Amparo’s email on fredslist yesterday got me thinking early.   During the wonderful cooking frenzy on Thanksgiving Day, my mind always goes to my list. My blessings list. It’s sort of my own Thanksgiving tradition with myself. This year, I started early. In a year in which we are struggling through once in a lifetime challenges, my list is longer than ever – and that is at the top of my list. Who would have thought that in a year in which we are all trying to manage a...

Last weekend, my husband and I drove upstate to Cold Spring, New York. It is a place I have heard about and always wanted to visit.   Cold Spring was, as expected, a cute picturesque town. We walked on Main Street which led us down to the Hudson River. While we had a nice day one impression stayed with me, the number of closed stores and restaurants lining Main Street. As with many small towns, Covid has left a devastating economic impact on Cold Spring.   I purposely bought...

When we selected a new date to announce the Gotham Green Awards® – delayed by the COVID 19 Pandemic and originally planned a week following Earth Day 2020 – I proposed just ahead of Thanksgiving. So as Wednesday’s blogger, Carly Meyer Bentley, shared last week, Gotham held its ceremony last Tuesday, November 17. Eight awardees. Our new Gotham Green® Group Coordinator, Shelley Simpson, posted to our Fredslist list serve her takethis past Friday. Shelley and my co-chairs, Frida...

I'm staring at a legend on TV. Aex Trebek. He passed away about two weeks ago but his new episodes that he shot will play till Christmas day.   It's a bit eerie knowing the future of a man as his life is passing by in front of you, day by day.   Alex hosted more than 8,200 Jeopardy! episodes, setting a Guinness World Record for hosting the most episodes of a single game show. He won the Daytime Emmy Award for Outstanding Game Show Host seven times, and was honored with a Life...

We are all subject to self doubt, momentary or otherwise. Unfortunately, it is a common human condition. Some let it bring them down needlessly. While others learn to cope with, work through or around it. One of the benefits of life experience is that we learn, through trial and error, that, 9 times out of 10, feelings of self doubt, anxiety or fear, fall short in reality.  In fact, we usually end up just fine. Think positively, search for lifelines and Silver Linings.  Look ...

  One day last week I received five voice messages on my cellphone advising me that there were outstanding warrants for my arrest. The phone calls came from all over the country.I also received text messages first advising me that Netflix would extend my account and then that my Netflix account was being canceled.“Just call back to avoid arrest"... or "click on the link to secure your Netflix account.”Thankfully, I am still free and on good terms with Netflix — despite having...

Gotham Green® annually recognizes those who make a difference in our communities and the world by celebrating people and organizations, both Gotham members and non-Gotham members, who work in ways big and small; for-profit and not-for-profit, to make our world a little greener. Gotham Green® provides a platform for businesses and professionals who seek to connect and promote sustainable business opportunities, practices and relationships. I am honored to be part of recogni...

Thanksgiving will be small this year. Just my immediate family after some family friendly pre-dinner swabs. Who could have imagined that set up for a Thanksgiving dinner? That said, my blog today is not about a COVID Thanksgiving. Instead, I am looking for your favorite side dishes. Because my group is small this year, I feel like I have an opportunity to explore some new recipes. So, share with me Gotham. What is your favorite Thanksgiving side dish? Dessert?   ...

As I have blogged previously, planning special events during a pandemic requires a certain amount of creativity. I also learned that it requires a bit of investigative skills. If you are planning a party for someone else, you have to figure out what they would like.   I have a big birthday coming up in July. I think my family is already in the investigation phase of what they may be planning (we are early planners). Lately, I have been receiving a lot of hypothetical questio...

As time goes on we periodically face loss. Over the last several weeks, I (and many others) experienced the loss of two special people. One a long-time civic leader in my home borough of Queens; the other a major political figure in the life of New York City and state. This past week, we lost Bob Harris who was one of two “Founders” – a designation in the founding by-laws I drafted to serve for life on the board – of the boroughwide Queens Civic Congress. Bob who held that p...

I think the celebration Fred wrote about yesterday was caused by at least these three things; the weather, the results and the undeniable fact that we are all living in a box with significantly less human contact. Whether it's our home, our car or the small square screen of a computer, we exist within these constraints because of a raging virus that's ripping through our lives.   In some ways I'm thankful for the reflective time, since I experienced tragedy in my business rec...

Saturday was surely one extraordinary day to remember for all time. What with the unseasonably warm weather and the ever building tension to declare a victor in the hotly contested presidential election race, we were poised for it. When the news came at around 11:30 am, it was like a dam broke and there was release, as people poured into the streets in jubilation for their winners. It was not planned.  It was spontaneous.   It was fueled by the confluence of the unseasonably...

One of the consequences of blogging on Thursday is that I blog on Thanksgiving Day. I’ve always suspected that not many people read the blog on Thanksgiving. Too many other things to do on that day: travel, cooking, last minute preparations.This year may be different. Being with family and friends is risky. Guidance suggests that we be careful. Compromises are considered, even as we acknowledge the downside.  Traditions may have to take a back seat.....With only two weeks til...

THANK You! In honor of those men and women who died for our freedom, we salute you. In honor of those who continue to serve, we salute you. In honor of of those past, present and future, we salute you. America, home of the free, because of the brave. ...

  Who among us is not able to sing that theme song? Jeopardy! and Alex Trebek have been staples in my house since before we were married. For a long time, I thought it was let’s say, unique, that my husband planned his weekday evenings around a 7 pm television show. Many an evening we would all try to guess answers as a family. I have never been particularly good at the game, but Bill scores big most nights. What I have learned over the last few days, is that our experienc...