songbird's crazy world

Drew and I have booked a cruise on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. It will be our fourth cruise together. Our first was on Premier's Oceanic, a/k/a The Big Red Boat, in 1987. We sailed out of Port Canaveral and made two ports of call: Nassau, Bahamas; and Salt Cay, Premier's private island. The cruise was part of a vacation package that included the Kennedy Space Center and Walt Disney World. Our second cruise, in 2010, was on the Carnival Valor. We sailed out of Miami. Our ports of call were Grand Cayman, Roatan (Honduras), Belize and Cozumel. 2013 found us on the Carnival Breeze, also out of Miami. San Juan (Puerto Rico), St. Thomas (USVI), Grand Turk and St. Maarten/St. Martin. Freedom of the Seas sails out of Port Canaveral. Scheduled ports are Labadee (Haiti), Falmouth (Jamaica), Grand Cayman and Cozumel. We don't sail until October. Plenty if time to plan. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

The news coming out of corporate headquarters is not good. The company posted a loss for 4th quarter 2015 and anticipates a loss for 1st quarter 2016. The company has seen its revenues decline in recent years, but they did post a modest profit 4th quarter 2014. I think they expected Oprah to work her magic. When she bought her shares in October, the price of shares soared. When she did her first commercial, the price of shares went up. When she did her second, there was a modest increase in the price of shares. With the earnings report, the price of shares in Weight Watchers has dropped. A lot. Some are blaming Oprah, that she's not as effective as she used to be in selling a product. But that's only one facet of the story. People forget that Weight Watchers was in decline before Oprah invested. There are so many options available these days. Free apps like My Fitness Pal. Or tracking on the app that came with your Fitbit. Nutrisystem and Jenny Craig are also losing ...

Small, cozy Italian restaurant with a surprise -- a sushi chef and a full sushi menu.  We didn't order any sushi, but there was an amazing sushi platter at the next table. We stuck with more traditional fare.  Crusty bread, dipped in seasoned  olive oil.  Capellini Pescatore, a pasta dish with shrimp and scallops in a tomato-based sauce.  And for dessert, cannoli cream served with biscotti and sliced strawberries in powdered sugar.  Portions were very generous, I brought home leftovers.  Service was smooth and professional.  The parking lot, like most in this neighborhood, is totally inadequate, but valet parking is offered in the evening. A decent meal in pleasant surroundings.  I will be back.

 We came on a Saturday night.  This is a lovely little restaurant in the middle of a Melville office complex. Décor is modern and a bit eclectic -- I really liked the water wall.  The bar is prominently featured in the center of the large dining room.  You can actually see the kitchen from the dining area.  I liked the quotes about food that are displayed prominently above the kitchen. The food... I loved the bread basket, so many varieties of rolls, served with olive oil for dipping.  My shrimp cocktail was excellent.  Shrimp were fresh, the cocktail sauce was freshly made and had just the right "bite".  The lobster bisque -- well, Drew said it had an unfamiliar seasoning, and he wasn't sure he liked it.  Our steaks were perfectly cooked and very tender.  Mine was served on a bed of mashed potatoes -- purple mashed potatoes.  First time I ever ate purple potatoes; they have a slightly different taste than the white, but ...

So my birthday didn't totally suck. My daughter Jen took me out to lunch, and she picked up the check. I had a terrific turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich. I don't get a lot of time with my kids anymore, they both have busy lives, so this was a real treat. And Drew came home from the hospital. He had abdominal surgery, so he'll be on a liquid diet for awhile, but at least he's home. He got quite a scolding from Duchess, how dare he abandon his feline child? I found out I share a birthday with John Travolta, Juice Newton, Dennis DeYoung and Vanna White. Wow. My "birthday cake" was a supermarket donut. I enjoyed every bite. So I completed another trip around the sun. And hopefully many more to come. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

