Christmas Eve, 1966….It was a biting cold, windy, and snowy Saturday…..so snowy in fact that there were near blizzard conditions, and “thunder snow”…..something I’d never seen before.
I was out delivering Italian bread that day with my godfather, Uncle Frankie, and looking forward to the eventual evening’s feast of 7 fishes…..which, since I was only 15 at the time, still hadn’t grown to appreciate. Now that I’m 59, my tastes have changed a bit, but then, it never made any sense to me how anyone could make a salad out of something that gave off an odor so foul, it lingered in the house for days! And God knows, it did!
Part of the evening’s tradition involved the eventual visit from Santa Claus. Now, you’re probably thinking, “….if you’re 15 at the time, you can’t possibly still believe in Santa?” Well no, I didn’t….but I still had my kid sister and my cousins that did…..and even if they didn’t, it was still something of an event when Santa came to the house. A cowbell would clang, someone would rush in screaming, “…I hear banging on the roof….I think he’s here…..it’s Santa”…and then Santa himself, or someone in a Santa outfit would scurry in…bellowing in his best “ho ho ho”….practically throwing gifts at us so as not to be identified by us wiseass kids. After all, you didn’t want the kids to identify which of the older cousins was playing Santa…that would spoil the fun! Besides, by that time, everyone had an inkling that it was either one of my uncle’s nephews Tommy or Joey. C’mon, who where they kidding? You couldn’t put anything over on kids from Avenue U!
But this year would be different! Tommy and Joey, and my Uncle….collectively known at the “Reindeer Club”…were all snowed in! Uncle Frankie had the Santa outfit in a closet a block away…Tommy and Joey….well, they were probably snowed in somewhere in a bar on Bay 50th St., and even if they wanted to, it was snowing so hard, they would never have made it out anyway.
Now this presented a problem…..who was left to distribute the toys to the kids? The prospect of there being no Santa was just unthinkable. All eyes turned to me….all of 115 lbs of me!
The real cool thing was that now I’d get to be a part of that elite group known as the “Reindeer Club”. Not that it had any special privileges or anything….it was sort of a “coming of age”…..like a bar mitzvah, only for goyim! “Today you are a man…..just don’t tell your cousins who’s playing Santa!”
Anyway, once we trudged through the snow, and made it to my Uncle’s apartment, I was outfitted with the Santa suit. Four pillows later and a lot of eye makeup to make me look scary enough so that the kids wouldn’t get too close to me…and we were off! Dashing through the snow….without the one horse open sleigh…or the ’63 Pontiac which was stuck behind an enbankment….exposed to the howling winds and snow…AND the wiseasses on the Avenue who made sure to bust my chops wanting to know what Santa had in the bag for them. I could have said something like “I got your presents right here”, but that wouldn’t have been too Santa-like…and I probably would have wound up head first in a snow bank….so I let Uncle Frankie handle it.
First stop was Grandma’s apartment over Rome Bakery on the Avenue. The usual characters were there… aunts, uncles, cousins, and my biggest pain in the ass cousin….Dominick, who I thought was gonna heave up a lung when he saw me….that’s how loud he laughed! But the best reaction was the one Grandma had...sheer terror, as she cowered in her chair gazing up at this figure that, to her, looked like the grim reaper, all the while saying in Italian….”chi e’ sandi claus?" (Who is Santa Claus?) “But it’s me, Grandma!” All to no avail, since A) she couldn’t hear, and B) she may have overdosed on a bit too much anisette!
Santa’s next stop was a bit more fun! Upstairs by my Aunt Grace and my uncle who we used to call O’ Zi. Aunt Grace had a voice like sheet metal being ripped…..”ohhh, is that Ray Ray”…..she kept saying over and over between puffs on a Pall Mall.
Ahh, but the real acid test came next…..downstairs….the Rossi house….and this was “showtime”, because there is where the kids were! One bad move and Santa would have been outed. Uncle Frankie kept going over the line with me……..”no, it’s ho, ho, ho (deeper), and whatever you do, don’t look at any of the kids, ‘cause they’ll know who you are.”
So in we go, Uncle Frankie ringing the cowbell, somebody else screaming, “...he’s here, he’s here”, and in I go. My kid sister Chrissy, cousin Frankie Boy, who gets a bike, who gets a doll, bam, bam, bam….who’s laughing, and all the while I’m worrying that my “ho ho hos” don’t measure up. If you’d put a stopwatch to it, I’d say we were in and out in 2 minutes flat! We had thieves in the neighborhood that would have stayed longer!
