The wind finally tapered off a bit, and while it never got comfortably warm, still, it was nice enough, and sunny. Of course, I'm here freezing to death, but then, that's the way it is anymore.
So we had a bunch of beach goers, all of whom appeared surprised to find no stairs to get there. Oh well. Life's tough, and then you die.
I just finished a survey of the yard, and picked up the trash people left. I hate summer, I hate beach goers, and I especially hate the types who are too cheap to go to a beach with lifeguards and trash cans, and who park here where it's free and leave their trash all over the place.
Bennies go home, and stay there. You are not welcome in my neighborhood.
Monday, May 27, 2013
Sunday, May 26, 2013
getting a little better, finally
The wind died down somewhat this afternoon and the temp got a touch over 70 (if you were in the sun and behind a wind block of some sort). More seasonable, but still feels like the wrong season. No signs of beach goers. Fine by me, we don't need them here - besides, there's no way to get onto the beach here anymore unless you're into rock climbing. The public access stairway has not yet been replaced. They say it will be, one day, but today is not the day.
I hope, for the sake of the businesses which depend on beach goers, that we're not going to have one of those summers where it rains every weekend. We've all had a hard enough time these last few months. A washed out summer would put a lot of the Sandy survivors out of business.
Anyone who wants to come to the beach - go to Sandy Hook, or downtown Sea Bright. No food yet in Sandy Hook, tho, so if you want to be able to eat, hit downtown. They'll be happy to see you.
I hope, for the sake of the businesses which depend on beach goers, that we're not going to have one of those summers where it rains every weekend. We've all had a hard enough time these last few months. A washed out summer would put a lot of the Sandy survivors out of business.
Anyone who wants to come to the beach - go to Sandy Hook, or downtown Sea Bright. No food yet in Sandy Hook, tho, so if you want to be able to eat, hit downtown. They'll be happy to see you.
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Saturday - more of the same
I'm not sure it got into the 50s here today. And WINDY. Yikes! And the rain. On and off all day, if you ventured outside at the wrong moment, you'd get drenched. Not fun. Pablo and I hunkered down with a pile of blankets and listened to LA Opera's broadcast of Don Giovanni, which was great, but we really would have preferred a nice walk or two or three. Pablo does not do horribly well in strong winds. Neither do I, for that matter. Today really sucked, I hope it gets nicer out tomorrow.
Friday, May 24, 2013
welcome to summer?????
It's 48 degrees F at 9pm. The wind is howling, and it's blasting a very cold rain. The heat is running in my house, it feels like November. May 24, 2013, at the start of the Memorial Day weekend, everyone's official gateway to summer.
Brrrr......
Brrrr......
Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Oklahoma
Looking at the mess in Oklahoma this morning, several not quite connected thoughts rush into my mind.
Maybe it's really the end of the world, in tiny instalments.
The third little piggy was wrong. Straw, wood or bricks, none of them stand up against a strong enough wind.
Tornadoes are as random as hurricanes.
So far noone is rising up to tell those poor people that they know tornadoes happen there, thus they have no business trying to live there, and the rest of us are not going to help them rebuild, especially not using taxpayer dollars.
If bad things happen because God is angry with someone, looks like he is angry with an awful lot of people, including a lot of kids. Could be he needs anger management counseling.
Noplace is safe.
We're all in the same boat. We'd all better start rowing in unison, and soon.
Maybe it's really the end of the world, in tiny instalments.
The third little piggy was wrong. Straw, wood or bricks, none of them stand up against a strong enough wind.
Tornadoes are as random as hurricanes.
So far noone is rising up to tell those poor people that they know tornadoes happen there, thus they have no business trying to live there, and the rest of us are not going to help them rebuild, especially not using taxpayer dollars.
If bad things happen because God is angry with someone, looks like he is angry with an awful lot of people, including a lot of kids. Could be he needs anger management counseling.
Noplace is safe.
We're all in the same boat. We'd all better start rowing in unison, and soon.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Benjamin Moore wants to paint Sea Bright
Lord knows they're already selling enough paint to do the town, now they have a contest to revitalize either Hoboken or Sea Bright. Here's the link, you can vote once a day between now and June 30:
http://www.paintwhatmatters.com/
When you get the US map, click on New Jersey, then you can vote. If you don't get the map right away, click on the Benjamin Moore red logo in the upper left corner of the screen, and the map should come up.
Vote for Sea Bright, we can use all the help we can get!
http://www.paintwhatmatters.com/
When you get the US map, click on New Jersey, then you can vote. If you don't get the map right away, click on the Benjamin Moore red logo in the upper left corner of the screen, and the map should come up.
Vote for Sea Bright, we can use all the help we can get!
