New Years Eve

Tonight is New Years Eve. I am usually at home sleeping when the ball drops. We eat our usual early dinner and watch television. This year we will have dinner early and then go to a movie. My older son gave a movie gift card to my husband for the holidays so we will make use of it. I am glad to be doing something different this year. I will still be asleep when the balls drops. Some things stay consistent.

Mind Jar

Over the past year my office has been trained to be certified in DBT therapy. Dialectical Behavioral Treatment differs from Cognitive Behavioral Treatment (CBT). CBT is to train your thoughts and action to be appropriate so you can function normally. DBT acknowledges that some types of behaviors cannot be easily changed so the patient needs to live with the fact that they have to recognize when they are out of control and just try to calm down. To be concise, it is mindfulness training. DBT has a more loving component. Some people just cannot change and need to see their therapist as their ally. It is more nurturing for disorders that are hard to normally treat. In one of the recent DBT groups a doctor brought in a mindfulness jar. It was a visual aid to show emotions. I loved it so much that I made one. It is a jar filled with water and glitter. The water represents a clear mind. The glitter represents emotions. When things are normal the water is clear and the glitter lies peacefully on the bottom. When someone is upset it is like the jar being shaken. The glitter swirls aimlessly and mixes into the water so nothing is clear. If you take a moment to relax and breath the glitter will slowly settle again so you can see clearly. It is not only therapeutic, it also makes sense.

Extension

The difference between man and other animals is that we have a thumb to grasp with. It was adapted thru millions of years. Our hands are now adapting to a curled shape. So much time is being spent holding our cell phones that many people's hands are naturally curling. Within another million years, this will become a permanent adaptation. Look around as you go through your day. Notice how many of us have our hand wrapped around an electronic device.

Make Waves

This year for the holidays my daughter in law bought me a beautiful necklace. It has my birthstone and a gold bar. On the bar the words "Make Waves" is engraved. I put it on immediately. Besides looking beautiful I see a real meaning in what it says. Make Waves. For my entire life I have avoided making waves. I always wanted things to be calm. I never wanted to ripple the waters or make anyone unhappy. I was doing the dead man's float. Quietly lying there, floating in smooth waters. While life is good, would it have been better if waves were made? From now on I will take the advice of the necklace and make some waves. If I am unhappy I will make sure my opinion is strongly voiced. If I disagree with you, I will make sure you know it. If you have upset me, I will make sure that my feelings are known. The necklace is so appropriate to my life. For the first 61 years I settled for smooth. For the rest of my life I will make as many waves as necessary.

Home Stretch

The holiday season is almost done. Normalcy is just days away. Mall traffic will be gone. Crowded stores will empty out. Chocolates and cakes will be digested. We can clear our heads and begin a new year. All in all this year was a good one. There were a few bumps in the road but that is what life is about.

Playtime

Yesterday I played all day. My goal for this weekend's trip was to spend every moment possible playing with my granddaughter. We went into her mother's old bedroom, sat on the floor and played everything from doctor to restaurant to dollhouse. We pretended to do surgery. Then we pretended to be in a restaurant. We took a break for dinner then played some more. At the end of the night she looked at me with a big smile and said it was so much fun playing. One day she will realize that I had more fun than she did.

Tracking Santa

• Last night I helped my grandchildren track Santa Claus. It was not the first time I have done this with them but it was the first time they understood. They were excited to track Santa but I was excited to see them happy. I have learned over the years that I can enjoy holidays that I do not celebrate in a religious way. I can ce!ebrate them in my own way with love in my heart.

Happy HanuMass

Tonight is the beginning of two holidays. It is the first night of Hanukkah and Christmas Eve. It is nice that they fall out on the same day. It is a precursor to what I hope will be a year of joining together. I hope this year will be a year of "us" and not a year of "me versus the other people". Maybe fate has aligned these days to show us that a common ground has finally begun. Maybe it is not a  coincidence.

True Gifts

Yesterday was my birthday. I received the best gifts ever. All family members from 7 months to 93 years called to wish me a happy birthday. There could be no better gift on earth than that. To be turning 61 years old and having both your mother and father sing happy birthday to you while they are dining out at a restaurant, is a true blessing and a priceless gift. I know what really matters in life and it can be summed up in one word. Family.

City Lights

Last night we went to Manhattan to see the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center. I am not a city person so I planned the day. I prepaid for parking and had a dinner reservation at a nearby pub. We picked up my grandson and his parents and drove to the city. All he talked about was the big buildings and the lights. His eyes sparkled as he sat in his stroller staring at the huge tree. He ate a big dinner and enjoyed walking among the crowds. He even asked for a hot pretzel to top off the night. As we got into the car to return home, he said that he did not want to leave but he would be back again soon.

The Media

Our new administration is anti press and I agree with them. While the media gives us the news, they skew it in a way that serves their own purposes. Then we are held responsible for interpreting what they have dished out and making sense of it. Some call it propaganda and some call it scamming. Yesterday their way of "doing business" effected me directly. I found out that my local newspaper has been putting a $3.99 surcharge on my account four times a year for Fun Books and special holiday coupons. I called them up to complain as no one I spoke to knew about this. They said that it is clearly stated every day on page two. I got out my paper and went to page two. At the bottom, in a 2 font lettering, they printed the disclaimer. I could barely read it even with a magnifying glass. I told that to the customer service representative I was talking on the phone with. She said that it was printed in the paper and if I did not see it, it was not their problem, it was mine. I had the surcharge option permanently removed from my account but I hung up angry. This incident showed me that the media are liars and will do anything to get their opinions across or profit from them.

Fear Of Flying

My office is a specialty practice. We go above and beyond, literally. This weekend one of my doctors did an exposure with a patient. Exposures are exercises that put you in the situation that gives you anxiety and work through it with you in real time. As I tell new patients, life takes place beyond the four walls of a doctor's office. The patient I am talking about has a fear of flying and had to go to Florida on Sunday. He was obsessing about the trip saying he could not get on the plane. My doctor offered to go with him on the flight and then she would have a one hour wait until she got back on the plane to New York, while he stayed in Florida. He booked 2 tickets for first class. Every time he became fearful she did therapy with him. He made it to Florida without panicking. Family members were coming to New York for a visit and would fly with him for the return flight. All in all it cost him the price of 2 round trip first class tickets and $1500 for her time. The money did not matter to him because he got a wonderful value from the experience.

Invest Now

Yesterday I was at my sister's house for a Hanukkah celebration. We watched the children open up their gifts, one after another. Wrapping paper was flying. Packaging was being ripped and tossed. At one point we told the kids to put all of their gifts in a shopping bag to keep them in one place. This event was never a reality for my husband. There were never piles of gifts to open. No one had to worry about keeping things in one place. They say you reap what you sow. His parents never sowed the act of gift giving so I am now reaping the results. As I sit here, I look behind me and see my husband's childhood being purchased bit by bit, by him. If he had this as a child he would not have the need for it as an adult.

Holiday On Any Day

Today my family is celebrating Hanukkah. It is a week early because I will be away next weekend. As it turns out, my children will not be there. Two live out of state and two have imposed a self quarantine. Since their sickness last week, they have decided to stay away from people for the full eight day incubation period. They do not want to get anyone else sick. Although I will be sad that they are not with us, they are doing the right thing. They know how sick they both were and do not want to spread the virus. I am looking forward to having a good time, as usual. Latkes, noodle pudding and chicken. Three staples of the holiday. Family time is always special and I am blessed to have a wonderful family to share these times with.

Food Memories

I was lying in bed this morning thinking of what I would eat for lunch. I am the type of person that likes to plan my meals. It gives me something to look forward to. I decided to have tuna on a toasted bagel for lunch. I then started thinking that the best tuna on a bagel was made by my mother. The tuna had a perfect mix of mayonnaise and was delicious. Even though I use the same brand, it never tastes like my mothers. Her meatballs and spaghetti were also fabulous. She blended a jar of sauce with a can of plain tomato sauce and cooked the meatballs in the sauce. Mmm mmm good. Her brisket was to "live for". Baked chicken legs were so yummy. My mother made blintzes from scratch. The crepes were called "bletles" and the cheese was a mix of farmers cheese, pot cheese, eggs and sugar. My mouth is watering as I write this. I do not think my children will have these fond memories. Most children of this generation won't. 

Innocence

All we need to know can be learned from a child. Before they set out into the real world and begin to have other people shape their thinking, a child's pure innocent response is what life is all about. I think that if I could fly away to an uncharted island with my three grandchildren, I would be in paradise. I would be with people who are totally pure of heart. They cry when they are hurt. They laugh when they are happy. They know instinctively when you need a hug. If you are unhappy, they can look into you eyes and see right into your soul. They know what you need even though they have not been taught. It is an instinct that is God given and only there for a brief moment in their lives. Then they are then forced to grow up and innocence is lost. Instinct is replaced with thinking.

Never Late

It is a good thing my sister always calls me at 6:45am to say hello. If she did not I would still be asleep. Last night I was in the ER with my son. He needed to be re hydrated due to a bad stomach virus. His wife was there two days before with the same thing. He is fine now and I am off to work. I am the type of person to still be on time, no matter what.

Leftovers

The best part of a party is the leftovers. We had such an abundance of food yesterday for lunch that we barely had room to store it. We put the food away in order of importance. Meats first, then pasta, then veggies, then miscellaneous items. The refrigerator door had to be crammed shut. This afternoon the food will make a second appearance and the next day possibly a third. Although I have not even had breakfast, I am planning lunch. Food is always better the next day because I get to relax and eat it.

