Last Friday, my Mother called me and told me that she had read my blog about Lafayette Street on her new computer. Since Lafayette Street was also, obviously, a large part of her life, she was interested that I had been there recently and that the neighborhood had changed over the years.
Later that day, I received a phone call from my brother-in-law, Jeff, telling me that he had just see... More >>

Now that August is almost upon us and the summer is flying by, I’ve chosen to set some short-term end of summer goals that should carry me into the Fall:

1- to eat mindfully – this morning I read the New York Times while I ate breakfast. I had no idea what I ate. I want to be aware of every mouthful;

2- to drink filtered tap water and give up plastic bottles– enough said;

3- to ex... More >>

I do not have a lot to say tonight and I am not sure that what I am saying is even coherent. If you saw Debbie's fredslist yesterday, you may know that it has been quite a few days for my family with every variation of emotion combined with utter exhaustion and lack of sleep -- in this case, two different things. I was just reading emails and remembered at the last minute that today was actually... More >>

Do you like what you do? Did you choose the right field? If you could choose all over again, would you select a different major? Learn another trade? What would you do if you could do it all over again?

Did your guidance counselor in high school pay attention to your strengths and weaknesses? In college, did you pay attention to your strengths and weaknesses?

While I chose law and i... More >>

Turning 50, which I passed some time ago, means that you become free game for exploration. You add names and numbers of medical specialists you never thought you would need to your contact list. Body parts you didn't show to anyone other than your mother when you were nine are suddenly examined, poked and harvested by strangers. Every opening becomes fair game. The "exit only" sign has to come... More >>

Thursday night I was having dinner at one of my favorite restaurants, Piccolo Bussola in Westbury with two great friends. After a delicious meal with lots of laughs we ordered decaf coffee (with a little buca of course). We finished off the meal and parted ways. It was late, about midnight and we all had to work the next day.

However, when I got home and slipped into bed I could not fall aslee... More >>

With all the hullabaloo, sexual innuendo and other "Page Six" gossip concerning the supposed "hook up" of Madonna and A-Rod (Yankee thirdbaseman Alex Rodriguez) I got to musing about Madonna and conventional preconceptions.

I recognize that I am again skating on thin ice and must posit that I do not wish to offend by venturing into controversial waters, ie, man-woman propriety, as in "good girl... More >>

We are sitting at a table by the window in a cafe on Lafayette Street, between Spring and Prince. I have a strange sense of having been here before, but Flo assures me that the place just opened and she had been here without me. I notice that we're actually sitting by a glass front door that is closed - having been replaced by the entrance on the other side. I notice the shelf, now a tiled bench, ... More >>

Sometimes I catch a glimpse of myself reflected in a mirror or window, and I’m caught in the act, taking a swig of water from a Poland Spring sports bottle. It looks a lot like a baby bottle. Is that part of the attraction, I wonder? I am fighting my addiction to the water bottles I carry everywhere. They are in my car, in my studio, in my bathroom. Sometimes I can’t believe that I spent ... More >>

I have a confession to make that should properly be made on the internet-I am addicted to internet shopping. It began very innocently with an occasional purchase at Amazon.com and has now developed to where I do almost all my shopping on line. While I can rationalize this preoccupation by citing its convenience I have to admit the truth, its fun.

I look forward to Julie Klein’s monthly annou... More >>

If you’re beyond tired of the “sleep away camp” blogs, please stop reading now if you even got this far. But Fred convinced me to write about it as it is a continuation of several earlier blogs. So here goes (and I apologize in advance):

Many friends, members of my family and even acquaintances had characterized the “visiting day” experience as: “the worst day of your life,” “... More >>

Hundreds of years ago who could have imagined the internet. It began as a US government defense system in the 1950's. I don't think people were sitting around the dinner table in the 1800's saying "I wonder if someday we will have email so we can sit home and make hotel reservations in Miami." Could Gutenberg have ever thought that we would someday go paperless?

Flying on the other hand was in ... More >>

Two years ago when Apple said they were introducing a new phone many in the industry were skeptical. How could a mature device be that dramatically improved? Still others were excited and many competitors were scared.

Last week version 2.0 of Apple's iPhone was introduced and it's quite amazing the impact this phone has had. Google has reported that over 60% of the searches from mobile phones a... More >>

Some of you may know that I am the pitcher for the Gotham Bombers softball team ("it's great to be young and a Bomber!"). And over this season I have learned an interesting pitching lesson which has application in a much broader sense.

Traditional teaching has it that a pitcher should have and exercise good "control", ie, get the ball over the plate and not walk (4 balls) any batters (called a... More >>

When my daughter, Mea, was much, much younger, we used to listen to music together. One day, while listening, she looked at me and said "You know, music goes straight to the heart."
That was about fifteen years ago and ever since then, Mea's words have set the standard by which I listen to music. Concerts I attend are judged by those simple, yet astute words.
So it was when Flo ... More >>

On Sunday I noticed that the Tropicana orange juice container was now a new “easy pour pitcher.” The old awkward standby had become a sleek, streamlined 21st century jug with an attached cap. Less plastic and better for the environment? Maybe. But where was my notice that the easier to lift contents no longer weighed 96 ounces and now weighed in at 89 ounces of juice. This is a trend, but... More >>

Recently I had occasion to hear a surgeon deliver news to a patient. The news was good but the delivery was even better. He was a stranger but walked into the room with authority, introduced himself by first name and shook all of our hands. “We looked at your films”, he said, “and did not want all of you worrying any longer so I came to tell you that we don’t believe surgery is necessar... More >>

July, August and wine just don’t mix. Or do they? Personally, scotch is my choice of adult beverage during the summer months. When I come home on a Friday night during the summer, I pour myself a single malt and kick back with the kids and relax.

