songbird's crazy world

Or, at least, that's what Drew says. They had a long talk last night.  Set up a payment plan.  discussed the more emotional issues. things are better now, but I don't know that it's entirely "over".

Once again the tension at Drew's house is pervasive. Ostensibly it's about money.  But it goes much deeper than that. Let's talk about the money first. Marc has been in a bad position for a long time.  He was laid off from his job and had to file for unemployment benefits.   And when the benefits ran out he reluctantly withdrew some funds from his IRA.  He was afraid of the taxes and penalties but had no choice.  And then he got a job -- minimum wage, retail, in a discount department store.  Crazy hours, and many weeks where his "full time job" offered only part time hours.  So he's been hurting financially. He got a new job in January, in his field (he's a technician).  Pays a lot more than what he was earning working retail, though not as much as he made before he was laid off. He's also very careless about keeping track of his money.  Many years ago Drew and Marc opened a joint bank account primarily for shared household expenses...

Had a $25 gift card, so Saturday night we headed out to Olive Garden. Very very busy place.we felt lucky to find a place to park near the restaurant. Our "45 minute wait" turned out to be considerably shorter -- maybe 20 minutes. As long as you remember that this is a chain, not a mom and pop Italian place or elegant cuisine, you will be fine. Our waiter was apparently new on the job -- very attentive but a little nervous. I ordered prosecco, which was served in a wine glass adorned with a strawberry. Drew had red sangria, served with lots of fruit garnish. Breadsticks were soft and garlicky. Salad is a nice mix of lettuce and vegetables, with a standard Italian dressing and a generous portion of croutons. We ordered an Italian sampler appetizer. - stuffed mushrooms had a nice mixture of crabmeat and cheese, fried mozzarella was crisp and flavorful, but the calamari was chewy. Sigh. Drew had his usual seafood Afredo -- shrimp and scallops in a creamy sau...

Her selfie is all over the news today. Not a beauty queen, just an average 16 year old girl, with an ear-to-ear smile that draws you in. The papers say she was a good kid. A member of the National Honor Society, former class president, manager of the swim team. She'd performed in the school talent show, was looking forward to the drama club's upcoming production. She was excited about the junior prom. So excited, she was going with her new boyfriend. So excited, she posted photos of herself in her teal blue prom gown. Instead . . . There isn't much in the news about the boy. The more responsible journalists won't print his name because he's a juvenile. The trashier news media have identified him from local gossip. He was a nice kid, the class clown, he'd been friends with the girl all her life. Some say he carried a torch for her. He was enraged when he asked her to prom and she turned him down. Yesterday morning at school, he pushed her down the sta...

This morning I walked into Dunkin' Donuts, placed an order for a muffin and coffee, opened the Dunkin' Donuts app on my smartphone and had to cashier scan a barcode, took my receipt and went on my way. This seemingly innocuous transaction is actually a modern marvel. I mean, my smart phone is not only a portable communication device, it is also a portable computer, media player, camera, GPS device ... I can use  it to make a conventional phone call and also to video chat, I can screen my calls with its caller ID function, you can leave me a message if I don't answer when you call, I can text or email you if I don't feel like chatting... My GPS apps allow me to map out a route, navigate along the way, and avoid traffic.  If I don't want to drive I can get a train schedule.  Other apps help me find restaurants and hotels, read reviews, even make a reservation.  When I get to my destination, I can shop on line for tickets to local attractions, take pictures of ...

We saw a Fathom event tonight, one of their "one night only" shows presented in a movie theater, a pseudo-theatrical experience.  We won the tickets, didn't pay for them.  The show was a bit disappointing, but you can't complain too much if it's free. . . Two years ago, Drew and I spent a delightful evening on Broadway, we saw "Shatner's World:We Just Live In It", William Shatner's one-man autobiographical show.  He's had an interesting life - business student at McGill in his native Montreal, Shakespearean actor in Toronto's premier company, fairly successful in movies and on a Broadway before becoming a TV icon . . .he's a good storyteller, and the stories he told took us from laughter to tears and back again.  Afterwards we stood at the stage door  to cheer for him and to try and capture a photo. So when we heard Shatner planned to film the show and present it as a Fathom event, we were definitely interested.  And when Drew won...

The 1954-1965 World's Fair is in the news again.  The Fair opened 50 years ago, after all. The New York State Pavilion was a magnificent part of the Fair. Here it is in its heyday: Yes, those towers, which once held a restaurant with a view of all 5 boroughs of NYC, were "alien spacecraft" in the first Men in Black movie. Back in the late 80's, there was an exhibit at the Queens Museum celebrating the Fair, and Drew and I went to the exhibit.  Afterwards, we walked around the New York State Pavilion, and looked at the map of the state that took up the entire floor...except that it was in serious disrepair. And now you can't go to the Pavilion at all, it's in such a state.  Visitors were allowed to tour the place on the 22nd, the 50th anniversary of the Fair's opening, but had to wear hard hats. So sad they let the place decay like that!

