This evening the Bees had a game against a firm called Debevoise & Plimpton at the Trinity School on West 91st Street.  I took the subway to the 96th & Broadway and walked and walked the few blocks to the school.  We would be playing in the gym located in the basement.  After I suited up I noted that not many D&P players had arrived, while 8 Bees had suited up.  The referees gave them until 7:20 for a total of 5 players to show up, otherwise D&P would forfeit.  Sure enough, only 2 D&P members had arrived so the Bees won by forfeit.  I told the two D&P guys that I wish that more of their teammates had shown up, for it's more fun to actually play and win or lose that way.  They agreed with me.  So, the Bees had the court for about 90 minutes so we split up the 10 who eventually came into two teams to have a full court game.  I got some exercise and even took one shot (but missed).  Since I wanted to get home at a somewhat reasonable hour and not have to ask Ellen to drive to Babylon to get me, I told the captain that I would have to leave at 7:45 to get the subway and be certain that I got to Penn Station by 8:30.  So I left around 7:45 and a young man who was hanging around the gym took my place.  When I got to the subway station at 96th & Broadway I learned that there were no trains - the #'s 1, 2, and 3 lines were not running (maybe police activity).  So I had to hoof it over to Central Park West & 96th to get the subway there.  Luckily when I got to the turnstile a train was arriving and I got to Penn with 20 minutes to spare.

Yesterday Ellen, Eileen and I drove to the New York Botanical Gardens in the Bronx, located across Southern Boulevard from Fordham University.  While I may have ridden past the grounds on Metro North Commuter Railroad and the old 3^rd Avenue elevated subway line, I had never visited the grounds before.  This year we wanted to check out the garden railroad, which is an annual exhibit that is displayed in the Enid Haupt Conservatory.  The trains are the G-scale models since those can run outdoors and since the motors are sealed and therefore waterproof.  The structures and buildings are all made from plant products: wood, leaves, fungi, seeds and just about anything else from the non-animal kingdom. There were models of bridges: the Hellgate, George Washington, Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, and an unnamed Harlem River swinging drawbridge.  There were many famous structures: the New York Public Library, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller Center, Yankee Stadium (walked right past this one yet did not notice it – I definitely need new glasses), the Apollo Theater, the original Penn Station, the conservatory where the exhibit was held, the Guggenheim Museum, and St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  There were many lesser known building like St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on Cedar Street (destroyed on 9-11 when the Towers collapsed), the Kingsland Homestead in Queens, a firehouse on Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, Hudson River mansions like Sunnyside and Boscobel, and a large number of historic 19^th century brownstones and townhouses.  These structures had model trains running next to them, even if in real life there are no trains for several blocks or else they are underground.  There were also three models that had no models next to them: Ellis Island, the Statue of Liberty, and the TWA Terminal at JFK Airport.  Ellen and I took over 90 pictures and I downloaded nearly all of them to my page on www.facebook.com.  I will also create a web-page on either Homestead or www.moonfurit.com.  After about an hour we walked to the Garden Café for a light lunch.  Then it was time to walk around the grounds to admire the pine trees (they have planted different species from all over the world).  However, we could not walk too far because my right knee is hurting me – I must have popped it out earlier in the day at a fire call.  Before leaving we went to the gift shop and a book about the garden trains as well as some postcards.  Since we had also contemplated membership in the Gardens, we purchased a two person membership and ended up getting credited for two tickets, as well as 20% off the items we bought in the shop.  Then it was a relaxing ride home on the parkways. 

This morning the Islip Fire Department Tactical Rescue Squad had a water rescue drill at the Town Beach on the Great South Bay.  The participants donned survival suits – almost like wetsuits but completely insulating you (except for part of your face) from the elements.  The suit is then hooked to a rope that is anchored on shore.  We then waded out about 50 yards – the water was only waist high – before we were pulled back by the member who stayed on shore.  The suits are very warm and you float like a cork.  I then doffed mine and another member waded out 50 yards (the end of the rope) and then I pulled him in – hand over hand.  After everyone each had a turn in the survival suits we headed back to headquarters to start packing then equipment away. Before we could start to put the equipment away, we got a mutual call for a water rescue in the neighboring town – Bay Shore – for a duck hunter who fell into the Great South Bay.  Naturally our truck took off and headed west down Montauk Highway to the Bay Shore park were other rescuers had gathered.  By the time we arrived the hunter was rescued and we headed back to Islip.  This time we got to stash the equipment away, but not after hosing down the suits and ropes to remove salt water and sand.  We all had a good time and I know that I definitely learned something.   

