September 24, 2003
Flashback to the birth of a father
My niece Gina, who just had her first baby, Elisabeth, emails to tell me she is receiving the weekly BabyCenter email newsletter (which I highly recommend to new parents). She added, "Hey, look at the bottom of the newsletter, it's got your series on Bobby."
And indeed it did. Bobby is 4 years old now and, for the moment, no longer a major media star.
August 21, 2003
Just registered lasica.us
I just spent five minutes at GoDaddy.com registering the domain name lasica.us (lasica.com was taken, by someone not related to us, several years ago; thus, i use jdlasica.com). The registration process was smooth 'n' easy, though the come-ons for unneeded extras were a bit much. Paid a total of $24.75 for five years.
Some day, I'll get some time and move the family tree over there.
August 18, 2003
Family time
I'll be out of town and offline the rest of today while I spend time with my little brother, who's visiting from Phoenix.
July 28, 2003
Back to business
Both the Monterey Aquarium and Capitola were great fun. Finally getting my summer tan. (Here's a beach scene from last summer.) Thanks for the birthday wishes. Now back to journalism business.
July 27, 2003
Birthday dinner in Monterey
My wife, 4-year-old and I are heading out the door now to Monterey. Bobby has never seen such an amazing aquarium before.
It's my birthday today, so we'll be dining in Pacific Grove and spending Monday in Capitola. Not bad.
Ed Cone said:
happy birthday.
Morrie Johnston said:
Happy Birthday JD. Hope you had a great day.
June 15, 2003
Happy Father's Day
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And this is the day my father is in my thoughts all day long. Here's a tribute I wrote to him in 1999.
Happy Father's Day, everyone.
kpaul said:
Happy Dad's Day back to you. My step-daughter isn't here for the summer yet, but I got a call. Lots of yardwork done too. ;)
April 21, 2003
A birthday in the house
Light blogging today, it's family day here in the Lasica household. Our Bobby turned 4 today, and the relatives are out in force.
April 08, 2003
How a daily college newspaper became independent
Twenty-five years ago today, when I was a young pup, I organized and chaired a major journalism convention at Rutgers University that paved the way for the university's college daily newspaper, the Targum, to become an independent publication. Lesley Stahl, Daniel Schorr and George Gallup were just a few of the speakers who came out to the daylong conference and alumni reunion. The event drew 1,000 people.
Some alums of the 134-year-old newspaper asked me to recount the events that led up to independence and the founding of the Targum Alumni Association. Here's the story.
March 17, 2003
Back from Tahoe
Just got back from a four-day weekend at Lake Tahoe. We almost didn't go because of the forecast of 3 to 5 feet of snow for the region. Turned out to be 3 to 5 inches -- and wonderfully timed. The morning after we arrived a soft blanket of snow fell, which delighted Bobby, a California boy who had never seen snow before. (Guess who bore the brunt of the ensuing snowball fights?) I had only one major wipeout on the slopes at Heavenly Valley, so all in all, a relaxing weekend. (Sorry, no pix -- the digital camera's in the repair shop.)
More updates soon.
February 23, 2003
Culture Clash: subversively brilliant
As I mentioned yesterday, my wife and I, and a friend, Colleen, trekked to San Jose Saturday to catch the comedy troupe Culture Clash. I hadn't caught them in about eight years -- when I interviewed them for the cover of the Sacramento Bee's Ticket section -- and so I was heartened to see how their routine has matured over that time. (They actually had a show on Fox for a year that nobody knew about; as Herbert Siguenza, one of the members, said: "We're Latino, and we were doing satire, so that's two strikes right there.")
While their work in the early to mid-'90s was all about the Chicano identity, their new staged pieces have opened up and grown in a different direction, tackling issues of citizenship, belonging, cultural assimilation, the immigrant experience, and the topic that's hanging over all of us: war and terrorism. Their routine's anti-war message gave the performance a more somber but deeper and more resonant tone.
Two of the members took the stage after the show to answer questions from the hundred or so folks who remained, many of them students from UC Santa Cruz. Richard Rodriguez explained the troupe's work by invoking the word "journalism" as part of their mission. Before a show's run, the three members actually go out and interview 50 or 60 locals to get a feel for what the community is experiencing on a social and cultural level. The resulting show, they said, is about reporting back to the audience on their findings.
An official with San Jose rep mentioned that the theater company had gotten some hate emails about the troupe's act (and they were actually run out of town in Mesa, Ariz.). Not surprising, given the power and uncompromising vision of the performance.
February 22, 2003
Cul-cha Day
It's Cul-cha Day here at the Lasica household. (Hey, I'm from Joisey.) First we hit Culture Clash, the Latino comedy troupe, at the San Jose Repertory Theater. Then it's on to a wine-tasting shop/bistro we've been wanting to check out in the tiny town of Sunol, called Little Valley.
