January:

First of all, Happy New Year to everyone.  Hopefully this will be a better year all around for each of us.  On the first two days of the year I went to St. Mary’s Church.  The 1^st is the Solemnity of Mary and on the 2^nd I did the 4:30 Mass for Sunday.  Later I drove over to the new Uncle Giuseppe’s on Deer Park Avenue in North Babylon to check it out and get provisions from the deli counter.  The next day was Saturday and as a tradition, Eileen and I get lunch out, to the Taco Bell drive in to place our order and then enjoy it at home. Later we got in our first walk of 2021 - from the Islip firehouse to Chase Bank’s ATM room and back. On the way home we stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 for the lotto ticket, Eileen got Beanie Baby #99 - a husky named Baltic, and a Mr. Goodbar candy bar.

I took my first road trip of 2021 on the 3^rd.  I was not certain where to go, but by the time I reached Motor Parkway (after stopping at the 7-11 at #329 Washington for coffee and another Kinder Joy egg - #33 – a truck that I put into the CR-V), I headed west to the Sunken Meadow Parkway and then to the State Park. First stop was the Boardwalk to take some photos of the Sound, which was quite choppy and at high tide, and then the Boardwalk itself, which was kind of empty. I then walked back to the car since it was damp and windy but did stop at a mini museum with dioramas to take pix of the critters that live in the water and on the land around the Park. Then it was homeward bound but first it was a visit through Kings Park Hamlet on 25A to Indian Head Road and south to Jericho Turnpike, the parkway and home.

We decided to take our Christmas decorations down a bit earlier than Epiphany. Ellen, Eileen and I worked on the 4^th to take them off of the bay window sill and the piano, and then packed them away for the next 11 months. Next we put the house plants back onto the sill. The next day I made an appointment with the Islip Fire District Manager for a COVID vaccination appointment which will be on Thursday the 7^th at 10:30 am at Stony Brook Medical Center. Later I went to Uncle Giuseppe’s in North Babylon to get lunch provisions and to mail some items at the post office next door. On Epiphany (the 6th) I saw on www.linkedin.com that two associates whom I worked with or played softball with made partner, and one of them has a new baby as well. Congratulations to both ladies. Later in the afternoon I went to the East Islip Shell to fill up the tank and then stopped at the 7-11 at 197 East Main Street for the lotto ticket, a cup of coffee, and another Kinder Joy egg – the Minion bike rider who is #34, who ended up in Eileen’s room. 

I was worried that trump followers were going to get violent since their god lost, and Republican congressmen were planning to refuse to certify the votes cast by the Electoral College. Then on the 3^rd trump called the Georgia Secretary of State demanding that he find him 11,000+ votes to give him the state’s electoral votes. I thought that was treason or at least sedition. The trumpsters on Facebook had fits because it looks like the Secretary did not do it. And they still cannot accept that their god lost in November. I am glad that loeffler lost her Senate seat – she is nothing but a Carpetbagger and has no interest in the people of Georgia, and that perdue also lost his seat so the Democrats have regained control of the Senate for the first time in 6 years. Then later on the 6th the news reported that trump’s minions stormed the Capitol building and disrupted the proceedings on the Senate floor.  Later in the day the Senate confirmed Joe Biden’s victory so he will become our 46^th President. The next day I went to Stony Brook University Hospital to get the first of the COVID vaccination shots. It was the Modena version but I am not fussy. I had to use my cell phone to activate a consent form and use for identification. Soon I was shown the stairway to the lower level where I got my left arm stuck, and then went into an auditorium/lecture hall to relax and be observed for any allergic reactions or side effects. So far, so good. On Elvis Day Eileen and I went for a walk along the usual truncated route and then I went for a ride to the Nassau Avenue 7-11 and got myself a cup of coffee and another Kinder Joy egg - #35 - a raccoon Marvel character, which I put into the book case. Later in the day Ellen and I watched MSNBC and saw that the anchors and guests are condemning what happened on the 6^th at the Capitol. I also listened to Dennis Prager’s fireside chat #168 and he is not exactly condemning what happened at the Capitol. He said that it was not as violent as the BLM rallies and that no one got killed at BLM rallies. He still thinks that trump was robbed on re-election (bullshit). On the 9^th I participated in a virtual exercise workout with an SJU alumna who conducted it with several other alums, mostly women (there was only one other guy). On Sunday Eileen and I rode into town and parked in the firehouse lot and walked to the library so I could return The Vanishing Half. It was borrowed from the Half Hollows Hills Library and I could not renew it. We then walked to Main Street and then to the nail salon by the Masonic Temple building since maybe we can get a manicure and pedicure for Eileen as a birthday present. On the way back to the firehouse we stopped in Sugared Up to get some gummi candy and a Valentine’s Day bear for Eileen - #100 in her Beanie Baby Collection, which she named Jennifer. When we got home I watched The Middleton Family at the New York World's Fair on youtube and found it interesting. So maybe I finally did get to visit the 1939 World’s Fair.

Road trip #2 was on Monday the 12^th.  Eileen and I drove to Field 6 at Jones Beach and walked to the East Bathhouse and back and go to take several photos. We also did a walk on Wednesday after watching the second impeachment of trump on TV, going through Greenview Village along the truncated route, because it was a bit chilly outside.  The next day after lunch Eileen and I headed to Babylon to check out the new bakery, the Shuga Pie Shop, on Deer Park Avenue. We walked through the Municipal Lot to Deer Park Avenue and the shop, which is located in an alley between two other buildings. But it looks like a lot of other people also read the Newsday article, since there was a line and we had to wait. After we got our mini-pies (only cost me $5 since a man on line gave the owner some extra money to pay for the people behind him) we walked down Grove Place to the American Legion Post and we went inside – I asked a man at the bar if the post is open to Legion members and he said that it is, with meetings on the meeting is on the 1^st Monday of each month. Maybe I will go to their February meeting. We then walked to Roe Roe’s Sweet Street to buy some gummy Lego pieces (6 pieces, 3 for each of us) as well as a new Beanie Baby – a cat like critter named Prince - #101 in her collection. Eileen also wanted a chocolate strawberry and the owner gave that to us. Once we paid for the goods we walked back to the car on Totten Place and drove to Route 231 and then the Southern State Parkway to exit 43 and Commack Road. I saw that the house on Bainbridge Street no longer has the trump banners but still has an American Flag and the blue striped, black American flag. On Wednesday the 13^th I went to the family doctor’s office for my follow up visit. They took my blood pressure and checked my lungs – both OK. But they did want to do blood work so I went to the lab on East Main Street by Southside Hospital the next day to have blood drawn (it turned out favorable). While I was in the doctor’s office she told me that her practice is getting swamped with calls from patients who have tested positive for COVID. Islip really has had a spike in cases per capita. Later I went to the 7-11 at Nassau Avenue and bought a cup of blueberry flavored coffee and another Kinder Joy egg, #36 in the collection - Marvel’s Captain America, sitting on the desk in the computer room. I also see that too many trump worshippers still believe that he was robbed in November and that he really loves our country and made it great again. After the 4:30 Mass at St. Mary’s, I went to the East Islip 7-11 at 197 East Montauk Highway to get a lotto ticket for Saturday night’s drawing and treated myself to another Kinder Joy egg - #37 in my collection. It’s the Minion skin diver and he is in the CRV door. 

Road trip #3 was on the 17th. I drove to the St. John’s University Jamaica Campus to take a nice walk and to wander down Memory Lane. I chose the fastest and shortest route – Southern State, Wantagh and Northern State/Grand Central Parkways - to the campus. Once there I had to go in through Gate #6 at Goethals Avenue & 170^th Street and then parked at the southern end of the Quadrangle. I started at St. Thomas More Church for a quick visit and then went to the Residential Village to check it out. I would have loved to have something like that when I was there. I then walked past St. Albert’s and Sullivan Halls, and then to the side of Bent Hall for more pix, including selfies. The women’s basketball team was playing Marquette University and thanks to COVID I could not go inside the arena but later I learned that they lost 72-61. Better luck next time. I then went past the University Center where Ellen and I became a couple in 1978 and then up to St. John’s Hall and then the steps to Newman Hall and walked along the Quadrangle. I photographed a black squirrel (never saw one that color before) and then a photo of St. Augustine Hall, where Ellen and I first crossed paths in 1976. Then I got into the car and headed to Gate #6 and the parkways to come home and upload the photos that I took.

Normally I would be off on the 3^rd Monday of January in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. but since I am retired, I am off every day now. Around 3:30 Eileen and I walked through Greenview Village to the Nassau Avenue 7-11 to maybe get some candy and a Beanie Baby for Eileen. When we went to the candy aisle we decided on two Kinder Joy eggs – one for her and one for me. When we got home house we opened up the eggs. One was a truck, which I already have, and the other was a mouse. I decided to take the mouse, which I put into the CR-V console; Eileen got the truck for her end table. They are #38 and #39 in our collection.

On the 19^th the alarm woke us up since both Ellen and I had medical appointments that morning. Ellen went to the internist in Islip while and I went to the urologist in Hauppauge. My urinary tract is OK but I have to get a PSA blood test since they did not check for that last week. Around 4 PM I went to the East Islip Shell to fill the tank and then to the post office to mail two items, before heading to the firehouse to check the Engine 2 mailbox. I tossed out the junk mail but there were a few new statements and reports.

Besides some Smithsonian and Animal Planet shows, I watched MSNBC and am ecstatic that trump is gone tomorrow and Joe Biden will take his place. From what I can tell, the USA is much more diverse than it was 50 years ago and it looks like the Biden-Harris administration is going to reflect that. I love diversity. After all, the southeastern US was the least diverse region in the country until recently, so why wasn’t it the most advanced? The white population was all northern European, with almost no immigrants, and the right type of whites ran everything? The next day was the 20th and after breakfast I went into the TV room and tuned into MSNBC to be ready for the inauguration of our new President and Vice President.  At around 11:40 Kamala Harris was sworn in as the Vice President of the United. Then at 11:48 Joseph Biden Jr. was inaugurated at the 46^th President of the United States. No more trump. After lunch I drove into town and parked at the firehouse and walked to Chase Bank to deposit two checks and to pay the Visa bills. I then drove to Karp’s Liquor Store in East Islip to get a bottle of Long Island wine (Martha Clara Glacier’s Edge) and the lotto ticket and then headed to the Oakdale 7-11 to get myself a cup of coffee and another Kinder Joy egg - #40 – a dolphin which is in the CR-V console with the lizard and the cat. I then drove to Sayville and made the turn at Railroad Avenue onto County Road 65 (Middle Road) and then turned to go to the ferry terminal. I decided to park in the marina lot to enjoy my coffee and snack and took a photo of the Great South Bay with my cell phone before heading back home. On the 21^st day of the 21^st year of the 21^st century, Eileen and I went for a walk along the usual truncated route, and we saw that the trump banners are gone from the house on Commack Road. I also went for a drive up Commack Road to Spur Drive South and then back down Commack Road again and saw that the flags are still at the house on Bainbridge Street but the trump banners are gone. I then headed to the firehouse to park and then did some more walking, Main Street to Willow Avenue and back. On Facebook the trumpsters are still insisting that they were robbed and that President Biden is an illegal president. They are also angry that Democrats and decent people hated trump and melania for four years. But it was OK for republicans to hate the Obama's for 8 years.

I had to go to the Northwell Labs in Bay Shore on the 22^nd to get blood drawn to check my PSA. As of the 25^th the jury is still out as to the results. The 23^rd was a Saturday so Eileen and I first stopped at the Islip post office and then we drove to All American Burgers in Massapequa. We headed to the Seaford Oyster Bay Expressway to the southern end and then east to #4286 Merrick Road where All American Burger is. We had to wait on line to order and then wait for the staff to bring it out to us. We got two iced teas, two cheeseburgers, and a large fries for $10. But we had to eat in the car. After we finished we drove east to the 7-11 at #4350 Merrick Road where we stopped for some candy and two more Kinder Joy eggs - #41 and #42. One was the big kid and the other was a top. Since I already have the big kid, I took the top. But Merrick Road has too many lights so we turned north at Route 110 and then along Albany Avenue and Straight Path to the Sunrise Highway. The next day at around 7 pm Ellen and I had a Zoom meeting with our friends Charlie & Debbie and my computer camera worked this time!  Eileen and I walked through Greenview Village the next day to the Nassau Avenue 7-11 to get some candy – we split a Hershey’s chocolate-Reese’s bar, and she got herself a new Beanie Baby – a koala named Katy Koala, #102 in the collection. We returned home by the same route, avoiding Tex Court. The next day I participated in the virtual Financial Planning webinar with other St. John's Alumni. Even took some good notes that I will put into a Word document. After the webinar I went to the East Islip Stop & Shop to redeem bottles and get lunch provisions and another Kinder Joy egg – an Easter chicken, #43 in my collection. On the 27^th to avoid cabin fever I drove to Deer Park Avenue (Route 231) to find a 7-11 to get coffee and a lotto ticket. I found one just south of the Huntington Town Line on the southbound side - 2160 Deer Park Avenue. I bought the lotto ticket, a cup of coffee, and a Hershey’s white chocolate bar before heading home by way of Long Island Avenue/Pine Aire Avenue and the parkways. The next day I went to the Islip Post Office, Chase Bank, and the Sayville 7-11, where I got coffee and another Kinder Joy egg with #44 – a blue elephant. I then drove to the Sayville Marina to enjoy my coffee and snack while admiring the Great South Bay. It was very windy with the temps around freezing so I did not get out of the car to take photos. Later in the evening Ellen and I listened to a virtual Islip Town Board hearing on the rezoning of property at 2300 Sunrise Highway to make it a gas station and convenience store. We are worried about the additional traffic that will be coming onto our streets. On the 29^th I went out to get the lotto ticket and milk at the 7-11 at 56 Lowell Avenue in Islip Terrace  The cup of coffee was from one of the newer grinding & brewing machines. I thought that the coffee was a bit too bitter for my tastes so I will stick with the other machines. Next stop was Stop & Shop and for a half gallon of milk and an Easter themed Kinder Joy egg, with a pattern for an Easter egg, #45 in the collection. Two prominent actresses, while both in their 90's, passed away during the week of January 25th: Cloris Leachman on the 26th and then Cicely Tyson two days later.  RIP to two lovely ladies.

