What's this in the ol' heart today???
Joy and Excitement....wow...I'm heading out to New York and Times Square for New Year's Eve and places beyond.
To get in the spirit....Let it rip Frank!
Hey and isn't this apropos:
Start spreadin' the news,
I'm leavin' today (actually tomorrow)
I want to be a part of it,
New York, New York
These vagabond shoes are longing to stray
Right through the very heart of it
I wanna wake up in a city that doesn't sleep
And find I'm king of the hill, top of the heap
These little town blues are melting away
I'll make a brand new start of it, in old New York
If I can make it there, I'll make it anywhere
It's up to you , New York, New York !!!!!!!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York. Show all posts
Friday, December 25, 2009
Friday, June 13, 2008
Clumps of Starfish......
This morning my daughter and I discovered that at low tide....part of our beach was a tide pool....purple red starfish.....crabs....snails....and little fish darted in clear basins of water.
We also found about a dozen starfish stranded on the beach....high above the water line...since some people come by and collect them....we decided to gather them up and place them back in the cool ocean tide pools....given them another chance ....to ....well....be starfish.
End of the Week........
It's almost midnight and I am dog tired......my day started with an early morning walk on the beach with my daughter....included a job interview over the phone at mid day....and it's ending with me trying to stuff two weeks of sea shells...interesting rocks and a few t shirts....gathered here in NY into luggage and bags....which appear to bemutliplying like reckless rabbits in heat.
Tomorrow....Saturday.....we spurce up the house.....go for our last walk on the beach......and drop my hub off at the airport....he's heading for home.
It's startling... to think....that time has gone by so quickly.....he's already returning to our real home and real life. We've had so much fun the last few days....cooking....beach walking....and just being a complete family again ... it's hard to believe.....we start unwinding....this perfect carefree arrangement already.
After I drop Hub off at the airport......I'm heading into the City with the kids for a couple days.....then send them off too....in different directions...one to go home ....two to spend time visiting family in Chicago.....
Hard to believe.....next Friday night it will be my turn to pack up and leave for home.....
~~~~~~~~~~~
Friday, May 30, 2008
A good start to the Big Vacation......
I'm sitting here on the couch in my hotel doing the special beach thigh shuffle.....lift...ah ....lift....ah.....
Damn....I sprayed sun tan lotion all over....when I hit the beach yesterday....but forgot the back of my legs....and I am so paying for my omission....thank god I brought all those skirts.....cause these hot babies are not going to slip into pants today.
My flight out here to Laguardia...was decent as far as airline travel goes....I was only 4-5 hours late....and all my luggage found me. I guess nowadays that considered a successful trip.
Both flights were full....even my little regional airlines flight to Chicago. As I snuggled against the window to give my flying partner more room (she was a large woman)....I had the strange feeling I was on Greyhound bus versus an airplane.
Not that I have a lot of experience on Greyhound ...but I did take a trip on the bus once in college (I'm not sure where ) and I do remember the bus was packed and people carried on all kind of bags and food.
When our plane took off...and the air kicked in....a strange yucky smell....a combo of greasy McDonald's breakfast sandwiches and egg and cheese croissants filled the cabin....which somehow reminded me of that long ago bus travel adventure.
Of course carry on luggage is a big thing now with the extra surcharges...and folks were standing in the aisle reshuffling and beating their bags into submission to fit in the bins.
Sometimes strangers worked together to reorganize a bin...with the advice of seated passengers.....acting like back seat drivers..... "No ...no ...no...but the black bag in head first and slip the red bag not the blue bag next to that one."
All the crowds and congestion....certainly made my layover in Chicago zip by....I'm a devoted people watcher in airports....and now with cell phones.....whether you want to hear it or not....you get dialogue. Shipping orders, phone calls to mom and business meetings.....are all booming in the waiting area.
Since I was sitting at the busy Chicago to LaGuardia gate....the people watching was especially juicy....with a mix of businessmen...tony New Yorkers....and what looked like semi-celebrities....all packed in one area.
I sat next to a couple of businessmen....who had such excellent phone skills....such beautiful diction....and intelligent prater.....I made a mental note to myself....to be more conscious of own my speaking pattern in professional calls.
And what a fashion display....bags ...sunglasses...interesting shoes....but the most interesting look... went to a young man...who was in a plaid suit.
