Why I'm not in Colorado....

I think today's weather forcast says it all. I wish all of my former customers good luck getting through to customer service today.

From the good folks at Accuweather..

FORCAST FOR NEW YORK CITY AND VICINITY..




50°F
RealFeel®
49°F
Winds: ENE
at 5mph
Cloudy
Humidity: 89%
Dew Point: 47° F
Pressure: 30.38 in
Visibility: 4 Miles
Tonight
[ More ]

Low: 55°F
RealFeel®: 55°F
Sunset: 4:30 PM
Today
[ More ]

High: 59°F
RealFeel®: 61°F
Sunrise: 6:58 AM
Hour-by-Hour™ Weather
8am

52°F
Cloudy
10am

55°F
Cloudy
Noon

58°F
Cloudy
2pm

59°F
Cloudy
4pm

59°F
Cloudy
6pm

58°F
Cloudy
Complete NEW YORK, NY Hourly Forecast

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AccuPOP™ - Probability of Precipitation
40%7A-10A
19%10A-1P
31%1P-4P
25%4P-7P
25%7P-10P
6%10P-1A
Wed
11/29
6%1A-4A
5%4A-7A
Thu
11/30
AnyRainSnowIce
Radar and Satellite Maps
New York Radar

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New York Satellite

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Your Local RadarSurface MapTemperaturesPrecipitation
Weather for your Health
Arthritis Index
Today: None


Arthritis Index [What is this?]
Cold Index
Today: None


Cold Index [What is this?]
Air Quality
Today: Moderate

View the Air Quality Map
Pollen Forecast
Today: Low (Mold)

View the Pollen Map
Severe Weather Potentials for the Next 6 Hours
Heavy Rain
Minimal
High Winds
Minimal
ThunderStorms
Minimal
Dense Fog
Minimal

Heavy Snow
Minimal
Ice Build Up
Minimal
Rapid Freeze Up
Minimal
WEATHER ADVISORY in effect for the New York area.
Past Weather Check
Yesterday, 11/28/2006 in NEW YORK, NY
High Temperature:
Actual: 58°F
Average: 49°F
Record: 69°F in 1990
Low Temperature:
Actual: 51°F
Average: 37°F
Record: 15°F in 1930
Precipitation:
Actual: 0.00 in

FORCAST FOR DENVER AND VICINITY.....



WEATHER ADVISORY in effect for the Denver area.
Denver, CO
Forecast Center
Wednesday, November 29, 2006 [ English | Metric ]
Watch the Video Forecast for the Denver Area
AccuWeather.com Quick Look
Days 1-5Days 6-10Days 10-15WeekendsAll 15 Days
Currently At 5:13AM
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17°F
RealFeel®
13°F
Winds: SE
at 5mph
Lgt.snow/fog
Humidity: 87%
Dew Point: 14° F
Pressure: 30.01 in
Visibility: 4 Miles
Tonight
[ More ]

Low: 2°F
RealFeel®: -7°F
Sunset: 4:37 PM
Today
[ More ]

High: 18°F
RealFeel®: 8°F
Sunrise: 7:00 AM
Hour-by-Hour™ Weather
6am

14°F
Snow
8am

14°F
Cloudy
10am

15°F
Snow
Noon

17°F
Snow
2pm

18°F
Cloudy
4pm

15°F
Snow
Complete DENVER, CO Hourly Forecast

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AccuPOP™ - Probability of Precipitation
50%5A-8A
51%8A-11A
58%11A-2P
58%2P-5P
50%5P-8P
42%8P-11P
40%11P-2A
Wed
11/29
31%2A-5A
Thu
11/30
AnyRainSnowIce
Radar and Satellite Maps
Colorado Radar

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Colorado Satellite

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Your Local RadarSurface MapTemperaturesPrecipitation
Weather for your Health
Arthritis Index
Today: High


Arthritis Index [What is this?]
Cold Index
Today: Very High


Cold Index [What is this?]
Air Quality
Today: Good

View the Air Quality Map
Pollen Forecast
Today: None (Tree)

View the Pollen Map
Severe Weather Potentials for the Next 6 Hours
Heavy Rain
Minimal
High Winds
Possible
ThunderStorms
Minimal
Dense Fog
Minimal

Heavy Snow
Low
Ice Build Up
Minimal
Rapid Freeze Up
Likely
WEATHER ADVISORY in effect for the Denver area.
Past Weather Check
Yesterday, 11/28/2006 in DENVER, CO
High Temperature:
Actual: 42°F
Average: 47°F
Record: 72°F in 1901
Low Temperature:
Actual: 20°F
Average: 20°F
Record: -10°F in 1877
Precipitation:
Actual: 0.11 in
Past 24 HoursPast MonthTypical Weather

NO FUN E-PIX TODAY. I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE FOR A COUPLE OF DAY'S. I WAS GOING TO GO DOWN TO MARYLAND BUT I JUST DON'T FEEL LIKE DRIVING THAT FAR. I THINK AC IS ABOUT AS FAR AS I FEEL LIKE GOING. SEE YOU IN A COUPLE.

Deck the hall with frons of palms. Fa la la etc....

I subwayed over to Queens Center Mall ,or as we like to call it "the Rodeo Drive of Rego Park" ,to see how the holiday buying season was taking shape. I came away with a better understanding of why the stock market fell over 158 points on Monday. The mall, for the most part, was empty. I know it's a Monday and many people did their shopping on Friday or will do it on line today, but still I expected to see a least some increase in traffic down the aisles. Maybe I'm just not used to being in malls on weekdays. Maybe this is normal for a Monday a month away from Christmas, or maybe it's the rather mild temperatures that are keeping people away. The thermometer was hovering around 63 degrees on the boulevard. People were walking around in their shirt sleeves. Do people need cold weather to get them into the holiday mood? If that were the case the malls in southern California and Florida would be veritable ghost towns. I think people are just waiting for bargains. Smart shoppers know that as the big day draws closer desperate merchants will start to mark down slow selling merchandise just to get them off the shelves. And just in case you think this is not true remember last year when your mother in law gave you that sweater with the upscale designer label that you know can't be bought for less than $300 and yet you wouldn't wear to your grave. It was a leftover. Even Ralph Lauren and Kate Spade make turkeys every now and than. And you got it.
I, fortunately, do very little holiday shopping having divested myself of all friends, relatives, and now, business associates. This also means that I don't get any gifts, which is just fine with me. I am out of the loop as far as shopping is concerned which gives me the opportunity to just sit back and enjoy watching the rest of you fools go nuts. Now where's that Home Depot gift card I got for Christmas last year? I need some spackle.






Today's Fun E-Pix








all photos (c) bruce cooper
e-mail :
thebeecee@hotmail.com

What's for breakfast?.....

