Over the past couple of years I have been spending more time with my friend's children. It reminds me of my grandfather's stories about walking 400 miles to school each day through the snow in the same pair of shoes for 18 years. What brings up those reminiscences are the sheer tsunami-size flood of toys that require batteries.
Read MoreMany years ago I had the most wonderful old salty client. His name was Tom and he was a grizzly old Irish guy from Southie. He used to swear that a drop of the creature (a bit of imbibing) was the cure for every ill.
Read MoreRecently I was having a discussion with my brother in law, who is quite a brain may I say, and he pointed out to me that in preparing his recent documentary film on traffic congestion in cities, he had realized that the more we have filtered the exhaust from cars, the more insidious and widespread allergies and other breathing disorders have become. Now I have to say that my immediate thought was "Are you crazy!", but then I got thinking and you know what, he's right.
Read MoreSo I was on Nantucket visiting my friend Karen and she was telling me how she and her husband had developed a mad craving for mangoes and were able to get some luscious ones, leading to the consumption of three cases of these delectable fruits. Then came the rash that looked exactly like poison ivy.
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