songbird's crazy world

The autumn equinox isn't until September 21, the weather in September is generally warm and sunny.  Yet when Labor Day arrives, we all turn our calendars to "Fall".   Drew went back to work this week, Jen goes back next week. The community pool is about to close for the season, the fall TV shows are about to premiere.  My mailbox is stuffed with catalogues featuring the new fall fashions.  I went to Sunken Meadow after work yesterday.  Can't tell you how many high school sports teams were there, taking a run on the boardwalk.  I took a 3 mile walk, and it felt so good.  But by the time I finished walking, the sun had set, and the park employees were beginning to move people off the sand -- the park closes at dusk.  In a few short weeks I won't be able to go for a walk here... I guess that's why I haven't been to the gym in the last few weeks.  I've wanted to be outside, to squeeze in as much summer as I can ...

Last night was "Jewish Heritage Night" at Bethpage Ballpark. The first 1500 fans to enter the ballpark each received a "L'Chaim Cup": The flag of Israel flew beneath the American flag, and Hatikvah was played: "The Star Spangled Banner" was sung by a synagogue choir.  And the scoreboard, the cards introducing the players were altered to fit the night's theme: I wanted a photo of the pitcher's introduction  card -- he was #18.  By the time I got my camera out, his card was gone, never to return -- they use the DH in Atlantic League baseball,   "18" is chai , and that means life -- but there was no life in the pitcher, he couldn't seem to find the strike zone. We stayed until the bitter end...final score 5-2.  Our next Ducks game will be a playoff game, at the end of September.

One of the best breakfasts I've had. Thomas's is a stand-alone diner that looks much the same as it did when the place opened in 1946.  You'll usually find a line out the door during breakfast hours.  Not only must you wait for a table, you must wait to sit at the counter. We chose the counter, and had an excellent view of the magnets that the owner's family collected over the years: The breakfast menu is extensive, and features pancakes, waffles and French toast.  But their signature dishes are all egg-based: omelettes, fritattas and scrambles.Egg dishes are served in an individual skillet, along with home fires and toast. For my first experience I chose something basic, a Texan scramble -- 3 eggs, bacon, sausage, onion, pepper and cheddar cheese. The onion was wilted but not caramelized, the green peppers were still crisp, and the cheese didn't overpower the rest of the dish.  The potatoes were crispy, not greasy.  I didn't really taste the ba

What they don't tell you about platelet donation:  SODIUM!!!!!! The Red Cross explains the donation process as follows: During a platelet donation, a small portion of your blood (about 1/4 pint at a time), is drawn from your arm and passed through a sophisticated cell-separating machine. The machine collects the platelets and safely returns the remaining blood components, along with some saline, back to you. After the donation you can resume your normal activities, avoiding heavy lifting or strenuous exercise that day. And guess what they use as an anti coagulant while they're processing your blood? Sodium citrate.  And when the donation is over, the nurse asks you to drink some juice and eat some very salty food, like pretzels.  And then I ate Chinese take out...and we went out for burgers... I donated platelets on Friday, and by Monday, I'd gained over 5 pounds. It was  frustrating to see that number on the scale.  I was almost ready to throw in the towel

The first time was in college.  I had never done it before, but everyone else was doing it.  I admit, I was both curious and fearful. Curiosity won the day. So I  let the vampire remove a pint of the precious red substance, my lifeblood. Yes, I've been donating blood since I was in college.  I am a proud member of the Gallon Club.  Last week I tried something different.  Platelet donation. It's a more complicated process than a whole blood donation, and requires a longer time commitment.  It was a bit uncomfortable, but not painful.  I wasn't sure I would agree to do it again... Until the nurse/phlebotomist told we "We have enough for two doses.  You've saved two lives today."

Last summer, Drew and I spent a day at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.  The Intrepid , as you may recall, was an aircraft carrier, known primarily for its missions during WW II and the Vietnam War.  It's a museum now, permanently docked at Pier 86.  You can read about last year's visit here .  Well, Drew so thoroughly enjoyed last year's visit that he decided to become a member of the museum.  And that's how we were invited to an after-hours "open house" for museum members.  Most of the exhibits were open, and there were special tours and talks for the members.  We had a chance to view the Vietnam section of the hanger deck, which was under construction when we were at the museum last summer.  We had the opportunity to view memorabilia found on the ship or  donated by various sailors, such as survival kits, cigarette lighters, log books, etc.,  which are not on public display.  And we took an in-depth tour of the space shuttle Enterprise . But wha

