60 Years and Still in Love

Today is my parent's 60th wedding anniversary. It would have been my grandparent's 94th wedding anniversary, as they were married on the same date. I am in Florida to celebrate. I am not only celebrating their anniversary, but also the fact that I am blessed to have 2 vibrant parents who can still out dance me. They have all of their faculties but just at a slower pace. Make no mistake about it, they are still the parents and we are still the children. Their wisdom and guidance supersedes ours. We have a small dinner party planned for Friday evening and are looking forward to it. I know I am blessed and thank god everyday for my wonderful parents.

Rain, Rain, Go Away

It is 4:30am and it is raining. I will be leaving for the airport at 5 for my flight to Florida. I am a so-so traveler. A two hour flight is not too bad. If I went over seas, I think I would need a morphine drip attached to my arm. My lunch is packed and unless my ticket and driver's licensed have escaped overnight, they still should be safe in my bag. That once happened to a friend of mine. The ticket went missing as the taxi pulled up. In those days things were not computerized, so they cancelled the taxi and the trip. Six months later the ticket appeared. So, off I go, in the rain, and hopefully we will take off on time.

Crossing the Bridge

Last night, for the first time in ten years, I had no evening receptionist. Normally, if one girl cannot come in, another will fill in. Yesterday, no one was available. We had always said we would formulate a plan and cross that bridge when we came to it. I told each doctor they had to fend for themselves and I put a message on the answering machine. This morning I will see if I will be floating or drowning.

The Lists

I am leaving for Florida onWednesday morning and I do not want to forget anything, so I begin the task of list making. I put a piece of paper on my refrigerator and each time I think of something, I add it to the list. Years ago, I did not need a list. I had good memory retention. Nowadays, I have minimum retention. Maybe that is because my mind is so busy thinking for the people around me. One day, I am going to take a picture and it will come out with 6 heads attached to me. From Wednesday until Sunday, my brain will be on idle.
I get four days a year to rest my head. My sister will pick up the slack. I can't wait.

A Few More Kisses

After a fantastic weekend, my children will be returning to New England. One last brunch and off they go. The weekend was wonderful and the entire family got to meet our beautiful little girl. She was a real charmer and acted like a proper New England child. Well behaved and pleasant temperament. Seeing her in person and holding her is the best feeling in the world. There is no need for TV or electronics when she is here. She is the best entertainment ever. We passed her around like a football and she never cried. She was happy wherever she was at the moment. I also must give credit to Shelby. He knew that he was not going to be the center of attention and took it well. In a few hours when they pull out of my driveway, I will cry. Saying goodbye is always hard and now that "A" is here, it is so much harder. I have lots of pictures to look at until I see her again in May. Until then, I will have to be happy Skypeing and being a virtual grandma.

She's Here

My baby is here. She arrived last night and looked like a princess. I know that all grandmothers feel that way. My son and daughter in law have changed also. They went from my children to "A"s parents. They are so confident with her, as if their parenting skills laid dormant until the baby was born. She is a good girl, all smiles. She eats well and is a real charmer. She is comfortable with whomever has her in their arms. My son and daughter in law want to go to the gym today and asked if I would mind babysitting for an hour. They realized that it was a rhetorical question. That will be my special time to bond with my baby. Just the two of us, looking into each others blue eyes. I will fill her in on family matters and make sure that when her parents come home, she doesn't "spill the beans".

The Who

Last night I attended my first rock concert. I am still recovering. The Who came to the coliseum on their Quadrophenia Tour and we got tickets. The arena was sold out. When I walked in and looked around, most of the audience was over 50 years old. Grey haired men and for some reason, lots of blond women. Of course we know the blond color covered their grey. The 2 main members of The Who are now 68 and 70 years old. I was never a big fan of the group but I know their most popular songs. The concert began and for one hour I had no idea of what they were playing. It was a lot of loud sounds being played to film clips from 1940 until today. I guess that was the Quadrophenia part. I had been up early yesterday, went to work, then went to Manhattan to lecture and finally raced to the Coliseum for the show. I was exhausted and since I did not know the songs, I was also a bit bored. I put my hands on my head and tried to doze off until the songs I knew were played. I might go down in history as the first person to nap at a Who concert. Then it happened....the old grey haired men sitting behind me started to smoke marijuana. The smoke went into my lungs and gave me a sensation of burning. I still have a burning feeling as I write this. Between the smoke, the loud noise and people that are over 60, jumping around, I am sure someone will be at their cardiologist this morning.

