Seth and I enjoyed Rutgers and the Garden State's agricultural bounty on Saturday, April 25, at the annual Ag Field Day on the Cook/Douglass campus. It was a beautiful but very hot day, with a long walk over from the Bristol-Myers Squibb parking lot on Route 1. The campus was full of adults, college kids, young kids, and lots of dogs. We sampled the homemade ice cream (chocolate for me; and a rainbow of fruit flavors for Seth). The ice cream was served outdoors in foam cups, so we didn't get to see the students merrily churning.
The photos in the slideshow below are from the Scarlet Chef demonstration, with the chef showing us how to prepare healthful foods (a salad and a chutney) with Jersey Fresh ingredients. We picked up the recipe cards and free RU Express bags but mostly hung out by the ice sculptures. We skipped the samples because we had "all we cared to eat" for $6 apiece at Neilson Dining Hall.
We also walked over to Woodlawn for the New Jersey Folk Festival, but we didn't get a chance to see any of the performances. Seth got to ride for the first time on a Rutgers bus, a non-air-conditioned one at that, as we rode across Route 1 to the Rutgers Gardens. There were lots of young smiling faces in the official Rutgers Day shirts guiding people on College Farm Road, but not over at the Gardens. A Farmers Market over at the Gardens turned out to be a market of breads, pickles, sandwiches and kielbasa -- nary a vegetable in sight. We learned from the nice ladies over there that the season really kicks off with the Spring Flower Fair, Mothers Day Weekend (May 8-10). The Gardens will have a real Farmers Market on Friday afternoons, starting May 1.
At the end of the day, Seth got some bargain plants, including some catnip that Nero went over the moon for, and now Seth is hiding in the basement, and a hanging plant that's not safe for kitties, so he may do a neighborly plant exchange.
Rutgers Day seemed to be a great showcase for the university, which added events on College Avenue and Busch campuses to the traditional events on Cook/Douglass. Many of the events were for prospective students on college tours; they couldn't go very far without seeing a "Did you know?" sign with a Rutgers factoid. Hopefully, they'll join Mr. Magoo, me and hundreds of thousands of others as students and then alumni at New Jersey's State U.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Seth and Eric's Hot Ag Field Day
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Honoring Rutgers' Loyal Sons and Daughters
The Rutgers Alumni Association honored 11 Loyal Sons and Daughters of Rutgers, at the 51st Annual Awards Dinner Saturday night, April 4, 2009. Livingston Alumni Association Executive Council members came together to honor Marty Siederer (LC '77), the LAA President, and the other 10 honorees. Since 1958, more than 500 men and women have been honored for their volunteer service to the university, by prior recipients, at the annual awards event. (To see and download the photos from the slideshow, click the Picasa logo in the lower right corner, then the album name.)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Happy New Year -- Seth and Eric's 2008 in Review
Happy New Year, plus a belated Happy Chanukah and Merry Christmas
Hi everyone! We hope you have enjoyed the holidays are all enjoying the holidays. Despite the ups and downs of the year, it is finally ending on a nice note. The Bookey Family gathered in Great Neck for our annual consumption of Aunt Elaine's latkes and pot roast, and on Christmas Day, Eric and I made our annual pilgrimage to visit his parents and brother, and to celebrate the holiday by gorging ourselves on the bounty of the Borgata Buffet.
But it wasn't all just overeating in 2008! Let's look at the Year in Eric and Seth...
The biggest news of the year was Ma Bookey's stroke, which has caused her left side to be permanently paralyzed. Luckily, she is not in any pain and she can talk, and her dementia keeps her from fully realizing how horrible her physical situation is. She is at Sands Point Nursing Home and has had several trips to the hospital. Her underlying health is pretty good, so she has gotten out of the hospital without getting worse each time. Her sense of humor is also sort of there. She was saying that Seth's father was a great guy. When Seth asked, "What about me?" She said, "You're nice too, to some extent." She does think Eric is terrific.
HOME
The other big news is that Seth moved into his childhood home in Great Neck, due to his Mom moving into a nursing home. The home will soon enjoy Mom's income, so two incomes cannot support three homes. Seth is currently subletting his flat to a fellow genealogist. Eric and Seth spent many weekends packing boxes and moving things to Great Neck. It is amazing how much stuff one can accumulate in 19 years.
The house in Great Neck is about 80 years old and needed a lot of work. Between January and June, the gutters were replaced, the rotting garage extension was fixed, the sagging, cracked support beam was jacked up and the floor is level again.
The house now has modern, water- and energy-efficient appliances the likes of which Mom never would have been able to figger out.
Seth also discovered just how lucky he and his Mom have been to have good neighbors, who helped look after the house a bit between Mom's stroke in January and the time Seth moved into it in September.
WORK
Seth's Library at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society closed and gave its collection to the New York Public Library. While he was supposed to be laid off in September, he is still there, indexing a 7000-page manuscript. Things could be worse. He has also been working part time at ABC News, working on a fact-checking project for a video-on-the-Web project.
