Guidance can help all of us. It opens our minds. Recently, I spent some time in Sicily. Book your flight. It will be a rewarding experience on all levels – culture, dining, fashion, history, sites, and more. Much more.
On the tour, we had several local guides. One stayed with us for about three days. She gave us a hands-on tour of Mt. Etna, the archeology museum, ruins and the Roman theater. She was a fountain full of knowledge. We first met her at the archeology museum. Keep in mind, I am a member of nearly every museum in NYC and the Smithsonian (which has a few venues in NYC).
Ruins
As we got off the bus and walked out of the museum, I thought, why can’t I do this myself? I do this once a week at home. One thing I did take into consideration was that, at this venue, none of the exhibit descriptors are written in English.
As soon as we walked into the museum, I started learning from my guide. Our guide taught us so many things. We were looking at the Sicilian people’s contributions to water and wine jugs, their creation of safety pins, and cooking equipment. She explained what was going on during the timeframe leading up to the creation of these items.
Listening to her, I realized I must look at museum displays a little differently. She gave a shout-out to the Sicilian art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She spent some time there a few years ago. I was there a few days ago and asked where the exhibits were. I found them. I learned so much more about Southern Italy’s culture than I ever would have on my own. I am now on the path to learn and appreciating it more. So, never underestimate the power of a good tour guide. They can open ancient worlds and teach you how some of what happened affects what’s going on in today’s world.
Some of us remember the phrase, “All politics is local,” used by former House Speaker Tip O’Neill throughout his career. His dad reminded him of that in the ‘30s, after he lost his first election while running for a seat on the Cambridge City Council. He took his own neighborhood for granted. It has been said to be a great learning experience for him. For me, too.
Let’s jump out of politics and go to PR. Trust me, as a long-time practitioner who started in NYC’s government, the profession has its politics. The key thing to remember is that all good PR is local. It is the best way to build. We will jump from Staten Island, New York, to Edison, New Jersey, other parts of the USA, and end in Sicily, Italy.
Fresh out of college and while in grad school, I started volunteering on local and city-wide political campaigns in NYC. I landed my first job as a staff member in NYC, moved on to the mayor’s office, and then went into the private sector. I watched each candidate and elected official fight it out and reach an agreement on local issues. It could have been infrastructure, for example, which district would get money for new sanitary and storm sewers or better bus routes.
After leaving politics and joining a tech PR firm, I represented the former Consumer Electronics Manufacturing Association (CEMA), now the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA). I was involved with this great organization for many years, both representing them and sponsoring their press room.
Composed of leading electronics makers, such as Bose, Panasonic, and Sony, which, along with others, made great audio equipment for cars. There was a time before you used SiriusXM or your iPhone to get your music in your vehicle. You pumped up your Caddy, Jeep, Nissan, Ram, Vette, Toyota, etc., with great speakers and cassette players. Then we moved onto CD players and theater systems in the cars. The car audio market was huge.
We sent local car audio experts across the country to explain why you should upgrade your vehicle with their equipment rather than rely on the dealer models. Our spokespersons traveled to top and secondary cities and did local newspaper, radio, and TV interviews. They popped into the local auto shows.
I remember when we had high-end cars with great sound systems and a spokesperson lined up outside of CBS’s studio in NYC. The story went national.
Years later, I worked for Vonage, the company that brought internet telephony to consumers. We first launched local area codes in NYC and Edison, New Jersey. One of my roles was to write the press releases when we launched in new locales. I wanted to interest the local writers. Sadly, in today’s world, many of those great folks are gone.
Vonage Device
Having watched some companies launch locally by saying, “We are now in Dallas, New Orleans, or San Diego…” I tailored the copy to make it sound like we were part of those cities. As soon as the releases crossed Business Wire and I personally emailed them to local reporters, we got coverage. Even better, retailers called and asked if they could sell our products in their stores. Civilians called to ask whether we were opening a store in their neighborhood and where to send their resumes. The service was sold online, for the most part. But we did sell the devices that connected to the service in local and chain electronics stores. So, we did our local thing, which may have helped local stores increase their revenue and the number of people in the workforce.
Jumping to marketing tactics in Sicily. I recently returned from Sicily. I highly recommend it. The sites, people, food, and drink are incredible. During my tour, I was fortunate enough to visit Savoca, where Francis Ford Coppola filmed several scenes from “The Godfather.”
While walking to the church where Michael Corleone and Appolonia wed, I saw a great local marketing tactic put into play by my local guide, a wonderful woman of British and Sicilian ancestry. She joined us for three days. Her intimate local knowledge was incredible. But her skills in helping people in small towns stood above it all.