Now a brown and blue plaid suit is enough to lift your eyebrows....but his suit....was skin tight....and ended far above his ankles...plus his jacket was very short....the classic Pee Wee Herman look. He even sported short short hair with just a little tuft for a bang. I noticed some of the business guys smile as he passed by....I imagined they were thinking....ah just let him come in for an interview dressed like that at MY company....lol....
The beach was a fun experience....#5 lot at Robert Moses brimming as always with interesting folks. But I'll write about that later....sorry no personal pics...yet....my iPhone seems to get confused in the NY area...so I haven't been able to send a pic yet...
~~~~~~~~~~
Damn....I sprayed sun tan lotion all over....when I hit the beach yesterday....but forgot the back of my legs....and I am so paying for my omission....thank god I brought all those skirts.....cause these hot babies are not going to slip into pants today.
My flight out here to Laguardia...was decent as far as airline travel goes....I was only 4-5 hours late....and all my luggage found me. I guess nowadays that considered a successful trip.
Both flights were full....even my little regional airlines flight to Chicago. As I snuggled against the window to give my flying partner more room (she was a large woman)....I had the strange feeling I was on Greyhound bus versus an airplane.
Not that I have a lot of experience on Greyhound ...but I did take a trip on the bus once in college (I'm not sure where ) and I do remember the bus was packed and people carried on all kind of bags and food.
When our plane took off...and the air kicked in....a strange yucky smell....a combo of greasy McDonald's breakfast sandwiches and egg and cheese croissants filled the cabin....which somehow reminded me of that long ago bus travel adventure.
Of course carry on luggage is a big thing now with the extra surcharges...and folks were standing in the aisle reshuffling and beating their bags into submission to fit in the bins.
Sometimes strangers worked together to reorganize a bin...with the advice of seated passengers.....acting like back seat drivers..... "No ...no ...no...but the black bag in head first and slip the red bag not the blue bag next to that one."
All the crowds and congestion....certainly made my layover in Chicago zip by....I'm a devoted people watcher in airports....and now with cell phones.....whether you want to hear it or not....you get dialogue. Shipping orders, phone calls to mom and business meetings.....are all booming in the waiting area.
Since I was sitting at the busy Chicago to LaGuardia gate....the people watching was especially juicy....with a mix of businessmen...tony New Yorkers....and what looked like semi-celebrities....all packed in one area.
I sat next to a couple of businessmen....who had such excellent phone skills....such beautiful diction....and intelligent prater.....I made a mental note to myself....to be more conscious of own my speaking pattern in professional calls.
And what a fashion display....bags ...sunglasses...interesting shoes....but the most interesting look... went to a young man...who was in a plaid suit.
Now a brown and blue plaid suit is enough to lift your eyebrows....but his suit....was skin tight....and ended far above his ankles...plus his jacket was very short....the classic Pee Wee Herman look. He even sported short short hair with just a little tuft for a bang. I noticed some of the business guys smile as he passed by....I imagined they were thinking....ah just let him come in for an interview dressed like that at MY company....lol....
The beach was a fun experience....#5 lot at Robert Moses brimming as always with interesting folks. But I'll write about that later....sorry no personal pics...yet....my iPhone seems to get confused in the NY area...so I haven't been able to send a pic yet...
~~~~~~~~~~
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Reflections.....
Last night I wasn't feeling well so I settled into my comfy chair...put my feet up....waited for the cat to find the perfect spot to sit next to me... and read several newspapers.
Many papers, including the New York Times, were allowing readers to comment on Gov. Spitzer's situation in NY.
There were a few amusing emails....mostly wondering why the governor, a smart and attractive man, didn't get a mistress...a legal playmate....since in all likelihood she wouldn't have charged $2000.00/hr for her services...although one reader did concede presents to women could add up.
Other people suggested he should have found a lover, based on the assumption that a woman who might have feelings for him....would be happy to be with him....and wouldn't charge him at all...in essence.....a "freebie."
A rare few even sympathized with his choice for a prostitute....assuming he might have chosen this route...to stay emotionally uninvolved with the woman...and therefore "faithful" to his wife.
If you took out the political emails......you were left with a lot of emails...spewing....comments about the man...and his wife.....which were not based on facts.
