COnfessions of a MAD Antique Dealer

Upside-Down House (Syzmbark, Poland)
This upside down design seems totally nonsensical–but that is exactly the message the Polish philanthropist and designer, Daniel Czapiewski, was trying to send. The unstable and backward construction was built as a social commentary on Poland’s former Communist era. The monument is worth a trip be it for a lesson in history or balance.

There is a lot of news into nights media blizt...but before I go there....I want to tell you all about my trip to South Jersey.....to buy fabulous things for the store...A certain fabulous custom maker of reproduction antiques is leaving America......and we are trying to buy them out....well, at least of their best stuff. I am not going to lsit all the great things until they are IN THE STORE....but the best part of the day, was eating in a FAMILY STYLE TRUCK STOP.  Now, I do not know what kind of family they had in mind.  The people in there really all were unique...and I curse myself for forgetting my camera..for it would have been one hell of a blog tonight..IT LOOKED LIKE THE BAR in the First Star Wars Movie...when young HArrison FORD sat down to have a drink.....and all the creatures in the bar were from other planets....and had three eyes and a nose on top of their heads...and some were green , or purple.....well if you don't remember look it up on you tube.   And then there was JABBA the HUT who followed. Well, I think Jabba the HUTS  cousins were there tonight...along with the GREAT PUMPKIN. One man, with a stomach that must have been a size 75(no exaggeration) more than twice my waist....maybe even 100 inches....came in wearing AN ORANGE TEE SHIRT. WHEN YOU LOOK LIKE A FUCKING PUMPKIN YOU DO NOT WEAR ORANGE.......... i DIDNT LAUGH, BUT TOLD ERIC, just turn around, the GREAT PUMPKIN IS HERE.....and he did....and his eyes almost popped out of his head and he put his hands over his mouth.....and to add a little color to this pix, he was wearing cut off short pants and a BLUE TOOTH phone. in his ear.

 Then there were a few TRUCKERS who were over 60 years old with long hair down to their shoulders...or longer.....almost everyone had a pronounced pot belly....There was one young trucker,, very fat.....with cut off slevers and short...who was quite loud..he was telling another guy at the next table the story of his life...how he got a girl pregnant and she was to have twins....and then she was in an accident and the twins died, and she killed herself....and then he ran away...to the "open road" I swear I was expecting a country singer to come out of the wood work with his guitar and start putting his tragedy to music.......One truck looked like a grey haired Charles Manson...with "those eyes"  Our Waitress and the other waitress were both chewing yellow bubble gum, clicking as they chewed and occasionally blowing bubbles.  I commented to Eddie what bad waitress they were  and how low class....when he reminded me, "What do you expect, you are in a truck stop.

THE FOOD.  The hot rolls came out....cold, but were covered with stickey HONEY...something I never had before, but I have heard of HONEY BUNS....I ordered sirloin steak, medium rare...super sized..which meant, that for 4.99 you get a second steak,,,the first one was 10.99 or around there..The potatoes and corn were cold and not very good, but to my surprise the steak came out perfect....and extremely tender, no fat, good size and had great seasoning on it...  For dessert I tried their home style apple pie.... I was shocked to get a piece of pie that was not home style. it was HOME MADE.. Fresh apples, not over cooked and not too sweet. and for a mere 1.99 and if I wanted....ice cream was only 50cents more. 

The menu had a Southern flare....Hillbilly...I guess it was 140 miles from Bergen COUNTY..and the get lots of Southern and Western Truckers.... they even had scrapple on the menu...scrapple is.Scrapple is a savory mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and flour, often buckwheat flour. The mush is formed into a loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then fried before serving. Scraps of meat left over from butchering, too small to be used or sold elsewhere, were made into scrapple to avoid waste. Scrapple is best known as a regional food of Delaware, South Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Maryland There are parts of the animal you just wouldn't eat...ears, snouts, ass holes, fat, and other nasty parts...but by the time they get done with it, and add this and that and spices,, its supposed to be very good. I will taste it next time, and if I survive , I will give you all a report.

