Charcuterie On New Year's Eve

My wonderful wife created this delicious charcuterie in celebration of the new year, which is only a few hours away here in southeastern Florida. As per Italian tradition, we have fresh grapes and dried fruits, specifically figs and apricots. Plus, there's my favorite cold-cut meat: hot capocollo, sometimes called coppa or capicola, and better known to Italian-Americans like me as gabagool. The cheeses are blue, brie, and Swiss. Also, there are crackers, strawberries, ham, black pepper-encrusted salami, and, for me, pickled green olives stuffed with garlic. We also enjoyed shrimp with cocktail sauce.

UPDATE: The blue cheese is Gorgonzola.

Frohes Neues Jahr !!!

Frohes Neues Jahr / Happy New Year to my many Austrian cousins in Austria !!! Here in southeastern Florida, I celebrate the new year twice: once at 6 p.m. (which is midnight Austrian time) and at midnight (our time).

In the early 1980s, I think it was 1983, I spent New Year's Eve with my father at my (Austrian) cousins' house on the side of a mountain in Dornbirn, Austria, in Vorarlberg, the westernmost Austrian province. We watched the fireworks from above. On December 26, we flew overnight from New York to Zürich, Switzerland, and then took the train to Dornbirn. We returned home on January 8 after skiing for a few days at a nearby resort in Lech, Austria.

Happy New Year !!!

We wholeheartedly wish you a Happy New Year !!! All the best and all our love go to you. Be well.

Magical Mystery Tour: 54 Years

54 years ago today on Boxing Day (December 26, 1967), The Beatles movie "Magical Mystery Tour" was broadcast in England. While the colorfully striking movie was basically a flop because it was broadcast on one of the BBC channels in black and white, the double-EP (extended play) vinyl records and accompanying booklet of photos sold exceptionally well. It was later turned into a vinyl album with the six songs from the movie on Side One and five songs that were released as singles on Side Two. The German album, which I used to have on vinyl, was released in true stereo, while the U.S. album, which I also had on vinyl, was released in fake stereo. I have the U.S. release on CD. I also have the German release on a bootleg CD, which also contains the mono version of The Beatles 1967 album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band." I also have the "Magical Mystery Tour" movie on DVD and on VHS videotape. Long ago, I met Neil Innes (R.I.P.) at a Beatles convention. He appeared in the movie as a member of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band.

Prosecco On Christmas Day

December 25, 2021

Opening a Bottle of Prosecco On Christmas Day (Dec. 25, 2021)

My wife and I spent Christmas Day with my mom and my mom's gal pal at my mom's home. Here I am opening the bottle of prosecco that we all enjoyed to start the day's festivities. My mom made a delicious Christmas Day dinner, as she also did for Christmas Eve, when my wife, my mom's boyfriend, and I also celebrated with my mom at my mom's home.

https://youtube.com/shorts/gywADUMIl5I?feature=share

Quick Christmas Improv

December 25, 2021

Quick Christmas Improv (Dec. 25, 2021)

I just had the urge to create a hurried, humorous video of myself improvising on my digital piano on Christmas Day. The look on my face near the end of this video is an homage to Fabricio André Bernard di Paolo, known professionally as Lord Vinheteiro. He is a Brazilian pianist, sound engineer, aquarist, and YouTuber. He is an absolutely amazing pianist. I subscribe to his YouTube channel (Vinheteiro), and often watch his videos. In many of his videos, he plays the piano while constantly staring at the camera with a stern look on his face, never looking at the keys, and not uttering a single word.

https://youtube.com/shorts/ga3zsgMGClw?feature=share

Photos from Christmas Day

December 25, 2021

My wife and I spent Christmas Day with my mom and my mom's gal pal at my mom's home. We enjoyed prosecco to start the day's festivities. My mom made a delicious Christmas Day dinner, as she also did for Christmas Eve, when my wife, my mom's boyfriend, and I also celebrated with my mom at my mom's home. I played Christmas songs on my digital piano on both days.

Here are several selected photos from Christmas Eve at my mom's home.

Quiche On Christmas Morning

My wonderful wife made this delicious quiche for our Christmas Day breakfast.

A Video Christmas Greeting

Video: "O Holy Night" (piano & strings) with Christmas Greetings (not practiced, Dec. 24, 2021)

Happy Christmas !!!

Here I am at my mom's home, playing an abbreviated version of the song "O Holy Night" on my digital piano with Christmas greetings before and after the song. I decided to add strings to my usual solo piano setting to give the song a fuller sound. I didn't practice this song, plus I had difficulty seeing the sheet music, plus my health is rather poor, so, basically, I did the best that I could under the circumstances. (Notice that I am not wearing my eyeglasses and appear to be struggling to see.)

Whenever I play regular songs (not my piano improvisations), I play the written melody with my right hand and improvise using the chord progression with my left hand. I play the chords mostly as ascending arpeggios, but I also use block chords. I make it up as I go along, so, each time I play a song, it is always different, meaning: I am unable to play a song the same way twice. Whenever I play my usual piano improvisations, I make up the entire improv as I go along.

https://youtu.be/tXH_bYFHi_Y

Photos From Christmas Eve

December 24, 2021

Here are several selected photos from Christmas Eve at my mom's home.

