Sunday, May 23, 2010

Havent blogged in awhile:Gorillas,James Taylor, Fat people at Chinese restuarants,No more mahwah,Korean Jewish Salesman

Where do I begin, after not blogging for a long time..... Well the Mahwah store is now a thing of the past. 25 years , and all I have is a bunch of cancelled checks, made out to an ungratefull landlord; should have bought the building, but the price was always higher than the appraisael, so never could get a loan. Now i have memories, some great, some sad....others bittersweet... But, it was a 25 year stepping stone, that led to this mega store in HOHOKUS, which was the life long fantasy...of having the biggest store in the state...BIG DEAL. Now I have the biggest overhead in the state. No awards.. No statues or bouquets of flowers presented to me in front of a large audience.

The other night, James Taylor and Carol King sand a duet on one of the late night talk shows. 'THEY SANG...."YOU GOT A FREIND" AS THEY WERE SINGING, MY BRAIN TOOK MY ON A TRIP TO THE 1970'S, A SONG THAT I LOVED...AND STILL DO. IT IS SYMBOLLIC OF MY TRIP THRU LIFE....AGAIN, AS ABOVE BITTERSWEET. AS THEY SANG, I WAS RELIVING THE PAST, WITH TEARS IN MY EYES...THEY WERE SINGING MY LIFE AWAY....WITH A SONG.... and yet, so greatful, that both the singers and I still have survived four decades...the world was a different place back then...hippies, love and peace....and a smaller dose of the Republican Conservative Agenda, the Red STATEs and Blue states really didnt have such a separation then,...and Americans were more cohesive.....there were no computers, no blogs, no Ebay, No Craigs list, no Ipods, No Blackberries,,, no APs no GPS, cars and machines that talk, Univerisites online, no screen names, no GAY rights, No Black President (which I am so happy to have), etc A different world indeed.

The other night I went with my GPS to find a womans home...and give an appraisal. It got me lost and then it went dead. I didnt charge it enough.....when I called on the phone....there was no service...THE PHONE DIDNT WORK AGAIN....IT IS DEFECTIVE. BROUGHT IT BACK TO RADIO SHACK....AND THE GIRL, WHO I RETURNED IT TO TWO DAYS AFTER I BOUGHT IT...WOULDNT HELP ME.... IT NEVER WORKED RIGHT.....THE BATTERY WAS LOOSE WAS HER EXCUSE, BUT IT FAILED AGAIN.. WHEN SHE REFUSED TO GIVE ME A REFUND OF PHONE OR THE 100DOLLARS PREPAID FOR HOURS, I GOT MAD AND YELLED AND SHE THRU ME OUT OF THE STORE.....I WROTE TO RADIO SHACK>>.LETS SEE WHAT HAPPENED... GOT SCREWED AND IT DIDNT EVEN FEEL GOOD

MY DIET IS SLIPPING.....I TOOK MYSELF TO THE ALL YOU CAN STUFF YOUR SELF CHINESE BUFFET IN RAMSEY......I FILLED MY PLATE...AND CHOWED DOWN.. AS I WAS EATING I STARTED SEEING A COLLECTION OF FAT ASSED PEOPLE. NOW I DONT MEAN CHUBBY TUSHIES. I MEAN PEOPLE WHO CAN RENT THEIR ASSES AS BILLBOARDS ON THE HIGHW WAY...PEOPLE THAT DONT WALK, THEY WADDLE....AND THEIR PLATES WERE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING HIGH WITH FOOD...THEY CARRIED AND BALANCED TWO PLATES AT A TIME, AND KEPT WADDLEING UP TO THE BUFFET MANY MANY TIMES....THEIR WERE FAMILIES OF FAT PEOPLE.....SUMO WRESTLERS ON PARADE..DISGUSTING...HOW THEY COULDNT WALK, YET FILLED THEMSELVES...I WAS AFRAID A FEW OF THEM MIGHT EXPLODE.

