On Monday my daughter Mea made the local news. As many of you know, Mea is a senior at William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. She has recently been involved in bringing the production of the Sex Workers’ Art Show to the College's campus where it was shown last year to a sell-out audience. This year, there was the danger that the production would not be shown on campus. No doubt its content ca... More >>

Go back and read the blogs. Just the first sentences. How many begin with, “I”? What does that mean about blogging? Is it inherently an exercise about the self, a narcissistic workout about what the author thinks and feels?

In the January 17th Style Section, The New York Times quoth, “Generation Me Vs. You Revisited” dubbing the age group 18 – 25 weaned on YouTube and social media “... More >>

So here is my observation for the day. You all know that we have ongoing construction at my house. Unfortunately, we have had multiple unpleasant surprises where in each case the theme was the same - the salesperson knew or should have known a critical piece of information but did not disclose.

For example, we fell in love with a particular door. After all of our research, we concluded that th... More >>

When they suggested 8:00 a.m. on a Sunday, I almost said no. Instead of no, I said okay -- and it was more than worthwhile. We met at the Sea Cliff Coffee Company to discuss primarily the upcoming Gotham Book Club web page.

We (really Mitch) are turning the Book Club Blog into a separate webpage devoted entirely to Book discussions. Mitch presented us with a sample page and optional featur... More >>

Here is something good: Many mornings before work I buy a banana from the guy at the corner of 41st Street and Madison for 25 cents. I almost feel guilty taking the change from the banana man from the dollar I give him. I don't know what his profit margin is, but he must have to sell an awful lot of bananas each day; twenty of them just to make $8, and that barely buys lunch.

This is the bes... More >>

I grew up in a household that accepted failure as a part of life. If I failed, it was met with smiles and positive affirmation that I tried. As I have been fortunate enough to raise children, I have witnessed their failures and have found myself becoming acutely aware of this. We are supposed to let our kids fail (within reason of course). How else can they learn to cope with life? What better tim... More >>

Being compulsive and competitive, athletics have occupied a disproportionate amount of my energy, time and consciousness. One of the most monumental failures of my athletic life occured as set forth below. I am proud to have finished 33 (26.2 mile) marathons, but this was "The Day The Motion Stopped":


At
first
he was
frisky,
pumped up,
throbbing with
tension, anxious
to go, and with th... More >>

There was no doubt in my mind that, even after “failing” on his first two field goal attempts – either of which would have clinched the win for the Giants without going into overtime -- Lawrence Tynes (the “place kicker” for the Super Bowl Bound New York Giants – for those who have just arrived or don’t really care about sports), would be out on the field for another attemp... More >>

There’s something about Vietnam that thrusts you back into the late 60’s and early 70’s. We have been traveling here for a week and it has become an unavoidable journey into the past. I do not consider myself a political person, nor one with a great awareness of history, and I am aware that this is a “non-political’ blog, but as David and I travel from North to South Vietnam we ha... More >>

I have intentionally not read my fellow bloggers musings this week. This is not with bad intentions. I promise to live up to the “Gotham Bloggers Oath” to read all blogs early and often – but only after my blog is posted. Why? Because I do not want to be influenced by any other thoughts on this topic. Rest assured that we have not discussed our perspectives or the topic at all. (At leas... More >>

I think the idea of a thematic weeklong blog is terrific. At the same time, however, it feels eerily similar to a middle school homework assignment.

Throughout seventh, eighth and ninth grades, I played tennis for the junior high school tennis team. I was a doubles player, not strong enough to make singles (four slots on the team). But in ninth grade, I took home the trophy for Most Valuabl... More >>

Awhile ago I suggested that one week all bloggers write on the same topic. I don't know why I said that, I may have had a few bourbons with lunch that day. So now the Supreme Blogger has decreed that this week we all write about "failure". And I am the first to go. I don't think I like being first.

More clarification is needed. Is it my failure that I am supposed to write about, which is... More >>

Last week my I asked my daughter Sarah to write a blog. So, of course, this week I asked my son Jake. Have a look.


Just last week I found out what will happen next year. I got into Binghamton University, which is where I have wanted to go since I stepped foot on the campus. Since I have gotten into college already and am set for my next school year, I have lost some of the motivation for scho... More >>

Way back in July of last year I wrote a "Taking Care" blog about the trials and tribulations, eg, "countless glitches, setbacks and bumps in the road", of moving my 87 year old father in law to a wonderful place (Sterling Glen) right near us in Roslyn. I mentioned that for a number of years he had been alone pining for his beloved departed wife.

Well now the update, Fred (yes we share the nam... More >>

It’s Sunday morning and Flo and I are at 36,396 feet above sea level -- over the Caribbean Islands -- flying to Aruba. They told me that I could use my laptop, as long as I promised not to use the internet. A perfect invitation to blog.

