songbird's crazy world

Today’s playlist Circle of Life -- from The Lion King Run Through The Jungle -- CCR The Lion Sleeps Tonight -- The Tokens Baby Elephant Walk -- Henry Mancini Our second Disney day brought us to Animal Kingdom. In that second shot, the photographer asked us to roar like lions... The entrance to Animal Kingdom is beautifully decorated, beautifully themed.  And no one sees it, because they're all so busy running to Pandora, the area of the park devoted to the movie Avatar . If you can't get a Fastpass for the rides in Pandora, you have to get there when the park opens or you might be waiting in quite a long line to ride. First up was Flight of Passage, a flight/simulator/3D/immersive experience. And major disappointment when I could not ride.  The leg restraints would not latch.... Drew loved it, though. The other headliner in Pandora is the Na'vi River ride, a gentle boat ride featuring the people of the planet Pandora.  Beautifully done. A...

So, here we are in EPCOT. So, what did we do in EPCOT? A lot, actually. The park is divided into two sections, Future World (which has a science/ecology viewpoint) and World Showcase, which features pavilions from several countries. We started with Spaceship Earth.  Like much of EPCOT, this ride has an educational component; it gives an overview of man's history, focusing on communication, and suggests a wonderful future in which global communication will become even easier. Next we walked over to Test Track.  This ride is sponsored by Chevrolet.  First you stand at a computer terminal and design a car, then you ride a "test vehicle" on a track.  It's like a roller coaster, lots of banked curves, but no drops. We designed our vehicle and prepared to ride...but just as we got to the front of the line, the cast members announced that the ride was experiencing technical issues and had to be shut down.  At least we didn't get stuck on the ride --- on...

Today’s playlist Let It Go -- from Frozen Road to Morocco -- movie theme Marrakesh Express - Crosby Stills & Nash Mexico -- Jimmy Buffett So, Disney has discarded the concept of spontaneity.  You have to plan, plan, plan your Disney vacation. Do you stay in a Disney-owned hotel, which costs a fortune but provides all sorts of extra perks, or do you stay off site?  (The whole reason we chose to go to Disney this time around was because we could use a friend's vacation home.) There are four theme parks and two water parks at Disney -- do you buy a ticket that confines you to one park per day, or do you buy park hopper passes, so that you can go to more than one park each day?   Do you want to include water parks or not? (We did 5-day park hoppers, no water parks.) Do you want to eat at any of the table-service restaurants in the parks or at the hotels?  You need to make dining reservations in advance. And then there's Fastpass.  I...

Spent a little time at Walt Disney World. #skywatchfriday

Today’s play list Vacation  -- The Go-Go's Two Tickets To Paradise   -- Eddie Money Leaving On a Jet Plane -- Pete, Paul and Mary Changes in Latitude Changes in Attitude -- Jimmy Buffett Ah, the feeling you get when you set your "away" message and walk out of the office... Our travel to Florida was fairly routine.  A friend drove us to JFK, where we boarded a flight to Orlando.  No major mishaps, but I couldn't figure out how to use the  free WiFi on the plane -- the iPad connected to the WiFi, but wouldn't allow access to the net.  I  remembered to bring my new camera, but left the instruction manual and extra battery at home. Arrived in Orlando, where it was sunny and warm, a major contrast to the cold, rainly weather we left behind in New York Picked up our rental car and drove to our friend's vacation home in Davenport.  The tolls on Florida roads are ridiculous.  Our friend owns a unit at Regal Palms.   This i...

Back in January I noticed a performer in the 34th Street subway station: an African-American sax player dressed in a pink suit and red fedora.  He had a cardboard poster set up, all sorts of photos. One photo said something along the lines of “Bill Clinton and me.”  His choice of music was unexpected:  Israeli folk dances.  Yes, he was entertaining the crowd with songs like “Heveinu Shalom Alechem” and “Oseh Shalom”.  Made me want to dance the hora. I've seen him several times since then, always in the 34th Street station.  Each time I saw him, I told myself I would try to find him on the web, but I didn't have enough information to successfully Google him. Until now. He was in the subway station, playing "Tsena Tsena" and selections from Fiddler on the Roof . And there were CD's clipped to the cardboard box where he collects donations from passers-by.  I got some information from one of the CD’s. His name is Isaiah Obama Ric...

Ffull moon rising! It looks almost like a sunrise. But as darkness grows, you can see it's really the moon.       And it looks spooky through the trees. #skywatchfriday

Today is Purim, a Jewish holiday based on the Bibilical story of Queen Esther. The mood of our celebration is similar to Mardi Gras, involving costumes, pageantry, and lots of eating and drinking. It is said that you should drink wine until you can't tell the difference between Haman (the villain) and Mordechi (the hero). One of the  foods associated with Purim is hamantaschen ("Haman's pockets").  A hamatasch is a cookie.  Traditionally the filling was made from prunes or poppy seeds, but nowadays you'll also find them in apricot, raspberry, and even chocolate.  the other day a friend posted a recipe for unicorn hamantaschen, decorated with sprinkles, marshmallows and cotton candy; I just don't think I'm ready for a unicorn hamantasch.  Here's the raspberry hamatasch I picked up at the deli the other day. Now, when you make hamantschen at home, you make them more or less the same size as any other cookie.  But when you buy them in the de...