Happy 450th birthday William Shakespeare. The Bard was baptized April 26, 1564. His 's actual date of birth remains unknown, but is traditionally observed on April 23, Saint George's Day. This date, which can be traced back to an 18th-century scholar's mistake, has proved appealing to biographers, since Shakespeare died April 23, 1616.

I work in the environmental claims department of a major insurance company.  Our policies provide coverage to clean up and remediate pollution. When I first joined the company, in 2002, Earth Day was a big social event in our department.  We don't do big social events at work anymore. So let me take this time for my own Earth Day celebration.  Take a look at this site .  Save energy.  Share a ride.  Plant a tree.  Reduce, reuse, recycle.  go green.

Saturday night, the day before Easter, Drew and I came home to find Duchess sitting on the back of the couch, looking out the window.  It's one of her favorite places to perch. But she was more agitated than usual.  So Drew and I looked out the window. There were two bunnies in the yard. No wonder the cat was going nuts. I am certain that if Duchess were not an indoor cat, she would have been an excellent huntress.

So I came home this afternoon after a weekend at Drew's house to discover that "there's no food in the house" and could I possibly do some grocery shopping? OK, make a shopping list. One problem:  it's Easter Sunday.  Will the market be open? So I took the list and headed to my usual supermarket, only to discover it had closed at 3 PM, and it was now 4:30. OK, I decided to see if my second-favorite market is open.  Drive over there . . .yes!  Only problem, it's 4:40, and the store will close at 5:00. Time for some speed shopping! Got about half of the items on the list.  Yes, we will be able to eat today. Driving home, I realized there's a new store in the neighborhood.  Not a traditional supermarket, more like a produce store with lots of organic foods, lots of prepared foods, and a few grocery products.  I'd never stopped there before . . . OMG it was still open . . . Half an hour later, my shopping was complete.

Found my two missing bracelets!  Happy. Looking forward to the May box.

Drew and I were discussing where to go for vacation this summer. Last summer was the cruise, and before that was Disney/Universal, and before that was Colonial Williamsburg . . . And we realized we can't really go anywhere. We're funding a trip to Italy, it's Becca's graduation present. And we both have other issues going on right now. Money is just a bit tight. And since we want to do Greece and Turkey next year . . . But it's not like we won't be having any fun. We have tickets for Broadway shows, concerts, baseball games. . . And we will be doing a lot of day trips. We want to see the 9/11 Museum and memorial at the World Trade Center, and take a tour of West Point, maybe spend a day in Mystic. We are lucky to be within a day's ride of so many interesting things to do. Our staycation is going to be a lot of fun. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Listen my children and you shall hear Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere, On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five; Hardly a man is now alive Who remembers that famous day and year. He said to his friend, "If the British march By land or sea from the town to-night, Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch Of the North Church tower as a signal light,-- One if by land, and two if by sea; And I on the opposite shore will be, Ready to ride and spread the alarm Through every Middlesex village and farm, For the country folk to be up and to arm." Then he said "Good-night!" and with muffled oar Silently rowed to the Charlestown shore, Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war; A phantom ship, with each mast and spar Across the moon like a prison bar, And a huge black hulk, that was magnified By its own reflection in the tide. Meanwhile, his friend through alley and street Wande...

What do these two places have in common? They both witnessed events that sent shivers of fear down the collective spine of the Jewish world. Two events, thousands of miles apart, but both on the eve of Passover, the Festival of Freedom, the defining moment in the history of the Jewish people. In Kansas we saw a modern evil. A lone gunman, a white supremacist who has been very vocal in his anti Semitism, shot and killed two people at a Jewish community center, then shot and killed a third person outside a nearby Jewish assisted living facility, Village Shalom. How sad he chose to make war at a place named "Peace". Ironically, none of the victims was Jewish. In the Ukraine . . . It feels like we have stepped back in time. Back to the 1930's and 1940's. The Ukraine is in the middle of political turmoil. A leader deposed. Territory seized by Russia. Unrest, protests, a country where there is no peace. In Donetsk, pro-Russian separatists have taken over government ...

Last week one of Jen's cheerleaders messaged her: "I saw you on YouTube." Jen was bewildered, until the young lady explained. One of the Spanish teachers likes to give a group project.  The students are to write a script in Spanish, then make a video as they perform the script.   The teacher told them she'd show a video a previous class did, so that they could get an idea of what she expected them to do. So the video is a crime drama, a rich blonde woman is murdered, and two detectives must solve the crime. And one of the boys in the class looks at the blonde in the video and says "Isn't that the cheer coach?" Yes, as a matter of fact . . . I'll spare you the YouTube link.

