songbird's crazy world

Joyce  has more questions. 1. Are you currently operating at 100% capacity? If not, what % are you? What's keeping you there? Not at all near 100% these days.  Knee and back pain are keeping me from doing all I want.  And I'm so busy at work these days that some other pursuits are getting left behind.  And I don't know what the solution is. 2.  Have you done your taxes? Planned/booked a summer holiday? Thought about or started your 'spring cleaning'? Besides what's listed here, tell us one task that needs doing before spring rolls around. Taxes are done, I always see the accountant in mid February.  Getting a small refund this year.  We do our "spring cleaning" just before Passover, and the holiday comes early this year, so I guess it's time to start thinking about it.  Haven't given much thought to summer plans yet. 3. What's a favorite food from your part of the country? I am blessed to live in the New York metro area, wi...

Behind the New York Public Library, with a great view of the park, is a nice little restaurant called the Bryant Park Grill. I was here for lunch a couple of weeks ago, and I really enjoyed the experience.  We sat in the tent area, right near the windows, and were able to watch all the comings and goings in the park.  Service was friendly and attentive.  As per the menu, if you want a breadbasket, you have to request it.   We started with the calamari — nicely fried, neither greasy nor chewy, and served with a thick, creamy sauce.  My entree was the stir fried turkey salad — white meat turkey, brown rice, vegetables and a side of field greens.  Very tasty,  lightly seasoned with an Asian dressing.  Lunch portions tend to be smaller, so no leftovers, but I was satisfied with the dish. Overall a very satisfactory experience, I would love to go back for dinner sometime.

Of course you knew we were going to see this movie.  We’ve seen just about every Marvel superhero movie. What I expect from a superhero movie:  a hero I can root for, villains to hate, lots of action, some humor. Black Panther  delivered all that, and more. James Bond-like technology and glamour.  Strong, admirable female characters.  And the richness of African culture. (And that last one is getting the bigots angry.  Pity.) There’s the ubiquitous Stan Lee cameo.  Hard to believe that man is in his 90’s. And not one, but two —yes, two — post credit bonus scenes. I won’t spoil it for you ... But we, the audience, have been set up for Avengers:Infinity War.  And I can hardly wait until May.

Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life ... I have always been fascinated by the tale, of Capulets and Montagues, of romance and sword fights, of love and loss and tragic endings.   Romeo and Juliet  was the first Shakespearean play I ever read.  And when I saw Zeffirelli’s film, the story really came to life. I even committed Romeo’s balcony-scene monologue to memory.   But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?  It is the east, and Juliet is the sun ... My friend B is a real aficionado of the ballet.  She has a subscription to the NYC Ballet at Lincoln Center, and attends many performances.  I go with her about 3 times a year. And when I learned that this year’s offerings included Prokofiev’s Romeo and Ju...

So I went to Lincoln Center last night to see the NYC Ballet.  The lobby of the theater is huge, as is used for an ever-changing display of artwork. This winter the lobby features the work of Jihan Zencerli.  Her chosen medium is ... balloons.   Her message:  life is transient, so enjoy it.  Balloons are not meant to last forever, you will only have this specific experience at this moment.   And her creation was amazing: You can actually walk through the sculpture: This little girl was actually dancing inside the sculpture. The detailing is incredible. Truly amazing experience.

March 2016, and our long-time next-door neighbors finally sold their house.  We expected the sale, of course.  The house had been on the market for awhile, the couple who owned it were snowbirds who spent more time in Florida than they did in New York. The young couple who bought the house didn’t move in right away.  They had plans to renovate the 50-year-old house, to expand it and make it their own. The new owners would come by periodically to check on the construction work, and to meet the neighbors and enquire about the best preschool for their three year old son. Renovations took over a year, the family moved in towards the end of the construction period.   In November 2017 we heard that they had adopted another child, a little girl.  In December they decorated the whole house for their first Christmas in their new home. The “for sale” sign went up last week, one month shy of the second anniversary of their purchase of the property. I’m ...

All you can eat sushi, and it's not a buffet. It's a small, storefront restaurant, nicely decorated.  They have a regular menu as well as an all-you-can-eat menu.  Choose the latter and you'll be given two order forms, one for sishi and another for kitchen dishes. We were a group of four, including one who doesn't really care for sushi, and we all found plenty of variety on the menu. I really liked the rock shrimp tempura, the beef negamaki and the pork gyoza.  The fried calamari, served with a sweet, fruity sauce, was a bit too chewy.  I'm told the squid and fried oysters were amazing, but I didn't care for either. We had so many different types of sushi that I lost track ... salmon with avocado, spicy tuna, soft shell crab... Dessert?  You can get ice cream, fried bananas or fried Oreos ...the Oreos were light and fluffy and very very gooey. Definitely worth a try.