If not actually disgruntled, he was far from being gruntled.

Blogger cut off theThe following was written 0n 11/2/o7:
I won't discuss Boston's sweep in the World Series but I will say that I'm glad that Joe Torre is going to the Dodgers where he will be appreciated, sweet man. Ech, the Yankees suck!
Halloween was nice and warm and I was prepared with giant bags of candy because we get zillions of kids- from toddlers to adolescents, all of them cute and pretty polite-a few kids gave ME candy!
At 4:30, we at on the porch and they started coming. By 6:20 all the candy was gone and because they delayed the start of Daylight savings time this year, it wasn't dark yet! The best costumes were a kid and his Dad swathed in bubble wrap dressed as Giant Jellyfish
Halloween is also Steve's birthday( my pumpkin!) and Caramel's doggie birthday too ( she's 4). I've been sick in bed this week so we had chinese take-out for dinner and poor Steve had to get his own birthday cake. ( chocolate mousse- it was delicious)
But he loved his presents, .I got him a bunch of stuff, including a book that he already has, a weather station that tells temperature, humidity, dewpoint and even has an alarm and a T-shirt that says: BROOKLYN- only the strong survive!
And a box of chocolates of course, Belgian, not Halloween. (I myself love candy corn and malted milk balls.)
Steve ordered dog food on-line and it was delivered today, a 40lb box which I left on the porch then took Carrie for her walk. When we came back, Chris across the street was waiting for us. He saw a kid take the box off the porch and make his getaway- on a bike. He chased the guy then called the cops and they rode around looking for the guy but did not find him. Luckily, it was only dog food (just try to sell that, rat bastards!) but the bad part is, this is a really quiet block and many people get deliveries left on their porches daily. It's disconcerting to think there are unsavory types patrolling the nabe for packages.
It certainly wouldn't have happened if we were home, Caramel would've sounded the alarm, my bark-less dog. She don't like nobody on her porch!
I am going to make enchiladas tonight as a belated surprise for Steve and also because November 1st and 2nd are the Dias Del Muerto in Mexico, a fun holiday. Now that I've reviewed the recipe I remember why I haven't made them in years, they are way labor-intensive. I already made the sauce ( my homegrown tomatoes!) and now I must shred my chicken, grate my cheese and confront my tortillas. Ai!

I can't take the World Serious

Ugh, I had this discussion with my brother the other day- he said he couldn't drum up enthusiasm for this year's fall classic. I called him infidel and non-believer, but after last night's game, I'm starting to agree-the Red Sox murderized the Rockies, 13-1, this was not fun, it was revolting. We had to stop watching. We believe the Sox struck a deal with the devil to become the New England version of the Yankees. (boo, hiss) The proof is Rudy Giuliani, GOP moronic candidate extraordinaire, endorsing the Sox. Omigod!
An angry fan was quoted in today's Times:" They should burn his seat that he sat in in Yankee Stadium".Also, while I'm complaining, it's ridiculous that every game has to be a night game. And they don't start playing till almost 9:00- who can stay up that late? And why do the commentators talk so much and so fast. I used to love Tim McCarver, now he gets on my nerves- silence on the air is OK, it need not be filled up with gratuitous verbal garbage.
Ah, it's quite satisfying to bitch about something that I can control by changing the channel. I wish it were that easy to change the current administration which tells us that they need $5 billion more for the war against terror but nothing for heath care for children. Dick and Dubya tell us Iran should be bombed and WWIII is looming on the horizon. And Dubya wants a quick response to the terrible fires in San Diego- apparently there are more voters to be appeased in San Diego than there were in New Orleans. (It's unimaginable that someone deliberately started those fires- sick bastards!) And speaking of drought conditions, the Southeast has also had many months with no rain but the Georgia Gov just imposed restrictions yesterday, banning the washing of state vehicles and ordering prison inmates to shower only once a day instead of twice. Yeah, that should do it.
There was an article in the Times recently about how these are not drought conditions in the SE and the West- they are an indication of
permanent climate change brought about by global warming. Anyone surprised?
Well, I'm going to bundle up (it's finally is autumn today) and take Caramel for a walk after I have some lunch. Darling Steve BBQ'd Sunday and as a surprise he, he grilled me a package of pipicks. (chicken gizzards. Non-Yiddish-speakers note: pipick, also pronounced pupick is also the word for belly-button.) I've been eating a couple everyday ( like candy) and sharing the chewy bits with Carrie. Is she not gorgeous?

