Yesterday we celebrated Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when the Union troops reached Galveston Texas with the news (belated by over two years) of the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery and granting freedom to all.Freedom. Individual freedom. I wonder how the news was received and how the concept must have been incorporated into the psyche of …
As he was boarding the plane in Athens for the flight back to New York, he realized that his cellphone was missing— he had left it in the cab to the airport.Stepping out of the boarding line, they called the cell phone and, happily, the cab driver answered. He has the phone and offered to drop it off at the hotel where he had picked them up.“Conta …
A few weeks ago, at a joint meeting of the Bandit and Health and Longevity groups, I reported on upcoming events and June 4th cocktails at the TWA Hotel at Kennedy Airport. I described the iconic former TWA terminal and, as I looked around the table at my fellow Gothamites, commented that the visit would be nostalgic for some and history for others …
It took only a few days after the candidate won her primary for me to start getting email solicitations from her. Soon, I expect, I’ll be getting text messages from her. And she’s a candidate from another state who I could never vote for.I’ve been offered the chance to speak to the President and be flown to a special meeting with him and the First …
It was our anniversary and we had nothing very special planned.We made reservations for dinner at a local restaurant and left very very early for a stroll down the Main Street. Leaving extra time. Hours purposely left with nothing planned. When you walk, you see things you don’t notice otherwise. Local treasures.Still too early for dinner, we stopp …
I was reviewing the draft of the proposed agreement which required that the employee change his behavior if the employer believed that the continued behavior “could” negatively impact the employer. I changed one letter — the “c” to “w” — the word from “could” to “would”. One letter makes such a difference.
As I looked around the table at the 19 Gothamites and guests in the dining room deep below street level on East 54th Street, I thought about all the years of in-person Gotham networking meetings. And I thought about Covid and the lockdown and Zoom. And, as we went around the table, in-person, I thought about our transition, the futur …
To streak or not to streak?I play Wordle and, for a long time, they (whoever “they” are) kept track of my success (or lack thereof). It kept track of the number of games I had played without interruption. Kept track of my streak.It created a lot of pressure.Then, one day, the tracking stopped. I had never signed up or opened an account, yet I was t …
Want to start a conversation? Wear a hat with a logo — preferably ofa sports team.I’ve blogged about the magnetism of hats before.I am walking in Bermuda with my Mets hat on and I expect to meet either a Red Sox fan or a Yankees fan. Met both but the Beantown fan was a little more interesting.One thing led to another and Dave told me the story of h …
Totality.A word that will never have the same meaning for me after last Monday.The mysteries and splendor of the universe witnessed, perhaps comprehended, for a few moments on earth.Totality.
Overheard while waiting for coffee at a local coffee and bake shop:Apparently a customer was calling because she has lost her cellphone and thought she might have left it in the shop’s bathroom.The person at the counter who answered the call had an empty cellphone case in her hand and was explaining that the empty case was all that was found in the …
The tragic accident at the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore is sending shock waves through the country and, in addition to the loss of life, will be felt for many years to come.For me, news of the accident has a very personal side. I don’t want to speak badly of a bridge - especially after it has been knocked down and people are lost as a resu …
One of our favorite restaurants is Ada’s on the River in Alexandria, Virginia. It is named and themed after Ada Lovelace, known for her revolutionary impact on mathematics and computing in the early nineteenth century. She is also referred to as the first computer hacker.My favorite cocktail at Ada’s was the Lord Byron, appropriately named after Ad …
Herb always knew when we were away for the weekend or a vacation. If we forgot to tell him in advance, he would call as soon as he realized the car was gone.“Hey kids. You away again? When will you be back? And, do you want me to put in the papers?”“And, I love that bread you brought back last time.”Herb was the perfect neighbor.Living side by side …
Shortly after meeting someone for the first time, the question is asked:“What do you do?”Invariably - at least in my experience- the question evokes a response about what someone does for a living, or, perhaps, did for a living.Is that changing?Do others, a different generation or otherwise, respond differently?How would it feel to answer the quest …
