I very distinctly remember where I was on 9/11. I was on my way into the city merrily sleeping through my everyday ordinary commute on what was not an ordinary day. From the moment I arrived at Penn Station, I knew something had gone terribly wrong. But it took me some time to piece it together. People were talking but there was no real information. I remember taking the bus across town (the subway had been shut down). I was anxious for information and so I didn't finish the ...

  If you could travel anywhere, where would it be – as a pandemic wanes? I am so convinced that pent up travel demand is about to burst. Everywhere I turn, someone is talking about planning a trip, or if that is premature, the trip they would like to plan. Personally, I am not quite ready. I’m still adjusting to whatever changes may come from being fully vaccinated. [I hugged my mom this past weekend for the first time in over a year. Now that’s a feeling.] That said...

After Hurricane Sandy, the entire lower level of our home was destroyed. During the rebuilding of our home I gave my husband a gift. I told him he could have the downstairs den as a “man-cave.” He opted to turn it into a home movie theater with ten theater seats and a large screen television.     Once the theater was done, we developed a new routine. On the first Saturday night of every month (sometimes changing weekends for life events) we would go out to the local diner,...

Thursday evening just after 9:00 p.m. Jason Greenberg texts me “RIP Rusty, Tough loss” I read and think what Rusty. Even though Jason and I share an affinity for live music concerts, we connect on so many other levels, that music was not the first thing that came to mind upon reading his message. A few minutes later I said to myself, it can’t be Rusty, I’d have received some alert via social media. I searched the internet for Rusty Young, Poco’s extraordinary Pedal Steel Guit...

It's not often I do but I'm trying to do it more....treat myself exquisitely. I certainly deserve...don't we all?   Others may say it's selfish and to those people pleasers out there I know it might feel that way (i get it:) BUT we all need to pay attention to us first before we can help others.   Found this quote from Paulo Coelho, a best selling novelist who wrote The Alchemist.   "When you say ‘yes’ to others make sure you are not saying ‘no’ to yourself."...

If you’ve ever telephoned or Zoomed with me lately you’ve probably heard the chickens.  Well, Key West is over run with chickens. Legend has it that once cock fighting was banned they were released and the rest is history (there is early morning crowing and chicken poop everywhere as they run free).   After a while one becomes inured to them (for better or worse).   And then it happened! I was taking a shower and over the sound of the water I heard a once in a lifetime shriek...

I listen to many pitches delivered through the course of a single week and the ones with the most impact stand out. Typically, they have the best articulated stories, are brief, and get to the point. Do you notice people tune out when you’re telling your story, or are they leaning in? Last week I tuned into a Zoom, and the person speaking went on and on without breathing or checking in with the audience. I noticed more videos turn off and mute buttons engaged, which is the n...

  So much conversation I hear these days is about reinvention and recreation for your business. My own observation is that coming out on the other side of this pandemic (optimistically) is encouraging all sorts of change. I’ve heard talk about new business directions, closing city offices, expanding areas or markets through tools acquired over the last year. [As a footnote, I’ve also heard much talk about how to get rid of that COVID 15. That is the subject of a differe...

This blog is not about whether you will, or will not, take the Covid vaccine. This blog is about how you felt afterwards if you did take it.   I am curious to hear different people’s reactions to the vaccine. I am also interested to hear whether you believe having Covid affected your reaction. In my family, all three vaccines were taken. My husband and two daughters had Moderna, I had Pfizer and my step-son had Johnson and Johnson.   Within, approximately 7 hours of taking J...

A year ago (plus) I had planned to go. A year ago it got postponed and then when time to proceed came, no fans allowed. This year I aimed to go. I did, but not as planned, The recent tradition – until the canceled year – involved a small group, including a family member, not always the same, some clients and friends. Groups could not play this year. My foray involved a friend who collaborated on the annual opening day group and a few of his colleagues. A number of friends opt...

I used to wake up and look at myself once a day...maybe twice then go to work.

 

Now I see myself all day long at Zoom meetings and it's strange to say the least.

I look at my square on the screen and wonder who the hell is that and what did you do with Mitch?

...

I recall my last pre pandemic hand shake with my Mate Andrew Ambrose.   Since then I have religiously refrained from doing something which comes so naturally and can mean so much.  I even wondered if the ritual would go out of style and be relegated to the rubbish heap of history.  Then we got vaccinated and the thought cropped up.  Would I shake hands and if so with whom?  Then Charcoal had a medical emergency and the Veterinarian was closed for the weekend and I texted the ...

Have you ever wondered what “normal” — as in “the temperature today was 5 degrees above normal” - is?Well, it’s about to change.Normal temperatures are determined by a thirty year average of temperatures. Every ten years the average is reset by dropping the earliest decade’s numbers. The change is about to take place and the new normal temperatures will be the average of temperatures from 1990 through 2020.So, as in so many things in our lives, what’s “normal” will soon be th...

  I am seeing optimism. Optimism about a waning pandemic and the prospect of some normalcy in our future. I don’t have a crystal ball so I can’t tell you exactly when that normalcy arrives or frankly, exactly what it will look like. But, with the spring flowers this year I see people come out from under this pandemic. I know we’re not quite there yet.  I do think, though, about how each of us would gauge what we have learned from the past year. I know I’ve learned a lot abo...

My family and I enjoyed a delicious paella dinner in the city Saturday night. The occasion was to celebrate my stepson’s birthday (that he happens to share with Fred). In the spirit of celebration, I ordered a pitcher of sangria for the table. To be a bit bold and adventurous I ordered something intriguing on the menu, rose sangria, without questioning the server about it.   The others at the table loved the sangria. From my first taste, I knew something was wrong. There was...