songbird's crazy world

It's definitely one of my favorite months. So this year I thought I'd do NaBloPoMo for October. The Blogher event. All you have to do is write a blog post every day for the entire month. Very simple, right? Wrong. When I'm blogging for myself I can be quite productive. But when I commit to NaBloPoMo, I sometimes struggle to find sufficient topics to meet the goal. Hopefully this time around I won't hit writer's block. The theme this month is "crunch". The crunch of autumn leaves. The crunch of a fresh, delicious apple. And as the temperature drops, even the air feels crunchy. I love the cool, crisp days. Days that require a sweater or light jacket. Nights when the air is so crisp that the stars look like diamonds. The flaming colors swirling among the trees. The aroma of logs burning in a fireplace. Pumpkins on the porch. Apple cider and pumpkin muffins. This year the month begins with the solemnity of the High a Holy Days, and en...

Located in the Fairway shopping center, this is a pleasant little restaurant, with a large "to go" counter as well as seating in a modern, comfortable room adorned with comic book art. It was fairly busy on Saturday night, but we had no trouble getting a table. The menu focuses on burgers and fries, but other items, such as steaks and salads, are available as well. "Dirty" means they dust the food with their special seasoning blend. It's spicy, but not "hot", if you know what I mean -- there is obviously some pepper in the mix, garlic, interesting flavors. And most items can be ordered "clean", meaning without the seasonings. We started with pigs in blankets, ordered clean. The hot dogs were served in puff pastry and accompanied by Dijon mustard. We also ordered the wings, served "dirty" with BBQ sauce. The wings were accompanied by a blue cheese dressing and carrots and celery. Nice bite to the wings, pleasantly c...

So Derek Jeter's 20 year career has come to an end. 20 years playing shortstop for the Yankees. 20 years of impressive baseball that will ensure his entry into the Hall of Fame. But more important, 20 years of exemplary character. Of leadership. In an age where so many professional athletes are involved in questionable, or scandalous, behavior, Jeter is a true role model. Thursday night was the big night. Yankee Stadium, his last home game, a crowd that has loved him since he first donned pinstripes. And a bottom of the 9th clutch hit that won the game. But I like today's game even better. Last game of the season, up at Fenway, enemy territory. Jeter's last at bat, he hits an RBI single, and is taken out of the game for a pinch runner. And the Boston fan chant his name. You know you've done well when your arch rivals show you that kind of respect. I can't wait to see what he does next. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A good friend of ours is known to explore new dining options, and she frequently makes recommendations. Her most recent recommendation: Mara's Too in Wantagh.  And I'm glad we listened. It's a small, storefront place with an adjacent small parking lot. At 8 PM we had no trouble parking, but at lunchtime on Merrick Road ... Parking could be problematic. Inside there are a handful of tables -- I wouldn't come here with a large group -- and a large bar area. We're not whiskey drinkers, so we skipped over the pages and pages of the menu devoted to that beverage and headed straight for the food -- an interesting mix of Texas/Arkansas barbecue and Louisiana/Cajun cooking. This time around we stuck with the basics, that is, ribs. I ordered a half rack of St. Louis ribs, Drew ordered a 3/4 rack of baby backs. Both were dry rubbed and cooked to falling-off-the-bone tenderness. Two barbecue sauces were brought to the table - tangy Texas and spicy Arkansas. The...

Yes, Dad, I know you feel lost and confused. But you're in your own bed, in the house you bought 46 years ago. I don't know what to say when you ask me to take you home. You ARE home, surrounded by your family. At least you still recognize my face and know my name. It pains me to hear you call out for your sister Eva, she's been gone since I was 12. You look so small and fragile in that wheelchair. You've lost a lot of weight. I remember when you had a hearty appetite, when you had to worry about putting on a few extra pounds. Do you remember taking that Chinese cooking class? And the trips to Flushing for authentic ingredients? Or how you made supermarket shopping a game, collecting coupons and scanning the circulars to see how much you could save on each grocery item? When I do the shopping now, feeding the masses, I think about you. I'm hoping you'll be well enough for that trip to the theater Friday. You haven't been in five months. It'...

Seems like Drew and his roommate are at odds again. Drew thought the problem was resolved a few months ago, when Marc agreed to a payment plan to pay off his debt to Drew. I thought otherwise. Sure enough, when Drew reminded Marc two weeks ago that money was due, Marc had a hissy fit, stormed upstairs and acted like he's the victim here. We are back to the hermit crab hiding in his room. He waits for Drew to leave the house before coming downstairs to use the kitchen. Does his laundry at the laundromat instead of using the washing machine in the house. Hasn't done any of the chores he's supposed to do around the house, leaves everything for Drew. the lawn hasn't been mowed in three weeks, the landlord is going to be upset. Drew is planning to do it next weekend. Drew is seriously considering throwing Marc out. It's like living in the middle of the Cold War, on the edge, waiting for open hostilities to erupt. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad