Face, or something else

There was a terrible tragedy in the neighborhood, where a tzadik and a hero lost his life helping to save a little boy. I was on the scene. At one point, I noticed some photographers, so I put up my hood to avoid the cameras.

However, there is a picture of me with two other members. It happens to be the photo link into the pictures of the event on one site. I received an inquiry from a relative in Chicago questioning whether the guy in the middle was me. I went to look at it. It shows me from the back, sagging pants and all. He claims that he could identify me by my stance. It was nice of him to say so.

I was not really happy to be part of the pictorial recording of the horrible event, but that is life. Until i saw the brochure that they put together to raise funds for the family ( here is the link to donate). In the flyer that will go out to the community, there is that same picture. (I think they used it because it is the least offensive of all the pics, but that is for another time.)

So I see now that I am the tush of the organization.

Shake, Rattle and Roll

Last week the entire region experienced what for many was a first time event, an actual earthquake. However, for those of you keen-eyed readers, you will remember that last June (2010) there was an earthquake that was felt in Brooklyn.

This earthquake was felt up the entire eastern seaboard from Virginia to Toronto. It really was scary up on the twelfth floor, with the whole building swaying, and we just being around the corner from the 10th anniversary of 9-11. Everyone in my office beat a hasty but orderly retreat for the street via the stairs. Without a consensus, just natural self preservation. We, at least, had an idea what it was, having felt a more milder version a year ago.

However, this got me to thinking. Three natural phenomena (potential disasters?) in the past calendar year in the New York area. The first significant hurricane in over ten years, preceded by an earthquake felt throughout the New York area, and a tornado in Queens last Fall.

I will assume the message is to change our ways. Quite appropriate this time of the year. G-d is watching and is in control of the world. It is a shame that not everyone can read the signs when they are so clear.

Happy Waffle Day

Wednesday I was out of the office, but I received an e-mail from someone who must read the blogs, or has seen my phone, and is aware of my feelings about waffles. ( Odd, that someone might know that.)

The e-mail told me that Wednesday was National Waffle Day, and I was floating along the Delaware without an outlet in sight for me to plug in my waffle maker and properly celebrate the day. However, all was not lost on the waffle front this past week.

On Saturday night I went out with my siblings because I missed the previous Thursday night get together.

We went to a dairy place. As I was perusing the menu, I noted out loud, " look, they have Belgian Waffles!" later in the evening, they brought a waffle to one of the tables near us, and I again exclaimed , in keeping with my image of being totally obsessed about the delectable versatile edible syrup holder, "oh look, a Belgian Waffle!"

My loving family, taking advantage of the wonders of texting technology, along with my complete cluelessness about everything around me, secretly went an ordered one for me and Lovey to commemorate a special day for us. I was touched and thrilled. It was absolutely delicious and enjoyed by all. Here is what it looked like.


Amazing, isn't it? And it tasted as good as it looked. The best part of it, though, was a comment from one of my siblings, I don't remember which one, who said

Don't forget to save a piece for Boo so she can give HER opinion on it.

Bad Advertising

I was in Port Jervis yesterday to float down the Delaware with the family. After the trip, the place you rent the boats from drives you back from the river to your car. I was looking out the window and saw a funeral home. A couple of blocks later, I saw another funeral home. I thought this was a little odd, two in a row, but the next building really struck me as out of place, (or perhaps the others were in the right place).

it was the local hospital.

HELP!

You'll never believe what I found when I came home today!










See below












Is this revenge?

Some people never learn.

Of Pineapples and Peaches

When I arrived home last night, I noticed, in place of the rotting melon, a beautiful large pineapple and a box of 12 of the largest peaches I have ever seen. Obviously the chief multi-tasking householder had again been busy at Costco.

From previous experience, I think the pineapple will slowly wither, become spongy, and generate fruit flies before ultimately accounting for part of the 20lbs of garbage I heft outside every Monday and Thursday morning and every Friday afternoon.

The peaches as well don't have too much hope. I'll tell you why. Last night I was attempting to explain a principle of astronomy to one of my children and since I was in my kitchen at the time, I spied the peaches and quickly picked one up to demonstrate the principle physically, intending to use the peach to represent the earth. A loud protest from the chief multi-tasking householder indicated that I was not to touch the peaches. I remonstrated that I was only using the peach as a prop, not intending to eat such a delectable morsel, which mollified her a bit. It was a sure sign that the peach was to be left to begin its long decline into ballast for our tall kitchen garbage bags and our obligation to continue justification for the town's payment to its trash collectors.

