songbird's crazy world

 My latest acquisition

     No wonder Miss Duchess Cat, age 8, is so grumpy lately.

 Of course I watched the show.  I saw only a few of the nominated films, but I enjoyed the music, the comedy, etc.  some of the acceptance speeches are impressive. Two incidents stand out. The first was the Chris Rock/Will Smith/Jada Pinkett Smith situation.  Rock came on stage to present an award, but before he did so, he made a joke about Jada.  The joke was in poor taste.  Will laughed, until he saw Jada’s reaction to the joke.  Then he lost his temper, ran up onto the stage, and slapped Rock.Will returned to his seat and shouted expletives at Rock.   Anyone who thinks the situation was faked should review the video of the room during the commercial break.  Will Smith was still very emotional, and had to be soothed by Denzel Washington, Tyler Perry and others.  Later, after he won the Oscar for Best Actor, he gave a very emotional acceptance speech, in which he talked about protecting family.  He apologized to the Academy and his fellow nominees, but did not apologize to Rock. But w

 Did you see this on  Twitter ?  Jon Bon Jovi did a shout-out after he saw a video of  t he people of Odesa preparing to defend the city while listening to Bon Jovi . So today we will play the music of Bon Jovi. Let's start with "Livin' on a Prayer"    "You Give Love A Bad Name"    "Wanted Dead or Alive"    "Never Say Goodbye"    And the song that inspired the Ukrainian freedom fighters.   

 So it turns out the victim was 6’5”, weighed 340 pounds, and had been turned away from other rides because he was too big to fit into the safety harnesses. It seems he felt fearful when the ride started to move, telling his friend who was also riding that he thought he was going to be killed on the ride. On Friday, the day after the accident, inspectors were seen sitting in the seats of the ride and taking measurements. And that video … that damning video … The video focuses on the friends of the person who is filming, but in the background you can see the victim.  Experts will be able to tell if the harness was on properly. Before the ride starts a young lady asks why she has a shoulder harness but no seatbelt … it seems similar rides use both … And after the ride you can see the distress of the crew members as one keeps asking the other two “Did you check him?” The family has already hired a lawyer … 

 I’m normally not a big fan of college basketball.  I like the game, I guess, but I never really developed an interest in it. But this year I’ve been sucked into March Madness. And it’s all because of a Cinderella team.  The St. Peter’s Peacocks. St. Peter’s is a small college in Jersey City, New Jersey.  It’s a very small school, only about 2,000 undergrads, with a very small sports budget.   Not the kind of team, or school, that ordinarily gains national attention.  Lucky to be a 15th seed in the NCAA tournament. But somehow they keep winning, beating teams that are theoretically better, advancing first to the Sweet 16, and with tonight’s win over Purdue, to the Elite 8.   I hope they keep busting everyone’s brackets.

 So if you know me, you know that I am a huge fan of Orlando theme parks.  I’ve vacationed at Walt Disney World and Universal Studios many times. So when I saw a headline about an accident at an Orlando theme park I had to read it. Turns out, the accident happened at a small amusement park on International Drive.  A horrible, horrible accident.  Every parent’s nightmare.  A fourteen-year-old boy fell off a free fall ride.  He later died at a hospital.  His parents were there when it happened.   Can you imagine?  You take your child to an amusement park, you assume everything will be ok … And then … Someone was recording video of the ride when the accident happened.  They captured the whole accident on video.  And posted the video on Twitter. [Puts on her attorney hat] That video is invaluable to the parents’ wrongful death suit. Its existence will be highlighted in every report written by the attorneys for the amusement park.  The parents’ attorney will refer to that video in every set

We went to the theater Wednesday. Yes, that’s Matthew Broderick and Sara Jessica Parker.   Plaza Suite .  It’s a limited run.  The play consists of three different vignettes, each an encounter by a couples in suite 719 at the Plaza Hotel.  Act 3, where the bride locks herself in the bathroom, is the best story.  Very funny play.  Very funny actors.   (Tickets were purchased in 2020.  The show was supposed to open in the spring of 2020, but got shut down along with the rest of Broadway.) Afterwards we had dinner at Margaritaville in Times Square.  We’ve been there  before .  Of course I had a cheeseburger.  And we still love the margarita glass that Lady Liberty holds.    It’s always fun to enjoy a tiki bar in the middle of Manhattan. The city is starting to feel more normal.  The mask mandate has been lifted, for the most part, except on public transportation.  But Broadway still expects audience members to not only wear a mask, but also to show proof that they’ve been vaccinated.  And

 I admit it.  I did it.  I killed him.  He didn’t leave me much choice.  He invaded my home, my sanctuary.  I had to do it. So I turned on the water and used my Swiffer  to push that ugly old spider down the shower drain. I just hope his friends don’t come looking for him …

 And the theme today is the music of the 50’s, 60’s or 70’s. How about something from the  70’s …glitter rock.  Or rather, artists who incorporated glitter/glam into their persona. Bowie    Sweet    Slade Queen    Rod Stewart And Elton John.   

