As a lot of people are, I am getting Covid weary. While I appreciate the impact it has had on all of our lives, I am getting tired of Covid being the focus of most discussions. I was recently on a Zoom call with longtime friends A half hour into the Zoom call, I realized that all we had been discussing was Covid. So, I asked whether there were any …
As we learn today which teams will survive conference championship games later today in order to compete two weeks hence in Superbowl LVI, I find it easier to focus on a fun fundraiser that helps raise funds my home Knights of Pythias lodge’s foundation distributes later this year. Each year, FDR Lodge 613’s Kings FDR Tolerance Foundation distribut …
It's morning on Long Island. The snow is falling, the wind is blowing and a blanket of snow engulfs the landscape. It's deep enough to smooth out the contours of the land around me. I know that some of you will look and only see the work it will cause. To me, it's an unparalleled beauty that provides a sense of calmness and reflection. There …
I’m a slave to Routine! For example, see last week’s Friday With Fred blog Cafe’ Con Leche :) Am I OCD? Who’s to say? One person’s poison is another person’s medicine :) I was once very lazy and came to the realization that I needed a reformation. In the process of reforming myself I developed a daily morning through night routine which serves …
My fountain pen leaked. I was in the office and the few tissues in my desk drawer were worthless against the black ink that stained my fingers.Attempts at the bathroom sink were futile. It would have to wait until I got home.I washed at home later in the day, using the Boraxo, nail brush and pumice stone that were there for special occasions.As I w …
I was fortunate to escape the cold and snow in Costa Rica last week. One surprising dividend in flying on Jet Blue is the wide range of movie choices at your fingertips. I went through the 100 or so selections, surprised by how tempting the old ones are for a re-watch. And, they also have new ones, including the new Bond film, “No Time to Die”. O …
I am an annual goal setter. I like the idea of planning and thinking through what the year might bring. I set personal goals and professional ones. Frankly, I often need to adjust my goals as the year progresses, but I’m really ok with that. Long ago, I learned that it was healthy to cut myself some slack because just the process of thinking a …
I recently purchased a new “healthy” cereal. It depicts itself as healthy as it purports to be keto friendly, low in sugar, and high in protein. In reading the box I was intrigued to read, “Do you ever wonder why you grew up but your cereal didn’t?” That question brought me straight back to childhood. My brother, sister, and I would often to come …
Major League Baseball owners’ non-sensical lockout of its players puts Spring Training in jeopardy; maybe even the season. With the school year calendar no longer an issue for my household, I entertained thoughts of attending Spring training to watch my team some. Of course Covid-19 and reports by friends in South Florida how seriously or not many …
Driving along Route 110 on my way to work I encountered a purple car with these bumper stickers. I'm not sure if I should smile or be concerned.
Every weekday morning I get up bright and early and go to 5 Brothers (pictured) for the best coffee on the island served up by Pepe. I wait my turn as the early bird (before 6:30 official opening time) regulars troop in for their daily dose of caffeine. The regulars occupy the main bench next to the entrance and can be heard in their exuberant p …
Our soon-to-be six years old grandson recently shared one of his greatest confidences.“The bane of my existence is that I don’t know what the bane of my existence is.”I wonder whether he was simply expressing that he didn’t know what “bane of existence” means or whether he was actually reflecting upon the concern foremost on his mind at the moment. …
Early last month I drove to the Vipassana Meditation Center in Shelburne, Massachusetts to participate in a 10-day silent retreat. Vipassana is an ancient Buddhist tradition, often translated as "insight". A major goal of the program is to develop your facility for equanimity - a mental calmness, composure, an evenness of temper in difficult situ …
Mom had a cardiac procedure yesterday. It was a super long exhausting day 10 hour day in the hospital starting early in the morning. To put this out right up front, It was a fairly routine outpatient procedure and mom is fine (happily). That’s not the point of my blog. At every turn over the course of a long day, I kept coming back to the palp …
I read Fred's blog on Friday and thought about an article I recently read about famous people who were Scouts. The list included Lucille Ball, Debbie Reynolds, her daughter Carrie Fischer, Barbara Walters, Reese Witherspoon, Condoleezza Rice (as well as every other female Secretary of State), Blythe Danner, her daughter Gwyneth Paltrow, Taylor Swif …