Party Tuesday

I am back from vacation and back to work. It is nice to start the work week on a Tuesday. Today is our annual office party. I will set it up and clean it up. In between there will be a lot of food and a little talk. This year since we have more staff than usual, I am not bringing any food. When we ran down the list of items that people were bringing you can see people's personalities. The people who do not like to do anything extra are bringing soda or paper plates. The real go getters who like to please everyone are bringing cooked foods. One doctor who feels that she must always go the extra mile is smoking a brisket for 10 hours that will feed 20 people. I told her that she was going above and beyond but she wanted to do it. As usual, my boss will have her maid cook for her. It should be a nice party.

Little Girl, Big Personality

Today is my granddaughter's fourth birthday. She is a petite girl with a giant personality. The moment you meet her, you love her. She has a sparkle in her eyes and energy in her body. She can make you laugh with her uncanny sense of the world. She is a beautiful girl whose features are like a porcelain doll. Last night as she was trying to figure out a new birthday toy, her sister started crying. She looked at me , covered her ears and said that the crying was so loud that she couldn't focus on what she needed to do. When I am with her, I can't focus on anything else but soaking in every moment of our time together.

Glittering Princess

I had a wonderful time yesterday. I had dinner with four of my favorite people. I am in New England visiting my granddaughter for her birthday. We had a lovely dinner and I couldn't stop smiling as I sat across from my son, daughter in law and baby granddaughter. I sat next to my older granddaughter and we chattered all through the meal. After dinner we went back to her house to open some gifts. I bought her a few princess dress up outfits. She couldn't wait to put them on. She looked so beautiful in her princess crown and heels. One of the dresses was filled with glitter. I was so excited to buy it that I did not realize the mess it would make. My husband hates glitter and that aversion was passed down to my son. It looked like a sparkling mess as soon as she put on the dress. Glitter never goes away. Months later specks will appear. As I laid in bed last night, I found glitter on my face. No More Glitter!

Who's Sleepy?

We are driving to Massachusetts this morning. The plan was for my husband to work overnight and come home and nap. I was going to do the driving. Due to circumstances beyond my control I have been up since 4am. Now I an the sleepier of the two. It will be a crap shoot who drives.

Facebook Live

For the second time this week, I am reading about a teenager that died while live streaming themselves in a car speeding. In the first case it was a male driver. In the second one, it was a female driver that also took the life of her friend who was sitting beside her in the passenger's seat. It is bad enough that Facebook opens our lives to strangers. Why do we have to do it live? What is it in human nature that makes us need to have people validate our actions? What was the purpose of live streaming yourself speeding on a highway? By trying to show how daring they were, these individuals only showed us their stupidity. At the end of the internet article there was a link to a Go Fund Me page to help pay for the funerals. That is ludicrous. The people who need to pay are the morons who felt the need to add yet another dysfunctional app to our lives.

Giving Up

Lately I think that people find it easy to just give up. This morning I sat down at my computer to find that it was frozen. My husband must have frozen it last night and decided it was easier to walk away and go to sleep than fix it. Of course this morning it took me 20 minutes to get it back up and running. I do not have the luxury of giving up. The same thing happened in work yesterday morning. I found a note on my desk saying that the printer in the secretary's office was broken. I went in the back and took out the toner. There was a piece of paper trapped in the machine. I pulled out the paper and the machine was fixed. No one else could have done that? The girl that left the note is studying for her PhD. In this case she did not fix the machine because I guess she thought it was Pretty Hard to Do. (PhD)

Secretary

I woke up this morning to find 2 envelopes on the computer desk. They are items that my husband sold on eBay. They are silently staring at me whispering, "Ship me". I do not use eBay but somehow I became the eBay shipping department. I never put the items up for sale and I do not spend the money that they generate. Why am I involved? When I tell my husband to ship them himself, he says if he does it he will do it wrong. How is it that he knows how to correctly buy things but does not know how to correctly sell things?

Camouflage

I went to the skin doctor yesterday for a recheck on my nose wound. I was taken into the office by the medical assistant and we chatted for a few minutes. She asked what I was there for and I said a wound recheck. She looked at me as if to say, "What wound"? All of the other patients in the office that were there for rechecks had on bandages or bandaids. I pointed to my nose and removed the camouflage patch I had made. I am not a vain person but I cannot have a bandage across my nose for three months. It is too annoying. I devised a method that molded ointment and paper to create a natural look while still doing its job. The doctor walked in and said that the wound was healing fantastic. So fantastic, in fact, that when it was all healed he was going to use pictures of it to show patients when they have to make a decision whether to have a skin graft or heal naturally. He said that the patients would not be able to tell which picture was the skin graft. I explained my "method" to him and he said that no one ever did it that way but it seems to work beautifully so keep it up. 

Notes

My life is kept in order by bits of paper. If I do not write myself notes, I would forget some of the things I need to do. This morning I have to pick up a co worker and drive her to work. I need a note for that. Later I have to go to the doctor. I need a note for that. This weekend I am going away and want to take certain things with me. I need a note for that. My husband has been writing notes also lately but his are different than mine. Today I found a note in the kitchen to remind himself what he wants to eat for breakfast. The note said, "Bagel and lox". As bad as my memory is getting, I would never need to be reminded to eat. 

Dress Code

Last night I went to a party at my boss's house. I have not been to her holiday party in years as she always has it on my granddaughter's birthday weekend. This year it was a week early. Everyone came nicely dressed except one doctor. She has a Bohemian fashion style, that borders odd. She wore an outfit that I have seen her wear many times to work. She wore black and white polka dot slip in shoes with black socks covered in embroidered strawberries. Her pants were rust color. Her top was pink and she had a mustard yellow sweater over it that fell about six inches above the shirt. Her hair was clipped with bobby pins and she had two contrasting necklaces around her neck. This is a normal work look for her but I didn't think it was also a dress up look. She looked like a vagabond who pulled clothes out of a dumpster and threw them on. Her clothes are always clean but rumpled. Her boyfriend was nicely dressed. This woman is in her early thirties and is brilliant. She has published at least three books. I guess that she feels as long as she has clothes on it doesn't matter what they look like.

Early Bird

My mail is usually delivered sometime after 4pm. It even gets here as late as 6pm. I always wonder what my mailman is doing all day as I see his truck around the corner from me at 1pm. I think he takes a long nap and delivers the mail late to get overtime. This morning at 8am he delivered a package to my front porch. I now know he is up and running. I am curious to see what time my mail arrives today. I hope by him starting his work day early means he doesn't extend his nap.

Better Rates

Back in the day, a price was a price. There was no negotiating. If you booked a hotel room there was one price. An airline ticket or rental car also had one price. Now it is a game to find the lowest price. If you stay on a website long enough, the prices change. If you use two separate computers, there are two different prices. I had hotel rooms booked for next week and Christmas week. I thought I had the lowest price. Just for fun I went back into the hotel site last night and lo and behold the room prices were lower by $30 a night. I rebooked the stays. All in all I saved $120. Now I will look at car rentals for when I am in Florida. Maybe I can do better on that.

Language Barrier

Yesterday morning a middle aged woman walked into my office at 8am. She seemed a little flustered and was trying to ask my receptionist something in Spanish. She had two papers in her hands. One was from her primary care doctor ordering an MRI and the other was the name and address of the radiologist's office. My receptionist looked at the papers and grumbled, "Not here" and turned away. The woman continued to try to talk to her but my receptionist kept saying, "Not here". The woman was almost in tears. I was able to make out the words that she was looking for the doctor since 6am but could not find him. I went over to the window and asked her for the paper. I saw the problem. Her RX was for Northwell Health Radiology. Just recently Great Neck Radiology changed names but did not list the new name on the information board in the lobby. I tried to tell the woman to go to the second floor but she did not understand me. I walked into the waiting room and told her to follow me. We got into the elevator and went to the second floor. I walked her into the radiologist's office. She looked so relieved. Her eyes welled up with tears and she said, "Thank you" in English. She then gave me a big hug. All it took was a minute of my time to help someone who was lost. When I got back into my office my receptionist looked annoyed that I went out of my way for someone. What is this world coming to?

Check Up

This afternoon I am going to the dermatologist for a body check. Some people go every year while some people have never heard of this type of visit. The doctor will take a look at my entire body to see if there are any moles, lumps, dry patches or odd spots. If there are, he will attend to them. The visit is called a body check. There are also body checks in hockey. I don't really care for either of them.

Truth

There is a commercial for an insurance company that has people telling the truth. A contractor is sitting with a prospective couple discussing a renovation. He says that he will take out a load bearing wall, it will cause problems, they will not be on schedule and it will cost more than expected. They know where they stand. That is all people want. Knowing where they stand. Don't lie. Don't fabricate. Tell it like it is. In the long run everyone is happier.

Holiday Spirit

Yesterday I went from store to store buying holiday gifts. The stores were not as crowded as I had expected. I had fun looking for the gifts for my grandchildren. Since I have sons I never shopped for "girly" things. This year I bought my older granddaughter dress up clothes. I was holding each outfit up and scrutinizing it like it was her prom dress. Once I found the dresses, I needed to find shoes to match, then a stately tiara. My little princess can now have a few outfit changes. I also went overboard with my office. I usually chip in with my receptionist and buy the older doctors a gift. Last year, without mentioning it to me, she bought a few of the younger ones something. She did this purposely to make herself look generous. I was annoyed at her because I would have chipped in for them. Instead I looked stupid when they came to thank her. It looked like she was the only one that thought of them. Once it is past the holiday you cannot back track, so I was left to look like I did not think about them. This year I bought gifts for everyone. Fourteen people in all. I will not tell her that I did that so she can be as embarrassed as I was. I am not a mean person. Just don't screw around with me.