I’d like to tell you that Santa would have hung around for the traditional milk and cookies before being whisked away by the reindeer and the sleigh….but that wasn’t to be. Someone finally dug out the 63 Pontiac….and off Santa went, down the block and back to Uncle Frankie’s and Aunt Fran’s to shed the Santa suit…and back to my life as a civilian. Waiting for me would be a piece of my mom homemade “migliaccio” (cheese cake) and struffelas. After all, it's the very least Santa would have wanted!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, April 1, 2010
My daughter wants to go "old school"!
Some kids need to keep whatever roots they have alive. I guess that's why my daughter has been "hocking" me to find out how to make her own Italian bread.
Mind you, back when I was a kid, I avoided going by the "bench" or the oven at all costs. The work was way too intense, my father hated the thought that his sons would be condemned to a life of having to bake for a living....and I had other plans anyway!
But there are just some things you don't forget...and even if I never baked, I was around it so much there was no way to avoid knowing what to do "just in case".
So, here's the letter I wrote to my daughter, giving her, to the best of my recollection, my recipe for Italian bread:
Eebs,
OK, here's what you need.
Flour
Water
Yeast (see if the bakery will sell you a sliver of the yeast cake....if not, then go to the supermarket and see if you can find the dry yeast in the package.
a pinch of salt
maybe some seeds
possibly a cookie sheet.
possibly some sesame seeds
I would mix some warm water, salt, and yeast together to melt the yeast. Then, place the mixture in a bowl with some flour and mix it until it's firm but not too sticky. When that's done, knead the dough, then place it on a plate with a towel over it and a little flour on the top so it doesn't grow a skin on it, and give it a chance to rise.
Once it's gotten airy, cut the dough into as many loaves as you want, and knead them again so that they are nice and tight.
Let them sit a while longer to rise. You might also want to moisten the top of the dough, and place some seeds on them.
Preheat the over ( I'm guessing around 350 ), and if you can, also a small pot with some water in it in the oven to make the heat moist and give the bread a shiny coat. Then, put the dough in a pan with a cookie sheet or some Pam so that the dough doesn't stick. (It would be better if you had a baking stone to put the bread on, but I don't want you to have to go for your lungs!) Make sure you pierce the top of the dough so that it doesn't crack while baking.
Bake till a golden brown.
That's all I can remember for now......you can channel Grandpa Augie and curse all the while you're doing this. He always did and the bread always turned out fine!
Love,
Daddy
Mind you, back when I was a kid, I avoided going by the "bench" or the oven at all costs. The work was way too intense, my father hated the thought that his sons would be condemned to a life of having to bake for a living....and I had other plans anyway!
But there are just some things you don't forget...and even if I never baked, I was around it so much there was no way to avoid knowing what to do "just in case".
So, here's the letter I wrote to my daughter, giving her, to the best of my recollection, my recipe for Italian bread:
Eebs,
OK, here's what you need.
Flour
Water
Yeast (see if the bakery will sell you a sliver of the yeast cake....if not, then go to the supermarket and see if you can find the dry yeast in the package.
a pinch of salt
maybe some seeds
possibly a cookie sheet.
possibly some sesame seeds
I would mix some warm water, salt, and yeast together to melt the yeast. Then, place the mixture in a bowl with some flour and mix it until it's firm but not too sticky. When that's done, knead the dough, then place it on a plate with a towel over it and a little flour on the top so it doesn't grow a skin on it, and give it a chance to rise.
Once it's gotten airy, cut the dough into as many loaves as you want, and knead them again so that they are nice and tight.
Let them sit a while longer to rise. You might also want to moisten the top of the dough, and place some seeds on them.
Preheat the over ( I'm guessing around 350 ), and if you can, also a small pot with some water in it in the oven to make the heat moist and give the bread a shiny coat. Then, put the dough in a pan with a cookie sheet or some Pam so that the dough doesn't stick. (It would be better if you had a baking stone to put the bread on, but I don't want you to have to go for your lungs!) Make sure you pierce the top of the dough so that it doesn't crack while baking.
Bake till a golden brown.
That's all I can remember for now......you can channel Grandpa Augie and curse all the while you're doing this. He always did and the bread always turned out fine!
Love,
Daddy
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Workout Diary……Days 5 and 6!
…didn’t exist, so we’ll go onto day 7.
First I’ll account for the preceding 2 days. Sunday I stayed in bed a bit late than usual…went to Mass…and spent the rest of the day reading the papers and following the health care debate on TV. Not exactly a waste, but not exactly physically taxing either!
Monday I had some errands to do in the morning, not the least of which is walking my daughter’s dog that we’re watching this week! She’s “defecation shy”, so she’ll only poop after she’s walked for 30 to 45 minutes. 30 to 45 minutes that I don’t have…so I had to find out the hard way! There goes the routine!
