Today is Primary Day in New York State. However, there aren’t any contested races where I live, so I will not be going to my old elementary school to cast a ballot. Noone is challenging Chuck Schumer on the Democratic line and none of the other local incumbents have any opposition either. I suppose that I could vote for judges except none of them are distinguishable from the others. Next year will be very busy though as all of the City offices will have primary races, including for Mayor.

Yesterday was the first day of school in NYC. I’m so glad that I’m out of the system, based on the horror stories I’ve been hearing about the Education Department. But I know that school is back in session since the streets and mass transit are noticeably more crowded.

I saw the movie "Hero" a couple of days ago. Very well done. The cinematography is stunning as such vibrant uses of color are employed. The fight scenes were also amazing – very reminiscent of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." The story is a fable of ancient Chinese history dealing with dynasties, assassins, honor, love and national unity. Popular in China for several years, the film was just recently released in the U.S. and is well worth your time.

On the baseball front, things are not looking good for Mets Manager Art Howe. The team decided on Friday to fire him at the end of the season but word leaked to the media and it was splashed across the back pages. Howe is now a lame duck and asks that they fire him now rather than put him through a month of limbo. Poor guy. He was a genuinely nice man but his plain spokenness failed to inspire his team to play. That and the usual combination of Met injuries and bad luck.

But in better baseball news, my fantasy team is in 3rd place out of 12 teams! I’m in the running to win the "Most Improved" prize!