I was planning to go on the golf outing tomorrow, and looking foward to it. Until I woke up this morning and hobbled to the kitchen to make coffee.

Yesterday, the perfect start of summer that it was, mid-70's, sunny and no humidity, I decided to take a little bike ride. I wanted to try something different than my usual City and Westchester County rides. So I searched and found that this guy ... More >>

In anticipation of Monday's Golf Outing...

On June the first
amongst the green
we will strike the ball
and try not to be mean.
Cause the ball was still
and had not done harm
but we guys like to hit it
with great alarm.

Most women swing nice
like slicing a cake
They don't really care
about the number they make
they just want to hit it
and watch the ball fly
then drive to the next... More >>

Recently I was bragging about how good I am at multi tasking and gave as an example how I am a serial Blackberrier while driving. I went so far as to brag that I had had only one minor collision while practicing my Black(berry) Art. I was very expansive and confident as I tried to trump a Syracuse Group "Spot Light" speaker on the subject of relaxation, ie, take a break, do only one thing at a t... More >>

Last week, I was walking up Park Avenue to a business meeting. As I crossed 62nd Street, a man -- dressed a bit shabbily -- approached me with his hand extended. "Can you help me out with buying a plane ticket to Sicily?"
My mind was still dealing with what I anticipated to be the ending to the sentence -- "...cup of coffee" -- as my brain caught up with the words he actually ut... More >>

Three little kittens and their mother have been living under our deck. We had homes promised for at least two, but, alas, they were too clever, and we have been unable to catch them. (David and I agree that, had we been hunter-gatherers, we would have starved to death long ago). So, all month, the three little kittens cavorted across our deck and through our potted plants. They played with the... More >>

We were with friends over the holiday weekend that had just returned from their niece’s college graduation. With all of the excitement and grandeur of a college graduation, this one was different. This was the 2009 class at Tulane University, a group of freshman that moved into their dorms and within days (and in some cases hours) were faced with evacuating ahead of the approaching Hurricane K... More >>

Two summers ago I wrote a blog about the HBO series Entourage indicating that the writers often used names of real people that went to my high school when referring to people on the show. It is hysterical if you know the people and hear the names thrown around during an episode.

Last week, I received a strange request regarding that blog: a good friend from high school asked if we (Gotham, or ... More >>

There sure has been a lot of news about torture and waterboarding lately. And Dick Cheney's name always comes up. I was wondering why. The historian that I am, I thought I would spend a little time doing some research. In reviewing some primary source material, I happened by chance to come across a never before seen document. His diary. Amazingly, he even kept one as a boy. Some of this ha... More >>

As I was tooling along the LIE, at a speed that's a bit above the posted limit, windows wide open and some good music blaring it occurred to me - how cool is this. Even after 34 years of driving I continue to find it enjoyable. The feeling of power, speed and driving skill still exhilarates me.

For instance, approaching a turn, downshifting at just the right moment, hitting the apex and accel... More >>

My apogee was 5' 9 3/4" and memory serves me as once leaping to just touch the basketball rim.

(That's a tall story if I ever heard one!)

Now, however, I tell myself that my doctor's office measurement of 5' 8" must be erroneous.

(With shoes or without?)

What's going on?

(You're shrinking my man. You're shrinking.)

How can it be that, suddenly, my two boys are taller than me?
... More >>

This past weekend, we were tourists in our own City. I highly recommend it.
Flo had been given a gift certificate for dinner at Per Se at the Time Warner Building and we had a reservation for Friday night. Tickets for the Leonard Cohen concert at Radio City (see Ennid's blog yesterday) were the other bookend for the weekend.
We found an amazing hotel deal online.
We spen... More >>

This past Sunday evening, David and I had the pleasure of going to Radio City Music Hall to listen to Leonard Cohen perform. Not only did we have the treat of being in one of the most comfortable, beautiful venues in the city (even the ladies’ lounge is gorgeous at Radio City), but also we had great seats to listen to Leonard Cohen’s magical voice.

Leonard, for those who don’t know him, ... More >>

Sunday's 9 year old baseball game started with an inherent problem -- not enough players on the other team. So what do you do?

My husband (one of our coaches and running this particular game) approached the opposing coach to discuss the options. Each understood that the league rules mandated a forfeit to our team. Yet, the coaches decided to play anyway, just for the fun of the game. After ... More >>

A couple of weeks ago, Fred blogged about Brangelina. Many of us are star-struck when we see or meet famous people in public places. I am one of them. But I’ve learned something about myself as the Chair of the Gotham Book Club: I am even more star-struck when meeting an author!

Last night, Fred, Joanne Klein, Cindy Somma and I (and my daughter) met up at the Great Neck Library to hear aut... More >>

If not blessed with a great blog idea, my old man tends to get fairly stressed Saturday night trying to figure out what to write. I figured I'd help him out this week.

Every once in a while I hear someone declare "it's like comparing apples and oranges." In any given day, I often struggle to draw comparisons betwen things far less similar or comparable than an apple and an orange. They are... More >>

Last Tuesday's conversation with Jake went something like this...