I don't know about you but to me the perfect breakfast consists of something with an egg in it. Since I've been home and between "engagements" I have actually had the time to eat a proper breakfast. The only problem is trying to come up with something different every day. I have tried eggs just about every way you can think of. And just when I thought I had run out of ways to prepare eggs I have discovered one more. The breakfast burrito.
Now don't get me wrong. I know I am not the inventor of this dish. I think one of the fast food restaurants came up with it a while back but this is the fist time I have made it at home, and can now state that "THIS IS THE BEST BREAKFAST EVER MADE''. It's got everything you could want. You've got your eggs, your cheese, your bacon and your bread all in one package that you can roll up and eat (without a utensil) in one hand while freeing the other hand to flip the pages of your favorite morning reading material. This to me is nirvana. I do all my best reading while I eat. I have read entire novels while eating. I consider reading while eating one of the true great pleasures of life second only to getting a bargain on line or being able to pee. So from now on it's a burrito for breakfast for me. I may even take the burrito to new heights by incorporating it into lunch. How about a tuna salad burrito? Or a burger burrito. Don't stop me, I'm on a roll or burrito or something.

Today is Monday. I am getting ready to do my Monday chores. These used to be Sunday chores but now that I have the time and nothing else to do today and also because I am bored out of my skull, I have elected to do these mundane activities today. It's something I like to call....MUNDANE MONDAY.
I got down to the laundry room early today,before seven. I was determined to beat out the lady who usually hogs all of the machines. I can't believe that one person could have so much wash. There are seven washing machines. Two of them are large capacity machines. She manages to use them all. I sometimes think that she is taking in wash for other people. In fact, now that I think about it, I don't recall ever seeing this women around the building on any other day but laundry day. Hmmmm!

I was going to go on a little trip this week. I may still do it before the weather gets nasty. There is a little town in Maryland that I have been wanting to visit ever since I read about it in a James Patterson novel. So if I don't get to blog for a couple of days you'll know why. I think I'll leave the laptop at home.

That's it for now. Martha Stewart is on. I think she's doing something with eggs.


Today's Fun E-Pix












I just like the way the goose is looking at the half naked lady.
And why is she not wearing a top
anyway?

contact me:
thebeecee@hotmail.com

Mysteries of life # 752...

WHY DO PEOPLE EAT IN THEIR CARS?
I was on my way home from somewhere yesterday when my stomach made a call to my brain to say it was hungry. I had planned on eating at home but I was still about twenty miles away from my door so I gave in and hung a right into McDonald's parking lot. The first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be plenty of parking. The second thing I noticed was that there was a long line at the drive in window. I pulled into a spot right near the entrance. The line at the counter was non existent. I ordered my Asian salad, grilled not crispy, and a small drink. It came almost instantly. I had no trouble finding a table. In fact I could have sat anywhere. I settled for the luxury of a booth near the window. I spread my lunch out on the vastness of a table usually reserved for six people. As I ate I looked out the window and observed that the line at the drive in window had not diminished. This set me to thinking. Here I was enjoying my lunch in a comparatively relaxed uncrowded atmosphere eating on a real table with my soft drink solidly on the table in front of me with all the napkins, condiments, salt and pepper I could want. I could even get a free refill on my diet Coke if I needed it. So why, I thought, would people subject themselves to the hassle of eating in their cars? Why would someone want to balance his meal on his lap or the seat next to him with the prospect of having his Big Mac become a permanent part of the upholstery? Why would he want to use the hit or miss cupholder to put his Super Sized drink in.They usually don't fit anyway. Did you ever watch somebody eat in their car? It looks like he is conducting a symphony. Left hand poised firmly around the burger,the paper wrapper still attached to the lower portion of the dripping sandwich. The right hand clasped around the outside of the sweating paper cup. The house lights dim. The curtain rises. The symphony begins.
Raise the burger to the lips grasping the paper wrapper firmly to keep it from falling onto your lap, but not too firmly so as to squish out the fixin's. Mouth open, lips at the ready to catch any errant drips, in it goes. Quickly the right hand searches for the cup holder. You know it's there somewhere under the radio but you can't actually look to find it because you must keep an eye on your burger because take out burgers have a tendency to have a mind of their own and will do their best to slip out of your hand if you do not keep it under constant osbervation. Luckily the first movement of the symphony has gone off without a hitch. Will the next five or six bites fare as well? The "diner" knows that it is just a matter of time before that burger will fall on the part of the seat located between his legs and that a ketchup laden fry will fall into the center console shift lever retrievable only by completely dismantling his transmission. And as sure as I'm sitting here I'll bet dollars to powdery donuts that the soft drink cup, now soaking wet with condensation ,will miss the elusive cup holder by just a fraction of an inch to the left and spill all over the rubber floor mat forming a Lake Erie size puddle under the brake pedal. Hey, even Tiger Woods doesn't make every put every time.
So why do people eat in their car? Are they in a hurry? There was no line at the place I was in. They could have been eating in comfort much faster than it took to wait on line, order, move up to the window and drive away to go eat.
Do they not like the fast food restaurant ambiance? I've seen people order from the drive thru and then pull back into the parking lot to eat. Why is this better than eating inside?
I understand that some people have to eat in the car.
Cops on stakeouts who don't want to miss a suspect trying to sneak out of his basement window.
Taxi drivers who might lose a fifty dollar fare to the airport.
A salesman who is late for his early morning appointment and the overturned tanker truck on the LIE means that he might not have a chance to eat again anytime this week.
But why would anyone want to become an automotive epicure? I've only eaten in my car once in my life. It was when my ex and I were dating. We went to a Carvelle ice cream store in Douglaston on a warm night back in the seventies. There were no tables or benches at this particular location so we went back to the car, put on the AC and licked at our soft serve. We were parked in a dark quiet area of a mostly empty lot. About half way through our cones we both looked at each other. We had the same thought in mind. This was the summer that the "Son of Sam" was doing his thing and a young couple had recently been attacked not far from where we were. We quickly finished our ice cream and drove home. I don't think we ever ate in the car again.
So this in car dining thing remains a mystery to me.
Please. If you can give me one good reason to leave the comfort of the dining room for the confined area of the front seat I would forever be in your debt.

e-mail:
thebeecee@hotmail.com



Today's Fun E-Pix

do you recognize the artist?
click to enlarge.

A walk in the city...