The 30^th was a Saturday and Eileen and I went to the Island Lake Diner on Portion Road in Ronkonkoma for the first time. We each had iced tea and split a quesadilla wrap. I also had Greek soup – creamy lemon chicken, while Eileen had chicken matzo. We did enjoy our lunch and after I paid we took a few more pictures in the parking lot before heading back home.  The next morning I went to the supermarket for lunch provisions since we started to get snow at around 8:15 PM and would not stop until Monday morning. Later I did some more errands, like gassing up the CR-V, going to the Chase Bank ATM, and then heading to the Oakdale 7-11 to get coffee, the lotto ticket, and Kinder Joy friend #46 – a pink mouse. After I paid for my items, I drove to the View’s parking lot to enjoy my coffee and snack, and also take pictures of the frozen over Connetquot River and Great South Bay. After the snack and photo op I drove home and fixed the window frame on the back door with duct tape. We often order dinner out on Sundays, and on the last Sunday of the month we ordered from Mango Tango. It is the only sit down Chinese eatery in Islip (but with other Asian countries also represented) and we enjoy the place a lot.

February:

February began with a Nor’easter and it dumped maybe 6 or 7 inches. I started to clear the driveway, the walkway, and the stoop. My neighbor came by with his snow blower to finish where I left off and when that was done I drove over to the firehouse for coffee and to stand by for a little while. I did not want to stay too long because Ellen said that if the snow plow seals in the driveway, she cannot help me. On the 3^rd the book that I ordered last month from Square Books LLC, Loose Balls by Terry Pluto, arrived. I looked at the first few pages and I am certain that I will like it. On the 4^th I went to Stony Brook Hospital to get shot #2 – Moderna vaccine for COVID. Everything went smoothly and I was even classified as Public Service (PUBSERV) since I am a fire department employee (even if it’s volunteer). But even though I am now vaccinated, I will still be careful around others. During the night after I got dose #2, I had cold feet and hands, a stiff neck, and a splitting headache - maybe side effects from does #2 (but the symptoms did not last). The next day I registered Ellen and me for the annual Blessing of the Couples at St. John’s University. But this year it is virtual. I took the story of how I met Ellen from my website http://cricketbilly8.wixsite.com/billy-and-ellen and sent it to St. John’s after doing some edits. For the website itself, I added more photos and changed the narrative to what I sent to St. John’s yesterday and combined it with the Quadrangle/Great lawn Part of 2011 and our trip to Disney World in 2014.

On the 5^th Christopher Plummer passed away at the age of 91.  He is the 4^th celebrity over 90 to leave us is the past few days.  RIP Christopher.     

On Sunday the 7^th we got another snow storm.  It was not as bad as the one on the 1^st of the month (only about 3 or 4 inches this time) but I did have to shovel the walkway and steps to the stoop and part of the driveway.  My neighbor from across the street helped me with his snow blower to finish the driveway.

Our smoke detector was beeping when there was no fire or smoke condition and it was driving Ellen and me crazy I replaced the batteries and that did not work. On the 10^th a Slomin’s technician came by to see about our alarm system. He did work on the panel in the foyer and also replaced the smoke detector. The three AAA batteries that I put into the old smoke detector were then put into my old GE Walkman radio and maybe now I will start using it again when I go walking. Since I am a compulsive collector, I have added to my Kinder Joy collection. On Tuesday I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 to get a lotto ticket and a Kinder Joy egg - #47 - a dragon, which is in the CR-V console, as is #48, a large wild bird with its chick. On the 11^th after checking the mail at the firehouse I drove to the Oakdale 7-11 for some candy and a Kinder Joy egg - #49 - which turned out to be a Minion bike rider. The egg did not have the Minion’s picture on it so I was surprised.  Later in the day, Eileen and I headed to the New Balance Store near Smith Haven Mall. We took back roads to Alexander Avenue and then the Mall. I got another pair of the same walking sneakers that I got around two years ago. After that we headed east on Route 347 to the Lake Grove Diner for lunch, where we each got iced tea, a cup of seafood chowder, and we split a chicken quesadilla. Then we headed back to Islip and finally to the 7-11 at Nassau Avenue & Union Boulevard, where we went inside and checked out the Beanie Babies. But there were only the large kind of expensive ones so I suggested two Kinder Joy eggs. Once we got into the car we enjoyed the candy and checked to see what figures we got. There was a cockatoo, which I already have, and a flame car. I let Eileen have the bird, which went onto her night table and I got the car, which in in the driver’s door of the CR-V. These are #50 & #51 in the collection. When we got home I went to the North Babylon shopping plaza on Route 231 to visit the post office, and then Uncle Giuseppe’s to buy a coffee cake, ravioli, and a surf & turf dinner, and then went next door to the liquor store to buy a Northville Chardonnay Long Island wine before coming home to upload the photos that I took at the diner. Once home I learned that trump was acquitted by the senate for the January 6^th insurrection. We needed just 10 more republicans to put country over party and trump would have been convicted. The pseudo-patriots are ecstatic that trump got acquitted, but that is only because of spineless republican senators. A group of geese migrated down our street and went across our lawn and I managed to take three photos of them and then downloaded the pix and posted them to Facebook and Google Photos. After lunch I went to the Verizon Store in West Islip to see about my cell phone and why is only vibrated. A technician showed me that I had pushed a lever by the sound button, by accident, and that muted all of the alarms and notices. It makes the sounds now. I then drove to the Babylon Municipal Lot and parked there before walking to the Chase Bank branch ATM and took $20 from the checking account. I then went across Main Street to Roe Roe’s Sweet Street to get a few things: a Ty Paw Patrol mini critter – Skye, a generic Valentine’s Day card for Ellen and Eileen, and some candy for me. I paid for the items in cash, and also talked with owner Roseanne before I drove back to Islip.

Besides fire department activity on President’s Day, in the evening I started to feel chills and my teeth started to chatter so that meant going to bed early. My sinuses were filled, my neck was stiff, and I had a fever of 102 degrees. Was it side effects from dose #2? The next day I did feel better and my temperature was around 95 degrees but I called my doctor’s office anyway. The assistant did say that it was a nasty virus since COVID vaccine side effects usually don’t come after 11 days. I decided to postpone the prostate biopsy from February 17^th to March 3^rd since I had not fully recovered by the 17^th. After some errands on the 17^th when I got home Ellen told me that rush limbaugh passed away from lung cancer. Considering what a hate monger he was, I will not miss him. Ellen later took my temperature and it was 97.6, but I still felt pain in the groin. Is it lymph nodes? Later in the afternoon I had a Zoom meeting with my doctor and she advised me to tell the urologist when I go for my prostate biopsy on March 3^rd about the nodes hurting and have the urologist check me over. She also asked that I let her know if the lymph nodes symptoms don’t go away. The 17^th was Ash Wednesday and around 4:10 I left for St. Mary’s to attend the Word Service. There were readings and prayers and then ashes were dropped on our heads instead of the cross on our foreheads. After the service I went to the firehouse for coffee and to watch some TV. While we are not without power like in Texas, the New York area did get hit on the 18^th with about 4 inches of snow. My neighbor helped me clear out my driveway and walkway so I can get the cars out of the driveway and onto the street.

On Friday the 19^th I saw people on Facebook condemning ted cruz for escaping for Cancun while his constituents in Texas were suffering and dying. Some trumpers were defending cruz by diverting attention to Andrew Cuomo. One trump asshole from Islip thinks that Dr. Fauci’s messages are bullshit but most likely anything from trump and limbaugh are gospel. Stupid is as stupid does. I went to Stop & Shop for the main shopping trip and while there I also bought another Kinder Joy egg and opened it at the firehouse a little later.  It's another wild bird, a different species from #48 (this is #52). After I got home and was reading I got paged for an automatic alarm so I went down to headquarters to sign in and have a snack. One of the trump worshippers from the other engine company was on the call. We were all talking about vaccinations and it sounded like he is against them because it he said that people are getting killed by the vaccines. Stupid is as stupid does. The next day was a Saturday and Eileen and I had lunch at the Oconee Diner.  We ordered iced tea and Manhattan clam chowder (I ate most of hers) and split a shrimp salad wrap. I noticed that one of their TV sets was tuned to OAN – One America News, and others had fox noise on it. I was fortunate that the one by our booth was tuned to ESPN and I got to watch Indiana play Michigan State. We enjoyed lunch except for the trump photo by the exit to the foyer and the owners’ pro-trump and limbaugh stances. After we left we drove to the firehouse lot to park and walked to Sugared Up for some gummy candy and a smiley face zipper pull (actually gritting his teeth) which Eileen named Smiley - #103 in our Beanie Baby collection. We then walked to the nail salon near Willow Avenue to inquire about a possible manicure and/or pedicure for Eileen as a birthday present next month. Later in the day I sadly learned that one of our ex-chiefs who was part of the morning coffee klatch passed away. RIP Chief. I did not go to the 4:30 Saturday Mass at St. Mary’s but went instead went to the 12 noon Mass but was late because I forgot that it has not been 12:15 for a while. Before this Sunday I cannot remember the last time without looking it up in my journal. Around 4 pm I went out for a short ride to the firehouse to sign in on two signal 16’s, have coffee, and to watch TV. Then I drove to the 7-11 on Route 111 and got another Kinder Joy egg- #53, a large stand up figure of a bear in a police officer uniform.

On Tuesday (23^rd) I planned to go to Kings Park but while I was on the Sagtikos Parkway I noticed that the traffic was starting to pile up so I exited onto Crooked Hill Road and took that to where it becomes Fifth Avenue in Brentwood. I headed south so that I can stop at a 7-11 to get the lotto ticket and maybe a snack or Kinder Joy egg. There was one a few blocks south of Candlewood Road so I stopped there to get the lotto ticket and also some treats: a Hershey’s’ chocolate and Reese’s’ bar, and a Kinder Joy egg, and I paid for everything with my debit card ($5.32). When I left 7-11, I went to the firehouse to get coffee and then to use the Squad computer to download the latest Treasurer’s Reports and company minutes onto the hard drive. I also checked out what was in the egg – a sandwich sign with a racing theme, #54. On Wednesday afternoon Eileen and I went for a walk through Greenview Village and the train station to Little Shop of Shamrocks, where we got some Dairy Buttons and spoke with the owner. I also saw some items that I might get Eileen next month for her birthday. On the way home we walked back home along Moffitt to Wingham Hauppauge Road and James Street instead of Greenview Village. On Thursday and Friday we went for walks through Greenview Village along the usual route via Tex Court. When we came home after our Thursday walk we drove to the Brentwood American Legion Post to see if it was open and to inquire as to when the meetings were held. Apparently people were inside because she saw Eileen and me in the parking lot and came out to speak to us. She gave me a business card to call the Commander and other officers to inquire about visiting. After that Eileen and I got into the car and headed to the 7-11 at Union Boulevard & Nassau Avenue. I got the lotto ticket and then two Kinder Joy eggs for each of us. The eggs had a mega truck #55 and what looks like a Marvel hero #56. Eileen kept the truck and I got the hero. The next day when I did the main food shopping trip, I got myself another Kinder Joy egg from the animals set. I got a shark, #57 in the collection and I put it in the CR-V passenger door. While watching MSNBC later I saw that the pseudo-patriots are holding a CPAC convention in Orlando FL, complete with a gold calf style statue of trump. This looks like an idol to me but the evangelicals have been pretty quiet so far. The attendees also shouted down a hotel spokeswomen who asked them to wear masks since that is the hotel’s policy. Most of the trumpers shouted her down in derision. One reason I cannot be one of these pseudo-patriots is that I have a better half who uses critical thinking. I realized that I may not have been taught critical thinking when I was in school (and it looks like Ellen was). I asked Ellen what critical thinking is. She said that it was doing something like thinking things through, and what are the consequences if I do or don’t do an action. I also checked on Google: Critical thinking is that mode of thinking - about any subject, content, or problem - in which the thinker improves the quality of his or her thinking by skillfully analyzing, assessing, and reconstructing it. Critical thinking is self-directed, self-disciplined, self-monitored, and self-corrective thinking. Five key critical thinking skills to have in the workplace are observation, analysis, inference, communication and problem-solving.  On the 27^th there was the virtual Blessing of the Couples on the Internet. On a YouTube type screen we watch as a prayer was given by Father Brian Shanley, the new University President, and then a prayer by a fellow alumnus who is also a deacon. Then Father Shanley spoke about marriage and then all of the couples (including Ellen and me) renewed their vows. Yes, I will be faithful to her.

March:

I started March by adding to my Kinder Joy collection with a panther, #58, which is in the book case. Later on I searched YouTube for some videos about charisma and people skills and came upon Vanessa Van Edwards. So far I concluded that while I do like a lot of guys at my firehouse, I really have nothing in common with most of them since they are mostly trump followers, drinkers, and pseudo-macho. As for making friends, I still have PTSD from high school and college days so I don’t really want to try and make too many friends. Later when I finish what I am reading now (The Mouse on Wall Street) I may check out Vanessa’s book Captivate and also check out her website https://www.scienceofpeople.com/. Last month I had to postpone having a prostate biopsy done since I had a nasty bout of influenza on President’s Day. It was rescheduled for the 3^rd and before the 3 of us left for the Smith Institute for Urology at Huntington, located in Greenlawn on Pulaski Road, I took a valium pill just before we left to calm me down. Ellen drove us there and back. Around 12:30 on the way to Greenlawn our Honda Accord hit 100,000 miles at Pulaski Road and Townline Road. Once at the practice I waited outside and after they took my temperature (96.7) and I paid the copayment, I was led into a room where my blood pressure was taken. I got to talk with a younger woman doctor who had a tattoo just above her left knee. We started to talk about tattoos and while I almost got some in 1975, to this day I have never gotten any. I then moved to a room where the procedure was performed. I did keep my Yankees cap on and I got to talk baseball with the senior doctor and his assistants. Like a women giving birth vaginally, my feet were put into the stirrups and soon the senior doctor supervised the woman doctor and the nurse practitioner who gave me some injections to numb the area between the rectum and scrotum and then they started to take samples. It was uncomfortable but I survived. Afterwards I spoke with the younger doctor and the nurse practitioner about Long Island, the Nurse Practitioner field, and where the NP get her degree (Molloy College). Remembering the sarcastic question that we sometimes said to people who ask too many questions about your personal life or career (Are you writing a book? Kiss my ass and make it a love story), I told her that I am writing a novella about a cousin who is an RN right now but is considering a career as an NP. When we were talking about the universities and towns the woman doctor said that she did not know where Garden City was. I asked her where she lives, and she said Franklin Square. I mentioned Roosevelt Field and said that the village is just to the west. We then asked her if she is a Long Island girl and it turns out that she is originally from Colorado and also lived in Oklahoma. I mentioned to them about living in Central Louisiana with the Air Force almost 50 years ago and how they treated unmarried people and how dead it was. The nurse agreed that the region pressures people to get married early and often. Ellen and Eileen soon drove me home and we had lunch and then I watched TV. On the way home from a fire call I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 and got myself another Kinder Joy egg - #59 in the collection - an octopus.  I also listened to more of Vanessa Van Edwards videos on how to make friends and how to read people to maybe get to know them. On the 4^th I saw that trump was not inaugurated at our 19^th President like some of his sycophants hoped. In the late afternoon Eileen and I went for a walk through Greenview Village and then home via Tex Court – the usual truncated route. Once home I went to the firehouse for coffee and to watch some TV and listened to some of the pseudo-patriots and one anti-trump person argue about how the terrorists who stormed our capital are not worse than the BLM people. I think that the Capitol terrorists were a lot worse. Good to see that another person at the Islip FD is not a trump worshipper. I then went to the 7-11 at Sunrise Highway and Romain Avenue and got a small Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups pack and another Kinder Joy egg - #60, a super car which I put on the desk in the computer room. The day ended with the meeting at my American Legion post. It was the first time I was at the post in 4 months.

