January 5, 2010

Today I brought my car to the dealer for a 15,000 mile service. Biiiiig mistake!

First of all there is nothing wrong with the car. It is as smooth as butter, runs like a Swiss watch. There was absolutely nothing to complain about. Actually, not counting an earlier oil change this was the car's first service. And, probably the last at the dealer.

I waited for the car not feeling like going home then coming back later. Giving them credit the car was done in about two hours.

They did things that are absolutely not visible. So in essence I don't know if those things were done or not. The service area is like an operating room. Ordinary people are not allowed in while the car doctor is working.

I don't know if they greased the doors or checked the brakes or rotated the tires or changed all the filters they claim they changed. When it was done it felt the same as before except the seat was totally rearranged.

Giving them credit where credit is due, they washed the car. It looked as clean as it looked when we brought it out of the showroom. Actually, they only washed the outside, the inside is as dusty as before.

The bottom line is that the entire "checkup" cost $405. And there was nothing wrong with the car!

This was the last time I went to the dealer for service. Unless I can get it for free they will not see me again. Local service stations can provide the same for less money. Besides the car is leased. At the end of 2011 it goes back to the dealer unless we decide to keep it. Or the economy decides it for us.

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Why kosher has to be dirty? This is a rhetorical question.

Since I am Jewish I am allowed to raise this issue. Why is it that I go into a kosher food store and I am ready to upchuck my cookies?

Not only the food is disgusting but the environment is dirty. The floors are dirty, the shelves are dirty, the fruits and vegetables displayed are unappetizing, the food within glass enclosures look terrible.

But then the staff don't look any different either. Why orthodox people have to look unclean. I don't think the religious teachings prescribe that one has to look unclean.

The reason I am raising this subject is that we live close to an area that is pretty orthodox. Naturally all the food stores are kosher, they are all closed on Saturday but then Sunday business as usual. We found a fruit/vegetable store that has better prices than the other stores in the area.

The place is very casual to say the least. By casual I mean they are not bothered by the dirt. There is butcher there who sells obviously kosher meat. He looks like he just stepped out of Fiddler On the Roof. I wouldn't buy any meat from him if he were the last butcher on earth.

But why orthodox people have to look this way? I had some religious training when I was very young but it never said not to wash. With the lack of hot water in our house I probably would have welcomed such instruction.

Years ago we went to a pizza place in that neighborhood. With kids running wild, parents really not caring the place looked like a war zone. Even though these are my people I have vary little in common with them.

I am clean, I like cleanliness. I like my food to be clean and come from a clean environment.

Also kosher tastes different.

Years ago we went to the son of a friend's wedding. The bride came from a religious family. The food was catered by a kosher caterer. We had chicken that tasted kind of disgusting. When we inquired we were told the reason being that it was kosher chicken.

Apparently they were freshly killed and bled out a certain way. Bottom line, they tasted awful.

I am sure this is because we are not used to it. Back in Hungary my Mother used to buy live chicken which was killed by somebody in our building then she cooked it. At that time I never complained. Probably because I didn't know any better.

Now, I am used to Perdue and Tyson.

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Until now I had sleepless nights about airline security. But now I can rest easy because two major security risks were neutralized. Last week Ivana Trump, who is guilty of bad accent and this week Joan Rivers who is guilty of bad plastic surgeries were prevented from flying.

Vigilant airline people get an "Atta Boy" for these feats!

January 4, 2010

After yesterday's staying close to home we decided to be away from home as much as possible. It was a beautiful day, very cold but not windy which made it bearable. So we had a nice day. It was good to get out of the house finally.

Since today was the first workday the roads were quiet, the stores were empty and for people like us it was really pleasant.

Now, airline security.

Yesterday at Newark International Airport some yahoo went in through the exit where no one was supposed to enter. As a result they shut down the Airport, re-checked all the already scanned passengers. Delays were five or six hours because of this and the person was never caught.

This is ridiculous. Security at the airports is a joke. The checkers are not performing their jobs because they really don't care to.

The way they look at it it is a job. These people hate everyone who passes through to the planes. Their thinking is that why am I stuck here while you people are going on your trips. So, I will make your being here as difficult as I can!