Seth was able to help a lot of people find a lot of genealogical data before the NYG&B shut down the databases. It's amazing what's out there.
Seth has also been job hunting and interviewing since March. It has not been easy.
Eric is still working at Dow Jones Customer Service, and he is working from home. Sometimes, he works from Seth's home in Great Neck. Eric is also going to be working alternate Sundays as a reference librarian for the Clarence Dillon Public Library in Bedminster (NJ) starting Jan. 4. Thanks to Google Calendars, we can keep everything straight.
Seth and Eric also worked together on a project for Newsweek.com earlier in the year.
Work-related, but not work: Seth and Eric have been getting involved with the Special Libraries Association (SLA). Eric is the co-convener of the GLBT Caucus, and is President of the SLA New Jersey Chapter. Seth has been going to some of the networking events held by the SLA NY chapter.
PLAY
Seth and Eric went to Seattle in June for SLA 2008, staying in a very nice suite at a hotel near the convention center. We got to see a lot of people we know in the information world, and meet new people. We also visited with cousins in Seattle, and we met Eric's Aunt Dorothy and cousin Barbara and her family in Portland, Oregon. The Cascades train from Seattle to Portland and back was quite lovely, with views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood on one side, and Puget Sound on the other.
Eric and Seth have also criss-crossed the tri-state region, and in keeping with the Depression 2.0 times, we have been turning the basement into a canned-goods warehouse and having fun doing more cooking at home. Thanksgiving in Great Neck turned out pretty well.
REUNIONS
Eric went to his 20th high school reunion on Black Friday and had a great time, once he found the Greate Bay Country Club and later, Stumpo's bar and karaoke hangout, both in Somers Point, N.J.
You can see him cutting a rug with his Holy Spirit classmates on Facebook and here with his lovely dance partner, Lesley Mottola.
Speaking of Facebook, both of us have had online reunions with a variety of people, from old classmates to hitherto unmet cousins. It's all sort of amazing.
THE YEAR IN NERO
For the first time in years, Nero has had to learn to use the stairs. The old boy is 14 and has enjoyed a year of perfect health, tolerating the daily insulin shot around which Seth's whole world now revolves.
In June, Nero flipped out on a visit to the vet, so for the move to Great Neck, he was tranquilized, and eventually wobbled around to discover that life is now bigger than a studio apartment on the Upper East Side. He has a new routine to wake Seth up at ungodly hours to get fed.
Nero got into the basement only once and freaked out. He also is skittish when it comes to visits from Theo and Melody. But he has his special snoozing spots and remains ever-loving. However, he now has a Facebook page and seems quite sassy there.
FESTIVE HOLIDAYS!
We celebrated both Chanukah and the birthday of Sandy (Seth's brother) on Dec. 21. In one photo Sandy is cutting his cake while Aunt Elaine and the kids look on.
The other photo shows the fully lit menorah on the eighth day of the Festival of Lights, Dec. 28.
In the middle of Chanukah this year was Christmas. Seth and Eric and the Schwarzes (parents Claire and Eddie, and Eric's brother, Frankie) celebrated with a feast at the Borgata and a visit to the home of Gigi and Frankie in Brigantine. (Gigi is Frankie's canine friend.)
And that's the year that was. We're not sure what 2009 will bring, but having President Obama's inauguration ahead is a bright spot. Until then, we're following Suze Orman's advice and stockpiling canned goods.
Hi everyone! We hope you have enjoyed the holidays are all enjoying the holidays. Despite the ups and downs of the year, it is finally ending on a nice note. The Bookey Family gathered in Great Neck for our annual consumption of Aunt Elaine's latkes and pot roast, and on Christmas Day, Eric and I made our annual pilgrimage to visit his parents and brother, and to celebrate the holiday by gorging ourselves on the bounty of the Borgata Buffet.
But it wasn't all just overeating in 2008! Let's look at the Year in Eric and Seth...
HOME
The other big news is that Seth moved into his childhood home in Great Neck, due to his Mom moving into a nursing home. The home will soon enjoy Mom's income, so two incomes cannot support three homes. Seth is currently subletting his flat to a fellow genealogist. Eric and Seth spent many weekends packing boxes and moving things to Great Neck. It is amazing how much stuff one can accumulate in 19 years.
The house in Great Neck is about 80 years old and needed a lot of work. Between January and June, the gutters were replaced, the rotting garage extension was fixed, the sagging, cracked support beam was jacked up and the floor is level again.
The house now has modern, water- and energy-efficient appliances the likes of which Mom never would have been able to figger out.
WORK
Seth's Library at the New York Genealogical and Biographical Society closed and gave its collection to the New York Public Library. While he was supposed to be laid off in September, he is still there, indexing a 7000-page manuscript. Things could be worse. He has also been working part time at ABC News, working on a fact-checking project for a video-on-the-Web project.