Frister

I made up a new word this morning. Frister. It is a combination of the word friend and sister. Most of us have friends. Many of us have sisters. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a "Frister". I am. A frister relationship can be between two sisters or a brother and a sister. It is all inclusive. Every morning before work the first person I speak to is my frister. We discuss everything and nothing and can repeat the same story a million times without it ever getting old. We laugh at the good times and cry at the sad ones. There is a song from the 1940's that says "god help the mister that comes between me and my sister". If it is a bad idea to come between someone and their sister, imagine the repercussions of coming between someone and their frister!

Instructions

Yesterday the timer for my porch light blew out. My husband bought a new one and was installing it when he blew out the porch light. He loves to work with live wires. He went to the store and bought a new light. He was having trouble connecting the wires so I called my son to come over. He was in the middle of doing something, so he tried to help over the phone. The first question he asked was if my husband read the instructions. He said no because it was too complicated. My son said that he needed to read the instructions and follow them. Again my husband said it was too complicated. My son asked for me to get on the phone. He told me to get the instructions and read them to him. He then had me tell my husband what wires to connect. Viola.....it worked.

Leftovers

I love leftovers. I love Thanksgiving leftovers the most. The food yesterday was fantastic but I always feel like I am piling so much food on my plate that the dishes lose their individuality. There is always enough food on Thanksgiving for everyone to take home a goody bag. Tonight when I heat it up, I will be able to taste every dish as if it is the first time. I will eat it relaxing in my own kitchen. It is now breakfast time but I cannot wait until dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving

Another Thanksgiving is here. If feels like summer was yesterday but the chilling winds this week have made it official that winter is on its way. Families will gather around the table and gorge themselves on delicious food. I will be celebrating close to home this year so traffic will not be an issue. My stuffing is ready to bake in the oven and my dessert is marinating. Hopefully there will be enough leftovers for tomorrow's dinner. Today I feel more like eating than talking so I will just soak in the day as silently as I can. From now until January, I will have a party to attend every weekend. Thank goodness I am not watching my weight.

Diversity

Yesterday morning I found a note in my office mailbox. It was from my nighttime receptionists. It read, "From now until Christmas, we will be playing 106.7FM all Christmas music!". There was a big smiley face on the note. I answered the note by saying, "You cannot do that. Not everyone celebrates Christmas. We must play a channel that has diverse music". They probably were shocked to see that note. They did not realize that there are other holidays this season. I would not play an all Hanukkah channel or an all Kwanzaa channel. Tomorrow marks the beginning of the holiday season. Until December 26, I will be told to have a Merry Christmas. I will respond by saying, "Have a Happy Hanukkah". I love the holidays and love to see people excited about Christmas. I wholeheartedly celebrate with my grandchildren. I enjoy every moment of their wide eyed excitement. When the world assumes that there is only one holiday, I get annoyed. So, Happy Hanukkah will be my mantra.

Knowing More

One of our new doctors knows more than everyone. When she first started we all found it annoying. If you were sick she knew the symptoms, the medications to take and the best doctor to consult with. She is always right. So far we have not found a topic that she is not an expert on. Yesterday she surprised us again. My morning receptionist's mother was flying home from Florida. The flight was rerouted from La Guardia to JFK and then delayed on take off. The winds in New York were so strong that few flights were allowed to land at La Guardia. My friend was upset as her mother is 87 years old and had just lost her male companion of ten years. My friend just wanted her mother on the flight and back in New York. As each hour passed the delay was longer. Then Christine, the young doctor, walked in. She overheard the conversation and as usual said she could help. She asked what airline the mother was flying on. We said Jet Blue. She got out her phone and called a friend who is a pilot at Jet Blue. He went on to the internal system and told her that the incoming plane was delayed and would reach the gate at 11:11am. There would be debarking and plane clean up. The food would be restocked and on this flight there was a crew change. The passengers would board at 11:48am and take off would be at 12:19pm. If there was a change he would text Christine again. Things ran just as he said. Again, Christine knows everything. Now we love that quality.

The Good Side

"I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille". This is a famous line from the 1950's movie Sunset Boulevard. I have been to two parties since I had my nose bandaged. I am not a vain person but I do not want to ruin pictures that people will look at for years. I do not want to be the woman with the bandage on her face. Each time a picture was going to be snapped, I turned my head a bit to the left so the bandage would not be visible. I felt like an actress who has a "good side". I would rather be the person who was not looking at the camera than one who ruined the picture.

Who Asked You

As the week progresses and the country is settling down, I am reading some articles that I find amusing. The news shattering headline this morning is that a French fashion designer refuses to dress the new first lady. She is making her political stand by not outfitting Mrs. Trump. My first question was, "Who asked you in the first place"? Maybe she was making a proactive statement in case she was not asked. I will now make a few statements of my own. I refuse to accept the Noble Peace Prize. I will not attend the Oscars this spring. I will absolutely not be Kelly Ripa's co host. My point is that nobody asked me to do any of the above things. I am just refusing in case I am asked.

Attention Span

My attention span ebbs and flows with different situation. When I am at work every detail is attended to. I can remember codes and fees and diagnoses. I know patient's names from 2004. When I leave work the attention span stays in the office. I only focus on what is essential. Yesterday I went food shopping. I went to three different stores to get the best sale prices. I needed cake for dessert tonight. I bought a cake at the first store. I forgot that I did that and bought a cake at the second store. Again I forgot that I did that and bought a third cake at the third store. I also supplemented the cakes with fruit. All in all, I have three cakes and fruit for five people. Now that I think about it, that is a good ratio.

Kindness Counts

Yesterday I had a one week checkup for my nose procedure. The appointment was at 12:50pm. As I was driving there at 12:15 my cell phone rang. It was the doctor's office. The receptionist said that the doctor was running very late and that if I was not already on the road, I should come an hour later. I told her that I was driving and would be there in 5 minutes but that I would just sit and read a magazine until the doctor could see me. I ended the conversation by saying, "Thank you for being so considerate and calling me to let me know about the delay. I greatly appreciate it". When I got to the doctor his waiting room was full to capacity. I had been the last time slot booked for the day so I saw it was going to be a wait. I told the receptionist I was here and she said that she was the one who just spoke to me and smiled. I sat down in the last seat. Within one minute my name was called. It was 12:30. I went in and it took less than 5 minutes to be seen. I left the office at 12:45, ten minutes before my actual appointment time. As I checked out and made a three week recheck appointment, the receptionist said to me that no one ever thanks them for trying to be nice. I guess a few kind words put me to the head of the line.

Color

I was laying in bed last night having trouble falling asleep. I began to reminisce about my youth and the world of the 1960's. Televisions only played in black and white but the world was so colorful. Telephones were pink or blue or yellow. Draperies were bold floral prints. Every kitchen was wallpapered with greens and yellows and had intricate patterns of flowers, vines or fruits. Carpets were hot pink and orange. It was a kaleidoscope of color. Now we have color televisions that make the world look 3D but our homes are monotone. Telephones are black, white or silver. Walls are painted one color. Drapes are not really used and we cover our windows in plain blinds. The imagination and visual beauty of the past is gone.

Eat-A-Thon

We are entering the season of eating. From this week on, food will be on the horizon everywhere I look. I love to eat, but at this time of year it gets to be too much. Holiday parties, family get togethers and food from patients. I try to limit the intake. I eat just enough to be almost full and then walk away. I take a taste of the desserts. As long as I get the flavor, that is all I need. People say they will diet after the holidays are over. I never say that because I know I will never do that. I try to use the theory of moderation.

My Generation

My generation is one of a kind. There will never be one like us again. We are a cross of old school and new wave. Our parent's generation did things the old fashioned way. Men went to work and women tended to the house. Things were done by hand. If problems occurred, the man fixed it. While women went to work in the latter part of their generation, the mindset was that it was still a man's world. The next generation is one of technology. They use concrete thinking less and computers more. They are virtual. Minimal live contact with world. My generation knows how to think on their feet and use modern technology when needed. We do not rely on it. We morph in and out of both worlds. When my generation is gone, there will never be one so well versed.

Unfriended

I am not on Facebook. I never was. I see no need to have "virtual" relationships or see pictures of people I am not close to. In yesterday's Newsday, there was an article about people unfriending other people after the election. If common political views were not shared between friends, the "Unfriend" button was used to sever relationships. America is a Democracy. If we were all forced to vote for the same person or afforded no vote at all, we would be living in Communism. If you feel that you and you alone are allowed to have an opinion, you are living in the wrong country. If a one man, no discussion government is what you want, move to North Korea. Now that Cuba is open to travel, a mere 90 miles from the US coastline can bring you to a place where there are no political debates or discussions. The issue is, that when people unfriend others, it is a cut that goes deep. It is saying that "If you do not agree with me, you are not worth having in my life". Maybe you never really were friends at all. One line in the Newsday article said that the person who unfriended her Facebook friend would reevaluate at a later date. That made me laugh. Does she really think that anyone who she unfriended would ever want to forge a friendship again? Once the unfriend button was hit, you relinquished the privilege of reevaluation.

Comply

The word "comply" is defined as "to act or be in accordance with wishes, requests, demands, requirements and conditions". Cut and dry, simply said. When I see the political rallies that claim discrimination, the word "comply" pops into my mind. Every life on earth matters equally. Every single ones does. Some professions put theirs on the line for yours and get vilified for it. Life has rules. Imagine playing a board game without rules. Even better, imagine playing with two other people and breaking the rules. If the dice says move one space and you think that you are entitled to move three, the other players will not be happy. The game is ruined because you did not comply. There are some cases where things go astray and that is unconscionable. I am talking about the ones that are manipulated into problems. Ask yourself these questions:
1) If a police officer says stop, what do you do?
2) If a police office says to show your hands so he can see them and know that you have no weapon, so his life is not in jeopardy, what do you do? 
3) If others are burning and looting a town, what do you do?
My answers would be: 1) Stop, 2) Raise my hands as high as I can, 3) Not join the crowd and get to safety.
Other people's answers have been: 1) Run away, 2) Put my hands into my pockets and come at the officer so he has no idea if I am armed and this might be his last moments alive 3) Break store windows, take out televisions, then burn down the town that I live in. I know I sound harsh, but life is made of rules and the rules are there to keep us safe and alive. Now that the election is done, people need to evaluate their behavior and see that rules, if followed, make a nation safe.