Together again for the first time

One of my favorite movies of all time is Young Frankenstein. My thoughtful and clever husband got tickets to the musical of the movie as soon as it was announced. So it was with much anticipation (and High Anxiety) that we attended the show Saturday. My face stills hurts from laughing. It wasn't quite as perfect as "The Producers" and had a few slow spots (and no Nathan Lane) but the sets were incredible, the dancing and singing were great and there was plenty of goofiness. "Together again for the first time" is a tune from the show and it's stuck in my head. Also, "Putting on the Ritz" which was a truly fabulous number.
It was obvious that everyone in the audience had seen the movie- we laughed in anticipation of the jokes. We got pre-laughs and post-laughs too. It was too much fun. Mel Brooks is a god, still.
But last night the Cleveland Indians got murdered 11-2 and so the Boston Red Sox go to the World Series aginst the Colorado Rockies.
As I previously bitched, the only NLCS games were on TBS and not everyone has cable TV. So I haven't seen a Rockies game and who the hell are they anyway?
And isn't the air too thin in Colorado for baseball? I have no emotional attachment to them. I am conflicted. I only root for an American League team if it's playing against the Yankees. I was raised that way. And years ago, the Mets and the Red Sox used to play an annual game and there was bad blood every time. But this is quite a team these Sox got- so many of them are goateed, what's up with that- so we'll see on Wed night.

Indian Summer, with a vengence

You know, this past summer was one of the most beautiful in years and it never was too hot or humid for too long. But this past week has been swampy and yesterday was 88 degrees and sticky, a record in Central Park and also at Yankee Stadium, where the Cleveland Indians advanced to the ALCS, to which I have no attachment as I was raised National League.
Many in NY are downcast, but I am gleeful. The Yankees loss takes the sting out of the Mets losing too. And the Cubs and the Phillies. Uncharitable and mean-spirited? But yes. And, I was both stunned and steamed that there was absolutely no baseball on TV this weekend, it was only on TBS cable. Rat bastards! I will root for a Rockie or a Diamondback altho' it's strange to me - Arizona is too hot for play baseball and in Colorado the air is too thin. But, at least I can enjoy the post-season without an emotional attachment. Possibly.
Today, the temp has dropped 30 degrees. This weather gives me a headache and fall is generally making Caramel nutsy from too much wildlife activity. Today,when we got back from the park she was crazed from too many thwarted squirrel-catching attempts. We were finishing our book (TC Boyle: Drop City) on the porch and I forgot to put the gate up. Along comes a long-haired female dog, (Caramel does not like females) and she flew off the porch afttrying to bite her fur. The girl walking the dog freaked and started yelling and I had to scream over her to make Carrie stop. Thankfully, she only bites fur not flesh and she always responds to "stop". The doggie was OK but it took an hour for my heart to beat normally and my throat is raw from yelling.
The rain they have been predicting for a week has yet to arrive- I feel like I'm in a state of flux but I will solder, er, soldier on.
I read that the Oxford English Dictionary (the small, 2-volume version) is eliminating 16,000 hyphenated words. Another sign of the apocalypse. I am quite fond of the hyphen and will mourn, as I did for Planet Pluto, it's loss.
But, I will not be party to such-like and will continue to use the hyphen as profusely and incorrectly as I have always done.
Some usage will be retained so we can tell the difference between a slippery-eel salesman and slippery eel salesman. Snake-oil hawker and snake oil hawker.
Which reminds me of the disappointing Democrats who, not wanting to appear "soft on terror" may approve extending wiretap powers to the NSA.
Soft on terror? What an idiotic phrase, what the hell does that even mean? Now I am disgusted with both the administration and them.
But now that the globe is warming and summers are longer, my tomatoes are just now ripening, (and I will have 100 of them- but all at once) we have zillions of mosquitoes, and my plants are really thriving. The top pix are the front porch, these are the backyard.
What do you think?

Cleveland Rocks

Our 'puter has not been well lately but Steve has worked out the kinks in my laptop so I finally bestirred myself to download ( by popular demand!) some pix of our trip to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, a very cool little city itself.
The building, by I.M.Pei, is right on Lake Erie. It's surrounded by rings of these giant individually painted guitars. There were some great exhibits in the museum, artifacts like suits from The Temptations, the Miracles and James Brown, dresses from the girl groups from the Shirelles to the Supremes, etc. There were wonderful audio-phones to sample music styles from different eras, but not nearly enough phones. I was thrilled to find Symphony Sid, a NYC radio DJ who played Latin music in the 60's. Proper respect was shown to the originators of R&R and the early years but I was stunned by the omissions and a little disappointed in the commercial and political aspects of the place. Almost an entire floor is a gift shop and record store. Do they call them record stores anymore? Do they even have them? Anyway, this one had no Warren Zevon, a particular fave of mine and an important rocker for many years. When I questioned an employee I was told there are many other people missing ( he cited Chicago and the Moody Blues) that warrant inclusion but aren't in because it's a very political process one based on profit more than art. I questioned several employees and got the same answer every time-it was a bummer, man. The Baseball hall of Fame is more inspiring and egalitarian, that's for sure. I can't really speak of baseball at this time, I am presently in mourning for the death of the Mets' post-season. But we had a wonderful time anyway- we took the Rapid which is like a cute tiny subway, to Tower City, a huge restored railroad station that's now a very grand mall.
I'll post more later but right now, Dancing with the Stars is on and I've got to go!