Maroons Online Vol. 2… No. 13 Tuesday, February 15, 2022
“Bringing us all to a place we don't want to lose."
Observer: Third Acts In Life
Macky’s New York: Life Eternal
William Peay: Tales From The Wood…
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame: Save The Date: Nov. 5th 2022
M + A NYC: Mighty Are We As One
James Stroker: Hope Coach
Jim Schoneman: Rock Hound
Siobhan Crann Winograd: Around The Village
Jeff Meyers: Courage…Cowardice
Ali Stroker: Audible Theater, March 3-5, 2022
Ridgewood League Of Women Voters: Adolescent Sleep & Later School Start Times
Observer
Third Acts In Life
If you exclude all the grass I cut, leaves I raked, and snow I shoveled and don’t count that as a childhood career, then I am on career number three.
I’ve found if you are lucky you can take pieces of previous careers with you into the next stages of your Life. For instance, I remain a capable cook of recipes learned during my First Act as a restaurateur. During my Act Two I participated in the building of the Internet, a collective effort for which I am both proud of and at times appalled by. I still relish troubleshooting technical problems and remain connected to a number of projects, including one called the Solid Project,
“Sir Tim Berners-Lee's vision of a vibrant web, for all.”
As it was with restaurants, my time working on data networks and cybersecurity issues was not all for naught. Though I’m not ready to call it quits.
What does my Third Act look like? Well my brother Don rightly suggested it has as its origin the work I am doing around engaging
“the knowledge and energy of older adults.”
In particular, The Maroons Online Project. This group RHS alumni & supporters are united in their desire not to dump the problems of today upon the next generation to fix, without at least laying the groundwork for possible solutions.
Maroons Online is ultimately about advocacy on social issues. We are advocates for a greater awareness of our collective history. Studying history helps us understand and grapple with complex questions. Towards this goal we host the website of the Ridgewood High School Athletic Hall Of Fame.
As a bit of background, in 2004 a team RHS alumni led by Jeff Yearing RHS 1966, Tom Thurston & Sam Cermack, RHS 1977, chose the first group of honorees to the RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame. With this first class and subsequent groups every two years since, there developed an excellent example of how alumni can participate in and influence the day-to-day activities of RHS. Their creation of the wall of RHS Hall Of Fame Wall in the main gymnasium is a stunning illustration of their energy & foresight. The Hall Of Fame Wall acknowledges the accomplishments of student athletes dating back to the earliest days of RHS. It is a must-see for every tour by alumni who visit RHS, as well an inspiration to current students, coaches, & supporters. The Hall Of Fame Wall raises the awareness of how sports have helped shape the growth of Ridgewood High School and the village in which it resides.
Our advocacy in 2022 also extends to the efforts by the Later School Start Time Group (Dr. Anne Robinson, RHS 1977, & RHS Principal Jeff Nyhuis). Their Smart Balance Initiative program offers ready proof that the best possible outcomes for students can be achieved by starting the school day later, say at 8:35AM. They have documented positive outcomes for students in other schools around the country, including better grades, test scores, attendance, & student well being. Not to mention a well rested athlete is more likely to compete better and be a more effective teammate.
When you think about it, the RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame & The Smart Balance Initiative program makes for an inspiring Third Act. One I believe will leave an enduring legacy for us all.
Macky’s New York
Matthew Cortellesi Photography
February 13, 2022 - Union Square
Life Eternal
As I head to New Jersey to attend a funeral...I stop and stare as the snow gently falls on me and at that moment...I could feel the glowing energy of all things once before and all things still to come rush through my heart and for that one second...I could see life eternal.
Dedicated to my friend Jami.
Shot at the base of the Abraham Lincoln statue looking south.
Time 1015am.
#ny1pic
William Peay
Tales From The Wood…
RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame
Save The Date: November 5, 2022
Visit The RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame RHS Athletic Hall Of Fame is open for business though some features remain under construction.
M + A NYC
Mighty Are We As One
Inspired by art, designed in New York, and made by hand with love by artisans all over the world. Shop home décor and wearable accessories at www.mplusanyc.com
Our Enamel and Brass Plated Bowl + Horn Servers just waiting for a great salad.
James Stroker
Jim Schoneman
Rock Hound
These days out in a woods, we'll take any color we can find.
Siobhan Crann Winograd
Around The Village
Last week a friend sent me this photo of Schedler. While my inner engineer understands that these trees needed to be cleared to access the berm, I wanted to note the following:
-Since there is NO COMPREHENSIVE APPROVED PLAN for these 7 acres, a replanting effort can not begin (excluding the perimeter berm plantings).
-Despite some persistant polite requests, the Village Website is not updated with respect to this project. In fact, no one (not the neighbors, the fields commitee or the community) knows what the project will look like as there is not approved plan in place. In fact Ridgewood has not even motivated to re-submitted a comprehensive plan since their last two rejections by the State which has now has oversight.
-Due to Orchard remediation and significant delays in this project (yup 13 years) the spring sports season may be pushed back a week until March 15th. Keep this in mind when you see your second grader scheduled at 7 pm at night.
-On a more positive note, this tree removal would expedite the construction of the park; however, without an approval from the state none of that work can continue (not one seedling can go in the ground). Equally important to note that the park side has received zero priority while the house has received a lion's share of attention and money.
Jeff Meyers
Courage…Cowardice
It would seem a strange mix
Courage…cowardice…
To step over the rail, look down
The Little Red Lighthouse signaling
Beams of lost idealism and hope.
Gravity and despondency
Intertwine like vines long growing
From the failing wood soil
Up girders, up
To where you stand.
It would seem a strange mix,
Protecting them from yourself,
Offering advice, a way out
You yourself have lost sight of,
The mist high off the river
Reaching your nostrils
Like smoke from an old Dutch pipe,
Tobacco rising
Like the sky-scraping
Tower you’ve lived in…
It would seem a strange mix,
Falling into darkness
Rising into a silence
Bereft of worry,
All sorrow left to others,
Your legacy now a chasm
Created by an earthquake
Inspired by doubt left to
Your offspring
Who wonder at your absence.
But time becomes mixed with certainty,
And you have decided there is only one way out.
This whips you over the rail to the edge:
You look down,
It’s time to take action
Remove yourself from those who need you,
Let them fend for themselves,
Unrivet their interest in your fate
And weld their investment in others
Ali Stroker
Audible Theater
For three nights only, from Thursday, March 3 through Saturday, March 5, Audible welcomes Tony Award winner Ali Stroker to the Minetta Lane Theatre for a solo concert.
Ridgewood League Of Women Voters
Adolescent Sleep & Later School Start Times
Peace