Inasmuch as November 22nd was Thanksgiving Day I waited, for a lot of reasons, to post this blog.

I just finished listening to Gore Vidal's memoir "Point To Point Navigation" which closes with his semi inside take on the assassination. He asserts with certainty that Oswald was the "patsy" and it ends up saintly Robert Kennedy knew the following alleged true story, but could do nothing about it... More >>

Before I get to my Gotham Pet Peeve, I’d like to congratulate Judie Moceri and Judy Mines who were named Gotham’s Co-Networkers of the Year at last evening’s Fall Cocktail Party before a sell-out crowd of Gotham members and guests at the Friar’s Club. Everyone who has had the pleasure of working with Judy and Judie knows that the acknowledgment and accolade is well-deserved.

My Gotham... More >>

I just disconnected from video messaging with my daughter Jenny who is living in Singapore. Hoping to follow up on last week’s blog on instant messaging, I asked Jenny for a quote about her feelings on our video messaging relationship. She said, “Tell them that,” and I quote, “my daughter was able to tell me face to face that I’m not participating in this.” So there you have it. We... More >>

Is it real or is it contrived? They say that yesterday was Cyber Monday, the day that millions of employers lose billions of dollars in productivity from employees who spend the day looking for bargains on their favorite websites and working on their holiday shopping, rather than their “to do”, lists.

Frankly, I am not sure I believe that this phenomenon exists. Remember that we are labor... More >>

Escape
By Carolyn Jessop (with Laura Palmer)

For those who did not read the book, Escape details the life of Carolyn Jessop, a woman born into a radical polygamist cult – the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS). At 18, she was forced to marry a 55 year-old man and become his fourth wife.

She had eight children in 15 years with a man who didn’t care about a... More >>

One day soon I have to go visit the homeland. I haven't been there in a long time. I am talking about New Jersey, of course. I miss driving by my old high school and going to Bischoff's where they have the world's best ice cream, hot fudge and wet walnuts.

I grew up there and am proud of my New Jersey heritage. At my summer camp the Jersey and Long Island kids would always taunt each other... More >>

For the last 4 years I've been frying a turkey and charcoal grilling two ducks for Thanksgiving. My wife roasts one as well. It's fun because the ducks are always a big hit. I stuff each one with green apples and about halfway through I start basting it with an apple cider that's been reduced down to a syrup. Before I start recounting the recipe, the reason for this blog is about my charcoal grill... More >>

Gotham has much to give thanks for this year. Starting with our wonderful 10th year Gala in January we had a wonderful year. Other highlights included the amazing creation of the Gotham Anthem (written by Mike Landrum, Directed by Norm Spizz, Produced by Judy Mauer and sung by us), the establishment of innumerable theme groups such as the Green, Solo, Working Moms, Health Care, Non Practicing (Lap... More >>

It’s Wednesday evening, Flo is cooking for Thanksgiving and I’m blogging. Don’t jump to any stereo-type conclusions, it’s not yet my time to peel the potatoes.
I like Thanksgiving for several reasons:
1) It’s a time to get together with family without any religious overtones.
2) Generally speaking, you’re with people you want to be with.
3) If number 3 doesn’t apply, at le... More >>

For years I’ve watched my children using instant messaging as their primary form of online communication. And I didn’t get it. I kept emailing. Now I find that whenever I sign on line, at any hour of the day, someone on my buddy list is ready to talk. It is scary how many people are on line all the time. It’s a cultural phenomenon. My cousin Debbie is online every night chatting simulta... More >>

Saturday night we stayed in. It was a quiet night and the whole family relaxed in comfy sweatpants and slippers. When dinnertime came, none of us was interested in a big meal – and we had absolutely no inclination to leave the house.

So, we had soup. Different kinds of soup, but soup. The discussion around the table then went something like this.

Do you eat soup or drink soup? Does the ... More >>

For the past couple of weeks, my children’s homework assignments have been related to the pilgrims and their voyage on the Mayflower in 1620. One particular worksheet asked the kids, together with their families, to list 8 things they would pack in a chest and take with them on their journey to the new world.

It is a smart project. Kids and parents are required to think about what is esse... More >>

About eight months ago I was sitting in Eve's living room early one morning reading the paper and sipping some coffee when suddenly an uncontrollable urge came upon us to get a kitten. We woke up her two daughters, put them in the car, and off we went to North Shore Animal League to adopt a little pussycat.

For an hour we looked at lots of little kittens, black ones, grey ones, and striped on... More >>

It was bright and sunny when I arrived in Boston last Sunday afternoon. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed a beautiful girl skipping around the corner with an unbelievable smile. I ran over to her and hugged her tight. I hadn't seen her since September and I missed her. Right in the middle of the hug I remembered.

