I recently learned that our infamous government agency, FEMA, had coined the term "Waffle House Index" to measure the effect of a natural disaster on an area. If a Waffle House shuts down or limits its menu after such hazards, federal officials conclude the community took a major hit. The Southern breakfast chain, which is open 24 hours a day all y …
I just said something exuberant to my wife Joanne and her response was “Sure, dream on, Fred”. My response to her was “That’s a subject for a blog.”And here we go: “Dream on” is the perfect subject for a blog, less than one week after the fourth annual Gotham Picnic softball game which was covered last Sunday by Sunday blogger and my first basema …
Flo often admonishes me to “Stop and smell the roses.” There’s a Chasidic saying, attributed to the 18th century, “Just as the hand, held before the eye, can hide the tallest mountain, so the routine of everyday life can keep us from seeing the vast radiance and the secret wonders that fill the world.” As Flo says “Stop and smell the roses.”
SURPRISE!! Its not just professional tennis. From npr: In 1967, Jocelyn Bell Burnell was a graduate student at Cambridge, working on a dissertation about strange objects in distant galaxies known as quasars. She and her supervisor, Antony Hewish, had built a radio telescope to observe them. Data from the telescope scrolled out from a machine — a l …
I didn’t see the whole exchange, but I have been fascinated by the story. Serena was accused of cheating and reacted, loudly and strongly. She would never cheat to win she said. She would rather lose. Serena accuses the umpire of sexism. Her opponent, Naomi Osaka, who in her own words, wasn’t supposed to win, did just that. Then she …
Last week I wrote about a wedding tradition that I was asked to be a part of. This week my mind is still on tradition. Today is Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. For me and my family it is a day filled with tradition. When I was a child, my parents always had our family over for dinner on the evening of the first day of Rosh Hashanah. When my …
A year ago I discussed two gatherings. This time just one. It represented almost that cross-pollination effect that Fridays blogger likes to note at meetings or other things Gotham. Most times I enjoy a morning full court “game.” This week no court experience but the 4th Annual Gotham Picnic and Softball game. Keeping with tradition, we used my ca …
I wasn't in China but this is a true story...A Chinese village was left with a giant mass of soap suds when a person cleaning plastic bottles let too much soap go down a drain. This is from the Nanning City area of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Locals reported that a villager was cleaning some plastic bottle …
I know a lot of people who are addicted to the weather channel and constantly check weather forecasts. Except for softball season when I fear rain outs and tomorrow when the Gotham picnic is scheduled, I ignore the weather forecast. Early in the week rain was forecast and some panicked, but I adopted a wait and see attitude. In my limited experienc …
We are all exposed to statistics all the time. Among those are the “side effects” of medicines. I generally shy away from medicines. Statistics about the long term side effects have motivated me to reduce the one maintenance drug that was prescribed many years ago. Recently, I was advised to take the new shingles vaccine. The adverse side effects …
Didn't like him as my governor. Wasn't thrilled with him as President. Now I adore him. From Yahoo News: Former President Jimmy Carter says it was never his “ambition to be rich” — and it shows in every corner of the quiet, modest life he shares with wife Rosalynn, in a $167,000 two-bedroom rancher in Georgia. Carter, 93, is the only modern preside …
I’m not happy about it but here we are – it’s the official end of summer. You know, it’s that time of year when the weather starts to change, the kids all head off to school and that slowed down pace we had all become accustomed to disappears with the heat of the sun. Oh wait – it was over 90 degrees today and the forecast is the same for …
We spent Labor Day weekend in Philadelphia. My cousin’s daughter was married Sunday night so we spent the weekend with family. No better way to spend Labor Day weekend!! A few weeks ago, I received a small package in the mail from the bride. In the package was a pen and a small note. On the note she wrote, “All my life I grew up seeing your …
Early this summer Shelly “declared” we would redo the “patio” and garden space below our deck next year in time for next summer. She meant a total redo to a space I did on my own probably at least 25 years. Some of the space, including a spot for the grill on Belgian blocks became an afterthought when we replaced the deck. At the July 17 meeting …
For some reason my Grandma used to say that as soon as she awoke on the first day of each month. It was her "superstition" as Fred talked about yesterday or a special prayer. I have no idea but she used to say it...so I do too (when I remember:-) What do you think it might mean? Lot's of meat to eat? That reminds me of the first time I ordered …
