Happy holidays..... Our children are all married with young families. One lives in Manhattan, one lives on Brooklyn, another in Alexandria, Virginia and another in Washington D.C. Getting everyone together has always been a challenge and it has been years since we were all together in one place. Until the era of Zoom. Two weeks ago, we lit Hanuk …
I had intended to blog about Zoom. Little did I know that Gotham’s Holiday Gala last night would provide me with not only the material but, more significantly, the inspiration for the blog. The Gala was, quite simply, amazing. Thank you to Norm for choreographing the Gala and being a Master of Ceremonies without equal — navigating the technical ch …
I become obsessed when something is lost. The reason for my obsession is the realization that things that are lost do not actually disappear. The mystery is that they exist somewhere but are not found. The challenge is to find what is lost. The challenge is my obsession. The earring slid off Flo’s ear while she was sitting in the front seat of the …
My father often said that, as a host, you invite people and put a roof over their heads — the rest is up to them.How true it is in our Gotham family. In person meetings, events, and now, virtual meetings. We invite and put a roof over our heads...and our members do the rest.So it was, again, on Tuesday at our Covid Business Update. Ten joined the m …
As we think about giving thanks on this Thanksgiving in Covid, I share with you a message posted at our local bagel store: "This is not the year to get everything you want. This is the year to appreceiate everything you have." Happy Thanksgiving. Be safe and healthy.
One day last week I received five voice messages on my cellphone advising me that there were outstanding warrants for my arrest. The phone calls came from all over the country.I also received text messages first advising me that Netflix would extend my account and then that my Netflix account was being canceled.“Just call back to avoid arrest"... …
One of the consequences of blogging on Thursday is that I blog on Thanksgiving Day. I’ve always suspected that not many people read the blog on Thanksgiving. Too many other things to do on that day: travel, cooking, last minute preparations.This year may be different. Being with family and friends is risky. Guidance suggests that we be careful. Com …
It's time for another T-Shirt Blog..... Have you considered discarding that old T shirt? Here’s something to think about. We recently welcomed a new person into our extended family. Our cousins became grandparents to Baby Arlo.In a picture, Grandpa Cousin posed proudly with little Arlo on his lap, while wearing a T shirt that he had gotten many yea …
The line wasn’t quite around the long block. It certainly wasn’t as bad as we had seen earlier or the day before or as we witnessed the next day. The rain and mist had stopped and it was a bit milder.Everyone was wearing a mask and the line moved steadily. People in pairs were in conversation while those alone were preoccupied with their phones. Wi …
Nowadays we’re not seeing certain people as frequently as we used to. And I’ve noticed changes in people that probably would have not been noticed in the regular and gradual personal interactions of “normal” times.Perhaps it’s the Zoom or Facetime camera, poor lighting, neglect in grooming, but I’ll see someone who I haven’t seen in a while and can …
I cursed the traffic that turned an hour and a half drive to visit friends into a three hour nightmare. I thought about the recent months of light traffic. I considered the reasons for the heavy traffic and for the light traffic. Pondering only one aspect of the Return as I reflect upon what we’ve been through.
I’ll paraphrase from the Hebrew: “How good and pleasant it is ... people sitting together.”Meaningful on so many levels - both figuratively and literally - especially now.The thoughts came to me last weekend as we sat on a lawn at the Clark Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts and listened to live music.The first live performance that we’ve see …
For years I have wanted to attend a service given by our friend who is a cantor at a large congregation outside of Detroit. The obvious hurdle was that the congregation was outside of Detroit and we live in New York. But things have changed and we were able to attend — albeit virtually— her service over the High Holidays.It was a high point of the …
One of the lessons that Justice Ginsburg often repeated was the wisdom from her mother-in-law who advised her that sometimes it is advisable to be deaf. Although it may have been first offered as advice for happiness in marriage, I recently heard a commentator who said that the Justice followed that advice in her professional life as well — not al …
We watch on television as the fires rage on the West Coast. We are safe in front of our screens and observe what is happening so far away. The other day, I was on the phone with an attorney in California and I asked him how he was doing. He described the surreal fire-polluted air and not being able to leave his home. As he spoke, the radio in my ho …
