Stew Leonard's

Kate and I enjoy going to the supermarket. We went to one of the best in the tri-state area today (Stew Leonard's) and I decided to bring the camera along.

(Juices)

(Honey Teddy Bears)

(Green Beans)

(Scale)

(Asparagi)

(Clover the Cow)

(Mangoes)

(Naked Chicken)

(Fake Plastic Tuna)

(Check-out)

(My Darling Clementine)

And so this is Christmas...

I love Christmas. Everything about the season makes me happy; the lights and songs, the family gatherings and even going to church throughout Advent and on Christmas Day. I still enjoy it today, but nothing compares to Christmas when you're a kid.

The excitement would start after Thanksgiving and come in waves for most of the next month. I tried to not get too excited, knowing that the "big day" was two or three weeks away but once we got within a week I was ready to go. Christmas Eve always seemed to be the longest day in the world (with the day you get the phone call from Chaminade informing you that you have to go to summer school a close second) which would plod along until it was time for mass. I always thought of mass as the last hurdle that separated me from the full joy of Christmas morning. "If I just get through this...." I would wonder to myself while driving to the church. Mass would come and go, dinner with the family followed and soon it was time for bed.

4:13.

A quick peek at the clock would lead to disappointment as it was much too early to bother the sleeping parents. I remember laying in bed, falling in and out of sleep just waiting for when the time was right.

If I close my eyes, I can still see the view from the top of the stairs into my living room, barely being able to see the presents underneath the tree. This was always a time of nervous energy as I waited for my parents to deem it late enough for the big trip downstairs. Sometimes it was just a peek, then maybe creep down a few stairs to get a better look; on really exciting mornings I might go all the way to the bottom of the stairs, convincing myself that it was alright as long as I didn't go into the living room. After finally coercing the parents out of bed, my father would do the unthinkable.....make us wait longer so he could set up his video camera for the big "kids walking down the stairs on Christmas morning" shot. During this time my sisters and I would conference about what was waiting for us downstairs. We would then line up (in height/age order) and walk down the stairs. Going back and watching these home videos now always crack us up because the ones from the early 80's feature squinting childrens that are blinded my the 5,000 watt lightbulb that was used the light the scene. Eventually we would make it down the stairs (half-blind) and begin the fun.

The joy of opening the presents would lead to the hours of playing with the new toys while waiting for company to come over. Some cousins would come for dinner, even more would come for dessert. When we were young we would compare presents, when we were older we would drink beers. My cousin Jimmy always had a party back at his house. What started as an excuse to drink with his friends when his parents were at my house would turn into a lasting Christmas tradition that at times seemed to have hundreds of people there. It was just another part of the great day. Sadly this party ended a few years ago once we started getting older although I bet Jimmy could pull it off again.

Christmas obviously changes as you get older. In high school you still get excited but don't let anyone know about it then in college (and beyond) you just want to sleep late. For Christmas 2009 I found myself in the second to last phase....marriage.** My wife and I just finished our first Christmas together and although it wasn't always easy, it was great. We decided long ago that we would split the holiday in two....Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with hers. We each missed our traditions but we once again learned the life lesson that just because it's different, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. We had a great time celebrating with our families and closed out the weekend with a quiet night at home watching the Islanders beat the Rangers which always makes everything better. Now it's time for sleep which will be easy after a weekend full of Christmas memories of the past and present. For the last time until next year, Merry Christmas.

**If you were wondering what the last stage of Christmas is, it would be having children which kinda resets the whole thing since you get the share the excitement with the kid.

Soccer? You really watch soccer?

The title of this blog is the question that is usually asked when I tell people that I watch soccer. The World Cup is one of my all time favorite sporting events and over the past few years I have started following the British Premier League. Watching the Premier League on Fox Soccer Channel every Saturday/Sunday morning has become a favorite weekend activity. What has happened so far this year?

Two of the "Big Four" have found their usual success. Chelsea has clearly established itself as the top team in the league with Manchester United a close second. Arsenal have dealt with injuries and Liverpool have just been a disaster both in the league and in Europe. Assuming that United and Chelsea will remain 1/2 and as Liverpool's miserable season continues (as it did today with a loss to bottom dwellers Portsmouth) it is becoming more and more apparent that 3rd and 4th place in the league-and the Champions League qualification that comes with it-is wide open. A quick glance at the table shows only 6 points separate 3rd through 6th place. Who's in contention?

Manchester City now sits in 6th with 31 points (but could easily have 34 or 35 but for a Premier League Record 7 straight draws.) Arsenal sit in 5th but are coming off a win last weekend over Liverpool at Anfield. Tottenham has come down from a great start to settle in at 4th with 33 points. Aston Villa now sit at 3rd after a week that included their first win at Old Trafford in over 25 years. United lost again today (this time to Fulham) so Chelsea will have a chance to extend their lead to 6 points tomorrow.

All of the action on the field and the upcoming January transfer window should make for a good second half to the season.

TV and Sports

Been a while but I'm back on the blog. I realize that I have to write a lot more and I plan to.....starting now

I'm currently watching the Islanders/Rangers game on MSG+2. For those who don't know, this is the secondary sports channel in New York that is only used when all three local hockey teams are playing on the same night. I HATE this channel. I don't have cataracts, but watching MSG+2 (as opposed to just plain MSG+) is what I imagine having cataracts is like. Everything is blurry and it actually hurts my eyes. This is a legit complaint coming from a man that only 4 months ago was watching everything on the 16 inch TV/VCR combo that his sister got him for his freshman year in college......11 years ago.

So why do I continue to hurt my already strained eyes? Well one of the great parts of following sports is the home broadcasting team. Those who don't watch sports probably can't appreciate just how important a good broadcast team can be. For example, the Mets SNY team is FANTASTIC. Nice play by play, insightful analysis and even a laugh or two. Compare that with the obnoxious "JORGE JUICED ONE!" commentary of John Sterling and you see (or hear) the difference. This brings us to tonight. Billy Jaffe and Howie Rose are terrific companions for the game. Just like Gary, Keith and Ron, Jaffe and Rose make you feel like you're watching the game with them, not just being talked at. They're so good that I would rather strain my eyes than hear the homer dreck that comes out of Sam Rosen. This whole topic drives home the point that sports are more than just men with sticks and/or balls, running/skating around for two hours. Appreciating the work of the broadcasters is just another part of the overall experience that makes me love sports.

Back to the game and my straining eyes. Let's go Islanders.