Have a happy and safe Independnece Day everyone. And Happy Birthday America!

..come the most interesting things. Marissa has learned not only how to say “wow”, “Uh-oh”, “Oh No!” and other similar phrases, but she knows how to use them and deliver them. For instance the other day she was sitting on my lap in the living room when a passing thunderstorm causes the lights to go out for a few seconds. Just enough to turn off the TV and stuff. She turned her head and looked at me wide eyed and said in the sweetest voice “Oh no”. Deb and I both bust out laughing. She has developed a habit of delivering her lines in the lull in conversations around her. I can’t tell you how many times she has said “wow” at just the right moment and with just the proper inflection. It is amazing.

Oh, and while she can say “mama” and “dada”, it seems she doesn’t like to say “mama”. She calls Deb, Grammy and me “dada”. It drives Deb nuts and makes me laugh like hell.

She is also walking around the house like a little midget, following people, especially mommy and Grammy, wherever they go. We need to go to Stride-Rite to get her first pair of walking shoes soon. Very soon.

I have long been a big fan of George Carlin. He and Robin Williams have always been my two favorite comedians, so I was saddened this morning to find out that George has left us. He will be missed.

If you are looking for photos from Mrs. Shapiros 2006-07 Kindergarten class or Mrs. Basil’s 2007-08 First Grade class then you have come to the right place. They are all right here in these photo albums.

In addition, I have some videos from Field Day 2008 (mostly of Dylan and Emily) on my YouTube Page.

Of course, feel free to browse around the entire site it you would like.

This pissed me off. First off, I do not think for one second that Willie is the problem. Is it his fault that Heilman and Wagner have both had several really bad games? Is it his fault players get injured? Or simply don’t play well? Yes, he is supposed to manage and motivate but there is only so much a single person can do. But we can argue this back and forth for eternity as to what is and isn’t the coaches fault.

What we can’t argue about is the totally classless, spineless, rude, and inappropriate way they went about it. Firing a manager via a press release and e-mail at 3:15am ET is simply unacceptable. You don’t even break up with a high school girlfriend like that. If you want to fire the guy in in a damn plane, fly to LA, and do it in person. The ownership of the Mets just lost any creditability they had with me. This is almost enough to make me a Yankee fan…. well. Not quite, but still, you get the picture.

Shame on the Wilpons and Minaya. Why don’t they fire the GM, after all he is the one responsible for putting together the overpriced- underachieving team?

GamerDad used my story about Dylan and I playing Lego Star Wars together for his column on “What They Play”. Very cool if you ask me, to be selected along with Tony Hawk and Chris Taylor.

That is what just about everyone in the NY Metro area is screaming this week as we muddle through our first heat wave of 2008. We are in day 4 of hot and humid weather and the air conditioners are humming along at full speed. Dylan and I spent at least 2 hours each day this past weekend in the pool, which is already setting new highs for water temps at 84F. Marissa even went in her kiddie pool. Pictures will be posted soon, once things cool down.

Sunday afternoon we took the kids to Jones Beach for a little while. Marissa went right into the sand and started digging like she knew what she was doing (and it looked like she did!). It’s amazing. She also was wowing the socks off people who came by just being cute. We were sitting at the edge of the boardwalk where people would go down on to the beach and two older couples came by on their rollerblades and stopped to take them off to go on the beach. She just started talking to them like they were old friends, they loved it. Dylan even went over to some kids who were digging int he sand and started playing with them. It was great.

Monday night we went to the LI Ducks baseball game with Dylan and a groupd from his school. It was fun, even if the Ducks lost horribly (11-6). We left in the 4th inning when it was 10-0. Dylan was very excited and had a lot of fun.

Well Marissa has moved on from a few timid steps to cruisin around the living room. She is officially walking. Still looks a bit like Frankenstein or a drunken sailor, but getting better, faster, and steadier on her feet every day.

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 20th. Noon to 9pm. Go vote.