I am in the process of writing an opera.  The problem one faces when writing an opera is determining whether one wants the opera to be traditional, or successful.  I have many ideas on this subject and today I will focus on the factors one should consider when writing a traditional opera.  I will then […]

When Simone and I lived in a small apartment in Silver Spring, MD, we were not thinking of having any pets.  We talked about it of course, but we were both working full time and felt that it would not be fair to any animal to have to be shut up in an apartment all […]

It was a chilly November day in Manhattan.  Adam was standing outside the bank on a cell phone call with his mother.  Suddenly, through the crowd, he saw a strangely familiar face.  “Mom, I’ll call you back,” he said, abruptly hanging up the phone.  He put his phone away as the tall gentleman walked towards […]

Ruby does not have a little sister, she has a little brother.  I guess that’s the problem.  You see, Ruby really wants a little sister.  In fact, not only does she want a little sister, but she has already decided that one is on the way.  And she has named this baby “Pirate Boat.” It […]

If there’s one thing I want to do as a parent, it’s to minimize the amount of negative feelings that my children experience.  Basically, I want them to be happy.  Everyone is going to feel pain, anger, jealousy and fear in their lifetimes, and my goal is not to avoid those things all together, but […]

An Ode to Trying to Take a Shower A is for Adam who’s in the B bath.C him D do it. E everyone laughs.Now he F fumbles G groping for soapH ha ha ha I J just meant a joke.K is for kids who L like to intrude.M m-m-might they N not know that’s rude?Ohhhhhhhhhh,P […]

Last night my mother volunteered to take the kids for the night so Simone and I could go out to the movies, and then come home and sleep through the night without interruption.  I had just flown in from New York, and it was a little sad to see the kids again and then say […]

Saturday night, when I walked out of the theater after seeing “Avenue Q,” I had a message on my phone.  It was from one of my colleagues at City Opera telling me to call him immediately.  The message was an hour old, but I called back as I walked through Times Square.  My friend asked […]

The LGBT community has been in the news a lot lately, with the “It Gets Better” campaign and the ballot initiatives, but we haven’t heard as much from the LGBTea community…until now.  Many of you will probably say that you don’t know anyone who is LGBTea.  Some of you will even claim not to know […]