Buon Compleanno !!!

February 28, 2023

Buon compleanno !!!

Happy 100th Birthday to my great-aunt Marietta (my maternal grandfather Giuseppe's sister) !!! ❤️ All the best and all my love go from me to her, and, of course, from my wife and from my mother to her, too. ❤️

What's Doin' Today?

February 28, 2023

(including a funny memory from West Islip High School in the 1970s)

Yes, I did have a rare, potentially fatal disease in May 1977, when I was 16 years old: Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. I most probably caught it in the backyard of my house in West Islip, Long Island, New York, from either a tick bite or ingesting the feces of an infected tick or even by rubbing my eyes or in my nose. That year, there were 400 cases and 30 deaths just on Long Island.

I was in the isolation ward in nearby Southside Hospital in Bay Shore for ten days because the doctors didn't know what I had. Fortunately, my pediatrician, who was still my doctor at that time, knew what it was and saved my life. I remained in the hospital for several weeks after that. Now that I think about it, with hundreds of cases just on Long Island, how could a hospital full of doctors not know what it was.

My symptoms were high blood pressure; weakness; nausea; dizziness; a fever fluctuating around 104.3 degrees for ten days; and thick purple scales completely covering both of my legs, plus many of them on my abdomen and chest, and a few on my face. It took more than a year for the scales to flake off. To this day, I still have three small scales on my right leg.

I found it strange that my paternal grandmother, who was in Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, passed away at the same time my fever broke and then returned to normal. I often wonder if there was a spiritual connection. Maybe she gave her strength to me.

The day that I went into the hospital, I went to school that morning. I was feeling quite nauseated and dizzy, but my father thought I was faking. In our driveway, he was talking to a neighbor. I told him that I was ill, and he said, "Get your ass to school," so I walked to school.

As I was walking into my biology classroom, I remembered my biology teacher Mr. Wallace jokingly saying that if you are ever feeling nauseated from the smell of the formaldehyde, just take a big sniff. So, I took a big sniff as I entered the classroom and immediately threw up on my books and on the floor with possible collateral damage to a girl who was in front of me during the explosion. I went to the bathroom to get cleaned up. When I got back to the classroom, Mr. Wallace told me that he moved my desk and books to the back of the room.

(I thought that was funny at the time, and I still think it's funny.)

February 28, 2023

Not often, but I have enjoyed chocolate soufflé.

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag !!!

February 27, 2023

Happy Birthday to my all-time favorite pop singer Rainhard Fendrich, who was born in Vienna, Austria, on February 27, 1955. He also plays guitar and piano.

"Der Mensch ist wie er ist" is one of my favorite songs.

https://youtu.be/4mHF_q0VohU

I became a fan of Fendrich in 1983 while visiting many of my Austrian cousins in the western Austrian province of Vorarlberg. (Fendrich released his first album in 1980, so I have been a fan since close to the start of his career.) He is still releasing albums and performing concerts.

I have 49(yes, forty-nine) of his CDs: 48 music CDs and one interview CD. This includes duplicates of two of those CDs.

Fendrich sings all of his songs in the German language, with his earliest albums from the early to mid-1980s sung in the Viennese dialect of German. As he became popular, he wrote his songs using "high" German, which is the "textbook" version of the language.

I also have vinyl record albums from the 1980s, which I purchased on multiple trips to Austria; several of his DVDs and videotapes; and two of his autographs, even though I have never met him. I also have a hardcover biography written in German and a 1987 photo calendar.

I attended a Fendrich concert at the Stadthalle (arena) in Vienna, Austria, on October 30, 1997, with one of my many Austrian cousins, her husband, and more than 16,000 other fans. Also, at one time, I was the only non-European member of his official fan club. I lost that title when a man from Japan joined the club.

Today Is ...

February 27, 2023

I am perpetually retro.

February 27, 2023

I do enjoy the occasional White Russian (Kahlua, vodka, and cream).

February 27, 2023

The polar bear population is thriving, so no worries about them.

February 27, 2023

I dislike strawberries.

Many Thanks

February 27, 2023

I had a terrific birthday celebration yesterday. Thank you.

