I admit it, I take off Fridays. Said another way, Fridays are for Fred.  Having experienced free Fridays for a while, I must say that there are pluses and minuses to having a three day weekend. The minuses are that a "full" 4 day work week compresses five days toil into four days of availability. On the other hand, having Friday off is the closest I will ever come to being retired.

As I write this, I am on vacation; albeit “turning the corner” on this vacation. As much behind as lies ahead. 13.1 miles into the marathon. It occurs to me that there is always a “turning the corner”. In everything we do, there’s a point at which we’re half-way through. Midway. Something behind us and something ahead.  

This is not just a gushy tribute to Harold Ramis and his work.  This is a commentary on an article I read in the wake of Ramis' passing at the young age of 69.   http://movies.yahoo.com/news/harold-ramis-bill-murray-inside-groundhog-day-duo-154846006.html  

One thing really nice about our tribe involves what I like to call proximity to action.   One often sees things on the news and might ponder how might one effect change or make an impact.  

  Many say that the internet has made the world smaller by allowing us to easily communicate with people who are far away. For me, the internet has also made it possible to recreate foreign experiences in  my home.

Eve is spotting an irritation on her shoulder, close to her neck.  She asked me to look at it.   I am not a doctor, and there is not much I can say, but I am checking carefully to make sure it does not morph into a Manster.  

Something has been bugging me for awhile and I'm wondering which side you fall on. In 1972 our government (I think it's still ours) decided marijuana was a controlled substance which made it illegal. Since then 20 of the 50 states have legalized it for medical use.   People who are for it say that its great for treating the symptoms of cancer, AIDS, multiple scleriosis, pain, glaucoma, epilepsy and other conditions. Plus the get to say "dude" a lot.  

The Gotham Book Club, founded by Julie Klein and Co-Chaired with her by John Buscarello, next meets (on line) on February 26th at 1:00 pm. For those of you who are not familiar with our Book Club, Julie manages to find world-class authors who are willing to discuss their books with us in real time on the Gotham website. Past Book Club discussions can be found on the website under Books at the top of the home page.   The upcoming selection is entitled "The Manor: Three Centuries at a Slave Plantation on Long Island". The author is Mac Griswold.