The Last Day of 2015

 This has a catchy tune, but a little slow.....

Goodbyes

     There is a saying "You don't miss someone or something until they or it is gone. " Its a bit frightening how true this is.
      One of the bosses where I work had his last day before retirement today.
Bosses as usual can be very annoying among other things. This boss was no exception.  He had been reducing his work hours gradually over the past few years, which actually has been quite nice. I knew that this day was coming but I didn't really think much about it . I did not really think about it much today either since it was  a very busy day at work. When the end of the work day arrived and everyone said their official goodbyes it was surreal. So many of us had worked with this boss for so long that it seemed it would never end. Some were teary eyed. This boss had brought in most of the business even after he had reduced his hours. Things will change . We all know this but I had put it out of my mind until the last few minutes of work today.
       As I boarded the Q train on my way home from work to my great surprise I was teary eyed. I did not think that I would miss this boss at all, but apparently I will. Life is full of surprises.

Out Own Oddities

Love this 

Pioneering Levy's ?

       I love the farmer's market. There is a Jewish beekeeper
who likes to make a sure everyone knows his
honey is kosher. His honey is the best.

     On a vintage train this weekend there was an old ad for Levy's rye trying to tell us that the pioneers grew wheat for kosher rye bread.

 Meanwhile... on the modern Q train there was a foggy view of Manhattan yesterday. It looked as if the buildings were disappearing into the haze. It was so cool I had to post it.

Manhattan is disappearing in the fog...

Embrace The Curls

 

 When I was growing up straight hair was the rage. Eventually blowouts became popular.  Recently the women's magazines have been including white women who are embracing their hair textures. Women of color have been encouraged more often to embrace their hair texture, but not usually white women. Finally my day has arrived. White women in women's magazines are encouraged to embrace their natural hair texture. I suppose women have gotten sick of trying to manipulate their hair to be something its not . There are also a lot more products for the curly haired than there used to be. I never was one to straighten my hair daily. Its way too time consuming. I also never wanted to be one of those afraid of a rainy day that would ruin my perfectly straightened hair. So boring!  

Its not that curly hair is so simple to take care of, its just that after all these years I have figured out what products to use. Ouidad makes the best curly hair products. Sometimes I put coconut oil on my scalp and hair with a shower cap for a few hours to condition my hair before washing it . I use Tress Effects ( by Ouidad)  for leave in conditioning after I wash my hair. 

  Curls have a life of their own. They often fizzle after a few days or from humidity and just look frizzy. Frizzled curls still look better than a frizzled blowout. I would prefer to embrace my curls rather than try to look like someone I am not.  I'm also too cheap to constantly pay for blowouts. 

Something else to give me insomnia....

Why campus anti-racism protests may be bad for Jews - St. Louis Jewish Light: Commentaries - Why campus anti-racism protests may be bad for Jews: Commentaries: SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — A day before University of Missouri graduate student Jonathan Butler made headlines with a hunger strike protesting racis…

Liberalism at its Best

          I have held my tongue for over a year concerning Ferguson and the Black Lives Matter issues. I am a white  and Jewish  so I didn't really think that what I have to say is relevant. Until now.
         Most people aren't aware of the bleeding heart liberal reform rabbi  Susan Talve who is now on a terrorist list. Talve rallied fervently for the black people of Ferguson. She was there for so many black  people after the Michael Brown incident that many owe their lives to her for keeping them safe during all the rallying and rioting. Apparently Talve supports Israel so the pro-palestinian groups who are trying their hardest to connect the dots between Ferguson and palestinians are lashing out at her. The bigger joke is that though Talve is pro-Israel I have a hunch that she is not remotely right wing in her support. Apparently believing Israel has a right to exist is hard core . Demonizing Talve is like a wolf showing his teeth . In other words even though she has been a strong voice in the Black Lives Matter movement it is not appreciated because she is Jewish .
          The group that wants to connect the dots between African Americans and the palestinians is small and unwelcome, but make no mistake they exist.  I find  it so disturbing in light of all the unrest in the world. What black people go through in the United States is NOT equal to anything that is happening to the Palestinians. To compare the two is wrong and very frightening.
         I  have a new respect for Susan Talve now. I just thought she was reliving her hippy roots by rallying in Fergusen, but now that I know that she supports Israel, I know that she is not just trying to be a rabbi for the hood. I may not agree with everything she stands for but I do not think  she deserves to be demonized for being something she is not.

Dick Van Dyke's new book about aging 'Keep Moving'

    I have not read this book yet, but this interview with Dick Van Dyke is amazing. He seems so youthful in a way plastic surgery cannot replicate. What an inspiration.

Good Morning

     You never really know someones temperament until you don't say good morning to them.  It takes me until a few hours after I wake up until I feel like speaking. Unfortunately this does not correspond to when I am in the elevator in my apartment building on my way to work. I of course live in an apartment building filled with lonely  people who wake up speaking. Sometimes I am able to mouth a smile when greeted in the early morning other times I am not. It really is not personal, I just don't feel like talking to anyone when I am rushing to work in the morning. Sometimes I can't respond quickly enough to my chatty neighbors who continually press the issue and keep saying good morning until they get a response. Often they get mad because I did not say good morning back. Sometimes I am able to explain to them that I am just to tired to speak which I realize does not go over well, but then again just because they want to chat in the early morning does not mean that I do, especially with people I barely know. The truth is if the roles were reversed I would just assume that they did not hear me if my good morning was not returned. Then again if the roles were reversed I would not have said good morning to them in the first place, at least not until after ten o'clock. 

HANUKKAH

Kingshighway , Brooklyn

     I have the Hanukkah blues tonight. I miss Hanukkah. I would not even say that this was the best Hanukkah ever,  but I love the childhood memories I associate with Hanukkah. The window sill looked so empty this evening when I put my menorah away. Alas, until next year... 

Last Day of Hanukkah

    Its been a fun , unseasonably warm holiday this year. Tonight the Empire State Building was lit up blue and silver in honor of Hanukkah. It kind of makes it look like a big Hanukkah candle. 

Kippalive - Can You Feel The Simcha

     I really love this video. I love how there are older and younger couples featured.

Elf Yourself Oh Hanukkah

    This is the best Hanukkah video yet of this year. Its a bit ghoulish and funny just the same. Enjoy!

Photos

     Lately I have been organizing my photo albums. It has been a journey. The fun part is getting rid of photos I no longer want. I never thought I would say that  I no longer want some of my photos. Some of the people in my photos I no longer want to remember. This is  a tough one. Sometimes the photos they are in are too artistic to dispose of . Often they are jumbled in photos with those I am still in touch with so I opt to keep those photos anyway.
    Through photos one sees the passage of time. Some people have not aged as well as others. Some people have passed away.
      It takes a long time to sort through photos. It took the passage of much time to have taken all my photos.