What would you do if you had nothing to do ? I pondered the thought earlier today - New Year's Day - after friends with whom we were to spend the day had to change their plans because of a family emergency. I had been thinking about “unstructured” time as something to aspire to in the new year. Although not something that would be attract …
Rocking chairs belong in baby nurseries. I hadn't given this much thought until last weekend when we were baby-sitting for our grandson Jackson and he needed to take a nap. It wouldn't have happened without the rocking chair in his room. As I sat holding Jackson and rocked, I was soothed with memories of rocking my children in the rocking chai …
Unless it touches us directly, we are generally immune to crime. It is something that happens "out there" and “to someone else”. From that perspective, we follow the news and accept crime as part of the landscape. But every once in a while, a crime -- even “out there”-- touches us and gives us pause. Such was the recent car-jacking and murder …
We were in Miami last weekend for Art Miami and got to visit the new Perez Art Museum which opened last Wednesday. If you're in Miami, don't miss the Museum. And try to get there while the "Ai Weiwei- According to What?" exhibit is on. At a time when we contemplate the life of Nelson Mandela, the art of this Chinese dissident/artist is especial …
“It's better to give than receive, but what goes around comes around.” The Gotham mantra kept going through my mind as I watched us bestow the Red Bandana and the Networkers of the Year Awards, and make the grants to four charities from the Gotham Foundation on Tuesday evening at the Holiday Party. I remember when, years and years ago, we …
Since I blog on Thursdays, I have the pleasure of using this space once a year to wish the entire Gotham family a very Happy Thanksgiving. May you enjoy the day and share thanks with those near and dear to your heart. And may you find much to be thankful for in all that surrounds you. Happy Thanksgiving.
I was first asked to give a DNA sample several years ago. The request came from a cousin who had learned that a graduate student was doing research and compiling a database of Jews of Eastern European heritage. The purpose, or one of the purposes, was to possibly connect distant relatives whose parents and grandparents had been killed and/or displa …
Yiddish is an old language. Some say it is a dying - if not already dead - language. No room for technology and Yiddish? Not so fast... Flo shared this story with me. Recently, she was in the Jewish Museum in New York for the opening of the Art Spiegelman exhibit when she overheard a group of "older" people asking "What is the Yiddish word …
I am happy that the Red Sox won the World Series and I'm happy that they won the final game in Fenway Park. It is more fun to watch sports if you'e routing for one of the teams, and, for that reason, I had to choose between the Red Sox and the Cardinals. I was routing for the Red Sox. I'm a Mets fan and after the New York teams ended their seas …
Seventy years ago, George Horner was a prisoner in Theresienstadt, a concentration camp outside of Prague. He was a musician and played the music of Karel Svenk, another prisoner. They played cabaret pieces, the Theresienstadt March, and “How Come the Black Man Sits in the Back of the Car?” for other prisoners. By some historical accounts, music, a …
With the change of seasons, I am motivated to get into my closets and do a little cleaning. I am truly amazed (perhaps embarrassed would be more accurate) by the number of T shirts that I have. It seems that every event in my life is commemorated by a T shirt that found its way into my closets. As I go through the piles, most of the shi …
The entrance sign said “Admission - $20 Seniors - $10” But nowhere was there a definition of “Senior”. Since getting my Senior Citizen Beach Permit from the Town of Oyster Bay (undated but good for “Lifetime”), I have become aware of senior discounts. Although you start getting offers t …
I like the Fall. I like the change of weather from summer to the cooler nights, and, ultimately, the cool days of Fall. But the best thing about Fall is the color. There is nothing better than the natural beauty of the leaves changing. This looks like a good year for the colors of foliage. We were up in the Berkshires last weekend and the leave …
On Tuesday, I eavesdropped on my Mother speaking to about 50 Gothamites and guests at the Friar's Club about her experiences as a Holocaust survivor. I say "eavesdrop" somewhat in jest, because I was in the audience and in plain sight. No matter how many times I have heard the stories, there is always something new. Perhaps I have heard it …
I like it when we -- that is Flo, me and all of the children -- are in the same time zone. I can safely write about this because my daughter, Mea, and son-in-law, Charles, who live in Seattle, are in New York for the next few days. Everyone else lives in New York and, until Monday, we'll all be in the same time zone. When Mea and Charl …