Today, it’s a little different! I still spend a half hour outside walking the dog, even though she won’t poop for me, then spend online, and eventually get over to the gym. I only have about an hour, so I try and mix in as much cardio and resistance training in that time.
First a series of 60 rope skips, mixed in with some abdominal pike ups. I do 3 sets of each.
Then it’s on to the incline bench, where I do some barbell chest presses….5 sets starting out with 115 lbs, and working up to 135….followed by some wide grip bent over rows to work the lats. Here I go with 80 pounds, and do 3 sets of these.
By this time, I have about 20 minutes remaining, so I’m off to the dreaded treadmill, and work in my remaining minutes there.
Alas, one hour in the books, and something actually accomplished!
All in all, week one had 5 days spent doing some physical activity and 2 days rest.
Tomorrow begins another week of fun and frivolity!
First I’ll account for the preceding 2 days. Sunday I stayed in bed a bit late than usual…went to Mass…and spent the rest of the day reading the papers and following the health care debate on TV. Not exactly a waste, but not exactly physically taxing either!
Monday I had some errands to do in the morning, not the least of which is walking my daughter’s dog that we’re watching this week! She’s “defecation shy”, so she’ll only poop after she’s walked for 30 to 45 minutes. 30 to 45 minutes that I don’t have…so I had to find out the hard way! There goes the routine!
Today, it’s a little different! I still spend a half hour outside walking the dog, even though she won’t poop for me, then spend online, and eventually get over to the gym. I only have about an hour, so I try and mix in as much cardio and resistance training in that time.
First a series of 60 rope skips, mixed in with some abdominal pike ups. I do 3 sets of each.
Then it’s on to the incline bench, where I do some barbell chest presses….5 sets starting out with 115 lbs, and working up to 135….followed by some wide grip bent over rows to work the lats. Here I go with 80 pounds, and do 3 sets of these.
By this time, I have about 20 minutes remaining, so I’m off to the dreaded treadmill, and work in my remaining minutes there.
Alas, one hour in the books, and something actually accomplished!
All in all, week one had 5 days spent doing some physical activity and 2 days rest.
Tomorrow begins another week of fun and frivolity!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Workout Diary……Days 3 and 4!
I could easily have been done in by the flaky monster known as sfogliatelle…..my favorite pastry…and easily a diet killer.
But I did not let it happen!
The other night, my wife surprised me with 2 of these crunchy, tasty little beasts for our 31st wedding anniversary. I mean…how could I say no. She even made a special trip into Freehold to buy them fresh!
So there they were, sitting there all sugary like and waiting to be devoured! And yes, I have to admit, I gave in….but I told myself, “…what the hell, I deserve it!” After all, during the wedding last week, I’d been pretty good. I didn’t go too far off the chart, so I felt that to indulge was not such a terrible thing.
Anyway, no harm done, ‘cause when I got on the scale Friday morning, it showed that I’d only put on a pound…which was workable. I mean, had it been more, I probably would have gone into a funk.
So, once at the gym, I started by doing some smith machine squats. The smith machine, for those of you that don’t know, is a rack that you place weights on and could do a variety of exercises with. I chose to do squats by placing my shoulders under the bar of the rack, and starting out by squatting with 50 lbs…working my way up to 70, then 90, and finally another set of 90…all the while skipping in between sets of squats for an interval of 30 seconds with my one pound rope. After that, I did some barbell deadlifts, starting with 95 pounds, then 185 for 2 sets. I also worked in some plate loaded shoulder presses, working 50 pounds each side, then 75…all to fatigue. There's probably a couple more I'd done, but for the moment, I forget. Suffice it to say that I finished off with 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.
Today (Saturday) was a big day….it’s the day most of everyone in Manalapan is in the gym, and even though there’s a fair amount of work to be done, one can’t help but socialize and break up the routine with a bit of chit chat. After all, I’m Neopolitan, and the art of the chiachione is one that I pride myself in.
I had decided to work abs and arms, but it didn’t work out that way. I did mostly abs, starting with a pike up, where I use a “dolly” and pike my rear up about 12 times to work the lower abdominals. I then did some rotational twists with a medicine ball, where I elevate my legs, holding the medicine ball in front of me, and rotate the medicine ball from side to side…doing 3 sets of each. Next came the weighted leg lifts…taking a 12 pound hexagonal weight, and holding it in my feet, elevate my legs and rear to fatigue. Oh, and forgot to mention that I did 4 2-minute rounds of boxing on the heavy bag, and 30 minutes on the dreadmill….I mean treadmill.