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That Gorgeous little girl above is not Shirley Temple, but in my humble opinion really looks like her. She is non other than, my GOD child...SUSAN ANN in Veresegehaz, a suburb of Budapest, as HOHOKUS is a Suburb of NYC.  He baby brother DANIEL, was born just two days ago..and eventually I will figure out how to put his picture on the blog...and his adoring and adorable mother SUSAN.

My sister called me today, filled with jubilation and excitement....I thought maybe she won the lottery, or a bag of money was thrown from a passing BRINKS truck and landed on her lawn. BUT, the news is quite interesting...The people that I met in HUNGARY two years ago, who shared the same name as my Grandmothers maiden name.....continued to do research to see if we were related.  I agreed to meet them by a statue in the park...of....I think it was Franz List...... Frank, the DADDY of Shirly TEMPLE and DANIEL.....sat with me on a wonderful perfect day... At some point I looked up and saw an attractive woman, who very much resembled my sister strolling down the auto-less street, or mall.  "Frank, I bet thats her....thats GABBY...look at her, she looks like a slightly younger ARLENE...the cheek bones,m the facial structure...." I walked up to her and asked, "Are You GABBY?"......YES!!! How did you know....."You really look like family....my siter Arlene ( with whom she had communicated by email"  After a few laughs, we went to a wonderful restaurant to eat...."(what else do JEWS do when they get together. They eat, and eat some more, and then tell stories of real estate deals that they could have, wouldhave, and should have made.."  GAbby emailed Arlene that they somehow found papers....documents of my Great Grandparents...(and they got the names right..there o doubt" and a marriage certificate of EMIL, one of my Grandmothers older brothers...18 years her senior... SO we are related....but at this point I am not sure how GABBY and We are related....besides the high cheek bones, the hazel eyes (with a twinkle) and the nose.  Another co incidence is that her CHILDREN go to a JEWISH SCHOOL that was set up by ESTEELAUDER FOUNDATION........and the coincidence is that Estee Lauder grew up in the same house as my mother in BROOKLYN, on OCEAN Parkway......Her Father was UNCLE JOHNS brother, who married my Mothers AUNT ANNA....I think they all lived in that house with a HUNGARIAN Great Grandmother on my GRANDFATHERS SIDE...and GABBY was on my GRANDMOTHERS SIDE.....
Now just look at those punims (Yiddish word for faces....actually its also HEBREW..with the "IM" ending.Those are two of the cutest faces on the planet..almost too cute to be real...and now, becuase of polution, they are endangered....The eucalyptus trees suffer from the Carbon in the air...and...Those threes are the only source of food and water that these KOALAs get. No trees no bears...so damn sad.....We just have to figure out how to clean up the planet...The first step is to rid our selves of REPUBLICAN POLUTION....big corporations that pollute.....not that, Democrats cant pollute..I willnot be just one sided.

I was snubbed.....I was not invited to the wedding......and I heard that it is being held under a huppa, with Glatt Kosher caterers......but then again, you know how rumors are...And I just can hear GEORge W say to his daughter...Ma-zeel tuff you all!!

I only wish her what ever happyness she deserves..and I am not the one who decides this...The GREAT SPIRIT.....will not blame her for the sins of her father and grandfather and great grandfather...I wish her to rise up, and give unto the world something, to soften the blow of the pain and suffering her family has caused. My she live and prosper and produce a child, that might rise to theoccasion to bring great and positive change to the planet..and make up for the damage her DNA has done before her.  Let the futer member of the dynasty produce something wonderful, positive and uplifting. And it will come to pass. This is a prohesy.... You can say  you saw it here first....if you are lucky enough to be around. AMEN

