Get Me the Mopine - Channelling Aunt Mary

Aunt Mary had a method for eating ice cream.  I can just hear her now, explaining to Aunt Madeline, the proper way to eat a half gallon of ice cream.

First you place a mopine on your lap.  Then, you begin by scooping the ice cream from around the edges because it's softer there.  Doing it this way will prevent your lips from getting cold and numb and cause you to bite them.  Aunt Madeline complained that this always happened to her.

So, tonight, in homage to Aunt Mary, I got my mopine, my half gallon of Publix' Santa's White Christmas premium ice cream and began.  Think I need an intervention?

But, nota bene:  I have been eating small dishes each night this week, so I'm only finishing off the bottom.  So there!

Thanksgiving - The Day After - Chillaxin' Friday

It was a very relaxing Thanksgiving!  I Skyped with Ruby and Joe and Joy and Gina (visiting for school break) in the morning before heading down to Bradenton to spend the day with Linda and Louie and Sandy and Mike.  Ruby was ready for a nap, but she waved to me and pointed out various parts of her head as Daddy asked her.  She has grown so much since I visited in September.

Louie and Linda prepared a delicious Thanksgiving meal!  We had a fun time with the feast, went a little comatose afterwards, then revived enough to play 'Shut The Box'.  I was the big loser.  But it was lots of fun!  We got to Skype with Mia, with Ruby and family, and with Andrea, Iz and Ray and the Twinkies, Gabriella and Lucas.  I'm glad that technology provides the opportunity to be in the same room with loved ones who are far away!
Side note:  I didn't really watch too much of the Macy's parade, but of what I did see, my favorite moment was when Matt was introducing the number from 'Nice Work If You Can Get It', saying "S. Wonderful".  Dolt.
Now to clean my apartment to prepare the way for the Christmas decorations.

November Morphs - Fall Moves Closer to Winter

November is flying by.  It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is in 2 days.  As a wise sage once said, "Life is like a roll of toilet paper.  The closer you get to the end, the quicker it goes."  In addition to my ushering at The Palladium and The Mahaffey, friends and neighbors, John and Mark asked me if I'd like to volunteer at the annual Florida Craftsmens street craft fair.  I worked at the beer truck for three hours on Sunday.  We couldn't sell beer until 11:00 AM, but I was surprised that once we started selling, we seemed to be selling a lot more than the soda truck on the other side of the street!  We sold four types of craft beers from the Cigar City Brewing, in Ybor City in Tampa.

That "Joey Brooklyn's" window sells 'New York style' pizza, which came highly recommended.  So on Saturday, I decided to give it a try.  It was very good.  Two large slices (one with pepperoni and one with meatball) and soda, for just over $6, which included the tax.  Although the pizza was good, I was thinking back to the amazing pizza I had with Joe and Joy and Ruby at Grimaldi's in Brooklyn when I went up there in May.  

After I got off duty, I walked towards the Bay.  I liked the angles as I was passing the Signature condominiums, so I snapped a few pictures.  Although the architecture is interesting, it's not a building I would like to live in.  Floor to ceiling windows is far too open for me, although I imagine the view is spectacular.

On Monday morning I met up with Otto and we went to see the Titanic Artifacts Exhibition at the Mahaffey.  It is such an amazing and tragic story and to view the items salvaged from the bottom of the ocean is tremendously moving.  On entering the exhibit, we were issued boarding passes and we 'became' the passenger whose name is on the back side.  I was 'Richard' and was in the 1st Class accommodations.  Otto was a 3rd Class passenger.  On the wall next to the exit were the names of all the passengers, those that survived and those that perished.  We learned our fate.  Fortunately, we both survived.

I snapped some pictures of the preparations being made for the holiday celebrations coming up in December.  The third row of pictures above are of a couple of the seating areas for the Chillounge event that was held on Saturday night.  It's a big to do, with lots of food and entertainment in the park.  The bottom two pictures were taken in the Granada Terrace neighborhood, just north of where I live in the Old Northeast.  I am still enjoying walking in shorts and a tee shirt!

Couldn't Resist a Two for One!

Today is my Uncle Tony's 88th birthday.  Every time I pass the Saint Anthony's Friary downtown on one of my walks and I see this statue of Saint Anthony, I think of Uncle Tony and Aunt Gloria.  I remember once, they misplaced something and put a statue of Saint Anthony upside down in their backyard.  It was supposed to help them find whatever it was that was missing.  I remember Aunt Gloria yelling out the window, as poor Saint Anthony was out there in the rain, "and you're staying out there in the rain until we find it!"  I think it may have been the car keys?  Anyhow, Happy Birthday Uncle Tony!

And afterwards, I stopped into the Starbucks downtown to get a holiday latte.  I had forgotten that there is a buy one, get one free promo going on each afternoon for several days.  So, I had an eggnog latte and a caramel brulee latte all by my lonesome.  I hear that there are no calories in a BOGO.