Unless a person had intimate knowledge of this couple...their marriage.... their sexual life together....you have no idea what factors were involved in this situation....and the spectrum is wide.....ranging anywhere from a sexless marriage to Spitzer just being an arrogant asshole.
So I found it odd....that these strangers....from all over the country could pinpoint the exact problem..."she's frigid.....he's oversexed......she didn't give him enough attention...he's kinky."
Many papers, including the New York Times, were allowing readers to comment on Gov. Spitzer's situation in NY.
There were a few amusing emails....mostly wondering why the governor, a smart and attractive man, didn't get a mistress...a legal playmate....since in all likelihood she wouldn't have charged $2000.00/hr for her services...although one reader did concede presents to women could add up.
Other people suggested he should have found a lover, based on the assumption that a woman who might have feelings for him....would be happy to be with him....and wouldn't charge him at all...in essence.....a "freebie."
A rare few even sympathized with his choice for a prostitute....assuming he might have chosen this route...to stay emotionally uninvolved with the woman...and therefore "faithful" to his wife.
If you took out the political emails......you were left with a lot of emails...spewing....comments about the man...and his wife.....which were not based on facts.
Unless a person had intimate knowledge of this couple...their marriage.... their sexual life together....you have no idea what factors were involved in this situation....and the spectrum is wide.....ranging anywhere from a sexless marriage to Spitzer just being an arrogant asshole.
So I found it odd....that these strangers....from all over the country could pinpoint the exact problem..."she's frigid.....he's oversexed......she didn't give him enough attention...he's kinky."
What did these people do....drink a cup of loose leaf tea....check the residue and declare they knew ...without a doubt.....he was into handcuffs and blindfolds? Even Dr. Laura was on the Today Show blaming the whole event on Spitzer's wife....a woman she's never met.
What's on the surface isn't always a reflection of what's below.
This lesson was burned into me a few years ago....when I attended a writing conference in Maryland. It was a cut-throat conference because of the intensity of the critique sessions....and everyone was grateful to attend a midweek cocktail party for a few hours of relief.
I started talking to a couple from Virginia. He was attending the conference and his wife was staying in a hotel nearby...shopping and visiting relatives. I'm a very visual person...and could not keep my eyes off the woman because she was so drop-dead gorgeous/perfect. Shoulder length blond hair...a stunning soft sleeve-less green wrap dress...sophisticated....tall/thin....killer high heels... obviously smart and articulate. We chatted about a hundred topics and then the woman excused herself to go to the restroom.
When she left, I said to the man....."My god...she's a beautiful woman."
What's on the surface isn't always a reflection of what's below.
This lesson was burned into me a few years ago....when I attended a writing conference in Maryland. It was a cut-throat conference because of the intensity of the critique sessions....and everyone was grateful to attend a midweek cocktail party for a few hours of relief.
I started talking to a couple from Virginia. He was attending the conference and his wife was staying in a hotel nearby...shopping and visiting relatives. I'm a very visual person...and could not keep my eyes off the woman because she was so drop-dead gorgeous/perfect. Shoulder length blond hair...a stunning soft sleeve-less green wrap dress...sophisticated....tall/thin....killer high heels... obviously smart and articulate. We chatted about a hundred topics and then the woman excused herself to go to the restroom.
When she left, I said to the man....."My god...she's a beautiful woman."
He smiled....raised his glass up to me....as if in a toast....and said..."and she's totally self-absorbed....obsessed with her body....and sucks in bed."
My eyes turned into saucers.......the OH NO look....you have told me......a stranger...something wayyyyy too intimate.
I didn't know what to say....I just looked at him....and he looked squarely back into my eyes....and shot a gazillion pounds of personal pain into me....I almost swooned under the weight of it.
Then he blinked....and I blinked....we broke the connection.... and she rejoined us. Her hair perfectly in place.....her lipstick fresh.....they smiled at each other.... the conversation continued.
Even today....if I could show you my soul....I could point to the place where his pain marked me.
I'm not implying Mrs. Spitzer is anything like this woman.....oh no ...not at all.....I only wish to remind folks that most people don't wear their lives on their sleeves.....and to emphatically state we know the intimacies of a man, his life...his family......is not the stuff of true grownups.
