Manhattan College "Veggie Car"

Check out this blog.....


http://theveggiecar.blogspot.com/

Eric is my godson, in his final year of grad school at Manhattan College in environmental engineering. I was hoping to take this trip with him, but could not work it into the schedule.

Old records...

I got a message today from a consultant now (still) working on one of our old UTC sites!! They were looking for any records we may have had from a tank cleaning in 1986....don't think these are laying around any more!! It never ends.

Concert

For those of you interested in big band music, check out the upcoming Reflections concert in Suffern, NY - Thursday 8/30/07 at 7PM at the Town Gazebo, rain or shine!!

So I hear there's some new interest in the blog....we'll see.

All is well here in northern NJ - still working a bit more than I'd like, but the music business doesn't pay the rent. (I was playing at a gig last week with a quartet - one of the guys said we should really try and get more jobs - I told him we couldn't afford it!! That's pretty sad, but true!!)

Life Support??

OK - I'm convinced!! Since it really doesn't break the bank to keep this going, we'll keep the plug in the socket for a while longer!!

Slow Death?

Well, it looks like this site may have run its course!! I'll give it a few more weeks, then it may be time to pack up and try again in a few years....

To all, please try to find some way to stay in touch. We have a wonderful network of professionals, and it would be a shame to lose it.

Best Regards,

Mike

PS. For those of you in the NJ area, I now have a regular gig at "Lana's Fine Dining" in Clark, NJ. Schedule is a bit crazy - we play three Fridays on, three off. If you check the website at: www.lanasfinedining.com they should start posting the schedule, or just e-mail me. Also, I'm still doing a series of concerts with "Reflections" Jazz/Swing orchestra. Two coming up in August!!

Yikes!!

Thanks for the post, Jim. It was good to see you as well, and the espresso was much needed since I had to drive back thru NYC to get to New Jersey!!

Yes, i just "assumed" Fred was current on the firm's folklore relating to the basketball - it never occured to me that he was not aware of that "tradition." (See previous post!!) Those were certainly different days....live and learn!!

Worlds Collide!!

I was playing with a quartet last night at a relatively new restaurant in Clark, NJ - and was very happy to see Ruth and Carlos Pinto who just happened to "drop in." We were sitting there talking about the very large property this place was on (there was a nine hole golf course here as well)....Ruth asked me, "Don't you remember this site?? We worked on it back in the Hart days." Turns out we were at the old General Motors Clark Assembly Plant, that was closed years ago and capped with soil to create a golf course...we did some of the preliminary work on the site for GM, and it became one of the models for the NJ Brownfields Program. There's no escape from this "business." (We did stick to the bottled water, however.)

"The Right Stuff"

Most of you know of my love and fascination for "all things flying" - so, you can image how I felt attending my godson's graduation ceremony at Shepperd AFB in Texas over the weekend. Matt finished his primary training and now moves on to fly F-16s at Luke AFB in Arizona...there was a red-carpet day on Friday for family, and we were able to tour the base and see some of the equipment up close - I got to sit in an F-15, a B-1 bomber, and spent some time in the T-38 simulator (and didn't crash it!!).

The graduation ceremony was very well done - the military sure knows how to run these. There is an old tradition in the Air Force - a pilot never wears his first set of wings. In a private ceremony (pilots only) he breaks them in half, keeping one half and giving the other to a best friend or relative for good luck and safe-keeping. The halves are never to be brought together as long as the pilot is alive - after that, they are reunited for good luck in the next life. I'm sitting here looking at half of Matt's wings - he presented them to me at the end of the night - I nearly keeled over.

Please remember all our brave men and women in the military as you read this, and give them our full support!!

Ghostbusting..

I spent a couple of days touring NY and NJ with Fred Hart last week, and while waiting in the lobby at one of our last stops, one of our alums, Aaron Levy, happened to walk by. Deep in thought, he did not notice us, but when I called him over and he realized who we were, he clearly looked like he had just seen a couple of ghosts!!

It would have made a great hidden camera moment!!

Blizzard!!

Well, we're pretty well snowed in here in northern NJ..what better time to post to the blog?? We still continue to expand the list of members.

As many of you know, I've been working with Fred Hart and Steve Myers in a venture that combines technical consulting with a brokerage for environmental insurance products. We're making some client visits tomorrow in Wilmington, DE....if my driveway gets plowed in time!!

We are also in the early planning stages for a seminar here in NJ, likely in early April....remember the "Consultants' Roundtable" I used to sponsor at Marsh?? It's bacccck!! Keep an eye on your e-mail for an invite!!

Take it easy with the shovels this afternoon...

Music lovers???

If you're in the northern NJ area, "Reflections" Jazz/Swing Band will be performing at the Rockland Community College on February 25, 2006 at 8PM. Tickets at the door....and make sure you check out the bassist!!

In the News...

Did everyone see the front-page WSJ article on 12/23?? Send me a note if you need the link.

Happy New Year from Hilton Head!!

This weather sure beats NJ in January!! (This is "Jessie" - enjoying a quiet walk on the beach!!)

I wish you all the best in 2006!!

Holiday Greetings

A little late, but best wishes to all for the holidays, and for a great 2006. We're heading south for a bit, but I'll still be online if you need to get in touch!!

Keep blogging!!

Mike

Postings

Just when I thought this may be running out of steam, we get two new posts. (Actually, Trapp's post is worth triple points!!). Good to hear from you and glad everyone is well. I have sent John Iannone an invite, but perhaps I'll send a reminder. Nice to see my "prodding" still has some effect!! Keep checking the blog. Never can tell who might show up!!

It's spreading!

No, not the bird flu. Take a look at the list of our members!! Lots of additions from the ole' Pittsburgh team this week. Now, just get posting - that's the only way that this will survive!!

