songbird's crazy world

 It's a cozy pub with a decent menu.  I had the chopped vegetable salad with chicken -- a delightful mix of onion, corn, avocado, hearts of palm, cucumber and cherry tomatoes over mixed greens, served with a creamy vinaigrette.  The sandwiches looked interesting.  Service was friendly and efficient.  Nice place for a casual lunch.

Back in 2001, our household had three cats.  There was Maggie, a lovely gray cat with Russian Blue in her genes.  There was Felix, Maggie's brother, black on tan stripes with white paws.  And there was Daisy, all 6 pounds of her, white fur with gray markings.  She was a real sweetie. One day, in early September, my sister thought she saw Daisy on the backyard deck.  Closer inspection revealed that it wasn't our Daisy, but rather, a very young kitten with similar markings.  When my sister called "Here, kitty, kitty," the cat came right to her.  We live about 1/2 mile from a pond, a nature preserve of sorts, where people have been known to dump their unwanted cats.  As a result, there's a small colony of feral cats living at the pond.  We assumed that the kitten was not feral, but had been abandoned at the pond, because it was friendly and wanted to be with people.  Of course my sister started feeding the kitten.  So of course...

"We will never forget them, nor the last time we saw them, this morning, as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and 'slipped the surly bonds of Earth' to 'touch the face of God."  President Ronald Reagan, January 28, 1986 Where were you on January 28, 1986? I was a young attorney, living in brownstone Brooklyn, working in lower Manhattan, and I'd just gotten engaged. It was an ordinary day, until our law clerk came out of his office and announced what he had just heard on the radio:  the space shuttle launch had gone horribly wrong, the Challenger had exploded, and everyone aboard was presumed dead. In that pre-Internet world, I had to wait until I got home that night to watch the replay of the video. And I watched it.  And watched it.  And watched it. The space program was a big thing when I was a child, I was 9 years old when Apollo 11 landed on the moon.  And I was too young to remember the Apollo 1 disaster -- the Januar...

So we survived the blizzard of 2016, the record-breaking snowfall.  Hibernated during the storm, dug out afterwards, and now, as the snow melts, things are gradually returning to normal.  Or rather, what passes for "normal" around here. Small "be prepared" victory of the week.  Normally I'm the type who waits until I run out of something to restock, but thanks to the blizzard...On the way to Drew's house last Friday, I stopped to buy  Diet Pepsi -- my weakness and current vice.  I couldn't imagine riding out the storm without it.  While I was in the store, I noticed that they had windshield washer fluid on sale for a really good price, so I bought a bottle.  Figured I'd need it eventually.  Well, "eventually" became "Monday morning."  I tried to clean up the windshield after I'd scraped off the ice, but the reservoir was dry.    The bottle I bought on Friday really came in handy. I took the online test to be a contestant o...

What was once an excellent Asian buffet is now a lovely Japanese restaurant.  Décor was very serene, everything in muted tones of gray.  You have a choice here -- do you go with hibachi, or sushi and the kitchen menu?  Though I love hibachi, we chose the regular menu, and were very pleased with our choice.  We started with several appetizers.  The rock shrimp tempura was spicy and sweet, a dish I'm sure I'll order again and again.  The gyoza were delicate and lightly seasoned.  I liked the crispy duck, but my friend felt it was too dry.  I ordered the shrimp teriyaki, my friend ordered the salmon teriyaki. Both came plated with an interesting assortment of vegetables.  Mine was a bit bland, could have used a little more teriyaki, but overall was a decent meal.  The delicate green tea was served in large mugs, not the tiny teacups you find in most Asian restaurants.  A welcome change.  The dessert menu is heavy o...

We hadn't had much snow this winter.  Unseasonably warm in December, just a dusting of snow earlier this month. We more than made up for it this weekend.  We got hit with a monster blizzard.  The entire region shut down.  No public transportation, travel bans on major roads.  Concerns about flooding because it's a full moon. By noon there was a foot of snow on the ground, and we'd just hit the height of the storm. By late afternoon they were talking about a record-breaking 24" to 30" or more. Best thing to do under the circumstances is to find a place to ride out the storm and hunker down. I spent the weekend at Drew's.  (No surprise there.)  After work Friday we made sure to have enough food, soda, snacks, etc. to last through the weekend.  Food, cable, internet, what more do you need to survive the storm? And think about all the calories I'll burn when we shovel out the cars!  Yes, the white mound in the foreground is my car. ...