Welcome November

I've been logging up quite a lot of miles with my walks.  I walked 120 miles in the month of October.  And so far in November, I have walked 20 miles.  I have this neat app that keeps track of my miles, calories burned, speed and displays my walk on a map.  And, it links into my music, so I can walk with a beat.  I took the top two photos earlier this past week.  The line is to catch the speech President Clinton was giving at the Coliseum.  That cup is a peppermint mocha latte.  Thought I would get into the spirit of the season, what with the temperature being in the low 70s that day.

All of the other pictures were taken on my 7.3 mile walk this afternoon.  I hesitate taking too many pictures, since I have about 16,500 on my Mac now.  And I have been deleting a bunch.

Happy Hallowe'en! Old Northeast 2012

I took a brief walk for several blocks around me to get a glimpse of some of the decorations before the neighborhood is invaded tonight.  It seems like there is far less this year.  Maybe because Halloween falls midweek, or elections, or Sandy or a combination, or just plain ennui?  I did see several homes in the midst of being decked out.  One of my neighbors told me that they passed out over 2,300 pieces of candy last year!  The yard with the pirate ship, above, was the one that had Sarah P's crashed plane there last year.  I plan on another round tonight to see if more is up, plus to catch some of the lighting.  

I attempted to capture some new decorations instead of some of the same from other years.  I did notice that the home that has had a circus in their front yard for the past several years, is very subdued this year.  It appears that the circus has left town.

HMS Bounty - A Casualty of Sandy

This picture was taken on The Pier in downtown St. Petersburg in January 2008.  The tall ship has been docking here for the winters.  I was saddened to learn that the Bounty was the ship that sunk off the coast of North Carolina last Monday.  Two lives were lost.

Happy 25th Birthday Mia!

Mia turns 25 today!  Happy Day Mia!  You were born smiling and you make me smile!  I love you!
And some fun Birthday celebrations from the past!  I thought I had posted these already (All right!  There's no fool like an old fool!)

Thank you Mia, for all the smiles and fun over the first 25 years!  I'm planning on many more!

I Skyped with Mia this afternoon.  And later, on my walk, to celebrate her birthday, I lifted a pumpkin spice latte to her happiness and health!

All Hallows Ball Tampa 2012

This year, instead of going in costume, I decided to volunteer to help out on the night of the event.  For those unfamiliar, the All Hallows Ball is a private, by invitation only, masquerade party.  It originated in a private home back in the 70s and has grown from year to year.  For the last four parties, the Tampa Convention Center has been the site of the festivities.  [ See past posts: 2008 A, 2008 B, 2009 A, 2009 B, 2010, 2011, ]

The previous three parties were held in the concourse areas, a split, multi-level venue.  This year it was held in one of the ballrooms.  I think because of that, the decorations were much more elaborate.  The theme this year was "It's A Small World" and the decor was derived from the Small World attraction.  It was cute!

One of the things I enjoyed was that as a volunteer, I got to do a great job of seeing the array of costumes as the guests were arriving.  It also made it easier to see friends and acquaintances and talk with them.  When I got home I thought I would take a self portrait in my volunteer garb.  It was late, I had only water to drink.  But you will have to hold your computer up to a mirror for it to read properly.  Sorry about that!

Random Monday: Donnie Darko, Paranormal Activity in My Hallway and A Couple Walks

I do not like watching the debates because I find them too stressful.  They do not play well with me.  I voted already, dropped my ballot off about two weeks ago.  So, I've been finding other things to occupy my mind.  I figure I can check various recaps online and look at all the posts on facebook.  What fun!


Tonight I decided to watch Donnie Darko.  I only saw the movie once before a while back.  I liked it then, but found it even better this round.  Maybe it has something to do with the "Mad World" song, which is on my walk playlist.  Love the song.  I'm not sure if it was the vibes the movie was giving off or what, but I heard this muffled noise in my hallway.  Checked it out.  Saw this weird glow:

Anyhow, found this other version of DD:

For today's walk, I decided to head to the "Open Air" post office downtown to mail a package.  It was such a beautiful day, upper 70s, nice breeze.















I took this picture on my leg around Demens Landing.

I took this shot on my walk on Sunday night:

Taking a Cue - Just Deal

I'm not sure why, but I woke up just before 4:00 AM this morning.  Maybe it was the 7.2 mile walk I took last night.  

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Then I followed the walk with a blueberry / strawberry / yogurt shake and cocoa coated almonds chaser.

And maybe it was watching the late 50s horror movies on TCM.  But anyhow, I woke up early.  Lying there wide awake, I attempted to relax and go back to sleep.  But no such luck.  I didn't have any specific anxiety.  I just did not feel tired.

So, taking a clue from a post that my daughter-in-law Joy put on her blog last week, I decided to follow her lead and "Just Deal With It".  [Nota bene:  I do not have pregnancy induced insomnia.]

So, I got up at 5:00 AM and baked a batch of cookies from the cookie dough I bought for a fund raiser from a former co-worker's kid.  I brewed up some pumpkin spice coffee and I was good to go!

Fireplace Friends at Halloween

Way back when Joe was Joey, he made this "monster" on a piece of cardboard.  I think he was around 5 years old.  I don't remember exactly.  Every Halloween when we decorated the house, the monster took his place on the fireplace hearth.

As the family grew.

And grew.

