Cross Town Thoughts
Wire-haired terrier won. Apologies to Pepper and Rascal, but for me the bloodhound ruled. No problem having dogs outshine handlers. Maybe next year outfits from Target instead of WalMart. Is that too much to ask?
Olympics. Bob Costas’ pink-eye leads that news. Half-pipe too slow. Oh no. Not the best show. American Idol resurgence. Great judges and talent this season.
As for snow. We are in the double-digit prediction purple glow on the map. Shovels, ho.
What does the fox say? I was ring-ling
wa-pow hanging out in Candy’s backyard.
Fantasy football done. Time for gridiron grit. September predictions still in play. Joey3Sticks said Denver over Seattle 27-17. Could be the early pick of the year. I thought Seahawks over Pats, no score. Hoping for another wildcard sneak into SuperBowl. 49ers over Pats. That would be most fun. Let the hashmarks begin.
If we can see them. Blizzard alert.
Happy 2014?!
GOOD
FoxSports1- Reege Crowd Goes Wild
Game of Thrones– Red Wedding
Hotel Giraffe
Gramercy Tavern, Da Silvano
MadDad Photo Contest- SideĀ Trek
Joey3Sticks- 50 Clambake
Book of Mormon, Motown
Fabritius’ Goldfinch at the Frick
BAD
Carnival (Ted) Cruz
Phippy wins British Open
Boston Marathon Djokers
Trayvon Martin jury
Carlos’ undangerous Weiner
Delta Barcelona-JFK. Ceiling falls on lady’s head. Media screen broken. Wires dangling. 7-hour flight. Amtrak NY- Springfield. 40 minutes late. Nicked exciting end of Niners’ last game at the “stick”. They win. Yay.
Kristmas Eve lobster at JeanJean’s. Cuzins playing and singing. Priceless.Ā 
If you want to laugh out loud, read Delia Ephron’s A Christmas Manners Quiz. Happy Kristmas to all and to all a good night!
In New York City, a homeless family’s life is chronicled in the Times. In Boston, an outcast Chechen family’s psychological unraveling is told in the Globe. Award-winning level of journalism. Better than any books I’ve read this year.
NYĀ Times‘ series focuses on an 11-year old girl in Andrea Elliott’s exposĆ©, “Invisible Child. Girl in the Shadows. Dasani’s Homeless Life”. Ā Named for the bottled water because it represented wealth, Dasani treads above the depths of an urban shelter. With many siblings and incompetent parents, Dasani at her young age keeps them all from drowning completely. She is miraculously smart and talented. It serves her well but also works against her as she feels responsible to keep her family afloat. Hard to predict whether her wits will be enough to escape the obstacles of their needs and her environment.
Boston Globe’s “The Fall of the House of Tsarnaev”, tells two stories of two brothers. I dubbed them at the time, Brothers KaramazOff, April 24, 2013. Boston Marathon bombers.Ā A spiral of bad luck, degenerate genes, and failed dreams with a pinch of radical religion turn anger into terrorist violence.
Dickens meets Nietzsche meets Dostoyevsky in Donna Tartt’s third novel. Fabritius’Ā The Goldfinch, is the masterpiece of this tale. It becomes young Theodore Decker’s only glimmer of light as his life is blown to smithereens one afternoon at the Metropolitan Museum post- 9/11. As fate fractures, the tethered finch on a shelf foretellsĀ shackles of guilt and self-loathing.
Full review on TrekBooks. Painting at TheĀ Frick Collection thru Jan 19. DutchMasters. No. Not the cigars.
L Tryptophan lingering. It’s December? People are already putting up trees. Lights lining houses. Wreaths on doors. Hanukkah is over. Christmas shopping? Everyone is abuzz about Bezos’ drone delivery idea. NYTimes‘ Dowd says it’s faster to go to the store. I disagree. But, that’s always been me. A woman loathe to shop. Maybe it comes from years of working in Dad’s retail.
Here’s the thing. Called local bookstore for a particular title. Woman said computer down, call back. Did. Didn’t have it, could get it in 4 days. Amazon 2 days, cheaper. Same with clothes. Go to Brooks Brothers et al. Ā Lousy selection of inventory. Out of your size. Go online. Get your size, color, style. Hits your door in a week. Don’t like it? Free shipping back. No surly sales people, mall rats.
Bye bye bricks and mortar. Who needs headaches and overhead?
Turkey-kkah indeed. Chopped chicken livers from Goldberg’s deli to start. Dr.Husband performed the bris. Bird with all the fixin’s. Delish. Grandma sang the annual “I don’t want to be a turkey…they stuff you and bake you” song with the children.
Gorgeous vistas and perfectly set tableaux with gelt.
Grace Nardi’s ghost. Don’t ask.
Flaming Doritos. Outside in the firepit.
Family psychotherapy for dessert.
Another Thanksgiving in the books. 
Dear Faux Amis,
Annual oversharing tidings! So much to tell. The year was mostly serene. Our carefully curatedĀ Facebook page filled with montages of selfies in canoes. Portraying our truly rich life. Then in August we all went Osage County.
Moonbeam joined the 21st Century and discovered Candy Crush game. No time for global causes now. Living in the basement, he clicks away all day while malevolent Mephistopheles the cat jumps on his head. Moonie only leaves his lair to meet me upstairs nightly for gluten-free snacks and quite a few high balls.
I’ve given up naked Pilates. Drugs seem more convenient. Purple pills, blue pills, pink pills. Pretty to look at every morning. And they go down easy with my protein shake. I have contracted tuberculosis, leprosy, and my head is falling off as the result of side-effects. But, there are pills for that, too. So.
Haven’t seen Zelda in a few months. Moonbeam and I get facetime calls periodically from Vegas. Her credit card seems to have gone dry. What with so many sparkly jumpsuits, it’s no surprise. Lots of zippers. But, she is off fulfilling a dream. Pole dancing for men in brocade vests and cowboy hats. You go, girl!
As Town Manager here in Silent H, Mass., I proudly succeeded in banning nuts from our schools. Nobody left in class. But, hey. Tomorrow is a latter day.
Happy Thanks Kristmakkah,
The Bidrights
As holidays approach, a renewed interest in gift collectibles. Amazon is offering several ways to buy Table’s Edge. All hardcover with photos and illustrations. A nostalgic nod to Pioneer Valley’s culinary history. Tales of creative chefs who came to Paradise City from all over the world. CookBook, too. Their timeless recipes. For more information, check it out here at tablesedge.com.
Meanwhile, in Manhattan the dining scene continues to evolve. One of our faves, Ciano is now CucinaCiano, moved from Flatiron to Upper East Side. Over on York & 73rd, a hole-in-the-wall has become the hottest spot for fish flown in daily from Japan. TanoshiĀ has 10 seats, so plan ahead. Snow in NYC today. None here!
Side Trek . NYC 