First appearing in France in 1664, Salons were an important place with which to exchange ideas. A social forum where one could increase knowledge, through the art of conversation. Such conversation aimed to please or educate, by allowing free thought and discussion through the expression of art, philosophy and poetry, via oration. Does it remind yo …
What advice would you give – or better yet, did you give – last time you helped someone draft a cover letter? My son is getting ready to apply for summer internships. He is a college junior studying chemical engineering (with a nuclear engineering minor) and has a strong interest in energy. At this point, he is diligently working on cover le …
Within the past two years three of our children have “left the nest.” The fourth one left five years ago. And each time a child leaves they ask the same question, "what type of bed should I buy?" Our answer is always the same. We bought our Sleep by Numbers bed sixteen years ago and we love it. We haven’t had to replace it or repair it in the …
Shelly left the gym early the other day since once nearby user constantly removed his mask during workouts; of course she complained but the “hall monitors” never seemed to police that location inside. As we dine I shared my experience at the Roosevelt Field Mall Friday afternoon. I visited the Apple Store their by appointment for service on my iPh …
I'm watching the Weather Channel and witnessing the 4th hurricane this season making landfall on the Louisiana coast. The reporter just said "this has never happened before." How many times have we heard that phrase this year..."this has never happened before." I wonder how many more times we'll hear it.
Have you noticed all the tents cropping up in back yards and parking lots?A sign of the times!With the cold weather coming I am told there has been a run on out door heat lamps and tents too I’m sure. How else will restaurants survive?For me, Thanksgiving turkey with family is a goal which I have been pushing. Where is Omar the tent maker when I n …
I’ll paraphrase from the Hebrew: “How good and pleasant it is ... people sitting together.”Meaningful on so many levels - both figuratively and literally - especially now.The thoughts came to me last weekend as we sat on a lawn at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts and listened to live music.The first live performance that we’ve see …
After a long summer filled with sweet treats, hot eats and endless glasses of wine, it’s time to clean up my diet. Every October, I push the reset button on my food choices and dial everything down. Exercise daily, bedtimes that provide 7-8 hours, balanced schedules of work and play, makes for a healthy, wealthy life. Fundamentals give us a baselin …
I do that a lot these days. Most times, one of my blessings is that I have so many on my list! A nice place to be. On this week’s blessing list is my mom. We just celebrated her birthday (and in family tradition I am not allowed to publish exactly which one . . .) Occasions bring reflection. I know that my mom taught us all how to love and …
This weekend was a special birthday for my husband. He turned 60 on Saturday. Exactly a year ago, I conceived a plan for the perfect surprise party for this weekend. Covid changed all of that and, instead, I planned small surprises throughout the weekend for him. I was excited to give my husband a surprise party. I have had one surprise party du …
A time existed – it seems many years ago – where a laptop and desktop took up space in this office. The office featured a different configuration; there was my desk and the desk setup my son left behind when he moved out. At some point, the desktop no longer served any purpose. I even lent indefinitely the flatscreen to a close friend. While a c …
I know it's Saturday but yesterday at the end of the work day I Zoomed into the Gotham Happy Hour. I should join in more often but work for me these days takes up a lot of head space and time. The Gotham Happy Hour is very special, especially these past weeks because Norm is the official sponsor. This time he brought in Willa, who is a fantastic …
I believe it is more than the survival instinct or rationalization that causes me to seek out and see silver linings in this depressing time of horrible pandemic. Do you see any silver linings?I see many. Some are small steps, some should have happened before and some are seismic shifts, but all are moves in a positive direction. One obvious and v …
For years I have wanted to attend a service given by our friend who is a cantor at a large congregation outside of Detroit. The obvious hurdle was that the congregation was outside of Detroit and we live in New York. But things have changed and we were able to attend — albeit virtually— her service over the High Holidays.It was a high point of the …
If our identity is defined by what we do, then we can become anything we “do” consistently. It dawned on me that transformation can occur simply by, becoming. Should you train for a marathon and run in the marathon, you are a marathoner. If you remove meat products from your diet, you become a vegetarian. Commitment to becoming is within our cont …
