Why we didn't send out holiday cards

Zero years always make me more contemplative than ever. Forty years ago I first met my wife while we both worked for the Phoenix Public Library. August 21st will be the 40th anniversary of our first date and the 20th anniversary of the day we drove out of Phoenix for what we thought was a two year stay on Long Island that is still going on.

This year we would have had lots to do in a "What our year was like" holiday message. Went to Pete Seeger's 90th birthday at the Garden and saw Joan Baez, Bruce Springsteen and Arlo Guthrie among many others. Went to the US Open and saw the young man who went on to win the entire tournament. Got tickets for the first game of the World Series ever played at Yankee Stadium. Served my first year of my job at the New York Law School that made me a daily commuter to Lower Manhattan.

Donna had been irradiated as a baby in a brief period of time when doctors thought radiation was the answer to a number of health problems. Babies who had that treatment turned out to be at high risk for thyroid problems later in life. This fall Donna's thyroid was tested and found to be so full of irregularities that she was urged to find a surgeon and remove her right thyroid. Scary enough. Then it gets worse. While taking a catscan for that operation they discovered that she has a 3.5 centimeter benign tumor on the back of her brain. It had not caused any symptoms. If they hadn't found this by accident she would have found out the hard way.

This led to months of visiting neurologists, brain surgeons and long talks with the insurance company. The plan now is that she will have the thyroid surgery in early February. Afterwards, she will get a new MRI and see if the tumor has grown. If so, it goes in the spring. If not, she may still have it taken out at the earliest time possible. One of the top surgeons in Manhattan met with us for a second opinion and reassured us that this is fairly routine, although there is a one in five chance that she will experience some vision irregularities after the surgery. Also a one in twenty chance that there will be more serious complications.

It's going to be an interesting year.

Hot and Cold Heaven

Tuesday's are the days that I may eat out rather than bring in leftovers to heat up in the staff kitchen. Today my lunch consisted of an avocado half, Caesar salad, roast pork, fried chicken wings, General Tso's chicken, blackberries and pasta salad. Because the weight of this was 1.08 pounds, the bill came to exactly 8 dollars and because it went over a pound I got a free bottle of water. Most of those items if ordered as an a la carte item in a sit down restaurant would run twelve dollars, even in Tribeca. Welcome to the world of Manhattan's hot and cold buffets. They may exist in other boroughs, but I've never seen them.

When I started work here a year ago, the first "Hot and Cold" to win my heart was at the Chambers street exit on the A and C line. They are one of the cheapest at $6 a pound with a can soda thrown in if you go over a pound. Then I found a rich vein of them on Broadway - From Leonard Street to Duane Street there is one every block. At the moment, the one that I most prefer is Roma, just south of Worth. They are $7 per pound but their meats are superior. Just north of Worth is the Variety Foods - the newest addition. North of Leonard is Fancy Foods, a long-standing tradition. Their only problem is that they don't serve avocado halves. Several of the Broadway places don't label their foods much or at all. Two blocks to the west at Church and Duane, Bouley is the class act in all of this. Theirs is 10 per pound but they have entrees like Long Island Duck and beet with walnut salad. If you're going there, be sure to hit the place before noon. For the other Hot and Colds, be warned that they start phasing down after 1:30 and the offerings after that can look pretty unappetizing to say the least.

There are Hot and Colds in midtown and uptown as well. If you are in town for a brief visit, I'd strongly recommend these to a Prix Fixe 35 dollar lunch in midtown.
You'll thank me.

Bleacher creatures

I have been to both new stadiums this season, and I'm happy enough with both. After Old Timer day, I told my wife that this is it - no more baseball for the year. Unfortunately, I had told my son that I'd agree to go to the Red Sox game on August 9. Our cousins from the Upper West Side are Red Sox fans, and they asked if we could join them. Because of television, the game didn't start until 8, so I made arrangements to be off work the next day, figuring that I wouldn't be in bed until 2 AM.

We met the cousins at the main gate without a hitch. Since Wendee was wearing her full Red Sox regalia, she got a lot of attention but most of it was from other Bostonians. We warned them to expect a Yankees win. My son and I were at David Cone's perfect game 10 years ago, and we always wear the hats we wore to that game. During that time, we have only witnessed one Yankee loss. Would the hats work their magic one more time and bring on an improbable sweep of the Sox in the Bronx.

