When Head Colds Happen To Good People

By Michael Watt

I hate to admit it, but there is a slight possibility that this past week I have been suffering from a head cold. The Lord of the Phlegm has been working overtime of late in my noggin, and my only regret is not buying stock in a tissue company before this little malady kicked in.

I hate being sick. I know nobody likes being sick, but some people seem to handle it better than others. I have no time nor patience  for the inconvenience. I have taken in so much water in the past five days I am thinking of changing my name to Kon Tiki.  I have consumed so much hot tea I now know the difference between brewing and steeping.  Twice now in the past week ships ran aground in the Great South Bay during the night because they mistook my nose-blowing for a fog horn.

But I am done with it now. Had a great yoga session tonight and all seems well on the sinus front. Besides, as best as I can tell I caught the cold last Tuesday, and no matter what you do when you get a head cold it is going to last seven days…so…

What do you do to deal with a head cold?

What You Want

By Michael Watt

Years ago the singer Joe Jackson had a minor hit with the song “You Can’t Get What You Want (Until You Know What You Want).” I am reminded of  this because it has been in my head for the last 36 hours and for good reason: I am still trying to figure out what I want.

Check that. I know what I want. I am trying to figure out how to get what I want. I am also trying to be sure that what I want warrants my wanting it. In other words, what happens if what I want isn’t what I think it is going to be? Does Joe Jackson have a catchy song in his repertoire called “Be Careful What You Pray For (‘Cause You Might Get It).”

There really is no easy way around it, to borrow a phrase from another song that was a minor hit. Sometimes you just have to dive right now, unafraid of the consequences and trust that God will take care of you. Diving in with reckless abandon was fun in my 20s, exhilarating in my 30s  and an adventure in my 40s. I am in my (early) 50s now, however. The  Next Big Adventure will most likely serve as the lead paragraph of my obituary.

Whatever. It’s time to push all the chips to the center of the table and get on with my life. Get what I want. It’s out there.

Joe Jackson\’s \”You Can\’t Get What You Want (Until You Know What You Want)\”

Take a Photo. Any Photo

Me & the boys, back in the day.

By Michael Watt

I need a new profile pic for my Facebook, LinkedIn and Mr. Long Island blog.

I was going to put it out there that if anyone has a picture with me in it that they would like to share then I would be most appreciative if they did so, but Lord knows what that will turn up. I made the mistake once of lamenting to my friend Darragh of Pennsylvania that I have no photos of me and my friends from either high school or college. He sent the one HE had of me and upon seeing it I became very glad that photography and video recording were not as advanced back in my salad days as they are  now. It’s not the one that Darragh of Pennsylvania sent, but the photo that accompanies this blog best explains why. Let’s just say I didn’t always put my best foot forward back in the day, and the last thing I needed is for someone with a camera or recording device immortalizing my debauchery. Plus the fashions and the hair from the 1970s are still hysterical. I pity the generation that embraces that look going forward. Cripes!

So I will keep an eye out for a good photo opportunity. In the meanwhile, I’m feeling brave so if  you have a photo with me in it – from any era – feel free to send it to mrlongisland@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading this blog.

Why isn’t the dandelion my friend?

By Michael Watt

I like yellow. It’s bright. It’s cherry. It’s the color of the sun, for gosh sakes.

So why this societal animus for the dandelion? Yes, I know they go from a lovely yellow to those gray things that blow the evil weed seed across the land and create more evil weeds. But who was the genius who decided weeds were bad? Think about how much easier our lives would be if someone early on decided that weeds were the optimum when it came to how your yard looked,  - and not square foot after square foot of lush, green grass. I know my weekends would be more fulfilled and rewarding.

Try as I might, however, I don’t see myself convincing the rest of the world that weeds are not evil, so on with the weekend war against the proliferation of dandelions and its distant cousin, crabgrass. I have come to the conclusion that dandelions are God’s way of letting you know that if this is your biggest concern in life then you should consider yourself really, really fortunate. And I do.

That doesn’t mean I can’t lament the fact that I now see dandelions in my sleep, or that I spent five minutes of my life last Saturday showing my neighbor how this tool I bought is specially-designed to help me root out the dandelion weed without harming the grass around it.  I know I aspired to greater things in my life and I refuse to let those aspirations go. But in the meanwhile I also know that a lawn full of dandelions will anger the gods of Local Property Values, so it is onward and forward with the battle.

How big a role does the dandelion battle play in your life?

Thank you for reading this blog.

Great Ideas – Do you have them in you?

By Michael Watt

Ever get such a great idea that your hands start to tremble just thinking about it?

I have, but the fact that I am still working for a living indicates that my great ideas have not quite translated into great wealth, or even great fame. But I am not about to give up. I refuse to believe that what I have – or haven’t – accomplished to date is the body of work that is going to define my life.  There are still great things for me to do, and I will do them.

How about you? Have you had a great idea in the past and/or do you expect to come up with a great idea in the future?

My Two Cents On That Million Dollar Compound

By Michael Watt

By now we’ve all come to terms with the shocking news about the demise of Mr. bin Laden. What has yet to be discussed  - at least as far as I can tell – is  Osama bin Laden’s “million dollar compound.”