Here on Long Island, Billy Joel is more than just a rock star, he's "one of us". Long Island has produced more than its fair share of talent -- Jerry Seinfeld, Billy Crystal, Pat Benatar, Natalie Portman, Eddy Murphy, Mariah Carey, the Baldwins ...But Billy Joel revels in his Long Island roots, he identifies as a Long Islander, his lyrics refer to many local places  -- Oyster Bay, Cold Spring Harbor, Montauk, As a person in their 20's if they know any Billy Joel songs, and I'm not sure you'll get an answer.  Ask that question of a 20-something who grew up on Long Island, and you're bound to hear "Sing us a song, you're the Piano Man..."  It's become our regional anthem.  They sing it at Citi Field during Mets games. The Nassau Coliseum, now closed for renovations, had one final concert.  And who was asked to perform that night?  Our native son. Proving once again that he's a local, Billy Joel has now pledged $1 million to Long...

What used to be the norm --- a diner open 24 hours a day -- is now the unusual.  So we were pleased to find the Lighthouse.  We arrived somewhat late in the evening, and the place was still hopping. The burgers here are  better than most diners'; they taste flame-broiled, and the buns have grill marks.  The night we were there, you could opt for waffle fries instead of the usual.  The waffle fries were crisp and tasty. Service was friendly and efficient. Add another good diner to the list.

Have you noticed, the best time for star gazing is in the dead of winter?  Really, on cold winter nights the stars seem to be brighter than at any other time of the year.  So as I turn my gaze skyward tonight...the news from space. NASA announced that Scott Kelly was able to grow a zinnia on the international space station.  A good sign for the possible colonization of space someday. Five planets paraded across the dawn sky early yesterday morning in a rare celestial spectacle set to repeat every morning until late next month.  Headlining the planetary performance are Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter. It is the first time in more than a decade that the fab five are simultaneously visible to the naked eye.    If I can get myself out of bed, I'm going to try to see this parade. Recent discoveries: Astronomers in California have discovered evidence of another planet beyond Pluto.    They haven't seen the ac...

My blogger friend Alana has written an excellent piece about the crisis in Flint, Michigan. Although those who know me understand I am a political junkie and wear my heart on my sleeve, I seldom talk politics in this blog. But if you know me, you also know that I have had a long and varied career in the insurance industry.  Including 12 years handling environmental claims, paying for cleanup of toxic sites, doing battle with the EPA over allocations among potentially responsible parties, defending litigation involving landfills, leaking pipelines, underground storage tanks, industrial waste...you get the picture. Anyone with even tangential involvement in the world of environmental claims and remediation is very aware of the Hudson River cleanup, how GE, among others, was called to account for decades of pollution.  Anyone with involvement in the industry is very aware of the EPA's current cause celebre, the remediation of the Passaic River, in the center of north...

We're losing our 70's icons way too fast. What makes this even sadder -- the Eagles were supposed to be Kennedy Center honorees in 2015, but chose to postpone the honor until 2016 because of Frey's health, they wanted him to be able to attend.  It will be bittersweet to see the show in December, with Frey not there.

Strictly speaking, a "revenant" is "one who returns".  Most often it is used to mean a person who has returned as a spirit or a ghost. The Revenant is a Golden-Globe-winning, Oscar-nominated film starring Leo DiCaprio.  It is loosely based on the life of Hugh Glass, an American frontiersman who was mauled by a bear and left for dead, but who managed to survive alone in the wilderness and eventually return home. The movie is set in Montana and South Dakota (then part of the Louisiana Territory) in 1823.  Glass is leading a party of hunters and trappers when they are attacked by the Arikara.  As they make their way back to the fort, they are further delayed when Glass is attacked and mauled by a bear.  Left for dead, Glass must make his way back through the wilderness without food or weapons. But who is the revenant?  Is it Glass, or is it the voice of his dead Pawnee wife, guiding him through the wilderness?  The end of the movie leaves the answer...