So did you hear?  The Senate has voted to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.  If the House agrees, we won’t have to change our clocks twice a year. Good idea or bad? I’m not sure. I mean, changing the clocks is a pain, and the time changes wreak havoc on our inner clocks for a week or two.  Accidents, heart attacks, all sorts of scary things happen right after we change the clocks. But we tried year-round Daylight Saving Time back in the 70’s, during the energy crisis.  I remember arriving at school in the dark.  It was eerie.  People hated it. Maybe it would be better to return to standard time year-round? I’m not sure. Here’s an interesting  article  on the subject.

 

 So every year on the 17th of March we celebrate Ireland’s patron saint.  I’m sure you’re familiar with Patrick.  The son of Roman gentry living in 5th Century Britain, he was kidnapped and enslaved by Irish raiders.  Later he became a Christian missionary to Ireland.  He is credited with teaching the Irish about the Trinity by using a shamrock.  He is also credited with chasing all the snakes out of Ireland. The day is celebrated with feasting and drinking, with parades, with merriment.  It’s said that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s a song by the Irish Rovers in celebration of the day. But we are also celebrating another holiday today.  Today is the Jewish holiday of Purim. Jewish holidays are determined by the lunar calendar.  The last time Purim and St. Patrick’s Day coincided was 1984, I think. Definition of a Jewish holiday:  they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat. In this case, the “they” was Haman, the villain in the Biblical story of Queen Esther.  When Esthe

 The things you can find on Ancestry.com.  It’s a treasure trove. All four of my grandparents were immigrants to this country.  Three of my grandparents died before I was born, but my maternal grandmother Dora… well, I grew up listening to her stories.  Stories about growing up in Eastern Europe, stories about immigrating to America, stories about her life in this country.   I learned that she grew up in a region called Galicia, which was then part of Austria-Hungary and is now part of Poland.  She told me that her family spoke Yiddish at home, Polish to their non Jewish neighbors, and German in school.   She told me that her father immigrated to the US and settled in NYC before World War I.  When the war came and there was no money coming from America, she as the oldest child had to quit school and find a job to support the family.  She was 12 years old.  She didn’t talk about the war, except for an occasional reference to the Russian soldiers who had taken over her town.   After the

 

 Who can pull off seven arena concerts in the NYC area in two weeks?  Two concerts at Madison Square Garden, two at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, one at the Prudential Center in Newark, and two at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island?  Who can fill seven arenas?  Who could possibly manage it? Yes, Sir Elton John played seven sold-out shows in the NYC area from February 22 through March 6. And we saw the March 5 show at the Coliseum. Sir Elton told us that his first concert in the NYC metropolitan area was at the Coliseum in 1972, the year it opened.  So it’s only fitting that his final NYC area shows were also at the Coliseum. And OMG, Drew bought FLOOR SEATS!  Seven rows from the stage. There was lots of glitter, of course.  Sequins and rhinestones and feather boas — and that was just the audience. The view from our seats. This last one is from the projection screen …    He opened with “Benny and the Jets”.  His last two songs were “Your Song” and the obvious “Goodbye Yellow Brick Ro

 And every clock I own is now set at the correct time.  I feel so accomplished.

 The players and owners have come to an agreement.  The season is saved. Let’s Go Mets!

 So the recipes that are popping up in my news feed … traditional Ukrainian foods.  Eating these foods is supposed to show solidarity with the people of Ukraine. Foods like stuffed cabbage, pierogi and vareniki (just like kreplach) babka, nalysnky (blintzes) kasha with mushrooms and onions, deruny (latkes/potato pancakes) … My grandmother would have recognized those foods.   I am enjoying reading the recipes.  And I’m enjoying cooking a few of them.

 

 And our host has asked for Glenn Miller songs. I’m doing something slightly different.  Glenn Miller songs by other artists. The Andrews Sisters covered “In the Mood” Barry Manilow covered “Chattanooga Choo Choo” Brian Seltzer’s take on a Miller classic  Old Blue Eyes himself…    And because we like to end with big dance numbers, here are Lynda Carter and Ben Vereen

  #skywatchfriday

 Every time I get into my car I think “I should really change the clock.” Back in November, when Daylight Saving Time came to an end, I neglected to put the car clock back an hour.   When I got into my car yesterday I thought “I should really …oh, wait…” Daylight Saving Time begins March 13.  Ten days. In ten days my car clock will be correct again. At least until November.

 Seen on my lawn … my favorite bird … can spring be far behind?