I know.....I know........Ann Coulter could make mincemeat of me....lol....compassion is not cool.
My eyes turned into saucers.......the OH NO look....you have told me......a stranger...something wayyyyy too intimate.
I didn't know what to say....I just looked at him....and he looked squarely back into my eyes....and shot a gazillion pounds of personal pain into me....I almost swooned under the weight of it.
Then he blinked....and I blinked....we broke the connection.... and she rejoined us. Her hair perfectly in place.....her lipstick fresh.....they smiled at each other.... the conversation continued.
Even today....if I could show you my soul....I could point to the place where his pain marked me.
I'm not implying Mrs. Spitzer is anything like this woman.....oh no ...not at all.....I only wish to remind folks that most people don't wear their lives on their sleeves.....and to emphatically state we know the intimacies of a man, his life...his family......is not the stuff of true grownups.
I know.....I know........Ann Coulter could make mincemeat of me....lol....compassion is not cool.
~~~~~
For the record...I do believe he should have resigned. He broke the law...engaged in illegal activities......and he has prosecuted other people for the same activity....it's a no brainer.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
Leaving Long Island and It's Wicked Addictive Rice Pudding
Well Gina's little adventure is finished for now......I'm home from Long Island....where I stuffed my bags full of last minute treats from Fairway Grocery. If I didn't get home soon, my butt would have mushroomed from late night visits to that store to indulge in the most wonderful rice pudding. It's not that I'm such a rice pudding fan...in fact....I can't remember when I last ate the stuff....but I bought it on a whim....and it tasted just like the rice pudding my folks used to buy at a store in my old neighborhood....yes...the proverbial relic of childhood....all in a little plastic tub. I even bought a small container of regular milk to pour on top of it....(not 2%, not Skim, but oh my god regular milk!!)
Which brings me to another sin I indulged in at Fairway. Butter. Yes, since I went to Paris.....and tasted the most excellent butter....I've actually had a craving for the stuff. Not a lot but a little bit on good quality bread...which of course Fairway was all too willing to supply....Do you see a pattern here ? Thank God I got out of Long Island before I couldn't zip my jeans up!
Pictures in the next couple of days of winter cheching....and a motivational tombstone!
Which brings me to another sin I indulged in at Fairway. Butter. Yes, since I went to Paris.....and tasted the most excellent butter....I've actually had a craving for the stuff. Not a lot but a little bit on good quality bread...which of course Fairway was all too willing to supply....Do you see a pattern here ? Thank God I got out of Long Island before I couldn't zip my jeans up!
Pictures in the next couple of days of winter cheching....and a motivational tombstone!
Friday, December 01, 2006
Honey You Ain't From Long Island.....
On the road again….this time to Long Island. I needed to do some research for my children’s book and the universities around here don’t have many African databases so the choices were to travel to Chicago or somewhere on the East Coast. Buddy, a member of our tour group, invited Diana and I to visit him on Cape Cod any time. So it seemed a rather perfect set-up...work hard for a few days in New York...meet up with Diana in Boston to visit Cape Cod and then go back to Long Island to do a little more work.
Long Island even in the short time I 've been here has been a hoot......starving....I found a diner....just a few blocks from my hotel.....the Plainview Diner (and it was a diner and it did have a plain view)…. My first reaction when I saw the place was….Am I in a time warp? My waitress was like a character out of a sitcom……late 50's.... layers of dark foundation make-up …..support hose with white scrunch stockings …. brilliant white tennis shoes....short short skirt....and an open blouse showing a wrinkly cleavage. And talk about hair extensions!.......As if several ferrets had nested in her hair! ..plus gummy black false eyelashes ...massive eyeliner....and the best part....a huge rhinestone necklace on her neck. She called me....what else?..."Honey"
Perhaps on Long Island....people are all a bit deaf....or the volume you talk at is naturally set high because I could follow one of several stories..There were the Hispanic women who complained about not having their Xmas decorations up....the two Jewish guys who discussed how much salt was in each of the specialties ...but the best story was coming from behind me from people short enough not to be seen over the booth but certainly long on volume....Claire who had been married forever to a good for nothing drunk....finally was getting a divorce.....he was not only a good for nothing drunk....but a mean one..and now he started gambling and Claire had it....just had it ...because the bills were piling up and he didn't care...and so after 28 years of marriage she was telling him to hit the road....and she was starting over......Thank god she still had a good job with some retirement benefits.cause you know some women aren't that lucky. By the time my coffee arrived, I was ready to cheer for Claire and hoped she got a damn good divorce lawyer.
