Ellen and I watched more of MSNBC and the anchor people discussed the attempt by some right wing terrorists to kidnap the Governor of Michigan. Fox noise did not even talk about it but did say that they believe that the prior administration (President Obama and VP Biden) are crooked and subject to arrest. God save our country. Then we learned that one of the drugs that trump was given at Walter Reed Hospital is derived from aborted fetal tissue. So much for pro-life. Two music greats passed away on the same day (October 6th), but at different ages: Eddie Van Halen at 65 and Johnny Nash at 80. RIP to both men. On Saturday the 11th Eileen and I went to the Atlantis Diner in West Islip. We each had iced tea, soup, and split a chicken wrap. After lunch we drove over to Totten Place in Babylon Village and walked to Roe Roe’s Sweet Street to get some candy (caramel eggs for each of us) and Eileen got another Beanie Baby – a zipper pull lamb named Lilli (#90 in her collection). A little later in the afternoon I went to St. Mary’s for the 4:30 Mass and on the way home I stopped at Town Hall to photograph a 1928 Chevrolet.
Ellen and I watched the Senate confirmation hearings for Amy Barrett. I don’t think that she is qualified for the Court after only 3 years on a bench elsewhere. Maybe trump wants her so she will vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. On Wednesday the 14th I went to over to my internist's office for the follow-up visit. I got a pneumonia shot and the blood work seemed favorable but I do have to lose more weight. That means fewer carbs and sweets and also avoid goodies at the firehouse, and also do more walking. At around 4 PM I took Eileen to East Islip Lanes to bowl with her team – the Shooting Stars – after a 7 month hiatus. We then came home and I dropped her off and went to the 7-11 on Nassau Avenue to get the Lotto ticket for tonight and another Kinder Joy egg – a motorcycle, #17 in my collection. After lunch on the 15th Eileen and I took a ride in the Accord to Sunken Meadow State Park to get a nice walk in on the boardwalk. I brought my camera and was able to get some pix in. On the way home I also wanted to walk in the Kings Park hamlet but Eileen would not have any of it. I tried to bribe her with a Beanie Baby, and we stopped at the 7-11 on Pulaski Road. There were several Beanie Babies for sale as well as some other critters, and also Kinder Joy eggs. She decided on a Beanie Baby dog named Rubble (#91 in her collection), and then a Kinder Joy egg with a small Ariel (#18 in our collection) for her room. When we came home I updated my St. John’s University account on their website and also wrote a memory (visiting the campus with Eileen on two occasions before the pandemic) and added a photo of her next to Spirit Rock. This is part of the school’s 150th anniversary.
I watched The Handmaid’s Tale on Thursday and Friday and based on the Amy Coney Barrett confirmations, makes me worry that we will become a Republic of Gilead. For some happier entertainment, Ellen and I got to listen to Gustav Holst’s The Planets. For me, the Mars and Jupiter movements are the best of the 7 in the suite.
I had another follow up visit on Friday the 16th, this time with Northwell Urology on Motor Parkway up in Hauppauge, where I learned that my prostate is a bit enlarged but based on the MRI, it’s OK otherwise (this was the spoiler alert from last month). The next day we went to the Forum Diner and ordered an iced tea and Italian wedding soup for each of us and split a fajita chicken wrap. When we finished our meal I said that we have to go for a walk somewhere - West Islip since it was a quick right turn down Montauk Highway. We soon parked at the West Islip firehouse and walked to Higbee Lane and northwards towards the junction with Udall Road. We visited a sports memorabilia store called Grand Slam at the beginning of Udall Road. I was looking for maybe some small baseball or Pokémon figures. No luck. But I did buy a pack of fancy Topps 2020 baseball cards and the owner let me have a set of Pokémon cards free. I got the baseball cards, Eileen got the other set. After we got home I went to the 4:30 Mass at St. Mary’s and on the way back home I stopped at the Town Hall to check out the old cars and photographed a 1940 Chevrolet coupe. Later in the evening, the National Geographic network showed the effects of drug addiction in numerous countries. One of the drugs was krokodil (crocodile in Russian, transliterated) and the effects it has on its addicts. I am kind of glad that I don’t try to pursue too many friendships these days and have to face peer pressure.
Still seeing red states wanting trump for another 4 years. They insist that Joe Biden is corrupt and will bring on big government and take away their guns. Posts on Quora and Facebook cite trump’s accomplishments. Whatever he did do is overshadowed by our standing as a laughing stock in the world, his coddling up to dictators, the 220,000+ deaths from the COVID virus, and the threats to becoming more like Mussolini and Hitler. I am still worried that our country will be fooled again or fucked over again by the electoral college and we get 4 more years of trump. My friend Charlie e/mailed me to say that a friend & hockey teammate returned from Las Vegas and tested positive for the corona virus. They are in Ohio, which is trump country, and naturally don’t take virus warnings seriously.
On Sunday Eileen and I went for a walk along the usual route and I helped Ellen with preparing a rib roast for dinner, and to unwind I drove to the 7-11 in Oakdale and got myself another Kinder Joy egg. The figure was a kid with big hands who will knock targets over, #19 in the collection. I then went to the firehouse to watch the Jets lose game 6 (the Giants at least are now 1-5). Being a compulsive collector, on Friday the 23rd I added #20 to my Kinder Egg collection - a robot like stegosaurus in Halloween black & orange.
On the 19th I went to the census bureau office on Pinelawn Road and returned the briefcase, ID card and iPhone. The 2020 census is officially over. The next day I took Eileen to the Northwell Lab near Southside Hospital so she could have blood drawn. Since she does not like needles, I had to hold her hands down while the technician drew blood. After lunch we went for a walk and visited the post office and Sugared Up for some candy. In the evening I learned that recording artist Spencer Davis passed away today at the age of 81. Loved his band, The Spencer Davis Group, which introduced Steve Winwood to the world.
