songbird's crazy world

 So it’s Monday night and it’s snowing. Yes, we’re getting our first real snowfall of the season on February 27,  can you believe it? Astronomically spring begins on March 20, but the meteorologist will tell you spring begins on March 1.  They’re expecting about 3 inches, more or less.  Certainly not a major storm. But significant. We’re getting our first measurable snow at the end of the season. A lot of schools have already announced a delayed opening, a few have declared a snow day. And the biggest irony?  I work from home, a snow day usually means I hunker down with my work computer and enjoy not having to deal with the mess.  But I won’t be staying home tomorrow. I’ll be at my accountant’s office.  We were supposed to get our taxes done last week, but the accountant had a family emergency and had to reschedule. Ugh.

 Yet another band from the 70’s, Orleans had some great music.  Here are some of their hits. Still the One    Love Takes Time   Don’t Throw Our Love Away    Dance With Me    

 It’s a pretty necklace, isn’t it?  It was a birthday gift from a friend of mine, she gave it to me a few years ago.  I really like it. But I have many pretty necklaces.  So why am I showing this specific piece? Because I am wearing this necklace today.  I wore it to make a statement, A statement of identity.  A statement of values. A statement that I will not bend to fear, that I will prevail. It is a terrible thing to be hated simply because you exist. But in response to their “National Day of Hate” I pray.

 So …  Ticketmaster is determined to avoid a repeat of the Taylor Swift fiasco. (Becca may never get over her disappointment).  In order to buy tickets for Springsteen’s concerts at the Meadowlands, you had to pre register and be selected as a “verified fan”.  You had to choose which show you wanted (he’s doing three shows at MetLife), and would be able to buy up to six tickets for the show you selected. The sale was set for Friday February 24, from noon until 2 PM. I wasn’t chosen to be a “verified fan”, but luckily Drew was! Drew called me Thursday night.  “I have a problem.” He had a doctor’s appointment for noon on Friday, and it could not be rescheduled. “Will you sign into my account and buy the tickets?” Of course I will! (In fact, I was glad he asked, after he tried but failed to get seats for Springsteen at Madison Square Garden — those shows are in April.) So he gave me his log on, his credit card information, and the special code he got from Ticketmaster that proves he’s a “

  Mahler: Symphony No. 8 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 to  answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions! Saturday 9 -- Mahler: Symphony No. 8 (1968) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1) Mahler's No. 8 is sometimes referred to as "Symphony of a Thousand" because it was scored for a large orchestra and choral force. Do you often listen to classical music? No.  I like classical music, but I don’t know much about it.  2) This piece has solos for each of the main vocal ranges: soprano, alto, tenor, bass. Do you know which range your voice is in? I wa

Asleep in mom’s lap. Isn’t she adorable? She had no idea what was in store for her a few days later. I am a responsible pet owner, and responsible owners spay or neuter their pets. So when the vet told me to schedule Shadow’s procedure in February, I did.   It’s routine vet care, it’s the right thing to do, but I was so nervous and upset.  I hated the idea of putting my precious kitten through it. But on Tuesday morning, I loaded her into the pet carrier and brought her to the vet’s office.  Yes, please, clip her nails and do a dental exam while she’s sedated.  Yes, please, I want her microchipped. She’s an indoor cat, but I don’t trust her.  She still seemed a bit drugged when I picked her up Tuesday afternoon.  But she got so excited when she realized she was home.   She wasn’t happy about wearing a cone, tried to get it off, cried when she couldn’t.  But then, she tried to get to her stitches, so I know why the cone is necessary.  And she wasn’t happy about being confined to the bat

 Drew is a “verified fan “ who will have the opportunity to buy Springsteen tickets…

 Waitlisted for Springsteen 

 Since you asked, this is what I use to dry and style my hair You can find it  here . I was so annoyed yesterday.  My Fitbit would not sync with the app on my phone.  When I finally got it to work, I lost a lot of data.  Grrrr…. I was supposed to meet with my accountant tomorrow to do my taxes (ugh) but he had to cancel because of a family emergency (ugh). My daughters took me out for my birthday the other night.  I am so proud of those two young women!  Jen told me she’s finally found her career path in the court system.  Becca was all full of talk about the wedding.  It was a great evening. I must have mentioned Michael DelGuidice when I wrote about the Billy Joel concert.  When he’s not playing in Billy’s band, he tours with a Billy Joel tribute band called Big Shot.  I saw him perform at a charity fundraiser a few years ago.  Michael gets a solo at every Billy Joel concert.  Just before Billy  sings “Scenes From an Italian Restaurant “, Michael sings a Puccini aria called “Nessun D

  And today’s theme: Celestial as in the sky/outer space or belonging to or relating to heaven or relating to anything supremely good/beautiful. Inspired by our friends at  Angelswhisper2011 I’ll focus on space and space travel.  It’s something that has always fascinated me.   Let’s start with Space Oddity    Drops of Jupiter    Rocket Man    Fly Me To The Moon Space Cowboy   The Final Countdown     You’ll recognize this classic And we end with a little Monty Python   

