Get six people get any whiter? From from left to right, Ken, Leigh, Eric, Mark, Ken and Myself. Typically we take a group photo with wives and kids, but this year we forgot.
May 30, 2006
Memorial Day Weekend
Get six people get any whiter? From from left to right, Ken, Leigh, Eric, Mark, Ken and Myself. Typically we take a group photo with wives and kids, but this year we forgot.
May 21, 2006
Preparing for Memorial Day Weekend
Each year, on Memorial day weekend, my undergraduate roommates from Rutgers, their wives and kids, and myself get together. This year its at Ken and Carole's house. Below is the introductory email.
Folks,
It's time ... Memorial Day Weekend 2006!!!! Over the past year, Carole and I have created an ambitious To-Do list to prepare for this event and we got thru half of them. 3 weeks ago, I finally convinced her to scrap the idea of building an extension on the house. Phew!
I understand our lineup this year includes, the Zawels, the Herrmans, the Mannings, Mr. Novak ... and the Bogdersons? Anderbogs? Ahh .. The Bogdans!!! (can't wait to meet Joseph!) Bob .. We are going to miss you brother!
Ok. The weekend info ....
We're expecting folks to arrive lunchtime on Saturday and head out on Monday noon-ish. On Monday, at approximately 1PM, Carole will convince me to climb down from one of my trees in the backyard, put on clothing and tell me everything will be alright.
Please bring:
- Air mattresses, pillows, blankets and bathing suits (as an option, our swim club opens on Memorial Day) and sunscreen
- An easy-to-travel-with desert of your choice
- 1 1/2 cases of beer - NOTE - we upped the amount by a 1/2 case because every year we run out and have to make a beer run on Sun
- 1 Wrestling Singlet
- Great weather
We'll supply the food, roof, big ass yard (2 hours of my life every weekend), volleyball, basketball, football, baseball, a wooded trail, a bunch of outside toys kids can lose or fight over and our share of embarrassing, yet funny, moments. Carole also asked me to hold a self defense class for the ladies one morning, so we'll grab a one of the guys as a volunteer and show you ladies a few moves hopefully you'll never have to use in your life.
Also, we have a Minor League Baseball Team just a few short miles away from our house (Somerset Patriots). They are playing a game on Sunday afternoon. It may be a great excursion for the adults and kids for a few hours. It's close to our house so we do not have to stay the whole game. If you are interested, tickets are $8.50/person. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO. I'll go ahead and purchase the tickets. We do suggest that if the children go, at least one of his/her parents join them. (I promise not to streak and do jumping jacks in center field this year).
Lets hope that if this year's weekend comes close to the fun we had last year at the Mannings .. Hopefully it'll make Mike's Blog.
See you in a few short weeks .. back to my To-Do list.. Next up .. making the music mix and building a deck!!!
Can't wait!
Ken
Folks,
It's time ... Memorial Day Weekend 2006!!!! Over the past year, Carole and I have created an ambitious To-Do list to prepare for this event and we got thru half of them. 3 weeks ago, I finally convinced her to scrap the idea of building an extension on the house. Phew!
I understand our lineup this year includes, the Zawels, the Herrmans, the Mannings, Mr. Novak ... and the Bogdersons? Anderbogs? Ahh .. The Bogdans!!! (can't wait to meet Joseph!) Bob .. We are going to miss you brother!
Ok. The weekend info ....
We're expecting folks to arrive lunchtime on Saturday and head out on Monday noon-ish. On Monday, at approximately 1PM, Carole will convince me to climb down from one of my trees in the backyard, put on clothing and tell me everything will be alright.
Please bring:
- Air mattresses, pillows, blankets and bathing suits (as an option, our swim club opens on Memorial Day) and sunscreen
- An easy-to-travel-with desert of your choice
- 1 1/2 cases of beer - NOTE - we upped the amount by a 1/2 case because every year we run out and have to make a beer run on Sun
- 1 Wrestling Singlet
- Great weather
We'll supply the food, roof, big ass yard (2 hours of my life every weekend), volleyball, basketball, football, baseball, a wooded trail, a bunch of outside toys kids can lose or fight over and our share of embarrassing, yet funny, moments. Carole also asked me to hold a self defense class for the ladies one morning, so we'll grab a one of the guys as a volunteer and show you ladies a few moves hopefully you'll never have to use in your life.
Also, we have a Minor League Baseball Team just a few short miles away from our house (Somerset Patriots). They are playing a game on Sunday afternoon. It may be a great excursion for the adults and kids for a few hours. It's close to our house so we do not have to stay the whole game. If you are interested, tickets are $8.50/person. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT TO GO. I'll go ahead and purchase the tickets. We do suggest that if the children go, at least one of his/her parents join them. (I promise not to streak and do jumping jacks in center field this year).