On the 5^th St. John’s e/mailed me to tell me that they are going to interview me as a member of the McCallen Society sometime during the week of March 7^th. The next day was a Saturday and Eileen and I went to Campero Chicken on 5^th Avenue in North Bay Shore for lunch. We split a four piece pack which included plantains and Latin beans and I know that we both enjoyed it. On the 7^th itself, after lunch Eileen and I went for another walk along our usual route through Greenview Village. After the walk I drove to the East Islip Shell to gas up the CR-V and then went to Patchogue. After parking at the main firehouse and I walked to the Olde Curiosity Shoppe (did not buy anything) and then I walked back through New Village (looks like a nice place to move to) before heading back to Islip for coffee and to use the computer at the firehouse.

On the way home from Patchogue I stopped at 7-11 for some candy and another Kinder Joy egg, #61 in the collection. It was a gorilla with a banana tree. On LinkedIn there was a discussion about rush limbaugh and some called him out for what he was – racist blowhard, and a phony. One bogus minister called me an ass because I reminded rush’s ditto heads that he was not a patriot, loving husband, father, and good person: He was on his 4^th wife, was childless, did not serve in the armed forces, and hated and demonized groups of people. 

On Tuesday I had made an appointment with Universal Cuts for a haircut and when I was there, the woman barber seemed to agree with me that trump was a disaster and that President Joe Biden would be a better president and do more to end the COVID crisis.  I was supposed to be interviewed by a St. John’s University grad assistant on behalf of the McCallen Society on Wednesday the 10^th but he had to postpone it to the 11^th. I mentioned to him that Ellen is also a member of the Society and he asked if he could interview the two of us. We said of course. At 2PM on the 11^th the Zoom link opened up and the young man asked us about how we met, and what we have done since graduating from the University in 1978, and also what our experiences were like while students there. We should be seeing it on YouTube in about a week or two. Later, after the interview Eileen and I went for a walk through Greenview Village and when we got home I went to the firehouse but first stopped at the 7-11 on Saxon Avenue by Bay Shore Commons. I got another Kinder Joy egg, #62 – another minion bike rider. On Friday I did some errands in town and then drove to the 7-11 in Oakdale and got the lotto ticket for Saturday and also got another Kinder Joy egg, #63 - a power wagon car. On the 13^th I started to read more of Loose Balls. The prologue and the introduction discuss some of the prominent figures of the American Basketball Association (ABA), both players and front/back office people. Since the book was written in 1990, I do not remember too many of them, but do know that several of these people have sadly passed away. Around 12:45 on Saturday Eileen and I drove to Huntington Village to have lunch at MB Ramen, which my cousin plugged on Facebook. We had to park a few blocks away but we got some exercise walking to the place. Once we sat down and had to listen to new music (read – garbage) we got the menus and I ordered spicy miso soup and Eileen got a vegetable noodle soup. Mine was quite spicy, but nothing I could not handle. I naturally brought a camera and took some photos, which I uploaded to the Internet and the hard drive. When we got back to Islip we stopped at Little Shop of Shamrocks to get some items for St. Patrick’s Day and also Eileen’s birthday. It was a bit hectic there but in the end we bought a small box of Irish tea bags, a Cadbury egg with Dairy buttons, and for Eileen’s birthday, a Rory Irish doll. I ended the weekend by downloading 4 cartoons from the Harlem Globetrotters’ Facebook page, and added 3 of them to my Harlem Globetrotters’ website on www.jimdo.com - https://harlem-globetrotters.jimdofree.com/ and I also checked my Billy 2016 site with that provider, https://billy2016.jimdofree.com/.

On Monday the 15^th I drove to the Northwell Urologists offices in Hauppauge to get my results from the March 3^rd biopsy. The prostate is enlarged but there is no prostate cancer!! I do have to return in 6 months. After lunch Eileen and I walked through Greenview Village to 7-11 and we each got Kinder Joy eggs. One was a lion #64 and the other was a generator truck #65. Eileen got the truck which is in her room. The lion is in the book case. Ellen has told me told me not to get anymore Kinder Joy friends, especially after I used the debit card at 7-11 on the 15^th and she saw the ones in the CR-V console and doors when she followed me to Babylon Honda. I guess she is right, and 65 friends are enough. On Tuesday I was up a bit earlier since I had to take the Accord to Babylon Honda Service. Around 10 to 4 I got a call from them telling me that the Accord is ready and we may need more work done in a few months. These future repairs will cost almost $2,000 and now Ellen and I are looking at possible replacements for the Accord – either another Accord, a Civic, or another CR-V. After a few weeks of trying, on St. Patrick’s Day Ellen got a vaccination appointment at the Brentwood Campus of Suffolk County Community College on the 29^th of April. Eileen has one two days earlier. On Thursday I went to the library to pick up Linda Gordon’s book, The Second Coming of the KKK. Looks like I will like it, and it’s relevant to today. Since Loose Balls is my own book, I can read it at my leisure. The 19^th was Eileen’s 31^st birthday. I cannot believe it’s that long since she was born at Plainview/Northwell Hospital. When I checked www.youtube.com I saw that the interviews with the St. John’s University that Ellen and I had on behalf of the McCallen Society were available. Ellen and I naturally watched them - there is a short one that lasts 3½ minutes and then the full one that goes for 36 minutes. When I listened to myself I felt that I don’t sound as bad as I feared. The URL’s to the two St. John’s interviews are here: https://youtu.be/ccZpFA39_Kk https://youtu.be/RA8MEqLwOZc

The next day was Saturday and Eileen and I went to Bay Shore Commons to check out the new Jersey Mike’s sandwich shop, on the location that Subway had.  We ordered a regular Philly cheese steak and potato chips and it came to just over $10.00. The man even gave Eileen small packs of chocolate chip cookies and brownies. I told him that he did not have to do that. We then walked towards the car but first we stopped in the card store in the Commons and Eileen got herself another Beanie Baby – Patrick the Star Fish from Sponge Bob (#105). Later I saw on Facebook that several pseudo patriots insist that trump is our rightful president and that the 2020 election was stolen and is a fraud. And the US is doomed. And that he should have been sworn in as our 19^th legitimate president on March 20th. On Sunday Eileen and I went out for a walk through Greenview Village and to the Wing School. At the Veterans Triangle we saw that some of the flags were touching the floor and I fixed them. I also wanted Eileen to go with me to the Brentwood Campus of Suffolk County Community College to go for a walk but she did not want to go and I did not force her. I went by myself and did a bit of walking and took pix of some of the buildings with my cell phone. I also saved a list of Bill’s 10 Commandments onto Google Photos. Some I have been following for a long time, some I better start to follow:

1. know when it’s time to go solo,
2. dare to be different,
3. stand up for your beliefs,
4. don’t let anyone take advantage of you,
5. be humble,
6. don’t give up,
7. make time for your loved ones,
8. don’t put up with people who don’t respect you,
9. don’t let anyone dim your fire,
10. don’t answer work emails on weekends.

Ellen asked me to help with a DNA kit from Ancestry.com. But I could not remember my ID or password and all attempts for them to contact me did not work. Personally I don’t care where my ancestors came from. I am a New York City born American and that is all that I care about. The DNA results could make me an undesirable person among the trumpers. My American Legion post is getting active again. Since I am the Post’s Homeland Security Officer, I get to go to officers’ meetings. They are normally held on the 4^th Thursday of the month, so I got to go and participate. This month we talked about acquiring some new equipment for the Post, and what activities we will participate in over the next couple of months.

To end March, Eileen and I had lunch at the Khyber Grill on Spur Drive South near 5^th Avenue. It’s a South Asian eatery and I ordered one bottle of water, butter chicken (in a vindaloo sauce) for me, chicken with chickpeas for Eileen, and two vegetable samosas – one for each of us. The food was decent and something different for us. Later in the afternoon we went for a walk along the truncated route through Greenview Village. Once the walk was done I had more errands to do: the lottery ticket at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 (and #66 Kinder Joy friend – a green snake), and gassing up the car at East Islip Shell. On Sunday after lunch I went to the Post for the 80^th birthday party of our chaplain, as his daughter invited me. When I got there I realized that did not even have a birthday card! I asked the daughter what her dad would like – wine. Since these days liquor stores are open on Sundays I headed to Manor Liquors and bought two bottles of Pindar Long Island wines. One was for the birthday guy – a blended North Fork red, and the Sweet Scarlett would be for us. For the last Monday of the month I went to East Islip Stop & Shop and redeemed bottles and since Kinder Joy eggs were 2 for $3, I could not resist. One was a picture holder with a drawing of a squirrel looking through a telescope. - #67. The other one is an Easter Rabbit (#68) that is now in our bookcase in the TV room. I listened to Vanessa Van Edwards’ video on introversion and meeting and making new friends. I like it and may try to do some extending of myself. But I still have the worry that people will take advantage of me if I try too hard to be their friend or see it as coming on in a homosexual way. And if someone does not want to be friends with you, you should not force yourself on them. 

Earlier in the month when we brought the Accord into Babylon Honda the technician told us that there is more maintenance that will have to be done in the future. Since we want to keep the car until at least the end of 2021 before trading it in, Ellen and I decided to have the maintenance work done - $1,900 worth of it. That was done on the 30^th so even if we decide to keep the Accord, it should last us quite a number of years.

April:

The first walk in April was through Greenview Village along the truncated route. The next day after lunch I went on an errand to mail stuff at the East Islip post office and then drove to the 7-11 in Oakdale to get the lotto ticket, and another Kinder Joy egg - #69 – a generator truck. On Holy Saturday (the 3^rd) Eileen and I went out to lunch at Relish, a renovated diner in Kings Park at the northern end of Pulaski Road. Each of us ordered lentil soup and iced tea and decided to split a cod fish panini bread sandwich. It seems that Eileen did not like the lentil soup so I put it into a doggie bag and took it home with us. The meal was excellent and the staff was very personable. But since it’s not a fast food spot, it was a bit expensive. We will go back in the future, just not in the immediate future. For Easter Sunday I went to the 10:30 Mass at St. Mary’s and it was fairly crowded – probably mostly Creasters. When I got home we broke tradition by having Sunday dinner at home – made by us. We had an eye round with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables. And since it’s red meat, a red Long Island wine. On Thursday the 8th I stopped at the 7-11 on Nassau Avenue & Union Boulevard to get some hand sanitizer and a Kinder Joy egg – a green truck, #70. We added to our collections by the end of the week when I got Kinder Joy egg #71 - a monkey swinging on a tree.  On Saturday after lunch at Taco Bell Eileen and I went for a walk along Main Street and stopped at Sugared Up for some candy, and she added Dangler to her Beanie Baby collection at #106. When I got home I relaxed with a trip down Memory Lane by watching some videos on www.youtube.com about the 1964 World’s Fair.

I finished chapter 11 (titled Empower) of Captivate and Vanessa van Edwards says to give people ownership to get them motivated. Share your mission and tie it to mutual interests and learn how to use others’ unique gifts. Chapter 12 (Reveal) discusses secrets and vulnerabilities and asking for advice. She says that revealing them can help with connections. I kind of disagree based on experiences. I also thought about a Facebook ‘friend’ who is a trumpster and complained about seeing non-white people in commercials. I guess he never heard of marketing. This man also complained that Flushing is now mostly Asian. That means more authentic Asian cuisine for me when I visit one of the restaurants there. After lunch on Sunday I drove to the East Islip Shell to fill the tank of the CR-V (with a 50¢ discount from Stop & Shop). I also got another Kinder Joy egg with #72 – another Marvel hero. I then went to the firehouse for coffee and to listen to more of the Dale Carnegie course titled 5 Essential People Skills. I definitely wish I knew these points 50 years ago. A slide and film viewer that Ellen ordered arrived and on Monday the 12^th Ellen and I were able to download to the hard drive 5 slides that Ma and Da took at the 1964 World’s Fair. I then uploaded them to the two Google Photos files. On Monday I skipped breakfast since I had an appointment at the family doctor’s office and there was blood work. The vital signs were favorable but the jury is out on the blood work as of the 13^th. The doctor and I also discussed friends and meeting people and we agreed that we don’t always have a large circle of friends, and it’s a myth that a good friend will always drop what they are doing and come to your aid. After lunch Eileen and I did our usual walk through Greenview Village and then I drove to the West Islip Marina to admire and photograph the 9-11 Memorial that the daughter of one of the Islip Fire Department members made for her Girl Scout Gold Project. I took several photos and was quite impressed. I also took pix of the West Islip Fire Department fire boat and then of the Robert Moses Causeway bridges. When the session was over I drove to the West Islip Stop & Shop to get the lotto ticket and also treat myself to a Kinder Joy egg. I was not able to get the lotto ticket, but I was able to get an egg – #73 in my collection - a gorilla swinging from a branch. I read chapter 13 (Protect) of Captivate, about social fears and how to deal with difficult people, and the NUT (name, understand and transform) solution for fears. The recap says that when you address someone’s (or your) fear by seeking to understand it, you can transform a problem into a solution. The last Chapter is number 14 (Engage) that discusses curiosity – being curious about others and satisfying three of peoples’ basic needs (love, self-actualization, and esteem). Make people feel wanted, know, and respected but only to those you really want to build a deep connection with. After bowling on the 14^th I dropped Eileen off and I went back to town to stop at Chase Bank and then visit the pharmacy to pick up my 30 mg Paxil prescription. On the way home I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 to treat myself to another Kinder Joy egg – a space top, #74.

