’t have any details on the bathrooms so I’ll make up for it here by saying it had very good water pressure. By 9:00, I was ready to go. Ben was also up so we went to the college store. On the way, we met some elderly alums and talked about the Japanese elm trees in the quad. Even though the store had only been open for 15 minutes, it was already very crowded. I made three purchases. A Vassar Alumni sweatshirt. A book about the history and architecture of Vassar’s buildings. And a book about how Vassar spurned Yale’s offer to merge and became a co-ed school in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Those two books will certainly keep me busy for a while. As I was waiting on line, I stood next to a woman who said that she flew in all the way from Saudi Arabia to attend reunion. That’s amazing.

I left the store and ran into Jon Gans and Emily Jacobs in the retreat. I wasn’t sure if they would be coming so I was very happy to see them. (I am going to be in their wedding party next year) Pictures were taken with them as well as with ADK and Stu in the retreat. I saw Marguerite Mugge too. (Not Marguerite Moreau though. She was supposed to attend but couldn’t at the last minute) Then it was back to Davison to drop off my new purchases and to get ready for the Alumni Parade!

All the classes lined up for the parade on the path in between the Chapel and Main. Each class was adorned with banners and balloons in our class colors. Lots of pictures were taken and I had the honor of holding the Class of 1999 banner, along with Becky. The parade started with Fran, her dog, a band and then a golf cart driving the lone member of the Class of 1929. Think about that... 1929. If she was 20 when she graduated then that would make her 95 today. Amazing. More golf carts followed with members of the Class of 1934 and 1939. Then other classes followed, marching behind. Standing on the sidelines, all of us cheered for them and they in turn cheered for us. Many of them looked at us and said “You’re so young!” or “Look, there’s men!” Don’t forget, Vassar was originally an all-womens college so it was great to see all of the alumni from that era. The Classes of 1948 and 1949 marched together because the classes were very small, as World War II prevented many women from leaving home. One of the alums that I spoke with earlier in the quad went over to me and we gave each other a high five. Then we saw the Class of 1974 with a banner proclaiming that they are Vassar’s first fully co-ed class. As we cheered for all of the classes ahead of us, it became our turn to march. But since we were the tail end of the parade, there was no one left to cheer for us! Thankfully, Graham Campbell and Pedro Amador broke away from the group and ran along the sidelines yelling “Yay! 99!”

The parade made its way to the new athletic building next to Walker. Inside there is a new gymnasium that was set up for a rally. Our class was assigned the side bleachers. Two huge video screens were set up next to a stage. What followed was a presentation announcing how much each class gave to the college. The Class of 99 gave the most money for a 5-Year Class in 28 years, as our gift was around $17,000. Thanks to Annie Thottam and Carolyn Brooks for their hard fundraising efforts. The 50th Reunion Year class gave over $2 million! And the total for all classes was over $9 million. Amazing. After those announcements we were shown a very sentimental video combining footage from Vassar at the turn of the century, with that of the 1950s, and with that of the present day. Everyone got a little emotional during it; a testimony to how well the institution is loved by its alumni. Many people, myself included, said during the weekend that we would love to drop everything and do another 4 years all over again. Finally, the rally concluded with a singing of “Gaudeamus”, the traditional scholar’s song.

After that event they were giving out box lunches, but I wasn’t interested so I went back to the Retreat and consumed a roast beef sandwich, just like they used to make it. Then it started to drizzle and, since there was some downtime, I decided to check out some of the new renovations. I went into Noyes, my home for three years, to see the renovated Jetson Lounge. I also checked out all of my old rooms to complete the nostalgia trip. Then I went into Jewett, which was completely gutted and beautifully redone. It doesn’t even resemble a dorm anymore; it’s like a hotel. Melissa Walker said that her old room is now a stairwell. Andrij Dobriansky said that his old room is now a study hall. The halls, walls, windows, furniture are all impeccable and if I lived there I’d be afraid to touch anything! I wonder if this is their idea in renovating all of the dorms.

After my self-guided tour I went back to Davison to catch up on some rest. I tried to nap for a half-hour but who can nap during reunion? So I chilled on the front steps of Davison, talking to Matt Newton, and waving to all of the late arrivals including Jill Cadre. Ben soon came by and to end our boredom, along came a golf cart being driven by a reunion staffer. She asked if anyone needed a ride so Ben and I said “Sure!” She told us that she had 20 minutes left in her shift and would drive us around campus for that long. Turns out that our host was Emma Angevine’s younger sister from the Class of 04! So we sped through campus and checked out the new South Commons facilities. Along the way, we saw older alums slowly making their way around campus. When we asked them if we could take them anywhere, most declined. I think they wanted to prove to themselves that they could still walk around campus, unassisted. Finally some alums did want a ride to the new Center for Drama and Film so Ben and I were kicked out of the cart.

