Corner Deli

Happy Halloween

2009-11-01T20:39:00.003-05:00

The famous "tiger tail," the inspiration for the costume, performed by Jacob and mommy after a night of Halloween festivities.

Music: "Lady (You Bring Me Up)," Commodores

Singing Jacob

2009-10-30T22:48:00.003-04:00

The sound of Jacob's singing voice can't be any sweeter. Here he starts "Twinkle Twinkle" and lets Griffin take over while he thinks of other songs to sing.

Music: "My Mind's Got A Mind Of Its Own" -Phish, Nutter Center, 12.07.97

Ready for Rain

2009-10-19T16:46:00.007-04:00

Jacob has been expecting rain. He recently picked out his yellow boots which are decorated with construction vehicles and road signs. They have red handles that enable Jacob to "all by self" put on his shoes. Needless to say Jacob loves stomping through puddles. He's had a few chances recently and has taken full advantage of the opportunity. Even though Bart is pictured as looking away, we enjoy every bit of watching his "wild rumpus."

Music: "Chemical Beats"- The Chemical Brothers, Brotherhood

Open House Photo

2009-09-16T17:10:00.003-04:00

Music: "Superman" R.E.M., Life's Rich Pageant

Backpack

2009-09-11T20:41:00.002-04:00

On the way to Tahoe Jacob asked to carry his backpack. He looked like a proper back-to-schooler. This fall I returned to work again and faced separation from baby Jacob. It's been three weeks and there's still times during the day that I ache because I just want to see him. I imagine his toddler walk and hear him call mamma when he comes home. I treasure the stories Lorraine recounts for me about his day. This past week he tried to trade a handful of sand for another boy's bus. His trading strategies are referred to as "share, share," which translates as I want what you have/take what I have. That sand trade didn't work, but it's pretty clever. :) Music: "Rent"-Original Cast Broadway Recording "Rent" 1996

Red Adventure Stroller

2009-08-19T23:07:00.005-04:00

At least once a day out here in Tahoe City, California, the Steinhorn family journeys out with this stroller. Bart had dubbed it the "red adventure stroller" and Jacob can just about say all three words together. Morgan (a bit over 3) has joined Jacob in there; our son can barely keep his hands to himself.

We're out in Tahoe with the Buckleys who have an amazing home (and boat). Fortunately our kids love each other. Jacob has taken to saying Kendall (17 months) all the time and she's fairly enamored with him too. The other new addition to our annual trip is Chloe Dog, the five year old Beagle. "Touch," Jacob asks as he approaches her with his hand outstretched.

Every day we go to The Dam Cafe, where we hope the staff will say "right on" at least once. Jacob affectionately calls it the coffee shop since it replaced Joe in our home town.

Besides the fever bug that has hit all three kids, not us yet, this vacation is fantastic.

Music: none, just great conversation with our friends, Chloe's howling from excitement, and the kids...right on.

Water!

2009-07-08T10:43:00.004-04:00

Good times at the American Museum of Natural History Fountain-

Music: "Looks Like Rain" Grateful Dead Live 6.10.73

Tobias Wolff

2009-07-05T20:14:00.017-04:00

"And I learned that it's a bad idea to curse when you're in trouble, but a good idea to sing, if you can."

(Wolff, Tobias. This Boy's Life: A Memoir. New York: Grove Press, 1989. 177.)

I don't find myself in trouble very often but Wolff certainly did throughout his formative years. And singing remained a coping mechanism and a means for connecting to people. I liked the sentiment of this quotation, but the story around it certainly brings the context into a fuller light. So you might want to read his memoir.

There's this face I make when something I read, see or hear gets me. It's a fake sideways smile and a lightening up of my eyes accompanied with a kind of forced sigh, often a hmmmpffff. Sometimes I shake my head. Wow, that's good, I think and look up to see if anyone's around to hear me say, now that's great writing. When I consider how I'd articulate what exactly made me smirk I struggle to be precise. Instead I might say, 'you've got to read this.'*

I've had that happen at least a dozen times while reading Tobias Wolff's memoir. It's brilliant. I loved it and I was sad when it ended.