So Drew's surgery was yesterday. We arrived at the hospital at 5 in the morning. They chased me out of pre-op around 7, and I headed to the hospital lobby. The doctor called me at 10 to let me know surgery was successful and Drew was in recovery. Drew was in recovery for the rest of the day. It takes him a very long time to come out of anesthesia. And then they couldn't find a bed for him. I stayed until he was settled in his room. That was around 10 PM. Yesterday the doctor thought Drew could go home today. I'm looking at him in his bed right now, and I am convinced he will be staying another night. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I am still reeling from the news. Justice Scalia is dead. My sympathies to his family and friends. But for a Supreme Court Justice to die ... In the middle of an election year ... I respect Scalia's brilliance. But I disagree with him on every single issue. I've been "fan girling" (as Becca put it) Professor Tribe for three decades. The Constitution (that I swore to uphold when I became a member of the bar) is a living, breathing document. We are now left with a court divided 4-4, or 5-3 if Kennedy swings -- as he has done many, many times. This election cycle just took on a whole new dimension. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin S o the other night I came home and found Jen doing her taxes.  She was using an online program that guided her every step.  She still had a couple of questions for me, but she managed it mostly on her own.  Another sign of adulthood. Becca called me the other night, she had a problem.  I wasn't really able to help, but I'm glad  she sought my advice.  She just learned a costly lesson about high pressure sales tactics and consumer contracts.  Part of growing up, I guess. Jen has been spending a lot of time at her boyfriend's house.  I really like him.  He's back in school, studying to be a registered nurse.  Very good choice for a guy, I think.  Becca is spending a lot of time with her ex boyfriend.  Last time I asked, she told me that they were "just friends".   I think it's going to be more than that eventu...

 With all the good diners serving breakfast here on Long island, it's a little surprising that IHOP does so well here. Or is it? They do pancakes.  And they do them oh so well.  Light, fluffy pancakes with many choices of toppings.  Strawberry banana pancakes came topped with sliced berries, bananas, strawberry syrup and whipped cream.  Harvest grain pancakes were hearty and nutty.  I was very much tempted by the red velvet pancakes... If you don't want pancakes (sacrilege!), there's French toast, crepes, omelettes.... Service was friendly and efficient.  Our coffee cups were never left empty. I was happy with this location, in a storefront on Old Country Road instead of the traditional blue-roof chalet.   The decent-sized lobby avoids the overcrowding problem I have seen in many other locations while waiting for a table.  The parking lot is way too small, though. Already planning our next visit...

So....in 2005 I had a very bad health issue.  A year of hell. And some really great doctors who got me through it. And immediately afterwards, I decided to do something to improve my health, to improve my life.  I joined Weight Watchers.  In 2006-2007 I lost 70 pounds. And then I fell off the wagon, so to speak, and in 2008 I regained 40 pounds.  My New Year's resolution in 2009 was to lose those 40 pounds and continue to lose weight until I hit my goal.    But I never got my head in the game.  Not only didn't I lose those 40 pounds, I gained another...well, at least another 40. Lesson learned.  I'm sticking with it this time. But here's my dilemma (and it's kind of nice to have this "problem"). I've lost almost 50 pounds.  All my winter clothes are big on me. But we are more than halfway through winter.  I don't want to buy new stuff that I'll wear for just a few weeks.  It's not like I'll wear them again next year, ...

Even as a kid, I was never much of an athlete.  I mean, I enjoyed swimming, I enjoyed riding my bike, I enjoyed playing kickball and volley ball and etc.  I even liked archery and horseback riding.  But other than swimming (I swam like a fish), I wasn't very good at anything that required strength or coordination. I joined a gym once, when I was first married.  I'd won 6 months of membership in a raffle.  Went for awhile, but didn't keep it up. Too expensive.  And inconvenient --  we had moved to a new neighborhood.  Not to mention, unmotivated.  When Jen and Becca were little, I joined the Jewish Community Center.  I loved going there, taking them to use the pool and play in the gym.  Even after they stopped going, I kept up my membership for a long time.  When I lost all that weight a few years ago, I was swimming at the JCC and walking on their indoor track 2 or 3 times a week. But you know what happened.  ...