I read chapter 8 (Behavior) of How to be an Antiracist. Kendi states that racists believe that behavior is according to race; the anti-racist believes that it’s up to the individual. In the rest of the chapter Kendi talked about his last days at Stonewall Jackson High School and going to Florida A&M. He also elaborated about aptitude tests and SAT’s. I also started chapter 9 (Color) where Kendi talks about how color of skin is like a caste system – light blacks over darker ones. And efforts of blacks to sometimes look non-black. He also talked about his freshman year at Florida A&M. In the rest of the chapter Kendi talked about the difference in color among blacks because of more white genes – lighter skinned blacks in greater favor than darker skinned blacks, going back as far as the 17th century when slavery was in force, into the 20th century after it was abolished in the Western World. Chapter 10 (White) talks about Kendi’s freshman year at FAMU and the 2000 election, Elijah Muhammad’s view of white people as devils, and about Malcom X. Kendi tries to discern between white racism’s march and the march of white people. He also elaborated on how whites benefited from racist policies He said that racist power has the most to lose from an equitable society. He pointed out how white supremacists refuse to acknowledge climate change, are against affirmative action which benefits white women the most, admire groups who started wars that killed over millions of white people. They blame nonwhites for their problems but the rich whites are the ones screwing them over. Chapter 11 (Black) begins with Kendi going into the office of Mizell Stewart, the editor of the Tallahassee Democrat to explain his anti-white essay. Then Stewart uses the n-word and racialized the bad blacks (the n’s). Kendi then describes Chris Rock’s descriptions of the n’s and that they are not equal to the black people. Kendi points out that racism seemed to increase during the Obama administrations, and 59% of the blacks say that racism is the reason for their lagging the other groups. Later on in chapter 11 Kendi realized that blacks can be racists as well. It is still true that whites have more power but blacks do have some power and can do something about it. He talked about the 2004 election when the black Ohio Secretary of State helped swing the vote in the state towards Bush with some republican tricks. Kendi then talked about the history of anti-black racism starting in the 16th century. Black police officers can also be racist and anti-black. I also started chapter 11 (class) and Kendi describes his new apartment in the North Philadelphia ghetto and then that class racism is ripe among whites. Then the richer high class people create the behavioral norms which are supposedly superior to.
On Saturday the 24th I took Eileen with me to the New Balance store at Smith Haven Mall so she could get herself a new pair of sneakers. Considering that there were a couple of people ahead of her, she behaved well and seemed to have made a few new friends. I will go back for myself in a month or two. Then for lunch we drove to the Millennium Diner in Smithtown village, where we enjoyed iced tea, soup, and a shrimp salad wrap. My birthday was the 26th and I saw that Islip's bakery, Manhattan Sweets, was open so I headed over to get a pumpkin pie that the 3 of us enjoyed in the evening. And for a little gift for me, I stopped in Sugared Up and got a stuffed Minion - Carl - that I placed on the shelf in the bookcase by the computer. Even though he is not in Eileen's collection, he is #92 on the Beanie Babies list.
On the 27th Eileen and I went to Field 6 at Jones Beach and we walked to the East Bathhouse and back. I also got to photograph a new sculpture of a whale by the bathhouse. We then came back to Islip and parked at the American Legion post parking lot and walked to Sugared Up. I promised Eileen her own new Minion and this time she got Dave (#93 on the Beanie Baby list). He is smaller than Carl but he is hers exclusively. For another birthday “present” I saw that Amy Barrett was confirmed by the Senate and sworn in that evening at the White House. We know whose side she will take in any dispute, especially if the election is involved. The next morning while I was having coffee at the firehouse the ex-chiefs rejoiced in the rush confirmation and swearing in. I may agree or disagree with her on some issues, but I do object to the way she was rushed into the Court to possibly be there to do trump’s bidding. I ended October with a trip to the Growers Market and then to the firehouse for coffee, and while watching News 12 I learned that Sean Connery passed away at the age of 90. RIP, 007. After breakfast I went to the Islip Town recycling center and there was a trump motorcade heading the opposite way on Sunrise. Almost all of the vehicles were Jeeps for pickup trucks. When I got back home Eileen and I went to lunch at the Hauppauge Palace Diner. We split a chicken wrap and we each had a cup of soup and iced tea. When we came home I dropped her off and went to the East Islip Shell and then the Oakdale 7-11. I got another Kinder Joy egg with a cowboy Minion (#21 in the collection) that I put into the CR-V.
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I began November with the annual memorial Mass at St. John’s University for the deceased of the SJU community – which includes alumni and was able to think to a few deceased alumni whom I knew. I first stopped at Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery and visited the mausoleum where both Mom & Dad and my aunt & uncle are interred. When I got to the campus I was told that the campus does not open until around 10:30. I decided to visit my old neighborhood, Queensboro Hill and maybe Flushing Meadow Park. I did not get to the park since the traffic would not let me, but I did ride around Citi Field property and back to St. John’s. When back at the campus I was finally able to enter the campus and talk to a few people inside St. Thomas More Church before going for a walk around the Quadrangle to take photos. The Mass started at 11 am and I remembered some of my friends who also attended St. John’s but are no longer with us. When the Mass was over I headed back home. The next day at 11 pm I participated in a Zoom webinar so hopefully I can have fewer problems when I try to have a Zoom met-up with Charlie this Friday. I read the rest of the Class chapter 12 of How to be an Antiracist and Kendi compares white trash, the n’s, ghetto blacks, and upper classes. He also talked about the wealth gaps among whites, blacks, and Latinx. Kendi also describes how capitalism exploited poorer nations, especially those in Africa.
We are still following the presidential election. On Election Day evening Ellen and I were worried that trump was going to get re-elected. But Joe Biden gained some more blue states and soon had 253 electoral voted on Wednesday. We are hoping that when the votes are counted in 4 of the states – Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona, and Nevada, he will have well over 270. Joe is leading in these 4 sates but the last minute mail in votes are still not fully counted yet as of November 6th, so it is still too close to call. The trump people are still calling foul because they might lose. And inconsistency – count the votes where trump is losing, and not where he is ahead. Fox noise said that the Democrats are cheating. But if trump somehow wins, I will have lost faith in the intelligence of our countrymen. If trump loses, I will buy some Long Island wine and celebrate. At the firehouse while having coffee and I had to listen to the “patriots” complain that Joe Biden is going to win and beat the best (?) president we ever had. Some of the members of my American Legion post are just as bad. But I still cannot understand how so many people voted for trump again when they saw what he was doing to the country and the people.