And the start of a three day weekend.   Just a little tidbit the calendar throws us during the dark, cold, gloomy days of January. I really don't have much planned for this weekend.  We're having a group of friends over on Sunday.  Drew is going to cook, he's making duck.    But other than that, it feels like the kind of weekend to stay home and watch TV.  I'm sure we can find something binge worthy. It's the time of year when my energy starts to lag.  Winter starts to become an endurance test. At least we haven't had any really bad weather.  Dare I even say the "s" word????

So I've started to get my exercise by walking in the mall. The mall opens at 8:00 AM, so I go right after morning services.  I walk for 30-45 minutes.  It's interesting to see who is in the mall before the stores open.  I'm not the only one trying to get in a little exercise; I'm starting to recognize the faces of the "regulars".  there's a security guard on his Segway, and a couple of janitors cleaning the windows and the floors.    You'll also see some retail workers in their stores, getting the stores ready for the morning rush.  Yesterday I saw one store with a lot of employees, I think they were getting ready to do inventory. It's a little bit disorienting right now.  The last remnants of the Christmas decorations are still in the center of the mall, and a lot of stores are in the middle of their after-Christmas sales.  But Hallmark and Godiva are all decked out for Valentine's Day.  And Kate Spade and Michael Kors h...

Some interesting reading: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/04/nyregion/04watchers.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/02/06/in-new-diet-math-subtracting-is-hard/?_r=0 https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2014/10/29/americans-new-way-of-losing-weight-left-weight-watchers-behind/ http://nymag.com/scienceofus/2015/10/why-weight-watchers-doesnt-work.html The two articles from the Times, one from 2010 and the other from 2012, are all about the Points Plus system.  Reading the first article felt a bit like deja vu , the new plan introduced just before the holidays, members feeling angry, etc.  More interesting, though, was the second article, about how Weight Watchers had to revamp Points Plus almost immediately, because it wasn't producing the desired results.  And it looks like Points Plus was tested much more thoroughly than Smart Points.  They've been revising Smart Points over the last few w...

Another icon...gone .

One of the reasons my ancestors, an often-persecuted minority, survived for 2,000 years in the Diaspora, was a sense of community.  Build a community, a support system, not just in your own town, but connected to the next town.   And the next.  And the next. This need for community is evident even in our prayer rituals.  An observant Jew is commanded to pray three times a day, on weekdays as well as on the Sabbath.  Although most prayers can be recited if you are alone, or with a small group, some key prayers require a minyan, a quorum of 10 adults.  Which struck home one morning last week. I belong to a Conservative, egalitarian synagogue.  Women have the same rights and responsibilities as men: we are counted in the minyan .  We are a large, vibrant congregation, one of the few Conservative synagogues in the area to provide both a morning and evening service during the week -- most synagogues will do either morning or evening, but n...

Had dinner with my daughter here the other night.  She chose the restaurant, and I am very happy with her selection.  We had a very lovely dinner here. My daughter was impressed with the sesame bread -- crunchy crust and soft interior, served with both butter and olive oil for dipping.  The Crispy Calamari -- served with ripe tomatoes, jalapeno aioli and a citrus-leek emulsion -- was light, tasty and very shareable. She ordered the steak frites -- NY strip with bernaise, and provencal fries, a meal deemed worthy of a snapchat.  It's been awhile since I've had Moroccan cuisine, so that part of the menu called out to me.  I had the lamb tagine -- lamb shank served with sweet and spice onion sauce, merguez, golden raisins and pine nuts over pearly couscous.  I  like the interesting way fruit is added to savory dishes, it's sweet and spicy, very different and very good.  All of this was accompanied by an excellent Riesling, which we both...