BOYCOTT EXXON MOBIL AND WALMART.....THEY ARE BOTH VERY EVIL

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Today I got more junk phone calls.....than any ot her day ever.....Immediately in the morning...I got two calls from INDIAN MEN....talking about the Internet Yellow pages..we usually get a few calls a week, but not two in one day.....and I AM ON THE NO CALL LIST....I will not repeat what I told them, except....it included  flying to INDIA with a knife,, and that I would have their body parts removed if they ever call again.  Then there were two similar calls from women, one again INDIAN and the other one....maybe American...... Then there was an offer of borrowing 250,000dollars for a business loan...I pushed the ONE button and got connected to a "representative" who I told to "go fuck your self...I am on the NO CALL LIST""and he  got all flustered and said....really I will suck your dick....."when he heard what he said he said..."NO I MEAN........."I hung up before he was able to straighten out  his phrases and his mind...and there were three more such calls....another one was from an alternate PHONE COMPANY, and another from a CREDIT card company who wanted to give me a bet ter deal......and every few minutes, the phone rang for something..and some times two and three at a time.... It was phone madness.

I had wanted to post photos of SUSAN and FRANKS BABY but I cant do it from this computer, or..maybe its the program.....Today I got up a littler earlier to go to VOTWE for the local election..but to my surprise the election wasnt today.......So I called myself schmuck a few times and went to work.  Didnt buy anything much today ..but a very nice oak dresser, all refinished with an oval mirror.....u[pon instpection, we think we had sold this 20 years ago at an auction.....it was our "finish"....and out repro hardware.

Adult entertainment superstar Ron Jeremy has surfaced on the PETA website, in a video interview where he opines on what KFC should do to make their food more cruelty free. Jeremy, a man who's no stranger to the phrase "finger-lickin' good", wants the Colonel to raise his prices by a few cents a bucket and invest in more humane farming techniques.

ROM JEREMY PORN STAR REPRESETS PETA IN ANTI CRUELTY

While it remains to be seen how much influence Jeremy will have over the chicken-eating public, he and PETA are a nice fit - an organization committed to public nudity in a good cause, and a man whose drumstick is already familiar to millons of adult film enthusiasts. Can we expect to see Ron crouched naked in a cage in Covent Garden in the near future? And is it weird to be looking forward to that?

RECIPE FOR AN INTERESTING DISH.....Strange Chicken SAlad

In a deep bowl, put chunks of boiled or roast chicken, one inch pieces, ad cubes of ripe avocado,crumbled blue cheese, blue cheese dressing, tobasco sauce, table spoon of  finely chopped onion, tablespoon of fresh chopped cilantro,(optional) a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil...

Options: corn kernals,chopped parsely,olvies, capers,pimentos,water chestnuts, macadmia,pine or other nuts, chunks of pineapple, apple, tangerine slices...etcetc.

Another options: Instead of other saauces or cheeses, use a teriaki ginger dressing......

I ask all the BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS, and other religious fundamentalists...WHERE WAS YOUR GOD DURING THE CYCLONE.......??

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I am so friggen pissed. I wrote  a huge BLOG and AOl...somehow lost it......so I have to write it again, and I hope that I will be able to repeat what I said...Lets start with the man in the photo...the rock star looking guy, who really resembles the late great FRANK ZAPPA....he is not famous, but one of his relatives was....He is the great, great, great, great..(how have no idea how many greats....because I for got to ask) grandson of Aaron Burr.....the Man...who shot Alexander Hamilton in a duel...yes, we Americans had duels, not just the French...but usually, when there was an insult, the duel was fought by "seconds"  stand in....like movie doubles...and no one, really ever got hurt..Well MR BURR, either really was revengeful, or his bad aim, was too good. and Alexander Hamilton, the founder of PATERSON NJ..the first Industrial Center in the USA....was shot dead..You can see his portrait...there is a bit of a resemblance....to the man who was third VP under Jefferson...and whose father was the 2nd President of PRINCETON UNIVERISTY......  Now the ROCK STAR...Burr, came today to vishis family who live in HOHOKUS....yep, Aaron was dating the woman who lived in what is now HOHOKUS....She lived on the Franklin Turnpike, which was already there....prior to the American Revolution.......in HOHOKUS...it had various names over the years....and the house where she lived...is now the HERMITAGE MUSEUM.....one of the three attractions that HOHOKUS has to offer...The other two attractions....the HOHOKUS INN, which is on the corner of MAPLE AVe and FRANKLIN TPK, which was a stage coach stop...inn and restaurant even back then...and GRANNYS ATTIC...the largest antique store in NJ...  OK...back to AaronBurr....he and his family eventually  lived in Bergen County and still live in HOHOKUS.....I found this out when he gave me his credit card....I commented on his name and we went into a hyst erical historical conversation..

