Reading (your?) holiday letters inspired me to speed-write this. Given how late this is and the cat-herding-esque nature of getting other family members to write and/or approve an official family letter, this is a solo effort / personal letter. Here are my (very unofficial) 2024 Lavin family awards… Most stressful process 2024 began in the middle of college application season. The stress and exhaustion is real. While taking a full slate of high school classes and extracurriculars, Daryl was simultaneously writing and editing a bazillion school-specific essays asking him to explain why University XYZ should admit him (and traveling to audition for trombone studios)....

In 2024, I “read” – mostly listened to – far fewer books than in 2023. (Here’s last year’s list) Reasons include: Youtube addiction Listened to more podcasts Watched more TV (It’s Apple TV+’s fault for producing too many great shows… “Silo,” “Slow Horses,” “Lessons in Chemistry,” “Mythic Quest,” “Shrinking,” “Severance,” “The Morning Show,” “Masters of the Air,” “Dark Matter,” For All Mankind," “Ted Lasso,” “Prehistoric Planet,” “Foundation,” etc.!) Fewer long, solo outdoor walks Listened to even more jazz I took fewer long, solo walks outdoors because:...

After watching a flood of reports about “drones” flying over New Jersey and – increasingly – other neighboring states, I stepped into the cold night air Friday, December 13th – yes, Friday the 13th! – not expecting to see anything flying around my house but curious whether I might. I almost immediately started filming quite a few things in the air around my home. It felt bizarre in light of countless media reports of unidentified “drones” across much of the US East Coast and beyond....

2024-09-28 update: I still remember how stressed my dad was the morning he drove me to college 37 years ago. He must have been experiencing the same insane mix of pride, joy, loneliness, and sadness I described in this post. The day I posted this, an interesting article – titled “Lighthouse Parents Have More Confident Kids: Sometimes, the best thing a parent can do is nothing at all” – appeared in The Atlantic by Russell Shaw....

About two years ago, I experienced intense pain in my lower right abdomen during a walk. I feared appendicitis, but the pain eventually went away. Six months later, I noticed a lump in my groin and realized I had a hernia, something more than 25% of men will eventually experience. (I’ve seen some estimates as high as nearly 50%!) “露馅儿” (lou4 xian4 er) is one of my favorite Chinese phrases. It literally means “to leak/expose the stuffing/filling....

A few updates: I normally sleep on my side, and a single piece of tape sufficed. But following hernia surgery in August, I needed to sleep on my back. I found I needed two pieces of tape when sleeping on my back. When I haven’t shaved, the tape I use sticks poorly. The longer my facial hair grows, the more likely the tape is to come loose during the night....

My first four “Jazz I Love"s – #1, #2, #3, and #4 – were assorted jazz recordings from the past few decades. #5 focused on 1960s jazz and #6 on piano jazz. I’ll now share a trombone-focused edition. I’ve tried to include at least one performance by many great trombonists. Please treat this as a starting point for discovering more amazing performances by these incredible artists. Enjoy! Nils Wogram & Harry Watters Cherokee - Slide Factory European Trombone Festival 2009 Delfeayo Marsalis, Nick Finzer, Steve Davis, & Michael Dease International Trombone Festival Live J....

My first four “Jazz I Love"s – #1, #2, #3, and #4 – were assorted jazz recordings from the past few decades. #5 focused on 1960s jazz. I’ll now share a piano-focused edition, which I hope to follow up with additional instrument-focused editions. I’ve tried to include a performance by many of the greats. Please treat this as a starting point for discovering more amazing performances by these incredible artists....

Before the pandemic, Christopher Rim’s average client would apply to 12 schools. This application cycle, the college admissions consultant said, 90% of the students he works with are applying to 20 or more schools. “It’s an unprecedented number,” he said. “At some level, it’s becoming a lottery, and these kids just decide to cover all their bases. They’re just applying to as many schools as possible,” Rim, the CEO of Command Education, told The Post…...

Here are some recordings I’ve made since February (mostly in April, I think). I continue doing 15+ minutes of piano most days. Miss a day here or there but that’s okay. It’s a life-long habit, not an addiction. It Had To Be You On Green Dolphin Street Sweet Georgia Brown (new version from different piano book) These Foolish Things You’ve Got a Friend With A Little Help From My Friends A few things I’ve recently noticed Figuring out the proper fingering used to be a challenge....