"Triple Crown" is a sports sobriquet denoting the winner of significant 3 titles. My favorite is the Major League Baseball Award to the league batting leader in 3 categories: Batting Average, Runs Batted in and Home Runs. My favorite Baseball Triple Crown winner was, of course, Mickey Mantle in 1956. In Thoroughbred Horse Racing there is also a …
In recent blogs I have proudly featured my grandson, Shawn Atom, and his growth as a guitar playing rock n' roller. This blog is an "Equal Time" venture in pride featuring his younger sister, Ruby Ella. In the run up to Gotham's recently successful Battle of the Bands, Shawn intended to enter his band, but was stymied be his vocalist quitting. F …
When I was a boy, Mickey Mantle was my favorite baseball player. Truth be told he was my boyhood Idol and he wore #7 (as a Rookie he wore #6, but that's a story for another blog). He was the Yankees "Key Man" (last 3 letters of his first name and first 3 letters of his surname).All these years later, I am still a die hard Yankee fan (short for Fa …
This past Sunday, Gotham and Jason Greenberg presented its 8th, the first in person since the pandemic, Battle of the Bands competition at Gothamite William Skody's Club Groove in the heart of Greenwich Village on fabled Macdougal Street. 5 bands competed and, truth be told, I was not neutral, as I was pulling for Counterproductive: Ruby Klein, le …
On Tuesday night I enjoyed a Boyz Night Out with 3 Gotham stalwarts, Paul (Wheelman) Napolitano, Corey (Music Maven) Bearak and my Mentor Partner Robert (Insurance Doctor) Intelisano. Some time ago, Corey scoped out the Neil Young and Crazy Horse concert at the old Forest Hills tennis venue where, as a boy, I saw Althea Gibson's historic US Open C …
This past weekend, we returned home from Florida and, truth be told, the main reason I wasn't looking forward to the trip centered on a balky knee which I have been suffering. We flew Delta into the new LaGuardia which challenged my physical condition as the plane always parks at the furthermost gate, requiring a long grueling hike to the Baggage …
Yes, we are "Snowbirds" (northerners who move to a warmer southern state to escape Winter) and we have been escaping in Paradise (Key West) for four warm, fun filled, months and, truth be told, as I write this, I am sad to leave. But leave we must as Family and an alternative, full, abundant life awaits us in Springtime New York. What will I mis …
Cuba Libre is my favorite 5:00 adult beverage while I am in Key West. For those unfamiliar, it is a mix of rum, coke and a squeeze of lime. To say the least it tickles my fancy. Especially when sipped from an old fruit jar :) Allegedly, it was named at the dawn of the 20th Century by an American Captain stationed in Havana during the Spanish-Americ …
This past week has been epic for my grandson Shawn Atom. One could describe it as a "Hat Trick" as he culminated his 7 year quest to become an Eagle Scout (achieved by only 4% of all Boy Scouts), decided to attend the venerable engineering program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and and is attempting to find a vocalist so his band can enter Got …
There is a unique dive bar in Key West called The Chart Room. I learned of it reading Key West Lou's blog. It is hidden away in the bowels of The Pier House at the end of Duval Street. It has quite a storied history, including Mel Fisher, Jimmy Buffet and many other Key West characters and luminaries. To me The Chart Room is the closest approxim …
Recently my friend David Berger commented that I'm relentless. He said it almost as a throw away line, because it wasn't directly on point. I heard it and it got me thinking that he was right on. One of my Rules for Success is to never quit and to out work the competition. David's "relentless" comment resonated so much in my mind that I am now h …
Tomorrow is my birthday and over the last 10 years I have developed a tradition of memorializing it with a photo standing next to the applicable highway mile marker. We "Snow Bird" in Key West which is the southern most point in the continental United States and US Highway 1 begins there at mile marker Zero. Each year we venture up US 1 to the …
I am enamored by the word Puppy (and puppies too)! It is such a positive, loving, warm word, as in "Puppy Love" and all things sweet and adorable ❤️ By strict definition a Puppy is a young (less than 1 year) dog. Yet in my mind our Charcoal (an 11 year old Schnoodle pictured) is still a puppy and, yes, I am still in puppy love with her. She is swee …
Recently we bought a new mattress. The process was a complex one during which we were tested and we tested many mattress options. Price aside (inflation is real), it was a complicated trial and error process. Eventually we decided on a thick pillow top mattress with new (full) box springs. Then it happened, our new bed was delivered and assembl …
Have you ever been asked by a friend to make a donation to their cause? Do you dignify the request with a response? If you comply, what motivates you to do so? Also, what equation goes into the amount of the donation? Lastly, do you remember the amount? I'm not sure if there has been a scholarly study on this subject or that the answers to my above …
Fridays With Fred
A perfect way to send you into your weekend