  Saturday Night's Alright 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 to  answer the questions, however, and here is today's questions! Saturday 9: Saturday Night's Alright (1973) Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here .   1) In this song, Elton John tells us it's 7:00 PM on Saturday evening and he's ready to rock with his friends. What will you be doing at 7:00 this evening? Today is my birthday!  So tonight we are going to an Italian restaurant to celebrate.   2) His sister is ready to party, too. The lyrics tell us she looks cute with "a handful of grease in her hair.&quo

 Ok, Shadow, we’ve had this discussion  before , but let me repeat the rules …and add a few more.  If you follow me into the bathroom, please look before you leap — you’ll avoid getting wet. And I know you like drinking from the faucet, but please wait until after I have finished brushing my teeth. Can we please keep the litter in the litter box, not on the floor? That’s a laundry hamper, not a cat bed. Your paws do not belong on my kitchen table. Or counters.  Or in the sink or dishwasher.  OR THE STOVETOP.  Especially not the stovetop.   And it goes without saying that you shouldn’t knock things off the counters; yes, I know, I’ve broken a few things, too, but I didn’t deliberately throw a vase onto the floor. Please don’t climb into the file cabinet drawers, the kitchen cabinets, or the closets, you’re likely to get trapped when I close the drawer or door.  Just be glad I heard you meowing … And I am glad you like the keyboard protector, but please  don’t hit my computer monitor.  L

 Hall of Fame player, but I knew him best in the broadcast booth.  16 years as an announcer for the Mets.

 Moonlight feels right. #skywatchfriday

  Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Citi Field. Please rise, remove your hats, and turn your attention to home plate,    Seventh inning… And now it’s the eighth inning … And if we’re lucky, Diaz will pitch tonight.    Yes, I know … it’s not baseball season.  Yet.  But pitchers and catchers have already reported to spring training! And everyone else must report today. And if this Super Bowl ad is accurate, it’s time to buy tickets …

 

 Drew picked me up and we drove to the train station.  Got a parking spot right where we wanted to be.  Uneventful ride into the city.  So far so good.  Madison Square Garden is directly above Penn Station, so it’s an easy walk from the train, Yeah, 20,00 seats available, 20,000 tickets sold. Drew bought me a t shirt. I’ll show it to you later, And then … the glitch.  The Garden uses only electronic ticketing, and something went wrong when I tried to download the tickets to my phone.  After a brief discussion at the box office — they printed paper tickets for us — we were inside! MSG has a deal at the concession stands — the doors open at 7:00, and anything you buy before 7:30 is half price.  We bought pastrami sandwiches from the Carnegie Deli.  The original Carnegie Deli was a NYC landmark.  The current incarnation at the Garden lacks in comparison, We took our seats. And then the house lights went down, and the familiar strains of Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Oyt On Broadway) fill

 Because we’re going to the concert tonight, we went out for Valentine’s Day last night, to a local Cuban place … I really love Caribbean food.  It was our first time at this restaurant l. I saw the menu and wanted one of everything. I want the calamari appetizer, but the spinach dip looks amazing, too.  I really have to choose between ropa vieja and coconut shrimp?  Flan or churros for dessert?  We’ll just have to go back. And then we went back to Drew’s house.   He had Valentine’s Day cards for me.   Very cute.  I had the birthday cards I forgot to give him last week as well as Valentine’s cards.  He opened one of the Valentine’s cards and said “I almost bought this one for you.”   He opened the other Valentine’s card, same thing. He opened one of the birthday cards.  “I almost bought this one for you.” (My birthday is a Saturday.).  And then he opened the last card. “You’re not going to believe this,”. He bought me the same card I had just given him. I guess great minds do think ali

 Before we talk about Billy Joel … I would be remiss if I did not mention the passing of Burt Bacharach,   So if you’re  a long time reader of this blog, you know the saga of the Billy Joel tickets.  But let me rehash. I am a Long Island native and a huge fan  of Mr. William Martin Joel and his music.  I wasn’t much of a concert-goer when I was young, but I have more than made up for it these last few years.   The first time I saw Billy Joel perform live was not at a Billy Joel concert, but rather, at Paul McCartney’s first concert at Citi Field in 2009.  I had wanted to see Billy’s “Last Play at Shea” the previous year, but couldn’t get tickets, so I missed the iconic moment when McCartney showed up to sing a duet with Billy.  But I was there when Billy showed up at McCartney’s concert.  Heaven.  In January 2014 Billy started his residency at Madison Square Garden.  He plays one concert each month. We saw two concerts in 2014.  Loved them both. So I had a milestone birthday i

No, not Becca’s.  Mine. I was definitely an 80’s bride.  That’s an Alfred Angelo.  Those aren’t long sleeves, they’re gauntlets that could be removed for the reception.  The train bustled up.  That’s a Juliet cap with my veil. I never took steps to preserve the dress.  It’s in a garment bag, in a cardboard box, in my parents’ garage.  I can’t imagine what condition it must be in after all these years.

   My Funny Valentine 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: My Funny Valentine (1953)   Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it  here . 1)  In this song, Frank sings that his lover is his favorite work of art. Tell us about a piece of artwork you can see from where you're sitting now. (Yes, that crayon drawing by your 5-year-old nephew counts.) This hangs in my hallway  2) He asks her to not change her hair. When will you next find yourself in the stylist's chair? Probably in a few weeks — I have to keep this look. 3) Sinatra is ofte