Today is MAY 5th, or better known as CINCO DE MAYO, a holiday for celebration by Mexicans....from Mexico and all around the world..Most people, including MEXICANS think its Mexican INDEPENDENCE DAY...well its not....and even Mexicans, who are not terribly educated thinks it is too. Its a day of celebration, invented in the state of Puebla....someone thought they just needed a holiday...to party and this was invented for celebrating both sadness and happiness......that is the way one Mexican person told me tonight.....so....in celebration of sadness and happiness, the BOYS and JOHN and I went to a RESTAURANT called teh CINCO DE MAYO in Waldwick, maybe a mile from the HERMITAGE MUSEUM, that I mentioned above...right on the FRANKLIN TPK....the same street my MAHWAH store is on.....of course Aaron Burr never went there for tacos or guacamole.....because at that time, there were probably bears and Indians living on the spot now occupied by the strip mall it is in......and Mexican food was unknown in these parts.....

The Restaurant was jumping..People were waiting on line outside..Music was blasting..and colorful helium balloons were everywhere....we were told that there was a 45 minute wait.....which didn't bother me because I wasn't hungry....the guys had brought their six packs of CORONAS (Mexican beer into which you put a squeeze of fresh lime) and I was really happy for the owners, because they had not been doing well in this economy.   We waited, talked and joked....and commented on the amount of people who are morbidly obese.. I don't mean fat...I mean, people who couldn't get into a phone booth to make an emergency call...or if they got in and ate a jellybean, they wouldn't be able to get out. I think cell phones were invented by fat people. People who were to fat to get into a phone booth without getting stuck....makes sense...necessity is the mother of invention..Now I am not making fun of fat people...not with MY BELLY... I was asked if I was having twins.....or what is my due date......

We waited for the table, and then we waited for the food...we waited and waited and waited...But I almost fell asleep..I wasn't even hungry...I enjoyed the party atmosphere...it was happy, it was joyous...people brought their own wine, and tequila(with the worm) There were people with jars of SANGRIA....Everyone was happy...which was so nice....and what was even nicerwas my analysis of the situation..We Americans were there, celebrating the holiday of another culture..A culture that is always in the news getting berated as illegal aliens. People calling them illegal, criminals, people  who want things for nothing.....and all negative dialogue....but here...I saw assimilation....Acceptance...enjoyment....they were embracing the Mexican culture, the food, the joy, the music,.......But we should not only accept them, but learn from them. They are truly hard working people. They are pleasant, kind, and joyous. The know how to share...They know how to say please and thank you....and mean it. They work their asses off for little pay, and send much of their  earnings to support theri mother and father, or even wife and children. They will share a room with many others, give up their own pleasures and privacy, for family.... Its seems that the average people have more respect for them than you think. But there are those....who say horrible things....including jail them and even some really horrible trash say...shoot them...and you know...There are HELICOPTERS who fly over the RIO GRANDE...and they have machine guns..and they do shoot these poor sweet people, as if they were escaped convicts, or wild game. And of COURSE, a lot of this is in the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS, home of the most hated president that our COUNTRY EVER HAD...and I guess, if  you all studied history..we stole TEXAS and other states from the MEXICANS......so in reality, they have as much right to be here as we do...and maybe more..  Again I repreat..we all can learn from them... Learn Generosity, kindness, work ethic, the concept of sharing, humility.;;;;;;;take a good look my friends and learn... I think a lot of my blog readers do no need to be preached to...I think most of you think like I do.