On Friday evening I went back to Stop & Shop to get 3 cases of Poland Spring water and also a Kinder Joy egg, #75 - a leopard. For our weekly lunch outside of the house, Eileen and I went to the Peter Pan Diner in Bay Shore to enjoy iced tea, matzoh ball soup, and a chicken quesadilla. All quite good. When we got back home we went for one of our several walks through Greenview Village along the truncated route. Later in the evening when I got home from church and the firehouse Ellen told me that our cousin in law Mike called us from Arlington VA to tell us that his wife Julie passed away on the prior Sunday from cardiac arrest! I could not believe it. On Sunday after lunch Eileen and I did another walk, this time in Babylon Village, from the Municipal Parking Lot to the Village Hall and back, stopping at Roe Roe’s Sweet Street for Beanie Baby #107 for Eileen, a cat named Tabitha and some gummy candy for us. The next essay of Loose Balls, The First Year Notebook: 1967-1968 talked about the first season, which began on October 13^th. The League claimed over 1,200,000 fans in season 1. The next essay, The 1.3 Million Glass Ring discussed the Oakland Oaks trade for Doug Moe, Coach Alex Hannum’s workouts, and Pat Boone’s being forced to pay for the team’s debts.

On Tuesday morning (the 20^th) I brought the CR-V to Babylon Honda for an inspection and some minor maintenance. In the mid-afternoon the CR-V was ready, so I went over to Babylon Honda to pick it up. We got a new inspection, oil change, and brakes relined for around $300. Then I drove to Carleton Avenue in Islip Terrace so I could mail the sympathy cards at the Islip Terrace post office and then walk next door to the 7-11 for coffee and a Kinder Joy egg. I got coffee with some sweet cream (a bit too sweet for my tastes) and Kinder Joy #76, a space station. On Thursday the 22^nd Eileen and I had lunch at the West Islip McDonald’s on Sunrise Highway before heading to the Broadway Commons Mall in Hicksville. Once we arrived and parked, we walked to a side entrance and since I brought my camera, took some photos of Eileen with the mall’s name in the background. We checked out a few stores to maybe get a Beanie Baby and/or some candy, and finally came upon Candy Heaven. There were stuffed animals and candy bins, similar to Roe Roe’s or Sugared Up. I also saw some eggs that looked like Kinder Joy eggs. One said Princess and one said Safari. Kinder Joy has issued specially themed eggs so we decided on two eggs – one for me and one for Eileen. We opened the eggs when we get home. It turns out these were another set of knockoffs. It looks like the eggs were made in Turkey because there was writing in Turkish on the eggs. There was candy –peanut and hazelnut flavor, but there was no crunchy part. The toys – a car and a skateboard – were subpar compared to the real ones from Kinder Joy. I let Eileen have them and she put them on her end table. I will not include them in the list of Kinder Joy friends, same as with the Dada eggs items.

The next day on Friday after a walk through Greenview Village, I drove to the firehouse but first stopped at the 7-11and got a Hershey’s milk chocolate and Reese’s bar and another Kinder Joy egg - #77. It’s a green generator truck. The next day Eileen and I did our usual lunch outside the house, this time at the local Taco Bell. We enjoyed soft and hard shell tacos and iced tea, and I also had a chalupa. We also managed to take in another walk around Greenview Village. Later in the day I went to the 4:30 Mass like I usually do. And after Mass I went to the 7-11 at Main Street and Timber Point Road to get the lotto ticket and another Kinder Joy egg. It's a scale or turntable with two lemur like critters on each side, #78, which I put into the book case.  In the evening Ellen and I watched Inherit the Wind, the 1960 movie starring Spencer Tracy, Frederic March and Gene Kelly. What scares me is that a lot of what took place in 1925, based on the Scopes Monkey Trial, seems to be coming back these days. The next morning I went to the firehouse for coffee and then came home to watch my cousin in law Julie’s burial service from Arlington VA with Ellen. Since it was rainy we did not do too much else. But I did drive to the North Babylon Uncle Giuseppe’s to get some salads – potato, chicken, and pasta – for dinner. On Monday the 26^th a nurse practitioner, sent by Aetna, visited me to give me an exam – vital signs, did a questioner, and also took my height & weight. My height is 5’6½ inches and my weight is almost 190! She recommended more exercise, like walking and maybe using the stationary bike. Later in the morning our financial advisor came by to check on our financial conditions and our IRA’s and 401 (k)’s. I had a CD in an IRA that came due on the 26^th and I wanted to put it into the single account that I have from our advisor. The account was with Capital One Bank and the nearest branch is by South Shore Mall. I drove over to the mall and looked for it in the main building. But it is just off the mall property on the Sunrise Highway service road. Rather than drive I actually walked from the mall’s main hallway to the bank branch and closed the account out. I will put the funds into the account with Jackson National, who will be the successor trustee. I also had to mail a bill and get the lotto ticket so I drove to the Islip Terrace post office to mail the bill and then walk next door to 7-11 to get the lotto ticket and treat myself to a Kinder Joy egg. This 7-11 now has the wildlife eggs, and I got a wild bird with a chick, and is #79 in the collection. This one is orange and already have it, so I gave it to Eileen to put onto the end table in her room. On Tuesday afternoon I took Eileen to Suffolk County Community College’s Edgewood campus to get her first COVID vaccine shot (Pfizer). I stayed with her and answered questions for her and she took the needle like a trooper. While I did not bring a camera, I did take several pictures with my cell phone. On the way home we stopped at a 7-11 on 5^th Avenue near the Third Precinct and got 2 more Kinder Joy eggs, which we opened up when we got home. I got a white monkey (#80) and Eileen got the gorilla (#81) since I already have it. After lunch on Wednesday, the 28^th, Eileen and I went for another walk through Greenview Village along the Truncated Route. The next day I got an e/mail from SJU about the 50^th anniversary of my first graduation. It looks like it’s virtual but there is a 5K walk and some talks with some of the famous athletes. I did try to sign up for these two things. I listened to a recap of Dale Carnegie’s book that was summarized into 10 points. Basically give people a good reputation to live up to, be genuinely interested in other people, don’t talk about yourself, talk in terms of other peoples’ interests. After breakfast on Thursday I watched Eileen while Ellen went to Suffolk County CC to get her dose #1. Since she had her cane and walker, when she got to the door she got a wheelchair and did not get up until they wheeled her back to the car when it was time to go home. After lunch I went to the 7-11 at Nassau Avenue and got another Kinder Joy egg – a clawed monster truck - #82. I ended April with a trip to the Islip Terrace post office with Eileen. She dropped the two items in the mail chute and then we walked next door to the 7-11 to get the lotto ticket and then decided on Kinder Joy eggs instead of Beanie Babies. This 7-11 does sell the wildlife ones so I picked out two of them and then also bought a lotto ticket. We then drove to the firehouse to park the car and walk to Chase Bank to take care of business. We continued walking to Willow Avenue and walked down the block about half way before we turned around to go back to the firehouse. When we got home we opened the eggs up. There was the white monkey, #83, which I already have so that is for Eileen's room. The other was a grey panther #84, so I took that one and put it in the book case.

September:

The 9^th month began with my watching a History Channel show about the American automakers and their role in helping the Allies win World War II, and then their problems after the War.  Ford introduced its great 1949 model, then Chevrolet introduced the 283 engine, and Chrysler bounced back with Lee Iacocca at the helm.  Later in the day, we got heavy rains from Tropical Storm Ida.  New York City and Westchester got a lot more than the South Shore, enough to cause flooding in the New York City subway and the highways, and to kill people in flooded basements.  The next day while on the way home from signing in for a fire call, I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 and got a Surprizeanimal for myself.  It’s Freddy Hermit Crab, #126, which will be in the CRV.  I brought the farting ninja into the house and put him on the computer room desk   In the evening I went to the meeting at the American Legion post.  I will be doing some research to talk about Homeland Security, especially civil preparedness.  

On Day 3 I was up a bit earlier and drove to the firehouse and to park the car and go for a walk along Main Street, stopping at the Veterans Memorial Park at Town Hall where I tool 3 pix of the 9-11 Memorial.   After lunch on the 5th I went for a walk through Greenview Village with Eileen.  When I got home, I wanted to check out the new 7-11 at 5650 Sunrise Highway but got off at the wrong exit.  I went down to Church Street, Nicolls Road, and Montauk Highway but was too far east on the service road so I said screw it and headed west to a 7-11 in Bohemia and got coffee and 7-Select mango flavored cookies.  

I then went to the firehouse again to finish my coffee and watch part of the Yankees game.  They were ahead of the Orioles while I was there but eventually lost again.  I then went home and discussed with Ellen what to get from Uncle Giuseppe’s: rotisserie chicken, cole slaw, potato and macaroni salads, and a marble coffee cake.  

On Tuesday the 7^th I went to the supermarket for lunch provisions, and also another Kinder Joy egg – a lime green jack o’lantern (#118 in the collection), which I put into the console of the Accord.  After lunch the 3 of us drove to JFK Airport to check out where I will be departing from next week (it is Delta Terminal 4).  We got a look at it and saw where I will get dropped off.  Once that was done, we then tried to find our way out but ended up on Rockaway Boulevard instead of the Belt Parkway.  Rather than risk an accident, we stayed on Rockaway Boulevard/Turnpike to Peninsula Boulevard and took it to the Southern State and then to the Ocean Parkway along the beach and home.  

On Wednesday afternoon I finally made it to the new 7-11 in Sayville (5650 Sunrise Highway).  No Kinder Joy eggs but I got some 7-Select cookies and coffee. On Wednesday afternoon 9th, I listened to a speech by a fellow Vietnam Era Veteran Hamilton Gregory titled McNamara’s Folly – slow witted men who were drafted and often put into the infantry or other hazardous positions, since the military was desperate for bodies.  Maybe that is why I was fit for military service (infantry) despite bad eyes, low weight, and flat feet.  When I got home from the 9-11 ceremonies at Town Hall, I changed and took Eileen with me to Taco Bell for lunch. 

From the 12^th to the 15^th I was in San Diego to visit my cousins and attend the interment of their parents’ cremains at the Miramar National Cemetery.  Their dad was also my godfather.  On Sunday morning I was up at around 4:15 to shower and get ready to head to the airport.  At 5:05 we left Islip and headed to JFK.  We got there in about 50 minutes and then the ladies dropped me off at Delta Terminal 4 where I had Sky Cap check my luggage.  I then went through security and then went to the waiting area.  After about 90 minutes I was boarding Flight DL 350, the plane was a Boeing 767, and I sat in seat 47C.  Takeoff was on time and 5 hours later I landed at San Diego International Airport.  It was great to be back in CA after 46½ years, and my first time in Southern CA. My cousins picked me up and showed me around the port, with the cruise shops and the USS Midway Museum. There was a statue of the sailor kissing the nurse (from a 1945 Times square photo) and that was a great photo opportunity.  We then went around Petco Park where I saw some light rail trains. I hoped that the team store was open but it was closed due to some computer program glitch. We then rode through Old Town and by the Presidio and finally to my hotel – Embassy Suites. Later after I checked in, I joined my cousins at PJ Cheng’s, across the parking lot from the hotel.  Later two of cousins in law and a cousin took me to the Glider Port and Torrey Pines Golf Couse, as well as admiring the UCSD campus (we could not really go onto it because of COVID precautions).  The Scripps Aquarium was closed because of capacity crowds but I did get some photo ops.  In the evening I joined the cousins and families at a restaurant on the grounds of the Torrey Pines Golf Course and Resort.  I enjoyed rack of lamb, which I will never make at home. The next day, on the 13^th, my cousin and family picked me up to go to the Miramar National Cemetery.  At the cemetery there was a prayer service, taps and a gun salute.  We then left to go to the La Valencia Hotel by the Pacific Ocean in La Jolla for lunch.  There were numerous photo ops of the beach and ocean breakers.  When the lunch was over my cousin drove me back to my hotel.  Tuesday was a day for me to explore parts of San Diego.  After breakfast a cousin picked me up and drove me to the Gaslight District, and I walked to Petco Park to buy some items in the team store and take pictures.  I bought a Padres Teddy Bear for Eileen, and a brown Padres shirt with #5 Wil Myers for me.  I then walked to the transportation center at 12^th & Imperial Avenues where I waited for 2 of my cousins.  We then hopped the trolley/light rail green line to Seaport Village and walked to the port.  When we got to the waterside, we walked to the maritime museum checked out the ships moored there: The Star of India, the USS Midway, as well as some smaller sailing ships and 2 submarines.  One of my cousins had to pick up his car because he had to return to University of California Santa Barbara so then my cousin & I walked to the Santa Fe Depot to take pictures and grab the trolley back to the MTS Center at 12^th & Imperial.  Once we got there we walked to his car and headed a further north to have some coffee at Starbucks.  Later in the evening my cousin came by and we looked around for a pub before deciding on BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse on Villa La Jolla Drive.  We sat at the bar and watched the Padres lose to the Giants 6-1.  I ordered a microbrew and my cousin ordered an IPA.  After the game was over and I finished my pint, we headed back to the hotel since I had to be up a bit early on Wednesday to check out and head home.  On Wednesday morning I was up by 7 am to shower and then go downstairs for breakfast. Great to have omelets and hash brown potatoes, which I don’t make at home. There was time for some TV before my cousin took me to the San Diego Airport to come home. After she dropped me off at the Jet Blue Terminal, I checked my baggage and went through security, and soon I boarded flight 190, an Airbus A321, in seat 23D (aisle). We took off around 12:10 Pacific Time as scheduled and were heading east. I did have some coffee and granola bars and that held me over until I got home. Since the middle seat was vacant, I was able to watch entertainment on two screens: baseball – the Red Sox vs. the Mariners, and Boston won 9-4, and a movie – Jurassic World. We landed at JFK around 8:32 New York time and Ellen and Eileen were able to pick me up.  

On Saturday, just before noon Eileen and I went to the Islip Library so we could use the computers, and I got to take some books out for Ellen.  Then we went over to the Rusy Bohm American Legion Post for the annual picnic.  It was $20 each so I shelled out $40 total.  But we did have some good eats and I got to talk with several of the members.  Around 4 PM we left to come home so I could take a nap, but then just after 5 PM I returned to the post to help with putting things away.

On Sunday morning on Medium I saw an essay about the master race (WASP’s and Nordics) not actually being the master race.  “Us” cling to 5 myths:

1. “Us” built Western civilization,
2. Black people are inferior,
3. Jews are disloyal & dishonest,
4. ”Us” built this country,
5. “Us” are being exterminated by “Them.”

Actually, “Them” beat the masters to civilization, writings, good architecture, and navigation.  