But this attitude does not improve security. Some of them can't speak correct English, and a while back it was discovered a large number of them were illegals.

Speaking of the English language. The large majority of the employees at the major New York airports are Hispanic. I saw with my own eyes persons guarding exit or entrance doors who could not speak English and were more occupied with socializing with their friends than watching their posts.

These people are supposed to catch or notice possible terrorists? The only thing they do frequently is looking at their watches to see how much more time until the next break or the end of their shifts.

In my opinion the only solution to good security is to place the military or federal or local law enforcement personnel in charge. Civilians will never going to do a good job.

On the same thought I think racial profiling is a great idea. It is too bad it will never be realized in this country. There will always be people against it saying it is unfair and it places certain groups in a bad light.

Certain groups are in the bad light already.

I have never heard of an orthodox Jewish woman traveling with three children smuggling a bomb aboard a plane. Or a Hasidim man doing the same. Or a white Anglo Saxon mother traveling with two children and a husband trying to blow up a plane.

No matter what the civil libertarians say there is a certain element who will do this. And those security people at the airports must be able to flag them.

A couple of years ago we went to Hungary. At the time the Hungarian airline provided non-stop service to Budapest. So we are sitting at JFK Airport waiting to board our plane when this tall slim woman walks through the waiting area. My wife and I were caught off guard seeing her. She was covered from head to toe in black. There were slits where her eyes were and the sleeves on her dress were so long we couldn't tell her skin color.

It was unusual because Hungary is really not home to people like her. Just before entering the plane we had to show our passports. This woman was front of us and was showing her passport to the person at the gate.

Well, a photograph isn't worth anything when one is totally covered up. She went behind the door to show her face to the woman security person. We saw her on the plane. She sat through the whole trip like a statue not bothering anybody. Still, it was a scary sight.

The French have the right idea. Forbid the use of these Halloween costumes in their country.

I am not against religious symbolism. But everything should be practiced at the right time and at the right place. It is OK at their home country but if these people want to live somewhere else they should respect the customs of the host country.

Back to racial profiling. The Israelis have no qualms about it. They practice it and their planes are safer than anybodies in the world. Maybe we should start learning from them after all.

No wonder the golfer has his own private plane. Doesn't want to sit next to a woman wrapped in black from head to toe with a slit for the eyes only.

January 3, 2010

It is cold and blustery outside. The temperature is about 17 degrees but with the wind it feels like -10. Now that's really cold.

We decided to stay close to home today. So close that we are not planning to step outside the apartment all day. Here, inside is nice and cozy and absolutely not warm.

This stupid building is so cheap with the heat it is amazing. They have two boilers. Last year one was converted to gas only while the other can operate on oil or gas. That doesn't mean we have unlimited heat it only means that heat is not supplied more than before. At least we do have hot water in abundant supply.

In this building gas is free. I mean the cooking gas! Which means we do not have to pay for it. When it gets too cold we turn on the ranges in the kitchen for some heat compensation.

It gets a little boring to be home all day. TV has nothing but football (American) and I am not a football fan. Everything else is reruns. We wrote e-mails, talked to people in Hungary, we talked to friends on the telephone, we are already slept out so what remains is eating.

But that's a big no-no. One can sit home and eat himself to oblivion. I worked so hard on my diet I will not give it up now. Actually I'm happy the Holidays are over because the excuses for excessive eating will not work any longer.

Also when one is retired and at home all the time everything is put away correctly, filed properly and placed in its place. Which means I can't say 'oh, good now I have time to reorganize my things'. My things are as organized as can be. Or at least as I like them.

Today we are still living in a holiday vacuum. Banks are closed, the Stock Market is closed, there is no mail which means no bills. But tomorrow life as we know it begins again. Mail will deliver the bills, and the Market will control the economy.

We will start worrying again about our future. First, if will there be one, and second, what kind of future will it be?

We really don't have to look very far. The seers say that the World will come to an end on December 21, 2012. Actually the ancient Mayans said that. And the Mayans were no dummies. Actually I think they were. They sacrificed virgins. Sacrificed them for what? Did they have so many that they could afford sacrificing them?

