I once had a client who earlier worked as the CFO for a Wall Street firm buying up veterinary practices and hospitals. He liked the number crunching part of his job but disliked another function he was expected to perform: Chastising vets for not meeting the company’s targets for X-rays,…
When Almost Isn’t Good Enough
“I vant you should bring me HOT tea and I vant you should make it snappy!” The barked command to a geriatric nurse is the last memory I have of my grandfather, Abraham, while visiting him in what was then known as Toronto’s “Old Folks Home” shortly before he died…
The Selfie Culture of Equinox Fitness
As a young adult in my native Toronto, I worked out at a dilapidated gym known as the “Old Jewish Y.” The moniker was due to Toronto’s Jewish community moving miles north and building a suburban state-of-the-art community center. The original facility was left open as a sop to the…
Delta’s Bogus Seat “Confirmations”
If it were not for an understanding supervisor, this post would be a rant about Delta Air Lines and its deceptive reservation policies. Thanks to the supervisor, I understand Delta’s duplicity, and I appreciate its willingness to make things right. Unlike United and some other competitors, Delta isn’t devoid of…
In Praise of Great Dentists and Dentistry
Dentistry and medieval torture chambers were once one and the same. When I was a kid, my dentist didn’t freeze before drilling – he’d just say “open wide for me” and started doing his thing. Patience wasn’t his strong suit – he’d get quite annoyed if you raised your…
J. Alexander’s Does Frank, Dean & Sammy Proud
I’m still smarting from the $24 the bar at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel recently charged me for a Woodford Reserve on the rocks. It is the most expensive cocktail I’ve ever purchased, and the measly pour was less than two ounces. The bar offered no entertainment, save for a clueless…
All the President’s Disloyal Men
Although President Trump denies it, I believe former White House Counsel Don McGahn’s sworn testimony that on multiple occasions the president ordered him to fire special counsel Robert Mueller. Nevertheless, there are some seeming discrepancies in McGahn’s testimony and a January 25, 2018 exclusive story in The New York Times.…