Again, there's one or two movements I'm leaving out, but you can say that with the chiachiaone activity and workout routine…I’d probably been there at least 2 ½ hours! More than enough time to spend there.
Tomorrow’s another day, and Monday begins another week, so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll probably do more arm work tomorrow (Sunday) since I didn’t do much of it today.
I mentioned to you the body fat composition loss competition coming up in April. That’s really the only way you can tell if you’ve made any progress. We’ll see, or as my grandmother used to say, “…’mo verrime’”.
But I did not let it happen!
The other night, my wife surprised me with 2 of these crunchy, tasty little beasts for our 31st wedding anniversary. I mean…how could I say no. She even made a special trip into Freehold to buy them fresh!
So there they were, sitting there all sugary like and waiting to be devoured! And yes, I have to admit, I gave in….but I told myself, “…what the hell, I deserve it!” After all, during the wedding last week, I’d been pretty good. I didn’t go too far off the chart, so I felt that to indulge was not such a terrible thing.
Anyway, no harm done, ‘cause when I got on the scale Friday morning, it showed that I’d only put on a pound…which was workable. I mean, had it been more, I probably would have gone into a funk.
So, once at the gym, I started by doing some smith machine squats. The smith machine, for those of you that don’t know, is a rack that you place weights on and could do a variety of exercises with. I chose to do squats by placing my shoulders under the bar of the rack, and starting out by squatting with 50 lbs…working my way up to 70, then 90, and finally another set of 90…all the while skipping in between sets of squats for an interval of 30 seconds with my one pound rope. After that, I did some barbell deadlifts, starting with 95 pounds, then 185 for 2 sets. I also worked in some plate loaded shoulder presses, working 50 pounds each side, then 75…all to fatigue. There's probably a couple more I'd done, but for the moment, I forget. Suffice it to say that I finished off with 30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.
Today (Saturday) was a big day….it’s the day most of everyone in Manalapan is in the gym, and even though there’s a fair amount of work to be done, one can’t help but socialize and break up the routine with a bit of chit chat. After all, I’m Neopolitan, and the art of the chiachione is one that I pride myself in.
I had decided to work abs and arms, but it didn’t work out that way. I did mostly abs, starting with a pike up, where I use a “dolly” and pike my rear up about 12 times to work the lower abdominals. I then did some rotational twists with a medicine ball, where I elevate my legs, holding the medicine ball in front of me, and rotate the medicine ball from side to side…doing 3 sets of each. Next came the weighted leg lifts…taking a 12 pound hexagonal weight, and holding it in my feet, elevate my legs and rear to fatigue. Oh, and forgot to mention that I did 4 2-minute rounds of boxing on the heavy bag, and 30 minutes on the dreadmill….I mean treadmill.
Again, there's one or two movements I'm leaving out, but you can say that with the chiachiaone activity and workout routine…I’d probably been there at least 2 ½ hours! More than enough time to spend there.
Tomorrow’s another day, and Monday begins another week, so we’ll see how it goes. I’ll probably do more arm work tomorrow (Sunday) since I didn’t do much of it today.
I mentioned to you the body fat composition loss competition coming up in April. That’s really the only way you can tell if you’ve made any progress. We’ll see, or as my grandmother used to say, “…’mo verrime’”.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Workout Diary……Day 2!
Starting out behind the 8 ball screws up everything down the line, as I’m finding out today. I got out of bed at 6:53, already 23 minutes later than I normally do. So naturally I’m rushed for the rest of the day.
Once the pre show prep is done, I’m over for my usual “carb break” and coffee, and then to the gym. Today however consisted of a warm up routine of twist-squats and rope skips in between. The twist squat is like medieval torture…I take a weight plate and hold it out in front of me, then twisting down to one side, I squat down, and on the upswing, twist the plate up and out. I then reverse direction. I started with a weight plate of 10 lbs, upping it to 12, then 20, 25, and back down to 12. I try and do as many reps as I can to fatigue. On me I carry a 1 pound rope, and between each set of squats, I’ll skip rope 60 times to get my heart rate up.
Once I’m done with that, it’s over to the pullup bar. While I never have trouble doing chinups, overhand pullups are another story. I managed 4 unassisted….then used a thin band to assist me for the next set. Seeing how I was already fatigued, I tried to do another set unassisted, but only managed 2, then tried it with a thin band, and got to the original number of 4. Finally, I thought that I’d like to get in a few more reps than just 4, and used a thicker band which got me up to 10 reps.