This past semester in Short Fiction class I started with Wolff's story "The Liar." The students definitely enjoyed it; some cited it as their favorite story. We also read three other stories: "The Rich Brother," "Bullet in the Brain," and "Hunters in the Snow." I pretty much screamed I love Wolff's writing throughout the course. We read this article on Wolff called "The Liberation of Lying: What Tobias Wolff Gets and Others Don't" and excerpts from an interview. I wasn't surprised when I learned that Wolff admires Anton Chekhov and even edited a Chekhov collection where he read several translations and chose the ones he liked best. Chekhov is the story master in my book. Both craft characters with such clarity that their art enables the readers to know that person and judge him or her for themselves. Whether it's Gurov's infatuation with the younger Anna that he met in the vacation town of Yalta ("The Lady with the Dog") or Donald's inability to adapt to communal living ("The Rich Brother"), I buy into every story like it's real and these people do exist. My empathy may switch from one character to another like from Tub to Kenny in "Hunters in the Snow," and I don't question why my loyalties have shifted. Chekhov and Wolff have mastered the objective presentation of people.

After reading This Boy's Life I understand who Wolff is much better. In fact "The Liar" is definitely inspired by his personal experience. I still can't believe he crafted his own recommendation letters to get into private school. Each chapter in his book could also stand alone as a short story. The fight and then friendship with Arthur stands out to me. It's what's not said that makes the writing incredible. I recommend this book to anyone but I think boys would like it even more simply because it captures a man's challenges well. (I can't say accurately because I'm not a man!)

*I put an asterisk by that statement because there's actually a short story anthology that's called You've Got To Read This; it's a collection of stories chosen by writers who include an introduction.

In that book I read "Cathedral" by Raymond Carver which is introduced by Wolff. After I read the story and digested it I thought about what made it a fantastic story and one that Wolff would introduce. Then I read his introduction. Wolff pinpointed one of my observations which had to do with not naming the narrator and having Robert, "this blind guy," refer to him as Bud. And Wolff talked about how he called Ray up to tell him how amazing his story was-

I'd like to call up Tobias Wolff and tell him that I think he's a phenomenal writer. What else would I say to him? I don't know. I might make that face and he wouldn't even see it. But I plan to read more stories by him and perhaps all his works at some point in my life.

"Knowing that everything comes to an end is a gift of experience, a consolation gift for knowing that we ourselves are coming to an end. Before we get it we live in a continuous present, and imagine the future as more of that present. Happiness is endless happiness, innocent of its own sure passing. Pain is endless pain." (Wolff 230)

Music: "Life on Mars" David Bowie-Hunky Dory

Birthday

2009-07-04T13:14:00.006-04:00

Towards the end of my birthday Jacob and I went down to this cool playground in Central Park.
On the way home we passed the carousel and I had to stop. After we ponied up I put on the video camera. Even though I'm the one with the massive grin in this clip, Jacob thoroughly enjoyed his ride.

Later that evening Bart cooked us a top notch dinner. And together we acknowledged the marking of the next year of my life. Happy Birthday to me!

Music: "Bebot" The Black Eyed Peas-Monkey Business

Behind

2009-06-28T21:32:00.003-04:00

Looks like the sprinklers are finally turned on...
Welcome summer!
Check out the photos section to see what I'm up to these days-

Music: "Funk Soul Brother" Fat Boy Slim

Holden’s Goodbye and Mine, too

2009-06-13T12:46:00.008-04:00

When I craft a great assignment students usually step up and produce amazing work. That’s what happened with this Goodbye Freshman Year homework assignment. In fact I was even thanked by a student for giving the work. When does that happen? Here's the assignment:

The Catcher in the Rye Reflection assignment Homework-worth 50 points Due: Tuesday, June 9th

“What I was really hanging around for, I was trying to feel some kind of good-by. I mean I’ve left school and places I didn’t even know I was leaving them. I hate that. I don’t care if it’s a sad good-by or a bad good-by, but when I leave a place I like to know I’m leaving it. If you don’t, you feel even worse.” (Salinger 4)

Moving one year further away from middle school and having just about completed your first year at GHS brings you to the summer before your sophomore year. Though you may not be saying goodbye to GHS with any sense of finality, you are saying goodbye to your freshman year.

What memory will you conjure up to help you feel a sense of goodbye? Retell the memory clearly. After retelling it describe why that memory is the one that will capture your freshman year.

Type the assignment (1.5 or double spacing), make it great writing, and enjoy these last moments of freshman year!

While I read the sixty student responses I was truly impressed. It was apparent that most students put great thought and time into writing this one. Reading them was a pleasure, except for the obvious proofreading errors, but more than enjoyment I felt pride. My students got it. Among the stories of sports team participation, field trips (the U.N , Six Flags, Puerto Rico, Virginia Beach), band moments, picnics, sleepovers, and parties, lunch table laughs, proud academic success, new friendships, hallway exchanges and bus rides, every student managed to articulate that CONNECTING to others and to themselves was most memorable.