The next photo, of an Eagle that was shot by a hunter......who was found starving to death....but was hand fed by kind people for a few years....and now, medical technologist are building him a new prosthetic beak...which is really great... The eagle is the symbol of our great country....but, how many people.....also need prosthetic to walk(etc).isnt there anyone out there that might help a human.......I guess helping a human isn't as newswothy as helping an eagle......Back to the hunters....I hate them...The masculine guys wit h little dicks, who have to kill animals, and bring trophy's  home to show they ar a man...and....use logic..."they are culling the herd" to make them stronger....and while if we are talking about deer, it might be true....don't tell me they don't get their jollies killing those animals.....then there are those who kill bears for fun too...there is no heard to cull...and yesterday someone shot 5 sea lions who were caged....and ready to be moved out the way of salmon fishermen.....they were shot and killed in cages.....hunters again....if I had my way..and I am a revengeful bastard (although I never ever have seeked revenge..just fantasize about it like many people) I would shoot of the little penis of these hunters....and make sure they live a long life as a dickless wonder....that would be good punishment for them.....

The last entry wil be about the photo of the above group of people..with a church...in front of them Well the Vatican decided today...that a little girl in the 1600's saw a vision of the VIRGIN MARY....so this week, the VAtician deicded she really did see MARY....and to celelbrate the vision they all got togetehr on the same spot.. I will fill you in tomorrow with more details....I wonder why it took them 400 years to make a decision......I guess the girl is no longer around to argue with.....Today, I am sure they would haveput her on anti psychotic medications for hallucinatory episodes....and even BUSH..said GOD told him to invade the midEAST....he should be on medication for hearing voices......yes heavy medication.......I personally would have perscribed Arsenic...but PAcil, or Thorazene might do.?  But  as much as a trash BUSH..t he real Darth Vader of the BUSH ADMINISTRATION is CHENEY, KARL ROVE and RUMSFELD......pray they all will be gone soon...

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Many of the recipes that I invent...or create...came into being because I wanted to make something....and I looked in the fridge, and the cabinets...and tried to crate something from what was laying around.. I had some cooked sausage in the fridge today...some onions, a bag of frozen spinach, a can of GOYA pink beans......Here goes.....I sauteed some garlic and onions in extra virgin olive oil. Then I added the can of drained beans..(large can) the 3/4 of a bag of frozen spinach...Then I threw in the sausage(Italian)..  then for what ever reason, I added some balsamic vinegar, water...simmered it for a while...then I added a slice and a half of whole wheat bread in little pieces...almost like dumplings.....the final addition was salt and HUNGARIAN spicy Paprika paste....Don't ask me why I decided to add the bread and vinegar...but it WORKED....When I served this dish....I added some more vinegar.  The Cubans would have added some chopped onions and virgin olive oil and grated fresh garlic right on top...  What ever you want to call this dish...it was great.  I would add some baking soda the next time I make it...it will cut out some of the "gas"

To make this dish again, I think I would add some green pepper and celery...and even risk the addition of some cilantro.  NOW, to make it healthier, eliminate the sausage...or ham...and make it vegetarian......it will be just as delicious.... You can serve this bean stew over your favorite rice.....But don't forget to add a few tablespoon of balsamic vinegar on top when serving....and if you want to become LATINO...add the virgin olive oil,chopped onions and garlic too.  The Brazilians have a dish called Feshuada(I dont know if this is correct spelling or not)...and this dish resembles it in a way.......

Not much happened today business wise....I even went upstairs in MAHWAH today and fell asleep for an hour and half...while GLEN held down the store....with NOTHING TO HOLD DOWN. BORING.... very few people came in......

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For almost three years, I have been blogging about HERR BUSH....I don't know if the MEDIA decided finally to admit, 3/4 of the people hate his guts and his administration, or did the people slowly open their eyes....but there are still those ignorant people who think he is the best we ever had.....yes, America has many delusional brain washed people..w<SPAN id=sp-8 title=" show, shot, shop, shoe, shod, shoo, ho" style="BACKGROUND: url(undefinedimages/bg_spellingErr.gif) yellow repeat-x left bottom; PADDING-BOTTOM: 2px; COLOR: #000" _backupTitle="null"> believe what BUSH says..GOD TOLD HIM TO INVADE IRAQ..and you know, there is medication for people who hear voices....