Finally, to finish it all off, I hit the elliptical machine for 20 minutes and did 2000 paces. Total time of workout was 75 minutes…and while I would have liked to stay longer and worked more muscle groups, I was there just the same.
During the show’s commercial breaks, I’ll try and do 25 resistance band crunch ups, and 25 side twists on the balance ball.
BTW, my trainer, Chris Larocca, tells me that he’ll be holding a body fat loss competition coming up in April. Can’t wait…..
Once the pre show prep is done, I’m over for my usual “carb break” and coffee, and then to the gym. Today however consisted of a warm up routine of twist-squats and rope skips in between. The twist squat is like medieval torture…I take a weight plate and hold it out in front of me, then twisting down to one side, I squat down, and on the upswing, twist the plate up and out. I then reverse direction. I started with a weight plate of 10 lbs, upping it to 12, then 20, 25, and back down to 12. I try and do as many reps as I can to fatigue. On me I carry a 1 pound rope, and between each set of squats, I’ll skip rope 60 times to get my heart rate up.
Once I’m done with that, it’s over to the pullup bar. While I never have trouble doing chinups, overhand pullups are another story. I managed 4 unassisted….then used a thin band to assist me for the next set. Seeing how I was already fatigued, I tried to do another set unassisted, but only managed 2, then tried it with a thin band, and got to the original number of 4. Finally, I thought that I’d like to get in a few more reps than just 4, and used a thicker band which got me up to 10 reps.
Finally, to finish it all off, I hit the elliptical machine for 20 minutes and did 2000 paces. Total time of workout was 75 minutes…and while I would have liked to stay longer and worked more muscle groups, I was there just the same.
During the show’s commercial breaks, I’ll try and do 25 resistance band crunch ups, and 25 side twists on the balance ball.
BTW, my trainer, Chris Larocca, tells me that he’ll be holding a body fat loss competition coming up in April. Can’t wait…..
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Workout Diary……Day 1!
Over the next few months, I’m going to use this space to document my progress, or lack thereof, in trying to stick to a workout routine. I’ve mentioned countless times how I wanted to be “jacked by June”…blah, blah, blah. But somehow, I feel the only way to accomplish anything is to put it out there for all to see.
Today was Day 1, and the only reason it was so is because this past weekend, with my daughter’s wedding, my routine had gotten all screwed up. So I begin with today, March 17, 2010.
Once I’m up and out of bed, I head to Dunkin’ Donuts for a medium cup of black coffee and a multigrain bagel plain…to jumpstart my metabolism.
Then it’s off to the gym. Today’s routine will center on working my shoulders, and if time allows, my lats. For my warmup, I take the big fuzzy 8 lb. medicine ball, and throw it up against the wall of the basketball court. I do what I call the “medicine ball squat”, where I squat down, and as I get up, pressing my shoulders up, throw the ball against the wall, allowing it to fall, while I squat down again and repeat the motion. I’ll do 20 of those, and 3 sets of 20. Then, I’ll take the medicine ball and toss it across my body against the wall…doing that in one direction, then the other side….20 times per side…and 3 sets of 20.
Today’s warmup also consisted of taking a thick resistance band, and wrapping it around my ankles, walked forward and backward the length of the basketball court. I did that 3 times…and also tried to walk side to side, but felt some pain in one of my legs, so I only attempted that one once.
Once done with that, onto the weights. For my shoulder workout, I did a barbell clean and press starting with a 45 lb weight, up to 65, then 75, and back to 65. Then a dumbbell shoulder paddle starting with 25 lb weights, up to 30, and another set of 30. My final shoulder movement is a rear deltoid cable press. Once done with that, I worked a close grip bent over lat row band going 45 lbs, 55, 65, and back down to 45. All movements are done to fatigue.
I wrapped it all up with 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.
Day one….done, and all told it took some 90 minutes.
We’ll see how it goes….I’m shooting for at least 5 days a week.
Today was Day 1, and the only reason it was so is because this past weekend, with my daughter’s wedding, my routine had gotten all screwed up. So I begin with today, March 17, 2010.
Once I’m up and out of bed, I head to Dunkin’ Donuts for a medium cup of black coffee and a multigrain bagel plain…to jumpstart my metabolism.
Then it’s off to the gym. Today’s routine will center on working my shoulders, and if time allows, my lats. For my warmup, I take the big fuzzy 8 lb. medicine ball, and throw it up against the wall of the basketball court. I do what I call the “medicine ball squat”, where I squat down, and as I get up, pressing my shoulders up, throw the ball against the wall, allowing it to fall, while I squat down again and repeat the motion. I’ll do 20 of those, and 3 sets of 20. Then, I’ll take the medicine ball and toss it across my body against the wall…doing that in one direction, then the other side….20 times per side…and 3 sets of 20.