Just before lunch on 9-21 I registered for three events at the St. John’s University Alumni Homecoming Weekend: the parade on the 22^nd (Friday) and two events on Saturday – the baseball team alumni game, and the basketball memorial Mass.  The next day I was up at the usual time thanks to the alarm and habit and went to the firehouse for coffee before heading to the ENT Allergies practice in Islandia.  I had my honker and ears checked out.  There is some crust on the wall of my nose, and wax and eczema in my right ear.  I also had a hearing test.  Later I went to the pharmacy to pick up some med’s.  When I got home, I went with Ellen & Eileen to the JMJ Hair Salon on Main Street.  They took care of Eileen first so she and I could go for a walk.  We headed along Main Street to the firehouse and while we were walking, we got an automatic alarm at Bubba’s Burrito Bar.  While I was at HQ, I said hello to the guys there and then we headed back to the salon.  Eileen and I stopped at Sugared Up and she got Beanie Baby #128 – a bird like round critter named Owen (there is another Beanie Baby named Owen, but he is one of the smaller palm sized critters).  The next day after lunch Eileen and I went for a walk through Greenview Village and we ran into a lady named Karen who helps out with the Shooting Stars.  Later I went to the firehouse for coffee and to use the computers, and then to the library to print pix and use the computers some more.  On the way home I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 to get a snack – another Kinder Joy egg with a big car with a shovel, #119.  It’s in the CR-V.  

On September 24^th St. John’s installed its 18^th President, and as an alumnus, I headed to the Jamaica campus to witness the investiture of Father Brian Shanley, OP.  Father Shanley was a Providence College alumnus and was their president until coming to New York.  The ceremony was in the Carnesecca Arena (formerly Alumni Hall).  The NYPD Pipe & Drum Band led the faculty and organizations into the arena floor and to the stage.  I was able to sit with some other McCallen Society members and enjoy the ceremony.  But it did get me down that I was never able to learn anything in the 1^st three years, and never did get a job or career that really fulfilled me.  And I was envious of the fact that I really don’t have athletic prowess, and that the school was not that good 50 years ago compared to today, and that higher education and I were never meant for each other.  But I did get a chance to have a nice set of snacks in the Taffner Field House and got more photo ops there and in the foyer of the Carnesecca Arena.  

Over the last weekend of this month Eileen and I had lunch at Taco Bell on Saturday and have keeping up on our walks through Greenview Village.  After Taco Bell I went to the 4:30 Mass.  At the end of Mass, Father introduced a couple who left the Island for Naples FL and love it.  They don’t miss the Island at all.  I spoke with the couple after Mass and told them that I want to get the hell off of Long Island but Ellen does not want to move, and I am not throwing away 43 years together.  They told me that there are no alligators or snakes in Naples and not that many bugs – there are eagles and other animals though.  I can still dream though.  

On Sunday after having some coffee at the firehouse, I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 for some honey roasted peanuts and a Kinder Joy egg – I got a super type of hero with a strange weapon.  It is #120 and is in the CR-V console.  

On Monday afternoon the 3 of us went to Heckscher State Park to do some walking and take pix.  We had planned to go to Jones Beach but it was around 2:40 when we left the house and it’s a bit further than Heckscher State Park.  It was so windy that there were white caps and small waves on the Great South Bay.  And maybe just the same that we did not go to Jones Beach because if it was windy at the state park on a bay, I would hate to see what it was like at Jones Beach.  After the walk and photo ops, we drove back on the parkway to exit 43 and came home down Commack Road.  

I ended September with meeting up with my friends Charlie & Debbie in Manhattan.  After they checked in at the CQ Hotel on East 45^th Street, we headed to Junior’s 45^th Street location for lunch.  I ordered iced tea, a cup of soup, and a small brisket sandwich, followed by a black & white cookie.  The main dining room was decorated with paintings from scenes of Brooklyn: the Bridge, Coney Island, and Ebbets Field.  That is where I went to town taking photos.  After we finished our meals and paid the waiter, we walked past the Schoenfeld Theater where Come From Away is playing.  Charlie & Debbie have tickets for tomorrow’s performance.  We then walked to the Food Emporium and then to 42^nd Street where we stopped at the Yankees Clubhouse where I bought two more squash ‘em characters in Major League Baseball uniforms – one for Eileen and one for me.  At this time, they are still in my knapsack (check the October page to learn which ones we got).  We then walked to Bryant Park to relax and take in the scenery before I left to walk to Penn Station to grab the 5:51 train home.        

October:

October opened with my opening the bags that had the Squeezy Mates that I bought at the Yankees Clubhouse on the prior day.  One player was Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels, the other had the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte.  After some thinking, Eileen selected Mike, so I got Ketel.  Later that evening I watched a 2 hour special on Walt Disney World, since October 1^st is the 50^th anniversary of its opening.  It brought back memories of our visit in 2014 and I definitely want to go back. 

On the 1^st Saturday I went to a yard sale that was actually in the yard at a house on Grace Court.  I ended up getting 2 coffee table books: one about American railroads & one about the New York Football Giants, and a NY Giants tee shirt.  I then came home and picked Eileen up and we went to Salah’s Middle eastern Café in East Islip where we each enjoyed a gyro and iced tea.  

Eileen wanted to eat out on Sunday, so we first planned on Peninsula in Bay Shore but there was the parking issue.  I said why not Fancy Lee and Eileen said yes so that is where we ate.  We did not stuff ourselves but did not leave hungry.  But I know that I have to lose more weight since my body mass index is 29 – not too far from obese for my height.  

October 4^th is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.  Francis was an animal lover and on his feast day, St. Mary’s Church held a blessing of the animals.  While I don’t have any pets, I finally had the time to go over and watch the ceremonies.  This year the pets were all dogs, except for one cat.  Among the breeds getting blest were dachshunds, corgis, mixed breeds, a pit bull, chihuahuas, golden retrievers, and several others.  Naturally I brought my camera and went to town photographing the pets, as well as the priests who did the honors. The next day was the interim food shopping trip so besides the lunch provisions, I got another jack o’lantern in the Kinder Joy egg – this one is yellow and I put it with my jade plant in the window.  It’s also #121 in the collection.  

On Wednesday (the 6^th) after breakfast I headed to OCLI over in Hicksville.  There was a thorough eye exam and I thought that my eyesight was going, but a lot of the issues have to do with the position of what I am reading and how I am sitting.  On Thursday after lunch Ellen took Eileen to an eye doctor so I was home alone.  I decided to visit the antique mall in the Light House Commons shopping plaza.  I browsed around and also said hello to a former neighbor who has a stall there but did not buy anything.  Then I checked out Milo Toys & Collectables Inc. in the Commons  There were some items that maybe Eileen and I might be interested in.  But I did not buy anything this time but if we both return, we might see things we both like.  Then I headed back to Islip and visited the Nassau Avenue 7-11 for some breakfast cookies and a Kinder Joy egg.  I got the elephant with the palm leaves (#122), and it’s in the CR-V.  

Since it was the 1^st Thursday on the month, just before 8 pm I went to the meeting at the American Legion post.  I am the post’s Homeland Security Officer and spoke briefly about civil preparedness.  It went over well but I realize that I have a voice for pantomime and not for radio or TV.  The 1^st Vice Commander asked me to look up New York State Department of Emergency Management Civil Response.  I managed to get some information from http://www.dhses.ny.gov/media/documents/NYS-Homeland-Security-Strategy.pdf.  

On Friday I watched an episode of Hoarding – Buried Alive on the Life Channel and the hoarder said that she felt that since childhood she felt like a failure since she did not always get straight A’s.  That was why she hoarded – stuff to make her feel better and be her friends.  Sounds like me – I felt like a failure to many people since I did not make the CYO sports teams and had no athletic prowess; had (and have) a very hard time making friends; rarely got selected to be in charge or help run things; had no meaning direction in life or real skills.  Luckily, I am not a hoarder but I do seem to like to collect things – they remind me of a trip or event, even if it’s local.  I still have several of the model cars from almost 60 years ago, but they are in the attic.  

Later on Friday I read a few articles from a History Channel e/mail about the persecution of Hispanics, especially since the 1840’s and into the 20^th century.  It was sad to read about Mexican Americans being forcibly deported – even US citizens, having to go to separate schools until the 1940’s, and being victims of violence.  Also Italian Americans were lynched in 1891 in New Orleans.  So maybe I should be more tolerant of Latinos, since people erroneously spoke to me in Spanish on occasion several years ago, and I could be next.  Since I was mistaken for Hispanic a couple of times, I would not be surprised if employment agencies and others did the same and that hurt my career in banking.  In the evening, I put up some Halloween decorations and a medium sized pumpkin in the bay window.  

On Saturday morning I went to my dentist’s office to fix the cover in the upper right jaw and fix a broken filling in the lower left jaw.  For lunch Eileen and I went to the North Babylon Taco Bell to order a cravings box each.  When we left, I headed to Bay Shore Road to gas the car at a Shell station before heading back to Islip.  After watching some TV Eileen and I went to the street fair in Brightwaters.  We went down Windsor Avenue from the Sunrise since Windsor was closed by the grade crossing near Union Boulevard.  Once we parked in a village lot, we walked to the intersection where the tents were and spent $4 on a pretzel that we shared.  The next stop was a realtor’s tent and we helped ourselves to freebies: a small beach ball, a rubber stress ball shaped like an orange, water bottles, a pen, and hand sanitizer.  We walked around a bit more and took photos, including some of a fellow Engine 2 member playing guitar in front of a pub.  I also said hello to 3 other members and their wives who were there.  After about 25 minutes we headed back to Islip to have ice cream at Coyle’s (birthday cake for Eileen, pumpkin for me) and then walked to the Town Hall Park to take more photos before walking back to the firehouse lot to get the car to come home.  Once I got home, I uploaded the pix to the hard drive, Google Photos, and Facebook.  

On Columbus Day (the 11^th) I went with Ellen and Eileen to OCLI in Oceanside, by the Triangle on Long Beach Road.  To get there we rode through Rockville Centre and Oceanside and it brought back memories of good years gone by when Ellen & I lived there.  While Ellen was being taken care of, Eileen and I walked to Moe’s Southwest in the Great Lincoln Shopping Center on Atlantic Avenue for lunch.  We each had a burrito and iced tea.  Moe’s is a lot more expensive than Taco Bell but several steps better.  The bill came to $31 so I have to definitely stop spending elsewhere.  After lunch we walked through the center to CVS for some Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups before heading up Lincoln Avenue to the OCLI building to meet Ellen.  On our way home, we drove past the Rockville Centre house Ellen grew up in.  It has been repainted and the tree in the front is gone.  The new owners now have a couple of preschoolers.   

I listened to TED talks: How to Stop Screwing Yourself by Melanie Robbins, and What makes you special? by Mariana Atencio.  Mariana is anti-trump and noted that when trump won in 2016.  I also listened to readings of Kipling’s If You Can as well as The Road Less Travelled by Robert Frost.  I have to change and try and improve my life by doing things.  But what???  After lunch on Thursday I went for a walk with Eileen along our usual route and then we rode to Sunken Meadow State Park to go for a walk along the boardwalk.  It was a good photo op and we even saw some deer near the boardwalk.  We then drove to the 7-11 on Pulaski Road in Kings Park for some 7-Select cookies and then I stopped at Chase Bank on Indian Head Road to get $100 from the ATM.  It was then time to head back to Islip, along the parkways.  

For lunch on Saturday the 16th Eileen and I went to the local McDonald’s for lunch – two McChicken sandwiches and an order of large fries, washed down by iced tea.  We then drove to St. Patrick’s Church in Bay Shore, parked on 5^th Avenue and walked to Park Avenue.  We stopped in 2 stores - the Fruit Mandala and Willy Nilly Shop but did not buy anything.  But I did see the “Goddam Doll” collection there that might be a gift at Christmas for Eileen.  We took pix at McDonalds, St. Patrick’s Church and the new vest pocket park before we came home.  

On Sunday we had the resumption of the semi annual street fair in Islip.  In the morning I helped my American Legion Post set up the tables & tent for the fair.  I also helped man the table for a while and also walked around to check out the other tables.  Around noon I came home for lunch and I changed clothes and took Eileen with me.  With the Post’s lot occupied by the Steuben Society (renting the hall) and the firehouse lot being redone, parking was an issue and we ended up next to the library.  But we did walk to Main Street and had ice cream at Coyle’s (Mississippi Mud for me, birthday cake for Eileen) which I paid for with a debit card.  We visited several tables and at State Farm I got a pad which we can use for shopping, and Eileen won a ball which I put into the toy chest.  She insisted on going home so then we walked to Union Avenue where we took pictures of each other by the Islip Fire Department ladder trucks.  Then it was to the library to get the car.  But not before I saw a yard sale cross the street .  Eileen got another beanie baby type animal – cat with the smile or frown face, #129 named Grumpy (after Grumpy Cat).  

Sadly, on Monday the 18^th former Secretary of State General Colin Powell passed away today at the age of 84.  RIP General and thank you for your service to the country.  Around 8:15 on Tuesday morning, after firehouse coffee I went to the Post to help with a work detail – floor dusting and helping to mop the floors after two weekend events.  When I got home, I was able to register for the Alumni Cocktail Hour at St. John’s and will meet three other alumni while at the D’Angelo Center.  The next day I went to Northwell Orthopedics at 301 East Main Street in Bay Shore for my appointment with the orthopedic doctor.  It turned out that I have tennis elbow - it’s not a fracture but it’s the tendons.  I later went to the Islip Pharmacy to buy a tennis elbow brace and pick up two related prescriptions.  Now I can visit a basketball court and shoot hoops.  

On the way home from bowling on the 20^th Eileen and I stopped at the Nassau Avenue 7-11 and got two Kinder Joy eggs.  One was a generator truck (#123) that is for Eileen; I got a catapult (#124) which is in the CR-V. On Thursday morning I drove to Hauppauge for my appointment with the urologist.  It turns that the PSA went down a bit and with two biopsies that turned out negative for prostate cancer, I dodged a bullet twice so far.  Later in the afternoon, at the library, I listened to You Tube videos on autism and it looks like I may have a mild case since I did not enjoy being with people and only really looked for friends to keep Mom & Dad and others off my back.  I also was happy when I did not follow the crowd.  I love and have loved inanimate objects: car models, trains, old cars.  On Friday I did the main food shopping trip and also treated myself to another Kinder Joy egg – a lime green Jack o’lantern - which in on the jade plant in the bay window.  It is #125 in the collection.  