SAW THE VIDEO OF THE MAN WHO RELAEASE HIS PET BABY GORILLA INTO THE WILD AND THEN CAME BACK FIVE YEARS LATER...THEY MED AND EMBRACED AND KISSED AND HUGGED. I CRIED...IT WAS VERY EMOTIONAL TO SEE THE LOVE BETWEEN TWO SPECIES.....AMAZING....IT WAS HAVE BEEN VERY HARD FOR THE MAN TO LEAVE THE GORILLA.....I PUT MYSELF IN HIS POSITION....AND THAT IS WHEN I GOT REALLY SAD.. I AM TOO GODAMN SENSITIVE FOR MY OWN GOOD.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

MAHWAH GONE, DEPRESSION SETS IN, ANALYZE NEWS,RECIPES

THE MAHWAH STORE IS GONE, BUT THE MEMORIES LIVE ON....MOSTLY GOOD ONES....THE PLACE FROM WHICH THE EMPIRE WAS BUILT, AND FROM WHICH, ITS DRAINED THE PROFITS, TO ALMOST DISASTER LEVEL. THE PLACE THAT CUSTOMES FLOCKS, AND THE LITTLE FURRY RATS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD JUST COULDNT STAY AWAY....THE RAILROAD TRACKS BEHIND THE BUILDING, THE SUMPSTERS FROM THE OLD"NOBODYS INN", WHICH BECAMSE "ROXANNES"....FROM WHOSE DUMPSTERS FED THE LOCAL RATS MORE GORMET FOOD.....AND, THEN THEY CAME TO OUR BUILIDNG TO SLEEP. EATING THRU THE DOORS AND WALLS TO GET IN.
MY APARTMENT UPSTAIRS GAVE ME PRIVACY FOR OVER TNE YEARS....AND NOW, THAT IS ALSO GONE...THE ONLY POSITIVE THING IS THAT MY EXPENSES WILL BE DOWN BY ALMOST 5000 A MONTH...HOPING WE CAN RECOUP AND GET BACK ON TRACK.
THERE WAS BLACK MOLD IN THE BUILDING....WHICH WAS GETTING US SICK...A LACK OF HEAT, AND A HEATING SYSTEM THAT WAS SO OLD FASHION....THAT WE COULDNT AFFORD TO HEAT THE PLACE ANYMORE.....THE BUILDING WAS NOT INSULTATE..AND THE BUILDING WASNT MUCH MORE THAN A BUNCH OF GARAGES..WITH DOORS THAT MADE IT A WIND TUNNEL.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE DIETING...A GREAT VERY LOW CALORIE ITEM IS golds DIET BORSCHT.....AN ENTIRE BOTTLE IS ONLY 60 CALORIES......YOU CAN ADD BIT OF CHOPPED FRESH OR DRIED DILL TO IT, A TINY BIT OF LOW FAT SOUR CREAM.....AND IF YOU LIKE TO PUT IN A LITTLE HOT SAUCE..WHICH WILL MAKE YOU THIRSTY.....LATER AND DRINK WATER....TO FILL YOU UP MORE...

lOW FAT NEUFATEL CHEESE (LESS CALORIES THAN CREAM CHEESE) ADD GARLIC,HOT SAUCE,LOW SALT SOY SAUCE CAPERS..FILL A CELERY STALK....NICE TASTY NOSH....NOT TO HIGH IN CALORIES...