What’s maddening to me about Holden’s repeated failed attempts to connect to others is that he doesn’t accept his deep losses and admit that he needs people. All he wants is to be seen and heard, like his dream job of catching the children from the cliff, and yet no one has caught him. I ache for Holden every time I read that story. Yet I can never understand what it’s like to lose a brother, see a dead body, and have nonexistent parents. But I still identify with him. I strive to connect with people, literature, and the arts; and the most meaning in my life comes from those connections.

At the end of class today, the last classes of the 2008-2009 school year, I had a bit of a speech for my students. I put these two quotations on the board:

“It’s just the talking. It’s just bein’ with another guy. That’s all.” Crooks to Lennie in Of Mice and Men (Steinbeck 71)

“’Anyway, I like it now,’ I said. ‘I mean right now. Sitting here with you and just chewing the fat and horsing-‘
‘That isn’t anything really!’
‘It is so something really! Certainly it is!’” Holden to Phoebe in The Catcher in the Rye (Salinger 172)

And I told the class about how I felt reading their goodbye papers.

I want you to know that you got it. You got what life’s about- the connections you make with the people around you. It’s not about the acceptance letter to UPENN or the huge house and lucrative job or the failed Spanish test; it’s about who you turn to to share those moments. The people in your life enrich every experience you have. And those laughs and even the harder times are best shared with the people you love. It may be one person or fifteen people.

When I crossed the student center today in my urgent trek towards a coffee and the best chocolate chip muffin I’ve ever had, I was struck by how close everyone was standing in the freshmen section. It’s like you know. This is it. This is the last time we’ll congregate in this section, walk to these classes, and feel this close to these people. So make the most of these last days as a freshman. Tell your friends how you feel. Share your goodbye moment piece of writing with the people you wrote about. Hug them. Tell them you love them.

This year is significant for me, too. You’re a special class because you’re the first students I’ve taught in my new role as a mother. I’ve been completely changed. And I can tell you that your number one fan, the people who root for you no matter what, are your parents. Your parents are proud of you and love you more than anyone else. Now I know that. You should know that you can talk to your parents about anything and turn to them whenever you feel like it; they’ll always be there for you.

My goodbye. The moment I’d conjure up happened a gray weekend when my husband and I knew we needed to get Jacob out of the house for awhile. That’ s every weekend, really. But this time we went to The American Museum of Natural History. I hadn’t been there for at least five years or so and I’ve never been there with Jacob despite the fact that he’d been there plenty of times with his nanny and with Bart. I never went.

We went down to the big whale room with the dim lighting, wide open floor, and lighted up cases along the periphery of dead animals. (Yes Holden, they haven’t changed.) It’s a weird concept and seeing the polar bears devouring a seal sort of unnerves me. Jacob loves it-po’bear he says, po’bear and points to the window. A bunch of other kids ran across the center wooded dance floor and Jacob chased the older boys with glee abounding.

We love watching him play. Pure joy. After following him around and going up the stairs and down the glass elevator three times I decided to settle him down for a snack. Man that kid burns calories like a furnace. Bart packed watermelon in a Tupperware tucked in a bag on the stroller. We were sitting on the far corner of the room and no one was directly around us and the whale hung magically above casting a bluish hue of comfort. Jacob sat on my cross legged lap and I fed him a few pieces of watermelon. Then he dug his hands into the container and pushed the watery red juiciness into his little mouth. Bart and I were content and had no place to go. It could have been Sunday or Saturday. As I was taking in the moment, Jacob reached up to put a piece of watermelon in my mouth. I leaned forward and ate it right from his fingers. My eyes might’ve welled up if I was in touch with the love I felt. I savored the refreshing snack and that instant. It was perfect. It still is.

That’s my goodbye memory.

There’s no goodbye at all- except that it’ll never be the first year of my teaching as a mother ever again. Previous years I always carried papers and the weight of educating young minds with me wherever I went; this year was different. I didn’t consider the hours I needed to invest in grading and planning at that moment. When I’m with my husband and my son, I’m with my husband and my son. I love that time.

Music: "Nothing Gives Me Pleasure" Josh Rouse, Under Cold Blue Stars

Happy Birthday Uncle Michael!

