Another glorious perk from being a New York City resident. Today I applied for my NYCID. Yes, I have a perfectly legal driver's license and even an up-to-date passport, but the NYCID is the gift that keeps on giving. It was easy breezy, you go to the website: http://www1.nyc.gov/site/idnyc/index.page and set up your appointment. There are many locations, I went to GMHC on West 33rd St. So convenient.

  Around the dinner table last night, we were talking about family tree. My daughter recounted a story we had not heard before.

  As I’m writing this blog, I have chicken soup simmering on the stove. My kitchen is filled with the wonderful comforting smell of the soup. As I smell the soup, I can’t help but think about my parents and watching my mother cook in our kitchen for Rosh Hashanah.      

Today is my first ever bicycle race. It is local, in Greenwich, 20 miles. There are different categories and starts, depending on each racer's expected time. The elite group which will be the first riders out is expected to finish in under 55 minutes.  That is an average speed of over 20 mph, including some hills with a 9% grade.  That isn't my group. I am going to need more than 55 minutes, for sure.  

Some people believe that things happen because they should and that there are no coincendences. Well here's a story that might make you a believer.   The Traveling Wilberry's Fred, Cindy, Corey and I (as detailed by Fred's blog yesterday:) were sitting on a bench in Princeton relaxing before an initial orientation meeting. Fred, being the intrepid photographer that he is, wanted to get a shot of all of us so he flagged down a young man named Matthew, wearing a Tshirt and shorts, who happened to be walking by with his ear buds in.  

The Traveling Wilburys were a Super Music Group first made famous by Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne.  They recorded two great albums in the late 80s and their "End of the Line" music will live forever. Someone utilized a clever turn of phrase and adopted their name for a fun loving later day group of marauding travelers who sometimes make road trips to visit a distant Gotham Group as is happening today down in Princeton.

As I stood on the ballfield at the Gotham picnic/softball game a few weeks ago, I had a feeling that brought me back decades to the ballfields of my youth. Being in the group between the two "captains" who are picking sides. I remembered the thoughts that went through my head when I was a kid. Whose team did I want to be on? When would I be chosen? Would I be one of the first to be picked or down on the list? I watched as the choices were made.

Yesterday I posted the above photo of the Williams sisters saying Williams will win last night's US Open match between them. Of course one of them had to win, but I had divided loyalty.  In the end younger sister Serena prevailed in 3 sets against Venus, her greatest adversary and best friend. There were so many emotional sub texts.  It was amazing.  Now I hope Serena goes on to win her Grand Slam. Althea Gibson would be proud.