Yes, it's that time of year.  Time to sign up for the annual breast cancer walk at Jones Beach. I try to do the walk every year.  It's my way of giving back for all the kindness and support I received when I was sick 11 years ago.  Except for the year I worked the registration tent, and the two  years when I signed up to walk but didn't go to the beach, I've always done the walk.   You start at Field 5, walk to the West End bathhouse, turn around at the tribute fence, and come back to Field 5. (I'm a little confused, though.  The route hasn't changed, but apparently the distance has.  When I first started doing the walk, the website and promotional materials said it was a "five mile walk".  In later years,  the promotion materials said it was a "five kilometer walk".  This year the website says, once again, that the walk is five miles. Five kilometers is just over three miles, so that's a huge difference, isn't it? ) When I firs

We travelled up to Tuxedo this weekend for another delightful day at the Renaissance Faire. Usually I wear a skirt and blouse, things from my closet that, when put together, have a Renaissance "look".  This year I wore an actual costume (sorry, I didn't pose for any pictures).  I hadn't done that in years.  I think it's good to  exercise your imagination every once in awhile. (There was an episode of the original Star Trek series all about how the more advanced a society becomes, the bigger the need to "play"...) Drew likes to shop for armor and weapons -- last year he bought a spear, this year he was looking for a shield.  I like to look at all the other crafts -- jewelry, clothes, decorative pieces.  I collect pewter figurines -- dragons, castles, unicorns and the like.  Didn't buy anything new this year, but it was fun to look. There's an interesting variety of food stands at the Faire.  this year I was able to buy chicken pad thai for

Back to the Rennaisance Faire again this year, and back to Orange Top.  Comforting to know some things never change.  We were seated promptly, served coffee immediately.  Eggs, hash browns, toast, bacon and sausage were placed in front of us quickly and efficiently.  We'll be back next year.

So I went to visit my friend in the hospital.  Things are worse than I thought.  I hope I was able to cheer her up a bit.   Our visit left me more worried about her than I was before I saw her. We were talking about Sunken Meadow.  She told me that she and her daughter went to the park and sat on the boardwalk, how it reminded her of when she was younger and she'd go to Sunken Meadow to swim.  And I told her how I go up to Sunken Meadow occasionally to walk the boardwalk. And then she asked me how old I am.  And when I told her -- I'm ten years younger than she is -- she said something about how great it is that I am still so active at my age, when she was my age she was beginning to "wind down".  I am going to assume that what she meant by "wind down" is exclusively about physical activity.  I've known this woman for probably about 6 or 7 years, and she leads a very busy and rewarding life.  She loves her music and she loves her students.  And s

    Composed by Andrew Lloyd Webber, and based on poetry by T.S. Elliot, Cats opened in London in 1981, and on Broadway in 1982. In 1997 it became the longest-running show on Broadway. When it closed in September 2000, it had run 7,485 performances. Nominated for 11, it was awarded 7 Tonys. Those yellow eyes stared at you from the marquee of the Wintergarden Theater for years.  And long after the show closed, I'd find myself looking for those eyes every time I walked near that theater.  I had two cast albums, the original London cast and the Broadway cast, I had the Broadway album memorized, and I could tell you, in glorious detail, what was changed when the show came across the pond. I saw the show three times during its record-breaking run.  I loved the video production that was done in 1998.  I actually named my cat "Mr. Mistoffelees". I am pleased to know that the revival is coming to Broadway in the fall.

As I mentioned yesterday, my friend is back in the hospital. She was supposed to be heading to Florida for a vacation with her family.  Instead she's sitting in a hospital with her foot propped up, hoping to finally get it to heal.  If her foot doesn't heal, she may have to face some unpleasant choices, some nasty consequences... I am so worried for her.  This has been going on since April.  I keep hoping she'll get better, but I am so afraid that this situation is not going to end well. She's in good hands, I hope they can help.

My friend -- the one who spent most of the spring in the hospital -- just had to cancel her Disney vacation. She's back in the hospital, her foot still hasn't healed. So it seems Jen went away for the weekend, up to Connecticut to hang with her friends from college.  Becca is planning a short getaway to Hershey.  I love that place, took the girls there several times. And the girls are talking about a trip together, a few days in Washington, DC. Meanwhile Drew and I are planning our October trip.

We wanted something a little different. Drew suggested Mi Casa Dominican -- he'd eaten here before, with friends. I'm always interested in something new. A storefront restaurant in a strip mall, it's a large, airy, pleasant room.  I believe this place is family-owned.  And we were the only customers not fluent in Spanish.  We were served garlic bread with our drink order.  Nice touch. It was a bit drier than the garlic bread you'd get in an Italian restaurant, but very tasty. We started with the Picedera Tipica, a sampler platter for two people.  The menu describes it as a platter of fried beef, pork shrimp, cheese, fried  plantains and yucca fries.   The platter designed for two can easily feed four people, I can't imagine the size of the platter meant for four. I enjoyed the platter, for the most part.  The plantains were very good.  But I didn't care for the sausage.  And there was disappointment:  we had  one -- count it, one -- fried shrimp on t