I'm very passionate about politics, but until recently I've kept my politics out of this blog. But this year, I'm finding that I can't stay silent. This year's presidential election is far too important. You may have guessed, from that little piece I wrote on Ted Cruz, that I'm not a Republican. Let me be perfectly clear. I support Hillary Clinton. I liked her as First Lady, I was proud to vote for her for US Senate, I was crushed in 2008 when she lost the nomination to Barack Obama. I plan to vote for her in the NYS primary in April. But last night I felt a thrill, a thrill I haven't felt since Al Gore chose Joe Lieberman as his running mate. Bernie Sanders. Born in Brooklyn, to Polish Jewish immigrants. Bernie Sanders, whose youthful experiences include living on an Israeli kibbutz. Last night, Bernie Sanders became the first Jewish candidate to win a presidential primary. I am bursting with ethnic pride. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A wonderful send up of everything Hollywood once held dear,  this movie satirizes religion, politics, social mores and, of course, the movie industry itself.  It's a combination of social commentary and gentle humor. The story is set in Hollywood in the 1950's.   Eddie  Mannix (Josh Brolin) runs the studio. He has to deal with various movies and their stars. Actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is in the middle of filming an religious epic set in 1st Century Rome (shades of "The Robe" with a little "Ben Hur" thrown in for good measure) , when he is kidnapped, in full costume, and brought  to a beach house by a group of Communist writers. Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) is a singing cowboy (Gene Audry?   Roy Rogers?)  terribly miscast in an erudite, Noel Coward-ish film directed by Laurence Laurenz (Ralph Fiennes). Hobie has a date for his movie premier with Carlotta Valdez (Veronica Osorio), clearly a Carmen Miranda type. Then there's DeeAnna...

So since I quit Weight Watchers.... I started by using My Fitness Pal and tracking calories.  Then my Facebook group started talking about all the apps they use -- iTrackBites, ProTracker, Ultimate Food Value Diary.  These are knockoff apps that allow the user to follow the old Weight Watchers plan, Points Plus. You know, the plan I started using back in March? Seeing those apps was like coming home. I think the best one, in terms of layout, is Ultimate Food Value Diary.  And, joyfully, there's an in-app purchase that allows you to link the app with Fitbit, so activity points are calculated automatically. Right now I'm following Points Plus, using the Ultimate Food Value Diary. But I'm also tracking on My Fitness Pal.  It has a better database of foods, and it's giving me good feedback about the nutritional content of the foods I eat.    And I'm seeing a real relationship between the "points" I'm using and the calories and nutritional value...

If you're looking for a quiet place for a casual bite to eat ...this is NOT the place.It's loud, it's kitschy, it tends to be crowded at times. But, as with any chain, you know what to expect before you even see a menu.  Though I was a bit surprised, the menu has been revised since the last time we ate here, the number of offerings has been reduced -- I couldn't help but notice that most of the lower-calorie dishes have been removed. Still, where else can you get Jack Daniels steaks?  Cooked to order, with a choice of two sides.  Simple and tasty. Service was friendly and efficient. A decent option.

Ah, the birther movement. Those right wing nut jobs who insisted, over and over, that Barack Obama was not eligible to be President of the United States.  They insisted that Obama's birth certificate, duly recorded by the appropriate authorities in the State of Hawaii, was a forgery, and that Obama was actually born in Kenya, the homeland of his father. How delightful to see that their favorite son, Ted Cruz, has a legitimate "birther" issue.  Cruz has been a citizen since birth, but is he a "natural born citizen" as is required by the Constitution?  Or is he disqualified from serving as President? Yeah, I know, I don't usually talk politics here.  But this is too good to ignore.... The State of Illinois Board of Elections recently answered the question in response to a challenge from the voters:  Cruz is a "natural born citizen".  I don't think it's going to stop with the Illinois Board of Elections.  Prepare for the onslaught if Cru...

The news reports out of Flint are truly disturbing. So they pulled water from the river and didn't treat it, so that the lead pipes corroded. So they ignored all the complaints about the foul color, smell, taste. So they tried to discredit those who said there was a problem. So they provided bottled water to a State employees while telling residents that there was no problem, that the water was safe. And now I hear that there's an ongoing criminal investigation involving the FBI. UNBELIEVABLE - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

It happened before I was born...Buddy Holly, Richie Valens, J. P. Richardson, known as the Big Bopper...a winter tour...a plane crash...the stuff of legends.... Immortalized by Don McLean in a song oh-so-famous song that ushered in the 70's with a look back at the 50's and 60's. We were doing a lot of that in the 70's, looking back at the idyllic but straight-laced 1950's and comparing that era with the turbulent 1960's.   Movies like "American Graffiti" led to shows like "Happy Days".   The nostalgia was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Still, there's no denying that the deaths of Holly, Valens and Richardson had a profound effect on an entire generation.   And McLean captured it so well:

Tradition holds that on Groundhog Day,  if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow,  then spring will come early; if it is sunny, the groundhog will  see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and there will be six more weeks of winter weather. It's been a mild winter so far.  One record-breaking blizzard, of course, but otherwise fairly warm. I won't complain if it stays like this until spring arrives.

A new month, filled with new possibilities.