As we walked to the church where Michael Corleone and Appolonia wed, we passed Dioniso, a great little store selling olive oils, spices, wines, and other great stuff. The store was not supposed to be open when we were touring Savoca. Our guide texted the owner and let him know she was bringing a crew of 45 people through town, and he might want to open. As we approached the store, we saw him opening the shop. She introduced us, and we did tastings and bought numerous items. He probably stayed open for just about an hour. He made many sales. Again, local marketing. Tell them we are coming and let them open; they will succeed.
Olive Oil from Dioniso
I remember so many calls from national reporters, particularly from the Associated Press or The Wall Street Journal, calling or emailing about things they read in the local news about the companies I worked for. I have seen this with social media. I run several sites for local organizations. We get thousands of visitors. Viewers of our work have increased donations of memorabilia and money, as well as visits to our location. Bottom line: start local and remember it will lead to growth.
Being single sucks. It costs more, and you are discriminated against. In many cases, it is not our fault. Yes, I know married couples with children experience the costs of housing for themselves and their offspring. It is not cheap.
However, what I want to get at is why being single is more expensive than most people think. Do you travel? I have been to many places, including Iceland, Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic), Italy, and Israel. I guess I like “I” nations. I doubt I will ever go to Iraq, Iran, or Indonesia. I have also visited Austria, Germany, Hungary, Spain, and Russia. I am leaving out a few places. But you get the point. I love booking these trips and have a fantastic travel agent. I am a repeat traveler with certain touring companies and receive the appropriate discounts. I always pay in full when booking. You often get another discount for doing that. Sounds great. The discount means nothing when they tack on several hundred dollars for being a solo traveler. Some tours do not permit it.
Yes, singles tours are available. They are usually cheesy Caribbean cruises where they do games to hook you up. They are not trips to the spots as mentioned earlier. I have only been on one cruise. It is an orange boat – The Staten Island Ferry. Once I got to steer it. I had fun. That cruise is free. Anything can get on it. If you haven’t sailed on it, go for it, and you will see what I mean by ‘anything’.
Staten Island Ferry
I go to several concerts and shows every month. Shows can be theater, opera, ballet, and other forms of entertainment. Concerts could be the NY Philharmonic or at the Beacon, Garden, and Radio City Music Hall. Sometimes I go solo. Sometimes I go with my “concert friends.” We are single and attend tons of shows. For many reasons, I prefer aisle seats. I want it to be easy if I need to get up and run to the bathroom, concession stand (I rarely buy anything there), or walk out of the show because I am bored or the performer or show is offensive. I have walked out of a few: Hadestown, Patti Smith, and Porgy & Bess stand out. Lately, the Beacon and Radio City require you to buy the aisle seat and the one next to it. I struggle with this.
Lincoln Center
In some cases, I bought the third seat. I also reached out to my group and found someone willing to join me. Alas, I got my aisle seat. For the time being, City Winery, Regal, and Yankee Stadium let me pick any seat I want. Hey, I am paying, so I should be able to buy what I want. My choices are to stay home or buy two seats and have no one seated next to me. But why should I pay more?
Dining out is just as discriminatory. I go to restaurants solo all over the city. In some places, I know the bartenders and restaurant managers quite well. I have my preferred seating, and they welcome me with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. In others, the first thing they do is try to seat you at the bar. In some places, that’s my preferred spot. Others, I want a table. Recently, I attended a performance by the NY Philharmonic. Thankfully, David Geffen Hall and the other theaters at Lincoln Center are not discriminatory. You can sit wherever you want to pay for.
Lincoln Center
Try going food shopping, whether it’s an online grocer (my preference) or a supermarket. I eat lots of fresh veggies. Most of the packages are made for families, for example, a three or four-pack of corn on the cob, peppers, carrots, etc. I love apple cider donuts. These days, I rarely eat junk. But would buy one. Trader Joe’s and the other stores do not sell them singly. You need to buy a pack of four or six. These and the veggies would not last long enough for me to eat them. I have heard from friends about health care insurance costs when they are buying for themselves. They get ripped off.
Some are single by choice, while others are single for other reasons. Whatever they are, we deserve to be treated fairly.
It was a party at Anat’s place. Marc, Alana, Jen, Tzipora, and Elan were there with their kids. Dan just got back from picking up some more wine and beer. All of the kids were playing. Anat was feeding Gillil. Not being shy, Alana yelled out, “Hey, Anat is that date milk she’s sucking out of you?” Marc has a friend who works on a dairy farm and knows everything about milk. Anat retorted back, “I have no clue. Why don’t you try some.” They all laughed. Tzipora’s eyes were fixated on Alana. Eran knew about the two of them. Marc and Alana mentioned the powers some of their kids had. This was the only group that knew of their powers. Alana said imagine if Marc and I had a kid. It’d be a monster. Our kid would come from two parents who have superpowers. The others are only from one. Marc smiled.