M: Hey Bud, I'm coming to pick you up Thursday night (from college) after I finish speaking
J: Cool. Hey you know what Thursday is?
M: No
J: Bar crawl
M: What's that?
J: It's where we go from bar to bar in downtown Binghamton
M: Really?
J: Yea. You want to go?
M: Sure

Unfortunately I arrived a bit too late to partake ... More >>

We recently bought the new buffed up DVDs of Godfather I and II and have finished watching the original (Best Picture 1972).

What can one say that has not already been said about one the two best movies ever made (can you guess the other?). All I can say is that it will never get old and each time I treat myself to a viewing I am further enriched and seem to discover some new kernel of brillia... More >>

I have a hard time staying awake for Late Night with David Letterman, but Flo is a night owl. It is not unusual for her to sit at the computer with the Eleven O'Clock News on in the background and work for a few hours. Perhaps some of you have found emails from her waiting for you as you start your day. For me, it's like communicating with someone in a different time zone.
I think F... More >>

Star Trek is a huge part of American culture and, with the release of the latest movie, it is reaching new levels of interest. Spock and Kirk, Scottie and the crew were cultural icons for much of my young adulthood. In fact, I spent the early seventies (when I was teaching elementary school), begging people to “Beam me up.” Like much of science fiction, the Star Trek phenomenon is based on ... More >>

Much is being made this week about Elizabeth Edward's new "tell all" book. In the book and in her promotional interviews, she talks openly and in great detail about her own personal struggle with cancer and facing her own mortality as well as the "indiscretion" of her husband. As to the latter, I heard her say that at the time she was asked to and started writing the book, she knew only of an isol... More >>

If you had only one question to ask someone to get to know who they really are, what they’re all about, what makes them tick, what would you ask?

As a member of the Board of Trustees at my local library, I volunteer to conduct and write interviews of various library staff, administration, as well as co-board members.

My interviews focus on the basic questions: the person’s background, ... More >>

I would not have made a very good Abraham Lincoln. And not just because I would have looked silly in a stove pipe hat.

Maybe I could have freed the slaves. And told some funny stories. I think though that if I won the war I might have let Alabama and Mississippi stay confederate.

But on to the point of this. Lincoln was known for amazing patience and restraint. He rarely lost it. E... More >>

A funny thing happened on the way home. Listening to the Yankee game and bracing myself for another loss (it's going to be a long year) John Sterling and Suzyn Waldman are pontificating on the first regular season appearance of Alex Rodriguez. They went on and on how this is like spring training for Alex. In the wake of a 13-15 start and a losing streak, the team and the fans are thirsting for som... More >>

Ben's "24" blog and the "Star Flubber" comments last week got me to thinking about celebs hiding in plain sight. If you visit my office, being a serial star flubber myself, you can see photos on the wall of me doing a nice imitation of Zelig posing with all sorts of A List celebs down to those of faded glory.

As some of you have commented, on the blog and in conversation, "Bradalina" (Brad Pit... More >>

As Mother's Day approaches, I remember that, as a child, it used to be so easy. They reminded you in school that Mother's Day was coming and had you make a card and a gift to bring home. On the Day, we made Mom breakfast in bed and then spent the day together.
Now it's not that easy. There are so many people involved and so many people to consider. Of course, there's my mother and Flo's ... More >>

Although the economic reports indicate that Americans are moving less these days, the reality is that some of my good friends and close relatives are moving out of the New York area. Whether they are choosing to move to Florida, North Carolina or the Left Coast, I am thinking that they’re leaving something wonderful behind. Maybe New York is no longer the center of the universe, but, as a “bo... More >>

For the last two weeks or so, the lead news story on every major news station has been “Swine Flu” (wait, we’re not allowed to call it “Swine Flu” anymore. We call it “H1N1”).

I know that early on, I left the house one morning and there were 8 cases identified at St. Francis Prep and by the time I came home, there were 28. Soon enough, there was talk of cases in the 100s in th... More >>

I decided that there is never an off-season. There is for the pros - but not for our kids. What is happening?

My son’s travel hockey season ended as the month of March wound down. But lest we should all rest and recuperate (and yes, I mean all of us, not just the player), we allowed him to try out for a Spring Team (spans April through the end of June!). He also skates on a separate intra... More >>

Some Mondays I drag myself into the office with my head down and feeling cranky. After all, it is Monday. Now this may seem childish, because we all have to be grown up and do what we have to do so we can do what we want to do. But some Mondays I am still cranky.

This past Monday I wasn't. Just the opposite. I found myself humming on the way to work. Something was afoot. But what?

A... More >>

You gotta laugh at life. There is so much to worry about, the stock market, economy, swine flu, business, mortality, colonoscopy, war, famine, injustice, discrimination and the list goes on and on.

You can walk around all day in a funk with a dark cloud over you head. Why not laugh at it. There's humor in everything, just ask Norm. Life is too short. So go ahead, have a joke and a smile. See if... More >>

Last Friday I under went a colonoscopy (I know, TMI, and you might want to stop right here, but then again Katie Couric showed hers on national TV ) and just before I went under the anesthesia I promised myself that if I came out of it I would write a blog about the loathsome experience. Why was it loathsome? Let me count the ways.

I start with my old chestnut:
"Don't Get Old", because w... More >>