Author: mitchellsthoughtsphotosetc

The holidays ended. Marc was taking down his sukkah. He and Alana decided to live in it during Sukkot. He has a friend who lives in his year round. Things went fine. The weather was great and there were no attacks from Jay. All’s been quiet.
Anat just got an email from child’s services. They want her to do a Zoom interview to talk about her getting Jerry. She was so excited. She spoke to Ann, who briefed her on how to handle it. Anat did some Googling and felt she’d be ready. She was counting the days. She had 8 to go. She hoped things stayed quiet.

Jerry was doing as well as he could be doing in the children’s shelter. His mom was still in prison. His dad should be. But he escaped twice.

Anat figured she’d have her hair done the night before. It is amazing what the last few months have done to her. She went from being a total loner, who never bathed and started fights with people and hacked into various events to cause disruption. All of a sudden she cleaned herself up. Imagine if Jerry was never left behind in the park and she never rescued him?

Who knows what havoc she’d yield. Of course, she is still capable of total darkness. But for the time being, chose only to use it when needed and to help.
Tzipora was almost due. Alana was planning the baby shower. As usual, Alana was depressed she wasn’t married or having a baby. But she knew it wasn’t in the plan. Strange enough Alana would even plan Anat’s shower if she got Jerry. She hoped she did. She watched an amazing change.

Tzipora still liked Alana. But was faithful to soon to be dad, Eran. Jen’s baby was getting bigger. She also knew what was going on with Anat. She felt good. She knew she was mean to her in camp. But Anat was a strange bird before she got there and left even stranger.

Anat’s needed recommendations to get Jerry. Ann wrote an amazing letter. That helped seal the deal for the interview. Anat did get one from her boss. She is an amazing worker. Her office does think she’s bizarre. But she was the one you could count on. She was there Mariano. But Anat would likely enter to Bauhaus and not Metallica. Funny, Alana would, too. For all the fighting those two did they are very similar people.

Meanwhile, Jay was in Macombs Damn park training on the outdoor gym. He liked to train on the grounds of the old Yankee Stadium.

He was all alone. He was getting ready for something.

Everyone sat at Anat’s table for the holiday meal.  Marc led a great dinner service.

Naturally, pomegranates, wine and dates were served.  Dan was enjoying himself. Alana poured a lot of wine. She shared with everyone. Marc smiled as he passed around the pomegranates. Anat enjoyed her dates.

Dan knew these items were part of the High Holiday meals. But something clicked in his head when he saw the fervor in which his dinner companions were eating these delicacies.  He remembered the reports about Jay.  He knew there was a mention of these items being near him when he went down. Dan put on his detective’s cap. Then wrote it off as him being silly. Thousands of people around the globe were excited to eat and drink the same stuff.

Dinner ended.  Alana and Marc walked to Alana’s aunt. Dan hung around a little longer and went home.  The two lovebirds were waiting.  Anat was getting ready to repent and hope she’s granted Jerry after the holidays conclude.

Jay was moping around the city.  He was in pain from his earlier fight. It was three against one. Not fair. He had to get Jerry and test him. He knew Anat would try to do the same. So would her crazy friends. 

The fast day arrived. Marc and Alana sat apart from each other in their Forest Hills shul. They had no desire to be there. They ate a lot of special food to get through the fast. The recipes came from two of Marc’s camp friends. One is gone. But he always put special attention to all of his holiday meals. The other adds his own special touches to his delicacies.

The services went on. Neither of the two was hungry. They were not paying attention. But knew they had to be there. They still believed. And they wanted to. But they were moving away.  They’ve done this before.

Anat spent the day in her shul. It has been years since she attended.  Dan joined her.  She looked at him with happy eyes from the ladies’ section.

Jay was plotting.

Holiday time

Rosh Hashanah starts tonight.  For the first time in years, Anat wasn’t going to spend it alone. In fact, she was a planning a meal to be held on the roof of her building. She asked Dan to come.  She invited Alana and Marc. They were going to come and stay at Anat’s aunt’s after dinner. The two of them are still on their on and off again belief system. They questioned everything. And demanded proof for it all. 

