I never considered a difference of opinion in politics, in religion, in philosophy, as cause for withdrawing from a friend.
President Thomas Jefferson
State of the City Address
I try watching the City Council meetings all the time, even though I seldom go to watch them live, but I wonder if I missed the State of the City Address.
Perhaps it was delivered someplace else. If anyone knows, please let me know.
Committee of the Whole meeting
The Committee of the Whole met last Monday but it wasn’t easy. They started with an “informational meeting” since they had no quorum. Only Marc Laplante, Myra Ortíz, Kendrys Vazquez and Nilka Alvarez-Rodriguez were present. After 7:30, Jeovanny Rodriguez showed up and they had quorum. Modesto Maldonado, Brian De Peña, David Abdoo and Estela Reyes were a no show.
I don’t know the reason for their absence but it was embarrassing and very disrespectful to those citizens who care enough to show up every week.
Police hard at work
A common sight was seeing police officers on paid details during construction projects conversing with other employees or looking down the hole where DPW workers were. If they were there to direct the traffic, they were not paying attention to it.
With all the construction going on in the streets of Lawrence, I noticed a new trend: texting. There were two officers on Beacon St. last week and both of them were absorbed by the piece they held in their hand.
Common sense tells me that they should be paying attention to what they are getting paid for. Lawrence is one of the few cities still using police officers in details at construction sites. Many years ago it was decided that municipalities would be allowed to use flag men to protect the workers as well as the public. Perhaps that issue should be revisited and take that benefit away from them while saving lots of money to the city.
The Fonz’s wisdom
I watched an interview with Henry Winkler a few days ago that taught me a lesson many should hear.
After being told by his teachers and his own parents that he was slow, incapable of doing the work he managed to graduate from high school and later Emerson College in Boston. Winkler became famous in the 70s for playing the role of Fonzie in Happy Days and had to depend on his memory for his lines because he was extremely dyslexic and back then, no one knew what it was or how to treat it. His dyslexia was so bad that he could not operate the motorcycle that was part of his image on the show. He could not coordinate the right and left handles. Fortunately, he drove it for just 15 feet – enough to film the famous scene embedded in our brains.
He was able to read his first book at the age of 31.
When Happy Days was over, Henry Winkler went on to many successful acting jobs, also producing and directing.
He concluded the interview by saying that tenacity and gratitude got him to this point in his life. “Tenacity gets you where you want to be. Gratitude allows you not to be angry or frustrated along the way.”
