I recently overheard my oldest son saying to my husband, “Hey, you left me on unread today!” At first, I did not know what he was talking about. Did it have something to do with Red vs Blue States? Had my husband gotten my son angry and “red” over something? I soon found out that “left on unread” is how the younger generation refers to the various forms of communication (emails, texts, direct messages) that haven’t been opened...also known as left “unread”. The assumption becomes that the recipient does not care about you because they have not even bothered to open your message. Apparently, my husband had (unintentionally) not opened the email that our son had sent him earlier in the day. What I like about this story is that my son let his father know how he felt about that. Like the lyrics of the popular John Mayer song...."say what you need to say.” Read More

I could listen to Frank Sinatra music all day, every day. There is just something about the melodic sounds of his voice and the compelling lyrics that warms my heart and always lifts my mood. As soon as I hear his voice, I am immediately brought back to my childhood home and the aromatic smells of Italian “gravy” cooking on the stovetop and my parents and grandparents singing along with the stereo. I am grateful that my own children inherited my love for the Chairman of the Board. All these years, I had no idea how Frank got his famous “Chairman” nickname. It was easy to figure out why people referred to him as “‘Ol Blue Eyes”. I assumed that he became known as the Chairman of the Board because he was always “in charge”. What I did not know was that Frances Albert Sinatra actually held the position of the Chairman of the Board. In 1960, he started his own record label - Reprise Records - and quickly became the company’s President and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Frank started the company as a vehicle for his own recordings and those of his best friends (and members of the legendary “Rat Pack”) Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr.  There are many reasons why people are motivated to start their own company. It seems like it is the logical path to take if you are frustrated with the service (or lack thereof) that you are receiving. Can’t get your book published? Self-publish it! Hate the local restaurants? Open up one of your own. Can’t get your music recorded? Create your own record company. Not only will you seize control of your destiny, you will no longer have to deal with an unreasonable boss. Read More

The phrase “one and done” is used quite a bit. I didn’t realize until recently that “one and done” became popularized after a controversial National Basketball Association draft rule that was introduced in 2006. The rule stated that recruits needed to be at least 19 years old by the end of the draft year and one year removed from their high school graduation before they were eligible to participate in the NBA draft. The effect was that high school players, who might have gone directly into playing professionally, instead had to spend at least one year playing at the collegiate level - whether they wanted to or not. So “one and done” referred to the basketball players that declared for the NBA draft after playing only one year for their college team. I happen to know someone very well who has a “one and done” philosophy about life. If she tries a new restaurant and the service is slow, she says “this is a one and done, I am never coming here again!” If her favorite actress stars in a movie that she doesn’t enjoy, her response is “I will never go see another one of her movies.” I recall one time that she couldn’t find a parking spot at the mall. You know what’s coming next....she decided that was THE LAST TIME she was EVER going to shop at that mall! While these reactions seem very extreme to me, this “one and done” way of living suits my friend just fine. The way I look at it, if we cut people, places and things out of our lives after just one disappointment, we may not be left with much. Read More

This year’s Super Bowl has been dubbed the “Super Snooze”. It will be remembered for its notable lows...the lowest scoring game in Super Bowl history with the lowest viewership in the past ten years. While many people have been busy speculating whether Brady and "Gronk" will return for another year and debating which was the best commercial, I cannot stop thinking about the SIDELINES SUPPORT. The sidelines section is the area just beyond the playing field or court which is occupied by spectators, inactive players and coaches. If you are playing in the game, you are undoubtedly hoping that your sidelines section is filled with support.   One of this year’s Super Bowl’s two head coaches was Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams.Coach McVay has received a lot of media attention, not just for getting his team to the Super Bowl, but also for being the youngest modern day coach in the NFL and the youngest to ever coach a Super Bowl. McVay may be young, but he has the most uniquely supportive sidelines section that I have ever seen. Read More