Dan was discharged from the hospital a few days ago. He was on the mend and doing well.  He was not observant and never really did much for the holidays. So he was excited to see it done the real way.

Marc and Alana arrived. They supplied the wine, apples, pomegranates and honey.  Anat supplied the dates. She got the fish head. 

Anat was hoping for a sweet new year. After the holidays were over she’d check on her application to get Jerry. Dan arrived to the roof early. He sat down and relaxed.

Marc and Alana were heading over to Anat’s. Their eyes were wide open.  They got closer to Anat’s. As they approached her building, they were pelted with glass. Alana fired back wine. She’s been practicing. She now fired faster and with more force than water coming out of a fire hose. Marc nailed Jay with honey. Anat heard screams while she was taking the challah out of the oven. This was the first time she baked one.  She figured the only screams would be hers when she burned it. She looked out the window and saw what was going on.  She opened it and started firing apricots and raisins. She was too scared that Dan would come down from the roof to help her with the meal.  She told him just to sit there and rest.

Jay went down when he was hit in the head with a raisin.  Alana walked over and kicked him in the head several times. Marc dialed 911 and the two entered the building.

Marc was busy at work. 

Alana was roaming the streets. Why? We don’t know. Lou Reed was cranking out Marc’s Macbook. Anat went to visit Dan. He was still in the hospital. But doing much better. He expected to be discharged tomorrow.

The two chatted. She brought him a dish of dried fruit. She probably shouldn’t have. Dan heard the story of how after Jay attacked him, other officers found him knocked out. The officers didn’t see how he went down. But saw lots of raisins and pomegranates around his body. 

Jay remembers reading the report from the Narrowsburg police that mentioned similar items. But also mentioned puddles of wine. No wine this time. Dan noshed on the apricots and raisins. He was happy to see Anat. She promised him dinner when he was up to it. They blew kisses and she left.  

Anat was a little nervous about the police reports. She texted her concerns to Alana. When Alana received the text she was buying milk. 

Alana read the text. That’s the first thing she told Marc when she got to his residence.

While the three were fretting, Jay was being transferred from the local prison to a state facility. 

As the officers were escorting him to the prison bus he started firing glass at the tires. Three were blown out. The officers raised their weapons. Jay shot glass at their hands. Several of the officers dropped their guns. Jay while still chained up began to run. He was shooting glass as he moved forward.  

The officers chased him. He was firing glass. An officer opened fire. The bullet ricocheted off the glass and hit a tree. 

Jay used sharp glass to break cut through his shackles. He picked up the speed he had when was a star high school football player. Bullets and glass flew.

Anat woke up, had some Frosted Flakes. She jumped in the shower, got dressed and logged onto her office’s network. She handled a few things. She had enough. She decided to jog down to the children’s center and visit Jerry. It has been too long since she’s visited. She did receive a request to fill out more paperwork so the center could begin their background check to see if she could adopt Jerry.

She had a good run. As she approached the center she was frightened. There were police cars all over. Several officers were patrolling. She tried to get in. But was blocked by the NYPD. She texted Ann, who wrote back, “stay away.” Jay came and tried to get Jerry. He cried and refused to go. Our security guards tried to get Jay out of here. While this was happening, I grabbed Jerry and brought him into the laundry room.

Jay was screaming Jerry’s name. He ran through the center knocking things down, he shot glass at several people. He ran out of the center. Dan was running in. Jay fired glass at him. He hit him several times. He tried to duck. But was hit more. Dan had a gash on his shooting hand. He tried to grab his gun with his other hand. Jay shot glass between his fingers. Dan dropped the gun and fell to the pavement. Another officer started doing first aid and dialed 911. Jay ran out of the shelter. Anat witnessed the whole thing. Tears fell from her eyes. She ran over to Dan. He told her to get away, as he was being carried onto an ambulance.