STEAM A BUNCH OF ASPARGUS... MAKE A DIPPING SAUCE OF TWO TABLESPOONS OF MUSHROOM SOUP CONCENTRATE, 2 TABLESPOONS OF WATER, SOY SAUCE,GARLIC, AND CHOPPED DILL,LITTLE HOT SAUCE IF YOU LIKE....DRY ASPARGUS...USE DIPPING SAUCE.....LOW CALORIE SNAK OR WITH A MEAL

THE NEWS: THERE ARE TIME WE REALLY MUST READ INTO THE NEWS....AND THINK OF OPTIONS OF WHAT REALLY IS HAPPENING....NOW, THE RUSSIAN CAPTURED SOMALIAN PIRATES..AND CLAIMS THEY THEY DIDNT HAVE THE PROPER AUTHORITY TO PROSECUTE THEM.....SO, THEY PUT TEN OF THE PIRATES INTO A AIR FILLED RAFT, AND SET THEM "FREE" ON THE OCEANS. NOW WE ARE TOLD THEY ARE ALL FEARED DEAD....THAT THEY NEVER REACHED LAND.
WELL, IF THAT IS TRUE, THEN...I THINK THE RUSSIAN, INORDER TO DAVE MONEY FOR A TRAIL, AND KEEPING THEM IN JAIL FOR 20 YEARS, IT WAS BETTER TO LET THEM FREE, TO DROWN, OR TO FEED THE SHARKS..... OR WAS IT SOME KIND OF DEAL TO FREE THEM TO PREVENT OTHER PROBLEMS.....OR..MAYBE THEY EVEN PAID FOR THEIR FREEDOM. WE WILL NEVER KNOW, ALTHOUGH, I THINK THEY WERE SET ADRIFT TO DIE. AND JUSTLY SO.

THE PAKISTANI TERRORIST...WHO SCREWED UP IN TIMES SQUARE.....HAS MANY POSSIBILITIES.. ONE, HE REALLY SCREWED UP, AND THAT PAKISTAN IS REALLY SUPPORTING TERRORISTS, AND IS TWO FACE, AND NOT REALLY OUR FREIND..... ANOTHER POSSIBILITY IS THAT HE IS A PAKISTANI, WHO IS EITHER A PAWN FOR THE SYSTEM.....OR AN AGENT, WHO PURPOSELY SCREWED UP....ALTHOUGH TIED TO TALIBAN...SO WE HAVE AN EXCUSE TO REALLY PICK UP OUR INTENSITY TO WIPE OUT TERRORIST HERE AND IN PAKSISTAN.......WHO KNOWS...THERE IS ALWAYS THE POSIBILITY OF A CONSPIRACY

Monday, May 10, 2010

tODAY:END OF AN ERA.. GRANNYS ATTIC MAHWAH CLOSED!

