songbird's crazy world

And good riddance. So what has everyone been doing with their time? I went to the Renaissance Faire!  No, really.  Of course, I should point out that it was a digital faire.  Seems there's a group on Facebook....a number of performers who should be entertaining crowds at faires all over the country found themselves streaming their performances.  Some of the acts were familiar to me, I'd seen them at the New York Ren Faire -- we go every summer.  It was wonderful to see the rats and cats of Cirque du Sewer.  Other acts were new to me, but very enjoyable.  And they all set up Paypal and Venmo accounts as a virtual tip bucket.  Of course I contributed.  Huzzah! Here's Cirque du Sewer's audition for America's Got Talent : Rats and cats! I also went to a Monkees concert.  You know I'm a big fan.  In March of last year, Drew and I saw The Monkees Present: The Mike and Micky Show when the tour hit the Beacon Theater in NYC....

Today's theme is    is Take a Walk In The Park Day – so how about SONGS ABOUT WALKING? First song that popped into my head: That reminded me of Fats Domino: This showed up while I was searching for the Fats Domino song: I had to include Nancy Sinatra and her boots: You know I like the Bangles: And we'll close it out with Jay and the Americans:

I want to head over to Jones Beach and take a walk on the boardwalk, and not worry about the COVID-19 test center at the West End parking lot. I want to go to a Long Island Ducks game, and before I buy my hot dog and take my seat, I want to visit the table sponsored by the local hospital, and get some free Bandaids, Kleenex and Purell. I want to sit in the diner and read the entire menu before I order my usual hamburger. But most of all, I want to walk into a supermarket or drugstore and buy everything on my list from shelves that haven’t been stripped bare. I don’t need anything special.  I just want my life back. And no, I am not OK. My cousin is in the hospital.  His kids can’t even visit him, but his son tells me he’s a fighter and the doctor says he’s improving. My daughter Jen’s best friend from high school is a pediatrician now.  She’s working in a hospital in Westchester.  Her mother is so worried because of the lack of protective gear. I am ...

It's time for  Saturday 9 Everybody's Somebody's Fool Welcome to  Saturday 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!   Saturday 9: Everybody's Somebody's Fool (1960) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . None of this week's questions mention the corona virus. However, if you want to share how you're feeling about Covid-19 at this extraordinary time, please feel free to do so. 1) Next Wednesday is April Fool's Day. Do you have any pranks planned? Do you expect to fall victim to any April Fool's Day mischief? ...

 Just thought I'd revisit a photo from March 2019. #skywatchfriday

The USA officially has more cases of COVID 19 than China has. Can we please stop using the pejorative “Chinese virus” now? Seriously, when all our allies admonished Mike Pompeo over his use of the term ...

I made the mistake of leaving my black cardigan on the chair. And I must be a terrible, horrible person for even suggesting she move.

1. Howdy Hodgepodgers. It's kind of fun to be back, isn't it?  Last time we met was September, 2018. Tell me something big-important-happy-or sad that's happened in your life since that date. Just one thing. We don't know how long this current isolation situation is going to last and we might need to dole out our news bit by bit. I started a new job on Monday.  Same field, different company and location.  One of the things I really liked is the office location.  Never expected to be working from home from day one of the new job. 2. Might as well get this out of the way early on...COVID-19. On a scale of 1-5 how serious are you about keeping your distance? Explain. fyi-I didn't create the scale but have seen it several places online. Also fyi-we won't  only  have virus related questions each week, but for this first one it feels right. 1-Not at all, living normally 2-Cautious but still going out 3-Going out as needed, mostly home or worki...

And it’s a “your choice” week. A week to honor a performer whose work has always brought me joy. In 2015, Kenny Rogers announced that he was going to retire from live performances, that his 2016  tour would be his last.    The tour, titled “The Gambler’s Last Stand”, played a performance at the NYCB Theater in Westbury, NY on December 23, 2016. It was an incredible night.  I blogged about it  here . On Saturday I learned that Kenny Rogers had died. He played jazz, he played folk with the New Christy  Minstrels, and then he was part of The First Edition, a rock band, before he found a home in country music. Here is some of the best of Kenny Rogers. Let's start with a song by the New Christy Minstrels, with a familiar voice taking the lead. Psychedelic rock ... Something’s burning ... This story about a paralyzed vet ... Another story song ... His duet with Dolly ... Another song to make you cry ... ...

So today I should be having brunch with two friends.  The three of us get together every few weeks.  I chose the restaurant this time, a lovely place with a great buffet...we cancelled even before the restaurants were ordered to close. This afternoon I should be at a wine tasting.  A kosher wine merchant comes to our synagogue with an assortment of Passover-appropriate wines and liquors, and we can order what we need for the holiday.  I usually provide the snacks — cheese and crackers, hummus, baby carrots, grapes —and it becomes a social occasion.  These days we don’t have anything going on at the synagogue.  I’ll still be able to order my wine, but ...well,  when the Rabbi leads prayer services on zoom... Yeah, our Rabbi is alone in the synagogue these days.  He recites prayers in an empty sanctuary, and members of the congregation can watch via an internet streaming app. I bought tickets to see Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden in May. ...

