Dome Pondering

What is it about?  A father and daughter form an unlikely duo and work through changes in their lives the summer before she leaves for college. Who is in it?  Nick Offerman - Frank Fisher Kiersey Clemons - Sam Fisher Toni Collette - Leslie

3 Up 1. Thanksgiving Holiday - Thanksgiving is always a good time. Family. Food. And of course, giving thanks for the many blessings we have - and often overlook all year long. I hope it was a good one for all of you. 2. Zachara Brothers - In a week of celebrating family, it was two brothers who found humanity in themselves to give of themselves in help of the devastating California wildfires. The Zachara brothers drove from Chicago to California in an effort to help the animals in danger from the situation. That's some top notch stuff. Much props to both. 2. LeBron James - I read an interesting stat the other day. Of all players in their 16+ season in the NBA, there are only 5 50-point games. 1 by Karl Malone, 1 by Kobe Bryant (his last game), and 3 by LeBron James. Three! And in an odd way, he's getting better. It's just crazy. 3 Down 1. Immigration - Obviously, the situation at the border became a heightened one in our news conscious this past week. However...

3 Up 1. Caris Levert Injury - Sure, it looked nasty (and felt downright sad) at first, but the diagnosis, fortunately, was just a dislocation. If you saw the injury, it's pretty hard to imagine that Levert will be back this year, but he will be. And after watching him ball for the Nets thus far this season, that's good to hear. 2. Mauro Ranallo - I'm throwing Ranallo some love this week. NXT Takeover was absolutely fantastic this weekend. And really, so was Survivor Series - the WWE killed it. But damn, Ranallo makes NXT so exciting. His energy as an announcer is so infectious, and it's what pro wrestling has missed since the days of Jim Ross. The guy is just the best. 3. Patriot Act - I started watching Hasan Minhaj's Patriot Act show on Netflix this week, and it's an awesome show. Politics. Comedy. Culture. Comedy. Relatable. Comedy. But most importantly, so informative and so profound, on so many topics. Good stuff. I was a fan since seeing his days ...

3 Up 1. Veteran's Day Weekend - Sometimes, saying "Thank a Veteran" sounds cheesy and not enough. And even the day feels, well, not enough. But really, it should feel that way, no? So many thanks to those who served our great country! And even that didn't feel enough. 2. Midterm Elections - I'm giving the "Up" for this week's midterm elections not because of the political outcome or strategy involved. I'm giving it some love because of the process involved. Because many people are once again invested in the political process. And because, we saw many first-time-elected candidates come to fruition - women, people of color, etc... Especially, so, the now overwhelming power of the woman vote. 3. MLS Playoffs - The MLS Playoffs has been awesome. And yes, I was glued to my TV for my Red Bulls who exercised some demons against The Crew tonight! Both Conference Finals are going to be really, really, interesting. 3 Down 1. Thousand Oaks Mass...

"Just vote all Republicans! Listen to Rabbi, that's what we do!" A few were startled by the man exiting the polling center  and shouting into his phone, offering advice to the confused political soul on the other end. That was the scene I briefly encountered as I walked toward my voting site here in Brooklyn, New York. On a very charged election day with the house and senate up for grabs during this mid-term election, and of course, the unofficial kick-off for the 2020 Presidential race (God help us all), political thoughts and stances were heightened between all human beings. And so were stigmas, stereotypes, and well, the thats-what-we-dos. I live in a predominately Jewish neighborhood that is counterbalanced with a diverse offering of non-jewish folk. As you can expect, the poling site in my neighborhood is not only split and stratified on these election days between Jews and gentiles, but by faith, by race, and of course, by socioeconomic status. And oh yea...

3 Up 1. Simone Biles - If Simone Biles wasn't awesome already, add another World Championship to her resume with so many descriptions that scream domination, such as her winning her 4th all-around title. Biles' medal collection is ridiculous. Quite a run before 22 years of age. 2. NYC Marathon Winners - So much props to Lelisa Desisa of Ethopia and Mary Keitany of Kenya, who both were amazing today in winning the NYC Marathon. Marathons are still such an amazing feat to me - props to all participants, finishers, and those currently training for the future. 3. Google Staff Walkouts - Kudos to the employees of Google who walked out on Thursday in protest of the handling of sexual harassment payouts. The idea that those with allegations against them were paid $90M - 90 friggin MILLION! - as a settlement. Seriously, how does that NOT make any employee upset? Or any human being? 3 Down 1. Kanye West - I thought about putting this under "1 Dumb". But really, K...

Be Perfect?? I was. ✌NYU.

Earned. That's the one word that comes to mind as I punch the keys on this post. After seven years at NYU, I will be ending my chapter there this week. It's been a long and adventurous chapter, and honestly, it's been an awesome seven years. Like, seriously, AWESOME. Despite the usual complaints we all have about our workplaces, which of course pops up from time to time, my seven years at NYU has provided me with joy, memories, tremendous people, and the ability to develop in sooooooo many ways, professionally. It was easy to tell - I loved my job. After all, this very job, was my dream job.

3 Up 1. Boston Red Sox - As much as it pains me to say this (and it very much does), the Red Sox take the top spot this week. Even further (and hurting my soul even more), they might have been the best team I've seen in my lifetime since the 1998 Yankees. Congrats to the city of Boston on (another?!?!) sports title. Ugh. 2. Roman Reigns - The news of Roman Reigns announcement that he was battling leukemia was devastating - just another case of you don't know what's going on in someone else's life. It's surreal to me personally, as I share a birthday and am the same age as someone like Reigns. Life can come at you fast, and be very cruel, no matter how hard you work. However, The Big Dog gets the "Up" here for sharing the news so publicly, including his testimony of fighting it since the age of 12. And really, the dude seemed to be taking it stronger than everyone around him - including all of us, fans. Get well soon, Roman! 3. New York Red Bulls -...

3 Up 1. MLB World Series - After weeks of an awesome MLB Playoffs, the World Series is now set with such an intriguing match up between two uber-talented ball clubs. Definitely looking forward to Tuesday night. 2. G-League $125K - Well, we are now inching towards what should be an interesting shift in the basketball world. It should be very intriguing to see the option between the exposure of the NCAA and March Madness vs. the guaranteed $125K and the luxury of access to professional aid and development for many talented eighteen year olds. But honestly, the NCAA and Division I basketball has been a joke for years in terms of it's exploitation talent and it's absurd corruption and rules. Heres to hoping it forces them to get their acts together. 3. " This is 18 " - I'm a sucker for social pieces. This recent New York Times outlook is super interesting on what the age of 18 looks like to many girls around the world. It's a great lens into what marks t...