Author: hankkalet

Hank Kalet is a poet and freelance journalist. He is the economic needs reporter for NJ Spotlight, teaches journalism at Rutgers University and writing at Middlesex County College and Brookdale Community College. He writes a semi-monthly column for the Progressive Populist. He is a lifelong fan of the New York Mets and New York Knicks, drinks too much coffee and attends as many Bruce Springsteen concerts as his meager finances will allow. He lives in South Brunswick with his wife Annie.

Busy day at the outlets

We're at the Coach outlet in Jackson browsing — thanks to a coupon — and it's packed. I know everything is on sale, but this seems crazy for a pre-Thanksgiving Saturday during a painful recession.

Job numbers released yesterday were terrible — highest unemployment rate in nearly three decades with many, many more working, but “underemployed” (i.e., working part-time or at jobs below their qualifications because nothing else is available).

I can only assume this is a good sign, or all these people are shopping to fight depression

I think I'll cross my fingers.

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Doggie diaries: The story of Rosie and Sophie Reintroducing the Nylabone — s

We gave the dogs Nylabones for the first time since their major fight to see how they'd react.

Sophie got hers first, while Rosie was outside. Rosie got one when she came in.

They had then for about 15 uncomfortable minutes, both looking up from their bones with what appeared to be mistrust. I kept close watch.

The experiment ended when Rosie went over to Sophie and stood over her — a dominance/territorial move that signaled potential trouble.

That's when the bones went away. We'll try again later or tomorrow, supervised, of course.

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Doggie diary: The story of Rosie and Sophie Exercise and television

We took the dogs for a long walk earlier, which we need to do more frequently. What I've noticed is that they tend to be better on their walks when they get out more frequently. So, that's what we need to do.

Now, of course, we're watching “The Dog Whisperer,” Rosie quite intently.

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Too much celebration could result in a hangover

Part of me knows that Mets fans and the Mets organization would have put together the same kind of celebration, but it was difficult to watch this morning, sitting with Annie in the waiting room while my sister-in-law had some routine tests done.

It wasn’t so much the players, but the people on NBC that made the entire spectacle difficult to listen to (I was trying to read and not watch), along with some of the peripheral folks. The introduction of all players, including those like Xavier Nady and Chien Ming Wa, who spent the bulk of the year on the DL, as if they were integral parts of the journey, just prolonged it.

It is over for now, but this a well-constructed team at its core — Sabathia and Burnett in the rotation, perhaps the best infield in baseball, some solid outfielders, though some of the cogs are aging — so we may have to endure the same thing next year.

My only hope is that the Mets rebound, get healthy and find the missing pieces to surround David Wright, Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana and get back to the playoffs and make a run a world title.

It’s time to move on same-sex marriage

I am sure there is a majority in both houses of the state Legislature that supports same-sex marriage, but too many have failed to step up, moderates like state Sens. Bill Baroni and Jen Beck, who have stood up for gay rights and other socially liberal positions in the past, but have remained silent on the issue until now.

Assemblyman Reed Gusciora and state Sen. Loretta Weinberg have sponsored legislation — with 11 Assembly co-sponsors and five Senate co-sponsors — that deserves a hearing, and soon.
(There is a competing bill in the Assembly, voiding same-sex marriages, that is unlikely to get traction.)

The bills, both called the “Freedom of Religion and Equality in Civil Marriage Act,” were introduced in June 2008, but remain dormant in both Judiciary committees. Sen. Paul Sarlo, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, told Tom Moran that he remains undecided.

“These are people I go to church with,” he said. “I’m leaning towards not supporting it. But I’m an open-minded person.”

Let’s hope so. It’s his ballgame for now.