In medieval times cats were considered evil, the companions of witches, demons in disguise. Now I understand why. In a way you can't really blame Duchess. Her routine has been compromised, her domain invaded. Last weekend Drew had a houseguest. And tonight he hosted a Seder, which meant furniture was rearranged to accommodate dinner guests. Duchess was sleeping in the office when Nina and I walked in there to have a chat. Poor cat realized there was a STRANGER in the house and got spooked. We didn't notice which direction she ran. After dinner we all realized that no one had seen the cat all evening. So we all started looking for her. Under the beds -- no luck. Under the dresser-- no cat. She wasn't in her favorite window. She wasn't in the upstairs bathroom. We checked all the closets, several times. Even went outside, in the rain, to look in the yard and under the cars. Three different people checked the closet in the office, no cat. And t...

Once again Passover is here. We gather together in my parents' dining room, read from Haggadahs that are wine-stained and contain matzah crumbs from decades of Seder dinners. We sing "Dayenu" and feast on gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzah balls, brisket. My mother is the "leader" now, my father listens intently. The "children" - now young adults from 17 to 24 - hide the afikomen, and it falls to me to redeem it. The funniest moment of the night? We pour a cup of wine for the Prophet Elijah, and open the door to allow his spirit to enter our home . . .and, as if on cue, Redford the cat comes strolling in. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

This daffodil is growing in the middle of Drew's lawn.  No idea how it got there.  He never planted daffodils anywhere in the yard.

Having enjoyed countless dinners here, we were curious about Ayhan's Sunday brunch. The price for the all-you-can-eat brunch is normally $16.99, but we had a coupon for $9.99 per person.  So off we went. The salad table was very good.  It included peel-and-eat shrimp with cocktail sauce, hummus, tzaziki, green salads, pasta salads, couscous salads, pita bread. . . I really love their soft Turkish bread.  But everything was "prepared salad", there was no option to combine raw veggies into a salad. The main buffet table held a few breakfast items, but focused on lunch foods.  Rice pilaf, lots of grilled chicken dishes, gyro meat.  I liked the felafel, loved the filet mignon.  Didn't care for the seasonings in the moussaka.Glad to see tahini as well as yogurt sauce on the table.  I think I saw pizza as an offering as well. We didn't try the desserts, though the baklava looked tempting. coffee was not included in the price of the brunch. Hon...

There comes a point where the pain cannot be controlled. It cannot be ignored. Today the back spasms landed me in the emergency room. Every get loopy on Percocet and Valium? - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

There is always one person, in any large organization, who makes life "interesting". In our office we have an individual I shall call "Grumpy". He's been with the company for many years, been with our department for several years. Before I met him I heard gossip the he was weird, antisocial. Then he started working with my group, and he seemed fairly normal and likable. He ran into some problems both personally and professionally. At work there were some issues with his performance and his job was on the line. He was dealing with this while also trying to handle the aftermath of a car accident that left him in need of orthopedic surgery. So he took a leave of absence to deal with his medical issues -- surgery and physical therapy. The problems started when he came back. He had asked for more leave time, and was denied. So he came back with the proverbial chip on his shoulder. The day he came back, when I tried to welcome him back, he looked at me, rolled his...

Remember I had a situation in February, a lot of pain because I pulled a muscle in my back? I've spent the better part of this week dealing with the same pain. This is NOT fun.

Yes, I am a geek.

I spent a lot of time recently blogging about my maternal grandmother. She was the only grandparent I knew, the others having passed away before I was born. What I know about my paternal grand parents . . . My grandfather's name was Feivel . When he came to New York he anglicized it to Phillip. Later, when he was living in Brooklyn, he filed papers in Supreme Court, Kings County seeking to drop the unwieldy surname "some Cossack gave his ancestors" in favor of something short, sweet and very Jewish. My grandmother's name was D'vora, she later called herself Dora (gee, where did I hear that before?). They were born in a village outside of Kiev, in the Ukraine. Phillip came to America after the failed Russian Revolution of 1905 and sent for Dora later. They lived in Brooklyn and raised 5 children. My father was the youngest. His sisters were 14, 12, 10 and 8 when he was born. Of course my father was a little prince. (When I was a little girl I read the ...