Today’s warmup also consisted of taking a thick resistance band, and wrapping it around my ankles, walked forward and backward the length of the basketball court. I did that 3 times…and also tried to walk side to side, but felt some pain in one of my legs, so I only attempted that one once.
Once done with that, onto the weights. For my shoulder workout, I did a barbell clean and press starting with a 45 lb weight, up to 65, then 75, and back to 65. Then a dumbbell shoulder paddle starting with 25 lb weights, up to 30, and another set of 30. My final shoulder movement is a rear deltoid cable press. Once done with that, I worked a close grip bent over lat row band going 45 lbs, 55, 65, and back down to 45. All movements are done to fatigue.
I wrapped it all up with 20 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine.
Day one….done, and all told it took some 90 minutes.
We’ll see how it goes….I’m shooting for at least 5 days a week.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Nothing short of amazing!
You always wonder what that day will be like when you walk your daughter down the aisle…but nothing prepares you for the reality…the nerves, the butterflies, the wondering if “I’m gonna cry” stuff that goes through your brain, the weather, which in this case turned out to be a record setting monsoon!
But the monsoon was no match for us! It was going to be my daughter’s day come hell or high water, and high water was lapping all around us! Guests began arriving at the Courtyard by Marriott Friday evening, and throughout much of the early afternoon on Saturday…even as the hurricane force winds threatened to blow the doors off the guests’ cars as they arrived.
Upstairs, the wind whipped the tree outside my hotel room, I was having a quiet moment. I said a prayer, and then started to slowly get dressed…all very deliberately. As I unfolded the shirt, I wondered whether or not I was putting the studs on the right way, carefully taking the shoes out of the box, and placing them on my feet…all the while thinking I was mere hours away from taking that long walk with my little girl!
The limousine surfed through the puddles on Route 21 on the way to Nanina’s in the Park. I couldn’t help but notice the gushing water cascading into the brook that ran alongside the park and wondering if the affair would be washed out! What a day to get married!
Once at Nanina’s, we were all able to take a deep breath and savor the moment until the bride arrived! The groom was told to stay in the study while I went out to take a peek at my daughter in her wedding gown! All breath was taken out of me…I was mesmerized at how beautiful she looked walking through the doorway and into the foyer. And just beneath us, scampering about was my little niece in her flower girl gown…looking very much like a little princess in a fairytale.
As the guests arrived in the pouring rain, the anticipation grew even more intense. Peter, the banquet manager, got all of us together and prepared us for our entrance while the band played the processional.
And then the grand entrance! Walking in, my biggest fear was tripping over the runner that I could feel pressing against my shoes…my daughter’s arm in mine as I whispered to her, “don’t cry, you’re a pro, just remember daddy loves you!” And then it happened! I could feel my eyes watering as I took the final steps toward the minister where her soon to be husband waited. As I kissed her, I thought back to that day almost 30 years ago when she came into the world, feeling shocked all over again as I’d felt then. Another life milestone has been passed!
And then they danced, to the Platters “Only You”. After which came our turn, and a treasured moment that will stay with me forever. For our dance, I took the sound clip from the show I did on the radio the day after she was born, announcing her birth, and playing the special dedication I’d made to both her and her mother, to the tune of “Betcha By Golly Wow” by Phyllis Hyman. As the sound of the radio clip washed over everyone present, I couldn’t help but think of that day in June of 1980 when my little girl, just a day old, was lying in a crib in the hospital down the hall from where her mother lay. And now I was about to take her hand in mine and dance to that very song!
To describe everything that came afterward would take pages more. Suffice it to say it was nothing short of magical. The band, Alive N Kickin', lived up to their billing! The special waltz that my wife and I had prepared weeks before the event went by in the blink of an eye! And everything that followed…the food, the dancing, the pure joy of having loving family and loyal friends together in one place together on a night that wasn’t fit for man nor beast to be out in…all sharing it with us....and the smile my daughter wore the entire night!
And above all, I’ll be grateful that she found the man of her dreams…even though he came up short on recognizing the movie line “…do you know how to make sauce?” Sounds like something his father-in-law would do!
But the monsoon was no match for us! It was going to be my daughter’s day come hell or high water, and high water was lapping all around us! Guests began arriving at the Courtyard by Marriott Friday evening, and throughout much of the early afternoon on Saturday…even as the hurricane force winds threatened to blow the doors off the guests’ cars as they arrived.
