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Dec 22, 2021

Yiddish for Onheybers and Mavens

An occasional feature about the Yiddish language for beginners and experts. Our word this time is “tsereysn.” — tsereysn tse· reyts’·en (verb) tse· reyts’· (noun) Definition 1. tear up 2. exasperate Infinitive: tsereysn (can be used as a noun) Past participle: tsereyst (can be used as an adjective) Notes Curiously, there seem to be few Yiddish words that directly denote “exasperation.” Instead, seemingly innumerable adages exist that convey the experience of…

Yiddish

3 min read

Yiddish for Onheybers and Mavens
Yiddish for Onheybers and Mavens

Dec 21, 2020

The MaskScold

Or, ‘Don’t Mask, Don’t Tell, and Don’t Leave Your Engine Running’ — Last November, I was on my Saturday walk with my hiking buddies in the Berkshires, and since all of us are right-of-center politically, we were, of course, disappointed with how the election went. …

Covid 19

4 min read

Don’t Mask, Don’t Tell, and Don’t Leave Your Engine Running
Don’t Mask, Don’t Tell, and Don’t Leave Your Engine Running

Mar 27, 2020

Boy Story: Music in the Car

I. Three Years Old “Daddy, again.” “Daddy, again.” “Daddy, again.” “Daddy, again…” II. Five Years Old The summer the family moved to the Berkshires, this was our theme song for some reason, I guess the reason being that radio up here is awful and after you fruitlessly scan through the stations for a good song…

Parenting

2 min read


Feb 27, 2020

What Made Milwaukee Famous Has Made a Nudnick Out of Me

On the Fine Line Between Connoisseurship and Nudnickery — Most of us rely on, or at least appreciate, knowledgeable guidance that might connect us with the best examples of the things that give us pleasure — food, art, music, movies, whatever. So here’s a rule of thumb that I find useful in navigating advice about matters involving subjective taste…

Food And Drink

6 min read

What Made Milwaukee Famous Has Made a Nudnick Out of Me
What Made Milwaukee Famous Has Made a Nudnick Out of Me

Jun 27, 2019

Music in the Car with The Boy

by Albert Stern — I. Three Years Old “Daddy, again.” “Daddy, again.” “Daddy, again.” “Daddy, again…” II. Five Years Old The summer the family moved to the Berkshires full time, John Prine’s “Lake Marie” was our theme song for some reason, I guess the reason being that radio up here is godawful and after you fruitlessly scan through the…

Music

4 min read

Music in the Car with The Boy
Music in the Car with The Boy

Jul 19, 2018

Our Zealot

Thoughts on the problematic Parshat Pinchas — When our rabbi first approached me to deliver a d’var Torah, he offered me the choice of either last week’s Parshat Balak, so rich and weird with soothsayers, talking donkeys, curses, celestial beings, or…Parshat Pinchas. I told him I wanted to re-read the parshiyot (weekly portions) before making my decision. …

Old Testament

12 min read

Our Zealot
Our Zealot

Feb 1, 2018

Boy Story I: Bol Bol

A few months ago, my son asked me if I had ever heard of the basketball player Bol Bol. I told him I heard of Manute Bol, and Eliot said Bol Bol was his son, who is still in high school. “He’s actually great,” Eliot assured me — he follows…

Sports

7 min read

Boy Story I: Bol Bol
Boy Story I: Bol Bol

Sep 7, 2017

Live Long Enough…

Live long enough, and you find out surprising things about yourself. For instance, I had no idea I was the type of person who would be fascinated by pictures of meals about to be eaten by friends I have not seen in more than 30 years. Facebook brings me these…

Holocaust

7 min read

Live Long Enough…
Live Long Enough…

Jan 2, 2017

The Case For Gridiron Injustice

Because football is really, really boring. Really. — In the early days of football, H-shaped goalposts were planted at the front of the end zone, fixed two-branched obstacles within the field of play. …

NFL

7 min read

The Case For Gridiron Injustice
The Case For Gridiron Injustice

Dec 15, 2016

Jewish Sexuality, Such As It Is: Volume One

Most disturbing was that I had never before thought to ask — Author’s Note: This was published years ago in the pre-Web era, when all these folks were still alive. Someone suggested I put it online, so here it is. Years later, I put my research skills to work on another important, tangentially related topic for Electric Literature, which you can read…

Jewish

13 min read

Jewish Sexuality, Such As It Is: Volume One
Jewish Sexuality, Such As It Is: Volume One
Albert Stern

Albert Stern

Normal, but more so.

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