Update 9-7-04

Hey,

Labor Day's gone. Two more months till the election. Meanwhile, some other news many of us have been curious about.

From Paul DeMartino: There seems to be something in the air about the 40th reunion. There's no established date yet, though April may be OK again, because Easter is in March next year, or we may get a better price in the summer. We also have not selected a site, though we may use the same hotel as the last time. Our committee plans to meet within the next two weeks to finalize our game plan, and hopefully we'll have the selection made by 10/1/04. This should allow everyone enough time to comment and rearrange schedules. We'll try to make everyone happy, but you know how hard that is. Meanwhile, thanks for your patience.

And if you've absolutely got to go to a reunion this weekend, a reminder that the Class of '64 is having their 40th. When: Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th. Where: the same place we had our 37th -- the Wyndham Windwatch Hotel and Hamlet Golf Club in Hauppauge. What: They will have a hospitality suite and a Saturday buffet dinner. Details: If you want to attend, contact Tom McPartland, either by phone at: 516-456-5758, or by e-mail at: tommcp@ptd.net

Next, a series of hurricane reports, mainly from Barbara Blitfield Pech in Miami:
9-3: ITINERARY CHANGE: I will be at the Hurricane Hilton (formerly the Pech Palace) for the big B.J. (Hurricane Frances). Orlando is not a good travel choice, for obvious reasons and then some. As hurricane is scheduled to make a direct hit in the area of central Florida, the highways and all roads outta here are JAMMED with bazillions of mandatory evacuations and residents of barrier islands and beach front properties --see, being "poor" has it's advantages. I can just stay in my modest, but inland, home and watch it blow away, rather than come back to it after a miserable repast in a shelter. YOU ARE WELCOME TO JOIN ME here if you wish to share the experience or need a place to hang out during the Labor Day weekend. Note: some of the amenities have been suspended -- poolside sunning and golf will be replaced by white water rafting, and parasailing; weekend gourmet meals may be limited to what is still frozen after the power goes out, or canned foods if I can find the manual can opener. Bring (dry) fire wood, as local wood may be used for the ark or may have to be cut from fallen trees on roof of house! Candles good. Scented candle not good. But anything that can be rolled and lit BETTER! (Hey, I said it's gonna be a longgggg couple of days, and nights -- gotta do what ya gotta do!) I will keep in touch as long as the power, and the powers that be, stay on the good side!
9-4: Hi there. To date, I am bored out of my mind just waiting for this to "hit." I just pray that I can say the same thing hours from now. Miami is huge, to say the least -- the physical size of Brooklyn. I am 40 miles inland from the beaches, but my area is called Kendall Lakes, for all the obvious reasons, and my house boasts an elevation of 9 feet above sea level -- almost a mountain top for Miami. We "flood" in heavy rain storms, but have no prior experience with what we're about to go through. The evacuation center is the local high school, 1/2 a block from the house, so I am stickin' home to "protect" the manor. And to be here for the neighbors as we set up the bbq's to cook all the defrosting meat and guzzle the kegs that have been "procured" for the event. In the event of a power failure, beer needs to be cold or it's worthless. Steaks and chops will be the afterthought and reason to start fires. (Jeez, do I sound like Bevis or Butthead? Eek -- GET ME OUTTA HERE!) By the way, "your own is your own." In the last 2 days, I've gotten calls, e-mails, etc., from "our classmates," or rather some very dear concerned friends. Terri Donohue, now a Florida resident, has been chatting up the idea for a Florida Hurricane survivors brunch. Personally, I'm ready NOW! All else quiet -- too quiet. I MISS the sunshine and the daily reality of taken-for-granted routine life. Besides, I am having a difficult time navigating through the house with assorted patio, pool, and plant/outdoor items that are now indoors. SEND HELP NOW -- or a few extra rooms to store the "outside" in!
9-5 -- 1:00 PM: Just a few MORE hours until Frances FINALLY passes over Miami. Thankfully, I'm none the worse for it Lost a few tree branches and my mind during these long 3 days of waiting and waiting and waitingggggg. I suppose that as we get more experienced in preparedness for the durations, I will learn to take bigger risks. I shopped for non-perishables in lieu of power failures and prolonged outages, but DAMN if Florida Plunder & Loot (our local electric provider) hasn't even flickered the lights. And me just sitting here without so much as a scoop of Hagen Daz or Ben & Jerry. Even generic store brand is starting to sound real good! Hmmm, maybe the wind isn't so bad after all. Heck, I can drive to the store faster than the winds' 55mph!..ya think? Seriously, all seems to be good. I will update you on details if there are any changes, but not my weight after I break outta here!
9-5 -- 5:30 PM: You should know me well enough by now to acknowledge that ice cream is just the header on the [long] list. I have no illusions about the rest of the week. Back to office Tuesday on what promises to be a gorgeous sunny day -- to wait for Ivan, expected to hit Florida next weekend. Now, what's WRONG with this scenario??? Note to self: leave storm shutters up. Buy generator and ice cream!

From Eric Hilton 9-5 -- 7:00 PM: As I type this to you, we’re getting the shit blown out of us here in Sarasota, but not as bad as we thought. So far, no flooding. Just lots of rain and lots of wind.

From Terri Donohue Calamari in Naples: Just got my computer up and running for the first time since Charley. All is well, and it looks like Frances will pass us by.

From a college friend near Key West: The fish in our water are doing odd things and acting confused. I assume it's related to all the turbulence from the hurricane.

In other, less dramatic, news, first from Allen Moss to Thomas Romano: You are absolutely right -- Mr. Seaman did get dubbed "the Mongoose." As soon as I read your anecdote, the name came back to me. Not quite sure, either, why the name. The front row of the class was the "Mongoose Firing Line." There was Bone, Elliot Weinger, myself, and a few others I can't quite remember. When he did one of his famous voice squeaks and/or fumbles with the chalk, eraser, etc., the comments flew -- and they were far from "sotto voce." What an incredible bunch of cruel bastards we were!

And from Barnet Kellman to Allen Moss: I don’t remember much these days, but I’d swear Elliott’s parents' convertible was a Ford Galaxie.

News Bulletin from Swift Boats in Nebraska: My name is Jerry Bittman, and I approve this message. (For further political bulletins from Swift Boats in Nebraska, contact Jerry directly at: crazygeronimo@yahoo.com and ask to be added to his mailing list.)

Some exercise advice from Robert Fiveson, aware that, technically, most of us aren't actually "seniors": I just came across this exercise suggested for seniors, to build muscle strength in the arms and shoulders. It seems so easy, I thought I'd pass it on. The article suggested doing it three days a week.
Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room at each side. With a 5-lb. potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides, and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, then relax. Each day, you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.
After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb. potato sacks, then 50-lb. potato sacks, and eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb. potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks. But be careful.

Also from Robert, to be checked out when you have, say, a little extra time: She is my new Truth -- http://www.chickenhead.com/loserscopes/0604.asp

Finally, some surprising news for those of us in California who figure death on the freeway is inevitable: It turns out you can die more readily in a car accident in Nebraska than in California. Nebraska is ranked twenty-second worst in the country, while California is merely thirty-seventh. Wyoming is the worst. Massachusetts is the safest, with New York right behind Massachusetts, then Connecticut and New Jersey. It seems congested traffic saves lives. This is all according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Rich