to my avid readers -- tonight is the Democratic Convention and as Hilary said -- many 'dents' were made in the glass ceiling during this primary and history will be made when her name is put into nomination. Well - this past Sunday -- we did BREAK THE GLASS CEILING. There were two regulars - Barry and me and Arthur, a friend of Barry's. As we were approaching the first tee -- a woman - using one of those 'hi-tech' electric push carts approached and declared she was our fourth. Jill - and no not the Jill who is a regular contributor to the blog and takes particular pleasure in pointing out grammatical, spelling and any other errors she can find - joined our foursome and broke the glass ceiling - in a cursory review of the annals of the golf schedules of Saxon Woods, we could not find another occurrence of a single - being a woman - joining three men - none of whom were related or knew her before the round.
I'm sure that other - less enlightened men - the typical chauvinistic golfer - would have groaned - probably out loud - thinking that 'a woman' would slow up their round and impact negatively their game. Speaking for Barry and me (don't know Arthur well enough but since he wears an earring I'm fairly comfortable in thinking he'd agree with us) - that never entered our mind -- rather, our concern were for a more basic problem that having a woman playing with us would make -- peeing on the golf course at will more difficult. Since I promised complete candor and total honesty when we first started this blog - 10 years ago - my usual pattern of watering a minimum of 4-6 holes per round was dramatically reduced to one 'quick urination' fully covered by trees, swamps and rocks.
Jill - is a 22 y/o woman who is on the golf team at Wellsley. She was nattily dressed in yellow golf shorts (if I said short golf shorts - would that be redundant) and a red colored polo shirt - that fit her well. She had medium length blond hair that she wore in a pony tail. On occasion - after she swung -- her shirt would slightly ride up revealing a tattoo (flower) on the small of her back. Since Jill had to tee off after the men did, (the women's tee is closer to the hole and women go after the men - for safety reasons) , we had ample opportunity to note the color of the flower, the number of blossoms, the stem that went southward into areas not seen.
History was also made on the third hole -- but I get ahead of myself.
The day was beautiful -- Arthur was a welcomed addition -- he was willing to tee off first, didn't take too many practice swings, didn't dawdle, didn't play any better than we did, and was an all around nice guy -- makes him a welcomed substitute.
first two holes were non-events. But the Third hole -- a par 5 that has 'buried many a golfer' -- a veritable 'Bermuda Triangle' where golf balls that are hit on the fairway are lost, and where there are streams, forests, swamps, rocks, sand traps and thick high grass at every turn. This hole has brought all of us to tears -- and what happened today ... BARRY DID THE IMPOSSIBLE - HE BIRDIED THE HOLE. (for those who read this blog and are not up to speed on the vernacular (SAT word) - a birdie is one less stroke than one would take if one were to get a Par -- which is not an every day occurrence. So on this same Sunday that the Glass Ceiling was broke -- and may I say that we are proud to be part of this historic occurrence - Barry birdied the most difficult hole, (my opinion), on the course.
We also realized early on that Jill was a celebrity of sorts -- why else would the Ranger follow us from hole to hole, almost like a presidential motorcade - if she wasn't breaking new ground and a Saxon Woods VIP. The Ranger did an excellent job of hiding this by continually admonishing us to speed up our play. If I didn't figure out that all this attention was no different than the National Guard being employed to segregate the schools in Georgia a mere few decades ago, I would have been annoyed by this overly aggressive - phony baloney Texas ranger.
We finished the round in an acceptable 4 hours and 25 minutes. The three men played our usual round - too many bad shots and not enough good shots, while Jill played a very steady game. Every one of her tee shots went down the middle of the fairway. (she never found the rough - let alone lose a ball.) Since the women tee off approximately 20 yards in front of the men's tee -- She routinely outdrove me -- and I was driving the ball well - for me. Jill's drives, her fairway shots, her short game, her sure putting was something that we all enjoyed watching. (maybe the Ranger wasn't completely wrong in yelling at us). After the round was over - we asked Jill what we shot - and she shyly responded that she had a good round - an HONEST 82.