Barbara Walters admitted she had an affair with a married man.....a SENATOR no less..and a REPUBLICAN...Tell me, do any of you really care?  I do not..as long as this SENATOR wasn't one of those BORN AGAIN RELIGIOUS ASSHOLES, who preaches fire and brim stone, FAMILY VALUES......but it has been said he was a good man...and probably his wife and he didn't get along.....and he didn't want a divorce because he was in politics...and the RACIAL ISSUE?  There isn't any....they were two adults who cared about each other, and that is all that counts. PERIOD.

BROCCOLI RABE....that's the Italian Broccoli that you can find in some of the supermarkets or produce shops, Green Grocer or Italian specialty shops...or...growing wild anywhere.. If you see some older Italian people along the sides of the ROAD, or in the fields...and they are picking something and putting it into bags, its either broccoli rabe or dandelion greens. I like...no I love broccoli rabe.....the traditional way is usually steamed a bit and sauteed in olive oil and garlic, salt and pepper....till more or less limp. drained....I will give my slightly different recipes......and remember they can be served either hot or cold.....when cold as a salad...add vinegar or lemon juice.

Today's first recipe,,,mash a lot of garlic (the amount is your choice...you can never have to much garlic in anything but ice cream)  grate one onion, two or three tablespoons of fresh finely chopped cilantro,  salt and pepper...when the garlic is just about starting to turn brown....shut off heat and transfer to a bowl....Add a little water to first steam the broccoli rabe that was washed very well to get out all the sand....break bunch in half...and when a bit wilted, at more extra virgin oil cook for a few min, then add the garlic,onion and cilantro salt and pepper...cook very slowly to the desired softness....taste...and correct spices.....Drain liquids.... you can serve the left over juices to dipped Italian bread in....hmmm....I like the veggie dry, but some serve it in the liquid.

You can serve this hot or cold...as a salad...If a salad, you might add a little balsamic vinegar or lemon juice.

RECIPE TWO:   This recipe comes from the area around the Beijing-ROME border.

Saute garlic, onion, thin sliced water chestnuts, bean sprouts, Chinese mushrooms, in sesame oil..and set aside  when onion is limp.  First steam the broccoli rabe in a little water and then add more sesame oil till completely wilted....remove, but try to evaporate all the water first.  Then add the sauteed ingredients..Cook a little more till all warm and desired softness. This is incredibly delicious....  OPTION: you can add some FRESH ginger when first  cooking onions and garlic..... If serving cold as a salad, you might add some rice wine vinegar.  This dish can be served as a main course for vegetarians over brown rice....

This next one might be called Broccoli RABE PUTENESCA.....similar preparation. Sautee garlic,onion, 4 tablespoons parsely, a few tablespoons of chopped olives stuffed with pimentos (or chopped salald olives) and a few tablespoons of capers (mushrooms and waterchestnuts optional)   Add juice of at least one half of large lemon, salt and fresh ground pepper..... pour this mixture over the already steamed and sauteed broccoli rabe.If served as a salald, add more extra virgin olive oil when serving.

I am gong to try a curried Version tomorrow...and if its good I will put in the recipe manana

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Dotty brought in the ingredients today to make tuna salad...Dotty is very fond of the guys and she knows they are addicted to Tuna FISH.....so today, she brought in the best of the best to make tuna ala JUAN....I was invited by the boys to join them.....well, we are like family....and I would say the relationship in the store..employees and management is very close. Since I spend most of my life in the store, I would like it to be pleasant...happy...enjoyable...when possible...which is usually!!!   I made a tuna sandwich, bit in....and well......was overwhelmed with flavor.....like this was the best tuna sandwich I ever had in my life..... Juan added chopped onion, tomato,a tremendous amount of chopped cilantro, lime juice and a little mayo....just a little, it wasn't a mushy mess, like most tuna. salad...it was still dry and chunky.....and...for good luck, Juan put in a little magic green hot sauce.  I only had three sandwiches...if that gives you an idea of how delish it was.....