Anat kicked herself into high speed. She ran after Jay. He was several feet ahead of her. Several officers were trailing him. But couldn’t keep up as they sustained some injuries in the glass fight. Anat fired raisins at Jay’s head. It slowed him down. But not enough to stop him. He turned around and started firing glass at Anat.

She continued her onslaught of dried fruit. She got a free second and sent an emergency text to Alana. She kept firing.

All of a sudden out nowhere came Marc. Pomegranates were flying. One clocked Jay in the nose. He aimed Honey at Jay’s eyes. As the honey temporarily blinded him., Basketball sized apricots and dates took out Jay’s knees. Jay was grounded.

Anat and Marc knew they needed the police. Anat was hysterical crying. She texted Dan, while Marc dialed 911.

The two smiled at each other. They both wondered how much longer their powers would remain unknown to the world?

I’ve written tribute pieces before. All have been for people I’ve known my entire life. But they say some people you meet for a reason and they come into your life for a short period and make an impact. That person was Rabbi Manfred Gans of Congregation Machane Chodosh. He was called home to Hashem 8/9/20. If you’re interested in learning about the great work he did in the Brooklyn and Forest Hills communities, I suggest you read Sergey Kadinsky’s piece on the Queens Jewish Link’s website.

I became active in the shul just as he retired. During the early stages of his retirement, he was still working hard. I remember coming early for weekday services which started at 6:45 a.m. I would sit and wait for someone to come in to lead the prayer service. Rabbi Gans would walk in a few minutes early with a big smile on his face. He would come right over to me and greet me with a firm handshake. He’d ask how I was feeling. He would greet everyone seated in the sanctuary.

Gingerly he walked up to his seat adjacent to the aron kodesh, the holy ark. The clock would tick.  Starting time arrived. He looked at me and said go up and start. Nervously, I walked up and began the services. At times he and I were the only two in the building. As I read from the siddur people started to come in and take their seats. I read several pages and handed it off to another person.

At the end of the services, Rabbi Gans thanked me and said when the clock shows it is prayer time you begin, whether we have a full house or it is just you. He went on to explain how I am praying to Hashem. And the mitzvah of dedicating this time to his honor. Rabbi Gans’ intelligence and leadership made you want to get up early and honor Hashem.

Eventually, I became the gabai. That’s the person who helps run the services and works to decide who will get various honors such as an aliyah. That’s being called up to the Torah. This job comes with great honor. Like any role that comes with great honors, it comes with high responsibilities. Of course, it comes with stress. Everyone wants an aliyah. Some only want a specific reading from the day’s Parsha. Some only want a specific aliyah number no matter what the portion. Some folks consider getting the fourth Torah reading an insult. Another great rabbi who left us once said, I will take this one. It is an honor being called to the Torah for any portion. Rabbi Gans lived that way.

I had many people try to teach me the gabai role. All week my iPhone would vibrate from people asking for an aliyah or other honor.  And to give advice.

In his retirement, Rabbi Gans was not physically able to come to shul each Saturday morning. Thankfully once he recognized the stress people were bringing upon me. He took me over to the side and explained the importance of this role and how to make the determinations of who to give what reading too. He explained how we can best honor the Sabbath and Hashem. I tried my best to use his teachings.

In 2014 when my dad passed away he sent me a beautifully written letter. I could tell it came straight from his beautiful, kind and warm heart. A few days later he saw and talked to me about the loss and how to properly honor my dad. He made me smile and brought some tears to my eyes.

When it comes to leadership, I spoke to many people who knew him when he was healthy enough to run the shop. It was not uncommon to see him moving chairs, tables, helping to serve food at breakfasts and dinners. He would call people the night before a Yom Tov (holy day) to make sure they had what they needed and were ready. He worked to create a Hebrew School. I have been involved with that program for many years. He made everyone feel welcome. More importantly, he made everyone feel they were helping to build the organization.