2009-06-02T07:45:00.004-04:00

Happy Birthday Uncle Michael!

I loved seeing you, Aunt Michelle, Grammy and Duke and spending time at your beautiful home.

Thanks for all the love, and the yummy food too!

Here I am in one of the golf carts eating an apple. After this photo I put my juicy little fingers all over the score card.

Cars

2009-06-01T21:31:00.015-04:00

Hello! It's June and summer is almost here.

Jacob loves moving vehicles: cars, buses, bicycles, motorcycles, tractors and garbage trucks.

Here he is at his 18 month appointment (28 lbs 9 oz, 33 in) looking at his Trucks book with Dadda.
Language acquisition is truly amazing. Jacob says at least 30 words and is learning new ones rapidly. Jacob says cars, one of his favorite words, frequently. Yesterday Jacob found my car on 85th Street parked among all the other cars. While saying cars and pointing to them, he looked at my nondescript black car and said Momma. Bart told me he did this on the way to the playground. I found it hard to believe; but when Jacob did it again on the way home I was truly surprised. How can he know my car among all the other cars? Really?

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-11T21:30:00.004-04:00

A big shout out to all the special mothers we know!

Music:"Our House"Madness-Divine Madness Rock

Hippo Playground

2009-04-28T22:04:00.003-04:00

Sunny day, water's on and I'm out with Lorraine...

and Ella.

Happy boy. On a hippo.

Music: "Leap Frog" Charlie Parker-Bird's Best Bop on Verve Jazz

Playground

2009-04-23T22:11:00.003-04:00

Another great picture that our wonderful caregiver captured...
Jacob loves to play. Here he is on the seesaw at a playground in Riverside Park. Griffin's on the other end.

"Love Is A Beautiful Thing"-The Rascals The Ultimate Rascals Rock

Bronx Zoo Bug Carousel

2009-04-11T20:25:00.003-04:00

http://www.bronxzoo.com/plan-your-trip/exhibits/bug-carousel.aspx

Jacob had an amazing day at the Bronx Zoo. His genuine joy thrilled me. Enjoy this video clip-

Music: "Ixtapa" Rodrigo Y Gabriela-Rodrigo Y Gabriela World

PEA

2009-04-08T13:18:00.006-04:00

Periodically I've been reading Helena's blog http://moralreligion.blogspot.com/ and traveling through her thoughts on religious ethics. The issues she raises truly challenge Western thinking. Though I have no specific comments on a particular post right now, I encourage readers of my blog to check hers out.

Meanwhile my life is forever changed by the wonder of Jacob. Everyday I interact with him I treasure each smile and stare in awe at the way his little mind processes new information. Language acquisition has always astounded me; now that it's my own son learning new words and trying to say them I, well, I shake my head in disbelief.

This morning we read a book that Jacob was obsessed with over the holidays and now it has found it's home in a small stack of books in the kitchen. Early Bird by Richard Scarry has two pages with food and before we arrived at the dinner page Jacob said PEA. He remembered Early Bird and Wiggly Worm's dinner! The book reads "Wiggly Worm at a lot of peas." He pointed to the peas excitedly and said PEA again. Adorable.

Helena made the picture below for me.

Music: "Rat Race" The Specials- More Specials

Car

2009-03-15T21:19:00.003-04:00

Here's Jacob and Daddy looking out into the neighborhood. Now Jacob can say car and identify what a car is. Language acquisition fascinates me and these next few months are going to be amazing. Jacob's other words are: hi, mama, dada, Elmo, help, key, car, bus (sort of). Elmo from Sesame Street must have magic appeal to kids because Jacob only knows him from books, the images on his diapers and cups, and this toy truck that he has. For the past three nights Jacob grabbed his Elmo's ABC book and held it as he fell asleep in his crib.

Music: "Seven Turns" (Live)- The Allman Brothers- Peakin' at the Beacon

Summer Dreams

2009-03-02T19:34:00.002-05:00

Here's a picture of Jacob when he visited his Grammy in Florida over February break. He loved the sunshine and the pool. He's 15 months old now- 25 pounds 12 ounces (70%), and 33 inches tall (95%). Jacob is loving life. Though his language is limited to Dada, no, hi and wow, Jacob is moving around beautifully. People say he's steady on his feet. He's just discovered that he likes to climb up onto things: a carton of toys, a rocking chair, the radiator and the couch. Every day is wonderful with him, making him laugh and watching him learn and grow fills our hearts with joy.

