If Kevin was a cat...

more animals

Neighborhood Update

I quickvisited Panera on Woodhaven, just to pick up a takeout menu, and the place was pretty full for a late Sunday afternoon. I think people like the soup and sandwich combo. The place has nice looking artisanal breads, plenty of space for dining, and seemed to appeal to couples. I see just a few doors down they are making space for a hamburger place--something called Five Guys or something? A chain, I guess, like Panera (which is not named after a big hair band). There is also a mixed martial arts school ready to open. I guess the micro-economy of the neighborhood is improving. Glendale was pretty quiet for years. Our deceased neighbor Mr. Phleghardt, who lived here forever told us candidly that "the problem with this area is too many old people!" He was old. I liked that. The area is changing, with young people moving in, more dog walkers. Hard to get a fix on who they are or what they do. Not quite like hipsterhaven Bklyn, but....changing.

We attended a meeting of theGlendale Civic Association and the 104 Pct. reps told us about crime stats (slightly up in some of the 7 major categories), and several of us neighbors complained about Yerman's Pub and also the Amici Cafe/Bar. The commander knew both places.

Our favorite site queenscrap.com has a story about Atlas Mall today. I like that site, and like reading the lively comments.

A little closer to home, in fact inside our home there has been a name change. Pawla Newcat now goes by the name Nosey Nora.

This Old House

Cold it is, and colder it will get. I am concerned about the house, since it is old, and has many drafts. And because I am really not handy. We neglected to take out the screen in the back door and replace it with the glass. That will wait until Sunday because it is dark when I leave for work and dark when I come home. Kimberly put a curtain up and it really helps. Maybe we need drapes across the front room windows; my mother used to make a big deal putting up these very thick, very red drapes, using some kind of turned needle attachment. Our home in Levittown was drafty, too.

I wonder if the basement will be as cold as last year. Dave replaced the basement windows and I feel the difference, since there was about an inch of space before that. Last winter, I wrapped some of the water pipes in pieces of foam tubing that I got at Home Depot, and this year maybe we should get a blanket for the water heater. They say that is one of the biggest drains on $, as it heats and reheats all day while we are at work. I just wish I knew more and could do more.

The front door--a problem: drafty. I wish the previous owner (Curse him! hahaha) had put insulation on the walls of the entranceway, as the wind whips across 72nd Drive and hits the house like a tsunami. We put tape on the door, but the opening and closing messes that up. And we have a cradle we never got time to install.

And lastly, the heater. We went another year without an inspection, or a contract, and that might be a risky choice. We will see. We have blanket and sweaters, and the cats have fur. I hope they are OK. We don't like being cold.

Change We Needed: The Making of a President

I am only halfway through it but on this election eve, I recommend the new book by David Pietrusza, 1960: LBJ Vs. JFK Vs. Nixon. I just finished the chapter on how Sinatra's Rat Pack (and Hollywood in general) stepped up to help elect JFK. Parts of it are shocking reminders of another time. Pietrusza tells how Sammy Davis, Jr. was first applauded and then cruelly booed (by the Mississippi delegation, while others looked on) after he started singing his part in a large group sing of the national anthem that opened the Democratic Convention in Los Angeles, July 1960. Davis was deeply hurt, and Sinatra was very angry. Still, they stuck with the campaign, and Davis even called Sinatra, after the convention horror, to tell him he was "delaying" his marriage to May Brit until after the election! However, things quickly soured, mostly due to Joe Kennedy. It's a fascinating chapter in a big story.

Pietrusza's book is informational, if not definitive. It fills in a lot, especially for me who was pretty young at the time. I was reminded just how Rove-like and ruthless Ol' Joe Kennedy really was, how incredibly obnoxious Bobby could be at that time, and how much the Kennedys worked all angles, steam-rolling the opposition with intimidation and cash. Interesting it is, if Pietrusza is to be believed. There are some good chapters on the VP selection process, as Pietrusza tells how JFK took a big step beyond ego in seeking the assist of rival LBJ (who comes off here as pretty meek next to some other portraits by other writers). Here the author includes Kennedy's "I am not going to die in office" quote. He also relates the almost forgotten story of Nixon's odd move towards the center in an effort to get Nelson Rockefeller on his ticket, only to be humiliated when, after a whole lot of negotiation on Rockefeller turf, he was turned down. Rockefeller leaked an agreement, The Compact of Fifth Avenue--new to me--which was a set of points on national and domestic policy that included Civil Rights. This was incorporated into the party platform, and it may have cost Nixon the election--and paved the way for Goldwater....All conventions and campaigns are different, and each has lessons. I wonder where the events of 2008 will lead, and what we will learn about them in the many years to come.