I put my few Halloween decorations up, and now have a (fake) fireplace for Mr. Monster.  (Sort of like Mr. Manager, you know, of the banana stand.)

I'll need to get a picture of Ruby with this monster!

Ghosts of Hallowe'ens Past

The other day Mia was feeling a bit nostalgic for Octobers and Halloween up in the Albany area in New York where she grew up.  She asked if I would scan some of the old photos and send them to her.  I have twelve 'shoeboxes' full of snapshots, and a bunch of albums, in addition to about fifty reels of 3 minute super 8 films and several dozen super 8 video tapes.  I've managed to pare down the photos to just over one shoebox of the better photos.  One has to start somewhere!

Hallowe'en was always a fun time in our family.  Mia's birthday is on the day before Hallowe'en and her birthday parties were always a lot of fun.  No question as to the theme!  And this year she turns the big 25!

One thing I also miss about the fall is the apple picking and the apple cider donuts at the apple orchard bakeries.  I got to relive that when I was visiting up there last October.  But despite the beautiful autumn colors, there was still that overpowering sense of what was to follow:  cold, gray days, ice and snow!

I was extremely surprised when I saw how big Hallowe'en is celebrated here in Saint Petersburg!  My neighborhood does it BIG!!!  I had no idea!  I mean, we sometimes froze when we walked around the neighborhood with the kids.  Here, the parents have drinks in hand and socialize with other adults as they walk with their kids around the neighborhood.  And many blocks are blocked off for parties, a circus with high wire acts in the front yard, cotton candy machines, front yard bistros, graveyards, and on and on!  Who knew?!!!!!

It's all been fun, and lots more to come.  There's a new generation of ghosts and goblins coming along! That clown in the picture below is the Daddy of the little lady bug below!  BOO!

G-Pa to Two!

Baby Dos on the way!  I took this picture with Joe's camera when I was visiting a couple of weeks ago.  When I was taking the picture I didn't even notice the signs!  Boy was I surprised when I lowered the camera!

My Journey North - Final Leg: NYC with Ruby

I left Albany on Amtrak and headed down to NYC to spend a week with Ruby and Joe and Joy.  When I arrived at their apartment, Ruby was sitting at the table having lunch.  I didn't want to rush up to her and scare her off for the week, so I kept my distance at first.  I wanted to hug and squeeze and kiss her, but I controlled myself!  Fortunately, she took right to me!  It had been four months since we had seen each other.

We had a fun week!  Playtime, snack time, playground time, walking time.  I was trying very hard to get Ruby to say "G-Pa".  Towards the end of my stay she was saying something like Paa Paa, but she came up with this sign, of pointing and taking her pointer finger and tapping her lower teeth and tongue.  It is hysterical!  Joy and Joe have been teaching her sign for 'eat', 'drink', 'more' and 'all done'. There are two playgrounds within two blocks, in opposite directions, one being right on the East River front.  I love the area and could even see myself living there, oh, except for the financial part!  Several days when Ruby was down for a nap, I would walk around the park and pier areas and relax on the wooden chaise lounges.  All with a spectacular view of Manhattan.

One afternoon we took the subway to the Upper West Side to check out a playground and to meet Joy and then go to the Shake Shack for early afternoon dinner.  The pictures of Ruby and me and of Ruby and The Daddy were taken in Central Park.  We couldn't get into the playground because the elementary school next door was still in session, so we headed over to Central Park where Ruby could drag us around by the finger.

 

On Saturday we took a ferry to Williamsburg for the Smorgasburg.  The weather had been threatening all morning and my cell phone started with this warning signal, informing us that the area was under a tornado warning.  (One did hit down.)  But the weather did clear, and luckily for us, it keep the crowd down at the Smorgasburg.  There were so many different vendors and types of food, it was hard to decide!  I did manage to get some macaroons to take back with us, and Joe and Joy bought some of these fancy donuts.  We ate them before I could snap a photo.  In the photo above, in the lower left hand corner, ruby had just poured a bottle of water over herself!

 

On Sunday we walked over to Testaccio Ristorante, a couple of blocks away.  Joe and Joy had a brunch dish, and I had a panini.  Ruby went to town on the bread and the rice balls (we all did!).  Before walking back to the apartment, we stopped at Manducatis Rustica to pick up some desserts.

It was so much fun hanging out with Ruby.  What a busy little lady!  What with singing, dancing, reading, walking, running, playing on the playground, G-Pa was exhausted!  And up before 6:30 every morning playing!  I wouldn't trade a minute of it!

On my last day there, Joy had to run out to meet some friends, so I got to walk Ruby to sleep for her morning nap.  I got to do that the night before too.  I love it!!!  That's one huge thing I miss by living so far away.  And I got to go to music class with Ruby.  She and I had a ball!

 

I went for some night walks too.  Such spectacular views, and I had to snap a few pictures.  On the night of September 11, the two light beams were lit at the WTC site and the Empire State Building was ablaze in red, white and blue.  (No yellow fringe.  See who gets this reference.)

I must plan a trip back real soon!  My return flight presented some amazing views of NYC.  I could even pick out the Js and R condo building!