Upstairs, the wind whipped the tree outside my hotel room, I was having a quiet moment. I said a prayer, and then started to slowly get dressed…all very deliberately. As I unfolded the shirt, I wondered whether or not I was putting the studs on the right way, carefully taking the shoes out of the box, and placing them on my feet…all the while thinking I was mere hours away from taking that long walk with my little girl!
The limousine surfed through the puddles on Route 21 on the way to Nanina’s in the Park. I couldn’t help but notice the gushing water cascading into the brook that ran alongside the park and wondering if the affair would be washed out! What a day to get married!
Once at Nanina’s, we were all able to take a deep breath and savor the moment until the bride arrived! The groom was told to stay in the study while I went out to take a peek at my daughter in her wedding gown! All breath was taken out of me…I was mesmerized at how beautiful she looked walking through the doorway and into the foyer. And just beneath us, scampering about was my little niece in her flower girl gown…looking very much like a little princess in a fairytale.
As the guests arrived in the pouring rain, the anticipation grew even more intense. Peter, the banquet manager, got all of us together and prepared us for our entrance while the band played the processional.
And then the grand entrance! Walking in, my biggest fear was tripping over the runner that I could feel pressing against my shoes…my daughter’s arm in mine as I whispered to her, “don’t cry, you’re a pro, just remember daddy loves you!” And then it happened! I could feel my eyes watering as I took the final steps toward the minister where her soon to be husband waited. As I kissed her, I thought back to that day almost 30 years ago when she came into the world, feeling shocked all over again as I’d felt then. Another life milestone has been passed!
And then they danced, to the Platters “Only You”. After which came our turn, and a treasured moment that will stay with me forever. For our dance, I took the sound clip from the show I did on the radio the day after she was born, announcing her birth, and playing the special dedication I’d made to both her and her mother, to the tune of “Betcha By Golly Wow” by Phyllis Hyman. As the sound of the radio clip washed over everyone present, I couldn’t help but think of that day in June of 1980 when my little girl, just a day old, was lying in a crib in the hospital down the hall from where her mother lay. And now I was about to take her hand in mine and dance to that very song!
To describe everything that came afterward would take pages more. Suffice it to say it was nothing short of magical. The band, Alive N Kickin', lived up to their billing! The special waltz that my wife and I had prepared weeks before the event went by in the blink of an eye! And everything that followed…the food, the dancing, the pure joy of having loving family and loyal friends together in one place together on a night that wasn’t fit for man nor beast to be out in…all sharing it with us....and the smile my daughter wore the entire night!
And above all, I’ll be grateful that she found the man of her dreams…even though he came up short on recognizing the movie line “…do you know how to make sauce?” Sounds like something his father-in-law would do!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Work out at work…part 2!
One the exercises I’m fond of doing is the resistance band crunch. Whether or not you’ll be able to do this one at work will depend upon your being able to bring a balance ball to work with you.
If you already have the resistance bands, take them and tie them around the base of your desk or the leg of a sturdy table. (The desk would be preferable since it’s sturdier). Then place the balance ball a short distance away from the table or desk….just so much so that you can feel some resistance from the bands. Place the small of your back into the balance ball, and grabbing the handles of the bands, crunch up while holding the resistance bands in front of you.
After about 10 or 15 repetitions you should feel some fatigue in your abs. Try and work in as many sets of these as possible without injuring yourself. I usually go for 3 to 4 sets of 25 on any given day. You can also try holding one of the bands out in front of you, the other hand on your hip; and performing a crunch and twist.
A very simple resistance band abdominal workout using the balance ball is the resistance band twist or as some like to call it a "woodchopper". Again, make sure the resistance band is fastened around the base of your desk. Then, while lying with your back on the balance ball, grab the handles of the resistance bands, and twist your body away from the desk. You’ll be working the muscles along the sides of your abdominals. Do one set twisting one way, then reverse direction and work the other side. I like doing these during commercial breaks, and in the space of 3 to 4 minutes can work both sides of my abs. I’m figuring you should be able to get in a complete abdominal workout in 10 minutes, and still have time to grab a cup of coffee!
The inclusion of the ball offers you countless other opportunities to work out at work.
I’ll be going into some of these in future blogs.
Again,….feel free to offer your own suggestions and feedback on what’s worked for you!
If you already have the resistance bands, take them and tie them around the base of your desk or the leg of a sturdy table. (The desk would be preferable since it’s sturdier). Then place the balance ball a short distance away from the table or desk….just so much so that you can feel some resistance from the bands. Place the small of your back into the balance ball, and grabbing the handles of the bands, crunch up while holding the resistance bands in front of you.