While that was happening, my favorite political science professor, Richard Born, was giving a lecture. I did not attend but Jon Gans e-mailed me to fill me in on what happened. Jon wrote, “So Born's talk was pretty good and wicked funny. The same old antics, clothes, and notes. He was more enthusiastic than I remember... He was like : ‘I wanted to call this talk Delay does Dallas (pause) and Houston and Fort Worth..., but I didn't think they would print it in the program.’ He told Mike Riggs and I to forget all the nonsense he said in class about ticket-splitting, the decline of political parties, etc. He said he was wrong.” So basically, my political mentor just openly admitted that everything he taught us was wrong! Can’t beat that one. After that class, Austin Brown invited Mr. Born to attend the Class of 99 cocktail reception in Raymond. Born’s response was “Well, I don’t know if I’m really supposed to go.” Austin convinced him though! More on that later.

Anyway, after Ben and I were kicked off the golf cart, I made my way back to my room to change for the President’s reception for donor societies. I was invited since my gift contribution just barely qualified me as a Cornaro Fellow. So I put on some nicer clothes and made my way over to Fran’s house. She had a big tent set up on her lawn and the first person I recognized was Ken Wong, from the Class of 2000. Ken said that even though it wasn’t his reunion he decided to come up to campus for Fran’s donor reception. ADK and Stu then made a beeline in my direction as there weren’t too many 99ers there so we have to stick together. A gin and tonic and a red wine were consumed. We waited on a receiving line to pay our respects to Fran and I had a nice little conversation with her. She said how much she appreciated the large turnout of our class. (Almost half attended) I mentioned how well organized the parade and rally was and how nice it is for the different generations to have the opportunity to interact. Fran then encouraged us to go inside of her house and look around. So we did, admiring her artwork and books. In one room we saw her TV and personal video collection. Amusingly, Adam Sandler’s “The Wedding Singer” was included. I then went back into the reception and met up with Jill and Annie Thottam. We hung out for a little while and then made our way over to Main.

Each parlor on the second floor of Main was being occupied by various small receptions. I peeked into the Faculty Parlor and saw some people I recognized so I went inside and started saying hello to people. I then asked one person what this reception was for and he said that it was the Gay and Lesbian Alumni Association. To which I said, “Cool! I’ll see you later then!” Heh heh, can’t have any rumors going around now! Jill, Annie and I then visited the reception for the Latino/Latina Alumni Association. We caught the very end of some speeches and then partook in some festive fruit.

At that point I made my way up to the 3rd Floor of Main to see the room that I lived in during my senior year. I also checked my e-mail at the computer cluster and that was when I found out that Ronald Reagan had passed away. It would become a big dinnertime conversation topic that night.

Back to Davison to watch the Belmont Stakes. The room was packed with members of our class and the Class of ’89. I still can’t believe that Smarty Jones lost. He had it! During the race I chatted with former Davison residents, Megan Marks and Adam Perrelli. Megan was quite devastated when Smarty lost. Many were. Then it was over to Raymond for the Class of ’99 reception. All I can say about that one is – nothing says Vassar better than red wine in a paper cup. The room was packed and it was a bit difficult to move around. I did see Mr. Born though as he accepted Austin’s invitation and attended. We had a nice conversation as he remembered where I was working and whom I used to work for. Austin then invited him to go golfing with us at the 10-Year Reunion.

After that it was on to the Saturday night dinner. Each class had a tent set up outside of the dorms. Ours was on the lawn in between Chicago Hall and Joss. This was a sit-down dinner and they checked for tickets this time. (Good thing too since we spent $35 on em) The dinner consisted of a choice of chicken, tuna or pasta, with potatoes & veggies, a salad, cheesecake, and yes – red or white wine. So that marked my third red wine in three consecutive receptions. Reunion Chair Michelle Laredo got on the microphone and got cheers when she said “Don’t worry. I won’t be asking you for any money.” Becky Corona then got on the mic and acknowledged the efforts of her fellow class officers - Marivel (applause), Jill (applause), and me (the room ERUPTED in applause). I don’t mean to sound cocky – on the contrary I was very humbled by it. I couldn’t get over the overwhelming reception I got from my classmates and I’m very thankful for it. Becky then said that we are accepting names for new officers and anyone who is interested should contact her. I suppose we’ll have an election via the mail or something. As for me though, I am officially retired!