This article says everything I've been trying to say. Political violence is no joke   By William Kennedy Smith and Jean Kennedy Smith Opinions August 10 William Kennedy Smith and Jean Kennedy Smith are the nephew and sister of President John. F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, who was assassinated on June 6, 1968. On April 4, 1968, the day the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was shot and killed, Robert Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency in Indianapolis. Bobby conveyed the news of King’s death to a shattered, mostly black audience. He took pains to remind those whose first instinct may have been toward violence that President John F. Kennedy had also been shot and killed. Bobby went on , “What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness, but is love, and wisdom, and compassion toward one another, and a feeling of justice toward those who stil

I am too young to remember the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.  My mother tells me that I saw Jack Ruby kill Lee Harvey Oswald, but I really don't remember. I have vague childhood memories of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., and then, a few months later, of Bobby Kennedy.  I remember Kennedy's funeral.  I remember the turmoil, the civic unrest, that followed their deaths. Words matter.

So I'm cruising down the highway in my cute Prius. I'm just keeping up with the traffic.  And I glance at the speedometer. I'm doing 102! 102 kilometers per hour, that is.  I must have pressed the wrong button on the steering wheel.  Of course I need to switch it back to miles per hour.  Seeing that "102" is a bit disconcerting. So I look in the Owner's Manual, no help at all. Drew tried to figure it out, no luck. Google led me to YouTube.  Problem resolved.

John Hinckley Jr.is being released from the mental hospital that has been his home since 1981.  The professionals have determined that he is no longer a threat to himself or others. Do you remember March 30, 1981?  I was 21 years old, a college student, enjoying an internship in the New York State Assembly. I learned a lot about politics and the political process that semester. And on that cold March day, I learned fear... Hinckley did it to impress actress Jodie  Foster.  He was obsessed with the movie Taxi Driver, in which Foster appeared, where the main character plots to kill a presidential candidate. Words matter.

So last night we were at (yet another) Ducks game. Bottom of the 9th and the ducks are down 7-4.  And there, on the scoreboard, is a video... I couldn't stop laughing. Turns out the video is from a cheese commercial...

Gabby Giffords is an incredibly brave and beautiful woman.  I had the pleasure of hearing her speak in April.  Gabby Giffords was doing her job, out greeting her constituents, when she (along with several others) was shot. Just a few months earlier, Sarah Palin posted a graphic on line, targeting members of Congress who supported the Affordable Care Act.  She literally put Giffords, among others, in the cross hairs of a gunsight... Words matter.

Yigal Amir. Remember him? November 4, 1995 ring any bells? What if I said Yitzhak Rabin? Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated by Yigal Amir on November 4, 1995. In 1993 Rabin met with President Bill Clinton and Yassir Arafat, in hopes of establishing peace between Israel and the Palestinians. He and Arafat were awarded the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize for their roles in creating the Oslo Accords. Amir was a right wing extremist who believed Rabin was a traitor to the Jewish people. The political atmosphere in Israel ...there were rallies opposing the Oslo Accords, rallies portraying Rabin as a traitor, as a Nazi... Words matter. When Trump and his supporters call Hillary "the devil", proclaim she is "the founder of ISIS", scream "lock her up..."  When he calls for her assassination... It takes just one crazy to do it... Words matter.

Called Becca last week, I want to go into the city and meet her for dinner.  She was too busy, she was working late because she had to cover for vacationing coworkers. Jen will be done with summer school this week, and then she has a few weeks off until school starts again in September.  I'm not sure if she has any plans.  She and her boyfriend took a mini vacation, more like a long weekend, on the East End; some friends got married at one of the North Fork vineyards.  No summer vacation for me this year.    Drew and I are planning a trip in October.  I'm excited about the trip.  But right now I'd like to be doing something fun ...

Originally we planned to see Suicide Squad , a take on all the recent superhero movies.  But then we decided to be grown ups, to see something a bit more intellectual:  Café Society . Woody Allen's latest is a sentimental, nostalgic romance set in the 1930's.  The main character, Bobby, is (unsurprisingly) a nebbish,  who grew up in a neurotic Jewish family in the Bronx.  He heads to California to work for his uncle Phil, a Hollywood agent.  He meets Vonnie, an unconventional Midewesterner.  He falls in love with Vonnie, and Vonnie turns to him when her married boyfriend dumps her. If you're looking for a happy romance...look elsewhere.  Ultimately Bobby returns to New York, becomes a successful nightclub operator, and marries someone else. It's a wistful romance punctuated by comedic bits involving the neurotic Jewish relatives.  It's certainly not on par with movies like Sleeper , Annie Hall or Manhattan.  But it was definitely worthwhile.

To put it bluntly -- don't bother. They were "spicy" but not really flavorful.  Indistinguishable from any other "hot and spicy" chip I've ever tasted. 