ON A VERY STORMY, RAINY SATURDAY IN 1984, GRANNYS MAHWAH OPENED UP AN HOUR LATE...DUE TO THE HORRIBLE WEATHER.....TO ME IT WAS A BAD OMEN.....THE BAD WEATHER ON OPENING SAY...BUT, WITHIN 20 MINUTES, I HAD MAE A 1500 DOLLAR SALE....AN ARMOIRE, THAT WE HAD HAD IN NEW MILFORD FOR YEARS. SO THE OMEN THEORY WAS WRONG...AND THE STORE DID WELL FOR YEARS.....WE MADE MONEY, I WENT ON LOTS OF VACATIONS, THE AUCTIONS DEVELOPED FANTASTICALLY, WE OPENED OUR FACTORY IN PATERSON TO REFINISH FURNITURE....WHICH THEN LED TO EXPANDING THE FLOOR SPACE AND BECOMING DIRECT IMPORTERS OF ANTIQUES FROM HOLLAND AND HUNGARY....THEN THE FACTORY TOOK ON ANOTHER FLOOR AND WE OPENED IT ON THE WEEKEND AS A STORE.
TIME PASSED, 9/11 CHANGED THE WORLD FOREVER....TASTES CHANGED.....THE CHURCH KICKED US OUT AFTER 25 YEARS, AND THEN THE FACOTRY WAS SOLD. NO MORE REFINISHING...AND WE MOVED TO HOHOKUS. THE AUCTION HALL HERE JUST NEVER TOOK OFF...BUT THE WORLD CHANGED, TASTES CHANGED, A NEW GENERATION TOOK OVER ..WHO WAS BEING GIVEN THE ANTIQUES FROM THEIR PARENTS WHO WERE RETIRING....BUT THEY ALSO WANTED DIFFERENT STYLES....MORE MODERN, MOR RETRO......AND THE ANTIQUE ROAD SHOW, EBAY, CRAIGS LIST, ALL ADDED TO THE DEMISE OF AUCTIONS, AND 80% OF THE RETAIL ANTIQUE STORES IN AMERICA!
i HELD OUT ON THE clIFTON STORE TO LONG TO CLOSE,....AND MADE THE SAME MISTAKE WAS MADE BY NOT CLOSING MAHWAH.....AND I WAISTED MUCH TO MUCH MONEY.....BUT TODAY, AFTER CLEANING MAHWAH OUT FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS...IS GONE.....THE BOYS SWEPT IT CLEAN, FILLED UP A DUMPSTER WITH LEFT OVER STUFF FROM BOTH YARDS.....AND LEFT THE BUILDING EMPTY, EXCEPT FOR BLACK MOLD ON THE WALLS, WHICH I CERTAINLY HOPE WASNT TRANSFERED INTO THIS BUILDING.... THE SIGNS OUT SIDE ARE DOWN. AND IT LOOKS LIKE AN OLD UNHAPPY BUILDING, WITH NO EVIDENCE THAT GRANNYS ATTIC WAS EVER THERE...'
IN SOME WHAT IT IS SAD. I HAD AN APARTMENT UPSTAIRS FOR OVER TEN YEARS...AND IF THE WALLS COULD TALK.....SOME EXCITEMENT AND DRAMA TOOK PLACE THERE...WHICH i MIGHT WRITE ABOUT SOMEDAY....I WROTE A NOVEL THERE. I WROTE A BOOK OF POETRY AND PHILOPSHY THERE...I HAD A GREAT DOG NAMED BUSTER...A BLACK LAB GREAT DANE THAT LIVED AND DIED THERE...AND A PUSSY CAT, THAT I FOUND ON RT 17...ALSO LIVED THERE, AND PASSED IN THOSE YEARS....I HOSTED MY FREIND BENNO AND HIS GIRL FRIEND FROM AMSTERDAM THERE...AND FRANK AND SUSAN , A MARRIED COUPLE FROM HUNGARY...LIVED WITH ME FOR A WHILE, AN MY FRIEND MARTIN FROM AMSTERDAM, STAYED THERE...WHEN HE CAME TO AMERICAN TO PAINT OUR TRUCKS..WITH HIS FAMOUS "CARTOONS".....
NOW IS IS ALL IN MY MEMORY..... JOHN SAYS ITS SAD.....YES IT IS, BUT LIFE MUST GO ON....ALL GOOD THINGS MUST COME TO AN END...AND IN REALITY, IT WAS NOT GOOD FOR YEARS....THE CUSTOMERS COME TO HOHOKUS....OR JUST DONT BUY STUFF ANYWHERE..ANYMORE!!
tHE GOOD PART, I WILL SAVE OVER 4000 DOLLARS A MONTH.
I HELPT CLEAN OUT THE PLACE FOR THE PAST FEW MONTHS...BUT TODAY, THE VERY LAST DAY..I STAYED IN HOHOKUS, AND ALL THE GUYS WERE THERE, CLEANING IT OUT FOR THE LAST TIME....I THINK I MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN EMOTIONAL...WALKING OUT FOR THE LAST TIME AND LOCKING THE DOOR.. YES, AN END OF AN ERA... WE MUST PUT ALL OUR ENERGY INTO HOHOKUS AND MAKING THIS PLACE WORK,,,,AND PROSPER.
BUT THERE IS ONE INSULTING THING THAT HAPPEND. THE LANDLORD WHO SHALL GO UNNAMED, IS A REAL ASSHOLE. WE PAID THE RENT THERE FOR OVER A QUARTER OF A CENTURY....HE WAS SO LUCKY TO HAVE THE PLACE RENTED CONSECUTIVELY FOR ALL THAT TIME, NEVER LOOSING ANY RENT.....AND THE BASTARD REALLY DIDNT TAKE CARE OF THE BUILDING.....WE PUT IN NEW LIGHTING, FRONT PICTURE WINDOWS, FENCES, PAINTED THE BUILDING TWICE, PAID THE WATER, SEWER, AND GARBAGE BILLS.... AND DIDNT FIX THE HEATING SYSTEM FOR YEARS WHEN IT BROKE...ETC... WELL, FRIDAY, THERE WAS A SUPERIOR COURT NOTICE POSTED ON THE DOOR..THAT WE HAD TO BE OUT BY TOMORROW..... AND WE WERE ONLY STILL THERE , CLEANING THE PLACE TO LEAVE IT DECENT.. WE EVEN PATCHED HOLES IN THE APARTMENT WALLS WHERE PICTURES WERE HANGING.... BEFORE HE SERVED US WITH THAT NOTICE....I WAS EVEN GOING TO WASH THE FLOORS.....WE ALSO LET HIM "PARK"(STORE) A HUGE TRACTOR ON THE PROPERTY FOR YEARS...AND WE DIDNT CHARGE HIM..... WE DIDNT HAVE TO LET HIM PARK IT THERE.....DID WE????? wELL, ITS ALL IN THE PAST, UNLESS THERE IS SOME KIND OF LAWSUIT FOR SOMETHING WHICH HE MIGHT FIND AS A WAY OF REVENGE FOR US MOVING OUT.
MOTHERS DAY WAS SPENT WITH MY SISTER,BROTHERINLAW AND NEICE... WE WENT TO MY SISTERS FAVORITE HANG-OUT..CLUB...RESTUARANT ON A GOLD COURSE.....
THE SERVICE WAS NOT GOOD..WE WAITED AN HOUR BEFORE THE MAIN COURSE CAME...THE SHRIMP APPETIZER WAS FAR FROM AMAZING...NO BETTER THAN SOMETHING YOU CAN BUY FROZEN. THE FILET MIGNON WAS VERY TENDER...SERVED ON THE BONE(NEVER HEARD OF THIS BEFORE) THE WINE REDUCTION SAUCE WAS DELICIOUS....BUT THE MEAT..SEEMED TASTLESS...BUT TENDER...THE SAUCE GAVE IT SOME TASTE. THE VEGGIES AND POTAOTES WERE TASTY BUT SPARCE..tHE MUSIC, ALTHOUGH EXCELLENT...WAS TOO LOUD.....IT WAS DIFFICULT TO TALK AND WAS SO LOUD, ALMOST PAINFULL.
BUT WITH ALL THOSE KVETCHES, I HAD A GOOD TIME....

