Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: November 27, 2012

Mad Dogs And Englishmen, Part III

When our cruise ship arrived in Malta, there were no signs of Humphrey Bogart, Peter Lorre, Sydney Greenstreet or the Maltese Falcon. Malta is a limestone-walled city, sitting proudly in the southern Mediterranean. It is Malta’s location, not its size that dictates its importance. You might have trouble locating Malta on a map, but its history is written in large letters.

Valletta, the capital of Malta, was built by the Order of the Knights of St. John. It has two deep channels that accommodate large vessels. The history of Malta dates back 7,000 years. Malta was conquered by the Arabs, Normans, Germans, French and Spaniards. It was also an important Crusader outpost.

Letter: Hurricane Acknowledgments

In the wake of one of the most devastating incidents in Long Island’s history, I wanted to pay tribute to some of the local businesses and institutions that helped make two weeks without electricity more bearable.

Jericho Public Library: Reopened its doors literally hours after getting power restored, and offered plug-ins, WiFi, TV, coffee and cookies to the community. Remember to vote an enthusiastic “yes” the next time the library budget comes up to vote.

Editorial: Kicking Off The Holiday Season

I still remember watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as a small child. One year, I asked my mother why the parade closed with Santa Claus—after all, Santa Claus was not part of Thanksgiving! The mixing of holidays seemed almost criminal to me.

My mother gently explained that Thanksgiving was the start of the holiday season, the countdown to Christmas and Hanukkah. I didn’t realize it then, but that “countdown” comes with a kind of implied menace: get everybody great presents before your holiday of choice rolls around…or else (and if you celebrate Hanukkah start your engines, because you have about five minutes.) For better and for worse, I’ve never had a huge number of people to buy for this time of year, but even I feel the pressure.

Covering All Bases: November 19, 2012

An Abuse Of Power

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” Abraham Lincoln

This is one of my favorite quotes that I often repeat. During my experiences, I have met individuals who have gained power and used it to make a positive difference, help others, and make themselves true leaders. I have also encountered those who let the power go to their heads and used it in a bad manner. Therefore, I consider this statement from Lincoln to be truly sage advice that I often refer to, and with a movie about the 16th President now showing in movie theaters, it is also timely.

Over 60 ... And Getting Younger: November 12, 2012

Mad Dogs And Englishman, Part II

Our cruise ship, the Grand Princess, resumed the voyage to Valletta, Malta, two days at sea away. My brothers-in-law and I found a hot tub and met the most interesting British people who joined us in the tub.

One gentleman was from the British Isle of Guernsey. He said that his island was captured by the Nazis during World War II. The residents of the island therefore experienced a period of no food and cruel Nazi rule. The people were forced to eat all their famous Guernsey cows. Guernsey is closer to France than it is to England. The people from Guernsey still have not forgiven Winston Churchill and the English for letting them suffer during the war.

Not So Humble Opinion: November 12, 2012

And Now For Something Completely Different

Considering how we’ve all been concerned with pretty serious business for the last couple of weeks, I thought I’d do something on the lighter side this time and discuss anime, or Japanese animation. My experience has been that most people over the age of 25 are only dimly aware of what anime is and would actually like to know more about what their children/grandchildren/etc. are into. Hey, if I had a nickel for every time someone said, “Oh, you watch anime? I don’t know what that is, but my kids are crazy about it!” I might even have an entire dollar.

However, instead of trying to provide any sort of Anime 101-style overview, a questionable endeavor at best, I thought I would provide some information on some of the weekly shows that happen to be airing on Japanese television right now. Keep in mind this isn’t any sort of favorites list, this is only shows that are currently airing in Japan that I happen to be watching. From this sampling, you may start to get an idea of why so many people find these cartoons uniquely appealing; original Japanese titles, if applicable, are in parentheses.

Covering All Bases

I Hate The Seventies Reflections on Sandy

As the warm water fell upon my head, I can say that it felt like the most blissful moment of my life. After my home, like most on Long Island, lost power on Monday, I was left without heat or electricity, and most importantly the ability to wash my hair. Without electricity, my hair dryer would not operate, and I did not want to have a damp head in a house in which the temperature was getting close to dipping below forty degrees.

Fortunately, after two days of living like Daniel Boone, my aunt and uncle were gracious enough to invite both my parents and me to stay with them in the Bronx. They had heard of the devastation in Massapequa and were frantically trying to get in touch with us. However, not only did the landline phones go down, we were having difficulty getting a cell phone signal. So my uncle’s phone calls went unanswered for several days, until a signal became available and we were able to get the many voicemail messages that had been left.

Editorial - My Sandy Story

I went to the supermarket the day before the storm and stocked up on peanut butter, chocolate-hazelnut spread, fruit cups, and a few other non-perishable foods. For reasons that I now fail to understand, but must have made sense at the time, I also bought hummus, milk and yogurt. Maybe I was convinced we weren’t going to lose power for very long, or maybe I was just in denial, but needless to say, I did not get to eat many of my beloved dairy products.

I didn’t think to go to the gas station beforehand and fill up the tank, which was foolish. However, in my defense I’m normally too lazy to go to the gas station and put it off in the hopes my husband will give in and do it first, so that’s par for the course.