Just Remember . . .

On this anniversary of the 9/11 tragedy I share with you a brief video I took at the 9/11 Memorial in New York last year.  This is the South Pool.

Just Whitney . . .

It is so sad that we have lost another talented singer; especially one that I feel I grew up with in the 80's.

So many great songs it is hard for me to narrow down my favorite:

• Greatest Love Of All
• Where Do Broken Hearts Go
• Run To You
• I Have Nothing
• Queen Of The Night
• My Love Is Your Love
• Fine
• I'm Every Woman
• Love Will Save The Day
• I'm Your Baby Tonight
• So Emotional
• How Will I Know
• One Moment In Time
• My Name Is Not Susan
• Get It Back

In the end I chose Step By Step to share today because when I looked at my iTunes "Whitney Houston" play counts it far out paced any other song.

Step By Step is from The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack.  The song was written by Annie Lennox and if you listen close you can hear Annie performing the background vocals.

Just For Etta . . .

Cyndi Lauper performs At Last.

From the 2003 album At Last.

Alright . . .

In honor of Heavy D who passed away earlier this week; here is Janet Jackson's 1990 video for the song Alright which Heavy D was featured on.

The Song Of The Day - Alright by Janet Jackson f. Heavy D

Empire State Of Mind . . .

Greetings Loyal Readers!   I am blogging to you live from the Starbucks on W. 55th St. and 7th Ave. in New York!

I am on vacation and have a list of things to do and see while "re-charging" in the Big Apple.

First stop after an overnight flight and a brief nap at the hotel; Times Square.   

Where's Just Jon?  I am standing on the middle left edge of this image that was projected on one of the giant screens above the Forever 21 store in Times Square.  My one hand is waving at you all.

As I walked down Broadway I happened upon a long dining table that was set up to serve a feast in honor of Food Day.   Among the honored guests were celebrity chef Mario Batali and Mr. "Super Size Me" himself Morgan Spurlock.  Two celebrity sightings in less than six hours of being in the City; not bad.

For lunch I headed to Midtown Manhattan for some Garden Vegetable Soup from The Original Soup Man.   The Original Soup Man is also known as "The Soup Nazi" from Seinfeld.    True to the urban legend after I placed my order the cashier barked, "Step To The LEFT!"

Then when my order number was called there was no, "Thank you please come again."

Just a stern demand, "RECEIPT!"

Thank you, I think.

After lunch I hopped on the E Train to make my way to the World Trade Center Memorial.  I took over 100 photos on Monday and there are not words to describe the solemnity and beauty that is the 9/11 Memorial.  The City of New York really did a fantastic job designing a tribute to all those who lost their life on Sept. 11, 2001.

Construction of the new One World Trade Center.

My friend Ron Gamboa and his family Daniel and David Brandhorst's names on the South Pool.

A piece of steel from the World Trade Center that will be a part of the museum that is still under construction.

My visitor pass to the memorial with the North Pool in the background.

The North Pool with the Museum still under construction in the background.

The only tree from the original World Trade Center complex that survived the attack.   The tree was removed from the property and nursed back to strength and was returned to the grounds to be part of the memorial.  It is now known as "The Survivor Tree."

Recovered items on display.

A very moving day.

The Song Of The Day - Empire State Of Mind by Jay Z and Alicia Keys

Thank U . . .

In honor of the late Steve Jobs, if you have not seen or heard this speech I highly recommend you take a few minutes to watch it.

The Song Of The Day - Thank U by Alanis Morissette

I Can't See New York . . .

On this the 10 year anniversary of September 11, I am still deeply moved by all the televised memorials of the events of that tragic day.

While time has allowed Americans to move forward, this week when I stopped in front of AT&T Park where a make shift memorial listing all the people who had lost their life on that day I found myself instantly welling up with tears.

I found Ron Gamboa's name,  who I knew from work, along with his partner Dan and their son David on the front banner that had all the people who were on United Airlines Flight 175 which was the second plane to strike the World Trade Center.  

I was taken instantly back to that morning.  I was up getting ready to for work when the radio station I was listening to said that there was a plane crash in New York.  I turned on the TV and watched the events of that morning unfold live on the air.

I watched the plane Ron was on hit the Tower.

I watched the two Towers collapse.

And then I had to drive to work.  

By the time I got to work the Company had made the decision to stay closed that day.

It wasn't until several days later that I learned that Ron and his family had been on Flight 175.

As the Nation mourned it was actually Ron, Dan and David's memorial service that brought a piece of light back into those dark days.   The church was filled with so much love it was definitely a catalyst in helping me to move forward in those first weeks of uncertainty.

I found this lovely tribute to Ron, Dan and David that was written a few years back.

Today, take a moment to remember all those who lost their life on 9/11.

The Song Of The Day - I Can't See New York by Tori Amos (This song is from the album Scarlet's Walk which was a sonic novel about Tori's alter ego Scarlet and her tour of America post 9/11)

You'll Be Right Here With Me . . .

Last Monday my Grandmother passed away.

I thought it would be nice to share some memories of my Grandmother with you the Loyal Readers.

Just Jon would also like to thank guest editor Big B (a.k.a. his brother Brian) for helping to compile this list of memories about Grandma.

For the first ten years of my life, my brother and I were the youngest of the grand kids. This guaranteed several things:

1. We always sat at a separate "Kids Table" in the kitchen for all holiday and family get togethers.

2. For Christmas, Grandma would make us either a set of pajamas or a bath robe. She would also put a Hot Wheels car in the box.