Saturday's were Daddy days. My favorite day of the week. My wife used to work ... More >>

I can not stop thinking about the Judge, eg, when swimming or exercising I hear him telling me not to quit. As you may know I was the only non family member who eulogized him at the Riverside Chapel service on Sunday. When I finished, the first thing I told myself was: "The Judge would not have been happy with my performance". In the same vein, he put the pressure on me two weeks ago by callin... More >>

With apologies and appropriate disclaimers to all who have shared their thoughts about Judge Goldfluss, I share mine.
Fred tells the story about how one day, a few years ago, the Judge walked into a Gotham meeting at the Friar’s Club and asked what’s going on here? One would think that the Judge was looking for something. I think what drew him to our community was not what he would gain fro... More >>

It is the week before Thanksgiving and all through our house not a thing is going on in the kitchen. I think I’ve got the guest list down though – David and me, one daughter, one future son-in-law, four cousins and one future father-in-law whom we’ve never met before. I would like to invite more people, but we don’t have that much space and some people think that serving a buffet dinne... More >>

Sometimes I dread Monday nights. Unlike some of my blogging brethren, I wait for late inspirations. I know Fred has content lined up for weeks. Not me. Around 10 pm each and every Monday night I sit at my computer. Usually, something has struck me during the day. Something that sends me thinking in about 200 – 300 words.

But the past week has been extraordinarily busy at work (don’t i... More >>

The Bryant Library in Roslyn is a special place for many reasons: its lovely surroundings in the Historic District complete with an adjacent duck pond, the quality of its materials and services, the caliber of its administration and staff, and the carefully conceived, and implemented, programs.

One program in particular that I attended last week with my eight year-old son was a parent and child... More >>

Here, in the cold of Madison, Wisconsin yesterday, I discovered something new.
College football. Walking to the stadium at the University of Wisconsin with my son who is a freshman here, I realized that I had never ever been to a college football game. Yesterday, against Michigan, was my first, and I couldn't wait to get into the stadium.

I knew something was afoot when I started watching t... More >>

Two weeks ago I wrote about my son, the road warrior, getting ready to run in the County meet. Now I'm writing about his next step, the State meet. Since he ran fast and made All County he is now going to run in Massena, NY. There will probably be snow up there and I, most likely, won't be able to have internet access. That's how far up it is. For all you downstaters, this town is on the other sid... More >>

Vacations are a most complex experience in the very broadest sense. Passing the very few days of true "vacation" at the epicenter of the alloted time (at which time this is being written), the remainder is far from what it is cracked up to be. First there is the exhausting planning and compromising with your vacationmate as to the when, where and why of it (plus the agonizing and haggling over the... More >>

Gotham lunches mean lots of talking and lots of listening. I am not always the best listener, I have to admit, though I try.

It's not all my fault. Some people are more interesting than others, that's the plain truth. And some people know how to play to an audience while others clearly don't, or can't. I give myself no credit here.

For me, the singular outstanding exception was our Judge Ho... More >>

We've all done it.
I used to laugh at my father when he would look me in the eyes and call me by my brother's name. (Now I smile to myself and would give anything for that one moment -- regardless of what he called me.)
Now my kids laugh at me when I look one of them in the eyes and call him/her by the other's name.
I recently received a call that th... More >>

I was sitting in the West Palm airport, returning from a visit with David’s parents in Boca Raton, when I began to think about my feelings about air travel. I know I was not alone when I popped half a Xanax into my mouth. I can no longer fly without artificial tranquility and I can’t bear to sit in those tight little seats for too long when I am awake. How I will manage a 20 hour flight to S... More >>

It is 1:15 am on Tuesday morning. I spent this past weekend negotiaing a deal for an important client. At the same time, I was trying to close a huge deal for another client.

All day today, I went back and forth between the deals, tending to the volumes of detail in each. At about 6 tonight it became clear that it was important to stay in the office to write one agreement. So I did, with the h... More >>

Today is moving day -- the culmination of weeks of preparing, packing and purging. Packing up and moving your life from one home to another brings with it many emotions: excitement, sadness, and nostalgia.

With every old photo album or baby toy I unearthed, came a rush of feelings that I didn’t have time to sort through. I found a giant bin of infant toys and paraphernalia: a couple of hand... More >>

Awhile ago I wrote a blog complaining about having to wear a tie and suit, especially during the summer heat. I want to rethink that one.

On Wednesday night I had a moment of insanity and decided to put on my little black dress. Actually it didn't seem particularly insane at the time, being that it was Halloween. I had a dress and matching bra in my closet ever since the cancelled Gotham talen... More >>

It means so much to me. I enjoy the feeling of trust. Being trusted, being able to trust someone... A wise friend told me to let people earn my trust. However, I often trust first and it never fails to burn. I recently found out that I have been consistently overbilled by someone I had trusted to work for me. Of course he says that "for the most part" he's been honest. Well I guess that part of th... More >>

I write this while being stuck on a crowded subway train under the East River. I feel this strange tightening sensation of all within and around me. I feel as if I am about to burst and I write this on my trusty Blackberry to distract and transport myself out of this dark sardine can. Or is it a coffin and I am buried alive?

The worst such experience I ever had occurred when the subway tunnel ... More >>

Tuesday morning I had a breakfast meeting at the Landmark Diner on Northern Boulevard and Searingtown Road (a/k/a Port Washington Boulevard). I knew that I was in for a good day when I saw Mitch Tobol. I wasn't meeting Mitch -- he was there for a meeting with someone else. As I waited for the people I would be meeting, I thought about diners.
Diners are a really important part of my l... More >>