As you may know, this blog is written from far away Key West (an Island under the protection of Uncle Sam) and, to let you in on a secret, it's a little different down here. They call it the KONK Republic based on a bizarrely unsuccessful attempt to secede from the Union. It was fueled by a populist pervasive passion for non conformity. Do …
Just as there are 3 sides to every story: Your side, My side and the Truth, there is usually a bright side in every situation. Where many complain or express anxiety as to their situation, I always endeavor to see and express a possible bright side as so many of us, on balance, are SO fortunate. Don't suffer the small stuff. See the Bright Side!
Do you Zoom? Could you function without Zoom? Did Zoom even exist pre pandemic? I know not, but what I do know is that it saved many of us during the pandemic. Sanity and otherwise. No doubt, we could not have stayed connected without it, but that was then and this is now. I wonder, has "Big Brother" condition us with Zoom to become lazy a …
Last December I resolved to swim each and every day of 2023 and I am proud to say my mission was accomplished last Sunday. The ins and outs of it were pretty easy, but the most important thing was that I did not suffer any major illness or injury which might have aborted my quest. Weather was also an important factor and I give thanks to my …
It's time to consider making resolutions for the upcoming year. Do you make New Year's resolutions?Last year I made one and am in the process of fulfilling it. It was/is not easy!At this writing, I'm not sure what resolutions I have for the coming year. Again I ask: What about you?
I received a Juror Qualification Questionnaire in the mail.I eyed it warily as Jury Duty, even though provided for in the Constitution, is generally regarded unfavorably.I have been called, but have never served.I filled it out and will send it back. My initial reaction is, except possibly for my vintage or being an attorney, I should qualify. We …
Every morning I swim at the local pool at 6:00 am and one must arrive early to get a good lane. Thus, we begin lining up, huddled in the cold, at about 5:40 and there is a regular crew of swimmers (special are the ladies who regularly swim in lanes 2, 3 and 6) and gym rats (pictured). I feel that the 20 minutes we spend together in the cold has f …
Gotham held its first post pandemic, in person, holiday party at Arno Restaurant in New York City on Wednesday night.We turned out in good numbers (over 70) and festive moods. The room was nice and the food (not so good) and drink (open bar) was ample and conducive. Thank you to lead Sponsor William Skody, plus year long sponsons Sharon and Raj G …
One of my favorite mantras is "Up is down and down is up". You know, what was once bad for you is now "the cure" and so on and so on...Well, my granddaughter Maggie has taken the concept to a wonderful creative and positive extreme. She presently has a showing of her Art work at Roslyn's Bryant Library where she reveals:I am working to express th …
I've been writing this Friday With Fred blog for nigh on 20 years and, truth be told, the well is far from dry :) Some of my fellow Gotham bloggers wait to write until the night before or morning of their weekly blogging day. Not me. I strike when inspiration hits me and in this case I'm doing it only a day after my well commented upon "Social Medi …
Last Monday was my wife Joanne's birthday and I noticed a number of nice birthday greetings on her rarely visited Facebook page. Being the ever nice spouse, I alerted her to it and directed her to them. Of course, she was pleased and I encouraged her to "Like" each message. When she questioned why, I explained that it was "social media intercours …
On Sunday I viewed the Oppenheimer movie for the second time. This time in IMAX and, to be honest, it was not the spectacular experience I was lead to anticipate.Yes, the sound was pronounced and surrounding, but is was not the "so much more" I was led to believe would be delivered. It was just louder with surround pounding. Nonetheless, the seco …
One of the best things about Gotham is the willingness of each member to be of help. Of course, this willingness is the personification of our Mantra: It's better to give than receive, but what goes around comes around.Today, I feature our own Corey Bearak because I need to publicly thank him for all that he has done for me, Gotham and other membe …
How do you feel about Sunday's time change?
Last week's "10/10 Egg Cream Club" blog was about (U-Bet) chocolate egg creams which I love. Thus, I was very surprised by the number of comments favoring vanilla egg creams. Truth be told, I had never heard of a vanilla egg cream.Especially so, as Vanilla is described as "very plain and unexciting."Once I started thinking about it, I recalled that …
Fridays With Fred
A perfect way to send you into your weekend