songbird's crazy world

Becca was still in high school when I began this blog.  hard to believe she will graduate from college on May 17! Today Drew and I put down a deposit for a party room at a local Italian restaurant.

Since I've been sharing -- The 2008 posts: http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/wall-street-tree.html  http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/nyc-at-christmas.html The 2009 trip: http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2009/12/new-york-at-christmastime.html The 2010 posts: http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2008/12/nyc-at-christmas.html http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-in-nyc_12.html No trip into the city in 2011 -- that was the year I was under the weather all month. And last year's post -- no photos, but a good description: http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2012/12/nyc-christmas.html

So we figured that the Friday after Christmas would be a good time to do our annual NYC "windows" trip.  The city was only slightly less crowded than it would have been before Christmas. We took the train to Penn Station (32nd and 7th), and that's where our adventure began. Lovely shot of the empire State building: Our first stop -- the windows at Macy's.  Macy's always does two sets of windows.  This year the 34th Street windows featured a "Yes, Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus" display -- Macy's sponsored the animated show on TV a few years ago.  It's cute, but honestly, the "Miracle on 34th Street" display, which saluted the original move, was a better set of windows.  The Herald Square windows had a fluffy bit of froth about dreams and believing.  Very nice. Fortified with hot dogs from a street vendor, we walked over to 5th Avenue.   Lord & Taylor did lovely windows, all about high fashion in years gon...

Yesterday we went to NYC to see the Christmas decorations -- full report will follow shortly. We did a lot of walking.  And I do mean a lot.  Given my age, weight, medical issues and lack of activity, it's no wonder I was limping by the end of the day. And today I am in pain!  Seriously, all of my muscles hurt as if I'd run a marathon.

All stereotypes, good, bad or indifferent, hold a grain of truth.  What do Jews do on Christmas?   We go to the movies and eat Chinese food, of course.  If it's good enough for Justice Kagan, it's good enough for me. Yesterday Drew, and I and our friend Flo went to the movies.  First show of the day, reduced admission costs, popcorn for breakfast.  We saw American Hustle .  Set in 1978, it's a fictionalized version of the ABSCAM scandal.   It's an interesting story of manipulation and moral ambiguity.  I barely remembered the scandal, had to Google it.  Political corruption at  its "best" -- the scam netted a mayor, several congressmen and even a US Senator.  Loved the nostalgia, the fashions and music of the 70's. Later, a group of us went to dinner at Jani.  I'd never been to the Hicksville location before, though I've enjoyed numerous meals at the Wantagh and South Huntington locations.  This location is ...

So we were driving through Hicksville (yes, that is a real town, you can look it up) and Drew said to me "There's a house you should see." The house is in a side street, just off the  main road. Every conceivable space on the walls and the roof is covered in a variety of lights, multicolored and blinking beautifully.  Every inch of the lawn is covered in figures -- Santa, reindeer, snowmen.  It is gorgeous. Over the top. And then there's the house next door.  Simple display of white lights formed into an arrow.  And next to the arrow, a single word: DITTO

Local movie theater has a program called "Silver Screen".    For a small fee you get a classic movie, popcorn and soda. Today we saw It's A Wonderful Life. A Frank Capra classic.  Jimmy Stewart.  Donna Reed.  Lionel Barrymore.  A story that always makes me cry -- and in a theater full of people the emotional intensity is magnified. And when you see a classic on the big screen, you are bound to notice details you can easily miss on TV. The themes resonate even today. A wonderful film, well worth the $2 .

The perfect place to go after reveling in the early 1960's nostalgia of Saving Mr. Banks, we grabbed a bite to eat at Johnny Rockets. We've been to the Deer Park location many times, but had never been to the Hicksville location.this location is at the Broadway Mall, but the only access is from the parking lot.  Which may explain why is was fairly empty at 8:30 PM on the Friday before Christmas. It's like walking into a hamburger joint or ice cream shop circa 1962.   Red and white decor, Coke posters from way back then, servers wearing crisp white "soda jerk" hats, "oldies" music piped in.  The chain's slogan is "The Original Hamburger", so it should come as no surprise that the menu features burgers, hot dogs and sandwiches, but they also serve salads.  And shakes and floats are prominently featured. I ordered the Route 66, a burger with Swiss cheese, grilled onions and grilled mushrooms.  Very juicy burger, keep the napkins cl...