 

Christmas Eve Dinner

December 24, 2021

My wife and I are spending Christmas Eve at my mother's home with my mom and her boyfriend. My mom made her famous antipasto platter (top photo), which, as usual, was delicious. We then enjoyed dinner: my mom's shrimp scampi (middle photo). After opening presents, we enjoyed coffee and dessert: my mother's homemade chocolate-crème de menthe brownies (bottom photo); and also pumpkin pie as per my many-decades-long, personal tradition; cupcakes; and Italian cookies that my wife and I recently made. I also played Christmas songs on my mini-grand digital piano.

Christmas Eve Day Shopping

December 24, 2021

It's the morning of Christmas Eve Day, and my wife and I are doing a bit of last-minute shopping at the nearby Publix Super Market. Here I am in a selfie. We also went to Joseph's Classic Market and Walgreens.

(Masks are NOT required, so I am not wearing one.)

Cordial Cherries From My Dad

For decades, my father would give me a box of Cella's chocolate-covered cordial cherries as a traditional Christmas gift every year. He passed away on February 14, 1997, so every Christmas since then, I have purchased and wrapped a box of them in his memory for myself to unwrap (from him) on Christmas Day every year. Here is this year's box for 2021.

"Ladies" 40 Years Ago

A friend of mine just posted the photo below on Facebook, and it reminded me of a certain incident from about 40 years ago. I guess this can be considered a post for Throwback Thursday.

When I was attending Villanova University in the early 1980s and in my early 20s, I actually did that, but somewhat in reverse. LOL ... I asked these two "ladies" in Philadelphia how to get to Route 76, which was not my original intention. I was with a few of my fraternity brothers who suggested that I go talk with them. Let's just say that I lost my nerve, and I instead asked them for directions. One of the ladies pointed and said, "That way." They then ran away, got into a nearby car, and drove away rather quickly. Later, I decided to have a shirt made: white with purple lettering (our fraternity colors). On the front in dark purple were the Greek letters of my fraternity (Alpha Phi Delta) and a huge "76."

New Rx For My Lungs

Today, I started taking a new prescription: "Breo Ellipta," which is a combination of two powdered drugs (fluticasone furoate and vilanterol) that I will inhale once a day between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.

"The combination of fluticasone and vilanterol is used to control wheezing, shortness of breath, coughing, and chest tightness caused by asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary (COPD; a group of diseases that affect the lungs and airways, that includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema). Fluticasone is in a class of medications called steroids. It works by reducing swelling in the airways. Vilanterol is in a class of medications called long-acting beta-agonists (LABAs). It works by relaxing and opening air passages in the lungs, making it easier to breathe." - MedlinePlus website

I also take many other prescriptions:

* by blood from fingers: sugar-level test strips and monitor

* by injection (in my belly): 2 insulins

* by inhalation: emergency bronchodilator (from mouth to lungs); corticosteroid nasal spray (into nose); supplemental oxygen (from nose to lungs)

* by pill: diuretic; cholesterol-lowering drug; blood-vessel dilator

I am taking the blood-vessel dilator to strengthen my heart in preparation for my upcoming coronary-bypass surgery (4 or 5 bypasses). I need to call my cardiothoracic surgeon during the first week of the new year to schedule my (open-heart) surgery for early January 2022.

Brief Medical Update

Brief Medical Update:

December 14, 2021, podiatrist appointment: The diabetic ulcers in both of my feet continue to heal, but my feet are still heavily padded and bandaged.

December 21, 2021, general practitioner appointment: blood extraction for testing (A1C and basics); annual physical; blood pressure = 96/64

I am taking a prescription medication that dilates my blood vessels, thereby lowering my blood pressure. This is to strengthen my heart in preparation for my upcoming coronary-bypass surgery (4 or 5 bypasses). I need to call my cardiothoracic surgeon during the first week of the new year to schedule my (open-heart) surgery for early January 2022.

Haircuts

 his and hers haircuts

(house call)

Happy Birthday Mr. Zappa

Happy Birthday to Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993). My cousin Scott and I attended one of his performances at The Pier, an outdoor theater in New York City, in 1984. I have a DVD of that concert tour. I am a huge Zappa fan. He is one of my favorite guitarists. I have many of his CDs, and, long ago, I used to collect his vinyl albums.

Dinner: Chicken Cordon Bleu

For dinner, my wonderful wife made Chicken Cordon Bleu for me: chicken cutlets stuffed with ham and Swiss cheese, topped with a little vegetable oil and breadcrumbs, and then baked. For herself, she substituted barbecue sauce for the breadcrumbs. She also baked three potatoes, and made Stove Top (brand) chicken stuffing with added sautéed onions.

New Frame (Facebook Photo)

Here is the new frame on our Facebook profile photo.

Italian Christmas Cookies

My wonderful wife and I made Italian Christmas Cookies using my (Italian) grandmother's traditional recipe. My wife made the dough and baked them. I frosted them and sprinkled them. I have enjoyed these cookies (starting at my grandparents' home) since I was a very young child in the early 1960s.