The party winded down. Marc and Alana, left hand in hand. The two of them began discussing having a kid. No, they would not get married. They just wanted to see what they created. They imagined what would happen if the Emperor and Princess Leia had ever gotten married. Or if Anakin married Ashoka. That’d be interesting. Imagine what the Force would wield. The two of them went home and started playing Love & Rockets. They woke up the following day and were still discussing having a kid.
Alana and Tzipora were cruising. Alana was behind the wheel. That Depeche song had just finished, and for some reason, the women decided to play “Abbey Road.” They were driving. They had no set destination.
They were traveling toward the Delaware River, near Marc’s camp. Alana was up there enough times with her guy that she knew the route. She loved being by the river. For a winter day, the weather was perfect. The sun was shining, and the temperature was right around 50 degrees.
They pulled into an old campsite Marc used to take his camp group to on overnight hikes. Marc remembers when all the kids got poison ivy. He didn’t. He led them right to it. They were aimlessly hiking, and Marc said let’s use this as our supply leanto. The poison ivy plant was growing all around. Several kids fell in it. Later on, most were quite itchy; Marc was fine. He jumped into the Delaware to cool off and bathe. They had no showers at this site; for some, that was fine. For Marc, that was gross.
The women sat in that same leanto. All the plant life was dead for the winter. She met the Woodsman once. He came in with his herd of buffalo to talk to Marc. They were in a different section of the camp. She didn’t expect to see the Woodsman. She knew he likely would only come out for Marc. But she knew he knew she was in camp, and she’d be safe. They opened their sandwiches and stretched.
Tzipora walked to the river and put her feet in. The water was cold. But she didn’t care. Very quickly, she was taking a dip. Alana smiled and was coaxed in. The two frolicked around.
Suddenly, they heard strange moaning noises. At the entry point of the river, they saw Jay. He, of course, knew the camp. He was kicked out many moons ago. Tzipora vaguely knew about the damage he caused. She got scared. The two women were not dressed for a fight. They were sopping wet.
Alana and Tzipora exited the river quietly. Jay was so stoned he didn’t even notice them. They dried off and put their warm clothes on. Jay was still seated by a tree that Marc always loved to hang out by. He was chanting. He had his air pods in and was cranking Judas Priest.
Tzipora looked at Alana. She smiled. They approached Jay. His arms began to shake. As they shook, pieces of glass flew out. Alana thought he was detoxing. She laughed and lodged a few apples at his head. She then shot wine into his eyes. He fell out of his spot. He rolled down toward the river.
The two women jumped into Alana’s Infiniti, kept the Beatles playing, and drove into town.
Marc got home to his apartment. He was right. Alana ordered pizza. She thought he’d be home earlier. It was ice cold by the time he strolled in. She warmed it up in the oven. She said she made him pizza. He laughed. He preferred it cold. It reminded him of eating it in camp or in the dorms. They smiled. Marc enjoyed his warm pizza with a glass of Ramat Naftaly Petit Verdot. He loved the boutique Israeli wineries. They chatted a little about her hangout with Tzipora. She was doing well. As a neuro-ophthalmologist, she was the busiest of their gang. One day, they would go to one of the vampire bars Tzipora used to hang out in. Sometimes, she still goes for a drink. She loved their bloody cocktails.
Meanwhile, Kari was hanging at the South Street Seaport. She was outside on Pier 17, sitting by the boats. She walked over to the boat sidebar and bought a beer. She was wondering if she was in the right place with Jay. She watched him get beat up by a female. She liked how strong women are. But was not happy watching one making mincemeat out of her guy. She knows his kid beat him up. Then she got beat up by the same woman who beat him.
She sipped her Sierra Nevada and thought more. For some reason, she figured she’d stay with him. They had exciting dates. He didn’t have the cash to take her to excellent restaurants, galleries, or fantastic shows. But there was something about this loser she liked. She was worried he’d get beaten again. She knows he has an arrest record.
Jay strolled up to her and kissed her lips as she was sitting there. She responded. They embraced. Tzipora and Eran were nearby. The two had the day off and went to the Seaport to chill. And chill, they did. It wasn’t a warm day. But they enjoyed each other’s company and were always warm when they were together.