So we had the first woman to break the glass ceiling, walk on as a single and join an all male threesome. And even better - she played a round of golf that left us with our tongues flapping, our hearts beating faster, and a fantasy of playing as well as Jill. (I originally wrote 'and a fantasy of playing with Jill' - but unfortunately there is a small percentage of the readership, comprised of middle age men who have an emotionally fixated IQ of a 13 y/o and would find this 'misspeak' truly amusing.)
Full disclosure requires me to say that on occasion I 'embellish' the stories and I'm guilty of doing this now. I was 'playing' to the TV talent scouts who have approached me about turning this blog into a sitcom. My loyalty to you my readership is stronger than my avarice (another SAT word) and the promises of great wealth and notoriety. Jill was her true name -- but that is where the 'truth ended'. She is a woman of Germanic background, in her early to mid 60's. Her golf game was exactly as I described it -- she did shoot an honest 82 and was mostly waiting around for us to finish up.
We certainly missed our Captain who is vacationing in the home state of the Democratic VP nominee ... and look forward to having our other partner whose responsibility is to man the light house where he lives during the summer - protecting the water ways - but recognize that their absence helped us to secure our place in history.
Until next week ..... hit them long and straight -- unless you are on a dogleg.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Bonanza
I know there are quite a few TV Western fans out there --- who remember Sunday nights watching Bonanza and eating Chinese food. The most special episodes for me were those that included the older brother Adam, along with Hoss and Little Joe. Today's golf game brought us back to "Happy Days" with the inclusion of Stu in the foursome.
Barry, Rich, Stu and I grew up in the Marble Hill projects. For those readers who are out of state - Marble Hill projects are either in the Bronx (as I believe) or in Upper Manhattan. It was a haven for working class people and the best place a kid where a kid could grow up. Along with Dave - the five of us were inseparable -- and as only someone growing in the Bronx could understand -- we didn't have organized leagues or play dates --- we just went to the oval and depending on the season - played tops, football, marbles, johnny on the pony, ring a levio, stickball, and more. How many times were we chased off the grass by the Housing Police, with poor Weinbaum being the slowest and thus the one always caught. (A shout out to 'E' is appropriate.)
While Barry, Rich and I live in the same neighborhood, Stu went across the river and we don't see each other much -- those bonds formed in the projects are forever.
The golf game itself was in most ways -- no different than so many experiences that took place decades ago. Stu's self report had him playing an outstanding front 9 (a 42) -- and unfortunately -- a prior commitment prevented him from playing the complete round. But in the short 2 hrs and 15 min. -- we were reassured that although Stu was a victim of the recent round of layoffs experienced by the Financial sector --- he could retire at 56 yrs of age -- but he already has multiple offers, to the point that an opportunity to interview for - his words - a 'mega position' at the renowned Bank - GS - was not work pursuing because of the number of interviews they put you through. Stu continues to defy the odds and not only land on his feet -- but like Little Joe -- turn potentially adverse situations into outstanding successes.
The back 9 were not the same without Stu --- although it gave the 3 of us opportunity to reflect that despite the intervening years -- people don't change.
Bottom Line -- beautiful day, enough good shots hit, and an opportunity to go back 'in time' with a one of kind person -- it was special!
Barry, Rich, Stu and I grew up in the Marble Hill projects. For those readers who are out of state - Marble Hill projects are either in the Bronx (as I believe) or in Upper Manhattan. It was a haven for working class people and the best place a kid where a kid could grow up. Along with Dave - the five of us were inseparable -- and as only someone growing in the Bronx could understand -- we didn't have organized leagues or play dates --- we just went to the oval and depending on the season - played tops, football, marbles, johnny on the pony, ring a levio, stickball, and more. How many times were we chased off the grass by the Housing Police, with poor Weinbaum being the slowest and thus the one always caught. (A shout out to 'E' is appropriate.)
