Moving Day Blues I haven’t moved very often in my life, in fact for the past 40 years we’ve lived in Manhattan in the same “7 rms, river view”.  We love our apartment, our building,  and our neighborhood,  and don’t plan to move any time soon.  (See The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe  and Kente… Read More

The Irishman I must offer this quick take on The Irishman  and a plug for it’s re-recording sound mixer, my cousin Tom Fleischman! I’m proud to say Tom has won many awards including a 2012 Oscar for his work on the film Hugo, and has worked with Martin Scorsese  on many other films and loves the guy.… Read More

Second Career – Home Organizer! I take little pride in my culinary skills,  am not a fashionista,  and may not be up on pop culture,  or as knowledgeable as I should be on world events,  but one thing I am is organized!  Yet over the years little did I know that after retirement organizing would… Read More

Bless the Bread A new year for many of us means a time to take stock,  to make resolutions,  or to once again start that illusive diet.  But for my son Noah it means the rock, jam-band Phish will be on tour at Madison Square Garden once again for several consecutive nights. A few years… Read More

Parasite and Roma I love the movies and try to see all the good stuff. Last month I read the glowing reviews of Parasite ,  the new South Korean film directed by Bong Joon-Ho,  the Palme d’Or winner at Cannes.  And then when friend after friend after friend recommended it,  I was really intrigued and put… Read More

Third Degree Burn Last year at about this time I  burned the top of my foot.  It was very painful and it looked pretty bad,  and so I went to see Dr A,  my dermatologist. He examined the wound and asked me how it had happened.   I was too embarrassed to tell him the… Read More

Early Thanksgiving  This past November as I was preparing for Thanksgiving I thought about how we celebrated the holiday several years ago. That year as the November approached  I fretted over the many regrets I’d gotten in the past to my Thanksgiving invitations. One of my cousins and his family usually celebrated with his in-laws;… Read More

My Cousin Rick We were shocked some months ago to learn of the sudden death of my cousin Rick at age 66.  The family gathered in Rochester where Rick had lived, and several of us spoke at his moving memorial service. Since childhood my redheaded cousin had suffered a debilitating mental illness.  His devoted parents… Read More

Retreat  A dozen or so years ago my cousin Kathy called me in New York from DC and asked me to join her the following month for a Jewish women’s retreat. Because geography had always kept us apart,  spending a weekend with my cousin was appealing and a women’s retreat would be a new experience… Read More

Surprise Party When her husband Andrew was turning 40,  my friend Simi decided to throw him a surprise party in their apartment,  and she asked for my help. We were both stay-at-home moms then with plenty of free time on our hands for surprise party planning.  In fact for weeks before the party we must… Read More