songbird's crazy world

Welcome to the third annual Songbird Halloween Party. First a song from Blondie A little CCR Cher.... Tubular Bells will send shivers up your spine. But Don't Fear the Reaper. And  I will close out this Rocktober with a classic from the Eagles.  Something that is perfect for today ...

More Halloween music

We went to a birthday party Saturday night.  The party was for one of Drew’s coworkers, who is turning 40 this week.  All of the guests were 40 or younger...Drew and I are old enough to be their parents... I feel old ... But the party was fun.  German restaurant, I had wiener schnitzel, spaetzle and red cabbage.  Yum. The weather Sunday -- windy and rainy.  I think it was the tail end of a tropical storm.  three days later, the streets are still covered with wet leaves. "Mom's taxi" was back in service Sunday night.  Or should I say, "Mom's Uber"?  Becca needed a ride from our house on Long Island to her apartment on the East Side.  We're in the car, listening to the radio, and a Britney Spears song comes on...and Becca is singing along, just like she used to. Sweet memories. One of my weekend tasks?  I addressed 150 postcards to my neighbors, asking them to vote for my candidate for town council.  Early voting has already begun (that's som

So I went to college in Albany, NY.  And there was a great dance club in Saratoga, a place called The Rafters.    The student government would organize a bus trip from the campus to the club several times a year.  The drive time from campus to the club was about 45 minutes. And I remember dancing to the B-52's. this one appears on many "Halloween"lists. And who could ever forget "Tin roof...rusted":

Seems he added something new this year.

This week's theme   Songs of the season.  You can celebrate Halloween, or autumn, or both I love Halloween.  I love the costumes, the spooky movies, the trips to a haunted house.  I'm not  as crazy as my cousin. He starts working on his Halloween decorations in August. And he and his lovely wife had a "Nightmare Before Christmas" themed wedding. But nevertheless, I do love the holiday. The Halloween playlist on my iPad contains over 3 hours of music. I'll pick out a few of my favorites for you. So, welcome to my Halloween party. Let's start with Classics IV and "Spooky” Let's dance.  Anyone remember "The Time Warp"? Or do you prefer "The Monster Mash"? When there's something strange in your neighborhood, who you gonna call? I'll close it out with some Annie Lennox

A minute of silence, please, for the 11 who died at Tree of Life Synagogue one year ago today.

How can you have Rocktober and not mention the Beatles?

So every time Drew and I take a cruise, we make sure to spend time looking at the stars.  Our stargazing usually takes place after dinner.  And most of the time there's music playing in my head:

I've been too busy this week to prepare  a post for SkyWatch Friday...sigh.... Sigh...a friend is out of work and looking for a new job.  He signed up for LinkedIn and asked to link with me.  Of course I accepted the request.  I looked at his profile, and it's a total mess.  I offered some constructive criticism. He politely thanked me but would not listen.  Some people are beyond help.  I sincerely hope he finds a job, but I'm still rolling my eyes... I've been in the Long Island office for the better part of the week on a "special project".  I do not miss my commute into Manhattan...I'm hoping to get a permanent transfer back to the Long Island office next year. Those extra hours of sleep in the morning are making a huge difference. How easy it is to fall back into an old routine.. On my way to the office I stopped at Dunkin Donuts for coffee ....I place an order through the app, and my food is ready for pickup  when I get to the restaurant. 

One fine day in May 2015, Drew sent me a text message:   Want to go to The Who concert tonite? Do I?  If you can get tickets... He said, "I will." I said, " You better, you bet."   Seems a friend of his had tickets to the show, and couldn't use them... and we got to go .   Great concert.

If you've been to Disney World, no doubt you are familiar with the Rock 'n'  Roller Coaster.  It's an indoor roller coaster.  The pre show for this ride takes you inside a recording studio, where Aerosmith is finishing up a song before heading to a concert venue.  They invite the audience to join them at the concert, and tell the audience to board a limo. The roller coaster cars are designed to look like limousines, and the theming along the track is supposed to simulate a highway. Aerosmith music is pumped into the speakers of your headrest while you ride. So we were in Disney World. Jen must have been 7 or 8, and was nervous about riding this coaster.  We waited in the queue for a long time (yeah, it's Disney), and finally it was our turn to board. And as the car pulled up, we saw that the previous rider had vomited all over the seat. Jen did not ride the Rock 'n' Roller coaster until she was in high school,  on a trip with her cheer leading team

A sad story.  The concert I missed... It was 1981.  I graduated from college in May, and started law school at the end of August. And promptly came down with mono. Ugh. I missed a week of school.  My doctor said I could go back to school...but I wasn't allowed to do anything except go to class, eat my meals, and go back to my room to study or sleep. Social activities were  strictly forbidden. And then, on September 19, 1981, Simon & Garfunkel gave a free  concert in Central Park.   And all of my friends decided to go. And I followed my doctor's orders. I've regretted it ever since.