While Barry, Rich and I live in the same neighborhood, Stu went across the river and we don't see each other much -- those bonds formed in the projects are forever.
The golf game itself was in most ways -- no different than so many experiences that took place decades ago. Stu's self report had him playing an outstanding front 9 (a 42) -- and unfortunately -- a prior commitment prevented him from playing the complete round. But in the short 2 hrs and 15 min. -- we were reassured that although Stu was a victim of the recent round of layoffs experienced by the Financial sector --- he could retire at 56 yrs of age -- but he already has multiple offers, to the point that an opportunity to interview for - his words - a 'mega position' at the renowned Bank - GS - was not work pursuing because of the number of interviews they put you through. Stu continues to defy the odds and not only land on his feet -- but like Little Joe -- turn potentially adverse situations into outstanding successes.
The back 9 were not the same without Stu --- although it gave the 3 of us opportunity to reflect that despite the intervening years -- people don't change.
Bottom Line -- beautiful day, enough good shots hit, and an opportunity to go back 'in time' with a one of kind person -- it was special!
Sunday, August 10, 2008
The Circle of Life
Another Sunday and another golf day without the original foursome in attendance. Bernie and Judi were in the Napa Valley and Dan was up at the lake house. It was Barry and me, joined again by the father and son duo of Ken and Max. Ken and Max are probably closer on the golf course than most father and son duo’s, but that is because they do not have two full sets of clubs between them. Earlier in the year, Ken’s garage was broken into and his golf bag was stolen. Unfortunately for Ken, he had recently borrowed some clubs from Barry and they too were stolen. So Ken now borrows clubs from his son and Barry has a new set of clubs, but neither of these facts helped any of us today on the golf course. It was a beautiful day for golf, with the sun shining and nice breeze to keep it cool, but despite the perfect conditions none of us seemed to be able to hit the ball with any degree of consistency. We experienced lost balls, mulligans a scolding from the ranger and an easily forgettable 4 hour and 45 minute round of golf.
This week’s blog is really about the “and more,” because an easily forgettable golf round could not compare to the moments that were experienced this weekend. In the “circle of life,” there are friends and family and this weekend was about both. Gail Sheehy wrote the book “Passages” and there certainly were many examples of people going through these important milestones this weekend, starting with the most remarkable one of all, Ruth Bradburd celebrating her 90th birthday. On Saturday, a collection of friends and relatives, who flew and drove from many miles away, all came to our house to wish Ruth good wishes on reaching this rare “Passage.” Jill and her sister threw an incredible bash with plenty of food and drink and fun for everyone. The part that made it so special was the re-connections made during this gathering. Cousins that had not seen each other for years reminisced. Our lifelong friends came to pay tribute to Ruth, but also to spend time with, my parents, our children and our niece and nephew and their families. All of these people have experienced each other at various “Passages” in their lives and now they could see the same people at a different point in their life. Other important passages including our daughter, Amanda returning home for the first time after moving to an apartment in Quincy, Massachusetts and starting her first full-time job after graduating college. Even Bernie and Judi’s trip to the west coast was to witness a girl who was in the same grade as Craig and Cara embarking on the passage of marriage. But probably the most amazing and gratifying passage of all is the rekindling of love and hope by our friend Dave after all of the tragedy that he has experienced. He truly is a new person now. His joy, Ruth’s excitement, the cousins catching up and the many generations all coming together for a good time made this a day to remember.