I’ve always enjoyed flying. But the thing that I love most about flying may be changing. I have loved flying because -- up until recently -- it was the on... More >>

I grew up in Queens and I was able to walk or take public transportation wherever I needed or wanted to go. I actually had no idea that when I moved to suburbia, it would be necessary to drive almost everywhere. Now that I spend a large percentage of time in my car, I keep thinking, am I really a Volvo SUV? Is that the self-image I want to project? Sure it meets my needs; it feels safe; i... More >>

Over the years, we all pick up tidbits, sometime interesting, sometimes useful – other times useless and boring. I decided to share a few with my Gotham friends and ask you to share a few your own. Look at this as a good deed, sharing useless pieces of blatantly disconnected information with your friends. Here goes:

1. Hairspray on ink stains really works. Well, you have to get ... More >>

If you must check the byline of any article you read in the newspaper (or anywhere else), you will appreciate this. If you must know the author’s name before you pick up a book, you will appreciate this. If you wonder what it takes to write a novel: the discipline, creativity and imagination involved, then I know you will appreciate this.

Last week, Sara Gruen, best selling author of “W... More >>

Things are starting to feel a little stiff these days. The first few steps out of bed in the morning make me feel like I need an oil can. The walk to the kitchen to make coffee is a little slow.

I should stretch and exercise more. Though I enjoy sports and am pretty active, exercise for the sake of exercise is boring. I try though. I have my bike set up on a stand in the living room in fr... More >>

A blog from my daughter...

Today I'm packing up the car to drive up to Boston after my last winter break of college, before my last semester of college. As I'm not pursuing graduate work yet, this semester is the end of 19 years of my life in school. For the first time, I won't have textbooks or exams, teachers or homework. I will not agonize about writing a paper or worry about studying for fi... More >>

As you may know Tuesday would have been Elvis' 73rd birthday and this is my perenial tribute: THE KING!

I saw the Great Elvis today
encapsulated on film
written off and explained away
and I tried to cry,
cry for him or cry for me
or was there something else?
Or what is gone,
or never happened,
or will never be again
and is lost forever?

He was the shooting Star of the Fifties
when ... More >>

My ophthalmologist recently prescribed that I take two tests – an optic nerve test and a visual acuity test. “Nothing to be alarmed about… just noticed some irregularities and wanted a base line.” Fortunately, my insurance covers the tests. Annoyingly, the insurance company will not pay for the tests if I have them on the same day.
As a health care attorney, on a daily basis I... More >>

I have weekly email contact with Gotham Webmaster, Mitch Tobol, and I started thinking – who is this “webmaster” and what does he do? We ended up conducting this interview on the phone.

EB: “You are the Gotham Webmaster – what does that mean?”
MT: (Laughing) “It means that my normal job is now a hobby.... I manage the website. I work with designers and programmers to add feat... More >>

If you are reading this blog, you know that we do not opine about certain topics including politics. While arguably my blog today is about politics, it is not intended to be political. You will not learn my political affiliation or my opinions by reading on. But instead an observation.

Are you noticing an unusual (I don’t think I can say unprecedented) interest in the elections process and... More >>

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen


During the early part of the Great Depression, Jacob Jankowski found himself instantly orphaned and penniless. He was just a few exams away from completing his veterinary degree. In a haze, Jacob abandons his life and finds himself aboard a train housing the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The story unfolds as a series of memories related... More >>

The waves last week were pretty big, almost scary. They hit so hard a few bathing suit tops were slipping loose. My kids and I joked about the times when they were little and we played in the ocean waves in Montauk or on the Vineyard and I would tell them about the calm before the storm. That's when the waves suddenly seemed to stop and the sea went flat (the calm), and I told them that meant t... More >>

As we start 2008, I wonder what kind year this will be. Last year I made some predictions...let's see how I did.

Here are some predictions:
Smaller iPods - about the size of a pin head
(Not quite but Jobs did introduce a smaller Nano...)

Beautiful sunrises/sunsets - pollution works wonders
(That wasn't quite a stretch but there was some spectacular ones...)

A new ailment, Wii wrist... More >>

I am writing this under the influence of a debilitating head cold (3 days in). When I was younger I knew that I would ride it out in about 7 days and that was almost tolerable. But now, despite all the vitamins, flu shots and echinacea I consume, it can take as long as 4 weeks as it migrates to my chest and I am compelled to take an antibiotic.

During the day my colds seem to go into some sor... More >>

Recently, Flo received an invitation to a baby shower for the expected grandchild of a former friend of hers. I say “former friend” because this is a woman whom Flo had met several years ago while on sabbatical leave and stayed in touch with – seeing her a few times a year…but gradually lost touch with. I don’t think we’d ever met her children.
About a year ago, this ... More >>

In this time of declining movie theater attendance, a time of Netflix and giant TV’s, I continue to enjoy going to a movie theater to see a film. My pick for the movie that I liked the most in recent years would be the amazingly creative and well acted “Pan’s Labyrinth.” Other movies that stayed with me during 2007 included “Across the Universe,” the musical that was so evocativ... More >>

As I noted last week, I am the luckiest blogger. Not only does my day fall on New Year’s, but as the first day of the month my blog will be in the “scroll” for the longest time this month. All that said, this was a lot of pressure as I sat down to write. I recalled that last year I blogged about my resolutions for the New Year and decided that I would muster up the courage to revisit thos... More >>