The game was a pitcher's duel for 6 innings. Then in the bottom of the 7th, A-Rod pasted one to the seats in front of us, and it was 1-0. We expressed ourselves but kept it dignified in respect for our cousins. Then in the top of the eighth, they hit a two run home run and it seemed like the end of the world. The 10% minority of Sox fans had their moment of ecstasy. Which lasted 5 minutes until the Yankees exploded in the bottom of the eighth. Two home runs followed by a base clearing double. I called my mother in Arizona who was watching the game, but I couldn't hear what I was saying, much less what she said back. The 9th saw Mo come in with a 3 run lead. He gave up a hit and a walk, so the game really went down to the last pitch. The walk to the subway station was verrrry long for our cousins. Some of the Bronx exuberance was a bit much, but Wendee admitted that if the tables were turned in Fenway, the fans would act even worse.

I found out that train service after midnight slows down considerably. If I had missed the 1:37, it would have been a 90 minute wait. I finally got so sleep at 3 AM after seeing the best baseball game in my life. The caps had worked their magic.

Didn't you see the sign?

I had to work on President's Day, so I did something that I can never do on a normal day when I catch the 7:32. I parked in the near parking lot by the Merrick Theater. Typically, I park in the long lot to the west known as Timbuktu. Or, if I'm catching the 7:43 Timbukfour. As is often the case, my wife picked me up that night so I left the car to be used another day. When I picked it up on Thursday, there was a ticket. I looked around - there is no sign mentioning a time limit. The next day I checked - it's on the sign as you drive into the lot. This is the kind of gotcha scenario that one expects from places run by Republicans, so I checked. Sure enough, the town of Hempstead is run by Republican Kate Murray. I'm sure they get a nice income giving 70 dollar tickets to people who didn't read the sign. We have a system of monorails to the airport to encourage people to take public transportation to JFK. No doubt Kate Murray has a limo to take her wherever she wants to go, so this might not occur to her.

Acting on the fly

Yesterday was one of those days I knew would be coming. The regular, methodical rhythm of my commuting days was disrupted. A serious snowfall had got me out of work on Monday, and I wasn't prepared for how bad things would be on Tuesday. When I got to the top of the platform there was a double helping of bad news: The train was running late and it was two cars short. As the Canadian air ripped into my bones, I heard somebody behind me mention that the train after the 7:32 started in Merrick, so everybody got seats. Sure enough, when the 7:32 came at nearly 8, it was packed, with people standing in the aisles. I waited for a few more minutes, and the "7:43" was, indeed, empty. It stopped at Freeport and Baldwin and then zoomed in to Penn. In the final tally, I was only 15 minutes late to work. Now I know that I have a viable alternative if I have problems catching the 7:32. I'm getting the hang of this.

Me and Sullie

Yesterday morning I looked on the news web site and found out that the flight crew from the flight 1549 Hudson River emergency landing was going to be at City Hall to get the keys to the city. I looked at the map and figured I could be there in 10 minutes. I was, but things looked awfully empty. It turns out that Sullie and Co. were getting their award indoors rather than the traditional ceremony at the steps. At least it gave me a chance to get to know the neighborhood. So far, I hadn't veered much off the path of the subway station to my office.

A one-week veteran

Things are now proceeding with metronome-like precision. I get to the platform in Merrick eight minutes early, and stand at the yellow line next to two regulars, waiting for car number 3. As we were getting off the platform at Penn and marching up the stairs two by two to get to the A train, I had a feeling of Deja Vu. It reminded me of the opening sequence in Fritz Lang's classic film Metropolis. My last remaining source of frustration is the Metrocard. I should be able to buy rides $20 at a time, but every machine I've tried gives me the option of a seven dollar ticket or a single ride. My supervisor says that such a thing cannot be, so we are going to go to the Franklin Street station at lunch time and we'll see for ourselves. Eventually, I will buy an 80 ticket with my March monthly pass.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrdTdp5UF-M&feature=related