The Pen

I am not a fan of the news. Since most of it is upsetting, I would rather just watch cooking shows. When I do happen to have the news channel on, there is one thing I do not understand. Why does every news anchor have a pen in their hand? We all know that the news is totally scripted and there in no room for something being interjected. On the rare occasion they say something off the cuff, a lawsuit usually follows. So, why do they have a pen? Does the pen give the illusion that the anchor person actually wrote the news? Are they doing a Sudoku puzzle during the commercials? Years ago, Peter Jennings, a famous anchorman used to end his show and while the titles were being played each night, he would pick up the telephone and make a call. A television interviewer once asked him if he was calling the newsroom to go over the night's show. He told them he was only calling his wife to let her know he would be coming home for dinner soon.

No Turn on Red

New signs are popping up all over Nassau County. They are replacing the old ones that were perfectly fine. There is only one minor difference. The old signs said "No Turn on Red". The new signs say "No Turn on Red" but have a red circle on them. What is the purpose? If you read English, you understand not to turn on red. If you do not read English, then you just have 4 words that mean nothing and a red ball. If you are color blind, it is a grey ball. The sign is bigger but the words are about the same size. Whose idea was it to replace the old signs and exactly how much of my taxes were spent to do it? How many other needless things is the county paying for? I understand the "out with the old, in with the new" theory but I think the taxpayers should know what our politicians feel is "old" and let them substantiate why the "new" would be better.

No More Saturdays

Last week on the news, I heard that the US Postal Service will be discontinuing mail delivery on Saturdays, as of August. I was glad to hear that news. For some reason, anytime I receive a bill that is incorrect, it is on a Saturday. Since my mail is delivered after 3pm, or whenever my mailman awakens from his daily nap, I can not call anyone to discuss the matter. I will then continue to think of the error, until Monday morning, when businesses open. No mail on Saturdays assures me of a pleasant weekend without any worries. I wish they would have done this years ago.

Happy Birthday George and Abe

Today is President's Day. I am not off. It is business as usual. Years ago, we celebrated George Washington's birthday on February 22 and Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12. Someone decided to combine the two and make it a Monday Federal holiday. Someone else decided to add four more days and make it a week long vacation for teachers. None of these decisions affected me as I am not a state or federal employee. Then came Sandy, the great equalizer. She decided to have schools close for a week in November and no one could do anything about it. By doing that, most school districts no longer had enough teaching days to be off the entire week in February. If you already had plans, the districts told people to "do what they have to do" and use their personal days or lose pay. I feel bad for those people but let's put it in perspective. I work as hard as the next person and I do not get off 10 weeks in the summer, Christmas week, Easter week and up until this year President's week. So, enjoy your President's day, while I go to work.

When

When was the last time you did something for the first time? I ask this question to the people who attend my lecture on "Motivation". As soon as the question is asked, I see people thinking. Their eyes either look up or down, but I see the wheels turning. The answer to this question is not important. I ask it, to make them think. At what point in our lives do we stop trying new things? At what point do we become complacent? Most people in the room cannot tell me when they went out of their comfort zone in order to have a new experience. We stop growing when we stop learning. Age does not factor into the equation. New experiences enhance our lives, so why not live life to its fullest.

Handset

I saw something on television the other day that I thought was a joke. One of the cast members of a reality show was talking on her cell phone but she had an old fashioned handset plugged into it. The large clunky ones that we used in the 1970's. Hers had rhinestones and I thought she was just trying to be unique. When I was out shopping today, I saw a young girl, about 10 years old, talking on her cell phone. Attached to it was a large neon green handset. It was bigger than her forearm. Not only did it not make sense, it also looked stupid. Why use a small compact cell phone if you plan to attach a large handset. Are people really sheep being led to the slaughter?

Customer Service at Sarku

Last night I ate at a fast food Japanese restaurant. It was not take out, it was fast food. The name of the restaurant is Sarku, in East Meadow, NY. We placed our order and when it was ready, a staff member delivered it to our table. The food was delicious and the portions were so big that everyone had to take some home. The part that stood out about this restaurant was its customer service. I had been there once before, when it first opened. Usually during the first few weeks the staff is always pleasant, so the real test is going back months later. I have never been to a restaurant where the people were not only pleasant, but also polite. From the man that took our order, to the man that delivered our food, to the manager when we finished eating. Each one was so welcoming and respectful. When we left the restaurant, the manager was outside on his phone, but he took a second to call out, "Goodnight, ladies, I hope you enjoyed the meal". We not only enjoyed the meal, we also enjoyed the atmosphere.