The weather was superb on Friday in contrast to the disaster of a day on Thanksgiving. I needed to get out of the house.Driving was not an option. The car is neatly parked on the "legal" side of the street where even the most aggressive meter maid or man could not find fault. And besides I had been listening to the traffic reports all morning and I decided that the parkways and expressways were not the place to be. But somehow I felt the need to be with my fellow human beings. A lot of them.
Where could I go where there would be a lot of people and I could still be outside just in case an attack of claustrophobia set in. Times Square seemed to fit the bill.
I took the subway to 42nd St. and exited in the middle of a throng of very excited looking tourists who all appeared thrilled to be just where the were. Being a native New Yorker one forgets that for many being in New York, the center of the universe, and being in the center of New York, Times Square, is the be all and end all of the perfect Thanksgiving vacation. Most of these people, despite the rain Thursday, stood on the sidewalk to watch the parade, and enjoyed every minute of it. Afterwards they probably went to some overpriced New York restaurant where they were treated to a prix fix turkey dinner served by a surly waiter just so they could go home and tell their friends how poorly they were treated in New York. These were indeed people to reckoned with.
I walked from the Times Square area over to Park Ave. and then downtown to 14th and over to West 4th and Sixth Ave where I took the train back home. Not a bad trek. They say that twenty city blocks are equal to about one mile so I guessed I walked three or four miles. Pretty good for an old man. I brought the Nikon of course and got some nice shots, even if they are a bit "touristy".

It looks like another nice day. I'll probably have to drive today. I should be ok if I just stay away from the malls. Pray for me.



photo comments:
top..a place to pee. Free!
middle right: They were actually waiting on
line to get on a sightseeing bus.
lower left: Blue sky and the Equitable building.
It just looked like a good picture.
lower right: A clear case of suicide on 34th st.

Today's Fun E-Pix

comments? Critiques? e-mail me:

thebeecee@hotmail.com

A day of "didn'ts"...

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving. I know I did. For me, yesterday was a day of "didn'ts". Let me enumerate:

I didn't go to the Macy's parade. The pouring rain made up my mind for me. And besides if you've seen one Sponge Bob balloon you've seen them all.

I didn't have to get dressed at all yesterday. I lounged around in my jammy's (actually it's a surgical scrub outfit which I bought for seven dollars last month at a uniform store that was going out of business. They are more comfortable than actual pj's and I can pretend that I am really a surgeon just waiting around for my next patient. You can also freak out your neighbors when you go downstairs to get your mail by squirting a little raspberry jam and chocolate syrup down the front of your shirt and saying something like " I can't stop now, I have...er... Something on the...er...stove, yeah,that's it,the stove).

I didn't have to show up at somebody's house for dinner. Subsequently I didn't have to bring anything to somebody's house as a sort of "payment" for being invited to dinner.

I didn't have to move my car. The City of New York suspends alternate side parking regulations on Thanksgiving and I was parked on the right side of the street which means that I don't have to move the car today, Friday, either. But before you think that NYC is so nice by not making you move your car, think again. All normal weekday parking regs are in effect on Friday. A lot of people forget this. I mean a lot. People think that just because they have the day off that it's a holiday and that Sunday parking rules are in effect. The city takes advantage of this lack of knowledge by sending out an army of parking enforcement agents who roam the streets with ticket books in hand. The parking enforcement agents are so tenacious and so unstoppable that if they sent them to Iraq to give out parking tickets there would be no insurgency. Both Shiites and Sunis would be so busy waiting on line to pay their parking tickets that they would have no time to blow themselves up. "I don't care what you've got strapped around your chest buddy. You still have to put a quarter in the meter".

I didn't have run to the store because I forgot some Thanksgiving must have ingredient. I had all the fixin's I needed. The chicken breast was absolutely delicious. I baked it in aluminum foil with a little salt and pepper and a little olive oil. The can of Ocean Spray cranberry jelly (does anybody else make cranberry jelly?) was perfect. You know it's good when you can see the outline of the can embedded in the jelly. The packaged vegetable medley was par boiled to perfection. Why have just one veggy when you can have them all. And what can you say about a jar of Heinz turkey gravy? No lumps. No fat. No work. And it makes anything you pour it over taste like turkey. It's the perfect food.

I didn't have to worry about leftovers. There were none. There was some gravy left over but I'll use that to make something else taste like turkey. How does an omelet with turkey gravy sound to you?

I didn't have to do any real clean up. One dish. One pot. One baking pan. Ten minutes later and I was back on the couch nodding off in front of the TV.

Now don't get me wrong. I would have liked spending the day with family and friends, but those days are gone. The family is mostly dead and the friends are all married or have families of their own to spend the day with. This leaves me with a day to not to do things and to think about future "didn'ts". I have a feeling there will be many of those.

Today's Fun E-Pix. (Click to enlarge. The caption is very cerebral)

all photos (c) bruce cooper. Send comments to:

thebeecee@hotmail.com

You ate all my food. You drank all my wine. Happy Thanksgiving. Now GO Home.

It's the bigest damn eating day of the year and it appears I have been left out of it. For the first time in a couple of years I have not managed to secure a position at someone else's Thanksgiving table. In a way I'm kind of glad. All in all turkey day is a big headache for both host and guest alike. The host, of course, has the responsibility of purchasing, preparing, cooking and serving the feast. Not to mention having to clean up after all those ungrateful guests have mercifully gone home. But the guest has his role to play too. First of all he has to actually get out of bed on a day that he would really rather have just stayed in his underwear and pulled the covers over his head. Then, because traditionally dinner does not get served until three or four o'clock or even later, the guest has to decide if he should eat before going to dinner And then there is a matter of timing. I know the host said "around three" but if I show up at three how long will I actually have to put up with a bunch of people I don't know before I can actually chow down, have a drink or two and leave? And speaking of drinks I always have a problem with what kind of wine to bring. I usually end up bringing a bottle of both white and red wines from some winery located in the Western Hemisphere. I find that people are more comfortable drinking wines from a company whose name they can pronounce rather than from some Chateau Le this... or Maison de la that. Hey, it's only fermented grapes for crying out loud and Earnest and Julio have never let me down.
"So what are you doing for Thanksgiving?" you say folding your arms around your chest . "I'm making my own celebration at home , just me. all by myself" I retort. This is not the first time I have done this eating alone thing. In fact ever since my divorce many years ago when both my ex's ample family and mine would get together in an interesting Irish-Jewish American free for all, I have eaten Thanksgiving dinner by myself many times. It's not great, but it is relaxing.
Being a simple man in both mind and action, I usually try to reduce dinner down to its basic components. These being:
(1)...Some sort of turkey meat.
(2)...Cranberry something or other.
(3)...Veggies.
In past years I would have added a potato dish,probably genuine Idaho instant mashed potato flakes, and some stove top stuffing. But I'm on this diet and the cranberries alone have used up more than my daily allowance of carbs. So it's down to the basic three. Actually I couldn't find any turkey breast in the supermarket yesterday so this year I'm doing chicken. I figure if I pour enough Heinz turkey gravy over the chicken breasts I probably couldn't tell the difference anyway. I'll start cooking at about 2 o'clock. I should be finished at about 2:15. I'll even bring the wine. Just red today. I don't want to get drunk and pass out hitting my head on the kitchen table killing myself and my mumified body not being discovered for three weeks by my building's superintendent responding to a neighbors complaint of an "odd order" eminating from my apartment.
So here I am all alone in my apartment sitting at this computer in my shorts and ratty bathrobe contemplating whether to bake or saute my chicken breasts and trying to remember why I think I'm having a good time. Well at least I'll have the Gallo brothers to keep me company.