On Friday after lunch and a nap Eileen and I did the shorter walking route by going up Commack Road to Tex Court. At the one of the houses near Greenview Village there was a box on the lawn with free toys. Eileen got herself another Beanie Baby – a rhinoceros named Spike (#94 in the collection). Later at Stop & Shop and I bought two Kinder Joy eggs. One of them is a Christmas stocking with some string, and right now it’s in the CR-V but will hang it on the ceramic Christmas tree in about 4 weeks (#22 in the collection).
At 11:25 am on November 7th, MSNBC announced that Joe Biden won the election and will be the 46th President of the United States, and super patriots are having hissy fits. After the 4:30 Mass I headed to Karp’s Liquor Store to buy some Duck Walk Vineyards Gatsby red to celebrate Joe Biden's win over trump. Before dinner we had a Zoom meeting for 2 hours with my friend Charlie & his wife Debbie. Charlie told me that I did well despite the many setbacks and trial I had. I will have to agree. Sadly on Sunday game show host Alex Trebek passed away today at the age of 80 from pancreatic cancer. Jeopardy will not be the same without him. RIP Alex. I also opened up the other Kinder Joy egg and it is another Christmas ornament – a snowman. #23 is in the CR-V and will also go onto the ceramic Christmas tree in a few weeks.
Members of the Islip Fire Department are still unhappy with Joe Biden’s win, and are hoping that a recount will turn the results over in trump’s favor. Let’s hope not. One of the trumpers on Facebook posted a pixel portrait of VP Elect Harris showing the black bad guys that she put behind bars in CA as attorney general. But isn’t that her job? And don’t trumpers hate “them”? The only reason they should be pissed is if they were white. Evangelicals still say trump is the Christian president. They want us to pray for the country because Joe Biden has been elected. As of the 10th the trumpers still insist on fraud, and while having coffee at the firehouse another member said that a fly-by-night news source announced that trump was awarded Pennsylvania. None of the mainstream sources, including fox and OAN have said that. But OAN has advertised a few trump rallies in DC and elsewhere over the next weekend (the 15th & 16th) and fox noise said that Joe Biden will undo trumps’ “accomplishments” and cause a financial disaster. I still am praying for our country.
Chapter 13 (Space) of How to be an Antiracist, is about Afro-American studies starting to be taught on campuses, like at the grad school – Temple University – that Kendi attended. He also mentioned the North Philly ghetto and the campus. He also cited black space as the inner city and the 3rd world and the white space (suburbs).
On November 10th our new Ethan Allen couch arrived while I was at the Post to help with a work detail – sweeping the party & gala room. Not bad of a job. Afterwards I had coffee and a roll and spoke with the other members. Most do not like Presidents Obama and Clinton, but love trump. After the work detail I went to Hauppauge for my appointment with the endodontist. The crown is OK but I will have to see my regular dentist about a cavity and the tight space between two teeth. After lunch I went to the Bay Shore Stop & Shop to redeem the bottles and get another Kinder Joy egg (#24, the Minion cowboy, a triplicate, which I gave to Eileen).
I went to the Post for the Veterans Day ceremonies in the morning. We went to the Maragioglio Triangle for the first round – prayers, 9 gun salute, taps, raising the flag to full staff. Then we went to Town Hall West, the Post itself and Town Hall Veterans Memorial Park to do the same ceremony. When it was all over we went back to the Post and I had a snack and got to talk with some other members of the Post before I came home. Later in the day I created a new Billy 2018 website, this time on www.wix.com since Webs.com was bought out and will be charging in 2021 for even the free sites and these will go the way of my Homestead sites. I edited grammar and spelling errors and reworded certain phrases. The name is Billy-2018 and the URL is https://cricketbilly8.wixsite.com/mysite.
The “patriots” are still insisting that trump will win. I really hope not. I am watching and reading at the news and it does look that there was never any voter fraud in PA, AZ, NV or GA. After all, the senator and congressmen were on the same ballots and nobody questioned those races.
I read more of the Space chapter of How to be an Antiracist and Kendi described the historically black colleges and universities (HBCU) versus the HWCU (historically white colleges & universities). At the end of the chapter Kendi talked about separate but equal when it came to black and white spaces, based on the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson Supreme Court decision and also when it was reversed in 1954.
On the evening of the 13th the Islip FD Marine Unit’s fire boat went out into Great South bay and rescued a woman who fell overboard from her boat (congratulations to all those involved). And most of the crew were from my company! And while having coffee the boat’s pilot, came into the Ready Room while News 12 was talking about pandemic precautions. He thinks that it’s all bullshit and I told him that it is not a hoax. On Saturday afternoon I went to the 4:30 Mass at St. Mary’s. The deacon read the parable of the 3 servants with talents. His sermon talked about using our gifts because we all have at least one, and about going to a new job if you are not good at the one you have. He also cited the 5 W’s (and 1 H) from journalism to follow when writing: why, what, who, when, and where. The H is how. As for me, maybe I should do more writing since I am starting to enjoy it in retirement. I have my journal, 3 blogs, and this and two other biographies on the internet.
In chapter 14 (Gender) of How to be an Antiracist Kendi talked about roles of women and men, and the number of black single family households. Most of the time the head of the household is a woman. He said that it is better if there are two parents unless the other parent is violent or abusive. He also talked about sexism and its being intertwined with race. He also talked about the number of black children born to unwed mothers as well as about feminism and its rise. He also said that people believe that the black male is more dangerous the white man, black woman and white woman. In chapter 15 (Sexuality) Kendi talks about his new friends at Temple University – and his new male friend is gay. He does say that homophobes are usually also racists. He also talked about two female friends from Temple, Yaba and Kaila. Kendi also elaborated about gender and heterosexual and homosexual tendencies. He was raised to be a black patriarch and not a black feminist. He said that in 1965 the problem was “keeping the Negro ‘in his place’” meant only the male as the black woman was not seen as a threat. That led to submission of black women in most cases. During the 20th century married black women were having fewer babies but unmarried ladies were having more. Black feminism started to increase in the 1970’s. He mentioned the Clarence Thomas hearings and the defense of Anita Hill by feminists. He also talked about the gender racism and that black women make less than their white counterparts but is more likely to be incarcerated. Gender racism may be responsible for trump winning in 2016. Black men reinforce the “real men” notions. Whites produced gender racism of dangerous black men, less dangerous white men, then black women and the frail white woman.
