A really fabulous book about the loneliness you can feel when you live in New York City. The book is a very insightful meditation on being alone, with the author discussing New York artists whose work reflects that loneliness. There are great sections on these artists, most of whom I was familiar with (Warhol, Hopper, Basquiat, Klaus Nomi) and some…
Although I was only 9 years old in 1969, I was a rabid Mets fan, and the magic of that incredible season has stayed with me for the last 50 years. I’ve read many books and articles about that season, but this one is especially good, as it is written by former team member Art Shamsky, the right fielder. He…
Mission Rabies Fights Rabies in Both Dogs and Humans Dr. Arnold Plotnick discusses his work in India with Mission Rabies, an organization that vaccinates dogs to prevent rabies. Check out the full story here on Dogster.com Check out my elaborated journey here.
Ah, home sweet second home. I arrived in Amsterdam, to spend the last few days of this long winter trip. The weather forecast for the second Amsterdam leg of the trip did not look promising. As is typical in Amsterdam, it was rain, rain, and more rain. I would have liked sunny weather, but I didn’t really care. In my…
I had no pre-set plans for my last day in Chiang Mai. I knew that there was a huge Sunday market, and I planned on going there. I suspected it was an all-day affair, but the woman at the front desk of the hotel told me that it began at 5:00 p.m. I didn’t really want to travel 45 minutes…
My new Chiang Mai hotel, the Green Tiger Hotel, was a charming little place in the heart of the old town. My room was standard, but very nice. Attached to the hotel is a popular vegan restaurant, Reform Kafe. There’s a cute koi pond in the restaurant lobby, and a small swimming pool on the main floor of the hotel. …
Friday, I arrived at the WVS Centre rested and ready. The surgery suite was already abuzz. A local cat rescue group was notified in advance about the week being focused on cats, and they contacted other rescue groups as well, supplying us with many cats in need of sterilization. Some were owned by people that couldn’t afford this surgery otherwise. …
The next morning, after a great breakfast, Ian took me to the Centre, where I finally met Dr. Miglio. He gave me a tour of the facility, including the clinic, the shelter, and the surgery area. The clinic was pretty modern, with state of the art x-ray equipment. Most of the animals in the clinic are brought there for obvious,…
I was met by Ian at the airport, and driven to the Narittaya Resort and Spa. This is where the World Veterinary Service houses their visitors. It’s about five minutes from the clinic. It’s a very peaceful, very quiet place. Instead of rooms, you are given your own little villa. Mine was very spacious, with two beds. The beds were…
I was given a copy of the CT report. I took a photo of the report, and then send an instant message to my friend Slobodan, a radiologist in Boston. I met Slobodan over 20 years ago, when we both lived in Baltimore. I would see him around at bars and parties, and we were friendly, but we never hung…
The third and final day of the Bangkok leg of my trip was to be devoted to the massive Chatuchak Market. I had visited it with Mark several years before, and the experience stayed in our heads for years. It was a total shopper’s paradise. The market is absolutely enormous. It is divided into sections (I’m not sure how many;…
For Day 2, the itinerary was lighter: A visit to another temple (Wat Suthat), and then a local park, and then finish the day strolling through Bangkok’s extensive Chinatown. First, I chowed down at the hotel’s excellent buffet. I took a tuk-tuk to Wat Suthat, just north of Chinatown. Wat Suthat is one of the city’s most beautiful and biggest…
I snagged a great seat – a window seat in the emergency row, with lots of legroom – on the flight from Amsterdam to Bangkok. Bangkok has an Airport Rail Link, which is very similar to New York’s Airtrain. And the BTS train system is just like the New York subway. So rather than take a cab, I elected to…
Udi, my Amsterdam buddy for over 20 years, was exceptionally busy, trying to wrap up all of his work assignments and projects before leaving for vacation – a 30-day excursion to Vietnam, Bali, and Malaysia. But he put aside enough time for us to see a hilarious play at the Stadshuistheater (Husbands and Wives, based on the Woody Allen movie…
Life in retirement just gets crazier and crazier. Last October, I participated in a veterinary project in India, called Mission Rabies. I worked with a team of veterinarians and technicians in Goa, to vaccinate thousands of dogs against rabies. Mission Rabies initially started as a project by the Worldwide Veterinary Service, and the two organizations remain closely affiliated. While on…