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Customer yentas drove me to the edge......

Mother and Daughter yenta team.....took over an hour, almost standing in one spot, trying to decide to buy two chandeliers. They kept asking each other if they like it...They then kept looking and deciding which room each would go in...Mommy do you like it....she said yes....then they would reverse roles and MOMMY would ask the daughter if she liked it....this kept going on for an hours....the dialoge, the same.......back and forth.. untill i couldnt stand it any more.....
Finally, she said she would buy it....but wouldnt pay the tax...I asked if she had a tax number.....she said no....I informed her she MUST pay....then she said she wouldnt buy it.....She started leaving......Then the mother said she would pay for it....then that took another 15 minutes......finally I was going to write it up when she said "WAIt" I have to call my husband.....another 15 minutes.....
she finally bought it..but not until i gave them an ultimate, that she has two minutes..or they wouldtn beforsale..because they were driving me crazy....They did buy it finally...but....not until i got sort of nasty and pushy.....OY!
Four ASiAN men came in and either they didnt speak any ENGLISH AT ALL.....or they were deaf......or rude as hell. I would speak to them, and they didnt respond at all..as if they didn hear me.. This went on for half an hour. I still do not know which was the reason...they of course bought nothing...but did make some strange grunting noises like SUMO Wrestlers....
There were so many pains in the asses today....and so few sales.....

