A New Yorker, a Dutch banker and The Beatles

I had a rare great day yesterday. It began with a slow, painful trip to the office on the geriatric express - the M31 bus to midtown Manhattan. That bus ride feels like a nursing home field trip to Macy's. It takes for-ev-er. It must take me an hour to get one mile across the city. I have to do breathing exercises to make it without having a stroke. Anyway, it was one of those rainy, depressing days. I woke with no desire to go to work but forced myself to do it since I had taken the previous day off because I was feeling ill. And then, at 11 am, I was presented with an award by the chairman of the Bank where I work, here from Amsterdam, in front of all my colleagues. It was an odd and totally surprising moment - strange because the chairman, Rijkman Groenink, and I had never met and I had no idea he was in the U.S. And I certainly did not know that I was getting an award on that rainy and depressing day. But it was nice to be recognized by my colleagues and I began to feel better. Then I received my "Secret Santa" gift, which is really what this post is about. My gift was the new CD by The Beatles, "LOVE", which was produced by the original Beatles producer George Martin and his son Giles for a new show by Cirque du Soleil. It is all new work with all familiar music. All smoothly arranged to make you believe that it was newly recorded last month. I am listening to it for the first time this morning and am pretty sure this will be a great day, too. All you need is love, as they say -- and great music. If you don't yet have it, buy it. Today. Slip it into the CD player in your car and smile.