On Sunday morning the National Geographic and the American Heroes Channel TV channels had series of shows about Hitler and the occult, his rise to power, and violence by his followers. Ellen and I believe that history repeats itself so we may have trump followers doing the same thing. Trump still has not conceded and insists that the election was stolen. I am worried that the 12th amendment may throw the election to the House of Representatives, and with one state/one vote and he would win a second term. Several other Islip Fire Department members still insist that trump can win since the disputed states have Democrat governors and the courts will prove fraud. I cannot argue with them so I did not bother to tell them that it’s horseshit. On Facebook another Islip FD said that mask wearers are fools, as do two other “super patriots”. This man also says that trump is his president and this is his USA. I am worried for this country thanks to trump’s mishandling of the COVID 19 pandemic and the hate that has come out. Also the economy has tanked and he still does not have a national health care plan.
Monday the 16th was Ellen’s birthday. To celebrate we ordered out on Sunday because most restaurants are closed on Monday. Ellen is wary of eating in a restaurant so just like my birthday three weeks earlier, we ordered out and ate at home. This time we ordered from Vinny's Mulberry Street in East Islip. The next day, on her actual birthday Eileen and I went to Manhattan Sweets bakery to get us a coffee cake. To get some exercise, we walked there from the firehouse and when we were done there we walked across Main Street so I could check out JMJ Hair Salon. There are no steps to climb to get in so it should be fine for Ellen when she goes to any appointment there. We walked back to the firehouse and drove to 7-11 where I got a lotto ticket and Eileen got herself a new Beanie Baby: Minnie Mouse, #95. On Thursday Eileen and I went for a walk through Greenview Village but we did the truncated route – up Commack Road to Tex Court and then home. We saw that the people at one of the houses still have trump flags and banners on the property, and the required pickup truck in the driveway. In the evening I learned that since someone got sick at the Post a few days ago (?COVID-19?) everything is cancelled for a while.
I started to write a short story, somewhat autobiographical. The main character, Bobby DiSimone, speaks in a New York City accent and I managed to transcribe the Gotham accent into print. Here is an example: “’s a pleasure t’ meet ya . What part o’ Ireland are ya from?”. Bob is a fictional representation of me. But unlike the real me (who is mentioned as Bobby’s cousin but we will not meet him until the end), Bobby was in the Army instead of the Air Force from 1971-1975 and extended his 3-year tour so he could go to Germany. But like his cousin, he got out early in 1975 due to a reduction in force. The story starts in 1975 New York City and Bobby is readjusting to his new civilian life after being stationed at Fort Benning and then a two-year tour in Germany. A few months after he got home, he is introduced to Patricia Flaherty, a friend of his friend’s fiancée. By their 3rd date they go to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and then walk through Central Park. Bobby ends up saving the life of a toddler in the Reservoir by the Gotham Bridge. I divided the story into chapters (verses) In one verse Bobby and Trish relax at his house parents' house and then walk to a Chinese restaurant on Main Street near the main post office. When they get back to the house, they watch a Yankee game with Bobby’s dad. The next day was a Sunday and they head to the New 11 studios to get interviewed for what Bobby did in Central Park, and then go for a walk to Tudor City and Bryant Park and get a few photo sessions in. And it looks like Bobby has a new lady friend, and vice versa. Bobby and Trish then come home and have dinner at Bobby’s house. When he takes her home they kiss up a storm in his station wagon. On the last week of August, they go to Chinatown for dinner and another photo op and return to Bobby's house for some real fun. He finally scores! And now they both know for certain that they were made for each other. In the next verse Bobby’s grandfather dies and they go to the wake and funeral. His aunt (and Billy’s mom) told him that Trish was a lovely girl and she should not let her get away. Later on Bobby is accepted into the Hunter Bellevue School of Nursing; Pat gets a student visa and enrolls at Hunter College. At the end of 1975 he gives Trish his high school ring and the following month they go out to dinner with the parents of the little girl whom Bobby rescued in August. In February 1976 he proposes to Trish in a Hansom cab in Central Park and she says yes and they tie the knot in September. Now it’s school and work for both of them with some ball games tossed in. Both Trish and Bobby graduate from Hunter in spring 1982 and end up living in Levittown. It ends with their daughter being born in January 1989. And in December I finally got myself a title for the story – A New York Re-adjustment. And to have the story on the internet, I decided to delete the travels page from here and replace it with the story. Just go to that page in the menu.
By Friday the 20th MSNBC is still trying to convince the trumpers that he lost and the election is over. But the people at the firehouse still cannot be convinced that trump lost. They are now watching news max instead of fox noise. I found News 12 more palatable. Later in the afternoon after a walk with Eileen along the truncated Greenview Village route, I took the CR-V to the Bay Shore Stop & Shop to get a lotto ticket for Saturday and also treated myself to another Kinder Joy egg - #25, who is a Marvel Comics heroine named Carol Danvers. I put her on a shelf in the book case. Then after gassing up the car I stopped at the firehouse to watch TV (MSNBC & News 12) and use the computer.
I am still reading Ibram Kendi's How to be an Antiracist, and recently finished the chapters about Gender, Sexuality and Failure. He talked about gay friends, sexism, gender racism, and the Jena 6 incident in Louisiana. In the Failure chapter (#16) he talks about racist policymakers and what drives them to do what they do. He said racist policymakers drum up fear of antiracist policies through racist ideas even though the fears never come to pass. We have to fight for moral and mental change as a prerequisite for policy change to fight against growing fears and apathy. Kendi then started to talk about the Jena 6, who were tried and sentenced to prison for assaulting white kids at the local high school. In the rest of chapter 16 he talked more about the demonstrations in favor of the Jena 6 and defined courage and cowardice with respect to racism and antiracism. In the Success chapter (#17) Kendi describes the differences between institutional racism and individual racism. He gives steps to end racist policies. The last chapter, Survival, he talks about how he and his wife both beat cancer, and lists ways to eliminate racial inequity. He does not seem optimistic that racism will disappear from our world, but we can try.
