I'm looking for a word - perhaps not yet invented or evolved - or perhaps the extension of the meaning or import of an existing word. Here's the background to my search. A friend has an appointment on a certain day and, having been advised of this important event, I ask to be informed of the outcome as expeditiously as possible. "Let me know. I'd …
At first, I thought that the photograph on the front page of yesterday's Wall Street Journal was historical. As a child of Holocaust survivors, I have seen many pictures of gravestones toppled at Jewish cemeteries in Europe during the 1930's. I then realized that the photograph is not historical. It is current. It is today's news. A cemetery near …
Pitchers and catchers reporting early. Spring training. My nephew, Jared - who covers baseball for the Wall Street Journal - on his way to warmer climates. This is a good time of year for optimists. How are the teams shaping up? Who is healthy? Who's reporting in good shape? Can we finish better than last season? We need an outlet. We need hope. …
They tracked me down. It was an email from an old high school friend forwarding information about the upcoming fiftieth reunion of my class at Brooklyn Technical High School. Frankly, I am not one for reunions and have not attended either a high school or college reunion. But there was something about the email that caused me to save it. Perhaps i …
Yesterday, I was at the Annual Meeting of the Health Law Section of the State Bar Association. I've attended the meeting yearly for many, many years. Although I get continuing legal education credit for attending, I find the meeting a great way to keep current on developments in health care law. It's also a nice way to network with my colleagues an …
Every week, on Friday afternoon, towards the end of the workweek, I get a subliminal message reminding me to wish a good friend a "Good Sabbath" - a "Shabbat Shalom" - in anticipation of the imminent arrival of sundown. We exchange the greeting, whether in a text message, voice call or, on rare occasion, in a face-to-face exchange, and whether init …
Last Sunday, I gave a half-full/half-empty canister of cat treats to my longtime neighbor. We kept the treats for the neighbor's cats -- Oreo and Hoppy -- who were frequent visitors to our front porch. Oreo is the friendlier of the two. Hoppy, more guarded. Oreo would wait to see any activity by our front door, or wait for our car to pull up and …
Except, perhaps, for walking and chewing, you really can't do two things at the same time. I was at a conference on health care. Two days of presentations. Lawyers sitting behind long rows of narrow tables. Several laptops and many, many smartphones resting on the tablecloths that covered the tables. My phone found its way to the space in front of …
We live in a condo development. PSE&G just completed a several-week project - replacing power lines. There was lots of equipment around - trucks, cranes,front loaders and a "CallAHead" for the convenience of the crew. The condo is also doing a renovation of our clubhouse. One day, I noticed a second "CallAHead" sitting next to the first. It tu …
The sage advice "Don't believe everything you hear" and "Don't believe everything you read" have taken on ever-increasing meaning. Websites simply make things up and are then quoted, referenced and relied upon. A modern-day version of the parlor game of "telephone" in which the falsehoods are repeated and laundered to become "truth". And the human …
We were at the local Deli and decided to share a hot dog. I reached for the plate and a knife. "I'll cut and you choose." The words (and concept) came straight from my childhood -- an eminently fair way of dividing and sharing with others. The resolution and avoidance of possible conflict. I pondered the similarities between "I'll cut and you ch …
We just installed a new phone system in our office. Even as I attended the orientation session to learn how to use the new phone, I accepted the fact that I would probably never utilize all of its features nor realize all of its potential. I would incorporate what worked for me and settle in to a nice cooperative relationship with my new phone. Th …
I was at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Boston with the Metropolitan Contemporary Glass Group. Since I am secretary of the group, I was scribbling notes when a museum guard came up to me and asked if I was writing with a pen. She didn't confiscate the pen, but advised me that my using it was prohibited and gave me a little pencil. I was fine wit …
Its been almost almost a year since the house that Flo grew up in was sold. It was sold to the caretaker who cared for Flo's mother during the last years of her struggle with Alzheimer's. They loved the house and selling it to them was one way to keep it in the family. We were in the neighborhood the other day and stopped by to see the house. The …
Recently, I was again reminded of the vagaries of life. Those chance occurrences that could make all the difference.We were driving to Washington, D.C. and were about 30 minutes away on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway when traffic suddenly came to a complete stop. Within minutes, at least 10 emergency vehicles passed us. The traffic app told us th …