I asked Ms Multi-tasker "What about melons? I don't see any here."

"I'm buying them tomorrow."

Breakfast for Prayers

We were in Baltimore for the weekend. At the beginning of the services, a man walked in with his son. The son was holding an ordinary looking plastic shopping bag, not bulging or anything. I thought to myself, "Oh no, this is not going to end well". Generally when the kids come that prepared, its because they are unable to sit quiet for more that ten seconds.

However, he was sitting quietly, but immediately started to eat. "here comes the shmecking" I thought, but I was pleasantly surprised, as he opened a baggie full of cereal, made a brocho, and commenced to munch with his mouth closed. I was thrilled.

After the cereal came cookies and then mentos. These are NOT quiet, and the chewing got a lot louder, specifically noticeable because this was the one part of the services that are REALLY quiet. Except for the shmecking. Oh well, I guess that is the hazard of being near a child who came to shul for breakfast. ( I wonder if this is the root cause of future "Kiddush Club" members?)

This kids was not at all heavy, but there were more cookies, then some wafers. I am pretty sure there were more goodies that I just don'[t remember all of them, as I couldn't write down all that came out of this miraculous bag. I was beginning to think that this bag had Mary Poppins like properties, and was tempted to see if there was a lamp somewhere in the bag.

Eventually the services ended, I assume before the snacks ran out.

Of Money and Melons

I don't know when I last looked but I am quite sure that this morning, our refrigerator was still well stocked with cherries and grapes. When I got home this afternoon, there were none to be found. Also missing was the spongy, hollow-feeling cantaloupe - the last of the original three - which only this morning was lying on a kitchen counter slowly deteriorating before our eyes.

I asked the chief, multi-tasking, householder about the cherries and grapes and she told me that they had been finished. Skeptically, I asked her if they had been disposed of and I was assured that they had been eaten.

"What about the melon?" I asked. Not being able to plausibly tell me that it had also been eaten, she agreed that it had been tossed.

"So, one's been given away, and one's been thrown out. Not very economical"

"Yes," came the reply. "I'll have to buy some more."

Important Activities

I was reading one of the Jewish newspapers the other day and came upon this piece in the News sections from different neighborhoods. The article mentioned that a certain leader of a small sect in some town in the Netherlands was going on holiday in Switzerland, and before he went, he had a Tish, spoke about the importance of learning, and gave out cake. This was accompanied further along in the paper in the pictures of notable events section with a picture of some plates of cake, (no picture of the ditributor of the goodies) and the heading, that this was the cake given out as mentioned in the previous article.

So lets see, a guy goes on vacation, has a little goodbye party for his friends and gives them cake.


THIS IS NEWSWORTHY????????

A Slice of Life

Today is the 21st anniversary of the passing of my grandfather. we had a little get together last night, consisting of three of his sons, four grandsons, two grandson in laws, a granddaughter, granddaughter in law, and three four daughters in law.

Someone mentioned that he had not spoken about him at the gathering, the answer given was, we all knew who he was. I was thinking about this, and his living legacy. Here is what I came up with.

Of the seven direct descendants there, all were EMTs having served or currently serving on volunteer ambulance squads, six have led High Holiday Services, three (that I know of) currently serve on synagogue boards, and that is what is publicly known, and off the top of my head. I am sure there is more that done that I don't even know about.

Enough said, I think.

Costco Revisited

Much as last year, I again find myself with a refrigerator full of fruits and vegetables which I know is going to waste

4 lbs of grapes
4 lbs of cherries
2 lbs of blueberries
Strawberries (cant find the container so don't know how much)
2 huge cantaloupes (1 already gifted; they come in threes)
Peppers
12 medium to large plum tomatoes

I am adamant that 2 people, no matter how dedicated can't finish all this before it either rots or we do.

So today for lunch here was the main (and only) dish

Unfortunately, about 90% of the inventory is still above ground.

Just Asking

Little bit of politics, especially the double standard.

i read in the paper that Al Sharpton got all huffy with Pat Buchanan for referencing our Dear Leader as "your boy", meaning, obviously, that Sharpton supports him. Buchanan, whatever else you feel about him, rightly refuses to apologize for the deliberate misunderstanding on the part of the rabblerouser. The paper noted that it was uncomfortable, because Buchanan was sitting next to someone just back from a suspension for "insulting the president" on MSNBC.

