Come tomorrow, September 10, 2013, a native of my city of Cambridge is likely to be elected mayor of America’s largest city, New York. Bill De Blasio is also a graduate of our public high school, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, in the class of 1979.
Getting It Right
Bragging is not a pretty activity. People with any sense try to avoid it. Those who indulge in it usually find themselves losing friends quickly.
The young people I know do not seem particularly boastful. After all, they do not yet have much to brag about.
My 85th
My 85th birthday on the nineteenth day of August would seem a much older age level to me were it not for my friend Dan. As an earlier blog noted, he was 101 on the fourth day of this month. Somehow, his being so much older than I reduces my feel of personal antiquity.
Beyond Bye-Bye
He described himself as “a fat, bald guy who looked unkempt even in a freshly pressed suit and a Brooks Brothers shirt.”
That was Jack Germond whose obit I read in today’s Times. This memorable newspaperman was born the same year as I – 1928. Seeing an age peer may have been one of the draws that brought me to watch Jack on “The McLaughlin Group.”
Disappointment
A major disappointment for me: my nephew, Jack Griffin, did not get to buy the Boston Globe as he and his associates wished and I had hoped. Instead the New York Times sold the paper to the owner of the Boston Red Sox.
Jack would have brought to the Globe journalistic experience that John Henry, the new owner, lacks. Also Jack has deeper roots in the Boston area than Henry, allegedly a requirement of the seller.
Protecting Our Money
Most citizens know what our country’s Secretary of State does. Now that our former senator, John Kerry, holds that office, Massachusetts residents are even more likely to be aware of his work.
This Commonwealth has a Secretary of State, too: William Galvin. I would lay odds that many, if not most, of my fellow citizens do not know what he does.
To a Friend on His 101st Birthday
I write with enthusiasm in celebration of your birthday. You may still feel mixed about such events, but for me, and many others of your friends, it’s an occasion for rejoicing. For me, it counts as a gift that you have lived so long. So thank you for continuing to provide so much pleasure for us who value your friendship.
I will raise more than one glass of red wine in your honor. May you continue to find pleasure in your family members and friends for whom your life continues to be so important.