About

I’m the guy who laughs at odd moments or is the last one laughing in the movie theatre. But I’m not a smiley person – just not me. Nothing intentional. When I was child, people used to tell me jokes to make me smile or just ask, “Why don’t you smile?”  I wanted to smack them.

My wife, two children and I are suburbanites – North Jersey. I’ve grown used to and even enjoy the suburbs, but a part of me will always miss the city; I lived there for a while prior to marrying, and we stayed for a couple of years after we got married. The hustle, bustle, and activity – I liked it. It just wasn’t the best place to raise children or the most affordable, but that’s another story.

My two boys are 5 (SY) and 8 (BR). Great kids – full of energy they are.  They both have some sort of special needs, and as they were evaluated, we heard people talk about the “spectrum.” Now, if you would have mentioned “The Spectrum” 9 years ago, I would have smiled and talked about how much I miss the place where the Flyers and Sixers played. You see I am a Philadelphia-born-and-raised sports fanatic – it’s in my genes. I told my son that the Philadelphia sports teams are his birthright. He did not seem so happy about it when I told him about the illustrious history of lack of championships.

I am a spiritual person and religion plays a major role in my life.  I was raised in a household where we characterized ourselves as conservative Jews. I, however, was not sure what I believed. Ultimately, curiosity brought me to a place where I wanted to learn about my religion.  I am now someone whose religion and belief in G-d influences my life in every way.

Two days after I finished college, I thought I was Born to Run (well, maybe not, though I am a Springsteen fanatic) and was doing my own version of On the Road.  Over the next few summers, I pulled out my large green rucksack and visited various places guided by a copy of Let’s Go___ (fill in the blank for locations).  During this time, I used to tell people that I was going to be a writer. I actually did some writing on my travels though was not particularly disciplined. I enjoyed writing and would say I had a flare for it but had been frustrated with teachers and professors who over the years seemed more interested in commas than creativity. When I finally settled down, I went through a couple of careers before coming to Education. I have been a high school English teacher for the past 9 years and find it challenging.  I enjoy some aspects of the job, but I don’t see myself in the classroom the rest of my life. Throughout my adult life, I have gone through phases where I would focus more and less on writing. I seemed to dream about it more whenever my frustration level rose elsewhere.

So, now I am blogger. The blog which is nearing its first birthday (how do I celebrate?) has been an excellent place to wonder, consider, pontificate, and simply write. On that note, welcome to my blog. I look forward to hearing from you and hope you will enjoy what you read.

Larry