My only thought on this was that for eight years, the left wing liberals called the President the most horrific names constantly, and belittled him mercilessly. Without any ramifications whatsoever.

When did the first amendment stop applying to comments about Black Democrats?

Enjoy below.

Not wishing to interfere with the lively discussion going on, I shall keep today's post short, so people dont miss Soupeater's below.

Karl Marx Lives at Iceberg-Carwash

Our friends over at Iceberg Carwash have gone, unfortunately, Red. I couldn't believe that these staunch supporters of the capitalist ethic should suddenly veer of the road into the mire of socialist thinking. And not just the writers of the blog but even some of their loyal followers have suddenly confessed to heretical thoughts and long held left-wing opinions.

This is tragic.

Essentially as you can see from the blog post to which I refer they are proposing that social security be paid into by everyone but its purpose would be to benefit only those who need it, based on the old communist motto "From each according to his ability, to each according to his means." Even worse, they propose to confiscate the monies already paid to the system in the belief it would be for the contributors' retirement and convert the pension plan, with a guaranteed payout, into an insurance plan for those whose wealth has diminished. Also, since social security is now, and in order to be effective would have to continue to be, involuntary, this scheme would follow the precedent of that most unamerican piece of current legislation, Obamacare. If you didn't like that, you certainly won't like this. This is no different from the collectivisation and murder of the Kulaks in 1930's Russia.

I am disapointed that such a level-headed, family-minded blog shoud suddenly swerve off the rails. What are they smoking?

I suggest that all my loyal readers voice their protest at the comments section of Iceberg-Carwash's post. Click HERE to easily access the comments. Tell them what you think, maybe we can right the wagon!

Potato. Potahto

This issue has come up before, essentially at the creation of this blog, and the subsequent spelling of Greunkern, which may or may not have been a mistake.

I made reference in my past post to Jack, the fish currently living with us. ( And still living, thank goodness). i referred to him as "Beta" I was then corrected by one of our eagle eyed readers that is is spelled "Betta". We then conducted an informal test, ( putting in betta in a search engine) and most of the returns DID spell the name with two "T"s. However, not all of them did, as there was one site that referred to the fish as "beta". I felt vindicated.

However, in continuing my research for this post, I went back to that same site, and scrolled down. I saw a heading that said "Spelling" so I thought, great, vindication. Alas, here is the paragraph


1. Spelling
The names Beta Fish, Fighting Beta Fish, and Siamese Beta Fish are often seen. But Beta is a misspelling of Betta, which is a word that comes from the scientific name Betta splendens.

So I sit here, corrected. henceforth, the fish I mention that we are betta-sitting for shall be called by its correct name.


Jack

Adventurous August

I am going to attempt to have more posts for my dear readers to lurk about, maybe read, and not comment upon ( Oh, stop your whining already!).

Since this is a bit of a large undertaking, I have dubbed the month adventurous August ( as you can see from the heading). I will not be writing on weekends or the 9th, or if I actually get away for a few days, so expect no more than fifteen posts this month, which for us here at the good Doctor, is quite a bit.

The beauty is this counts as one, even though it really doesn't say anything.

Requiem for a Fish

A month in theory, days in fact, forever in our hearts.

Alas, the (sort of ) expected happened, Fluffy, after physically gracing our lives for all of five days, has gone on to her great reward in the giant fish tank in the sky.

Although her life expectancy prior to her joining our home was not really anticipated to be much longer ( feeder fish, by definition, are only supposed to last until they become lunch), we were still saddened to return to the house Friday afternoon to find Fluffy floating lifeless in her bowl. She had appeared fine Friday morning, swimming happily to and fro. However, I had noticed signs of illness from the day we purchased her, and felt a trip to the vet or a host of chemicals to save her would be a bit much for a sixty four cent fish. I had hoped that food, clean water and love would prolong her life, but it was not to be.

So with a heavy heart, I performed the usual get-rid -of -dead goldfish ritual, which involves solemn carrying of the bowl, taps, and flushing.

Although it is no consolation for our bereft hearts, we happen to be Beta-sitting Jack for the summer, Stretchs' beta, who we are caring for while he is away. We hope he has a better outcome than dear Fluffy.

Goodbye Fluffy, we shall always remember you.