Happy Trees

The trees are rejoicing. They are no longer in danger of losing their lives to politics. The mailmen are rejoicing along with them. No more pounds of large postcards slicing their skin as they reach into their mailbags. As much as we hated receiving the cardboard cards, the mailmen hated it more. It added weight to their bags and every day they would end their shift with paper cuts. We can all settle back into our simple lives. Less conversation. Less stress. Less mail. Less is more.

MacGyver

Years age there was a television show called "MacGyver". He was a government agent that was so resourceful he could solve complex problems by making things out of ordinary objects. My father was the original MacGyver. My younger son and I are the second and third generation. Yesterday I had Mohs surgery on my nose. When I took off the massive bandage this morning, I was shocked to see how much of my nose was no longer there. I had to put petroleum jelly and a bandage over the wound. It looks terrible. I have a party tomorrow night, work next week and a wedding after that. I do not want to look like a freak for any of those. Here comes the MacGyver part. In my mind I can vision a bandage that will cover the wound, contour my nose and look fairly normal. No one makes it. Since it is not made, I will kick into MacGyver mode and make it myself. I will go to the pharmacy and buy the components to "build a bandage". I am 100% certain that when I am done it will be great.

The Button

Yesterday there was a recurring theme from the people that had voted for Hillary. They kept talking about the "Button". Television ads put subliminal messages into our minds and then they become reality. Hillary had a commercial that showed a lonely man walking into what looked like a 1950's command center. Somehow the command center was empty. That in itself is ridiculous. We no longer have barren steel command centers manned with one lonely man. We never did. There is then a close up of a "button". This old lonely man has the sole responsibility of "pushing the button" to blow up the world. He alone, with one finger, can obliterate the earth. People saw that commercial and internalized the vision and now people think there is a "button". This is ludicrous. America is comprised of checks and balances. We have state of the art command centers manned with hundreds of people. Nothing gets done unless the Congress and the Senate vote and approve it. Remember, we voted in the members of these offices. Hillary's commercials did a disservice to America. She placed more fear into people's hearts than Trumps ranting and ravings. There is no button. Trump cannot blow up the world. He is not a one man show. No president ever was or ever will be. We must break the mindset of fear and move on to rebuild what Obama destroyed. America as one nation, united.

President Trump

America saw red. Literally and figuratively. Red for anger against what we had turned into. Red for the color of the election states as the Republicans overtook the map. Enough was enough and I am glad that I was not the only one to see it. It was a surprise but not a shock. America was losing itself and needed to be resurrected. We needed to be strong not kind. Kind gets you walked all over. Strong keeps you on top. Finally the tides have turned. We will slowly rebuild our nation to greatness. While both candidates were controversial in different ways, Mr. Trump loved us more, even with all of his quirky and unprofessional ways. He is not self serving. He is brash but real. I can finally get off of my soapbox and know that politics as we have known it will change.

46%

By tomorrow morning 46% of Americans will be unhappy. We will not know until then if it will be Democrats or Republicans. The sixteen months of slurs and nastiness will be over. The winner will be left to show what he/she can really do. As most of you who know me know, I am for Trump. While he is not perfect he is better than the Democratic party that has put America into the situation we are all in now. We all have reasons for why we feel like we do. They are formed by our life experiences. If you were adversely effected by Obamacare, you want a new regime. If you are in law enforcement you want a party that stands behind you and does not turn against you. I have lived through 8 years of governmental disrespect to law enforcement. It was disheartening and sickening. If you were not in my shoes you can never feel the visceral disgust that I did, every time Obama made a speech vilifying law enforcement. I work in healthcare and more times than I care to remember, patients cried to me about their healthcare plans that were touted as affordable but were anything but that. Wherever the chips may fall, it will be a done deal for the next four years. I will have to live with the majority vote.

Pricing

I spent the day in Brooklyn yesterday. It was a beautiful day to take a walk on the avenue and shop. As I went from one small store to another, I focused in on the price differences from Brooklyn to Long Island. I love persimmons and at my local grocery they are $1.99 each. On the fruit stands in Brooklyn they are 3 for $1.00. They were the same quality as the ones in my neighborhood. Fillets of swai fish are $2.99 lb opposed to $7.99 lb where I live. I have bought them before so I know the quality is fresh. Shelled walnuts were $2.49 lb. The one price that surprised me the most was Mascarpone cheese. It is a creamy cheese that is used to make tiramisu but can also be used as a spread on bread. I pay $3.99 for 8oz. In Brooklyn it was $5.99 for a 5lb tub. How are the stores in Brooklyn able to buy their products that much lower than on Long Island? Does a thirty mile difference matter that much? I guess it does.

Annie Hall

There is a scene from the movie "Annie Hall" that is true in many phases of life. The scene takes place in Woody Allen's kitchen when he and Diane Keaton are cooking lobsters. The lobsters are escaping from the pot and on the floor, and he and Diane are laughing and screaming and having a great time. It is the kind of time that is so much fun that it is memorable. When they break up, he starts to date another woman. He tries to relive that fun with her. They buy  the lobsters and start to cook them. When the lobsters escape, instead of laughing, the woman quietly gathers them and puts them into the pot. No matter how hard Woody tries to recreate the scene to the funny one he had with Diane, it just doesn't work. The woman is not amused by it. That happened to me last night. During the summer, my sister and I found a new store in the Galleria Mall named Flying Tiger. It is a Copenhagen based company and has fun knick knacks like Ikea. We roamed through the store laughing and playing with the items. We had so much fun. Since I was in the area after dinner last night, I went there with my husband. I told him how great the store was. We went in and I started to pick up some fun items and show him. I could see his eyes rolling in his head. He schlepped his feet around the store mumbling about the "colorful crap", as he put it. Half way through the store, I just gave up and told him we should leave. Like Woody Allen, I realized that you cannot recreate a spontaneously good time.

Turn the Other Cheek

You can't let everything bother you. You need to pick and choose carefully what is important enough to get upset about. As I get older, the act of choosing has become easier. Things that do not directly effect me are on the bottom of the list of importance. My family is on the top of the list. To use a few cliches, I have learned to, "Turn the other cheek, take it with a grain of salt and let it roll off my back". In general, it is easier on your soul if you take things in perspective.

Upside Down

There is a commercial on television that annoys me each time I see it. It is a Domino's pizza commercial. A man and a boy walk into the store to buy a pizza but the man says he forgot his wallet at home. He then proceeds to bend down, take the boy by his ankles, turn him upside down and shake him until money comes out of his pants. He shakes him quite a few times. I see the boy's head bouncing up and down. I find this very disturbing. A child should not be upside down by his ankles with his head being shaken up. Who approved this stupidity? If a parent did this to their child in a real Domino's store, the police would be called and they would become part of the Child Protective Services System.

Filing System

We all have our own ways of filing things. You can use any system you want at home, but you need to use a "normal" one at work. Yesterday my bookkeeper had to leave early to go to a doctor's appointment. About one hour later, our boss called and said that she needed a certain receipt on her desk asap. I started to look for it to no avail. The bookkeeper's  files went from a-v-l-t-s, etc. Last time I checked, the alphabet was a-z. I had to call the bookkeeper at her doctor's appointment to find out where the receipt was hiding. This morning we will both figure out a way to file her records correctly.

Un-Fare Pricing

Last night I went online to make my airline reservations for Florida. I like flying Jet Blue. I got online and entered the dates I was looking for. The prices seemed a bit high. I went back and forth from date to date trying to find a better price. I noticed that after ten date changes, the prices also changed. I think that the website is designed to see how many choices you enter and then lower prices so you do not leave their site and book elsewhere. I wound up paying $69 a flight. It started off at $104. Even though I was thrilled at $69, I was annoyed that I had to be online for over an hour until these prices appeared.

Luncheon

Today we are having a luncheon at work. A guest speaker will be coming to inform us of a new medical test. I was asked to sit in on the lecture in case I have any questions. The only question I will have is if I need more sauce passed down to me. The lecturer is catering in from a local Mediterranean restaurant that has wonderful food. My boss picked out the food. All I will be hearing from the lecture will be "blah, blah, blah" as I eat grilled vegetables and marinated meats.  I am sure most of the doctors will feel the same way I do. We told the lecturer that what he is selling is not really appropriate for our office but he wanted to come anyway. The luncheon was only to entice us to listen. He gets points for presenting his product and we get full bellies.

Can Struction

Yesterday I went to a local art exhibit with my sister. It was called Canstruction. Various clubs, schools and organizations got together to have a contest about who could construct the best subject matter only out of cans of food. There was a "Dory" exhibit, a lighthouse, a glass of milk with Oreo cookies, a menorah, a bell, a house, Charlie Brown and friends and a few more. We walked around and thought they looked okay but nothing too special. They were a pile of cans. My sister had her camera and took pictures. When she reviewed the pictures as we were about to leave, we were shocked. The camera saw a totally different view. It saw the heights and depths of the cans. It saw the pictures within the pictures. It saw words spelled out. Each exhibit was actually stunning. We stood in front of each one again looking with our eyes and then through the camera's lens. Two totally different pictures. We were glad we went.