For once, Jay was mellow. All of a sudden, he got up and bumped into Eran. They stared at each other. Jay walked away. Eran sat down. Jay came back and started screaming. Eran and Tzipora decided to walk away. Jay tried to punch Eran. Jay’s punch was blocked. Eran kicked him in the chest. Eran, like Marc, had a few black belts. One is in Krav Maga, one is in Shotokan, and a few are from Banana Republic, the Gap, and J. Crew. Both of them thought the ones from the retailers were more important. Jay started firing glass. Eran got closer and kicked his hands. Jay fired harder and almost hit Tzipora. Eran got pissed. He landed a few punches. Tzipora texted Alana. She knows how strong her hubby is. But she was worried Jay might have the upper hand.
Alana heard her phone play “Rio,” and she knew it was Tzipora. She read the text, raced out of her office, and ran to the Seaport. Kari was loving watching her guy hold his own in the fight. She was excited. She was proud.
Her proudness did not last long. Kari’s smiles and cheers were broken when she saw figs fly into Jay’s head. Next, the two of them were drenched in Rosé. Kari started to cry. Eran kicked Jay a few more times. He went down. Alana smiled. Eran thanked her. Tzipora hugged Alana. They held each other tightly. Their lips locked. Eran knows about his wife’s activities. She swore she was done. She and Alana smiled at each other. Tzipora jumped into Eran’s arms and kissed him. Alana walked off.
Jay was tired of being beaten by Alana, Anat and Marc. To add a bigger insult, his kid, Jerry, was now beating him up. Jerry is only in first grade at the Dwight School. Jay knew Diane was cleaning herself up and wanted nothing to do with him.
Jay decided to go to church one day. Diane was heading back to shul. She was taking everything slow. Jay liked some new woman—a goth chic. Anat and Alana are as goth as it gets. Marc floats between that and his Brooks Brothers, Lacoste, and Ralph Lauren classic prep look. Musically, the superheroes are all on the same beat. Jay’s a metalhead. We know Anat went to Stanford and loved Mike Mussina.
Jay and Kari, his new chic, were fighting. The two of them are cut out for each other. Both are super dumb. The two were getting high on the beach. Someone told them to leave. Jay wanted to be tough in front of Kari. He fired glass at the guy who wanted him to get away. Jay was laughing as he was beating this poor man down. Kari was laughing so hard. Her fat belly shook. Her piercings were shaking.
The man was in a lot of pain. Jay wouldn’t let up. All of a sudden, Jay was drenched in merlot and Chenin blanc. Alana was running on the boardwalk and heard the man’s screams. She looked over towards the ocean and saw what was happening. Alana was angry. She hates it when people break up runs. She worked hard at staying in her perfect shape.
Jay shot glass at Alana. Kari was goading her guy on. She thought he was cool. Kari was so stoned she had no idea what he was doing. She saw Alana run down to the beach and tried to trip her. Big mistake. Alana belted her with figs. She fell on her fat butt.
Meanwhile, Jay was ready to fire broken glass at Alana’s face. He wanted to see her black lipstick and eyeliner turn red and blood flow all over her Joy Divions top and shorts. Glass exploded from Jay’s fingers. Alana saw it coming, shot Malbec at it, and knocked it back into Jay. Guess who turned blood red?
Jake was sifting through Jen’s phone. He couldn’t believe he had to call his wife’s ex to save her. However, the circumstances were unusual. He texted Marc. No answer. He was being pelted with prunes, raisins and apricots. Many landed on Jen’s tummy. Hospital security was knocked out by the dried fruit.
All of a sudden, Alana and Tzipora were walking by. Alana met Tzipora at the hospital to go over Tzipora’s wedding. Eran and she were going to wed. Every now and then Tzipora still convinced Alana to jump into bed.
They heard people screaming. Tzipora said the yells were probably an accident victim. Alana didn’t think so. She heard these screams before. They were different. She saw Anat attacking Jen. Jake was down for the count. Alana looked at Tzipora and smiled.
“Anat leave her alone. Let bygones be bygones. We were all messed up when we were young.”
Anat sneered. “I’d love to. But I can’t. She should know what it felt like.”
Alana had enough. She unleashed red wine. It splattered all over Anat. She hit her right in the eyes. Some went up her nose. Funny thing is it didn’t do anything to remove her dirt. It just caked on. But it did slow her down.
Jen was raced into the delivery room. Jake followed. His box of cigars was destroyed. But he could care less.
Anat got up and pelted Alana with cannonball sized raisins. Alana ducked. This time with Anat, she was clearly in control. She sprayed Anat again and again. White and red.
Anat jumped back. She started to walk away. But Alana unleashed her full arsenal. She hadn’t fought with apples and figs for a while. But knew you can’t count Anat out. Alana was going for the kill.