KINK ALERT...  ASHTON KUTCHER said he loves to go out of his home in the morning and pee in his yard..he says it makes him feel like a cave man....NOW my life is complete....I know t he truth....and isn't that real NEWS....AOL, is really desperate for news......I think the media is really sick....maybe, if they had a portion of the AOL screen, or newspaper, or magazine, that they called SILLY NEWS, or KINKY NEWS....or BIZARRE News....it would be kind of funny...but when the MEDIA puts this out front..as REAL NEWS, well......it really shows that our society is in danger of imploding on itself....at least they should have had photos.....close ups...NO BIG THING!!!!(LOL)

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The man on the left side....just look at his face...it really Looks like my Father at a very you age, the cleft in the chin, the eyes, the high cheek bones.....if you want to use your imagineation, it almsot looks like me in college or high school.... But from what I know about my father, he was never in any theather groups, or got dressed  up...but then again, he really never discussed much with me about anything...sadly.  He never told me about his school life,his freinds, or what he did immediately after he finsihed high school, and I am not really sure if he did. I do know that his father died in 1916 during the FLUE EPIDEMIC..and he and one or two brothers had to go to a JEWISH ORPHANAGE in Pleasantville NY.....at least he wasnt on the curel streets of the lower EAST side, he was fed, got medical attention, had a safe roof over his head....and met freinds there that stayed friends all through their lives, and two, were pall bearers at his funeral. That is testimony of what friends are all about...and testimony what a special and good person he was. I unashamedly sit here typing this, with tears cascading down my cheeks, feeling the loss, that  children get when their loose a parent....Of course adults cannot function if they stay in a place of mental loss..so we survive by blocking sadness and bad things...but occassionaly the blocks....the walls that we build  are penetrated by bullets, shells and rockets of memories and sadness, and these walls collaspe temporarily, until the little elves in our brain and buildthem up again...and these little elves work very quickly...

I sit here not only thinking of my loss, but of how lucky I was to have a parent like him. I guess he taught me by example, not by explanation. He was always reading, newspapers, magazines and books. Even though we never discussed what he read, I saw that reading was a big part of his life.....He always wanted me to do well in school, but never was one of the screeching parents who punished if you didn't do well on a test, or failed a subject...although, I don't remember ever failing anything...I learned the importance of friendship and loyalty...again by example. How he and his friends cherished each others friendship which spanned their entire lives. He was kind, honest, not visibly religious, but did go to Temple on the HIGH HOLIDAYS......which I learned was respect for his past,his parents, and his religion. He,unlike me, never talked about religion. He didnt try to convince me to go to temple or be religious, but just to do the right thing.He was a good father....and I only wish that I was more sensitive than I was...I never ever thought to sit down with him and ask him about himself...and his past. Now I look back and wondered how stupid I could have been.  It wasnt that I ddint care...I just didnt think of it.  Just like I didnt think of learning the HUNGARIAN my Mother and Grandmother spoke in the house. I picked up a handful of words....but my NOW inquisitive mind wasnt developed back then, for if it were, I would be fluent in that langauage.. I just didnt think of it. Years later, as I walked down the streets of BUDAPEST,  I broke out into tears, thinking that I shoudl be understanding the sounds that I am hearing, for I did grow up with it constantly ringing in my ears...but, Mom and Grandma, didnt want my sister and me to understand...they used it to talk behind out backs.....sometimes as if was their secret weapon.  Well now I think I know little better than 100 words....but that isnt enought to do  more than go shopping, read a menu and curse out a few people...and know names of body parts.

Well the little elves have fixed the hole in the wall in the brain that lets the tears flow....as I aid they do work quickly.....other wise, they would have to run and get some valium or other cement to fix the blocks.. Well back to the photo.....what is strange about it, that although I think it looks like him.......there is some writing on the back of it...that I cannot read. It almost looks like it is written in YIDDISH...using HEBREW ALPHABET...but I cannot make out anything at all.  I sold the photo today....and while wrapping it up, I noticed the familiar face...this photo was purchased with a whole bunch of items, and I cannot even remember where....Had I noticed this before I sold it, I would have kept it.......I did ask the people, if somehow it really turns out to be my father, to sell it back to me..and they agreed.

