Happy NY Day

Riding into midtown this afternoon, I could see remnants of last week's big snowstorm here and there. It's cold (for a Californian) but not bitterly so.

I'm in a different boutique hotel than I've stayed at before. A woman bearing a striking resemblance to Anne Hathaway walked out just as I walked in.

I believe it's Fashion Week in New York.

Having an iPhone sure changes the nature of work on the go. I was able to monitor my email often enough to not slip seriously behind on any project, even though for the bulk of the day I was off the grid.

Soon, out to dinner with friends. Nice to have that to do on this seriously over-hyped romantic holiday.

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Collections and Travel Time

As I packed today for my trip to New York tomorrow, I thought back over my relationship with that city, which goes back over four decades. I've been there for fund-raising trips, book tours, reporting trips, to meet with publishers and secure book contracts, to help clients meet media leaders, to attend conferences, to discuss screenplay ideas with film executives, to give speeches, and to attend board meetings.

I've even been there a few times for family reasons.

All in all, I suspect this will be my 50th or 60th trip to Manhattan. Who knows.

For various reasons, this may well be my last trip there for quite a while. If so, I'll miss the place, even with all the hassles it brings, it's the greatest city on this continent.

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I've been rereading kevin Kelly's What Technology Wants; on this trip I think I'll reread Jared Diamond's Guns, Germs and Steel. These books fare well on second readings; it's also cheaper to reread them than buy new books.

My wish list for new books, if I could afford to buy them, is long.

Kelly writes about the grandparent effect, postulating that human progress only accelerated once we lived long enough for an older generation to pass along knowledge to the generation produced by our children.

This is  relatively recent development in human history.

I think about that every time I share my "collections" (shells, stones, coins, seaglass, books, music, cards, letters, photos, and so many more) with my four-year-old grandson. I don't know how important collections are, in fact, as any source of wisdom, but they are a major source of comfort from my long life.

Maybe he will be a collector too?

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From admissions to scams to parking to child care

 It's not necessarily easy being 18; there's a lot going on while you are a senior in high school, from girls to getting your driving permit, to grades, to applying for college and on and on.

 My 18-year-old son is in the middle of all that and more. He's gained admission to three colleges now, including a U-C, so he knows he will have a range of choices as the deadlines approach this spring.

 He's also in a jobs-training program that should help him get a job soon.

 H recently decided to sell his camera and created a Craigslist account. He listed the camera, which is in mint condition, for $480. Someone responded, asking him to hold the camera while he could deliver a certified check, and arrange for a person to pick up the camera.

My son sensed something was wrong and forwarded this message, plus subsequent ones, noting they came from three separate email addresses and conveyed an ever-shifting story line.

I decided to let him manage the decision-making process; after all he is an adult now, in many ways.

By Saturday, the purported buyer's scheme had progressed to the point that a personal check for over $2,570 was delivered in my son's name from an address in Minnesota. The check was written from the account of a motorcycle club in Apple City, California. It was signed by the name "Tammy."

He was instructed to deposit it in the bank, and then refund $2,040 plus the camera to the pickup person.

We laughed over the incompetence of this obvious scammer, but agreed that a more naive person might have fallen for this blatant attempt to both steal his camera and a lot of money at the same time.

He told the man that if he should so much as contact him again he would contact the police.

I was proud of him for handling this so well. But I was even more proud of him today, as these photos show, as he took care of his young nephew and niece, aged four and one, with a combination of tenderness and authority.

I don't think I know that many 18-year-old boys who could do this so well. My granddaughter was grouchy and wanted her Mom. But he somehow kept her happy and smiling for over two and a half hours, when she was sleep-deprived, hungry, and not inclined to cooperate.

Later, as I dropped him at a cafe where he had to do some homework, he told me he doesn't know what kind of career he will have, but he hopes he will be able to work with people on some level.

Amen.

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