As you read this you will be thinking more and more about tomorrow, Turkey Day, Thanksgiving. I enjoy any holiday, but what makes this special for me is that it is my anniversary of commitiment to my lovely bride, Sheilagh Weymouth. 31 years together. Newcomers compared to Fred the K, but almost half my life. Whatever you do, whomever you're with, enjoy these moments, we may never pass this way again.     This is for Corey: What kind of music did the pilgrims like? Plymouth...

  I’ve written about my mother in law before but after a recent visit, I had to write again.     She is ninety-six and clear as a bell. So, count backwards with me. She was born in 1922. Think about the history that she lived through and remembers in glorious detail.     During our time together last week, she was in a story telling mood. That’s my favorite time, usually because her stories always include some “little Billy” follies.     During this visit though, her s...

As a first year associate at a large firm, I was involved in a case wherein one of the partners of the firm made a mistake. With a lot of work from myself and the partner involved, and a gracious concession from our adversary, the mistake was rectified. I took away a life long lesson from that experience; I never begrudge another attorney for making a mistake because the next mistake may be mine. Last week it was.   All legal filings for divorce cases are done manually in or...

I intended a blog about a show my daughter (Marisa Jean) attended in L.A. Friday eve and a show by the same artist that Fridays with Fred blogger Fred Klein and I attended last month in Roslyn. However, a review by Fred’s “muse,” Bob Lefsetz emailed last night inspired today’s commentary about both concerts by Poco founder Richie Furay who is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Buffalo Springfield.  The shows featured performances of Poco's iconic first live albu...

It was about two days ago that I was sitting at home staring at the TV but had not turned it on. This dark, blank lifeless flat object seemed to be bekoning to me. Turning it on would mean bringing life, color, sound and images into the room.   I resisted the temptation. It's funny how many times I inadvertantly picked up the remote as if it was an autonomic repsonse.  I sat in quiet for about 30 minutes or so, my brain dancing through both dark and light moments recounting ...

On the second day of our 1985 Summer vacation we were sitting at breakfast in Hampstead when I overheard 3 Birmingham lads sitting at the next table talking about extra tickets and I cast my line and came away with 2 (face value) tickets to that day’s Live Aid Concert. In retrospect, it was our destiny.  I knew there would be a concert, but had made no plans to attend. Our presence was coincidental. Soon we were off on a hot and sunny day to Wembley Stadium where we arrived a...

At first, I thought it was a weird request.  We were at an art show and a gallery owner we know, apologized and asked me to retrieve his phone that was charging in his booth which was about fifty feet away. He was pushing a stroller with the young child of his assistant who was attending the booth and explained that if he went back to the booth, the child would be upset to see her mother. I got the phone. As I handed the phone to him, he thanked me and I thanked him. He loo...

As Fred the K says, strange days... One thing I am fascinated by is the concept of a sole survivor.   Are they racked with guilt or do they thrive on their good fortune? Recently, I heard a story from a Doctor whose sister died on 9/11/01. She worked for Compaq and was having a big power breakfast at Windows on the World. She and her team had gotten there early to make sure everything was set up. They were enjoying a cup of coffee when one gentleman spilled coffee on his s...

  Perhaps it’s the end of an era.     One of my local regular lunch haunts had a big sign in the window last week. “Effective 11/11, we will no longer accept cash.”     I must admit that I usually use a credit card to buy lunch. But I wondered what it would mean if I just wanted to stop in for a cup of coffee. Credit card too? What if someone comes in without a credit card? Will the restaurant really turning away the sale?     I guess I don’t have to carry my mad money ...

Anyone who knows me knows I love to travel. One of my favorite aspects about travelling is learning about a different culture. I love eating where the “locals” eat, going into their supermarkets, and pharmacies all to see beyond what tourists normally see. I especially love being able to bring home a piece of another lifestyle. Usually, it’s their food.   For example, while in Alaska, I learned and tasted the difference between wild salmon and farmed salmon. As a result, I...

Since I took on this Sunday blog for Gotham Networking, this represents the first time I get to draft something on Veteran’s Day. It always falls on November 11. As we know from the news, today marks a century – 100 years – passed since the Armistice that officially brought an end to the First World War. Four years ago I participated in a ceremony at Central Park to rededicate a monument. The fraternal order Knights of Pythias installed the monument as part of “The 307th In...

I almost never donate money at meetings. I give charity privately.  However, as a show of my deep thanks to the patronage I’d received for 10/10 Optics from the disbanding LGBT group, I put my $20 and business card in the pass around envelope for the Gotham SEASON OF GIVING. And, then I forgot about it.   A few months later I was having a very difficult week.  My mom was in the hospital having a serious procedure, my daughter was involved in an awful divorce that was making h...

I must admit that until this past weekend I was unfamiliar with Uber (Lyft too). We went to Ann Arbor to visit our grandson Jackson and to see the Michigan-Penn State game in The Big House and were advised not to rent a car on such a hectic weekend due to parking problems. Joanne had the Uber app on her phone and was therefore in charge of hooking us up for the ride and the drivers. My experience was mostly devoted to being along for the ride and chatting up the drivers. Well...

We were going to be in Chicago and if we had any extra time we were overdue for a visit to the Art Institute. In anticipation, we took two membership cards from museums that are participants in a nationwide museum reciprocity program. When we arrived at the ticket desk, the young man checked the cards and advised that the Art Institute did not honor either of the reciprocity programs but was in a partnership with the Whitney in New York. Problem was that we didn’t have our W...

I am writing this blog on Tuesday afternoon, there is anecdotal reporting that the turnout is larger, which is a wonderful thing. The more who vote, the more we truly are governed "by the people, for the people." So I have no idea what we will be waking up to. A Blue Wave? A Red Flood? A Purple stream? Whatever happens, We Are One and we'd best get used to it and act like it. No one gets out of here alive. Here's a story from Pema Chodron, a particularly wise Buddhist Teac...