Super musician

2008-12-04T20:48:00.003-05:00

Here's Jacob...with his bib backwards he looks like Super Jacob.

Thanksgiving Day

2008-11-27T13:13:00.002-05:00

Here's THE Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade BAND! They were jamming in front of our building. Check out the PHOTOS link (on the right) for more photos!

Halloween

2008-11-02T18:53:00.003-05:00

Our first Halloween was wonderful.

Back to School

2008-08-30T17:47:00.003-04:00

I knew it was coming. Back to school...August 25th-first day for teachers, 26th-just 9th grade and all students arrived on August 27th. I already finished my first week-hard to believe.
I have been preparing for this day for the past two months. Hiring a nanny wasn't as hard as I thought it would be, but that's because I trusted my gut and the people who recommended Lorraine. Although she was hired by the start of July, Lorraine started working with us two weeks before school started. This was a smart way for me to prepare for the major transition in my life. All the preparations paid off. I was as ready as I could be. My car even broke down on a practice run to school the week before. Then a handful of good friends called and wished me well. I was really touched by their kind words. And of course my husband listened to all my concerns and helped me get ready to go back to work.

Hearing "Ms. Steinhorn" yelled out and hugging former students was one of the highlights of the week. Meeting my new students and seeing my colleagues was also awesome. I felt like I never left truthfully. I am meant to be teaching; and GHS is a special place to work. I have it very good there and I know that even more so now. I really look forward to getting to know my students and helping them become better readers, writers, and thinkers.

Did I miss Jacob? Of course. But every time I thought of him I reminded myself that he was not thinking of me. He was playing in the sandbox or on the swings or napping or eating or reading a book with Lorraine. I knew he was having a great time without me. Plus I knew I'd see him when I came home from work. Jacob would rush over to me or reach for me when he saw that I was home. That didn't happen when I was with him all day.

All went well this week.

Music: "House at Pooh Corner" Loggins and Messina- The Best of Friends

Transitions

2008-07-28T22:17:00.002-04:00

We just returned from a ten day vacation to Lake Tahoe, California. Being reunited with the Buckleys made the trip extraordinary. Back in the beginning of July, Mike and Jen came into NYC to see Pearl Jam. Jen predicted that Jacob would start moving in Tahoe. She was right. Perhaps it was the wide open living room, but it probably was the fact that Jacob was mesmerized by the other kids there: Morgan, Harrison Liepis, and baby Kendall. He started to want to stand much more than usual and a few times he pulled himself up on chairs. But then he began this sort of crab crawling and that’s what made him mobile. In the beginning of the month he started rolling from back to belly and pushing himself up into his favored seated position. I asked Bart to move the crib mattress down immediately for fear of him pulling himself up and out. Doing that physical movement made Jacob more mobile than he had been, but now he’s really on the move. It’s mostly exciting now because we just returned home. But I guess I have no idea what I’m in for now that playtime will change. The other new behavior is that Jacob tends to cry when I leave the room. That’s a bit troubling but I think it’s a normal stage. He crawled to find me when we came home tonight. I put him in his room and went to the bathroom. I called his name and next thing I knew he was at the bathroom door. And that’s how things have suddenly changed around here.
On Jacob’s eight month old birthday I began the weaning process. I decided to add another meal in his schedule and cut the four nursings down to two. Now Jacob only nurses in the morning and at night. This is just another transition as Jacob moves away from breastfeeding towards bottles and at one year he’ll switch to cow’s milk.
The biggest transition comes at the end of August when I return to work. What I deemed as the most daunting task was finished by July 1st. That was my goal: hire a nanny by my birthday so I can vacation and enjoy the last days of summer without fretting over the difficult task of hiring a nanny. I also hired her to start two weeks early. So I can get ready. Ready for work…ready to leave Jacob for the day. I find it hard to imagine a long period of time for a full week without Jacob. Sure I can leave him for four hours, but for nine hours or so, five days a week? I’ve already shed tears thinking about that. I’ll just miss him too much. But I am excited to return to work. I’ve already started some planning for the school year and I can’t wait to interact with 150 people a day. Getting to know my new students will be wonderful. I know it. The transition will mean a major change for me and I just keep mentally preparing myself for it. I’ll be okay I know. Jacob will be fine without me too. I’ll just miss him like crazy in the beginning and then, of course, I’ll adjust to the change and it will be just fine.

Music: "Comin' Down" Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise- Blackwater Surprise