After about 10 or 15 repetitions you should feel some fatigue in your abs. Try and work in as many sets of these as possible without injuring yourself. I usually go for 3 to 4 sets of 25 on any given day. You can also try holding one of the bands out in front of you, the other hand on your hip; and performing a crunch and twist.
A very simple resistance band abdominal workout using the balance ball is the resistance band twist or as some like to call it a "woodchopper". Again, make sure the resistance band is fastened around the base of your desk. Then, while lying with your back on the balance ball, grab the handles of the resistance bands, and twist your body away from the desk. You’ll be working the muscles along the sides of your abdominals. Do one set twisting one way, then reverse direction and work the other side. I like doing these during commercial breaks, and in the space of 3 to 4 minutes can work both sides of my abs. I’m figuring you should be able to get in a complete abdominal workout in 10 minutes, and still have time to grab a cup of coffee!
The inclusion of the ball offers you countless other opportunities to work out at work.
I’ll be going into some of these in future blogs.
Again,….feel free to offer your own suggestions and feedback on what’s worked for you!
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Five Minute Fitness…..the simple “take to work” gym!
Months one and two of your New Year’s resolution have probably gone by the wayside….the one that had you going to the gym at least 5 times a week.
Ah yes, that one!
Has the guilt set in yet? Well, maybe the best way to avoid that guilt is to take the gym to work with you…and I don’t mean lugging along an elliptical machine. All you need are a couple of pieces of easy to transport equipment. In fact, I keep a few of those items here at the station.
What I’d do is to start small….say, with a set of resistance bands. You’ve probably seen them in the gym…long tubular rubber bands with handles on each end. Very functional and easy to find. (You can probably get an inexpensive set at your nearby Walmart or Target.)
When time allows, and if your clothing will allow you to move around freely, you can start by standing in the center of the bands with your feet shoulder width apart, elbows at your sides. Then, with an underhand grip, slowly curl the bands up, then back to the starting position. Try and do as many curls as you can....curling both arms up and down at the same time. Once you've done a set of those, you can then try to alternate curling each arm at a time.
There, that wasn't so hard!
Now, try a one arm seated curl. Again, just step on the center of the band, and while grabbing the two handles of the band with an underhand grip, rest your elbow on your inner thigh, and curl the band up to your chin.
Not so bad! Next, try a shoulder press, by again standing in the middle of the bands and with your elbows at a 90 degree angle, press the handles of the bands over your head.
Other movements you can do will allow you to work other muscle groups like the triceps (the horseshoe shaped muscle in the back of your upper arm) and rear deltoids, which I’ll go into in future blogs.
Some of the other things you might want to consider bringing along could be a set of leg weights, small dumbbells, a small kettle bell, and perhaps even a balance ball….assuming you have room to store all of these. If not, just using the chair and desk will allow you to do a daily routine.
These are good for a start. Keep checking in as I'll be looking to update this spot regularly with some other suggestions….and, of course, if you have any of your own, feel free to share!
Ah yes, that one!
Has the guilt set in yet? Well, maybe the best way to avoid that guilt is to take the gym to work with you…and I don’t mean lugging along an elliptical machine. All you need are a couple of pieces of easy to transport equipment. In fact, I keep a few of those items here at the station.
What I’d do is to start small….say, with a set of resistance bands. You’ve probably seen them in the gym…long tubular rubber bands with handles on each end. Very functional and easy to find. (You can probably get an inexpensive set at your nearby Walmart or Target.)
When time allows, and if your clothing will allow you to move around freely, you can start by standing in the center of the bands with your feet shoulder width apart, elbows at your sides. Then, with an underhand grip, slowly curl the bands up, then back to the starting position. Try and do as many curls as you can....curling both arms up and down at the same time. Once you've done a set of those, you can then try to alternate curling each arm at a time.
There, that wasn't so hard!
Now, try a one arm seated curl. Again, just step on the center of the band, and while grabbing the two handles of the band with an underhand grip, rest your elbow on your inner thigh, and curl the band up to your chin.
Not so bad! Next, try a shoulder press, by again standing in the middle of the bands and with your elbows at a 90 degree angle, press the handles of the bands over your head.
Other movements you can do will allow you to work other muscle groups like the triceps (the horseshoe shaped muscle in the back of your upper arm) and rear deltoids, which I’ll go into in future blogs.
Some of the other things you might want to consider bringing along could be a set of leg weights, small dumbbells, a small kettle bell, and perhaps even a balance ball….assuming you have room to store all of these. If not, just using the chair and desk will allow you to do a daily routine.
These are good for a start. Keep checking in as I'll be looking to update this spot regularly with some other suggestions….and, of course, if you have any of your own, feel free to share!
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