songbird's crazy world

Collette  has issued a challenge:  how many books can you read this Fall? Here's what she said: It will run from   September 1st - November 30th .  The Challenge is super simple and there is still time to join in: 1.  Decide how many books you'd like to challenge yourself to read this Fall.  It can be 5, 10, 15, 20, ...etc. 2.  Create a post about the Challenge telling us how many books you are going to read, if you are picking out certain books you'd like to read or if you are going to freestyle it.  Make sure you put a link back to the  Sign-up post so all your friends can join in! 3.  Come back to the  Sign-up post  and leave a comment with a link to your goal post.  I'll then add you to the Participant List. 4.  Visit the other participants' sign up posts 5.  Read, Read, Read!!!! I am definitely up for the challenge! Right now I am in the middle of reading a science fiction ser...

Did you hear about the pizza restaurant in Brooklyn that got shut down for not paying New York State taxes?  Seems the Mayor helped them reopen.  Apparently De Fara Pizza is de Blasio's favorite pizza joint. Yes, the same man who eats pizza with a knife and fork.... So last week Drew and I decided to grab a couple of slices of pizza.  So we headed over to our favorite local spot, in a typical Long Island strip mall, passing at least four other pizza restaurants on the way...we discovered this place two years ago, it had a very old-fashioned "pizza parlor" vibe, with an owner straight out of central casting...who apparently neglected to pay his New York State taxes...yep, the place is closed....and not likely to get help from the Mayor ....sigh... So we wound up getting our slices from another restaurant.    And this restaurant is two doors down from an incredible Italian bakery....silver lining  time....they've got the best cannoli on Long Island.... ...

It was cloudy overhead, but clearing up as I looked west. Interesting cloud formation above. #skywatchfriday

So last Saturday we made our annual visit to the New York Renaissance Faire . It's a long drive from Long Island to to the site of the faire in Tuxedo, NY.  We leave early in the morning, check the GPS to determine whether the best route takes us up the New York Thruway to the Tappan Zee (er, the Mario M. Cuomo) Bridge, or whether we should go through the Bronx to the George Washington Bridge and up Route 17. This time we took the Tappan Zee.  What I like about this route...as you approach the bridge...you can see a castle in Tarrytown ...it's actually a hotel, but it looks so medieval... We start our adventure at the Orange Top Diner (very retro diner, the food is amazing), then proceed to the faire, arriving just before the 10 AM opening. Our plan is to stay until the faire closes at 7 PM. This year I did not wear "garb"  (You must never call it a "costume", you must always call it "garb").  Instead, I went with a unicorn-and-dragon- themed...

It's time for Terri's questions of the week: Everything below this line is from the National Day Calendar Website. RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY – August 28 RAINBOW BRIDGE REMEMBRANCE DAY Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day on August 28th sets aside a day to remember the pet companions we’ve lost. The death of a pet, whether furry, feathered, or an uncommon variety, is felt deeply. They become family and a familiar part of our lives. Mourning their death is different for everyone, and the observance provides a way to help heal the ache of loss. The pain of loss is real. As each person travels through their grief, we remember the companionship and comfort they provided to us. Don’t forget that part of the relationship included care provided by you. The empty space left by the loss of a beloved pet is sometimes a difficult void to overcome. Celebrate the home you provided and the joy your beloved pet brought you in return. When you are ready, you will kn...

So it hit me Monday morning, as I was headed to work... It's time to get my monthly railroad pass and pay my monthly parking bill...Sunday is September 1, Monday is Labor Day. The summer is OVER. It feels like it has hardly begun. Half of the things I wanted to do this summer...never happened. I feel cheated.

