Wednesday, June 17, 2009

OWEN ERIC EISENSTADT

Announcing the arrival into the world of

OWEN ERIC EISENSTADT

Born June 13 330 am in Brooklyn, weighing 7 lbs 3 oz measuring 21 inches.

Sara and Owen are happy and healthy and we are all in a deep state of bliss!!!!

Much thanks to the incredible midwives at the brooklyn birthing center: Kathryn, Asya, Andrea and Yulia!

Much thanks to our wonderful doula Lucy!

Much thanks to the poised and gentle attending physician Dr Sol Neuhoff and helpful, considerate nurses at Maimonides hospital.


Saturday, June 6, 2009

Momma's Man


Strong reviews here for Momma's Man, Azazel Jacobs' touching film about a thirtysomething who comes to New York for a business trip, stays with his parents, then extends his stay indefinitely rather than returning home to his wife, young daughter and dreary office job. He finally goes home at the end, but it's not the narrative that I found so beautiful. It was the cinematography - the light coming through the windows of the filmmaker's real-life parents Flo and Ken Jacobs' Tribeca loft, the slow moving shots of the thirtysomething stuck on the A train making his way to JFK, the silent, troubled, understated expressions on the parents' faces as they watch their son struggle with his life.

Strange timing watching this movie just as we're expecting our first child. I have absolutely no feelings of running away from the situation we're about to get ourselves into. I cannot wait for the challenges that are coming. In fact that was the one thing about the film that didn't quite work for me. Jacobs' "protagonist" is paralyzed by responsibility, and fumbles around his parents' loft nostalgically reading old comic books and playing homemade punk tunes on a broken jr-sized guitar. But this gets old quickly. I found myself thinking "get your act together and go home to your young family" even as I was mesmerized by the the camera following him around as he lingered in the apartment. Worth a look.

Friday, June 5, 2009

Up -a sweet little movie

Well, there I was in the movie theater last night around the corner while Sara was at pre-natal yoga. There was a couple with their 3 year-old daughter, an adult with a pile of 7 or 8 year-olds, and me. That's right, I went to see Up. Maybe it's because Sara is 41 weeks tomorrow and we're expecting our son any day. Maybe I've got a a little soft spot for (fairly) intelligent Pixar animated films. Whatever it is, there I was laughing and (yep) crying a little... It's not as good as The Incredibles, but it's pretty witty.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Dull Flame of Desire

Bjork and Antony, killin it.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Still somewhat engrossing


100 pages in and not as happening as Conde's earlier saga which I blogged about enthusiastically before, but I am a sucker for West African historical fiction, so I'll keep on.