Monday, May 13, 2013
Sea Bright Sea Breeze
In case any of our missing residents are reading this, here's a link to the latest edition of the Sea Breeze - first one since Sandy.
http://seabrightnj.org/PDFs/2013SeaBreeze/13-01-web-3.pdf
All sorts of useful information in there.
http://seabrightnj.org/PDFs/2013SeaBreeze/13-01-web-3.pdf
All sorts of useful information in there.
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Almanac of a sort, Mothers' Day, 2013
All I have today is bits and pieces, so here they are:
Sunny and mild today, but the wind is kicking up now, and when it blows, the blinds rattle. Reminds me of the "dry husks" bit in The First Emperor. Can't remember who sings that part, offhand, so I'll need to watch the video and report back. The sound is like stalks of bamboo clacking together - which reminds me, it looks as if my outdoor bamboo is dead from Sandy. My indoor bamboo, all but one little sprig of it, died after the new heat/hot water thingie got installed, because the plumbers forgot to check the stove when they turned the gas back on, the pilot light was off, and the house was filling with gas for a week or so (I was not yet back living in the house at this time).
The bamboo sprig reminds me of Susan, my favorite flower maiden. She died a bit more than a week ago, aged 58, from breast cancer, which had already claimed her sister and, if I'm not mistaken, her father as well. Some things (like the switch that turns on cancer) are definitely genetic. Susan was the wonderfully creative and generous person who used to make flower arrangements for me for any occasion, particularly various sets of white carnations for a friend who particularly loves those. Susan was dealt a particularly bad hand in life, but every time I see or buy flowers, I think of her, so she had a positive effect on me, at least. As I'm sure she did on a lot of people.
The indoor bamboo came from a closeout sale at the store where Susan worked. I got two sets of "lucky bamboo," two purple glass vases to put them in, and several bags of glass marbles for less than $5. Susan got the shaft. Let's just say the successive owners of that particular store were not kind to her.
I'm sure I've mentioned here before that I constantly have some bits and pieces of music running in my head. Most of the time I have little or no control of what they are. Today's specials, for no apparent reason, are Morris Robinson singing Old Man River, and Sam Ramey singing his big aria from Faust. Considering I just the other day watched Sam singing Mefistofele, not Faust, I'm not sure why the Faust is taking precedence. Mr Robinson is currently singing in Showboat at the Washington National Opera, which sort of explains that one. I had a ticket for the matinee today, but swapped it for next Sunday. Now we see if I actually get to go.
Last evening I watched a really good movie, Youth Without Youth. It's a Francis Ford Coppola opus, and it's a beautifully told story. I decided I must go to Malta one day, even if I'll never be rich enough to stay where the characters stay. I like Coppola's movies more than I like his wine.
I discovered that Utz makes Sweet Potato chips that are absolutely awesome. One caveat, tho - buy two bags, once you get started you can't stop eating them.
Pablo got to play with Snickers and Maya today - Snickers is a long haired Chi, and Maya is an older Golden Retriever. Then Grandma came for him. They did some un-gardening, then took off in her car for who knows where. We'll catch up later, when I go to Mom's place for lasagna dinner. Lasagna seems to be the default "occasion" meal in my family, even tho we're not Italian. The only sister who isn't coming for dinner is the one who isn't a mother, so maybe that works.
Let's see....I got to listen to most of Gotterdammerung on the radio yesterday. Great singing, I even liked the Siegfried (I haven't liked anybody's Siegfried since Siegfried Jerusalem sang it). I hope someone I know recorded it, so I can get to hear the immolation, which is the part I missed. I guess you could say I'm suffering from Gotterdammerung-us interruptus.
Front bedroom is done getting the first coat of paint. I think it hasn't been painted in forever, so it is sucking up the paint at an alarming rate. Needs a second coat. Also got the new ceiling fan installed. Looks nice, but tall people will knock their heads on it, I think. Requires artful furniture arrangement.
One nice thing about all the rain this week - the car is clean again. It washed off all the sticky salt spray, saving me trying to remember to go out and buy a new hose and car wash soap. Oh, and a bucket and sponge. That stuff was all in the garage before the storm. Now, there's no telling where it is. Maybe Staten Island.
Sunny and mild today, but the wind is kicking up now, and when it blows, the blinds rattle. Reminds me of the "dry husks" bit in The First Emperor. Can't remember who sings that part, offhand, so I'll need to watch the video and report back. The sound is like stalks of bamboo clacking together - which reminds me, it looks as if my outdoor bamboo is dead from Sandy. My indoor bamboo, all but one little sprig of it, died after the new heat/hot water thingie got installed, because the plumbers forgot to check the stove when they turned the gas back on, the pilot light was off, and the house was filling with gas for a week or so (I was not yet back living in the house at this time).