On Saturday the 21st I was up kind of early and went to the last Growers Market until next year unless I want to drive to Rockville Centre. Around noon, Eileen and I drove up to Huntington to drop off a photo at my cousin Bob’s house. We talked for a while in the driveway, even though Eileen did not want to get out of the car. It turns out that Bob and his wife are not trump supporters either. After we left I was originally going to get lunch at Bubba’s Burrito Bar in Islip but it would take some time to get back to the South Shore and if there is a wait I don’t want Eileen to have a meltdown. So I originally suggested that we go to Relish in Kings Park. After I left Bob’s house we headed east on 25A until we had to stop for the light near Waterside Avenue, in front of a strip mall. I saw on the signs at the entrance that there is a Venus Greek Diner among the shops listed there and I asked Eileen if she would like to have lunch there instead. She said okay and soon we were seated. We each had soup and iced tea and then split a lamb gyro. After I paid for it we came home on the Sagtikos Parkway and eventually along Commack Road where some of the trump signs were still up. When we arrived home the plumber was working on our bathroom and I turned on MSNBC in the TV room. Ellen told me to change it to something neutral, which I did.
On Sunday Eileen and I went for a walk through Greenview Village and then we drove to Babylon and walked from the Municipal Lot to Deer Park Avenue & Main Street. But instead of Roe Roe’s we stopped at F & M Goods to see if there was anything worth getting. There were teddy bears but they were too large. Eileen finally got a coin purse and a tootsie roll pop. It came to $5.16 and she took $5 from her pocket book and I took the $0.16 from my pocket. Then we walked back to the car and drove along Route 231 and the Parkway. Later on Ellen and I ordered our anniversary dinner from The View. We used the website and ordered entrees for each of us. I asked that it be ready at 6 pm and when I got there a little bit early I got a surprise in that the kitchen never got the order. They told me that it would be ready in a few minutes. 30 minutes later it finally arrived. I was a bit annoyed. Anyway, since we have been going there since 1989, I will give them a pass this time.
During the “work week” I was detailed to do errands for the house: the Islip Terrace post office to mail three bills and then next door to 7-11 to get a lotto ticket for Wednesday, and a Kinder Joy egg - #26, a sloth on a tree (the new friend went into the wall unit). I then went to Islip Pharmacy and then to Manhattan Sweets Bakery to order a pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. That was just for Monday. On Tuesday the 24th (Ellen and my 41st anniversary) our new dishwasher finally arrived. But I had to drive to the Target store in Central Islip to get a $25 gift card that is going to be our share a gift at St. Mary’s and then went to get a bottle of Long Island wine before stopping at Stop & Shop to redeem bottles and get lunch provisions.
Eileen and have done some walking and on Wednesday we walked through Greenview Village but then went through the LIRR station parking lot to the Little Shop of Shamrocks to say hello to the owner (Linda) and get ourselves each a bag of Dairy Buttons, and then walked back to Wingan Hauppauge Road and past the Wing School and home.
As for Thanksgiving Day, I watched some college basketball on TV and had a Zoom/Skype meeting with my brother in law and my nephews. Dinner was turkey for only the 3 of us. I also managed to watch parts of the Thanksgiving Day Parade and a re-broadcast of the Philadelphia Dog Show on TV.
On Black Friday I did the usual food shopping trip and in the late afternoon visited Little Shop of Shamrocks to get a stocking stuffer for our Christmas stocking that we will hang on the piano. It is a wooden sheep with Irish wool on it. That is for Ellen. I also got myself some Dairy Buttons for a quick snack. Besides Christmas gifts, I went to the Islip Library to take out another book, being that I finished How to be an Antiracist. It was an interesting book but I found it not easy reading as a novel or sports story would be. For my next book, not in associated with the St. John’s University Book Club, I borrowed State by Melissa Isaacson. I only finished the prologue and chapter 1. She described the state of women’s sports in schools prior to Title IX, as well as her 1979 Niles High School’s Championship team’s 25th anniversary. In the next chapters she described the conditions that the female athletes had to endure while at West Niles High School. She also talked about some her friends and teammates. I ended November by helping Ellen and Eileen put the Christmas decorations up in the living room.
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December started with a visit to Sugared Up to get something else for the Christmas stocking on the piano – a Smiley face zipper pull for Eileen. The clerk knows both of us so she tossed in a nice candy cane too gratis. But Eileen likes to snoop and she helped herself to the candy and took out the Irish sheep and Smiley. I put the zipper pull onto her tote bag as originally planned and we put the sheep into the China closet. But in the end, she wanted the zipper pull off of her tote bag and on her dresser where it became #96 on the Beanie Baby list as Happy the Emoji.
I also set up a new Billy 2021 website, but on www.site123.com. I found www.weebly.com too cumbersome and not user very friendly. The site on www.site123.com is https://5fc7e83e2f9c3.site123.me/.