The Size Of Love

Years ago I was at work when a patient noticed a ring I was wearing. It was a large cubic zirconia that was almost outlandish in size. Just by looking at it you knew it was not a real diamond. If it was, I would not be working at a doctor's office. I would be jetting around Europe with my entourage. She looked at my hand and said that my husband must really love me to get me such a big ring. She was a middle aged woman who was never married so she must have had a fantasy in her head about love. When we see celebrities get engaged, they get huge diamond rings. Ten carats, fifteen carats. The rings cost in the millions of dollars. People tend to assume that these people have a magical love story. The bigger the ring the stronger the love? Those people never stay together for too long. They split during the engagement or shortly after the marriage. Look around. The happiest women are the ones with 1/2 to 1 carat rings. Their love comes from their hearts not from a stone on their finger. 

What Degree

Why are temperature degrees different from heat to air conditioning? In the summer when it is hot out we set the air conditioning to 72 degrees. We freeze. In the winter we set the heat to 72 degrees and we sweat. Isn't 72 still 72 whether it is from heating  or cooling? Is a cool 72 different than a hot 72? All I know is that either way my morning receptionist is not happy.

Egg Shells

Solving problems are like picking out eggshells from a dish. Have you ever cracked an egg and an eggshell dropped into the bowl? We can try our hardest to chase the eggshell but it gets away from us. We try with a fork. We try with a spoon. We try with our fingers. It keeps alluding us. The simple way to solve the problem is to scoop it out with a bigger piece of eggshell. The large piece attracts the smaller piece. They cling to one another and out it comes, in one second. Problem solving is like that. We can try many methods, but when we try the right one it is easy.

Daylight

I am dressed and ready for work but I will not leave my house for a while. I am waiting for daylight.Two months ago the light streamed in my bedroom window at 5am. Now it is almost 7am and it is still as dark as night. I prefer to drive in the daylight so it is a waiting game. I remember the clocks being turned back the second or third week in October. Someone moved it to November 6. Who did that? Was there a vote? I was never asked. So here I sit, waiting to see the light.

Reaping

Sometimes you reap what you sow and you don't even know it. My parents have sown a huge crop over the years. There is nothing they would not do for me and my sister. Now that they are older we do things for them. Some things they are not even aware of. This week my sister has logged in tens of hours discussing my parent's utility bills. Credits were not applied and billing was incorrect. Each person says they have solved the problem but the next day the problem is still there or even worse. She has called and chatted with various people and computers. Since my sister has taken over paying most of the bills, my parents are unaware of the time she is spending on their behalf. She does not want to be thanked for all of her efforts. She is just silently returning to them what they have done for us over the years.

Sense of Time

Most of us have a sense of time. I never realized that dogs also have one. Shelby likes to go to sleep at 8pm. He sleeps upstairs in my room. Ever since Hurricane Sandy he got used to being there. No matter what time he is walked, at promptly 8pm he barks and runs up to the kitchen gate to be let upstairs. In the morning, he gets up with me at 6:15am. I can go to the bathroom during the night and he never stirs. When I go to the bathroom at 6:15am, he jumps up and waits at the door. My actions are the same during the night as they are at 6am. How does he know the time? Last time I checked, he was not wearing a watch.

Provisions

This morning I was packing up the things I needed to go to work. By the time I was done, I realized that I had packed a very heavy bag. It contained my breakfast, lunch and a snack. I had an extra Tupperware that I took home to wash. There was a bag with face creams that I had to bring to a coworker. There were letters that needed to be mailed. I looked like I was packing to go away for the weekend. Too bad it was just for one day at work.

Paper Memory

I have a good memory as long as things are written on paper. I am a list maker and a calendar keeper. This week my husband thought he was being funny by changing one word on a calendar entry. He had no idea why I had written something so he had no idea that by changing it, it would complicate things. I had the word "Me" on a day that I play Mah Jongg. He changed it to my sister's name. The word "Me" meant that I was responsible for the food that night. When I glanced at the calendar, I saw my sister's name so I did not buy the necessary food items that are usually served. Last night I noticed the different handwriting and asked if he did it. He admitted that he thought it was funny. Tomorrow I am sending him food shopping for the items I would have bought the day before. That will be his punishment and show him that he is never again to change what I have written. I may also erase one of his doctor's appointments if I feel in a feisty mood.

Mystery Solved

Since my husband bought his newest car, there has been a mystery with it. Sometimes it just turned on all by itself. No one was near it but the motor went on. We were going to name it "Christine" after the movie about a possessed car. After weeks of wondering, we finally solved the mystery. It seems that the car came equipped with a self starting feature. Some people add this option into the car so it is already warmed up before you get into it. The remote control has a feature that if you hit the button three times, the car turns on. Now that we know this, he will be careful not to hit the button if the keys are in his pocket. 

Image Search

There is nothing you can't find on the internet if you know how to look for it. There are many search methods. My husband bought an old army jacket from eBay. It came with a patch on it. For the last week he has been frantically searching every red patch to find out the meaning of it. I asked him if he needed help and he said that if he could not find it, I could not. I just walked away smirking. I know a lot more about research than he does but if he wanted to waste his time, so be it. This morning I took a picture of the patch, went to Google images, dropped the picture into the search box and up came the patch. It is a 1950's anti aircraft missile command patch. In one second I found what he has been looking for, for one week. It is not that I am a genius, it is that I knew where to search.

Research

Years ago when you needed to do research you went to the reference department of the library and spoke to the librarian. She knew it all. You gave her a topic and she requested books from the basement. They came up on a dumbwaiter. It all seemed so mysterious. Who was down there putting the books in that magical basket that went up and down? Were there gnomes lurking in the darkness? When she gave you the books, she took your library card as collateral. No one would ever leave without their card so she knew that her books were safe. You read the big books and jotted down notes. When you were done, you gave them back and got your card. It was a process that made you feel like you accomplished something. Now research is done differently. You go to your computer and look up the topic on YouTube. Hundreds of videos will appear. They will show you hands on what you need to know. All from the comfort of your home.

Re-Collection

My morning receptionist had surgery yesterday. The office will have a collection and send her something. Usually she and I are responsible for collecting money and buying the gifts. I came in yesterday to set up the collection envelope. My afternoon receptionist will be filling in the morning shift until next week. She informed me that one of the doctors started a collection Friday. I was glad that someone else took the initiative until I saw how things were going. We usually ask for $10 but if you want to give more or less that is fine. She was asking for $3-$5. That will never be enough for a nice gift. We have 12 doctors in the office. Asking for $10 (maybe twice a year) is not unreasonable. When the doctor came in, I asked her where the collection envelope was. She started to take money out of her pants pocket. She said she remembered who gave to her but somehow there was only $8 and I was told that three people gave. When lunch time came around, she did not have cash so she put in the $8 collection money and said she would reimburse it. This morning I will strip her of the collection task. I will set up an envelope and list names and amounts. It will be done the correct way. Tomorrow I will buy the gift.

Drafts

Sometimes during the day I think of a good blog topic. By the end of the day I have totally forgotten what it is. I decided to write down the topic so I could refer back to it at a later date. This morning I looked at the list. I saw the titles and had no idea what they meant. I know they must have had a story line behind them but I could not even guess what they were. Now I think I have to write the topic down and add a clue to the story. I guess at my age I need a bit more prompting.

No Voice

Last week I had a cold. It seems to have settled in my throat and yesterday I had no voice. Today I have a faint squeak. I went through the day yesterday silent. I babysat my grandson and whispered what I needed to say. He asked why I was talking so low and I explained that my voice was going to be very low all day. He listened to everything I told him to do the first time and I never had to repeat myself once. During the day my husband was talking to me. I did not answer most of what he said as it hurt to talk. At the end of the day I realized one thing. Ninety percent of our daily conversation is nonsense. If we only answered the crucially important questions and did not have needless banter, we would all be happier.

October

There is something about October that makes me feel good. The cool crisp air. The sunshine. The warm orange and yellow colors. It makes me want to take a walk in the woods. Today I am babysitting my grandson all day. We will be taking him to a pumpkin farm/nursery that has animals to pet. He goes there every year but each year he enjoys it more. I can't wait to see his smiling face as we walk around the hundreds of pumpkins. It will be a fun day for everyone.

Blinded By Propaganda

For many years our nation has accused others of spreading propaganda. False truth that is published in the media becomes reality to many. This is what is happening now in our presidential campaign. One party is accusing the other of inappropriate behavior somehow forgetting what they had done in previous years. They are using "smoke and mirrors" to fool America into a false reality. The campaign has become a nasty personal battle and has strayed away from the important issues. How dare the press dredge up a 10 year old sound bit of one man while forgetting about the reality of the other? Yes, Mr. Trump says more than he should, but Mr. Clinton did more than he should and his wife defended it. While Mr. Trump boasts about kissing and possible groping, Mr. Clinton actually had sex with an intern in the oval office. Does anyone else but me remember the stained blue dress or the cigar? His wife, now our presidential candidate, called that poor young intern a pig and a slut. So much for her supporting women's rights. Her words of shame to a young girl cut deeper than what her husband did. Is this who we want representing us? This election is about a lesser of the two evils and although Mr Trump needs to "put a sock in it" sometimes, I feel that he truly cares more about getting America back on track again. That is all it comes down to for me.

Colds

Why do humans get colds and dogs do not? A few days ago I came down with a cold as did most of the people I know. Some say it is change of seasons. I say it is from a germ. Weather has nothing to do with it. As I was walking Shelby this morning, I realized that he never gets a cold. No dog or cat gets one. What is it in their immune system that repels this virus? Maybe scientists need to delve into this theory. Do dogs and cats have a cold resistant gene or do they not get colds because it is impossible to blow their noses with paws.