A cultural history of rock and roll, the lyrics of Don McLean's American Pie are the subject of much  speculation and debate. I remember reading a long article in the newspaper that explained every reference.  I bought the 45 -- the "A" side contained the first half of the song, and the song continued on the "B" side. The song was released in 1972, when I was 12.  I was fascinated with the lyrics, and memorized each verse.  The song was so long that radio DJ's joked about playing it when they needed to take a bathroom break. I can still sing the whole thing from memory.

So one of the joys of October is a visit to a Haunted House.  Dark corridors, strobe lights, fog machines, loud noises, actors out to scare you, and lots of screaming teenagers...it's like Disneyland for horror movie fans... One year Drew and I went to  the Chamber of Horrors .   Another year we went to the Gateway Theater . But we've made multiple visits to the Bayville Scream Park   -- in 2009 , 2011 and 2015 . And again last Saturday night. During the summer, the Bayville Adventure Park caters to young children.  Across the street from the public beach, it features miniature golf, climbing apparatus, bumper boats, an arcade, etc. Come autumn, however... The park has now expanded to include six different haunted houses, each with its own theme and backstory. Each house requires a separate admission fee.  Of course, we simply had to see all six houses. Each house takes about 15 minutes to view.  With wait times for each attraction, we spent the entire

Today we salute Guardians of The Galaxy , the awesome mix tapes... From volume one: Spirit in the Sky Hooked on a Feeling (we used to call it the "ooga chaka song") And it time to Escape Moving on the volume two... A little Fox on the Run . It's time to Surrender . We have to include Glen Campbell And let's close it out with Fleetwood Mac We won't see the third movie until May 2021...I'm dying here....

You know that I am a huge fan of my fellow Long Islander, Billy Joel. When I was in high school I had a teacher, Ms. G.  She was a graduate of Hicksville High School.  Billy Joel was in her graduating class, but she didn't really know him. She told us "He was never in school."  He didn't graduate with his class in 1967, but 50 years later he was invited to address the class of 2017 . Drew actually met Billy Joel before he was famous.  Drew's older sister used to hang out at the Hicksville Sweet Shop, and sometimes she'd let Drew tag along.  Apparently Billy Joel liked to hang out at the Sweet Shop too. Anyhow, Joel recorded a song that is absolutely perfect for Rocktober. And now some of my other favorites:

Drew and I booked a Caribbean cruise for February 2010.  We both celebrate our birthday in February, and thought the cruise would be a great way to celebrate. We'd actually be on board the ship for my birthday.  We were both excited for the tropics. And when I visited the cruise-oriented message boards, everyone was talking about how Jimmy Buffett music got them into the mood for a tropical vacation.  I wasn't a big Buffett fan, but the idea of tropical rock... Jimmy Buffett did a concert at Madison Square Garden in November 2009.  Our newspaper ran a contest, and the prize was tickets to Buffett's concert.   I entered the contest. I won!  floor seats! I've been a a parrothead ever since.

There was this guy I knew in law school...we had a thing for awhile...we went out to celebrate the day he got a job offer from the firm where he is now a partner...and this was on the jukebox.

So this week Jews are celebrating the holiday of Sukkot. In Biblical times, Sukkot was a pilgrimage festival, a harvest festival where Jews brought fruits to the Temple in Jerusalem. In modern times, Jews build a temporary hut called a Sukkah,  meant to remind us of the huts our ancestors used while wandering in the desert for 40 years.  Meals are supposed to be eaten in the Sukkah, weather permitting, and some people even sleep in the Sukkah. There is also the custom of waving the lulav  and etrog.  A lulav is a sort of wand made out of a palm frond woven with myrtle and willow branches.  The etrog is a citron fruit — it looks like a lumpy lemon. So last night I took the subway from Wall Street to Atlantic Avenue, as I usually do, when I was approached by a Lubavitcher. Lubavitchers are members of a Hasidic sect.  They proselytize, but only to other (less observant) Jews.  (Like me.) This gentleman had a lulav and etrog.  He asked if I wanted to recite the blessing.   You can do that

#skywatchfriday

Trying to explain to a friend how to find the house...and I naturally consult Google Maps.... And the image was captured in November of last year.... If you look carefully you can see his taxidermy shingle on the lawn....

So last night I had to drive home from Drew's house in the pouring rain.  A nor'easter pounded Long Island with wind and rain.  Not a fun drive. But I drove past the house that I've dubbed "Halloween House." It's a Tudor-style house that belongs to a taxidermist -- his shingle hangs outside.  and every year he does the most amazing Halloween decorations! And I thought "I should come back when the weather isn't so bad and take a few photos for the blog." And then I realized, I've already done that.  Twice. Here are the links to the prior posts. https://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2018/10/halloween-decorations.html https://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2018/10/more-halloween-house-photos.html https://songbirdscrazyworld.blogspot.com/2017/10/pink-out-not.html so let me just rerun the best of the Halloween House photos:

So...junior high...and I sang alto in the chorus. And our music teacher gave us this song to sing: Not their finest. I much prefer these:

So last night Drew and I headed to our local movie theater to see Malifecent Mistress of Evil. Yes, I know, the movie doesn’t open until Friday, but we were able to snag two free tickets to an advance screening sponsored by a local radio station. The event was scheduled to be held in one of the few Long Island movie theaters that has not converted to assigned seating (I have to admit I’m spoiled by the reclining seats in the new theaters) so we arrived an hour before showtime in order to get good seats.  Bought our snacks and got on line.  Drew made a quick trip back to the car to lock up our cell phones — Disney personnel were collecting everyone’s phone before they let us into the theater.  (They protect their intellectual property.) So the folks from the radio station did some shtick.  Then the lights were lowered, and we saw a few promos for ABC TV and Disney shows. And then ...nothing. And then the house lights came up for a few minutes, and we could see someone busy in the projec

It was them summer of '78, and I had a summer job at the beach.  And this song was on the air:

I commute from my home to work every day on the infamous Long Island Railroad.  And I notice that everyone around me is wearing earbuds or headphones, and listening to music -- from iPods, or streaming it on their phones ...did you know you can even store music on a smartwatch? But when I first started working in the city, back in the 80's, and dying on the LIRR (until I moved to Brooklyn), the only way I could bring my music along was via a SONY Walkman and a bunch of cassette tapes. I was constantly replacing the batteries in that thing -- I should have bought stock in Duracell. And what was on that Walkman? and  and

So I'm still trying to wrap my head around the idea that the Yankees are playing the Houston Astros for the American League championship.  I mean, didn't the '86 Mets play the Astros for the National League championship? So the Mets didn't make it to the post season, but they did keep it exciting up until the very end. And congrats to the Long Island Ducks, the 2019 Atlantic League champions.  They defeated the Sugarland Skeeters in Texas, brought the trophy home to Long Island.  Drew went to the victory celebration and got to see the trophy. We hadn't seen Toy Story 4 in the theaters this summer, so Drew and I watched it on DVD Saturday night. What a sweet little movie!  I remember taking my kids to see the first two Toy Story movies, and I remember crying at the third movie , when Andy went off to college, because my girls were college students. Yesterday we went out to dinner and a movie.  Or should I say, dinner at the movies?  AMC Dine-In  is a great i

I am honored to be the honorary co host this month. Our theme this week is In honor of Columbus Day, songs about taking a journey.  It can be an actual trip, or a trip into the imagination, or even an emotional journey When I chose the theme, the first song I thought of was this: Then there was a song by the Allman Brothers  -- this version was recorded at Hofstra University, here on Long Island. Sometimes the journey has a purpose: There are other kinds of journey, too.  The highway is a metaphor for the development of a relationship. and Or even life itself: Sometimes the real journey and the metaphor collide: And let's not forget a journey into the imagination. And indulge me while I revisit EPCOT at Walt Disney World and the original version of the Journey Into Imagination...I love a purple dragon named Figment. And a shout out to Jingle Jangle Jungle:

I think I mentioned, earlier this month, that my daughters like Green Day. I took my daughters to see Green Day at Giants Stadium in 2005.  Great concert.