This week’s blog is really about the “and more,” because an easily forgettable golf round could not compare to the moments that were experienced this weekend. In the “circle of life,” there are friends and family and this weekend was about both. Gail Sheehy wrote the book “Passages” and there certainly were many examples of people going through these important milestones this weekend, starting with the most remarkable one of all, Ruth Bradburd celebrating her 90th birthday. On Saturday, a collection of friends and relatives, who flew and drove from many miles away, all came to our house to wish Ruth good wishes on reaching this rare “Passage.” Jill and her sister threw an incredible bash with plenty of food and drink and fun for everyone. The part that made it so special was the re-connections made during this gathering. Cousins that had not seen each other for years reminisced. Our lifelong friends came to pay tribute to Ruth, but also to spend time with, my parents, our children and our niece and nephew and their families. All of these people have experienced each other at various “Passages” in their lives and now they could see the same people at a different point in their life. Other important passages including our daughter, Amanda returning home for the first time after moving to an apartment in Quincy, Massachusetts and starting her first full-time job after graduating college. Even Bernie and Judi’s trip to the west coast was to witness a girl who was in the same grade as Craig and Cara embarking on the passage of marriage. But probably the most amazing and gratifying passage of all is the rekindling of love and hope by our friend Dave after all of the tragedy that he has experienced. He truly is a new person now. His joy, Ruth’s excitement, the cousins catching up and the many generations all coming together for a good time made this a day to remember.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Leadership
First and foremost -- a heartfelt thank you to the numerous bloggers who have expressed their caring and support. I am off the 'injured reserve list' and back on the golf course and at the gym.
We've all seen a flock of geese flying (and before the avid blogger on Bi-Way corrects me - I'm told by very intelligent colleagues that the right word is flock when geese are flying and gaggle when geese are on the ground) in formation with one goose in the lead and the others forming a V. How many of you knew that it's not the same goose that takes the lead -- but rather, the geese take turns - and when the 'leader' gets tired, s/he drops back and another goose takes point. This allows every goose to take turns being leader while the others 'draft'. (Will the Nascar and Tour de France readers of this blog please explain to the less aware the concept of 'drafting.')
This is happening on the golf course. Rich, without question, has been our leader. He does everything from distributing the schedule, developing the 'rules' we play by - in terms of looking for balls and maintaining the pace of the game and he is the one who represents our interests with the Ranger and the Starter. It's not that Rich was tired - but rather another one of our 'gaggle', (not flock because we don't fly), stepped up into the leadership role when he determined that we were 'slowing down' the play of the foursome behind us. It wasn't a coup - but done with dignity and respect so Rich was able to 'save face' while relinquishing leadership. Our 'new leader' - (name rhymes with Man) - 'quickened our pace' and determined when the friend he brought along (much more about him later), could take a mulligan (another ball - sorry sometimes I resort to golf jargon) and when it wasn't necessary.
Since golf reflects life -- coincidentally another example of 'one of the geese' taking over leadership occurred this morning in Spin Class. Spin class is serious business. You have to sign up 24 hours in advance and if you don't show up in person, or call within 10 minutes of the gym opening - you are locked out. It is a 6 am class - but you still need to be at the gym at 5 am - even though you registered the day before -- because what happens if bikes are broken - which is a daily occurrence - and then there are too many registered people for the number of functional bikes. After you claim your bike - at 5 am - by leaving a towel, water bottle, or taking the seat with you -- you make sure you are back in the room at 5:50 am...even though the class starts at 6:00 am. There is a rule that if you are not on your bike - doesn't matter if your towel is on the bike - if your butt is not on the bike 5 minutes before the start of class - it's a 'free concert' and anyone can take your bike. (trivia question -- what epic event - that I was at - was referred to as a 'free concert' once we shut down 87?)
So this morning - we are all on our bikes at 5:50 am - getting in an extra 10 minutes of cycling. It's 6:00 am and no Gina (the world renowned instructor - whom many of us follow from club to club). One of the newer cyclists got off her bike to ask if she called in 'sick.' Those of us who have been around - would never leave our bike for fear that someone else would take it. The word back was 'no call from Gina.' Ten minutes pass and the tension in the room is rising. A mob mentality was forming - when a voice from the back row said quietly -- "I'll teach the class if someone else has music." A 'new goose' took the lead and the gaggle (once again, not a flock since we weren't flying) was happy. Gina did make an appearance at 6:20 am - but the class response will be chronicled in a new blog I'm starting: BK Gym and More.
