Philadelphia has been very good to me, both professionally and personally. It's a city of firsts. The birth place of Liberty. The first zoo. The first hospital, the first medical school. Philadelphia provided my first big job opportunity; complete with the corner office on the third floor of The Mellon Bank building. Many fabulous experiences with its arts and culture, deep historical tours and tradition of Di Bruno Brothers chicken parmesan and Tiffany's Bakery treats. Never...

  Sometimes little things make a big difference.     I was listening to a speaker the other day talk about a study that looked at how a smile can affect someone’s perception and even their own mood.     The premise is that even a forced smile starts the process of converting a bad mood to a good one.     Further, smiling at someone across the room communicates that they belong. Think about how powerful just that one look can be.     And, smiling communicates openness ...

At my Weight Watchers meeting this morning (a blog about Weight Watchers will follow in the upcoming weeks) we were discussing goals. Obviously, most people in the room share a common goal, to lose a certain amount of weight. The discussion centered around how to reach our goal weight.   The consensus was that, in order to reach a hefty goal, one shouldn’t focus on the ultimate goal. Rather, for Weight Watchers purposes, it would be better to set smaller goals, i.e. lose fiv...

It was not planned but friends we enjoyed last night’s concert – really more a show – with suggested a blog on little known rock trivia. The really obscure one involved a guitar player and one-half of a songwriting team in one of the long-lasting bands of all time who sang in a children’s choir at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth. The story teller was one-half of a hit duo who went on to manage and produce a number of artists including James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt. The sh...

Thought this may bring a smile to your face or at least a shake of the head   Nike is releasing a wild iteration of the Air Max 1 Golf...yes, grass sneakers. Nike may need to refocus it's creative team, or give them a huge bonus...I'm not sure.    Dubbed the Nike Air Max 1 Golf "Grass," this wild style features a deep green turf-like upper, with green laces resembling the fairway and rough areas of the course. It gives a whole new meaning of blending in and being one with th...

Last week we had the unfortunate need to visit an Urgent Care Facility in Middle America and it was both eye opening and heart breaking.   As we sat, not so patiently, waiting our turn to be seen we observed poor, wretched, desperate people without healthcare insurance stream in hoping for a haven.   We had heard, but not seen. It was sad.  It was shocking.  It was wrong.  We are SO fortunate. We exist in a “not my problem” bubble.   This is not a political screed, it is jus...

It was a nice jacket. Would probably have served me well...I think. However, it was, to my mind, over-priced. I went back a few times to see if it was still on the rack as the post-holiday sales gained momentum. Although reduced, the price was still too high. But, perhaps, going in the right direction. Last time we went back, it was gone. The price must have been right for someone else. By the way, I won’t miss the jacket. ...

Thank you Gotham for a wonderful 12 years.   One for My Gotham It's quarter to threeThere's no one in the place 'cept you and meSo set 'em' up joeI got a little story I think you oughtta know We're drinking my friendTo the end of a brief episodeSo make it one for my babyAnd one more for the road I know the routinePut another nickel in that there machineI'm feeling so badWon't you make the music easy and sad I could tell you a lotBut you gotta to be true to your codeSo make...

  We’ve had some pretty severe lottery fever in recent months. The jackpots are so big that even I have started playing on occasion. Yes, I know that the system was changed so that my chances of winning are even that much smaller but it’s kind of fun to follow the numbers from time to time.     But did you ever play the fantasy game that goes like this – so what will I do the day after I win my multi million dollar jackpot? And the day after that.     I haven’t completel...

  Spoiler Alert-If you are one of the very few people who do not know how "The Sopranos" ended, and you do not want to know, do not read this blog.   I cannot believe that it has been twenty years since “The Sopranos” first aired. I admittedly only watched the first episode because my Mother told me to. One of the producers of The Sopranos-Brad Grey-was a close friend of my family. I originally checked out the show at my Mother’s request, to see what Brad was up to. I did n...

She made sure her husband enjoys a nice space (one might say two). But this commentary leaves any more discussion of my “offices” for another time; definitely not here. Thursday afternoon Shelly texts me she expects a delivery.   I did not give much thought to what it might be but mused it might relate to her new space in our home.   You see the space formerly know as Jonathan’s room experienced a conversion. Gone for a number of years: our eldest child. More recently, at Sh...

Every year one of my friends reviews his relationships and categorizes them creating a top ten list. He has a bunch of criteria, some of which is strange but one particular point got me thinking.   His top friends are those who can he be most authentic with. As he says, "...the people when I'm around I can be myself, say whatever pops into my head."   It struck me that he may treat some people very brutally, even those he loves. Although brutual honesty can be just what's nee...

I have used iPhones since all the way back to my early Blackberry days, but just now hooked up with Siri.   Was I shy or just a Luddite?  No matter, we had no intercourse until my Apple computer Guru Steve Levy recently introduced us.  He asked if I used Siri and I said I did not.  He then patiently explained what I’ve been missing and proceeded to share her tricks: Hey Siri turn on the flashlight. Hey Siri tell me when 30 minutes have passed.  Hey Siri wake me up at 4:15.  (...

I recently opened an occasionally-used news app on my smartphone. A notice appeared about the use of cookies by the app. Long legal explanations and disclaimers. A request to accept before going on. However, there was no ability to decline permission. I tried to get around the notice without consenting, but could not. I thought about all of the warnings about tracking personal data. I considered that my personal data must be followed by other apps. I debated whether I re...

ON DECEMBER 5, 1955, FOUR days after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated city bus, a community meeting was held at the Holt Street Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Thousands of black citizens gathered to hear about the proposed bus boycott, filling every inch of the church’s sanctuary, balcony, and basement auditorium. Loudspeakers were set up to accommodate the overflow, which extended for three blocks in each direction.   “There co...