Independence Eve my wife and I enjoyed hanging out with some 250 of our closest friends, their spouses, (some of their) other family members, their friends and associates, and some clients. What better place to hold such a gathering than Citifield, home of my beloved (albeit underperforming in won-loss records and certain aspects of playing a game …
Televised by ESPN, the annual Nathan's hot dog eating contest was won once again by Joey Chestnut, 35, of San Jose, Calif. This was his 12th title consuming an unbelievable 71 hot dogs in 10 minutes, defeating 17 opponents. He finished 21 hot dogs ahead of Darron Breeden, who at only 50. Miki Sudo, 34, of Las Vegas, won her sixth title in a row …
Have you ever noticed that two people present at the same event oft times have different memories?I had that experience last week when I had dinner with a high school friend who, unbeknownst to me, is a reader of my Friday With Fred Blog. The first word out of his mouth was Zelig. I took the bait and said I’m like Zelig and have been witness to ma …
As I walked away from the recycling bin in our community, I pondered the sign that had recently been placed on the nearby fence. It advised that the recycling area was under twenty-four hour camera surveillance and enumerated the permitted and prohibited disposals. I considered who put up the sign and the cameras. Who looked at the tapes? I a …
Recently I have been reading a book about Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Doris explains how she has a deep desire to understand what makes a good leader and I thought it timely for the Fourth of July. She starts with Abraham Lincoln and visits his life, struggles and rise to a leadership role. WOW! I’m crushing on him big time. Next in the li …
. . . just one piece of networking advice, what would it be? Do you ever think about that question? I do. We have all been doing this thing called networking for a while and in my opinion, its kind of personal. We all approach networking from our own perspectives and bring to the process our own special twist. But if you had to break it dow …
About two years ago I became a fan of French pressed coffee. I found the coffee was smoother than in my other preferred method, a Keuring. On weekends I happily used my French Press to make myself a treat; a better cup of coffee. The only issue with my French Press was that I found that I could not drink all the coffee I made in one cup. And when …
Once a year, weather permitting friends primarily from high school gather for a BBQ in a courtyard outside a co-op in Bell Park Manor Terrace in Queens Village. Last summer, a wash out and some other circumstances made for a missed year. The year the rain threatened our gathering. A cancellation notice went out yesterday morning. Midday I receive a …
Over 100 drivers heading to the Denver International Airport said they were diverted by Google Maps last Sunday due to a crash on major road. These drivers were led down a dirt road that soon turned muddy due to recent rains and vehicles ended up stuck with about 100 cars lined up behind them. Google responded stating "We encourage all drivers …
Gotham held it’s annual Bob Formica Golf Outing this past Monday and I must say that besides the beautiful verdant rain enriched course the golf cart, not the golf, was the best part. Every year Paul Napolitano and spouse Victoria Drogin are in my foursome (we missed Hard Hitting Don Bernstein this year) and, lucky me, I'm paired with Victoria in a …
Sitting at a playground in New York City… Observing. A playground not unlike hundreds in the City. Something for everyone between the ages of 6 months and the teen years and older. Swings for parents to push to the glee of their riders. Climbing and sliding challenges. Maybe not today - but there is tomorrow. By the end of summer, th …
What’s in a name? that which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet. -William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet Recently, I attended a networking gig in Newtown, PA with my friend Laura Queen. A small group of new acquaintances sat around a pub table and performed the art of getting to know one another. Cleverly, one of the gentle …
I look forward to our golf outing every year. Anyone who knows me for any length of time has just burst out in a big thunderous belly laugh. For me to say I look forward to anything even tangentially sports related is a feat. Of course, our golf outing also comes with day long great food so maybe that explains it. (The chilled lobster tails an …
For most of my adult life, I loved to sleep late on the weekends. Even when my children were young, when they would wake up earlier than me on weekends, I would pull them into my bed and let them watch television while I dozed. Several months ago, all that changed. A friend wanted to attend Weight Watchers with me but was only available ver …
With the start of summer, Gotham initiates a Season of Giving. At last’s Thursday’s meeting of Gotham Queens (which I nicknamed “GQ” when it rebooted under new leadership a few years back), we circulated an envelope. The idea is fives, tens and twenties much the way grass-roots on line fundraising is the craze in politics. The difference: instead o …