Terri’s questions for the week: 1.  The first spring flowers are usually daffodils, dandelions, lilies, tulips, iris. and lilacs. Which one of those choices is your favorite?  Have you seen any yet? It’s too early for flowers here, except in stores. Tulips are my favorite  But you forgot to mention crocuses.  hHre are the ones from my yard last spring.   2.  What is your least favorite thing about spring? It takes too long to get here!  Really!  I'm ready for spring by the end of January, but I have to wait until March.  No fair! 3.  Okay, what puts a spring in your step? Warm, sunny weather is a start.... 4.  What is your favorite springtime song?   Yeah, I have a weird sense of humor. but htis one's OK too:   5.  What really says spring to you? When the forsythia bloom.  I see those yellow blossoms and I know warm weather has arrived. 6.  Tell ...

So for this week's blog hop, we're asked to focus on artists who were born in March.  I've narrowed it down to four artists whom I've seen in concert.  Let's start with Neil Sedaka.  He had a string of hits in the late 1950's, then went behind the scenes to write songs for others, until  the resurgence of his performing career in the mid 1970's.  I saw him at Westbury Music Fair in 2012, and he was fantastic. I saw Bon Jovi at MetLife Stadium in 2010, the year the new stadium opened.The Bon Jovi concert was the first to be held in the new stadium. There's so much good music from the band, and from Jon's solo career.  Here's something a bit different. Then there's Mark Lindsay.  Former front man for Paul Revere and the Raiders, he also had several hits as a solo artist.  I've seen him several times at Westbury Music Fair as part of the annual Happy Together Tour.  Yes, that's Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits)  a...

i love a man who cooks ... Drew made corned beef for dinner Friday night, an early St Patrick’s Day celebration.  He bought Irish soda bread, too.  And some really yummy brownies.  Very nice. We went out to dinner last night with friends.  Portuguese churrasqueira.  All-you-can-eat barbecued meats, accompanied by warm dinner rolls, salad, rice, vegetables, French fries ...lots of joking about meat comas and food babies ...but seriously, there was way too much food on my plate ...though we all managed to find room for some natas do ceu for dessert. The weather is changing ... signs of spring are everywhere. By the time we get back from Florida, it may really feel like spring around here. We are flying to Orlando Friday, and we’ll return the following Saturday.  Can you tell I am excited?

Times Square at night.... A view of One Times Square Look in front of the clock.  that's the ball they drop on new Year's Eve. A different ad, the ball changes color... Tunr 180 degrees and this is what you'll see... #skywatchfriday

Terri's questions for the week. NATIONAL GOOD SAMARITAN DAY – March 13 NATIONAL GOOD SAMARITAN DAY National Good Samaritan Day is observed on March 13th.  This day is also known as Good Samaritan Involvement Day. This is a day for unselfish actions to help those in need and to celebrate kindness. The term “good Samaritan” comes from the Bible parable where a Samaritan helped a stranger who had been robbed and beaten and left to die by the side of the road.  The Samaritan not only cleaned the man’s wounds and clothed him, but took him to an inn where he paid for the man’s care. The term is used today to describe those who perform acts of kindness for those in need, especially those who are strangers. HOW TO OBSERVE Make an effort to help someone who is struggling or having a problem. Use #GoodSamaritanDay to post on social media. ------------------------------------------------------ 1.  When did someone come to your rescue and can ...

Yet another chapter in the Marvel/Avengers universe, this is an “origin” movie. (Spoilers ahead.) Stan Lee filmed a cameo for this movie before he died, and there’s a nice tribute to him during the opening credits. As for Captain Marvel. Her name is Vers, and she is a Kree warrior in an intergalactic war. During a battle, she literally falls to Earth, landing inside a Blockbuster video store.  When she asks about communication equipment, she is directed to Radio Shack. Yes, the movie is set in 1995.     She meets a young Nick Fury and Agent Coulson — the beginnings of S.H.I.E.L.D — and discovers she is actually not Kree.  She is Carol Danvers, a former Air Force pilot. We watch her as her superpowers evolve, how she defeats the villains, and becomes Captain Marvel. I really loved Goose the cat. Several of the events in this movie, as well as the two post-credit scenes, are setting up the audience for   Avengers:Endgame. That movie opens next month, and I can har...

My nom   de plume here on the internet is Songbird.  So today the songs I’ve chosen are all about birds. Let's start with, appropriately enough, some Fleetwood Mac; Let's move on to some Paul McCartney: Here's one from Mary Poppins : And let's close it out with this oldie, one of my favorites:

So glad for the change in the weather...it was unseasonably cold on Friday, but by Sunday it's now warm, wet, and springlike. I'm much happier. Drew and I were in the city last night.  We had tickets to see The Monkees Present: The Mike and Micky Show at the Beacon. Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz are touring together.  Great show, especially the tribute to Peter Tork -- a video of Peter singing an old Mills Brothers song. Before the show we grabbed a couple of hamburgers at a local diner, a little hole-in-the-wall completely devoid of atmosphere, but where the owner seems to know most of the clientele as repeat customers from the neighborhood. We had friends who also saw the show last night: L, his wife E and their son J.  We knew they had tickets, but they were seated in a different part of the theater than we were.  We found them before the show  and had a nice chat, but didn't make plans to see them afterwards. But then...Drew and I got onto a Lon...

No new photo this week, either.  It's been unseasonably cold and I've been miserable.  so I thought I'd post a photo from warmer, happier days. #skywatchfriday