GOING OUT ON A LIMB

    Driving home this weekend, a song came on the radio. Not just any song-the BEST song!
 This precipitated a discussion with my husband as to what songs, Broadway shows, food, books, etc. are favorites. I may be going out on a limb, and keep in mind that I was a teen in the 60's and 70's, which has a definite impact on my opinions. The following are my choices. Keep an open mind.

BEST SONG EVER
   Suite Judy Blue Eyes-Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. This is still my all time favorite band.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
    Hey Jude-The Beatles
    Norwegion Wood-The Beatles
    Rocketman-Elton John

BEST PLAY/SHOW EVER
      Guys and Dolls
HONORABLE MENTIONS
      The Sound of Music
      Gypsy
      Pippin

BEST ALBUM EVER
     Beatles White Album (there is not one bad song on this, not one!)
HONORABLEMENTIONS
     Born To Run-Bruce Springsteen. I know many of you out there think Bruce is the best
     ever. Keep in mind-I am not as young as you. He's is great-just not my great.
     Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, & Thyme-Simon and Garfunkel
     Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band-The Beatles

BEST MOVIE EVER
     The Graduate-hands down, the best from my generation. It exemplified the angst of my
     generation and the stress of what to do once college was over-Much like today!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
     The Godfather I and II
     Goodfellas
     Pulp Fiction
     The Shining
     Rear Window
     Annie Hall
     The Shawshank Redemption

BEST BOOK EVER
    Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
HONORABLE MENTIONS
    Candide by Voltaire
    Atonement by Ian McEwan
    Almost everything written by John Irving (A Prayer for Owen Meeney, Cider House Rules, In One Person,
    etc.) 
   Almost everything written by Philip Roth
  Almost  everything written by John Updike

BEST MEAL EVER
  Stretch's Belmont Tavern-Bloomfield Ave. Belleville. You either get this place or
  you don't. You always have to wait-no reservations. Eat the chicken savoy, long hot peppers
  and ziti with pot cheese. Also fab is chicken murphy, mad chicken, shrimp beeps. Serious
  ly, you will dream about this food weeks after you consumed it. It is THAT good!!!
HONORABLE MENTIONS
   Pommes Frites -2nd Ave. East Village, NYC. I know -this isn't a meal, but these fries and
  all the sauce choices are to die for. When you decide to throw your diet to the wind, go here
  after a night of drinking-beyond good, I promise!

  Donut Plant-Grand Street, NYC. If you don't like donuts, stop reading now. If you love them 
  as much as I do, then this is THE SPOT! Try peanut butter and jelly, crème brulee, and
  carrot cake. Bring a ton of dinero-each donut is costly. You must buy a dozen, because there
  is no way you are stopping after one. Again, I realize this isn't a meal but it is worth the
  trip and giving up eating for a week after you indulge.

 The Meatball Shop-4 locations in the city. You customize the "balls": either chicken, pork,
 beef, veal, veggie. You customize the sauce: tomato, pesto, etc. You pick the sides: pasta,
 polenta, beans, spinach. It is a great meal. End with a custom ice cream sandwich between
 two cookies. Forgot the 4 star restaurants-this is nirvana.

BEST WRITTEN TELEVISION IN A LONG TIME! 

 The Girls-by Lena Dunham and Jud Apatow. I totally loved this season's final episode.
 I am still smiling about the clever script. I was literally glued to the screen and have
 watched the episode two more times. Where do I begin? I love the depth and com-
plexity of every character. The series touches on the social anxiety of these people, how
technology transforms our communication skills, and the struggle for identity. The series
focuses on twenty somethings,  that are over educated, upper middle class youths competing for jobs
with thousands of others in NYC just like them.
  The episode opens where Hannah is in emotional and physical pain. Her OCD has re-
appeared. She is vulnerable and scared. She reaches out to her dad, her editor, leaves an
insanely hysterical message to her friend, Jessa, and calls  Adam. The only person who is "there" for
her is Adam. He literally drops everything and comes running. Up until this moment, you
hated the guy. Now, suddenly, he seems likeable and kind.
   Shoshanna desperately wanted a boyfriend and suddenly realizes the one she has is
holding her back. She becomes more confident, gains independence, and despite her
earlier protests to her boyfriend, Ray-the show ends with her hooking up with a "blond"
guy in a bar. Her confrontation with Ray where she breaks up is masterfully written: She
tells him: "You hate colors, you hate pillows, you hate ribbons, you hate everything!"
I can't be the only thing you like.
   As for Marnie, I am unsure if getting back with Charlie is a satisfying ending to the
season. She seems self absorbed and to like him (again) because he is successful. I am not
falling for her protests to Charlie that she doesn't care about his financial success. We will
see.
This finale was a "dazzling piece of filmmaking".  You don't have to like the
characters to enjoy this show and its genius. Lena Dunham is spectacular.
  
 













  


    

 

Bad JuJu

     Recently, I traveled to Hawaii for a little rest and relaxation in Lanai. While in Lanai, we would walk the exquisite beaches each day and see the springer dolphins. The sand was pristine and it was most unusual because there wasn't one shell to be found. I would watch crabs run into their holes and wonder why no shells were washed onto the beach. On all of my travels, I either collect rocks or shells and place them in small boxes around my home. So, needless to say, I was disappointed to come up short in Hawaii. As I was walking, it occurred to me that I could collect the beautiful lava rocks that bordered the ocean.  I began to pick up red, black, and brown rocks and I was happy in the knowledge that I would have some beautiful reminders from this trip to bring home.
      On the last evening of our stay in Lanai, we were having a great dinner at Nobu. We got into a discussion with our waitress about the lack of any shells on the beaches. She informed us that on some beaches, there were shells and on others, there were none. I then proceeded to tell her that I had collected lava rock in lieu of the shells. Her smile instantly turned to a grimace and she told me that I must NEVER displace the lava rock from the beach. I would get "BAD JUJU"! What the hell is bad juju? Someone who doesn't observe the Jewish Holidays? Or a bad piece of candy?
     JuJu is a term that originally travelled to America from West Africa.  You can receive good juju
by saving a kitten or returning someone's lost wallet.  In other  words, if you perform any good deed, you can have good juju. Apparently, what I did by taking the rocks and displacing the natural habitat was very bad. I, or my family and friends would forever be haunted by a bad vibe or aura. Terrible things would come my way if I didn't return those rocks. Oy vay, I started to shake. A panic attack ensued. More vodka was needed. Everyone knows you don't walk under ladders; you never open an umbrella inside the house; you can't put a hat on the bed; if you enter at the front door, you must exit by the same door, and heaven forbid a black cat crosses my path, I will take an alternative route an hour out of my way just to change my direction. You get the point-I am very superstitious.
      The waitress suggested that we return the rocks to the exact spot we removed them from and all would be right with the world again. Don't you know I was on that beach the next morning with those  rocks in hand? I walked back to the place where they had been and quickly replaced them. NO MORE BAD JUJU for me!!!
      However, once I returned home, something happened. I was walking in my daughter's apartment without my shoes and stubbed my toe. I didn't just stub it-upon closer inspection, it was hanging off my foot. So, today, I went to see the foot Dr. and guess what? I fractured the toe. Now for 4 weeks I must tape it and wear a crazy shoe to keep it stable. Was this bad juju or just a mere coincidence? I don't know which it was. I am not taking any chances. Tomorrow I will go out and feed a homeless person, donate clothes to the salvation army, and give some money to a needy charity. I have to get some good juju ASAP so I can reverse the spell.