I had been thinking about family and support even before I read the wonderful posts about what Gotham meant to its members. The love and support here has been evident throughout the year. I was reminded of a family by chance that I've been in for more than fifteen years. We've been though illness, life-changing decisions, moves, death, and celebrations. We came together because we were available to meet on Wednesday evenings. We knew nothing about each other.

For me, email is my nemesis.  No matter how many I delete, it seems 10 more show up.  I have tried unsubscribing from many services, but they always seem to find a back door in.  The main problem with the "junk" mail, is that it buries my essential business email.  This has ramped up to the point where I ask my clients to not email me, but to call instead.  I have tried many avenues to deal with the email conundrum, but all have fallen short so far. Give me some love, give me your tips and tricks for how you deal with a bursting at the seams email inbox!

 Fred asked me to post about my uncharacteristically extended (27-day) recent trip Down Under.  Actually, he made me an offer I couldn’t refuse (Mario Puzo fans will get the reference).  Nancy graciously ceded her Tuesday blog slot to me.  Mitch helpfully gave me a tutorial on the technicalities of posting to the Gotham blog.  It took a village.  Please feel free to read as much or as little of what follows as you prefer.    

I have an etiquette question.   As many of you know my husband and I are frequent flyers. I am also a nervous flyer, so I have to sit next to my husband. Mostly to grab his arm when the turbulence hits.  

For several months, I’ve been meeting via Zoom with like-minded folks who oppose the imposition of a toll-tax (aka congestion pricing) to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. Late last year, as other concerned folks and groups joined our weekly Zooms, those gathered decided to hire a lawyer and explore bringing a lawsuit.

A new AI app I found in the new GPT store (everything seems new:) called Cartoonize Yourself will turn your photos into Pixar-style illustrations. Always enjoying trying new things, I uploaded the following picture; After about 20 seconds produced this... Looks just like me doesn't it? (Love the full head of hair :)

Just as there are 3 sides to every story: Your side, My side and the Truth, there is usually a bright side in every situation.   Where many complain or express anxiety as to their situation, I always endeavor to see and express a possible bright side as so many of us, on balance, are SO fortunate.  Don't suffer the small stuff. See the Bright Side!

We had a problem with the humidifier in our central heating system. No humidity.