Happy Friday the 13^th.  I am off today since it’s use it or lose it, and also because I had promised to give blood at the firehouse for the firefighter who was severely burned at the Brooklyn brownstone fire last month.   I opted for the ALYX where rather than the regular way.  In the ALYX collection, rather than collecting the blood directly into a blood bag, the blood first flows into the ALYX machine, which separates the blood’s components. Red blood cells are collected in a blood bag, and the remaining components are returned to the donor. I also received a small amount of sterile saline fluid to make up for the blood volume loss. This donation takes about twice as long as a whole blood donation: 20-25 minutes instead of 10 minutes.  I will be able to donate again in the middle of May.  When not at the firehouse I was out doing errands or at the library.   

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Please see my December 27 2011 entry where I mentioned the pertinent information about the injured firefighter.  Anyway, here it is again: If any reader in the New York City area has O- (O Negative) blood please contact the New York Blood Center at 1-800-439-6876, and provide these pieces of information: Patient #203859 and file #71614. 

Today I played in my first game this season with my company's basketball team.  The season's earlier games were either too late in the evening or were on a night when I had a previous commitment. 

This evening the Bees played at the Dalton School on East 87th Street near 3rd Avenue.  I decided to save on transit fares and get exercise by walking to the gym - from 47th Street and Park Avenue!  Since 20 Manhattan cross streets equal one mile, 40 would make two miles.  After walking about 30 minutes I arrived at the Dalton School all loose and somewhat limber.

After I changed into my sweatpants I received a new team shirt – with the sponsors’ names on it (the New York Knicks and JP Morgan Chase Bank).  I wound up with #23 (no, I don’t think that I will be the next Michael Jordan).  Our opponent for this game was a firm named Kaye Scholer.  They played well but with our depth, offense and defense we owned the game.  After a few minutes the score was 7-0.  The final score after 50 minutes was 64-35.  I got to play for several minutes in both halves.  In the 2^nd half I got a chance to take a shot for a basket but missed.  Maybe better luck in the next game on the 17th.

After the game I took the subway to Penn Station and rode home on the 9:05 local to Babylon where Ellen & Eileen picked me up.

Last night was my monthly fire company meeting.  Nothing special other than conducting the usual company business.

8 of my favorite people who left us in 2011:

1.        Ryne Duren

2.       Duke Snider

3.       Harmon Killebrew

4.       Matty Alou

5.       Liz Taylor

6.       Harry Morgan

7.       Steve Jobs

8.       Vaclev Havel

8 of the books that I read in 2011

1.        Rhubarb in the Catbird Seat by Red Barber

2.       Change Up by Larry Burke and Peter Fornatale

3.       56 by Kostya Kennedy

4.       The Iowa Baseball Confederacy by William Kinsella

5.       Homeward to Ithaka by Leonard Wibberley

6.       John & Satch by John Holway

7.       Blackball Stars – Negro league Pioneers by John Holway

8.       Clearing the Bases by Mike Schmidt with Glenn Waggonner

8 movies that I saw:

1.        Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II

2.       The King’s Speech

So it looks as if I did not go to the movies that often in 2011.

8 red letter events:

1.        Seeing the Harlem Globetrotters at the Nassau Coliseum

2.       The Bees go undefeated in their conference in the Yorkville Sports Association

3.       Visiting the Bronx Zoo

4.       Visiting the Finger lakes region

5.       Eileen graduating from high school

6.       Visiting Martin Van Buren’s home

7.       Visiting Philadelphia

8.       The Cardinals winning the World Series