songbird's crazy world

 Last night the Mets’ pitching staff combined to throw a no hitter against the Phillies. Five pitchers threw for the Mets, and none of them allowed a single hit. They’re calling it a “Black Out” because they were wearing their black jerseys. It’s only the second time in franchise history that the Mets have had a no hitter.  The first was when Johan Santana threw a no hitter against the Cardinals on June 1, 2012. (And his career unraveled after that.) Yeah, with all the famous pitchers who have worn a Mets uniform, there have been only two no hitters.   Nolan Ryan pitched 7 no hitters, all of which came after he was traded by the Mets. Tom Seaver (the Franchise) lost out on a perfect game against the Cubs in 1969 (that season of miracles) and didn’t throw a perfect game until 1978, when he played for the Reds.   Doc Gooden waited until he was in a Yankees uniform before he threw a no hitter. So did David Cone. I remember Cone’s perfect game, at Yankee Stadium on July ...

 Somehow that loses a bit of impact when you work from home … But not totally …

How the world has changed. You know that scene in Fiddler on the Roof , where Tevye disowns his daughter Chava when she marries a Russian? When my father’s sister married a man who wasn’t Jewish, my grandparents sat shiva for her, it was as if she had died.  They reconciled, of course, and my aunt and uncle had a long life together, they raised six children. When I was growing up, “intermarriage” was almost a dirty word.  It was assumed that young Jewish men and women would choose Jewish partners.  When I got engaged to a guy who wasn’t Jewish, my grandmother urged me to break it off.  (I did, but religion had nothing to do with it.).   But now? Conservative and Reform synagogues are actively welcoming families where only one parent is Jewish.  There are two reasons for this.  Synagogues  are afflicted with the same problem as all organized religions;  millennials, and the generations that follow, are not choosing to affiliate with a church o...

 And I’m in the mood for Foreigner            

#skywatchfriday  

Of all the horrors we went through in the spring of 2020, one of the most emotionally wrenching was listening to my daughter Jen cry because the family couldn’t be together for the Passover Seder.  I wanted to cry, too, but I had to be the strong one and reassure her that the pandemic would come to an end eventually, and that we’d all be together again one day. Passover is the quintessential  Jewish holiday.  The Exodus from Egypt  and the giving of the Law at Mt. Sinai are central to Jewish identity.  The traditions and observances surrounding the holiday focus on home and family.  Being cut off from all of that feels like being cut off from your core being. The last time my family was together for Passover was in 2019.  So it was with relief and joy that we gathered last weekend to read the Haggadah, to stuff ourselves with matzoh ball soup, brisket, gefilte fish, macaroons, and even chocolate covered matzoh. We had a chance to remember those who are...

 Operator error. That’s what the report says. The safety devices didn’t work because they had been manually altered. The harness that comes over the rider’s head does not physically connect to the seat.  Rather, there are proximity  sensors attached to the seat and the harness.   The ride will not operate unless the sensors are in the proper position. When the ride is operating properly, the rider pulls the harness over his/her head and shoulders until the harness clicks into place. The sensors engage, and the operator’s board lights up, allowing him to operate the ride. When the sensors are properly positioned, there is a 3 inch gap between the bottom of the harness and the seat.  You can see from the photo, the piece between the rider’s legs does not physically touch the overhead harness.      But on the Orlando ride, someone manually misadjusted the seat sensors on two seats, creating a significantly larger gap.  This was apparently done t...