I was going to go to the Macy's Parade and take some photos for you all, but it's raining like heck out there and I'm not that dedicated.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!





Todays FUN E-PIX.










all photo's (c) bruce cooper.
Comments may be addressed to:
thebeecee@hotmail.com

One Cingular sensation....

Please hold for customer service. It seems like this is the way many of us spend our valuable cell phone minutes. Just waiting.
I had intended to trek into Manhattan yesterday just to get out of the house and maybe take a few photo's for you out there but I remembered that I wanted to do something I have been trying to do for a couple of weeks. Actually there were two things. Both would involve a phone call to a customer service call center somewhere. I knew it would take some time and patients to accomplish these tasks.
The first thing on my agenda was to change the payment plan on my cell phone. I have been using a basic plan which cost me about $33 a month, every month.This plan allows me 200 minutes of air time. The problem is now that I'm not working I don't need all of this air time. I'm not even close to using all these minutes. I'm only making two or three calls a week. But the amount of unused calls keeps building up.I have so far spent about $75 for three or four calls. This is nuts. So I decided to switch to the "pay as you go" plan. This plan allows me to just pay for the calls I use @ 25 cents minute. I just need to remember to replenish the account every month. No big deal. The big deal is trying to get this changed. You cannot do it on line. My cell provider, Cingular, treats the "Go-Phone" customer like dirt. They punish you for not taking full advantage of all their services that I wouldn't use in a million years.Like global positioning I don't have GPS. Somehow I seem to always know where I am at all times. I don't have a camera in my phone. I have a thousand dollars worth of camera equiptment around my neck. Why would I want to take some crappy 1.5 megapixle picture of something. I don't have a tight circle of friends that "I like simply MUST call every three minutes or I'll die." Gag me with a cell phone. Please. I just need to make or take a call now and than. Cingular, however has a different idea of what I need. After a wait of about twenty minutes and being reminded that "my call was important to them" I was finally connected to a customer service rep. Thank god she spoke English. She was sympathetic to my plight and after she warned me that I would be loosing the ability to talk free to any Cingular customer anywhere in the USA and would generally be considered a cell phone pariah she would be glad to change my rate plan. But first I had to speak to the billing department. I was transferred over. After another five minutes wait I was connected to another English speaking lady to whom I had to explain the whole rate plan change thing again. I was again warned of the loss of all those reeeally important services I would be missing out on if I switched plans. But I was undaunted. I stuck to my guns. She assured me that she would switch me,effective immediately,immediately that is after she switched me back to customer service. Another five minute wait. A new rep. Another explanation of my diabolical plan to deprive Cingular of much needed revenue. He again assured me that the plan change was in the "system"but I may not see the change right away do to a backlog of rate changes "this time of year". So for now I appear to still be on the regular plan. I'll wait for next month to see if they switched me over. Somehow I have a feeling that I'll be calling them again.
My second adventure into customer service hell involved a call to People PC. People PC is an internet provider. I originally signed up with PPC as backup to my regular provider. I was having some connection problems with ATT at the time and I wanted another provider I could connect to in case ATT went down. People PC at only $10 a month seemed like a good deal. I think I actually used it three times. I had problems all three times, and the software did not work on my MAC at all. I needed to get rid of this turkey. I went on line to cancel my service. Surprise! You can do everything on line except cancel your service. YOU NEED TO SPEAK TO A REPRESENTATIVE, aka, customer service.
This time something different. I was not told that "my call was important to them" In fact they couldn't care less if I called them or not. I was told that they were extremely busy and that it would be a good idea if I called back on Wednesday. I have been a customer service rep. in one capacity or another for over twenty years. In fact I consider myself a customer service professional. I have never heard of a customer being told to call back at another time beacause they were too busy. I waited anyway. Surprise again.Evidently they were not that busy at all. I was connected right away. This is a ploy to get you to give up.The young lady on the other end read from a script. She was very, very sorry that I wanted to cancel my service. She would even give me two free months if I just stayed with them a little longer. She also told me that a lot of the technical problems that they were experiencing had been resolved by their crack technical team. Again I held fast. Why would I pay ten bucks a month for something I never used. She sighed, and finally gave in. She would cancel my service. I'll see if I get billed next month. Somehow I think I'll be giving them a call again too.
So that's how I spent my Tuesday. Don't tell me I have nothing to do. Wasting time is hard work.

NEW FEATURE: In an effort to punch up the blog a bit I have decided to add a daily funnipix. I have been doing these for a couple of years but have never posted them anywhere on a regular basis. I hope you find them even slightly amusing. Please click on the pic to see the full size version.













You may contact me at:
thebeecee@hotmail.com

Nice place to live, but....

This week is the worst week for driving around New York. It seems like everybody who is able (and some who are not so able) to drive a car will be on the roads. This is why I try not to drive this week. Fortunately I have found a good place to park not too far from home. Just a short train ride and two buses and in no time I'm behind the wheel. I'm just kidding of course. The spot is just down the street. And because Thursday is a holiday and alternate side of the street parking will be suspended I don't have to move the car at all this week. The only problem with not driving, however, is that I am forced to shop in my neighborhood. Local stores are OK when all you need is the morning paper , a couple of bagels or a container of coffee. But if you need to do some serious shopping we here in FH* have a problem. The local supermarkets stink. I'm sorry, but it's true. Most of the supermarkets still operate like supermarkets did fifty years ago. Narrow aisles, limited selection and checkout lines that stretch to the back of the store make the local shopping experience a nightmare.
All I needed yesterday was a container of milk and a four-pack of toilet paper. The milk I could have done without, but I reeeely needed the TP. I walked down to Continental Avenue to inject my debit card into the ATM at the Chase bank and withdraw some unemployment cash. I planned to stop into the local supermarket on Queens Blvd. on my way back hoe. Big mistake. Evidently all of Forest Hills does its shopping on Monday mornings. It was 10 am and the place was packed. It was impossible to walk down the aisles. The area around the dairy section was a sea of humanity. I could not even get near it. I searched frantically for the toilet paper section. It was located down another jam packed aisle. I remained undaunted. I barreled my way down the lane like a wide receiver trying to retrieve a fumble.I grabbed a pack of TP off the shelf and tucked it under my arm and made my may to the goal line...er... check out line where I was immediately tackled by an eighty year old middle line backer,obviously a veteran of many supermarket campaigns. She cut ahead of me on line. I was going to protest but what can you say to an eighty year old lady. It didn't matter anyway. The line was a million miles long. And this was the express lane. I could see no end in sight.
Normally express lanes move pretty quickly. People usually pay cash and have their money ready. But not in FH. Stores here are patronized mainly by the elderly. Now don't get me wrong. I love old people. I am an old people. But when it comes to shopping all I can say is "God Bless Them!" I have never been to a supermarket where the average age of the customer is ninety that there was not some confusion at the checkout counter. The confusion, I have observed, usually centers around the price of a particular item. The customer, weekly sales circular clutched in their liver spotted hand, is arguing that the jar of instant coffee she selected is $2.99 not the $3.79 the scanner rung up. The checkout lady is trying to tell the customer that the sale price is for the 10 oz. jar not the 8 oz. jar she is trying to buy. The problem is further compounded by the fact that the checkout person spoke only Spanish and the customer spoke only Russian. I could see that this conflict would not be resolved in the foreseeable future. I left my toilet paper and walked out. Fortunately there is an Eckerd drugstore down the street. I bought my toilet paper and a container of milk and I did not have to wait on line. I know I probably paid more for these items than I would have in the supermarket, but my sanity is more important than saving a few pennies.
This is why I drive 10 miles from my house just to shop at a real supermarket. Sorry Forest Hills. Until we can get a supermarket built here with more than three working checkout lines we will always be just a bagel and a cup of coffee town.
It's Tuesday. I think I'll take the LIRR into the city. The next worse thing to driving during the holidays is taking the subway.