I looked at the pictures and all I could think was: That’s what a million dollars gets you in Pakistan? Gee whiz – and we thought the real estate market on Long Island was tough. How much does barbed-wire cost, anyway? I don’t know who should get fired (or shot, given the territory) first: Osama’s real estate agent, architect or cleaning lady.

Also noted was the fact that the compound did not have cable tv or the Internet. What’s up with that? A million bucks and you can’t even stay in touch with your friends on Facebook. That’s not right.

Imagine ObL trying to build that compound on Long Island – now that’s a zoning board hearing I wouldn’t mind sitting through.

“Eh, Mr. bin Laden, you say you need a fence a mile long and eight feet high, but the town ordinance only allows for a three-quarter-mile fence 7.9 feet  high. Can you explain why we should grant you an variance?”

Where’s Dick Amper when you need him?

Media reports also mentioned that the spies were tipped off because the terrorists burned their garbage instead of putting it to the curb. It never occurred to me terrorists would have to deal with such mundane things as taking out the garbage.

I can hear the arguments now. “This place is a pig sty and stinks to high heaven! Whoever had the Gajar Halwa Pizza last night has to burn the boxes before we start the meeting to plan our next Jihad.”

And how would you like to be the sanitation engineer working the route that has Osama bin Laden’s house on it? I’ll bet you those guys don’t leave the emptied garbage cans in front of Osama bin Laden’s garage door like my guys do, no matter how much I tip them at Christmas.  Do they even tip garbage men in Pakistan? I wonder.

It will be interesting to see what happens to the compound. Does it become Pakistan’s answer to Graceland?

All I know is I am glad bin Laden is gone and will be even happier when the United States weans itself off the oil and renders that part of the world irrelevant and meaningless.

Thank you for reading this blog.

What’s God Got To Do With It?

Michael and Denise Rudnick of Thermo King of Long Island achieve a major milestone in their business lives today with the unveiling of their grand facility in East Farmingdale. See

http://www.newsday.com/business/thermo-king-s-cool-move-to-e-farmingdale-1.2845458 for the details.

I was intrigued by Michael’s sharing with the Newsday reporter that he looked to God for guidance. I do that all the time and I wonder how many business people count on a higher power to help them survive in this increasingly challenging economy.

Anyone care to comment?

The Games People Play

By Michael Watt

My cousin Chris has been kicking my butt playing Scrabble online since she first challenged me to a game several months ago. It’s a vicious cycle, really. She challenges. I accept. She strings me along, keeping the game close and, whammo! She finds a “xi” with “x” on a Triple Letter or Triple Word score and the next thing you know I am eating her dust.

I keep accepting her challenges not because I am glutton for punishment but because you can learn a lot when it comes to playing games. How to create and implement strategy, for instance, or even how not to jump at the first word / solution that becomes immediately apparent.   Lots of times I have discovered words with more points than the first word that comes to mind. The lessons learned playing Scrabble can be very helpful as one competes in the business world.

Unfortunately, to many people life is a game – and I am not referring to the Milton Bradley product. The rules to this game are not written anywhere, and they are subject to change without notice. I don’t like that. I don’t like to be manipulated or used. I take people at their word until they give me reason not to, and what you hear from me is what I am thinking (usually). I don’t have a plan, I don’t sit up at night scheming about what I am going to do or say to other people to gain an advantage. Sometimes I wonder if that is the best way to go through life. Perhaps I am being painfully naive, or just plain stupid. I hope not.

Do you like to play games? Am I being naive and/or stupid? Should I keep playing my cousin Chris?

Whatever happened to Mr. Lunch Hour?

By Michael Watt

It occurred to me this morning that I have been a part of the working world long enough to remember when people used to take a lunch break. Hell – I remember when you were allowed to virtually disappear for an hour! Imagine that.

I’m not sure what I would do with myself if I took a whole hour for lunch on Long Island. In Manhattan you can walk around for most of that hour and see something you never saw before and/or always wanted to see. That’s really the only thing I miss about working in the city. One day I actually jumped  on the subway and took in an inning or two of a Yankee game (bleacher seat: $2) and got back to the office, just a little late.

But nobody takes that hour any more. Too many of us eat at our desks if we eat at all. That’s a shame. We all seem to be working harder than ever and, quite frankly, having less and less to show for it. I hope as the economy turns the Societal Pendulum swings the other way and civility makes a comeback.

What’s your favorite memory of a lunch hour well spent?

After The Sugar Rush

By Michael Watt

Another Easter, another morning after Easter where I feel the effects of consuming my weight in jelly beans.

We had a terrific Easter holiday with my family – at least those still on Long Island plus Ann and Mark and Meredith Tehan coming down from Connecticut – all at my house. But I eat WAY too much candy on Easter. Jelly beans. Chocolate bunnies. Peeps. Peppermint patties. Just keep ‘em coming and I’ll keep eating them.

Already did the Spin thing this morning to counter-act the effects. Now the trick is to watch for that mental crash – the depression that sets in as the candy wears off. Yikes. Then you have to wrestle with that age old notion of “throwing away perfectly good food – even leftover candy –  is a sin” versus “do I really need to keep this stuff around the house?”

What do you do with the candy and cakes that are leftover from the holidays?