3. At Christmas and Easter, the end of evening always came with a "cup" or "plastic egg" full of little chocolates.

My Grandmother was smart. She had a subscription to National Geographic, she traveled the world, and she loved to do cross word puzzles.

Maybe that is why when my brother and I were the youngest, outings with Grandma usually involved something educational.

Big B said that one of his "Top Five" trips with Grandma was the tour of the Queen Mary. I remember that trip as well, and I think I still have my souvenir post card set.

I countered the Queen Mary trip with my memory of going to see a traveling exhibit of Jim Henson's Muppets. Big B got a little plastic Fozzie Bear and I got a little plastic Animal as a souvenir on that trip. For some reason I think that trip also included an art exhibit of "giant angels." I could be wrong.

Big B's next favorite trip was to the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz, CA. That camping trip was also memorable because we both took separate trips to the emergency room. I think he had strep throat and I needed stitches after an ill fated dive into the campground pool.

My next choice was the La Brea Tar Pits.

Big B came back with Fairfax. This was long before The Grove shopping center existed. We went to go to Farmer's Market for lunch and window shopping. Big B said that this is where he bought his "SC" mug that he still uses.

Going with the farm theme, I brought up the time we went to the Ventura County Fair. I remembered two things about this trip. First, we got caught in some running of the pigs which I remember being very scary. Second, we got to go on one "ride" and my brother and I chose the Fun House. The only problem was, we never figured how to get into the fun house and eventually gave up after trying to climb up the exit slide.

Finally, Big B brought up the trip to the "Blue Whale" shopping center. Now I have to quote my brother on this one. He said, "it was in the middle of nowhere." I will say, as a child, I too thought we had gone to the end of the earth to see that mall. Reality is, the "Blue Whale" is more commonly known as the Pacific Design Center on Melrose Ave. between La Cienega Boulevard and Doheny Drive. So I guess we were still in the center of it all.

Above is the most recent picture of Grandma with my mother and I. Whenever I came down to Southern California I always made a point to stop in and visit with Grandma.

In addition to the memories that my brother and I just shared, my favorite memory is one that just involved Grandma and I.

Grandma loved sushi. About ten years ago Grandma and I went on a date. I picked her up in my little black BMW and we headed over the Conejo Grade to Agoura where we went to a little Sushi Restaurant. I remember she seemed so happy.

In more recent years, when she was less mobile, sometimes I would go to the grocery store and pick us up some pre-made sushi. It was no where near as good as what you would get in a restaurant, but we would sit at the kitchen table and enjoy our "California" and "Unagi" rolls.

I think that is what I will miss the most, my sushi dates with Grandma.

So Grandma, I will think of you when I eat sushi, and I will think of Grandpa when I have a warm beer.

Ahh, who am I kidding, I am not going to drink a warm beer. Sorry Grandpa, I still don't understand why you liked that.

The Song Of The Day - Right Here (Departed) by Brandy

Give A Little Bit Of My Love To You . . .

On Sept 27, 2009 the retail world lost one of the greats when Don Fisher, co-founder of The Gap, passed away at the age of 81.

I started working at The Gap when I was nineteen years old. Immediately I felt a sense of belonging. A sense that can only be equated with being part of a family. "Family" is often the term I have used to describe my co-workers. They are all part of the Gap Family.

That sense of family I truly believe cascaded down from the top. And the top was synonymous with two names; Don and Doris Fisher.

As a sales associate in the field; the Fisher's garnered the same respect and awe as Hollywood celebrities. The Fisher's were and are Gap royalty. And as a Gap employee I felt I was part of their family.

I have had the honor and privilege to be in the presence of Mr. Fisher on several occasions.

The first time I saw Mr. Fisher in person was when I had just transitioned from the field to the corporate office. I was eating lunch in the cafeteria when I realized that Mr. Fisher was sitting at the table behind me. I was giddy with excitement to be that close to the founder of the company that I so much loved to work for.

What impressed me most was that Mr. Fisher ate at a table right there in the cafeteria with all the rest of the employees. He didn't separate himself. He sat with his people. On numerous occasions I saw Mr. Fisher like this in the cafeteria.

In typical Just Jon fashion, my one personal interaction with Mr. Fisher was kind of embarrassing.

I was heading toward the exit of the office building when I saw Mr. Fisher was walking toward the door to come in. I slowed down so that I could hold the door open for him.

Normally, when you hold the door open for someone they say "thank you" for doing so.

I was so excited to be in his presence that as I held the door open, I said "thank you" to him.

Mr. Fisher looked a little confused by my statement, but nodded his head and continued on his way.

What I was trying to convey was that I was so thankful for having the opportunity to be a part of his organization. I was thankful to be a part of this family that he had created. I knew that working for The Gap had helped to define me and mold me into the person I am today. I was thankful and I wanted him to know that.

This past year I was able to see Mr. and Mrs. Fisher speak to the headquarters employees. Like celebrities, they received a standing ovation as they entered the room. As they told their stories I was moved. They have touched so many lives around the world and made them better. Why? Because the Fisher's promote giving back to the community. They lead by example.

My thoughts are not only with the Fisher Family, but the entire Gap Family during this time of loss. And once again Mr. Fisher, thank you for giving me the opportunity to be a part of the family.

The Song Of The Day - Give A Little Bit by Supertramp

Above photo from Individuals - Portraits From The Gap Collection, Melcher Media