it doesn’t interest me

spent the weekend with Limor in NYC

now, my lover is gone and i am alone. again.

the shopping highlight of the weekend was anthropologie

irit my sister loves it; Anat, Danny’s wife wants it, and apparently, as i found out this weekend, Limor needs it.

as is common in such cases, i spent too much time (and money) in several of the brand’s stores

they are wonderful. clothing (for women), stuff for home, shoes, and more

some funny stories too. but more on that later.

anyhow, as a guy who spends hours in girls’ stores, trying to help in decision making, after a while, you are saturated.

was hoping they would provide free espresso for guys. nop.

but then, there is the savior. not emails, but books. available on premise.

this is where you get a chance to find out about stuff you probably would not otherwise.

here is one of my discoveries.

hope you enjoy it as much as i do

________________________

the invitation

by oriah

It doesn’t interest me what you do for a living I want to know what you ache for
and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart’s longing.

It doesn’t interest me how old you are
I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool
for love
for your dreams
for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn’t interest me what planets are squaring your moon…
I want to know if you have touched the center of your own sorrow
if you have been opened by life’s betrayals
or have become shrivelled and closed
from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain
mine or your own
without moving to hide it
or fade it
or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy
mine or your own
if you can dance with wildness
and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your
fingers and toes
without cautioning us to
be careful
be realistic
to remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn’t interest me if the story you are telling me
is true.
I want to know if you can
disappoint another
to be true to yourself.

If you can bear the accusation of betrayal
and not betray your own soul.
If you can be faithless
and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty
even when it is not pretty
every day.
And if you can source your own life
from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure
yours and mine
and still stand on the edge of the lake
and shout to the silver of the full moon,
“Yes.”

It doesn’t interest me
to know where you live or how much money you have.

I want to know if you can get up
after a night of grief and despair
weary and bruised to the bone
and do what needs to be done
to feed the children.

It doesn’t interest me who you know
or how you came to be here.
I want to know if you will stand
in the center of the fire
with me
and not shrink back.

It doesn’t interest me where or what or with whom
you have studied.
I want to know what sustains you
from the inside

when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone
with yourself
and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments

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JD Salinger and dry dates

JD Salinger, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature is gone

a few thoughts:

• i may or may not be still in my adolescence, but agree with holden that most adults are “phony”
• where do the central park lagoon ducks go during winter? they have a recluse in the park
• it is hard to walk in Central Park and not think of holden, the book and my brother, Ofer, who connected to its loneliness so fully

for trivia lovers, worth while to read on

DRY DATES

JD salinger had a broken heart. this is where some of the best art comes from

out of fracture, comes greatness.

the girl’s name?

oona o’neill daughter of of Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning  playwriter  Eugene O’Neill and writer Agnes Boulton.

for those who may remember, O’neill was played by  Jack Nicholson in the movie Reds (for a review of this great film, click here)(along side the fantastic Diane Keaton). which directly makes me think of Reds’ star, co-writer, producer and director Warren Beatty about whom Carly Simon sang, ‘You’re so vain, you probably think this song is about you’. more about beatty simon and their dates in a second.

oona o’neill also dated

• cartoonist Peter Arno,
• director Orson Welles,
• (and as stated above, author J. D. Salinger). To Salinger’s disappointment, however, their relationship ended when she met
• Charlie Chaplin and later become Lady Chaplin, (therefore Salinger’s broken heart).

arno who perhaps is least known today was multi-talented, rich, and handsome.  He exuberated confidence. his sketches were funny, satirical, unique and risky. like the one above.

anyhow, seems that oona had something about her

Beatty

Beatty has had several high-profile relationships with his costars, including Natalie Wood (Splendor in the Grass), Julie Christie (McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait), Diane Keaton (Reds), Isabelle Adjani (Ishtar‘) and Madonna (Dick Tracy).

not bad

back to carly simon

who i think is totally wonderful

is also well known for “Anticipation“, which was used as the soundtrack for TC commercials  for Heinz ketchup in the 1970s. The song relates Simon’s state of mind as she waits to go on a date with Cat Stevens. After their brief liaison during 1970-1971 ended amicably, Stevens wrote his song “Sweet Scarlet” about Simon, who also had highly publicized relationships with Warren Beatty, Mick Jagger, Kris Kristofferson, and James Taylor during this period.

