TOYS

This is the time of year where most children's thoughts and wishes are consumed with the latest and greatest toys. Having spent many years in the toy biz, I have seen my share of Toy crazes from the retailer's perspective and as a Dad have endured many season's of "I gotta have that." Our kids were lucky...in many cases they had the latest and greatest before it even hit the market. That was one of the benefits of having a Dad that was in the business! Lisa had an "Adoption Doll" BEFORE the Cabbage Patch craze and had a Cabbage Patch before anyone else. She had a Barbie Dream House when she was still not tall enough to reach the top floor. Brad had every Atari, Intellivision , Colecovision and Nintendo when they were all still in Beta testing. And of course, the Star Wars figures, Stretch Armstrong's, GI Joe's, assorted board games and other toys were always scattered around the house.

Kid's toys have not been the only toys around, though. I generally buy myself one toy a year. My personal toy buying is usually an electronic item - new TV, Home Theatre System, the latest cell phone or PDA, Ipod, camera. TIVO - whatever the newest "gotta have" item is around. My toys have included a motor scooter, a 560SL convertible and a 33 foot boat! But it has been awhile since I bought a new toy! Until Saturday......

Fifteen years ago, I decided that I wanted to take up bicycle riding. Yes, I already knew how to ride a bicycle...everybody in my generation had a bike as a kid and used it as their primary means of transportation. We use to ride to school, to our friends houses, to the drugstore soda fountain and to the 5&10. What I decided 15 years ago was that I would take up riding for exercise and fun!

My wife and kids bought me a sparkling new Trek Mountain Bike and I was off and riding. I would ride 10- 15 miles at a time and even go 25-50 miles on a weekend day. I even rode from Boca to Key Largo with Lisa one Memorial Day weekend. (that's a whole other story!) I learned to set my destinations only after checking the prevailing winds so that I would always have the wind at my back on the way home. I have ridden on and off for these last 15 years on the same old, slow mountain bike. Brad got me to ride a metric century (62.5 miles) charity ride with him a few summers ago and it almost did me in. He has ridden across Israel on a multi-day charity ride and he, Claire and Lisa have done various 100 mile rides for charity. For years, they have told me that if I am going to continue to ride, then I have to get a new road bike!

So, I finally did! As usual, I did my research...checked the Internet, talked to bike geeks, and visited several stores..but had a hard time pulling the trigger and taking the plunge into a new bike. Somewhere in the deepest recesses of my mind, I was having trouble spending 4 times the amount that my first car cost! But, last week, I wandered into a store, found just the right bike, took a test ride and was hooked. Saturday, I went for "the fit" and returned home with my sparkling new Specialized Road Bike with all of the necessary accessories and accoutrement's. These things have gotten so technical that one is "fitted" to his bike so that all of the measurements and adjustments are specific to the rider. Wow, what a ride! The ride is so smooth and my speed has already increased at least 25%...why, oh why did I wait so long to get the right equipment?

I am off and riding. Each day, my mileage increases. Who knows where I might go next? Could this be the basis for the "epic" achievement that I am seeking for my 60th? We'll see........

And The Journey continues................

IMAGINE

Thirty years ago yesterday (Dec 8th), I was in New York on business. As was my regular routine after work, I went for a run (really a jog - but I like to think I am actually running!) in Central Park. I love to run in Central Park. You get to see a lot of different people, the terrain is not too challenging and if I exercise hard enough, then I don't feel guilty overeating at favorite New York restaurants. As I was making my way around the park and found myself on the West Side, I noticed an unusual amount of sirens that seemed to be coming from just outside the park. Not thinking too much about it, I completed my run and went back to the hotel to shower and dress for a late dinner. After turning on the television, it wasn't long before the news flash demanded my attention: John Lennon had been shot! It happened just outside his home on W. 72nd St. - just outside of Central Park. - a stone's throw from Strawberry Fields. Later it was announced that he had died of gunshot wounds. John Lennon was just 40 years old. To many, that was the day the music stopped.

The Beatles were my generation's musical icons. The songs written by Lennon and McCartney comprise one of the most enduring catalogues of music in history. They produced the soundtrack of our time. John Lennon wrote songs about love, peace and hope - a sharp contrast to the songs being written today by Rap Artists and Pop Stars of today. Imagine if he had lived the last 30 years and had the opportunity to continue to write. RIP John Lennon

IMAGINE

By John Lennon

Imagine there's no heaven

It's easy if you try

No Hell below us

Above us only sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today....

Imagine there's no countries

It isn't hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And no religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

I wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A brotherhood of man

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world....

You may say I'm a dreamer

But I'm not the only one

I hope someday you'll join us

And the world will live as one

And The Journey continues......