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Just Got Back From Canada=shopping


What a schlepp....8 hours one way driving....I did stop once for gas and to pee....maybe twice...who remmbers...I got jet lag from driving...there was construction every where, on every road, from here to Canada....in Hacketstown it was bumper to bumper, not moving for 20 mins...that started teh frustration of the trip.
The ride was more or less uneventful, except once I thought the new used car would stall out..while driving..but it perked up again. I passed thru customs, after asking a few questions like: are you bringing fire arms, drugs, or huge sums of money. I of course said, no and didnt make jokes either....although I thought of saying...that I wished I had a large sum of money..but kept my mouth shut.
I was amazed how wide the Niagra River was and how green the water appeared...when driving a bit into Canada, I thought I saw the OCEAN on my right...but it was one of the great lakes.,....which is so large you cant really see the other side...due to the curvature of the Earth. Canada greeted me with signs that made me feel at home:
MC DONALDS< WENDYS< BURGER KING,Staples, TOYS ARE US....etcetcetc....Ontario didnt look like anything more than an extention of the USA. I wast there long enough to get any impression, although I asked two ladies for directions and they were very obliging and sweet..One very curious thing...I met about 6 different women and they all looked the same...genetically....It was like in a movie, eveyone look the same. Sort of like one of the ROYAL FAMILY IN DRAG!
My phone broke, so when i got lost looking for the furniture warehouse and to meet Charlie..it took an extra ten min of driving...he took me to Kentucky Fried Chicken....and then we went on to go shopping. By the WAY, the KFC really wasnt crisp and didnt taste anything like the birds we eat down here....After browsing we went to another higher CLass chicken restuarant.....for supper...The food was extrememly mediocre....but I will not judge the COUNTRY on two fast food restaurants....and one was American ANyway.
I purchases some really amzing items...but dont have the energy to describe them now...except one 6foot tall painting ...if the pix came out I will post it here.

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Great New Restautant in NJ...


Tonight Glen and I went to eat , at the invitation of one of our customers.....They own the NEW SAVANNAHS....a huge place, with a restuarant, bar with live music, and a NITECLUB for the younger set that opens at 10.
It is the 50 year old JORGENSENS County INN, famous in NJ for their fine food at reasonable prices...now, with a name change, the good reputation f great food....like the old JOrgensons with great prime ribs.....plus......the Owner and CHEF...SUSAN, ia a trained gourmet chef....with not only training, but a creative imagination for new recipes..as an impressionist painter, changes his perception of the good old styles.
Tongiht I had the CINQO DI MAYO SPecial..... a huge platter with corn on the cob, with ciilantro tecquila butter, chili with melted cheese, home made corn bread, Fabulous Quacamole and home made nacho chips, and a marinated steak on a bed of Mexican RICE.....home made bread and a gread salad all for 22.95 What a bargain....GLEN had a fabulous vegetarian dish of Butternut Sqaush ravioli...smothered in a sauce made up of more squash, butter, parsely,onions, spices and other little secretive things....Glen said it was beyond delicisous and more than he expected...... The desserts were obscene....and the prices are great..
The building dates back to 1850....it was a country INN, Stage Coach Stop, and many other things.......with 14 additions built over 160 years......At the moment the hotel or inn part need complete renovations...and it maight come soon, as a group of stores..that will be facing a new railroad station that is being built on their property....A GREAT PLACE TO GO AND EAT, PARTY AND HAVE A GOOD TIME AND NOT SPEND A FORTUNE.....