My Birthday Donations

February 26, 2023

In honor of my 62nd birthday today, I request donations to "Movember."

Movember" is an annual, month-long event when men around the world grow moustaches throughout the month of November to raise awareness of and to raise funds to combat cancers that afflict men (prostate, testicular, penile); men's suicide prevention; and men's overall physical and mental health. I have participated almost every year since it was founded in Australia in 2003.

Of course, anyone can donate to Movember at any time during the year. To donate, click the DONATE button below. For more information, click this link: https://us.movember.com

My Birthday Video

Sunday, February 26, 2023

I uploaded another homemade video onto my YouTube channel.

My 62nd Birthday (Feb. 26, 2023)

My 62nd Birthday, February 26, 2023

I am celebrating my 62nd birthday today. My mother created an Italian feast for me: her famous Caprese antipasto, and also pasta shells stuffed with ricotta cheese with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, and then baked. Yesterday, my wife created chicken and pasta with vegetables in a cream sauce.

This afternoon, from the local bakery, my wife and I retrieved an Austrian Sachertorte (chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and apricot jam). I have eaten many pieces of the original Sachertorte at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, Austria. This version was made differently.

During this video, I speak of my personal background, today's birthday celebration, and also of the celebrations from yesterday and for tomorrow. I include several photos of today's celebration.

Here is my Facebook post from earlier today that explains in more detail:

February 26, 2023

YEAH !!! I am officially 62 years old !!! I was born at 9:08 a.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Long Island, New York, on February 26, 1961 (also a Sunday). When I was a kid at school in the 1960s and 1970s, I would say, "YEAH !!!" at 9:08 a.m. on my birthday in whatever classroom I was in, invariably interrupting the teachers.

I share my birthday with my cousin Jackie, Victor Hugo, Tony Randall, William Frawley, Jackie Gleason, and Antoine "Fats" Domino.

I am quite happy that my birthday is sandwiched between the birthdays of my dear friend Bryan, whom I have known for 62 years, and George Harrison, both on February 25, and my favorite pop singer Rainhard Fendrich (from Austria) on February 27. I will call Bryan on the phone this evening; I always call him on February 25 or 26. (Bryan has always been a year and a day older than me.)

... and to my mother: Thanks !!! As per tradition, as usual, she called me on the phone at 9:08 a.m. this morning to sing her funny version of "Happy Birthday" that she has sung to me for many decades:

"Happy Birthday to you
You belong in the zoo
With the lions and tigers
And the monkeys like you"

On a serious note, my father passed away at age 62. I know that there really isn't any correlation, but still, the notion resides in the back of my mind.

https://youtu.be/BPAIEgkArOQ

My Birthday Dinner

February 26, 2023

For my 62nd birthday celebration today, my terrific mother created this Italian feast for me: her famous Caprese antipasto, and also pasta shells stuffed with ricotta cheese with tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, and then baked. It was delicious. Thanks, Mom. I love you.

This afternoon, my wife and I retrieved my birthday cake, an Austrian Sachertorte (chocolate cake with chocolate ganache and apricot jam). I have eaten many pieces of the original Sachertorte at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, Austria.

Sachertorte & Cookies

February 26, 2023

(at Gramma's Bakery in Delray Beach, Florida)

My wife and I are retrieving my birthday cake, an Austrian Sachertorte (chocolate with apricot jam) and three apricot-chocolate Italian butter cookies. (photo later) ... I have eaten many pieces of the original Sachertorte at the Sacher Hotel in Vienna, Austria.