The bamboo sprig reminds me of Susan, my favorite flower maiden. She died a bit more than a week ago, aged 58, from breast cancer, which had already claimed her sister and, if I'm not mistaken, her father as well. Some things (like the switch that turns on cancer) are definitely genetic. Susan was the wonderfully creative and generous person who used to make flower arrangements for me for any occasion, particularly various sets of white carnations for a friend who particularly loves those. Susan was dealt a particularly bad hand in life, but every time I see or buy flowers, I think of her, so she had a positive effect on me, at least. As I'm sure she did on a lot of people.
The indoor bamboo came from a closeout sale at the store where Susan worked. I got two sets of "lucky bamboo," two purple glass vases to put them in, and several bags of glass marbles for less than $5. Susan got the shaft. Let's just say the successive owners of that particular store were not kind to her.
I'm sure I've mentioned here before that I constantly have some bits and pieces of music running in my head. Most of the time I have little or no control of what they are. Today's specials, for no apparent reason, are Morris Robinson singing Old Man River, and Sam Ramey singing his big aria from Faust. Considering I just the other day watched Sam singing Mefistofele, not Faust, I'm not sure why the Faust is taking precedence. Mr Robinson is currently singing in Showboat at the Washington National Opera, which sort of explains that one. I had a ticket for the matinee today, but swapped it for next Sunday. Now we see if I actually get to go.
Last evening I watched a really good movie, Youth Without Youth. It's a Francis Ford Coppola opus, and it's a beautifully told story. I decided I must go to Malta one day, even if I'll never be rich enough to stay where the characters stay. I like Coppola's movies more than I like his wine.
I discovered that Utz makes Sweet Potato chips that are absolutely awesome. One caveat, tho - buy two bags, once you get started you can't stop eating them.
Pablo got to play with Snickers and Maya today - Snickers is a long haired Chi, and Maya is an older Golden Retriever. Then Grandma came for him. They did some un-gardening, then took off in her car for who knows where. We'll catch up later, when I go to Mom's place for lasagna dinner. Lasagna seems to be the default "occasion" meal in my family, even tho we're not Italian. The only sister who isn't coming for dinner is the one who isn't a mother, so maybe that works.
Let's see....I got to listen to most of Gotterdammerung on the radio yesterday. Great singing, I even liked the Siegfried (I haven't liked anybody's Siegfried since Siegfried Jerusalem sang it). I hope someone I know recorded it, so I can get to hear the immolation, which is the part I missed. I guess you could say I'm suffering from Gotterdammerung-us interruptus.
Front bedroom is done getting the first coat of paint. I think it hasn't been painted in forever, so it is sucking up the paint at an alarming rate. Needs a second coat. Also got the new ceiling fan installed. Looks nice, but tall people will knock their heads on it, I think. Requires artful furniture arrangement.
One nice thing about all the rain this week - the car is clean again. It washed off all the sticky salt spray, saving me trying to remember to go out and buy a new hose and car wash soap. Oh, and a bucket and sponge. That stuff was all in the garage before the storm. Now, there's no telling where it is. Maybe Staten Island.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Noah just floated by in the ark
Severe thunderstorms here this morning, very severe as I was trying to leave for work - trying being the operative word. I got as far as downtown, rain coming down so hard I couldn't see where I was going, and figured out the the street was deep enough in water it did not look auspicious to try to drive through it. Especially considering I had not reached the lowest point yet. So I turned around and came back home.
So far no noise from the pump in the basement, so it either isn't working (again), or doesn't need to. Yet. The back yard is several inches deep, looks like a swamp. Eventually I expect that will all seep into the basement and need to be pumped out. Glad the heat and hot water gadget are on the first floor now, not as much to worry about. Only thing in the basement anymore is the pump, and in theory it can save itself. If I feel brave later, I'll go down there and see if it is alive or if it just doesn't feel the need to do anything.
Living room, that infamous drop zone of all water coming from the sky, is bone dry. Thank you, Bob the Roofer!
So far no noise from the pump in the basement, so it either isn't working (again), or doesn't need to. Yet. The back yard is several inches deep, looks like a swamp. Eventually I expect that will all seep into the basement and need to be pumped out. Glad the heat and hot water gadget are on the first floor now, not as much to worry about. Only thing in the basement anymore is the pump, and in theory it can save itself. If I feel brave later, I'll go down there and see if it is alive or if it just doesn't feel the need to do anything.
Living room, that infamous drop zone of all water coming from the sky, is bone dry. Thank you, Bob the Roofer!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Some Nabucco from St Petersburg
Courtesy of Alexander Kurmachev, via Natalia Sizikova....
Of course, it is Placido Domingo as Nabucco, and Maria Guleghina as Abagaille. Valery Gergiev conducts. May 4, 2013 at the new Mariinsky Theatre.
Of course, it is Placido Domingo as Nabucco, and Maria Guleghina as Abagaille. Valery Gergiev conducts. May 4, 2013 at the new Mariinsky Theatre.
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