Winds in the east, mist coming in.  Like somethin' is brewin' and bout to begin.  Can't put me finger on what lies in store,  But I fear what's to happen all happened before.  I was four years old and it was the very first time I went to a real theater, and of course it was the fabulous Mary Poppins that my father took me to see.    So of course when  heard about the movie Saving Mr. Banks it immediately went on my "must see" list. We saw it Friday night, and it did not disappoint. This is very much a Disney movie, but it is not a movie for children.  The focus of the movie is on P.L. Travers, her traumatic childhood in Australia, and her relationships with Walt Disney and the Sherman Brothers.  The movie explores dark themes about childhood traumas and how they make us what we are as adults. But it's told within the framework of the two weeks Travers came to California to meet with Disney and develop  Mary Poppins as a fi...

I hold several licenses related to my employment.   My licenses have continuing education requirements.  NY employer periodically arranges all day symposiums to help us meet those requirements. Today's session was set for 9:10 AM at our corporate headquarters in the Wall Street area.  My plan was to get to the office by 8:45, choose my seat and get my coffee well in advance of the start time. Famous last words. My plan was to catch either the 7:16 toi Brooklyn or the 7:21  to Penn Station and the take a subway to Wall Street. Got to the station just as a train was leaving.  Thought it was the 7:16.  Turns out it was the 7:08, running late.  Turns out the 7:16 has been cancelled and the 7:21 will make extra stops to accommodate those passengers - the Brooklyn train is a local and the NY train runs as an express, so our ride will take an extra 10 - 15 minutes.  And  the 7:21 is running 15 minutes late. And the train is going to be su...

Drew and I are going to spend a day in the city, looking at the decorations.  This year we're going to be smart about it, and go AFTER Christmas Day, when the crowds will be a  bit lighter.  I promise not to bore you with thousands of photos, but I will post a few interesting ones if I can. Our visit  in 2010 -- http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2010/12/christmas-in-nyc_12.html and last year's -- http://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2012/12/nyc-christmas.html

So in October and November I participated in NabloPoMo.  Part of the reason you participate is to get new readers to your blog, and part is to discover new blogs to read, new "friends". Today I had to drop one of my new-found "friends".  The blogger wrote something that really got under my skin.  I wrote a response in the comments section, which she apparently did not take well  -- within 15 minutes or so of my posting the comment, she posted another entry in her blog, addressing my comment.  I don't really want to get into a battle with her, so I deleted her blog from my news feed. I've only been reading her blog a few short weeks, but I feel like I just dropped a friend.

. . . Could comfortably sleep with her head hanging over the edge of the bed.

And once again we are dealing with the issues of an octogenarian. This time it's Drew's uncle Marvin, his father's younger brother. I've mentioned some of the issues before. Marvin is 87 years old.  He and his wife never had children.  Several years ago, after his wife died, Marvin moved in with Drew's sister Shelley.  Shelley needed a roommate, someone to pay rent and utilities.  Shelley is not the type to be caring for an elderly relative. And that was fine when Marvin was still relative healthy, still employed and still independent.  Neither she nor Marvin has a lot of money, but together they could manage the rent and utilities on the house. Shelley cannot manage the rent without a roommate. But in the last two years Marvin's health has deteriorated considerably.   He's been in and out of the hospital  and rehab several times.   He probably should be in assisted living. Adult Protective Services has been involved since last...

I discovered Tolkien when I was in high school.  The Hobbit , a lighthearted fantasy, a pure adventure story .   And then the Rings trilogy, a dark, tragic story with roots in Norse mythology, a serious story with all the elements of a classic epic journey.  Even though the books take place in the sane akternate universe and involve some of the same characters, it's hard to see a real connection. So I couldn't help but wonder how they were going to stretch The Hobbit , this light, fluffy novel, into three movies. The answer, of course, is to add subplots and back story, to make the tale of Bilbo Baggins and the Dwarves a true prequel to the Rings trilogy. Last night we saw The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.   This is the second installment of the trilogy, and while it drags a bit in places, it serves as a very interesting "bridge".  We get to meet Legolas, we get to meet the dragon Smaug up close and personal, we see Bikbo use the Ring,  and we get o...