After too many sacrifices they must have had a shortage of virgins. That shows no foresight. If they couldn't foresee virgin shortage how could they foresee the end of the world several thousands of years hence.

Actually if the Mayans were really smart they would have farmed their virgins and developed an enormous supply by now. There is a real shortage of these now in Paradise. The old ones are getting really tired and worn out by the constant arrivals of the so called martyrs.

January 2, 2010

When I wrote the date above I had to stop myself from writing 2009. I guess it will take a few ruined checks to get used to it.

So here is the lowdown.

On New Year's Eve we stayed up late. We watched a very lame show on ABC TV with a fat assed J Lo and the ball dropping on Times Square. Had some champagne, kissy-kissy at midnight then very relieved that now we can sleep.

Actually, I had Asti Spumanti because I don't like champagne. No class! And, we did stay up until about 2 am. And, since we are still bouting with our colds there was no kissy-kissy but a lot of hugging.

Yesterday, New Year's Day we slept late. I think we woke up a 8:30 or about.That's late for us. We hung around the house, made and received some phone calls then went to a very swanky place for New Year's Day Brunch.

The food, the service, the ambiance was exquisite. It was a buffet brunch but since we had the three o'clock seating that did it for dinner, too.

There was lox, seafood salad, Caribbean lobster (that I love), stuffed mushrooms, sushi, omelets, hot food and a desert bar with a chocolate fountain where one could make his own chocolate covered strawberry or anything else. And let's not forget the drinks. Bloody Mary was coming non-stop.

It was great. We met a nice couple at the next table and since we talked a lot we didn't eat that much which was really good.

All in all it was a very nice day.

I am superstitious. I believe in certain customs.

So, when midnight comes at the end of the year we each have a dollar bill in our hands because the belief is that then you will have prosperous year. I also jump, because you supposed to jump in the New Year. My wife says that one is not supposed to eat any animal that scrapes because that means you scrape away your luck. That's why we don't have any bird for New Year's Eve dinner.

I'm sure there are hundreds of folksy beliefs but these few are enough.

I was watching TV this morning. The shows are so annoying that we had to turn off the set. They come forward with this forced jolliness about the New Year. Driving me crazy with the constant harping about New Year's resolutions. Who cares!

And the astrologers/mentalists forecasts? They are so generalized anybody can say these things. But I guess these people have the connections so they get on TV. Professionals can not forecast the economy or the weather for one day to the next and I am expected to believe that these phonies can see ahead for the entire year! Please!

But I guess this is the traditional subject for the first few days of any new year. It would be interesting to go back some years and see how these seers forecasts realized in the coming times.

Today is January 2. Only 363 more days until the next year's end. Maybe we should start planning already. Remember, time flies before we know it will be here again.

We did some supermarket shopping and found traffic, stores open and a lot more people than yesterday. It seems the Holidays are only a memory now. In the supermarket's greeting card section now Valentine's Day rules. I'm so happy that there is always some big event to look forward to and spend money on.

Anybody who missed buying that huge diamond for Christmas, don't despair Valentine's Day is just around the corner.

January 1, 2010

Vow, the first day of the new year and the first day of a new decade. And, the first day of the rest of our lives!

Some people and all the automobiles just got a year older!

Today I am not writing because I am tired. Yesterday's "wild partying" exhausted me.

Actually we didn't do much today except went out for New Year's Day Brunch. But I'll write about it tomorrow.

The only thing is that it was a pleasure to be on the roads today. Traffic was almost non existent. I guess people were either recuperating or just had no places to go since most of the stores were closed.

But tomorrow business as usual. Stores will be open, mail will be delivered and the Holidays will be just a memory.

December 31, 2009

Today is the last day of the year. The last day of 2009.

So what's the big deal? The only memorable thing will be that from now on for days we will be writing the 2009 dates on our checks and everywhere else. It will be hard to get used to the new date. We had 365 days to get used to this one.

Otherwise this day will be gone just like any of the thousands of days in our lives.

Right now it is snowing in New York. I am starting to write this at 10:30 am and there are already people staking out their grounds on Times Square for tonight's events. It is absolutely stupid to the nth degree.

They are restricted into police created corrals. Once they leave they can not return. There are also no toilet facilities. In this cold that is unbelievable. What one does when he/she has to go?

