tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-69099801994453775082011-11-02T16:51:08.081-04:00Random musings that I have, from time to time, about events in my lifeRobin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.comBlogger181100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-2998012198633741372009-12-01T09:41:00.034-05:002009-12-02T11:12:03.505-05:00

What does one do for Thanksgiving, when one's husband is in Germany, and one's grandchildren have the flu? Spend Thanksgiving Day in Manhattan with a friend!When I learned I would be alone for Thanksgiving, I thought of my friend, Paula, who lives in Manhattan. She, also, would likely be alone. So, why not spend the day together? Paula is a New York City tour guide, so is a very knowledgeable

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-65344217760384213832009-05-04T11:06:00.008-04:002009-05-04T11:18:31.297-04:00

I admit it: this post is 3 months late!However, I just learned about a new online tool, slide.com, and decided that creating a show about our latest trip to Kaua'i, where we have a timeshare, would be the perfect test. And, it gave me something different to muse about.So, here's the slideshow. The images are in random order: What's so wonderful about vacationing in Paradise - apart from the

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-89393400825174069532009-04-21T11:53:00.031-04:002009-05-01T16:16:49.942-04:00

More and more often, we are seeing news stories about remarkable achievements of individuals on Twitter: reporting & photographing "Sully" Sullenberger's landing of US Airways flight 1549 in the Hudson River is one high-profile example.Overnight, I experienced the privilege - and stress! - of participating in a global effort, on Twitter, to save a young, suicidal woman in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-4726121670378459752009-04-09T01:09:00.009-04:002009-04-09T18:36:21.191-04:00

Ever since I was a child, I have used music to raise my spirits. There are many songs designed to do just that. I think the theme must have become really popular during the Great Depression, but has endured.Here are my top 12 cheer-me-up songs - in roughly chronological order - linked to Blip.fm tracks, when available, or to the lyrics.When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along (Al

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-64665148763627830142009-04-09T00:19:00.004-04:002009-04-09T16:39:11.950-04:00

I really like Noel Coward's 'haunting' comedy, "Blithe Spirit." I've now seen it 3 times: in Toronto eons ago, in London a couple of decades ago, and in New York tonight.Hard to say which production I liked best. I knew many of the actors in the Toronto production. The special effects and actress who portrayed the sexy ghost of the writer's first wife were splendid in the London production.

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-41837352496072297712009-04-07T22:54:00.002-04:002009-04-08T01:16:11.860-04:00

Tonight, I was wrapping Easter presents for our grand-daughters, and pondering that luxury. It is pure grand-parently selfishness, that we "spoil" them so.We have such fun selecting cute and colorful items for our grand-daughters, that we take advantage of every holiday to do so.Perhaps Easter is one of the best times to give gifts. Many of us are accustomed to gift-giving around Christmas, but

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-34256825370035289532009-04-01T10:18:00.002-04:002009-04-01T15:18:58.937-04:00

Today is April 1 - traditionally, April Fool's Day. I may be today's fool, but I'm not turning on my PCs. May help avoid activating "the worm."Has anyone had trouble with this malware? Have you heard any reports?Or, will this turn out to be, like the Italian spaghetti-growing trees of 1957 (BBC), just another April Fool's joke?

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-64735702666602551922009-03-31T22:26:00.002-04:002009-04-01T15:13:01.574-04:00

I believe that the total rebuild of my laptop, and the selective porting of utilities from the old laptop worked. Tomorrow will tell!Why, you ask, did I have to rebuild the laptop?Apparently, the first time I ported utilities to the new laptop, I included one that required a specific driver: SbAlg.sys. The unavailability of this driver rendered the laptop incapable of booting up, no matter what

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-89306882475965158802009-03-29T14:54:00.002-04:002009-03-29T17:11:03.144-04:00

