I lost my cellphone….Or at least, for about an hour, I thought I had lost it.Years ago, I had lost my cellphone. Back then, the phone was simply a phone.In that hour of panic last week, I realized what my “phone” really was. As I traced my movements in desperate search, my thoughts were overwhelmed by the importance of my phone and the difficulty, …
Today we’re getting on a ferry. For me, there is something magical about ferries. We take the ferry from Long Island across the Sound to Connecticut. And then another ferry from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard.The first ferry is the alternative to driving on 95. It’s an easy choice. There is no alternative to the second ferry except a plane. Again, …
I walked into a coffee shop last Sunday morning in Alexandria, Virginia. It was about 10:30. There was a Washington Post for common reading on the table. I looked at the front page and realized that I had already read the articles on line.How I get the news has dramatically changed over the years. Although I am one of the few people I know who stil …
I walked into a coffee shop last Sunday morning in Alexandria, Virginia. It was about 10:30. There was a Washington Post for common reading on the table. I looked at the front page and realized that I had already read the articles on line.How I get the news has dramatically changed over the years. Although I am one of the few people I know who stil …
Last week Gotham had a great night at Citi Field as the Mets and Yankees squared off for the first of two games in their subway series.As I sat among my friends from Gotham, the fan allegiances were apparent as people decked out in respective jerseys and hats. It was nice to see those of different allegiances coexist.A few days later, the Mets trav …
I sometimes find myself in a situation where I have to make excuses for someone else. Awkward. Depending on the situation, I’ll sometimes offer that I have enough trouble making excuses for myself, let alone others.We were sitting at a table on the sidewalk outside a cafe in Great Barrington enjoying a pastry and watching people walk by. A couple s …
There’s an old Yiddish expression (aren’t all Yiddish expressions “old”?) - “Man plans and God laughs.”As we come out of the restrictions of the pandemic, we are planning more. And the results are mixed.Plans are changed by last-minute (and unanticipated) Covid. Airline travel is iffy and then, there’s always the weather.So, as we make our plans, r …
The other day I listened as a news commentator corrected information related in a prior broadcast. He mentioned his earlier statement and offered the corrected version.During the course of his colloquy, he added that he “mis-spoke”.I thought about the word “mis-spoke”. It is a term that I have heard used more-frequently lately.Does “mis-spoke” mean …
We all need validation. When it comes, it is often unexpected.I was on line at SoCo, the ice cream shop on Railroad Street in Great Barrington - the best ice cream in the Berkshires- and had just ordered my favorite- Madagascar Vanilla ice cream and Pacific Northwest Raspberry Sorbet.Behind me I heard, “May I have vanilla ice cream and raspberry so …
Summer dining. Eating outdoors. A phenomenon born of the pandemic that seems to have caught on.On streets and in parking lots. The views vary. The background noise drowns out the dinner conversation.Eating outdoors. The reasons vary. Safety. Romantic. European.Are you eating out….doors?
I first noticed the bird’s nest about a week ago. It is on a low branch, nestled against the trunk, about eight feet up.Three heads were visible - a mother and two little ones.I observed them for a few days as the three of them sat in the nest. The mother guarding while the babies grew.And then the mother left the nest and walked up the branch. It …
I first noticed the bird’s nest about a week ago. It is on a low branch, nestled against the trunk, about eight feet up.Three heads were visible - a mother and two little ones.I observed them for a few days as the three of them sat in the nest. The mother guarding while the babies grew.And then the mother left the nest and walked up the branch. It …
There was so much hype about the Strawberry Moon that was making an appearance over the last few days, that we were determined to view the promised spectacle.We are very amateur at moon gazing and only considered clouds as the impediment to our plans. How wonderful that the night sky would be virtually cloudless. But we soon learned of two addition …
We were nearby and had an hour before dinner at a restaurant we haven’t been to in over two years. So, we decided to take a walk to the hotel on West 48th Street in Hell’s Kitchen. We have a long history with the hotel and had stayed there many times over the years. Our last stay was in February of 2020, a few weeks before the lockdown.We expected …
Deadlines. We all have them and we all need them. Whether self imposed or imposed upon us by others. How we deal with them makes all of the difference — from feeling in control to feeling overwhelmed.I try to plan and anticipate deadlines. Sometimes successfully and sometimes less so.So, I ask, how do you handle deadlines?