After the Torah reading, many rabbis speak. In some venues, they don’t. The services conclude. In the shuls where they speak, sadly that’s the time that most congregants step outside and converse amongst themselves. When Rabbi Gans spoke you stayed, you listened and more importantly, you learned. He was always prepared. He was able to talk about the current Parsha and tie it to today’s world. He made ancient teachings relevant to today’s world. He never spoke about how if heaven forbid you turned a light on or adjusted the A/C during Shabbos what a grave sin you committed. He understood that people are people. We all are at our levels with an eagerness to improve.

He helped us improve. We miss you.

After the Woodsman left, Marc started putting out the fire. Once it was out, Marc and Alana went to one cabin and fell asleep. Anat stayed outside for another hour or so. She retreated into the cabin next to her new “friends” cabin.

The sun rose. Marc and Alana jumped into the lake. Anat watched. She was still afraid to swim. But put it on her list of things to tackle. Everyone jumped into their cars and they drove home.

Jay was running around the city wreaking havoc. No one was able to stop him. He seemed to escape the NYPD each time they made chase. Dan texted Anat and told her to be careful. He still had no idea of her powers. And he certainly had no clue about the other two.

Research shows Jay was very upset about a job rejection nearly two plus decades ago. He did like camp. He was teased a little. But got along okay. He wasn’t in Marc’s group. He wouldn’t have done well there. Jay so much wanted to work for the poorly run organization that ran the camp. It was said that those who took full-time jobs had an IQ of less than 10. Jay wasn’t the sharpest tack in the box. But he wasn’t totally stupid. He had some skills.

He planned on stealing Jerry again from the children’s center. He was considering busting Diane out of jail. But had second thoughts. She could rot there. He never really loved her. He too wanted to test Jerry. That poor kid.

Marc and Alana were strolling around Queens Boulevard. It was not the cleanest. But they didn’t see a lot of broken glass. Anat had a similar experience in Central Park. She was on a date with Dan. She brought a picnic lunch. Of course, she loaded the salad with raisins and had some other dried fruit. They were getting closer. Anat felt happy for the first time. She was even pleased she was able to get along with Marc and Alana. She wondered if they would still talk to her after they reeled in Jay and he was taken away for life? Or longer?

Here we are still stuck in the Covid-19 pandemic. As you may recall, I’ve written about gloves a few times. Both pieces discussed how people are disgustingly tossing their used gloves onto the street. Masks, too. But now it is time to discuss gloves in a different light. A positive one.

At the beginning of the pandemic, it was advised to wear gloves in addition to masks.

Stores and Amazon sold out quickly. You saw street vendors popping up on the corners selling them. Several weeks later most people stopped wearing gloves. Many people are washing and/or sanitizing their hands more frequently. I wore gloves longer than most. I still do wear them at some points.

I wear them to open the entrance doors in my building, the incinerator and to grab items off the shelves in supermarkets. However, I’ve gotten good at using the trash bag and recyclables to prop open the incinerator door.

I was using them to swipe my MetroCard. Sometimes I still do. But I can swipe without ever touching the turnstile. As I am typing and thinking about my glove usage over the last few months, I’ve wondered if I should have always worn them. Or propped open doors as mentioned?

As a germophobe, I’ve often wondered about touching things like doorknobs, the turnstiles in subways, the armrests on seats in movie theaters, sports stadiums and concert halls. I almost always wear a hat to the movies. I never want my head to touch the back of the seat.

If I sit on the subway my head is usually an inch or two away from touching the seatback. I can stand on the train and never have to hold onto the poles. Sometimes during the winter, I’d keep my gloves on and grab a pole.

We’ve all had to use public restrooms. Some are clean. Most are grosser than gross. That’s why I always carried Purell. It is my camera, gym and Jansport bags. I was always afraid to wash my hands in Penn Station’s restroom after a show at Madison Square Garden. Who isn’t? Thankfully many of these places have auto flush. But walking into them wearing rubber gloves would have been a nice touch. I do that now when I take my walks in public parks. Of course, some have closed their bathrooms. Using the ATM is another time to always wear gloves. Same with signing your name on the credit card machines in stores.

