Bicycle, bicycle, bicycle   I expected it to be a lengthy process to assemble yesterday but it was unwrapping process that I found excruciating. Shelly’s new bike – the first she owned since our marriage – arrived Friday eve. She ordered it as last week began after a discussion with our son’s fiancee` who got hers at the end of lat year. Assembly required absolutely no tools. While a QR code connected me to a lengthy on-line assembly guide, I actually figured it out without a...

I was discussing a show on TV with my son and he couldn't relate. He doesn't watch traditional TV anymore. His entertainment channels are Netflix, Hulu and YouTube.    A friend was telling me I should watch a certain show and when I asked what time it was on, he said "Anytime you want."   We consume media and information so differently now. Here's where I spend my time:   News: Online through Apple News on my iPhone, CNN, NBC, and 60 Minutes Entertainment: Traditional TV, Pri...

We are at a loss as to understand why Charcoal barks at some passing dogs and not others.   She’s a little dog, but she packs a wallop barking loudly indiscriminately at big dogs and small dogs as they pass.  Though not all dogs! Yes, she is territorial and she’s watching over us, but I can only imagine what the neighbors think.   Is it the sex of the target dogs or something else?...

It was a year ago - March 11, 2020 - and the New York Health and Longevity Group met at Club Quarters on 45th Street. There was caution in the air. No masks but no handshakes. Little did we know that it would be the last in-person meeting. Broadway would show its last shows that evening. The lockdown was hours away. As we greeted each other at the meeting, I grasped my hands in front of me - my hands shaking each other. A gesture of greeting and farewell. In lieu of a handsha...

George Washington knew he needed to cross the Delaware during the Battle of Trenton. It wasn’t a matter of if, it was when. He picked his moment, in the middle of the night and crossed the Delaware. Have you ever been up against a difficult situation, where everything was working against your efforts? No matter how hard you try, the proverbial goal post moved further away? This time last year, we faced the onset of a global pandemic, a market sell off, uncertainty of food ...

You know that app in Facebook that brings up your photos from one year ago? Tonight, Facebook told me that one year ago we were busy enjoying each other’s company at a Casual Cocktails event on Long Island at Grand Luxe Café. The event had been organized by Rona Gura and Marilyn Genoa (great job Rona and Marilyn!). So many of our Gotham family -- the present, past and future -- came by to have a drink. It was warm, not in physical temperature, but in our connections and car...

I suddenly realized last week that I have been back at the office full time for about six weeks now. It was not a decision I made consciously. Rather it happened organically.   Six weeks ago, I started a virtual trial that lasted three weeks. During the trial I found it easier to work from the office. After the trial was concluded, about three weeks ago, I just continued working in the office.   During the shutdown, I had expected that the decision to return to the office fu...

I looked at the blog last year at this time and read that I posted a new song list relating to driving. Apropros because my son got a first car a few days ago and yesterday embarked on his first road trip to enjoy his new device. I say device because my son remains a tekkie at heart – first in the family with a MacBook, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch – and his new vehicle seems more computer than vehicle! His sister agrees! I recall when Friday’s blogger talked about getting on...

We've all been COVIDing for over a year now and so many of our behaviors have changed.    More home cooking Delivery of anything and everything Less plane flights Very little travel Working from home No hugging or shaking hands Watching tons of streaming TV and movies Becoming a Zoom expert as well as a bunch of other activities...   I wonder what will stick once we're out of the woods....

Cold beer on a parched throat    Plopping down at day’s end   A shaded beach nap   A cooling dip in water   A clever rejoinder   A thank you   The scent of a flower   A welcoming smile   Words of encouragement   A loving relationship   A creative moment   An unmasked breath of sweet fresh air!...

It had been almost a year since we were inside a museum, so the notice from the Brooklyn Museum grabbed our attention. It was an invitation to a member’s preview of the new Kaws exhibit. At the museum. Not virtual. Limited admission. After six in the evening. We could schedule it exactly two weeks after our second vaccine. We considered. What was most striking to me as I walked into the museum was the sense that I had just been there. It didn’t seem like more than a year h...

Someone once told me that the best way to become good at relationships, is to be in them! Simple advice, but oh, so true. Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to go on a new adventure with a family that sought out guidance on inheritance. Most people feel an overwhelming urge to do something different, upon inheriting a great sum. The best advice I give is to practice “business as usual” with no major decisions in the first 12-18 months. Relationships are at the center of how ...

  Has anyone else noticed the increasing appointment frenzy? And has anyone else noticed how important it is to understand how the system works? The current instructions are to ignore “No Appointments Available” on the NYS “Am I Eligible “ website. Just keep hitting refresh in as quick and furious a motion as you can muster – and then quickly grab whatever appointment comes up. Of course, you have to be lucky enough to grab a time along with that date, otherwise appointmen...

In view of recent allegations against the New York governor (which this blog is not about) a long time female friend and I recently discussed the issue. We then began talking about different situations we have found ourselves in over the years wherein inappropriate things were said to us, all in professional settings. We discussed our outrage and individual responses to each situation.     During our discussion, a mutual friend’s name came up and certain comments he has made...

I did not expect to follow last week’s blog welcoming the return of Mets baseball tomorrow. A Newsday article yesterday, a discussion at the Gotham Brad Scherer Happy Hour Friday eve and an email exchange with Mr. Title is Vital attorney and fellow tribal member Roy Fenichel induced today’s commentary; Roy even took the exchange to twitter after I shared my preferred Mets lineup. This column blossomed after I shared to Gotham Sportstalk listserve a nice article (to which Roy ...