National Pistachio Day

February 26, 2023

Celebrating My Birthday

February 26, 2023

YEAH !!! I am officially 62 years old !!! I was born at 9:08 a.m. at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, Long Island, New York, on February 26, 1961. When I was a kid at school in the 1960s and 1970s, I would say "YEAH !!!" at 9:08 a.m. on my birthday in whatever classroom I was in, invariably interrupting the teachers. I share my birthday with my cousin Jackie, Victor Hugo, Tony Randall, William Frawley, Jackie Gleason, and Antoine "Fats" Domino. I am quite happy that my birthday is sandwiched between the birthdays of my dear friend Bryan, whom I have known for 62 years, and George Harrison, both on February 25, and my favorite pop singer Rainhard Fendrich (from Austria) on February 27. ... and to my mother: Thanks !!! As usual, she called me on the phone at 9:08 a.m. to sing her funny version of "Happy Birthday" that she has sung to me for many decades:

"Happy Birthday to you

You belong in the zoo

With the lions and tigers

And the monkeys like you"

(On a serious note, my father passed away at age 62.)

Harrison: Spiritual Song

February 25, 2023

Happy 80th Birthday Wishes go to George Harrison (R.I.P. February 25, 1943 – November 29, 2001) !!! One of my favorite spiritual songs is "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long" from Harrison's 1973 album "Living In The Material World." (Harrison and I share the same religion: Gaudiya Vaishnavism.)

https://youtu.be/9D9JuiJNizw

"This Is Love"

February 25, 2023

Happy 80th Birthday to George Harrison (R.I.P., February 25, 1943 – November 29, 2001) !!! One of my favorite Harrison songs is "This is Love" from his 1987 album "Cloud Nine." I requested that the DJ play this song at our wedding reception on February 4, 2006. I thought the lyrics best represented our marital celebration.

"Vicious words drift away from their meanings
And the sun melts the chill from our lives
Helping us all to remember what we came here for
This is love ..."

https://youtu.be/wqWkBk2ixs8

My Birthday Dinners

This evening (February 25, 2023), my wonderful wife made this interesting dish for dinner and (definitely) beyond: onions, mushrooms, and ground black pepper sautéed in butter and olive oil; rigatoni pasta; green peas; chicken sautéed in butter and olive oil; shredded mozzarella cheese; cream sauce; and dried basil.

My wife made it in celebration of my birthday tomorrow. My mother is making me an Italian dinner for my birthday tomorrow.

3-Part Piano Improv Video

February 25, 2023

I uploaded another piano improv video onto my YouTube channel.

Casual Improv: Parts 1, 2 & 3 (Feb. 25, 2023)

Casual Improv: Parts 1, 2 & 3, February 25, 2023

Here is another one of my piano improvisations, but in three parts and when I was not exactly paying attention to what I was doing. I like to sit at my digital piano and play whatever is in my head at that time. I make it up as I go along.

https://youtu.be/Y3K8OfgzpUE

Brownies

February 25, 2023

My wonderful wife made brownies. She extends heartfelt birthday wishes to my dear friend Bryan.

A Gift For My Wife

February 25, 2023

a gift from me to my wife for our 17th wedding anniversary (Married: February 4, 2006) ... She chose them.

Happy Birthday, George

February 25, 2023

Happy Birthday to George Harrison !!! Harrison left his body (passed away) on November 29, 2001.

"Love Comes To Everyone" is my favorite song by Harrison. It appears on his 1979 self-titled album, which is my favorite Harrison album. Eric Clapton plays guitar during the introduction of this song. Steve Winwood plays keyboards on this song.

I also like Harrison's song "This Is Love," which I requested that the DJ play at our wedding reception on February 4, 2006.

As a devotee of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, along with Harrison, I also like his songs "My Sweet Lord," "Beware of Darkness," and "Don't Let Me Wait Too Long." I also like his songs "Run of The Mill" and "Pure Smokey."

My favorite Harrison song with The Beatles is "Savoy Truffle."

https://youtu.be/peTMq9lVBoA

Birthdays: Bryan & Billy

Happy 63rd birthday (February 25, 2023) to my dear friend Bryan, who has always been a year and a day older than me. It is difficult to believe that we have known each other for very close to 62 years.

Here I am sitting between Bryan and his sister Suzanne behind my house in Babylon, Long Island, New York, in June 1962, when I was 16 months old. Bryan was 28 months old. I just say that we were ages 1 and 2, respectively.

Although we lived on different streets, only a hedge separated our backyards. I lived in that house in Babylon with my parents from the time of my birth on February 26, 1961, until we moved to a house several miles away in West Islip during the summer of 1972.