Oona dated cartoonist Peter Arno, director Orson Welles, and author J. D. Salinger.^{[citation needed]} To Salinger’s disappointment, however, their relationship ended when she met Charlie Chaplin

Meeting point

I love train stations
A micro-cosmos that is alive
It is a city within a city
Ever saw a meeting point sign?
This is where people are supposed to meet. Neat.

Doing eurail during two separate summers made me realize the beauty in rail travel
Into the center of a city, overnight couchette, sleeping with strangers
Mass transit, effecient, a network, clockwork green

Train stations vs airports
Fiat 500 vs cadillac fleetwood

Trains are green
They make cities walking friendly vs parking friendly (is there such a thing?)
The opposite of american sprawl

Grand central in nyc is a landmark
You still see tourists taking a photo in the central hall
A view into the past; But, making a revival.

(in previous post i claimed the city is where you go to see the future. well you can go to the city to see the past, too)

For the best coffee in nyc, go to Joe’s coffee
Opposite track 11 or so, close to the Lexington ave entrance

You will not believe starbucks drink is called coffee, too
Joe’s is located in a small hole
There is most always a long line
And they take cash only

(a bit like the soup nazi)

hide complexity

just returned from NYC. a great place

to the airport,  reserved a carmel limo (less expensive than a taxi, cleaner and better service too).

i always try to take a look at the license of the driver, his name and picture. has he changed since started working? has life in the US as an immigrant been good so far? not always easy to converse with the drivers about these topics. or to converse at all. some seems just days in the USA

there is usually also a rules of service or passenger bill of rights attached to the partition. they are updated occasionally, and it is interesting to see what’s new.

i like the simplicity of the guideliness and how they are clear to understand (but tought to follow) . good product management. give some israeli marketing or product managers a task to write something like that, and i think you will get a lot more words.

simple is beautiful. the idea is to hide complexity. we as israelis have a tendency to expose complexity. does it makes us feel special? is it a reflection of our circumstances?

how would you script passenger rights on a taxi or limo?

here is the TLC’s. check out the one before last.

• Pay for your ride with credit/debit card;
• Go to any destination in NYC, Westchester, Nassau, or Newark Airport;
• Direct the route taken: The most direct route or one of your choice;
• A safe and courteous driver who obeys all traffic laws;
• A knowledgeable driver who speaks English and knows City geography;
• Air conditioning or heat on request;
• A noise free trip: no horn honking or radio;
• Clean air. smoke and scent free air;
• Working seatbelts for all passengers;
• A clean taxicab: interior, exterior and partition;
• A driver who does not use a cell phone while driving (hand-held or hands free);
• Be accompanied by a service animal;
• Decline to tip for poor service.

now, think, how often do you get all of these?

my conclusion is

managing quality of services is tough.

i know it as a VC who continuously does not provide good enough service to my entrepreneurs, to people seeking money, a call, an answer

and i think many of the Professional Services organizations in our portfolio companies know it too.

one fo the advanatages of SaaS is that it forces you to modulate your service. formulize it. control it. measure it.

city island

how would you like to live on an island, but in a city?

well, in the bronx, NYC, there is an island. one bridge connects it to the city. it is called city island

last week we went to see the movie city island. Limor my wife, Carmel our oldest daughter, Ran our friend and myself. not a usual combination

in short, what ‘The Breakfast Club‘ did to high school, ‘The Big Chill‘ to post college life, City Island does to family 20 years into this life long exploration. check out this scene between the kids ‘ you shut up. no, you shut up‘. Ezra Miller is wonderful, and i predict will be a big name.

