Gary's weekly e-mail

Good Morning all...

Yesterday and today, Central Park plays host to the annual JP Morgan Chase Corporate Challenge. The 3.5 mile run through the park is taken seriously by some, enjoyed by most and represents a serious challenge to those of us who are out of shape. For those that do not run regularly, 3.5 miles which seems short in the grand scheme of things all of the sudden seems like a lifetime. I ran the respectable 10-minute mile, but was hamstrung coming out of the gate by the many people walking the race. In addition, of course, grabbing the cup of water and throwing it back down along the sideline, all without breaking stride, never loses its allure. One of the things that come along with marriage is getting to know your spouses friends. This could be a daunting task since you really want to show that you are interested and that you want to get to know all of said people that are a major part of your spouse’s life. My challenge is more difficult, it seems that nearly every single one of my wife's close friends refers to themselves as "ME" under every circumstance. I will pick up the phone to hear on the other end, "Hi! It’s ME." Had they given me a name it would have been hard enough, the ME makes it a step worse. It is amazing how many messages (I stopped counting) we get on the machine from ME. I guess my wife can recognize the voices without a problem--I cannot. Then when I meet these people I real life I am always asking-are you "ME"? I think I do a good job of holding a conversation for enough time to figure out who is actually calling. If I do not hopefully, it will signal to the person that they are not as close as they thought and they should get back to their name until they take the friendship to the next level. We are headed on our honeymoon this afternoon and of course, the most difficult thing is packing for a trip that lasts longer than a week. No matter what we bring, we will end up using only half of it and missing half of what we need. However, you try your best. I am always impressed with people who know what and how to pack. Of course, unlike those people we are lucky enough to bring back some cool things that we bought along the way. Saving the best for last, I would like to wish congratulations to my wife, Lesley, on her completion of three years at Memorial Sloan Kettering, and her embarking on a PhD in Clinical Psychology.

Later all.

GT