Seth was able to help a lot of people find a lot of genealogical data before the NYG&B shut down the databases. It's amazing what's out there.
Seth has also been job hunting and interviewing since March. It has not been easy.
Seth and Eric also worked together on a project for Newsweek.com earlier in the year.
Work-related, but not work: Seth and Eric have been getting involved with the Special Libraries Association (SLA). Eric is the co-convener of the GLBT Caucus, and is President of the SLA New Jersey Chapter. Seth has been going to some of the networking events held by the SLA NY chapter.
PLAY
Seth and Eric went to Seattle in June for SLA 2008, staying in a very nice suite at a hotel near the convention center. We got to see a lot of people we know in the information world, and meet new people. We also visited with cousins in Seattle, and we met Eric's Aunt Dorothy and cousin Barbara and her family in Portland, Oregon. The Cascades train from Seattle to Portland and back was quite lovely, with views of Mt. Rainier and Mt. Saint Helens and Mt. Hood on one side, and Puget Sound on the other.
Eric and Seth have also criss-crossed the tri-state region, and in keeping with the Depression 2.0 times, we have been turning the basement into a canned-goods warehouse and having fun doing more cooking at home. Thanksgiving in Great Neck turned out pretty well.
REUNIONS
Eric went to his 20th high school reunion on Black Friday and had a great time, once he found the Greate Bay Country Club and later, Stumpo's bar and karaoke hangout, both in Somers Point, N.J.
You can see him cutting a rug with his Holy Spirit classmates on Facebook and here with his lovely dance partner, Lesley Mottola.
Speaking of Facebook, both of us have had online reunions with a variety of people, from old classmates to hitherto unmet cousins. It's all sort of amazing.
THE YEAR IN NERO
For the first time in years, Nero has had to learn to use the stairs. The old boy is 14 and has enjoyed a year of perfect health, tolerating the daily insulin shot around which Seth's whole world now revolves.
In June, Nero flipped out on a visit to the vet, so for the move to Great Neck, he was tranquilized, and eventually wobbled around to discover that life is now bigger than a studio apartment on the Upper East Side. He has a new routine to wake Seth up at ungodly hours to get fed.
Nero got into the basement only once and freaked out. He also is skittish when it comes to visits from Theo and Melody. But he has his special snoozing spots and remains ever-loving. However, he now has a Facebook page and seems quite sassy there.
FESTIVE HOLIDAYS!
We celebrated both Chanukah and the birthday of Sandy (Seth's brother) on Dec. 21. In one photo Sandy is cutting his cake while Aunt Elaine and the kids look on.
The other photo shows the fully lit menorah on the eighth day of the Festival of Lights, Dec. 28.
In the middle of Chanukah this year was Christmas. Seth and Eric and the Schwarzes (parents Claire and Eddie, and Eric's brother, Frankie) celebrated with a feast at the Borgata and a visit to the home of Gigi and Frankie in Brigantine. (Gigi is Frankie's canine friend.)
And that's the year that was. We're not sure what 2009 will bring, but having President Obama's inauguration ahead is a bright spot. Until then, we're following Suze Orman's advice and stockpiling canned goods.
Philly-nomenal Library News
Eleven libraries in Philadelphia will not have to close starting Jan. 1 after all. Mayor Michael Nutter had proposed the closings because of budget reasons, but the Court of Common Pleas overruled the decision.
Read the WCAU-TV 10 report. Or the story, legal analysis and editorial from Philly.com.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Even More on Lucie Arnaz
I didn't mean for this to be the Lucie Arnaz blog, but the Paley Center has posted two nice articles on her career, including YouTube clips:
It's Not Where You Start - It's Where You Finish
Lucie Arnaz: The Lucy Years
Unfortunately, I wasn't able to attend Lucie's talk at the Paley Center on Tuesday evening.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
More Lucy/Lucie at the Paley Center
Lucie Arnaz will visit New York City's Paley Center (formerly the Museum of Television and Radio) Oct. 28 to "share memories and screen clips" of performances of her and her mom from the 1970s.
I don't think I'll be able to go, but I am really happy to hear that many more Lucie and Lucy performances will be available for public viewing at the center's locations in NYC and Beverly Hills.
More great news from the center: The catalog of the center's TV, radio and advertising collection is finally online! So if you want to screen a Lucy program (or any other), you can plan your trip beforehand. (There is a limit on how much time you can spend per day on personal screenings. It's been a while since I've been there, so you should check with the center before visiting.)
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Birdland Photos
Seth and I got a nice photo with Lucie at her Birdland show Saturday, July 19. Photographer Duane Menor was kind enough to take it:
And überfan Glen Charlow has posted photos from Lucie's show on her birthday, including a nice group shot of the Luckinbills (Joe, Lucie, Kate and Larry).
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