It took more than 8 1/2 hours but the fire at Notre Dame is finally out.

Admittedly, I am writing this blog on Saturday afternoon, but I have only one thought running through my head. And I can’t seem to think about, or write, about any other topic today. My preoccupation is what will the final season of Game of Thrones bring? I don’t recall being so eager to watch the final season of any other television series than that of Game of Thrones.  

Knowing a few folks often becomes a calling card in doing business. The proverbial “large” rolodex (Anyone still use one – I once had two!) became a resource often helpful in developing business prospects, securing introductions, accessing experts and more.  

What do you do with oil that can't be refined or used for commercial purposes?   Apparently you tell people that it's great for your health. In Azerbaijan's north-western city of Naftalan there is a spa that believes a crude oil bath can cure you of a bunch of things.  

I saw The Killer rip it up atop his piano in 1957 to close the show at Alan Freed’s Brooklyn Paramount after Screaming Jay Hawkins rose from his coffin to put an eternal spell on me.  That same year I saw Althea Gibson make everlasting history by winning the Women’s Tennis Singles Final at the old Forest Hills. 

For those of us in the Northeast, it was in the air today. We’ve flirted with the change in weather a few times over the last few weeks, but today the thermometer hovered around 75 degrees. That got me thinking about summer – and the beach.