After dinner, there was yet another fireworks display. This one emanated from off-campus. Coincidentally there was a street fair going on in Poughkeepsie. After lingering in the tent for a while, a bunch of us made our way back to the Davison MPR to relax. Gabe, Jonty and I ordered chicken parms from Naps, thus fulfilling my eating goals for the weekend. We also watched the end of the NHL game and the news coverage about Reagan. The night died down after that. Some people went back to the Acrop (I couldn’t even look at food anymore) so I visited the Mug for literally five minutes before getting sick of it. So it was back to the dorm to hang out until 2:30 A.M. at which time I called it a night.

Slept for seven and half hours uninterrupted. Woke up at 10 and at 11 made my way over to ACDC for the brunch. It was so surreal to be walking to ACDC again with a group of people. Serious deja vu. The selection of brunch foods wasn’t as impressive. Stephanie went into the main dining area to get some cereal and an employee bitched her out because it wasn’t “part of the brunch.” Stephanie said, “I paid $15 and you won’t let me eat CEREAL?” The worker conceded but that was just ridiculous. Anyway the brunch was a somber affair as everyone was saying goodbye to each other. Before I left though, I checked out the new second floor of ACDC which is now the new Students Center. Very nicely designed.

The weekend then ended as Ben drove Jess and me back to the train station. Jess and I finished our trip the way we started – on the Metro North.

All in all, a great weekend. Thanks for reading this very long recap!

Hanging out in the Davison MPR. Thanks to Gabe for providing these photos. For more, see his blog! 

Watching the Friday Night Fireworks 

Walking to the Friday Night Dinner 

Friday Night Misc Reunion (Left to Right : Shrey, Ben, Stu, ADK, me, Melissa, Stephanie, Jen, Stephen, Sally-Anne 

And now, a recap of my 5-Year Vassar Reunion! Due to its length, this first post will focus on Friday, June 4 with other posts coming soon.

It started on Friday when I met up with Jess Roth in Grand Central Station. While waiting for our train we consumed soup in the food court (matzo ball for me) and we saw our first Vassar people, Kate Lane and Jerry Decker – both of whom were also eating! We took the 3:12 train to Poughkeepsie and arrived a little bit after 5:00. Upon leaving the Po-town train station, we were greeted by the standard posse of Jamaican cabbies who yell “Vassar? Vassar?” One very aggressive cabbie got nine of us, including me, Jess, Jerry, Kate, Dave Giles and Tom Pyun, to cram into his van. I barely even fit as instead of sitting I was kneeling in between the seat and the door for the entire ride. But that’s all part of the Poughkeepsie Cab experience.

We were dropped off near North Lot and our group proceeded to wheel our respective luggage toward the registration in the Aula. On the way there I saw a new fountain and garden and said out loud, “Yo, what the hell is this new thing?” Then when I looked closer and saw the plaque inscription “Dedicated to the victims of September 11, 2001”, I felt very foolish and said, “Oh.”

Once arriving at the Aula, I registered and got my welcoming packet including keys to Davison 327. Several items were for sale including one clever t-shirt that said “Vassar Football. Undefeated since 1861.” I didn’t buy it though. I called Ben Horst on my cell phone and he informed me that he was hanging out in the College Center Circle so I said “See ya later” to Jess and the others and met up with Ben. We then went over to Davison so I could drop my bag off in the room. On the way we saw “Easy E” Erich Walter, Pedro Amador and some others kicking around a soccer ball in the quad. Everyone was already feeling very relaxed and comfortable! On to Davison it was and I was quite impressed with the size of 327. I learned later on that it’s one of the prime singles in the dorm and is usually taken by a House Officer. I don’t know who put the housing assignments together but they obviously know that I rate! Even better was that Ben was right across the hall from me.

We then went down to the Davison multi-purpose room where a welcoming reception was being held for our class. We were given t-shirts, steins, and beer. There would be plenty of more beer to be had over the weekend. And wine. And mixed drinks. It’s pretty obvious that they were trying to get us all drunk – possibly so we’d give them more money! Among the people I talked with at the reception were Michelle Laredo-Torres, her husband Efrain, Becky Corona, Marivel Oropeza, Nikki Ruth, Allison Harris, Colleen Fox, Annabelle the desk messenger and our friendly student assistant. That’s also when Gabe and Jen Anderson made their arrival! There were many many other people I talked with there too but I can’t be expected to remember them all. By now it was approaching 7:00 and it was time to head off to the Friday Dinner at the Walker Field House Tents.