*Refers to Forest Hills, in the borough of Queens in the city of New York, USA. It's a great place to live. Everybody else go home now.

Comments or suggestions may be addressed to:
thebeecee@hotmail.com

all photos are (c) bruce cooper

Additional photos...

For some reason Blogger has problem when you try to upload more than 3 photos per blog. But I'll show them. I just opened a new blog to show a couple of my faves from Saturday.

How I spent my weekend.....

The need to relax is very strong. But the need to exercise is even stronger. I have been rather sedentary the last few days preferring to drive rather than walk. So this Saturday I decided to do something about it. I put on my new Rockport Pro-Walkers ( made only for us professional walkers don't you know)) and set out on my urban hike.
The city (if you live in Queens you always refer to Manhattan as "The City") is a great place to walk. I find that I can walk further in New York than I can in just about any other place. There is more to see, and for a photographer more to photograph, than any other place I know. Something new jumps out at you from around every corner, literally. Take the photo at the top of this column. I bet you thought that palm trees could not survive in the city. At New York's wholesale flower district (6th Ave in the 20's) you can find palm trees as well as other tropical plants right on the street. OK, so they have a weird shape, but so do a lot of living things in New York. Their tough, like most New Yorkers. Yo,Florida, I bet our palm trees can lick your palm trees.


Walking around the city does work up an appetite. If a dirty water hot dog from one of those mobile street vendors doesn't quite come up to your culinary standards perhaps a stop at one of New York's icons will fill the bill as well as your tummy.
For some reason Papaya seems to have become the drink of choice to quench urban thirst. Whether it's at one of the Papaya King or Grey's Papaya stores, you can always find a quick fix for your papaya-hot dog-hamburger-ice cream jones.

If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere. Well not every place makes it. If location, location, location is important when buying a home than it's even more important when opening a restaurant. The diner turned rib joint pictured here has gone the way of many establishments who put their stock on the no mans land known as west of Hudson Street. For some reason people visiting Greenwich Village just won't go further west than Hudson Street to dine. This little place stuck sideways between two commercial buildings has been the home to a dozen now defunct eating establishments in the last twenty or so years. I have even eaten at a few and the food was good at all of them. In fact the rib place that was the last occupant got rave reviews from the foodies. The curse of Hudson street did them in. I would be very surprised to see this place reopen as any kind of restaurant again.



If out of business restaurants and potted palms are not your thing and you just like to people watch then a walk over to Bryant Park and the new free skating rink might just be the thing.
Green lawn has now given way to ice. And people just love it. It appears that New Yorkers will take any opportunity to put on a pair of ice skates and make believe that they are Sasha Cohen. There was even some sort of free entertainment. A group of skaters from Lion King on Ice was there draped in South African flags. They painted the faces of some of the kids in attendance and everybody appeared to be having a good time. It certainly was a good photo op.

All in all I walked from Chambers street to 42nd street, a distance of about 3 miles. The new shoes worked fine and my feet didn't hurt. I'll keep doing this on a regular basis as long as the weather holds out.

Monday looms ahead. A gray day with chilly temperatures is in the offing. I do have to go out though. It appears that I am down to my last roll of toilet paper. Not a good thing. This is just one of the really important things you have to remember when you live alone.

Weekend off...

Your blog buddy is taking the weekend off. Not that you care anyway. You don't call, you don't write. I'll just say that I took a really nice walk Saturday and took some really good pics. I also bought a whole corned beef brisket which I cooked. It came out surprisingly good. I had it with a side of...you guessed it... cabbage. The whole apartment smells like an Irish bar in the middle of March. There is very little waste on this cut of meat and it looks like I can make two or three or four meals out of this. If I only had room in my fridge for a whole turkey I wouldn't have to cook for a month.
See ya Monday.

Eastward ho!.....

I have been feeling a bit depressed the last few days. My back has been bothering me and in general I have been feeling every one of my 61 years. Maybe it's the weather or maybe it's the fact that the routine that I have been following for the past thirteen years of getting up at a certain time, going to work and coming home, having dinner at the same time every day etc. has been abruptly broken causing my body to rebel. In any event I felt the need to get out of the house with no particular destination in mind. I got on the LIE and pointed the hood of the Honda in an easterly direction. I had intended to go as far out on the Island as possible maybe even to Montauk, but I got a late start and I did not want to be returning home during rush hour. So I left the LIE at the exit marked "Quogue". I don't think I have ever been to Quogue. The name has always fastenated me. Unfortunately the name of the town is more interesting than the town itself. Quogue is one of those "almost in the Hamptons" towns with one main street and not much else. Sorry Quogue I'm not putting you down, I just tell it like I see it. So I kept driving until I reached the town of Hampton Bays. Hampton Bays is a lovely town with a thriving main street and busy shopping centers. I had my camera with me so I went looking for something picturesque to photograph. I turned off the main road when I saw a sign marked "Ocean Beaches". A mile down this road lined with modest houses I came across a dead end sign with a lovely pristine beach beyond. I sat there for a while and contemplated my life. I came to no conclusions. But I was feeling better. The backache was gone (the seats in the Honda are very comfortable and provide better back support than most of the furniture in my house) and with the help of a couple of aspirins, so was the rest of my aches. After a salad at Micky D's it was back home to think about life and such. Sometimes you just need a quiet beach to clear your head.