The bottom line, pandemic, or not gloves is an important protective measure. I may use them forever.

Prior posts are here.

Pandemic Watch: Back to the City

Pandemic Watch: Back to the City

“Pandemic Watch: Facial expressions,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/29/939

“Pandemic Watch: What will we do with our masks and gloves at the end?”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/22/pandemic-watch-what-will-we-do-with-our-masks-and-gloves-at-the-end

Pandemic Watch, Staying in Shape,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/17/pandemic-watch-staying-in-shape

“Pandemic Watch: Community groups stepping up,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/15/pandemic-watch-community-groups-stepping-up

“Pandemic Watch: Have masks replaced fuzzy dice in windshields?”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/09/pandemic-watch-have-masks-replaced-fuzzy-dice-in-windshields

“Pandemic Watch: How will we be entertained?”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/08/pandemic-watch-how-will-we-be-entertained

“Pandemic Watch: Communicating via video,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/03/pandemic-watch-communicating-via-video

“Single Life,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/02/pandemic-watch-single-life

“Pandemic Watch: Seniors and lifesaving phone calls during the pandemic or other times,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/06/01/pandemic-watch-seniors-and-lifesaving-phone-calls-during-the-pandemic-or-other-times

“Pandemic Watch: There are places I remember.”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/28/pandemic-watch-there-are-places-i-remember

“Pandemic Watch: Creating a new fashion statement,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/27/pandemic-watch-creating-a-new-fashion-statement

“Pandemic Watch: Sitting on your stoop,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/26/pandemic-watch-sitting-on-your-stoop

“Pandemic Watch: What does a four-year-old think about our situation?”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/21/pandemic-watch-what-does-a-four-old-think-about-our-situation

“Pandemic Watch: Will my nephew ever know how good it was?”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/19/pandemic-watch-will-my-nephew-ever-know-how-good-it-was

“Pandemic Watch: What will happen when I get released on parole?”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/15/pandemic-watch-what-will-happen-when-i-get-released-on-parole

“Pandemic Watch: We live in interesting times,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/14/pandemic-watch-we-live-in-interesting-times

“Pandemic Watch: Dressing during the Covid-19 pandemic,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/13/pandemic-watch-dressing-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

“Pandemic Watch: Yes, it is Monday,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/11/pandemic-watch-yes-it-is-monday

“How skills I learned as a teen in the scouts help during the Covid-19 pandemic, “

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/05/04/how-skills-i-learned-as-a-teen-in-the-scouts-help-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

“How the Covid-19 pandemic causes us to rethink old habits,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/30/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-causes-us-to-rethink-old-habits

“Traveling on public transit and being outside during the Covid-19 pandemic,” https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/29/traveling-on-public-transit-and-being-outside-during-the-covid-19-pandemic

“Grocery shopping during Covid-19. Or anytime,” https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/28/grocery-shopping-during-covid-19-or-anytime

“I want to help restaurants during the pandemic. But…,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/04/27/i-want-to-help-restaurants-during-the-pandemic-but

“Masks and gloves,” https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/30/608

“Trashy Parks,”

https://mitchellthoughtsblog.wordpress.com/2020/01/07/trashy-parks

Marc and Alana arrived at the camp’s headquarters. They held each other by the pond. Marc’s Bluetooth speaker played the camp mix — “Pulling Mussels from the Shell,” “Come Together,” “Baba O’Reilly,” “Heartbreak Beat,” “Love will tear us apart,” “Rock Lobster” and many other tunes.

Marc lit the fire as Anat’s BMW pulled up. Alana and Marc were still on their guard. If they had to fight her again, they would. The fire was down to nice grey and orange coals. Marc tossed burgers and dogs on the grill and passed out Cherikee Red soda. The meat came from a supermarket inspired by Marc’s leader. The ladies never sipped this beverage. They commented on its sweetness. That’s when Marc said it was sweet they all together by the fire creating a plan to save the world from Jay.