I read more of State and Melissa (Missy) Isaacson described the girls basketball team tryouts, getting new uniforms, and then described her teammates. In the next chapter she elaborated about her time spent at a basketball camp in Iowa and then about her teammate Connie who got a job at Mister Donut and always came to class and practice smelling of cooking oil. She also described the attitude in the mid 1970’s about women in sports and some were considered lesbians. Then there was a teachers strike in Niles and her coach Arlene Mulder had to cross the picket line so tennis star Holly Bland would not forfeit her matches. The striking teachers taught outside under trees, and Holly did well enough in the tournament to gain recognition. Mrs. Mulder wondered if she would ever regain the lost friendships. Later in the book Missy described her sophomore year in basketball and the season when they so far have lost their first 3 games. She praises her coach Arlene Mulder for her pushing them to be the best. Later Missy talks about Mrs. Mulder’s requiring that her players also attend and watch the JV games before they play their own, and actually did bench two players who were late for the JV game. And the Niles West team started to win several games during her junior year. Once they made the post season Mrs. Mulder arranged to have the girls practice with the boys’ team. On Pearl Harbor Day I went to the Islip Library to return State since I could not get into it. I was hoping to take something else out but the library is closed for COVID cleanup. When I came home I checked out our book case and decided on So B. It by Sarah Weeks. As of the 7th I got through the first chapter where we meet Heidi and learn that her mother is handicapped. Heidi describes how her neighbor Bernadette almost raised her since Heidi’s mom is disabled and mentally challenged. Bernadette read to her and also taught her how to win at the slot machines at the back of a laundromat. Heidi also described how she and her mom came to meet Bernie when Heidi was about a week old and Bernie set them up in an apartment next to hers. But Bernie has agoraphobia and it makes her never want to go outside. Heidi is being home schooled by her, and they have a neighbor downstairs named Zander whom Heidi feels talks too much and kills ants with his fingers. Heidi also tells us that ‘So B. It’ is her mama’ s name, as that is one of the few words that Mama can say and Bernie gave the name to her – So (first name), B. (middle initial), and It as the surname. Heidi and Mama would go out to do some food shopping. Heidi did get to know people on the outside like the cashiers and librarians. She says that Mama does not look brain damaged just by looking at her. Later on Heidi kept trying to figure out what the word “soof”, one of the 23 words Mama can say, meant until Bernie told her that maybe she was not meant to know its meaning. Later Heidi also found an instamatic camera in the apartment and went out to have its film developed. There were 23 shots, taken at a Christmas party in Liberty NY. Heidi showed the photos to ‘Dette. One of them showed a middle aged lady with a young woman, and they both a resemblance to Heidi. Bernie said that one of the ladies was Mama and the other lady was most likely Heidi’s grandmother. Now Heidi wondered how she and Mama wound up in Reno. She tried to get Mama to tell her who soof is, and who the other person in the photo was. She also finds the Christmas sweater worn by the other person in the photo. Then she and Bernie call Hilltop Home in Liberty NY but make no headway – calls are not returned, nor are mail inquiries. Heidi later persuaded Bernie to try and go outside, but she goes one step past the door and she faints. Zander and Heidi bring her inside and Zander tries to get her to come to. Now Heidi has a better opinion of Zander. Then when Bernie comes to Heidi and she talk about Hilltop House and Bernie promises to contact Thurman Hill. But Heidi knows that he will never respond so Heidi tells Bernie that she is going to Liberty herself to find out more. Bernie tries to tell her that flying is dangerous, so Heidi tells her that she will take a bus instead. Later she learns that it’s $313 round trip between Reno and Liberty so to get the money, Heidi played slot machines at the bus terminal and the laundromat and soon has enough. When she goes to the terminal, she cons a lady into buying the ticket for her since she is under age – 13 when the minimum age to travel alone is 15. Someone finally does buy the ticket for her and she goes back to the apartment to pack her suitcase. Heidi starts to argue with Bernie about leaving for New York. She told Bernie that she is not her mother and cannot stop her. But she finally does leave Reno, and with Bernie’s blessing. Heidi got onto the bus and soon met Alice Wilinsky and her 5 kittens, who are all going to a reunion in Salk Lake City. Heidi lies to her about her grandmother knowing Shirley Temple and that Shirley came to their house to bake with granny. Once Alice gets off in Salk Lake City Heidi continues alone towards New York. At the next bus stop in Cheyenne WY, she tries to call home and could not get through at first. She buys herself a cup of black coffee and tries again. Heidi is still on the bus and cannot reach Bernie because the lines are down. She also got nauseous while in Cheyenne and heaved into a trash can. Then she meets an 18 girl named Georgia Sweet who is going to New York City to study psychology at a university there. They strike up several conversations and discuss how you can read someone’s thoughts by their body language. Heidi and Georgia make it to New York and the Port Authority Bus Terminal, where someone picks her money out of her knapsack. She meets a new friend named Nancy who accompanies her to Monticello NY, and then she changes to a bus for Liberty. Once there she finally gets through to Bernie and tells her she was robbed. Heidi arrived in Liberty NY and goes to the ABC Cab Company to try and get to Hilltop Home. She won a ride to the Home by guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar (1,527) and once there goes inside a building and runs into a man sleeping at his desk. She meets a new friend named Nancy who accompanies her to Monticello NY, and then she changes to a bus for Liberty. Once there she finally gets through to Bernie and tells her she was robbed. Heidi arrived in Liberty NY and goes to the ABC Cab Company to try and get to Hilltop Home. She won a ride to the Home by guessing the number of jelly beans in a jar (1,527) and once there goes inside a building and runs into a man sleeping at his desk. Heidi soon meets Ruby Franklin, Thurman Hill and Ruby’s husband Sheriff Roy Franklin. Thurman does not want anything to do with Bernadette. Heidi was able to phone Bernie and talk to her, and then Sheriff Franklin spoke to Bernie and told her about Heidi’s ability to guess the correct results of coin tosses. Sheriff Roy tosses a coin and Heidi got all of them right. After that Sheriff Roy and Ruby take Heidi to their home for a meal and to dry off. I finished the book on the 29th. Heidi is staying with the Franklin’s and Ruby studied the photos that Heidi brought with her - Elliot, Thurman and Ruby were in some of them. Heidi later learns who her grandparents are and while in Liberty, her mother, Sophia, passed away. She eventually returned to Reno and enrolled in middle school and starts to live a normal life.
On the 30th I started to read The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. The opening chapter takes place in Mallard, a black town in St. Landry Parish. The chapter described the founding of the town in 1847 by a master’s freed slave son, and how the town prospered since then. In 1954 the Vignes twins, Desiree and Stella, left Mallard and the daughter of one of them has returned. The story goes on to tell when the twins were in school until their mother pulls them out after sophomore year to start work – cleaning a rich white family’s house in Opelousas.
On Thursday evening (the 3rd) I was at the firehouse watching televisions and having coffee when the Chief came by to tell the guys in the ready room that the father in law of one of the members had just passed away from COVID – it was the Commander of my American Legion post! The next day I got a calling post from one of the vice-commanders announcing the Commander’s funeral arrangements. Everyone around Islip is heartbroken.
On Friday after lunch I went to the Islip Terrace post office to mail the stool sample to the Northwell laboratory and then went door to 7-11 to get a lotto ticket and another Joy Egg - #27 in the collection and it was another truck with the alligator. But in different colors. When I went to the firehouse to enjoy some coffee and watch television, mainly Investigation Discovery, the pseudo-patriots had news-max on at the other end of the ready room and the wacko congresswoman from Georgia was telling people to vote against Jon Ossuff and Reverend Warnock to stop socialism. OK – just shut down the military bases, end farm subsidies, and discontinue the TVA and you got your wish.