I walked to Walker with Ben, Gabe, Jen, Shrey, Jonty Yamisha and Jonty’s wife Dina and 5-month old daughter Maydene. The baby is so cute and so well behaved! They took her to many of the events and she was always smiling and having a good time. Anyway once at Walker, we sat at various round tables. Ben and I joined Brandee and Rouslan at a table. I also spent some time sitting with Jess, Erin Condy and Carrie Schultz at another table. And with Tara Knowland and Noel Baxter (too bad that Noel's husband, Joe Bonk, couldn't make it - he was my student fellow!) Table hopping is ultimately called for in such occasions. I also had an animated conversation with Cody Kushner about baseball! It was a great buffet dinner including unlimited drinks and unlimited Vassar Devils. Those are the great desserts consisting of chocolate cake underneath vanilla ice cream, hot chocolate syrup and many toppings. The only problem was that we spent 20 bucks on our tickets and noone even bothered to check them! Easy E didn’t come to the dinner because he didn’t have a ticket. When I told him that they didn’t even check, his response was, “What a gyp!” (FYI – they made a point to definitely check tickets at the Saturday dinner) After the dinner there was a cool fireworks display and we then made our way to the College Center.

In the College Center, Sally-Anne Moringello reserved room 237 for a smaller reunion for members of the Miscelleny News Ed Board. I was never on Ed Board so I crashed! Our group was then joined by Stephen Gribbin, ADK, Stu, Stephanie Litos, Melissa Walker and Tye Wolfe. What great fun we had looking at current Misc issues and picking out all the typos and horridly written articles. They even spelled the word “Students” wrong in one of their big-fonted headlines. Sigh... Apparently the Misc people used to take lots of votes in their meetings and Litos was saying that we needed to vote on something. So we all voted that Melissa would be one of the new class notes correspondents, as the terms of me and Litos are now over and done with. We also drank beer and consumed cookies with vanilla frosting that were generously provided by S-A. Stu made a point to remind me to eat lots of cookies.

While in the College Center, I checked my e-mail on one of the many iMacs they have on the second floor and was pleasantly surprised to see that someone made VassarChat.com the default web setting. Between that and all of the VassarChat flyers that were circulated, the whole campus is bound to know about us soon!

From there it was on to the Mug! Let me tell you something. It hasn’t changed. It’s dark, loud, crowded and the floors are as sticky as ever. The sight of a bunch of alums sitting on the Mug Line was hilarious. Although the DJ played some newer songs like “Hey Ya!” and my personal favorite, “I’m a Hustler”, we also heard many of the same stuff that was played from 1995-1999. With all the noise it’s also the perfect place to have a conversation : “How’s it going?” “What?” “How are you?” “WHAT?” Despite not being able to hear very much I think I had some conversations with Austin Brown, Hayden Courtland, Graham Campbell, Amar Reganti, Nicole Zahka and others. I had thought it would be all 99ers in the Mug but there were many from 94, 89, 84, there was even one guy from the Class of 74 with a big white bushy beard and he made a real beeline to the bar! Great to see all of the diversity.

It’s now 1:30 A.M. and hunger is setting in. I had two eating goals for Reunion weekend. One was to go to the Acropolis Diner. The second was to order a chicken parm from Naps. The first was done on this night as Ben, Gabe, Jen and I set off for the Acrop. We walked there and I didn’t remember it being such a big walk! Old age setting in. Sitting right across from us were Erin, Matt Wilson and Matt’s fiancée Stephanie. So yeah, I table hopped again. Since it was technically morning, I decided to have breakfast – a scrambled egg with bacon! The best part was when our waitress mocked the owner (her boss) right in front of him. I wonder if she still had a job the next day.

After eating off the alcohol that was consumed, it was back to Davison. It’s now 2:30 A.M. By that time most of the people I knew had gone to sleep. I walked around for a while looking for some action and sure enough I found it in the shape of a loud party on the 4th Floor of Davison. But I didn’t stay too long and retired to my room and to bed at 3:30 A.M. After all, there would be a very big day tomorrow!

Stay tuned for the recap of what happened on Saturday, June 5.

"Avenue Q" just won the Best Musical Tony Award! Hell, yeah!!! The show is awesome. Get thee to New York ASAP and see it!

Guess where I'm typing this right now? At an iMac in the Vassar College Center! Reunion is so amazing. The past two days have been incredible and I am going to write all about it on this blog very soon. But first some thoughts on non-reunion related matters.