Can I just say that I love Ben Stiller? Drew received an offer for two tickets to a sneak preview of Walter Mitty, which opens Christmas Day. Loosely based on the James Thurber short story, but very different from the 1947 Danny Kaye movie, this version tells the story of an employee of Life magazine who leads a very boring life, and who "zones out" while experiencing rich fantasies.  Everything changes when he loses the negative for the photo destined to grace the final cover of the magazine before it shuts down. I'm not going to say any more, except that the movie is both humorous and heartwarming, and that I knew where the plot was going before it got there.  Definitely worth seeing.

Actor Hal Holbrook created a one-man show called M ark Twain Tonight, which he has performed regularly for about 59 years.The broadcast by CBS in 1967 won him an Emmy Award. Of the three runs on Broadway (1966, 1977, and 2005), the first won him a Tony Award. We were fortunate to see Holbrook in this show at the Tilles Center last weekend.  What an amazing performance.  Holbrook performs for two hours,  sharing Twain's opinions on Congress, the monarchs of Wall Street, organized religion, science, evolution, the condition of mankind... His opinions are surprisingly modern. Wonderful performance.  Interesting show. 

"Pinelawn." Say that to any Long Islander, and they know what you mean.  Point your car to the intersection of Long Island Avenue and Wellwood Avenue, in Farmingdale.  You will find a small, seldom-used railroad station surrounded by ... Pinelawn Memorial Park, the Long Island National Cemetery, St. Charles Cemetery, New Montefiori Cemetery... It was rainy and cold on Friday, when our little group gathered together.  Our destination was the National Cemetery.  Drew's father was never one for religious ceremony, but his service in the United States Army during World War II was something he held dear.   And so Drew chose the National Cemetery as his parents' final resting place.    It was a simple funeral, 14 of us gathered beneath a canopy near the columbarium.  The honor guard, two soldiers in dress uniform,  played taps, and folded up a flag to present to the family.  Then each of us spoke a few words about Drew's father and mother....

I don't usually tell other people's stories, but this one was too funny to pass up. Two weeks after hearing it, I am still laughing. The story involves a friend of a friend. Let's call her R. She is an older woman, never married, socially conservative. You might say straight-laced. Very old school. R lives alone. Her brother J and his family live in the house next door. J is retired from a position in law enforcement. Over the years R has come to depend on her brother J for many things. So when it came time to decorate for Christmas, of course J did R's front yard as well as his own. R notices that one of the inflatables, a Santa figure, is facing the house. She doesn't know why Santa is facing the wrong direction, but she figures J will fix it eventually, and she doesn't give it any more thought. But she starts to notice that all the cars in the neighborhood stop in front of her house to gawk at her decorations. Not admire, gawk. So one day she...

An official policy of racial segregation formerly practiced in the Republic of South Africa, involving political, legal, and economic discrimination against nonwhites. Evil goes by many names.  Apartheid.  Genocide.  Slavery.  Holocaust.    It has lived in every country of the world. Those who fight against such evil have truly earned their place in heaven. Rest in peace, Nelson Mandela. "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others."

Found myself in East Meadow last night, running an errand in the same shopping center where Pita Lovers is located.  The lure of felafel could not be overcome. This is a storefront, meant primarily for take-out, with a handful of tables if you choose to eat there. The felafel sandwich is very filling, no need for a side dish.  Felafel was light and crisp, salad was fresh, pita was soft and warm.    Next time, though, I will have to ask for extra tahini -- there simply wasn't enough on this sandwich. Broccoli cheddar soup was thin, not creamy, and had large chunks of broccoli.  Not bad but not memorable either. They also serve souvlaki, burgers, etc.  Hummis sounded tempting. It's no Souvlaki Palace.  But it's a nice place to grab a bite when Greece starts calling your name .

