Back in 1990 when I was moving to Toronto by myself, I went out and bought some furniture for this wonderful two-bedroom, two-bath apartment I had rented to live in during my tenure as CEO of BT Bank of Canada. Given that my tour in Toronto had been likened in the industry as my being sent to a Russian Gulag, it was not so Gulag-like on the ground, but actually rather nice surroundings. The one…
Every once in a while a coincidence will happen that makes you wonder about who exactly has his hand on the tiller of the universe. Back in 2006, Kim and I were meeting some friends for dinner at a restaurant on the upper east side of Manhattan. Neither of us frequented the area, but Kim had an orthopedic appointment nearby. In fact, I noted that I had last been in that same area in 2005…
Tonight I am entertaining Kim’s family for the second night. They are here to honor the death a few days ago of her and their sibling. Unfortunately, since everyone grieves differently, some in the family are simply not ready to convene, so its all a bit of a broken play. Kim is at her final dress rehearsal for her show, which plays tomorrow and Saturday. She is going through a lot this week, so I…
There’s a biblical proverb reference we’ve all heard and that is often quoted as “Pride goeth before a fall” or more fully, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18). It’s a timeless warning about how arrogance and overconfidence can lead to one’s downfall. When people become too proud or self-assured, they often stop being cautious, stop listening to advice, or overestimate their abilities – which sets them up for…
For almost the first time in a year, Kim and I watched MSNBC last night. It was strange to see all the familiar faces that have been absent from our consciousness for the past year. Yesterday was a watershed day on this hilltop. At about 2:30pm, Kim’s brother, Jeff, lost his hard-fought battle and succumbed to the ages of eternity. His twelve-day hospital rollercoaster ride going from ER to ICU to Stroke Ward and back…
My daughter Carolyn ran her 10th NYC Marathon yesterday. She started before she had her two daughters and other than the obvious hiatuses while pregnant, she has been doing this annually for fifteen years. She started during college and hasn’t stopped since. In fact, her goal, she tells me, is to complete 15 NYC Marathons so that she can join that elite New York Roadrunners group who get automatic annual entrance exemptions without either having…
Today I am due to receive a new mailbox. I bought it from Amazon. Amazon is not the largest employer in the U.S.. That honor falls to Walmart, with approximately 1.6 million U.S. employees. Walmart. It’s been the largest retailer in the U.S. since 1990. The top ten retailers as of 2025 (by revenues) are: 1. Walmart – $534 billion, with 5,300+ locations. 2. Amazon – $387 billion, with 600+ physical stores. 3. Costco –…
Tomorrow is the first Sunday of November and we are due to “Fall Back” an hour on the clocks. For some, this release from daylight savings time means an hour more of sleep on a crisp Sunday morning. When I was in college, my friend Robbie, who was desperate to do well enough in his grades to get into medical school, was so focused on time management that he would “bank” his hour and “use”…
In the work I do around the house and grounds, sometimes I do something, plant something or build something that perfectly suits the spot. But that only happens some of the time. As much of a planner as I like to consider myself, when it comes to the gardens, I admittedly follow a more whimsical and random approach. There is planning involved in execution, but not so much in overall design. I tend to get…
I have promised myself that I will not write about my ongoing saga with weight loss too often. That said, in the 23 days since I started this new regime, I have already written about the process in one way or another four times. While that is only 17% of the stories I have posted, I heard inadvertently from my friend Steve from Phoenix that he wanted me to update him on my progress privately…