Happy Valentine's Day

Today, on Valentine's Day, 50% of the people will be angry with their significant others. Girls who think today is the day they will become engaged... might not. Girls who think their boyfriends will buy them jewelry might only get a card and possibly candy. Women who have been married for many years may be totally forgotten about. The other 50% will be happy. I pity the men whose women fall into the first category. It will be a bad day for them and they will not be able to redeem themselves for an entire year.

Check ID

For some reason, the credit card companies have changed the rules about signing the charge slip after you make a purchase. They feel that any amount under $25 does not require a signature. For purchases over $25, they need your signature. Most of the time no one ever looks at it to verify that it is yours, especially at the automated ones where you just sign the signature pad. I never sign the back of my credit card. If it is lost or stolen, I do not need anyone knowing my signature. Signing the card never made sense to me. It is like giving a thief a blueprint to your house, or the key to your door. Instead I write, "Check ID" where my signature should be. If someone is fraudulently using my card, they would not have the picture ID to back up the purchase. To me, that makes more sense.

Just Listen

A week ago, I received a call from a woman in Missouri. She runs a treatment center and wanted to send a rep to my office to host a luncheon and inform us of what her center does. She said there would be a rep in the area last week. I said that unfortunately that was not good but I would talk to my director and see when we could possibly do it. After a few emails back and forth, March 5, at 12 noon was agreed upon. I have the emails to confirm the conversation. I blocked off each doctor's book on that day and sent a memo to everyone. Last night I got a call from my office saying that the rep came in and wanted to get our lunch order. She told him that the talk was for March 5. He said he was told February 12. I called his cell to let him know that today is not a good day, but he shut the cell off. I left a message telling him that he should not come tomorrow. I hope he got it.

Snow Baby

One picture is worth a thousand words. It can also be worth a hundred laughs. After the big storm, my daughter in law wanted to take the baby out in the snow to see her reaction to the beauty of a white covered world. She dressed the baby in her stark white polar bear snowsuit, the one she came home from the hospital in. As soon as the baby was snuggled in the snowsuit, she fell sound asleep. My daughter in law carried her outside and put a waterproof bag on the ground. She then placed the baby on top of the bag and took a picture and emailed it to me. When I opened the email, I could not stop laughing. It was a picture of complete whiteness with just the baby's face . The stark white snow suit had blended into the pristine snow and the complete focus of the shot was a beautiful angelic baby face.

Tunneling Out

After the storm, we faced the daunting task of shoveling out. My neighbors looked like tiny ants trying to make a tunnel into their ant hills. It took hours. Even with a snow blower, things moved slowly. When you have a foot of snow, only a commercial size snow blower can cut right through the snow. It took until 3pm until a county snow plow came down my street and round two of shoveling began. This time, it was to remove the snow that the plow put in front of my driveway. When all was said and done, we were clear. After a hard day's work we went out to dinner to treat ourselves. This morning I am sure that almost everyone has a backache.

Winter Wonderland

I went to sleep early last so I would not be watching the storm all night. When I got up at 7am, I looked outside and saw a beautiful white blanket of snow. It was pristine and untouched and looked like a cloud. By later this afternoon, it will be a rumpled mess. I feel bad for dogs in this weather. Shelby is about 14 inches high but the snow is higher in my yard. Do the math. If he walks in it he will be lost. When he squats he will have icy "private parts". The only solution is to quickly make a snow runway so he can go outside for a few minutes. We made the runway and put on Shelby's winter coat and took him outside. Now we are de-icing his paws.

Gearing Up

A blizzard is coming. As of now they predict 12 inches in New York and up to 3 feet in Massachusetts. Those are the only two places I an concerned about. Since the hurricane, our mentality regarding storm warnings has changed. The gas lines have appeared again and the supermarket shelves are thinning out. We will never ignore a warning again. It is always better to be prepared than to have to backtrack, later on. I realized that I do not mind snow, as it can be shoveled and plowed. I just never want to be without lights again.