The three were making idle chat over their meal. Marc called everyone to order. The two ladies put down their sodas and stood at attention. Marc laughed. For the next two hours, the three spoke like military planners.

Alana said it was time for a break and they should sing by the fire. Marc started singing his favorite campfire song, “Smokey the Bear.” The ladies joined in. Then they were tired of it. Marc kept singing it. Marc found himself covered wine and raisins. He just shut up and didn’t launch pomegranates or honey. He figured this was “friendly fire.”

They regrouped. They decided they would look for pieces of glass on the ground. They knew it was all over. But they would look for what type it was. They knew most of Jay’s glass came from beer and alcoholic spirits bottles. If they saw a lot of that type of glass they would report into each other where it was. They would try to search the area. They knew they had to look in vacant lots, parks and search around closed stores.

Things were going well. Marc brought out the Freihoffers and marshmallows. The music played on. The fire was crackling. It was almost as if a few friends got together.

Marc was more tuned to the sounds of the woods than the two women. Marc heard a low grunt. He hadn’t heard that sound in decades. He looked Alana and Anat. He had a puzzled look on this face. Anat immediately asked what was wrong. Marc said he sensed they had a visitor. The two ladies got right up into fighting stance. Marc said, “No, no. Not Jay. I think the Woodsman is lurking.”

The women shook. He said not to worry. The camp had its usual wildlife — Squirrels, chipmunks, raccoons, deer and bears. Deer were often seen in the early morning. Marc told the women everything was safe. He said if I am right a herd of buffalo is going to join us. That means the Woodsman isn’t far behind.

All of a sudden buffalo surrounded them. Out from behind a tree came an old bearded man who resembled a lumberjack. According to the legends told by the fire, he is hundreds of years old. Rarely is he seen. Marc met him once when he was 12.

Legend has it he lives in the woods. He’s been there for centuries. He is working on building a cabin. He hopes to finish it.

While not working on the cabin he tends to his garden. He’s kept the grounds safe for as long as anyone can remember. He only comes out when he needs to. He travels with buffalo and has special relations with the mighty and holy animals. No one even knows the Woodsman’s proper name.

Marc stood up out of respect, as the Woodsman walked to the fire. He took a hot dog off the grill. He grabbed a bottle of the Cherikee Red and sat down to eat. He smiled the whole time.

When he finished his meal, he looked at the three. He said, “I watched your fights at the throne and dam. You fight well. I’ve been watching Marc for years. The three of you are stronger together beyond your wildest imagination. But your enemy has powers, too. Stay together.”

The Woodsman took another bottle of Cherikee Red, called to the buffalo and disappeared into the woods.

Anat hadn’t visited Jerry in several days. She went back to the child center. Jerry jumped into her arms. He was very happy. So was Anat. There were no updates on her application to take him home.

She spoke with Ann about how well things were going with Dan. Anne smiled. Anat exited the center and started walking toward her apartment. Alana was exiting her aunt’s house and started walking downtown. She saw Anat. She screamed her name. Anat heard Alana’s scream. She looked right at Alana. Both ladies remained on their guard. Alana told Anat she looked nice. This eased the encounter. Anat smiled.

Alana asked if she knew anything about Jay. To which Anat knew nothing.

The two stood in dead silence for a few moments. Anat said it was interesting how they teamed together a few weeks ago to stop Jay. Alana agreed and asked Anat if she’d be willing to go back to Marc’s camp to plot out a plan to take out Jay. Anat nodded yes. A date was set.

The two ladies went their separate ways. Alana texted Marc. He said he’d get the food. They would be leaving in two days.

The ride up to camp was easy for all. They parked near the museum. Marc had a fire going. He and Alana spent the whole ride up discussing how they would interact with Anat, who spent her ride meditating to the sounds of Siouxsie and the Banshees. At this point, they were willing to be friendly with her. It was doubtful they’d ever really become friends. But close enough to keep people safe from a nut job.