No not jellin' with Dr. Scholl. And no not another word I learned from Mrs. Reynolds as she wrapped me with her ruler. Kvell(ing) without the "ing" is a Yiddish word I learned from my mother--it more or less means to take pride in but in a BIG BIG way. And I'm kvellin" because Barbara and I spent a week with Oliver and Lilli--those would be our grandchildren. Their school vacation week was a couple of weeks ago and we met them and their parental drivers at the famous Ruby Road exit off I-84 in Northern Connecticut--home of that scrumptious all you can eat buffet which all of us passed on. Though we did manage to have lunch and exchange precious cargo--made it back home to Beantown in time for dinner and a week with the kids. They were wonderful and we did a lot of stuff with them including the Big Apple circus, the zoo, the MFA, assorted meals out, and some parks. They also had some play dates with old friends which they really enjoyed. I have been reminded by their mother that I don't know what its like to raise two kids so close in age. She is oh so right. My eyes were poked literally/regularly somewhere around 7 every morning and while someone else (Babs) was able to get a few more zzz's, the kids and I stumbled downstairs to begin our morning routines--which more or less meant unlimited tv until I could really wake up. The week ended with their parents arriving and joining the kids and assorted relatives for the first Seder. A really nice evening which both kids participated in. Lilli read the 4 questions in
English. Just a terrific time--Jess and Steffen have done a great job. We shall repeat our stellar performance in May this time in the City of Brotherly Love.
Moving on--Want to welcome the 4 Fleishers to this space. I am pushing closer to 50 though I am missing some key states--like Mississippi which as I have often said ranks 50th in terms of medical care in the country but has the world's best sex addiction facility--just ask Tiger. Know someone from the heart of the Confederacy?
Speaking of the confederacy, I think the best decision I ever made was to leave Florida. That state has turned into an armed camp so it should be no surprise that this child Trayvon was killed since guns are so prevalent and there is a law allowing you to "defend" yourself and your property. Furthermore, the new Hispanic manager of the now Miami (not Florida) Marlins is Ozzie Guillen. The man has always spoken his mind so anyone hiring him should have expected something to erupt sooner or later--in this case sooner. He decided he had an opinion about Fidel and the opinion was that maybe he was not so bad. Well, those octogenarian Cuban refugees might and did disagree. Caused a big hullabaloo down there and he got himself suspended not by Major League Baseball but by the team which is very mindful of the need for the support of the Hispanic community. Miami is simply run by these folks as if the revolution were a week ago. BTW, I was going to put this in the SPORTS section but a close friend insisted that I put it above the fold as they say in my business. Finally, we have Obama in Venezuela refusing to agree to allow Cuba to participate in whatever kind of Inter-American confab he was attending. Just fucking great kissing up to those Octo's like he is ever going to win Florida to begin with.
So Romney will be Barack's opponent and so far every poll shows Barack winning. My two polls consist of talking to one person from Ohio and one from NH--both of whom say nope he wont win their state. So I would be worried. Hope that unemployment rate is 7% by November and that every woman, person of color, and gay person in American votes. Otherwise the Supreme Court will end up worse than it is now.
I saw some list of the country's best hospitals and just don't get the following. Both MGH and Brigham and Women's made it but not Deaconess which just happens to be where all my docs are. All 3 are Hahvahd hospitals. What I don't get is why 2 make it and the third does not--do the boys/girls at Hahvahd shell out resources differently? And what about Mt. Auburn also a Hahvahd teaching hospital. There is something screwed up about all this.
The Bib C is back with Laura Linney--I love it and the best thing is that in the new season her hubby (Oliver Platt who I love) has started his own blog and immediately outed Laura for having had an affair. The least I can say is that I know my boundaries. A terrific show.
And a terrific book about Juarez Mexico whose name I forget but the author is Robert Andrew Powell. He went there to live and wanted to write about the god awful murder rate--about 5 on an average day. But he ends up using the local soccer team as the vehicle to enter the community and integrates its season with all the killing. He is on the same bench as Jon Krakauer and Sebastian Junger.
Speaking of Passover (and I was way back there) the vegetarian chopped liver from Whole Foods is simply to die for.
SPORTS TALK
The great white hype (that would be Phil) and Tiger both failed at Augusta. I cannot stand to watch Phil and his all white rooting section. On the other hand Tiger continues to have major psychological problems and I guess he may need to head back into Mississippi for a tune up.
I actually picked Kentucky in the NCAA pool but lost so many other games, I finished way down. The minute there are upsets especially by a smaller school (like Murray State this year) over a big conference school, I am totally screwed since I pretty much believe the stronger conference should prevail. Wrong.