It looks like a nice Saturday. I think I'll take a nice long walk in the city.

A goose and a bucket of coal...

The corporate equivalent to the Dickensian version of the holiday bonus is the obligatory free turkey. Since it is not practical to actually drag a real turkey into the office to give out, the good people at Butterball provides corporations with a modern equivalent, the coupon. Actually it's not a coupon. Upon closer examination it's an actual check which you can deposit or cash or actually buy a turkey with. Since it's not really practical for me to cook an entire turkey I think I'll just take the cash. But thanks CE for thinking of me at this time of the year.I hope you all have a great holiday out there in Colorado. Has it stopped snowing yet?



I just don't know what has happened to the N.Y. State department of labor. In the past when you were out of work all you had to do is apply for unemployment, wait a week or two ,pretend to look for a job and you would receive a check every week until your benefits ran out. Now they are determined to get you back to work whether you want to or not. I received a lengthy questionnaire to which they wanted me to attach my resume. In turn they would post this resume on their website so prospective employees can snap me up. The problem is that I do not have a resume. It's not that I can't write one, it's just that I have nothing to say.I have been working for the same company for thirteen years doing the same job. This is about all I can put on my resume. I could of course add that I'm an old man who is pretty much burned out and is looking to re-invent himself by trying to find some sort of meaningful work that I would actually enjoy doing and would at the same time would give me more free time to explore other options. How's that for a resume? Hey New York State,you think you could find me something along those lines?

I was feeling a bit out of it yesterday. I've been having a tough time sleeping so I decided to take a Tylenol PM. They work just fine. But the problem is that I woke up feeling groggy and drugged. I guess you are just supposed to stay in bed until the effects wear off. This would be OK if you lived in a nice quiet place where the traffic noise from the maniacs on Queens Blvd. did not shock you into consciousness.

Wow! Look the sun is shining. I'm outta' here.

Playing catch up....bits and pieces...

Today is the day I try to catch up on all the things I could not get to the past few days.
I took a walk up Queens Blvd. yesterday to test out the new walking shoes. All I can say is that they did not name this street the "boulevard of death" for nothing. I almost became a statistic. The problem is not so much that people cross against the light. The problem lies mostly with cars (who are also legally crossing with the light) competing with pedestrians when making turns on the Queens Blvd. from one of the cross streets. The pedestrian thinks he is in the clear when he sees the green"WALK" symbol appear on the sign and so he fearlessly crosses the street not realizing that cars also have a green light and are turning right into the place where the unsuspecting pedestrian is crossing. There are a lot of older folks using this street who are not as spry as I am and either do not see the turning cars or cannot move fast enough to get out of the way. There has to be some way of solving this problem without causing traffic to move even slower than it does on this very busy thorofare.

TEST DRIVE: I took the Rockport Pro Walkers out for a one mile test walk. They performed just fine. I will do a more extensive test when the weather improves. The one thing I noticed is that they have more support in the heel than the sneakers I've been using. This seems to help the back and upper thighs. I'll think I will investigate this professional walking thing. There may be some money in it.


STORE OF THE WEEK: I found this place near where I bought the new shoes. Normally places that sell to professionals such as restaurants and professional chefs do not allow the public to shop there. This place welcomes the public. It's a vast warehouse of everything that a restaurant or cook would want. Along with giant coffee urns and swimming pool size woks there are also a large selection of things the individual can use. The knife collection is the best I've seen and the prices were very reasonable. If you like to cook and have been looking for the stuff that the pros use and can't find it at Wal-Mart, this is the place for you.
Ideal Restaurant Supply..125 Voice Road, Carle Place NY. 11514

THE BEST CANNED SOUP: Is there anything better than Campbell's Tomato Soup? The answer is NO. It's the perfect lunch. I like to throw in some grilled franks or sausage or any grilled meat. It beats waiting on line at the salad bar.





URBAN MYTH DEPT : I found this near the Intrepid on the West Side Highway. I think there are still people waiting to cross. Have you ever seen any of these things that actually work? I think they put these there just to make you THINK you're actually controlling traffic.


BEST ADVERTISING SIGN IN N.Y: This giant eighteen wheeler has been entertaining drivers on the west side for years. I remember it as a kid when it was an add for the YALE trucking company. It was in disrepair for a while. I'm glad to see that it has been restored to its former glory. It's a N.Y. icon.


I better get dressed now.I have to go downstairs and move the car. If I'm lucky I can get a spot within walking distance of my house.

Really big shoe......

I remember as a kid growing up in Brooklyn when it came time for new shoes my mom would drag me to the Buster Brown shoe store on Flatbush avenue for what seemed like hours of foot torture. There was always a struggle between me and my mom as to what style shoe would be better for me. My mom wanted a practical shoe. An oxford I think they called it. It was a sturdy shoe built like a battleship and usually of brown leather. I, on the other hand, wanted something more stylish. Something that would not make me the laughing stock of PS 92. Blue suede(thanks Elvis) was popular at the time. These shoes really looked cool but of coarse were not practical for a kid who played on concrete streets.The shoe salesman, a bedraggled looking man who looked like if he had to deal with another mom and kid would take out a sub machine gun and kill everybody in the store, did his best to try to please all concerned parties. But he knew who was the boss here. So it was brown shoes for the rest of the year. The only thing I could do to preserve my ten year old masculinity was to try to scuff them up so they wouldn't look too new on the playground. My classmates were not fooled. They could spot new mom- picked shoes a mile away. It would take a month of constantly wearing these things to get the "new" off.
Today it is different. I pick my own shoes. I go to a discount shoe store where there is no salesperson. I can try on whatever shoes I want. So what if they are last years style. With men's shoes you can't tell the difference anyway. Somehow I immediately gravitate to the big brown oxfords. My mother has evidently scarred me for life.
I am in desperate need of new walking shoes. My old pair, purchased off the rack at Wal-Mart for $25 has let me down. They have expired after only one year. I find myself at Marty's. Marty's is a chain of shoe stores that sell discontinued name brand shoes in a self service environment. The selection is usually quite extensive. There are racks and racks of shoes. All you have to do is go to the shelf where your size is located and pick the next candidate for inclusion into your shoe family.
I was looking for a pair that was specifically made for walking. It was not long before I spotted a pair called Rockport Pro Walkers. I didn't even know that there were professional walkers but I guess these must be the shoes they use. I found my size, 9 wides, tried them on. I was in love. They felt really good. But shoes always feel good in the store. I think they ought to have a treadmill in the store so you could actually "walk" around in them for a couple of miles to see how they perform in the field...just another brilliant idea I am letting all of you budding shoe entrepreneurs have for free. I bought them anyway. The big test will come today. I'll let you know.