~~
I also managed to hit a grocery store.....the Fairway.....an old store in an old shopping center a 5 minutes drive from my hotel..I walked in and was stunned....... even for a person who doesn't cook I realized I had hit the promised land....everything you can imagine was there and piled high on extra tall shopping shelves.so everything could be squeezed in.....Himalayan cherries? No problem..Cheese Blintzs?....No problem.....stacks of cheese from around the world?....how high do you want them stacked?.....and not bowls or trays but buckets of olives.....I mean like 20 gallon buckets…..they should have security cameras there…because it took real will power not to snatch one….Italian food….Jewish food….healthy food….very unhealthy food….and mounds of produce….Pineapples stacked a couple feet high…..
They had a café and good thing it wasn't busy because it took me a long time to decipher the menu….there were so many additions and substitutions…cole slaw ..potato salad green been salad…green salad…..poppy seed buns…soft buns….Kaiser rolls…rolls with rosemary….rolls with kosher salt…..I was getting woozy…and hadn't even decided on the filling…….the lady next to me ordered a scrumptious looking roast beef sandwich….I pointed at it and asked her what it was…..
"A sandwich," she said seriously….and didn't say another word….
I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't laugh…..
I guess I don't look like I'm from Long Island…..
Long Island even in the short time I 've been here has been a hoot......starving....I found a diner....just a few blocks from my hotel.....the Plainview Diner (and it was a diner and it did have a plain view)…. My first reaction when I saw the place was….Am I in a time warp? My waitress was like a character out of a sitcom……late 50's.... layers of dark foundation make-up …..support hose with white scrunch stockings …. brilliant white tennis shoes....short short skirt....and an open blouse showing a wrinkly cleavage. And talk about hair extensions!.......As if several ferrets had nested in her hair! ..plus gummy black false eyelashes ...massive eyeliner....and the best part....a huge rhinestone necklace on her neck. She called me....what else?..."Honey"
Perhaps on Long Island....people are all a bit deaf....or the volume you talk at is naturally set high because I could follow one of several stories..There were the Hispanic women who complained about not having their Xmas decorations up....the two Jewish guys who discussed how much salt was in each of the specialties ...but the best story was coming from behind me from people short enough not to be seen over the booth but certainly long on volume....Claire who had been married forever to a good for nothing drunk....finally was getting a divorce.....he was not only a good for nothing drunk....but a mean one..and now he started gambling and Claire had it....just had it ...because the bills were piling up and he didn't care...and so after 28 years of marriage she was telling him to hit the road....and she was starting over......Thank god she still had a good job with some retirement benefits.cause you know some women aren't that lucky. By the time my coffee arrived, I was ready to cheer for Claire and hoped she got a damn good divorce lawyer.
~~
I also managed to hit a grocery store.....the Fairway.....an old store in an old shopping center a 5 minutes drive from my hotel..I walked in and was stunned....... even for a person who doesn't cook I realized I had hit the promised land....everything you can imagine was there and piled high on extra tall shopping shelves.so everything could be squeezed in.....Himalayan cherries? No problem..Cheese Blintzs?....No problem.....stacks of cheese from around the world?....how high do you want them stacked?.....and not bowls or trays but buckets of olives.....I mean like 20 gallon buckets…..they should have security cameras there…because it took real will power not to snatch one….Italian food….Jewish food….healthy food….very unhealthy food….and mounds of produce….Pineapples stacked a couple feet high…..
They had a café and good thing it wasn't busy because it took me a long time to decipher the menu….there were so many additions and substitutions…cole slaw ..potato salad green been salad…green salad…..poppy seed buns…soft buns….Kaiser rolls…rolls with rosemary….rolls with kosher salt…..I was getting woozy…and hadn't even decided on the filling…….the lady next to me ordered a scrumptious looking roast beef sandwich….I pointed at it and asked her what it was…..
"A sandwich," she said seriously….and didn't say another word….
I had to bite my lip so I wouldn't laugh…..
I guess I don't look like I'm from Long Island…..
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