But spirits just don’t dance on our taste buds and compliment foods like wine. So what wines do you drink during the summer? Please tell me.

W... More >>

Everyone does it. Think of someone from sometime in your life, or even someone you know now, and Google them. I have googled and have been googled. It is informative, especially with adversaries or prospective clients. I even googled myself, and up came a picture of Nancy. (It's true.)

Last month out of the blue I got an email from someone I went to camp with named Stacy and who I haven't s... More >>

When I tell people I haven't taken a full weeks vacation in a few years they look at me with a weird look like I'm from some other planet. It's not that I don't like to be on vacation, it's just a little difficult to get away. Owning your own business makes it hard. I take the the responsibility to heart.

If you're wondering, I do take small vacations. Sometimes three/four day weekends. Actual... More >>

Have you ever been driving innocently in the left lane of a crowded highway and been suddenly jolted out of your revery by bleats of a siren and rotating flashing lights on an otherwise nondescript vehicle?

If so, of course, you dutifully pull over and make way for this urgent and seemingly important vehicle. This has happened to me innumerable times and I got to thinking as to who... More >>

This morning I’ll have special toast for breakfast like I have for the past few days. The bread is from Taft Farms in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. We were in the Berkshires last weekend and bought the breads -- honey oatmeal and whole wheat -- on our way back home on Sunday. We also brought home goat cheese from the goat farm in Monterey. It’s the best goat cheese that I have ever h... More >>

Did you know that the “low sugar” foods in your supermarket are hiding something? I didn’t. On a friend’s recommendation, I’d purchased Quaker “Weight Loss” oatmeal – each serving is high in fiber and protein and the contents include one gram of sugar. I began to eat a packet for breakfast, and then maybe, since it was so good for me, and low in calories, I’d have one for an a... More >>

Last week, I was on vacation. If I described my week to you, you might feel the need for a nap. It involved checking off “to dos” on a list that has been slowly growing for longer than I care to admit.

One happily checked item involved cleaning out a particular kitchen cabinet. In that cabinet, I uncovered about a dozen photographs of my children at various times in their lives. My d... More >>

Summer is really here now -- but it will be gone before you know it. What a fleeting sensation summer seems to be. As a kid, it seemed like an eternity – day after day of warm sunshine, cool swimming pools and salty beach air – like it would never end.

I lived on my bike, swam in any pool I was invited to, played tennis at the town park and ran around the block with my neighbors. We sp... More >>

My ipod disappeared awhile ago and it was time to buy a new one. I went to the Apple store and got a Nano. It can hold about 1,000 songs, which is perfect since I know 980.

I came home and loaded it with music I liked, like Hendrix, The Doors, Blind Faith/Cream, Buffalo Springfield, The Band, John Sebastian, The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, CSNY, Traffic, and so forth. I was especially happy to... More >>

For me the official start of summer is July 4th. It marks the beginning of a hot couple of months. (Although with global warming, two months will soon be stretching into 6.) More than that there are things that I look forward to like...

Golf
Central air conditioning
Watermelon (the colder the better)
Sitting on the porch with a cool drink
More Golf
Grilling (charcoal only please)
Swimming... More >>

Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, members of the committee which drafted our magnificent Declaration of Independence, both died 50 years from the date of the July 4th 1776 declaration on July 4th, 1826.

Jefferson's last words were "Is it the fourth?". He died at 1220 PM. Adams survived until 6:00 PM that same day and his last words were "Thomas Jefferson survives." Without email or cell pho... More >>

We were on the ferry from Greenport to Shelter Island two Saturdays ago when Flo realized that the earring wasn't on her ear. As we looked around in the car it was becoming clear that it had fallen somewhere on the North Fork which was now receding in the distance. Flo though about the "bump" and the "sense" that she increasing regrets not having taken more seriously. It must have fallen when we s... More >>

I wish I were a person who eats to live, but I am surely one who lives to eat. Unlike very thin people who seem to have no interest in their next meal, I am never too busy to remember to eat. In that I am always watching my weight, avoiding carbohydrates, excess sugar, fat and everything else that tastes good, I thought I could indulge myself on paper.

I love desserts, and I'd kill for a co... More >>

They happen to all of us – at least if we are honest. Yet there are many personalities out there and it is interesting to me how each deals with a mistake.

Some people believe that all blame starts at their own doorsteps. (“I know it must be my fault that the buses are late” I once heard a passenger comment to NYC bus dispatcher with all sincerity. I thought, this is quite a powerful p... More >>