songbird's crazy world

they're hanging over our heads. again .

I completed NaBloMoPo.  I posted to this blog every singe day for the entire month of November. So what do I get for it? Other than the satisfaction of completing a goal I set for myself....not much. still, it was fun.

thinking about my upcoming cruise.... remember this show?

I was headed over here to post about my latest obsession, chapstick. when I realized I'd already posted about it, last year.

in the early 1970's my grandmother would fly south every winter to spend a month in the new Borscht Belt, Miami Beach.  there were a number of kosher hotels up and down Collins Avenue, catering mostly to Jewish senior citizens.  meals included, social activities, dancing lessons -- a scenario right out of Dirty Dancin' , but without Patrick Swayze. Christmas vacation, 1972.  I was 12 (almost 13) and my sister was 11.  we went to Miami with our grandma, spent two weeks on the beach,  it was the first time I was away from home on a vacation without my parents.  it was the first time I flew anywhere on an airplane -- and in those days, people feared being hijacked to Cuba, so I nervously practiced my few words of Spanish (I had been studying the language for a whopping 3 months) as we sat in the airport. grandma let us wander around on our own all day, returning to the hotel for meals and evening activities.  we spent most of our time playing on the ...

One of the joys of NYC at Christmastime.... Sailor Mickey sits on one marquis on the 34th Street side of the store )click on photos to enlarge):   on the other marquis is a huge Christmas tree: the 34th street windows always salute "Miracle on 34th Street", the original movie from the 1940's:       the Herald Square windows change every year.  This year's theme is "letters to Santa".  you can actually enter info into a computer right there on Herald Square as a "letter to santa".  for each letter  Macy's recieves they will make a donation to Make-A-Wish".          

I was never really into Jimmy Buffett's music. I mean, I liked "Margaritaville", but it never made me want to go out and buy his albums or see his concerts. Then, when Jen's cheer team competed at Universal Studios in Orlando, we had a team dinner in the Margaritaville Restaurant, and of course Jimmy's music played in the background. It was fun. But it wasn't until the following year that I started downloading Buffett into my iTunes. I have a friend, Mitch, who is a Parrothead, and I was putting a "Secret Santa" gift together for him. Since it was in my iTunes library anyhow, I started listening to the music. And I liked it. And now, with the cruise coming up, I am listening to all sorts of "tropical" stuff. So when Newsday had a contest to give away tickets to Buffett's concert at Madison Square Garden,I decided to enter. So last Friday I got an email from the newspaper, advising me that I had won two tickets to the co...

Watching it in reruns lately.  Loving William Daniels (also known as the voice of Kitt, but I loved him as John Adams in 1776 ). But look who else was a castmember on the show:  Denzel Washington, Howie Mandel, stephen Furst, David Birney, Mark Harmon, Ronnie Cox, Florence Halop, Helen Hunt, christina Pickles.... Loved that show.... but watching it now....I'm spoiled by ER, it was soooo realistic....and stuff on this show ...close ....but...

And as we approach the holiday season, my mind is NOT on weight loss.  I will be happy if I don't see a gain. but I am doing a lot of walking up stairs. even tackled the 6 flights from the tracks to the street in the Exchange Place PATH station (though that left me quite winded).   I keep thinking "Mayan pyramids" as I climb, since I will be climbing Altun Ha in February. as for the show... not a very riveting episode, I kept getting distracted by other things at home.... it starts with them finding out they're each about to give a speech to an audience.  but first, a makeover. Rebecca looks good in her little black dress. Loved Danny's blue vest.  Allen in a suit....wow! Amanda is amazing. Rudy is remarkable. and the family reactions..priceless. then back to the ranch for a challenge.they have to pull themselves from one side of the canyon to the other. the prize is a two week trip to a Biggest Loser resort in Utah. Rudy wins. workout time....

I travel the Long Island Railroad, the NYC subway system, and the PATH trains that connect NYC with New Jersey. It's truly a "delight". 1. LIRR riders are SLOBS. Ever get on a train and have to move someone else's trash in order to sit down? Ewwwwww.... 2. The rats in the NYC subway system laugh at the rat poison signs. I don't mind seeing rodents on the tracks every once in awhile, but when the crawl up onto the platform....eek! 3. People are just plain rude. They'll knock you over in order to get to an empty seat. 4. Any time there are two drops of rain, expect major delays on the railroad. 5. Don't you just love it when the conductor using the public address system sounds like an adult in a Peanuts cartoon? 6. People are just plain rude. I know you'd like to hang onto the same pole that I'm holding onto, and I know I'm "vertically challenged"....but please...my shoulder is not your personal armrest. 7. If a staircase ...

I loved the movie with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye.  And live theater is my passion. so when Drew said "let's see 'White Christmas' on Broadway,"  you know I was so there. So we saw the matinee today. We took the train into the city. funny thing happened -- there were four ladies sitting on the train, just across the aisle from us, talking about going to a show. those same four ladies saw "White Christmas" -- and sat nexr to us in the theater. (as always, click to enlarge the photos)   They've kept the basic story but changed a few details, added a few songs and dropped others, but for the most part it's exactly what you'd expect. I love the Marquis Theater -- a new theather, but one that loves to salute Broadway history. After the show I made Drew crazy as I tried to capture a phot of One Times Square -- you know that the New Year's eve ball sits on top of that building 365 days a year now?  couldn't get a go...