Test Drive

Yesterday my husband came home from his volunteer job and parked his car in the driveway. Usually the car goes directly into the garage. I asked him why he did that and he said that he wanted me to take the car out for a ride. I was home all day with a cold and did not really want to drive the car. He kept asking me to so I got into it with him in the passenger seat. I drove around the neighborhood. From the inside of the car, it drove like any other car. I put my foot on the gas and it went. That is all I require from a car. He kept asking me "how it drove" and I said fine. I am not a racecar driver so I do not know "how" a car should feel. I want to get from point A to point B. The only difference in driving this car was that everyone we passed stopped and stared at it.

Atonement

Today is Yom Kippur. It is a day of atonement. It is a day to pray and ask for forgiveness for mistakes made during the year. It is a day to reflect on the year. My year had its ups and downs, but in the end things turned out well. I have made some mistakes but none of them were earth shattering. I have atoned for them along the way. Every year I hope to do better than the last one. I pray for health and happiness for my family. I wish everyone a happy and healthy new year.

Face Your Fears

Yesterday I watched a young girl face her fear. She is extremely afraid of cats and is coming for therapy to help her. Her therapist brought in a small cat for her to look at. The cat was in a cage in her office but the girl knew it was close by. She started to yell and cry that she did not want to go near the cat. Little by little the therapist coaxed her closer. She has been in therapy a few weeks and her therapist knew that this was the right time for this exercise. I took almost an hour but in the end the little girl looked at the cat and even pet it. She realized that it was not that scary. She is by no means cured but she is on her way. If a young girl can overcome her fears anyone can.

A Bag of Cookies

Some things in life just bring pure joy. Children find that joy in small ways. The other day, when we were in New England, my grandson wanted a snack. We took him down to the vending machine and said he could pick out anything he wanted. He saw a bag of chocolate chip cookies and asked if he could have them. I put the dollar bill into the machine and he watched them being pushed out. He grabbed the bag and began to jump up and down in delight. He continued to walk through the hallway back to the room hopping and skipping and swinging the bag. Nothing in the world could have made him happier. That made me happy.

All Together

Yesterday was a wonderful day. I was with all of my children. We had not been together for over a year. The day started off at the Baptism service and continued on at a party at my son's house. There were about 20 people there and a nice number of children. The adults ate and talked and the children all played together nicely. It was a great mix of people. The food was delicious. The best part of the day, to me, was a simple act of normalcy. My older son's electric car trunk had broken. He could not get into it unless he crawled into the back seat and opened the lever. The dealer said it would cost $500 to fix it. He asked his brother to look at it since he is handy. They got out some tools and took apart the trunk. Wires were moved and fuses were reinstalled. After almost an hour, it was fixed. This is what would have normally happened if they lived close to each other. Since they live far apart, these simple brother moments cannot happen. Yesterday they did. That meant the world to me.

God's Child

Today is my younger granddaughter's Baptism. It is the day that God recognizes her as his child. He will watch over her and keep her safe. She is not being raised in my religion. That might bother other people. It does not bother me. I believe that there is only one God. The way we worship him is either inherited at birth or the way we feel most comfortable. As long as he loves her and protects her, it's fine with me.

All Together

This morning my family will be going to New England for my youngest granddaughter's celebration. This will be the first time that my younger son and his family will be meeting her. She is five months old. Sometimes it is not easy to get two families together when they are miles apart and have difficult work schedules. The stars have aligned and this weekend it will happen. I will have all of my children and grandchildren in the same house. I am ecstatic.

The Big X

There is a game show that asks people questions and then shows whether or not they have the right answer. If they are right, a large green check mark appears on the screen. If they are wrong, a large red X appears. I wish I had the ability to flash a large red X when someone is not telling the truth. If I ask a question and you give the wrong answer there would be a buzzer and a neon red X. That way you would know that I am aware of your wrong answer. When people lie are they fooling us or themselves?

Say How You Feel

It is better to just say how you feel than to hold it in and be angry. That was yesterday's theme. It started with one of my doctor's saying that he did something nice for his mother in law and she looked at him with a scrunched up face. He said to her, "Is that the new way to say thank you to someone who just went out of their way for you to make you happy?". After a moment she got it and smiled and thanked him. If he had let it go, he would have been upset all night. I also had to tell someone that they did not act appropriately. I could have held it in and been angry but I chose to tell the person in a kind way that they did something that offended me. By the end of the conversation things were back on track. Open communication is the key to a peaceful life.

XO

I have become an "XO" person. They are two letters that say volumes. It shows you care. Sometimes saying "I love you" isn't appropriate even if you do love that person. Saying I love you needs a response. That is where the "XO" in. It stands for kisses and hugs. It says that you mean a lot to me. You can say it and it does not need an answer.

Life

Last night was my holiday dinner. I looked around and saw life. I saw energy. I saw the next generation. I took a moment to watch what was going on around me. I saw the people I love the most gathered around a table eating and laughing. I saw two children running around playing hide and seek like children have done for centuries. I heard a baby crying because there was so much going on it was overwhelming to him. I saw my parent's enjoying their family. It was a snapshot in time that will forever be ingrained in my mind. I realized that I was "home". It was not because I was in my own house. It was because I was happy and comfortable and in an atmosphere of love.

Holiday

This evening starts the beginning of the Jewish New Year. It is 5776 on the Jewish calendar. If you do the math it is startling that 3760 years happened before the Gregorian calendar was established. If an average lifespan is about 78 years we are all just a speck of dust in time. How can we afford to waste even one moment of it? I will spend my day preparing dinner for my family. I set the table and soon will start to cook. My house will smell wonderful. Meats, potatoes, macaroni and vegetables all cooking to make a delicious meal. As good as the meal is, the best part is the family. I will be surrounded by the people I love the most. The ones that live far away will still be there in my thoughts. I will see them this weekend. I wish everyone a happy, healthy New Year.

The Thimble

When I redid my kitchen last year I bought a new refrigerator. I got the stainless steel kind that has the water dispenser on the door. I lost a few shelves of freezer space due to that. The main part of the unit is designed a bit differently than my old one that seemed to have a better use of space. I am preparing for a holiday dinner and the refrigerator is filled with food.I feel like I am doing a Rubix Cube puzzle when I try to fit everything in. I should get a Master's Degree in spatial development for that way things are now arranged. I feel like I am tying to fit a roomful of food into a thimble.

The Missing "L"

I have an easy last name. It only has four letters but people still get it wrong. One of the letters appears twice. Friends that I have know for years address mail to me with only three letters. There used to be a mattress commercial whose telephone number was m-a-t-t-r-e-s. The slogan was "Leave off the last "S" for savings. In my case it is leave off the last "L". When I have to spell my last name for someone, I say the four letters and then the person looks up at me. I then say, "That's it". So my last name is, "ABCD that's it". People also pronounce it differently. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to. Here is the best part. Three of us in my family pronounce it one way and one of us says it the other way. Isn't that crazy. Or should I say "crazee".

Calgon

There used to be a commercial, and it still may be running, whose slogan was, "Calgon, take me away". It referred to a bath salt product that was supposed to relax someone to the point that they felt they were on vacation. Throughout the years I have used that expression frequently when I feel that too much is going on. I used it this morning. After thinking about it, with the way things go for me, I would put the product into my bath and soak for an hour and relax. Then I would dry off and see a rash forming. I would have to go to the dermatologist for medication to take away the incessant itching. I am not the type of person that can be "taken away". I am the type that needs to stay in the situation until the problem is solved.

Fear Factor

Everyone has fears. Some handle them better. Some hide them well. My doctors are doing a YouTube video on fears. To make it real they are doing exposure exercises on what frightens each one of them the most. Exposure exercises make you face your fears in real time and work through them. I found out that one doctor is afraid of dogs. Two are afraid of spiders. One is afraid of injection needles. Another of birds. Yesterday in my office we had a dog, a bird, a spider and a needle. Each doctor was put in a room with their "fear" and had to describe how it felt. I heard screaming from the hallway. These are the people that help others through their fears. They each did the exposure and lived through it.

Open or Closed

My boss is having family from a foreign country stay with her for a few weeks. They needed sim cards for their international phones to be changed to United States ones or they would get no service. There is a local AT&T store that has the cards. My boss went there yesterday and at 11am the doors were shut. It was closed. She passed by again at about 1pm and the doors were still closed. I called them and it went to voicemail. At about 2pm she passed by them on her way home from shopping and saw a light on. The doors were now open. She went in and saw two young girls behind the counter. She asked what time they opened today and they said 10am. She said that the store was closed at 10am. They said they were open. She said that she was at the door, it was locked and the lights were out. They said they opened at 10am. She said she passed by and even called until 1pm and they were not there. They said they opened at 10am. They blatantly lied to her. Maybe they slept late or forgot they had to work. They both stuck to the story that they were opened. She just gave up.

A Smashing Time

Yesterday was my great nephew's first birthday. My niece had everyone over to her house for a party. She has a beautiful home that is very welcoming to company. It is a relaxed warm atmosphere and we always have a wonderful time. We had delicious sandwiches and salads and before we knew it, it was time for birthday cake. In the past few years the concept of "smash cakes" has come about. You make a small cake for the birthday child and let him smash it and eat it. The messier the better. When his sister was one, she had a beautiful cake that was made by her grandmother, my sister. She looked at it and removed one sprinkle. She never thought to smash it. Finally we smashed her hands into it and showed her what to do. Even then she was a neat little lady. Now it was her brother's turn. My sister spent five hours making a masterpiece of a cake with three tones of blue frosting shaped like flower petals.  We put the cake in front of him and in one second he was smashing and eating. The cake was a full size 10" cake, just for him. He ate and ate and ate until 1/3 of the cake was gone. His mother took it away because if he ate any more he would surely get sick. He cried as the cake left and then licked his fingers clean. It was so funny to watch. It was the best day. I would even call it "smashing".