The Celtics are playing better and as the boys on PTI would say--"they were going to trade Rondo? Are they crazy". He is playing out of his mind though every so often he makes a first grade dopey play. And speaking of out of his mind, Tim Thomas is there again despite his despicable politics. Now if only someone could put the puck in the net. At least those dastardly Canucks are in worse shape.
Off for Stef and Grahams big wedding event in Costa Rica. Hoping to see the monkeys up in the trees but no zip lines for me.
I do love Bruce's new album. Been wearing it out in the car.
sayonara
Monday, April 16, 2012
Sunday, April 1, 2012
LIKE BATS OUT OF HELL
No, not the Meatloaf album which I have never heard. The Colorado River flows through downtown Austin--the natives who tend to view themselves as "twisted" and "weird" (in fact most bumper stickers say "keep Austin weird") refer to the river as a lake. Which of course makes no sense but is precisely the point. Nonetheless (as I pick up my thread), much like the throngs who watch sunset in Key West's Mallory Square, throngs line up on and around the main bridge over the Colorado. What for, one might ask (or not)? Well, it seems a bazilllion bats live under the bridge and at sunset come out to feed--and amuse all of us as they blast out. There are tours and tour boats, kayaks, canoes, and other amphibious vehicles. There are also those trying to take pictures but those suckers are flying so fast the photos must all be blurred.
The point is we visited Anna a week or so ago in her new digs. A great and healthy place to live. Only problem is that Austin is like an oasis in a desert called Texas with you know who as governor. All sorts of miserable things happen in other parts of the state but Austin, with UT right there, is a runner/bicyclist/foodie heaven. They have more food trucks serving more kinds of food in more vacant lots than any place I have ever seen. And it is good food. On the other hand,(and perhaps I am prone to hyperbole) but in 5 of the 6 restaurants we were in I was the oldest by at least 20 years--and Barbara and I might have been the onliest people with no tats. I will end this section with the important point. Anna is great and quite settled in what with her new car and great apartment. Austin also has a cool movie theatre which serves food at your seat and has the best previews and other preshow shorts that I have ever seen.
ONWARD BUT NOT NECESSARILY UPWARD:
Just finished my first novel about Finland--specifically happening in the cities of Helsinki and Turku. Author's last name is Wagner. Not great but it was good and it does allow me to receive the gold medal for completing the Scandinavian cycle. I am now onto a competitor of Stieg Larsson (thanks to Joan Y.)--a couple who refer to themselves as Lars Kepler and write mysteries about Sweden. The first one I read was terrific.
An ugly week for Obamacare. I have been warned not to take the questions by the justices too seriously but Jeffrey Toobin(who I really like)--Jeffrey apparently does take them seriously and he is seriously worried that the whole thing will be tossed. Not sure what this means politically. But I am sure of the following--at least two pieces of that bill are in place. One allows young adults up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents insurance and the other protects people who have pre- existing conditions. If either of those get tossed, there will be a lot of so called "main street" people who may finally understand what the fuss is all about. And no, Obama is not responsible for the price of gas and those sucky Republicans better watch out because that shit won't stick.
Speaking of Republicans. Santorum can continue to kick and scream but the numbers don't seem to work for him. I think Romney is a tough opponent for Obama but I think he is almost tougher for some of the Conservatives to accept. Will be interesting as we get closer to November.
The death of that young person (Trayvon) in Florida is horrid but what can one expect from that state which more and more is a creation of very conservative forces. I find it subtly ironic that someone named Zimmerman (sounds like a member of my tribe but I'm not sure)is Hispanic. In the mid 60's when I left Miami, tensions were already surfacing between the Hispanic (mainly Cuban at that point) and African American communities. Now 50 years later we have this.
I almost feel like telling Karzai ok we are leaving. Since all he does is steal money we give his country and complain about our troops--maybe we should just say: "you know, you are right, we are leaving". Too many deaths on behalf of a totally inept and corrupt government.
That Rutgers kid who used spyware to look in in on his gay roommate--that kid should get locked up for a while. Yet another child of immigrants who is totally intolerant of the people who are different even though HE IS DIFFERENT. Get it, sucker?
So, more questions about those pesky bicyclists. What is the point of having a bike lane if motorized scooters use it to bypass all of us. I almost clobbered one which
was in that bike lane--are they allowed? And what is your position about the following--young folks on bikes with baskets in the front and those old fashioned horns that you squeeze? Kind of too foo foo for me--kind of like that bike in ET--they are for 10 year olds; not adults with beards.
SPORTS TALK
So, since I declared both the Bruins and the Celtics to be on life support, they of course have both come back and both are playing very well. Still think neither wins it all but am starting to think the Bruins will get further than then Celts. Celtics play the Heat today in Boston--should be interesting.