Sunday was a magnificent day. The torrential downpours on Saturday were over (granted - they are not like the storms that our readers in Houston experience - and our thoughts our with our brethren as they gear up for a tropical storm expected to make landfall on Tuesday) and the day was sunny, with a breeze. Barry was our on the left coast - an excused absence - attending the Bar Mitzvah of his nephew ... and we'd like to extend the heartiest of congratulations to the entire Gold family. Dan (rhymes with Man) brought a friend - Bill. Bill immediately made a fashion statement by wearing hot pink shorts .... but as is so true -- you can't 'judge a book by its cover.' Bill turned out to be a very religious man -- often calling upon G-d after making an errant shot and a good guy to play with. Bill also was a 'saviour' in his own right. On the treacherous 13th hole -- there is a formidable creek surrounded my a thick ooze of mud - perhaps even quicksand. I had hit a shot that missed going over the creek by a 'goose neck' and disappeared into the quagmire. I was taking a passing look to see if I could find the ball, when my golf cart (carrying my bag, in which are not only my clubs, but also my blackberry, wallet and keys) started rolling into the creek. I was looking the other way, when without thought to his own safety, Bill jumped into the muck trying to rescue the cart and clubs. While he was not successful -- the cart tipped but stopped before being submerged -- he suffered the consequences of a first responder -- he was knee deep in the muck and spent the next 5 holes 'squishing' about. In retrospect -- I must not have engaged the brake on the cart...not so dissimilar to what happened when I learned to drive a stick shift and tried to master that first hill. I will always pause on the 13th hole as I approach the creek and say silent 'thank you' to Bill.
(hope your shoe has dried off -- and feel free to wear those pink shorts whenever you play with us).
Golf was great -- Rich played well -- showed us what a 3 wood off the tee could do. I had a couple of 'lucky putts' ... but none of us came close to reaching that remarkable score of 88 that Barry had ... and is now the goal.
Next Sunday, I have the distinct pleasure of going to a destination wedding in the Nappa Valley and another goose - will step up as he has so admirable these past few weeks - and author the blog.
A special shout out to Ruth Bradburd who will be celebrating her 90th birthday. Any reader of the blog is invited to the party.
Lesson learned: Everyone has leadership potential - and it just take the right circumstance for the individual to 'take charge' ... on the golf course or at a spin class.
We've all seen a flock of geese flying (and before the avid blogger on Bi-Way corrects me - I'm told by very intelligent colleagues that the right word is flock when geese are flying and gaggle when geese are on the ground) in formation with one goose in the lead and the others forming a V. How many of you knew that it's not the same goose that takes the lead -- but rather, the geese take turns - and when the 'leader' gets tired, s/he drops back and another goose takes point. This allows every goose to take turns being leader while the others 'draft'. (Will the Nascar and Tour de France readers of this blog please explain to the less aware the concept of 'drafting.')
This is happening on the golf course. Rich, without question, has been our leader. He does everything from distributing the schedule, developing the 'rules' we play by - in terms of looking for balls and maintaining the pace of the game and he is the one who represents our interests with the Ranger and the Starter. It's not that Rich was tired - but rather another one of our 'gaggle', (not flock because we don't fly), stepped up into the leadership role when he determined that we were 'slowing down' the play of the foursome behind us. It wasn't a coup - but done with dignity and respect so Rich was able to 'save face' while relinquishing leadership. Our 'new leader' - (name rhymes with Man) - 'quickened our pace' and determined when the friend he brought along (much more about him later), could take a mulligan (another ball - sorry sometimes I resort to golf jargon) and when it wasn't necessary.