Basketful Of Love

This year for my birthday, my daughter-in-law made me a special gift. It was special on many levels. First, she was expecting a baby, and it isn't easy to run around holiday shopping in your ninth month. She created a beautiful gift basket for me. She called it a "relaxation " basket. It contained tea, chocolates, slippers, a manicure set. a pedicure set, hand lotions, foot lotions and a gel facial mask, all wrapped in a beautiful wicker basket. I had so much fun unpacking all of the goodies. As I removed each one from the basket, I stopped to think about how I was going to enjoy using each item. She could have taken the easy way out this year and just bought me a gift. Instead she took the time to think about what special items she wanted me to have. It was one of the most thoughtful and appreciated gifts I ever received.

Lighten Up

For the first time in weeks, I have awakened to light. Since December, when  I wake up and it looks like the middle of the night. I am a "day person" and seem to have more energy when it is bright out. In just one day, I have the feeling that spring is on the way. I no longer feel like a night worker. I will not have to drive to work with my lights on. I love that feeling.

Jumping the Gun

It is nice to share good news, but you need to verify it first. One of my friend's nieces is about to give birth any day now. My friend had been texting all day to see if the big event had happened. No one answered for hours. Finally, she received an answer. It read "The owner of this phone is at North Shore Hospital. Tell them to see John Smith, parking manager. She texted back her congratulations on the birth. Immediately my friend started to scream, "It's a boy and his name is John Smith" but I don't know why my nephew is calling him a parking manager. I guess he is trying to be funny. She proceeds to call quite a few family members to announce the good news. "John Smith was born!" About 15 minutes later her phone rang. A man who identified himself as "John Smith, the parking manager at the hospital" told her that he found someone's cell phone on the floor and asked if she was able to get in touch with the owner and tell him that it is being held at the garage office. She then had to call each person she had notified, to say she had jumped the gun and the baby has not arrived yet. Next time wait for a phone call and not a text message.

Morning After

It is the morning after Super Bowl. I cannot tell you which number super bowl it was or which teams played. I still have no idea who won. Does that make me a bad American? In today's garbage there will be millions of chicken bones, lots of beer cans and tossed away Dorito bags. Most people at a Superbowl party were really there for the food and friends. The game was just the vehicle to bring them together. I knew of a few people that actually had to look up the team names so they would not be embarrassed. I just told people to yell "go Mets" when they felt it was appropriate.

Front Hall Closet

This morning I needed to find a cloth shopping bag that I thought I had stored in my front hall closet. When I opened the closet door, I realized that the closet had turned into a mess. I pride myself on being a neat, orderly person, but we all have a place that items are hidden. For some reason, I have a hard time parting with plastic grocery bags. Each time I shop, I add at least 5 to the collection. Multiply that by a few days in the week and you can figure out why there is an overload. When they get too many for the normal storage area, I place the overage in the front hall closet. This morning I decided to part with all of the extras. I gathered up a large shopping bags of bags. I even found a long lost pair of boots along the way. I vowed to never let them add up again, but I know they will.

What's The Prize?

After collecting loose change in a pink piggy bank, I decided to bring it into the real bank and cash it in for dollars. I went to a TD Bank near my house. They have a Penny Arcade there and you can dump the change into the slot and the machine will calculate the total. As you start the process, the machine asks you if you would like to play the "guessing game" and possibly win a prize. I chose to play. I had to guess the amount that I put in and if I was in $1.99 of the total, I win a prize. I guessed $22.15, a purely random number. I threw my change into the slot and after hearing it being tossed around for a few minutes, the ticket came out displaying the amount. I had $20.41 in change. I was within $1.99 of my guess. I won! I took the ticket to the teller and asked what the prize was. She said she needed to go in the back to see. After a few minutes she returned to the window with a sad look on her face. It seems that they never reordered prizes, but she did find some things to give me. She then put her "offerings" on the counter. There was one pencil, 2 bandaids and a folder. She asked if that was OK. I laughed at the poor looking items and told her that they were fine, as I never expected to leave the bank with anything but my dollar bills.

The Journal

I will be teaching a course and lecturing starting next week. A lot of preparation has gone into these classes. I never take any task lightly. As part of the course, I will be asking the students to keep a journal. They can buy a blank notebook in a dollar store. I like the kind that looks like a bound book, because a journal is meant to be kept forever. I was explaining the journal to someone the other day and they asked why it needed to be in book form and not typed on the computer. Writing something by hand has a totally different sentiment than typing something on the computer. Handwritten pages are personal. I am sure that no one would want to receive a greeting card from a loved one and see their name typed at the bottom. We like to see it handwritten. A personal journal deserves nothing less. When you read back the entries, you know they came from the heart.