it is unusual to laugh real hard and cry in the same movie. i did

there are some great themes in this movie:

• fulfilling dreams
• what happens when great secrets come out
• trusting someone who does not expect it
• challenging societies values, and perhaps regretting it

Raymond de Filleta does a wonderful job as writer and director.

this movie is an independent movie and you will not much about it unless you look for it. very little press coverage and reviews to date.

yet another reason to go see the movie

hudson hotel, nyc

last weekend we were in NYC.

around 9 pm, rami my friend called to see if i could stay and spend the night with him at the hudson. (brotherly love – the best!) that meant limor and the kids return on the train alone. thank you, limor, for making that possible! the amount of support i am getting is hard to match.

the hudson is my favorite hotel

here is why you should NOT book it next time in NYC:

• rooms are very small. very. if you seat on the toilet, chances are you knees are touching the wall
• prices can be high, unless michal helps with the bookings
• the design can be dominating and is rather minimalistic
• hallways are dark
• HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning can be loud)

so why is it my favorite?

i spend about 80 days a year away from home. (you can count on that number coming down) several years it was over 100. most of these days i am alone. the schedule is packed. it is sad and lonely to get back to a hotel room at 11 pm and feel no humanity.

most hotels are what i call ‘brown’. you are in room B 72. the wallpaper does not match the carpet and both are ugly. the shampoo makes your hair dry. the heat cracks your hand. you feel like a grey-suited salesman in a large and empty world. hungry? there is a vending machine on the hallway beneath you. processed food. mmm…

at the hudson, you are alive.

great restaurant. nice drinks. a club that i active till 3 am 4 nights a week. people that are nicely dressed. a fantastic lobby. and ….

a library with a pool table. now, how hard is that for hotel-makers to put in?

i love that library. the fireplace. a great place to seat with friends or to have a business meeting. great coffee-table books.

and the design of philippe starck. yes he is way to popular. (limor and i got a chair of his[Pat Conley II] from all our returned wedding presents back in 91- it is a great lesson how one great thing is worth much much more than many mediocre ones). but starck’s design defines beauty. and it makes you realize how surrounding yourself with beauty makes you inspired. and boy, it is easy to compromise on greatness.

so the hudson is not just about beauty and public areas. it is essentially about being alive. you will understand me when you dance in the club at 2 am with people from 45 countries, 17 colors, and multiple age groups. the music can be better, but the dj gets everyone to dance. what can be wrong with that? it is particularly nice at nights when there are bachelorette parties.

so buy now, the hudson is a place of memories. probably been there 50 times. it is nice to go back to a place you know. you are familiar with the stores and businesses in the neighborhood. memories of weekends with limor (tal was made here, at the hudson) , with moshe my great friend from boston, the tough visits when i was CEO of sphera. there are many brushstrokes in my mind made with the hudson brush.

still, it would be nice if the rooms are larger.

what is the best steak you have ever eaten?

this post is not for vegetarians. sorry. reading beyone this point is at your own risk

i am taking the train tomorrow to NYC to meet my older brother, sagy, who has had a huge impact on my life. going to talk about US elections, financial markets, our family tree which he grew several centuries back recently and the pursuit of happiness.

just reserved a table for two at Benjamin Steakhouse

for years i have heard many say it is at Peter Lugar’s in brooklyn. his Chef of 20 years opened Banjamin’s last year in midtown. more convenient. modern life for good or bad made us suckers of convenience.

the asparagus side dish is served without butter, just fresh and a few seconds in hot water. crunchy. you think your teeth into it, together with a nice bite-size of a medium-cooked juicy fillet into your mouth and thank god for this earth and being alive.

what is the best steak you ever had? it will be fun to get recommendations.

Benjamin Steakhouse is located at:

52 East 41st
New York, NY 10017
Phone: 212.297.9177
Fax: 212.297.9146

For more information (dress code, parking, map, etc.) or to make reservations at Benjamin Steakhouse:
http://www.opentable.com/restaurant_profile.asp?ID=10918&restref=10918

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