The last time I was with Bryan was for several hours when I was on a business trip in Las Vegas in March 2016. He lives in Vegas; I live in southeastern Florida. At the time of that business trip, we hadn't been together in about 19 years.

We continue to keep in touch via phone and Facebook.

Visiting My Mother

February 25, 2023

My wife and I visited my mother at her home this late morning into mid-afternoon. We brought her these flowers and enjoyed sandwiches for lunch. I played my digital piano and created a video that I will upload onto my YouTube channel later today. Watch for the link on Facebook.

What's Going On Today?

February 25, 2023

Medical Update

February 24, 2023

It's been almost a year since my first of three surgeries last year (quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery in March 2022, plus two reconstructive chest surgeries in May 2022), and I am just starting to feel a little stronger. I can walk short distances inside without a walker, but I still require a transport chair (wheelchair) to get around. My chest is hurting more now as my sternum continues to heal. My eight-inch-long vertical incision in my chest has been healed for months. I am now seeing an endocrinologist to get my blood-glucose levels under control. I am also dealing with peripheral neuropathy and diabetic ulcers in both of my feet, as I have for many years. I am also confronted by breathing issues which are not as bad due to inhaled medication and lung exercises.

What's Doin' Today?

February 24, 202

Today Is ...

February 23, 2023

Men's Thoughts

February 22, 2023

Sweet Potato & Margarita

February 22, 2023

Fasching Finishes

The 2023 Fasching (Karneval) Season is ending with the last day today (February 21, 2023) known as Fastnacht, as well as Fasnacht, Fasnet, Fasching, Fastabend, Fastelovend, Fasteleer, Fünfte Jahreszeit (Fifth Season), Shrove Tuesday, and Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). Lent begins tomorrow.

On February 23, 1982, when I was a few days short of 21 years old, I celebrated this holiday at a gathering of more than 100 people while on a vacation of skiing in the Austrian Alps and to visit many of my Austrian cousins in Vorarlberg, the westernmost province of Austria.

That's me in the yellow, pink, and white clown suit. The woman to my right, wearing the red hat, is my dear friend Cathy from upstate New York, who was visiting along with me. The man in the red-and-white striped shirt and short pants on the left is my Austrian cousin Guntram. The woman dressed in black next to him is his wife Lisa. The woman in the white wig on the right is Guntram's sister Ulrike. The other people are friends of the family that I met for the first time that night.

Incidentally, that night, I danced the polka for the first time.

Cathy McCarty

What's Going On Today?

February 21, 2023

Every two weeks for one day, my religion (Gaudiya Vaishnavism) forbids me from eating beans and grains. My religion also always forbids me from eating meat, fish, eggs, onions, garlic, mushrooms, and red lentils. (I do not follow any of these rules.)

February 21, 2023

I particularly like chocolate-chip pancakes, but blueberry pancakes are OK, too.

February 21, 2023

I enjoy the occasional sticky bun.

Good Evening In The NHL

February 20, 2023

It was a very good evening in the NHL !!! The New York Islanders won on the road, and the New York Rangers lost at home !!! 😀👍❤️

1979: George Harrison Album

February 20, 2023

On this date in 1979, George Harrison released my favorite Harrison solo album: the self-titled "George Harrison."

The opening track is the song "Love Comes To Everyone," which is my favorite song on the album. Eric Clapton plays guitar during the introduction of this song. Steve Winwood plays keyboards on this song.

This album helped me get through the 1979-1980 school year at Northfield Mount Hermon School, a prep school in northern Massachusetts that I attended for one school year after I graduated from West Islip High School in 1979. At age 18, it was my first time on my own for any substantial amount of time. The other two new albums in which I sought comfort during that school year were: "Keepin' The Summer Alive" by The Beach Boys, and "Glass Houses" by Billy Joel. I also had all of my Beatles records with me.

https://youtu.be/peTMq9lVBoA

Cherry Pie & Muffins

February 20, 2023

I love a big piece of cherry pie with a large scoop of chocolate ice cream nestled next to it.

