Category Archives: Riffing

Countdown

An email warning me that there are just twelve shopping days until Christmas struck me as clever* and crass*.

Clever* because there are 12 days of Christmas if that old song is right. My true love gave to me…

My favorite is the “three French hens.” On day 12, we are gifted with “twelve drummers drumming,” which is quite the finale.

Crass* because it’s proper to complain about the commercialization of the holy day.

Legend has it that the newborn in the manger received gifts as well.

The song, a carol which dates back to the 18th century, is all about presents. It’s practically a scavenger hunt of giving.

Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen are a little less mercenary and demanding in their Twelve Days.

But what I wanted by my Christmas tree was your sweet self
Your love makes the season sublime
And that’s what I wanted for Christmas
That’s what I needed for Christmas
Yes, that’s what I wanted for Christmas, all the time

Twelve Days Of Christmas lyrics © Concord Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

Not a cartoon

What’s your favorite cartoon?

Dec 12, 1975, was the best Johnny Carson episode I ever saw.

Johnny Carson and Carol Wayne presented one of Johnny’s shyster impersonations that was spot-on.

Bob Hope did sketches featuring a very funny Angie Dickinson in outtakes from the special he was promoting.

Dean Martin was cartoonishly drunk.

Charles Nelson Reilly, as usual, all but came out, and I am sure the NBC sensors would not have liked that.

Once Martin left the stage, CNR did honor him by talking about what a generous actor Dean Martin was.

Here is a link to a YouTube of the segment.

AMNH & Environs

Most all my memories of the museum of natural history are lovely.

There were the times I took my best friend’s little boy to free Fridays at which I learned so much. My husband and I were fond of the planetarium as a date destination.

To illustrate how long it’s been since I was there, the other day, I realized in passing that the planetarium had been redesigned.

Nice visiting the neighborhood. Again.

Holy mackeral

Invent a holiday! Explain how and why everyone should celebrate.

We invent holidays for the sheer commerce of it. National Pizza Day or maybe International Coffee ☕️ Day are tailored to our eating the one and drinking the other.

My friend S introduced me to the delights of Chai, so if it has not yet been honored, let’s raise our glass to it.

“Chai to you. Chai to me.”

Marathons

Living on the wrong side of the marathon route has been nearly a lifelong practice. The November event was initiated in 1970.

For most of the lifetime of the NYC annual run, I lived on the far side of York Avenue.

I came to develop strategies to circumvent the runners’ path.

Some years, that was an extremely difficult task. The M31 didn’t run at all one of those Sundays.

Fortunately, that was not the case the year I got a ticket for a City Center Encores! performance. The walk there would have entailed getting up and out extra early.

One year, I did walk down York to 57th Street to a supermarket on the other side of 1st Avenue. It’s clear below the bridge, and I could get across town from that point.

This year, I witnessed the Friday night fireworks that kicked off the festivities before the marathon.

The noise first alerted me. When I looked up, swirls of exploding colors decorated the skies above our rooftop view.