All of a sudden all stopped to the sound of a babies’ first cry.
Alana woke up with a slight stomachache. She didn’t sleep well. She wasn’t sure why. Things have been going fairly well at work. She still had her obsession with Marc. But that was slowly subsidizing. She wanted to help people. But she didn’t want people to get in her way.
She might be stubborn and tough. But underneath it all, she has a good heart. She showered and decided to take a walk outside. The cold winter air was getting her blood circulating. She was feeling better.
She heard noises that sounded like gunshots. Her ears told her shots were fired about a block away to her left. She thought for a minute and decided to head over.
More shots were fired. She heard no sirens. She wondered why. She picked up her pace. She saw an enraged woman firing off shots into the sky. People were hiding on the ground and in garbage cans.
She assessed the situation. She yelled out to the madwoman. The woman looked at her and fired two more shots into a wall. Then she pointed the gun at Alana.
For a moment everyone was frozen. A little boy started to cry. Alana and the woman stood perfectly still. It was as one was waiting for the other to attack first. Thoughts quickly raced through Alana’s mind. She knew if she tried to run she’d be gunned down. That wouldn’t work. She couldn’t get killed until she had Marc under her control.
Alana’s arm started to bulge. Her hand opened. The woman was paying strict attention to Alana. Her finger was on the trigger of the automatic weapon. She was about to pull it when figs and apples started flying through the air. She started chanting religious prose. The fruits kept flying. One smacked her right on her gun hand. The weapon fell to the ground. Alana ran forward and picked it up. She opened the chamber and unloaded it. She tossed it down a sewer.
The woman collapsed. Finally, the sounds of sirens were blaring. Alana just stood there. People surrounded the crazy lady. But no one said a word.
Dani woke up. Today is her birthday. She was pondering the text from Murray. She knew it was cryptic for a reason. She expected him to call with birthday greetings. He always called early. He is not vermin.
On Murray’s 18th birthday not one friend or family member called to say happy birthday. He spent the day with his parents and Dani. No one called. Not even his grandmother, who’s notorious for calling at around 6:00 a.m. on big days in one’s life. He decided they were all vermin.
Back to the text, she knew she had to meet Murray. He offered two choices. There was no way she was going to 161 Street. Sadly her days of going to the Stadium ended. She became a traitor and rooted for the Mutts.
She knew Murray hated coming back to the Island. Not sure it was that he hated that place so much or the harrowing commute to get there. A train, to a filthy ferry, another train and then being picked up in Annandale took longer than going to Boston. Our hearts are with them today.
So, she said she could meet him in two days at Wolfe’s Pond Park. Murray loved that place. He learned to inline skate there. Audrey came running into her room with a homemade birthday card and a cupcake. It was a little early for the cupcake. But Audrey was wearing such a loving smile when she handed it over to her mom. Dani ate it.
Audrey was excited that she got to spend the day with her mom. But she was more excited that she was going to the Staten Island Zoo. She loves animals. Unlike her mom, she isn’t afraid of snakes. Of course, that fear is Murray’s fault.
The trip to the zoo was easy. Everything was calm. They had pizza for lunch, watched Disney DVDs and got ready for a birthday dinner with Robbie, her husband and an ever-doting father to Audrey.
The day came. Murray stood in front of the restrooms at Wolfe’s Pond Park waiting for Dani. He decided to take the SI train or trolley as he called it to Huguenot. He walked down Huguenot Ave. to Hylan Blvd. to the park. He barely looked at Tottenville High School. That dump wasted four years of his life. Boy did he hate that place with a passion. He has no care in the world about that institution now. It was a faded memory of his past.
Dani drove in and parked in Murray’s traditional parking spot. He is very ritualistic and always parked in the same spot in the park and just about anywhere else. She knew he’d be standing by the park’s latrine.
He smiled and pulled a bottle of Segal’s Fusion Red out of his knapsack. He opened, decanted and poured. He was laughing and smiling every step of the way.
L’Chaim.
She reluctantly sipped her wine. She knew exactly why he did this. Even he though fought with bleach. He was a Sith at heart. The Force was always strong within him.
They chatted for about an hour. The bottle of Segal’s was finished and tossed in the recycle bin.
The two siblings agreed to get their little “weapons,” Danny and Tony together to start their “empire”. They would meet in two weeks at the South Street Seaport.
Over the next few days, Murray and Dani worked out and made sure Danny and Tony followed suit.
All were anxiously waiting for the rapidly approaching meeting date.
Mitchell's thoughts, photos, etc. 