My 2008 Saab 93 has over 157,000 miles and is showing signs of age. She is consuming oil and coolant and is a bit noisy while going over bumps. We've been through a lot together. Trips as far south as South Carolina and as far north as Buffalo. I spend so much time in my car, it's kind of like a second home. It's also the preferred vehicle for th …
Times sportswriter Harvey Araton wrote last week that "Suffering is good. It reinforces character, resolve and commitment. Experienced in public it exposes vulnerability. Handled with class, it heightens likability."Talk about imparting the Secrets of the Universe! This is a one stop shop verity which resonates very strongly with me. After growing …
The consummate chronicler of our running escapades of so many years ago recently informed me that on June 21,1980, I ran the Westchester Half Marathon in just under one hour and thirty-one minutes (does 1:30:52 sound better?). By the most-accurate account, I finished with our friend Warren with whom the report was shared. In the email exchange …
Well, Uraguay advanced to the knockout round of 16 in the World Cup. That's the good news. The bad news is that their star player was guilty for at least the second time of actually biting an opponent. Yes that's right , Luis Suarez one of their star players (what appears to be essentially out of nowhere) bit an Italian player in the shoulder …
Ponder this. In an attempt to assist the continuing quest to fund your child’s college education, a friend gives your graduating high school senior a lottery ticket as a gift. So, what if you hit the jackpot? Would you share the proceeds with your friend? Would you buy your friend a lavish gift? Conversely, would you do anything at all to acknowl …
Do you have it? We do in our house. Of course, we had soccer fever even before this year’s World Cup, as both my step-daughter and step-son are soccer players. Watching the U.S. play on the world stage has, so far, been incredible. Watching the U.S. finally beat Ghana, as a result of a goal scored by a sub was amazing. Even Google has soccer …
Over the years I have become much more of an optimist. It has become much easier to see the cup as half full instead of half empty. This may be as a result of retraining my brain, or maturing, or maybe not really caring about what I used to think was important and now I realize is not. On a vacation I would sometimes worry more about the fact t …
I injured my right hand about three weeks ago which effectively stopped my exercise regimen and golf for awhile. I've had to learn how to do a lot of things lefty which is quite a challenge. When I reach for something like a cup of tea I automaticaly use my right but have stop myself. Now that I'm using my left hand, I'm actually feeling differen …
Last week we had our semi annual Lefty Lunch (where, for once, we could sit and eat comfortably anywhere at the table) at the Friars Club. At the Lefty (handedness, not politics) Lunch we commiserated re being the last unrecognized downtrodden minority.I, for one, am passionate about having being left off the waves of our Nation's affirmative actio …
Earlier this week, Fred shared an entry in his diary with me. It's from June 17, 1980 and reads as follows: “drove Benj to his parents' home in New Hyde Park and his dad is a pleasant eccentric little immigrant man with an accent who said I didn't look "Klein" (small) and offered me a half finished beer. His face showed concern when Benj told hi …
There aren't many things in life where everyone can remember where they were when it happened. I know that I had been bartending that night but it was slow so I went home. Started watching it at the bar and when I got home, I was shuffling back and forth between coverage and the Knicks playoff game. For the Kardashians, it sent their lives down …
I am not really a fan of Starbucks coffee. Maybe a Frappuccino on a hot day but for a regular cup of coffee I have other favorites. But today’s news definitely changed my allegiance. Starbucks started a new program to encourage its staff to pursue a college degree. According to one news report, 70 percent of Starbucks workers don’t have a colleg …
My youngest daughter, Sydney, is in Israel this week. She was so excited when she called me a few months ago from school to tell me that she and her friend Jaime had applied together to take a Birthright trip. Sydney was even more excited when she called to tell me that they had both been accepted on a trip. Quickly, however, the excitement t …
I am not superstitious. Then again... When I board an airplane, there is a rule. Right foot first. And just before we get on board, Eve always will ask, "which foot again?" and I answer "right foot" and then I pretend I am stepping with my left foot but quickly put the right foot first. I have also began tapping the outside of the fuselage as …
It's Father's day tomorrow and in honor of my Dad, I submit the following excerpts from a previous blog I posted in July of 2010. My Dad.He helped me with my pinewood derby car for cub scouts by not building it himself He chased me up the stairs when my sister complained to him that I hit her (which I never did) His back was a saddle I rode, la …