On Saturday I got a call from the 3rd Vice Commander of the post telling me that several members of the post may have the Virus, and possibly caught it at November’s Night at the Races that I did not attend. Ellen has been telling me to stay away from American Legion and Islip Fire Department function that are indoors, because most members do not always wear masks. On Monday the 7th after a walk with Eileen I went to the funeral home to attend our commander’s wake. Due to COVID, there were not a large crowd of people. I signed the book for the 3 of us and then greeted his widow, daughter and son in law. Then I left and went to Islip Pharmacy, and then went to the firehouse for a quick cup of coffee. While in the ready room I was masked the entire time except for when drinking coffee and sat in the corner at least 10 feet from the other members.
This month I decided to write a sequel to A New York Readjustment. This story will start in 1982 when both Bob and Pat graduate from their programs at Hunter College and start work at their respective jobs. Bob is hired by the Nassau County Medical Center and Pat is hired by the Levittown School District, and starts her new job in September 1982. Later at parents night a couple of the dads suggested that Bob join the Levittown Fire Department. But they still live in Flushing. Then there was the issues of coming home from the midnight to morning shift in the rush hour. It’s time to move to Levittown and they moved into a house on Penny Lane in January 1983 5 months later they go on their first long distance vacation since their honeymoon – to Washington DC and Colonial Williamsburg. By 1985 both Pat and Bob are settled in with their careers, and luckily Bob has not yet had to go overseas with the Army. Cousin Bill (me) joined the Islip Fire Department in June 1985. Later in 1985 Bob took Pat for a laparoscopy and then a few months later, in February 1986, Pat learned that she was pregnant. But in May she miscarried and was quite down emotionally. Bob realized that Pat’s emotions are his first priority and promised to support her in any way he could. Pat learned of a miscarriage support group from some Hibernians. In 1986 she is back at her job, and they both follow the 1986 baseball post season, and visit Bob’s parents for Thanksgiving. Then after school lets out for winter break, they go to Montreal for a nice vacation. When it’s 1987 Pat is active with the Hibernians where another member tells them about an adoption agency in Mineola that they should contact. They do that and the lawyer tells them what they will have to do if they want to become adoptive parents. Finally in 1988 and Pat is pregnant and they learn that it will be a girl arriving in January 1989 – Eileen Patricia. The next verse is Verse 10 – 1989 Post-Partum. Eileen Patricia is home and Bob & Pat are planning her christening. Who will be her godparents? Finally one of Bob’s paternal cousins and his wife agree. I wrote more of Readjustment Sequel. We are still in 1989 and it’s the Memorial Day Parade, a Mets game, the Hibernians feis, and Pat returning to work. Bob arranges to have two twelve hours shifts over the weekend, counting as three shifts. And he is available to take care of Eileen during the day. In September they went to Steve’s Pier I for their 13th anniversary, with Eileen in tow. As an emergency room nurse Bob has had to deal with more drug overdoses. On Veterans Day 1989 the 3 of them go to ceremonies at the Levittown Library. They have Thanksgiving dinner at Bob’s parents’ home, and just before Christmas Bob and Pat go to see The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center. In January they celebrate Eileen’s 1st birthday, and in February Pat goes to Ellen’s baby shower, and in March Cousin Bill and Ellen welcome Eileen Theresa. I also added the honeymoon to Part I of the Readjustment Trilogy. During the 1976 Christmas holidays Bob and Pat go to Aruba, stay at the Concorde, and visit the beach and the capital city. In the Readjustment Sequel (Part II) Bob and Pat celebrate Pat’s 38th birthday at a restaurant in Freeport during April and the following month, march in the Memorial Day Parade with their organizations and meet for the ceremonies at the Veterans Memorial Park. After the ceremonies they all go out to Long Island National Cemetery to visit the graves of Bob’s (and my) maternal grandparents. In July Bob and Pat go to a game at Yankee Stadium to see the Bronx Bombers lose 8-0. Then in August Desert Shield begins and Bob gets activated and will be deployed overseas. The story ends with the beginning of Desert Shield and Bob’s getting activated and ready for deployment. It will continue in Part III.
I also added the honeymoon to Part I of the Readjustment Trilogy. During the 1976 Christmas holidays Bob and Pat go to Aruba, stay at the Concorde, and visit the beach and the capital city. I also added to the Readjustment Sequel by describing the CVS test Pat went through at Mount Sinai Hospital, and edited a few other paragraphs.
In the Readjustment Sequel (Part II) they celebrate Pat’s 38th birthday at a restaurant in Freeport during April and the following month march in the Memorial Day Parade with their organizations, and then meet for the ceremonies at the Veterans Memorial Park. After the ceremonies they all go out to Long Island National Cemetery to visit the graves of Bob’s (and my) maternal grandparents. In July Bob and Pat go to a game at Yankee Stadium to see the Bronx Bombers lose 8-0. Then in August Desert Shield begins and Bob gets activated and will be deployed overseas. Part II ends with the beginning of Desert Shield and Bob’s getting activated and ready for deployment. It will continue in Part III after I first do some research of Desert Storm and Desert Shield for the third part of the trilogy. Part III of the Readjustment Trilogy, titled Bobby DiLorenzo, RN, Major USAR is now in progress. So far, Bob got called up to active duty with the MEDDAC from Fort Drum and in November 1990 is getting ready to deploy. Before he goes overseas, Pat and Eileen fly to Syracuse and he drives down to meet them for a night or two together. It will be their last time together until March 1991. They stay in a hotel in downtown Syracuse, so they can walk around the city and have dinner at local restaurants. They also visit the Syracuse University campus. After three days they have to part until March while he goes overseas. Pat and Eileen go back to Levittown while Bob drives back to Fort Drum and then flies to Saudi Arabia a few days later.
On St. Nicholas Day Eileen and I went for a walk along the truncated route, through Greenview Village. After we got back I drove up to Kings Park parked the car in the LIRR lot got in a walk along Route 25A to Pulaski Road and then to 1st Avenue before turning back. I brought my camera and took pix of some vacant/for rent stores along Main Street – similar to what’s happening in Islip. I also stopped in the Long Island Toy and Game Shop and got a Hatchem critter named Gwyneth which put into the console. When I got home I gave the Gay 90’s snowball in the console to Eileen. She named it Snowball III and is in her Beanie Baby collection, at #97. On the 9th I went to ENT Allergies to have my ears looked out and while my hearing is OK, my right ear has eczema so that means a visit to the dermatologist. Later in the day Ellen got an e/mail from my cousin telling her that her day passed away today from prostate cancer at the age of 92. He was my godfather, and the last of my uncles. I now only have 4 aunts still living.