So the holidays are over, and it's time to get back into the normal routine.   That was really hard to do when unseasonably warm December weather gave way to an artic blast.  But now that we've got the first week of the year under our belts, I think I'm back in the groove. If I go to morning services at the synagogue (I'm trying to get there at least 3 times a week to say Kaddish),  it's still dark when I leave the house.  But the chapel has huge picture windows all along the eastern wall, so I get to see the beautiful sunrise as we pray. I'm really liking this whole weight loss thing -- eat well, move more, get on the scale, buy new clothes.  This time I think I'm going to be sticking with it.  I need to feel healthy I went to see Becca in the city.  Walked from Penn Station to the restaurant in Hell's Kitchen, then after dinner walked over to her apartment, then evenuatlly back to Penn Station to go home. Fitbit says I walked over 5 miles...

So we finally settled on a place for New Year's Eve.  A place none of us had been before.  But the price was right, the menu looked intriguing, and they promised live music. And it lived up to expectations. Buried among the boatyards, it's a small, intimate restaurant, beautifully decorated and very cozy.  Service was friendly and efficient.  The manager, Jen, was very helpful in seeing that our large party was taken care of properly.  The live music was provided by a very talented young man with a guitar.  We found ourselves signing along with him frequently.  Eventually his performance was supplemented by a DJ playing dance tunes, and yes, we got up to dance.  In that small bar area, a lot of people managed to dance and have a great time. And the food?  Well, it was a special holiday menu, not their usual fare.  My surf and turf  -- a fillet mignon and half a lobster -- was very well prepared.  I really loved my ...

Yes, one of my favorite NY Mets has been elected to the Hall of Fame!  I can't  wait to see his plaque go up on the wall in Cooperstown. I've posted this before -- several times, I'm sure -- but my favorite Mike Piazza moment took place in Shea Stadium on 9/21/2001.  Remember, after 9/11, MLB suspended all games, as we tried to cope with the aftermath of the terrorist attacks.  Shea Stadium became a focal point for the rescue efforts, a depot for supplies destined for Ground Zero.  When the season resumed, both the Mets and Yankees played their first games out of town. So the first post 9/11 game to be played in NYC was at Shea, on 9/21.  the Mets versus their arch rivals, the Atlanta Braves. .  It was an emotional night, I remember watching on TV.  The Mets wore the caps of NYC's first responders.  Liza Minelli sang  "New York, New York."  And then Piazza hit that home run.  And the emotions became overwhelming.

After an unseasonably warm December... ...the first words I heard today were "It's 11 degrees in NYC this morning."

I first tried this place last year , at the recommendation of a friend. She's never steered me wrong. So it was time for a return visit.  Parking here is still abysmal -- though there is a valet on Saturday nights -- but the aggravation is worth it.  My big disappointment of the evening -- the mariachis went on break just after we ordered our appetizer, and didn't return until we had finished our meal. But the food! Chips and a mild salsa were placed on our table quickly and replenished without our asking.  Sangria -- his was red, mine white -- was sweet and fruity.  Queso fundido was gooey and savory, though I would have liked a bit more chorizo in the mix.  W each ordered the fajitas combo. Portions of steak, chicken and shrimp served on a bed of onions and peppers, more than enough meat and vegetables to fill the light, delicate flour tortillas that accompanied the dish.  On a separate plate  there were generous portions of rice, ...

Yes, I've lost 43 pounds!  Yay me! I guess that's why the whole thing with Weight Watchers has been so upsetting, I've been doing so well on their program. Guess it's time to let it go, and move on. Game plan is to track my food on My Fitness Pal, staying within my calorie budget while eating a balanced diet.  Fitbit, Fitness Blender and Leslie Sansone will continue to keep me moving in the cold weather, while I'll try to get some interesting walks in while the weather permits. Onward and upward.

"For last year's words belong to last year's language, and next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning..." ~T.S. Eliot New Year's Day.  A time for new beginnings Had a blast last night.  We went to a cozy little restaurant, enjoyed a fine dinner and live music.  After our impromptu singalong, we got up and danced! Today is veg-out-in-front-of-the-TV day.   And tomorrow, who knows?  Anything is possible.