OMG, what a decadent evening!!! We recently ate at the Melting Pot . The atmophere -- very modern and sophisticated, but dim lighting make sit very cozy.    The wine collection is actually part of the decor, the racks positioned in glass walls so the bottled can be seen.  You don't see many children in a place like this. the place is called "the Melting Pot" because its specialty is fondue,  Each table comes equipped with a built-in cooktop to keep the fondue warm. Rather than order wine, we chose cocktails.  Mine was a creme-based concoction  served in a martini glass, they call it a chocoate fontini -- Godiva liquer, Bailey's Irish Creme, Kalhua and milk chocolate -- a fondue in a glass .  One drink and I was pleasantly buzzed.  Drew's been into snagria lately, and this one was light and fruity without being too sweet. first course was a cheese fondue -- we chose traditional Swiss, cheese mixed with garlic, sherry and seasoned wit...

I've got baseball on my mind for some strange reason....

click to enlarge -- that's the Empire State Building in the distance. .

and you know that I really enjoy the season. saw a movie recently: I love Dickens' novel, and almost every adaptation of the story.  Jim Carrey did a good job as Scrooge, though I have seen better. the 3D effects were amazing!!!

Becca is a high school senior and is currently emmeshed in the college application process. the process began in earnest last year, when she was a junior -- PSAT, SAT, college visits, writing essays. in some ways it's easier than it was when I was a student, you can apply to schools on line, order your test scores on line, check the status of your application at the school's website... but on the other hand, kids tend to apply to many more schools these days than my classmates and I would have....if all you have to do is cut and paste and click through a few web pages, applying is easier... She applied "early decision" to one school -- I won't name it at this time -- which means that they will let her know by 12/15 if she's been accepted.  but it also means she made a commitment to withdraw all her other applications if this school offers her admission. she's so enamored of this school...I had to push her to apply to other schools "just in c...

I had to order one...shoould be here right after Thanksgiving....

I periodically check our school district website for updates and informaiton. today they posted the academic calendar for 2010-2011. and I realized that I had no reason to look at that calendar. it will be the first time since September 1995 that I do not have a child in the public school system.

Ah, the joys of live theater!!!!! In the next few weeks Drew and I will venture into Manhattan to attend the theater.... We've got tickets for White Christmas , a stage adaptation of the Bing Crosby/Danny Kaey movie masterpiece. We've got tickets to see John Stamos in the revivial of Bye Bye Birdie . and we've got tickets for the revival of Finian's Rainbow . wehn the house lights go down, the curtain rises and the music starts, i am in 7th heaven.

Struggling to stay focused, I have waivered all over the place, and chose to not weigh in this week.  My goal for the holdiay season is survival -- not trying to lose eight, just trying to NOT  GAIN. As for the show there's a yellow line and a red line this week  - fall below the red line and you're out, no vote. the tennis ball challenge -- Allen wins a one-pund advantage.  no surprise. Jillian makes Shay cry during the workouts -- typical Jillian. then they're at Ringling Brothers for the hoop challenge.  Shay is super-pissed at Rudy's betrayal.  rudy wins immunity. then they ar eliterally swinging from the rafters. and the weigh-in.  Rudy up first, he loses 8 pounds.  not bad.  Shay is up next.  17 pounds!!!!! she's lost a total of 100 pounds and she's ecstatic.  such a big loss means she may have kept herself high above the yellow line. Amanda is scared to death....she lost 5 pounds, will that be enough? Reb...

A musical response to my daughter's request that I buy her a vehicle for her exclusive use: and believe me, she does...as often as she can!

Are all families crazy? I made a huge mistake in my life. when I first got divorced my kids were very young, and moving into my parents' house seemed like a good idea. moving out a few years later would have been good, too. I am partially  to blame for this family's dysfunction.  my sisters latched on to my kids and used them as an excuse not to have lives of their own. thgye are 42, have no jobs, no prospects, no income. and they presume to tell me how to love. at least I do live.

the Mayans predict that the world will come to an end on 12/21/2012.  that's the basis of the most recent "disaster" movie to hit the theaters. so of course we had to see it. the plot is kind of thin, you really have to suspend reality and just go with the flow.  but the special effects are incredible.   and Woody Harrelson as the fringe lunatic DJ is too too funny.

Becca is currently working at Abercrombie & Fitch.  No surprise there, she's wanted a job in that store for years.  At 17 she can work only in the kids' store, but she gets a discount in the main store.  Considering this child has been a walking billboard for Abercrombie since she hit middle school...the job is a perfect match for her. I truly like that she has a sense of independence now, a sense of responsibility.  so far the job hasn't interfered with school...though I worry about her working retail during the Christmas season. This past weekend, my newly-licensed driver borrowed my car and DROVE to work. She is growing up so fast. Can someone please stop the clock for just a little while?

10/31, Halloween 11/2, the full moon 11/13, Friday the 13th

    You've heard the song...but did you know it was based on a true story ? The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called 'Gitche Gumee' The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the gales of November came early. The ship was the pride of the American side Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most With a crew and good captain well seasoned Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms When they left fully loaded for Cleveland And later that night when the ship's bell rang Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'? The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound And a wave broke over the railing And every man knew, as the captain did too, T'was the witch o...

On the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 1918  World War I came to an end -- and since that day we have honored our veterans every November 11. My father is a member of the Greatest Generation, a veteran of World War II.  He served in the Army (which surprised my grandparents, because they thought he couldn't be drafted because of a heart murmer he'd had as a child), he did his basic training in Georgia and served in Italy.  Came home and was given many opportunies through the GI bill, including the cahance to go to college and the opportunity to buy a home. In honor of my father's service, here are a few photos of the WW II Memorial in Washington, DC:

I have a print of this hanging over my bed, I've had it for more years than I can remember: