songbird's crazy world

Interesting cloud formation on the western horizon. I love how the tree looks against the clouds, Plane going by ... my guess is that it was headed towards La Guardia ... #skywatchfriday

Krispy Kreme came to NYC and Long Island about 25 years ago, and I was amazed.  The doughnuts are FRESH, not like the ones in Dunkin' Donuts.  You can actually watch them make the doughnuts.   A few years  later, all the Long Island stores went out of business.  We were left with one store in NYC, in Penn Station -- and they don't do their baking on site. But now.... Krispy Kreme New Stores Six new Krispy Kreme stores are coming to NYC. This includes a brand new flagship store in Times Square, which will be open 24 hours a day.  The flagship store will showcase the doughnut making process, interactive digital experiences, a glaze waterfall, stadium-style seating, a walk-up window and exclusive merchandise. The new store will be at Broadway and 48th Street.   Hershey's Chocolate World  is at 48th and 7th, just a block away from the new Krispy Kreme.   So is  M&M's World ., across the st...

Longing for spring ...

I had a great evening Sunday.  Leftover Chinese food, the latest episode of Dr. Who,  two episodes of The Mandalorian, and the first episode of Picard. I love my Firestick. Love it so much that I had to buy one for Drew for his birthday.  I gave it to him this weekend, even though his birthday is still two weeks away. He wanted to be able to stream Picard, and the first episode was released last week. Ever buy a gift for someone and realize that you’ve absolutely nailed gift-giving? I’ve cut the cord, but Drew still has cable, and he’s got a Blu-Ray connected to his tv, so we had a few moments of frustration while setting up the device.  I signed him in to his Amazon Prime account, helped him set up CBS All Access, Disney +, Hulu and Netflix, and watched the expression of sheer joy as he scrolled through all the options. Want to see the little boy inside the man?  Watch Drew play with his new Firestick.

It's a "your choice" week.... And my choice is...the Moody Blues. I saw them in concert at Westbury Music Fair in November 2012.  That was my "do-over" concert.  We had tickets for their show in April 2012, but I was in the hospital... So anyway, here's the video I shot  in Westbury: There are better videos than mine, of course: Yeah, I think you can tell I'm a fan....

Happy Lunar New Year.  We celebrated at Jani, one of our favorite Chinese restaurants.  Steamed dumplings, crispy shrimp with walnuts, shrimp fried rice, Peking beef.  We called the beef dish a “Chinese burrito” because the food is rolled into a thin pancake. And then there was Drew’s fortune. So Jeter made the hall, as expected, but not by a unanimous vote.  His plaque in Cooperstown will be next to Rivera’s.  How fitting, Guess that means I have to go back to  Cooperstown .  I still haven’t seen  Piazza’s plaque . The Mets have announced that Luis Rojas will be the 2020 manager.  OK, so now let’s gear up for spring training. And good news for my Long Island Ducks.  Wally Blackman was found “not guilty” of  harassment .  Think he might make a movie called Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Part 2 ? No, I am not going to be watching the Super Bowl next week.  I’m not much of a football fan.  And now that a...

There’s a very sad story dominating the local news, and I can’t get it out of my head. An 8 year old boy is dead.  His father, and the father’s fiancée, are charged with the boy’s murder. The father, Michael,  is an NYPD police officer.  He and his three sons were living with his fiancee, Angela, and her three daughters.  But their life was nothing like The Brady Bunch .   Eight year old Thomas and his ten year old brother were autistic, and were being abused by Michael and Angela.   There are records from the boys’ school to substantiate this. Child Protective Services became involved with the family in 2018, even supervised the family for a year. The boys’ mother, Justyna, hadn’t seen her sons in 2 years.  Prior to that, she documented what she considered evidence that Michael was abusing the boys.  She even told a judge that she was convinced her sons would die in Michael’s custody.  The system failed.  Big tim...

Just before sunrise.... #skywatchfriday

There was a coupon in the Daily News  for a "special" at a seafood restaurant  on City Island, and Drew wanted to go.  City Island is located at the extreme western end of Long Island Sound. It's part of the Bronx, located south of Pelham Bay and east of Eastchester Bay (where the Hutchinson River meets the Sound), near Orchard Beach .   We Long Islanders have to cross the Throg's Neck Bridge to get to City Island.  It's about a 40 minute ride from Drew's house. We've got lots of good seafood on our side of the bridge, but Drew was in the mood for an "adventure".  So we got a group of friends together and headed to City Island Lobster House . Definitely worth the trip. Our meal included garlic bread, Greek salad,  an antipasto tray  (mushrooms, olives and cheese) and a hot appetizer tray  (meatballs, sausage and peppers, fried ravioli, and some sort of fried corn puffs), all served family style.  We all got the lobster spec...

Had a little visitor.

Counting down ...the Mets' pitchers and catchers report 2/14, the full squad on 2/18 (my birthday!) I am so excited for the new season. Just please tell me who the manager will be now that Beltran is gone. In the meantime, the Hall of Fame announcement is set for tonight...and it looks like Jeter's a shoo-in.  He deserves it.

So today's theme from Michelle: Tentative as in a relationship that you’re unsure of can be personal or spiritual. Song inspiration suggestion, ‘I Can Only Imagine’ by Mercy Me. A relationship may be starting: So you explore: You wonder if it's real love. But will it last? And if it isn't true love....

Local scandal ... Mayor de Blasio toasts his bagel!  Oh the horror!  Toasting a fresh, hot bagel ruins it! See how seriously we New Yorkers take our bagels? Seriously. I’m proud to belong to the ethnic group that brought bagels to America. I even had an uncle who owned a bagel shop. My favorite... Everything bagel with lox, cream cheese and a slice of onion.

Something to warm us all up on this chilly January day.

Last Friday night, the moon was full.  I wasn't sure I'd be able to see the moon, however, because of the cloud cover.  I got a lucky break when the clouds briefly parted, allowing the full Wolf Moon to shine. #skywatchfriday

Well, we are halfway through January. My least-favorite month.  but yes, I think the year has gotten off to a good start. Ken Jennings is the undisputed Jeopardy!  champ.  I loved watching him win the tournament. He studied James Holzhauer's style of play and then beat him at his own game.  I felt bad for Brad Rutter, he just couldn't keep up ...but the $250K prize will surely help  him recover. Did you catch the Democratic debate Tuesday night?  I can’t believe the Iowa caucus is just a few weeks away.  New York is a big primary state, and the campaigns are all here trying to garner signatures in order to get on the ballot.  I’ve seen Liz Warren’s people campaigning in Brooklyn, and Andrew Yang’s folks were at my train station earlier this week.  My sister, who works in Brooklyn, was approached by Tulsi Gabbard’s people.  It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays out. Last weekend the weather was mild, springlike. ...

Here it is... But what's inside the box? Why yes, it IS  a souvenir from Citi Field!  How did you guess?

Ah, the life of the fearless commuter.  Yesterday my LIRR train was a full ten minutes late.  No explanation, no excuse, no apology, the train simply showed up ten minutes late.  Oh, joy.  And then, even better, the NYC Subway system had major meltdown because of a water main break near Lincoln Center.  Got my week off to a "terrific" start. I'm hoping today will be better. So...about Weight Watchers.  I lost 2.8 pounds last week.  Not bad, considering I couldn't exercise. You all have heard me moan groan kvetch   cry complain mention  My Stupid Knee?   I've had problems for several years with my right knee.  I think my left knee got jealous of the attention, because now I have to amend the name to My Stupid Knee s .  Both knees ache, the left one hurts more than the right.  Yeah, a trip to the orthopedist is in my immediate future. You probably guessed that we did not go to the march/rally against antisemit...

Drew and I caught a PBS show last week, a concert by Tom Lehrer. The second-most popular artist on Dr. Demento’s  late- night radio show (the first being Weird Al Yankovic), Tom Lehrer was a Harvard professor who rose to fame in the 1950’s and 1960’s with his biting satirical songs.  Some songs were political, touching on race relations, the Cold War, and most importantly, nuclear weapons.  Others ... were ribald, tasteless and even quite gruesome. All were entertaining. He wrote 37 songs, and retired from performing in the early 1970’s. In the 80’s his songs were presented as a musical review, an off-Broadway show named Tomfoolery. Let’s start with one of his most popular songs: Let’s talk race relations. And “the Bomb”. How about a folk song? Bonus hit.  Daniel Radcliffe on The Graham Norton Show:

Any time I start (or in this case re-start) an activity, I get a little bit obsessed.  So forgive me if I ramble on, if I bore you. Long-time readers will remember that I joined Weight Watchers in March 2015, quit in December  of that year when the company changed the program,  rejoined briefly in 2017.  Truth be told, my relationship with Weight Watchers goes back to the 1990's, but the program was very different then. I rejoined this time because a friend was gushing about how wonderful the new program is, how there are really three different programs, how you can earn rewards just by going to meetings and tracking your food. Well, the "going to meetings" part isn't going to work for me.  The meeting I used to attend doesn't exist anymore. I can't find one that's convenient. But the plans....I'm on the Blue Plan, which is essentially the same as the Weight Watchers Freestyle Plan I tried in 2017.  I don't think I gave the plan a fair cha...

#skywatchfriday

So I started Weight Watchers....again... It feels good to be eating healthy, but...There are three options now:  (1) Green -- which is the original Smart Points program, the one that made me quit  Weight Watchers in 2015; (2) Blue -- the new name for Weight Watchers Freestyle, the program I briefly tried in 2017; and (3) Purple -- which looks a lot like Blue, but with more zero-point foods.  The quiz I took placed me on the Blue program.  I'm willing to try it again, at least for now.   I can always go back to calorie counting if I'm not happy. I haven't started going to the gym yet. It's been so cold and miserable, all I want to do after work is go home and get cozy.  I've been walking at lunchtime, and that feels good, but I really should go back to the gym soon. I've been watching the Jeopardy! Greatest Of All Time tournament.  Ken Jennings, James Holzhauer and Brad Rutter  are competing for a $1 million prize. Each night of the tour...

Song of the Day: Inspiration for the song? Well, here's the checklist for my newest adventure: (1) Download Weight Watchers app  ---- done (2) Batteries in the bathroom scale? -- done (3) Locate kitchen scale -- it's got to be here somewhere (4) Batteries in the Hydratespark ? --done (5) Fitbit in good working order? -- done (6) Update Planet Fitness app -- done (7) pack gym bag -- done Yeah, as I mentioned the other day, I've fallen off the "healthy eating and exercise" wagon.    It's time to get back on track.    the revamped WW program looks intriguing.  and if I don't like it, I can always go back to calorie counting with My Fitness Pal.

Happy New Year! And for the new year, our first theme is "new beginnings". Well, there is a season for everything: New beginnings, time to make changes? Maybe you can see more clearly. Maybe it’s time to make a move. Maybe it's time to start over.

Drew and I were very lazy yesterday.  Neither of us had the energy to do anything.  Besides, it was cold and rainy.  Highlight of the day was takeout Chinese food.  Scallion pancakes, roast pork with mixed vegetables, pepper steak with onions ... the restaurant also has a Thai menu, but I just wasn’t feeling it, so no pad Thai this time around. We ate while watching a show Drew recorded from PBS.  Ever hear of Tom Lehrer?  Harvard professor with a wicked sense of humor, he wrote and performed satirical parody songs.  I first discovered him on late-night radio.  I’d listen to Dr. Demento on Sunday nights, and Lehrer’s songs were very popular.  Think I might use them on a “Music Monday” post. I’ll be watching BBC America tonight, part two of the season premiere of Dr Who.   It’s good to have the Doctor back.  I loved the surprise they threw at the audience during Wednesday’s show ... who would have imagined that the Master would t...

So it was 1977, I was a 17 year old high school student, and my boyfriend (a college man!) told me I had to see this new movie called Star Wars . And I loved it.  The young, naive Luke Skywalker, the dashing Han Solo, the evil Darth Vader, the sage Obi-wan Kenobi, and Leia, the princess who didn’t wait around to be rescued, but grabbed a gun and jumped into the fray. Space travel, droids, and the mysterious “Force” that allowed the Jedi to do amazing things. (As the franchise grew, as sequels and prequels were produced, that first movie was retitled “Episode 4: A New Hope”. ) What began in 1977 reaches its conclusion in The Rise of Skywalker. I have a lot to say about this movie — spoiler alert. The late Carrie Fisher gets top billing in this movie.  She’s in only a few scenes, using footage cut from previous movies.  You can tell that the dialogue was written specifically around these clips of her.  But it was still good to see her final performa...

From May 2018 #skywatchfriday

Well, after the plumbing disaster, we did manage to have a lovely New Year’s Eve after all.  We headed over to  Villa D’Aqua , an Italian place on the waterfront in Bellmore.  It was a lovely party — good food, good wine, good music, and most importantly, good company.    Hot and cold antipasti (I loved the shrimp and the baked clams) served family style, a pasta course which included gnocchi in pesto, penne a la vodka and ravioli in marinara, and the main course was scaloppine tre funghi (veal Marsala with three types of mushrooms).  I had Italian cheesecake for dessert.  We drank a lovely Pinot Grigio, a mellow Cabernet Sauvignon, and Moët champagne at midnight.  The DJ played a lot of 1970’s disco, as well as hits from the 80’s and 90’s, and yes, I was on the dance floor. But even though I was having a wonderful evening, I found myself crying, just a bit, when I heard “Auld Lang Syne”.  I guess it was an awareness of the passage of time....

So how was your New Year’s? Ours was a disaster. All  the “drama” about where to go for New Year’s ...  I wish that had been the worst of our problems. It started Monday morning. There are two bathrooms in Drew’s house, one on each floor.    The ceiling in the downstairs bathroom started leaking ...  as the day wore on, the water was gushing ... Drew called his landlord.  Drew called a plumber, The plumber initially thought the problem was originating from the shower in the upstairs bathroom.  He did a “quick fix” and told us he’d be back on Tuesday to finish the job, The leak was supposed to stop overnight.  It got worse. Tuesday morning the plumber told us that there’s a problem with the upstairs toilet.  But the real problem was with the radiator pipes in the ceiling between the two bathrooms.  Which meant the ceiling in the downstairs bathroom would have to come down. Drew’s landlord was not happy...he called a diff...