Since golf reflects life -- coincidentally another example of 'one of the geese' taking over leadership occurred this morning in Spin Class. Spin class is serious business. You have to sign up 24 hours in advance and if you don't show up in person, or call within 10 minutes of the gym opening - you are locked out. It is a 6 am class - but you still need to be at the gym at 5 am - even though you registered the day before -- because what happens if bikes are broken - which is a daily occurrence - and then there are too many registered people for the number of functional bikes. After you claim your bike - at 5 am - by leaving a towel, water bottle, or taking the seat with you -- you make sure you are back in the room at 5:50 am...even though the class starts at 6:00 am. There is a rule that if you are not on your bike - doesn't matter if your towel is on the bike - if your butt is not on the bike 5 minutes before the start of class - it's a 'free concert' and anyone can take your bike. (trivia question -- what epic event - that I was at - was referred to as a 'free concert' once we shut down 87?)
So this morning - we are all on our bikes at 5:50 am - getting in an extra 10 minutes of cycling. It's 6:00 am and no Gina (the world renowned instructor - whom many of us follow from club to club). One of the newer cyclists got off her bike to ask if she called in 'sick.' Those of us who have been around - would never leave our bike for fear that someone else would take it. The word back was 'no call from Gina.' Ten minutes pass and the tension in the room is rising. A mob mentality was forming - when a voice from the back row said quietly -- "I'll teach the class if someone else has music." A 'new goose' took the lead and the gaggle (once again, not a flock since we weren't flying) was happy. Gina did make an appearance at 6:20 am - but the class response will be chronicled in a new blog I'm starting: BK Gym and More.
Sunday was a magnificent day. The torrential downpours on Saturday were over (granted - they are not like the storms that our readers in Houston experience - and our thoughts our with our brethren as they gear up for a tropical storm expected to make landfall on Tuesday) and the day was sunny, with a breeze. Barry was our on the left coast - an excused absence - attending the Bar Mitzvah of his nephew ... and we'd like to extend the heartiest of congratulations to the entire Gold family. Dan (rhymes with Man) brought a friend - Bill. Bill immediately made a fashion statement by wearing hot pink shorts .... but as is so true -- you can't 'judge a book by its cover.' Bill turned out to be a very religious man -- often calling upon G-d after making an errant shot and a good guy to play with. Bill also was a 'saviour' in his own right. On the treacherous 13th hole -- there is a formidable creek surrounded my a thick ooze of mud - perhaps even quicksand. I had hit a shot that missed going over the creek by a 'goose neck' and disappeared into the quagmire. I was taking a passing look to see if I could find the ball, when my golf cart (carrying my bag, in which are not only my clubs, but also my blackberry, wallet and keys) started rolling into the creek. I was looking the other way, when without thought to his own safety, Bill jumped into the muck trying to rescue the cart and clubs. While he was not successful -- the cart tipped but stopped before being submerged -- he suffered the consequences of a first responder -- he was knee deep in the muck and spent the next 5 holes 'squishing' about. In retrospect -- I must not have engaged the brake on the cart...not so dissimilar to what happened when I learned to drive a stick shift and tried to master that first hill. I will always pause on the 13th hole as I approach the creek and say silent 'thank you' to Bill.
(hope your shoe has dried off -- and feel free to wear those pink shorts whenever you play with us).
Golf was great -- Rich played well -- showed us what a 3 wood off the tee could do. I had a couple of 'lucky putts' ... but none of us came close to reaching that remarkable score of 88 that Barry had ... and is now the goal.
Next Sunday, I have the distinct pleasure of going to a destination wedding in the Nappa Valley and another goose - will step up as he has so admirable these past few weeks - and author the blog.
A special shout out to Ruth Bradburd who will be celebrating her 90th birthday. Any reader of the blog is invited to the party.
Lesson learned: Everyone has leadership potential - and it just take the right circumstance for the individual to 'take charge' ... on the golf course or at a spin class.
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