First Soccer

Conditions were unkind cruel Saturday for Is.'s first soccer outing of the spring: 45F, gusting winds, light rain, swampy pitch. For a first-time experience, I would call this one heckuva difficult test--a hard check of their pre-K grit. Just forty-five minutes out there proved some admirable soccer stick-to-it-ness for these kids and their families. They typically run a 30-minute practice followed by a 15-minute game, but Team Green, our "opponent," wanted to start the match early because their parents and kids were mutinous with complaining about the elements. We got the game underway without much if any practice session. Having served many seasons as Ph.'s coach, I am strictly a parent this time around (yeah, I'll volunteer to hand out the shirts or distribute snack, but no coaching). Is. is three-almost-four; Ph.'s soccer rounds helped us put youth sports in perspective years ago. And so Saturday was a lot of fun. Is. ended the session with a smile, and she has asked to kick around several times since.

Reflecting on the event, Is. said, "I'm on the blue team."

Smoke Clears

Long silenced by a wish for due compensation, the Long Island Smoke Monster recently spoke out about how Lost producers ran amuck with a misleading caricature. Read more for the LISM's belching, hickoried truth.

I was at the same Hamptons barbecue as J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof back in 2002, and it's always been clear they based the Lost smoke monster on me. Well, I have news for you--it's a totally inaccurate depiction! I never said anything before because I thought the producers would eventually offer me something in exchange--like creative control over my own project, or even just a set visit in Hawaii. Wrong! So now that Lost is coming to an end, there are some things I want to get straight.