So now that It looks like I cornered the market on Streit's matzo, we can plan our Seder. No, $200 is not a lot to spend in the supermarket for 8 people and 2 cats. I've already lost two of the bangles from the Wantable box -- bangle bracelets and coat/jacket season apparently do not mix well. I actually ordered a "Deathly Hallows" bracelet. Yes, I am a Geek. Becca bought one, too. So proud of my Geek-ette. But the Master Geek? Who do you know who wants to spend an entire weekend in Tarrrytown for a Dark Shadows convention? Yes, Dark Shadows. I'm sure it will be fun. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Mars is in opposition to the earth on April 8. That means Mars, the sun and the earth are aligned. The news anchor who reported this story tonight added "But Mars will be at its brightest on April 14." The same night as the lunar eclipse. The blood moon. Should be interesting. Here's an interesting article : This month we’re closer to Mars than Earth has come for almost 6½ years. The Red Planet appears brighter and bigger in the evening sky than it has since December 2007. Mars will be its brightest in the second week of April. Use this diagram to find Mars in the dusk hours — click for a high-resolution version. Anyone can spot Mars at a glance from anywhere in the world. During April it’s the brightest point in the southeast after dark (as seen from the world’s mid-northern latitudes. In the tropics, look east; in the south temperate latitudes, look northeast). Mars is moving though the constellation Virgo near the bright star Spica. Th...

This second Captain America film finds our hero, Steve Rogers, becoming comfortable in the 21st century and running high tech missions for S.H.I.EL.D. This is a dark movie, full of political intrigue and murky questions of ethics. So different from the first movie, which had clear villains and heroes. I did catch many references to Bruce Banner and Tony Stark. Do stay for the entire movie, including the credits. All of the credits. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So Mark Cohen came to our synagogue and gave a one-hour talk about Allan Sherman. His presentation included snippets of Sherman's songs, which he played from his boom box.  His focus was how Sherman made ethnicity "cool", how he found his niche in 1962, before Fiddler on the Roof , Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, etc., made it "cool" to be Jewish, and before the Kennedy assassination and the British invasion ushered in the transformative 1960's. How the NY Times wrote an entire profile of Sherman without ever once using the word "Jewish". It was clear, from the question and answer session, that most of my friends and neighbors had not read the book. But Cohen sold more than a few copies of the book, and autographed Drew's copy. (My copy is on my nook, making it much easier for me to read, but does not provide a place for the author's signature.)  Here's another Sherman classic, posted by Cohen on his YouTube channel.

Returning to my recent theme, we tried that trendy Asian fusion restaurant, Monsoon. The restaurant is located in a building that used to house a bank. An imposing edifice, it does not look at all like a restaurant. Inside, however, it is sleek, modern, sophisticated. And just a little pretentious. Sort of like P. F. Chang's, only more "clubby". The tables are set with conventional silverware and chopsticks, as well as containers of soy sauce, duck sauce and a sweet chili sauce. The dinner menu, I'm told, was recently revamped, and several dishes were dropped and replaced by steaks. The choices range from dim sum to sushi to curry. Sweet and sour chicken was breaded and fried -- much lighter than the standard version - with a sweet sauce and beautifully julienned peppers and carrots. Pork fried rice was served in a deep bowl, and was topped with a whole fried egg. The dish was a bit bland until we added some soy sauce. Shaking steak turned out ...

It seems the rumors are true, Scott and Todd were not getting along, and Todd apparently pushed Scott out because he wanted it to be "The Todd Show". So now I listen to Scott and a bunch of people who used to be on WPLJ -- Joe Nolan, Patty Steele, Brad Blanks -- along with Mr. G the weatherman, who's been on WCBS since Harry Harrison was the morning mayor. It feels comfortable and familiar. Even had a laugh the other morning when Scott "slipped", and accidentally gave the WPLJ call letters while announcing the time.  I was never an Opie and Anthony fan, never listened even before they went to satellite radio, but I found this clip on YouTube, Scott called into their show the Friday before he started his show on WCBS. Opie and Anthony had nothing nice to say about Todd. Scott remained a gentleman about the whole situation.

So I wore the jewelry today. The ring feels a bit heavy but looks nice.   I'll get used to the weight. The bangle bracelets -- there are four gold toned and five black, makes for interesting patterns. The earrings are nice, but I think they would have been better with a French back instead of a post -- the design. Made it a bit difficult to close properly.  And I can hear the two metal disks hit each other whenever I move my head, which some people might find annoying.  But the earrings are light and comfortable, and I think I'll be wearing them frequently. Wonder what I'll get in May.

When fair April with his showers sweet, Has pierced the drought of March to the root's feet And bathed each vein in liquid of such power, Its strength creates the newly springing flower; When the West Wind too, with his sweet breath, Has breathed new life - in every copse and heath - Into each tender shoot, and the young sun From Aries moves to Taurus on his run, And those small birds begin their melody, (The ones who 'sleep` all night with open eye,) Then nature stirs them up to such a pitch That folk all long to go on pilgrimage And wandering travellers tread new shores, strange strands, Seek out far shrines, renowned in many lands, And specially from every shire's end Of England to Canterbury they wend The holy blessed martyr there to seek, Who has brought health to them when they were sick. ...