Ronald Reagan passed away this morning. After ten years of being ravaged by Altzheimers, I'm glad that he is no longer suffering. Although I am no fan of his presidency or his policies, his passing is nonetheless a sad moment for America and I extend my sympathies to Nancy. Speaking of Nancy, I have to give her all the credit in the world for voicing her support of stem-cell research. The Bush Administration's opposition to it makes no sense - yet another case where policy has been hijacked by religious ideology. But Nancy realizes that the research opens a world of opportunities - who knows, maybe it can cure Altzheimers. Hopefully in the coming media frenzy over Reagan's death and funeral, Nancy will stress the importance of this matter.

Yet again, a horse wins the Kentucky Derby, wins the Preakness, but chokes in the Belmont Stakes. This time the choker was Smarty Jones. The worst part was Smarty had the race won! A four-leg lead that all of a sudden vanishes from a horse that came from nowhere to surpass it. And the hopes of all horse racing fans are dashed...again.

Don't worry, a full detailed reunion recap is coming to this blog very soon! Stay tuned.

I can’t get over how perfect the weather is (as everyone can see from my Weather Pixie!) I could be outdoors all day long with weather like this. As it was, I had a convenient excuse to be in Central Park this morning and was sure to take some time to appreciate its beauty. And I can I tell you how mobbed the zoo was with classes on field trips? It was pretty mobbed.

George Tenet resigned today as Director of the C.I.A. The reasoning behind it? According to Tenet, “It was a personal decision, and had only one basis in fact: the well being of my wonderful family, nothing more and nothing less." Riiiggghhhttt... Anytime an elected official or a highly appointed official resigns for “family reasons”, it’s all a load of crap. It’s a code for being shown the door. For Tenet, the intelligence failures related to 9-11, WMD and many others, have finally caught up with him. Now can Rumsfeld resign next?

Who says that spelling bees are not a dangerous sport? Earlier today, a 13-year old boy appeared to faint and collapsed on stage, drawing gasps from the audience. After a few seconds, he gathered himself, stood up and immediately started spelling “alopecoid.” He got it right and then received immediate medical attention.

This might be the last blog update for a few days. I’m off to Poughkeepsie tomorrow and most likely will not have access to a computer. Even if I did, I don’t think blogging would be on my mind! But I will return next week with a full recap on what happened at the Vassar Reunion!

Saw “Fiddler on the Roof” last night at the Minskoff Theater. Very good show in a comfortable theater. Rarely do I see a show on Broadway that I am SO familiar with, inside and out. I was literally mouthing the words to myself as they sang them. Alfred Molina played Tevye and, although he was good, I don’t think he measured up to Topol’s performance in the movie. It seemed that Molina was trying his best not to mimic Topol and to make the character his own, but I kept thinking after each number that Topol did a better job. Oh well, he spoiled me. The actor who played the tailor Motel Kamzoil was fantastic though with impeccable comic timing. He was appropriately nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Tony. The dream sequence was very well staged with lots of cool special effects including actors descending from the rafters. The actresses who played Tevye’s daughters all did a good job. I never fail to tear up during “Far From the Home I Love.” And there was a new musical number in the second act that was not included in the original production or the movie. It is called “Topsy Turvy” and has Yente and a couple of the other women lamenting the changes. The final change came at the end of the show. Instead of the fiddler being the last one to walk off the stage, he passed the fiddle off to a young boy and they walked off together, symbolizing that as they move to a new world, the traditions are being passed on to the next generation.

Got an e-mail from AAVC last night saying that more members of the Class of 99 have registered for reunion than any other 5-Year class in their history! Should be an amazing turnout. However, due to those numbers, our class will be housed in Davison and not Main as originally planned. I am very familiar with Davison though as I spent a lot of time there during my freshman year. Only two days to go!

Is it June already? Dang, 2004 is flying by.

It’s a three-day work week, thanks to the holiday yesterday and my going away on Friday. I love short weeks.

I’m thinking of various different ways to improve this website. In addition to the picture on the right, you can now see a Weather Pixie, detailing the latest weather conditions at JFK International Airport. If anyone knows of any other fun do-hickeys that I can add to this site, please let me know!

Sometime today I have to write my final Class Notes column for the Vassar Quarterly. I inherited the job a few years ago from a former correspondent who reads this blog (long story!) It’s been a fun job with minimal work – only about an hour, twice a year – but even still, I’m happy to be done with it. The novelty of writing the column wears off after a couple of years. I hereby pass the torch to whoever else wants to do it.

Tonight I am seeing “Fiddler on the Roof.” Although I have seen the show many, many, many times, this is the first version that I’m seeing on Broadway. Thanks to Jessica for providing free tickets! A review will be forthcoming tomorrow.