Lets hope that if this year's weekend comes close to the fun we had last year at the Mannings .. Hopefully it'll make Mike's Blog.
See you in a few short weeks .. back to my To-Do list.. Next up .. making the music mix and building a deck!!!
Can't wait!
Ken
May 20, 2006
Weekend in NYC
I PATHed in the city to meet-up with Marwan, a friend from DC, and his brother Abdullah. Abdullah just arrived in NYC this afternoon from UAE. After purchasing half price tickets to “Hairspray”, we had dinner at a random Thai food restaurant, and then caught the show. It was my first Broadway musical, and I like it. It was also better than the movie, at least I thought so. Now they are making a movie of the Broadway show, go figure. After the show, we headed to “Splash” until 4:30AM. I was planning on heading home at 1AM, but never made it. I ended up sleeping on the cot in their hotel room. In retrospect, I’m glad I didn’t go home. The public transportation to Newark is crazy - long intervals between the trains and lots of drunken people – at 4:30 AM.
The next day, in the afternoon, we awoke. After checking out of the hotel, we embarked on a quick tour of the city. Eventually, I headed home later in the afternoon from the former WTC site. I later learned Marwan and Abdullah continued to walk north through the city and then went out clubbing again that night until 2:30 AM. They caught the last train to D.C. at 3 am. It was Abdullah’s first time in NYC.
Marwan (right) and Abdulla (left)
May 12, 2006
Mother's Funeral
I wish:
I hugged her one more time.
told her I love her one more time.
knew for certain that she wasn’t afraid to die.
recorded our phone conversation just once – they were hilarious.
visited her more between returning home from traveling and when she died.
stayed a little longer on Easter, that was the last day, I saw her alive at home.
The hardest in retrospect is that she knew she was going to die, but I didn’t. It caught me by surprise.
The funeral didn’t affect me much. I knew that was only her body in the casket, not her, not her spirit. Her “spirit” are my memories and are alive. She lived for her children. I’m certain she is happy.
I hugged her one more time.
told her I love her one more time.
knew for certain that she wasn’t afraid to die.
recorded our phone conversation just once – they were hilarious.
visited her more between returning home from traveling and when she died.
stayed a little longer on Easter, that was the last day, I saw her alive at home.
The hardest in retrospect is that she knew she was going to die, but I didn’t. It caught me by surprise.
The funeral didn’t affect me much. I knew that was only her body in the casket, not her, not her spirit. Her “spirit” are my memories and are alive. She lived for her children. I’m certain she is happy.
May 10, 2006
Classes Are Over
My three classes are finished – “Producing I”, “Producing II” and “Entertainment Law for Producers”.
“Producing I” and “II” are very similar. In both classes we analyzed scripts, created budgets and schedules, practiced developing pitches, and outlined the necesary material in order to get project financing. The professors in both classes were very different. The prof for the “Producing I” course was a producer on Law and Order for five years, and now she is trying to develop some ideas of her own. She was much more up-to-date on how to produce for visual media and introduced the class to production software that I found useful. The prof for “Producing II” was 78 years old and he made most of his films in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. He was very nice and informative, but in an old school kinda of way.
The class that I enjoyed most this semester was “Entertainment Law for Producers”. It’s was by far the most rigorous, but as they say what you put into it is what you get out of it. We’ve covered a lot of material including optioning written material, contract law, copyrighting material, legal structures, and film distribution. The class really illuminated the producing process for me.
I plan to take three more film producing classes in the fall. Upon completing those classes, I will have completed the requirements for a certificate in film producing.
“Producing I” and “II” are very similar. In both classes we analyzed scripts, created budgets and schedules, practiced developing pitches, and outlined the necesary material in order to get project financing. The professors in both classes were very different. The prof for the “Producing I” course was a producer on Law and Order for five years, and now she is trying to develop some ideas of her own. She was much more up-to-date on how to produce for visual media and introduced the class to production software that I found useful. The prof for “Producing II” was 78 years old and he made most of his films in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. He was very nice and informative, but in an old school kinda of way.
The class that I enjoyed most this semester was “Entertainment Law for Producers”. It’s was by far the most rigorous, but as they say what you put into it is what you get out of it. We’ve covered a lot of material including optioning written material, contract law, copyrighting material, legal structures, and film distribution. The class really illuminated the producing process for me.
I plan to take three more film producing classes in the fall. Upon completing those classes, I will have completed the requirements for a certificate in film producing.
May 01, 2006
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