Simple

Today's blog is going to be simple but thought provoking. It is a quote from Buddha.
It puts into perspective how we think about our lives.

Let us rise up and be thankful.
If we did not learn a lot today at least we learned a little.
If we did not learn a little at least we did not get sick.
If we got sick at least we did not die, so
let us all be thankful.

What are you thankful for?

Riding The Wave

When people are young, "riding the wave" can refer to surfing. To me it means hitting every green light on a major street. Have you ever been on a major roadway and at every corner the light is green? You start off not realizing it then after a few blocks you observe that the timing is perfect and you are coasting. At each new intersection you hope that the momentum keeps up and when it does you feel a sense of accomplishment. When the ride is finally over, you feel a bit sad but are glad that you rode the wave for that long.

Who Babysat Who?

Last night I was babysitting my grandson. As he gets older, it gets more fun. We are now friends that can chatter away all night. He talks more sensibly than most adults. He has opinions and ideas. His parents are putting up chair rail and ceiling crown molding in their living room.  When I say it yesterday he told me that, "The top molding is my taste but I do not like the rail molding." He actually used the term "my taste".  He told me what utensils to use when I cut up his grapes. He told me that we need to clean up the rooms after we play so his mother will be pleased with us. I was instructed how to properly brush his teeth and not to forget his tongue cause that's where bad breath is. I try not to look like I am laughing when he says these things but he is just so darn cute.

ROI

Does the gain outweigh the cost. That is what ROI is all about. Return On Investment. My office is still run using paper and pen. Sometimes pencils. My boss wanted to move into the 21st century and go paperless with electronic records. Paperless is not really "paperless". It is less paper. You still need paper for some things. Our only need in using electronics was for progress notes. After every session the doctors write down in a few lines what went on. The electronic records program would cost about $4000 and the electronics computer support would be $1620 a year. I see no value in this.

All's Well

When I recount a story, as long as I can say, "In the end everything turned out fine", I am happy. As my parents grow older their adventures become different. Last night I got home from yoga class and was very relaxed. My Mah Jongg friends were at my house waiting for me. Within a half hour my sister's phone rang. It was my mother. She was half calm and half frantic. It seems that my parents were leaving the parking lot of a diner when the curb cut was not clearly defined. The car went over the high part and got stuck. Five men tried to push it off to no avail. A crowd gathered to help. The diner owner called a flatbed tow truck to help. The truck came and lifted the car down to the street and off they went. By that time it was 9 pm. They called me when they got home to tell me about all of the wonderful people that helped them. They were calm and laughing. I was wound up like a clock. I will be back in the yoga studio this afternoon.

Toning Up

Last night I took my second yoga class. I was able to do more last night than I did on Saturday. I guess my muscles were a bit looser. I realized that I have not really exercised since I was 15 years old. I hated gym class and made every excuse in the book to not participate. I think I said I had my period for 365 consecutive days. Since I am paying for these classes I am motivated to continue. The exercises are not hard, but they are stretching muscles that have been on vacation since 1972. The facility is run by a Korean woman who is kind and supportive. When she sees me struggle, she will come over and help me. She will massage my leg so I can hold a pose longer. She will tell me to do my best but not to overdo it as the strength will build up over time. This makes me want to try even harder. I will go again tonight and continue for five days a week until my one month membership is done. Then I will practice on my own. It is the best thing I have done for myself in years.

Manners

Manners are learned. If you teach them at a young age they become second nature. The other day I was with my family at a local mall. We were shopping in a store and as we were going out of the door, a woman was walking in. She got to the door first so she held it open for us to walk out. I was holding my grandson's hand. As he walked past the lady he looked up at her and said, "Thank you". We were all shocked. He is only three. No one told him to say it. He just did it naturally because he hears his mother and father say it. The woman looked down at him with a shocked look and smiled. My grandson continued chattering away to me as he kept walking, never realizing what he just did. 

Painful

I started my yoga/meditation class yesterday and this morning I feel like every bone in my body is aching. That just shows me how out of shape I am. The exercises were not strenuous. They were stretches and circular motion ones. I had no trouble doing them but they awakened muscles that had not been used in a while. If an exercise was too strenuous, I tried my best and stopped when I felt it was too much. The teacher said that is what we are supposed to do. It is what is good for you and not what the other students are doing. It is a look at yourself and not other people's philosophies.  The meditation part was relaxing as we cleared our minds and sat without thinking about anything else but our breathing. At the end we had this wonderful tea and sat in a circle and reviewed how the class went. I enjoyed being there and look forward to going again tomorrow.

Something For Me

This morning I am doing something for me. It is something I have thought about for years but never made the effort to do. I have joined a yoga/meditation class. I went to see the place and learn a bit about them yesterday and then I made the commitment to go for one month. The classes are for breathing, meditation and yoga. Not the type of yoga that twists your body like a circus balloon. The kind that loosens your tense muscles. I can go to unlimited classes for the month and if I like it I can continue for as long as I want. It is not cheap but I realized that I give to everyone else and never to myself, so I do not have to have anyone's permission. My goal is to go 5 to 6 days a week until I learn the skills to relax my mind, body and soul. It may take one month or it may take a year but this will be a skill that I can carry for a lifetime.

Mind Over Body

Our minds are very powerful. More powerful than our bodies. You can have abs of steel but if you have a weak mind, they will get you nowhere. You can be weak as a fly but if you are strong willed and determined, the world can be yours. I see this everyday at work. People whose outsides look great are falling apart on the inside. We find it easy to go to a medical doctor but feel shame in going to a psychological doctor. Society needs to reevaluate its perspective and consider total health.

New Arrival

It is here. The new car is sleeping soundly in its garage. It was a long "birthing" process but it is finally done. By the time it came home yesterday it was dark out. I had to drive my car home in the rain at night while my husband drove the new addition home. I know there is a God because I could barely see on my way home so he must have been at the wheel with me. The traffic was terrible and it took two hours. I pray that this car makes my husband happy as I cannot go through this nonsense again. It looks beautiful and drives nicely. All it needs is to be tweaked to my husband's standard.

Another First

There are many "firsts" in our lives. Each one is precious and creates a memory. Yesterday was my grandson's first day of nursery school. The tiny little three pound preemie is now a handsome young boy. No one would know that his entrance into the world was tougher than most. My son sent me a picture of him standing proudly as he went off to school. He had a few minutes of hesitation as he marched into the classroom. He had never been away from his parents. Usually play dates always included them. This time he was on his own. After a few minutes he was fine. He came home happy. Later today I will see him and ask him all about his exciting first day.

Hand Cut

I was reading a menu the other day and came across wording that is commonly used. The item said "Hand Cut Fries". For some reason this struck me as being funny. How else are fries cut? With our feet? Even if a machine slices them we need our hands to put the potatoes into the machine. Either way our hands are involved. Why does the saying hand cut make the potato more appealing. I was with my sister and we decided to get out a potato and a knife and take a picture of her toes slicing the potato. It was a funny picture that would have been a novelty on a menu. "Toe Cut Fries". Yummy.

Anxiety

Anxiety can do damage. It not only effects your mind, it also effects your body. I haven't slept in two days. I have no idea how I will make it through today. I am so tired but just cannot rest. My mind will not let me. It keeps ruminating on situations that are going on in my life. Some are nonsense and some are real but they are all taking a toll on me. I worry about my family. One person creates his own problems and the other has no control over his. That is the one that scares me the most.

Wonka

I never watched the movie "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory". I always thought it was a children's movie. After Gene Wilder died, I decided to watch it when I had some time.  Yesterday was that day. I was mesmerized. It was a child's movie geared for adults. It taught valuable lessons and made you think. The writing was on par with "Young Frankenstein". Sarcastic and thought provoking. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Last night I had dinner with my brother in law and sister in law. We went to their house for dessert and it was there that I realized he had created a "World of Pure Imagination".  There are toys on the walls and horses hanging from the ceiling. Everywhere you look is another surprise that will make you smile.  Like Willy Wonka, he can take the mundane and turn it into magic. He has created his own world of imagination and it is a wonder to behold. I have put the link to the movie scene I love the most and hope you can watch it to see what I mean. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2pt2-F2j2g

All The News

I have become lazy in my daily news gathering. I used to read a newspaper but that was before my eyes got tired after two pages. I moved on to the internet. I like the written articles and shy away from the videos. I do not like news being told to me, I need to evaluate for myself. I scroll through the articles about most celebrities as I feel the information is planted by their marketing team. If I see an article about a child being hurt, I pass it quickly. If I read it I would be upset all day. I look at world news (propaganda) and recipes. I read and then evaluate what I find the truth to be. I hate the stories about celebrity children as they are doing nothing different than any other child. They will just be more screwed up as adults. On weekends I am on a no news regimen. Anything earth shattering will be told to me. 

Agony and Ecstasy

It is amazing that two people can live the same set of circumstances but to one person it is agony and to the other it is ecstasy. That has been the scenario of buying my husband's newest car. For the past two months I have been living in agony as he sold one car and bought another. The phone calls, the constant repetitive conversations, the obsessing. Will his car be sold? Who will buy it? How much will he sell it for? When the selling ordeal was over, the buying ordeal was kicked into full gear. What car do I want? First it was a Corvette that somehow morphed into a T-Bird. Where will I find the car? How much can I pay for it? Where is it located? Is it perfect? On and on the circle went. Last week he "bought" a car only to cancel the deal. My happiness was short lived. Last night he bought another car that should be the "one". He is in ecstasy. I will remain in agony until a car is actually in my garage. The funny thing is that he was oblivious to my agony while living his ecstasy.