And still, people are there already. Human stupidity knows no boundaries.

Anyway, back to today. I realized how lucky I am that I am a Jew. We can wish at least twice a year a Happy New Year. That should mean double luck, right?

When I worked, I had Indian and Chinese colleagues. They went by their own calendars. That meant two more New Years. For a total of four Happy New Years a year I still had to leave and retire.

Maybe too many Happy New Years don't really add up to a really Happy New Year.

In Hungary New Year's Eve is called Sylvester (or Szilveszter in Hungarian). Sylvester was a pope from from 314 to 335. He died on December 31 and that day is when he is celebrated. Thus the name for New Year's Eve in Hungary and in many other European countries..

And I was always in the belief that his claim to fame was that he invented the New Year's Eve Party.

I am continuing the writing at 6 pm. The snow stopped much earlier, it is 34 degrees outside but the crowd grew on Times Square. I went to relieve myself a few times since I wrote the first part. Those people are still holding it in. It is an unbelievable human feat.

I figured out that this is my 72nd Szilveszter. After a while they become kind of monotonous. As the saying goes 'there is nothing new under the sun'.

Why do people need an excuse to get filthy drunk, to make total fools of themselves and party until they collapse? They can do it any other day just the same. They do it on Super Bowl, Spring Break, Fourth of July and whenever they want to.

We can't say this was an uneventful year.

We have a new President, our economy collapsed, GM went bankrupt, a top golfer's score card shows several birdies and my wife and I got the cold. By the way, we still have it.

So, I honestly hope and wish that next year will be better for everybody.

I am taking this opportunity to wish to all our friends a Happy and Healthy New Year.


P.s: I would love to be a neutered fly on the wall at the golfer's New Years Eve party. A young fly because my old heart wouldn't be able to take the excitement.

December 30, 2009

I have been living in this country for over 50 years but the American mentality still amazes me. Americans are so hung up on their "rights" that it is unbelievable.

The reason why I am writing this is what I heard today on the news. They are all over with that fortunately unsuccessful airline bombing. Now as I said the other day the Monday morning quarterbacking started.

The guy from Nigeria changed plane in Amsterdam for the Detroit flight and apparently he slipped through security. Today the Dutch announced that they would start full body scans for all US bound travelers. Good!

Now, the good Americans are complaining about the invasion of their privacy. These people are nuts. What about their privacy if the plane blows up. What will they complain about then?

Why are they so upset about being seen naked on the scanner. Do they have something to be ashamed of? The only thing they should be paying attention to is to make sure they have clean underwear on.

The way I see it, if the plane blows up with me on it my privacy is being invaded. Because maybe I didn't want to be blown up at that particular time. It is being done against my will.

So, in order to make flights safer I don't care if they want me to take all my clothes off, as long as everybody is required to.

People who are ashamed should realize that the first few naked pictures might be interesting but after these inspectors see hundreds every day they will have a difficult time keeping their foods down.

This brings up another issue. We should be aware that in this country the bad guys have more rights than the victims. And that is a sad reality.

Granted the Constitution says that a person is considered innocent until proven guilty (or something like it). But come on! A guy caught with explosives is innocent until proven guilty? There is something wrong with this equation.

If the Arab hijackers would have fallen out of the planes before they hit the World Trade Center they would had to be proven guilty otherwise they could have walked. It's a good thing they died. They saved a lot of money for the courts.

Security here is not very convincing. Today the police found a van on Times Square that was parked there for several days. They emptied out the neighboring office buildings, closed the streets. Eventually they found nothing but used clothing inside the van.

But the kicker is that this van was parked there for a few days without anybody noticing it. Broadway at 41st to 42nd street is not exactly a quiet and obtrusive area. Police and ticket agents galore are in the area. So how come nobody noticed it for days?

My confidence in the system to prevent any kind of terrorist initiated disaster is not great at all.

What they are great at is pointing fingers at each other and explaining their inaction after whatever happened. And in politically inspired speeches telling the public what must be done in the future.

What this country needs is a little strong arm ruling. Worry less about stepping on people's toes or invading their privacy and worry more about making this a safer place to live.