It's a "your choice" week...so how about some dance music? Dance to the music: Let's go dancing in the streets with two icons: Its time for the Conga:  Time for some locomotion! Macarena... And let's close it out with a classic:

So...Thursday August 22, the annual pilgrimage to Citi Field. Drew bought the tickets through a charity website -- someone donated the tickets, and Drew was the highest bidder.  He paid less than face value for the tickets.  A lot less. But that was when the Mets were on a terrible losing streak and it looked like their season was over before it had begun. But now the Mets are on an amazing winning streak, reminiscent of 1969, and they are real contenders for the wild card spot in the National League  playoffs. And the team that was in town?  The Cleveland Indians, who have a real shot at the American League playoffs. Sounds like we got a real bargain. So after work I took the subway (the infamous #7) to Flushing and Drew drove in from Long Island.  He got to the ball park first, and sent me a text message:  our seats were Hyundai Club level.   For those with Hyundai Club tickets, enjoy the all-inclusive food and non-alcoholic beverage ex...

The storm hit just a few minutes after I took the photo — thunder, lightning, torrential rain. #skywatchfriday

Kielbasa and pierogi for lunch on Tuesday = ear worm I can't get rid of....

Terri's  questions this week are sky high. NATIONAL RIDE THE WIND DAY  Enjoy the last days of summer and the warm summer breezes on August 23 as you celebrate the annual National Ride the Wind Day. National Ride The Wind Day commemorates the anniversary of the first human-powered flight to win the Kremer prize. It was on August 23rd of 1977 that the Gossamer Condor 2,  flew the first figure-eight course specified by the Royal Aeronautical Society, at Minter Field in Shafter, California.  Slowly cruising at only 11 mph, it traveled a distance of 2,172 meters. The Gossamer Condor 2 was built by Dr. Paul B MacCready and piloted by amateur cyclist and hang-glider pilot Bryan Allen. The Gossamer Condor 2 aircraft is preserved at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. We all know that cooler air is right around the corner so take advantage of these nice days and get outside as much as possible. Test out those human-powered aircraft and ...

Drew has a very old, very interesting t-shirt: I can't believe he still has it.  Mine has long since been relegated to the rag pile. This t-shirt is evidence to the fact that we were once young and crazy. Dick Tracy  was supposed to be one of the big summer blockbusters of 1990.  It starred Warren Beatty as the title character, a detective, a character from a comic strip in the 1930's.  The cast included Madonna, Al Pacino, Dick Van Dyke, Kathy Bates, Estelle Parsons, Dustin Hoffman, James Caan, Paul Sorvino and Mandy Patinkin. The movie premiered on Thursday, June 14, 1990 at Walt Disney World in Florida, followed by general release the following day. Which leads me to the t-shirt. There was a special promotion .  The t-shirt was more than a garment, it was also a movie ticket. You had to buy the shirt in advance, and wear it to the movie theater Thursday evening for a special midnight showing of the movie.  The yellow rectangle at the t...

Today's theme? ‘Musical Acrostics! In honor of the birthday of Charles E. Hires (1851-1937), the first commercial brewer of root beer,  build  a  playlist in which the first letters of the songs spell out ROOT BEER’ So we start with the letter "R".  An easy one.  A song by Fleetwood Mac: Next come two "O's".  double letters make it a bit more difficult.  but I prevailed. Willy Nelson: And then something more romantic, by Jefferey Osborne We haven't done any Styx songs on this blog yet, have we?  I don't know why I allowed that to happen. Let's remedy that right now. Now for the "B".  you knew there'd be some Billy Joel around here sooner or later.  Here's "Big Shot": Another double letter -- this time it's "E". We start with  Tears for Fears: And then there's Poison: And the last letter, same as the first.   So I went back to an old favorite: ...

So the “mad bomber” turned out to be a mentally ill young man from West Virginia... I got an email this morning from my favorite radio station, WCBS-FM.  The station wished me a ‘happy half birthday”.   Yes, today is exactly six months after my birthday, and six months until my next birthday, Wish I’d known that someone over the age of 10 could celebrate a “half birthday”.  Last night, when the waiter at the Melting Pot asked us if we were celebrating something, I said “no”. I’m being facetious, of course. But I did have a good time at the Melting Pot.  Anytime there’s melted cheese involved... Though, come to think of it, today would have been my Aunt Sonia’s birthday.  My father’s older sister, she lived with us until I was 8 years old.    She survived polio, it left her with a pronounced limp and the need to use a cane.   She had a job in the office of a company that distributed seltzer and other related products (I seem to remember something a...