It’s time for  Saturday 9 Ludwig Von Beethoven: Complete Symphonies Welcome to  Saturday: 9 . What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme! Complete Symphonies (2019) This week we're classing up the joint with a well-received box-set by the Danish Chamber Orchestra. You can listen to the orchestra  here . 1) Beethoven is one of classical music's best known composers. Do you often listen to classical music?  I like many musical genres.  I don’t know as much about classical music as I’d like, but I do listen occasionally.  My favorite composer is Tchaikovsky. ...

I am disgusted with Donald Trump. He refused to call it “coronavirus”  or “Covid-19”.  He crossed those scientific names off his list.  His own medical personnel are using the correct term, but ... He insists on using the pejorative “Chinese virus”. Yeah, it’s a global crisis, a national disaster, but we don’t need to worry about vaccines and medicines and respirators and masks.  No, let’s feed the racists.  Let’s put fuel on the fire.   Hate crimes against Asian Americans are rising at alarming rates. THERE IS NO NEED TO CALL IT ANYTHING THAT WILL GET PEOPLE HURT OR KILLED. Comments have been turned off for this post.  I will not be arguing with anyone on this issue.

I took these photos two weeks ago, before Covid 19 ... You'll see something a bit...different...at the entrance to the South Street Seaport Museum in lower Manhattan: #skywatchfriday

“You’re the first person I’ve seen in four days.” — Becca, 3/18/2020 So on Saturday Becca got off the plane in Newark, went home to her apartment on the East Side, and began her self quarantine. When Jen picked her up at the airport, she brought some groceries for Becca with her.  Becca has nothing in the house, after all, because she’d been on vacation in Europe. But it wasn’t a lot of food, just a few items to tide her over, until Becca could arrange for a grocery delivery. She won’t get a delivery until sometime next week.  Seems everyone wants grocery delivery these days. Mom and Dad to the rescue. Drew went shopping for Becca on Tuesday.  He had to go to five different supermarkets to find everything on Becca’s list. Then yesterday we loaded up my car and drove into Manhattan.  (We take my Prius C into the city, rather than his Pacifica, because it’s a thousand times easier to park a compact in Manhattan.) I was able to find a parking spot right i...

Look what I scored!

See that?  It's forsythia.  It's starting to bloom. Forsythia is very popular here on Long Island.  You see it in lots of yards.  You see it all along the parkways. It blooms in March, reminding us that spring is coming, the pretty yellow blossoms giving us hope. On April 8, some three weeks from now, Jews around the world will celebrate Passover.  We will read the ancient story of Israel's redemption from bondage in Egypt.  It is a story of hope that better days are coming. A few days later, on April 12, Christians will celebrate Easter, the story of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection.. Again, there are themes of hope and redemption. Our Hindu neighbors just celebrated Holi, a spring festival, a triumph of good over evil. Spring is a season or rebirth and renewal, of hope and joy. Yesterday I went to BJ's.  I got there about half an hour before the store opened, got a shopping cart and got on line.  When the s...

Music Monday, and we've been asked to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, the day when everyone is Irish. Here in NYC  we have lots of ways to toast the day. When I turn on my radio tomorrow morning, I will be listening to my favorite DJ, Scott Shannon. He's been a mainstay of NYC radio since the 1980's.  Some time during the morning drive, Scott will play a song called...."The Scotsman"? Yes, "The Scotsman".  Slightly risque but radio clean, here's a version by the Irish Rovers: The Irish Rovers also recorded one of my favorite songs. But I digress. Broadway is a NYC tradition.  And when you combine Broadway with Irish heritage...well, Finian's Rainbow is a musical about an Irishman and his daughter, come to America to find their fortune. Yes, that's Fred Astaire, by the way.  (I used a movie clip because ... well, no Broadway until mid April...) March 17, 2010.  Riverdance -- the famed Irish step dancing troupe -- ...

So today’s post should be talking about March Madness and Spring Training, about restaurants and theater, and all the things that make up normal life.  Maybe a reference to Pi day yesterday, or a joke about a Caesar salad ...because it is the Ides of March. Instead, my big news is that Becca arrived at Newark International Airport last night, and now she is self quarantined in her apartment on the East Side.  She plans to spend the next week working out (yoga and Pilates). And watching Frozen 2  on Disney +. I am now working from home.  The office is officially closed for the next two weeks, and everyone has been asked to work remotely. But my last day with this company is March 20; I start a new job March 23. This was not the way I planned my departure, throwing all my personal things into my backpack on Friday afternoon as everyone headed for the doors. I was already a bit uneasy because of the new job.  And now the virus is making life more complica...