I am a woman of many talents.  I play many roles -- mother, daughter, lover, friend, employee, volunteer. But the most important function of all? I know how to open a can of Fancy Feast cat food. Or, at least, that's the thinking of three of my admirers. Three feline admirers, as you might have guessed. Mr. Kitty and Redford have a lot of people who feed them and take care of them.  It's no wonder they expect food from me, I've fed them often enough. But Duchess?  She's a kitten.  She's Drew's kitten.  When he first brought her home I didn't want to feed her because I wanted her to bond with Drew. But last weekend I gave her a can of Fancy Feast. And now the little demon asks me to feed her.  She wraps herself around my ankles as if to say "Welcome to the staff." What can I say?  I live to serve.

112 Ocean Avenue, Amityville, NY. Repeat that address to any Long Islander of a certain age, and we immediately know what you are talking about. It was the Amityville Horror, the scene of a vicious murder and a famous haunting. On November 13, 1974, Ronald DeFeo Jr. shot and killed his parents and four siblings.  The DeFeo family had lived in the house on Ocean Avenue since 1965. George and Kathy Lutz purchased the house and moved in in December 1975 and lived there for 28 days, claiming they were driven out by paranormal activity in the house. In 1977 they published a book, and in 1979 that book became a movie. Swarms of flies. Glowing red eyes. Greenish-black slime on the stairs. Pig-like demons.   Native American burial grounds. Scary stuff. Was their tale real, or was it a hoax? I don't think anyone really cared.  And hordes of curious teenagers came down Ocean Avenue to gawk. A quiet, dead-end street in a quiet suburban town became an impromptu tou...

One of the scariest times of the 70's... From July 1976 through August 1977, he terrorized the City and its suburbs.    He was preying on girls with long, dark hair, mostly in lover's lanes.  He was known as the .44 caliber killer for the type of gun he used to shoot and kill his victims. Later, in letters left at the various crime scenes and sent to Daily News columnist Jimmy Breslin, he referred to himself as "the Son of Sam."  His ramblings were psychotic, but his aim was deadly.  He killed six and wounded many others, all on the orders of the voices in his head, which he attributed to his neighbor Sam's black Labrador.  He was caught because of something so simple as a parking ticket, which put him and his car in the vicinity of the last shooting.  Ultimately he pled guilty and was sentenced to six life sentences... I was 17 in the summer of 1977, going out with boys who actually had cars and were able to drive on our dates.  Altho...

This is one of my go-to places when I'm craving Greek take-out. They do have a few tables and booths, of course, and it always seems busy in there, but for us it's strictly take-out. In addition to souvlaki, they offer a variety of burgers, sandwiches, salads and traditional Greek entrees. My favorite here is the chicken souvlaki, huge chunks of grilled chicken, lettuce, tomato and onions in a warm, soft pita, served with traditional tzatziki. Chicken gyro is also excellent. Greek salad is huge and easily shareable. Lamb souvlaki is tender and flavorful. We don't usually order dessert, but while I was waiting at the counter for my order I saw the waitress serve up a couple of rich and creamy Greek specialties that almost made me change my mind. Staff is efficient and caring. The older gentleman behind the counter -- I believe he's the owner -- actually apologized to me because I had to wait for my food, even though my having to wait was my own doing, not the...

Hit the Trifecta Saturday night.  Good friends, good food and good entertainment. The evening started at Matteo's. We'd eaten at the Matteo's in Huntington awhile back and really liked it, and thought the Bellmore location would be good, too.  We were not disappointed.  Food is served "family style", sort of.  A half order serves one, a full order can be shared by two. We started with caprese salad -- fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.  Not bad, but I'm sure it will be better in summer with vine-ripened tomatoes.  Fried calamari was light and crisp and not chewy. Veal franchese was tender and sauce was tart without being overpowering.  Pasta was perfectly cooked.  Marinara sauce had whole cloves of garlic -- yummy. And I seem to be on a dessert kick -- got talked into ordering tortoni, creamy vanilla ice cream topped with toasted coconut. And then it was on to the Tilles Center for a performance by Manheim Steamroller.  I alwats liked this gr...