Nothing and Everything

When someone asks me what is new, I stop and think. The answer is nothing and everything. Sometimes there is so much going on that I do not even want to talk about it. Too much nonsense. Too much insanity. Too much stress. So when I am asked what is new, I say "Nothing".

Luck

Is there such a thing as luck? I can go either way answering this. While I do not think that the concept of luck exists, some people just seem luckier than others. I can use the casino as an example. I am not a gambler. If I lose ten dollars I will be upset. On the two occasions that I have gone to a casino I have lost. I go with a few dollars and lose it within five minutes. I have a friend that recently won $25,000. He won that on the first pull of the machine.Yesterday, he went to the same casino. He tried two times and on the second try, he won $2,500. Is that luck?

Memory

Some people have good memorys. Some have great ones. The other day I was talking to a few friends about skin spots. I mentioned that I have a spot that looks lighter than the rest of my arm. One friend said that it was the spot where I burned myself. When did I burn myself? I had no recollection of a burn. She said that a few years ago when I was cooking, I leaned against a pan and burned my skin in the exact spot that is now lighter. I did not recall doing that. The more she said it, the memory started to come back. This was at least five years ago. Why did she remember it and I did not? I can remember the minutest detail of unimportant things so why did this slip my mind? That question will remain unanswered.

Seventy Days

There are approximately seventy days of summer. By summer, I mean pool days. This was one of the best summers I can remember in a long time. I spent all weekends and a majority of work afternoons at the town pool. Since many of the women I am friendly with are school teachers, they were there every day. We sat and talked for hours. Some days it was the exact same conversation as the day before, but no one cared. It was just so pleasant. Today, even though it looks cloudy outside, we may all get together and spend the last pool day together. At 10pm tonight the pool is drained and will look empty and sad until next June.

Sweet Sixteen

Last night we went to a Sweet Sixteen. My husband has watched the girl grow up. Her mother is his co worker and she brought her daughter to work most nights so she could make sure she was safe. The little girl did her homework and watched the lab run. She is now a high school senior and on the track team. She is planning on becoming a doctor and hopes that her high grades allow her to go to a good college. No one is quite sure who her father is, but her mother took on the roles of both mother and father and has done a wonderful job. There were two hundred people at the party. The room was decorated as if it was a wedding. The young people dressed beautifully and even put on a dance show. There was enough food to feed an army. The music was loud and everyone danced. We had a wonderful time.

Last Hurrah, Maybe

This is Labor Day weekend. I usually spend it at the town pool. The last three days of summer will come to an end. I am talking about summer vacation, as we all know that summer extends into fall. It is supposed to be sunny today but might rain Sunday and Monday. If that is the case, this may be the last pool day. I had a great summer but it flew by too fast. I will try to squeak out the last moments of today just in case the weather is bad tomorrow.

I Say, You Hear

I have a favorite expression that I "stole" from my friend. I use it frequently when I speak to my children. The saying is, "You don't need to hear it, but I need to say it". As a parent I still worry about my children. I want to tell them things that I know they are already aware of. I want to tell them to watch their children and hold their hands. I want to tell them to cut their kid's food into small pieces. I want to tell them to be careful around swimming pools. My children used to get offended when I told them these things. They would say that they are not babies or idiots. If I did not express my feelings, I would think about them all day. Now, if I premise the unwanted statements with, "You don't need to hear it but I need to say it", they listen. It is amazing how one sentence can change the tone of a conversation.

Spot or Lot

Yesterday I was in Brooklyn. It is so overcrowded. People and cars roaming around like ants. The parking is horrible. You drive around in circles looking for an opening. I am not used to parallel parking. I an used to pulling into a parking lot and finding a spot. I could never live in the city.

No-rvette

Corvette has turned into no-rvette. After searching for the perfect "vette" my husband has come to the realization that it was not the right car to buy. For two months my son and I have talked until we were exhausted trying to convince him not to throw money away on a car that was not right for him. It finally clicked. The Corvette obsession is over. He has moved on to a T-Bird fixation. After working all day yesterday, I was schlepped into Brooklyn to look at a car. It seemed promising but the search will continue for a bit longer until he reaches Nirvana.

Anticipation

I woke up this morning humming the Carly Simon song "Anticipation". Later this morning a man will be driving his Corvette from New Jersey to my house for my husband to see. If it is good we will buy it. My husband has been disappointed three times in the last week and I do not want this to be the fourth time. He has his hopes up and so do I. The man is driving two hours with two cars to hopefully make this deal. He doesn't want to waste a trip. I am hoping that he doesn't.

The Back Up

My computer is getting old and tired. It sometimes just sits there and stares at me when I want to use it. Yesterday it did not want to wake up as early as I did so I had to coax it along. That is when I decided it was time to do a USB back up. I started by looking at what I had saved in the "My Documents" area. I had so much junk in there. Things that I felt were important years ago no longer mattered to me. I deleted the nonsense stuff and began the back up. It took three USB's to finish the job. The only thing that really mattered was saving the pictures of my grandchildren and my teaching booklets. A computer is like a closet. If you cannot remember what is in it, you don't really need it.

Summer's Ending

Today marks the last weekend in August. For many it is the last weekend of summer even though that does not officially happen until mid September. Things change after today. Vacations are over. The roads will be crowded again. The relaxed mindset changes back to work mode. When we wake up tomorrow the aura is different. I have no idea where the time went. I did more this summer than in past ones, but I am ready to have the weather cool down and have things return to normal.

Car Cation

I feel exhausted as if I just came back from a vacation road trip. Last night we drove to Staten Island in search of a perfect car. As usual all that glitters is not gold and something on paper is different than something in reality. We got on the road at about 5pm to look at a car that was located after the first exit over the Verrazano Bridge. Unfortunately after we exited the parkway, we still had a half hour ride. The traffic was horrendous and we actually had to stop at a gas station to use the bathroom. After a two hour ride, we arrived at the house where the car was and as we drove up my husband said, "I don't like that color. It looked different online. I do not want this car". We got out and "faked" enthusiasm so we did not insult the car's owner. We stayed for 7 minutes and got back into the car for another 1 1/2 ride home. Except for a 7 minute break, I was in the car for almost 4 hours. I could have been to Boston. He still does not have a car and has no real prospects as the one car he might want to see has a crazy owner who we don't want to deal with. Three down, who knows how many more to go .

Neck Pain

This morning I woke up with a pain in my neck and upper back. I do not have to go to the doctor as I have self diagnosed it. The pain comes from carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders. Sometimes the weight is distributed better and sometimes it just sits there weighing heavily on me. At 11 am a man will be coming to my house to show my husband a car. If my husband likes it, he will want to buy it. That is where I come in. I need to get the insurance cards. I need to type the bill of sale. I need to get copies of DMV papers and make sure they are filled out correctly for the purchase and the registration. He will stand there with a rag and buff the car.

Driving Miss Crazy

My husband is looking for a car. The process is "driving" me crazy. He turns into a raving lunatic whenever he switches cars. Papers flying. Phone calls being made. Negotiations. Pacing. Yelling. He repainted the garage floor in anticipation of the new "baby". I knew this would happen even though he promised that it would be a no drama situation. This whole procedure had better be over soon or the new car he will be driving in will be a hearse.

Hot Spot

The past few weeks have been hotter than ever. People were moving slower or trying not to move at all. This summer's heat impaired more than people. I have a large round thermometer hanging on a tree in my backyard. Every day I look out to see the temperature. This summer I saw it rise from 70 to 80 to 90 and even close to 100 degrees. I have had this thermometer  for quite a few years and it is the best one I ever had. After the heat wave I noticed that the thermometer was stuck on 80 degrees. It took a few days for me to even realize that it had stopped moving. It must have overheated or melted on the inside as it has just given up and decided to rest at 80.

Series Completed

My summer lecture series is completed. Last night was the end of the three part series. It was a full room and half of the people came to all three lectures. I feel like I have new friends. They all asked if I was coming back again and I told them that the library is the one to choose the topics and dates. They asked for the name of the main librarian so they could request more lectures. They did not realize that I learn as much as them from these discussions. It is always enriching to meet new people from various walks of life. Some of the people that came to all of the lectures traveled from Brooklyn and New Jersey. Even though a one hour lecture really takes 6 hours of time including travel, I love being there. 

Cooling Down

This morning it feels like the end of summer is approaching. I walked the dog in cool weather and almost needed a jacket. My final lecture of the three part series is tonight and it will probably be dark out when I board the train to return home. Two more weeks of no traffic until school starts. Time sure flies.

Close Eye

Many parents are admonished for not keeping a close eye on their children. We cannot be with our kids 24 hours a day so you have to hope that they have common sense not to do the wrong thing. That is why I find it odd that the President of the United State's daughter was caught smoking pot. I find this odd for two reasons. First, she is followed night and day by the Secret Service. Secondly , because if she had a brain in her head, she would know that her every move is watched and smoking pot in public is a no no. This is a girl that "intends" to start Harvard in 2017. I "intend" to win the Mega Millions next week. Common sense is not acquired. You are born with it. It all leads back to the question, "Are you smart or are you bright or are you just plain dumb?"

On Paper

On paper, everything looks great. I am realizing that even more since my husband is looking for a car. Last night we drove 30 miles to see a car that looked great on paper. When we got there reality set in. While the body of the car looked nice, the front seat was all ripped and cracked. The owner knew nothing about the car he owned for 22 years. He never knew that the spare tire was under the car. He could not remember his last oil change. He did not think he ever had it tuned up. When my husband asked for a test drive, the man jumped in the drivers seat and took him for a ride. The car felt ok. When my husband asked to drive the car, the man looked uncomfortable. My husband drove the car one block and could feel the rattling underneath him. He told the man that he was not interested in the car and we drove home. Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would have thought that the car was fantastic. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but reality is worth a million.