The future is?

I have a lot of fear here, especially in light of recent political developments. I hesitate to be honest. The present feels like what, pre-Trump and Musk, would have felt like a nightmarish, impossible future. But I like to think of the future as my grandchildren with their grandchildren looking at the sea while standing in the cove in Ireland.

‍

What is the last thing you do before you go to sleep?...

It depends on where I am.  If at home, kiss my wife and then let the cat snuggle in. If on my own, I take a few minutes as I drift off to sleep realizing how much I love lying down and pulling up the covers after an intense day.

‍

What is a daily ritual of yours?...

I revert to Dorothy Parker. She was staying in an English country house when a lot of upper class Brits were announcing what their ideal daily ritual was on their schedules.  They pronounced it as "shed-you-all," which annoyed her, since, as an American, she said "Sked-you-ull."

The Duke of X said "The first thing on my shed-you-all is to eat toast and marmalade and drink tea."

The Duchess of Y said, "My shed-you-all ideally begins with a game of croakie."

Lord B: "My routine shed-you-all should begin with the daily ritual of riding to the hounds."

Lady W: "My shed-you-all always includes the ritual of having my maid put my hair up."

Dorothy Parker could not take it any longer. "And my preferred ritual is to take a big skit."

Who do you admire most in history?… 

Cleopatra for having "the face that launched a thousand ships" and John Kennedy. I am simply of that generation.  

‍

What’s the most impressive landscape you’ve ever seen?...

It is called "the Dollhouse" in Cataract Canyon , which is part of the Colorado River near Moab, Utah. Rock formations that imitate skyscrapers on Central Park West.

‍

Describe your earliest memory?…

I was 4 years old. A ski instructor took me to the top of the hill at Lake Placid. He put my skis between him, put his hands on my shoulders, told me to look ahead and smile, and then skied us down at what in my memory was breakneck speed. Years later, this memory loomed large when I was in psychoanalysis, telling the doctor I just wanted him to take charge and guide me to do everything perfectly.

‍