On Friday I drove up to the DMV in Hauppauge to renew my driver’s license. It set me back $110.50 but I need the license to drive legally here, and it’s going to be an enhanced license so I can perhaps drive to Montreal in the future when the pandemic is over and the border is open again. With the firehouse closed I had to stop at 7- 11 to get my fix of java this time at the one on Route 111 & Beaver Dam Road. It was coffee and also a Kinder Joy egg. This time it was the boy from The Incredibles and is #28 in my collection. On the political front I am appalled that over 120 republican congressmen are supporting a petition from Texas attorney general Ken Paxton to nullify Joe Biden’s wins in PA, MI, GA & WI. It would be the end of democracy as we know it if the court does it. But later I saw emails from friends and news sites that the Supreme Court tossed out Paxton’s petition to nullify Joe Biden’s win in those 4 states. It looks like our democracy is saved. Around 3:30 on Sunday Eileen and I went for a walk to Town Hall by way of Greenview Village, stopping for photos at my American Legion Post before taking more at the Veterans Park and then the holiday decorations in front of the Town Hall and then 2 more across Nassau Avenue from the Post when we were heading back. Since I promised her a Beanie Baby if she cooperated, we stopped at 7-11 where she got Mickey Mouse (#98 in the Beanie Baby collection) and we split a Mister Good Bar candy bar. And then on the way home we went through Greenview Village again. In the evening the 3 of us ordered dinner from Vinny’s Mulberry Street - great sea food dishes. It set us back $79.00 for the 3 of us but it was worth it.
On Monday the 14th Ellen sent me on errands – Chase Bank to visit the ATM and return items to the vault, the post office to mail bills and also buy stamps and a money order and get the lotto ticket at 7-11. I went to the Islip Terrace post office since the 7-11 is next door and I just have to park the car once. After lunch I went to Stop & Shop to get more lunch provisions, especially because we will most likely get hit by a snowstorm on Wednesday. During the rest of the day I watched CNN, which televised the electors casting their votes for President. Joe Biden is definitely the President Elect and will be the 46th President of the United States next month. I also learned that William Barr resigned at Attorney General. We did get snow on the 16th. When Eileen and I left for bowling on Wednesday afternoon it started to snow and by midnight we got what looks like 4 inches. The next morning I shoveled a path in the driveway from the garage to the curb, and also the walkway to the stoop and the stoop itself. In the afternoon some of the guys from the Islip Fire Department came by to finish my driveway and walkway. They were taking care of the senior members. On the 18th Ellen and I checked out the LL Bean website and ordered some items for each of us. I got a pair of jeans, a long sleeved tee shirt and a long sleeved polo shirt. The shirts are forest green and will arrive in January. At around 4:30 I drove over to the 7-11 at Nassau Avenue and treated myself to a coffee with light cream, and a Kinder Joy egg – the Incredible Hulk , #29 in my collection. I then went to the firehouse to enjoy my coffee and snack and go through the Engine 2 mail box to discard all the junk mail. On Saturday the 19th Eileen and I drove to Taco Bell to get lunch from the drive up window. On Sunday I managed to adjust the time in the clock radio on the armoire but could not get the CD feature to work. I got out my mother in law’s old boom box and brought it into the bedroom and plugged it in, and it worked, allowing me to listen to the Oscar Peterson Trio’s Bursting CD and also some Crosby Stills & Nash. Later in the evening, around 6:30, Ellen and I were able to have a successful Zoom meeting with my friend Charlie and his wife Debbie. To test the video mode of my computer camera, Ellen and I each made videos of our reading the first 11 lines of T. S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.
On Monday we enjoyed the Winter Solstice and I was busy with errands. I returned some items at the library and also paid the Visa bill at Chase Bank. I also went to Islip Terrace to visit the 7-11 at 56 Lowell Avenue to get the Wednesday lotto ticket. I went inside to get the lotto ticket but the computer was down, but I did get a Kinder Joy egg and #30 in my collection. It’s a black panther, and I put it into the book case and gave Caroline Danvers to Eileen. I had to get the lotto ticket at the 7-11 on Sunrise Highway. The next day I had to transfer $13,000 from savings to checking to pay off Visa and other vendors, and also the property taxes. We are being taxed out of existence. After lunch on Wednesday I went out on some errands: the post office, the bank, Manhattan Sweets Bakery to buy some sugar cookies and a pumpkin pie, Karp’s Liquor Store to get two bottles of red wine – New York State varieties, and the Islip Library to pick up another Oscar Peterson CD.
I spent a good part of Christmas Eve watching TV and then going to the 4 pm Christmas Mass at St. Mary's. I went to the auditorium which is larger and was less crowded. On Christmas Day I was able to get a Zoom meeting in my in-laws and nephews, but I had to use my iPhone camera because the video camera on the computer would not work. I also watched part of the Brooklyn Nets – Boston Celtics game and the Nets won 123-95. On Boxing Day Eileen and I did a walk through Greenview Village and returned along the truncated route, and then I went to St. Mary’s to amend my life. After that I went to the 7-11 at 197 East Main Street to get the lottery ticket and another Kinder Joy egg - #31 in my collection, the Minion pearl diver which I later put on top of the desk in the computer room. I went to the 4:30 Mass and then to the firehouse to check the Engine 2 mailbox and have a cup of coffee. When I got home I watched a show on the MLB Channel that paid tribute to the 6 Hall of Fame members whom we lost in 2020, and then on CNN I watched a show about the First Ladies, featuring Michelle Obama and then Jackie Kennedy – two great ladies.
For the rest of 2020, from the 27th to New Year’s Eve it was mostly walks with Eileen through Greenview Village, finishing reading So B. It and starting The Vanishing Half, and writing Part III of my short story, titled Bobby DiLorenzo, RN, Major USAR. Among the other things I did was check the oil level and tire pressure on our two cars and take the Accord for a run to Oakdale to photograph what was once Dowling College, and then and then went to the 7-11 on Montauk High way for a small coffee and another Kinder Joy egg - #32, the Minion photographer, which I put it into the CR-V. I stopped another time at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 for a lotto ticket and also bought a Minion zipper pull for my fire company briefcase. The year ended with a visit to the dermatologist and getting a few things for our private New Year’s Eve party.
See everyone in 2021!!