No doubt, climate change is wreaking havoc. Be it hurricanes (water) or Fire. This time, it is the horrible Santa Ana wind blown LA fires. My words can not describe the damage and tragedy they have wrought! What I can do is support a Gotham initiative spawned by Gotham Hall of Fame member Bruce Swicker (Networker of the Year 2022). Bruce, who l …
We saw the new Dylan movie, A Complete Unknown, this past weekend and it was so good that I can't wait to see it again (and for a post 1965 sequel)! Of course, I am his contemporary and it resonated on the growing up together level, it was like Edward R. Morrow's bygone "You Are There" TV series. The performances are extraordinary, with at leas …
Concentrating on the bright side of a unique, complicated year my positive highlights are:1) Appreciable Gotham growth and community 2) Visiting mile marker 823) Grandson Shawn becomes an Eagle Scout4) Shawn and sister Ruby compete in Gotham Battle of the Bands5) A good friend is cancer free6) Family picture on Rao's wall7) 4 months without Drinkin …
Last week I wrote about my most poignant Christmas memory, it involved my mother giving and then taking away a prized toy top on Christmas Day when I was a little boy. I wrote the blog from the heart and was surprised by how much credit my mom received for inspiring the birth of Gotham when she whispered to me "It's better to give than receive."W …
With Christmas days away, I would like to share my most poignant Christmas memory. I was about 3 or 4 years old and I vividly recall opening presents with my mom and dad under our Christmas tree. And there was this very very special present, which I remember all these years later as a whirling dervish, spinning top which I activated by pulling a s …
If you have found me to be pushy (excessively or unpleasantly self assertive or ambitious) lately, I apologize. Blame it on my ambition. Ambition is a good trait, as is self assertion and, in this case, it resulted in favorable results for the Gotham community in general. Partially because of my pushing, the Gotham Foundation Season of Giving …
Gotham's mantra is that "It's better to give than receive, but what goes around comes around." If you live it, our mantra works in countless magical and wonderful ways. It is truly the verbalization of the Soul of Gotham!One of the many manifestations of our mantra is our annual Season of Giving initiative. Last year, the Gotham Foundation made …
One of my goals in life is to continue to "be in the traffic" (and remain relevant). However, if you want to be in the traffic you need to deal with the congestion.And so it goes...
As you may know, Joanne and I share a wonderful 11 year old Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix) named Charcoal (pictured). As time went by, a pattern developed that the night shift was my sole responsibility. Charcoal spends her somnolent night hogging space on our bed and when Nature calls she hops off the bed and snorts. Up until recently, that w …
As I live my life I concentrate on not allowing my mind to enter dark rooms where depression and despair reside waiting to cloud my outlook on life. Consistent with my oft stated mantra "Up is down and down is up" I always seek to see the bright side of a situation or event. I try to spread this "cheer" to those who have been brought down and defl …
When I was first introduced to Major League Baseball almost all the spectators were male and they wore suits and hats (pictured). How times have changed! Now the crowd is diverse, yet their mode of dress nearly uniform. Everyone heralds their home team loyalty on their breast, back or head. We are living in the 21st Century age of lushly abundan …
The Yankees, my boyhood favorite team, imploded Wednesday night and lost the World Series :(The loss caused me to suffer exquisite agony. Exquisite Agony is a turn of phrase I rarely use, but when I do I really feel it!It describes pain I experience in an extremely raw and gnawing way. I feel it down to my very core. It is a feeling which border …
One of my favorite motivational sayings is "Dare to be Great!", which is the catch phrase for my oft told advice to my children and grand children, ie, It's not enough to be the best you can be, you must Dare to be Great and if you fail 99 out of 100 times, you develop crucial resiliency and character by trying and that one time, you achieve Greatn …
I am a member of a quarterly Gotham breakfast group (pictured). Members are Corey, Bruce Swicker, Robert Intelisano, David Oralevich, Craig Shink, Alan Kreit and David Abeshouse. At our most recent breakfast we discussed the sad news of the passing of David's beloved younger brother Adam and resolved to attend the Shiva together at David's house. …
As a lifetime NY Yankee fan I have been called out by many for being hypocritical (or worse) for wearing a Met hat and colors while chanting "Let's Go Mets!"Well, there is a back story and a method to my madness. First the back story: I have been a Met fan too, since their 1962 inception, had Met season tickets (which explains my son's Met fandom …
Fridays With Fred
A perfect way to send you into your weekend