Too bad for the Saints. I already thought some of the NFL players were thuggish (ever listen to James Harrison of the Steelers?)--and this just institutionalizes it. Payton actually should be in jail with his team and if he were the CEO of a corporation, he would be.
Then we have this: A church in Denver announced they were "mourning" the trade of Tim Tebow to the Jets. How fucked up is that. And how do you think his religiosity will play in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Totally screwed up my NCAA brackets though I do have Kentucky which was a no brainer. I will say Michigan specifically and the Big 10 generally should be embarrassed at their failures.
That's about it.
Sayonara
The point is we visited Anna a week or so ago in her new digs. A great and healthy place to live. Only problem is that Austin is like an oasis in a desert called Texas with you know who as governor. All sorts of miserable things happen in other parts of the state but Austin, with UT right there, is a runner/bicyclist/foodie heaven. They have more food trucks serving more kinds of food in more vacant lots than any place I have ever seen. And it is good food. On the other hand,(and perhaps I am prone to hyperbole) but in 5 of the 6 restaurants we were in I was the oldest by at least 20 years--and Barbara and I might have been the onliest people with no tats. I will end this section with the important point. Anna is great and quite settled in what with her new car and great apartment. Austin also has a cool movie theatre which serves food at your seat and has the best previews and other preshow shorts that I have ever seen.
ONWARD BUT NOT NECESSARILY UPWARD:
Just finished my first novel about Finland--specifically happening in the cities of Helsinki and Turku. Author's last name is Wagner. Not great but it was good and it does allow me to receive the gold medal for completing the Scandinavian cycle. I am now onto a competitor of Stieg Larsson (thanks to Joan Y.)--a couple who refer to themselves as Lars Kepler and write mysteries about Sweden. The first one I read was terrific.
An ugly week for Obamacare. I have been warned not to take the questions by the justices too seriously but Jeffrey Toobin(who I really like)--Jeffrey apparently does take them seriously and he is seriously worried that the whole thing will be tossed. Not sure what this means politically. But I am sure of the following--at least two pieces of that bill are in place. One allows young adults up to the age of 26 to stay on their parents insurance and the other protects people who have pre- existing conditions. If either of those get tossed, there will be a lot of so called "main street" people who may finally understand what the fuss is all about. And no, Obama is not responsible for the price of gas and those sucky Republicans better watch out because that shit won't stick.
Speaking of Republicans. Santorum can continue to kick and scream but the numbers don't seem to work for him. I think Romney is a tough opponent for Obama but I think he is almost tougher for some of the Conservatives to accept. Will be interesting as we get closer to November.
The death of that young person (Trayvon) in Florida is horrid but what can one expect from that state which more and more is a creation of very conservative forces. I find it subtly ironic that someone named Zimmerman (sounds like a member of my tribe but I'm not sure)is Hispanic. In the mid 60's when I left Miami, tensions were already surfacing between the Hispanic (mainly Cuban at that point) and African American communities. Now 50 years later we have this.
I almost feel like telling Karzai ok we are leaving. Since all he does is steal money we give his country and complain about our troops--maybe we should just say: "you know, you are right, we are leaving". Too many deaths on behalf of a totally inept and corrupt government.
That Rutgers kid who used spyware to look in in on his gay roommate--that kid should get locked up for a while. Yet another child of immigrants who is totally intolerant of the people who are different even though HE IS DIFFERENT. Get it, sucker?
So, more questions about those pesky bicyclists. What is the point of having a bike lane if motorized scooters use it to bypass all of us. I almost clobbered one which
was in that bike lane--are they allowed? And what is your position about the following--young folks on bikes with baskets in the front and those old fashioned horns that you squeeze? Kind of too foo foo for me--kind of like that bike in ET--they are for 10 year olds; not adults with beards.
SPORTS TALK
So, since I declared both the Bruins and the Celtics to be on life support, they of course have both come back and both are playing very well. Still think neither wins it all but am starting to think the Bruins will get further than then Celts. Celtics play the Heat today in Boston--should be interesting.
Too bad for the Saints. I already thought some of the NFL players were thuggish (ever listen to James Harrison of the Steelers?)--and this just institutionalizes it. Payton actually should be in jail with his team and if he were the CEO of a corporation, he would be.
Then we have this: A church in Denver announced they were "mourning" the trade of Tim Tebow to the Jets. How fucked up is that. And how do you think his religiosity will play in the land of Sodom and Gomorrah?
Totally screwed up my NCAA brackets though I do have Kentucky which was a no brainer. I will say Michigan specifically and the Big 10 generally should be embarrassed at their failures.
That's about it.
Sayonara
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