mail...I have to keep closing my email and re open to get new mail

Hey DavidBurstein,

I would start off by making sure the setting to check automatically is enabled at your desired time interval:

Have Mail check automatically

To set Mail to check for messages automatically, choose Preferences from the Mail menu, then click General in the resulting window. From the "Check for new mail" pop-up menu, choose a desired time interval. You can also choose a sound from the "New messages sound" pop-up menu to alert you that new mail has arrived.

If that all looks correct, then I would continue looking through the following article, which will include more troubleshooting tips:

Email Quick Assist

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1146

Best,

Delgadoh