I received this offer from BJ's (is there some sort of double meaning here that I am not aware of) Wholesale club, giving me the opportunity to get a free membership card good for 60 days. I decided to check out the store before committing to anything.
This place is great if you are the leader of a group of South American anti government guerrillas and are trying to re-supply your army on the cheap,or if you are a single mom who somehow misplaced her birth control device and found herself with 12 kids. But if you are a single guy like me who doesn't use more than one roll of toilet paper a month or a tube of toothpaste every four months, this place is overkill. Even the meat counter here is filled with multi-packs. It would take me the rest of my natural life to consume a package of twenty skirt steaks. In fact if I did manage to eat all of this red meat that lifetime would be considerably shorter. I know this place is good for some people, but not for me. I think I'll pass.

I have to go now.It looks like it's going to rain again and I want to test out the new shoes. And besides, the View is on and I think Barbara Walters is going to say something dirty.

Out and about near a boat....

...or should I say ship. Well, it's not exactly a ship any more, it's actually a museum. No, that's not correct either. It's not really a museum any more because it's not open to the public. O.K. , I know what it is. It's a museum that used to be a ship that's currently undergoing renovation. Wait. That's not right. It's not undergoing renovation because they can't move it to a dry dock in Bayonne N.J. The darn things stuck in 25 years of built up silt under it. So for now the former pride of the U.S. Navy just sits there while geniuses try to figure out how to move it. The cost of the move was sponsored by private contributions but now, as I understand it, the government is going to get involved. Yeah. That'll sure speed things up. Meanwhile we are deprived of this major tourist attraction. I took a walk over to the pier yesterday just to see what progress was being made. I saw no evidence of anything drastic being done. I also did not see any tourists. There were a couple of guys in hard hats on a barge standing around with seemingly nothing to do, but no tourists. On a typical day, even a cloudy one like yesterday, there would have been hundreds of people crawling all over the place. They would have been buying souvenirs, eating at the McDonald's (located right at the entrance to the museum and now closed putting people out of work) and patronizing the other restaurants and attractions in the area. But yesterday there was nary a soul. The only people that looked like tourists were there for the Circle Line boat next door, and not too many of them either. Yes, it was a great idea to try to move this thing. What's the problem. Why couldn't they have renovated it right where it is. Sure the place would still be closed but at least it would shorten the time it was out of service. However they still insist on moving it. So with that in mind I have a solution. Did I hear someone say "helicopter". Now don't laugh. Did you ever see one of those giant cargo helicopters equipped with a winch lift amazingly heavy objects off the ground and move it to another location? All you would have to do would be to get four or six or eight of these behemoth copters equipped with slings or hooks or something and lift the ship off the mud slightly and then have tugs push it out to the center of the river. Walla', one ship moved. Will they listen to me? I doubt it.They'll say it's too dangerous or something. If we thought this way during WWII we would all be speaking Japanese now.

I'm off to my local discount shoe store to buy another pair of good walking sneakers. I think I wore my present ones out. My feet were starting to hurt me yesterday after just a couple of miles. I also received one of those offers to join BJ's wholesale club free for 60 days. Maybe I'll check it out.
Until Wednesday, sayonara.

Comments or suggestions such as " you should be locked up, you nut" may be sent to:
thebeecee@hotmail.com

Some stuff on a Monday....

FROM THE "ALWAYS LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN "DEPT."....
Never let it be said that I don't like a good bargain. And never let it be said that I wouldn't pass this knowledge on to you. Now I'm no wine expert or a big consumer of alcohol for that matter but I do like a taste of the grape every now and then (for medicinal reasons of course) and for cooking (add a little wine to sauces and to de-glaze the bottom of saute pans).So when I saw these wines from Chile at my local wine merchant I could not resist. I have two criteria for wine.(1) It has to be in a big bottle. (2) It has to be cheap. These wines fit the bill on both counts. The 1.5 litre bottles are perfect for putting on the table when you have a large gathering. Everybody could have at least two big glasses instead of having to ration out each drop. And best of all the price for these bottles was less than $7 each. I walked out of the store with two bottles for under $14.And you know what?....They actually tasted pretty good. The wine is light and fruity with a pleasant aroma and slightly on the dry side. They would be a perfect companion with most any food or to drink by itself. As a bonus your guests will be impressed that you went against convention and bought a wine from a third world country instead of from some better known vintages in countries like France, Italy or Long Island.
In the future I'll try to keep you informed of other good buys in wine, food, personal hygiene products etc. As I come across them. You'll thank me for it.

FROM THE "HOW DID THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS BACK THEN" DEPT....

Levi's makes a great product. In fact they are an American icon. There is probably no one on the face of the earth who does not own or at least has not seen a pair of Levi's jeans. People wear the same pair day in and day out. We wear them until they wear out and than we wear them some more. We can literally wear them for years (providing your waist line does not expand dramatically).The one thing about jeans is that they are a no-brainer.You put them on one leg at a time, zip them up (some caution may be required if you are a guy) and go about your business. But one thing that I could never figure out was what that little pocket on the right side was for. There are various theories and opinions as to the use of this pocket. Some say that they are for keeping small change in so you don't have to go fishing deep down into the regular pocket. Have you ever tried to get a dime out of this thing? Chances are that if you are over the age of three years old your digits are too chubby to get anything out . And just how much change could you put in there anyway?

Other Levites say that the pocket is for putting keys in. That would be a good idea if we only had one key. But in today's complicated world where we need to lock up everything we own such as cars, houses, suitcases,briefcases,safe deposit boxes, our kids, our wives etc., this insignificant little pocket just is not practical. And lets not forget. Levi Strauss invented these garments way back in 1849 for the gold rush miners who needed an pair of rugged pants that would last a long time and not have to be washed too often.The 49'ers did not wash themselves too often let alone their pants. Did the miners have a use for that little pocket? Did they carry keys?Did they carry spare change to tip the dance hall girls back in San Francisco? I think not.

I think that Mr. Strauss was a futurist. I think that some apparition came to him in dream (or drunken stupor)with a vision of things to come. " In the future man will be able to talk constantly with his fellow man annoying all those that will be near him with one sided conversations" the apparition said,"Put a small pocket near the big pocket to put the annoying talking device in", the apparition continued. Levi complied and we are all the better for it.

It looks like it's going to be a rainy week. Good chance to stay inside and get some work done. Maybe even look for a job. I said maybe.

It's official...

Well it's official. According to the N.Y. State Department of Labor I am now unemployed. I received a debit card in the mail that will give me access to my unemployment benefits. Every week that I do not work the nice people at the labor department will transfer funds to my account which I can withdraw from any ATM in the world. Just think. I can be on the Via Veneto in Rome, realize that I have no euros for that plate of Fettucini Alfredo , and all I have to do is go to the local banco's ATM and in a few minutes I'm sitting in a restaurant being ignored by the waiter. Ah! The electronic age. On a serious note however, I'm glad the card came. It will put me back in the plus column as far as income is concerned. Although I don't miss the work I do miss getting the paychecks.