After lunch on Friday the 22nd I drove to St. John’s for the homecoming parade.  The ride in was great until exit 27 on the Northern State Parkway when it was bumper to bumper all the way to the Clearview Expressway.  It did move a bit by the City Line but overall it was stupid drivers who don’t know how to merge, pick up speed or even how to drive on a parkway (naturally I blamed the teachers’ unions for that).  Once I got to the campus I parked in the lot at the southern end of the Quadrangle and walked to the residence village.  The parade started by the dining hall and went up the hill to the D’Angelo Center and just past the Asian Studies Building some cars joined them.  There was a greek week bash by the Asian Studies Building, but it looked like it was not as big as it was 50 years ago (I still have no use for greek letter organizations).  And it was nice to see students coming from the residential village and living on campus.  The parade ended in front of the Carnesecca Arena.  By the Arena there were some tables that venders set up: Qdoba Catering and Blaze Pizza.  I won a Blaze beanie, and the Qdoba was giving out burritos for free.  I also found time to visit the book store and treated myself to a locker room gray SJU t-shirt and got Eileen a cat with an SJU shirt (Johnny, #130 in the Beanie Babies collection).  I hung around a bit more by the arena and then walked up the hill past Marillac Terrace to St. John’s Hall to use the facilities and then went to St. Thomas More Church to rest a bit.  I then walked over to the spot between St. Albert’s Hall and the residence Village to take pix of the NYC skyline.  There was a bit more walking before I finally walked back to the car to head home and face the slow poke Long Island drivers.  Of course I went to town with my trusty digital camera during my entire time on campus.  

The next morning was a Saturday, so I went to the growers market for the usual and then to the firehouse for coffee.  When I came home Eileen and I rode over to Oconee Diner to have breakfast, since I was supposed to be at St. John’s at around 1 pm.  We had coffee and split a mushroom omelet with home fries, and a corn muffin.  We also were impressed with the Halloween decorations, and I got to take several pictures while there.  When we got home, I got ready and left around 12:15 pm for St. John’s University for Day 2 of the Homecoming Weekend.  I was up at the usual time and  just like Friday afternoon, the Northern State was jammed from exits 23 to 27 (slow pokes and dead foot drivers) so I switched to the Long Island Expressway.  It moved pretty well until the Cross Island Parkway and then the Clearview Expressway.  When I got to the campus, I parked the car in the lot by Union & Utopia and headed to Jack Kaiser Stadium, where I enjoyed the last innings of an intrasquad game and even got to talk with the head coach and a baseball alumnus.  I then noticed that the press box was named after Bob Sheppard – my speech professor there in addition to his day job.  The next stop was the Carnesecca Arena to check out an intrasquad volley ball game, and then talk with one of the alumni coordinators who knows Ellen, Eileen and me from our attending events and Facebook photos.  It was a nice walk to Red Storm Field at the other end of the campus, by 168^th Street behind the Residential Village.  This trek allowed me to do a bit of the Red Storm Fitness Trail.  Once at the Field, I spoke to two softball players about the team and the dormitories (they said that both are great).  I then went over to the area behind home plate and took photos of the exhibits and also watched batting practice.  One of the players even invited me to hit a few!  I said sure but told here that I am suffering tennis elbow and will have to be careful.  Despite the elbow and age, I did hit a couple out to the infield.  Once I finished my challenge to Pete Rose’s hitting record, I got to talk with the University’s Athletic Director while I was heading back to the main part of the campus.  Since it was greek week, I decided to watch an intramural basketball game in the residential village court between two sororities.  While I was heading back to the top of the hill a campus tour was being started and while I was resting by Sun Yat Sen Hall it caught up to me and soon, I joined them.  The two student ambassadors were describing the current campus.  I got to inter-splice some of my stories of SJU from 1968-1978 and yes, the place changed a lot in the last 40+ years.  It was getting close to 4 pm so I continued on to the car to change cameras and put on my sports jacket, and then head to the Dangelo Center for the 1970-1971 cocktail hour.  I got to meet three of my friends from the first time around while in Young Americans for Freedom.  They are still ultra conservative, so I kept my politics to myself.  I also talked to a lady from the class of 1970 who is the daughter, wife and mother to career military men.  She and I agreed that Vietnam (Era) Veterans were treated badly back in the day.  The University’s events photographer took numerous photos and hopefully I might show up in the events albums on the School’s website.  After an hour or so of conversations, and some goodies, we all walked over to the Arena for the dedication of the Lou Carnesecca statue.  Inside was for family, the current team, and basketball alumni.  It was still great to be able to see it outside on CCTV.  When the dedication was over, I managed to get inside to the lobby and took photos of Lou with the alumni, and also a shot of the current team and Coach Mike Anderson.  Once that was done, I said goodbyes and headed to the car and headed home.  

On Sunday morning I was up at the usual time and went to the firehouse for coffee, and then went to the 9 am Mass at St. Mary’s, since I did not make it the day before at St. John's.  The celebrant was a guest priest from a mission society.  Father is a Native New Yorker from Morningside Heights and seems to like baseball.  Father also spoke about the mission’s work in numerous countries, emphasizing Haiti and the endemic poverty and violence there.  There were donation envelopes, and Ellen and I might send a check.  

The next day Eileen and I drove to East Northport to check out a new bookstore, titled The Dog-Eared Bard's Book Shop, located on Lakefield Road near Pulaski Road. Unfortunately, it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, so while we now know where it is, we will have to return later in the week if I want to get something for myself. We then walked to the post office and then back to the 7-11 on Pulaski Road to get some candy before heading home on the parkways. 

Tuesday the 26th is my birthday and while I did not do anything special, I did head over to Manhattan Sweets to get some scones for the three of us to enjoy in the evening or on Wednesday morning.  On Wednesday morning at around 11 am I went with Ellen and Eileen to JMJ Hair Salon on Main Street in Islip.  After they took care of Eileen, she and I went for a walk to Smith Avenue and back.  Later Ellen told me that the owners of the salon and one of the other patrons are all trumpsters.  They kept complaining on what the current administration is doing.  But the more I see what is going on in the country, the more I prefer to be a loner and have as few friends as possible.  

On Thursday afternoon we went to Town Hall West to participate in early voting.  When we got there, we signed in.  They now have a computer type terminal and a clerk types in your name.  And only one at a time, unlike the book, where they can see your name as well as those of other family members.  I decided to help Eileen and had to cosign her computer form.  But we did cast our votes for whom we believe are the best people running.  Later in the evening I went to my American Legion post for the Executive Committee meeting.  

On the last Saturday of the month around 12:45 Eileen and I headed to Del Fuego in East Northport to have lunch.  We enjoyed iced tea and split a cheese dip and a chicken burrito.  We then walked down Larkfield Road to Chase bank to do business at the ATM and stopped at the post office to mail 3 items.  We then walked back to the Dog Eared Bard’s Book Shop.  Besides helping ourselves to Halloween candy, Eileen and I bought 5 books for $25 (with a complementary tote bag) based on their ad they emailed to me.  I treated myself to a book about baseball – The Old Ball Game by Theodore White (happy birthday to me); Eileen got three Disney themed books, and I got Ellen a history book about the country from 1956-1980 (America in Search of Itself by Theodore White).  We also had our picture taken there – “peaceful coexistence” before heading home.  Once back home, I purged more files but edited The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living by Leo Babauta.  Hopefully I can follow it and save more money.  I went to the 4:30 Mass and Bishop Barres was there as a celebrant.  No wonder the place was packed.  Maybe he should visit more often and help fill the church or the auditorium more often.  He spoke about praying more and also finding saints to admire (St. Francis of Assisi, St. John Paul II, and St. John XXIII come to mind).  After the Mass I got a chance for a photo op with him.  

On Halloween Eileen and I went to the library for a little while and when we came home, we went for a walk through Greenview Village along the usual route.  Later I created a document listing The Five Universal Laws of Human Stupidity and it's scary that there are so many stupid people in this world (especially trump supporters).  I must keep applying critical thinking to keep from doing unwise and/or stupid things.  In the evening the 3 of us headed out to The Harbor Crab on the Patchogue River in the namesake village.  I had Montauk Pumpkin Ale which I highly recommend.  My main course was seafood lasagna which was quite good.  Eileen and I each brought doggie bags home. Everything was good but it was not cheap, but my birthday only comes once a year.      

November:

I started November by working with Ellen to switch the summer and winter clothes.  We also cleaned out some closets, which gave us room to store hats and other items on the shelves.  I also cleared out some items in the armoire and in the jewelry box.  With all of these items, it was three options: keep, discard, or donate.  

On Election Day I downloaded some pics of Eileen, classmates, and teachers from 20 years ago and saved them to the two Google Photos files, in case the prints get lost.  After lunch Eileen and I went to Little Shop of Shamrocks to get some Irish candy and for Eileen to get another pair of shamrock socks.  We then drove to the Wing K-2 School and parked by James Street and walked to the school’s Sunrise Highway entrance and then went inside and then walked through the gym and out the front entrance.  Since we voted early, there was no need to do it again.  While we were walking back to the car, I saw a trumptard pickup with “45 47” in the grill and FU46 in the rear window.  I did not notice any other slogans but this is a trumpster for certain.  I wanted to get an Andy Pettitte tee shirt with the number 46 on the back.  It would be a subtle zap at the trumptards and they probably would not get it.  However, Ellen told me not to buy any tee shirts. So I had to do something else: using pinstriped 46 as an avatar and downloading photos of Andy Pettitte and his plaque in Yankee Stadium, and his retired #46.  I also downloaded some more pix with 46 on them: the 46^th Street Station on the Queens Boulevard subway line.  On Instagram I changed my profile picture to a patch of Derek Jeter and #2.  I also added more pictures of Derek and Andy to not make it too obvious that #46 in a sneaky tribute to the President.  Yes, I do like the Yankees too.  People will think that I am plugging the Core Four (who I do admire) instead of our President.

Over the first two days of the month I listened and watched videos on You Tube about how the conservative movement hijacked Christianity, first in the 1920’s and was revived under reagan and got worse under trump.  Another video showed how trump and evangelism got intertwined, and how he failed Ohio (especially Youngstown) but the stupid people still support him.  Jordan Klepper also showed the stupidity of trumptards.  Sadly trumpers on Facebook hate our President and almost worship trump.  

Around 10:45 on Wednesday I went to CVS at Saxon Avenue and Montauk Highway to get my COVID booster shot.  It was a Pfizer dose but the pharmacy said that I can mix them with the two Moderna verses I got early this year.  I saw on Facebook that a manager from local restaurant passed away from COVID complications – leaving behind a husband and two kids.  But since she lives in Islip and is a fox news follower according to her likes, she was probably a trump anti-vaxxer.  I do feel sorry for her family and also for her, but being a trumptard has consequences.  I listened to Mel Robbins’ videos about the 5 second rule, and to actually do the things that you are planning to do.  

The first Thursday of the month is the meeting at the American Legion post.  I attended and our guests, two attorneys, spoke about VA claims.  I asked about Agent Orange being used in Guam during the Vietnam Era and also got to do a brief talk about Homeland Security.  One of the attorneys is a St. John’s University basketball fan so we had a nice conversation about the teams, as well as Coach Louie.  

Saturday means lunch with Eileen and around 1 pm we went to the local Taco Bell for lunch, and after we finished our Mexican fare we opened the two Kinder Joy eggs that I bought on Friday at the supermarket.  Eileen got a Barbie themed bracelet (#126) which is in her room, while I got a white Siberian tiger (#127) which I put into the book case.  We then went to the library and parked in the firehouse lot so we could walk to the library and back.  Later I went to the 4:30 Mass at St. Mary’s and Father John talked about the widow with 2 coins who gave that to the Temple Treasury.  Jesus was very impressed with her and she probably made a lasting impression on Him and maybe brought out the best in Him.  Father also said that we have probably had people God placed in our lives who brought out the best in us – parents, coaches, teachers, and others.  For me, in school I cannot think of anyone.  I was able to have some good people in the Air Force who tried to make me better person but that was a challenge for them.   Once I discharged I had Marian, Ellen, one of my bosses at a bank, a priest at Holy Innocents, a few fellow firefighters and a partner at my last firm who saw my dedication to basketball and softball who let me play despite my lack of prowess, and made me the team scorekeeper for 12 seasons.    

I also read the Daily Meditation from Father Rohr and this message was interesting: The system is now called the Noble Eightfold Path.  Studies have shown that implementing the Path supports psych spiritual resilience against prejudice, oppression, alienation, and trauma. What is the Path?  To understand the path, it helps to understand the four conclusions the economically and politically privileged Siddhartha Gautama Buddha reached after years of undertaking ascetic practices to try to avoid human frailty: 

• Suffering is real and shared throughout humanity.
• There are discernible causes for this suffering.
• These causes can be transformed and terminated.
• The way to transform and terminate the causes is through the path.  

 Number IV is divided into an eight-part system: (i) Right View, (ii) Right Intention, (iii) Right Speech, (iv) Right Action, (v) Right Livelihood, (vi) Right Effort, (vii) Right Mindfulness, and (viii) Right Concentration.  Stacey Flowers gave a TED Talk and one part said that you have to have to connect with these 5 types of people to be happy in your life: 

• Cheerleader.
• Mentor - someone to point you in the right direction.
• Coach – make you uncomfortable and make you better
• Friend – connected to your heart, knows your true heart’s desire.
• Peer – helps you out in your social life and helps you lick your wounds.

It looks like I never was able to connect with too many of those 5 types.  

On the 10^th before bowling I was heading to Northwell Cardiologists on Brentwood Road, but I never got there.  As I was backing out, my neighbors were also backing out and plowed into the CR-V’s driver’s door.  Their mom came out and then I told Ellen what happened and soon she came out.  I called 911 and a police officer came to our driveway and filed an accident report.  I had to cancel my appointment and will go in December instead. I contacted Allstate maybe tomorrow, and was worried about the deductible.  Both cars are drivable and nobody got hurt.  After bowling that evening Eileen and I stopped at Milano Bean Café to enjoy coffee with pumpkin flavored cream and a muffin.  We both had a good time and it was a nice photo op.  

On Veterans Day  I put my American Legion full uniform on and drove to the post and was ready to join the other members as we conducted ceremonies at the Maragioglio Triangle, Town Hall West, our post and finally the Veterans Park at Town Hall.  I was asked to hold the Post’s flag for each of the ceremonies, including the main one at Town Hall.  It looks like I will be in lots of pix since I was at one side of the speaker’s podium.  It was a bit tiring but I was glad to do it.  When the ceremonies were finally over around 11:20 we walked back to the post for some hot dogs and water.  After my mini lunch I went home and changed into old clothes so I could have fun with the windows.  I hosed down every window except the ones facing the street.  Then, except for the bay window, I washed each screen, cleaned the dust and other stuff from the window frames, and put Windex on the inside glass.  Once I was certain that the screens were almost dry, I put them back into the window frames. It was a bit tiring but the windows are a lot cleaner.  