More music from my college days:

So it was October 1989. The Stones were on their Steel Wheels tour.  We saw the show in Shea Stadium.  Sat in nosebleed territory and nearly froze to death.  It was the best concert I ever saw. Fast forward to August 2019.  My-daughter-who-lives-in-Manhattan a/k/a my-daughter-with-the-rich-boyfriend has the pleasure of seeing the Stones at Metlife Stadium, and their tickets are in the pit.   C an I admit to being jealous? And, of course, we must include this one:

Clouds over the river. Looks like the Queen Mary II is back in town. #skywatchfriday

Lunch from a patisserie.  Croque monsier, salad with vinaigrette, Perrier, and a raspberry macaron for dessert. Dining Alfresco.

It was the 80's.  I was young and single, sharing an apartment in Brooklyn with another girl, working in Manhattan, and falling in love with the man who would eventually become my husband. And every morning, as I got ready to go to work, I'd listen to radio station Z-100, the Z Morning Zoo with Scott Shannon and Ross Brittain. And this song would come on: And the station would overdub the song, changing the lyric to "Z Zoo Monday". (Shannon is doing morning drive time at CBS-FM these days, still playing hits from the 80's, and Brittain's doing a weekend show at that station.) And then it was 1987, and this song was played at my wedding: 30 years later, watching the video of the wedding, and seeing everyone do that dance...

May you be inscribed in the Book of Life.

What an incredible performer! We saw her a few years ago when she was starring in the Radio  City Christmas Show, and when she took over the role of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady last year, we saw her opening night. And last week we saw her cabaret show at the Tilles Center. She sang all of the songs from My Fair Lady. She told us a funny story about being in She Loves Me while pregnant with her daughter.  She had morning sickness all day long and had to sing about vanilla ice cream... She said she nearly threw up while they were filming the song. And then she sang a Harry Chapin song, one that I really love: What a fabulous night.

My alma mater is the State University of New York at Albany.  When I started my freshman year in the fall of 1978, it seemed like the whole campus was in love with Bruce Springsteen. The reason...WCDB-FM.   The campus radio station signed on the air on March 1, 1978, and the first song played was Springsteen's "Born To Run". At the same time, the song rang out from the  carillon  at the center of campus. Hearing the song always brings me back to my college days.

I begin my stint as honorary co host of this blog hop with a "your choice" week.  I'm hoping to see a lot of good music today. My contribution this week is the music I heard from my children.  My older daughter will be 29 next month, my younger daughter turned 27 in July.  By the time Jen and Becca were in elementary school, they had learned how to hijack my car radio.  I listened to endless hours of Radio Disney programming. By the time they were tweens, they knew how to cajole me into buying concert tickets. So...here's some of  the music I listened to while operating "Mom's taxi service". Both girls  loved 'NSYNC.  We saw that group perform at the Nassau Coliseum.  We had seats  that were behind the stage, but really close to the performers.  At one point, the performers turned to look at our section of the audience, and both of my girls swore that Joey Fatone winked at them. And can you mention 'NSYNC without talking abou

A certain government official was in town 9/23 - 9/26  to visit the UN, etc.  Thursday morning he took a helicopter from Wall Street to JFK International Airport so he could fly back to DC. The heliport set up for his departure about 90 minutes before he left. (forgive the glare -- photos were taken from our 14th floor office windows. I was wearing pink, how did you guess?)  There are two huge military helicopters, two passenger helicopters, and police boats and a Coast Guard vessel. And beyond the heliport, the usual river traffic.  And beyond Governor's Island, ships in the harbor. Unfortunately, I was otherwise occupied when the helicopters finally took off...

The Monkees were a made for TV band.  The show premiered in 1966.  My sister and I were big fans, watched every week.  and we had four of their albums, played the music over and over.  Davy Jones was my first celebrity crush. Eventually people came to realize that these four young men were talented, that they could sing, play instruments, and even write music.  they became a real band. Here's one of their first hits:

FINALLY finished this book. So.... Our protagonist is Jonathan Lincoln Duncan, Iraqi war veteran, former governor of North Carolina and current President of the United States.  At the beginning of the book Duncan is facing an impeachment inquiry over conduct which he cannot explain to Congress or the public, actions he took as President which suggest he allowed a terrorist to go free.  Duncan has been contacted by a young woman, who advises him of a terrorist plot that will cripple the United States.  In order to thwart this plot, Duncan must disguise himself, sneak out of the White House and meet up with her partner, who will provide him with the means to uncover the plot and prevent the damage.  Of course, nothing goes as planned.  As Duncan races to  prevent the attack, he must deal with his own failing health, uncooperative Congressional leaders,  foreign dignitaries, assassins, and a potential traitor in his inner circle. The book is action packed, full of car chases a