February 20, 2023

I really don't like muffins. I like English muffins, but that's a different category. (I also like crumpets fried in butter.)

Quiche For Breakfast

February 20, 2023

My wonderful wife made this delicious quiche for breakfast.

Pasta Salad

My wonderful wife made this cold pasta salad today (February 19, 2023): spaghetti, raw vegetables (onions, carrots, pea pods, and spinach), peanut butter, sesame oil, honey, soy sauce, and rice vinegar.

What's A DINKWAD?

February 19, 2023

I recently learned a new financial acronym to describe a type of family: DINKWAD. I have known what DINK means since I was a business writer/editor/researcher in New York City in the 1990s, but DINKWAD has been unknown to me, until now. It means:

Dual Income No Kids With A Dog.

Burger Toppings

February 19, 2022

no vegetables (no lettuce, no tomatoes, no onions, maybe pickles) ...for me, it's mayonnaise, ketchup, and a fried egg ... or ... just peanut butter.

Best Pizza

February 19, 2023

I grew up on Long Island, New York, the location of the best pizza. However, I attended the University of Missouri-Columbia for my master's degree in journalism, graduating in May 1988, so I also like St. Louis-style pizza. The pizza here in Florida is absolutely horrible.

Mint & Chocolate

February 19, 2023

My favorite flavor of ice cream when I was a young kid in the 1960s was Howard Johnson's mint chocolate chip. I still love the combination, especially York Peppermint Patties, which I will enjoy today.

Beef Stew For Dinner

For dinner and beyond, my wonderful wife made this large pot of beef stew this evening (February 18, 2023).

What's Doin' Today?

February 18, 2023

My favorite wines are: Italian reds, especially chiantis, and Austrian (NOT Australian) whites.

February 18, 2023

I remember eating this a few times throughout my life.

February 18, 2023

"A" and "B" batteries are no longer available in the United States, but are available in limited quantities in certain parts of the world. "B" batteries are still being used in Europe, but they may be discontinued soon. I remember using "A" and "B" batteries for my toys when I was a young kid in the 1960s.

Mexican Dinner

February 17, 2023

For dinner, my wonderful wife made this for me: half tacos shells filled with sautéed ground chicken and onions; refried beans; and topped with cheddar cheese; and (her recently made) pinto beans topped with cheddar cheese.

Today Is ...

February 17, 2023

I would like to profusely thank my wife and my mother for being my stalwart caregivers during 2021, 2022, and into 2023 and beyond.

2022 was quite a rugged year for me. I had quadruple coronary artery bypass surgery in March 2022. I then had TWO reconstructive chest surgeries in May 2022: one surgery to remove loosened metal plates that were holding my broken sternum (breastbone) together and to deal with a staph infection within my chest, and another surgery about a week later, when my surgeon clipped the tips of my ribs and reattached my chest muscle flaps to my body. I spent a total of 70 days in Boca Raton Regional Hospital and in a physical-rehabilitation facility.

2021 was also a rough year, with kidney failure, including six weeks of dialysis, four straight hour, seven days per week; three of my four surgeries on my left foot, two to remove bone fragments due to osteomyelitis (bone infection) and one to remove a benign tumor within a diabetic ulcer; a thoracentesis procedure to drain 22 ounces of fluid surrounding my right lung; congestive heart failure with severe edema in both of my legs; low hemoglobin levels; a white-blood-cell count near zero; two cases of pneumonia; a covid infection; and extensive testing for a possible TIA (mini-stroke).

Oh, last year, I was diagnosed with gallstones, so I will likely have to deal with that at some point in time.

I am feeling fairly well considering my recent medical challenges. I mention all of this to give you an idea of the intensity of care that I required and still require from my wife and from my mother, plus all of the other caregivers throughout my medical journey, including surgeons, doctors, nurses, physician's assistants, physical therapists, occupational therapists, etc. Thank you so much. I am alive because of all of you.

February 17, 2023

I do like my wife's sautéed cabbage, either red/purple or green. I also like the pickled red/purple cabbage in the jar. Of course, cole slaw is a favorite of mine.