On Friday after breakfast I put the CR-V away since it was raining and the driver’s door is dented, and used the Accord to do the main shopping trip.  While there I bought 2 Kinder Joy eggs that I will open up on Monday when Eileen and I have lunch someplace.  I will let you know then what we each got.  After lunch the sun came out and I switched the cars.  I also drove to our All State agent’s office in Bay Shore to file a claim.  But it turns out that my neighbor had contacted All State and then started a claim.  

When I got back from Allstate I contacted All State Claims and made an appointment with Higbee Collision for Saturday.  Later in the afternoon I listened to some TED talks and besides saving them to Twitter I have some points here to share:  Don’t try to change difficult people because it is impossible; change yourself.  Don’t take their words personally.  Stay calm if they attach you verbally.  Don’t become like them and don’t trust them.  On Second Saturday, the 13th, after breakfast I called Higbee Collison and headed over there around 10:30 am.  It turns out that I will have to leave the CR-V there but it should be ready, as good as new, in about 2 weeks.  We have a backup car, the Accord, so we will survive.  And Ellen has not been going out that much these past months so there should be little competition for it.  I also started to read Tales of the Radio Traveler by Russell Johnson.  Since I love radio it will probably an interesting read.  For our Saturday lunch Eileen and I went to Oconee Diner where we ordered coffee a Manhattan clam chowder for each of us, and we split a mushroom omelet.  She did not like the soup so it meant more for me.  For dessert we opened up the Kinder Joy eggs that I got yesterday at Stop & Shop.  Mine was a ranger with a laser gun (#128); Eileen got a Barbie hair pin (#129).  After I paid we walked back to the car which I parked in the Town Hall lot, and we did get a short walk in.  Before going home, I photographed Eileen next to a 1949 Chevrolet pickup with a carved reindeer in the bed.  

On Sunday I finally went into the crawl space to shut off the outside water, and also went to Uncle Giuseppe’s for lunch provisions.  In the afternoon I headed to the Law & Order Reception at my American Legion Post.  Two park rangers, two Suffolk County police officers, and one fire fighter from Islip Fire Department were honored.  It meant a great photo op for me.  When I came home after the reception I listened to some TED talks and one said that you have to keep trying even if you fail 90% of the time.  One TED talk, by Charissa Wong about mental illness and is also spoke about putting yourself first.  Another one, by Lucy Hone, talked about resilience.  The last one was by Dr. Joan Rosenberg and she elaborated on the 8 unpleasant feelings: sadness, helplessness, vulnerability, disappointment, shame, anger, embarrassment, and frustration.  I saved these 3 talks to Twitter.  

On Monday Ellen went to the Memorial Sloan Kettering office in Commack for a routine exam.  After she came home I went to the Islip Terrace post office to mail a card to my nephew  Marty and go next door to 7-11 for some coffee and a Kinder Joy egg.  I enjoyed my coffee at the firehouse and the candy from the egg.  The friend is #130, another hero but with a different laser gun and is in the Accord console.  When the mail came Ellen and I each received noticed from GEICO relating to the fender bender last week.  But since neither Ellen nor I are the policy holder, there is nothing we can do online.  

Prager U had a video about author Howard Zinn.  It looks like Howard bad mouthed Columbus, the US in Vietnam (the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong were not so bad), the Allies in World War II were as bad as the Axis soldiers, Abraham Lincoln did not want to free the slaves.  I listened on You Tube to Why You Think You're Right -- Even If You're Wrong by Julia Galef.  She talked about motivated reasoning, like we sometimes see in the military.  She cited the Albert Dreyfus case, and how biased our reasoning is (despite evidence to the contrary, the accusers would not admit that they were wrong.  Also refer to Paths of Glory).  Motivated reasoning/soldier mindset is unconscious.  She said to use scout reasoning – what is really there and be more curious and look for new things and ideas.  Self-worth allows us to admit that they are/were wrong and that they can change their ways of thinking.  Change the way you feel, and be proud when you learn that you were wrong about something.  What do you yearn for: own beliefs or see the world as clearly as possible.  I also listened to Why We Are Wrong When We Think We Are Right by Chaehan So.  He talked about biased opinions and not listening.  

The 16^th is Ellen’s birthday so in the early evening I went to Manhattan Sweets to get a coffee cake for the 3 of us to enjoy.  The next day after breakfast I went to the East Islip Post office to mail the accident report to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles and to the main All State Claims office.  In the evening I watched some TV and on MSNBC the pseudo-patriots in the GOP are persecuting President Biden and said that the Democrats are persecuting the GOP members of Congress.  They insist that it was harmless prank that gosar did to Alexandria Ocasio Cortez.  However, if it was a Democrat who had a video of him or her killing a republican congressman, there would be hell to pay (think of Kathy Griffin).  

On Thursday, I managed to finally get in touch with the Allstate claims adjuster and told him the details about the mishap from last week and also got to listen to a TED Talk by David Voas that covered the decline of religion in the western world.  I will stay observant but be wary of charlatans like televangelists and mega-churches.  In the late afternoon Eileen and I then went for a walk through Greenview Village to the Little Shop of Shamrocks to say hello and get some free American candy.  Linda, the owner, was busy with three customers so we told her that we will be back in the near future.  On Friday (the 19th)  I went to Stop & Shop for the main shopping trip, but after lunch I had to go back and redeemed bottles before going to the Paper Store to buy a Thanksgiving card for my cousin in law and treat myself to a Paw Patrol Mashems Series 2 critter.  It was the dog with an orange uniform and backpack, which I put into the console of Accord.  

On Friday Kyle Rittenhouse got acquitted for his shooting people in Kenosha WI.  I know that the judge was biased, and it will send wrong messages to gun nuts and trump worshippers.  On the following morning I listened to a TED Talk by Mary Morrissey, titled 5 Morning Habits of Successful People.  They are: 

• Habit 1: Wake up early.  
• Habit 2: Sit in silence (tune into yourself and how you are grateful).  
• Habit 3: Journal (write down who you want to be today).  
• Habit 4: Practice gratitude (think of 5 things you are grateful for).  
• Habit 5: Listen to something that inspires you. 

At around 1 pm on Saturday Eileen and I headed to the local Taco Bell and ordered a gordita special for each of us.  After lunch we came home and I had to do lots of dusting, and also help Ellen wash the curtains from the TV room and Eileen’s room.  There will be more housework to do over the next few days.  Besides vacuuming most of the house on Sunday, I took out my Sony Walkman, put two AA batteries in it, and attached the earplugs to it and got to enjoy WBZO-FM 103.1.  Later in the afternoon I visited Karp’s Liquor to buy two bottles of Long Island wine (a white and a red) and then drive to the firehouse to park the car and walk to Manhattan Sweets and ordered a large pumpkin pie, dinner rolls, and cookies for Thanksgiving (cost us $61.59).  Before I went to the Islip Library I stopped at the ready room to have coffee and watch basketball.  Some of the superstars were watching football and telling everyone about the whores of Islip.  They also talked about the Rittenhouse acquittal.  They are fox noise watchers so they are ecstatic about the judge & jury’s decisions.  Now I wonder if any of these Islip ho’s will be getting abortions if there is an unwanted pregnancy sometime in the future?  After all, this is trump country.  At the Islip Library I listened to a talk from www.medium.com about older generations trashing the younger ones and saved it to twitter along with a few other talks.  I also got to check out www.Instagram.com.  And the avatars for Twitter and Instagram are the pinstriped numbers of two of the Core Four.  #46 was the first one, to subtly support the President.  And to distract the trumpsters, Instagram has #2.  This way I can acknowledge the entire Core.  This has gotten me to become a Yankees fan again.  And since the 20^th was a Sunday, we went out for dinner.  But this was a special occasion.  Around 4:45 we headed out to Oakdale to have dinner at the View.  We celebrated Ellen’s birthday (the 16^th) and our 42^nd anniversary (the 24^th).  Once we were seated we ordered wine for Ellen & me, New England clam chowder for me, and Elle & Eileen shared some baked clams.  My main course was pasta with scallops and shrimp.  Eileen had a lobster roll, and Ellen opted for short ribs.  We finished the night by sharing a cheese cake.  I managed to converse with the hostess since she is familiar with Islip Village, since she lives in Islip Terrace.  It is still a great place to eat, even if it’s a bit expensive.  The bill came to $160.76 but birthdays and anniversaries don’t come around that often.  When we got home I uploaded several pix to the hard drive.  But the photos of our entrees were blurry so I deleted them.  

On Tuesday I vacuumed the bathroom floor and finally filled out a report to send to the All State Claims office in Dallas.  I also called Higbee Collision to follow up on the repairs to the CR-V from the collision 2 weeks ago.  It will cost almost $3,900 with parts (including a new door) and labor!  After some housework I went to the post office to mail the accident report to Allstate and then went back to the firehouse for coffee and to open the Kinder Joy egg that I bought earlier at Stop & Shop.  It is a Santa Claus which I put into the Accord console right now but when we put the tree up I will move it there.  It’s #131 in the collection.  Later I listened to some videos abut COVID and the evangelicals and their blind loyalty to trump – believing that he was sent by God.  The next day was the 24^th and happy 42^nd anniversary to Ellen and me!!  After firehouse morning coffee and breakfast at home I worked on cleaning the bathroom until around 12:30.  After lunch and watching some TV Eileen and I walked to 7-11 on Nassau Avenue where I bought a lotto ticket for the evening’s drawing and then we walked through the station parking lot to Little Shop of Shamrocks to say hello to owner and to get some Irish candy.  We decided on a Cadbury bar which we split between us. For the Thanksgiving Day holiday Ellen and I hosted Ellen’s cousin Susan who came out from Sunnyside to be with us. After Susan went home I put some bones and turkey meat into a pot, along with turkey stock to make turkey soup, On Friday I diced two red potatoes and threw them in, and also added some pasta and frozen vegetables. Eileen tried it and liked it.  The next day after lunch Eileen and I walked to the Nassau Avenue 7-11 to buy the lottery ticket and also bought a pack of 7 Select cookies.  

On the first Sunday of Advent after I helped my fire company with the North House’s Christmas decorations, I came home to do some work in the kitchen.  Before we started with putting up our Christmas decorations, I also took our pumpkin from the bay window, cut the top off and brought it out to the woods so our 4 legged neighbors can have their own feast.  Later I managed to win 2 chess games against the computer with no hints.  Eileen and I put up the Christmas decorations in the bay window and on the piano, later I was able to get the Kinder Joy Santa (#131) out of the Accord and place it on the Christmas tree.  For dinner, instead of Uncle Giuseppe’s, I went to Koi Kokoro to bring some ramen soups, Japanese fried rice, and spring rolls home for the 3 of us. 

On the second to the last day of the month Ellen got an email from our claims rep in St. Petersburg telling us that the fender bender on the 10^th was 35% my fault and 65% the other driver’s fault.  Would have been nicer if it was 0% my fault but at least it was not the other way around.  I also read chapter 12 from Tales of the Radio Traveler.  Russ was in Tibet to talk about the region and Shangri-La.  I ended the month with a visit to Stop & Shop for lunch provisions and a Kinder Joy egg.  It’s a gingerbread person (#132) which will go onto our Christmas tree.  Later at the firehouse I listened again to a TED Talk titled The Three Secrets of Resilient People by Lucy Hone.  From what Lucy said, it looks like Ellen and I both have been gifted with resilience.  She stressed three points and strategies: 

• Remember that shit happens and suffering is a part of life. 
• Choose where you place your attention: focus on things you can change/on positive things, e.g. name three things you are/were grateful for).  This is vital for resilience.  Don’t diminish the negative but tune into the good. 
• Is what you are doing helping or harming you?" (control over situation/be kind to yourself/ according to speaker’s experience - most powerful/useful tool). 

Is what I am doing helping or harming me?  You can live and grieve at the same time.  I felt that this one was so important that I saved this talk to Twitter. 

December:

I skipped lunch on First Thursday and took Eileen with me to go see Clifford The Big Red Dog at the Regal 16 theater at Tanger Outlet in Deer Park.  I was familiar with Clifford from the cartoons and the books that Eileen had.  The movie was live action with great NYC footage.  I did not want to pay black market prices for candy at the movie house so we stopped at 7-11 on Bay Shore Road and got a Hershey’s white chocolate.  When we got to the movie house (I made a wrong turn and could not find my way around the village like mall) I bought 2 tickets and a medium popcorn that came to almost $30.  Eileen started to whine and make a fuss about my not buying candy at the movie house and I told her that we stopped at 7-11 to avoid buying it at the movies.  We went inside the actual theater and she would not stop whining during the previews and threatened to take her home.  I even called Ellen to tell what she Eileen was acting up and not cooperating.  Needless to say, Ellen was not happy with her when we got home.  As for the movie, we both liked it.  When the movie was over we went outside to the car and started to drive to Grand Boulevard.  But Eileen lost her pair of sunglasses so before I got to the exit road I saw signs for the Sunglasses Hut and said let’s check that out.  Again, the directions around the village are not clear.  But we did stop at a few places to maybe get candy and a critter or two but did not see anything we liked.  Outside Vineyard Vines (no sunglasses) I noticed  a shop called It’s Sugar and we checked it out.  There were Kinder Joy bell shaped chocolates wrapped in Christmas character tin foil.  There was a lot of candy that wrapped around a plastic barrel with Kinder Joy critters.  I bought two for opening in the car.  We did find the Sunglasses Hut but there was nothing in our price range (under $15).  We finally got to the car and opened up the wrapped candy and then we opened up the two barrels.  I got a penguin (#133) and Eileen got a polar bear (#134).  I put mine under the Christmas tree; Eileen put hers in her room.  

When I read Newsday’s obituaries on Thursday, I learned that a fellow SJU Redman and classmate had passed away at the age of 74.  His wife Joanne, also a classmate of ours, had passed away in 2007.  

The first Thursday of the month is my American Legion meeting so that is where I went.  After the meeting we went downstairs to the bar so we could toast our late Commander who passed away a year ago on the 3^rd.  The Post and most of Islip have never been the same without him.  RIP Commander.  