For those of you in the northern NJ area - I'll be playing with a jazz quartet (sax, piano, drums, and bass) at a small resturant (The Clubhouse) right at the Lincoln Park Airport this Friday night!! Not a very fancy place - new owner is trying to get a jazz following established, and it's BYO (for now).

Mini-reunion!!

We were well represented at the Langan Open House In PA this afternoon....good to see you all and share some good memories!!

You can run...

...but you can't hide.

As I was checking into my "usual" hotel in Wilmington, DE last night, I turned around to see Steven Albert sitting in the lobby. It sure was nice to have a sit-down dinner with an old friend, when all you were expecting was a cold pizza!!

Hope you all have old friends and family sitting with you at dinner this holiday weekend!!

Best,

Mike

Posting...

Having a difficult time figuring out how to post?? Try clicking the "Blog This!" text at the top of this page, or just click the "+" icon if you're entering through the "Dashboard" page.

(Or, just drop me an e-mail, and we'll get you sorted out....)

A Wonderful Mentor

Going WAY back to the 1980s - when I had first joined the firm in 1983, our VP in Washington, Steffen Plehn was the world-class expert in all things Superfund, having served at a high level in USEPA, and having significant input to the language and philosophy behind the original CERCLA legislation. He could command a room like no one else, and his "inside" knowledge of EPA and this "new" Superfund program made him in demand as a speaker and advisor to industry. I was fortunate to have him take me under his wing - much of what I learned about advising PRP groups came from him. I reached out to him in 2001, and we had a great talk about how he had shaped my practice, and the direction we took at Hart for many years.

I found out from Fred Hart a few weeks ago that Steff had passed on in 2002, and it was like a punch in the chest. For those of you out there that had the opportunity to know him and work with him, you know exactly what I mean!!

Amazing...

...I think that's the first correspondence from Bob Bates I've ever seen that didn't refer to either catfish or WIP. When we finally get around to the online archive, there is a wonderful book (c. 1990) written by Bob and Richard under the title "Preliminary Report on Status of Independent Jacksonville Staff Investigations of Validity of WIP( Unbilled Labor and Expenses) Numbers as Developed by Corporate Accounting and For Which Regional Management is Held Accountable."

There are all sorts of references to "gnomes" in accounting, and the "Brothers Grimm" and a plea for relief to the poor soul who was Chief Operating Officer at the time..."Mikey, Mikey, Mikey."

Stay tuned.

Virtual Archive

Jim made a great suggestion about finding a way to share all our "memorabilia." I have a TON of this stuff, and I know many of you have kept files of "classic memos." Send me scans, pix, whatever....we'll find a way online to share these. I also know there's some building artifacts around that have survived the now-defunct Buck Hill Inn.

This could turn into a full time job.

Texas to NJ

Thanks, Mike for including one of the "outlyers" in the group since I spent my years with McL/H in Houston, TX. However, ironically I am now in NJ - still with the company maybe many of you would rather forget - Novartis (by the way, we pulled the name Sandoz back out of the closet and use it now for our Generics company - which is the second largest in the world).

After 7 years in the Novartis US holding company, I moved to the Gerber Business unit (yes, the baby food people) last July. I started with responsibility for Global HSE, Crisis management & Business Continuity and have since added Corporate Citizenship and Compliance/Ethics.

I still use my McL/H coffee cup that was done for the remediation group that changes color with the change in temperature. (Mike - maybe you could start a virtual musuem and we could send digital pics of the remaining McL/H items).

You can reach me at work at jim-1.thomas@gerber.com.

Sittin' on the Dock of....

...the Delaware. Hard to believe it, but I've been working on the DS&G site for nearly 20 years. I'm down here today and tomorrow, addressing comments from EPA and trying to figure out the "path forward." Some things never change. However, it's nice being the client, and having an office that sits on the side of the Delaware River.

I'm glad to see we are getting some traction with the blog. I've sent out a bunch of invitations, and we're getting a core group of members. Now, just sit down and post!!

Need an Invite??

Just to keep this under control, for now, participation is by "invitation only." If you have some additions to the mailing list, just send me the e-mail addresses, and I'll get them invited!!

Best,

Mike

What's New??

Since I left M-H in 2000, I spent a few years with the environmental practice at Marsh USA. In 2004, I decided I'd had enough, and I'm now working on my own, part-time from the house. It could not be better for me. Joanne retired from the bank last year, and we're still in northern NJ with our German shepherd, Jessie. We lost Felda in 2003 after a brief, debilitating illness...

I still have the Superfund sites in Delaware, and I'm now the Chairman of the Steering Committees for Delaware Sand & Gravel, Army Creek Landfill, and Tybouts Corner Landfill (#1 on the original NPL). I'm also working on a new venture with Fred Hart, Ray Kane and Steve Myers which integrates env consulting with insurance. It's been fun "getting the band back together." I have a few other projects with consulting firms, mostly supporting the bidding of fixed-price remediation projects. I also (against my better judgment) took on a project as an expert witness in a NJ Superfund case. I had promised myself NEVER to do that again!!!

In 2003, I restarted my old music career, and I'm now playing bass in three different jazz combos, and just started with a 17-piece jazz/swing orchestra based in Rockland County. I'm in the midst of switching from electric bass to upright, and my new addition is an 80 year old German flatback bass that used to belong to a professional bassist in New Jersey named Don Cinderella (honest!!). It's a wonderful hobby, and brings in just about enough money to pay for the gasoline driving to the gigs.

What are you waiting for??

Please fill out the Profile...so we can use this to keep in touch. Also, I'll start a new post of "What's New??" so we can get a baseline of where we all are practicing/living/whatever....