Ships passing? I returned to St John's Lutheran Church, for an afternoon concert. Meanwhile, my husband went to Rutgers, to proctor an examination.Today's concert, entitled "Three Choirs, Three Composers" (and three music directors, by the way), was offered by the combined choirs of three churches in Summit, NJ, with four soloists and chamber orchestra, in addition to the main tracker organ and

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-39814059897979113522009-03-28T12:43:00.002-04:002009-03-29T00:13:34.873-04:00

Settled into our Grand Tier box seats at the Metropolitan Opera, for "Das Rheingold," at about 12:30 PM on Saturday. We were very close to the stage, overlooking the orchestra.This year is supposedly the last year the Otto Schenk production of "The Ring" cycle will be played at the Met. Rumor has it, however, that James ("Jimmy") Levine wants the sets warehoused, not destroyed. We'd be delighted,

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-81281716944269533592009-03-27T21:14:00.004-04:002009-04-07T14:40:00.849-04:00

Our community, like many before it, is suffering the loss of a familiar face: a store that we have patronized for decades.About 18 months ago, Walgreens came to town. It boasted long hours (open 'til 10 pm) and a drive-through pharmacy. In addition, it had a photo center.I'm not a particular fan of Walgreens, but I have patronized the photo center, because other stores in town had closed theirs

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-70274079812255286202009-03-26T18:52:00.003-04:002009-03-26T18:56:28.221-04:00

Wondering about PBS's broadcast of "King Lear," starring Sir Ian McKellen? Here's where to get more information: http://ping.fm/BZ09b

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-73869086907630683552009-03-23T11:29:00.006-04:002009-03-30T14:39:03.228-04:00

Many years ago, when I was working in New York, writing mathematics textbooks, the authoring team adoped March Madness, to spice up the days. We cut the "fridge grid" from the newspaper, and dutifully recorded the results of the games.For each game (there we're fewer, back then), we would pick our favorite, and lay wagers - usually something inexpensive, like a beer or a sandwich. The person

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-57410879506613393292009-03-12T20:02:00.002-04:002009-03-12T20:08:58.533-04:00

Had lunch with a very dear friend, today. We've known each other for more than a quarter-century, and have supported each other through many trials and tribulations.Sometimes I have been the one supported, sometimes he has. Doesn't matter: we're there for each other.Sharing and empathizing can be done remotely - e-mail, telephone, letter - as well as in person. Just a few words suffice, to

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-14796989181199893282009-03-08T16:13:00.018-04:002009-03-27T20:49:14.731-04:00

A week ago, my husband and I drove to Manhattan, as we often do, to attend a concert. That Sunday afternoon, we heard the Vienna Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall. Glorious!Currently, we have a 7-day timeshare at the neighboring Manhattan Club, and had been fortunate enough to book a room for Sunday night. As predictions about the impending snow storm worsened, we contacted the reservations

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-54605193531740219342009-03-07T16:57:00.001-05:002009-03-07T18:12:37.478-05:00

Last weekend, we decided to switch our TV service from cable to satellite. Not to put too fine a point on it, we had received an offer that would save us $30 / month for a year, and then settle back to about what cable was costing us. And, we'd get a lot more channels, even without adding special packages.So, I called DirectTV. The customer service person was very patient with me, explained the

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-26967410398227235162009-03-07T00:05:00.004-05:002009-03-23T17:25:08.200-04:00

Midnight, and home from "La Sonnambula" - a Bellini melodrama, and a fun bit of fluff. Best voice: bass Michele Pertusi.

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6909980199445377508.post-55110588315444113322009-03-05T11:09:00.002-05:002009-03-23T17:25:38.914-04:00

This morning, I had a routine visit with my primary physician, Dr Daniel Zacharias - a holistic practitioner in the Short Hills-Millburn area. As I was leaving, he raced after me, and thrust a small catalog into my hands. "This is something you should do," he said.What Dr Z had given me was the Spring 2009 catalog for The South Orange-Maplewood Adult School. Knowing that I am a teacher / trainer

Robin Taylor Rothhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02857795376367630327noreply@blogger.com1