On Friday I was up pretty early to shower and head to the Islip LIRR station, since I was meeting my friends Charlie & Debbie at the Met.  Once I got to Penn I walked to Herald Square to grab the Q train to 86^th & 2^nd and walked to the museum, and realized that I cannot walk fast like I could 40 years ago.  Once inside they paid for me with their memberships. We managed to take in the Egyptian exhibits, the Christmas tree, medieval art, and the Impressionists (especially the van Gogh paintings).  After a few hours we took the M1 bus to 46^th & 5^th and walked over to the Rockefeller Center subway station to head to Grand Street and had lunch at La Mela on Mulberry Street.  I enjoyed bread, a nice plate of spaghetti & meatballs and a glass of red wine.  We checked out a few more shops and I managed to photograph the houses that my mom’s family lived in during the 1920’s and 1930’s.  Finally it was the subway back to Midtown and to check out the windows at Macy’s.  This year the mascot is Tip Toe, a reindeer doe who learned how to fly.  Around 4:30 we said goodbye and they went to Times Square while I headed to the LIRR.  The 4:40 is no longer running so I waited for the 5:09 one seat train.  I had to walk from the Islip station since Ellen said that she was reluctant to take the car out without me to help her.  I walked through Greenview Village and was home before 7 and got to upload the pix.  

The first Saturday of December is the annual Islip Town Holiday Parade.  It was cancelled last year due to COVID but it returned this year in the late afternoon.  Before the parade I did the main shopping trip and took Eileen to Taco Bell for lunch. It was take out only since they are still repairing the dining area after the car crashed into it last week.  We got our usual stuff and then headed home to eat.  At around 3:50 I drove to Ocean Avenue and parked at the Bank of America lot and walked to Town Hall West to join the other members of my American Legion post (along with the Auxiliary and Juniors).  This year I opted to march with the American Legion.  Next year it will be with the Islip Fire Department.  We marched along Main Street to Nassau Avenue, in front of Town Hall and then went by the Grand Marshall’s bandstand, and the Town Supervisor invited the Post’s members up to join her.  We all obliged and it gave me a chance to get some great photo ops.  The parade ended with the lighting of the Christmas tree on the Town Hall lawn.  I also got to say hello to some of the state and Town lawmakers while at the bandstand.  Once that was over I walked back along Main Street to the bank parking lot to head back home.  

On the first Sunday I went to the 12 noon Mass to say farewell to our Pastor Emeritus.  He turned 65 last year and had been in poor health so he knew it was time for retirement.  When Mass was over we went to the Sacred Heart Hall for a reception.  The Knights of Columbus made a nice buffet and I got a free lunch.  Later on a friend e/mailed me to say that senator and statesman Bob Dole passed away at the age of 98.  RIP Senator Dole.  

On Monday around 12 noon the 3 of us went to the mass vaccination site at SUNY Old Westbury.  I had gotten my booster shot last month but Ellen and Eileen needed theirs.  Ellen asked me to come along to keep Eileen company.   That I did and also got to take 4 pix with my cell phone.  After we got home and had lunch I drove to Staples in East Islip to get a new black ink cartridge, and then drove to East Islip Shell to fill up the tank.  On the way back I stopped at Little Shop of Shamrocks to say hello to the owner and buy some Irish candy and a shamrock themed coffee cup.  She is closing the shop on the 19^th for a well-earned retirement.  I plan to stop by again with Eileen to get more Irish candy and maybe some blood sausage.  Once home I listened to a TED talk by Sharon Livingston covering toxic friendships.  Looking back, many of the “friendships” I had were toxic.  Here are the signs that she pointed out: 

• You find yourself in a competition with her other "best friends;
• There’s an imbalance in talk time — all for the friend, none for you;
• Your best friend blurts out criticism with a self-righteous attitude;
• Who calls whom? Are you calling her or texting her far more often than she reaches out to you?;
• Your best friend tells you that you need to change. But what about her?;
• You’re walking on eggshells.  It’s so easy to get into trouble with her now. Better be careful;
• You’re riding an emotional roller coaster with your friend at the controls.  When it’s good, it’s great.  But then, for some unknown reason, you land on her enemies list and what’s going to happen next?  You feel uncomfortable, worried, scared, and off-balance;
• The stress starts to settle in your body.

Too bad I never saw the signs on most of them.

On the first Tuesday I joined most other Americans in remembering Pearl Harbor – 80 years ago on the 7^th.  I only want to remember what happened and pray for those lost that day.  I do not open up old wounds and old hatreds against a new friend and ally.  Later in the afternoon I went into town to stop at the firehouse to have coffee and look up the cricket teams in the UAE.  While using the firehouse computer I filled out some surveys for St. John’s Alumni.  Maybe I will hear from them in the near future.  I read chapter 16 of Tales of the Radio Traveler and Russ was in a rain forest in Costa Rica.  In chapter 17 and he was in Peru by Lake Titicaca.  

On Wednesday the 8th I got up around 7:45 and went to the firehouse for coffee and then headed to St. Mary’s for the 9 am Mass, since it’s a holy day of obligation for us observant Catholics.  I came home after Mass to have breakfast watch some TV.  Around 1 pm I went with Ellen and Eileen to JMJ Hair Salon.  Once Eileen was taken care of she and I walked along Main Street to the firehouse for a snack (leftovers from the Fire Police company’s meeting on the 7^th).  We then walked back to the hair salon to wait until Ellen was finished.  Once we got home I watched parts of the day’s cricket matches from UAE, and also checked out some cricket sites on the Internet.  Just like we remember Pearl Harbor on the 7^th, on the 8^th we take a minute to remember John Lennon’s murder outside the Dakota Apartment House in 1980.  Music has never been the same.  

Later on Wednesday evening I listened to a TED Talk titled When I Stopped Hiding, I Found Freedom by Ruth Rathblott.  Ruth was born with a deformed left hand and tried to hide it from everyone.  She was afraid that nobody would love her or hire her.  Finally she accepted herself for what she was and said that once you stop hiding from others and accept yourself, others will accept you much more.  If you let someone else in to love you can let them love yourself.  They can teach you how to love parts of yourself that you find unlovable.   Later in the afternoon Eileen and I went to see Encanto at the Sayville Movie Theater.  I found it hard to follow, even though the songs were pretty good.  I would not go out of my way to go see it again.  On the way home we stopped at Little Shop of Shamrocks for some Irish candy before going home.  

I read the rest of chapter 17 of Tales of the Radio Traveler when Russ winds up his visit to Lake Titicaca.  In chapter 18 he is Salvador do Bahia in Brazil and describes the city and in the following chapter Russ is in Heidelberg and checked out some bars and toured.  During the afternoon I watched more cricket from the UAE on channel 597.  Later I went to the supermarket and before I went into Stop & Shop I stopped at The Paper Store and got a box of religious Christmas cards and a small gnome to put into the Christmas stocking.  I was in for sticker shock when I saw the price of the cards: $16!!  

On the middle Saturday morning Ellen and Eileen took me to Higbie Collision in West Islip and I was able to retrieve the CR-V after 4 weeks.  The door still smells of some chemical that is used around body shops and it probably is giving me a headache.  However, it was great to be driving a car that I am used to.  And since it was Saturday, Eileen and I went to Salah’s in East Islip for lunch  and we each had fish gyros.  They were quite good and we will probably order them again when we return in the future.  

On Sunday evening I moved some of the older photos from the two digital cameras to the USB storage sites.  In chapter 20 of Tales of the Radio Traveler Russ took a helicopter flight almost to the summit of Mount Everest.  On the 2^nd Monday I learned that our printer is not working properly because ink is not coming out.  The following morning I stopped at a computer shop to ask about the printer.  It looks like it may be jammed with ink, like a paint spray gun.  I think that it is time to replace the printer. 

Later on Tuesday I went to the Northwell cardiologist practice in Brightwaters for an exam and will go back next month for an EKG and a stress test.  When the examination was over I then drove to West Islip and stopped at Higbie Collision so they could sign off on the certificate of work done.  But the next morning I went back to West Islip to drop the CR-V off at Higbie Collision so they could fix the door panel as the molding on the bottom of the driver’s door was loose.  While they were working on the car I walked across Union Boulevard to have breakfast at Brownstone’s.  It was the first time that I ever had Eggs Benedict that I can remember.  It was quite good and will not hesitate to order them again in the future.  I would also recommend Brownstone’s, and also Higbie Collision, to anyone.  

After I brought Eileen home from bowling on the middle Wednesday I went to the American Legion Post for a Christmas dinner.  I bought $15 worth of tickets for the raffles.  I did not win anything but it will go to the Girls’ State Program.  The meal was ham and veggies, with cake (which I skipped) and candy.  In the early hours of Thursday the 16^th I listened to a TED Talk titled Be TRUE To Yourself ♥️ by Brené Brown.  She said that you have to treat yourself properly first before you can be kind to others.  Being brave included these: 

• B : boundaries
• R : reliability
• A : accountability
• V : vault
• I : integrity
• N : non judgement
• G : generosity. 

 The opposite of belonging is fitting in.  In fitting in you have to betray yourself for other people.  Belonging is being who you are.  Back at SFP and SJU meant fitting in, which was frustrating.  I betrayed myself to be like others and what they wanted me to be and was frustrated and miserable.  After I got up a few hours later I watched the Learning Channel’s A Baby Story and saw Danny Bonaduce’s and his 2^nd wife Gretchen’s new baby story.  Later in the afternoon I went out to the East Islip Stop & Shop to redeem bottles and get a pint of ½ and ½ and two Kinder Joy eggs.  They are both Christmas themed and I opened up one and got a reindeer (#135) that I put under our ceramic Christmas tree.  I will let Eileen have the other one and we will open it up on Saturday.  When I went to the library the parking lot was full thanks to a teachers’ meeting in their classroom/meeting room.  Why can’t they use the schools?  These teachers make life unpleasant with the high salaries that result in high taxes, and the “graduates” that are still stupid.  

I have been editing this narrative for clarity and easier reading. On the last Saturday before Christmas Eileen and I went to Buttermilk’s in East Islip for lunch.  After I placed our order – iced tea for each of us and a half chicken and an order of fries to share – we were told it would take 15 minutes.  We then decided to go for a walk, to Carleton Avenue and back and enjoy some photo ops.  Once back at the restaurant, we enjoyed what we ordered.  For dessert, Eileen opened the Kinder Joy egg that I got two days earlier.  It was a Christmas ball, #136 – which she put in her room when we got home.  But before that, we stopped at Little Shop of Shamrocks to say goodbye to the store after 33 years.  Eileen and I were able to enjoy some nice candy and cookies (American and not Irish) and I took some more photos  The owner was too busy with wrapping other people’s orders so she could not pose with Eileen.  But we will miss the place since it was there that Eileen started her Irish doll collection, and we both got to love Irish candy.    

I read a few more chapters of Tales of the Radio Traveler.  Russ visited France, Northern Italy, and southern China in these chapters.  On Monday I visited Sugared up and got some stocking stuffers: a brown triangular coin purse (a pile of shit?) and a gummi hot dog and a gummi hamburger.  I also listened to Denis Prager’s Fireside Chat #216.  He said that God does allow bad things to happen to good people, but sadly formerly practicing Christians and Jews often disown God after that.  On the first day of winter I read chapter 26 of Tales of the Radio Traveler.  Russ was on Bali and an island next to it (Lombok).  He described the Hindu wedding ceremony, and, sadly, how the two islands are being ruined by too much tourism.  He also told us how much he hates monkeys.  In the later afternoon I went to the firehouse to park and walked to Brookwood Hall, first stopping by the Oconee Diner to take pictures of their Christmas decorations and when I got to Brookwood Hall, I took pictures of their decorations.  Nice to see that the Minions are included at both sites.  I ended the day by sending an email to my former EBG colleagues wishing them happy holidays and that I hope to drop by next month.  I set up a Billy 2022 website on www.wix.com and will start making actual entries on January 1^st.  Late Thursday (23^rd) afternoon I listened to a video about the teachings of Socrates and it noted 9 points on how to live: Open yourself to the truth; Be courageous; Be authentic; Be humble; Beware the busyness of life; Be a citizen of the world; Be happy with less; Don’t seek vengeance; Have a sense of humor.  While it’s late in life for me, it is not too late to learn from these lessons.  I also check David Ming’s page about being a minimalist.  Since I gave up playing keep up, I would be happy to be a minimalist.  On Christmas Eve Eileen and I went to the Oconee Diner for lunch.  We each had iced tea and cream of turkey soup, and then split a corned beef omelet.  It was quite good but not that cheap so I cannot go here as often as I would like to.  On the way home we stopped at 7-11 for some candy.  Later on Christmas Eve I gave out the Christmas stocking stuffers: the change purse for Eileen, which she put into her pocket book, candy and cookies that the 3 of us shared, and the gnome on the shelf which is now on the piano.   On Christmas Day I went to the 9 am Mass at St. Mary’s and Father John incorporated his time in the St. Agnes Cathedral Boys Choir into the sermon and it brought back memories for me.  In the evening I watched a You Tube video titled Leaving God: Why I left God and Why So Many Others Are Too by John Tollis.  John talked about the hypocrisy of church leaders and the recent sex scandals.  This also got me angry but I plan to stay in Catholicism.  Since Boxing Day fell on a Sunday I headed to St. Mary’s for the 9 am Mass in honor of the Holy Family.  Father John talked about Christmas themed movies like Home Alone and Christmas Story that showed how families live.  I always though 60+ years ago that other families were more functional and mine was a mess.  It got better later and I think that my nuclear family with Ellen & Eileen is pretty stable, despite two of the members having disabilities.  Over the Christmas and Boxing Day weekend I read four more chapters from Tales of the Radio Traveler (#29 to 32) when Russ was in northern California. In chapter 33 Russ was in Jaipur and talked about the astronomical instruments there, and in #34 he is in Mt. Shasta City to describe the Passion Play, and the astronomers.  He is heading home in #35 – Sonoma CA.   Since I don’t want to risk getting even a mild case of COVID at the firehouse, on the last Tuesday I went to Milano Bean Café in East Islip where I enjoyed a nice regular coffee and a crumb case for a nominal amount.  And I got to keep local businesses alive.  I finished Tales of the Radio Traveler.  Russ described the history of Sonoma and the wine industry.  Once done I picked up Loose Balls and read the Seventh Season Notebook 1973-1974.  The things to remember are that the Nets acquired Julius Erving and won the league championship.  And also Coach Chamberlain when Wilt was signed by the San Diego team as a coach and drawing card.  On the last Wednesday I saw an article on www.Medium.com talking about teachers leaving the profession in droves due to poor pay and shitty working conditions.  That is not the case here since their high salaries are forcing us off the island.  When I went to the town tax receiver’s office to pay our property taxes of $10K and heard that 70% of that is for schools I know that salaries do not suck around here.  On the Last Day of 2021 I went for a walk by myself through Greenview Village and watched more television when I got home.  Sadly, we learned that Betty White passed away on the 31^st at the age of 99.  On New Year’s Eve I had a COVID test done at my firehouse and it turns out despite the vaccination and booster, I tested positive!  That explains the cold symptoms.  It now means 10 days of quarantine.