The ASSHOLE in chief is going to talk to the country today about the condition...of the economy..The very sale economy that he says was in good condition.......Lets see what he says....and I will anal-yze it tonight.

Everyone who gets the 600 dollar rebate...spends it in Antique stores, restaurant, Yard sales, auctions...the money will stay in America. But if you spend it in retail stores....like WALMART, HOme DEPOT etc.....all the crap is made in CHINA, and the money will go right out of America into the hands of the CHINESE...Spend the money on GASOLINE it goes to the ARABS, put a down payment on a Toyota....and the money goes to the JAPANESE>....so...my message, keep the money in AMERICA....be Patriotic...and spend your rebate at GRANNYS ATTIC

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If you didnt read both SUNDAY entries...read them first....Tonight, I played on the computer, putting on classified ads, and then watched  a few hours of a very silly, yet interesting show...on the FOOD Network.  Andrew Zimmerment, is this over weight food enthusiast and chef, who travels the world looking for wierd foods to freak out his followers... Tonight, on his three shows....he ate in Taiwan. and MAINLAND CHINA ..mostly....some of his taste treats included"Deep fried giant bees, cooked up with scallions and other Asian veggies; bar b cued  Crickets, locusts, and other bugs...deep fried sea horse(on a stick) a kebab of chicken asses, chicken uterus, cocks combs, duck heads, "stinky tofu" which even grossed him out... Fermented rice and pork(2 weeks old and not refrigerated) soup with rooster testicles....In Beijing, he went to a restaurant, a very expensive one....that all dishes were concocted from animal penis...in another everything was made from DONKEY MEAT,.....the most normal think he had on was shark find and birds nest soup, which I have had already...The other items I have never tried....yet...and do not expect too. Since its late, I for got the dozens of other strange things...but you get the idea...but as he explains, there are things we eat, that are just as strange to other cultures, but normal to us. 100 years ago, on a trip to the NORTH POLE  ADMUNSON, brought canned goods with him. His Eskimo guides, puked when he asked them to try canned peas and beets, and other things that seem normal to us...yet the Eskimos eat seal blubber and liver raw, and fermented birds that were never even cleaned...YUK.

Its all a matter of what we get used to, as we are born and grow up. For some reason, I am the most adventurous person in my family...for trying all foods.. There is hardly a food I do not like. I like all meats, fishes(inc eels and sushi)veggies and fruits....I like MUSHROOMS(fungi) I can list  very few things I do not like....The most disgusting thing to me is BUTTERMILK....to me its liquid mucus...YUK.....and I cant even look at it..That is the only thing in t he universe of Western Culture food I feel that way about. Now I really do not like Anchovies but can eat them...for some day, before I blast off to another planet, I hope to acquire the taste, as I did for yogurt and all cheese, including the stinky one....I never had the opportunity to eat the cheese with live worms in it..and I probably would pass if someone handed me a platter of living crawling cheese. It took me years to acquire the taste for blue cheese...to rate it as delicious rather than having the flavor of fermented socks on a hot day.  I must be honest, if presented with some of the items this man tasted, I also might pass, the stinky tofu, which made this adventurous man almost puke on camera....He basically said the locusts tasted like manure, and the Fried Seahorse  was extremely disgusting in flavor.....but there were some oddities, that he did like...  There were deep fried tea leaves (a nosh) noodles in tea oil.....he ate raw seaurchins, raw and cooked fish eggs(big lumpy ones) sea cucumber...which in my mind must taste like a polluted river...

I am vwery happy that he didnt have any appetizers or main dishes that contained dogs or cats.....The DONKEY was bad enough, sad enough....and this was in a very fancy restuarant....donkies are raised there, like we raise veal....against my moral principal.....

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