Saturday was pretty much of a nothing day. I looked in my 'fridge and realized that I was down to a half a carton of milk and something that might have been cheese. I usually never shop on Saturdays. The supermarket is crowded with employed people who don't have time to shop during the week or those who live from paycheck to paycheck and had to wait until the end of the week in order to make ends meet. Another reason to increase the minimum wage. Maybe one day the people who work in places like Wal-Mart will actually be abel to shop there.
This morning when I went to the refrigerator to take out the fixin's for my favorite Sunday morning breakfast...poached eggs...I could not find the eggs I know I bought. Where were they?. Could they have fallen out in the trunk of the car. I got dressed and went out to have a look. Not there! I probably left them at the market. I suppose I could go back to the store, but it would cost more in gas than the eggs are worth. So I'm out a half dozen eggs. This is not the first time this has happened. I still think that there is a cantaloupe somewhere in the trunk of my old Toyota. I hope the new owner has better luck finding it than I had.

I'm posting some additional pics that I took on Fridays visit to Bucks County. If you go try to stay away from the town of New Hope which is a tourist trap. This used to be a quaint artist colony but now it's just one big overpriced restaurant and souvenir shop. They even charge you to use the restroom at the local mall.
A better bet would be to cross the bridge over to Lambertville N.J. Not as crowded and better stores.I'm not sure about the restrooms.

You can leave a comment or e-mail me at: thebeecee@hotmail.com

Are we all like sheep?....

I drove down to the Flemington area of New Jersey. Flemington is a quaint little town noted in the past as the place where the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped and now noted for its outlet shopping. This is probably a good thing for Flemington. I don't know of anybody who would drive for an hour and a half down NJ's version of a NASCAR speedway,I-78, to see where the Lindbergh kid was snatched. I walked around the outlet "village" for a while and realized that I really didn't need anything. Not being employed at the present time has made me adjust my buying habits. In the past I would have bought at least a shirt or a pair of pants just to make my trip worthwhile, but I figured that the forty of fifty bucks I would have normally spent down here would go to a better cause down the line. Poverty is the mother of frugality.
Which brings us back to the sheep thing. The photo at the top of this post was taken near Washigton's crossing PA. at a farm house built before the Revolutionary war. I couldn't resist taking a photo of a pastoral scene of sheep in a pasture. I was about to snap away at the peacefully grazing herd when all of a sudden one of the sheep (I think he was the woolly equivalent of a team leader) got up and ran to the barn. The other sheep did likewise. Then, to my amazement, as they approached the entrance to the barn yard all of the sheep lined up in single file behind the "leader" and followed him (her)into the barn. My thoughts immediately went back to the outlet center. Was there a sale on some "must have" sheep accessories going on in the barn? After all a trendy belt always goes well with wool if you are trying to put together the ultimate fall "look".

PLAYING MOTHER NATURE DEPT.
The view from the top of Bowman's Tower, built during the Revolution as a lookout post, is quite dramatic. However this sweeping vista of the Delaware river Valley is spoiled by an atrocious gash in the hillside on the New Jersey side of the river.How they permitted a granite quarry to take a bite out of this pristine landscape I'll never know. But upon my return home yesterday evening while downloading the photos to Photoshop I decided that I could right a wrong , at least digitally,and replace what man had defiled. No need to thank me Mother Nature. Maybe you'll do me a favor sometime.


Photo on top shows mans intrusion on nature.
Bottom photo shows what should have been with a little help from me and Photoshop.

(Photos taken from the top of Bowman's Tower, Bucks County, PA.


Friday was just another spectacular Fall day in the Northeast. The temp was hovering around 61 degrees and ,as you can see, the visibility was unlimited.

Refrigerator running on empty. Must shop today. It's off to the Stop and Shop.

Feel free to comment here or e-mail me at:
thebeecee@hotmail.com

Up late....

Not much of a blog this morning. I had a really bad night and could not get to sleep until the wee hours. Yesterday I took advantage of the beautiful day and went to the waters edge in the beautiful town of Freeport Long Island. I love these places off season when the streets are empty and the
boats rock gently at their moorings.
It looks like another fantastic fall day so I'm off to New Jersey or Pennsylvania or somewhere.

Rainout..

After 18 hours of steady rain around here yesterday I'm feeling a little depressed. When I was at work I didn't really mind the rain. After all I was inside in a nice dry usually warm place where I had to be anyway so why not get some work done. But since my freedom from the daily grind I feel as though I am being cheated whenever the weather turns sour. I think of all the great out of doors activities I could be enjoying. So yesterday I tried to combat this melancholy by pretending to do work. Not money earning work maybe but work none the less. I started by doing the ironing. Ironing is the other thing you have to do after you do the wash. I wear (an prefer) shirts made of 100% cotton. Most of my shirt wardrobe is comprised of this material. The only problem is that cotton garments need to be ironed. I can't stand un-ironed shirts. At one time I used to take my shirts to the Chinese laundry where they would send them to some giant central location to be washed and ironed and put on hangers and amazingly would usually have them back to you in a week. But those were the days when I was married and the wife and I had an agreement that as long as I insisted on wearing a clean shirt every day she wasn't going to wash or iron them. So it was off to the Chinese laundry on Hempstead Tpk. Saturday morning where I would exchange my soiled garments for nice clean ones from the previous week. Now that I am at liberty from both the wife and the job I am doing my own shirts along with the rest of the laundry. And you know what? I do a better job. My shirts come back cleaner and less mangled. And when I iron them I can make sure the collars are strait and the buttons have not been knocked off. I figure I can properly iron a long sleeve dress shirt in about five minutes. Slow by professional standards but what's the rush.
After the ironing I washed the kitchen floor. I do this usually once a week. But by the time I got to it yesterday we were looking at close to two weeks without the floor seeing a mop. This is one of the good things about having a gray tiled kitchen floor, you can cheat. None the less it was time. I pulled out the Mr. Clean swifter. This is a great tool if you have a small floor area. The disposable cloth thing has detergent built right in. I was done in five minutes.
Now that I've shown you just how big a wuss I am just let me say this. "Screw you" who else is going to do this?. Lets see who is available..

My wife........(no wife since the mid eighties)
My mother.....(mom's been dead for a while)
My maid........(who's going to pay for it)
Me...................(you guessed it)

I was going to clean the bathroom today but it looks like the sun is trying to break through the clouds. The bathroom will wait. After all I have no wife, mother or maid to complain.

You can leave a comment on this blog or you can e-mail me at : thebeecee@hotmail.com

Correction: The photo "Under the Oaks" in yesterdays blog is incorrect. I am informed that these are actually Elm trees. Go figga'.