Weight Watchers reported its 2nd quarter earnings on Thursday.  They did not meet expectations, their revenue was lower than anticipated.  The price of their stock fell, of course.  I'm not surprised. I'm back to following the Weight Watchers plan....the old one, Points Plus, that I loved.  It's a much better plan than what they offer now.  I downloaded an app called iTrackBites.  I'm still tracking calories on My Fitness Plan, I love the nutritional feedback you get from that app.  I'm finding that  doing Points Plus encourages me to eat more fruits and vegetables than I was eating when I was simply counting calories. Not to mention, I've used that app consistently since I started the process in March 2015, so I can see exactly how I'm doing on this weight loss journey. Although my official weigh in day is Monday, I got on the scale this morning.  And saw a number I haven't seen since before Becca was born.  Total weight loss since I joined My F

The Olympics begin tonight. Is Rio ready?  We've heard all the usual delayed construction stories, as well as a few new to this venue -- polluted waterways, the Zika virus.  We've already seen athletes and reporters headed for Ipanema and Copacabana. preparing for the games. I didn't watch very much of the London games four years ago.  I think the highlight, for me, was seeing Ali Raisman perform her floor routine to "Hava Nagila", and the bold statement she made about the Israeli athletes lost at Munich in 1972. I plan to record tonight's Opening Ceremony so I can fast forward through all the boring parts.  I'll probably watch the gymnastics, maybe some of the swimming.  And the closing ceremonies, of course.  But the rest?  Probably not. For the next two weeks we will get an endless stream of Olympic news, so at least we get a break from Donald Trump's mouth.

The weather was absolutely perfect yesterday.  Not too hot, not too cold, not too humid, not too windy.  A perfect summer day. I headed for the beach after work.  I'm really loving the walks on the boardwalk.  Sunken Meadow's boardwalk is 3/4 of a mile end-to-end.  Most people congregate at the middle of the boardwalk, because that's where the main bathhouse, the park office, the lifeguards,  and refreshment stand are located.  It's much quieter at either end of the boardwalk. I always start at the main bathhouse, and walk east as far as I can go.  There's a refreshment stand at the eastern end of the boardwalk, but I've never seen it open during the week.  I wonder if they open it on weekends, when the park is busier. I turn around and walk west as far as I can.  There's a building on the western end of the boardwalk, it used to be a refreshment stand, but now it's a catering facility.  I've seen weddings and other parties being held at th

Every summer, Lay's comes out with four new flavors of potato chips, limited editions that can either be wonderful  or horrible.  This year's flavors are Chinese Szechuan Chicken, Brazilian Picanha, Wavy Greek Tzatziki and Kettle Cooked Indian Tikka Masala.  I think this year's offerings are supposed to spark interest in the Olympics and/or international travel.  I have no interest in the Chinese or Brazilian flavors -- the idea of a potato chip flavored to resemble meat just doesn't appeal to me. But given that I am a sucker for Greek food, I had to try the Greek Tzatziki chips.  I also bought the Tikka Masala chips, but haven't tried them yet. Tzatziki makes sense as a chip flavor.  I guess that's because it's a dip. I mean, we all eat potato chips flavored with sour cream and onion, after all.  Tzatziki has a slightly different taste, it's yogurt and garlic and herbs.  If you like sour cream and onion flavored chips, you'll probably like t

So we went to The Pit Stop about a month ago, and I enjoyed the experience so much that I was determined to come back and try something else. Listed on the menu as a "signature dish" is The Pit Stop's "spaghetti squash primavera".  It's the dish the owner prepared for Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives . I had to try it.  Spaghetti squash, zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower...marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese. The dish was served in a bowl, not in the shell from the spaghetti squash, and with less mozzarella than you see depicted  in the cooking segment.  But ...oh, wow.  A completely vegetarian dish, relative low calorie, and incredibly rich and satisfying.  This dyed-in-the-wool carnivore never missed the meat.  I'd ordered a side dish of grilled mixed vegetables.  I took the grilled vegetables home, I was too full after the spaghetti squash.  Yes, this place is definitely going to be one of my "go-to" restaurants.

Drew is a member of the class of '76.  Yes, he graduated from high school during the Bicentennial.  Hard to believe it was 40 years ago. So Saturday night found us at a local hotel for the 40th reunion.  Open bar, buffet dinner, DJ and dancing.  There were 500 people in his graduating class.  Only 65-75 people showed up for the reunion.  Some have moved away and couldn't get back to Long Island, some have passed away, and some just didn't have the interest... (Two years from now, when my class has a reunion, you can put me in the "didn't have the interest" category.) I really didn't know anyone at the reunion.  I ate, I danced, I made small talk with people I don't know and will likely never see again.  Not a great evening, but not a bad one either. It was Drew's night to have fun, and he did.